Announcements: Cutting Costs (2024) » January 2024 Copyfraud Attack » Finding Universes to Join (and making yours more visible!) » Guide To Universes On RPG » Member Shoutout Thread » Starter Locations & Prompts for Newcomers » RPG Chat — the official app » Frequently Asked Questions » Suggestions & Requests: THE MASTER THREAD »

Latest Discussions: Adapa Adapa's for adapa » To the Rich Men North of Richmond » Shake Senora » Good Morning RPG! » Ramblings of a Madman: American History Unkempt » Site Revitalization » Map Making Resources » Lost Poetry » Wishes » Ring of Invisibility » Seeking Roleplayer for Rumple/Mr. Gold from Once Upon a Time » Some political parody for these trying times » What dinosaur are you? » So, I have an Etsy » Train Poetry I » Joker » D&D Alignment Chart: How To Get A Theorem Named After You » Dungeon23 : Creative Challenge » Returning User - Is it dead? » Twelve Days of Christmas »

Players Wanted: Long-term fantasy roleplay partners wanted » Serious Anime Crossover Roleplay (semi-literate) » Looking for a long term partner! » JoJo or Mha roleplay » Seeking long-term rp partners for MxM » [MxF] Ruining Beauty / Beauty x Bastard » Minecraft Rp Help Wanted » CALL FOR WITNESSES: The Public v Zosimos » Social Immortal: A Vampire Only Soiree [The Multiverse] » XENOMORPH EDM TOUR Feat. Synthe Gridd: Get Your Tickets! » Aishna: Tower of Desire » Looking for fellow RPGers/Characters » looking for a RP partner (ABO/BL) » Looking for a long term roleplay partner » Explore the World of Boruto with Our Roleplaying Group on FB » More Jedi, Sith, and Imperials needed! » Role-player's Wanted » OSR Armchair Warrior looking for Kin » Friday the 13th Fun, Anyone? » Writers Wanted! »

1
followers
follow

Appollonia

" An Aschen Adept Of War."

0 · 1,538 views · located in Victory Square

a character in “The Multiverse”, as played by Ersatz Creed

Description

Image

Once known as Jacqueline "The Blue Switch" Nightingale, she was given the name of Apollonia after being re-educated by the Aschen (her captors). She accepted this name and became The Destroyer that her new Masters had named her to be. The effectiveness of her re-education and indoctrination could not be doubted. Apollonia was obsessed with the Aschen culture, history, and mostly Emperor Prince. Looking into the mirror, she saw a woman...a foreigner. Someone who was not Aschen. It left a bitter taste in her mouth to see someone who would be perceived as a foreigner when she looked at her own reflection. Her disgust was such that she took a knife to her face but her recent augmentations prevented the knife from being able to do any noticeable damage... Unsatisfied she liquidated her assets to correct her appearance. A stray, perverse thought almost caused her to seek the perfection of appearing like a woman worthy of Prince's admiration but this she interpreted as arrogance and had immediately snuffed it out. The surgeries had her look Tauron and she acquired various tattoos which detailed her achievements and failures.

This was the first step in her campaign to becoming someone worthy of being at the Emperor's feet. Her missions were given and completed with a cold and calculating efficiency yet they were at time not without hiccups. Some hardwired bad habits from her previous lifestyle had caused Apollonia to not use various equipment because they did not fit her own personal preferences. Though this had never caused any major fault, it was a habit she did not outgrow until it nearly proved fatal. When deployed to investigate and eliminate an anomaly, she encountered a Chaos Sorcerer. Using outdated gear and possessing no anti magic weaponry, Apollonia nearly died at the hands of this Chaos Sorcerer. Her death was avoided due to the intervention of allied Taiyou, to include a Steel Ronin, and the involvement of the Goddess Athena.

Scarcely escaping with her life, Apollonia put in a request for leave. During this approved period of absence from her usual missions, she took to isolation and contemplated her previous mannerisms as well as the fight between the Chaos Sorcerer and herself. Her personal preferences had nearly caused her to die. It would be of little consequence if she died, she was but one out of many but Apollonia was not thinking of herself. Had it been a scenario where failure meant Prince could be harmed, her lack of preparation would have meant Prince's death. Apple saw that her obsessions, while a fountain of determination and strength, had been used against her. So the question lingered, how could she become stronger for her Emperor's sake...How could she reach that goal of standing next to her Emperor's side as his most trusted sword?

Originally she thought that the solution lied in external pursuits. That success alone would propel her to his side yet the distance now made sense. Despite her efforts, she was still a weapon that might harm her wielder. She was volatile, unstable. Apple was not yet worthy of her Emperor...and that frustrated her but it was not a permanent flaw. Afterall, recalling that distant hell the Confessor and Ayla had salvaged her from...how could she say that she was unsalvageable? Surrender was a sin she could not commit because it meant that the mercy extended to her was meaningless. Apple believed she was saved because she could become something great and that greatness, in her mind, was outstanding and unblemished service to the Emperor and his Empire but to do this she must abandon what old habits and preferences still lingered from the times she was the Blue Switch.


Choosing to embody the characteristics of Athena in order to reach her goal of standing at the Emperor's side, Apple returns to serve the Aschen Empire.

So begins...

Appollonia's Story

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Abrubhor The Corrupted Character Portrait: Arnok The Supreme Character Portrait: Appollonia
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

”Ah...Welcome to Nirn...Or at the very least this ball of rock suited for what I plan to do...”


It was not the first time that Appollonia had heard a voice from within herself. Surely many times before a voice called out to her and fought with her for control but that voice in particular came from the person she used to be and Apple (shortening of Appollonia) refused to revert back to that weak and pathetic state. The Blue Switch...that ghost...was dead. With everyday that voice grew weaker and fainter, their will to fight for control was but an ember of what it once was. Now this voice that spoke to her was new. It was foreign and that caught her off guard. So much that she misstepped and a fanatic whom she was dispatching by hand to hand combat managed to stab her with a dagger.

The blade didn't do anything except penetrate the armor a little but to Appollonia that was unacceptable. She slammed the butt of the T53C particle rifle into the skull of her foe, leaving a bloody crater where their face was. The body was thrown back from the force and she continued her onslaught with the frustration of her blunder in mind until He came into view.

Standing atop a hill a indisputably dominant figure stood overlooking her one-sided skirmishes against his expendable underlings. The demonic ornate power armor he wore alone would strike fear into most who saw him, perhaps it was her ignorance that permitted her to stand her ground without shuddering before this imposing sight. His weaponry was also nothing short of impressive. A weapon of unknown caliber on one wrist, a chainsaw or sword in the other. Apple was sure this was the one she would have to kill before her escape option came.

”Have you had our fill of blood yet? Perhaps not...The rabble you dispatched must have been...Unstatisfying...But let me personally greet you intruder...I am Abrubhor...Chaos Sorcerer of the Word Bearers Legion...” Once the voice spoke, the man gave a mock bow making it known that he was the one speaking. ”If you wish more bloodlust...Perhaps we can show you the right path for carnage...To slake your thirst in eternal war without restraint...To kill who you want whenever you want...”


Yup....that was who she needed to kill. Yet even as she swifted from the T53C to the Magnetron III, as she got into range and fired at the massive being, something inside her head couldn't help but nod along to what he had told her. It just seemed too good to be true. Apple once served someone who had promised her the same but that came at a price she was now paying the debt for. The Psionic Inhibitors of the T65 kicked in, muffling out and distorting the invasive voice of this strange being. "I kill for one man and one Empire, nothing you can say will change that!", she shouted and fired a volley from her rifle at him if only to test the thickness of the armor.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Abrubhor The Corrupted Character Portrait: Arnok The Supreme Character Portrait: Appollonia
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

As the volley of fire was sent in his direction, a Psychic barrier formed in front of him to take the attack. Of course he would note that something seemed to cut off the Psychic waves surrounding her...Which meant that that his simple psychic tricks on her mind would not work. However...

"Fool...You face powers beyond your normal understanding...Prepare to face my power!..." The man actually shouted this instead as he suddenly vanished as warp fire engulfed his form. He had decided to skim the warp and transcended space for a second to cross long stretches of land. Or in the more simple of terms, he used the powers of the Warp to warp to a location close to the woman as his blade exuded a purple hue.

A Force Sword was a blade made specifically for a Psyker, allowing him to channel his psychic energy through the weapon. Although different from a Power Sword which disrupted the molecular bonds of an object, with his very psychic might flowing through the sword it was far more deadlier. With a strike more than capable of piercing power armor with the same ferocity of a Power Sword but with the force to even destroy the mind and bodies of Daemons and Large Alien creatures.

As for a human, the blade was like a conduit between his Psychic mind and the flesh of the target, No doubt with the unholy power of the Warp infecting the blade, the wound wont be pleasant. But the blade was not the only danger, the armored figures movements were quick and precise despite the bulky armor he wore. It was clear that he was a skilled combatant, as expected of a Superhuman who had undergone genetic enhancement, along with generations of combat experience since the Warp has stopped his aging at this point in life.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Abrubhor The Corrupted Character Portrait: Arnok The Supreme Character Portrait: Appollonia
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

Perhaps he was right when he announced that she faced powers far beyond her normal understanding but the Aschen war arsenal contained many technological master pieces. In one way or another, Appollonia could use her experience and knowledge of those things to_ Whoa! In an instant he closed the gap between them. So this is magic? Thought Appollonia as she moved to increase the distance. She continued to fire though no matter where her shots hit on his armor, they didn't seem to accomplish much.

When he was close enough to strike with his sword, she was alarmed by how fast a mountain of a man could move and swing such a menancing piece of weaponry. Were it not for her own physical enhancements, she would have been no match for this being but she too was a Killer. Apple had been killing since before she was an Adept, since she was but a kid she was scheming, murdering, and fighting. Not to mention CQC (Close Quarters Combat) and unarmed combat were her specialty and not because she had mastered a few martial arts in her short life time... Appollonia had photographic reflexes. Just by seeing how someone fought, she could perfectly recreate the moves in the same manner they did.

Appollonia sacrificed the rifle to block one attack and when she saw that her weapon was being sliced in half like a hot knife through butter, she abandoned it and distanced stepped back to gain space. After observing a few more of his attacks, she avoided the sword with ease though now she was down to one last weapon an some explosives. She removed her back pack, the explosives were on her combat skin and wielded the T53C in one hand. The recoil from the weapon would probably make continue fire a nightmare but she had no intent of doing that. This was her modern take on something she had seen in an ancient historical Aschen Manuscript, when the Aschen were contained on one planet and fought using weapons of bronze.

Evading, knowing full well that one strike from that demonic blade would be enough to end her or worse, Appollonia waited for her opponent to thrust and even permitted her defense to appear weak in hopes that he would. If he bought the bait she would activated her Combat Skin's Aegis device, creating a Hardlight shield on her forearm. Apple would forward and to side, the shield would be between her and the sword so he would not merely alternate from a thrust into a horizontal slash and end her rightly. She would then reach around and using the wrist of her right hand, pin his own wrist into her shield to gain control of his sword arm and fire the charged particle rifle into his head. Knowing full well that if he decided to use the weapon on his other arm that she would most likely have to evade or pray that the hardlight shield, her combat skin, and the enhancements made to her body were enough to protect her.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Abrubhor The Corrupted Character Portrait: Arnok The Supreme Character Portrait: Appollonia
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

As the Sorcerer had her on the ropes he went in to impale her on his sword looking for a quick and easy kill, however his attack met failure as she activated some sort of shield on her forearm and quickly swerved to the side using the shield to defend what pitiful armor she wore to defend herself from his attacks. She would then pin his wrist that held his sword so she could stop him from simply cutting her apart.

What desperation, naïve people challenging Chaos. It was laughable, like an army of children with toys. Still, her toys proved to preserve her life as she aimed her rifle at his head. Not deciding to stand there to take the full impact of a weapon the man vanished in warpfire as he warped out of her grasp and appeared a few feet away from her.

"Your empire means nothing to the whims of Chaos...The Tides are Chaos are unstoppable...We are timeless...The stars will be reduced to nothingness...Planets will be bathed in eternal war and fire...Your toys will not save you for long..." The Sorcerer taunted as he aimed his sword at her. The very ground cracked under his feet as he was channeling some sort of Psychic magic.

The ground suddenly erupted mere inches away from her, a wave of Warp energy burst fourth from the ground called by the Sorcerer in a show of his Psychic display and an attempt to hit her good with an attack that could damage her armor. But of course he was not letting up with just a Psychic attack, he still had a free hand, and he grabbed the Bolt Pistol hanging from his way with deft hands. Quick and precise, and soon began to fire off rounds at the woman while the eruption of energy was tearing its way through the earth.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Abrubhor The Corrupted Character Portrait: Arnok The Supreme Character Portrait: Appollonia
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

He moved without hindrance thanks to that foul magic of his. Apple cursed him and prepared herself, the hardlight aegis flickering off. Upon him pointing his sword at her, she anticipated more melee combat and steeled herself for that but then the ground began to quake. The earth beneath them shuddered in fear, erupting and from it came a wave of that maleficent energy the Chaos Sorcerer before her commanded.

Scarcely she managed to save herself from the full force of that attack, however it still did hit her and the Combat Skin did not bode well because of it. She could feel the electronic components of her armor short circuit. A holographic heads up display flickered confirming her previous assumptions. The biggest of her fears was the Psionic Inhibitors had failed, perhaps from being overloaded by that previous attack.

To make matters still her move to evade left her moving in a predictable pattern, making her an easy target. The first bolter round grazed her head, destroying the communication device and wounding her though slightly. Her response was to return fire, gain space, and seek cover. Reaching cover, she peeked over to continue returning fire but she had dropped something.... Perhaps too fueled by the adrenaline of combat and the thrill caused by this fight, she had overlooked that a Bolter round had hit her right forearm as she moved. The limb lay on the ground not too far from her, accompanied by a trail of blood and her charged particle rifle. The nanites she had been given stopped the bleeding and were well on their way to repair the damaged tissue but this was no replacement for the half of the limb she was missing.

Appollonia cursed and reached for an explosive on her belt, her mind racing to come up with something.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Abrubhor The Corrupted Character Portrait: Arnok The Supreme Character Portrait: Appollonia
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

As the woman retaliated fire, a round managed to impact the armored figure, the combination of his Power Armor being resilient to damage along with it infused with warp energies managed to withstand the attack with a mark for her efforts. Still, the damage to him compared to her was almost as plain as day.

Without anything to stop his voice entering her head, she could hear a dark cackling in her head. Almost mocking in tone as he had her on the ropes. "Now this...Is power...The power of Chaos...Your faith to your Empire blinds you to the truth...You deny yourself...You squirm in your weakness and frailty...Yet you want to die here without meaning?...Your death wont end...Your soul will be mines to enslave in death...However..." The voice went quiet as the armored figure stopped his advance to raise a hand into the air.

"It is never late to open your eyes...Embrace your bloodlust...Open your mind and allow the Dark Gods to offer you their gifts...Join us, hear the words of Chaos...From the fires of Betrayal unto the blood of revenge we bring the name of Lorgar, the Bearer of the Word, the favored Son of Chaos, all praise be given to him. From those that would not heed we offer praise to those who do, that they might turn their gaze our way and gift us with the Boon of Pain, to turn the Galaxy red with the blood, and feed the hunger of the Gods." The sorcerer recited a passage from the unholy Book of Lorgar.

He continued to instill into her mind the power of Chaos, to crave it...To allow another to open their eyes to Chaos. "All this power can be yours...I can...Show you your future if you join Chaos, instead of being another slave like the servants of a Corpse God, to do what you wish...No Emperor...No King...Only to bring favor to the Dark Gods and in return they gift you for your devotion...You could become your own ruler, bathe whole planets in hellfire and endless war...To do what you wish...For Chaos feeds on everything you do...Fear...Death...Blood...Ecstasy...Power...All your emotions honor the Dark Gods. No more can you live under the rule of another...Freedom awaits...Open your mind...And let their voices speak to you..." His voice echoed in her mind to tempt her...To corrupt her. True to what he has done, he opens the eyes of the blind.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Kazuo Ishikawa Character Portrait: Abrubhor The Corrupted Character Portrait: Arnok The Supreme Character Portrait: Appollonia
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

Distress signal recieved...

Coordinating response.


Deploying Steel Ronin for joint extraction effort...

Kazuo's arrival was nothing short of a shocker; the deafening scream of his atmospheric entry, the thundering crack of his impact against the planet's surface, or the cries of the Chaos cultists whom were mercilessly cut down by the hulking figure's beam naginata.

The hulking figure would, to the dismay of the Chaos forces seem to be suprisingly fleet footed, bobbing, and weaving among bolter fire, which struck the nano-steel armor with a shower of sparks.

The figure inside was in an almost perfect meditative state, stress levels were kept within tolerances, and the figure's mind was honed sharp in a meditative state, with a slight induced fugue that made him completely ignorant to the corruptions, and the temptations of the warp. Kazuo's mind was in the moment, contained inside the suit's computer system and melded with it's combat AI. His motions were instinctual, and he moved with the speed, and the ferocity of an Astartes, yet appeared to be almost the size of a terminator.

"Tennoheika Banzai!"

The voice seemed to come out of nowhere, as the Steel Ronin lept over a pile of rubble, naginata raised high as he moved in from the right of the Chaos Sorcerer, aiming the cleave him in two with his weapon in a dazzling flurry of whites, and reds, with a hint of shimmering blue; at the very least it would prove a distraction for Appolonia to capitalize on, at best, the Sorcerer would be caught by the beam glaive, which would no doubt likely gouge a nasty gash in the Sorcerer's cursed armor.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Kazuo Ishikawa Character Portrait: Abrubhor The Corrupted Character Portrait: Arnok The Supreme Character Portrait: Appollonia
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

Apple felt as though her mind was being crushed. The voice of the Chaos Sorcerer was in her head. It mocked her and her empire, spat on her foolish zeal and service. She denied it. The Empire...the Emperor's will...they are everything. They are purpose...The Empire was Power, through service to the Emperor she was given power and a chance to be his sword. No existence was better than that, than to serve him... I need to resist...My Emperor wants me to resist_

He spoke of death that would not end. How her soul would be enslaved, be his even in death. Resistance was not sufficient...Appollonia needed to live...to escape... Yet she could not even stand. How was she going to do this? It was a long time since she had felt this...since she had felt panic and fear... There were only a few who had made her feel this... The man who had tricked her originally, the Aschen when they had captured her and repurposed her...and this Sorcerer. Pathetic... She thought. There was no way out of this...Not by my own strength...the strength I borrowed from my Emperor...

Another voice crept into her head, a voice from a former self she believed to have buried long ago. "It's easy! Kill him. Kill him like you did your friends. Don't you think the face behind all that armor would look so great torn in anguish? Kill him like you did your father's men and your father, their expressions were so ggrrreeeeaaaatt right? Cmon stop feeling so...[i]Blue..."

"Shut up, shut up!", she roared and smalled her head against her cover. "You're dead! They killed you...Named me....."

As she continued to argue with this imaginary being and the voices that now plagued her mind, the Taiyou Steel Ronin came to. Crashing onto the planet surface in a manner which Appollonia would had wished was her own original method of entry and cleaving a path to her, it was nothing short of glorious. However the War Adept was too captivated by the sorcery that continued to assault her mind.

"No...no no no no...No! I won't betray them...I won't! I won't! ". Appollonia activated the grenade and tossed it, where to was dangerously close to both her Steel Ronin and the Chaos Sorcerer.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Kazuo Ishikawa Character Portrait: Abrubhor The Corrupted Character Portrait: Arnok The Supreme Character Portrait: Appollonia
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

As the Sorcerer was filling the War Adepts mind with the foul influence of Chaos, another intruder came through atmophereic entry. Not a Space Marine, But he figured it was one of the woman’s comrades that has come to help her. With the cries of cultists being heard, doing little more to stop the man like a mantis facing a tank.

As the hulking Steel Ronin yelled out in ancient Terran speak, the sorcer did not bother to move as chaotic sigils suddenly burned on the ground before Warp based chains suddenly flew out of each sigil. Like unholy metal snakes, they would suddenly wrap around the machine in an extremely to keep it in place while it slowly crushed it. He was fast, however with over cenuries Of battle experience against well disciplined warriors of the Space Marines, killing many of his fellow ‘brothers’ with ease. He was not all that worried. Especially since he could barley feel any sort of psychic energy from his enemy. It took more than little armored toys to even scratch him

”Another fool who dares oppose me?...Know your place against the forces of Chaos...Your technology piles against the powers of the Warp...” The Sorcerer stated through his helmet as a grenade came flying by the two. It seemed the woman still had some fight left in her, but he could sense she was in a horrid state. As the grenade exploded near him, his power armor took the full blunt of the explosive managing to slightly damage his Power Armor, Of course he remained standing despite her desperation.

”Now Where was I?...Ah yes...Your freind cannot save you...Nothing will save you...No one will care if you died here, you are but a measly pawn...Ready to be sacrificed...With no potential to grow...Yet...Chaos offers even a pawn a chance to become a king...Offer your body and soul to Chaos...And all their gifts will be yours to use as you see fit...Yes...Power can all be yours...All you desire will be within your hands reach...Even your comrade struggles against my power...” The Sorcerer continued to invade her mind as he humbly strode away from the machine getting some distance if he somehow managed to break free of the unholy chains.

Of course, it seems that the two relied on their technology to win. Feeble contraptions, to stand against the Warp they had to use something more to even have a chance at remote victory. Even then his plan was already going into effect. Win or lose here, he would be victorious in the end.

”Like Children...You remains oblivious...Chaos is the true power of the universe...Humaities future lies in Chaos. Be reborn...Accept your fate child...Even the Dark Gods wish for even one more to join...Open your mind and hear them...One in particular awaits your invitation...Accept...Just Accept It...Glory, death and power...All you wish for shall be yours...Just...Open your mind...And let them speak...” His laughter soon echoed in her mind.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Kazuo Ishikawa Character Portrait: Abrubhor The Corrupted Character Portrait: Arnok The Supreme Character Portrait: Appollonia
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

As the unholy chains flew fourth to entrap the hulking figure, it would be anticipating the move, and as the sigils formed, the fleetfooted steel Ronin jumped to the left, attempting to dodge the chains, and barreling over another pile of rubble while making a mad dash towards Appollonia.

Even as the grenade detonated, the figure was not deterred.

He brought his Naginata down swiftly onto the ground towards the warp sorcerer, a massive shockwave of wave-force energies seared out, sending rock, dirt, and dust along with a powerful concussive blast front searing towards him, hoping to buy the scant few seconds to extract the wounded Aschen war adept.

With a hulking hand, he reached down and attempted to scoop the woman up by the torso, while keeping his Naginata pointed at the sorcerer.

"Tatakawanaide kudasai, watashi wa yūjindesu." The figure said, while wrapping a cable around her torso and fastening her close to him.

"Watashi wa chūshutsu no junbi ga dekite imasu!"

If he managed to secure his cargo, he would leap back, avoiding any more sigils of the warp, he started to move away from the sorcerer.

"Mewotojite." He called out, cutting down more cultists as he attempted to make his retreat. Bringing down his beam Naginata down to the ground hard, launching dozens of cultists in every direction, and clearing a path for them to attempt to flee.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Kazuo Ishikawa Character Portrait: Abrubhor The Corrupted Character Portrait: Arnok The Supreme Character Portrait: Appollonia
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

As the fight continued before her, Appollonia continued her own battle. With every word it grew stronger. The voices grew louder. The urges became closer to becoming needs. The words he spoke aloud were the fuel for visions in her mind. Mankind twisting and morphing into all manner of disgusting beings. She saw herself being torn apart and reformed a billion times over and over, each new version more perfec_more grotesque than the last... The voices called out to her. An infinite number of offers, of futures, of blessings. One did stand out among the others.

Power in exchange for bloodletting.

Those who opposed Appollonia, who opposed the Empire and her Emperor...He offered her the power to slay them all. To grind their bones into dust with her own hands...It was tempting...too tempting...yet she bite her tongue before submitting and confessed instead in tears to her own Gods.

"Aphrodites may never know the names of the ones I have loved and lost, Ares will perhaps never care for my part in a battle...Zeus may never grant me sovereignty to govern others....My Gods may not know me as someone of Herculean feats, but they will also not know me as someone who betrays her people for such weak and puny Gods."

A hulking hand scooped her by the torso and she soon found herself fastened by a cable to the Steel Ronin. The language was not one Appollonia had studied but she knew they were allies of the Aschen and thus this figure in metal was her ally. She made no attempts to resist her rescuer though she did continue to argue with the voices who would not leave her alone.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Kazuo Ishikawa Character Portrait: Abrubhor The Corrupted Character Portrait: Arnok The Supreme Character Portrait: Appollonia
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

Stubborn indeed...The Sorcerer skid back as the Steel Ronin slammed his beam halberd into the ground sending a wave of force to knock him back. Stalling for time to escape? The fools truly think to escape...It was laughable...If they really wanted to survive then they should have never encountered him...How easy it was to warp space around him...Time to show them more of his might and continue to spread his corruption. It was fun seeing those of faith squirm. Now...It was time to get a move on.

The armored sorcerer stepped forward as warpfire bathed his armor before vanishing, warping up ahead a few yards in front of the Ronin's path and raised his sword into the air. "You try to escape?...I'm afraid I wont let you..." The sorcerer channeled his Psychic might as the earth under them shook. Four sigils appeared in the four cardinal directions, followed by a massive psychic barrier formed around them. It was a Barrier which prevented Physical entry and exit along with blocking out means of teleportation at least 1 mile around his location...By Conventional means of course, he was free to Warp around using the bounds of the Warp.

The only way this field would be lowered...If he lowered it himself or was too injured to keep it up. Of course they don't know that, it could stay up forever until they starve to death. Of course if he left the barrier's effective range it would vanish. How quaint of the Ronin to help him get the sacrifices needed to conjure it...Those cultists proved handy at times. Even in death...

"Now with that said...Shall I destroy your mind and reduce that toy of yours to mere slag?..." The sorcerer called out as he gripped his bolt pistol and ejected the magazine before quickly slamming a fresh cartridge inside his weapon just as the clip fell down and began to open fire at the steel warrior. With 1.0 caliber, rocket propelled and uranium tipped rounds it should prove to be effective in damaging it, of course, he began to charge forward with uncanny speed of a human, his Force Sword glowing with a purple haze. If that warrior was not careful he would be meeting an eternal hell at his hands.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Kazuo Ishikawa Character Portrait: Abrubhor The Corrupted Character Portrait: Ayako Katamura Character Portrait: Arnok The Supreme Character Portrait: Appollonia
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

Cut off from his path of escape, the lone Steel Ronin came to a stop, the earth shaking didn't bother him, as he braced against the shaking ground, and once he was engulfed in the barrier, the Ronin stood defiant against the sorcerer.

He held his beam naginata up, planting the non-blade end into the ground, and standing like a statue in defiance of the Chaos sorcerer before them.

The Steel Ronin stared at the sorcerer, it's samurai-like visor betrayed no emotion, and it's red eyes shimmered.

The Ronin briefly looked to the skies, and then back down to the sorcerer. Appolonia was still secured to his torso, wounded and offering up no resistance. He was weighing the options of fighting with honor, or ending both their lives.

He had stared death in the face once, and in his meditation, chose to defy it.

The moment the warrior drew and fired his bolter, the Steel Ronin crouched and brought his arm up to shield Appollonia, each bolter round smashing into the thick nanosteel armor of the Steel Ronin, sending a shower of white sparks in every direction. The Ronin didn't seem to flinch, even with several large gouges in his armor that were still smoldering from the round impacts.

The Ronin was weighing his options, he was carrying an Aschen war adept, though the Ronin found it puzzling, she didn't carry any anti psychic technology. It was no matter, he had formulated his plan.

The fleet-footed Steel Ronin leaped back, dashing back towards where he had originally encountered the Chaos Sorcerer; he knew time was of the essence, and the fugue inducing systems of the suit would not protect his mind forever.

The first phase of his plan began to unfold, as the three Taiyou ships in orbit adjusted their position, revealing themselves to the Aschen cruiser, and the Chaos forces below.

The Order above had been given, and coordinates were locked in, the first of hundreds of high-impact shells were careening towards the psychic barrier from space. Each High-Impact shell would detonate in a powerful wave-force shockwave that was designed to place incredible stress on defense shields, and were used by the Taiyou to force premature collapse of even Aschen shield systems.

The first impacts would likely register as brilliant blue flashes on the top of the barrier, concussive shock-waves rippling along the breadth of the barrier.

The Ronin moved for Appolonia's pack, tearing the fabric asunder and grabbing two fusion cells, jumping back, he tossed them towards the Chaos Sorcerer, and swiped at them with his beam Naginata.

Each fusion cell would overload for a short time, before detonating near the sorcerer with the explosive force of a high-powered grenade.

The Steel Ronin followed up with a charge, and a broad swipe of his Naginata.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Kazuo Ishikawa Character Portrait: Abrubhor The Corrupted Character Portrait: Ayako Katamura Character Portrait: Arnok The Supreme Character Portrait: Appollonia
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

The assault on her mind continued despite her noble words did little to keep them at bay.

It seemed like she spectated the battle from a rather inconvenient perspective. Her ears rung from the sound of bolter rounds bouncing off the Plates of the steel ronin. Perhaps a more maiden like woman would think that knights do fight defending delicate maidens in their arms but Appollonia was not one for such things... even under more normal circumstances. Her mind was elsewhere. Eyes dilated, she saw the visions. The voices did not go away...they became stronger... Many possibilities were revealed to her. Appollonia was shown ambition. Something she had surrendered upon realizing ascension may not be possible for her.

She saw herself at the side of her Emperor. Her body was his unbreakable shield. Her being was a sword that could cut through any foe. Nothing was too far from her reach. Numbers merely meant there were more to kill...more chances for her to show to her Emperor that she was worthy of the responsibility. That she could keep him and the Aschen safe from all harm...that she was the ONLY one he needed at his side.

Apple could prove it to him if she did. Who could stop her with that kind of power? What did it matter what she did with the skulls? Her Emperor was safe. Her Empire was without challenge...who would care if she gave the skulls to someone? If she claimed trophies to commemorate her victories? If she bathed in the blood and the gore? Victory would be theirs...Yes...it didn't matter.

Appollonia began to laugh, her laugher growing louder and louder. Her fingers dug into the armor of the Ronin, without her even knowing. The indentations were small but visible and her laughter did not cease. It grew. She was losing it. The only visible sign that she was still trying to resist the corruption were the tears that flowed and the fact that she had yet to do anything against her ally the Steel Ronin.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Kazuo Ishikawa Character Portrait: Abrubhor The Corrupted Character Portrait: Ayako Katamura Character Portrait: Arnok The Supreme Character Portrait: Appollonia
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

As the woman's mind began to waken, began to hunger for skulls...For blood...For power...Such emotions attracted the attention of one of the Very Gods of Chaos. The God of War and Murder, Khorne...He had felt this humans thirst...Her desire to gain power to bathe in the blood of her enemies, to claim their skulls.

The voice that spoke to her was not the sorcerers, but something far beyond mortal understanding. The voice was powerful...Even as a whisper, the voice growled in pure anger and hatred."I hear you human...I can feel your bloodlust and desire to kill! To gather the skulls of your enemy!...Yes...Yes! Embrace your bloodlust human! You wish for power!? You wish to slaughter all that oppose you!? You need only say my name mortal! And I will grant you the gift to do so!...All you have to do afterwards is slay the two near you! The strong need not bother being saved! If you wish for my power you will prove it by delivering a killing blow to them! Announce your intentions with whatever air you have in your lungs! Kill! Kill them all in my name human! Just say those words that you pathetically hold back! If you want to be a champion then prove it human! The voice ravaged her mind.

The very voice of one of the Gods of Chaos was offering her...Power...Blood...And skulls...All for her to just kill and spill blood. His temple was the battlefield, all she had to do was make her intentions clear. That she intended to be THE only one worthy enough as a champion by her Emperor's side. To be worthy to kill anything she needed to kill. And all she had to do was do what she wanted to do...Kill...Spill blood and take trophies of skulls for the Bronze Throne...



While the woman was on the edge of madness, the Sorcerer was charging forward as heavy orbital fire struck his position...The fools...Resorting to heavy orbital fire to save themselves. He could easily warp out and remove the shield and watch them all get turned into nothing but slag. Still, the barrier not of normal origins held despite the violent blasts of kinetic orbital bombardment. Although everything had its limit of course, but at the moment the shield held steady.

However...He sensed the malevolent presence of something vey powerful...Radiating Anger and bloodlust...He would put off on doing anything for now. Besides focusing on killing the armored shell in front of him. Said Steel Warrior tossed two Fusion cells in his direction which began to glow. The Sorcerer braced himself as they went off damaging portions of his corrupted armor. Little more then petty damage...

With that, the hulking figured charged forward with its weapon and went in for a broad swipe, instead of warping behind. He decided to quickly duck low letting the blade pass over his head before lurching forward with his sword and stood up to stab at the armored figure. His Force sword was more than eager to cleave through his armor it managed to connect.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Kazuo Ishikawa Character Portrait: Abrubhor The Corrupted Character Portrait: Ayako Katamura Character Portrait: Arnok The Supreme Character Portrait: Appollonia
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

"The barrier is holding!" One of the bridge officers called out, forcing Ayako to make a tough decision.

"They're running out of time; if I don't act now we'll lose them both."

The Admiral grit her teeth, and stared out the viewport at the planet below, as the massive deck guns fired another volley, the shockwave from their weapons fire shuddering along the length of the ship.

"We're preparing the wave motion gun, take cover, Kazuo." Ayako transmitted, hoping that the barrier would absorb the brunt of the hit before collapsing, allowing those within who took appropriate cover to survive.

"Adjust our angle, prepare to fire the wave motion gun!"

The Taiyou ship slowly adjusted it's angle, until it's bow was in line with the psychic dome below, as if it were some kind of massive gun aiming at the planet below.

"Wave motion capacitors eighty percent and charging!" The Tactical officer called out.

"Targeting scope! Open!" Another bridge officer replied.

Slowly, energy was beginning to build along the length of the ship, safeties disengaged, and a power conduit running directly from the engine, to the wave motion gun was prepared.

Everything was a flurry of activity, and inevitably the critical moment would soon arrive, as the massive energy spike radiated across the star system.

---

Kazuo was slowly running out of options, as the barrier held fast with each impact, the Chaos Sorcerer dodged his blow, but the Steel Ronin was just as fast, and just as capable. When the Chaos Sorcerer moved to thrust with his blade, Kazuo parried to the side, adjusting his angle of attack and moving wide to the right, swinging his beam Naginata once more.

"Tennoheika Banzai!" The Steel ronin cried out, priming the suit's reactor to explosively overload, an honorable death for both of them was preferable to the alternative.

But among the chaos, there was an owl nestled on a branch of a mutated, and decaying tree. This lone owl seemed to stand out against the twisted, evil of the planet.

It was this moment Appolonia would go unconscious for a moment, a final plea for her sanity before she slipped into Khorne's service.

The voices would go silent, not even the whispering of Khorne could get to her for just a moment. Appolonia would find herself standing on what appeared to be an ancient palace of some kind, atop a mountain. Through the mist below them, the universe could be seen, from their battle on Nirn, to Langara, and the whole of the Galaxy.

It was a peaceful setting, the missing forearm had returned, and Appollonia would find herself wearing a greek Peplos.

A woman was standing behind her, beautiful and radiant, with flowing red hair and a soft, almost wise expression. She was holding a spear, and a shield, and her armor seemed to glow with a radiant and holy energy.

"Do not give into the darkness." The woman said with a soft voice. "The price of your soul would be too large to bear." The woman said.

"The choice is yours, but if you give in, all those you care about the most will shun you, and your soul will be irredeemable."

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Kazuo Ishikawa Character Portrait: Abrubhor The Corrupted Character Portrait: Ayako Katamura Character Portrait: Arnok The Supreme Character Portrait: Appollonia
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

"The choice is yours, but if you give in, all those you care about the most will shun you, and your soul will be irredeemable."

The sentence echoed in her head and weighed heavily on her now clear conscious. Yet the visions she had seen did not leave her, they were of things she wished for most. To see the enemies of the Empire laid out before her, bleeding onto the earth. Broken, mangled, and dead. Those visions she had the power of the Chaos God Khorne. In those visions, she was a literal demon on the battlefield. Unbreakable, unyeilding, and relentless. There was no time for rest, no want for it. Only the unending hunt for more and more of the Aschen's enemies. The time spent out of combat was wasteful, she craved to forever be hunting down the enemies of her Emperor and with that power, it would be certain. The Emperor would have need for no other sword so long as Appollonia was his to command, that was what she felt. It was what she believed to be true if she obtained the power this Chaos God offerred.

Despite this deep and compelling feeling she could not help but ask the woman before her for assurance in this matter.

"If I take that power....will I be able to keep them safe? I don't care if they despise me for taking it. My soul was never mine, me and all I am was given to me for the purpose of taking the beatenings they could not. Losing it for their well being would be just another sacrifice I made so they would never suffer at the hands of the enemy. It is only worth it to me, if with that power I may chase the enemies of our people and my Emperor into the very caverns and pits they hide in."

Again she asked. "If I take this fall, can I keep the ones I love most from falling?"


The wise goddess stood there listening to Appollonia's case, she considered it, before she looked out towards the valley before them. With a wave of her hand, everything disappeared. The scenery warped, and shifted to a planet, specifically the Cosmora Archipelago's capital city of Lyra.

Daemons of Khorne were fighting Aschen soldiers all around them, as the Aschen desparately tried to hold the city against the incursion.

In an instant they were all turned to ash as a Thalaron weapon detonated nearby. Athena slowly put her hand upon the skull of one of the now deceased soldiers.

"It was your god who razed this world to ash." The Goddess said, picking up the skull and presenting it to Appollonia. "The answer to your inquiry is clear." She said, holding the skull up, before surveying the wonton destruction all around them.

"You wouldn't be able to protect them, because you would be their enemy, and inevitably they would be destroyed..."

Reality shifted to the Caprican Imperial Palace, disruptor burns, bolter fire, balefire charring, mangled corpses, and daemons could be seen all around them, with Caprica City burning in flames.

"Behold, the shape of things to come." Athena said, gesturing to a mutated daemon standing over Prince, whom was wounded, bloodied, and propped up against the wall; dead confessors all around them.

That daemon was a mutated Appolonia, and she was holding a bolter to Prince's head.

Athena turned back towards Appollonia, watching her, letting her consider the sights before her.


Appollonia spectated the scene before her and listened to the words of the Goddess before her. Khorne's underlings had struck against the Aschen before. Many noble and courageous acts on the Aschen's part were made futile before the daemons, whom sought only to butcher and slaughter in the name of Khorne.
If she took Khorne's power, she would become the very thing she wished to fight. An enemy of the Aschen.


The next scene solidified this thought even further as the Caprican Imperial Palace came into view. A hellish battle having taken place there. Plasma burns, disruptor fire, dispensed bolter rounds, warpfire roaring, mangled corpses and much more that Appollonia could see but to describe it all in detail would take far too long. It was hell manifesting itself. The very nightmare she wanted to prevent becoming real. The War Adept was visibly disturbed by the scene as rage and sorrow were both shown on her face. Perhaps it was the surreal bliss of this plane they now inhibitated and were able to view such visions from that kept the normally feral Appollonia from acting up?

At the Daemon who stood over Prince she glared but as Athena revealed the identy of this being. Tears fromed in her eyes.

"I see...this path leads to ruin...". There was an effort to compose herself but this failed. Appollonia collapsed under her own weight and embraced herself, tears running freely down her face to her lap.
" Not glory, nor renown. Only the power to protect them. That's all I want. They could have discarded me. Broken me. Killed me. Instead they gave me strength and a chance to continue living. A chance to atone... Athena... Can I too become a Hero for them?"


Athena watched quietly as everything settled in. "I am only showing you one possible reality out of many, this is the sum total of your decision to embrace Khorne." The Goddess said, moving around and resting a hand on Appollonia's shoulder. "To take this power is a display of your own weakness, but you can find it within yourself to become a champion of your people. Galvanize your mind with what I have shown you, and a rightous anger will burn deep within your soul, and you will be given the strength to carry out justice against this evil."

The Lord of Kobol gestured out to the reality as it shifted back to Nirn, the Taiyou ship in orbit preparing it's Wave Motion Gun.

Reality shifted again back to Olympus, and Appolonia would be staring from the mountain down to Nirn, down to the Steel Ronin and her own unconscious body, down towards the Sorcerer.

Athena took Appolonia by the hand, then she reached out and tugged at the collar of the Peplos, revealing a small mark just under her collarbone, an owl-like symbol.

"You will become my champion, you will be my shield, and my spear." Athena said. "You will be able to dig deeper within a power yet untapped, you need only reject the temptations of Khorne and the gods of Chaos, and strike down your enemies in the name of truth, and justice." Athena said.

____________________-

Athena awoke. The voices roaring in her mind almost instantly. The battle before her continued but like before it was nothing more than a stalemate that would eventually turn in favor of the Chaos Sorcerer. Was it all a dream? Appollonia pondered this for an instant but her hand fell on her collar and there she felt it, the mark of Athena. As a Tauron, she had many tattoos on her but this was not one of them. It was confirmation, relief, and most of all it was the second wind her warrior spirit needed.

The Cable that secured her to the Ronin snapped. In what seemed like an act of desperation, the Aschen War Adept threw herself towards the Sorcerer. If actions spoke louder than words, the billion voices that plagued her (even the ones that came from her own demons) ceased. With only her bare hand, she would take on the Chaos Sorcerer. Perhaps it seemed foolish but this was infact Appollonia's strong suit from the beginning.

Hand to hand combat. From their fighting earlier and what glimpses she got to see whilst secured to the Ronin, she had been able to memorize the details of the Sorcerer's attacks thanks to her photographic reflexes. The strike she opened up was big, wide, and powerful but it left her open. One solid hit from that sword and she would be but another who died to him but soon as she him react, was when she abandoned her attack. For all his size and prowess in battle, it was not easy to stop a sword whilst it was mid swing. Apple put her trust in that martial knowledge and rather than strike him with her fist, she feinted and tackled him with the force of a freight train. Even while she missed half an arm, she chose to wrestle with the Colossus. It was 2 on 1. If he warped to stop him, she could only trust the Ronin to cover her.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Kazuo Ishikawa Character Portrait: Abrubhor The Corrupted Character Portrait: Ayako Katamura Character Portrait: Arnok The Supreme Character Portrait: Appollonia
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

Impossible...She was resisting the whims of Chaos? No...Something else was interfering with his mission. So it seemed, even that imposing presence he felt disappeared. Khorne had no need for her at the moment, however one day in the future he would get his penance in blood. For that reason, he had left for now.

For the sorcerer, of course he felt the gathering power in orbit. Well...It seemed he had no use of them now. Let them burn from their own ordinance. It was more troublesome to continue trying to tempt her knowing that something was protecting her feeble mind. "You reject my words it seems..." The sorcerer growled a bit as he raised his Force Sword and blocked the attack without budging much. That was until the woman herself came charging from the safety of the mans armor to attack him with her bare hands.

What desperation...She tackled him like a train, only causing the two to skid back. Fool...Such foolishness...Well his fun was over now. "My Lord...Prepare the sacrifice of souls...I shall arrive after finishing up here..." He psychically communicated to his lord as he vanished in warpfire to appear near the edge of the barrier and gave a mock bow before calling out to them both.

"It would seem its time to part ways now...However, I will see you both eternally damned in the warp in the next few minutes you have to spare. Rejoice...Your death will be quick...Take comfort for the few minutes you have in reality for endless pain awaits...Your souls are damned...And I will personally torment your souls to please the dark gods..." The figure stated as he knew what was going to happen in orbit.

He would simply warp out, remove the barrier and let their own people destroy them both. It mattered not to him now, a few more souls to his collection, along with their skulls for Khorne and cries of eternal agony would be music for Slaanesh. And with hi carefully plotted plan even Lord Tzeentch would be pleased. And this crater would be filled with corpses to please Nurgle. It all fell right into place, a shame he could not send that woman to spread the word of Chaos. He had billions more people to choose from anyways...

Soon enough, the voice of his lord rang in his mind. "I will begin the rites sorcerer, ensure you arrive for the ancient verses to fully activate the summoning! Else I will force your soul as the catalyst for it if you dare die on me!" His lord warned him. "Of course my lord...I need only a minute..." The sorcer stopped his bow to look at the two with his arms raised outwards.

"Let it be known that no matter what you do...Chaos is always victorious in the end...You only delay your deaths...You could have opened your mind to salvation...But you deny the words of Chaos...Die well..." He gave one last taunt. If the weapon in orbit was fired at his location, he was going to warp out and remove the barrier. A fitting end to their folly.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Kazuo Ishikawa Character Portrait: Abrubhor The Corrupted Character Portrait: Ayako Katamura Character Portrait: Arnok The Supreme Character Portrait: Appollonia
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

Kazuo capitalized on the moment in an attempt to attack the sorcerer the moment the Adept charged from the safety of his armor, When she made contact with the Sorcerer, Kazuo moved swiftly to the left, and looped around in an attempt to plunge his Naginata deep into the Sorcerer's gut, only to have him vanish in warpfire.



"Ute!" Ayako called out, and the entire Taiyou warship bucked, lurching as a brilliant blue flash engulfed them all.

The ship's wave motion gun fired, sending a brilliant, searing blue beam of light hurling towards the planet below, hurling towards the barrier, and threatening to engulf everything within it.

Kazuo briefly looked to the sky, and back towards the Warp sorcerer.

Everything was bathed in a searing blue light, the beam itself was on the verge of colliding with the barrier, and if the Chaos Sorcerer indeed took the barrier down, both Appolonia, and the Steel Ronin would vanish in a flash of white light the instant the barrier came down, and the beam seared fourth.

---

"Thank the Gods!" The Aschen ship commander called out, running quickly towards Appollonia, ignoring the Steel Ronin almost entirely.

"We thought we wouldn't be able to extract you... that was a close call."

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Kazuo Ishikawa Character Portrait: Abrubhor The Corrupted Character Portrait: Ayako Katamura Character Portrait: Arnok The Supreme Character Portrait: Appollonia
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

There was no time for celebration and glee.
"Commander! Inform the Taiyou vessels, we need to get out of here! In a couple of moments there's going to be an entire legion of "Chaos" down there and we do not have the manpower or ordnance to challenge them."

With a nod the commander turned to the helms' crew and commenced giving orders. "You heard the lady. Inform our Taiyou allies, we are leaving. We'll rendezvous in allied space. Chart us a course and send them the coordinates as soon as we have them.".

With things finally dying down Appollonia looked up at the Steel Ronin and patted him on the back. "Thanks for the support down there."

cron