(ooc: cue Soul Reaver's Battle Theme Song)

Soul Reaver is startled by the sound of a massive horn-blast, indicating that the battle is to be joined.

The huge OGHRUN before Soul Reaver lunges forward, its balled fist larger than Soul Reaver's head. It sends a punch whistling towards Soul Reaver's face... but he dodges to the side in the last minute, sending the punch wide.

In a single fluid motion, the OGHRUN whirls around, sending a backhand blow to the back of Soul Reaver's neck, throwing him forward into the sand. Sparks dance before Soul Reaver's eyes for a moment before he leaps back up, just as the OGHRUN jumps onto the spot he had occupied a moment ago.

With a growl, the OGHRUN seizes its chains in its hands... and with a brutal jerk, snaps them right off the steel bolts driven into the ground. Roaring like a wild animal, the OGHRUN whips one of the chains forwards, slamming it like a flail into Soul Reaver's shoulder.

Soul Reaver is almost thrown onto the ground again, agony tearing through his shoulder...

...deep within him, Soul Reaver begins to feel the stirrings of his spirit-energies...

Soul Reaver lets out an angry, animal growl, and gets back to his feet. The OGHRUN flails at him once more, but this time Soul Reaver ducks beneath the attack. He rolls forward and appears directly in front of the OGHRUN, seizing its wrist in his left hand... and delivers a brutal uppercut to its elbow. The OGHRUN howls in pain as its bone almost snaps.

To his surprise, Soul Reaver feels the bands around his arms and legs tightening painfully after his attack. In the moment of distraction, the OGHRUN responds by slamming its other hand into Soul Reaver's stomach.

With the air driven from his lungs, the punch hurls Soul Reaver backwards. With a painful jerk from his manacles, his flight is interrupted and he falls to the ground, having been thrown as far away from the OGHRUN as his chains will allow him.

...a steadily growing warmth stirs in Soul Reaver's spirit, spreading slowly through his body...

Soul Reaver, feeling bruised and hurt, drags himself back up to his feet. As the OGHRUN advances towards him, he seizes both of the chains that bind him in his hands.

The muscles in Soul Reaver's arm and back tighten and twist beneath his skin as his face turns into a grimace of effort. Drops of sweat roll down the sides of his face. The cold metal of the chains cuts into his hands, into his wrists.

The OGHRUN grins at the feeble efforts of the creature before him as it advances for the kill.

...it burns like fire...

For one brief moment, Soul Reaver's eyes flare crimson as a surge of power runs through his body. With an animal roar, Soul Reaver snaps both chains from the steel bolts, whipping them backwards and then across the OGHRUN's face, leaving a bleeding welt. The creature back off, its surprise evident.

His face now filled with a battle-fury, Soul Reaver speaks to the OGHRUN in its own tongue.

"Now, let us fight on equal terms!"

Shouting like madmen, the two charge towards each other once more.

(ooc: Soul Reaver's Battle Theme Song continues... )

Soul Reaver, now free of the restrictions from the chains, slams almost directly into the OGHRUN's stomach, driving his elbow as hard as he can into the creature's midriff. For his troubles, he receives a blow from the OGHRUN's knee.

Soul Reaver backs off and the OGHRUN begins to whirl one of its chains around above its head. Huge, sweeping strikes are sent against Soul Reaver. The warrior leaps nimbly over a low attack, then ducks below a high one... but a third strike hits home, causing Soul Reaver to stumble and fall onto his back.

Rolling to the side, he gets back up to his feet, breathing heavily. The bands on his arms and legs have left painful bruising from their temporary tightening, but the pain is almost forgotten. Since coming to this world, Soul Reaver feels power building within him for the first time.

Through the vicious battle he is involved in, the souls within him are awakening, pouring out massive amounts of energy at a rate that even the Vortex Gem cannot drain away quickly enough.

Soul Reaver runs forward, sending a flurry of punches at the OGHRUN. The creature is put on the back foot, defending as well as it can manage, deflecting as many attacks as possible, but receiving just as many hits. As he strikes his foe, Soul Reaver feels the bands tightening around his body once more, cutting into his flesh. Blood begins to trickle from the sides of the metal bands.

The OGHRUN, however, does not succumb to the attack. It brutally slams a single, solid blow on Soul Reaver's head, almost bashing him into unconciousness. Soul Reaver staggers back, a rage building within him.

The OGHRUN whips a chain forwards...

...and Soul Reaver grabs it out of mid-air.

Soul Reaver makes use of the OGHRUN's moment of surprise to yank the chain backwards. The OGHRUN is pulled off his feet, toppling forwards... and is met by a kick in the face from Soul Reaver.

Blood splashes from the OGHRUN's mouth as the kick snaps its head back up. It roars, and slams a fist downwards at Soul Reaver. The warrior leaps out of the way just in time, and the OGHRUN strikes nothing but a cloud of sand.

Soul Reaver's veins are burning with power now, and the OGHRUN's attacks almost seem to come in slow motion. Soul Reaver leaps into the air, much higher than should be possible, somersaulting over the OGHRUN. As Soul Reaver is upside-down above the OGHRUN, he grabs onto its sweat-covered shoulders, and uses them to angle his descent in such a way that he can slam both his feet into the small of its back.

Soul Reaver leaps off, landing nimbly behind his staggering foe. The OGHRUN turns around, fury and pain on its face.

Soul Reaver feels the bands tightening again, slicing liberally into his arms and legs. Yet he knows he must press his attack, lest he lose the advantage.

Soul Reaver roars loudly as he charges once more, his shout echoes a thousand times from deep within him. As he approaches the OGHRUN, the beast slams a downwards punch into Soul Reaver's head, and kicks him viciously in the side, cracking a rib.

Soul Reaver ignores the pummeling, instead moving in close enough to deliver a final blow of his own. The power in his body has reached a peak, feeling like molten magma were flowing through him. His eyes now burn red, blazing madly.

To Soul Reaver, time seems to slow. Even as the OGHRUN continues to pummel him, he draws his arm back, power liberally flowing from his body into his arm. He sends the punch directly forwards into the OGHRUN's midriff, random arcs of red power sizzling from his arm as the blow connects.

The OGHRUN is thrown straight backwards with incredible force, flying on until it slams into the opposite wall, cracking the solid rock and splashing blood over the hard surface. A look of disbelief is on its face as it slides to the ground, leaving behind a trail of crimson.

The crowd erupts into a mass of cheers as Soul Reaver advances on the OGHRUN to ensure it will not rise once more. To his surprise, Soul Reaver hears it address him in the OGHRUN tongue. A tear rolls down its bloodied face as it speaks, pain evident in its voice.

"Maybe you ARE the NERKON... not a false NERKON as they say... if it is true... then free us... I too was a slave... imprisoned because I was born with... with powers... there are others like me... if you are he, then free us... please..."

The OGHRUN slumps forward, the last spark of its life leaving it. Soul Reaver stands still before it even as the crowd erupts into cheers that shake the entire dome.

OGHRUN soldiers dressed in ceremonial armour emerge from the sides of the arena, bearing Soul Reaver's armour. As the metal bands melt from Soul Reaver's body, they put on his armour intending to present him as impressively as possible. Soul Reaver snaps back to attention.

This may be my only chance to escape from here. The power still burns within me, but now that the battle is over, it will drain away in a matter of moments. I must make use of it NOW!

Soul Reaver prances around the arena for a short while, to the cheering of the crowds, but then turns towards one of the soldiers. He attempts to hide the eerie echo in his voice as best he can when he speaks to the soldier.

"The crowds are impressed. Please, bring me my sword, so that I may truly appear as the NERKON to them."

The soldier looks inquiringly at his captain, who grins and nods. The OGHRUN runs out of the arena quickly as Soul Reaver continues to walk around, holding his arms into the air in victory, attempting to work the crowd up into a frenzy.

The soldier returns, Blooddrinker glittering dully in its hands. The sword is weakened, dull... but will hopefully remain as indestructable as ever. Soul Reaver takes the blade in his hands, desperately attempting to hold onto the power within him, even as it feels to be draining from every pore in his body.

He holds the sword aloft, and the crowd erupts into deafening roars. A chant can be made out echoing through the dome, growing louder and louder with every passing moment: "NERKON! NERKON! NERKON!"

Soul Reaver desperately draws on the subdued power of his sword, summoning what energies he can from it for this, his act of defiance. His surroundings seem sharp and clear... he can sense the tower beyond the dome, sense the presence of his friends in the cells in the same direction. Another surge of energy flows from the blade into his arm.

The world around Soul Reaver seems to fade away... he draws back his arm, Blooddrinker held loosely in his hand. Power crackles through him as he expends every last drop of energy he can muster into this single throw.

Soul Reaver hurls Blooddrinker forwards, sending the weapon spinning through the air. The crowd shouts in surprise, anger, and fear, as the weapon spins like a flat red disc towards the walls of the arena.

The force of the impact is incredible. The arena wall erupts outwards with a shower of rocks and rubble, a huge gash appearing in the side of the accursed dome.

The sword spins towards the black metal tower...

...but it fails to strike the gem.

To Soul Reaver's horrified disbelief, the sword goes wide, the spinning blade cleaving through one of the chains holding the tower upright, but failing to strike the gem itself. Though the tower sways as the chain falls, it nonetheless remains standing. Soul Reaver, his body almost completely drained of energy, ever cell screaming in pain, topples forward onto the hot arena sands.

Down in the companions' cells, it seems like an earthquake has struck. Massive bricks fall just outside their window, each one shaking the ground the as it hits in a cloud of sand. Shouts and the sounds of clashing swords can be heard outside.

Suddenly, the companions can hear the sounds of bolts being slammed back. Their doors are thrown open - a mass of slaves stands before them.

Soul Reaver's attack shattered the walls of several of the slaves' cells. In desperation, they hurled themselves at their OGHRUN captors, who were disorganised and confused. Now, with freedom in their grasp, they fight with a furious determination befitting warriors many times their size. One slave, a dark-skinned human sorcerer, speaks to the companions.

"Come! We have to get out of here! We've got to destroy the tower!"

The crowd of slaves rushes away, freeing prisoners as they go. OGHRUN guards attempt to stop them, but are overwhelmed by sheer mass of numbers. The slaves fight with desperation and hatred for their captors, slaying them with whatever weapons they can find, beating them to death with rocks, staves, clubs, hammers, stolen weapons - anything that comes to hand.

The crowd reaches the base of the tower. However, the OGHRUN have anticipated them.

A line of iron-clad soldiers, armed with broadswords and tower shields, stand before the tower base, intending to defend it to the last man.

With a loud cry, the crowd surges towards them, hoping against hope that they can defeat the guards and destroy the accursed tower...

(ooc: Feel free to kill the guards, and even damage the tower, but please don't destroy the gem yet...)

Lying upon the cold, flattened pinnacle of the Black Steel tower, Soul Reaver hears a faint voice breaking through the mists of unconciousness...

"Sensei! Wake up!"

Soul Reaver groans and reaches his hand up to his head - it is throbbing with pain.

By Inferno... I feel as though I have been put through a meat-grinder...

Soul Reaver looks up to see Asaki holding off the OGHRUN. Below him, a crowd of slaves is gathered, throwing themselves upon the guards.

However, the tides of battle are slowly turning. The OGHRUN military has mobilised to quell the uprising, and even know riders and footsoldiers march forward in massed ranks, driving the slaves back and trampling them into the ground. They advance with surgical precision, closing in from all sides.

Soul Reaver looks behind him, and sees the massive, man sized Vortex Gem, orange vapour curling around it. It stands upon a ornate tripod.

Soul Reaver looks down at the slaves, and shouts as loudly as he can, his voice ringing clear even over the din of battle. He speaks in the voice of the OGHRUN. The fighting stops as the soldiers hear his words.

"The OGHRUN have betrayed their own history, and the lives lost in fighting for their freedom. They have become the very evil they had once thought vanquished. This fall signifies the end of this folly. May you learn from the mistakes of the past."

Without a further word, Soul Reaver places his gauntlets upon the surface of the gem. It is icy cold to the touch - this close to it, it even draws away the heat from the air. Soul Reaver braces his shoulder agains the chill surface, and pushes.

With a creak, the crystal is pushed from its tripod, and topples over the edge.

Silently the orange gem falls from the tower as OGHRUN and slave alike scatter away from where it will fall. It spins end over end, the setting sun sending flashes of brilliance across its many facets as it plunges downwards.

The gem crashes into the ground at the base of the tower, shattering the flagstones that OGHRUN slaves once laid with their bare hands. But the gem is not destroyed. Light yellow cracks mar its once flawless surface, but it is still whole.

Everyone is silent for a moment as the implications of yet another failure dawn on them. Before anyone else moves, an OGHRUN bolts through the crowd. He is dressed only in a ragged tunic, but wields a massive two-handed hammer. He stands between the gem and the crowd of slaves, his eyes appearing wild. No-one makes a move towards him.

Then, the OGHRUN shouts loudly.

"KORAK DERGU!! DERGU NERKA!!!!!"

To the crowd's surprise, the OGHRUN whirls around, and slams the hammer down onto the gem, shattering it into a million pieces.

The huge number of gathered magic-users feel a surge of power flood over them, as an invisible burning ocean of magic roars into the city.

The ragged, hammer-weilding OGHRUN grins, and holds his fist up onto the air, a magical fire playing over his hand. He too was among the oppressed, his family thrown into disgrace by his 'curse'. Now it was time to bring freedom to all people.

In an instant, the crowd rallies. Bolts of fire and lighting sizzle through the air, and the ground shakes with the massive energies unleashed. Streaks of purple flame pour from the heavens, igniting the OGHRUN soldiers in cold fire. Whirlwinds of power crackle through the streets, and phantasmal armies strike down the OGHRUN oppressors.

The OGHRUN soldiers, once proud and mighty, are no match for the sorcerers. They are driven back, their retreat turning into a blind rout.

A short time later, the last remnants of the military rallies at the ruins of the arena, the scarred slave-master directing the guards for a final battle. The ancient slave-master knows he cannot win, but he would rather die than let go of his failed, misguided traditions.

As the crowd and the companions advance towards him, he orders his rag-tag troops to make the final, glorious, doomed assault.

Their feet thundering across the blood-stained arena, the soldiers charge...