No comment.

/hug Windsickle

Heard from Isis ... he asked me to say hi to everyone! Nachos for all, and so on. ^.^

:)

(And huggles)

So ... what's been going on. Massive glut of contests. Lack of art in "Fan Art Ahoy" and lack of comments on what little has been posted. More soundtrack remixes than usual. Podcast started. Lots of new fiction, but few people updating older ones. Lots of commission threads coming and going, many of them high-end.

Yeah. Current state of the Treasure Vault in a nutshell. ^.^

Name: KYPO (ancient Greek for cold) or just "Icy"
Gender: Male
Race: Spiralosaidasfjaffhadgfgasdgiasdgfusgdfhusdfgyisdhgsdghsisgu8d (Spiral Knight)
Equips:
Weapons: Cryo driver, Triglav, Iceburst Brandish (used like a knife), Shivermist Buster.
Armor: Blizzbreaker Helmet with glasses, earmuffs and Military Scarf, Opened Skolver with Solid Cobalt underneath with a Cool sideblade. Aegis.
Abilities: Not much, just the frosty aura around him.
Facts: Loves the cold, swift but not that strong (even though he uses a Triglav), precious, eats alot, Very sociable.
Kypo used to be just an average joe, born in a very cold area (Like the cooling chambers)
He grew up to be a theoretical physicist, studying how sheer weight can be used as a deadly force, designing a home-made Blade that harnessed the frost in his living conditions, building on from this and his fondness of technology, he managed to have an oxygen-based replenishing supply of icy matter within his sword. He new innovation grew into the interest of using that oxygen technology, and used it to create, yet another home made weapon, the Cryo driver. After much time, some bandits decided to rob him of any valuables he had. Fortunately he was able to hear them in his sleep, and (having no experience with any type of arms) clumsily, but successfully fended them off. Kypo, knowing that his latest encounter will not be the last time he would need to use his weapons, he decides to hone his skills. Some time later, blah blah blah, he takes notice of whatever the hell the group in the story is and decides to join the squad..

Storyline improvements: lolwut? I'm new to this.

Is good? Good.

Hi all ... Isis sent me this via email to post for him, so here it is:

* * * * *

A good ole' note from your author:

Dear Vault,

It is with great sadness that I must say that I have been held from you peeps not only from school (things are lookin' up since I've settled in) but also by annoying routers and the hatred that every single computer related device has for me. But it is with great happiness that I give you all Spiralstory, Rising...part one. Yeah, I know...I couldn't just make end it now, huh? But whatevah.

Either way, I have some people to thank. First off, everyone who supported, added a character to, or simply read any of the Spiralstorys (including this one). S'well as the people who warred with nachos and just generally had fun with the whole thing...I mean, that was most of the point behind these thangs, just to have boatloads of fun with some good people on the internets. As far as that went, I think you guys deserve top marks.

But on a more personal level, I'd love to thank Azure for welcoming me into the forums (I've probably already made it clear in my past actions that this is was my first true adventure into the interwebs, and I'll nevah regret it), and nurturing my love for it.

Another guy who I'd like to thank is Psychodestroyer, for setting that unreachable bar, that beautiful inspiration. You taught me how to learn and achieve far more than I could have ever dreamed of, and your advise is held above everyone else's.

However, there is one whom I think deserves my thanks more than any other...Tev. I could have never wished for a better friend, supporter, and mentor than you. I might have said this before, but you really are an awesome person. Keep on truckin'. Seerusly, I've gotta thousand good things to say about you, but it can all be pretty nicely summed up to 'awesome'

I'd also like to bestow an honorary thank you to Pow. We all loved you, and it broke our hearts when you left.

I'll apologize in advance for all the errors covering this note, but it's 12 pm and I haven't slept in days trying to finish this bad boy up.

Hi and bye to everyone,

Isis

Spiralstory, Rising

Chapter 1:

He coughed...blood. Bringing himself to his feet, he grasped on to the edge of cold stone base, supporting his otherwise limp body. More coughs, and more blood. Splatters of vile vomit stained the grey floor.

He tried stepping forward, only to fall to the ground. Dragging himself back to the altar, he once again heaved himself up, weakly standing. Putting all of his weight against the base, he addressed the source of his pain. He coughed once more, fluid dripping into the gaping wound through his chest. He knew it was a miracle that he was still alive. He coughed again. Maybe a curse.

He knew what he had to do, and the suffering that would follow. Small pieces of cloth were wrapped around his head. Not only did they keep his sanity, but releasing them would take away all of his memories. He would bear only his deepest instincts. It would be enough to survive, but he wondered whether death was a better option. Dismissing this as one of his bouts of crazy thoughts, he knew that he had to live, if only for a single reason.

Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a piece of paper and a usable pen. Hastily writing instructions, he made an effort to not get too much blood on the note to himself. Finally, he was content with what he wrote, and carefully put the parchment on the altar, positioning it so that it was impossible for him not to notice it.

He meticulously unwrapped a few seals, rewrapping them upon his chest, covering the gaping cut. He continued, until there was but one piece left on his head. In a blind daze, he finished his work, feeling much more in the torso and less in the head.

Who was he? Where was he? He had one last glimmer of a memory...something about a note. Looking over, he picked the paper up. It said:

Your name is Gladius.
Go to the one called Julia in Haven, she will give you answers. Tell her that you knew Icarn.
Don't remove the bandages on your chest, or you will die.
You are hunting the thing called Faust. Good luck.
~Necro

It didn't tell him much, but the thing about that guy Faust stirred up some feelings...pain and jealousy mostly. It seemed like he was going to have to figure out the whole Haven thing if he was to learn anything about his past. He wondered who this Julia person was...or Icarn for that matter, considering he was supposed to know the guy. It was all so puzzling.

He wondered why this "Necro" person didn't stay to give him the answers himself. Eh, there was no use thinking about such things...he had to get to Julia. He needed the answers.

Looking down, he couldn't help but notice a giant claymore resting on the ground in front of him. Grabbing it by the hilt, he heaved it onto his back, sliding it into a wide leather strap. He made sure that it was secure; finding a second strap that must have held another giant blade.

Pocketing the note, he took a look around his surroundings. He was in some kind of large and open room. In the center there was the remains of a rusted cobalt helm, the body long gone. Looking past that, he saw more remnants of arms and armor, probably from a fight long ago. Everything was covered in a thick layer of dust. He reached down, scooped some up, and rubbed it between his fingers. It was gritty, and the fumes it gave off after being stirred up made him want to puke. Wiping himself off, he continued towards a doorway past the other knights.

He stepped into a hallway, and walked in silent darkness for a bit. He thought that it would have been a good time to mull in his thoughts, except for the small problem that he didn't have any. Other than that he was thoroughly confused at the vague instructions left for him. What was this Haven? Or Faust? And most of all, who was Necro? Was he a friend of his...a family member?

Just as his brain began to whir with activity, he saw the exit...or entrance. Emerging, he basked in a wave of sunlight; coming from a sun sitting low on the horizon, whether was rising or lowering was a mystery to him. Treading slowly, he felt something hit his foot. Kneeling down, he picked up a round metal object. It looked harmless, and he found the shell quite interesting. He somehow managed to pry the top half off, exposing the inner workings of the device.

The more rational side of his mind halted his curiosity. He needed to go back into the temple. He could've missed something important, and if the sun were setting, he would need a place to stay. Although he questioned the exact protection coming from an open building, but the place seemed to have kept anything out while he was...asleep.

But looking back at the orb, it was simply fascinating. The constant clicking of gears and spinning of thousands of tiny components was something entirely new to him. Of course, that wasn't saying much, but still, nothing surfaced....he honestly had no idea what this thing was. At the very top of the exposed parts was a small knob. Picking up the discarded shell, he noticed that there was a hole where the knob would protrude from the...whatever it was. Taking the tiny thing in two of his fingers, he twisted it around completely once.

For a few seconds, nothing happened, but soon enough it started beeping...old systems springing to life. Okay, maybe it was more like old systems jolting painfully back to life, but Gladius didn't care. Just the simple beeping noise was foreign and mysterious to the clueless knight. As the rhythmic sound grew faster and faster, the stuff inside the ball started rapidly moving.

Suddenly, his subconscious mind made a connection. His face a look of surprise, perhaps at his own actions, and he threw the round machine as hard as he could in front of him, which was unfortunately straight into the temple. Confused at himself, he started forward in an attempt to retrieve his toy, but was stopped when the entire front of the place blew up. Actually, he was thrown back a couple feet...a lay sprawled upon the ground awkwardly.

Dragging himself to his feet, he examined the wreckage before him. So much for going back in...the front entrance had collapsed, the smoke clearing. As a matter of fact, the place he was about to use as a safe haven had suddenly become a beacon to everything dangerous in the area. Then again, it could also be a signal for help from others of his own kind.

Maybe the bodies on the ground weren't the last of his group...maybe there were more survivors in the woods around him, people that could help him, and take him to Haven. But these knights must have been killed by something. Perhaps he was their enemy, along with Necro, Icarn and Julia. Everything was so confusing, and he was quite uncertain of what to do.

Putting his hand over his face, he took a couple of deep breathes...calming his crazed brain, tethering his mind. When he finished, he simply walked into the woods...he would find something somewhere at sometime. It was just a matter of when fate would throw him into any other creature of his species...and fate was feeling quite like the generous gentleman.

Chapter 2:

His steps where determined, however strained and tired. He stopped at any sound, his hands flying for the hilt of his blade, his eyes darting...searching any tree for movement. At one point, he quite literally jumped when he heard the roar of a savage animal. It seemed to come directly from beneath him. He shook off the thought as another loony moment. He figured that he had quite the problem within his head, due to several fits of insanity. Whether he had always been like that or if he slowly descended into madness was unknown to him, like everything else.

He noticed a line of bushes, and crawled up to them. Peering though, he could see a fairly large clearing, a lone creature within the center. It seemed scared, its eyes darting around towards the edges of the grass. The bushes off to one side moved faintly, and the small reptilian thing jumped and turned to face the thing hidden within the surrounding flora. Another one of those round objects rolled out from the foliage directly behind it, slowly rolling to rest next to one of it feet. Gladius nearly yelled in surprise as he remembered what the orbs did.

Before he could do anything, the ball blew up, the explosion hardly knocking the monster on it's back. A thick cloud of yellow haze poured out of the spot where the sphere once was.

"Beauty'ol shot Cap'n!"

"Right'o...he ain't goin' nowhere soon!"

Two creatures, which he somehow knew were knights like himself, stepped up to the small animal, which was very busy staggering around lazily.

"Well Poach, you want ta' just bring 'im back to camp as is, or maybe-" The knight stopped abruptly when the lizard shook it's head as if to clear it, and leaped onto her face. Clawing at it madly, she fell backwards. The other knight raced to help his comrade, but prying the small creature off of his friend's face was easier said than done.

Gladius decided now was as good of a time as any to confront the others of his kind. Rolling out of the bushes, he joined the knights in their effort to save a face. The one without the thing attached to his helm glanced over in slight surprise, but didn't try to prevent Gladius from helping him, for obvious reasons. It was only a short matter of time before they had pulled the creature to a point where it was only grasping the knight's armor by its tongue, which was rapped around a disturbingly similar tongue attached to the armor itself.

Finally, after much pulling and cursing from everyone, perhaps including the creature who was being ripped in two, they managed to get the little monster off, causing the two tuggers to fall backwards onto the ground.

"Ginji, get that thing in a cage!" The knight with the strange tongue armor, whose name was apparently Ginji, ran back to the edge of the clearing. As she dived into the bushes, the other knight, who wore a slightly effeminate coat along with a helm that Gladius quite liked, leapt upon the creature as it tried to escape.

His voice muffled by the hide of the lizard, he began to speak to Gladius in a tone with a hint of boredom, as if he did this kind of stuff all the time. Perhaps he did...though the way the two handled the situation suggested otherwise. His speech was riddled with times when his grip upon the small beast was loosened and it tried to become completely free. The thought of the word "beast" released a couple of dormant memories, but Gladius pushed them back...he'd address them later. At this point it was key that he focus on what was happening around him.

"...Hey kid...what's your name?" He pulled the thing closer to him.

"Uh, Gladius.." He stuttered absentmindedly. Gladius's eyes narrowed...something was telling him that the name of the creature would be revealed in the memory he had shrugged off. Sighing inwardly he decided that it would be in his best interests to view the mental material he had recovered. Raising his index finger to tell the knight that he would have to wait a second, Gladius closed his eyes.

He was in a large room, seated along with hundreds of others in a cold, slightly uncomfortable chair. It seemed that every one of these seats were directed towards a podium located on a stage. At the podium was a tall knight. He wore what looked like a very light and loose-fitting armor, and didn't seem to have a weapon, though he could have easily concealed a blade or gun within his attire. He was speaking slowly and clearly, and Gladius began listening to his speech.

"The Order's early recon teams, known as Betas, discovered numerous monsters within this strange new planet. They have been categorized into several groups, known as types..."

It was at this point at which Gladius...or the former Gladius, tuned out the knight and glanced down at a letter set before him. For some strange reason, the writing on the paper was blurred and smudged out to the current Gladius...as if that writing was part of an entirely new memory, one that he didn't have access to. He casted away any thoughts of that matter as he looked back up at the knight speaking.

Behind him was a huge, projected picture of the same creature that he had been wrangling in the present. "...and this is a Chromalisk, another fairly common "Beast" type monster."

Gladius smiled mentally. He had successfully viewed...most of a memory. Now all he had to do was get back to the real world. Of course, he then realized that the knowledge required to do such a thing was not given to him. He sensed that a serious problem had risen. He tried all the things that he could think of to get himself out...but it was obvious that he was hoping for the impossible.

There was no way out. Honestly, he knew that it was quite an embarrassing way to go...trapped in a memory.

The past form of him looked at the letter again, and Gladius repurposed all of his mental power to try deciphering it, as any connections he made could be lifesaving. This had adverse effects, as his entire vision began to blur and darken...his memory extinguished along with his mind.

Chapter 3:

Gladius's eyes snapped open, his pupils dilating to the bright light shining in his face. As he regained his vision, he figured out that he was in the bright white room...and that he smelled of soaps and chemicals. It was pretty easy to realize that he was in an infirmatory tent...or maybe a hospital. He turned his head slightly to each side, and the voice of another Knight fell upon his ears.

Before he could find the energy to transcribe the noises he was hearing into understandable words, he was terrified to sense that another memory was starting to unfold itself in front of him.

At first there was little difference. He was staring at the same bleached walls, a light hurting his eyes. His hearing was slowly recovered, and he heard a quiet and anxious voice. Suddenly the head and chest of a female knight blocked the light. The part that Gladius found creepy however, was the fact that the knight's face was blurred, exactly like the letter from before.

"Gladius, are you okay?"

"Don't call me Gladius...Gladius is dead."

He was completely blind for a second, and then the memory was over, and he found himself looking to his right. He was back in the real medical room. Or at least he thought it was real...hoped it was real. Yet again, he heard a voice, nearly the opposite of his memory person's. It was smooth, authoritive, and tired. Obviously the voice of a leader. Gladius also sensed a hint of sarcasm and a boatload of annoyance.

"I just don't see why I can't leave...it's hardly a burn!" The response to his indignation came from a tiny, feeble voice...Gladius knew that whoever was talking was trying to be angry, but it obviously wasn't his or her strong suit.

"Sir, your injury was by no means small...you were half dead when they brought you in."

"My armor was hardly scorched!"

"But Rhre, your armor was indeed scorched...ruined..."

"But it's perfectly fine! Look at it-"

"An anonymous gentleman gave you a new set...and may I add a much better one in my opinion." Gladius lurched his head over to face the other direction just in time to see the knight, who was clad in what seemed to a pelt peer into a mirror. His face was contorted into an expression of pure terror.

"WOLVER!?!" Rhre threw off his helmet and tore away parts of his armor, his eyes filled with fury. "Someone had the NERVE to give me WOLVER?" He began to pace hurriedly, still ripping off fur and leather plates. "Who was it?" He glanced at other horrified knight beside him. "WHO?"

"Well, there was a note that came with it-"

"GET ME THAT NOTE!" He continued fuming until she came back. After reading for a few seconds, he totally spazzed. "IT WAS REY AGAIN! DOES HE THINK THAT HE'S THE ONLY ONE ALLOWED TO SHOOT A GUN IN LOCKDOWN? JUST BECAUSE I BEAT HIM DOESN'T MEAN HE CAN JUST INSULT ME LIKE THIS!"

The mention of Rey reminded Gladius of something...sinister. He sat up and said, "Hey...Mr. Rhre, could you take me to this 'Rey'?" Both the knights looked up in surprise, and Rhre jumped backwards and pointed at him like he was some kind of disgusting growth.

"But you're supposed to be dead! Or a vegetable! Eek!" An awkward silence hung over the room as Rhre cringed in his seat. Gladius briefly scratched the back of his head, as though this display of not-dead-ness would quiet Rhre. The nurse ran off as though to warn her supervisor about a zombie roaming the ward.

"So...will you take me to Rey? It's kind of important." Rhre hesitated and mumbled, as though arguing with himself. After some thought, an off-putting grin shone across his face.

"What are you going to do to him?"

Gladius looked towards him, confused. "Er, nothing? I mean, maybe ask him about a couple things...but I'm not going to do anything to him." Rhre looked a bit upset, and his grin vanished. When he spoke again it was with an angry tone, one that was tinted with simple hatred.

"Well I'm going to do plenty of things to him." He cracked his knuckles, and began to exit the room. "Well, you coming?" Gladius looked from him to the door that the nurse had exited, but got up and began to put on some of his armor, which hung in a small closet nearby in bed. Only now did he view the wrappings upon his chest, and suddenly felt extremely vulnerable. He had been told that these held the balance between life and death, and yet they looked so...fragile. He quickly covered it in the layers of his garb, then walked up to Rhre, who was unpacking a poncho of sorts from his backpack.

Gladius shielded his eyes as they emerged into the warm light of summer. As he peered around his face opened in curiosity. Rhre looked to him, and almost laughed, a proud grin smothering his face. "Have you never been to here before?" Gladius wished he could say yes, but no memories surfaced, and didn't come up with anything when he dug deep into his mind. In the end, he just shook his head timidly.

"Then welcome...to Haven."

Chapter 4:

Haven. Gladius reached into his pocket, the one containing the note from Necro. It was gone. He began to pat all of his pockets and pouches in an attempt to find it. Rhre stopped and eyed him quizzically. Gladius ceased his efforts of retrieving the tiny parchment, and cut off any attempt at questioning his actions with a question of his own.

"Do you know of a Julia?" Rhre simply raised an eyebrow.

"So first ya want to see Rey...and now this Julia gal? What do you think I am, a-"

"Do you know anyone who could help me find her? Anybody?"

"Well...Rey might." He continued walking. Gladius stayed still, then ran to catch up. Rhre looked him over, his eyes disapproving. He spoke quickly, determined to change the subject. "So, lemme guess, your a swordy." Gladius reached to his back and sure enough, the giant mountain of a blade was still there. "Oh Vog, it's a Troika too." Rhre shook his head, as though he knew some inside joke, and was by no means close to telling Gladius. "Rey's going to have some fun with you."

As they approached the inner section of the city, the buildings grew, large sandstone structures, huge industrial factories coupled with beautiful government establishments and glamorous mansions. They turned into the gates of one such estate. Rhre lifted his hand, stepped up to two guards, and began flailing his arms and speaking rapidly. He sounded pretty angry, and Gladius was almost afraid that the two of them would be kicked off the property, and that he would have no chance to talk with this Rey guy.

Again, dark feelings stirred within him. He reached for the memories buried within him, but they were slippery, as though they wished to run away from him, to escape his mind, and be free. Once again, his memories...the ones from his past life...they were taken from him. Once again feeling the vile aura of the memories, a new idea surfaced. Perhaps it was for the better that some of his past was hidden from him.

Finally, the guards stepped back, letting the two in. A middle-aged knight, tall but by no means lanky stood by a large machine, loading plate sized disks into a funnel. At the sound of the opening gates, he looked up. A smile erupted over his face, and he walked over to them, his arms wide as though it was some strange family reunion.

"Rhre...did you like my present? Ooh, and I see you've gotten a new bodyguard...wait, a swordy? Rhre, I didn't think you'd go so low." He laughed. "I'm just kidding, my old friend. No need for that frown of yours."

Rhre's scowl only deepened. "Me. You. Rematch." He made hand gestures to accompany his rant, as though Rey wouldn't understand without the aid of some finger pointing.

"Well, the how 'bout Antiguas, twenty paces, with light Stingers. Right here, right now." He grabbed two old looking handguns from the table behind him, loaded them with tiny green pellets. He then tossed one over to Rhre.

The still fuming Knight examined the weapon. "The other one. Please." The last word was lathered with contempt, jealousy, and hatred.

"Oh Rhre, I wouldn't rig a fight like this..." He looked hurt by the attack on his character, but still complied, trading guns with Rhre. "Okay, on my count, we march, and on your buddy's...we shoot."

They lined up, back to back, and began widely stepping away from each other, as though they were both counting on their own skill to shoot farther than their opponent, and therefore distance was their most valuable asset. At about the same time, they turned, facing directly towards each other. Rey seemed to play with the handle of his gun, while Rhre looked completely focused, and quite angry.

Gladius suddenly realized that it was his turn to do something, and turned to Rhre. "Uh...what do I say?"

Rey broke down laughing. "Rhre, you really do have yourself a swordy over there!" He then turned to Gladius. "Son, you say "draw". And then we draw our guns. I mean...not that kind of draw...I'm a terrible artist." He paused, as though waiting for laughter, and then remembered he wasn't with any friends. Gladius probably would have asked, but simply didn't understand the joke, though some memories came through, something about a "play on words".

"Lay off Rey, he was in a coma for the last ten cycles." That surprised Gladius. No wonder the nurse and Rhre had been afraid when he awoke, considering he'd been out for a pretty long time. Rey turned, and made to talk.

"Draw!" Gladius realized that he had made the call out of fear. Fear of the hospital, and fear that he'd fail his goal...to find Julia, and with her, the answers.

Both Knights pulled out their six-shooters, and both fired, but Rhre's pulled the trigger too early, and his shot went low, hitting the ground between Rey's feet. On the other hand, Rey's shot hit Rhre dead center in the chest. Rhre stumbled back, clenched his chest, and began to whine incoherently.

Rey casually turned back to Gladius, and motioned to a seat next to him on the table covered with several different types of guns and ammunition. "What's your name?"

"It's Gladius...listen, I have something very important to ask-"

"Listen son, you see all this?" We motioned to the house and yard, filled with expensive furnishings and devices. "This I won in Lockdown...and I'll tell you right now, I'd wish away the whole thing in seconds." He looked at Gladius, his eyes serious, and sad. "Money isn't happiness." His eyes brightened a little. "Now go on."

"Rey-Sir, I think you misunderstood me...I'm not here for money. I was wondering if you knew a Julia."

Rey peered to the sky, deep in thought. He then looked back at Gladius. When he caught a glimpse of the bandages, his brow deepened in thought. "Hrm, you look quite familiar...what's your name again?"

"Gladius. But seerusly, do you know any Julias?"

"Yes...yes...Julia! Yes, I do know a Julia...but where does she live?" He stood up, and paced. "I'd go to the library. Listen, Eva should be there...ask for Evangeline, and tell her that Rey sent you. She'll help you find Julia. I feel like you shouldn't go alone, but Rhre is down, and I'm..." He glanced at a clock. "...very, very late. Good luck." He ran, grabbing some random guns and their correct ammo, and hurried out the door, pointing out Rhre to his guards as he left.

Chapter 5:

Gladius trotted out of the gates as one of the guards went in to deal with Rhre, who had regained enough his wits to shout curses at Rey, who had departed earlier. The roads became skinnier, the huge buildings behind him a way, before Gladius realized that he had no idea as to where he was going. Smiling inwardly at his own stupidity, he searched for someone to ask. Peering into an alleyway, he spotted a shadow of a man. Clutching his blade to make sure it was still there, he walked into the darkness of the crack between the crumbling buildings.

The figure noticed Gladius soon enough, turned tail and ran. Gladius raced after him, but the shadowy man threw himself behind a corner. Gladius turned, and was faced with two fiery knives to his throat. The shadowy man, now revealed to truly be a man made of shadow, grinned. Gladius' mind was suddenly occupied but one other than himself.

"Ooh, I know you...but I won't tell you who you are...no...no...This one will be fun. But where are my manners? Hello Gladius, I'm Faust." All sorts of memories flew around, but Faust held him away from them, studying a couple himself. "Well, it seems that Necro hated me even more than he revealed." The shadow twisted into a frown. "You seem to have a couple of natural safeguards...maybe I'll try some new techniques on you. Either way, I'll get my information somehow." He paused, and lowered one of the knives. Faust then ripped open the chestplate of Gladius' armor, his frown contorting into a devilish smile. "So this is where the bandages went." He reached out, and grabbed the loose end of one of the seals, and tugged hard at it.

Gladius' chest burned with the fire of a thousand evils. He began to faint, but Faust wouldn't let him out of his misery. “Who has the answers?" Gladius stayed silent, and Faust reached out, and pulled off another bandage. "Don't try to resist, I'll get the name from your dead soul if I need to!" Another bandage floated to his feet.

Gladius gasped for air, choking on his own blood. He made a long wheezing noise, and Faust paused his murdering of the young Knight. "Juuuullllia." He clamped close his mouth as the words came out, angry at his own weakness.

Faust's smile doubled in size. "You are a weak fool to think I'd leave you alive in exchange for that name." He reached for the rest of the bandages, gathering them all in one hand, ready for the death tug. Gladius closed his eyes, waiting for Zos's final embrace. However, Faust was cascaded with ice, his hand freezing on to the bandages, and the bandages onto Gladius' body. The rest of Faust spun to face the assailant, but was met only with fire, roaring balls of flame dancing through the air. Faust roared with the same intensity, but the dark mist of his body began to retreat into itself, forming an orb of darkfire. The sphere of hate and treachery sped away, blazing a path through the slums.

Gladius fell to the ground, clutching his chest and grabbing at the seal laid out upon the dirt. His savior approached, crouched by him, and peered into his face. "You okay?" The words were met by a painful silence.

Finally, Gladius could croak out, "Cheeeesst....baandagg-" His attempt at a sentence faltered, then crumbled, but it was enough. The gloves of the shadowy knight opened Gladius' fist, and took the seals, laying them gingerly back over the cut. The openness of the man's demo helm showed a closely guarded expression, one hosting layer upon layer of poker faces. Gladius said one last word, a little steadier this time, before succumbing to his pain. "Liiiibraarry."

Gladius awoke to the same calculating eyes of nameless man who had saved him before...how long had he been out? The man called another Knight over, and they stared as Gladius started to climb out of his deep slumber, as though a mother bird watched her chicks hatch, with beady eyes to match. His original savior turned and whispered something to his friend, and the ladder stepped out of Gladius' vision. "Are you hurt?" The Knight looked deep into his eyes, and Gladius knew that now wasn't the time to be proud.

"Yes. Yes I am..." Gladius clutched his chest, almost as though he was worried an invisible hand would reach out and pluck the seals away as Faust did. The stranger laid a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"Listen, I'm Dagger, and I'm on unofficial leave from Beta scouting, so I don't have much time." Gladius remembered all too well as to what a beta scout is after the memory that he had gotten trapped in. How he had escaped and woke was still a mystery to him. These thoughts subsided as Dagger continued. "I brought you to the library...but I'm curious, why are you here? And who was that man who could disappear into thin air? Of all the things I've seen here, that...I have never encountered something like that." It was interesting, while Dagger's voice sounded like a child gawking at some wonder, his expression stayed as blank and stern as ever.

"I-I honestly don't know what he was, but I was told to hunt him down, and he seems to have decided to return the favor. Either way, I'm here to find the location of a friend."

Dagger turned, grabbed something off the wall, and handed it to Gladius. It was his breastplate, but it had several reinforcements to the parts protecting his wound. “Well then, you go find that friend of yours." Dagger helped him up, and they started towards the door. "And may we see each other on the road sometime." The Gladius turned to respond, but the Knight had already disappeared, leaving Gladius alone in front of a fairly large building, its walls thick limestone.

Gladius stepped feebly through the titanic doors of the main entrance, and called to the first person he saw. "You!" The surprised knight stopped dead in her tracks, and turned slowly.

"Um, yes?" She seemed uncertain as to why she was speaking to the man before her. She scanned him with uninterested eyes, and glance back in the direction she was originally headed, as though she was in some big hurry.

"I'm looking for someone...her name is Evangeline...or Eve-"

"It's Eva." The conversing knights' heads swiveled to a counter where a girl clad in shining white armor sat at a computer desk, a comical sight. The other girl ran off as soon as she realized that her job here was done. Gladius approached the desk sheepishly, like Eva was some sort of superstar. She rolled her eyes and began sarcastically, "Welcome to the fiend section of the Haven Spiral Library. Please don't tear the books to shreds, don't try to eat the books, blah blah blah, blah blah blah. How may I help you. Seerusly, want do you want?"

"A need to find a friend...her name's Julia. Rey told me that you could help. It's a matter of life or death."

"Julia? Yeah, I know 'er...she lives on the outskirts of the Grand Garrison. Here, I'll take you there." At the mention of Rey, Evangeline brightened a little bit, and her words lost their previous bite. After calling over a rather shady fellow to take her shift, she hopped up and hurried out with Gladius. "Soo...what kinda 'life or death' are we dealing with here?" Gladius answered her as they jogged east, to the Grand Garrison of Haven.

Chapter 6:

The pair finally approached the old two-story building, the top half melded into a barracks, the bottom a quaint home. The House had now, however, taken a sinister turn, the door wreathed in shadow. They stared for a second, catching their breath.

"Oh, so thaaat kind of 'life or death'." She seemed to freeze, as though something was deeply troubling her. Fear radiating off her body. But Gladius charged on, his worst fear had yet to have been confirmed. He threw himself against the door, but was halted...it must have been barricaded in some way. But Gladius persisted, slamming his weight once again into the door.

Gladius finally broke through the wooden barrier and stumbled into the tiny house. The first thing he saw was a flaming shadow, a purple knife glowing in each hand. Rage poured though every vein of his, and his eyes burned with anger. This rage only gained power when he noticed the second figure in the room. There she was...Julia. The knight and monster were dueling, the former's Avenger rebounding with every one of the dark-flame's strikes.

Slowly stepping back, she tried to hold out, but Faust was just too strong. Gladius had hardly taken a step in before her sword was thrown from her hands and the purple blades swept in to finish her. The sharp edges of Shadowsteel made contact with the knight, but Gladius spun and sent his claymore plunging into the figure. The fire broke up, but Faust only smiled and disappeared.

Gladius realized with dismay that the monster's work was done, and blackened cut across Julia's chest. Rushing to her side, he kneeled over her, clenching her waist and slowly lowering her to the floor.

"N-Necro?" Gladius was confused by the question, but some part of his mind knew the answer...he just knew it did.

"No...it's Gladius." Her eyes widened in surprise. A small smile formed at her lips, and she stopped gasping for breath.

"Gladius...is it my time?" Suddenly, at those quiet words, his mind erupted. It was though a whole part of was closed up until that very moment. Everything made sense.

"No Julie...it's my time that's up." Reaching up to his own chest, he removed one of the pieces of cloth. Then another. As he did this, he laid them upon Julia's wound. It seemed as though it wasn't going to be him who would take his revenge. No...he would leave that responsibility to the others. It was indeed his time, his memories proving what he should of known the entire time. He wasn't meant to survive. He was a problem...a blight to the peace of Cradle. It was time to end himself, and undo what he had caused.

He took the last seal in both hands, wrenching it off as quick as he could. Before he managed to finish saving Julie, he vomited a bloody bile, turning away so to not stain his friend, but getting it all over the cloth. Patching it on his friend, he rolled over on his side. He shook once, spat out some blood, then grew motionless. It was over. His part in the story was complete.

Peek.

-Windsickle

*sprays spit all over computer screen*

HOW DID I NEVER NOTICE THAT THIS WAS UPDATED OVER 2 WEEKS AGO???!!!

Hating myself so much right now

Mmh, anyway, very very nice. :3 Loved it. It was awesome. Really awesome.

>.> Sorry, not really good at giving out lots of praise.

So, this is part 1, eh? :D Can't wait for the following parts.