The Dragonis War

[VoxEladrin]

Torque watched Balthizar and Thaltos fighting, impressed already though not much fighting has been done. He studied both combatant's movements. After all, know your enemy and all that jazz. He thought to himself. Suddenly he felt waves of sound headed towards him and he dodged them, but his ears popped from the pressure of the sound. He grunted. "That wasn't very nice, missy!" He shouted back to her.

 

[Ninja_Blue]

((Thanks Vox, I think you cured my writer's block ^^))

Balthizar was getting tired of this, not tired in exaustion, just the eternal stalemate, "You are a very adept warrior, and it seems we are both equals. You could probably block any attack from me, and I too could block your's. But I don't think you will be able to block this!" he said as he lunged quickly at the mans abdomen. Although quick, it was very sloppy, and Thaltos parried it easily. I should stop fooling around Balthizar thought.

"You say you hail from Olympus? Or at least I presume that. You show much determination, as is always those damn do-gooders. Evil must perish this, abominations that, it's all a tad annoying. A simple soul-stealer has a rough time making a living." Balthizar chuckled.

 

[Vadriel]

Thaltos chuckled slightly. In a conversational tone as he sent a halfhearted "brute-style" swipe at Balthizar's neck, he replied:

"Yes, I do hail from Olympus, as well as the Temple of the Fates from time to time. My father is none other than the great Zeus himself, and he alongside the Fates has declared the sole purpose of my life to be to carry out the will of the Gods as well as that of the Fates. I do not serve so much as to rid the world of evildoers, but merely to preserve the order of the world that the Fates have deemed is true. Those who would defy their destiny shall meet it at my blades."

His neck-chop was parried by an effortless raising of Balthizar's sword, but Thaltos lashed out with Gorgon speed with the other Shear at the demonslave's exposed side, slicing a cut several inches deep into the rocky flesh of Balthizar's ribcage, then pulling out the weapon before it could begin to siphon Balthizar's energy.

Thaltos hopped back and deflected the retalitory strike with ease, and jovially remarked, "My my my, what a fiesty little demon. No wait, you're not a demon...only your master is. I daresay I'd have a tougher time fighting him than you...indeed I'd have a tougher time fighting a halfling infant than a lumbering brute like yourself. Has all of the standing behind your minions watching their work weathered your cobblestones?"

A snarky grin played upon Thaltos' face. As powerful as this warrior truly was, and how limited his swordplay was due to the sad and cliched one-sword style he had foolishly adopted, it would still require a bit of finesse to bring down this hunk of demon-powered mountainside.

 

[Ninja_Blue]

Balthizar felt stupid again, he let his guard down. He said "I believe that my two-handed sword isn't getting the job done, now you shall see the true might of FlameTounge!"

Balthizar chopped downwards with his sword, but it was not a strike meant for Thaltos, quite the contrary, he slashed into himself, and as soon as he did it, FlameTounge came out of him without scratching him, but when it came out, it was no longer a two-handed sword, but a whip.

Balthizar smirked, and with speed greater than one could imagine, even rivaling Thaltos, he whipped at Thaltos swords, and sent them far behind Balthizar.

"Now before you say anything," he said pausing,"This is not exactly any sorcery or trickery, for it is just a form of my sword. And like your weapons, they are magicaly imbued. And they cannot cease their function."

Balthizar's smirks returned.

 

[Vadriel]

Thaltos bowed his head and covered his face with a hand. His shoulders heaved silently, then he couldn't help himself and raised his head, letting out a full chuckle, then a heart laugh.

"Balthizar...a word to be heeded...never get between me and the Shears of Atropos when they have charge in them."

Thaltos extended both hands and felt for the energy within the weapons. Sensing their hum, he triggered it with a slight effort of will. The weapons buzzed to life, and a whipcoil of sinister electric energy snaked from the blades to latch onto Thaltos' metal arm braces...with Balthizar directly in the path.

The energy only touched him for a moment, but the wracking pain of electrocution left Balthizar only in favor of a much worse sensation--the sickening crunch as the Shears answered Thaltos' call and flew at breakneck speed to his hands...right through Balthizar.

One blade flew a little bit wide, and severed Balthizar's weapon hand at the wrist. Flametongue still in its grasp, the useless ex-appendage went spinning off across the ground. The other blade was more on-center, and ripped through Balthizar's left side, where he had already been sliced by a normal strike, leaving a gaping gash that had to hurt.

The Shears back in his hands, and Balthizar clutching his wounds, Thaltos smirked again and shrugged insolently.

"Just another mere function of the Shears, I'm afraid. I only triggered it in the same manner as you triggered the transformation of Flametongue."

The smile vanished from his face, and he locked himself into an aggressive fighter stance, both Shears leveled at Balthizar.

"Now...submit to the will of the Fates, or die."

 

[Ninja_Blue]

Balthizar collapsed, he reached for his arm, he was too weak to regenerate it, at least right now anyway.

"Finish.....me, I am.....defeated. This will......be a great honor.....you are a.....far.....better warrior than I....." Balthizar said with trouble.

 

[Vadriel]

Thaltos sheathed his blades, but readied a shock blast in his mind in case of treachery or feigned defeat.

"Balthizar, you are a great warrior. The Gods of Olympus could use one such as yourself. Deny the will of your master, and take on the mantle of the Gods. They reward their servants well..."

Still cautious, Thaltos knelt before Balthizar and extended his hand in aid.

 

[Ninja_Blue]

Balthizar started to rise, but again fell, "What would you need me for....I'm too weak to do anything......"

 

[Asakai-miko-Midoriko]

She pushed past Dragonis hastily her swords glowing with rage her eyes were almost hollow. She lifted the two blades above her head letting them slam down in a flurry of slicing waves."Death....death...." Thge swords called out steadily.

 

[VoxEladrin]

Torque Dragonis turned around and grabbed Asakai from behind. "He's down, let him be!" He shouted to her. "It's dishonorable to kill someone while they're defenseless." He said, trying to calm the tattooed girl down.

 

[Vadriel]

Thaltos glared at the demonic girl struggling to slay the felled Balthizar. Giving a large sigh of irritation, he moved into her line of vision and stared her in the eyes for a good few moments, the paralysis being slightly slowed by her demonic nature, but still having enough impact to slow her down and make her limbs feel clunky and awkward. Soon she was unable to raise her arms, and he left her as no threat, returning to Balthizar.

"Balthizar, you are weakened but far from dead. My father would surely find it in his mercy to grant you a refreshment of your energies, and although you would have to deny the will of your demonic master and so too your infernal power, should you choose our path it is most likely that the Gods of Olympus will bestow upon you a mantle of power perhaps even greater than your current?

However..."

He narrow his eyes at Balthizar.

"Know that treachery is not tolerated by the Gods, especially my father. If you assume this power, you must know that it will never rival that of my father...and should you betray the will of the Gods, his retribution will burn hotter than the fires of Hades."

"Now," he said as he knelt once more and again offered his hand to Balthizar. "Will you join us under my same banner of the Gods of Olympus, or will you force me to finish you off and feed the Shears of Atropos with your life's energy? You need only say yay or nay."

 

[Ninja_Blue]

Balthizar smirked, but it was not an evil smile....at least not entirely, he looked at the man before him, nay, the ally before him, he said "Yes...that appeals to me much....long has my master....former master, held his head high. He shall be vanquished, and I shall have much, much more power. I will join forces with you, and I am not a decietful one, other than the fact of my herecy towards my former master."

Balthizar was about to get up, but stopped, and continued talking,"Know this, if this sudden turn of events were not to happen, and I was not to ally up with you. You would perish at the hands of my former master, only I know his secrets. So, what powers does this alleigance grant me?"

 

[Asakai-miko-Midoriko]

Thaltos assumed too much. She jerked pulling out of it and away from Dragonis. The swords called for their master's blood and they would have it."Death....death...death...betrayed us you have...." her voice was dark almost echoing. She began heading towards Balthizar at an alarming rate with the mass intent to brutally kill him. The swords wanted their revenge.

 

[Ninja_Blue]

The foolish demoness misunderstood how powerful Balthizar was, having enough time to recover, Balthizar had regained almost all of his strength. He reached out for the girl's neck, and closed his hand in a chocking gesture, and as he did that, the girl stopped, and clutched her throat. Balthizar did not do so to kill her, just to subdue her, but if necessary, he would crush her windpipe without a second thought.

 

[Vadriel]

Thaltos grumbled at the demoness. She showed a high resistance to his natural stonegaze...but that was to be expected. His ungarnished natural ability was not very powerful, just enough to temporarily subdue the target.

Balthizar seemed a bit unclear on the terms of his defection.

"Balthizar...you're forgeting something. When you deny the will and influence of your master, you will be nothing more than a man as you once were. You must reject the power of your master, and then take on the power that the Gods grant you. You will only be weakened temporarily, and then revitalized by the newfound abilities of your new patron."

Thaltos walked up to Balthizar and dug the edge of one of the Shears into his shoulder. The cut only a minor wound and not hazardous to Balthizar's health, Thaltos siphoned a large portion of Balthizar's demonic energy into the Shears, refueling them with the extremely potent electric power. The energy that possessed him was more firelike in nature, but the basics of it were the same. As Balthizar's power --and health-- ebbed, he found himself losing his psychic grip on the demoness.

"Let her be, Balthizar. There is now enough charge in the Shears to foster my full-power Stonegaze. Only the flesh of Gods and Gorgons can resist its power...as tolerant of my natural Stonegaze as the demoness is, not even she could withstand a fullpower blast rivaling that of Medusa herself, and she knows it. Maddened with bloodlust though she is, surely she is not stupid enough to commit mindless suicide. You have some work to do, rejecting the influence of your "former" master...I have drained much of the energy he has infested you with, it is up to you to reject and deny the rest...were I to do much more, it would kill you."

Keeping his eyes locked on the murderous demoness, and the Shears humming with the power to willingly assist her suicide, Thaltos turned his back on Balthizar.

"Do it now. Deny your patronage, return to your human visage, and then I shall request the aid of my father in bestowing newfound power upon you. Who knows, if Ares is willing to sponsor you, you may even end up returning to your demonic form with powers much similar to your old...if that is what you wish, just for familiarity's sake. Whatever the case, it is time for you to do it. Now...or else I'll allow this demoness to tear you apart."

 

[Ninja_Blue]

Balthizar nodded, and he started to let his master's influence fade away...but something was awry, the dark shadow that was cast on his soul that should have been fading away, was actually trying to take a hold of him. He shouted out "Thaltos! My master has detected my deceit, he means to take full control of my mind! You must help me repel his influence, or I shall be lost forever, and I fear, that no matter how much your might, you will all be doomed....."

Balthizar struggled to repel his master's power, but in his current state, having been drained of his power, he was far too weak.

 

[Asakai-miko-Midoriko]

She fell to the ground the swords giving off a powerful aura. Since Hibiki and Michi were created by Balthizar they were strong swords now that balthizar was weak they to would become weak. They pulsed wanting to strike to kill the one who so betrayed them. She opened her eyes slightly but this time they had a gaze. She felt her body was numb. A few of the markings on her body began to glow a purple color. The sutra was at work. It helped her to manage to stand."Foregive me for any...corrupted...workings I may have caused...I'm afraid I was weak to let them take over..." Se smiled a little.

 

[Vadriel]

The girl apparently no longer a threat at this time, Thaltos turned to Balthizar. This would simply not do...the demon's hold upon him should be erradicated, not intensified. There was nothing he himself could do...however...

"Father!" Thaltos yelled to the sky.

"An ally seeks to join our fold, to rid himself of the influence of his controlling demon in favor of power in service to the Gods of Olympus! The demon has sensed the betrayal, and at this very moment attempts to redeem his hold on our one-time foe! I seek your aid, and invoke the will of the Gods!"

The sky grew dark, and ominous clouds rolled in to blanket the heavens as Zeus answered. A great booming voice carried over the thunder of lightning flashing between the clouds penetrated the skycover and echoed around the mortals below.

"My son...this man is the one I sent you to destroy. Why would I wish to grant him greater power?"

Thaltos raised his voice to be heard over the storm, and yelled in return. "You only sent me to eliminate him as a threat...not to destroy him. He seeks to mend his ways and dedicate himself to service of the Gods, as I do. He wishes to turn against the true evil here, his demon master who as we speak intensifies his hold upon Balthizar. Will you aid us?"

Zeus's reply came upon the wave of sound from a blast of lightning that incinerated a nearby tree.

"I trust your judgement, my son. The Gods of Olympus will grant you this aid."

A bolt of lightning streaked down and impacted upon Balthizar, the energy coursing through his body in a golden nimbus. The sheer force of the energy lifted him from the ground, and he convulsed in the air as Zeus's lightning purified him of the demon's influence. When the energy ceased to pour into him, he drifted and slumped to the ground, exhausted...but free, and very human.

As the clouds began to clear, and daylight began to show through once more, Zeus's voice could be heard among the dying rumbles of thunder.

"His mind is free, but he must prove his soul's intent before the power of the Gods will be his."

And then the storm was gone, and daylight shone once more.

 

[Ninja_Blue]

Balthizar got up, and for the first time...felt free.....
He turned towards the heavens and shouted,"THANK YOU!!!!!"

 

[Vadriel]

((Umm, you were left as a total human. Read Zeus's departing words...oh well, I guess that'll work...I can edit my post))