I have returned! Sorry for the wait but I had the most annoying
attack of pure laziness. Newayz....without further ado I present to you:
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Shadow Rising Chapter 4: Unbreakable
What am I?
The question haunted Azriel as he watched the beach from the cliffside. Dark glasses obscured his eyes as he gazed impassively on. Outside, he was completely calm and collected. Inside he was beset with questions, unable to understand how his perfectly ordered little world had come crumbling down with that first attack. He had lost track of how many men and women he had fought since then. It seemed the world turned a blind eye to the destruction they had caused, blaming it on freak fires and mysterious phenomena. Anyone who saw a battle acted as if it had never happened. Azriel simply could not fathom how the humans of Bayville had not realized a war was going on right under their noses. Only the mutants seemed immune to this strange amnesia. Azriel assumed some greater power was at work. And that was what frightened him. Some elusive force manipulated this unholy tournament, bending it to its will. Azriel frowned in concern. The lack of the mysterious voice in his head only served to increase his growing worry. Even now he was attuned to the battles that waged on. People were dying. For that reason, he had battled only in the dead of the night, away from civilization. He could not bear to put the X-Men through more horrific scenes. The teachers and some of the older students could no doubt handle them, but Azriel was far more concerned about the younger students. He feared they would never forget or come to terms with those terrible images of blood and gore. No more. Azriel refused to subject them to more torture and pain.
A sudden shiver ran down Azriel's spine. He stretched his senses outward. A very powerful half-blood was heading his way.
The kids!
Azriel zeroed in on the source of the disturbance and leapt. His jump carried him up the cliff and onto the gazebo. He took off at a sprint toward the mansion.
They won't get hurt.
I won't let them be hurt.
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Scott ripped off his glasses and opened his eyes, giving the man standing in front of him the full blast of his optic lasers. To his horror, the energy ricocheted off an invisible shield and rocketed into the black night.
"X-Men, go!" Screams and roars echoed as each X-Man summoned their power and assailed the figure. All their attacks were met by the same invisible force field and were repelled. Storm stretched her hand forward and conjured a bolt of lightning, which leapt from the sky and impacted the stranger, turning the world white. As the dust cleared however, the figure stood calmly, not a hair out place. He seemed almost bored. Xavier wheeled forward and addressed the man.
"I do not know who you are, but you are not welcome here. Please leave this place immediately." The stranger remained perfectly silent. He ran his hands through his fiery red hair, the bored expression remaining on his face. Dressed in a white Armani suit, his jacket open and his white shirt untucked, the stranger looked quite debonair. Xavier closed his eyes and attempted to probe the man's mind. He screamed suddenly and fell from his chair, overcome by the man's mental attack.
"Do not attempt to read my mind again. Next time I will burn your brain to ashes." The stranger smiled suddenly. "Ah, here he comes." He wheeled around to face Azriel as he burst from the garden path. "My name is Drake. Pleasure to meet you." His smile faded a little. "Pity I have to kill you." Small glowing balls began to materialize around him. Gradually, they gained brilliance and intensity. Without warning, one of them suddenly fired a thin beam of energy straight at Azriel, who promptly ducked out of the way. The blast struck a nearby tree and burned a hole straight through it. Azriel turned to look at the assembled mutants.
"Get out of here!" He dropped down and raced toward Drake, throwing a hard punch. Drake watched impassively as Azriel ran at him. Just as his fist was about to connect with the shield, Azriel suddenly disappeared. Drake looked around wildly.
"What the hell?! Where'd he go?!" A sudden scraping just behind him caused him to whip around. To his visible amazement, Azriel seemed to materialize out of thin air. In a motion too fast to see, Azriel launched a kick. His foot glowed bright blue as it connected with the shield, causing sparks to fly. Azriel leapt back and attacked again. He slipped in and out of view, moving so fast it seemed he was invisible. He easily dodged another energy blast and attacked the shield nonstop, punching and kicking it. After another fierce onslaught, Azriel leapt back, completely exhausted. Dust covered the area in front of him, kicked up by his furious assault. He dropped to his knees and sucked in a deep breath, watching the cloud of dust intently. Cheers erupted around him as the students clapped at his magnificent performance. Azriel stood up and began to walk slowly back to his circle of friends, but was cut short as an energy blast slammed into his back and sent him flying forward. He hit the ground with a tremendous "ooph!", carving a divot in the turf. He immediately leapt to his feet, spitting grass from his mouth. To Azriel's amazement, the dust had cleared, leaving Drake completely unharmed. His shield flickered blue and the glowing energy balls began to fire their lasers. Azriel zigzagged back and forth, desperately avoiding the deadly blasts. He was running short on energy, having put most of it into the brutal attack on Drake's shield.
How do I break his shield? It's too damn strong!
Azriel's thoughts were rudely interrupted as a powerful beam hit him dead on in the chest, sending him rocketing backwards. He smashed into the trees and was lost from sight. Drake gazed calmly at the broken underbrush.
"Well, that wasn't too difficult. I must admit he had me scared for a moment. Ah well..." He turned to look at the horrified faces of the X-Men. "As for you all...You've been annoying pests to me and I know just how to get rid of pests. Zap them." Energy balls began to glow around him once again.
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Everything hurts.
He must have broken most of my bones with that shot. I can barely move.
I hear their screams now, as Drake attacks. I have to fight.
But I'm so tired. And I have so little energy left.
Perhaps...
Yes. It might work.
It has to.
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"Hey, Asshole!"
Drake turned around, gasping in shock. Azriel stood in front of him, crouched on the ground. His right hand was glowing with blue energy. The energy began to crackle, transforming into lightning.
"All my energy...into this" And Azriel raced forward. Drake panicked and began to fire blast after blast. But Azriel was moving faster, concentrating all of his energy and speed into one single attack. Before Drake could even think, Azriel was on top of him.
"Lightning Strike!" Azriel plunged his hand forward. The raw energy cut through Drake's shield like a hot knife through butter and slammed into his chest, burning its way through his heart before exploding out of his back. Drake choked, unable to immediately grasp what had happened. He slumped forward, dead.
Azriel dropped to the ground, completely exhausted. He was dying, having used up all of his energy. Rogue was at his side instantly, cradling his head in her arms. She ripped open the collar of her dress and pressed his head against her neck.
"Drink." Azriel feebly tried to shake his head.
"Drink, Azriel." Hunger got the better of him and he sank his fangs into Rogue's soft white skin.
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Her blood tastes fantastic. Like the finest wine. Even now, it strengthens me, revives me.
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Rogue moaned loudly as Azriel continued to drink her blood. It was like no sensation she had ever experienced before. She felt so warm and tingly. She pressed his head closer. Gods, it felt sooo good! Her nails clawed at Azriel's back as she urged him to drink more. She was feeling light-headed, but didn't care. This was the most incredible feeling she had even had. Azriel finally stopped and opened his mouth. The puncture wounds healed instantly as he fell into a gentle sleep. Rogue uttered a soft cry and collapsed onto his chest, falling unconscious. As she fell, Xavier could swear he saw a pair of beautiful white wings materialize on her back. As swiftly as they appeared, they were gone, leaving the two lovers entwined together on the soft green grass.
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Shadow Rising Chapter 4: Unbreakable
What am I?
The question haunted Azriel as he watched the beach from the cliffside. Dark glasses obscured his eyes as he gazed impassively on. Outside, he was completely calm and collected. Inside he was beset with questions, unable to understand how his perfectly ordered little world had come crumbling down with that first attack. He had lost track of how many men and women he had fought since then. It seemed the world turned a blind eye to the destruction they had caused, blaming it on freak fires and mysterious phenomena. Anyone who saw a battle acted as if it had never happened. Azriel simply could not fathom how the humans of Bayville had not realized a war was going on right under their noses. Only the mutants seemed immune to this strange amnesia. Azriel assumed some greater power was at work. And that was what frightened him. Some elusive force manipulated this unholy tournament, bending it to its will. Azriel frowned in concern. The lack of the mysterious voice in his head only served to increase his growing worry. Even now he was attuned to the battles that waged on. People were dying. For that reason, he had battled only in the dead of the night, away from civilization. He could not bear to put the X-Men through more horrific scenes. The teachers and some of the older students could no doubt handle them, but Azriel was far more concerned about the younger students. He feared they would never forget or come to terms with those terrible images of blood and gore. No more. Azriel refused to subject them to more torture and pain.
A sudden shiver ran down Azriel's spine. He stretched his senses outward. A very powerful half-blood was heading his way.
The kids!
Azriel zeroed in on the source of the disturbance and leapt. His jump carried him up the cliff and onto the gazebo. He took off at a sprint toward the mansion.
They won't get hurt.
I won't let them be hurt.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Scott ripped off his glasses and opened his eyes, giving the man standing in front of him the full blast of his optic lasers. To his horror, the energy ricocheted off an invisible shield and rocketed into the black night.
"X-Men, go!" Screams and roars echoed as each X-Man summoned their power and assailed the figure. All their attacks were met by the same invisible force field and were repelled. Storm stretched her hand forward and conjured a bolt of lightning, which leapt from the sky and impacted the stranger, turning the world white. As the dust cleared however, the figure stood calmly, not a hair out place. He seemed almost bored. Xavier wheeled forward and addressed the man.
"I do not know who you are, but you are not welcome here. Please leave this place immediately." The stranger remained perfectly silent. He ran his hands through his fiery red hair, the bored expression remaining on his face. Dressed in a white Armani suit, his jacket open and his white shirt untucked, the stranger looked quite debonair. Xavier closed his eyes and attempted to probe the man's mind. He screamed suddenly and fell from his chair, overcome by the man's mental attack.
"Do not attempt to read my mind again. Next time I will burn your brain to ashes." The stranger smiled suddenly. "Ah, here he comes." He wheeled around to face Azriel as he burst from the garden path. "My name is Drake. Pleasure to meet you." His smile faded a little. "Pity I have to kill you." Small glowing balls began to materialize around him. Gradually, they gained brilliance and intensity. Without warning, one of them suddenly fired a thin beam of energy straight at Azriel, who promptly ducked out of the way. The blast struck a nearby tree and burned a hole straight through it. Azriel turned to look at the assembled mutants.
"Get out of here!" He dropped down and raced toward Drake, throwing a hard punch. Drake watched impassively as Azriel ran at him. Just as his fist was about to connect with the shield, Azriel suddenly disappeared. Drake looked around wildly.
"What the hell?! Where'd he go?!" A sudden scraping just behind him caused him to whip around. To his visible amazement, Azriel seemed to materialize out of thin air. In a motion too fast to see, Azriel launched a kick. His foot glowed bright blue as it connected with the shield, causing sparks to fly. Azriel leapt back and attacked again. He slipped in and out of view, moving so fast it seemed he was invisible. He easily dodged another energy blast and attacked the shield nonstop, punching and kicking it. After another fierce onslaught, Azriel leapt back, completely exhausted. Dust covered the area in front of him, kicked up by his furious assault. He dropped to his knees and sucked in a deep breath, watching the cloud of dust intently. Cheers erupted around him as the students clapped at his magnificent performance. Azriel stood up and began to walk slowly back to his circle of friends, but was cut short as an energy blast slammed into his back and sent him flying forward. He hit the ground with a tremendous "ooph!", carving a divot in the turf. He immediately leapt to his feet, spitting grass from his mouth. To Azriel's amazement, the dust had cleared, leaving Drake completely unharmed. His shield flickered blue and the glowing energy balls began to fire their lasers. Azriel zigzagged back and forth, desperately avoiding the deadly blasts. He was running short on energy, having put most of it into the brutal attack on Drake's shield.
How do I break his shield? It's too damn strong!
Azriel's thoughts were rudely interrupted as a powerful beam hit him dead on in the chest, sending him rocketing backwards. He smashed into the trees and was lost from sight. Drake gazed calmly at the broken underbrush.
"Well, that wasn't too difficult. I must admit he had me scared for a moment. Ah well..." He turned to look at the horrified faces of the X-Men. "As for you all...You've been annoying pests to me and I know just how to get rid of pests. Zap them." Energy balls began to glow around him once again.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Everything hurts.
He must have broken most of my bones with that shot. I can barely move.
I hear their screams now, as Drake attacks. I have to fight.
But I'm so tired. And I have so little energy left.
Perhaps...
Yes. It might work.
It has to.
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"Hey, Asshole!"
Drake turned around, gasping in shock. Azriel stood in front of him, crouched on the ground. His right hand was glowing with blue energy. The energy began to crackle, transforming into lightning.
"All my energy...into this" And Azriel raced forward. Drake panicked and began to fire blast after blast. But Azriel was moving faster, concentrating all of his energy and speed into one single attack. Before Drake could even think, Azriel was on top of him.
"Lightning Strike!" Azriel plunged his hand forward. The raw energy cut through Drake's shield like a hot knife through butter and slammed into his chest, burning its way through his heart before exploding out of his back. Drake choked, unable to immediately grasp what had happened. He slumped forward, dead.
Azriel dropped to the ground, completely exhausted. He was dying, having used up all of his energy. Rogue was at his side instantly, cradling his head in her arms. She ripped open the collar of her dress and pressed his head against her neck.
"Drink." Azriel feebly tried to shake his head.
"Drink, Azriel." Hunger got the better of him and he sank his fangs into Rogue's soft white skin.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Her blood tastes fantastic. Like the finest wine. Even now, it strengthens me, revives me.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Rogue moaned loudly as Azriel continued to drink her blood. It was like no sensation she had ever experienced before. She felt so warm and tingly. She pressed his head closer. Gods, it felt sooo good! Her nails clawed at Azriel's back as she urged him to drink more. She was feeling light-headed, but didn't care. This was the most incredible feeling she had even had. Azriel finally stopped and opened his mouth. The puncture wounds healed instantly as he fell into a gentle sleep. Rogue uttered a soft cry and collapsed onto his chest, falling unconscious. As she fell, Xavier could swear he saw a pair of beautiful white wings materialize on her back. As swiftly as they appeared, they were gone, leaving the two lovers entwined together on the soft green grass.