Disclaimer, only this story is mine, mine, mine, all mine!
No money, only a few coppers that Pud-o gave me so I could buy lunch.
Hi, thank you all for your kind reviews, bit tired after writing this chapter!!!
I'm afraid that being in the UK we haven't seen season seven yet but I'm keeping up-to-date with it on various web sites.
This is for you CT because of your baddie ankle.
=======
It may be he shall take my hand
And lead me into his dark land
And close my eyes and quench my breath--
It may be I shall pass him still.
I have a rendezvous with Death
On some scarred slope of battered hill,
When Spring comes round again this year
And the first meadow-flowers appear. Alan Seeger - Rendezvous
============
The swords clashed, their noise fuelling the storm that was pleating the insipid sky with uneven threads of spiteful light. Jonas felt the press of violence jar his body as he shielded himself with his own blade against his opponent's dedicated arm. Each blow brought the two men closer, in body and in thought, as Jonas felt the creature's sweeping mind moving battle scenarios around like chess pieces on a board.
The sword was heavy in his hand, each attack, defence and counter attack, was testing his skills of avoidance, his ability to judge and manipulate timing and distance. He edged forward, trying to command the air between them with his metal, swooping at Ragnarok with his back edge but the darkness blocked the attack and then countered, slashing the Kelwonan's unguarded arm.
Jonas jumped back feeling the delicate rhythm of blood drift along his arm, dancing in freedom from his veins. His mind pounded as the action transferred information between them both, "Sam," he whispered as he felt the creature's deliberations.
========
Sam used her fingers to push the pattern of symbols that flashed in her mind, the door to Anubis's chamber slid open without any resistance, "sweet," she responded, smiling.
Ja'ra followed the Major into the sparsely furnished room his mind watching the corridor for fear of discovery, his body knotted and tightly wound.
Sam studied the layout of the area, closing her eyes to develop a clearer picture of what Jonas had conveyed to her.
She moved the palm of her hand over a lustrously decorated counter top and was drawn to a dragon emblem carved into its wood. She touched the creature's emerald head and a mechanism clicked a cadenced approval revealing a secret compartment. Sam picked out a metallic pyramid, about two feet in height, from the hollow and smiled putting it to one side.
"I thought we came to destroy this ship not search for such trinkets," Ja'ra seethed, his impatience showing.
Sam turned to face him, "there is something I must do first," she said.
=======
Herak walked commandingly around the Pel'tak (command deck) awaiting his master's return. He looked out onto the planet, surveying its outer atmosphere, keeping close guard in case of enemy attack. He thought he heard something and quickly scrutinized the few Jaffa who were manning the consoles; they looked at him inquiringly. He rubbed his temple as a sharp pain probed at his nerve fibre, pushing thoughts of ice into his mind. His eyes fell in understanding and he signalled to several Jaffa to follow his lead.
=======
Sam looked down at the coloured controls feeling the knowledge of their keys at her fingertips. She went to initiate the first sequence when a creeping unease settled in her chest. She looked towards Ja'ra who felt a foreboding tickle at his senses, making him awash with sweat.
She felt a sudden pain slice through the skin of her left arm, she looked down and watched in horror as a deep cut suddenly materialised seeping blood into her uniform. Her mind blanked, unexpectedly, and she felt Jonas try to connect with her but the thoughts were indistinct and confused as if scrambled.
======
Jonas watched as a smile of contempt spread across the Raganork's scared face, taunting him with the life of his friend. His anger rose, the darkness inside of him swelled and surged through his being, mixing with the light, renewing his strength. He smiled back, lifting his sword in attack, pushing forward with restored drive.
Ragnarok parried the incensed onslaught of the young man, which pushed him further back with each irregular cut and block of metal. Jonas's purpose urged him on, feeling his rival weaken with every heavy stroke, the sword of Nifhelm throbbing with power, as it and the Kelownan became one entity under a ragged sky.
Ragnarok tried to counter the decisive blows but was caught on the face with the tip of Jonas's sword, cleaving the skin, which bled a syrupy blackness. The creature withdrew to a safe distance, its life fluid blistering from the gaping wound.
=========
Sam felt a change flow through her as the distortion in her head began to form words. She looked down at her arm and found it unharmed, "quick," she said to Ja'ra, as she understood the echoes in her mind.
=========
Herak reached Anubis's private chamber and saw that two Jaffa were already by the closed door. Both bowed respectively, "we thought we heard an intruder, my lord," one of them ventured.
Herak nodded dismissively and pushed passed them to enter the code to unlock the door. Before finishing he signalled for the Jaffa from the bridge to check the surrounding corridors and bring any prisoners to him.
The door slid open and the two Jaffa entered, carefully, followed by Anubis's first prime.
Herak surveyed the chamber, sanitizing it with his eyes as his head buzzed with the throb of information. He rubbed his forehead fumbling through the darkness in his mind, trying to make sense of the empty chamber, which was his mission. He then turned to one of the Jaffa, studying him closer than before. He sharpened his eyes as recognition flashed through his limited psyche, fuelling his task, "Ja'ra," he hissed as traitor funnelled through his thoughts.
He reacted before the word dripped from his lips, bring his staff weapon up towards the Jaffa, "Shol'va," he spat, "where is the woman?"
"Here," the other Jaffa said, discharging an electrical burst from a zat gun.
Herak collapsed to the floor and Sam removed the mimic device from her neck, transforming her from a heavyset Jaffa in an oscillation of watery energy.
She walked back to the console and began to initiate the self-destruct as Ja'ra watched by the door. She smiled to herself, thankful that Anubis was suspicious enough of his own Jaffa to use a mimic device to walk amongst them and pledging to buy Jonas as much onion rings and milk as he could eat in one sitting.
============
The world exploded around him in a fiery mushroom of dust. Jack pitched to the floor, once more, trying to merge with the ground as the cannon angrily blasted the air to quash any advancement. He snaked backward, checking on the two fallen Jaffa that had made up his vanguard but they lolled lifelessly, covered in the arid soil, "damn," he said, spitting the dirt from his mouth.
He rolled himself back down the slope of a ready-made foxhole they had been using for cover and pressed against its side, "T, Daniel?" He enquired above the harsh eruptions of energy and the groans of the storm overhead.
Two sandblasted figures moved to the left of him signalling they were safe and sound, although Daniel held his arm gingerly to his chest. O'Neill then checked on his CO who had been injured in an earlier sortie to take out the cannon.
General Hammond looked at his Colonel and smiled trying not to let the pain from his leg show in his demeanour. Jack's eyebrows knitted together at the older man's grin, "first time injured off world," the General explained, his accent becoming more apparent.
O'Neill shook his head and then proceeded to checked on the hasty bandage and loosened the tourniquet slightly, "how we 'really' doing, here General?" He asked as his hands moved, attentively, over the wound.
"Fine, Jack," Hammond coughed, "how're we doing, son."
"Oh you know us, Sir, we'll have them licked in no time," he replied as Rya'c brought a bottle of water to the General's lips.
The boy too had sustained an injury to his shoulder but had carried on, running messages from each small block of resistance.
Teal'c nodded to his son as the boy relayed that Bra'tac's position was caught in crossfire and had made no progress to take out the Jaffa to the west of them.
Jack sighed and fell back onto the incline of the ditched rubbing the top of his nose in thought, what they needed now was a miracle.
============
Jonas dodged another advance as Ragnarok severed the air transversely in front of him. The sword left a rusty imprint and an acrid smell in its wake, staining the clarity of the air. Jonas stumbled aimlessly back as the creature renewed its onslaught with a rejuvenated vigour striking a blow across the Kelownan's chest. Ragnarok press forward with his blade, seizing his advantage, but was prevented from doing further harm by a forceful block by Jonas.
Both men leaned in, with crossed swords; determination etched on their faces, challenging each other's might like two like rams in a rut. Above them the tempest mirrored their emotions, snapping along the sky with the blinding light of vengeful angels and pissing on the demons in hell.
Ragnarok brought his free hand up and imprinted the tips of his fingers onto Jonas's temporal bone trying to dig out his concepts with an acute and penetrating spade. The Kelwonan shut his eyes trying to outmanoeuvre the marauder inside his head, tying to build barricades of barbwire.
The darkness pushed deeper into the maze of Jonas's head, buzzing along the neural pathways, attempting to link and destroy but the Kelownan countered, blanking his thoughts building his defences with words of brick.
"Andromeda, Antlia, Apus, Aquarius, Aquila, Ara, Aries, Auriga," he recited the list of constellations, slowly, driving them along the connection, making an unassailable blockade that the darkness could not transcend.
They were propelled apart in an arch of black and white hitting the ground with momentum.
=======
It was Daniel who saw it first, curving bright and clear against a sky filled with angst, its engines veiled in the surrounding torment. His mind stuttered at the distant object weaving its way toward the battle, trying to evaluate its progression and the feeling of dread that was dithering in the pit of his stomach. He swallowed, "glider," he said pointing.
Teal'c and Jack turned their eyes skyward tracking the machine that was flying in their direction, "oh, great, just great," Jack exclaimed.
The Jaffa remained calm, his eyes examining the shape of the craft, "O'Neill that is not Goa'uld, it is too small."
They all watched as the spacecraft circled their position and then flew up into cloud cover followed by a salute of cannons.
Teal'c smiled, "I believe it is an Asgard short-range attack vessel," he said.
Jack felt the hair on the back of his neck rise in expectation, "hit the deck," he yelled, shielding the General with his body.
The clouds above them broke, like curtains before a theatrical performance and a rain of fire, aimed at Anubis's cannons, accurately hit their mark with a series of explosions.
"Strike one for our side," O'Neill shouted above the noise, "now, let's go kick some Jaffa arse."
===================
Jonas and Ragnarok circled each other, both trying to avoid any further physical exertion while their bodies recovered.
The storm's energy had dissipated leaving the sun to cauterise the heavens and heal its cracks, while birds bustled in its glow struggling to dry their wings.
The demon's eyes flickered in the heat as the balance tipped consuming the energy held in Ragnarok's frail form. His stare burned the Kelownan with its intense rage as he felt his desire stride out of his reach. He pulled back and grabbed the blade of his sword, dragging it over his flesh until it oozed with the black of his blood. A mantra of unholy words scoured his lips, carried on breath thick with mildew, expanding towards the sun, turning the swallows in the air to a float of black crows.
========
SG1 took up positions around the Tok'ra base as Anubis's Jaffa retreated without purpose. A buzz of excitement rallied around the rebels as they pressed their cause within sight of victory.
Bra'tac came to join them as his unit had secured their objective and now could aid others in the fragmented skirmishes that still prevailed.
Jack nodded at the old man whose eyes flared with exhilaration, "ah, it is good to do battle again, human," he said tapping O'Neill on the shoulder.
"Back at you," Jack retorted ducking another staff blast.
Teal'c turned and scanned the compound as an apprehension spread through his senses like water dripping down the back of his neck.
He motioned to O'Neill and they watched with trepidation as behind them the shimmering heat began to waver erratically off the ground. Its transparent dance opened into flame, burning through the air with an unearthly fire that revealed a doorway of smouldering blackness and out of this pit of hell bounded several Lycaons.
============
Jonas felt the Lycaon's arrival plunge through his body with a clenched fist of aggression causing him to fall forward and vomit an earthy bile.
Ragnarok's tired face stretched into an uncomfortable sneer and with deteriorating strength raised his dark sword ready to strike. The Kelownan's senses prickled as he noticed the long shadow cast by his enemy dip into the crevasse that the darkness had crawled out of.
Jonas drew on his reserves, throwing himself forward, pushing into the host's unguarded midriff, with body and mind, propelling him toward the gap in the earth, before he could react.
Ragnarok stumbled backward into the opening but managed to twist his body round so he could grab at the side. The Kelownan steadied himself at the edge in a shower of frail earth and looked down at the host clinging to an exposed root while his sword dangled into the void. They locked eyes and Jonas brought his foot down on Ragnarok's hand securing it beneath his sole. He then brought his sword up and with a burst of energy slice through the host's wrist. Ragnarok plummeted down into the abyss the darkness lighting their fall with flaming eyes.
============
The Lycaon studied O'Neill in its shallow amber eyes, clicking in celebration while sniffing the Colonel's odour. Around them several more creatures were fighting over the fallen body of an unsuspecting Jaffa, while Teal'c and Daniel held their ground against one more. Jack fired his weapon again in a futile attempt to injury it in some way but the Lycaon disappeared for a moment then reappeared catching its claws across Jack's arm.
Bra'tac came to his side to aid him, "O'Neill," he said nodding his head toward a figure running in their direction.
Jack narrowed his eyes, "Jonas?" He questioned.
The Lycaon spun round and tasted the air as a new more powerful scent slapped its senses. The others did the same, their bodies becoming stiff as they locked on the approaching figure.
Jonas held out Ragnarok's severed hand and muttered the words he had heard spill off the host's lips earlier. Dark blood pooled from the wrist, mixing with the earth, re-opening the dimensional doorway. The Kelownan stepped back as he perceived the threatening advance of the creatures, attracted not only to magnetic allure of the darkness dripping from the detached hand but also the weeping of his own wounds. He closed his eyes, digging deep into his fatigued body and with one last determined effort created a shield around him. He then threw the hand, quickly, into the billowing entrance, which was followed by a rush of Lycaons; the doorway collapsed.
Jonas rocked on his feet, a little, and looked across at O'Neill and smiled. Jack returned the sentiment with a flick of his lips and walked over to the younger man. Daniel went to say something but stopped as the ground opened up behind Jonas pushing Ragnarok from its bowels.
The host limped forward like some disjointed zombie, holding the decaying stump to his body as he slashed his blade, in fury, across Jonas's back.
"No," Jack cried, the word echoing around the buildings of the complex.
Jonas sank to his knees, resting on the point of his weapon, as fresh blood choked and tumbled from his mouth.
The darkness lifted its blade and walked toward the fallen man, fettered by Ragnarok's cumbersome body, which was broken and dying.
Teal'c tried to stop the creature's graceless progression by firing on it but the shots just dissipated, with a static flare, off a faltering shield.
Jonas shut his eyes tight and placed both hands on the crystal hilt moving the blade up between the side of his body and his arm. He then rose to his feet and stepped back, giving his body over to the sword so it could fulfil its destiny with a thrust of his arms. The blade connected with Ragnarok, penetrating his torso with a satisfying crack of bone as it channelled its way through.
The Sword Of Nifhelm forged, again, with the brilliance of lightening sparking from its hilt along the blade into the impaled body of the host. Ragnarok's carcass danced as the flickering light surged through him, illumining the frozen cry from his mouth and purging the darkness with the purity of the elements.
Bra'tac ran to Kelownan to catch him as he pulled the sword out from Ragnarok's chest, "put, ground," he whispered to the older man letting the weapon fall from his grasp.
The old Jaffa looked at O'Neill who swiftly took the sword in his hand and drove the point into the soft earth.
A spider's web of cracks fractured along the loam to where the host stood clutching the wound in his chest. A twist of grey vapours rose from the splintered earth, detached from the soft breeze, and entwined like eerie shackles around Ragnarok. They adhered to his body, fusing tight to the flesh, binding him until he resembled a living mummy. Whispers filled the air in assorted voices, a long forgotten language sang in the daylight with the birds uttering their judgement on the struggling form. Above them the sun bled across the sky in a sudden change of colour, pushing its injured light into the crystal hilt, which filtered an intense rainbow upon Ragnarok's face, pronouncing its ruling.
The ground parted and both the darkness and its host were pulled down into hell's sinkhole.
---------
Nearly there...
No money, only a few coppers that Pud-o gave me so I could buy lunch.
Hi, thank you all for your kind reviews, bit tired after writing this chapter!!!
I'm afraid that being in the UK we haven't seen season seven yet but I'm keeping up-to-date with it on various web sites.
This is for you CT because of your baddie ankle.
=======
It may be he shall take my hand
And lead me into his dark land
And close my eyes and quench my breath--
It may be I shall pass him still.
I have a rendezvous with Death
On some scarred slope of battered hill,
When Spring comes round again this year
And the first meadow-flowers appear. Alan Seeger - Rendezvous
============
The swords clashed, their noise fuelling the storm that was pleating the insipid sky with uneven threads of spiteful light. Jonas felt the press of violence jar his body as he shielded himself with his own blade against his opponent's dedicated arm. Each blow brought the two men closer, in body and in thought, as Jonas felt the creature's sweeping mind moving battle scenarios around like chess pieces on a board.
The sword was heavy in his hand, each attack, defence and counter attack, was testing his skills of avoidance, his ability to judge and manipulate timing and distance. He edged forward, trying to command the air between them with his metal, swooping at Ragnarok with his back edge but the darkness blocked the attack and then countered, slashing the Kelwonan's unguarded arm.
Jonas jumped back feeling the delicate rhythm of blood drift along his arm, dancing in freedom from his veins. His mind pounded as the action transferred information between them both, "Sam," he whispered as he felt the creature's deliberations.
========
Sam used her fingers to push the pattern of symbols that flashed in her mind, the door to Anubis's chamber slid open without any resistance, "sweet," she responded, smiling.
Ja'ra followed the Major into the sparsely furnished room his mind watching the corridor for fear of discovery, his body knotted and tightly wound.
Sam studied the layout of the area, closing her eyes to develop a clearer picture of what Jonas had conveyed to her.
She moved the palm of her hand over a lustrously decorated counter top and was drawn to a dragon emblem carved into its wood. She touched the creature's emerald head and a mechanism clicked a cadenced approval revealing a secret compartment. Sam picked out a metallic pyramid, about two feet in height, from the hollow and smiled putting it to one side.
"I thought we came to destroy this ship not search for such trinkets," Ja'ra seethed, his impatience showing.
Sam turned to face him, "there is something I must do first," she said.
=======
Herak walked commandingly around the Pel'tak (command deck) awaiting his master's return. He looked out onto the planet, surveying its outer atmosphere, keeping close guard in case of enemy attack. He thought he heard something and quickly scrutinized the few Jaffa who were manning the consoles; they looked at him inquiringly. He rubbed his temple as a sharp pain probed at his nerve fibre, pushing thoughts of ice into his mind. His eyes fell in understanding and he signalled to several Jaffa to follow his lead.
=======
Sam looked down at the coloured controls feeling the knowledge of their keys at her fingertips. She went to initiate the first sequence when a creeping unease settled in her chest. She looked towards Ja'ra who felt a foreboding tickle at his senses, making him awash with sweat.
She felt a sudden pain slice through the skin of her left arm, she looked down and watched in horror as a deep cut suddenly materialised seeping blood into her uniform. Her mind blanked, unexpectedly, and she felt Jonas try to connect with her but the thoughts were indistinct and confused as if scrambled.
======
Jonas watched as a smile of contempt spread across the Raganork's scared face, taunting him with the life of his friend. His anger rose, the darkness inside of him swelled and surged through his being, mixing with the light, renewing his strength. He smiled back, lifting his sword in attack, pushing forward with restored drive.
Ragnarok parried the incensed onslaught of the young man, which pushed him further back with each irregular cut and block of metal. Jonas's purpose urged him on, feeling his rival weaken with every heavy stroke, the sword of Nifhelm throbbing with power, as it and the Kelownan became one entity under a ragged sky.
Ragnarok tried to counter the decisive blows but was caught on the face with the tip of Jonas's sword, cleaving the skin, which bled a syrupy blackness. The creature withdrew to a safe distance, its life fluid blistering from the gaping wound.
=========
Sam felt a change flow through her as the distortion in her head began to form words. She looked down at her arm and found it unharmed, "quick," she said to Ja'ra, as she understood the echoes in her mind.
=========
Herak reached Anubis's private chamber and saw that two Jaffa were already by the closed door. Both bowed respectively, "we thought we heard an intruder, my lord," one of them ventured.
Herak nodded dismissively and pushed passed them to enter the code to unlock the door. Before finishing he signalled for the Jaffa from the bridge to check the surrounding corridors and bring any prisoners to him.
The door slid open and the two Jaffa entered, carefully, followed by Anubis's first prime.
Herak surveyed the chamber, sanitizing it with his eyes as his head buzzed with the throb of information. He rubbed his forehead fumbling through the darkness in his mind, trying to make sense of the empty chamber, which was his mission. He then turned to one of the Jaffa, studying him closer than before. He sharpened his eyes as recognition flashed through his limited psyche, fuelling his task, "Ja'ra," he hissed as traitor funnelled through his thoughts.
He reacted before the word dripped from his lips, bring his staff weapon up towards the Jaffa, "Shol'va," he spat, "where is the woman?"
"Here," the other Jaffa said, discharging an electrical burst from a zat gun.
Herak collapsed to the floor and Sam removed the mimic device from her neck, transforming her from a heavyset Jaffa in an oscillation of watery energy.
She walked back to the console and began to initiate the self-destruct as Ja'ra watched by the door. She smiled to herself, thankful that Anubis was suspicious enough of his own Jaffa to use a mimic device to walk amongst them and pledging to buy Jonas as much onion rings and milk as he could eat in one sitting.
============
The world exploded around him in a fiery mushroom of dust. Jack pitched to the floor, once more, trying to merge with the ground as the cannon angrily blasted the air to quash any advancement. He snaked backward, checking on the two fallen Jaffa that had made up his vanguard but they lolled lifelessly, covered in the arid soil, "damn," he said, spitting the dirt from his mouth.
He rolled himself back down the slope of a ready-made foxhole they had been using for cover and pressed against its side, "T, Daniel?" He enquired above the harsh eruptions of energy and the groans of the storm overhead.
Two sandblasted figures moved to the left of him signalling they were safe and sound, although Daniel held his arm gingerly to his chest. O'Neill then checked on his CO who had been injured in an earlier sortie to take out the cannon.
General Hammond looked at his Colonel and smiled trying not to let the pain from his leg show in his demeanour. Jack's eyebrows knitted together at the older man's grin, "first time injured off world," the General explained, his accent becoming more apparent.
O'Neill shook his head and then proceeded to checked on the hasty bandage and loosened the tourniquet slightly, "how we 'really' doing, here General?" He asked as his hands moved, attentively, over the wound.
"Fine, Jack," Hammond coughed, "how're we doing, son."
"Oh you know us, Sir, we'll have them licked in no time," he replied as Rya'c brought a bottle of water to the General's lips.
The boy too had sustained an injury to his shoulder but had carried on, running messages from each small block of resistance.
Teal'c nodded to his son as the boy relayed that Bra'tac's position was caught in crossfire and had made no progress to take out the Jaffa to the west of them.
Jack sighed and fell back onto the incline of the ditched rubbing the top of his nose in thought, what they needed now was a miracle.
============
Jonas dodged another advance as Ragnarok severed the air transversely in front of him. The sword left a rusty imprint and an acrid smell in its wake, staining the clarity of the air. Jonas stumbled aimlessly back as the creature renewed its onslaught with a rejuvenated vigour striking a blow across the Kelownan's chest. Ragnarok press forward with his blade, seizing his advantage, but was prevented from doing further harm by a forceful block by Jonas.
Both men leaned in, with crossed swords; determination etched on their faces, challenging each other's might like two like rams in a rut. Above them the tempest mirrored their emotions, snapping along the sky with the blinding light of vengeful angels and pissing on the demons in hell.
Ragnarok brought his free hand up and imprinted the tips of his fingers onto Jonas's temporal bone trying to dig out his concepts with an acute and penetrating spade. The Kelwonan shut his eyes trying to outmanoeuvre the marauder inside his head, tying to build barricades of barbwire.
The darkness pushed deeper into the maze of Jonas's head, buzzing along the neural pathways, attempting to link and destroy but the Kelownan countered, blanking his thoughts building his defences with words of brick.
"Andromeda, Antlia, Apus, Aquarius, Aquila, Ara, Aries, Auriga," he recited the list of constellations, slowly, driving them along the connection, making an unassailable blockade that the darkness could not transcend.
They were propelled apart in an arch of black and white hitting the ground with momentum.
=======
It was Daniel who saw it first, curving bright and clear against a sky filled with angst, its engines veiled in the surrounding torment. His mind stuttered at the distant object weaving its way toward the battle, trying to evaluate its progression and the feeling of dread that was dithering in the pit of his stomach. He swallowed, "glider," he said pointing.
Teal'c and Jack turned their eyes skyward tracking the machine that was flying in their direction, "oh, great, just great," Jack exclaimed.
The Jaffa remained calm, his eyes examining the shape of the craft, "O'Neill that is not Goa'uld, it is too small."
They all watched as the spacecraft circled their position and then flew up into cloud cover followed by a salute of cannons.
Teal'c smiled, "I believe it is an Asgard short-range attack vessel," he said.
Jack felt the hair on the back of his neck rise in expectation, "hit the deck," he yelled, shielding the General with his body.
The clouds above them broke, like curtains before a theatrical performance and a rain of fire, aimed at Anubis's cannons, accurately hit their mark with a series of explosions.
"Strike one for our side," O'Neill shouted above the noise, "now, let's go kick some Jaffa arse."
===================
Jonas and Ragnarok circled each other, both trying to avoid any further physical exertion while their bodies recovered.
The storm's energy had dissipated leaving the sun to cauterise the heavens and heal its cracks, while birds bustled in its glow struggling to dry their wings.
The demon's eyes flickered in the heat as the balance tipped consuming the energy held in Ragnarok's frail form. His stare burned the Kelownan with its intense rage as he felt his desire stride out of his reach. He pulled back and grabbed the blade of his sword, dragging it over his flesh until it oozed with the black of his blood. A mantra of unholy words scoured his lips, carried on breath thick with mildew, expanding towards the sun, turning the swallows in the air to a float of black crows.
========
SG1 took up positions around the Tok'ra base as Anubis's Jaffa retreated without purpose. A buzz of excitement rallied around the rebels as they pressed their cause within sight of victory.
Bra'tac came to join them as his unit had secured their objective and now could aid others in the fragmented skirmishes that still prevailed.
Jack nodded at the old man whose eyes flared with exhilaration, "ah, it is good to do battle again, human," he said tapping O'Neill on the shoulder.
"Back at you," Jack retorted ducking another staff blast.
Teal'c turned and scanned the compound as an apprehension spread through his senses like water dripping down the back of his neck.
He motioned to O'Neill and they watched with trepidation as behind them the shimmering heat began to waver erratically off the ground. Its transparent dance opened into flame, burning through the air with an unearthly fire that revealed a doorway of smouldering blackness and out of this pit of hell bounded several Lycaons.
============
Jonas felt the Lycaon's arrival plunge through his body with a clenched fist of aggression causing him to fall forward and vomit an earthy bile.
Ragnarok's tired face stretched into an uncomfortable sneer and with deteriorating strength raised his dark sword ready to strike. The Kelownan's senses prickled as he noticed the long shadow cast by his enemy dip into the crevasse that the darkness had crawled out of.
Jonas drew on his reserves, throwing himself forward, pushing into the host's unguarded midriff, with body and mind, propelling him toward the gap in the earth, before he could react.
Ragnarok stumbled backward into the opening but managed to twist his body round so he could grab at the side. The Kelownan steadied himself at the edge in a shower of frail earth and looked down at the host clinging to an exposed root while his sword dangled into the void. They locked eyes and Jonas brought his foot down on Ragnarok's hand securing it beneath his sole. He then brought his sword up and with a burst of energy slice through the host's wrist. Ragnarok plummeted down into the abyss the darkness lighting their fall with flaming eyes.
============
The Lycaon studied O'Neill in its shallow amber eyes, clicking in celebration while sniffing the Colonel's odour. Around them several more creatures were fighting over the fallen body of an unsuspecting Jaffa, while Teal'c and Daniel held their ground against one more. Jack fired his weapon again in a futile attempt to injury it in some way but the Lycaon disappeared for a moment then reappeared catching its claws across Jack's arm.
Bra'tac came to his side to aid him, "O'Neill," he said nodding his head toward a figure running in their direction.
Jack narrowed his eyes, "Jonas?" He questioned.
The Lycaon spun round and tasted the air as a new more powerful scent slapped its senses. The others did the same, their bodies becoming stiff as they locked on the approaching figure.
Jonas held out Ragnarok's severed hand and muttered the words he had heard spill off the host's lips earlier. Dark blood pooled from the wrist, mixing with the earth, re-opening the dimensional doorway. The Kelownan stepped back as he perceived the threatening advance of the creatures, attracted not only to magnetic allure of the darkness dripping from the detached hand but also the weeping of his own wounds. He closed his eyes, digging deep into his fatigued body and with one last determined effort created a shield around him. He then threw the hand, quickly, into the billowing entrance, which was followed by a rush of Lycaons; the doorway collapsed.
Jonas rocked on his feet, a little, and looked across at O'Neill and smiled. Jack returned the sentiment with a flick of his lips and walked over to the younger man. Daniel went to say something but stopped as the ground opened up behind Jonas pushing Ragnarok from its bowels.
The host limped forward like some disjointed zombie, holding the decaying stump to his body as he slashed his blade, in fury, across Jonas's back.
"No," Jack cried, the word echoing around the buildings of the complex.
Jonas sank to his knees, resting on the point of his weapon, as fresh blood choked and tumbled from his mouth.
The darkness lifted its blade and walked toward the fallen man, fettered by Ragnarok's cumbersome body, which was broken and dying.
Teal'c tried to stop the creature's graceless progression by firing on it but the shots just dissipated, with a static flare, off a faltering shield.
Jonas shut his eyes tight and placed both hands on the crystal hilt moving the blade up between the side of his body and his arm. He then rose to his feet and stepped back, giving his body over to the sword so it could fulfil its destiny with a thrust of his arms. The blade connected with Ragnarok, penetrating his torso with a satisfying crack of bone as it channelled its way through.
The Sword Of Nifhelm forged, again, with the brilliance of lightening sparking from its hilt along the blade into the impaled body of the host. Ragnarok's carcass danced as the flickering light surged through him, illumining the frozen cry from his mouth and purging the darkness with the purity of the elements.
Bra'tac ran to Kelownan to catch him as he pulled the sword out from Ragnarok's chest, "put, ground," he whispered to the older man letting the weapon fall from his grasp.
The old Jaffa looked at O'Neill who swiftly took the sword in his hand and drove the point into the soft earth.
A spider's web of cracks fractured along the loam to where the host stood clutching the wound in his chest. A twist of grey vapours rose from the splintered earth, detached from the soft breeze, and entwined like eerie shackles around Ragnarok. They adhered to his body, fusing tight to the flesh, binding him until he resembled a living mummy. Whispers filled the air in assorted voices, a long forgotten language sang in the daylight with the birds uttering their judgement on the struggling form. Above them the sun bled across the sky in a sudden change of colour, pushing its injured light into the crystal hilt, which filtered an intense rainbow upon Ragnarok's face, pronouncing its ruling.
The ground parted and both the darkness and its host were pulled down into hell's sinkhole.
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Nearly there...
