The Apocalyptic Archangel: The Time of His Demise(Weilder of the Sword, anyone else)

OoC: I'll be using Dirk's newest form, Tsunami Tide, and a new face Shinzaburo. Their links are all in my sig.

BiC: Several days later after the incident with the archangel, Dirk was wandering around thinking to himself. I have been saved by Blitz and Tsunami's efforts. While I did run into the strange man shrouded in light and my muscle weakness is gone, I still am unsure about these new artifacts. They look exactly like the archangel's artifacts. If I was spotted with these by Blitz or Tsunami I might be attacked. Hmm... I hope I find them soon. While in the midst of thought he bumped into a very muscular man. "I'm terribly sorry about that. Are you alright," asked the muscular man. "Yeah, I'm fine," replied Dirk. "Are you willing to help me?"

"What's the problem? You lost," asked the muscular man. "Well.... I'm trying to find my friends. Their names are Blitz and Tsunami. I'm looking for them so I can see if I can take on the Apocalyptic Archangel again with their help," explained Dirk. "I'll help," said the muscular man, "I want to know more of this archangel. My name is Shinzaburo. What's yours?" "My name is Dirk," replied the zora. "I am happy to know you will help me." As the two walked down the road Dirk was explaining the whole story of the Apocalyptic Archangel. "...and then Blitz took all the artifacts and made them disappear somehow. I have no idea where they are now but I can say that they aren't destroyed," said Dirk. "That is interesting," replied Shinzaburo. Dirk continued, "After that we were sucked into a dark hole turning into a battled field where, supposedly, the wizards of old fought the archangel before. We managed to escape from the place after blasting him with an old move of mine called Justice Blast. I no longer have that weapon though. I have this sword along with my many artifacts of god."

Later that day after their chat about the archangel they sat at a campfire chatting away about their pasts. "So you have had your whole village destroyed and are searching for any signs of the villagers," asked Dirk interested in his past. "Yes.... I have reason to believe that they have been taking hostage or have found a different place to settle in after the attack. I hope I can find them soon. I want to see my family," said Shinzaburo with a sad expression on his face. Just then they heard something from down the road. "I wonder who that could be," Dirk said surprised. Dirk looked harder and recognized the figure. It was Tsunami! Dirk rushed over to Tsunami. Tsunami caught sight of Dirk with artifacts on his body. Could it be? Did Dirk collect the evil artifacts again? Tsunami prepared for a battle when Dirk stopped several feet in front of her. "It's been a while Tsunami. Do you like my artifacts? I received them from some mysterious guy shrouded in light," said Dirk hoping Tsunami would believe him. "Are you sure those aren't the artifacts of the archangel," asked Tsunami. "Yeah, I'm sure. These artifacts... I feel no darkness in them. The mysterious guy also rid me of my muscle weakness too. I no longer have a scar either," explained Dirk. "Let's take a rest at my camp with my new friend Shinzaburo. I'll explain the rest the next morning. The three went to sleep waiting for morning to come.

OoC: Feel free to come into the camp right away Weilder of the Sword. Just make sure you attack no one. Also anyone else who joins, I only want a max of 7 warriors in this. There is already three plus Weilder of the Sword too so just wait until he replies.

OoC: Woo, didn't realize that you meant you wanted to start this event right away. Alright, I suppose there's no denying it. This has to happen again. I'd prefer if it were set at least a few weeks from the original event, but what the hey. It just bothers my sense of chronology, that's all.

BiC: Stars twinkled softly in the nighttime sky, their illumination enough to light the ground considerably. A lone figure walked through the twilight carelessly, arms crossed behind his head for comfort. His running shoes were strapped to his side. Mountains rolled off in the distance, their peaks almost visible even in the dim of night. The lush grass felt plush under his bare feet. Blitz smiled; it was so bright and beautiful here in the countryside. Having lived in cities for much of his life, Blitz never had the opportunity to look at them closely. Not since she died...

Shuddering, for a twinge of sadness leaked from the back of his mind, Blitz turned his eyes downward and tried to think of something else. Something came to mind immediately, and it had only happened just under a week ago. The Archangel was definitely not been as strong as Kyros, the young soldier thought. He claimed to be a God, but was unable to surpass the power of a machine. What was that creature, truly?

A warm breeze distracted him from his musings. His head rose in curiosity as he fondled the pommel of his sword. A faint yellow glow hovered over the horizon in the distance, twinkling slightly. The glow was that of a campfire, Blitz realized, and there were two or more people dozing around the gentle firelight. “Who could that be?” he wondered aloud, breaking into a brisk trot. His red mantle fluttered behind him in the wind and his sword rustled at his side; both of the noises were familiar and comforting. It was unusual for people of his time to camp under the stars, especially during times of war. Shaking his head, for he had forgotten that no one knew of the Great War, Blitz chuckled at himself.

As he jogged towards to the campfire, the wind grew warmer and more comfortable. The campground was more visible now that he was closer. Three people were lying on thick silk comforters, apparently sleeping. As he drew nearer, Blitz was surprised to find that he recognized two of the figures. One was the water spirit he had met during that fiasco with the Archangel. What was her name again…? Tsunami? The second was another friend he had met on that same occasion. He remembered the name clearly; it was hard to forget such an intimidating figure as Dirk.

Looking back, he supposed that he regretted not having time to talk with them. But he had other matters to attend to. Such as finding more information about this alleged “Dome”. Then again, that was little excuse, particularly since he had learned nothing. Blitz was not the type to turn away a friend, especially after such a heart-wrenching ordeal as that of days ago. Besides, maybe they knew something of that which he sought?

It then occurred to Blitz that waking the three travelers would be rude. [I]Perhaps I shall wait until the morning[I], he thought. [I]I could use some rest anyhow[I]. Removing the clasp that held his mantle over his right shoulder, he began to roll the garment into a cylinder. Then, placing it on the ground away from the others, he laid down his head upon it and looked up at the stars one last time before drifting off to sleep.

An image sifted into existence behind his eyelids. It was the image of a young girl…

OoC: Not every post has to be centered around battle. Sometimes, it's better to focus on a light touching moment. By the way, this might give you a little more insight on my character. He's a very passionate person, as you'll learn from that.

OOC: I feel bad about ditching both of you last time, so I'm back, and I promise not to panic again. I found a trick to keep me from having to go back and forth beteen profiles. I will use Leia Silvis, and Cody Streetman, who are in the sig.

BIC: Leia and Cody had been riding Leia's horse for a few days now. Cody was searching for a way to stop the impending doom of the world, when he came across a woman trying to spread a philosophy. She offered to give him a ride, and he accepted, but they had gone off course. Cody had a vision about an aquatic warrior wearing armor that shined with the light of Good, and an angel of Darkness.

As the sun rose, they came upon a campfire with four people surrounding it. They were just waking up, and putting the fire out, when they noticed the riders. Leia and Cody introduced themselves to Shinzaburo, Tsunami, Blitz, and Dirk. Three of them seemed to have fought the dark angel known as the Apoctaliptic Angel, and Shinzaburo, like Leia and Cody, just seemed to be in the right place at the right time.

"I don't want to push myself on you," Cody said. "But wolves hunt better in larger packs." Cody said.

"It looks like this evil Archangel could use a new philosophy in life. I never miss a chance to reform a baddie." Leia said.

"This guy isn't an ordinary baddie." Tsunami said. "He chills me to the bone, and I actually hoped to go a few years before seeing him again, but I'm here for Dirk."

"I'll accept any help I can get." Dirk said.

"I feel that fighting this lesser evil will help me get ready for he whose name must never be mentioned." Cody said.

"Is the other evil much greater than the Archangel?" Blitz asked.

"A stinging bee we shall soon face, until the reaper of worlds shows his skeletal grin." Cody said.

"You're pretty grim for a ten year old." Leia said.

OoC: You're using two characters? Uh-oh. Now I'm the one who's going to be confused. Oh well, I'll deal with it. How could I resist a Godly War?

BiC: “Agreed,” muttered Blitz as he fastened the bronze shoulder clasp back onto his mantle and turned to the mysterious boy. A faint light of recognition sparkled in the back of his mind. Somehow, he knew this child. “You should not be so proverbial. My brother was hardly your age when…” He stopped himself, thinking that now would not be the best time to bring up such matters. “Nevermind.” Looking skyward, Blitz vaguely noted that the stars were gone. If he’s who I think he is, then the boy should already know anyway.

Dirk, Tsunami and Shinzaburo had been surprised to find the soldier in their camp, but apparently took it all into stride. Blitz himself was disheartened that no questions had been asked of him, other than why he had slept in their camp. As if one cue, he was approached by Tsunami who had just finished rolling up her comforter and placing it next to the others.

“So where have you been the past few days?” She seemed cheery, an emotion that Blitz did not experience very often, even in his friends back home.

“I’ve been searching,” he said, trying hard not to show any emotion. “I left all of my friends and family behind in this search, but I’ve found nothing so far.”

Tsunami’s curiosity peaked, and rightly so. “What are you searching for?” she asked and, for a very brief moment, the water spirit reminded Blitz of his wife. He shook his head to stay the flood of tears that was always at the ready when he thought of the woman he loved.

Just then, Dirk walked over to them and gave Blitz a friendly slap on the back. The human ‘oofed’, but Dirk didn’t seem to notice. “So where have you been the past few days?” he said, absolutely jovial.

Blitz groaned. Both of these relationships were starting out on the wrong foot. “Er… Let’s talk about it later,” he said, dusting himself off. Sleeping in the dirt was not something he was accustomed to. “For now, why don’t you tell about those artifacts you’re wearing.” Blitz surprised himself with the question. He had not even registered the artifacts consciously. “They have no relation to the Archangel, I trust?”

Dirk looked down at himself, then back to Blitz. His smile turned to a less vibrant grin. “No. But I think they may be polar opposites of the Archangel’s artifacts.”

Now that he mentioned it, the artifacts did look less foreboding to Blitz. In fact, he could almost sense a holy presence when he looked at them. Not only that, but they were of a radiant, almost golden, sheen. No, these definitely had no relation whatsoever to the angel in question. But if not, then what were they? What happened when I banished them? he thought to himself. What happened to the artifacts in the void? Focusing his conscious mind, Blitz saw into the aura of the artifacts. Purity. Blinding purity. Burning purity! Blitz stumbled backwards, forcing his othersight out of perspective, and pushing forward the normal spectrum. His eyes stung from the light contained within the artifacts.

Tsunami and Dirk were dually worried. “Are you alright?” they asked him, Dirk reaching a hand to help the soldier up. Blitz accepted, rubbing his eyes with his free hand.

“I can tell you this much,” said Blitz. “Those artifacts definitely have no relation to the Archangel of the Apocalypse. It’s not even remotely possible.”

Leia was talking to Cody across the camp, seeming quite awed by the child’s manner and knowledge. Blitz himself was not too impressed. His own brother was similar to this boy, but in a superior way. Still, Blitz was intrigued to talk to the child. Walking over, Tsunami and Dirk behind him, Blitz placed a hand on Cody’s shoulder. He turned around without so much as a hint of surprise or apprehension. Now Blitz was impressed.

“You can see into the sixth dimension, can you not?” he asked the boy.

“…The sixth?” Cody echoed, arching an eyebrow.

Deciding to explain, Blitz knelt beside Cody and placed one arm over his knee. “The first dimension is a point which contains no mass. It is merely a marker to indicate a location in space. The second is a linear line, possessing no width or height, but having infinite length, and containing an infinite number of points. The third is a flat plane having no height, but infinite width and length, and containing an infinite number of both points and lines. The fourth dimension is space, and contains an infinite number of points, lines, and lanes. The fourth, what we know as space-time, contains an infinite number of points, lines and planes which can be parallel to one another on different planes. The fifth dimension is not yet determined, but is believed to be a polar opposite of our space-time. The sixth dimension is limited interactivity between these dimensions. And the seventh,” Blitz raised an intellectual index finger, indicating that this was the climax of his explanation, “is the ability to travel freely between them.”

“The seventh…?” Cody echoed, very interested in the last of the dimensions Blitz had listed. Everyone but the young blue mage was staring at the soldier in utter befuddlement. “It is possible to travel forward and backward through time and space at will?”

The soldier nodded. “Yes. In fact, one of my friends back home has this ability. We call him the Paradox.

“Now, can you tell me where we are headed?” Blitz asked suddenly, surprising the young boy. Obviously, Cody’s ability to control his power was very limited thus far. Perhaps Ethan could train him? Blitz thought.

“Well…” Cody said, hesitating briefly.

OoC: Heh, heh... ^_^ I'm so clever. I couldn't think of somewhere to send us, due to a few reasons, so I'm leaving it up to whoever posts next. By the way, how do you like my new avatar? It's more befitting to myself as a fire elemental.

"We must head east." Cody said. So they picked up their stuff, and headed out. Dirk took the lead, as he felt he as the leader, Blitz and Tsunami followed closely behind, and Shinzaburo, Leia, and Cody took up the rear. Since there was only one horse, he was used to carry the supplies while everyone walked.

Leia spoke of Purity of Soul, her philosophy, while they walked, and everyone seemed to like different parts. When she spoke of everyone getting a second chance, Dirk stated that the Archangel had blown his second chance last week. Everyone seemed to have their own missions, but this side quest was worth their time.

Around noon, they came upon a village, where Cody suggested they stop at a resteraunt. "They make the best chicken here, and the river's flow doesn't guide me to this bank often." Cody said.

"Is eating here getting us any closer to the Archangel?" Dirk asked.

"The lion is scarier when his growl comes from his throat, instead of his stomach." Cody said.

"Are you always so focused?" Shinzaburo asked.

They ate a light lunch and walked northeast until they came across a canyon. Cody assured everyone that this was the quickest way to the Archangel, but he failed to notice that not everyone can teleport. "Don't worry!" Cody yelled from the far side. "I'm almost positive that I can float you across with telekenesis!"

"I'm almost positive I'm going to want a bridge." Leia said to the others. They walked along the edge until they saw a cement bridge, but it was guarded by Ogres. These brutes were bigger than oxen, and twice as dumb. They wanted money, but they got a fight.

Dirk used Holy Frenzy to attack one of the Ogres, Leis handled another with her whip, Blitz used Raging Flame, and Shinzaburo used Whirlwind. The Ogres got in a few hits, but lost. Everyone met up with Cody to hear that he had a visoin about Ogres guarding a bridge.

"Surprisingly enough, visions of the past aren't always helpful." Blitz said.

OoC: I'm focusing largely on character development, in case you guys hadn't noticed. Giving everyone else a little insight into my character's personality can't possibly do any harm.

BiC: That obstacle overcome, the motley crew formed up again and continued to walk. As they traveled for an hour so, the scenery changed drastically. Before, the grass and trees had seemed lush and green, whereas they now trekked through a field of dead shrubs, dry cracked ground, and decaying trees whose branches seemed to reach toward them menacingly.

Blitz was repulsed by the sight, and decided that some conversation would be nice. The young woman, Leia, seemed quite uppity despite the gloom of the land. He slowed his walk, letting the others pass by until he was walking alongside the twenty-year-old.

“So, this philosophy of yours…”

“…Purity of Soul,” she finished for him.

“Yes,” Blitz said mostly to himself. “Do you really believe that any crime is forgivable?”

Leia nodded enthusiastically; she appeared to enjoy talking about her beliefs. “Anyone can see their faults. But the willingness to admit them to ones’ self does not come easily. Every person has the right to live. Living up to the expectations of others is the difficult part.”

Blitz sneered. “That’s a naïve perspective you have.” Offended, Leia faced him with a hurt look. “Not everyone has the right to live. Some will never change, even if given countless opportunities to do so.” An expression of hatred crossed Blitz face as he stared into the horizon, gripping the hilt of his sword tightly. “There are those in the world who are so self-righteous, so unswerving in their evil cause that they will never consider the other side. And even worse, there are those who realize that what they are doing is wrong, and don’t care.”

The blatant challenge to her philosophy was bitter, filled with regret and pain. And possibly sadness. “That’s not true, Blitz,” she said, more to comfort the distraught soldier than to defend her belief. “Anyone can change. I’m sure that whoever it is that you cared for can change for the better.”

“HAH!” The others in the group stopped briefly to glance back in curiosity at the source of the cry. Blitz waved to them, and they continued onward. “She whom I cared for, gave every ounce of my soul to, is dead. She can never change. I would never have wanted her to change.” A tear began to form in his eye, but his pride caused him to hold it back with a frown. “She was perfect.”

Now, Leia saw clearly what chiseled at Blitz’ heart. Someone whom the soldier had dearly despised had killed the woman he cared for. How sad, she thought. He has the right to disbelieve Purity of the Soul. He has suffered; I cannot blame him.

“I’m sorry, I’ve been rude to you.” The tear in his eye had receded, but Leia could still plainly see the pain behind the stern façade. “I should not have challenged your beliefs like that.”

“It’s alright,” the girl said, her heart going out to him. Even though his pride was stinging him, he was still humble enough to apologize. “You have every right not to believe in my philosophies.” She smiled at him, hoping to brighten his spirits. But the frown maintained.

Undoubtedly feeling dejected, Blitz began to hasten his walk to take his place at the front of the troupe again. For some reason she could not explain, Leia felt the need to comfort him. “Ah… wait,” she said just loudly enough for him to hear. He slowed, and then stopped to listen to her. “You don’t have to go to the front.”

Blitz fell to the back of the line again, and whispered a silent Thank you.

Leia was not sure what he meant, but supposed that he was merely thanking her for caring. That Blitz certainly was a strange person… so kind and gentle, yet furious and passionate all at once. There was so much negative emotion trapped in him, Leia knew, that he must sometimes get confused. She placed a comforting arm on his shoulder, and a single tear escaped from his eye.

As they trekked along the path the artifacts on Dirk started glowing. Dirk did not expect this to happen. They walked down the path some more and the glow on the artifacts grew. Dirk looked to the side and spotted that one of the artifacts was nearby. It was on the ground covered in dirt. Dirk went over to the artifacet and picked it up. The artifact was stinging Dirk's hands and he quickly dropped it. Tsunami picked it up and handed it to Shinzaburo. Shinzaburo put it in a sack and they continued onward. While the rest were chatting Dirk was thinking to himself. Hmm... Why did that artifact sting? It never did so before. Could it have been my new acquired artifacts? Dirk kept on thinking to himself while Shinzaburo was talking with Cody. "So what is it like being a...." "A telepath?" Cody said finishing Shinzaburo's sentence. "I don't know really." Shinzaburo stopped talking after that. Tsunami was going to talk to Dirk but Dirk was deep in thought so she left him alone. Tsunami wondered to herself. Why does the archangel exist? Isn't there a tale or something telling about his creation or something of that matter? She kept thinking about these questions while Blitz thought about Dirk's artifacts. That was a strange thing. It's like he was chosen to defeat the archangel. He no longer is held back by fatique either. Hmm... This is quite strange. While most were lost in thought everything was disrupted by a sound coming from the trees. Then some creatures similar to monkeys and lions appeared. They started throwing fruit at the warriors. They all responded by opening an attack on the monkey lions.

Cody used Telekenesis to violently shake the trees while Tsunami used Spray, and Laeia used her bow and arrows. The large monkey lions that came too close were held back by Dirk, Blitz, and Shinzaburo. Eventually the mokey lions ran.

As they continued walking, Dirk spoke to Cody. "You said that the Archangel is weak compared to the guy you are training to fight. Does that mean the Archangel won't be much of a threat to you?"

"I'm not strong enough to beat the Archangel on my own, nor am I here soley to fight him. I have come to kep the seed of evil from growing. When the Apocalyptic Archangel was awakened, he planted a dark seed. The flow of negative energy is its water, and the Archangel's evil is its light."

"Where is this seed?" Dirk asked.

"My vision is unclear now, but it involves you and Leia. When the truth reveals itself, I will tell you." Cody said.

"Do you have anything positive to say?" Leia asked.

Cody looked at Tsunami, and Blitz. "There is something else, but it is too early to say."

They continued going through the dead forest, and up a hill, when they came upon some ruins. "This is the place where the Archangel disapeared. We have to find a way below ground that doesn't involve using up all of our energy trying to dig a tunnel." Dirk said.

Within the ruins Dirk's artifacts began glowing again but with greater brilliance. "There must be more artifacts nearby," said Dirk with a solemn expression. They searched around until Shinzaburo spotted two armblades. Shinzaburo picked them up and set them in the sack. Dirk's artifacts stopped glowing. "Hmm...," Dirk said quietly thinking. "We have three of the seven artifacts. We have Evil's Twin Armblades and we have the Belt of Deception. The four others are the Gun of Evil Deeds, the Apocalyptic Breastplate, the Apocalyptic Cape, and the Headband of the Apocalyptic Arhcangel. If we find these artifacts we might not need to dig through. It means reviving the angel again but we have no other options. We will get seriously tired from trying to dig and wouldn't be ready for a battle." "Well... Then we have no choice I guess. Is it alright with everyone else?" Tsunami asked to the remainder of the party. They all nodded and left the ruins for now. They headed out towards the next area past the ruins. There they found an unwelcoming crew of bandits. Not wanting to fight the group tried to sneak past the guards. Shinzaburo stepped on a twig and alerted the guards towards their direction. The guards ran towards them and the group had no choice but to defend themselves.

I'm sorry, I shouldn't have made you wait like that. I was gone a lot longer than I expected. Then I didn't wake up until noon. I've been doing chores since then, and I still have stuff to do. Again, I'm really sorry about that. Go ahead and post without me, I'll be back tomorrow somewhere around 6:00.

The bandits looked pretty mean, but Leia strode out in front to address them. She walked gracedully toward the leader, and started flirting with him. Everyone watched with vague interest as she lured the grinning bandit away from his group. Suddenly, she kicked him to his knees and put a knife to his throat.

"Tell your boys to drop their weapons and back up a few dozen yards." Leia said. After they did it, she stuck a pamphlet on Purity of Soul in the man's armor. "Read that, and behave."

As the bandits left she said, "The greatest battle is the battle not fought."

"You have now seen Leia's dark side." Cody told the group as they continued their search. They split up and looked under every rock in the area. Leia yelled to everyone when she found something.

"Look, I found a cape that goes with my leather armor. No one mentioned an evil cape artifact, did they?" She asked.

"Yes, we did." Blitz said as he put it into the bag.

"Aww." Leia said.

Dirk's artifacts glowed, showing that there was another artifact near. They reached a crevise, but weren't sure what else may be in there. Cody volunteered to use Astral Projection. He leaned against a rock, and removed his spirit from his body. After getting a look inside the crevise, he saw a nest of fire beetles. Fire beetles have rock hard shells, and spit firey saliva.

Blitz, being a fire elemental, was immune to fire. He melted the rocks, slipped into the crevise, and came out with the headband of the Apocaliptic Archangel. He was also covered in spit.

The artifacts were almost all there in the bag. The two others were the Apocalyptic Breastplate and the Gun of Evil Deeds. They continued their journey along the path towards an unwelcome place. The ruins of where it all started. Dirk remembered the goron that showed his face here but soon left later on. This here was the holding place of one of two armblades. Even though it was in ruins the place still had every inch of life fading. Dirk's artifacts began glowing again. The artifact was nearby stuck in the ground. Shinzaburo went over and tugged on it. He kept pulling and his muscles started to bulge. The artifact came out and Shinzaburo landed on his back. The artifact landed in front of Blitz. Blitz picked it up and put it in the bag. That was the Gun of Evil Deeds they just picked up. Then Dirk's artifacts started glowing brighter and brighter. The land area started coming to life again. The area was no llonger bound by dark clouds and dead trees. It had animals and flowers bloomed. The trees were healthy and the remains of the ruins blew away in dust. The rest continued on their way to retrieve the final artifact. The Apocalyptic Breastplate.

OoC: Bad news, people. I thought I would have more time out of the day, but it looks like I won't. See, every year there's a three-day religious congregation at the Dallas Stadium that I must attend. I didn't remember it lasting seven hours the last few times. Maybe my memory's gone to pot. Anyway, I'll be gone for the better part of the next two days, and probably won't have time to post at all. If you can, try and draw it out. Given the opportunity, I'll be back. I feel a little bad about this, but I have a choice between two battles to focus on: This one, or that one. I chose that one.

Wait a sec, monkey lions? :confused:

Everyone was looking thoroughly for the last artifact when Cody spoke up. "Don't put that on! It's evil!"

"What's going on?" Blitz asked. He was holding the bag of artifacts, so he knew it wasn't about the ones he had.

"Cody's having a vision." Leia said. "Tell us what's happening, Cody."

"A wandering warrior seems to have found the Breastplate, a mile away." Cody said. They rushed toward the unknown warrior, hoping that Cody's vision was of the far future. The warrior was found with the Archangel's Breastplate on, and he was obviously enjoying the power rush. Leia tried to use her persuasion.

"Hello, you big, strong man." She said as she walked up. "We have been collecting armor that is similar to that, and we would be glad to buy the breastplate from you."

"My name is Derrick." The man said. "I think I'm keeping this armor. In fact I think I'd like the full set." Derrick began eyeing the horse, as he thought the armor might be there. Persuasion wasn't working, so Cody teleported onto the horse's back to get Derrick's attention. It took ten seconds of eye contact for Cody to hypnotise Derrick, but a dark force took hold of him, and he charged.

The fight was on, but no one wanted to hurt Derrick, so everyone simply piled on him. That's when a force field knocked them all away. The Archangel's Breastplate had generated a protective field around Derrick. This, combined with his sword and his unknown skills, made him a formidable opponent. This would be a tough fight.

OOC: Wielder of the Sword wants us to draw this out for him. After all of the artifacts are retrieved, Cody will speak about the seed of evil.

OoC: Here I go with quite some time away from the computer.

BiC: The stranger with the artifact on swung right at Tsunami. Tsunami ducked with Dirk slashing the armor. When Dirk's blade hit a strong aura emanated from the impact knocking both Dirk and Derrick back. He quickly got to his feet and prepared himself. Derrick go up and charged at Shinzaburo. Shinzaburo dodged and shot his Holy Beam at the armor. The beam made the same aura and knocked Derrick down. Dirk rushed in and went into a Holy Frenzy. The same aura kept appearing as Dirk kept slashing the armor. Dirk's frenzy was making the aura bigger. The huge aura blasted the whole party down. As Derrick walked towards the horse Dirk got up and held Derrick. Dirk was struggling to hold him. Blitz quickly took off the armor and put it in the bag. Just then Dirk fainted. Everyone except Cody and Leia went to Dirk's aid.

"You must cleanse your soul if you want to keep walking the path of Light." Leia said to Derrick. She gave him a pamphlet and sent him on his way.

Blitz, Shinzaburo, and Tsunami was caring for Dirk, and Leia noticed Cody was in a vision induced trance, so no one noticed the bag starting to move. The armor in the bag began to come alive as a spirit formed the artifacts around it. Below the belt it was a billowing shadow, but the rest of the spirit was armed with two armblades, a cape, a belt, a breastplate, a headband, and a gun. Cody spoke as it leaped from the bag.

"When the Archangel is revived, he will plant a seed of evil in his champion, and the champion will don the Archangel's artifacts, and be corrupted by the spirit of the artifacts. If the artifacts are all assembled, but not worn, the spirit will form within the artifacts and seek the seed of evil." He said from his trance.

"I'd really like it if his visions were of the FAR future." Blitz said, as the spirit moved to possess Dirk.

OoC: This is the new evil, at least until the Archangel is re-revived. Also I recently gave Leia a little magic because I'm afraid she's weak. I was going for the normal human heroine, but a little shield and healing magic won't hurt.

As the strange thing came nearer Shinzaburo quickly shot his Holy Beam at the thing. The thing took the hit and got knocked back. Shinzaburo rushed at the thing. He used his I-slash technique and quicly bashed the thing with his fist making the thing fly several feet back. Dirk was still out and Blitz shouted, "Leia try and do something for Dirk while I help out Shinzaburo!" She nodded and quickly knelt down by Dirk. Shinzaburo was engaged with the thing as Blitz rushed in. Blitz swung the Supernova Sword at the thing. Shinzaburo and Blitz were trying to hold of the thing while Leia repeatedly tried to wake Dirk up. Dirk's eyes finally opened. As if something took over Dirk's body, Dirk quickly ran over to the thing and slashed the artifacts once. The evil spirit thing disappeared after a huge catacalysmic blast of holy energy. "OH MY GOD! IT'S SO BRIGHT!" shouted Leia. As the light faded Dirk once again collapsed.

"We need answers, and we need them right now." Tsunami said to Cody.

"The seed of evil is draining Dirk's energy. The spirit seemed to react more to Dirk's attack than anything else." Cody said. "It may return."

They put Dirk on Leia's horse, and seperated the artifacts among them. Blitz ans Shinzaburo carried two while Leia, Cody, and Tsunami carried one. The group remained twenty feet from each other while they walked. No one knew what Dirk wanted to do with the artifacts when he finished collecting them, but Blitz suggested they find a place where they could destroy the artifacts.

"There are sacred places scatterd around the world that religious people use to destroy weapons of Chaos. We could go to one of those places." Blitz said.

As the trekked along their was no sign of the temples. They searched for days. As the days passed the travelers grew more weary. "Where are we headed?" asked Shinzaburo. No one answered Shinzaburo. They all just kept on going. Later that day they spotted an young man sitting on the side of the road. The man asked if they had armor in need of purifacation. They all responded, "We need these artifacts destroyed."

"I'm afraid that the knowlede of destroying artifacts of chaos is lost to most. I can purify the artifacts instead making them completely harmless to anyone who wears them. I can also see that your friend there could use some assistance. Although I can't completely get rid of the thing that saps him I can slow down its rate of consumption. What do you say? For just a small fee of 100,000 gold I can let you have all of this done. And I'll through in free weapon sharpening."

They all pondered at the thought. The sum was quite large and this is exactly what was needed. Their group got together and spoke to each other on what to do.

"I know what we could do." Leia said.

"No thievery." Tsunami said.

Leia was a little hurt because she was thinking about her other talents. "I could go to the town square to sing and dance. Shinzaburo and Blitz are the two strongest of us, so they could offer to do manual labor. Cody and Tsunami can watch Dirk and the artifacts. If anything happens, Tsunami can deal ith it while Cody teleports to us and tells us."

"Uh, good idea." Tsunami said sheepishly.

They followed the road to find the town that the man lived in. Shinzaburo found a land clearing job, where Blitz managed the fire, and he worked the plow. The farmer was greatful because his horse was sick. Leia grabbed a bucket from her horse and wowed the crowd with her dancing. Everything as going well for a few days, which meant that trouble would find them soon enough.