This chapter is before (Confrontation with Famine)
Jun, Tuesday 11, 2007 - 2:40 PM
The eerie silence that followed the battle with the reflections was shattered by the unsettling presence of Nihilus. This spectral steed stood at an impressive 18 hands, its skin stretched taut over skeletal bones, creating a ghostly white shimmer under the moonlight. Its eyes glowed with a sinister blue light, and its mane and tail, composed of shadows, seemed to ripple with a life of their own. Nihilus's hooves, made of an obsidian-like material, cracked the earth beneath it, leaving a trail of decay in its wake.
Paradox, Norika, and Scarlet, now gathered together after their respective battles, sensed the ominous aura approaching them. The air grew heavy with the feeling of hunger and desolation, making it hard to breathe.
“Father, do you feel that?” Norika asked, her voice barely a whisper as she stared into the distance.
Paradox nodded, his eyes narrowing. “Yes, something powerful is approaching. Be on your guard.”
Scarlet, still catching her breath from her earlier battle, turned her gaze toward the darkness. “What now? More illusions?”
“No,” Paradox replied. “This is something different. Something... real.”
The shadows ahead shifted and moved as Nihilus emerged, its presence causing the ground to wither and the air to grow colder. The spectral steed stepped forward, its eyes fixed on the trio.
“What is that?” Scarlet whispered, her hand tightening around the hilt of her sword.
“That,” Paradox said, his voice grim, “is Nihilus. Famine’s steed.”
Nihilus moved with a silent grace, its ethereal hooves making no sound as they touched the ground. The trio could feel its Aura of Hunger, an insatiable gnawing sensation in their stomachs, weakening them with each passing second.
“We need to be careful,” Norika said, her voice strained. “Its presence alone is enough to drain our strength.”
Nihilus's eyes glowed brighter as it stared at them, as if evaluating their worth. Suddenly, it began to move, charging toward them with a burst of spectral energy. The ground beneath it cracked and decayed as it approached, leaving a trail of destruction.
“Scatter!” Paradox shouted, leaping to the side just in time to avoid the charge. Norika and Scarlet followed suit, narrowly evading Nihilus’s attack.
Nihilus came to a halt, turning to face them once more. It snorted, a cloud of necrotic miasma billowing from its nostrils. The miasma spread rapidly, causing the plants and trees around them to wither and die.
“We need to take it down quickly,” Scarlet said, her eyes narrowing. “We can’t let that miasma touch us.”
Norika nodded, her sword blazing with bright red flames. “I’ll try to draw its attention. Father, can you find a way to weaken it?”
Paradox’s eyes glowed with determination. “I’ll do what I can. Be careful.”
Norika charged forward, her sword igniting the air around her. She swung her blade at Nihilus, but the spectral steed moved with unnatural speed, evading her attack and retaliating with a kick from its obsidian hooves. The ground where Nihilus’s hooves struck shattered, sending shockwaves through the earth.
Norika managed to dodge, but the force of the blow sent her sprawling. “Damn it, it’s fast!” she muttered, scrambling to her feet.
Scarlet, meanwhile, had circled around Nihilus, her twin swords gleaming under the moonlight. She waited for the right moment before launching herself at the steed, her blades aimed at its skeletal legs.
Nihilus reared up, its hooves glowing with dark energy. It brought them down with incredible force, creating a temporal distortion that slowed Scarlet’s movements. She struggled against the distortion, her body feeling like it was moving through thick syrup.
Paradox, observing the battle, concentrated his energy. He extended his hand, trying to manipulate the reality around Nihilus. “Let’s see if you can handle this,” he murmured, his eyes flashing.
Reality around Nihilus began to warp, illusions of fiery chains wrapping around its body. The spectral steed neighed in anger, its glowing blue eyes flashing. It struggled against the chains, its body flickering between the physical and the ethereal.
Scarlet took advantage of the distraction, breaking free from the temporal distortion. She darted forward, her blades slicing through the air with deadly precision. Nihilus turned its head, trying to evade, but Scarlet’s swords found their mark, cutting into its skeletal legs.
Nihilus let out a ghostly wail, the sound echoing through the forest. It staggered, its movements becoming more erratic. The illusions created by Paradox began to tighten, holding the steed in place.
“Now, Norika!” Paradox shouted.
Norika nodded, her sword blazing even brighter. She charged at Nihilus, her blade slicing through the air with incredible speed. She struck Nihilus with all her might, the flames of her sword burning even the spectral form of the steed.
Nihilus reared back, its body flickering as it struggled against the combined assault. With a final, desperate neigh, it unleashed a burst of necrotic energy, sending shockwaves through the area.
The trio was thrown back by the force of the explosion, landing hard on the ground. Nihilus stood there, its body flickering between reality and the ethereal realm. It seemed weakened, but far from defeated.
“Damn it, it’s tough,” Scarlet muttered, struggling to her feet. “We need to finish this quickly.”
Paradox, still on the ground, looked up at Nihilus. “It’s time to end this.” He raised his hand, summoning his Omni Scythe. “Norika, Scarlet, let’s give it everything we’ve got.”
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Norika and Scarlet nodded, their determination renewed. They gathered their energy, their weapons glowing with power.
Nihilus, sensing the impending attack, let out a defiant neigh. It charged at them, its hooves leaving trails of decay in its wake.
Paradox swung his scythe, sending a wave of reality-distorting energy at Nihilus. The spectral steed dodged, but Norika and Scarlet were ready. They moved in tandem, their blades striking in perfect harmony.
Nihilus tried to evade, but the combined assault was too much. Norika’s sword blazed with erasing flames, while Scarlet’s twin blades sliced through its ethereal form. Paradox’s scythe cut through the very fabric of reality, severing Nihilus’s connection to this world.
With a final, ghostly wail, Nihilus collapsed, its body disintegrating into shadows. The ground beneath it stopped decaying, and the oppressive aura of hunger and despair lifted.
The trio stood there, breathing heavily. The battle had taken its toll, but they had emerged victorious.
“Is it... is it over?” Norika asked, her voice trembling with exhaustion.
Paradox nodded, his scythe disappearing. “Yes, it’s over. Nihilus is gone.
”
Scarlet sheathed her swords, looking around at the decimated forest. “We should move. Famine will know something’s wrong.”
Paradox agreed. “Let’s go. We need to be ready for whatever comes next.”
As they began to walk away, a chilling wind swept through the forest, carrying with it an otherworldly whisper. The trio paused, their senses on high alert. The ground beneath them began to tremble, and the shadows seemed to grow darker and more pronounced.
“Something’s not right,” Scarlet said, her hand instinctively moving to the hilt of her sword.
Before Paradox could respond, the air was filled with a ghostly wail. From the spot where Nihilus had fallen, dark, ethereal tendrils began to emerge, coalescing into the form of the spectral steed. Nihilus reformed, its eyes glowing even brighter with an unholy blue light. The shadows around it grew more intense, and the aura of hunger and despair returned with a vengeance.
“Impossible!” Norika exclaimed, her eyes widening in shock. “We destroyed it!”
Paradox’s expression hardened. “It seems Nihilus is not so easily defeated. This time, we must ensure it stays down.”
Nihilus snorted, the necrotic miasma billowing from its nostrils even thicker than before. The ground beneath it withered and cracked as it stepped forward, its hooves leaving a trail of decay in its wake.
“We need a new strategy,” Scarlet said, her twin swords at the ready. “It’s stronger now.”
Paradox nodded. “We need to attack its core. The spectral form is just a manifestation of its true power. If we can find and destroy its core, we can end this for good.”
Norika’s eyes blazed with determination. “Where is the core?”
“Inside it,” Paradox replied, his voice grim. “We’ll have to cut it open and destroy it from within.”
Nihilus charged at them with a burst of spectral energy, moving with even more speed and power than before. The trio scattered, barely evading the attack. The necrotic miasma spread rapidly, causing the plants and trees around them to wither and die at an accelerated rate.
“We have to draw it out!” Norika shouted, her sword blazing with bright red flames. “Keep it distracted while I find an opening!”
Scarlet nodded, moving in tandem with Paradox. They circled Nihilus, their weapons ready. The spectral steed’s glowing eyes followed their movements, its body flickering with dark energy.
Scarlet struck first, her twin swords slicing through the air with deadly precision. Nihilus evaded the attack, its movements swift and fluid. Paradox followed up with a sweeping strike from his scythe, aiming to cut through the spectral form. Nihilus dodged, its hooves cracking the earth as it moved.
“Come on, you overgrown skeleton!” Scarlet taunted, her eyes narrowed. “Is that all you’ve got?”
Nihilus neighed in anger, its body surging with dark energy. It reared up on its hind legs, then brought its hooves down with tremendous force, sending shockwaves through the ground. The trio struggled to maintain their balance as the earth trembled beneath them.
Norika seized the opportunity, her sword glowing with intense flames. She charged at Nihilus, aiming for its chest. The spectral steed turned to face her, its eyes blazing with blue fire. As Norika’s sword made contact, the flames engulfed Nihilus, causing it to rear back in pain.
“Now, Paradox!” Norika shouted, her voice filled with urgency.
Paradox extended his hand, concentrating his energy. Reality around Nihilus began to warp again, illusions of fiery chains wrapping around its body. The spectral steed struggled against the chains, its body flickering between the physical and the ethereal.
Scarlet moved in, her swords slicing through the air. She aimed for Nihilus’s legs, trying to cripple it. The steed neighed in defiance, its hooves glowing with dark energy. It brought them down with incredible force, creating another temporal distortion.
Norika, seeing her chance, plunged her sword into Nihilus’s chest. The flames burned brightly, searing through the spectral form. She felt a resistance, as if her blade was striking something solid within the ethereal body.
“I’ve found it!” she shouted, her voice strained. “The core is here!”
Paradox and Scarlet moved in, their weapons ready. They struck at the same time, their blades piercing the spectral form and striking the core. Nihilus let out a ghostly wail, the sound echoing through the forest. The ground beneath it cracked and decayed even further as the steed struggled against the assault.
With a final, desperate surge of energy, Nihilus tried to break free. But the combined strength of Paradox, Norika, and Scarlet was too much. Their blades pierced the core, shattering it into pieces. The spectral form of Nihilus disintegrated, the necrotic miasma dissipating into the air.
The ground stopped trembling, and the oppressive aura of hunger and despair lifted. The forest, though decimated, began to feel lighter, as if a great weight had been lifted.
“Is it... finally over?” Norika asked, her voice trembling with exhaustion.
Paradox nodded, his scythe disappearing. “Yes, it’s over. Nihilus is gone for good this time.”
Scarlet sheathed her swords, looking around at the decimated forest. “We should move. Famine will know something’s wrong.”
Paradox agreed. “Let’s go. We need to be ready for whatever comes next.”
As they walked away, the moonlight illuminated the path ahead, casting long shadows behind them. The battle had been won, but the war was far from over. Nihilus had been a formidable foe, but Famine awaited, and they knew that the true challenge was yet to come.
The trio moved through the forest with caution, their senses on high alert. The encounter with Nihilus had left them drained, but they couldn’t afford to rest. Famine was still out there, and they needed to be prepared.
“How much farther?” Norika asked, her eyes scanning the surroundings for any signs of danger.
Paradox glanced at his Omni-Watch. “Not far. We’re getting close.”
Scarlet, still on edge from the battle, kept her hands on her swords. “We need a plan. Famine won’t be as easy to defeat as Nihilus.”
Paradox nodded. “We’ll need to use our abilities to their fullest. Famine will likely have more tricks up his sleeve.”
Jun, Tuesday 11, 2007 - 2:50 PM
As they continued their journey, the forest began to change. The trees became twisted and gnarled, their branches reaching out like skeletal hands. The air grew colder, and a sense of unease settled over them.
“We’re entering his domain,” Paradox said, his voice low. “Be on guard.”
They moved cautiously, their footsteps barely making a sound. The eerie silence of the forest was only broken by the occasional rustle of leaves or the distant hoot of an owl. The darkness seemed to press in on them from all sides, making it hard to see more than a few feet ahead
Suddenly, the ground beneath them began to tremble. Paradox, Norika, and Scarlet stopped in their tracks, their weapons at the ready. The tremors grew stronger, and the ground began to crack and split.
“Get ready!” Paradox shouted, his scythe appearing in his hand.
From the cracks in the ground, dark, twisted roots began to emerge. They writhed and twisted, reaching out towards the trio with a malevolent intent. The air grew colder, and a sense of hunger and despair washed over them.
“Stay back!” Norika shouted, her sword blazing with flames. She swung her blade, cutting through the roots as they approached.
Scarlet moved with agility, her twin swords slicing through the air. She dodged and weaved, avoiding the roots while striking at them with precision.
Paradox focused his energy, warping reality around the roots. They began to twist and contort, their movements becoming erratic and disjointed.
As they fought, the ground continued to crack and split, and from the darkness emerged a figure. Tall and gaunt, with eyes that glowed with an eerie blue light, Famine stepped forward. His presence was overwhelming, the aura of hunger and despair even stronger than Nihilus’s.
“Welcome,” Famine said, his voice a chilling whisper. “I’ve been expecting you, you have done well defeating my steed.”