Xibalba, The Place of Fear (For Silus/Ouro)

Diana fled a few paces behind Loki. She uses the frost blade to create cold air around her, freezing the plague flies that flew about, halting the spread of disease and stench to a more manageable level. "Loki? Doesn't the smell bother you? Um, you talk to it then, while I come up with something..."

With a twisted, jovial grin this bloated demon let out a slow cackle, a thousand voices that echoed telepathically. He plucked the daggers out of his face, and strips of rotting flesh hung from his slightly exposed skull, his lower jaw having rotted off ages ago. "Hahahahahaha! Pain... almost like pain, but not quite enough. Where do you go, lady of blades, Ahalpuh is friend to all children. I see... you dislike being near your uncle, this makes me sad..."

The demon's attentions fell upon Loki once more. He seemed... out of place with his demeanor indeed. "Let us speak with this one then. I will repeat myself no more after. Why are you here, scion of magic? Did you come to the Place of Fear without proper offerings? Have you come to pay respects to dead gods, or to enrich yourselves with aztec gold? I am old and forgetful, but you are in my quarter of the city! I will allow explanation... and bargains."

Zell

Taking sustained punishment, the thing eventually collapses at a leg, now making it the hopping skeletal death lord. It seemed this one was a fairly mindless construct, nothing more but a bone golem. Even here inside the city, Xibalba was littered with the remains of Columbian soldiers and their supply camps. A quick eye would allow Zell to discover a small cache of high explosive demolition charges, sealed in sturdy metal boxes but with kick lock.

If he had also paid attention, the texture of the floor as he moved changed, and there was a slight depression where he stood. A careless step could easily fall upon a trap, opening up the street and flushing down to the magma below...

"Scion" of Magic? That was relatively annoying to be entirely honest. How could this creature know unless he knew what he was looking for. Silus trembled as he realized it. This means...his father was right. This place had seen Ethereal's before? But then that means between the gap of this place, however ancient it was and 2020 when Ouroboros resurrected them.... they just vanished. No bones, no trace. It was...scary to Silus, he was at a total loss. It felt like he was playing black-jack with UNO cards. He took a deep breath in- WOAH HUUUGE mistake, the deeper the breathe the less his own aroma protected his scent. He cleared his throat and coughed slightly as a reaction  tot he deathstench that emanated the region.

 "I guess...I'm here to find something, I don't think it's gold, but it might be. My friend is looking for something and my Dad-diiis Also looking for something, something to do with his magical research or whatever." Silus said, though he had to stop himself earlier as he almost called Zell his "daddy" in front of a monster like this. That would have been embarrassing. Though now Silus had his curiosity piqued. This creature offered a deal. Silus had dealt with many demons, though his version of "dealt" generally meant banishing them for attempting to lure him into their "deals" which were truly traps. He then recalled that he already insulted this creature by bursting into it's domain, and so he decided to elaborate a little on his answer as well as explain the lack of an offering. "I did not bring the proper "offering" because I was unaware that one existed, I mean no sign of disrespect... I'm simply helping my father learn what happened to the creatures he is looking for....and help my friend here. I did not mean to disrupt you, and I apologize as such." Silus said, genuinely sorry before looking to Diana as if expecting her to choose the next course of action. Silus felt bad...even though it was a grotesque looking thing he did stumble into it's house... though he was dedicated to his daddy...and Diana. Whatever she chose, Silus would follow suit faithfully.

Enter: Zell

    "Well damn, now it's even scarier." Zell cussed as he noted the hopping bone lord now making it's way to him, like an unforgiving Easter Bunny of death and devastation. Zell never admitted this...but things that hopped were substantially more intimidating for some reason, especially as fast as this one was...it was like, running with one leg now. He thought removing the leg would be easy, though he SHOULD have known that nothing could ever be easy. He lifted the assault rifle one more time to fire out, but nothing happened. The Enchantment had worn off. Zell rolled his eyes. "Why do you hate me?" He asked, though not admitantly he asked God. They say that in a time of need one can hear God speaking to them...words of comfort like: "It's time to come home" or something like "I am here" or "I am with you."  

    Nope.... Now in truth It may have well been Zell's mind playing tricks on him. But he could have sworn he heard...

     Because you're a douche bag

He began to sweat as he charged out of the way with superior reflexes and speed. He began to pant as he looked back where he had been. Good thing he didn't take a step back...that could have been bad. Zell took everything in sight into account for...and he even began formulating a little plan with these "boxes". This needed to end soon so he could continue on. If it didn't end soon...he may need to let himself "free" a little more.

“Good Loki... keep him talking...” Diana said, covering her mouth as she murmured behind a big statue, a good twenty feet away.

Ahalpuh’s jovial speech was interrupted when the underground was rocked again by a few massive explosions far away. “How polite! See children, how far a little manners can take you... well then...” He pointed to the direction of where this noise was coming from.  

“At the Eastern gates there are men... many men with metal sticks which spew death and fire, and a great beast of Iron, loud and angry that has destroyed the walls of Hun-Kame. Silence the iron beast... and bring me the head of the one who leads the men. Do this for your Uncle Ahalpuh, and he will sponsor your passage.” The hulking thing walks around and heads back towards the battle.

“Huh... really, a kill quest. This suddenly feels like a video game. You in? It’ll be easier than carving up tall, dark and stinky.” Diana remarked, though she was worried about fighting an army that seemed foolish and hardy enough to combat beings that were referred to as ‘death lords’.

The spirit of the Ancient Warrior crossed her arms, and frowned, disapproving of this deal with the devil. “Hey, I don’t want to spend another ‘second’ talking to him, let alone plunging our precious swords into that rotting carcass.” Diana sassed, and the Warrior shrugged; an indifferent expression, as long as they got what they came for.

(Zell)

Chamiabac the giver of arthritis roared and groaned in place, twisting around their mutual pelvis to bring around the death lord he was attached to. Chamiaholom now faced Zell, and he opened his mouth; rather than a breath attack, three flaming skulls erupted in rapid succession towards his general area- not having eyes or a brain must’ve had an effect on his aim. The skulls screamed until impacting stone, crushing it in their jaws; they now hopped around towards Zell, biting all the way, eager to get a piece of him.

"I guess we could...help him. But the "Iron Beast" That sounds like a tank...maybe a lot of them. It may be meta-upgraded too..." Silus mused over this possibility. A normal tank wasn't hard to get rid of. An upgraded tank with Osculating Kinetic-repulse waves and Anti-Meta plating would be a bear to deal with. Throw in some of those Venomous Robot-Zombie things that he and his dad had to deal with earlier in Washington and he'd rather deal with tall stinky and deadly. He nodded to Diana, deciding that he'd rather deal with the cannon. "I'll take Anti-Meta troopers over Venomous Robot-Zombies and Polka-dot Zealot Praying Mantis any day." He said idly as he remembered moments of his heroic career. He felt almost...wrong, cutting a deal with this thing, though it was for his best interest most likely. Having allies never hurt, especially in a city of the dead.

    His eyes were cast up as he noticed something, a little cawing. The sound was unlike any other of it's kind. It sounded so...familiar to an extent, yet he did not know why. Unlike vultures, this noise came form the top of a Ziggurat. It was unfamiliar, though it's eyes did hold a rather vibrant unearthly glow to them... one of a violet and purple nature, akin to Silus' indigo-blue eyes, though far more purple. The bird appears so small, being so far off that it was only natural for Silus to dismiss it as a normal sized bird, though he couldn't shake the feeling it was watching them, even when he returned his attentions to the task at hand and following Diana.

Enter: Zell

     This thing fired out skull cannons? This is officially bullshit. This thing is an undead of a little run-down Mesopotamian dead-world and he had the badass ability to do THAT!? If Zell weren't so disciplined in both body and mind, he would have easily been livid at how royally he had been jipped when it came to the powers of the bone-undead variety. The aim on this thing was just awful, but it wasn't the aim that was dangerous. It was the radial explosions. One on one, targeted attacks were avoidable, but radial strikes and explosions made his fighting skill a LOT more difficult to make worth while. He charged away  at full speed before dropping to a knee. He began to growl, he had no use for dealing with this creature anymore. It was an interesting specimen and now it was simply annoying. Zell remained there, tatter back of the jacket from where the explosion had caressed his back, the micro-fiber shirt singed, but his skin left generally intact but slightly peeled. Before Zell knew it, the bone-lord had began chomping at him. It wanted a bite? It could come take a bite. The moment the creature's mouth enveloped Zell to bite down, it would realize that while Zell appeared the role of a squishy human, he was far from it...in fact, his bone-plating hidden under the skin he wore may even prove too powerful for the creature's teeth, but only time would tell.

Sneaking through the city Diana and Silus came across nothing but the underground city’s namesake: death. Dozens of soldiers of the Columbian Republic were brought here to die, fed to the monstrosities in the dark which man was never meant to find. This also meant they had no opposition, as the battle was moving towards the center of the city. Diana herself showed visible disgust and hesitation at seeing them, endless flocks of winged protectors ripped to pieces by bullets before pecking out the eyes and guts of the soldiers.

“...No honor...” She muttered, feeling anger towards the responsible party. She handily tosses a knife at a demon bird plucking out the liver of a soldier. She then reached down and took the man’s binoculars... and closed his empty eyesockets.

She reaches the perimeter where the commotion had started. A giant tunnel leading to the surface had been dug by a giant digging machine, making a tunnel almost thirty feet in diameter. It was guarded by a skeleton crew armed with gun emplacements, spotlights scanning the dark tunnels for any comers. With the amount of dead monsters here, there were no more comers. A team of soldiers were working to remove a slain Death Lord’s guts from the tip of the drill, the corpse of the thing lying in a crevice below. Another team piled up the bodies of their dead in a corner.

“I think that’s the thing Stinky wanted us to knock out. If they get that thing up and running again they could plough right into the middle of this place. It’ll be a blood bath...” Diana said, checking things out with her binoculars. She comes upon a compartment in the large drill.

“That’s the drill’s control room I think. Lots of big glowy buttons and engineers.” The machine’s control room was encased in armor and impact resistant glass, the cracks and dents indicating it were already attacked before. Defending the control room was motion sensitive sentry guns and heavily armoured... knights. Two Black knights guarded the door to the control room; one had a halberd and the other a gatling laser. They racked up quite a number of dead demon birds and demon spiders all around them on their catwalk.

Inside the control room meanwhile were 3 knight engineers, wearing robes and work belts to fix the machine.

Diana looked around a bit more, seeing a large command center ontop. The people inside were arguing. One was an older Columbian officer, his companion a Black Knight like the ones outside the control room, but with a crest on his helm and wearing a tabard.

“And there are the people in charge; it looks like someone is not having a very good day.” Diana concluded. She put her binoculars away.

“I’ll see you in about five minutes. I’ll be in and out, quick and clean. Um... good luck with the Black Knights?” Diana flitted off into the dark, finding a roundabout way onto the bridge of the Crawler.

Zell

Once the skulls delivered their bites, they would keep biting until their target or they were destroyed. The Death Lord meanwhile tripped and fell His massive bulk and bony anatomy audibly crunching under its own weight. It lay still a moment, but looked up and was now crawling towards him, his speed now reduced by its impairment. Zell likely had the upper hand now...

Silus blinked when she said to have good luck against the black knights. What did she mean by that? Silus looked and found that two things fit the description, and he noticed as Diana had run her own race in whatever direction she was running up. Silus' gauntlet began to glow as the soul-shards manifested a sword in his one hand, and his left arm turned black, Hyperion the black gauntlet forming. Silus stepped back as he kept the sword ready, unsure if he'd even be able to keep up with a knight. He began to wonder what exactly these things were and what he was dealing with. That one thing looked so... not of their era. It looked like a gun or something, though Silus wasn't the most mechanically inclined. He slowly began to process and decided upon a defense as best as he could think to do.

    Silus reacted as quickly as he could and the shards began to float before him like a small mist, forming up a shard-crystal like wall. Silus knew that his wall would be able to defend him form anything at this moment, but what of the future? This cat walk was only about seven foot wide, could he make the wall that big? He attempted to do so, but in the end it was too difficult, he needed to tap into the Soul Stream or the Etherium in order to expand his wall to completely block access. He began to worry about blind-spots in his defenses, and began wasting shards on reinforcement. He couldn't shake the feeling he was going to die here. His Thantophobia causing hyperventilation and tears to form, but not sobbing. He wanted his daddy... he wanted to go home... it was times like this that he remembered....he was just a little boy.


Enter: Zell

    Zell's bone plating began to crack, splinter and chip, but so did the teeth of the being. Zell chuckled slightly. Momentum was against the creature's and soon they fell. Zell thrusted a full blown bone-plated skeletal fist into the creature before he looked to it. He held up his arm, the entire skin mangled and hanging there by strands, like peeling paint from a paint tray insert. Skeletal fingers if a macabre and dark nature revealed. Zell looked to the creature and shook his head. He peeled the skin away as he stepped forward to it.  "You're such a rudimentary creature. So asinine to believe you could possible come before me and hope to cause fear. I do not fear death...for I am The Archon, I am The Lych...I am the Undying...but you?" He said, brignign a bone hand up and ripping away the flesh that covered his face as he revealed his macabre identity. He then placed the bone plated hand on the creature. A greenish colored gem covered it, converting the bone that made the very creature up into the precious gemstone known only as "Gemini". The creatures conversion would be slow, but it would be a statue before Zell would be in harm's way again.

  "You're just an amusing little thin..." He said, half of his face skeletal in nature. He grunted, knowing that it would need to be fixed before he met up with Silus and Diana. None could Know he was Archon, wielder of the legendary blade Raganarox, and The Undying creature known as Lych. He closed his eyes and began to listen to the surrounding areas as he tried to decide which way he should take. He heard a yelp in the distance, and could only assume that it was Silus or his mutt. With a smile on the half of his face still covered in flesh he walked off towards that direction, ready to encounter any adversity in his path.

Silus

By reaching the catwalk Silus was able to bypass the entrenched gun nests, though now he was in the firing corridor of the knight with the heavy gun, his partner with the halberd providing him defense should anything get to close. The halberd wielder saw Silus and his magical armaments, not knowing what he was capable of, and decided to toss a flashbang his way first. While the knight gunner raised his gatling laser, aimed in Silus’s general direction. It revved up and began unleashing a massive barrage of laser pulses (tech level 7) against Silus.

If Silus felt any concern for Diana, he’d probably be unable to notice her anymore, since she’d taken to crawling through the inner workings of the machine rather than slaughter her way through the soldiers and knight atop of the Drill.

Zell

The creature was in its final throes as it slowly crystallized, until it became a twisted sculpture of its former self. Zell was now free to go about his business in the city, though he would hear the battle making its way to the center of Xibalba. He would also only meet token resistance from then on, a few stray demon birds trying to harass him as the city’s defenders moved to halt the surprisingly resilient army.

Silus was caught off guard to be sure. He managed to get past one obstacle, only to find that there was another in it's place. These places and these people were so strange to him. The little mind ran with thousands of questions, but there was nothing that prepared him for the flash bang. He tried to get shards to cover him, but they weren't all successful. The shards amplified the light of the flash-bang and disoriented Silus as he moved off to the side to get balance. The volley of lasers was spread out and rapid enough that Silus found himself knicked in the arm, his attire on his arm burnt to a crisp and a black mark on his skin, seeping through into deep tissue. The force of the light alone along with disoriented equilibrium sent Silus back and left him hanging on the Cat-walk by a hand, by Yggdrasil covering it. Silus lacked the strength to pick himself up, he was scared, fearful and because of that he was unable to think. If he had simply kept a calm head, he would have thought to create small shard-platforms beneath his feet, but in his panic he had abandoned all strategy for the will to survive.
 
   Adrenalin picking up he began to pull himself up, but the second he did there was a loud crack, the catwalk seeming to break where his hand was, Yggdrasil's power being a curse to him. His fingers began to slip as his mind and heard just kept calling out for help. Not so far away little ears with tips as indigo as Silus' eyes twitched and there was a deep growl with a muzzle of ivory colored fangs born.

Enter: Zell

Zell went towards the direction of the combat, maneuvering as best he could until he found himself interrupted by demon birds. Again with these annoying things? He rhetorically asked himself. They weren't very difficult things in his opinion, trivial even, but they were tedious and required a good aim or a swift sword. A slash and a cut to one and another, as more flocked around him.

"Note to self... He said as he found himself slightly flustered by the birds. "Build a time machine....AND KILL ALFRED HITCHCKOCK!" He roared to himself as he lashed out one after another, trying to get to his son.

SILUS!

Seeing their prey waver and fall over the catwalk, the halberdier slowly made his way out to the platform to finish Silus off, the knight with the Gatling laser holding his fire. The Knight drew a laser pistol to deliver his coup de grace, his sinister gaze falling upon the boy. The pistol powered up, and soon Silus would be staring down the glowing barrel of the high tech weapon. It didn’t matter to the knight Silus’s age; he was here in Xibalba, and that meant he was a threat.

Diana found herself meanwhile, outside the command bridge where she looked at the grey haired, fat Columbian General arguing with a Black Knight. She was a blonde female one at that, the ideal of an Aryan woman, which irked Diana, a little Asian girl born from Caucasian stock, on a subconscious level. Over the course of their argument, The General drew a gun, a bad move as the Black Knight proved to possess a degree of superhuman speed and reflexes, disarming the General and smashing his head against the metal wall. She went to the radio to issue new orders.

Diana slowly crept in, the door quite cooperative in silent movement. She moved slowly, her footfalls making no sound; if she could avoid a fight she would, and kill the Knight with a slit throat.

ZELL!

There really wasn’t much resistance left to Zell’s movements. Over time the crows gathered around him not to attack but to watch, and make way. He had brought down a Mayan Death Lord... and slowly they began to transfer the respect due to him. To drive this point home, a pair of birds fetched something from the remaints of the Arthritic Bone Lord, and cautiously offered it to Zell in his path. A nice ivory cane topped with a skull. It seems in Xibalba, you keep what you kill.

If he wanted to go somewhere now, he could get there in reasonable time. He would also know exactly where he wanted to go, as the cane spoke to him.

To say this was terrifying was an understatement. Silus had no idea what he was going to do as the light charged up. He forced his eyes shut and contemplated letting go, falling and seeing how that played out for him. But the bottom line was pretty set in stone. Silus needed a hero, or he was going to die. Sadly, he wasn't going to get a Hero... Thankfully, he was getting a Guardian Angel. The light emitted by the Laser weapon was turned against The Black Knight, the very weapon he was going to use against Silus to end his life, was empowered and discharged upon the knight as it exploded within the confines of the gun, utterly destroying the pistol as well as take the Knight by surprise with a "little kiss" of photonic energy.  That was the draw back when using a light-based weapon when an enemy has Photokinetic powers. Silus didn't, this much was true, but Yancey did... and he seemed to arrive right on time. A full hand extended, Yancey forced himself, straining to focus as he kept his humanoid form and used what little light was available to create a bubble around Silus and lift him back up onto the cat-walk like structure.

  Silus immediately ran towards Yancey as he began to power up his Ultima energy, terrified yet somehow the adrenalin rush or whatever had kept his wits about him. Yancey's eyes narrowed as he looked towards the Knights. He'd be surprised if that one knight got back up, but then again it was mostly because Yancey wasn't very bright. Yancey DID know, however, that with laser weapons, he didn't have a problem. Laser was just concentrated light, so they could fire away, he was just going to use their own tech against them. Yancey smirked, he thought it was cool, and he was hoping to show Silus every thing he'd learned from his training sessions with Zell, and hopefully would look really cool doing it. Silus' eyes began to glow as he called upon his ultima energy, forming a small shell over himself, ready to take on any obstacle that got in his way. It was odd how much more he was able and willing to do with Yancey at his side.

  "Can I get 'em Loki?" Yancey asked through his teeth, a fixated rage on the knights. He never took his eyes off the knights, but he wouldn't strike out until his best friend told him to.

  "Sic 'em Fenrir." Silus said. Yancey smiled and then took off running, jumping and in mid air glowing a ton of radiant colors before taking the form of a wolf that stood five foot tall and with large gnarly fangs as he howled and turned his color a golden glow as he took off at the nearest knight. Silus was ready to fire off energy like it was nobody's business too, anything to support his wolf-pup on roids.

Enter: Zell

It wasn't long before the birds stopped, they seemed to be following him now. Not in the concept of hunting him, but in...perhaps a primitive respect. Zell pondered this concept. Was it perhaps because he killed a Death Lord? Or what were they called? Zell could never remember. Thought perhaps this place worked on a very...similar concept to other regions. You kill the king or lord...and you become the king or lord. If this were the case then there was a legit army of mutant ravens or something at his command. Lourishna, his own Raven (The Collector of Souls) landed before him, standing four to maybe five foot tall in his death-wraps to keep himself shrouded in mystery. Other birds came down and dropped to Zell, a cane. A rather nice one too. He took immediately to inspecting it, before calling out a "Thank you" to the birds whom gifted him with their fetch.

RAW RAAW! Keep what you Kill. RAW The Undying, Lord of Arthritic pains! RAAWW RAAAW. Lourishna's voice echoed hollowly through the mind of The Archon. He looked to the overgrown raven and smirked. "Well...let's test this baby out." Zell said, imbuing the cane to his own life essence, by his right as Archon. He slammed the cane to the ground, forcing any form of magical effect to come to fruition. Lourishna would eye the other ravens greedily, ensuring none approached his master.

SILUS!

The Knight certainly did not expect his weapon technology to be used against him, and had his arm below the elbow completely melted, encased in his molten armor. He screamed out from the unimaginable pain he was in, but upon seeing the wolves stood his ground, and still charged into combat with one good hand. The knight was fanatically determined to impale Fenrir upon the crackling energy blade, using the halberd’s length perhaps to give himself an advantage.

The Gatling Laser Knight wised up, seeing their technology used against them somehow. He released the heavy weapon from his armor, depositing on the ground, and fetched a Kalashnakov from the emergency rack, loaded it with a drum magazine and opened fire against the wolves assaulting his crippled companion. They cared not for how unmatched they were, only that their mission was done.

Diana and the Knight Commander emerged from the command center locked in a titanic struggle, the two women having their own private affair above. Both with covered in bruises and deep gashes, Diana moreso, but Diana was regenerating while the Commander was not. A few more trades of attacks, and Diana is punched out and sent falling to the catwalk, a good ten feet behind the preoccupied Knight-Gunner.

ZELL!

The second zell struck the staff to the ground, nothing too magical happened save for the cane seemingly yelping in pain, then speaking in a high pitched, squeaky voice. “Ow! Owww, oww, ow, that really hurt my bony tush! What was that for? Oh...” The skull twisted around to see Zell, and recognized his new status.

He pops a glass eye into one of his eyesockets seemingly from thin air. “Ahem. Well hello there, new Lord of Arthritic aches and pains! I am Nuknuk, your new... servant and guide here in Xibalba, the Place of Fear. What can I do for ya today, mahster?” The skull asked as it performed some kind of bow, his one eye unblinkingly focused on Zell.

Yancey engaged the Knight commander with incredible skill. The way he moved was so determined, so deadset. This person almost killed Silus, and so this person would die. Yancey didn't see anything wrong with his logic, and while he was still a young and innocent pup in a twisted world, he was not afraid to die or kill for the ones he loved. To him that didn't make him evil. That made him a true friend, a true brother in arms. Even as a wolf he moved with extreme skill and reflexes. The knight wouldn't be able to hit him like this, and if he managed too then he had other issues, since the golden glow to Yancey was concentrated light that acted as a shield. Though despite being highly reflexive and well trained, Yancey's rage indeed made him careless, and he managed to recieve a small gash to the cheek as the energized weapon made it even further through the shiled than the wolf anticipated. Red blood bled into the fur, but he wolf responded by channeling his shiled forward, creating a cone of light the origin point of the cone at his nose, creating a form of pointed shield. The wolf charged towards the Knight, the hopes of impaling him and running a few feet before sending the cone off and keeping himself back. Yancey was a powerful little wolf, and that in and of itself was not something that the knights would be able to avoid. The other wolves sat back and watched as the powerful Fenrir took the glory for himself and Silus offered support.

   "SILUS! THERE! FALLING!" Hocus called out as he noticed Diana falling from the catwalk. Silus' heart skipped a beat, fearing that the fall may harm Diana, unaware of any powerful duribility traits she may have. Silus had to focus really hard to be able to do what he desired. He began to quickly, but steadily project his ethereal energy beneath Diana, allowing it to gather, slowing her fall as he tried to envelop her in the energy and lift her. He wasn't going to be able to lift her of course, he didn't have enough time, and going any further risked damages to the very person he tried to save. But when there was a loud boom, Silus got concerned and his manipulation got shakey, hopefully he had done enough to soften her fall some, because he could do no more for her. Yancey yelped as he was knicked by the bullet ent out by the other knight, which caused Silus to grow angry. Yancey qucikly dropped down and focused on a shield around him as Silus focused entirely on the energy he used to help Diana, clutching his fists the energy solodidifed into needle like shards and yanking his first to his waist-side the needles fired out at the knight's back. Several of them would miss, and honestly the needles themseleves were easily strong enough to pierce the armor and flesh, but the damage would be minimal, just intense pain at worst as they flew towards the arms and the torso.

   Zell looked to the staff, his eye arched as he looked. The pieces of his gemini-bone that were exposed were almost entirely sealed over, returning him to his entire human apperance rather shortly. He smiled at the cain and lowered his head as he tipped his hat to the cane. "Well Nuknuk, It's a pleasure to make your acquaintence, and I apologize for the non-arthritic pain I caused." He said, figuring he had no need to be sorry for causing arthritic pains. "But Nuknuk, I so have a request-!" No sonner had Zell said that had Lourishna, the large raven, begun to peck at the creature, trying to bite out it's glass eye because it was shiny. Zell swatted at the raven, which just let out a demonic bellowing caw, causing Zell to back away from it and glare at it. "Back off bird." Zell ordered and the bird took two steps back and looked around. Zell looked back to Nuknuk. "You'll soon find out that ALL of my first impressions go this horrible..." He said with a sigh. People generally did not like Zell. Such is life though. He looked to Nuknuk and cleared his throat. "Nuknuk, I am here searching for an artifact that belongs to the horrific creatures that would have been called (Insert "Blackened" in Mayan language). I also need to know if there is any way you can tell me how to find a young boy, three wolves and a young woman with several swords. Can you help me with any of that?"

THE CANE

“AAAhhh keep it away! Nuknuk always hated dirty birds! Shoo! Well...” The little cane’s skull shook its head, trying to protect its one good eye from the bird. “The Black Vault will likely still house any of the major artifacts stored in this place. I can take you.” He said.

As for the second request, the Skull communicated with Xibalba’s protects. “Okay. The watchers tell me those you’re looking for or at the place where the Iron Beast sleeps, near the eastern entrance to the city. They are fighting metal warriors of blackened skin... and they are winning...”

THE DRILL

“What is this?! Our operation is being halted... by meddling children?!” The Knight Commander descended to the catwalk by sliding down a pole, seeing her Knight Guard and Knight Gunner having already fallen to wolves and magic. The one armed Guard still attempted to fight Yancey, though he was as good as dead with his armor broken. The Gunner dropped his reload, as magical needles pierced his armor and flesh, sending him falling to the catwalk with a heavy thud.

“Yeah... real shame isn’t it... You and your Knights... don’t belong here.” Diana smirked, as she slowly recovered from having her otherwise bone breaking fall made a gentle descent. Now that she wasn’t being ripped to pieces by the Commander’s combat knives, she regenerated those horrific injuries, including a ripped oesophagus that stopped her from talking. Her lips were still slowly piecing themselves together as she spoke.

“Monster... but... very well. I know when I am beaten.” The Commander seemed far more sensible than her own soldiers, seeing that she had been surrounded, and even the foe she outmatched in skill, would outmatch her in staying power.

“This operation has been far too costly. I wish to discuss terms of surrender, for the lives of my non-combatants-” She turned towards Silus, raising her hands to show she meant to stop fighting... only to have Diana’s black blade emerge from her chest. The Commander coughed up blood from her mouth, and stared at Silus with fear in her eyes. Life was quickly leaving her body.

Diana was still gripped in a crazed bloodlust, as she drained the pretty Commander of her blood. She attempted to break free, but to no avail, and Diana’s hungry gaze fell upon the engineers inside the control room, huddled together in horror at the sight of their fallen commander, the woman's limp body slumping against the window.

“We’ve won here Silus. Now you can feed those guys to your wolves! Don’t let a single one of these knights leave alive.” She suggested, forgetting that the original goal was simply to shut down the giant drill.

THE INNOCENT LITTLE KID! (Silus)

Silus was shocked, utterly in awe. The person surrendered and she impaled them! Silus ran up to the woman and rolled her over. Yancey ran over to him, shifting into his human form once more and placing a hand over the knight commander's wound. Yancey's eyes began to glow, and angelic wings appeared on his back as a hollowed ring appeared around his head his powers altered to become a healing light, rather than a harmful one. Silus then stood himself up and began to look for the drill. He saw the command center and he began to watch in on it. Hocus and Kaisses at his side. Kaisses' power activated and the earth around them began to shift as he conjured spikes of earth that floated, ready to strike at anyone who came at Silus.

"Angel hurry!" Silus said to them, looking back to Yancey who was healing the knight commander. "I'm trying. You know these knight's are probably just gonna attack us again, regardless of what we are!" The other boy said as he looked to the woman and smiled at her kindly with soothing glowing blue eyes as her wounds were in the final stages of their closing. Silus went up to the knight commander, his eyes blood shot and tears threatening to stream from his face. He wiped his eyes and let out a shaky breath. How could Diana do this? A friend...a team mate... murder in cold blood? Silus wiped his eyes again with his hoodie that was three sizes too big and spoke to the knight commander. "I-I won't let you die, but if Angel and I are gonna keep her from hurting anyone else you gotta turn off that drill." Silus told the knight commander. The other two wolves, the black one Hocus and the silver Kaisses approached and sat by Silus. If she tried to run, she was royally screwed. Silus wouldn't kill her...but his wolves were a different story.

"Guys, stay with her!" Silus commanded as he ran off in in a familiar direction. "S-Silus where are you going?" Yancey called. Kaisses snickered as he watched Silus run towards Diana. He's going where he always goes... to be a hero and save innocent lives." Kaisses said as he shook his wolven snout. Hocus looked to the woman and arched his lip. "You're lucky he is as innocent as he is woman... for what your knights almost did to him, you deserved the blade." He snarled. He watched as Silus closed in. "He's too good to let anyone die... even if they wanted him dead...he's still die to save them." Yancey said the healing finally completed and the commander able to move once more most likely.

"STOP!" Silus shouted and shards form the Yggdrasil gauntlet flooded to the doors and windows, reinforcing them. "What's wrong with you?" Silus asked as he kept a safe distance between them, a good ten feet sufficed as he tried to speak with the young woman who was once his friend.


THE BORING GUY! (Zell)

So Silus and his little friend were winning? It was times like this that Zell missed his free Omni-dimensional form, rather than being a living incarnate of the existential energy. Though the cane was able to answer his question, so to that respect he was grateful. The next thing on the agenda was to progress. He knew Silus would be fine, if not because of everything the child had endured before. With a smirk he nodded thankfully to the cane. "This is pleasing. But you mentioned something about the "Black Vault" and taking me there. I would be very grateful if you could assist me as you've said." Zell began, trying to encourage the cane to lead the way, either literally somehow or verbally.

WHAT’S THE MATTER WITH ME? WHAT’S THE MATTER WITH YOU?

The Knight Commander yet lived, partly because she was tough for a human, and the healing saved her in the nick of time. Her wound closed, but the healing likely did not return the blood that was stolen from her in the instant the Blade plunged into her flesh. She was out of danger at the moment, but still quite pale and in need of a transfusion later.

“...I know when a mission is folly... Our masters are zealous and uncaring for they do not see the front lines. I shall order... any remaining Knights in the vicinity to stay their weapons. This day is yours.” She said to the young boy, clinging to her healer and savior. The other two knights they fought earlier were now slowly getting up. They were tough too, but in no shape to fight.

Diana was taken by surprise by Silus’s question, and doubly so by his compassion for the enemy. She eyed the Knights warily, wanting to finish them off for good. For Silus, she lowered her Blood Sword and eased her stance, shrugging at him and questioning him with a tone of shock.

“Haven’t you forgotten our deal with Stinky? He wants her heart, and for this drill to be busted, so we can get what we came for. Hint, she’s one of the Black Knights Sai, she’s probably here to find something too... and use it against... us!” She explained, living by a ruthless policy of take no prisoners after her previous run-ins with them.

The engineers inside the control room listened to the conversation going on and promptly stop their work on the Drill. The great machine slowly de-powered, and they even remove some kind of chip from the panel boards. “Please, we surrender. Just... don’t kill the Commander.” They pleaded.

BLACK VAULT

The Cane was kind enough to light a trail of ghost light to lead them towards the Black Vault, inside a roofless temple. The stone floor parted, piece by piece, to reveal a descending staircase that went below the earth. The ghost light trail continued down into it, where Zell’s prize awaited in one of the many sealed niches, amidst a great many emptied vaults, and a few others that had yet to be opened.

(Okay... you started this title thing.... I regret nothing.)

GURL YOU ACTIN' SO CRAY CRAY!...

"If we kill them now that gives them a reason to use it against us! We can drive them out! Nobody needs to die! I remember wishing that I was as brave as you once... against The Hunter. But I know that killing is wrong and I won't do it... but if I'm not willing to fight and protect the lives of others...then I'm just a coward." Silus said as he clutched his hand, the gauntlet shimmering and now glowing with energy. "I'll shut the drill off and go back to that creature. If he doesn't like it... tough. I'll break us through on my own... but no more killing." Silus said. In his mind he was beginning to question the friend he had...one of the only friend he had. Yancey's connection with Silus told him of his worries and Yancey looked down to the Knight Commander.

"Hey...what were you guys here for anyway? Why attack us right as soon as you saw us?" He posed the question to the Knight Commander before looking back at Silus, worried for his life. If that girl hurt him, it could very well be the last mistake she ever makes. Yancey's healing concluded he awaited action to break out between Diana and Silus. Silus of which looked to the men nearby, the ones pleading to not kill the Knight Commander. "I'm not going to let her die...I won't let any of them die either. I won't be a coward anymore..." Silus said, almost as if to reassure both the men begging for their commander's life and to reassure himself. If Diana wanted to fight...Silus would fight. If she wanted to try and go after them men, Yancey was ready with superior reflexes to put a sphere of light around her, preventing her from moving against them. It was just a matter of how she was going to react.


THE WHOLE REASON USELESS ZELL IS EVEN HERE!!!!

Zell found himself before the place he wanted. The Black Vault was it's name supposedly. How fitting. The place was truly a place of fortune and fear. A Dark chest of wonders, dropped from the abyss itself. The wonders of this place knew no end, some things emptied... some still filled and still sealed away. Of course there was what he was looking for. But it was in the furthest vault, yet to be unsealed. He could feel it... calling to him. It was a little chitter, it was a little call or cry...a siren of sorts. So it is you The voice was in his head. He knew it. He wasn't a fool. He walked over to the farthest, most centered vault. The stone tiles beneath him firm and well, but the vault too heavy for he himself to move... or so one might have suspected. Zell looked around the vault, finding several runic markings and strange symbols of a more supernatural sense. This particular vault was sealed away. For good reasons. Zell looked to the cane. "It's behind this door. It's been sealed....I need in. If I destroy the seals, what opposition will this place throw at me, what guardians?" He asked the cane. The vault was being opened regardless, but the confines of this vault were meant to be confound for all eternity.

I've been waiting for so long. To meet you... The voice echoed. Zell was befuddled and confused as to the reasoning for this voice. But he closed his eyes and his mind was invaded. Sleek black lusterous with orange and red eyes, A metallic looking Chitin plating across the thing's mouth, no exposed openings, two appendages in the back with talons the color of midnight. The Insectoid (Basic drawing) like being looking to Zell...but when he opened his eyes...it was just him in the vault, awaiting the cane's response.