Fantasy Shattered Fates - A Dark Fantasy Boss Battling Epic

[Euclid Leaf]

Chapter 0: Sacrifice
...

Whether you outright accepted her offer or not, the pale, horned Goddess gently grabs your hand and you suddenly feel yourself being swallowed whole. The light of her soft presence, and that of the gloomy world around disappears in a swirl. And the last thing you see is an eerie smile. You are suddenly bound in complete darkness, the wind screaming in your ears. You feel air pressing itself against your body, as though against you. You may try to flail your arms and legs, but there is no control in this vast emptiness. There is no doubt. You are falling.

Soon, there is a faint light deep below, and you begin to see shadows pass by, long columns that stretch out from above. Who knows how far up they go. A grey disc begins to take shape as you approach the center, your eyes catching stone before you make impact.

When you land, there is no pain. In fact, you bounce like a rubber ball, rolling off the mossy stone flooring with a bubbly sound.

You are joined by other humanoid shapes, similar to you, featureless, wispy, and confused, all falling down around you. There must've been at least a dozen others laying around there in this massive empty chamber.

As you sit there to catch your breath, trying understand what was going on, your eyes, not that you really have any, adjust to the dim light of the pale illuminating flowers scattered across the room. You begin to look around, and though you don't find much of significant description, you can't help but notice how old everything looked. Moss and white weeds, with these beds of glistening flowers blooming from them, grew from the cracks of the stone all around, practically tearing portions of the room apart. All this overgrowth and floral invasion, it was as though everything here hasn't been touched in many a year. Maybe never at all. The only other notable thing was that, littered around the edges of this enclosed room were small plinths, some shattered and others whole. Around 8 remain. There are faint carvings upon them, but you are too far away to see exactly what they are or if they meant anything. However, before you can even begin to speak up to one of the others, or get up to a better look, something rumbles at the center of the chamber, causing the whole place to shake and groan. You are filled with a crippling feeling of an oddly familiar dread.

Suddenly, the pale light of the flowers warp and dim as a large shadow made itself known, curling inwards as though pulled by a magnet or sorts. What lay at the center of the room was like a monster out of a nightmare, a gangling beastly form with smoldering black eyes that stared coldly at each and everyone on of you. Probably worst of all was how it greeted you. The hunched form dragged itself towards the closest pale wisp and presented them with a crooked, smile filled with jagged bony spines. Much like a beast upon a helpless, scared frozen prey. The creature lowered its great, tall body, it's hollow eyes seemed to pierce into their very soul. A faint whispering sound followed as it closely inspected them from this angle and that, sounding almost like a snickering laugh. Simply looking at the creepy monster made your mind reel and your thoughts crumble, your heart hammering with the instinct to run.

You can't imagine how horrible it must've felt to be that close to it.

After a moment, the helpless pale wisp breaks under the maddening gaze, letting out a scream before scrambling to bolt away. It was the last thing they did. This creature's face suddenly contorted into a savage frown at this sight, lunging like an arrow toward this unfortunate soul. Spearing them with a single hooked nail, the monster lifted the limp body high into the air and dropped the wisp into a maw of jagged teeth. You can hear bones and the sound of flesh popping as the teeth ground them between each bite, a slender tongue flicking in pleasure as the creature let out a sickening slurp, swallowing the remains for good. It turns its eyes upon the rest of you and continued to smile, white blood dripping down its lip now.

It slowly shook its head, as though in warning, letting out another snicker.

Again, it choose another wisp and stepped up. You feel your heart sink as you anticipate the same fate. But after the same whispering process concluded, the monster nodded its head. It pointed them towards one of the plinths at the end of the room, before moving on to another. Same thing. Then another. Unfortunately, that next one was killed, though this time falling upon its knees, crying, and begging. The order was random. It was almost like a game who would succumb to the dreadfulness and those who did not.

Each surviving wisp this creature visited seemed to have a look of understanding though, and with it, their wispy pale form changed slightly, gaining a noticeable amount of solidity as they walked to their respective plinth. Some didn't seem very different at all, but others grew vestiges of horns, flowing tails, and other strange things.

When it came up to your turn, the umbral, hollow eyes and terrible visage came close to you. Close enough to kiss. Though I'm sure there was no reason why you'd want to do that, unless you wished to test your luck -- And life. As it hovered around you, the strange whispers, though familiar by now, fill your mind with a stark loudness. The sounds were disgusting, almost like vile fingers digging into your brain and picking apart your very thoughts and privacy. Then, just when you feel like you can't take anymore, words begin to form in the wild, hissing sounds.

"Courage is the first virtue of a 'Hero'. This aspect, you possess. The next virtue is Sacrifice... What are you willing to Sacrifice for this new life? What can you, a nobody -- a nothing, possibly sacrifice, you must wonder? Haha... You will see."

At this moment, as though compelled by this beast, your cloudy mind is graced with a vague memory. Just one. However, these are not images or pictures that grace your fleeting thoughts. But a single word. Though you cannot properly hear it, you feel this memory is important to you in some respect. After a moment, you realize that this isn't any word being whispered to you. This is your old name. You get a sense that this is your choice, something worthy of sacrifice. Though you are given a second longer to decide, you feel the creature growing impatient, its jaw looming ever closer to you now.

"Is this little thing precious to you? You may keep it, if it means so much. But know this; these old memories are heavy, cumbersome. I know, I know this..."

-- Do you choose to keep this past memory or give it up?

 

[Siren77]

Everything seemed to happen in almost pure instant, a flash of light. Too fast to react and to disturbing to want to in the first place. The woman, the falling, the beast. All of these things were brought forth in such a way that fear was almost an afterthought after it all. Who am I? Why am I here? And who are these other creatures here with me? Are they monsters as well, only waiting their turn to pounce on the others and rend the flesh from their bones? No, no those people are all one in the same. So different and yet they all display the same face of fear, and crippling anxiety. Like myself they are all captives to this nightmare. No, this isn’t a nightmare. You can wake up from a nightmare and find yourself sitting comfortably in your own home and in your own bed. This is all to real to be a nightmare. There is no waking up, there is no escape. There is only this new world that myself and these other few have been brought into. It is all a test of character it seems, or perhaps a cruel game. Whatever the case, the only comfort to be found from the confusion was in the beasts words.

A name, looping over and over in my head as the beast drew closer to my face. Everything in my head screamed at me to run, hide, or simply cower in fear as this monster crushes me in its powerful jaws. Would it hurt? Would I feel anything at all? These were not questions I should be dwelling on, as I am not going to be giving up just yet. That name, looping with the same annunciation and expression of syllables. Did I have a mother who would call to me by this? A father that would reprimand me using this name? Friends that would know this name by heart? It doesn’t matter. Whatever life I had in the past, if there even was one, does not exist now. There is no use in clinging to this, as it would only plague me with uncountable unanswered question. I choose to forget.

Craning my head and focusing my eyes, I willed what little courage I had left in me to meet the beasts gaze. I was afraid, very afraid. And yet I knew that if I showed the beast this, it would only give it another reason to consider my life meaningless. It took me a second to remember how to talk, or atleast that’s what I’d like to think it was. Realistically I was only attempting to further push my courage and speak to this unholy monster. Clearing my throat, catching my breath, my heart beating out like there is nothing left. It’s time to have courage. It’s time to make a sacrifice.

“Rid me of this worthless memory. I feel that it serves me no purpose in this house of the damned. Though it may be the last of who I am, I will destroy all that there is left of my humanity in order to survive.”

 

[Aura Of Twilight]

As I fell after the supposed goddess had forcibly gripped my hand, a scream tried to claw its way out of my throat. I didn't understand what was happening, why I was here, why any of us were. It didn't make sense. Was this hell? Had I done something in the past which deserved such punishment? I had no idea, but I knew as soon as I had reached the ground and survived, that I needed to focus on here and now, especially with the sudden appearance of something from a horrid nightmare.

It walked around in a circle, seeming almost to study us until it pounced on some fool who had dared to run, eating them whole. Then the beast returned to walking around the chamber, shaking its head as if reprimanding a child, stopping in front of the individual next to me. Listening to the two exchange words and perhaps more, I waited until it was my turn.

Terror. Despair. A crushing loneliness which threatened to unravel me completely until what little there was of my body disappeared in the ether. Anger as invisible fingers probed my mind without permission.

That was what I was experiencing as I found myself staring into the eyes of the monster, breathing down on my face. I could feel my legs, if I even had any, shaking horribly. I wanted to run, be anywhere else in this godforsaken world but here, but I couldn't move, not after seeing what had happened to a few poor souls who had attempted just that before me. Yet, there was another, more irrational part of my mind which wanted nothing more than to wipe that smirk off the beast's ugly face, suicidal as that was. Nothing in this mysterious chamber would provide me the ability to fight back though, and using one of the other poor beings here with me as a shield was out of the question. Although I had no memories, I wasn't a coward. That much I knew.

Suddenly, in the deep recesses of my mind, there was a whispering of some word, over and over. With an instinctive mental lurch, I tried to grip the memory, the name, before it slipped away. Then I abruptly understood why the monster was looking at me so intensely.

Did I want to give this glimpse into my past up, or was I willing to carry the burden of what it meant? At a crossroads, I decided to speak what was in my heart, even if it ended up killing me.

"My memories belong to me, not you. They are the key to who I am, so let me keep them, all of them."

 

[Damafaud]

I fell.

It was a surreal feeling. Nothing to touch. Nowhere to tread. No one to see. The wind whistled. A high pitch. The wind bellowed. A deep groan. Something taken by granted had turned into everything there was. All around me was darkness. All around me was unrecognisable noise. There was something more than darkness. There was something more than wind.

Yet I did not dare to open my eyes. An ingrained fear of the unknown. A fear of what hid in the dark. The impulse to opened the eyes and took everything in was great. I did not dare to comply. In the darkness, nothing was known. Nothing was to be feared. At least with no eyes to see, there was no sight of terror and nightmare.

I stopped falling, and unwittingly, I opened my eyes.

Dread was merely the beginning of it. I couldn't take my eyes off him. An abomination that caused my inner self to scream and shout. It walked slowly, approaching those who was like me, performing unknown things. Though the sight of those who was similar to me should have filled me with joy, I did not possess the luxury of doing so. All I could ask for was a safe haven for my own self. A selfish desire. A desire of wanting to survive.

Then it was my turn to face it.

It talked. I was scared. What was courage to one whose life was like a candle in a rainstorm? What sacrifice would be too large to let off in order to survive? Came to mind, a single thought. A sliver of memory. With almost an instinctive reaction, I grabbed it. I had nothing, I feared many things, yet I still held on to it. It was something that make me what I was. It was something that make me... me.

"I am what I am. I am what I was. Let me hold this burden if this is what I am and what I was."

 

[kasigi]

This existence is a stranger to my consciousness. Why am I here, why have I forgotten? It's as if I was a newborn soul, without any experience of the world. Digging deep into thought, I could find nothing to comfort me. This loneliness and emptiness conjured worry, yet courage was I trait that I carried with me. The goddess before me, beautiful, yet dreadful, made my mind flood with emotions. Curiosity, fear. We fear the things we do not understand, and at this point in time, everything is a blur - and I cannot fathom what is occurring. Suddenly, this incredible being drags me. I cannot react, I am frozen. Soon after, I begin to experience the sensation of falling. With my stomach churning and my breath taken from my lungs, the darkness is broken by a faint light, before hitting the ground below. I expected great pain, agony, and death. But none of that occurred. I was alive. I was unsure if this was a dream, a hallucination. Perhaps an afterlife, where I would be eternally damned for the rest of existence.
I see beings familiar to myself. All without defined appearance. It was strange. Then, appeared the horrific and disturbing monster. This beast had grotesque and unsettling features, instilling an odd sensation within me, and, I'm assuming, within the others who were scattered.

The beast moved to one of these figures. It's gaze was like a knife, stabbing straight through whatever they looked at. The wispy and undefined figure appeared to break, screaming and running away from the beast. The creature seemed to instantly pounce towards the figure, impaling it, before seemingly devouring the body. I was absolutely disgusted by the sight, and there were no other sounds to drown away the crunching and snapping of the body.

I was surprised, as it didn't kill the next figure. The next figure did not run, or scream, they kept their posture as best as they could. The next one that began to beg and cry was killed next.

I no longer feared this creature. Ignorance is the essence of fear, yet, I understood. This being killed those that showed this fear. Now that I've learned it's reasoning for doing so, my own fear washed away. If I did not fear it, I would not die. Even so, I still felt a sense of dread, as the creature crept closer and closer to me. Eventually, it was my turn. I straightened myself, staring back at it as it approached me, finally.

It pierced through my eyes with it's own, staring into me. It was a hard sight to withstand, along with the whispers flooding my mind. I knew that I could not break, if I wished to survive. With this knowledge, I endured the horrible sounds and terrifying gaze of the creature, before these whispers became understandable. I was correct. Those who did not show courage were killed. As the creature spoke of sacrifice, my mind went blank. Sacrifice.. I have nothing. What can a being such as I sacrifice, if I have forgotten all? Though, moments later, a single word began to creep into my mind, with the realization of what it was. I continued to stare deep into the creature's eyes, while it continued to do the same. As it asked if I wanted to keep this memory, I made up my mind.

"You are right, it is a required sacrifice for my future. Destroy them. The past is useless to me, it is something that I no longer wish to hold on to. If it will restrain me, I wish to rid of it."

 

[Juju]

"I will help you." I answered with a voice that was not my own, sending a chill up my spine even if I didn't have one. The beautiful woman seemed to be pleased, and I felt something creep on my face. A smile, soft like the glow of the goddess. Then her hand lashed out and I was dragged downwards... or upwards? Was there direction here?

'Did I upset her?' was my first thought, causing a wave of sadness to welled up from inside. Then I realized what this meant; I was alone again. I was alone and hollow. I felt it from the beginning but being by myself made it worse. Something in me was missing but I couldn't find a sense of mourning. I was a bird with broken wings yet no memory of flight, falling ever deeper into the dark unknown. My arms wrapped around me, my only shelter against the howling wind and I closed my eyes.

Only when the wind stopped did I dare to open them again. At first I was scared, but when I 'sat up' and looked around I realized that I was now surrounded by a thicket of flowers and moss. The blooms glowed like dying embers, filling my eyes with wonder as I reached out my hand to touch one. No use, it passed right through. 'At least I can see them. Seeing them is enough.'

Suddenly the bright flowers dimmed and a feeling of dread clawed its way into my belly. A crunching sound forced me to look away from my self-made sanctuary and the moment I did, I wish I hadn't. A creature, no, a monster was gobbling up a familiar form and that's when I realized two things at the very same time; I was not alone, and I was in danger. After consuming the first figure it spared the next, going down the line to pick its meal at random.

Hope. It was familiar even when nothing else was. 'You will be okay.' I thought, the words ringing in my mind. A shadow passed over my line of sight, blocking out all else. Hot, sticky breath pressed against my face but I didn't move. I closed my eyes and saw only the flowers daring to grow in a world that knew nothing but fear. I could see every crack in the mossy stone, as vivid as lightning. The pillars and tiles may be crumbled and worn, but from their scars there bloomed new life. Hope, I repeated. Fragile hope is stronger than stone. I cracked open an eye and saw rows of teeth unhinged before me. Fear is stronger than teeth. Hope is stronger than fear. Whatever happened, at least my last thought would be of those flowers. Maybe my demise would mean that another soul would be saved in my stead. This alone was enough to wash all fear from me.

When no teeth snapped on me I forced myself to open both eyes. Then creature no longer bared its fangs in hunger but instead asked for a sacrifice. Was this what the pale lady had needed help with? Maybe the creature needed it. The name was beautiful and magnificent, but I knew what to do.

"By any other name I am... still me." the words flowed out, small and delicate at first before gaining a strength. I knew I was giving up something, but it felt right. Was this who I was? "Please, have it. If it makes you happy, keep it as your own. Or give it to someone who does not have one. I do not need it." I smiled again.

 

[Euclid Leaf]

Spoiler: Sacrifice Old Name

You make your response, and the beast listens with the ever-present smile.

“Is that how you feel? So be it. Do not regret it later on…”

You feel a pull now. The memory gracing your mind begins to slip away, like cold water drained through crevices in your mind. The voice suddenly swells in delight. The snickering is made booming in your head, the creature now staring at you, the countless teeth practically snapping at your flesh.

“I envy you! I do! Did you feel it? That horrid thing slipping away into the nether? Yes, of course, you did. I felt it too. I was in your mind, part of you...

The head lowers ominously, “Remember this liberation. Sacrifice that unnecessary burden and give yourself to this new destiny... Make yourself empty, and be free… hehe…! Oh, how I envy you, little ‘hero’. Oh how wondrous it felt! Almost like I was alive again… ”

The monstrous being suddenly stops laughing. It stares for a long moment at you, before leaning back up and towering over you and the rest again.

“But I cannot be empty, like you… Never.”
Saying this, it points to one of the plinths at the end of the room.

“This emptiness, it will be your greatest strength… Go there and wait. Then you all shall empty your vessel together, spill your essence and you will learn the next virtue. Humility. Remember this next pain well.”

And just like that, before you can even get a response back, the creature has already skulked over to the next wisp.

You make your way across the long distance, watching or not, as others are given instruction like you have or swallowed whole by this unruly beast of a judge. Though it snickered often, this being did not seem to enjoy its work. There was a hint of disgust even, as it coughed and sputtered, gagging pale blood after a few of these kills. But they pushed on. And you too, pushed on in this grim circumstance. There were not many who survived this selection, but soon enough, a handful join you in waiting by the remaining plinths. There, you see strange etched carvings and designs, none of which you can properly understand or decipher. All there can do, is to wait.

And upon the last to make it to their stone, the snickering beast motions with a hand and nods its head.

You begin to wonder how to ‘spill your essence’, but you notice a jagged point on top of these stones. Not the most graceful way, but you’ve not other choice.

Pale blood spills from your palm, soaking into the narrows slits of the carvings. Soon, the stone itself glows and hums. You hear a faint voice just as it crumbles into brilliant pieces, and all at once recollecting into a large silvered shard. It looked beautiful, glowing innocently in this desolate chamber.

It turns slowly, and points at you. Then it pierces you.
However, there is no pain, as you might expect. But a pull. And shine.

In the dying light, fading behind, you turn and witness that the shard had changed form. One that appeared, judging by those around you, unique in shape to you. Though the size and size differed between you all, a weapon lay inbedded in the stone behind you. This weapon was a large slab of silver still, much like an unrefined blade. A beautiful work of art, though flawed in shape. Almost like the Goddess you saw at the beginning of all this. Compelled by it’s soothing nature, you reach out and grab the handle.

You are numb for a split second, but the pain soon comes. You feel something strange, a burning sensation that resonates deep within you, but concentrated in one area. You’ve never felt this much pain ever before. Not that you had much comparison anyway. Looking for it, you see there is a black scar in the place of where it entered and exited. Something of a tattoo or brand, forming still as you stare. It soon became an intricate marking that seems to almost swirl as you gaze upon it.

You feel a voice humming beyond it somehow. And as you listen closely, you hear a word within this whispering voice, a soft and gentle thing. Similar to before, a name. Though not that old one. A new one entirely, unfamiliar and strange to your ears. But you are given with a feeling that this one belongs to you all the same.

-- Gain a Name. This one cannot exceed 7 letters, nor be any less.

As you are able to get used to this feeling, you realize the strange faces around you. And though never spoken to once, you already know their name. Just before you can question this, something draws your attention back to the center of the chamber.

-- Gain a ‘Stigma’ and ‘Silvered Weapon’.

Spoiler: Keep Old Name

-- Choose a Name.

The eyes of the snickering beast glow soft at this answer.

“Ah… then you are like me… unwilling to let go… unwilling to have it all be gone… Oh how I could’ve been...”

But this compassionate response is swept away by the snickering once more, as the beast points to one of the distant plinths. The hollow eyes now squint.

“Go to the sacrificial stone. Wait for the last one I judge to join you, then lay your hand upon the stone and utter to it the brand of your burden. Learn Humility, the next virtue and then we can go on. Say those forbidden words and you will learn what it means to carry such a thing. Such a heavy thing...”

As you make your way to one of the plinths at the end of the large circular chamber, the power of the memory begins to take shape already. This single word in your mind, as it echoed and etched itself into your thoughts began to illuminate dark places. Images flashed and glimpsed in this dim light. Once blurry and hidden things now clearer. It was almost overwhelming, but you knew you could not stop to catch yourself.

Over the sounds of wicked coughs and gagging, your mind is swirling with this new thing. These 'memories'.

One particular memory stood out as the clearest, out of them all. A person. You realize this was actually you. Who you were. Your body changes upon discovering this simple knowledge, this insightful truth. But different from the ‘burden’ you were expecting, your steps are lighter than ever before. This name, as it echoes in your mind seems to push your forward, give you renewed purpose. Though you don't know exactly the reason, you know you cannot stop no matter what. You must know the truth. With each step forward, your wispy flesh hardens and you are given something of a skin. As you become more solid, your wispy essence being contained, you begin to recognize yourself again on this new body.

By the time you reach the plinth, a tall stone covered in carvings you do not understand, you are not the same as before. More solid than before, but not quite, as well.

And upon the last to make it to their stone, the snickering beast motions with a hand and nods its head.
With only one option there, you place your hand upon the smooth surface and utter the words — your name to the stone.

Suddenly, the object twists to one side and opens like a puzzle box.

A silvered shard rests within, small thing, and you hear a faint voice just as the rest of the stone around it crumbles away into fine dust powder. It looked beautiful, glowing innocently in this desolate chamber. Suddenly, as you reach out for it, you are met with a flash. Another memory. One pulled from the deep recesses of your mind and brought to light before you. This one, painful, tragic, and depressing.

As you are consumed by this memory, the shard turns slowly, and points at you. Then it pierces you. However, there is no pain, as you might expect. But a pull. And shine.

In the dying light, fading behind, you turn and witness that the shard had changed form. One that appeared, judging by those around you, unique in shape to you. And this one, only to you.

You are shocked by what you see. The shard lies in the ground, twisted and turned revolting and disgusting blob. It dripped and bubbled with an eerie darkness. The beautiful shard of silver now resembled a quaking poison. Before you can even have the chance to question your decision, a black liquid stream abruptly latches out and wraps onto your wrist. You realize there are teeth now digging into your skin. You may scream and yank all you want, but you cannot escape its sharp grasp. It begins to bite down, crunching your flesh between jagged teeth, wretching apart your flesh and bathing in your pale blood.

You can almost hear it moaning in pleasure.

As you feel the blood draining from your body, you see the black ooze slowly take shape and grow into a grotesque size. Just on the brink of death, you are given mercy. Once it had enough, the darkness, blobbing and engorged, began to writhe. Soon the black link connecting the two of you, appear like a looped mass, now recognizable as a chain and shackle. This oozing and dripping form shivered in what appeared to be some twisted ecstasy, warping grotesquely until they settled somewhere in between a weapon and a beast. Bulging eyes line the monstrous shape, which stare at you, never breaking line of sight.

The pain in your wrist would eventually quells as the beastly thing finished its unholy feast and transformation, through the pain truly never ceases. And when you try to lift this black weapon to move, it is heavy and unruly. Heavy enough to make you struggle, like a constant weight, but not enough to make you immobile. Quite a burden, indeed.

-- Gain a ‘Black Vessel’

Before you have any time to question or regret, the ghastly weapon shackled to you begins to whisper something to your ears and you feel a nagging compulsion in your mind. Like a nudging. And as you look toward this nudging feeling, you realize that what is being spoken are the names of those you looked at. Though there is no solid evidence, you know somewhere deep inside that this is fact.

But your moment of clarity ends and something draws your attention back to the center of the chamber.

The black beast now stood at the center of the round chamber, beckoning you all to come close. It stood tall again, almost dignified as it stared down at each of you, waiting for all of you to finally gather. There, upon the stone circle it spoke again.

“Are you satisfied? Perhaps not. The truth is often more... ugly than we'd like to believe... Those in your possession are the manifestations of your Might. Another Virtue. Yes, this is one you cannot do without. You can see them as your very ‘Souls’ given form. How pretty, some of your souls are, haha..." it snickered, hollow eyes glistening under the light of the silvered blades.

"To those with the 'Black Vessels', this the burden you will carry for the rest of your life... until cleansed and atoned... until you find Humility. But do not think that you require humility to become great and powerful. Just look at me… I am great, but a failure. Though not the same as you might think. Power comes in all forms… and nothing is more powerful than those dark things lurking within... Oh, how envious I am... to see it perfected in such a way... But alas, this is my own fate... The sin of Greed... haha... A monster who knew no bounds… Learn from my mistake, yes?”

The snickering beast now sweeps the ground with an arm and you are all shoved back by powerful gust of wind.

“Now to prove you are worthy of your gifts... Prove to her, and I. Show us the proof of your Will, the last virtue. For, how can a ‘hero’ change Fate if they’ve not the will to challenge the impossible? Allow me to demonstrate.”

Then, the beast lurches and groans, grabbing its sinew-like throat as it retched. It began slamming its sunken, dried chest, over and over, practically cracking the ribs underneath its own fist. The pale blood flowed seemingly uncontrollably now, dripping like a river from the jaws as the creature fell back upon the center stonework. It gazed to the dark abyss above with a sullen expression in its eyes. It spoke aloud for the first time here. The voice that rumbled from the throat of the dying creature was almost normal, graceful, completely different than the maddening whispering in your skulls before.

"Am I... redeemed now... Oh, beloved and beguiling Nera? Have I... paid... enough.... fo... augg...?" It said in its final moments, shaking its shoulders as though snickering, the last words after turning into gargled coughs and gags as it slowly goes still. And there was nothing but silence.

But just then, a darkness flowed from the corpse, much like the smoke from a smoldering fire. The dead beast suddenly arches back, unleashing a roar that chills your very soul. Your weapons begin to react, filling you with a sense of dread. Both claws fanned out as the creature rose again. A deep red shone in the hollow eyes, the dignified stance now replaced by a beastly crawl. The gangling form of the hollow-eyed beast judge, which stood at triple your size before now resembled a giant lanky wolf that bellowed with a constant mist of shadow.

Then, before you can even plan or speak to anyone, the monster lunges forth at a person.

-- Those with silvered weapons will notice they are light and nimble. Though their bodies were not fast, the weightlessness in their feet might prove just enough to avoid the monster. Also, you feel something else within the dread. Something is hidden away within these weapons, your Stigma calling to it.

Maybe some concentration will bring this secret aspect out? Though be careful. You feel you may not be able to control it.

-- While those with blackened great weapons will feel slow, but powerful. Too slow for a retaliation, but strong enough for a stalwart defense, perhaps? The dread you feel is different than those of the Silvered allies. The beastly weapons seemed to compel them almost, hungering for more spilt blood.

They might even move on their own, without your direct command, to protect you. Or defy you.

 

[Siren77]

Listening intently to the beasts words and instructions, I was relieved to find that I would not be one of the poor bastards to be devoured by this unruly monster. Watching it cough up the white blood of the other whips, I couldn’t help but feel a great disgust for the creature. No longer did I fear it, instead I pitied as it was obvious that it was not acting of its own accord. It seemed to despise its own work, therefore it was no longer a monster but more a slave to be yanked around my the chain.

Eyeing the plinth before me I advanced onward, and knew what to do upon seeing the jagged point atop it. Wasting no time, I raised my right arm and planted my hand straight down onto the spike. Plenty of pale blood spilled from my flesh, and caused the plinth to glow and collapse. I was surprised once the silver light appeared to be seemingly stabbed through the heart by it but felt no pain at all. Turning I now saw a silver and well designed blade burrowed into the stone. Hesitantly, I took hold of the hand and felt a brief blaze of numbness before a burning sensation came at the very core of my being. At first it was small, but only intensified more and more the longer I held the hilt. Falling to my knees, one couldn’t help but gasp and yell in pain as the fire burned at my very soul. And yet I refused to release my hand from the sword. I will not let this pain conquer me and show me to be weak. Gritting my teeth, I stand to my own two feet before holding the sword in both hands and ripping it from the stone. Almost instantly the pain subsided and I was left with this wonderful weapon in my hands.

What once was one sword seemingly fell in half and split into that of two. Two half’s of one blade, that could be joined together to form an illusion of one blade. It would serve me well for whatever hell awaited me in this world. Suddenly, much like what had happened before a name began echoing in my mind. It was cold, unfamiliar, almost shunning to me. “Irosane...” I was to mutter under my breath. I hated the name, and in a way I could tell it hated me. But it was the only thing I had left in this fucking world to identify with. Begrudgingly, I accept my fate as who I am now.

As the beast smashed its own chest to bits before bending and twisting into something even more monstrous, Iro found that any sense of fear had left his body. Instead a painful sense of anger and hatred for this new life filled what little of a soul he had. “I am to prove my own will? After I was torn from whatever life I lived, and forced to forget it all only to stand now as that of a shell of a person I once was?! How dare you even think to demand that I prove anything. I never asked for this.” Letting out a disgruntled sigh, Iro split the blade and held the two parts in his hands gripping the handles tightly. “I suppose it doesn’t matter, in any case you’re standing in my way and I’ll have to cut you down. I will rip and tear until I can be freed of this life, and nothing will stand in my way.” As the roar echoed throughout the room, a chill went through Irosane’s core but he kept his head high. The only dread and uncertainty he had was wether he’d be able to wield these new blades of his well enough. As brave as he’d like to act, he still had doubts of himself.

It all happened so fast, in a mere second the Twisted Beast lunged as Iro and he didn’t have long to react. Crossing his blades into an ‘X’, he attempted to withstand the force of the beasts charge only to be thrown back off his feet and into the wall behind him. Quickly getting back up, Iro ran to meet the beast once again and this time he parried the snapping jaws of the creature with his right blade and managed to land a scratch across the monsters face. He hardly had the required power to cut the beasts own flesh, but he refused to back down. Evading and parrying the beasts various attack, eventually he spotted an opening and clumsily acted on it. In his haste, his two blades collided with one another making it so only his right blade was able to slice across the Twisted Beasts belly. But this monster was unrelenting, he’d need some help and fast.

 

[kasigi]

I physically feel the loss of the memory as it slips from my head, though not in an instant. After a few moments, I slowly had a harder time recalling it, until it was completely gone. No longer a distant memory, simply a memory that had disappeared altogether. It was a frightening feeling, yet comforting, in a strange way.

The grotesque beast was right. Starting anew felt rather pleasant, and it allowed my mind to clear - an absolute blank slate for the future. I am capable of deciding what I want to become. My eyes watched the beast, the disgust I felt from earlier being much less present than before. I was numb to it's appearance, after staring at it for so long, watching as it's monstrous height made me feel rather insignificant.

My eyes trace to where it's mangled finger pointed to, the plinths near the back of the room. Humility? Such strange things to be learning from a monster. I walked over to the plinths, the sound of my steps seeming to echo throughout the room. It was strange. The room felt as if it went on forever, though it had a quantifiable distance at the same time. As I walked, I let myself ignore the sounds of death that the beast reaped upon those who were deemed "unworthy" of continuing. It was a miserable fate, but there was nothing I could do about it, so I continued. The creature seemed to kill many - the majority was not alive, but dead. I waited, watching as other figures arrived to separate plinths - my eyes examining them. A few had returned glances, yet others simply stared at the plinth in front of them. After examining the others besides me, I attempted to make out the designs and carvings, to no avail. I decided that if it was important, I would have known what it was.

I pondered for a few moments. What could it mean, to "spill" my essence? I stared at the beast, and the beast stared back at me. After a few moments of being lost in thought at the sight of it's toothy, serrated grin, I came to a realization of what I was supposed to do, my eyes locking onto the jagged stones that, supposedly, I was to use to rip my flesh open.

I lifted my palm to the stone, striking at it with a small movement. My palm had opened, and the pale blood began to spill and seep from the wound, sinking deep into the carvings I had just earlier attempted to make out. My curiosity peaked as the stone began to glow with a bright light, emitting a sound from deep within. I watch as the stone crumbles and reveals a sliver shard inside. I was interested, my right hand reaching for it, before it pierced straight through. I let out a gasp, grabbing for where the wound would be, but I had felt nothing.

I turned, noticing a blade embedded into the stone behind me. It seemingly called to me, in a way. The feeling I felt was a natural pull towards this blade. I was mesmerized by the sight of it, it was elegant and beautiful to me. My hand reached out to the blade, grabbing it by the handle. As I grabbed onto it, I felt the feeling from earlier seep away, numbness replacing it. Then, immense pain, where the shard had entered and left on my right hand. I noticed the dark markings that now covered the back and front of my hand, clenching my teeth as the agonizing pain continued. I did my best not to yell out, the height of the pain being reached as I was finally able to pull the blade from the stone. The blade was incredibly long, a greatsword.

After a few moments, a single word began to repeat itself, over and over within my head. I already knew what it was, so I called out to it, reaching for it. It was my new name, and I welcomed it solemnly. My new identity, my clean slate. A name that could be made out to be told in stories for the future.

"Mordred."

I gazed at the others next to me, their identities and physical forms seeming more unique than before. It was rather strange, without explanation.

I moved closer to the beast as it beckoned for all of us, stepping towards it hesitantly. I listened to what it had to say, it's voice still sounding rather haunting and unpleasant to the ear. Our might manifested? Perhaps each and everyone's weapons could say something about their personality and character. I listened as it spoke about the black vessels. It was very strange. It was implied that those with black vessels were different than us with silvered weapons. They have not found their humility.

My eyes watched as the beast began to "demonstrate" it's will for us. The sounds it made were sickening as it began to strike at itself, audible cracks and haunting gurgles as it seemed to drown in it's own blood as it rose from it's throat. The clearer, louder voice of the voice planted an eerie feeling deep within my chest. As it continued to moan in agony, it eventually went still, before a different presence was felt. The darkness that rose from the beast's dead body was unsettling, the chilling roar it emitted echoing through the chamber. Not moments later, the monster lunged forward, becoming a threat. I raised my blade, and with a few steps to the side, I had moved out of the way of the beast, as it had engaged with the one known as "Irosane." I moved towards the creature, lunging at it's side. As I moved towards it, it attempted to swipe me away with a clawed hand, which I elegantly parried and riposted with a slash upon the beasts side. I would need to find it's weakpoints.

 

[Damafaud]

The beast urged me to go. I nodded. As I approached the sacrificial stone, pointed by the beast, the single strand of memory that I had desperately held on to stopped its struggle. If it was a stray cat that refused all attempt to pat and hold it, it had turned docile. It accepted its position, in the embrace of its holder.

Faris.

Myself. Me. A memory surged up in my mind. There was only a person there. There was nothing else. He merely stood there, like a statue presented for me to observe. It was a strange, yet vivid dream. He was a familiar figure. I recognised his tender stare. I was familiar with his slight, hesitant smile. I was familiar with how he carried himself. I recognised him as me. Strange, yet vivid. Like seeing a mirror that does not reflect. Knowing how I was, I felt my steps were much lighter. I knew who I was. It was something simple, but it gave me a purpose. To continue the purpose of Faris, as someone that was Faris.

I arrived at the stone, feeling more settled than I had. There was others like me around. As the last of us went into place, I put my hand on the stone, and mentioned my name, with a hint of pride. Listen to me! I am me! I exist! That was how my thought went for a while.

"Faris!"

The stone opened, revealing a glowing shard. It was beautiful. As I tried to hold it, another memory surged forward.

A fire.

It was nowhere I recognised, yet it was familiar. My memory. Blood flowed freely on the unpaved ground. I ran barefooted ahead. Toward a burning house. It burnt splendidly. The fire had spread to almost all part of the house. I still ran. There was someone inside I needed to meet. There was someone inside I needed to hold. Several men stared at the house idly. I could have shouted at them for not helping, but I didn't. All I did was running. The entrance was in flame. The heat pushed me back. All I got was a glimpse of someone inside, and my fear had manifested in the worst way possible. The body of the children.

I screamed.

Not only from stress of what I saw, but also from pain of what had bit my wrist. I tried to pull it, but its teeth was deep into my flesh, and it only added to the pain. Before long, the pain resided. The black... thing had attached itself into my wrist. The shape was different from what the others had, but its shape was familiar to me.

A long chain, with a metal sphere attached at the end.

Before I could think of anything, the metallic sphere whispered to my mind, repeatedly.

"Sarah... Gail... Ben... Seth..."

I couldn't comprehend its meaning at first, but it dawned upon me.

The children.

I turned my attention away from it. I couldn't think of them. The beast had started talking, and his words helped me ignoring the whispers. Humility... a virtue I did not possess. I had no qualm to say that I was a prideful man. I took pride at what I did and would not hesitate to take credit. After all, I was someone with an identity to establish, with values I want to leave behind for the world.

The beast lurched at Irosane. It was a distance too far for me to cover. It would have finished its attack before I arrive.

I grabbed hold of the chain. I swung the chain in a circular motion, increasing its momentum. The movement felt familiar to me. The chain was heavy. A burden, like the beast said. Even so, I swung the chain and directed the metal sphere, with a flick of my wrist, toward the beast. I could feel the sphere eagerly aiming at the beast. The feeling of dread and fear filled my heart, Faris' heart, but I knew the weapon had another familiar feeling inside.

Bloodlust. Desire for blood.

And I started to like it as well.

 

[Aura Of Twilight]

My footsteps echo across the chamber as I make my way to one of the plinths, my gut churning as I tried in vain to ignore the sudden changes in the beast’s temperament. Even so my mind surged with just more questions, some sort of understanding to what was going on. What did the beast mean when it said we were almost one and the same? How could that be? I wasn’t a monster before I lost my memories too…was I? I prayed that I was merely overthinking things, but something in that monster’s eyes made me second guess myself.

Almost to the pedestal, the memory began to gain substance, before abruptly being lost in a stormy sea of other images and sensations. I rushed forward, but my knees nearly buckle as I’m overwhelmed, my hands instinctively reaching out to grab the pillar in front of me for support. A few seconds pass, then my head clears, the single word from earlier at the forefront of my mind once more.

I placed my hand upon the smooth stone. “Rael.” I uttered, the name sounding so familiar yet foreign at the same time on my tongue. The object beneath moved, revealing a compartment containing a single silver shard. A voice whispering in the recesses of mind, I reached out to touch the strange object.

I regretted that decision instantly, for the memory that invaded my mind then nearly rent my heart in two.

I am running through a forest, having finally escaped the slaver’s clutches. I have to get away as far as I can, get help for those who had given me this chance to be free, even though in my core I knew my friends are most likely already dead. Even so, I push forward, jumping over tree roots and rocks in my haste to get away, hearing the too familiar cackling and heavy steps of the man who had imprisoned me in the first place not too far behind.

The shackles binding my hands impede my progress slightly. The next thing I know, I trip on an outcropping of rock and am sent rolling down a hill, rocks, sticks, all manner of things on a forest floor digging into my chest and stomach. By the time I reach the bottom, I’m groaning, unable to even do as much as get on my knees. I lay there for several seconds in a pained daze.

Then my captor is there, unsheathing his sword and raising it high as he laughs, admonishing me as if I were a child who had run away from home. He swings down and—

I screamed, brought back to the present as a black substance latches on my wrist and bites down with jagged teeth. I could feel my blood being drained. I cursed, trying in vain to pull the thing off me. That only seemed to encourage the substance however, so I stopped writhing as much as I could despite the pain, waiting for my death in grim anticipation.

What happened instead surprises me. The substance has morphed into a large staff, adorned with blue stones and blades at the top and bottom, a chain connecting my hand to the strange looking weapon. It weighed my arm down, but I don’t have long to ponder much more before the beast beckoned all of us to the center of the chamber…

And preceded to kill itself, only to be resurrected by some unknown magic. Now in the shape of a wolf, it lunged at Irosane, whose name I somehow now knew. As Mordred and Fairis rushed to help, I realized what I had to do as well, or rather, the monstrous weapon in my hand urged me on to do so.

“A woman’s work is never done.” I muttered, jumping into the fray.

I could sense that the staff was hungry for blood. As much as I detested the fact that we were connected, I would do as it wished. I spun the weapon in my hands, aiming for the beast’s underbelly.

 

[Juju]

When the creature motioned for me to approach the standing stones, I dutifully obliged. I wondered if he had once been like me, lost and alone. If so, could any of these wisps share a fate with The Judge? Could I? My thoughts were cut short when I found myself standing before the ring of plinths. Others joined me and we waited for a time until The Judge motioned for us to begin. Only then did I realize I had no idea what to do. Thankfully another wisp approached one of the stones ahead of me and I watched their actions carefully, though regretted it almost immediately after. I held my hand close to my chest and stared at the jagged edge of the rock, knowing what I must do yet reluctant to do so. Somewhere beside me I heard a scream of agony. My instinct was to help them, but I knew I could not. Not until I completed my own trial. So I did.

The light dazzled and blurred off the tears in my eyes, so I wiped them to see better. Before me floated a silver shard that shimmered with an enigmatic glow like moonlit water. I was so awestruck by its beauty that I didn't even notice it take aim for my heart until it had pierced right through me. Yet there was no pain. I turned around to look at where it had landed and found a hilt embedded in the ground. Without thinking I closed my fingers upon its handle and pulled the weapon out of the stone. It was small and delicate, a dagger, yet when it was in my hand I felt an immense strength that betrayed its fragility. I felt safe. "Is this... mine?" I muttered in disbelief. As if in answer, a searing pain dug its way into my chest and I fell to the ground in pain. All I could do was cry out helplessly as my heart seemed to catch fire in my chest, but just when I thought I could take no more, it stopped. Slowly, I turned my eyes down to look at where the wound should have been. Instead a black marking lingered above my heart, unfurling beneath my gaze to form delicate petals.

---​

Niatiel. A whisper, like a breath of wind through tall grass. Niatiel. She pulled the dagger closely to her chest and gave a joyous laugh, perhaps the first to ring in this accursed chamber. It was a gift and she, Niatiel, would cherish it for as long as she lived.

Her face fell when The Judge began to talk again. Though still grateful for her gift, Niatiel couldn't shake off the feeling of guilt when she looked at the pained creature. She felt pity for it, and when it choked on its final breath she hoped with all her heart that it would find peace in death. But it didn't. The body lurched then stood back up again, darker than before and much more bestial. Whoever The Judge had been in his moment of clairvoyance was gone. Maybe he is still there, Nia wondered.

"What's wrong with him?" she asked aloud only for her question to be drowned out by the sounds of battle. Everyone had jumped into the fray without a second thought, and here she was frozen like a stunned deer.

Niatiel didn't want to fight, but she couldn't let the others die. She looked down at her dagger, clutched tightly in her hands. What good would it do when swords and blackened weapons were little more than flies to the beast? But did she have any other choice? She glanced around the dismal chamber, full of crumbling pillars and broken stone. What if they collapsed one of the pillars on the wolf? Maybe it would be enough to pin it down?

"Everyone!" She shouted, her voice struggling to be heard beneath the wolf's frenzied howls. "If we lure the wolf beneath one of the pillars we can topple it on top of him!"

 

[Siren77]

For quite a long moment, Irosane felt that he was on his own with this battle. It felt like almost an eternity where he was face to face with this creature, repelling it’s snapping jaws over and over again from him. He’d managed to land quite a few more slices and felt like he was doing well on his own until he could feel his energy fading past. Fortunately, almost everyone seemed to jump in at once and struck at the beast along side him. Mordred, Farris, Rael, Niatiel, he knew all of their names almost by heart. And yet their faces and who they were was nothing but a void in his mind. How strange, to know a persons name so well and yet to not recognize their face or who they are. Regardless, Iro had no time to judge. They still had a rabid monster to take care of.

As he heard Niatiel’s vocie ring out among the carnage, Irosane listened intently to her plan and nodded instinctively to himself. “Leave it to me!” He called back. This beast seemed to be trained on him above all others. Dodging to the left from yet another powerful bite, Iro switched up the hold on one of his blades and dug it into the beasts eye causing it to let out a powerful help of pain followed by a menacing growl. Retrieving his weapon, Irosane dashed away from the group. Standing next to the target area, Iro taunted the beast by scraping his blades together. “Come get me ya bastard!”

Sure enough, the beast charged headlong toward the pillar and smashed right into it. Iro had done his best to dodge but ended up getting his left side crushed from the impact. The good news was he hadn’t died yet. Looking up at the pillar he saw that it had cracked but it wasn’t enough to make it topple over. Seeing the one with the mace, Iro called out to him. “Faris!! Your weapon! You need to smash the pillar, and one of the others needs to guide it down to crush this thing!” Just as he got out his last words, Irosane saw that the beast had recovered from its headlong impact into solid marble and was now pacing in front of him as if to be waiting for something. “Make it fast, or I’m gonna be this things meal!”

 

[Euclid Leaf]

...

Morded and Irosane struck first. Although, the former was probably just trying to alleviate for the impatience of the latter. Slicing apart flesh, fur, and skin in their flurry. Their pale weapons proved fast, elegant, and even if they don't recall ever receiving such training, the silvered blades moved alongside their intentions with astonishing precision and skill. As if guiding their masters. Perhaps a little unintentional, this combined attack managed to divide the attention of the beast enough for them both to come out of it unscathed. However, this exchange seemed a stalemate. Though they moved in and out of danger, barely outside the jagged claws and vicious snaps of teeth, their weapons dealt what looked like paper cuts against the dried hide of the monster. They would need more if they ever wanted to finish the battle without wearing themselves out, perhaps strike at a softer place.

In a change of strategy, spurned by the hesitant soul, Niatiel, Irosane acted and sought a weak point with their blade. Again, he acted in haste. Upon being dealt a humiliating wound, it turned its bloodied head towards him and charged almost blindly. As he took the brunt of this attack alone, Irosane was dealt a nasty cut into his wispy leg while using his speed to narrowly dodge the creature. Nearly falling apart, the claw came close to severing the pale limb. But the ethereal body seemed more resilient than most. His stigma began to faintly glow, and the split silvered weapons he held hummed in return. Pale tendrils slowly reached out of the wound to bind and recover the severed piece, ceasing the bleeding almost immediately. Though it looked almost normal again, that did not stop the sheer residual pain, nor the noticeable loss of responsiveness from the limb.
--Irosane receives a temporary injury, a painful limp, which will make him significantly slower for the remainder of the battle.

Blood poured from the berserk form, the gangling beast crashing against the large stone pillar and hissed in anger. However, this was not pale, as it was before. This foul, vicious liquid flowed like melted rubber, dripping and pooling in clumps and chunks. This vile blood dripped from the gouged hole down the twisted and contorted visage as it formed a snarl at its daring perpetrator. A faint hollow sound, the familiar snickering emerged as the beast's essence swirled and the air became harder to breathe. But just as the beast reared its legs, about-ready to lunged towards the foolish dual bladed wisp, a lethargic, heavy black orb smashed into its ribs. Faris had saved Irosane from his foolish mistake, though unknowingst to both. The twisted metal ball cracked against the hollow bones and lodged deeper, unleashing a stream of vile blood onto the grey weeds and stone floor below. Upon the taste of blood, the chain and ball began to unleash a darker form. The bloodlust Faris felt as he targeted the monster began to course through him. And for a moment, it slipped free. The ball gyrated in instability, as though in ecstasy, before splitting in two, exposing rows and rows of large teeth that chomped into the shriveled flesh of the warped monster. This dealt a very heavy damage to the beast, as its newly reformed, overgrown chest began to cave in. Howling in agony, the once-sane beast was unable to see another engage from its underbelly. The blackened staff of Rael pierced through from below, though with a bit of struggle, the massive black form cut through the tough flesh, tearing through and snapping what felt like bones.

Neither attacks from these two, who held 'Black Vessels' seemed graceful or quick, like their silvered compatriots. It looked as though if the nimble beast was not occupied or distracted at all, they probably wouldn't even have landed a blow. However, it seemed they were much more effective at flaying and damaging the monster than their silver compatriots, if not for the added vulnerability and sluggishness.

But it was not nearly over.

And though Rael would feel much more winded than Faris after their attacks, he soon felt another consequence for his action. As Faris' blackened weapon indulged and consumed, he began to lose control of their Black Vessel. For allowing the bloodlust to tinge his mind, Faris would discover it would begin to fight him for dominance. Was that why his attack dealt such a devastating blow? That was probably the reason. In this case, still too weak to really contest, it no to longer listened nor budged to him. An act of defiance.
-- Faris will be unable to pull their Black Vessel from the flesh of the beast, for the time being.

The creature was in a frenzy now, snapping its jaws in agony, yelping and snickering all at once as blood poured like slicks of oil from both wounds. Slamming its claws into the ground, shaking the hollow, stony chamber, it flailed its legs and tail in an attempt to retreat to a less disadvantageous position. But the beast was weighted down. It looked back and saw the blackened chain length attached to it, and began to fight against it. Faris would feel the ground slip beneath their feet as the monster struggled against the resistance of the Black Vessels and it's wielder. It was unclear whether this was a moment of leverage or misfortune for the party, as Faris was now connected to the beast.

-- The Snickering Beast is made unable to use its full range of movement for the time being, but for how long? Faris will not be able to hold on for much longer, before being drained of strength and dragged away. But then again, the beast probably wouldn't allow itself to blunder like this again. Which opportunity will the party take?

...

 

[Juju]

Niatiel could only watch in horror as the wolf's claw savagely tore apart Irosane's leg. "No! Irosane!" she cried out.

Her graceful feet carried her over to his side in a heartbeat. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, this is all my fault!" she blurted out all at once. Pale blood oozed from his wound but only for a moment. With wide eyes, Niatiel watched as grass-thin tendrils sprouted from the wound and wove themselves together, sealing off the blood. "Y-you're healed?" she sputtered in disbelief, relief washing over her face. Even though she was smaller than him, she tried her best to help him get back onto his feet (if he had fallen) or at the very least made sure he could stand properly.

The moment didn't last long for soon a tormented howl brought her attention back to the battle. She whipped around to witness something burrow into the wolf's chest, causing a spray of blackened gore in its wake. The attack was so brutal that Nia couldn't help but flinch in sympathy for the howling wolf. Her eyes followed the bloody chain to find Faris on the end of it, struggling to hold on to whatever was consuming the wolf's insides.

The other wisps had launched their own attacks on the snickering beast, but they lacked unity. Each of them were within the wolf's range of attack should it break free, and now that it was frenzied it would be all the more dangerous. She saw what it did to Irosane's leg... and that wasn't even a direct hit.

Panic seized her heart and she found herself shivering. It had been so easy to shake away the fear when the world had shrunk down to just herself and those looming teeth, but now that there were other people she felt powerless and afraid. The thought of her own death did not bother her, as she had accepted her fate, but she could never accept the death of another. Her life, she realized, didn't mean nearly as much to her as these other souls.

She wanted to make sure everyone survived, but she didn't know what to do. Out of habit she clutched onto her dagger, the gesture becoming a sort of comfort. "We have to work together..." she said, to herself more than anyone else. "Hold on Faris!" she called out while running up to them. It wasn't much, but Niatiel took hold of the chain and helped pull on it, oblivious to the internal power struggle between weapon and wielder. Or if touching someone else's weapon was a bad idea or not. She only hoped that the others could destroy the pillar or find some other way to subdue the wolf before the chain gave way.

"We... we can do this!"

 

[Siren77]

After his plead for help once more, Irosane finally beheld the damage that had been felt to his limb. Ironically as soon as he beheld it, the white whisp finally felt the immense pain stemming from the wound. The lower half of his leg was almost severed off, and yet he had only been barely scraped by the damn thing. Looking back up at the beast, Iro frowned. Something so monstrous didn’t deserve this power, nor to be alive at this point. They’d need to get rid of him, and fast.

As Niatiel ran over to him, Irosane did his best to ease her consience. “No no, don’t put the blame to yourself damnit. Your plan is our best hope of killing this thing, seeing as our weapons do little to nothing against it’s thick hide.” Almost miraculously, white whispy strands began attatching to his nearly severed limb. Iro could not even begin to fathom how or why he was able to do this. There was no way on earth he had developed such an advanced healing ability, and that left him with the feeling that something or someone was looking out for him. Grunting a soft thank you to Nia, he gave her a gentle smile before finally feeling he could walk on own. “I’m fine now, you go on and help the others.”

As the girl ran off to help Farris with his embedded weapon located at he beasts ribs, Irosane gave himself some time to rest, heal, and come up with some sort of a plan as to how they’d manage to knock that pillar over. Such a massive object wouldn’t be moved by pure force from but one person. Team work was an obvious stress point for their current situation. Niatiel and Farris struggled on with attempting to free the weapon from the beast, and almost looked to be dragged the twisted being closer their way. Iro’s eyes then drifted to the now cracked pillar and the path to which it was leaning. Finally an idea began forming in his mind, and he could only hope the others would understand his instructions well enough. “Niatiel, Farris! Drag it more your way and hold under the pillars toppling path! Try not to let it be freed!” Turning to the Mordered and Rael, he waved them over in his direction. “You both come help me with the pillar!” Crossing around the beast, avoiding its snapping jaws and listening on to its howls and growls, Iro limped along and knew the others would get to the pillar before he ever would. Eventually, Irosane joined the others behind the massive pillar where he scaled the structure until he was just above the cracked point. Posting his back against the wall and his legs on the pillar he began pushing with all of his might against the architectual masterpiece. Irosane felt almost ashamed that such a work of art had to be sacrificed to free them of the beasts grasp. All that was left to be done was hope that the plan worked out well enough, as if not Irosane and his companions newfound world of damnation would find a whole new meaning of hell.

We can do this, I know we can. I hope we can. Fucking damnit why do I feel so tired? It seemed that this icon of anger’s own mortality was proving to be a greater adversary than that of the beast itself. How annoying.

 

[kasigi]

Mordred felt reluctance to strike again. His blade did little to nothing to the beast, even with it's size. He simply did not have the strength to pierce through well enough and cause any severe damage. With this thought in mind, he jumped back several feet, his eyes carefully analyzing the creature, looking for the weakpoints. Obvious assumptions were the eyes and the stomach, where it would be easiest to pierce. Even so, he was aware that any mistake would mean that he would gain an injury much more grievous than he could deal to the monster. Still, even with the minor injuries he dealt to the beast, he felt as if he was able to naturally guide it with precision, even though he had no memory of ever wielding any sort of blade, as he had given those away to start anew. As Mordred prepared to make his next move, he watched as Irosane was given a ghastly wound upon his leg, after trying to deal damage to the beast's eye. He genuinely hoped that they would be fine, it would be too much of a loss for someone to be taken out this early. Though, as Niatiel went to support him, Mordred's worry began to drain away a bit more.

He looked on as the beast's blood poured from it's body, acting as incredibly thick, chunky liquid that was quite unsightly. Even so, he dared not break eye contact. Looking away for even a second could mean death, so Mordred endured. He could feel himself growing more and more numb to the sights. I suppose this is the reality we live in. Watching it's body language, he knew that it was going to lunge towards Irosane to finish him of, which caused Mordred to respond accordingly. He lifted the rather large blade forward and prepared to move in on the beast, at least in an effort to distract it and buy Irosane time, before a giant black ball crashed into it's side, drawing away it's attention to a seemingly bigger threat. Mordred pulled back a bit more. He knew that he could not act recklessly. This creature could take any one of their lives effortlessly if given an opening, acting without thinking was the last thing he wanted to do. When contact with the beast was made, he could hear the cracking and breaking of every single bone. A very powerful and frightening weapon indeed. Watching the ball open up and seemingly bite chunks out of the creature was even more intriguing. Seemingly much more supernatural than just a simple sword. It dealt damage, a lot. It was what was needed. As the other black weapon made contact with the beast's underbelly, he knew that these weapons were wearing it down, and could definitely kill it. Even so, there was a notable lack of elegance and speed with these weapons.

He continued to watch the ball dig and seemingly eat the creature's side, not stopping. It was as if it was a living creature being used as a weapon. It looked as if it was stuck inside, and would not stop eating away at the creature. While Faris was indeed vulnerable, the longer the ball ate away, the more damage that was done to the creature. The beast was obviously growing more angry as it howled in pain. And while Faris was stuck, the beast was as well.

After being called to the pillar, Mordred moved without hesitation, running over to it. He was aware of what he needed to do. The pillar toppling onto the beast could either kill it, or do severe enough damage to allow everyone else to damage it as well. It was definitely worth a try, and it seemed to have cracked after the beast had run into it. As Irosane arrived to the pillar as well, he began to push with his left shoulder, putting all of his weight into it, while his right hand held the long greatsword over his own shoulder.

"Do not exert yourself too much, Irosane! We wouldn't want your injury to grow any more serious, would we?"

 

[Damafaud]

The sphere hit its target with a satisfying crunch digging deep into the beast. For a moment, he felt exhilarated. His breathing was faster. A sense of liberation and new found joy swelled inside his chest. For a moment, Faris felt more alive. The moment, however, did not last long. The metallic sphere revealed its vile nature. Rows of fang revealed itself and bit into the beast. The beast howled in pain, and another sense joy swelled up in his chest. That was when it came.

A voice in his head, gradually getting louder and louder. Faris gritted his teeth as he tried to ignored it, yet the voice was not easily ignored. He recognised it. The voice of the sphere. Of the black vessel he held. It tried to embed itself deeper into the beast. He willed it to let go, yet it refused. He pulled the chain attached to the sphere with both of his hand, trying to release it from the beast. Niatiel tugged the chain on his wrist, helping him to take control of the sphere.

"I can't hold it for long! The sphere is trying to dig deeper into the beast."

He shouted back at Irosane who asked him to put the beast in place. With Niatiel helping him, he could focus more on mentally suppressing the black vessel's attempt to take control rather than physically fighting it. Taking a stance, Faris tried to control both the beast and the sphere. When the sphere embed itself too far, he increased the strength of his pull. When the sphere's bite felt loose, he gave it more freedom. He only hoped he could hold on long enough...

 

[Euclid Leaf]

...

The large beast looked like a swirling mass of tangled matted fur as it struggled under the Black Vessel devouring it, snarling as it slammed at the chain with its clawed hands, tugging Nietiel and Farris slightly. Luckily, they had chosen to work to restrain the monster together, otherwise Farris might've been pulled like a fish on a line towards the deadly foe. But the battle still raged on. The beast made a gagging noise as the black iron ball snapped once more, shuddering as it released a plume of smoke from its dripping chest wound.

There were other wisps who had joined the attack at this point, inspired by the actions of their brave compatriots. Ones who remained in the background the whole time, gripped by fear, confusion, and hysteria, unable to find reason in the madness of it all. Resilience and hope now shone in their determined eyes. One, named 'Vystari', a feminine looking one, had begun to channel a charge of pale yellow lightning, shocking the the beast with her blessed silvered weapon. Was this the power hidden within them, that the others chose to ignore? Another, named 'Dywnn', a stout hulking figure, rushed in with their blackened lance, spearing the creature through the gut and spilling what looked to be blood and guts and smoke. The torrent of this black smoke then intensified as it suffered more and more damage. The creature seemed enraged as it reached desperation, using a technique that those well-versed in the old ways would've known was forbidden. The beast and the wisps were suddenly obscured in this pitch mist, almost like a layer of ink in water. From within, a pair of screams can be heard. For a moment, the party would feel a loss,m and their stigmas would gitter faintly. The party would be shaken out of it by a shrill roar that shook the foundations, expelling the smoke outwards in a violent burst. The two wisps were blown back, landed near Nietiel and Farris, choking and struggling to breathe. It seemed having been so close, they received the worst of the dark effect. It looked like they didn't have much time, if left alone to their ailing. The bright essence composing their form was rapidly fading as black veins encroached and spread across their bodies.

"Please... I don't want to die..." whispered Vystari, who looked at the two for help.
Dywnn seemed to feel otherwise, "Don't. Put faith in the Goddess. If you let go now... all of this will be for nothing... kill that damn thing... we'll be okay..."

Little did it realize, this shock wave would also ease the pillar slowly being snapped and toppled to crush it. Irosane and Mordred can feel significant progress being made against the support, but it will take at least one more round to see the results of their efforts. It is taking much longer than they hoped. With how grim things looked down on the ground, they would need to hurry if they didn't want to lose anyone in this battle. They will knock it over eventually, but maybe by then, would it be too late? Surely, one good swing with one of those hulking Black Vessels will speed things up.

-- Everyone in the vicinity will be hit with a gripping sick feeling as the smog washes over them. You feel your health slowly deteriorating in the smoke. Prolonged exposure feels like it will lead to serious damage.

The snickering can be heard again as the monster began to shudder and groan, the fur rising in some sort of ominous pull. Something was changing about it.

 

[Siren77]

Irosane continued to push and strain against the pillar, refusing to give up on all the progress himself and his team had made. He could feel his injured left leg beginning to wither away once again and yet he still forced himself to continue pressing. “I’ll be fine Mordred, even if it gets worse it’ll be worth it in the long run to make sure the rest of you get out of this unharmed.” As the last of his words slipped from his mouth, Irosane caught site of the two newcomers that had finally decided to join the battle. Wounding the beast and further aiding in the battle, Iro cheered them on. Vystari’s Electrical blast had loosened the pillar more and it began to feel like it would begin to drop at any moment. Victory seemed to be well within their grasp, they just needed to keep at it.

However the hopeful demeanor did not sit long within the lost soul. As the poisonous fog spilled out of the beast, he witnessed the pair from earlier get the full blast of it and begin choking and quickly approaching death. Upon the vantage point where he was at, Iro could do nothing but watch. He had no magic that he knew of to aid the pair, nor any weapon that could be useful in this situation. Unless...
Iro stretches out his right hand toward the pair, doing his best to concentrate and perhaps use whatever energy it was that had saved his leg earlier. Please! Help them! Iro pleaded in his head as he continued to attempt to harness whatever energy had been brought before him earlier. It was worth a shot, after all it wouldn’t hurt him at all if it didn’t work and it was his only chance to help the pair. If not magic, then none of them would be able to help the two of them without releasing their efforts against the beast.

Eventually Irosane let his arm drop as he stared on at the two, unsure of what he did had actually aided in any way. At this point the fog had made its way behind the pillar and up to where he was at. Coughing and gagging, Iro fought through the choking feeling of this damned fog. “Stay strong everyone! We can push through this! We need one more person to help with this pillar! Quickly, so we can help the others!”

 

[seasonedcat]

Falling...it's a strange situation to find yourself in, no? After meeting a random Goddess who told you you're the worlds last hope, which is strange on it's own accord, now you are falling. It could see others around it falling, all with the similar formless shape, they were all approaching the ground but, for some reason it felt little fear of that fact. The Goddess had said they were this worlds last hope, so it doubted that it would die here, after the Goddess sent them down herself. Landing however was surprisingly painless and ungraceful, it landing in a small patch of what looked like moss.

Upon landing in the moss it felt no incline to sit up and just continued to lay there. For some reason when it landed in this position it felt a strong sensation to just rest, it wasn't tired it just, wanted rest. So the nameless creature continued laying there listening to the commotion around it, getting a general idea of what it had to do to live. So when the beast was looming over it it merely stared back at it with dull eyes. Like the others it was given the choice to keep who it used to be or give up what it used to be, a hard choice to choose in such a short period of time.

This is another chance for life, it believed that it shouldn't give up this chance for who it used to be, because it was for them not who they might be. It's reasoning were not solid but time was short so they merely replied with, "This life is for who I used to be. I'll keep who I was-or should I say am...?" it she listened to the beast as it spoke, nodding as she understood it's instructions. With some reluctance she stood up and began to walk towards one of the plinth images began flooding her head, names, places, faces, all strangely familiar yet foreign at the same time.

One memory stood out more than the rest, a slim female with sickly pale skin, stringy hair filled with dirt. She had a weird burn on her left arm, some diamond like marking, this intrigued the nameless creature, why did this person have this. Another notable feature that her attention was a eye patch over one of her eyes and the strange look the girl held, she seemed so empty, so tired. Who was she. A gasp passed through the nameless creatures mouth, this was her. Who she used to be, no...who she is. Her name... her name...what is it?

"Kyo." slipped from her lips. That's her name. She is Kyo. She was still in a baffled state as she reached the stone and spoke her name on accident. The form of the stone twists and reveals a box with a shard inside it. With a shaky hand Kyo reached out for the shard when suddenly memories claimed her focus. A familiar feeling of extreme exhaustion and sickness filled her body. She was so sick, so very sick. An infection she got from working in the fields to long, some bug had bitten her on the job. She was young, not even an adult yet but she knew she was going to die soon. Her owners weren't allowing her to get the treatment she needed, or even rest. God she just wanted to rest. The medicine she needed wasn't that expensive, she could even have the chance of fighting it if she was allowed rest, but she wasn't. Her last hours, everything hurt, her head was spinning, she was so tired...please I just want... to....sleep. Dizziness, then nothing. Her last memories were the ground getting closer then nothing. The scythe for cutting the wheat had slipped, then she collapsed. Kyo wondered if she had even got a funeral, if anyone would attend it if she did.

Kyo whimpered at the sick feeling that was oh so familiar before it slowly faded into just her memories. That is who she is. That was her past. Somewhere in the time her memory started playing her eyes had shut, and they suddenly snapped open as she felt jaws on her wrist. "Wha-?" she whispered in confusion as she turned to see a strange creature biting her. Extreme pain flared down her arm causing her to grunt as she suppressed a yelp. After a period of time that felt like ages to her the thing released it's hold on her wrist a transformed into something else. A black scythe. Something familiar from her past, something she had used before. However just looking at it made it obvious that it wasn't like the ones she knew she had used in her past. This one was sharper, deadlier. This wasn't used for crops, but for killing. Kyo could also see a beast like look to it, it was strangely similar to her yet so very different.

Kyo lifted the scythe and looked over it in awe and confusion. If she had been given a weapon, that meant she would have to kill, right? Speaking of fighting and killing she looked up to the beast that had been guiding them began turning into a monster. She had missed his last words, and had little to no clue as to why he was transforming. She noticed others began jumping in to fight the creature, bravely risking their life to kill it. One after another the others jumped in. Kyo shrugged, they' should be enough to slay that thing, after all it's only a training phase with our new weapons right?

Kyo moved from where she was standing over to a wall and leaned her scythe on it before sliding down the wall her self and landing in a sitting position. With a sigh of content she closed her eyes and waited for the fight to finish. She began to think over more of her memories, recalling some of them slowly as to not overwhelm herself when something caused her to snap her eyes open. A sick feeling had filled her stomach. God, she hated this feeling. She looked around a little angrily as she tried to find the source of this.

Only then did she realize the state of this fight. The others seemed to be struggling and some sort of fog or mist had consumed the battlefield. The monster must have done this, some dumbasses must have triggered something to cause this. Kyo really didn't care who had done this, all that mattered right now to her was making this sickness go away, she just wanted it to finally go away. Letting out a tired sigh she pushed herself up and picked up her scythe. The weight of it was heavier than her foggy mind recalled but she didn't care all that much right now.

She held the scythe in a position that felt right and began to make her way over to Irosane and Mordred who were pushing the pillar, trying to topple it onto the beast. She didn't run over because she knew she wouldn't be able to make any remarkable speed because of the large weapon she was carrying, however she did walk in a sort of jogging manner. She didn't enjoy this, the scythe wasn't the most pleasant thing to her because of what she knew was her past, however right now all she needed was for this dumb battle to end so this sick feeling can finally go away for good.

After a short period of time she made it over to the pillar, unnoticed by the others who were too wrapped up in their attempts to keep the monster still and to try and knock over the pillar. A clear sign of this is Iosane shouting for anyone free to help after doing a weird hand gesture towards a pair of fallen comrades, not even knowing help was right behind him. The sudden loud noise made her flinch lightly before glaring silently at the male. Letting out a sigh she mutter the words "Duck" before she took a little run and jumped up, slicing towards an area with a crack in it above the two's heads giving it her all.

 

[kasigi]

Mordred pushed against the pillar with everything he had. He knew that he couldn't stop to take a breath, as everyone needed to do their part to defeat the beast, and he knew that. Every second and every action mattered, and little by little, they would eventually prevail. He was determined to crush the creature and kill it, once and for all. Though, seeing how it had transformed, he wondered if it was even still alive. If it was undead, could it be killed? If not, destroying it's body would have to suffice. "I suppose you're right! Let us hope you live to see another day. Dying this early would be a shame, wouldn't it?" He shifted his positioning on the pillar a bit, now pushing with his whole back instead of just one of his shoulders. He was pushing all of his weight onto it, in hopes of progressing and toppling the pillar. From where he was, he listened to the weapon continue to crack bone and dig into the beast's body. It was quite loud - the living weapon was indeed unsettling. Though, he supposed that thing was on their side in this fight.

After a few moments, the image of two other figures entered his vision - armed with weapons. Luckily, it seemed that more support in the battle was arriving, as they seemed to be ready to fight and take on the creature. These two seemed very quiet before now, he had hardly even noticed them. As long as they were helping now, it didn't matter, as they seemed determined to kill the beast. Just like the others, Mordred somehow instantly knew their names, without even being told. Modred was surprised as he saw the feminine figure's silvered weapon release a torrent of electricity towards the beast, shocking it. Perhaps these were the powers of the silvered weapons? He noted it as he continued to push the pillar. It would definitely be useful in the future, if he could figure out his own for himself. The other, with a blackened weapon, did massive damage to the beast, as expected. Though, while it did damage, it seemed to cause another problem for everyone as black smoke rushed out from inside the beast. Mordred didn't think much of it at first, until it obviously effected those who were inside of it. Even so, the beast was damage even further, victory was soon within their grasp and Mordred knew it. The two who had just arrived already seemed to be fatally wounded, and with what he was doing now, he couldn't help him. They were so close to pushing it over, and Mordred refused to give up on it now.

The shockwave created by the beast made progress on the pillar continue even faster. Little did it know, it was helping in deciding it's own fate. Even so, he knew that it would need an extra little push to be successfully knocked over. As he began to hear snickering again, he somewhat worried. What would happen next? Just then, he noticed someone with a scythe appear right in front of them. He hadn't even seen them just until now. As they jumped up and slashed at the pillar, Mordred ducked his head as to make sure he wasn't accidentally hit by it.

 

[Juju]

Niatiel was pulled forward when the beast tugged on the chain, caught a little offguard by its sheer strength, but she quickly regained her footing. With a grunt she dug her heels into the ground and leaned backwards, putting in every ounce of strength she had in an effort to help keep the wolf from moving. From where she stood she could see the black blood dripping freely from the wound in its chest but couldn't see Faris's chained beast. However, something told her she didn't want to. With every bone cracked between the thing's jaws she could feel a sickening jolt course through the chain. It made her deeply uneasy and had she not been too busy trying to hold back the wolf she would have to wonder which beast frightened her more.

Before long her arms were exhausted from the effort of holding onto the chain, but at the sight of new reinforcements she felt a surge of renewed strength. In awe she watched Vystari smite the corrupted wolf with a lightning strike, which was immediately followed up by a thrust from Dywnn spear. Niatiel couldn't say that she felt joy when the wolf's belly was cut open -- in fact she felt the urge to rub her own stomach in empathy -- but she couldn't deny she felt a ripple of relief when the battle seemed to be in their favour. That was until the darkness came.

Niatiel turned her head to the side with eyes screwed shut when the wave of shadow blasted outwards, but when she opened them again she was faced with a terrible sight. Both Dwynn and Vystari were strewn on the ground, having been knocked back from the blast, and were struggling to breathe. Black veins crawled up their forms like spider webs, consuming the bright of their essence. A chill ran down Niatiel's spine when she saw the desperate look in Vystari's eyes.

"H-hold on!" she shouted to them, her heart racing in her chest. She loosened her grip on the chain and was about to make a dash for them when Dwynn caused her to freeze. At his words everything went blurry as tears welled in her eyes. "But you're dying..." she whimpered. They may be strangers but she knew them just as well as she knew herself; only by name. They deserved to live just as much as she did, but as much as she wanted to deny Dwynn's words, deep down she knew he was right. Her teary gaze turned to the wreathing beast and then to Mordred and Irosane pushing on the pillar. If she abandoned Faris then the wolf could break free before they finished their task.

With a pained grimace Niatiel nodded her head and grabbed back onto the chain before the beast could take advantage of the slackness. She could feel the corrupted air claw at her lungs but it didn't hurt nearly as much as the rent in her heart. Her inability to help them was tearing her apart, but If the wolf was the source of this darkness then the best way to help her dying allies was to eliminate it. She only hoped that once the darkness was gone they would be stable. Please let them live, she prayed.

 

[Damafaud]

Fatigue. Tiredness. Faced with two simultaneous tug of wars he couldn't afford to lose, exhaustion went up quickly. Faris was drained, both physically and mentally. The metallic sphere, while actively resisting his control over it, stubbornly dug itself into the beast. The matter turned to worse when the beast roared and tugged at the chain that connected the sphere with his wrist. Were it not for Irosane, he would have already flew toward the beast. Flash of light. Shout of courage. Those went over his ears as he went on his fight on two fronts.

Then the darkness came. Faris closed his eyes as the wave surged pass him, but he didn't dare to divert his attention for long. The sphere continued to struggle. The beast didn't relent. Fari gritted his teeth as the smog filled him with an urge to throw up. Hurry up! He wanted to shout at Irosane and Modred, but the attempt to open his mouth left him with a nauseous feeling. He decided to leave it to them. At that critical moment, Niatiel let go off the chain. The sudden release surprised him, but he quickly wrapped the chain around his wrist as he pulled the chain with more strength than before.

"Niatiel!"

Why would you release the chain? He wanted to ask. Then his sight was drawn toward the two ethereal figures on the ground. He didn't notice them earlier. Were they the source of the light and shout earlier? He felt a bit guilty that he didn't even remember their name. Niatiel grabbed the chain after she directed her attention to the two figures for a while. It wasn't that he felt no pity; If the beast was free, all of them would die. He kept holding on to his chain.

 

[Euclid Leaf]

Unfortunately, the hopeful prayers Irosane so desperately departed fell upon deaf ears, as he watched the darkness consume the two new wisps. Miracles did not come so easily, a lesson better learned now, rather than later. This same loss they felt earlier intensified. All their stigmas shone for a moment, glimmering in melancholy, as they felt a part of themselves gradually disappear. It was clear they were all connected. Even the grotesque Black Vessels, wretched and selfish as they may be, seemed to shed tears as they felt the emptiness and loss. But now was not the time to dwell on broken promises.

It seemed like his prayer was not entirely in vain, giving form in a different way. Truly, the Gods worked in strange ways.

Another wisp, this 'Kyo', had called out before she swung her massive weapon. Luckily too, otherwise the two pushing might've not had time to react. The huge pillar was cleaved by the monstrous scythe, tearing rock and stone, as the fervent pushing by Mordred and Irosane finally gave way. A loud rumbling then echoed the lonely grass chamber. Just as the black mist began to choke away all the air around the creature too. Given enough time, it probably would've weaken the captors enough to break free. But that was then, and this is now. The heroes had proved they can deny Fate. All of a sudden, it seemed like the light in the chamber bloomed, like the dawn of a new day. The light of the bloomed pale grass below reflected upwards to the eternal darkness, illuminating something... strange. But it was too quick to see what.

Smoke, uprooted dust, and black haze alike erupted as the snickering wolf looked up to meet its fate. Niatiel and Farris would quickly need to hold fast. The ferocious beast suddenly trashed about as the shadow looming above grew darker, tearing free of the chain ball by practically ripping itself in half. Oozing umbral blood and mist swelled the air in the desperate attempt at escape, the wolf falling in two as the backside of the body was crushed. Darkness then consumed everyone and everything, as the chamber tore into itself, the pillar acting like a battering ram against the olden overgrown stone.

The ground shook for a while, and it was almost uncertain whether the chamber would hold. For a moment, this lingering question continued, that is, until the smoke and chaos eventually cleared way.

The snickering beast, or what was left of it, lay at the edge of the ruined battlegrounds. The ancient plinths that stored the silvered shards, the grass and glowers, and the upturned stoned flooring were all mostly destroyed, with the bloodied torso of the beast at the center. For a moment, it pulled itself by its only remaining leg, snarling and snapping at the party in a creepy in-between of death and life. Until its strength gave away and it rolled over. Its bone jaw hung opened for a moment, gurgling vile black blood as the hollow eyes looked at the party expectantly.

The twisted snarling, the savage glare had gone. What remained was what they saw earlier, the eerie gaze of the dignified judge.
"Ah... Are you scared? Embrace this image..." snickering weakly, "For this is our fate, you and I... You, the future slayers of the Ancients... and I, the failed offering." coughing as it struggled to continue to speak, "If you're done here... end me... and consume my essence... That is my only purpose now..."

With its one arm, it tapped a claw at its own beating black heart, "Yes... the essence of Miracles... pluck it from my dead form... and crush it..."

Vystari and Dywnn had gone silent by now, their white forms having shriveled and dried away. They lay nearby Niatiel and Farris, legs tucked into their chests. Like a pair of discarded fetuses. They stilled breathed. But for how long?

...