Hello people/person! After a long hiatus...i return! Chapter 16 is here!
And now, we return to our feature presentation...
Amori ran into the mass of enemies, cutting down soldiers left and right as he ran, barely even seeing his foes before he destroyed them. He sensed something behind him, and turned to see a Kamal looming over him, and immense axe raised over its head. The demon brought the axe down, and Amori's eyes widened: he had no shield! Without thinking, he instinctively brought his metal hand up to block the blow, closing his eyes, waiting for the cold embrace of death. It never came. He opened his eyes, and saw that the metal on the axe's blade had crumpled beneath his fingers, and that the Kamal wasstaring at him in shock. Without thinking, Amori yanked the axe out of the surprised demon's hands, and skewered his opponent through the chest. The Kamal screamed as Frostfire seared its icy flesh, and its body began to melt around Amori's blade. The demon fell steaming to the ground, and Delchkahn turned around to continue his fight. As he did, he was brought face to face with a Tsaesci, both swords poised to strike. The Tsaesci was about two feet away; there was no time for Amori to react! Suddenly, the Tsaesci's body lurched, and its eyes widened. An arrow was sticking out of its skull, drilled into its head right between the eyes. Amori turned around, and saw Rhiihaaj standing on a roof, a glass bow in his hands, an arrow taut in its string. Amori smiled, and ran back into the fray. He darted through them like a scythe in a field of grass, cutting down any Akavir stupid enough to get in his way. Arrows from Rhiihaaj followed him, silencing those who would seek to harm Amori forever. Suddenly, Amori stopped: he sensed a familiar presence. He didn't know why, but a chill went down his spine, and he shivered slightly. As he saw a single, black-clad form striding through the destruction, he knew what he had felt: Kazaka. The evil Tsaesci was here, alive and well. Amori grimaced, and charged his foe. Today, he thought, one of us will fall on this field. Today, only one will stand.
Padfoot sat at the chair in the cellar, staring at the glass of blood before her. It smelled so sweet: it was disgusting. Padfoot stared at the glass, the red liquid shimmering in the dim light, tempting her, urging her to drink of it, to bathe her stomach in it. Suddenly, a loud crash reverberated through the walls, and a scream was heard. The building shook, and ripples spread crazily through the blood. Padfoot jumped up, wondering what was going on, and began to panic as the cellar suddenly grew warm: there was a fire! Padfoot's eyes widened, and her breathing quickened, coming in short, loud gasps. She knew that if she stayed here while there was a fire she was doomed, but she also knew that she would die if she went into the sun. Padfoot looked at the blood, and grimaced. She grabbed the glass, and drained it, quenching her vampiric thirst. Padfoot grabbed the bottles of blood, and charged out of the cellar, her heart pounding as she ran up the stairs. Padfoot closed her eyes as she smashed through the wooden door, splinters of flaming wood flying past her, the heat making her fur stand on end. Padfoot opened her eyes, and nearly vomited at the sight. Flames licked across the wooden guild-hall, devouring tapestries and ornate furniture in their path, casting a terrible orange glow on the room. Mages lay strewn across the floor like the toys of a demonic child; their bodies mutilated horribly, the stench of the burning corpses wafting up into Padfoot's nose. The mages had been massacred: they lay where they had fallen, huge gashes in their guts and throats. Some of them were speared on shards of splintered wood in the walls. Padfoot's eyes widened at the carnage, and her heart nearly stopped as she saw a familiar body among the wreckage: Caminalda. Her mouth and eyes were open, her eyes rolled back in their sockets. Blood trickled from her lips, and her stomach was a mass of shredded red flesh. Padfoot turned away, and retched onto the floor, spilling her stomach's contents onto the floor. Padfoot vomited over and over, falling to her hands and knees. Padfoot panted heavily, her eyes wide in terror. "By the nine," she whispered, scared. Suddenly, she heard a loud hissing. She got up and spun around, only then noticing that in her escape from the cellar, the bottles of blood had smashed into the floor. A tall, golden-scaled serpent-man strode towards her, his long, forked tongue flicking in and out of his grinning mouth. Her pupils contracted into tiny dots: she recognized this creature! It was just like Kazaka, only a bit larger. "Wh-what are you?" she gasped, slowly backing away, yelping in pain as she stepped onto a patch of burning wood. The snake-man laughed in a raspy voice and brandished his swords, dragging them along the ground, embers exploding up from the burning wood.
"My clan is Tsaesci, and I am a soldier of the Golden Legions," it whispered, grinning. "You look like a pretty young morssel," he hissed, his tongue flicking out of his mouth. "Your blood will be refreshing!" The Tsaesci charged forward, his maw opening to three times the size it should be able to. Padfoot jumped out of the way as he passed, her claws flicking out of her hands. Her eyes began to glow red, and her lips pulled back in a feral snarl. The Tsaesci turned slowly, his eyes widening in shock as he realized he was not fighting a normal Khajiit. "Sso," he whispered, knowing his time was near, "you have the gift." Padfoot leaped forward with a roar, flying towards the agile serpent. The Tsaesci never had a chance. Padfoot's teeth sunk into his throat, and Padfoot drank deeply of his blood. She drove him to the ground, crushing his neck between her jaws. The Tsaesci struggled and gasped as his blood was drained, spastically trying to free himself. Padfoot planted her hands on the Akavir's shoulders, and tore out his throat, the serpent's windpipe still clamped between her jaws. Padfoot spat out the organ, and stood up from the snake-man as he writhed in his death throes before going still. The red glow left her eyes, and she collapsed to the floor, panting. Blood reddened the fur around her mouth and down her neck, spilling all the way to her breast. Padfoot stared at her hands in amazement: her claws had elongated themselves, now extending a full inch beyond her fingertip when extended. She flicked them in and out experimentally, flexing her fingers as she did. She felt invigorated, and strong. Suddenly, a burning beam fell from the ceiling of the collapsing building, grazing her back. Padfoot howled in agony, as the fire singed her flesh, her back arching in pain. Her tattered shirt was now nearly gone, and her undergarments were visible beneath the shredded fabric. Padfoot grimaced, tears dripping from her eyes with pain, and tore off the shirt, knowing that the loose fabric would only slow her down. Breathing deeply, Padfoot ran at the front door of the guild-hall, and smashed out into the light.
Soul-Swimmer stumbled through the smoke, coughing, her arm in front of her face. "Sehiiri! Kud-Ei! Henantier! Ka-Mala! Where are you?!" she called out, coughing violently. She put her hand up against the wall, panting heavily, sweating in the heat. Slowly, she slid to her knees, fighting the urge to slip into sleep. Her body crumpled to the floor, and she dragged herself across the floor. She coughed violently, but gradually, she regained her breath. Soul-Swimmer pulled herself to her feet, and holding her sleeve in front of her mouth and nose, she shambled into the clouds of smoke. Smoke stung her eyes, but she kept on, squinting in the heat. Suddenly, she heard a coughing in the room next to her, and muffled sobbing noise. Soul-Swimmer tried to open the door, but found it locked. Bracing herself, she brought her leg up and smashed the door in, her foot splintering the wood easily. Kud-Ei crouched on the floor over Henantier's limp form. Tears ran from her eyes, and Soul-Swimmer's eyes widened as she saw the gash in his gut.
"Hen! Hen, get up!" cried Kud-Ei. Soul-Swimmer ran to her side, placing two fingers under the Altmer's chin. She waited for a few seconds, and noticed a slight, unsteady pulse. Kud-Ei looked up at her, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Is he…" she whispered, unable to being herself to finish the sentence.
"No, he's alive, but barely," said Soul-Swimmer, staring at the gash in Henantier's belly. Fortunately for the elf, the blade hadn't penetrated too deep. "What did this to him?" Kud-Ei coughed and rose a shaky finger, pointing to something in the corner. A golden scaled corpse lay slumped in the corner, its fingers stiff in death. Soul-Swimmer's eyes widened; an Akavir! "Come on," she coughed, tearing her sleeve into a long strip of cloth and wrapping it around Henantier's stomach, "let's go!" Soul-Swimmer and Kud-Ei dragged Henantier out of the room, and after reaching the hallway, Soul-Swimmer helped Kud-Ei to lift Henantier onto her shoulders. "Sehiiri! Sehiiri!" called Soul-Swimmer, stumbling through the smoke, Kud-Ei behind her. Suddenly, she heard something from behind a wall of rubble:
"Soul-Swimmer? Is that you?"
Sehiiri pressed herself against the door, tears of panic running down her cheeks. The room she was in was getting very, very hot, and Ka-Mala had already passed out from the heat and lack of fresh air. "Soul-Swimmer!" she cried, her voice touched with fear. "We're in here!" Sehiiri waited, biting her lip nervously. Finally, she heard a response.
"Sehiiri! Is that you?!"
"Yes, it's me!" Sehiiri shouted, smiling. "Ka-Mala's in here with me; she's unconscious! We're trapped!" For a moment, the only sound was the crackling of the flames that were slowly devouring the guildhouse. Then Soul-Swimmer spoke.
"Stand back!" she yelled, and Sehiiri cautiously took a few steps away from the door. Loud thudding noises could be heard from the other side, and suddenly, the wooden door shattered. Soul-Swimmer stood in the rubble, Song glowing in her hand, a steady hum echoing from its blade. "Let's go!" shouted Soul-Swimmer over the din, her other hand pressed against her face to ward off the smoke. Sehiiri dragged Ka-Mala out of the room, and winced in pain. Soul-Swimmer walked over to her, and took Ka-Mala from her. "Sehiiri, you're expecting! Get out of here; I'll take care of Ka-Mala!" Sehiiri reluctantly handed Ka-Mala to her friend, and ran out to the roof. Soul-Swimmer watched her go, and dragged Ka-Mala towards the ladder to the roof, Kud-Ei close behind her. As she climbed up the steps to the roof, she heard a huge crack. She looked back, and saw the building collapsing around her. A huge beam struck Soul-Swimmer in the back of the head, and the world went dark.
Padfoot flew through the door, shards of wood flying around her as she flew into the sun. She tackled a Ka'Po Tun to the ground as she exited the building, and leaped off of his chest into the mass of enemies. The town guard fought futilely against the akavir, and for every Akaviri soldier that fell, two more replaced them. Corpses littered the streets, and most of them were innocents. Padfoot barely noticed them as she tore through the Akavir hordes, her claws stained red with the blood of the beastmen from across the Etheric Ocean. She leaped from soldier to soldier, her claws shredding through armor like paper, tearing out the throats of the Akavir with her bloodied fangs. A Kamal raised his shield and charged at her, bellowing a tremendous war-cry in his native toungue. Padfoot dropped to all fours and ran across the gore drenched earth like some horrific jungle cat, her fur covered in red. Just before she would have collided with the immense Kamal, Padfoot leaped high into the air, her body flying through the air with the grace of a performing gymnast. Time seemed to slow down; the Kamal sluggishly turned his massive head to follow Padfoot as she drifted through the air like a falling leaf. Padfoot felt her arms reaching down, and gripping the Kamal's head on both sides. She heard a muffled scream as her claws dug into his flesh, and a sudden jolt as she flipped through the air. Time returned to it's normal pace, and Padfoot finished her flip, landing gracefully on the ground. She heard a large thud behind her, and stood, turning around slowly. The body of the Kamal lay on the ground, bluish blood pouring from its neck. Padfoot looked down at her hands, and saw that she was holding the severed head of the Akavir soldier. Padfoot stared in shock for a moment, and the terrible bloodlust of before consumed her mind. Her eyes turned pure red, and her lips drew back in a feral snarl. Padfoot tossed the head aside, and ran forward, her eyes set on her prey: a Ka'Po Tun soldier, a scimitar clasped in each hand. By Cyrodiilian standards, he was tall, but for his race, he was a runt. Padfoot ran across the firelit ground, each bound bringing her closer to the battle that would change her life forever.
Amori dashed silently across the blood-stained ground; though he ran at a full sprint, his feet hit and left Nirn's surface without the slightest whisper. He pulled Frostbite from his back, and pulled a glass arrow along the magical bow's string. He let the arrow fly while still running, and it whistled towards it's target: Kazaka. The black-clad Akavir turned his head, and Amori saw that Kazaka had a mocking smile on his lips, his black eyes glistening in the light from the burning city. Amori stared in amazement as Kazaka's hand whipped in front of the arrow, spreading his hand wide. The green shaft sped towards his hand... and shattered. As the arrow came within two inches of Kazaka's palm, it exploded into thousands of glass splinters. Kazaka grinned demonically as the shards flew through the air, a cloud of energy dissipating in the air in front of his hand. Calmly, Kazaka drew his blade, venom dripping from its length, sending clouds of steam into the air as it hit the ground. "Long time no ssee... Masster!" Kazaka hissed as he lunged at Amori, his blade sending its deadly venom in an arc through the air. Amori drew FrostFire just in time to block Kazaka's deadly strike, and a loud ring resounded through the air as the two legendary blades met. FrostFire's blade burst in to blue flames, and the metal began to glow a bright blue. He brought the mythic blade back and spun his body, bringing Frostfire around in a full circle towards Kazaka's head, tracing a blue circle of flame around his body. Kazaka brought his demonic sword up in a cross block, staving off the tremendous blow with one hand. Kazaka grinned, his black eyes shining with malice. "Whatss wrong, Masster?" Kazaka said as Delchkahn stared in shock at his former pupil, "You not used to my new sstrength?!" Kazaka began to press forward, and Amori grunted behind the force; Kazaka's strength was equivalent to that of a oblivion-damned Deadroth!
"I'll have to say not, Kazaka," Amori grunted, slowly clenching his metal fist. Suddenly releasing the tension from his block, he allowed the force of Kazaka's strike to propel him in an arc and landed a punch with his metal hand straight across Kazaka's face. THe wicked snake-man flew backward with a loud crack, bouncing across the dusty ground. Kazaka's head snapped back into it's natural position and he sat up slowly, propping himself up on his elbows. Delchkahn scooped up Kazaka's sword in his metallic hand, and rolled his shoulders. "Seems like youre not the only one with new tricks!" Amori dashed towards the fallen Tsaesci, blades fanning out at his side. He brought the swords up, and brought them down on Kazaka's prone form. To Amori's great surprise, both Kazaka and his sword melted into smoke before the blades hit him, and Amori was left swiping at thin air. Amori stood and looked at the ground in shock, and spun around just in time to block a blow from Kazaka. The evil Tsaesci smiled wickedly, his white fangs glistening in the firelight. Suddenly, Amori heard a huge crash. He looked towards it... just in time to see the mages guild collapse in a heaping, flaming pile. His eyes widened in terror, and his heart pounded in his chest. "Soul-Swi--" he began to shout, turning around, but he felt a sharp, burning pain in his chest. He looked down... and saw Kazaka's black blade sticking out of his chest, the flesh around it turning a rotten black. Blood trickled from his mouth, and Kazaka leaned in close, his mouth next to Amori's face.
"Lookss like I win, Masster," he whispered evilly. Amori felt himself falling, and his eyes rolled back in their sockets as his world darkened.
OMG! Amori got stabbed! Is he dead? Maybe, maybe not...
All will be revealed..
ON THE TRAIL WE BLAZE!
lol
The winds of time shift the sands of reality into ever changing patterns.
- Baeowulf