Tallus the Barbarien pt2

[chimera0010]

Tallus headed on his way to Zemura. Unfortunetly he had to go a long ways to reach this place. On the way there he had to take a boat to the Island of Balgast. The dark hand knew of his mission, and took every meassure to stop him. For this they hired merceneries and pirates. It was money well spent for Tallus was stranded on the island, his armor gone from the tides. He kept his sword in his firm grip, and decided to try and find away off the island itself.

He followed the jungle roads, greeted by his persuers he delt with them in accord. His sword cleaved through bone and flesh, his muscled bulging with every impact. They wore no armor, so killing them was simple. Their captains however where more difficult, using armor and great swords. It was a mere question of time for Tallus waited forthe right moment before he cleaved their heads open.

He traveled on his way, only to find captive women. He would ravage them, but he had no time to waste, he merely let them go. He continued on his way cleaving and leaving a blood trail behind him, using the great swords of the captains like meat cleavers, bodies where hewn in half, he felt no fatigue in his limbs, this was merely a morning's run. But as he traveled, he soon met up with an old friend. Akana, the amazon queen.

She and Tallus conversed, he needed a ship and she needed her crew. So the bargain was made, he set out in the small prison camp by the water fall. Bodies strung every where from the carnage, those who tried to match him with muscle where snaped like twigs. Their spined snaped across the railing of the rope bridge, their bodies hewn open by the swords, or twisted by the mighty arms of Tallus. The crew of Akana was freed easily enough, the enemy had numbers, but not the skill and strength to match Tallus.

Though he did free her men, the way out was hard. The coast was filled with seige engines and pirate ships. So now the next task was clear, he had to clear a path so Akana could reach the ocean. He traveled along the coast, dealing with the pirates and brigands who would slow his path. He used the seige engines, giant crossbows with explosives. He aimed them for the enemy ships, sinking them into the deep rivers so Akana could continue. He left her ship after a time, moving his way around to the end of the island to meet her.

He traveled through the enemy base. Ruins of a once proud civilization, now warped and raped by the magicks of the dark hand. He faught his way through, forcing the rusted gates open with his massive frame. He could feel his body responding, growing bigger and stronger to force the doors open long enough for him to slide through. This was where he met the leader, he had no real name, but they called him gorehammer for the mere fact he used a giant spiked hammer.

He sent in several waves of enemies, only for them to be cut down fast by Tallus. Gorehammer battled him, what a fight it was. Sword and Hammer flew through the air, muscle against muscle, brawn against skill. Tallus faught hard, dodging this way and that to avoid the idiot. He eventually grabbed him, slamming the brute's head into the hammer several times before running his sword through the lower part of the spinal column to cut the nerve endings to the brain. Seeing their leader dead, they ran, ran into the deep jungles to fight animals instead of Tallus.

On the ship, Akana explained that after he left, the mages of the black hand came to her village. their curse spread, turning brother agains brother, massive slaughter. He agreed to help her, anything to bring him one step closer to his brother and the murderers of his people. So for days they sailed to the island of Pardodice. This island was a vast desert in the middle of a jeweled ocean. It was here he would face a hard foe to conquere.

He travaled the sandy roads into the city itself. It was deserted, his only greetr was a starving desert lion. He cut it down, looking around for the enemy he continues through the streets. Moving carts out of the way he sees the city falls apart here and there, cutting off any chance of turning back the way he came. But soon he runs across a new kind of enemy. The black hand sent their acolytes from Stygia. The snake worshipers of set were not to be messed with lightly. Though skilled as they are, they were no match for the steel blade of Tallus. He cleaved them open, slamed their heads through stone walls, even flipped them around and driven them head first into the streets like poles.

He worked his way up broken pillars, along the ledges, through the streets again, taking down foes who stand in his way. The stygian cultists where fast like the snakes they worship, but like their pirate comrades, they laked skill and strength, for Tallus, speed ment nothing to him, he would cu tthem down soon enough. And he did, the sand was painted in blood, smeared along the roads that ran through the city, heads, arms, legs, torsos, he was a whirlwind of death.

He cam to a large building, forcing the iron doors open he walked inside and found himself trapped as the doors slid shut behind him. He delt with the stygian cultists inside, showing them no mercy as he would receive none in turn. BLood painted the ornate floors of what must have been a room of commerce. He worked the chains on both sides of the door, moving the gears to form a large seal in the middle. He moves down the stairs revealed through a hidded way by the seal and goes out into a large room with a iron tiger's head. Here he deals with the lions inside and works his way through a network tunnels and hall ways. His large body having trouble in some areas due to the collapse, but he keeps pressing on till he finds the one causing this curse on the land.

Akana spoke of a dragon a while back. That this dragon emitted the curse, and lurked within the sands. This would explain why the Stygian cultists where here. They worshiped this serpent as a god. He moves up the stairs, and sees a large figure move along the stained lass window. It blots out all the sunlight, and Tallus is frozen in fear. he had no idea this enemy was so large. It was a titan from ancient times long ago. He faught on, feeling the ground shake beneath him as it passed, wondering what happened he stood there amidts the dead bodies.

Moving through iron doors he found himself out on the streets again, more cultists and this time their pet tigers. He cleaved them down, trying to find the dragon, yet it seems to have hidden well for a beast so large. He contnued to search, moving along the ruins. He climbs to the rooftops, seeing the dragon for the first time in full view, movng along the ity walls. It had no wings, but four legs, so obviously it can run well. He moves along the bridges, ending up back in the room with the iron lion heads. He opens the jaw, spilling black grain into a silou of the room. Stairs rise from the ground towards the giant center head.

He moves through another door, hearing it seal up tight behind him. He climbs the walls, avoidng the torrents of black sand pouring in from where the dragon treds. It seems he is getting closer to luring the beast into a fight. Stygians and tigers again, in bigger rooms with more puzzels to solve. Tallus moves through the underparts of the city, trying to find the dragon by following the enemies and the quakes. Back in the lion room again he opens the third head, revealing more steps to the middle head. Going up the steps he forces the mouth open. Veins bulding with his muscles, skin turning red as he forced te hinges open so he can proceed on through.

He faces the stygians, but is shocked by the horror as the dragon emerges from behind the walls and devours his enemies. It roars as a challange to Tallus, and he eagerly accepts. He picks up a second sword, and charges at full speed into the dragon, rolling this way and that to avoid its teeth and claws. Fighting in a narrow hallway proved to his advantage for the dragon had limited movement. He plunges his sword into the nose bridge of the dragon, riding it around in the air as it thrashes about wildly to shake him off. He lands on the rooftop, and keeps runing along the ledge as the dragon continues to try and devour him and smash him into the rubble.

Now trapped on a roof top he battles the dragon again. The dragon has more room now, so now Tallus must dodge faster and use his sword skills wiseley in order to stay alive. This time he worries move about the mouth because it has full movement to attack in any direction. He swings around onto the back of its neck and jams his sword into its neck. The dragon thrashs about, tossing him through the wall into a building. Tallus recovers and runs down the hallway as he fights of more stygian cultists in the front as the dragon comes from behind. He climbs the scaffolding making it to the roof.

The scaffolding collapses as he jumps from platformto platform, making another stand off on another small roof. Hiding behind a pillar he avoids the needles shot by the tail. Its had slams down, making him lose one sword. He fights as fast as he can, his muscle streigning to keep up hsi speed as he aims for the soft underside of the dragon's mouth. The beast is stunned, and he climbs up a very tall pillar to get high above the dragon while its recovering. Its tail strikes the tower,makign it fall into another tower that holds together better. Tallus wastes no time and climbs higher up the rock wall as the dragon soon begins to follow. He reaches the top and keeps moving up along ramps and ledges till he can find more stable ground to fight on.

He reaches the top, and starts hacking into the beast, punching its head with his massive fist and arm to stun it. While its dazed he moves to the left of it and starts hacking up the scaffloding before it recovers. He moves back around, avoidng flaming breath an barbed tongue as he stuns the beast again. He moves over to the revealed pillar and starts striking it hard with his muscular legs. He kicks it free, revealing the tower was a statue and he just broke off an arm with a busted sword into the ground below.

He starts hacking into the beast, stunning it one more time and readies it so its right over the broken arm. THis time he goes right and starts cranking the pully, taking time out to stun the dragon with more head shots. he continues to crank with all his might, hi sbiceps seeming to be on the berge of exploding as he cranks the rope up some more. He raises a large boulder up and preps it for swigning.

Tallus jumps in the air as the dragon comes in for a suprise snap of its jaws. He lands on the boulder and swings it free into the dragon. It falls over ontot he sword. IT tries to pull free but the rope snaps and the boulder falls on top of it, crushing it further. Tallus sees the beast dead and moves through the gaping wall in the city to meet up with Akana. The city and her people are lost. She decides to join Tallus on his mission of vengence. This time the reach the continent and take the waste land roads of Stygia in order to get to Zemura. No doubt the black hand will be angry that their favorite pet is now dead.

[msman]

Awasome story a bit chopy though.