Act II : Faith, Hope, and Love

Consumed are we by our inner hatred, driven are we by our lust for power
Yet all we can seemingly do is to run away, to hide in a corner and cower

Somewhere not too afar on the battlefield, Purist Thunderwrath was fighting valiantly. However, he had begun to worry. Each Night elf slain, escalated the Scourge count further. He evaded a sloppy attack made by a nearby ghoul, and thrust his sword deep inside its gut. Blackish blood oozed from the gash. Purist quickly swung the blade vertically upwards, neatly slicing the ghoul in half. He sidestepped to the left, and swung his sword in a circular arc to decapitate another ghoul. With another mighty swing downwards he fatally wounded yet another one of the Undead.

The battle fares on, and I am losing strength. I don't think I can do this...
No, Purist! No! You can not afford to lose your morale, remember, there are many counting on you.

An abomination swung its cleaver sideways at the Omniknight. He hastily dodged it, and hacked off its arm. The monster cried out in agony, and Purist lashed away angrily at its torso. The abomination tried attacking Purist with its one good arm, but he shrewdly blocked the incoming attack, and dug his sword deep into the abomination's chest. The creature howled with agony as blood gushed out from its open wound. Purist almost felt a slight amount of remorse for slaughtering a creature so cruelly.

"The Legendary Omniknight, I presume?" spoke the swordsman, mounted on his rotting steed.
His eyes were pale white, his skin a ghostly hue of gray. His appearance gave Purist an easy feeling. The man was clad completely in thick, heavy armor.

He spoke once again, "Oh, forgive me for my rude manners. I am Abaddon, Lord of Avernus, and I have been sent to kill you, Purist Thunderwrath."

Abaddon dismounted his horse and drew his sword from its sheath. Both heroes silently stared each other down, as if trying to predict their opponent's next move. Abaddon gripped his sword firmly and charged towards the Omniknight. Purist followed suit and made the first strike. He swung his blade diagonally towards Abaddon's arm. He countered the attack by quickly thrusting his sword vertically upwards. The swords clashed, and sparks flew out. The Omniknight wasted no time, and veered his sword to Abaddon's side. Abaddon swung his sword downwards to block the incoming attack, and made repetitive swings to force the Omniknight's sword further back. Each successive blow was stronger than the previous, and reeled Purist sword further back. Purist was reeling from the pain of absorbing the shocks of his powerful blows. His strength was rapidly draining, and soon his will would give out.

Abaddon sneered as he saw his foe begin to weaken. "Is that all the fight left in you Purist? I thought you'd at least live up to your name!"

"Just watch me!"

Purist dove to the left, barely avoiding a sideward slash by Abaddon. Purist knelt down taking a quick breather.
I won't last for long if this keeps up... I need a plan... and fast...

"What's the matter Thunderwrath? I'm starting to consider whether you were even worth my time," spoke Abaddon coolly.

The Omniknight rose and clasped his sword tightly with his glove-clad hands. The twilight sun glowed weakly up above in the midst of darkness. Like a faint glimmer of hope, in the midst of gloom and despair. He raised his sword up above, and a beacon of light pierced through the black sky and fell on him.

He began to feel revitalized, and managed a smile. Abaddon charged towards Purist, his sword clutched tightly in both hands. He trailed the sword in the dust as he ran towards the Omniknight. Right before reaching Purist, he quickly swung his blade upwards. The sand entered Purist's eyes, and he howled with pain. He blindly swerved downwards to block Abaddon's sword. Miraculously, the blades struck each other and Purist's sword impeded Abaddon's blade from moving any further. Abaddon brought his sword vertically downwards, and then swung his blade directly upwards with full force. The force of the attack pushed Purist back slightly. His blurry vision had begun to clear, as the wind blew the dust from his eyes. Purist jumped the side, and thrust his sword to Abaddon's side. He blocked it with ease, and forced Purist's blade out of his hands. The Omniknight somersaulted backwards in the air, grabbed the sword in its descent and forced his full weight in a downward thrust. Abaddon rolled to the side to evade the attack.

Purist landed on his feet gracefully. His foot stomped into the sandy earth. Both warriors swung at each other in perfect unison. The blades clashed, and blueish sparks flew in the air. Abaddon pulled his sword to the side and grazed Purist's shoulder. The wound began to quickly overflow, and Purist clenched his teeth at the sudden thrust of pain in his shoulder. He took a quick step backwards to shake off the feeling of agony. Abaddon lunged at Purist and made swift side-way thrusts. Abaddon twisted the sword to his side, and made rapid sideway slashes at Purist. The Omniknight's feet trailed in the dust, and was being driven further and further back with each successive blow. Purist dove to the side and swung his massive blade downwards in a diagonal fashion. Abaddon howled in agony as blood gushed out of his side. He ran his left hand over his newly-created wound, and stared at Purist with spite. The blood from his wound mysteriously ceased to flow, and a greenish glow began to emanate from his metal-clad hand. Purist jumped towards Abaddon, his sword held high in the air. He brought it vertically down with all his might. His blade struck Abaddon's chest, but nothing happened. Purist was forced through the air, and landed softly on his back. It seemed Abaddon wasn't even fazed.

What the?

Abaddon let loose a heart-felt laughter. "Did you actually think that you could kill me? Ignorant fool! Even if I am near the verge of death I can borrow myself time! There is nothing you can do to stop me!" Abaddon swung his blade in a circular fashion around his head and then pointed it in the Omniknight's direction. The blade glowed eerily, and a strange white light shone from it. The light spiraled around the handle to the blade, until it reached the very edge. It pulsated out and struck Purist with great force. The force of the blast flung Purist backwards. He landed on the ground, more confused than ever at this bizarre sorcery.

"This is the coil of death, just wait until it takes its toll. This battle is over, Omniknight."

Purist's voice cracked as he spoke, "Never..."

His body felt as if though it was on fire. Pain shot through his insides, as if something was eating him alive from within. Everything began to, darken around him.

No, I must not let Lina down.

He held his sword tightly, and placed a firm hand on the soft soil below. The pain was excruciating, but he would not let Abaddon get the best of him. He closed his eyes, and mustered the strength to stand. His legs felt weak, and exhausted. It felt as if there was a ton of weight on his shoulders. His entire body was shaking from the tremendous pain. He placed his left hand on the sword and dragged it off the ground. It felt, heavier, and bigger than he remembered.

Abaddon could not help but laugh at the feeble looking Omniknight. His laugh thundered across the field, over-shadowing the sounds of battle nearby.
He walked towards the Omniknight, with his sword held high.

There was still a glimmer of hope inside the Omniknight's heart. He silently whispered, "Gods, give me strength. I call upon your aid to purge me of this spell. Cleanse my soul of this evil, and repel this dark magic from me." As he spoke these words, a translucent golden shield began to materialize around him.
Abaddon swung his blade at Purist with all his power. Purist felt a sudden jolt of energy rush into him. He managed to block Abaddon's attack just in time.

As their swords clashed, and sparks flew Abaddon spoke with a tone of surprise, "Hah, didn't think you'd last this long Omniknight. I'm almost impressed."

"I'm more than a match for you Abaddon. Trust me; you won't leave this place alive today."

"We shall see about that Omniknight. We shall see."

The Omniknight was panting heavily, it would not be long before his strength gave out. He swerved his sword to the right deflecting off yet another attack made by Abaddon. Purist prayed, "Please, I need you to help me. I'm not going to be able to last much longer. I ask you, my guardian angel, to give me the power I need to defeat this Monster."

Miraculously, his wounds began to subside, and he was slowly regaining much needed energy. His body was swarmed by a golden aura that engulfed his entire body. Energy flooded rapidly into his veins, and he swung his blade at Abaddon with all his might. Abaddon veered to the right, and swung to the left. The sword cut clean into Purist's shoulder, and blood sprayed out with immense pressure. The wound magically sealed itself, and blood stopped flowing from it. However, the energy quickly faded away, and subsided into pain. He began to feel weak again.

Abaddon raised his sword and it flashed a bright white light over his body. A translucent glowing silver capsule began to materialize around the Lord of Avernus.

The Omniknight quickly seized this opportunity and dealt a critical blow to Abaddon's mid torso. The sword sliced neatly through skin, and flesh. He pulled his sword out, and swung at Abaddon. This time the capsule deflected his attack, acting as a barrier between Purist's sword and Abaddon's armor. "The amphotic shield," spoke Abaddon in a whisper quiet voice. "I doubt you have any strength left to pierce through it. Go ahead Purist, try and prove me wrong."

Purist brought his sword down towards Abaddon once more. The shield, and the Omniknight's blade clashed, yet the shield remained unfazed. He forced the blade, and pressed it harder and harder against the shield, trying to break it, his efforts seemed futile. Abaddon let out a taunting laughter that kindled something in the Omniknight. Purist lost his calm composure, and began to furiously whack at the barrier. Abaddon began to wear a worried look on his face. In a last ditch effort, Purist let out a boisterous cry of frustration and rammed his sword hard into the amphotic shield. It shattered, but unleashed a destructive shockwave from within. The force of this shockwave forced Purist back. His feet slid across the ground, as he desperately tried to regain control of himself. Abaddon found the window of opportunity he had long waited for. He dove towards Abaddon, and like a lance he threw his sword with blazing speed into Purist's chest.

The sword plunged deep into Purist's chest. Blood began to ooze out from the newly created flesh wound. Purist could not help but stare at Abaddon in shock, as his vision began to fade away. Spurts of blood began to gush out of his mouth. Abaddon gripped the sword firmly, and forced it in even further. All his cherished memories began to flood into his mind. He remembered the first time, he met Lina and his first thoughts of her. He began to reminiscent over the unforgettable times he had spent with her. In his mind, he began to recollect the last memory they had shared together. It was right before they had entered battle, and were about to leave with their respective battalions.

"Lina..."

"Is something wrong, Purist?'

"I just needed to tell you this before... we get separated."

"Purist, there's no need to worry. I'm sure we'll both be fin--"

"But there's a chance we may not. So, I just felt I had to tell you this before..."

Lina's voice grew more concerned, "Before what?"

"Before I never get to see you again."

Lina wore a confused yet shocked look on her face.

"Purist, is there something your hiding from me?"

Well, here it goes.

Purist smiled as he spoke, "The moment I laid my eyes on you, I knew from that moment I wanted to be with you. Every waking moment I spent thinking about you. Not even angels can compare to the grace and beauty that you possess. Truth be told, I love you Lina. And I don't think it gets said enough, how much I want to be with you. This day, is a day of reckoning. We may never see each other again. But if it's any conciliation, until the very last breath I take, I'll be thinking of you."

As he spoke Purist pulled out a small, square-shaped box from his coat. He knelt down on one knee, and opened the black box.

"Lina, I've loved you since the day I met you. And ever since, you've made me a happier man than I could ever be. If you would just give me the chance, I hope to spend the rest of my remaining life trying to do the same for you. Lina--"

"Purist... I--"

"Will you marry me?"