Saga: Salvation and Damnation

[kihaku]

On the boarder of Lavertia and Bedoe, the natural wonder of the marvelous plant life is beginning to give way to the boulders and scrappy rocks pushing through the earth; hills are becoming steeper, patches of pebbles more frequent, and all the time the rocks are getting bigger. The rivers and lakes that make the soil so rich is less noticeable as one begins to enter the foothills on the boarder of the two nations, fewer flowers and trees yet more grass bringing color to the eye. Standing on the crest of a hill, one would notice that the ground to the north seems to slope upwards, mountains distant on the horizon, and to the south lay the beautiful meadows and fields of flowery, fragrant bushes. All about the air would be a comfortably mild temperature, halfway between the warmth of the warming grassland and cool mountain air. The entire country around was a brilliant portrait worthy of spending hours of painstaking work to paint, the majesty of the land caught forever on canvas.

Near the imaginary line of the Lavertia – Bedoe border, a few hours walk from the nearest town, there was a small large boulder that the wind had worked at for many centuries, blustering against it and wearing it down until it had finally taken a most interesting shape, almost like a mushroom with the cap growing up and out instead of out and down. A small gust of wind gave it another little puff as thousands had before it. Dust and bits of grass were thrown about in it’s grasp, a gentle yet determined swirl of ether raking the smooth surface of the top of the oddly-shaped rock. After a moment, the air grew still, and for once there was complete silence amongst the boulders. The air was thick, not a single breath of breeze disturbed the sudden silence that pervaded the area. The unique rock seemed as if it too were waiting for something to happen, though it simply remained as it was, immobile, immoveable, just as it had for many thousands of years as the wind wore it away.

The wind sudden gusted, but this time didn’t cease after a quick blow and breeze. The wind lashed the ground and surrounding rocks, rending leaves from bushes as the tiny limbs flailed and clawed at the air, roots clinging desperately to the earth beneath them. The wind continued to rage for nearly thirty seconds, brush, leaves, stems, and even a small butterfly were ripped from their moorings and set to flying through the air without their consent. The clearing wouldn’t be still long, for on top and in the very center of the boulder, there shone a single flare of purple flame. It was strange enough that the flame survived on the rock, but even more so that it slowly began to grow in size, though outward instead of upwards as one would suspect. Intricate burns began to appear on the solid rock, designs so complex and detailed the cause couldn’t possibly be natural.

The fire then completed its growth, forming a perfect circle, and within it was a six-pointed star, each apex touching a point on the circle. From the center of the star, a figure faded into view. As the image began to take form and mass, details began to grow into being. A short, rail-thin figure with short, spiky, shockingly blue hair was beginning to take shape. The youthful head was tilted slightly downwards, closed eyes gazing unseeing towards the rock face. As soon as he came fully and solidly into view, the fire died, though the burns remained.

Opening his eyes, his bright sapphire stare slid all around him, picking out details and analyzing his surroundings. Only seven seconds later, a small frown curled onto his face, a look of confusion forcing his flawless skin to wrinkle along his brow. His hands were left dangling near his hips, and he immediately adopted a posture that bespoke his sudden insecurity of being there. He gave a slight fidget, and a small flash of blue flared up about him, the bright azure aura disappearing as soon as it came.

“Oh… my…”

[zolomon]

(OOC: Hey, man! Looks like it's gunna be one helluva ride. I'll try and keep up! ^^ Good luck, btw )

If one had the eyes of a hawk, he could see a lone black silhouette against a backdrop of golden clouds and a bluish sky. Zolomon had just reached the peak of the mountain, the sun hot on his heels. As he stood at the peak of one of the highest mountains of the Bedoean wall, he felt a respect for the ancient, almost sage faces of rock, positioned beside each other, protecting that which the people of Bedoe call their own.

Taking in the sight with his frozen, grim eyes, Zolomon pondered at how these mountains made a good example of how the Bedoeans themselves are: tough, experienced, solemn and an undividable part of their world. After the tournament the vampire felt the urge to release some tension on the innocent citizens of this world, Dragonia, so he just picked a random direction and headed there. His destination revealed itself to be Bedoe, a dry, somewhat lifeless and harsh land, which was the best kind in Zolomon's opinion. A climate to his liking, so to speak.

Yet even this place was a home to someone. Zolomon found the Bedoeans to be an interesting people, their strength coming naturally thanks to the kind of world they grew up in. They weren't an easy prey and Zolomon found fighting some rather enjoyable. Yet he yearned... More... His entire rebirth had been one great, big stroke of bad luck.

At first his arrival, though interesting, he completely fell out of the fight against the Saiyans, never getting the opportunity to take the other hand off that Zechariah bastard.

Then there was the strange pair he encountered in the forest. Chameleon was a 'nice kid', so Zolomon held little interest in the lad at the moment, but his company was far more interesting. The man with the piercing eyes... Zolomon wouldn't forget that glance for a long time. Yet their encounter led to nothing but unimportant talk, much to the vampire's chagrin.

Then there was the tournament. The very thought of it made Zolomon grind his teeth in anger. Enough thinking about that.

A cold mountain wind was seemingly tugging at the bottom of his coat, the navy blue fabric flapping violently as the breeze grew in strength. Right now there was but one thought on the vampire's mind: getting stronger. A lot stronger. He could easily fly over the mountains, recently uncovering the secret of flight, utilizing his Dark Matter, which was surprisingly energy sparing, especially after he practiced some and got used to flying without his wings. But he had long ago learned that even the training of a simple mortal could increase his strength considerably, if the strain is great enough.

Besides, mountain climbing was fun. And even a heartless undead could appreciate the beauty of such a sight... for a while. Soon the vampire started making his way down the mountain and only three hours later he was at the foot of the stone behemoth. After another hour he was nearing the border of Lavertia and Bedoe, though he didn't know that at all. He saw grass and friendly plant life in abundance a long distance away and it made him grimace. He liked the deadly, jagged rocks behind him much more.

He was just about to turn his leisurely stroll into a slow-paced flight, when something caught his eye some three hundred feet to his left. It seemed a stone was shining.
...Right....

Either way, Zolomon was nowhere to be seen, his menacing presence disappearing like a puff of smoke in a tornado. Yet he wasn't gone, just watching at a distance, keeping his own presence well-hidden. Before his eyes out of the ground appeared a boy... with blue hair. '...What the hell?' was the only thought on Zolomon's mind. The kid looked around and seemed to feel uncomfortable. Zolomon figured it was the only polite to stretch out a warm, loving arm of support... or something.

"Hello." Most anyone would have been startled to death by that one, supposedly friendly word, a greeting, since it was uttered by a man who appeared out of thin air. Something about his boy's... eyes piqued the vampire's interest.

(OOC: I'm sorry for the horrible crap post... it's just late and... gaht... not in the right mood, but I really wanted to get into this thing early and not miss stuff. Sorry. I promise I'll do better next time. =3 )

[dimitri]

(OOC: Anyone remember the last time I actually did a saga post? Anyone else think I'm due? lol)

It was barely a few days since he had left Sofia's castle, his supposed training finished, well, the soul portion of it anyway. There was so much left that he had to accomplish before he could move on to his next step. Come to think of it, he didn't have a next step yet. All he knows is that he had to do something about Luciendar, maybe he could find someone with enough knowledge to give him an idea of what to do with the blade.

That was it, that would be his next plan. He would solve the mysteries that blade had in store for him and find a way to release the countless generations of his family that were still held in that weapon. He stopped for a moment and pulled out Luciendar from her clip on his belt. Holding the blade upright, he looked into its silver blade.

For a brief moment, his eyes turned a crystal blue and he began to see some of the souls in the area, wandering. A few had even gathered by the blade, dancing around it as if trying to enter it so that they too could be redeemed and move on to their eternal homes. With a brief sigh, he closed his eyes and they returned to their original color, the appearance of souls faded from his sight. "It never ends..." he muttered to himself in a tone slightly stronger than a whisper.

The wind from the area became almost violent for a time, but his steady hand never moved from its spot. The blade he was holding upright never shifted an inch, but now he started to notice something on the blade itself. It was reflecting a flame, as a matter of fact, once the wind subsided he could tell the flame was there by the flickering it made. That meant it wasn't far off, but what was there to cause it.

He averted his gaze to where the flame was and his vision now also picked up another figure. A winged figure dressed in a full length blue coat that melded with the night. On top of all that, it seemed he had enough weapons to arm a small army, or at least a small village militia. But he was so calm, so that did nothing in terms of informing Dimitri about where the flame arose from.

But after moving his vision just a slight bit more, he noticed a thin, blue haired boy, or at least appeared as a boy. There were still a few embers in the air around him so he knew that the boy either set the fire or emerged from it, and after all he's seen, his bet was on the latter. Sheathing Luciendar quietly, he made his way towards the pair.

He was roughtly fifteen feet away, hiding behind a tree when the boy looked up from his crouched position and the other stranger greeted him. "Hello." It was a simple greeting but based on the formality of how it came out, he figured that maybe the two of them weren't familiar with each other. Still, remembering all that he learned at the castle, he waited patiently, listening intently to see if he could pick up any information.

[kihaku]

The sudden murmur of a sinister voice was bad enough, but when a tall, pale, malevolent looking man is its source, then things get a little too weird. One hand slid back to the large metal ring on his back, fingertips brushing against the cool alloy. His warm pink tongue darted out to wet his lips, gazing up at the subject of his trepidation with eyes wide and anxious. However, there was something about his stance as a whole that didn't quite add up: though his upper body more than conveyed he was just a scared little boy, his waist and legs bespoke more. Indeed the youth backed up, but it was only one step with his right foot, unconsciously entering a defensive stance. It seemed that he knew that this person could potentially become a threat and didn't even realize he had taken measures against it. Still, he was young and startled, and habit kicked in before he could think otherwise.

"H-Hi... I'm... I'm Reiaz. It's nice to... to... meet you...," he finished lamely. Staring up into that one black eye drained him of his courage. His gaze slid downwards instead, and when they beheld the glistening array of weapons this one had on his person, his heart beat just a little faster, a little bit of adrenaline leaking into his system. His sapphire stare then shot back to the newcomer's handsome face, or at least the half that was visible. He seemed to be fixated on Reiaz's eyes, and being forced to stare back was an experience that wasn't the most pleasant.

[zolomon]

(OOC: Lol... is it me or does everyone 'talk' in a shade of blue? -D And, just so you guys know, you don't actually see all of Zolomon's weapons, as the blades for his scythe and halberd are on his back, but under (or inside...) his coat, and his pistols were in his sleeves, I believe (lawlz, I forget...). Just thought I'd clear that up )

It seemed the boy was a little startled by Zolomon's greeting, which was only natural. His hand quickly traced back behind him, gripping something that appeared to be a large ring. A heavy air of tension hung around the boy, which made Zolomon instinctively more than intentionally grin. Like a predator, watching his prey tremble in anticipation, weighing its chances in its mind, while trying not to set anything off with its movements. He never got tired of the feeling.

For a moment it seemed to him like the boy was overpowered by just his presence, but in a second his eyes found the boy's feet, which were firmly planted in a well-rounded defensive position, allowing for quick movement in either direction, including up. It only made the curiosity within the vampire swell as a slow, calm breeze made his hair sway slightly. He was about to say something to the boy, when his attention was drawn by a presence not too far off. Zolomon turned his head, his body still facing the boy and looked at the tree. Well... through the tree. On the other side he saw the rich and, in the opinion of some, beautiful pattern of the blood stream in one's body. Being a vampire really came in handy once in a while.

"Hey, you! Come on out now. If you wanted to attempt a surprise attack, it's not going to work. You might as well come closer." In truth, Zolomon had no idea who was behind the tree, nor did he care. At the moment, his attention was more on the person in front of him, the boy with a mysterious and definitely alluring aura. His gaze quickly returned to the kid's eyes and he could see the unease of holding Zolomon's look. To be honest, the boy was doing excellent. Most ordinary people would be feeling a deep sickness in their stomach right about now.

Suddenly Zolomon extended his arm. It wasn't a fast motion, but, on the contrary, a slow and calm movement to show that, at least at the moment, he wasn't one to be feared without a reason. "My name is Zolomon Beowulve. Who are you?"

An extremely rare and unique twinkle in his eyes had appeared, one that only a few could see. And yet there it was, the excitement and anticipation of something that even he, an immortal of Lord Dracula's kin, hasn't encountered before. And the most surprising thing was that it's just a boy... To some it might seem silly, how one such as Zolomon could get excited over almost nothing. But they had no idea of the complex workings of the vampire's mind, nor did he care what others thought. There was just something about those eyes... And he would find out what it was. Definitely.

[dimitri]

His poor hiding spot behind the tree wasn't the greatest spot and he knew it. However, he was just close enough to hear the bit of conversation that ha occurred thus far. Whoever that boy was, he sounded excessively nervous, to put it lightly, but the stranger did look a bit more menacing than most people. Hell, Dimitri himself might have been a bit worried if he had never met someone like that before, but he's had the chance to be around the block enough times to see a few of the odd looking people in this world.

The little peace he had behind his hiding place would be short lived as the stranger emphasized that he come out. If there was no reason for the boy to be afraid of him before, the way he so politely requested the relinquishment of his hiding place would surely put the stranger on good terms with the boy.....right... Not being one to hesitate to such a menacing tone, Dimitri decided to play it smart and start to head over. Taking a deep breath, he turned out from behind the tree and looked at them with his own eyes and not through the blade for the first time.

Taking only two steps or so forward, his face held a calm and relaxed grin, appearing almost joyful. The last thing he wanted was to show his nervousness to anyone, even though his heart was beating slightly faster than usual. He raised his hands up slowly and put them behind his back, bent one knee and put all his wieght on his left foot. His stance was excessively relaxed, so much so that it didn't even look as though he was in any position to retaliate, but he knew exactly what he was doing.

Taking another step forward, not between the two but actually angled towards the boy, still staying at a decent distance, he decided to join the conversation. "Guess you caught me, Zolomon, was it?" His voice was calm but unwavering. "And Reiaz, right? I'm Dimitri, it's nice to meet you both." He watched them both intently and noticed that Zolomon did not even have the slightest notice of anything outside of Reiaz's eyes.

He could just feel the tension now, he was off guard slightly for being caught so easily. Reiaz was in a stance that would easily let him get away assuming some kind of violent act would occur. And finally, Zolomon seemed utterly oblivious to his presence, but he must have been aware enough to point him out, giving him the impression that Zolomon would be prepared for anything that may come at him. At this point, all he hoped was that this aquaintanceship would be short lived, but he was not about to leave after all this piqued his interest either.

[kihaku]

The sudden appearance of a second unknown individual only made Reiaz more fidgety. This Dimitri character had been spying on them, and the young boy knew nothing about it. This Zolomon had to be quite a strong person to be capable of such senses. His head towered over Reiaz, and that disconcerting black gaze seemed to constantly suck him back into the eyes of the unknown. There was an agelessness in those dark depths, a certain amount of both untold wisdom and unwanted memories that entranced him.

His sapphire eyes would have remained connected to that handsome face, had not a sudden change in the environment altered his very mood. He spun about, almost totally ignoring Zolomon and the newcomer, Dimitri. A few hundred feet from the boulder, there grew a haze as if it were sudden very hot in a specific area. The vapor hovered in the air, little waves that altered one’s view if they attempted to look through it. Then, with a sound like a whoosh of air, three large black blobs of energy formed in the center of the haze that whipped the air about them into a frenzy of gusting wind. Reiaz's eyes were fixated on the dark energy, nervous thoughts of what they might be, most of them thinking of evil things. Something akin to recognition sparked in his eyes as his clothes were ruffled by the rough breezes and gusts that were being incited by the dark spheres.

There was a sudden calm in the air, and the blobs quickly formed humanoid shapes, though each one slightly different from the other. Another instant later, three people stood exactly in that haze, which was slowly disappating. Reiaz's eyes glowed softly blue, though nothing noticeable as the three surveyed their surroundings, noticing nothing until they laid eyes on the three near and on the rock.

The three all seemed to be wearing the same sturdy black shoes, black pants, and thick black leather belt, but that is where the similarities ended. The three were of similar builds, one might even venture siblings, though different skin tones ruled that out. One was slightly thinner and had pale skin, wearing a black tank top that showed his athletic musculature. A thin-lipped smile curled into beady yellow eyes, framed by shoulder-length black hair. "Heh. Looks like we get a welcoming committee, eh?"

A second to his right gave a chuckle, pushing at his companion's shoulder with his left, tanned elbow. He wore no shirt at all, but instead arm warmers that covered his elbows, mid forearm to between elbow and shoulder. His hair was cut very short, except for two long bangs that framed his thin face, eyes like emeralds, and a smile with teeth pointed like an animal, giving him a shark-like appearance. "Yesssss, indeed it seems so. OH! And look! It's the little one, all grown up." He gave a series of hissing chuckles, the pale one joining in.

Suddenly, a meaty hand clamped down on their shoulders, the biggest of the three with a stern face bringing their joking to a sudden halt. His barrel-chest and thick arms were kept underneath a regular black t-shirt, nothing outstanding about it. A deep baritone grated from the thick bull neck like boulders rubbing together, "We're here for a reason, you twits."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Doesn't mean we can't have a bit of fun with-"

With a motion almost too quick for the eye to see, the metal ring was suddenly pulled from Reiaz's back and thrown with a quick jerk, a silent, spinning weapon now made out of the metal that'd been still on the boy. It crashed with a dull thud against the pale one's chest, knocking him over and back a foot. The flying weapon arced perfectly back to the boy, who caught it above his head without even looking at it, replacing it on his back, but not removing his hand from the cool alloy.

The pale one stood with an angry look on his face, daggers practically shooting from the venomous gaze. "You little BRAT! You'll pay for that!!" The other two were chuckling, the big one commenting, "I thought you were going to have fun with him." The one with no shirt stepped forward, pointing at Zolomon. "The white freak's mine."

The big one gazed at Dimitri, "That one's mine." The pale one smiled a deadly grin, revealing rows of pointed teeth, just like his tanned counterpart. "The boy's MINE." He adpoted a completely different stance, bent forward, arms spread, legs apart and bent, like a predator hungry for meat. "You three are in for a real treat. Boy... you're going to be the next meal of the Gorgon."

"Hey, Whitey, hope you're up to snuff, 'cuz you got Hydra on your case now." His posture change, bending forwards threateningly, a tattoo suddenly blazing to life of a teal-colored serpent coiled around his torso, shimmering brightly in the sun. The big one stepped forward, slamming his fists together with a huge boom, louder than would have been expected. "The Minotaur. No need to fight back, it'll end with your death anyway."

Reiaz gave a shudder and a small sigh, speaking the first confident words he had the entire time he'd been there. "They're strong, but over confident." Turning to Zolomon, "Hydra is quick and smart, but he can't deal with long range or airborne targets." Turning to Dimitri, "I don't know what you can do, but Minotaur is insanely strong at close range. Don't let him get close, and you should be fine."

"DIIIIIIINNER TIIIIIIIME!!"

[zolomon]

The man Zolomon had noticed was coming closer, though the vampire didn't look at him. His other senses were more than enough to keep track of a person he knew was there. "Guess you caught me, Zolomon, was it?"

"Looks like it. And calm down, I could hear your heart thumping from way over there," he said, motioning to the tree, while still looking solely at the boy. It seemed like he was unable to avert the vampire's piercing gaze, when suddenly he turned around, seemingly noticing something. Zolomon's eyes darted in the same direction as the boy was looking, and he saw something strange going on (again). It seemed this was a day for strange occurrences. Oh, well.

Three spheres of black energy appeared out of seemingly nowhere, causing a great deal of dust and pebbles to fly through the air as the wind picked up. The black energy soon took the shape of three men, dressed in matching clothing. 'Like a cheerleading squad,' was what Zolomon thought, but he kept that comment to himself. They were exchanging words without much meaning, but then Zolomon was taken aback.

The same timid boy who had fearfully stared into the vampire's eyes suddenly came to life, knocking one of the new guests on the torso with his flying ring-like weapon, which beautifully came back to his hand. Zolomon almost felt like clapping. Almost.

No matter what the sudden attack did to Zolomon, it certainly got the threesome worked up. Then a guy stepped forward and pointed at him, saying: "The white freak's mine." To this Zolomon simply raised a brow. They sure were quick to start calling people names.

The three picked who they would be fighting and dispersed slightly, preparing for a big brawl. It's not that Zolomon didn't WANT to fight, it's just that he held little interest in what stood before him. Then again, perhaps they would prove to be interesting yet. Only time will tell. "Hey, Whitey, I hope you're up to snuff, 'cuz you got Hydra on your case now."

"Put a shirt on, you faggot," Zolomon spat back. Who did he think Zolomon was, calling him Whitey? Some punk country-rapper? Fuck that. He's going down.

Suddenly Reiaz spoke, the stuttering and frightened look gone like it they never been there. He, obviously Reiaz and the threesome were acquaintances, gave Zolomon the advice of fighting this Hydra person at a long rage, since he was quick and clever, but can't do much at a large range. Sound advice, to be honest. "Yeah... I'll keep that in mind..." Zolomon said, while his mind and sights were in a different place, locked onto his opponent.

The vampire took a couple calm, leisurely steps to the side, slowly opening his coat, as he always did before battle. He then turned his head, looking Hydra square in the eye, stretching out his right hand with his palm open and facing upwards. Suddenly the blackness of Zolomon's iris seemingly expanded, as both eyes were consumed by a black vortex from within, turning into the deep, freezing blackness of his heart. His nails grew longer and sharp and Zolomon grinned, baring his sharp, deadly fangs.

He watched as his opponent lurched slightly forward in a menacing manner, and a tattoo on his body began glowing and wrapped around Hydra's body like a ribbon. The ribbon soon took shape and grew into a large, teal snake, holding onto Hydra's torso and arms. "Cute."

With a movement so fast that a normal human couldn't follow, Zolomon threw both hands forward and out of his sleeves slid out his two trusted, albeit out-dated and inferior, pistols, Claw and Fang. He began pushing the triggers with such speed that it seemed more like he was firing from a machine gun than two handguns. By the time the Rune steel in the immediate surroundings had been depleted, Zolomon had sent a shower of at least fifty bullets per gun at his opponent. He quickly let go of the guns, letting them slide back into his sleeves, and grabbed the hilt of his Longsword, but quickly detached the Mirror Handle from it and reached behind his back, moments later pulling out a seemingly mock-sized halberd. However, with a swing of the weapon it let out a deafening roar and in his hand Zolomon no longer held a peculiar little toy, but the feared Halberd of the Damned, the dark blade almost emanating the black hatred of the two damned races.

Zolomon seemed to ponder something for a split second, but then, without warning, he swung his blade and it uttered another incredible roar, but this time releasing a large round-shaped blast of energy, though it could only be seen by the slight distortion of air it made. The Alpha vampire grabbed his halberd by the very end, turning its blade upside, and rested the halberd's handle on his other palm as he held both hands stretched out, prepared for most anything his foe could throw at him. The hunt was on.

(OOC: Note that I stickied the thread and the other Saga threads, since they're... well, Saga threads, lol. Just so you're not shocked. :> )

[dimitri]

Apparently, the conversation was cut short considering Zolomon's main topic of conversation had now turned away from him. Reiaz's gaze was set on something in the distance which in turn drew Dimitri's own line of sight. What awaited him was what he could easily describe as black haze. Letting out a soft sigh to himself, he muttered, "Everytime..." Shaking his head he smirked a bit as he watched the haze slowly start to take form. "They always have to make a flashy entrance in black."

Once the haze faded and the three figures stood there, he noticed, not to his surprise, that they were also dressed in completely black clothing with the exception of their skin that was exposed. At this point, he let out a light chuckle that would most likely have only been heard from Reiaz and Zolomon, considering that the newcomers were over a hundred feet away. It was obvious, though not necessarily audible to him yet, that the three were bickering about something, but obviously, something was amiss.

Reiaz had pulled out a weapon and thrown it clear across the decently sized gap between them and the others. Not only that, but it arched perfectly back to his hand. This was definately no ordinary boy. He was quite skilled and, he would soon find out, quite knowledgable as well. Obviously, the three newcomers weren't exactly happy campers considering the pot shot they had just taken from Reiaz.

After a little more, and more audible, arguing, the three sent out their idle threats and claims on who they would like to challenge. Challenge seemed like a good word because if they weren't serious enough upon arrival and already knowing what to do, chances are that they might not be the best strategists in battle. And now came the keys to victory, as provided by Reiaz. It was exactly now that Dimitri realized that Reiaz was well aware of what was going on. If he knew enough to help, then it was definately worth listening to.

He turned to the big guy, who had slammed his fists together in an attempt to intimidate him by displaying what he could take. His hands still behind his head, he looked over at the big galute and snickered to himself. "I'll keep the long range in mind Reiaz, thanks." Letting his hands down he rested one hand on the end of his blade and the other one rested on his hip. "I guess you enjoy playing bloody knuckles with yourself big guy, Mr. Minnie-taur." This was his favorite part about fighting someone who was unprepared, playing with their head.

[kihaku]

((This took me an hour or two to write due to chores XD, and only managed to post this after going somewhere. Sorry took so long. My posts will be divided into several sections: Reiaz's enemy, Zolomon's, then Dimitri.))

Reiaz stepped quickly forward, falling the light twenty feet to the ground with hardly a bend in his knees, sapphire gaze never leaving the pale skinned enemy who'd claimed the boy as his next meal. The grass about him gave a slight waft as the air about him gave a sudden stir, his power level shooting upwards, though nothing special for the moment. The ring remained precisely where it'd been set, though less could be said for Gorgon. The angered warrior had already started charging, a metamorphosis happening en route to Reiaz and the impending struggle. His nails grew long, thick, and pointed; his muscles grew more defined, standing out almost unnaturally against his body; his eyes changed, the pupils suddenly becoming slits, and the deranged smile set upon his face was fanged, inch-long incisors sharp enough to puncture boiled leather. As he approached, a hissing could be heard, quickly increasing in volume the closer he drew.

"HA!" Gorgon's entire body seemed to streach, the normal five foot ten growing to six foot three as he leapt at the small youth. Just as the nails and fangs would have slashed at the cloth and skin, Reiaz's body suddenly shuddered and faded slightly, a faint buzzing audible to Gorgon's ears as he passed through the phazing body. The grin quickly turned into a frown, palms sliding against the cool grass, fingers digging into the soil in attempts to halt his momentum. However, the instant his toes exited the space occupied by Reiaz's shimmering form, the ring left Reiaz's back and flew up and over in attempts to strike at the small of Gorgon's back.

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The metal flew through the air, every single one of the hundred bullets fired thudded with a gratifying meaty sound. He was forced back several feet by the sheer momentum of so many projectiles, every hole a testament to the power, if out-dated use, of the pistols. Forced to one knee, and breathing heavily, the roaring caused his gaze to be lifted, inky black blood leaking from the left side of his mouth to drip down his chin. "Heh..." When the energy slammed into his body, there was an audible slam of something against the very solid body, sending him spinning away through the air at least ten feet. When he landed on the grass, his upper body was distorted, mangled by the force of the attack.

The body lay there for several seconds, and from the air about there was a sudden maniacle laughing, reverberating through the area so loudly, it would have caused everyone to pause had they not been fighting. The cackling never calmed, but suddenly broke out into a rhyming cry, easily recognized as Hydra's, "ONCE MORTALLY SLAIN, THRICE RISEN AGAIN!" The body burst apart in a spray of gore, and from the innards a blackness oozed and formed upwards before splitting apart into three different sections. The middle one instantly lightened, Hydra standing with a smile on his face, if a large amount of moist sheen covering his body.

The other two never lightened, but instead remained blackened copies of the wet antagnoist. The grinning madman suddenly grimmaced, the light tattoo glowing bright red, black blood seeping around the bodily decoration as if he'd received paper-cuts all about his torso. The gritted teeth loosened, and his copies grabbed his wrists while he simultaneously walked backwards. An instant later, he was catapulted with a light arc towards the odd-ball rock formation. Whilst in midair, his body exploded with electric arcs, a single bolt of lightning, one eighth as potent as in nature, exploded towards the vampire with the sound of a shreiking creature from the depths of hell.

Still in mid-air, the wetness that'd covered Hydra was suddenly electrically charged, his muscles all tensed at once, and he slammed against the lip of the rock with force enough to make the entire formation shudder in it's moorings. It would be another moment before he could stand on his own, let alone move for another counter attack.

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Dimitri seemed rather non-plussed, attempting simple taunts to elicit a negative reaction from the overly-large warrior. On any other day, it might have worked, but right now, the sounds of battle were raging about him, and for the time being Minotaur was pleased. He had a victim all to himself, and no stupid Overlord to keep him from having his fun. The feel of warm blood gushing from a freshly ripped limb was unlike any other, and he'd lost his chance last time.

Without warning, he slammed his fists together again, the sudden shock cracking the earth beneath him several inches. His hands, clasped together with fingers interlaced, here then buried into that small opening, a deep rumble moving in all directions. Two seconds later, a razor sharp, six-foot long spire of earth shot out of the ground to feet in front of Dimitri, intending to impale him upon the spike.

[zolomon]

(OOC: Dun' worry life and stuffs have a tendency of getting in the way of more interesting things... like LoD And that isn't too bad, considering most all my posts take me about an hour to write >_> *is slow* )


Much to his surprise, Zolomon's opponent didn't dodge a single bullet, nor the Halberd's energy blast, which was a synch to dodge at such a range, being launched straight at him, though nothing about the vampire's face showed it. Either his opponent wasn't worth the effort, or he had something up his sleeve. Zolomon was hoping that he had something up his sleeve, just for the reason to show this Hydra that he really wasn't worth the effort.

From a distance he watched the messed-up body of his opponent lay on the ground with a certain merciless pity in his murderous eyes. Such was the oxymoron of being an intelligent being, even if a ruthless vampire lord. Then came the laughing. Zolomon had heard many crazy people, but this just took the cup. Hell, the guy didn't have a mouth anymore (at least not one a doctor could recognize), and he was still laughing. Perhaps Zolomon had written the guy off to early. Soon the insane laughter changed, the vampire discerning some words reverberating off the numerous rock formations around them. "ONCE MORTALLY SLAIN, THRICE RISEN AGAIN!"

'Sounds like a shitty death-metal song...' the mighty undead pondered, still not moving a muscle. Suddenly Hydra's body exploded, blood and innards splaying across the ground in a beautiful form that only a few select could appreciate. "Wow... now you're ALL fucked." he said, realizing that Hydra's talk about rising again probably held more meaning than the mindless jabber of someone whose brain had been turned into porridge by the manifest form of vampire's and lycan's hatred... or not.

However, it seemed that Hydra wasn't, in fact, bluffing, which became apparent the moment some icky black shit, as Zolomon would put it, formed three bodies, one turning lighter and taking the exact form of the guy who just blew up, while the other two were darker, seemingly doppelgangers of sorts. Hydra stood between the two, the sun glistening in some... liquid on his body, a sinister grin on his face. Suddenly he pulled his face into a grimace, something strange happening to his body (again). The other two grabbed his arms and did an 'alley-oop!', tossing Hydra high into the sky.

Suddenly there appeared electricity all around the flying freak and a small bolt of lighting bolted at Zolomon. The attack slightly took him by surprise, not to mention the incredibly annoying sound hurting his ears pretty bad, but he managed to deflect it, the bolt only nicking his left shoulder. He realized that his opponent was on his course to the same rock formation Reiaz had appeared from, so he would welcome him there.

Suddenly the vampire's body disappeared, and only the keenest of eyes would notice the tiny wisps of a black flame-like substance dissipating momentarily from where Zolomon had been standing. Soon Hydra would begin to realize who exactly he had called 'Whitey'. Just before the self-multiplying bastard touched the rocks, Zolomon intercepted his body, aiming the blunt end of his halberd into his gut, flipping above him and swinging the handle like a baseball bat to knock Hydra on his back and preferably have him crawl on his belly for a bit, much like the serpents he seemed to like so much.

However, Zolomon wasn't through just yet. At the same moment his second attack either hit or missed Hydra's body, the vampire disappeared once again, a black footprint remaining on the stone, small cracks all around it. In the blink of an eye Zolomon was before the other two Hydra's, aiming a lightning-fast elbow thrust into the throat of the on to his right, while swinging his halberd with the reverse side at the gut of the other with his left hand. Then he quickly spun to the side, ducking and aiming a 360 degree sweet with his scythe to slice off or at least hit the feet of his opponents, hopefully knocking them down, in which case the dark Hydra in front of him would receive a very powerful and painful blow to his face via a downwards jumping swing of his halberd's long handle, while the other would be knocked on his head by a powerful swing, where Zolomon used the staff simply as an extension of his right arm.

He quickly glided backwards, so that all three Hydras would bee in his sight, taking his defensive-offensive stance. He was intentionally using just a little bit less than lethal force, also choosing not to slash his enemies to death, as he had seen them heal from deathly wounds and come back in greater number. Perhaps he could just beat them into submission. Wouldn't be the first time...

As he waited to see what happened next, to determine his own course of action, Zolomon caught a glimpse of the others fighting. He grinned as he saw Reiaz obviously messing around with his opponent, while that Dimitri character had found a rather formidable opponent. The smirk on his face grew wider as he realized this encounter probably wouldn't be the end of his troubles. Maybe... hopefully there were stronger opponents that were just itching to take a beating much like these guys. Perhaps he'd even fight Reiaz, finally finding out if there really was something to those eyes. 'Or perhaps...' Zolomon thought, turning back to the opponent at hand, a menacing expression on his face, his eyes wild with bloodlust. "Perhaps I'll only get to kill you." Either way, he should try his best to enjoy this...

[dimitri]

It was obvious that the big galute wasn't going to be phased so easily, but he was determined to crack him. However, the minotaur started going through some motions again which peaked his interest of what may be coming up. He could almost feel the thunder from the clash of his fists and noticed some debris near his feet rise up. It wasn't much, but it was noticeable. That crash was soon followed by him driving his fists into that crack, and what occured soon after kept Dimitri on his toes.

He could feel the earth rattling under him and noticing that Minotaur was still there, he realized it wasn't him moving. Something must be coming at him and fast. Still on his toes, things started to literally come at him, including the spire that appeared with a lust of impaling him. Taking the easiest way out of it he could, he let himself move from his toes to his heels, falling backwards away from the spike that threatened his life. However, it did lay claim to what would soon be a nice bruise on his left shoulder.

Rolling backwards to get back on his feet, he needed to think of something. The reminder of attacking at a distance from Reiaz came back to him. He pulled out his blade and looked over at the Minotaur, who would most likely be getting upright right about now. 'I wonder how focussed you are on just my primary actions,' he thought. He tapped his foot on the ground and set up for a moment to get his assault down packed, not to mention prepare for what he was doing.

In what seemed to be one quick spin, Dimitri slashed a nice chunk of the spire off and kicked it hard towards the Minotaur. What followed was a pointed sword slightly shifting around and flashing light. To anyone, especially at this time of day, it would just seem like light reflecting off the tip of the blade, pointed to taunt his opponent, but it was in fact roughly 20 of his needle like soul shots, camoflauged behind the spire piece flying at him. If he dodged, that would all be a waste of energy, but if he was out to prove his power, it may do more damage than he would expect.

He couldn't wait to follow up either. To fight someone that's big, you have to be quick. Keeping that as his first priority, he followed up by closing in on him, using his enhanced speed to aid in his charge. but the motion was a clean zig zag, nothing that would let him get there before the boulder and soul shots. But once he was close enough, he would start to run around the big guy circularly, making him the center of a 10 foot circular radius.

Pointing his blade again, he started to fire waves upon waves of soul shots at Minotaur's persona. This seemed to him like a good strategy for now. Each shot would be a drop in the bucket, but the sad truth was that he didn't have any information except that he was a great close range fighter. He didn't know of his quickness, if any, but he did display a nice portion of his power. It was best just to play it safe until he got enough information to really start a full assault.

[kihaku]

(sorry it took so long. school has been a nightmare)

Hydra gave a gasp as the handle was driven deep into his gut, and another winded grunt when he was struck in the back, slammed down against the rock so hard it nearly broke his ribs. Gasping for breath, he glowed a bright teal, and suddenly his body turned completely black, not a single defining showing on his skin or face. Meanwhile, one of the black clones suddenly brightened, skin, clothing, and bodily features lightening as Hydra and a clone switched places.

With a laugh, his left arm was suddenly swathed in arcs of electricity which shot up his arm to his hand, glowing a bright white until it exploded in two directions, solidifying into a single blue staff, an inch in diameter, five feet long. On one end there was a blue crystal that glowed softly with a shimmering light, almost matching the rippling effect the tattoo that wrapped around the warrior's torso.

Gripping the new weapon tightly, he watched as the dark Hydra next to him managed to cross it's forearms and block the elbow aimed at it's throat, parrying the blow intended for his own middle by spinning lightly out of the way. The scythe sweep cut the legs out from underneath the dark Hydra, though the original leapt upwards and over Zolomon, landing with a light thud behind him. With a smirk, the crystal-end of the staff was thrust forward, electricity arcing off the small stone and seeming to take the shape of a lightly curved blade.

Back on the rock, the second winded dark Hydra had stumbled to his feet, but instead of jumping back into battle, seemed stunned by the blows it'd been forced to shoulder, and instead tumbled off the rock to land on top of the attacking Gorgon, the ring Reiaz had inteded for the small of his opponent's back now striking deep into the black death-spawn's middle.

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Minotaur gave a grunt, jerking his hands out of the ground with a deep rumble. However, when his appendages came back into view, they weren't as they entered, but were instead armed with gauntlets of rock, foot-long blades of stone equipped to the new armor. With a grin, he looked up to see the incoming missile, and with a sweep of his left hand, knocked the spire-top aside. Out of instinct to dodge the rock, his body also partially ducked to the right, and just in time to hear the energy attacks whiz past his ear. When the first few flew by, he immediately ducked all the way to a crouching position, and when it was safe, he looked up to see Dimitri circling him.

There could only be one reason a person moved that fast and in such a curious fashion, and with no time to spare, he spun on his knees, giving a grunt as he scraped skin off his leg. The tips of the rock blades left slight gouges in the earth, and with a sudden rumble, two half-domes curled up to create a foot-thick curved defense. Within the darkness, eyes closed, he concentrated on where Dimitri would be so as to predict where to attack. When he had his timing down, he slammed the right blade into the ground just next to him, and another spire of rock shot out of the earth, aiming to impale the small man, unless he could quickly change his momentum.

[zolomon]

(OOC: Hahaha... dude... do I EVER know what you're going through... I can't word what kinda of a... beast? is school being atm. I'm pushing it by writing this post already... <_< And sorry for the lack of quality, I wanna get this over with, but I'm too tired to make an effort. *is ashamed*)


It seemed Zolomon's rapid reaction and incredible speed just after being attacked with a bolt of lightning surprised his opponent, to the point of letting the vampire land two powerful blows un-countered. However, just as he left the stone behind, he caught Hydra's body glowing teal for a moment, then turning black, out of the corner of his eye. However, he was headed for the clones and when he turned to look at them he noticed that one of the clones turned lighter, like the Hydra he just hit had been.

Just as he approached the two with the speed of a... err... extremely fast-moving vampire he noticed another strange thing occurring. Suddenly there appeared electricity on his left arm, which expanded in a blast and turned into a blue staff, on the end of which was a glowing crystal, most probably a point of energy output, as it was glowing in synchronization with the elaborate tattoo on Zolomon's enemy's body.

Unfortunately, the secondary attack on the two copies was much less successful, as the elbow thrust was parried, while the staff blow was easily dodged. Zolomon ducked to inflict the sweeping attack, which successfully sliced off the legs of the dark clone, while the 'real' Hydra evaded it too, returning with a counter-attack with his spear, the tip of it taking a more dangerous-looking shape using the powerful electricity flowing inside it.

Luckily, Zolomon's razor-sharp senses let him pick up the attack headed for his back, and he deflected it by swinging his Halberd of the Damned in an arc behind his back, intercepting and knocking Hydra's thrust out of the way. Then, in the split second he had to think on whether to retreat or counter-attack, he remembered the teachings he underwent in his youth and the vital points of the human (or at the very least humanoid) body, upon which landing a blow would make energy transfer throughout one's body more difficult, not to mention the damage of taking 9 blows by itself.

And so, the vampire took a step towards his opponent and suddenly, using a move that had been taught to him long ago, inflicted 9 blows with the blunt end of his halberd with such speed, that it seemed like they were nine simultaneous blows, followed by a quick backhand and punch with his left arm, after which he tried to kick the lying black Hydra on the ground in the ribs and slide back, prepared for any counter-attack, wondering if this really was the extent of his opponent's power already.

[dimitri]

As he was dashing around around the minotaur with his full speed, soul shots blazing, the scene became a bit more interesting. The goliath had pretty much armored up in the earth around him and armed himself with it as well. That could prove to be a major problem should he decide to make the battle a close quarters struggle of power, which it was clear he lacked favor in. So while still continuing his onslought, he would continue to look for an opening. But through his training, he did know that an opening won't come often, if at all, so he had to take advantage of any opening he could find and not stall on it.

It was right about now that he noticed the majority of his recent shots were being deflected by a barrier of rock that covered him completely like a dome. He knew without a doubt that some of the shots had gone in and that would be just enough for his plan to continue onward. His eyes became a crystal blue once again as his sight was locked on the dome, and just like he wanted, he could see the soul shots that made it into the dome as they started dissipating, creating a kind of soul smoke that he could see with his newfound vision.

Things inside the dome became clear as he could see the sillouhette of the Minnotaur, but not his soul considering he didn't have a clear view of his soul through the rock. But since he was accustomed to his soul energy, that is what will end up being his savior, at least until the galute breaks out of his dome which would be soon, whether it be bloody or whole was his choice and how well he could follow Dimitri's movements. But thanks to the crystal blue smoke that he saw from the souls ascending for serving his blade, he had a clear advantage of seeing his movements.

He continued to play coy, waiting for his big chance to strike at him. The continouos motion of him running around and firing shots would make a clear echo inside the dome that would eventually give away his angle. Still, he continued the assault and just like he had hoped, the continuation was worth while as he began to see the silouhette through the smoke do a very familiar movement. The arms were raised above his head just as he did earlier to create the spike to impale Dimitri. Now was the time to make his attack.

Ever since the dome came up, he was storing extra soul energy in Luciendar so that once his moment came, he would have the extra strike. As the arms came crashing down, he cut straight in towards the dome, leaving the spire just ahead of his route, and now slightly behind him. The soul shots stopped just as he did his full right angle turn towards the rock barrier. If he could sense soul energy, he would be good, but considering that soul energy was not basic in any way, shape, or form, it would be hard for anyone, even the keenest, to sense him still alive without prior knowledge.

Whether the minotaur was off guard or not, Dimitri could not afford to wait for another moment that looked as promising as this one did right now. He pulled his blade back and did a full swing, releasing a powerful soul wave from the blade, well more than enough to cut through the stone wall that surrounded his opponent. But he had learned from experience not to assume your first shot will be your last. Jumping up into the air, he leapt over the dome and while doing so released another soul wave directly downward on the dome. The timing was set up so that the first one would pass before the second.

As he landed on the other side, he dashed sideways and right about now the first wave should be going through the dome and the second should be hitting it. He set up his blade as he crouched down and in the time it would take for the second to hit the ground, he would have fired a third directly at the dome yet again. Now it became just a waiting game to see if the Minotaur walked out from the rubble or if he was finished.