Underground Cavern (Drago Universi)

OoC: Heh... My very first battle. Let us see how it goes, eh, my rival? Allow me to introduce my embodiment.

BiC: Darkness permeated every tiny crevice, plastered itself over every alcove. Stalagmites emerged from the ground like great grisly claws reaching from the deepest confines of the earth, rising twenty, fifty, onehundred feet into the air. The only light came from a small hole far above in the darkness. Pure, holy light filtered down from that hole, playing across the cavern floor and faintly illuminating the earthly container.

Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.

Footsteps echoed softly in that dimly lit cavern, growing slowly louder until they were like thunderclaps in the darkness. Then, from an offshoot tunnel came a bright yellow light, like that of a lantern. Slowly, that light spilled from the tunnel as the footsteps grew louder yet. A figure emerged; a figure carrying a small burning sphere which hurled its light to the darkest corners of the cavern. Every smooth stone, every fingerlike stalagmite, every layer of limestone, was suddenly thrown into sharp relief.

Blitz' mantle furled gently behind him as he walked, ruffling in the light breeze that filtered through the cavern and carried with it a soft choral moan. His self-crafted lantern, hardly the size of his fist, slowly rotated on an invisible axis in his left hand, shifting between shades of red and yellow like a fireball. And indeed it was a ball of condensed flames.

As he boldly advanced through that artificial night, Blitz stopped. His eyes, though long adjusted to the darkness in this cursed shadow, had difficulty focusing. Perhaps it was the atmosphere; it seemed that the air was filled with a thin warm moisture that collected on his skin. That mist felt soothing, but it was somewhat bothering his limbs as though it were too heavy for him to bear. Or perhaps the warmth was calming him and making him sleepy.

Blitz was near the center of the vast cavern. Many offshoot tunnels burrowed off into other undoubtedly larger caverns, though he dared not risk losing himself in them. There was something odd about what he had sensed... Somewhere in this blinding shadow, now plainly visible in thanks to his Sun Bomb, gave off an eerie aura. Someone, or something, had been here recently.

Had he really sensed that presence? Was there someone here in this darkness? He had not expected to find anyone here in these depths. He himself had happened upon this place against his will. The ground had caved in beneath him and dropped the unsuspecting soldier into the shadowy depths. Once inside, however, Blitz felt himself being drawn into the infinite darkness within the cavern. The shadows were compelling to those inquisitive as to their contents.

But now the presence was gone. Nevertheless, Blitz spoke in curiosity. "Hello?" Not surprisingly, he was met by a great number of more hello's which faded in volume until inaudible. But there was no response. Not a single creature stirred in the dark earth. Nothing breathed down here, save for what insects might lurk in the gloom. A chilly breeze passed over Blitz' cheek, and he shivered. Suddenly, realizing that the breeze was moist and small, the small soldier dashed forward and leapt on top of a short nearby stalagmite. Whipping around, he watched the creature take its place behind a stalagmite opposite him. He was now strongly aware of the sword sheathed at his waist.

"Creature of darkness, show yourself!" Blitz cried out, his voice coming back to him again and again.

Many moments passed once his words had left the air. Tense moments. Then there was a quiet breath. Slowly, a dragonlike creature emerged from behind the earth's claw. The dragon was definitely taller than Blitz, and also quite broad. Briefly, the boy drew a breath of surprise. This beast was a dragon, a creature thought to have left the Earth long ago. His hand slithered down to his sword hilt instinctively; there was no telling whether the dragon was hostile.

Raising a clenched fist, the dragon spoke. "You trespass in my lair, woe-laden child." The voice was deep, calm, and sinister. Threatening. "I do not like men of your kind."

Blitz drew his sword rythmically, as though he'd done it so many times that he could afford the skill sacrificed for grace. The blade spun beautifully as he twirled it on one finger, abruptly stopping to rest in its wielder's right hand. "What is a dragon doing on this world? Should you not have left eons ago with your brethren?"

The dragon did not respond in words. Instead, it lifted itself from the ground with powerful legs, sailing high above the cavern floor. Blitz saw the manuever coming and, taking care to grip his Sun Bomb tightly, backflipped off of the stalagmite as the dragon came crashing down on it with its fist. Stone shattered beneath that massive creature's incredible strength, sending shrapnel in all directions. With masterful precision, Blitz smacked away a shard of shrapnel that came at him with the blunt of his sword. A small cut opened up on his left cheek, dripping a small tear of blood, but he did not notice. His enemy was already on the move again.

OoC: Not bad, eh? :cool: As you have probably noticed, I like to enter with a bang. Your move, rival. But first, let us set a little mood music, shall we?

** Cue "Don't Be Intimidated" ~Destiny's Lament **

OoC: I have been called and I shall answer. So a battle has come my way. Rival, hm? Let's get started. By the way, recreate that Don't be intiminated for me. It denies me access. Let us begin.

BiC: Drago eyed the mortal. He the human didn't look very strong. That orb of fire in its hand looked strange, but not dangerous. Drago wings spread as he lifted himself into the air above Blitz.

Drago's voice echoed all around them, "What is a creature of a lesser race doing in my realm?" Drago switched his cape to the other shoulder. "You are in a very strange place for a mortal.

Blitz' grip became firmer. He spoke up to the large, black, beast of Hell, "When I was walking on the surface, the ground beneath me gave out and I fell down here."

Drago was silent for a moment before replying, "It is sad that you must die because of bad luck." Drago added a snapping of his jaws to the last word. "You might even prove to be some fun, I haven't fought for a time." Drago said as he pulled out his sword, the Dragonic Edge.

A strange ringing sound formed when Drago drew his blade. Blitz watched it for a second before speaking, "I will not fall in this cavern. It shall be you who hits the floor and does not rise again."

There was utter silence. The sound of the water dripping on the stalagmites seemed extremely loud. Nothing dared move as Drago stared down at Blitz. His emerald green eyes piercing the human. Blitz gave Drago the same stare.

"What is your name, mortal? I will remember your foolish bravery and write your name in blood next to your body." Drago asked as his gaze looked towards Blitz' sword.

"I am Blitz Keir. What are you called, beast?" Blitz relpied with some hate in his voice. "You shall remember my name... because it will be the last you ever hear!"

"Hm... you are a strange one. I have lived for over three-thousand years and you are the only one of your type. I am Drago Universi, the Dragon Overlord. I am the god and king of all the dragons. Only one has survived my wrath, you shall not be the second." Drago roared as he flew towards Blitz at astonishing speeds.

Sparks flew as the power of Darkness met the power of Fire. The swords were epual enoughto each other not to break. Blitz grunted as he threw off Drago's sword and stabbed at the dragon's heart. A clanking sound was made when Blitz' sword whacked Drago's armor.

Drago laughed as he punched Blitz to the side. "You'll have to be smarter than that to defeat me!" Drago yelled as Blitz jumped to his feet.

Blitz run and ducked as Drago's sword sliced where his head had been. Blitz slid under Drago and slammed his sword handle into the black beast's back. Drago let out a roar of pain as his tail made a lunge for Blitz's face. He barely ducked out of the way before the tail went for him again.

"I will destroy you!" Drago yelled as his tail made for Blitz again.

OoC: Bring it. I'm sorry to say I'll be going on a trip. I'll be back before dark in three days. Bear with me!

OoC: Aw, too bad. It took a while for you to log on and see my post. I was beginning to think you were no longer active, which would have been a shame. And what do you mean by "it denied me access"? Would the file not download, or was the zip file itself corrupted? In any case, here ya go.

BiC: Blitz felt that familiar righteous fury flow through him as he leapt into the air, narrowly dodging the dragon's spike-bladed tail. Those who killed for the sake of killing always made him sick. An intense hatred for this creature began to well up within him as he came down, ducking as he did so to avoid yet another swipe of his opponent's tail.

Whipping around, Drago slammed his fist into Blitz face, sending him careening hard into the ground. Blitz skid disgracefully, his surroundings blurring for a moment. Knowing that he was completely open to attack, Blitz rolled aside instinctively as a darkness-elemental sword came down where his head had been but a moment ago. He came to his feet like a balloon punching bag, jabbing at the creature's face as he did so. But Drago simply moved his head aside, dodging the attack effortlessly. But then, Blitz slammed his sword sideways with all his force, and the blunt of the blade sent the dragon off of his feet.

"You underestimate me, Drago!" Blitz hurled his Sun Bomb high into the air, underhand, and then leapt up after it. "Take this!" He swung his sword at the small ball of flames like a baseball bat, and it hurtled toward the still-recovering dragon full throttle. His enemy saw it coming, but could do nothing to stop it. KRACK-A-BOOM! The Sun Bomb collided with the ground, creating a small explosion that hurled the dragon upward. Suddenly, the cavern was pitch-black again. But Blitz knew the strength of his own attacks, and knew precisely where Drago would be as he flew. Still falling from his strategic attack, Blitz brought his sword down vertically on the flying Drago, slamming him into the ground again. Blitz landed in a crouch several meters from the dragon's impact point, facing away from him, cape fluttering behind. "What do you think? Am I stronger than you expected?"

Although dazed, the dragon was oriented enough to roar in anger. Drago rose to his feet with one hand and examined its body for injuries. The hard armor was charred, cracked in some places, but no serious wounds had been inflicted. In fact, the dragon himself had hardly a scratch.

"You cannot stand long against my strength, human child!" he shouted threateningly. "I shall crush your skull and take delight as I drink of your blood!" Drago's wings beat the air furiously, and he rose so high that Blitz lost sight of him in the darkness. He desperately searched the shadows with his eyes, knowing that failing to dodge an attack from so high would be fatal. "The advantage is mine," came the dragon's taunt. "My eyes see perfectly in the shadows."

"Big mistake!" Blitz shouted as he backflipped out of the way of Drago's sword, losing a hair or two in the process. Taking a defensive stance, he created another Sun Bomb in the palm of his free hand. It lit up the cavern again, but the soldier knew that it was not currently strong enough to deal any serious damage. At least his enemy was foolish enough to give away his position with his voice.

"Overconfidence is man's greatest downfall," Blitz warned, sneering in disgust. "Fall into that snare, and you are no better than the humanly scum you so strongly despise." His eyes pierced through Drago, his words cutting through to the dragon's heart.

'This one is different,' thought Drago. 'Somehow, he is not like the humans I have encountered before. No matter.... He must die!'

The Dragonic Edge came down where Blitz stood, and Drago was certain that the attack connected until he realized that the blade had not strained under the density of flesh. Blitz had simply vanished, disappeared from sight. Raising his sword into a defensive posture, the dragon quickly cast about for the source of that permeating light, knowing that such was the best way to keep an eye on his opponent.

"Over here!" shouted Blitz, thrusting the Supernova sword into the enemy's back.

Drago's mouth fell open to cry out in pain, but no sound came out. Grasping the wound with his hand, and feeling a sharp prick, the dragon knew that the sword had gone completely through his stomach. Drawing his hand away and glancing at it, he saw blood. Quite a bit of blood. Disgusted by the sight, Drago gave way under the pain and slouched to his knees, breathing heavily. He felt an awful sting as Blitz drew the sword out of his body. 'Human…' his mind cried out in shame, 'I cannot be defeated by a … a human!' His wings twitched spasmodically, a surge of fury replacing the unexpected surprise of pain such as he had not felt in a very long time. He let out a muffled "heh".

"Well played, human… But I am not done yet." Drago rose to his feet again, feeling his blood begin to boil. The unsuspecting human behind him chuckled briefly in natural human defiance. The dragon felt the wound in his back begin to scab and knit quickly as a wave of madness came over his mind, blocking out the possibility of all other thought. Only one word was chanted over and over again…

Blood.

Blood.

"Blood!!"

OoC: Things are going to get interesting when you get back.

OoC: I'm not sure what is wrong, but it says access is denied. I've been able to save it and I'm looking for where to activate it. So you've called upon the Bloodlust... prepare to burn!

BiC: Drago's mind quickly changed all thoughts to one word...blood. Drago's eyes closed, then opened. They no longer were the beautiful green, they are a terrible red.

"Foolish... human..." Drago murmured as he grabbed the sword coming out of his gut and ripped it out. Drago threw the sword towards the wall so hard, only the handle was visble. Drago turned and back-handed Blitz with his claws.

The was a loud snap as Blitz turned to see the Whip of Choas hurtling towards him. Blitz barely managed to dodge as the whip destroyed the ground where he had been. Blitz ducked, and jumped as Drago's whip struck out an endless amount of times.

'Wait.' A voice said in Drago's bloodthirsty mind. It was the Dragonic Edge. Drago followed the instructions and waited. 'He will stop... strike him with the fires of Chaos.' The sword seemed to glow in excitment when Blitz stopped moving. Black embers fell silently from Drago's mouth as Drago moved towards Blitz.

"Why did he stop?" Blitz whispered to himself. He turned around to see black flames flying towards him, screaming with heat. Blitz was stunned for a second before he leapt to the side. Part of the black flame licked his leg. Blitz yelled in pain as a small portion of his right leg was charred black and glowed red.

Drago's mocking laugh came from everywhere in the darkness. "Foolish human," Drago's deep voice said, "thinking you stood a chance." Drago appeared before Blitz' eyes. "I shall crush you!" Drago yelled as his claws tore into Blitz' left arm.

Blitz cried in pain before he shot a Sun Bomb into Drago's face. The dragon reared back from the brightness, giving Blitz a second to think. Blitz look around and saw what he was looking for. Blitz managed to stand and run over in between two large stalagmites. Blitz had time to tend to his leg before Drago's blood red eyes locked on him.

Drago roared as he charged towards the boy without thought. When Drago sliced his sword at Blitz's head Blitz ducked. Drago's sword sliced the two stalagmites in half. Drago turned to Blitz right before he heard a creaking noise. When Drago looked up in confusion, a large piece of rock landed on top of him. When Drago had cut those two stalagmites, a large rock they held up lost it's support and fell onto Drago.

Blitz grinned as he stumbled over to his sword and, with some effort, pulled it from the wall. When he turned Drago burst out of the rock slide, panting with rage. Drago held his hand out towards Blitz and laughed evily as three black beams fired right at Blitz.

Blitz moved out of the way easily, surprised it was that easy. He thought something wasn't right before one of the black beams drove into his back, sending him accross the room. The other two beams slammed into different walls, blocking off escape routes.

Blitz looked up in time to dodge another blast of fire from Drago's wicked mouth. Blitz dodged left and right as black flame screamed as it hurtled towards him. Blitz managed to make it up to Drago he noticed an ackward aura around the beast. Blitz decided he must have missed it earlier as he drove his hilt towards the dragon. When Blitz' hand touched the aura their was a clatter of steel as he saw the one thing he wished had never happened. The one thing that had destoryed his greatest love replayed infront of his eyes as Drago's mocking laughter faded.

OoC: Heh, heh... You're more evil and demented than I expected, even considering your character.

BiC:

No!

His abdomen lighted aflame in agony. His hand was outstretched, reaching toward her, but there was nothing he could do. Her eyes, those beautiful sad eyes, watched him. Tendrils of darkness energy wrapped around her neck and wrists, constricting like bloodthirsty boas. The focal point of the tendrils was a creature shrouded in darkness. And upon that darkness was a malicious grin.

No!

All of the awful sadness he felt paralyzed him, pinning him to the ground. The pain itself, and the blade impaling him to the ground, were no real obstacles. In his soul laid the real weight, the unbearable burden that held him down.

No!

Those eyes, those beautiful sad eyes, watched him. The mere sight of them crushed the wings of his spirit, damning him to wallow in the dirt. And then with a groan, her head reeled back as her spirit broke, and she dissolved into the darkness.

No!

He felt himself moving; the sadness was too much to bear, but could hold him back no longer. Into the darkness he went, certain that he would be consumed and never return to this world. But he no longer cared. He would have gone to Hell for her… He would have taken her place…

Oh Gods, why couldn’t it have been me?! Why couldn’t I have taken her place…?

…

His abdomen lighted aflame in agony. His hand was outstretched, reaching toward her, but there was nothing he could do. Her eyes, those beautiful sad eyes…

It isn’t real. It can’t be real.

But those eyes, those beautiful sad eyes…

She is dead. She has been dead for a long time.

But those eyes…

She would not have wanted me to suffer. I can’t suffer forever… I can’t suffer, for her sake. I won’t suffer… not anymore. This nightmare will end!

The Supernova sword pierced through Drago’s armor, grating against hard scales with a ringing noise. The dragon’s eyes went wide in disbelief as the Dragonic Edge clattered on the limestone ground. Blitz had broken through the spell, had blazed through it with the purity of his heart. But… it was impossible! No human was capable of such a thing!

Blitz leapt away, breathing heavily though the gash in his leg no longer bothered him so badly. “I need to thank you, Drago,” he said in sudden revelation. “You helped me realize that I can’t let you stand in my way. I have to live, not for myself, but for her sake.” His sword whirled stylishly between two fingers as his breathing slowly returned to normal. “Your tricks won’t work on me anymore.” SHING!

The human moved so quickly that Drago had not even seen him. Like a lightning bolt, Blitz had zipped by and sheared off a section of his armor. The dragon’s blood began to boil hotly as he released a roar so deep and guttural that it shook the cavern. Stones fell from above, shattering and clattering noisily on the ground; but Blitz was not intimidated. Instead, he seemed to be enjoying himself. This enraged Drago even further, and he was driven to the pinnacle of insanity by his own wrath. “Human… Blood…!”

The words themselves were only half-formed, but the intensity behind them conveyed the meaning to Blitz quite clearly. He would have to be careful with his enemy from now on. Cautiously taking the defensive, the swordsman began to spin his sword between two fingers again. But the dragon suddenly moved, almost more quickly than even Blitz could track. Drago bolted into the human’s chest, claws madly thrusting for his vitals. Desperately, and with much difficulty, Blitz parried the blows with his sword. The shock of each strike went up his arm, causing a significant amount of pain. He knew that not escaping would mean certain death. “You are severely lacking in tact!” he said in a short breath, forming a small Sun Bomb and igniting it right on top of himself. Drago was sent flying by the explosion, but Blitz was unharmed save for a scratch or two.

Landing awkwardly on his back with a thud and a grunt, Drago was more furious than ever. Not only was he unable to inflict the madness of his Dark Aura upon this mere human boy, but the enemy also seemed competent enough to use his sword defensively against an all-out assault. Of course, Drago was hardly aware of any of this; the madness of his Bloodlust had its downfalls.

Blitz came down on Drago from above, landing on his stomach and slamming the Supernova sword into the remainder of his thick armor plating. The human began slashing with such speed and ferocity that the dragon was stunned. Body flailing like a ragdoll under the furious hacks and thrusts, Drago was suddenly aware of a sound; a very peculiar sound that he rather liked. Consciousness gently filtered back into his mind as the song of a young woman filled his ears. Then, as he was suddenly self-aware again, he realized that the song was not that of a human—or any living thing at all, for that matter. The sound seemed to emanate from the hilt of his enemy’s sword itself as it was swung over and over again. How could a sword…?

There was a sickening groan as the blade struck flesh. Satisfied that his onslaught had done some significant good, Blitz pushed off of the massive creature’s girth and wiped a bit of blood from his chin.

Dazed though he was, Drago responded. “I must admit that you are quite the adversary.” His demeanor was now much more calm than it was a few moments ago, though his blood still raced. “Sadly, it would disgrace my name if I allowed you to walk away from this cavern victorious.” Gesturing around in the darkness, he grinned. “I appear to have blocked off all escape. One of us will have to die.”

“It seems that way,” Blitz said, undaunted in the face of grim circumstances. “But you’ve already given me the upper hand.” Taking the defensive again, he began to spin his sword. “All I have to do now is think of her…” Blitz closed his eyes, letting his mind lose itself in memories. “…and I will become stronger than you have ever imagined.”

Snorting in disgust, Drago reached down and retrieved the Dragonic Edge which lay nearby. “Hah! Then this fight has just yet begun.” From his free hand, a small shadow began to emanate. “Now that you have forced the bloodlust from my mind, I can think much more clearly. I also have a few aces that I’ve yet to play.”

Blitz’ body began to glow, dully at first, but then more and more brightly until he was encompassed in a holy aura that lit up the entire cavern. “…Just think of her…” And then, the cavern melted away into a blinding light that rendered the dragon’s eyes unwieldy for several moments. Then the light faded, replaced by a constant choral song just on the edge of existence. It was the same sound that had emanated from Blitz sword.

Observing all this with quiet bemusement, Drago prepared for the unexpected. While the portal in his outstretched hand grew slowly larger, he wondered just what this human boy had in store for their battle. Suddenly, the holy aura that surrounded Blitz was gone, and the human was completely visible. For the most part, he appeared the same. Only now, his hair seemed to be aflame with raw elemental energy. In addition, his sword had narrowed and lengthened considerably; its hues faded between red and yellow as though it were in fact composed of fire. And his eyes… they seemed almost… sad.

OoC: I’ll be gone from morning till about 7:00 on Saturday, and until 6:30 on Sunday. I have no power over what’s happening this weekend, so try to take it in stride. By the way… when I said that the cavern melted away, I didn’t mean it literally. Just thought I’d let you know.

OoC: It claims I can't open the folder the musics in so you'll have to put a link to the site or something of the sort.

BiC: Drago watched the human with small care. He seemed to have some sort of element fused with his body. Drago wondered who was the female he talked about. Suddenly, Drago's head snapped to the fully formed portal in his hand.

"Drago... it's over, you can't win this." Blitz whispered to the dragon. "I am not going to lose... I must fight for her..."

"Don't waste your time. I have seen what happened in your life. If you do die, I'll bury your body and pray for safe passage, but you will not leave here alive." Drago replied as he held his hand towards Blitz.

"Your beams of Chaos will no longer harm me," Blitz motioned the hand, "I will not fall to such powers."

"Is that so? Well... I guess we'll have to come up with something else!" Drago yelled before he started laughing. "Come from within, Great One Blaze! Come from the Fires of which you lie, come to your master of which musn't die. Come kill invader of sacred realm, time is ticking for him to Healm!" Drago chanted as a small roar came from his hand.

Blitz' eyes widened as he could see something ran towards him from the portal. He took another step back as Drago began chanted again. Drago's words were no different and seemed to never end. Blitz' mouth fell open as Blaze emerged from the portal.

"If my cult of Fire fails his task, the eleven will come to smash Fire's bask! See to it that the human is dead, for his body is wrought and important to head!" Drago whispered as his riddles bounced of the walls.

Blaze's head looked down at Blitz. The Fire Dragon's tail went back and forth, fire springing up where it touched the ground. It had fire sprouting out where Drago had spikes. The dragon's red eyes had a look of never ending anger in them. Blaze's claws were black as smoke poured from the dragon's nostrils. Blaze's wings were only smouldering outlines, the true wings formed from fire. Like his master, the Fire Dragon had a sword and whip on it's sides. The weapons were made from flame. Now Blitz knew why Drago lived in the largest room...

Blaze's roar came from it's firey throat as Drago climbed on top of the beast. "Meet your brethren, Blitz. You and Blaze here are related by your elements. He will truly test your power, plus I will ride atop my pet." Drago announced as he cracked his whip in the air. Drago's sword hummed with energy for being so close to another dragon.

"One of my... brethren..." Blitz whispered to himself as the room was egnited by the flames of the two.

"Blaze... HELL FIRE!" Drago yelled as he broth his Chaos Breath the same time Blaze used his Hell Fire.

Blitz muttered curses as he jumped away from the flames. "I won't lose Drago... I fight for someone I love and you can't stop me."

There was a long silence in the room. Drago's eyes stared down upon Blitz. He had a sad look in his eyes and shook his head. "The real question is... is she alive? For you see... the one I love lives in this very cave, and if you kill me... she'll extract my revenge, so fight all you want, you can only hope luck is on your side." Drago said to Blitz as Blaze charged with its Fire Sword.

OoC: I'll assume that your character's curiosity toward Blitz' late wife is a reflection of your own pondering. If that's the case, head over to the Character Fiction section and read "You Whispered My Name As You Died". I'd give you a link, but my computer's being slow right now. It might start behaving if I hit it hard enough, but I don't want to take the risk that it might disobey even more.

BiC: Blitz grinned an amused grin at the sight of his adversary’s elemental weapon. “So, you can do that trick too?” he half-chuckled. He clenched his free hand into a fist and, from it, flames began to wreath together artfully into a long serrated weapon. “You should know better than to fight fire with fire, Drago!” Blitz shouted at the dragon-riding dragon. “That’s only a myth!”

Fully confident in his capabilities, Blitz rushed toward the charging behemoth with his sword outright. Even if the fire drake managed to strike flesh, no detrimental damage would be dealt. Blitz intentionally reduced the speed of his dash, hoping that neither of his opponent’s would notice the difference. In the brief moments that the fire drake and the human moved toward one another, one could not have registered the outcome. A bright flare ripped through the massive red dragon, and it howled in pain as it toppled to the ground in its head-long rush. Kneeling triumphantly on the opposite end of the cavern, sword still outstretched from the attack, Blitz smirked.

Drago had tumbled from his mount when it collided with the ground, and was quite confused as to how Blitz had managed such a success. Raising himself up with his arms, he wondered aloud, “How did he…?”

“It’s very simple,” the human replied haughtily, rising from his striking stance. “I gave you the illusion that you had outdone me. I held back and, at the last moment, I put on a burst of speed.”

Idiot, thought Drago. Only an overconfident human would be so pathetically stupid as to give away his strategy! Furious, and now standing, the dragon motioned to his mount to rise. Obediently, the red drake pushed itself off of the cold ground, bitter at its enemy’s minute show of competence.

“You should not be so full of yourself, human.” The dragon-rider hopped onto his mount once more, signaling to the red that it should hold nothing back. “We shall see just how warranted your confidence is.” To the fire drake, he commanded “Go!” and it obeyed.

But suddenly, Blitz vanished. The all-permeating fiery light that emanated from him was still there, but Drago could not identify its source. “Hi.” So startled that he jumped, Drago twisted around to see his enemy firmly planted on the fire drake’s back. He jabbed at the human boy with his claws, but struck only air. Blitz’ movements were so fluid, so much more calculated that he seemed to move around attacks like water parting to pass around a wall.

“I am no faster than I was before I Ascended, Drago.” The voice seemed to come from multiple directions; the dragon cast about for the source, but could not locate his enemy. A light blur on the ground attracted his attention, and he watched it intently from his mount as it moved in a rapid and complicated pattern. He had isolated himself to the ground where he as not as difficult to perceive. Now that he had a definite lock on Blitz, he could wait for the proper moment to counter. “I have only recognized my potential through her memory.”

“You say her memory, boy!” shouted Drago at the blur. “You mean to say that she is dead, correct?” He was not asking out of concern, rather than to confirm a suspicion. Could Blitz’ motivation to fight for his love be weaker than Drago’s own?

“That is correct. She is dead.” Again, the movement of the blur caused the sound to echo artificially. “And she has been dead for years. But I fight in order that her spirit should not be disheartened in my mind. I must honor her, even after death.” Then, suddenly, the blur stopped and Blitz was fully visible. In that very instant, he lunged with both his Supernova sword and the elemental weapon. “Do not think that I am weak!”

Drago roared in a different language as Blitz leapt forward. When only a little away from striking distance, Blaze's flaming hand snacthed Blitz in the air and threw him into a wall. Blaze roared as the drake's tail flew around and smashed Blitz down in the ground.

"I shall laugh at your corpse and feed it to my pets when you are struck down!" Drago yelled as his whip collided with Blitz arm.

Blitz cried out as the whip took off the flesh when it made contact. Blitz dodged the next attack and barely managed to duck under Blaze's claw. Blitz quickly ran to the side and struck the Fire Dragon on its side.

Blaze howled in anguish as it fell to the ground. Drago swore so loud the entire cave shook. Blaze withered and faded right infront of the two. "Blaze..." Drago whispered as the dragon returned to Universi. Drago's head snapped up at Blitz. "It's a challenge you want? Then I'll give you one!" Drago yelled as the portal opened much faster.

Blitz brought his sword down upon Drago's hand to no success. Blitz was about to strike Drago's head before a large stream of water blasted him to the side. Blitz looked up to see a blue dragon. It was the exact same thing as Blaze, but had water instead of fire.

"Meet the one who will cut your life short!" Drago yelled as Aquamere reared back its head and broth dark blue fire at Blitz.

Blitz hadn't expected the fire breath to be water. He felt strange, the fire was burning like boiling water instead of normal flames. Trying to fight water with fire would be a task. "I shall defeat you Drago!" He yelled as he fired a Sun Bomb at Aquamere.

Instead of sitting there, Drago fired a Chaos beam right at the Sun Bomb. When the two collided, they exploded to give off a hot, dark explosion. Aquamere, Drago, and Blitz all flew into nearby stalagmites from the power of the blow.

"Think of her..." Blitz whispered to himself as he picked up his sword and ran for Drago.

"Don't even think about it!" Drago yelled as the Dragonic Edge met with the Supernova.

Blitz pushed with all his strength against Drago's blade, but Aquamere's tail wrapped around his leg and threw him up into the air. The human hurled a Sun Bomb towards the beast, but the Water Dragon just extinguished it with its watery fire.

When Blitz landed on the ground he looked up to see no Aquamere. "Where is your water wrym?" Blitz asked to the heaving Chaos Dragon.

"Why let my pet have all the fun when I can have all the fun?" Drago replied as him pointed the Dragonic Edge at Blitz. "Preapre to die..."

Blitz grabbed the Supernova and put it up just in time to stop Drago's attack. Sparks flew as the two elemental sword clashed. The ringing and clinging of the weapons echoed all around as the two warriors flung their swords at each other. Drago's grunts mixed with Blitz' as they fought, not even blinking, fearing to lose concentration.

"You can't win, Drago!" The human said as he blocked another of the Dragon Overlord's attacks.

"I will win! You shall not leave this cave alive!" Drago replied as he parried. Drago threw a punch at Blitz, but missed.

As the two fought on like wraiths, a figure wacthed them silently. Drago roard as he smashed his sword where Blitz had been standing. Drago turned around just in time to see Blitz blade rip into his chest.

"You... lost..." Blitz managed to say before he twisted the Supernova. He let out a relieved sigh as Drago slumped to the ground, coughing up blood.

Drago had never fought someone with so much determenation in his long life. Drago's face fell to the ground and he looked over to see Eyliden. She was sitting on a rock watching Drago. Tears streamed down her face as she watched her love fall.

NO! Drago thought as he managed to point a clawed finger at Blitz. I shall not die and let Eyliden suffer... I SHALL NOT! He thought as a thin, black beam climbed slowly towards Blitz. 'He will take her, Drago,' the Dragonic Edge whispered to its holder, 'he will take her for his own and torture her. He will laugh at her and harm her...STOP HIM!'

Blitz was a little happier to have finally rid himself of Drago. He turned with a smile on his face, but what he saw slapped it right off. He saw a beautiful woman, crying. Her gaze was directed at Drago's body. Blitz felt his heart stop. The never ending torment he had felt until this fight was now placed upon her. Blitz' mind race of what to do. Suddenly he felt the greatest of pain sweep through him. He turned to see Drago pointing a beam out of him.

When Blitz lost life, Drago gained. Blitz had many emotions on the side of anger, hatred, and sorrow; that Drago sucked it out for Life Force. Blitz let out a small cry as the beam sucked on him like a leech.

"You... shall... never... have, Eyliden!" Drago managed to say as he was healed enough to stand up. Drago sneered as he watch the life be sucked right out of Blitz.

Think of her... she wouldn't want me to die like this... she wanted me to be happy... Blitz thought as all of the hatred, anger, and sorrow left him. The beam suddenly died off.

"Curses..." Drago said under his breath as he stepped in between Blitz and Eyliden. "I'll shall not let you take her!" Drago yelled as he recovered his weapons. 'Remember... he'll torture and laugh at her, he'll only use her for his amusment... KILL HIM!' THe sword whispered to Drago. Drago shook with rage at every word, but didn't enter Bloodlust. "Prepare to die..." Drago whispered as Blitz recovered himself.

OoC: Oh Ho! Now we both fight for two different 'her's. One living and watching, while the other dead and watching.

OoC: I was reading our thread over out of boredom, and something occured to me. Dude... we rock!! Seriously, we make one Hell of a battle!

BiC: So, he has the ability to drain my energy, thought Blitz disparagingly. This could get particularly dangerous. I’ll have to be more careful, even while Ascended. He began to spin the Supernova around his fingers again, waiting for his enemy’s attack. He didn’t have to wait long, but quickly realized that using his sword defensively would not help him.

Drago thrust his arms into the air and there was a sound like a thunderclap. Directly before him, the ground cracked sharply. Blitz prepared to jump, expecting the dragon to form some sort of earthquake. But instead, Drago let out a cry so deep and powerful that the human was knocked from his feet at the cavern’s shuddering. From that crack in the ground, an unholy light poured forth. Slowly, loudly, the crack grew and spread into a crevice, branching outward and consuming the stone earth within. And then, with unexpected suddenness, the earth gave way to the crevice. From the resulting crater, there was a low rumble.

“Witness my power, human!” cried Drago in rage, beating his wings to hover above the unholy glowing pit. “None have ever withstood this monster of Hell; you shall not be the first!”

Blitz gasped in horror as a massive creature began to emerge from that gateway to the beyond, its very presence striking in his heart a fear the likes of which he had never experienced. Like a void in the soul, it was; loneliness so great that even the pain of his wife’s death was dwarfed beneath it. As he gazed upon the Hellbeast, Blitz determination to emerge victorious dissolved and was replaced by an eternal despair. His sword dropped to his feet with a clatter, and he fell to his knees in anguish.

No… his mind called out to him, but even the voice of his own inner self was drowned out by the presence of this evil creature. I… can’t… So terrible was the sensation, so heart-wrenching, that he could do nothing to hold it back, could not even lift his sword. Suddenly, all of the precious elemental energy he had built up inside of himself for the sake of Ascension vanished without a trace. The swordsman’s hair, previously crackling like flames, returned to normal. His breath left him in a flood, and his lungs began to seize up.

In a dialect which Blitz had never heard, or could possibly have dreamt of, the creature spoke. Yet the meaning of its words was so clear that it might as well have spoken in a human tongue. “All that bask in my presence shall perish.” The voice itself would have been enough to crush Blitz’ soul should it hang upon the air long enough; but this beast, this monster of Hell, was heartless to its very core. Its sole desire was to destroy. It obeyed no master, not even the dragon who had summoned it.

Reality faded from existence, and all that was left was his soul and this Hellbeast. From its burning body, wispy tendrils of evil reached and grabbed hold of his waist. Slowly, Blitz felt himself being drawn into the infinite darkness and despair that composed the evil creature. His proverbial self recoiled in fear, for he could do nothing to stop it. The tendrils of evil energy within ensnared his wrists and feet, restraining him for the journey through despair that would last for eternity. No… Please… He knew that this monster could hear him, knew that it sensed his words and understood them. But it would not hold back its power over its prey, especially this small human with such strong will.

Don’t do this… I have to… have to live… for her… But the Hellbeast did not allow any amount of leeway for its captive. In fact, its hold on him tightened even more strongly. Blitz soul groaned in pain and fear. I won’t… I won’t… Suddenly, something inside him snapped. I won’t die!!

Blitz felt reality rush forward, and he was slammed back into his body which had collapsed on the cavern floor. Rising to his feet and snatching up his sword, the human rushed toward the evil creature. "I WON’T DIE!!!" Dashing over the edge of the pit and into that unholy light, Blitz caused an explosion behind himself that sent him rocketing through the air toward his target. The monster was so massive that he could not possibly have missed even if he were facing the opposite direction. Blitz plunged into the creature, passing through its flaming carapace and into the vast expanse within. So raw was the elemental energy contained in this being that Blitz was fully invigorated. “For her!!” he cried, and felt all of that elemental energy drain from its owner into himself.

The resulting Ascension was so abrupt that Blitz felt a power-high rush through his mind. He chuckled briefly, amazed by the amount of power contained in himself now. Wielding it was so simple now that he had broken the Hellbeast’s hold on his mind. In addition, he felt something new awakening within him. This was no normal ascension, he realized; had he just achieved Celestial status? …Was it possible?

Outside of the creature, Drago was dumbfounded at Blitz’ idiotic assault on his summoned monster. What could the foolish human hope to achieve by such a foolhardy attempt?

Then, with surprise, Drago realized that his Hellbeast was recoiling in anguish. Something was dreadfully wrong. A loud moan came from the monster as it gripped its skull, lolled its head and began to descend back into the pit. Suddenly, the dark-red flames that composed its body blazed a brilliant white and it cried out in agony.

“What has he done to my demon?!” shouted Drago, leaning forward in disbelief. “How is it possible?!”

As it slowly descended into the oblivion from which it came, the bright flaming creature burst apart in a blinding flash that sent charred, blazing flesh into the cavern floor and walls like tiny bullets. A final cry from the Hellbeast filled the cavern, and then it was gone. The pit remained behind, a gaping memory of its brief presence in this world, though the unholy aura that emanated from within had vanished.

At the heart of the creature’s fading corpse, Blitz hovered in midair. His sword was different somehow… No, it had completely changed its appearance.

“Blazing Ether!!” came the battlecry, and an aquamarine beam of an element that Drago could not identify came hurtling at him.

Shifting gently, glowing softly, particles of its body breaking off and dissolving, the beam penetrated the dragon with surprising ease. His body seemed to part in order to grant it access to the air behind him. And when it was gone, Drago felt drained. “What has he done…?” the dragon overlord wheezed. No wounds had been left behind, but a significant weariness came over the dragon king.

The human’s eyes were now startlingly piercing, as though they struck the heart of whoever gazed upon them. Drago found it impossible to maintain eye-contact for longer than a few moments. And his sword… the blade was now very ornate, adorned with jewels and runic markings that seemed to represent whatever element Blitz had sent Drago’s way.

This creature… what was he? Certainly no human was capable of such incredible power. The dragon knelt on one knee; not out of fatigue, but in order to save his strength. I must do something… he convinced himself. I cannot defeat him as I am now. I must do something that I have never attempted before…

…And then it came to him.

BiC: So, what shall your new power be? :cool: Have fun.