To Make the Angels Scream, and the Devil Cry

[Unfulfilled]

Closed to Letho. All things have been pre-approved to allow the story to tell the tale. Letho my dear old friend, prepare to meet your maker.

Four weeks after the battle in the Seal Of Kycoo, in the land of Savion.

It wasn't enough. It was never enough. Blood, always blood. And yet...never enough. Tenacity would take him to higher levels, and his foe would fall. Blood would spill, and then he would be left with that familiar feeling. That same feeling he had when he was mortal, that same feeling he had when he was dead, the same feeling he had now.

Unfullfilled. That was how he felt.

three weeks ago

"Demon of swords huh?" The beast cackled as it looked down upon the swordsman in the gray trench coat. His face didn't bother to look up into the four mouthed beast before him. His eyes were out looking towards the rift between hell and heaven. He wanted to see what the other side had. If he was there. The beast licked its lips and laughed moving the bulbous toad like body forward towards the human.

"Ya, that's right." The voice replied in a defeated, bored tone. "Do you really dare to test your mettle against me?" His eyes never wandered from the glittery white light in the far distance. It was warm and inviting and he wanted to go there. See it for himself the wonders of the other side.

With his attentions away the demonic monstrosity reared up sucking in vast amounts of air into all four mouths. It's webbed claws stretched deep into the earth to keep it from falling over as it exhaled. After a few moments of inhaling it let out a massive gust of wind in a twister like pattern, sister tornadoes blowing at the lone warrior before it. "You will die you idiot human, a tasty snack for me."

As the two tornadoes converged on the spot where the swordsman stood an explosion went off shaking the world as the beast smiled watching the end results of his sonic tornado. When the dust settled and the clouds of smoke dissipated its eyes hungrily searched for the food it was assured.

In the crater where the man once stood was a large wall of gray energy pulsing all around the swordsman, his eyes looking at the beast like a wolf at its prey. "You wanted to play?" he said in a dead serious tone. The monstrosity blinked and the human was already in the air, the blade glowing with the same gray aura that surrounded his body. He slashed in a horizontal feint and a wave of energy flew forward slamming into the gargantuan creature ripping its claws out of the earth and knocking it upon its own back. It rolled around like a turtle that was cruelly placed upon it's shell as it cursed.

As its eyes looked to the ceiling the human was standing upon the void, nothing under his feet as he gave the beast a quick look of disgust as if his time had been wasted. "You are not a worthy opponent." He lifted his sword up in both hands and slashed down, another wave of energy cutting the beast into two pieces.

The last thought it had was of the demonic presence the beast felt when he saw the warrior's eyes.

Present day

Sitting upon the throne of Savion sat the warrior in the gray trench coat. One leg lazily dangled over the edge of the arm rest as the rest of the body slouched in the cushions.

"When did you say that idiot prince is coming back?" the man upon the throne grumbled to the blind seeress chained to the throne next to him. She turned her attentions to the sword demon seeing the darkness deep within her minds eye surrounding him.

"Soon," she spoke sagely. "He will be here soon. I sent word for him to be summoned."

"Good." he said swiping the air with his blade. "Soon I will be fulfilled."

((Ah my friend...this will be the greatest pleasure I can have. Welcome back my friend. I look forward to our fight.))

[Letho]

((WARNING!!! Posts may be pretty sucky.))

Savion Prince. This title, born of his royal bloodline, had been following him throughout all the years of his life. He remained a prince when he had rejected the throne in favor of infatuation, remained a prince during all the long years of the Dram barbaric occupation and his exile from the lands, remained a prince even when Malagen and he overthrew the invaders. And even now, when his son was the ruler of the kingdom and he was a mere ranger living in relative obscurity, Letho was still referred to as the Savion Prince. Back in the days of his father inappropriately honoring someone with such a title was punishable by public whipping. But these were different times, different circumstances. In the heart of the people, Ruben Letho Ravenheart would forever be the Savion Prince, their savior. After all, it was not often that an heir to the throne gave up everything just to live a life of a commoner. Such a trade – though foolish, and some would say even selfish – was something they could identify with far better than with the stuck-up royalty on their high horses.

However, even though the commoners kept using this moniker, Letho was never the Prince when it came to the officials. Slaves to the protocol, he was always just Letho Ravenheart to all the scribes and scholars and council members that littered the castle halls, or Master of War if they were desperate for his advice. That was why, when he received a written summoning from the Castle Savion this morning, he was surprised to find that it was addressed to one Prince Letho. The veteran ranger was tempted to make a jest out of the whole deal, return the message to the sender with a note saying no such person existed, but there was something odd about that parchment. Perhaps it was the way it was written, ink smeared, letters jagged and crooked, almost sloppy. Or perhaps it was the way the message was worded, lacking in the royal shenanigans and the needless complexity department. Whatever it was, it was out of the ordinary and Letho didn’t like random oddities, so he saddled up and made his way to the city on the hill.

Savion was overwhelmed by its usual noonish bustle, streets packed with folk that seemed to move at a crawl. It was a lovely day, with sun playing hide and seek behind scattered, benign fluffs of white and everybody seemed to slow down a bit to enjoy the mildness of a spring day. It was a good day to be alive. Even Letho allowed himself a light smirk somewhere in the shadow of his cowl, somewhere on that sandpaper face amidst his graying beard. Momentarily, the weather managed to push aside his usual brooding and pondering on the numerous ways in which things could go wrong. Instead of thinking about the note, the title, the past his thoughts flew to Tayotihua, the village of Ciamar, his home. The present. After all the years spent clashing with foes and chasing shadows finally came the well earned respite.

Maneuvering his horse steadily through the crowd, the hooded ranger found a hole in the steady stream of bodies and took one of the side alleys. It made him move parallel with the inner walls that protected the castle atop of the hill, but that was his intention. It’s been months since Letho had used the front gate. It attracted too much attention, too many eyes and whispers. Instead he took a couple of turns through the monotonous business district until he reached a block of houses closest to the towering fortifications. They all looked more or less the same in this district, two storey stone buildings created to serve a purpose and little else, but Letho singled a specific one with ease before he dismounted. Inside, a pair of guards sat at a table, playing at cards. The older one – which, judging by the lack of coin on his side of table, was losing – assayed the entrant with his one healthy eye as soon as he entered. After Letho took off his cowl, the sentry simply nodded and returned to the game.

A couple of doors, several flights of dimly lit stairs and a few stretches of moldy, subterranean hallways later, and the legendary swordsman emerged from one of the secret doorways within the castle. This particular one opened up behind the massive embroidery in the central dining hall. Usually used for royalty that wanted to sneak out of some boring festival event, this time it served for the purposes of Letho’s infiltration. The hall itself was rather lifeless, dominated by dead silence and the steady flow of dust motes that passed through the beams of thick, yellow light. Cold, polished stone stretched for what seemed like forever in all directions, interrupted here and there by lush carpets that formed passageways in the sea of stone. It seemed like a frigid place, but Letho knew what it looked like when the draperies were pulled back, when the chandeliers were lit and the candles burned in their sconces, when the musicians struck a merry tune and the lord and ladies danced to its rhythm. At that moment, the hall looked like the center of the world.

Pushing the reminiscing to the back row of his mind, Letho moved out of the hall and went about the business that brought him here. His feet moved almost on their own; after all, he grew up in these halls, spent half of his life learning every nook and crevice of the castle. In a way, it was still home even if he rarely stayed here more than a few hours nowadays. It felt like returning to a house you sold to somebody; everything was still there, only it wasn’t yours anymore. There was hardly any activity in the castle, what with King Malagen being away with his massive congregation of flatterers and no-good diplomats.

The throne room was in the opposite wing of the castle, and only when he almost reached it did he notice something, or rather the lack of something. And that tightening, gut, something’s-not-right thing happened to him. There were no guards. The royal guard that protected the hallway that led to the throne at all times regardless of whether the king was present or not wasn’t at their station. And from what Letho knew about them, they weren’t the type that slacked around, taking a nap in some spare room. No, something was wrong. It took only a handful of steps for him to confirm that suspicion. Lying in front of the massive, ornate doors, four guards were taking an eternal nap with their throats open and their eyes closed. Letho’s right went to the wooden butt of the Lawmaker resting on his back as he pushed his way into the throne room.

Sitting leisurely on a throne that Letho himself never sat on, an unfamiliar figure greeted him wordlessly. The swordsman didn’t see the man’s face, didn’t have to. He knew it wasn’t his son sitting on the throne and that meant that this intruder had no business being where he was. At the man’s feet, chained like a disobedient mutt, was one of the court seers.

“You!” Letho’s voice growled and echoed in the spacious room. “What is the meaning of this? Were you the one that summoned me?”

[Unfulfilled]

Two weeks ago

The swordsman looked to the rift again, his body aching for rest. He had been assailed by more and more beasts in this hell, not one of them able to best him, not one of them being on par with the blessed Saint of Swords. It bothered him greatly that he was in this hell. An eternity of battle, but no worthy foes to fight.

His eyes widened as he approached the rift, his mind unable to calculate the distance between him and his unattainable goal. He sighed as he passed another ridge, the rift not getting any closer. For twenty years this was what the gray swordsman did. He never took a step backwards from moving towards the rift, only stopping once from his quest to help a woman who he couldn't even recall the name of now.

A bright flash exploded forth waves of pure white energy, and as he looked up at the rift the swordsman could see something that sparked his interest for the first time since eternity. The rift widened to show a titanic duel of two warriors, one in a blue trench coat, the other in glimmering armor. They battled like true savages, both giving into darker intentions they had sworn never to before. The swordsman watched with earnest intentions, wanting so badly to be there, to fight the winner.

To his surprise though this duel never ended with a clear victor. A powerful energy exploded between both warriors, making the rift ripple with more energy as it exploded outwards again ripping the earth in the surrounding area. A wave of dark red energy exploded outwards, passing right through the gray swordsman and he felt his feet lift off the ground and slam into the ground below.

He couldn't recall what happened when he opened his eyes several moments later, but a few blinks returned him to enough consciousness to know he wasn't where he originally had been. As he surveyed the area he saw a shrouded cloaked figure in a royal amethyst robe, his face hidden to the gray swordsman.

"Renault Alexander Burnswidth," he said sternly with a cackle of amusement. "I have waited with patience to see if you could have been a promising warrior." The gray swordsman looked at him with a face of confusion, his eyes narrowing in suspicion. "I waited for nothing it turned out."

"Who are you to dare call the demon of swords a worthless investment in time, and my name isn't Renault. I don't have a name." he said confidently.

"You search for the Saint of Swords, you anathema." the robed intruder said still with a trace of amusement. "You search to be good by destroying that who is the paragon of that virtue, to cleanse you of your demonic view of evil."

"Your bat shit insane." he cussed spitting towards the man. A blade flashed out before the man, the sterling metal glittering as it blocked the wad of mucus from hitting him before he cleaned the blade and returned it to a sheath.

The demon of swords looked at the blade and his heart raced. It was as if the spirit of the blade longed to touch the demon, and he felt an odd familiarity to hold the blade as well. "Would you like to have back that feeling again? Would you like to once again go out and conquer in the name of pointless Chaos?" The robed man walked forward slowly, his hands holding out the blade. "Sword Demon, would you like to cleanse yourself of the sins and avoid this hell?"

The demon looked at the blade with a sudden feeling of dread. Countless voices screamed in his mind to turn now, and run. The man before him wasn't any good for him. But the blade called louder and wanted his touch. Looking around he saw he had two options. Turn and flee, or stay and learn more. Without much thought he looked forward.

"What is this blade?" He asked holding it loosely. A dark primal power awoke in the sword demon and he could see a circle of energy pulse around him before it expolded upwards like a raging inferno.

"I gave you nothing special Regal..." The man said laughing wildly. "I just gave you back your Tenacity!" Regal looked down at the blade and swung it to the side, the ridge of the cliff exploding as energy pulsed out from his body. Regal swung the blade testing it out over and over before he laughed with wild abandonment.

"I remember them all now, the thousands I have slain on my journey to kill that insufferable Karel Raven. He was the man I saw in this rift!" Regal pointed with the blade to the energy vortex above both men. "Who was the one that led him to a draw? If I am to be the Saint of Swords, I'll need to defeat that which Karel Raven couldn't!"

Though Regal couldn't see it, the man grinned with demonic pleasure.

Present day

Regal sat bored and was contemplating on killing the woman to see if that would get the prince to come any faster, but as he was about to flip the coin to decide the doors to the throne room exploded open, and the man he was waiting for arrived.

"About time!" Regal said irritably. "Do you know how long I have been waiting for you?" Regal looked at the sun. "God that must have been like...an hour...no two..no five..." Regal began to ramble.

“You!” Letho’s voice growled and echoed in the spacious room. “What is the meaning of this? Were you the one that summoned me?”

Regal nodded lifting himself off the podium as he stood before the aging warrior on top of the king's podium. He looked down upon the man sizing him up. "You're god damn right I did!" Regal barked back grinning at the side of his mouth. "You I heard nearly bested the Saint of Swords." Regal jumped down a few feet before the prince of Savion.

"I was wondering how a grandpa like yourself managed to even inflict a wound on Karel. He must have gotten old himself. But no matter." Regal said yawning as he looked out the window. "I just recently got back to the world of the living. And I must say twenty years is not a lot of time, and somehow this place is more fucked up than I remember. Black Isle torched, Emprea's fallen, Carthage is in ruins, this kingdom was saved from barbarians. Lavinya still got good ale? I'll need a drink after killing you to celebrate my new title when I kill Karel. Speaking of drinks, I'm kinda hungry now too..." Regal rubbed his belly as he paced a bit near the window.

"So tell me gramps, how did you manage to stay on even keel with the blessed and holiest of Saints?" Regal leaned against the wall in boredom his eyes not even bothering to look into Letho's.

[Letho]

Karel Hector Raven. Now there was a name that brought back memories. Of all the strange people that Letho had met during his days of wandering – and there had never been a short supply of those – the Saint of Swords was probably the most remarkable one. Always caught up in some kind of conflict, always chasing some dastardly foe, never resting, Karel was a tortured soul, a man that went to hell and back, wrote the book about it and did it all over again. Perhaps that was why he was one of the few people that Letho considered a friend nowadays; though their stories diverged in many aspects, they were kindred spirits, hitting bumps on different roads but reaching the same destination.

The man before him, however, was nothing like Karel Raven. If anything, he was the complete opposite, the distorted negative of a good man. Where Karel would’ve greeted him with a smile and pat on the shoulder, this murderer greeted him with a pile of corpses and a penchant for more death. He was a bloodhound – Letho could see it in his eyes – a careless man who cut through lives like through the strings of a dangling puppet. And that made Letho’s job that much easier.

“So that’s it?” the graying ranger said with a grin. Despite the obvious animosity of the intruder, Letho’s hand dropped from the gunblade’s wooden handle. “You are here to end me and then you shall do the same to Karel Raven? Just like that?”

There was a smile at the end of that, the patronizing kind that an older brother would give to his sibling during a game of chess that was already won. Instead of reaching for a weapon, Letho’s hand went to the brass clasp that held the raggedy cloak on his shoulders. “Boy, do you have any idea how many times I saw chest-beating like yours and heard a ridiculous rant such as yours?” he spoke, his tone calm and even as he undid the cloak and let it drop to the marble below. “I will tell you: too many times. There were people trying to take my life me before you were born.”

They were measuring each other up, two predators on the prowl with their outsides too serene not to be a mask that hid their real intentions. On one side there was a deadly calm, too perfect to be normal and too empty to be faux, belonging to a man who had hollowness where his soul used to be and the desire to fill it with carnage. And on the other was the firestorm, the boiling blood of the righteous that screamed for retribution. Letho had no intention of restraining it. His fists clenched firmly at his sides, making the metal scales of his gauntlets moan under pressure.

“Now, you took the lives of four of my countrymen. In return, I shall satisfy your curiosity and reveal to you just how I matched the skill of the Saint of Swords.” And even as those words were spoken, an invisible gust boomed around the ranger, throwing the curtains and tapestries in disarray, toppling chairs and lifting the carpets. In the middle of this indoors gale was a transformed man, his eyes the color of blood, his hair lit by white flames, his muscles expanded to the point of bursting. And when he spoke, the voice was guttural and almost bestial, pushed through the clenched teeth.

“I shall crush you!”

The newly formed continent of muscle and bone moved at a surprising speed, swatting one of the chairs away as if it were made of dry sticks before launching a devastating right aimed to knock the lungs out of the intruder. However, the white-haired man was slick, smooth, sliding away from the blow as if time went by slower for him. Unfortunately for him, Letho Ravenheart wasn’t as much of a bludgeoner as he had been back in the day. Pulling back his feigned punch and rotating his massive body clockwise, he swept through the air with a roundhouse kick. That too was evaded deftly, his opponent ducking beneath the swooshing blow. But such a move left him stationary just long enough for Letho to land an open-palm strike at his chest. The sheer force of the hit made the man airborne, sending him towards one of the stained glass windows.

[Unfulfilled]

Regal grinned as Letho seemingly ignored the threat before him. Could the Sword demon really blame him however? This man had fought against Karel Raven and lived to tell the tale. Years of battling would have had to condition him against the worst of personalities. However Regal knew he wasn't just spouting out a facade of confidence. He fought just as many people and killed thousands of hero's who thought they could kill the Demon of the blades.

The gray swordsman's thoughts were interrupted as a blast of energy shot outwards shattering the nearby tables and chairs, even ruffling the tapestry and destroying a few windows. Regal's eyes shined with the gleam of a thief who had found the buried treasure, and he started to loosen his muscles as he moved to the rhythm of the melody in his own mind. His body became rigid and loose as he dove at the warrior, but his movements were pale compared to the Prince of Savion. He avoided a few blows but even in his current trance he couldn't block all the attacks, Letho's speed overtaking that of Regal's and he slammed a palm into his chest sending the gray swordsman up and into the air. Regal let out a wail of shock as his body crashed through a window pane, shards of glittering glass falling as Regal soared downwards.

Regal's arms shot out for anything, and his hands gripped the tapestry of a long purple and golden curtain, and he snapped like a towel in the air just above the castle barracks, soldiers all shouting as men began to scramble like ants below the carnage of falling glass. Regal rode the curtain back into the throne room, landing in a roll low and coming back up on his feet.

"How do you like-" Before he could finish his sentence Letho had already pounced the Sword Demon, another punch hitting him square in the jaw sending him soaring back into the air flattening his body against the king's royal throne. All two-hundred pounds of gold and other precious metals toppled over as Regal landed in a roll on the back of the royal chair. Regal coughed up dust and other body fluids as he slammed into the stone wall. His mouth continued to spit out blood as he began to laugh.

"WOOOO!" Regal shouted getting back up. "THAT WAS AWESOME!" Regal clapped his hands together as he strolled forwards like a drunken fool after one to many drinks. Letho eyed him warily, his mind obviously impressed the sword demon was standing. Regal dusted himself off a little bit as he placed his right on his neck, popping the bones and releasing the tension and stress in his joints. "Now that you are done, do you mind if-" Regal already had to jump backwards for the prince of Savion wasn't in any mood to talk.

"My gods gramps, what's got a pole up your ass?" Regal taunted as he back pedaled using his own mixed martial arts to keep up with Letho. After a moment Letho's strength was to much and after blocking a punch with both arms another knee hit the Sword Demon in the stomach. Using the momentum he rotated on the spot, slamming up into Regal with both hands like a club swing hammering Regal upwards and backwards before he landed in another pile of debris and wreckage.

Regal groaned his tired feelings away as he slowly got up, twisting his body a bit to crack his back. He picked up Tenacity from the ground and looked to the Savion ranger pointing his blade towards him. "I just have to wonder..." Before Regal could finish Letho was once again on the attack, but this time the Sword Demon ducked low and rotated, feeling all his energy in his body as he twirled his sword horizontally. The blade only bit a portion of the armor Letho was wearing, but the stored up energy was released as the blade slashed and Letho's body suddenly was up in the air on a crash coarse for the busted stained glass window before him. "Are you afraid of heights?"

((I just got some frequent flyer miles I wasn't using, so I thought you could have em...:D))

[Letho]

Many believe that a man feels an overwhelming sense of liberation while freefalling, that there’s this ultimate freedom to be achieved in those short seconds it takes the gravity to reclaim the falling object. The truth was far less poetic. Time doesn’t slow down for you to get a nice view, images of your life don’t flash before your eyes, your thoughts don’t reach nirvana. Instead you rush through the air so fast that the only sound you hear is the wind in your ears, your brain is impossible to form a coherent thought and the only view you get is that of the unspectacular ground rushing towards you at alarming speed. For most that chunk of land below is the last thing they see before the end. But not for Letho Ravenheart.

There was no land to hit below, just the slanted roof of the barracks buildings. The ranger’s bulky body fell through the terracotta tiles and the wooden support almost as if it wasn’t there, landing in the sleeping quarters with a rain of wooden splinters. There were at least forty bunks littered across the main room floor and Letho failed to hit any of them; instead, the hardwood floor finally offered sufficient sturdiness to stop his fall. It was a hard landing, as befitting a hard flight at the end of his opponent’s energy wave, but the roof broke the fall just enough for it not to be particularly harmful. Indeed, the only thing that got hurt in the process was probably Letho’s pride. A warrior’s pride, such a sensitive thing.

“My Lord, are you hurt?” the Watch Commander asked once Letho made his way out of the debris and back into the courtyard. His flashy aura of white was gone, doused somewhere between the roof and the ground floor, and what remained was a raggedy old man with a chink in his armor. A dozen soldiers gathered around, some still with training swords in their hands, their eyes asking question that their tongues dared not: What had just happened? The intruder offered an answer.

"Ya see Letho," Regal shouted from above before momentarily retreating back into the throne room, his voice fading as he did so. A few moments passed before the Demon returned, the seer in his hands, her chains wrapped around his own fist twirling the leftover extensions lazily like a rope. "Is that you suffer from a hero complex."

Regal took the body of the woman all the way to hole in the wall where the beautiful window once stood. "If I were to say, drop your sword or she dies, you would do it. Clearly you know I wouldn't be bluffing, or four of your precious kinsmen wouldn't be doing the dry hump with each other, their blood an excellent lubricant." Regal taunted the Savion Prince pushing her forward so she almost fell out. He reared on the chains, her body leaning over the edge, her feet trying to stay in the throne room. "But you see how useless that would be, Letho?" Regal said boredly. "Wouldn't it just be better to kill her now and awaken your own demon than drag it out?" Regal yawned as he pulled tightly on the chain bringing the seeress back to his arms. He kissed her passionetly before he pushed her back out, Tenacity singing as her blood flowed out from her neck.

"See? Useless..." Regal tuanted as he let her body fall, watching the Savion prince spring to action.

Letho moved like an arrow leaving a taut bow spring. He shouldered through a stack of crates, shoved aside an archery target and scared the daylight out of one of the squires that jumped out of the way at the very last second before he leapt back on the barracks roof. The tiles cracked beneath his heavy boots, but they held on and he managed to catch the blind woman just before she hit the roof. However, the race he won against time and gravity seemed to be in vain. Blood was gushing from her open throat and down the scales of his armor, and when he took off his right gauntlet to cover it with his hand, its sticky warmth crawled upon his hand. Her eyes were still open, pearly white and full of tears, and when she tried to speak, her dry lips failed to pronounce a single word.

“Be silent and relax,” Letho said to the woman, as calm as if there wasn’t a murderous mad man some twenty feet above him. His eyes closed for a moment, his muscles relaxing as his hands did their curative magic. It was a difficult thing to do – to empty his head when every thought pushed him back towards conflict – but in just a several moments, the bloody smile that the demon above gave the seer woman closed up, leaving only the spilt blood as a reminder.

“So goddamn predictable,” the voice came from above, as patronizing as Letho’s look a minute ago. And just like Letho’s own act of belittling, it was followed by an attack. The blade that sent him flying moments ago moved once again, launching down another ferocious energy strike. But in his reprieve, the senses of the Savion Prince were heightened to the point where he could feel the attack coming like one would feel eyes burning a hole in their backs or the position of the sun despite closed eyes. Without missing a beat, without even opening his eyes, his left hand went up to meet the incoming wave. The dragonscale gauntlet worked its magic as his palm opened up, and instead of crushing the seer and her savior, this invisible force was instantly reflected back towards it originating point. Entire section of a wall was crushed into rubble in an instant, stunning the rampageous man that stood in the middle of it all. Not even he seemed to be able to withstand such destruction, his feet slipping on the collapsing floor before he lost his footing altogether. But Letho wouldn’t let him get off so easily.

Leaving the recovering body of the woman on the relative safety of the barracks roof, he launched himself at his foe once again, intercepting him before he even touched the orange tiles. Tackling the man with his shoulder with as much might as he could muster on such uneven terrain, Letho slammed his body against the castle wall. It was a ferocious attack, certain to leave his opponent out of breath for at least a couple of moments. The bearded swordsman used these moments to brandish the titanic Lawmaker and line up its sights with the face of the white-haired demon.

“Your antics have caused enough damage already,” the graying ranger said, loading the bullet into the chamber with a flick of his wrist. “Now, do you have a name I can put on your grave or should I just finish this and throw you in with the louts and beggars?”

[Unfulfilled]

Regal had always wondered what it was like to be king, a ruler of unsurpassed reverence. He was impressed at the sight before him, the land of Savion pen in the destroyed section of the throne room. He had looked to Tenacity, the blade clearly agitated Regal wasn't focused on the fight, but he didn't mind it. A sight such as this, this was his due. He would be the great Saint of Swords, a king of kings in the ways of the blade. He was allowed this one moment of triumph he figured. He was owed that moment.

Yet that serene feeling was interrupted when his heart felt agitation, his mind suddenly filled with annoyance. Tenacity wasn't to happy with something and the Sword Demon looked down at the prince of Savion. His hands were already working some magic that Regal couldn't comprehend, nor cared to understand. “So goddamn predictable,” he voiced out as his anger and rage grew to new heights. He lifted Tenacity, the energy in his emotions fueling the blade for another vicious attack, and as he released his swing horizontally the blast radiated outwards like a supersonic boomerang. It curled up and vertical and Regal let his lips curl into a tight grin, watching as Letho was about to get annihilated by his hatred made manifest.

His grin however faded. Letho merely lifted a single gauntlet, a magic aura growing in size to protect him, and with a casual flick of discontent he rebounded the Demon of blades own attack on him. The castle walls were blasted again, the throne room quaking as dust began to fall from the rafters and Regal quickly lost his footing the entire section where he stood cracked and crumbled at his very feet.

His body free fell for what seemed like the blink of an eye, and his face had a scowl of disappointment. He hated free falling because there was never anything really to do other than fall. But in mid flight his body was quickly winded as his back screamed in agony, his lips curling outwards as he yelped an excited cry of pain before his breaths turned heavy.

Letho was already making a comment about something Regal had no bother to care about, all he did was see the giant sized titanium blade being unsheathed, and hear the click of a weapon Regal had only heard of before. The options were obvious, be swift or be dead.

With all his speed he could muster he lifted his blade up, flat edge outwards flexing his muscles for stability. His blade nearly slammed into his own body as the loud "TWANG!" sound exploded in his ears, twisting his blade and jumping outwards with weapon at the ready to strike. He took a few wild swings, his body moving faster and faster as he did so, getting into the rhythm of the Storm of Blades, a deadly dance where he forgoes his agility in exchange for greater attack speed.

Letho kept up for a brief moment, his blade blocking blow after blow before he soon started to give ground, the speed of the assault to fast for him to keep up. For each step Letho took backwards the sword demons wry smile of malice turned wider, before he was soon grinning. The grin widened to a half open state, a few cries of amusement escaping his mouth as his blade dipped into the flesh of Letho's arms. The Savion Prince began to grunt in frustration, the slow advance of his opponent to fast to gain any form of an upper hand. As he started nearing the edge of the orange tiles Regal's whimpers of joy turned to loud obnoxious laughter, his blade glowing in energy as his emotions fueled him to move faster and swifter.

As the Savion ranger neared the edge of the barracks Regal slowed his dance steps letting his blade charge up with energy getting ready for a vicious final blow. Letho planted his feet firmly in the ground, his blade held aloft at his side. Tenacity sang for Letho's blood, the energy crackling in the blade as Regal slammed his blade down vertically. To his amusement Letho's free gauntlet came up swiftly, grabbing the blade in his hand.

"So you wanted to know my name, idiot?" Regal taunted. With a sudden cry of pleasure he rotated inwards so Regal's back brushed up against Letho's breastplate, his other hand grabbing Letho's blade from his hand before he had a chance to get a firm grip. Regal bent over bumping the Savion Prince with his hips sending his arms flailing out for balance, his body almost falling over the edge.

Regal looked down at the blade that belonged to the Savion Prince and whistled excitedly. "Nice blade gramps..." Letho's arms caught hold of Regal's tail coat, using it for the last leverage he had. Regal rotated to his side Bringing Letho up onto his extending foot kicking him off the roof of the barracks slamming into crates below with a loud raucous of noise. Regal looked back to the blade in his hand and laughed as he tossed it up as far as he could. Using the rest of his pent up energy his blade he released a tidal wave of energy blasting into the back of the sword, propelling it out and over the castle walls to a place only the gods would know.

"Oh you lost your sword..." He flashed a wild grin as he turned back to Letho. With a giant leap he dove towards the prince of Savion, a wild laughter echoing outwards as he held sword outwards ready to strike as he zeroed in. "Remember the name Letho Ravenheart! It's Regal Burnswidth!"

[Letho]

It was the second time today that Letho Ravenheart was sent crashing through some obstacle or other and he was growing tired of it in a hurry. Not because these spectacular conclusions to the duels did any particular damage, though, and not because his ego got bruised in the process, but simply because he was better than this. Charging in like a bull after a red scarf, allowing anger to overwhelm him, veil his wits, it was the way a much younger Letho had fought his battles. The current one evolved, moved away from such feeblemindedness, grew smarter. Grew old.

Shoving the shattered remains of the crates aside, the swordless swordsman regained his footing with renewed calmness. This was where the green, subtle-as-a-brick Letho would’ve went for Regal’s throat with his bare hands, clawing and growling and raging like a caged beast. Instead, the gray-haired ranger reassessed the situation. He had clearly underestimated this Regal fellow, labeled him a halfwit glory seeker when he had proven to be much more. His resilience was astounding, his body seemingly impervious to bludgeoning. On top of that, he was an adaptable combatant, shifting battle stances according to what the situation at hand dictated. At one second he would move with blistering speed, at others he would barely move while his blade sliced the air in almost a blur. And on top of that, there was the blade he wielded, the weapon clearly something of a catalyst for his magics. It was difficult to form a sound strategy against such a fickle opponent. But he would have to come up with something, because Regal advanced once again, putting the end to Letho’s musing.

“My Lord!” the heavyset Captain of the Watch called out, tossing his spear towards the weaponless ranger. Regal didn’t like this idea. Even as the spear started its course towards Letho, he sent another energy sickle to intercept it. He had just disarmed the legendary Letho Ravenheart; he didn’t want to give him a chance to rearm and prolong this battle longer than necessary. However, his magic never reached the spear. Pushing against the ground with his mighty legs, Letho launched himself in midair and right in front of Regal’s attack. The energy wave smashed against his back, and while the dragon scales stopped it from cutting into flesh below, there was nothing they could do against the sheer momentum of the attack. Once again the hulk that was Letho was sent sailing through the air, but this time the flight was calculated, the trajectory predicted. One hand clasped around the shaft of the spear while the other just managed to catch the gutter on the mess hall’s roof. He pulled himself up with ease, gaining the higher ground as well as a weapon.

“Archers!” the armored Captain summoned, yanking the short sword from his waist. Up on the castle walls and all around the courtyard, bowmen turned their eyes and arrows away from the outside and towards the inner bailey. “This man tried to kill Prince Letho. Shoot him down!” he commanded with a swing of his blade.

“Halt!” Letho shouted in turn, lifting the newly acquired spear. “Belay that order! This man – if that is even what he is – is far too powerful. Withdraw your men, Captain. I shall deal with him myself.”

“But surely...” the Captain wanted to object, assured that a salvo or two could bring the bastard down. But the stern eyes of his commander whipped him into obedience as soon as he met their gaze, and as swiftly as they were called to action, the archers lowered their bows.

“No more Savion blood shall be shed today,” Letho said under his breath, lowering his spear until the serrated tip was lined up with Regal down below. And even as it did, the white aura appeared again. However, this time it failed to transform the Savion prince into a muscular beast. Instead, it was only his fist that shone at first, the white flames shimmering briefly before they encroached upon the shaft of the weapon. By the time the entire length of the spear was enveloped in this pulsating white light, there was a humming sound in the stillness of the battlefield, an odd type of buzz that one could feel near a charged lightning rod. And at the moment that it reached its pinnacle – when the vibration was so great that some of the roof tiles started to slide off – Letho made his move.

Tossing the spear a few inches in the air, he changed his grip on it, catching the weapon like a javelin thrower and flinging it at Regal. The spear didn’t seem to fly. Instead it flashed in and out of existence, as if it jumped from one point in space/time continuum and repapering at another, making its trajectory impossible to predict. Not that there was any time for it. There was a distinct boom in the air as soon as Letho loosed it, the kind that occurred when an object travelled faster than the speed of sound, and by the time Regal heard it, the spear caught his chest. The unhinged might behind the throw carried the impaled man some twenty feet backwards before nailing him to the huge double gates that burst open, offering a view to the castle gardens beyond.

“Nice shot,” the Captain applauded, but Letho knew it could’ve been better. If it weren’t for the wound on his arm and the blood that poured down the length of it and into his gauntlet, he would’ve struck Regal’s heart for certain. If the man even had one.

[Unfulfilled]

((Letho you wanted to nail me for so long you gay bastard. :p))

Regal's triumph was short lived as he watched the Savion prince grab the weapon from the air. His agitation rose to a new level of hate, his body growing with that same gray energy flux that Letho did earlier in the battle, but before he could do anything with it his feet left the ground and his body soared into the air, his body unable to grab hold of something. He slammed into something hard and he heard metal groaning as a loud thud followed with the Sword Demon's eyes looking up into the sky.

Not what I had in mind... Regal thought weakly as he slowly got back up. He surveyed his surroundings as he looked down a beautiful grassy hill, a stone path leading to a garden of wonderful enchanting desires. The gray swordsman never wanted to puke so much in his miserable life. His eyes rolled to the left and he looked as four guards came at him, weapons raised as they shouted for help.

"Get the captain of the guard, sound the alarm!" A war horn echoed into the air, followed by more as Regal closed his eyes, doing his best to ignore the headache pounding behind his eyes as he did so. The warriors of Savion ran towards Regal, two with Spears and one with a large circular shield and long sword. The forth carried a bezerkers axe and all looked determined to protect the castle at any cost. "Get the intruder, show him no quarter!"

They died without even knowing how.

Regal's anger at the situation reached an apex of violence as he jumped forward in three quick leaps, the spear weighing him down but not stopping him from killing. Blood stained the stone path and the green grass ran red with crimson life as Regal's blade weaved through each one, his dance of death moving him swiftly. Tenacity glowed with gray energy as Regal looked to the fallen, a dissatisfied taste in his mouth as he spat on the corpses. He reached for the spear and began to pull on it, using his free hand to do so.

"The demon is there in the castle gardens!" A guard shouted a top a watch tower. Irritated to no end by the constant interruptions Regal lashed out with his blade, energy soaring outwards like a boomerang slamming into the wooden tower crumbling it to the ground. With no more distractions he began to pull again, stabbing Tenacity into the ground as he used both his hands.

"Ugh...Come...ON!" Regal shouted to the heavens as he pulled with all his might. Yet as he made an inch of progress, the spear was pulled back another two. The sword demon's fury reached a new level as he turned around, but instead of seeing castle guards he found one gauntleted fist coming right at Regal, a wry smile on Letho's insufferable aged face.

The Demon of Swords felt an impact of what could have been no less than ten men and his jaw extended out, a popping sound echoing in his ears as his own blood escaped his body. Regal soared for a few feet before he hit the ground bouncing rapidly spinning uncontrollably into a tall bush resembled like an animal of the forest. Regal looked up to see Tenacity in the fist of Letho. His eyes went wide with anger and rage to see his weapon in a foe's grip.

"That doesn't belong to you!" Regal spat running forwards, his chest a light on fire as blood poured out of his wound. He couldn't make the trek fully on his own will, being apart from Tenacity draining him of his energy and will. "That's not very noble of you to steal it!" the sword demon seethed as fell to one knee, breathing heavily.

Shit, not good! Regal was hysteric as his vision went blurry. Visions of his death began to haunt him. Karel's placid, neutral face as he watched regal's own weight drop him from the blade he wielded. The look of his only friend in life, Troy Priam, the same as his hated foe. The woman looked to the sword demon, her face shocked, but not surprised. I'm not useless... He thought sternly slowly getting up despite the pain.

"GIVE ME BACK MY TENACITY YOU IDIOT!" Regal shouted running at Letho, caution to the side or error as his feet carried him swiftly, his motions one with the wind.

[Letho]

“No more Savion blood shall be shed today.”

Such a foolish thing to say.

Even though severely wounded, even though still carrying around the full length of the spear imbedded in his body, Regal wasn’t defeated. On the contrary, like a cornered beast, he lashed out at the first thing in his vicinity and that just happened to be several watchmen from beyond the gate. Unaware of the demon’s power, they rushed him like they would any brigand and were mowed down like the spring grass. They were good men, men with families waiting for them at home, men with lives that would now never be fulfilled. Letho thought he’d feel sadness for them or remorse for failing to finish his foe before it happened. In truth, with Regal’s blade in his hand, all he could feel was wrath. And not just any kind.

Years ago, when there still wasn’t a white hair on his head and old scars didn’t ache on rainy days, there were times when rage overwhelmed him, when blood craze took over governing his actions. Most of the times that insanity got him out of sticky situations, but most of the times innocent got hurt in the process as well. One in particular stood out: a tiny redhead with a sweetest smile and a heart as big as the world. Myrhianna Bastillien had been his lover what now seemed like ages ago, followed him through thick and thin, and Letho rewarded her by impaling her on his blade in one of his fits of rage. The woman had survived – she was a tough little thing – but on that day he swore he would never allow the anger to overwhelm him. That promise, which he had kept for almost thirty years now, was now under a threat to be broken.

Something in Regal’s blade called him, taunted him, provoked his blood to the point when he felt it rush through every blood vessel in his body. This tide of ire erased every thought and reflex that failed to coincide with its intention, moved through the body like a virus that refused to stop until every iota of the being was infected. It should’ve felt wrong, this sensation, it should’ve made him want to throw up. Instead it felt soothing, like a visit from an old friend. It felt righteous.

“NO!” Letho shook his head, backing up like a drunkard that argued with his imaginary companion. No, he wouldn’t give in, not now, not after all these years of abstinence. He should thrash the blade, he knew, destroy it with his bare hands or discard it in the moat that surrounded the castle. But even a thought of doing that tightened his fingers around it, a convulsion born not of his fleeting mind, but his boiling blood. It pounded in his ears, throbbed in his muscles, silencing the voice of reason and amplifying the sound of madness. It was no longer a question of whether or not he’d fend off this emotional assault. It was a question of whether the floodgates would be opened or broken.

Regal, on the other hand, didn’t seem to have any such issues; indeed, his floodgates seemed to be broken a long time ago. So when he saw his adversary struggle with the blade, he charged straight for him. Letho’s body moved like that of a possessed man, every motion sluggish due to the battle that raged within his mind. It came as no surprise then that the wounded demon dodged his sideways slash with little trouble before landing a flying kick straight at Letho’s chest. The impact made the bulky ranger back up a few steps, his blood screaming for retaliation, his mind bringing the body to one knee. But Regal allowed him no time to recover, no time to quell the awakening demon inside him. His fist sought Letho’s face, found his blocking gauntlet instead, then followed it up with a knee went up and missed the bearded face by an inch. Letho countered with a rising shoulder in Regal’s gut, but there wasn’t any real power behind the strike. It merely pushed the white-haired man a step back, allowing him room for a hook that set the side of Letho’s face afire.

“Give...it...BACK!!” Regal pushed through his teeth as he went for Letho’s wrist, trying to pry his precious blade from the clinging fingers. He twisted the ranger’s arm behind his back with one hand, and when Letho tried to elbow him with the other, he caught that as well. With both of his arms trapped behind his back, there was no way for the Savion Prince to fend against a ferocious kick at his backbone. He crumbled forwards, falling to both knees and finally dropping the blade. A part of him sighed at this occurrence, glad to be rid of the dark presence that contaminated his system. But a far more prominent part, the part that was rapidly claiming dominion over him, was further angered by the loss. Unfortunately for that awakened lust for power, Regal got to the sword first and the smarmy smirk was back on his bloodied face.

Wrapped up in the struggle with the shrieking voice that echoed in his head – his body shivering like that of a drug abuser on a dry spell, his every muscle throbbing with desire to explode, the voice of his reason a whisper in a thunderstorm – the legendary swordsman seemed defeated.

[Unfulfilled]

Regal's blade glowed a warm gray hue as the demon of swords looked down upon the Savion prince, his face contorted in confusion as if he had lost something, something very important to him. As the warriors body fell to one knee Regal felt contempt for the man.

"Have you realized it now," Regal taunted. "Have you given up hope that you don't stand a prayer against me?" Letho's body convulsed for a moment, as if he struggling to keep something deep and raw inside him. "You disgust me you pathetic cretin." Regal dove forward, his blade up overhead as he brought it down low, gashing the slower Letho in the chest. As the blade finished its path Regal body checked the older man back, his mind racing with anticipation. The sword demon's grin returned as he felt blood touch his cheeks, and he finished his body contact with an upwards swing of the blade, energy releasing from the blade as Letho's body soared upwards and into a marble fountain, destroying the once beautiful sculpture.

Water continued to pour out on the swordsman as the Regal marched forward, twirling his blade lazily in one hand. "You going soft on me?" He asked with all seriousness. "Get it together Letho!" Regal snorted in anger. "I'm going to kill you like this if you don't keep up with me." The sword demon watched as the massive gauntlets of dragon scale slowly lifted up out of the pool and a massive bulk of a man lifted afterward, his body moving like that of a drunken wanderer. He stumbled around for a bit as Regal sighed in disbelief. "What the hell happened to you?" Regal felt a form of pity around the shell where his heart was, and he really didn't see much of a sport in this anymore.

With a leap he charged forward, his blade lazily swinging out horizontally. Letho managed to grab the blade, and follow up with a discus punch sent right for Regal's chin. Where the gauntlet hit was the sword demon's elbow that blocked the blow before he ripped his sword back jumping backwards. "At least you will fight still." Regal muttered as he brought up his blade overhead. "You people piss me off. You get a great momentum shift going, all you hero types, and when the balance shifts so suddenly you can't act." Regal's anger began to grow as did the energy around the blade. Letho charged at him, both hands outwards like a stupid barbarian of the Fallien desert. Irritated to the boiling point Regal's sword exploded in power, crackling the sky itself in waves of gray energy. He slammed his sword downwards at the prince of Savion and the blade harvested a bloody chunk of the earth as debris shattered everywhere. Letho had managed to roll out of the way of the blow as his body lifted when the earth crumbled sending chunks of dirt upwards on the side. As the blast apexed on the wall a loud explosion went off, the stonework engineering tumbling down as a section of the wall caved in on itself. Glancing at the destruction he took Regal saw the moat outside, and a few more yards of the earth shattered like a dagger as the water flooded into the new trenches.

Letho slowly got up as he witnessed the destruction of the palace gardens. Only a scarce trace was left of the glory it once held. As he turned his eyes to the sword demon it was met with fist, followed up with a rotating left roundhouse. His body stumbled backwards as the foot led to another backhand with the hilt of Tenacity. Sprawling backwards now Regal sang with amusement as his sword began to glow again. He followed up the backhand with a leaping knee hitting the Prince square in the jaw. Letho was a mess of a person as the blade licked his back and arms. Blood splurted everywhere as the mighty ranger eventually rolled out of the melee, his drunken body unable to keep tempo with the dance Regal was in.

"You really are a byproduct of a Retard's hand aren't you, Letho Ravenheart, Savion Prince and master of the Rangers." Regal took a moment to collect spit in his blooded mouth and then spat it out, his mucus hitting the warrior of Chodan in the face along the cheek. Letho's pride spoke up some volumes as he returned into the fight, swinging his fists outwards, but the effort was wasted as Regal met his attacks with his blade, cutting up his arms and hands as he moved swiftly through the destroyed garden. The Savion Prince grunted his frustration as Regal laughed at his misery.

With a final heavy horizontal slash Letho's body doubled over as his arms went right for his belly. Blood caked the ground in droves as the red liquid escaped his lips when he cried out curse words of anger. He slammed one mighty fist into the ground to prevent from total collapse as Regal felt the end of his power. He closed his eyes and wondered to himself, letting his senses feel out. The power of Letho was waning, and waning fast. Regal had just one last act to do to snuff out the pitiful life of the Prince of Savion.

He focused all his rage on the warrior before him, and felt his ire rise when he remembered that the warrior held his blade and then gave up the fight. His irritation grew as the blade swarmed with the emotions, gray fire like energy crackling in the sword demon's hand releasing into the air.

"Your useless, Letho." The sword demon muttered as the energy wracked around his body, encompassing him in the waves of fire like power. Regal's eyes glowed with the same energy as his hair whizzed around him. "If you thought what I did was any indication of the power I possess, than your more of an idiot than I would have ever imagined. This is why you so called hero's crumble." Regal's tongue darted out as his mouth opened wide in a demonic grin as his eyes bulged out to their max, the energy growing even higher. "YOU COULD NEVER EMBRACE YOUR OWN TENACITY! YOUR OWN DEMONS!" Regal's body charged forward, the ground quaking with each step he took.

"ALL YOU HERO'S CLAIM THAT TO FACE YOUR OWN DEMONS IS TO MAKE YOU STRONGER, BUT NONE OF YOU EVER HAVE! LOOK AT THIS POWER AND WITNESS YOUR END YOU FUCKING CRETIN!" Regal sang with joyous glee as he laughed whimsically at the carnage he was about to unleash. The prince of Savion lifted up both hands to block the energy from consuming him, and as Regal's blade struck forward in an upwards strike the body of the ranger soared high into the air. The earth around the blast crumbled and exploded in an orgy of destruction, dirt flying everywhere in the vicinity as a demonic grin painted the heavens after the blow.

((I say to you, Letho old friend...awaken, awaken, awaken, take the lands that must be taken.))

[Letho]

How many hits did he take? Letho couldn’t tell. There have been so many and only a portion of consciousness was focused on the battle with Regal. Even the pain from all the wounds, – the deadly gash on his gut, the stinging cut across his shoulder blades, the numerous lacerations on his every appendage, the pulsating soreness left in the wake of every punch – even it was perceived almost in a blur. Fighting the rising demon within his own scarred soul took precedence; the Savion Prince knew that the devastation that would ensue upon its release could be far greater than anything Regal could conjure. That was why Letho looked at the beating he took almost as if it was happening to another man, as if he was given the front seat in some macabre theatre where he could look through the eyes of some thespian whose performance depicted an epic battle. An epic battle he was losing on both fronts.

Within him, the sinister presence of his alter ego was pushing his mental endurance to the limit. At one moment, this voice whispered in his ear, goading him into embracing the power he locked away all those years ago. At another, it would jump to the forefront of his mind’s eye, bawling from the top of its non-existent lungs, pointing towards the inevitable demise at the hand of Regal Brunswidth. And at all times it crept through his system like a fever, weakening his resolve just like it weakened his limbs. It became clear to Letho (despite the clouding veil that was drawn over his mind) that he would buckle sooner or later. Either his body would give in and the struggle would stop both within and without or he would let go and get lost in the madness. After Regal’s last attack, that chewed up and spat out half of the garden in one blow, it seemed that the former was more likely to happen.

Sprawled at the far end of the scar in the earth that Regal made with his last energy wave, Letho Ravenheart was a wrecked man. His clothes turned to crimson rags, half of the scales of his armor missing, the other half bloodied, his face swollen, the look in his usually incisive eyes blank. This was it. This was how it was about to end. He would perish at the hand of some demented murderer who dreamed of becoming a legend. Would they give him a royal burial, he briefly wondered? Would his body be put to rest aside Savion kings of old? Would Tayotihua mourn for him? Would the Savion Kingdom? Or would he soon be forgotten and lost in the pages of history?

“Not like this.”

The voice in his head wasn’t his own and it sure wasn’t Regal’s. The white-haired lunatic was gloating as he walked up to the fallen form of the Savion hero, swirling his blade around in an almost playful manner. He was ranting, Letho acknowledged through the ringing in his ear and the clamor in his head, summoning all those around him to witness the final fall of Letho Ravenheart. And when he positioned himself above the downed ranger, the voice in his head growled again:

“Not like this. Not your time.”

And then the sword came down.

Aimed for Letho’s spine, preceded by another round of insults, it was supposed to be a final stamp on a page written in blood. As far as Letho was concerned, it was the deathblow, because after that moment his self-awareness ceased to exist. Whatever remained – whatever took over – spun his body out of the way and caught the blade with a gauntleted fist, stopping it almost effortlessly despite the apparent power behind the downwards blow. For a moment the eyes clashed – the blood-thirsty ones of Regal and the reddening, wrathful ones of Letho – and a voice spoke from below, a voice not belonging to Letho. A voice no longer human.

“YOU SHOULD BE RUNNING NOW...”

Before Regal could even begin to comprehend the guttural rumble from below, before he could even notice the bestial snarl on Letho’s face, the hand that held his blade trapped yanked it down, pulling the demon straight at the hooking left fist that sent him flying and detached him from his blade once again. Tendrils of what looked like black mist rose from the tattered body of Letho Revanheart as he regained his footing, hand still locked on Regal’s deadly sword. The blood-red eyes looked down at the sword, his bearded face grinning in almost a mocking manner, as if the blade was a mere wooden training sword, before he cast it aside as a filthy rag. The mist around the risen man thickened until it was almost inky black and thick.

“So, you haven’t had enough, you moron? How many times do I have to cut you before you fucking die?!” Regal shouted, recovered from the blow to his head. He made a run for his precious weapon once again, but by the time he covered half the distance, Letho sucked in a deep breath. And when he released it, it came out in a roar that shook the very foundations of the land. Such was the power of the roar that the soil quaked and cracked, yielding to its power and even the sturdy stonework of Savion masons struggled to hold on. The reverberating sound of the unearthly howl forced all those in close proximity to cover their ears lest they’d start to bleed from them. All this mayhem was carried by a hurricane that spread from Letho in a concentric manner, showing everything from its path and uplifting a great cloud of dust contained only by the walls of the inner abbey.

Before this earthy mist could settle, before one could see more than a foot in front of himself, the beast that was once Letho was on the move. His form no more human than his train of thought, he scudded straight at his opponent, his footsteps the thunder in the raging storm. He easily caught Regal unawares in the low visibility, grabbing him by the neck and slamming him against the nearest wall. And only when he did that, only when he came within a single breath of his opponent and his feet were dangling more than two feet above ground, could Regal see what he was up against. Where a weary, bearded face of a war veteran once stood was a fur-covered head of a werewolf with a set of razor-sharp fangs and blood-consumed eyes that stared down at him. The hand that held the man at the neck had metal claws extending from it, already digging into his skin and drawing blood.

“You prattled of demons, worm,” the nine-foot beast growled, tightening the grasp on Regal’s neck. “Now you shall die at the hands of one.”

Not waiting for a reply – not that Regal was physically able to spit one out due to the pressure on his windpipe – transformed Letho started running parallel to the wall, scraping Regal against the stone before he launched him through the crumbling gap in the fortifications made moments before by one of the energy waves. The man landed at the shallow end of the surrounding moat with a splash, but the beast was soon to follow. Clawing at the soil with both hands and feet before he climbed the fortification in a single bound, the black werewolf leapt down at his target with claws extended and aimed to tear apart Regal’s chest.


The Village of Ciamar, several miles outside the City of Savion

A lithe, blonde elf sat on a porch of a rustic cottage, her icy blue eyes set on the book in her hands. The brow on her fair face was lowered in an annoyed frown; she had tried to read the same passage three times now and every time her thoughts would trail off. There was unrest inside of her, squirming in her belly like trapped butterflies, but even her elven wisdom couldn’t pinpoint the reason for this unease. Perhaps it was just that time of the month, she reasoned, or perhaps it was something bad she ate for breakfast. She sighed, closed her eyes for a moment and made another attempt at the defiant text in her hands. And it was then that she heard it.

No human could hear it at this distance; in fact, even few elven ears were sharp enough to catch it. But she did and it sent a chill down her spine so fierce that the book slipped from her hands and wound up in the daffodils just off the porch. For a moment there was a pale look on her face, her eyes looking up ahead at some undetermined point, and then she jumped to her feet and disappeared inside the house.

[Unfulfilled]

Regal's eyes watched the lifeless form of Letho at the end of his strike, his grim smile parting to a low hung cocky, sly half grin. He twirled his blade in his hand watching as the people of the barracks returned, bows trained on him as others prepared weapons.

"Your Prince is dead!" Regal shouted to the crowd like a ring leader, arching his back stiff as he leaned pointing to the fallen body of the Savion ranger. Many of the soldiers faces turned contorted. Some with rage, others with a sadness that dropped them to their knees. "If this is the level that could Draw the Saint of Swords, than I shudder to think that I will walk over him without a fair fight."

One of the enraged guards ran at Regal, spear held tightly as he lowered into a frenzied charge. His lips screamed for revenge, calling the Demon of Swords a bastard. His fearless run had spurred others to charge as well, tears in their eyes as they held their weapons over head, screaming in anger and shouting for violence. Regal felt his curiosity growing and he flexed his muscles preparing for the charge. Just as it was about to hit Regal dove forwards, twisting in the air so the spear missed the mark, the warrior running his neck along the blade of Tenacity.

Blood flowed over Regal, and his eyes widened as he turned to the other four who charged recklessly. One carried a large axe, swinging wildly. Rage overcame the soldier and the discipline and form learned over years of training were gone in wild abandonment. Regal's blade easily parried the blow causing the swing to go upwards, the sword demon striking the warrior in the neck as well letting the crimson liquid flow over him.

At that point the captain of the guard had called off the rest of the soldiers. He rallied them to him, as if preparing to charge as a whole company at the demon of swords. Regal taunted for them to come for him, daring them to attack him. The guards eyes were filled with conflicting battle plans. Revenge in one eye, and logic and reason that they didn't stand a chance against the demon of swords.

Regal felt a faint beat of power, like a heartbeat and he turned to Letho. His body still laid motionless, but as he looked at it he could feel something changing, something growing in primal power and Regal felt the overwhelming shadow of power it was dying to release. He ignored the captain and walked towards the corpse of Letho, and he could see him barely breathing, blood oozing out of every cut.

"You fucking idiot," Regal taunted. "Tchh, I should just end this here and now." He lifted his sword up for the deathblow, and he saw the eyes of the Savion Prince look to him, accepting the death. "Pathetic." He dismissed the warrior as he swung his blade down. To his astonishment, the blade was caught in a single hand. Blood oozed from the cracks in the fingers, and ran down the ruined gauntlet. As he tried to gather the strength to lift the blade out of his grip he felt a deeper darker primal power grow inside Letho, and the soft, veteran eyes of the Savion Prince seemed to roll away, replaced by two slits of pure hate and rage. With a single motion Regal had lost his blade and he felt frustration build within himself.

"So, you haven’t had enough, you moron? How many times do I have to cut you before you fucking die?!” Regal made a move to grab his blade, but as he did so a terrible wail of anguish, torment, and pent up wrath all exploded outwards at once. Regal turned just in time to see a whirlwind of dust blow towards him, and he barely avoided the storm. As he turned to find his blade he felt his entire face grabbed in one massive hand, his body lifting from the ground as he was slammed into the few remaining wall sections.

The newcomer had ran for the better part of forty paces, eighty of a normal human, before he tossed Regal aside like a rag doll, a child no longer amused with the toy he held. Regal's body felt cold a wet as he realized he was in the shallow end of the moat. He looked up in time to see the beast clearly now, paws outstretched for a killing blow. Regal's mind couldn't really comprehend the danger the beast was, and a stupid, wry smile of admiration and glee filled him. He even giggled as the demon that was once Letho fought with wild abandon, not even bothering to think of mercy as an option.

Regal felt his heart twinge to life, and a sudden joy exuded from it. He jumped backwards, leaping onto the grass as the werewolf splashed in the waters. With a mighty roar it had lifted a boulder and aimed it for Regal.

"Toss that at me and you'll destroy the guard tower and those in it!" Regal warned, his tone full of sincerity. It was true and no bluff, for not more than twenty paces away was another wooden guardhouse. He was more than confident that beast was able to toss that boulder far, and Regal also knew he would be to fast to allow such a useless gesture to end his life.

He waited for some kind of answer from the werewolf, but instead it just roared out again, furious that Regal even asked such a silly question. The beast launched the massive rock, and Regal easily ducked beneath it, the boulder slamming hard into the wooden framework, causing the whole tower to collapse.

"YES!" Regal shouted like a proud father looking to his son. "This is it! This is how you drew with Karel Raven!" The beast sneered for a moment, the name causing a slight pause. "I saw you, YOU WERE the beast that caused Letho to a draw! But his weakness!" The beast charged as Regal spoke, but the demon dropped into a free lucid state, his body easily dodging the blows. "All this time, Letho had you pent up inside like a caged animal. This is the real demon inside Letho, the darkness he tried to hide!"

The beast caught Regal by the throat, but the sword demon couldn't help but smile. It lifted the gray swordsman upwards and tossing him over the wall back into the garden, before howling in rage as it jumped after the soaring warrior.

Regal bounced multiple times, each impact spinning his body wildly as he tried to stop the ride as swiftly as possible. His hands touched upon the blade, Tenacity, and he felt a calming sensation before it passed. He skidded onto his feet for four feet, digging deep into the earth as he did so before he launched forwards, rolling as he did so. The werewolf was just a breath away from tackling Regal who dove for his sword. It rotated on one massive hand, claws digging deep into the terrain as it did so to look at Regal again.

The Sword Demon lifted Tenacity, and his elation at the prospect of fighting the Savion Demon called him to a lust for battle he had only felt but once. It was intoxicating, and unlike before where he only enjoyed the fight in short spurts, he felt the energy, the elation, the joy for the whole fight the second the demon popped out.

His sword exploded with energy, gray fire spinning around him as he looked to the demon Letho with sadistic glee. He took up all the energy and swung the energy wave outwards, the power coursing over the grassland. The demon looked to the attack, and with a mighty snarl it backhanded the blast with little effort. The last of the standing wall section int he garden exploded as the power wave smashed into it, destroying the final traces that once there was a garden.

Regal paid no care to the power of the beast, his mind focused solely on testing his own limits as he cried out in pleasure, laughter in his ears as he swung his blade over and over. The werewolf blocked and parried the blows with its mighty claws, and every now and then Regal got in a good lick on the chest, but it healed quickly, not even a single drop hitting the ground.

The beast laughed at Regal's pitiful attempts to fight, but that only caused the demon of swords to feel more elation. As his joy increased so did the power emanating as the sword began to charge again for another destructive blast. He booted the beast away, slashing up to keep it from coming back in and pointed his blade towards the beast.

"Oh the joy you bring me!" Regal's mouth drooled as he stared into the demon's hungry eyes. "Let me show you my Tenacity!" Regal's voice sang outwards in a hymm of battle, his sadistic pleasure intoxicating him to the core. He charged forward, energy prepared to unleash at a single moment. As the beast snorted once preparing for the blow Regal's energy suddenly dropped and dissipated. Demon Letho looked to him awkwardly, but the sword demon's charge didn't let up. Two paces away he swung deep and low as his blade passed by the claw that rose to stop the blast. The blade cleared right into the massive shoulder of the beast, and it roared in agony and anger as it ripped Regal away.

Feeling the pain and using it as fuel it charged towards Regal, but the sword demon nearly grinned as he twirled his blade pointing to the beasts shoulder. It swung with the arm that had been attacked earlier, but instead of getting to wipe off the face of Regal, the demon of Savion instead howled in pain, jumping backwards before looking to its arm.

"I don't just shoot energy out when I get excited. I can also use that to sharpen my blade!" Regal taunted. The beast snarled, wondering as to why it didn't just heal the wound before Regal laughed again, more demonically and deep. "Come, filthy animal." He clapped his hands together and batted his knees. "Come fight another demon!" he sang, blade raised to cleave the head of the werewolf off.

[Letho]

((Enter the elf. :P))

That eerie feeling in her stomach from before, that cold hand squeezing her gut, it only got worse as she neared the city of Savion. And Tayotihua Runehand feared. She feared for Letho who undoubtedly unleashed the sinister power within his blood and got lost in its unlimited might. She feared for the folk whose lives would be added to the collateral damage. And she feared for her own life as well. Only once, years ago now, she had seen her husband give in to the beast that lay dormant in his blood. And when he did, there was nothing that could stop him. Even the affection and intimacy they shared failed to bring recognition back into his eyes and only when she was dying – from wounds he afflicted upon her no less – only when she started to leave this world did Letho manage to return to it. Hopefully, she wouldn’t have to pay such a high price today.

Yanking on the reins more fiercely than she usually would, the blonde elf slowed her chestnut mare to a trot as she navigated her pass the gates of the outer walls. Even here, far from the hilltop and the Savion Castle, the upheaval was visible, folk scurrying about and whispering and pointing fingers towards the clouds of dust further up the hill. Nobody knew exactly what was happening, but when the ground shook and the castle walls crumbled, even the thickest dullards knew it could be nothing good. Paying little heed to the murmuring folk, Tayotihua continued down one of the main avenues, her ice blue eyes set on the road ahead, while her pointy ears listened to the sounds from far beyond just the next curve. She could hear the vicious growling of a rabid beast now, its howls making every other sound inferior and mousy, its claws scraping against stone. It reminded her that there was no time to waste.

It took her several minutes to reach the battling pair, and even though she knew what to expect from the sight, her breath was still stuck in her lungs once she witnessed the sight. Standing atop of a cathedral’s bell tower, Tay could see the towers that were brought down as if they were made of cards, walls torn and shattered like dominos, hard soil burrowed and uplifted as if it were sand. And blood. Gallons upon gallons of it soaked the soil, painting the scene crimson and bringing a gut-wrenching smell to her nostrils. It looked like an aftermath of a clash of two armies down there, and yet it was only two men that dueled.

On one side was the Beast, nine-foot heap of fur and muscles awakened for a singular purpose; to wreak havoc. And even though she knew that Letho was somewhere within that bestial husk, she had a hard time believing that right now. How could a man so just and benevolent change to such an extreme? One of the reasons was probably his opponent, the lunatic that kept grinning and laughing and goading the Beast. But even though he seemed more conscious of his actions, there was the same madness in his eyes, same vile aura surrounding him. They were both caught in a bloodcraze, Tayotihua concluded as she watched that clash again and again, and the harder they fought, the more their blood boiled. She had to calm them down.

Closing her eyes, the elf spread her arms wide and took several deep breaths before she began her chant. The tune, leaving her lips in barely a whisper, seemed to be devoured by the sounds of destruction below, but it was magic that guided her words. And each and every one of them serenely made its way towards the two combatants, encroaching their minds and stealing away the power that fueled their anger. But such was the power of their combined wrath that it was bound to be a lengthy process.

Down below, on the makeshift battlefield, Letho and Regal proceeded without even noticing the presence of another. Their battling took them out of the castle grounds and into the large square just beyond the main gates. Usually used for trading and occasional parades, the large open space provided sufficient room for their clash.

With the wound on his shoulder regenerating far slower than usual, the werewolf beast abandoned the straightforward tactic for a brief moment. Instead, it brought its healthy arm up and unleashed another roar that tore through the stands and awnings effortlessly, sending them towards Regal. But even as the sonic boom ended, a pair of portals opened at its sides, and out of these dimensional holes a pair of wolves emerged. Waist high and black of fur, these summoned beasts stepped forwards and even as they did, they seemed to duplicate themselves, once, twice over until there was a pack of about a dozen of them. And they all had their scarlet eyes set on Regal.

A snap of jaws and a muffled growl later and they were already encircling the white-haired madman, beginning their circular dance of death. Regal dropped into a lower stance, enhancing his reaction time, and when the first one jumped at him, he dodged it with ease, slicing him in half with Tenacity. Another one came, meeting his end in a similar manner. Then two others, snapping their jaws at his claves. Jumping upwards and out of the way, the agile man sent an energy wave downwards, vanquishing the pair before he landed. The tornado around him continued, but every time one of the beasts stepped into the eye, he dealt with it deftly.

“Is that it? Is that your endgame? Bringing more pathetic, filthy animals to take me down?” he mocked Letho as he cleaved his way through the conjured beasts. The maniacal smile never left his face. The last four came at him all at the same time, and while he managed to fend three of them off, the fourth locked its jaws around his ankle. If not for a swift reaction, surely the beast would’ve chewed it right off. As it was, a downwards slice made the summoned wolf vanish, leaving only a bloodied foot and a half-torn boot behind. “What, you don’t have any more?”

The Beast didn’t need anymore and it was boastful enough to show it. The shoulder gash that soaked his fur in blood and nearly crippled his arm was fully healed again and the werewolf spread his arms to show it. With a metallic chink! the claws reemerged at the end of his fingers and a snarl was back on the furry face, exhibiting the blood-thirsty fangs. But just as it scraped one of its feet against the cobbles and prepared to charge again, its ears perked up, picking up an odd sound descending from somewhere up above. For a brief moment its head moved from side to side, burning red eyes doing their rapid search, but the furry monster had neither the willpower nor the time to further investigate. Regal was waiting at the other side of the square, wounded and ready to be crushed.

The mighty feet did their thunder roll again, pounding against the ground as the Beast charge forward with renewed speed. It jinked around Regal’s defensive thrust, then leapt over another before it shouldered into the man, sending him through an empty fist cart. And before he even managed to get his bearings and his footing, the werewolf was upon him again, grabbing him by the leg and swinging him like a club made of flesh and limbs. It smashed several crates with Regal as a weapon before flinging him against the heavyset doors of the cathedral. The collision was so powerful that it swung them open, making Regal finish his flight somewhere in the first row.

The Letho-beast made a move to follow, picked up the tune again, then disregarded it and ventured onto the holy ground to finish the job.

((So yeah, I was thinking that the song that Tayotihua sings would slowly sap the power out of both of them, calming them and making them weaker and weaker with each strike. Like, Regal won’t be able to shoot the energy anymore or move very quickly, Letho won’t be able to extend his fangs or regenerate anymore and the blows they exchange would be weaker and weaker. Then in my post, I’ll probably make Tay appear and put an end to it. I was thinking about what you said about Regal not giving up. I thought he would come after her, but she would defeat him rather easily given his weakened state and throw him into the river. So he can’t continue the battle. Any suggestions, let me know.))

[Unfulfilled]

The beast that was formally Letho charge forwards with claws ready to split the Demon of Swords in two. Assessing the charge, Regal’s foot made a slight half step as he was about to charge when suddenly he felt a darker, primal power jolt within his body causing him to stumble forwards, letting Letho's massive paw swipe him upwards into the air.

Regal soared upwards towards the sky, but his legs were caught by the massive claw of the beast rotating Regal over and over like a wet sack before launching his prey down into the ground. Regal's back exploded in pain and the earth trembled as large cracks fissured outwards in the stadium arena. A howl of challenge came from the demonic beast and Regal felt his energy re-grow within him, the pain fading quickly as if he was merely shoved onto his back. His grin returned, before a yelp of pain escaped his lips.

My my Regal, how easily do mortals forget.

Regal's eyes shot wide open, his body frozen in place as he felt sweat and blood pour down the side of his face, dripping at his jaw onto the ground staining the earth. "NO!" Regal shouted angrily as he fought to be free. A twisted chuckle escaped into his ears as he gripped his head, shouting in anger to the heavens as he dropped Tenacity to the ground dropping to his knees in agony.

The demon Letho took advantage of the moment, launching like a coiled snake and slamming into Regal's body sending the gray swordsman tumbling end over end just inches above the ground. Regal's hands grasped for anything he could grab hold of, but he met only pain and regret as his body slammed into the other half of the seating area. The beast roared in triumph, the pitch of the noise shattering the seating area causing it to collapse upon the demon of swords.

You screwed up again, Regal.

Regal's body felt the weight upon his shoulders and he tried with all his might to lift out of his prison. Try as he might he couldn’t get free from the debris he was buried under.

You get to listen for once, you idiot. Where do you think you get the strength to stand? Where do you think you get the will to fight from? Where do you think the power to surge energy from your sword comes from?

"I told you before I don't let anyone control me! I defeated you a long time ago, sealing you within Tenacity. Why are you bothering me now you parasite?"

Because he's kicking your ass. He's been kicking your ass from the start. I for one am tired of getting my ass kicked. It was fun for a while, but you clearly no longer have a prayer against this creature.

"Oh, and would you recommend?" Regal could clearly hear the beast within Letho howl in challenge, sniffing the sword demon's life force and beginning to charge to finish the job. "We don't exactly have much time before he rips my head off."

Let me take over for once...Besides, without me you'd be dead anyway. Regal snorted in defiance.

"I am the demon of swords, you are just a parasite who doesn‘t know when to leave me alone." The demon remained silent causing Regal to lower his gaze to his chest. Where the spear had impaled him earlier in the fight had now began to burn with a red hot sensation, and before long Regal's chest and back exploded in blood, the crimson liquid pouring outwards. Hundreds of slash marks and cuts appeared on the swordsman’s skin and each wound bled as if from a faucet. An overwhelming headache erupted in Regal's mind and he collapsed like a sack of bricks, his body unable to support himself any longer. He felt like he had died three times already and he was begging to be dead a forth and hopefully final time.

Who do you think gives you the strength to live, Regal!? The power within Regal shouted in rage, each word ringing within Regal's head. How the fuck did you think you had the ability to withstand that beasts attacks? WHO THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU ARE, REGAL?

"I'm..."Regal breathed tiredly, his voice barely a whisper. Letho's demonic side began to rip away at the wreckage to get to Regal and end the job, and the sword demon waited for the end to come. "The...Demon...of...Swords..."

This isn't some silly inner pep talk you fool. Just because you have tenacity and confidence in yourself and believe truly in who you are doesn't mean I'm going to give you the power to succeed, encourage you to fight harder and give you all my strength. I'll gladly die with you, and possess another soul. This isn't a life or death situation for me Regal, I just personally don't think I'll find anyone quite as fun as you are!

"Go away..." Regal breathed defiantly as the light began to crack through, shards of wood dropping through the cracks as the demon howled in rage.

You really think you are the Demon of Swords, don't you? Here's a news flash Burswidth, I'm the demon, your just the sword. Together we are what you claim to be. But without me, your just another stain on that beasts claws. So what do you say? Just once, let me play with him. You wouldn't let me out for Karel, so how about now?

The Savion Beast broke through and grabbed Regal by the throat. Without the demonic resilience within him he had no chance anymore. It was apparent now more than ever just how deep Regal was in this situation, and if he wanted to live, truly live, he had to think fast. With a heavy sigh Regal nodded once, and felt a wave of energy wash over him. You're so useless... the inner demon of Regal laughed with joy as the energy refilled him.

"If you don't mind," Regal's hands gripped the arm that held him, and he felt new strength within his arms, enough power to grip and pull apart the fingers around his throat. As he gripped them and pulled away the demonic Letho growled in alarm, sniffing the air and roaring point blank onto the Demon of Swords face. Regal rotated his free hand up onto the top of the elbow, his other hand rotating down, than snapping upwards palm first dislocating the joint smoothly in one motion.

The beast howled moving away grabbing his wound and nursing it, before popping the joint back into place. This was more than enough time for Regal to run over and grab his blade, holding Tenacity in his hands and twirling it lazily in one hand. The two warriors looked each other down, and the beast sniffed the air one last time, snarling in hate and rage. Allow me one moment, Regal, and this battle is ours for the taking! Regal felt his mind shifting, his headache splitting as something clawed from deep inside his soul and ripped the fabric of his own sanity to reach the front and possess Regal.

Regal’s eyes had glowed with a crimson light, his hair staining black and turning red at the tips. His body began to mend all the wounds it had taken as a beast like hand gripped the hilt of Tenacity tightly. “BROTHER!” Regal’s voice was deeper and more beast like as it howled. Letho howled in rage at the sight. “IS THIS HOW YOU WELCOME ME HOME, CHODAN?" The two glared daggers as they stalked each other, slowly moving in circles in the now defunct grand arena. “I shall not forget what you did to me, this has now gone far beyond simple revenge! “ The blade twirled over and over, until one point Regal’s demon form stopped and brought the blade upwards. “Your death will be swift, and as I am the God of Vengeance, I shall see to it that your blood will bring back order to this desolate plain!”

He moved forward swiftly, each step made him look as if he glided upon the ground as he swung his blade horizontally, a powerful gray energy released from the blast, red tainted corruption sparking along the edges. Demon Letho grabbed the blast in his hands, roaring as he did so dissipating the energies in his own hands. Regal’s blade came down over head, and the two avatars locked themselves in as Letho’s wolf like hand grabbed the blade to stop the killing blow.

((Feel free Letho to have me change anything. At this point I would assume you and I fight, then Tay comes in to save our asses from ripping each other apart, and then we do our endings.))