Ok, so i had a bit of extra time on my hands over the christmas break so i decided to piece together a small preview of the continuation on my Apophis character that i did for the GWOTG competition i was thinking on doing....still needs work but here's what i got so far.
Anubis looked down at his newest general with obvious pleasure. Apophis had the potential to be a great asset and one of the most dangerous of his pawns in his elaborate game of chess he was playing with this universe.
“That may very well be the case my child, but first you must prove yourself worthy of your place in this, my Order. At this very moment Lord Zagam has prepared something of interest to me and I consider it a fitting way to prove your prowess against it.”
Then with the barest inclination of his regal head, in the far end of the throne room a part of the wall shivered and then parted revealing a dank and eerie darkness from within. Apophis, now standing turned towards the gaping hole. Already his rage was beginning to build. His clawed fingers dug into his palms gradually drawing thick red blood from them. The slight pain was comforting; it allowed him to keep his anger in check and focus it on enhancing his powers for the fight he sensed was to come.
From deep within the walls came the sounds of something that imitated the sound of sharp metal rubbing against each other and the heavy sound of something on all fours. It sounded big, it sounded deadly, and from the guttural grunts and roars…it sounded hungry. Then with all bestial rage and brute force, a lumbering behemoth erupted from the wound in the wall. Almost instantly it began going on a rampage and tore into the first of the human slaves that ringed the crescent shaped room. Apophis’ slitted pupils dilated then refocused with mild surprise as he observed this frenzied display of unleashed slaughter.
Once again a slight gesture came from Anubis and the snarling beast was telekinetically dragged off the remaining corpse of the human and flipped around so it faced Apophis.
“Apophis this newest addition to the order, this mindless visage of all rage, hunger and pure primal savagery, will be your initiation. This is Rabid, defeat him and you will secure your place at my side. Lose, and the punishment shall be death. Do not disappoint me.”
Without so much as hesitating the head sensors on the distorted guyver like being’s head twitched forward as it sensed its newest meal in the centre of the room and immediately three thick saliva covered and viciously barbed tongues burst out from the gaping maw in the monster’s chest. Almost as fast as one could blink they had covered the mere 20 feet that separated the two combatants, and Apophis thinking quickly threw up a hasty shield and at the same time back flipped to increase the distance between him and the lashing tongues. With what looked like a mind of their own, the tongues easily slid over and around the shield and continued pursuing Apophis who through using his own telekinetic powers tore a chunk out of the living floor and hurled it towards the on rushing serpentine tongues.
Unsurprisingly the tongues quickly latched onto the living piece of the floor and just as swiftly leached the living blood from the chunk and drew it back into the waiting aperture in Rabid’s chest.
2 seconds had passed since the fight commenced.
Apophis straightened and spared a moment to glance down at the torn floor that was already welling up with blood and repairing itself. Then looking at Rabid he allowed the previous seconds of the fight to replay in his head as he went through bit by bit of the fight, his reactions as well as Rabid’s and could only come up with the conclusion that this being was not to be trifled with. If he wasn’t careful it would not take much to lose a few limbs and even more so…his very life. With a gesture of aristocratic elegance, Apophis flicked his shoulder length raven hair from his face and focused all his attention to the task at hand. His eyes narrowed slightly as the snarling beast began to pace back and forth, black ichor running down its ruined face and its limbs onto the floor. Apophis’ lips slowly curled upwards as he began concentrating and drawing on his available power. His teeth clenched tightly with the effort as he could feel the dark blood now enhanced with those of a lycanlord, pulse through his body. Corded veins began a spider web like effect over his arms and body as it began to initiate the change in him.
Anubis knew his creation was capable of a much swifter transformation but knew Apophis wanted to prolong this display of power and show that he was superior to anything or anyone to his Lord, and so he kept Rabid at bay.
The muscles along Apophis’ body began to bulge and expand as zoalord and lycanlord energies flooded through them. A seem appeared in his skull between his eyes as his Zoacrystal appeared. Bones began splitting apart, becoming more dense, increasing in number and lengthening. The still humanoid enhanced zoalord threw his head skyward and his roar of rage and pure exhilaration in his growing power reverberated through the palace. Dark energy began swirling around him as his body continued to mutate and strengthen. Reaching his arms upwards crystals began forming along his body and resonate along with the glowing Zoacrystal in his forehead. His flesh pealed off his body and then began to thicken into much harder substance that would be his bodily armor. Then a blinding light exploded from him as Apophis completed his zoalord transformation. Not much difference from his previous zoalord body incarnation but with the added bestial visage and he was now dark red with black accents. With a sinister chuckle the master zoalord telekinetically grabbed the snarling Rabid who had not a moment before been released by Anubis and attempted to slam him into the far wall.
Rabid reacted by instinct and his blast field exploded around him, allowing him to break free of the grip and launched himself skyward and at the same time rapidly firing his laser orbs at Apophis which only annoyed him as they slammed into his body and easily absorbed by his heat resistant skin. With a quick burst of speed Apophis launched himself forward activating his bio-blades along his arms and claws as he intended to rend this abomination limb from limb. Once again Rabid launched his serpentine tongues at the rushing warrior. Apophis was placed on defense again as he tore up the surrounding flesh from the walls and floor and psionically threw them at the rushing limbs. Not to be thwarted of his prey Rabid grabbed up these chunks and drew them into himself.
A brief smile flashed across Apophis’ face as he wondered how stupid this beast must be to fall for the same trick twice. With another burst of speed he weaved between the on rushing living pieces of flesh and drew his arm back to impale the slobbering monster on his blades when to his horror he was greeted by even more of the slithering tongues erupting forth from the gaping hole in Rabid’s chest with their barbs anxious to dig into his flesh.
With a yell of surprise Apophis threw his arms up to protect his face and ultimately his zoacrystal. Instinct saved him as his bio- blades erupted from his body and began to resonate at the same time he quickly threw up a psionic shield even as the invading tongues began to slither around him and he could feel the added pressure and they began a constricting crush, all the while drawing him back towards Rabid intent on zoalord flesh. Already Apophis could feel his hastily erected shield began to buckle, he could only strengthen his shields through energy pulses and between each pulse the tongues only tightened their hold and he began to suspect that their barbs would soon adapt to his blades resonance and inject their venom in him.
Blind rage gripped him as he realized his imminent death and failure to his Lord and master, Anubis.
“NO!! I shall be the left hand of the dark god; I will not be defeated by the likes of YOUUU!!!
With that declaration of defiance, Apophis reached out for more power and a blast field exploded out from his body. The tongues gripping him in their deathly embrace blew apart in large chunks and Rabid let out an unearthly screech as he drew the remnants of his limbs into him even as they began to swiftly regenerate. A red bloody haze filled the beast’s vision as its rage and hunger began to consume him. His prey stood before him taunting him in a new armored form.
“You’re a fast learner.”
Apophis wasting no time began launching gravity bullets as fast as he could while causing them to expand into full fledged gravity balls as they approached their target. Rabid countered by throwing out a multitude of his tongues and lashing at the gravity balls as they came close to him. With a howl he jumped towards Apophis propelled by his rage and his gravity orb. Activating his vibrational blades, Apophis engaged in hand to hand to tongue combat with the maddened behemoth. It took the entirety of his skills to block the slashing claws and at the same time throwing up a shield strong enough to escape the poison barbs.
Within the confined space of the throne room, neither combatant could use the full extent of their powers, Apophis teleported from the melee to the edge of the court in order to reassess his options. Rabid allowed him no such reprieve as it roared and fired off its tongues again. Apophis responded by running directly towards them. The first tongue he faded to the left and hacked it off and continued his run. One of the tongues was careening right at his face and without an effortless leap he jumped over the tongue and front flipped, landing on the fleshy surface and ran up its length while charging two gravity balls on either side of him ready to ram it down the grisly throat of the being before him. So intent was he on his objective that he failed to register the warning his wyvern unit screamed at him of the third tongue that had curved behind him and speeding its way towards his back. Seconds later Apophis felt a piercing pain in his back and an immediate drop in his power levels.
“Wha..what is this?!”
Already he could see his body wasting away before his eyes. Not a moment too soon his bio blades activated and severed the tongue’s link with his body and Apophis quickly retreated to the far end of the room firing weakened gravity bullets to aid his escape. However, the damage had been done. The behemoth’s poison had already invaded his bio systems. With the poison barbs removed the progress of the poisoned was slowed but not halted completely. Focusing inward, Apophis used his vast mental powers to actively command his cells and molecular structures to fight against the infection. He knew that act would severely reduce his effectiveness in battle but it was the only option available to him. A roar from across the room quickly drew his attention back to the fight and then he was hit in rapid succession by three gravity balls; one nearly severing his right leg from his hip, the other tearing out a huge chunk in his side and the third blowing apart his lower right arm leaving only a bloody stump from the elbow up.
Apophis dropped to his knees as his wyvern unit deactivated having used up his remaining energy reserves to complete its task of healing the damages wrought by the gravity balls. Rabid roared again and fired another and Apophis managed to throw up his hand to catch the attack. The intense energies began to blister and burn the palm of his hand as in his weakened state he was barely able to keep up with the still rampaging monster. Within moments the pressure cannon like blast began to eat away at his flesh and Apophis was forced to summon whatever strength he could to divert it away from him and sent it crashing into the walls beside him. Sensing its prey was somewhat powerless, Rabid began to advance on his prize until he felt a constricting pressure around his neck that also spread down his shoulders and held him forcefully in place. Lord Anubis had arisen and had his hand pointed towards the now inert beast holding him fast in with his psionic power. Apophis still struggling with his poisoned body raised his eyes upward and beheld the face of his master.
“My…master..I..I’m not finished ye…”
With a look Anubis silenced him.
“You have failed me fallen one. You do not deserve to be at my side, your position will instead be filled by Rabid. Be gone from my sight, only with your death shall you now please me.”