A Tainted Heart ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Port of the Fallen King, Neo-England "Here's 200 credits, spend it wisely, my friend." The gentle but muscled sailor grinned with delight at the huge pouch of money in his hands. Aarin had been true to his word, he would pay the man 200 credits. Which was extremely generous for a fairly short trip. 200 credits was the twice the amount people usually charged. But the sailor wasn't completely sure that this was all generosity, he was pretty sure some of this was 'keep-quiet-about-our-trip' money. Which was no surprise. Neo-England had been one of the first places to be conquered by the Covenant of Sorcerers. The northern parts of England, like the Port of the Fallen King for example, were not closely monitored by the Covenant, but towards the south they were ruthlessly dictatorial. Mostly because the south had put up the most resistance. This was why Aarin, Saizaki, Lilia and Rainhande were all dressed in disguising cloaks. To keep their identity a secret. They were in enemy territory now, so they had to be as discrete as possible. Even the sailor was nervous. As soon as he received payment from Aarin and his cohorts on the port, he scampered back up to his ship and made preparations to leave. Sailing between countries occupied by the Covenant and those being defended by the Order was a dangerous practice. One that was sure to get him killed, in time. Still, money was money, and work was work. Those who had seen poverty in the 19th Century would be in luxury with comparison to the poverty of the 22nd Century. Aarin ambled from the pier that their ship was docked at. It was going to be one hell of a time finding a way back home, but if Aarin's guess was right, Neo-Germany was about to fall to the enemy anyway. He came over to the other three in his party, and watched the setting that was around them. The Port of the Fallen King. It was called this because the last king of England, Christopher Gainsbrooke, had been murdered here while touring the country, almost 18 years ago. The monarchy went into hiding after that. Mostly due to the war and the Covenant's grip over this country. Even members of parliament had fled when they realized the fate that was about to befall their beloved England. "Okay," Aarin addressed the whole group, all clad in their dark brown cloaks, "We all understand this situation, do we not? Our mission is to kill Al Gul Jehed. He currently resides in this country's capital, the Ruins of London. But I have no idea of his exact location. So we must discover that as we make our way there. The journey will take around six days from where we are, maybe a little faster if we can find some method of transport. Once we leave this port, I want you all to keep quiet about the mission. Speak nothing of it. Or we could be found out by one of Al Gul's many spies. Keep your faces and weapons hidden at all times, but try not to act too suspiciously. Above all, draw as little attention to yourselves as possible. Hopefully this will work for us." The group all nodded, signifying that they understood the situation. After dumping their sea legs, they grabbed hold of their ground-based bearings and prepared themselves for the march down to Ruins of London. They left the port, exiting the bay area, below the fluttering chirps of the seagulls, and made their ways out. The climate of Neo-England then made itself known. Snow, ice, frost and tundra. Oh, how geographical climate can change in the space of 92 years. The Genesis Comet had turned a primarily cloudy country into a primarily snowy one. It was hard for Lilia, Saizaki and Rainhande to accept this drop in temperature, but to Aarin it was no big thing. Even as they began trotting through the leagues of snow blanketing the countryside, Aarin was at home. He felt waves of nostalgia pass through him. It had been many years since he had last set foot in his homeland. And it filled him with great pride to know that he was finally back here. But also great sadness, because he knew that Neo-England was at the feet of the enemy. Britannia was now bowing her once proud head to the earth, in reverence of Al Gul Jehed and his earth-conquering Covenant. But it didn't stop Aarin from recalling happier times. He remembered when he first met his now deceased wife, Gwendolyn. That had been quite a while ago, in his youth. But the memories of it flashed in his mind with great speed. He could accurately recall his first kiss with her. And the pride he felt when Gwendolyn first gave birth to their child, Aarin's beautiful daughter, Rowena. Now Gwendolyn had passed on, his daughter and grandchildren hiding in Neo-Russia. If this mission could possibly work, then Aarin would do his utmost to bring about its success. For his family, the seeds of tomorrow. By the time the first hour mark passed after leaving the Port of the Fallen King, the group were well into the thicket of Neo-England. This place was part of the barren, snow covered countryside for which Neo-England was becoming famous. The pathway down to the south was in the form of a narrow cobblestone walkway, surrounded by snow-glittered pine trees. The path led down a hill if you continued onwards, and from that position, you could see a small principality on the horizon. Aarin knew that if he could just get to that town, he could accurately work out his position. The Commander of the Order of Light motioned for his party to follow him. They plied their way through more and more snow, until a wind picked up. Both Aarin and Lilia knew that this was not a natural wind. Because there was no wind currently passing through this region at the time. The wind started howling, and became more of a miniature tornado, one with streaks of lightning passing up and down it. There was a flash of light, one so bright that the group have to cover their eyes. But in that light the figure of a woman appeared in the leagues of thick snow and greenery. When the light faded, the group looked over at her. Saizaki was the first to acknowledge who she was. Rage sparked in his marble eyes from seeing her. "...Diana!" "Welcome home, Aarin Highland," The woman rested a hand on her waist, then cast her sad eyes over the group. "This game of hide and chase ends here. I am fully aware of your plans. You attempt to kill our leader, Al Gul Jehed, do you not?" The group let out a collective gasp of shock. How did Diana know of that mission? But while the others believe their cover was over, Aarin took the fold. "...We have to do this, Diana. This is the right way forward." "By killing Al Gul Jehed?" Diana remarked sceptically, "Just like you thought killing Zephaniah was a brilliant move too, eh? I will have no more of your existence, Aarin. Your happiness tortures me. Just as it does with Setsuya's descendant over there..." Aarin shook his head calmly. "You have this worked out incorrectly, Diana. Setsuya and I... we took no pleasure in defeating Zephaniah. We were just happy living out our rivalry and becoming better swordsmen. But we understood the danger that he would bring if he ever used the four sacred swords in the Shougatsu Financial Group. They would have brought the same misery that the Covenant brings to the world now. Setsuya really had no choice in the matter. It was his destiny." "Silence!" Diana's rage peaked again, her white-blonde hair rising with it, "You cannot justify Setsuya's killing of my love!" "Well can you justify killing over a hundred men in your bloodlust?" Aarin shot back. "You destroyed so many lives with your will to lure out Saizaki! Ones that were battling for and against you! What justification do you have for those crimes, eh?" Diana's eyes narrowed at him. "I will stop at nothing to cure my heart of this sadness. That in itself is validation for my actions. The desire of my heart shall not be denied. I will have my revenge, I will bring freedom from persecution to the magic-users and I will fulfil the dream that Zephaniah had for this world. A better world free from the taint of this one. Its people. A people so afraid for their lives that they dominate others to make themselves less frightened. These are the few remaining goals that bind my existence to this fragile world. Those who stand in the way of these goals will be executed without mercy. At my hand." "Then I have no choice," Aarin sighed, removing his cloak from his body, "Your rampage will end here and now. Even if my body is broken a thousand times over in accomplishing this. No matter what sadness you carry, no matter how much love you feel for Zephaniah, it cannot excuse the multiple deaths that you have wrought." Aarin then looked back at Saizaki, Lilia and Rainhande. "The three of you, get back and stay out of this fight. This is between Diana and I." Diana smiled brightly as the other three backed off. "So, you finally have the courage to face me as you are. You are making a grave mistake, old man. But your death is one of my goals. Killing you will complete half of my revenge. Killing Saizaki will then serve to end it." "No more words, Diana." The swordmaster drew his blade from its sheath, at his back, and got into a traditional Yuuga-school fighting stance, "Attack me." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Shrine of Quetzacoatl, Cath Maige Tuired Though Bonnie kept up her chanting, she was losing focus on the task of restoring the seal on the Quetzacoatl. Rhiannon, Leignitz and the sixteen other soldiers in the shrine all faced off with the mighty creature that had worked its way back inside the shrine. Gram was armed with a fully-charged Fafnir. There was some blood left on it from killing the four guards at the front of the shrine. The heat from the blade of the sword quickly evaporated that blood and it wafted off into the air. Leaving behind a nasty smell that hung in the air. Rhiannon swiftly went for the hilt of her blade. She should have expected this. For the first time she was seeing Gram but she could tell that he was no ordinary creature. He looked just as much mechanical as he did organic. And it had already attacked her soldiers at the front of the shrine. Though she couldn't be completely sure, the four guards at the front were probably all dead now. Even more of her troops dead at the hands of this thing. Leignitz scowled at Gram. "So you've come back for the Quetzacoatl, eh? You've signed your own death warrant by coming back here!" But Rhiannon had more pressing comments in mind. "Who are you? And why do you want the Quetzacoatl quarterstaff...?" "I have no words for the dying," Gram shot back, "We settle this with violence and nothing else. It was what I was freed for. Now embrace your destiny and attack me!" Rhiannon's forces had no qualms about that. Before even waiting for the command to attack by their leader, the soldiers guarding the innards of the shrine all circled the bio-tech man with the swords drawn and cautions ready. Gram snickered from behind that metal mask of his. Sixteen in all. Sixteen men and women had surrounded him from all sides. And all of them were closing in on him. The lot of them then charged into their own circle to attack the central target. Gram. But the Genocide Weapon showed no fear at all. It swung Fafnir into the air above him and began gathering power for a fresh attack. The energy blade of the sword gave an even brighter shine than before. Streaks of power began running up and down the blade-shaped manifestation of magical energy, empowering the sword for what Gram had planned. Those same streaks of power began coursing over Gram's body just as it did his sword. Over his steel-covered arms, his mask, his legs, his armoured chest: everything. A new glint of readiness shone in Gram's eyes. Then he acted. He thrust the sword into the stone ground beneath him, screaming, "Sixteen-Wave Energy Star Maelstrom!" From the point at which Fafnir was stabbed into the ground, a ruthlessly strong energy began to rumble. Making even the shrine itself shake. The attacking soldiers all stopped when they felt this, but it was too late for that. From that little pocket of energy came sixteen individual streaks of power. They simultaneously shot over the stone of the ground for their targets in an outward pattern. As soon as the ground-travelling lightning-like waves reached the feet of their targets, the soldiers were each bombarded with magnificent white-hot force. Bonnie cringed as her ears took note of the dying shrieks of agony. Their flesh was roasted from their bodies like nothing at all. Both Rhiannon and Leignitz looked on with awe. Once the light died away and darkness returned to the shrine, sixteen charred skeletons toppled over to the ground. The floor was ruptured into the shape of a sixteen-pointed star. And the air hung thick with a new odour. The odour of cooked flesh. "He... he killed my troops... in one shot..." Rhiannon said, gasping. Then blunt shock faded into a cold anger, "Damn you!" Leignitz could now see that Rhiannon was about to do something stupid. "No! Stop!" She didn't listen. But Rhiannon didn't charge, either. The angry young Lieutenant tightened her hold over the White Devil and pulled it free from its sheath. She quickly held it above her head and focused all of her energy, her kinetic energy, into her blade. White Devil soon shone with a bright glimmer of its own. Her attacks hadn't quite reached the level of power that her Grandmother acquired in her youth... but she wouldn't hesitate to use any of it against this thing that had killed her friends and allies. The gleam of the White Devil reached a peak and Rhiannon drew back her sword, yelling out, "Brave Sabre!" A violent gust of wind was projected from the slash as Rhiannon swung her sword back around her body. It was created as all of Rhiannon's kinetic power was thrown into the distance, warping the air around it. Gram sneered at the attack, pulling Fafnir out of the ground from the previous attack he had launched. It came for him with the speed of a bullet. But he batted it away just as easily. Gram slapped Fafnir to one side and destroyed the Brave Sabre before it came anywhere near him. Rhiannon lowered her blade with a shocked look in her eyes. Her best attack dismissed so easily? Just what on earth was this thing? With a smile, Gram ignored Rhiannon's surprise and launched himself straight for her and Leignitz. Both fighters readied their weapons for the attack. Gram sneered again and drew back Fafnir. It began glowing again just as it did before with the Sixteen-Wave Energy Star Maelstrom. He then thrust it back outwards as he ran forward. A bluish shield of power surrounded the sword's tip like an umbrella. But though the energy looked wispy, Leignitz could sense its force. He dove out of the way as quickly as possible. But Rhiannon stood her ground. A maniacal laugh escaped from the mouth holes of Gram's mask as he came into striking distance of each Rhiannon. "Ha, ha, ha! Fool! Expel Safeguard!" And Rhiannon didn't even know what hit her when she was tossed into the air. Leignitz covered his face as a huge explosion rocked the shrine. The altar was shaken. Bonnie stopped her chanting and fell down from the force. Rhiannon dropped to the ground with a nasty thud, her White Devil knocked from her grip. Once the dust cleared, a huge chunk had been blown out of the altar. Airborne rubble from it began clattering to the ground amidst the small traces of dust. Fafnir with pulled from the now crumbling altar, and Rhiannon was out cold from nothing more than the shockwaves of the Expel Safeguard. A defensive shield that had been converted into a rushing attack. Bonnie blinked and rolled over to get back onto her feet. But her concern triple-jumped when she saw Rhiannon lying motionless on the floor. "No! Rhiannon!" The blonde quickly jumped off the broken altar and ran to her lover, ignoring the dangers posed by the violent and unpredictable Gram. But Gram didn't much care anyway. He was here for one thing and one thing only. The Quetzacoatl staff. The bio-tech monster walked over to his prize to finally claim it. Until... "Black Flash!" A dark black wave of Chi energy came straight for him. Gram darted to one side of the attack and it zoomed right past him. The Black Flash travelled across the shrine until it made contact with one of the many statues that had been built up in there. The attack sliced the stone head off the stone shoulders and smashed into the wall. There was a small and compact explosion, but nothing for Gram to be really worried about. Leignitz gripped Plague and scowled at his enemy. "This is impossible. You seem even more formidable than before. How can that be?" "I am a Genocide Weapon," Gram claimed, "The more we fight, the stronger we get. Throw as many attacks at me as you like. Unless they are robust enough to kill me... they will only make me more powerful!" "Lies!" Leignitz yelled back, "All lies!" But a third voice soon answered for Gram. "He is telling the truth, actually." Both the angry Leignitz and the commanding Gram looked behind. The child magic-user, Ursula, had made her appearance now. Her sandaled feet hovered from the floor and she smiled at Leignitz with an ethereal aura that he was beginning to understand to be very significant in the long run. Ursula tilted her head to one side. "Gram would never kid you about something like that. It's the reason I freed him from the ice of his cryogenic suspension tube. Unless you have the power to kill him now, fighting him will just make him even harder to defeat. So you see how pointless your defence of the Quetzacoatl is? If you stand in my way you just end up dying." Though she was seemingly occupied with the unconscious Rhiannon, the gentle Bonnie spoke up in place of Leignitz. "You're both insane! Why would either of you go to such lengths to steal something that is so dangerous?!" "Because it's so dangerous?" Ursula offered, "Quetzacoatl is only dangerous when in the hands of someone to feebleminded to control it. Normal people like that girl can't grasp the power of such a weapon. They have no right to claim it. After all. Would you entrust a gun to the hands of a baby? The ignorance of the human in the Shrine of the Seal makes them unfit. So I will take the weapon. I will take it and use it." "To do what?" Asked Leignitz. Ursula lowered her eyes. "To end the war. My parents died fighting for the Covenant. They died meaningless deaths in a meaningless war. And I hate both the Order of Light and the Covenant of Sorcerers because of it. Their constant fighting is dragging the world down even further than it was brought to by the Comet. My only mission in life now is to take weapons and tools that will help me destroy both the Covenant and the Order." "Deluded child!" Leignitz screamed, "What could an adolescent like you hope to accomplish on her own!? What makes you think that your feeble plans are enough to stop two forces that hold each other an eternal stalemate?!" Another haunting smile came from Ursula. "Don't mistake youth for weakness. I might not be as powerful as Al Gul Jehed or his cronies... but my power grows just like it Gram's does. And as soon as I secure Quetzacoatl and weapons like it... I'll add that force to my own to make me even stronger than before. But for now... why don't I show you what I mean?" Ursula pointed her hand towards Leignitz. A silvery energy appeared there. In the shape of a stringed bow. Ursula pulled the string backwards and a silvery arrow of light appeared just like before. The attack that she had used to bust into the Shrine of the Quetzacoatl in the first place. "Seraphim Ranger!" The girl released the string and the arrow was shot straight at Leignitz. The blonde man blinked and acted on nothing more than instinct. He pulled up his hand and pressed out swirling waves of Chi energy as a defensive shield. The Seraphim Ranger struck the Dark Whirlwind with a thundering bang. One so loud that Bonnie had to cover her ears to keep from deafened. Leignitz grit his teeth and sweated profusely as he held off the attack. It was far stronger than it looked. Too strong for him. He screamed darkly as the Seraphim Ranger burst through the Dark Whirlwind like glass. It rammed straight into the guardian and shot him back into the far wall. There was a viscous explosion from that point. It tore up the very stone that made up the far wall of the shrine. And all that stone began collapsing over him. Bonnie screamed when she saw Leignitz buried under masses and masses of loose and burnt brick. Ursula's magical bow faded away, and she looked over at Bonnie. "Humans are so stubborn, aren't they? Just like all adults are, really." Bonnie was left speechless. Gram ignored her and walked up to the altar. The seal on the Quetzacoatl hadn't been reinforced properly. Gram thrust his hand through what was left of the seal and pulled out the Quetzacoatl staff. They had gotten what they came for. Ursula nodded to Gram and then spoke to Bonnie again. "I know that you are a magic-user. I don't like humans or magic-users. In fact... I don't like anyone except for Gram. But I'm not going to kill you. Although you don't have much of a future... I can see that your powers do. You're going to pass those powers on to a new generation. And when SHE comes... the will of my plan shall have a new enemy to defeat..." Gram walked up to Ursula with the Quetzacoatl staff in hand. Ursula then gave Bonnie one last wave. Right before she and Gram teleported straight out of the shrine. There was nothing that Bonnie could have done to stop them. Though she had great inherited great magical lineage from her mother (Elizabeth Nakagawa-McAmish) Bonnie barely even knew how to use that magic offensively. All she was worried about now what Rhiannon, though. Bonnie looked down at her girlfriend, still out of it. "Oh, Rhiannon..." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ White Wolf Snow Forests, Neo-England "No more words, Diana." The swordmaster drew his blade from its sheath at his back and got into a traditional Yuuga-school fighting stance, "Attack me." And that was just what she planned to do. Diana drew her hands back to both her sides as Aarin began to slowly circle her. She knew her limits. She had to keep him at a distance, then attack with everything she had. That way Aarin would never be able to land a blow on her. Energy began to glow at Diana's hands. She was a mistress of Light magic. Perfect for battles in snowy Neo-England. "On this day, you die Aarin Highland! Flash Burst Cannon!" As the energy charged reached its zenith, Diana propelled both hands forward and fired. Chain-blasts of light were shot from her hands and towards Aarin like a machine gun. Aarin watched those shots that were headed for him. He dodged the chain. Aarin ducked to the ground and rolled to the left, running back up to his feet and across the snow in a circular patter. Diana followed his every action, her blasts chasing him tooth and nail. Aarin hazarded a look back as he could feel snow splashing against his ankles. Snow that was conjured up by the blast points of the Flash Burst Cannon. Then it stuck his boot. Aarin gasped as one of the blasts hit him square on, knocking him from his feet. Diana stopped the Flash Burst Cannon at that point, due to the strain it was putting on her wrists. The Englishwoman took one hand to her left wrist and rubbed it slowly, shaking off the inertia and numbness. Once it was over, Diana brought up her right hand, striking it into the air. An orb began to glow just above it, drawing in power from the shielded sun. "Do you hear me, Aarin?" Diana jabbed, "Soon this country will have your blood to adorn it, as well as the snow!" Aarin rolled over onto his back, then his upper body shot upright. He stabbed the Double Cleaver into the ground, and used it as leverage to haul himself into a standing position. He was too consumed with Diana to check if any damage had been done to his ankle. This woman was his enemy... but somehow, Aarin could feel that goodness was still within her. That Diana was not so beyond reproach that he had to kill her. That would be the ultimate outcome if Aarin was forced to push himself to the limit. "Diana!" Aarin yelled in his gruff elderly voice, withdrawing the Double Cleaver from the snow, "It does not have to end like this! We can still help you!" "What happened to 'no more words' old man? Can't you stand the thought of losing to a female magic-user?!" Diana scowled at Aarin, then thrust her body forwards, shooting her arm forwards, releasing the light orb, "Radiance Flare!" "You are deluding yourself!" Aarin watched as the orb neared him. It was much larger in size and power with comparison to the Flash Burst Cannon. The grip at the hilt of Double Cleaver tightened, and Aarin shifted his bodily weight backwards, his feet making vivid track marks in the snow. He slipped backwards then rushed forwards, charging the Radiance Flare head on. Lilia and Saizaki watched this with some concern. Aarin had taught them never to face magical attack head on. So why was he doing this? Aarin growled darkly, pulled his sword up above his head with aging but strong arms, then slashed the sword downwards. There was a bright flash that appeared as the Aarin's blade collided with the Radiance Flare. He gritted his teeth as he was surrounded by bright luminosity. It was a struggle, as Aarin held off the Radiance Flare orb with nothing but the steel of his sword. The blade of it began to sink slowly and seamlessly into the volatile energy, while Diana strained to keep it on the attack. Sweat began to trickle down Aarin's forehead; running in drips down the outline of his aged face. The stand-off continued. But in the end something had to give. "Raaaaaagh!" Aarin released a fierce battle cry, and the Double Cleaver acted accordingly. The mighty blade slashed straight through the Radiance Flare, bursting the orb of power into many fragmented drops of crystalline light. Diana, Lilia, Saizaki and Rainhande all watched with utter disbelief as Aarin pulled his sword upright and narrowed down on the Neo-English sorceress once more. Diana herself was shocked. How could a living human being crush a magical attack with just a sword like that? "You fool yourself with this ridiculous quest for revenge," Aarin shot at Diana, "Do you really believe that killing Saizaki and I will quench your grief? Or that taking over the world will make people any less fearful of the magic-users? Has Al Gul Jehed corrupted you so badly that you cannot see how futile this all is?" Diana brought another energy bolt into her hands. "You know nothing, Aarin Highland! Al Gul Jehed is a saviour! He will cleanse this world of all its evils! Including you!" The blast was then fired, Aarin braced himself for it, then shifted his body backwards and forwards again. He swiped his sword straight to the side, smacking that light blast away effortlessly. "I am evil? I fight for my family! For my friends! You fight to satisfy your own selfish needs! You kill because you think it will free you from the taint of sorrow! And yet killing is not even your true nature! That makes your quest pathetic!" "How dare you...!?" Diana right hand began glowing again. The energy gathering at it curled around and sharpened out into the form of an elongated blade. This was her Shine Edge magic. The ability to create a physical weapon from nothing but raw light energy. The heartbroken woman rushed towards Aarin, her feet launching her from the ground. "You know nothing of me, old man!" Aarin swung Double Cleaver up as Diana's light sword crashed toward it. The two blades clashed with a clonking, burning sound, and smoke began to rise from the point at which they touched. Diana strained to break Aarin's guard while Aarin battled to maintain it. "I know that you were once a kind woman!" Aarin claimed boldly, "I know that all you've done so far is just an extension of your grief over Zephaniah! But you can't hold Saizaki accountable for his death! Nor can you do so with the world! People in this world may be tainted, they maybe impure! But that gives you no right to claim dominion over them! Or to purify them! Neither you nor Zephaniah had the right to do that!" Diana's eyes beamed rage at the mention of the Great Knight, Zephaniah. "Don't you dare speak his name!" Her body swerved around from that position, that sword lock with Aarin. The light sword span with her, until she was facing Aarin's unguarded side. There was a race for the landing and defending of a blow as Aarin thrust his sword downwards to deflect the incoming strike. No stabbing blow came. Diana instead brought up her other hand and fired another light blast. It had been a trick! Aarin gasped as he was blown back, so forcefully that he dropped his sword. Aarin fell into the snow on his back with a jarring thud, blood seeping from a wound administered to his forehead. Saizaki and the others were alert, but Aarin did not move. Diana soon loomed over him, her light-borne sword poised at his throat. "It is over. And so is your life. You have no idea what living is like for me. Trapped in a never ending cycle of loathing and self-hatred. Shackled to a sadness that threatens to consume not only myself but all those around me. If I had the option, I would have killed myself long ago. But Al Gul Jehed will not allow his prized apprentice to die. And so I remain. What little kindness I have left in my heart is quickly fading. Maybe the only way to save it is to kill you. Then maybe I can forgive myself for allowing Zephaniah to die." Aarin's eyes opened up. "...If that is so... then do what you must. Kill me."
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