Vertmor: "Once. Around when I was recently created, unfortunately I was too full of my new abilites and my surroundings I never took the time to pay attention on the details of the ceremony..."
*Itrok smiles*
Itrok: No joke, K'warra. You got a crystal and a magical fluid? Because you can keep doing this and asking it the same question, but that will be the answer. If you want to stay alive we're going to have to work together. I'm sure once this is over and the Darkstar is gone you can go back to whatever misdeeds you want to.
*K'Warra crushes the gem under his foot. He grabs Itrok by the throat, lightning fast, and shoves him against a building wall*
K'Warra: If I find out out that this is a trick, then I promise you elf, not even the Starkiller will be able to save you. *lower voice, so only the two of them could hear* And if the girl dies I will hold you responsible. You and all your descendants! *drops Itrok, snarling* Remember that well, Starkiller.
*The portal has begun to close. K'Warra widens it again and passes through. Elizabeth, her face full of questions, floats through after him*
*Drage helps Itok up.*
Drago: I think he has issues. *Helps Itok through the portal.*
*Jiyle steps through after them*
Jiyle: Planars...
*The group appears on a river bank. They are still on Mrear, but far from civilization. Only a couple small huts appear in the distance*
Jiyle: Where in the hells are we...?
Itrok: Please don't say the hells...
K'Warra: *looking around for something* If you think this is the hells, you're stupider than I thought.
Elizabeth: What are you looking for?
K'Warra: Give me a moment...
----------
*Voices speak throughout the room on Kvana's entrance*
Two of the undead come to see us...
What do they want with us?
They disrespect us with their presence. We will not speak to them!
It is the mage Kvana Clare...
*Kvana ignores the voices. He takes a beautiful sword with a blade made of red glass and a hilt studded with rubies from his robe. He carefully places the sword on the pedestal in front of the largest statue in the room. He stands back and chants a line in an obscure language. The statue begins glowing*
*Vertmor stands in wait, also ignoring the voices...*
*Taarnt materialises in behind Kvana and Vertmor*
Taarnt: Surprise! *Turns head to show bite marks* I'm a vampire too! Same brood! This is great! Now, I hear you have some dealings with K'Warra. I want to kill him. Let's make a deal...
-------------------------------
Itrok: Where are we then? This looks far from industrialised Mrear...
*Kvana looks surprised, then amused* Taarnt, if I'm not mistaken? The most recent bearer of the Darkstar...it looks as if you are impulsive as they say.
*The voices in the room rise in volume*
An avatar! Another of the undead!
He brings us no gift.
He has no respect for us.
We will not allow him to remain in our presence!
*An invisible force slams into Taarnt's back, knocking him across the room*
----------
K'Warra: How very observant of you. *He looks around, sniffing the air*
*Growls can be heard coming from the trees on the other side of the river bank*
Drago: Ah, this is better. Much like when I was human.
*Taarnt rises slowly*
Taarnt: I have a gift for you. I offer you this!
Futio! Veritso! Sactablasphem!
*Taarnt casts Devil's Shield, creating an aura of flame around him. Several figures can be seen, illuminated by the dark light.*
Taarnt: Trying to hide are we? Playing the "mysterious voices"? No matter. With this demonic aura all you have to do is come anywhere near me and I see you.
Now let's talk
----------------------------
*Jiyle loads his gun*
Jiyle: I don't like how that sounds
Drago: Its probably just whare wolves or something.
Vertmor: "What the hell do you want? Oh by the way, Destructo Illumination..."
((Did I get that right?))
*Vertmor negates Taarnt's aura with a spell.*
Vertmor: "I'm credited to at least a little magic... With you being nothign more then a mere fledgling, you're powers are skill weaker then mine... Explain youself..."
Taarnt: I am an archmage who carries the Avatar of a Dead God of Hatred who has given his mortal vampirism. Suffice to say, I'm not something to mess with.
*Taarnt blinks, recreating his aura*
Now I believe the Starkiller wishes to be a thorn in your side. I think we'd do best to remove him and his friends...
((Probably not, Scar :p))
*No more voices speak. The room is silent, but the figures in Taarnt's vision still walk around aimlessly*
*Kvana tries not to laugh* Taarnt, what you are seeing are the souls of the ancients who guard this place. The Vener are unseeable, formless beings; they are not actually here. And well...they aren't here now at all. In any sense. *looks down at the spot where he'd placed the ruby sword* I spent alot on that thing, too. You, Taarnt, are lucky I'm in good humor today.
*He walks to the cave entrance, then pauses and turns back* Oh, and incidentally...if you want our attention, you can come back in a few thousand years...or when you've proven yourself. You have chosen the path of a vampire, and now you must walk it. *Kvana leaves. As he does, he telepathically speaks to Vertmor, guarding the thoughts from Taarnt's mind* <I shall have to visit the Vener after a time has passed. It is no good to speak to them now. As for Taarnt...we'll see if he really can "prove himself".>
----------
*K'Warra sniffs* Probably just wild boars. That's what they smell like anyway...
Elizabeth: You're sniffing for wild animals?
K'Warra: No. I'm trying to pick up a scent trail. Someone's been here recently that I need to follow.
Vertmor: *telepathically back to Kvana* "Allow me to follow you, of course Taarnt will attempt to follow, but of course teleporting us away from here will most likey misdirect his interests with us for the time being..."
*Vertmor walks past Taarnt and out the enterence...*
Taarnt: You're not blocking me! No! I am an archmage! I AM THE DARKSTAR!
*Teleports after them*
-----------------------------
Itrok: I don't like the sound of that....
Drago: what exactly are you looking for?
K'Warra: There's a group of elves living here, chamelea. You track chamelea by scent, not by sight.
*K'Warra evidentally picks up a scent, because he starts off through the leaves*
((You know I kinda wanted to create a little small character wom snagged the couldron. How ironic its so fitting to make one still :)))
Drago: Elves? Elves are tricky.
*K'Warra gives Drago a look* Don't even get me started on humans.
Drago: Strictly speaking I'm not human.
K'Warra: You're a deluded human, then.
Elizabeth: Uh...K'Warra? Are you going to explain what the 'Cauldron of Life' is?
Drago: Actually I'm a divinly empowered Imortal, with a mission to kill my Vampire former Wife and so release her soul.
*To Elizabeth* The Cauldren of Life is a cauldren which, when you drink from it makes you Imortal. K'warra was here searching for it 800 years ago, when I was still human.
K'Warra: *to Drago* "Divinely powered", huh? I believe I don't need to tell you what I think of your "divines". Oh, and you of course have your facts wrong. I possessed the Cauldron of Life for several years. I had it hidden here at the time you refer to. You must bathe in the Cauldron to become immortal, not drink from it. You also must have the right mixture inside the cauldron, which is why Kvana can't use it for the purpose of gaining immortality.
Elizabeth: Why not?
K'Warra: The potion requires, among other things, the stone skin of a gargoyle. Now besides me, there are no gargoyles in Mrear.
Drago: Hey, look I heard the story at least 10th hand.
Itrok: The Avatar remembers it well...you searching for it and becomming embroiled in our fifth conflict.
K'Warra: You certainly have a longer memory than I do. Then again, I tend to only remember the things that matter...
----------
Kvana: Are you still here, Taarnt?
Taarnt: Of course I am. Wherever there is darkness, the Darkstar will shine...
-------------------------------
Itrok: And you're going to give him this?
Drago: So, K'warra, you're the only gargoyle in Mrear? So Kvana is definatly not going to use your skin?
Vertmor "And this gives you a reason to follow us around?"
K'Warra: Are you thick? Of course I'm going to give him the Cauldron. That was the deal. *to Drago* Obviously you know nothing about gargoyles. We turn to stone when the sun rises to sleep, absorbing the sun's power into ourselves until it sets. When night falls we break apart the stone skin and awaken. This stone skin is what must be used in the Cauldron's potion. However we can also sleep as a human does. It severely weakens us, and if we wait too long we will pass into a coma until the sun rises and we sleep for a day's time. I, however, have enough power that I could go a hundred years without sleeping and be unaffected. A few days makes no difference to me.
----------
Kvana: If you believe the Darkstar has made you a god, then what do you want with us, Taarnt?
Taarnt: What we've always wanted: TO KILL THE STARKILLER
Drago: I know very little about gargoyles, I've never had to kill one. *Shrug.* Yet.
Kvana: Actually, I never particularly cared about the Starkiller. I generally avoid those types, and it never sought me out...
----------
K'Warra: *rudely* You know very little about alot of things, it seems.
*The group has advanced quite a ways up the river by now. Without warning, a large wild boar bursts out of the shrubbery, snarling*
Taarnt: Not you...US. Me. The Darkstar. Orthos, Retrick, the others...we want it dead.
------------------------
*Itrok draws Starkiller and beheads the boar*
Itrok: I hope that was alone...
*Drago begins cutting the boar into joints. As be works he talks.*
Drago: I know enough, I know the sun rises in the East and sets in the West. I know the world is round and I know I will live forrever. I know the tuch of my blade is death to a Demon and I now how to hunt kill, and cook for my dinner.
*Shrugs.*
Drago: You know so much, you're still cursed.
((OOS: I'm gone from Friday to Sunday, sorry peoples. Feel free to start anything while I'm gone. ^^
Whoever wants to can control the demon hunters, who never seem to talk anyway. ;)))
K'Warra: I'm as cursed as you are. *to Itrok* Yes, there's more. That one must have been separated from his pack. I'd advise you not to do anything that would attract further attention, but...*looking at Drago*...it seems our barbarian friend here is too hungry for that.
Now be quiet, I need to find something.
*K'Warra crosses his legs and closes his eyes. His body is surrounded by an ethereal glow.
While no one was looking, Elizabeth had fallen asleep*
------------
Kvana: *amused* Then why are you here?
*Kvana looks up, sensing something* Unfortunately, other matters require my attention at the moment. Goodbye, Taarnt. I'm sure we'll meet again.
*Kvana vanishes*
*Drago begins to light a small fire, then he places the joints on wooden grates and covers the whole with turf.*
Drago: That should be ready in a couple of hours. I'm going to take a nap.
Vertmor "That child has been nothing but annoying to me. But it does not give me a reason to want to kill it."
*Vertmor begins walking away...*
Vertmor "And, don't follow me."
Taarnt: Fools. He'll be the death of you both
-----------------------------------
Jiyle: So where are we going now?
((OOS: Kvana is gone, Deac...btw I don't know how exactly to incorporate Taarnt in the story at this point, any ideas? :D))
[Make them need the mortal agent of a dead god of hatred? :( ]
*Drago begins eating.*
*Between mouthfulls.*
Drago: Eat, good.
((Well...before he screwed up the thing with the Oracles that could've been possible...now they just want to avoid him...:D
Hm, but I think I've got an idea, so that won't matter))
Elizabeth: *waking up* That looks...*turning slightly green* interesting...
----------
Taarnt is left alone. Something brushes against him for a second, then is gone.
A note lies on the ground, in ancient demonic script. It lists an address in the heart of Mrear's capital city ((Deac: You name it :D)) and reads:
If you are the true Darkstar, come at once. We have a proposition for you.