Hatoresu's Story

Two words echoed within the mind of Morthos minutes after summoning his titan of darkness: "You Dare....?" For a moment the entire titan quivered and rippled like the surface of a lake in which a stone had been tossed. However after only a few seconds, a man appeared beside the Demon Lord, a man of unyielding darkness. Darkness blackened only by the presence of Erebuz himself.

He wore a large military overcoat, his black hair was combed back, and his eyes gleamed red like pits of the deepest part of Hell. He lacked a shadow; it wasn't that he was standing in someone elses, and simply didn't have one, or that there was no light on him. It was that he was Shadow.

"You dare summon such a creature without.......inviting me?" He growled, not moving from his position. Any attempt at retaliation to his presence would merely pass through his body and be covered in a black, goo-like substance that would proceed to fall off whatever it had clung to, and squirm its way back to his body. This man.... He reeked of Erebuz; almost as if the Unweaver himself had smothered him whilst in the midst of a wrestling match. However the only expression he had towards said Unweaver was contempt.

Finally walking forward, boots crunched the ground as he looked to the skies and took in a deep breath. His own body seemed...mist like, though again, when touched, would revert to the goo-like substance. He let out a long, growling sigh as he turned to Morthos, beginning to mutate hideously as wings began to spread from his shoulder blades. "I will clear a portion of the Shoreline for your armada."

And with that he was off, darting straight for the clouds.Once in the air he then darted straight for the Darkside, gritting his teeth as his eyes began to glow. There were so many Shadows here; so many that he could steal. As he flew low and fast over the surface of the river, Draco pulled the shadows from the Centaurs without their slightest knowledge, growing in size and shape whilst his Draconian body began to take form, wings spread wide and tail snaking back and forth slowly as if to rudder his course. As his body grew to its full sized, his maw widened and he let out a massive, thundering roar that rippled the water of the very river for miles upon miles up and down the water, and echoed and rumbled the very air itself.

With a great flap of his wings the entire River halted for a mere second while his body rocketed sky-ward once more in a sort of backflip. Then it adjusted course, and whilst folding his great wings against his body, Draco corkscrewed down until the slammed into one of the fortifications upon the beach, his body splattering like that of a wad of snot against the windshield of a moving car.

And for a while it remained that way.

Then it began to stir, bubbling and oozing and shifting around as if a heat had been lighted beneath it. Bolts of purple lightning roared from the surface of what was left of his body and from it rose many figures, all formless at first before taking the appearance of some of the most hideous demons ever seen, wielding axes and swords and maces of all shapes and styles. For awhile they marched like zombies to and fro across their spawning place, but as soon as they found their enemy; the enemy of the Unweaver; they began to moan, scream, groan, hiss, roar, and bellow with the pain of a thousand souls being snatched up at once and silenced forever, charging their enemies weapons flailing and bodies hardening for devastating blows that were strong enough to tear damn near anything half with a single swipe.

And in the center of it all stood the same man that had appeared behind Morthos not five minutes before, a smirk upon his face.

The Centaurs kept on firing, hell bent to halt the line of advancing aerial combatants with fervor and gusto. The leader of the Centaurs continued to rally her troops by shouting words of encouragement. They had been training for this for two years. Honing their skills, testing their mettle and their resolve. They did not waver nor did they cease their actions for even a moment. Pride beamed through the army as their holy arrows halted the advance of the beasts from above and with the army so far away, having to need hours to reach them: They felt like that had the upper hand.

Even as the huge ball of chaotic magic and fire rained down upon them, taking out at least a few hundred of their number, their resolve did not waver nor fault in its stead. But then, the glop of Dragon landed upon them and the demonic shadows began to form and charge. This was ahead of schedule and they didn't have much time to react. Several fell to their onslaught but they had anticipated for the enemy landing on the shores. "Retreat!! Phase two!!" The leader yelled and at the same time, the Centaurs halted their firing and as one fled into the trees of the Woods of Suicides. Their first task was done and now it was the turn of the Woods's denizens to carry on the task. Once inside the tree cover, a runner was dispatched and given a small stone by the Leader of the Centaurs. Something was going amiss in this conflict and they needed to alter their strategy. The Lord of the Circle had to be consulted. But at once, the arrows stopped flying.

All around the armies, the screaming of the dying and the damned: There was a very odd thing. While the screams and wails would normally be loud and as clear as day, the air shifted, a light breeze flicking past the host and the screams all fell silent. It was a deafening silence and the ground underneath their hooves and claws started to become a shade of grey. To the untrained eye, it was nothing. But to those who could see it, the color from the world was being drained away. The color moved towards the Abominable Sands.

The seemingly endless cloud of flying fiends doubled its pace towards the shore as soon as the arrow barrage ceased. Now that the centaurs were no longer present to quell their ever-swelling numbers, the storm would block out the sky above the river within hours.

Morthos took Draco's appearance in stride. He had heard tales of the latest edition to the Dark Legion's ranks. The pit fiend sneered at the destruction wrought by the shadow dragon's incredible power. Clearly, he would be a useful tool for the Emperor - and a worthy weapon for the Dark Legion.

He looked up to the sky to see his armada swarming overhead. Morthos sent a telepathic command to secure the opposite shore and await reinforcements. The command echoed through the ranks, and within moments the entire flock resumed their flight across the Phlegethon.

Morthos spun on his heel and knelt onto the sand of the island. He placed his mace on the ground and inclined his head towards Dis.

"My Most Honored Master..." he communed. "The river's forces have been scattered, and we are ahead of schedule. I beseech you for aid, great God-emperor and Lord of the Void, in order for your army to cross the channel..."

"My most loyal servant..." Morthos's body quivered in ecstasy as his Master's voice reverberated in his mind. "Hearken, and look now upon my glory. Gaze upon the power that so easily brought your former master to heel!"

The earth shook on Heresy's side of the river. Demons screamed in terror as every shadow quivered in both fear and reverence. A deafening roar sent tremors through the air as a pillar of black flames erupted from the ground. Scores of demons were obliterated by its touch. The flames slowly churned as the dark miasma took form into a monstrous titan.

Its flesh, likened to onyx chiseled to perfection, was blacker than a moonless night. Muscles the size of boulders flexed like steel beneath flawless skin - skin marred with countless scars that blended seamlessly together like paint on an artist's canvas. Two gargantuan wings spread out from the titan's back and cast an endless shadow upon the river. Raw and pure darkness cascaded over the appendages and covered the glorious ebony plumage like a shroud. The wings would gradually shift from the magnificent wings of a raven to the mangy ones of a bat, and then back again with a barely perceivable transition. A pair of horns, like charred mountains, protruded from the giant's forehead, but its eyes... His terrible eyes... They were blacker and deeper than the most crushing abyss. A thousand eternities rested within their depths, and they radiated an unfathomable power that would give most deities pause. Those all-knowing pits narrowed their gaze upon opposite shore of the Phlegethon, pierced through the Wood of Suicides, brushed aside the storm of the Sundering Sands, and looked upon the Temple of Paradise Lost.

The Avatar of the Dark Emperor Erebuz, the Great Unweaver and Destroyer of All Things, sneered in amusement.

Erebuz, without breaking His gaze from the Temple, lifted His clawed hand to waist height with His palm facing upward. With the slightest flex of will, the great elder-god caused a large chunk of rock with several lesser demons on it to be ripped from the earth and float above his grip. The demons flailed as they and the rocks drifted helplessly in orbit around the central chunk. They gradually spun faster and faster until they began slamming together at blurring speeds. Though the demons were all dead, Erebuz clenched his hand slightly and they spun even faster. However, though the velocity increased, they were drawn inward towards the massive stone. Soon only a cloud of gore and dust were left of the demons, yet Erebuz continued. He clenched again, and the maelstrom in his palm glowed from the invisible pressure. Blood ignited form the heat while bone was crushed and rock melted.

Yet the pressure intensified.

A deafening roar thrummed above His palm as the on-looking demons and devils gazed upon their Master in awe. Now the ball of molten dust and flesh was merely a sphere of super-heated matter that continued to spin at Erebuz's whim. It was only with the barest of will that He crushed the sphere of turbulent matter. A strong breeze blew around the elder god now, centralized upon His creation, that steadily grew into a whipping gale. Suddenly, with a thunderous crack, the ball ignited into a blinding light that burned like a furnace. Even the closest demons screamed in agony as their flesh ignited from the heat and boiled from the radiation...

They fled from the young star that was born in Erebuz's palm...

Yet the pressure intensified.

The burning white-hot star was only the size of an elephant now, yet it burned with the same fury of the fiendish creatures it was forged from. A moment passed, it shifted blue, and then to red, yet His will on the celestial object was absolute. With a growl that sounded like mountains shifting, the God-emperor flexed His hand one final time - and the star died with a scream as it was crushed by His power. The sphere vanished, only to be replaced by a coin-sized void. Suddenly the powerful gales increased tenfold as the circle of darkness expanded millimeter by millimeter.

Finally, with a flick of His wrist, Erebuz tossed the black hole a hundred meters away over the Phlegethon.

"Come forth, my servants." He Spoke. "It has been too long since you have witnessed the Realms of Light. Come forth, my beloved Erebim, and pillage the cosmos once more!"

Several looming black shapes slid out from the crushing darkness of the void. They were vessels, floating just above the river's surface, and black as starless space. A score of them emerged from the black hole, one by one, until they were erected in a line by the shore. The hulls hummed with an eldritch energy that was foreign even to the Cursed Realm. Finally, hatches opened and ramps made of the strange black metal slid onto the beach - allowing the demonic army entry into the transports.

The Avatar of Erebuz smiled as His gaze remained fixed on the Temple. Once the vessels had fully emerged, He folded his massive wings and vanished like a cloud of smoke in a strong gust of wind.

The color, now moving at a feverish pace, began to drain away from the circle. The sands and waves of the river and beach underneath Morthos's feet began to turn to a brittle lifeless grey and black. The sea that now stretched before him was black as a moonless night. Eve was rushing and the screams of agony coming from her could be heard throughout the Circle.

The lands of Violence had seen better days. The world was lifeless and grey, and not an ounce of color remained upon the Circle's landscape. But as it was grey and dull, a voice boomed out from the Sands

"By all means!! Enter my Sanctum!!" She yelled as the River rocked and groaned as the width of it instantly shrank to that of a running stream. The woods crumbled as if made of dust and the sands flattened down to the bedrock. The entire plane was flat as a plateau with a lone figure standing at the far end. Eve, wielding a long staff of bark and a single dagger in one hand, with arms crossed, waited patiently for the armies - and Erebuz by extension - to begin their charge. No more tricks. No more traps and surprises. Eve was ready to finally end this battle.

Thrum thrum thrum thrum thrum...

Thrum thrum thrum thrum thrum...

And it came to pass that after the flattening of Violence, Morthos commanded his legions to abandon their vessels and march across the scorched wastes of the Sundering Sands. He marched at its head, mace hanging over his shoulder and gripped tightly in his clawed hand. His honor guard of fallen angels marched at his side, clad in hell-forged steel and cloaked by their black feathered wings. The horde of demons charged across the landscape like a tide of chaos. Balguras, goristros, and glabrezus rampaged across the sands while several legions of armored devils marched lock-step behind them. Tens of thousands of demons blotted out the the sky as they sang their discordant song of despair and woe.

Slowly, the thick overcast of demons began to form a spiral in the sky. The flock spun like the eye of a hurricane, guided by a maelstrom of chaotic eldritch energy that further darkened the sky like a depthless portal to the Void. Finally, with a roaring thunder clap, the Dark Emperor Erebuz emerged from the eye of the storm like a meteor.

His massive wings snapped open as He slammed into the ground. The earth shattered beneath the weight of His malice, sending bits of bedrock and torrents of sand shooting in all directions for a hundred meters. He stood, kneeling on the ground, as a maelstrom of darkness churned around His avatar. Suddenly, two bolts of black lightning dropped from the heavens and landed at His sides. Erebuz wrapped the ends - handles - in His titanic grip and ripped the two gargantuan blades from the earth.

The blades of the twin greatswords were blacker than the darkest black hole, and one looking closely could glimpse eternity within them. Those uncomfortably close to His swords would feel a strong breeze being sucked into the weapons.

"C̸̶̱͖̦͉͙̹̝ͤ͆ͦ̑̎ͨ̐̄͋͞g̦͚̙̈́ͣͦͬͧ̆ͨͯ̀͢Ò̵͚̣̲̝̺̔͂͟͠ͅn̵̡͈͈̗̠̠͊ͥ͐͛̒͐Ṁ͙̣̖̰̜ͫ͗̽̇i͌͆͐́҉̖̫̫͠Ë̵̸͇̜̰͕̗͔́͑̾n̲̳̓ ̥̙̥̯̮͗͌ͭ͒̈́ͮA̷͙̥͙̫͈̒̄ͭͯ́ͅo͕̰̗͔͉̻͙̟̞̎͒N̯͍̗̺̱̰̤̝̘̎̉̅̕ḳ̢̭͗̑̓̓̋̌̾͑ͅD͈̐̂ͯ̄ͧ̊̾͑ͪͅc̤̰̗͉ͪͣ̓̿̓͑̐͘ ̪̞̭̰̝̝̘̼͉̈́ͧ̉̚͜M̗̼̯̺̞̼̅ͪͬͣͮ̓ȇ̡̬͙̠̙͛ͫ͒̇̊Ḙ̪̜ͮ̏̌̾ͬ̓̎ͧ̆͘r̢̺̭͇̼̘̟̭̐̃͟͡Ě̴̳̫̻̃͠͞r̢̞̗ͥ͐ͥ͂͜Ṯ̳̓͊̔͊͒ͦ̓ͅu͍̟̎̈́̋̐ͪ͑ ̻̓̍ͪͫ̊ͭͧ̎͡͞Ȳ̱̺̞̊͒o͖̊̇̎́ͩͮ̚͞O̜͍ͣy̸͙͓̰̲̻̺͉̠̪̔͌̿ͩ̈́ͭ͂͜Ṳ̴̲͛ͥ̍̈́ͥ̌ͨ̿ͅť̷̗͓̠̱̥͚̥̹̭͒̌̒͆͂̕̕R̙̬ͣ͗ͨ̉͊́̃̒̋e̲̜̼̬̖̠̻͊̃̃͑̇̍ ̨̲͔̬̭̗̩̟̉͋̓ͮ̈́R̜̤̲͓̣ͨͫ͝é̠̻̇͜Ě̡̪̣̯̺͈̗̘ͥ̆͌͒͘m̦̳̞̜͖ͪ́͒̄ͫ͌̏̊ͫ͘͟C̉̓͐ͥ͌ͧ́͜͏̬̗̙͔͎̠͍͍d̡̹̻̮̰͕̉̆ͣ͗ͧ̽ͩ͒Ḱ̬̺̱̲̬̅̇͡n̮ͬ̐ͥͨ̄̍ͩ̈͢O͔̪̰͋̒̐͊͡ͅa̖̳͚̥̯̫͉̋̔̌̀̚̕Ņ̝͓̉̓ͪ̿ͩ̆͑ͣͨͅe̴̙̗ͤ́͂̓̍ͦ̉I̸͈̹̠̥ͣ̽̋m̸̗̥͍͎͛̇͘Ṋ̵̠̥͊̑̔̔ͧ̕͟ó͓̤͓̗̓̓̀G̵̢̯̞͇̖͋̈̋ͦ̾̓́c̸͓̹̪̖̫͔̙͙͍͌ͦ̑ͤ̚!̛̪̭̟̤̃́́" Erebuz thundered as He spun His blades.

Eve stood, unwavering and unflinching at the great show of power from the Elder God. Confidence radiated from her form, bristling with untold power and potential...filled with Hope. A hope that there will be a brighter tomorrow as the Light of Creation surrounded her...and she felt her Father's love. She took a single step forward, then another and another until she was at Erebuz's form then.... side stepped Him.

She completely ignored His challenge and continued to walk past Him "Before we fight... There is something of an annoyance I wish to deal with first. Since I know you care nothing for them... Why should I?" She asked and faced the army now charging towards them and raised her staff high.

"G̙̲̟̠̗̭̞̈̓͋ͧ̀ͨ͐̎̒ṵ̶̜͕̞͉ͯͧͮ͆ͦ̎̋̔͢r̋ͭͩ͑̍̒̿͟͏̰͖̰̙͝z̶̰̭͇̖̺ͮ̍̌͑͛͂͆̈́ͅ ̛͖̪̹̤͍̰̅͌̆̌ͬ̾ͅl̺̪̤̦̓̐ͅa̪̝ͨ̎͜ͅş̶͖̮̯̙͓͔̥̯͚ͣͥ͒̊̽͟ ̶̨̰̻̖̲̀ͯ͟ͅU̴̥̙͕̟̝͍̩̔͑̓̽͆̈̿͡͞k̝̑ͦ̑̔̌͡ ̲͓̤̦̜̟̒͜n̵̢̤͚͖̟̳̩̄a͎̮̗̹̲͒̄̏̉ͣͤ̏̔͢͡͡z̵͎̼̲͖͈͎̤̭̺̒̀̒͒͞ ̻͕̞͈̳͗́ͬͥ̈́T̡́̂ͬͮ̉ͩ́̚҉͙̻͍i̛̻͎͚̯͓̘ͥ̓ͮ̑͟͡ŗ̞͊̏ͥ̇͒ͨ̌̅͢d͇̮̯͚̝͊ͫ͆͠ö̵̧̦̣̘̞̣̞́̓ͮ͂ͮ̂͐̋ͪr̛̝̤̰̳̬̖͓̓̊͂̇͋̎́ǘ̷͚͉̦͓̊̂̎̊͊̅̚͠z̵̪̳̗̦͋ͩ̌ͧ͑͢ ̨̋̅͒ͨͩ͊̍҉̟̦̫̬Ķͫ̔ͤͦ҉̢̘̻̼͇a͒̎̍ͨ̐͛́͏̰̩̥a͑͗̉҉̻̼͈͇͔̲̠̫̺z͓̘̞̤̖ͭͫ̇̐͗͑͑̚͞g̴̯̥͓̳͓̰͇̒ͪ̆̂r̸̯̎ͧ̐͆̐ͫ͑̿ͬe̢̝͉ͫͤ͗͡D̫͕̩͕̙̭̱̒̑̈́̑̋ͧa̡̢̳̗̖̖̳͔͍̥ͮ͐̌ͤ̅̃ͥ̓̀m̟͕̤̞̥̙̗̭̉̓͗̿̾͂͛͊ͅḙ͖̪̭͈̰͛ͯ̀̕d̡͍̯̲̓̄ͣ̆̑͞ạ̲̠̣̬͉̾́͡ͅͅsͨ͌͆̈͛ͣ͑҉̠̮͙!"

The words ripped through the air,. The foul unheard words erupted from around her as she slammed the staff's butt into the ground. A wave of necrotic energy fueled by the sum of all of the power of Violence washed over the army, both high and low, like a wave. The demons, devils, abyssals eroded into dust and ash and broke upon the wind. The winged demons overhead evaporated, clearing the skies that were darkened. The hordes of soldiers charging alongside Morthos disappeared in a sea of blackened ash and debris. Armor and Weapon were not spared as the entirety of Erebuz's forces were laid to waste there up on the ground.

Morthos braced himself against the tide of energy. He roared in defiance as he crossed his arms over his face. Suddenly, the hurricane winds forced a single wing to snap open, and he vanished over the horizon. As the tide made its way towards Draco, he merely closed his eyes and accepted his defeat. As uncharacteristic of him it may be, he knew when he was bested; whether it be in battle against a singular opponent, or against something that he at the moment could not possibly comprehend the limits of. And with his own power locked away within his body back in the land of the living, he had no hope of trying to fend off this attack. And so, he simply began to break apart, and fade away, flake by painful flake, into the Abyss.

Erebuz merely pursed His lips and brought His blades forward. They spun in his hands like twin whirlwinds of shadow. He had felt the titanic wave of power and was sure He could push through unscathed, but something was blocking His perception of the Great Weave. A great cataclysm was coming, and He wanted to be ready for it. So He spun His blades, and the energy directed towards Him was simply sucked into their blackness - and ceased to be.

Eve then nodded to herself in approval of her work as the transformations of her body receded. The demonic form and beauty faded away while the blue flame in her right eye socket became fleshy as a normal eye but a brilliant blue. Claw and horn and blackened skin evaporated - leaving Eve as she had been made so many eons ago. A woman of purity wielded the stone dagger, coated in the blood of her former husband, and a branch of the tree of Eden.

A bright smile took hold of her face as she stared at the lord of Shadows and Chaos as she took on a more defensive stance, holding the staff outwards ready to parry His oncoming blow. She would give Him one chance - just one - before ending this fight all together.

"Now that your army is nothing but ash and dust...I'll give you a chance to strike me. I am pure, I am as I was... Surely you could defeat me alone, couldn't you?" She asked with a sickeningly sweet, warm smile on her face "My dearest Brother......"

"Impressive." He sneered. "I sense your second wind will finally bring me a challenge. It has been a long time since I have swung my blades... Let us see how well you fair..."

Before He finished uttering the final syllable, Erebuz shot forward in a blur. A scar of distorted space followed in His wake before He suddenly vanished in a puff of smoke. However, He materialized behind Eve just as quickly as he disappeared, swinging one of His blades down upon her pelvis with a blow that would crush a mountain.

Eve was prepared for this. Trickery and deceit were always in the portfolio of the Unweaver. She spun to meet His blade with the dagger. The force of the impact stopped cold. The blow was easily matched by Eve - who just smiled then tisked at him three times. She then lifted up a little and flew backwards as the force resumed and landed on her feet. She then stood proudly and raised her staff again before bringing it down to bare as several powerful beams of light fired from it in His direction. Then she followed it up by slamming her staff down into the ground. A shockwave of holy Light exploded towards the Darkness. Eve was simply waiting - biding her time - and savoring every single second of this fight.

Erebuz snarled again as He vanished in another blur of impossible speed. He swung His null blades up, and the beams of light vanished into their fathomless depths. The Unweaver once again appeared behind her, swinging again, before appearing at another angle and thrusting. His slashes, thrusts, and feints grew more frequent and wild until it almost seemed as if He was attacking her from multiple directions at once.

Then again... Perhaps He was.

Eve's body ducked and weaved as she dodged His blows, using her aura from her staff whenever she thought He would get too close. No chance she could speak the words she needed to say. Not yet... She had to lull Him down, and wear Him to the point of defeat. Eve encompassed her staff in a holy aura and used the end to deflect His blows with the power of the Spark within her. She was already drained of much of her magic. The defeat of His entire army took a great deal from her body and she nary had much to draw upon. Lillith's soul was her sole power source... The Spark was still too small and it played too much of a key in her plan.

With grace, she casted a teleportation spell and appeared behind the Lord of Chaos, using the dagger to strike at His back before disappearing away. Erebuz deftly spun one of his null blades behind him to parry the blow.

"Its been too long since I last fought something like you..." She said panting. Eve looked down at the dagger that was slowly rotting away. She threw it down to the ground and watched it fizzle out of existence. Grasping her staff, she threw whatever energy into it she had left and stood her ground, waiting for the right moment in which to do what she needed.

K'gara blinks and looks around blearily

K'gara is afraid

K'gara sniffles as she starts to cry, letting out a mournful howl

Bian Linh Vu hears someone crying and follows the sound

K'gara is trembling with fear, looking around at the unfamiliar surroundings (what does it even look like here? The description is very vague) with her once proud ears folded flat against her head

Elanna Torres looks around, taking in her surroundings.

K'gara is sitting cross legged on whatever passes for the floor here, just sobbing mournfully

K'gara is a nude burly muscular wolfess, her clothing having been left behind in the belly of the beast

K'gara is a nude burly muscular wolfess, her clothing having been left behind in the belly of the beast