Fist of the Iron Ogre

[Sarah Tintagyl]

The situation was nerve-racking and as Angelika took Rhee's hand she sighed looking over her shoulder. "You don't need to protect me," she whispered to him as they started down the hillside towards the plains around Harbin. "I can protect myself just fine and if things do get worse then I'm not leaving your side. I came all this way to the north to make sure you get home safely, I'm not going to abandon that now." The Princess smiled and kissed him lightly on the cheek as they continued towards the city.

Harbin and the countryside around the city was unusually quiet, there were no enemy soldiers, no patrols, in fact even the city seemed silent as they approached the walls. This was supposed to be the capital of a new Chinese Empire but all the inhabitants seemed to have abandoned the capital even though the war was being fought far to the south. While Angelika, Rhee, Zhen, and the other Amazons contemplated this oddity, Bridgette only smiled. This was exactly how she figured it would happen. Her incantations had done their work on Yen, he was completely in her spell and primed for further experiments to harvest the True Rune. In the close proximity of his palace, however, Ming would have noticed, Ming would have felt her presence and he would come to deal with them. Harbin was a giant booby trap designed by the warlock, though she wouldn't have to worry about it, Ming would be a problem for Angelika and her Amazon ilk.

"Well don't be so surprised, your Pretender has help, Ming has been hard at work with the city."

"Ming? How?" Angelika stuttered, the situation was only getting worse.

"Obviously he thinks that there's an advantage to be gained by supporting the Pretender, Harbin isn't a city anymore, it's a fortress and we're welcome."

"This makes no sense," said Zhen as she rode next to the Princess and Rhee. "Why allow us in without putting up a fight."

"Because he'll have us where we wants us, he doesn't need an army to kill ten people. He only needs himself and what he calls up from the ground." She chuckled and looked at the gates of the city, standing open, beckoning the group forward. "This is why Princess, you need me to destroy this rebellion. This is why you need a small force and not some lumbering army. You don't win against a warlock without a trained sorceress."

"Which leaves you," said Angelika as she walked towards the gate, "I'm still not happy about this."

With a deep breath and the hair on the back of her gray neck standing up, the group entered the city.

[Triyun]

Rhee sighed, he wished now more than ever that Angelika had agreed to leave. They were now [i]willingfull[/i] walking into a trap with Bridgette Saengar, he thought to himself. Why they would make such a move blew his mind. He looked around taking in the air, it stunk with the smell of Ming's machinations. He felt the beast rune within was starting to behave strangely. The energy around there not only was strange but had a feel of deep unrelenting darkness. He no doubt knew they were here.

As they entered the city, it was abandoned, paintings of the pretender hung on open streets. Monuments to art and science in the supposed Paris of the East had been torn down. Instead now stood execution blocks. Architecture of foreign origin had been torn down, and monuments to homogeneity were being build in their place. All devotion had been turned towards the leader and the cult around him.

Rhee felt anger, he knew this before, this reminded him of Korea before the Empire. The devotion to leader over country, the destruction of the art, the humanity, any evidence of common human bonds. The pretender was another representation of a long tradition of dictators. It was a tradition that could never be allowed to rise again in Asia.

He tightened his fist, his anger was building and building. It was a subtle thing, he did not yet realize its cause. As Bridgette continued to talk, laugh arrogantly, he felt his fist rise into the air. He did not know what he was doing before he was about to strike her dead. Right before it thrust into her, he found the energy to stop.

He roared loudly, crying out, "Its... Ming..." he said as he felt the ogre start to overtake him.

Atop a nearby building the warlock looked on, cackling as he formed a spell circle below him, "It is time... to bring forth the true beast rune. Rhee and Angelika will destroy this whole city in the process." he said. His eyes fixed on Bridgette, "And her too."

As Angelika and Rhee's blood boiled with rage, out of the abandoned buildings swarms of everyday citizens charged towards them in an angry mob, wielding farm tools, crude weapons, and kitchen knives attacking the party in a mad blood frenzy. This would be the sacrifice to complete the spell, and as they did so, Rhee and Angelika would be less and less able to discern friend from foe...

[Sarah Tintagyl]

Angelika felt her body shiver as the ground started shaking underneath with the rumble of hundreds of villagers towards where they stood. The shiver was partly from the ground, but partly from a swelling in her body. She felt different, a greater sense of rage, like she had felt back at the wall. But she was trying to control herself, she wasn't trying to become a mindless beast again, she wanted to to be different than Rhee and others who had undergone the metamorphosis. Angelika stomped forward and grabbed her head in pain. "No! Make it stop!" she hollered out through Harbin and stomped forward again, making a collapsed footprint in the street.

"Princess?" Zhen turned on her horse and looked at Angelika's internal struggle, "What's going on?"

"I can't see straight Zhen!" Angelika lifted her head towards the sky and roared as she clenched her fists and felt her body surge. She roared up to the heavens and then a villager who came too close felt the full power of her fists. The unfortunate man was sent flying back into a house, only to be reduced to a pulp. She looked at Rhee who was going under the same struggle with his inner rage and smirked. "Let it loose! They think they can destroy us? We'll level this miserable city to the ground!" Roaring again, the Princess jumped into the ground, smashing men and women into the ground without any remorse or thought. The Amazon contingent, who had presented their spears for the potential last stand, looked on in awe, fear, and a tinge of jealousy of what the Princess was able to do, by herself.

For a culture of warrior women, the curse which Rhee had given to the Princess seemed to be the greatest gift ever bestowed upon a warrior...if only it could be controlled, which always seemed to be the crux of the problem. The Amazons held their ground, but away from the gray warriors, lest they be caught in the rampage.

This time, however, it would be Bridgette and not the Amazon contingent who would begin to shy away. She knew Ming could see her, but she could see him, and for as much as the True Rune's calling would effect her mind and body, she had lost that power and there was no rage that could cause the sorceress to transform. Though she had every intention of doing so once the Rune was back within her body. Instead, as the villagers began to push out of their houses and onto the streets to overtake the two warriors and the Amazons, she bolted down another alleyway. The palace would be further ahead and with her magic, cutting a path through any villager or guard who stood in her path.

With Ming in the city, the palace would be her's and walking into the vast rooms of the Pretender's abode, she finally arrived at a throne room completely darkened. Walking inside, a smirk immediately crossed her lips as she saw two red eyes pierce out of the darkness, seated on the throne.

"Tell me," she said into the darkness, "Are you a man...or a monster? Or are you a man ready to become a monster." The sorceress chuckled.

[Triyun]

As the swarm of townsfolk poured out of the buildings, Rhee had no choice but to steel himself for the drawing of their blood. He knew what was coming, he knew the lack of control they would face, the horror. But he did not want it for Angelika, "Angie know fight it, run away, I can handle myself!" he cried out, but it was too late. He could already see her fighting throwing herself against the townsfolk, her bestial nature coming out in full force.

He felt a deep sorrow seeing her succumb to the darkest nature of the beast rune, the true curse. The lack of empathy and mercy. He had seen it on the Great Wall but now he knew she felt the true unquenchable rage which it brought forth. As another group of townsfolk came towards him, blinded by their own rage he cut through them. He felt the pleasure of drawing blood, slowly his consciousness his humanity was fading away. He knew if this continued he'd lose control and become a feral beast food good.

Sniffing the air, he sought out the foul scent of Ming. It was a scent from that hospital that he could never forget. He was the cause of this, he would be how he had to end this. As he caught it, he howled into the air, before leaping off into the city, following after it, towards the rooftop upon which Ming stood.

Ming looked down as he saw the Ogre come towards him smiling he readied his defense, From the bones of the dead he slowly began incanting a new creature, a golem forged from all the body parts of the fallen in the city, a weapon of un-killable flesh. The warlock smirked as he knew no matter how powerful Rhee was, the more Angelika slew, the stronger Ming's Guardian would become.

Meanwhile in the throne room, Yen was taken back by Bridgette's sudden appearance still having not recovered from previously. He looked at her suspiciously, "So..." he began, "You are here?" he asked, his voice filled with the mixed emotions of lust and dread.

His eyes looked her over as he attempted to probe her mind, but it was still a fortress. "What is it you truly want?" he asked.

[Sarah Tintagyl]

"What I truly want?" Bridgette chuckled and walked closer to him, as she did, she gently unclasped the broach on her cloak as she revealed a much slimmer mage's robe. "What I want, is you, my dear Yen. You see, I know strength, and power, and intelligence when I see it and I see it in you. I see a new Empire rising from the ashes of the old and you will be the one to lead it." She continued to get closer, "But if you want this, you need my help. Ming is already making a mess of things, he won't last much longer and he has always failed you. Think of what I was able to do from miles away, tear your hand, heal it, strengthen you for a time just to give you a taste of my power. Think of what I can do now that we're so close."

Meanwhile Angelika could not contain herself as she tore through the villagers. Swarms of 'innocent' attackers, died by her hand and she was oblivious to the rising monster between Rhee and Ming. The Amazons saw it however and in a burst of loyalty to the greater empire, Zhen divided her force. "You four," she pointed to a fraction of the contingent, "Go and aid Rhee, do what you can to take down that monster. The rest of us need to subdue the Princess or we're all going to die."

"But commander, she'll kill us." Said one of the women.

"And so will that thing, we need to stop her to stop it, the means justify the end ladies. Now go!"

The Amazons divided up as four women went to reinforce Rhee as Zhen and three others attempted to bring down the Princess. Even when many of the villagers had run away in fear of being destroyed by the gray beast, she didn't stop her rampage against those around her. Everyone was a threat to the Princess, even the Amazons. Her strength pulverized their spears and cracked their shields. Angelika took one by the neck and threw her to the side, while swatting another warrior into the wall, before she finally reached Zhen.

"You stand in my way!" roared the Princess as she grabbed the Commander's arm, threatening to rip it from its socket.

"No," Zhen grimaced, having tried to defend herself and now falling to her knees from Angelika's pull. "Please, Princess, you have to see, if you don't stop, we're all going to die."

Then the fog cleared and Angelika could hear the roar of the golem, a monster pieced together with the corpses of the dead. She turned, looking up at the Shambler and her eyes widened and her body weakened. "No...what have I done?"

[Triyun]

Yen watched as Bridgette walked slowly over towards him, her ability to resist his mind intrigued him. Her abilities were something else. They were evidence of a power, one that perhaps give him command of the Empire. He knew that the Yuan Empire was still gathering strength from the South, and that Yen would face a formidable foe. But perhaps this one could help him overcome it... and perhaps more.

He walked up to her, "And what role will you play in this new great Empire?" he asked her as they stood face to face.

Ming cackled as he saw Angelika grieve below the slim body would slip out of her hands as it combined with the other corpses in the mess of flesh which was Ming's blood golem. The creature's many eyes were devoid of life, faces eternally transfixed in positions of terror from being slain by the two ogres. Only now, having caused irreversible destruction, was it now that he would reveal himself to the group.

Rhee had been busy, he had no noticed yet what had happened to Angelika, he cried out from his position, "He's up there!" Rhee said pointing to the warlock. Ming in that instance released a bolt of chain lightning to disable the Amazon guard, gaining in strength with each one, with Zhen the strongest being the last to have it come at her.

"Ming!" Rhee cried as he leapt up into the air towards him, only to have the golem knock him aside back down onto the ground below. Immediately a swarm of citizens came at him, pounding on him with farming tools. He slowly felt his rage build as he ripped through them.

Ming turned to Angelika, "Foolish Girl. You could have been great, you could have become powerful, but you turned your back on me those many years ago. Now I alone shall have a power no one yet had comprehended!" it was only then that he noticed amidst the chaos one distinct absence... Bridgette.

[Sarah Tintagyl]

"Empress." Bridgette said taking him by the neck and kissing him passionately on the lips.

---

Angelika looked up as the bodies created a terrible abomination heaving against Rhee, sending him back as the other Amazons thrust their spears into the fleshy monster to no avail. It advanced on them without mercy, swatting the Amazons from its path and closing in on Rhee, even Zhen was thrown hard into another building and slumped to the ground. "No!" screamed the Princess, seeing Ming yell down at her, "I never would have joined you. Only so you could use me as a pawn, just like you tried to use Rhee, like you tried to use everyone!"

She roared and focused all of her rage against him, pushing her hands into the stone sides of a building and climbing up with a terrible fierceness. Nothing would separate her from taking him down.

---

But in the palace, Bridgette could feel the power growing from the slaughter outside, it was nearly time. No matter how much Yen wanted her now, she broke the kiss and walked over to the center of the room and took his sword from his sheath. As he watched, she started drawing a circle in the ground and would wait. "In a few moments, everything will be better and you will have what you want...a way to gain your empire...I promise."

She said as her eyes glowed blue.

[Triyun]

Yen leaned in to kiss Bridgette, his mind filled with lust for the sorceress. Her power intrigued him, her foreign appearance added to an aire of mystery about her. It never crossed his mind that she could be just using him. Instead he wished to have her, then and there, ready to agree to anything. Nor did it cross his mind that she was able to put him under a spell.

As she broke the kiss, he resisted at first he was still mesmerized, not aware what she was doing in the center of the room. His eyes were transfixed on her, "Whatever you say." he said.

Rhee ran forward through the crowd, grabbing a large hammer from them. Leaping into the air he brought it down on the flesh golems head smashing it in. As he was knocked back he caught his footing, grabbing a barrel of lard, throwing it onto the golem. He then took another tossing it onto another part.

Howling, Rhee then dipped the hammer into a final vat, before placing it against a torch, lighting it a flame. Spinning around, he threw it straight into the golem lighting it ablaze. Catching the fat the flames spread quickly across its body. He leapt back towards where the Amazons were.

"Form a line and fight towards Ming... where is Angelika?" he asked.

Ming's frown at the golem being consumed in flame was quickly changed to a smirk as Angelika came towards him. His spell was nearly complete. He needed only a catalyst. He paused saying a few words as he lay a hidden glyph trap for the ogress as she ascended to the rooftop to face him.

"Oh dear." he said. Raising his hand he unleashed chains of lightning diminished in power to shoot at her luring him towards him and increasing her anger, waiting for her to stumble over the glyphs and be trapped along with her power... the final key to bringing out the true beast rune.

[Sarah Tintagyl]

Reaching the rooftop, Angelika could see Ming across the building. He was so close that she could jump over and grab him and her vision blurred with rage as she continued stomping at amazing speeds towards where he stood. Then suddenly, electrical energy shocked her body and a terrible pain shot through her very being and soul. She moaned, but her once husky voice, powered by her strength began to fade back to the feminine voice of the Imperial Princess. Her gray skin began to whiten again, her eyes went back to their murky shade of green, and her defined arms and body began to shrink back to their once slender form. The electrical storm left her screaming in pain and then when it ended, Angelika dropped to the ground, her body covered in burn marks with smoke rising from her skin.

"Uhhhggggh..."

---

"Yes!"

Bridgette chakled as the circle around her came alive with power. Ming was pulling the power of the Beast Rune out of Angelika, but with the foundation of her circle, it would put a terrible kink in his plan. It would take a host, which she had, to perform a true alchemical experiment. The rune passing from Angelika's body, across the etherial plane and through her circle, now the question was simply, would she take it back or would she use Yen for whatever else she required? Well the answer was rather clear.

"Yes!"

She screamed as the circle glowed blue around her, alchemical energy swirling around her body. Siphoning everything from the city market place into the palace and even from far away, Rhee and Ming would be able to see and hear the thunder of magic. Just a little more concentration and the Rune would be her's once again.

[Triyun]

Rhee ran towards Angelika as he heard her cry out in pain. He saw a blue glow from the rooftop as he lead the amazons on a charge through the crowd, past the burning golem, up to Ming's perch.

There he saw his beautiful Angelika, restored to what she had previously been. His heart leapt for a moment, before realizing what was happening, bolts of lightning from Ming's fingers streamed out towards her. "No!" he cried out.

Rhee pushed himself in front of them holding his arms in front of him, he took the brunt of Ming's attacks as he pressed forward towards Ming. "YOU!" he cried out in anger.

"You're about to be outgunned!" Ming said, cackling as he tried to channel the beast rune into himself. He felt himself surge with power for a moment, his skin turning blue before... "No!" he cried out. Ming knew almost immediately what had happened. "Her." he said angrily as he saw the thunder from the palace.

"This whole thing... a waste of time." he said. His white hair began to grow long, and his finger nails recede as bolts from his lightning grew stronger. The silouhettes of demons formed behind the warlock as he continued to blast away at Rhee. Rhee slowly felt himself being brought down by the jolts of lightning, the Ogre staggering forward within feet of Ming before he finally fell to the ground.

Ming looked down at him, his already gaunt figure now drained further. Removing a dagger from his hilt he raised it into the air weezing heavily. "Now to be rid of you for good!" he said as he thrust it down toward Rhee's neck...

Meanwhile in the Palace throne room, Yen slowly approached Bridgette, "What is happening my love?" the pretender asked as he attempted to place his hand on the sorceress.

[Sarah Tintagyl]

The setting looked grim for everyone, Ming seemed to have the power of Rhee and Angelika at his fingertips and the party's two power hitters were pretty much out of commission. Zhen looked around her as her Amazons staggered back towards safety, trying to escape what seemed to be inevitable defeat, she herself was injured badly, but could see enough to know that events were reaching a decisive point. For a moment it looked as though all hope was lost, Angelika was defeated and Ming seemed to be taking on the same attributes as Bridgette once did, years ago, but then everything stopped, thunder echoed from the palace in the distance and the warlock returned to his ancient visage while Rhee fell to the ground in front of the old man.

From the beginning of the journey, the commander had been plotting how to get closer into the Imperial Family's trust. She toyed with the notion of becoming Empress herself one day, but she had missed the sight of was in front of her. A heroine of the empire, one of the most trusted Amazons to the Empress and because of her own ambition had begun to ruin all that hard work.

Ming was vulnerable, he was close, and she still had her sword. Smirking, she felt the hilt of the gladius and unsheathed the blade, then as quietly as she could be, the Amazon Commander started rushing towards the warlock as he began to drive his knife into Rhee.

"For the Empress!" she yelled thrusting her blade towards the sorcerer.

[Triyun]

Ming barely had a moment to see Zhen approach against the reflection in the dagger. Missing Rhee's throat by an inch he spun around meeting her blade. The strength of the Amazonian captain pressed down on the Warlock. Another opponent was not something he wanted nor could he afford at this moment. His body was draining itself of its warlock spirits, more and more fading into the great darkness, but he needed just enough power. Enough power to destroy Bridgette and take the true beast rune for himself. That would free him of this shriveled body and he would be unstoppable.

He sneered at Zhen, his face contorted as he readied his next spell. Slowly Zhen's blade and shield began to glow red as it increased in temperature, its handle turning scalding. Ming's hair began to grow longer and his back hunched over as he then hurled another bolt of lightning at Zhen sending her into contortions onto the ground.

At this moment Rhee leaped up behind him grabbing Ming with what strength he had left, putting him into a hold, directing his lightning wildly off into different directions. "SLAY HIM NOW" he cried out as the lightning began to be redirected into Rhee. "I cannot hold him for much longer."

[Sarah Tintagyl]

Her body was still contorting from the pain of Ming's attack and as Zhen rose again to her feet she seemed disfigured, her hands and arms mangled and burned from the temperature of her weapons and her body scarred from the lightning magic. But with Angelika still out of commission and Ming's death still so close, she gripped her sword, burning her hands as the skin melted off and charged back towards Ming. She watched as the warlock looked up, his eyes wide, possibly having seen the last bits of power fade before the Amazon's sword sliced through his neck and a sudden silence overtook the city of Harbin.

Zhen fell to the ground, only holding herself up by her sword, looked at Rhee and sighed. "I'm sorry."

By this time, Angelika was surrounded by the two other Amazons who were still alive and lifted her up on her feet. "Princess, can you walk?" said one of the soldiers.

"Barely," she groaned and then looked up at the palace in the distance as blue magic circulated in the clouds and thunder began to strike. "Where's Bridgette?..."

---

The world would never again be the same...

Feeling Ming's presence vanish, the entirety of the Rune pushed into the circle and in an instant, Bridgette's eyes glowed into a solid blue. Her long flowing robes suddenly began to stretch as her frail arms and weak legs began to bulge with life and tone with muscle. Her hair grew long and white and her fingernails extended into long claws and a strong blue arm reached out to grab Yen. "Now! I am once again beautiful! Terrible! Stronger than ever before! You who sought to control me? Feel my power! Bow and worship me as my servant!"

And the moment she touched him, Yen's back would be engraved with the symbol of the Beast Rune...his strength multiplied by hundred, his wisdom infinite, his power incredible. He could see what awaited him, but to do so, he needed to give into her fully and then he would be hers.

[Triyun]

Rhee almost collapsed to the ground as bolts of lightning surged through him. He felt Ming sapping his strength right as the final blow came. Zhen's blade cleaved through Ming's throat causing his head to roll on the floor, his lifeless corpse turning to ash almost instantly, and a wind blowing it away. He fell to his knees, clasping the rooftop with his hand. They had beaten the warlock, their strongest adversary. Ming, the man who had tormented him for all these years was finally dead.

Rhee's grey form, had vanished, he now returned to his normal human form. He felt exhaustion surge through his body, and for a moment peace. [i]The beast rune?[/i] he thought. For a moment he thought it gone before feeling its faint pulse, Ming's magic had exhausted it, the beast within had almost given itself to keep Rhee alive. Perhaps there was more to it than he thought.

He turned, his concerning gaze now directed at Angelika. Pushing himself to his feet he staggered over to her. He looked to see her conscious, two Amazons supporting her. "Angie you're alive... thank god." he said, but before he could say more, her question brought him back to the reality of the moment. The spiraling vortex above was an ill omen of things to come.

"We've been double crossed." he said, "Whats worse I don't think we have the strength left to stop her."

In the swirling vortex of energy, Yen was shocked by the personality change Bridgette had undergone. She had gone from being a beautiful sorcerous to a creature that he did not know what to make of. He stepped back, afraid of her.

[i]Bow you fool[/i] a second voice said compelling him. Yen did as he was told by the other voice, seized with fear at Bridgette's demands. He would need that power. He may have been played, but he would have his time yet...

[Sarah Tintagyl]

Shaking her head, Angelika closed her eyes and slumped back to the ground and had it not been for the Amazons, she would have went prone against the floor. "We can't fight her. She had this planned all along, knowing how weak we'd be, knowing that if everything went well for us, it would go just as well for her." She groaned and pulled her head up to look at the vortex swirling over the palace. "Ming's dead?"

"Yes, Princess," said one of the Amazons.

"Then we've done enough here, Andrea, go help Zhen, we need to start making our way out of the town and hopefully run into Caroline's cavalry if they're coming this way."

"Are we going to give Bridgette the field, Princess?" said Andrea as she walked over and picked up Zhen's unconscious body.

"We don't have a choice, she'll kill us if we try and fight her. She has the power of the Beast now," then Angelika stopped and looked up at the castle and sighed with a smirk, "But that just means the hunt begins again."

---

"Don't look so grim, Yen," said Bridgette as the magic finally vanished around her and the vortex came to a stop. She was completely changed, tall, powerful, and wise. "I haven't out played you, nor am I looking to enslave you, or anything of the sort. We will create a new empire, that I promise you and perhaps, when all is said and done, I will give you a taste of this power as well and then...the world will never be the same."

[Triyun]

It was a bitter home coming, the Rebellion had scattered to the wind as Pretender had vanished. Rebel soldiers claimed they could not remember why they had even taken up arms. The patrols they found on their way back towards the capital were all making their way to their farms, many of them frightened of the consequences of taking up arms against the Empire. Even the generals who had been commanding the rebellion now begged for mercy, claiming themselves under some spell, save for a few Japanese noblemen who had themselves held up in castles.

On the trail, both Angelika and Rhee had somewhat regained their strength, but their powers had faded. Even Rhee's beast rune, while laying dormant inside him had sapped much of the strength he had previously enjoyed. The beast inside him was silent for now, and it had given him time to think and reflect on both the beast rune and his relationship with Angelika. It was not completely a curse, but it also wasn't without its price, the savagery of it, the risk of it getting out of hand, it couldn't be discounted. But at the same time it was seductive, just as Bridgette had missed it, and even now he missed it a little he had to imagine Angelika now missed it as well.

One night at the camp he entered into the tent they shared. They were now only a few days from the capital, both having spent much of the previous days recovering their strength from the trying fight with Ming. He sat down next to her, "How're you doing?" he asked, "We haven't talked much since this all went down, I imagine some things have changed now that you've seen that side."