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Post by G-Nation on Sept 9, 2011 12:27:48 GMT -5
The RPG Furies RPG: Stranger in the Night Date of First Publish: Sept 7, 2008, 3:03 PM Date of Final Post: Mar 18, 2010, 2:46 PM Date of Current Draft: Sept 9, 12:27 PM - Sept 22, 2011, 2:14PM Role Players: TheMaskedStranger, Vindicare, Dark Star Editor: Vindicare, LadyConqueror New Edits will come soon. Stranger in the Night Chapter One:  The wind in the mid-night air whistled while water banged up against the stone pillars of The Manhattan Docks. The moon shined brightly shimmering and reflecting off the near by city. The reflecting light casting from the buildings formed an alternate source of light so that the dark ere shadows lurking about would fade. No darkness could be seen where descended old street lamps illuminated. Along the board walk, enough light shined to see the thin platforms of concrete and wooden planks extending around the dock. Beyond the docks in the city, within the clustered alleys, sounds echoed onto the city streets.  The strong winds blew creating a powerful current in the water. The vicious waves rattled the boardwalk as heavy rain fell. The rain had dragged TheMaskedStranger as he walked from the docks to the street. He had been watching a large vessel float in the water. He couldn’t make out the writing that said S.S. Concrete Jungle, so he moved on. His camouflaged-patterned plastic rain drape was not insulated, however it kept him dry. He watched as the rain droplets fell from the plastic coating and dripped to the ground below. Underneath the drape was man who had seen death over and over again. His travels as a drifter took him everywhere as result of his curse. He could not stay in one place for too long because he was afraid of endangering someone. He glanced at the moon and was glad it was only a Gibbous Moon and not a Full Moon.  His apparel of combat gear gave him the look of a solider. He wore green camouflaged pants and a green combat vest with a black balaclava over his face. TheMaskedStranger never took off his mask and never in his life had he been seen without it. His face was unknown, even to him. Sometimes he never knew who he really was.  TheMaskedStranger eyed the posters hanging on the doors of shops, at least the ones that weren’t carried off by the wind, as he walked. The people of New York believed in strange things. One poster read: Alien Wanted! Alien needed for field studies. Reward – Your choice of: A thousand pretzels or three-hundred dollars in cash. The Alien is no good dead. TheMaskedStranger just shrugged his shoulders and turned into an alley with an over head railing. It was popular among the homeless because it sheltered them the cold rains and fierce winds.  TheMaskedStranger glanced around studying his environment. There were homeless scattered in the alley and brushed along the sides of the building resting under the awnings. Most of the street lamps were blown out so a few fire barrels sat around for light and provided minimal warmth. The rain was putting the fires out faster then the homeless could light them. Two fancy dressed men stood out among the street junkies. They were gathered around a fire barrel handing money and packages of white powder. They whore baggy jeans, skater shoes, and silk shirts with vests. Both had to be wearing around five-hundred dollars worth of cloths. The gold chains and rings brought anger to TheMaskedStranger. His eyes squinted. What were these rich people doing around this part of the street? TheMaskedStranger thought. TheMaskedStranger observed the homeless; their eyes bulging and bodies twitching. He knew that these men were giving these hoboes’s their fix of cocaine.   “The scum of this city” TheMaskedStranger muttered under his deep yet heavy breath. “They need to pay… Even the smaller fish get fried.” He rested his hand on his holster of his Beretta 92, ready to draw on the sight of danger.  One of the dealers spotted TheMaskedStranger observing. “Hey, keep walking candy-ass!” He shouted.  TheMaskedStranger walked closer and starred.  The other spoke in a louder firm tone. “You heard him shit-mouth, keep walking!” At this point TheMaskedStranger was in striking distance. The two dealers just looked at the man appalled.   “Didn’t you hear us?”  TheMaskedStranger raised his eyebrow and delivered a left elbow to one of the dealers, making him tipsy. He then proceeded to burn his face across the fire barrel. The other dealer’s eyes widened as his partner screamed in agony with his flesh burning. It melted and melted until it blistered. The dealer ran out of the alley and onto the street. His face red he dived into a puddle and began drenching himself in rain water. He died after a few moments of suffocating for air. The other dealer watched stunned and ran off to a near by fire escape.  He climbed viciously up the stair well in attempt to reach the roof. TheMaskedStranger laughed at the move the dealer was pulling. Within a blink of an eye, TheMaskedStranger withdrew his Beretta 92 and aimed it. He shot the dealer in the back twice. The dealer lost his grip but hung onto the ladder for his life, dangling wildly. His grip tightened as he tried to pull himself up. But another shot fired hitting him in the arm. With a hard crash the dealer fell onto the dumpster below. With both dealer’s dead TheMaskedStranger shrugged his shoulders with no emotion and carried on before disposing of the cocaine packs in the fire. The homeless didn’t seem to notice what had occurred. Perhaps they were too drunk or spaced out. Either way, TheMaskedStranger just moved further down the alley to the next street intersection.  The rain gradually died down but TheMaskedStranger’s intuition didn’t. He was still cautious listening to his surroundings. The sound of light foot-steps marching in the rain puddles was heard from behind him. He turned around and dug the barrel of his Beretta 92 into the intruder’s forehead. It was an old man with a thinning white hair in his seventies dressed in a brown robe and gladiator sandals.   “Who are you?” TheMaskedStranger called pressing harder with his firearm.  The man lifted his hand and TheMaskedStranger’s Beretta 92 began to tremble. Slowly, the steel barrel of the pistol bent back. TheMaskedStranger glanced at his pistol. It was useless. If he’d tried to pull the trigger, the mechanisms inside would back fire.   “My name is Magnum” the old man said, almost at a whisper. “And I can do all sorts of things with variety of elements… Take your gun for example. Imagine that happening to your insides.”  TheMaskedStranger annoyed, shoved the man into some trash cans and watched as he stumbled to get up. “Even the smaller fish get fried… Stand aside or die nemesis.” His tone was deep and serious.  Flashing red and blues lights flickered followed by the ringing of sirens. The gun shots fired from earlier had brought unwanted attention. Two police officers stepped out from the cruiser and entered the alley. They examined the area looking for the trouble.   “Another time” TheMaskedStranger called to Magnum as ran off down the alley and scurried up a fire escape to the roof tops. He began jumping across roofs and balconies leaving the alley far behind him. Magnum watched from the ground struggling to get to his feet.  Magnum was just getting up from the trash cans when the two officers approached him. One officer held a Stun Gun while the other held a clip board with a list of names and identification photos. The officer appeared over Magnum and stared.   “Oh thank goodness you’re here.” Magnum said catching his breath. “A wild man was here not long ago…” The officer with the Stun Gun gave a sinister grin and aimed the weapon at Magnum.   “What are you doing?”  Before Magnum could get an answer the Stun Gun fired a blue ray of light sending Magnum into a state of Decocarbination. He stumbled down into the trash again and was unconscious.  The officer with the clipboard examined Magnum. He removed his shades to expose his red glowing eyes. “He’s not TheMaskedStranger” he said comparing the photo of TheMaskedStranger with this man.   “Then who is he?” the other officer asked.  The clipboard officer shuffled through the papers and came to his photo. “Magnum, controller of elements: both living and non-living… Lord Dranzer will be pleased to have him. We’ll send him out tonight and collect the bounty.”   “What about TheMaskedStranger? Reports said he was around?”   “From his profile, he’d be long gone by now. It is best to take what we got.”  The officers loaded Magnum into their squad car and drove to the docks. From there they loaded him into a prison cell on the vessel which was waiting for them.   “He will be joining the others soon enough.” The eyes on the one officer grew brighter. The crimson red eyes were pleased when prison door was sealed shut and the vessel took sail.
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Post by G-Nation on Sept 9, 2011 12:55:52 GMT -5
Chapter Two:  Two years later.  The Concrete Jungle, the Island existing just outside Russia was a dangerous death-trap. Constructed of four quadrants it was inhabited with many creatures, many of them being wild beasts and monsters. The lands ruler, The Evil King, Lord: Black Dranzer, prohibited most of his Kingdom from entering the Outer-Rim Quadrant. The Outer-Rim was where Fort Dranzer nested. The large Castle was the prime source of evil in The Concrete Jungle.  The Outer-Rim had evil like no other. It was filled with creatures and monsters, and factions that rather rip travelers to shreds than greet them. The land was dry and rocky – much like a desert. It was home to Mount Deathmore and many other dangerous landmarks and monuments.  The Old Anarchy Memorial however rested in the Blackwood Region just ahead of the Forest of Lostness entering The Outer-Rim. The Blackwood Region was friendlier and was made of forest. Tree and bush covered the entire grounds except the small community areas. The old sanctuary was deserted and had abandoned for years. It sat on top of a mountain side called Point Lookout and overlooked many sections of the Concrete Jungle. Within the Memorial, many of the old archieves still existed in fair condition. Only a few books, parchments, and scrolls were missing and a small number deteriorated from age. The Old Anarchy Memorial resembled the structure of a Church with two large wooden doors that opened horizontally that led through a long corridor to a Chapel by a red carpet. To the left of the Chapel were the archives of many ancient pieces of literature placed on shelves lined directly across the walls neatly organized alphabetically by name. On the right were the resting and dinning quarters as well as the upper levels. A large bell rested at the top of the Sanctuary.  The Chapel included worship benches for sitting, an altar for prayer, and a baptism fountain. The fountain had been dried-up had not been used since the closure of the Memorial. Many of the lights that shuffled across the ceiling were dangling lamps with shades that had been blown out. The only source of light came from the half moon and the stars that shined through the large windows of stained glass with pictures of the Disciples of Anarchy. One picture showed a Knight in White riding a horse with a sword drawn.  A young lady in her twenties sat on her legs with her knees pinned to the ground. She was in front of the altar with her head bowed and eyes closed. A tear fell from her eyes and immediately dried up miraculously by the dust covered ground. Outside, the loud cracking of thunder, vicious pounds of wind, and the shearing of rain frightened her.  Blazer and Wolfwood were both absent and wouldn’t return till morning. They had gone to the village to get supplies. Although the Memorial was abandoned, the Priest Nickolas D. Wolfwood used it to shelter weary travelers and spread the word of God among many people. Not many people in the Concrete Jungle were religious, none the less, Wolfwood with the help of Blazer still ran the Memorial specifically the Chapel.  The doors to The Old Anarchy Memorial opened slowly and a Black Ninja drenched from the rain entered. A White Ninja scouted from behind and secured the area. The girl opened her eyes and jumped to her feet. Her prayer was cut short.  She stared down the long corridor. “Who’s there?” She called, words echoing through the silence of nothing.  The Black Ninja walked down the corridor, his wet foot prints staining the carpet below. He stood by the window and revealed himself. His black Gi and Mask camouflaged him in the darkness of The Old Anarchy Memorial.   “I am Zebulon, Zebulon Kratos.” He told as stood slightly lit by the moon. He glanced at Christine from toe to head. “And who may you be?”  She thought for a moment. Is it him? She whipped a tear from her eye and introduced herself. “My name is Christine Woods.” She had a slight smile on her face, as if she was glad to see someone. As if she had been alone for a long time crying by the altar. Christine couldn’t stop thinking about his mask. She wondered if he was the one in the prophecy she had be reading. Could he be the stranger in the night… is he TheMaskedStranger?  Zebulon moved to the Archieves and looked around. He examined books and eyed everything within the Archieves. Books from survival to combat all organized, he was proud to see a nice collection of literature.   “What are looking for?” Christine asked when she saw Zebulon poking through the books.  Zebulon grabbed a book from the shelf and dusted it of with his hand. The dust remained on his gloves. He panted his hand on his leg and the dust stuck to his pant leg. He grunted in annoyance.   “I’m looking for the forgotten.” Zebulon sighed and placed the book back on the shelf before re-entering the chapel to sit on a bench. “As a matter of fact, I’m not sure if what I’m looking for even exists.” Zebulon lowered his head discouraged.   “I'm sure you'll find whatever you’re looking for. Just give it some time… I’m looking for something too.”  Zebulon looked up puzzled.   “My brother has gone missing. I haven’t seen him in two years. I have been staying her with Wolfwood hoping a traveler could help me out.” Christine grabbed a book from the Achieve and sat beside Zebulon. The book was entitled The Stranger in the Night, and prophesized about a masked hero. Many heroes whore masks, but during a study at the Warriors Plaque Christine came across the name: TheMaskedStranager. She pointed out a passage it said:  The Stranger in the Night Dark Evil-Forces once filled the world with hate and destruction. The once peaceful loving plain turned into blood bath of mindless violence. Murder, slavery, and thievery all occurred while villages and towns were burned to the ground. Rivers dried up and hunger and famine spread. Many died. A masked hero once stopped the Evil-Forces from spreading and destroying the world. The hero had sacrificed himself to save humanity. But his work lived on through his warriors and trainees. The evil was not entirely eliminated, but reduced to a small portion. Since then many warriors have…  Christine stopped reading as the rest of the book had been torn and burned out. “Sorry” she apologized. “The rest of the passage is destroyed. It never stated the hero’s name.” Christine paused with deep thought. She eyed Zebulon. “You wouldn’t be TheMaskedStranger, would you?”  Zebulon shook his head appalled. “Who me… No… I’m not this TheMaskedStranger character you speak of… I’ve never heard of him…”  The door to The Old Anarchy Memorial slammed shut and the White Ninja ran down the corridor also leaving a trial of foot prints behind him. Both Christine and Zebulon looked as the Ninja dressed in a White Gi and Mask approached.   “I’ve scouted the area Zebulon, all clear” the White Ninja said bowing as a sign of respect.   “Well done Rain… Rain Icarus, meet Christine Woods. She is in search of her brother and a man called TheMaskedStranger.”   “Interesting… Found anything about our past?”   “Negative.”  Rain sighed and signalled Christine to come to with him to the Achieves. Christine stood and followed leaving Zebulon on the bench.   “I do believe you’re in need of help. Perhaps we can help each other out.”  Christine nodded, and explained the story to Rain.  He seemed to be intrigued as he listened.  The door to The Old Anarchy Memorial opened again and a figure stood on the carpet. The others did not notice his presence. The Katana on his back shined and his weapon holster’s dangled from his belt. He too was wet. His camouflaged pants and combat vest drenched from rain over encumbered him. He removed his plastic drape and tossed it to the ground as it no longer had a use. The rain outside settled slowly and daylight would soon approach in minutes time.  He eyed the two sets of foot prints and traced them along the corridor with his eyes. One set was close together indicating a slow paced walk, while the other was more spread out indicting longer strides. He shrugged his shoulders and moved on. The foot prints had belonged to the two ninja’s he had been following. He was not concerned for they had no idea he had been following them.  He walked down the corridor and stood in darkness. “They are not TheMaskedStranger” he called, his words echoing through the Chapel. It was a deep almost frustrating tone. The three gathered in front of the altar as he approached. Christine glanced at each man. All three were warriors and wore masks. She studied each one carefully. Zebulon seemed lonely and shut everything out. Rain was sweet, kind, and pleasant. As for the new man, he had a rough attitude.   “Which one is TheMaskedStranger?” Christine asked.  The man in green chuckled. “Isn’t it obvious” he said. “I am TheMaskedStranger, the one and only. I have no other name. These imposters could never impersonate me. Now, just you tell me about your missing brother, that is if you want my help in finding him.”  Christine began to tell her story a third time, from what she knew anyway.   “Two years ago my brother, Ryan Woods, was send on a Mission with The Patriots. The mission was to clear an area of the Concrete Jungle to make room for a settlement. My best guest is the savage beasts of the Mai-Key-Tee Warriors didn’t approve.”  Zebulon interrupted. “Mai-Key-Tee Warriors, what are they?”  Christine sighed. “They are mostly tribes of Slovak Savages – cannibalistic beasts. They hunt and control sacred grounds. It just happened this settlement was supposed to be built on Choppa’s Ground.”  Zebulon interrupted again. “Choppa”  Christine continued. “Only one of the many tribe’s existent out here in the Concrete Jungle.”  By this time, the daylight began to shine into the chapel. The air was cool and damp from the rain but the sun would soon change the climate. The weather in the Concrete Jungle was always a mixed climate. The climate usually follows the pattern of: rainy and cold at night, cool and damp in the morning, and hot and dry in the afternoon. In certain sections of the Outer-Rim the climate is constantly hot and dry, especially in Chaos-Valley where Mount Deathmore was located. With the Concrete Jungle the weather could change at any moment.  TheMaskedStranger was tired of the interruptions. “Continue” he told Christine. “Shut your mouth” he told to Zebulon. Zebulon sat silently on the bench to avoid any confrontations.  Christine went on with her story. “The Choppa work exclusively with Lord Black Dranzer, the ruler of this Kingdom. The Patriots along with my brother have been captured and being held prisoner at his Castle – Fort Dranzer.”  Unlike Zebulon, TheMaskedStranger waited until Christine was finished before speaking. He had some dignity, just a little. “The Patriots, I was in the States not long ago and heard the Squad went missing?”  Christine frowned. “I looked into it. There were no orders for a rescue; it was like they all vanished.”  Zebulon and Rain listened and observed as they had no knowledge in the topic.   “Maybe, Dranzer wanted The Patriots?” TheMaskedStranger said.   “The slavery business is active around this time. I’ve seen what Dranzer is capable of. He’d rather destroy the lives of many than keep them as slaves.”   “I know what Dranzer is capable of!” TheMaskedStranger looked up at the wooden cross wooden hanging above the piano. “He is just like my brother, TheDarkOne. As for the Concrete Jungle, this place has more scum than in prison. It is run by SyraS and his gang of misfits… I’d suggest we get a move on. The daylight has arrived and we’d be best to get an early start.”  Christine, TheMaskedStranger, Zebulon and Rain exited The Old Anarchy Memorial and traveled along a dirt road that would eventually lead to the Forest of Lostness. On there way out Blazer and Wolfwood had returned with the supplies.   “Christine, I wish you well on your journey. I’m glad you found some guys to help you out.”   “Thanks Wolfwood, you were good to me.”   “You are welcome. We are all God’s children and He wants the best for us. Whenever you need something ask God, for He will lead you to it.”  Wolfwood was kind and respected by many. He believed heavily in the Christian Religion. He had been a preacher since he was in his early twenties, studying the Holy Bible since he was a child. Even after he lost his Wife, he still remained faithful to the Heavenly Father. He smiled and moved on into Memorial. Blazer nodded his head as a way of saying farewell. Blazer at times thought that Wolfwood was a crazy hermit, but he knew Wolfwood only wanted a world where everyone could live as one.  It was time to take the first foot steps to finding her brother. Christine was grateful to get three helpers. She didn’t think she would even get one as many of the travelers declined her offer and didn’t bother listening to her story. Many of the Trade Caravans were busy with their business to help. Two years of searching and waiting and three ninja’s came to her aid. She was blessed. Her prayer had been answered.  The group reached The Forest of Lostness. It was a maze of tree and bush. The tall grass and hedges insulated the Forest. Every corner looked the same. Every tree, every bush, all looked the same. Meshes of green blinded those who entered. The Forest was scattered across a five kilometre field leading straight to Chaos-Valley in the Outer-Rim. It would take a lot on longer if the group was to circle around the Forest. But it would be equivalent time spend inside unless the group could find a fast way through the Forest. They entered and took their first step on the quest to rescue Ryan Woods and The Patriots.
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Post by G-Nation on Sept 9, 2011 13:04:47 GMT -5
Chapter Three:   Deeper in the Outer-Rim beyond the Forest of Lostness and over Mount Deathmore rested Fort Dranzer. The large Fort constructed of stone and surrounded by the enchantment of Castle Walls stood high. The enchantment conjured a protective barrier across the outer walls of the Castle protecting it from outdoor destruction. Placed around the castle’s gate was a river of lava forty feet deep which circled the Fort. Towers existed on each corner of the Fort. The only entrance was a steel drawbridge that lowered ten feet above the lava.   The Fort was designed of three floors and several rooms. The basement consisted of the Dungeons and prison cells as well as the torture blocks. Within the first floor was the Palace Room directly across from the drawbridge. Many barred cells rested along the left walls of the Palace. Large stone pillars held up the second floor which held the facilities and other quarters. Three stairwells stretched up from the first floor two the roof. Two sets, one on each side, curved down and one placed straight from behind the King’s Chair.   Directly in front of the Chair, was a trap door leading to a section of the Dudgeons above a pit of thorns. Sitting on the Chair was a Black Knight in full suit of armour with a sword on his left and a satchel on his right. Stood before him was a man in black rode and hood. Levitating beside him was a man dressed in partial armour and cloth with a long purple cape. His skin was pale and whiter than snow.   “What makes you think TheMaskedStranger would come to save these fools?” The pale man gestured to the prison cells on the left holding Magnum, a few of The Patriots, and Ryan Woods.   Ryan looked identical to Christine. He had the same blonde hair and gray eyes and similar facial structure. Besides being taller and more muscular, it wasn’t hard to tell that Ryan and Christine were twins.   “TheDarkOne, thou shall not worry about thy brother.” Dranzer told. “When he comes, thou shall have the honour of killing him and presenting his soul to thy Master: Trendon.”   “I’m not concerned with him. My brother was always weaker. He’s soft for the lives of innocents. He’ll find his way here.” TheDarkOne crossed his arms and levitated away.   “That is why I am certain he’ll cometh.”   TheDarkOne continued to levitate and made his way to his quarters on the top floor. He had some plans of his own to make things more interesting.   The hooded man stood their silently watching TheDarkOne. He pulled down his hood and removed the black bandana around his face. His name was SyraS; he had the young face of a teenager. His skin was smooth and had no hair, scars, lumps, or marks. With his black squared sunglasses and slicked hair, he looked handsome and dreamy. Women wanted to be with him and men wanted to be him. He was gorgeous, but his heart was full of evil. However, he had the upper hand as he could change and morph his facial and body appeal. Most of the time, he preferred to look dreamy and companionate because it was more deceitful that way. On occasions he has portrayed police officers   “My lord” SyraS spoke after glancing at the shackled men imprisoned. “What purpose do they have?”   Dranzer laughed still sitting on his Chair with his arms rested. “Thou will learn of our plans soon enough. Until then, I want thee to provide assistance to our travelers. Guide them to my castle where they can meet their death. Remember SyraS, I want them alive.”   “Consider it done!” SyraS covered his face with the bandana and put up his hood. His eyes turned red and his skin faded white. He tossed a round ball to the ground exploding into a cloud of smoke. Within seconds he was gone.
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Post by G-Nation on Sept 9, 2011 13:28:47 GMT -5
Chapter Four:  It seemed like forever that Christine and the Masked Warriors had been wondering the Forest. In reality, only ten minutes had passed. However, the annoyance of getting lost and finding themselves back at the entrance added time. In their heads, time seemed to go slower than usual.   “It is way too easy to get lost in here.” Christine said after passing the same bush they passed four minutes ago.   “We’ve been this way already!” Rain whined.   “Patience” Zebulon called as he with drew his Katana. “This forest is like Trial and Error.” He took his Katana and sliced a tree. The sword left a slash across the bark. “If we leave marks, we can know where we’ve been.”   “Smart move” TheMaskedStranger thought as he grinned. The group continued on, marking their way through the Forest.  TheMaskedStranger glanced at Christine. She was unarmed. No weapon – nothing. “Christine” TheMaskedStranger said after examining her. “You’re not…” He stopped himself when he saw the Full Double Dragon around her neck. He smiled. “The Double Dragon, the only one in existence... impressive.”  Christine was flattered by TheMaskedStrangers knowledge of Magical Relics. She smiled. “It was presented to Ryan and me by our Master at The Warriors Plaque.”  TheMaskedStranger nodded his head.  The group had come across a tree with a slash engraved on the bark. “Look’s like we’ve been this way already. We should turn back and head right.”  Eventually the group discovered the correct path and reached the Golden Gates at the end of the Forest. Long stretches of nothing except the hedged walls lead to the gate. The sparkling Golden Gate shined like a mirror but had a dark spot in the centre.  It was a Shadow Demon created from black mist and resembled a Minotaur. It stood blocking the gate. In its left hand it held a large spiked club. It had large sharp jaw like teeth with the legs of a horse, the body of man, and the head of a goat. TheMaskedStranger recognized the creature as one of TheDakOne’s minions.  The Demon spoke in a violent and vicious low tone. “I’m a messenger from TheDarkOne. He wishes you to surrender so that he may present and kill you for the King, The Evil Lord: Dranzer.”  TheMaskedStranger grinned. “I’ll handle this.”  The others watched as TheMaskedStranger dashed towards the Demon and withdrew his Katana. He shoved the blade deep into the Demon’s stomach and twisted it. The blade coiled around the Demon’s insides. TheMaskedStranger released the blade leaving it dangle from the Demon’s belly.   “I serve no one!” TheMaskedStranger shouted as he grabbed the Shotgun from his back and pumped several slugs into the Demon.  The Demon stumbled to the ground and dissolved with hissing sound leaving a pile of black slime. TheMaskedStranger recovered his Katana from the slime and placed it on his back.  The four approached the Golden Gate. It was locked. Zebulon had tried prying the gate open. When he failed Rain assisted. Still the gate wouldn’t move.  A man in a black hooded trench coat and a backpack chuckled from the other side of the gate. The bandana over his face hid his face and his eyes glowed red. He was a traveling Merchant with a small table set-up with goods behind the gate.  He opened the gate and it swung open.   “Welcome” he said as he opened up his trench coat revealing weapons and ammunition. “Got some good things on sale...”  The four looked at him.   “What are you buying?” He asked.  Zebulon observed the selection of items. There were ammo boxes, grenades, and an assortment of firearms. “Hmmm, I'll think I'll take some ammunition for a Handgun.”  The transaction was successful when Zebulon purchased two boxes of twenty-five 9mm ammunition.   “Thank-you” The Merchant chuckled.  TheMaskedStranger eyed the Merchant and his goods.   “You are you?” TheMaskedStranger asked. “I have not seen you around before?” TheMaskedStranger noticed the bandana across his face. Another wannabe in a mask, these guys have no reason to hide their faces. TheMaskedStranger thought.   “I am simply a traveling merchant who sells goods to weary travelers… interested?”   “Is your gear ID locked?” TheMaskedStranger asked as he pointed to the MP5 with Custom Butt stock and Barrel.”   “No, my gear is custom.” The Merchant told. “I modify and customize firearms and explosives at a cheap cost. I can even remove the ID Tags attached to weapons, but none of the weapons I sell are ID Tagged. I have already completed those modifications. However, you wouldn’t find any ID Tagged weapons around these parts anyway. So there’s no need to worry.”   “What about that MP5?”  The Merchant chuckled as he raised the MP5 Submachine gun. “If you want this… It will cost… two-thousand all in advance.” The Merchant was good at selling, trading, and buying. Too good, he could not be haggled.  Christine was interested in how this Merchant worked. She and Rain observed the sales transaction.  The Merchant went on. “I also buy goods – perhaps that Shotgun there. It ought to give you some credit.”  TheMaskedStranger agreed and traded the empty Shotgun for credit and put it towards the purchase of the MP5. The lose clops of bills TheMaskedStranger had in his pocket was enough to get his new toy. The Merchant was even nice enough to throw in some free ammunition magazines.   “Thanks for the purchase. I have several shops around, I’m sure you’ll find me again.”  TheMaskedStranger nodded and slung the MP5 over his shoulder. The Merchant tossed a ball to the ground and mist of smoke cluttered the area in which he was standing. When the smoke faded the Merchant was gone along with all his supplies.  Christine examined where the Merchant stood. She kneeled before a powder substance that remained behind. “Where’d he go?”  Zebulon took a look as well. “Well, I can’t answer that, but I can tell you he used some sort of Smoke Bomb.  TheMaskedStranger laughed. “Teleportation, clever trick, the smoke is only to deceive you.” TheMaskedStranger grinned. “Well, it’s your call Christine, where to from here?”   “We continue to Mount Deathmore through Chaos-Valley.”  The group looked out into Chaos-Valley. The dessert environment was rocky and sandy. The large mountain, Mount Deathmore, could be seen directly a head. Everyone moved closer to the slope of stone and rock.   “Why you people wear masks?” Christine asked starring up the mountain’s slope. “Do you have something to hide?”  TheMaskedStranger responded before Zebulon or Ran could even breathe. He sighed and eyed Christine with grief. “Unlike the others, I wear a mask for a purpose… The others have no real reason.” TheMaskedStranger enclosed himself and examined the rocky mountain. Only a small portion would need to be climbed to move around the mountain. TheMaskedStranger could see the platform.  He continued with his explanation. “I wear a mask to hide my identity. Unlike the others, I’m not fully human… I’m a Guardian from the Light Realm.” Zebulon and Rain ignored TheMaskedStranger’s comment towards them. “My purpose on Earth is to kill. My main objective is to kill my brother, The Brother of Dark, TheDarkOne.”  TheMaskedStranger cleared his mind and emptied his worries. He glared up the jagged rocks – observing its terrain. The platform was visible forty metres above the ground. He leaped up, grabbed a stone and began to climb. Christine followed. Zebulon and Rain looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders before joining the climb.  Rocks crumbled below their feet as they climbed. A stone which Christine was holding broke and she fell. She screamed in terror as her heart raced faster before falling. Rain extended out his arm and caught her.   “I got you.” He smiled. She smiled back and continued the climb.  TheMaskedStranger had reached the top first. He inhaled deeply breathing the cool air of the mountain. It was still hot but the wind soaring through the mountain tops relaxed and tickled the skin. TheMaskedStranger grinned and watched the others as they struggled with the climb.  When everyone was at the top, they settled taking a seat on the cliff. The cliff was only a small percentage of the total height. The top of the mountains could not even be seen. The group did not bother going higher because the platform stretched around the mountain. Besides, many caves and tavern’s existed within Mount Death-more and it was unknown what kinds of dangers lurked inside.  The good news was Fort Dranzer was visible and not too far way, perhaps about five kilometres. The trick would be getting down the mountain. Climbing up without equipment is easy – but getting down was much more difficult.  TheMaskedStranger used his binoculars and examined the Fort. The draw bridge was lowered and a Cult of Necromancers patrolled the gate. A prisoner was shackled and being dragged into the Fort. His military fatigues said he was a Patriot. TheMaskedStranger requested Christine to take a look. She examined the figure in Artic Storm Camouflage and identified him as Smokey, the Demolition Expert in the Patriots. The group glanced at the sky above the Fort. Although it was daylight, above the Fort was dark and gloomy. A red sphere circled in the sky. It looked like portal to another dimension.  The group was relieved when they discovered a rope and repel equipment at the edge of a cave. Within a cave, candles attached to the walls were lit. Explorers had been savaging through caves in search of treasures. The four used their equipment to get down the mountain.  Rain went first followed by Christine, Zebulon and finally TheMaskedStranger. They all reached the bottom with ease and continued long a damaged brick road to the Fort.   “Five kilometres to go” Zebulon complained. “And I’m starved.”  TheMaskedStranger eyed him. “Hungry – we’ve got more important things to do than eat. If you want to eat one last meal be my guest, but I’m not.” TheMaskedStranger continued on. Zebulon shrugged his shoulders and followed as everyone else did.
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Post by G-Nation on Sept 21, 2011 20:10:33 GMT -5
Chapter Five:  Black Dranzer remained on his Chair as a devious knight was knelt before him. He was no other than Draylen Dremore, a Prince in the Realm of Oblivion. He whore Daedric Armour and had a Daedric Claymore on his back and a Daedric Long-sword by his side. He stood up revealing his large body and massive height.  Black Dranzer spoke in his dark fierce voice. The tone was serious and reeked of death. “Draylen I have brought thee here from Oblivion to offer thee a chance to walk this earth again.”   “What do you wish of me?” He asked.   “The heroes shall come for their precious friends. Prolong them. Defeat them, and I will make sure that thou will never see a day of Oblivion again.”  Draylen snarled. “It shall be done.”  Draylen marched to the gate leaving the Palace to wait for his prey. TheDarkOne who was listening levitated from the upper level to the Palace.   “You promised me I’d get to kill them… that included my brother.”   “Do not worry. Draylen is merely a tool. If defeated, his soul shall return to Oblivion. However, I have other plans such as feeding his soul to the Legendary Leviathan if he is to fail. The enchantment of Castle Walls will ensure his soul is captured.”   “The legend, is it true?”  Black Dranzer held the Black Summoning Stone. “Yes, with enough souls captured, I can summon the Serpent-Dragon.”   “Is this why you captured those slaves?”   “You are correct. See, unlike thee, I serve no one. Thou serve Trendon and I free to do as I like… Thou shall receive what souls are left after the Leviathan is summoned.”   “I want no souls other than TheMaskledStranger’s. He is mine… Try to take him from me… You can have anyone you want. But I want him!”  Dranzer laughed. “I like your attitude, no wonder we get along. If he gets inside my Fort, he’s yours.” “Good.”  Outside the Castle beyond the gate the four heroes approached. The Necromancers gathered together and casted spells. Several skeletons conjured from the ground. The Necromancers and their minions of the dead surrounded the hero’s.  A thick black mist appeared in front of the hero’s, hiding them. When the mist cleared it revealed the Merchant wielding a Silver Claymore. The four looked appalled.   “I though you could use some help.” He said.  The Merchant casted a flare and obliterated a Necromancer into a pile of ashes. The Merchant’s level in Destruction Magic was strong. He fired more flares creating a clearing. The fight was on.   “Rain” Zebulon called. “Tactic move fifty-three!” shouted Zebulon.   “Copy that” he replied.  Zebulon and Rain tossed some smoke bombs on the ground blinding the Necromancers. Together, they both pulled out their Katana’s and began slashing. Limbs of Necromancers scattered across the ground. TheMaskedStranger used his MP5 and shot small semi-automatic bursts at the Necromancers. Christine took cover.   “Let’s see you use Restoration to cure that.” TheMaskedStranger called laughing.  A few Necromancers remained and starred at the four. They glanced at each other before committing suicide by jumping into the lava. They burned and sunk into the hot liquid magma. The hero’s approached the drawbridge.  Draylen stood on the bridge and stepped forward.   “Foolish mortals” he called. His voice radiated from anger. “You shall all serve Lord Dranzer or die.” Several Dremora Guards armed with Maces and Axes followed behind Draylen. “You will join your friends and together you’ll suffer in Oblivion.”  TheMaskedStranger fired what burst of rounds were left from the MP5 at Draylen. The bullets bounced from Draylen’s armour. Draylen laughed. “Nice try.”  TheMaskedStranger tossed the MP5 to the ground and withdrew his Katana. He charged at Draylen with all his might. Draylen countered TheMaskedStranger’s slash with a swoop from his Daedric Long-sword. The two blades banged angrily.   “You shall kneel before my Master: Prince Dagon and serve Lord: Dranzer too.” Draylen snarled, his eyes flaming in rage.   “I think you need a tic-tac!” TheMaskedStranger chuckled.  TheDarkOne was growing impatient. He wanted to finish his brother once and for all. Intensity cycled through his eyes. He levitated across the Palace towards Black Dranzer. “What do you intend to do if your Champion fails?” He asked. His eyes stopped cycling as they flourished with blood and stared up at Dranzer.   “You know those two Pesky Ninjas and My Brother are not to be underestimated.” TheDarkOne continued. “They are powerful Warriors indeed… and there is no telling what the girl is can do.” TheDarkOne wrapped himself in his purple cloak.  Black Dranzer remained seated. Still claim as ever. He glanced at the prison cells. “Well, we’ve captured the rest of The Patriots.”  TheDarkOne took a quick glance at the cells. The cells were constructed of small stone chambers each holding two prisoners shackled together. Chains were placed on their ankles and wrists. The prisoners were weak and fatigued.   “Where is The Patriot Commander, Colonel: Batista?”   “In the Shadow Realm were he belongs… Soon the others will join him in an endless cycle of pain and torment. The red seal above my Fort is the entry point to the Shadow Realm. It is a dimension that I can control. Unlike this Common World, The Concrete Jungle of the Shadow Realm is a much more dangerous place.”   “How – why, if you have power here why create a Realm?”   “You fool. TheDarkOne, can’t you see… Although I have power, in the Common World, I’m not invincible. Here I can’t control a thing. My power is limited. But in the Shadow Realm it is endless – I control all. But as long as I remain in Fort Dranzer, nothing can touch me.”
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Post by G-Nation on Sept 21, 2011 20:28:19 GMT -5
Chapter Six:  The Dremora Guards had slowed the hero’s from gaining entry to Fort Dranzer. Each Dremora Guard summoned Daedra and the battle lasted longer. The four remained just out side the Fort’s Gate surrounded by Demons from Oblivion. Outside the castle wall the battle continued as Draylen continued to summon Daedra, the group slowly began to fight there way through the gates.  TheMaskedStranger still fought Draylen and Zebulon grunted as he shoved a dagger deep into one of the Dremora Guards. Rain was swinging his Katana keeping a far distance between him and the Dremora surrounding him. Christine had been using a Daedric Long-sword from a fallen Dremora and swung it, defending her self.  A few of the Dremora saw that she was the weakest link and turned their attention on her.   “Rain” Zebulon called. “Tactic Move fifty-two, shuriken.”   “Copy that. Christine, get down.” She leaped to the ground taking cover.  Rain launched one shuriken and as it flew through the air it multiplied in hundreds impaling many of the Dremora. The defeated Dremora disappeared and returned to Oblivion.   “Nice move” The Merchant called. “But watch this.” He pulled his Silver Claymore from a Daedra and casted a Shock Spell towards a group of Daedra. The bolt of electricity surged through the Demons. They disappeared as the volts jolted their bodies.  As the Merchant had his arm extended a Dremora took one slice with his Daedric Long-sword slicing his arm off. The arm landed in front of Christine and disappeared in a black mist. She watched as the mist and arm vanished.  With the other hand, the Merchant lifted his Claymore and with one hard swing, decapitated the head of the Dremora.   “Are you okay?” Christine asked getting up from the ground.  The Merchant’s limb dangled and no blood existed. Instead his arm emitted a black mist. It was thick like fog. “I’m fine” he chuckled. “It’ll grow back.” Slowly another arm began to generate from the limb.   “How’d you do that? That wasn’t any restoration spell I’ve seen.”   “It’s almost like magic. Leave it at that.”  TheMaskedStranger kept Draylen occupied allowing the others to slip by and enter the gate.  I don’t trust that Merchant. TheMaskedStranger thought as he glared at the Merchant who entered first.  TheMaskedStranger yanked his Katana from the Daedric Long-sword and with one quick spin, slashed and struck Draylen across the throat. Draylen jerked forward and fell to one knee and collapsed. TheMaskedStranger figured since Draylen wasn’t summoned through Conjuration, his body wouldn’t vanish like the conjured Dremora and Daedra. TheMaskedStranger was unaware that Draylen was merely playing possum. When TheMaskedStranger ran off into the Castle, Draylen slowly rouse to his feet slightly laughing.  TheMaskedStranger caught up with the others who watched the Merchant charge at Black Dranzer. From up on his thrown Dranzer watched the Merchant, Christine, Rain, TheMaskedStranger and Zebulon.  TheDarkOne, TheMaskedStranger said to himself as he saw his brother levitating beside Dranzer’s Chair. TheDarkOne stared at TheMaskedStranger with blood and hate. TheMaskedStranger tightened the grip on his Katana.   “Your rein of terror ends now Dranzer.” The Merchant called charging a powerful flare with a high magnitude.  Dranzer laughed. “Brave – but foolish…”  Christine rubbed the Double Dragon and chanted. Both medallions began to glow. First the Power of the Body blessed her with Super-Human Strength and the Power of the Soul turned her into a shadow ready to possess a soul.   “Where is my brother?” Christine demanded.  Dranzer laughed. “To the prison cells on thy side… I don’t think he has much energy to stay alive… Even his friends aren’t looking so good.”  In the small crammed spaces of the cells it was quite. Minimal movement was occurring and breathing was ever so slight. The most movement came from Smokey the most recent one captured. He had the most energy and was barely able to stand. He stretched his shackles to the bars of the cell and stood. His knees shook but he got to his feet. He grabbed the cells bars and pulled himself up. He held them tight squeezing, wanting freedom.   “Christine” Smokey shouted. His diagram hurting from the torture he endured.   “Smoke” she replied turning her attention to them.   “All but Batista and Bandit are here. Ryan and some old guy are here too.”   “Zebulon, find a way to get them out.”  Zebulon observed the cells and structure of the walls as the Merchant grew impatient. He tossed his flare towards Dranzer. It stopped in front of Dranzer and floated in the air.   “Not good enough” Dranzer called. He flung the flare back at the Merchant.  The fire blast knocked the Merchant back several yards and he soared through the air smashing one of the stone pillars. As he hit the ground his body began to desterilize and vanish in a black steam of mist. Only the leather trench coat and Silver Claymore remained.  The hero’s watched as the mist cleared.   “What have you done to him?” Christine asked.  Dranzer sighed. “I simply… Forget it… It will be the same fate you will suffer.” Dranzer lifted his hand and a yellow cloud formed. From it conjured three Wraiths. The black hooded ghosts screeched loudly and angrily.   “TheDarkOne, your brother is yours.”   “Finally”   “Draylen take care of Zebulon and Rain.” Draylen marched in the Palace armed with his Daedric Claymore. “My Wraiths have some fun with the girl.”  Dranzer and his thrown levitated in the air and disappeared revealing the stairwell to the roof. TheDarkOne stood in front of the stairwell his arms crossed, waiting for his brother.  The Wraiths screeched and green ooze poured from their mouths. They circled Christine who remained protected by her Double Dragon. She lifted the Merchant’s Silver Claymore and watched the Wraiths carefully.  Draylen struck his weapon towards Rain. He leaped back forming a Shadow Clone to take the hit. That was too close. Rain thought. Rain smiled. “You can’t defeat me if you can’t find the real me…”  Draylen looked confused and snarled.   “Shadow Clone Jitsu” Rain called as he multiplied himself in to several Shadow Clones. He turned a dark purple as the colour of the Clones. As Rain pulled out an Iron Dagger the Clones imitated and also pulled out Daggers.  Draylen looked at the swarm of Clones clustered together. He was lost. They all looked the same, purple images of Rain. Draylen had no clue which one was the real Rain. He took a swing at one and it vanished as his sword hit. The Clones gathered in a circle around Draylen. Draylen snarled and struck two more Clones – they too vanished.  Rain managed to attack Draylen from behind digging his Dagger deep into the right shoulder of Draylen. Rain twisted and jerked the blade around. Rain tore the blade from the shoulder and dived back into the Clones.  Zebulon glanced across the Palace Floors at Christine. She was swinging the Silver Claymore viciously. The Wraiths screeched and hollered. Christine eliminated one of the Wraiths with the sword. It melted into a puddle of ectoplasm. Zebulon ran to her side to assist.   “Fire Ball Jitsu” Zebulon shouted as he removed his mask. He took one deep breath and with a single long blow spat out a spray of flames. The fire vaporized the Wraiths as it touched them. They screeched and became frenzy. One tossed an energy ball at Zebulon. Zebulon stopped exhaling fire and rolled out the way. Christine dug the Claymore deep into the Wraith. Ectoplasm dripped from the long blade.  As the last Wraith melted into a glowing pile of ectoplasm Christine and Zebulon ran to the prison cells. “We have to get them out.” She called.  Rain laughed enjoying his battle with Draylen. “Come and get me” Rain teased. Draylen struck another Clone. “Missed” said Rain as he stabbed Draylen in the back of his leg behind the knee. Draylen’s movement decreased his agility and speed weakened from his wound. Rain leaped back into the circle of Clones.  Draylen caught a glimpse of Rain as he jumped into the cluster of Clones. Draylen swung his Daedric Long-sword in that direction only to have it caught by Rain. Rain casted a Fire Spell that heated his hands. The Long-sword began to melt. Draylen released the sword and in melted to a pile of steaming ooze as it hit the ground. Rain leaped across Draylen into a pile of Clones behind him. Rain made the cluster come together. Closer the Clones crowed.  Draylen dragged his leg and lunged around examining the Clones carefully. His red boiling eyes stared at each Clone. “Pitiful mortal, your tactics are no match for the Servants of Lord Dagon.” Draylen stated as he smiled. He had found Rain. He was slightly a darker purple from the rest of the Clones.  Rain figured he was bluffing. Draylen had not casted any Life Detect Spells, such as The Eye of Truth Spell, so he couldn’t find him. However, the heavy fisted gauntlet of Draylen’s right hand said otherwise. The impact knocked Rain from the group as the fist hit. Rain flew across the Palace and collided with the stone pillar across from the one the Merchant had gone through. The second level of the Palace began to rock like a cradle.  Draylen watched as all the Clones disappeared. He laughed as he lunged over to Rain who lied under the rubble of the fallen pillar. “You may have destroyed my Daedric Long-sword, but you shall not destroy my Daedric Claymore.” Draylen lifted the Daedric Claymore from his back and with one hand lifted above his head. Rain attempted to crawl from the rubble. He rolled over on his back to see Draylen standing before him.   “Feel my power” Draylen snarled as his sword caught fire and came down pinning Rain to the floor. The blade sheared through Rain’s stomach. Rain shouted for a brief moment and was silent. Christine and Zebulon turned their attention to Rain. Draylen laughed as Rain’s body remained impaled on the Palace Floors.  The enchantment of Castle Walls swallowed the orb of light that had levitated from Rain’s body. It quickly shot into walls of the Castle. Soul trapped until the Magic of Castle Walls was destroyed or until it was released by Dranzer. Rain lay dead with his body cold and soulless and his skin pale and lifeless.
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Post by G-Nation on Sept 21, 2011 20:57:48 GMT -5
Chapter Seven:  TheDarkOne smiled as he stood in front of the throne. “Dear Brother” he called. TheMaskedStranger listened and drew close. “Come! Our time has come. We will fight, in the Final Hours of our life. Either you will kill me, or I will kill you… It makes no difference. Either way, we will still suffer the same fate.”  TheDarkOne lowered himself to the ground. He stopped levitating and placed his feet solidly on the ground. TheMaskedStranger held his Katana.   “It’s time to put an end to your Rain of Blood.” TheMaskedStranger stated as he looked at TheDarkOne.   “I’ll see you on the roof Faithful Brother.” TheDarkOne vanished in a ray of yellow light. He had teleported to the roof.  TheMaskedStranger glanced up at the three sets of stairs climbing to the upper levels. He climbed up the circular winding pair of stairs on the left. He grew impatient and kicked his way through the wooden door which led to more stairs to the roof. He climbed the stairs and saw TheDarkOne waiting with his Golden Long-sword in hand. It was nightfall and clouds filled the air covering the moon.  TheMaskedStranger and TheDarkOne dashed from there stationary positions at each other. Their blades clashed in combat.   “I always knew this day would come when I would obliterate the Brother of Light.”  TheMaskedStranger groaned. “Wherever Darkness may hide, there shall be light to Light to banish it.”  TheMaskedStranger shifted his Katana to the slide blocking an attack from the shinning Golden Long-sword.   “Oh please brother, do not follow the Romantic Vision nonsense, this is reality not Fantasy, and in reality, bad guys can win.” TheDarkOne’s blood red eyes met with TheMaskedStranger’s cold eyes. The blades continued to clash.  In the Palace Draylen limbed forward getting closer to Christine and Zebulon.   “It appears your precious Hero has left you… Is it irrelevant that both of you shall share his fate.” Draylen laughed as his Daedric Boots stomped the ground. He casted a Paralyse Spell on Zebulon. Zebulon frozen immobilized. Draylen stared at Christine lunging toward her. “You shall be my Lords Queen and bow before him.”  Christine shook her head and activated the Power of the Body. She than Shadow Kicked towards Draylen. The attack was fast and she appeared to multiply like light when she rushed at Draylen. Unfortunately, Draylen managed to catch her by the foot. He clenched his fist around her white running shoe while grinning. He spun her around in circles before releasing her. She was tossed in the air like a volley-ball and smashed through one of the prison walls.  She climbed out from beneath the collapsed rubble of the wall and coughed as a result of the dust and fowl odour radiating from the cells. As she stood up she dusted her self off. The Power of the Body had protected her from any physical harm.  Christine saw her brother shackled with David McCourt to the wall. She rushed over to him and raised his head only to have it fall back into his chest. Ryan was beaten black and blue. Bruises cover his face a streaks of blood stained his cloths. His blue jeans were torn and his white t-shirt was painted red with blood.   “It’s useless, he’s out cold.” McCourt grunted. “Most of us are in bad shape… But if we can get our gear, I’m sure our will to survive will motivate us.” McCourt was a Master Sergeant in The Patriots, often second in command although his rank said otherwise. In The Patriots ranks meet nothing. Colonel: Batista had established the unit as a team, a group in which each individual worked together. However, when the time came, when the main commanders were absent the others would know who listen to.  The Patriots had been together for years and were a family. Each one grew a custom to each other. An unbreakable bond linked them together. Christine was appalled to see them all here, but surprised because they would all prefer to suffer the same fate rather than lose one another.  Beside Ryan and McCourt, there was Barefoot a woodland wearer with no shoes, Smokey the explosives and demolition expert in Desert Storm camouflage, an old man known as Magnum shackled in the corner. Only Ryan and Magnum were unconscious. Batista, Bandit, Crush, and Stunner were absent among The Patriots.  Without a key the shackles would be impossible to open. She grinned as she looked at the rubble of the collapsed wall. She grabbed a stone and began slamming it against the shackles.  The Paralyze Spell began to De-Spell and Zebulon could move again. He glanced at Rain’s body. The claymore still remained dug deep into his body. Rain was Zebulon’s best friend. They’d been together for years. They were partners on a mission to avenge their Temple back home in British Colombia. A tear ran from Zebulon’s eye and quickly dried as he became enraged.   “You will pay for what you have done!” Zebulon shouted furiously with his hands shacking. The Demon Seal across Zebulon’s chest powered with anger and took control of him. The paralyze spell was gone. The once claimed peaceful warrior fell into a thick haze of vengeance. “I shall send you back to hell!”  Christine finished with the last shackles. The Patriots stood up grunting from pain. But their will to escape for freedom powered them. McCourt instructed Christine to leave Ryan and Magnum as they would come back for them later. Right now, The Patriots had to get the gear and find the other Patriots.  Christine and the Patriots had rushed to the store closet where their gear was stored. The Patriot suited up in combat gear and grabbed a hold of some weapons. Most used standard military gear such as the M4 Carbine Assault Riffle, but Barefoot used a Cross-bow and Smokey used bombs. When everyone was ready they charged to the Palace grounds to see Zebulon battling with Draylen. They watched, waiting for there chance.  Zebulon and Draylen were grappled up. Zebulon tossed Draylen with all his might and charged towards Rain’s body. He ripped the claymore from his fallen companion. “Magnum Break” Zebulon shouted as shoved the blade into the ground. The floor started to rip apart like crevice as a blast wave of fire knocked Draylen to the ground. The fired burned for a few moments on Draylen before being absorbed.   “How’d you like that” Zebulon shouted as he then shoved the Daedric Claymore deep into Draylen twisting it several times in a circle. Draylen tried to stop the blade from stabbing but failed. His hands slipped from the blade and it dug in. Zebulon shoved it so deep that only the handle stuck out.  Draylen laughed as he was pinned to the ground but with the snap of his fingers the two-handed Daedric Claymore dissolved to dust. Draylen rose from the ground snarling and sneezing blood from his chest. He growled as he removed his Daedric Armoured Chest Plate. He heaved the hunk of metal to the floor.   “Foolish mortal that is not entirely mortal” Draylen snarled. “I control everything from the Planes of Oblivion. Fire and Brimstone shall not affect me. My own weapons are useless against me.” The Daedric Demon stood fierce as ever staring into the eyes of his next victim. “I shall enjoy feasting upon your soul in Oblivion.”  Zebulon charged at Draylen with Punch Trust, however, much like Christine’s attack, Draylen grabbed Zebulon’s fist and crushed it. With the other fist he rammed Zebulon in the gut. The impact knocked Zebulon into another one of the Palace’s pillars. With the damaged floor and ruined pillars the Palace slowly became unstable. The upper levels rattled and shook more than ever.  TheMaskedStranger still fought his brother in anger. Both were determined to kill each other. “I shall Soul Trap you into my blade forever” TheDarkOne cursed as he swung his heavy blade at TheMaskedStranger. TheMaskedStranger re-acted with a quick air-dodge to the side followed by a sweep with his blade.   “It shall be you who dies here tonight.” TheMaskedStranger cursed back as he blocked yet another attack from TheDarkOne.   “I had the Pleasure of Soul Trapping Ryu. Do you remember him? The famous Guardian made by the Light Realm. Or perhaps you remember Havoc, the Demon Elf? I have slain many Heroes and Villains, but my triumphant victory over you shall be my greatest achievement.”  TheDarkOne kicked TheMaskedStranger in the chest knocking him to the ground. His Katana flew from his had and fell from the roof into the boiling lava below.  TheMaskedStranger looked up into the sky. The clouds has passed revealing a full moon. TheMaskedStranger grunted from pain as he rose to one knee holding his chest. The moon light beamed on him.  I can feel the pain, the suffering, I can’t control it. TheMaskedStranger thought to himself.  TheDarkOne saw TheMaskedStranger’s pain as a sign of weakness. “Yes, bow to your master. Bow to the more dominate brother.” TheDarkOne laid his blade next to his brother’s head. “This is it…”  Suddenly a transformation occurred. TheMaskedStranger howled and growled as his cloths slowly ripped and fur grew from his skin. His muscles began to expand has his finger nails sharpened.  TheDarkOne was stunned with his brother’s change. “What is happening?” TheDarkOne’s crimson eyes stared at the transformation. “Incredible”  Barefoot watched Draylen and studied his tactics. He noticed that the fire attacks Zebulon had been using were ineffective. He armed his cross-bow with a Frost Arrow and shot it into Draylen’s back. The arrow pierced his skin and he screamed in terror before yanking the arrow from his back.   “He is highly resistant to fire.” Barefoot explained... “We must attack him with whatever frost, ice, and water we can find.”  Draylen examined his wounded. Watching it freeze over. “Cold” he muttered.  Smokey prepared a Specialized Explosive which was a squared box with a fuse. A small hole was drilled in the top were he poured a blue liquid into base of the explosive. At this point Draylen turned his attention to the Patriots and charged at them.   “He’s coming” McCourt shouted.   “Hurry” Barefoot cried.  Smokey lit the fuse and tossed the bomb at Draylen. It stuck to his skin and began freezing. Draylen tried to remove the bomb as it froze but his hand turned to ice. He ripped his hand away only to have it crumble into pieces. The liquid spread across Draylen’s body, turning him to a block of ice.  McCourt smiled and opened fire on Draylen. The rounds of the M4 scattered and shattered Draylen into pieces. The others joined the firing. When Draylen was in pieces Smoke began setting explosives to denote the entire fort. Draylen’s soul was unable to return to Oblivion due to the enchantment of Castle Walls. Instead his soul was transported with Rains in the Walls of the Castle. If anyone could see the souls inside the walls they might have seen Rain and Draylen continue to battle.  Barefoot entered back into the cells and retrieved Ryan. Ryan was still unconscious and motionless. Barefoot was surprised to see that the old man was gone. He shrugged their shoulders and lifted Ryan from the cell.  As Smokey finished, Christine, Zebulon, McCourt, and Barefoot carrying Ryan hurried out of the castle behind Smokey. Barefoot told the others as they escaped the Fort that Magnum was missing and that TheMaskedStranger was still on the roof with TheDarkOne.  The group got for enough away from the Fort and rested near a field of boulders. Barefoot laid Ryan by a rock and Christine sat beside. McCourt, Barefoot, and Smokey gathered to discuss a plan.  As the group settled, they all watched the castle. The explosive's which Smokey planted was more than a significant amount. The entire Fort would come down when the first few went off. Smokey made sure nothing would survive. The red cloud above Fort Dranzer lit. A green tornado-like vortex hovered from the cloud and lowered the roof of Fort Dranzer.  The Beast who was once TheMaskedStranger howled in rage and he unleashed his fury. The beast trampled TheDarkOne to the ground. The wolf-like creature began clawing TheDarkOne. Within a second TheDarkOne raised his feet and monkey flipped the Beast to its back. TheDarkOne levitated to his feet smiling.   “You freak” TheDarkOne called. “It figures the Guardians of Earth could never create the perfect Hero… There will always be flaws in our evolution and creation… But soon it will be all over.”  The beast struggled to its feet and charged at TheDarkOne. This time gripping firmly to his Golden Long-sword, TheDarkOne took one quick slash across the Beast’s chest. The Beast whimpered as it fell to the ground and slid across the roof’s ground.  TheDarkOne raised his hands and praised the vortex which lowered towards them. “I’ll see you in the Shadow Realm brother.”  The vortex landed on the roof and like vacuum began suction. Dirt and damaged rock got pulled into vortex as it spun wildly. TheDarkOne jumped in a vanished. The waves from the vortex grabbed the beast and sucked it in. When nothing was left to enter the vortex, like speed of light the green vortex shot up into the red cloud.  From the patched field of rock, everyone watched as the vortex disappeared into the red cloud. As the Vortex disappeared the explosives sent Fort Dranzer into rubble. When one bomb exploded, the destructive power of it denoted the others. The massive explosion destroyed the Fort. The rubble had even tried up the lava surrounding the Fort. Though Fort Dranzer was know in ruins, the red cloud remained.   “It’s alright; TheMaskedStranger will do what needs to be done. If he has to destroy himself to defeat TheDarkOne he will.” Christine said.  McCourt took a deep breath. He was relieved to be free. He glanced at Smokey then at Barefoot. They too were relieved to be free. But McCourt was still concerned. He bit his bottom lip and worried about the other Patriots. Batista, Bandit, Crush, and Stunner were not located in the Fort. Where were they? Could they have been sucked into the vortex too? Did Dranzer transport them to another Realm?   “Wait a minute?” McCourt called. “If Barefoot, Christine, Ryan, Smokey, and Zebulon and I are here… and Draylen, The Merchant, and Rain are dead… and the Vortex swallowed TheDarkOne and TheMaskedStranger… were are Magnum and the others? I hope they weren’t in Fort when it blew.”  Barefoot who climbed on a rock to sit replied. “Impossible. We got everyone out.”  Smokey shrugged his shoulder. “Perhaps they got sucked into that Red Cloud.”   “Whatever has happened, we best pray that TheMaskedStranger can find away to get the others down here, if that’s were they are, or find away to get us up there.” Zebulon said.  Everyone rested watching the Red Cloud.
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Post by G-Nation on Sept 21, 2011 21:27:05 GMT -5
Chapter Eight:  The Green Vortex which led to the Red Cloud was the entry point to another Realm. It was a Dark Land known as The Shadow Realm. It was a creation of the Black Summoning Stone and controlled by Black Dranzer assisted by the power Purple Summoning Stone and SyraS. The Shadow Realm was full of evil. It was a nasty place inhabited by many creatures. To anyone’s surprise the Realm looked similar to the Concrete Jungle in The Common World. Fort Dranzer even lied in ruins. The Forest of Lostness and Mount Deathmore could be seen, and Chaos-Valley looked as dreadful as ever. It was as if it was completely a parallel dimension.  TheMaskedStranger lay unconscious by the ruins of Fort Dranzer. His transformation had ended and he had returned to normal. His cloths were still ripped and he was shoeless. Six metres away was Magnum, who was also unconscious. Black Dranzer stood over his unconscious body and placed a Power-Bracelet on Magnum’s right wrist. Dranzer then proceeded to place one on TheMaskedStranger’s wrist. He slapped it on and laughed. The Power-Bracelet would drain and weaken the wearer and gradually remove all their powers and abilities as long as it was worn.  TheDarkOne had watched and approached with his Golden Long-sword drawn. “Let me finish him now!”   “No” Dranzer called, immobilizing the TheDarkOne with a Paralyze Spell preventing TheDarkOne from getting any closer. “We’re going to play a little game.”   “A game, I don’t want anymore of your games. That is exactly what makes villains stupid and the reason why they fail.”   “Nonsense, wouldn’t you like to enjoy a hunt? With my Power Bracelet on him he has to Powers. It will weaken him and since he’s already in his state – he won’t get far.”   “Fine” TheDarkOne sheathed his sword.   “Good, but so you don’t break the rules of the game – you shall be transported to a location in Chaos-Valley.”   “What –no!”  Dranzer snapped his fingers and in a yellow mist TheDarkOne was transported into the Chaos-Valley. He stood in a field of dirt and grew angry. Dranzer smiled and vanished in a black mist leaving TheMaskedStranger and Magnum to revive.  Magnum managed to get from the collapsed rubble of Fort Dranzer after falling a few times. He coughed as he finally stood up from the rubble. He was weak, and more tired than usually. He held his head as he felt dizzy. However he pushed himself along and saw TheMaskedStranger. Before approaching TheMaskedStranger, Magnum observed the Power-Bracelet. The gold bracelet was heavy and weighted his arm down.  As Magnum tried to remove the bracelet he got a charge of electricity that surged through his body. He shook the minor shock off. He figured if he fiddled around with the Bracelet it could mean his life.  Magnum watched as TheMaskedStranger pushed himself to his feet shaking. “You” Magnum called. “I remember you… Any chance you know anything about these Bracelets?” Magnum asked holding up TheMaskedStranger’s hand after helping him rest on a rock.   “Perhaps you’re better off with that band around your wrist.” TheMaskedStranger laughed before groaning in pain. “However, considering the circumstances… We’re going to have to trust each other… That is if we want to leave this place alive. TheDarkOne might know something about these Bracelets, but he won’t help us. He’d rather kill us anyhow.” TheMaskedStranger got to his feet and staggered a little. “We’d better get moving before TheDarkOne or anyone else finds us.”  Magnum and TheMaskedStranger moved along a dirt path away from the ruined Fort. There vision was a little blurred but they used each other as support and moved quickly.  TheDarkOne was angry with Dranzer, but he knew he couldn’t defeat him. If he was to complain to Lord: Dranzer the details would only be altered further. TheDarkOne attempted to smile thinking about the slight of his dead brother.   “It is time” TheDarkOne cast a Conjuration Spell to summon his trusty-steed. With a flash of a yellow ring the horse spawned where the ring was thrown. TheDarkOne grinned as he climbed up onto of it dashed off to the Ruined Fort.  Magnum and TheMaskedStranger continued down the path getting tired as they went. The ground was rocky but TheMaskedStranger crushed the rocks below his bare feet as he walked.   “We’re in deep trouble.” Magnum explained. “Black Dranzer is planning to harvest souls to sacrifice to The Leviathan… I over heard him when it was held captive.”   “Leviathan, never heard of it.”   “The Leviathan is Black Dranzer’s Animalality. It comes from the Black Stone and is a large Sea-Serpent Dragon… Legends say, only Mighty Dragoon or Falcon can defeat it.”   “Despite the legends about me – I’m no hero. I’ve done a lot of evil things in my life…” TheMaskedStranger sighed deeply. His brother was right. The Guardians of Earth could never create the perfect Hero… There will always be flaws in our evolution and creation. Those thoughts circled in TheMaskedStranger’s head.   “I've killed a lot of people” TheMaskedStranger continued. “I killed them from evil, out of hatred, and by ignorance…” TheMaskedStranger remembered the night he first met Magnum two years back.   “Remember when we first meet? Did you think those dealers deserved to die?”  Magnum shook his head. “No” he said disappointed.   “You see… and still you people brand me as a hero…” It was quite between the two for a few moments. “My only advantage is I’ve learned a great deal from my travels.”  Both knew they were suffering in a wasteland just waiting to be killed. But together they kept each other’s spirits up by communicating with each other, sharing thoughts and opinions.   “There’s a tool called a Dream Rod.” TheMaskedStranger said in an attempt to ease his pain. “It is said to control people’s dreams and bring ones dreams into reality.”  Magnum starched his bald head. “Interesting”   “It is… I bet it could bring Ryan out his deep hypnotic state… Apparently some women, a Miss Melissa Valentine has it.”  The road a head was rough. The stones got sharper as the road led to three forks. Both agreed that the middle one would be the one they take, not knowing that each fork would take them to the same spot anyway  TheDarkOne galloped on his horse viscously. He was hungry for blood and without hesitation reached the Ruined Fort. He grinned as he noticed the bodies where gone. He demounted and searched the padded dirt. Two sets of linear foot prints stretched down along the path. He mounted his horse again and followed the foot prints.   “Soon” he said his eyes raging in blood. “I’ll have my brother soon enough.”  The topic quickly switched hand as TheMaskedStranger brought up the topic of the Leviathan again. “Where would Black Dranzer get the soul gems to Soul Trap? Does he have a location to develop magic?”   “The Evil King: Lord: Dranzer has he is called in his Kingdom is a Master in the Arts of Magic… My Elemental Powers are nothing compared to his.”   “How is it you know more than me?”   “I’m simply older and wiser…” Magnum smiled. “There is one man older than I. A friend of mine by the name of Rusty Shackleford… Learned a lot from him… But Dranzer controls everything here in the Shadow Realm. This parallel dimension may differ from the Common World.”  TheMaskedStranger suspected that TheDarkOne might be tracking them. As he saw his foot print left in the dirt, he and Magnum crossed into a field of rock and avoided the dirt path having their trail vanish.  TheMaskedStranger was still intrigued by Magnum’s knowledge. “So he could have a Satanic Chapel around or be practicing Old Rituals?”   “I don’t think so… Dranzer and TheDarkOne seem to be in conflict. They’ve argued a lot before the rescue.”  TheMaskedStranger snapped his fingers. “It makes sense. Black Dranzer wants souls to summon The Leviathan but TheDarkOne wants to re-summon Trendon: The Fallen One.”  The two scattered from the field to what looked like a hotel. They both glanced at the large sign. The letters spelled Blood and Bath Inn and was written inside a blood droplet on a wooden sign. The wooden sign sat directly above on the second floor of the wooden Inn. A garden of dead and decayed fruits sat in a garden to the right. Swarms of insects surrounded the spoiling fruit.  The two entered to be greeted by a Ghoul behind a desk. His flesh was rotting and he smelled like garbage that had been left in the rain for weeks. The orange, yellow, and brown, spots on his skin indicated signs of radiation sickness. Parts of his skeleton were showing and he coughed and gagged as the Magnum and TheMaskedStranger approached.   “Welcome to the Blood and Bath Inn” he greeted with a dreadful smile. “What can I do for you?”   “We need a room for two that will give us a lot of privacy.”  The Ghoul smiled with his bad breath steaming from his mouth. “That will be twenty-five gold pieces.”   “Shit” TheMaskedStranger thought as he dug into his pockets. He had no gold only American cash. He slapped a fifty dollar bill on the table. “This is all we got… But if you give us the room and prevent a Pale-Skinned man from coming this way, there will be hundred gold pieces in it for you.”  The Ghoul was humble to the offer and agreed. He shook TheMaskedStranger’s hand and gave Mangum the key. The room was the furthest door on the left on the second floor. It had one door and one window. It was directly above the horse stables. The two got into bed and rested. Their hearts were racing and their energy slowly went. Hopefully sleep would rejuvenate them.
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Post by G-Nation on Sept 21, 2011 22:09:43 GMT -5
Chapter Nine:  When Magnum and TheMaskedStranger woke up they were surprised to find TheDarkOne stalking about outside. He placed his horse in the stable and entered the Inn. TheMaskedStranger hustled to the window and opened it. He climbed out to the roof and signalled Magnum to follow. Mangum stayed close. TheMaskedStranger pointed below the two-story drop to the horse trough.   “We’re going to jump” TheMaskedStranger whispered.  Magnum swallowed as TheMaskedStranger grabbed him as he jumped off. They landed in trough with a splash. They climbed from the drinking water and settled on a horse. They bolted from the Inn galloping from the clutches of TheDarkOne.  TheDarkOne looked around his eyes peeling. He sniffed the air and caught the scent of his brother. “Where are they?” TheDarkOne demanded.  The Ghoul smiled. “I’m sorry sir, who?”   “The old man and his friend”   “Sorry sir, I’m not at liberty to discuss my customers.”  TheDarkOne’s skin turned red. “You’ll tell me – or lose your life.”   “Never”   “So be it”  TheDarkOne casted a flare with a high magnitude onto the Ghoul who cried in pain as his remaining flesh burned from his body. The smell his flesh filled the air. He fell over burned to a crisp. All that remained was his blackened skeleton. TheDarkOne climbed the stair to the second level and check each room. They were all empty. He noticed the last room had a window open. He looked out and notice the spilled water soaked in to the dirt around the trough and the missing horse.   “Clever my brother” TheDarkOne said. “But you won’t escape me.”  Magnum and TheMaskedStranger were relieved when they escaped the clutches of TheDarkOne. They cheered in joy as a result of their manoeuvre. After awhile of riding the two had entered a village. The village was surrounded by forest and at first glance looked empty. However, hidden deep, camouflaged in within the village were Mai-Key-Tee Warriors. Specifically, they were The Choppa Tribe. Many of the small Slovak Warriors were hiding in trees and in underground bunkers. They wore garbs of mud and leaves and wielded rocks and spears as weapons. As the horse entered the village many of them turned to the intruders and watched carefully. Not making any sounds, the warriors prepared themselves for danger.   “They are strong in numbers.” TheMaskedStranger whispered to Magnum who was on the back end of the horse.  Magnum whispered back. “Who”   “Look in the trees”  Magnum ran his eyes through the tress and saw nothing.   “Look carefully”  Magnum looked again and focused his yes. Up in one of the trees he could see the outline of a small warrior armed with a slingshot.   “I’ve seen about forty, since we entered. And that’s a lot more than two. We better not frenzy them.”   “Agreed”  To engage in combat in an area that was home to the enemy was suicide. The number of Choppa was unknown. And who knew what kind of traps they had or what tricks they’d plan. The horse stopped as it reached a bamboo hut. It was hollow and a large Mai-Key-Tee Warrior stood near a fire pit cooking a corpse. Many smaller warriors were gathered on a sitting log around the fire. They gripped their spears tightly as the intruders approached. Magnum and TheMaskedStranger got of the horse and approached the Mai-Hey-Tee Warrior tribe.   “We are travelers” Mangum called to the biggest one. “Were looking for a way out this place? Can you help us?”  The leader laughed. “You ask me, We-knob, and my Tribe for help? What will you do in exchange?”  We-knob was the largest of the Mai-Key-Tee Warriors in the Choppa Tribe. It was why he was elected leader. He was Slovak as they come. His heavy Russian accent echoed through the village. All the Choppa members listened to the tall muscular hairy man. His chloroplast skin was a lime green and he blended in well with his surroundings. He was confident and stood like a rock.   “What do you propose?”   “We will only help, if you're willing to help us fight with the Black Beast Tribe. Decline and we’ll be forced to contact Lord Dranzer of your presence. But help us and we will take you two the outskirts and reveal the location of the keys to remove those Power-Bracelets. What do you strangers say? Do you accept or decline?”  TheMaskedStranger looked at Magnum and nodded. He then gazed at We-knob. “Alright, we’ll help.” TheMaskedStranger said with sigh as he sat down on his knee and prepared to listen to the cannibalistic warrior.  The cooked corpse left a foul smell in the air while black smoke steamed from the body. The other tribe members around the fire drooled and slobbered for food. They were relativity disappointed that their meal was going to be postponed. They clenched their spears and stared at the two responsible for their lost meal.  We-knob let out a vicious war cry. The howl echoed through the village and many Mai-Key-Tee Warriors scrambled from their positions towards the cry. They came from bushes, under rocks, in tunnels, and from trees. After a few moments, the grounds were covered with Mai-Key-Tee Warriors from the Choppa. They gathered and listened.   “We will be attack The Black Beast’s, because they disrespect our ideologies and life styles. They hate us and have attacked us before. Now it is our turn!”  The Tribe cheered. We-knob waved for silence. It was quite again.  We-knob went on. “We will attack their village tonight. Our objective is revenge, our mission to eliminate The Black Beast’s.”  The Choppa soldiers cheered as they lead Magnum and TheMaskedStranger to some weapons. They glanced at the rocks and sticks, before taking some. “I don't think these things will do much good.” TheMaskedStranger said.  Magnum nodded. “But something is better than nothing.”  The Choppa became silent as they marched towards the enemy village. The twenty minute walk seemed like hours at the pace in which they moved. Almost motionless the Choppa moved along the bush scouting for traps and ambushes. The Black Beast’s have been completely unaware and enjoyed their festival they were celebrating. A few Black Beast Warriors patrolled the area.  A Black Beast spotted the intruders and sounded a trumpet like horn. Several Black Beasts who were dancing jumped to the sound of the horn. They gripped their spears and without fear charged. The Choppa moved in as well.  The battle was underway and rocks tossed through the air. The two tribes fought angrily. One Black Beast had got a spear through the head and Choppa was held to a tree by a Black Beat while another beat him with a club. TheMaskedStranger heaved a rock at one of the Black Beasts hitting him. He grunted and with his three friends gave chase to TheMaskedStranger. TheMaskedStranger dived behind a tree as Magnum extended a long wooden pole and knocked all four of them to the ground.  The Black Beasts and Choppa destroyed each other. Spears were thrown left and right and many bodies were scattered across the village with puncture wounds and multiple injuries. A Choppa was running in circles screaming as his eyes had been cut out.   “Look a hut” Magnum told TheMaskedStranger. “Go observe, I’ll stay here and provide lookout.” TheMaskedStranger nodded as he headed for the hut. A Black Beast leaped on to Magnum and they struggled on the ground. Magnum tossed him off and began beating him with his fist.  TheMaskedStranger noticed two Black Beasts guarding the hut. TheMaskedStranger decided it would be better to avoid the guards. He moved around the bush behind the wooden and straw hut. TheMaskedStranger proceeded by going prone on his belly and crawling under the hut. A small hatch was an alternate entry point. Before TheMaskedStranger used the hatch he peeked through the old wooden planks.  Inside, TheMaskedStranger could see two soldiers tied up and gagged. They both had rope securely wrapped around there ankles and wrists and had handkerchiefs stuffed in there mouths. They were two more of The Patriots. The black man in olive drab was Crush, an African Medic and the other was Stunner a Weapons Specialist dressed in blue camouflage. They both appeared to be conscious and were struggling.  TheMaskedStranger crawled in position under the hatch. The dirty ground was sludgy and covered in moss – or fungus. TheMaskedStranger didn’t care. He lifted the hatch slowly and entered. Both soldiers mumbled at sight of TheMaskedStranger.  He hushed them quickly and quietly. He started with Crush and untied the ropes around his hands and feet before moving on to Stunner. Crush yanked the gag from his mouth. The dialogue was soft to avoid attention.   “Thank goodness you came when you did.” Crush whispered finally being able to breathe fully.   “Why’s that?” TheMaskedStranger untied Stunner and tossed the cloth aside.   “We were going to be food.” Stunner explained. “We must have been tied here for…” He was interrupted by TheMaskedStranger.   “Is there any more Patriots?”   “Yes, Batista and Bandit were taken hours ago. We have to find them.”  TheMaskedStranger grunted and almost fell to his feet. The Power-Bracelet drained him. He pushed himself back up. “Agreed”  Crush and Stunner stood up stretching. Their bodies sore. They peeked from outside the hut. The two Black Beast Guards had their backs turned. Crush took one and Stunner took the other. With a quick fore smash to the neck both collapsed. Magnum ran circles around the Black Beasts before leading them to a trap. One of the Black Beasts stepped on a pressure plate and activated a green net. The net snapped up and suspended the three Black Beasts high into a tree. They hollered and nobody responded.  The war was underway and more vicious than other. Some Mai-Key-Tee Warriors were ripping others apart with their claws and teeth. One even took it as far as to rip one’s head off and shove it on a spear and dance with it. The cannibalistic savages scurried wildly on the battlefield. Crush, Magnum, Stunner, and TheMaskedStranger, managed to remain out of slight long enough to hide.  Within the enclosed village of grass and tree just east of the hut was another hut with a bamboo cage rested on the step. A large bald headed man with tiger striped camouflage pants green aviators and a green bandana was on his knees with his chin jabbed into his chest. The Vietnam styled prison was a small cage and obviously too small for the man. It was Bandit another one of the Patriots.  The group cautiously moved towards the hut. Stunner used his engineering skills to design a lock pick from a stick and a clump of clay from the terrain. He moulded the clay onto the stick and played with the lock. He hardened the clay to take the shape of the key. He turned the lock and the large lock fell to the ground. Bandit struggled from the cage. As he got free he pushed the bars apart with all his might and collapsed the cage.   “Glad to be out of there.” Bandit said. “Batista is inside with the Shaman he was shouting earlier. He was in rough shape when those green things took him in there.”  Bandit and TheMaskedStranger decided they would enter and find Batista while Crush, Magnum, and Stunner watched for enemies.  The hut was made of straw and had bamboo walls separating into rooms. As the two entered, both were unsure which way led where. TheMaskedStranger peeked around the corner and saw The Black Beast Shaman sitting on a spiked chair with his goblin staff resting on his lap. The Shaman was fat and resembled an amphibious creature. His skin was grey and scaly. On the left was an altar with Batista placed on it. He was tied to a stone tablet. His chocolate chip camouflaged pants were torn and his body was covered with cuts and bruises. His long brown hair dropped over his face and his head hung.  TheMaskedStranger decided he would get the Shaman while Bandit got Batista. TheMaskedStranger stood forward stealing the Shaman’s attention. The Shaman gripped his Goblin Staff and blasted it. A long stream of electricity jolted from it. TheMaskedStranger rolled to the side and charged. Another blast fired and he leaped it.  Bandit scurried along the ground to Batista.  TheMaskedStranger dodged more blasts until he grabbed the staff and pole vaulted the Shaman from his chair. The Shaman crashed into the corner. He struggled to get up as his weight held him down. TheMaskedStranger held the staff ready to charge its powerful lighting blast upon the Shaman himself.  Batista turned his head. “Bandit” he coughed.   “Rest easy sir” Bandit released Batista. From the stone alter; Bandit rested Batista across his shoulders.  The Shaman begged but TheMaskedStranger drew in closer. “Please” The Shaman cried. “We’re not close, and the Choppa aren’t either. They only want to feed off you…”  TheMaskedStranger shook his head. “Wrong. They will get this Bracelet off my wrist.”   “No, the Choppa, they work with Lord Dranzer.”  The Shaman was huffing in puffing afraid to death. His eye sparkled and showed truth. TheMaskedStranger didn’t care. He shrugged his shoulders and raised the staff. Bandit approached from behind with Batista on his shoulders.   “Deal with him and let’s go… Batista needs medical treatment.”  TheMaskedStranger glanced at the Shaman and deeply thought about what he should do. Would he kill the Shaman or listen to his words. The Staff was charged ready to fry the Shaman. TheMaskedStranger tossed the staff on the Shaman’s lap.   “Get the others” TheMaskedStranger said. “We’re leaving and not going back to the Choppa.” TheMaskedStranger turned his back and walked out of the hut. Bandit followed carrying Batista.  When they left the hut, Bandit got Stunner and Crush to carry their gear. The two large green cases had their weapons and equipment.  Bandit, TheMaskedStranger and the others avoided the battle going deeper into the Concrete Jungle. They arrived at an empty village and made camp. It was far enough away from The Black Beast Village and was hidden by thick forest.  TheDarkOne was still on the hunt. He had reached The Black Beast Village and watched as the Tribes slaughtered each other. Someone started this battle and he figured TheMaskedStranger was responsible. Getting involved in wars between Mai-Key-Tee Warriors wasn’t the best course of action. Nothing would stop the battle until one Tribe was no more. TheDarkOne could easily slaughter them all. However, he didn’t want to waste more time. He just wanted his brother so he moved on.
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Post by G-Nation on Sept 22, 2011 12:46:48 GMT -5
Chapter Ten:  Outside The Shadow Realm in The Common World, Barefoot, Christine, McCourt, Ryan, Smokey, and Zebulon still watched the Red Cloud. Time had only appeared to be minutes in The Common World as compared to hours in The Shadow Realm. Zebulon sat leaning against a tree. It was the same one Barefoot was hanging from. Christine sat beside Ryan still trapped in his unconscious mind. McCourt and Smokey paced back and forth.   “That damn vortex thing gone and ate them and Ryan is still unconscious! What the hell are we going to do?” Smokey was tense his hands were in fists and steam raged from him.   “Claim your self Smoke” Christine said. “We need to think this over.” She looked at her brother then at the Red Cloud and back at Ryan. She placed the Double Dragon around his neck. She thought it might give him strength. “Zebulon, what would you do?”  Zebulon chuckled. She was asking his advice? He was glad TheMaskedStranger wasn’t there to turn him down. “Patience is a virtue. The time will come naturally for us to take action. Besides, we have no idea what would happen if we did enter the Vortex. Hell, we could be sent to the same or another dimension from TheMaskedStranger. If I was to estimate, I would say the Vortex would lead to that Cloud. My old master always said: ‘Never jump into action unless you know what’s going to happen when you do.’ It is one teaching I never forgot.”   “Is it like ‘expect the unexpected’?”  It was going on an hour in The Common World as they waited. What they were unaware of was that time was different on the other side.  Inside the Shadow Realm TheMaskedStranger sat lonesome with his head tucked between his legs while the others were gathered around a fire. The group was already into the green cases of supplies. Crush was using natural herbs for healing purposes on Batista. The medicine irritated Batista’s wound as the ointment was applied. Batista grunted.   “That is just the effect of healing.” Crush explained.  Magnum saw TheMaskedStranger and moved towards him. TheMaskedStranger sat ignoring everything and become lost in thought. Magnum was wondering what was going through his head. He suggested that something in the Village must have changed his view.   “What’s wrong?” There was no response. Magnum asked again.  TheMaskedStranger looked up glancing around. “Nothing” he said with a sigh. “I just know I’m not the hero everyone thinks I am.”   “At the village,”   “At the Village I could have killed the Shaman. Instead I let him live. Now, TheDarkOne must know where we are. He’ll be on his way.”   “We don’t know that for sure. Has he been tailing us the entire time?”  TheMaskedStranger shrugged his shoulders. It was time to get more rest. TheMaskedStranger camped in a tree while Batista hide in a bush armed with an M4 Assault Riffle. The bandages across his chest and arms protected his wounds. He was tired and struggled for strength but he remained awake. He and TheMaskedStranger decided to kept watch first. Bandit, Crush, Magnum, and Stunner slept with sheet made tents. Some twigs and braches were used as poles that held the sheets up.  TheDarkOne after taking a detour around the Mai-Key-Tee Warriors had found himself on the path of his prey. He watched from the forest as they slept. The fire burning revealed the men sleeping in the tents. There was no other movement except from the tent. TheDarkOne grinned. He would be a Hunter in the Night and strike before they wake. TheDarkOne’s crimson-eyes glowed and his mind filled with hatred. This was the final strike. He would kill them all while they slept. He needed no honour or respect. Both would come from killing his brother.  TheDarkOne approached the sleeping crew and was unaware that Batista held a firm aim him with the M4 or that TheMaskedStranger watched from the above tree. TheDarkOne stood by the tents. Magnum rolled over in his sleep and landed on his boots. He woke his eyes and stared into TheDarkOne's eyes.   “Surprise” TheDarkOne announced lifting Magnum by the neck with one hand. “Weak old man” He stated as he tossed him into a tree trunk. Batista opened fire letting the rounds of the M4 spread onto his target. TheDarkOne shifted his attention towards Batista. The bullets bounced from his thick armour at first until TheDarkOne raised his hand and created a small force field barrier. The others woke up scrambling to their feet.   “You have no idea where you are and who your dealing with.” TheDarkOne drew closer to Batista has he reloaded a magazine and continued firing.  TheMaskedStranger hopped from the tree onto his brother. TheDarkOne grabbed TheMaskedStranger’s foot and flipped him on his back. TheDarkOne lifted his brother from the ground by his head and squeezed it. Batista lowered his riffle and charged at TheDarkOne. He began using the riffle as a melee weapon striking TheDarkOne across the chest. TheDarkOne glanced at the man pounding on his chest. TheDarkOne tossed TheMaskedStranger away and grabbed Batista and hauled him up. They stared into each others eyes.   “I see your fear when I look into your eyes. I can relive your every memory and read your every thought.” TheDarkOne swatted Batista knocking him next to the bon-fire. TheDarkOne cursed as he grabbed the M4 and snapped it over his knee, his eyes glowing bright red. “I only want my brother. Why must you Patriots make it difficult? Wouldn’t you like to help the re-birth the worlds most powerful Villains.”  Bandit, Crush, and Stunner had their riffles aimed at TheDarkOne. TheDarkOne gazed at them. “Put your weapons down and your deaths will be quick and easy.”   “We’ll never surrender to you!” Stunner shouted firing his riffle. The bullets reflected of his body and casings filled the ground. The soldiers stopped firing after they realized their weapons were doing nothing.   “The only reason you can beat us is because Magnum and TheMaskedStranger can’t use their powers.” Stunner continued. “We all know you would never beat us if they didn’t have those Power-Bracelets.”  TheDarkOne raised a brow as he looked at the young man. TheDarkOne slowly raised his hand and Stunner began to levitate. TheDarkOne closed his fist and watched Stunner struggle for breath.   “Your heroes were nothing with their powers anyway. As for you, you’ll soon be history.”  Stunner collapsed to the ground as TheMaskedStranger tackled TheDarkOne to the ground. Everyone watched the brothers fight. TheMaskedStranger although weak and fatigued threw heavy punches to his brother’s face causing him to bleed. TheDarkOne growled and kicked TheMaskedStranger.  Almost in a second, time froze, paralyzing everyone from existence except TheMaskedStranger and TheDarkOne. Both glanced around at the motionless crowd of bystanders. The Patriots and Magnum were still. TheDarkOne laughed for brief moment until he and TheMaskedStranger began to merge, their bodies fading to dust.   “No” TheDarkOne cursed. “He’s mine. No more games Dranzer!” His words echoed through the emptiness of space as he and his brother vanished.  The dust reformed the two brothers in what looked like the Palace of Fort Dranzer. Everything was repaired and whole again. The pillars stood strong and the Souls from Castle Walls screamed loudly.   “How can this be?” TheMaskedStranger questioned, observing the Palace. His attention was quickly grabbed by his brother. The two brothers stood surrounded by shadows. They glared at each other with anger towards another. Both stood ten metres apart across the Palace Floor.   “I'll be careful not to stain the carpet with your blood, brother.” TheDarkOne mentioned as Black Dranzer watched from his Chair. TheDarkOne saluted before going on his knee. “Lord” He said in respect as he remained on one knee bowing. “No more games!”   “Such false loyalty” Dranzer called. He stood up from his Chair and walked down the set of stairs in front of him. His cape dangled and swung as he walked. In his shinning black armour the two brothers could see their reflections. He centred himself between the two.   “I sense your anger and frustration with me. But you cannot deceive me TheDarkOne. I know all – I know you’re only after your brother’s soul and that I have made it difficult for you. First TheMaskedStranger enters my territory in the Concrete Jungle, and then he destroys my Castle and experiences the transformation in the Vortex from The Common World to The Shadow Realm. After that he starts a war and kills off most of the Choppa. Now he stands alone before me.” Dranzer extended his hands and got louder. “In this world I control everything. That is why my Fort still stands. Outside The Shadow Realm you both are powerful indeed. But here, you are powerless.”  Dranzer swung his hand and a hard gust of wind knocked TheMaskedStranger to the ground. TheMaskedStranger got to his feet trembling as he did. Dranzer turned his attention to TheDarkOne. “As I promised before, I would not interfere between the both of you. But it is time to we take things to the next level.” Dranzer sapped his fingers and a large glassed diamond broke threw the Palace floor and hovered it the air. It raised high above the second level. Inside were Bandit, Batista, Crush, Magnum, and Stunner. The diamond slowly filled with water.   “To safe your friends, all you have to do is defeat TheDarkOne and I… And since seeing two against one is unfair, you may choose one individual to fight by your side. I recommend choosing wisely.”  TheMaskedStranger lost himself in thought. He had no idea who to pick. There were so many choices but he could only choose one. Names shuffled through his head, Blazer or Scar, he shoved them aside struggling to make a decision.   “Defeat me brother. Save the day and be a real hero not a comic book character.”  TheMaskedStranger ignored his brother’s comment and stayed focus. He had to defeat his brother before the diamond filled – It was time consuming and disappointing to have a time limit. TheMaskedStranger knew if he couldn’t get results before the dead line Dranzer would have enough souls to summon The Leviathan. Who would have enough power to defeat such a Legendary? Magnum, his Elemental Powers wouldn’t be able to stop Dranzer.  TheMaskedStranger was frustrated. He stopped and breathed. ‘Wherever Darkness may hide, there shall be light to Light to banish it.’ The thought cycled through TheMaskedStranger’s head. “Woods” TheMaskedStranger whispered. He had remembered Christine mentioning to him about The Double Dragon. Falcon… surely if the Leviathan was summoned, the fusion of Golden-Eyes and Silver-Eyes would prevail. Ryan Woods may be the key to defeating Dranzer. But was TheMaskedStranger sure he wanted to bring Ryan Woods from The Common World to The Shadow Realm. Woods was already in rough shape?  TheMaskedStranger looked up at the diamond and then at the evil masterminds in front of him. “I've made a decision” He said firmly. “I choose Ryan Woods to fight by my side.” TheMaskedStranger wondered if his choice was right. The fate of the Universe depended on it.   “As you wish” Dranzer snapped his fingers and Vortex began to form in the Common World. The ones watching it saw the green twister come towards them. The Vortex blew like vicious winds and in one large gust swept the group into inside and transferred them to the Red Cloud.  Ryan Woods appeared out of his unconscious mind and stood beside TheMaskedStranger in The Shadow Realm with the Double Dragon around his neck. The Power of the Body and Soul gave him energy.  Black Dranzer didn’t expect the pick but sneaky as he was he altered the details. The others that came through with Ryan: Barefoot, Christine, McCourt, Smokey, and Zebulon all joined the others inside the diamond. Dranzer laughed as the others appeared trapped with their friends.   “To make thing better, you can lose that Power-Bracelet.” Dranzer waved his hand the Bracelet turned to dust. He also conjured an Akavari Dai Katana on TheMaskedStranger’s back.   “Who are you?” Ryan asked TheMaskedStranger as he looked around. “The last thing I remember was being captured by the Dark Lord.” Ryan glanced up and saw Christine trapped with others people in the diamond. “What’s going on?” Ryan fists closed and filled with anger.   “Your sister hired me to save your life, Ryan.” TheMaskedStranger quickly explained never taking his eyes from TheDarkOne. “I’ve went through hell and back to save your ass. Now the fate of the Universe is in our hands. You better have been worth the trouble. You’re a skilled warrior of mind and body – that is why I have chosen you to fight by my side.”   “I know what must be done” Ryan replied getting ready for the battle of their lifetime.
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Post by G-Nation on Sept 22, 2011 13:10:41 GMT -5
Chapter Eleven:  With every second the diamond filled with more water. TheMaskedStranger unsheathed his Katana and commenced to duel with TheDarkOne. Akavari Dai Katana met with TheDarkOne’s Golden Long-sword. The blades twisted and turned, clashed and bashed. It was desperate struggle with TheDarkOne, but TheMaskedStranger refused to give-up.   “See if you can free the others.” TheMaskedStranger told Ryan as he was being held by TheDarkOne. Ryan watched. “Go” Ryan took of like a bat out of hell and raced to set of the irregular tangled stair case leading to the second level. He was stopped by Black Dranzer he stood blocking his path.  Ryan stared at the diamond as Christine pounded on the glass. She was screaming along with the others but their voice was insulated in the diamond. Dranzer laughed with his long black cape was flowing from behind him.   “TheMaskedStranger choose you because” Dranzer placed his hand on his helmet. “You hold they key to one piece of the Double Dragon.”   “Wrong” Ryan interrupted as he revealed the full medallion around his neck. “The full Double Dragon”   “You and your sister have a great power. You’re linked, magically connected to one another… No matter, when I destroy you, both of your souls shall belong to me.”  Dranzer placed hand over the ground and called, “Borrocknous.” The ground slightly shook and a Skull-sword rose from the crumbling ground to Dranzer’s hand. As Dranzer lifted the sword Ryan activated the Power of the Soul. His body became a gray image and a shadow like figure. He moved along the ground and entered Black Dranzer. After a few seconds a blast fired from Dranzer’s body and Ryan was knocked out of Dranzer’s body.   “Attempting to possess my soul is useless. Power of the Soul is nothing compared The Black Stone.” Dranzer reached into his side satchel and showed the Black Stone. “This Black Colour Summoning Stone prevents me from being controlled. This Stone gives me all my powers and it will soon devour your power and give it to me.”   “Never” Ryan shouted. His body turning back to normal and he activated the Power of the Body. Dranzer swung his fist as Ryan stood up and the impact sent him into a pillar. The pillar smashed and then regenerated in a mist of smoke and the remains of the pillar disappeared.  Since the Shadow Realm was Parallel Dimension created by the Black Summoning Stone Black Dranzer was in complete control. Unlike in the Common World, Black Dranzer could do anything in the Shadow Realm. Dranzer snapped his fingers and the Palace Room of Fort Dranzer filled with darkness.   “You may have destroyed Fort Dranzer in the Common World... But you’ll never destroy the one in the Shadow Realm.” Dranzer laughed.  Ryan got up from the ground without a scratch and dusted himself off. The Power of the Body prevented injuries and harm from most physical attacks.   “Good” Dranzer called. “As I expected”  TheDarkOne enjoyed every moment of his battle with his brother. “Your weak brother” TheDarkOne called. “Your soft spot for the Human Race has made you soft.” TheDarkOne kicked the Katana from his brother’s hand to have it fall into the crevice in which Borrocknous spawned from.   “My soft spot for the Human Race is what keeps the world alive, if only everyone shared that same quality our world would be a Utopia. There would be no Murder or Rape.” TheMaskedStranger speared TheDarkOne and held him against a wall. The crevice inches away. TheDarkOne’s Golden Long-sword fumbled from his hand and into the crevice. TheMaskedStranger reached into his vest as he pulled out his Knife and held it in a CQC position. TheDarkOne laughed as his Wrist Blade shot out and he quickly swung it at TheMaskedStranger cutting his lower arm and causing him to drop it.   “All your efforts are useless”   “You’re useless” TheMaskedStranger said as he threw a right-hook across TheDarkOne’s face.   “You should’ve killed me when you had the chance brother.”  Ryan placed the dragons together and called, “Double Dragon come together as one and spawn.” Power of the Body and the Power of the Soul together and his words powered the medallion. An orbed light of silver and gold sparkled from the medallion. When the bright lights dimed Ryan had transformed into a large Dragon with two heads. One half of the Dragon was gold and the other sliver. The Dragon let out a cry.   “Impressive” Dranzer called nearly smiling. “Thou have summoned Falcon by combining the dragons. Shame it will be in vein.”  Falcon swung its tail and hit Dranzer. He was tossed across the Palace Floor. Dranzer levitated to his feet and shoved Borrocknous into the ground. He raised his hands and held two black soul gems in one hand, and three in the other. The souls of Rain and Draylen rested in one hand and the other three empty.   “From the enchantment of Castle Walls, these souls have been captured to serve me.” Dranzer held the three empty black soul gems up towards the glass diamond and casted a mysticism spell. Within seconds, after the purple stream of mist reached the diamond the souls of Batista, Bandit, and Magnum, became soul trapped into the gems. Their bodies dangled inside the diamond as it continued to fill with water. Dranzer laughed as he held five strong souls in his hand. The Dragon moved towards Dranzer.   “It’s too late Ryan, thou have failed!” Dranzer placed the five Black Soul Gems into one hand gripped the Black Stone in the other. With another mysticism spell casted the Black Stone swallowed the soul gems. The Palace darkened as evil filled the air. The Black Stone grew strong.  Power radiated from The Black Stone as it transformed Dranzer into the Leviathan. Dranzer body got sucked into The Black Stone and the Leviathan came out. The large sea-serpent dragon hissed as it charged at the Falcon. The snake like-serpent and the bird like-dragon wrestled. The Leviathan wrapped its long body around Falcon and squeezed. Without Christine fused with Ryan and the Silver Dragon, The Power of the Soul, was weak. Falcon howled as Leviathan tightened its grip. Falcon used its two heads to bite the Leviathan. Its shape bladed teeth dug deep into the scaly flesh. The Leviathan slowly released its grip and Falcon extended its wings to break free from the Leviathans grasp. It floated with its wings flapping as the snake like dragon slithered across the Palace grounds attempting to get a hold of Falcon again.  TheDarkOne grinned as his fist caught fire from a spell he casted. He slugged TheMaskedStranger across the face and used his supernatural powers to choke TheMaskedStranger without having to laying a finger on him. All TheDarkOne had to do was concentrate and think about choking him and it happened.   “I told you, you’ve should’ve killed me when you had the chance. Your mistakes not mine. I shall not make the same mistake.”  TheDarkOne charged a Psi-Ball in one hand and dark orb of light resembling a ball of electricity formed. With every second the Psi-Ball got larger. TheDarkOne hurled the Psi-Ball at his brother. The energy gathered surged through TheMaskedStranger’s body and tossed him through a stone pillar. As the pillar crumbled TheMaskedStranger was struck by a shard of sharp rubble. The stone was like shrapnel and dug into his flesh. Blood poured from his mouth and his breathing became deep and drought.  TheDarkOne approached his injured brother a tore the sharp stone from his chest. His insides twisted and in pain he cried. With Flacon occupied with the Leviathan and TheMaskedStranger wounded, the diamond still filled with water and looked bad for the ones struggling inside.   “You’re weak, I’m the dominate one and everyone knows why” TheDarkOne said as he removed the sharp stone from his brothers chest. Blood poured from the wound as he coughed. TheDarkOne grinned as he hauled the TheMaskedStranger into the crevice. TheDarkOne watched him fall before turning his attention to the battling dragons.  TheMaskedStranger dangled along the wall of the crevice. With his another one of his small blades shoved deep into the crevice, he hung for his life. Blood stain his cloths and he was losing consciousness. His grip gradually loosened. With the other hand he held his wound directing the pressure.  The Leviathan slapped its long body in the air hitting Falcon. Falcon’s flight pattern broke as he lowered. The Leviathan opened its mouth wide and bit Falcon while Falcon clawed. With a blast of white light both were knocked back by a powerful force. Falcon had returned to Double Dragon Medallion leaving Ryan unconscious on the ground.  The Leviathan screeched as it slowly approached Ryan with its mouth opened ready to devour him. The Black Sea-Serpent stood over him hissing with drool running from its mouth along with a foul odour.
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Post by G-Nation on Sept 22, 2011 13:43:25 GMT -5
Chapter Twelve:  The Leviathan lowered it mouth to scoop Ryan up. However, a figure wearing a black-armoured Gi armed with two Katana’s and a Kunai dropped from the ceiling. The Gi had the sleeves torn off and a black mask covered his face. Black steams radiated from his body. He was made from darkness and Shadow appeared as a Ninja more skilled than TheMaskedStranger, Rain, and Zebulon combined. Shadow leaped onto the Leviathan’s head and stabbed one of his Katana’s deep into the Leviathan and slid it down its back. As the figured reached the tail he ripped the blade from the creature and flipped away. He tossed his Kunai attached to a long thin wire at Leviathan. Like a fish-hook it caught beneath the skin and got tighter as it moved. Shadow pulled for a tighter grip. The Leviathan screeched as the Kunai drew blood. With on strong tug, Shadow pulled the Kunai and tossed the Leviathan across the Palace ripping the Kunai from Leviathan.  Shadow tossed his Kunai down into the crevice. TheMaskedStranger saw it and grabbed a hold. Shadow yanked it up and helped TheMaskedStranger from the crevice. At this point, the diamond filled with soulless Batista, Bandit, and Magnum, along with Barefoot, Christine, Crush, McCourt, Smokey, Stunner and Zebulon was filled with water. The Leviathan saw this and drooled before charging at TheMaskedStranger and Shadow. Shadow gripped his Katana and with on single swing slit the head of the sea-serpent and brought the katana back for another hit. The two slashes chopped the head from the Leviathan’s body. It collapsed to the ground before exploding in a burning steam of heat. The Legendary Leviathan melted and evaporated while flopping like a dying fish leaving its blood and guts behind.  When the steam cleared Black Dranzer stood in the blood bath with his cape following behind him. The souls of Bandit, Batista, and Magnum returned to their bodies only to suffer the pain of drowning.   “Shadow” Dranzer called. “We met again.” Shadow stood still and sleuthed his Katana eying Dranzer. Both Katana’s shined on his back and were truly made from the sandy beaches of Japan. Shadow rounded his Kunai and hung it from his belt.   “Thou have defeated The Leviathan, but can thou defeat me?” A black mist appeared around Dranzer’s hand and Borrocknous appeared. The Skull-sword was large and enchanted with all types of magic and was too created by the Black Stone.  Shadow cast a Restoration Spell on TheMaskedStranger to heal his wound to prevent further blood loss. The spell healed his wound and enabled him to fight again. Shadow gave TheMaskedStranger his Kunai. TheMaskedStranger knew what he had to do. He looked up at the people drowning. He had to free them.  Dranzer signalled TheDarkOne to join. Dranzer re-spawned TheDarkOne’s Golden Long-sword from the crevice to TheDarkOne’s hand. Both villains circled Shadow. Shadow pulled his two Katana’s and the four blades clashed together. Shadow was jumping and hoping around while spinning both his blades in front, behind, and by the sides to stop the attacks from Dranzer and TheDarkOne.  TheMaskedStranger gripped the Kunai tightly and ran to the circular stair case leading to the upper level. He glanced around needing to get higher. His eyes moved along the floors and traced to a narrow corridor. He grunted as he began to wall jump up to the wooden rafters. Each foot bounced from wall to wall until he reached the top. He pulled himself up before crawling along a small catwalk. As he crawled he could see the battle below. He swallowed as he moved on.   “Along fall” TheMaskedStranger thought. He swung the Kunai around the diamond and swung from it. The diamond lowered as ThemaskedStranger touched the ground. The diamond followed shattering, freeing the prisoners. They all breathed heavily as the water drained across the Palace Floor.   “Ma’ Lord, the prisoners” TheDarkOne mentioned countering an attack from Shadow with his sword.  Dranzer glanced at the prisoners. “No” he called. “They must not escape!” Shadow continued to twirl his Katana and the four blades continued to bash. The others continued puffing for air and watched the three fought. The Patriots gathered in a group as Christine and Zebulon covered Ryan.  Christine grabbed her halve of the Double Dragon from Ryan’s neck and placed it around her neck. She connected with the one the one around his neck. The enchantment of the dragons combined with spiritual energy and revived Ryan. He regained some of his strength and stood up. He hugged his sister afraid to be separated again.   “I’m here sis; let us not be separate again.”  Christine smiled before it turned to a frown.  Shadow was being overwhelmed as Dranzer and TheDarkOne began to play dirty. The two villains could not keep the battle up so they had to cheat. Dranzer shook his hand over the ground and the floor began to swallow Shadow. The ground rose and sucked Shadows feet into the disfigured floor beneath him. Shadow could not turn but still fought until TheDarkOne got a cheap shot from behind. TheDarkOne struck Shadow in the back and dug his Golden Sword through Shadows abdomen and twisted. The black radiating from his body became a thick ooze.  Shadows eyes met with Ryan’s as he slid his Katana over to Ryan. Ryan kicked it up with his foot and charged at Dranzer. With a quick slash Ryan’s tore Dranzer’s cape and rear armour.  Batista who was a little dizzy from being soul trapped asked TheMaskedStranger. “He's your brother, what do we do?”   “Get me alone with him. I’ll send him back to hell.” TheMaskedStranger mentioned as he held his hand out and opened it revealing a Black Soul Gem. “I took it from him in our first battle. Just isolate the two of us and I’ll do the rest.”  Borrocknous clashed with the blade Ryan held while TheDarkOne was going to eliminate Shadow.   “Get him” Batista ordered The Patriots. They charged at TheDarkOne and held him still for the Soul Trap. Barefoot held on to TheDarkOne’s head wrapping his arms around his neck and squeezing. Smokey gripped on to TheDarkOne's left arm and McCourt on the other while Bandit held him from the waist and Crush and Stunner held his legs.  TheMaskedStranger saw the opportunity and leaped into action. TheMaskedStranger extended the Black Soul Gem towards his brother. TheDarkOne struggled to move and attempted to shake the soldiers from him.   “No, I won’t go back. I refuse to.” TheDarkOne cursed as the Gem began to steal TheDarkOne's soul from his physical body. He could feel his soul being ripped from his body. “I won’t go back alone, not this time!” TheDarkOne grabbed a hold of TheMaskedStranger’s arm and cast a spell causing his astral body to be pulled into the Gem as well. “If I die, you will too!” Within seconds the small Gem fell to the floor and sparkled leaving two soulless bodies.  The Black Soul Gem had soul trapped leaving bodies to collapse on the ground. The Patriots holding the soulless body of TheDarkOne also collapsed as the body fell over. The Patriots, Christine, Magnum and Zebulon gathered around the shiny Gem glaring at its beautiful shine.   “Shit” Smokey called. “What the hell happened?”   “Soul Trapped” Crush replied. “No amount of medical supplies can heal or repair that.”  Stunner lowered his hand to grab the Gem. Batista interrupted.   “Don’t touch it. We don’t specialize in magic!”   “I don’t want my soul sealed away in a rock” Barefoot protested.  Stunner yanked his hand away.  Batista when on “Being Soul Trapped is not fun at all.”  Dranzer laughed as he levitated the Black Soul Gem towards him and caught it in his hand. Ryan was lying on the ground below his foot. Dranzer had pinned him to the ground with his foot across Ryan’s chest. Everyone looked as he clenched the Gem in his hand.   “I enjoyed our little battle but now it’s over and I win.” Dranzer was cut short as Shadow busted through the ground and sliced Dranzer in half with his second Katana. Dranzer melted away leaving his cloths, armour, and side satchel behind.  As Dranzer vaporized he shouted complaints. “It’s not fair! This is my world, I always win.” Only Dranzer head remained.   “Not tonight” Shadow called taking one stomp and crushing Dranzer’s head.  Shadow picked up the Gem and held it.  Ryan scattered from under the belongings left by Dranzer. The others came running over. “What are we going to do with the Gem? Is there anyway to save TheMaskedStranger?” Ryan asked.  Shadow held the Gem. “I shall hold on to this Gem, for it ever fell into the wrong hands any powerful figure could be summoned… As for TheMaskedStranger, there is no way to free him without freeing TheDarkOne… I’m sure it would be what he would want.” More black mist oozed from Shadow.   “You’re dying” Christine cried. “You can’t die, we need you to help get us out of here”   “I’ll be fine as long as you’re all safe.”   “Master, why’d you leave?” Ryan asked.   “There was nothing left to teach either of you… You were my best students. You learned fast, but there was nothing more you needed to learn.”  Everyone gathered to listen to Shadow’s words as he spoke. “Dranzer is not in control of all evil. He thinks he is but truth is, he’s not. I was once evil and had powers similar to his. I saw the light, but my brother, Snake-Bite, saw the darkness in my light. He preferred a dark path. I’m not hero and but a force cursed to look like a villain forever. Although Dranzer had control, in the end good will always triumph over evil. Good is always destined to win.”  Shadow casted a spell and a Green Portal spawned. It appeared in the centre of the Palace Floors and led to the Common World. It was the way back home.   “Go, the portal will return you to The Common World. It is mandatory I stay be hind to ensure the safety of the Gem and that no one follows you.”   “Move out Patriots!” Batista called. Batista ran through the Green Portal followed by McCourt and the rest of the Patriots. Bandit, Barefoot, Crush, Smokey, and Stunner, all entered Portal and waited on the other side for the others.   “Let’s go, Christine, Ryan, come!” Magnum called as he ran through with Zebulon. Christine and Ryan did not move instead they glanced at Shadow.   “You must understand. I’m no longer needed in your lives. I must ensure the closure of evil in this Realm. The Gem can not fall into the wrongs hands. It is why I shall remain here to protect it. Dranzer will be back one day… At least he won’t succeed if I stop him again.”  A tear fell from Christine’s eye. “Isn’t there another way?”  Shadow wiped the tear from her face. “I’m afraid not. Now go… I’ll always love you both. Ryan, take her and fulfill your role as a Guardian of Earth.”  Ryan took Christine by the hand and pulled her. She pulled back but Ryan continued to drag her along. He understood the sacrifice needed to ensure the safety of the world. Christine just took it hard when he left them.  Christine continued to look back at Shadow as she was dragged into the Portal. The Portal closed shut leaving Shadow in the Shadow Realm.   “I’ll miss you both” Shadow whispered as the Portal vanished.
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Post by G-Nation on Sept 22, 2011 14:14:43 GMT -5
Chapter Thirteen:  The Common World was the same as it once was. In the Concrete Jungle everything was as it was when everyone entered the Shadow Realm. Fort Dranzer was still in ruins and time was the same as when everyone left.   “Shadow” Christine cried as she left the Portal.  Ryan comforted her holding her by the shoulders looking at her. “It will be all right. We have each other and now that were together nothing will separate us.”  Batista saluted Ryan. “It was good to have you as a recruit son. Sorry about your Master. He saved all of us. If it weren’t for him we’d all be dead. If you ever find yourselves around Fort Patriot in Virginia stop by anytime, The Patriots welcome you.”  Christine slightly smiled. “I’m sure Shadow knows what he’s doing. Rain and TheMaskedStranger didn’t die in vain. They will be remembered and honoured.”  The Patriots all saluted as Batista shook Ryan’s hand. “It was good working with you again.”   “Like wise” Ryan replied.  Everyone decided it would be best to go there separate ways until they met again.  The Patriots would continue their mission clear room for the construction of the new settlement that was going to be built in the Concrete Jungle. After creating the place and establishing a society The Patriots would return to the United States and head home to Fort Patriot in the Virginia Mountains.  Zebulon was unsure of what to do. With his long time friend and companion deceased he was alone again. Unable to avenge his Temple himself, he would wonder British Colombia and revisit his once proclaimed home. He would hear the Spirit of Rain speak to him every once in a while. Zebulon would avoid much combat in fear of losing control of his Demon Seal. He was thankful that he kept it under control during and after Rain’s death.  Ryan and Christine Woods would visit Wolfwood and Blazer at the Old Archery Memorial and stay until the settlement was constructed. From there, the brother and sister would head back to The Warriors Plaque in Japan to continue to train and teach Shadow’s practises.  Magnum decided to stay in the Concrete Jungle for a long time and catch-up with his old friend Rusty Shackolford who owned a fishing resort near Crystal Lake. He would spend his retirement fishing and boating within the waters of the Concrete Jungle.  In The Shadow Realm, Shadow stood glaring at the Black Soul Gem which contained the powerful souls of TheDarkOne and TheMaskedStranger. He held it tight and shifted his eyes upwards to see The Merchant standing before him. The Merchant held out The Purple Summoning Stone and summoned the Darkness. The Merchant became enriched with Darkness as black snake-like tentacles stretched from his back.  The tentacle’s opened their jaw-like mouths and extended towards Shadow. Shadow drew his Katana and sliced one of the tentacles. With in seconds from being decapitated the tentacle disappeared in black smoke and a new tentacle generated. Another tentacle swung knocking Shadow down. The Darkness growled with hunger and drained Shadow of all his dark energy. Shadows body shrunk as its Power-Energy drained away. When the darkness finished draining Shadow only his materials remained: his black-armoured Gi, weaponry, and the Black Soul Gem.  The Merchant picked up the Black Soul Gem and turned his attention onto Dranzer’s satchel. He moved over to the abandoned satchel and searched it. Inside he found the Black Summoning Stone and The Necronomicon Ex-Mortis. The Merchant placed the satchel over one shoulder and deactivated the Purple Stone before placing it too in the satchel. The Darkness vanished leaving The Merchant with a wide grin on his pale white face. He laughed.  The Merchant removed his leather trench coat and bandana and revealed his true self, SyraS, a master of deception. His eyes glowed red and he stood wearing a thin black suit of armour, thicker than leather but lighter that covered his body. It resembled the suits worn by The Dark Brotherhood. He stood with the ultimate power of The Black and Purple Summoning Stones, The Necronomicon Ex-Mortis, and the Black Soul Gem with two powerful souls of TheMaskedStranger and TheDarkOne.  SyraS laughed with power surging through his veins pumping energy into him. “A new world order will begin with my Empire.” He said sitting on Dranzer’s Chair. “First the Shadow Realm, then the Common World, the power will be all mine.” The End
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