Dain vs. Durriken

[dain]

Dain stood straight at the south end of the battle square, the eighth sword of Niram'hiru, Soc'cath, bruied in the ground at its point. Dain's eyes seemed normal compared to when he left the Zen Garden two hours ago, and he looked more tranquil, more fit to fight.

He stretched his body as bones cracked and yearned to be used, his hands touching behind his back as he went again to touch them, switching positions. He grabbed his foot and brougth it behind his back and rested in that position for a while, pulling his leg and stretching it as far as it could go. He did it again, save with the other foot this time.

After stretching, he bent his neck side to side as the tiny bones inside cracked loudly. He threw his left hand out to catch the handle of Soc'cath as he whisked it out of the ground, effortlessly. The sword was special, special to only him. Dain riased his right hand and called upon Elghinn Falma as it appeared, the little black ball of pure Death energy. Dain slammed the ball into the sword as a great burst of black light followed, and left Soc'cath misting in energy; flowing off as if an eternal smoking brand were made.

He shall not win. He will not win. I have studied every move he has made since the Zen Garden, and I know his weaknesses. I know for a fact he does not know mine, he cannot. In order to, he would have to be Darius himself. Dain pondered while he waited for the gypsy, his grip tightening on the Lunar blade.

Dain's eyes were straight-forward as he awaited his prey. Orb in the hilt of Soc'cath pulsed in Death energy as the moment grew longer, and grey flames twisted down the blade like a corkscrew. Dain wasnt in his battle suit either, but in the same attire he had on when he was in the Zen Garden. His white tank-top and black cotton pants, along with those exquisite fine leather Italian shoes. However, he did have one article out of place on his body. Down his right leg was a pouch containing his shruiken and the orb he had been given by Gyro. When needed, Dain could easily take out those items and use them in a split-second, which was how long this battle would last.

Dain carefully scrutinized the images he had burned into his head about the gypsy. The way the boy walked, talked, held himself, and thought. He had already noticed that the boy has no center of balance, and that became an idea to Dain straight away. The tarot cards protected him. With that knowledge, Dain had engineered a special technique just for Durriken. A technique that would only work on Durriken.

He should be honored that I decided to dedicate an entire form to his style.

[L.A.C.R.I.M.O.S.A]

Deathly silent, Ithilwen made her way into a balcony above the battle square, her figure and aura completely concealed as the wall in front of her that separated the audience from the arena acted just like a two-way mirror: She could see them, but they could not see her.

Still angered with Dain at his childish actions, she stared down at his lone form through the black-tinted glass wall as she took a seat. Crossing her arms broodingly as she propped her boot-clad feet upon the seat in front of her, she scanned the area for any trace of the opponent....No sign.

She had come not to cheer anyone on, for in her opinion, the whole battle seemed a bunch of immature folly. No. What she had come to do was to observe. Observe and analyze...

If she was going to survive in this school, she'd need all the information she could get, and this match was a perfect place to start. A smirk played at the avariel's finely sculpted lips as the sadist within her stirred in the darkness of her mind to watch with morbid amusement.

[±Witchcraft±]

Durriken walked through the South doors of the Battle Square and walked north, toward the center and Dain on the other side. His bare feed plodded softly on the dirt ground of the Square as he walked. Durriken wore his dull green pants, a cord at the bottom of each leg was tied at the shin, revealing his tanned ankles and dirt stained feet. There was also a brown corded leather rope at his waist, keeping his pants from falling. On this rope was the hand carved box given to him by his Master Teacher. Inside the box were his Tarot Cards. They rustled lightly inside as they waited for battle.

Further up Durriken wore a dull red vest. On the bland fabric there were several low quality gemstones that reflected the lights of the Battle Square and shone like the stars in the night sky. The vest showed off his mildly muscular arms and chest. All tan from being outside most of his life. On his head, most of his black hair was hidden behind the long, red, meshed bandana. The bandana hid his hair from view and kept it out of his hair but was made out of a very think fabric. The extra fabric of the bandana went down to the middle of his back past the knot tied behind his head.

When Durriken entered, he stopped a yard from the door and scanned the area. He looked around and saw the mirrors high above, which reflected the lights from above more so upon the Square. Squinting, he continued to look around, observing the layout of the square. He saw that there was almost no real cover for him to move behind, but that also meant that there was nothing for him to trip over if he went into super speed. This he filed away for later use. Lastly his eyes fell upon Dain, giving him a look of pure hatred, such as what the other humans used to look upon him, seeing him as filth and not worthy to walk the same streets as him. This look he knew well.

Keeping his green eyes locked with Dain, Durriken bent down his left hand and placed it on the ground near his right foot. This bent his back, which let out a long string of cracking and popping sounds. Next, he lifted his left foot also, which let loose another series of pops and cracks. With his back loosened up, he bent his right leg at the knee and pushed off, doing a flip and landing on both his feet.

I am ready. I am limber, flexible, and fast. If I do this right he will never have time to hit me. He may have power, but I got speed and my cards are more flexible then anything he can throw at me.

Cracking his fingers and his neck, Durriken was ready. He removed the top from his box to let his card move easily. He could pick any card he needed quickly at a moments notice, be he kept two cards firmly in his mind, two he knew he would need for the first attack. He held “The Chariot” and “The Emperor” in his mind. Each image in his mind was an exact replica of the image on the card itself.

The Chariots image was unique, as was every tarot card. It showed a man in blue and yellow armor riding in a chariot pulled by two sphinxes. The man had long red hair that went down to his shoulders. His armor was strong and was in the style of medieval plate. In his right hand he held a long staff with a slight point on the end and he chose to hold nothing in his left.

The chariot itself was gray and appeared to be made out of stone. It had four pillars going upward to support the roof. On the roof there was a light blue fabric with white stars embroidered on it, and on the main body of the chariot there was a coat of arms. The coat of arms had a red cross upon it with blue wings showing from the top all on a silver shield.

The sphinxes pulling the chariot were very unique. One was black, with white stripes on the headpiece, while the other was white with black stripes on the headpiece. The headpieces were of that of the ancient Egyptians. It was the same as that worn by the Pharos of Egypt. The black one, the one on the left was male, while the white one on the right was female.

Behind the main image of the chariot and the sphinxes, a display could be seen. Behind the main scene there was another of a large kingdom. There was a castle on the left side and a group of buildings on the left. Each was made of gray stone with red roofs. Below the buildings there was a large wall, protecting the city within and its people. Between the wall and the main image, there is a large moat, effectively separating the two.

The second card, The Emperor, showed a large man sitting in a stone throne. The man is very old and has a long white beard. On his head there is a large golden crown with red and white gems within. This man also wears a full suit of steel plate, but instead of showing it off, he hides it beneath bright red robes, which hides most of the plate except the arms and the legs. In the man’s left hand, he holds a large orb of pure gold, in his right, a scepter of gold to rule of his people.

The throne itself is large and made out of brown stone. On the arm rests there are two rams heads engraved upon the stone. At the top there are also two more rams heads, one face left, the other right. Except for these two defining points, the rest of the throne is very simple. Behind the Emperor, there is a large mountain range. The peaks reach up high, but do not overcome the imposing sight of the throne. This image is a very imposing on of the Emperor to the people he rules over.

Finally completely ready, he called out to the man across from him. “Fight if you wish, Dark Knight of the Swords. I will fight you, but let it be known that I was not the aggressor in this battle, I am the defender.” He said proudly.

[Zero]

Zero appeared behind Ithilwen and sighed as he stood beside her. " I wouldn't miss this for the world....even though I don't agree with it. " Zero said as he leaned up against the railing.

Sooner or later if one of them are going to kill the other, im going to do something before they kill one or the other, or both.

[dain]

Dain nodded to Durriken with a serious face as he looked over to the stands. He saw Zero, and wondered with a passion about why someone of his stature would come to behold a blood fest. The reason why was beyond Dain's recognition, apparently. He also noticed Ithilwen in the stands, Dain cared not. She shouldn't be meddling in his business, be she royalty or not. Though, he tried fiercely to figure out a conclusion as to why she was here. Ithilwen seemed hot about his reaction to Durriken...and he doubted she was here to keep an eye on Durriken for safety. Then, he noticed something irregular. In a flash of the sun's rays, Dain picked up a black stare from Ithilwen, something he had not expected. A smile crept upon his lips as he came to the conclusion that he dubbed the most accurate.

Well, well, well. I doubt she is here to watch either of us. I'm leaning toward another reason; she wants to see what I can do, and what the gypsy can do. I won't reward her with too much then, she doesn't deserve it just yet.

Dain looked upon the gypsy like he was a plague upon the land, and without hesitation, walked forward toward him. He stopped only a few feet from Durriken, and brought Soc'cath to his chest as the blade was parallel to Dain's head. His frame bent over as Dain bowed to Durriken, and seeing Durriken surprised, he smiled.

"You may think from your reading that I am evil beyond recognition; however, I still retain the code and the honor I have lived by to this day since I was five years old. A very long time ago. Durriken, I am honored by your appearance at this duel, and I will do my best to honor you with my skill. May the best of us two win, for, there is only two that count in this match." Dain registered as he straightened himself and stepped back to where he originally was.

Upon reaching his original position, Dain lobbed Soc'cath into he air as the sword came straight down and landed in the magnetic center of the battle square. Dain nodded to Durriken as he brought out his right hand which was pulsing with black energy. His hand was open wide as he swayed it from side to side and Soc'cath itself started misting death. As he came to the zenith of a sway, Dain quickly clenched his hand as the mist around Soc'cath looked like it was being sucked into the blade from nowhere. Dain brought both his hands together as a diminutive dark orb known as Elghinn Falma materialized and he pushed it toward the sword.

The orb immediately obeyed as it bolted, heading straight for the orb in Soc'cath's hilt. As it made contact, the sword itself seemed to be glowing with a demonic aura...something was not right. The sword's radiant white appearance soon flooded with darkness and when that blackness covered the last inch of the sword, it lifted from the ground and levitated in the air. Dain's right foot went backwards as his hands came forward and seemed to be crushing something in between them. The levitating sword quivered violently as he did so, and Death energy started shooting out in beams from its unending black hue.

Dain's eyes misted black as well as his hands came apart quickly and dark red spurted from the floating sword. That dark red was a cloud of blood. Blood of every person that sword had slaughtered, blood that Dain would absorb as he used his full extent of power. Dain quickly reached into his leg pouch and brought out his shruiken as he sliced into his left palm, and stuck the hand into the air. The dark red cloud of blood seemed almost alive as it swarmed around Dain in frenzy, the black sword now impulsing with unbridled energy. Grey fire sparked from the sword's tip as the blood around Dain now surged into his body through the cut he had made, and when all the blood was gone, the cut was sealed by Death.

In one fell motion, Dain beckoned the sword to him with the hand that had been cut, and the sword obeyed as it flew handle-first and connected. As Dain held the sword, his eyes turned blood red and his pupils disappeared. He tossed the sword into the air in one quick motion as he triggered his body armor to go around him, and the sword landed tip first into his gauntleted hand. Dain reached with his right hand as he grabbed hold of the orb in the center of Soc'cath, and wrenched it from the hilt of the blade. Almost instantaneously, a large flash of light occurred as the entire blade turned to dust and Dain took the orb form the hilt in hand.

One could hear sadistic laughter as the orb was placed above the control-metal sphere of Dain's battle helmet, and soon the orb melded with the suit. His entire suit then turned a complete white that seemed to blend in with his surroundings, like a chameleon. Black blades of writhing and twisting Death energy erupted from his elbows as he pulsed his muscles. As he brought his hands up the his head, he cracked his neck both ways then jumped and stretched out his body, loud cracking bones heard every movement. He stood straight up as black mists emanated from his boots, his elbow blades, and now his eyes.

"That feels MUCH better. Meet my battle form, dubbed Elghinn Har'dro. Death Armor. This shall be fun. Keep this in mind, Gypsy, don't blink." A voice other than Dain's said. It sounded almost demonic, almost otherworldly. Whatever it was, danger seeped through the air like a fresh-baked pie's scent. Black mist trailed from the ventilation shafts on his helmet, and the dorsal fin went straight up as well, The dorsal fin on his head was mainly used for balance and aerodynamics…which meant one thing.

Dain only stepped once as he disappeared from the field. He wasn't moving fast, nor was he using invisibility. He had just disappeared. Then, as hard as it was to see, a thin black blade of four feet in length seemed to appear a distance away from Durriken...and it was moving fast toward the gypsy like a shark fin. Death energy trailing its slash.

Almost at once, another blade came from the left side of Durriken; death energy trailing behind it as the blade darted toward the gypsy as fast as the frontal attack. Then on the gypsy's right came a blade far bigger than the rest, measuring six feet instead of four. From the length, one could tell it was one of Dain's leg blades. As all converged upon the gypsy, far above in the sky was a twinkle unlike the sun. There was Dain, hurtling toward the gypsy with a complete aerial strike, both his elbow blades fully extended and collinear to one another. Dain spun as the black mist coming from his blades swirled around him and grey fire sparked up in the median of his two blades.

"SYLPH DIVE!" A demonic voice echoed across the battle square as Dain's body became engulfed in grey fire as he came hurtling toward the gypsy who was trapped by three grounded blades already....or was he?

[Moonfire]

Another figure enterd the balcony above the battle square. Alina Nyaid, who had met Durriken right before the match and came to see if he was really any good, and if her advice had helped any for the poor newbie. She sat down cross legged on the floor her face pressed to the black tinted glass, watching the two men fight, like others had watched her and Elliot...

[L.A.C.R.I.M.O.S.A]

((Dain, if you had read my post correctly, you'd find that neither you nor Durriken can see Ithilwen and Zero. -____- They're behind a WALL...))

[±Witchcraft±]

As soon as Dain told Durriken not to blink, a card rushed out of his box and into the left hand. The card was the one of the two he held in his mind, The Chariot. The card began to glow bright yellow with the energy unleashed. As the card glowed, the area around Durriken began to slow, as he was sped up. To an outsider it would appear like he was buzzing like a bee, his atoms were vibrating so quickly.

As he looked at the objects coming at him, the appeared to be going much slower. He could see that they were only blades, and very easy to dodge. Each blade only really occupied a small area of space, the area it was directly going through. The energy around the blades did not increase the harmful area much at all. Rolling his eyes Durriken ran at a 45-degree angle to the blades, which were still very open. He ran right past the blades and ran to the opposite side of the Square were Dain once stood. From the people watching, Durriken appeared as a blur as he moved through the swords and stopped.

If that is the best he can do than this will be easy. That attack was pathetic; the blades only cut a small area of space that was easy to avoid. Also, now that kid is stuck in a dive, which he has almost no way to change. He is leaving himself open to an easy shot right now.

As he waited in his slowed time for Dain to land, his first two fingers on his right hand twitched, summoning a card from his deck, “The Moon.”

The image on the card was not as filled as The Chariot but it was also not as sparse as the Emperor. The first thing that drew the eye was the large image of the moon, the color or sun itself, a bright yellow. From the image of the moon sprung 16 long points of light, and 16 smaller ones, all coming from the source of the Moon. Directly below the Moon are 14 stars, shining brightly in the night sky. In the center of the image of the moon was the face of a woman. She looked down upon the ground that was shown below the card.

Below the ever-watching face of the Moon stood a large body of land split by a road. On each side on the edges of the card stood a tower. The gray stone towers rise out of the background to give the card balance. In the foreground of the card stood two wolves, one yellow, one red, both on opposite sides of the road. Both wolves are howling at the moon as most dogs and wolves do.

At the bottom of the card there is a body of water, not separated by the road. This pond combines the two images as one whole. Out of the lake, on the direct path came a small red lobster, appearing to get ready to head up the path into the moon.

The card rose from his tarot deck and went into his right hand. With the card firmly in hand he whipped his arm back and threw the card into the area where the blades would meet. When the very fast moving card reached the area, an inky fog of darkness erupted from the card. The fog would be impossible to see in and would be almost impossible to penetrate with most light sources. If Durriken was lucky Dain would be hurt by his own blades.

Durriken stood there as he prepared for the next attack by Dain. He let the power to The Chariot wane a bit so the power wouldn't be drained to quickly. Next, he pulled an attack card from his deck and put it into his empty right hand. The card he chose was the “Queen of Wands” and would unleash a blast of fire.

[dain]

A bitter laugh echoed not from around the entire arena, but right next to Durriken. There, Dain stood, a black blade drawn directly under Durriken’s chin. The blade was misting black as always, and, would leave a nasty stench in Durriken’s nose. Dain cared not, however. This was fun, it was a game to him. A simple game of cat and mouse, save the cat would have to use his thermal vision to see since the mouse released fog onto the battle field where his illusion was…poor, poor little mouse.

Dain walked forward a bit as the blade shot back into his elbow. Durriken would not be able to glimpse it, but behind the helmet, Dain was making a face of disgust.

“Now, now, now. We can’t be falling for illusions, now can we? I can’t release my blades like that, and if I could, it would be a much more direct attack. Those illusions would have passed directly trough you, especially the one of me in the sky. Oh, mirrors are fun, yes?” Dain queried as he turned to face Durriken.
“I personally like concave mirrors, they reflect the light twice before heading back and release a more beautifully refined image.” He commented as he walked around, looking about on the ground as he picked up a small inward-bent mirror and threw it off the ring. All the while, a metallic whistle coming from Dain’s helmet.

He went back to where he had been, right in front of Durriken. He reached down casually as he opened up the leg pouch that was still there and pulled out an orb. The orb Gyro had given him not a long while back. He stuck out his arm as he held the orb in his palm and bounced it around, flip-flopping it around to the back of his hand then returning the orb back to his palm.

“You know, there’s a rumor that if these orbs are broken, a magical back-up occurs and a great explosion happens. Unavoidable the rumors say. I’d like to test it sometime, but…”

Dain ended as he dropped the orb and waited until it was an inch from the ground until he caught it. He stood back up, a laugh emitting from his helmet.

“I’m just not that much of a risk-taker. However, there is one reason why I’ve pulled this out…”

Dain quickly raised the orb in the air as it started to glow fiercely.

“ORB OF METEORA!” A metallic voice emitted as the clouds in the skies parted and giant balls of fire could be seen rushing toward the battle square. Dain brought the orb down to his leg pouch as he dropped it in, then straightened himself. He looked over at Durriken and with his hand, flicked the orb below his dorsal fin. Dain, though none could see it, had a smug look on his face as the flaming rocks hurtled toward ground zero.

“Well then, my good gypsy. I must bid you farewell. This has been much fun, see you on the other side!”

Dain turned as he looked up at the meteors rushing toward him and Durriken’s location. One rock was rushing toward them at such a fast rate, Dain almost didn’t have time to dodge the leviathan as it crashed between the area Durriken and he were separated by. Almost at once, Dain commenced a series of acrobatic jumps from falling rock to falling rock as they crashed below to the ground.

God damn…maybe this wasn’t such a good idea…

Dain jumped once more as a rock hit his left arm and threw him off balance as he landed on the adjacent meteor. Almost at the last second of his life, Dain leaped from the meteor as it hit the ground and combusted into tiny pieces that flew everywhere, almost like shrapnel. Now, Dain’s thoughts were creeping to him.

Now, If only I had remember how to stop this barrage…

[±Witchcraft±]

Durriken wanted to smack himself for letting himself fall for such a trick. If he had dispelled all illusions within the area he would have found that Dain had cloaked himself and that the attack was only a trick. Jumping backward with his super speed he dodged the first part of the attack. Durriken wished he could have insulted the man back, but, he didn’t have the time.

Durriken threw both his arms back and opened his hands, letting the cards float freely. From his deck he summoned two cards. Two shield cards he infused with the scales of the dragon, “The Knight of Wands“ and the “Knight of Pentacles.”

The image upon the Knight of Wands was that of a knight in steel armor sitting upon a chestnut mare. Over the knights armor he wore a strange yellow tunic. On the yellow tunic there were lizards embroidered. Beneath his helmet the knight had flaming red hair as was the plum of feathers on the top of his helmet. In his hand he held a large branch made out of red wood. Upon the length of the branch there are 5 much smaller branches spreading off.

The horse itself took up much of the picture. The ropes that lead from it’s bit to the knight’s hand had the same fabric as the knight’s tunic. The horse is up upon its hind legs, getting ready to attack the enemy upon the backdrop of a desert. Within the background of the card large amount of sand could be seen as well as 3 pyramids in the left-hand corner of the landscape.

The second card, the Knight of Pentacles has a knight upon a black horse riding through the countryside. The knight himself wears the same armor as the other knight. His steel armor is covered as well. This time, in rich red fabric with gold trims. The trim at the top of his helmet has bright yellow feathers to match the sky of the background. In the man’s hands is held a lone right side up black pentacle within a circle.

The horse of the Knight of Pentacles has red stirrups upon his body. On these stirrups are many black stars, representing the pentacle the knight holds. This horse rides upon the open countryside of rural lands. In the distance you can see the rows of seeded farms, yet to grow. To the right you can see a pair lone trees yet to bud.

With these two cards in his hands, he called out their powers as they began to glow with the power.

“Combination, Knights of Pentacles and Wands, combine, Double Element shield!”

Durriken jumped high into the air to dodge another rock as the shield surrounded him. The orb of elemental energies was an ever-shifting color between red and brown. The orb glowed with the two elements it held within it, Earth for the Knight of Pentacles and Fire for the Knight of Wands. Together they would protect Durriken well against the blasts of the spell Dain cast. Also, within the colors of the sphere, a hint of pure blackness could be seen from the power put into them by Durriken.

With the power of his cards protecting him, Durriken used his speed to jump from rock to falling rock as he made his way to Dain. The fire part of the shield took most of the heat away and the Earth part would take the force if any of the rocks hit him. It took a good bit of energy to keep up but the adrenaline rushing through his veins made Durriken not care.

When Durriken saw Dain within range, he pulled a card from his box and called upon its power. It was the Five of Cups and would shoot a freezing ray at Dain, and if he was lucky freeze him in place and leave him a sitting duck.

The image on the Five of Cups was a very depressing one. It showed a man dressed all in black. He has just finished drinking five cups of poison. The cups can be seen littered all around him, shining in the dim light of dusk. The man looks down in sadness, with the looker only being able to see the gray hair on the top of his head.

Upon the ground the gold cups sit. From some the residue of red and green poison runs freely, forgotten. All to be eventually washed into the river down the hill from the man. All in all this is a very dismal picture and shows man at his very worst, at the door step of death, the door already opened by his own choice.

“ICE SHOT!” Durriken called out as he held the card toward Dain and launched the shot through a small opening in his shield made by his cards which quickly conformed around the beam to keep the heat out.

The silvery icy beam flew quickly, being launched during a super speed mode. The beam went quickly, heading directly for the form that was Dain.

[dain]

DAMNIT!

Dain noticed the shard of ice racing toward him almost as immediate as he had heard Durriken shout. At once, he moved sideways as he went behind the meteor to protect himself. After that, not waiting to see if the shard went through the meteor, Dain dropped down to the floor and quickly raced around the meteors as they dropped like flies in a smoke house. He dodged a crater as he went into a cartwheel and then flipped backwards as a blur of rock swept up the floor he had been on.

From behind the lines of battle, he took a gander at what Durriken had going on. He had shields, which surprised Dain.

How in hell does he block a giant ball of rock with two little cards?

Besides the question rising ever-so-much in his mind at that moment, Dain nearly failed to noticed a meteor heading straight for him. With the battle square ending five feet behind him, he’d have to use another trick in his arsenal. The meteor had cast a shadow on Dain, and that’s what he needed so very much. The meteor was about to hit his head with bone-crushing force when he disappeared. Dain had gone into the shadow; he used a bit of darkness magic. He hadn’t used any magic thus far, so, he might as well start getting serious.

As the meteors played upon the field a series of notes that might involve Beethoven, Dain as jumping from shadow to shadow of each giant rock, moving to get closer to Durriken.

He can’t see me when I’m within the shadows, even with the strongest spell…for he would simply be looking into his own shadow.

Leaping from another shadow to meld again into another shadow, he neared closer and closer to the still-in-the-air Durriken. Dain started plotting.

Now, I have to pull out all stops. I also know one thing that he can’t protect himself from with just element cards. I’m glad I still have this orb…it will come in handy.

Behind Durriken a large shadow evolved into the white-armored Dain. His black misting elbow blades shot out as he took the Orb of Meteora. All within a matter of five seconds, Dain balanced the orb on Durriken’s bandana and with a quick slice, cracked the orb. Dain then pulsed his arms as the bio-toxin that affected all organic sentients, no exceptions, released right under the nose of Durriken and right in the gypsy’s face. Dain soon thereafter moved to a location still unknown to the gypsy, his own shadow. When the orb had been destroyed, the meteors suddenly disappeared and the wild skies returned to normal.

The orb started glowing violently as it rocked atop Durriken’s head, and the bio-toxin Dain had released had the affects of slowing down the muscles in an animal’s body, making them lazy, numb, and usually disabled for about seven minutes. Dain watched from below in Durriken’s shadow as his plan played out. He already knew Durriken wouldn’t die…there is NO dying on the battle square. A rule Dain hated ever-so-much.

[±Witchcraft±]

Durriken felt the bio poison go through his shield and into his body. He struggled slightly against its effect but succumbed to it as his body froze up. When he became paralyzed, Durriken’s cards began to go crazy. All seventy-eight came out of their box and began to fly around him like angry honeybees. He was amazed at what he saw. Never before has he been able to get all the cards moving at one time, the most he was able to get was ten, and that left him too drained to do anything with them.

As Durriken watched, he felt his mind starting to open up. The small connection between him and the cards began to grow in strength, until he felt a deep connection with each one. He knew where every card was as it flew around him and he knew what it did. It was amazing. The best guess he could make was that the bio toxin freezing his body let his mind focus on other things, which means it could handle more cards then ever before. And with his mind free, so did the cards, and now they were ready to help him win this battle.

The first thing Durriken wanted to do was to turn around, so he could see where Dain went. Without evening having to think of it, the Four of Swords glowed and used its power to levitate him and turn him around.

If someone had been able to see the card, they would have saw that it was that of a partly opened yellow stone coffin of a man inside of a church. On the side of the coffin, the person would see a large engraving of a sword. Also, on the lid, there is a carving of a man, which could only be guessed as the person who is inside. The statue is lying peacefully with its hand folded is if in prayer.

The background info of the church took up three fourths of the card. On the right side, the looker would be able to see three long metal swords within a case. All three swords are facing down toward the coffin. On the right side there is a large stain glass window. In the window there is a man in red kneeing before a woman that appeared to be Marry. In the background of the window are many random pieces of colored glass.

Now that Durriken could pretty much more with the help of his cards. He lowered himself to the ground on the opposite side of Dain. As he went down his cards continue to orbit him.

“Your trick has backfired Dain, you can freeze my body, but not my mind and that is where my connection lies.” He said with anger in his voice. “And, without my body to worry about, my mind is free, and my connection with the cards has never been stronger.”

As Durriken said this, four cards went out from the rest and stood in front. Each was a Queen from his tarot deck. Each could release a dreadful blast of an element at Dain. Fire for the Queen of Wands, earth for the Queen of Pentacles, water for the Queen of Cups, and wind for the Queen of Swords. He could also use any other card in any combination if he wished to with his new connection. In the back of his mind Durriken wondered how long the effect would last, and if the connection would hang around afterwards.

[dain]

“HAHAHAHAH!!”

Dain laughed coolly as an echo went across the battle square. Small taps of a boot could be heard in different measures as four Dains walked to surround Durriken. All four of them took a step back to the right side as their hands came together at that side.

“I assure you, Durriken. This is no trick. This is no fantasy. This is no reality. This is truly nothing, and you shall see it for this. This is no illusion or parlor trick anymore. I’m actually going to start. Those cards are a nuisance, but, I don’t worry about them too much. I still have a couple aces past a deck up my sleeve. You, yourself, should know what that means.” All the Dains counseled the gypsy as pure death energy started rushing from the outside air into their conjoined hands.

“And trust me when I say this, it will hurt. There is no avoiding it. It is what you purchased those black dragon scales for; It is what you read about in the Ninth Heaven. I know when someone is reading the writings of someone I knew long ago, before I first turned seventeen.”

All at once, black energy poured from the palms of all the Dains and strikes like lightning hit the floor. Black energy shot from one Dain as all of them were connected. The black square moved and duplicated as another formed and tilted. The David Star could be made out now, until the square parted again and another sub-centered the other as a completely new symbol was formed. A specific symbol. The symbol that started the revolution of the Drow when the first Collapse happened. There under Durriken was the Drow symbol for Chaos, the symbol of Lloth. Fires echoed between the spaces the squares made as oblivion soon started to take over. All the Dains laughing notoriously.

“This is the utmost power I can wield at the moment without draining myself fully. It is a part of an incantation called the Crucifixion of Jocath, which was used to destroy a rebel Drow though to be deity in the first Collapse. Let’s just say he didn’t turn out too well.”

At once, all the Dains started into the language of the Drow; the dark, insidious language that stirred even the bravest heroes from their deepest sleep.

“This incantation, when finished with even one angle of the square, will solidify your very soul and bind you to the Realm of Death. May you rest in peace.” One Dain consoled as he joined the incantation.

Half done… all he needs to do is find the real me. Easier said than done. Though, this is really just to scare him, I would never break the pact I mad after I first used it. I would never complete it again. I couldn’t even stand to watch as the man’s skin was ripped from his very flesh as the void sucked him below…

[±Witchcraft±]

“And may you too, rest in peace. There is one thing that I wish upon you, good luck, since nobody has even saw this tarot deck out of my control. And, upon my death, you will be the same. But...lets wait for me to be dead first, shall we.” He said, a devilish tone to his voice.

“Combination, Five of Swords, Queen of Wands. Vortex of Flames!” He called out.

The Queen of Wands and the Five of Swords flew away from their old positions and began to spin high into the air. In the air above him they combined forming a Celtic cross. When combined they began to spin, faster and faster then spun until fire began to flow from them. The fire spun with the direction of the cards and began to form a wall of fire all around Durriken and the Dains around him.

As the cards continued to spin the wall of flame rose higher, they burned hotter, fed by the power of the cards and from being contained by the incantation of Dain. The vortex burned from the ground up, long over their heads. On the ground there was a large scorch mark of blackness from the fire, and the sand was being turned into glass from the heat. The fire pushed outward on the barriers around him, trying to find a way into the more open air. Yet, the fire was not able, the barriers held firm to the flames pushing.

Sweat began to slowly drip from Durriken’s face onto the ground as the heat level rose. All around him a sick orange light filled his vision, eliminating all shadows around him, that is, except one, his own. Durriken was able to see everything very well from above him with the help of his Four of Swords, the card of second sight. Closing his eyes he was able to look down and see his own shadow still. Opening his eyes he glared at the area in front of him since he could not directly glare as his shadow.

“You do indeed live up to your title, Dark Knight of Swords. You are one of trickery and deceit. Smart of you to hide in the once place someone would not look, his own shadow. Now, lets see what happens when a shadow is hit with holy light.”

One more card removed itself from the swarm around him and hovered right over his shadow, which shouldn’t have existed in the glow of the fire. The card was The Hermit, and this card would blast the shadow with more holy energy then what as cast down on Solemn and Gramora. This was the power of the Angels themselves.

“Holy Light!” He called out as a blast of white light flew from the card, right at the shadow itself. Durriken waited to see what would happen. He did not know how Dain was hid, but there was no harm in trying. Either he would hit him and something would happen, or he would miss and nothing would.

[Ladd Russo of the Russo Family]

A red trimmed azure trench coat shifted stiffly as black booted feet meandered confidently down the rows of seats. Finding one behind and slightly above the observing students, Rell claimed his seat. Underneath his trench coat there was a uniform a maroon shirt and slightly baggy pants of the same color. His dark hair was pulled back in a dangerously loose ponytail, and many strands and long bangs had already escaped its grip. A cold, wicked kind of smirk tugged at his lips as his amethyst, unnatural eyes follower the fight. It was cute, to be sure.

He was so glad these things were legal. Cockfights, dogfights, and other forms of animal abuse were often outlawed. The dismemberment of people for entertainment had never been considered, and, considering humans, never would be. The demon's grin widened.