A House Is Not A Home

[Silence Sei]

(Closed to Rev)

"It's time, William," Sei said as he began to walk past the door of the revnant. The mute had been talking with William Arcus for days about the various books he had, the latter stating that he had tried to cover most of them in regards to his 'condition'. This prompted Sei to tell his friend that there were many more tunnels in the Tomb than William, or even Sei himself, had explored. As such, there was a treasure trove of knowlege waiting through some of the more unexplored areas of the cavern.

This caught the cursed man's curiosity, questioning Sei as to why he had never explored all of the maze that was him home himself. Sei had never given it much thought, as saving Radasanth took up a good portion of the telapath's time. William then made the obvious statement that Sei had time now, with the Ixian Knights able to cover any heroring that the mystic warrior needed to do. Sei reflected on this for a few days, telling William that he would get back to him with an answer.

Now was the time. Sei heard the door to the woodman's room screech, which caused the mute to smile. Footsteps from behind quickly started to reach Sei's ears, and the telepath could feel the burning presence of William Arcus behind him. "So nice of you to join me, friend." Sei took a battle fan out of his pocket and began to cool himself as they journeyed through the dark parts of the cave.

Sei lifted up his right hand, his Rafanas Ring working as a makeshift torch to lead the two warriors on their way. There were various forks in the road, a lot of dusty trails, but no doors. It was odd that the path the two were following had absolutely no entrances to, well, anything. They walked for several hours before they had to rest, Sei sitting on the ground and contemplating.

"William," Sei thought long and hard about what to say next, "given how far we've walked, and the position of Radasanth on the map, I do believe we're -under- Concordia..."

[Revenant]

“I wouldn’t be surprised,” William grumbled, irate that they had been walking for so long, “we’ve been walking forever.” But despite his sardonic reply, the revenant was truly amazed at the enormity of Sei’s Tomb’s tunnel network. In the sunlit world above he was an experienced woodsman and tracker, but down here in the crushing depths he had no idea how to gauge distance or direction. The amount of time that he and Sei had been hiking since their departure from the shallow tunnels that housed the headquarters of the Ixian Knights certainly compared to the time it took him to trek between the Tomb and his own small shack in Concordia, so he supposed that it was extremely possible that Sei’s guess was correct.

Sei Orlouge, he had learned, was very rarely wrong.

“I wonder if any of these side tunnels lead to the surface.” William gestured to the slight cracks and off-shoot tunnels that led farther into the darkness than Sei’s mystic torch shone. Magically crafted to be a living engine of destruction, William couldn’t help but envision the militaristic advantage to possessing a series of interconnected tunnels which ran the length of the nation of Corone and which was unknown to any outside source. He felt slightly uneasy thinking about such deadly purposes in the presence of the man who was putting so much effort into helping him regain his lost humanity, but he was powerless to fight the urges that sprung unbidden to the forefront of his mind in situations such as these. Powerless that was, until he found a way to mitigate the influence of the demonic essence that had been bound to his soul.

“Nevermind,” William shrugged, willing his thoughts away from the lusty bloodshed where they dwelt, “do you really think that we’ll find anything down here but dust and echoes?” There was a hint of eagerness in the revenant’s gravelly voice. After months of fruitless searching through Sei’s massive library for something to translate the arcane tome that William carried, the same tome whose rituals were used in his creation, William was beginning to despair of ever finding anything useful.

What he would find down here, however, was far more than he could ever hope for.

[Silence Sei]

"I always have hope for everything, friend," Sei smiled. It was true, and it was a trait some found rather annoying in the mute. Sei Orlouge had the ability to somehow bring out the best in some of the darkest hearted people. It became a curse for those who didn't wish for change, and a blessing for those who did. Despite everything that had happened in his life, Sei had never asked to be a savior, it was just thrust upon him. With such a title given to him not of his own will, Sei made the best of the situation in the most extreme ways. William Arcus was a testament to that.

The mute stood up once more, dusting the dirt off of his butt. "Also, perhaps -you- will find echoes, but my own voice doesn't seem to get such a luxury." So many people blatantly forgot that Sei was mute. When he was able to talk through his grandiose powers of telepathy, why shouldn't they? He could change his tone and even scream inside his recipients mind, but outward voice requirements such as echoes were still beyond the mystic’s grasp.

He began to walk again, allowing his ring to highlight the rock walls that surrounded the duo. Sei would occasionally look back on William to make sure he was still doing okay. Sei had been worried about his friend ever since his little run in with the criminal scum known simply as 'Trap Master'. The gruesome ordeals William had to suffer almost erased all of the hard work and effort Sei had put into proving that the woodsman was not a monster. The tunnel they were walking through was very reminiscent of one of the gory traps William had told Sei about, though with much less glass.

Yet when your guide can make a glass shield around himself at will, that could all change in but a few moments.

As the duo walked further in, Sei stopped abruptly. The revenant behind him had not caught this in time and shoved Sei forward a little when their bodies collided. Sei looked over to his friend, and then to the walls. He then began to frantically scan the rock-like surroundings with his hands. The frivolous searching held a purpose, though by the confused look on William's face, Sei could tell he didn't get the point of it.

"I just felt it, William," Sei began to explain, still walking forward inch by inch while checking out the walls with his hands and eyes, "The wind. There's a breeze in this part of the tunnel. Perhaps this could lead us to a new escape route for Radasanth refugees should the Tomb come under attack!" The constant strategically-thinking mind of Sei Orlouge was already calculating what kinds of sneak attacks and escape methods he could use for attack and defense respectively with a hidden passageway.

Sei rarely got this excited about stuff. The fruits of their labor looked like they were about to pay off big time, at least for the youngest Orlouge brother.

[Revenant]

“I’ll take the lead,” William offered, stepping into the side-tunnel before Sei could rebuff his offer. There was no need for William to do so, as Sei was more than capable of protecting himself from whatever unknown dangers might lurk down in these vast tunnels. Not that the two of them had even seen so much as a rat down here during their hours of travel, but when his companion was a man who tended to fling shards of glass all around him at the first sign of hostility, William wasn’t about to take the chance of them running into some random horror at this point.

Sei, as he most often was, had been correct about the tunnel. Now that William was heading down the tunnel he could feel the slight hint of wind that the mystic had felt and could see its movements in the flickering of the torchlight that he carried. The wavering light of the fire made the cramped, shadowy tunnel seem to dance and slide all around William. He could hear Sei’s light footsteps padding just behind him though he never took his eyes from the endless darkness in front of him.

“Look at this Sei,” William said, gesturing to the rough stone path that they were on. Unlike the floors in the main tunnels, the floor down this particular path appeared smooth and worn. The wearing was ancient, and William was no expert, but it looked almost as if this particular path had once seen a heavy amount of traffic. It was an oddity that seemed completely out of place when the darkness in front of the two men suddenly ended in a solid, rough stone wall.

“Dead end?” William questioned, finally turning back to face the mute. “Doesn’t seem quite right, does it?”

[Silence Sei]

"No, it doesn't." Sei grinned to his friend, cracking his knuckles in the process. As if the revenant was reading his leader's mind, he preformed the exact same gesture. "Shall we?" Sei asked, pointing towards the alleged 'dead end'. He was met in kind with a nod from William, who merely turned around and moved his clawed fingertips around a bit.

"Oh yes, lets."

A few moments later, the rocks were crumbling to the might of Sei's kicks and William's ferocious claws. Strike after strike caused more and more rocks to collapse, making a more hollow sound with each action the warriors took. Finally, the two had made a decent size hole in the wall before them. Sei and William casually walked through their makeshift entrance, each cracking the bones in some part of their body as if boulder smashing were nothing to them.

Sei looked at their new surroundings, the cobblestones had led the duo to what appeared to be a dungeon. The scent of death and urine seemed to sour the gloomy area. The lack of light outside of Sei's fist seemed to make the place an abyss of hopelessness. Sei noticed a few empty shackles hanging on the cobblestone walls, only one of them once holding a human skeleton that was collapsed on the floor below them.

Sei took notice of how well taken care of several of the cells down here were. While the place seemed to have been abandoned for years, it appeared as though someone was taking care of the metal on a pretty regular level. Yet, outside the mute could only hear the chirping of birds, the scuttling of rodents across the grass. There was an upper level here, as most dungeons often had. Sei began to walk across the stone floor, his shoes barely making any sound as he seemed to glide across the area.

"Now this is a rare find, William. Let's see if we can find any other interesting things here." Sei was grinning ear to ear now. It seemed as though this would not be just another drab exploration after all.

[Revenant]

“Huh.” William was plainly surprised at what lay behind their breakthrough. In all truth he had expected to find a smuggler’s cache or something similarly drab, not an entire dungeon and Thayne-knew-what all else lay beyond. Memories of the strongholds that he had taken in Amra assailed him. Phantom sounds of the screams of the wounded and dying that Kal’Necroth’s armies left in their wake filled his ears with their haunting tones. William blinked, breaking the spell, and shook his head to clear the remnants from his mind. The past was just that, past, and there was no use dwelling there.

“Yes, lets,” he answered Sei. A brief search of the dungeon told William that, while the metals here were somehow well maintained through the long years of this dungeon’s abandonment, there was a lot that was missing. Ground splinters of decayed wood, victims of age and insects, littered the grooved slits in the blocked floor. He cracked open one of the skeleton’s long bones, the aged fragment shattering easily under the pressure of his inhuman strength.

“Marrow’s long gone, been here for a long, long time,” he told Sei, tossing the bone to the mystic. Sei caught the thing and, after a quick examination, nodded. Some of the Ixian Knights would have shied away from touching the macabre fragment but not its leader, a fact that William appreciated. Though the mystic looked frail, there was a rod of steel that ran through him.

Continuing his examination, William marveled that the scents of the dungeon should still linger after so long. It was as if so much horror had been perpetrated here that the stink of it had soaked into the very stones. It was a thought that sent a rush of excitement and pleasure through the revenant, and he was so lost in his violent thoughts that he nearly passed by the dungeon’s exit.

“I found the way out,” William called over to Sei, who was looking through the remnants of some ancient torture device. The door was made of heavy stone, and molded to look like the dungeon walls, but whoever had been using it to effect their meager upkeep on the dungeon had not made an effort to do the same to the stone façade, leaving the exit easily apparent.

The door was unlocked and easily swung open at William’s insistent pressure. Despite that, William could see an archaic locking system within, “looks like they’re not big on security here,” he chuckled to Sei while he shifted the locking bar up and down.

Torchlight from William’s burning brand illuminated the room beyond, reflecting off the dull bars of the numerous jail cells that lined either side. Footsteps echoed from the twenty or so cells that made up the jail, but all else in the room was silent and, aside from William and Sei, still.

William browed each cell as the two of them passed. Dust clung to the metal frames that once held shackled prisoners, and each cell had a small hole bored in the center where excrement and other waste could be dumped. It was nothing special but there was one thing that stuck William, the lack of cobwebs. He couldn’t go a week without having a cobweb or two pop up inside his room back at headquarters, but here there wasn’t so much as a single thread of spider’s silk to be seen.

“I guess this place isn’t so abandoned after all.”

[Silence Sei]

"Apparently not" Sei said, noting the lack of cobwebs as well. The mute treaded carefully through the jail cells, William following at his side. It seemed as though the revenant was just as tense about the situation as the mute himself. Sei could feel the heat that irradiated off of his friend whenever he took his more demonic form. Each step made by the two fell silent along the stone floor, their eyes scouring in the limited lighting for steps that would hopefully take them outside.

It wasn't long before Sei's body answered the question of the stairs locations. Several small beams of light hit Sei's form, and the telepath could feel himself feeling better than he had previously been in the dungeon. Following where the beams of sunshine were coming from, the duo found themselves facing a spiral set of damascus black stairs. The stairs seemed to lead to another cellar-like door. Beside the staircase, a large rock was blocking the path of a doorway. Sei did not even counsel William on which path the two should take, and quickly headed up the dark staircase towards the oak door.

Within a few moments, Sei had pushed the large door open and peered his head out. The mystic found his face ground level with, well, the ground. Looking at the tall crab grass that surrounded his head, Sei began to climb out from the hole in the ground. As the mute stood, he heard a low growl coming from behind him. Turning around, Sei's eyes met with that of a drave.

The large wolf-like creature was baring all of its teeth towards the mystic, speckles of crimson dotting the pearly whites. The yellow fur was well-kempt, as if somebody had been grooming it for something. Its hyena-like mane was completely gone. Sei could have paid a bit more attention to the detail of the creature, had the beast not swung a paw the size of the hero's head towards him. Sei dived downward, hitting the ground and looking back to the entrance he had just came out of. The door quickly slammed shut due to the Drave starting a charge towards the telepath, leaving Sei on his own, if only temporarily.

Knew I should have taken the door! Sei thought to himself, reaching behind his back and withdrawing his Gemini Blades. In the heat of the moment, the mute never realized his weapons pulsing a deep blue color...

[Revenant]

“Sei,” William cried, startled from his investigation by the sounds of distant conflict and slamming of metal-on-metal. He had decided to take his time and investigate the strange blocked off doorway while the mystic scouted up the stairs and had gone so far as to heave the obstructing rock out of the way before Sei’s situation began.

“I’m coming,” William yelled, unsure of whether or not his orange-haired friend could hear him from where he was. As it was with William taking the lead down the side tunnel which had led the two of them here, the revenant’s rapid ascent towards the muffled sounds of battle wasn’t about any worry for the mystic’s safety but was more about not wanting to miss out on the first signs of life that they had come across in hours.

William was momentarily caught off-guard as he rebounded off the metal door that had slammed shut over the dungeon’s exit. The sounds of fighting coming from outside told him that this was where Sei had disappeared to, but something had barred the door after the mystic’s departure. “Sei,” William yelled, hoping that the mystic could hear him through the bolted portal, “Sei the door’s been barred.”

The sound of fighting outside seemed to grow fainter as time passed rather than stronger, as if whatever Sei was combating were driving the mute away from the door rather than toward it. “Shit,” William muttered and beat experimentally on the metal portal. The portal held firm, despite his demonically enhanced strength and after three blows the revenant decided that further beating would make no difference. He thought of trying to claw the door open but knew that his steel-hard claws would be all but useless against the bolted door.

“What the hell do I do now?” he questioned, slumping against the rickety steel bar of the staircase’s rail. Specks of dust flew upward through the shafts of light that penetrated the shadowy stairwell, stirred to life by William’s speedy ascent. The drifting motes of dust sparked an idea in the back of the revenant’s mind, for in the scant moments before Sei’s turmoil began William had peered into the barred room at the bottom of the stairs and had seen that there was a vertical shaft inside that led upward into the structure above.

“Worth a shot,” he muttered flying once more to the newly opened room. While the assorted cobwebs and general filth of ages had been cleared from the dungeon outside, no such administrative effort had been made in the sealed up shaft. William could see that there were several levels above him; each with a corresponding door that he could only assume was as sealed as the bottom level had been. Still, rolling a blocking stone out of the way was far easier than hammering away at a bolted metal door. With that in mind, William wrapped the scarf that he wore tightly about his face to keep the worst of the cobwebs and filth out and then began his ascent.

[Silence Sei]

The Drave leapt towards the mystic, jaws clasping at what they expected to be a full meal. The wolf met with nothing as Sei stepped aside, expecting the quick charge of the animal. As the beast turned its head to find its prey, a long sword's blade came down at its neck. The red blood that oozed from the back of the monster's neck spilled in gallons into the tall grass. Sei removed the blade from the meat of his opponent, nodding solemnly and saying a small prayer to pass the beast on to its next life.

The Drave collapsed as Sei finished the prayer, the mystic approaching the cellar door he had just come out of. During the excitement, Sei had not noticed the bar that had been placed over the door, causing the two rings on either side of the entrance to lock itself steady and firm. The telepath kneeled down and examined the work. A Drave could not do such a thing, they had no opposable thumbs.

Someone was trying to sabotage the exploration.

Sei smiled at the thought of a third party trying to stop himself and William from their adventure. If this person encountered the revenant first, he would regret ever trying to steer them away. Sei stood and began to walk along the field, starting to take in the surrounding area. If not for the tall grass, this would be a good area to train the soldiers of the Ixian Knights. Over a mile in length and width of nothing but grass and a few dilapidated training dummies.

The four walls that surrounded the mystic indicated an old castle of some sort. Following the walls with his eyes, Sei found himself looking at a towering structure, at least five stories high, with enough room for every single one of his troops and then some. A smile crossed the mystic's face as he began to think of what he could do with such a seemingly abandoned establishment.

Two orange and blue butterfly wings sprouted from the back of the mute. The wings began to push hard into the air to support the weight of Sei Orlouge enough to take flight. The mute continued to smile, flying across the tower to take in all of the walls that surrounded it. The shadows casted by the tallest trees in Concordia seemed to allow the irregular structure blend in with nature itself. Sei eventually found himself landing on top of one of the walls, one built with what appeared to be granite stones. He followed the top of the wall until he found a door, an entrance to what appeared to be a guard post of some sort.

Sei opened the door with a new sense of vigor, only to find himself staring directly at another Drave, similarly colored to the first, a good twenty feet away and standing at the exit to Sei's entrance. Sei sighed as he gripped his Gemini Blades and prepared for yet another battle.

[Revenant]

Finding purchase for his clawed fingers was surprisingly easy, despite the shaft’s tough granite composition. There were enough open grooves and water-worn cracks that William had pulled up to the next level in no time, leaving him to ponder just how he was supposed to budge the impeding boulder from in front of this particular entrance. There was little room to maneuver, and the tiny ledge on the landing above wouldn’t offer nearly enough stability for him to heave the boulder out of the way. One push with no bracing would only serve to heave him back into the dark, cobwebbed abyss and send him right back to the bottom of the shaft. A cursory examination of the thin cracks of light coming from the sealed doorway, however, showed that there was just enough room in the gap for William to wedge his claws.

Having braced himself firmly in the doorway William could now ponder the best solution to removing the stone from his path without having to worry about a sudden plummet. But though his situation had slightly improved, there was still no way for him to heave against the obstruction with his arms used as they were to brace him. He could pull against the door’s frame to give him some leverage, but that alone wouldn’t be enough. William still needed a little extra force and momentum to get things moving, and with his arms being no use there was only one thing left he had that could help.

This isn’t going to be pleasant, he thought as he curled his leg back in preparation to knee-strike the boulder. Smashing through rocks with the steel-hard bone gauntlets that covered his hands and forearms was one thing, but doing so with an unprotected knee was going to be an entirely different experience. Not like I have much choice.

A loud crack echoed through the dark confines of the ascending shaft as his knee met the obstructing boulder. Not wanting to waste the effort, William gritted his teeth against the pain and heaved with all of the force that he could muster. The enormous rock moved after the first hit, but not enough for William to escape. The second one pushed it a little further, but was still not enough. It was the third strike that finally shifted the boulder enough for William to wedge his body in between and turn the full force of his inhuman strength onto it. With only a little more effort the boulder was sent rolling completely away from the door, only to crash down a small flight of stairs and run into a stop at another wall.

The rest of the room outside the shaft looked like a reception area for whatever this place had once been. Several stone benches were scattered around the interior, one of them only narrowly missed by the rolling boulder, though there was otherwise nothing to see on the floor. The ceiling, however, was filled with intricately carved detail, and its soaring height was supposed by two rows of likewise carved pillars. Bright light filtered in through two full length windows at the room’s entrance, and the massive door which lay between them was deceptively fashioned to match the room’s stylized interior, despite the obvious difference in age between the two. William noted that there were several smaller alcoves in the corners opposite the entry door, but the fighting sounds from outside meant that he and Sei would have to explore those at a different time.

Not knowing what sort of problems the orange-haired mystic had run into outside, William hobbled over to the room’s massive wooden doors as fast as his aching knee allowed. Even the tiniest pressure put onto the joint made him mind throb with pain and he was pretty sure that he had broken his kneecap if not outright shattered it, but at this point mobility was more important than refraining from doing any further damage to the knee. Besides, his supernatural healing would repair the damage no matter how much he compounded it.

“Sei,” William called out, throwing the wooden doors wide open, “I found another way up.” The only reply William received was a spasm from the fallen Drave and a last snap of Sei’s tunic as the winged mystic disappeared over the top of the castle.

“Fucking fairy-wings,” William cursed as he watched the last vestige of his companion disappear from view.

[Silence Sei]

Similar to the first Drave, this one charged head first as well. The saliva dripping from its mouth hinted at its hunger for the taste of Sei's blood. Just when the beast was about five feet from the telepath, Sei stepped back and slammed the door. The beast's head slammed through the oak entry, splinters piercing its neck and causing small droplets of blood to pour out. The wolf-like creature tried retracting its head, as well as wiggling itself out, to no avail.

Sei raised his sword and closed his eyes. He was already saying a prayer for the beast. As Sei opened his eyes to focus his aim, he noticed the something about the canine. A hint of brown circled around the neck of the beast. Leaning down, Sei's eyes widened as he realized what the odd colored thing was. These Draves were not the wild beasts that the Mystic had originally thought.

They were guard dogs. They were someone’s pets.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As Sei discovered the true purpose behind the Draves, William would find himself with his hands full. Out of nowhere, a gust of wind would send the Revenant slamming into the ground. This particular gust of wind was not something that nature could have created, it felt more solid, and it had substance to it. It was as if the winds had formed a ball and slammed it directly into the former woodsman’s back.

The sound of large wings tearing through the air would descend behind William. Two feet hitting the ground would follow up the first sound, continued by the echo of a spear tearing through some of the tall grass as it was twirled. "You've got about ten seconds to explain why you're killing my animals, and trespassing on Eagleman property. We have an alliance with Radasanth, and Akashima." The voice was stern, deep, almost as if it held a pride for some unforeseen force.

"You better get to answering, or you will fall today at the hands of Stark Maximillian."

[Revenant]

Caught off guard by the sudden appearance of the hidden castle's master, William pushed himself up and took a moment to size the newcomer up. The eagle-winged man was tall and fit, could apparently produce air bursts, and the wings he bore weren't just for show. And then there was the spear, with its tip fashioned from some unknown material that looked to William like bone or horn. But despite its composition William could see that the weapon was far from primitive and that Stark handled it with practiced ease. Soaring above it all was the knowledge that, whatever the man had done to Sei and William, it was those two who were trespassing and it was Stark who was in the right for defending his territory.

What would Sei do? William questioned, watching the slow rotation of Stark's spear. The mute mystic would likely have held his hands up in a show of friendship, proclaiming this entire affair an honest mistake made by two individual explorers. He would explain how the two of them had come upon the castle entirely by accident and that they were there, despite the killing of Stark's beast, with no harmful intentions. Sei would then have offered his hand to the man and would have offered him a position in the Ixian Knights. All would be good and happy and well then, and they would all laugh and have some of the cake that could inexplicably be found wherever Sei went. William snorted derisively at the thought.

The Revenant perched on one leg as he ruminated, his wounded knee throbbing like the beat of a heavy drum. His pants around the area felt tight, proof that the joint was already swelling to enormous proportions. Stark Maximilian was clearly becoming agitated by his continued silence and what William should have done was to follow Sei's example. But William wasn't Sei, and the incessant beat of pain in his mind roused the hostile intentions in his blood.

"You want to know why we're here, eh?" William grinned, a savage grin that revealed his sharp, demonic teeth and held absolutely no mirth or warmth. Wasting no further words, William loosed the full extent of his demonic power, unleashing a bursting wave front of superheated air from his body, and pushed off his good leg with supernatural speed and power. He was at Stark in an instant, the courtyard's flowing grass withering and dying in the heat around him as he ducked into a roll, coming just inside the Eagleman's startled down thrust and lashing out in a sweeping kick with his uninjured leg to bring Stark down. Without mobility, William knew, the Eagleman was nothing more than pliant flesh for the slaughter.

[Silence Sei]

The attack had not surprised the Eagleman. Stark had had to deal with the demonic types all of his life. So when William attempted his sweeping motion towards the winged warrior, Stark's massive eagle-like wings carried him upwards just over the good leg of the temporarily crippled Revenant. The stern face of William's opponent seemed to not enjoy the answer he was given, and there would be consequences for that.

Slamming the shaft of his spear towards the kneecap of William's other leg, Stark listened to the shriek of pain coming from the trespasser. If William's leg had not been broken, it was now. The Eagleman landed once more, his blue eyes never leaving the form of William Arcus. "I'll ask you one more time before I really have to hurt you, why are you here?"

Stark's answer was a primal growl as the demon in William began to make its presence even more known. The flyer sighed as he twirled his spear around in a grand display of weapons mastery. Throwing out his free left hand, Stark held his weapon behind him. This intruder didn't seem like much of a threat to the veteran, so what was the point of using his trademark Unicorn Spear?

"Well then I guess I'm going to have to hurt you."

[Revenant]

William screamed as his wounded knee shattered. Stabbing pain raced through him, reaching up into his skull and pulling so tight that his teeth hurt. But even through the pain William was cognizant that the threat posed by the Eagleman remained; a threat that the fiery spirit of destruction within him refused to bow to.

The Revenant ignored the lancing pain in his knee as best as he could while he rolled over and pushed himself up onto his good leg. His blackened claws dug deep furrows in the rich soil and dead grass beneath him while Stark’s punishment hovered over his head. It was almost as if William hung suspended between disgrace and defeat and a lesser man would have collapsed from the strain. William, however, was something great, something special, and faced with such a situation he only bared his pointed teeth at the Eagleman in a snarl.

“Hurt me then,” he snarled, springing forward once again from his good leg like a cornered rat striking back at the taunting cat because there was no other option left. The look on Stark’s face could not be construed as anything but disdain as he flipped him hand over, thrusting another air burst at William from his open palm.

The sudden, forceful surge of air caught William and threw him away from Stark like a rag doll. Charred flesh met unyielding stone with a meaty thud, and William loosed another yelping scream as his weight came down on his wounded leg. Still he refused to give up, scrambling to get his good leg back under him. Stark Maximilian had other plans, lightly touching down near William with wings spread. William’s snarling grimace told Stark that, despite being so easily trounced, there was still fight in the demonic warrior, which was something that just would not do.

“There is no need for this, intruder,” Stark said casually, waving the butt end of his spear to generate another wind burst which sent William hurtling across the courtyard. Before William could recover, Stark was at him again, “you only need to tell me what I want to stop it.” Another swipe, another surge of air, and William was once again sent bodily through the air.

“No?” Stark questioned, seeing his opponent’s battered form still struggling to come at him again. “What a pity, such wasted pride. Was it worth it?” William’s only reply was to spit a mouthful of hot, molten blood onto the Eagleman’s pristine tunic. With a sigh and a wave, Stark generated another wave of air that picked up William and threw him lightly through the air. This time, however, the surge of air was strong enough to throw William entirely out of the courtyard, and up onto the landing where Sei and the Drave were fighting.

William would have found the look of shock on Sei’s face to be humorous if he weren’t in such a bad condition. Still, there was an opportunity to be had that the battered Revenant just couldn’t pass up.

“I’ll have to thank Stark,” William laughed curtly, staining himself with his own blood. “I was having trouble thinking of a way up here.”

[Silence Sei]

By the time William had arrived, Sei had several pieces of his gray gi torn off. Rather than lose the articles in a fight against the Drave, the Mystic was using the cloth to bandage the beast. Though the animal was still using the wooden door as a mane, Sei covered all of the sensitive spots on the animal rather well. Dark splotches of blood sunk into the fabric of Sei's clothing.

Now that William was here, Sei looked at his friend with a raised eyebrow. Apparently the revenant was not faring as well against his opponent as the mute had. The Drave whimpered, turning Sei to turn towards his former foe. The telepath looked back to William, the incessant sound of booming coming from the distance.

"Stark? As in, Stark Maximillian?" Sei asked his friend, reaching down and helping the demonic man up. Sei's eyes shot down to the leg of William, noting how his friend carried himself with one leg limp. Sei sighed and unbuttoned his cloth, the one awarded to him by Jomil. As Sei began to wrap the cloth around William's leg, the revenant began to protest.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Sei looked up to his ally and sighed, attempting to reassure his fears.

"Your leg won't rot off, if that's what you're worried about. The Jomil Touch only takes effect if I will it to. Why would I want you to be an amputee?" Sei asked, causing William's protest to transform into a whimper, and then nothingness. He had used the furry cloth to act as a tourniquet of sorts for William. As the mute stood he had realized that the booming sound was now directly behind the two of them. Sei looked at William's eyes, finding that the demon was looking upwards.

Sei turned and found himself face-to-hips- with the hovering Stark Maximillian. The Eagleman looked down at the two, lowering himself. "Sei Orlouge?! Rumor was you were dead. What the hell is going on around here?!" Sei smiled a bit, and the smile turned into an unheard laugh.

"Let me start from the beginning, friend..."

[Revenant]

William slumped against the wall of the small enclosure with a sigh. The throbbing in his broken knee had been mercifully quieted by Sei’s makeshift tourniquet, and now the only rhythmic bother that intruded on his head was the steady whining pound of the captured beast that Sei had been attending to upon William’s unorthodox arrival. A brief moment of rage from his humiliating defeat incited William to reach out and flay the beast’s proffered throat open with a flick of his claws, but he held himself back. Not only would both Sei and Stark have thoroughly disapproved, but William wanted to show that he was the very modicum of restraint.

Left with no better purposes to serve, the Revenant sloughed his demonic power like a heavy coat. The charred lines of power that consumed his flesh during his transformation were whisked away as his supernatural healing ability was allowed to take over. He was covered in a plethora of bruises and scratches, not to mention the ugly, swollen bubble on his wounded knee, and he would heal them all that much faster without his degenerative power at the forefront.

“Figures,” he huffed under his breath, watching as Sei held his discourse with the Eagleman. True to William’s earlier supposition, the orange-haired mystic had launched right into his public relations campaign at the first sight of Stark. Furthermore, it actually appeared as if Sei had previous knowledge of, and relations with the Eagleman. Why is it that every one of Sei’s past acquaintances has to pick a fight with me? he snorted, thinking back to his encounter with the water-zombie Aquath on the night that he was first inducted into Sei’s Nine. That encounter had also left him battered and bruised.

Though William could only hear one half of the conversation owing to Sei’s telepathic method of ‘speech’, it became readily apparent that the mute was dragging out the description of their journey here, and the story of what the two of them hoped to accomplish in the seemingly-abandoned fortress. The length of time gave William’s healing ability enough time to erase most of the wounds that he had sustained and cushioned the rest, though his knee would take the better part of a day or two to properly heal. Knowing Sei as William did, he had no doubt that the mystic dragged the conversation between him and Stark out for just that reason.

William looked from his bandaged knee to the cornered beast, who had completely settled down into patient waiting at the arrival of its master. Things would have gone far smoother for William, he pondered, if he had just listened to the logical voice in his head rather than the violent one. “Yeah, like that’s ever going to happen,” he muttered. Feeling as if he’d done enough sitting for the day, William pushed himself onto his good leg and hobbled over to where the last of the conversation was taking place.

[Silence Sei]

"I see," the now grounded Eagleman spoke a lot softer now to Sei. During the course of the conversation, Stark had went to check on his pet, made sure the injuries were properly taken care of, and listened intently to what his former friend had to say. When William had approached the two, still hobbling a bit, Stark nodded to acknowledge his being there. "It seems I acted in haste, and owe you an apology, William. Sei has told me that the two of you have done epic feats together."

Sei shifted his gaze to his friend, making sure that he had been healed for the most part. His leg would take the most work, but the telepath was sure the healing process of William's body was already tediously working away at that. Looking back to Stark , the Mystic warrior smiled and extended his hand towards the winged fighter. Stark took Sei's hand and opened his arms up wide, allowing the duo to take in the beauty of the castle for a moment, and truly have a second of peace.

"As a way of saying I'm sorry for the misunderstanding, and to show you will have no prouder ally than the Eagleman people, allow me to give you this castle. Recently, I've just been using it as a sort of dog house for my Draves. Since that was sort of taken care of." Stark shot a glare at Sei for only a moment, before returning to his warming demeanor, "I have no use for this place. Our village is much more majestic than this old thing, and I never have time to truly keep the place tidy, what with being the ruler of my people and all."

Sei nodded with a grin, his eyes going over to William. The telepath would gladly take the castle off of Stark's hands. After all, Sei's Tomb was getting crowded with all sorts of people, and it was starting to irk the mute. As Sei stood proud at the new home he had for his Ixian Knights, he felt something vibrating at his back. Reaching behind him and withdrawing his Gemini Blades, Sei found them glowing a mysterious blue. Usually, the sword only glowed when their magical ability was active. The only reason they would be showing off their majestic aura now would be if.

"There's a Zodiac Weapon near here. It's sensing its brother..." Sei looked to William, as if asking the revenant if he wanted to continue the exploration.

[Revenant]

"Why am I not surprised?" William smirked, his eyes drawn to the blue glow that lit Sei's Gemini Blades. From what he knew, every prophesied member of the Nine save himself had found and been bonded to one of the legendary weapons. Taking his eyes from the blades, William turned his gaze to the sweeping stone castle that had just been bequeathed to his employer. Such a large and unknown structure secreted away in the heart of the Concordian Forest, who would have guessed that one of the Zodiac Weapons would be here? The prophecy on the ancient tablet in Sei's Tomb seemed to have a touch of destiny on its side.

William sighed, resting his back against the platform's railing to give his knee a chance to rest. Seeing that their business was at an end, Stark was finally getting around to freeing his imprisoned pet to attend to the wounds Sei's makeshift collar had made. William idly wondered if the beasts came with the castle and whether or not they would attend to a new master before letting his thoughts wander back to the Zodiac Weapon. Years of woodcraft had left him somewhat proficient swinging an axe. The heft, the weight and pull of the swing, felt almost natural to him. He knew that the Zodiac Weapon's seemed to sense their owners intent, and had taken up practice in the one martial weapon he was anywhere remotely proficient with in preparation. Not that his weapon training in the Ixian Knights' training rooms was completely a result of his belief that he would sooner or later come across one of the legendary weapons, it was just good common sense to know that his demonic claws were not always going to be an available option to him. In the end there was no telling what form the weapon would take though. Taka's had come to him as a larger version of his own preferred sword after all, and though the weapon just looked like a larger sword, it had a completely different fighting style to it.

Stark finished his ministrations on the Drave and then took the creature aside, letting William and Sei know that they were free to pass into the winding staircase that would take them down from their current vantage point. "Come on Sei, though I just learned how to fly, I think I should practice somewhere lower to the ground," William inclined his head, indicating the rapid ascent he had made up to the platform. "Thanks for the gift Stark. Hopefully our next meeting will be on better terms."

Leading the way once again, William plunged into the winding staircase, wincing with every limping step.

[Silence Sei]

The footsteps barely made any noise as the two traveled the halls of their new castle. The only noise at all was that of Sei's Gemini Blades, humming steadily as the mute followed the swords. It was a simple game of hot-or-cold; the weapons would glow brighter the closer the pair got to their destination, and dimmer when they were further away. Of course, in a castle of this magnitude, the duo found themselves having to turn around several times. This was good in the sense that they could see things they missed, another room here, a wall that needed fixing there. That did not stop it from becoming damn frustrating eventually, however.

The two passed all the luxuries Stark had spoiled on his little 'secret garden' while they walked. There were a few different training rooms for various styles of fighting, at least two mess halls that Sei had found on each side of the expansive manor, even a few recreational rooms on five of the six above ground floors.

Hours had passed, and the sun soon gave way to the moon as a source of light. By this time, Stark and his Drave had joined the adventurers in their exploring. Each time the trio entered a room; Stark would begin on the traditions of his people to keep everything up to code, and what significance the area once had. The stories did not seem to bother the mute, but Sei could tell that William was getting frustrated with the events that were unfolding.

Sei grinned as the three of them climbed the stairs leading up to the sixth floor. It was a short climb, two sets of stairs separated by a ten foot, smoothed out rock platform. It lead to a gigantic floor hosting four separate rooms, one on each corner of the space. Each of the four seemed to possess their own living quarters. There was no doubt that this was where the leaders of past Eagleman tribes resided, along with their families.

In the dead center of the blue and white checkered tile floor was a strange stand supporting, of all things, four different colored hippopotamuses. On the back of the necks of each hippo was a button of some sort. Sei walked over to the structure and eyed it carefully, noting the thirteen marbles that stood perfectly in the middle of the stand. The green, red, yellow, and blue hippo seemed to have their teeth clamped down firmly into the flat surface area of the stand.

The mystic reached out and placed a hand on the button atop the red hippo. Instantly, the neck of the inanimate beast shot forward and gulped up several marbles. This action caused the rest of the marbles to start rolling around, Sei looking to his two compatriots and not quite understanding the situation.

"Quickly!" Stark shouted, grabbing the hand of William once he realized what the impulsive action had done. "We must make sure all of the stones are collected before time runs out!"

"What happens when time runs out?!" Sei asked quickly, his eyes widening at the thought of dooming them all.

As Stark placed William in front of the blue hippo and himself in front of the green one, he smiled playfully. "Nothing, but it seemed like fun to make the two of you panic. Legend foretells that the rightful owner of some sort of treasure is destined to collect the most orbs in this primitive game. So far, the game has not judged any of the former leaders the right to the treasure. Maybe it's about time we see if I'm the one destined to receive it?"

"Somehow, I doubt it," Sei said, looking directly into William's eyes before motioning his head down.

The Gemini Blades were glowing brighter than ever before, almost as if its brother was right under their noses...

[Revenant]

William felt like Stark was rubbing his mind with sandpaper, droning on about the history of this and that while William’s knee throbbed incessantly. He was tired of the exploration that had taken him and Sei all day to finish, and he was tired of being led around by the man who had smashed his knee; all for the sake of what could or could not be one of the Zodiac Weapons. But instead of throwing his hands up in disgust and walking away from the entire affair, William vented his frustration by slamming his finger down on the blue hippo’s button as fast and as hard as he could.

“I don’t believe it.” Stark’s voice broke William from his reverie of anger and annoyance. William paused his button pushing long enough to see that both Sei and Stark had stepped away from the platform and were watching him with a mixture of humor and amazement. Looking back at the board William saw that the game had finished and that he had somehow come away with the majority of the stone marbles in his hippo. What surprised William the most though wasn’t the fact that he had won the game, but that an opening had appeared in the pedestal beneath him.

William glanced from the pedestal to Sei and then to the Eagleman and back to the pedestal again. A knowing glance from Sei and a slight inclination towards the glowing swords that the mystic bore was all the motivation that William needed. Crouching low, despite his aching knee, William peered into the opening.

Inside the pedestal’s center, running from the base of the pedestal to the board as if acting like a support, there rested a metal rod. It was multi-colored, block on one end and white on the other, with spheres capping either side. A finely crafted handle wrapped delicately around the rod’s center, calling out for William’s grasp. Without realizing he was doing so, Willliam reached his hand out, feeling something in the rod call out to him.

“Wait,” Stark said, gripping William’s outstretched hand. The Revenant cast an annoyed glare at the Eagleman, but Stark’s reluctance was only so that he could give William a stick of metal that was of similar size to the rod. “Use this.”

William looked at the replacement, mulling his options over before he nodded, taking the stick of metal from Stark. Carefully, he resumed reaching for the rod, positioning the metal stick so that he could swap the two devices in an instant. This fancy cylinder of metal was far from what William had expected from the Zodiac Weapon that was to be linked to him, and yet the connection between the two of them was unmistakable.

William’s hand gripped the rod’s handle with a light touch, the very slightest of contact, but it was enough. William felt his mind filled with a cold, calm clarity, as if all the fire and rage within him were placed on display before him. The dual aspects of his logic and emotion were within reach, as much a part of him as his own flesh and yet separate enough that they were like foreign objects. William drew the rod from the pedestal, swift as a striking snake, and replaced it with the metal that Stark had given to him.

“Libra, the scales, balance,” William whispered, holding the rod up for Stark and Sei to see. “It speaks to me.” But it wasn’t the rod that whispered in the dark recesses of William’s mind, it was his own voice. With all of his emotions separate but laid out before him William understood that the rod allowed an emotional wielder to keep himself in check, making emotion into a tool that could be used or cast aside at will.

William allowed his humor to flow into him and chuckled lightly, “how … frustratingly appropriate.”

Spoil:
Libra - The Rod of Balance: Libra is an inch thick, eighteen-inch long cylindrical rod formed of Damascus Steel. At one end, the rod is capped with a black orb fashioned from an unknown metal that bears a runic marking which translates to “freedom”. A similar orb, only fashioned from an unknown white metal, caps the opposite end and bears a runic marking which translates to “control”. A long strip of cream colored vlince wraps around the rod’s center, fashioned as a grip. By holding the vlince grip and commanding, a bearer can cause the Rod to lengthen into a full-length staff and can be returned back to rod size the same way.

Libra was initially fashioned to allow mystics the ability to rein in strong emotions which may have jeopardized delicate spells and rituals. One who bears the rod, even if they just wear it upon their person, finds that, while they still feel emotional impulses, they will remain in control of themselves even if under extreme duress.

Additionally, given the enhancement susceptibility of Damascus Steel and Libra’s proximity to magic for extended periods of time, the rod may have additional properties that can be discovered through extended use and study.

[Silence Sei]

Sei watched his friend take a few practice swings with his new weapon. The brightness of the Gemini Blades began to fade while Sei watched the white and black ends of the weapon glow their own respective colors. Looking towards Stark, the telepath could see the disappointment in the veteran’s face that the weapon had not been his. The Mystic would find some way to compensate his Eagleman friend for everything he had done.

Looking back over to William, Sei continued to smile. "Lets tell everyone that the Ixian Knights have a new home."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There had been movers working all day. In fact, it would take weeks to move everybody's rooms and their contents into the large castle. It would be worth it, however, as every person could have more space, better equipment, and most importantly, fresh air. Sei had spent the majority of his time on the top floor. The four rooms on the uppermost level had already been claimed by Sei, Jensen, and Anita, with the fourth being reserved for Kyla.

It had been a few weeks since the girl had left the Tomb, but Sei shared a mental connection with her that was alerting him to something. He had been working on a project in the largest room of the floor for several hours Anita had tirelessly went back and forth to the second floor, where the mess halls were, to go retrieve her father drinks. Finally, Sei stood and wiped the sweat from his brow, satisfied with the piece of work he had created.

A single crib lay in the room, the whole area already painted with bright, vibrant colors. Sei placed his hands upon his hips and nodded happily. It was done. Anita blinked a few times as she looked at the baby bed. "Is there something you're not telling us, Papa?"

"There was," Sei spoke, still grinning ear to ear, "Kyla's coming home."

((Spoils: This is the official HQ gaining of Ixian Castle, the true HQ of the Ixian Knights. Now we're an official PG pending approval of this spoil, yay!

I'll let Rev post his Zodiac Weapon Spoil himself, or edit it in his last post))

[Zerith]

A House Is Not A Home.

Alright, first I want to apologize for making you guys wait so long for this. Due to some surprise circumstance in my life, I’ve gotten a little distracted. I’d also like to ask you two to please be patient with me, as this will be my first full commentary and I’m going to try to write it out a little differently.

With that said, let’s get this thing started.


Continuity – 5 – You guys gave me a basic idea of why the story was taking place, but even then it wasn’t really much to go with. It was like Sei just randomly decided to get up and go exploring and William was just the unlucky guy that got sucked into having to go along for the ride. The story started immediately, with no real introduction as to why things were happening. While it is true that some stories throw the reader into the middle of the situation, I really think it would have been better if there was a little more explanation of why Sei hadn’t already mapped out his caves (other than not having enough time) or why he decided to recruit William of all people to join him. Sei could have easily asked Jensen, Anita or even Talen to come along. Why did he settle on just the revenant?

Revenant, this is where I feel like William became just a minor character in the story. Rather than explain or explore how the character gets involved into the story, you just started as if I would have known exactly how William came to be in the current situation. You literally just started with him in the middle of the caves, going with the flow and following Sei like a puppy. Try to assume that the reader doesn’t have any knowledge of William, tell me what made him decide to want to travel with Sei.

Setting – 7 – I decided to give you guys this score because I felt like you did a good job with it. You went beyond the task of just describing things based on their physical appearance and added a bit of scent and sound. Adding those little bits really helped me imagine the dungeon, or even when the two decided to go all Chris Redfield on the boulder in the cave. However, what really stood out to me in this category was how Revenant took injury to the knee and went with it. That’s a great way of taking something and using it to the fullest. So you guys got a bonus point for that. My only issue was that I was hoping for a little more detail on the castle, that’s all I can think of at the moment.

Pacing – 4 – This is where I felt the story hurt a little. I personally found it a little hard to get into it at first. Thankfully I pushed through it and found myself starting to get interested in where the story was going when the characters were looking through the dungeon. When Stark and the Drave’s appeared was when I really got into things, but after that it felt like things were rushed. I also found the conclusion to be rather strange, especially on Revenant’s part. I felt like that could have gone another post or two.

Total STORY Score: 16

Dialogue - 5 - Sei and William’s Dialogue were alright, but I really felt like Stark’s was just bland and didn’t see much character of his character in it. I mean you did a decent job of describing about how his voice sounded, but I really didn’t feel like I got a sense of who Stark is in his dialogue. By now you each should have enough grasp of your character’s to know how to make the dialogue help illustrate them to the reader. I just felt like the dialogue in this thread was average at best. I want to see things like more of William’s fiery nature in his words. I didn’t expect him to thank Stark for the gift and forgive the guy so quickly.

Action – 7- This was another good category for you two. Sei’s use of the door to deal with the Drave was good, and the damage William suffered to his knee was another big thing. I will admit that I had a much easier time seeing Arcus go all Chris Redfield on the boulder than I did Sei, and I really didn’t get much of a feel of Stark through his actions (other than manipulating the wind during his encounter with William, and why he was fighting to defend his castle). Actions need to reflect your characters. You guys certainly know this and know how to do it with your major PC’s. Now I want to challenge you to try and do it with the NPC’s in a story as well.

Persona – 4 – This one was a little tricky, as I really didn’t get a sense of emotion from Sei or Stark. Though I suppose that I could see why Stark wouldn’t feel bad if he felt his pets were just a burden, and Sei did feel bad for the poor dog. William was okay, though I would have liked to read a bit more of some sense of serenity when he picked up the Zodiac Weapon. Emotion is a very difficult thing to create with a character, especially when you really want the reader to either feel it, or believe it. It’s also a very difficult thing to judge for me, so I’d like to point out that I had a great deal of trouble trying to score this area.

Total CHARACTER Score: 16

Mechanics – 6 – This one is pretty straightforward, as both of you have a solid grasp on grammar and the basic rules of English. The most glaring mistakes I found was when there was one word that should have been another, with only a single letter making the different. Now, I would normally suggest spellcheck for a situation like that, but I’m sure it wouldn’t work. So instead I’m going to suggesting proofreading. I personally like to ask another friend on the site to read over my posts before I submit a thread for judging to see if they can catch things I missed. Sometimes, that extra set of eyes really helps.

Technique – 6 -We had foreshadowing, similes and what I see as symbolism in the form of William’s new weapon. Revenant started with the foreshadowing from the very beginning, so it make me interested to see just what would happen to him. Then when Sei made that first note of the Gemini Blades glowing, I had a further idea of what was going to happen. So all in all, I liked how you used it to keep me interested in wanting to see how the story ended. I’d just like to suggest that instead of just piling up one thing, spice things up a bit more. William is a fiery demon, tell me how his anger intensifies like a raging wildfire. Sei is a more calculated fighter, I want to hear how his mind creates ideas (like using the door) as the components of a clock all work together to make something work.

Clarity – 5- The only times I became lost in the story were when Sei and William where in the dungeon and when the revenant was getting out of the dungeon. I’m not sure why, but I just found the journey to the surface a little confusing. Other than that, everything was explained rather well. I followed the battle fairly easily and had didn’t have to reread the beginning or the ended of the story.

Total WRITING STYLE Score:17

WILD CARD- 8 – All in all, I enjoyed the story. I just felt that since this is my first full commentary and rubric, some of theses scores may have not been what you’re hoping for. I’m also giving you a little extra point for the use of Hungry Hungry Hippos. It threw me off a little, but I found it really amusing.

FINAL SCORE - 57!!


Rewards:

Silence Sei receives 3187 EXP and 188 GP! The Ixian Knights receive their new HQ, though it seems like the estate could use a few repairs and perhaps a little cleaning. A castle takes a lot of work to keep clean, especially for just one person like in Stark’s case.

Revenant receives 2015 EXP and 171 GP! He also receives the Rod of Balance, pending the approval of the RoG mods.

[Taskmienster]

Exp and GP added.