Under the Hill - First Circle: Judgement

[Zephyrus the Priestess]

Enya beamed at the compliment, but right afterwards had a curious sort of gaze towards Mister Taylor.

"Oh, you haven't met Mister Minos yet? That's weird..." She paused, and turned to the stuffed toy in her arms.

"How come Mister Taylor hasn't yet? It isn't your first time here, right, mister?"

[Supernovae]

'Been here before?' Mr. Taylor quietly wondered to himself before responding to the young girl. "Now I can't say I have met this Minos character and I can't say I care too, but you say you've been here before is that right, my dear girl? Then that must mean you know the way out, would you be able to take me there?" Hope gleamed in Mr. Taylor's eyes for the first time since he had died, perhaps he was wrong, perhaps there was a way out of this God forsaken place.

[Rosesong]

Glancing at the two of them, Rose interrupted. "I'm sorry," she began, "but why do you think Mr. Taylor has been here before, Enya? And who is this Mr. Minos that you speak of?" Looking at Mr. Taylor, she continued, "Why do you want to leave so badly? Surely you came here knowing things would be difficult. Don't you want to find whatever is at the bottom of the hill?"

Rose gestured to all of them before speaking again. "This hill has played tricks on us all, setting us up with enemies we never thought we'd see, and I think I'm including you in this statement. We've seen ourselves use mystical powers, and I've thought I was going crazy. I came to accept it as reality though, and believe that we can make it to the bottom of the hill. I know you must still want to, despite all of this madness." At this point, she stopped talking and just waited, waiting to see if her concealed offer would be taken.

[Supernovae]

"Rose ... I ..." Mr. Taylor began, he didn't know if he could trust this group enough to tell them what he'd been through and where he thought they were and even if he did know more about them, he wouldn't even know how to tell them. "Listen, I'm an archeologist, I've spent my life touring this beautiful world we live in, seeing things that most people can only see in a magazine or the internet. I've since retired and I came here for one last adventure. But this place ... well I don't know how else to put this, my dear girl, but when I said last adventure, I very well intended to return home afterword." Mr. Taylor looked around the group making sure to look them each in the eye. "I can't go with you if you intend to journey deeper into this wretched hell hole, because I value my life, and if you value yours then it might be best if you all come with me."

[Zephyrus the Priestess]

"Oh! Mister Minos is a big snake-like man. But he's very nice though-- as long as you don't lie." A childish smile played on the girl's lips as she repeated the by now well-known phrase, as if they were some sort of arc words of some sort. "And well... It's what Ace told me... That Mister Taylor's been here twice."

The curious little child turned her big blue eyes towards the gentleman in question.

"Is it true that you've already died once?"

[Ragnar]

"Don't... trust..." was the last thing he heard from a mysterious voice and feels a chill around him as the Phantom left, Ixidor wildly opens his eyes like he wakes up from a bad dream. He realize that he was outside of that death box. Feeling nauseated he collapse the second he tries to move. The young painter was battered and bruise once more despite of being healed by Kenny a few moments ago. Pieces of small broken glass pierce to his skin and multiple cuts was all over his body. He crawls in pain trying to reach Ethic.

"Where's Kenny and that troubled man? are they still inside? I didn't meant this to happen." he said with a soft spoken voice enduring his suffering as blood drools from his mouth and slowly shut his eyes seems to pass out from the pain.

Edited May 22, 2014 by typhlosionrulez

[Sutoratosu]

Well.. guess there's no way to know for sure... I'll just have to continue my search as I go.

He was about to lower his guard and turn around to walk away. He had said he'd help the guy if his answer was true, but he couldn't dismiss the feeling that he probably should just get away from him. but before he could continue what was probably going to become a very dangerous interrogation session, five massive walls of glass arose around him, Kenny, and Ixidor.

acting on a reflex, Ethic reached down to his belt, tearing Man Without Honor from it's sheath there...

is this from him... does he have some ability like the rest of us... I don't know who he is or what he wants, but whatever it is, it makes sense for him to try to eliminate the potential competition...

not wanting to take any chaces, He called out to Lucian.

"Enough, let's end this before it begins! Lucian!"

Lucian appeared beside him, his form shimmering and semi-transparent this time.

"Calm down, You just blew the entire facade that was covering the tension here with that little line just now... it was Ixidor who did this..."

Ethic felt like a huge fool now... then he heard Ixidor speak in releif

"Wow, I did it!"

Of course... they had suggested Ix draw something before the man came and interupted...

Guess he did it then... but I don't see what he was talking about, there's nothing wrong with this...

Then Ix started talking to the stranger, which both shattered Ethic's hopes of the glass being a sound barrier, as well as made him rub his temples in irritation.

Damn it... Ix... the last thing we needed right now was for you or kenny to start talking with this guy...

"Oh well then... might as well drop this charade... probably can't ruin it anymore than it already is..."

He yelled to the man, who was looking at the puddle of blood... Ethic decided to keep on lying about what had caused it.

"I lied earlier! What made that puddle wasn't a man, It was a Big-Ass She-wolf!!" There. out with one lie, and in with another...

"And I took it out for the same reason I said earlier, It was trying to kill my friends here!"

and now the new lie was complete... but the best way to lie was to include part of the truth... Ethic had personally fought the large wolf here earlier in order to protect his friends, though he didn't come anywhere close to killing it... it really disappeared...

He heard Ixidior cry out and pain, and when he looked, he saw his young companion on the floor with a shard of glass in his shoulder.

"What the hell just happened!?" he said, genuinely concerned and a bit on edge that one of them had just been injured out of the blue like that.

It must be that guy then... He did that to Ix somehow...

Again, Lucian spoke, still beside Ethic.

"No. This was Ixidor's doing as well... at least... it was the doing of a part of him..."

"What are you-

Ethic was cut off as a shard off glass flew from out of nowehere and lodged itself in his own shoulder.

"Gahh... Son of a Bitch!!!!" He cried out, the searing pain in his shoulder nearly blinding... The Hermit Arcana invoked itself, flying to his feild of vision and engulfing it... but his vision wasn't taken to another place, instead, it seemed he had been granted the ability to see beyond just what existed on this plain...

He looked up to the Glass walls... they were an inky black color... Ethic could feel something... Threatening... something full of Anger and other negative emotion...

this must be what Ix was talking about... Is there something inside him that's doing this...? Ethic's whole train of thought was cut off at this point however, by several sharp, stinging pains in his back... he could feel the back of his shirt becoming soaked in blood... he dropped to his knees... The world growing foggier and dimmer... He was just about to pass out from the pain when he caught a glimpse of kenny... And saw him glow as a sphere of power was erected around the three of them... the pain in Ethic's back stopped increasing now, but the pain in his chest was even worse now... he looked down to see several holes in the front of his shirt... which was just as soaked as the back of it was... small slits of glass were protruding from alot of the wounds...

Then he realized that there were on his Arms... and Legs... everywhere... the adrenaline stopped pumping, and he began to feel just how much trouble his body was in now... it all hit him... the pain from the thousands of projectiles lodging themselves into his body, the hot, throbbing pain in his chest from invoking the Magician to fight the She Wolf...and make the flaming wall... it felt like someone was inside his chest cavity, cuting everysingle nerve ending with a knife one by one.... it was even worse than the pain from the glass shards... but he knew that it would be the glass shards that would pose the most threat to him... he was more likely to die of blood loss than from shock...

He could barley think as he tumbled forward.

He fell to the the cold marble floor... breathing slower and slower... His sight dimmed... then faded completely... he closed his eyes, felt himself being tugged by some unknown force... it felt like he was being tugged in all directions, and he didn't know which way to go...

And in this strange blackness between the phases of fading life and complete death... Ethic saw the Keeper of the Wheel of Fortune... and the white space... and the Arcana... there were other figures beneath the arcana cards, and Ethic presumed them to be the other keepers he would not get the chance to meet now...

And he heard snippets of conversation...

A burly voice full of urgency...

WE MUST INTERVENE, MY LORD!!

A solemn voice filled with dissapointment... he recognized it as Longicus...

NO... IF HE DIED THIS EASILY, THEN WE CHOSE THE WRONG INDIVIDUAL FOR THE TASK. LET FATE TAKE IT'S COURSE.

A angry voice belonging to a young man... Lucian...

SURELY YOU'RE JESTING... THE FACT WE WERE ABLE TO FIND HIM AT ALL PROVES THAT HE IS WORTHY!

then there was silence... and then there came bits of the conversation again... An icy cold voice devoid of affection...

LUCIAN... YOUR JUDGEMENT ON THIS MATTER HAS BEEN CLOUDED FROM YOUR PAST INTERACTIONS WITH HIM... YOU KNOW WE SPEAK THE TRUTH ON THIS...

I KNOW MY JUDGEMENT IS CLOUDED! AND YET, I CARE NOT OF THIS! I'VE TAKEN A LIKING TO HIM... HE'S DIFFERENT FROM THOSE WHO CAME BEFORE HIM... HE ACTUALLY TRIES TO LEARN... HE ACTUALLY ISN'T REJECTIVE OF WHAT FATE HAS HANDED TO HIM... HE FACES IT STRAIGHT ON... HE DOESN'T BULK IN THE FACE OF IT...

SILENCE, LUCIAN. ALL MEN BULK IN THE FACE OF THEIR FATE AT ONE TIME OR ANOTHER...

OH, AS YOU DID LONGICUS? PERHAPS YOU HAVE DONE SO, BUT ETHIC HAS YET TO DO SO FROM WHAT I'VE SEEN...

a new voice this time... this one from an elderly man whose baritone voice was filled with great wisdom...

I APPLADE YOUR ADVOCATING FOR HIM, LUCIAN. MANY INVOKERS OF THE PAST HAVE NOT HAD THE PRIVELAGE OF SOMEONE SPEAKING FOR THEIR FAVOR... BUT I AM AFRAID THEY HAVE A POINT... HE SIMPLY IS FATED TO END HERE IT SEEMS...

I CAN SCARCE BELIEVE THIS... WHAT IN THE NINE CIRCLES OF HELL HAPPENED TO YOU ALL!? THESE WORDS YOU HAVE SPOKEN.... THEY ARE NOT THE WORDS OF THE KEEPERS I ONCE WAS HONORED TO CALL MY COLLEAGUES!

then there was a voice like thunder... a voice of fury and authority. the voice of the Keeper of the Wheel of fortune...

SILENCE THIS BIKERING AT ONCE! THIS MATTER IS NOT UP TO US. WE DO NOT DECIDE ONE MAN'S FATE OTHER ANOTHER.... BESIDES...HE WILL NOT FALL HERE... WATCH YOU ARROGANT LOT!!

and with that... the sight of the white space and the keepers shattered into shards... like the one's that had assaulted him... and then there was blackness... nothingness... he knew not if he was dead or alive... all he knew... was that he did not want to die... not with so much left undone.

The tugging in all directions stopped... now he felt only a tugging in one direction... inward... inside himself... it was strange. he heard something in the darkness as the tugging continued...

"Don't... trust..."

The darkness retreated as he opened his eyes... he was outside the prison of glass and death now, along with Ix. he had no idea how he had gotten here... or who had taken him out... but it didn't matter... so much as the fact that it was over for now.

He looked at his body... not a scratch... his shirt was dry, albeit covered in holes... his fatigue jacket lay in a tattered mess on the ground... he saw slips of something glossy and shiny there...

Getting up to a sitting position... he picked up the tattered mess that was once the jacket he had worn for so long... it had protected him from the cold and the rain... it had given him a place to store things he needed to have quick access to... this jacket had become apart of who he was... it had even saved his life once... and now part of him was in tatters... broken... beyond hope of repair. he had returned from the border of life and death, only to find a part of himself destoryed by an unknown assailant...

No... actaully... Ethic felt he knew who this assailant was.

He looked to Ixidor who lay nearby

You... you... you killed me... something brought me back from the brink just now... but you killed me a few moments ago... you unleashed that shiny hell storm of glass... you shameless little shit... after I helped you... after I was your friend... after I chose to go out of my way to help you, you repay me by killing me? you repay me by causing me this pain I feel in my soul now? you destroyed this part of me... you took my life away from me for a few moments... and I will never forgive you for these things... I will forgive the one who killed Mr. Taylor before I shall forgive you...

These thoughts were horrible... they were unfounded... they were not things that Ethic had ever thought himself capable of thinking...

But yet he was able to. He was wrong about himself. He was just as human as everyone else in the world. and yet he thought himself exempt from feeling hatred.

But he was human.

And all men must someday feel the fires of Hatred within their soul.

Why am I thinking these things? he asked himself mentally. but the thoughts were still there. the hate was still burning. and he found that he could feel hate for many other thinks as well when he thought of them. he stifled it though... tried to push it down to where it couldn't surface... it seemed to work for now... He was being to harsh... it was not Ixidor that had done this... it was something inside him... Ixidor didn''t want for this to happen... He didn't cause what just happened of his own free will...

"Where's Kenny and that troubled man? are they still inside? I didn't meant this to happen."

He turned to see Ixidor on his knees, attempting to crawl over to him. for some reason, he was injured, unlike Ethic. he pushed the rising hatred down farther, reassured that Ixidor didn't mean anything like this to happen. he had no control over it. And besides... it was just a jacket... a jacket he had become quite attached to... but still just another jacket...

and a jacket can be easily replaced... a good friend can't be. and right now it seemed that his good friend needed help.

"I... I don't know..." was all he answered to Ix's question.

He stood with the tattered remains of his jacket in his hand, intending to go help the injured younger boy up. but as he stood, he saw now what those glossy slips from earlier were...

THEY WERE THE ARCANA. ALL 78 OF THEM... MAJOR AND LESSER... ALL OF THEM... SHREDDED... USELESS... WORTHLESS...

He stood there, dumbfounded for a moment... and held the slips in his hand. then let them fall to the floor in a pile. The Hate broke back to the surface from where he'd tried to push it down to. and more thoughts came as he looked at Ixidor with an awefull rage flaring behind his eyes. the old hateful thought process was continued where it left off.

And you did not stop at that.... but you have also taken my power from me... but that's not even the part I'm most saddened and enraged about.

A tear came unbidden to his eye, falling in a lone streak down his cheek.

"These tarot cards... they belonged to my mother once... they were all that I had of her... I can't even remember her face clearly... all I have from her is what she taught me about reading the Tarot... And these cards..."

He had been willing to forgive Ixidor for what had happened... when it was just his favorite jacket that was gone... but it wasn't all... Ixidor's actions had also destroyed the last thing he had to remember the person he had cared about most in the world, yet had the hardest time even remembering her face. Ixidor had effectively stolen away the last shred of Ethic's mother that he had...

And he could not forgive that. as a son... it wouldn't be right to forgive something like that. and for him... it was impossible to forgive something like that.

He didn't care now that Ix himself didn't do this... whatever had... It was inside Ix... He was weak, and it used him... And therefore, Ixidor was responsible for his own actions as well as whatever was inside of him...

"Ixidor... you aren't my friend. you were never my friend. a real friend... wouldn't do something like this to another one..." he said. another tear joined the earlier streak down his face as he looked at the boy as he lay on the floor.

"Ixidor... on my Mother's Grave... I swear that I shall kill you for this." He picked up Man Without Honor from where lay on the floor. he repeated this vow in the same low tone... he had never been this furious about anything... he hardly really even got angry at all... but he was now... and he found that unlike most people... extreme anger made him quieter instead of louder. he repeated it... this time it was barely above a loud whisper.

"IXIDOR MCTRACY.... ON MY MOTHER'S GRAVE... I SWEAR THAT I AM GOING TO KILL YOU FOR THIS."

a flash of hot white energy surged throughout him.... it was the same energy he had used to Invoke the cards when they were existant... he walked over to the young artist, lifted his foot...

and then lowered it...

Even in this blind rage of his... this hate... he still knew something of honor

"But not right now...no matter what the horrible deed... it is dishonorable to punish someone with death for it when they aren't able to resist. I won't kill you right now.... But mark my words..." He said, steping away from the injured boy and seting his sights on the Man he had been questioning before.

"Ixidor. In my mind, you have been marked for death... I will never forgive you... and therefore, you will never be able to escape that marking in my mind."

With that he set his sights on the man... the filter he usually used to determine what he said to people was gone now. He spoke his mnd raw and harshly

"And then there's still you, stranger... I don't know who you are or what you want, but the feeling in my gut whenever I see you... I have the feeling that You're scum... A blemish on the ass-end of society... But you told the truth... I guess... and so now... do whatever you want. I take back what I said earlier about helping you...I don't give a damn... I have someone else to find down here."

He began stalking off towards the opposite end of the corridor. the white energy surging through him grew stronger and stronger... but with no Arcana to invoke or weild... it just pooled and pooled... as to what will happen with that much energy in the body of one person... no one really knows...

soon he began glowing with it... leaping off his body into the air around him in white wisps, dissapearing into the air, it resembled solar flares coming off the sun's surface...

he stopped and cast a hard look as he passed Ixidor, then continued walking off.

Edited May 23, 2014 by Stratos

[Raindrop Valkyrie]

"Oh, I LOVE CHAOS!!!" said a familiar squeaky voice "SO nice to see friendships dying right before your eyes, makes me want to cry it is so beautiful." Somehow another one of the shades got lose, most likely from the explosion of the Glass prison. The shade had the form of a very Familiar Rat-man. He laughed manically. "I almost don't want to kill you, seeing you suffer this much is so much more........invigorating." He said a wicked grin on his face.

[Sutoratosu]

Ethic's attention was stolen away as another Shade resembling Shotgun McGee poped out of nowhere and begans shouting something about friendships dying.

he was not in the mood for trivial interruptions such as this. He looked at the shade as it continued shouting

"I almost don't want to kill you, seeing you suffer this much is so much more........invigorating."

enough. he had already fought something like this, and he was not intending to waste his time doing it again.

"Screw off." He said pointedly, the energy in his body continuing to grow as more and more started radiating off of it.

"Because I will snap your god-damn neck if you open your annoying mouth again."

He again started walking away, nearing the corner of the corridor. his anger was not focused on any particular thing or person now, but was just general

"I should just burn this whole damn library to the ground...with all of them in it...." He said under his breath as he kept going straight. not caring about whatever happened behind him.

"But I would need the Magician Arcana to do that... And I don't have anything at all to invoke..."

and this reset the whole hate filled thoughts from earlier as he continued walking

Edited May 23, 2014 by Stratos

[Ragnar]

Ixidor never got the chance to hear the answer to his question and anything for that matter, as he lays flat on his stomach on the cold marble library floor. He's struggling to keep it together to stay live; as he was on the border line of life and death. he was barely breathing and trying to hold it in.

As he was on verge of dying, the pentagon shape mirror prison cracks rapidly as his powers seems to wears off. It shatters and drops like a hundred chandelier crashing down violently revealing whats inside of that death box, leaving a huge pile of broken fragments of glass on the floor.

((incoming debate in his subconscious mind.))

Edited May 23, 2014 by typhlosionrulez

[Supernovae]

"Is it true that you've already died once?"

Mr. Taylor's jaw nearly hit the floor, as he frantically touched his face looking for scar. 'How, how did she know that, she couldn't,' his curiosity was at its peak, this little girl knew something that he would need to know.

"Why, yes I was killed, though I don't know if it was only once," his face grew sterner his tone more serious, "I was stabbed by a man named Marcus, I don't know how long I was out for, but after some time I woke up and healed," he sighed, he couldn't believe he was spilling his guts to four strangers, only one of which whose name he knew, "I got up and started moving and that's when I ran into your little party," he focused his attention on the little girl with the teddy bear, "Now, please my dear, tell me everything you know about this Minos character, this place, and anything else that you think may be important it would really help me a lot."

[K_H]

Kenny was killed by the impact of the Glass Pentagon's Collapse.

[Rosesong]

Rose's normally calm yet wary facial features transformed into those of horror at Mr. Taylor's words. "I was stabbed by a man named Marcus..." her mind replayed the elderly man' swords over and over again.

"Mr. Taylor, do you know what this Marcus fellow looks like? We need to stay safe, and if there's a way for us to know who to be weary of..." Rose took a steadying breath. "I won't let my friends get hurt, I can't lose more people in my life, and if keeping dangerous people away can make sure this happens, then I'll do whatever it takes!"

She sucked in a breath as she realized what she had said. "Do I really consider all of them my friends?" she questioned herself yet again, closing her eyes in the process.

[Chevaleresse]

Marcus reacted quickly to the implosion, quickly curling into a ball so the whirlwind of death might only cut his back. He was moderately successful, though a shard slipped through and grazed him when he was momentarily distracted. He bit down on the yelp of pain that nearly resulted from meeting the strange masked man's gaze. He didn't see where it had grazed him, though from the feeling it was nowhere good - if one can be struck by a shard of glass in a good place. After it ended, he feigned unconsciousness, listening to the conversation around him.

After Ethic stormed off, he slowly stood, pain flaring. One of the younger boys' bodies laid near him. Well, what remained of it. There was no way the kid would survive anyway, and he wanted to try something. If someone happened to look back, he would tell them it was a mercy killing; and, to an extent, it was. He had the odd desire to stop the child's suffering. He quickly withdrew a knife, and cut the boy's throat with a practiced motion. I used to be a butcher. That's close enough to be the truth. He waited for a moment, then sighed. How disappointing. He didn't feel an onrush of energy like he had with the Taylor man. He turned to walk in the direction he heard Ethic walk off in, and promptly went down to one knee, gasping in agony. A blade of glass had made its way all the way into his gut; he could see the wound, but not the offending shard. I'm dead. The wound wouldn't kill him immediately, but in a few hours his corpse would be cooling on the stone flooring.

I felt more alive when I killed that man. And not in a figurative sense. Maybe I have a chance. He looked about, and located Ixidor's unmoving body nearby. He'll. . . he'll have to do. He preferred to avoid children; they caused such an uproar. However, this was a special case. He limped toward the boy, knife held in a white-knuckle grip, gasping and moaning as he made slow progress. He could feel it moving around inside him, ravaging his organs. Wait. . . Just before that pentagon appeared, he said something like "I did it." It was HIM. Having moved to stand above him, he went down to his knees, holding the knife like an Aztec priest. His arm fell, aimed at the boy's heart.

[Supernovae]

((I'm guessing that that list bit was a thought Rose?))

Mr. Taylor quietly sighed to himself then looked over at Rose, "You know my dear, I've seen his face a hundred times in my memories since I've died, but I still can't quite describe it... Marcus was just such an ordinary looking boy, I'd say he was in his mid twenties though and he did have a bit of a rough appearance to him, but not as rough as you may think," he looked around the group trying to reassure them, "But, he's nothing to worry about, just a lone murderer, sure he can kill an old man, but he wasn't like the other monsters down here, not someone who can take out an entire group himself, but the other things down here, they are evil..." he stopped himself before he entrusted them with enough details, then turned his attention to the young girl with the bear, "I believe this Minos character is the real evil-doer here, tell me my dear anything you know and please don't be shy, we're not here to judge you my dear, just to help one another."

[Ragnar]

Ixidor regains consciousness slowly as he tries to move his battered body and takes a glimpse of the ceiling lights as it shines through his half-open eyes, He was then surprised after of what he just saw next, it seems to be a knife held high above him as it glistens through the light. His eyes widely opens as the knife was dropping down on his chest, out of impulse and despite of the pain, he somehow manages to move his left arm shaking some glass fragments and caught the blade in his hand and tries to avert the predicament he is in.

Not the wisest of his choice to caught the knife in his palm as it bleeds. He firmly grips the dagger's blade as he struggles it from landing into his heart. He triggers his erasing powers as he intensifies the grip of the blade as it dissolves leaving only the handle of knife. His palm has this straight deep cut as he backs away from Marcus by crawling a few inch on his elbows wincing in pain with every movement he makes. as he takes a good look at the holder.

"Why? What are you doing?" he ask feeling uneasy as he takes a gulp down his throat.

Edited May 23, 2014 by typhlosionrulez

[Zephyrus the Priestess]

"Well...." The child looked thoughtful for a moment before speaking up again. "Mister Minos is really, reeeeaaaally big. He has a big, big, long tail, too. When he speaks he's got a booming voice, and you feel like you can't hide from his gaze. Not really only his gaze but a bunch of bad shadows were there, too. But... I don't think you could just walk in there, or walk out of there... He just summons you there, when he feels it's right."

She blinked her big blue eyes at Mister Taylor again, smiling.

"Just remember: do not lie."

[Rosesong]

((You bet it was, sorry it wasn't clear typh))

Rose looked down at the girl in her arms. "Enya," she pieced together, "has Mr. Minos already summoned you and Ace to his... Err, judgment session?"

[Zephyrus the Priestess]

"Uh-huh!" nodded the lass, without skipping a beat, without a trace of fear or anything that would suggest that she'd been subject to any sort of horrors. "Mister Minos was really really nice to me."

It's just that Ace doesn't like Mister Minos.

[Supernovae]

Mr. Taylor was trying his best to put it all together, but it was just too bizarre. A big monster with a huge tail that you couldn't lie too, surely this was the same things that had made that announcement when he first entered.

"This court is now in section. Before you proceed, be warned that no lies are allowed. Answer true and answer right, or your sentence will only come faster."

Then he heard the girl declare that the monster was nice to her, surely it was just a game it was playing, toying with the poor girl. "My dear," he began smiling back at the girl, he felt bad for her, she was just a child and she was trapped here with the rest of them. "How did you go about meeting this mister Minos, you say we can't just go see him, well how did you see him?"

[K_H]

When Kenny woke up, the first thing he saw was some creature asking him what he sought from the hill. Kenny responded to the question.

"To tell the truth, I only want to know as much as i can about everything i can. It's been my life's Goal to learn."

Edited May 23, 2014 by K_H

[Sutoratosu]

The Energy pooling in Ethic's body seeped away suddenly, as if something had sucked it away into a vacuum. he noticed, but didn't care as he kept walking, turning a corner. he didn't really know where he was headed, just that he was getting somewhere at least.

then a voice echoed in the corridor.

"Stop walking."

Ethic stopped, looking around to see where it had come from. nothing...

"You want me to stop walking?" He asked defiantly to whoever it was. "Then make me. come out from where ever your hiding, and make me, you little pansy."

The Voice answered, displeased...

"Alright then. I'll make you."

Ethic took notes of the voice this time.

Youngish sounding... probably around my age.. maybe a few years ahead... a bit aloof...

He took another step... and another...

A young man materialized out of darkness at the end of the corridor, kneeling as his body slowly formed...the darkness writhed around him as if a cloak...

He stood, he was around Ethic's height, he was wearing a pitch black t-shirt with pants and hair of the same color. his lips and fingernails were also pitch black. his skin was pale. he looked up and met Ethic's eyes at the other end of the aisle. they were a stormy dark brown.

Ethic just looked back at him for a few moments.

"So who are you? some whinny little Goth who thinks he's all big and tough because he's wearing black lipstick and nail polish?"

the other young man feigned a chuckle.

"Funny," he said "But no Ethic, I'm not. You see, I'm a pathetic little rich black-kid who has daddy issues worse than the Jackson Five and still bitches and moans over the grave of his dead mother, and who ran away from home when he realized he didn't have the balls to stand up to his old man."

Ethic gave the pale young man a hate-filled stare as he stopped right in front of him. this had just gotten personal. real personal.

"What do you want?" he asked through grit teeth.

"You going to be coming with me right now. We have a certain place to get to." said the pale young man

"What makes you think I'll go along with you anywhere?" Ethic asked, not backing down.

The young man chuckled again, this time un-sarcastically.

"Why, Ethic..." He began "You don't really have a choice in the matter."

No choice? thought Ethic Let's see about that...

he shifted Man Without Honor in his hand, shifting the knife to wield it back-handed.

"There's always a choice..." he said, assuming a defensive stance "And I'm choosing not to go with you willingly."

The pale young man held his left hand out stended to the side... a small storm of darkness and black electricity crackled there as a length of black metal emerged from the palm of his left hand. he lowered his arm, the blade extending out of the palm of his hand and pointing to the floor. he pointed the strange sword at Ethic's face, his eyes stormier than before.

"Good," he said "Put up more resistance, that's right. make me look even better on my report."

he swung the black sword in a horizontal arch, attempting to cut Ethic across the stomach... He leapt backwards just in the nick of time however

"Alright... then this is it. just remember..." said Ethic, raising his own weapon

"You made the first strike!"

He rushed at the pale young man, bringing his knife up and throughing a reverse slash (a reverse punch while holding a knife backhanded) right towards the other young mans face. the other young man brought up the black blade and easily blocked the strike, which consequently positioned his and Ethic's faces right in front of each other. they stared there for a second, in an intense starring match, the pale man smiling an ominous grin.

"Let's dance, shall we?" he said sarcastically, spinning the blade of the sword in his hand and throwing Ethic's arm up and away from where the two weapons had met in the air.

He made for a spinning slash towards Ethic's upper chest, Ethic managed to recover from the twirling of the blade and dived at his feet however, sending his knife flying towards the pale young man's foot.

He received a brutal kick to the face before he could land the blow however, and lay on the marble floor, dazed as spots flared across his vision. the pale young man held his blade to Ethic's throat as he stared upwards at him.

"I'd kill you... but that wouldn't help my trial to become qualified."

"I got something to help your trial..." Ethic said under his breath.

"Hmm...?" asked the other man mockingly. "I didn't hear that..."

"I said... that I HAVE SOMETHING TO HELP YOUR TRIAL!!" Ethic yelled as he sent both his feet into a scissoring kick, effectively knocking the pale young man over to the floor with him. Ethic rolled to his side, still a bit dazed from being kicked in the face, but managed to stand...

"Now..." he said "Who the hell are you?"

"OH?" said the man on the floor "Hell? well, that is very close Ethic. Hell has to do a lot with who I am"

He held up his left palm, spreading it open for Ethic to see...

on his palm... was an inverted pentagram, the central point pointing downwards towards the floor.

"Wait, Wha-

Ethic was cut off as the other man slamed the flat off his blade into Ethic's legs, sweeping them out from under him with ease. the assailant was up on his feet again in an instant. and again...

His pitch black sword was pointed at Ethic's throat as he lay on the floor.

Ethic had had the wind knocked out of him with that last trip to the ground... all he could do was look up... Anger surging in his mind.

Damn it... this guy managed to get the better of me...

a portal of merged darkness and light appeared behind the young man, still holding Ethic to the ground at blade point

"Now then... Let's go."

He grabbed Ethic by the collar of his tattered shirt, and dragged him with him through it. instantly, the dark engulfed them. there was screams and shouts, just like when Ethic had gone through the entrance to the library...

And then there was silence, the only sound was the Pale young man dragging Ethic along the floor of whatever this place was, the latter of the two too dazed to put up anymore resistance.

Edited May 23, 2014 by Stratos

[Notus]

"Ah, is it so?" said Minos after Kenny's statement, seeming rather uninterested "And what would you do with such knowledege, did you think of it already?"

[K_H]

Kenny answered Minos' question calmly.

"With the knowledge of everything, I'd most likely use said knowledge for the greater good. However, a wise person once said this:

'Knowledge is Power.'

Also, on the subject of Power, another wise person said this:

'Power Corrupts, and Absolute Power corrupts Absoluteley.'

so, There's a small chance that i might go crazy with power once i reach the bottom of the Hill."

Kenny then waited for Minos to ask him the next question.

[Chevaleresse]

"Why? What are you doing?"

Marcus could barely manage a reply. He spoke in a near whisper, voice hoarse with pain. "It's. . . my only chanceeeeAAAAAAAUUUGGGHHHHH!" The whisper turned into a scream of agony as he withdrew his arm and stabbed at the boy again; though it looked more like a convulsion from an outside point of view. He rolled over and was reduced to gasping for breath as his motions moved the invader in his body about.