SSJRuss Posted April 9 Read Aloud Posted April 9 QUEST FOR THE DARK GRIMOIRE PART FIVE There are moments, traveler, when a man stands at the edge of greatness. And there are moments when that same man steps forward— not into greatness… —but into madness. Dr. Victor Frankenstein stood alone in the ruin he had left behind. The chambers of Castle Frankenstein was quiet now. The echoes of battle had faded and the corpse of his creation lay still. Despite all the Dark Grimoire had shown him, it wasn't enough to save his monster. He held the book in his hands, watching as though it pulsed. It called to him, even now. Even after failure? What was this? Hunger? Victor’s fingers trembled as he turned its pages. Ink shifted beneath the pages, his eyes glazing over the symbols as they rearranged themselves. The book was teaching him—no, guiding him. “No… not guiding,” he whispered, his voice cracking with awe. “Revealing.” Each turn of the page whispered back to him. Not in words, but in visions. Visions of worlds that lay beyond. Endless monsters. Magic. Heroes. Truth. All of fiction could be made manifest and bend to his will. He could see A a land of fabric and whimsy, a battlefield drowned in steel and war— Endless worlds for him to explore. To learn. "This book... will be my guide." Victor’s eyes widened, pupils shrinking to pinpricks as something inside him began to fracture as he realized every moment he'd gone wrong. “I was a fool,” he muttered. “A man playing at creation… stitching flesh and calling it life.” This time, the Grimoire truly pulsed. His reflection shimmered faintly in its darkened page—not quite his own anymore. His eyes glowed like that of the ink. He could now see the ancient language. “I see it now,” he said. “Life is not made. It is shaped. Malformed and broken and hurting. Like the world we know, it yearns to be whole." The shadows around him twisted. Victor raised his hand. "What else is a doctor to do... but heal it." Reality tore. BLACK MARSH — TAMRIEL Heat. Humidity. The thick, choking breath of a living swamp. Victor inhaled deep and stumbled out of the portal, boots sinking into damp earth as the world around him came into focus. It was unlike anything he'd seen. A new world before his eyes. The air was alive with insects, the distant croak of unknown creatures echoing through the dense canopy above. Before him stood a city. It was too large to be a primitive village. Built of twisted wood and stone ages older than the ones that built his castle, the structures rose out of the marsh like something grown rather than constructed. Towers leaned like crooked teeth, walkways wound like roots, and the entire place seemed to breathe with the land itself. A murky sign read BLACKROSE. Victor stared. How could he not? “…Another world,” he whispered, reverence bleeding into obsession. Just as the Dark Grimoire had promised. The Grimoire pulsed again as the dark energy leaked from the open pages, tumbling like an overfilled wineglass into the wetland. Ripples spread through the water like it was tasting a new world for the first time. But then, movement. Figures emerged. Scaled forms rising from the marsh, their eyes fixed on the stranger. They were like privative-man, dressed with spears and hand drawn weapons in clawed hands. They moved deliberately. Predatory. One stepped forward, taller than the rest, adorned with bone and carved adornments that marked him as something more than a simple guard. “You do not belong here, dryskin.” Victor didn’t respond immediately. He was staring at them. Studying them. Eyes flicking across their forms, their posture. “…Remarkable,” he breathed. “Adaptive. Organic symmetry. A people shaped by their environment rather than confined by it…” The tall leader narrowed his eyes. “You carry something unnatural,” he said. “We can feel it and it is unwelcome.” Others hissed in agreement. “The Hist does not know you,” another added. “That thing you hold… it poisons our roots.” Victor looked down at the Grimoire. For a moment he wondered... were they right? Should any one thing be so powerful as to shape reality? Who was he to— The doubt vanished. “You fear what you do not understand,” Victor said, realizing he almost made another error. Another wrong. Not again. “That is the way of lesser minds.” He was determined to help them. Shape them. Victor to see their bows drawn tighter now. The leader stepped forward. “No,” he said. “We know what this is. A sickness." The swamp grew still. “You will leave this place,” the Argonian said firmly. “Or you will be buried in it.” Victor smiled, as the book in his hand reassured him. “Buried?” he echoed. “No… no, you just don't understand. But we can help you.” Victor turned the page and the air split open. A dark tear formed above him, swirling with violent energy—unstable, violent, hungry. “What have you done?” one of the warriors hissed. But Victor didn’t respond. He only stared upward. Watching. Waiting. “…Let us test this world,” he said softly. Something moved inside the tear. Then they came. A flood of wings burst through the portal—black shapes screeching into the humid air, a storm of leathery bodies and razor teeth. The sound alone was enough to shatter the stillness of the city. Bats. Thousands of them. They poured into the sky, circling wildly before diving toward the warriors and the city beyond. The Argonians reacted instantly. “Defend Blackrose!” the leader roared. “Shut it down! Stop them!” Spears were raised. Arrows loosed at the dangerous horde. The leader pointed his weapon at Frankenstein. “You will answer for this.” Victor finally met his gaze. “Answer?” he said. “No… I believe I’ll be asking the questions now.” Above them, two more portals opened. Thousands more bats poured through. A living storm that immediately split the Argonian group. For them, one thing was clear. Stop the swarm, close the book, and kill this man. Before it was too late. Quote
Callisto Posted April 9 Read Aloud Posted April 9 Learn More About Argonians (Elder Scrolls) Read more about Argonians (Elder Scrolls) at Wikipedia Official Site: Bethesda Softworks Links: Wikipedia Bats (1999 Film) Read more about Bats (1999 Film) at Wikipedia Official Site: Destination Films/Sony Picture Links: Wikipedia Quote
SSJRuss Posted April 11 Author Read Aloud Posted April 11 I'll admit I have never even seen the movie the bats are from, but I wasn't really competent pitting Dr. Frankenstein against a whole race of people with weapons and magic. Without context of the story, it looked like a stomp. All of that said, I would say if the bats are able to overrun and kill all of the argonians in the city of Black Rose, then I'd consider it a win for them. I also like the fact that this is a first official match for either combatant. Quote
Boratz Posted April 11 Read Aloud Posted April 11 It's cool to see the Bats used. I remember the movie when I was a kid and remember enjoying it at the time Quote
Venom 2009 Posted April 11 Read Aloud Posted April 11 Nice to see the Bats in action. I really don't know anything about the Argonians. The Bats could win since they got the number advantage on their side. Quote
JohnnyChany Posted April 13 Read Aloud Posted April 13 Nice setup. I've also never seen the Bats movie. Need to look it up. Quote
Mercenaryblade Posted April 14 Read Aloud Posted April 14 Great set up SSJ! I'm pulling for the Argonians 1 Quote
SSJRuss Posted April 14 Author Read Aloud Posted April 14 Thanks for the comments and votes, everyone. I think I'm leaning toward the Argonians for a long term win, but with heavy casualties. Quote
Callisto Posted April 15 Read Aloud Posted April 15 Match Final Results Member Ratings:5.00 - Mercenaryblade 4.70 - JohnnyChany 5.00 - Venom 2009 FPA Calculation:3 Total Votes cast 14.70 Total Combined Score 14.70 / 3 = 4.90 Final Rating on the match MATCH SCORE Argonians (Elder Scrolls): 4Bats (1999 Film): 3 Quote
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