Evil Rises IC

[Rtron]

The Storm Demon glanced at Nakuma. "Please." Was all he said before he raised a hand. A sword of lightning met with Nakuma's sword. The resulting explosion threw everyone off of their feet. Well, excluding Todari, who was being carried by Markul. Markul, who was far to heavy to be thrown. And Alika, because she was far to heavy, but she was halted. The demon turned to the dragon. A crazed laugh bubbled through his lips once more. "Dragon, Dragon, Come to fly!" He sang, his hands weaving in front of it with blinding speed. "Dragon, Dragon, Come to Die!" He sang once more, before unleashing the ball of lightning he had been making. Straight at Alika. It crackled with power. Alika may be able to withstand it, but certainly wouldn't be standing if she did. Imagine an H-Bomb. Then, imagine it times 3 hitting the dragon. Ya.....

---

Todari smiled a crazed grin as Markul rushed him. When the Overlord hit him, he was stuck on the charging man, narrowly avoiding the flail, effectively using him as a shield. When the explosion ended, he lithely used shadow whips from the shadows everywhere to yank himself from the earthen titan. "Markul, come now. Is that anyway to treat an old friend?" He mocked, his eyes shining bright beneath his helm. His sword began to move in small circles, though the rest of him stood deathly still. "Would you like another try, or shall I go this time?" He called.

------

The half-elf yelped as the dragon picked him up. Then, he slowly backed into the shadows as the battle began. Luckily he did, for instead of being thrown to kingdom come, he was thrown into a nearby wall. He strung his bow and simply waited. His opportunity would come.

[Stalker]

Nakuma's visually stunning attack was repelled by the demon, just by raising it's hand, bringing down a thunder into her sword. Her feet slid and sank onto the ground, almost breaking her balance when she came to a stop. From the dust that rose up, the glowing metal of her sword was like a beacon of light. It's hissing sound was let out like a death cry as it helplessly bended.

Seeing her sword melt in half brought shock to her eyes, an emotion alien to her eyes. The sword she wielded since she had the strength, an old killer just like her. Countless carcasses and all kinds of golems were cut in half by it's edge. A blade so beautifully crafted it never seemed to rust, or it's sharpness to falther.

Nakuma's animal toothbearing expression grew wider, as did her scowl. Her hands gripped the rest of her sword until the handle shattered under her hand just like a twig from her frustration.

The swordswoman reached above her head, and grabbed the giant blade that poked out of her shoulders. The sheath looked to be made of dark red wood, bearing many marks of battle, but didn't seem nowhere near breaking point. Slowly, she took out the sword and the sheath moved towards her waist. Finally, the heavy sword could be seen. A blade forged with a black alloy, and a white cotton handle with a golden crossguard, bearing the image of a turtle.

The blade alone almost reached her height in lenght. The Akupara, a sword originally designed to be used on horseback, was used by Nakuma's father as a normal blade. Even with it's encumbering weight and lenght he was still able to show finesse with it's use. But Nakuma was much more different than him.

The blood thirsty Akupara rested upon her shoulders, and dashed off towards the demon once again. This time she jumped to his side, and Domalva made his appearance. Serving as a stepping stone, she navigated above the ground jumping off the wolf's back again and again, until she got closer to the demon leading with her left foot. Soon before it connected, her sword swinged down towards him with colossal strength behind it, cutting through the wind and towards his head, aiming to chop him in two.

[Zombehs]

I-Kori pondered on Aluh’Sarae’s words about “adding herself.” And on Basaris’ weariness. How strange, the differences between the two despite both of them being sentient, sapient mortals. A curious event, but one of little importance at this time. She may look into such phenomenon at a later time, perhaps when they were grounded. Focusing once more on the current task at hand, I-Kori rested her eyes on the blade in the middle of the small trio. “You may do as you wish, Aluh-Sarae. I have asked you to show me your powers; do not hold back,” I-Kori said calmly.

Aluh’sarae nodded, “Alright, I’ll add myself to it, too. Wouldn’t want to be left out of the loop....” she smiled. “....besides, pestering Basaris as he fights sounds amusing.” she said teasingly.

Basaris simply strode over to one of the many pillars that supported the throne room as he waited for the two to begin with their magic. He did not miss Aluh’sa- that was too complicated and long, Aluh would do. “Should I pester you during this as well? It’d only be fair, Aluh.”, he said without a trace of amusement, though he didn’t bother to hide the twinkle in his eyes. He supposed he’d also take the time to see her reaction to his new and shortened name for her. He hoped she wouldn’t take too much offense to it. Aluh’sarae didn’t roll off the tongue all that easily, truth be told.

To be honest though, banter aside, he was curious about I-Kori’s magic. Was it similar to his own? Possibly, he thought as he picked up one of the stray automatons that ran across the stone. Where his magic imbued properties of the elements or reinforced the objects, her’s gave life and sentience. He smirked a bit while he shook his head, as he realized his foolishness. The similarities would probably be like how a lightning bolt was similar to a fireball, in which both magical energy was converted to the elements. With a small sigh, he set the little construct down and watched as it scurried away like a frightened mouse. He frowned a bit before he shrugged, what did he care about the reaction of a golem.

“Well, certainly, although that’s quite a bit of distractions going on.” she smiled at Basaris. “Are you sure you could handle all that? And if you want an easier name for me, Alice is just fine.”

She took a deep breath, taking in all the magical energy that filled this place. She had never felt this....exhilarated. She felt the pulse of the place, too. It felt familiar. Like it was the heartbeat of a dear long lost friend. She exhaled reluctantly. “I suppose I’m as ready as I’ll ever be, Automatron.”

I-Kori watched Basaris wander to one of the numerous pillars supporting the throne room, but her attention quickly returned to the blade that rested in front of her. She raised her hand, and said simply:

“I am beginning.”

Tendrils of magic erupted from I-Kori’s raised arm and quickly slithered to the blade, slamming and penetrating through it. The blade, both in and out, was flooded with an untold amount of magic. This magic, though, was not one that was familiar to any other. It was pure, and empty. Even Necromancy had some element of darkness and demonic essence, but this magic of I-Kori’s... it was raw.

“Right...” Aluh’sarae placed her hands on her chest, right over her heart. After a short while a ball of light seemed to pull out of her chest. She winced at it. This was a piece of her. Her life force...normally this would be pretty painful and exhaustive for her, but being in this place seemed to lessen the pain. She just constantly felt invigorated here.

Basaris watched with interest as both I-Kori and Aluh played their parts in the magic. I-Kori’s was something Basaris had to say he never felt before. It was raw, in both power and feel, though he wouldn’t say pure. It was simply energy, no more and no less. Aluh’s role interested Basaris as well, though he was slightly disconcerted when the angelic-like being pulled forth the faint ball of light. He could tell that it wasn’t magic, and the other possibility unsettled him. He didn’t call out to her, but simply watched as she linked herself with the blade and I-Kori.

I-Kori’s enormous magic finished flooding into the blade, she looked up at Aluh’Sarae and said, “I only need to bind the will of the blade now.”

Aluh’sarae pointed her arm towards I-Kori. A beam of light shot out from it at surprising speed and pierced the woman’s chest. It wouldn’t be painful for her, but perhaps a little warm and tingly. Since it was her essence she didn’t really need to link herself, so next was the sword. In the end, herself and I-Kori were linked together through the sword.

Aluh’sarae glanced at I-Kori, her eyes still held a hint of pain in them, “I think that should do it, Automatron. Finish it up.”

I-Kori casted a quick glance at Aluh’Sarae, but immediately returned to the sword. She waved her hand, and all of the magic inside it immediately started to twist and turn, almost mechanically. Slowly, pieces of magic stacked on top one another, amplifying certain parts and ignoring others. Eventually, most of I-Kori’s magic was in the blade, while the handguard and handle carried little. Then, one more wave of the hand, and the magic became... alive. It pulsed, breathed within the sword. Slight twitches of magic appeared all along the blade, as if it were throbbing. The hilt carried a slow sort of churning, sticky magic. I-Kori lowered her arm, and as she did the sword slowly rose into the air as if held by an invisible force.

With the blade that they may speak through now in their possession, the castle traveled on...

[Ellri]

Grundin looked at the commander, somewhat confused. "So, do you want to take your soldiers swimming or do you expect me to have the rest of the army swim? You know as well as I that there's only one gate, and opposite it is the lake."
He did not give the commander time to answer.
"No. Don't bother to answer. We both know that a watery attack is not a good idea."

~| out in the camps |~

Overnight, hundreds more had changed noticeably. But the companies changed knew they could not let the troops yet loyal to the mage know, so they had all taken to wearing concealing garments as well as their armor. Wrappings, gloves and such. Only a very few had gotten close to completing their change, yet they all knew their true purpose in life. It would not do for the unaffected to notice anything, like the presence of scaled hide. Still, any uninitiated might take note. The men had all grown in strength, easily carrying twice what they should struggle to shift, let alone carry. Not that most of his men truly knew what was in store for them.

The chieftain of the Emerald Crescent tribe did not understand. His tribe was good. They saw what others would not want to see. Often persecuted, they were. People did not always like what his tribe saw. Felt ignorance better than knowledge. Still, they never before had had him restrained like this, kept in a dark, hot tent. That was when she entered. She of the guild. He could see something was wrong with her. She moved all wrong. His eyes told him she could not possibly be human, yet what else could she be? He did not know. He tried to back away from her, only to find that the restraining ropes would not let him. Oh how they pulled at his shoulders and legs. As she approached, he could smell her. She reeked. She was not human. "You be evil! You keep away!"

Akana let out a hollow chuckle at the words of the primitive tribesman. He had seen too much, connected what he should not. The Ranoch had commanded her to take him and so she would. It was a simple thing to lay a trap for him. He had been overconfident. Her abdomen throbbed as the mature taker within twisted, awaiting its birth. Akana had let it mature once her task had been received. She opened her robe in front of the kneeling tribesman, stepping up to him. He tried to bend away, but she had never encountered a man capable of resisting naked flesh long. She leaned into his face, and inevitably his lust broke his resistance. He began licking, kissing and then sucking her sex. She moaned pleasurably, even as she let the taker know it was time. The tribesman did not even get a chance to make a sound as the taker shot out of her and slid down his throat and penetrated the stomach lining. He simply sat there, staring limply into the air as his body ceased to belong to him.

In some corner of her mind, Akana could feel her sisters similarly taking over other officers of this great army. There would not be time to take over all the officers, let alone the troops, but their efforts would ensure that there would be no coordination to the attack. Human soldiers were, for the most part, loyal to their commanders. Even without direct exposure, they would obey orders from those exposed. Few, if any, would see more than a few scattered parts. Loyalties within this so-called army were fragmented. Grey Hill marksmen would not care that the men of the Hollow Lake villages struck at the warriors of the blue wolf. With the Emerald Crescent tribesmen out of the picture, none of the companies would pay attention to the whole. Within hours of the final call to arms, a score of such betrayals would happen and any man not serving the Ranoch in some way would be dead.

~| Command hub |~

It had taken some time to convince the commander of the Dragon Legion that it would not work to attack from more than a couple of directions, but Grundin had finally succeeded. The call to arms had been issued and the troops had formed up. He could sense that tensions were high within parts of the army, not to mention the whiff of evil that seemed to surge and ebb all around him, but he could not make sense of it. He had delved deeply into the ground, searching for hidden enemies, yet he had not even found a single foe. Evil permeated everything around this foul citadel. Ground that should have been as pliable as soft butter to his magic resisted his every impulse, was hard as iron or steel. He managed to beat through it, but not without straining hard.

He stood upon the pillar of stone he had purged of all evil, encased in a transparent shell of diamond. He could breathe and see the entire army, and they could see him. Magical wards would prevent anything short of a direct hit from the most powerful magics from hurting him. Because of their countless uniform styles and banned sigils, the companies surrounding his pillar-like tower looked like a patchwork quilt made by a madwoman. To think that he had raised such a disparate army, all to fight for a single cause in a matter of weeks. Grundin almost had to laugh.

He raised his staff high, then waved it down, signalling the army to advance. A simple magical illusion showed a mirage several times larger in the air above, visible to the entire army. He could not see it himself, but it would be more reliable than any chain of messengers. The thunder of thousands of boots striking the ground in unison made a tear come to his eyes. He knew then and there that nothing would stop his army from breaking this bastion of evil.

~| Upon the walls of Marakh |~

Leggreífa watched the army below, his mistress standing beside him. They could both see the mirage of the earth mage above the ant-like gatherings of soldiers. And they both laughed at his foolish pride. The fool still though the army his. He had no idea of how wrong that assumption was.

Within her mind, Ranoch could sense every single one of her minions below. In fact, she could even sense to some degree which men would obey her minions despite being still outside her direct control. For now they would march in unison, but soon enough they would do as intended. She would not mind having that earth mage captured, but she doubted that her newer minions were ready for such a challenge. Thus she would not be disappointed if he were to escape.

~| Command hub |~

At his command, the army halted, raising their shields and weapons to strike out at the fortress. Grundin smiled as thousands of arrows took to the air simultaneously, only to stare in shock moments later. Barely any flew towards the fortress, the majority going far up, only to strike down at other companies. He was stunned. Regiments of foot soldiers, both swordsmen, pikemen and spearmen suddenly marched without being commanded to, striking at the backs and flanks of other companies. Archers continued to launch flights of arrows, only to devastate his own men. Some few still launched arrows and such towards the fortress, but as minutes passed, fewer and fewer did as company after company of such men were overwhelmed by those who should be their allies.

As his army shattered, Grundin knew he should have listened to the commander of the dragon legion. Evil had somehow twisted his army against itself. He did not understand. None of it fit any of his lessons in fighting evil. It was almost as if the soldiers themselves had turned evil. He could not fathom how. He had taken every precaution he could: never raising more than a thirteen hundred from any one region, made sure to have triple-strength supply lines, a balanced mixture of all soldier classes and even ensured that all the troops needs would be met. What had happened should never have happened. Even as his thoughts and doubts ran amok, he could see the fallen soldiers form ranks to crush the few remaining free companies. Some small part of his mind saw that one of them were the dragon legion, but knew the fight was lost. Focusing his mind, he drew in as much power as he dared, using the diamond-capped pillar as a focus. He sent a tendril straight down into the ground, breaking through any evil corruption, penetrating nearly to the core of the world itself, then let himself be the stone, flowing along the tendril towards his home. The power used for such travel was immense, disturbing the ground greatly. All along his path of travel, earthquakes of varying strength rose, while at the site of the fight, magma welled to the surface, breaking through the ground and flowing out in all directions from the magical hole in the ground. While not as powerful as an explosive volcanic eruption, it would be far from harmless. The Power used in his flight would send a signal to all beings capable of wielding the magical arts. They would know that something powerful lay there. He could not mark out what, but at least he figured that none would venture there unprepared.

[Rtron]

The Commander of the Dragon Legion had given in to Grundin's commands, but he had not failed to be prepared. His Legion was placed to the back and corner of the massive army. He also gave the word to be ready for treachery and commanded his Fire Drakes to burn any projectiles thrown at them out of the sky. Thus, when the betrayal happened, The Dragon Legion was left largely unscathed. "LEGION! FALL BACK! SLAY THE ARCHERS!" He bellowed. As one, the Legion fell back, slaying the archers that had attempted to fire upon them. There, they formed ranks. There, they prepared to die. "Dragon Legion! Are you prepared to die!" The commander asked. A resounding roar of approval gave him his answer. The corrupted army was finishing off the remaining free companies. "The mage has fled like the coward he is! But the Legion will not run! The Legion will not falter!" As he said each of these, the soldiers gave short shouts of 'Aye!'. "We will die this day! With our blood pouring from thousands of wounds and our swords stained crimson! But our battle cries will echo throughout eternity! Bards will sing of this day, the last battle of the Dragon Legion! We will become legends! Every being on this planet, from the might elves to the lowly orcs, will know our names and how long we stood against the tides of evil! The heroes of the wars against the Overlords will welcome us into their gates!" The Legion gave another roar of approval that could be heard at the fortress. The horns of the traitors blew, and they began to march. The commander turned to the approaching army, then turned back to his troops. "Let us teach these men the true meaning of the words Trial by Fire!" He lifted his sword. The army was a little over 100 ft away. "TO BATTLE! FOR THE FLAMES!" Those final three words were repeated by the entire Legion as they followed their commander, charging into their final battle. The two sides met with a clash. Dozens fell beneath the warriors of the Dragon Legion, who fought like men with nothing to lose and death certain. A quarter of the army fell benath their blades, and they still kept moving on their merciless drive to the fortress of Ranoch.