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 Posted: Fri Jun 10, 2011 11:41 pm
"Oh, uhtet!" Elasa muttered, using her ring to create a shield of brilliant blue light. The oddly... combined fist of black energy clashed against it, and while Elasa had to struggle to keep from moving, she managed to keep her shield up. She backed away, and fired a quick succession of blue energy blasts at the figure, before using her ring to create large, blue chains that she guided to ensnare the Black Lantern, and keep him from attacking.
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Posted: Sat Jun 11, 2011 10:11 am
"The Blackest Night falls from the skies. The darkness grows as all light dies...
 Xaronazar was surprised...her shields seemed to hold up against his powers, which meant he would have to focus his talents more if he wanted to send his message. As the energy from his ring retracted, she took up the offense, firing a few bolts of energy for him and he retaliated, summoning shield of his own, only this shield was in the shape of an upside-down triangle, with spikes jutting out from it...
Viciously he smashed his shield against each blast, crumbling them to nothing, and his shield retracted, preparing for a counter, when she summoned those chains upon him and wrapped around his being. For a few moments he struggled, roaring out in rage until he had enough and told her, "You intend to confine the fire's of Hell!? No chains could ever hold me!"
Reaching up with his limited arm movement, his hands grabbed some of the chain constricting him and he roared with malice, his ring burning as his aura grew and soon the chains began to change. Slowly the chains began to burn with Hellfire, becoming part of his instrumentation and traveled up to her ring, where a small explosion would occur at the ring's gem from the chaotic imbalance of energy, giving him the power to free himself, ripping his arms outward and the chains shattered, becoming hundreds of small, burning shards as he roared victoriously...
Taking that point from his further animosity, Xaronazar summoned a great, burning black scythe from his ring that he would wield in both of his hands, the weapon's size proportions immensely large and opposing, the blade itself looked like it could slice a car in half lengthwise with its girth, and he zoomed towards Elasa, making a powerful swipe for her ring arm...
We crave your hearts and your demise. By my black hand, the dead shall rise!"
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Posted: Sat Jun 11, 2011 2:55 pm
Elasa had tried to keep the Black Lantern ensnared, but she couldn't do it; she wasn't being forceful enough, it seemed... and as the figure came forth with his large scythe, she simply blasted him away with another quick blast from her ring.
She backed up further, and she clasped her right wrist with her left hand as she looked determinedly at the Black Lantern. He was so full of... anger... but why? She was only doing her duty, which was to make sure that he, being a Black Lantern, didn't start killing, and bring hopelessness to the masses so that his master Nekron could be freed once more, eventually...
But, what was this other energy she felt within him? It was foreign, not a part of the Emotional Spectrum. It felt... like the Rage of a Red Lantern, but... at the same time, she sensed something not totally evil inherent within it.
Still, he was a servant of Nekron, the enemy of all life. She had to stop him. And so she aimed her ring at him, and spoke as her aura seemed to grow stronger...
"In fearful day, in raging night..."
Her ring lit up brightly, blinding onlookers.
"...With strong hearts full, our souls ignite!"
Her eyes glowed a brilliant blue color, and the Black Lantern would undoubtedly sense the combination of Hope and Willpower that allowed her to perform the feats she had.
"When all seems lost in the War of Light..."
Her ring's energy now became a fist-sized, swirling mass, as she continued to charge up her power into it.
"...Look to the stars, for HOPE BURNS BRIGHT!"
At this she released her attack: a charged, powerful blast of pure blue energy, filled with the Hope she had for victory, and the Willpower she used to make sure that victory came to pass.
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Posted: Sat Jun 11, 2011 4:12 pm
"Within Light, thy ways have died. Within the Darkness, all things have lied. Judgment ever my guide...
Xaronazar yelped in surprise, mistaking that she was adequately stalled enough for him to make his move. From her blast he was flung far away, smashing across the rooftop and stopped short near the other edge, a low growl coming out of his ghostly throat...
This Blue Lantern was different. She was much more powerful then the other Blue Lanterns he had heard of. No...as he focused on her mind, her body's colors grew out in his vision and he could see that she was not blue or green...but a turquoise, a mixture of green and blue...of will and hope...
So that was her secret to her power. She held the power to be a Green Lantern, but was instead a Blue...impressive, unheard of, and it seemed that she was done playing around for he heard her beginning the oath and he too felt the need to bring all that he could into this...but he could not evoke the oath...
It was not who he was...he used this power to cleanse sin, not bring it about. Death was a tool, not a way of life...it was his sharpening stone, not his hammer. He needed to find a way to call upon the great reserves of power...and then...it struck him. The oaths...they had great emotional power and resembled his poetry...hell...could it be that easy?
And so...he started to focus his energy, his dark flame beginning to burn anew, only now it was perpetually glowing, as if light as tracing itself through the molecules of the fire, like living wires taking an almost celestial presence...
"Within Light, thy ways have died. Within the Darkness, all things have lied. Judgment ever my guide..."
More pronounced the fire became, becoming a tower before it began to siphon itself back into his ring, glowing brighter and brighter with its dark energy...
"Despicable demons, hear my God-fearing plight! Burn away in never-ending night!"
Slowly he pulled back his fist, charging as much as energy as he could. He could feel a tremendous amount of energy bursting through his ring; a power thriving on pain, sorrow and the souls of the damned. It felt as if Hell itself was swarming into his ring as his energy burned large and larger, the energy taking up his whole hand, the only thing visible being the Black Lantern symbol on the ring, blazing brilliantly like a star inside a never ending void of Darkness...
He then saw her release her energy, it's blueish power thundering through the sky and he realized he could not longer wait, so he too thrusted out his palm, crying out with all that his heart and lungs could muster...
"Give me your might, BLACK LANTERNS LIGHT!!!!!"
Sound...the sound of it was deafening. It was a horrible crack, like a clap of thunder as a massive beam, equal in size and power to her's stormed out from his ring, the glyphs of Hell burning in its black energy as it stormed for her own, the two colliding in an absolute ungodly blast of energy, the sheer force of their impact ripping away concrete and sent harrowing blasts of wind in all directions...
Cars closest to the scene were sent into the air, some crushed by the sheer forces acted upon them and bursting into fireballs as the two beams funneled and became a brilliant beacon, seen from anywhere within the city, becoming a shimmering, blazing display of power between Hope and Sorrow, Life and Death...
Only time would tell...who would win...
Despicable demons, hear my God-fearing plight! Burn away in never-ending night! Give me your might, Black Lantern's Light!"
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Posted: Sat Jun 11, 2011 5:05 pm
Elasa was astounded, for several reasons. First, she noticed right off the bat that the words the Black Lantern had spoken... were not the words of the Black Lantern Corps Oath. They were too long-- six lines instead of four. This being definitely was not a Black Lantern in any sense that she-- or any other Lantern-- knew of.
She glanced down-- people, small as insects, were scurrying away from the beam struggle... and she was thankful for that. If only she could move them both away...
And so she began to move upward. To her shock, the Black Lantern seemed to have had the same idea, as they were moving at the same pace, as if they had planned this out...
Higher and higher they rose, until the city below looked quite small, as if Elasa could fit it within the palm of her hand. And through it all the two energy beams, enormous and powerful as they were, could not overcome one another. The blue and black pushed against each other but neither could gain even the slightest edge. Elasa spied electric arcs manifesting at the point where both energies met, and it was apparent that it could not last...
* * *
As the citizens of Metropolis watched the epic struggle between the two Lanterns, they saw a brilliant flash of light in the sky-- an explosion, equal to 44 tons of TNT, and the blast itself expanded to a maximum radius of 1,000 feet in all directions. Then came the shockwave, which hit Metropolis at well over 700 miles per hour: windows and other glass fixtures were shattered, buildings were shaken, and the concussive force was enough to floor those in the way. Then came the heat-- enough to sear skin and set things aflame, and that it did.
* * *
Elasa, for her part, was not hurt by the blast; merely shocked by it. She could not collect herself as she hurtled to the ground on the outskirts of the city at incredible speeds, and she momentarily blacked out, as the energy she had used had taken a temporary toll on her.
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Posted: Sat Jun 11, 2011 7:58 pm
"Within Light, thy ways have died. Within the Darkness, all things have lied. Judgment ever my guide...
The connection was as glorious as it was devastating. Xaronazar pushed every inch of his energy into his beam, forcing her to keep her attention on him. Neither beam would give an inch and that worried him heavily. Energy like this could not be held in a simple, ongoing wave...no...eventually that energy would keep building and building until it reached critical mass, and with how neither beam was moving from the center, it was becoming dangerous for them...
A minute into the battle and he could see sparks flying from the center, discharging a violet energy that brought alarm to him; they were running out of time. If only he could tell her to dispel her weapon without possibly killing himself. He knew she would match hm however she could, not willing to back down, for she must've seen the sparks too, so instead of forcing it to be more direct, he slowly rose himself up, trying to get a better grounding, and sure enough, she rose too, keeping their beams intact and equal with his...a convenient solution but it seemed perfect enough...
Higher and higher they rose until he felt that it was a safe distance...until he noticed a sudden frailty. He looked at his left hand and slightly gaped when he saw his skin coming back over his hand as he growled, forcing it back to flaming bone, but it was not a good sign. He was steadily losing power and the will to keep his form and just when he was about to try and end this, a sudden, monstrous ball of energy materialized from where their beams were connected and exploded into a fantastic, bathing blast of energy that could be seen for miles...
At the event of the blast, he could feel his body tossed around like a doll, fire all around him until he realized he was falling, and fast at that, towards the unforgiving earth and he was no longer in his dark form. Zeso had returned to his human form, and that was not the only problem. At his peripheral vision he could see the woman as well...but she was not in control. Correctly put she was out of control and she did not seem able to summon her energy and he feared the worst...
He knew he did not owe this woman anything...that it was her that truly started this confrontation...but his heart would never forgive him if he let her fall to her rapid death and so he mustered what little energy he had left, roaring out in pain as the ring blazed to life once more, though slow to transform, eventually his body returned to its bone form and he could feel Xaronazar's presence.
Once he had formed himself, he knew there was no time to dally and so he gave it everything he had, pushing every once of his energy into a bullet thrust, straightening his body and rocketed for her and just moments before she hit the ground, he gripped onto her with both arms and kept her braced against his chest, putting his back to the ground as his last burst of energy failed him and momentum took its course, causing them to crash into the hard, unforgiving gravel of the flat plains outside the city...
When all came to a stop, he had been laid flat across the ground, his arms limply around her, but he could tell she was still alive from her breathing and he smiled, despite having no mouth and his body was currently putting out no flame, yet he was still in skeletal form, but how long that lasted was impossible to tell...
He was only happy that she was safe...that's all that mattered...
Despicable demons, hear my God-fearing plight! Burn away in never-ending night! Give me your might, Black Lantern's Light!"
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Posted: Sat Jun 11, 2011 8:09 pm
"Oof! Ah! Ow! Uhtet! GAH!"
Elasa sputtered out random noises of pain, mingled with some colorful ven'ari curses, as she skipped across the dry, packed ground on Metropolis' outskirts like a rock on water. When at last she stopped, she found the Black Lantern's arms were around her, loosely, and he seemed barely conscious as well.
The main thought that occurred to her was: Why the r'tohm did a BLACK LANTERN save my life?!
Slowly, she got to her feet. Her natural superhuman durability meant that while her suit was scratched up, thanks to the efforts of her seemingly former enemy here she hadn't suffered even a minor injury... though if he hadn't saved her, she would have died from the sheer velocity of impact.
"Okay... I get that you're no ordinary... Black Lantern... so just who are you?" Elasa asked suspiciously, raising her ring hand. She was weak, but the power of Hope could rejuvenate her somewhat if need be.
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Posted: Sat Jun 11, 2011 9:05 pm
"When love has fallen far to earth...and when all burns in the hearth...
 Pain...o how the pain burned at his body. His power was gone and Zeso could not hold it any longer, he cried out in pain as slowly flesh returned to his bones, his eyes filling the empty sockets as lips formed across his teeth, a nose giving him scent and his long, flowing black hair returning to accent his strangely alluring features...
He groaned in pain for long moment, unable to even open his eyes, and when he did, he could see her above him, looking down as she interrogated him. Never losing that fire... He thought in his mind as he tried to stand, but found it quite impossible at the moment and just laid there, smiling lightly despite the pain, his glowing, golden eyes looking up into her's...
"Heh...and good afternoon to you too, fair maiden of Hope...I'm but a humble servant of fate...and back pain it seems..." Zeso groaned as horrible snapping sounds came from his back, a growl of distinct pleasure coming from Zeso after each, nasty pop and eventually lay still, closing his eyes as he took light of the moment...
"Who am I indeed...I should be asking you that question..."
When all you crave is lost, I shall be what you need most. Your love in the darkness that won't fail...never the end to this dark tale..."
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Posted: Sat Jun 11, 2011 9:12 pm
Elasa raised an eyebrow-- or both, actually-- as she saw the Black Lantern change from his skeletal form into something that, at least from the facial features, resembled a ven'ari female, or at least a human one.
Was it a man or a woman? She couldn't tell, and pushed the thought from her mind.
"I am Elasa Atu'me, Blue Lantern of Sector 0005 and hailing from the planet Caliven. I was sent to Earth to find the Green Lanterns of Earth, as it seems the entire Green Lantern Corps has disappeared... and if I cannot find them, I must fill in for them, which is partially why I confronted you."
Her eyes never moved away from the figure-- and neither did her ring. She did not fully trust this being, despite him having saved her life. He was after all, a Black Lantern, even if he was working outside the Corps.
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Posted: Sat Jun 11, 2011 9:35 pm
"When love has fallen far to earth...and when all burns in the hearth...
"I see... He softly spoke, gradually making his way up, standing with some difficulty, his legs popping as he straightened himself, as well as his back once more and he softly hissed at that...
Afterwards he patted down the dirt from his clothes and used his fingers to curl his copious amounts of shimmering black hair to the right side of his face, away from his eyes. With a better view, she would be able to tell that he was a male, just his complexion and bone structure was smoother then normal males, causing the slight confusion no doubt that he could detect in her eyes...
"Well...I could lie to you about my name...but knowing my face wouldn't exactly help me. If you could please not spread my identity around...I'll have a better time living in this city. My name is Zesoranael Nuhsassemon. I own a small bookshop here in Metropolis that I manage when I'm not on duty. Which by the way...when you see me when I'm on fire, please refer to me as Xaronazar...as for the other Lanterns...
Zeso looked at his Black Lantern Ring, its form now at rest, its black metal now normal and not in its Hellish state as it was before. He furrowed his eyebrows, thinking about what it implanted in him before and told her, "I only know of the Lanterns from what I learned of from this ring. I'm fairly new at this you see...I only recently was chosen to wield the ring...how and why...I'm not completely sure. You're the first other Lantern I've met out here...
When all you crave is lost, I shall be what you need most. Your love in the darkness that won't fail...never the end to this dark tale..."
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Posted: Sat Jun 11, 2011 9:42 pm
"Likewise," Elasa said stiffly. "I just arrived on this planet an hour or so ago, you're the second person I've actually met and now know by name. This world is strange. My people still use metal weapons and tools for everything... and here there are moving pictures and artwork, voices coming out of boxes... it's so confusing..."
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Posted: Sat Jun 11, 2011 10:19 pm
"When love has fallen far to earth...and when all burns in the hearth...
Zeso slowly nodded, understanding that current predicament and noticed her distinct lack of knowledge of their world. He placed a hand on his chin and thought for a moment...he did have a bookshop that contained very helpful information...and she was undeniably attractive in that jumpsuit...not that it mattered...but perks were perks...
After that moment of thought, he slowly dug his hands into his pockets and told her, "Well...I could help with that...and you could help me. There's not a lot I know about this ring...or the others except basic information. Heck, I do not even know what I'm supposed to do with it, apart from fighting crime with it..."
"If you could help teach me things about my ring, and just help me understand where all these supers are coming from, I can give you access to my shop so you can sate your curiousity and help you integrate better with our world. Sound good? Before you came along I was ready to head back to my shop anyways...so...you could come along...if you wanted that is..."
When all you crave is lost, I shall be what you need most. Your love in the darkness that won't fail...never the end to this dark tale..."
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Posted: Sat Jun 11, 2011 10:35 pm
Elasa shrugged. "Perhaps I could, but I still have a mission to complete. I was in the middle of doing it when you appeared and I dropped everything to fight you. Now..."
She looked back at the city, which she could tell even from this distance wasn't exactly calm anymore.
"That may have been ruined. Setbacks, setbacks... What would Brother Walker say?"
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Posted: Sat Jun 11, 2011 11:05 pm
"When love has fallen far to earth...and when all burns in the hearth...
Zeso slowly nodded, walking slowly down the path towards town, "I can understand that...whatever you choose though, if you need help, just find me. My store is the Zesorian's Written Providence, on the corner of North Lucas and South Nox, just off the intersection from East Sandra. Can't miss it. I recently installed a neon sign, so its easy to see in the dark. It doubles as my apartment, so you can usually find me there..."
With that, he made a small wave and walked another step until he realized he could simply fly there, and so he removed his right hand and made a fist with it, bringing it up to his face and...nothing happened.
He pumped it to the sky...and still nothing happened...
"SHAZBOT!" Zeso cried into the air, his ring not having enough juice yet to work, "Stupid ring and it's recharge rate..."
He sighed heavily, looking back at her briefly, expecting her to think this turn of events was comical and kept on walking, the fumes of his hatred almost visible above his head like a cartoon, being forced to walk through the mile or so of desert that he had been flung into...
When all you crave is lost, I shall be what you need most. Your love in the darkness that won't fail...never the end to this dark tale..."
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