The cavern is nearly pitch-black in the subterranean night. The only sounds are the occasional whirring of the Soulborgs who stand guard at the entrances of Vydar's underground stronghold. The entire complex, usually bright and bustling around the clock, has been shut down for the third night in a row. None of the occupants dares cause a commotion, hoping that their lord has a restful night's sleep.
Darkness. Silence.
It is nearing middle-night. The eerie stillness of the cavern drives away the few who would stay and work. After four hours of stillness, most of the inhabitants have begun their rest. Even the ever-vigilant Major Q9 has gone on standby.
In the darkness, a horrific wail rings out, terrifying all who hear.
The doors to the Archkyrie's Quarters burst open, and the general Vydar, lord of the stronghold, steps out. In his face is the look of one who has seen Hell itself. His guards rush to his side, but he orders them to return to their posts. He heads towards an exit, unsure of his own thoughts.
Darkness. Silence.
Vydar steps out of the exit, and breathes in the cool, crisp night air. He begins to walk from the entrance, ordering his guards not to follow. This journey is for him alone, this decision for him alone. He takes in another long breath to clear his head.
Darkness. Silence.
Vydar spreads his large black wings, lets out a large sigh, and takes to the air. It has been years since he has flown in these lands without an escort of guards, but he has no fear this night. Scouting parties have reported no enemy activity in the area for over a week. Since Vydar's betrayal of Utgar, and the destruction of the Hive, Utgar had been hitting back, and hitting hard. Vydar's forces always kept a strong presence, but none outside his own ranks knew how hard this war was becoming for Vydar's army. Even without the Hive, Utgar's forces had been growing exponentially. Not that Vydar had any idea what Utgar was up to. For all he knew, Utgar could have sent a small group of warriors to assassinate him this very night. By being out alone, he could be making Utgar's job even easier. At any moment, Tul-Bak-Ra could teleport in with a group of those damned Stingers and finish him off. Isamu could appear out from the midde of a group of trees and slay him with that dreaded speed of his, or Mimring could swoop down and crush him into the dirt. Utgar's army was never at a lack of new and horrific ways to kill.
Vydar didn't believe that there would be any enemy assassins out to get him on this particular night, but wouldn't care even if there were. If they killed him, at least the damned dreams would stop.
Darkness. Silence.
It had been eleven nights now. Eleven appalling nights since the dreams began. He knew from the start that these weren't just any dreams. Nor were they the regular frightening, supernatural dreams given by the waters of the wellsprings. Something was different.
At first, the dreams were nothing more than vague blurs, yet for some reason, Vydar feared them. Every night after that, the dreams had become more and more clear, until this night, when Vydar had awoken in such terror that he had feared for his very life.
Vydar knew this area well. He flies low, nearing the entrance to this secret and sacred area. The full moon moves out from beind a cloud, and Vydar can make out every detail of the familiar landscape in its glow, before another dark cloud obscures the soft moonlight.
Darkness. Silence.
The dreams came every night, making sleep impossible for the troubled Archkyrie. Three nights back, he had even ordered the entire complex to be shut down, something that had not happened for years. None of that had helped.
The cool breeze propels Vydar towads his destination--a secret wellspring only he knew about. About this far ino the journey, Vydar would always comand his guards to stay where they were, so the knowledge of the mystical waters' whereabouts would stay with him. It was his way of making sure the knowledge would never fall into the wrong hands.
Truth be told, Vydar was never fond of the idea of summoning warriors from other worlds, and instead took to creating much of his Soulborg army in the very stronghold he had left behind--thanks to the knowledge of a few Soulborgs he summoned early on. To the rest of his ranks, the ones he had summoned from other worlds, he had promised a return home as soon as it were possible. Never mind that it would require the defeat of Utgar, which could very likely kill them all in the process.
Darkness. Silence.
As Vydar nears his destination, his mind once again turns to his purpose. The dreams.
The dreams were of a future far beyond anything he or the other generals had witnessed in their visions brought on by drinking from the Wellsprings. The farthest that any of the Archkyrie had viewed was a few thousand years forward or back--Vydar's dreams showed him a time hundreds of thousands of years in the future.
In these dreams, he saw a race of beings that were unlike anything he had ever seen. They appeared to be some kind of combination between man and machine, far more sophisticated than any Soulborg technology. These creatures hailed from the planet Earth... Meaning that at some point, they must have been human. However-many eons had passed since then no longer mattered--it was clear that these creatures were no ordinary species. After combining with machines, they had engineered themselves to be immortal.
In these dreams, he saw these creatures, called Therians, spread throughout the universe. The Therians has unlimited resources, unlimited numbers, and unlimited power. They had begun a project without precedent--they had begun to change the physical sturcture of the universe. By constructing strange spheres around stars and planets, the Therians were arranging the universe in the way they saw fit.
Darkness. Silence.
Vydar descends further, and after flying for a few more moments, lands. The entrance would not be far, and who knows what the enemy could do if one of their scouts saw him flying to it. His last hope would be lost. A hope for his people, for his army... For his dreams.
These strange creatures--these Therians--would stop at nothing to accomplish their goals. In his dreams, Vydar often saw wars between the Therians and other species--even wars with a human species they had originally created and modeled after their original ancient forms. These wars would rage for years, but there was no defeating the Therians. Their legions could be fought against, but in the end, the therians woud always win. Their unlimited resources and numbers simply made any rsistance a waiting game. They were, after all, immortal--provided they didn't fall in battle. But even then, some had the ability to use the bodies of other Therians to revive themselves.
But these creatures didn't have forever. That was the reason for their entire mission. Once they had succeeded in engineering their own immortality, they realized that there would always be an end. According to all of their data, the universe would eventually implode on itself, destroying everything they had worked so hard to create. Their project was one nearly infathomable to Vydar--to rearrange every star and planet in the universe to keep everything from imploding. To Vydar, it was surely impossible, but in his visions, the Therians had already made substantial progress.
Darkness. Silence.
As Vydar walks, the entrance to the small cave appears in the side of the large hill before him. Something eats at the back of his mind, telling him to turn back. A foreboding presence fills the air, but Vydar presses on.
These dreams of the Therians were terrifying, but Vydar didn't believe that they were truly evil. In the long run, the Therians were working towards the preservation of life, a noble cause by anyone's standards. Even though the Therians were only concerned with the preservation of their species, they allowed other species to live in peace. The Therians even helped certain species in some cases--a race similar to the Primadons in Vydar's own army owed their intelligence to the Therians.
Only when an intelligent species couldn't see the benefits of the Therians' long-term plan was war an option. Short-sighted species had no place in the universe being shaped by the Therians.
Darkness. Silence.
Vydar passes through the entrance to the small cavern, lit only by the dim glow coming from the fifteen small pools of the Wellspring. He pauses and swallows hard, second-guessing his decision.
Utgar's forces had been gaining strength and territory as of late, even taking up positions in the vast network of caverns under Valhalla--this "Underdark," as it was commonly referred to. Jandar, Einar, and Aquilla had summoned heroes to explore these dungeons, while Vydar and Ullar had opted to deal with the threat on the surface. Utgar had legions of deadly warriors above ground, and Vydar cold only guess at what Utgar was doing in the Underdark.
The enemies of Utgar needed something new. They were losing this war; of that, Vydar was sure. Now was time for action.
Darkness. Silence.
Vydar steps towards the center of the room, towards the rasied circular platform bearing only two small pillars. These pillars were no more than a hand's width, and barely came up to his waist. There was enough room in between them for a kyrie to stand at them and place both hands on the top. Vydar knew the feeling of the pillars well; he was no stranger to the smooth stone of the room.
Vydar looks down at the pillars, knowing that the fate of their world could ride on this decision.
By not bringing these warriors to Valhalla, Vydar knew he risked the fate of the war. And if Utgar won this war, he would use the Wellsprings to invade and conquer the worlds opened to the Archkyrie in their dreams.
By summoning the Therians, the forces of good could have the edge they needed in this war. It would finally be winnable.
But by summoning these creatures, Vydar knew he yet again risked the fate of their world. If they chose not to fight for him, and fought alongside Utgar's forces, all would most certainly be lost. Or worse, they could choose to fight by themselves against all of the Archkyrie. They wouldn't have the unlimited numbers they would be accustomed to, but Vydar didn't doubt that they would be able to use their knowledge to begin producing more of their kind, eventually taking over Valhalla and using it as a base to begin their project anew.
Darkness. Silence.
Vydar makes his decision, knowing that at this moment, the fate of the world could very well depend on him. A bead of sweat rolls down the side of his face.
Vydar takes a deep breath and swallows hard, steadying his resolve. He puts all fears out of his mind and concentrates on his dreams.
After a moment, Vydar reaches his hands out and places them on the two pillars.
Pro-Fu-Ra (creative name I know) was made from a Marro Drudge; the arm, arm plating, and shoulder pads of two Ne-Gok-Sa's; the arm and spear from Tor-Kul-Na; and the axehead from Grimnak.
Front/Back/Side Views
And a comparison shot of Pro-Fu-Ra and the original Drudge:
Been quite a while, but I've been bitten by the old 'Scape bug again and so I'm gonna be jumping back into the swing of things! Once I get myself all re-settled, the first item on the agenda is finishing up the Marro Hunters and the Cogs, for your playing pleasure.
December 9th, 2009, 10:55 PM
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