Location….
Unknown.
---
Opening his eyes, Seraph let out a slight groan at the starry expanse, slowly standing up he looked at his surroundings.
Ebon sand starched out as far as the eye could see, the only feature was large shards of obsidian that burst up from the ground like some twisted tree, walking to the nearest one he traced his hand along the warped image, sighing he hung his head. “So… this is my after life then, I guess I must have ended up in hell.”
“Oh, you are not in Hell Mister Seraph.”
Turning slowly he blinked, standing there was a figure made of a pale blue fire, the only features on what Seraph guesses was it’s face was two patches of darker blue fire.
“Okay then… where am I, this doesn’t look like heaven… or purgatory.” He looked around again. “Or like any other after life I have read about.”
“You are on the brink, between life and death.”
“So… I am dead?”
“For a given value of “dead””
“Okay… so this is the part with the Faustian bargain, right? You offer me a few extra years for my immortal soul? Because if so, I already have your answer.”
The figure laughed, sounding like flames crackling along dried parchment. “I am not some demon out for your soul, I am something much more. It spread it arms wide. “I, am the Well.”
Seraph gave the figure a sceptical look.
“Not what you expected?”
“No, more what the hell do you want with me?”
Its hands formed crude fingers and steppeled them. “You interest me my dear man, I offer you the gift of the incarnate and you don’t use it, you skirt away, almost as if afraid… why?”
“I’m not afraid…”
“Then why?”
Dropping into the sand, Seraph looked up at the Well’s avatar. “Near god like power with no strings attached… I’ve seen how that works before.”
“Ahh, you fear that you might become so monster like your clones or…” It tilted its head. “Hmm… I see it now, you don’t feel worthy”
Seraph lowered his eyes. “Worth… this power is to much… it’s… it’s…” he flailed a hand, looking for the right words.
“You did not earn it, the power is not truly yours, correct?”
“How did you know that?”
The Well waved a hand at one of the obsidian blocks, images forming on its surface of battles. “Do you want to know why I chose you for this power Seraph?”
Curiously Seraph stood back up and walked over to the block, looking at the images. Several of his battles flashed across the surface, his jaw dropping slightly as he
Romulus towering over him, a brutal sword swing striking him down, staining the sands of Cimerora red.
Reichsman grabbing his arm, snapping it as he threw him like a rag doll.
The Lineage of war letting loose a massive psionic burst that dropped him to his knees, blood streaming from his ears and nose.
He lowered his head and gritted his teeth. “This is what interested you, my constant failings?” he hissed, feeling his anger start to bubble.
“No, watch and see if you notice what I am talking about.”
Looking back up, in each image Seraph saw himself climb back to his feet, ignoring his wounds to fighting back.
“your will is what drew me to you, despite your failings, you refuse to fall, you have pushed your self to your limits and beyond again and again, for love, for the protection of the weak.
“I award my gift to those that’s will and determination burns brighter that all else.” It stepped back. And shook it head. “I can look back and forth in time, I can see you are worth of this, your body covered in scars as testament to your will and dedication to helping others … but due to your pride you lie dead, protecting those you love… and now they shall die for it.”
“What?” Seraph span around, energy flaring around him as he strode forward and grabbed the well by the neck. “What do you mean they will die? If you so much as-”
Whit the lightest of brushes the Well touched Seraph’s chest, sending him flying across the sands, as he landed it flickered in front of him, its eyes glaring. “Few have tried such a thing Mister Seraph, do so again and it will end badly.”
“Don’t you dare threaten-” He was cut off again as the well raised a finger.
“I am not offering a threat, I am telling you a fact, I see the future of Tish and Neph, would you like to watch?” with a wave of its hand an obelisk formed in front of them, showing the battle in kings row, there was no noise, making it some what surreal to watch.
Tish and Neph hand been separated by the swirl of battle, both like minuter weapons of mass destruction. Neph was surrounded by the shattered remains of half a dozen BCU’s, while further down the street Tish stood in burning ring of tar, bits of Preat robots poking out of the surface as she lashed out at the ones surrounding her.
Pressing his hand against the obsidian Seraph watched as the battle continued, both were fighting harder than anything he had seen before, but they were starting to falter. He watched as the units surrounding Tish were shooting her, not aiming to kill, instead trying to take here legs out, she was healing each shot as soon as she took it, but he could see she was starting to suffer blood lose.
Looking to Neph, he could see that her armor was starting to fail, blood dripping between the ivory plates, staining the snow below her as she fought almost like a wide animal. He looked to the Well. “They are still alive…”
“We are seeing the future… they will not last much longer.”
He watched as on of the near by buildings exploded, the massive form of a War Walk forcing its way into the street, Neph threw her self at it, tearing into it’s legs. The Walker looked down at her and plucked her up, looking at her like some sort of bug for a few seconds before throwing her to the ground and stepping on her, grinding its foot down as it levelled the giant canon that made up most of its arm and fired point blank at her head.
Seraph flinched away from the image, looking back as he saw Tish scream and go to run forward. He watched as she let her guard down for one second and the BUC’s pounced.
The leapt at her, grabbing her and forcing her face down into the molten tar that had once been a road, for a moment He didn’t understand what they were doing till he watched them force her face into the bubbling black pitch, he watched in horror as she fought, trying to throw them off, but it was no good. Her movement slowed… evenly stoping.
His voice came as a whisper, slowly getting louder. “No… no… NO!” roaring he smashed his hands against the obsidian, spiderwebing it as he tried to destroy the image of Tish’s limp form.
“This is the only out come, unless you intervene.”
Seraph turned, the air around him crackling with energy. “So… if I take the power I can save them…” he closed his eyes. “And the price?”
“There is one price… if you turn away again, if you forsake the gift I give to you…” behind it the desert started to collapse in on its self, leaving a gaping void. “There will be no third chance… only the void.”
“Do…. Give me the power…”
The Well sped forward and grabbed Seraph’s head. “Awaken, to the power of the Incarnate!”
- - -
Unknown.
---
Opening his eyes, Seraph let out a slight groan at the starry expanse, slowly standing up he looked at his surroundings.
Ebon sand starched out as far as the eye could see, the only feature was large shards of obsidian that burst up from the ground like some twisted tree, walking to the nearest one he traced his hand along the warped image, sighing he hung his head. “So… this is my after life then, I guess I must have ended up in hell.”
“Oh, you are not in Hell Mister Seraph.”
Turning slowly he blinked, standing there was a figure made of a pale blue fire, the only features on what Seraph guesses was it’s face was two patches of darker blue fire.
“Okay then… where am I, this doesn’t look like heaven… or purgatory.” He looked around again. “Or like any other after life I have read about.”
“You are on the brink, between life and death.”
“So… I am dead?”
“For a given value of “dead””
“Okay… so this is the part with the Faustian bargain, right? You offer me a few extra years for my immortal soul? Because if so, I already have your answer.”
The figure laughed, sounding like flames crackling along dried parchment. “I am not some demon out for your soul, I am something much more. It spread it arms wide. “I, am the Well.”
Seraph gave the figure a sceptical look.
“Not what you expected?”
“No, more what the hell do you want with me?”
Its hands formed crude fingers and steppeled them. “You interest me my dear man, I offer you the gift of the incarnate and you don’t use it, you skirt away, almost as if afraid… why?”
“I’m not afraid…”
“Then why?”
Dropping into the sand, Seraph looked up at the Well’s avatar. “Near god like power with no strings attached… I’ve seen how that works before.”
“Ahh, you fear that you might become so monster like your clones or…” It tilted its head. “Hmm… I see it now, you don’t feel worthy”
Seraph lowered his eyes. “Worth… this power is to much… it’s… it’s…” he flailed a hand, looking for the right words.
“You did not earn it, the power is not truly yours, correct?”
“How did you know that?”
The Well waved a hand at one of the obsidian blocks, images forming on its surface of battles. “Do you want to know why I chose you for this power Seraph?”
Curiously Seraph stood back up and walked over to the block, looking at the images. Several of his battles flashed across the surface, his jaw dropping slightly as he
Romulus towering over him, a brutal sword swing striking him down, staining the sands of Cimerora red.
Reichsman grabbing his arm, snapping it as he threw him like a rag doll.
The Lineage of war letting loose a massive psionic burst that dropped him to his knees, blood streaming from his ears and nose.
He lowered his head and gritted his teeth. “This is what interested you, my constant failings?” he hissed, feeling his anger start to bubble.
“No, watch and see if you notice what I am talking about.”
Looking back up, in each image Seraph saw himself climb back to his feet, ignoring his wounds to fighting back.
“your will is what drew me to you, despite your failings, you refuse to fall, you have pushed your self to your limits and beyond again and again, for love, for the protection of the weak.
“I award my gift to those that’s will and determination burns brighter that all else.” It stepped back. And shook it head. “I can look back and forth in time, I can see you are worth of this, your body covered in scars as testament to your will and dedication to helping others … but due to your pride you lie dead, protecting those you love… and now they shall die for it.”
“What?” Seraph span around, energy flaring around him as he strode forward and grabbed the well by the neck. “What do you mean they will die? If you so much as-”
Whit the lightest of brushes the Well touched Seraph’s chest, sending him flying across the sands, as he landed it flickered in front of him, its eyes glaring. “Few have tried such a thing Mister Seraph, do so again and it will end badly.”
“Don’t you dare threaten-” He was cut off again as the well raised a finger.
“I am not offering a threat, I am telling you a fact, I see the future of Tish and Neph, would you like to watch?” with a wave of its hand an obelisk formed in front of them, showing the battle in kings row, there was no noise, making it some what surreal to watch.
Tish and Neph hand been separated by the swirl of battle, both like minuter weapons of mass destruction. Neph was surrounded by the shattered remains of half a dozen BCU’s, while further down the street Tish stood in burning ring of tar, bits of Preat robots poking out of the surface as she lashed out at the ones surrounding her.
Pressing his hand against the obsidian Seraph watched as the battle continued, both were fighting harder than anything he had seen before, but they were starting to falter. He watched as the units surrounding Tish were shooting her, not aiming to kill, instead trying to take here legs out, she was healing each shot as soon as she took it, but he could see she was starting to suffer blood lose.
Looking to Neph, he could see that her armor was starting to fail, blood dripping between the ivory plates, staining the snow below her as she fought almost like a wide animal. He looked to the Well. “They are still alive…”
“We are seeing the future… they will not last much longer.”
He watched as on of the near by buildings exploded, the massive form of a War Walk forcing its way into the street, Neph threw her self at it, tearing into it’s legs. The Walker looked down at her and plucked her up, looking at her like some sort of bug for a few seconds before throwing her to the ground and stepping on her, grinding its foot down as it levelled the giant canon that made up most of its arm and fired point blank at her head.
Seraph flinched away from the image, looking back as he saw Tish scream and go to run forward. He watched as she let her guard down for one second and the BUC’s pounced.
The leapt at her, grabbing her and forcing her face down into the molten tar that had once been a road, for a moment He didn’t understand what they were doing till he watched them force her face into the bubbling black pitch, he watched in horror as she fought, trying to throw them off, but it was no good. Her movement slowed… evenly stoping.
His voice came as a whisper, slowly getting louder. “No… no… NO!” roaring he smashed his hands against the obsidian, spiderwebing it as he tried to destroy the image of Tish’s limp form.
“This is the only out come, unless you intervene.”
Seraph turned, the air around him crackling with energy. “So… if I take the power I can save them…” he closed his eyes. “And the price?”
“There is one price… if you turn away again, if you forsake the gift I give to you…” behind it the desert started to collapse in on its self, leaving a gaping void. “There will be no third chance… only the void.”
“Do…. Give me the power…”
The Well sped forward and grabbed Seraph’s head. “Awaken, to the power of the Incarnate!”
- - -