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Post by Ty on Apr 5, 2009 1:27:32 GMT
Marco blinked and cleared his head. The display of Hiramanda's power didn't shake him up quite as much as he was letting on. In fact, he almost enjoyed it. It wasn't often he got a chance to feel anything.
He's showing his hand too early, Marco thought. Either he's very stupid, or he's stronger than I feared.
"So be it..." he said, barely audibly. "Tomorrow morning. I'll be waiting."
Once Hiramanda has left, he slowly rose to his feet. Nearby, the Abomination girl growled in anger. Her features were distorted, her eyes large and snake-like, and her mouth stretched and twisted into an inhuman sneer.
"Just wait, you said. Look where waiting gets me! Do you hear me?! I'm starving over here! Are you listening?!"
He wasn't. Marco examined the glass of wine in his hand. It wasn't expensive by any means, but it certainly was the kind of wine that had a strong flavor about it. Marco pulled the bandages down from the lower half of his face, and drank deeply. But he could not taste it. He could barely even feel the liquid going down his throat.
In his first show of real emotion in a long time, Marco yelled wordlessly and hurled the glass at the wall, smashing it to pieces. Everyone fell silent; even the girl immediately reverted to a fragile, timid state.
"Everyone go downstairs," he said calmly, "and prepare for the Ascendancy ritual."
Everyone did as they were told. Marco turned and walked to the nearest door, which led to the kitchen. He opened it and stepped through, but instead of the kitchen he was in a store room toward the back of the castle. The Clock he so often used to get from place to place stood against the far wall, ticking loudly. Marco walked to the Clock and moved it away from the way. His numb fingers probed the back of the device for a key, which they finally found and turned several times.
Freshly wound, the Clock created more paths, which although invisible to most were all too evident to Marco. He slid the Clock to the right a few feet, then stepped into the space where it had just stood, and immediately disappeared.
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Post by The Spy on Apr 5, 2009 16:46:05 GMT
"Are you sure that was a wise thing to do, your holiness?" My Fracture Agent says through his masked face.
I stop and I look at my fracture agent.
"Why yes, he doesn't have the resources to fight back but he has enough people to make my life somewhat inconvenient, and trust me, I don't like being inconvenienced. I say, facing forward and back into the strangeway portal, and I appear right back at the park, with the nicer fresh air and coldness of the night.
My 4 Agents come out too and I face them and I begin to open my mouth but.
"You, step aside." I say to one of Agents, who does as it is told.
My attention is drawn towards the strangeways portal leading back into the castle.
"Curious...Have our Executive Priests and Royal Science Officer who have accompanied us on this visit to America take a look at this source of energy..." I tell them.
"Yes your Holiness." They say as we walk toward the limo at the curb of the park.
I'm very certain that energy has gotten stronger since the time we left Marco....he must be controlling it, not just knowing of it's powers.
We get in the limo and start driving towards the hotel.
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Oct-taku
Elite Member
Designated Forum Tech-Priest
Posts: 1,695
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Post by Oct-taku on Apr 5, 2009 21:08:38 GMT
As Marco and his minions were preparing for their ritual, so too were Victor and his men. They had gathered in Antietam, Maryland. The ritual called for a place "of blades and of blood", and what better place than the site of the bloodiest battle of the American Civil War?
Victor and 13 of his cultist had gathered around in a circle, the cultists on the outside, and Victor, along with a very, very comatose-seeming Barry, were in the middle. Victor was dressed not in his usual custom-tailored business suit, but in a red robe that he wore for ceremonies and rituals such as this. After all, bloodstains were very, very hard to get out of a $5,000 suit.
In his hand, Victor held a large meat-cleaver-like blade, and he raised it above his head. Barry, on his knees facing Victor, looked on like the stupid sheep that he was.
"I call you, in the name of blood! I call you, in the name of war! I call you in the name of destruction, pain, and torment!" Victor cried. "I call you, Butcher, dark harbinger of slaughter! I call you to do as you are named, and I will give you all the pain you desire! Come!"
Victor's arm fell, and the blade bit into Barry's neck, where it met the shoulder. Victor rasied the weapon again.
"Come!"
THWACK!
"COME!"
With a final blow, Barry died. His corpse toppled from its kneeling position, his blood running into the grass. Mixing with that blood was the blood of ages past, bubbling to the surface. The crimson fluid took shape, solidified, becoming a hulking figure.
The Butcher had bloodied skin, and it was dressed in a simple blood-stained apron. It's yellow eyes looked to Victor, holding the still-dripping cleaver. Victor raised the weapon in offering to the demon.
This is very important. If he decides he doesn't want to serve me, then I'm afraid I'll have to lose more men than I had planned...
The Butcher appraised the blade, then took it and nodded. Victor silently sighed in relief. He turned to his men, rasing his hands. Six drew out wickedly-serrated knives, slitting thier throats. Their blood ran from their corpses to the feet of The Bucther. The demon grew, it's bulk increasing from the blood.
Victor nodded, and muttered some brief words.
By morning, there were no traces of anything.
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Post by The Spy on Apr 6, 2009 2:59:49 GMT
"Uggh...Do you feel that?" I say as we're driving towards the hotel in the International district.
"What is it your holiness?" My fracture agent asks.
"Somebody has raised something dead, disturbed the natural order and such." I say, grimacing at the repulsive breach in the natural order of things.
"Shall we investigate?" All of my agents ask in unison.
"No, the problem will resolve itself soon enough, either it be by our hands, or someone else." I say, as we stop at the hotel.
We exit and cross the lobby, going up to the secured VIP elevator.
We arrive at the rooftop suite and my agents follow suit.
"I'm going to bed, wake me up at 9AM, that's when we'll be back to go visit our friends, I'll be sure to dream up some new brothers." I say, smiling as I close the door on them and I climb into the bed.
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Post by Ty on Apr 7, 2009 2:17:13 GMT
OOC: Introducing some new character/plot stuff here. If anyone has a problem with anything, just say so and I'll pull it. IC:
Damn that arrogant creep, Marco thought. I haven't felt real emotion in so long, I'd forgotten how strong the desire for destruction could get.
Marco was restlessly wandering the streets of New York. The poorer neighborhoods seemed to overflow with distorted youths. They'd all have to be cleansed eventually, but for now at least, they could be a powerful asset.
Before he even saw him, Marco sensed the intense hatred radiating off of him. A few moments of eye contact was all it took. The larger man moved to block Marco's path.
"Hey, you got the time?" he asked, discreetly brandishing a gun at his belt.
"Time?" Marco laughed. "Oh, I have all the time in the world. But none to waste on the likes of you."
The man sneered and pulled out his pistol, aiming it at Marco's chest. "The fuck does that mean? What are you some kind of tough guy?"
"So much misplaced aggression... it would be a pity to see it go to waste."
"Quit stalling, white boy. Give me your wallet."
Marco continued prodding at the man. "And what would you do with my money, my young friend? Buy new rims for you car, diamond jewelry?"
"Shut the fuck up! You don't know me, man!"
"Or maybe you'd just use it to buy drugs. After all, your whore of a sister has to get them somewhere."
Without thinking, the man pressed the gun into Marco's chest and pulled the trigger. There was a flash, and a loud gunshot cut through the night air. The man blinked, just now realizing what he'd done. To his surprise, however, Marco didn't react at all.
"What the hell...?" the man started to ask, but stopped.
Marco looked down at his chest. There was a frayed hole in his coat where the gun had fired. He opened his coat and checked underneath. The bandages were ripped and there powder burns, but his deathly pale flesh was unharmed. Marco reached up and picked the spent bullet out of the bandages.
"It takes a special kind of power to take a man's life. It's a shame you've let it go to waste all these years."
The man dropped his gun in astonishment. "What..?! What the fuck are you?!"
Marco stepped forward and thrust his arm forward. His fingertips plunged into the man's midsection, tearing through flesh as easily as if it were toilet paper.
"I am the one who is going to make your life worth something." Marco yanked his blood-drenched hand out of the man's stomach, catching him by the shoulders as he started to collapse. "Your natural life ends here. But your destiny has only just begun."
Marco turned and dragged him toward the opposite side of the street. As they passed under a street lamp, the light suddenly flickered out. In that moment, the two of them vanished.
OOC: For the record, he's not totally invincible. Just mostly. There's a very specific way in which he can still be killed. Obviously, anyone who possessed this knowledge would have him at their mercy.
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Post by The Spy on Apr 7, 2009 7:58:59 GMT
I awake in the market district Clyfia Prime, the capitol city of Taladaria in the night.
"You require more men...Voldin?" A voice asks me in my head.
"Yes I do Duality, I'll go through the procedure again, I know what is required." I reply outloud.
"Very well, from death springs a new beginning, do not disappoint me Voldin." He warns me.
"Yes yes, I understand." I say, smiling as I let the chaos grab hold of me again and I sneer.
"The Demon of Taladaria, never was a myth..." I say, jumping into the night sky.
I look around for an unsuspecting person, a homeless person, a prostitute, a child.
I finally find one, a middle aged man working on closing his shop.
I land infront of him and he turns around and instantly recognizes me.
"Premier!" Is all he says before I impale him with Ryo-ran and Duality's power instantly transports me back to the hotel room with the impaled merchant.
I pull the sword out and then I run the Hyakka through his head.
"The power of Chaos will spilt you into as many beings as I want to serve my purpose, you will be born anew to serve me and only me." I say, and then I draw Hyakka out of his head.
Instandly, 6 copies of his body come out and they all start too look exactly like the tall hooded Fracture agents I have.
"Perfect..." I say, sneering.
"My lord, what will you have us do?" They all ask in unison.
"Wait outside, we'll be going to visit our new friend Marco in a hour or two." I say, grinning.
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Post by Ty on Apr 7, 2009 9:25:59 GMT
Marco arrived back at the castle, dragging the half-dead man behind him. He descended the staircase into the dungeon below. He passed by the makeshift dormitory and into the main hall, where the ritual was ready to begin.
All of Marco's followers were assembled. The minions stood in rows along the walls. At the center of the hall, the two Ascended stood on opposite sides of a large chalk circle that had been drawn on the stone floor.
"Everything is ready, Master," one of the nondescript minions said. They all looked different, coming from all manner of places and backgrounds, but to Marco they all looked more or less the same. Pitiful, weak, but eager to please the man who gave their lives meaning.
"I'm sorry I took so long," Marco said. He casually shoved the wounded man at his side into the chalk circle. "Is the chosen one ready?"
"I am," one of the minions spoke up, stepping forward. Marco finally took a moment to observe his physical features. He was a medium-sized young man, not thin like Flame-Eater, but not especially muscular either. He had a shaved head and a short goatee on his chin.
"Unfortunately, we won't have time for all the theatrics tonight. We also need to complete the girl's Ascendancy at the same time. But first, let's get the new chosen's Ascendancy under way."
The girl nodded in recognition of this and stepped back from the circle. The chosen minion stepped forward, looming over the prostrate form of the man Marco had brought to the ritual for sacrifice. The man seemed to be in absolute shock, unable to even comprehend where he'd been taken. The chosen took a deep breath, trying to mentally prepare himself for what was about to happen.
"Are you ready?" Marco asked. The chosen nodded, and Marco stepped up behind him. "Just remember, don't try to fight the urges. Let them take hold. The faster you accept your new self, the easier the transformation will be."
Marco put his hands on the chosen one's shoulders, and began the incantation to call on the God's power.
"Only in death does life have meaning. Only through the darkness, the light will shine. Only through aberration can sanity be achieved. Let the imperfections become perfection."
The chosen one started to sweat, and his breathing became labored. His eyes became dilated and his muscles twitched restlessly. He stared down at the fallen man, still lying on the floor and slowly bleeding to death. The smell of blood filled his nostrils, until it was all he could think about.
Marco released him and stepped back. As soon as he did, the chosen one started to wildly distort. His body swelled to more than twice its original size, his cloth robes stretched taught by huge rippling muscles. His mouth opened and released an inhuman roar. At the same moment, the man on the floor started screaming. The chosen grabbed the man, who now looked like a small doll next to him, and held him out in front of his face, or what was left of it after twisting into a raptor-like scowl. His jaw opened so wide it came unhinged, and his mouth became a gaping tunnel straight to his stomach. He shoved the screaming man head-first into his gullet and swallowed him whole.
With a final roar, the chosen one, now an Ascended, dropped to his knees. Slowly, he started shrinking back down to size, digesting the screaming man and incorporating him into his being. Marco nodded in approval, then glanced over to a group of minions.
"Get him to bed. If he's going to be of any help in the morning, he needs all the rest he can get."
The minions obeyed, helping the Ascended man to his feet and escorting him back to the dormitory. Marco turned to the girl, who now stepped into the circle, ignoring the fresh blood that was now staining her bare feet.
"Have you made your decision?" he asked her.
"Yes," she said. "I want the symbiote."
"You've considered the consequences?"
"Every second of every day." She anxiously clenched her stomach. "You said that it will make my hunger worse at first, but that I will be able to quell it. And the pain?"
"The pain would have subsided over time anyway. But once joined with the symbiote, you'll forget what pain even felt like."
She nodded. "And I'll stay young and beautiful. I'll be more like you." Marco nodded, and she closed her eyes. "I'm ready."
"Very well. Bring forth the colony."
One of the minions came forward, carrying a plastic crate. Marco lifted the lid and looked inside. Sitting on a bed of straw, mud and leaves, a dozen white worm-like larvae squirmed restlessly. In the corner, two large insects were sound asleep. They had two sets of scorpion-like claws, and a long torso lined with countless centipede-like legs and a dark brown carapace, ending in a hook-like tail. One was slightly larger than the other, but both were larger than a human hand.
"Excellent. They're ready to incubate." Marco reached inside and picked up the smaller one. It began to squirm and claw in protest, but Marco used his distortion powers to set its simple mind at ease. He closed the box and carried the insect into the circle, holding it up to the girl.
"I..." Now that she was faced with the creature, she was starting to have second thoughts. "I'm afraid."
"Then you're still sane," Marco said flatly. "In every way I'd hoped, you truly have excelled. This final task is all that stands between you and immortality."
The girl swallowed, but nodded and steeled her gaze. "This is going to hurt, isn't it?"
"Yes. But only for a few seconds. You've withstood worse."
"Okay." She closed her eyes again and opened her arms wide, as if to welcome the creature.
"An Ascended being, and an aberration of nature. Let the two join as one, that they may become something stronger."
With that, Marco reached out and scratched her skin, just above the collarbone. As she started to slowly bleed, he set the insect on the wound. Immediately, the creature went to work, digging its way into her flesh. It crawled through muscle, around bone, making its way down to her heart. Slowly, it slithered into place beside the heart. It wrapped its claws and tail around the heart, and slowly settled into place.
As the creature engulfed the still-beating heart in an almost loving embrace, it began releasing chemicals into the bloodstream. The girl's already pale skin was growing paler, tougher. The searing pain from the wound quickly subsided, and the gash in her flesh gradually closed itself.
"The symbiote has accepted you as a host. The ritual is a success."
The girl opened her eyes and allowed a sigh of relief to escape her cold lips.
"I'm proud of you," Marco went on. "Of all my Ascended, you've quickly become one of the most successful. With the symbiote inside you, your body will never age, and your strength will continue to grow. You will be a perfect hypocrisy. The youth that will never grow old. The fragile, innocent girl who is truly neither. Your Ascendancy is complete. I hereby christen you: Liar, the double-edged Ascended. Congratulations."
The girl beamed, her cheeks regaining some hint of color. In the entirety of her life, this was the first time she'd received any real praise from anyone at all. Let alone from someone she loved.
"The rituals are complete. Everyone return to your quarters; try to get some sleep. We have much to do in the morning."
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Post by The Spy on Apr 7, 2009 12:31:38 GMT
I finish up getting dressed and I meet my 10 Fracture agents in the room, who are all sitting motionless in the foyer of the suite.
"I assume you're all ready to leave?" I ask them all.
"Yes your holiness." They all respond in unison.
I nod at them and I bring a briefcase with ten million dollars inside of it with me to the limo downstairs.
We start driving to the park.
"Your holiness, we have investigated the portal and it is the result of an ancient artifact named 'Strange Clock'." One of my fracture agents say to me.
"Hmm...I will need to procure this device, it would prove useful..." I say while thinking about where Marco would put such a thing.
"Well, we'll see if we can lift that off his hands." I say as I roll down the window.
"This is what Americans call bullying correct?" The Fracture agent sitting across from me asks.
"Yes it is, why do you ask?" I ask him.
"I do not know your holiness, but I do like it." He says to me.
After 20 minutes we arrive at the park and we all step inside the portal and appear infront of the same door again.
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Post by Ty on Apr 8, 2009 8:41:39 GMT
That morning, the minions were hard at work gathering everything of value and using the Clock paths to get them as far from the castle as possible. The only things they left behind were the Strange Clock itself, which anyone who can see the paths would have no trouble finding anyway, and the single Ankaran machine piece.
When Marco said he didn't have any pieces of the Ankaran machine to give, he was technically being truthful. The piece Marco's cult owned wasn't a part of the original machine. It was a reproduction, based on ancient writings about the device. They weren't outright blueprints for the machine parts, but they were detailed enough that the brightest minds in the cult were able to construct a working replica part.
The writings themselves were stashed in a safe place. Only Marco himself knew of their location, and even a talented mind-reader would have a hard time finding their way through the virtual labyrinth of Marco's thoughts. It wouldn't be impossible though.
While the minions did their work, Marco and the three Ascended were in the main hall, waiting for Hiramanda and his agents to arrive.
"If this encounter turns to violence, you all know what to do."
The three of them nodded, each knowing their roll. The girl Liar was back to her full strength already, and would act as first line of defense. The bald one hadn't completely finished his transformation into Ascended yet, and Flame-Eater was still somewhat weak from the exertion of the bank heist, so the two of them would act as second line of defense. Marco would refrain from fighting unless absolutely necessary, since he didn't want to waste the God's power.
Marco opened the door through which Hiramanda's group would emerge, then stepped back. Liar stood at his side, feigning weakness as usual, and the others stood to either side of them.
"You're a man of your word," Marco said as the other Endbringer entered. "Before we do business, I think we should get to know each other better."
If he had to, Marco would give him the machine piece, and the Clock too if it came to that. But not because he was afraid. Marco would only relinquish the artifacts to someone he respected and who could show him respect in return. If Hiramanda couldn't do that, he'd sooner smash both of them to bits than give them up.
"Tell me," Marco continued. "If I can provide you with a part of the Ankaran machine, what would you do with it?"
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Post by The Spy on Apr 8, 2009 10:42:10 GMT
"I'll use it the same way you will." I say, looking around.
"Cleaning, or moving operations?" I ask as I walk towards Marco, my Fracture agents taking places infront and next to me.
I place the briefcase on the floor and I open it, showing 10 Million dollars.
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Post by Ty on Apr 8, 2009 14:17:43 GMT
"A little of both. I was getting rather tired of these dreary surroundings." Marco answered. He looked down at the briefcase. "Hmm. You payed 15 million for your last fragment. Are you trying to sell me short here?"
He crossed his arms, looking over the agents.
"Just how many fragments of the machine would this make for you? Are you close to reconstructing it?"
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Post by The Spy on Apr 8, 2009 15:40:17 GMT
"Indeed I did, but I don't see anyone here with money." I say, smiling.
"I don't trust you enough to tell you that, sorry." I say, watching him looking at my Agents.
"Don't mind them, they will not speak or think unless I tell them." I say, handing my briefcase to my Fracture Agent.
I extend arm with an open palm facing the ceiling.
"My Artifact if you will?" I say in a pleasant tone.
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Oct-taku
Elite Member
Designated Forum Tech-Priest
Posts: 1,695
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Post by Oct-taku on Apr 8, 2009 15:43:34 GMT
"Interesting...." Victor said, watching the exchange in Marco's lair from his own hideout in France. A miraculous artifact, this Mirror of Half-Truth. It wasn't actually a mirror, per-say. It was an orb of reflective metal, that, when one gripped it, and concentrated, they could see people or places they knew of.
He knew of Hiramanda, of course, as well as that bandaged man, whom he had never bothered to learn the name of. So he could see them. Thier surroundings were nearly indistinguishable, due to the side-effects of the Mirror. It showed you what you wanted to see, but never all of it, or in the right way.
Right now, the psychic image of Vincent was there at the meeting, invisible and indistinguishable from everything else. Anyone who even caught a glimpse of it would only see the vague, human-shaped outline.
Unfortunatly, he couldn't hear what was going on, so that put him at a disadvantage....
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Post by Ty on Apr 9, 2009 1:29:44 GMT
"Well, if you don't trust me enough to tell me your intentions with the Ankaran machine, perhaps I don't trust you enough to help you collect all of the fragments."
"I understand you're accustomed to having people crumple and submit to your will at your merest whim. You're accustomed to people fearing you. Unfortunately, that places us at an impasse, since I am wholly unaccustomed to fear."
"People like to pretend that mankind has evolved since the Dark Ages, but the simple truth is that it hasn't. Material wealth is ultimately meaningless, serving only to prop up the frail human ego with promises of political and social might. In truth, might still makes right in this world. I may not possess a great deal of wealth, but I can assure you, I have more than my share of might."
Marco closed his eyes. He had sensed that someone was watching them. The presence nearby was unfamiliar at first, but he started to realize it was actually a reflection of another being. Although it was too distorted to identify the individual, he recognized the otherworldly air of another Endbringer.
"I'll be frank with you," Marco continued. "I have a single part of the Ankaran machine in my possession. I am willing to give it to you, but only as a show of mutual respect. Intimidation is a tactic wasted on me. If you can show even an ounce of humility, I will gladly accept it and the artifact will be yours. But if you continue to look down your nose at me, I will have no choice but to refuse your offer."
Marco held out his arms. "What happens now is entirely in your hands. Whatever you decide, I promise I will reciprocate the gesture in kind."
OOC: Sorry, I realize this is painfully similar to the speech I had going in Architect. Hopefully, this one is a bit more articulate.
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Post by The Spy on Apr 9, 2009 15:21:39 GMT
"I had a feeling you would say that, this is why I brought this." I say, snapping my fingers and one of my agents bring up a small box with one single golden ring in it.
"The ring of shatterpoint, this will enable you to find the breaking points of unmagical and inanimate objects." I say, placing the box ontop of the briefcase.
"A sign of generosity should be returned, as you say?" I say, smiling pleasantly.
I notice something strange about the area to my left.
"A presence, unaccounted, indentify." I command my Fracture agents, who immediately open their robes, revealing a metallic like skin with 8 arms all of which have Taladarian Holy short swords in their hands, all of which are made of silver.
"Purify and track the source of the intrusion." I command and they obey.
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Oct-taku
Elite Member
Designated Forum Tech-Priest
Posts: 1,695
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Post by Oct-taku on Apr 9, 2009 18:07:57 GMT
Victor imediatly let go of the Mirror. No sense in letting his projection linger there, if Hiramanda was going to be tracking him. It might already be too late to prevent a "sample" of his aura to be collected, as he'd done with the Mistress. Oh, that reminded him....
Victor stood, and strode over to a table where the now-complete Key of Solomon lay. He'd made the mistake of letting someone he "loved" get away with theft, but he'd managed to finally track her down, and then....
Well, he'd gotten more than just the missing page of the Key back. He'd also gotten ahold of a ritual that would create an Abomination that might just get Hiramanda off his trail. All he had to do was contact one of his cults in New Mexico....
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Post by Ty on Apr 9, 2009 23:07:22 GMT
The other presence dissappeared just before Marco could finish identifying it. He wasn't sure, but he thought it seemed familiar. He opened his eyes and looked toward the dungeon stairs.
Responding to a telepathic call, a minion ascended the stairs and walked into the main hall. He carried in front of him a small wooden box containing the machine part. He stopped in front of Hiramanda and opened the box, showing its contents.
"You're more gracious than I expected," Marco said. "How refreshing. There are so few gentlemen left, after all." As he spoke, the minion held out the box in offering. "So, we have a deal, then?"
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Post by The Spy on Apr 10, 2009 2:46:13 GMT
We know the source of the intrusion your Holiness, we will send Fracture agents at the Airport to investigate immediately. My fracture agents say to me telepatheicly.
"Yes we do, but I'm also interested in the clock, my Executive Priests have discerned the entrances and exits od the device, do you mind if I.....wait" I say as I look at the Artifact piece.
"This is a facsimile, you're trying to trick me?" I ask, my pleasant face suddenly turning into a face riddled with pure anger.
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Post by Ty on Apr 14, 2009 3:44:26 GMT
OOC: You're just dying to fight somebody, aren't you? IC:
Marco sighed and shook his head. "You seemed so certain of yourself yesterday. You claimed to know all about my possession. I just assumed you must have known it was a reproduction. Perhaps you're not quite as all-knowing as you seem to think you are."
A creeping feeling of hatred was entering Marco's consciousness. Rather than suppress it as usual, he allowed it to take hold.
"You know, I've done my best to be civil throughout our dealings, but time and again, you express your distaste toward myself and my associates. It takes a tremendous cretin to wear down the patience of an Endbringer, but you sir seem to accomplish the task almost effortlessly."
Although his face was still emotionless, the others adopted identical stern looks, even the minion who closed the box again.
"I was going to let you take the replica piece and reconstruct the machine so I might discover whether the entire machine can be replicated. But now that I think about it, the whole affair would be much simpler if I just slaughtered you now and reaped your wealth of knowledge."
In the store room, another minion returned from his work. As he had been instructed, he wound the Clock's key in the opposite direction, then quickly pulled it out. The paths connecting various areas throughout space and time suddenly disconnected. The broken paths looped back on themselves and reconnected to the Clock, wrapping around the entire castle and encasing it in a bubble of warped existence. Aside from the Endbringers and their inhuman followers, everything inside was frozen in place, both in space and in time.
"It's clear that we Endbringers cannot go against our true nature. The pleasantries are over, Hiramanda. It's time to settle things as the immortals intended. Prepare yourself."
The room started getting oppressively warm. At the same time, a layer of freezing ice started to spread across the walls and floor. Marco closed his eyes (he actually saw the beings around him more clearly this way) and braced himself as the room continued distorting.
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Post by The Spy on Apr 14, 2009 7:23:17 GMT
OOC: He is more perceptive with magical items, and he has acquired a large amount of magical items, I'm not looking for a fight, but Voldin is. Lol.
My Fracture Agents immediately draw out their swords and they throw off their cloaks, and they start to levitate off the ground.
"I hope you fight as well as you annoy me." I say, throwing off my cloak as well, along with my hat, revealing my outfit a white silk fencing shirt with a Mithril Curiass and black pinstripe slacks with oxford shoes.
I remove my gloves and I hold them in my hand.
"You have absolutely no idea how many times I've gotten into fights like these...but hell, you're not even worthy enough for me to use Hyakka Ryo-ran." I say as I toss the gloves right in Marco's face.
I then place my hands infront of me.
"I want more Chaos." I say, and the room suddenly becomes that insane salvo of sensations uncertain of where the floor starts and ends and where the wall ends aswell.
"Ah, that's much better..." I say and I run for them but I immediately divert course and I jump onto the wall, knowing full well of the environment and I rebound off of it, kicking the girl to the ground.
My Fracture Agents follow suit and start attacking with their multiple arms and metallic legs.
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Post by Ty on Apr 14, 2009 8:16:46 GMT
Marco adjusted to the environment much faster than his allies. He mentally directed them like a conductor directing an orchestra.
The bald man suddenly swelled to twice his original size, his whole body now a mass of muscle. Still growing, he roared and engaged the nearest two Fracture agents. They slashed at his legs and stomach, as they were the only parts of him they could reach at this point. They wounded him, but not seriously. The open gashes on his flesh bled slightly, but quickly clotted.
"RRRAAAAAAAGHH!" he howled again, and snatched up one of them in his massive hand. He gripped the agent in both hands and twisted hard as if he were wringing out a towel. Blood and various bodily fluids spilt onto the floor, as the agent was crushed and twisted into an unrecognizable lump of flesh.
As the other agent continued attacking, Flame-Eater caught him with an intense stream of acid, corroding and melting its metal flesh and warping its weapons into useless rusted junk. He whipped around and sprayed several others, trying to disable them.
Meanwhile, another agent was attacking Marco himself, with no luck. The distortion of its simple mind was too easy to read. Marco moved out of the way of slashes before the agent even made them. Gracefully slipping between blades, Marco got right up in the agent's face and grabbed him by the back of the neck. A surge of negative energy flowed into the Fracture agent, filling the cracks in its structure and wrenching them wide open. Bones spontaneously broke, organs and blood vessels exploded, and the being's skull caved in on itself as its brain liquefied and bled out of its ears.
At the same time, the girl Liar was lying prone on the ground. She coughed weakly as she started to sit up. She gazed up at Hiramanda with a mix of anger and false fear in her eyes.
"You..." she said. Suddenly, her form shifted. Her eyes grew wild and serpentine again, and her mouth spread into a grin adorned with snake-like fangs. She shook her head violently, and a pinkish fog spread around them, making it difficult to breathe freely. The agents caught in the fog suddenly dropped what they were doing, turning to her and staring intently, as if enamoured with her. Hiramanda would've felt it as well, but could still think and move freely.
"I'll bet you taste good," she said coyly, still eyeing Hiramanda. She laughed in a sort of hag-like cackle, and rose to her feet. She held her hands out in front of her, and her fingerbones suddenly grew and erupted out of her fingertips, turning into long bony claws.
Although he was faster than her, the debilitating fog put the two of them on almost even ground. Liar lunged forward, quickly clawing at Hiramanda. She jumped back out of reach, then struck again, bearing her fangs like a striking cobra.
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Post by The Spy on Apr 20, 2009 0:18:56 GMT
"This is absurd..." I say as I draw Hyakka and I point it towards the girl, blowing her away with hurricane force, along with her miasma.
I sheath Hyakka and I immediately pull out two ordinary pistols from the holsters above my buttocks and I jump up onto the ceiling and I remain there, firing downwards on Marco and his minions.
My Fracture Agents follow suit by levitating to the ceiling and drawing multiple submachine guns with and firing downwards onto them, creating a veritable rain of bullets.
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Post by Ty on Apr 20, 2009 2:46:43 GMT
The musclebound Ascended shielded himself with his huge arms, but the onslaught of bullets was wearing him down. Flame-Eater hid himself behind his large ally, but was injured as well. Liar waited back in the corner, covering herself with her claws.
Marco walked through the rain of hot lead like it wasn't even there. His clothes ripped and tattered, but his flesh seemed impervious. He stopped in the middle of the room and held his arms straight up, his palms outstretched. The bullets flying toward him stopped dead in the air just beyond his reach, amassing in a huge cloud of metal overhead, then suddenly flew back toward the shooters at even greater speed than they had fired.
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Post by The Spy on Apr 23, 2009 21:21:10 GMT
I along with my men immediately jump back down onto the floor and see the bullets destroy the ceiling.
I use the opening of Marco using his powers and I rush him, doing a flying kick into his throat sending him backwards and then closing the distance again and doing a double kick to his face and then I finally close the the distance and I jump at him with both feet, hurling him into the hallway.
I use the kick to propel myself towards the gigantic man and I draw both of my swords and I point them forward, piercing into him.
I then start using my powers to start spinning, and finally sending out a burst of wind energy from Hyakka, with Ryoran keeping me clean and bloodstain free.
"I can make more men easily, while for you it will take longer, all my people are ready to die for me, can you honestly afford being alone?" I ask, grabbing the girl by her throat and raising her high, using my other arm to hold the other two together with my somewhat inhuman strength.
I start squeezing her throat, making her make gasping and choking sounds.
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Post by Ty on Apr 24, 2009 5:24:23 GMT
Marco stood up as if nothing had happened. He turned back toward the group, and both of the male Ascended fell back, nursing their wounds. The one known as Flame-Eater locked eyes with his master. Knowing what Marco wanted him to do, a fearful look swept over his face. Still, he nodded and swallowed, wiping his brow as he started to sweat.
"This is becoming an exercise in futility," Marco announced. He started walking back toward the action, watching Hiramanda. "You can't kill her that way, any more than you could kill me. I think we're at something of an impasse."
Liar stopped gasping for breath, and flashed a girlish smirk. She wrenched her head back, and another cloud of fog burst forth, this one stinging at everyone's muscles. Hiramada's grip weakened just enough for her to wriggle free. She jumped down and ran to Marco's side. The giant started limping over as well, slowly shrinking as he went, followed by Flame-Eater. The fracture agents tried to move to stop them, but their motions were slowed greatly by the effects of the fog.
"I have no qualms about losing allies, Hiramanda. If anyone here had fears of being alone, I'd suggest it was you."
Marco slowly held up his hand, rolling his wrist as he grabbed and warped the space surrounding them. His Ascended took position around him, two on either side, and Flame-Eater in front.
Meanwhile, a single minion still waited with the Clock in another room. Receiving a mental order, returned the key to its place, turned it slightly, and removed it again. As the Clock started moving again, its paths returned to their places, but they wouldn't stay for long.
"You may keep your money, and your trinkets. If you want the false piece of the machine, it's yours to take. And to show just what a gentleman I am, I'll leave you one more gift." He glanced toward Flame-Eater, who started undoing his cloak. "Go well, my friend."
Flame-Eater took off his cultist cloak and threw it backward over his allies. Rather than draping over them, though, the cloak fell gently to the floor. Marco and his other two followers had vanished.
At this point, Flame-Eater was looking much as he had the night of the bank robbery. He was sweating profusely, and started doubling over in pain, and coughed violently.
"Here's your gift," Flame-Eater said in his hoarse raspy voice, and grinned wickedly. "A ticket to the next life, you son of a bitch!"
Fueled by little more than adrenaline, he charged straight at Hiramanda as fast as he could. He drew his last breath and lunged forward at the Endbringer, just before his whole body burst apart at the seams. A fiery explosion erupted from within his body, ripping it apart and flooding the ancient halls with intense flames.
OOC: Sorry for the abrupt bail-out, but I didn't see any other way this thing could end other than one of us dying. Your guy can probably still escape unscathed, but won't be able to find Marco again for a while.
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