Market Commodity

Converge on Revenge (part 2)

by Dark Mrowlidash

(semi-long) AN: Finally back into writing this one! Prepare yourselves for the coming darkness... I apologize in advance for the distinct lack of bot-sex in this chapter.. there's a -lot- of plot in this tale.

Also, I've decided to add locations as well as point of view indicators, because the story is going to start taking place.. all over the place!

another also, I fail at writing Blitzwing's accent of awesomeness. So I just ah... stopped..

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Study of the Archmage Teneralphantus, Helix Tower

pov: Nightshade

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I watched as my brother stumbled into the mage's chamber, holding the blue orb tightly. We'd both been sent on this assignment, but I couldn't pass up the entertainment value that was watching him attempt to do anything himself. When things got out of hand, I would step in and correct them, as I always did...

"M-master Archmage!" the purple and black clone stuttered, wings trembling while he fidgeted with the orb in his hands. "I h-have been sent to have you examine this... Please."

The elderly human mage hardly moved, simply raised an eyebrow.. he was seated in a chair behind a rather large stack of books and had his attention firmly fixed inside a particularly dusty selection. "If there are any things I despise dealing with, it's apprentices, and machines. Who would have thought that someone was foolish enough to combine both," he sneered, and drifted back into the tome.

"I-I.. am afraid I must insist, M-master Archmage.. this is an order from Overlord Kain, h-himself..."

Another eyebrow quirk, but this time, the human set the book down. "Hand it here then.."

I watched with intrigue as my brother relinquished the energy orb to the human warlock, and as the energy from the reading lit up my optics, I could only wonder what the human's eyes could see within it..

After a brief moment, he broke his concentration upon the energy orb, and set it down rather unceremoniously on the table in front of him, annoyance visible on his face.

"I know the unique energy patterns of everyone associated with the Order, and I assure you, the reading within that orb belongs to someone we have confirmed as dead. This orb shouldn't have any light within it at all. Whoever crafted this, is at best, unskilled. I suggest you return to the Overlord, and tell him that Archmage Teneralphantus suggests he look into the quality of the practitioners around him. Starting with the.. inorganic ones."

"B-but.."

"Out with you!" the man roared, and immediately, my brother came scurrying backwards, landing smack on his aft, scrambling to take refuge behind my feet. Of course, I would have to do this myself.

"Archmage," I stated calmly, advancing to the table, retrieving the orb, cradling it within my fingers.. "It is true, that the energy pattern of this orb matches that of a dead woman.. but how does that account for the.. irregularities, present within the energy flow?"

"Just what are you getting at?"

"I suspect you merely glanced over this little trinket, and failed to take note of that which lies.. deeper within the structure. I have examined this myself, and my discoveries have been extensive.. and disturbing. When I reported these findings to my Master, he sent my brother and I to have them confirmed by an Archmage, to be certain. And neither of us are leaving until you take a -complete- analysis. The Overlord of Hydra would be most... displeased, if you were to fail to cooperate with his most trusted and prized possessions.. why, it's almost like failing to cooperate with our lordship himself, wouldn't you say?"

The disdainful sneer on the face of the human brought a smile to my lips.

"Blackest and deepest death, I do so despise machines," the man cursed, before snatching the orb up for another scry.. "Especially machines that pretend to think!"

Eyes focused and determined, the Archmage settled his mind, peering deeply into the energy orb, willing its layers to make themselves apparent.. I watched on, scrying along with him, this time. Swirling ice, cold and deadly.. the telltale energy of the late Lady of Ice.. but then...

A flash of light caused the entire orb to radiate, brighter than ever.. as if the blizzard had doubled in magnitude.. and then.. from seemingly nowhere.. the orb's color shifted to red.

"What in the hells?" the man spoke, but kept his focus tight, as roiling flames took over the orb's inner surface, raging and lapping as if trying to escape the confines of the glass construction.. before they suddenly died down, with a low, humming sound.. as the orb turned black. The humming gave way to whispers, unintelligible, maddened, rambling whispers, and laughter.. dark, gentle, then hysterical laughter.. continuing until a rushing sound was heard, rushing winds, full of ice.. the orb turned blue, and reverted back to its original state once again. The man dropped the object as if it were poisonous, and turned confused eyes upon me.

"If I hadn't seen it myself, I would swear it was an impossibility! That energy pattern shifts constantly! I know of no being capable of producing such a thing. Whose orb is that, if not the Lady of Ice?"

"My Master also knows of no being capable of such a thing, and it does trouble my Master when he doesn't know something. The orb is the one that belonged to the Lady of Ice, it was being kept in Castle Hydra. After the Lady's death, it had gone dark, as it was supposed to, and it was going to be tossed into the Pit, as is standard. But before the next scheduled death rituals were to be held, the orb.. relit. And has been even brighter than before, along with displaying these.. strange shifts in energy. That is when my Master took special interest."

"I do hope your inquiry is done? I wish not to become involved in this. Whoever or... whatever is emitting that energy is doing so in an incredibly unstable manner. That much power being contained so crudely will only lead to destruction... most likely in a spectacular and terrible fashion. Your Master is much better equipped to deal with magical explosions than I."

"Yes, we are finished here. Thank you for your time, Archmage. I do hope in the future you will be quicker to comply with my requests? It's much more time-efficient for you, after all, humans only live so long..."

The man's eyes flashed with magic-laced rage, as he slammed both his hands down on the table, before him, "Out! Out with you both!"

I strode calmly back out into the main Tower, my brother scampering behind...

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Castle Hydra throne room, Helix Tower

pov: Kain, Overlord of Hydra

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"Nightshade, Wraith... you have returned from my assignment."

My servants immediately bowed before me... and I nodded, eyes locking on the confident female clone, who was always the first to speak.

"Master.. the Archmage has confirmed my readings. The orb's patterns are irregular and continue to be emitted."

I smiled, a slight showing of fangs, just enough, "Do you know what that means, Nightshade?"

"Somehow, the Lady of Ice has avoided death, and has increased in power."

I paused, taking in her evaluation, still smiling, before replying.. "No. That is not the case. The Lady of Ice was targeted by a member of House Talon, and much like our House Hydra, they are efficient, and powerful. For a Demon of Talon to fail, would indicate a weakness in the entire demonic structure.. one that I certainly, would have been able to feel. No.. the Lady of Ice is certainly dead. But her -energy- is not. A being has replaced her."

"It is impossible for a human to fully take on the energy pattern of another, Master. They have unique souls."

"Then perhaps, her replacement--is not human," I spoke flatly. I had been pondering the issue for the entirety of the afternoon, and now, with my pretty birds twittering before me once more, it all seemed to snap into place. "I've found it rather odd, that the Ice Tower has seen no disturbances recently. No visitors, no departures. How could a Tower without a Master, keep functioning so smoothly? Unless the new Master was inside the tower, all along... Wraith!"

I called to the male clone, who nearly leapt backwards at the sound of his name.. how I loved to torment him, his constant, unrelenting fear was a source of similar entertainment."Y-yes my Master!" he whined.

"You were investigating the Lady's apprentices. You said she had only one?"

"Yes Master! A Blitzwing model clone."

...hmm, Blitzwing. I knew little of these clones or the original mechs. "What do you know of Blitzwing models, Wraith? Anything?"

"I-I have read that they are prone to personality glitches... that the original mech had them and that even the clone programming doesn't entirely erase them. For the most part though, these glitches are harmless, and most humans even find them endearing.. for that reason, there hasn't been any real attempt to overwrite their coding on the part of the clone producing companies..."

"Ah.. shifting energy patterns, shifting personalities.. Don't you think it's possible, that this.. Blitzwing clone, is the one producing this energy pattern? After all, a clone does not have a soul, just energy. A clone closely attuned to their master would produce energy identical to theirs, would they not? The pieces to this puzzle are aligning in my hands..." I laughed, and rose from my throne, watching with delight as Wraith nearly threw himself across the floor to avoid getting in my way.

I took a long step forward, one cloven hoof settling down onto the carpet of my throne room, my wings extending from their relaxed position, the long sweep of my black hair falling over my shoulders.. Ah, it felt so much better to be standing! Thrones these days were made to human specifications.. After a long stretch, I turned my eyes upon my clones.

"Nightshade.. I leave you in command in my absence, I have something I must attend to. Wraith... try not to get in your sister's way.."

With that, I let the throne room fade away... as I teleported, to the Ice Tower.

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Chamber of Ice, Fire and Darkness, Ice Tower

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I appeared in an entirely dark chamber.. with tingles of varying temperatures fluttering over my skin. The room coursed with an unstable current of magic.. Immediately, a whisper sounded in my ears.

"Ooooh, and who are you? A demon, a demon come to visit me? Why did you come here, demon? Did you come to play?"

"Reveal yourself," I spoke plainly into the blackness, "and maybe I will."

"OOOOOH! The demon is so very funny, I like him, I like him! What about you? Do you like him?"

"I say we destroy him! No one is allowed in the Tower without my consent! I will unleash my Fire!"

"Wait! Fool, we know nothing about why this demon has come! Patience.. we must learn more before we act. Speak your name, demon."

I paused, taking in the conversation that the still unseen being seemed to be having with itself, before continuing. "I'm not in the habit of taking orders, but I suppose since I am trespassing I will deign to answer your questions. I am Kain, Overlord of Hydra."

There was a distinct silence... which I was quite used to hearing after my title. The calm voice finally addressed me, after what had to be several stunned moments.

"An Overlord. What do you seek here?"

"What you were perhaps not aware of, is that before your Master betrayed the Demonic legion, she was under the guidance of House Hydra. We are -always- monitoring. Needless to say, after her death, we assumed her energy pattern would die along with her. Instead, we find it living on, still inside this Tower, this chamber, even. A matter like that requires investigation. But before I go any further, I insist that you reveal yourself to me. Otherwise, I will resort to.. impolite measures of continuing this conversation, and I prefer to keep conversations light."

"I do not take orders from you, Overlord demon! My Master would have--"

"--expected us to be smart enough to--"

"--turn on the lights every once and a while, so we can appreciate all these nice decorations! Ooohho! Lights on!"

I couldn't help but blink at that one. This clone was truly insane. But as the room brightened, I also noticed.. this clone was truly.. gifted.

He had somehow, converted his body into an energy form, and was currently nothing more than a floating set of magical robes, and a fearsome toothed mask made of ice. The chamber was made mainly out of ice, but astonishingly, inside the ice, were roaring flames. I could feel both the heat, and the chill.. a mixture of impossibilities that made me wonder just what clones using magic were capable of.

"Ooooh.. now we can see you too! You aren't very human-like, not like the other demons! You look like some sort of pretty goat! Oh, what sound do they make? What was it again?"

"Your face is still human! And I can see the arrogance in your eyes! Don't think you're better than us because of your supposed power! We are much more!"

"We are not here to fight! That would be meaningless... let us ask some questions of our guest. Tell us, what does it matter if we continue on with our Master's energy? We have been taught to wield magic. We will continue to gain in power as we please."

I growled. "Your Master betrayed Hydra. In other words, your Master is MY enemy, clone. And I have every right to raze this Tower to the ground."

"I have had enough of this! You cannot come here, command us and threaten us, without retaliation! Let us attack!"

"But there is much we could learn.."

"Let us learn it picking through the remains! We could do that, yes!? We could learn how to read them," I listened as hostility grew in the clone's personalities.. What sort of fool would dare challenge an Overlord of Demons? Truly there was much to be discovered about this one..

Besides, I had to admit, I was hoping the encounter would lead to violence. Without a battle, how was I to tell the true power of this clone? "Attack if you dare. I will show you the unrelenting fury of--"

A bolt of ice streaked past, causing me to cut my announcement short, "Less talking, more dodging, if you don't want to die!" A fire bolt followed it, which I purposefully only halfheartedly dodged.. it brushed over my arm.. and I felt the burn attempt to take hold on my skin.. and fail.

"Your flames could burn hotter," with a flap of my wings, I rushed upward, claws at the ready, "I'm going to tear you apart for that."

A blast of pure darkness followed, which surrounded me, attempting to smother me in its heavy embrace.. I felt my wings beating slower.. but again, this was not enough. "Do you think this pathetic showing of despair can freeze me in place?"

From within the darkness, I heard the sound of crackling ice... a larger blast was being prepared. I waited patiently... and within moments, the ice blast came tearing through the darkness, smashing into my body, and freezing it over. I smiled, and dropped to the ground, partially encased in a solid blue shell.

"Ah, for all your words, you have turned out to be quite--"

I cut off the clone's sentence with a flex of my arms, shattering the ice outward in all directions, pieces flying past the mask on his face.

"Quite powerful, clone," I spoke, then lunged.

My claws fit perfectly around the 'neck' of the energy form, closing harshly... choking.. "I think it's time, you witnessed some true power. You've shown me your specialties, now let me show you mine. I specialize in Pain magic.."

With that, a red bolt of lightning pulsed off my claws.. directly into the energy form.

The scream I heard in return was certainly the most disturbed I'd ever bore witness to. An unearthly shriek, varying in tone, filled my ears as the clone suffered in my grip. I didn't know whether to laugh or frown.

"Now listen to me.." I growled, ready for obedience from my captive, "I don't plan to kill you, but I do plan to make use of you. And if you want to continue on functioning, you will be completely receptive to my offer... What do you say?" I tightened my grip.

"AaAAAAaaGH! WHAT DO YOU WANT?" The clone's cries wavered just like his energy form.. I could tell he was having trouble maintaining it..

"There are... plans, that I will require assistance with, in the future. I will not provide you with any more details, but let's just say that.. if you want revenge on your Master's killer, you should swear your allegiance to me."

"YOU KNOW WHO KILLED MASTER!?! TELL US!"

"I will not, clone. It is not the time for you to know... for I cannot trust you to show restraint. The one who killed your Master is weaker than I, and even still, I know this demon would destroy you utterly. You must become stronger, and when the time is right to strike, I will make everything clear to you. Understood?"

Silence.

"Do.. you.. understand?" I snarled, emphasizing each word with another flash of red pain.

"YES! WE UNDERSTAND! WE WILL FOLLOW YOU! TO AVENGE MASTER!"

I hurled the clone across the room, watching as the energy form collided with a wall, and crumpled downward, flickering, and finally, bursting apart, leaving a Blitzwing model clone.. the robes he was wearing had vanished, but the mask that had adorned his face had persisted, falling off to land on the floor beside him. He reached for it weakly, as if it could save him..

"The Demonic world.. no, both the Demonic and human worlds, are on the verge of catastrophic change. There are decisions that must be made in the future... Do not fail me, clone--and you will live to see what I have planned for the.. new world."

..I faded out to my own laughter... there was so much to be done..

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End Chapter 2