Necrophage

A Hero Tale {Complete}

Oz barreled upward and snagged Jenso's falling form out of the air as he went. He positioned him against his back. "Hold tight budd, you've done a great job. We have him scared." The two zipped through open parts of the citadel until Oz found a spot where they could ascend. Smashing through loose sets of gear and cogs they finally ascended up above the citadel before his arcane momentum died. They paused briefly there in the sky as gravity started to set in again. "I saw what you were trying to do before. We have some reprieve for the moment. One last time. Do it again!" Oz shouted over the wind. They began to descend again toward the citadel, Oz's hardened shield in place. He wanted to go right through Geode's barrier.

A Hero Tale {Complete}

Oz plummeted head first. He tucked his arms in and zipped down toward the ocean. It was beautiful from here but also seemed empty and under a giant fortress' shadow it felt a little menacing. Oz hit maximum drop velocity, he could feel the wind rushing by him and pummeling him. This was it. I really hate this part.

Drawing his arms up to himself he began the task of summoning the correct arcane spell for the job. He willed his shield around himself, all ki until it was adorned the signature arcane symbols around the outside. Gravity and force manipulation was his thing. Now he was about to emulate personal flight even if it was mostly fake. The arcane spell warped the gravity around him in the direction of his choosing. Now the worst part. The G's from natural gravity ripped at him as he distorted it and used the momentum to speed underneath the orb and whip back upwards. "I'm coming Jenso."

A Hero Tale {Complete}

As Oz landed on the other side of Geode he caught sight of the effects. It worked. But it only worked temporarily. Geode quickly corrected it and expelled the corruption. He was no pushover as he kept proving. Unfortunately they were at a loss as to how to defeat him. Geode's defenses were impeccable.

It seemed like Jenso was on to something. He was trying to destroy the very place they fought upon. That's it! The citadel! It must be acting as a sort of broadcasting device for the golems. If they couldn't find a way to subdue Geode then at least they could remove the means by which he could launch his invasions and mass spells. They could buy the world that much more time.

Right now as it were Jenso needed to be bought some time. He wasn't invincible so the more beams that peppered him the narrower their chances stood. Maybe Oz had the position to alleviate him? What happened next wouldn't likely be expected by Jenso or Geode. Oz ran and dove off the side of the orb.

A Hero Tale {Complete}

Though it wasn't meant to hurt Oz, Jenso's orb nonetheless caught him off guard and an explosion is still an explosion. He went sailing backwards and tumbled across the ground until he finally stopped himself with his energy-sheathed hands. He did his best to shake it off, but immediately after that blast to the face he was having trouble seeing. Oz's grapple had failed to connect. Whether or not Geode actually knew what Oz was doing wasn't immediately clear so he still hoped to use it. He shook his head clear of the bleariness and crouched down.

Emulating classic sprinter form Oz dug in his toes and leaned forward. He cleared his mind and drew the energy he had conjured across his arms into the palm of his right hand. He predictably sprinted forwards, dragging his right hand behind him so Geode wouldn't try the direct method of disrupting energy that had been so showcased. As he got closer he jumped through the air to try and land his blow on Geode. The impact would almost look like someone being slapped by a water balloon filled with glowing purple liquid. It would spread as predictably - if Geode didn't dodge.

A Hero Tale {Complete}

As Oz held on to the orb of energy he pondered how he could get around Geode's ethereal nature. It brought to mind the nature of ki and how it didn't have much form of its own until it was directed to. Oz's training to counter Zel could be used here, albeit in a different way. Oz knew for sure he was not as good at Zelriane when it came to injecting ki into another being. Thankfully he didn't need to be as good in order to take advantage of a huge weakness, or at least what looked like a huge weakness. He knew what he would do, he would pollute Geode's completely exposed energy with his own. It would be like Zelriane's own technique but there were no physical boundaries around Geode to keep what was there safe and collected. Unless Geode could expel Oz's energy, the fallen god would be at his mercy.

The energy in the concentrated ki ball thrummed and snapped as the surface tension was broken by Oz's hands. He pressed them together and coated it across his hands and forearms. He hoped it worked, otherwise he would be backing off with an extra hole in his body from a counter attack. Oz sprinted forward to dig his hands into Geode's metaphysical body and release his ki. If it worked he would use the chance to directly go after the void focus with his own hand while Geode's body was disrupted.

A Hero Tale {Complete}

Oz took his staff in both hands, holding it forward from near the ends where it rested on his thumbs. He drew it closer together and it formed a growing ball of energy near the center until he took both ends and forced it inward. It floated between his hands. The thing was an unstable mass of force energy to begin with but condensing it made it ever more chaotic. It churned with purple and white energy, never truly mixing but constantly moving. "Reality check, Geode; Silly mortal magic is what put you away to begin with." Oz stated. The energy hummed between his hands, eager to find a way out. Instead of immediately using it, Oz reeled back, keeping it close so Geode couldn't disrupt it. He didn't want to hit Jenso with this after all.

Geode would no doubt take another opportunity for exposition soon. Bad guys of his intensity loved exposition. That would be his chance to strike. Don't die on me yet Jenso, we're getting closer.

A Hero Tale {Complete}

Oz dove to the right, narrowly dodging the beam as he rolled with his staff of energy tightly held in his hands. Geode's form of energy was barely registering to their attacks. The heroes needed something better and fast. Otherwise they would wind up holier than the golem deity himself - and he was a god.

A Hero Tale {Complete}

"Jenso, spirits are still made of physical matter or Geode would be unable to hold any place here. They are simply finer and unaffected by most normal laws of the world. What we need is a hyper-dense attack or something that functions by different laws - like arcane." Oz shrugged. "Of course you could also just hit the focusing gems he's using to keep form."

Oz whisked his hands out in both directions, rose them into the air as if he were drawing handfuls of air and pushed down. "Suppression." He muttered, conjuring a wave of force to slam into Geode from above and pin him. If this didn't work he would know a little more about their enemy.

A Hero Tale {Complete}

After Geode released his black hole Oz shrugged free from Jenso's grip. He stumbled as he touched the ground yet he was able catch himself and stood straight. Something in him wanted to keep talking to Geode, to try and reason more. All the niceties in the world wouldn't touch the monster so he fought back the idea. He'd already almost cost them both their lives with that stupid mistake. No. No it was no mistake. It was the way things should be. Cold logic and merciless intent were abundant in the world. Oz had to be more than that. Geode would stop at nothing to kill them so it was time to absolve the fallen god of everything he had to try and kill them with. He extended his right hand and his signature rod of thrumming energy lifted out of a rune-laced circle on the ground. "You're right. I wasn't listening. It's time we both started."

A Hero Tale {Complete}

Oz clenched his teeth and powered through it with a furious growl. He took a moment to cool down before he approached the fallen Geode and addressed him. "I've got an offer for you Geode. Are you listening?"