Things to do: 3) Revenge

[Ben]

What do you do when you suddenly find yourself in possession of godly power? Take revenge on those who've wronged you of course.

He didn't like undead...or demons...or Midari...or Fey. Years ago he'd hated the Elves...and Erathil himself more than anyone...but things had changed...which was probably fortunate for the Elves.

Suddenly his eyes lit up, of course.

He summoned to his hand a broken chain link, part of the manacles used to imprison him just a fortnight ago. He looked at the twisted metal but this time not as a mortal, but as a god. He could see beyond the surface to what actually made up the pure shard, thousands...no, millions of tiny pin pricks of metal held together by tiny strands. He allowed the fire within him to heat the metal and watched as the tiny pin pricks of matter began to vibrate, then sway as the metal got hotter and hotter. At around 1500 degrees the metal melted and around 3000 it turned into a gas.

He stopped and watched as the gas rapidly cooled to a liquid and then to a solid once more. An interesting experiment but he didn't require that sort of heat.

He concentrated and became one with the Pure Shard and then one with all Pure Shard across the world. He allowed his power to flow and forced the tiny pin pricks of Pure Shard across the world to vibrate and strike each other, forcing the metal to heat to around 200 degrees. He felt the cries of pain across the world as everyone wearing a Pure Shard amulet or holding an item made of it was seriously burned. He stopped the movement, the metal instantly cooling and smiled, was that worth a month of imprisonment? Probably not...he'd have to do it a few more times to fully take revenge.

[Phil.Priest]

A shimmering silver humaniod forms before the Divine form of Quayle, its features form into that of Kalist - Hope's Angel.

This has to stop Quayle.

You may have taken the mantle of Velnashar, however you do not need to destroy things. Fire is not just a source of harm, the smiths use it, the cooks use it.


What you have done to Aquilla is beyond anything I would have imagined that you could do to someone you considered a friend. He thought of you as a mentor! Not that it matters - we pledged that on his death he will come and remain with Hope, remain with us.

As both of us no longer live on the mortal world I beg of you to listen - cease the destruction, you are the God of the Sun now, no one else. You choose your primary influence - accept the Fire, but reduce the Destruction. Please?

Once The Emissary of Hope finishes speaking he waits for a response, knowing that if the reply is too agressive that he can survive for long enough to leave.

[Ben]

Quayle blinks, surprised by the arrival.

"Lord Hope, it has been a while...190 sunrises. The joy of being lord of the sun."

The flames around him die down somewhat.

"Do you remember how you felt when Aquilla fell on that far off battlefield because you refused to even see that future? Do you remember how you felt when we could not bring him back because Kan Slar refused our offering? You were a god within the Wastes when Kan Slar was weakened, you could have released him but you wanted him to stay with you. I resurrected him, took him away from that place and so you left the Wastes and returned to your lady."

His eyes burn crimson.

"I saved your mistress...and you...when your were a hair's breadth from being consumed by Despair. Saved the inhabitants of the island from falling to His power. I named your celebrant as Pilgrim and helped your new paladin find his way in order to restore the Bastion to the world then stopped that same paladin from being sacrificed by finding someone else to stand as Exile. On top of that I helped slay His Paladin and released the souls he had trapped yet you come to admonish me?"

The fires around him burn brighter for a moment.

"Aquilla was trapped by stone and water. You could have saved him from that stone prison. You could have saved him from the cells of the Pure Heart. You could have saved him from the wastes. You could have saved him from being slain by a vampire in some distant future that will never come to pass. You didn't. No one did. I have given him another chance...yes, a fire now burns where once water flowed but though his body may be altered, his soul is unaffected. He has free will, all he need do is choose and he will return to the embodiment of the storm he once was...but the fire entices...it burns in even the purest of soul...it grants him a freedom he will not have known before and he will want those who wronged him to feel his new found power. It will take him time."

The fires flare once more.

"Perhaps I am the same. I am not merely the bearer of Velnashar's power, I am part of him, I have always been a part of him for I am his son. I am the lord of the sun and fire and chaos and destruction and I must be lord of all or be lord of none. If I do not wield that power then it opens a pathway for Velnashar to return."

There is a calming, the fires recede and Quayle looks mortal once more.

"Kalist...other than Annihilation and the followers of Velnashar who would seek to bring him back, I have destroyed nothing. What happened to Aquilla was...unexpected...hurting the Pure Heart was...unnecessary...but they stole our freedom...they intended to kill us...they sought to remove essence from the world...and now...now they are branded for their crimes."

The fires surround him once more.

"I will try to control the power within me."

[Phil.Priest]

At Quayle's reprimand's tear flow down silver cheeks and an aura of sadness surrounds the angel.

You are right, I could have done all of what you say. And yet I did not. For the future that will never be we made amends. I, with others, walked into the Hope Waste's to try and get him back after Kan Slarr refused, and yet we could not. I used my power within the Wastes to protect him and many other innocents because the power I had could get me out, but no other. The Cells were surrounded with Nullification and stopped all power borne of this world.

I gave Aquilla Hope, you stood with him when we spoke. He has a great gift of power from us which, although intended to help restore one of you life, could have been used to call for our aid at any point. Out attension has been on other things, forsaking Hope removed our influence over watching and assisting him when others needed Hope more. He was safe - I would have come for him.


I, My Mistress, and everyone you have helped appreciate what you have done for this world. Let Fire be that Destruction, bring fire to the grassland and forests... allow Lavalas and Eremethal to bring winds and water to try and put it out.
Druids already see Fire as a natural thing to cleanse the land, let it come as that and naturally some will oppose it, but others will embrace it as being needed.

Work with your brothers as Velnashar never did - that was his downfall. As long as it is in moderation I doubt there will be much repercussions for following your nature of Chaos and Destruction... but that choice is yours, I only hope you make the right choice.

I will be going now Quayle - I want to watch over Aquilla and make sure that he doesn't do anything that he will regret.


The angel smiles in Quayle's direction and fades from sight, his intervention with Quaos would be felt by all of the Gods, this should curb any retalatiation as they now understood that he was trying to learn about his new status.

[Ben]

Somewhere else.

A great hall, flames licked the walls while shadows flickered back and forth across the room. In the centre, a banqueting table with a dozen ornate thrones around it. At the head of the table sits Quayle. He examines the table for a moment before placing the sword of Velnashar before him where it sinks almost imperceptibly into the table and a wave of power flows from it. Moments later other weapons appear in front of most of the other thrones and their owners appear within the seats.

Quayle looked around the table, to his left a woman, dark and beautiful with a sword identical to his before her. Next to her an ancient looking zombie with a staff in front of him, beside him a pair of daggers sat before a dark hooded figure followed by a creature who seemed to be made from shadow. There were a pair of empty seats followed by a High Elf in blue Quayle recognised instantly, another Elven figure beside him followed by a golden skinned demon and another empty seat.

Quayle smiled at the ensemble before stating calmly, “I call this council to order.”
“You may have the sword but that doesn’t give you the right to summon us.” this came from the demon.
“It doesn’t give you the right to even sit amongst us.” added the woman.
“She has a point.” Quayle recognised Erathil’s voice “you are not your father. We should elect a new leader.”
“Someone’s just happy not to be the new boy any longer.” the hooded figure hissed causing Erathil to scowl.
Larweyella stood too “I am the most senior, I claim leadership.”
Several of the gods spoke at once, a couple in agreement but most in dissent.
Quayle touched the hilt of his sword and power flowed once more, into each of the other weapons and into the other gods, silencing them.
“My father formed this council. I claim all that is his by dint of conquest, including leadership of this council.”
Larweyella shook off whatever control the council table had over the gods to make them stop arguing and grabbed her sword.
“You are not your father.”
“No, my father took from each of you. Betrayed you and this council, murdered your followers.” he glanced towards the hooded figure before continuing. “He sought to destroy this world and all of you. He was a fool.”
Quayle saw the blade coming from his left and stepped back, avoiding it easily and drawing his other sword from its scabbard. He turned to face Larweyella.
“I’ll kill you boy.”
Quayle laughed “You tried, and failed, when I was mortal. What chance do you have now?”
“Now, you’re alone.” she swung the sword once more but Quayle parried.
He made a gesture to the seated gods who were watching the spectacle with interest, “Apparently, so are you.”
Larweyella glowered at those around the table before turning back and raining a flurry of blows against her foe, powered by pure rage. “I have waged war for decades!”
Quayle parried and avoided each one though they were getting closer “But this isn’t war. This is barely a duel.”
Her onslaught continued, “I’ll kill you and take your father’s power.”
She lunged, her sword finding a gap in her opponent’s defence. As the sword seemed about to pierce his chest he just smiled.
Larweyella’s flaming sword disappeared and as she lunged forward, Quayle grabbed her by the hair, twisting it as he pulled her face towards his, “That sword was part of my father’s power. Part of my power. Trying to use it against me was…foolish.” He let go of the goddess and swung his own sword towards her face.
As it struck the goddess it stopped, her blood trickled down the blade from the long scratch it had made on her face but it went no further.
Larweyella pushed the blade away and laughed in Quayle’s face, “And that sword was the sword of the furious blades, forged with blood spilled on Serke Kemi. My blood. My power. Using it against me was fool…”
She didn’t get to finish the word as Quayle’s punch sent her reeling. Quayle advanced, hitting her again and again, a brutal onslaught of blows that turned the goddesses face into a bruised and bloodied mess. One particularly vicious blow lifted her off the ground and she collapsed to the floor shaking. As she tried to stand Quayle kicked her again and again until she just lay there.
He knelt beside her, lifted her head up by the chin and kissed her deeply. It was an act of violation without tenderness or love or passion, designed to show her that she was broken. He used her hair to wipe the blood from his hands before spitting in her face. He stood up once more, letting go of her chin and her body went limp, her head bouncing off the floor.
As Quayle retook his seat, he smiled at the gods.
“Is she dead?” the demon asked.
Quayle shook his head.
“You aren’t going to kill her?” the voice was Erathil’s.
“No…not because I can’t. Not because I don’t want to. Not because I fear retaliation or want her to live knowing she was beaten. Very simply, by leaving her alive she’ll heal and then…I can beat her again.”
Silence.
“Here is my promise to you. If any of you turn on me then I will kill all of your followers. Every. Single. One. My father didn’t watch the heroic community closely and so he missed them plotting against him, I will not make the same mistake. If I find your followers working against me, I will take out my displeasure on you.”
He looked around at the gods, his face brightening once more.
“Now…is there anybody else who wishes to question my right to lead this council?”