[b][i][center]Ovak vs Norschtalen[/b][/i][/center] Norschtalen lowered her hands as the Archmage stepped forward. [b]"Deception? That implies that I don't know what he's up to. Oh no, I fully understand what ends I'm suppose to meet... And I'll gladly fulfil those ends. What about you, Archmage? Who's ends who you meet?"[/b] Norschtalen dropped the blood stained amulet off the side of the balcony, where it began to plummet down towards the ground. She turned towards the Archmage and saw that he was ready for battle. Her purprose fulfilled, she just gave him a slight grin and glare. [b]"Times are changing. You can be part of that change, or you can be part of the past. Kekekeke..."[/b] Norsctalen's form suddenly dispeared into a large swarm of bats, with each creature flying in different directions. A few bats formed a rough silhouette of Norschtalen right behind the Archmage, and fired off two clouds of ice at his figure. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ "I could sit around exchanging philosophies with you all day because we all meet the same end. Some just chose to meet it sooner like yourself." Ovak spoke in a casual voice not befitting an Archmage. "Kudd is not the type to show all his cards until he's got a winning hand. So it's very likely you're missing some key pieces to his plan." He was unfazed by the vampire's batty display as her figure crumbled into several small critters who dispersed throughout the room, instead merely closed his eyes. It was one last distracting sense to filter and mind centered upon his Electromancy, his ESI stretched all about in a wide area. There was a large gathering of bats right behind him which formed into a familiar, female shape before she shot two icy clouds right at him. Ovak shook his head then focused his magic, Aeromancy mixed with Pyromancy, into a simple snap of his fingers. Together they created a hot gust of air which both melted any hidden icicle weapons and tossed the clouds, still filled with overwhelming heat, back at the silhouette. In the brief moment before the gust swirled about the large cluster of bats, his eyes snapped open and intensely focused upon a figurine topped upon his bedside table. It was a ferret with webbed skin from its forelegs to its hind ones, betraying it's gliding ability. It's wooden surface melted into white fur as it's eyes, once dull and lifeless, came alive. It's nose twitched when Ovak gave it an order. "Retrieve the amulet before it can cause anymore damage." He said, the figurine no longer wooden but a living breathing creature. It wasted little time and darted off the table then out the window. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ [b]"Pointless. Utterly useless."[/b] Though the form of Norschtalen scattered, many more bats still lingered, enough to create at least ten rough shapes of her body. [b]"Even the Archmage cannot stop what's to come. Why try to fight this? Why not just see what happens?"[/b] Norschtalen laughed as the ten rough shapes fired more clouds of ice at the Archmage. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ "I could say the same for you and your master but I doubt I get very far." Ovak stated plainly as he kept up the ESI field, eliminating any chanced for surprise by the vampire. His wind abruptly changed course. It whipped about and swirled about the fragile figure, providing a barrier between him and the icy clouds. He had to end this quickly. A lengthy battle would be the end of him and he didn't intend to die from one of Kudd's pitifully misguided pets. If the demon wanted him dead then he would have to do it himself. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ And even as the small ferret creature went down to the amulet... It would find the amulet in peices. From the Amulet, a dispropotional amount of blood flowed from it. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The ferret's eyes appeared disappointed when it noted the Amulet had shifted from one piece to many. It's head tilted as blood leaked upon the stones and swiftly snatched a single, largest piece, then shimmed upwards. One shard held within its mouth and careful not to swallow was all the Archmage would need to undo what would happen next. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ [b]"Strange to see you so up and about, given that you've been sitting on your thumbs for the past few years. Surely even you had some clue as to what my master is doing. Perhaps you're just trying to stave off the inevitable? Or do you truly think you have some cunning plan to put a stop to his goal?"[/b] The blood began to glow red, and a crimson energy began to form from it. It shot into the skies, piercing the night and blocked out the moon. Suddenly, the entire skies turned red. [b]"This is but a glimpse of the future, Archmage. The peace that you've been living has come to an end. I hope you're ready for the hell that is to come. There is no stopping it. Just suffering and death."[/b] The college began to change. Stones began to warm, the air became thin. Plants shrivled and began to catch fire. Others started to instead grow stiff and cold. Frozen. Water boiled and evaporated, and the same happened to a few unforunate students around the college. [b]"Surely even you can see the futility of your resistance. Why not join us? Ease the world into it's end. Stop the pain."[/b] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Ovak shook his head, his heart filled with sorrow at the woman. Pain was always a part of life itself and those who believed the world was better off dead were fools indeed. He merely chided her. "Poor, ignorant child. Suffering, pain and misery is apart of life but it only sweetens emotions of a more positive nature. Some thing that complete death will never solve or fix. Besides..." He continued as the ferret's form appeared through the door, it's lithe and agile body bounced towards him to stop at his feet. The wind broke a small space for the creature to dart into and quickly closed, slicing any creature that tried to follow in half. He stooped over to clasp the Amulet piece from the creature's tiny jaws. "It's not me you need to worry about stopping it. My magic has it's own price, unlike Kudd who bit the hand that nurtured him in his greed and paid for it. My successor has denied those same forces himself yet he hasn't any idea he has. Others will stop you... I can only aid them." He focused upon the arcanite around him, attune upon one arcanite's signature: Kudd's. It oozed from the pieces, namely one in his hand, while he also sensed it from the vampire herself due to the gift her master bestowed. It was time to stop this childish game at the root he decided. With that thought, Ovak centered most his focus upon the very arcanite. It buzzed within the Amulet and Norschtalen, the later grew bit from the friction as if slowly being microwaved alive. No matter how many bats she turned into or where she went, his magic affected her and only grew in strength. Their power levels, even In his weaken state, were a cut above. Unknown to the vampire, he had been drawing energy from all around him and this aided in the illusion he was fitter the. is crippled body would suggest... For a bit. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Though still in the form of a swarm of bats, Norschtalen felt pain. Whether or not it came from the Archmage or the result of what happened from the broken amulet, she didn't know. [b]"He said as much... You and your gods, refuse to change. Stuck in your old, archaic ways... To perpetuate the same lives, the constant suffering, the slight ease. Such a cruel cycle that you enforce."[/b] Soon Norschtalen's body revealed it's true form back on the Belcony, but she bent down onto one knee as she could feel the archnite in her burn. [b]"My master has not spent his last enternity merely biding his time... See now, his true.... Power."[/b] Norschtalen took out a dagger hidden on her person and impaled herself through the heart with it. She knew that her death was near, and she would not let it go to waste. She gave the rest of her life energy to fuel Kudd's spell. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Archmage merely just stayed silent. He was unfazed by her actions as she lunged the dagger deep, her life blood flowed into the spell. Ovak could almost hear Kudd's terrible chuckle when the vampire gave her life and soul in the final devotion for him. His eyes, on the other hand, reflected pity for her foolish decision and his inability to break his vow to save her. Visions were both a blessing and a curse all their own. To act upon it would alter key events, risking a new and far scarier outcome then allowing her to die would've made. It don't make it any less painful when he made past preparations for this moment. He continued to listen to Norschtalen's final rants out of respect for the would be dead. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ [b]"Your gods have created prisons and cages for all of you... My master will set us all free..."[/b] Norschtalen's body slumped onto the ground and dissolved into ash as the Inferno grew ever closer to the Mortal World. The Veil around the college, which itself was fairly weak, was now nonexistant. The demons who died here at the college simply stood back up. Only those who have been decapitated did not immediately rise up to fight, and even so, it was only a matter of time before their bodies were restored. All the demons the college worked so hard to kill got back to their feet, as the Inferno began to prolong their lives, to allow them to keep on fighitng. Stone began to melt, and the trees became to catch on fire. The air was thin and filled with poison, and soon a strong wind began to whip up the dust and dirt at high speeds, tearing off flesh from exposed skin. And that was not even the end. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Ovak felt the air swirl and change into a familiar scene he had only seen a few times. His last visit was when he saved Khan from Kudd's grasp with aid from the last Demonomancer, something he had hoped to avoid happening again. This had to end now he realized, his eyes watched Norschtalen's body burn up within the scorching heat and sun into ashes. His mind sensed the looming threat above and frowned. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ From above the college, a MASSIVE Inferno Portal opened. The covered the entire college, and even a little bit beyond. Through the portal was blackness, as though it was an eclipse. And from the portal came a large creature... [url=http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_xuvfYwzKp7g/TFkI5-di1zI/AAAAAAAAAmg/LcBgyxW5Ja4/s1600/ME1theReaperThreat%28composit%291a.jpg]A creature larger than the college itself[/url]. He didn't even waste time landing; on it's maw was some sort of light. Even those who have never seen the creature would be able to tell that it was going to attack. And it did. Strait towards the Archmage's tower. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Without wasting any time, Ovak closed his eyes and let the energy fill him deeply. It coiled and swirled in his being as ribbons of transparent colors gathered about his form then shot into him. His mind focused upon the weakened Veil and started to use the gathered energies to weave another, strong one he quickly shortly. The white beam darted quickly in a straight line for the Archmage's form but it would have to wait for now. He raised his hand up and manipulated the magic to restrengthen the barrier on his command. His hand had began to grey, fingers ridged and curled while the power flowed to it. First he made the glowing, colorless ball within his grasp pulse. Each of Kudd's allied demon within the College would feel the blood within them bubble under their skin as it was followed by immeasurable pain. Boils formed and shortly, their bodies, no matter the species or type, would be withering upon the ground. All crippled and unable to attack. Ovak's teeth gritted in equal agony when he sent out another pulse. This one ruptured the Arcanite and set it to explode. One by one, every last enemy demon exploded into a red cloud of blood.it temporarily cleared the grounds of any demonic presence and would allow him to reform the fallen barrier. Slowly the Archmage then turned his attention to the impeding attack. He began to null the beam and instead reflected it. His already dead hand reached it's clawed fingers when the attack shattered the windows, splitting the melted stone and remaining scene into utter destruction. It should've consumed his hand into ashes but instead dimmed. With a powerful cry, Ovak shoved the attack right back with twice the force. He didn't wait to see if the attack hit before he instantly slammed the new woven barrier overtop where the old one had been and exhaustion washed over the old man all at once leaving him to crumble onto the floor. The dead and ash grey skin now covered along his wrist to his rib side, the putrid smell unable to bother the man's unconscious mind. His arm seemed frozen in death and now useless. It was a heavy cost for his magic because no mortal was ever meant to wield the power of life itself and it wrecked it's own hellish costs upon his body. In truth, each time he over extended himself then he would pay with a piece of himself in the end. At least, for now, his school was safe. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Suddenly, the demons came to a grinding halt. Although the merging of the Inferno allowed even their most mortally wounded to keep on fighting, that did little when they all spontaniously exploded. On one hand, this allowed them to return to the Mortal realm almost instantly as their remains were destoryed, but it caught them off guard massively. And while the college had no idea what happened either, they took advantage of the demon's own confusion to increase their offensive, breaking the demon's assault and making much more headway into clearing out the college. The large demon from the portal saw the attack and tried to dodge it, to no anvil. But it was too powerful to be destoryed, not even by it's own attack. It was enough for it to be pushed back through the portal however, just as Ovak created a new Veil that closed the portal. Just as quickly as it came it left, and the colossal demon was gone. The college struck hard and fast, giving the demons little breathing space. Even their elites were caught by Ovak's surpise attack, weakening not only the demon's forces but also their moral. But they must act quickly now; it would only be a matter of time before the demons would try to attack the college again, and right now it was not in a good state to defend itself. [b][i][center]COUNTERATTACK[/B][/i][/CENTER] With the sudden death of all the demons, the college had a precious little amount of time before the demons returned. But that was all they needed to ensure that they could defend their home. Satori rallied what remained of the teachers and guardsmen and had them rapidly cover lost ground, set up fortification, and recover any wounded. By the time the demons were starting to claw their way back from the Inferno, they were met with an indomitable line of guardsmen. Though severely outnumbered, the demons were out maneuvered. It became a slaughter; piles upon piles of demons began to form as they ran into the grinder, unable to efficiently fight back. A few were smart enough not to take the same path as the fallen, but ultimately it was too late; their forces were routed, and staying at the college would only resort to more pain. Indeed, after the Archmage created a new Veil over the college, the demons were unable to warp into the college ground. Now all that was left was to gathered the wounded and the dead, and clean out the remaining demons who haven't yet fled the college.