Bruticus
December 12th, 2005, 06:50 PM
Part One: Where the Shadows Lie (Pre-Tournament)
"And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power."
-Revelation 9:2-3
---
"I don’t know what you are or where you came from," Treize Khueshranada snarled as they advanced upon him. "But I presume that it’s food you’re looking for. In that case, come and get me now."
One of the demons emitted a hellish squeal from its jaws, its amber teeth glistening with greenish saliva. At once one of its golden eyes exploded as rifle ammunition ripped through its skull. The hell-fiend choked on its own blood as it crumpled to the ground, its pinkish skin tainted crimson.
A dark, leathery-skinned humanoid bellowed at Treize, flexing its long fingers and rubbing its claws together, staring coldly at him with fiery eyes. The honourable one’s rifle sounded in the night once more, however, and the imp fell on the stump that was once his leg, crimson blood gushing from the wound.
Kicking aside the corpses that lay at his feet, Treize barrelled shoulder-first through the few monsters that remained, knocking down the petty fiends. He kept his eyes focussed on the haven that was now only a few yards away, daring not to look back. Behind him he could hear the footfalls of strange fiends, but he blocked him out as he approached the palace doors.
His hands grasped the handles, and swiftly he pulled them open, hastily shutting them as he slid inside. He leaned up against the door, relief washing over him. He put one hand to his forehead, wiping away the thick layer of sweat that had beaded up.
"Thank God," he whispered hoarsely, looking at the array of faces that stared back at him. For a moment, there was silence in the room.
"Alright," Treize growled. "Remind me again how the hell this happened."
The Sorceress of Thorald rose to her feet upon hearing the question, and she strode over to him as she spoke. "When the Saviour of All perished with the Emerald Sword, Chronos must have somehow opened a portal to Hell before he perished also. A dark portal has consumed the enchanted lake of Erloria, and the demons of Hell crawl from it even as we speak. They have already overtaken Thorald. Soon they will spread all over the face of the planet. They will consume the flesh of humans and turn the cities into blazing infernos."
"Is there no way to stop this madness?" Aragorn Strider 22 interrupted, straightening in his chair. "Can we close the portal at all and stop this demonic invasion? Or must we sit idly by and watch the destruction of this beautiful planet?"
"That is the greatest point of concern," the Sorceress replied, turning to look at him. "I fear that no magic on this earth can close it and wipe the demons from the planet. The key to stopping the invasion must lie within Hell itself."
"So if you’ve ever told someone to go to Hell," Cam Eleon quipped, "now is the time to make them go."
Wiz bowed his head slightly. "So we have to travel through fire and brimstone to bring peace to the Earth once more. And if we fail, then there will be Hell on Earth."
"Yes," the Sorceress said grimly. "You cannot afford to fail in the quest ahead. You must gather the world’s greatest champions to combat this evil, and plunge into the depths of Hell if humankind is ever to be saved."
Orga777 began to fidget nervously. "You may think me to be insane by my saying this," he spoke, "but I feel that we must also gather up the world’s greatest tyrants and conquerors as well. They have a greater chance of taming the legions of hellspawn, do they not?"
"Unfortunately, that is true," the Sorceress replied. "Besides all those gathered in this room, you must also take along evil warriors and demons whom you have fought against or alongside. Only they have a hope of at least allowing everyone else to reach the gates of Hell. Worse yet, you will need to call upon the aid of two particularly maniacal individuals: the Infernal Prince and the Scorpion Who Follows Evil."
"If that flaming shithead even comes near me," Mirren Dono snarled, "I will rip and tear him, limb from limb. I will rip and tear his guts."
"There’s no other choice," the Sorceress snapped. "You must seek out the help of Dante and Cole Deschain II. My magic can only help you reach the gateway - but as soon as you arrive at the shores of Hell, everything else must be left up to them."
"So you are not coming with us," Treize sighed.
"My magic will only be corrupted by the overwhelming evils that lurk in the underworld," she replied. "If I could not be of use to you in Helm, then I can do even less there."
Treize bowed his head, and for a moment he was silent. "So be it."
"And one more thing," the Sorceress continued. "Only one of you is likely to actually reach the key to closing the portal. In that case, you should break up into four groups of eight. Form into random groups - I get the feeling that you may have to fight each other, under the command of Dante and Cole."
"That’s what I feared," Treize sighed. "But no matter."
---
The company of thirty-two came to Erloria. Treize could see the tall, wide oaks that once stood proud at the lakeside were now only twisted, rotting carcasses, and the grass was withered and brown.
The entire group stared down at what had once been the sparkling lake of Erloria. Now there was a portal black as the void, various demons crawling out onto the shores.
"Realize that the only reason I’m doing this is because I get to kill things," Cole Deschain II hissed. At once a harpoon with a spear at the end leaped from his hand, and skewered one of the emerging creatures on it.
"Get over here!" Cole cried, pulling the wounded thing closer to him. As the rest of the group recoiled, the yellow ninja dragged the imp up onto its feet, and knocked him high into the sky with a brutal uppercut.
For a second Cole merely stared back at the group he was leading, then spat. He whispered, "Soon we will be knee-deep in the dead. Beware."
Then he descended into the darkness, and soon the rest of the group followed him.
---
Once you get to Hell, you’re supposed to be able to take on the demons with your own fireballs and magic swords, right? Right? So now where are those awesome powers you possessed? What the hell is this? It’s not supposed to be this way!
Hell has not played fair, for you have lost access to all your weapons. You must instead rely on your special powers, survival skills and the weapons scattered about Hell if you intend to make it out in one piece.
An evil, booming laugh echoes throughout Hell as you see sixteen portals open before you. Screw everyone else - so long as you reach the key to closing Hell, then that’s all that matters.
You plunge into one of the portals, and as you do so, someone follows right behind you.
"And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power."
-Revelation 9:2-3
---
"I don’t know what you are or where you came from," Treize Khueshranada snarled as they advanced upon him. "But I presume that it’s food you’re looking for. In that case, come and get me now."
One of the demons emitted a hellish squeal from its jaws, its amber teeth glistening with greenish saliva. At once one of its golden eyes exploded as rifle ammunition ripped through its skull. The hell-fiend choked on its own blood as it crumpled to the ground, its pinkish skin tainted crimson.
A dark, leathery-skinned humanoid bellowed at Treize, flexing its long fingers and rubbing its claws together, staring coldly at him with fiery eyes. The honourable one’s rifle sounded in the night once more, however, and the imp fell on the stump that was once his leg, crimson blood gushing from the wound.
Kicking aside the corpses that lay at his feet, Treize barrelled shoulder-first through the few monsters that remained, knocking down the petty fiends. He kept his eyes focussed on the haven that was now only a few yards away, daring not to look back. Behind him he could hear the footfalls of strange fiends, but he blocked him out as he approached the palace doors.
His hands grasped the handles, and swiftly he pulled them open, hastily shutting them as he slid inside. He leaned up against the door, relief washing over him. He put one hand to his forehead, wiping away the thick layer of sweat that had beaded up.
"Thank God," he whispered hoarsely, looking at the array of faces that stared back at him. For a moment, there was silence in the room.
"Alright," Treize growled. "Remind me again how the hell this happened."
The Sorceress of Thorald rose to her feet upon hearing the question, and she strode over to him as she spoke. "When the Saviour of All perished with the Emerald Sword, Chronos must have somehow opened a portal to Hell before he perished also. A dark portal has consumed the enchanted lake of Erloria, and the demons of Hell crawl from it even as we speak. They have already overtaken Thorald. Soon they will spread all over the face of the planet. They will consume the flesh of humans and turn the cities into blazing infernos."
"Is there no way to stop this madness?" Aragorn Strider 22 interrupted, straightening in his chair. "Can we close the portal at all and stop this demonic invasion? Or must we sit idly by and watch the destruction of this beautiful planet?"
"That is the greatest point of concern," the Sorceress replied, turning to look at him. "I fear that no magic on this earth can close it and wipe the demons from the planet. The key to stopping the invasion must lie within Hell itself."
"So if you’ve ever told someone to go to Hell," Cam Eleon quipped, "now is the time to make them go."
Wiz bowed his head slightly. "So we have to travel through fire and brimstone to bring peace to the Earth once more. And if we fail, then there will be Hell on Earth."
"Yes," the Sorceress said grimly. "You cannot afford to fail in the quest ahead. You must gather the world’s greatest champions to combat this evil, and plunge into the depths of Hell if humankind is ever to be saved."
Orga777 began to fidget nervously. "You may think me to be insane by my saying this," he spoke, "but I feel that we must also gather up the world’s greatest tyrants and conquerors as well. They have a greater chance of taming the legions of hellspawn, do they not?"
"Unfortunately, that is true," the Sorceress replied. "Besides all those gathered in this room, you must also take along evil warriors and demons whom you have fought against or alongside. Only they have a hope of at least allowing everyone else to reach the gates of Hell. Worse yet, you will need to call upon the aid of two particularly maniacal individuals: the Infernal Prince and the Scorpion Who Follows Evil."
"If that flaming shithead even comes near me," Mirren Dono snarled, "I will rip and tear him, limb from limb. I will rip and tear his guts."
"There’s no other choice," the Sorceress snapped. "You must seek out the help of Dante and Cole Deschain II. My magic can only help you reach the gateway - but as soon as you arrive at the shores of Hell, everything else must be left up to them."
"So you are not coming with us," Treize sighed.
"My magic will only be corrupted by the overwhelming evils that lurk in the underworld," she replied. "If I could not be of use to you in Helm, then I can do even less there."
Treize bowed his head, and for a moment he was silent. "So be it."
"And one more thing," the Sorceress continued. "Only one of you is likely to actually reach the key to closing the portal. In that case, you should break up into four groups of eight. Form into random groups - I get the feeling that you may have to fight each other, under the command of Dante and Cole."
"That’s what I feared," Treize sighed. "But no matter."
---
The company of thirty-two came to Erloria. Treize could see the tall, wide oaks that once stood proud at the lakeside were now only twisted, rotting carcasses, and the grass was withered and brown.
The entire group stared down at what had once been the sparkling lake of Erloria. Now there was a portal black as the void, various demons crawling out onto the shores.
"Realize that the only reason I’m doing this is because I get to kill things," Cole Deschain II hissed. At once a harpoon with a spear at the end leaped from his hand, and skewered one of the emerging creatures on it.
"Get over here!" Cole cried, pulling the wounded thing closer to him. As the rest of the group recoiled, the yellow ninja dragged the imp up onto its feet, and knocked him high into the sky with a brutal uppercut.
For a second Cole merely stared back at the group he was leading, then spat. He whispered, "Soon we will be knee-deep in the dead. Beware."
Then he descended into the darkness, and soon the rest of the group followed him.
---
Once you get to Hell, you’re supposed to be able to take on the demons with your own fireballs and magic swords, right? Right? So now where are those awesome powers you possessed? What the hell is this? It’s not supposed to be this way!
Hell has not played fair, for you have lost access to all your weapons. You must instead rely on your special powers, survival skills and the weapons scattered about Hell if you intend to make it out in one piece.
An evil, booming laugh echoes throughout Hell as you see sixteen portals open before you. Screw everyone else - so long as you reach the key to closing Hell, then that’s all that matters.
You plunge into one of the portals, and as you do so, someone follows right behind you.