Blayze

[size=1]Noals delt a barrage of bone-breaking blows to the Wakanda, pummeling him to the ground. He was bruised and battered, and he was on the verge of giving up and dying. He looked to the horizon as he was smashed to the floor by a particularly vicious punch. The sun was almost fully risen by now. Talyn was reminded of the first time he had properly appreciated a sunrise, back in that field with Kalei. He knew that if he died, then he would want to die under a sunset. So he looked up to the almost feral vampiress, and let his sword drop to the floor. He smiled at her, and said: [b]"Looking at the sun, I'd say we've got around two minutes before the sun rises completely. So either you can stay here, beating me to death, and fry as soon as the sun reaches its peak, or you can run, hiding from the sun, but leaving me to an unknown fate. I could sit here and die now, or I could run and be free. It's your choice. Do you make sure I am dead, or run away and hope?" "I will not kill you now, Wakanda. But I will wait. I will watch you burn under the sun's rays, even if I have to burn also. It will be a pleasure to have the last thing I see as you perishing," [/b]she replied, leaving off him for a moment, watching as the sun peeked over the horizon, risen fully. Talyn got to his feet, and faced Noals. She began to moan in pain as the sun scorched her flesh, and she looked at Talyn, who was apparently unaffected. She looked confused as her skin began to flake away and crumble into ash. [b]"Why?" [/b]she cried, her voice distorted by the lack of some major organs needed to speak, [b]"Why aren't you burning?" "At a guess, I'd say it is the reason you hate me so much. I am not a pure vampire. I was turned only a few hours ago. My Wakanda side is still strong enough to resist, and the fact that I took a triple dose of the Sin's anti-vampire serum under an hour ago means that my Wakanda side has enough strength to resist the sun. I would also assume that I have some natural resistance because of my area of expertise as a Wakanda, the power of light." "You were leading me on this whole time?" [/b]she snarled, her body barely recognisable now. [b]"Oh, no. I had only made a few educated guesses. It was entirely possible that I would end up dying as well. But I was prepared to take that risk." "You would die just to stop me?" [/b]her body was crumbling away now, and she fell to the floor. [b]"Yes. That's just the kind of person I am." [/b]Noals crawled towards Talyn, and reached out a crumbling hand of ash, and he kicked it away, shattering it into millions of pieces. She raised what was left of her head and screamed, before the sun burnt her body away entirely. Talyn watched this, but then he fell to the floor, overwhelmed by his injuries. His nose was broken, several of his ribs were broken, he probably had extensive internal bleeding, one of his legs felt like it was broken. He lay on the rooftop, waiting to see if someone could find him, a small pool of blood gathering around his mouth... [/size]

[color=#503f86] [QUOTE][b]Originally Posted by Solo Tremaine aka Krystal [/b]Wraith and I are both English too.[/QUOTE] [color=black][size=1]That's kinda scary how you know that. But anyway, if all the teams are changed at the end of the next round, does that mean the Blue Team lose the advantage of their mirror? Or does someone get to take it into their other team? [/size][/color] [/color]

[b][size=1]Name: [/size][/b][size=1]Delano Jeffreyson [b]Age: [/b]19 [b]Gender: [/b]Male [b]Faction: [/b]Mercenary [b]Personality: [/b]Delano, being the youngest mercenary on the team, is often the butt of jokes among his team-mates, but he is a highly skilled individual. He, however, is a cool, calm and collected individual, who never seems to lose his cool, even under intense pressure. He talks very little, preferring to keep out of other people's conversations. [b]Appearance: [/b][url="http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b16/Blayze54/040815.jpg"]Here[/url], except his hair is jet-black, and has many different leather straps crossing his chest, to hold all his weapons on. [b]Weapons: [/b]An intriguing sword, with a long, broad blade, with the head of a dragon as the hilt. The blade seems to be protruding from the dragon's mouth, and is jet black. He also carries a Daisho (japanese long sword) and a medium length (chu) kissaki, shown [url="http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b16/Blayze54/aaa.jpg"]here[/url]. These are also strapped to his back, crossing his other blade. [b]Fighting Style: [/b]Delano relies mostly on the unpredictable nature of his fighting style, as he can quickly change from one sword to another, confusing his enemies. The change in size and shape of blades is often disorienting to those he is fighting, and Delano even varies his fighting style depending on the sword he is using. When he is using his broadsword, he uses heavy blows and masive force behind the strikes, but when he switches to his Japanese swords, he puts a more delicate strike, with more elegance and refinement than the effort he puts behind the use of his other sword. [b]Short Bio: [/b]Delano was born in America, but was almost immediately moved to England. He was brought up in a Catholic School, which he found most displeasing. He could not enjoy the freedom he wished for, so he ran away, living on the streets, which he surprisingly found much better than being in school. He learnt to fight for himself at a young age, as the streets could get rough at night, and he was eventually taken in by a young man, who owned a huge collection of weapons. He trained himself in many different weapon styles, eventually deciding that he preferred the sword to any other. He trained extensively to master this weapon, and he achieved this when he was sixteen. He then decided that he wanted a career which incorporated his love of training in fighting styles. He searched around, but the only career that could accept him was as a mercenary. So he became a mercenary, and was soon paid by someone working under the Shogun to travel to Japan. [b] Character Snippet: [/b]Rain drenched the small square as the short, unarmed, unguarded man sat underneath a tree to eat his lunch. He looked around, and nobody was anywhere to be seen. Not much of a surprise in this weather, but he liked it. The rain gave him peace and quiet to think. A silent, shadowy figure dropped down behind him, not making a sound as he crept up to him. The figure drew a long sword from his back, and pulled it back, ready to stab the man under the tree. As the blade crept forwards, another struck it, sparks flying from the weapons. [b] You will not hurt my master,* [/b]the owner of the second sword said. He was a large man, his sword much shorter than the attacker's, but almost twice the width. He had a cropped head of black hair, and his eyes were such a dark brown that they were almost black. [b]"It's my job," [/b]replied the attacker, moving into a fighting stance. [b]Then you shall die, [/b]replied the bodyguard. He slashed at the smaller man, who dodged quickly out of the way, and moved in with a slash of his own. It struck true, slicing through the man's flesh quickly and efficiently, a spray of blood flying into the air, and the bodyguard's corpse falling silently to the floor. The attacker turned to his true target, the small man who now sat,s haking in fear. [b]Please don't kill me, [/b]he said, [b]I'll do anything you want! "I'm sorry, friend," [/b]said the attacker, [b]"But there's nothing I want from you." [/b]He drew back his sword, and lunged forward... The rainwater on the floor turned crimson as the attacker walked calmly away from the scene... [b]*Translated from Japanese [/b](Hope that's ok for you, Mugen, PM me if I need to change anything) [/size]

[size=1]Well done, [color=Navy]Adventurers[color=Black]! Hat-trick, nicely done. I think in the next challenge, however, we need to keep track of each other's posts, and make sure we are checking the consistency, and possibly communicating a little more, either in here or through PM. But otherwise, way to go Adventurers! [/color][/color][/size]

[size=1]Yes! Blue Team are done. Nice ending, Ozy! Does that mean everyone who needs to be is finished now? [/size]

[size=1]I think my main problem is that I don't really know the original Mario games amazingly well, so basically in my posts I have been trying to give the picture of fairly standard Mario worlds, such as my latest one, which is a pretty standard Mario bonus level. But I think that Des is right in saying that we probably need to be more consistent in our posts, [color=Navy]Adventurers[color=Black]. I guess its just a case of reading through the posts before our own pretty thoroughly.[/color][/color] [/size]

[size=1]Shadow had sped off away from Lara and Krystal some minutes earlier, and soon he ran straight into a green pipe which was emerging from the ground. He was knocked to the floor, and he sat up, shaking his head to clear the stars that were now dancing around his head. [b]"I hate this place," [/b]he scowled, picking himself up and dusting himself off, [b]"It's almost worse than the bloody lemmings. I want a nice simple world where I can run through and pick up rings, not some la-dee-da place where all there is is bloody mushrooms and turtles wearing football armour." [/b]He looked down the pipe, and, seeing nothing but blackness, he decided to investigate. He took a large step (not much more was needed due to his size) and dropped himself down the pipe. There was a simple platform down there, with gold boxes lining the platform. Shadow warily drew one foot up and stamped on one, which smashed open and vomited a large amount of gold coins. He didn't need them, though. He carried on, stamping on the boxes as he went, more and more gold coins erupting from the boxes as he went. Finally, a few boxes from the end of the platform, a mushroom popped its little head up and began to shuffle away from him. [b]"Not again, ya little freak," [/b]he said, leaping at the mushroom. He caught it in his hands, and it *poofed* away, leaving him to grow once more. He stood up and punched the air, moving over towards the exit pipe. He looked up at it, and realised a problem. Now that he had caught another mushroom, he was too big to get out of the cavern. He tried squeezing himself up the pipe, but he couldn't fit. [b]"Damn laws of physics win again," [/b]he said grumpily. [/size]

[b][size=1]"This will not stand!" [/size][/b][size=1]cried Seraphim, [b]"Those blind fools do not know what they are doing! I must talk with them myself!" "But you need to have clearance to talk with the High Council," [/b]replied Ramiel, [b]"Clearance that you, my friend, do not have." "It matters not," [/b]said Seraphim coldly, pushing past the young vampire and walking towards the temple. He smashed the doors open, and as he walked through, many of the Angels looked at him in disbelief. Could this be Seraphim? The once-great Myrkur Aniol, who had apparently succumbed to darkness? And he was heading straight for the Council Chamber, with Ramiel following him, looking rather concerned. Some of the Angels made to try and stop Seraphim, but Ramiel shook his head, warning them off it. He burst through the doors of the Council Chamber, viewing the majesty of the four thrones which sat high above the ground. [b]"What is this blasphemer doing in the most Holy Halls of the Myrkur Aniol?" [/b]cried one voice, seemingly infuriated. [b]"This blasphemer is here for the good of the clan. I urge you to reconsider your rejection of an alliance with the Ijuuj. You are not strong enough to hold off the forces of the Krilat Zmaj [i]and [/i]the Zugai! Not even the great Archangels of the Myrkur Aniol!" "We will never set aside our quarrel with those blasphemers and join them in battle. The Myrkur Aniol will stand alone in this crisis." "Crisis?! You call this a crisis?! This is the beginning of a war, you fools! The sides are being set, the battlefield is being created as we speak! If you choose to stand alone through the war, then you shall be the first to be destroyed!" [/b]cried Seraphim in response, beginning to get intensely irritated with these old fools. [b]"Who are you to talk to us of destruction? You, Seraphim, were once a great vampire, but then you succumbed to the darkness and betrayed the Myrkur Aniol! You went to the side of our great enemy Kuroichi!" "I betrayed no-one! I have no dealings with Kuroichi, if I did do yu think I would be here? And I have not succumbed to any darkness! If you blind fools believe that any way other than your own is the path of darkness then you are sadly mistaken!" "Begone from our sight, heretic!" [/b]boomed one voice, and some invisible energy threw Seraphim from the Council Chamber, and closed the doors behind him, leaving Ramiel inside to deal with the Council. [b]"It will be a sad sight to see you being wiped out, brothers, but it will be so," [/b]he whispered to no-one but himself. [i]What options are left to you now, Seraphim? [/i]he thought, [i]You will not succeed in protecting the Myrkur, so perhaps you can deal with the Gwyar. You must leave now, so you can arrive at the Gwyar castle as soon as possible. [/i]He walked calmly out through the doors of the Myrkur Aniol temple and left on his long journey to Russia. [/size]

[size=1]The vampiress stalked forward through the flames, her eyes now almost glowing with hatred. Her clothes were badly ripped, her skin was scorched, her hair was flyaway, and her eyes held the look of madness. [b]"How I have longed for this moment, Wakanda, ever since I first lay eyes on you. You have plagued my every thought," [/b]she snarled, [b]"And you know, while you are here, your precious friend Katima is alone with Master Malik. And that can only mean one thing." "Shut up!" [/b]shouted Talyn, readying his sword, [b]"Katima is going to be fine! Kalei and the others are here now!" "Do you really think that one pathetic Wakanda will be able to stop Master Malik? He is the single most powerful vampire on the face of the planet! Not even the full force of your Wakanda could stop him!" "Kalei is no ordinary Wakanda. Your Malik may be the most powerful vampire, but he is no match for Kalei. She can do things you can't even imagine." "Well, enough about them. Now it is time for us to fight, and Wakanda, I will kill you. No matter how long we fight, you will perish." "Perhaps. But not until I have destroyed you, vampire, and stopped you from killing any more of my friends. Now come, fight me." [/b]The vampiress leapt, her fangs flashing, and landed, both her feet planted directly onto Talyn's chest, sending him crashing backwards through a door. [b]"Now let's make this interesting," [/b]said Noals, grabbing Talyn and throwing him upwards through a window. He crashed through it, and the vampiress leapt after him, smashing him down onto the roof of the castle. Talyn leapt to his feet, slightly bruised and cut from the broken glass, but still pretty much unharmed. [b]"The sun is rising, Wakanda. Let's see who can last the longest out here before we burn," [/b]she snarled, and Talyn looked to the horizon. The sun was rising very quickly. They had twenty minutes, tops, before the sun had risen completely... [/size]

[size=1]Shadow jumped across a gap, but missed the other side and fell to the floor. He seemed to fall in slow motion, but his feet landed on something hard as he hit the ground. There was a shell of some sort beneath his feet, and the creature within disappeared as he made contact with the shell. [b]"What the hell?" [/b]he exclaimed, kicking the shell away. It hit a wall and bounced back at him, and this was the first time he realised that it was covered in sharp spikes. His eyes widened, and he only just managed to jump over it before it impaled him. [b]"That was close." [/b]He searched around for another mushroom, knowing that all of his team-mates were much taller than him by now. He felt insignificant as he fumbled around in the bushes for the glimpse of a red mushroom. Fox bounded past, now almost twice the size of Shadow, who muttered a curse under his breath, but Fox's final leap slammed down on a box that was hidden in the bushes. He tripped and fell flat on his face, something that would previously have caused Shadow to laugh for hours, but this time he was too preoccupied with the challenge. As Fox hit the box, it cracked, and out popped a mushroom. Shadow jumped over it to try and catch it, but it shuffled off in the opposite direction. [b]"Stupid bloody mushrooms," [/b]he scowled, and ran towards it, grabbing it as it disappeared with a *poof*. Shadow smiled as he felt himself growing. [b]"Oh yeah!" [/b]he shouted, [b]"Shadow's back in the game!"[/b] [/size]

[size=1]Talyn turned away from the group and raised his nose to the air. He had smelt something. It was her. [b]"You go on ahead. I have a little unfinished business to deal with," [/b]he said, running down the corridor. The others could not protest, as he had gone too far down the corridor to stop him. [b]"Talyn!" [/b]shouted Thayne, and Talyn turned to see him, [b]"Go kick her ass for all of us!"[/b] Talyn smiled, and turned back, dodging around a corner. [i]Noals... [/i]She had become a severe annoyance, and now Talyn had to deal with her once and for all, or she would end up being the ruin of all of them. He felt the weight of the sword on his back, and it felt like it should have always been there. He felt much more comfortable with it slung over his shoulder. He followed the scent of the vampiress that he had been so obsessed with the last few days, and it took him around a corner. She must have broken free of Thayne's flame barrier, and he wasn't too surprised. She was clearly a very strong being. There she was, at the end of the corridor. The corridor itself was wreathed in flames, and she was guarded by a group of seven strong vampires. Her eyes were blazing with fury. She looked partially insane, her hair messed up and her clothes torn and ragged, burnt from the fire. [b]"Talyn!" [/b]she snarled, [b]"It is the end for you! If my vampires do not kill you, then I will!" "Very well," [/b]he replied, drawing his sword, and closing his eyes to calm himself. He heard the sound of the first vampire's footsteps coming towards him, followed by another two sets of steps. He moved, and the first two vampires fell, their heads removed with a single slice. The third leapt at Talyn, who twirled and rammed the sword up through his ribs, straight into the heart. The next wave came, the final four vampires, who were better than the first three. One of them managed to land a blow on Talyn's face, sending him to the floor, and the rest began to kick him brutally, breaking bones with their kicks, until Talyn drew the sword again and rammed it into a leg. One of the vampires leapt away, screaming and clutching his leg, and Talyn took this opportunity to leap to his feet, throwing the vampires off. [b]"Kill him! For god's sake kill him!" [/b]screamed Noals, spittle flying from her mouth. One of the vampires managed to rip Talyn's sword from his hands, and ended up pointing the weapon at Talyn's throat. He smiled, and clapped his hands on the vampire's temples. He grunted and fell backwards, the sword flying into the air. Talyn caught it and swung it into another vampire, killing him. 3 left... [/size]

[size=1]Shadow looked around at all his giant team-mates, and smiled. They had all found one mushroom, so now was the time to find more. He jumped up onto a higher platform, one that was slightly easier to reach with his increased height, and began rummaging around in bushes. There were no mushrooms left. [b]"This is stupid!" [/b]he exclaimed, kicking at the bush. Something plopped out, and he picked it up. It wasn't a mushroom, but it was a small, scaly creature resembling a tiny dinosaur. He looked at it. [b]"I guess you're kinda cute," [/b]he said to it. It smiled and made an odd sort of squeaking noise, before opening its jaws and clamping them down onto Shadow's arm. He cried out and dropped the little terror, who then started snapping after his legs. [b]"Guys, help!" [/b]he shouted to his team-mates, [b]"There's a little...thing attacking me!" [/b]Crash jumped up to the platform, and tried to jump on the little dinosaur. It looked up, and jumped, smashing its tail into Crash's head. He fell backwards to the floor. [b]"Crafty little bugger, that one," [/b]said Crash, rubbing his nose. Shadow got to his feet, and drew his gun. [b]"There's only one way to deal with these things," [/b]he said menacingly, taking aim at the little thing. His finger came to a rest on the trigger, as the little thing looked up at him with huge wide eyes. [b]"Do it, Shadow," [/b]urged Crash, [b]"Kill the bastard!" "But he's so cute!" "That didn't stop you hating the lemmings!" "True." [/b]Shadow took aim again and fired, the bullet blasting the little thing apart. Green goo splattered all over them. [b]"Ew," [/b]said Shadow, trying to wipe to goo off himself, but failing. He dropped to the floor, the goo beginning to congeal. [b]"This is so gross," [/b]he said, but then he saw it. Something that almost made this whole ordeal bearable. A red mushroom. He grabbed it, and it [i]poofed [/i]out of existence, and Shadow felt himself growing again. He was now the tallest of his team-mates, standing at nearly twice their size. [b]"Excellent," [/b]he said, noticing that now a much smaller portion of his body was covered in goo. [b]"Let's go!" [/b]he said to Crash. [/size]

[b][size=1]"I'll try and find us some," [/size][/b][size=1]said Shadow, kicking his heels together, causing his sneakers to glow again. [b]"Not this again, it makes me feel sick," [/b]said Crash unenthusiastically. Shadow gave him a withering look and sped off along the level, jumping up to higher platforms to try and give himself an even search of the level. Suddenly, his foot caught on something, and he was sent crashing to the ground. He skidded a few feet on his chin, before leaping to his feet, looking around nervously to check that no-one was watching, and then went back to check out what he had tripped over. There was a small clump of bushes that looked out of place in this world. He kicked the clump, and something stirred inside it, wriggling around before bursting out of the bush. It looked like a mushroom, but it was walking slowly around. [b]"Now what the hell are you?" [/b]he said, to no-one in particular. It looked like a mushroom, so Shadow picked it up. It bit him, and he dropped it with a jump. [b]"You stupid little..." [/b]he said, drawing his gun and firing a single shot into the little mushroom-creature. It vanished with a *pop*, and he was left alone. He went back to the clump of bushes, and searched around with his hands this time. He found another two of the evil mushrooms, and took care of them accordingly (ie, by shooting them), and then he found it. A mushroom that he, at first, pointed his gun at warily, but then, when it didn't move, he picked it up. A strange sensation ran through his body, a sort of full-body stretching effect, and he closed his eyes to try and identify the sensation. When he opened his eyes, however, he felt like he was looking down on things a lot more. [b]"What the...? It must have been one of the mushrooms! Yes!" [/b]he shouted, before running back to the team to show off his new-found size. When he got back, Krystal was around the same height as him, which was a little taller than Lara. [b]"I guess you must have found one as well," [/b]said Lara, some small amount of jealousy creeping into her voice. Shadow nodded gleefully, and the team set off to try and find more mushrooms. [/size]

[size=1]His eyes flickered open, and he woke to the sight of the sun rising. He stood up quickly, doused the remains of the fire from earlier that night, and gathered his things. He may have been a strong vampire, but he still couldn't stand sunlight. It would destroy him completely, and that was something that he couldn't allow. He jogged calmly to a cave that he had found the previous night, and had thought that it would be a reasonable place to stay hidden from the sunlight, and entered through the cavemouth. He set up another fire in the darkness, and pointed a finger at it. With a certain amount of concentration, a small stream of flame shot from his finger and sparked the fire into life. He could feel the change in the winds. He may have been a vampire primarily empowered with flame, but he could also sense when there was a change in the other elements. The winds were changing, symbolising a gathering storm somewhere in the Phillipines, which he also knew was the last known location of Kuroichi, the Silver Haired Demon. There was a screeching from outside the cave, and he stole quickly to the entrance. A hawk swooped down from the sky, uncomfortable in its current climate, but staunchly loyal nonetheless. She swooped down and landed on his arm. He stroked her head, both beautiful, graceful and powerful. [b]"What news do you bring me of him?" [/b]he asked her. She opened her beak and screeched again, but this time it seemed to be in some primitive form of speech. [b]"He is in the Phillipines. I knew of this already. But you say he has gained the alliance of the Zugai? This could be disastrous. The combined power of the Krilat Zmaj and the Zugai could have monstrous effects." [/b]The hawk gave another screeching cry, and he watched and listened intently. The trick to understanding the language of the birds was to be aware of the combination of noises and movements they made, and only then could one understand what they were trying to communicate. [b]"His next target is the Ijuuj? That makes sense. The Ijuuj would never join him, not as long as he has the alliance of the Zugai. The Myrkur Aniol will not join him either, their tradition forbids it. If the Myrkur Aniol would only come to their senses and join with the Ijuuj, then perhaps they could stand a chance against the Silver-Haired Demon. But they will not. Unless I can change their minds." [/b]He thought for a moment, and set the hawk down next to a pile of dead rodents he had collected the previous day. Then he knelt down next to the bird, and said: [b]"You must go to the Myrkur Aniol and tell them to expect me. I will not come to the temple, but request that they send a messenger to meet me. I will be on the outskirts of the temple grounds, and I will come no further. Now go." [/b]He picked the bird up and walked to the cavemouth, and let the bird fly into the sky. He knew that she would get his message there in next to no time. He would wait this day out and then travel to the temple grounds. ------------------ That night, he raced from the cave to the edge of the desert. He was fast, faster than most vampires, and he reached the temple grounds within a few hours of leaving the cave. He sat at the wall that enclosed the Myrkur Aniol temple, waiting for the messenger. Around twenty minutes later, the messenger opened the huge metal gate to meet him. A tall vampire with a young face framed by black hair, with a sword on his back. The messenger looked down on him, and he stood up, revealing the full extent of his height. [b]"You are the messenger?" [/b]he asked. The other nodded, [b]"What is your name?" "My name is Ramiel, and I have no need to ask of yours, Seraphim. You are thought of as mere legend throughout the clan. And yet here you are. Fascinating." [/b](OOC: I hope this is ok, Starwind, I will send you a PM giving you an outline of what should happen in your post) [/size]

[size=1]Shadow lifted his nose to the air and caught a whiff of food. His stomach grumbled, and it took this to make him realise how hungry he was. He hadn't eaten anything since he entered the CPU. He looked to the other end of the beach, where the other members of the team were feasting on a veritable banquet. He sped down the beach, kicking sand up behind him in a great crest of dust. He sat down at the edge of the spread, and looked upon all the food there was to enjoy. He grabbed a chicken leg and tore the flesh off the bone, barely leaving time to chew before swallowing and grabbing another one. [b]"Calm down, Shadow," [/b]said Lara, [b]"There's enough for everybody." "Sorry, Lara," [/b]he said, slightly intimidated by her. She was, after all, the only human one here, so she stood above the others by a clear foot at least. But aside from that, her personality was bold, she was emerging almost as the team leader, even though technically there shouldn't be one. It could also be something to do with the fact that she had a knife strapped to her thigh and probably a gun concealed somewhere. A laugh came from next to Shadow, where Fox and Krystal were seeing how much food they could pile into Pac-Man's cavernous mouth, and Shadow and Lara laughed and joined in as well. Crash grabbed an entire turkey and forced it into the yellow ball's mouth. They all burst out laughing, and Pac-Man, through a mouthful of food, said: [b]"MmmmI don't know what myour laughing at, mmmit's a free mmmmeal!" [/b]This caused even more laughter, and Shadow sat back and observed the scene. He had never felt quite so at home with a group of people before. Perhaps because they were all new, or perhaps there was a spark of goodness hidden somewhere deep inside Shadow. Who knew...? [/size]

[center][size=1][i]I was one of them. What the Japanese call ?Shinigami,? or ?Soul-Slayers.? What most cultures have come to see as the Grim Reaper, the image of Death. But whereas most cultures have come to believe that there is only a single ?Death-Dealer,? there are actually thousands. We live in a reality beside that of Earth, and only when we must fulfil our duty can we pass through to the other side.[/i][/size] [size=1][i]But when we are on Earth, no human can see us. Except for those anomalies that have what we call ?the Sight.? These humans have had a close encounter with death, and they are able to see the spirits that walk the Earth. For the most part, this is not a big problem, because the images of these ?ghosts? haunt them so badly that they are driven out of their minds. Most people with the Sight end up in mental institutions.[/i][/size] [size=1][i]But there is the occasional human with the Sight who can control these visions. They can keep them under control, so they do not lose their minds. But these people have extremely strong minds and wills, and they only come along once every thousand years or so.[/i][/size] [size=1][i]She was one of these people?[/i][/size] [size=1][i]* * *[/i][/size] [size=1][i] [/i][/size][size=1][i]I remember being called to Earth for my duty that one day. When I got there, it was evening in Spring. The trees were becoming green again after winter, the smell of newborn plants hung in the air. The air itself was crisp and sweet as I breathed it in. I entered her home, ready to do my duty. [/i][/size] [size=1][i]As I walked through the door, my weapon appeared in my hand. She was standing by the oven, cooking something. It looked like a Ready Meal for one. She obviously lived alone. One set of cutlery, one bowl, one glass, the cupboards filled with single-serving meals. I walked up to her, and she turned. She cried out, seeing the weapon in my hand. [/i][/size] [size=1][i]She could see me?[/i][/size] [size=1][i]I opened my hand, and my weapon vanished. For some reason, I didn?t want to hurt her. She looked so innocent. She wasn?t wearing any make-up, but she was beautiful anyway. [/i][/size] [size=1][i]She no longer seemed alarmed to see me. She was obviously used to seeing spirits like myself. We talked for a while, and then the urge took us both. I reached out across the table and stroked her face gently. She closed her eyes, and then I took her and I kissed her. [/i][/size] [size=1][i]The warmth of the kiss spread through me, and I took her in my arms. We made love that night, but in the morning I realised what I had done. [/i][/size] [size=1][i]It was the first rule of my kind. You must never become attached to one of the Listed. The people whose souls we are supposed to collect. But I knew that I was, and there was no way back now. I had fallen in love with a human, and the rest of my kind would be out for me, hunting us down like dogs until we were both gone. [/i][/size] [size=1][i]But I will not let her die? [/i][/size] [/center] [size=1]The Reapers are after them. The renegade Reaper and his human lover are now on the run, trying to escape from the onslaught of his home Realm. The Reapers cannot let this stand, so he and his lover must die? [/size] [size=1]However, there are those who will help him. Other Reapers who believe what they are supposed to do is wrong. Other humans with the Sight. And these people are the ones he is searching for. [/size] [size=1]You can play either on my side, or on the side of the Reapers, who are coming to kill us. If you are on my side, you can be either a Reaper or a human with the Sight, but if you are playing on the side of the Reapers, you must be a Reaper. [/size] [size=1][i]Extra Information [/i][/size] [size=1][b]Reapers[/b]: These are the Grim Reapers of myth and legend. Their duty is to collect the souls of those who must come to the Other Side, and destroy any renegade souls. The first rule of being a Reaper is never to fall in love with those you are supposed to kill. They are armed with soul-collecting bladed weapons, such as swords, axes, or the classic scythe, but do not carry the image of the Grim Reaper. Essentially, they look human, but all Reapers have a chain emerging from their back which connects them to the Other Side. Once severed, the Reapers can never return to the Other Side. [/size] [size=1]They also have certain powers which help them to collect souls. These can be various powers, such as destructive blasts to destroy the physical bodies of evil souls, or binding powers to capture the souls. Either way, when used in unison with their weapons, they are almost unstoppable. [/size] [size=1][b]The Sight[/b]: This is a disturbing ability for any human. It gives them the ability to see ghosts and other spirits. For instance, they could see a family member who has recently died sitting in their favourite armchair, but they can also see the Reapers. Most of these humans end up going insane from the visions, but the most strong-willed can control the visions and keep themselves from going mad. [/size] [size=1]The Sight is gained by close encounters with Death. For instance, if a small child nearly drowns when they are young, but are resuscitated, then they are more likely to get the Sight than a child who has lived a safe, sheltered life. These encounters can happen at any age, and can severely scar a person. [/size] [size=1]If anyone wishes to play as the Woman (my character?s lover) then please PM me. Here is what you need to give me if you wish to sign up. [/size] [size=1][b]Name[/b]: [b]Age[/b]: [b]Gender[/b]: Reapers don?t have true genders, but this is what they appear to be [b]Race[/b]: Human or Reaper [b]Side: [/b]Human (this includes my character) or Reaper [b]Weapon[/b]: Humans will have soul-collecting weapons eventually, but Reapers will have them from the beginning. These just look like ordinary bladed weapons. [b]Powers[/b]: For humans this would consist of the Sight, but for Reapers it can be almost anything that would help with collecting souls [b]Appearance[/b]: a picture or a good description should be fine [b]Personality[/b]: [b]Character Snippet[/b]: Give me a snippet of your character in action, it doesn?t matter what the context is. This is mostly what I will be judging sign-ups on, so make it interesting and detailed. [b]Other[/b]: anything else?> [/size] [size=1]I will be posting my own sign-up in a few days, so in the meantime PM me if you have any questions, I will be setting up an Underground thread around the same time as I post my character.[/size][size=1] Happy Creating![/size]

[size=1]The darkness swept over the desert, turning blazing sunlight and scorching sand into pale moonlight and freezing air. Cacti stood tall and proud, and small sand-lizards scurried back and forth, flitting from their holes in the soft sand to collect food, and back again. A small fire flickered slightly in the wind, seeming unnatural in the middle of such a barren place, and a single figure sat by the fire, his weapons placed down. [i]The Storm is gathering, but in the moments before it breaks, we must enjoy the peace we have, [/i]he thought. He had been travelling for a long time, forced on by a single thought, a single ideal. He no longer believed in the power of the Myrkur Aniol, but he was still bound to his former clan by blood. [i]Blood, [/i]he thought with a smile, [i]The life-force of our race. The one thing that brings us closer to war. Without it, this would be a world of humans, not vampires. And who knows whether this would be better? [/i]He closed his eyes and sighed softly. He reached into the pocket of his travelling cloak and pulled out the one thing that had been guiding him. A scrap of old parchment, tattered over the years, with writing on it in the ancient language of the Myrkur Aniol, the language of Angels. It was part of a much larger piece of parchment, but it had been the only section he had been able to decipher. He had torn it away from the hanging parchment before he left the home of the Myrkur Aniol in the Middle East, and it had guided him. He unfolded the tiny piece of paper, and looked at the strange symbols once more, contemplating their meaning. He said the words out loud, to see if they made any more sense: [b]"Soon shall come the day when the Flaming Angel will destroy the Gods," [/b]he said, his voice deep and meaningful. He read it again and again, but it still meant almost nothing to him. The only reason he had taken it was that he had been drawn to these words by some unknown force the day he had seen the parchment. The strangest thing had been the name of the piece he had removed it from. It was called [i]The Prophecy of Angels, [/i]something which the Myrkur Aniol had taken to mean themselves. So this event, when an Angel destroys a God was still yet to come. But he did know one thing. [i]He[/i] was the Flaming Angel. He was the Seraphim... [/size]

[size=1]Ok, this is a tough decision to make. Both writers were really good, and the fight kept me thoroughly enthralled throughout its time on the Boards. The action was well-written, always a plus in this sort of thread, but now it comes down to the final decision. [b]ULX[/b], your writing style was consistent and thoroughly enojyable throughout the fight, you really managed to give your character a very sinister air about him. [b]Achilles[/b], your writing style was also good, but possibly not quite good enough to top ULX's. As Bolt said, there was a certain air of repetition aobut your posts, and although this would probably be the case in a one-on-one fight, it does not make hugely interesting reading. So, overall, my vote goes to ULX, with Deus X. [size=2][b]2 VOTES DEUS X[/b][/size] [/size]

[size=1]Shadow trudged along the beach, kicking up sand with his feet as he walked. The challenges were fine, apart from putting him off small furry creatures for ever, but it was this time between challenges he couldn't stand. He needed something to take his mind off the boredom. He came to a plain full of huge sand-dunes, with a familiar shape sitting on top of one of them. It was a giant yellow ball. Pac-Man. Shadow saw a chance for mischief, that might entertain him for a bit. He took a few steps back to give himself an adequate run-up, then sped forward and launched his boot into Pac-Man's rear, or whatever his equivalent was. The yellow ball flew through the air, landing with a splash in the water. Unfortunately, he landed with his mouth in the water, and bubbles began to froth wildly. Shadow, barely able to control his own laughter, ran into the water and picked Pac-Man up. [b]"Sorry, Pac," [/b]he said, [b]"I just couldn't resist. It is a brilliant target, though." "Thanks a lot, Shadow," [/b]said the big yellow ball, spluttering through a mouthful of salty water. [b]"By the way, Pac, I never got to tell you that you pretty much saved our asses in there. I mean, even if it was just 'coz you were getting hungry but didn't have time to eat those little things, you still did good. I don't normally say this to people, but...well done." [/b]Pac Man looked at him, with as much expression as a big yellow ball could, and his mouth began to open wider and wider. Suddenly, he burst out with: [b]"Shadow is a nice guy!" [/b]at the top of his voice, and he bounded off down the beach, going to tell everyone. [b]"Don't tell them, or I'll have to...dammit."[/b] [/size]

[size=1]Talyn didn't much enjoy the task of carrying the body of Richard, along with his severed head, through this dark castle, but he knew that he had to. It was his last duty to his friend to allow him the proper last rights, and he had partially got him into that situation, so he had a duty to his friend. Sin was a few steps ahead of Talyn, rounding corners so quickly Talyn could only ever see a brief glimpse of his back, but then he turned into a long, empty corridor, and as Talyn rounded the corner into the corridor, it was empty. [b]"Sin?" [/b]he shouted, [b]"Sin? Where are you?"[/b] Suddenly, something impacted with the back of his head, and he was sent flying to the ground. Richard's body fell away from him, and his head rolled onto the hard stone of the floor. Talyn jumped to his feet as a sword blade crashed down onto the ground where he had been lying a moment ago. The weapon was wielded by a crazed-looking Noals. [b]"I may have lost Thayne and Richard, but I will break a Wakanda tonight!" [/b]she screamed, swinging the sword wildly at Talyn's head. He ducked, but she kept coming, lost in a haze of fury, the bloodlust that Talyn knew all too well now overpowering her normal senses. Talyn ducked again, and dodged into another room, avoiding the wild swings of the crazed vampiress. He looked around him. Perfect. He was in the armoury. He felt behind him, and grabbed a long wooden shaft. It was a spear with an ornate blade on the end. Not his favourite weapon but it would have to do. He swung it round, thrusting the blade towards Noals. It pierced through her arm, but she kept coming, apparently oblivious to the pain. Talyn withdrew the spear and threw it to the ground, grabbing another weapon from the racks. A sword. More like it. He swung it and caught Noals on the temple, sending her spinning to the ground in a spray of blood. Talyn grabbed a sheath from the rack and slung the weapon onto his back, running from the armoury in case Noals woke up. He ran around, trying to find Sin, but to no avail. However, in one of the many corridors, he ran into someone... (OOC: Tag, whoever wants it) [/size]

[size=1]More and more of the lemmings began to escape, running towards the various whirly contraptions of death, doom and destruction. [b]"Alright, no more Mr Nice Hedgehog," [/b]said Shadow, kicking his heels together in preparation for his next defensive. His sneakers lit up, the red stripes glowing in the darkness of the cavern, and he ran towards the lemmings. [i]Shadow's view... [/i]He ran towards the lemmings who were about to throw themselves in the flame-pit of burnination, and grabbed them, running back to the hole and shoving them in, then he ran back to the wall of bladed objects, and saved three lemmings who were about to decapitate themselves, and threw them in the hole. Then he grabbed some of the other lemmings, like the ones toddling slowly towards the pirahna-plant things, and hurled them into the hole, before using his gun to blast away bits of rock which he used to cover up the hole, stopping the lemmings from escaping. Then he stopped, and his sneakers stopped glowing... [i]What everyone else saw... [/i]Shadow clicked his heels together, and his sneakers lit up. Then, in a flash, a blur of black and red was speeding around the cavern, apparently grabbing lemmings as it went, hurling them into the hole in the wall. Then, gunshots sounded throughout the cavern, and bits of rock apprently threw themselves into the hole, blocking it up so no lemmings could escape. Then Shadow reappeared, and dusted himself down. [b]"No need to thank me," [/b]he said smugly, turning away, kicking his feet. He made contact with something, and a lemming flew across the room, flipping through the air towards the pirahna plant, which had opened its mouth expectantly. Shadow sighed and ran towards the pirahna plant, delivering a fierce uppercut, slamming its mouth shut and throwing its head backwards. Unfortunately the lemming flew over the top of the pirahna plant and landed in the fiery pit, but you always lose some... [color=RoyalBlue][b][/b][/color] [/size]

[b][size=1]"Stupid little things..." [/size][/b][size=1]muttered Shadow as Fox blasted another hole in the wall for them to cram the tiny creatures into. Shadow grabbed a handful of lemmings and stuffed them into the new hole. One of them toddled over and grabbed the sides of the hole, and caught fire instantly. [b]"You should probably wait a little before putting anything near the laser marks. They need a second to cool down," [/b]said Fox ever so sheepishly. [b]"Thanks for the heads-up," [/b]said Shadow sarcastically. He put his hands over the laser marks, protecting the lemmings from setting fire to themselves. He winced, and shook in pain as his hands burned from the heat of the laser. He let out a cry of pain, then sighed as the laser cuts began to cool down. [b]"Is there a burns ward within about three feet of here?" [/b]he asked the room in general. Everyone turned away, stifling their laughter. He snarled, and turned back to shoving the lemmings into the hole. He shoved one particular handful in rather too forcefully, and felt a number of lemmings squish between his fingers. He took his glove off and threw it on the ground. [b]"I'll clean it later..."[/b] he said as it hit the ground with a wet slap. [b][/b] [/size]

[size=1]Kraven knelt, feeling the soft grass beneath his hands. He drew one of his swords and placed it on the ground. He closed his eyes and felt the energy coursing through the ground. His sword was a conduit for his power, this deadly and destructive power that lurked deep within him, far beneath the flesh, and he dreaded releasing that power. [/size] [center][size=1][i]Suddenly he was on the rooftop again. Hell-Fire coursed through his veins, and brimmed from his hands, blasting apart hundreds of demons that lined the rooftops around. He felt the power of Hell blasting from him as his eyes, nose and mouth began to bleed. Power emanated from every inch of his body, and he tore apart the legions of Hell with the substance of their own creation. He felt himself die once again, but this time it had changed him. The Hell-Fire ripped every molecule in his body apart, shattering his physical form to pieces, his soul escaping. It was that day, on that rooftop, he had been changed. That power still lurked within him, it scarred his very soul... [/i][/size] [left][size=1]He opened his eyes, and he was in the field. His sword lay on the ground, and he stared at it for a moment, almost afraid to touch it. He knew what he could release if he touched that weapon, and yet something in him longed for him to release that power. He could destroy so much. But that was not his purpose. He finally grabbed the hilt of the sword, and sheathed it on his back. He stood up, and marvelled at the miracle of nature that had blossomed around him. In the middle of a packed city in Greece such as this, there was a huge park that was open, spacious, beautiful. Flowers poked up through the ground at various intervals. Trees were ripe with blossom, the white petals of spring falling to the ground, covering it with a blanket of fragrant petals. Kraven stood for a moment, and breathed in deeply, tasting the fresh air, taking in the smells of spring. It was something you could never find in Hell. All that existed in Hell was hellfire, brimstone, lakes of fire. There had never been anything as beautiful as this in his birthplace. A hand clamped down on his shoulder. He turned, placing his hand on his sword. He was expecting Beelzebub, but who stood there was someone he had never expected. It was a female, a demon, surely, but a beautiful female demon, her long black hair thick and lustruous. Her skin was pale, her eyes black as the Pits of Hell. [i][b]Hello Kraven, [/b][/i]she said, in a voice that came from her mouth, but also a thousand different places all at the same time, [i][b]Do you remember me? [/b][/i][b]"I remember you. Your face hasn't changed since the day I first saw you." [i]Then who am I? [/i]"You're...you're my mother. Or the closest thing I had to one. You were the demon who sacrificed a portion of her own soul to give me life. It is thanks to you that I have life." [i]Good. You know who I am. Now you must tell me what your purpose on this world is. [/i]"My purpose. My purpose. The reason for my life is to help Reoan. It is to destroy the Dukes of Hell. It is to help Reoan complete her task. And then my purpose will be to allow myself to die to allow the balance to be restored." [i]Foolish Kraven, [/i][/b]she said, placing a hand on Kraven's cheek, [i][b]You truly believe that your purpose is to restore balance? You were created a demon, you will die a demon, and all demons have one purpose. To destroy the Kingdom of Heaven. That is your purpose, Kraven, you have no other purpose than that. [/b][/i][b]"You are lying!" [/b]he shouted, drawing his sword and swinging it at the same time. He had sliced across the woman's chest, but instead of falling and bleeding, she disappeared. She was just a vision. She wasn't real. But could she have been telling the truth? (OOC: I'm ready for the confrontation as soon as you are, shadowofdeath) [/size][/left] [/center]

[b][size=1]"We haven't got many left," [/size][/b][size=1]cried Shadow, pulling out his gun, ready to try anything to stop the little creatures from killing themselves, [b]"We've got to find a way of stopping them killing themselves so damn much!" [/b]One of the lemmings ran towards Shadow and jumped onto his head, apparently trying to impale itself on his spines. It grabbed the spines, and Lara shouted over: [b]"Shadow! Can that thing actually imaple itself on your spines?" "No way! These things aren't actually sharp, they're just for show! They couldn't hurt anything!" "We need to get as many as we can onto your head, Shadow. That way they will think they can kill themselves, but they can't." "Are you kidding? I'm not letting any more of these little bastards climb on my head! One is enough!" "Come on, Shadow, you have to!" "Fine then! If it'll help us win!" [/b]Lara smiled and ushered a large group of lemmings, around thirty or so, over towards Shadow. They saw the black and red spikes and clambered on top of him, trying to stab themselves with his spines. [b]"This really sucks!" [/b]exclaimed Shadow, stepping forward. He heard a squelch, and cringed. He looked underneath his foot, and saw a patch of goo that was probably a group of lemmings a few moments ago. He grimaced and wiped the goo away on the floor. [b]"Oops," [/b]he said sheepishly... [b][/b] [/size]

[size=1]If we're doing musical jokes then here's one I know Raiyuu will like: How do you make two piccolo players play in unison? Shoot one. A couple of others: Why is a bassoon better than an oboe? It burns longer Its no wonder we have air pollution nowadays when so much of it has passed through trumpets.. Why are orchestra intermissions limited to 20 minutes? So you don't have to retrain the drummer What did the drummer get on his IQ test? Drool A drummer, sick of all the drummer jokes, decides to change his instrument. After a while, he decides on the accordion. He goes to the music shop and asks the guy behind the counter where the accordions are. The shop owner tells him that they are all in the far corner. The drummer looks at them and says: "I'd like the big red one in the corner, please." To which the shop owner replies: "You're a drummer, aren't you?" "How did you know?" "That big red accordion is the radiator." Hope you like them [/size]