A female priest comes into work and looks over her chores - "Let's see.... there's that Phyr guy.. oh man, that was tragic.. poor guy commited suicide by setting himself on fire.. no relatives, no friends, no nothing. Oh man.... well, better get to him.... usual embalming routine.. wonder who's paying for this." As she gets to him, she finds that he's badly charred and all disgusting, so she buries him, and slightly thinks of quitting her post, because she cannot stand gore. He gets buried, and police never say anything more about him, and never learn anything of him.
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As the female priest (named Selina) gets off work, she goes to do some personal chores. She stops by a blacksmith's for a special trinket she made for her nephew's birthday. "Billy's just going to LOVE this special armlet I'm having made for him.", she thinks, as she walks into the store. She talks to the storekeeper, and looks behind him to see another worker... who looks vaguely familiar. She asks, "Who is that guy?", and the storekeeper replies, "He's the new guy. Hired him three days ago." No, it couldn't be... "Can I go back there?" "Sure." She goes back to meet the new guy, and it comes as quite a shock - she is standing right in front of the guy buried a week ago, except he's alive.
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The man runs, seeing Selina recognizing him, and she chases after him. He ducks into the 'inferno room', which is where they have a large furnace for heating the metal. He jumps into the flames, and she abruptly stops. "Willy, how hot is that stuff?" "500 degrees. There is no way... he could've lived through that." "What did he say his name was? Phyr?" "No, he said it was Handel... poor guy... he never talked much, he must've been hurting inside... do you know what happened?" "No.... and I have yet to get a clue." "What?" "That guy was buried a couple of days ago - the guy who burned himself to death." "Who, Robert Phyr?" "Yeah... he looked dead like him. I could tell, even when I saw him burnt. He covered up a birthmark on his head with his hair." "What does it look like?" "A spark..."
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Three days later, Selina visits Phyr's grave. It's dug up. She lays a flower on it nonetheless, and looks up to see Phyr. She yells, "Stop! I'm not gonna hurt you!", but he still runs. fter a long chase through the graveyard, he falls down on a gravestone, and she catches him. "Now who the hell are you? I know your real name isn't Phyr, just a weird way of spelling fire, or Handel, the blacksmith. So who ARE you, and what are you doing!?" After a long pause, he looks up through long red hair, and says, "My name is Blaise, and I am a Phoenix."
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As they walk through the park, Selina learns of Blaise's past - how he has lived for many, many years, and how he has to do a 'suicide' every 100 years to continue living. He is inherently magical, and can change into a Phoenix when necassary. He's being chased by a dark Elven Sorceror named Sollath, who wants his skull to live forever. When she inquires as to where the other Phoenixes are, along with the rest of the great mythological beasts, he replies that Constantine, in his blitz across Europe, wiped everyone out. There was a huge war. But they survived, a large number. But come 500 AD... and just then they are interrupted by a great rumbling from the ground, and a snake head jumping out to swallow Blaise.
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"Midgard! Been too long, chum!", Blaise says, hovering just out of range of Midgard's bite. So instead of Blaise, Midgard goes after Selina. Quite accidentally, he hurts her a good deal, to the point of death. Blaise, in a fit of rage, uses his 'Inferno Wing' spell, the most powerful spell he can manage, to severely injure Midgard. He goes over to Selina to have her die in his arms.
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Blaise casts the spell of ressurection then and there to revive Selina. Wounded, both go to Selina's apartment. "What the hell WAS that?!", she asks. "Midgard. She's working for Sollath. You know, Midgard, the great Earth serpent? The one who dares to chew on Yggdrassil, the world tree? Sibling of Fenrir, daughter of Hela, that Midgard?" "Oh.. I think I read about you when I was young... but that was just superstition and myth.." "Like Phoenixes and ressurection?" "True... if Midgard is so huge, why's she working for Sollath?" "Sollath has her baby chained." "Why doesn't she go after him instead then?" "His fortress hovers above the earth where Midgard cannot reach it." "So sad... a tale of blackmail. Why don't we know about his fortress? I mean, it CAN'T be inconspicuous or invisible, right?" "True. He cannot make it invisible, but Sollath has ties to the government." "Oh boy, a government conspiracy." "Yep."
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"Do you think you could destroy Sollath if you could get a shot at him?" "Sure... well, probably. That guy has existed for a very long time, and probably has some very bad stuff up his sleeve." "Well... do you want to try it anyways?" "Sure... but first, we need to find him. Is there any way you could do that?" "Well.. I could try. Can't you just sense his powers or something?" "I'm a Phoenix, not a radar." "Can't you follow Midgard?" "She doesn't report to Sollath. She has one goal - kill me." "That sucks." "You're getting the idea!!" "Oh boy." "Well.. lets try to go and find him. Do you want to make sweeps across the land?" "He'd shoot me down before I saw him. I'd need to know where he is to fight." "And even then you might not win?" "Even then."
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After several months, Sollath has remained fairly quiet. Enter Selina's room in the church. She's on the phone. "Yeah, Blaise - I might be onto something here. There's nothing I can do through my government friends, so I'm checking the net." "You have government friends?" "A couple elected officials and a handful of high ranking police officers go to the church, and I've gotten to know them." "Oh, well, I tried the net already, Selina!" "But you're not female." "I thought you were a nun!" "I'm a priestess. There's a difference." "You're quite a woman!" "Yeah, I know. Anyways, I got into alt.paranoid.ufo newsgroup... they say the latest weird sighting that they've all agreed upon was a huge energy surge near Yellowstone park." "Hmm... I'll fly there, then go on foot - less conspicuous." "Be careful." "Aren't I always?" "*sigh*"
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Blaise enters Yellowstone and continues on foot. He has to fight off several attacks by Midgard which he usually just hovers above. Finally he comes upon Sollath's Fortress. Standing guard outside the main gate is a Banshee. It's a flying island, which Blaise immediately recognizes. "Laputa.. oh god, that fool."
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Blaise crashes straight through the side of Laputa, entering the castle in the sky. "Hmm... now what?" Several imps and lesser demons he has to mow down before he finally gets to Sollath. (BTW - this is like, the 3rd or 4th episode, not very far along) Sollath is OLD. Sollath is ANCIENT. Sollath is obviously very powerful, seeing as how he is glowing with a black flame, which makes his purple skin look even darker. "So, Phoenix, you have come." "What's up with this? Phoenixes and the Drow have lived peacefully together for centuries! What is UP with this?" "Eternity breaks all bonds. I shall obtain it!" "Dude, the only thing you are going to obtain is a lot of broken bones and a hernia or two." "I think not, oh Phoenix." Blaise changes to Phoenix form and charges toward Sollath. Sollath counters with energy burst after energy burst after energy burst. "Holeeee...." "Surprised, Phoenix?" Blaise grins and says, "Maybe. Does it matter?", just before casting Inferno Wing.
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Sollath comes out of the smoke almost unharmed. "I prepared for that, fool." Drained of energy and panting like a marathon runner, Blaise utters one audible word - "Uh-oh..." - before a huge explosion knocks Blaise out the side of Laputa from which he came. Sollath follows him in a large ball of energy, mocking him and laughing maniacally. "I thought you Phoenixes lived forever! I thought you had answers for everything! Well, have an answer for THIS." With that last word, Sollath creates a ball of bluish energy in his hand. "I've been waiting to use this for a LOOONG time, Phoenix. I give to you.. the PHOENIX SLAYER!!!" Blaise barely dodges it, only to have another hurled at him, and another. Blaise is badly hurt, and gasping heavier. He cannot walk anymore, he's totally out of magic, and he knows it. Struggling at the end of the path, Blaise stands up and faces Sollath. "Give up, Phoenix? Then DIE." With that, Sollath hurls a huge ball of blue energy at Blaise to have Blaise burst into red flames, and be buried totally in them.
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In a red inferno, you hear blaise's voice and see Sollath is great surprise. "I have an answer for THAT! My living forever! I'm supposed to do this only once every 100 years, but I can do it ahead of time if I want to! You can't TOUCH me while I'm in this! And once I come out, no matter how many guys you have around me, one 'Inferno Wing' is all it's gonna take! You got any more of those trinkets that saved you the last time? I didn't think so! See you in a day, when this wears off!' Sollath buries his face in his hands and flies off. Day breaks and Blaise flies off, free.
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Selina is in her bed and she wakes to hear Blaise's crying. She rushes over to the living room of her apartment and asks him what's wrong. "What's WRONG?! I'm only going to live 100 more years! I'm going to die! Die young!" "Why?" "I had to do my whole 'flame suicide' thing early or Sollath would've had me. Because I didn't do it on interval, I can't extend my life through it anymore!" "But you CAN do it more?" "Yeah, I'm going to recharge my magic every night I can." "How long have you lived?" "Only 700 years!" With a GREAT *ahem* amount of sympathy, Selina manages to comfort Blaise. "So now what?" "Oh, that freak is probably prepared for me." "Oh." "Hey, what's the face for? So he's prepared. You think it'll make any difference?" "You joker." "Am I?" A day later, Blaise flies to Sollath's fortress. After toasting the greeting guard of Banshees and devils, Blaise flies straight at Laputa - to be stopped by it's energy shield and drop to the ground. "Dammit!"
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"He isn't as stupid as I thought. He's going to hide in that damn thing and send people after me until I die." "Well, can't you beat them all?" "The way he's improved, not bloody likely. I'm going to have to bring down the shields." "How are you going to do that?" "Luckily, I've been around awhile, and I know the tricks. This shield is just a rendition of the Drow Rak-Ton." "The WHAT?!" "The Dark Elven Rak-Ton. Litterally, 'rubber wall'." "Well, whatever it is, yuo can destroy it, right?" "No, going to have to ask the Drow." "I thought they didn't exist anymore!" "Look, they do, in Atlantis, and I have to get going before - oh shit." Hovering outside the apartment window is a demon. "He's starting OUT with 5ers?! Geeze!" Blaise toasts the demon with little problem, and Selina asks, "5er?" "It's a term for what denomination they are in Hell. 5ers are little more than drones, but I expected him to start out with.. I dunno, insects or something." "Not in this house, buddy." "Not if I can help it." Just then, a large number of 5ers started to appear outside the window. "Let's rock n roll", says Blaise, as he jumps out and lands his feet on two demons.
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After fending off attack after attack, Blaise and selina make it to Moai island, through Blaise's phoenix form. "Yo, Virgo! Sonya! C'mon out!" Out of thin air appears a Unicorn and a Gryphon, looking much like you would expect them. "These are.." "Why's the girl gawking? Like she's never seen a Unicorn!" "She hasn't, Sonya. Remember what era it is." "I don't want to remember that damn war." The Gryphon, apparently Virgo, rushes over to comfort Sonya. "So how can we get rid of you, Blaise?" "Lovely attitude as ever, Virg. It's Sollath again." "HIM again? Geeze, he's been tailing you for HOW long?" "A month from now is our 500 year anniversary." Selina is standing, dumbfounded, off to the side. Sonya pipes up, "Thought Drow only lived 300 years or so." "This guy's a persistent bugger. He's expanded his lifeforce." "Pacts with the devil, that sort of thing, Blaise?" "I think Surtur, actually." "Nasty guy, him. But why did you come to us?" "I need to get to Atlantis." "Blaise... you little.. agh." Virgo and Sonya look at each other, then Virgo flies up to the top of a Moai statue and says, "Endor gonlath szym PORTRIND!". The Moai statue opens to reveal a small vial. "You know I can't make this breathe-water stuff anymore, Blaise. You owe me." "Don't I always? Thank you Sonya." Blaise kisses her slightly and thanks the two, and leaves with Selina, who is still gasping. "Nice two, those."
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Flying above the ocean, Blaise is confronted suddenly by a Banshee. "*sigh* Can you swim, Selina?" "Tread water a bit..." "Good." With that, Blaise swoops down to the ocean and drops Selina in. Flying back up to the Banshee, he talks to it, saying "Hello, Perdes.". "Hello Blaise." "Been awhile." "Since Ecktros." "What are you doing, working for Sollath?" "Got nothing better to do." 'And you'd kill a friend so willingly?" "You were never my friend. You let Delquer die." "That was a WAR! I couldn't save everyone!" "You saved yourself." "I tried, Pendres, I did.." "You didn't. DIE!" With that, Pendres started shrieking and flying around. Blaise and Pendres flew around a bit and eventually Blaise beats Pendres, and holding her up by one arm over the ocean, he says, "I'm sorry." "You will be... when Sollath's plan comes to fruit, you will be." "Plan?!" "You don't know anything, do you?" "TELL ME!!" "Never." After an icy stare between teh two, Blaise lets Pendres go, and she falls into the ocean. "What a pity... what a pity...", Blaise muses as he picks up Selina, who is sympathetic but angry for being wet. They fly a short while then Blaise takes out the potion, drinks some, forces Selina to drink some, flies up a bit, and dives straight down into the ocean.
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They dive deeper tha anything any human has ever seen, and Selina can amazingly breathe. "Where are we?" "The Marinara Trench. Or more accurately..", Blaise says while entering a clearing very deep, "Atlantis." Atlantis is a domed city. In the distance you can see a mountain. The clearing is not great, it's a large cave. There is a large patch of seaweed mended by Drow in suits and large vehicles. The entire top of the cave is lit with ultrafluorescent bacteria. Blaise makes his way into Atlantis, and they are shown before the king. "Hello, should I know you?" "Blaise, last of the Phoenixes, and this is Selina, from the upper world.", Blaise says as he extends his hand out for the king to shake, which the king ignores completely. "Is there a point here?" "Sollath." At the very word, the king's face shifts. "He's hunting me down for immortality. Once he gets me, there goes the world." The king sighs and slumps in his seat, his hands at his head. "Who is Sollath anyways?", Selina asks. "Sollath is the greatest of our kind. The greatest Dark Elf ever to live. More power in him than in 3 of my best magicians. But he is.. insane.. ever since... the tragedy." "What tragedy?" "Never mind that.... he needs to be stopped. You should be able to do it, Phoenix, why are you down here?" "He's using a version of the Rak-Ton. I need somebody to help me." "The way Sollath is, you're going to need three.of my best men. Here - Artok, Imas, Hakvir! Come! These are our greatest heroes. Imas is a swordsman, Havir an archer, Artok a mage. Artok will get through the shield. A ship will take you to the surface." "Thank you, Drow lord." With that, Selina, Artok, Imas, and Havir leave.
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On the boatride back, Selina asks Havir, who is by far the most talkative of them, of Atlantis. "Well, we get power from a generator. At the back of the alcove is a volcano. We have a tube going into it that pumps water through it, which turns to steam and salt. The salt we harvest for consumption, and the steam goes through generators to make electricity. We live underwater, so we get water from everywhere. We harvest seawees to eat, and they get light from the bacteria, which we have to recharge on energy every once in awhile by getting a light next to them." "But why are you down there in the first place? How did you get down there?" "We moved down there to hide during the Ecktros war." "I've heard that name a lot - what is it?" "I don't know. It's before my time, before any of our time. The elders refuse to talk of it, saying that it should be forgotten." "Blaise, don't you know about the Ecktros war?" "It wasn't a war, it was a series of battles. And yes, I know of it. I fought in it." "Then wha-" "You would do well to forget it, like I try to every day."
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They get to the fortress after the elves easily destroy several of Sollath's minions. Artok tries a magical incantation, and the shield is able to be seen, and glows a light blue, but is still there, as is proved when it blocks one of Havir's arrows. Artok does some more incantations and divines that he has upgraded the Rak-ton. It will require 7 of the olden races to open it. "Well... with Sonya and Virgo, we have six. Too bad about Pedres." "The king is afraid. The instant we come back, he will take us to defend the kingdom, thinking we could not defeat Sollath. He is too afraid to listen to reason." "Where would be another one?? Midgard we couldn't convince to help.. who else fought in the battles and lived.... no, not her. We cannot ask her..." "Who?" "Nobody of any consequence. I say we wait for Sollath to send something after me, kidnap it, and make it help us!" "Seems as good an idea as any." The scene shifts to Sollath's castle at nighttime. He is in a huge rite, surrounded by his lackeys and demons. "RISE! RISE! Rise, my beautiful...", Sollath shrieks as a figure steps out of the middle of the circle from the floor. It stand up, looking humanoid, and turns into the light to show a human soldier in armor, who looks very evil. "... my beautiful Fenrir."
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"YOU'RE Fenrir?!" "Fenrir, the Dark Wolf. Who are you? Why do you call me?" "I'm Sollath, and have no need for any human swinging a sword. Begone, fool!" With that, Sollath hurls a magic incantation at Fenrir. Fenrir holds up his sword and it is dissolved. Several demons jump at Fenrir, attacking him, and Fenrir kills them all in one swipe. "Some puny sword?" "Indeed... have you any experience in killing Phoenixes?" "First time for everything." They both maniacally laugh as the scene ends.
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Blaise and Selina are walking along in the countryside. Enter some kinda romantic talk I don't feel like putting in. During this, you find that the elves can change their appearance and are now in the process of rating 'Budweiser'. They kiss, yadda yadda yadda, and Fenrir appears. They fight a bit, Blaise saying, "You fought in the Ecktros wars?! Who ARE you?! You're not Fenrir!" "I am called Fenrir, the dark wolf. I did not fight in that war, there's no such thing!" After awhile, Blaise defeats Fenrir handily. "Geeze, you're NOT Fenrir, buddy. You're a VERY powerful human, I'll grant you that, but you're no Fenrir. He was stronger than I! How do you get off calling yourself him?!" "What does everyone expect me to be... I am Fenrir, the Wolf general.. captain of the Kagin elite guard." "You're not Fenrir." Sollath appears next to Fenrir. "No, he isn't. And that is his failing." With that, Sollath teleports both he and Fenrir away. "That guy's getting desperate. Too bad we couldn't use Fenrir." After awhile, the two talk into having a vacation at Cumberland Falls to see the moonbow.
