Long Game 14: To Shatter a Shard

[Kipper]

But how exactly am I voting for myself?

If you really don't know, I suggest you read D1.

[A Joe in the Bush]

 

If you vote for me and don't retract it, I'll count it as a vote for yourself.

[Haelbarde]

Query, what happens if the GM votes for himself, and no one else votes? What if some one changes someone's vote to the GM?

[A Joe in the Bush]

I would applaud their audacity, then put the vote on them.

[Haelbarde]

So their target would get changed to themselves?

[phattemer]

Hello! I am back and will be subscribed to this topic now. Why do people think I have a Shard?

[Clanky]

It's good to have you back. As to why people think you have a shard no idea.

 

Do you have any opinions or suspicions to add?

[nicocoberru]

This:

 

 

Danstar didn’t react when Dominion died. He hadn’t reacted when Maw rose from the dead, or when Devotion had been killed. He didn’t particularly care about any of that. As long as they stayed away from him, he didn’t see any point in getting involved. Very few things were worth a reaction.

 

Having his throat slit was one of them though.

 

It was fast, one minute he was watching them deal with Dominion, the next he was bleeding out. He tried to staunch the flow of blood from his neck, but whoever had killed him grabbed his arms and forced them away, letting his lifeblood drain away. The last thing he head was Exisa’s voice muttering to himself.

 

“Kill Dan, check. Now to impersonate him.”

 

 

Alvron was Lynched! He was Dominion! Endowment now holds Dominion.

Danstar was Inactive! His identity has been given to Phattemer!

 

 

And according to the rules:

 

If a player with a Shard goes inactive, the player will lose their shard, and Endowment gets to choose a new Shardholder. This shard is not shattered, and can still invest. This rule is to prevent inactives from wasting shards. Inactivity is judged by the Spec/Dead doc. If enough players in the Spec/Dead doc say that a player is inactive, I will send the Inactive player a PM, telling them they have One turn to prove their activity. This can be done by either taking an action, making a post, or showing me your analysis of the game. (And if the post is along the lines of, ‘yo, I’m not inactive’ it doesn’t count.)

[phattemer]

Ah. I was made the resident pinch hitter, but I will neither confirm nor deny that I am a Shard.

[Clanky]

That rule is for passing shards from an inactive to a different player already in the game. It isn't about pinch hitting which is what Phat did.

Edited September 23, 2015 by Clanky

[little wilson]

Please note that Haelbarde and I will be live-posting the sing-off/duel that had been promised. If you could refrain from posting until Haelbarde’s last post, that would be appreciated

Wilkin was done with this. All of it. The drama with this Heatherlocke, and what the man had done to not only Wilkin’s loved ones but also the Seventeenth Shard as a whole. It was despicable. And he was putting an end to it right now. He found Hal just outside of Kae. He advanced toward the man, but stopped short, feeling the Hatred flowing from Hal, the Investiture no longer suppressed. An unseen band struck the chords of

, and Wilkin started singing.

“Hal, at last, we see each other plain. ‘The Lord of Hate’. You’ll soon have no more reign.”

He forced himself to continue toward Hal, pushing through the Hate. Wilkin was Life. He needed to put an end to anything that endangered him and his Intent.

[Haelbarde]

Hal threw out his arm, sending a shockwave of dark energy towards Wilkin, causing him to stop in his tracks. Not now… too much still to do. He couldn’t have this little man messing things up now. Rather than leaping into an attack, he tried reason instead.

 

“Before you take another step, Wilkin. Before you strike me down in cold revenge. Listen to me! There is something I must do.”

 

He saw confusion flash through his opponents eyes. He’d shrugged off the effects of the pulse, but held his ground. That’s something, I guess.

 

“This is the Heatherlockes first role of note. This is my only chance to shine. In Edrab’s name, one week is all I need.”

 

One week, and all this would be over. He just needed that time… He Hated not having enough of it. He continued on.

“Then I’ll be done, I pledge my word. Then I’ll be done…”

[little wilson]

Wilkin glared at Hal. How dare he invoke Edrab’s name. No morals. Wilkin knew he shouldn’t be surprised. He knew he shouldn’t feel anger over that, but he did. The anger--the hate--was there, and he couldn’t restrain himself any longer. He may not have any weapon--horrible lack of foresight there, but Wilkin was Cultivation, not Caution or Insight--but he wanted to beat the man until his fists were bloody. He dashed toward Hal. “You must think me mad! I’ve hunted you across the ‘verse. A man like you can never change. A man...such as you…”

Wilkin swung his arm as he got near Hal.

[Haelbarde]

When Wilkin began dashing towards him mid sentence, a white hot fury rose within him. Though Hate had overpowered so much of what he had been before, it had not yet made him a liar. His word still meant something. Even after all Wilkin had done in opposing him, he had not truly wished him dead, out of respect for his family. That was until that moment. Now Wilkin had to die.

 

As Wilkin barrelled forwards, Hal shed his Physical form, allowing the man to pass right through him, stumbling when encountering no resistance. He instantly reformed, Blade in hand, his arm twirling around to try and take the man's head off in the opening moments of the duel. Fortunately for the man, his stumble had turned into a graceful roll which took him out of arm's reach. The first volley spent, the duel began in earnest. As they circled, he tried to explain his position to Wilkin.

 

“Believe of me what you will, there is an Intent that I’m drawn to do.”

 

Why couldn’t the silly little man understand that this burden had been forced upon him.

Edited September 23, 2015 by Haelbarde

[little wilson]

Wilkin came out of his roll and turned, eyes widening at the Blade. Panic started to set in, ebbing the anger slightly. He had nothing. No defense. Except...that wasn’t quite true. He was Cultivation. He had Cultivation. His own Blade formed, and he fell into the forms he had learned. “Men like me can never change. Men like you can never change.”

Wilkin swung his Blade toward Hal’s midsection, but the man dodged and parried the blow. “No, Lord Odium. My duty’s to the world; yours is to hate.”

[Haelbarde]

He couldn’t believe this. Wilkin truly believed that being the holder of Odium was not even worthy of consideration in determining his guilt, that Hal would have made choices no different had life not conspired against him.

 

“You care nothing for my life, all I want is to Survive.” His voice was bitter as he continued on, fending off another attack from Wilkin, before morphing his Blade into a halberd after briefly considering the form of a glaive, like his uncle Ableah’s weapon, Discord. He decided the halberd would give him better reach.

 

“Odium was forced on me, but you would sooner see me dead.”

 

And that was the truth of it. Wilkin’s mind was made up. There was nothing he could do to persuade him. But he did not want to die today, would not die.

 

“But not before I see this evening through.”

Edited September 23, 2015 by Haelbarde

[little wilson]

Wilkin circled, eying the halberd warily. He’d need to be even more careful, or he’d soon find himself impaled or worse. He only had to last until the others arrived. Just a little longer. And then he’d see Hal taken to justice. Wilkin just wished he would be more….reasonable.

Couldn’t Hal see the strife and trouble he’d caused? Couldn’t he see that he wasn’t helping anyone? He was causing so much pain, and ending so much life. Hal had to see it. And Wilkin had to stop it. There was nothing else for him to do. “Come with me, Hal Heatherlocke. Now the wheel has turned around. Odium means nothing now.”

[Haelbarde]

So he wants me to come with him, does he? So that ‘justice’ can be achieved. Hal knew he’d not receive anything remotely resembling a fair trial. It’d be an excuse for them to pool their power so that they could contain or remove him. So instead, Hal figured they’d fight here, where he had no one coming to help him to fight. He was on his own, with no friends. Maybe Hal could get him to give up his Shard. Otherwise, the man would have to die.

 

“I am warning you, Wilkin. I’m the stronger Shard by far.” And this was most certainly true. The others had frivolously Invested wherever they went, diluting their power. He, on the other, had all of his.

 

He grinned.

“There is power in me yet, you’ve still got time to run.”

[little wilson]

Wilkin scowled. Hal was still trying to insinuate that he was Survival. “Dare you talk to me of life, and the price you have to pay?!” Wilkin was Cultivation. He was Life. He knew Life. Hal was not it. Hal did not deserve it. “Your intent is just to Hate; that’s the path you chose to take!”

If Hal wanted to survive so badly, he should let others have a similar choice, but no! All Hal could think about was Hate and sowing discord amongst the Shards. All he could do was kill. If that was the only Fate he’d allow Wilkin and the other Shards, that’s the only Fate he would find. You reap what you sow, after all. Hal was simply reaping the Hatred he’d inflicted. He’d find no life so long as he continued down this path.

[Haelbarde]

And yet he still stood before him defiant, hating upon the Lord of Hate. He would give him one last warning.

 

“I am warning you, Wilkin. There is nothing I won’t dare. If I have to kill you here, I’ll do what must be done!"

Edited September 23, 2015 by Haelbarde

[little wilson]

Wilkin scoffed. He would never run. Not from such a lowly Shard as this. One who could only Hate. Hate was such a meaningless, trivial emotion. So powerless. All Hate did was compromise one’s ability to think rationally. Hate made you less of a person. It was nothing compared to Life. “You know nothing of Wilkin. I Intend to see things grow; I Intend to see life on. I know life better than you.” Life had power. Sure, Hate consumed everything in its wake, but that didn’t make it powerful. Eventually, it would consume itself. But Life. To create--to grow--that was power.

The other Shards appeared then, and Wilkin was reminded about their true power. Preservation. Endowment. Dominion. Honour. Ruin. All powerful. Far, far more powerful than Odium. Hate. Hal could threaten all he wanted, but Wilkin knew who held the true power. Pure and raw. And it wasn’t Hal, the lowliest of the Shards. It was here. In Wilkin’s group. All of them, together.

[Haelbarde]

Now flanked by allies, he could see Wilkin become more confident. He was reigning in his emotions, and his strikes became more focused. Hal knew .”that his was no longer a fight he could win with ease. He needed to retreat, and finish this another day. As Wilkin brought his blade down with a mighty overhand swing, Hal let Odium dissipate, and lastclapped Wilkin’s attack. As Wilkin struggled intently on bringing the blade closer to Hal’s head, Hal was able taunt his opponent with some final words.

 

“And this I swear to you right here,”

 

As it dawned on Wilkin what was about to happen, he pushed with renewed effort, forcing Hal to truly strain to keep the blade from budging. The man spat at him. “There is no place for you to hide.”

 

Hal let his teeth show as he smiled widely at this. He thinks I’m going to hide? I’ve a nice surprise for him, then.

 

“Your life is forfeit going on.” Hal wanted it clear that this fight was not over. It would be fought again and again, until one of them utterly perished.

 

Wilkin pulled with renewed effort. Hal’s arms were shaking now. Wilkin narrowed his eyes. “Even if you give Hate away,” he began. Hal felt his grip slipping and shed his physical form, flowing backwards about 10 meters, as Wilkin’s Blade slammed into the ground. Hal rematerialized, now in a crouch, looking ready to run. It was time to go.

 

He spoke softly, while Wilkin’s was talking. “And when Hate returns again.”

 

Wilkins flew forward, his blade aimed right at Hal’s heart. As if they were reading each other's minds, they spoke in unision. “I swear to you…”. Hal shifted to Shadesmar. I will end you, he finished his sentiment. Back on Sel, Wilkin unknowingly echoed his foe.

 

This battle was over, but they both knew they would meet again. And next time, one of them would die.

 

And that's a wrap. Thanks for reading!

Edited September 23, 2015 by Haelbarde

[Mailliw73]

*applause*

[TheMightyLopen]

Bravo! That was great! It kinda makes me want to watch Les Miserables again, since I've only seen the new one. 

[A Joe in the Bush]

3 minutes until rollover.

 

EDIT: Also, the New Turn will probably be up within two minutes or so of rollover.

Edited September 23, 2015 by The Only Joe