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The Weapons of Destiny

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Dantalian

Dantalian

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“A Zarosian speaks of blasphemy?” asked the thaumaturge, “How truly ironic. Your very religion is but an organized and institutionalized blasphemy.”

“Irony does not matter,” said the old man from the Cult of Darkness, “We have already labeled Liam a traitor, and both he and you, his companions shall perish, you cannot escape from this place with every member of the Cult of Darkness hunting you down!”

“Liam,” said Setkul, “This is your office, right?”

“It is,” said Liam, “Why?”

“You show many of Mephos’ traits,” replied Setkul, “How long do you need the distraction to be?”

“I can provide one on my own,” Liam replied with a smile, “Oh Lord of Darkness grant us thy favor and cast thy cloak upon this land!”

As Liam spoke these words, the entire room was covered in a darkness so intense it not only blocked out vision but could actually be felt.

“He knows the Cloak of Erebos?” asked one of the cult elders, “I had not expected that!”

“Be calm!” ordered another, “There are no windows, and only one door to this office, and we are standing in front of it, they cannot escape, and no magic, including teleportation spells can penetrate the Cloak of Erebos, nor can anything see through it, not even a Mazoku. We need only wait a few minutes for this to dissipate.”

“They’ve escaped,” Orcris heard Isamu say under his breath.

“What?” Orcris whispered back.

“Never underestimate a devil,” replied Isamu, “When the light returns, none of our targets will still be here, you‘ll see.”


“I never knew about this passage!* exclaimed Ayumu as he ran alongside Liam, Setkul, and the thaumaturge.

“An Asura always has a fallback plan,” said Setkul, “And since this building was built by Mephos, who is one of them, it is riddled with secret passages. In fact, you can get from any one room in this building to any other by only using those passages.” "He appears in the Form of a Man with many Countenances; and he hath a Book in his right hand. His Office is to teach all Arts and Sciences unto any; and to declare the Secret Counsel of any one."

12-Aug-2010 14:06:40

Dantalian

Dantalian

Posts: 3,434 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
“How do you know all this?” asked Liam, “You not only knew about these passages, you beat me to the door…”

“Your office used to belong to Mephos,” replied Setkul, “I know how to get to either there or his room from any of the entrances outside the building.”

“Lord Diamond said as much,” commented the thaumaturge, “And also that you would be the one to get me into the passage. He also told me which exit to take.”

“That boy is abusing his precognition again I see,” grumbled Setkul, “Now, if only he would actually help us instead of predicting our moves.”

“Just because he’s not helping you directly does not mean he isn’t helping,” commented the thaumaturge, “There’s a group of our Cult waiting outside the valley exit. Gaudete is with them.”

“Oh, Gaudete?” asked Setkul, “Been a while since I’ve seen Mephos’ old servant, how’s he been doing?”

“He’s been acting as my servant, even though I ask him not to,” replied Liam, “I finally convinced him to help Aquaregis two years ago… then Aquaregis disappeared… I think he might have known about Zaros, he was uncompromisingly against siding with the Empty Lord.”

“Well, no need to worry about it now,* said Ayumu, “Let’s just focus on getting out of this place before the cult elders discover this passage.”

“Agreed,” replied Setkul.


“So they escaped.” commented Zaros.

“Yes my lord,” replied Isamu, bowing before Zaros’ thought projection.

“And the Cult of Darkness?” asked Zaros.

“The Elders are telling everyone who will listen that Liam was corrupted by Setkul and Seth, and now wishes to destroy the Cult,” replied Isamu.

“So, things are still going our way,” mused Zaros. “Liam and Setkul might have escaped, but they are of little consequence, I doubt they could do so by themselves… I’m more worried about the Pagkosmios Cult.”

“Your orders, my lord?” asked Isamu. "He appears in the Form of a Man with many Countenances; and he hath a Book in his right hand. His Office is to teach all Arts and Sciences unto any; and to declare the Secret Counsel of any one."

12-Aug-2010 14:08:55

Dantalian

Dantalian

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“The Cult is not an issue at the moment,” said Zaros, “But only because they lack a real presence here. They are not yet inducting new members, and by their laws, the ritual to make non-members part of the Cult may only be performed once a year… Furthermore, that time is in early spring, and it is already summer… still, they have a foothold. Isamu, these are your orders; take a group and eliminate that foothold, destroy their temples, their symbols, their books, and their followers. Everything relating to the Pagkosmios Cult is under the ban.”

“Under the ban?” asked Isamu, “Then if they ask to convert to your glorious religion?”

“Allow them to think you will let them, if it makes it easier, but kill every last man, woman, and child within that Cult, these are the orders of the Great Lord,” said Zaros.

“Thy will be done,” replied Isamu, saluting as he did so.


The Diamond Emperor’s guards flew around their master slowly, sensing he was in deep thought. Each of the twelve on-duty guards had long ago learn to sense their master’s will, and although each of the winged serpents knew that even a bombshell going off at the Emperor’s feet would not break his concentration in the slightest, they made themselves silent while he was thinking as a sign of respect.

To any foreigner who approached the Diamond Emperor, the serpents were both beautiful and terrifying; each seemed to be made of some sort of liquid in every color in existence, and some colors that mortals had never seen. Upon the backs of the Serpents were wings made of lighting, which sparkled like diamonds that are held to the sun, and the bodies of the serpents were covered in eyes which seemed to be made of crystal. Finally, the Serpents themselves were engulfed in golden flames, which could burn hot or cold at the Serpent’s wish. "He appears in the Form of a Man with many Countenances; and he hath a Book in his right hand. His Office is to teach all Arts and Sciences unto any; and to declare the Secret Counsel of any one."

12-Aug-2010 14:11:45

Dantalian

Dantalian

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The Diamond Emperor suddenly opened his eyes, and looked at the door leading out of his throne room. The Serpents noted this, and slightly increased the speed of their flight. Then the door opened, and one of the Serpents’ younger brothers entered. Although, to be quiet precise, younger brother was a term of fondness the Serpents used to describe any member of the races in the Inner Kingdom that had come into being after the Serpents. Which pretty much described every being since only the Diamond Emperor Tianzun was more ancient than the Serpents.

Seeing one of their younger brethren enter, the Serpents called out in greeting, and inquired as to the recent events of their brother’s life. Their brother replied, and told them all that had happened to him since he had last spoken to them.

This entire exchange took place in but an instant. For such is the language of the Inner Kingdom that the contents of a novel can be exchanged in but a single word.

Having spoken with his elder brothers, the newcomer, a servant to the Diamond Emperor, knelt before his liege and said, “As you have called me, I have come my Lord.”

“It is good to see you again,” replied the Emperor, “I have a task for you; you are to return to the Outer Kingdoms, particularly the realm where you were last assigned.”

The servant grew silent at these words, and began staring at the ground, but nodded nonetheless.

*What is weighing down your heart, my child?” asked the Diamond Emperor. "He appears in the Form of a Man with many Countenances; and he hath a Book in his right hand. His Office is to teach all Arts and Sciences unto any; and to declare the Secret Counsel of any one."

12-Aug-2010 14:13:53

Dantalian

Dantalian

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“I believe you know it already,” replied the servant, “That realm bears sorrow for me; for the last time I was there, I failed my children…”

“Do not lose heart,” said the Emperor, “Some of your children yet live, and they eagerly await your return.”

The newcomer’s face lit up at this statement and he raised his eyes.

“However, that is not the only reason I ask you to return,” continued the Emperor, “A certain… flatterer of mine has been making headway there. I believe you know him? Since you helped bring him to his demise last time.”

The servant’s eyes widened at this statement and he said, “I shall leave at once, my Lord, and do everything in my power to stop that one from succeeding.”

“Do so with all due haste,” said the Emperor. “You may leave.”

The Emperor’s servant nodded and turning to the door set out at once. "He appears in the Form of a Man with many Countenances; and he hath a Book in his right hand. His Office is to teach all Arts and Sciences unto any; and to declare the Secret Counsel of any one."

12-Aug-2010 14:15:15

Dantalian

Dantalian

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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Oh... so tired, and I still have to explain some things:

Liam uses some Mazoku figures of speech in this add that are probably best explained.

Erebos' Cloak (v1) : Those of you who have been paying attention to what has been said about the primordial gods will likely remember that Erebos is the primordial god of darkness. Erebos' cloak (or the Cloak of Erebos) is an expression used by the Mazoku referring to either ignorance or deception. e.g. saying "Math has the cloak of Erebos for her." would mean "She doesn't know math at all." or "He certainly brought Erebos' cloak over your eyes." means "He completely deceived you."

The "Cloak of Erebos" is also a spell which creates a darkness that negates magic, and is completely impossible to see through. Liam uses it to aid in his group's escape from the Cult headquarters.

"If only Erebos had cast aside his cloak!" : This is a mazoku expression of great surprise, when either their ignorance or them being deceived caused them to do something that had/may have dire consequences.

"We have delved too far in the darkness" : Another mazoku expression, this one essentially means, "We have learned something dangerous." and is used to either to refer to when one has learned something that someone in power does not want known, or when one has uncovered a knowledge which can result in a great evil (a famous usage of this quote in Mazoku history was made by the Empress of the Mazoku and was literally, "Humans have delved too far in the darkness." This statement was made after Mazoku scouts sent word of the results of a certain "Manhattan project" ) "He appears in the Form of a Man with many Countenances; and he hath a Book in his right hand. His Office is to teach all Arts and Sciences unto any; and to declare the Secret Counsel of any one."

12-Aug-2010 14:32:42 - Last edited on 12-Aug-2010 14:41:47 by Dantalian

Dantalian

Dantalian

Posts: 3,434 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
"The Inner Kingdom" : The term used by the subjects of the Diamond Emperor to refer to the lands he actively rules which are characterized by lack of famine, disease, war, and poverty.

"The Outer Kingdom(s)" : A term used by the inhabitants of the Inner Kingdom to refer to anything that isn't part of the Inner Kingdom or the Void (e.g. other worlds). The inhabitants of the Inner Kingdom generally consider all of the Outer Kingdom to belong to the Diamond Emperor (who probably could take control of the Outer Kingdom if he wanted to) but likewise believe he has allowed other people to directly rule them. Likewise, the Diamond Emperor has been known to issue orders to the rulers and people of the "Outer Kingdom" but rarely, if ever enforces his orders. (Nonetheless, some people have noticed that listening to his orders tends to bring beneficial results.)

P.S.: A side note, the only new characters I introduced this add were background characters, particularly the Serpents, the Pagkosmios Cult thaumaturge, and the Cult of Darkness elders (though, they did appear in the Monolith already.)

In case you forgot, Gaudete has a short appearance in the Black Pentagram when the group visits Aquaregis. The Diamond Emperor showed up at the beginning of this story, and his servant... well, I'm sure you've heard of him even if you don't know you've heard of him. If you can't figure it out from the hints given in this add, wait until the next one, where it will definitely be revealed. ;) "He appears in the Form of a Man with many Countenances; and he hath a Book in his right hand. His Office is to teach all Arts and Sciences unto any; and to declare the Secret Counsel of any one."

12-Aug-2010 14:36:15 - Last edited on 12-Aug-2010 14:41:27 by Dantalian

Dantalian

Dantalian

Posts: 3,434 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
"No Prefix, don't die on me!" *Shakes Prefix repeatedly* "Who will help me if the feline race decides to break the non-aggression pact you and I negotiated with them. And... wait a minute, phone call..."

"..."

"..."

"...Um, Prefix there's a certain friend of your's on the phone. He says he's going to kill me if you don't wake up soon... He won't give me his name, just says that you'll know who he is... Um, please wake up? I kinda like being alive..." "He appears in the Form of a Man with many Countenances; and he hath a Book in his right hand. His Office is to teach all Arts and Sciences unto any; and to declare the Secret Counsel of any one."

13-Aug-2010 18:50:28

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