| Welcome to Infernal Utopia. We hope you enjoy your visit. You're currently viewing our forum as a guest. This means you are limited to certain areas of the board and there are some features you can't use. If you join our community, you'll be able to access member-only sections, and use many member-only features such as customizing your profile, sending personal messages, and voting in polls. Registration is simple, fast, and completely free. Join our community! If you're already a member please log in to your account to access all of our features: |
| The Shrieking Shack | |
|---|---|
| Tweet Topic Started: Mar 13 2009, 03:44 PM (1,449 Views) | |
| Samantha Moody | Mar 17 2009, 08:49 AM Post #16 |
|
Auror in training
![]()
|
Samantha became more disbelieving as the minutes passed. This was a joke... It had to be a joke, right? A very bad joke. But neither Katia nor Xavier seemed to be kidding. Sam's hand holding her wand twitched, still aching to at least Stun Xavier. But the rest of the Order, while equally surprised at what Katia had to tell them, seemed to relax slightly. But Sam only grew more tense. She bit her lip slightly, her grip her wand so tight that her knuckles whitened. So this was it? This was the reason that Katia had called together this meeting? So they could stand around deciding whether to trust Xavier and whatever information he offered, for some undoubtedly ridiculous deal? Done with staring intently at the Wraith, Samantha looked from one Order-member to the other. What were they all waiting for? If there was ever a time to cut the crap and just shoot a Death Eater, it was now. But at least they all seemed equally skeptical - though that was kind of an understatement in Sam's case. Mercury's and Ralem's words were more than justified - but then... "I'm not saying we should trust him... Not immediately. But I don't think Xavier would've gone to this length if he wasn't being serious. And maybe he doesn't want anything at all. Maybe all he wants is that trust. But you're going to have to give us more than that, Xavier." Every person had a point where they just snapped and Sam was already a very impatient person, at times like these. So when her father actually stood between the group and Xavier, she couldn't really take it anymore. "What are you doing, Dad?! This is insanity! This guy's tried to kill you - tons of times, in fact! He's tried to kill all of us! Have you gone nuts? I swear, if I need to remind you of everything Xavier's done we'd be up here all night!" Trying to calm herself, Sam looked around the group and spoke more quietly. "We've played this game before... Xavier already offered his help once. He's making use of our greatest flaws - our lack of information and our tendency to trust people. I think Xavier's either here on Riddle's orders or he's got some scheme of his own in mind. Remember Mircea? Remember Adam? We also let him join for a time and look where that got us! Mad-Eye hadn't even been buried and he ran out on us!" "We can't afford to do this again and again. Our enemy's most dangerous servant is right in front of us - unarmed! If we don't take this opportunity to just capture him, then how are we ever going to defeat Riddle?" |
![]() Graduated; Auror-in-Training Member of the Boredom Club With A Boring Name Because We Couldn't Think Of Anything Because We Were So Bored | |
![]() |
|
| Manfred Boelcke | Mar 19 2009, 01:45 AM Post #17 |
|
Self-Appointed Martyr
![]()
|
It seemed that everyone who was coming was already here. Manfred wasn't sure what to think of the small numbers but he supposed it was too be expected. For some reason people didn't like volunteering to fight some of the strongest witches and wizards in the world and potentially die in the process. Still it wasn't comforting that the only thing protecting the wizarding world from Riddle's grasp were the few people in this room. "Who the hell are you?" Manfred was interrupted from his musing by a sharp, female voice. Manfred looked at the lady with the burning coathanger mildly surprised. Really, now. Of all the things this lady could be worry about she decided to jump on him? Why didn't she attack the Death Eater over there? Still it was a fair question. The only Order member Manfred had been in contact with was Alexei Grinkova (who was currently on the run from some nasty wizards or so Manfred heard). Apparently the retired vampire hunter didn't bother to tell this woman that new blood would be joining the Order soon. Oh well. "A recently recruited member although, personally, I think we have far more pressing things to talk about than who I am. Don't you agree?" Maybe that was a little cold, but that was Manfred for you. He was either bugging you with ten million questions or he was stand offish and distant. There was no middle ground with him. Also he was a bit miffed at being snapped at. He was a Boelcke after all and he was used with being treated with respect. Still he supposed that in this group he'd have to earn it. It wouldn't be a problem as he was more than willing to prove himself, it was just a hassle that's all. "Thank you all for coming on such short notice. I realize my letter was a bit vague so I appreciate you guys making this trip. Earlier tonight Xavier asked to meet with me to say that he has some very interesting news about what Riddle has been up to and what he has planned for the future. I know that we have no reason to trust Xavier or what he has to say and I dont really blame you. He hasnt said much to me because he wanted to wait until we were all together." "As you can see, I have temporary custody of his sword and his wand. So, I figured if he was willing to temporarily hand over his weapons in order to meet with us then maybe he's got something that we really need." For a second, Manfred thought she was going to continue, but Katia spoke instead. Manfred's eyes lit up with excitement when Katia said that Xavier had news about Riddle. About time! Manfred, who had spent an incredible amount of time listening in on just about every conversation he could (because he was looking for Torban Rune), had heard nothing about the death eaters or they're 'wonderful' lord. He was beginning to think that Riddle had simply disappeared or something. But now the silence was finally broken and they were on the crisp of hearing something potential important! Katia was right though. They really had no reason to trust Xavier but if he gave up his wand and sword...maybe this wasn't a trick. Manfred had had some limited experience in working with dark wizards-specially those who were willing to squeal-and they usually humbled themselves first before spilling the beans. Of course the information always came at a price but in Manfred's mind if it helped them defeat 'evil' than it was worth it. Oh and there's one more thing...He has chosen to become an Order member Isnt that right, Xavier?" "As distasteful as it may sound - yes. I have decided to join the Order. I believe that Riddle has become a threat to all of us, not just his enemies. He has become more powerful than you know... For the past few months, I have been trying to learn what he has planned. Recently, I discovered something and I feared that everything might be lost if I didn't join forces with you." And then all hell broke loose. The snappy woman and the idiot decided to snap at Xavier, demanding why they should even trust him. Of course that was a fair question and they had every right to ask, but they missed the point. They were too damn emotional. They missed Xavier's choice of words. 'Threat to all of us', 'I feared'-these weren't words that a backstabber used. Also Xavier was pacing like a caged animals and he came to them willing giving up his weapons. Didn't they see that maybe, just maybe he was telling the truth? Couldn't they sense that whatever Xavier knew was so monumentally important that stupid things like joining the bloody Order didn't matter?! Maybe Manfred was over exaggerating (and maybe he lust for knowledge was clouding his judgment), but he couldn't shake the feeling that there was more going on here than the two Order members thought. There had to be. Death Eater didn't simply switch sides for the hell of it. "Did you know that, at this very moment, the Ministry of Magic is already under Riddle's complete control?" Now there was some chilly information. Of course it was to be predictable. Politicians weren't exactly known for their bravery. Still to think that the government was currently in Riddle's hands....It caused Manfred to shudder slightly. Things really were screwed up, weren't they? Well it just meant their work was going to be ten times harder than they thought. "I'm not saying we should trust him... Not immediately. But I don't think Xavier would've gone to this length if he wasn't being serious. And maybe he doesn't want anything at all. Maybe all he wants is that trust. But you're going to have to give us more than that, Xavier." Manfred watched as Cael stood between Xavier and the other Order members. At first Manfred thought Cael was going to punch Xavier, but instead he turned around and spoke to his fellow Order members. Argh again with emotions. Couldn't these people see anything in a cold, logical manner? Of course it was a bit much to ask humans to disconnect from their emotions and lord knew that Manfred wasn't exactly Mr. Heartless, but if anyone was going to make a decision (especially one that could affect the wizarding world) than one would hope it was because it was the most logical decision-not the most emotionally gratifying. But at least Cael saw that the Order could potentially benefit from working with Xavier. "What are you doing, Dad?! This is insanity! This guy's tried to kill you - tons of times, in fact! He's tried to kill all of us! Have you gone nuts? I swear, if I need to remind you of everything Xavier's done we'd be up here all night! We've played this game before... Xavier already offered his help once. He's making use of our greatest flaws - our lack of information and our tendency to trust people. I think Xavier's either here on Riddle's orders or he's got some scheme of his own in mind. Remember Mircea? Remember Adam? We also let him join for a time and look where that got us! Mad-Eye hadn't even been buried and he ran out on us! "We can't afford to do this again and again. Our enemy's most dangerous servant is right in front of us - unarmed! If we don't take this opportunity to just capture him, then how are we ever going to defeat Riddle?" Then the girl who must have been a year younger than Manfred spoke and man was she pissed. Manfred was slightly surprised to see so much anger come out of her. Apparently she had a lot of history with this Death Eater. All of her points were valid (even to Manfred who didn't know half the stuff the Order had been through) but again she was being blinded by her emotions. God they were wasting time. If Xavier really had important information than shouldn't they just hear it and try to deal with whatever the new threat was and then argue over making Xavier an Order member or not? Wasn't the safety of the wizarding world far more important than being picky over who became an Order member or not? When the young girl finished speaking, Manfred gathered up the courage to talk. "We're wasting too much time with this arguing," he said hoping he wasn't overstepping any boundaries here, "I think we have far more important things to do than argue over the fact that Xavier wants to be an Order member or not-especially if his news is an urgent as he's making it sound. So I suggest we table Xavier's member status for a time when Riddle is defeated and the world isn't in danger. Then you guys can argue all you want without any consequences. I agree that he needs to do a little more than give us a few good tips on Riddle's movements before he can be a member but for now I think it'd be best if we agree to think about letting Xavier in and move on to his urgent news. Because if it's really as serious as he's making it sound, the soon we move the better." Of course there was the chance that Xavier would be a pain and insist on being made a member right here and now before he told them anything. Oh, dear, that would be a great inconvenience. |
![]() Can you tell me how it feels I feel nothing at all Can we pretend this is real I feel nothing at all | |
![]() |
|
| Caedmon Darke | Mar 20 2009, 04:57 PM Post #18 |
|
Deputy Headmaster
![]()
|
"Who the hell are you?" "A recently recruited member although, personally, I think we have far more pressing things to talk about than who I am. Don't you agree?" Before anything else was said and done, Caedmon's attention was drawn to the 'argument' that was brewing between Ralem and the new member... He briefly turned his eyes away from Katia and Xavier to get a better look. Now that he thought about it, that voice seemed quite familiar... Finally it hit him. If it hadn't been so dark, Caed would have recognised him immediately. "Manfred! Good to see you," he stated quickly, briefly forgetting the matter at hand. Then again, considering the fact that Lem might not let rest it easy (who could blame her - there was already a Death Eater standing here, having a spy now would be disastrous), the Professor spoke to her next. "It's alright, Ralem, I know him. There's nothing to worry about." Manfred and Caedmon had briefly met about a year ago, in the town near Durmstrang. Manfred had still been a student there at the time and Caedmon had been in the area to gather some intelligence about Adam Powers. Manfred had seemed interested in fighting those who abused the Dark Arts for their own gains and Caed had determined that he was definitely trust-worthy. Now it seemed that Manfred had been in touch with another Order-member and was recruited. The more, the merrier, in Caed's opinion. He was sure Manfred would be of use. But then Katia and Xavier decided to explain themselves... "As you can see, I have temporary custody of his sword and his wand. So, I figured if he was willing to temporarily hand over his weapons in order to meet with us then maybe he's got something that we really need. Oh and there's one more thing... He has chosen to become an Order member Isnt that right, Xavier?" "As distasteful as it may sound - yes. I have decided to join the Order, I believe that Riddle has become a threat to all of us, not just his enemies. He has become more powerful than you know... For the past few months, I have been trying to learn what he has planned. Recently, I discovered something and I feared that everything might be lost if I didn't join forces with you." Caedmon could hardly believe what he was hearing, but even before Katia had finished speaking, he was certain that the rest of the Order was going to object to this meeting and especially Xavier's request to become a member himself. The moment the Wraith was done, all hell seemed to break loose. As Ralem and Mercury fired up and vehemently declined Xavier offer's, Caed just sighed, put his wand away and scratched his head. This was going to take a while. He listened, but his mind was more focused inwardly, trying to figure Xavier out... The way he spoke seemed to indicate that he was serious about this - that he was actually worried about some plan that Riddle was about to put into action and was even willing to join forces with the Order of the Phoenix in order to prevent it. However, even with these facts (unclouded by emotions), Caedmon was not about to let his guard down with Xavier Moody. From the moment the Professor had met him nearly three years ago, back when they were still Paladins serving Varius, he had found Xavier a formidable wizard. He had incredible strength (magical and physical), great knowledge of the Dark Arts and duelling, a ruthless nature, a sharp mind and acted swiftly to gain what he wanted; yet, he was hard to provoke and also made use of stealth, deception and careful planning. Though prideful, feigning loyalty was something that Xavier could pull off very well. In the end, Caed could not simply make a conclusion on this matter. Would Riddle actually send Xavier to the Order to try and lure them into some trap or gather intelligence from the inside? No, it was just too risky. Lord Voldemort did not work that way. On rare occasions, he acted rashly, but not in these instances. He would not risk sending in his most powerful servant (even if he didn't trust him, Xavier, the other Wraiths and his Syndicate were just too valuable), unless he was absolutely certain that the Order would believe his ruse. And that was, given the circumstances, simply impossible. Besides, Caedmon would bet that Riddle hardly understood a concept like 'trust'; he would expect the Order to kill Xavier on sight right now or at leas to capture him. The way Caed saw it, Riddle would never consider that someone would be gullible enough to trust Xavier a second time. Sighing, Caed fixed his gaze on some random spot on the floor while Samantha ranted away, his mind now going for a different angle. You could almost see the cogs in his head turning. So what if it wasn't Riddle's scheme at all? What if Xavier had, indeed, acted on his own, but had some sort of plan to only benefit himself ready, like Sam suggested? This one seemed a bit more possible... Xavier was smart, but unlike Voldemort, he was okay with risky, unexpected maneouvres. Yes... Caedmon could very well see Xavier go to the Order again, believing that they would think there was no possible way he would come to them expecting them to trust him, unless he was truly honest about this. But after some very hard thinking, Caedmon dropped that possibility aswell. It was simply too complicated for Xavier's tastes. Too complicated and too unlikely to work out exactly the way he wanted to. He would know that there was no way they would simply make an Order-member. There would be tons of restrictions, first... So unless it was a long-term strategy, this was very unlikely too. The Professor stopped his thinking and made a decision on the matter. Often, the simplest solution was the most likely answer. All things considered, Caedmon was pretty sure that Xavier was being honest this time. At the same moment he reached a conclusion, Manfred spoke. "We're wasting too much time with this arguing. I think we have far more important things to do than argue over the fact that Xavier wants to be an Order member or not-especially if his news is an urgent as he's making it sound. So I suggest we table Xavier's member status for a time when Riddle is defeated and the world isn't in danger. Then you guys can argue all you want without any consequences. I agree that he needs to do a little more than give us a few good tips on Riddle's movements before he can be a member but for now I think it'd be best if we agree to think about letting Xavier in and move on to his urgent news. Because if it's really as serious as he's making it sound, the soon we move the better." While he was sure some of the members would still disagree, Caedmon was on Manfred's side a 100%. He had taken the words right out of his mouth; there was simply no time to swiftly determine Xavier's real plan. Caed may not have the same feelings as Caelestis, but he supported his and Manfred's idea to just listen to Xavier. "I agree with Manfred," Caedmon finally said. "Personally, I don't think Xavier would have actually wanted to meet with us unless he was serious - whether he's acting on his own or Riddle's orders, it's just not logical. Regardless - let's just drop it and listen to what the man has to say." |
![]() Deputy Headmaster; Head of Slytherin; D.A.D.A. Teacher; Order-member; Expert on the Dark Arts | |
![]() |
|
| Katia Grinkova | Mar 20 2009, 07:21 PM Post #19 |
|
Head Vampire Hunter
![]()
|
Score one for me. Katia could tell by the evil staredown that Xavier was giving her after she made her announcement that she did perfectly to annoy him. This was turning out to be a very good day for her. Not only was she holding his weapons (who were like his babies) but she was also making him irritated. The more angry he got, the more results they may see. The Order could benefit from him being annoyed because then he wouldnt go all arrogant ape on them and hold back on what he came here to say. Not that he was likely to do that....not without his little sword, which was resting quite comfortably under her hand. She watched as he confirmed what she said and waited for the Order to erupt in chaos. She wasnt disappointed. However, his mention that the Ministry was under Riddle's control surprised her. Suddenly, a few things made sense. The couple of times when she snuck into St. Mungos to steal vials of blood from the blood bank, she thought it had been pretty easy to do. For days afterward she wondered when the Ministry would send an official after her but nobody ever came. Then, there was that whole weird thing with the Department of Magical Law Enforcement offering her old job back. The day she went in was a little weird. Everyone had been on pins and needles and she's assumed that it was because everyone knew she was a vampire. No, apparently it was Riddle was pulling the strings. Now, why would she be offered her old job back when Riddle knew she was an Order member? Okay, so maybe that one didnt make much sense. Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard Ralem demand to know who someone was. She glanced over in her direction and saw that she was talking to Manfred. Katia rolled her eyes at the woman's paranoia. Katia almost defended him when Caedmon later acknowledged him. God, Tarendea had to get over her paranoia. However, she did have a point when she started talking to Xavier. The Order would never fully trust Xavier and he had to know that. For once, Katia was sure that he didnt expect anything in return from all of this. If he wanted protection, he had the Syndicate to protect him. He was a big boy...he could take care of himself. Katia watched Cael step between his cousin and the rest of them. She appreciated his protective side and all but they werent children here. Well, besides Sam and Manfred. However, Katia really couldnt blame his reaction and neither could she blame his daughter's. The poor girl has gone through enough hell thanks to Xavier so Katia stayed quiet during her rant. She was completely impressed with Manfred's little speech though. All of them needed to calm down and push aside the fact that Xavier was wanting to become an Order member and get to the real issue here. Riddle was planning something big and they needed to be prepared for whatever it was. Katia sat back down on the creaky steps and laid the sword across her lap. She glanced over at Caedmon, who's been quiet through all of this noise. She lifted an eyebrow at his statement. She couldnt agree with him more. The Order didnt have time to stand around and point fingers at Xavier all night. If they did that, then Xavier could just forget about helping them and go home. Katia did NOT want that to happen. Nobody saw the seriousness in his eyes when he asked her to bring him to them. She may have been suspicious of his motives before but now she was pretty convinced that he knew something good that was going to help them. Looking at her fingernails as if she was bored with all of this chaos, Katia said, "Caedmon's right. Xavier would never, ever, willingly give up his sword in order to come here unless there was a damn good reason. So, everyone needs to shut the hell up and listen to what he has to say. I dont think we have much time here. As he said, Riddle has control over the Ministry, which means most of us are out of a job." She finally looked around the room and finished with, "Personally, I dont trust Xavier either, despite what some of you may think." She couldn help but steal a quick glance at Ralem. "However, I think we need to listen to what he has to say. Otherwise, we will not be prepared for what Riddle has planned next." |
![]() Can't ever keep from falling apart at the seams Cannot believe you're taking my heart to pieces Who do you need? Who do you love? When you come undone | |
![]() |
|
| Xavier Moody | Mar 21 2009, 10:13 AM Post #20 |
|
Wraith
![]()
|
"Imperius? Or bribery? You said freebie. So tell me, Xavier, what the hell do you want from us? We can't give you anything. You don't need our protection, you're perfectly capable. So what is it? What do we need to do for you to give us this "oh so dire" news? I'm beginning to wonder why all the bad guys try to barter with our fates? Why can't you just be a good man and tell us? Because, honestly, if it's trust you want, you're not going to get it." "Yeah, right and I'm the world's smartest man. You're not joking are you? You actually want to join? And what? You think we're just going to welcome you in with arms wide open? Or is that how the deal's supposed to work? You give us some bullshit and we label you a member, is that it? I think we're going to need a little more than information before we even consider the idea of letting you join." As Tarendeau and Banks ranted away, Xavier grew more tense. He had folded his arms, but was now clutching each one with the other so tightly that it felt like his nails were going to pierce his clothes and his skin if he kept this up. Meanwhile, his face was now turned down, his dark eyes fixed on the floor and his jaw clenched. Normally, the Wraith was not one to let others get beneath his skin; it only happened around people like Caelestis (at least in the past), when the very thought of him made him surge with hatred. But this was different... He was sick of these people. Completely, utterly sick. Did they have any idea of the risks he had just taken? The risks he had been taking for months, in fact? Helping Erica escape, sneaking around the Dark Lord's headquarters, getting inside his most important personal quarters and chambers for research and study and now contacting Katia, giving up his sword and his wand and getting in touch with the Order of the Phoenix, to warn them of the approaching danger... Xavier felt that they should all be on their knees, thanking him, and while he never expected them to do such a thing and could even understand their feelings of anger and distrust towards him, the fact was - Xavier didn't give a shit. For now, he just wanted these people to listen! To think that the fate of the world rested in the hands of these amateurs... "Or maybe..." Xavier started, his voice a deadly whisper. Anyone in the room would've been able to tell that they had just crossed an invisible line with the Wraith. For a moment, he didn't care about this whole meeting and all he wanted was one thing... "Maybe what I want is for you people to SHUT UP and LISTEN!" He shouted, looking up again, eyes glaring. Xavier then fixed them on Ralem. "I knew you'd act like this, that's why I thought I could at least tell you one thing as a gesture of good will, with no guarantees if you were going to believe me or not. But if I'm going to reveal what I've discovered, then I ask of you to just listen. So perhaps if you guys were to give me the chance to 'be a good man and tell you', I would!" As far as Xavier knew, he had never lost his control around the Order like this before. He looked around the room, giving each person a stare; his face was terrible to behold. There was no glitter of arrogance - just anger and dislike for this whole situation. Xavier didn't want to be here, didn't they get it? The message was, hopefully, crystal clear. He was not going to stand for any of this stupidity any more. They had very little time... "I'm not saying we should trust him... Not immediately. But I don't think Xavier would've gone to this length if he wasn't being serious. And maybe he doesn't want anything at all. Maybe all he wants is that trust. But you're going to have to give us more than that, Xavier." "Oh, I'll give you more..." Xavier said, still sounding obviously annoyed as he looked at Caelestis. Truthfully, though, he was grateful to his cousin. At least there was one person in this room who had the right idea, but if anyone were to believe him, it would be Cael. It was true that they had tried to kill each other countless times, but nearly two years ago, just after Varius's death, Cael had finally managed to open Xavier's eyes. From that point on, Xavier had not continued to waste his life with his rage and embitterment over the hurts and betrayals he had suffered that had lead him to this dark path; instead, he had kept going upwards, to the top of the Syndicate and the top of the Death Eaters. But the latter was no longer an option and Xavier now understood what needed to be done for all their sakes. For a second, Xavier was worried that they might curse him for this, but he nonetheless reached into the pockets of his robes and pulled something out. It was a small vial of potion, containing a strange, gold liquid. He held it up for all to see, then looked at Tarendeau again. "Here, catch!" Xavier threw the vial towards her, knowing that it was her that he needed to convince of his honesty above all else - she was the greatest skeptic and an Order-leader. The Wraith then calmed himself, took a deep breath and started explaining. "This is how Riddle gained control of the Ministry. It's the Elixir of Life. If you don't believe me, feel free to have it checked by any alchemist. Remember back in the summer, when Scrimgeour fell ill? I'm not sure if Riddle was responsible for that too, but he certainly was responsible for the cure. He saved Scrimgeour's life in exchange for his loyalty. The Minister's been receiving the Elixir and following Riddle's every order since." Knowing that they were going to ask how Riddle could've gotten his hands on the Elixir of Life, Xavier decided to continue to explain that one too. "Riddle has a Philosopher's Stone. And not just any ordinary stone either. I believe he managed to create it in the time the Elder Wand was in his possession. With the ultimate wand and Varius's knowledge, Riddle was able to perfect the stone. The potion that Scrimgeour and several other of his servants have been receiving is merely a diluted version, merely extending their lives and unabling them to be killed for as long as they keep drinking it regularly. The version that Riddle drunk was different... He's no longer dependant on it..." Xavier paused, knowing that the Order was going to have trouble taking in the next one. "Thanks to the improved stone, Riddle has become completely immortal. There's no way any ordinary magic could ever kill him. Avada Kedavra, cutting his head off, burning his body... All useless. Under normal circumstances, Riddle can not be defeated by anyone anymore." Xavier sighed again, hoping that the Order would understand now. "Save by the Eternal Sword," he finished. This was the reason he needed their help, why the whole world was dependant on the Order now. They had the Elder Wand and the Eternal Sword, complete and functioning. Better weapons against Lord Voldemort didn't exist. Unfortunately, there were still some people in the room that didn't approve of Xavier - or Cael's trust in him. But there were others too. "What are you doing, Dad?! This is insanity! This guy's tried to kill you - tons of times, in fact! He's tried to kill all of us! Have you gone nuts? I swear, if I need to remind you of everything Xavier's done we'd be up here all night! We've played this game before... Xavier already offered his help once. He's making use of our greatest flaws - our lack of information and our tendency to trust people. I think Xavier's either here on Riddle's orders or he's got some scheme of his own in mind. Remember Mircea? Remember Adam? We also let him join for a time and look where that got us! Mad-Eye hadn't even been buried and he ran out on us! We can't afford to do this again and again. Our enemy's most dangerous servant is right in front of us - unarmed! If we don't take this opportunity to just capture him, then how are we ever going to defeat Riddle?" "We're wasting too much time with this arguing. I think we have far more important things to do than argue over the fact that Xavier wants to be an Order member or not-especially if his news is an urgent as he's making it sound. So I suggest we table Xavier's member status for a time when Riddle is defeated and the world isn't in danger. Then you guys can argue all you want without any consequences. I agree that he needs to do a little more than give us a few good tips on Riddle's movements before he can be a member but for now I think it'd be best if we agree to think about letting Xavier in and move on to his urgent news. Because if it's really as serious as he's making it sound, the soon we move the better." "I agree with Manfred. Personally, I don't think Xavier would have actually wanted to meet with us unless he was serious - whether he's acting on his own or Riddle's orders, it's just not logical. Regardless - let's just drop it and listen to what the man has to say." "Caedmon's right. Xavier would never, ever, willingly give up his sword in order to come here unless there was a damn good reason. So, everyone needs to shut the hell up and listen to what he has to say. I dont think we have much time here. As he said, Riddle has control over the Ministry, which means most of us are out of a job. Personally, I dont trust Xavier either, despite what some of you may think. However, I think we need to listen to what he has to say. Otherwise, we will not be prepared for what Riddle has planned next." Xavier fixed dear little Sammie with a death glare at her words - if looks could kill... He knew she would be the least trusting and again, he didn't blame her for it, but it still annoyed him. Especially when he still had more to tell them... Scrimgeour and the Elixir were irrelevant, compared to what Xavier had discovered. Luckily, the reasonable Order-members finally started voicing their opinions. The Wraith didn't know the young man, but he could almost hug him. At last, a smart one! Then came Caedmon Darke; Xavier didn't like him that much, but at least he understood what was at stake. Finally, Katia spoke again, hopefully placing the final nail in the coffin concerning the Wraith's loyalty. Xavier was already a lot calmer now, but still, with their words he figured he could finally relax. No more time to waste. It was time to get to business. "You won't regret this..." Was all Xavier said before he got started. "Since we're all on the same page now, I'll tell you the real reason why I wanted to meet with you tonight. I'll tell you what Riddle has been up to for all this time... For one, he has moved to a new headquarters but you could've figured that one out." "Secondly, shortly after the Eternal Sword was stolen, he ordered a 'purging' of the Death Eaters, to eliminate anyone weak and less than trustworthy. He ordered me to kill Erica as proof of my own loyalty. I disobeyed and instead, I saved her life. I faked evidence and used Occlumency to fool Riddle. Since then, he has believed me to be his most loyal, most powerful servant." "Thirdly, you don't have to worry about your jobs," he said to Katia. "Riddle has ordered Scrimgeour to keep everything as normal as possible. To make the population believe the Death Eaters are gone, so that Riddle can catch everyone unawares later - he's been building up his forces in secret and trust me, the Death Eaters are more dangerous than ever." "Fourthly, he's been giving the diluted Elixir of Life to several other, loyal servants. I've managed to avoid taking it all the time, fearing that I would become too dependant on it. Nonetheless, some of the Death Eaters can't be killed, not as long as they keep drinking it." "However, most important of all, is this. Riddle has barely showed himself, even to us. He has been working on something in secret and I finally discovered what it is. Riddle hasn't been continuing the war, because he's afraid of you, of the Order of the Phoenix. He fears that with the Eternal Sword, you can still destroy him, so he doesn't dare show himself in the open. He's scared for his life. He fears you more than any army of thousands." "But..." Xavier sighed heavily again. "That's why he wants to defeat you first. Soon, Riddle will confront you. I discovered that he's been working on a weapon. A weapon that might be capable of defeating the Eternal Sword in combat. I believe that very soon, it will be complete." "It's called the Infernal Sword." The Wraith looked around the group again. "Do you understand? With the Infernal Sword, he's hoping to defeat you and eliminate the only means of stopping him. Without the Eternal Sword, it's over. No matter how much you fight, Riddle can never be defeated. All your efforts will be in vein and no matter how much you delay him and his Death Eaters, Riddle will achieve victory. If the U.K. falls, the rest of Europe will too, eventually. From there, Riddle will conquer other nations and other continents... He will have eternity to achieve his goals. He won't stop until the entire magical and Muggle worlds are his." |
![]() "You won't see me coming... Until I strike." Xavier Moody | Wraith | Ex-Death Eater | Leader of the Syndicate | Redeemed..? | |
![]() |
|
| Ralem Tarendeau | Mar 21 2009, 01:40 PM Post #21 |
|
Minister of Magic
![]()
|
"Yeah, right and I'm the world's smartest man. You're not joking are you? You actually want to join? And what? You think we're just going to welcome you in with arms wide open? Or is that how the deal's supposed to work? You give us some bullshit and we label you a member, is that it? I think we're going to need a little more than information before we even consider the idea of letting you join." "I'm not saying we should trust him... Not immediately. But I don't think Xavier would've gone to this length if he wasn't being serious. And maybe he doesn't want anything at all, Maybe all he wants is that trust." "What are you doing, Dad?! This is insanity! This guy's tried to kill you - tons of times, in fact! He's tried to kill all of us! Have you gone nuts? I swear, if I need to remind you of everything Xavier's done we'd be up here all night! We've played this game before... Xavier already offered his help once. He's making use of our greatest flaws - our lack of information and our tendency to trust people. I think Xavier's either here on Riddle's orders or he's got some scheme of his own in mind. Remember Mircea? Remember Adam? We also let him join for a time and look where that got us! Mad-Eye hadn't even been buried and he ran out on us! We can't afford to do this again and again. Our enemy's most dangerous servant is right in front of us - unarmed! If we don't take this opportunity to just capture him, then how are we ever going to defeat Riddle?" It seemed that Sam and Banks were on Lem’s side. Well, maybe not all for the same reasons…But still. Cael, though, worried her. As he stepped between her and Xavier, their eyes met. She wasn’t exactly sure what to do. Cael was defending the man that had poisoned his mind and body, threatened him and his family, caused chaos and destruction…Xavier was a disaster and yet Cael was now defending him. Ten years ago, Lem would have thought that this day would be impossible. Cael defending Xavier? Yes, Lem understood the importance of Xavier’s presence. He understood how much it would take to come and have a meeting with the Order. But there was this distrust that had been embodied in her mind since she had attended Hogwarts. This was something hard to throw away. "A recently recruited member although, personally, I think we have far more pressing things to talk about than who I am. Don't you agree?" "It's alright, Ralem, I know him. There's nothing to worry about." Lem was annoyed by the little arrogant boy that appeared to have no manners. Honestly, who decided to bring this brat into their circle? And he didn’t even introduce himself! Would she ever know this puppy’s name? Then, of course, Caed had said his name. Oh perfect. Manfred. For some reason that reminded her of a monkey. She hated monkeys. Honestly, Lem was beginning to feel that this Manfred was going to be worse than Sam. She was about to retort when Caed obviously tried to calm her down. Her eyes softened as they fell on his and then she gave him a nod that said “We’ll talk about this later.” "We're wasting too much time with this arguing,I think we have far more important things to do than argue over the fact that Xavier wants to be an Order member or not-especially if his news is an urgent as he's making it sound. So I suggest we table Xavier's member status for a time when Riddle is defeated and the world isn't in danger. Then you guys can argue all you want without any consequences. I agree that he needs to do a little more than give us a few good tips on Riddle's movements before he can be a member but for now I think it'd be best if we agree to think about letting Xavier in and move on to his urgent news. Because if it's really as serious as he's making it sound, the soon we move the better." "I agree with Manfred,Personally, I don't think Xavier would have actually wanted to meet with us unless he was serious - whether he's acting on his own or Riddle's orders, it's just not logical. Regardless - let's just drop it and listen to what the man has to say." "Caedmon's right. Xavier would never, ever, willingly give up his sword in order to come here unless there was a damn good reason. So, everyone needs to shut the hell up and listen to what he has to say. I dont think we have much time here. As he said, Riddle has control over the Ministry, which means most of us are out of a job. Personally, I dont trust Xavier either, despite what some of you may think. However, I think we need to listen to what he has to say. Otherwise, we will not be prepared for what Riddle has planned next.” "Or maybe...Maybe what I want is for you people to SHUT UP and LISTEN! I knew you'd act like this, that's why I thought I could at least tell you one thing as a gesture of good will, with no guarantees if you were going to believe me or not. But if I'm going to reveal what I've discovered, then I ask of you to just listen. So perhaps if you guys were to give me the chance to 'be a good man and tell you', I would!" Lem was growing weary of this Manfred. She was definitely going to “step aside” with him later. She really hated brats that acted like they owned the world. They reminded her of her own students. And judging by Manfred’s posture, she had a feeling of what kind of family he came from. He reminded her of Tallen (except, Tallen had better manners), who, like always, wasn’t here. She would talk to him about that. Lem scowled at Katia’s unique choice of words. They didn’t realize that even though Xavier was attempting to earn their trust, he could be doing it for the wrong reasons? A bad guy was always a bad guy. Once you have blood on your hands, you can’t wash it off, no matter how hard you try. And Xavier had tons of blood on his hands. When Katia took a glimpse at her, Lem realized that people took things way out of context. All Lem had been trying to do, was figure this all out. Verbally of course. Lem wasn’t exactly one to think all in her head. Lem wanted more than anyone could know to trust what Xavier was saying. She wanted this goddamn war to be over with so that she could live a peaceful life. She wanted to be happy, not tormented in her sleep. She just didn’t realize what the price would be for it this time. First the lives of her friends, her leader, and then the threat to everyone else’s life…Now this. This was a biggie. This was almost as if Voldemort was here begging for forgiveness. Ok, maybe not really. But, kind of. Lem sighed and brushed past Cael, walking up closer to Xavier. She looked into his dark brown eyes, wondering if there was anything to read there. Cael knew Xavier the most. He knew how he acted, what he did. Hell, Lem realized that she was close enough for Xavier to grab her neck. The thought sent chills down her spine, but in spite of that, she put her want away into her robe. “Fine.” "Here, catch! This is how Riddle gained control of the Ministry. It's the Elixir of Life. If you don't believe me, feel free to have it checked by any alchemist. Remember back in the summer, when Scrimgeour fell ill? I'm not sure if Riddle was responsible for that too, but he certainly was responsible for the cure. He saved Scrimgeour's life in exchange for his loyalty. The Minister's been receiving the Elixir and following Riddle's every order since." "Riddle has a Philosopher's Stone. And not just any ordinary stone either. I believe he managed to create it in the time the Elder Wand was in his possession. With the ultimate wand and Varius's knowledge, Riddle was able to perfect the stone. The potion that Scrimgeour and several other of his servants have been receiving is merely a diluted version, merely extending their lives and unabling them to be killed for as long as they keep drinking it regularly. The version that Riddle drunk was different... He's no longer dependant on it..." "Thanks to the improved stone, Riddle has become completely immortal. There's no way any ordinary magic could ever kill him. Avada Kedavra, cutting his head off, burning his body... All useless. Under normal circumstances, Riddle can not be defeated by anyone anymore." "Save by the Eternal Sword," Lem still had those good reflexes from the days she had been the seeker of her house team. She caught the vial and hesitantly looked over at Xavier. Was he serious? She turned and raised it to the light of the coat hanger and swished the elixir around. Well, she didn’t know much, and there weren’t any potion buffs in the room from what Lem knew…She would have to take his word. But what did this mean? Why did he give it to them? As proof? Or did he have some diabolical plan where someone would drink this stuff? “So Riddle’s giving his Death Eaters a dependant version so that they feel the power and come cowering back for more? What a perfect way to keep the loyalties…” Lem mused more to herself than anyone really. Lem’s heart dropped. It almost sounded like Xavier was telling them that Riddle was impossible to kill. This wasn’t good. But soon enough, he let her regain some hope. Of course, they still had the Eternal Sword! The problem was staying alive long enough to kill Riddle. Merlin….Yet, as Xavier trailed off, it sounded like there was more…depressing news. "You won't regret this..." "Since we're all on the same page now, I'll tell you the real reason why I wanted to meet with you tonight. I'll tell you what Riddle has been up to for all this time... For one, he has moved to a new headquarters but you could've figured that one out." "Secondly, shortly after the Eternal Sword was stolen, he ordered a 'purging' of the Death Eaters, to eliminate anyone weak and less than trustworthy. He ordered me to kill Erica as proof of my own loyalty. I disobeyed and instead, I saved her life. I faked evidence and used Occlumency to fool Riddle. Since then, he has believed me to be his most loyal, most powerful servant." "Thirdly, you don't have to worry about your jobs, Riddle has ordered Scrimgeour to keep everything as normal as possible. To make the population believe the Death Eaters are gone, so that Riddle can catch everyone unawares later - he's been building up his forces in secret and trust me, the Death Eaters are more dangerous than ever." "Fourthly, he's been giving the diluted Elixir of Life to several other, loyal servants. I've managed to avoid taking it all the time, fearing that I would become too dependant on it. Nonetheless, some of the Death Eaters can't be killed, not as long as they keep drinking it." "However, most important of all, is this. Riddle has barely showed himself, even to us. He has been working on something in secret and I finally discovered what it is. Riddle hasn't been continuing the war, because he's afraid of you, of the Order of the Phoenix. He fears that with the Eternal Sword, you can still destroy him, so he doesn't dare show himself in the open. He's scared for his life. He fears you more than any army of thousands." "But...That's why he wants to defeat you first. Soon, Riddle will confront you. I discovered that he's been working on a weapon. A weapon that might be capable of defeating the Eternal Sword in combat. I believe that very soon, it will be complete." "It's called the Infernal Sword." "Do you understand? With the Infernal Sword, he's hoping to defeat you and eliminate the only means of stopping him. Without the Eternal Sword, it's over. No matter how much you fight, Riddle can never be defeated. All your efforts will be in vein and no matter how much you delay him and his Death Eaters, Riddle will achieve victory. If the U.K. falls, the rest of Europe will too, eventually. From there, Riddle will conquer other nations and other continents... He will have eternity to achieve his goals. He won't stop until the entire magical and Muggle worlds are his." Now Lem felt like she had a knot in every possible organ of her body. Riddle feared the Order, and now….he’s creating something that could possible turn into the apocalypse of the world. She didn’t like this, not at all. The idea that Riddle had been working on something? And when she found out that it was a sword that could rival the Eternal Sword, well, she wasn’t too happy. It felt as if all of the bright and sunny places in the world had suddenly turned dark, and everyone’s bright hearts faded into black, and any other depressing thoughts. Lem wasn’t sure where to go with this. Xavier just told them something that would help them in the long run…but it almost sounded like there was only a slim chance the Order would succeed. “First off, how does this Infernal Sword work? Does Riddle expect it to slice through the Eternal Sword? Or is there something more to it? Some dark power that would do more than that?” Lem almost didn’t want an answer to that. “Second, is it finished?” Everyone would know where Lem was going with that one. If it was finished, they would have to come up with some strategic plan, if it wasn’t, then they could attack Riddle there and then. It was the only option for them at that moment. Lem brought the vial up to her face once more and sighed. What was the world coming to? Most of it didn’t even know of the dangers that were waiting for them. She swished the elixir some more, trying to figure this all out. It sounded suicidal, but Lem almost wanted to storm into Riddle’s stronghold and kill him. She quickly turned to Xavier. “There isn’t more…is there? Of this Elixir? You said you were skipping on some. Did you stash them somewhere?” If the Order members could get a hold of some Elixir…well, storming the stronghold wouldn’t sound like such a bad idea. |
![]() Even angels have their wicked schemes and you take death to new extremes | |
![]() |
|
| Caelestis Moody | Mar 21 2009, 02:52 PM Post #22 |
|
Head of Gryffindor
![]()
|
"What are you doing, Dad?! This is insanity! This guy's tried to kill you - tons of times, in fact! He's tried to kill all of us! Have you gone nuts? I swear, if I need to remind you of everything Xavier's done we'd be up here all night! We've played this game before... Xavier already offered his help once. He's making use of our greatest flaws - our lack of information and our tendency to trust people. I think Xavier's either here on Riddle's orders or he's got some scheme of his own in mind. Remember Mircea? Remember Adam? We also let him join for a time and look where that got us! Mad-Eye hadn't even been buried and he ran out on us! We can't afford to do this again and again. Our enemy's most dangerous servant is right in front of us - unarmed! If we don't take this opportunity to just capture him, then how are we ever going to defeat Riddle?" "Stop it, Sam." Caelestis had not raised his voice or given any sign, in fact, that he was angry, but there was a tone in his voice and a look in his eyes indicating that he was very serious; it was one of those rare moments when not even he would tolerate Samantha to speak up again. "I know very well what Xavier has done and what kind of a person he is. You're thinking in black and white, Samantha. Xavier is not Adam. Xavier is not Mircea. And this situation is different from back then." At the same time, Ralem was looking at Cael. It was obvious what was on her mind. She had known all about the long-standing rivalry between the two cousins... She'd been there that day when Cael and Xavier had first duelled for real; she'd taken Xavier to Azkaban when the fight was over. Not to mention the fact that Lem had experience with Dark wizards for years, even aside from everything that had happened to them as Order-members. If anyone would feel apprehensive about this, it would be her. "I can't explain it fully, but I think... No, I know that this is the right action to take," Cael added, speaking to both Sam and Ralem. In the end, sometimes there was just no other choice to make. You could think about it all you wanted, but there were some questions that you weren't going to get a clear answer on and the best thing to do was go with your feelings. Caelestis went over everything in his life concerning Xavier one more time... It was true that he had done things that were unmistakably evil; he still did those things. Yet Xavier hadn't always been that way. Something had been changing about him recently. With all that in mind, in this situation, what would Gloriana have done? As he thought, her face swam into focus... Her long, black hair and gentle eyes. Xavier had been responsible for her death, but even then, he was sure that if Gloriana was here, she'd find it in herself to trust him. She hadn't been naive, but she'd had this sense... This belief in the goodness of others... And that was what Gloriana had been trying to teach Caelestis. Yes. He made up his mind. Xavier wasn't here for some other scheme or because Riddle ordered him to. He was here to help. Cael trusted him. But his own blind faith wasn't the only thing. Manfred, Caedmon and Katia all presented logical arguments. Mad-Eye was probably twisting in his grave, but there was just nothing for it. Let's get it over with. For a long time, he listened to Xavier as he spoke. As shocked as Cael was by the news that Riddle was passing out immortality to himself and his servants, it was nothing compared to the news that came next. The fact that his cousin had helped save Erica Winters, undoubtedly at great risk, seemed as a further reinforcement to his growing trust in Xavier. But all the other stuff was bad news. Very bad news. When Xavier started explaining that Voldemort was building a weapon that could best the Eternal Sword, Cael bit his lip. By all accounts, it seemed as if the entire world was now dependant on this one, old, enchanted blade. The Order of the Phoenix had gone to incredible lengths to get it; first, they'd gone to the Ancient's Tomb only to discover that Riddle had beaten them to it and then they infiltrated the Wright Mansion and had only obtained the crystal necessary to make it work. Luckily, Mircea had managed to steal the sword itself and on that fateful night last summer, it all managed to come together. It looked like all their hopes were now on that thing... "Do you understand? With the Infernal Sword, he's hoping to defeat you and eliminate the only means of stopping him. Without the Eternal Sword, it's over. No matter how much you fight, Riddle can never be defeated. All your efforts will be in vein and no matter how much you delay him and his Death Eaters, Riddle will achieve victory. If the U.K. falls, the rest of Europe will too, eventually. From there, Riddle will conquer other nations and other continents... He will have eternity to achieve his goals. He won't stop until the entire magical and Muggle worlds are his." Caelestis would have been hard-pressed to describe the feeling that threatened to overwhelm him when Xavier spoke of the dark future in store for them should they fail. A world in which Lord Voldemort would be unconquerable. Cael didn't want to believe it, but everything Xavier had said made sense - the Elixir of Life was the proof. If it checked out, then most likely, everything he said was true. An invincible Voldemort... The Death Eaters would become the only group in wizarding societies with rights and freedoms; Muggleborns and blood-traitors would be exterminated or become slaves; Hogwarts would become a school of the Dark Arts... The Dark Lord Voldemort would reign supreme and (Cael didn't want to imagine it) would eventually step out into the world and wage war on non-magic folk. If there had ever been a vision of hell that could actually come true, this was it. But it wasn't over yet - the Order was still ready to fight and they had the sword. As long as they existed, Voldemort would know fear. Ralem swiftly spoke - now that Xavier had broken the news to them, everyone knew there was no time to waste. “First off, how does this Infernal Sword work? Does Riddle expect it to slice through the Eternal Sword? Or is there something more to it? Some dark power that would do more than that? Second, is it finished? There isn’t more…is there? Of this Elixir? You said you were skipping on some. Did you stash them somewhere?” At the first two questions, Cael had as little idea as anyone here except Xavier. But he did think of something at the third one. "Wait a minute, Ralem... I know what you're thinking, but we should be careful. It's possible Riddle has put something else entirely in that Elixir. Who knows, if you drink enough of it, you might turn into a mindless zombie that only follows Riddle's orders." "If you do have any Elixir to spare, would it be safe to drink it once we go to confront Riddle?" Caelestis asked Xavier. They needed to know these kinds of things and quick... To know what kind of options they had. They had to know just how they were standing exactly if they wanted to fight Voldemort as soon as possible - preferably before the Infernal Sword was complete. |
![]() Duelling teacher; Head of Gryffindor House; Order-member | |
![]() |
|
| Mercury Banks | Mar 22 2009, 10:21 AM Post #23 |
|
Jack of Hearts
![]()
|
"I'm not saying we should trust him... Not immediately. But I don't think Xavier would've gone to this length if he wasn't being serious. And maybe he doesn't want anything at all. Maybe all he wants is that trust. But you're going to have to give us more than that, Xavier." "What are you doing, Dad?! This is insanity! This guy's tried to kill you - tons of times, in fact! He's tried to kill all of us! Have you gone nuts? I swear, if I need to remind you of everything Xavier's done we'd be up here all night! We've played this game before... Xavier already offered his help once. He's making use of our greatest flaws - our lack of information and our tendency to trust people. I think Xavier's either here on Riddle's orders or he's got some scheme of his own in mind. Remember Mircea? Remember Adam? We also let him join for a time and look where that got us! Mad-Eye hadn't even been buried and he ran out on us! We can't afford to do this again and again. Our enemy's most dangerous servant is right in front of us - unarmed! If we don't take this opportunity to just capture him, then how are we ever going to defeat Riddle?" If truth be told Mercury was sure that this would have been the one thing everyone in the Order agreed on. He thought laughing at Xavier’s face and telling him to fuck off was a no brainer. Seriously, let a murdering Death Eater who had tried to kill everyone in this room at least once into the Order? How could anyone say yes to that? Even if Xavier had super important information to save the world, why did they have to let him join? The idea just made Mercury sick and he was relieved to see that Lem was on his side. But then Cael did something irrational, illogical, and fucking confusing. He stood between them and Xavier, like he was willing to fight the whole Order for the Wraith. What the fuck? Had Cael fucking lost it? Mercury was about to say something when Samantha beat him to it. For the first time since Mercury could remember, he and Samantha finally agreed with each other. As far as Mercury was concerned Cael had lost it. They shouldn’t be standing here arguing over letting Xavier join. They should be trying to kick Xavier’s ass-even if Cael was standing by his side. "We're wasting too much time with this arguing. I think we have far more important things to do than argue over the fact that Xavier wants to be an Order member or not-especially if his news is an urgent as he's making it sound. So I suggest we table Xavier's member status for a time when Riddle is defeated and the world isn't in danger. Then you guys can argue all you want without any consequences. I agree that he needs to do a little more than give us a few good tips on Riddle's movements before he can be a member but for now I think it'd be best if we agree to think about letting Xavier in and move on to his urgent news. Because if it's really as serious as he's making it sound, the soon we move the better." "I agree with Manfred. Personally, I don't think Xavier would have actually wanted to meet with us unless he was serious - whether he's acting on his own or Riddle's orders, it's just not logical. Regardless - let's just drop it and listen to what the man has to say." "Caedmon's right. Xavier would never, ever, willingly give up his sword in order to come here unless there was a damn good reason. So, everyone needs to shut the hell up and listen to what he has to say. I dont think we have much time here. As he said, Riddle has control over the Ministry, which means most of us are out of a job. Personally, I dont trust Xavier either, despite what some of you may think. However, I think we need to listen to what he has to say. Otherwise, we will not be prepared for what Riddle has planned next." Then a new voice spoke-one Mercury had never heard of before. He twirled around and saw a skeleton thin...boy. What the hell? Were they getting so desperate that they were hiring kids now? Well at least they had one more shield. But the kid had a point. While they stood here arguing they were wasting time and that was always bad. Mercury was pretty sure Xavier had something important to say but Xavier's supporters were right. Xavier wouldn't be stupid enough to try something this desperate unless it was important. The problem was trying to figure out if there was an ulterior motive behind it. But trying to read Xavier's motives was like trying to read tea leaves. So maybe Caedmon, Katia, and the new kid had a point. Maybe just this once it would be better to ignore the ugly fact that Xavier was a backstabbing fuck and listen to what the man had to say. "Or maybe...Maybe what I want is for you people to SHUT UP and LISTEN! I knew you'd act like this, that's why I thought I could at least tell you one thing as a gesture of good will, with no guarantees if you were going to believe me or not. But if I'm going to reveal what I've discovered, then I ask of you to just listen. So perhaps if you guys were to give me the chance to 'be a good man and tell you', I would!" Then Xavier exploded. Mercury had never seen Xavier so pissed before. Wow they must have really got under his skin. It was kind of gratifying. If only Mercury could do this more often, except Mercury was sure Xavier was going to spend the rest of his time making them all pay for today. Oh well what else was new? The Wraith was always trying to kill them. It was getting rather boring actually. "Fuck you, Xavier," he said as Xavier told them to shut the fuck up. Oh yes that was certainly helping. He watched as Ralem walked up to Xsvier ad hissed fine. Great, it looked like they would have to deal with Xavier. Oh boy. "Here, catch! This is how Riddle gained control of the Ministry. It's the Elixir of Life. If you don't believe me, feel free to have it checked by any alchemist. Remember back in the summer, when Scrimgeour fell ill? I'm not sure if Riddle was responsible for that too, but he certainly was responsible for the cure. He saved Scrimgeour's life in exchange for his loyalty. The Minister's been receiving the Elixir and following Riddle's every order since. Riddle has a Philosopher's Stone. And not just any ordinary stone either. I believe he managed to create it in the time the Elder Wand was in his possession. With the ultimate wand and Varius's knowledge, Riddle was able to perfect the stone. The potion that Scrimgeour and several other of his servants have been receiving is merely a diluted version, merely extending their lives and unabling them to be killed for as long as they keep drinking it regularly. The version that Riddle drunk was different... He's no longer dependant on it... However Mercury's anger and frustration was replaced by surprise and confusion. He watched as Ralem caught a golden liquor in a vial. What the hell was that? Wait, what? The elixir of life? How the fuck did Riddle get his hands on that? Wait what? He gave Scrimgeour this? So that son of a bitch was running on this shit? Shit, thigs really were worst than they thought. What?! His servants were taking elixir too? All right that was too many whats. This wasn't clarifying anything. This was only fucking things up. So Riddle had the elixir of life and he was passing it around to his servants making them invincible? Shit. They were so screwed. But apparently things were getting worst because Riddle drunk some too. But he had a different version? What? "Thanks to the improved stone, Riddle has become completely immortal. There's no way any ordinary magic could ever kill him. Avada Kedavra, cutting his head off, burning his body... All useless. Under normal circumstances, Riddle can not be defeated by anyone anymore. Save by the Eternal Sword "WHAT?!" Mercury snapped. Riddle was what? Fucking immortal? Really immortal? Not this stupid I'm immortal, I'm immortal, I'm immortal, oh wait I'm not. Then the guy dies. But Riddle, he wasn't going to die. Oh shit. How? How did things come to this? Wait, all hope wasn't lost? The eternal sword could still kill the fucker? So it was just like the Varius shit. Now all they had to do was stab Riddle with the sword. Should be a piece of cake right? Yeah, a fucking piece of cake. "Since we're all on the same page now, I'll tell you the real reason why I wanted to meet with you tonight. I'll tell you what Riddle has been up to for all this time... For one, he has moved to a new headquarters but you could've figured that one out." "Secondly, shortly after the Eternal Sword was stolen, he ordered a 'purging' of the Death Eaters, to eliminate anyone weak and less than trustworthy. He ordered me to kill Erica as proof of my own loyalty. I disobeyed and instead, I saved her life. I faked evidence and used Occlumency to fool Riddle. Since then, he has believed me to be his most loyal, most powerful servant." "Thirdly, you don't have to worry about your jobs. Riddle has ordered Scrimgeour to keep everything as normal as possible. To make the population believe the Death Eaters are gone, so that Riddle can catch everyone unawares later - he's been building up his forces in secret and trust me, the Death Eaters are more dangerous than ever." "Fourthly, he's been giving the diluted Elixir of Life to several other, loyal servants. I've managed to avoid taking it all the time, fearing that I would become too dependant on it. Nonetheless, some of the Death Eaters can't be killed, not as long as they keep drinking it." However things were only going to get worst. Xavier's first point was a no brainer. Even they had been able to figure that one out and they hadn't spent the last few months spying and shit like that. It would have been nice to know where this new location was but apparently they had far more important things to discussion. Mercury wasn't surprised that Riddle decided to purge his own members. It sounded like something a psychotic dictator like dude would do, but what did surprise him was that Xavier survived the purge and that he let the vampire bitch live. Either Xavier actually had a heart or Erica was good at lap dances. So Riddle was playing the familiar let's pretned everything is normal game so we can surprise everyone, yay! That was nothing new, besides most of the population was kind of obviously to Riddle anyway. The fourth part freaked Mercury out a bit. "So you're saying that some of his Death Eater freaks are fucking immortal too? Can you give us any names or are we just going to have to figure it out during the next fight?" Man this eternal sword of theirs was going to be really busy with all these immortals running around. Too bad they couldn't copy the damn thing. "However, most important of all, is this. Riddle has barely showed himself, even to us. He has been working on something in secret and I finally discovered what it is. Riddle hasn't been continuing the war, because he's afraid of you, of the Order of the Phoenix. He fears that with the Eternal Sword, you can still destroy him, so he doesn't dare show himself in the open. He's scared for his life. He fears you more than any army of thousands." "But...That's why he wants to defeat you first. Soon, Riddle will confront you. I discovered that he's been working on a weapon. A weapon that might be capable of defeating the Eternal Sword in combat. I believe that very soon, it will be complete." "It's called the Infernal Sword." Do you understand? With the Infernal Sword, he's hoping to defeat you and eliminate the only means of stopping him. Without the Eternal Sword, it's over. No matter how much you fight, Riddle can never be defeated. All your efforts will be in vein and no matter how much you delay him and his Death Eaters, Riddle will achieve victory. If the U.K. falls, the rest of Europe will too, eventually. From there, Riddle will conquer other nations and other continents... He will have eternity to achieve his goals. He won't stop until the entire magical and Muggle worlds are his." Mercury wanted to laugh when Xavier said Riddle was afraid of them. It was really quite funny although he wasn't sure if he should take it as a compliment or not. Apparently they were going something right if Riddle was scared enough to go into hiding. "Yeah well we're kind of used to being on top of Riddle's important people to kill list," he said just because he had to say something, anything to try and not make this ound as bad as it really was. What, another sword? What the hell was it with these fucking swords?! "Let me see if I've got this straight. We have a sword that can kill Riddle and Riddle now has a sword that can defeat us? How many fucking swords are there and how the hell did he even manage to make this thing?" Lem also brought up some important questions, the most important was probably the 'is it finished' question, because that was rather important. Their next move revolved around that question. “There isn’t more…is there? Of this Elixir? You said you were skipping on some. Did you stash them somewhere?” "Wait a minute, Ralem... I know what you're thinking, but we should be careful. It's possible Riddle has put something else entirely in that Elixir. Who knows, if you drink enough of it, you might turn into a mindless zombie that only follows Riddle's orders. If you do have any Elixir to spare, would it be safe to drink it once we go to confront Riddle?" Mercury wasn't sure how he felt about drinking the elixir. Somehow messing with anything Riddle had a hand with was a bad idea. But it could give them an edge in combat. But Cael also had a good point. Would it even be safe to use? |
![]() Thanks Martha for the awesome sig So come fill up your glasses with brandy and wine Whatever it costs I will pay So be easy and free when you're drinking with me I'm a man you don't meet every day | |
![]() |
|
| Manfred Boelcke | Mar 23 2009, 03:13 AM Post #24 |
|
Self-Appointed Martyr
![]()
|
"Manfred! Good to see you. It's alright, Ralem, I know him. There's nothing to worry about." For a second Manfred was afraid the bossy woman would continue the 'argument'-or jinx him. But then he heard a familiar voice that made him forget where he was. "Professor Darke," he said with a grin, "I didn't know you were a member too." He had met Caedmon back at the Bloody Pen when Manfred was still a student at Durmstrang. They had hit it off although the young Boelcke had already had a good impression of Caedmon because of his academic record. Hopefully Caedmon and Manfred could do some catching up after this meeting. Maybe the professor could even fill him in on what the Order had been up too so far, because Manfred was clueless. The only problem with being a newbie, one missed out on so much. Still the young Boelcke felt so stupid for not noticing the professor sooner. It must have been because it was dark and he had been distracted by the bossy woman. Speaking of that woman...she seemed to have been shut up by Caedmon, who called her Ralem. Well at least he was learning more names. Manfred was relieved when she stepped down although something told him that this was far from over. Perfect. Manfred resisted the urge to roll his eyes and simply moved closer to Caedmon just in case anyone else wanted to snap at him. "I agree with Manfred Personally, I don't think Xavier would have actually wanted to meet with us unless he was serious - whether he's acting on his own or Riddle's orders, it's just not logical. Regardless - let's just drop it and listen to what the man has to say." "Caedmon's right. Xavier would never, ever, willingly give up his sword in order to come here unless there was a damn good reason. So, everyone needs to shut the hell up and listen to what he has to say. I dont think we have much time here. As he said, Riddle has control over the Ministry, which means most of us are out of a job. Personally, I dont trust Xavier either, despite what some of you may think However, I think we need to listen to what he has to say. Otherwise, we will not be prepared for what Riddle has planned next." "Or maybe...Maybe what I want is for you people to SHUT UP and LISTEN! I knew you'd act like this, that's why I thought I could at least tell you one thing as a gesture of good will, with no guarantees if you were going to believe me or not. But if I'm going to reveal what I've discovered, then I ask of you to just listen. So perhaps if you guys were to give me the chance to 'be a good man and tell you', I would!" Manfred was relieved when others agreed with him. For a second he thought it was just going to be him and Cael who stood up for Xavier and that probably would have led to a four hour discussion. But judging on the people who agreed with him it wasn't surprising. Manfred already knew Caedmon was a logical person who would think things out first before opening his mouth and Katia was a generally level headed person. Besides it seemed she had had dealings with Xavier before (the man contacted her first for crying outloud) so maybe she knew this Xavier better than the others. Either way it was enough to shut everyone up-even the bossing lady and the idiot with the phoenix. Well that and Xavier's scary outburst. Manfred hated to admit it but for a second he was scared of the Wraith. He didn't think anyone could get as angry as the Wraith was and he wouldn't put it pass the man to make a grab for his weapons and kill them all. Thankfully the man controlled himself and instead just snapped at everyone. Manfred scowled himself. If one stupid Death Eater could scare him how was he supposed to fight Riddle?! "Oh, I'll give you more...This is how Riddle gained control of the Ministry. It's the Elixir of Life. If you don't believe me, feel free to have it checked by any alchemist. Remember back in the summer, when Scrimgeour fell ill? I'm not sure if Riddle was responsible for that too, but he certainly was responsible for the cure. He saved Scrimgeour's life in exchange for his loyalty. The Minister's been receiving the Elixir and following Riddle's every order since. Riddle has a Philosopher's Stone. And not just any ordinary stone either. I believe he managed to create it in the time the Elder Wand was in his possession. With the ultimate wand and Varius's knowledge, Riddle was able to perfect the stone. The potion that Scrimgeour and several other of his servants have been receiving is merely a diluted version, merely extending their lives and unabling them to be killed for as long as they keep drinking it regularly. The version that Riddle drunk was different... He's no longer dependant on it..." Wow that was a lot to take in. Judgind by the looks on everyone's faces it seemed like he wasn't the only one who had a problem computing this startling series of facts. So Riddle was controling the Ministry because the Minister was afraid of dying? Were all politicians so god damn weak? Not that Manfred should really talk. It wasn't like he had ever been close to dying. He just had his ideals. But still, to sell the ministry just to live forever...was his own life more important than the free wizarding world? And how had Riddle been able to make his own stone? Was he really so powerful? Wait, Riddle's other servants were taking the elixir too? So he had an army of immortals? How did things get so screwed up? Was the Order good for anything?! "Thanks to the improved stone, Riddle has become completely immortal. There's no way any ordinary magic could ever kill him. Avada Kedavra, cutting his head off, burning his body... All useless. Under normal circumstances, Riddle can not be defeated by anyone anymore. Save by the Eternal Sword," He heard the idiot's outburst and Manfred agreed. What?! Riddle was immortal? Did that mean the fight really was hopeless? WEre they all on a suicide mission? The idea was scary as hell and Manfred would be a liar if he wasn't deeply afraid. He knew being an Order member was dangerous but to volunteer to die for nothing...Surely, Xavier was mistaken. There was no way Riddle could be immortal...was there? Wait, what was this about a sword? What the hell was the Eternal Sword? Apparently this was a weapon that the Order had dealt with before as no one else seemed confused about it. Manfred made a mental note to ask Caedmon about the sword later. Obviously it was going to be extremely important if it was the only thing that could kill Riddle. Manfred slowly regained control of himself now that they had a weapon that could defeat Riddle. At least everything wasn't completely lost. "Since we're all on the same page now, I'll tell you the real reason why I wanted to meet with you tonight. I'll tell you what Riddle has been up to for all this time... For one, he has moved to a new headquarters but you could've figured that one out." "Secondly, shortly after the Eternal Sword was stolen, he ordered a 'purging' of the Death Eaters, to eliminate anyone weak and less than trustworthy. He ordered me to kill Erica as proof of my own loyalty. I disobeyed and instead, I saved her life. I faked evidence and used Occlumency to fool Riddle. Since then, he has believed me to be his most loyal, most powerful servant." "Thirdly, you don't have to worry about your jobs. Riddle has ordered Scrimgeour to keep everything as normal as possible. To make the population believe the Death Eaters are gone, so that Riddle can catch everyone unawares later - he's been building up his forces in secret and trust me, the Death Eaters are more dangerous than ever." "Fourthly, he's been giving the diluted Elixir of Life to several other, loyal servants. I've managed to avoid taking it all the time, fearing that I would become too dependant on it. Nonetheless, some of the Death Eaters can't be killed, not as long as they keep drinking it." All right now they were moving onto business, real business. It was 'fantastic' to know that Riddle was immortal but now it seemed Xavier was moving onto things they could actually fix. So Riddle moved his headquarters. Where as he now? Did Xavier even know. One would hope he did, but there seemed to be more pressing things to talk about. Ah, that was probably part of the reason Xavier was here. He was afraid another purge was coming and he didn't want to be one of the purged. Still it was comforting to know that Xavier had a heart. It wasn't comforting that a few of the survivors were now immortal. Well that would definitely make this harder, but they were Order members. They were used to doing the impossible right? Some may have made fun of Manfred for being so freaked out but this was the first time he was in a life or death situation. So he had survived a few assasination attempts but that was different from this. This was fighting a bunch of dangerous immortals. He probably wouldn't be human if he wasn't freaked out. The only thing he had to do was make sure his fear didn't cloud his judgment. "However, most important of all, is this. Riddle has barely showed himself, even to us. He has been working on something in secret and I finally discovered what it is. Riddle hasn't been continuing the war, because he's afraid of you, of the Order of the Phoenix. He fears that with the Eternal Sword, you can still destroy him, so he doesn't dare show himself in the open. He's scared for his life. He fears you more than any army of thousands." "But...That's why he wants to defeat you first. Soon, Riddle will confront you. I discovered that he's been working on a weapon. A weapon that might be capable of defeating the Eternal Sword in combat. I believe that very soon, it will be complete." "It's called the Infernal Sword." Do you understand? With the Infernal Sword, he's hoping to defeat you and eliminate the only means of stopping him. Without the Eternal Sword, it's over. No matter how much you fight, Riddle can never be defeated. All your efforts will be in vein and no matter how much you delay him and his Death Eaters, Riddle will achieve victory. If the U.K. falls, the rest of Europe will too, eventually. From there, Riddle will conquer other nations and other continents... He will have eternity to achieve his goals. He won't stop until the entire magical and Muggle worlds are his." Manfred tried hard not to smirk when Xavier said that Riddle was scared of them. There was something funny about someone being frightened of this group of misfits. Still it was also comforting, even if it made them a target. Manfred couldn't help but grin slightly at the idiot's attitude. He was right. They were Order members which mean that they were used to these kind of odds. Manfred swallowed his fear and tried to adopt this devil-may-care attitude about this whole situation. It was rather hard considering who Manfred was but it was better than being frightened. What, there was an infernal sword now? So there was an eternal sword which could defeat Riddle and an infernal sword which could defeat the eternal sword? Oy, these people and their swords. Ralem asked some very interesting questions and it was comforting that these people were really to move forward. Somehow the idea of action got rid of Manfred's fears. Yes, there was no point in being frightened. All they could do now was act, even if their actions led them to their death. It was better to die than live in this grim and dismal future that Xavier seemed to be predicting. That was why Manfred joined the Order, right? He wanted to make a difference by taking horrible risks. Ralem's suggestion to take the elixir was interesting, but Cael was right too. They couldn't take anything without knowing the risks and if Riddle's servants were taking the elixir also than there had to be an addictive property added to it. Like Ralem had said earlier. Giving someone an elixir of life was one way to gain loyalty but it was even better to put some addictive property into the elixir. Still it would definitely give them an edge in the upcoming battle, one they may need since things were so desperate and grim. |
![]() Can you tell me how it feels I feel nothing at all Can we pretend this is real I feel nothing at all | |
![]() |
|
| Samantha Moody | Mar 23 2009, 10:22 AM Post #25 |
|
Auror in training
![]()
|
"Stop it, Sam. I know very well what Xavier has done and what kind of a person he is. You're thinking in black and white, Samantha. Xavier is not Adam. Xavier is not Mircea. And this situation is different from back then. I can't explain it fully, but I think... No, I know that this is the right action to take." Immediately, Samantha was aware that her little rant had gone too far. The look her father gave her spoke volumes and it seemed to have had the desired effect; Sam did not argue or speak up at all and almost seemed to have grown smaller. Gone was the feisty, arrogant attitude and she just remained quiet. Still, on the inside, Sam disagreed with his assessment. Perhaps she was taking a very simplistic stance on this, but she just wanted the Order to be careful. Next up, a new member (who couldn't be much older than her), Professor Darke and Katia spoke and all of them seemed to be prepared to listen to Xavier, even if they didn't trust him - yet. Sam didn't say anything, but her gaze turned back to the Wraith. Fine... Let him talk. But she swore that if Xavier double-crossed them again, Samantha would find a way to kill the guy, even if she had to move heaven and earth for it. "Or maybe...Maybe what I want is for you people to SHUT UP and LISTEN! I knew you'd act like this, that's why I thought I could at least tell you one thing as a gesture of good will, with no guarantees if you were going to believe me or not. But if I'm going to reveal what I've discovered, then I ask of you to just listen. So perhaps if you guys were to give me the chance to 'be a good man and tell you', I would!" Despite what Sam had just promised herself, she recoiled when Xavier made his opinion clear. For a moment, he looked truly frightening and Samantha realised that she had never seen him the man this angry before. The only time that had come close was when Samantha had fought him back at Hogwarts once. If he was acting like this, maybe Xavier really did want to work bring down Riddle; for some reason, Sam figured that if it had all been part of some grand scheme than Xavier would've been able to keep his calm. But none of that mattered now. Samantha straightened up and was the last to lower her wand as Xavier started explaining what he was here to say. "Oh, I'll give you more...This is how Riddle gained control of the Ministry. It's the Elixir of Life. If you don't believe me, feel free to have it checked by any alchemist. Remember back in the summer, when Scrimgeour fell ill? I'm not sure if Riddle was responsible for that too, but he certainly was responsible for the cure. He saved Scrimgeour's life in exchange for his loyalty. The Minister's been receiving the Elixir and following Riddle's every order since. Riddle has a Philosopher's Stone. And not just any ordinary stone either. I believe he managed to create it in the time the Elder Wand was in his possession. With the ultimate wand and Varius's knowledge, Riddle was able to perfect the stone. The potion that Scrimgeour and several other of his servants have been receiving is merely a diluted version, merely extending their lives and unabling them to be killed for as long as they keep drinking it regularly. The version that Riddle drunk was different... He's no longer dependant on it..." "Thanks to the improved stone, Riddle has become completely immortal. There's no way any ordinary magic could ever kill him. Avada Kedavra, cutting his head off, burning his body... All useless. Under normal circumstances, Riddle can not be defeated by anyone anymore. Save by the Eternal Sword." Whoa... Samantha felt a little overwhelmed. It reminded her of the time that Professor Darke had just joined the Order of the Phoenix and told them everything about Varius and his powers and how he was impossible to kill - except by the Eternal Sword. This situation was like an odd parallel of that time, with a few differences. One of them was the fact that they already Voldemort was extremely powerful and hard to kill; still, the knowledge that nothing could conquer him except the sword wasn't exactly comforting. Nor was the fact that he was keeping his Death Eaters loyal and immortal by giving them the dependant version of the Elixir of Life. But the most important difference between that meeting over two years ago and the current one was this: they had the Eternal Sword in their possession. There were no more crazy quests to undertake, no more trying to get into Death Eater headquarters and no negotiating with vampires - it was theirs and they could use it to kill Riddle and end this insanity. Sam then placed a hand in her side and looked away for a moment, trying to wrap her head around everything else that Xavier said. Though she was still of the opinion that the Wraith was up to something, she had to admit that everything he said made sense. Perhaps the whole reason that Voldemort had attacked the Forbidden Forest that time and used it as a ruse to obtain the Elder Wand was because of the Philosopher's Stone all along. Perhaps that had been his objective the whole time. And even though he'd lost the wand, he'd had it in his possession long enough to complete this, improved stone. Yes... From everything that Sam had read about him and experienced, that seemed exactly like Riddle's style; masking his quest for immortality with his war to conquer the wizarding world. Again, Xavier's explanation about Scrimgeour sense too... Something had been odd about that whole deal in the first place. Scrimgeour was a coward too, so him succumbing to Voldemort seemed quite likely to Sam, given the circumstances. Hell, it must be hard for anyone to resist the lure of immortality when you're lying on your death bed. So now the Minister had made a little Faustian deal with Voldemort and the Ministry was under his control? Terrific... But Xavier had more to say. "Since we're all on the same page now, I'll tell you the real reason why I wanted to meet with you tonight. I'll tell you what Riddle has been up to for all this time... For one, he has moved to a new headquarters but you could've figured that one out." "Secondly, shortly after the Eternal Sword was stolen, he ordered a 'purging' of the Death Eaters, to eliminate anyone weak and less than trustworthy. He ordered me to kill Erica as proof of my own loyalty. I disobeyed and instead, I saved her life. I faked evidence and used Occlumency to fool Riddle. Since then, he has believed me to be his most loyal, most powerful servant." "Thirdly, you don't have to worry about your jobs. Riddle has ordered Scrimgeour to keep everything as normal as possible. To make the population believe the Death Eaters are gone, so that Riddle can catch everyone unawares later - he's been building up his forces in secret and trust me, the Death Eaters are more dangerous than ever." Samantha was very tempted to interrupt Xavier's story and ask him where this new headquarters was, but thought better of it. Shortly after that night when Mircea was killed and they'd gotten their hands on the complete Eternal Sword and the Elder Wand, Scrimgeour had suddenly got a hold of the Wright Mansion; now everything made sense. Voldemort had let him take it after they'd made that deal, to make it appear as if the Death Eaters had vanished. In the meantime, Voldemort had got himself a new place to live. Like a snake, casting off it's old skin. This 'purging' of the Death Eaters interested Sam quite a lot aswell... They had undoubtedly suffered great losses for Voldemort's little clean-up - that was most likely another reason why he preferred to stay hidden for the time being. But the news that Erica had survived it was a bit of a shame. Oh, well... "Fourthly, he's been giving the diluted Elixir of Life to several other, loyal servants. I've managed to avoid taking it all the time, fearing that I would become too dependant on it. Nonetheless, some of the Death Eaters can't be killed, not as long as they keep drinking it." "So you're saying that some of his Death Eater freaks are fucking immortal too? Can you give us any names or are we just going to have to figure it out during the next fight?" Xavier's third point confirmed Sam's suspicions of the Ministry and Voldemort's plan and he had already mentioned the fourth. Samantha glanced over at Mercury. That was a very good question. In fact... "How many Death Eaters are receiving it, anyway? How much of this Elixir can Riddle produce with one Philosopher's Stone?" She asked, perhaps sounding a little more polite than usual. If it were only a few people, they could deal with that... But if Riddle had entire armies running on the stuff, then they were in big trouble. Well, even more than usual. Sam was also worried about how many more would swear loyalty to Voldemort if he promised them immortality too... Unfortunately, it looked like Xavier hadn't even got to the most important bit of news. "However, most important of all, is this. Riddle has barely showed himself, even to us. He has been working on something in secret and I finally discovered what it is. Riddle hasn't been continuing the war, because he's afraid of you, of the Order of the Phoenix. He fears that with the Eternal Sword, you can still destroy him, so he doesn't dare show himself in the open. He's scared for his life. He fears you more than any army of thousands." "But...That's why he wants to defeat you first. Soon, Riddle will confront you. I discovered that he's been working on a weapon. A weapon that might be capable of defeating the Eternal Sword in combat. I believe that very soon, it will be complete." "It's called the Infernal Sword." Do you understand? With the Infernal Sword, he's hoping to defeat you and eliminate the only means of stopping him. Without the Eternal Sword, it's over. No matter how much you fight, Riddle can never be defeated. All your efforts will be in vein and no matter how much you delay him and his Death Eaters, Riddle will achieve victory. If the U.K. falls, the rest of Europe will too, eventually. From there, Riddle will conquer other nations and other continents... He will have eternity to achieve his goals. He won't stop until the entire magical and Muggle worlds are his." It took a few moments before Samantha's brain had processed the information that Xavier had just delivered and realised what it meant. No way... Voldemort had made another enchanted weapon in order to defeat theirs? But there was no way it would be able to destroy the Eternal Sword, right? I mean, didn't the Professor say that the people who'd made it had been pretty much the most advanced wizards and witches to have ever lived, using ancient magic to forge the sword that the modern wizard couldn't even comprehend? But Xavier was right... Voldemort most likely knew everything that Varius had known - and Varius had only been so powerful because he had some of this knowledge aswell. Was Voldemort actually capable of these things? The only comfort was that Riddle was scared of them. At least that was something. But truthfully, Sam had preferred it if he'd been his usual arrogant self this time. That way, they'd have had a greater chance of defeating him. Because he was frightened of the Order and what they could do, he had focused all his efforts into finding a way to defeat them first and the way Xavier made it sound, it seemed he had a shot. The Wraith didn't need to remind Samantha of what would happen should he win. He already had eternal life - if the only means of taking that from him was gone, then they were screwed. Samantha was still trying to take it all in when the other members acted. "Let me see if I've got this straight. We have a sword that can kill Riddle and Riddle now has a sword that can defeat us? How many fucking swords are there and how the hell did he even manage to make this thing?" “First off, how does this Infernal Sword work? Does Riddle expect it to slice through the Eternal Sword? Or is there something more to it? Some dark power that would do more than that? Second, is it finished? There isn’t more…is there? Of this Elixir? You said you were skipping on some. Did you stash them somewhere?” "Wait a minute, Ralem... I know what you're thinking, but we should be careful. It's possible Riddle has put something else entirely in that Elixir. Who knows, if you drink enough of it, you might turn into a mindless zombie that only follows Riddle's orders. If you do have any Elixir to spare, would it be safe to drink it once we go to confront Riddle?" Everyone was asking some pretty good questions. Sam wondered how the sword itself worked aswell. Would it just be able to break theirs as Lem thought or would it prevent the Eternal Sword from even functioning in it's presence, or something? Then there was the Philosopher Stone and the Elixir of Life. The idea of charging into Riddle's base while being unable to be killed seemed very appealing to Sam. It would certainly raise their odds of victory, Riddle wouldn't see it coming and it just seemed very satisfactory to turn his own weapons against him. But her father had a point too... Well, since Xavier had said all he needed to say and was taking questions, Samantha figured he could answer one more from her. "Just where is his new headquarters? What kind of a protections are on the place? And how do we get in?" She asked swiftly, before looking around the rest of the group. "Regardless of whether the Infernal Sword's complete or not, I think we should strike as soon as possible. The more time we give Riddle to prepare, the smaller our odds of winnning are. Right now, we still have the element of surprise." |
![]() Graduated; Auror-in-Training Member of the Boredom Club With A Boring Name Because We Couldn't Think Of Anything Because We Were So Bored | |
![]() |
|
| Caedmon Darke | Mar 25 2009, 05:33 PM Post #26 |
|
Deputy Headmaster
![]()
|
"Professor Darke. I didn't know you were a member too." "You disappoint me, Manfred. I thought you would've been able to figure that one out," Caedmon joked, but remained silent after that, seeing the look on Lem's face. She undoubtedly wanted to know more about Manfred before she believed in him and, as good to know as it was that the Order had a new member, they all had much more important things to discuss. Katia also agreed with Caelestis, Caed and Manfred (which was hardly surprising, given that she had been the one to call this meeting together) and Xavier lost his temper for a moment. Again, it was understandable. After a while it seemed that Ralem had also been convinced and their 'guest of honor' started explaining a thing or two... The Professor raised his eyebrows when Xavier threw Lem a bottle of potion and started talking about the Elixir of Life. What did that have to do with anything? Was Xavier serious? Caedmon looked carefully at the gold liquid within the bottle... He wasn't a potion expert, but if it wasn't the real elixir than it certainly resembled it. And Riddle had used it to get his hands on the Ministry? But then... The Professor got a very bad feeling. Under normal circumstances, Voldemort would never give that stuff to anyone but himself, even if he could produce a large amount from the Philosopher's Stone. And a moment later, Caed's fears were realised... According to Xavier, the Dark Lord had somehow managed to improve Nicolas Flamel's work and drunk the superior version of the elixir... Yet again, Caedmon's mind was working at top-speed. Was that even possible? But Flamel had created the (only-known) Philosopher's Stone many centuries ago and while it's existence had not exactly been common knowledge, Caed was well aware that many potioneers and alchemists had tried to emulate his feat or even surpass it. And Xavier had a point. Voldemort had Varius's knowledge of the Elders and he'd had the Elder Wand. It was a very, very powerful combination. And if Xavier was willing to have this sample tested, then this couldn't be some cock-and-bull story. This was serious. Caedmon continued to listen to Xavier along with everyone else and grew more tense as he went along. His hands were now in the pockets of his robes and one of them clenched the small box containing the Elder Wand - to think that the means to pull off such extraordinary magic was right here, in this very room. No matter how skeptical one could be, everything Xavier explained made sense. It explained everything of what the Death Eaters had been doing all this. They had undoubtedly set up a new headquarters; eliminating any possible threat from within his own ranks seemed exactly like Riddle's style; he used Scrimgeour to keep everyone ignorant of the threat that was brewing and passing out the diluted Elixir of Life to make his servants more dangerous and keep them loyal. Everything made sense, except one thing. Throughout all of Xavier's speech, Caed felt that he was building up to something. It all seemed too passive for Riddle's tastes... If he was not continuing the war, then he was doing something else, such as preserving his life. The Stone made sense because Voldemort was uncertain of the status of his immortality after Varius brought him back; what would happen to him if he was killed again, by anything other than the Eternal Sword? He no longer had his Horcruxes to depend on (Potter had seen to that) and his soul was in too fragile a state to attempt to achieve the same kind of immortality that Varius had possessed. But with his life now safe thanks to the Stone, why was Voldemort staying in the shadows? "However, most important of all, is this. Riddle has barely showed himself, even to us. He has been working on something in secret and I finally discovered what it is. Riddle hasn't been continuing the war, because he's afraid of you, of the Order of the Phoenix. He fears that with the Eternal Sword, you can still destroy him, so he doesn't dare show himself in the open. He's scared for his life. He fears you more than any army of thousands." "But...That's why he wants to defeat you first. Soon, Riddle will confront you. I discovered that he's been working on a weapon. A weapon that might be capable of defeating the Eternal Sword in combat. I believe that very soon, it will be complete." "It's called the Infernal Sword." Do you understand? With the Infernal Sword, he's hoping to defeat you and eliminate the only means of stopping him. Without the Eternal Sword, it's over. No matter how much you fight, Riddle can never be defeated. All your efforts will be in vein and no matter how much you delay him and his Death Eaters, Riddle will achieve victory. If the U.K. falls, the rest of Europe will too, eventually. From there, Riddle will conquer other nations and other continents... He will have eternity to achieve his goals. He won't stop until the entire magical and Muggle worlds are his." And then Xavier dropped that crucial bit of information on them. Most of the Order-members were shocked, but Caedmon's face was oddly emotionless. In truth, though, he was most surprised - despite the fact that Riddle's goal now seemed so obvious, in hindsight. Of course... He feared the Order of the Phoenix. He feared the Eternal Sword. No matter what he did, Voldemort would never be safe as long as the sword existed and someone with the courage to wield it against him. But to have created another sword... Was it possible? The Eternal Sword had been the pinnacle of the Elders's work and thousands of years of research within the Ancient's Tomb; the culmination of all their knowledge. It shouldn't be possible for Riddle to have done it, even if he had some of their understanding and certainly not within a year... Then again, he'd had the Eternal Sword in his possession for quite a while and had probably researched it... In fact, he would've specifically tried to figure out a way to destroy it all this time. While Caedmon doubted that he'd truly managed to create a new sword, he supposed it was possible that he'd created something that could destroy it... Still, even if it was inferior to theirs, the fact that something like the Infernal Sword even existed proved that, in this kind of magic, Voldemort really was the most brilliant wizard to have ever lived. "Let me see if I've got this straight. We have a sword that can kill Riddle and Riddle now has a sword that can defeat us? How many fucking swords are there and how the hell did he even manage to make this thing?" “First off, how does this Infernal Sword work? Does Riddle expect it to slice through the Eternal Sword? Or is there something more to it? Some dark power that would do more than that? Second, is it finished? There isn’t more…is there? Of this Elixir? You said you were skipping on some. Did you stash them somewhere?” "Wait a minute, Ralem... I know what you're thinking, but we should be careful. It's possible Riddle has put something else entirely in that Elixir. Who knows, if you drink enough of it, you might turn into a mindless zombie that only follows Riddle's orders. If you do have any Elixir to spare, would it be safe to drink it once we go to confront Riddle?" "Just where is his new headquarters? What kind of a protections are on the place? And how do we get in? Regardless of whether the Infernal Sword's complete or not, I think we should strike as soon as possible. The more time we give Riddle to prepare, the smaller our odds of winnning are. Right now, we still have the element of surprise." As interested as Caedmon was in Mercury's question, Ralem's were a lot more important, especially concerning the Infernal Sword. In fact, a theory was forming in Caed's mind on how Voldemort was hoping to break the Eternal Sword. Caedmon heard what Cael and Sam said too, but he was still thinking about other matters. "I think I have a feeling on how the Infernal Sword works..." He said, speaking to the group but not really looking at them - he was still thinking about all the research he, Varius and the others had brought back from the Tomb the first time and everything he had since found out about the Eternal Sword. Since the thing had finally come in the Order's possession, he had done quite a bit of research on it himself. "Normally, nothing we could do, could put a dent in the Eternal Sword. It continually gives off a special type of magical energy that negates just about everything we could throw at it. I've been trying to figure out what this energy is, but I think Riddle finally understands it. This Infernal Sword... If Riddle wants to destroy our sword with it, then I think the Infernal Sword gives off an energy exactly opposite to what the Eternal Sword has. Think of it as two waves cancelling each other out." It seemed that Caedmon was speaking more to himself than anyone in the room. "In other words, if our sword is in promixity to the other, it'll be vulnerable. But the reverse also holds true, so we should be on an equal footing." Finally, the Professor looked up and spoke to the Wraith. "Xavier, am I right?" |
![]() Deputy Headmaster; Head of Slytherin; D.A.D.A. Teacher; Order-member; Expert on the Dark Arts | |
![]() |
|
| Katia Grinkova | Mar 25 2009, 09:24 PM Post #27 |
|
Head Vampire Hunter
![]()
|
While Katia waited for everyone to calm down, she glanced in Xavier's direction and noticed that he was rather tense standing there in the midst of all this chaos. She could see his knuckles turning white because of his frustrations. Katia....almost...felt sorry for him. He did take a huge risk in coming here tonight. He could easily be killed tomorrow morning because of this huge risk. She was NOT about to figure out why that thought put a dull ache in her chest. Her thoughts were interrupted when Xavier decided to make a sudden outburst. After he was done, Katia simply stared at him in....admiration? Oh, hell no! This was not happening again! Please let there be a God and please dont let him be this cruel to her! She resisted the urge to beat her hand against her forehead. This was not happening in the middle of an Order meeting! Get a grip, Katia. He's a bad man. Nothing good will come from this! She gave herself a mental shake and began fanning herself, trying to be inconspicious about it. Taking a much needed deep breath (if only she really take a deep breath because vampires dont really do that), Katia tried to get herself out of her little...whatever the heck it was she was having at the moment...and saw..him...throw a vial of potion towards Ralem. She didnt have to wait too long to find out what it contained. The Elixir of Life. Katia could feel her eyes light up at the sight of such power within her reach. However, she listened to..him...explain that Riddle saved Scrimgeour's life last summer and in exchange demanded his loyalty. Well, Katia wasnt surprised by that. She's always known Scrimgeour was up to no good. Go figure that he would make a deal with the devil. It explained why things were so weird at the Ministry lately. It was good to hear that their jobs were still intact, at least for the time being. They could use that to their advantage too. Ralem's question regarding if Xavier had extra potion, would they be able to take it, was a valid one. However, Cael stepped in and made a great point as well. There was a real possibility that Riddle put something extra in the potion to guarantee loyalty. Katia thought about Vladimir and if he was one of the Death Eaters who's taken the potion. Surely not. He's been in Moscow with her for the past few months and she would've noticed if something was off. Nah, Vladimir had to be one of the ones who'd been purged from the Death Eaters. That was all there was to it. Her brother couldnt be capable of taking the Elixir of Life, was he? Mercury's reaction snapped Katia out of her thoughts. It went right along with her own train of thought. Maybe...him...could give them names. Maybe the Order could try to avoid them and go straight for Riddle. "You won't regret this..." Katia shook her head. Please dont say anything nice right now. She was already regretting this whole fiasco and not for the same reasons that the other Order members are. She glanced down at the sword and considered ending her misery with it. Wouldnt that make things easier for her? She couldnt go through this again. She...just....couldnt. Life was so unfair. ANYWAYS, back the real reason she was here. So, not only did Riddle have the Elixir of Life, he now had a Philosopher's Stone? Good grief. He was freakin immortal now. How in the world was the Order going to defeat him now? The mention of the Eternal Sword made her feel slightly better though. So, they did have a chance? Great! What were they waiting for? Her bubble of excitement was extinguished with the mention of the Infernal Sword. Gosh, how many fancy swords were there out there for them to worry about? It was reassuring that Riddle now feared the Order. It gave Katia an immense amount of satisfaction to hear that the Dark Lord trembled in his non-existent boots at the thought of the Order. They could use that to their advantage. Of course, they needed to figure out where Riddle's new headquarters was first. Sam beat her to asking it out loud. She liked the young girl's idea about using the element of surprise though. Once she was done processing all of this, then she was going to say so. Caedmon's explanation about how the Infernal Sword made her uneasy. That man knew way too much about the Dark Arts. Sure, she trusted him but it was a still a bit disconcerting that an Order member knew that much about this stuff. Okay, so the Infernal Sword could cancel out the Eternal Sword? However, it could mean that Riddle could be vulnerable during that time. What were they waiting for? Finally, Katia spoke. "Well, I agree with Sam's idea about having the element of suprise here." She tenatively glanced in..his (Xavier's) direction and said, "Tell us where Riddle is now hiding and we can take the necessary actions to go against whatever protections he has on the place. We can show up and ram him down by making him vulnerable with the Eternal Sword. I realize I sound like a hot head right now but what other choice do we have? Like Sam said, we shouldnt give Riddle more time with his planning. You even said we dont have much time so what are we waiting for? Why dont we bring Riddle's worst fear to life?" |
![]() Can't ever keep from falling apart at the seams Cannot believe you're taking my heart to pieces Who do you need? Who do you love? When you come undone | |
![]() |
|
| Xavier Moody | Mar 25 2009, 11:06 PM Post #28 |
|
Wraith
![]()
|
"So you're saying that some of his Death Eater freaks are fucking immortal too? Can you give us any names or are we just going to have to figure it out during the next fight?" "How many Death Eaters are receiving it, anyway? How much of this Elixir can Riddle produce with one Philosopher's Stone?" Xavier had been pacing around the room again, but stopped when Banks and Sammie made a little inquiery. His dark brown eyes rested on Banks for a moment and he looked almost defiant, but he kept his cool; aside from his outburst, Xavier had not responded to any of the man's reactions so far and he was going to keep it that way. No matter how he felt on the inside. Oh, what Xavier wouldn't give to just have his weapons back and fight some of these people... But he kept his mind focused on the matter at hand. The Order was finally listening to him, so he was going to keep his part of the deal. "That's exactly what I'm saying. Still, they are less of a concern than Riddle himself. The Death Eaters are mere sheep - easily defeated if only we can kill the shepherd. Once we get rid of their master and take or destroy the Philosopher's Stone, they will run out of Elixir and become as mortal as you or I," Xavier explained calmly. Perhaps he seemed a little too optimistic, but it wasn't the Death Eaters he was too worried about for now. Though they would undoubtedly be a bigger nuisance than before when infiltrating Voldemort's headquarters, the fact was also that the Order barely resorted to killing in the first place. So it shouldn't be much different for them. "Unfortunately, Riddle does not want any knowledge of any immortal servants of his leak out just yet. That's why he only gives the Death Eaters the Elixir in person, from time to time. The only other two I'm aware of are Eric Banks," Xavier could hardly resist a grin, knowing how it would shock Mercury, "and Katrina Gandor." Next up was their dear little Sammie. "As I said, I don't know all the names, but I'm positive that Riddle has not given the Elixir to a great many Death Eaters just yet. I'm no expert on the Philosopher's Stone, however, so I'm not sure how much of the Elixir he can produce," the Wraith stated and leant against another wall. The light of the moon shining through a gap in the boarded windows and his white hair made Xavier look more like a spectre than ever before. But unlike many of his earlier encounters with the Order, there was still no annoying smirk on his face, no glitter of evil in the eyes. Finally, they seemed ready to turn against Lord Voldemort himself. Regardless of how well it would turn out, Xavier would do his part - not like he had much of a choice to slither his way out of this one. Voldemort would realise he had betrayed him eventually, but there was a major difference compared to the last time that had happened to the Wraith. He had realised that there was no avoiding Riddle, so the only way was to go through him. With the Eternal Sword. While they shared the shame ideals and eventhough the situation was still rather hopeless, the thought of seeing Riddle's face when he realised Xavier was going to outlast him would be worth it alone. Now that they were in business, Xavier's fear was now starting to get pushed aside by excitement again. But he wasn't the only one 'excited'. "Let me see if I've got this straight. We have a sword that can kill Riddle and Riddle now has a sword that can defeat us? How many fucking swords are there and how the hell did he even manage to make this thing?" “First off, how does this Infernal Sword work? Does Riddle expect it to slice through the Eternal Sword? Or is there something more to it? Some dark power that would do more than that? Second, is it finished? There isn’t more…is there? Of this Elixir? You said you were skipping on some. Did you stash them somewhere?” "Wait a minute, Ralem... I know what you're thinking, but we should be careful. It's possible Riddle has put something else entirely in that Elixir. Who knows, if you drink enough of it, you might turn into a mindless zombie that only follows Riddle's orders. If you do have any Elixir to spare, would it be safe to drink it once we go to confront Riddle?" "Just where is his new headquarters? What kind of a protections are on the place? And how do we get in? Regardless of whether the Infernal Sword's complete or not, I think we should strike as soon as possible. The more time we give Riddle to prepare, the smaller our odds of winnning are. Right now, we still have the element of surprise." "Normally, nothing we could do, could put a dent in the Eternal Sword. It continually gives off a special type of magical energy that negates just about everything we could throw at it. I've been trying to figure out what this energy is, but I think Riddle finally understands it. This Infernal Sword... If Riddle wants to destroy our sword with it, then I think the Infernal Sword gives off an energy exactly opposite to what the Eternal Sword has. Think of it as two waves cancelling each other out. In other words, if our sword is in promixity to the other, it'll be vulnerable. But the reverse also holds true, so we should be on an equal footing. Xavier, am I right?" "Well, I agree with Sam's idea about having the element of suprise here. Tell us where Riddle is now hiding and we can take the necessary actions to go against whatever protections he has on the place. We can show up and ram him down by making him vulnerable with the Eternal Sword. I realize I sound like a hot head right now but what other choice do we have? Like Sam said, we shouldnt give Riddle more time with his planning. You even said we dont have much time so what are we waiting for? Why dont we bring Riddle's worst fear to life?" And then the questions were off. Xavier should've figured this would happen. Now that the Order had made up their minds, they suddenly wanted to squeeze all the information out of their new source as soon as possible. Not that he minded, because those were all relevant questions to their next course of action. First up was Banks again. "Don't you get it? Riddle created the Infernal Sword only in response to the Eternal one that the Order now has. As far as I know, he has not made anything else," he explained impatiently. "As to how he made the Infernal Sword, I don't know. I didn't exactly have time to read all his research notes in detail. It's obvious, though, that he based it's design on the Eternal Sword. It was in his possession for a time, after all, and Riddle has been trying to copy it's properties, with some modifications." Then Tarendeau, Caelestis and Caedmon. Xavier's eyes looked into the latter's for a very long time; the Wraith was able to hide his surprise, but he was absolutely astounded that he had been able to figure out as much. "In regards to the Infernal Sword's workings - our favourite 'Defense Against the Dark Arts'-teacher is quite correct. I got the same idea from the notes I read. I don't think Riddle's Sword could kill an immortal, but it can most certainly damage yours. Especially the crystal on it's hilt. Riddle believes the crystal to be it's weak point and he undoubtedly hopes to shatter it once the battle begins," Xavier said and then turned to the most important question that Ralem posed. "I believe that the Infernal Sword is very close to completion, if it isn't already finished. However, Riddle undoubtedly wants as much as time as possible to test it, to be absolutely sure of his victory before he confronts you. He'll probably want to plant his next move in intricate detail. Regardless, I believe we'll have to face the Infernal Sword in this final battle." Then came the matter of the Elixir of Life. Truth be told, Xavier had not expected them to be so willing to drink from it, but he figured even he should've known that the Order was practical, at times. However, in the times that he could avoid drinking it in the Dark Lord's presence, the Wraith had stored some of the precious potion. "I saved some of the Elixir, yes. I keep them in two safe locations: one at a vault in Gringotts and the other beneath Syndicate Headquarters. However, it's not much. It might only be enough to give all the Order-members here immortality for a few hours. But I do agree with Cael. Most likely, there is something else mixed with it in order to make us Death Eaters more bound to Riddle. Still, whatever it is, it seems to be working very slowly, so taking the Elixir once should not be a problem." Finally, Xavier came to Samantha and Katia. Before he answered their questions, though, his eyes briefly narrowed at the vampire. She was hard to read and had become more so over time; still, eventhough Xavier wasn't a Legilimens, he'd had a way with reading people and she seemed... Not as composed as before. Why it was, though, Xavier couldn't guess. But her questions were more important. In fact, it was one of the most important questions - and sadly, the one that Xavier did not have a good answer for. "I can give you a detailed lay-out of the place and some of it's defences later... However, there's one big problem. Riddle's put a Fidelius Charm on the place. No one can see it or get in there without his permission." For a moment, Xavier seemed troubled again, but he had thought of one idea. "However, I might be able to get you a note from Riddle with the address. I just have to intercept it as he sends it to a new Death Eater. This is more dangerous than it sounds, though..." "But I agree with Samantha and Katia," Xavier added, looking around the whole group again. "I believe we must strike against Riddle as soon as possible. The Infernal Sword is his trump card and his last hope - he still believes that he has the advantage over us. We must take the initiative and find a way to go at him. If we attack now, he won't see it coming." "Now... Any other questions?" For the first time in a while, a smirk appeared on Xavier's face. |
![]() "You won't see me coming... Until I strike." Xavier Moody | Wraith | Ex-Death Eater | Leader of the Syndicate | Redeemed..? | |
![]() |
|
| Ralem Tarendeau | Mar 26 2009, 10:48 PM Post #29 |
|
Minister of Magic
![]()
|
"Wait a minute, Ralem... I know what you're thinking, but we should be careful. It's possible Riddle has put something else entirely in that Elixir. Who knows, if you drink enough of it, you might turn into a mindless zombie that only follows Riddle's orders. If you do have any Elixir to spare, would it be safe to drink it once we go to confront Riddle?" Cael was right. Maybe she was rushing into her idea, but having the elixir just seemed to make this all a lot less complicated. Was it possible that Riddla was that paranoid? Or would he take it slow. Wasn’t the feeling of being indestructible enough to keep his loyal servants coming back for more? Lem raised her brow, waiting for Xavier’s response to Cael’s question. "How many Death Eaters are receiving it, anyway? How much of this Elixir can Riddle produce with one Philosopher's Stone? Just where is his new headquarters? What kind of a protections are on the place? And how do we get in? Regardless of whether the Infernal Sword's complete or not, I think we should strike as soon as possible. The more time we give Riddle to prepare, the smaller our odds of winnning are. Right now, we still have the element of surprise." "Tell us where Riddle is now hiding and we can take the necessary actions to go against whatever protections he has on the place. We can show up and ram him down by making him vulnerable with the Eternal Sword. I realize I sound like a hot head right now but what other choice do we have? Like Sam said, we shouldnt give Riddle more time with his planning. You even said we dont have much time so what are we waiting for? Why dont we bring Riddle's worst fear to life?" So maybe Lem wasn’t the only one who thought it was important for them to attack now. Obviously, it was risky business. It was stupid too. Suicidal almost. But that was what the Order was made of: suicidal, risk-loving members. But something about this plan irked Lem. Yes, maybe it was the best thing to turn Riddle’s place inside out. But only one, or two of them would be able to do it, and Lem wasn’t sure she liked the idea of “abandoning” her fellow members to their demise. Who knows what Riddle would do to intruders? “ Yes, it is important for us to take on Riddle as soon as possible. We need to catch him while he’s still vulnerable. There are many ways we can play this. Some are more safe than others, but some are more…tactful. Anyone have any ideas?” Lem was hoping that they would decide to attack as a group. Or something. Glancing at Sam, Lem knew that she would be one of the first members to offer a plan, and maybe even volunteer for something stupid. Didn’t she always? Lem worried about her sometimes. More so when Adam had been around. But of course, her brother (whose designs she did not understand) had made sure that Lem would know about Adam’s disappearance. Well, all the better, right? "I think I have a feeling on how the Infernal Sword works. Normally, nothing we could do, could put a dent in the Eternal Sword. It continually gives off a special type of magical energy that negates just about everything we could throw at it. I've been trying to figure out what this energy is, but I think Riddle finally understands it. This Infernal Sword... If Riddle wants to destroy our sword with it, then I think the Infernal Sword gives off an energy exactly opposite to what the Eternal Sword has. Think of it as two waves cancelling each other out. In other words, if our sword is in promixity to the other, it'll be vulnerable. But the reverse also holds true, so we should be on an equal footing. Xavier, am I right?" Once again, Caed’s brains had amazed Lem. She wondered how often his wheels were working. What if he really did ignore everything she said to him when they were together? What if when she talked to him, he was agreeing or what not but in all honesty was trying to save the world? As stupid as that idea was, Lem decided that all women were allowed to be insecure. Lem tried to focus. What Caed was saying made her think of chemistry. And those round balls in an atom that were opposite to each other. Merlin, it had been a long time since Lem had actually been to a chemistry class. She tried to think of it in a simpler way. And Xavier was already agreeing with Caed… "In regards to the Infernal Sword's workings - our favourite 'Defense Against the Dark Arts'-teacher is quite correct. I got the same idea from the notes I read. I don't think Riddle's Sword could kill an immortal, but it can most certainly damage yours. Especially the crystal on it's hilt. Riddle believes the crystal to be it's weak point and he undoubtedly hopes to shatter it once the battle begins, I believe that the Infernal Sword is very close to completion, if it isn't already finished. However, Riddle undoubtedly wants as much as time as possible to test it, to be absolutely sure of his victory before he confronts you. He'll probably want to plant his next move in intricate detail. Regardless, I believe we'll have to face the Infernal Sword in this final battle." “I am to understand, that once the two swords are in range, their shields are ‘deactivated’ and completely vulnerable? So you don’t even need to destroy the sword with the other sword, you can try it with a wand? Right? Could we possibly try to destroy Riddle’s from a distance while someone wields the Eternal Sword in front of him?” Maybe that didn’t sound like it made sense, but it was possible. Then, less people would be in danger? “So you’re saying he’s waiting? He’s plotting and waiting and trying to figure out what way would be best to make his next move?” Lem looked at the rest of the Order. “I guess it’s really now or never. We could have the upper hand at the moment.” "I saved some of the Elixir, yes. I keep them in two safe locations: one at a vault in Gringotts and the other beneath Syndicate Headquarters. However, it's not much. It might only be enough to give all the Order-members here immortality for a few hours. But I do agree with Cael. Most likely, there is something else mixed with it in order to make us Death Eaters more bound to Riddle. Still, whatever it is, it seems to be working very slowly, so taking the Elixir once should not be a problem. I can give you a detailed lay-out of the place and some of it's defences later... However, there's one big problem. Riddle's put a Fidelius Charm on the place. No one can see it or get in there without his permission. However, I might be able to get you a note from Riddle with the address. I just have to intercept it as he sends it to a new Death Eater. This is more dangerous than it sounds, though... But I agree with Samantha and Katia, I believe we must strike against Riddle as soon as possible. The Infernal Sword is his trump card and his last hope - he still believes that he has the advantage over us. We must take the initiative and find a way to go at him. If we attack now, he won't see it coming. Now... Any other questions?” Not that Lem could think of. If Xavier could get them the rest of the Elixir, and if they could get a plan running on how to pull Riddle out of his stronghold, then maybe they would succeed? Lem’s heart started beating a little faster than usual. Could this mean the end of Riddle? Was it possible that they could finally kill Riddle once and for all? If everything worked out…well, they would have peace at last. And maybe less to cause wrinkles on their faces. “Who’s up for it? We need to get at him as soon as possible. Which means, we need a quick but mostly foolproof plan with the limited amount of time. And possibly some volunteers.” As dark as it was in the shack, Lem was ready to start planning. She was so used to a well lit room and a large table with coffee and such. Now it felt like they had been driven to the deepest recesses of the universe. Was this how it was going to end? Not if Lem could help it. “Ideas?” |
![]() Even angels have their wicked schemes and you take death to new extremes | |
![]() |
|
| Caelestis Moody | Mar 27 2009, 07:40 PM Post #30 |
|
Head of Gryffindor
![]()
|
Given the circumstances, Caelestis thought that Xavier should be proud of himself - never before had the Order been this interested in what he had to say. And Cael didn't mean that sarcastically either. Of course, information that Lord Voldemort had created a device capable of destroying the last hope of ever defeating him for good did tend to make people pay attention... Still, as the other members also fired questions at him, Cael couldn't help but feel... Relieved or pleased or proud of his cousin or whatever the hell it was. For many years, Caelestis had been just as desperate (even more, in fact) to kill Xavier for all he had done or at least put him behind bars; but while he still deserved to be in Azkaban for everything he'd done, Xavier was not all evil. Cael had started to understand that and had realised that he did love his cousin no matter what he'd done - it might sound stupid, but Xavier was the same way. Why else had there always been more than mutual dislike between the two? Again, call him stupid, but Cael was really starting to believe there was hope for Xavier to become... A 'good person'. Okay, that sounded lame. Slightly less evil then? There, that was better. Unfortunately, there were far more important things happening than just a possible act of repentance from Xavier. Much more important things. Caelestis turned his attention back to the meeting and any happy feelings were extinguished again. Still, he was quite fascinated by everything that Xavier had to say - and also by Caedmon's explanation about the Infernal Sword. When Xavier actually agreed that his theory was most likely correct, Cael was very impressed. Because they both worked at Hogwarts, he'd known Caedmon several years before this Third War started, but even then, he had been sure the Professor was a brilliant man. But figuring out how a weapon made by Voldemort worked merely by his knowledge of the Eternal Sword and logic? That was a whole new level. Either way, it sounded understandable - though Cael would not even pretend he understood everything that Caedmon had said, the situation was clear: both weapons were in danger in the presence of the other. It sounded like a fair fight, but Lem also had a point... Caelestis looked expectantly from Caedmon to Xavier. By that logic, magic from a wand should be able to damage them, right? Again, this presented as much an opportunity for the Order as a danger. Then the Wraith answered Cael's question. "I saved some of the Elixir, yes. I keep them in two safe locations: one at a vault in Gringotts and the other beneath Syndicate Headquarters. However, it's not much. It might only be enough to give all the Order-members here immortality for a few hours. But I do agree with Cael. Most likely, there is something else mixed with it in order to make us Death Eaters more bound to Riddle. Still, whatever it is, it seems to be working very slowly, so taking the Elixir once should not be a problem." No surprise, Cael thought bitterly when Xavier confirmed his suspicions about the Elixir of Life. He sighed. Not only did Voldemort want to keep his Death Eaters hungering for immortality, but he also wanted to make sure that no one would betray him by enslaving them through other means. Well, Caelestis supposed it was understandable, given what had happened before: Snape had betrayed him and was part of the cause of his original downfall; Xavier had betrayed him before too and then there were people like Mircea (who had wanted to overthrow him) and Katia (who had infiltrated the Death Eaters's ranks). But the knowledge that they could the Elixir safely at least once and that Xavier had some was still comforting... "That's good. A few hours should be more than enough. If we all drink the Elixir of Life the night we confront Riddle, it will definitely raise the odds of survival." As the conversation continued, Cael realised this was definitely pointing towards a scenario of a swift strike against Voldemort - one that could possibly end all the madness for good. His emerald eyes met his daughter's for a moment; it looked like Samantha was finally going to get her way. Of course, Cael was worried for her safety, but he would never have recommended her for the Order if she didn't think she could handle it. Besides, the thought of finishing Voldemort was making Cael pretty enthusiastic himself. “Who’s up for it? We need to get at him as soon as possible. Which means, we need a quick but mostly foolproof plan with the limited amount of time. And possibly some volunteers. Ideas?” "Count me in," said Caelestis immediately, a smile on his face, surprisingly enough. There was no way he was going to miss this, no matter how dangerous it was. Even if they ran the risk of all getting killed and the Eternal Sword being destroyed, this was the moment when stupid courage was the best weapon and defence. But what else would one expect from a Gryffindor like Cael? Then he turned more serious and looked at Ralem and the rest. "The way I see it, we either need to find a way to lure Riddle out into the open or infiltrate his headquarters. I think Riddle will suspect a trap no matter what we do, so I say we go to him. Of course, that means the plan will hinge on whether Xavier can get us safely inside of the Death Eaters's base." His eyes rested on his cousin for a moment. He had faith in him, but as Xavier himself had said, it was going to be tough. "In that case, the best thing to do would probably be for several Order-members to cause a distraction while the rest take the Eternal Sword and go off to confront Riddle himself." "What do you think?" Cael asked the rest. Well, if there was one good thing about all this: at least he and Xavier had the chance to go out fighting together. And not with each other. |
![]() Duelling teacher; Head of Gryffindor House; Order-member | |
![]() |
|
|
|
| Go to Next Page | |
| « Previous Topic · The Outskirts · Next Topic » |

















1:38 AM Jul 11