The Second Crater (finished)

The beaches of Honolulu were calm and surreen. Tourists lined the surf, playing in the waves as they crash with soft murmurs on the summer sand. Storm clouds were gathering in the distance, though they likely wouldn't reach the mainland for hours yet. If one person were to strain their ears, they would here a slight rumble beneath the crashing of the waves, regular as a heartbeat. As the minutes passed it grew louder, sounding almost like...marching. Slowly the gore-smeared skulls of countless people emerged from the waves. Strange black blooded tendrils joined each bone like ligaments, forcing their movements to jerk, almost like puppets on a string. The army of Nebun had arrived, right million strong.

Ooc: Alright guys, Blivy and I talked, so this is going to be my last "Destroy the city!" Type thread for the next little while, but I will be finishing this one up first, so unless someone responds I will just be sure to destroy Hawaii quickly. Besides, drstroying cities is getting kinda old-hat anyway. Hail Hydra.

The army had already surrounded the entire island, boxing it in. The forests had been set on fire and they were waiting for the groups of screaming people to run out and spring their trap, building still more numbers for the collective organic mass that was Nebun's army. He had already begun sending out his enormous black branches as well, ready to engulf the island in a manner much like Shanghai. Of course, in truth this attack was only worth it for the publicity; Hawaii only has a little over 1 million people.

(OOC: I intend to join, gimme a bit, though.)

(ooc:never mind, won't be able to post today, go ahead)

The air seemed to spark in front of him, then literally tore open. Sylas stepped out, battleaxe over both shoulders, his arms wrapped around it. "Hello Nebun. You're looking well since Shanghai." The rift closed, and Sylas immediately jumped back into the air, hovering for a moment. "I thought we could have a little chat. After that, if you want to fight, well... Good luck catching me."

Nebun turns to him "Chat? Sylas , my dear, this is not the norm for you." He looks around at the destruction "Did you like what I did with Shanghai after I left? Now there is room for a pool." He gestures to his army "and the people are much happier now too."

Sylas started walking around on the air, pursing his lips. "You... Confuse me. Confuse us. I favor your destruction, he simply wants to talk to you. You cause a dilemma. Normally, I would've come to fight you, but I was otherwise convinced." He looked to Nebun, no malice but simply curiosity in his eyes. "Why Nebun? What's the end game? Even if you become a Kishin, and march on Death City... You're outmatched by Lord Death. Even if you become a kishin, you will never understand your abilities the way he understands his, not without centuries of practice. You must know that you'll die in that fight."

Nettie frowned, "Don't you see what he's done so far? What more he's capable of? My brother and I have faced more demons than Death himself could conjure. And we emerged victorious! You know nothing. Nebun takes what is his because he fought through hell to simply stand on his own. Whatever he takes now, he takes because by sheer force of will, he has earned it."

Nebun turns, looking rather smug "Have you not stopped to think that each time I gain power, Death loses some? Each experience I gain, death forgets?" He savors the thought "death may be immortal, but age withers the mind of even a shinigami. He has not swung his scythe in 15 years, and it had been hundreds before that. He is rusty, and that hit he took from Asura hasn't done him any favors." He paces closer to Sylas "I attacked your academy dead-on and not so much as a teacher confronted me, let alone death. He can't take care of his people anymore."
Nebun retreats slightly, his fervor dying down as he considered Sylas's question. His expression sinks from cocky to...almost sad. "What is my motivation you ask?" His face grows cold, like he was hardening himself "quite frankly Sylas, I'm not going to tell you." The all-to familiar black walls begin their slow path around Hawaii. "Why should I? How does it matter?"

Sylas continued to pace, seemingly oblivious to what was happening. "You're arrogant to assume he's lost his touch. You waltzed into the Academy, yes. But you created a powerful adversary through your own actions. You were promptly exiled. We are Death's arms, not just his weapons. He sends us where we're needed, and intervenes if he can." He stopped his pacing, staring up at the sky. "And you're not the only threat we have to contend with. You're not even the closest. Were Glaucon not so close the Death City, we would have mobilized to stop you."

Nebun looks confused "You death scythes are supposed to be better informed than that Sylas, I was not exiled, I left. Working for Reaver as I recall, but he soon began caring more about some witch than his own cause, which led to a drop in the flow of souls. Soon I left him as it was no longer profitable to stay." He seems amused at the mention of Glaucon "He has caused no more destruction than I did when I lived there, and the only reason he has possession of the black blood is because of me as well, yet you still deemed him the greater threat? Ha!" He comes close to Sylas "Lord Death's job is to protect the people, but instead of stopping the slaughter of 13 million people in Shanghai, you turned tale and ran to save a few dozen in death city. Their blood is on your hands as much as it is on mine!" He chuckles a bit, hand placed to his temple "I can hear them you know. It's always been a power of mine, though it grants me no benefit. I can hear the voices of all those who I've killed, and I can feel the loss as each person in Shanghai saw you run away from them." His eyes grow bright with glee "But don't worry Sylas, they're much happier serving me now!"

Sylas looked at him, malice suddenly filling his eyes. "I could end your army right now, Nebun. I could throw them into the sun. The only reason I don't is because unless you die as well it would be pointless. You would raise another army, and the cycle would begin again. No, this can't end here..."

Nebun looks unimpressed, the lights going out as the walls grow high enough to block the sun "Yes, yes, and I would only raise more cities, I get it. What do you want? Peace? A cease fire? To run away again? Spit it out, I have an island to consume."

Sylas closed his eyes, exhaling an icy breath. His tone shifted when he spoke again, hands clenching around his axe. "I've come... To deliver a warning. Whatever you gain here, whatever new heights of power you come to... It will crumble around you into dust. You... You are a base creature. Pathetic to the extreme. A bug to be squashed with nothing short of the most extreme prejudice." He swung his axe from his shoulder, pointing it at Nebun. "However far you get, you will be vanquished. Of that, from experience, I can assure you."

Nebun could no longer contain his laughter, and it quickly began spewing from his face, nearly bringing him to tears. "You-chuckling-you came here just to insult me? That has got to be the most pathetic thing I have ever heard! The mighty death scythe, realizing his inability to win, spits at the oncoming storm, expecting something to change!" He finally manages to stand "You know, I'm almost tempted to attack death city now that you've said all that, but I have another idea. Would you really object if I told you the kishin egg named inker is my next target?"

Sylas's voice shifted back to normal. "I'd congratulate you on being a proper Sith and exterminating your competition, but then again, this isn't Star Wars."

Nebun's grin widens "so the question remains: if I attack Inker, will you try and stop me?" the black walls have nearly met at the top and the forest fires die down as the last trees are consumed.

Sylas started pacing again, starting to glow slightly, providing his own light. "Honestly? No. I'm at odds with him. I'm at odds with you. It benefits me to let you kill each other first. And then have you kill Glaucon. And when you finally reach Death City, your army a pale spectre of its former self... Then the game will end."

Nettie snorted a laugh, "This, what you see before you, is an army that cannot be vanquished. You chop down a dead man, what is to stop Nebun from simply raising him again? You are a fool."

"She's right you know. Once inker is dead, i can even take control of his constructs, and Glaucon's too. In fact, by the time both of them are dead, my forces will have doubled most likely, and of course there are many towns on the way..." Nebun exits the top of the dome, using the black blood to provide the 3 of them a platform. once they were beyond the dome and hovering overtop the water, nebun holds his hand up, signaling that he was ready to crush the city. " anything you would like to say before i kill these ones to? perhaps an 'im sorry' would be appropriate."

Sylas raised a brow, opting to hover instead of stand on one of Nebun's platforms. "Sorry won't stop anything. If you're trying to make me feel guilty, you can stop. I don't believe I'm capable of guilt after all the things I've done."

"Oh, going with the whole scarred hero thing? How cliche. Very well." He says with a shrug, casually closing his fist and crushing Hawai'i, along with all 1 million people inside, but this time Nebun only squeezed it to a ball roughly the diameter of a few football fields. A few of his soldiers ventured into an aperture at the top, collecting as many souls as possible and converting the corpses of those who had been smashed up inside.

Sylas looked down below, smiling a bit. "You missed a few. Wonderful things, distractions. You got most of them, but Death and I saved roughly 100,000 with our portals. A small victory, and a large defeat. But the war goes on."

"Sylas, you misunderstand my goals, though that is to be expected since I won't tell you what they are. It was never about killing people; there was no victory or defeat, just what happened and what didn't." He looks over his shoulder "You have stated your purpose, why do you linger here?"

Sylas offered only a shrug. "I've no answer that you will understand. Equal parts curiosity and confusion. Emotions I do not understand."