originally posted in:The New Dojo
[b]Seth didn't move, a flurry of kunai escaping him as he launched a volley of explosives at Lance.[/b]
[i]"Pfft. Let's see if you can actually cut more than paper..."[/i]
[b]Seth didn't draw his own weapon, instead, rolling back his black sleeves to use his fists. He barely ever had to use Maelstrom, and when he did, it dusky meant a last resort.[/b]
English
-
[i] There seemed to be a continuous circular blur until..there. It broke and Lance came rocketing forward like a bullet, all three swords swinging. He hadn't been to that speed yet, nor his swords had. It was almost incomprehensible at how fast he was moving. The seals definitely helped but still..damn. [/i]
-
[b]The figure almost seeped with annoyance as the blades came crashing against him, slicing right through until he was in three separate pieces...[/b] [i]"Fascinating... Slightly... For a human..."[/i] [b]With that... He spilled over... Disappearing into a strange grey liquid...[/b] [b]Silence filled the area as the fog settled once more... Emptiness taking its place.[/b]
-
"I'm a Traveler." [i] Lance snarled, swinging his swords around his body in a fanciful blurred show, until the steel was nearly invisible to the naked eye.[/i]
-
[b]The liquid bubbled slightly as if to mock Lance before melting away into the reflective ground.[/b] [b]Farther off, Lana's battle was still taking place... But there was no sound in this place... No buildings... No anything... For the first time Lance realized the solitary nothingness of the foggy area...[/b] [i]"Beautiful isn't it? A land that is perfect? No pain, no suffering... Just empty space to think... The grand triumph of the spirit."[/i]
-
"Can't say I'm a fan, seems pretty boring." [i] Lance said with a smirk, still twirling his blades. While peace and quiet was all nice, Lance lived for action and adventure. A place that was solitary nothingness was a nightmare in his eyes.[/i]
-
[b]Suddenly, the air became heavy like tons of bricks, the energy of a newcomer invading Lance's space almost immediately.[/b] [i]"I see... Art is interpretive. I must apologize... I figured I would have killed you by now. I do not wish to make you suffer."[/i] [b]This voice... The power it gave off... It was like a god talking to an ant... A chorus of screams and violent howls that emanated suffering and fear. This... This was Seth's greatest fear...[/b] [i]"Introductions aside... I can assure you I am not usually this weak. I am... Trapped you see... Split between over a dozen beings created by a small woman. At first we were separate... But I loved her... But others feared me... In time I learned acceptance wouldn't come and only she would still love me... But she too, changed... Now... I'm encased. What you are witnessing now is an eighteenth of my power..."[/i] [b]From the fog, a tall figure takes shape... Ten feet in height... Giving off the aura of something beyond comprehension.[/b] [i]"I can smell fear, hear anger, and feel despair... But alas... There is nothing for me to see... But you... You shall bare witness to my infinite being."[/i]
-
"What..are you?" [i] Lance wasn't used to feeling inferior. To say the least, he was normally at the top of the food chain, but whatever this was, it was out of his league. [/i] [quote]Way. Above. Your. Pay. Grade.[/quote]
-
[i]"I wish I was born into existence with a name... Alas... I was not... Rather, I'll give you the name that my Queen imbued upon me... I am... Anthony Burbank, The World-Eater..."[/i] [b]From the fog, the tall figure emerges, dressed in a long black cloak that hid his entire body, with long sleeves that hid his hands. A long collar hid the neck, and two white rings seemed to clamp into the collar bone... Atop the broad shoulders was a head, a wicked and twisted head with dark grey skin and long wiry black hair tied into a ponytail. But then... The mask... A pale white mask with two thin nostril holes... And the smile. A large sickening grin with cherry red lips and perfect teeth... Lance felt the more he looked at the mask, the more insanity gripped him, images flashing across his mind, the mask alone draining him. This was an embodiment of fear and mental intrusion.[/b] [spoiler]https://i.imgur.com/HXa7LrA[/spoiler] [i]"Tell me... Have you witnessed such before? I doubt it... I am a king among slaves."[/i]
-
[i] So he's powerful, and a jackass. Good to know. Lance's head swam as he gazed upon Anthony, even feeling the subconscious of Shadow squirming in the sword he still had clamped between his jaws.[/i] [quote][i]I've faced down a lot of things in my time..but Mr. Anthony Burbank might actually give me a run for my money.[/i] Shadow said in an almost gleeful voice, but Lance shoved it down. That was the last thing he needed.[/quote] "No..I've never met anything the likes of you." [i] That was a lie. Shadow had a presence equivalent to this, but Lance wasn't about to fùck with something way out of his league. [/i]
-
[i]"If you think I'll engage in combat with you... You are mistaken..."[/i] [b]Anthony merely tilted his head and Lance felt a terrible blow land on his chest, a crushing sensation like his breath being stolen a dozen times over...[/b] [i]"In a second I could crush you... And I'm currently weak... I have defeated those who think they are gods... The Lordans... the Mournes.... The Legions... Even Mallana... My dearest Queen, fell to me..."[/i] [b]He shook his head, his voice reverberating behind the mask, the mouth unmoving with each word...[/b] [i]"So what now...? You should flee... Flee and I will spare you."[/i]
-
"What..are you? You can't just be a construct of Lana's mind like Seth and Brutus.. unless she's actually capable of such a thing." [i] Lance questions. He ignored the fact he'd just been threatened, and the fact he definitely could die. He had a feeling he wouldn't be able to talk to this being again soon, he wanted anything he could learn. If push came to shove, he knew exactly who he'd let loose. [/i]
-
Edited by Chesh I Guess: 10/18/2016 6:59:42 AM[i]"I was an amalgamation... A creation of sin and hatred... But men under the names Creed, Mourne, and Salem gathered me and turned me corporeal... Then... They used me... Broke me... And made me kill... I killed hundreds... Until I was sealed into a girl... The girl... She had a beautiful mind... Pure and untainted... I was like another... A spirit of passion and purity was my opposite... I was put into Mallana... Amaterasu was put into an Aldon... Both girls were beat and tortured... Broken and left to suffer... But we saved them... And then they took us away..."[/i] [b]Lance could feel another strike hit his spine, a crippling sensation overcoming him...[/b] [i]"I killed many... But I was sealed with a gate... Then... The Lordans came... A family of outcasts... And with them... A shining beacon... A man who sought to topple everything... And he did... But he was too late... Warped and angry... Lana turned to me for vengeance... But I took it out on her... I fragmented and became a trinity... Now... I am limitless... But only in the mind..."[/i] [b]A crunching noise... Something crawling across Lance's arms and legs as sharp pain built up under his skin... This was... No... Spiritual warfare was over... This was blasphemous torture...[/b] [i]"My freedom is at hand... And with it... My vengeance... I'll crush everything... The Lordans... Amaterasu... Mourne... Even my Queen..."[/i]
-
[i] Not if I've got anything to do with it, Lance thought to himself as the paint racked his body, gritting his teeth against the treatment. Anthony said he'd been sealed behind a gate. If it was the same kind Damien had mentioned.. if something of this magnitude came with them, Damien had three? Lance was feeling a lot more grateful that he was more of a friend than enemy to Damien. But Amterasu in an Aldon.. he associated that with something Damien had said about a God..[/i] "You mean Annabelle Aldon. She has something like you inside of her, just like Lana?" [i] Lance questioned, rage seeping into his voice as what the men who had done this to Lana and Belle. Creed, he'd heard of. Mourne.. he had his dues coming. And Salem, Lance was infuriated at the thought. [/i]
-
[i]"Your questions... They are infuriating..."[/i] [b]Anthony stepped forward, the air condensing with his movement. The air around him smelled like it had freshly rained, and he gave off a light musical note... Which seemed strange.[/b] [i]"You can't possibly understand... The human mind is but a fragment..."[/i]
-
"I told you, I'm not human." [i] Lance said with a polite smile, energy prepared to shatter The Demon's Heart in case shit hit the fan.[/i] "Please, answer my question Anthony." [i] Figured he'd be polite, he sure as hell couldn't threaten him.[/i]
-
[i]"I don't understand your desperation... Why must you know...?"[/i] [b]Anthony seemed to stare far beyond Lance into the distant fog, seemingly uncaring or unable to look down. But his voice swirled around like a angry tornado, and it felt like thousands of eyes bore into the Ronin all at once.[/b] [i]"Unless... You too... Feel a pang of emotion... Perhaps... A bond... Yes... I smell it... On your thoughts... A challenge...? No... Something else..."[/i]
-
"I don't know what you smell, but a bond is the best word. The more I can learn about her, the better chance I have of saving her from Salem." [i] Lance said, knowing full well apparently Salem had a hand in making Anthony what he was. [/i]
-
[b]Before Lance could mentally explain what happened, Anthony just appeared before him, a long grey hand extending to him as two thin fingers touch his forehead...[/b] [i]"Perhaps its better to show you..."[/i] [b]And then... The world went black...[/b] // [b]When Lance awoke... He felt stuck, stuck like an animal... But there was more there... He felt out of place... Like he wasn't in his own body...[/b] [i]"Copy... Vessel eight and twelve are moving to delivery... Are the-"[/i] [b]The voice was too distant... Too quiet... But the second it stopped, he could feel himself jerked forward, a cold sensation sweeping over him as some strange machine pushes his strapped body forward...[/b]
-
[i] Lance almost screamed at the feeling, one of the worst ever. Feeling helpless. It didn't help that not only he was in someone else's body, but he/they were strapped down and it made his skin crawl.[/i]
-
[b]The machine carrying Lance's constraints eventually stopped and lowered, man standing in the shadows not far off. He was tall, and muscular, with eyes cold and blue as absolute zero... He had long black hair that fell to his shoulders and a scruffy beard. At first glance, he looked like Lutece... But this man was more distant and empty... This was nothing like the warm and kind Lutece... This was Morgrant Mourne... He dusted off his coat and stepped forward like a great doctor, looking at the body before him.[/b] [i]"Do not fear... Fear is your enemy here... Trust me. Today you will become more powerful than any of us could have imagined... And I plan to see it through..."[/i] [b]He stepped away, running a hand through his beard as a large set of doors opened and another man stepped forward, dressed in a business suit, face hidden.[/b] [i]"Two at the same time? You are getting sloppy, Morg... What makes these two special?"[/i] [i]"They are the best vessels I have... The last two in fact... No other children could survive the pain. But these two are pure and naturally gentle... To break such things would be... Fitting."[/i] [i]"Just get it done... I'm needed back in an hour and I want results..."[/i] [b]With a clank, the machine moved forward and Lance found himself entering the large dome shaped room the business man had come from, adjacent to him another person tied to a metal slab, restrained... She had black hair, large purple eyes, and fair skin... On either side of the room were two large spheres... One filled with a bright light that burned blue and gold... Another a dark cloud that sparked with blue and dripped purple...[/b] [i]"Conducting... Alright..."[/i] [b]A voice pipes up from the intercoms, gruff and hostile...[/b] [i]"This is Dr. Salem of Lordan Lab Industries conducting the final test of the host program... Both gates will unlock in ten minutes... Clear the dome and report to observation deck two..."[/i]
-
[i] Lance's body..or pseudo body, or his mind, whatever the hell he was watching this from seized in terror and realization. That was Belle on the other slab, and he was probably in Lana's. What he was witnessing was Anthony and this..Amaterasu being put into Lana and Belle. Lance seethed at the thought. Salem would fall to his blades, and he should've killed Morgrant's decrepit and crippled ass while he could've. [/i]
-
[b]Time seemed to pass, the young girl before him frozen in nothingness, as if she had just simply given up... Eventually however, the intercom returned in full force, Salem having returned to schedule.[/b] [i]"Dome floor cleared... Proceeding..."[/i] [b]But in the back, an almost clicking could be heard... Like...[/b] [b][u]Crash.[/u][/b] [b]The left corner of the dome splintered and broke as men with blue EVA helmets rapped down a large hole, rifles poised, opening fire immediately...[/b] [i]"Dammit... There's no... Fūck... They found us... Initiate procedure... We don't have a choice..."[/i] [b]One of the men... No... A woman rushed towards Lance, SMG in hand as she got to work on the straps, the blue skull stuttering as she worked... But as she tried to finish... A machine in the back whirred to life and the two containers suddenly emptied...[/b] // [b]When Lance came to, he was standing in a garden, a young, but familiar face in front of him. He had somewhat long blonde hair and pale green eyes... Lucien Lordan... He was shaking Lance's body, screaming something that Lance just couldn't hear...[/b] [b]In the distance, a much taller figure with a metal mask was carrying the limp body of Annibelle in his arms, a large fur coat around him... He trailed away, blood dripping from the partial exposed corner of his mouth...[/b] // [b]Lance suddenly jolted awake.. Anthony looking down at him, the grin still plastered to the mask... But he seemed far off now... Like he was fading...[/b] [i]"It seems I am unable to show you what happened... Alas... I fade once more..."[/i]
-
"Dammit Anthony!" [i] Lance yells in frustration as he begins to fade. There were so many questions that he needed answers to, and Anthony was a prime source for them.[/i] "Do you know where Belle is?" [i] Lance questioned as Anthony began to fade. Maybe because Belle had something similar in her, that Anthony could track her/it somehow? He was grasping at straws, but they were still straws.[/i]
-
[b]The fog began to clear away, the floor turning black beneath them as Anthony let out a melodious chuckle...[/b] [i]"In your mutual destruction... Such answers do not matter..."[/i] [b]Anthony suddenly vanished... Only to reappear with the other two masked men huddling close.[/b] [i]"Until I return... Prepare..."[/i] [b]With that, the trio vanished and the world around them began to rotate until the tree took place of the fog, Seth's torn body laying on the grass where Lana was kneeling, his eyes staring ahead... He was still alive... But his anger had vanished and was replaced with his familiar cold and annoyed expression... He was watching leaves fall... But no blood escaped him... Like dry clay he lay in pieces...[/b] [i]"My head hurts..."[/i] [i]"I know..."[/i] [i]"I can't remember anything..."[/i] [i]"I know..."[/i] [b]Lana pressed a hand to his forehead as he sighed and turned his gaze to Lance, seemingly confused...[/b]
-
[i] Lance looked back and forth between the two before running his hands over his face, and screaming. A guttural, fury filled scream that was laced with sorrow and anguish and rage. He slammed his fist into a nearby tree that splintered on impact, where Lance took a deep breath and rested his forehead on the tree. It was tearing him apart, not being able to help Belle. He didn't know what Salem was doing to her, had done to her, or would do to her. And it was ripping him to pieces from the inside out.[/i]