(DF) My Darkest Days

(DF) My Darkest Days (Full Version)

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#legend179# -> (DF) My Darkest Days (6/21/2012 22:48:09)
(Questions, comments, or concerns go here.) I originally started writing on this idea in the midst of the Final 13th War, right about the point Sepulchure's fortress crashed, and it is a revision of how the war could have ended if not for Drakath's betrayal. Well, I gave up on the idea, because I wasn't the biggest fan of it. But, after reading a fanfiction of an amazing series, I want to reinvent the idea. So, without further ado, here we go.

#legend179# -> RE: (DF) My Darkest Days (6/21/2012 23:42:55)
Prologue Syrik brought his sword down just in time, slicing the undead soldier in half as it jumped at him. He and Leon, his best friend and a fellow guardian, ran to the edge of the tower, looking out over the battlefield below. "The mana bombs aren't doing enough damage..." Leon said, taking a painful breath. "There are too many of them...they are as numerous as the sands in Lore! We can't hold out much longer." "Don't lose faith!" Syrik shouted, turning towards him. "By the light, these beasts will see no mercy from my blade! FOR FALCONREACH!" He shouted, raising his blade high in the air. "For Falconreach!" Leon screamed, copying his action. They reared back as more undead began crawling up the side of the Guardian Tower, ready to attack. They fought them off, but they just kept coming. For every one they took down, two took its place. Just when all hope seemed lost, Syrik heard a shout from behind. He turned to find that Leon falling to the ground with a deep gash in his chest and left arm, driving his blade through an undead as he fell to the ground, his helmet falling to the ground and rolling away. "Leon!" Syrik shouted, running to his best friend's defense. With fury in his heart he began chopping and slashing at the undead, leaving massive piles of shattered bones around them. After ten minutes, which felt like seconds to Syrik, no undead were left fighting, but the rage still burned in his eyes. "Syrik..." Leon barely managed to shout, drawing him out of his blind fury. Syrik turned and dropped to his knees, resting his blade on the ground. "Leon, are you alright?" "Ha, yeah, just dandy." He painfully whispered, coughing up hard as he moved his red hair out of his face. "You need to get out of here brother...." "What?! Why would I do that?" Syrik shouted, looking at his friend as though he was insane. "That..."He coughed again, raising his other arm and pointing at the massive dracolich in the distance. Syrik slowly got to his feet and walked to the edge of the tower, getting a closer look at the beast. He saw it flailing it's head in pain as massive spiders crawled over it, biting in various places. The sudden curve in it's body told him it was on a crash course for the Guardian Tower. Syrik immediately turned and ran back to his best friend. "Come on, we have to get out of here." Syrik shouted, reaching down to pick Leon up. "No..." Leon let out a loud cough, wincing as he pushed Syrik away. "You have to go. There's no time." "No! I won't leave you." He shouted as he tried to pick him up once again. "You have t-" He coughed again before falling limp to the stone. Syrik felt his eyes begin to tear up, but covered the sadness with rage as he turned and saw that the dracolich was much closer. With nothing left to lose, he turned and ran, along with the other Guardians, as the dracolich came closer. He was getting close to the edge, even though he had no idea what he would do after he got there, when he felt the entire tower shudder violently. Syrik quickly leaped over the edge, grabbing onto the stone for dear life as he was nearly eighty feet from the ground. But the entire tower shuddered violently from the impact, causing Syrik to lose his grip and plummet from the tower. He spun over in the air, forced to watch his home for the last several years get obliterated by the dracolich's body. The world around him darkened as he approached the ground, and he felt a cold chill overcome him as he slowly lost consciousness. It is not your time young Guardian. You still have much to give this world....

#legend179# -> RE: (DF) My Darkest Days (6/25/2012 21:28:45)
Chapter One - Syrik "Are you alright?" A familiar voice asked as Syrik opened his eyes. His vision was blurred, undoubtedly due to the extreme pain in the back of his head, but he knew what he was seeing. Ash DragonBlade stood before him. But it was a changed Ash. His normally short and light brown hair was unkempt and darker, and where his eyes would be bright and full of joy, they were empty and dark. And instead of his apprentice armor and regular sword, he wore a full set of blackened chainmail, and at his waist was a blade that looked all too much like the swords of the cursed DoomKnights. "Ash?" Syrik muttered before letting out a painful cough. Before his mind could even register the movement, the wicked blade was at his throat. "Who are you, and how do you know my name?" Ash asked, pressing the tip of the silver blade against Syrik's throat, the razor-edge drawing a thin stream of blood. "I am a Guardian of Falconreach." He replied, immobilized by the menacing figure before him. "Guardian?" Ash asked to no one in particular with a distant look in his eyes as he slowly pulled his blade back. Syrik slowly stood, taking care not to make any quick movements as he slowly dusted himself off. "Sir DragonBlade, what do you want us to do with him?" A roguish looking warrior clad in what looked aged Guardian armor asked. The distant look left Ash's eyes immediately. "Huh? Oh, yes. Take him back to base." Syrik looked around uncomfortably as the two men accompanying Ash pulled his arms behind his back and cuffed his hands together. As they began leading him downhill, he began to realize where he was. The grass was brown and withered, and there was no sign of the Guardian Tower, but he knew he was in Falconreach. A much different version than he had remembered, but still the same town. Syrik's mind raced as they walked past a massive crater in the same place Serenity's Inn used to be. As they continued walking, it was soon obvious that there were only a few buildings left intact; Alina's alchemy shop and half of Reens' shop, Aria's pet store, and Patch's badly damaged barbershop. "What happened?" Syrik asked. "You mean you don't know?" One of the men asked. "Sepulchure's dracolich crashed into Guardian Tower, leaving only five guardians and crushing the hope of winning the war....and that's when he launched his final attack." Both the men's expressions changed to pain as they slowly began looking around at the ruins. "It was simultaneous. The Battlespire was driven into DragonsGrasp. Sho Nuff Island was pulled into the ocean. Hundreds of thousands of undead rose in Amityvale, and they stormed Willowshire and the Sandsea. Warlic and Cysero...they just vanished. So much happened in so little time..." The other guard said, his voice faltering as he remembered the past. The news hit Syrik like a punch to the face. The war had been lost. Sepulchure had won. "What of the hero and his dragon of the prophecy? Did he do nothing to help?" "He challenged Sepulchure just after his fortress had crashed." The first guard replied with noticeable pain in his voice as he pointed back towards the crater. "He wasn't strong enough to take on the DoomKnight..." They traveled in silence for the rest of the trip, the two guards pained by the memories and Syrik trying to sort everything out in his mind. He just lowered his head and kept telling himself it was just a dream as they lead him away from the ruined town and towards Surewould Forest, where he could already see a palisade encompassing a small camp. After a few more minutes of walking, they were allowed into the camp by an aged blacksmith that looked quite familiar to Syrik. He recognized many faces around the camp. He saw Rolith and Alina eating by a fire while Serenity handed food out to everyone else. Reens and Twilly were going around tending to the wounded, and Patch was sharpening weapons with Yulgar. The two guards led him through the camp and to the large tent in the far corner, positioned right beside a waterfall. They pulled the flap open and nudged Syrik inside, where a pair of rogues took hold of him and sat him down in front of a desk. Standing and turned the other way stood a tall and lean woman dressed in a forest green dress with long leather gloves and boots, with long brown hair. He noticed the bow on the table and immediately realized who she was. "Robina?" Syrik asked. She turned around slowly, caught off guard by the sound of her own name. "Yes...and who are you?" "I am a Guardian of Falconreach." He replied. "Lies will get you nowhere." She said with a cold sting in her voice. "Now I will ask you again. Who are you?" Syrik leaned up in his chair, causing the two guards by the door to grab their weapons. "I'm telling you the truth." Robina looked over him for a moment, then slammed both her hands on the table. In the blink of an eye she leaped over the table, drawing the concealed dagger from her boot and holding it against Syrik's throat. "One more lie and I'll slit your throat." She said, pressing the razor-edge into his neck. "Last chance." He took a deep breath and gulped before slowly opening his mouth. "My name is Syrik. I am-" "A Guardian!" A voice from outside the tent shouted before one of the warriors who had brought him to the camp burst in. "What is the meaning of this interruption?" Robina shouted at the man, pulling her blade back from Syrik's throat. "This man, he speaks the truth. I remember him. I trained him." The Guardian said, pulling his helmet off. His small goatee had grown into a full beard, and his normally buzzed hair was long and unkempt, but there was no denying who it was. "Eckhard, are you sure?" Robina asked, sheathing her dagger and slowly pushing her hair out of her face. "Yes, I'm sure. He was one of the last Guardians I trained before the war." Guardian Eckhard said, stepping in and roughly nudging one of the guards. "Get those cuffs off of him." The guard hastily ran over and took the metal cuffs off Syrik's sore wrists. "So Guardian Syrik," Robina said as she sat at her desk. "You show up in the ruins of Falconreach with no memory of the war. Care to explain?" He stretched his muscles before answering. "I can't. The last thing I remember was the dracolich crashing into the Guardian Tower. I had been on the roof with my fellow Guardians when it hit. I had jumped off then....then Ash found me." Robina looked at him with disbelief. "You mean to tell me that you have missed the last seven years?" Syrik shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "I don't know what to tell you." She looked away as she thought about the situation. "Eckhard, find him some armor and a weapon." "What's wrong with my armor?" Syrik asked, looking down at the shining silver-and-gold plate. "Sepulchure's forces would spot you from miles away." She nodded to Eckhard, who turned and left the tent as Robina went back to looking at the large map behind her. "What happened?" Syrik muttered under his breath, not expecting her to hear him. "Too much." Robina whispered as a tear rolled down her cheek, the talk of the war tearing open old wounds.

#legend179# -> RE: (DF) My Darkest Days (6/28/2012 14:21:50)
Chapter Two - Drakath "Sire, they have discovered something. By the ruins of the Tower." Drakath said as he burst into the room. He quickly kneeled and looked to the ground as he realized his master had his helmet off. And he didn't like people seeing him without his helmet. "Well, what is they have found?" Sepulchure asked, slowly turning and facing his servant after putting his helmet on. "We do not know, sire. Our sentries detected a sudden fluxtuation in power. One moment, there was mere humans. The next...there was something incredible." He replied, hoping the answer was good enough. The DoomKnight grabbed his sword from the table and turned back towards his apprentice. "Then let's find out." * * * * * * Chapter Two - Syrik The first few days went by slowly for Syrik. He saw many old faces, but he never saw much of Ash or the other Guardians. He still had trouble getting his mind around the fact that there were only six left alive. He, along with the entire camp, would be woken up just before dawn and would go through the daily exercise before breakfast. Just simple work-outs to keep everyone in shape. Then he, along with the other men, would go to a secluded part of Ravenloss through a hidden tunnel with Yulgar and train. It was a pretty peaceful existance, but it was bland. They lived only to stay alive. Fun was no longer a priority. No one seemed to notice him until one night, when he was sitting in his tent about to fall asleep. "Guardian Syrik, may I have a word with you?" Ash asked, peeking into his tent. "Of course." Syrik replied, standing and walking outside. "What's on your mind?" "Walk with me." And so they left and went for a walk into the forest surrounding the encampment. "We have a serious problem." "What is it?" He asked. "My sources in Sepulchure's fortress tell me that his sentries in the area know of you. I suspect he will be sending someone to check it out soon." Ash replied with a grim look on his face. "Why would they send someone? I'm just a Guardian." "They say his sentries detected something with extreme power. I don't know if it is you, but that doesn't matter. I just fear he may send someone..." He immediately became silent, slowly crouching as he pointed towards a band of figures standing in the ruins of Falconreach. "How many?" Syrik whispered, since Ash was at a much better viewpoint. "Three." He replied as his expression changed from battle-ready to grim as he pulled Syrik behind a wall fragment. "We need to get out of here." "What?" Syrik nearly shouted. "We can't just leave. We must find out who's down there." "Sepulchure." Ash answered, his expression becoming even grimmer. "Along with Drakath and their little pet." "Pet...?" He said to himself as he looked back down towards the three beings. "We must fight." Ash turned towards him quickly. "Are you insane? Did you forget that Sepulchure nearly killed the Hero with a single attack? Or that Drak-" He was interrupted when the piece of wall they were using as cover was suddenly sliced in half, leaving a menacing figure standing in it's place. He stood nearly six feet tall, with broad shoulders and a lean, muscular build. His armor was almost blood red, and his dull grey blade reflected it clearly. One of the two large horns on his helmet was broken at the tip, leaving it rough and jagged. Syrik had remembered his armor always being in top condition. Always polished. Always clean. Always undamaged. But now...it was covered in cracks and slash marks. The horns on his left pauldron had long ago been destroyed. That, and the massive crack on the left side of his chest plate, made that entire side of his body look weaker. But there was no denying who he was. "Sepulchure." Ash and Syrik said in unison, glaring at the creature before them. "What have we here?"The Doomknight asked, pointing the tip of his blade towards Ash. "A knight...." He moved his blade towards Syrik. "And his squire?" Ash and Syrik remained silent, just glaring up at the remnants of a man. "Neither of you will answer me?" Sepulchure asked, looking down at them as Drakath slowly walked up behind him. "Sire, we've searched everywhere. Nothing has shown...." He dropped the words and gave Syrik a strange look. "Bring me my pet." Sepulchure replied, lowering his blade to the ground. "I want to introduce him to this Guardian." * * * * * * Chapter Two - Drakath "Do this, do that." Drakath thought to himself as he walked back into town, looking for the beast. "I know I should have betrayed him. I could have had the Ultimate Orb. I could have been so powerful..." He passed by the massive crater as the ground rumbled and a huge creature shot into the air. It was humanoid in shape, and stood nearly nine feet tall with tree trunk legs and arms that could break a dragon's neck. Atop it's broad shoulders was a hairless head with a nearly featureless face due to the thick metal mask covering it's mouth. It's skin was was as black as night, except for the large white ShadowScythe symbol across it's back and the smaller one over it's heart. It's eyes had no pupils or irises, and they glowed red. Those blood red eyes flared with rage as they spotted Drakath, and it immediately charged towards the dark being. He just stood there, emotionless, as the hulking creature approached. It was no more than a foot away before he raised his hand towards the creature. The ShadowScythe symbol burned into the palm of Drakath's hand glowed as the two on the creature did, causing it to stop in place and let out an inhuman wail. He walked closer as the beast fell to it's knees, staring at the ground obediently. "You no good, stupid beast." Drakath said as he closed his hand into a fist, causing the creature to scream in agony. "Your master wants you." He opened his hand slowly as the glowing stopped, and the creature turned and ran towards Sepulchure. * * * * * * Chapter Two - Syrik It took everything in the young Guardian to remain calm as the massive beast came sprinting towards them. While it looked completely inhuman, something about it reminded him of someone he knew. He couldn't put his finger on it, but the beast made him think of someone he had known... "What do you think of my pet?" Sepulchure asked, holding his hand out towards the creature. The symbol carved into the armor plating on his palm and on the creature's back and chest glowed brightly as the beast dropped down to its knees, obviously in pain. "I call him Ezibane." The creature raised it's head at the sound of it's name, but quickly regretted it as Sepulchure closed his hand, causing Ezibane extreme pain. Syrik and Ash just stared at the DoomKnight silently. "Nothing to say? I would expect this from the new guy. But not from you Ash. You always have something to say to me." Ash simply glared up at the dark being before him. "I know how to make you talk. Ezibane," Sepulchure said, turning towards the hulking creature. "Attack." He opened his hand and all the ShadowScythe symbols ceased to glow, and Ezibane launched forward, grabbing each of them with one hand. It turned and threw them each in a different direction, sending Ash flying into the crater and Syrik into the remains of Patch's barbershop. The young knight slowly managed to get to his knees before the beast leaped into the air, landing beside him. Ezibane wrapped it's massive hand around Ash's torso and began slamming him against the ground, hitting him harder each time. Syrik stood up and coughed, dusting himself off before he walked through the hole he had made in the back wall of the building, picking his sword up from where it had fallen. With it in his right hand he ran towards Ezibane, ready to kill the beast or die trying. Ash slowly began to lose consciousness as he was repeatedly slammed against the hard ground, already bleeding in various places along his chest and face. He looked up and saw Syrik stop a few feet from the creature. His blade glowed as the former Guardian raised it above his head, then pointed his hand towards Ezibane, sending a massive beam of light towards the beast. It turned just in time to take the attack square in the chest, sending it flying and subsequently crashing into the remains of Reens' alchemy shop. Ezibane slammed into the ground and bounced, going face first into the wall of Alina's shop, before he stood and looked toward Syrik with a snarl. The young Guardian walked over to his friend and reached down, helping him up. "Stay awake. Just keep your eyes open long enough to get back to camp." Syrik said, Moving Ash over and leaning him against a tree moments before he heard the beast approaching. He gritted his teeth and turned around quickly, screaming in rage and aiming his hand towards the creature. A massive ball of fire in the shape of a dragon's head shot out of his hand, slamming into the creature's chest with a loud sizzle. Ezibane let out a howl of pain before jumping forward, swinging at Syrik. The Guardian jumped just out of range of the beast's massive arm, but not far enough, for its claws dug into his chest, leaving three deep gashes. He jumped back, holding his blade defensively in front of him as he touched the wounds on his chest; when he pulled his hand back and it was covered in blood. Syrik immediately went on the offensive, leaping forward and slashing at Ezibane's chest, slicing deeply into its dark flesh. It let out an inhuman scream before turning and hitting him square in the chest with the back of it's hand, sending the wounded Guardian flying fifty feet away, where he hit the ground and bounced a few times before coming to a stop against a tree. Ezibane began to charge towards Syrik, but fell to it's knees as the symbols on its chest and back glowed brightly, along with the one on Sepulchure's hand. "Bring me the boy." He said, looking over at Syrik in disgust. "Leave him, so that the others may know." The beast turned and walked over to Ash, who had passed out leaning against the tree, right where Syrik had left him. It grabbed him with one hand, throwing him over his shoulder and running to the DoomKnight's side. Syrik leaned up and looked at them as the air around them shimmered, and they disappeared right before his eyes.

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