[IC] THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL (Team Battle - Nobody Vs. Doc)

[Doc Doctor]

@ImportantNobody

Suliss had both hands braced against the ground, soft peat pushing up under its fingernails as it worked its digits in deep. It could feel itself getting closer to The Vein. Rivulets of strange power traced up and down its arms, reflected blurrily in its catlike eyes as does the cascade of lights which emanate from the lens of a multifaceted chauvet. The air was heavy with the strength of The Vein, the uppermost boughs of the looming spruces sagging under the pressure. For ninety kilometers, the pressure could be felt as a throbbing ache deep in the bones of every living thing. It was tearing at the life of the forest itself, making it squirm and writhe with the psychic trauma of having its natural life sapped and twisted for the purposes of a sick mind.

[ImportantNobody]

@Doc Doctor“So this is the big bad scary forest? Don’t seem that bad to me,” the large muscular man Ombard said to his much smaller half Dragon companion Evvie as the two made their way through the trees, him on the left and her on the right. Neither of them commented on the weird pressure bearing down on them, instead acting perfectly normal, both with their chests puffed out while making confident strides. Despite how different the two looked they were actually two peas in a pod.

“Yeah. I’ll eat all the baddies and take a nap here,” Evvie chimed in. She was expecting some sort of monster inhabiting these woods that was the cause of the rumors, although wasn’t sure of the exact nature of it at the moment. Whatever it was, she assumed that it would be edible. Or perhaps hoping. She was actually quite hungry again, although had eaten a mere two hours before.

“Go to bed right now if you want. I’ll clear this place out myself. In my sleep as well no less,” he replied.

The two went back and forth in this manner as they grew closer and closer to the source of their troubles. Their boisterous travel would surely catch Suliss’s attention at any moment.

[Doc Doctor]

@ImportantNobody

Suliss certainly did take notice of the duo, and it broke away from the wellspring to begin preparing for their arrival. In its right hand glittered the sinister blood-red energy of a Wrack spell. In the left Suliss brandished his gnarly dagger, the hand clutching it emanating a dull yellow mist, the infamous Siphon. Suliss slipped behind a tree and waited for the two to draw near, its thin chest pulsing with each anxious breath. Suliss hadn't been expecting visitors, wasn't ready for them. The body it inhabited was pathetic, flimsy. It knew that its only chance to exterminate these frighteningly bold intruders was to do so with an ambush.

[ImportantNobody]

@Doc Doctor

Evvie was the first to spot a strange red and yellow glow emanating from behind a tree and reflecting off some surrounding leaves, however faintly as most of it was obscured. Her curiosity was too great to pass this sighting up. She tapped Ombard on the side of his forearm and then pointed to the light with a curious grin. His vision wasn’t enhanced so it took him longer to spot.

“Huh? Maybe it’s just a bug or something stupid,” he said. Evvie’s tail wagged excitedly. He let out a sigh and followed behind her as she excitedly advanced through the underbrush in that direction. At the moment she clearly had no idea of the horror responsible for that light, judging by her body language and face. If nothing happened to stop her she’d turn the corner of the tree and come face to face with him while Ombard was trailing roughly four feet behind her.

[Doc Doctor]

@ImportantNobody

Two flat yellow eyes glared into Evvie's, pungent hatred apparent in their disassociative regard. At that proximity, she'd have been able to make out a face as well. A stained slit of a mouth, a nose waxy and cracked with snot. The remnants of a dull gray beard, unkempt and dotted with flakes of dandruff. Suliss did not take good care of the bodies it stole. After all, they were only ever temporary.

The cloaked figure suddenly stepped back and the dagger flickered between them, a darting slash whistling towards Evvie's face.

[ImportantNobody]

@Doc DoctorEvvie saw the flash of the blade and used her swift reactions and superhuman abilities to attempt to dodge, but it was so sudden and quick that she was only able to lesson some of the damage by moving away from it. The tip of the blade caught her on her left cheek, splattering blood onto the surrounded leaves. She sprung backwards, eyes wide with surprise. Luckily the wound was very superficial.

Ombard realized what had occurred and stormed forward in front of her in a defensive stance, as if Evvie needed his protection from him.

“Foul demon, attacking an unaware girl! Let us have a fair fight like men!” He shouted.

Evvie scowled at him more than the sudden attacker, although his back was turned so he didn’t see it. Her face would heal but she wanted to personally give him a good smack in revenge. She flapped her wings, stepping onto Ombard’s head with her right foot as she cleared his large height, and then took another leap off of him in the direction of the attacker, slamming down her staff to what would be the top of his head if he didn’t dodge her. Her attack would likely come as some surprise so she hoped that would be enough to do him in. She wasn’t super afraid of his dagger at the moment, especially now that she was aware of his presence, so was a little cocky in her aggressive attack.

Ombard realized what was going on as Evvie was midway through the attack. He charged around to the right to help her, but he wouldn't get there for the first exchange of blows.

[Doc Doctor]

@ImportantNobody

Suliss fired off the Siphon as Ombard stepped in front of Evvie, a close range burst of tangy yellow light that would sap about ten percent of the warrior's strength. If it hit, that strength would be converted into another spell. One meant to conjure nightmares. It didn't look like energy, but a bruised swirl of protoplasmic meat pushing out from the flesh of Suliss's hand and crawling up the dagger to meet Evvie's blood, trailing veins and tendons behind it. Blood that was as dark as tar dripped /upwards/ from the engorged mass of evil magic, falling into the sky. This was the kind of bad shit that made necromancy look like daisy picking.

When Evvie lunged over Ombard, Suliss mewled in surprise and let loose with the Wrack, intending to hit the girl during her jump. Pure pain represented as a hissing red bolt crackled towards her! If it was enough to stop her from utterly wrecking the physically weak Suliss, then he'd unceremoniously try to turn tail and run to stall for time. If she was able to take the stupendous pain well enough to still batter the wizard, he'd even resort to crawling or dragging himself away. Ten percent of the energy of a common man meant four seconds of progress towards the bogle, the same amount of time and power needed to charge a stage two Siphon. Depending on just how many common men Ombard equals, it could be quite a boost.

[ImportantNobody]

@Doc Doctor

Ombard wasn’t at full power due to not having a high level of adrenaline and anticipation for the fight at the moment. However, 10% of his base level of peak human was still enough to provide his enemy a decent boost. He could feel himself weakened, a fact that he had great distaste for. Hurt and maim him yes, but emasculate him? Never! He knew that his opponent was tougher than he looked so he managed to get his blood boiling and power up, easily enough to replace what had been lost and then some as he let out a battle cry.

Meanwhile, Evvie had no time to dodge this new surprise attack, causing it to hit her square in the chest. She let out a loud yelp of pain and shock from how badly this attack hurt as it seemed to course directly through her nervous system, breaking her concentration. However, she was still flying through the air at him like a living projectile and bringing her staff down upon him, so that attack would not cease even if the bolt of wicked energy had killed her. On the other hand, it caused her arms to quiver around so it was possible that her staff could trail off course to smash him on either shoulder just as likely as his head, or perhaps he could dodge her with enough luck.

Whatever the case, as her feet hit the ground she would crumple to her knees and let out a grimace, forcing herself to try to regain her concentration. She had experienced worse pain than this and she would certainly not allow herself to be defeated by pain of this meager level. Unfortunately this brief distraction would allow her opponent time to retreat a bit rather than wreck him as she otherwise could have.

Ombard was still letting out a battle cry as he did his best to rush around Evvie and catch his opponent before he got too far. If he wasn’t peak human speeds than Ombard was surely catch him in due haste, slashing his axe from right to left across his retreating back should he not turn to face him.

[Doc Doctor]

@ImportantNobody

Suliss raised his left forearm in a futile attempt to ward off Evvie's blow, only to feel the bone break in two. He was driven to his knees, yowling like a pissed off alley cat. A peak human could surely offer double the charge of a normal one. He had the capacity to initiate the spell, but...

An inky fluttering of doubt. Suliss felt a sodden weight in his chest, a sharp twinge of anxiety. Too late. He thrust his right fist into the ground, grinding dead leaves into the soil. The spell was released, the meaty tendrils multiplying to encompass what blood of Evvie's had fallen.

*CRACK*

Between Suliss and Ombard, a crevasse six feet long and four feet wide split the earth. Suliss reeled onto his back, legs kicking and feet shoving in a desperate bid to get as much distance between him and the hole as possible. He had nearly fallen in. A plume of dust exhaled from the crevasse, as if from a chest in an attic left shut for decades. Great flocks of birds scattered into silence, until there was nothing to hear but the tepid shifting of tree leaves in the breeze.

In close proximity to the crevasse, Ombard might feel a steady, ice cold wind churning out of the black, the subterranean current creating a faint Coke bottle whistle as it gently tousled his hair. The tangy odor of mildew mingled with the oozing sweetness of a putrifying wound. Echoes so distant and dim that they could have been mistaken for tricks of the imagination trickled through the damp nether. They could have been cries, they could have been laughter, they could have been human. Out in the sticks, boys explore. It's what they do. They adventure, following wherever a fancy may lead. Out into vacant lots, under railways and through the boonies. Sometimes boys find small caves and cracks large enough to crawl through. They are hidey holes, but few boys hide in them. Always, the reason is because the possibility exists that the hidey hole is occupied. Cougars? Snakes? Yes, very often that's the case.

Sometimes, though, just sometimes...

There might be a hidey hole that wasn't there before, or isn't there anymore. One that travels. An opening to another place, a lonely place. It has an allure to it, an obvious one. An unsettling mystery that begs to be solved. One strong enough to provoke a response from even the most tame of children. Ombard in his simplicity might feel it tugging at his heart, a morbid curiosity calling him by name. It was still close to evening, the sun not yet risen over the treeline. If one had exceptional eyes, though, that might not stop them from vaguely deciphering a view into the crevasse.

Brown and yellow mounds of what appeared to be glistening sticks and rocks, well over a hundred feet below.

[ImportantNobody]

Ombard barely managed to skid to a stop at the edge of the opening chasm, the rocks kicked up in front of him tumbling into the abyss. He swung his arms wildly in an attempt to correct himself and was about to fall in when Evvie grabbed onto his lower abdomen and hoisted him backwards to safety. She was still in pain, but thanks to the shock of it fading she was now able to behave relatively normal again until the pain would wear off completely.

The two peered down into the deep chasm with curiosity for a moment, then towards each other, and then finally shifted their attention back to the man scrambling for safety on the other side. Evvie flapped her wings to easily carry herself over the gap, sticking her tongue out at the stranded Ombard. He let out a snarl as he began to navigate around the right of the chasm, never the greatest at jumping so couldn’t take his chances.

This delay could have given her opponent some time to retreat, although she believed that she would still easily catch him yet again if he didn’t try another trick. This time she knew to look out for his projectile attacks so she landed down and took after him the rest of the way on foot, prepared to dodge to either side of he tried that move on her again. Getting fooled twice would be an embarrassment far worse than the pain would be.

“Stop right there!” She shouted after him, even though saying such a thing was generally pointless. Her voice still sounded strained from the pain.

[Doc Doctor]

@ImportantNobody

As Umbard passed the hole, he'd be liable to notice something. The icy current, for the briefest of moments, had been interrupted.

As if something large had moved down there, briefly blocking the wind.

If Umbard realised the danger and turned, he'd be just in time to see a whip-like blur, scything for his knees. If it slapped into him, he'd likely be molly whopped right off his feet from the force. Were this the case, then in a second the appendage would wrench back with appalling strength, seeking to drag him into the crevasse as quickly as a moray eel snags a fish. It could very well occur so quickly that unless Ombard shouted, Evvie might not even notice he had vanished.

[ImportantNobody]

@Doc Doctor

Umbard didn’t care about the subtleness of wind or minor chills, especially when he had a foe to cleave open. However, he was certainly not one to ignore the less than subtle smack against his lefts that sent him hurling to the floor. He let out a manly growl in surprise.

“Why you little-“ he tried to say as he turned to face whatever did that to him, only to find himself being yanked downward.

He raised his axe in his hand and attempted to cleave straight on through the tentacle right as he was soaring through the air, bellowing out a battle cry.

Evvie turned her head at this, momentarily distracted from her pursuit, to find Umbard to have vanished. She was confused why he would have jumped down into the pit and alow her all the glory of defeating this bad man. Maybe he was clumsy and fell in?

“You stay right there!” Evvie shouted to the bad man, letting out a burst of fire his way before turning and sprinting over to the edge of the hole, looking down. She could catch the man again, but her ally might be in danger right now.

[Doc Doctor]

@ImportantNobody

The appendage was lopped off, still tightly gripping ombard and writhing on the ground like a lizard's tail. The stump, however, swung instantly into the nearest side of the damaged end, and as if it were magnetic or sticky, somehow maintained more than enough tension to resume hauling Ombard into the hole just like before, fast enough that Evvie wouldn't be able to reach her partner in time. Ombard might have been strong, but without footing or a solid handhold he'd have only loose dirt and leaves to grab. There was a tree next to the hole though, the one Suliss had hid behind...

[ImportantNobody]

@Doc Doctor

Umbard stabbed his muscular arms through the dirt in a last attempt to secure something before he was pulled down into the void. What his finger trips brushed against was…roots of a nearby tree. He snatched onto them by the handful, wrapping them around his forearms by spinning his arms around in circles. With this technique he was effectively anchored to the tree, causing the mysterious evil below him to struggle far greater if it was to take him down. The tree was practically groaning from the stress as it bent slowly from the pull on it’s roots. Some minor roots snapped but the larger ones held true, at least for the few moments that this struggle would be taking place in.

Evvie leapt down into the pit and let loose a torrent of flames past Umbard’s feet. Unfortunately it seemed like the tree was past it’s tipping point by now and was creaking louder overhead than before.

[Doc Doctor]

@ImportantNobody

As Umbard devoted his arms to slowing his motion, a spindly, four-fingered hand adorned with ebony talons, whose spread could have encompassed a man's chest, twisted out of the crevasse and sought a hold upon the warrior's upper right shin. As Umbard seemed quite preoccupied with holding onto the tree, he'd be in poor shape to quickly stop the gnarled claws from stripping his meat to the bone, potentially extracting nearly his entire calf muscle. The long middle claw in particular threatened to gouge out the popliteal artery behind his knee. Fortunately Evvie would arrive not long after the monster's claws, and regardless of how Umbard handled the attempted mangling of his leg, the intense dragon fire forced the creature to release its prey. It left its severed tail still clinging to Umbard, the gluey tension between the two parts releasing as a fresh layer of slick mucous upended the terribly sticky initial layer.

Even were Evvie to pursue the creature, Umbard would still be left with a formidable challenge. The severed tail's grip was diabolical, undoubtedly cutting off circulation to his foot. Strange muscles flexed and coiled beneath the damp flypaper skin, squeezing ever tighter. It had encircled his left leg with a ring of that incredibly sticky goo, and even if he could get the meat of the tail off, he might as well have had a band of tire rubber left to remove. His foot might have even already started going numb from lack of circulation by the time he understood how dangerous the remaining bit of the monster was. Of course, that was assuming he wasn't already bleeding out from his other leg.

[ImportantNobody]

@Doc Doctor
Thanks to Evvie’s quick action she spared Umbard a vast majority of the damage he would have faced. He felt the tug on his calf and a series of sharp pricks as the claws made their effort to dig into him, leaving five sharp pinprick wounds, but they were forced off almost as quickly as they had pierced him, splashing blood out as they hastily retreated, leaving only a flesh wound that looked far more violent than it actually was as blood trickled downward into the abyss after the retreating monster.

Evvie fell downward for a couple more second in pursuit, blasting her fire every which way down the canyon to make sure there was no safe place for it within close proximity before she shut her jaws and flapped her wings to regroup and catch her breath. It was then that she noticed Umbard’s wounds as a drop of blood fell past her vision. Rather than pursue the enemy further, she flapped back up and grabbed onto him from behind by wrapping tiny arms around him compared to his muscular chest. However, she managed a firm enough grip to allow her to carry him upwards. Getting him to solid ground would be the first order of business to allow him a chance to heal. Within a second or two they would clear the opening and she would toss him onto the ground ten feet or so away from the edge before landing herself, should she not be stopped. After doing so she would look around for the intruder. Meanwhile, Umbard would be letting out a series of curses of which Evvie was too innocent to know.

[Doc Doctor]

@ImportantNobody

Fire was everywhere, bathing the noxious lair in flickering light. Tens of thousands of dismembered skeletons came abruptly into view below Evvie, a colossal figure despite how many more had become nothing more than dust and fungus over the years. A black horizon stretched past the reach of illumination, and the crackling of the fire seemed to rebound a hundred fold in this chamber, sound spiking off the walls and skipping off into the miles of darkness. She overshot the inhabitant of this place, as a few seconds of falling translates to a fair bit of distance. The monster itself had been on the roof of the cavern just beyond the lip of the crevasse. Her flames licked over it as she passed, but it had already secreted a heavy film of slime over its body, a sopping second hide for the fire to cling to and slough off as even more mucous was secreted in its place. It was like trying to set fire to something that could shrug off layer after wet layer of its body to avoid being badly burned. It did require sacrifice though. It took over three gallons of mucous just to defend against the passing dragonfire, and the creature could only spare a limited amount, 20% of its body weight at the max. At the time, it'd still be nigh impossible to spot the creature's position at a glance due to how its dark body blended well into the rock, and how the fire disregarded its body in a manner distinctly similar to that of the wall, nothing to for the flames to properly catch. The moment Evvie dropped past it, and her gaze was averted in her desire to spread the flame, its left arm, still dripping fire, stretched out to grab her nearest wing. Its claws could rend the membrane with ease, its knobby digits could snap the thin bones. Evvie'd be in danger of having her wing ruined as the Magna Pater tried to tear her out of the air and hurl her down towards the rug of moldy bones below.

Meanwhile, topside, Suliss hadn't forgotten his mission. During the time given, he'd have charged up another low powered siphon, and were Umbard to still be preoccupied with the tail choking the blood from his leg, he'd wind up taking a spell in the back and losing 5% of his strength to the sorcerer as a result.

[ImportantNobody]

At the moment Umbard was not overly concerned about his leg now that the immediate danger had passed. Although certainly feeling numb from a pinched nerve, he knew that he would have a couple hours before permanent damage might be done for lack of blood flow. How much this would effect his fight he wasn’t sure, but what he was sure of was that he would find a way to make due and defeat his cowardly opponent regardless.

“I can beat ya with only one leg and both hands tied behind my back!” He bellowed gruffly as he made a newfound effort to pull himself out of the pit. Thanks to Evvie’s heroic distraction the monster of the pit no longer had control over him and he managed to pull himself up onto the surface with bulging biceps. He looked around himself to try and spot his enemy while panting on his hands and knees. Admittedly that took a lot out of him and he needed a moment to recover.

Meanwhile, Evvie didn’t notice the wicked hand that reached out and grasped onto the hollow bones that made up her left wing. She let out a shrill cry as it snapped like a twig under his grasp. Her own blood dripped down into the pit with Umbards. She looked in shock at her mangled wing and the monster that had snatched her while she wasn’t looking. Before she could fight back she was tossed downward into the darkness. With her single wing she tried her best to remain airborne but she was only able to awkwardly slow herself down.

Her feet slammed hard onto the pile of bones below, drawing blood and letting out the same crunching noise her wing had produced. Luckily the bone pile managed to break some of her fall. Unluckily, whatever had managed to cause so many bones to pile up was now after her. She winched and tucked her injured blood red wing in close to her body. She wouldn’t be flying back out of here any time soon. She breathed out fire and coated her forearms in it to allow herself a sufficient light source down here, casting dramatic shadows on the walls from her flickering flames. Her eyes darted around above her in search of the abomination, her jaws open and ready to unleash another torrent the moment she caught sight of him. Her rigid body language showed a rare emotion from her. Fear.

[Doc Doctor]

@ImportantNobody

Both Evvie and Umbard were due for a reprieve, and oddly enough, it was at the Magna Pater's claws they'd receive it. The monster, rather than follow Evvie, snaked out of the crevasse and into the world of the living. Its sinewy mass dove silently over Umbard, left paw jutting down to mash his face into the ground as it attempted to propel itself past him. If he were as tough as he was supposed to be, he'd only wind up with scant bruising and perhaps a bloodied lip. The creature's real target was the one who had summoned it. Genies make the dreams of their masters come true. The Magna Pater, despite not being a genie, fulfilled the same purpose. He who calls the Sleeper out from its subterranean tomb will have his dreams come true. Bad dreams, that is.

Were the Magna Pater to hurtle Umbard without impediment, it would beeline straight for Suliss. The sorcerer's throat bobbed as the high pitched scream he'd have liked to have uttered hitched in his gullet. Instead of voicing his terror, Suliss's distress was broadcast by way of his robe bottoms darkening, fresh urine leaving his bladder in a hot rush. Just as quickly the monster was upon him. From Umbard's position, he'd thankfully have his view of Suliss's ungodly fate obscured by the Magna Pater's convulsing, vermiform bulk.

[ImportantNobody]

@Doc Doctor

Umbard was completely blindsided by the “attack”, his face pounding into the dirt in a move that would cause minor abrasions and bruising to develop. His strongest emotion from this cowardly move was anger rather than fear. He shoved himself upwards in a huff, ready to cuss this newcomer out, when he spotted the horror that was wiggling around before him where his previous opponent had been standing. It was a horrible enough sight that it caused even him pause in both his body and tongue.

When he could find movement again after five seconds or so of staring, if the time allowed him he would scoop up his weapon and then charge the creature’s right flank to smash it downward into it’s torso.

Meanwhile, Evvie exhaled her held breath. No imminent threat came down upon her. This made her worried for her ally. Had he made it out of this horrible place in time or would he be caught by the villain while in his vulnerable position? Her eyes tried to focus through the darkness to spot a way back up so she could help.