Settled Score

[LeoRabbit99 360]

Word gets out of the Ascended mourning their lost brother...

 

 

Two figures were at the top of the ruins near the dominion. One was shackled to a tree, and the other stood a few yards away. It was Nin Taliame, once Grand Magus of the silver sect in the Ascended Order, and Richard Baruch, Creator of Monsters. Both were friends as young children, brought down two different paths as they grew--two very opposite paths. It was night time, but almost sunrise. Richard slowly began to approach Nin. 

 

Nin’s head hung low from his position, tied to a rope upon the thick stem of the tree. The thin elf's dirty hair completely covered his face, and his robes were in tatters."W-Who. . . is that?" Nin asked as he heard Richard approach, head lifting somewhat as if expecting help.

 

Richard slowly stepped forth, his boots cracking against the various features of nature under him--sticks, leaves, etc. He crouched down, going to pull the blindfold away from Nin's eyes. The ascended was met with the cold stare of Richard, his expression slowly turning that of predatory and wrath. 

 

Nin raised his head completely at this point to face Richard. His face was pale, abused, and littered with small bruises and cuts. The elf was thin and clearly malnourished. He stared at Richard with an expression of defeat, a slow, shaky breath escaping his dry lips as his mask was peeled away.

 

Richard slowly arose, beginning to pad back before turning around completely. He set his gaze upward upon the moon that shone its light down on top of the ruins near the Dominion. After a long moment of silence between the two, Richard finally spoke in a growl. "ColD nIghT. . . NIn?"

 

Nin simply stared at Richard, his gaze weak. Bits of snow began to fall into the messy hair of the elf. Richard was offered no response other than Nin giving a subtle shake of the head, his typically bright and vibrant teal eyes growing dull.

 

Richard slowly returned the direction of his body to the highborn elf, tilting his head forward a bit. He spoke with a relatively calm tone. "I reMembEr. . . WHeN wE wErE kiDs. . ." He continued to speak smoothly with his words. "PlAyInG aT tHe eDgE. . . Of ThE dOminIOn." He stopped, gazing back to the star-lit sky. "YoUth. . .hoW muCH. . . we'Ve grOwN."

 

Nin's lips were finally parted, words leaving the mouth of the ascended. "It's funny. . . how some don't grow as they age." He muttered, eyes continuing to watch the morghuul dully.  "And here I was, assuming your kind. . . could be saved." He said slowly, head hung low in exhaustion. He peered down briefly at the rope restraining his movement away from the tree, though soon refocused his gaze on Richard.

 

"BuT I TrIEd. . .To JoIn YoUr OrdEr. . .At oNe PoInt. . .ReEMemBEr?" He turned back around, his gray eyes staring intensely into Nin's.  "I trIeD. . . To dO tHE 'rIght' tHinG--FiGhT fOr. . . gOodNeSs, WhatEvEr tHat mEAns. BuT i suPpOsE. . . I jUSt wAns'T GoOD EnoUgh. . .eH?"

 

"Aye. . . and maybe if you'd have ended up joining. . . our positions would be switched." Nin said, the edges of his lips curling upward. . . into a faint grin. "Y-You'd be fortunate enough to take my place." he stammered, clearly completely sapped of energy as a result of the immense pain he'd endured over the previous weeks."How lucky I am. . ."

 

Richard snarled, his brows tilting into a form of anger. He spoke much more coherent than usual as if his thoughts on the matter were completely clear in his mind. "DoN'T moCk mE." He snapped, approaching closer to Nin with heavy steps. "DoN't spEak tO mE. . . as iF yOu hAvE iT wORsE. DoN'T SpeAk to me AboUt paIn." he hissed.

 

"I think. . . that I have it much better--And not because I am an ascended and you are a ghoul." he leaned toward Richard as he approached, a content smile set on his face, despite the conditions. "You don't understand. . . what is coming for you." He paused. "I am not one. . . to harm you." he continued, sucking in a slow breath. "In fact, I would have gladly. . . tried to save you, should you not have done this. . . You've made these circumstances yourself. You found solace in the darkness, rather than seeking closure in Aeriel's will. . . Even undead can befriend the Great lady."

 

"BefRiEnD? YOU tHinK I waNT frEinDsHip?" He scoffed. "I cArE noT. . .  FOR suCh thInGs. . . AnymORe. I sEeK. . . ReLeAsE. I KilL . . TO sAtE my HuNGeR. . . JUsT sO I CaN keEp. . . An oUnCe Of mY sAnITy. EvEry TimE I'm cUT doWn. . . I wAke Up To rEliVe. . . tHe sAmE nIGhtmAre. . . OvEr. . . AnD ovER. . . ANd OVER aGaiN. I waNt. . . aN eScaPE. An eScApe frOm tHis RoT. . . aN esCaPE fRom ThIs HoRroR. . . An EscApE fRoM mY InsAnItY. . . aN EscApE fRom MySelF." He paused. "TEll Me. . . CAn YoUr BeLOVed GoDdEsS oFfEr mE thAt?" He inquired in a clearly sarcastic tone.

 

"That is merely. . . a difference in philosophy." the ascended said quietly, clearly having expended all of his energy simply by talking as he fell quiet. The sun slowly peeked out over the mountains as the moon set. Nin peered over at the moon, mumbling a brief phrase under his breath. His eyes remained watching it as it descended out of sight.

 

"ThEy WiLl. . . CoMe foR yOu nIn. . . ANd fAil.  ThEy hAvE. . . No IdEa wHat'S In sToRe FoR thEm. . ." He took a few steps back, peering down at his old friend. "VenGeAnCe. . . WiLl bE mIne."

 

Nin remained silent, aquamarine eye turning back to Richard as he leaned his head back, resting it against the bark. He bobbed his head gently toward the Ghoul, offering nothing else.

 

"YoU WilL sEe. . ." He snarled before beginning off, gesturing a beckoning motion. A few of Richard's followers entered from the stairs and attended Nin at the movement. "EvEryoNE wIll SeE. . . SoOn EnouGH." He said with resolve as he slowly began to move off.

 

 

Meanwhile, Nin's rescue crew rallied at the Dominion--five holy warriors and a spriggan, some of whom Richard knew in life. One of them stood forth. It was Elvira Naromis, who had been taking charge of the mission to reclaim her fallen comrade. As she stepped before them, she paused. After a brief moment of silence, she parted her lips, beginning to speak. She declared her words with inspiration and encouragement.

 

"I know that today you are all nervous, worried, and even frightened of what we will face. But it's fine. . . It's fine to feel nervous or worried, or even afraid. Let no one tell you otherwise. Yet, I ask you to put aside these feelings and stand strong--confident in your patron and yourself. Richard has caused much suffering to those around us--all because he seeks revenge to those who have caused nothing to him. He unleashed terrors upon Sutica, killed a holy man in Haense, and now he seeks to once again unleash his terror by capturing Nin and luring us to the ruins near Caras Eldar. He threatens to harm my close comrade, and even though he has been a troublemaker from time to time, he is still a living being, and he does not deserve to suffer. So I ask that you all take up your blades and hold steadfast faith in yourselves. I trust you all to save my comrade and that we will bring him home and stop Richard once and for all!"

 

The group cheered. They all began to set out for the ruins. It wasn't too long before they arrived, standing at the base of the staircase spiraling up the tall structure. It had begun...

 

 

The party slowly ascended up the ruins. Their senses were vigilant and their weapons were ready. Shortly, they arrived at the first floor. They saw a lone figure adorned in gray, tattered robes. It looked akin to their fellow ascended. "Nin?" A few wondered out loud. The figure was looking down. A few approached, their eyes cautioned over the balconies above. They heard some scuffles, but nothing more. The spriggan of the group slowly extended its rooty arms, creeping toward Nin's position. He did not move. Each moment seemed like a lifetime, all wondering what would happen next. It couldn't be this easy. In an instant, the figure sprawled at the spriggan. It was one of Richard's goons!

 

 

The phony lunged at the spriggan, going to thrust his dagger into it. The spriggan was easily able to fend of the attacker, killing him within the grasp of its roots. After he was finished off, a familiar voice boomed in the coliseum-like building, echoing through its enormous interior. It was Richard, speaking with a sny tone. "WeLComE. . .mY fRIenDs. . .To tHe AreNa. . .oF ChiMeRas. . ."  With that, the party could hear some rumbling. From one of the many overhanging balconies, a monstrous beast approached. It was nearly 11 feet tall, its stoneskin-warped hide covered mostly with thick, heavy-plate armor. It roared, a smaller creature hissing from on top of its shoulder. It was Rango the Dog, an olog-bear chimera of Richard's that struck fear into the hearts of many men, and its fearsome pet, Chitters.

 

 

The bulk of the group engaged the enemy, but one of the ascended took notice of Richard's whereabouts on the top interior floor, watching to the battle with delight. Nin was tied beside him. As his group fought, he decided to pursue Richard. He snuck to his position at the top level, creeping slowly. A few rocks were stepped on in his stalk. Richard quickly went to grab Nin, putting a knife to his neck. The ascended quickly revealed himself, backing off. While they conversed, the battle below soon drew to an end. Rango fought well, making his mark in the spriggan, but he was no match for the forces of the ascended. He and his companion fell. "ReLEAsE. . .ThE neXt OnE!" Richard called from above. a few of his followers on the second floor began unlocking a cage. Within it was Zarcuss the Venom--a giant spider fused with a giant scorpion. Its had two large claws for arms, six legs, and a tail with a poisonous stinger. He was released and jumped to the contenders. 

 

 

The spriggan held it off while the rest of the group dashed to Richard, now all seeing his blade to Nin's throat. Although the spriggan was greatly wounded, Zarcuss was eventually defeated. Meanwhile, the group made it to Richard.

 

 

As they hurried upstairs, they all entered from different openings and surrounded the morghuul. He was quickly trapped, unable to escape. He only had his leverage now--Nin's unconscious body within his arms threatened with a blade. Some of the newcomers who knew Richard when he was alive had some exchanged words with him. All in the while, Richard's face was fueled with rage and sorrow.

 

He had remembered all the good times with his brother, Nin. They use to laugh, scream, and play together as children. Richard would have gladly taken an arrow in the heart for him at one point. They grew up together. They shared stories of their wild life together. Although they both somewhat disapproved of the path of the other, Richard being an avid supporter of Xion, and Nin being an ascended, they both loved each other. It wasn't until Richard was twisted into...something else when they started having issues. Nin despised and pitied Richard's existence as a ghoul, as well as he should've. In fact, It wasn't Richard at all. What was in Richard's shell now was but a loose formation of his memories--the terrors of his path seeming to take the forefront. He was alone, fueled by the ever-growing hunger and rage of a ghoul's nature without any positive emotions to balance it. Many times he tried to end himself, but he simply couldn't. What he was was not a gift, as the young Richard would have thought, craving immortality. It was a curse.

 

Now, he had Nin in his arms, and he was losing this fight. The horrible thoughts took over. He remembered when Nin simply stood aside as his teacher, Dael'ran, carved out Richard's eye slowly with earth magic. He remembered when he first presented himself in his state of Death to Nin. He was met with insults, threats, and scorn. Finally, he remembered his wife Carsandra. There was no one Richard loved more than Carsandra. She was the cushion during the stressful days of leadership. She supported him, cherished him, and put up with him. She was the bright sun in his life...and Nin took her away from him. She had "moved on," Richard supposed. She loved Nin now. He couldn't bear it any longer. As the rescuers slowly closed in, Richard shrieked with anger, bringing the dagger across Nin's neck. With a few mumbled gasps for air, the ascended's throat began to rain blood as he slowly collapsed. He was finished. Someone nearby released an aurum arrow into Richard's head now that his captive was slain. He fell beside his old friend, lifeless...

 

The friends of the ascended quickly rushed to their dead brother, tearing and mourning over his body. Truly, it was a sad moment. The last monster soared into the arena with the giant wings of a bird, the body of a large feline, and a draconic tail. It had three heads--an eagle head to its left, a dragon head at its right, and a lion head in between them. It was Kyriss the Feather.

 

 

It began to fight the spriggan, but the chimera was too much for it to fight alone. The group quickly rushed to aid their ally, the rage from their passed comrade only driving their motivation further. Although a few were incapacitated, they managed to defeat Kyriss. They had triumphed in the Arena of Chimera, but at what cost...

---

 

OOC: This is the last post. I hoped everyone enjoyed my saga as a ghoul. Thank you @Unwillingly, @Capace, and @ForeverGinger. I'll also thank @Aesopian again. They were excellent ET that helped me make this happen.

 

Related Posts:

 

[DarkElfs 160]

Bolon Stormtaker since that day and being the one to have set lose that aurum arrow in to Richards head and take Richards head himself. Only to after be simply sitting at home with Richards skull above in a small wooden carved chest he'd locked. His only good eye the runic one glued on it as he'd sip from his cup of rose tea a sigh or two coming afterwards.

 

"I bloody fucked up a bit. I should of backed up not continue forward there. Like how I probably was forgotten about most of the time by Richard. . . . I'd shared close to the same childhood with him just be forgotten about in the end by his. . . tormented mind. Lease I was the one to end him over any one else that day. Now get back to a life alone. . . in a rather large home at the back of sutica I guess while slowly continuing to follow and do my trials." 

 

After a moment Bolon finish up his tea before going pull out a cigar from a small pot near by and move up to the fire to light the tip in it before setting it in to his own mouth. He'd take one rather large inhale from the cigar before letting the smoke out. Only to fill his home with the scent of blueberry. The cigar seeming end up relaxing him as he'd go sit down on rather large seat near by.

[Yew_Coniferous 25]

“Yew did best could. Much sad. Have make try of harder in future.” Commented the battle-worn Spriggan.

[osumanduas 1442]

Moved to The Great Library. It shall be sorted into the appropriate category shortly.

 

If you feel this is a mistake, please contact myself or any FM and we'll restore it.