Descension
Prologue
Legal Disclaimer: The series "Highlander", all it's different versions and all canon characters are not my property.
It was a dark night in Seacouver, and stormy. The winds blew hard at an incredible 55 mph, sending scattered trash flying everywhere. Nobody dared to be out on a night like this; not even the homeless people were out, they had all sought out shelter for the night to stay dry.
But like always, some damn fool decided to take their chances on the streets. But with this particular damn fool, he hadn't much choice in the matter.
His feet pounded as he dashed down the deserted night streets as his legs pumped with all their might. The sound of his breathing let anyone who would listen know that he was pushing himself greatly as if his very life depending on it.
Not far behind him, about half a block, another male figure slowly walked after the runner, treating it like it was no big deal. His pace suggested that he knew exactly what he was doing.
The first figure dared to glace back and saw that he was still being pursued, and upon seeing that he was, did everything he could to quicken his pace but it proved futile. With fear in his eyes he ducked right, heading into an alleyway in hopes of getting away.
He looked back to see just how far away his assailant was. Upon seeing that he still wasn't within eyesight he turned around, just in time to realize he had headed into a dead end alley! He tried to stop but before he could he slammed right into the old brick wall and fell to the ground as a result. With a groan of pain he picked himself up off the wet ground and looked back as he tried to catch his breath. But as he looked back he wished he didn't.
Standing at the entrance to the alleyway was his pursuer. The figure's features was hidden by shadows as the streetlights cast light from behind, leaving him as little more than a silhouetted figure.
Slowly, almost agonizingly, the shadowed figure began to walk forward; it was like he was toying with the scared man in a sick game of cat and mouse. And now the cat was about to get the mouse...
The figure against the wall held what appeared to have been a sword at one time. The crossbar and end cap appeared to be made out of braded wire, indicating that it was a German Wald Sword. Unfortunately it was a sword no longer, less than a foot of the blade still remained in place. The rest had been cut right off, leaving it useless in this particular fight.
"One would think after so many centuries you would learn never to use a stainless steel sword," the dark figure spoke as he slowly moved ever closer to the other, "that was your first mistake," he finished.
Knowing that his sword was more or less useless for this battle he searched for another weapon to use. Upon seeing an old metal trashcan he cast his sword aside and grabbed the lid and threw it like a discus.
The figure saw the lid coming for him and bent backwards in an almost impossible manner, his upper body becoming almost perfectly parallel to the ground, letting the lid fly past him before he regained himself and stood back up, before proceeding at his menacingly slow pace.
Upset that the attack had failed, the trashcan was next. He picked it up and held it over his head, before throwing it as hard as he possibly could, hoping to buy himself enough time to get away when his stalker went down. But his hopes were quickly dashed at what happened next.
The shadowed figure withdrew something large and held it over his head, before swinging it in a downward strike; cutting through the trashcan like it was nothing. The two halves of the trashcan fell beside him as he continued walking ever closer.
"That was your second mistake. And it will be your last," he said as he moved closer and closer, his sword at his side ready for the final strike.
The one who had been pursued was now consumed with fear. He backed up against the wall, his features unable to show the true extent of the feat that had consumed him.
The stalker came to a stop only a meter away from his prey. He raised his sword with both hands and swung quickly, the blade completing a 180 arc. Just like that, it was over.
Everything remained still for about a minute, no sign of anything actually happening. Then, a stream of blood began to run down the man's neck. A cut had been accomplished.
More blood began to run down the man's neck at a steady, quick pace. Then, his head wiggled, before falling off his neck and to the ground, followed shortly by his body.
Storm clouds began to gather quickly. A clap of thunder sounded followed immediately by flashing of lightning.
From the headless body, bolts or electricity launched into the body of the stalker. What appeared to be painful wasn't, at least not from his reaction. He had thrown his head back and was laughing loudly!
His maniacal laugh echoed off the walls only adding to its volume as lightning and power crashed into his body, filling his veins with electricity in its purest form.
He swung his long sword and effortlessly cut through the bricks on the wall on his right, leaving a huge hole in its wake, doing something no sword should ever be able to do. And during all this he just continued to laugh louder and louder.
The surge of power was spreading from the dank alleyway becoming uncontrollable. One after another the bulbs of the streetlights exploding, showering the surrounding area in tiny pieces of glass.
Electricity ran along the asphalt ground until it reached the base of a traffic light. It surged for several seconds causing all three colors to flash madly before the pole finally fell to the ground, smashing the traffic light and causing a shower of sparks.
Whatever had caused the surge of power was continuing to grow more destructive. A fire hydrant began to tremble madly before it was sent flying high by the water it held, propelling it like a skyrocket into parts unknown.
One after another, manhole covers began to shoot off and up into the air with great force before crashing down and shattering the pavement beneath it, with one landing on its side, cutting through a mailbox like a hot knife through butter!
In the alleyway the evil laugh of the stalked had slowly lessened in intensity before stopping altogether. The hunt was over and he had won the greatest prize.
Behind him the body had burst into intense flames sometime during the excitement, leaving behind nothing but a skeleton covered in charred flesh and ruined clothing just minutes afterwards. With a sneer the stalked crushed the decapitated head under his boot, shattering the skull into many little pieces with a loud hollow crunch. Any brain matter that had been in the skull before was burned out before it was crushed, leaving nothing behind on the underside of the boot. As he was about to leave, he stopped. He bent down and picked up the sword of the defeated and tucked it into his overcoat. And with that, he walked off with his sword slung over his shoulder, singing a tune in a foreign dialect to himself.
"Daikirai datta sobakasu wo chotto hitonadeshite tame iki wo hitotsu hebi ikkyuu no koi wa migoto ni Kakuzatou to isshoni toketa Mae yori mo motto yaseta mune ni chotto "Chiku" tto sasaru toge ga itai Hoshiuranai mo ate ni naranai wa," was all that could be heard before he disappeared, heading for unknown parts.
Author's Notes:
1. The German Wald Sword is an actual sword that can still be purchased. But unlike the one in my story the real one is made of carbon steel. You can find it for sale here http:www.weaponmasters.com
2. The song is known as "Sobakasu", the opening to the series "Rurouni Kenshin" which I also don't own. The lyrics can be found here http:www.animelyrics.com/anime/kenshin/rksbaksu.htm
Prologue
Legal Disclaimer: The series "Highlander", all it's different versions and all canon characters are not my property.
It was a dark night in Seacouver, and stormy. The winds blew hard at an incredible 55 mph, sending scattered trash flying everywhere. Nobody dared to be out on a night like this; not even the homeless people were out, they had all sought out shelter for the night to stay dry.
But like always, some damn fool decided to take their chances on the streets. But with this particular damn fool, he hadn't much choice in the matter.
His feet pounded as he dashed down the deserted night streets as his legs pumped with all their might. The sound of his breathing let anyone who would listen know that he was pushing himself greatly as if his very life depending on it.
Not far behind him, about half a block, another male figure slowly walked after the runner, treating it like it was no big deal. His pace suggested that he knew exactly what he was doing.
The first figure dared to glace back and saw that he was still being pursued, and upon seeing that he was, did everything he could to quicken his pace but it proved futile. With fear in his eyes he ducked right, heading into an alleyway in hopes of getting away.
He looked back to see just how far away his assailant was. Upon seeing that he still wasn't within eyesight he turned around, just in time to realize he had headed into a dead end alley! He tried to stop but before he could he slammed right into the old brick wall and fell to the ground as a result. With a groan of pain he picked himself up off the wet ground and looked back as he tried to catch his breath. But as he looked back he wished he didn't.
Standing at the entrance to the alleyway was his pursuer. The figure's features was hidden by shadows as the streetlights cast light from behind, leaving him as little more than a silhouetted figure.
Slowly, almost agonizingly, the shadowed figure began to walk forward; it was like he was toying with the scared man in a sick game of cat and mouse. And now the cat was about to get the mouse...
The figure against the wall held what appeared to have been a sword at one time. The crossbar and end cap appeared to be made out of braded wire, indicating that it was a German Wald Sword. Unfortunately it was a sword no longer, less than a foot of the blade still remained in place. The rest had been cut right off, leaving it useless in this particular fight.
"One would think after so many centuries you would learn never to use a stainless steel sword," the dark figure spoke as he slowly moved ever closer to the other, "that was your first mistake," he finished.
Knowing that his sword was more or less useless for this battle he searched for another weapon to use. Upon seeing an old metal trashcan he cast his sword aside and grabbed the lid and threw it like a discus.
The figure saw the lid coming for him and bent backwards in an almost impossible manner, his upper body becoming almost perfectly parallel to the ground, letting the lid fly past him before he regained himself and stood back up, before proceeding at his menacingly slow pace.
Upset that the attack had failed, the trashcan was next. He picked it up and held it over his head, before throwing it as hard as he possibly could, hoping to buy himself enough time to get away when his stalker went down. But his hopes were quickly dashed at what happened next.
The shadowed figure withdrew something large and held it over his head, before swinging it in a downward strike; cutting through the trashcan like it was nothing. The two halves of the trashcan fell beside him as he continued walking ever closer.
"That was your second mistake. And it will be your last," he said as he moved closer and closer, his sword at his side ready for the final strike.
The one who had been pursued was now consumed with fear. He backed up against the wall, his features unable to show the true extent of the feat that had consumed him.
The stalker came to a stop only a meter away from his prey. He raised his sword with both hands and swung quickly, the blade completing a 180 arc. Just like that, it was over.
Everything remained still for about a minute, no sign of anything actually happening. Then, a stream of blood began to run down the man's neck. A cut had been accomplished.
More blood began to run down the man's neck at a steady, quick pace. Then, his head wiggled, before falling off his neck and to the ground, followed shortly by his body.
Storm clouds began to gather quickly. A clap of thunder sounded followed immediately by flashing of lightning.
From the headless body, bolts or electricity launched into the body of the stalker. What appeared to be painful wasn't, at least not from his reaction. He had thrown his head back and was laughing loudly!
His maniacal laugh echoed off the walls only adding to its volume as lightning and power crashed into his body, filling his veins with electricity in its purest form.
He swung his long sword and effortlessly cut through the bricks on the wall on his right, leaving a huge hole in its wake, doing something no sword should ever be able to do. And during all this he just continued to laugh louder and louder.
The surge of power was spreading from the dank alleyway becoming uncontrollable. One after another the bulbs of the streetlights exploding, showering the surrounding area in tiny pieces of glass.
Electricity ran along the asphalt ground until it reached the base of a traffic light. It surged for several seconds causing all three colors to flash madly before the pole finally fell to the ground, smashing the traffic light and causing a shower of sparks.
Whatever had caused the surge of power was continuing to grow more destructive. A fire hydrant began to tremble madly before it was sent flying high by the water it held, propelling it like a skyrocket into parts unknown.
One after another, manhole covers began to shoot off and up into the air with great force before crashing down and shattering the pavement beneath it, with one landing on its side, cutting through a mailbox like a hot knife through butter!
In the alleyway the evil laugh of the stalked had slowly lessened in intensity before stopping altogether. The hunt was over and he had won the greatest prize.
Behind him the body had burst into intense flames sometime during the excitement, leaving behind nothing but a skeleton covered in charred flesh and ruined clothing just minutes afterwards. With a sneer the stalked crushed the decapitated head under his boot, shattering the skull into many little pieces with a loud hollow crunch. Any brain matter that had been in the skull before was burned out before it was crushed, leaving nothing behind on the underside of the boot. As he was about to leave, he stopped. He bent down and picked up the sword of the defeated and tucked it into his overcoat. And with that, he walked off with his sword slung over his shoulder, singing a tune in a foreign dialect to himself.
"Daikirai datta sobakasu wo chotto hitonadeshite tame iki wo hitotsu hebi ikkyuu no koi wa migoto ni Kakuzatou to isshoni toketa Mae yori mo motto yaseta mune ni chotto "Chiku" tto sasaru toge ga itai Hoshiuranai mo ate ni naranai wa," was all that could be heard before he disappeared, heading for unknown parts.
Author's Notes:
1. The German Wald Sword is an actual sword that can still be purchased. But unlike the one in my story the real one is made of carbon steel. You can find it for sale here http:www.weaponmasters.com
2. The song is known as "Sobakasu", the opening to the series "Rurouni Kenshin" which I also don't own. The lyrics can be found here http:www.animelyrics.com/anime/kenshin/rksbaksu.htm