Blazing Glory Ch. 07

Blaze staggered back from her a few feet and began circling once again, letting that first encounter end in a draw. How could she have moved her own weapon so quickly though? Her moves had been so fast that he wouldn't expect anyone to be able to stop it. But he had made the mistake of underestimating her nonetheless. She may not be fast on her feet with that dress, but she was fast with her arms with that katana.

"Come on, Blaze," she smiled. "I've heard you're better than this."

He growled and sidestepped in, bringing his left sword up from below at an angle. Lexiss brought her katana down hard to halt its progress with another loud impact before twisting the blade to thrust forward in an attempt to spear him through. Her eyes blinked wide as she saw just in time his right blade slicing across horizontally towards her face. Dropping her counteract instantly, she leaned back to narrowly miss the sword cleaving her face in two. This time Lexiss staggered backwards as she struggled to regain her balance.

"Nice one, Blaze. You are pretty good with those swords," she said with a smirk. "That was a close one."

"Closer than you realize, Lexiss," he smirked in return.

Lexiss blinked before she felt the warm trickle down her cheek. Pressing her hand to that cheek, she felt the blood and the thin cut from the sword. The avatar of Koas frowned and nodded in concession of first blood drawn.

With a step inward, she surprised him by going on the offensive! The dark woman brought the sword down in an arc that forced him to bring both blades up to bear the impact in guarding. He couldn't do a thing but watch in dismay as he realized it was a feint! Lexiss brought her left elbow down low suddenly to change the angle and bring the blade down from the other direction. He struggled mightily to move back as fast as he could, but he felt the searing hot pain as it cut across his torso.

Fortunately, he had been quick enough as she had to make it only a cut as a result. However, she was already on the move again and thrusting straight forward to try and spear him once more. With his blades still held high, he knew they were nowhere near close enough to deflect the attack! He did the only thing he could think of in that instant.

He flipped! Arching his back hard, he bent backwards painfully. But not as painful as it could have been as that blade glided into the air above his torso. His feet left the ground an instant later and were brought up to impact her wrists hard enough to dislodge her weapon and send it spinning up into the air far away.

Landing on his feet, Blaze heard the sword bury itself into a far off tree with a solid sounding thunk! Lexiss backed away, scowling now as she rubbed her wrists. He pointed his swords at her, doing his best ignore the pain from his wounded midsection.

"You have no weapon now. Give up and leave!... Please Lexiss.. It's over..."

With a sad nod, Lexiss looked to him with a mournful expression and her hands held up, "Yes Blaze.... You are right.... It is over now...."

He was about to put his weapons away when he found out that it truly was over. The human watched in horrified shock as her fingers extended into sharp tips like thin spikes. They extended forward with lightning speed to pierce his arms and torso. Crying out in pain, his swords dropped to the ground as his heavily wounded arms could no longer support them. He dropped to his knees and shuddered in pain from the deep wounds in his torso.

He heard her footsteps approaching before she kneeled down in front of the gasping warrior. She leaned in close and kissed his lips briefly before moving those dark tiers to his ear.

"Forgive me," she whispered to him. Then he felt the fiery pain in him as her sharp fingers tore into his guts. Yet something more dark and sinister was done to him. The agony was beyond anything he could have imagined.

And then Blaze screamed..........

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In the mountainous region west of the massive mountain chain forming the wall between good and evil, there lived the only humans in this evil land. That was if you could call them humans and most of their brethren on the other side of the barrier would think them more as animals. They were barbarians with no special name they went by or recognizable symbol of any nature. They were simply a group of savages come together out of necessity to survive being wiped out by the other evil races. And they were led by one man who was more savage and intimidating than any other barbarian.

Jubal Bacchus sat upon his thrown covered with animal pelts and idly finger the necklace of animal fangs he wore about his neck. He was a massive man with a barrel of a chest that he proudly left bare for the women to see and dream about touching. His hair was a shock of white that stuck out like primal spikes, making him look like a Wildman. When he stood, his head nearly touched the ceiling of his tent as he stood six feet and eight inches high. It was another quiet day, in which this warlord hated. He lived for battle and the smell of freshly spilt blood in the air. He was bored and was soon considering going out and killing a few barbarians for recreation, in which had done a few times in the past.

The flap entrance to his tent was brushed aside to allow a small woman to enter. This unusual distraction was a pleasant surprise and maybe he wouldn't have to kill anyone after all today. He studied her curiously. A small woman wearing black armor and hair so red like that of the flames in a fire. She moved forward to stand in front of him confidently.

"Jubal Bacchus," she stated simply. "I'm Danika Savine. I come bearing a gift from Koas in asking you to join her in a coming battle of unimaginable proportions and death. All that she asks is your swearing allegiance and bringing forth the might of the barbarians to strengthen her army."

Jubal leaned forward with a dark feral smile, "No gift needed, little lady. I grow bored increasingly as of late with no battles. Our enemies have come to fear us and no longer wish the trouble of fighting us and suffering great losses. This news is a welcome respite to this drought of bloodshed and I will gladly lend the barbarian strength to the Mistress of Discord's cause."

Danika smirked coldly and nodded. She unstrapped something from her back and handed it to him. "You are most welcome in our army then, Lord Bacchus. But take this as a gift nonetheless."

He frowned and unwrapped what was given to him. He blinked and looked down to see a mighty broadsword in its sheath. It would take any normal man two hands to wield, but he knew he could easily use it with one.

"I have no need for a sword when I have my old friend right here," he said, nodding down to his side where a massive two-bladed battle axe rested against the throne.

Danika's smirk grew even colder so much that even he felt a shiver run up his spine. "Trust me, my lord. With this blade, nothing will be able to stand against you. All your enemies will fall before you easily."

He blinked as he considered this weapon, drawing it from its sheath. It was indeed a magnificent blade and incredibly sharp. He was taken from his study of it as both were surprised by the appearance of a dark woman in a black dress stepping out of the shadows. How had she gotten inside the tent without his notice!?

"Danika, if your mission is complete, I am here to take you back to report to Koas," she stated simply.

Jubal frowned as he wondered who this woman was. For some reason, he had feeling this woman was sad somehow. Danika nodded to the woman and they both silently stepped into the shadows. The barbarian warlord blinked in confusion as he stepped over there where they were, knowing they couldn't have left. To his shock, they were gone! If such servants of Koas possessed such power, he wondered what kind of power this blade held.

That feral grin returned as he moved with his weapon towards the flap entrance. Perhaps he would test it on a few barbarians. Today was a good day for killing after all....

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Koas sat idly waiting on her throne for the return of her shadow mistress and confirmation that the nuisance had been finally removed. Lexiss had left earlier that day to search for Blaze's location and would no doubt be returning by the end of the day. Her avatar was thorough in her work and would make sure such a task was accomplished promptly. Just as she finished that thought, Lexiss stepped out of that shadows along with Danika.

"Is it done, Lexiss?" she questioned once both women kneeled before her.

"It is, my mistress. The curse of spirit necrosis was place upon him with my shadow touch," Lexiss answered softly.

"The spirit necrosis curse? That is definitely cruel Lexiss. You did well as I commanded of you, my child. You may go now." Lexiss nodded silently as she rose and left the room. Koas directly her red gaze to her enforcer in silent command of reporting.

Danika smirked as she looked to her goddess, "Jubal is set with bloodlust and eagerly agreed to join our forces. He accepted the weapon as well."

"You've done well, Danika. You've escaped a hot pursuit to regain what you stole and made a long hard journey to make it to the barbarians. Such conduct is admirable and pleases your mistress to know she can place good faith in you," Koas said with a smile.

Good. All was finally proceeding as planned now that things were back on track. The barbarians would prove to be a solid pillar of primal strength her forces would need. And now that Blaze was finally gone, she could focus solely and bringing the world into utter chaos and suffering....

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Lexiss quietly closed the door to Koas's throne room behind her quietly. The shadow mistress leaned back against the door as a wave of emotions overran her. Why did she feel this way? Why did she hate herself for what she'd done to him? Why did she feel so sad for the loss of him?

A part of her wanted to keep the cut on her face as a self-imposed punishment for what she'd done. Let her beauty be forever scarred. Yet she knew Koas would wonder why and grow suspicious. If she showed any signs of weakness, she would be removed and replaced by another swiftly. She would have to find Aurora in this castle to get it healed.

But the shadow mistress remained where she was, her face dropping into her hands as she wept for the first time in her existence...

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Darkness had him. It was as if he was asleep, but it wasn't like it usually was. He was aware. Painfully aware. Far from a pleasant slumber, the agonizing pain ripped through him in the blackness. He felt himself try to scream from such suffering, but he found he could not within the darkness. He was alone with only the unbearable torment.

Blaze wanted it to end. Please let it end. I want to die, he pleaded. Yet he felt something dark within his mind tell him this was only the beginning. It would only continue to get worse. Those who burned in the fiery pits of the Abyss were living in luxury compared to what it would do to him, it whispered menacingly in the dark.

He wept. He broke down in despair and wept internally at the cruelty of it all. Kendra! He silently screamed out her name. He needed her. He wanted her by his side. All this time and he had never truly been able to sit down with her to talk about the very reality of what could happen to him as it was happening now.

Voices. He heard voices suddenly growing inside his mind. Blaze was sure that the torture was now driving his mind insane.

"We found him..... Over here!...." one voice cried out.

"Dear Stavros," another voice whispered, "He.... He's..... Over here! HURRY!!!"

What strange voices. A sharp barb of pain seized him once again as he screamed. Light. Light slowly came back to him. Blurred greens and browns. Hazy unrecognizable faces stared down at him, some with pure horror and others in grieving pity. What made them feel so? He vaguely heard the sound of someone retching nearby. Why was the person ill? Shouldn't someone help them?

A fresh searing hot wave overtook him and his breath seized for a moment before darkness took him into her embrace once more. He began to hear other voices now, wondering how many he would have in his growing madness.

"Miss Rae! Over here!" cried what sounded like what may have been Kiora.

"Is it Blaze? Is it hi-," he heard Rae's voice choke off. "Bloody Lloth... Where's Kendra?... Kendra! NO! Stay back! You don't want to see...."

His hearing faded as he heard one of the female voices from his madness howl in shrieking fury and grief. He was alone again with the pain. Its whisperings of horrors yet to come filling his mind as he burned in the flames of its crushing hold. Slowly the voices of insanity returned to the dying human.

"I've done all I can," he heard a voice like Rae's say quietly.

"What are you talking about, Rae?! He's whole again in body but he's still screaming!" a sweet voice like Kendra's sobbed.

His vision once again slowly returned, but more blurry this time. A face stared down at him, but he could only make out brilliant green eyes. They were filled with such grief and pain, he wondered who they were. He wished they didn't feel so sad. But those eyes brought him a brief respite amongst the rolling sea of anguish he was drowning in.

"He's fine... Physically," Rae choked. He knew he was going mad then. Rae would never show weakness by breaking down in such a way. "He's back to normal from the healing... But I can't save him...."

"WHY!" Kendra shrieked in demand more than question.

"It's something within him, Kendra... I couldn't remove it after I discovered what it was.... It's eating at his soul Kendra.... His body may be whole again, but the Blaze we know will soon cease to exist when his spirit is fully destroyed by this curse..."

"N... No... No no no no.. NOOOO!!!" Kendra wailed. Those green eyes once more focused intently on him, "I won't lose him!... Richard!... Please baby.. Please no... Don't leave me... Please don't go..."

He felt the painful claws sink into him once more as they tried to drag him back down. He fought with despair. He didn't want to go. He didn't want to leave those green eyes. He wanted to stay and find some way to bring this sad person happiness and joy. But sound was already lost to him and his vision blurred to darkness.

Before he fully succumbed to unconsciousness, through the pain he could feel his face becoming wet. Was it raining?

Darkness then took him...