Uega Ren Vakir

Pan: Thanks, glad you're enjoying it. Nice new sig and avy, by the way.

John: I like that line too, thanks.

Sotek: Something to that effect, yes. And there's always the possibility of multiversal asplosion. And thanks.


While the next chapter is in progress, does anyone have any favorite parts so far?

Russell's reintroduction, obviously. I'd say rebirth except he never died, so he can't be born again, can he?

Fair point.

No, I don't have a new chapter ready. On the contrary, I have writer's block. Bear with me.

Darn. More bearings. Barings. I dunno anymore... *grabs writer's block and smacks bare bears over their heads with it*

No, I've checked, it's definately bearing. Sorry, it really has a bit to do with trying to get Irim Da Ravola fully editted, no typos left to speak of.

We'll find any typos you make, so just make 'em and gimme another chapter. Or don't. Really. It doesn't matter.

Be patient young one*. I'm not posting in IDR anymore and am making sure it's perfectly free of grammatical issues.

* This statement was made on the unproven assumption that Joslifer is actually younger than me.

« Last edited by Seos san Nekros on Jan 18th 2007 »

We'll just assume that I am (to your *). And nobody's perfect, so... *shrugs*

Meh. As close to perfect as possible, then.


Chapter 10: Collateral

?Who?s Orion??
It was the first thing that came to my mind. I was all too familiar with the Jauvi invading cities, so the letter itself came as no shock to me. The name Jexen wasn?t new to me either, as I had heard him in the alleyway. But I hadn?t heard of Orion before?
?That?d be me,? Russell said with a grin. ?Hard to maintain a reputation as an acolyte with a name like Russell.?
?Fair enough,? I muttered, looking over the letter again. ?Ok, so what about the rest of this? Why do you want me to help this guy??
?Well, we aren?t sure if he?s an ally or a foe, and it?d be bad to lose him before we could tell for sure,? Russell explained.
?Wouldn?t that be something you?d figure out pretty quick?? I smirked.
?You?d think so, but?? he began, stroking his chin. ?Jexen is? well, Jexen is??
?Scum,? Sheeva coughed, masquerading as if he were actually choking.
?An enigma,? Russell finished with a sideways glance at Sheeva. ?He has given us nothing to judge him by.?
?He has told us of his power,? Sheeva spat. ?Is that not enough for you to judge him by??
?And yet he has never harmed any of us and has yet to show any intentions on doing so,? Russell retorted, glaring at his comrade.
?What power?? I interjected.
?Auren, have you ever heard of telekinesis??
?Yeah.? I remembered Ekio mentioning the term when we had found the floating sword. ?So what, Jexen can move things with his mind??
?Not exactly,? Russell said, shaking his head. ?I would not simply describe him as telekinetic. Telekinesis is a feeble ability in comparison with Jexen?s outstanding power.?
?How do you know??
Instantly, I felt a force pulling at the saber at my side. As if someone were tugging at it in an effort to take it. But nobody had moved. I held my arm out of the way in shock as the blade levitated out from its place and spun around, floating handle first toward Russell, who quickly snatched it out of the air.
?Simple,? he smirked. ?I?m telekinetic.?
Before I could react, he tossed it back into the air. With a wave of his hand, the weapon gracefully floated toward my belt, falling limply in its case.
?How?? I began, my eyebrows raised.
?Not easy to put into words,? he interrupted, sensing my question. ?We?ll just call it a talent.?
?Some talent??
How could he have lived with me for so long without me ever noticing this?
Bizarre...
?Yes, indeed. But I digress. You see, my abilities are miniscule in comparison with what Jexen is capable of.?
?How powerful are we talking about here??
?It is feasible to think that Jexen has the potential to destroy Ravola.?
I was speechless.
?Keep in mind it would not be permanent. As far as any of us know, Divino Ravola cannot be eternally put to rest. At full power, Jexen would be a mere nuisance to the true essence of the lord of darkness.?
?But why does he need my help if he is so powerful??
?Jexen is what I like to refer to as psykinetic,? my old friend explained. ?He, too, has the ability to create forces with his mind. But to a far greater degree. He can control it to some extent, and even that extent is greater than my own energy. But in his current state, he would be no match for the likes of Ravola. His true power lies dormant. To unleash it, he would take the ultimate risk.?
?Which is???
?He would lose control of himself. He would gain energy enough to throw things as large as mountains around like so many marbles. He could generate enough force to kill someone with a simple thought. Jexen could, essentially, tear this world in half. But not being able to control this power would almost certainly destroy him as well.?
?I think I gotta agree with Sheeva on this one?? I spoke slowly, absolutely flabbergasted. ?This guy sounds pretty bad himself, and you want me to go over and help him? I mean, how many unstoppable fighters are there??
?That is your decision to make,? Russell said, smiling vaguely. ?But I want you to realize that Jexen has had several opportunities to take my life, and has always decided against it. He could crush me without so much as a second glance, but he hasn?t. This is what leads me to think that there is some degree of good in him.?
?So you?re basing your opinion of him on the fact that he hasn?t killed you?? Sheeva muttered.
?Pretty much? was the simple reply.
I was confused and amazed by so many things it was hard to rationalize the conversation. I was deep in thought even as Sheeva and my old friend bickered over whether or not this ?psykinetic? warrior could be trusted. Russell had not only been alive for hundreds of years longer than I had thought, but was also capable of lifting boulders and swords with his mind. And in addition to having the ultimate evil as our foe, we had we had a man capable of destroying the planet involved, along with the possibility that the creator of all existence still roamed in Amarth.
?What exactly is this ?sanctuary??? I asked loudly in an attempt to stop them from arguing.
?Well, I don?t exactly know?? Russell said, turning away from a displeased Sheeva. ?I know where it is located but I do not know how to get inside. And even if I did, I have absolutely no way of knowing its purpose.?
I paused in consideration. Was it wise for me to go? Surely not? but if I did not, Jexen may be forced to test his true power, which could decimate the entire planet.
?Is it safe??
The answers of Sheeva and Russell were very much different, and almost led to another quarrel.
?Russell,? I said firmly, waiting until I had their attention. ?Is it safe??
?Well, to be honest, we don?t know.?
?Then why should I help him??
?That?s up to you. Personally, I really don?t want to make an enemy out of Jexen, but it?s your call. If it isn?t a trap and you do help him, he?ll owe you.?
?Why me?? I asked with a sigh, pausing. ?What about the other Acolytes? What were they???
?They are all either preoccupied or unaccounted for. Zaemu, the Acolyte of water, is searching battlegrounds for survivors that may need help. She is a diplomat, of sorts. Psiklos of wind is in the north, attempting to free innocent civilians who were captured and placed in a Jauvain dungeon. Archonaud of fire is currently enjoying the life of a civilian in a town to the east which has not yet fallen victim to the hands of this war. We?ve tried to convince him to return, but he refuses to live like us. Vaega of thunder went missing long ago. No one in contact with us has heard from or seen him in more than a hundred years. And, lastly, the acolyte of ice. I do not know his name, nor have I heard from him. When Osiris was imprisoned, this warrior disappeared. He is presumed dead. And Jexen knows of these things, so you can see that you would be the only logical choice.?
?What about you?? I muttered. ?You?re an Acolyte, right??
?I?m afraid my skills are not potent enough to be used as an effective offense,? he explained. ?I can get you there, though. If that is what you want.?
?Where is it??
?Have you ever heard tales of the Arctic Circle??
?Of course I?ve heard of it; don?t know much about it though.?
?Well, as you can imagine, temperatures there are freezing cold. I have followed Jexen there through portal many a time, but he always loses me. I see him go into a strange door on the side of a large iceberg, but I have never been able to find a way to open it. I believe his sanctuary is stationed somewhere in the icy mountains. I do not know how it could be possible to survive there, but I can think of no other explanation.?
Did I have a choice?
?? Get me there,? I sighed.
?Are you sure??
?As sure as I?m going to be??
?Okay, but listen to me. I know it?s obviously a bit bizarre to find out who I really am, and you might find yourself wondering if I ever cared about you. I assure you that I did, and still do. You?re like a brother to me, and I?d hate for you to get yourself killed right after our reunion? I don?t want to make you feel like you have to do this??
?If nothing else it?s a chance to fight the Jauvi with some degree of help, right??
?Right.?
?Well, I?m ready whenever you are??
To my amazement, a circle of white light spiraled into existence right in front of my eyes. Very much similar to the strange things I had came through to get here, the disk of light swirled, and I could feel a comforting glow emanating from it.
?Gotta warn you, it?s gonna be cold?? Russell smirked. ??Watch your back out there, alright??
I nodded and, taking one last deep breath, stepped into the light.

I�ve just started reading this fic and I can honestly say this chapter is just as amazing as every other I have read

Thanks, glad you're enjoying it. How much of it have you read?

Well i�ve read all of it up to this chapter. So i�m waiting for the next one just like everyone else

Oh, ok. You read it pretty quickly, so I was just curious. Next chapter will be up as soon as I've written one.

Great. I already mentioned the only error I noticed on MSG, so other than that it's panultimate. Great stuff, just waiting for the next chapter. You just put it up when you're ready, then.

Is panultimate some word i've never heard? What is the meaning of this atrocity. (Flicks quickly through the dictionary). What is this?!

I was wondering the same thing. Judging by the context, I'm assumingi tm eans "uber" or something ot that effect.

Well "Penultimate" is the second to last (or best), so does Panultimate mean "Better (or after) than all except Pan" or something?

No clue.

Just while I'm here, I want to make it publicly known that my next update could take a while. Currently got a lot on my mind and don't want to rush the chapter, so I'm not going to be continuing until a couple personal issues are settled. It'll still get written, don't worry. Hopefully somebody will help me keep this topic alive.

Panultimate (adj): Of a quality equivalent to anything written by Pandaemonium.

You guys need to expand your vocabulary.

We need to extend our vocabulary to understand words that you/John made up? Okay. Either way, I was right. It pretty much means uber.