nield
Creative!
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Chapter 8: Deliver Us From Chaos... The Heroes are at the end of the road. But what lies there? Salvation? Or Despair? Their feet beat upon the stone floor, as they ran through corridors and down stairs, and up stairs and tumbling down near-sheer stone shafts. They ran, their footsateps echoing through empty halls, "This is far too easy. Where are all his minions?" "Stay on your guard. We should be running into some of them very soon." The Heroes tightened their grips on their weapons. They soon burst into a large hall, where a very large amount of Nield's soldiers waited. "There! On the other side of this hall, there's the staircase leading down!" A voice rang out laughing and eight men and women stepped forward, toward the Heroes. "Welcome, Heroes of Lore! You seek our mighty King, He, the betrayed, He, the powerful, HE! THE INSTRUMENT OF YOUR DESTRRRRRUCTION! He will see you. If and ONLY IFF! You pass the challenges set forth by him, in the form of a series of grueling chall-" The man was interrupted by a hammer, that collided with his head, and bent his neck back at an angle that severed his cerebral cortex, among other vital things. The Heroes whirled around, as none of them used hammers. "Always hated th' theatrical types." said the large man at the head of a new group. "Father!" cried the Lorian Nield. Fjorrik smiled and stepped forward, laying a hand upon his son's head. "Yeh've grown, son. But let us handle this one." The main group of Heroes were speechless. Before them was a group of Legendary Heroes, all of them thought dead. Fjorrik 'Heavyhammer' Balthasar, the man with the strength of a thousand Giants. Lyondor, the Dragonlord Lost, his skill with a sword the stuff of legends. Shane, the Archer of 100 storms. Silvana Sterling, Silver Siren of Riddles, her beauty matched only by her skill with daggers. Gabriel Millenium, the first Chronomancer, her powers over time second to none. Esterb Eltorath Geeltiar, a Barbarian of such savagery, that he was hunted down, by nearly all of Lore. Aribel Arhart, Queen of the seas, a Pirate of honour, yet so feared, that no MAN dared walk the wet sand upon a beach without her say-so. And lastly, T.I.T.E, a master of magic with no peer, For none could ever hope to match his complete mastery of the elements. "And just WHO are you lot supposed to be?" asked one of the now 7 warriors that had stepped forward. "We're no-one special. We're just th' inhabitants 'f a small town, Crowsglove. 'Nd we're here t' stop ye. This be Lore. Invaders 'rnt welcome." Om Fjorrik's last word, the Legendary Heroes jumped into action. Shane's bow was up instantly, and an arrow lodged inbetween the eyes of the woman who had asked the identities of the group. T.I.T.E was playing havoc with the senses of another, using his mastery of Darkness before becoming bored. "They call me T.I.T.E. It's an acronym. Do you know what it stands for? It stands for: This Is The End." with that, he unleashed a blast containing EVERY known element... and a few that weren't. Three down. Lyondor had set himself up against the best swordsman from the eight, and was busily hacking and slashing away, in a hallf-hearted manner that his opponent was not even able to guard against. With one final feint and a stab, it was over. Aribel was standing 30 paces from her opponent. "A'right, ye dog. at th' sound of th' hammer, draw!" Her opponent, confused, was about to ask 'what hammer?' when Fjorrik let loose a mighty blow upon the ground, and in the blink of an eye, Aribel's pistole was up and fired, quickly despatching her opponent. Five down. Silvana was adance, her daggers flashing, as he beautiful voice mesmerised her prey. Before long, he fell from bloodloss. Esterb bounded toward his foe, who seeing the sight he saw, ran. This did not stop Esterb from catching him, and tearing his head off, roaring as he did. Gabriel was making her foe age from infant to decrepit old woman, over and over, until she pleaded for mercy. Gabriel smiled, and made her opponent age to her death. "Eight down, 'nd we've not broken a sweat. 'O's next?" he asked. At this, the spell that had seemed to overcome the soldiers, leaving them slack-jawed, disappeared, and they charged en masse. The Legendary Heroes grinned, and charged as well, Esterb at their head. When the two groups collided, dozens of soldiers were sent flying by Esterb alone. Shane stayed back, along with T.I.T.E, and together they laid down support. Soon there was a gap through the enemies. "Go! We shall hold them here, and meet with you later!" shouted T.I.T.E to the Heroes. They nodded and ran through, slicing down any who got in their way. Soon, they were descending the spiral staircase, the sounds of fighting soon failing to reach their ears anymore. Mechajin let out a low whistle. "I can't believe... Legendary Heroes, all of them! And two of them are your parents?" This last bit was directed at Nield. "Yeah. But, there isn't really anything THAT special about them. A lot of them live quietly. Except for Esterb. He sometimes keeps the village awake at night." The Heroes shake their heads. None of them ever thought they'd meet any ONE of these figures, let alone a whole VILLAGE of them. "Regardless... They saved our arses back there. I'm not sure how well we would have done against so many foes without their assistance." "Well, we're about to find out, I think. We're coming to the bottom of the staircase now." Amanda announced, and the Heroes braced themselves for what was to come. They stepped out into a large open hall, with a single figure standing in its center. It was Mritha, the Chaos Queen. Though she stood adorned in her old armour, rather than a set of Chaotic Clothing. "Two of you, step forward and face me." she called out. With a quick glance around, Mritha and Amanda stepped forward. Mritha the Chaos Queen wrinkled her nose. "Hmph... you two... No Chaotic Clothing, daughter." she said, and snapped her fingers. Amanda's set of Chaotic clothing was replaced by what seemed to be her personal set of armour. White as pure snow in colour, her armour made those present think of an angel. Mainly it simply conformed exactly to her body, even scars and blemishes seemed to be reproduced on the armour. From the back extended 20 foot long wings, each a rainbow of colours. The helm appeared to be of a phoenix's head. In her hand she held a sword that ran straight and true, though it was in direct contrast to her figure. The blade was made of the same metal that Nield had used for his armour, and his scythe. The rare black metal, with the red pulsing veins, that has been named Pyromantium, due to its inherent properties of fire. Her sword had only one vein of red though, that ran the center of the flat of the blade. the hilt seemed to be made of a starch-white bone, that was adorned with feathers, similar in colour to those of the wings that protruded from her back. Amanda turned to the Heroes, and spoke. As she did, the beak of the 'helm' opened, and the Heroes had a sudden realisation. This wasn't a set of armour... this was what she actually looked like! "I am sorry, my friends... I have not been entirely truthful with you. For start, I withheld this form from you... and I lied about my name." "Come on, Phoenix, my daughter. Do not keep me waiting." Amanda- or, rather, Phoenix- turned towards her mother. "My apologies, friends. I shall answer your questions... Right after I deal with Mother dearest." With that, she took flight, her massive wings bearing her aloft on artificial updrafts. "Come at me!" shouted The Chaos Queen, and both Phoenix and Mritha obliged. Mritha charged and Phoenix dive-bombed toward the Chaos Queen, Who gripped her sword tightly. Quickly she parried the swordblows from her Dragonlord self, before jumping up and giving her daughter a swift kick to the side of her beak, which through her off-balance, and nearly went careening into a wall. Back on solid ground, the Chaos Queen went on the offensive, striking with such swiftness and ferocity that Mritha was sent staggering back with each blow. Not long before Mritha's defenses would have caved through, Phoenix returned, coming from the other direction, a quick thrust that the Chaos Queen somersaulted over, as Phoenix planted her feet firmly on the ground, her wings out behind her moving to encircle the Chaos Queen completely. Reaching a hand out, Mritha the Chaos Queen ripped a bunch of feathers from Phoenix's left wing, which caused her to shriek in agony, and pull her wings back behind herself. Phoenix and Mritha then went on a simultaneous offensive, striking with such rapidity that the Chaos Queen was forced into a defensive position. Pulling both Mritha's and Phoenix's blades into a lock, the Queen started to twist, in an attempt to disarm her foes. A quick punch to the face from Phoenix put an end to the attempt, and Mritha, her sword free, was able to cut down the Queen's armour. With a cry of pain, the Queen leapt back, blood slowly oozing through the thin gash down the length of her breastplate. Taking several deep, ragged breaths, Mritha the Chaos Queen eyed her opponents warily. "Very impressive... you wounded me. But I promise you, it will NOT happen again!" With that, she leapt forwards again, eager to repay the two tenfold for the wound they had visited upon her. Armed with fury as she now was, the Chaos Queen became even more dangerous an adversary, her blows struck faster and faster, and soon she was pushing both Mritha and Phoenix back. However, in her fury, she overreached. Mritha rolled aside from a blow and the Chaos Queen overbalanced. "This is for Kris' father!" Mritha cried, as she plunged her blade through the Chaos Queen's back. From the staircase came applause. The Heroes whirled around, some of them drawing arms, but the person applauding was Lyondor. "Well finished, young Dragonlord! The others should be here shortly. We don't want Esterb attacking you lot, now do we?" A couple of Heroes paled at the thought, remembering what he had done to the soldiers upstairs. Mritha the Chaos Queen gurgled, and managed to speak. "I'll... I'll be back to finish the job..." and with those words, she disappeared, leaving a puddle of blood behind as evidence that she had even been there. At that point, Phoenix reverted back to 'Amanda', but she incinerated the Chaotic clothing, and returned to her true form. "So... This is the real you, then, is it?" Mechajin asked. "Yes... I am sorry for the deception, but... I was not sure you would trust me, unless you saw me like one of yourselves. I am deeply sorry." she spoke, her voice lighter and higher than it had been in her other form. It as matters see, I do not. You as trust we do as gained. Actions yours, are as what substance holds. Astray led, mine son's group, you are as not as seem to have. The doubt benefit, I as to you do give." said Silvana, as she descended the stairs. Most of the heroes looked blankly, then turned to Nield. "She said: 'I do not see that it matters. You have to gain our trust. Your actions are what matters. You do not seem to have led my son's group astray. So I'll give you the benefit of the doubt'." Phoenix bowed in thanks to Silvana. Soon both groups had met up, and T.I.T.E healed Phoenix's wing where Mritha the Chaos Queen had ripped off some of her feathers. T.I.T.E was also keeping Esterb under control. Soon, the now-larger group were on their way again. They exited the hall and found themselves overlooking a huge maze, larger than any labyrinth, that they would descend to, via a small set of stairs, barely large enough for one person. "That... is massive. How are we supposed to find our way through? I can't pinpoint any way through from up here..." Phoenix laughed. "That is because there is no way through. There is nothing at the other end, either. We have to jump off. "J-Jump off?" stammered Mechajin. Phoenix nodded, and dived right off the edge, into the abyss! "That's mighty easy for her to say... she has wings! But... I agree there doesn't seem to be any way through the maze. Just look, there's a wall across the whole length of the maze just beyond the middle of it. I say... We jump!" he said, and pulled Esterb off the edge with him. Soon enough, the rest of the Heroes followed suit. They fell for around ten minutes. When they neared the bottom, their speed was reduced, until they touched the ground without making a noise. "Well, that was certainly... different." Mechajin stated. "Yes. But now we're in the actual maze. And it is twice the size of that one up there!" At this, there were a few groans from the Heroes. "Well then... I don't believe there's anything else for it... Lead the way, then...?" "Phoenix. My name is Phoenix." "A phoenix named Phoenix. How droll." commented T.I.T.E. It took the group several hours to navigate the maze, but when they did, they saw a MASSIVE set of doors. "Is this...?" "Father's throne room. He'll be inside, and I've no doubt Mother has healed up already. She'll be with him, I have no doubt. Now... ASHT'ERRA, ARDVWEILD, ENDASKERORT!" chanted Phoenix, and the doors opened inwards, to reveal Nield waiting for them, seated on his throne, resting his head on his hand, and smiling. "Welcome, one and all! I see most of you have managed to make it here. Though I note an absence or two. Now then. As much as I've enjoyed our little game... it's time for it to-" "Stop." The voice that interrupted Nield took everyone by surprise. Several people recognised the voice, all reacting at once. "Th-That voice! It can't be!" "M-My Lord Chaos! How unexpected!" "Ultimatum! You little snake..." "Wh-What? But I never called on you..." "You... YOU... YOOOOUUUUU!!!" "Wait... did Nield call him... Lord Chaos?" Fjorrik spat. "That snake ain't Chaos, even if he exists. His name is Ultimatum." "Quite. Nield, your services have been performed commendably, but You are not who We are." "M-My lord?" "Oh. My. God... Look. LOOK AT HIM! He... He's... He's Nield... He's each and every single Nield... Across each and every single reality." Ultimatum smiled. "How perceptive. But we cannot be many. We must be one. And we cannot be THIS one. He is the weakest of all. The only one weak enough, OR stupid enough to embrace 'Chaos'. He has made a good puppet, but He cannot be who We are. He and His soldiers of Chaos... will now die. Their Chaos Clothing will now drain them of life." True to Ultimamtum's word, Chaos Nield and Chaos Mritha started screaming, and aging before the Heroes' eyes. "You... Your voice is so... YOU." Nield's eyes snapped open and an understanding flowed through him."You are the one who brought me back to life, all those years ago... You... You messed with my mind when you did that! I AM NIELD! I AM THE PINK PYROMANCER! I AM A GENERAL OF PINK! NO MATTER HOW MUCH I DISAGREE, THE DECISION OF OUR GLORIOUS LEADER IS FINAL!!!! I WILL NOT BE YOUR PUPPET!!!!! I WILL BE FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!" With that cry, Nield was engulfed in flames, and his Chaotic Clothing incinerated. Then, a large amount of Pyromantium erupted from the ground, and he used to to mold himself a second set of his own armour, most of which had been destroyed during the war he waged against Green. There was, however, nothing he could do for his wife, as soon she was reduced to a dry husk. Ultimatum looked untroubled by these events. He raised an arm straight up, and a portal opened. Through the portal fell two figures. This, however, appeared to displease Ultimatum. "We were only able to bring two through to here? Unfortunate. But it matters not." With that, Ultimatum disappeared. Nield, his mind now free, went over to his wife, and held her dry, shriveled hand against his head. "Please... I know... I know I can never make up for what I have done... But please. PLEASE! Let me help you. That... That THING must be stopped. It has pulled through two other Nields... I think it plans to bring them ALL here... What its plan then is, I can only guess. But having four different Nields in one single reality is bad enough, if it succeeds in bringing all of them here... it won't matter WHICH Nield it thinks it is... The whole of reality would be destroyed!!!!" The Heroes were silent for a few minutes, before Mechajin stuck out his hand. "Welcome back, old friend." The true mastermind behind Nield and 'Chaos' is revealed. Ultimatum! It turns out 'He' is every single Nield, But he is searching for an identity... a singularness. And it might just destroy the whole of everything if it succeeds! Nield's mind has been freed, and now, they must all work together. To save EVERYTHING! Deliverance: End.
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