Frozen Coven

Covens... Have they always been this dark? Or rather... Have they always been this cold? The chills of the icy Alaskan plains caused Ansem's breaths to become visible. He rubbed his hands together in attempt to warm up with no avail. He sat within an igloo searching for darkness to awaken. This was a horrible place to try. The lack of torsal clothing only accommodated the frost in its attempts to freeze him. His only sense of heat was created by a small lantern in the night.

Alaska. My travels from the old world to this place lead me to know tactics for survival- not that I obeyed them. Ice was barraging my physically, no magic found in this wasteland anymore. My boots trudged through the snow and ice, carrying me with the wind I followed.

What the...

I stopped, standing still on the sloped plains- listening again for the sounds of life that I had previously heard, leading to the pause of my drifting.

There!

Turning my head, I sought out the chattering noise, and the smell of oil. An igloo- half buried in fresh powder- sat, nestled in the darkness. Changing my path to walk forward the encampment, the shadows of For Someone's Glory shrouding my approach.

"Rrrghhh..."

Maybe now the pack I brought, can be put to use.



Mad Enhancement has been cancelled out

So cold.... So very cold....

Ansem felt as though his body was slowly losing feeling. His limbs were near numb and his teeth chattered almost uncontrollably. It was almost enough to drown out the sound of someone approaching. If snow wasn't so crunchy, it would have been. Ansem was on guard, even in the frigid weather at the sound of crackling.

"Who... Who's th-there." He found himself nearly rendered speechless by the sheer force of his own jaw fidgeting. "I've no intention to fight, however I don't take well to bandits."

Could there really be people wandering these wastes? What kind of person would want to be in such a barren place?

Crouching, I entered the igloo, coming face to face with a young man. His fingers were slowly turning blue, noting his stress from the cold. Taking off my pack, I held it out until it was no longer hidden in my shadows. Then realizing that the man couldn't truly move due to the sheer frigid air, I decided to take it a step further, unzipping the survival pack to put the blanket over him, cracking one of the chem bars that produced heat- a leftover of my military days -and stuffing it down his shirt. Ignoring his protests and threats, I put a large fur coat over him, bundling him up tight to prevent more frostbite, but loose enough to keep his body heat. Turning away from him, I stared at the lamp.

"You have a lamp, but no fire.... Even most Eskimo or Rusk know how to prepare an igloo."

Turning back toward the man, I examined his face closer.

"My time in the SAS has trained me enough to tell the difference between a survivalist and... Well..... Campers."

Digging a hole in the middle of the Igloo, I began to look through my pack to find things that I could spend, even temporarily, to relieve this stranger of his duress- offering the kindness that was once shown to me on this very same wasteland.

The stranger wasn't attempting to murder him. For whatever reason Ansem was unsure, but the jacket over his shoulders was indeed a bit of a relief. However, he would continue to be stubborn. The heat against his chest felt absolutely miraculous. He himself should have thought of the consequences of coming to an arctic desert. He cursed his own inept mind.

"What are you doing th-this for. Why are y-you helping me, a stranger. My death wouldn't inconvenience you."

He looked at the stranger with harsh eyes, but in reality he was he was nothing but confused and angry. He awaited an answer and attempted to prevent himself from losing consciousness in front of an opposer.

I stopped digging, staring at the stranger blankly from his question. The ice around us reflected the red light that was coming through my visor, creating a sheen that wasn't too kind upon the mans face. Taking out one of the four gauze packs, I wrapped it around the wooden shaft of the shovel, breaking off the head and handle before using duct tape to connect them again with plastic arcs. Digging a deep er hole, I set the wooden stick in it before standing up once more.

He's going to die i I don't add more warmth.... Food, too.

Looking toward the exit, I calculated the effort, time, and the mans rapid chattering to come up with a figure of time. Two hours. Just enough to go get dry wood, hunt something near, and feed the man. Turning my gaze back toward him, I approached slowly, before putting my helmet a foot away from his face.

"Darkness colors your heart. You are in a position I was once in, and I would not be here if a stranger had not helped me through my trial. It is your turn. I will be back within two hours. Try to move your fingers around the heating pad of the stick, and curl up so it can reach your toes. Put your back to the entrance, and do not light the fire until I have returned. It will only last you ten minutes, and I won't be able to save you if you limit my time to thirty. Wait here."

Standing back up, I picked up a plastic bag and a small rucksack from the top folds of the pack, before exiting the Igloo.

Staring in disbelief and pure agonizing discontent, he watched as this man before him walked away to provide Ansem himself with care. This tortured him to the very depths of his own core. His pride felt destroyed and he couldn't feel more embarrassed. Enraged, he attempted to stand but only stumbled a bit.

"I don't need saving! Id rather die!" He shouted as loud as possible. His voice was hoarse but he'd hoped he was heard. He struggled to stand once more but only failed and fell. The hypothermia was setting in.

The hoarse shout was not lost upon me, as the pride of the man was demanding reparation. Shaking my head, I ran forward- toward the drier parts of the forest to visit the fallen limbs.

These are still wet... They'll all smoke... But not as much as the ones without shelter.

Breaking the limbs, I broke them apart until I filled the rucksack with as much tinder as I could. The entire time, I was counting each second, minute, and quarter in my head- cursing my slow limbs. A part of my mind, the darker one that relished misery and discontent began to whisper it's usual seductive phrases, enticing me with speed and strength to get the job done... In more than one way. As tempting as it was.. The cost of my mind was too much to sacrifice, as well as the life of this young man. Steeling my resolve once more, I pushed aside the voice of madness and trudged onward to the Elk grounds. Setting my bag on the edge, I began to watch the herd- looking for signs of weak, older, or sick prey.

I'm not going to be able to do this alone....

Taking a deep breath, I went utterly still...

"Mad Enhancment."

The scream that was unleashed from my body resounded through the thinner air, echoing around and alerting the herd. Every Elk snapped their heads up, meeting my gaze- before fleeing away from me. An adult with a large rack of horns kept its gaze locked with mine, before attempting to rush me.

It wasn't long after than Ansem felt himself slipping away. Losing consciousness, in a place like this. So much power... Yet so frail. He cursed himself for allowing this to happen. All to satisfy his own thirst for darkness. His limbs were now stiff with pain and discomfort.

"The dark is cold, but its embrace is far warmer than light." He finally allowed himself to fade. He found some comfort in his own selective immortality. If the stranger chose to end his life, Ansem would be simply reborn. If not, he would wait until one seeking darkness found him. No matter how long it took.

The dead Elk was finally drug outside of the igloo, my form slumped over while breathing out of my mouth. Taking a deep breath, I fought off the madness that had slumped over me in the effort of killing the Elk, screaming in pain as it backlashed.

Now on my hands and knees, I got up, struggling to remain mobile. I grabbed the Elk, shoving it in head first to the Igloo, and found the man on his side.

Shit.

I forced him against the wall, breaking another heat pad and putting it into his shirt before backslapping him- an attempt to force consciousness. Opening the rucksack, I piled wood around the makeshift torch, before using the lamp to light it on fire.

"WAKE UP DAMN YOU"

The sudden slap forced Ansem awake in which he reflexively made an attempt to fight off whatever was touching him. His efforts were in vain but he soon noticed the man with the visor and ceased his resistance. He slumped back again and a scorn met his face once again. He looked at the covered face.

"Go. Away. Don't save me." His sentences had to be kept short as he was breathing to heavily to maintain conversation. He tried to bat the man away once more but was barely able to resist the chill once more. "Leave. Me."

"No."

I picked him up with ease- which worried me. Settling him closer to the fire, I unwrapped him and let him sit on the cloth. The smoke was going out a small hole that was now in the top of the Igloo- thanks to my serrated Kabar. I cut strips of elk meat out, settling them on the pan of the shovel before putting it over the fire and letting them cook.

"Put your digits near the fire."

I stared at him, still wrapped in the shadows of For Someone's Glory.

Ansem placed his hands as closely to the fire as possible. The sheer pain of the defrost was enough to make him twitch a bit. Internal pain was inevitable. External was much easier to block. He noticed the shadows around the man near him. He too seemed to be scourged. He was cloaked in darkness. But his heart seemed pure. How strange.

"Would it be too much to ask your name?" He asked with slight discomfort. He was opposed to meaningless banter but this man too followed the Darkness. So maybe it was this worlds god's way of letting it live on.

"I go by Basaka, one of the titles earned by my Successor. You?"

I watched the man, before putting my hand into the fire to flip the meat. The physical pain was nonexistent- something I more or less missed and thanked. God had smiled on both of us... Even though we walked through the darkness.

Finally gaining full mobility of his limbs again, Ansem stretched allowing himself to continue shivering. He loomed at the man and was oddly tempted to give him his true name. He quickly decided against this.

"I am Ansem. I too share a name with a successor. I share the power of darkness. I am what this world calks a shade." He began rubbing his hands together and cursing his human body. Ansem wasnt one to make friends, but he surely had no intent of making a foe of Basaka. "You know your name sounds like 'Berserker'. Rather odd."

"It's Japanese for the title. Earned by letting madness control me in battle... Sometimes I succumb to it, to ease the pain. I hide in a corner of my mind, wishing to just go at the world like a savage dog... Other times, It's unwillingly. I go screaming in agony with it, remembering painful and torturous times that were hard enough to make me commit suicide.. If I were brave enough to bite the bullet. But, now I wonder. Going under the title to prevent fights until needed. Ansem. Odd name yourself."

Taking the cook strips off of the make shift skillet, I put one on my blade and handed it to Ansem.

Accepting the treatment more graciously than before, Ansem took a bite of the meat. It was rather tasty. It'd been a while since he'd eaten flesh of any being. Its been a while since he's eaten anything really...

"I suppose you can say its been passed down. I stole it from my successor. He stole it from his mentor. It carries a bit of fear with it. But unluckily for me, there's likely an alternate version of me lurking around somewhere. I assume it won't act peacefully toward me. For the meantime, I enjoy awakening the darkness within others. My life isn't horrid. I also firmly believe that suicide is a cowards way out. After seeing all the horrors this world offers, I am stronger."

Tilting my head upward, I mulled over his words for a moment, taking them into careful thought. Deciding on my answer, I let my gaze drop back toward him.

"It's not the horrors. I've been in war. I've cut down hundreds of my own soldiers alone. I've seen people slaughter their own kind in greed, cannibals have children just to sustain themselves and the gods they worship. I've seen women whore themselves off to fat gangsters, just to slit their throats in the middle of sex. I've witnessed more accounts of matricide and patricide than I would care to admit, and finally, I've been tortured by my own commander... Just to rise up against him and kill him like the rest of the troop. It's not the horrors of this world that have made me regret my wanderings about this 'placid' realm..."

Tongue in cheek, I let my head drop- closing my eyes as I remembered Gwen's face, and my little brothers' laughter.

"It's the goodness in it."

Ansem saw the pain in this man but couldn't help but to let out a laugh. He knew exactly what the man meant all too well. He empathized him.

"That's exactly right. The goodness in this world tears us apart. It gives us something to hope for. Something to believe in. But that something never comes. Goodness in an evil world is wasted entirely. Therefore, why hope at all? Why believe in anything other than yourself. That's why I awaken the hatred within people. The world softens you up to finish you off. I harden those souls before it can. This world is true disaster."

"I think, there we differ. Hope isn't really light. It's more like a want. A want for things to end, as I have... Or a hope for things to begin- as the Liberators to believe in."

Shaking my head, I offered him more meat, before digging around in my pack for the vitamin water that I had stored from my six MRE's. Due to Physical needs being practically wasted, I didn't need it anymore.

"Here, before you dehydrate. The heat warmed it back into liquid. Souls are different in my opinion. I have a God. I have a country. And I have a Queen- god save her."

"A god, a country, and a queen. All that have cast you aside. All that don't care if you live or die. So why care for them? As an outcast, most would rebel. But for one who wears shadows it seems you haven't fully accepted the darkness as your master. Your only god. Darkness allies you while others wouldn't, in your darkest times, its there for you."

He began to drink the water but had no need. His body prevented dehydration but the taste of water on his tongue is one he hasn't been lucky enough to receive in some time. He looked at Basaka curiously and wondered why he was so considerate and forgiving.

"Aye, that is true. However, that wasn't the case. All were lost as this world merged with my own- Thus... I was the one who was taken from them. They did not cast me out, or aside. Merely, I wish them all safety, and that they do not grow corrupted from their path. Their path is theirs, theirs to have, choose, and follow throughout the ages, whereas mine is the Darkness, and that is what I have chosen to follow. I do not wish them pain, suffering, or harm. I will merely remember them with kindness and sadness, that they were lost to the light and what they served. The Bible quotes that all of mankind shall go where they wish, and the prophet Elijah even had two young men eaten by bears for calling him bald. That was what God allowed him to do, so by that means he can be just as dark as you or I. It is merely chose from his followers what should be done, and that they keep faith in him until the end. A Knight's devotion is to his Queen, King, God, and Country. Even if I am away, I will remember them with the dark faith I have always had."

Knowing that For Someone's Glory would hide my features, I took off my helm and set it aside- even if I left it there it would return over my head if I strayed too far away from it. The glowing red separated from me, staying within the visor. It visibly retracted to my own eyes, as it did with the cross ends of the visor. Taking a strip of meat, I ate- gazing at Ansem with sanguine eyes.

"Your creed is strong. Which leads me to assume that you are just as so. Your beliefs are strong and I cannot argue with your will. Maybe your god is dark. My god is as well. Your god created a world of agony and pain. Mine merely exists to destroy the opposing god. My purpose is rather simple, but at least it is purpose. Whereas yours seems either complex or nonexistent. You fight for others. You seem to have shown your use to them and connected with them rather well."

Ansem stood and walked toward Basaka before kneeling down next to him. His voice turned to whisper as he talked once more. "The pain stops, when those ideals have faded."

The pain stops, when those ideals have faded... Gavin.... Give into it.......

He whispered the same words that madness always whispered to me, the dark words that seduced me or made me cry out in agony. Every fiber of my being yearned for it then- the release of savoring madness, to rip into my foes or friends, just letting go and giving into the anger.... I felt myself start to tremble, For Someone's Glory reacting to it and creating denser shadows, so that even the eerie Sanguine light that emanated from my eyes was nearly lost in the darkness. Berserker's helmet began to react after a minute, the light coming from the visor brightening to a violent violet, the tail at the end writhing from the shadows.

"I..."

"Basaka. Open your heart to darkness. All the pain, the caring, they fade so quickly. The suffering... It no longer exists to me. I can sleep now, I am strong. You lie awake trying to prevent nightmares to no avail. It can all be gone in an instant if you just succumb!"

He gained the twisted smile he once wore so fondly. He knew with all his being if this man accepted the darkness, it would be for the better. His mind was slowly ripping him apart. All he needed was to see the light. Or rather... The dark.