Supermassive Black Hole: Four Way Brawl

[Falcon Darkflight]

The bustling city of Nocturnis had always lured hundreds of adventurers and poets, tradesmen and merchants, scribes and archeologists who had embraced and then romanticized the lifestyle of the Khaian people. But this region located between the great nations of Domine and Khaia had once been alive. Not like it was now. Not like it was before the Haicheyanne, lead by Asmodeus and Icarus, began to strangle the country and plunge it into oblivion.

Canen thought back to this morning, to words that had burned in his skull from the moment he had awakened for this arduous journey into the past. Words his own father had spoken to him as they had endured the torture of the opening moments of the assault. "Water is life, son. Control one, and control the other. There is nothing more certain than these demons drying out our rivers to exterminate us. Once they do this, we will fall. You must run."

Fomerly known as Sael, the Khaian for "the rich lands", the region was eventually renamed Nocturnis and known as "the island". The island without water. The Sael River was once one of the most important water sources in the world, both for transportation and for sanitation. It originated in the north, from the kingdom of Riisa, and flowed almost a thousand kilometers through the united kingdoms of Nocturnis: Domine, Riisa, Artinia and Khaia. Surging through great canyons and jagged gorges along its upper course, and flowing through a vast flood plain in Riisa, the Sael River provided a quick and easy route of transportation for merchants who wished to trade out of borders. Fruit, meat, weapons and tools were shipped in a constant line of supply through this giant water leviathan on an hourly basis and provided the foundations for a healthy trading community. The water was fresh and clean, well attended to by farmers of the river bank and was the main source of Nocturnis City's drinking supply.

The Sael River once defined the crescent of four nations, the cradle of the regions of Domine, Riisa, Artinia and Khaia that formed the collective chassis of Nocturnis. The cradle of civilisation, Canen thought. His homeland. His great nation, now only rotting and lifeless against the darkness of the Haicheyanne invasion, the great genocide of his people that burned in his memory endlessly, the smokey flames of his rage burning brightly into the night, as strong as ever.

And we did nothing to prevent it, Canen thought bitterly. There was the Riisan civil war to fight in the north and their troublesome partisans to watch along the Domine border in the southwest. The Nocturnian Assembly did not want its entire northern border, over four hundred miles, jeapordized with further tension with their own people.

Over the past few months, since the defeat at Lornius, Canen had spent all of his free time at the Citadel trying to recreate fragments of his lost motherland from his memories, the monks that worked there doing their best to put together each piece of his recollections with painstaking detail. Finally, in time for the return of his best friend Kaiser, Canen had witnessed the recreation of his beloved land, upheld by the laws of magic. It may have only been a manifestation of his memories, but it was enough.

As he carried The Valiance in his tightly clenched right hand, under the cover of the imitated Khaian night sky, Canen listened to the distinct sounds of the Nocturnian creatures stirring in the night. His heavy boots ploughed through fields of lush, long grass towards the shattered and broken ruins of Nocturnis City, the ensuing silence almost stabbing through his heart like Witchblade's dagger had done in The Cell. The scenery, the silence was enough to convince Canen he was really back in his homeland, really experiencing the cold, uncaring stillness of extinction for himself, giving him just a small, sharp taste of what was probably to follow in his quest for vengeance. He knew, one day, he would have to return here personally. He had to be prepared for it, otherwise it would overwhelm him.

Most people came to the Citadel to test their strengths and find their weaknesses, some battling for the thrill, some out of necessity.

Canen had come for a purpose.

[Ebivoulya]

Sweat glistened, reflecting minutely the wide, beige expanse of the surrounding stone walls. At their center fought two warriors, the swirling black hair of the smaller one dancing around the blade of a pole arm as it was gracefully thrust on either side of his head. The advancing beast of a man was well wounded, but fighting still. At last, one of his thrusts was caught by a small, gloved hand. His massive forearms gripped tighter the wooden shaft, and pulled with all their might.

Amazingly, this struggle lasted a few seconds despite the size difference, but eventually the smaller one thrust his armored boot into the belly of the beast, releasing the weapon in his quick retreat. Despite almost kicking off from the creature’s gut, the quick sideways slash of the pole arm caught his bicep. The spray of crimson from his arm did little but increase his already growing frustration.

Finally, with the distance he needed, the obviously human man spared a quick glance behind him before briskly jogging backward to pull his two-handed Greatsword from the slightly softened sand floor. His already sore arm did well to lift the blade, but he would need more than that to stay alive.

He had little time to prepare. Already the beast was stomping toward him. The giant creature thrust his pole arm forward. Narrowly parrying the blow, the swordsman swung his blade up from the sand, slicing through the creature’s neck. He was rewarded with a shower of crimson, which drenched his otherwise brown vest and pants.

The hulking form slumped forward, and the man barely evaded being crushed by its massive weight. The sand drank greedily the pool of blood forming beneath the beast, almost too greedily to be mere sand. Resounding with finality, a stone door slid open at one end of the room, just as the sand began to sink. The blade master quickly ran to the doorway before he too was engulfed and never seen again.

No rest for the wicked…

Entering into the dark expanse before him, the grating sound of a stone door sliding shut silenced any thoughts he may have had of rest. He could see naught but a few shimmering shafts of moonlight piercing through the thick black of night. He found himself on solid ground, and warily stepped forward. Eventually he found his way out into the open air.

The sight that met him was awe-inspiring. Huge ruins loomed above him, towering like giant stone beasts threatening to pounce upon him at any moment. The stone roads were worn away with the ages, and nature’s grasp gripped them from every crevice.

The tolls of battle were now to be paid. He slumped to his knees, the ground beneath him but a grayish green blur. He looked to his wounded arm, still flowing with fresh blood to feed the grass below. Raising his arms weakly, he brought his hands together, almost as if praying for relief from the pain that racked his mind. Whether by God’s might or his mortal will, his wounds slowly became engulfed in a blue aura. Flesh reformed, and slowly the aches and pains faded into the night like whispers on a deaf ear. He slowly rose to his feet, gazing upon the ruins before him. He did not know what trials would test him here, but survival was his only option. He hoped, at least, to live long enough to find his brother. He owed him that much.

[Kai]

When he had first received the invitation from an old friend, the silvet thought it was a trick, but none the less he had decided to go and see what this was all about. After freshly arriving back to these lands, and quickly passing through Scara brae he went on until he now stood in the great halls of the citadel waiting for one of the monks to return to him with what he needed to hear.

Kaiser Nightwind had never truly been a very serious person, often his childish antics would earn the disdain of those he would travel with, while some accepted his unique outlook on life, today was different than the usual days. Today he would be put into an arena, with an old friend whose presence made him feel like he should be serious, not only that, but there would be two more there to tackle into as well, he doubted he knew them, he was also worried at the strength of Canen, he had not seen his friend in many years, and no doubt his strength would be greater.

“This sucks … “

He whined, initially unwilling to even step foot inside that arena, but this was an old friend, and after putting up with his own daughter, he felt that he owed him that much, she can be quite a handful. The worst of his fears was an obvious one, his only weapons were was his own body, sure he had the strength to send someone into next week, but apart from his iron armlets, he had nothing to protect himself from a good accurate sword swing.

A cold chilly wind seemed to flow by him, it woke him from his brooding, and alerted him to the monks presence, sure enough in the time away from these lands, the monks still all looked like twins with a strange smile on there faces, oh well who knew why?

“Canen is currently waiting in the arena he designated … will you also be entering?”

“ … looks like I am going to have to use a strategy here … Sure, lead the way twinkle toes”

Without any more words exchanged he led kai to the room, the sensation he got when he entered wasn’t much different from the last time, your stomach was turned upside down, not to mention a massive updraft of wind that threatened to blow you upwards into the sky when you emerge into the arena.

The surrounding ruins seemed strange to him, and yet there was a certain air about them, had he not knew the Nocturn he would have been indifferent about the arena, but he could tell, if not this was his friends homeland, but at the very least that it meant something to him. Kai didn’t need to be psychic to know that, Canen had always chosen an arena that meant something, be it where they first met, or a battlefield long forgotten, there was always a purpose.

When kai emerged, his hair was flowing upwards with the updraft, and the long rope like ponytail was the first thing to fall back into place when the disruption faded and he now existed in this place. His eyes shot open and scanned the arena, just like with all ruins there were places ready to fall, ready to break and to use. Kai had been perched up high and with his vantage point on top of the old structure of a building with a tree now growing in its side, he was quickly able to pin point Canen, and another one of the fighters, the two had not yet met.

“ … Strategy eh? Hah! The best thing I can hope for is my fist in there face … “