P.S.S. "The Legend Of The Primal Keys"::Ch.2 b- Desolation [IC]

[Aurorix]

(I ment to click edit but I clicked quote, sorry! >_<)

Edited September 15, 2014 by EXLink32

[Aurorix]

Luckily, Zolivar's shield had not been broken and blocked the killing blow.

"Well shit, my hand made sword has been cut in half." Zolivar said angrily, "Now I need to make a new one, or grab one a the battle field" He then grabbed the sword left by Boho as his new weapon in the fight.

Edited September 15, 2014 by EXLink32

[Sutoratosu]

((And... you double posted. >.<))

Marcelos shifted his focus to Gideon as the turk came at him, slashing and cutting... but even he was not fast enough. the Marcelos fighting the quartet grabbed hold of both of the young man's weapons and delivered a fierce headbutt, sending the Dirosi man sprawling backwards in a daze. The beast then turned his attention on back on Darius, tearing the dual blades out of his chest and throwing them hurling them both at Zoliver fast as Lightning, breaking through the young man's shield and ruining it. the thing then charged at him, losing all human shape now and merging into a wisp of shadows with a sheet of gleaming scarlet eyes. it outstretched it's black claws and was upon him in a minute... meanwhile Darius was beginning to bleed heavily from his injuries and Gideon was still seeing Stars across his vision...

((Hukuna, oh hukuna, where art thou? thine ninja turtles needest thee!))

[Aurorix]

"Dammit, my shield too!" Zolivar said furiously "You know how hard it was to put those designs in, or the heart beak you feel when your master pieces get destroyed!" He then use Boho's sword to block the strike and used one of Darius's blades and aimed for his gut.

[Sutoratosu]

The sword passed through the being as if it were made of butter... but it didn't seem to do any harm. The thing kept coming at Zoliver, hacking and slashing as it drew closer to his face... only to be blown away by a blast of Monochromatic lightning from Stratos. The warrior stood nearby, his palm steaming from the attack he had just unleashed.

"Steel won't hurt the fuckers." he said. "You'll need either muinnat... either that, or gold." he nodded his head towards the cobble stones in a implicative matter. if the group looked, they would notice that Star Ripper was strapped to his back now, and a golden brick torn from the road was gleaming in his hand... which was stained in black blood. The Marcelos he was fighting came around again and took a slash at him, he broke of his attention on the group and went back to his own fight, bashing the brick into the side of the boy's head before tossing it to Zoliver and retrieving Star Ripper, black and white electricity coursing up it's length as he thrust and stabbed and slashed at the beast he was facing, dealing more damage with each blow...

[Aurorix]

Zolivar dropped Darius's sword, grabbed the gold brick and slammed it right on what looked like the head of the shadow beast.

Edited September 15, 2014 by EXLink32

[Sutoratosu]

The beast reeled in Agony, backing away from Zoliver and merging into the shadows as black blood began to spew from it's head... all was silent. that is, until a loud screech sounded and Zoliver found himself being picked up and thrown through the air like a rocket and slammed into the face of a building, going clear through the wall and collapsing into the ancient living space beyond. he could taste blood in his mouth. he had bitten his tongue during the impact. His helmet was badly dented... but he was lucky seeing as how it only got that way because it took the brunt of the force, along with his now battered and abused armor. if he hadn't been wearing the gear, he would've gone splat.

The Creature turned it's sights on Gideon now that the obnoxious knight was temporarily out of the picture. it extended it's black claws, charging at him and tearing up lose stones from the road as it did... but the turk had recovered from the daze now. it closed in and opened it's gaping maw, exposing hundreds of serrated teeth as it tried to take a bite out of crime out of Gideon's jugular.... though the Dirosi man was saved by another burst of black lightning from Stratos, sending the creature flying to the side and roaring in agony... and even more, the Creature's attention was now on him instead of Gideon.

[Ragnar]

Gideon regains consciousness and snaps out of confusion!, "Don't turn your back on me beast!" Gideon snarled as he gets up and grabs a golden brick nearby. just before the beast turns around, the Turk quickly dashes off and lunges himself on the back of the beast,clinging himself on Marcelos. He start bashing the brick repeatedly on its head, inflicting more damage on the open wound of its skull. as the brick was soon to break, he stabs the remaining brick fragment in Marcelo's one eye as Gideon jumps off its back.

Edited September 15, 2014 by typhlosionrulez

[Aurorix]

"DAMMIT MY EVERYTHING IS RUINED!" Zolivar screamed with one little tear coming from his eyes. "But I must say this think rubber padding did great as a cushion and my helmet got dented and I didn't feel much of anything, though I think I got a few bruises and bit my tongue. Overall adding rubber as padding works really well for being throne against walls, Armor suit 27B one of my best so far. Man this rubber works so well it'll probably stop one of Stratos's lighting bolts." he chuckled to himself. He looked around the room and noticed a stairway down. He rushed down with Boho's sword still in hand and noticed some silver platters and goblets on an old table and a broken forage. It looked nice with the piles of gold bricks scatted around the floor. Then an idea sprung into Zolivar's head, he took off his armor then lit the forage to a point where it could melt metal, after that put the silver in for a short time to melt it so it could quickly melt in a short time and poured it into the complex series of black lines circles and shapes of his armor. then melted the gold and put a layer on the sword. He then had to wait for them to dry and hopefully it wouldn't take long.

Edited September 15, 2014 by EXLink32

[Felicity]

Darius had been dazed, the blood loss and the pressure of the situation dazing him. His side was bleeding, though it seemed he could go for a while without needing immediate medical attention. Or, that's what he hoped, what he needed to be true. With great effort, Darius pulled the Gods rapier from his side, immediately putting pressure on the wound to stem the bleeding. With one arm occupied, he could not use his bastard sword, so he took a stance using the Rapier, though nowhere near as effective as he wished he could, and took a stance to defend Zollivar whilst he worked. He noticed Sinbad had not taken action yet. "Sinbad, we need you to prove your boasting to be more than that, preferably RIGHT FUCKING NOW" He roared.

[Sutoratosu]

Zoliver had just made a very big mistake... he had forgotten what happens to cold metal when huge amounts of heat are suddenly applied to it... though, in his defense, he couldn't have possibly known that when he had used the sword to try to hit Marcelos earlier, the temperature of the steel had dropped to freezing point from making contact with the shadowy beast. And so it was that the moment the silver and gold combined to make Electrum and then were poured onto the blade, the thing cracked all along it's length. That said, however, his armor had been at a far warmer temperature from his body's heat and had fared just fine from the reinforcement... though it was still far too hot to consider putting back on....

***

Meanwhile, outside of the ancient dwelling where Zoliver tinkered with his gear, the battle was still raging on. The Shade had been sent reeling in agony from Gideon's savage assault, and was now noticeably trying to back away from the warriors... heading towards it's other half, which was faring far worse against Stratos. The Sky Slayer noticed that the beast he was fighting had begun to retreat, and didn't allow any such thing. He reached out and grabbed the Shadow being, pulling it back. The things body was battered and beaten. It bled Black blood from countless wounds, most of which were slashes and stabs centered around it's abdomen and face. In short, the Demon looked like complete hell, yet Stratos didn't have anything worse than a few scraps...along with a busted lip and small gash on his fore head. his eyes still held that strange, Draconic feature that resembled a lizards, and they still blazed a subtle orange.

"You're going no where..." he snarled as he held his hand up under the thing's chin, choking it. "And to answer your earlier question, I think I've proved that I can indeed back up my words even when others are at stake." the fiend began gasping for breath, clawing at Stratos's Guantleted hand and trying the break free. It was time to end this little dance of death they'd both been engaged in.. He could tell that the quartet would probably get killed at this rate if he let it drag on any longer. He reached behind his back with his free hand and retrieved Adurmedes, feeling the connection in his mind growing even stronger. The spear crackled with a familiar monochrome lightning... and then it did something that no one alive had ever seen it do. The power coursing along the weapon focused itself towards the head of the spear, forming black, diamond shaped rays of power ringed with white. They began to rotate around the Drake lance, faster and faster, until they became a mere blur in the air. He tightened his grip on the thing's throat in his other hand, and tossed it up high into air, the thing wasn't that heavy... in fact, during the battle, Stratos had found that this beast seemed to lack weight at all. Marcelos hit the appex of his ascent, then began to tumble back down to the street below. Stratos crouched down low and launched himself up above his foe, spinning his weapon skilfully before bringing it to bear against the Demon. he plummeted towards Marcelos, far faster than he should've been falling, and drove the Drakelance downward with as much force as he could muster, unleashing the full brunt of his final attack as the weapon became engulfed a silvery black fire, leaving a blazing trail in the air and driving them both to the earth and causing a massive crater as the hit impact, breaking up the stones of the street and sending out a black and white series of Shock waves that threatened to blow the quartet of Warriors away as they watched. Smoke and dust hung heavy on the air, obstructing everything...

"It's over..." a voice spoke as the smoke cleared. The group could see stratos standing in the crater, kneeling to the ground and examining what was left of his target. Adurmedes still crackled with the strange fire from moments before. The man's wounds were beginning to heal as it coursed up his arm and throughout his armored body. Over where the group was, the Shadow beast that had been getting their asses handed to them by fell limb and faded away into nothing, apparently having been dependent on the continued existence of it's maker. all was silent... the fight was over. Stratos stood and looked the warriors over, taking in the damage they had each taken and prioritizing who would be the first to be healed. Darius was by far the very worse, bleeding from two wounds in his Abdomen... in fact, he seemed to be the only one who was seriously injured at all.

"Darius..." he called. "Come here, lay your hands on the fire... it'll help with the wounds." he sunk Adurmedes into the ground as he spoke, allowing the weapon to stand upright on it's own like a sign post. it was obvious that he was referring to the silver and black flames still engulfing the spear.

[Felicity]

Darius staggered over to the fire, hoping dearly that it really would help with his wounds. He had been fortunate up to now to not be wounded to such an extent, and it was an experience he was hoping not to repeat. Darius could dream. He sat by the fire, waiting for the fire to do it's work.

"So, Snake people, a being powerful enough to do alla' that and a talking spear. It's like the start of a bad joke..."

[Aurorix]

"Hmmm, well I'll just say the sword was broke while crashed into the wall." Zolivar said to himself. "In any case lets hope the silver in my armor will cool relatively soon." he looked and saw a mold of a brick. he poured out all of the platinum into the mold. He also noticed a basic short sword mold and pour a vat of molten gold from the gold bricks around to make a pure gold sword mold. though he made sure that the mold wasn't cracked to a point unusable and made sure it wouldn't crack when he placed the molten metals. In terms of Boho's sword, he attempted to fill the crack with gold in hopes of not making Stratos angry and if it made it worse he would just through it at a wall and break it.

[Sutoratosu]

As Darius approached the flaming spear, he became engulfed in a silver light. His wounds healed completely, his fatigue melting away. it was as if he had never been stabbed at all. Stratos looked around the area.

"Actually..." he said. "Now that you mention it... where did the surviving warriors go? It's almost as if they disappeared into thin air the moment the battle began..." just then there was a hissing sound from behind the two. Stratos turned to spot just the individuals he was inquiring about; The two naga warriors who had been accompanying Marcelos earlier. they both held their Shields up high, weapons at the ready... and there was about five others behind them, all in the same stances.

"Youuuuuuu...." one of them snarled... which sounded rather strange with their reptilian tongues. "You have slain Marcelosssss... you have taken away our only chance to live. Are you happy now, Human? I hope that you are, becaussssse either way, you make your peace now! If we are to all die, then we will take you with ussss!" The Naga clanked his sword against his shield and gave a fierce war cry, his brethren followed suit. The Warrior then charged at Stratos, leveling his blade and preparing to run him through... and Stratos not only let him, but he also spread his arms and exposed his chest, making an even bigger target for him to hit. The Warrior was confused for a moment, but didn't stop to think about it in depth, continuing his wild charge. He and the God Slayer were soon face to face, and he Raised his blade, preparing to bring it down on the man's jugular... but he paused. He paused... because Stratos had his hand around the warrior's wrist. it was a light hold, not even powerful enough to be called a grip, and yet it was still enough to make the warrior pause in his rampage. he looked into the Sky Slayer's eyes, which returning to their human, iris shape, transforming back into the deep shade of green they were before. They weren't full of anger or the heat of battle, as the Naga thought they surely would be... there was something else there, something that the Naga's hadn't seen in eons...

"We don't have to fight one another anymore." Stratos said simply. and there it was... the thing they hadn't seen since the days on the surface... this stranger's eyes said it all, said that one simple sentence... that one sentence that had the force of a waterfall upon the Naga's weary ears. We don't have to fight anymore, No one else has to die. They all mummered and hissed amongst themselves as they heard his words. The Warrior who had his sword prepared to kill him lowered his weapon to his side.

"We don't... have to fight anymore..." the Naga repeated. "Thesssse wordssss... God, how we've wanted to just hear those wordssss for so many yearssss... But I'm afraid... that it isssn't true... not anymore." the murmuring all stopped. Each of his fellow tribe warrior looked at him in surprise, unable to process what he'd just said.

"We have no choice but to fight now..." he said, looking at them all and explaining. "That man... Marcelossss, he made usss a promissse... if we help him, we can live asss we once did... he sssaid that we would never have to kill anyone or go to war again. He sssaid that he would give usss peace... But we ssshall have no peace now... becaussse thisss man shattered every possibility for i-"

"What did Marcelos say he would do to give you this 'peace'?" Stratos interrupted. the warrior turned to him irritatidly.

"he never sssaid anything about how..." he answered. "But..."

"How many years have you all been down here in this city?" The Sky Soldier asked next.

"Four hundred..." the warrior said. "He sssaid that we were to help him by guarding what lies in the top levels of this place... or rather, guarding yo-"

"Yes, I already know that it was me you were guarding..." he again interrupted. "and over these years, has he ever once showed any sign that he would repay you? that he would keep his promise?"

"well..."

"Did he? anything at all... he could've helped you all survive, made you better adapted to this place, given you food... anything."

"He...he never did anything for usss." the Naga soldier admitted. "He sssimply appeared every once in a while, isssue usss ordersss... and then disappear again... we never saw him except for when he wasss not pleasssed with our performance..." the light of realization dawned on his face.

"We've been...usssed." he said. "All this time... our people has been usssed by him."

"Good," Stratos said. "Then you at least realize that he has been using you like a tool. And he did the same to me even before that. But he's dead now, he's gone. I have no more reason to fight under his orders and carry out his will... just as you do not either. His lies can only live on now if you chose to continue believing in them." he stuck out his hand. a gesture of peace. there was a pause of several seconds. then the clanking of metal on stone could be heard. The warrior had dropped his sword to the earth, as had the others, along with their shields and spears. Stratos's gesture of peace was accepted. the Naga shook his hand.

"you are right... Sssky Ssslayer." he said. "No blood needsss to be spilled between usss... becaussse we follow GOD no more... we follow you now." Off in the distance, a loud crash could be heard as a building collapsed in on itself from the structural damage it had sustained.

It was the one that Zoliver was inside of...

***

As Zoliver sat at the forge, he felt a rumbling through his feet. the house was groaning. But he dismissed these things as nothing and focused on the task at hand. what he didn't know, was that up stairs, where he'd been thrown into the building's wall, the central support beam had been broken by his landing. and now the roof and floor, which had both been anchored to the wooden pole, were starting to give way under the weight of the structure. The groaning continued... and then it got louder. this had finally been enough to catch the young man's attention, but it was far too late. The ceiling came down on top of him, a piece of rubble striking him in the back of the skull and knocking him out. He fell to the floor, pinned under the debris as the rest of the place came down on top of him. The house leaned a little bit, then caved in completely, collapsing atop itself and drawing the attention of everyone outside. Zoliver was in great danger... the majority of the house had been made of wood. and the fire he had used for the Forge was still burning under the rubble... except now there was no one to tend to it and keep it under control.

((OCC: and just to clarify, no, it is not the entire tribe of surviving Nagas that are standing before you all. it's just seven warriors who happened to survive the fight just now.))

[Ragnar]

After Gideon disembarks on Marcelos' back, The Swordsman took a rough fall and tumbles through the asphalt and was laying flat on his belly, He watches Stratos puts an end to this madness and finish the Fiend's life once and for all. Gideon release a sighed of relief despite of bumps and bruises he has suffer.But this moment was cut short as he notice one of the house was about to caved in. "Ugghh.. Zolivar!" He cries out as he slowly pick himself up and tries to walks on his wobbly legs, due to fatigue.

[Raindrop Valkyrie]

Sinbad sprung quickly into action, though....the others were not exactly sure where he came from. Even still he went to try and save Zol if he could. "Everyone, we need to loosen the debris, we can't leave this man!" Sinbad shouted as he started moving what he could to get to Zol. He dug like a mad man as he still had the most energy in him. He might not have fought in that battle, but he sure as hell wasn't going to let one of his men die because a house fell over on him. "Quickly, we still have time!"

[Felicity]

Renewed by the silver light, and jarred into action by Sinbads words, Darius dashed to help remove the rubble. Whilst digging, he yelled to the Naga. "We need some help here!"

[Sutoratosu]

The Naga Warrior beckoned his Brethren forward. They made their way over to the wreckage, helping in the effort to clear it out of the way... and already, they were having much more progress than the Quartet was. Stratos drew Adurmedes' spear from the ground and set out to help them, only for the Drake Lance to suddenly spark to life again. The Dragon's ancient voice echoed through his mind.

"We are not done here... something else is coming... something far worse."

Stratos turned his head, looking around him and trying to find what Adurmedes was talking about. His sight finally fell upon the crater he'd left in the earth... It was empty. He suddenly had a very bad feeling...

"In front of us..." Adurmedes said.

Stratos turned his head again, leaping backwards in shock as he saw what his new Soul-bound was talking about. Standing before him was the massive silhouette of a person. It stood at least ten feet in height, towering over him and peering down with an eyeless face made of writhing nothingness. He could whispering voices as it neared. All of them were silenced when the thing began speaking.

"You can not stand against us... boy." a pair of male and female voices said. "Nor can your little allies in the north, or those who ride with you even now..."

Stratos tried to lift his Spear to the ready. A Strange feeling of paranoia had fallen over him. He couldn't shake off the feeling that he was about to be attacked. He found that his arms weren't responding to him, and neither were his legs. His limbs had a strange tingling sensation, as if they'd fallen asleep... He was frozen in place by whatever this thing was.

The Silhouette leaned down close to his face and continued. "We are older than time itself... older than even God himself. Resistance is futile. we shall triumph over you all no matter what you may try to do. And then we shall return all things back to zero... just as they are meant to be."

Stratos struggled against the invisible bonds the fiend had on him, fighting back with all his strength. But it wasn't enough... it was no where near enough.

"Ah...see?" the creature asked, caressing his face with a shadowy palm. the warrior recoiled in disgust.

The thing continued it's unwanted contact. "This is not even a fraction of what we are capable of... If we so desired, we could easily crush you like a mere gnat, along with all those you care for."

"Everyone I've ever trully cared for is dead..." The Sky Slayer retorted. He kept trying in vain to get away from this thing.

"Ah...not true..." it replied. "Not true at all, Stratos... there is still one, is there not? yes... her. The Witch of the Seal... she despises what you have become, you know. Despises the things that you have done... how ironic you still feel some affecti-"

"Technically, I only did those things she despises me for in name," The young Warrior interrupted. "Not in person... but it hardly matters seeing as how the memories are all mine now... I might as well have actually done it all myself at this point."

The being moved it's hand down to his throat. it's fingers extended into long claws and it began to wrap them around his neck, trying to chock him...

"If you do not stop this foolishness..." it snarled. "We will find that little bitch...and we will tear her apart and force you to watch...and then you'll be able to join her as well."

"You do that..." He attempted to snarl. "And I will bring down the whole fucking sky on your head... and all the stars along with it..."

Thing only laughed at that. It continued to squeeze down on his trachea. He could feel himself beginning to involuntarily gasp for air. it pressed down harder. and then even harder after that. He could feel his consciousness beginning to slip, his life beginning to fade as the thing's grip grew more intense. he tried to break free again, and had even less success than last time. Finally Adurmedes voice rang through his mind.

"We... must...f-focus..." he said. his voice was labored, as if he was under the same force Stratos was. "Together.... don't give up on me, Stratos... fight this... FIGHT IT...."

Stratos tried to do just that... but it was too little, too late. His eyes slid shut as he stopped gasping for air and lost consciousness. The fiend loosed it's grip on him and allowed him to fall to the stones. It stood back upright, towering over the fallen Champion. Black claw marks were permanently burned into the flesh of his throat, jagged and tatoo-like. The beast spread a pair of pitch black raven wings from it's back, flapping them and preparing to take off.

"And remember..." It said as it began to gain altitude. "We are the perfect balance... we are as all things should be. And we can not be stopped... will not be stopped. All things will be returned to their natural state of being. Not even God shall escape." With that said, they took off into the air, passing over the group as they dug for Zoliver in the rubble. The four warriors couldn't help but look up as it's massive shadow darkened the area around them all. What they saw was a massive black shape flying high above, seeming to disappear into the shadows of the ceiling of the cavern.

While they all watched, the Naga Warriors uncovered Zoliver and worked together to pull him free of the wreckage, managing to dislodge the rubble that pinned him and get him free. it wasn't long before they all took a limb and carried him away from the scene, setting the unconscious young man on the ground nearby.

If any of the Trio looked over at Stratos, they'd see him on the ground, so still that one could easily mistake him to be dead...

[Felicity]

Darius was starting to get pissed. What that said about his patience, he could not say, but needless to say, when what seemed like Every omnipotent force in the fucking universe seemed intent on causing strife he did not enjoy it. Darius ran over, signalling the Naga to get medical aid, and checked the newly proclaimed God slayers pulse.

"Come on mate, you're hardier than this."

[Sutoratosu]

((OCC: God damn... I am just killing off my own characters left and right right now, aren't I?))

As Darius moved his fingers to take Stratos's Pulse, the Markings on the man's neck blazed a fiery red. The young knight damn near seared his fingers before he felt the sheer heat emanating from the jagged scars. It was only when he retreated his hand that the heat died down and the glow faded. over where the Naga's were tending to Zoliver, only the leader could be spared to see what was wrong. the Other snake men had their hands completely full with unconscious knight.

"He'sss been put into ssssome type of cursssed trance..." He said as he knelt beside Darius. he ran his hand along the black markings, burning his hand badly before he even realized what was going on. "And it'sss powerful beyond belief... I don't think theresss anything we can do for him..." As if on cue, a young boy's voice could be heard nearby.

"He... he...h-he....needs...an Elixir..." Absalom managed. he was sitting against a wall not far away. A deep sword wound was in his side and shoulder. He was bleeding heavily, blood trailing down his arm and collecting in a small pool on the floor. His face was ghostly white. It was obvious that the boy was on the very brink of death. A fragment of the sword that had cut him down was actually still embedded in one of the wounds, right in his rib cage. The boy entered a violent cough fit, sending flecks of his life stuff to the cobble stones before falling over, threatening to take the secret of how to save Stratos to the grave with him...

[Ragnar]

"Somebody help this kid" Gideon said from the distance as he approach the group. "this boy is losing too much blood, we need to get his father over here as a donor." Gideon said to the Nagas. "we fix the kid, then we fix Stratos..."Gideon said as he gingerly carries the boy and slowly lays it down next to Zolivar's unconscious body. as Gideon puts down the boy, He notice something strange, somehow the bruises in his forearm magically disappears without a trace. but how? all it was was covered in Marcelo's black blood... like somehow the blood has healing powers, Gideon had an epiphany on how to save the young boy's life.

"No wait! Forget the father...Find Marcelos' body instead..his blood maybe the cure to this dying boy." Gideon said to his allies and watches over the boy.

Edited September 17, 2014 by typhlosionrulez

[Sutoratosu]

"We needn't any of that Liar'sss blood." The Naga leader stood and beckoned his underlings over. They left Zoliver's side, having made sure the young man was stable. Each of them stood in row formation, at crisp attention, just like trained human soldiers would. Their leader paced up and down the line, looking each Snake-man in the eyes for a few moments before moving on. The soles of his bare, scaled feet made a noticeable Swish sound as they moved across the cobblestones at a brisk pace.

"Which one of you hasss thisss child'sss blood on your handsss?" he asked pointedly, his voice barely above a hoarse whisper. The Naga soldiers shifted nervously and glanced up and down the line, curious as to which of their fellow warriors would step forward to their leader's inquiry. A few seconds passed. Then a minute. Then finally one of them took responsibility for the deed, moving out of line and placing himself ahead of his comrades.

"I did, Ssssir."

Their leader said nothing. He walked over to where Stratos and he had mediated peace... and picked his sword up from off the ground. He returned to his men, and handed the weapon to the Warrior who had stepped up. The soldier didn't question his commander's actions, simply took the weapon with both hands.

"You have broken our lawsss..." The leader hissed. "You drew sssteel againssst a little one. You know what the penalty for thine crime isss..."

"To draw steel upon one'sss sself..." The Soldier responded. His face was expressionless as he gazed down at the boy. The sickled blade gleamed silver in the light as he raised it to his chest. The point poked into his skin just above the sternum. He held it there, applying pressure on the weapon. a tiny droplet of blood tricked down as the epidermis was pierced.

"Sssstop." the Leader ordered. The warrior paused.

"Sssir?"

"That is enough. only a drop is what is needed. Any more will sssurely kill the little one. Hand me the blade."

He grabbed the handle as the soldier passed it back. Absalom had grown even paler on the ground, his face ashen despite his Dirosi complexion. The Naga swiped his hand across the face of the sword, wicking away the small amount of blood there. His hand gleamed scarlet as he knelt beside the child, pushing Gideon out of the way. The boy didn't respond to the new presence. There was barely any sign that he still lingered. The Naga cupped his hand into a funnel and held it over Absalom's mouth, allowing a tiny droplet of his subordinate's life stuff to pass through the child's lips, a drop, and no more. His body jolted as the blood hit his tongue, spasming for a moment before going still again. He was still unconscious, but his face had noticeably regained it's color. His wound's slowly began to heal. Consciousness awareness began to slowly trickle back into his mind as he opened his eyes.

"Where... who?" he seemed to be in complete confusion. "What...just happened? Am I dead...?"

[Felicity]

Darius crouched down next to the tired lad. "No, you're not dead, but you tried your hardest." Darius said, putting on a flimsy grin to try and reassure him "How're you feeling?"

[Sutoratosu]

"what did you put in my mouth?" Was the next question to come out of the boy. "I have the most awful taste there...." He trailed off as he noticed his father lying motionless nearby, bloodied and battered.

"F...father..." he whispered. He got up and slowly crawled over to the body, looking into his father's unseeing eyes as they stared at the cavern ceiling. he tried to shake him, as if it would loosen Death's grip on his soul. To no avail. he shook a little more. But he knew full well that it wouldn't help. He finally had to face the fact that his mind had told him since he saw him laying here; his Father was dead.

"No...no..." he cried. He began to sob silently, tears falling from his eyes and onto his papa's chest. his crying was so silent in fact that it was actually a little hard to notice.

[Felicity]

Darius sympathised with the boy, especially with his old scar torn apart by Marcelos. He walked over to the boy standing over him.

"It hurts. I know it does. When I first felt this kind of loss, it truly hurt, and it hasn't left me. The edge faded, but the pain was still there. So I can tell you, that there will be time to mourn later. You want to deny it, blame someone for it, you'd do anything to get him back, but right now Absalom, another life is nearly gone, and we need your help to stop that life from winking out. So please, tell us about the Elixir you mentioned."