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| Darker Than Shadow [p]; Duo | |
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| Topic Started: Fri May 29, 2009 12:01 am (140 Views) | |
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Fri May 29, 2009 12:01 am Post #1 |
 
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Darker than shadows, the blackness of the confusing maze of endless tunnels stretched on for thousands of miles in every direction. Just four hundred miles from the surface and under two hundred due north of the Dragonspine Mountains, however, rested the corpses of over a dozen carrion crawlers and several dozen orcs. They had guarded this chamber well ever since their god-king had perished within it during the Time of Troubles. But now it lay dormant, its altar and the squirming body upon it the only indication of life. Thick, heavy ropes bound the fiend to a pedestal of obsidian, the tail of a giant scorpion rising high above from between his legs to point its deadly stinger down at the man's chest. Blood filled the grooves that surrounded the altar. He was barely alive, only his enslaved soul keeping his body from becoming a corpse. So total was the darkness that only he and his brother could see what was happening. Tortured until he could stand it no longer, healed, and then tortured again: that had been the fiend's fate for several hours now; he had lost all track of time after the first session, so brutal was the cruelty that was his brother's specialty. But now it was all coming to an end. The tearing of flesh as a newborn hare's throat was cut with an obsidian knife could be heard cutting off its squeals; blood drenched its front until it stopped moving, covered the face of the tortured body - which had not been healed after the last session. The hare was tossed aside and the dagger was plunged mercilessly into the victim's heart; he didn't even have the strength left in him to grunt or flinch, let alone scream. Then Balam was in the circle of ash, his hands on the floor and his head bowed. A god? Hardly. He had no time or patience for gods. But a demon, however...that was something else entirely. He grunted and groaned as his flesh was seared, but then he felt power flowing through him. The dark-blue glow lasted only a few moments, but then there was fire as the body burst into flames. The screaming pierced the very walls of the Prime Material plane of existence as it erupted agonizingly from the small black gem that now shattered upon the body of Balam's brother. At last, it was done. After a few seconds, the flames died slowly. Fragments of the gem, tiny though they were, had completely melted into the corpse that now rested upon the altar in an eternal sleep. Balam himself finally stood, surrounded once more by the cold and dark of the deep tunnel. But he felt so much stronger now, so much faster, and so much more resilient. He could feel unwavering confidence flowing through him, its effects pulsing through him as he felt for the tattoo he had sought for so long: A Blessed Tattoo. This one, of course, had been blessed by a powerful archdemon from the Abyss - but not his father. No, he had recently received news that his father had fallen. Now all the lands of the Abyss were controlled by the Danach'tuu family save for the Wildlands. No matter. He would destroy them all soon enough. But a strange smell wafted into his nostrils amid the rotting flesh and scorced fiend's heinous corpse. Aye, there was another here - one as evil as himself, yet bearing strange emotions bubbling like a witch's foul brew just beneath the surface. It smelled like a vampire. |
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| Duo Animus | Sat May 30, 2009 1:23 am Post #2 |
 
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Why am I here? was the thought that kept repeating itself in Duo's mind as he stumbled through the darkness that surrounded him in these winding tunnels. He had been walking through the area above, seen an opening in the ground, and decided to explore for the fun of it- what he hadn't expected was for the tunnel to extend on for what must have been miles. Most normal humans would have turned back from hunger or fatigue at this point, but Duo wasn't exactly a normal human. He had the combined stamina of a vampire and one who was eternally bound to a demon, and feeding off of any small critter that crossed his path was enough to keep him moving. With luck, he'd stumble upon the underground city of the Drow that he had heard whisperings of. Of course, all his plans changed and were being reformed at the pungent odor of blood that wafted through the airs as he turned a corner. He was sent running, sprinting towards the source with unparalleled vigor- the idea of stumbling upon a large source of blood erased any worry of danger that he may have had within his twisted psyche. But as he drew nearer to what he assumed was the source, he found his steps slowing to a more cautious pace. What was this feeling in the air? It was a familiar aura, one he'd felt in the Abyss and in the Divschatten's guild hall, the Choronzon Gebaeude, numerous times- the feeling of a demon in the area. He grinned. Rounding yet another corner, he came upon the scene: a lone figure, an altar, and the scent of blood so powerful that he actually shuddered a bit. He stepped forward unguarded, ready in a moment to work whatever magic he may have needed as he surveyed this demonic presence. "Hope I'm not interrupting anything," he said in a nearly singsong manner, a smile tugging at the edges of his pale lips. He circled the demon, hands sliding into his pockets as he strode, one wrapping around the hilt of a dagger. With a moment's notice, he could pull the weapon free and fight with it if need be, though he doubted that would be the case so quickly. |
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Tue Jun 2, 2009 10:29 pm Post #3 |
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This one was ready with a spell. He was certain of it. He could smell the magic about him and within him. But not just a spell. He was ready with a dagger, too; the bulge of it was clear in the pocket of his trousers, his hand now gripped around its hilt like a man desperate for blood - but he was a vampire. That was completely normal for one such as him. Of course, that didn't mean much to Balam. He was feeling almost ecstatic at the moment, though he didn't let it show very much. His eyes gleamed, partly from excitement and partly from the immense superiority he suddenly felt as power coursed through his body at an unparalleled rate. Frankly, he had no problem with vampires at all. He thought they were rather useful additions to any battlefield, for their physical prowess was not to be ignored even by one such as Balam. The half-fiend stared at his opponent now, weighing him, sizing him up, studying him. He was infused with a demon; that much was clear from the acrid smell that touched Balam's nostrils lightly. How else would he smell a demon on the vampire? He had to admit, though, that the man could not have been too powerful in that regard or he would have smelled the demon in him long before now. But it hardly mattered. "If it is blood you seek, you will find only that which has been long-congealed in the body of my brother. As for me, I do not give up my blood so easily. Or did you have other ideas?" His deep voice resonated in the small chamber as the undead being examined him from all angles, hinting at an intimidating amount of power while showing no immediate threat. If it came down to it, the threat wouldn't be given too long before the attack; but the vampire wasn't here for a fight. He could tell that by his body language and the mask his face wore. Only the pair of them could see in this darkness that so completely enveloped the deep caverns, for the goblins were dead and so was Balam's brother; there was no one else around. But neither needed their eyes to know what was going on. Such was the advantage of two beings considered by many to be immortal. |
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| Duo Animus | Thu Jun 18, 2009 8:51 pm Post #4 |
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What to do, what to do... On one hand, there was an incredible, near insatiable urge inside of Duo to simply spring and drive the dagger into the demon's thick mass of a neck, then drink freely of the blood it would let. Granted, the demon was physically imposing- with each bulging muscle, he looked like he could rip Duo in half barehanded- but Duo was nimble, and above all, cunning. On the other hand, it seemed like it would be incredibly satisfying to watch this behemoth engulfed in flames and burn to death upon the ground, leaving only charred bones and a dark ring upon the spot. Doing that, though, would end the encounter all too quickly, and Duo was in a playful mood. He wanted to make the time last, not cut it short with an underhanded victory. His eyes widened slightly, taking on a glow of a violet shade around the pupil. His magic was always so very ready to go into effect that his eyes foretold its presence, small bits of power leaking into them and toying with their color. He stopped his circling, lips curling upwards into a fiendish smirk. Why not venture into the demon's mind and know his thoughts on the situation? Maybe if something interested him, it would delay the vampire from destroying the other where he stood. "What a pity," he said with sarcasm dripping throughout his voice, glancing over his shoulder at the obscure altar where he could feel lingering prickles of magic. "Here I was hoping to have a snack before diving back into the tunnels." He stood in silence for a time, continuing his exploration into the thoughts of the creature before him. "Your name?" he asked uninterestedly, deciding to fill the time with idle chat. Besides, if he could make the demon think of the true answers to his questions, then he wouldn't need to worry about whether he spoke falsehoods or not. "More importantly, what brings you down into these tunnels? Shouldn't you be frolicking through the Abyss?" he added with a light 'hmph,' wondering how things were going back at the Coronzon Gebaeude. |
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Thu Jun 18, 2009 11:58 pm Post #5 |
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Balam smelled the tell-tale trickle of mana as it began to slowly flow from the creature before him, felt it seep into his mind and begin prod at his thoughts. He cleared his mind instantly and growled, powerful images of the vampire being killed in several different violent, gruesome manners forming the bulk of Balam's immediate consciousness. He glared hard at the creature, somehow knowing that this would do anything but intimidate him; it was more out of habit as he tended to glare at everyone. "Find it if you can, little vampire. I have no secrets that are not already known to someone else." Indeed, pretty much all of what he knew was common knowledge either to others of the Abyss or to others on planes beyond Imythess. If the vampire kept digging, he would find thousands of years of constant bloody war in the Abyss; he would find out just how powerful and dangerous Balam had once been, and how powerful he was gradually becoming in Imythess as well. Balam's mind was cleared of all but the multiple images of the vampire's death, but that didn't mean he could hold out against the vampire forever. In any event, he wasn't worried about it. If the vampire did decide to attack him, as Balam suspected he might soon do, Balam would have no trouble disposing of the irritating little man. |
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| Duo Animus | Tue Jul 14, 2009 7:25 pm Post #6 |
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Almost as soon as he began receiving the images within Balam's conscious, he began to scowl. It always irked him to no end when people found ways to hide their thoughts from him, yet at the same time he enjoyed the challenge it presented. It added a certain... Unpredictability to any encounter he found himself in, and soon, the vampiric teenager's scowl was curling up into a Cheshiresque smile. "Really now?" he asked in response to Balam's statement, eyes flashing brighter for one brief moment before their glow faded. He was through with trying to read the creature's mind, forcing out the answers he sought seemed like a more entertaining notion anyway. "If that's the case, then why are you clouding your thoughts like this?" he inquired further, taking slow steps towards Balam, arms folded over his chest, the same manic smirk still plastered on his pale face. He kept chuckling to himself randomly, listening as the ringing laughter echoed off the walls and through the tunnels. "Do you fear anything?" came his next question, stopping short of the demon. He was out of arm's reach, too far for Balam to try anything- but definitely not too far to work his own magic. He had come closer only so he could better see the results as he quietly said aloud, "Seh deine Furcht, Dämon." Within moments, the demon's mind would be assaulted with the image of whatever he feared most in the world, a phantasmic horror that would hopefully haunt him for a good while- long enough for Duo to get a laugh out of it, anyway. |
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Sat Jul 18, 2009 9:16 pm Post #7 |
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He smirked. Was this one truly as dense as his words portended? Or was he playing some kind of game? It wouldn't have surprised Balam one bit either way, for any man willing to invade the thoughts of another could not have been too far off from madness or scheming - or both, in some cases. Balam thought this last to be the case here, for indeed the man did not seem to have a reason for being here. If he did, he certainly wasn't sharing it. But it didn't matter, either. The half-fiend wasn't here to deal with idiots. "I cloud my thoughts for the same reason that you attempt vainly to invade them." That was all he said, but it was all that needed to be said about the matter. It was a tactical advantage to know what one was thinking, and a dangerous one to boot. But just as dangerous was what made the demon suddenly twitch, uncertainty in his eyes though his jaw was no less firm and his muscles no less taut. He popped his neck in agitation, but he didn't dare move. He focused his mind on all the strength he possessed, desperately slipping into the role he had once held as the most powerful half-fiend in all the Abyss. Unbreakable was his will, but it was certainly bending under the stress of the thought that he was weak, powerless to stop those had destroyed from in turn destroying him. Yet somehow, he was resisting. As he fought back, his thoughts of power turned to rage. He hid his fear in the deeper part of his mind, converting it into physical intimidation as he surged forward to destroy the source of his fear. He did not take kindly to powers of the mind attacking his thoughts or emotions. He was going to enjoy this... |
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5:20 PM May 23
