Board Thread:Roleplaying/@comment-3293219-20141119151542/@comment-29461586-20141123054518

A year earlier...

Just near a place called Orphan's Tear, bandits were forcing their slaves, a man named Marc included, to dig and dig for a new mining shaft that was said to contain large deposits of valuable quicksilver ore that woud fetch a hefty price to the right merchants.

The slaves, despite their usefulness, were seriously exhausted and freezing in Skyrim's unforgiving climate. They had little to no food, only wore ragged trousers for clothing, and was given only 3 minutes of break before being forced to work hard again.

The bandits were so impatient that they tortured most of the slaves that began to slack off and force them to work harder at swordpoint.

Marc saw how even a child was being beaten up by a group of bandits when the latter said that he had enough and wanted to rest. The bandits forced the child to head for a place where everyone can see and slitted the helpless child's throat.

The bandit chief then threw the body to a fire and smirked before he was ready to give an announcement to the slaves.

"This is what happens to anyone who would dare to even consider being smart. Do you understand what I'm sayin'?"

The slaves remained silent.

"I said do you understand what I am sayin'?!" The chief shouted again.

"Y-Yes, Master Geon!" The slaves replied out of fear. All answered to him, except for Marc, who just kept working. The bandit chief notices this and approaches him.

"Ah, being a smart guy, eh?!" Geon said as he kicked Marc and forced him to the ground, causing him to groan in pain.

"Alright men! Give this guy a therapy will ya?!" He shouted. The men cheered as they decided to mercilessly give Marc a beating by kicking him over and over and over.

While he was being kicked, he grabbed a rock and smashed it at one of the bandit's face, causing him to scream in pain. The other three bandits proceeded to restrain Marc and began dragging him in front of Geon.

"Being a smart guy, eh?! We'll see about that!" The bandit chief proceeded to prepare to decaptiate him with his Orcish Battleaxe.

It all seemed hopeless now. Even if he did harm a bandit once with a sharp rock, he was going to be beheaded because of it. But at least he will die with dignity, and gave hope to the other slaves who were surely going to grieve his death.

But before the axe could cut off his head, a bound sword pierced through Geon's back and out his chest, causing him to gasp in agonizing pain before he started to spit out blood.

Behind him was a masked man who broke the neck of the bandit chief swiftly and efficiently with only one hand. The 17 bandits proceeded to attack the masked man with all their power and at least three men at a time.

They proved to be nothing more than cannon fodder, as severed hands and limbs began to fly everywhere and the screams of agonizing pain filled the air before they all fell silent when the masked man landed the killing blow on his victims.

The masked man then telekinetically unlocked the chains of the slaves aside Marc. The slaves proceeded to run for it, giving their praises to the masked man as they ran for the nearest city.

Marc was left alone with the masked man as the latter approached him. Was this man going to kill him? He didn't know. All he knew that he was frozen in fear and inspiration.

"...You may prove useful for an apprentice." The masked man said in a metallic voice.

Marc then passed out from his injuries as everything went black...

-

Marc finally woke up. His vision was incredibly blurry as he tried to make sense on the world around him. He then saw that he was fitted in some sort of custom-made enchanted armor, which was all black in color.

"...You are awake. Good." A voice told Marc from the right.

"Wh... What..?" Marc weakly asked. But he didn't know that he was now filled with power that used to keep a certain person alive before.

"...Stand."

"What..?"

"...I said stand. Or are you saying that you are broken and weak?"

"N-No..."

"...Then stand."

Marc nodded and tried to stand up from his bed. Surprisingly, it was easy for him, even though he was beaten to being half-dead by bandits not long ago.

"...Now that you can stand, we begin your training."

"What..? I... I don't-"

"...Questions are irrelevant. All you need to know that you must do as I say, not as I do. If you want to take vengance and justice on those who have wronged you, you will follow my lead."

"Yes, M-Mister- I mean, Master." Marc replied out of fear. He didn't know the situation that he was in right now, but decided ti play along to ensure his survival.

"...Good. Follow me. Your training will begin immediately." The masked man said as he led Marc into a personal training room.

-

As months went by, Marc was training fiercely and ruthlessly under the guidance of his new master. He was trained in many forms of combat and also trained to attune himself to the art of Alteration magic. He was also told to immerse himself in his deeper, darker emotions as he fought in battles.

Overtime, he became a very formidable fighter. Though now in possession of great power, Marc pondered as to why the masked man took him in without asking for anything in return. As a side-effect, this also destroyed Marc's sense of compassion towards others.

As he sheated his blades, the Masked Man approached him.

"...Well done, my apprentice."

"Thank you, master."

"...Do you want to know why I chose you to be my perfect apprentice?"

"No, master."

"...Because you have the potential. The trait that you need to surpass all others.

...To ask what it is is irrelevant. All you need to know that your training is complete.

...Hearken to your new station, my apprentice. For the best is yet to come."

"Thank you, my master."

-

He was sitting on the top floor of the keep. He remembered the day he was taken in by the Thaumaturge known as Floyd, the man who saved him from the life of a slave.

He owned everything to the Breton who saved him before. He was the one that gave him food to eat, clean water to drink, and a place to sleep.

The man who was previously known as Marc the Unworthy was now a Dark Lord himself, with patience, discipline, and mass amounts of rigorous training.

He was now ready to take and claim his vengeance on all those who wronged him before. Devoid of compassion to his enemies, and deeply immersed in the Dark Arts and the power of passion, he was more than willing to destroy any and all who would dare to oppose the Regulators or his master.

He gladly discarded his old identity and relished in his new one: The man known as Null...