Fates Intertwined: The Battle Begins

[Aethil]

Aethil's blade dropped to the ground as he fell to one knee, he gasped for breath, one eye closed as blood slowly ran down his face from a wound. He was beaten, and as he looked at the man that stood before him, his armor black as night. He knew beyond a doubt that he would lose this fight, yet he heard the threats, he saw the signs of what would come to pass. He saw the power that this man held.

"How far you have come, boy, and yet a mere human bested a half-breed who calls upon two deities for strength. How pathetic, Aethil."

Aethil tried to stand, yet as he did the man's shield slammed into his face sending him reeling in pain, falling back onto the ground. The Paladin groaned as the man slowly walked around his target, a wicked smile set upon his face.

"You are so pathetic boy. How long did you think you could hide from me? Did you think that I would give up on you and what you did to my plans? Oh how I enjoyed watching from afar as you grew into this beacon of light to people, yet would they know the truth of their champion?" The man continued to walk around Aethil, knowing the Paladin had no strength left to fight.

"You drank from the well that the gods offered, you danced into their light and hid behind their rules, you never had the power to stand up for your beliefs, never had the power to be anything more then a mere puppet. How glad I am that I can finally cut the strings of the one boy that bested me by sheer luck and the aid of a demon."

Aethil groaned yet again as he attempted to pull himself up, but a boot quickly stomped him back to the ground. "You will stay down when I am talking to you, dog. If you will kneel to your gods, then you will grovel at my feet."

Aethil's vision became blurry, his mind screaming in agony, not since he was held captive by vampires was the pain he was feeling this bad. He wanted it to end, yet had no power to fight back, the man who held him so firmly to the ground had won.

"Ithicul!" A voice shot out as a bolt of lightning shot out of the darkness surrounding the two, smashing into the man's chest, sending him back wards into the dirt. A figure moved closer to the two, his armor alight with runes of power, a seemingly unwieldy blade in his hand. His face covered by a white hood, seeming so strange when placed next to his blackened armor. Yet, the strangest thing on the man was not his armor, but the pair of ethereal wings upon his back, though visible, they had no physical presence. They were seen, but never felt or touched.

Ithicul quickly climbed to his feet, a scowl upon his face. "Come to meet your end as well, Braen? Then I will put both of you insignificant fools in your place."

Braen lifted his blade, a grin set upon his face, "lets see you try."

Ithicul rushed at Braen, his blade leading his charge. Before Ithicul could even reach Braen though, one of the runes upon his armor shined brightly as he spun, slashing his sword in the direction of Ithicul, a ball of fire shooting from the blade. Ithicul raised his shield, taking the brunt of the blast and stopping his charge. Braen was upon the man in an instant, his large blade coming from the right and slamming into Ithicul's shield, the strength of the blow sending Ithicul back, his defensive stance completely broken.

Braen, using the momentum gained in the strike spun, his large blade slamming into Ithicul's exposed side, sending the man to the ground, his armor dented from the blow, his sword falling out of his hands. "Unlike Aethil, I knew the power of both sides. Which I gladly risked playing, and won, Ithicul."

Ithicul chuckled as he pulled himself up, a large smile set upon his face. "How pathetic Braen, to think that I would not prepare for the stronger of the two." As he spoke, his hand moved to a small pouch set upon his belt. He grabbed it quickly, opening the pouch, an obsidian container falling to his free hand. He opened the container, as the shining of Braen's runes stopped, Aethil's armor lost its enchanted light. "A little gift from a friend of yours Braen, able to stop even your mighty abilities."

Braen growled as he eased into a defensive stance, his hood hiding his worried look. Ithicul certainly knew what he was doing.

-------------

Aethil sighed softly as he watched the sunrise, his mind once more playing the memory for him. If it wasn't for Braen, Aethil would have perished that day, he chuckled softly at the thought. The man that seemed to fight him at every turn was actually working with him. But as he thought back to that encounter and how it ended, it always left him with a chill running down his spine. Ithicul survived that encounter, and continued to hold the item in that container.

The only reason Braen even won was by a lucky strike, even one step off and they both would have found eternal slumber. Ithicul was still out there somewhere, and with all the other threats looming over the two, Aethil found little rest, even at Elvawen's side.

"Alissa..." Aethil called out as a gust of wind passed by him "let us hope that the worst of all scenario's does not come to pass." If Ithicul had joined with other foes of the two, what is to say that it wouldn't happen again?

[Aethil]

Braen's sword hit the ground as he dropped to one knee, he gasped for breath as he looked up at Aethil. Braen was in horrible shape, his vision blurry from the blows he received, his head spinning. He wondered, and not for the first time, if he really would win against Aethil when it came down to the line and the gods, and fate, put them both to the test.

"If you would have fought like that against Ithicul, we wouldn't have lost."

Aethil slowly lowered his blade, for all the damage he inflicted upon Braen, the Paladin had no noticeable marks of battle upon him. The cloth tabard still intact, no tears or burns from the battle upon it, even after Braen had used some of his strongest abilities upon the Paladin.

"Ithicul beat me fairly, Braen. However, it is because he knows my every move, as I know yours. Knowledge in battle is the greatest weapon. If you can predict every angle, every concievable point of attack, then you can win with little effort." Aethil lowered his blade, his shield vanishing in the blink of an eye.

"Why do you continue to let this farce go on, Braen? You know, as well as I do, our partnership ends as soon as Ithicul is gone. More then likely, it will be over before the body even begins to lose its warmth. Would it not be best just to finally be done with it now and see who will be the one to fight the man?"

Braen chuckled softly, drawing a curious look from Aethil. "You're right, my blade will be arcing to cut you down the moment Ithicul hits the ground, before the life has even faded from his eyes. That is our fate, to decide which blade will break the binding hold upon us. We train against one another, we are learn-" he stopped himself as he better judged his words "I am learning your moves, and I think you are allowing me to. Why? I cannot fathom. You're an enigma, Aether, can you say your lover Elvawen knows you better then any of us? How about your god, Alyssa? Does she know the truth behind your past, the hint of the shadow upon your flesh?"

"If she doesn't, I would be honestly surprised. As for Elvawen, she knows much I would imagine, it is impossible to hide things from her, you realize."

"She knows the blood upon your hands, the one you so cry about and look back at is that of innocents?"

"Being called innocent and actually being innocent are two different things, Braen. You and Ithicul seem to think that there is no difference, but if I had done wrong, then Lathander would not be answering my call as he does. Nor would Alyssa so allow me to champion her cause."

Braen looked upon Aethil, honestly surprised by the answer. He had never heard a direct answer from him before. He reached down to his blade, gripping the hilt as he chuckled.

"You, Aether, have been cheating." Braen slowly lifts himself up, leaning upon the weight of blade.

"I thought it strange, that I had been slowly losing the whispers of thoughts from you, that I could no longer see inside your mind. You're adapting to the enchantment, you're beating it."

Aethil grinned, his sword slowly fading from sight. "I won't be caught unaware when the final battle comes, between Ithicul, and between you. Let both of you come on with magic and steel. I will be awaiting, but not alone!"

Braen shook his head, once more wondering to himself, if he really would win against Aethil when it came time, or if the Paladin would once more swat Braen away as though he were a leaf fluttering in the wind. As he watched Aethil turn and walk away, he realized of course, that the latter would happen. That was his strength of course, he adapted while remaining the same at the same time.
"You're actions are surprising, even to me, Aether." Braen chuckled once more as the absurdity of it all, that he couldn't even begin deciphering the Paladin even though the curse set upon both of them should give him an edge, the edge of knowing Aethil's every thought. Aethil, had begun beating back a curse Braen thought unbeatable. He was stronger, and in Braen's eyes, even more dangerous then before.

"Curse you, Aether. You're winning."