Inquisition (Plot Villain)

[Veran]

Fane's bullets left nothing but a mound of flesh and hair where the Knight's head once was. But the laughter never noticed and only slowly died down in its maniacal laughter.

"Fools! Did you not find it peculiar that the Knight continued fighting even after a lethal shot? My, how silly! Little did you know that you didn't harm me! Instead you killed an innocent man! A noble man even. The Black Knight Greer! But...it would seem that it is time for me to come out and play."

From the corpse of the Knight funneled out a stream of black flames; pure shadow. The mass of shadow slid away from the corpse above the ground and then began to take shape a fair distance away from Fane or anyone else that decided to get close. The shape thinned out as a slender figure became apparent. When the darkness finally faded, a woman stood before them. She was beautiful in her own right, but definitely not human. With a dark teal skin and eyes that glowed red, she looked at the heroes with her own eyes for the first time. A dark blue cape attached at spikes on her elbows complimented the violet top and long skirt wore over her curvy body.

"Congratulations, boys," the woman mocked with a light smile. "You have forced Veran, Sorceress of Shadows out from her shell. Not a moment too soon either. I don't care much for the sight of blood. Hah hah hah!"

The queen of shadows turned to the pillar of flame that she had caused at the very beginning of this ordeal. It still touched the sky just as strong and foreboding as it did upon its creation, a light steam collected at its base.

"No matter. There is only so much time left."

[Fane]

Fane watched with a determined look and slowly backed up as the whole ordeal came into place. It was time to heal Youkai, even at his own expense. This battle would not be won with him limping around like a sissy. With eyes blinking, Fane knew immediately that the man may have been innocent, but it mattered not. “Killed an innocent man? Don’t insult me, as far as I see, I saved him from a wretched life of his body being tormented for all time by a whorish *****. His insults were meant to anger her. Anger caused reckless actions and revealing of weaknesses. She probably wouldn’t care what a low life such as him claimed however.

Approaching Youkai

[/color] immediately, Fane grabbed the Aarondite and pulled the blade out, pressing the pommel softly against his waist. Initiating the ability locked within Aarondite, it was reversed for Youkai, healing him slightly, and slightly injuring Fane. “Aaah….” Fane yelled out slightly as his health was drained through the blade and into Youkai, restoring some of his health.

“Give me a little while and I’ll be able to do this again. We’ll have you back in no time.

He kept his eye on the female the whole time, ready to end this battle once and for all. With both guns unloaded and unusable, he figured they would simply be useless against her anyways. Given the time, Demonic Pulse would be his major source of power to rip her apart….or would it.

Don’t use that technique again. She is obviously of darkness, the ability could heal her. Guard your allies and use the blade. You no longer have the upper hand.

Agreed.

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[Kulau]

Kulau steeled his resolve as the Sorceress of Shadows made her appearance. He wasn't sure what exactly was going on with the pillar of flame or her possession of the black knight, but at this rate he had little time to think before something awful happened again.

If she were of shadow form, attacking her straight on would only result in attacking air. He needed something else. But there wasn't much else he could do at this moment. Instead he decided to scout the situation by jumping in the water and monitoring using his stealth ability.

Ability Activate: Water Cloak

He moved up close to the bridge and listened, waiting for a moment to strike.

[youkai]

(this post may not be good. I haven't been sleeping well and I think I'm getting sick. I don't think I've ever felt this tired before.... its only 8:47 >< I need sleep so this will be rushed. SORRY!!!)

Youkai wasn't sure what Fane was doing until after he had finished. His muscles relaxed and the spasms stopped. He felt great! "Impressive... Thank you." He was starting to regret being angry toward the human. His actions now seemed justified as they face some sort of ghostly woman.

Youkai examined Veran and soon got an idea. If she was indeed a dark creature than his Holy Flair ability should put an end to things once and for all. "Fane... I think I can end this, but I cannot miss." He whispered to Fane without taking his eyes off of Veran. "I'm going to put everything I got into it so I may only have one chance to do this before she decided to kill us all."

Holy Flair would cause a massive explosion so it wasn't something he could simply use at close range, though that isn't to say that is out of the question. Still, if he used his Aeromancy to make the flame as strong as it could be than he would only be able to use it once. If he missed Veran and she saw that he had the ability to destroy her, than she would surely kill him before he was able to use it again.

[Volkin]

Volkin looked from the woman to the lake, wondering to himself if he should question her or simply attack. He had been angry for them killing the knight before he could speak, but from the way the woman spoke it wasn't long before something happened and that pillar of fire made him very nervous.

Looking around to the others, he was surprised to find that none of them were attacking. Perhaps it was a bad idea to attack but if she was responsible for that fire and if she was planning more he could not let her continue. This was his home.

Volkin projected an illusion of himself, looking as though he was contemplating the situation and beginning to look to the others with worry. Using this to mask his true movements, he sprinted toward the woman. He would only have time for a quick attack given the distance but he had to try it.

He readied his blades as he moved and ran past her, using his dagger to cut at her leg and his sword to cut at her torso. Volkin made sure to put enough distance between himself and the woman to have a chance at dodging what she might throw at him, seeing as he was a likely target.

[Veran]

Before anyone had any time to react, the pillar of blue flame suddenly pulsed upward in a great plume and the sound of a thousand chords being plucked vibrated out from its center. A mild shockwave pulsed out with each chord that snapped within that tussled Veran's and the heroes' hair and clothes.

"Hah!" Veran called, placing a hand over her mouth. "No time to lose at all!"

Just as Volkin darted past with blades, Veran melted away back into the shadow. The shadow floated in the air with massive white eyes and it then bolted back into the Black Knight's body. Or what remained of it. As if a marionette being tugged on by its strings, the body lurched up to its feet; even if it had no face. Leaving behind the sword, the Knight leapt off the bridge and directly into the column of flame. The flame roared as the Knight's body was burned away.

But then the flames began to part around a new figure. Veran floated in the air and with a flick of her wrist the column of fire that had been strongly burning ever since the start disappeared. The queen now held in her hands a great harp. On one side it was red and the other blue. A single tune would be all that is necessary to complete all hopes and dreams that Veran carried. And now such a mystical item was within her grasp.

"The Harp of Ages!" Veran cried out, holding the object with both hands as if it was a baby and whimsically spinning in the air with it. "The instrument of time that was hidden deep within the depths of this plain lake... Now mine! To think I had to use that filthy corpse's hands just to touch it at first... But now... Now! Now it is all mine. All mine to sow the seeds of sorrow! Hah hah hah!"

But then a low rumble interrupted her laughter. It started out as low at least, but when Veran turned her head slightly the loudest thunder clashed within the air and a screaming wind and dust slammed into everyone. Birds flying overhead were thrown across the land and anyone with bad footing was tossed to the ground. Veran herself would have been tossed out of the air if it wasn't for the magic that was being used to keep her afloat. But she like everyone else was momentarily blinded by the dust cloud that had passed.

That wasn't the end of it. As if God himself had punched the earth, a sudden tremor shook the earth, sky, and oceans. Everyone was now to the ground now from the shear force of the quake and boulders themselves were shook up from the earth and bounced upon it. The hills surrounding the lake broke off into multiple pieces that crumbled into the waters and caused landslides elsewhere.

The terrifying winds and tremors continued on for what seemed like ages, but they were a terrifying ten minutes. When she could finally, Veran looked out into the distance. A mass of land now jutted out from the earth. Its rugged edges were crumbling as each moment passed. Buildings and windmills could be seen dotting its mass, but just like everything else they were not surviving the impact of being an artificial meteor. Veran recognized the flags and banners that hung from the broken continent.

With eyes just as wide as everyone else, Veran cried, "The City in the Sky?!"

Before she could finish her astonishment, emerging from the smoke and dust that now filled the sky came thousands of comets. They streaked across the sky in not one direction, but in all. Some were a bright silver and white, others were as dark as night. Just as fast as the comets darted across the sky, they were gone.

An odd silence came over the area. A calm after the storm as they call it. An indescribable peace within the silence now that Hell had momentarily peeked into the world. The calamities had arrived.

"What...is this?" Veran couldn't help but be shocked. In a single moment, more chaos had been caused than her entire life as the queen of evil. There was some envy, but she didn't have time to sit and stare. She was already behind schedule.

"Take this moment to save yourselves, boys. There is nothing but despair in your futures. Hah hah hah!"

And just like that, a shadow enveloped the sorceress and she was gone.

----------

Soon after Veran had left, a herd of a hundred Zora soldiers burst from the water. Some shot vertically out of the water for scouting while others moved directly to land. They were all armed to the teeth and were immediately very cautious. But when they saw the group of fighters, they were immediately at ease. If "ease" is a word that can even be used at this point.

A single Zora of obvious rank stepped forward.

"We were alerted and came to your aide, but we are too late." The Zora looked out over the lake where the pillar of flame had once been and then to the crashing chunk of City in the Sky. His facial expression was obviously pained at the sight of the ordeal. What had exactly gone on?

"I know it is small, but we will reward you for doing what was meant to be our job. Take it as both an apology and a thanks."

Four Zoras stepped forward to each hero and then knelt down. In their hands they presented a small pouch with money within.

Fane on the other hand was presented with another option. A light appeared beside him that took form. It grew taller and taller until it reached 12 feet tall. It was a sword. But not just any sword. It was the Black Knight's. The sword had chosen a new wielder.

[55 Rupees for all. Thanks for playing!

On the other hand, Fane, if you accept the following sword you forfeit your Rupees.

Greer's Blade
A magical sword once wielded by the Black Knight Greer that was killed in the fight with Veran. It has now chosen Fane as its next master. The sword's blade is pitch black and is 12 feet long. While some may struggle wielding it as it is quite long and thus heavy, Fane has no problem wielding Greer's Blade. As the sword's master, Greer's Blade has the magical property of feeling weightless in Fane's hands. Should anyone else try to pick it up they will have to deal with the great weight of this great longsword. ]

[Volkin]

Volkin could only watch in shock as his attack failed and Veran got away. But there was also a sort of relief as the fire disappeared. Sure, she had gotten some sort of harp but who cared about some old relic? As long as this got her to leave the area then Volkin did not care.

The relief did not last more than a few seconds, however, as a low rumbling sound cut through the laughter and Volkin found himself thrown from his feet. He buried his head under his arms as the dust storm picked up quickly pulled up his face covering to keep himself from inhaling any of it.

His eyes widened in horror as the landslides started and the comets fell from the sky. It was if the world was ending in his own back yard. "No!" Volkin tried to climb to his feet but fell before he could make it far. Still he tried his best to make it closer toward the tree line, too terrified to think of transforming.

He ceased his struggling after a few falls, the arrows he'd been shot with shooting pain that seemed to fill his entire upper body. "How..." It was all he could do to get out that one word as he looked on the destruction that had occurred.

Volkin stared at the results of the past ten minutes in a kind of numb shock. The approach of the Zora with a reward for his troubles snapped him out of it and he snatched up the bag. "You're damn right you're too late. Volkin snapped to the man before taking off into the woods. "Father?! Mother?! Where are you?" The panic was obvious in his voice as he disappeared into the forest on the beginnings of a frantic search for his parents.

[Kulau]

Kulau attempted a leaping strike out of the water straight at Veran, but it was no use. She had already gotten to the pillar of fire, which then disappeared. He then scrambled out of the water as she declared that the harp was hers. It didn't really bother him, other than the fact that someone left a harp in the lake.

That was when the calamities started.

Kulau was barely on his feet when it all happened, so he found himself quickly on the ground, choking through the dust cloud and staring at the rubble that fell from the mountains. And...was that a chunk of the Oocca home? This was worse than he could have envisioned. But he could take solace in the fact that Veran herself seemed surprised.

However, Kulau seemed to breathe easier when the Zoras arrived. He stood up and brushed the dust off of himself as they presented themselves. Naturally he recognized many of them, and accepted the money with a bow.

"Thank you. I'll return to the Domain immediately and speak with Her Majesty about what just happened. We'll need a cleanup crew to move some of this rubble before we can proceed." He then jumped back into the Lake, quickly surveyed the rubble that made its way underwater before returning quickly upriver to Zora's Domain.

[Fane]

Fane felt the catastrophe overwhelm his body almost instantly. The shaking, the blur of pure madness and chaos shaking the grounds he stood on, literally. It was as though all of Hyrule had blasted apart and left him with the greatest foe he had ever faced to demolish him. Falling to the ground several times as he struggles to regain his balance and get back onto his feet, Fane felt completely helpless.

After the storm passed and the Queen fled, for unknown reasons, Fane got to his feet and surveyed the surrounding area. Staring at Youkai, he was speechless, and everything was well written on his face. It was nothing but shock. “….”

After the Zora arrived and presented their gifts, Fane obviously took the sword and brandished it in the most fitting manner across his back. He was impressed with how light it fell to him, as though gravity itself was failing. “Youkai, I’ll see you around Castle Town sometime. Till then. With that, he nodded, and began walking off, back to Castle Town, if there was anything left of it. Perhaps the whole shake hit the town.

[exit]

[youkai]

The pulses with the flame pillar took Youkai's focus off of Veran. As he turned to face the pillar Veran who now possessed the Knight's body had passed him and jumped into the flame. Youkai's gaze never left the Knights body as it burned in the fire. He would not look away. The Knight deserved that much.

As the pillar finally stopped, a strange harp had taken its place. Veran held it and said its name. As she laughed Youkai's right hand opened and a ball of flame erupted. He had plan to use Holy Flair when suddenly the earth beneath him began to rumble. Stopping his attack just moments before all hell broke lose. The winds began to blow wild, but Youkai was able to calm what he could so that it didn't blow to hard into him. There was nothing he could do however about the quakes and he soon found himself on the ground as well as everyone else.

When the chaos subsided, Youkai was slow to get up he wasn't sure what had happened but his first priority at the moment was to see if Swift was okay. Looking over the wolf was also getting up now, he seemed to be recovering nicely from his wound.

'The City in the sky!'

Veran's voice cried out and caused Youkai to look in the direction of the fallen city. His eyes grew wide and his mouth dropped. How could did this happen!? How many lives were lost? He couldn't tell where it had fallen exactly but he could only hope it hadn't landed on any towns. Mourning the losses of the dead would have to come later as Veran was still a threat to the realm. However when he turned around she looked just as shocked as everyone else. Her demeanor changed as she spoke one last time before vanishing in a fit of laughter.

Youkai cursed under his breath as he turned once again to face the fallen city. He was sure someone else would, but he had to report this to Princess Zelda. Not only would he have to report that but he would also have to report his failure to take down Veran. Yet another screw up to add to the Knights recent downward spiral.

He was shaken from his thoughts as the Zora arrived handing him a small pouch with some rupees in them. Youkai didn't feel like he deserved them, but it would have been rude not to take them. He bowed to the Zora handing him the pouch and tied it securely to his belt.

He watched the minish hurry off to look for his family. Youkai felt sorry for him. He wished he could have helped him look, however he had his own duties to tend to. But first, one last surprise occurred. Fane had come up to him to bid farewell. Youkai nodded at the human and watched him leave. He had a new found respect for him.

Looking over at Kulau Youkai saw that his old friend had just jumped into the water. He had hoped to go over what had just happen with him, however they both had things to do. Taking a deep breath he picked up his wounded companion and flew off towards Hyrule Castle. While in the air he caught a better glimpse of the fallen city. He could see bodies of its residence. There didn't appear to be any survivors.

Just like that, the peace that Hryule was enjoying was officially over.

[Youkai Exit]

[Azler Wilder]

Veran and the warriors who had fought against her had left, taking their rewards and traveling off to new adventures.

In the heavens above, a pair of soulless gray eyes watched the scene for just a few moments longer before disappearing…

Rewards have been given. Fane, you will need to post in the Update Board with your new weapon.

FIN[/center][/b][/size]