A Dark Beginning

[Teki]

[Ghirahim]
[Abandoned Temple]
[ Lord Ghirahim ]

“GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!”

A loud, metallic scream rang out through the ruins of the abandoned temple, echoing back to a tall black-skinned creature hunched over holding his own head.

“How could this be possible?! It’s ridiculous! Unthinkable!”

Fury seeped from every syllable as Ghirahim shuddered, his body almost unable to handle the sheer amount of rage. Nothing was right; he was awake, yet he was alone! That could only mean the worst of things. Last he recalled, he was being transformed into his blade form by his glorious master after he had risen, yet here he was, in some... room somewhere, utterly alone! That could only mean that that cursed hero had somehow managed to defeat Demise!

“No, no, no, impossible! How could he have failed?! .....AAAAUUUUUGH!”

Ghirahim, teeth grit and glaring, turned and slammed the side of his obsidian fist into the wall, the force causing the piled stone wall to crack and dust to fall from the entire ceiling. In a movement so swift and so smooth it was nearly the same, he turned to the pristine corpse of a man sprawled beneath him. “How could that damned hero win?! It was my lord Demise! Was he weak from fighting too soon?!” For a moment, the demon’s furor calmed, and his expression faded to pain and anguish as he admitted what he already knew, “How could my lord be dead...?” The demon stared at the man, as if expecting an answer, but in only seconds, Ghirahim’s rage returned.

“HUMANS!”

With another roar of rage, Ghirahim threw his hand up, and the corpse of the very man that attempted to wield him flew up, nearly hitting the ceiling, and Ghirahim jumped just an inch off the ground to slam his leg into the hollow man’s back, causing a resounding, sickening crack, sending it flying so fast that an even louder, sicker noise as it impacted the wall, collapsing in an inhumanly twisted lump.

“You humans should have cowered! Ran! Crawled into some hole in a vain attempt to survive!”

As he continued to rage, this time at a woman slumped against the wall, he threw his arms about dramatically.

“How could one, ONE human defeat myself, let alone my lord?!”

Ghirahim slumped, his upper body nearly perpendicular with the ground, stepping away from the temple innards towards the light of the evening sun, his metallic feet clunking each time. “All that work,” he said, anguish in his voice, “All of the planning, all of the magic, all of the work, all of the sacrifices... all of it was for nothing.”

Stepping out of the temple, the coal-colored demon lifted his body up, catching view of a village in the distance. It was far, little more than a dot in the distance, but that insignificant view made his fury build again. He could not see a single entity in the village, but he could just feel the humans in it walking around like insects. It made his skin crawl. Filthy, disgusting creatures... taking away everything he ever worked for, everything he ever believed in.... Ghirahim’s fists shook in anger, and finally, he got an idea, a resolve.

“Humans... a disgusting, annoying plague. I will end them all!”

With a wave of his arm, Ghirahim disappeared with a puff of black and white diamonds. And instantly, Ghirahim appeared on the outskirts of the village, and with the new vantage point, easily teleported into the middle of the village, within the festival grounds, where no humans were for 15 feet at least. His blank white eyes surveyed the area as he growled softly, barely audible to even those that would be next to him.

[Maelys Knight]

[Keine]
[Random Village #42]

---

What a peaceful day, the crops swaying gently in the breeze, the sun sending down it's rays to nurture them. It was a great time to be a farmer. Down in the village, the townsfolk were preparing for a harvest festival, setting up tents and stalls. The whole village was abuzz with activity as everyone helped pitch in for the upcoming celebration.

"Hey neighbor!" Keine was pulled out of his daze by a fellow farmer, Evin, who owned the fields beside his. "Oh, hey. Looks like today turned out really nice. Hopefully it'll be the same tomorrow." Evin chuckled. "Heh, yeah, but even if it does rain tomorrow, well thats why we reinforced the tents!" The rains had come suddenly and nearly ruined last years harvest festival, so this year tents were erected and strengthened just in case.

Many believed it to be an ill omen, coming from the demon temple on the horizon. Nobody set foot in that place, not after the last group who entered it ended up dying of an unknown sickness. Ever since then, people have migrated away from the village out of fear of the cursed grounds, while most stayed, either refusing the superstitions or standing true to the farmlands of their forefathers. Then some still actually worship the sword that rests within, believing it to be the second coming of Grima, though they do so at a distance, for even they fear the sword's demonic presence.

Soon enough, though, the entire village would find they should have listened to those who fled... Suddenly, an entity made itself known in the center of the festival grounds, at first going unnoticed, but slowly acquiring attention as villagers began to turn to see. A lively town center slowly quieted down as everyone was perplexed by this new individual. His expression was.not a good one, this person was clearly angry, but at what nobody knew.

All of a sudden, one of the villagers spoke up. "It... it's him! Master Grima has returned to us! He has returned to cast the world into darkness once more!" Though invisible to most, the demonic presence given off by the newcomer was visible to a select few, the masters of Dark magic, former members of the Grimleal. Amidst the outcry of the dark priest, many villagers, having heard of the fell dragon Grima, found themselves frightened by this notion that such an evil being walked among them.

Others, however, knelt down and began bowing to the newcomer, believing him to be an incarnation of their dark master. "Our lives belong to you, Grima..."

[Teki]

[Ghirahim]
[Random Village #42]
[ Lord Ghirahim ]

Much to Ghirahim’s surprise, several of the people before him bowed to him in worship. He was so surprised, even, that he briefly forgot his anger. He was an individual much suited for worship, after all, and for the briefest of moments, he reconsidered taking his anger out on them. But this only lasted as a flash in his mind; these creatures, these worms bowing before him or looking on him with fear, were to blame for the death of his master, a demon far more suited to worship than them.

A soft, metallic growl escaped his throat as he stood there, fists shaking slightly, until he finally threw a hand up, snapping his fingers. With that, pillars of orange-yellow light fell from the sky as the sun’s light began to dim, and nearly as soon as they impacted around the entire circumference of the village, a barrier, filled with many diamond shapes, appeared not only between them, but above them as well, encapsulating the village in an orange translucent dome.

“I am not Grima!”

His voice rang out within the confines of the dome, loud, authoritative, and thick with anger.

“I am Lord Ghirahim, and my anger knows no limits! Disgusting creatures like you caused the death of my lord, and I will make sure you all pay! I will make you suffer, I will show you true despair as I joyfully snuff out each of your lives without mercy!”

[ Ghirahim’s Unbridled Fury ]

Just then, the black beast snapped his fingers yet again, summoning two sizable daggers in front of him, spinning and hovering ominously in front of him. Then, he continued, “I could kill you all within moments, but I won’t. I will savor every scream, I will savor your attempts to flee for your lives, I will savor hunting you down and ending your lives!”

With each of his words, he threw his hands about in anger, but now he stood straight, and deciding to really hammer his promise home, to really terrorize them, he threw his hand out towards the target he had scanned for in the crowd: an adorable – by human standards – little girl, blond and innocent. She was his first victim, his blades flying out and, before most would be able to react, hit her in the face and the chest, killing her instantly before the blades disappeared in a puff of red diamonds.

[Maelys Knight]

[Entire Village]

---

For a startling moment, the priest's composure was broken by the sudden thunderous boom of pillars lashing into the ground. He gazed up at the sky as it became orange, reminiscent of the desert skies of Plegia. But it wasn't exactly similar. There appeared to be crossed diamonds in the sky, upon which he realized this diamond pattern surrounded the entire village. In all instances, it appeared to be a barrier of sorts.

"I am not Grima!"

“I am Lord Ghirahim, and my anger knows no limits! Disgusting creatures like you caused the death of my lord, and I will make sure you all pay! I will make you suffer, I will show you true despair as I joyfully snuff out each of your lives without mercy!”

The demom certainly wasn't kidding about being angry. But if he wasn't Grima... Apparently his masters death was the reason for his anger. The priest had heard of legends about a direct descendant of the Divine Dragon Naga, perhaps this was a true descendant of Grima? Humans had killed their lord and master, it was rightful rage that Grima's son would take a similar name and seek to avenge the Fell Dragon.

"Lord Girahim, our lives belong to you!"

But after his display, after Girahim's threat, some of the Grimleal were hesitant. They had gone on so long without their master that notions of sacrificing themselves to a lord were fading away, and.some.of them would cling to life as they would brandish their tomes out of fear, backing away from the evil demon. "I... I don't want to die... No!"

But it had already begun. “I could kill you all within moments, but I won’t. I will savor every scream, I will savor your attempts to flee for your lives, I will savor hunting you down and ending your lives!” A moment later, a young girl would wander into the crowd, searching for her father. But her search woule end without warning as the next thing she would see is black, eternal darkness as the daggers pierced her heart and brain.

From somewhere in the crowd originated a scream, and just like that the whole village was running away from the demon, panicking in terror. A large number of men ran for the guard barracks to fight back, not knowing that it wouldn't make a difference.

[Teki]

[Ghirahim]
[Random Village #42]
[ Ghirahim’s Unbridled Fury ]

One kill, one young life snuffed out far before its prime, and the entire village was sent into a panicked frenzy, and just like that, Ghirahim was suddenly in a much better mood. A chuckle came out of his throat, one of malice and intent, as he threw his arms into the air. The screams, the sounds of people tripping over their own fear, the yells of those begging to live....

“Truly it is a symphony! Hahahahaha!”

Ghirahim’s long tongue slipped out of his mouth as he licked his lips in excitement, and as soon as he did, he disappeared in black and white diamonds. When he reappeared, he was in front of the priest that was bowing down to him. His expression was once again one of displeasure. This man did not run, he did not scream, he did not even stand. Annoying. Boring.

Oh well.

Ghirahim lifted his foot and slammed it down onto the priest’s head, giving him a swift and painless end, though making the view of his corpse bloody and... incomplete. A devious chuckle escaped the demon’s throat as he stood, watching the humans scatter and run for their lives and for their defense. It was a beautiful sight with beautiful sounds, and yet, somehow, something was missing...

The demon strode forth, casually smacking away those that gave him their lives, ignoring the wonderful cracks their bones made as his metallic arms smacked against their heads. “What is missing?” he wondered aloud, his eyes narrowed in thought. It wasn’t until he killed the few that willingly offered themselves that he finally exclaimed, “Ah! Of course!”

Laughing softly, he snapped his fingers, forming an orange orb in his hand and throwing it high into the air, causing it to explode in a burst of orange and black diamonds, raining on the tents and houses of the village and, within moments, set them aflame as the demon threw his arms up in delight.

“A touch of fire is just what this symphony needs!”

[Teki]

[Ghirahim]
[Random Village #42]
[ Ghirahim’s Unbridled Fury ]

The metallic cackles of a demon echoed out in the village, joining the screams of the dying and terrified alike. Ghirahim was letting his fury out patiently, almost calmly; his footsteps made gentle clangs against the pavement as he outright strolled amongst the chaos that was unfolding. He watched as some of the desperate humans fled from him, some dropping their attempts to save their housings as the fires spread just to avoid death striding towards them.

He sauntered towards the town center, relishing the screams, before he suddenly disappeared in a puff of black and white diamonds. Almost instantaneously after, he reappeared in front of the mass of fearful humans. He roared, throwing his arms up almost comically, and the foremost of the crowd screamed, scrambling to suddenly turn away from him and forcing the others to do the same. Ghirahim teleported again, this time reappearing in the very direction the crowd was running; he did this twice more, laughing as he herded them into a group before appearing in the middle, a red glow hanging around his hands for a mere moment, just long enough to the closest of the humans to notice him, before slamming them on the ground, a red and white diamond pattern forming quickly on the ground, turning into a floor that suddenly rose up, putting most of the humans on their knees or prone, while some even fell off. When it rose high enough, Ghirahim made it disappear, making the humans fall, following it with a burst of speed and slamming into the ground in an aura of darkness and force, causing an explosion and sending all of the poor souls away to their deaths, or at least injured enough to cause some more delicious screams.

The black demon laughed as he stood back up, but it was interrupted by a blast of wind against his back. He was hurt little, and it only slightly knocked him off balance, but nevertheless it got his attention. Ghirahim chuckled as he slowly turned around, stating confidently, “And here I thought this massacre would be boring!” The human girl, a brown-haired one with long hair and tattered clothing, looked at him defiantly. “I will not stand idly by as you destroy our village!”

As she yelled this, the humans that clamored to get their defenses started to form something distantly resembling the best militia a small village could make; and the results amused the demon. Even a cursory glance showed that their blades and armor were poor quality; not even steel, just iron, and in fact, it was almost a wonder things weren’t rusty! It was so funny that his bad mood had all but disappeared! Ghirahim laughed again, this time much more loudly, as he licked his lips audibly and snapped his fingers, summoning his black fencing sword in midair and snatching it.

“You seem to not understand how eclipsed you are... allow me to show you!”

[Teki]

[Ghirahim]
[Random Village #42]
[ Ghirahim’s Demonic Amusement ]

Ghirahim stood absolutely still, smiling, fangs visible, as he waited. He could see the sweat forming on the men’s brows as they tried oh so futilely to gather courage. Archers struggled to pull arrows out of their quivers and sword hands trembled as he merely stood, exuding an aura of darkness and evil, visible only just beyond his body, but able to be felt much farther. Even that girl, that brown-haired sorceress, trembled in his wake, even though she still held onto her book with determination.

In fact, he was reminded of that sky child, the one that defeated him time and again. Almost. His anger did not even bubble; that child was an exception, as he had wielded a blade forged by the goddess... these people had no such thing. Even their magic was as weak as a lovely breeze. Mindless slaughter was fun... but when they put up a fight, even against all odds... THAT was fun.

Ghirahim suddenly flicked his tongue against his lips, and the terrified humans flinched. A man, completely covered in armor, suddenly yelled, “F-Fire!”. Their fear worked against him, and with the panicked order, the archers pulled their strings back and fired at the black demon. He, however, disappeared in an instant, leaving the arrows to stick into the ground, and just to taunt the humans, he reappeared in the exact same spot with a haughty laugh.

“F-Fire again!”

This time, he neglected to teleport, even as the girl threw another spell; instead, he simply stood, laughing, as the arrows bounced off of him and the spell dissipated against his chest. “How does it feel,” he boasted, “to see your death ignore your best defenses?!” Again he disappeared, and the humans looked around to try to find him, but even though the sorceress girl saw him, it was too late; he was already falling from the sky with a broadsword nearly his entire height and half his width, slamming into the ground just behind the group of archers and ‘warriors’, letting loose a black explosion that send them all flying away from each other.