A Friendly Game of Chess Between Rivals
By
Dante,
Posted on: 2006-07-13 10:20 in Multi-Media Fan Creations
Loved it. Good writing Dante!
Good read, tension was great and you had me intriged the whole way through.
Your new sig had me laughing on my chair though! haha!
He he he, mine's fortunate enough to have a whole SG as his arch nemsis 
Kinslayer was my original CoH toon, a fire/dev blaster who was abanodned after just a few months(though I kept the name held with a placeholder). When I saw fire/thermal corruptors and CoV, there was only ever one choice for my first villain
In the early days of Paragon Citys super hero boom, one of the pioneers of super powered justice rose like a raging inferno. From the slums of Kings Row to the up market residences of Founders Falls, the albino fireball Kinslayer became a name to be feared.
Cool and intense, it was the albino who drew together some of todays greatest heroes in the form of Thief Taker, 19, Rock Solid Dude and Dinomite to form the hero academy, New Blood Foundation and the supergroup that would go on to be known as the New Blood Rebellion.
As these intrepid warriors tore a swathe through all who preyed on the weak, the albino seemed to become more and more disillusioned. His control of his powers was soon outstripped by his fellow heroes and he was forced to rely more and more on them to carry him in battles against their many foes. As bitterness and jealousy slowly wormed its way into his soul, Kinslayers previously cool and calm detachment from his emotions was gradually replaced by ice cold ruthlessness when dispatching his enemies.
As his friends grew increasingly concerned, they journeyed to the Council stronghold of Striga and it is here that disaster struck. Investigating possible Kheldian connections within the Council for the hero known as Moonfire, the heroes where overwhelmed by the vampires and wolves. Forced to retreat, Kinslayers bitterness and jealousy came to the fore and as his friends tried to escape, the albino threw himself recklessly into the oncoming mass of enemies, desperate to overcome his recent weaknesses.
Hurling fire all around him in a rage, his friends tried to rescue him but were unable to do so. As a distraught Thief Taker was forcibly dragged from the battle scene by his team mates, the last that was seen of the albino was his battered torso being shredded by the claws of one of the Councils dreaded war wolves.
As the New Bloods mourned the demise of their leader, some dealt with it in different ways. Dinomite and Rock Solid Dude buried their grief and continued to fight injustice wherever it was encountered, building the New Bloods in to one on of Paragon Citys greatest forces for good. 19, rocked by the death, took a sabbatical to allow him to deal with his emotions and has since returned to the fold, stronger than ever.
Thief Taker, the original founder of the New Bloods along with Kinslayer, took the death very badly and faded from public sight, a broken man.
One Year Later
Unknown to the New Bloods, the story does not end there. In awe of the destructive forces unleashed by the albino avenger, Archon Burkholder ordered the corpse passed over to the Council scientists with express instructions to unlock his powers. Patching up the battered corpse, the undead vampires used their knowledge of life beyond death to call Kinslayer back from death and restored him to a cursed existence of living death.
However, the vampires had miscalculated and as a semblance of existence returned to him, Kinslayer revived in a rage. His powers seemingly stronger than ever, the albino scoured the lab in a consuming inferno and escaped the volcano stronghold. Stowing away on a smuggler's ferry, Kinslayer went into a near catatonic state, his body shivering with uncontrollable cold. As the smugglers approached the Rogue Isles, a lone crewman discovered their uninvited guest. Summoning powers unknown to him and clearly a side effect of his return from death, Kinslayer used his innate control of heat to draw every last drop of warmth from his victim, infusing himself with strength.
Fleeing the craft, Kinslayer found himself on the shores of Mercy Isle and secreted himself away among the wretched inhabitants there. Stretching his new-found abilities to the fullest, he found that he needed to draw life and heat from living beings to maintain his existence and fuel his own powers of fiery destruction, the ecstasy he experienced when doing this was beyond anything he had known. Intoxicated by the taste of power and revenge, Kinslayers future was clear
He would take life as he required it and use his powers for one thing and one thing only
The destruction of the New Bloods!
Personality
The albino is a tragic tale of how jealousy and bitterness can poison even the most noble of people. While much of what has happened to him may be a direct result of the councils experiment, there is no denying that Kinslayer was already heading in the wrong direction. Kinslayer is as cruel and cold as it gets with no respect for anyone, completely emotionless and happy to betray whoever it takes for him to get what he wants. While his abilities allow him to greatly aid his allies in combat, he has no qualms about turning those powers on any who disobey him and his overriding concern is to destroy the New Blood Rebellion on his way to ruling the Rogue Isles and beyond. He sees all around him as little more than cattle for him to feed on in order to maintain his won existence.
XD, that was great, Dante.
nicely done, very nicely done.
Don't ask me about joining Honourable United, I'm lazy. Ask Captain Cathode.
http://www.onthejazz.co.uk/honu/
"If I had a punch, I would so hit that guy." - Millenium (because drinking nail varnish remover is for real men)
Inspired by a question on the main board as to who your heros nemesis would be, my chronic altitis caused me to create a villain opposite for all of my heroes. Fortunately, most of them have been culled now but one or two remain and the following is a by-product of a possible meeting between my main and his adversary in the time honoured (and incredibly clichéd) tradition of a chess match. Please feel free to leave feedback, its always appreciated.
----------------------------------------------------------
Somewhere, a long time ago, a hand reached across a chess board and moved its bishop forward. The hand in question was old and knarled and the chess board ornate and beautifully inlaid, the pieces carved from finest ivory and rosewood. The bishop, so gracefully positioned in its new place lasted approximately ten seconds before it was removed by a younger, better manicured hand and replaced by one of the rosewood knights.
You git, said the owner of the wrinkled hand, taking a sip from the glass of coffee sat next to the board. There was a sigh of contentment from the opposite side as the offensive player sat back in his chair.
You wanted to play this damned game, came his voice.
I havent the faintest clue why, replied the first person. I just thought that it was the type of thing that we do. Drink coffee and make stupid allegories out of our lives using the medium of chess.
Type of thing we do? came the response, mimicking the first man, As in heroes and villains? Where on earth is it written that we have to sit down and play chess like civilised men? Ive read most works of the human hand and Ive never come across it.
So youre a hero now are you? asked the first person with some humour. When did that happen pray tell?
Havent a clue, said he of the manicured hands, I think it might have been 1564, bar brawl in Spain. I was hit with a rather large bottle of gin because I asked a man to apologise to the landlords daughter. I seem to remember fighting for others after that point. In fact, surely that means that I should be playing with the white pieces?
Im not about to start the whole damned thing over again! came the angry response from the other person in frustration.
Ok, just asking, said the other person, mollified. You happy being a villain?
The first person stretched out their wrinkled hand and moved one of their pawns into a sacrificial position.
Well, life is more fun without a conscience to bother you, was the considered response. A sudden thought struck him. Does this mean that I have to develop a maniacal laugh and wear lots of black?
A shrug was his opponents response.
I dont know, said his voice. I thought I was the one that wore most black out of the pair of us.
And the armies, continued the first person, am I going to have to raise an army of the undead to fight you ?
The second person leapt out of his chair and drawing a short rapier, thrust it through the chest of the first person, piercing cloth, flesh, bone and finally the chair as it was driven through his body. The victim gave a strangled cry as the thin blade bit deeply, pinning him to the antique furniture. The second person stood back, admiring his work. It didnt surprise him when his target raised his head and glared at him.
Now that was just rude! stated the man as he started to remove the sword from his chest. The second man leaned in and thrust the sword back in, this time right up to its hilt. More blood leaked from the mouth of the first as it sunk into him.
That, said the second man, pausing for effect, was to remind you that I am a killer. And that I will end you without compunction should I ever find you interfering with humanity again, chess match or no chess match.
His threat delivered, he spun on his heel and headed for the door, polished leather shoes clicking their way to the exit.
Youre rather violent for a hero arent you? said the man in the chair, staring after him. Theyre never going to make an action figure out of you, you know.
The man stopped at the door and glanced over his shoulder.
Erebus my old friend, he said, If I can have my way, they are never even going to know that I exist.
And then he was gone. The old man sat back in the chair, oblivious to the sabre sticking from his chest. He reached out and took one of the pieces from his absent opponents ranks, knocking it over with his knight.
Oh my dear Dante, he muttered, considering the piece hed picked up, always making the same mistake. Always leaving your queen exposed.
Then he sat back in his chair and quietly died. Once again.
FIN
@Dante EU - Union Roleplayer and Altisis Victim
The Militia: Union RP Supergroup - www.themilitia.org.uk