((Here we go people. Retribution))
Void quickened his pace. The presence in his mind was in pain; Darklight was being hurt. Not fair. Only he was allowed to hurt Darklight. Void shadowstepped, flitting from one shadow to another, as fast as he could. The presence in his mind grew stronger, and he shifted direction until the tingling turned into an all out thumping. He followed the feelings of pain until he came to the outskirts of the city, and a cement mixing facility. It was coming from below him. He liquefied, and seeped through the cracks in the pavement, sliding like a memory through the chinks in the armour of the earth. As always, the sensation was slightly uncomfortable, and disorienting, but he lived through it. He found himself in an underground complex.
He blended in with the shadows around him, shadowstepping from one end of the corridor to another. He passed silently by a pre-occupied man, and barely resisted the urge to tear him to ribbons. Darklight felt like he was close by. And in pain. The only thing that could cause pain of that magnitude for that length of time was immense quantities of light. Which wouldn’t be good for Void. So he set about finding and disabling the power generator.
Darklight writhed in pain. The light was everywhere, and in such quantities, that it actually physically hurt him. Normally it would just weaken him. He tried to free himself from the metal bonds, but to no avail. Suddenly, he heard a thud, and the lights, mercifully, flickered once…twice…three times. And then they went out, plunging the room into black nothingness. He felt his power returning to him, but slowly; too slowly for his liking. He felt suspicious; if the man was a master assassin, then why would he allow a simple power generator to fail? He heard the hiss of a door opening, silently, but could see nothing. Suddenly, he felt cold, and afraid, for the first time in years he felt afraid of the dark. He knew this feeling. He knew what caused it. A voice whispered into his ear.
“Are you afraid of the dark, Nick?â€Â
He felt tendrils of a cold substance flowing around his limbs, snapping the metal bonds into tiny pieces. He was lifted off of the table gently, and hung suspended in the air, unable to see his mysterious rescuer. He knew he didn’t want to see who it was.
“What are you doing here, Void?†His voice was weak.
“Why ask a question to which you already know the answer?â€Â
The tendrils constricted, sending jolts of pain throughout Darklight’s body. He winced beneath his mask, gritting his teeth against the burning pain.
“You can’t kill me Void. If you could have, I would be dead right here, right now. I know you too well.â€Â
“You live only upon my pleasure, Nick.â€Â
He threw Darklight against the wall, slamming the breath from his body. Before the hero could react, a hammer-headed tentacle slammed into him, again, and again, bashing him mercilessly. Another joined that tendril, and then another, and another, tendrils lashing out at him from every direction, ruthlessly hammering away at him. The wall cracked, and the tendrils looped around his limp form, and threw him with all of Void’s considerable power through the ceiling. A series of subsequent blows and strikes forced him up higher, and higher, until he broke through the roof, and fell to the pavement of the complex above him. He tried to stand, but fell once more to his knees. A cloud of shadow erupted fro the newly made hole in the ground, and coalesced into the form of a man, coloured as black as space, with tendrils waving in the air behind him.
Void took Darklight’s jaw in his hand, and seemed to chuckle, before flinging him aside, into the wall of the cement mixing plant. Darklight felt some bones breaking, and crumpled to the ground below him.
“Let that be a lesson to you, hero.†Void’s whispering voice held a note of derision and mockery, as if he disdained the title. Multiple tendrils shot from his shadowy body, and wrapped around Darklight, securing the hero to his back.
“Come on now, we’re going to make a house call. I hope you live long enough to see every little detail of it…â€Â
As he walked through the shadows, appearing in other shadows farther along every time, he decided to allow himself a reward. A razor tipped tendril shot from his shadowy body, and stabbed right through the body of a man walking on the sidewalk, killing him in an instant. He laughed quietly, and continued on, ignoring the crowd that gathered around the fresh corpse.
“What do you want with me?†Darklight’s weak voice finally piped up again.
“Everything, Nick. I want you to give me everything…â€Â
And then he constricted his tendrils, crushing Darklight beneath their power. He heard a satisfying snap of a bone breaking, probably the neck. His mission was accomplished; he was free at last. He laughed again, and speared another innocent bystander in his glee. He blended into a nearby shadow, the body of Darkligth still held within his grasp. And then, in the blink of an eye, he vanished, but not before he opened a portal to a place of darkness, from whence his power flowed. He took forh the only solid item in that land, and shove it into the sidewalk. There; he had left a calling card for the poor sucker who would find it. He tore of a piece of his essence, and bound it to the evil sword that he had called forth. And then, and only then, did he finally leave, Darklight's corpse in tow.
Due to maintenance problems, the light at the end of the tunnel will not be in operation today. Sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.