Alissa approached from the burning flames, and the blaze caught the curtains hanging beside the mirror. Alissa's sword bled violently in burning fire as she swung it across the floor towards Bahamun who easily blocked, but the flames from the sword spread to the carpet behind him. Leaves of burning silk began to fall from the wall behind them. Alissa swung her sword around. Bahamun blocked with his shield but the burning blood spread far behind him once again. Alissa stepped back and swung the blade around high then low. From below she swung the blade at Bahamun, who blocked once again and the flames spread to the roof above. The ballroom began to surrender to the inferno as the flames rose ever higher and hotter.
Godara appeared at the door but stopped still as he watched the two warriors fight within the flames. Mirrors shattered. Chandelier chains splintered, and the chandeliers crashed into the floor. Roof logs began to weaken and break apart. Then a wall exploded as Seven flew into the room towards Bahamun. He slammed into the floor where Bahamun had just stood with mighty force. Bahamun who had dodged out of the way reached out his shield and then procedure to beat the green orb onto it. As the green orb met the shield, it released a shock wave of green glimmering light. The flames became undone as the wave reached them.
Bahamun struck the shield again, harder, and a stronger wave was released witch put out half the flames leaving only a green golden glimmer. Then he struck the shield a third time with even greater force. The shock-wave now shook the entire room, breaking the last mirrors, and the floor began to collapse. Alissa and Seven began to run away, but before they could reach the doors, Bahamun struck the shield one more time, and the floor collapsed.
Bahamun and Alissa landed, he on his feet and she on her side, in a small room with stone walls, some windows and a few bookshelves. Seven fell into another room. Alissa turned around looking for her weapon, then Bahamun reached out his spear beneath her neck. Alissa stopped her search and backed away towards the wall. Then a moment later, a shadow fell upon Bahamun. Crash! The wall collapsed and the windows shattered as a wave of flames burst into the room. Just as Bahamun covered his eyes, a great claw reached through the wall and grabbed him.
Kamurik, with Bahamun in his claw, flew up along the palace wall and slammed the warrior into the stone wall. Bahamun used his shield against the wall to somewhat glide on it. As they flew above the higher wall, Kamaruk stopped midair and began trying to bite Bahamun. Bahamun repelled the attack by cutting a wound in the dragon's shin. Kamurik tried to drop Bahamun but he held onto his claw. Kamurik then flew away towards a tower of the palace. Bahamun prepared his spear to pierce the dragon when Sara flew up behind them. She struck at Bahamun who was forced to block her with the spear.
An orb of lightning bounced through the air towards Bahamun, whom released his grip of the dragon. In midair he slammed the orb into the shield. The shock-wave pushed away both Sara and the orb. Bahamun fell through the air and crashed through a window of one palace tower. Lightning surged through the tower roof as Bahamun stood up. Then before him landed the monk Godara.
Godara dashed around the tower walls with charges of lighting buzzing from his feet and blade. He dashed faster and faster. From wall to wall he jumped. Then with steady blade he jumped at Bahamun. Bahamun blocked, and Godara dashed back to the wall where he rotated around Bahamun. He attacked again, and was blocked, then again and again. The clarity of the room slowly diminished, and the buzzing lightning fell hidden into increasing mist. As the mist got thick, Godara once again attacked Bahamun. He blocked, but as Godara disappeared he attacked again from the back of Bahamun. Bahamun blocked and once again Godara appeared behind him just as he disappeared in the mist. As if Godara had begun teleporting, or became more than one.
Godara continued his assaults and as the battle ranged on the mist grew thicker and the time between his assaults grew smaller. Soon multiple Godaras would be visible at the same time. Then Bahamun did something strange. He dropped his spear, his shield, and raised out his arms to chest height. His armor revealed a dim glimmer of green and gold light. Godara stopped hidden in the mist and watched as an illusion of him dashed out towards Bahamun. Bahamun did not attempt to block or dodge. The illusion blade struck his chest. A bright flash of green and gold light appeared from where Bahamun was struck. Godara raised his arm to block his eyes.
As the light diminished Godara slightly opened his eyes and saw a shadow. He tried to dash away but Bahamun hit the monk with his fist, as Godara fell to his knee Bahamun kicked him so he flew to the other side of the room. As Godara gathered his senses he realized that the mist and the illusions where completely gone. Bahamun's magic had somehow dispelled the stone's magic. Godara attempted to dash around the room once more, but Bahamun was faster than he had thought. Godara raised his blade to block Bahamun's fist, but instead he grabbed Godara's arm and threw him so he crashed in to the wall.
Bahamun picked up his spear and shield and approached Godara. A song reached their ears. Then the window behind him exploded as a cloud of fire filled the room. The next moment a series of glowing red stones appeared from the flames and exploded around Bahamun. Godara used the distraction and fled out the window closes to him.
In the middle of the palace on it's roof was a opening with a large garden with a fountain and flowers and trees of all possible colors. Around on the garden where some additional rooms of the palace, most of them being bedrooms, the celestial hall and the throne room. Beyond the structures where the towers, one of which was burning from the window by Sara' Seven's and Kamurik's assault. A series of arc blades flew out from the smoke and dispersed the attackers.
A moment of calm followed. A final calm before the final storm.
Moments later, Bahamun walked out from one of the structures connected to the tower. He walked past the garden. Then he stopped. He turned to the fountain inside the garden. Two blades hovered in the air. Two blades that did not belong to any of those warriors he had already fought. Then from behind a tree came the master of the swords. "So you are finally taking the fight. Now prove to me that you truly are my grandson as you claim." said Bahamun. The prince raised his sword at Bahamun. Out from the shadows of the trees stepped Amir.
Amir stepped forward with his main sword, Shul Alsyfa, in hand. His sidearm swords, Suvair and Shaula controlled by spirits from the ether hovered in the air beside him. He reached his hands inside his belt. He felt the stone of dust, he felt the stone of shadows, he then felt the box with the black stone. He thought for a moment before he withdrew his hand without any of the stones. He took a deep breath. Then he attacked. Suvair came swinging towards Bahamun's left who easily blocked it with his shield. Shaula came to his, which struck away with his spear. Amir came from the front and swung at him with Shul Alsyfa. Bahamun stepped back. But before he could strike at Amir, Suvair swung at him from behind. Bahamun dodged out of the way just as Shaula appeared at his side. Bahamun knocked it away with his shield.
Amir and Suvair came at him at the same time. Bahamun quickly stepped out of the way as he struck Suvair so it flew into the sky. In less than a moment, the spirit sword regained its momentum and swung back at Bahamun whom was busy blocking her sister sword. The relentless assault at Bahamun went on, forcing Bahamun to step back further and further. Then after some time of combat, Bahamun slammed the green orb of his spear into the ground creating a cloud of glimmering golden dust. He then slammed his fist into it and it manifested as a golden flame over his arm. Suvair and Shaula came swinging at him. He swung his burning fist which left a trail of green energy. As the sword hit the energy, they where repelled and flew far away. Amir came at him. Bahamun hit the air between them fit his fist causing a force of green energy that knocked Amir so he flew into the other side of the garden.
A moment later, an orb of lightning came at Bahamun. He blocked it ,then the next second came a wave of flame as Kamurik flew down at him. From his back, Alissa jumped at Bahamun. As he blocked her, a song reached his ears. Just as Sara came swinging at him. He struck his shield with the green orb pushing them away. Then the ground beneath him collapsed as Seven broke through. Bahamun dodged out of the way. As he swung around he struck the ground with the orb and then sent away arc blades at Seven and Godara who blocked and dodged respectively. The four and Kamurik gathered themselves and then surrounded Bahamun.
"I am disappointed in you. None you are using using your full potential, the great stones you have collected. You hold back your power in an attempt to grab the sunstone as soon as you get the chance. You believe that you have a chance at it, but you understand not how far beyond you I am. If you will not use your stones willingly then I shall force you, even if I have to kill one of you. You will understand my might and one day you will join me in our war against Septhis and the Abyss."
Bahamun struck the green orb into the ground three times. Seven, Sara, Alissa and Godara dashed at him. He hit the first cloud with his shield causing a quake, the second with his fist and the third with his spear. He swung blade arcs at sara and Kamurik at the same time as he dashed at Seven who he hit with his fist, then he jumped at Alissa and struck at her so she flew then he raised his burning fist at the air. His fist exploded in a cloud of green golden energy. He then jumped into the air, he grabbed Godara's foot and threw him onto the ground. The next moment he landed over Godara and held his spear towards the monk's chest. His eyes showing his intent of killing.
Godara grabbed the stone of the matriarch. The air gold slightly darker. But then Bahamun's eyes changed. From intense to what almost seemed as worry. Bahamun looked to his side. There stood Amir. behind him was an open box tainted in black. In his hand he held Shul Alsyfa. It was burning with black and purple flames and no light seemed to reach it.
"That flame. Boy, do you know what that is? Drop the sword and I shall annihilate it and its dark corruption."
"I know what it is. And I intend to use it against you, against the sunstone." Amir said.
"You bring corruption to the city of the sun. You seek to ally with the endless depth?"
"I know of what enemies we have since far, and how to beat it. But that of the stones from heaven I do not trust. The darkness is bad but the goal is clear. The stones corrupt the path and make good people do great evil. That's why I must destroy the sunstone, even if I must use the power of the only darkness that can darken the sun."
Bahamun's eyes where filling with anger. He looked from Amir to the other stone seekers. He stepped away from Godara who rose up and stepped away as he held the stone of the matriarch. Sara now held the stone of the legion. Seven the stone of the titan. Alissa the stone of fury.
"You have all fallen to the claws of the abyss?" Before anyone could answer Bahamun spoke again.
"Then so be it. With the power of the sun in my hand I shall purge the corruption that you have brought here today."
Bahamun raised his hand to the sky. A flash of light, and then the sunstone appeared in his hand.
"The sun will scorch all darkness from the world."
This must have been challenging to wrap, with so many characters moving around in each paragraph, not to mention finding the fitting songs to them. Excellent work! Each post just makes me want to read more, to see what might happen next.
I must applaud - and I don't know if this was intentional - the song selection for Alissa's segment, as it starts with near identical drum rhythm as the song in her Stone of the Lost Legion chapter. It really struck with me.
That was excellent writing, very gripping. Looking forward to Part 2! Bahamun’s fighting style is fast-paced and punchy, for lack of a better word, and really sells his power.
The link to Amir’s music is broken, by the way - there’s an extra https in the hyperlink.
"Bahamun, grandfather! Please see the sense in this! You don't need the sunstone
to fight the abyss. You are respected by all and to your call they will answer, as the legendary warrior of Asolamun. You don't need to be the avatar of the sun. The sunstone is blinding you from-."
"Enough! I will purge this corruption from you, I shall cut the black strings that control you. Then I shall bury you in our most honored way." Bahamun said as flames fell over him from the sunstone. The green of his orb, blade, shield and armor turned bright hot golden yellow. The sun in the sky began to grow brighter.
Bahamun slammed the now yellow orb into the ground that created a shining glimmering cloud of floating brilliant flame. With his blade he swung through it and sent away a large incredible bright arc blade of burning sunlight towards Amir. Amir, with the black blade Shul Alsyfa, blocked the blade arc that shattered as it met the black metal. A large cloud of dust blow up intro the air as the shattering broke the stone beneath in golden cracks.
The sun grew brighter. Bahamun dodged out of the way as Alissa's blade fell to the ground beside him. Flames escaped the blade as it met the ground and where pulled towards Bahamun who raised his shield. Dnng! The sound echoed as Seven slammed his fist onto the shield. Singing reached Bahamun's ears as Alissa swung her blade up at him. Bahamun grabbed the blade and pushed Alissa down. Wind was catching up. Static energy grew stronger.
The sun in the sky grew ever brighter. Bahamun released Alissa as Seven descended at him from above with his fist high. Static energy surged around him turning into lighting orbs. Then a lightning bolt appeared from the sky and landed in Seven's fist as it met Bahamun's shield. A surge of lightning blew out in all directions and the entire palace roof quaked to the impact that pushed Bahamun back several feet and left some damage in his helmet and boots.
The sun was now so bright that it began hurting uncovered skin and blinding uncovered eyes. The plants, flowers and trees began to dry up in it's brightness. But then a shadow appeared among the garden. A shadow that the sun struggled to reach. Amir appeared not from shadow but with it.
"Grab the sunstone! Lay all your focus and power on taking the sunstone from him!"
Amir shouted as he approached Bahamun. With Shul Alsyfa in hand and Suvair and Shaula floating beside him he attacked. Suvair and Alissa attacked Bahaum from his right, Shaula and Seven from his left, Amir with Shul Alsyfa from his front, and the storm of lightning of Sara and Godara from his back. Bahamun struck back and blocked off his attackers whom did not give him a moment to retaliate. He moved back and kept his focus mainly on Amir and his black blade. Then he got an opening. He kicked Amir so he flew back, then he dropped his shield and struck the orb at it creating a powerful golden shock wave that pushed away the swords, Alissa, Seven and even Sara. Bahamun took his opportunity and approached Amir for a final strike, when shadow befell the land as a storm blossomed.
Black clouds swept across the sky drowning the world of the sun's light. Wind pulled and pushed every building and tree in its way. Bolts of lightning jumped across the black sky, Faster and brighter they grew. The foundation shook as lightning bolts struck the roof around Bahamun leaving small orbs of energy in a growing bed of mist. More and more bolts of lightning struck the roof leaving orbs of their respective elements. Lightning, fire, water, wind, earth, ice and even darkness. The orbs then morphed into elemental forms, and they began attacking Bahamun.
One after another Bahamun struck down the elementals but for everyone he struck down two more descended from the sky. Bolts of the elements even began striking directly at Bahamun. He scouted his surrounding and noticed Godara standing on one of the towers channeling magic from the stone of the matriarch and the other stones. Bahamun struck the orb into the ground and sent away a series of golden blade arcs. Godara stopped his magic and dodged out of the way of the approaching blade arcs. He dodged across the roof and down the wall of the tower. Then a blade arc cleaved straight through the tower beneath him, and the tower wall began to crumble. Godara jumped to the next tower as the one he had been on began to fell. But Bahamun assault continued. Godara did not even make it to the next tower before a series of blade arcs had destroyed it. The places where Godara could jump to grew thinner and thinner.
Bahamun dodged out of the way as Seven, greatly increased in size and glowing thorns spread through him, crashed into the floor beside him. Bahamun sent an arc blade at Seven, he blocked it but was pushed back av fair bit and a deep glowing wound had left its mark on his metal skin. Before Bahamun could send another blade arc, Seven threw a huge glowing stone at him. Bahamun dodged out of the way and blocked the explosion, then Seven where at him. Seven struck at Bahamunm but he was fast to step out of the way. Bahamun struck at Seven with his spear leaving inch-deep glowing scars but it did little to stop Seven who was twice as tall. Seven struck the ground then as Bahamun lost his footing. Seven struck Bahamun's chest with hist fist. Bahamun groaned, then he dropped his spear and shield, and his arms began to burn in brilliant yellow flame.
Bahamun struck away Seven's fist and began hitting fist fighting with him. Seven's fist being twice as large where still barely on equal foot of Bahamun's They traded blow back and forth. Then Bahamun's feet began to burn. He kicked the ground beneath Seven disturbing his balance and taking control of the fight. Bahamun forced Seven back with every blow. Then from the distance a sound of flapping wings reached them. Hundreds, thousands, tens of thousand, hundred thousands, millions of flapping wings. Bahamun with a mighty kick struck the ground beneath Seven creating a hole which Seven fell into. Bahamun then turned his attention to the approaching swarm of undead birds.
Bahamun took up his spear and
shield as the million undead swarm surrounded the palace. Then they attacked.
With arc blades, shock waves and flaming bursts of sunlight from his fist
Bahamun struck back the endless swarm of undead, killing thousands and thousands
every blink of an eye, but the swarm kept coming. As Bahamun struck down more
and more birds he began noticing that some of them where wearing or carrying
metal trinkets, coins, daggers, helmets, spoons. What appeared strange at first
soon became very clear as a surge of lightning descended from the sky. The
lightning struck the birds and bounced between thousands of those carrying
metal objects. Bahamun fell to his knees as the lightning struck him down
surrounded by the falling burning birds, yet a million remained.
Sara was flying in the sky a
great distance from the palace where she was orchestrating the undead assault.
With the heart of the guardian she charged another lightning surge when the
black sky broke up above the palace, and the sun's burning light reached the
undead swarm. In a mere moment the swarm was set ablaze by the light, and the
black sky withdrew as the sunlight pierced through. Around Sara rays of light
appeared as the sun pierced the black sky. They grew in number as the sun grew
stronger. Sara flew as fast as she could towards the city to take cover
before-, then the sky opened up. Sara screamed internally as the sunlight
scorched her wings. She turned her back downwards to protect her wings, and
covered her eyes from the light as the sunlight began burning her skin as she
fell to the city below.
Moments later a shadow fell over
her, and she was grabbed by big claws. She uncovered her eyes and saw Kamurik
and Alissa, neither of whom seemed to be harmed by the burning heat of the
sun. They headed back towards the palace where the swarm of birds grew
ever thinner. Sara noticed Godara dashing through the hallways just beneath the
floor level as he also avoided the burning sunlight. They flew closer to the
palace and where almost at it's walls when suddenly from within the ball of
swarming birds an arc blade cut through. Before they could react, Kamurik was
struck by the arc blade from the neck and up across his right eye. Kamurik
roared by by pain.
Sara cried out in fury. Then
another arc blade approached them. Alissa, with the fury stone in hand, jumped
off Kamurik and struck the arc blade while airborn. The arc shatter and almost
before Alissa had landed she headed straight at Bahamun, with the fury of the
stone burning in her eyes while Kamurik crashed through the wall of a building
at roof level, with Sara still in his claw. Alissa struck down at Bahamun. As
he Blocked with his spear, Alissa's blade approached him once again in a flurry
of incredible speed and rage. Bahamun was fast to counter Alissa's strikes but
with her speed she disallowed him any counterattack. Burning blood from the
blade and dust from the ground covered them in a burning cloud.
Then ring mails shattered as
Alissa cut Bahamun's side leaving him a bleeding wound. Anger filled Bahamun.
He struck the orb into the grand and then thrust his spear into it causing a
shock wave but Alissa was already outside its range. Sara crawled forward from
the rubble and watched the fight from within the shadows. Red and yellow lights
burned inside the dust cloud not far from her as the blades of Alissa and
Bahamun clashed. Then the last of the birds burned into ash and the sunlight
could reach the roof unhindered. Sara then heard a groan, and in the same
moment as a liquid sprayed over her. She touched her face with her hand and
looked at her red fingers just as Alissa came rolling out of the dust cloud
leaving a trail of blood from her cut off leg.
"Godara! Shadow now!"
Sara shouted as Bahamun walked straight towards Alissa, now with his spear
burning in gold. Godara watching from the shadow of another building did as she
asked. He channeled the magic he could from his stones. The sun was too strong
but slowly a black cloud began to form that would block out the sun between
Sara and Alissa, but it grew too slow. Then the floor beneath Bahamun exploded
as Seven ascended through. Sara took the opportunity and flew out towards
Alissa. She caught her and struggled to keep them airborne for as long as
necessary. They flew down the side of the palace and into a window multiple
levels from the fight.
Seven engaged Bahamun with
incredible might. His huge fist where glowing within with burning thorns, and
the outside was glowing red from the burning sun. With every strike and blow he
caused and explosion that shattered the foundation where they stood as the sun
grew even brighter. Godara sent lightning bolts from the shadow where and tried
to keep a black cloud in the sky to cover their fight but the sun was strong.
He could not escape the shadows. Then a mighty explosion broke a huge hole in
the roof. Bahamun jumped away. He raised his spear into the sky and the
sunlight reflected in the golden burning blade. Godara sent away a series of
elemental bolts, but they just bounced off Bahamun's now burning glowing armor
with little impact. His weapons and armor grew in power as the sun grew
brighter.
Seven covered in flame dashed
towards Bahamun who lowered his now glowing spear. Godara cast as many bolts as
he could. As Seven and Bahamun met, an incredible explosion escaped them
breaking the floor around them. Chunks of metal flew from the explosion and
crashed into the structures around. Godara saw one of the largest chunks of
metal. He tried all he could to create another black cloud but it was
impossible. The sun was too strong. Instead he summoned a phantom of darkness
that hanged onto his back. Then he dashed out into the sunlight. In just moment
the sunlight burned away the dark phantom and began burning Godara as he caught
Seven' head and torso, and then dashed down the hole in the middle of the roof.
Down, down and further down he ran.
Sara had put Alissa on a bed and
tended to her wound when Kamurik crashed through the wall worried for his
companion. Sara stood up. "Kill him." said Alissa. Sara turned around
to Alissa who held out the stone of fury and the stone of mirrors to her.
"Just fucking kill him." Sara unknowing how to defeat Bahamun still
grabbed the stones. Then she felt something as the stone of song, fury and the
legion where in her grasp. She nodded to Alissa but she had already turned
around. Sara exited the room as she listened to the battle above.
Godara laid Seven down by the
wall of the great ballroom. A battle went on above. Amir could somehow keep
fighting Bahamun in this sunlight. Then as he stood up he felt Seven's arm
reaching out towards him. Godara looked at Seven's hand holding his three
stones. "End this." Seven said. Godara accepted the stones, but he
did not know what he could do against Bahamun. Yet he took the stones. He
looked at them as his eyes befall the forge stone and the stone of the
matriarch, giving him an idea. He walked through the hallway to the stairs. As
he ascended he begin hearing Sara's song. But this was a song not of beauty but
of fury.
Godara got up on the final roof
level. Bahamun stood alone in the now black and ashen garden. The marks of
battle were visible all around. Godara walked up to the edge of the shadow as
he listened to Sara's furious song from a building on the other side the
roof.
"Give it back! Thief! Give
back my sunstone!"
Godara looked to the throne room
beyond the garden where a ghost now stood. "Give it back!" Bahamun
turned to him. "You were a traitor. You do not deserve the stone! You used
it to attack Lun Arelia in your conquest to take the moonstone."
"That's a lie. It has always been a lie. It was the Shambakin who tried to
take the sunstone from us! He betrayed us! He betrayed you, lied to you!"
the ghost king responded. "Silence traitor!" Bahamun said as he swung
an arc blade at the ghost. The vanished as the blade hit the gate. Then, as
Sara continued to sing, more ghosts appeared from the throne room and the
buildings around. Ghosts of soldiers who had fought and died in the war between
Solastir and Monastir. Then they began their assault.
Out into the sunlight swarmed
hundred and thousands of ghost soldiers as they attacked Bahamun. The sunlight
that now scorched anything living was ineffective against the ghosts. Bahamun
easily dealt with the ghosts but those that vanished were replaced by an
endless stream. Godara looked around the battlefield from north to south, from
west to east. Then he used the forge stone and sent flame into the remains of
Seven that were scattered around the roof. As the metal came alive he formed
elemental forms beneath them and sent them one place. As the metal pieces
gathered he reformed the metal into thin plates as more and more elemental
formed beneath. With the stone of the titan the elemtals grew larger and
larger. Thorns formed within that held the metal pieces together Soon he had
formed a elemental titan wearing Seven's metal as armor to the sun.
"If we cannot bring the
shadow, then we shall fight in the sunlight."
A huge thorn formed from the
elemental arm creating a whip. The elemental raised the whip and struck at
Bahamun. The palace shook as the thorn crashed into the floor. The elemental
swept the thorn through the ghosts without harming them at Bahamun. With his
shield he blocked the thorn, but the thorn behind him curved around at him.
Bahamun struck his shield and dodged out of the way, cleaving through the
ghosts in his path. The elemental titan continued its attack at Bahamun who now
approached him. He struck the titan's leg leaving a huge open wound, but soon
the wound was sealed by the thorns and healed. Bahamun kept striking at the
titan breaking through its armor, but the more he focused on the titan the less
he focused on the ghosts who here now striking at him.
Bahamun dodged out of the way,
struck his shield and raised his spear to the sun. The blade's glow grew
brighter. Then he attacked the titan and with one swing he cleaved the titan's
arm straight off. Then a surge of lightning fell towards him from the armor of
the titan. Bahamun blocked, and the titan reattached its arm. The battle
continued as told, with every attack from Bahamun the Titan undid the damage it
had received. With every ghost vanished more took its place. The battle came to
a standstill, until.
Bahamun stepped away from the
elemental titan, out of its reach. Then he took the sunstone and raised it to
the sky. The stone grew and brighter, and so did the sun in the sky. The ghost
attacked relentlessly at Bahamun who did not attempt to block the strikes
anymore. The titan struck the thorn at him. It hit him straight on, but as
blood poured down Bahamun's face he remained standing, and the sun grew
brighter.
Fire began forming around the
surface of the stone roof and walls. Then the elemental titan grew slower. The
metal armor began melting in the sunlight, and as it could not repair itself
fast enough. Soon it the armor failed and the titan collapsed. Then the burning
stones began to melt. A thin layer of molten stone formed around the roof
burning away all ghost that stood in it. Towers and building began to collapse
around the city. As his enemies where gone, Bahamun reached out the sunstone
before him, and from it a beam of light formed. The light from the sunstone
befell the building that Sara and Godara where hiding inside. The walls
collapsed around them and the roof fell in. But Bahamun kept the beams pointed
at them as the buildings turned to molten stone.
Shadow touched Bahamun. He turned
and in a dust of cloud covered in shadow, Amir approached him with blade in
hand. Bahamun let his spear cleave through the dust and bring light to the
shadow that vanished. Yet the shadow on his shoulder remained. Then a cold
feeling swept through him. He dropped his spear, he dropped his shield. He
looked down and saw Amir with the black blade buried deep into his chest. Amir
stared at Bahamun with familiar teary eyes of anger and sadness as.
Bahamun looked at the most
beautiful thing in the world. A girl, barely four years old. Her eyes were
teared of sadness and anger. Behind her back was endless darkness - the abyss.
And inside its depth stood monster countless and above them the dark moon.
There beyond the legions of the abyss he saw the greatest monster of them all,
and it its hand stood the champion - Septhis. That was the future that would
befallen his dear daughter, and her children and their children. That future
he, the greatest warrior of all time, could not allow. He, alone or followed by
many, would face and defeat the abyss so that no child would ever cry in fear
of the dark again.
He looked down again and saw
Amir, the son of his girl. They had the same eyes, the same tears. As the black
flame corrupted the blood in him he realized truth. It was not of fear of the
abyss that she cried, but because she would never see her father again. The
abyss did much evil, but it did not bring lies. Bahamun grew weaker and fell to
the ground of ashen grass. The sunstone rolled out of his hand. He looked at
Amir and said.
"Is your mother still the
most beautiful thing in the world?"
"Yes. Yes she is." Amir
said. Bahamun smiled then death embraced him. Amir withdrew his sword from his
grandfather. Then he approached the sunstone that lied in a small pool of water
from the broken fountain. Amir raised the black blade. Then he struck it deep
into the sunstone. The core of the stone began shacking violently as darkness
spread through the tip of the blade. Then the stone shattered in a violent
explosion.
Minutes past as the sun
diminished its bright light then natural clouds even began forming the in sky
covering the land in shadow. Godara appeared at the garden. He looked at Amir
who rested with his back to the broken fountain, and then down at the slivers
of the sunstone. All of them but one had turned black. Godara reached down and
took up the last piece with sunlight still inside. The power was nothing of
what it had earlier been but a light still burned inside.
Godara turned to Amir. "So
It is over now?" he asked. "For now yes, but one day just as this day
the abyss will bring shadow into sunlight. One day the sun will rise but its
light will no longer reach Avelaide. That day the might of the sun will become
but a memory." Amir stood up with the black blade in hand. Godara put his
hand on his own blade. "Do not worry. My path is still clear."
"But for how long? What will you do now?" "I know that I cannot
return. The darkness have gotten a grip on me that it will not release. I will
descend this palace and take rest in the halls below. There I shall wait. There
I shall rest. There I shall hope that time will bring a solution. That I am wrong and this
world will remain of light, but for now I want to bath in light a final time."
Amir buried Bahamun in the
garden. Then he rested for the rest of the day before he descended into the
halls below where he locked himself inside. Godara assembled the remains of
Seven and repaired him back to his old self, and gave back the stones. Sara
returned to the room where she had left Alissa. Alissa was preparing her
equipment. Sara put the stones on the bed. "Keep them." said Alissa.
"I have had enough of these stones, and I never intended to get them for
anything else but prevent my enemy to have them. Now with the sunstone gone I
have no more reason either for the forsaken stones or to stay in these lands. I
will return home to where I belong. You have greater need of the stones. Take
them if you want them." Sara helped Alissa up into Kamurik's saddle.
"May you find fortune with your own quest." said Alissa before she
and Kamurik set off into the night.
Sadly there could only be one champion. But you have both done great through this tournament and made it difficult for me to choice one above everyone else. I hope I have done your heroes justice in this tournament.
Regardless if you won or lost today I
would love to hear more of what your heroes plan on doing from now on,
with the stones they have gathered. Do you embrace them
risking their slow "corruption", or discard of them?
This tournament took an incredible long time and sadly it did not get the attention I had hoped for early. The concept I think was descent as an idea but not great when actually executed. However it was a great learning experience.
The story was pretty much abandoned early on with the only remaining part being this final battle. I had hoped to show more of the corruption of the stones and how the stones and the abyss corrupt in different ways. The stones elimination the goal and reason while the abyss keeps the goal while it changes the path.
This was a rough tournament and it made me realize that I don't really have the time for these kinds of contests much more. I had planned to do at least two more of these but now I want to focus on the one and important last one, as a proper sendoff for myself. The next tournament I host will thus be my final tournament of champions.
I do not yet know when that one will be held, not this year at least, but I know that it will return to the roots of the earlier Tournament of Champions. Back to Lisakdonia, back to Crastine. I hope as many of you as possible will join me then for my Final Tournament of Champions.
An epic conclusion with another great song choice. Of course, the tournament didn’t go as planned, but it ended very well, I think.
In terms of where Seven goes from here: The spirits that made up Seven lost much of their hold on the otherworldly construct they inhabited after it was broken, but remnants of their influence still remain in the repaired husk. One day, when a war brews that threatens Avelaide, the metal warrior may gather the strength to rise once more and fight the threat. But as for now, a relic of Tyris’s future rests in Solastir, waiting to charge forward once more.
I’m looking forward to the next Tournament, whenever that is, and you can count on my involvement!
That was beautifully done. I am honored to be chosen as the champion. It was awesome working with all you guys with the tournament. I think it is also poetic since unless my main account gets replaced / linked back, this might also be my last tournament.
I believe I had my champion card pre-made incase I won but I might not be able to have it on my main page, but when I find it I will edit it in.
Edit 1: Well guys I was able to figure out how to resolve the issue with the account myself after a bit of some messing aroung - still with life happening, I am honored to win this since I am on this site less and less.
Oh also @Jonteman93 don't beat yourself about the story not being fully fleshed out. We all got lives going on so sometimes it is easy to make time for creating engaging pieces such as the tournaments. Adding to that, humans are very unpredictable, and sometimes we have things happen that cause us to drop out or delay our pieces for tournaments.
Long story short, even though we didn't do everything you wanted to do, I think you overall did a solid job as with the prior tournaments. Don't let this tournament, or any tournament discourage you at all from continuing. However at the same time, if you are like me, I take it life is going on. So if you do decide to host one last tourney, I would be honored to join. Othewise, this was a worthy send off, since the reason I stick to the forums is the tourneys. Also like I said, I find myself participating less and less in just the general creation of cards and in MTG as a whole.
Eitherway, don't beat yourself up about it, we all loved your story
I have been musing on whether I should host TO7 @Jonteman93. I will meditate over it over the next two months and consult your lore before doing it and obviously ping you for stand by. If I haven't done that in the next two months then I will probably wait for you to host TO7.
BTW to all still involved in the chats have another read of it. It hits different a second time. Jonteman is really a masterful writter.
La di da. This looks fun. Someone should get this going again. This storyline would be great. Let’s just say… that I’d pursue the gem of song and beauty. My champion would have a matter of the heart to attend to…
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Comments
End of part 1
I plan to post the final conclusion on Friday.
I must applaud - and I don't know if this was intentional - the song selection for Alissa's segment, as it starts with near identical drum rhythm as the song in her Stone of the Lost Legion chapter. It really struck with me.
Battle for the sunstone, part 2 - The avatar of the sun
Bahamun took up his spear and shield as the million undead swarm surrounded the palace. Then they attacked. With arc blades, shock waves and flaming bursts of sunlight from his fist Bahamun struck back the endless swarm of undead, killing thousands and thousands every blink of an eye, but the swarm kept coming. As Bahamun struck down more and more birds he began noticing that some of them where wearing or carrying metal trinkets, coins, daggers, helmets, spoons. What appeared strange at first soon became very clear as a surge of lightning descended from the sky. The lightning struck the birds and bounced between thousands of those carrying metal objects. Bahamun fell to his knees as the lightning struck him down surrounded by the falling burning birds, yet a million remained.
Sara was flying in the sky a great distance from the palace where she was orchestrating the undead assault. With the heart of the guardian she charged another lightning surge when the black sky broke up above the palace, and the sun's burning light reached the undead swarm. In a mere moment the swarm was set ablaze by the light, and the black sky withdrew as the sunlight pierced through. Around Sara rays of light appeared as the sun pierced the black sky. They grew in number as the sun grew stronger. Sara flew as fast as she could towards the city to take cover before-, then the sky opened up. Sara screamed internally as the sunlight scorched her wings. She turned her back downwards to protect her wings, and covered her eyes from the light as the sunlight began burning her skin as she fell to the city below.
Moments later a shadow fell over her, and she was grabbed by big claws. She uncovered her eyes and saw Kamurik and Alissa, neither of whom seemed to be harmed by the burning heat of the sun. They headed back towards the palace where the swarm of birds grew ever thinner. Sara noticed Godara dashing through the hallways just beneath the floor level as he also avoided the burning sunlight. They flew closer to the palace and where almost at it's walls when suddenly from within the ball of swarming birds an arc blade cut through. Before they could react, Kamurik was struck by the arc blade from the neck and up across his right eye. Kamurik roared by by pain.
Sara cried out in fury. Then another arc blade approached them. Alissa, with the fury stone in hand, jumped off Kamurik and struck the arc blade while airborn. The arc shatter and almost before Alissa had landed she headed straight at Bahamun, with the fury of the stone burning in her eyes while Kamurik crashed through the wall of a building at roof level, with Sara still in his claw. Alissa struck down at Bahamun. As he Blocked with his spear, Alissa's blade approached him once again in a flurry of incredible speed and rage. Bahamun was fast to counter Alissa's strikes but with her speed she disallowed him any counterattack. Burning blood from the blade and dust from the ground covered them in a burning cloud.
Then ring mails shattered as Alissa cut Bahamun's side leaving him a bleeding wound. Anger filled Bahamun. He struck the orb into the grand and then thrust his spear into it causing a shock wave but Alissa was already outside its range. Sara crawled forward from the rubble and watched the fight from within the shadows. Red and yellow lights burned inside the dust cloud not far from her as the blades of Alissa and Bahamun clashed. Then the last of the birds burned into ash and the sunlight could reach the roof unhindered. Sara then heard a groan, and in the same moment as a liquid sprayed over her. She touched her face with her hand and looked at her red fingers just as Alissa came rolling out of the dust cloud leaving a trail of blood from her cut off leg.
"Godara! Shadow now!" Sara shouted as Bahamun walked straight towards Alissa, now with his spear burning in gold. Godara watching from the shadow of another building did as she asked. He channeled the magic he could from his stones. The sun was too strong but slowly a black cloud began to form that would block out the sun between Sara and Alissa, but it grew too slow. Then the floor beneath Bahamun exploded as Seven ascended through. Sara took the opportunity and flew out towards Alissa. She caught her and struggled to keep them airborne for as long as necessary. They flew down the side of the palace and into a window multiple levels from the fight.
Seven engaged Bahamun with incredible might. His huge fist where glowing within with burning thorns, and the outside was glowing red from the burning sun. With every strike and blow he caused and explosion that shattered the foundation where they stood as the sun grew even brighter. Godara sent lightning bolts from the shadow where and tried to keep a black cloud in the sky to cover their fight but the sun was strong. He could not escape the shadows. Then a mighty explosion broke a huge hole in the roof. Bahamun jumped away. He raised his spear into the sky and the sunlight reflected in the golden burning blade. Godara sent away a series of elemental bolts, but they just bounced off Bahamun's now burning glowing armor with little impact. His weapons and armor grew in power as the sun grew brighter.
Seven covered in flame dashed towards Bahamun who lowered his now glowing spear. Godara cast as many bolts as he could. As Seven and Bahamun met, an incredible explosion escaped them breaking the floor around them. Chunks of metal flew from the explosion and crashed into the structures around. Godara saw one of the largest chunks of metal. He tried all he could to create another black cloud but it was impossible. The sun was too strong. Instead he summoned a phantom of darkness that hanged onto his back. Then he dashed out into the sunlight. In just moment the sunlight burned away the dark phantom and began burning Godara as he caught Seven' head and torso, and then dashed down the hole in the middle of the roof. Down, down and further down he ran.
Sara had put Alissa on a bed and tended to her wound when Kamurik crashed through the wall worried for his companion. Sara stood up. "Kill him." said Alissa. Sara turned around to Alissa who held out the stone of fury and the stone of mirrors to her. "Just fucking kill him." Sara unknowing how to defeat Bahamun still grabbed the stones. Then she felt something as the stone of song, fury and the legion where in her grasp. She nodded to Alissa but she had already turned around. Sara exited the room as she listened to the battle above.
Godara laid Seven down by the wall of the great ballroom. A battle went on above. Amir could somehow keep fighting Bahamun in this sunlight. Then as he stood up he felt Seven's arm reaching out towards him. Godara looked at Seven's hand holding his three stones. "End this." Seven said. Godara accepted the stones, but he did not know what he could do against Bahamun. Yet he took the stones. He looked at them as his eyes befall the forge stone and the stone of the matriarch, giving him an idea. He walked through the hallway to the stairs. As he ascended he begin hearing Sara's song. But this was a song not of beauty but of fury.
Godara got up on the final roof level. Bahamun stood alone in the now black and ashen garden. The marks of battle were visible all around. Godara walked up to the edge of the shadow as he listened to Sara's furious song from a building on the other side the roof.
"Give it back! Thief! Give back my sunstone!"
Godara looked to the throne room beyond the garden where a ghost now stood. "Give it back!" Bahamun turned to him. "You were a traitor. You do not deserve the stone! You used it to attack Lun Arelia in your conquest to take the moonstone." "That's a lie. It has always been a lie. It was the Shambakin who tried to take the sunstone from us! He betrayed us! He betrayed you, lied to you!" the ghost king responded. "Silence traitor!" Bahamun said as he swung an arc blade at the ghost. The vanished as the blade hit the gate. Then, as Sara continued to sing, more ghosts appeared from the throne room and the buildings around. Ghosts of soldiers who had fought and died in the war between Solastir and Monastir. Then they began their assault.
Out into the sunlight swarmed hundred and thousands of ghost soldiers as they attacked Bahamun. The sunlight that now scorched anything living was ineffective against the ghosts. Bahamun easily dealt with the ghosts but those that vanished were replaced by an endless stream. Godara looked around the battlefield from north to south, from west to east. Then he used the forge stone and sent flame into the remains of Seven that were scattered around the roof. As the metal came alive he formed elemental forms beneath them and sent them one place. As the metal pieces gathered he reformed the metal into thin plates as more and more elemental formed beneath. With the stone of the titan the elemtals grew larger and larger. Thorns formed within that held the metal pieces together Soon he had formed a elemental titan wearing Seven's metal as armor to the sun.
"If we cannot bring the shadow, then we shall fight in the sunlight."
A huge thorn formed from the elemental arm creating a whip. The elemental raised the whip and struck at Bahamun. The palace shook as the thorn crashed into the floor. The elemental swept the thorn through the ghosts without harming them at Bahamun. With his shield he blocked the thorn, but the thorn behind him curved around at him. Bahamun struck his shield and dodged out of the way, cleaving through the ghosts in his path. The elemental titan continued its attack at Bahamun who now approached him. He struck the titan's leg leaving a huge open wound, but soon the wound was sealed by the thorns and healed. Bahamun kept striking at the titan breaking through its armor, but the more he focused on the titan the less he focused on the ghosts who here now striking at him.
Bahamun dodged out of the way, struck his shield and raised his spear to the sun. The blade's glow grew brighter. Then he attacked the titan and with one swing he cleaved the titan's arm straight off. Then a surge of lightning fell towards him from the armor of the titan. Bahamun blocked, and the titan reattached its arm. The battle continued as told, with every attack from Bahamun the Titan undid the damage it had received. With every ghost vanished more took its place. The battle came to a standstill, until.
Bahamun stepped away from the elemental titan, out of its reach. Then he took the sunstone and raised it to the sky. The stone grew and brighter, and so did the sun in the sky. The ghost attacked relentlessly at Bahamun who did not attempt to block the strikes anymore. The titan struck the thorn at him. It hit him straight on, but as blood poured down Bahamun's face he remained standing, and the sun grew brighter.
Fire began forming around the surface of the stone roof and walls. Then the elemental titan grew slower. The metal armor began melting in the sunlight, and as it could not repair itself fast enough. Soon it the armor failed and the titan collapsed. Then the burning stones began to melt. A thin layer of molten stone formed around the roof burning away all ghost that stood in it. Towers and building began to collapse around the city. As his enemies where gone, Bahamun reached out the sunstone before him, and from it a beam of light formed. The light from the sunstone befell the building that Sara and Godara where hiding inside. The walls collapsed around them and the roof fell in. But Bahamun kept the beams pointed at them as the buildings turned to molten stone.
Shadow touched Bahamun. He turned and in a dust of cloud covered in shadow, Amir approached him with blade in hand. Bahamun let his spear cleave through the dust and bring light to the shadow that vanished. Yet the shadow on his shoulder remained. Then a cold feeling swept through him. He dropped his spear, he dropped his shield. He looked down and saw Amir with the black blade buried deep into his chest. Amir stared at Bahamun with familiar teary eyes of anger and sadness as.
Bahamun looked at the most beautiful thing in the world. A girl, barely four years old. Her eyes were teared of sadness and anger. Behind her back was endless darkness - the abyss. And inside its depth stood monster countless and above them the dark moon. There beyond the legions of the abyss he saw the greatest monster of them all, and it its hand stood the champion - Septhis. That was the future that would befallen his dear daughter, and her children and their children. That future he, the greatest warrior of all time, could not allow. He, alone or followed by many, would face and defeat the abyss so that no child would ever cry in fear of the dark again.
He looked down again and saw Amir, the son of his girl. They had the same eyes, the same tears. As the black flame corrupted the blood in him he realized truth. It was not of fear of the abyss that she cried, but because she would never see her father again. The abyss did much evil, but it did not bring lies. Bahamun grew weaker and fell to the ground of ashen grass. The sunstone rolled out of his hand. He looked at Amir and said.
"Is your mother still the most beautiful thing in the world?"
"Yes. Yes she is." Amir said. Bahamun smiled then death embraced him. Amir withdrew his sword from his grandfather. Then he approached the sunstone that lied in a small pool of water from the broken fountain. Amir raised the black blade. Then he struck it deep into the sunstone. The core of the stone began shacking violently as darkness spread through the tip of the blade. Then the stone shattered in a violent explosion.
Minutes past as the sun diminished its bright light then natural clouds even began forming the in sky covering the land in shadow. Godara appeared at the garden. He looked at Amir who rested with his back to the broken fountain, and then down at the slivers of the sunstone. All of them but one had turned black. Godara reached down and took up the last piece with sunlight still inside. The power was nothing of what it had earlier been but a light still burned inside.
Godara turned to Amir. "So It is over now?" he asked. "For now yes, but one day just as this day the abyss will bring shadow into sunlight. One day the sun will rise but its light will no longer reach Avelaide. That day the might of the sun will become but a memory." Amir stood up with the black blade in hand. Godara put his hand on his own blade. "Do not worry. My path is still clear." "But for how long? What will you do now?" "I know that I cannot return. The darkness have gotten a grip on me that it will not release. I will descend this palace and take rest in the halls below. There I shall wait. There I shall rest. There I shall hope that time will bring a solution. That I am wrong and this world will remain of light, but for now I want to bath in light a final time."
Amir buried Bahamun in the garden. Then he rested for the rest of the day before he descended into the halls below where he locked himself inside. Godara assembled the remains of Seven and repaired him back to his old self, and gave back the stones. Sara returned to the room where she had left Alissa. Alissa was preparing her equipment. Sara put the stones on the bed. "Keep them." said Alissa. "I have had enough of these stones, and I never intended to get them for anything else but prevent my enemy to have them. Now with the sunstone gone I have no more reason either for the forsaken stones or to stay in these lands. I will return home to where I belong. You have greater need of the stones. Take them if you want them." Sara helped Alissa up into Kamurik's saddle. "May you find fortune with your own quest." said Alissa before she and Kamurik set off into the night.
Outro songChampion!
The story was pretty much abandoned early on with the only remaining part being this final battle. I had hoped to show more of the corruption of the stones and how the stones and the abyss corrupt in different ways. The stones elimination the goal and reason while the abyss keeps the goal while it changes the path.
This was a rough tournament and it made me realize that I don't really have the time for these kinds of contests much more. I had planned to do at least two more of these but now I want to focus on the one and important last one, as a proper sendoff for myself. The next tournament I host will thus be my final tournament of champions.
I do not yet know when that one will be held, not this year at least, but I know that it will return to the roots of the earlier Tournament of Champions. Back to Lisakdonia, back to Crastine. I hope as many of you as possible will join me then for my Final Tournament of Champions.
In terms of where Seven goes from here:
The spirits that made up Seven lost much of their hold on the otherworldly construct they inhabited after it was broken, but remnants of their influence still remain in the repaired husk. One day, when a war brews that threatens Avelaide, the metal warrior may gather the strength to rise once more and fight the threat. But as for now, a relic of Tyris’s future rests in Solastir, waiting to charge forward once more.
I’m looking forward to the next Tournament, whenever that is, and you can count on my involvement!
I believe I had my champion card pre-made incase I won but I might not be able to have it on my main page, but when I find it I will edit it in.
Thanks @Jonteman93 and @ everyone
Edit 1: Well guys I was able to figure out how to resolve the issue with the account myself after a bit of some messing aroung
Long story short, even though we didn't do everything you wanted to do, I think you overall did a solid job as with the prior tournaments. Don't let this tournament, or any tournament discourage you at all from continuing. However at the same time, if you are like me, I take it life is going on. So if you do decide to host one last tourney, I would be honored to join. Othewise, this was a worthy send off, since the reason I stick to the forums is the tourneys. Also like I said, I find myself participating less and less in just the general creation of cards and in MTG as a whole.
Eitherway, don't beat yourself up about it, we all loved your story
BTW to all still involved in the chats have another read of it. It hits different a second time. Jonteman is really a masterful writter.