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| Acmlm's Board - I3 Archive - Story Forum - The Nameless Waltz |
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Schweiz oder etwas [12:55] (Dr_Death16); I swear, the word drama needs to be stricken from the dictionary, for I've heard it so many times, it will permanently be imprinted on my brain                     Since: 11-17-05 From: Kingston, Rhode Island Last post: 6298 days Last view: 6298 days |
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| OOC: Let's continue, shall we?
A waltz is defined as a dance for two, wherein the dancers move about each other in a circular pattern in triple beat time with one step per beat of the accompanying music. It is a simple dance to learn while still remaining one of the toughest to master. The hallmark of sophisticated ballroom dancing, members of high society will show off their balance and coordination to one another through the waltz, allowing for a certain status to be gained among the elitist of the elite. While lesser members stand against walls as bland as their tasteless formal wear, the educated and enlightened will arrogantly display their skills to none other than the insects below them that stand with their maws gaping wide at the show. One cannot be a noble without feet as glorious as one's family, after all. One, two, three. One, two, three. Similarly, a waltz can be described as an event that takes place without error and with ease of completion. It is the unending moment of clarity that accompanies accomplishment, the wash of relief that hits one who has found themselves yet again away from the line of fire and into the safety of the trenches. One waltzes through trials, tribulations, and turmoil, passing with flying colors every triplet step of the way. Danger, suspense, fear, they mean nothing to those who waltz through life. Every moment is a dance, every breath a crescendo towards a successful overture. One, two, three. One, two, three. --------------- The wind danced around a singular being that walked with a slight limp through the mud and dirt of a pine forest, taking each step heavier than the last. His steps were in triplets, as his left leg swung quickly forward to accompany his failing right. Tresses of blonde hair fell from his face as he walked at a steady pace, his breath as light and unsteady as his step wasn't. He gulped, swallowing the dryness of his throat with a barely audible cough. It was almost over, he knew. The curse wasn't his. The heart wasn't his. The body wasn't his. None of those problems were his, and soon none of his own problems would be his anymore, either. A steel rod dragged in the dirt and grass behind him, drawing a tiny trench that wavered behind him with the weave of his limp. From it, a translucent blade extended and glowed a dull blue, bound to him by the ties of fate and mocking him with its continued existence. The Body and Heart of the Undead Hero were his, and desperate as he was to part with them, the haggard man knew he couldn't just yet. There was someone who waited for him at the end of his journey, and the Body and Heart were his. A burst of steam flowed from his right arm, a sign of failing mechanics that had not been repaired in years. Gears ground against one another as what was once a model of cybernetic science proved itself a degenerate piece of old technology, rusted and plain. Still further behind him stepped his companion, a blackened draconic creature that stood little more than two meters high, with wings that folded neatly against its back. Its tail dragged the ground as well, a dark flame emanating from its tip. The fire had nearly subsided many times, but a combination of the power of Darkness and its sheer will and loyalty to its master had kept the pathetic being, thinned from malnutrition and injury, walking in time. The Nightmare swirled around inside of the man, his heart nearly completely overcome with its dark powers. Diving deep, further than the simple realm of shadows, had brought this man's heart nearly to consumption, but a tiny twinge of light still flowed through him, giving him hope that someday, someday it would all be over. His crimes could be repaid, and the deaths that had occurred by his hand repented for. His posession had driven him mad; years earlier saw him at the top of his health, able to control the raging darkness within him without assistance. He had helped save this land once before, and had desperately sought allies to aid him in his return home. However, even those who had fought alongside him bore him little in the way of good news. Only one person could bring him home, and that one person hated him most out of all of the people he had wronged. Grey... That man, who hated so passionately the darkness that had taken so many of his friends... ...That man was who the destroyed traveler sought, searching endlessly, in spite of his wounds and fatigue, for a way to return home. --------------- Evan: "Shen... Do you feel something odd?" Evan stopped for a moment. He and Shen had been walking for several days, living off of the food stores inside of Satchel and resting only when each felt the need to drop. Often it was Evan carrying Shen, who was still weakened by the ordeal that the two had recently been through, until she was strong enough to stand again. It had been a hard journey thus far, and neither of them knew where they were going. Evan's feeling, however, changed that. He had reached out with his soul, and felt something faint, very faint, far in the distance. The giant man wasted no time in his explanation. "Do you? It's very faint, but I know I've felt a soul like that before..." Shen: "Evan...? I have, too..." Shen reached out with her own soul. The two's feelings and senses were in tune with the souls of all beings on this world, and only several had revealed themselves to be anything of interest or a particular leaning to the side of light or dark. In the end, both forces had balanced out completely. There was no true feeling of light or darkness from the world. Good and evil were in balance, and Shen enjoyed, for once, a moment of tranquility in her reachings. The exception was this soul, which radiated neither light nor darkness. It was completely neutral. Shen blinked wearily, and buried her head in Evan's shoulder as he held her. "It doesn't... feel like a good soul... But it doesn't feel bad either..." Evan stared down at her. She was exhausted. For the past two days he had woken her only to ensure that she had gotten food from inside of the bag. Even the bag's supply of Yggdrassilberries had done nothing to bring the life back to her bones, and those were legendary for their power to keep a person alive in even the harshest of conditions. He regretted making her exert herself, and grimaced at fate. Evan: "Well, whatever it is, I know it will help us. You rest now." Evan took Shen's straw hat and pushed it down to her back, to allow her head more comfort in his arms. His own head was completely obscured by his hood and visor, which wrapped tightly around his face in a mask that stretched as far as the strap of the Satchel, which lay wrapped around the shoulder opposite Shen's head. As far as he was concerned, he had no identity in this world or any. The owner of that soul would never be able to judge him if they could not see him. However, as he walked, he could not help but feel that all of that was about to change... --------------- Nameless attempted to recount the events of the past few days in his head as he, too, walked in a direction even he could not divine. Without Satchel, he felt his power plateauing. Soon, he would not have half of the power he had with it in his possession. What it was about that damn soul, he could not help but ask. Grey and Ark... They had returned to their homeworld, only to find it in ashes from the destruction that reigned supreme at the hands of Dark Phoenix, and his little puppet, Kalar. Shen, she was there, too... It was that bitch who had resummoned them, and to think, she was going to absorb the power of the Heart of the world! She had proven herself barely weak enough to bring those two to the world, never mind handle all of that power. Dracoon... He had spent ages battling with Star's Heartless, for no reason other than to settle that pointless, meaningless rivalry that existed between the two. A fool, he was. That much was true. Shortly after arriving on the world, Grey and Ark encountered something incredible; Nijote's Heartless. A far cry from the small, young woman that she once was, this beast was an incredible creature of darkness that represented the sheer strength of all of the hatred and anger that existed in her heart even still. Nameless grinned smugly at how easily he had dispatched her, and how tough it was for Grey to even stare her down. But that was with Satchel by his side... He had watched the two journey, their encounter with the true Phoenix, and the resurrection of the one they called "Garro". It made sense. He was the last person to truly be killed by Kalar. All of the rest had their hearts devoured, and were turned into Heartless. What greed, what avarice existed in Kalar's, no, Dark Phoenix's heart, to allow such a gaping hole to fill with the hearts of innocent people? That Luke... He was able to break the chains of fate. Was this entire event his doing? Had he summoned everyone here? No... The simple fact was that everyone had wanted to come back, and were bound by fate to be unable to. Luke, that bastard, he broke the walls of reality and let them all come back! Nameless started to understand. Perhaps that was why he was on this world... Luke had broken his own fate. But Nameless was a Nobody. Were Nobodies really bound by fate as well? If that was true, then what about Faceless? Nameless had assisted him... The battle was epic, with hundreds of thousands of Heartless swarming around those two warriors who clashed in the sky. That Dracoon, who had been augmented with Phoenix's power, was able to stand evenly against Dark Phoenix, was no less than a miracle for these haggards. Inferior, thought Nameless. If he had cared more, perhaps the tables would have turned faster... The battle had taken place around Origin's tower... The tallest structure still standing in the world. Within it was what was left of the world's heart, nearly consumed by Darkness. Only when it was too late did any of that group realize Ark's plan; to destroy the Heart of the world, and reset everything. With a new heart, there would be no darkness, but the lives of all involved would be sacrificed for the sake of renewal. Grey chased Ark through the army, realizing this, but was unable to catch up in time... What mattered most, though, was that Faceless's target was deep within the army of Heartless, where Shen and Phoenix had become trapped as Phoenix put her strength, and the strength of all of the light on the planet, into Dracoon. Nameless laughed to himself. They'd have died if it weren't for him. And that fool, Faceless. Throughout it all, he had blindly charged through the army, not caring about his life or his limbs, searing like a flame through the crowd. He had reached Shen, and she gave him back his Heart... That was when Evan was resurrected. The army was destroyed, of course. A being as powerful as him getting his heart back? There was too much light to be controlled. But their troubles weren't over yet. That man... That Lexuk had revealed himself to the crowd at last. It was a noble effort, of course. Doe had guided Grey and Ark's small band of worthless warriors to the army with the sole intent of finding and killing Nameless and Faceless, who had resisted Lexuk's offer to unite all of the world's Nobodies and become a force to be reckoned with. Nameless spat at the offer. He preferred his independence. But when push came to shove, it was Nameless who had convinced Doe that his battle that day was worthless. He remembered leaving at that point, but knew that a fierce battle had ensued, with Lexuk soundly defeating any who stood before him. Only when Luke had arrived once again to cancel out Lexuk's influence did the tables finally turn. The heart of the world was confronted by Dracoon, not Shen, and he was able to handle all of its power when, bound by the fate that Lexuk had given him, he turned its power on the world itself. All seemed lost, until the power that Dracoon had unleashed upon the world was suddenly stopped dead in its tracks. There stood a being blocking it all in a fit of clear sacrifice. It was Star. The true Star, not a Heartless or a Nobody, but the real being, his heart freed by the battle with Dracoon. He held the energy for just long enough for Shen to bring the entire planet's population into a single portal. Everyone was thrown from the world, and in a last desperate effort, Luke unbound the fates of all involved, who were previously doomed to die by Lexuk. That was it, thought Nameless. That was how he ended up here. He was fated to survive, originally, he knew. He had seen. He had wanted it that way, where he would be destined to choose what world he ended up on. With Satchel, he could confront Kalar... He could get his memories back, for sure... But all of that was worthless now! Nameless grunted and sank to his knees, pounding the ground weakly and hating fate for all of the trouble it had caused him. Now, a new journey began. A new waltz for him. He would find a way off this world, and he would get Satchel back... ...No matter what the cost. |
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Sinfjotle Lordly? No, not quite.  Since: 11-17-05 From: Kansas Last post: 6300 days Last view: 6298 days |
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| Hector: "Dammit Mel!"
Hector was locked in this same battle again. How many times had it been in these long, painful, two years? How many times would Mel have to relive that moment in her past? How long would he remember that he was only a minute to late... Mel: "I-I-I can't!!! I told you!" Mel was only fifteen. When she was thirteen she watched a man who looked just like her father kill her mother, Nino. Nino had stepped in front of Mel to protect her from the man's sword. His face was harsh, his eyes were cold, and his blade was warm with blood... her mom's blood. Nino's blood had splashed onto Mel, and in disbelief she watched as the man didn't pull the sword out of her mom's chest, but rather ripped it out sideways, splitting her body almost in half. The blood, Mel remembered the blood so clearly. If she saw any blood she became nervous and unsure of herself, she started to relive that moment in her life. When blood made contact with her she was likely to pass out, her mind screaming at her to get away... luckily the man who looked like her father was to much of a berserker to realize that. Hector: "Mel, we can stop him if you would only act!" Mel saw the hope on Hector's face. He had been such a caring person since her mother passed away, he tried his hardest to keep her safe from the constant threat. He let her rest from being hunted down. She would have to disappoint him again as she turned he back and ran. Hector was used to this by now, and he couldn't blame her. She was too young to go through this kind of tragedy. Everyone was too young to go through this. His elegant sword was all that stopped this mad man from catching her. The enchantment on his very life was matching the brute's tremendous power unconsciously. To give exactly what was thrown at him. He thought it would always work, but this man had shown something he couldn't mirror. A desire that was simply overwhelming. It usually took a while, but it came suddenly this time. Hector felt himself get pushed back, and then it was over. The man took a step forward and broke their clash, sending Hector sprawling. The man took off like a bolt of lightning after Mel. Hector: "Damn..." Hector held up a treasure that had come from this planet, a talisman. Focusing on it, he thought of a safe place, and as the man bore down on Mel, she vanished, leaving the man clueless. Mel felt her body move through space rapidly and her vision suddenly changed from the slums of a broken city to a beautiful garden. Women of all different ages were staring at her. She had no idea how she got here. ???: "...who are you?" Mel didn't know exactly how to answer that question. Especially since the person asking it looked no older than twelve. The young girl's clothes seemed very odd to Mel. As if they were made of some sort of fabric she'd never heard of. They were very colorful and bright, as Mel looked around she noticed all of them had similar clothes with different designs. Mel: "I'm... not really much of anyone..." Many of the women exchanged nervous glances, some of the younger ones stared in awe. Mel's Thoughts: "What are they staring at and where am I? I don't think I died..." 12 year old: "You... are from the surface?" Mel: "The surface?" The twelve year old grabbed Mel's hand and led her on a short walk to what Mel thought was an edge of a cliff. As Mel looked down though, she saw that she was very high up in the air, even higher than the clouds. Mel: "Yes, I guess you could say that." Suddenly a loud voice rang in Mel's ears, it sounded like the voice of an angry mother scolding one of her children. Voice: "Who is using so much magic on the week when you're supposed to give it up!?" Mel turned around to see a woman with stark white frizzy hair, but a face and a body of someone who wasn't a day over thirty. The woman seemed to approach like she was going to kill someone, but she stopped before she reached Mel. The group of young women and girls that had "greeted" Mel crowded behind her, whispering to themselves. Woman: "I see..." The woman paused and calmed down. Woman: "Lily, come over here." Apparently the twelve year old looking girl that had shown me that I wasn't on the ground anymore was named Lily. She looked at me with big green eyes and hurried over to the woman. Woman: "Do you know where you are?" All Mel could do was shake her head. Her unwashed, uncombed, and uncut hair showed just how clomped it was. For the first time in a long time, Mel realized just how bad she must have looked... and smelled. Woman: "You're on one of the floating islands. This is Sarcenet, the second largest island." Mel: "I..." Mel didn't know what to say. She felt so tired, but she also felt safe. Woman: "My name is Dama Scenis, I am... or rather was... the most powerful magic wielding person on any of the islands." Dama paused for a few seconds, she seemed rather confused herself. Dama Scenis: "You look tired... actually you look tired, hungry, in need of a bath, and in need of new clothes. I'll help you get a good rest before I ask too much of you, please come along." Dama held out a hand towards Mel. Mel really was beyond thinking at this point and walked over and grabbed her hand. Dama pulled her closer and began to talk about the islands and their purposes, but Mel was just too tired to listen. On the ground, Hector was staring down the twisted version of Star that had wrecked havoc on the two for so long. This was hopeless, neither of them would ever win such a fight. The behemoth of a man didn't seem to think though as he rushed at Hector. (edited by Sinfjotle on 02-09-07 01:15 AM) (edited by Sinfjotle on 02-17-07 11:16 PM) |
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Schweiz oder etwas [12:55] (Dr_Death16); I swear, the word drama needs to be stricken from the dictionary, for I've heard it so many times, it will permanently be imprinted on my brain Since: 11-17-05 From: Kingston, Rhode Island Last post: 6298 days Last view: 6298 days |
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| Evan's arms continued to hold Shen close as the hulking man drew closer to his destination. His footfalls sunk into the soft earth as the world around him greyed in and out of focus. Shen's breathing became regular and irregular as she drifted in and out of consciousness, her strength still sapped. The care that Evan had given could only last for so long, and he felt himself tiring once again...
Still, he trudged. He had felt a familiar presence on this world, one that scared and intrigued him. It was one he had not felt in some years, and he had almost forgotten it. --------------- "Your father was a great man..." --------------- Only three people in existence at the moment knew what happened on the fateful day that Kalar became the monster that had destroyed the once noble world that our heroes had resided upon. Four people, actually, had understood the events in their entirety, but only three had lived to tell about it. The first was, naturally, Kalar himself. The harbringer of the world's destruction, he was the one responsible for enveloping the world in darkness, becoming a tool that was used and cast aside for so little. His scythe had cut the strings that bound the darkness in his heart, and he had confused it for the power of shadow that he researched. Rather than a simple power that existed in the absence of light, the power he had discovered had consumed light, and brought his will to its knees... The second was Grey. He had felt the surge of darkness that erupted from Kalar, and, like the fool he was, practiced noninterference until the end. Even as the Pasttime surged, he ignored the call of duty and stayed in his sanctuary. It was too late in the end, and yet beyond the fate that was handed to him, he had no regrets. The third and fourth, we will discover in time... --------------- Evan's covered face held a quiet grin as he drew closer. He had remembered this feeling. It was akin to going home again... But where was home for him? He hadn't remembered that yet. The transformation from Nobody back to his old self had still left him unable to comprehend certain events. It was as though he felt more than thought, having been deprived of emotion for so long. In the distance, miles away, a small cottage lay in the middle of a quiet grove. Upon Evan's back, Satchel pushed the man gently along, guiding him to the cottage, for it was there where the next leg of his very strange and extensive journey would begin. It was there that a golden-haired young woman waited for what was already an eternity... |
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