The Chronicles of the House of Valda - Part 1 - Amadeus

[Boo]

RE: The Chronicles of the House of Valda

Ooh I regret not reading this sooner, now I regret that it is not longer!

Great writing Voltaire, I eagerly await the next installment!

 

[Disciple of Nagash]

RE: The Chronicles of the House of Valda

Liked the last installment, a creative way for Gustenberg to die. I'm really forward to Vald meeting the Supreme again though, as well as what will happen when he meets Nagash.

Oh and - Metal Gear Solid Rules!!!

 

[Arion]

RE: The Chronicles of the House of Valda

- Metal Gear Solid Rules!!!

QFT

 

[Belladamma Voltaire]

RE: The Chronicles of the House of Valda

Courage and rage became one and the same
As the Beast was nearing the tower
As he felt that somehow he had burdened the blame
And suffered a lack of power.
The end was nearing to his glorious quest
Within any signs of reprieve
For no matter the task he gave it his best
But still failed to believe.

The stench of the melted suit was overpowering Valda’s nostrils as the small creatures began to lap up the puddle of mess that had once been Herr Gustanberg. Averting his gaze, lest he vomit, Valda advanced further on into the next room of the great tower as he began to feel the dark magic in the air getting more and more powerful. The sheer volume of it was enough to choke any magic user without self-discipline. Throwing the thought to the back of his mind, Valda tried his best to ignore the migraine that was developing in the front of his skull because of the winds of magic. Nagash had to be close now.

Moving out onto another walkway, the last spire before him seemed quite tame. He had obviously done the bulk of the traversing without even realising it. The walkway ended abruptly as Valda noticed a sharp plummet into the abyss below. It was not a pleasant sight at all as there seemed to be no bottom. Grabbing a torch from the walkway, he threw it down into the abyss and nothing occurred. The torch simply fell. Whatever had destroyed the walkway had done so in such a way that it had completely obliterated the walkway. Looking across the way, he saw a courtyard with statues in it. Walking back towards the laboratory, he prepared himself for the running jump that would be necessary to reach the other side of the walkway. His armour would work against him on this occasion. This jump could prove to be more fatal than all of the battles he had endured previously. Closing his eyes, he began to sprint toward the other side of the walkway and as he jumped, he knew it would not be enough to carry him over to the other side. Soaring through the air, he landed on the walkway, balancing capriciously. He then nearly fell out of surprise, as a few hundred yards in front of him was Novelle, wielding her rifle as eagerly as ever. This was going to be a repeat of what happened last time and he would plummet for a second time.

Throwing himself forward, Valda tripped up as he managed to just get over the side and onto the other half of the walkway. The anger in his being was only fermented by the sense of vulnerability he felt knowing Novelle would have a bead on his skull with her damned hochland long rifle. As she approached closer, he frowned and prepared for the end to come to him. There was no getting out of this as his skull would become much like Herr Gustanbergs had. Closing his eyes, Valda sighed. It had all been for nothing.

The shot never came. Opening his eyes once more, Valda saw Novelle looking as if she was levitating above the ground. It was then that Valda noticed what it was really confronting him. Novelle fell to the ground, revealing Ra’en behind her, covered in blood. He was wearing a loose coat made of what looked like saurus hide on top of his skink suit. He looked every bit the killing machine and he was smiling. As she twitched on the floor, it was clear there was still a tiny bit of life left in her but it was slowly slipping away. Ra’en pointed his sword forwards in an aggressive manner at Valda as it became clear what his intentions were. Pulling himself to his feet, Valda raised his sword and ran at Ra’en. This had to stop or he would never make it to Nagash.

Ra’en leapt casually over Valda and sheathed his sword. Lunging once more, Valda found his adversary was not there once more. Turning, around, Ra’en was reaching inside his coat and threw a trio of daggers in Valda’s direction. Jumping to a horizontal position in mid air, the daggers all missed as he landed on his chest. Pushing himself up, he launched a bolt of dark magic at Ra’en then choked slightly due to its difficulty. The bolt hit another empty spot as Ra’en was doing a single-handed somersault. As he landed, three more daggers flew in Valda’s direction. This time he used his sword to swat them aside. A fourth dagger grazed a weak point in his armour as he suddenly began to feel very sick. Ra’en stopped moving and unsheathed his sword once more.

”What courses through the veins of you currently is the venom of the firefly frog, a native of Lustria. It would kill a normal man in no time. It should kill you in about five minutes.”

He charged at Valda once more and made a stab with his sword. Groggily, Valda parried and grabbed Ra’ens throat in a sharp rapid clutch. It was ridiculously fast for someone apparently poisoned.

”Whats the cure then?”

”There is no cure. It will destroy you.”

”I doubt that somehow.” His voice was becoming more disconnected ”You wouldn’t incur the wrath of Nagash or the Supreme by killing me.”

”Why do you say that?”

”Because it’s the most dishonourable way to kill me. You are clearly a man of values and beliefs, otherwise you wouldn’t have done that to Novelle. Now, whats the cure so we can fight like warriors instead of bandits?”

Ra’en narrowed his eyes realising what Valda was saying was correct. Reaching into his overcoat, he had the cure it was another coated knife. As the clutch on his throat became tighter, he stabbed it into the hand of Valda and kicked the Scourge of Schwarzberg in the chest. Valda winced at the pain then began to realise he was feeling better already, despite the bleeding. Looking up he finally saw the statues of the courtyard for what they were. Each face was a picture of diabolic majesty as Valda realised he was staring at the faces of the Dreadlords, past and present.

”I couldn’t have asked for a better audience to kill you in front of.”

Valda simply ignored the comment and stood up once more. The pain had all but subsided but every part of him was aching. Raising his sword, he felt like the fighting was futile now. Throwing the sword aside, he assumed one of the martial arts stances that the Supreme had taught him. Trying to fight a faster opponent was not something that was best done with swords. Noticing it, Ra’en did the same and adopted a similar posture.

”So, you’re the one she took after me.”

”Indeed, I am the Supremes student and I will carry the legacy of her work from this place.”

”I am her first student and I shall reign Supreme.”

With that, Valda ran and aimed a collected punch at Ra’ens kidneys. Ra’en caught the punch and aimed a kick for Valda’s head. Valda parried it with his free hand and headbutted Ra’en. As he did so, Ra’en returned the favour, but without as much force. Both of the combatants launched their right fists at each other simultaneously and hit a blow on the others cheek in perfect stereo. Lunging with a second punch, Valda put in a tremendous effort for a knockout punch. As he did so, Ra’en leapt and caught Valda’s neck between his thighs and attempted to divie his opponents skull into the ground. Instead, he found him own body being slammed back down to earth. As he landed hard, he found Valda stomping on his chest. With the wind knocked out of him, Ra’en was momentarily helpless. Grabbing Ra’en by the throat, he looked his adversary dead in the eye.

”You’re not me Ra’en. Stop trying to find some honourable battle and be content with what you have. This world is not an honourable one. Its despicable and desolate. There’s nothing for people like you here. Just ask any Blood Dragon. They hold onto valour like a dying tradition and it is why they will be hunted down.” Valda sighed ”There is so much bad in the world that to try and be good when it is not your nature is a fallacy.”

With that, Valda flung Ra’en away watching as his opponent landed near the edge of the walkway that Valda had leapt across to. As Ra'en attempted to move, the floor began to crumble beneath him. As the floor was finally giving, he jumped. As he jumped, Valda watched as his opponent was stopped by a loud bang and a bullet through the heart. The bleeding Novelle had managed to get off one last shot. As Ra’en fell over the side of the walkway into the deep abyss below, Novelle spat blood and issued her final words.

”Mission accomplished”

As she did so, the last of her life force slipped away. Valda moved over to her, checking if she was actually alive or faking it. Much to his surprise, she was finally dead. There was nothing more in the way between him and Nagash. Looking ahead, Valda saw the final stairs to the black tower. As he did so, one of the statues of the Dread Lord began to move, un-noticed by Valda. The statue was the one of Arkhan the Black. As he looked up, Valda was knocked clean unconscious.

 

[Belladamma Voltaire]

RE: The Chronicles of the House of Valda

Death has nothing for the Dread Lord
in his room of bone
Recovering from his death by the sword
He sits, waiting, alone.
Without knowing what is
And what is yet to come
He has the world as his
And he would remove all he see’s as scum

The headache was the first sign that Valda had that he was waking up. It was piercing right through his forehead like a spike. Why had he not seen Arkhan the Black hit him? Whatever it was mattered not now. Getting his bearings, Valda raised himself onto all fours gripping his head with one hand as the other supported him. The pain seemed to only be getting worse as his eyes come into focus. He had woken up on a floor made of bone. It was old bone, dirty beyond being initially bleached. The grimacing faces smiling at him as if pleased to see him when in reality they had been granted the unfettered relief that was death. He wished he had the same for a brief moment as the floor extended all around him. Sluggishly raising himself up back onto his feet, the pain dulled slightly. Gazing quickly around the room he began to realise that this was not a prison cell or even a camp. Looking to the walls, they moved and shimmered with ghostly purpose, faces and people appearing for a moment before becoming nothing more than granite. They were all filled with earnest and longing. They wanted release and it was then that Valda began to comprehend where he must be. Looking ahead of him, he saw a pair of great wrought iron doors. They had rusted to be like a shadow of their former self and the edging on them was nothing more than petrified wood. It looked hideous and not fit for its true purpose. It was never meant to be though. Who would want to enter this dank and desolate place? This place was where nothing could die. It then dawned on him where he was. Turning to look behind him, Valda was greeted with an immense throne room that shifted and changed making it difficult for the eye to focus. There were thousands of souls trapped within the room and none of them were being granted the option to escape for the bliss of the gardens of Morr. Then he saw what he had come to this macabre theatre to see, sitting on the main chair in the throne room. The pain increased in the side of his head as howls of undeath filled his ears. His eyes stand and he fell to one knee. He was standing before Nagash.

Standing back up, the pain of looking at the Great Necromancer forced Valda back down to one knee as he noticed the imbalance of magic flowing straight into Nagash and being focused like a lance through Valda. He was not able to move as the dread gaze on the Dread Lord once more glared through him. The throne of bone matched the floor except it seemed to have a sickly green glow to it, almost like pea soup. Nagash himself was every bit as monstrous as his reputation. The great hollow looking skull had a lone visible eye, it was black with a red iris. It was staring right at him. Gulping down a hard breathe of air, Valda stood once more. The Great Necromancer did not move as his great statue form sat like an eternal guardian. It was noticeably missing an armoured gauntlet and the skull looked very bland. It was then that Valda realised the spots were meant for the Crown of the Sorcery and the Claw of Nagash. A shiver fell through him as he thought about the full potential of the Great Necromancer should he ever acquire both items at the same time again. Seeing red slightly, Valda realised he was bleeding from his eyes as Nagash rose from his chair and advanced down the steps to where Valda was. Only one thing went through his mind as Nagash approached.

This is the end

 

[Belladamma Voltaire]

RE: The Chronicles of the House of Valda

The Beasts body was wracked in pain
As his heart was filled with dread
For his heart of disdain
Could well soon be dead.
Within him he drew great strength
and pushed to his wits end
able to go to any length
with energy left to spend

Opening his eyes slowly, Valda slowly began to regain control of his senses as he finally recalled who he was standing before. Standing to attention with frightening speed, Valda felt unable to move once more. The imposing figure of Nagash in front of him had raised his remaining hand and the dark power weeping throughout the unholy chamber had frozen Valda in place as soon as he stood. Struggling furiously, Valda was unable to move from where he stood. It was painful psychologically as it meant in a moments notice he could be another pile of bones for the floor of the Dread Lich. The pain of even looking at Nagash seemed like pinpricks in comparison to that mere thought. Profoundly, he knew nothing would save him from this state now and he would be forced to endure whatever punishment it was that Nagash wanted to inflict on him for the deaths of some of his most trusted lieutenants.

The air crackled like thunder clouds as Nagash spoke.
"You violate my citadel, you come here seeking an audience with me. You are here before me having slain some of my most promising minions. Amadeus Valda, you are truly unworthy of life, but it is clear someone gifted you by taking it from you."

Each word echoed itself thrice, for a moment longer than it should have as the face of the skeletal monstrosity became one of a person, a face with a millenia of hate behind it. As the face formed, Nagash laughed, and the room shook, Nagashizzars foundations trembled with the laughter of its master and throughout the citadel, Necromancers keeled over in pain as their ear drums exploded. Slowly lowering his hand, Nagash stopped laughing and Valda became less numb for a second. In a heartbeat he was paralysed again though.

"toy gestures for you Amadeus, I do not need the feeble workings of lesser mages to control my power for I am absolute, I am beyond life and I control life as a result of that. I have no need for anyone so the deaths you have caused are meaningless." Each word hateful, but each word true, Valda choked out a few words. They were weak.

"If...you are all powerful...why aren't you letting me speak..."

With that, Valda found himself lifted from the ground and brought so close to Nagash that he could see every withered feature, every wrinkle and scar on the Great Necromancers face. There was once a man within those features and now there was nothing. Nagashs gaze piereced deep into the part of Valda that had once contained a soul and Valda felt himself being probed, his mind raped by the will of Nagash as more spiteful echoes permeated from the withered face.

"Because I can. Because I choose to."

"I chose to come here, I did not choose to die here."

Another quaking laugh escaped Nagash, turning quickly into a hushed whisper that only echoed twice.

"Then speak, little one, amuse me so you may yet be granted choice."

Dropping into a desperate deprived heap, Valdas body ached like it had ached the night he turned into an abomination of undeath. Standing, he fought back the searing agony in every limb, every joint and every orifice in his body. he tried to sound brave staring into the black pearls where Nagashs eyes were.

"I come to question you. I come to seek an answer as to how it is that a creation can excel its master. I seek to know why it is that the Vampires have spread throughout the world why you withered in this fortress. I seek to question why you, who claim to be so strong in unlife, are so weak on his throne."

As the words finished coming out of his mouth, Valda found himself flung into one of the bone walls and came crashing down to the floor again. The scream from the Great Necromancer that replied caused masonry around the fortress to fall and skeleton guards to tumble into piles of bones.

"Do I appear weak to you?"

Spitting out more of his own blood, Valda propped himself up on one hand.

"Yes, you do."

Valda found himself smashed into the ceiling this time then back down to the ground. Nagash did this a second time for good measure as Valda coughed out a laugh.

"Sitting on your throne, you have lost control of most of your free willed children. They wander the world, each with their own agenda, each with their own dreams, none of them to do with you. You have been defeated so many times that you have lost your sense of direction." Valda stood once more, his voice filling with confidence. "If any empire chose to destroy you, it would be able to do so, and it has happened before. Ratmen, a human, a demi-god. They've all defeated you. You're more mortal than anyone else here."

The air of the room began to boil around Valda as Nagashs face returned to being a withered skull. The souls trapped in the room were screaming as Nagashs eyes appeared to be on fire. Standing from his throne, Nagash raised his hand at Valda once more and held his prey suspended in the air as he drew in more and more power.

"Such insolence, such arrogance...You accuse me of being mortal..."

"Prove him wrong then."

The calming voice seemed to cool the air of the room a little as Nagash gaze turned to the right of his throne. Stepping out of the shadow of Nagash came the Supreme, like a guardian angel. Slowing the flow of power, Nagash dropped Valda once more and began to laugh. She appeared to show no signs of the obvious afflictions that came with being in the presence of the Great Necromancer.

"Supreme, you amuse me. Why should I prove myself to this pathetic creature?"

"Because he is right. You recall what I trained Ra'en to do, why Gustanberg was inventing and why you let Novelle learn the ways of weapons either of us wish to comprehend."

"Of course I do, it is parrt of the grander scheme."

"Is it not pertinent then, to show the world that you have learned and that you have adapted."

The skeletal features became a face once more as Nagash began to fully understand the layers of the Supremes words. the smile on Nagash's face was a sinister one. The fruition of his recent works seemed to be at hand.

"Yes....Yessss...It's so simple now..." He returned his gaze to Valda "Your coming here is not because you wish to question me, it is because you question yourself. You question my reasons for power when you clearly have none of your own. You, Amadeus Valda, are the same as I, you see things differently to everyone else, as your teacher here does. That is why we have been brought together today, to usher in a new age for this world." Nagash slammed his hand down into the side of his throne. The noise was made all the more poignant by Valda hitting the ground a third time. The forbearance in Nagashs voice was not lost on the Supreme or Valda.

"Amadeus Valda, your existence will be spared on this day because it amuses me to watch you suffer in wonderment. Leave Nagashizzar knowing that what happens from here on in is your doing. It is your cross to bear and when the end of days comes, I shall let the suffering of this world be your suffering too."

A final banal laugh shook Nagashizzar as Valda found himself being magically moved. In an instant he was outside Nagashizzar once more. There was no pain in his body, only bruises and a slightly battered conscience. The question he had wondered by coming to Nagashizzar had not been completely answered and it was with that moment he realised what he had set into motion. The world would again have to endure the hardships he had seen within the great basalt citadel. It was not a pleasant thought, but an enduring one. He had prospered and come out of it a better person, he had shown he was strong and with that, he was content for a moment. Taking in his surroundings, Valda felt relief to smell fresh air. He had been transported miles from Nagashizzar. He was standing in a serene meadow in Bretonnia. Looking around, he was stood next to a tranquil lake with daisies and other flowers growing around some wild grass. The sun was setting and the sky was turning a twilight orange. Nagash had clearly not wanted any follow up questions or he wouldn't have done so. Still, Valda had the thought that he faced Nagash and lived, it was like a medal to be worn always. These thoughts continued as Valda began to walk away to find his way home, to Schwarzberg, content he was not as weak as he had initially thought. The atmosphere of the moment was broken abruptly by a shadow infront of him.

"I know you believe you have shown yourself to be stronger than even the mighty Nagash by placing doubt in his mind, but you have set in motion events that you must accelerate and finish Amadeus Valda." The shadow formed completely as the figure of the Supreme appeared before him. Her voice was as serene as always and she was wearing her trademark cloak. "You learned every lesson there is to learn in this world except that of personal sacrifice."

"I sacrificed everything in there to show myself how strong I am. I know now more of who I am than ever before, and I know more of this world." Valda was clearly confused.

"And those lessons will all be in vain if you do not face this final challenge."

The prospect of what the final challenge was began to loom on Valda as the choking sensation returned and he realised that what was about to happen would be more painful than anything he had seen in the halls of Nagashizzar or anything that the Dark Lord had said. As The Supreme grabbed the choker on her cloak and threw it into the wind, her ever focused gaze met that of her exhausted student.

"Come Amadeus, only one of us can reign Supreme."

 

[Disciple of Nagash]

RE: The Chronicles of the House of Valda

Oooooh, what a great cliffhanger. You made me wait too long Voltaire, but a great post. Really looking forward to your next.

 

[Kaladas Harkon]

RE: The Chronicles of the House of Valda

How many thousand times have you played MGS?

We've got Wolf (Novelle), Liquid/Ocelot (Ra'en), Volgin/Rex (Gustanberg), The Boss (Supreme) and Zero (Nagash).

Hell, Valda even knows CQC. Maybe he should toast Ra'en.

 

[Disciple of Nagash]

RE: The Chronicles of the House of Valda

I know, but I love MGS - its the best series ever!

 

[Kaladas Harkon]

RE: The Chronicles of the House of Valda

I know exactly what you mean; I'm listening to The Best is Yet to Come right now.

 

[Belladamma Voltaire]

RE: The Chronicles of the House of Valda

I'm afraid it's only going to get worse as time goes by. Valdas adventures after Nagashizzar take him right up to the events of the Vampire Council. This is going to include why Valda had the Claw of Nagash and the introduction of the Seven Foxho---Forgotten Warriors. I know there's a lot of basic plagiarism here but I'd hope I plagiarised it well. I will be adding in more influences as time goes by, I promise!

The post between Valda and the Supreme is coming today or tomorrow. I'm really having to study various videos to get the sequence of events right for the final fight.

 

[Belladamma Voltaire]

RE: The Chronicles of the House of Valda

A bitter cyst has formed around the heart of Amadeus Valda, like nothing he had ever felt before. It was a bitterness that could come only from betrayal, from the twisted backstab of someone who you deeply respected and deeply loved. It bit into Valda deeper than Novelles bullets holes, Ra'ens sword punctures, Gustanbergs burns and the sheer gaze of Nagash. The core of what would have been humanity in Valda felt angry like it had never been angry before as he reached to his side and brought out his trusted sword. The weapon that had helped kill so much in the years before this moment, and that would meet its ultimate prey today. Momentarily, Valda looked along the clean edge of the blade. She had taught him it needed to draw blood every time it was unsheathed or its edge would never hold true and honourable to him and eventually the sword would betray him. Perhaps she had been talking to him about more than the sword all those years ago, that every time he fought, he would need to draw blood to sedate his own needs, so he would not betray himself. Such things swam in his thoughts for a flickering eternity as the Supreme picked up her weapon from the floor. Looking to the weapon, Valda recognised her sword. The ebony hilt, the sickly crimson glow it emitted, this was the sword she used in battle, not in training. Its four feet of folded steel caught the sunlight and make it shine more than it had in the sky. She had never brandished this sword against him, only against their many mutual enemies along the years fighting the High Elves and the enemies of Naggaroth. To see the weapon unsheathed in front of him left a sour feeling in the back of Valda's mouth as for a moment, he heard the last gasps and screams of everyone they had fought and killed together on the field of battle. The sword had been made for her by a great sword smith in Cathay, an eternity ago when they were aiding diplomatic missions to the East on behalf of he Witch King. The sword smith had said it would outlive us all, which seemed unthinkable as he had gifted it to a Dark Elf, someone practically immortal. Reaching deeper into his memory, he recalled what the sword smith had called it; Sovereignty . Returning his gaze to his own sword, it had no name, but it was still his and it would still serve him as true as he was able.

The moment has been an eon or two, he wasn't sure as her emotionless eyes met his. He knew that look, it was the one she had adapted when she was ready to do battle. Sneering inwardly, he stepped back into a defensive posture. She adopted a similar posture. Both of them stood with their swords to their right ears, held in both hands. Another long moment passed as they broke into a tedious trot towards each other, neither eager to run too fast on the chance they would be caught off guard. It was a game of chicken between them and the first to blink would gain the immediate advantage. As he had expected, Valda blinked first, hoping to beat the Supreme to the punch. His swords reach was slightly longer than hers, as was his own reach and a moment too soon she let his sword swing behind him in both hands and brought it up in an upper slash meant to tear a normal man in half. The Supreme had stopped just outside of his reach, taking the moment that the sword missed her body to step within Valdas guard and a similar move on him. A stinging pain erupted from Valda's abdomen to his chest as a slice had been left by the Supreme. Knowing the pain would cost him his unlife, Valda ducked as the same sword arc led into a second movement designed to use the momentum to bring off his head as the Supreme swung around on the spot with her sword at the level of his neck. Retracting his own sword to his right hip with both hands, he thrust forward in a stab aimed for her torso. Nimbly, the Supreme sidestepping to her own right and brought the butt of her sword down into the ducked head of Valda. For a hazing second, his vision blurred, his instinct brought his sword into a magnificent arc above his head with a single hand, catching the point of it in the other side. The pain of his own sword was necessary though as the Supreme's immediate move after trying the butt was a straight executioner style swing downwards aimed at crashing his skull in half. As their swords clashed together, the force of the blow brought him down to one knee. Immediately using this to his advantage, Valda sprang from the knee, forcing the Supremes sword out of his way and down to her side with one hand and in a second he span on the spot and delivered a swift thrust kick to her sternum. Grating her heels in, she stopped three feet after the kick and nodded at Valda. She showed no signs of the obvious pain that such a powerful kick out give any person, living or otherwise. Instead, a whisper escaped her lips.

”You ARE learning…”

Ignoring the comment, Valda adopted a more openly offensive posture now, holding his sword as if it were a fencing sword. His sword held one handed in front of him as his body adopted an almost star like quality to it, his front leg bent slightly more than his back. His left arm and hand were bent to look as if it was holding up the sky. It was a posture designed for grace and smiling, the Supreme adopted almost the exact same posture, except her left hand was holding her sword behind her head while her right hand almost goaded Valda to approach her. He recalled her saying that this was the sort of posture a sea pirate would adopt if he had a clue and any subtlety. Hopping lightly, Valda let his wrist curl clockwise, in a pirouette designed merely as a cosmetic slice, but also to gauge the guard of his opponent. He knew it would be crucial. As he did so, he found the wrist on his sword arm grabbed and twisted awkwardly as the Supreme made him drop his weapon. As she stabbed towards his chest with her sword, he used the awkwardness of the grip on his hand to leap into the air in a strikingly bold move that caught the Supreme by surprise. Too surprised to retract her sword from where it had been previously as Valda grabbed her wrist and squeezed so she let go of her sword. Twisting her body into combat with his, she used the strength of his grip along with her own body weight, to force Valda complete head over torso onto his back with a loud slump. Leaping onto his chest double foot, she span on the spot and attempted to finish with a drop kick using gravity and force for maximum effect. This failed miserably as Valda rolled aside and attempted to sweep her off her feet with his right leg. This was anticipated as the Supreme leapt backwards once more. The same sweeping movement was carried through and brought Valda back to his feet. Turning to the Supreme running at him, Valda caught a stiff punch to the gut and an uppercut to the jaw that sent him reeling. The right footed kick which followed through was caught and with a vicious spin that saw Valda release and sent the Supreme airborne into a nearby tree. The resulting crash brought the tree down upon the Supreme.

Walking to the debris, Valda looked down to where the Supreme had been and for an instant thought that the fight was over and let a sigh of relief leave him. It was a ridiculous mistake on his part as he turned into a brutal kick to the jaw. Landing arched over the tree, he felt completely helpless as the Supreme pressed his head between her thighs and began relentlessly punching him in the face. Each punch brought back a memory of a time gone by as Valda’s face became more akin to the face of Morrslieb. Regaining his senses again, Valda stood completely, still being punched, the Supremes thigh strength holding her onto his neck. Doing an about-face he slammed the Supreme into the tree, yet she still would not let go. Rolling backward, Valda had to fall forward and onto his back once more as she did not relent. Grabbing furiously around him, Valda’s martial art skill was gone as he managed to grab hold of what felt like a branch and hit the Supreme across the side of the head of it, finally knocking her off him. Standing, he groggily tried to defend the flurry of blows from the Supreme as he feebly let them all land. Staggering backwards gradually, he tripped on the Supremes sword and stumbled backwards onto his back. He regained more of his senses as he stood to one knee. The Supreme launched herself into a running speed at him, all he felt was that the end was at hand. The Supreme pulled her fist back ready for a massive blow. As she ran and let the punch hit Valda in the face, he fell back, knowing that it was finally over. Looking up hazed, he saw the form of Sovereignty protruding from her chest in a grotesque manner. Standing to his feet, he leaned forward and grabbed the hilt of the sword once more as he had done in the split second between her running and punching him. It seemed like a cowardly move in retrospect but it was one she should have expected, he knew that and she knew that. Staggering sluggishly, she grabbed his shoulders and drew herself more on to the sword more and leant in to his ear, her words finally weakened.

”There’s my final lesson you for…” She spat a mouthful of blood onto the ground ”…Everything can change…it all changes in a moment…”

Tears began to stream down Valda’s face as he realised what he was hearing. These were her final words as he felt her blood leaking around his feet. He had not wanted this at all. Nothing of the horror of Nagashizzar

”…The world is better with people like you in it. People who understand there’s more than what is before their eyes…You…appreciate, the long game…a game we can always win…” The blood began to come out of her mouth as Valda sobbed. ”Now, come, grant my peace.” Valda lingered for a moment not wanting to finish her. As if sensing it, she squeezed his shoulders and looked deeply into his eyes, each seeing the overwhelming emotion of the moment in each other faces as it drowned out the smell of blood. His eye’s not wanting to lose the moment, her eyes wanting him to do what had to be done. He whispered his final words to her, softly, like he had when he was truly alive and not a monster. She smiled weakly for a moment. Regretfully, remorsefully, Valda twisted the sword and withdrew it from her body. Her body stuttered as her final words escaped her lips. Soft and filled with emotion, it was the first time he had ever heard true emotion in her voice.

”Thank you.”

Falling backwards, the Supremes body fell perfectly as the last of her blood flowed away and her life was gone. Valda fell to his knee’s, dropping the sword as he did so and wept. He tears cleansed the blood of the Supreme from his face as he felt human again. The sky had turned from twilight orange to the colour of blood as the weather seemed to stop silent in respect of the warrior who had just fallen. The Supremes blood had stained the nearby lake and it danced across the surface like the pain in the place that had the remains of Valda’s soul.. Nothing could be heard in the meadow except the lonely cry of Amadeus Valda. Shaking the tears away, he walked to the lifeless vessel that was the Supreme and leant down to her head, closing her eyes. There was a ritual for moments like these and he knew what had to be done.

Gathering wood from the fallen tree, dirt from the ground and grass where they had fought, he constructed a funeral pyre for the greatest warrior that would ever live. Arranging her body so that she would forever hold her sword over her heart, Valda flicked a small bolt of magical energy into the pyre and set it alight. The blaze erupted as the ash flew across the Crimson sky, Valda stood and watched the remnants of his friend, his mentor, his one true love burn into nothing as the wind returned, carrying the ashes around the air, as if to let the world know that they had lost one of their best. For hours it burned and for hours, Valda stared into the blaze, contemplated what needed to be done next. The longest game of his life was about to begin and this marked the beginning of something for him. He knew that to mourn her was a mockery of her memory and that she would want him to continue on as he always had. He needed to make sure that the long game he had started was finished and that he won, of that he was sure.

As the final embers began to die out and only scorched grass remained, Valda looked to the ash and ember and there, in it, stood the sword that had killed her; Sovereignty. It had not burned with her body and her ashes. Picking it up, to mark the place of her final resting place, the sword began to change in his hand. Confused, Valda watched the sword and felt its weight and length become exactly as he would have desired any sword. It changed to suit him. Taking this as a sign that the sword needed to outlive the Supreme as the sword smith had said, Valda instead used his own sword to mark the place of the Supremes death and sheathed Sovereignty onto his side. A sharp gust of air carried some more ashes away to reveal a glistened red gem. She had worn it and to leave such a thing here was an invitation for thieves. Picking it up and dusting it off, there was not a single blemish on it. As if by instinct, he placed the jewel around his neck and tucked it under his armour. It burned for a second then soothed him as a great peace swept over Valda. These were her final gifts to him, a sign that finally, it was he who reigned Supreme.

---

(( Trying to balance out that last post had me confused on so many levels. I wanted to get over both the technical aspects of the fight and leave it open enough for the next 'set' of instalments. I have to admit, I did feel quite sad writing this. ))

 

[Disciple of Nagash]

RE: The Chronicles of the House of Valda

:'(

That was great Voltaire, a superb post that did the Supreme justice. I loved it as MGS3 is my favourite out of all the series, and the emotion portrayed then has been brought over to this story perfectly.

 

[Belladamma Voltaire]

RE: The Chronicles of the House of Valda

Bit of a summary of loose ends left here:

1) How Valda got the Claw of Nagash before The Vampire Council events.
2) Who Kastellan Weir of the Covent of the Necromancer is - Valda never faced him (The Blood Dragon Ra'en refers to in their fight on the lake)
3) Where Phear and Phobos went.
4) How Ra'en became one of the Forgotten Warriors.
5) How does the 'Long Game' begin.

Well, since I really do enjoy writing about ole Amadeus Valda, and there's a lot of character development left for him and his actual past, I'm going to be doing another 'set' of chapters. I have lovingly entitled the first set here 'Survival', the next set are going to be called 'Conquest'. I have plans to do at least two more sets of these, and one possibly set after TVC. I do, however need DoN to ok something for me...

And since I'm a stickler for a good introduction, you'll get part one of the 'Conquest' set later tonight.

 

[Kaladas Harkon]

RE: The Chronicles of the House of Valda

:'(

Might as well call it "Subsistence" and get it over with.

Good description of the fight, I've always tried to do the same in my stories; unfortunately it generally ends up with two pages describing six seconds of the fight.

Ooooh, now he's got the Patriot!

And Ra'en became one of the Forgotten Warriors 'cause he idolized Valda's creator! Wait.... nah... getting my MGS's mixed up.

 

[Disciple of Nagash]

RE: The Chronicles of the House of Valda

Kaladas, you should also check out the fights in the TVC - Chapter 25 - The Battle for Sylvania (the Duke uses CQC) and TVC - Chapter 27 - The Chase for the Crown (the fight between Arkhan and Valda)

 

[Belladamma Voltaire]

Disco of Nagash, can you or another mod lock this please as the second part big part begins today. I've found my creative flow again and its not MGS. Hurray!

 

[TMS]

As per your request this thread is now locked. Please let me know if you want it opened again.

[mod]Thread locked[/mod]