By Fire or Death

[Sitherack's Soul]

The Void had long since consumed his physical body cradling his living soul in utter Darkness as it slowly nursed it back to health, feeding it a little more energy at a time as it healed. The physical had been so horribly damaged when he had stretched beyond his limits in the shadow realm, that some drastic measures had had to be taken to save his life. His body had been altered, the Darkness of the Well seeping into him, replacing his blood, and reinforcing his living body, as well as consuming the damaged parts that could not be saved. Those parts were replaced, the Darkness manifesting solid just as the Armor had, but could now be controlled.

The Armor itself had formed back around him, an obsidian shell to protect the remnants of life beneath. He was asleep for most of this, periods of consciousness filled with pain, blackness and burning hatred focused on revenge were there but blessedly sleep took most of the process from his memory. In the Darkness crackled a new force, energetic rampant and erratic it flooded the Dark Well with a kind of current of power. Clouds had gathered over the Temple, and it was raining steadily outside. Lightning crashed down all around the structure every few minutes, azure bolts crashed into the ground leaving small sheets of glass where it superheated the sand it impacted.

His hand unconsciously sought out the source of the energy, black Darkness forged armor closing around the azure gleaming metal hilt of the Arc of Lightning. The Storm Above quivered and seemed to flinch at the will of its new master. The bolts drained of Light but still came, becoming deeper and deeper in color till the bolts themselves seemed like holes in the night rather than brilliant flashes of energy that could normally be seen when one struck down.

The Storm calmed some what as Sitherack slipped into a deeper restorative sleep. The Arc of Lightning, flickered and died out in the darkness of the well, it now combined its power with the will of the Sage of Darkness, doing his bidding and bringing forth storms of darkness at his whim. So much power filled the Well now, Corrupted Light, Darkness, Corrupted Lightning, and still more was craved. Darkness was growing, the ever widening corruption would consume all of Terra Centilina eventually, but right now it was focused almost entirely on restoring the powers of its avatar in this world.

Time passed, hours perhaps days, he couldn't tell inside the void, it all felt like an eternity to him, but eventually he felt whole again. Power surged inside of him, cold icy Darkness fused with the pulsing brilliance of Light, and now the raging tempest of Lightning surged through him. In the Darkness the Sage of Dark had explained the next stage of its plan to him. He would go to the port city of Tre Betal, retrieve the Arc of Fire and then control all sources of natural Light in the world. Darkness would spread rapidly and unopposed, his power would drastically increase, and then he would hunt down and kill all those who had opposed him.

The Darkness gauntleted hand holding the darkened Arc of Lightning burst forth from the still surface of the Dark Well, he slammed it down on the side of the well and pulled himself out of the Obsidian liquid, and pulled himself out. The power that surged through him felt good, so good that for a second he considered going straight to Cyrida and ridding the world of that shadowy specter of a man once and for all. But the Darkness inside him urged him to follow the plan.

Dark Lightning crackled up his arm from the Arc of lightning and across the Armor, in his other hand the Corrupted Arc of Light shined in its deep purple blazing glow. Time was running short for the other Sages. In front of him a vertical slash of light appeared turning sideways and rotating outward, it revealed a window into the heat blasted lands of Tre Betal. Shimmering waves of heat billowed through the opening as he stepped through, as his heel cleared the edge of the window it snapped shut.

The blistering heat caused steam to rise from the darkness surrounding him, making for a fog that enshrouded him in addition to the darkness obscuring his form. The ground hissed at the sudden ice cold that impacted it with each step he took towards the mountain in the distance. As he walked storm clouds gathered overhead, and darkness spread out behind him, cooling the ground and snaking about searching for signs of life.

Thunder rumbled deep and earthshaking to announce his presence to the ruler oft his land, there was no wards necessary to know that he was intruding. He was in no real hurry, he could teleport to the mountain, or assault it from afar, but he instead just walked towards the mountain, building energy, the storm above building momentum. You couldn't see it in the dark, but a plain smile was on his face. It was time to obtain the final object that would allow him revenge upon his brother, he could taste it he was so close.

The storm was just beginning to reach the outskirts of the mountain, when lightning began to fall, obsidian bolts of darkness struck down shattering boulders and tearing apart chunks of the structure. He was still quite far away, but by the time he got there if un interrupted he the lightning would have blasted a hole to the very heart of the massive mountain.

He crouched briefly speaking to the ground beneath him, his voice was a whisper, barely audible in the midst of the crashing lightning and booming thunder. “I want the fire, you know you will not win, I will kill you to take it if i have to, I can you know, like crushing an insect. But it doesn't have to be that way. You could live on, with earth at your side, in your little dried out kingdom if you wish it, just hand it over.”

[Raeghan]

The encroaching darkness made her eyes flash open as she rested deep within the molten lava of Tre Betal. As soon as Sitherack stepped into her territory, Raeghan felt him. And for the first time since the reclamation of the Arcs of Fire and Earth she was afraid. The terrible power that could chill the scorched lands crept up her spine. Even still, she retained her nerve and with every step from the Sage of Darkness the blasted terrain would become hotter and hotter.

Below his feet the earth began to tremble, minor vibrations at first but they soon shifted into larger and larger trembling. As Sitherack continued towards the black volcano the seismic vibrations turned into a full scale earthquake, telling of what was about to unfold. As the heat rose from the shaking earth, a deep rumbling could be heard in the distance. Raeghan did not like visitors in her infernal kingdom, much less those that spoke of her death.

Her rage boiled over as the darkness began to wrap around her lands. It was like he was reaching to her throat and choking the life from her. The vile blackness closing off her super-heated kingdom from the rest of Terra Centilina. But still the earth shook violently, in an effort to make the Sage of Darkness’ steps falter. Desperately she tried to slow his advance until the time was right. Until the power of the earth and fire was at its peak. Then she would show this arrogant man who made the rules in Tre Betal.

As Sitherack came closer and closer to the volcano, she watched from below, building up and focusing the energy from her Arcs. The pressure from the heat began to build and as the earth shook a banshee like scream ripped from the mouth of the massive volcano.

Seconds later, liquid rock exploded from the mountain. A pillar of fire surged upwards into the dark clouds that circled around the blasted lands, pulsating as her form slowly rose from the heart of the volcano. Lava rained down from above, huge chunks of molten earth smashing into the ground. The eruption was brief compared to others, but this time it was different. Like a phoenix her form slowly manifested into the center of the pillar of fire, glowing eyes locking onto the dark figure that walked her lands.

“Speak your terms, Darkness, and we shall see who holds the Flame.”

[Sitherack's Soul]

The rumbling of the earth became quite annoying as it was difficult to keep his balance in his pace towards the mountain. Of course he didn't have to walk, but there was no point in exerting more energy than really necessary on what should only prove to be a minor errand. The Eruption on the other hand proved quite annoying. For one thing it brought Light into play. The luminescence from the lava hurt his eyes, and annoyed him thoroughly.

Massive fiery boulders and half melted chunks of lava flew through the air and it was inevitable that several found themselves unfortunately for them flying in his direction. Before they reached within 500 yards of him Lightning leapt from the clouds and shattered them into a hundred pieces. Then as those hundred pieces began to fall smoking down, more obsidian lightning fell like rain a bolt for each piece that had broken apart, and it was vaporized before it could so much as leave a smudge of soot on the ground around him.

All of a sudden the trembling of the earth was agitating him as well, he tightened his grip on the Corrupted Arc of Light and the Darkness behind him flinched at the fury of his command. The Darkness folded around his Armor and lifted him into the air, holding him several feet above the surface, then tendrils flashed out in every direction at once and impacted the earth, ice cold obsidian tentacles solidifying just before impact and burrowing deeply. They tunneled downward below the fault lines into the immovable crust of the earth itself and anchored there. The Darkness then spread outward in a flash miles in all directions, seething, and razor thin to create a stable surface for its lord to walk upon.

Through it all he didn't break a sweat, his eyes played across the obnoxiously bright pillar of fire and his ears listened to the words of the Sedi holding the Arc he sought. She seemed willing to negotiate, yet it could just be a stalling tactic till she found some way to combat his powers. Either way he would not be toyed with.

“You seek terms, as if this were some sort of negotiation and not a demand. I will leave here with Fire, the only thing that has yet to be decided is whether or not you will be alive when I leave.” His voice was cold, to him it was mere fact. “However if you wish to bargain I can be generous. I will allow you the gracious reward of your life, the wonderful boon of the Arc of Earth, And my genuine word that I'll not come here to trouble you again. I suggest you take the offer.”

[Raeghan]

Raeghan was no fool, and she quickly realized she had overstepped her bounds. With a silent look of terror she watched as the earth slowly stopped trembling and with a wave of her hand it stopped altogether. No sense in angering the Sage of Darkness any more. It quickly became apparent that without some sort of tactic and the blessing of Lady Luck herself, the phoenix would be turning to ashes sooner rather than later.

Her form still hovered in the pillar of fire as if suspended in water, and she watched Sitherack cautiously. She watched as the darkness exploded across her lands and wanted to cry out in rage. The pride of her father wished to vanquish the dark intruder, but the will of the Arcs for survival began to whisper other ideas deep in her mind.

The column of liquid earth fell in upon itself, and likewise the form of Raeghan as Sitherack spoke. For a few seconds, the landscape of the volcano was completely silent. Lava oozed down the black mountainside and it became apparent that a river of the red-hot magma was making its way towards the Sage of Darkness, slithering and sliding like some super-heated snake.

Stopping just before the approaching darkness, the river of lava began to pool, and soon Raeghan’s eyes could be seen opening within the center of it. Her form began to form just over the lava, building upwards as if she was coming out of some pool of water in slow motion. As the liquid earth dripped away from her body, her true physical form became apparent, something that hadn’t been seen since she had first come across the Arcs when Tre Betal was still a port.

Cautiously, she stepped forward, moving only so that she was just touched in the darkness. By now the lava had completely fallen away from her form, leaving behind the beautiful Daughter of Earth Daegan once called his own. Her eyes lingered on the pinpoints of white for only a second, quickly dropping down to one knee and lowering her head before Sitherack.

Her right hand remained upon the Arc of Earth, bringing it down into the cool obsidian like substance that – at least she hoped – would act as a barrier from the intense heat. With slight hesitation, she extended the Arc of Fire forth, upwards as an offering to the Sage of Darkness. Fear racked her body, but she remained firm on the outside, pure Sedian resolve through and through.

“My Lord... let the Fire burn in your heart like the passion to destroy my Father. Let the Earth tremble with every step you take.”

She brought her head upwards, not enough to make eye contact with Sitherack, but enough to make it known that she wished to accompany Sitherack. Daegan had often spoken of the Sage of Darkness to his daughters, and even then without his amassed Arcs she both feared and respected him. The striking from Daegan was all too fresh in her mind, the azure lightning crashing into her statue form and forcing her deeper into the earth to recover and heal. Her eyes narrowed at the thought, her grip tightening around the Arc of Earth.

“May Fire and Darkness bring Death to those of the Shadow.”

[Sitherack's Soul]

His hand closed around the Arc of fire, the Dark Armor hissing at the contact of the searing blade. He held it almost negligently before turning his eyes curiously downward to the form of Raeghan. Her kneeling form brought him amusement. He trusted no one and her motives were particularly unclear, especially after she revealed to him that she was another one of Daegan's spawn. He was debating how to kill her when a rather unique and devious idea came to him. He tossed the Arc of Fire into the air where it was struck by an obsidian bolt of Lightning and vanished.

He watched her for a full minute before speaking. “You wish to serve me, to help me purge the world of light, but what is in it for you. Perhaps you feel your life is at stake, that joining with me is the only way to save you. Or perhaps you have your own agenda, of course either way it doesn't matter, once pledge to the Darkness there is no turning away.”

He turned from her and began to walk away, after a flew steps he raised his left hand and the razor thin sheet of darkness covering the land rippled, then rapidly the four corners rose into the air, and it collapsed in on itself consuming both their forms. Emptiness cold and terror followed, there was nothing but a sense of disembodied movement, a rush of air but nothing with which to feel it. It was nauseating. Abruptly all movement stopped and Rae would feel the sensations of her body return, just in time to feel herself falling. Below her was an obsidian pit of dark liquid in the center of a dimly lit temple. There was no time to even brace herself as she fell towards the liquid.

Impacting it would be like falling into ice water for her, the void would close around her, the Darkness penetrate her body and consume her form numbing her and leeching into her very soul corrupting her the way it had corrupted all the Arcs he had com in contact with. It would also imbue her with now powers, as though she were born with the powers of earth and darkness.

It would take several hours inside the Well, but when it was done she would regain sensation in her body and be able to climb out. The Arc of Earth would still be in her possession and uncorrupted, it was not his will to corrupt that, simply to corrupt Raeghan, part of his way of insuring absolute and unwavering loyalty to him.

(move to Tarthia for reply)