Post by Decimus Marquis on Sept 4, 2015 3:50:26 GMT
Jeremy Gilbert, Galen Vaughn, Qetsiyah, Alexander Decimus sauntered down the underground labyrinth, expression stern, intense and focused. Each day drew he and his companions closer to the goal they had been working so hard to achieve - towards the downfall of the creatures responsible for the deaths of those closest to him. Those bloodsucking beings would not stay in power much longer, for they were nearly ready. The vengeance which had been fueling him was soon to be satisfied, a thought which brought a smirk to his face and a certain glint to his stormy gaze. They were nearly to emerge from hiding, nearly ready to begin the slaying of the vampires whom had dominated the apocalyptic world.
Soon. It would be very soon.
Decimus' loyalty to Lady Qetsiyah and his clan of brothers had only solidified over the years, uniting them in their shared pursuit. Each of them had their reasons for enacting justice, but for each of them it was strong enough to drive them to the eventual fulfillment of their task.
Reaching the circular room, the young man strode towards the weapon rack and grasped one of the wood tipped stakes resting there. Wielding it within his hand, his gaze was unwavering as he felt his blood stir with resolve. Stepping forward, and pausing only a moment to gauge the distance and aim, Decimus thrust the stake forward and watched in satisfaction as it landed solidly within one of the practice dummies.
Emerging from the throngs of the dining chamber, which was, unfortunately, nearer to those detestable creatures in these caverns than he would prefer, Alexander strode forward, headed, as was his usual first stop upon waking, but after eating a wholesome breakfast, toward the training grounds. It was the best start to any day, and it was important to maintain his resolve, his physical prowess, and to continue honing his skills, if he was to keep up with and ultimately conquer those vampires. It made his blood boil at the mere thought of sharing the same roof as them. Detached though they were, and as far from them under the roof as was humanly possible, it was the same roof nonetheless.
However, Lady Qetsiyah assured him, along with his fellow brethren, that it was the only method by which they could achieve victory over those dark forces. In order to vanquish the Original family and all who followed them, they must first work alongside these lesser demons, fool them into agreeing with their cause, to believing that the deaths of those who lorded over the world above would bring them their own rule, rather than their ultimate demise. And the demise of all vampires.
It was these assurances that kept him resolute in his mission, that kept him from storming their chambers even as they slept and destroying the lot of them. Loathe as he was to admit it, they did need the Volturi. And, fortunately, the Volturi needed them. For now, until their goal could finally be realized, he would need to continue to grin and bear it. It was the only path which promised victory. In the meantime, the boiling in his blood would have to be sated and altogether redirected toward his training. It was all he could do, for now, and he would have to instead pretend that those wholly un-lifelike dummies were the blood-thirsty monsters he sought to destroy with every fiber of his being.
Finally coming to the end of the hall and entering the room, the room which held so many unique machines they could use to battle those devils, the oldest hunter paused when he noticed that he was not the first to arrive in these chambers. No, indeed. Brother Decimus was already here, and already well into his training. Alexander followed his line of sight and saw that the stake he must have thrown had landed squarely in its intended target. He could not resist the smile at this realization. Decimus was truly a promising talent, young as he was, and the elder hunter could not deny that he had high hopes for him.
"Decimus!" he greeted, walking toward him with a subtle wave of his hand. "Well met, my brother."
"When my Brotherhood has achieved its destiny, those monsters will cease to exist."
Post by Decimus Marquis on Sept 4, 2015 4:46:38 GMT
At the sound of that voice, Decimus turned, eyes having been fixated on the stake he'd thrown and the imaginings of his envisioned targets. He briefly reprimanded himself for not having noticed Alexander at his arrival, but let the feeling slide as he returned the wave. "Hey, Alexander." And though it was sometimes nice to practice alone with his thoughts, Decimus admittedly preferred the presence of other people. It just added a certain dynamic. He could challenge himself against the most seniored member of the group. He loved the energy others provided for him, just from being around them. "Your day going well?"
"Indeed, it is," Alexander assured him, making his way toward the rows of weapons and looking over the possibilities before him. He decided to choose one he was less familiar with, that crossbow that fired stakes that Jeremy Gilbert was particularly fond of, and as he held it in his hand he took a moment to get a feel for the weight of it.
Turning back to Decimus then, as he loaded the contraption with several, previously whittled stakes, he remarked, "By the way, I must commend you on your aim. I have seen nothing but improvement in you since you first arrived here."
"When my Brotherhood has achieved its destiny, those monsters will cease to exist."
Post by Decimus Marquis on Sept 4, 2015 5:04:53 GMT
Decimus watched as Alexander expertly readied the crossbow. Years of experience had accustomed his hands to the point where it was most likely second nature to him now. However, Decimus was not at all deterred by that fact. He was more than capable of meeting that same standard. It also helped that everyone around him was so encouraging, they really believed in him and his abilities, and he was not going to let them down. Too much depended on his success. Or, rather, everything depended on it. A brief image entered his mind - that smile on her face, that look of concealed affection in the eyes of his father.
Nothing was going to stand in his way. He was going to avenge them. He was going to make them proud.
Shifting his eyes from the weapon to the man yielding it, Decimus nodded. "I'm very determined."
"And so through all my pain and tears I'm still holding onto those years."
"And it's obvious for everyone to see," Alexander informed him, the smile returning to his expression as he focused his eyes on the promising talent before him. "You make it known through your efforts. The determination you hold is very important, and for that reason, you should do everything in your power to never let it diminish. It may well save your life in the future."
After all, if he himself had never been sidetracked, had never allowed his affections to sway, even for the briefest of times, he would never have allowed that temptress to grasp at his heart. He would never have needed to fool her and her brothers, would never have daggered them, which led to both the death of him and all of his brothers. Instead, he could have carried out his quest to find the cure and ended all of this almost a thousand years ago.
All he could do at this point was make amends for his past mistakes. And, of course, keep his new Brotherhood from going astray, as he once did.
"When my Brotherhood has achieved its destiny, those monsters will cease to exist."
Post by Decimus Marquis on Sept 4, 2015 5:33:57 GMT
Decimus saw the look in Alexander's eyes as he voiced those words to him, words of wisdom. He recognized them as words which the man considered very personal. With a nod, he felt the resolve burning again, his eyes firmly steeled with it. "It won't ever diminish. Not until it's done. Nothing is going to sway me." This was his family now, a family to aid him in his endeavor to achieve rest for his departed family. And possibly, perhaps, rest for himself also.
"And so through all my pain and tears I'm still holding onto those years."
"I am pleased to hear it," the hunter stated. The fire in Decimus' eyes was unmistakable, and there was no denying his deep resolve. They all had the same goal, the same, final wish, and it was that, perhaps, more than anything, that bonded them together as brothers, even more than the powers Lady Qetsiyah had so generously bestowed upon them.
Turning then to face the rows of dummies throughout the room, Alexander readied the crossbow in hand, still a bit awed by the progress that had been made by mankind in his time on the Other Side, by the weapons they had crafted. He aimed and, without hesitation, took one, clean shot and watched as the stake landed perfectly in the heart of his victim. It was, after all, the only place where the stake would cause death to those monsters.
Post by Decimus Marquis on Sept 4, 2015 5:56:47 GMT
Decimus watched silently as his brother took aim and fired, the shot solid and direct. His eyes drifted back to where his own had landed, and he frowned slightly. Yes, it had been fairly clean as well, but it was a tad off from the mark. In a life or death scenario, even a slight mishap such as that would prove fatal. They only had one, swift shot going up against those creature, and it needed to be perfectly precise.
Striding across, he grasped the stake and ripped it from the dummy, determined to ensure his strike was flawless. He turned and strode back to where Alexander stood. He closed his eyes, tightening his grip and allowed his visions to flare his emotions. He felt them run wild and he looked again to his target. While most were advised not to allow emotions to cloud their judgement, it proving to impede their performance, he instead found that, for him, they served to offer a source of strength.
He thrust his weapon forward, it's landing again solid and better than the one before.
However, it still wasn't perfection.
"And so through all my pain and tears I'm still holding onto those years."
Alexander watched in silence as Decimus crossed the room, as he ripped his stake from the target, almost seeming angry in the action, and, returning to his side, he took a moment of meditation. Yet somehow, after that moment, he seemed more fired up than ever as he thrust the stake forward again, and the elder hunter watched as it landed even more directly than the previous time his young brother had thrown it.
What an interesting tactic he had.
Even so, when Alexander turned to Decimus once more, it was not satisfaction he beheld on his countenance. Was he disappointed with his performance?
Lifting a hand then to give the younger man a solid clap on the shoulder, he informed him, "Very well done, Decimus." Although he wished to encourage him, he felt he needed to bring something to attention. "However," he added, "always be aware that, in a real fight, the monsters we face will not stand still for us as these do. Getting a solid hit will be even harder. Always bear in mind that they are incredibly faster than us, especially the older ones."
"When my Brotherhood has achieved its destiny, those monsters will cease to exist."
Post by Decimus Marquis on Sept 4, 2015 6:22:16 GMT
'Of course', Decimus thought to himself as he looked to Alexander. He knew that it would be a hundred times more difficult in reality. If he was ever going to get anywhere he would have to polish his skills here, with the immobile targets. Considering that, he sighed loudly. For all he had achieved, he still had a ways to go. In the next instant though, his expression turned thoughtful as he was suddenly struck with a dose of inspiration. After glancing once more to the dummies, he looked again to Alexander. "Hey, is there a way Lady Qetsiyah can make these targets move for us? I think we could prepare faster if it was closer to the real deal."
"And so through all my pain and tears I'm still holding onto those years."
"Why, that is an enlightened thought!" Alexander exclaimed, grinning proudly at the young man. "I have no doubt that Lady Qetsiyah will be able to perform such a task for us effortlessly. It will improve our training tenfold, I'm sure of it."
Back when he and his brothers had been training, honing their talents to rid the world of vampires, they had never had such equipment at their disposal, and they certainly did not have the powerful magic which they now readily had at hand. They had such a clear advantage these days, it was enough to excite the old hunter tremendously.
Setting his crossbow down on the table near them, he then inquired, "Shall I fetch her? We can begin this new method of training directly."
"When my Brotherhood has achieved its destiny, those monsters will cease to exist."
Post by Decimus Marquis on Sept 4, 2015 6:40:30 GMT
Decimus nearly chuckled at Alexander's eagerness to get started, and he beamed as his suggestion was so openly accepted and acknowledged. He nodded, "Yeah, sure. I'm sure she'll be pleased to hear of this too." At least, he hoped so. He didn't see any reason why she wouldn't be. She was always genuinely interested in their improvements, her desire to reach their goal every bit as strong as theirs.
"And so through all my pain and tears I'm still holding onto those years."
"I'm sure of it," the hunter replied firmly, before bowing his head to his sworn brother. "I will return shortly."
With that, he turned to stride from the room, leaving Decimus on his own once more, and allowing the torchlight and memory to guide his way toward her chambers, where he guessed the archaic witch was either still caught in slumber or perhaps meditating, honing her own craft. A craft which, based on all he knew and all he had observed firsthand, was without equal.
"When my Brotherhood has achieved its destiny, those monsters will cease to exist."
Post by Decimus Marquis on Sept 4, 2015 6:58:46 GMT
Decimus watched Alexander go, before turning to again observe the targets across the room. His eyes resumed their attentiveness, and he inhaled deeply before striding forward to retrieve the stake again. He would get as many practice shots in as he could before the return of his brother with their brilliant leader.
"And so through all my pain and tears I'm still holding onto those years."
Niklaus Mikaelson: Heheh. That is quite the title you've concocted for her ;1 But, you're right, and we are all certainly glad you do it, puting this effort into for us. At least it's productive in some way. You could find yourself wasted also. Then where would we be?
Mar 11, 2015 21:18:57 GMT
*
Elijah Mikaelson: I would think in a place he would enjoy.
Mar 12, 2015 3:10:09 GMT
Damon Salvatore: True, very true there, stiffy ;1 Don't know about the rest of you, but *I'll* be in a place I enjoy.
Mar 12, 2015 18:58:11 GMT
