Soter then sighed. "I will admit, however," the envoy went on. "my faith in the Elder Gods has been a bit in question recently. Their sudden and malicious aggression has left me to wonder if it is indeed true that they are in fact the Elder Gods of legend."
"I guess the Elder Gods aren't as perfect and amazing as everyone thought they were?"
The titan then crossed his arms. "It's starting to appear that way," he responded.
"Well, you're fighting with us now, right?" Uriel asked. "Why not put a little faith in us?"
Soter smirked lightly. "I just might," he replied. "Although the Resistance appears somewhat off-balance right now, it seems like the tides are turning. Humans are extremely resilient creatures, so I'm sure that something is bound to change."
"You could say that," a voice from behind the two then spoke.
Soter and Uriel then turned, facing the man with the glasses. Uriel raised his eyebrow. "Telvern?" the boy named, somewhat puzzled. "What're you doing outside of your book?"
"Some fresh air doesn't hurt from time-to-time," he answered.
Soter's green eyes then saw a sprinkle of shine from Telvern's right side, seeing a dagger in his hand. Soter quickly clenched his hand around the handle of his blade, drawing it forth. Uriel quickly turned to the green-hooded messenger, a bit surprised to see Soter's quick jump to hostility. "Soter," the boy named. "what's wr—?"
The titan then charged forward in earnest, his armoured boots trampling the dirt. Telvern stood there, awaiting the arrival of Soter with paitience. Soter came out swinging, slashing his blade from the upper right downwards to his lower left. Telvern dodged the attack, leaning off to his left. He watched the sword just barely miss him, sailing just a few inches from him.
And thus began a series of attacks that would all just be easily and confidently dodged by the genius. Whether it be a slash or thrust, Telvern would intentionally just barely dodge them while he wore an stern look on his face. Gripping his blade with two hands, Soter lunged his sword forward with all of his might.
Telvern was quick to counter, just dodging Soter's thrust and pulling his hands under his left arm. Wielding his dagger in a reversed grip, Telvern ice-picked his dagger into the left side of Soter's head. It was a sickening sound, the blade crackling into Soter's skull. Uriel stared off in shock, unable to figure out exactly what was going on.
The genius then pulled his dagger out from Soter's head, inside the wound that Telvern made was a glowing white light. Those familiar gold and white embers exited out from the injury, the titan had begun to fall. He dropped to his knees, his head and torso drooped over. Telvern's brown eyes then settled down upon Uriel, whose face had begun to tighten up.
He took one step forward, then another. He drew closer and closer to the boy, ill in his intention. Uriel stood upon his feet, unable to make heads or tails of what was going on. Telvern grew closer to Uriel, making the boy grow tense. "Goodness," he sighed, then shrugging his shoulders. "can't a guy go outside without getting attacked? Sheesh... when will people learn?"
Though Telvern hadn't shown any signs of aggression, only acting merely in self-defense, Uriel couldn't help but to possess this foreboding sense of danger. Uriel took a step backwards, getting in a sort of defensive position. "Wha-what are you...?" the young man tautly muttered.
While danger crept forward like wolves in the night, Elena struggled on with the Talon Beast. That was enough, she believed. If she let this go on any further, Uriel would surely be killed. She tightly closed her eyes, her teeth fastened by both anger and frustration. She then reopened her eyes, they had taken their natural form, glowing that faint, radiant shine.
With all of the might she had within herself, she launched her right leg upwards towards the hind leg of the Talon Beast. Because of her Solasúian power -- which, as a member of royalty, was at a level above the normals -- the impact of her kick would be far more effective. Her leg took a swing, but just as her leg was about to hit the beast, it was enveloped by a blueish-white flame.
Although the flames touched it, it didn't feel as though they were actually flames. Warm yes, but not flame-like. As suddenly as it was enveloped by the flames, it was burned away as if it never existed. Elena jolted to her feet, a million thoughts rushing through her head. How strange that the monster disappeared as soon as Elena activated her powers, she thought.
But she knew that was absolute the worst time to waste anything. Hastily, very tensely, she bolted forth faster than she could breath. As her fearful thoughts clenched the threshold of her mind, all she could hope was that Uriel was safe, and that Soter managed to stop him. That's all she could hope for, something that was like a shield to defend all the horrible thoughts.
Telvern looked back at the castle of Lumbridge, letting out a light smirk. "Right on time," he affirmed, turning back to Uriel. He then reached into his bag, looking for a particular summoning pouch. Telvern was quick to find that certain pouch, poking a hole through it. A shape then began to form, a large being that stood eighteen feet high.
Uriel's eyes grew with intensity, lunging his left arm forward. Flames then suddenly exploded as if they hit a barrel of gasoline, erupting all around the area. The world around Uriel truly matched the sky, small orange flames burned as bigger ones devoured those dead trees whole. Where Telvern was now a giant pile of steel, which Uriel was surprised to see.
Then that pile of steel began to shift, opening up like a door. It had two arms and two legs, a torso and a head. It stood eighteen feet tall, its jarring red gaze cast upon the boy. He stood there, reasonably petrified of the being before him. The Steel Titan was wrapped up like a ball, now standing tall and daunting upon its feet.
Its service was to protect, which it did a fine job at doing. Its master was there, the titan just behind him. He stood among the flames that now rippled the air and ravaged the earth. Still, the genius was unfazed by the attack made against him. His stolid eyes fell down upon Uriel, who grew more and more horrified by the second.
In his view, he noticed his hand out in front of him -- his left hand -- had begun to shake. Had he truly begun to feel fear? The young genius took one step forward, and then another. Telvern then stopped, fixing his gaze to the burning sky. He then pulled his eyes forward, stepping ever closer to the boy. A bolt of lightning then suddenly came crashing down, but not upon its target.
The Steel Titan took the blow, but it didn't seem so much as fazed by the attack. The genius' ears then caught the sound of heavy footsteps pounding the ground drawing near. The giant of steel then quickly dropped down, curling up around Telvern like a protective dome. Soter had reawakened from death, his sword striking down, but founding the Steel Titan and not the master.
Soter had a fearsome expression upon his face, a deathgrip of ire and fury locking him. His blade quivered as it pressed down upon the Steel Titan's extremely hard skin. The metallic giant then stood, revealing the master upon his knees. The genius then threw his right hand out in front of him, a green light had enveloped his hand.
A green and yellow energy that appeared like an arrow with stars as its shaft and a oval-shaped ball for its head then flung out from his hand, darting towards the messenger. The energy found its target, hitting him dead center. Soter felt rather strange afterwards, yet it wasn't something that could keep him down. That's when he attempted to make his move, but found himself unable to.
It was like he was a living statue, as if he were made of frozen clay. He struggled, trying with all his might, but his muscles would simply not obey. Uriel wanted so desperately to make a move, but considering how powerful his magic attack was the last time he used it, he believed that Soter would get caught in the crossfire. He wouldn't be able to forgive himself if he harmed Soter, even if the man was immortal.
So, he tried lightning bolt after lightning bolt. Still, it kept on hitting the Steel Titan instead of the genius. And the metallic giant was not fazed by it at all. Telvern then hopped backwards, and the very first moment he was out of the way, a giant fist came flying through. It quickly rushed by the genius, causing quite the wind to brush across him.
The gigantic ball of metal pounded heavily upon Soter, as if he were an ant being flicked by a giant. The blow was devastating, literally crushing a man into pieces. The messenger was sent flying, he aimed for the forsaken building. He zoomed across the air, faster than anyone could blink. And that building then exploded, collapsing all down upon the messenger.
It was flattened, totally destroyed. Uriel stared backwards, his eyes taking in the scene. "SOTER!" the boy yelled, worried about the immortal envoy. The young boy with the arm cloak was momentarily distracted, and the opportunistic genius was able to catch it the second it was given to him. He stepped forward, his cold-as-a-void eyes upon the boy.
He readied both his dagger and himself for this one last decisive move... One that would change everything, for the people of the Resistance... and the person he thought he was.
He then jumped forward, running as fast as he could. The boy still distracted by his concern over Soter's well being, Telvern could not get a better opportunity. Much like his Talon Beast, Telvern pounced Uriel, holding his dagger to the height of his head. Uriel fell backwards, Telvern on top of him. The next thing the boy knew was a sudden quiet, and feeling a strange sensation.
He felt something, something ram right through him, something piercing him. The blood was then given permission to escape its prison, running freely all down the boy's neck. His enlarged eyes pried, finding that that blood once belonged to him. Telvern's dagger had found its target, found the boy's neck. Telvern then removed the dagger, his hunched over back then straightening up.
On his knees, his callous eyes gazed down upon the boy's blank, breathless expression. "Sorry, Uriel," the genius apologized, echoing the apology -- both in word and in voice -- he made to the boy the night he teleported him to Governanti. He then stood up, his bloodied dagger still in his hand. "It just has to be this way."
As his Steel Titan began to vanish, he could only begin to wonder the punishment for his transgressions would be. Whatever it was, he knew he absolutely deserved it. As he thought of the many ways, his ears began to hear the heavy pounding of footsteps make their way over. "URIEL!" shouted a familiar voice from behind Telvern.
Elena darted as fast as her legs would allow, stepping passed blazing-orange flames to get there. She slid down onto her knees, being now at the boy's left side. The archer was in disbelief, in complete shock as her heart sunk into her stomach. She examined him with her eyes, her terrified, clouded eyes. Her raised hands shaking, she looked to the boy. "No..."
She then lifted the boy in her arms, watching red liquid pouring out from the fatal injury. She couldn't believe what she was looking at, that boy she cared for like her own brother just barely able to keep his eyes open. His fading turquoise eyes took notice of her, slowly lifting his left hand up to her face. "Sis..." he very weakly muttered.
"...Don't worry, Uriel," she told him, clenching the boy's hand. "I-I'm here! Ev-everything's going to be all right now, you're going to be fine...!" Uriel then just very sluggishly shook his head side-to-side, even he knew that his fate was upon him. She was taken back by his reply, his gesture. She then felt more and more like those assurances she spoke were more to herself, less so to the boy.
Her lips began to quiver as her glowing eyes disappeared from this world under a veil of skin. "I-I'm so sorry, Uriel," she apologized to him. "...I'm so sorry for everything that I've done to you. If only... If only I could have had the courage to stop him."
"D-don't worry... about it," he mumbled to her, then letting out a very faint smile. With his smile, blood had begun to pour out from his mouth. It rode down his cheeks along with his tears. "E-everybody... has... their secrets..."
Recollecting a moment where she said the exact same thing to him, she opened her eyes to see his glowing face despite the prospect of dying before him. She then resembled him, letting out a very slight smile on her own. He then very slowly grabbed his arm cloak. "Wear it..." Uriel requested. "...for me, okay?"
Elena then shook her head, battling through her tears. "I will," she complied quickly, her voice cracking. "I will always."
"Thank... you..." he very quietly whispered, his head turning away from her. "...Sis." That utter, the final word would be brought to him by his last breath, his last and dying breath. His hand latched on his arm cloak then dropped, his body became loose and limp. He grew still, the life from his eyes gone away. He passed on then, dying with a smile on his face.
Elena noticed this change in him, knowing now that the reality was upon her. Her teeth then fastened together, her hand gripping onto Uriel's hand very tightly. She cursed at herself, yelling at herself for her inability to protect the person she found a sibling in, regardless of blood. Tears had then began to pour as she gazed upon the boy's lifeless face.
They dripped upon his body, staining his blood-soaked clothes with her sorrow. She took a minute or two, thinking about all that she experienced with that boy. From the moment she found him, to lulling him to sleep when he was a young child, she found those painful, grievous memories all in her heart. She felt repeatedly stabbed, the agony like she had been tore asunder.
Upon his request, she began to untie his arm cloak. A strong leather belt was tied around the boy to keep his cloak from falling off. She unbuckled that belt, gently unwrapping it. She had taken his arm cloak as he desired, laying to her left temporarily. She then brought both of his hands together into the center of his torso.
She then grabbed onto his arm cloak and then stood up to her feet. She then threw the arm cloak around her left arm, locking it in place with that metal buckle. That dirty old cloth carried on it the blood of the boy she loved so much, she would cherish it for as long as she lived. She wore it then, the burden of his life now upon her shoulders.
Her glowing, Solasúian eyes then turned to Telvern, who was just standing there in a loss of what he had done. His face looked thoroughly sick at what sort of terrible act he had committed, staring down at the ground, completely resentful of himself. She saw the dagger he was carrying, the blood that soaked the iron, causing her to walk to him.
He was but a few steps away, so she got to him quickly. Elena reached her left hand to her blade, revealing its steel to the world. Her eyes hung low, but inside there was a whirlwind of fury and anger. Telvern did note her coming but did nothing about it, not even looking at her. She stood in front of him, her watery eyes glared upon him. "Look at me," she demanded, her voice shook with sorrow and anger. "Look at me, Telvern."
Even at her request, the genius would not budge. His eyes glued to a trembling dagger in his blood-bathed hand. She was reasonably quick to become impatient with him, slashing her blade across his torso. The blade sliced clean from his right shoulder, down along his torso, and exiting from the left side of his abdomen. He gasped out in pain, clenching his teeth.
He dropped to his knees, grabbing onto this newfound wound. His blood blended in with his dark-brown doublet, transforming it into another color. Her eyes furiously glared upon the genius, hearing her rage from under her teeth; her heavy, seething rage. "Why don't you have the courage to look at me, a person you've wronged?" her raised voice continued the attack upon Telvern, who still would not look at her. She then pointed over to Uriel. "Why don't you have the courage to look at him? Why don't you have the courage to look at what you've done!?"
"Because I do not possess it," Telvern then suddenly answered her. Telvern's gelid brown gaze then slowly scrolled forward, gazing at the archer's feet. "Go on, dish out your justice. It's what you want, isn't it?"
"Not just me," Elena returned. "you have somebody else to answer to, as well." Telvern turned to his left, seeing at the corner of his eye a man. A tall man, a man his Steel Titan had attacked. Soter glared down upon him, his face snarling with ire. His head was still injured, but now he had a few more injuries. This included a stab wound to both his chest and his left arm, and several large cuts. All wounds oozed these golden and white flame-like embers.
Soter's hands were gripped tightly, his sword not in his hands. Telvern looked up at the enraged messenger, hearing him quietly hold the beast known as rancor back. Soter then knelt down, his green glowing eyes then stood at the same level as the genius' eyes. "In all my years of living, I've never found myself in the presence of such a coward like you." the messenger stated. "Saradomin himself was a better man."
"Is that all?" questioned Telvern, somewhat mockingly. "After everything I've done, you've only words for me? You're more spineless than I thought, 'Soter the Savior.'" This, for obvious reasons, infuriated Soter. Unleashing his rage through a long-stretched roar, the titan launched his fist forward. The punch of fury then pounded against the center of Telvern's face, sending him flying backwards.
He tumbled into the dirt below, staring up the purple-blueish sky. Dark purple -- almost black -- clouds in many shapes and sizes up to watch what had begun to unfold. The twilight sky lit up by the flames, murmurs of their consumption was all that was heard in this empty silence. He laid there like a sword, his legs straight and together like the blade and his arms stretch out like the cross-guard.
