Uega Ren Vakir

I do apologize for the lack of updates. Chapters are slow right now due to certain matters which I'd prefer not to discuss. new chapter should be up some time today, hopefully.

Chapters are slow... Sure, get my hopes up for naught! ;) Oh well. I can wait.

Before anyone says anything, yes, I do realize that the chapter is long. Hopefully you'll like it, although it isn't a particular favorite of mine. But please tell me what you think, I can always use feedback.

Edit: On second glance, very long. I'll give you a cookie if you can finish it without taking a break.



Chapter 6: Alliances

I was aroused to consciousness by a gentle hand resting on my shoulder. I struggled to open my eyes, still feeling shaky from the events of the previous night. But, other than this minor dizziness, I felt much revitalized.
?Auren??
I found Ekio standing above me, peering at me through concerned eyes.
?Yo?? I replied. Pushing myself up and leaning back on my arms.
?You had me worried for a while there?? he muttered, his words muffled by a sigh of relief.
?Worried? Haven?t you ever seen someone take a nap before?? I smirked.
?Of course,? he mumbled. ?But most naps only last a few hours.?
?How long have I been out, then?? I asked, squinting as I began to get back to my feet.
?Nearly two days.?
?Impossible?? I retorted immediately.
?I wish it was??
?You don?t understand,? I mumbled, groggily fighting the dizziness as I stood. ?I need to get out of here!?
?You?ve been awake for less than a minute, calm down?? he said comfortingly. ?What?re you talking about??
?I have to get to Maziel?s palace,? I said absentmindedly, brushing past the baffled shaman.
?You think he?ll react kindly to the white warrior strolling into his castle??
?No, but??
I couldn?t find a way to finish the sentence. He had a point.
?So why don?t you slow down and tell me what is going on??
?Maziel has been replaced,? I said bluntly, surveying his reaction before continuing. I tried to make myself sound rational, but it still sounded odd to me as well. ?At the forest, yesterday? err, I suppose a couple days ago? he wasn?t leading the invasion... some other guy was there and? then at the temple, oh God, the temple??
?You aren?t making much sense, Auren?? Ekio replied, obviously just as confused as I was.
?I don?t understand it either. But it wasn?t Maziel. He let two humans live? could?ve killed them, but he let them go. Said they should spread fear of the Jauvi.?
?How does that prove that it wasn?t??
?You?ll have to trust me,? I interrupted, knowing exactly how to answer his unspoken question. ?I?ve spent a lot of time with Maziel. This one was so much more powerful? it was unreal.?
?You?re sure?? he asked hesitantly. I answered him with a simple glance, which said more for my certainty than words could describe. ?What does this have to do with the palace??
?He said everything would be explained there,? I said hurriedly. ?I?d rather have some information about the new guy before I go blindly into war with him and find out the hard way.?
?Understandable, I suppose. But you won?t be able to get into the palace unnoticed.?
?I know. I was hoping you had some extra clothes or something. Just something dark enough that I could pass myself off as a Jauvi.?
A strange look came across his face, as he glanced over his shoulder.
?What?? I asked, trying to follow his gaze. I hadn?t been to this cave before, so it was hard for me to tell if anything was out of place in the darkness.
Without speaking so much as a word, he turned and began to walk away from me. A pause in his footsteps assured me that I was supposed to follow him and so I did. After just a few seconds of walking, a small white orb of light shone from his finger tips, barely immense enough to illuminate the small cavern. There, just in front of where we stood, was a sword.
?What the??? I muttered, slowly walking around to the other side of the weapon. ?What?s holding it here??
?Your guess is as good as mine, I?m afraid.?
The sword was not on the ground and not mounted to any wall. To the contrary, it appeared to be floating in midair.
?It was like this when I first got here,? he explained.
Squinting at it through Ekio?s dim light, I could make out its shape. It was a Jauvain saber, complete with black sheath and silver handle.
?How is it??? I mumbled under my breath, waving my arms around the weapon and ensuring that nothing was holding it in its place.
?I would?ve told you about it sooner, but I was more concerned for your health than anything??
?Well?? I began, trying to speak clearly despite my confusion. I needed to focus on the matter at hand. ?Regardless of the fact that swords don?t usually float, there are more important things? I doubt the white warrior will be allowed into the palace, even if he does have a Jauvain sword.?
?Indeed not,? Ekio replied strangely, glancing at the ground below the sword. ?And it seems someone anticipated that??
Following his gaze once more, I couldn?t stifle a gasp that escaped my throat. I hadn?t noticed it at first, seeing as there was a levitating weapon. But there, spread out on the ground, was a set of black clothing otherwise identical the radiant garments of the white warrior. I had donned this attire in my days of alliance with Divino Ravola many years before, but I had long since discarded the dark clothing.
?You?ve got to be kidding me?? I muttered, kneeling down and examining the clothing. It was the same clothing. I even recognized a blood stain on the inside of the right sleeve of the black jacket from a time when I had been shot in the right hand.
?You can see for yourself that it is no mirage.?
?But Ekio? This stuff arrived here before you even got here? are you sure it?s meant for me??
?Does it matter who it was meant for?? the shaman mused. ?Who it was meant for is irrelevant. What matters is that you have it.?
As I was about to retort, a piece of square parchment caught my eye, sticking out from the inside of the jacket. Without saying anything, I pulled it out and unfolded it. Ekio saw it and quickly adjusted himself so that I could read it by the light of his fingertips. By the dim light, I read the letter to myself.

Auren Riamtar.
Hey slick. I?m going to keep this short. I know you don?t exactly trust anonymous letters and I don?t blame you. But in case this gets intercepted I can?t give you a name. You don?t have to do anything absurd. We will come to you. All I ask is that you look out for a sign. It might be subtle, but if you?re looking for it, you?ll see it. You don?t have to trust me yet, just be on your toes. I?ll see you soon.

?What does it say?? Ekio asked impatiently when I was finished. When I had finished re-reading it out loud, he added ?Who could it be from??
?No clue,? I said simply. ?Seydu Zahbre.?
I was surrounded by a black fog and knew I had vanished from Ekio?s sight. When the shroud subsided, I had changed from the attire of the white warrior into those of my darker past.
?Auren?? he began, but a silent glance from me told him that he could not convince me to stay away from the palace.
?Don?t worry, Ekio, I?ll be fine.?
?What should I do with your father?s clothing??
?Wear them?? I shrugged, carefully handing him my sword as I approached the levitating one. ?You?ve always wanted to wear the clothes my father did, so now?s your chance I guess.?
I reached out to grab the hilt of the floating saber. But I stumbled forward as I pulled it, because the blade didn?t budge.
?What the hell?? we both asked simultaneously. It was rare for Ekio to be fully caught off guard, so I could tell he was just as surprised as I was.
Now wrapping both of my hands around the handle, I tugged at it again, but it still wouldn?t move.
He approached me and tried to help me jar it out of place by pushing on it from the other side. But even as he leaned forward, most of his body weight pressing against the weapon, it remained still.
?Have you ever seen anything like this?? I asked in confusion, studying the weapon.
?Can?t say that I have??
?No magic would allow this??
?Well, I?ve heard rumors of telekinetic warriors, but never seen it for myself.?
?Wait, you lost me??
?Telekinesis is a sort of technique believed to be achievable when a warrior of light unlocks the full potential of his mind. It is, in essence, the ability to move things with your mind.?
?Or make them stay in place?? I asked, scratching my head as I continued to try and move the blade.
?I suppose it is possible. I?ve never heard of it before, but I don?t see why it couldn?t happen.?
?Move, damn it!? I muttered, growing impatient. To my surprise, it did. I almost fell over backward as it broke from its position and fell limply into my grip.
?Peculiar?? Ekio said calmly, staring at the weapon as I steadied myself.
?Yeah,? I replied, turning the weapon over in my hand. After a few moments of studying it, I carefully wrapped the belt-like sheath around my waste and practiced drawing the blade, just in case I needed to use it. It was light and fairly easy to swing, but heavier than my usually choice of weapons. When I was finished testing it, I let the sword hang in its case and pulled the black hood of my old jacket over my head.
?See ya,? I muttered, brushing past Ekio toward the exit of the cave.
?Wait, where are you going??
?The palace, Ekio. We?ve been over this.?
?And what, you plan on walking there? The desert isn?t close-by, Auren.?
?Well, it?s not like I have another option??
?I don?t see why not. You?ve been to the palace enough; I have confidence that you could reach it through the shadows without much risk of missing.?
?And if I did miss, I could end up imbedded in a wall,? I smirked, continuing my pace. ?I think I?ll take my chances with the walk.?
?Can you afford to take that much time??
Now I stopped in my tracks.
Can I?
?When did Maziel ? pardon ? when did the new leader say this meeting was supposed to take place??
?Three days??
?If I?m not mistaken, it?s been at least two days since you saw him. And I?m assuming it?s been longer. You have to travel by shadow.?
?But Ekio? that?s kind of a big risk isn?t it? I?d rather get there late than never, and if I teleport into a place without light??
?I?m well aware of the risk. But as the old saying goes, he who takes no risks shall receive no rewards.?
?Maybe so, but he who takes no risks also avoids landing in cactuses,? I muttered. ?You never hear about the people who take leaps of faith and fall to their death, but who?s to say it doesn?t happen??
?Auren?? the shaman insisted, restraining a smile.
I sighed and nodded. Ekio and I always had some sort of unspoken bond, and we could often settle arguments with simple glances. After I had already convinced him that I needed to visit the palace, I knew I wasn?t going to persuade him to let me walk. I pressed my fingertips together in front of me, taking a deep breath and slowly allowing the shadows to flow into my soul. I focused on the destination: a vast desert in front of the invisible palace of the lord of darkness.
After so long, the shadows were almost painful. I felt lightheaded as the sensation of being swept from my feet surrounded me. But just as fast as it had begun, it was over. I opened my eyes and found myself under a familiar desert tree.
?Thank God,? I muttered, letting out a sigh of relief. It wasn?t until several moments later that I had fully regained myself from the experience and begun to take in my surrounding,
The palace had noticeably changed since my last visit, even in the darkness. The front gates had been built on, now extremely thick and still made of the same black jewel. All dark creatures loved this material because it absorbed black energy when struck by such an attack, making it impossible for the gates ? or anything else made of Seydium ? to be harmed by dark attacks. The castle itself was also immensely larger and appeared to have been moved, with large spires of black crystal reaching up into the sky. There was nothing where the castle once had been, a vast courtyard now lay in front of the black castle doors.
I slowly began to approach the black gates when I realized I was indeed not alone. Quite the opposite. I had arrived with the masses, just in time. Many Jauvain soldiers and Templars walked past me. Not wanting to stand out, I moved with them, hoping I blended in. None of them appeared to think anything of me. I walked slowly until I was surrounded by them, making sure I was impossible to notice in the crowd. Many of them wore clothing similar to my own, so I was certain that I could not be seen.
Flames could be seen dancing on the tips of torches, placed at intervals along the massive palace gates. As me and my company passed through into the castle courtyard, I saw how large it really was. The walls fencing it off fed around the area as far as my eyes could see. There were hundreds ? maybe thousands ? of Jauvi inside, and more still pouring in with me. Though I was used to being in the presence of the horrid creatures, I felt my nerves tighten as I walked in unison with them like I had done so many years before.
I heard silent conversations around me in Jauvain tongue, but I made it a point not to address anyone. I hoped to be as inconspicuous as was physically possible. Normally the Jauvi were nearly emotionless creatures, but their master had given them the permission to act freely until this meeting. So there was a highly unusual amount of chatter for a Jauvain castle.
The group around me began to settle in, filing in ranks behind the warriors who had already assembled. Taking my place in the masses, I glanced over my shoulder to find that hundreds of Jauvi were still pouring in through the gates.
As I turned back toward the castle, someone caught my eye. There wasn?t anything peculiar about them at first except for the fact that they were staring back at me. But the more I looked, the more there was that seemed odd about them. While I couldn?t see perfectly in just the dancing torchlight, he didn?t appear to be Jauvain at all. From what I could see, his skin color was tan rather than the green tint of a Jauvi. His messy long hair hung past his shoulders.
At first I was studying him, but it ended up as a sort of staring contest. For whatever reason, neither of us would look away from one another. Eventually he broke the stare with a slight grin, and turned in the direction everyone else was facing.
The chatter around me died immediately. Every warrior I could see was raising a sword into the air. With a glance at my staring partner, I found that he, too, was holding a Jauvain saber above him. I fumbled to draw my own weapon and quickly raised it into the air, hoping I hadn?t been noticed.
It was hard to see through the wall of swords that had suddenly been put up, but several torches appeared to be lit on a low balcony on the side of the palace. After a few moments, the fires exploded with blazing fury. Four torches illuminated the balcony and a single open door. They seemed to form an arc, covering the alcove in a fiery canvas. It was almost beautiful, the flames flickering against the black palace walls. When the flames died down, four figures were visible, each of them holding a torch. They were almost identical except in size, and I immediately recognized them as the four Jauvi who had been escorting the new warlord.
I tried not to seem affected by this bizarre entrance, but it wasn?t something I?d seen before.
As if by some enormous sign of respect, many warriors around me began clanking their blades together with those closest to them. I even felt a few bounce off my own saber. The sound of metal meeting metal was deafening.
With a glance over my shoulder I determined that all the Jauvi who planned on coming were already there, and most of them were banging their swords together.
The sound of thunder drew my attention back to the palace, along with bringing a stop to the metallic scrapings. A blinding bolt of lightning clawed down through the sky and struck the balcony, between the four torch holders. Even as the lightning dissipated, a shadow remained, slowly taking shape in the form of the trench coat toting warlord. It was a very impressive ? if somewhat ungainly ? entrance.
What an egomaniac?
?I?m sure you will agree that we are beyond such pleasantries as greetings,? the warlord said abruptly, bringing me from my train of thought. ?You are all here today so that you may be ushered into the new world order. The order of darkness. The order? of the Jauvi.
?I know you have been fighting for this world for some time now, but you see, you have been without a leader. The one known as Maziel Vorte was once a promising young warrior, but he grew far too power hungry. Much too reckless to be a true leader. He would not allow me to enter his soul; he fought me and tried to control you without me.?
What is he talking about???Maziel Vorte did not accept his place at the side of my throne. Rather, he felt obligated to usurp me, to keep me from my rightful place,? the warlord continued, his voice full of malicious spite. ?He was offered power eternal, but he chose to deny me. He fought foolishly in his direct assaults on this world. While he may appear to have accomplished much, he has greatly hindered the transformation? he has slowed the spreading of the shadows.?
?But it matters not,? he continued. By now a sick grin was visible on his face. ?For, in delaying my presence, he has unleashed a power on this world the likes of which he has never seen. To die at the hands of his avarice after fighting me for so long was his ultimate punishment, and he shall suffer the wrath of oblivion for his resistance.?
There was a long silence, maintained by the lack of breathing. Everyone, me included, was confused. All eyes were on the warlord and his four escorts, and his eyes peered back at ours.
?Is there anyone with a fool?s heart who wishes to remain loyal and join their master in the depths of suffering?? he hissed.
It was as still as I had ever felt it; no one appeared to be moving at all. Needless to say, there was no reply.
?I should think not,? he continued. ?I will tell you of the missed opportunities. So many chances to plunge the world into our shadows have been missed by the fool-hearted antics of my predecessor. He chose to seek out the small numbers of enemies as opposed to the masses. He believed that our society was more important than any one of you, but he failed to realize the vice versa. Just as the needs of our many outweigh the needs of our few, the lives of their many outweigh the lives of their few. He chose to kill a human at every chance he got, rather than try to spread the darkness through them. This war could have been over already had it not been for the insolence of Vorte. Can you imagine a world of complete darkness? A world ruled without question by me. Such a fantasy could be made real, and it should have been.?
He makes it sound like he?s been around longer than Maziel?
?But Maziel Vorte?? he continued, disgust pouring from his voice. ??is a thing of the past. He was more useful in death than he could ever have been in life. For his demise lifted the veil and allowed my freedom. I stand before you now in all of my glory, more powerful than I have ever been. You have my fool of an apprentice to thank for it. True darkness has never had a more appropriate form, and I shall unleash its fury on this world.?
I felt myself growing sick as it dawned on me. Maziel had only ever been one man?s apprentice, and it wasn?t a comfort to know who that man was.
Ravola?

« Last edited by Seos san Nekros on Nov 22nd 2006 »

Cool, I knew he wasn't going down that easily! At least, not permenantly. Great chapter! Oh, and I want a cookie.

Yes, congratulations. *Gives you a cookie* And thanks, glad you liked it.

*Tackles Sotek, grabs his cookie, and kicks him while walking away*

I also liked it. However...

?Yo?? I replied. Pushing myself up and leaning back on my arms.

Would there need to be a period between 'replied' and 'pushing'?

No, there wouldn't. That was meant to be a comma, thanks for the point-out.

"Hey slick" Holy crap, Chaos is in your fic!

...or not. Yay for Divino Ravola making a comeback. No suggestions from me, I'll just see how it goes. Good chapter.

*Trips Cipher and takes cookie. Then eats it.*

I'm looking forward to the fight that breaks out when he's discovered, or the information that that other guy reveals. And I want to know who was holding the sword up...

How do you know he'll be discovered? I'm not saying he won't I'm just being very vague.

"Every warrior I could see was raising a sword into the air."

Lot's of guys were holding swords up.

I think he means the levitating sword.

Sotek: This isn't over... *takes it outside*

I predict Ravola trying to taint Auren once more. Or murder him. Whatever floats the boat.

*Stays inside*

Pan's right, I meant the levitating sword. Will anyone be armed with a giant scyth in this fic? Just asking...

"After I had already convinced him that I needed to visit the palace, I knew I wasn?t going to persuade him to let mec walk."

Shouldn't that be "me"? Other than that, great, except for some spacing and quote placing during the speech. Oh, and I want my cookie. *holds out hand expectantly*

*Re-enters thread, and glares at Slifer angrily* ... Don't even think of it.

A giant scythe? How random that is. I haven't seen a Jauvi or Avatar wielding one yet, but we're only six chapters through the fiction, so we can't be sure of what's in store for the future...

Considering I haven't actually planned every single detail yet, there might be a scythe.

John: That's weird. It isn't typo'd on MS word. It added a random C for no apparent reason...

Ok, new chapter time. For some reason I'm kinda disappointed with how I wrote this one, but I can't quite put my finger on it. I like what happens, I just think I could've written it better somehow. So please be honest and tell me if it's written poorly, I can always just edit it a lot. Anyways, enjoy.

Chapter 7: Friend or Foe?

The lord of darkness himself. Not a cheap employee of his will, but the original ruler of the Jauvi. I had no idea how he could possibly have survived, but I saw no other possibility. He had died at my hands. But I had also killed four Jauvi only days before, and they had all walked away at their master?s side.
I had always been suspicious of his death. When I killed him, he had purposely provoked me to do it. Something inside of me had always hinted that his true power had not been destroyed, but had been passed on through me into Maziel Vorte when I was purified. Perhaps Maziel?s death unleashed this ruler once more? I shuffled the thoughts into the back of my mind as he continued.
?My children? our dreams of darkness can be realized.? He spoke slowly and clearly, addressing his worshippers in the masses. ?For it is not the brightness of the day which determines the brightness of the world.? He paused again, gesturing at the absence of light in the surrounding desert. ?It is the darkness of its inhabitants. True darkness is far more than just the lack of light. You need not be mere slaves to this power. You, also, have your will. I once expected complete and undying obedience from you. From all of you. And I still do expect you to obey me. But I do not expect blind loyalty. Times of war are for fighting, but you deserve your own time as well.?
I glanced quickly around the silent crowd and found the one man who I had found staring at me earlier. He seemed entirely unaffected by the words of the ruler of darkness, and glanced at me with a slight grin. Perplexed, I turned back to the Jauvain warlord.
?I have decided to appoint leaders in our legions.? He continued, staring across the widespread castle. ?As much power as I have gained, I can not be everywhere at once. To that end, I?m sure you have noticed the warriors surrounding me.?
He indicated the four torch-holding Jauvi around him, the warriors clad in black armor which had walked with Ravola when I first saw him in the forest. Even now I could see how alike they were. The only thing that made them different was their sizes.
?They will be your generals. They rule over you, second only to me in rank among us. They need not be given titles, for you shall obey each of them equally. Only my word can change theirs.?
He paused, surveying the audience once more. For a moment, I felt his eyes linger on me as they did on others and I thought he could see me, but he moved on.
?Defying them is defying me, and you know the penalties of such an act,? he hissed. ?And it would be foolish to even try, for their armor is the same as that of the castle walls. Attacking them with the ferocity of black energy will only strengthen their armor.?
He paused, tapping on the black material, his long silvery white hair dousing the flames of the nearest torch.
?Now, there is very little left to say. I have become aware of a warrior among us who would turn against me in battle.?
I instinctively clutched my blade at the ready, convinced that he had seen me. I was clearly at a large disadvantage, and I had to prepare for the fight of my life. I had no allies?
Allies?
I shifted myself and searched for the one warrior there who might?ve been on my side, but he was nowhere to be found. Whoever it had been that had grinned at me through the darkness? he had vanished.
?Now?? barked the booming voice of Divino Ravola. ?I have other matters to attend to, so I shall leave him for you to deal with.?
He pointed into the crowd but, to my amazement, not at me. Still holding my blade tightly, I tried to follow his gaze through the darkness and found a stirring in the Jauvain hordes; a single warrior was trying to escape. The lord of darkness ? along with his generals ? disappeared in an explosion of black fire. Instantly, chaos erupted.
I saw the source now. My staring partner from earlier. He leapt through the air and swiftly brought his saber into the neck of a Jauvi, gracefully kicking away nearby warriors. The Jauvi were falling more quickly than I could have expected. He was making a strong effort, but he was still massively outnumbered.
I was stunned. The Jauvain masses shoved and pushed, closing in around the infidel. But he did not quit. He continued to flawlessly fight them off, one grunt at a time. Many Templars in the swarm were also falling. He showed no signs of exhaustion as he leapt from one adversary to another, punching and stabbing and clawing. Whenever it seemed as if he would be overtaken, another flurry toppled the closest attackers. I couldn?t tell how many he was actually killing, but he was fending off many. Hardly a dent in the entire swarm, but he was putting up an amazing fight for one man.
Then a Jauvi leapt at him, and he swiftly kicked it in the chest and knocked it back into its allies.
It was him?My jaw dropped, and I struggled to not be pushed over as the Jauvi rushed past me to this fighter.
At the alley? after Jexen left? he killed that Jauvi.
?Shadow Prism!? I shouted immediately, trying to draw some attention away from the fighter. A large orb of black light burst from the tip of my blade and tore through a few nearby Jauvi.
I, like the infidel, now fought for my life. Even as a team we had no hope of destroying the entire army, but perhaps ? if we worked together ? we could manage an escape.
The Jauvi swung their blades expertly. They did not slash carelessly and risk slaying their own kind, but they waited until they had a clear target of me or my ally. When they swung at me, I narrowly dodged and swung back. It was a war, the odds of which were unheard of. Two men would tire faster than an entire army, even if the two fighters were skilled. I had to think of something.
?Seydu Fiore!? I roared, sending a blaze of black fire tearing into the crowd.
?Virey! Virey!? shouted many of the Jauvi.
The war cry was followed by several black orbs, all of which I narrowly avoided.
?Virey ren enuedas!?
?Salisate!? I roared. My order for them to leave was ignored, of course, but I had no other ideas of what to do. For a moment I wished I had kept my mouth shut. But maintaining my disguise didn?t seem so important right now.
Seeing no better option, I began to fight my way toward my only ally. I tried to push myself toward him, slashing at any Jauvi who were within reach.
?Gor!?
The Jauvi leapt from the crowd, his blade tearing through the sleeve of my jacket as I barely managed to dodge his strike.
?You first?? I muttered, slashing at the creature?s throat.
?The castle!? yelled a familiar voice. I fought off strikes and listened for the words of my ally. ?Attack the castle, Auren!?
The castle? I glanced toward the black walls of the Jauvain palace and I understood.
?Aurora!? A comet-like pulse of white light burst from my palm, hitting the castle and casting a glow over the battlefield. There was a temporary lapse in the fighting as most heads turned toward the explosion and I realized the point of this attack.
A diversion?I spun around and found that my ally was already beginning to push his way through the crowd. I followed suit, cutting at any Jauvi who stood in my path and sprinting toward the gates, many Jauvi knocked aside in my rush of adrenaline. I took no care of any who tried to attack me as I sped through the startled horde, ready to make my exit. But they were starting to recover from the shock of the sudden explosion.
I had lost sight of my ally and now ran blindly, hoping I was getting close to the outer walls.
?Shadow Prism!? shouted countless Jauvi in unison. I dove, propelled through the crowd by the force of the black explosion behind me. Hundreds of attacks had collided and narrowly missed me. With my sword out in front of me, I was a human arrow, speeding through the Jauvain soldiers and rolling back to my feet. I could see the gates.
?Aurora!? I called again, the ensuing attack paving a path for me to run smoothly.
I was close now. Unless my legs gave away, I?d surely escape. I fought frantically through all who stood in my way until I was past them. Outside of the gates and into the freedom of the desert. I spun around to face the gates and saw the Jauvi in full force. Tens of thousands still fought at large; we had hardly scathed their overall quantity. And I couldn?t even be sure that each and every Jauvi alive had gathered; there could be many more. It was a miraculous feat that I had even survived.
?Seydu Fiore!? I roared, pouring a wall of black fire into the entrance with all I could muster. I could only hope it was enough to hold them back.
Turning on my heel, I ran as fast as I could. I had lost my ally, but all that mattered was that we had escaped. I ran for what felt like no time at all, my mind racing between subjects.
Ravola won?t be pleased to know that I was there? how could he have returned?
?Auren!? It was the voice of my mysterious ally. I skidded to a stop, kicking sand to the air in the process, and turned toward the sound of his voice. I could see his figure still running from me, so I took chase. My body was growing sore, but I sprinted after him.
I tried to keep my eyes on him, but he was clearly faster than him. He was out of sight within minutes. But before too long, I saw him jump out from behind a sand dune, standing in my path. I managed to slow myself to a stop, nearly crashing into him. I couldn?t see him clearly, still in the darkness of Maziel?s reign, but I was sure it was him.
?En garde!? he taunted, swinging his blade.
?What?? I asked, sloppily parrying his attack.
?I said en garde,? he said bluntly, attacking again.
I dodged the attack carefully, trying to understand. ?Aren?t you???
?Your friend?? he smirked, swinging his blade once more. Skillfully placing his weapon, he sliced at the hilt of my saber and knocked it from my grip. Before I could react the fighter gracefully kicked me in the ribs and slammed his knee across the side of my head, knocking me to the ground.
By the time I got to my feet, spitting a bit of blood from my mouth, he had taken off running once again. It seemed clear that he did not aim to kill me, but I scooped my blade out of the sand and sheathed it just in case.
?Who are you?? I called, fighting my body as exhaustion began to wear me down. When there was no reply, I broke into a run in pursuit.
But it was only a short run before I found myself once against stopping in my tracks. This time not because of the strange warrior, but because of the presence of a very large and peculiar boulder. Normally there was nothing particularly odd about this boulder and I had seen it many times in the past throughout the war. But now the large stone was hardly inconspicuous, levitating nearly six feet above the ground.
?What the hell?? I muttered, motionless. For a moment I forgot about the mysterious fighter. Curiosity overwhelmed me.
I approached it slowly, one careful step at a time. It appeared to be hovering over a small hole in the ground, just large enough for a person to fit into. I was instantly reminded of the sword. Glancing at my waist, I recalled how the blade had floated in midair, completely held in place despite my first efforts to move it. But this was different. This was a very large rock, not a light weight Jauvain saber.
?Shadow Prism,? I muttered, firing a weakened blast of darkness into the stone. It didn?t shake at all. I grabbed onto it and pulled myself on top of it, but it still didn?t move. It wasn?t budging.
?What?ve I got to lose?? I muttered, climbing back down and staring at the hole beneath it. After taking several deep breaths, I inhaled and jumped into the hole, plunging myself into the darkness of the underground.


« Last edited by Seos san Nekros on Dec 21st 2006 »

"firing a weakened blast of darkness into to stone"

Into to stone, eh? Okay, git mode off... I've got no suggestions, although I predict a lot of pwnage.

Edited typo, thanks for pointing that out.

"Glancing at my waste, I recalled how the blade had floated in midair,"
That should be waist.

Anyway, great chapter (I say that too much...) and I told you there'd be a fight when he was discovered. Actually i said i was looking forward to it, but meh.

Thanks. Stupid auto checkerso n microsoft word... *edits involuntary typo* Thanks for pointing that out.