Ww - the coming storm

Vent twisted, and caught the dagger in his side. But that was part of his plan.


Using the katana to glance the path of the sword as he twisted again to the other side, Vent flicked his wrists, catching the point of the katana in Borghen's visor. As Borghen lunged, and the sword grazed by Vent's face, Vent also lunged, plunging the katana into Borghen's helmet. Vent yelled as twisted the blade, hoping he'd cause some damage.
 
Borghen roared in agony. The katana was of demonsteel,and was forever sharp,and never broken. Borghen was half blinded,as the sword plunged into one of his eyes. He abandoned his longsword,which crumbled to dust upon leaving his hand,and snatched the katana out of Vent's hand,hauling the weapon out of his eyesocket. Black blood now pouring from his helmet,Borghen began to feel enraged. He began to strike at Vent with the shield's blade,knowing full well that the katana will not harm it's master.
 
Vent took the brunt of the first shield blow, feeling a rib or two bruise, if not snap.


He grunted as he stood tall, and took Borghen's dagger from his side, stabbing it into the other side of the visor, hoping to get the other eye. With his other hand, Vent grapsed at his katana, while it pulled itself from Borghen's grip.
 
Swirled in darkness a single light flickered into being, a candle that illuminated a desk with a piece of parchment and a quill. Without a visible hand touching it the quill dipped into ink before scrawling a short message across the paper. It was signed with a 'lipstick kiss' from an not there mouth. The paper folded itself and disappeared.


~



In Hope's esaste. Near where all the voilence was taking place. The shigofumi pinned itself onto the wall and hung there, Vent scribbled across the side of it. On the inside was the note that read only,
It's Okay. A final help from a friend who knew what that would do if Vent read it.





~


The smile of a stitched shut mouth was a lot more than should have been being passed on that face with clouded eyes that couldn't see, one would think it would be retching in misery or screaming in wrath, but not any sign of joy. Wasn't that the way most suicide cases entered hell? Full of sadness and anger from the life they took themselves from?


And yet, it was happy. Turning her head to look towards the sound of footsteps, Alec kept quiet in the little hole in the wall she had stumbled into. Putting a hand over the flame she knew was there, it went out. The footsteps stopped. "I don't see anything Mikal. Stop screwing around. We have demons to destroy." A lisping voice said, sounding oddly reptilian. "I'm telling you there was a light!"
 
Borghen's dagger crumbled to dust as soon as Vent attempted to touch it. Borghen continued his assault with his shield,and brought another one to his other arm,identical to the first,and brought both arms into the assault.


Borghen knew that if he gave Vent an opprotunity to attack,he'd have to fight hard to regain an advantage. Borghen was herding Vent to a wall,and this would give Borghen a decisive advantage.


The twenty five gunmen that were in the foyer were now pouring into the room,which had now become a warzone. One of the men raised his machine gun to fire,but it was quickly lowered by another gunman.


The butler arrived at the door to Hope's study panting. He composed himself,and knocked on the door.
 
Vent managed to get a hold of his katana, and kept Borghen's attacks at bay, but was quickly forced back. Borghen's might was overwhelming. He was barely holding Borghen off. The vicious assault was draining Vent's stamina.


Being forced back, Vent had to think of something to get him out of this situation, before he would be unable to keep Borghen at bay! Then an idea of sorts came to him.


Vent's grin faltered for a second, as he allowed his body to go limp, as his arms stayed strong and rigid. His katana took the full force of the next blow, while Vent was shot across the room into the crowd of gunmen. All of the men seemed a tad confused, as they looked around. Vent wasn't there.


Then, they all seemed to fall apart. Demonic energy welled from their cut corpses, as Vent stood up from the bloody mess, a giant grin on his face. He licked his lips.


He started chuckling, which evolved into a cackle, which evolved into a laugh.


"Borghen, you sonofabitch!" He yelled, done laughing. "That hurt!"


With a sinister grin, and blood covering him, Vent took a ready stance, his katana glistening in the dim light.
 
Borghen was spun around by the sudden strike. His left shield caught the blow,thankfuly,but it had a crack running its length. He allowed it to crumble,and made a new one. He stomped down,sending a tremor across the battlefield,and simultaneously creating a kasurigama from the ground. He began to swng the mace end above his head,while holding the other end,which was,instead of a hand-scythe,a shortsword. His glowing red eye shrank down,as if it were squinting.


~~~


The butler waited outside the study door,standing perfectly straight. He allowed his eyes to dart about nervously,and sweat began to drip down the back of his head.
 
Vent relaxed a bit, and took a few deep breaths, allowing some of the blood to flow off of him.


He glanced around, and noticed a note on the wall, right beside him. He grabbed it. It had his name on it.


His grin faltered, and a more serious look took his visage. He opened it with hie left hand, holding his katana in the right hand.


It said exactly what Vent needed.


He chuckled.


Alec must have known that his demon blood needed her permission to activate fully. She said it was okay.


Vent looked back up at Borghen.


"Well, Borghen. Feel my WRATH!" He screamed, his hair turning bleach white, and the whites of his eyes going black. His green eye's pupil turned yellow to match his other eye, and his hair lengthened some. Vent kept on grinning.


"We'll settle this demon to demon!" He yelled, launching himself at Borghen with a massive helm-splitting blow, the note from Alec floating in the gust caused by his sudden leap.


It landed in the blood.
 
The helmet was split by Vent's blow. Borghen dropped to a kneeling position,as the mace fell,and struck the top of Vent's skull full force. He got up,spinnig the mace up again,but this time he held it like a shield. He held the sword in his other hand,and began to unleash a flurry of lunging blows at ent,using the sword,keeping the kasurigama mace behind him,ready to be used as a ranged weapon,or to follow up if he misses.


~~~


The butler moaned in anxiety,and began to twiddle his thumbs nervously behind his back.
 
Vent grunted as the mace hit his head, fresh blood running down his face. He glanced the first lunge, and used the hilt to hit the base of the crack on Borghen's helmet, then followed through with a spinnig slash at weakened base.


"Let's see your pretty face, Borghen, so I can bust it up!" Vent yelled, wrathful in tone.


~


The door to Hope's study suddenly shuddered, and a strange light began to emit from behind the door.


It suddenly unlocked.


It felt as if the butler was supposed to let himself in.
 
Borghen's helmet fell away in two pieces,revealing a ghastly sight.


He retained the skull that he previously sported as a head,minus the horns. But the skull seemed to have attempted to grow flesh. What made it ghastly was that the flesh appeared to be decaying,with coagulated black blood around and beneath his right eye. he left eye was an inky black pit,with a tiny,blood red light shining within. Borghen's expression was surprisingly neutral,considering his nature.


Borghen used the sinning to add even more force to his next assault. He lead with the mace,driving it with bone shattering force into Vent's right hip. He continued his spin,and in less than a second,the blade of his sword was rocketing towards Vent's throat.


~~~


The butler,now even more nervous,glanced around. Seeing nobody,he taken a few tentative steps towards the door. He peered inside,and found the room to be bathed in bright white light. He could barely see a figure standing in the room,silluhetted by the light.
 
Vent grunted again as the mace nailed his hip, but went limp, allowing it to flip him in the air, the blade from Borghen's attack barely missing his gut.


As Vent spun, he precisely swung the katana with his momentum from the ragdoll spin, and sliced Borghen's knees through gaps in the armor. Landing on his left side, Vent rolled quickly, sprinkng to his feet. His right side seemed bloody, but useable, but he led with his left foot now.


"..... Holy shit, Borghen...." Vent managed to get out, the sight of Borghen's face actually being repulsive to him.


~


The light died down inside Hope's study, and he slowly lowered to the floor. It was undeniable that he was the one the light was coming from.


Inside his chest, a light glowed. Since he currently had no shirt on, anyone would be able to see what Hope had done to himself.


He had fused with the Soulstone.


It glowed brightly in the center of his chest, streaks of light running through his veins, stemming from the legendary artifact. His skin had also gone pitch white, his platinum hair seeming colorful by comparison.


His eyes opened.


They were pure white.


Runes familiar of Umbralus appeared on his face, perfectly symmetrical. His hands and feet glowed with an eerie light blue aura, the same colour of his markings, his veins, and the Soulstone.


"..... Hello, Alfred. What do you think? Am I majestic?" Hope asked, reveling in his new, amazing form.
 
Borghen fell to his knees,and dropped the kasurigama,which immediately fell to dust. He pushed himself up to his knees,and roared. Black blood wwas flowing freely from his knees,rendering them useless. But he didn't care. Borghen began to rise up off the ground,and hovered. He was surrounded by a black aura,that consumed all light that entered it,yet Borghen was strangely visible within. He extended his arms out beside him,and the two shields came off his arms,grew and began to orbit him. The shotguns and machine guns that littered the battlefield shot towards his hands (OOC: 35 weapons,just so ya know) an transformed into blades. Not swords,but blades,which orbited his arms. The remains of his helmet rose up from the ground and reassembled themselves,while his eye healed. The helmet hovered above Borghen's head,and dropped down into its assigned place,covering his visage. Borghen brought his arms down,and held them out by his hips at an angle. His eyes appeared to be aflame.


~~~


Alfred was dumbstruck. "S-sir! Is that the Soulstone!? B-but,you said you didn't have a useable soul! What's powering it?"
 
Vent grinned.


".... Fair enough. I suppose the second-last boss can have an advanced form too!" He yelled, chuckling. "But only one! And the last boss always has more!"


Readying himself, katana at hand, Vent thought for a second.


'I haven't named this bad-boy yet. I never even named my staff.....'


The thought sobered him.


Then he came up with the perfect name.


"Me 'n my Penumbral-Blade will defeat you! The hero always has the cooler weapon!" He shouted, launching himself at the powered Borghen with a piercing stab, full of demonic energy.
 
Tilting her head to the side Alec's smile never left her face. "I'm telling you, your just nuts. Lets go back we have things to kill." A growl. "I told you there was a light, and if I said there was a light, there was a light!" The sound of someone getting smacked..."Yeah....I guess maybe there was..." The footsteps came closer and Alec tilted her head downwards. From the voices they were male, from the footsteps they were big. Her hand went over the candle again and it flickered back into life.


The footsteps stopped, before they changed direction and came to the edge of her little hole. "Told you..." One muttered. "Well looky here, a new prey or a play thing." Laughter, "Does it ma- Gareeekghuhnesterk." Blood spattered the walls of the hole, the other man stumbled back shocked at seeing his friend and partner skewered on the long talons of a dragons claw. Five seconds later, he was gone too.


Shifting slightly and feeling for the two bodies Alec kicked them off the cliff ridge they were on. Smelling the blood on her once again hand, she pressed it to her mouth, some of it sliding into her mouth between the stitches. The smile widened as she went back into her solitude.
 
Borghen was unimpressed by Vent's antics. He was even less impressed when Vent lunged at him. I thought this boy was intelligent...


One of the shields intercepted the lunge,and catapulted Vent away,then returned to it's orbit. Borghen raised his left arm,which had twenty five long,narrow blades orbiting it. "This isn't a game,child. This is reaity. And in reality,the hero is always CRUCIFIED!"


A cross made of stone shot up behind Vend while he was flying through the air,which he crashed into. Four of the long,narrow blades shot towards Vent,and impaled his palms and feet,holding him to the giant stone cross. Borghen lowered his left arm,and raised his right one,which had ten short,yet wide blades orbiting it. "Checkmate." Three of the blades shot out,one rocketing towards Vent's forehead,another towards the left side of his chest,and the other for his stomach.


~~~


Alfred glanced about the room,and said,a little more loudly, "Sir? I mean no disrespect,but can you hear me?"
 
Vent roared in pain as he was nailed to the cross, but kept on talking.


He liked talking.


"... Sorry, Borghen. You're wrong!" He spat, His muscles tensing against the bonds holding him. "Life is whatever you make of it!"


Suddenly, storm clouds appeared. Lightning bolts shot down, deflecting the oncoming projectiles.


Wind whipped around, knocking Borghen back a little, and water started to fall, almost like rain. Vent was cleansed of the blood and gore that covered him, and his demonic form looked almost angelic, despite the fangs and claws. The bonds snapped, and special glowing water welled up and sealed Vent's main wounds, the ones on his limbs. The katana returned to him.


He was now panting a bit. A show of elemental power like that took a lot of magic. Vent managed to power most if it from his demonic reserves, but it took a good chuck from his power.


"..... And by the way, Borghen, I only know of one hero who was crucified. And he let it happen." Vent said, his usual jovial grin gracing his face.


~


Hope smirked.


".... Sorry. This new body is amazing. The Soulstone is quite an amazing tool. More flexible than one might think." Hope explained, glancing at Alfred.


".... The time has come, my old friend. You will serve me quite well, for I'm giving you a promotion, if you will." Hope explained further, his smirk turning rather sinister.
 
As Vent broke free from his bonds,Borghen was left dumbstruck. The blades returned to their places,and if they broke,they were repaired. He regained himself before the blades got back.


"I know. I'm the one that headed his 'Jury'. It was glorious. But there were others. And you will meet them...First hand. That is,of course,you're judged worthy of Heaven."


Borghen rocketed forward,left fist cocked back.


~~~


Alfred was all ears. "You flatter me,sir. I would be honoured to shoulder more dutied in your name." Alfred didn't notice Hope's changein smile.
 
Leaning her head back against the wall Alec curled up on her side, in the back of her cave hole. The side of her head was pounding. She knew why, but she didn't want to let it out just yet. Meido was pissed because of that. Flexing her fingers and opening and closing her eyes though it didn't make a difference she smiled wider.


It wasn't going to wait much longer. Coughing violently and painfully the stitches in her mouth ripped open as black oily vile spilled from her lips. As it stopped the stitches writhered in the air before burying back into her skin, sealing her mouth shut again. A process repeated several more times.
 
Vent grinned. This was getting exciting!


As the stormclouds and other excess elements he used we sucked into Borghen's skulls, Vent realized why the elemental magic wasn't working. Umbralus was useless this fight, and his other spells as well, because Borghen had immunity to them!


But something was missing. Vent sent demonic shockwaves out at Borghen's blades, knocking them back, so he could meet Borghen's charge on more even grounds.


Ready for the charge, Vent tried to think what Borghen's defense was missing. Vent's demonic energy wouldn't get him through this one alone!


~


Hope chuckled.


"Alfred, I need you to schedule an event that will round up as many people as possible. I need a large crowd, preferably over 10,000. I know this is a daunting task, but I need you to do this while I get used to this body." Hope explained.
 
The sickness was accelerating here, wasn't it? Was it just in this little hole, or in hell...? Alec hadn't a clue. Her hand clutched onto her head as she said something that was muffled and didn't make sense. So you'll give in now? Yes.... A few seconds later, Meido sat up smirking, the stitches making it even scarier. Holding out both hands she released the sickness. It spread out in a vile black ooze taking the colour away from everything that it touched, filling every living thing with despair and hopelessness, that nothing was ever going to be okay. SLowly, everything it touched started going mad along with its emotions. The despair turning into torment the hopelessness turning into anger. Everything started turning on itself, destroying itself creating the perfect chaos of self destruction.
 
Borghen growled like a vicious animal when Vent parried the blades and evaded both shields. "You. Will. BUUURRRRNN!!!!" Borghen grabbed Vent by the arm with both hands,and hammer-tossed him into the ceiling. Before Vent could even leave the ceiling's surface,Borghen drove his left fist into Vent's stomach at insane speeds. He shot his right hand behing himself,and drew the blades back to it. "Accept your fate,you infernal worm!"


~~~


Alfred was instantly planning.
"Are you willing to part with one of your marble statues? We could donate it to the museum in the city. That should attract enough people."
 
Vent growled, and Pryed himself from the ceiling as Borghen cocked his fist back.


"Here's blood in your eye!" Vent yelled cheerfully, spitting some blood into Borghen's good eye, hoping the demonic blood might bother Borghen more than just decreased vision.


With that distracting move, Vent pushed off the ceiling, launching himself at Borghen again, making a clean swipe through the left arm at the elbow as he passed him in the air. On the way down, Vent parried any blade that came too close for comfort, and spun upon landing, charging his demonic energy again.


'Burn......' He thought, his demonic energy welling up.


~


Hope smiled.


"Donate them all, Alfred. The more, the merrier." He said.
 
Borghen was unaffected by the blood. All it done was temporarily blur his sight,but it was quickly blinked away. Borghen slowly descended to the ground,and muttred, "I'm growing tired of this game." He raised his arms,and the blades rocketed towards Vent,and began to swarm around him. Thirty five blades,swirling around Vent,like a swam of deadly,steel,gnats. In the chaos,Borghen retreated to Hell,sending a message to Hope, "I've done all I could. He's weakened. You may do the rest,or you could make yourself scarce. Your choice. I'll be in Hell."


~~~


Alfred pulled out a notepad and pen,and written down his instructions.
"Very well,sir. It should be done within the week."


Alfred strode out of the study,and closed the door silently. He then proceeded to leave the estate,to find contractors to make the statues ready for transport.


~~~


Steven decided to connect to Aeonor while he waited for Artemis' secretary to respond. Aeonor,can you hear me? I can. What do you need? I can't feel Alec anymore. Where is she? Hell. Hell? She can handle herself. No,she can't. She's dead. DEAD!? Is there anything you can do? Maybe. But only if she wills it. I can go and make a silent offer,but she ultimately has the final say. Can you last without me? Yes. Good. Farewell,for now.


Aeonor appeared in Hell,near the Caverns of Autohomicide (Murder of self). He was an imposing figure,wearing tattred grey robes,and a vicious looking scythe. He radiated resolve. He looked around colourless landscape,looking for Alec.
 
Vent parried each blade individually, with his demonic infused katana.


He growled as Borghen tried to retreat.


"NO!" Vent screamed! "This ends now! Umbralus Instanta!" He yelled, the instant Umbralus, which only lasted two seconds, allowed him to leave his demonic form for a second, and transform into the Voltus Umbrlaus, lightning form. With a quick step, and the speed of lightning, Vent tackled Borghen from behind, while he descended into Hell.


"I'm gonna kill you today, Borghen!" Vent screamed as he punched Borghen away, as they fell from the skies of Hell, whizzing through the clouds.


~


Hope nodded.


"I give you five days. Don't let me down, Alfred." Hope said, motioning for Alfred to take his leave now.
 

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