The Thirst for Revenge

"I would like him to accompany Dante, Lucian, Galan and his companions. They seem to be on the edge of the catastrophe's as they happen. Not to mention the importance Dante plays to the future. He is loyal and obedient and a great fighter, it would be an honor to the Mei Kong, the Showgun and myself Lord Raquil." Jeric Windstar said presenting a young Showgun Knight. "His name is Greyson Pierce." Lord Raquel smiled a smile that instantly confirmed a welcoming and a friendship, "Anyone willing to fight for the light on whatever battle front they may is always welcome the blessing of the Isle." Knight Pierce bows respectfully at the waste.

Dante just starred off into space. He examined a painting in Vadellya's sitting room. It was of Logar Mogath and his nobel steed, Dante couldnt' remember the name.

Why couldn't it be him? He was suppose to save all organics as it was said. He did not even know what that meant. He needed answers. He had sat down with Lord Raquel earlier today when he was promoted to Captain so he could develop his leadership, and heard the whole story but he still had questions. There had been several accounts of a dark future where mages eventually developed golemns that were self aware adn intelligent, driven by their own goals, grew so inteligent they disobeyed their creatures started replicating on their own building more. They first outproduce the other races of the world then decided to destroy them. Ruled by a Golemn named Apokolips the Isle fought as the last great hope for human, elf, dwarf, and all others. Dante was some sort of leader in this future, they called him General commander. What or how no one knew. Not even X. X had come back from the future to protect him from another Golemn sent back to kill him. X had succeeded but he was little more than an animated brick no real answers. This chair is too soft Dante stood up and looked out the window seeing a messenger from teh Carrington institute approaching.

Last time he saw one of those messengers they were part of tricking Meredith away from his protective eyes. Galan had left her in the care of Dante and Vadellya as he attended to some pressing business. She was brave and in love with Galan he remembered, he was all she talked about. Once a nobels' daughter and even married to a rich Lord in the City State of Dragon, she had nothing. Just a faithful servant good with a sword who had protected her as she ran away from home looking for Galan. Girls are stupid Dante thinks. He even crossed blades with Alan after Meredith had been tricked by the messenger from the Carrington Institute to rejoin her abusive husband. He was insistent that they return to Dragon to save her, not knowing what to do Dante tried to stop him and they went to blows, he eventually just let him go. Joephry the house servant, "A message for master Dante."

Enough of the far future or the troubled past, have to deal with the present. What could this possibly be? Dante took the scroll and openned it.

Dante, You took everything from me, I will do the same to you. You will beg for death as you see all you ever wanted stolen from you as it was me.

It was a strange letter. No signature no name, and Dante could honestly not even imagine what he could have done to anyone, all he wanted to do was go home. Not to be captain in an army or to fight Doomguard or save the world-just go home to Cyrodil.

He decided he needed a walk. He would go down to Atlanta and oversee some training of troops, maybe even cross blades. Sparing could work our his anxiety always helped him stay calm and think strange how that worked. On his way to the training yard he heard a slightly familar voice, "Dante, never expected you to descend from your flying island. Your friends will be glad you did. At least one of them." Spinning around to the voice he and X, who never left his side, see a man in a dark green cloak cowl covering his face. "What do you want? You sent the letter didn't you?" Dante demands.

"I wouldn't worry about the letter, I'd try and decide who you want to save. Vadellya is at the cliffs on insanity tied to a branch that will break any moment and send her plummeting to the her death in the waves below, or Aaron desperately holding his breath underwater in Enron waiting for death. Who is it?"

Not giving a response or even waiting for the cowled man to finish Dante teleports to the Cliffs of Insanity south of Babylon. It was a natural marvel and if Dante was not in such a hurry he'd have lost his breath to the granite cliffs that in a sheer drop plummetted from the plains of Babylon 1000 feet to a violent sea whose gigantic wave constantly beat against the wall of land as if angry.

Dante looked left and looked right, extended his dragon sense. Vadellya Yet he felt nothing. Walking as a pacing along the edge, he peered over to see the rocks breaking waves in a powerful and massive display of Possidens power. He walked to the left started to jog to cover more distance. Up over a rock formation then up a hill for a better vantage point. From that he could see the sea extend forever to the south and the rolling plain extended forever to the north but no Vadellya. She has to be here. Some madman wanted to hurt Dante and kidnapped Vadellya to do so. He didn't know why but he knew she was here somewhere. Running down the hill slope he broke into a sprint. He sprinted nearly frantic now. Where? He said she was hanging so even if she fell maybe there was something tied to something he could look for. In his desperate paniced sprint, he came across some small ruins that must have been built and forgotten. He searching them in mere seconds and nothing.

He had to admit if he was to save Aaron he would have to admit he already failed to find Vadellya. Some hero save the world can't save one person. He magically teleported to Enron, realizing that in the massive elven kingdom he had no idea where Aaron would be or even where to look. Under water could be a river, a lake, a fountain a cave, in his hurry he had left with no details. He had lost both of his friends.

"Wow I thought you would at least save one of them. You make this easier than I would have thought." Dante turned around to see the cloaked man. "You are pathetic, and more will suffer." Dante pictures in his mind Vadellya who had always been so kind to him. Aaron had been a great friend ever since their childhood. Since getting lost and feeling homesick Aaron was all he had to remind him of home. Aaron was all that was normal and comfortable in his life. Dante's knuckles turn white as he grips his katana screaming and charging the cloaked man easily blocks the blade with his own, the sheer force of the impact causing the cowl to drop back.

Between the canopy of trees small beams of light broke through and revealed a face that shocked Dante -- Alan. It was not exactly like him his hair had dark black tiger stripes and the arm holding his sword had a mark. THe sleeve dropped to his elbow revealing a small blue lightning bolt tatoo. Dante let his attention drift for just a second too long as a bolt of purple lightning springs from Alan's off hand and blows back Dante to the ground. Rolling to his feet Dante ignores the pain and chrages again. Not even lifting a sword Alan takes the blow to his chest as if Dante struck the Granite of the cliffs he had just left. Another explosion of lightning throws Dante threw the air and into a splintering oak tree. Dante forced himself out of the tree and to his feet. "What do you want?"

Alan smuggly responded, "You to suffer. You took from me the only think in my life. Its just fair that I take your life from you."

"I'm sorry about Meredith, there was nothign anyone could have done. I wanted to help you."

"Don't... Don't pretend you understand. But don't worry you will. You will understand. You'll understand when I take everything and drag you to the brink then when you ask for death I'll give it to you."

In an explosion of fire Alan was gone. In the ground where he stood, the flame had burned a symbol in the ground like an A not entirely contained in a circle.

Dante just stood there. He stood there for what must have been hours thinking about what to do. Had he let Vadellya and Aaron die? He was so angry that he just attacked did not even ask where they were. Would it have mattered? Maybe it was all a lie. This man had a twisted sense of vengenance for a crime that was not even committed against him. Dante knew one thing, he was going to need help. Lucian and Bob, Galan if he could find him. But first thing first he has to learn more, know thy enemy he was going to the Libaries on the isle to find out what that symbol meant. Perhaps that symbol was connected to the new power he had found. Something had changed. Last time they met Dante easily defeated him sword to sword but this was different, and Dante would find out why.