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Post by Ceri on Sept 30, 2006 20:50:29 GMT
Abruptly the screams stopped. Rondis froze, suddenly more terrified than he had been. His confused, panicked mind made two conclusions: either Lethall had been defeated by the task, and was dead, or he'd gotten out. Somehow both of these thoughts were as terrifying as one another, and he slowly realised why. "Master Rondis," the spider-woman whispered, acid dripping from her voice. "Your turn." Rondis slowly turned on his heels to face the hideous, beautiful creature. He found he was shaking all over. Slowly, behind the spider-woman, the door creaked open again. Everything was black on the other side and there was no sign of Orion or Lethall. Rondis took a deep breath, attempting to calm himself with little effect, and took a small step forward. Then he stopped, and turned to the spider-woman. "Who are you?" he asked, trying to keep his voice steady. "What is your name?" She smiled, an evil glint in her eyes. "I am surprised your Hunter friend didn't ask sooner," she said. "I am known as the Demon of Shadows, the Queen of Insects, and everything between, but you may know me as Darla." The name made Rondis shudder. The woman smiled, and Rondis couldn't help picturing what she may once have been. He forced his eyes onto the doorway, trying vainly to imagine that whatever may be behind it could be better than what was here. Orion and Lethall are on the other side of that door, he thought. Orion's just on the other side, and he's going to mock you for being such a coward. Taking comfort in the thought of his friend he strode away from the spider-woman and into the door. Instantly the door slammed closed, throwing darkness over him. For a moment he was stood in the dark. He turned around and reached out, but the wall that had been behind him was gone. He couldn't see a thing, but it felt as though he was standing in the middle of nothing. I need a light in here, Rondis thought. All of a sudden, fiery light blazed from all sides, and Rondis saw what was in the room. All of a suddn, he wished he couldn't. Sure enough, he could see Orion's face in the firelight in front of him. Orion was lying in front of him, dead. Rondis gave a cry of horror. There was more blood than skin visible on Orion's face. Rondis threw up his hands to block out the brutal, gastly vision, but he'd already seen the rest of the room; beside Orion lay Lethall, brutally slaughtered just like Orion, and next to him was-- "LAURA!" The girl's eyes were still open, staring blankly, sightlessly, up at the sky. Her ribs were torn open and blood and organs strewn across her chest. Her left arm had been severed but her right was thrown out above her head as though reaching out. Rondis thought for a moment he was going to be sick, and tried to raise his hands to shield his eyes, but he found them pinned to his sides. In fact, he couldn't move at all. He was totally paralyzed, and he couldn't tear his horror-struck eyes away from Laura's face. She's not dead, she can't be, a voice cried pitifully in his head. Something like sanity screamed at him, It must be an illusion, it can't be real. But he couldn't take hold of the idea, and he couldn't bring himself to turn away from the sight. He could feel tears burning in his eyes, frozen from falling, and though his eyes felt like fire the image of Laura, Orion and Lethall wouldn't fade. Other bodies lay with these, some he recognised, others he didn't, but the whole scene was a brutal scene of massacre, blood everywhere. Soon Rondis felt like he was going to die under the pressure of sadness and horror and sickness and guilt, and he wanted anything to bring a stop to this suffering, even death. NO, screamed a voice inside him, and to his surprise, it wasn't his own; it was Orion's. Don't give up, the voice cried. Laura needs you! What can I do to help? Rondis thought desperately. I can't help Laura. She needs me and I can't help her! Of course you can! Believe me, Rondis, you can! Right, Rondis thought angrily, Just like I saved her from Arissa. There was silence in his head for a long time, and for a moment he thought that Orion really was dead. Then, quietly, from somewhere deep inside him, the voice came again. Sarcasm is the tool of evil. Rondis' eyes snapped open. Of course Orion wasn't dead. He couldn't be. "He can't be!" Rondis threw his arms out, and the paralysis flew from him like shattering ice. "He can't be! He isn't!" Rondis shouted over and over, and all of a sudden the darkness consumed his vision once more. With a shout of rage Rondis ran forward, as fast as he could, full tilt into nothingness, until all of a sudden sunlight burst into his vision, out on the other side. Rondis would have kept running had he not ran straight into Orion. Both of them fell over, Orion with a cry of shock. Rondis lay still, unable to comprehend what had happened, before he realised that he was lying beside Orion with his arms tightly around him, and Orion was pushing against him. "Rondis, get off me!" He pushed him off and sat up. "Oh, Orion!" Rondis cried, sitting up and hugging him again. Orion felt like pushing him aside again, then remembered how he'd felt back in the room with his father, and wondered exactly what Rondis had felt. He changed his mind and left him. A moment later Rondis drew back, tears in his eyes. "You okay?" Orion asked gently. Rondis nodded, wiping his eyes with his sleeve. "That...w-was..." he began to stammer. Orion waved his opinion aside. "We're out. It doesn't matter." In truth he was interested to know what had happened, but he couldn't bring himself to ask Rondis right now. "C'mon, we need to get out of here." Orion helped Rondis to his feet, both of them still shaking. Rondis noticed Lethall and how shaken he looked for the first time. They were standing on an open field, bright, green and welcoming compared to what they'd just seen. In the near distance was a sparkling river meandering across the grass. The three of them turned to head towards it...
[glow=red,2,300]Sorry if that was really long...like my "hideous, beautiful" description? lol...[/glow]
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Post by Spawn on Sept 30, 2006 21:13:53 GMT
[glow=red,2,300]Twas very good, that was my favourite post out of the whole Forgotten series. *claps*[/glow]
To there great surprise the Spider Woman was standing in front of them, her black eyes looking up at them, she looked at them in wonder, as if she could believe what she was seeing. "I don't, you can't...it isn't meant to happen like that, no one survives my tests, how could you?" She asked in shock. Orion shrugged mockingly. Darla spat out in anger, she through something towards them, it was there weapons. "You might want these before you go on with your journey." She said coldly, her eight legs were clicking with anger, the hairs on her back were standing on end. "And I owe you three wishes." She said slowly. Orion looked thoughtful for a moment, everything he wanted went through his mind. He knew what he wanted, there wasn't any question, he wanted the woman his father killed, he wanted her back by his side, he wanted that more then anything. "I wish I didn't have my wish, I can't accept anything of a monster like you." Said Orion slowly, he hated it, at that moment in time he loathed his conscience. Lethall replied a bit more quickly. "Ah'll give the elf mi wish, ah don't want anything of yer." Darla smiled at him, she slowly turned to the elf. "So, that leaves you with two wishes...are you going to wish for you lover back?" She asked, a caculating smile spreading across her face. Rondis took a moment to consider it, he turned to Orion looking for help, but Orion gave him a look saying that it was his choice. "No, I'm not. Peoples lives should not be controlled by wishes." Said Rondis "My first wish is this, I wish that would you would tell what happened to the woman you once were." A look of shock spread over Darla's fac , she looked horrified that he'd dare ask that. Slowly she started the story, she looked pained by it. "It was almost two hundred years ago now, the woman I used to be was walking along the streets, she had lived a boring, unremarkable life. Back then I was nothing more then a little demon, I needed to find a host, the woman fit the bill perfectly, I watched her all that day, when she went to bed that night I climbed inside her, we merged together, thats how I came to be here." Explained Darla. "So the woman you once were is somewhere inside you?" Asked Rondis "Yes" "Then my second wish, is that you leave her be, get out of her body and let her be a human again." "No, you can't do that!" Screamed the spider woman, but even so she was being ripped away from the womans body, turning back into the demon she was. Soon she looked like a very tiny spider, trying to scuttle away from them. Orion stamped his foot on her. Then turned his attention to the woman lying on the floor, she was naked and sobbing. all three of the wondred what to do. "
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Post by Ceri on Sept 30, 2006 21:24:11 GMT
[glow=red,2,300]Thanks And gosh, I completely forgot about the wishes etc. lol[/glow] Rondis looked at Lethall, who looked at Orion, who shrugged. Slowly Orion approached the woman, unfastening his cloak. She looked up at him, her shining layers of dark hair slipping down her shoulders as she did. Orion held his cloak out to her. She reached out a shuddering hand, and Orion assumed she was going to take it, but she didn't; she ran a hand over the material, as though wondering at its touch, stroking it. She took it gently between her hands, feeling and stroking the material. Orion hesitated, the knelt beside her. He swept the cloak around her shoulders and gently fastened it. "What is your name?" he asked quietly. The girl looked at him. Her eyes were shining blue, shockingly light compared to her hair. The fingers of one hand were still absently rubbing against the cloak. "Lucy," she whispered. Orion placed a hand on her shoulder. At first she flinched, then she stopped, as though feeling the warmth of Orion's hand. She moved closer to him. "Can you stand?..." Orion helped her to her feet. She was shaking with the cold, looking around her with wide eyes as though seeing the world for the first time. Now their eyes had adjusted to the light, Rondis noticed that it was nearing nightfall. "Let's set up camp," Lethall suggested. "I need to sit down after that. Then we can talk to this here missy. Orion, you stay with her. Rondis'n I'll get the fire goin'." Within minutes the two of them had built a fire (over the exact spot where Darla's form had been wiped from existence) and the three of them had distributed clothing to Lucy until she was aptly dressed against the cold. Slowly she relaxed as she became warmer, and eventually Orion asked, "What happened to you?" Slowly, Lucy told them her story...
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Post by Spawn on Oct 1, 2006 11:11:19 GMT
[glow=red,2,300]Is it me or are we building a relationship between Orion and Lucy?[/glow]
"It was a long time ago, things were different, people didn't wear such funny clothes and it seemed as though everything was just beggining. I was out, on my fathers wishes, gathering corn. That night, a little bug run into my mouth, I screamed and spit but couldn't get it out. Slowly something happened to me, I started changing, it took almost a hundred years before I changed completely. When The spider woman had taken over completely it felt as though I couldn't move, I could barely breath, I had to watch everything this which did, but I couldn't stop her." Lucy fell silent. Orion was the first to say something, he picked his words very carefully. "Well, we're going to Athens, to look for a freinds of ours, I don't believe that you should be left alone in this world, especially not after what you've been through, I think you should travel with us." Lucy looked at him, it seemed as though she didn't trust him, she looked hard into his eyes and nodded. Orion noticed how pale she looked and think she looked. "Lethall, could you go and get us some food?" Asked Orion "Sure." Said Lethall hoping to his feet and wondering down the grassy hill. "Orion, I think it needs to be asked...what are we expecting to find in Athens?" Asked Rondis "Hmmm, I think, we're expecting to find Laura...but that man said something about a war, so we may find an ending of our battle with Hades, if he is the one leading the armies." Said Orion thougtfully "fun" Sighed Rondis at the thougth of war. "Sarcasm is the tool of evil..."
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Post by Ceri on Oct 1, 2006 11:52:22 GMT
[glow=red,2,300]I wasn't planning on it, but it could happen. It's Aulius' character, in any case, so I guess we should ask him...[/glow]
Rondis opened his mouth to object, then smiled, remembering ths words coming back to him in the cave. "Thanks," he said without thinking. Orion raised his eyebrows. "For what?" Rondis realised he'd spoken aloud. "Um, nothing." Not long later Lethall reappeared, dragging the carcass of a deer. He and Orion set about skinning and cooking it, and after eating the four of them decided to spend the night there. At first, Rondis felt as though he could sleep for days, he was so tired; but almost as soon as he'd drifted off his sleepy mind was besieged with images of his slaughtered friends and of Darla's cruel, smiling face. He woke suddenly, barely an hour after he'd laid down. The others appeared to be asleep. Lucy was curled up like a child, her face peaceful. Lethall's hand was stil clenched around his axe, and Orion's face was largely hidden beneath his cloak. Rondis stood up, shivering slightly in the cool night breeze. He could hear the tinkling of the water from the river, like music drifting from afar. It was a calm, relaxing sound, but it made Rondis feel terribly homesick. It had been months, if not longer, since he'd met Laura on the rickety train on the way to the coast, and longer still since he'd been home. For a long time he sat beside the smouldering embers of the fire listening to the musical water, before bleak, dreamless sleep took him again. In truth, Orion was not asleep either. He'd been lying awake for hours, and for part of it watching Rondis sitting nearby. Since Mount Olympus he hadn't confronted Rondis about his love for Laura, and now he couldn't see a way of bringing it up. He didn't know whether he should keep at it or just accept Rondis' feelings. It didn't seem right, but the longer he left it, the less important it seemed. Was it okay for him to let things take their natural course? It was Rondis' choice, after all. Maybe I should just wait, he thought sleepily. Laura may not know yet, in any case. I can't make Rondis' decision for him, after all, and even if I could he wouldn't let me. By this time Rondis had lay down to sleep again, and though Orion had done the same, it was a long time before consciousness had left him.
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Post by Phoenix on Oct 1, 2006 15:18:57 GMT
Overlooking the 4 sleeping souls, was Ava. She had been following them but didn't attack in case the gold barrier created by the Goddess of Peace emerged again. She had watched them enter the cave where Darla lived, and expected that to be their end: nobody had ever survived the spider woman's tests, so she was utterly shocked when they came out of the other side. All 3 of them. Then something happened to Darla: the demon inside her was ripped painfully out of the body, and destroyed. Now the woman had joined them on their journey. Good, Ava thought, more blood for me. She looked up at the horizon; the sun was slowly emerging from the hills. She cursed, it was too late. She turned into a bat and flew away, seeking the shadows for safety.
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Post by Spawn on Oct 1, 2006 15:57:31 GMT
[glow=red,2,300]Me and M-L just had a good idea as how Forgotten should end. Orion and Lucy fall for each other before they get to Athens. While at Athens Rondis and Orion are called to fight in the war against Hades. During the big batter Orion and Hades come face to face, and try to end it with each other once and for all. However during the fight Ava gets Lucy out and starts to drain her blood. Orion can't save her since Hades is holding him back. Finally Lucy dies, and when she does Orion falls to the floor in grief. Hades deicides that he might as well let Orion live in misery rather then kill him and lets his guard down, this is when Orion uses his oppertunity to stab Hades through the heart, thus ending the war and there battle. Laura and Rondis get the happy ending by living together in Mount Olympis. Let me know if you have any trouble with that or if you don't like it, or you think we should add something in[/glow]
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Post by trip on Oct 1, 2006 19:40:13 GMT
[glow=red,2,300]erm just an outsider questioning the logic of having the god of death die.[/glow]
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Post by Aulius on Oct 1, 2006 19:55:29 GMT
[glow=red,2,300]Well by killing the god of the afterlife and there needs to be a balance thefore you could have Orion become the god of the afterlife and being able to care for Lucy's spirit[/glow]
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Post by Phoenix on Oct 1, 2006 20:40:34 GMT
[glow=red,2,300] but we already have a god of the afterlife (the new Hades) this old Hades is just an extra soul which needs to be destroyed...yeah, we altered Greek mythology [/glow]
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Post by Aulius on Oct 1, 2006 21:26:41 GMT
[glow=red,2,300]As your can see i dont pay attention[/glow]
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Post by Ceri on Oct 2, 2006 8:02:30 GMT
[glow=red,2,300]This ending seems very centred around Orion. Not complaining, as it's been rather centred around Rondis for a while now. But I like it, it'll probably work fine. Not sure about how it all wraps up perfectly, though, because how did Rondis and Laura get back together? I don't think Zeus should intervene again because he's irritating but maybe Laura, having been fully recovered in Mt O., could show up at the last minute to help out. Maybe to lend Orion some last strength to help kill Hades, or something. Then she and Rondis could hook up again.
Also, what happened to Lethall in that ending?[/glow]
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Post by Phoenix on Oct 2, 2006 8:54:15 GMT
[glow=red,2,300] Lethall can just wonder off happily...Ava returns to her cave with the Queen of the Vampires if she doesn't get killed [/glow]
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Post by Ceri on Oct 2, 2006 9:01:03 GMT
[glow=red,2,300]Lol, fair enough[/glow]
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Post by Spawn on Oct 3, 2006 21:21:30 GMT
In the morning they started to wake, all three of them were groggy, it was a dull day, rain clouds hovered threateningly over head. The sun seemed to be trapped behind there veils. Rondis looked doubtfully up to the sky, he gulped. "We're almost at Athens now, only a couple more days." "Well that thought fills me with joy...I don't want to be part of a war." Said Rondis coldly, he didn't fancy another fight with Hades, the last two almost killed him. "No, neither do I, but we have to if we want this thing with Hades finished." Said Orion. They set of walking for the day, it was cold and wet, Orion was starting to get slightly twitcy, there quest to find Laura was slowly drawing to the conclusion and he still hadn't confronted Rondis about his love for her.
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Post by Ceri on Oct 4, 2006 6:51:22 GMT
As they walked, Lethall came up to Orion, checking that Rondis and Lucy were a safe distance behind them. "Orion?" "Hmm." "This 'ere girl we be after." "Laura?" "Yeah. She'sa friend of your Rondis, right?" "She's all of our friend," Orion said quickly. "Yeah, I know," Lethall said, "but I mean, she's a special friend of the Elf, ain't she?" Orion groaned inwardly, and checked again to see that Rondis was nowhere nearby. "Yes," he said dully. "I think so." Lethall considered it. "Why the long face?" Orion remembered that Lethall had never met Laura. "She's twelve," he said shortly. "Aaah," Lethall said in dawning comprehension. Then, "Why the long face?" Orion stared at him. "Rondis is at least twenty, and that's in human years," he said. "It can't work! It's wrong!" He hadn't voiced these concerns to anyone yet but now they were pouring out. Lethall seemed confused. "She's a God child. He's an Elf. That ain't seemed to 'ave stopped ya yet." "That's not important. The thing is--" "So you're okay with our Elfy friend bein' with the 'igh-n-mighty but there ain't allowed to be an age difference?" Orion hesitated, wondering where Lethall was going. "F'I was you I'd let 'im alone," he said. "S'is decision, after all." "Laura doesn't even know," Orion groaned. "What if--" "What if, what if," Lethall said. "What if everything turns out fine? You're the one who says evil 'bout sarcasm. Wanna know what we Dwarfs reckon of pessimism?"
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Post by Spawn on Oct 14, 2006 11:26:48 GMT
Orion fell silent at this remark, the continued walking down the hill, the grass was lush and flourishing in the sun, the warmth seemed to be all around them. Rondis found if hard to believe that they were heading for a war, yet as he enjoyed the tranquility the voice in the back of his mind kept him from being entirely comfortable. They walked slowly taking there time, none of them were in a hurry to get to Athens, they might not even find Laura there anyway. Orion was talking to Lucy, she seemed to be laughing much more then before, Lethall bounded forward to the dwarf. It was a strange fait that they were getting along. Rondis assumed it was because he had been travelling with Orion so long he had forgotten that there were other sorts of people in the world.
Slowly rain clouds grew over head, they weren't very prominent at first but as the day started to slip into night they became much more noticeble. "Hmm, looks like we may need to find cover." Said Orion slowly looking up at the clouds. "ah, agree, sides ah'm gettin sick o walkin." Replied Lethall . they went about looking for somewhere to rest, however they were still in the middle of a huge field, there weren't many trees they could take cover under. Orion didn't like being out in the open but he knew he had no choice. As they settled down to sleep rain started to pour to the ground, it was accompanied by a crash of thunder.
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Post by Ceri on Oct 15, 2006 13:55:57 GMT
"I hate English weather," Rondis grumbled, sitting with his cloak over his head trying to shelter himself and Orion's vain attempt at a fire at the same time. Lethall had already given up his cloak for Lucy and was irritably shaking away droplets of water that were dripping from his hair onto his face. Lucy was sitting close to Orion, nervous of the thunder. "How far are we from Athens?" Rondis asked. "No idea," Orion replied, giving up on the fire. "But if it's got real buildings then I can't wait." "I can," Lethall said. "'Specially if there's a battle goin' on." "It'll be a nice change to be amongst civilisation, though," Orion said. "And to see Laura again," Rondis said, trying to sound offhand. Orion hesitated. Now was as good a time as ever to finally bring up his argument, but there was something about Rondis' face, smiling despite the weather, that made him hesitate. He glanced down; Lucy was nearly asleep against his shoulder, huddled close. Looking down on her peaceful, pretty face, Orion suddenly thought he knew how Rondis felt for Laura.
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Post by Spawn on Oct 21, 2006 12:20:04 GMT
Orion and Rondis slowly let them selves rest and fall into a dream.
The next day was consumed fully by travelling, it was long and tiring but there was something about having Lucy with them that perked Orion up. towards the end of the day Rondis started noticing a change in scenery, it was becoming duller, the grass was turning into mud, the trees were no loner proud, but they were hangered and bent over. The sun had been eclipsed by black clounds and somewhere far of, Orion was sure he could see one of the buildings of Athens. "I think we're close now." Said Orion pointing out the building. "Hmm, it could just be a landmark, it may not be Athens." Replied Rondis, although he was already doubting himself "I think it is, it doesn't look like the battles started yet...thats good, we should be there in a day." Said Orion. "Ah, suppose we couldn't put it of forever." Said Lethall somewhat miserably. "No, at least when we get there we'll get some answers, like where Laura is for one." Rondis answered, trying to sound helpful. "Well, I don't think we should do anymore walking for today, its probably best that we settle down somewhere." Suggested Orion. They searched for somewhere to sleep, eventually they found shade under a bent over tree.
Orion had trouble sleeping, they'd be at Athens tommrow, part of him wished that they would never arrive, that they could travel forever. He knew that Athens was going to be culmination of everything they had gone through and a part of him knew Laura would be there. He just had a feeling. Slowly he noticed that he wasn't the only person awake, Lucy was up to, she seemed was shivering and seemed very scared. "Lucy." Whispered Orion, he didn't want to disturb the others, Lucy looked up shocked, she was sure that she was the only person awake. Slowly she moved over to him. "Why are you still up?" He whispered "I can't sleep, we're almost at Athens." She hesitated for a moment and went on to say "I don't want to be in a war." Orion thought of what he could say, he picked his words carefully. "No, few people do want to be in wars, but sometimes they have to be done." "I just worry, I spent almost two hundred years in pain, now what if I go from one form of pain to another. All I've ever seen in my life is misery and heartache, Why can't I feel something real? I worry that maybe all life has in store for me is pain." Sighed Lucy, she was shaking with fear. "No, I'm sure there's something more in this world, your a good person, it may not seem like it but life does pick up for good people...it has to." Orion sounded as though he doubted his own words, but said them anyway. Lucy leant forward and shly kissed Orion on the lips, he was shocked for a moment, then continued the kiss...
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Post by Phoenix on Oct 21, 2006 12:41:26 GMT
The next morning, Orion woke up and found Lucy's head on his chest. He gently stroked her hair, then her bare shoulders and smiled. The sun began to rise and they continued their journey, full of mixed emotions as each step took them closer to Athens.
It was midday when they finally saw the tall buildings of the city. Below they saw people getting on with their daily lives, and relief swept over them when they realised there was no war, yet. THey made their way down the narrow roads on the hills leading to the city, exhausted but excited.
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Post by Spawn on Oct 21, 2006 12:50:38 GMT
Athens was a massive city, it has buildings rising almost higher then the clouds, while people were getting on with the normal lives there was a frightened air running through the town, they knew a war was coming. They eyed Orion, Rondis, Lethall and Lucy suspicously as they entered. No one seemed to want to move while they were there, Orion noticed a lot of them were looking at all the weapons he was carrying with him.
A guard trotted up to them, his face was stern and powerful, he had long blonde hair that flowed down his back, he wore a grey armour. His blue eyes seemed to blaze powerfully. "What brings you to Athens in such tough times?" He asked "We're hear looking for a friend." Said Ronids suddenly. "Hmm, and what is there name?" Asked the man. "Laura..." Replied Rondis, a whisper travelled round the crowd. "Could it be? are you the friends the God of peace speaks of so often?" Asked the man "Yes, I should assume we are." Cut in Orion " Is she here." His voice trembled with excitement. "She was and will be again, she had to leave, the war among the Gods has still not fully settled itself." Replied the man. Rondis head drooped.
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Post by Phoenix on Oct 21, 2006 13:07:10 GMT
Orion placed a hand on his shoulder. "You'll be with her again" he said. Rondis' eyes widened. He knew Orion was going to bring that subject up some time, and had been dreading it, but he was calm and supportive, as if it didn't bother him. "Something has changed" Rondis said, staring at his friend. "What happened to you?" "WHat do you mean?" Orion asked "Um...I thought..." "Hey! Look over 'ere!" Lethall called, cutting Rondis off. THey turned around and saw him within a crowd stnading around a table. They went over and saw forms placed all over the old wooden table and a guard was sitting behind it, organising the pieces of paper. "What's this?" Rondis asked. Orion picked up one of them and realised it had people's names, addresses and signatures on it. The men standing around the table were busy filling out the sheets. "Hey buddy" the guard behind the table said "If you want to sign up, then do it quickly and leave. Can't you see we're rather busy here? We don't have much time and you're blocking the way. If you don't want to sign up, then be a coward and go home. I don't want to see your faces ever again" "Sorry, I don't understand. What is this?" Orion asked. "You're new?" the guard asked. THey all nodded. "Hades is coming and unless we get a good number of soldiers to defend the city, we'll all be under his rule. A war is coming, mate" Orion paused and he felt his temper rise at hearing the name. He grabbed a pen and bent over the form. "No!" Lucy cried, and grabbed his arm. "YOu are not going off to fight!" "I have to." Orion explained "Hades - old enemy. And I will not let him get away again. Besides, this city needs as many men to join as they can" He turned back to the form. "What if you die?" Lucy gulped. He was silent for a second, then looked up. "I won't" he said. "I promise, I won't. Rondis?" Lethall had already put his name down in big messy handwriting. Rondis looked at the pen Orion was holding, then nodded, feeling himself shake.
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Post by Ceri on Oct 21, 2006 14:42:21 GMT
Trying to hold his hands steady he quickly scrawled his name on the list and dropped the pen as though it was burning. The man nodded curtly, gathering up the paper, and motioned for them to step to one side. He called after them, "Hades is expected to arrive tomorrow at high sun. All soldiers need to be gathered in the central square by sunrise. There's a tavern just round the corner from here that still has spaces." Orion nodded in thanks and they started towards the tavern. Laura walked silently beside Orion, her hand in his, tears silently streaming down her face. Orion could think of nothing to say to console her. After all, she'd come from a life of pain, she'd said so herself, and now as soon as she'd found someone who she could love, he would be torn away again. He sighed, wishing he hadn't been so hard on Rondis. The tavern was called the Golden Sunset, and was owned, according to a sign above the door, by landlord Andres Cassius, who greeted his new customers on the door. Orion led Laura to their room and left Rondis to make the arrangements. "I just wish I could be part of it all," Cassius told Rondis sadly as he searched through his papers for the guest book. "But I'm too old to be fighting wars in this day and age. It'll be a black day for us all if that Hades gets what he wants, I can tell you. What did you say your name was, Sir?" For a moment, Rondis wondered what to say. They'd stayed at countless taverns, hotels and inns over their time and at every one they'd used different names, to shake off pursuers, to avoid being recognised or simply as a safety precaution. He hesitated, then said, "Rondis. My name's Rondis."
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Post by Spawn on Oct 25, 2006 22:19:41 GMT
Ronidis stayed up chatting to the man for a short while, soon the man fell to sleep and left Rondis sitting wide awake. A cold dread was all over his body, this was the first war he had ever been in. He'd witnessed death and pain before, but never in such scale. He didn't know wheather he would be able to handle it, or handle himself for that matter. Suddenly the thought that he may never see Laura again flashed into his head, what if he died in the battle, what if he died without getting to say good bye?
Orion sat up with Lucy, they were talking, for what Lucy beleived was probaby there last time. Orion didn't believe that. He'd been in wars before and battles, this one didn't feel like his last.
Lethall lay sleeping, it was an uneasy sleep but a sleep never the less.
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Post by Ceri on Oct 25, 2006 23:15:55 GMT
It was past midnight when Orion, unable to sleep, realised that Rondis still hadn't joined them in their hotel room. Lucy was alseep against his chest and he gently slid from beneath her, tucking the covers of their bed around her, and silently let himself out of the room, heading for the stairs. He found Rondis in the main foyer of the tavern. One or two men lay slumped at tables, half-filled tankards still in their gripless hands. The bartender Cassius sat in an armchair near the fire, head rested on his chest, snoring gently. Rondis himself was sitting by the window staring out at the cloudless sky. The moon was new but the starlight was enough to illuminate his face. Orion sat down silently beside him, and for a while neither of them acknoweledged the other. Finally Orion spoke. "This isn't the end." Rondis turned to look at him for the first time. "I knew you weren't one for words when we first met, but that was blunt, even for you." Orion smiled, lowering his gaze. "It's true." Rondis sighed, glancing back up at the sky. "It doesn't seem that way." "We'll get through this. We always have done before." "This isn't a skirmish, or even a one-on-one. This is a full-scale war. The Elves used to speak of them back in my homeland, and the elders would tell tales of ones they witnessed as children. There hadn't been a war the Elves had been involved in since the dark days, and no one who fought in those were around when I was." He looked back at Orion. "I've looked at it from every angle and it still seems to me that we won't survive to see tomorrow's sunset." Orion hesitated as Rondis looked back up at the sky. Then he seized Rondis' shoulder, spun him round and smacked him hard. "What the--!" Rondis almost shouted. "What was that for?" "What do you think?" steamed Orion. "What do you think you're talking about, Rondis? Since we met we've killed Hydras, converted Gods, faced anything the powers above can throw at us. We've walked into the Cave of Shadow and all of us have walked out alive! And don't say that it was me that got us through it. Yes, you've stood behind me a few times, but that makes me no stronger than you. You worked out how to get us to the Underworld! You tricked the boatman! You brought us to Mt Olympus! You changed wrong to right , faced all the odds and fought every evil to be with Laura." He paused before adding, "Even me." Rondis stared at him, one hand half raised to his reddened cheek. Orion's glaring eyes stared into his. "Are you telling me that you don't think you can knock down a few demons when we've already done so much? Are you?" Rondis couldn't speak. He didn't know what to say, and he couldn't make his mouth work. Finally he choked out the words, "I think it'll be more than a few demons." "Watch it," Orion spat, raising his hand again. Rondis flinched. Orion hesitated, then lowered his hand again, and Rondis was relieved to see that he was smiling. "We can do this," he said. "You and me." "But what if it goes wrong?" Rondis dared to ask. "What if wars are as hard as they are made out to be?" Orion spun around again and seized Rondis by the shoulders; Rondis flinched again. "You stay behind me," Orion said quietly. He slowly released Rondis. "You're such a flinch," he added, grinning. "What can you expect? You hit me hard." "They'll hit you harder if you don't pull yourself together." "I guess." "Tomorrow you'll see. We'll meet Hades with all our force and we'll take him down, just like we did before. And if he tries to stop us, we'll cut him down just like we did to Darla." "And we'll see Laura again," Rondis whispered. Orion looked at him sceptically. "I almost thought you'd forgotten her," he said sarcastically. Then he clapped his hand to his mouth. A grin spread over Rondis' face as he stood up and said, "Sarcasm is the tool of evil."
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Post by Spawn on Oct 26, 2006 9:59:42 GMT
After a long while they finally managed to get to sleep. Rondis dreamt uneasy dreams of bloodshed, Orion couldn't remember anything he dreamt.
There wasn't much time for talking the next day, people were running about trying to finish the preparations for war, new strategy’s were being developed, swords were being sharpened, the final race to recruit solders was on. Among all the panic little was being done. Orion sat with, Lethall, Rondis and Lucy, checking their weapons. His sword was sharp and his bow was still in good condition. "Apparently there putting a lot of there archers on top of there buildings, I think we'll go there first, then when the time is right we'll climb down and attack on the ground." Said Orion thoughtfully, he wanted to get to Hades before he could do much damage. "Ah'm not standing on no building, I wanna be there in the thick o it." Said Lethall determinedly "Fine, me and Rondis will come down and join you when it seems right." Replied Orion slightly dismissively. "Lucy, I think its probably best that you go into the sewers with the rest of the people who aren't fighting." "Okay." said Lucy, sadness filled her eyes. "Actually, I think I'm going to sign up." She said later "Huh! Why?" Asked Orion shocked "Because, I don't want to hide in the sewers while the people I care about die. I'll stay back and won't get to involved in the battle, but I want to help." She said slowly, her voice shook with fear. "But, do you even know how to handle a weapon?" Asked Rondis "I've been alive for over two hundred years, with a demon inside me, I picked something’s up." she replied. Orion was silent for a while, after he finally put all his thoughts together he said. "Fine, it is your decision, I'd prefer it if you went into the sewers with the others, but I have no right to tell you what to do. If your going to sign up you better do it now, there's not much time, people will be getting ready soon." "Okay" Lucy hurried of to the guard. "Are you alright, Orion?" asked Rondis slowly "Yes, I’ll live..." "Well ah guess we'll see bout dat." Laughed the dwarf
The sun was up, it was now noon, people were standing in there positions. There was about five hundred people on the ground and two hundred on top of buildings, there arrows held tightly in there hand. Athens was so silent Rondis could hear the beating of his own heart, he felt sick. Orion stood deadly still, trying to see them coming, gradually they came into his eye sight. A massive army, maybe over a thousand were gradually making there way to Athens. As they got closer, Rondis could hear the terrible cries, not all of them were human. Werewolves were up front, behind them were things that looked like half men and half lizards. Behind them were thousands upon thousands of small insects and behind them came the men. Rondis tried to see there eyes, they were dark and souless. Leading them was Hades, he was in a carragige being pulled along by two horses, it had a flag symbolising death coming out the top of it. The time of war had finally come.
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Post by Ceri on Oct 26, 2006 10:14:25 GMT
"I think I'm going to be sick," Rondis mumbled, gripping the bow he'd borrowed from the armoury tightly. "Save it till after the battle," Orion advised. "No good fighting on an empty stomach." Even so his voice was trembling. Rondis glanced down and tried to spot Lethall in the crowds below. He decided it would be impossible, there were so many of them. But no matter how many there seemed to be on their side, there seemed to be ten times their amount in front of them. The Werewolves were nearly upon them. Rondis shut his eyes, wondering who would strike first, who would die first. To his surprise, the first twang of a bowstring came from their side; not only from their side, but from right beside him. He looked up to see Orion, staring wide-eyed in shock, his bow loose in his hands; it didn't look as though he'd intended to fire. Rondis looked sharply down; the Werewolves had frozen, and so had the Lizardmen, the creatures and the men. Then, finally, one of the wolves in the front row shuddered and fell; he morphed back into his human form before falling still. A deadly silence fell over both armies, almost louder than any other sound. "Ooops," whispered Orion. Then a great cry of rage split the silence, and Lethall threw himself forward from the front ranks below them. His shout was taken up by the others around them, and the army of Athens charged forward. The Werewolves sprang over their comrade and thundered toward the army. Rondis' hand slipped and his arrow shot down into the Lizardmen, and the others around them had started to fire as well; even in all the noise and movement Rondis still flinched when the ranks of Werewolves collided with the Athens army. The battle had finally begun.
[glow=red,2,300]Exactly where and when does Laura turn up in all this?
Surely if she's a God now she has healing powers? So she could turn up and heal Orion and Rondis, if they're injured.[/glow]
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Post by Spawn on Oct 26, 2006 10:43:26 GMT
[glow=red,2,300]She could turn up half way through but Hades power could Interfere with her own, meaning she couldn't heal anyone, this could also weaken Hades, which is the reason Orion stood a chance against him. Now having said that.[/glow]
Rondis and Orion fired there bows as fast as possible, trying to hit the wolves in front, it wasn't a easy task, they moved so quickly it was hard to see them. Cries echoed from down below as the wolves pounced on the men, the ground had already started to become red with blood. Hades was still in front, his sword had been withdrawn, he was running through the men like a tain would run through a bushes. Orion waited for the right moment, he pulled his arrow back and fired, luckily the arrow landed inbetween Hades eyes, the horses screamed and skidded to a halt. Slowly Hades dropped of his carrige. "Well that was easy." Said Rondis. As soon as he spoke, Hades started to rise to his feet, the arrow was being pushed out of his head. "Damn it!" Spat Orion in annoyance. Overhead Ava the vampire circled the battlefield, everynow and then she took out a bunch of men. They cried with fear and pain. Already Rondis arms were aching, his stomach churned with fear, the armies were getting closer now, the lizard men and withdrawn there swords as had the men. Fortunately the wolves had almost been depleted, but it didn't seem as if they mattered much now, the army looked as though it was endless. "Rondis, I think its time we help down below!" Orion shouted over the noise, he withdrew his sword. This was the part Rondis had been dreading, as long as he was on top of the tower he was safe or as safe as he could be. Now he was going down into the thick of it, he didn't know wheather he could survive this.
They rushed down the stairs of the buildings until the got to the ground. The war looked much more desperate at this level. Mangled bodies of men lay on the floor. Some of them were still alive, they chests moving up and down, they were trying uselessly to stop the blood from flowing out of them. The smell of blood and sweat was all around them, the cries of the pain seemed to pierce Rondis. He felt as though he could callapse, it was all to much. They finally got to the lizard men, Orions sword clashed with there's, he was fast, killing many of them in one stroke. Rondis covered him, the battle raged on. It didn't take long for Hades to notice Orion. "Ava, get down here!" He yelled, she flew down till she was level with him "On my signal find the woman and kill her." Whispered Hades.
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Post by Ceri on Oct 26, 2006 11:18:56 GMT
[glow=red,2,300]Spawn, you have the wrong meaning of the word 'withdraw'. If you're talking about swords you want 'draw'...if you were 'withdrawing' them they'd be taken away. Sorry to be pedantic [/glow] Rondis' feet caught on something below and he stumbled, landing heavily on the ground. The moment he opened his eyes he found himself at the lower level of raging battle, everything seeming faster and louder from below. Not daring to wonder what he'd tripped over, he raised his sword and cut down a Lizardman in front of him, trying to stand. Pain suddenly exploded at his right shoulder and he was hurled to the ground again. Rondis yelled in pain, white light consuming his vision. He reached blindly to his shoulder, his fingers brushing the black-fletched arrow that had struck him. Gritting his teeth he tore it out, hurling it aside. His whole arm felt numb and frozen. Pushing himself to his knees he seized his sword with his left hand and struck the Werewolf in front of him, dragging himself to his feet and throwing himself back into combat. Ava soared above the crowds of battling races, spinning in the air, every now and then ducking down to seize a human with her sharp claws and cast them to the ground again, never pausing. Her sharp eyes constantly flittered around for the girl Hades had sent her after. She soared over to the building upon which about a quarter of the archers still stood, the others having joined the close combat below or lying slain amongst their comrades. Then, finally, she spotted her; near the back of the building, helping refurnish the archers with arrows with other young soldiers, unarmed, unprotected, far from her loving Orion. Her eyes narrowed as an idea formed in her mind, and she slowly circled the rooftop, waiting for her master's word. Orion hacked at the men in front of him with his hunting knife, roaring with the pain of effort and his fury. As he cut down the Lizardmen in front of him he suddenly caught sight of Hades, the long, black mace in his hand swinging back and forth and crushing young men with each swipe. Orion gasped as he watched one of his allies try to flee, only to be caught by the powerful strike; blood exploded from his head and Orion only just turned away in time. Hatred flaring inside him, he threw himself forward directly at Hades. As though he'd been expecting him there, Hades spun around and his mace clashed into Orion's sword. The force of the heavy weapon almost buckled Orion's arm. Swinging his knife loose he struck again, and soon Hades' undivided attention was upon him. A circle of empty space formed around them as they sparred, allies and enemies alike drawing back to allow them to fight. Orion's arm burned with fierce pain, his strength diminishing; finally the mace smashed into his wrist, sending the knife skidding across the ground. Hades seized Orion, held him tightly still and roared, "NOW, AVA!" Ava heard his cry and darted down, her sharp claws sinking deep into Lucy's shoulders. Lucy had barely cried out when her feet were jerked from the ground and she was dragged high into the sky. Orion watched as the two shapes hurtled upwards and he suddenly realised who it was. "LUCY!" he screamed, struggling to break free; Hades' crushing hands held him perfectly still as Ava came closer. Soon they hovered right above them, and Orion could see his Lucy in Ava's hands, the terror in her eyes, the blood seeping from beneath Ava's claws, the tears shining on her cheeks. A wicked smile spread across Ava's face as she opened her mouth, her fangs glinting in the sunlight. "No! NO!" Orion screamed, both hands thrown forward towards Lucy. "NO!" He thought his chest would burst from the terror, hatred and desperation churning there; tears blured his eyes but not enough, and he screamed as Ava's teeth sank into Lucy's throat. [glow=red,2,300]Sorry for writing so much but inspiration struck...[/glow]
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Post by Spawn on Oct 26, 2006 11:38:26 GMT
Soon, Lucy fell to the ground, limp and lifeless, her eyes were open filled with shock and horror. "No, No, No." Repeated Orion over and over, he held her lifless body in her arms, trying desperately to get life back into her. Hades smiled a sick smile and stood over Orion, he through his mace to the ground and withdrew his sword. Orion was in to much pain to notice. "Goodbye." Whispered Hades, he brought his sword up and thrust it down, aiming straight for Orion's head, to his surprise something blocked it, it was Rondis's sword. "Oh no you don't." He said, his arms were shaking trying to keep up Hade's sword. "Haha! Do you really think you can stop me, your nothing but a scared little elf getting caught up in the real world, I'm a God." Laughed Hades "We've stopped you before." Panted Rondis "NO! NO! You haven't, Orion and that little bitch stopped me before, you just sat in the corner whimpering." Mocked Hades, a anger exploded in Rondis, with all the strength he had he through Hades backwards, so Orion was safe for the time being. "I guess I could kill you first." Said Hades, there swords clashed, spark flew of into the air, for that moment the battle around them became meaningless to Rondis, all that mattered was that Hades life was finished. Finally Hades was to stron, Rondis was cast to the ground, he could barely breath he was so tired. His arms started to seize up, his sword became to heavy, he couldn't move it. This was it, this the end, he thought his heart would explode it was beating so fast, terror rushed through his body, he didn't want to die, not like this. "If its make you feel any better, you have put a smile on my face, you've got spirit boy, its a pitty that I had to kill you so quickly" Laughed Hades, a demented grin spread across his face. He thrust his sword down, it was meant to hit Rondis, but something rebounded it, a golden sheild was hovering over him. "What!? No!" Screamed Hades in anger, hovering over him and Rondis was Laura. She wasn't the same girl he had fought so long ago, she emitted light, energy and power, everything abouth her was now perfect. She looked truly like a God.
Orion slowly got to his feet, tears streaming down his eyes, he felt as though everything inside of him had been torn out. One of the Hades men drew his arrow back and fired it, the arrow went straight through Orions shoulder, he fell to his knees in pain. Yet something inside him, a small voice told him to get up, it told him to keep fighting. So he did, with every bit of strength he had he picked his sword up of the ground and swung it round, the mans life was ended. Slowly and painfully he trudged across the battlefield, he intended to help Rondis. To his great surprise he saw Hades battling with Laura, she was so beutiful it almost hurt his eyes to look at her. The blood was flowing out of him, but he had to continue. As powerful as Laura was she couldn't compete with Hades strength. He crept up behind him, just when it looked like Hades was on the verge of victory. "I've won, I've finally..." Hades never got to finish his sentence, Orions sword went straight through his stomach. A look of shock and horror came over Hades face as he turned to look at Orion. "What? No, I killed you, I killed you!" He sobbed as the blood started to flow out of him "Yes, you did, but I'm not dead yet."
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