Ww - the coming storm

[bettsyboy]

:: Marco turned around, and sprinted to the side of the mansion ::


Marco: "okay... infiltrate the basement, move up"


:: he opened a small window next to the ground and slid in, coming into the basement, inside it, was antiques, computers and evena n old car ::


Marco: "okay then..."


:: he climbed up a the stairs, keeping to the side to avoid creaks ::

 

[Coro]

Hope walked up the stairs, making no effort to hide his physical presense, but his magical one safely surpressed. Walking up from the basement, he held a bottle of red wine in one hand and a glass in the other.


Walking past the hidden Marco, he turned slowly, grinning. He swirled his wine.


"...... Care to join me?" He asked, shaking the bottle a bit, signifying he has plenty of wine.

 

[bettsyboy]

: Marco shimmered into viewv ::


Marco: "observent aren't you?"


:: he picked up a glass ::


Marco: "well, you know as well as i do that this'll end up as a fight... lets at least enjoy each-other's company before one of us dies"


:: Marco knew that, if hope wanted to, hope could have killed him already, he decided to keep his cool, and not to panic ::

 

[Coro]

Hope's grin faded.


"..... I haven't enjoyed your company since we were children, dear Marco. I wonder if you can change that?" He asked, leading Marco into the main foyer, a tasteful and elegant design framing two chairs with a table between, perfect for buisness. Hope sat in one, and motioned for Marco to sit down.

 

[bettsyboy]

:: Marco looked around ::


Marco: "i see you've taken good care of the place my family gave you"


:: he held up his glass ::


Marco: "so... i see you've really come into your own now, Hope... no longer the little crybaby who i had to protect from bullies?"


:: Marco began to think about all the time they spent together as small kids ::

 

[Coro]

Hope's grin came back full force.


"Not quite Marco. Two of your friends are quite annoying, almost harassing me as they stand in my way again and again. I was almost wondering if I should contact you, ask you to speak with them..... Then you appear in my wine cellar.... Magically." Hope spat, his grin adding acid to his words.

 

[bettsyboy]

Marco"and why do you think they opose you?..."


:: he gave him a second ::


Marco: "could it be because you've become a power-drunk psychopath?"


:: he leant back, he sat his glass back down ::


Marco "just what IS your goal, hope? just what do you hope to achieve by gathering forces like Boghren and leslie?"

 

[Coro]

Hope sighed, his face almost contorting into a sinister smirk.


"They oppose me because they're afraid of me, Marco. Just like you. Throw around all the names you wish, I'm stronger than you now. There's no denying that. And you, a Highland, should know better than anyone that power is everything. As for my plans, there's no point in ruining the show. If you want to find out, stick around." He explained.


Staring at Marco for a moment, Hope's eyes perked up.


"..... My turn for a question?" He asked.

 

[bettsyboy]

:: Marco put up a finger ::


Marco"you have the highlands wrong... its not how much power you have, its how you use it... even if you were to kill me, my father, and the rest of my clan for selfish means... we will still see you as scum"


:: he put his finger down ::


Marco "ask away"

 

[Coro]

Hope sighed.


"..... Why exactly are YOU in my wine cellar? I half expected it to be Vent or Alec. Or maybe.... Nah. If you don't know about HIM yet, you will....." Hope asked with a chuckle.

 

[bettsyboy]

:: Marco grinned ::


Marco "simple recon..."


:: he threw his bag in front of Hope ::


Marco "i already planted explosives on the most critical foundation in this mansion..."


:: he held up a detonator ::


Marco "my reason for being here... recon and destruction... thats it, no orders, no chain of command, just me and a bag of C4"

 

[Coro]

Hope sighed, lifting his hand and snapping his fingers. His grin faded.


".... I'm sure you could have found a better, more rewarding use for your high explosives than just trying to get my goat." He spat, draining his wine and pouring another small glass. He held the bottle out to Marco.

 

[bettsyboy]

:: Marco swiped his hand, cutting the bottle of wine in 2 ::


Marco: "okay, lets cut the shit, do you really think i came here to see your pathetic pet!?"


:: he stood up, he had enough of talking to hope ::


Marco "i've beaten you before, i can do it again!"


_____________________________________________________________


:: in years past, Hope lay gasping for breath, sinking into the mud, blood coming from his eyes, mouth and ears ::


Hope: "n-no..."


Marco "yes.. hope"


:: Marco squatted down ::


Marco: "you rely too much on the power of your father..."


:: Marco pointed at the massive valey they were in ::


Marco: "this entire valley was carved by you and yet..."


:: Marco picked him up by the hair, making Hope scream, tears mixing in with the blood ::


Marco"you think, bust because of your status as a demi-god that you are above all mortals... and that is your downfall"


:: he threw Hope against a rock-face ::


Marco "you're power is gone, you're home is in ruins.. you're mother... dead"


:: the rain picked up, the blood coming from a wound on his head dripped down onto Hope :


Marco "and you're father has fled this place forevermore!"


:: he picked hope up again, and raised his arm ::


Marco: "YAAAH!"


:: he yelled this as he bought his arm down, striking hope down once again ::


Marco: "you believe yourself superior to others, so you refuse to acnowlege their strength..."


:: he got down on one knee ::


Marco"i'm gonna tell you a sectre.. of how a beat you"


:: he bent down to Hope's ear ::


Marco: " although i act surperior... i think of myself to be inferior... this pushes me to do my best, it makes me more alert, makes me faster, stronger and more focused"


:: he stood back up, and left, leaving Hope crumbled, bleeding and defeated in the mud ::


______________________________________________________________________________________________


Marco: "you still rely on your insane power reserves too much... that... is why i don't fear you"

 

[Coro]

Hope sighed.


"Marco, that fight we had, the last time I saw you...... We've both changed. You know that. And that was expensive wine...." He said, standing up, his grin returning.

 

[bettsyboy]

:: Marco stood also ::


Marco: "well, you've always lost to me... how about we see if wou've learned enough to beat me now?"


:: Marco got in a ready stance ::

 

[Coro]

Hope's grin faded.


"Heh, and I thought that Vent was cocky." Hope said, Conner's old sword Bassilgarrad shining with golden light appearing in his hand.


"Look familiar, Marco?" Hope spat, running his fingers gently down the blade.

 

[bettsyboy]

:: Marco's eyes widened ::


Marco "NO! THAT BLADE WAS BROKEN!!"


:: he summoned his scythe, Drusilla ::


Marco: "remmeber this? the scythe that cut you down last time... and it is this scythe that shattered that blade!"


:: he looked at the blade, there was still a piece missing ::


Marco "its not complete... it's power is only half, drusilla matches it!"


Marco: "oh and also... don't compare me to that Cocky Vent... we're completely different.... you'll see soon enough"

 

[Coro]

Hope chuckled, his light blue eyes narrowing deadly.


".... You may be nothing alike, and you may be twins. All I know is that Vent poses a threat to me, and you don't." Hope spat, fingering the broken part of the blade. His face became a smirk again.


"Don't bet too much on this broken blade. You never know what could happen in a fight." Hope spat, flicking his wrist, a flash of golden light blasting at Marco.

 

[bettsyboy]

:: Marco blocked the blast wth one of his own, his was a dark red ::


Marco: "scream... red princess!"


:: he cast his spell, a beautiful girl appeared in red robes, she opened her mough, and screamed, he scream shattered Hope's glass and would n o-doubt kill a normal human, the whole mansion shook, yet marco was fine ::

 

[Coro]

Hope's face looked irritated.


"Why are you disrespecting my home? Have I broken your precious school?" Hope asked loudly, snapping his fingers as a dome of golden light encircled the girl of magic, before snuffing itself out of existance.


With a flash of gold, Hope flew back, the table the wine was spilled on starting to shake as the rest of mansion calmed down.

 

[bettsyboy]

:: Marco smiled ::


Marco:"oh don't act like you'd hesitate to attack the school, think of this like a pre-emptive strike!"


:: he flickered next to Hope, using Drusilla to swipe the sword from his hands, and shattering it with a single blast ::


Marco: "one weapon down... you don't seem bothered by it but the fact remains that even destroying an expendable weapon lowers you're power"

 

[Coro]

Hope sighed.


"Marco, you're fighting magics that cannot be fathomed! My magics don't base themselves in such primitive ideas like yours. Elements? Runes? Force? Your magic is a cheap imitation of mine!" Hope ranted, all the while his power growing exponentially after Bassilgarrad was shattered.


A glowing sword of pure light shone in Marco's hand, his aura feeding the blade of light.


"Behold! The power I've stolen from Bassilgarrad! The power Conner could have obtained! The power Vent was destined to have, before I stepped in!" Hope exclaimed, laughing manically as wings of golden light expanded from his back.

 

[bettsyboy]

:: while he was laughing, Marco dug drusilla into one of the wings of light, tearing it out ::


Marco: "one down"


:: he flickered to the other side and swiped again, taking the other wing, and absorbing the wings ::


Marco: "gamn this power is heave... i can barely move..."


:: this power was'nt meant for him, the effect of not being the rightful owner, caused the power to feel heavy and almost sickening ::


Marco "looks like i can't keep this power"


:: Drusilla began glowing gold light ::


Marco "one slice"


:: he swumg Drusilla, breaking through all protective shields around Hope, in the hope of slicing him ::

 

[Coro]

Hope's eyes widened.


"Since when could Drusilla absorb energy?" Hope asked, stunned. He brought the blade of glowing light up to block, the shockwave knocking his down, away from Marco.


"..... You've surprised me, Marco." Hope said, standing back up, the golden aura gone. His own power stars building, an aura of pressure that would force even Marco to his knees coming over the area around him. No actual evidence of magic was shown, except for this crushing aura.


The gold of Bassilgarrad's power went out. Blood trickled down Hope's face, framing his serious, hate-filled blue eyes.

 

[bettsyboy]

:: Marco would have been crushed, had his hand not already been bleeding ::


Marco:"ahh thats better... bith blood magic i can resist your aura... how long can you keep up now?"


:: the power remained in drusilla, only a deep would would release the power now stored in it, he went around the room at insane speed, every now and then, another cut would appear on Hope's body, until finally, Marco appeared directly above hope ::


Marco: "i know the perfect name for this attack"


:: he swung drusilla ::


Marco: "god-killer!"