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Infinity A8

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Veronica tried getting back onto her feet but all of her injuries meant she could only manage a tired crouch. She had a tremendous gouge above and through her right eye which surged with blood and left her partially blinded. Her left leg bled furiously and she could feel her left shoulder seeping with the liquid of agony as well. She was panting tiredly, barely able to see and in an almost impossible situation but still managed to scowl at Evan with her remaining eyeball. Evan had ceased his incessant laughter and was now even moaning as he yanked the arrow from out of his abdomen. He affixed his white orbs onto Veronica and then clicked his fingers, summoning a single blade that stopped centimetres from her throat.
"You admit it now, at least?" Veronica breathed.
"Hm?" Evan's haunting voice had a hint of curiosity to it.
"You're a child."
"I spare you long enough to grant you last words and that's what you squander them on?" Evan raised an eyebrow. "Yes, I am just a small child, no more mature than you. Now-"
He raised his left arm.
"-Farew-"
His arm suddenly disappeared in a shower of blood, a blade forged of steel cleaved through Evan's ancient limb with little effort at all. Stunned, Evan diverted his attention to the left, where Edward was making another slash with the remains of Georgia's sword this time aimed for his head.
"PUTRID WASTE OF SPACE!" Evan thundered as he spun to backhand Edward with such force that he toppled over the banister and fell screaming to the floor. He struck his head and passed out for a moment, Georgia's ruined sword clattering beside him. In striking him, however, Evan had split open his remaining hand as Edward had attempted to block the attack, rendering it mostly immobile. Evan still had use of his arms though, enabling him to finish Veronica off with a single wave. Edward came to as he watched Evan raise his hand high above his head, blood splashing down onto his face and evaporating as it contacted his dark aura.

17-Jul-2010 15:33:44 - Last edited on 17-Jul-2010 16:03:59 by Infinity A8

Infinity A8

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"Edward..." Veronica gasped as she turned to face the child. Edward crawled up to her, his head steadily trickling with blood from his fall as he struggled to hear her final words.
"Veronica, we can-" Edward tried to say something. He wanted to think of a way out of this, do something. He felt so useless he began to bawl in misery, which enraged Evan. His voice peaked in menace and became that of a twisted demon's.
"ENOUGH!" Evan boomed. "No more chances! This is the end for both of you!"
"VERONICA!" Edward wailed to the girl that had essentially been his older sister his entire life. Veronica's lips curled into a smile as she looked back onto the despairing child, a stream of blood reddening her expression.
"Bye Edward, I-"
She choked on her words, shed a tear and Evan plummeted his arm. Edward watched as the blood burst from the puncture created by the blade as it was jammed straight through the neck.

17-Jul-2010 15:33:45 - Last edited on 17-Jul-2010 16:01:11 by Infinity A8

Infinity A8

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~Chapter XXIX~
Edward blinked.
Veronica winked, which was the best she could do with one eye.
Evan blinked and his eyes resumed their normal appearance and the pulsating, dark aura that had recently surrounded him evaporated. His arm was frozen at an angle to him, centimetres from his side where he would have completed the movement required to impale Veronica. Instead of moving that slight inch, he raised his arm to the right side of his neck and groped about it.
His hand came into contact with the handle of an iron dagger and the hand that gripped it. The blade was imbedded deep into his throat, which now spewed blood.
"That," called Robert from above the stairway to the left. "Was too close."
For safe measure, Natalie withdrew the knife and severed Evan's remaining arm and completely negated his ability to attack, then proceeded to jam the knife into his throat several times over. Evan let out a series of groans and gasps before he wobbled, then toppled backwards hence Natalie ceased her flurry of stabs. Natalie stood sentry over Evan's motionless frame as Robert bounded down the stairs to the critically wounded Veronica and thoroughly startled Edward.
"Robert...?" Veronica wheezed. "Jaden...he's...and Georgia..."
"Yeah, I see," Robert murmured. "But you're hurt badly Veronica, don't try to talk or anything okay?"
She nodded sluggishly, then carefully laid herself back onto the ground. Robert then approached Edward, who still had bewilderment scrawled across his face.
"I don't get it," he said. "Evan was invincible when we first got in here. How did we hurt him? And where did you come from?"
"We were in the room up there," Robert explained, pointing to the top left stairwell. "We heard Jaden yelling so peeked through the doorway, just in time to...well, anyway. We decided to plan a bit before jumping out, but then Evan went all crazy and you cut off his arm. I instructed Natalie to attack just as he summoned that blade to Veronica's throat."

17-Jul-2010 15:33:45 - Last edited on 23-Jul-2010 14:56:36 by Infinity A8

Infinity A8

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"So how come-?"
"We could hurt him? From the sounds of it, Veronica and Jaden figured it out and I only speculated it until I heard Jaden yelling," Robert glanced up the stairs. "Evan! I suspect whatever dark magics are keeping you alive are leaving that destroyed body of yours! Would you mind confirming a few things?"
There was a grumble from above. "How...? How did you...?"
"Your weakness," Robert continued regardless. "I theorised it from after I won the chess game. You tried to throw us off with your big words and magical powers, but it seems you're still a child at heart, Evan. At the time I merely thought that it was a simple wish to grow up in a body that couldn't, but then I gave it more thought. What brought me to my understanding however, was Jaden. He was telling Veronica to strike while he was calling Evan a kid and at the same time Evan was experiencing pain. Veronica must have then worked it out too, because she was constantly getting Evan to admit he was a child so Edward could attack him."
Evan chuckled weakly. "What do you know?"
"So I was right?"
"My weakness," Evan's voice was wavering slightly. "The exchange for the immense powers I wield, it was to abandon everything I held in life. I was to embrace death and only then would I have immortality, immunity to damage, magic and power. By reminding me of life and that I was a child, not an undead, ancient sorcerer, you robbed me of what kept me strong."
"But you could still attack whilst robbed of your invulnerability." Veronica pointed out.
"My master and I," Evan's voice seemed to be growing weaker but he still managed to form complete sentences. "By blessing me he also gave a part of himself to me. I will always have power but I can only have full power when in death. In life, it is offense or defence."
"You chose offense and Natalie got a hit on you then?" Edward queried.
"Yes. Now, though, it seems my master has abandoned me..."

17-Jul-2010 15:33:47 - Last edited on 18-Jul-2010 14:59:28 by Infinity A8

Infinity A8

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"What do you mean?" said Robert.
"I used to be able to regenerate," Evan elaborated. "But now it seems as though almost all my power has faded; there's barely enough to keep me conscious and even that will soon run out."
Edward started to smile as he understood what was taking place. Evan was dying, which meant they would be able to leave soon. Robert instructed him to treat Veronica's wounds as best he could, but he'd used up most of his supplies and all he was able to do was stop her leg from bleeding, as the head and eye wound was too complex for him to manage and the shoulder wound not as pressing a matter. Natalie was statue-like above Evan, her dagger poised for his chest should he make a move. Instead, Evan started to speak to her.
"Natalie."
"What?"
"Can I ask a favour? It's a simple one and you don't have to take your eyes off of me."
"What?"
Evan pointed to the headless corpse of Jaden. "In his left hand, Jaden appears to have procured a weapon he may have intended to use on me. Could you please bring it to me?"
As he had no arms and was nearly decapitated, Natalie imagined it would be safe to leave him for a moment. She scurried over to Jaden's remains and snatched the object from his dead hands, then handed it to Evan. Evan began to stare at the framed picture of his family with an expression that could have been sadness.
"Me, my mummy and daddy." he read. "It must have been centuries ago that this was obtained."
"Do you miss your parents?" Natalie inquired, crouching down to Evan's level. "We miss ours."
Evan giggled. "How strange! I never thought of it like that. Funny what being close to true death does to the brain isn't it?"
"Do you?"
"Natalie!" called Robert. "We're going to go, you can leave Evan like that. We need your help carrying Veronica."
Natalie stood back up and turned around, preparing to make her way down the steps.
"Natalie." said Evan.
"Make it quick." she responded.

17-Jul-2010 15:33:57 - Last edited on 18-Jul-2010 15:12:32 by Infinity A8

Infinity A8

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"In death I could have had everything," he explained. "I had immense power and from the events that are soon to come, I would rule over everything with my master. Had I not decided to play with you, I would have lived for eternity. However," he paused and stared longingly at the image in his hands. "I think I was happier in life. No matter how fleeting it was, I enjoyed it."
Natalie didn't say a word in response but continued down the steps to meet her friends. Evan closed his pale eyes and decided never to open them again. There was a quick discussion regarding Veronica, who was unable to walk very far without stumbling in pain. Robert volunteered to carry her, but Natalie pointed out that his injured shin would likely prevent him doing that for very long. Robert protested that he had suffered the injury too long ago for it to matter, but as Natalie was the only uninjured person among them she insisted that she do it. Robert, still desiring to help, offered to carry Veronica's bow and quiver. With that, they approached the grand entrance doors and opened them with remarkable ease to face the eternally dark skies of The Wilderness.
"Well," Veronica whispered. "I never thought I'd be happy to be out here again."
"How's your eye, Veronica?" Edward was looking at her blood drenched face and the scar that was dominating the right side of it. The jagged mark ran from the tip of her forehead down to her eye socket, where all that was left was a bloody hole Veronica was covering with her still intact eyelid.
"It's gone Ed," she lamented. "I won't be able to see properly anymore."
"But," Natalie spoke softly. "I think we should be thankful that we're alive."
"Tristan..." Edward started to cry.
"Georgia and Jaden." Robert added, beginning to shed years of his own.
"We won't forget them," Veronica declared, dipping her fingers in her own blood then staring at it with her remaining eye. "We'll never forget the blood they shed for us or the agony we all endured."

17-Jul-2010 15:33:57 - Last edited on 18-Jul-2010 15:28:40 by Infinity A8

Infinity A8

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~Chapter XXX~
The four surviving children crawled to the top of a hill, faced away from Evan's manor and relaxed for a brief moment. Robert also began to devise plans for their route out of The Wilderness and what they should do in the event they encountered a monster. Edward, now that they were out of the cursed manor, inspected Veronica's wounds further and deduced that they would need to get medical aid quickly or she would bleed into unconsciousness and perhaps death. When Robert had concluded which direction they should take, Natalie hauled Veronica into her arms, carrying her horizontally like one would carry a log. When she was snuggled into Natalie's embrace, she peered behind them for a final look at Evan's manor.
"Look!" she said, startled. The others in the group whirled around and instead of the towering mansion looming at the base of a cliff there was a peninsula strewn with rubble and the remains of a sort of foundation; the dark ocean rippled on the horizon behind it. Once done being fascinated by the disappearance of Evan's manor, Robert signaled they move forward. As they did, he began to speak.
"I guess I was wrong,"
"About what?" Edward asked.
"I theorised to Natalie that the house was one of Evan's familiars, as it behaved like a living creature. But now I think it's something else. As if it was bound to Evan himself, like the house WAS Evan or even possessed him. That would explain why it perished along with Evan."
The group mulled over this in silence, all but Robert mostly uncaring for this trivial piece of data. Veronica had closed her other eye and was breathing softly, as if trying to fall asleep.
"Hey, Veronica?" Edward whispered.
"Mm?" she responded tiredly.
"Where will we live now?"
"Does it matter? As long as we're together, anywhere can be home," she opened her eye. "I feel like we took Edgeville for granted. I know Evan made it a nightmare but maybe it was because he was jealous."
"Jealous?"

17-Jul-2010 15:34:34 - Last edited on 23-Jul-2010 13:59:05 by Infinity A8

Infinity A8

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"Maybe whatever force revived him also corrupted him," she explained. "And if what Robert has said is right and the house and Evan were one, then that would explain some things, like why he let us live so long. He still had some of his old self left in him."
"The room Jaden was in," Natalie said. "I glimpsed it before we left. It was full of children's toys and drawings. Jaden had gotten a drawing of Evan's parents from the room drawn by Evan himself in crayon."
Robert seemed to be mulling this over in silence, for he didn't comment. Natalie dropped the subject and kept her focus on her inky environment, while Edward was gripping Georgia's sword out of fear. Veronica seemed to be the only one relaxing, until she remembered the diaries she had stashed in her quiver and requested that Robert and Natalie read them whilst they travelled.
Given the subtle brightness of the sky, it was probable that it was night back in Gielinor. It seemed, also, that the denizens of The Wilderness were not fond of this particular time of day (or night) and chose to hibernate. It made sense, for the creatures of The Wilderness never bothered them during the night and would not attack during the bright day either. Whatever god had designed this system had, apparently, favoured the four children and it was through a tiresome though uneventful journey that they began to approach a ditch that stretched far out of sight. On the other side of this ditch, their ruined home: Edgeville.
They almost cheered with delight but were too tired to express anything boisterously and simply smiled at each other. When they got close enough, they noticed an entire platoon of White Knights seemingly camping on the other side of the ditch with a row of tents situated around the town and a blazing fire in the centre.
"Hey!" Robert called. "Please! Can you come help us?"
The knights whipped their heads around and almost jumped out of their suits in surprise.

17-Jul-2010 15:34:35 - Last edited on 23-Jul-2010 14:14:37 by Infinity A8

Infinity A8

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There, in The Wilderness, were four kids. One had a sizeable cut in his shin and his clothes were streaked with blood and gore, the smallest had blood smeared on his head and clothes and the girl being carried was in immensely poor shape with her right eye gouged out, her head bleeding profusely and her thigh and shoulder damaged equally as crudely. One of the knights who was not wearing his helmet stood and began barking orders to the other knights who dashed into the tents for supplies. Two of them retrieved a stretcher and another three grabbed several boxes of medical supplies. The five of them and their helm-less leader began to hastily approach the children and assisted them over the edge. Veronica was lain down on the stretcher and the two knights began to treat her with a skill Edward could never have imitated at his current age. With the other children in a stable condition, the leader of the knights decided he would talk with this children about their strange arrival. He approached Robert, who studied him with fascination; this knight had long brown hair that curled at the back and an eyepatch over his right eye. Strapped to his back were two greatswords, one forged of dragon and the other of white, in a cross shape.
"Greetings children," he said in a smooth but deep voice. "I am commander Xavier of the White Knights of Falador. May I ask...well-" he gestured to the devastated town behind him. "-Do you know anything about this? I've not seen you around Varrock or Falador and given your injuries and your arrival from The Wilderness I must assume you know something."
Robert stepped forward to speak and handed him Evan's diaries. "We know everything. Our town was attacked by a powerful, though childish being that wanted us as playthings. We were trapped in The Wilderness, but managed to defeat it and escape. Everything else you need to know is in here."

17-Jul-2010 15:35:19 - Last edited on 23-Jul-2010 14:25:08 by Infinity A8

Infinity A8

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Xavier retrieved the diaries from Robert's hand and began reading skimming them. At first he was distrustful, as this seemed to merely be the diary of another small child. However, his expression darkened as Evan's writing tone did, then his face paled when he reached a certain page.
"The Fog..." he breathed.
"Pardon?" said Robert.
"Nothing, just..." Xavier closed the book. "I believe you. Please, tell me the entire tale from start to finish, it is of the utmost importance."
So Robert and Edward recounted their tale as Natalie surveyed her surroundings quietly. She could see a team of White Knight medics casting healing spells on Veronica and forcing her to drink all sorts of liquids to replace lost blood, seal wounds all while they bandaged her to prevent infection. Her eye was, as she said previously, lost forever so they opted to bandaging all around her forehead and what remained of her eye socket to cover up the gaping hole, as well as the incision on her head. She returned back to Robert and Edward, who were concluding their tale with the defeat of Evan. Xavier listened intently and sighed when the two finished.
"Please, come stand with me by your other friend." he indicated towards Veronica. He dismissed the White Knight Medics as they finalised Veronica's treatment and the four of them sat around her. She flickered her eye open and gazed up into Xavier's solitary eye, to which he chuckled.
"Gonna be like me now, huh?" he chuckled. Veronica smiled. "I don't think a face as pretty as yours should sport an eyepatch though, maybe you should just keep the bandages on."
Her smile widened and she managed a weak nod. Xavier then turned his attention towards the entire group.
"You kids are without a doubt the bravest children I have ever met," he began. "I'm so terribly sorry you had to go through all that. Losing your parents and your friends right before your eyes is something nobody should ever have to go through.

17-Jul-2010 15:35:43 - Last edited on 24-Jul-2010 02:29:52 by Infinity A8

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