"Trick or Treat?"
Open door, trash metal playing loudly, Jox appear with a bottle of querosene "Kid on my lawn?! BURN IN HELL!!!!! *spit fire at the kids*"
"The Cathedral...", Damien murmured. "The heart of their operations". He had heard tales of the old Cathedral, of how after the war, a great evil had manifested deep within it's catacombs. Tales of how the evil happened upon a group of paranoid humans, fearful of how Felankind would one day wipe out humanity. Tales of how it convinced these men to form a "divine" order, and tasked them with the extermination of the Felan species. Tales of how the ones the order captured were sacrificed to this "heathen god", their blood and energy giving life and power to it, making it stronger, and that once enough of their victims had been sacrificed, it would rise up and purify the world, establishing a proud empire of mankind. Years back, Damien would've regarded the Klansmen as merely a racist doomsday cult, but after a few years in this universe, learning of how many possibilities were spread across the void of reality, of how "magic" was a true power in this world, he had a feeling that their motives were truly working towards something dangerous. He knew there and then, that he had to do something to stop them. He was tired of being a spectator in this theatre of war. He knew of how to use power in ways that could help defeat the Klansmen, and prevent their plans from bearing its evil fruits.
"I... i've never felt so alone...", George lamented. "First, father leaves us to serve the Freeman, and now mother is to be sacrificed by the Klansmen... Both our parents... are gone... It feels as if all my efforts, all I fought for, all of it is for naught..." George fell to his knees, wracked with guilt and sorrow. Chloe comforted her forlorn brother, tears in her eyes, gently whispering "Don't say that, George... We still have each other, that at least is still true. We'll get through this, no matter what it takes". Damien felt his heart breaking as he saw their plight, and fire filled his eyes. This was just one bit of the suffering that the Klansmen had caused against the innocents of the city, all to serve a single idea. He felt a sense of righteous indignation for what had been done to innocent people, just because of their species. It burned within his veins in a way stronger than the mana that flowed through his bloodstream. "No more", he finally said. "What?", Chloe replied. "They have gone far enough", he continued. "They have killed too many, and caused too much suffering. But no more. They will pay for their evils, their depravity, their willful genocide. I shall fight them, just as you have, George". "You seem very brave, friend", Geroge replied, now quite concerned. "But your apparent valor and bravery won't fare too well against them. They are countless thousands, and they always keep on coming. One man alone, even with the heart of a warrior, cannot stop them completely. Even the thousands of brave Templars I call my comrades cannot stop them..."
Damien looked quizically at George, then replied with a tone of confidence. "You're part of a resistance group, eh? Well, I think that you lot could use a guy like me" "Oh come on now, don't be foolish!", George countered with humor in his voice. "You're just one man: you're not even armed!" "Who needs arms...", Damien chuckled, raising his left hand. A green fire washed over his fingers as it floated upwards from his palm. "When I have magic?", he continued. "...no way...", George replied with surprise in his voice. "A... a WIZARD? Willing to fight for us?" "Aye, chap", Damien confirmed. "I take it your organisation doesn't have a wizard?" "It-it doesn't, yes! But you can't... You can't seriously be able to use your magic to intervene in conflicts?! What about Jaren's Law?" "Jaren's Law?", Damien replied in disgust, spitting at a dustbin. "TO HELL WITH JAREN'S LAW! That law was an arbitrary imposition, made by cowards, for cowards! Why the fuck do they prohibit the usage of magic in warfare anyway? Magic is the best weapon in the universe! Besides, those Klansmen are using magic in their arsenal, so if anything, we should fight fire with fire..." He paused briefly to take a swig from a flask of mana. "With my capabilities, I could turn the tide of this conflict", he continued. "So what if it's 'illegal'? Laws are easily broken: they are mere guidelines for what people perceive as right. But if right is defined as not using magic to save peoples lives and defeat that which threatens order, then right can kiss my arse. The other wizards are just afraid, unwilling to defy law, even if breaking the law can save countless lives. They cling to law like a child clings to it's mother's teat, and it supplies them with what think is their 'sustenance'".
"But I cast aside 'mother's milk' long ago, for I do not blindly cling to order like they do. I embrace chaos as well: for the only way to travel the true path to power and knowedlge is by travelling all paths beforehand. Only then can you have true sight. Only then can you truly discern right from wrong. Only then can you achieve Balance. That is why I wish to fight alongside your cause, George. Because I see true. I know what to do. And I am not afraid". George and Chloe were stunned after Damien's lengthy speech, taking in his spoken words and their meaning. "Well", George finally said. "to 'ell with Jaren's Law, then. You could indeed be the answer to our prayers, Mr..." "Angel", Damien replied. "Damien Angel". "...Mr Angel", George continued. "Although i'll probably have to speak with Janos, convince him to consider this proposition". Damien stood in shock from that familiar name. A wave of nostalgia washed over him, as images associated with the name Janos swam through his mind. "...Janos?", he finally responded. "...as in, Janos Audron?" "You know him?", George replied with intrigue. "I know a lot of him, of what he is, what he did... But he fell! He fell into the Demon Dimension! How could he be here, if he was cast into a hideous, twisted land inhabited by his wretched enemy?" "He what now?", Chloe finally asked. "The Hylden General cast him into that place of evil. I remember it, I saw it!"
"But maybe...", Damien pondered. "Maybe something else happened there, something that the designers didn't think of..." He recalled his distant past, back when he was a teenager. A young lad who loved to play video games, stumbled upon a certain game in HMV. Blood Omen 2: Legacy of Kain. He remembered playing it, as it chronicled the history of a vampire by the name of Kain, a name that was also well known in the universe he presently inhabited. He remembered the final boss fight with the Hylden General, one of the cutscenes. The General had incapacitated one of Kain's associates, an Ancient Vampire by the name of Janos Audron, casting him into the swirling vortex below, into a hellish land. The game series that Damien played back then, Legacy of Kain, coincided with the events of another universe, as most ideas tended to, due to the near-infinite quantities of dimensions scattered across the void. And with a transdimensional breach present on the Earth's surface, opened some 17 years prior by a then-mortal Gordon Freeman, the flotsam and jetsam of other universes washed up across the planet. Perhaps the breach had delivered Janos here as well, snatching him from the universe Nosgoth existed in, just before he landed in that hellish land that his kind had long ago banished the Hylden to... "You seem to know much more about our leader than we do, Damien", George replied. "Hopefully, he'll agree to meeting with you, although he'll probably take some convincing..." He typed a code into his wristwatch, and the same strange resonation occured again. "Hold on tight: teleportation can be disorienting in you're not used to it".
Damien barely had enough time to say "Wha-?", before he felt reality displace itself again. A green flash enveloped his vision, and as it cleared, he found himself standing in a great hall, filled with grey stone walls and granite statues. Many people were present: walking around, inspecting machinery, talking on benches. Damien felt nauseous from such a jarring transition, but this feeling eventually passed. Gathering his strength, he asked "Where are we?". "This, my friend, is the Citadel of the Templars, the heart of our operations", George proudly declared. "So this is where you work, eh?", Chloe remarked, surveying the area. "Sort of gothic, isn't it?" "Reminds me of his previous aerie...", Damien mused, recalling the game Soul Reaver 2. "Well then... Let's go see Janos", he added. George led him to the top floor, where two unmistakable statues stood on either side of a large wooden door. The statues bore a resemblance to winged humanoids, similar to angels. However, Damien knew what they truly represented. These were the statues of Ancient Vampires, of Janos' race, now extinct in his native dimension of Nosgoth. Damien felt a solemn reverence for these noble creatures, the ones that kept their world safe from a civilisation that threatened to destroy all. He silently lamented how their "god" had led them astray, and drove them to suicide when he turned his sight from them, after the curse of undeath befell their species, rendering them incapable of breeding or dying naturally, as well as afflicting them with the need to consume the lifeblood of mortals in order to stay alive. As he remenisced their plight, George had convinced the guard to ask Janos to meet Damien. The permission was granted, and Damien was permitted an audience with the Ancient Vampire.
He walked through the large wooden door, into a room filled with books and strange artifacts, with walls that led upwards to a large glass dome, where the moon and stars shone down. The only other sources of light were the warm glow of wall-mounted braziers, and the sharp glow of a large telecommunications screen. In front of this screen, there was an unmistakable silhouette of a winged humanoid, the one that Damien had to convince to allow him to join the Templars. Gathering up his courage, he walked towards the figure, who was currently facing the screen, as if waiting for a message. "...Janos Audron?", Damien queried. "As prophecised... you have arrived at last", the figure spoke, in an unmistakable Eastern European accent. "...I take it you've been expecting me, Mr Audron?", Damien replied, remembering to adopt a professional and humble attitude in front of this noble being. Janos turned around, the lights of the room showing his tuxedo, a get-up that Damien didn't expect him to be wearing. Now facing Damien, he looked notably amused by the young wizard's attempted formality. "Come now, wizard...", he remarked. "There's no need for too much formality. After all, we are not so different in the end". "Yes, my friend, I have indeed been expecting you here", he continued. "The prophecies read true, as they were meant to be. Ah yes, I know why you have come here, into the Citadel of the Templars, my new 'abode'. You seek to use your wizardry to aid us, despite the illegality of your potential actions..." Damien nodded, slightly nervous about what he would say next. "Using magic in warfare is indeed an illegal action", Janos continued. "But to be fairly honest, this organisation isn't officially 'legitimate', either. And neither are the Klansmen, but they still exist in the city, just as we Templars do..."
Janos walked over to his desk, picking up a remote control. Using it, multiple CCTV windows showed up on the telecommunications screen. "The Klansmen do indeed weave their magicks in their sick crusade", he said as one of the windows enlargened, showing Klansmen running down an alleyway, pursuing a group of Felans. "They use it to trap the poor Felans, so they can capture them for their sacrifices..." "I've heard some people say that they sacrifice them to some kind of 'heathen god'", Damien commented. "Apparently, the blood and energies of the sacrifices feed whatever it is they worship down there..." "These are indeed true, but it is not merely sacrifices that they are using to fulfill their ends with", Janos confirmed, now with an expression of angst and fear on his face. He pressed the remote again, switching to a new window, this time showing a congregation of Klansmen, chanting strange phrases, as someone who appeared to be a high priest spoke ritualistic excerpts from a very familiar book, bound in skin and bone. "The Necronomicon...", Damien uttered in horror. "So that's what they're doing. They ARE trying to summon a deity! But... which one?" "I was hoping you would know that", Janos queried. "The phrases they speak are indeed of magickal derivation, but it's unlike any magick I have ever known of..."
A dawning horror now settled upon Damien like a thick cloak. The phrases were extremely familiar now. He had worked with them prior to his "displacement" into this dimension. He heard words like Pargon, Nethlek and Santak littered throughout otherwise unintelligeble phrases. But one such phrase, spoken by the high priest, echoed through his mind like castanets in a cave. "Pargon fa Chattur'gha! I'a Chattur'gha!", the priest bellowed. "Chattur'gha...", Damien repeated, admonished upon learning the name of his true foe. "Oh no... Oh god no... He's here...", he added, his mind swimming with old memories and terrifying visions. "You have encountered this 'Chattur'gha' prior to now?", Janos asked in a concerned tone. "Encountered? Not exactly", Damien replied, his thoughts drifting back to his recent past. "Back before I came to this dimension, about 2 or 3 years ago, I was a junior developer at Silicon Knights, a video-game development studio. When I was brought on board as a writer, I was tasked along with a few other people to co-develop the storyline for a sequel to one of their previous titles, which was called Eternal Darkness. The previous title wasn't as successful as it should've been, but gained a fan following amongst many people. Although I only discovered it many years after it was released, through an online walkthrough by another fan, it had a similar effect on me".
"It was one of the many things that sparked my enthusiasm for story development. The storyline, the characters, the locales, they set my mind in motion for creative thought. But anyway, enough about my life story. What really matters is that the story of Eternal Darkness coincided with the historical events of a certain set of dimensions. Three Ancients, malevolant god-like embodiments of certain aspects of reality, ended up destroying each other in different timelines, and the fourth one, Great Mantorok, manipulated the chronology of their encounters, ensuring their mutual annhialation..." Janos was intrigued by these events, and was surprised when Damien paused. "Oh sorry, please continue, Damien", he requested, eager to learn more about their newfound enemy. "Well, that's pretty much where their story ended, as far as we knew...", Damien continued. "But something else must've happened. Though their bodies were destroyed, their spirits very likely survived. Even as mere shadows of themselves, they still possessed a great measure of their power. Chattur'gha's spirit must've found it's way here, by following one of the dimensional funnels stretching outwards across reality, eminating from the breach. It manifested beneath the Cathedral, seducing the minds of humans, convincing them to do it's bidding, exploiting their dark emotions and ambitions to get them to feed it's spirit with living matter and energy... Lords above... If it gains the matter and energy it had prior to it's defeat at the hands of Ulyaoth, then it'll do what it couldn't do back in the universe it once inhabited".
"And that is...?", Janos anxiously queried. Damien's eyes rose to Janos's, concern and terror in his eyes. "It will feast on all life in this universe, establishing it's evil dominion, and plunging this world... into eternal darkness", he replied fearfully. "And with the breach in this universe, it could conquer countless other dimensions..." Janos now looked paler than ever, terrified by the prospect of Chattur'gha's ambitions. "Dear god... I now know that we have more at risk here than previously imagined", he replied at last. "Very well, you may use your wizardry in your sevice to us. Jaren's Law will not inhibit your plans, whatever happens. If there is any chance at all that your magicks will defeat Chattur'gha, you must use your full potential. If we do not succeed in preventing the Klansmen from restoring this creature to its full power, I fear all may be lost..." "Thank you, Janos", Damien said. "Although now I know my enemy, I will need to become more powerful than possibly imagined. I will need every bit of magick at my disposal, every spell I can get my hands on, every potion of mana I can acquire, every piece of arcane apparel capable of enhancing my capabilities, if I am to even stand a single chance against Chattur'gha..." He walked towards the door, satisfied with the outcome of his meeting with Janos. But just before he opened the door leading back into the main hall, he turned back, and said "I think that your other Templars may fare well if they were able to use a bit of magic, too. But apart from that, I will do my best not to abuse my power". "Very well...", Janos replied with approval. "I advise that you should only take on one apprentice, however. Teaching more than one person may hamper your own search for power..."
Damien exited Janos' room, still taking in his words he had passed on to Damien. Teach only one? It seemed fair enough, as educating others can sometimes hamper one's own education... But who to teach? Damien had ambitions to give others power, just as he himself had gained power. But only one apprentice... "Damien? What'd he say?", he heard Chloe ask. He explained the plight that they were now in, and of the enemy they now faced. He also confirmed that Janos had permitted him to use magicks against the new threat, and that he would do best to train a single apprentice in the ways of magic. "But the trouble is...", Damien pondered, "Who to pass my knowledge on to? Who to educate in the arcane ways?" He knew of no others he could teach, and who would be willing to fight for what's right. His friend Blaze already had mastery over most power, specialising in the Hellenic magicks, although those kinds of magicks were rather easy and simple to learn. Besides, she wasn't willing to defy law in order to save the universe and others. Josiah wouldn't have been be too happy about illegal activity either, even if it did mean salvation of reality. Even if he was willing to do so, his magicks were more mentallic than etheric, and the power of the Mind mostly proves ineffective against the power of Might, as the Ancient Xel'lotath learned as she was torn asunder by Chattur'gha's Might. Apart from them, Damien didn't really have any other friends. Any that were willing to learn the power, or to aid him in defeating an Ancient, anyway.
Unless... His thoughts turned back to Chloe, the one he had rescued from a mortal minion of the Ancient he was up against, the one looking at him as he pondered so deep in thought. She seemed young and able, willing to learn, willing to fight. She would perhaps prove to be the apprentice Janos had advised him to find, even if she was still coping with the loss of her mother. But perhaps... "Say, uh, Chloe?", Damien asked her. "Would you be interested in becoming my apprentice?" She was surprised by this proposition, and it seemed rather sudden. Half an hour ago, she had been saved by this brave young wizard, and now he offers to teach her the ways of magic? "He's either very generous, or he's got a plan...", she thought. But then she remembered seeing what Damien could do, the powers he wielded, the knowledge he used, the might he bore. She had the feeling that she wanted to be like that; to wield such power, to use such knowdelge, to bear such might. "Hmmm...", she wondered, still trying to make up her mind over whether she truly wanted to be like him. Taking one more glance at him, she quickly made up her mind. "Ok...", she spoke at last. "I'll do it".
"Okey dokes, that's great", Damien spoke with approval. "I guess I could start your 'apprenticeship' tomorrow, then..." "Thanks Damien...", she replied. "I'll probably need someone to get me back home, though..." George butted in, concern in his eyes. "But it's not safe there anymore, remember? The Klansmen are probably waiting there to see if you'll return..." "...damnit!", she replied with frustration. "I guess i'll probably have to crash here, then..." "You probably could...", George countered. "But we don't exactly have dormitories here. We still got homes to go to, to be normal people in". Chloe placed her head in her hands, frustrated from this turn of events. "This is just perfect... I've got nowhere to go now! What in hell do I do?!" Damien felt pained to see his new apprentice in such a complicated position, without anywhere to stay. So he decided to offer a helping hand, as characterised the aspect of Good.
"Well, if there's nothing else... I guess you could crash at my place, if you wanted to", Damien proposed.
To be continued...
Worked most on this 'un before I headed off to The Hope.
Coolest beans ever.
[editline]09:57PM[/editline]
[QUOTE=SFbabe;18120583]cool story bro[/QUOTE]
I thought a troll would have a more clever way of countering a statement rather than saying "cool story bro".
Actually I might try Borderlands on this laptop because I know it won't run well but at least it won't crash and take literally 5 minutes to load every time I go to a different area.
I know I've probably said this before but Smirnoff you are an excellent writer. You should try entering a short story competition, win yerself some dough.
Well, i'd probably be disqualified if I did, 'cause my stories are anything BUT short.
It'll teach you a valuable lesson in restraining yourself and your creative impulses. Besides, the above story isn't [I]massively[/I] long, I'm sure there's a contest or two out there that'd take it.
[editline]12:03AM[/editline]
[QUOTE=kikka;18120454]Well, in Dwarf Fortress, it's possible for a newborn baby to go berserk and kill an elite hammerman with full platemail.
And that doesn't possibly mean the hammerman has platemail on. The baby may aswell beat the hammerman to death with platemail body armor.[/QUOTE]
I like it when the Hammerer loses both his arms so he has to resort to biting criminals to death as a punishment.
[b]Electric feel now[/b]
ugh, bored and no one to talk to, the only person I manage to hold a long conversation with isn't online and seems to have been giving me the cold shoulder even though I've done nothing wrong
then go to sleep, it's midnight
[QUOTE=Smirnoff Joe;18120684]Well, i'd probably be disqualified if I did, 'cause my stories are anything BUT short.[/QUOTE]
If that's the case, try writing a short story...
What happens when somebody comes out of the closet? Do rainbows form over their head?
Oh god i'm tired.
Night WAYT. :downs:
[QUOTE=mikeyt493;18120725]Short will mean about 1500-2000 words, probably.[/QUOTE]
This one reaches about 3640, and that's just a tiny bit of a single "chapter" of what it would be if it were an actual book.
[QUOTE=Joxalot;18120819]If that's the case, try writing a short story...[/QUOTE]
I think I did once. It was that not-so creepy creepypasta I did about the guy with the magic book, called I Was Just Curious. That one was about 3060 words or so, pretty long, but still shorter than most regular stories.
[QUOTE=dcalde78;18120792]ugh, bored and no one to talk to, the only person I manage to hold a long conversation with isn't online and seems to have been giving me the cold shoulder even though I've done nothing wrong[/QUOTE]
You could've kept talking to me. I can play l4d at 1am.
[QUOTE=DuncanFrost;18120808]then go to sleep, it's midnight[/QUOTE]
I don't sleep until past 2am on the weekends
[QUOTE=Nintendo-Guy;18120822][media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qaAiXN-7GE&feature=player_embedded[/media][/QUOTE]
What a badass in the start of the video.
Watching Eastern Promises again, these previews make old, crappy movies look good.
And James macavoy is a cool dude.
Hmm, these previews are going to make me look up these underappreciated movies
the song is awesome yo
[QUOTE=GyroburnerV2;18120879]You could've kept talking to me. I can play l4d at 1am.[/QUOTE]
I can't play L4D
makes me wish I had a decent desktop in my room so I could play any time I wanted
[QUOTE=Smirnoff Joe;18120878]This one reaches about 3640, and that's just a tiny bit of a single "chapter" of what it would be if it were an actual book.[/QUOTE]
then publish the book and get rich!
[QUOTE=dcalde78;18120917]I can't play L4D
makes me wish I had a decent desktop in my room so I could play any time I wanted[/QUOTE]
Why not? Doesn't it run on your laptop?
[QUOTE=Nintendo-Guy;18120822][media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qaAiXN-7GE&feature=player_embedded[/media][/QUOTE]
I haven't listened to it in like years, thanks for giving me nostalgia
[QUOTE=GyroburnerV2;18120932]Why not? Doesn't it run on your laptop?[/QUOTE]
my laptop has an integrated chipset
do you really think that will run L4D
yankees gonna win the world series
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