Prince of Persia: Dark Destiny
Saddened Soul: I did what now? (Grabs own chainsaw for defence) Well you did inspire me to dust this baby off from the depths of the dreaded Planning Stages Grave
ATMac05: I don't think the amulet was, because I was sure he was wearing it in the ending movie. I could be wrong anyway. Secondly it's believable; see there were a good few troops but not an army and also they knew EXACTLY where the Prince was. An army wouldn't be there, but a huge group of troops FROM an army would. I just didn't make that clear I guess.
Jay Are Vee: I like that fic. Don't try and slate it with me. That fic's got a plotline suited for the next game. I like that fic. If you don't like it…why are you reviewing it? I certainly hope you're not a flamer who flames without knowing what he's flaming…that's icky business. But thanks, I will keep it up and the support is appreciated
Lady Discord: Well I decided to give Kaileena a little more of a sarcastic curl. Warn me if I lose her too much. Darius isn't a villain though; he's actually a lot like the prince only less ethical and I tiny bit of a Sinbad character …Nadina on the other hand is pure unadulterated grade-A evil. They're different. Question: Would you trust Darius? Answer after reading this. As for the empty slots: I think I need to finish both endings. I amn't sure. Then again I can't remember what Toughness I played on. Pretty sure it was normal, but whatever. I suppose that's right but people who flame without reason are what annoy me. If you dislike the story and tell me why then I just shrug it off. Flame me for no reason and I will poke fun endlessly in my next update. That's how I work
Chapter 2: The Naval Academy of Babylon
The Prince groaned and sat up. Kaileena was beside him, she seemed angry. "What? What is it?" he croaked.
"You'll see," she muttered. Two sand guards stood at the door, they were the shirtless kind, the inexperienced soldiers…they were leering at Kaileena's chest. "Its bad enough I'm in this cell but MUST they treat me like a theatrical performance?"
"Can you blame them?" a smooth voice asked. Darius was leaning against the wall nearby. "Its not like you cover up that well…"
"Come closer and say that," Kaileena said sweetly. "And then I'll hit you so hard your jaw will spin!"
Darius laughed. "Take them to the War room!" he snapped. The leather-armoured soldiers with the white turbans and sashes flooded the cell and dragged them away. Kaileena looked to the Prince who just looked Grim.
The heavy wooden elevator lifted them to the upper floors. Kaileena looked at the Dagger on Darius' belt. "Admiring it? It works miracles against being turned into monsters," he said with a shrug.
"You have no idea what that dagger can do" warned Kaileena
"It can reverse time…that's the part I like about it. I look better without the gaping wounds of death" he shrugged.
The Prince looked at the group of armed sand soldiers around him. He could -Feel- the water sword nearby. But it was out of reach to him. He resigned himself to the captured state he was in.
The heavy doors of the war room were pulled open by the winches manned inside the room by two sand creatures. The room was cylindrical with a large flat marble table that showed the seas and islands out before his father's kingdom. Torches lit the room all around, above was a platform with several arches leading onto it and some ladders bringing them to the ground.
Darius looked nervous. Jafar was in the corner sharpening his sword and smirking darkly. It was definitely unnerving. Or if you prefer: Enraging.
"Well at long last – I have been so very excited by the prospect of your visits" chuckled the voice darkly. "Kaileena – well I assume the Empress is dead if you are here…and the Prince of Persia…I amn't so surprised, you are the one I longed to meet…" the hooded figure wore the crown.
The primal rage within the Prince rose like a swelling river in a monsoon. He tried to break his chains but it was no good. He glanced at the Dagger in Darius' belt…the pirate caught his glance and gave a warning glare.
"Darius – bring in the King" the shadowy being said. He walked forwards; his armour was black with twists of rune-imprinted silver all over them – the tattered cloak trailed along behind him like a shadow. His glowing eyes burned red beneath the hood he wore. He reached up, short, curved blades popped out of the backs of his gloves and twisted; spiked metal ropes whirled from his forearm to coil around his fists.
Kaileena watched cautiously as the blades trailed close to the Prince's face. She glanced around. Nadina had appeared from the shadows, she'd not been leaning against the statue of the winged lion a moment ago…she watched, her green face paint near her eyes was glowing a little as she glanced at Kaileena, gloating off her despair.
Empty eyes of the Sand-possessed students, the shirtless, turbaned creatures they'd encountered, and city soldiers who wore blue leered down on them as they waited.
"I am King of Persia now" the being of shadow said as he turned away. "And you are nothing but a fool. I intend to kill you soon, but not yet. For now I must regrettably kill Kaileena to exercise my point" he reached out and a sword gathered in his hand. It was a curved blade made out of dark purple glass and a black frame holding it in place that seemed to be made of black wood…gnarled by ages.
He walked forwards. "Know the one that killed you, servant of the empress, his name was Azarael, Master of Destiny!"
"Well that makes me feel so much better" spat Kaileena.
He raised the sword but hesitated. Darius entered; behind him two blue clad guards dragged the once king Shahraman in chains. He was drained and pale, the captivity had taken its toll on him.
"Father!" exclaimed the Prince.
"My son!" Shahraman gasped. "He seized power – you should have fled!"
"He should have – but he didn't," laughed Nadina as she watched from the corner… Azarael walked towards the king and with a swift motion stabbed him through the heart.
"Father!"
"Know my power wretch" growled Azarael. "I am more then you will ever be! You can't win; you can only wait to die! And watch, all that is yours is rightfully mine – this kingdom and the power…you are nothing! I am everything and death awaits all you love!"
"No!" the Prince snarled. He struggled.
"Darius, remember that failure will not be tolerated. Take him away and then burn the body, I don't want the old man to remain anywhere in this city, burn all records of him."
"Yes" murmured Darius.
The Prince burst out of the grasp of the sand creatures. He vaulted backwards over one and pulled its sword from its hip before hacking its head off its shoulders. He ran the other through and kicked one of the two holding Kaileena off balance.
He glanced at Azarael who had turned away and lunged. Azarael blocked the slash without even thinking. "How do you think I found you little boy?" he hissed. "I can see everything you do, every move you make…as you think of it…you can't defeat me…" he pivoted and kicked in precisely the right place to break the prince's guard and send him shooting away. "
Kaileena ducked as Darius leapt at her. She spun and kicked his legs from under him…
She spun and kicked his legs from under him, but he jumped.
"I have sincere déjà vu" she said and punched him in the jaw. She grabbed his hand, catching his thumb with her own and preventing him reaching the button. She wrapped her arm around his as he tried to move his sword; she held his arm rigid her arm pushing the right places to keep the elbow from bending and holding his limb rigid. "I have a great dislike for Déjà vu" she head butted him, then again and rammed a knee into his groin.
"That's cruel" he shrilled as he buckled in her arms. She twisted him over and kicked him in the small of the back. He leaned on the wall for a moment. A moment too much. Kaileena's eyes glowed as the whispering voices and fleeting visions crossed her eyes…
"You fool!" roared Azarael as Kaileena leapt upwards and swung onto a platform, she punched aside a sand apprentice, his bare chest gave no resistance as she grabbed his sword and speared him with it.
Kaileena ran along the walkway and shoved a sand apprentice onto a sharp piece of broken wood. "I have to say," she said as she pulled down on the lever. "That was not too bad" nearby a door pulled open revealing a deep shaft of darkness.
Azarael struck Darius aside and kicked the Prince away. "Nadina!" he snapped. "Punish Darius!"
Nadina laughed and reached into a belt pouch. She hurled a handful of purple sand into the flames of a brazier. The blaze rose up in a twist of green and purple. Darius gave a cry of rage…through the open window a similar flame lit up on a tower. But this one had the visible shadow of a man struggling in it. The screams were blood curdling.
"No!" Darius cried. The Prince attacked and landed his first successful slash on Azarael. It sealed instantly and the Prince was knocked backwards in surprise. Azarael lunged forwards and slashed with a laugh. He then screamed in shock as his sword slammed into the Prince…then with some incredible force was shoved right back out – the Prince touched his stomach - - it was unscathed. "How?" he whispered.
Darius slashed Azarael, the grey stone seized his flesh and with a spinning kick Darius knocked the man away. Nadina gave a shriek of rage and charged Darius…A heavy vase crashed down on her and knocked her off balance. Kaileena vaulted over the railings and landed beside the Prince. "Are you all right?"
"I – Think so" he said slowly as he searched his fingers for blood.
Darius pivoted and kicked a guard away. "Down the shaft!" he exclaimed. "We have to get out of here!" he shouted.
"Why should we trust you!" snarled the Prince as Azarael stormed towards him. Kaileena looked at Darius, her eyes glowed with swirling golden sands.
"I trust him. Let's go," she said. The Prince was reluctant. Kaileena gave an exasperated snarl as she grabbed his wrist and shoved him into the shaft before nodding at Darius who leapt next. She cast a glance back at Azarael. He raised his blade – and hesitated. Kaileena hurled herself down the shaft.
The fall was unspectacular yet at the same time thrilling. The Prince splashed heavily into the deep water and swam to the edge of the water. He glanced over his shoulder, from the dark black pipe he had fallen through came Darius who splashed into the semicircular pool. There was a solid grimy black brickwork wall behind it and the cavern framed the pool with ancient cracked grey tiles. Darius pulled himself out of the water.
"That was fun!" he said. "Should we do it again?"
Kaileena splashed into the water. She surfaced, climbing a narrow line of steps out of the pool, her body dripping with water. "That was bracing," she said as she pushed her hair out of her face. "Where are we?"
"The Catacombs" stated the Prince and Darius together.
"Babylon was built with a network of underground chambers that were once used of prisons for slaves in the early days of the building, they've been empty for years" the Prince said. He then turned on Darius. The slowing of time was in unison. In short the world became hazy but neither Darius nor the Prince slowed down.
The swords clashed. "Why did you help us?"
"I want to" shrugged Darius. The Prince and he had blades locked close to each other's faces. "Azarael killed the man who raised me, the man he was holding and using to control me because he can't take my dagger." They shoved harder at one another. "The man he burned at the stake was my father, you know what it is to lose a father – I only wanted to help mine!"
"Your father was a pirate!"
"And what was the difference in my fathers raids and battles that differed from your own father's?"
The Prince flinched and they shoved away. Kaileena shook her head and rolled her eyes. "Both of you stop!" she exclaimed. "We have to hurry, no doubt the creature is already making plans to slay us"
"My ship is docked in the Naval bay," said Darius. "We can escape that way," he pointed through the old arch. "Azarael came to this place in a warship, he captured my father and enslaved my crew, under his protection they did not change into sand creatures so long as they remain on my boat. He knew every defence on the walls and broke through easily"
"Impossible! No one knows every defence save myself, my father and my brothers!" the Prince snapped.
"He did" Darius said with a simple shrug. "Every last one"
"Jafar could have found them…" The Prince murmured. "We have to go" he narrowed his eyes at Darius but Kaileena put a hand on his shoulder.
"He's sincere I read his soul – he is sincere" Kaileena said.
"You can do that?" asked Darius.
"Yes" she shrugged. "Come, we have to go…"
The Prince glared at Darius but walked alongside Kaileena towards the cracked arch.
Azarael glared at the shaft. "Nadina!" he hissed.
"Yes?" the beautiful creature asked as she walked towards him. "What can I do for you my lord?"
"Take some of the Sand Creatures, go and find them in the catacombs" growled the being. "Jafar will take station at the Academy Bay"
"They won't get past me," purred Nadina as she drew her three pronged blades, long fingers wrapping around the leather handles that were connected to the golden crescent the blades were fused to.
On the crescent and blades glowed green runes. Nadina turned and walked into the shadows – vanishing.
---------TBC---------
Next Chapter: A familiar face is in the Catacombs, which is littered with trouble and traps. Thoughts, comments and ideas welcome in reviews.