Brotherly Love

[Talon]

The lone dragonkin decked out in a pulsating, living armor stood a good mile or two away from the city, scowling under the rapidly-fading sunlight as he did so. The tip of his living blade was lodged in the ground within arm's reach, said arms being folded against his massive chest as he awaited the arrival of another. His eyes were closed as he pondered,

My plan was a complete failure from the beginning... the tools required… they would destroy me long before I could even get to Arthreonus's fortress... let alone the demon bastard himself... ... and I failed to think that through... ... ... GOD.... damnIT... NOW WHAT DO I HAVE TO LIVE FOR...?! NOTHING!! ... ... Well… I suppose… I still have -one- matter left to attend to…

At that moment, his eyes slid open just as two things occurred: The sun finally set, and Daedalus’s counterpart rapidly descended from the twilit sky, skidding to a halt not 30 feet from the demonic dragonkin. Red-orange eyes glanced hatefully at the older of the two reptilian humanoids before Shive rumbled,

“You’ve got A LOT OF F*CKING NERVE to ask me to come here… now what is it you could possibly want from me?! Hoping to finish off the rest of the family, hmm?!”

At his brother’s silence, Shive scowled, raising a hand to grab at his sword‘s handle. Daedalus sighed, and replied in a low, husky tone,

“There’s… just one more thing I wish to check... before I leave. Fight me one last time, Brother. That’s all I ask. I have questions that only this can solve…”

Shive seemed taken aback at the question and Daedalus’s tone at first, then growled and detached Ragnarok from its clasp in a whirl of metal.

“Fine…! I’ll be sure to finish you off for good this time…” Shive barked in response.

Daedalus promptly removed Ashardalon from the ground and twirled him into a raised position. With an angry bellow, both combatants barreled towards eachother, blades crashing together in a spray of sparks before doing so several more times, lighting up the darkening night in brief flashes. Both then shoved against the other’s weapon, sending both skidding back several feet before throwing up their free hands and firing off a fully-charged Burst Pyre and Force Blast (respectively) at eachother. This action ended in a large explosion, of which the brothers attempted to use as cover, Shive swinging upwards with Ragnarok and Daedalus sweeping downwards with Ashardalon. These actions carved a deep gash in each other’s fronts, from which a spray of blood issued forth, but neither took notice as claws lashed out, forming angry red gouges in each other’s face before Shive slammed his bulk into his brother, sending the elder of the two to fly backwards, but not before a barely-charged Force Blast tore off a chunk of Shive’s shoulder and chest-plate, sending the Elementalist onto his back.

Both rose to their feet, panting already as blood ran down their muzzles, yet neither showed signs of stopping as they charged one another again, swords flashing…

* * * * * * * *

“Wait up for me, brother!”

A -much- younger Daedalus, most likely 12 by human standards, skidded to a halt atop a large, dusty hill, panting. It was then a 6-‘year’-old Shive stumbled onto the hilltop, coughing and wheezing. Daedalus lifted him to his feet, muttering,

“Gaah, you’re so slow sometimes… I’m not always gonna wait for you to catch up, ya know!”

Shive gave a nervous ‘eheh’, rubbing the back of his head before the two siblings looked to the distant north, where what appeared to be a large settlement could be seen on the horizon. Shive jumped as a small, purple-blue flare rocketed into the sky, then erupted into a brilliant display of rapidly-popping light. Both brother’s eyes shone as a multitude of more flares rocketed into the sky, lighting the night with their beautiful display.

“What’re they called again?” Shive asked, awestruck by the show.

“Uhh… ‘fireworks’ I think…” Daedalus mumbled.

“Meh, I'd call 'em something else. Ah, but who cares what they’re called… they’re pretty.” Shive mused.

Daedalus only offered a silent nod with a smirk as the vibrant display of colors continued all through the night. Shive finally broke their silence about halfway through when he muttered,

“Hey, Daed… we… we’ll be brothers forever, right…?”

The elder was taken aback slightly by this statement, then nodded vigorously.

“Yep! ‘til the end of time, little brother…!”

[Fredrex00]

A black figure stands among the darkness of the land, blending in almost perfectly with its surroundings. Its green eyes glared at the two brothers who wished to slaughter each other till nothing was left. "Hmph....still the same Shive..." the figure says, "Always wanting to kill till there isn't anything left to fight..."

Its cape blew with the wind, yet not making a sound that could be detected by the two fighters. "Its a good fight...yet it disgusts me how long its taken to get to this..." the figure says, crossing its arms and continuing to watch the fight.

[Talon]

Shive swept his claws up in a swift arc, wrapping his claws around his brother's throat, before quickly hefting him up and whirling him around, slamming him into the ground upon ending the half-spin. Daedalus had the wind knocked out of him from that, yet managed to kick his brother away with both feet as the gray dragonkin charged at him full-force, now launched full-force... in a backward direction. Daedalus hopped to his feet and picked Ashardalon back up in a flash, sweeping the blade at his downed sibling, only to have the blade get parried by a swipe from Ragnarok. In a whirl of steel, Daedalus stumbled back as Shive leapt to his feet, Ragnarok hefted on his shoulder. Daedalus snarled, then sprang forward, bashing Ragnarok out of the way with Ashardalon, using the opening to fire off a Force Blast square into Shive's chest, sending Shive flying backwards.

One of Daedalus's back-tendrils suddenly lashed out and wrapped around Shive's leg, then used his inertia to slam him into the ground. Now Shive gasped for air as Daedalus reeled his sword back, the blade charging with dark-purple energy, the soul of Ashardalon itself screaming in joy at the upcoming attack. Shive tumbled backwards, onto his feet as the living blade came crashing down, the energy surging outwards explosively. Shive attempted to avoid the attack, but it still slammed into him with full-force, carving an extremely deep gash in the dragonkin's front. Now on the ground once more, Shive gasped helplessly for air, the attack having winged one of his lungs. With a cold, featureless glare, Daedalus staggered toward his brother, raising the sword, clutching the handle to the point where blood oozed from the hilt. His gaze slowly widened, both in size and cold intensity as he stood over his downed brother.

... yet... as his only sibling lay on the ground, wheezing, defenseless at the moment... the goal he waited for so long...

Memories of his torment in Hell flashed through his mind, and his grip loosened on Ashardalon, iliciting a cry of surprise from the blade. Daedalus staggered back, teeth bared as he clutched at his head, dropping Ashardalon.

Gaah.... NO... NOO!! Never again! I won't go back! I refuse to be someone's dog!

Shive took this opportunity, despite being so heavily wounded, to staple Daedalus through the chest with an Ice Javelin. Daedalus hacked up a handful of blood with small chunks of frozen flesh, then snapped out of his trance and rumbled at Shive threateningly. He took several steps tooward Shive, rasping,

"Wasn't... always like... this... was it, Brother....?"

Shive narrowed his eyes, bringing Ragnarok back to swing as Daedalus staggered closer, snapping the Ice Javelin lodged in his chest, his regeneration temporarily incapable of healing the frozen wound. Daedalus slowly formed a curious scowl, eyes glowing through the darkness as he slowly asked in an almost pleading tone,

"When... when did I... become this way... ...?"

Shive roared angrily, then ran Daedalus through on the oversized weapon, heaving him around until his older sibling flew off the blade.

* * * * * * * *

An 8-'year'-old Shive and a 14-'year'-old Daedalus were hiding behind a large outcropping of rocks amongst a dusty plain, both of them holding a longsword suited for a human (which was good; Daedalus was about that height, and Shive was getting close to being able to swing it effectively). The ducked slightly as what they'd been hoping for appeared: Some form of strange quadroped, looking like a cross between a camel and a horse on steroids. It had a long, snake-like tongue that would occasionally snake out and 'inspect' the air, the very tip splitting open to do so. Both siblings smirked at eachother and hefted their weapons before both hurtled over the rocks, issuing a form of warcry as they barreled toward the startled animal.

Daedalus barreled out of the way of the incoming, club-like tail... but his brother wasn't as fortunate. Shive went sprawling, a trail of blood arcing through the air as the younest of the two tumbling across the ground, nose broken and bleeding. Daedalus snarled at the startled animal as it reared back, then rushed it and shoved his blade into its tough, leathery gut. It gave a piercing shriek before lashing out with a forefoot ('hoof' was not the right word), shoving the older brother backwards, coughing from being winded.

"Shive?! Shive!! You okay?!" He barked over his shoulder.

He blinked, noting his younger sibling was no longer there. Another piercing shriek turned him back at their prey, of which was flailing about with Shive, who'd anchored himself to the thing's back with his sword, growling with all teeth bared. Blood spilled freely from the animal as both brothers renwed their attack, Shive driving the sword in deeper and deeper while Daedalus blindly hacked away at its neck. Eventually, the combined effort felled the 9-foot tall beast, falling to the ground with a shrill groan. Both brothers lay panting against the carcass, smeared with blood and grinning at eachother.

"That was fun... starting to get tired, though." Shive wheezed.

Daedalus winced, rubbing his chest, nodding.

"Yeah... think four'll be enough today?" He inquired.

"Gah, I sure hope so... stupid disenchanters... too trou... troubl... too pesky!" Shive stuttered.

Daedalus laughed, and ruffled the smaller sibling's hair playfully.

[Fredrex00]

The black form that watched the battle grunts in disapproval. His green eyes narrow as Shive started to unleash the final blows. "This fight is already over..." the form said, turning around to fly off, "Though I must admit, Shive has become a better fighter from when I was still alive."

The cape on the being's back swirled around his body and the green eyed demon flew off into the sky. His trace not even being felt by the two fighters.

[Talon]

((Gray= Shive, Red = Daed))

Over the next hour, swords clashed, spells were fired, limbs were lost, and LARGE amounts of blood were shed. Tooth and claw, steel and bone were driven into one another, grevious wounds inflicted Yet, no matter how violent the fight got, both fighters could feel their resolve slipping somehow. Their will to fight was draining, and through bared teeth, neither knew why. Visions of Hell kept haunting the elder of the brothers, while images of the distant past.... the days before everything was lost to him, flashed through the mind of the younger brother.

To this day, I still don't know why that bastard snapped... he had everything he could've wanted...

How did I let that happen?! I should've known the bastard would backstab me! He's a demon!

He took EVERYTHING from me... Mom ... Dad... Sevra... ... especially... my... brother... and that... was the most greivous of them all... ... Daed, you were my idol. You were my best friend... SO WHY?! WHY DID YOU DO IT?! damn YOU!! GIVE ME MY LIFE BACK!! GIVE ME MY BROTHER BACK...!!

Is it true what they say? Evil begets evil? damnit... karma's a bitch... ... I guess it doesn't matter how strong, or intelligent you are... someone will always one-up you... in evil's case, that f*cks you over pretty badly... ... ... thinking back on it... ... is that what I've been doing to people... all this time...? Huh ... ... being evil... isn't as great as I originally thought, it seems... ... thinking back even farther... why... why'd I even start it?

...

it was jealousy, I remember now. The fact Shive could cast arcane spells better than I... the sheer frustration I had... and the praise Shive got from it... ... was that all? THAT was what snapped me? ... ... oh ye gods. No... NO... it... it can't be... I... I threw away... everything...? All in one fit of childish rage...? ... I suppose... afterwards, I thought I had no other route... I had to force myself to enjoy those kind of things... but... after experiencing it for myself, it... it hurts. Gods, WHY...? I... I could be as happy as Brother is... no, as happy as he COULD'VE been... ... as happy as those whose lives I've taken... I had no right...! ... ... I... I deserved that time in Hell... no... I deserve to still be there... I... I'm a horrible person... I have been for over a century...

I... I'll always hate you for what you've done, that is for certain... but... deep down... there is a part of me that wants to forgive you, Brother... because you are my brother... blood is thicker than water... and one good experience makes up for ten bad ones... you killed our parents... and you took my life, figuratively and literally... but... damnit... I still want you to come back, Brother... I miss having someone to look up to... life is hard without family to lean on... and they say brothers are always the closest of family...

* * * * * * * *

The 9-'year'-old Shive and 15-'year'-old Daedalus lay upon a large, grassy knoll, staring up at a midsummer night sky, full of beautiful stars unknown to our world. Both had arms splayed out to the sides, panting with swords lodged in the ground not 20 feet away. Both were bruised and cut, their swordplay having taken a toll on both, yet their company was enough for both to forget such meaningless things as pain.

"We're getting... better, I can feel it... practice... DOES... pay off!" Daedalus wheezed.

Shive nodded in response, wiping sweat from his brow.

"Yeah it does... but I don't think I like these swords."

"Eh? Why don't you like these swords? Dad got those just for us, remember?"

Shive shrugged, scratching his chin.

"I dunno, mine just feels too small... I think I want a bigger weapon." He replied.

Daedalus laughed, stating,

"Brother, it takes special training to use weapons bigger than they should be for the wielder... and I don't think you'll be strong enough to use a bigger sword anyway!"

"Shuddup! I can do it!"

Daedalus chuckled, sighing.

"I know, Shive... I was joking."

Shive snorted, glancing to the side.

"I know you were..."

Both sighed in unison, staring back at the endless ebony ether above them. Several minutes of silence passed, and Shive muttered,

"Hey... Daed...?"

"...yeah?"

"...where do you think we'll be... about 100 years from now...?"

"A hundred years? ... it's hard to tell, Brother. Why?"

Shive shrugged again, and rolled onto his side, whispering back,

"No reason... but... can you promise me something...?"

Daedalus blinked, worried at his brother's tone.

"... Sure, what is it?"

"... ... promise me... no matter what... we'll still be family. That nothing will ever come between us as brothers..."

Daedalus was about to snap at Shive for asking such a stupid thing, then slowly reconsidered. After another small length of silence, Daedalus replied,

"... ulnaus ini iejir, tangis ghent wer sulta... I can promise you that..."

Shive slowly rolled onto his back again, giving a faint smile to the sky.

"... ulnaus ini iejir, tangis ghent wer sulta... yeah... I like that."

Daedalus reached over and slapped a hand onto his younger brother's shoulder in a gesture of kind reassurance, smiling back at him. Shive then did the same to Daedalus, and the two then shook their free fists at eachother, as if to defy Fate itself with their promise..."

* * * * * * * *

"Ulnaus ini iejir... tangis ghent wer sulta..." Both combatants quietly wheezed, leaning against their blades in a half-kneel.

Both were bloody, beaten pulps of their former selves as the slowly glanced back at eachother, startled by hearing the other say that phrase. They then glanced at the ground, all malice gone from their stares as Shive muttered,

"You... still remember... don't you...?"

"...I do... Brother..."

"... does... does it have... its original meaning...?"

A shuddering sigh escaped Daedalus's lungs as both of their raw, red-slicked hands slowly clenched, awaiting the answer...

"... it does... after all that's happened... it... still has its meaning."

Both sets of closed eyes started to issue a salty moisture shortly after hearing this, the tears running down their muzzles.

"I... I can't forgive you for what you've done in the past... but... ... I can thank you... for what you do... in the present..." Shive choked out.

"... for that... I ask but one thing... ... ... is... are we... ... are we still... ... family...?" Daedalus issued in a hissing whisper.

Silence came forth between the two once more as both considered this statement. The two had virtually destroyed eachother time and time again, the opportunity granting them even the slightest chance of doing so. Both waged psychological warfare on the other simply by being in eachother's presence, made no better by the foul words exchanged at such times. But... even then... their memories of the fond, distant past came to mind... and the bond the brothers had came to light once more. Despite all the hate garnered, all the wounds licked, all the curses and swears on one another's life... they simply couldn't take it any more.

"You... said it yourself, brother... together by blood, even after the end..." Shive replied after a while, but with little hesitation.

Both then did something they'd never really meant to do in eachother's presence for over 140 years... they smiled. They smiled at the fact that time can wear the blood away... but not the bonds it has created. In the final, resulting silence, both had either passed out or fallen asleep, but they spoke no more, and bore a peaceful look on their tired faces as they stood still in that same position, leaning on their weapons, soaked in blood. It was several minutes later that Thaea, daughter to one and niece to the other, calmly walked out with a bright, thankful smile on her face as she hefted both over her shoulders with hardly any difficulty (weight-wise, keeping them on there was another story and walked off into the city, Nightshade becoming aglow with a fiery pink as the sun rose in the opposite direction.

"I'm glad... for both of you... I really am..." She whispered.

((End thread))