Additionally, these were jokes options that cannot be voted for:
1. "Fenna and MacKenzie didn't let us choose a good name so we are using this in reprisal" 2. "The Death-Defying Danger-Seeking Dunces From Earth" 3. Zell should IC suggest "The Zell Squad"
Each of them would feel the hum of their Source Crystal - The Gift - as it called out to the very fabric of existence. The lifeforce of their enemies faded. The Alpha Direwolves. Aurok the Maneater. Such powerful enemies. Such powerful lifeforces.
Their crystals overflowed, reaching the limit several times over, and shone purple to signify:
Ascension - The adventurers had ascended to a new level of strength. Their class-specific attacks would be innately, significantly more powerful. Their bodies could handle more damage, and their resistance to slashing, peircing, crushing or elemental injuries was considerabley higher too. Their current abilities would grow, new capabilities would be born, and a higher capacity to learn more powerful things was apparent.
Ascension - The true power and realisation of The Gift of the Source Crystals.
James, Arthur, Fenna and Joji's united offensive was enough to occupy Aurok the Maneater. This fact in of itself was astounding considering that between the four of them were three weapons and a single small blinding spell, and their enemy was monster of tremendous strength and magic. But it was their teamwork and natural sense of timing that made them effective.
Aurok's fist broke the ground as it barely missed Fenna. Joji's quickness also got him in close as he dodged a swipe. James' blinding spell was enough to protect Fenna's falcon from being plucked out of the air as it headed north out of The Mazy Hillocks, taking the cube to safety. Arthur charged in, swinging his anchor up into a flash-freeze uppercut that broke through Aurok's magic resistance and wounded him. Joji and Fenna's combined attacks on the legs of the monster, was enough to pain Aurok and he began bucking and dancing, trying to kick the pesky adventurers with his mighty hooves.
With a stroke of misfortune for Arthur was grabbed in one massive hand, anchor and all, then launched like a baseball into the sloping cliffside, bouncing off the rocky wall and going over the top. Such damage would have killed any of the others, but the Reaver of the Deep survived, his large tattoo rusting over as Undaya's Gift resisted the deadly blow to save his life as it could once per day. But he was hurt and out of sight.
Continuing to buck, dance and prance, to minimize damage until it could see again, Aurok still suffered from the sword and enchanted spear of Fenna and Joji. But it would take much more than these regular, fairly weak weapons to do any significant damage to Aurok. It backed away from them, starting to recover it's sight and then swept another gigantic arm to grab another body..........
"I swear on god; if it is the last. Thing. I Fucking do...!" then he turned to face him proper. "...I'm going to cut your fucking head off!"
Fury. Vengeance. In their eyes. All over their face. Gone is their courage, for courage requires the presence of fear to exist. In place of it - fearless, reckless hate. They will gladly die if it means I die with them. Must be careful.
What a mess this has become.
"Come try," were Zigmund's words as he pointed his sword toward the duo.
The double-rush did not faze the assassin, nor did the speed of his opponents. Not the fluttering capes of blue and green as they attacked with all manner of movements. Not the combinations of high and low attacks from the varying angles.
All of this, Zigmund was more than a match for. For all the fury and skill of Zell and MacKensie, they were still lacking in the Source required to provide significant difficulty to the powerful elemental ninja. However, what tipped the balance in their favour was that a portion of Zigmund's concentration had to stay on Aurok the Man Eater; who was going crazy behind him.
Zigmund's sword parried Zell as he moved around, but everytime he pushed to stab the swordsman, MacKensie forced him to block her dagger attack. His head rocked to the side as a crossbow bolt pinged off his helmet, but he still managed to block a swordstrike, push Zell away with a foot and turn in time to meet MacKensie. He caught her daggerhand and raised the tip of his sword to the bridge of her nose. Before he could run her through, he was grabbed by Aurok the Man Eater, who he'd took his eye for one second and now paid the price.
Zigmund slashed the centaur arm with his sword, causing great damage, but Aurok kept a grip of him and disarmed the ninja with a smash from his other giant hand. Up into the air Zigmund was raised, and Aurok took a bite out of the elemental ninja. Zigmund roared in pain as his arm, right up to the shoulder, was in the mouth of Aurok, but his armour stopped the assassin from losing his limb completely.
Forced to use his most powerful attack, Zigmund, with his half-eaten arm, cast a giant explosion of Source, right in the throat of Aurok. It was loud, leaving all in the area with ringing in their ears. Zigmund was released and fell to the ground hard. He was hurt badly, and now he was out of energy. He put everything he had into that explosion. While everyone was reeling from the sound, Zigmund slipped away, climbed the cliffside and fled the battlefield, without his weapon, and almost without an arm.
It wouldn't take long to recharge to full health and power. Some water and rest would do the trick. Next time he would face them without spending half of his magic sprinting through night and day. Next time he'd be at full strength.
As for Aurok...
The Man Eater was a dreadful sight. Zigmund's explosion had left the giant centaur with it's lower jaw hanging off by a hinge, aswell as a massive, gory opening in it's lower throat and chest. It was a wonder that the monster was still standing. It staggered around as it looked at the adventurers, blaming them for it's injury seeing as Zigmund was nowhere to be found. It knew it was eventually going to die, so it began casting one final attack - Earth magic in one of the most destructive spells. Greater Tectonic Shift.
It was a spell that caused explosive growth of giant spikes to blast out of all earth in the surrounding area. It was a nasty spell at the best of times. But here, in the labyrinth of earth and rock that was The Mazy Hillocks? With no Greater Counter Spell or even Lesser Counter Spell to shave off some of the power? No Barrier or Physical Damage Resistance?
Death sentence.
The ground was rumbling and as the Source gathered toward Aurok, a green swirling fizz in the air started to form a ball in front of the centaur. And then just before the final trigger, Arthur appeared atop the cliffside, bellowing a war cry as he ran and jumped off the precipice, his anchor once again covering up with permafrost, up the chain and up his forearms. He sailed through the air and lashed his anchor attack at Aurok, who caught him with one hand. But the length of the anchor's chain was too much and the anchor blasted right into Aurok's injured chest, reaching it's heart and killing the Man Eater right where it stood.
The green energy orb disappeared and dispersed. The rumbling stopped. Arthur had saved them all. But he'd paid the ultimate price. For the razor sharp tail of Aurok had stabbed him through the heart in kind. Both the saviour and the monster had died in the same instant.
The anchor dropped and clattered on the ground as Aurok backed up a step and fell with Arthur into the blackness of the gorge.
Silence fell on The Mazy Hillocks. The battle was over. All that was left was for the battered and injured party to exit The Mazy Hillocks out north, and they would see the distant walls and towers of the city of Vahiem.
Willpower. Cunning. She looked right in my eyes. Even as her blood flowed around my blade. As if she had me right where she wanted me. Lightning. The only thing that such a bunch of weaklings could've had that'd do any significant damage. Perhaps I should've scouted.
And now stands before me the male version of her.
Willpower. Cunning. Almost killed himself to save her from being finished off. Lightning hurt him far more than it hurt me. And now he looks into my eyes. As if he has me right where he wants me. My own weapon. The only thing such a weakling could have that'd do any significant damage.
Just where did these fools come from? Did even the ants have fighting spirit there?
Zigmund assessed Zell's stance, seeing no obvious weakness in it. As a martial artist and swordfighter, the finer details of foot and hand placements were not lost on him. A few wisps of smoke rose from his shoulders - the only sign that Lillianna's lightning had done any lasting damage. It had though. Especially around his forearm and fist where his water-blade had once been. He delayed his next action for a moment as he thought about what the Cleric was shouting.
"Fenna! Tell your bird to take the cube and go to Valhiem! If this guy wants it so much he will have to learn to fucking fly!"
"Adam restrain him! Mac arrows! Don't let him move freely! Everyone else gang up on this asshole!"
He couldn't let that blasted bird take the cube, under any circumstance.
And then one of the adventurers gave him an opening.
Clive, already hurt and injured, made a valiant effort to attack Zigmund. Weaponless, but good with his fists, he ran up from behind the elemental ninja and threw a punch. Zigmund heard the footsteps and dodged easily, slipping his own arm under the punch and getting Clive in a sleeper-hold. Clive choked as he clawed at the metal arm now under his chin.
And then with all his might, Zigmund squeezed and then jerked his arms to the sound of a loud crack. He broke Clive's neck. The man died instantly.
Anticipating the shock he would instil in the rest of them, Zigmund threw the lifeless body of Clive at Zell, then rushed at him. With one hand he grabbed his sword, with the other hand he launched a powerful punch that connected with the Englishman's chin and sent him flying.
Without delay, Zigmund stepped toward James and threw a spinning back-kick, that too connected to the head and knocked the Cleric away from Lillianna. Then he reached down for the Lightning mage's satchel and took the prize he'd come for. His primary objective had been completed. Now all that was left was to kill everyone. And with how much they'd hurt his ego, managing to annoy and obstruct him every step of the way... he would enjoy this.
His sword in one hand. Control core in the other. A smile hidden by his visor. He raised a foot over Lillianna's face, about to crush her skull before being interrupted.
"What?" Adam's giant plant roots attacked and he stepped backward, away from Lillianna, in surprise. He slashed one, cutting it easily. "You think these little plants can restrain me?" Then made the mistake of deciding to duel-wield. He magically formed his water-blade once more, so that he could make quick work of the constricting roots. As soon as he did, he spun into a duel wield attack and while his physical enchanted sword went through a root like a hot knife through butter... "Ahhh!"
His aqua-blade dissipated instantly, molecule by molecule quickly absorbed into the plant root and he dropped the Control core. The water-blade was not just a weapon, but his lifeforce too. Such an unexpected, unforeseeable situation that stunned and angered the elemental ninja. Again, he was left with a painful understanding of why Her Majesty wanted these adventurers from another world dead.
"ROOOOOAAARRRRR!!!"
Homing in on Lillianna's scream, the true apex predator of The Mazy Hillocks had finally arrived. Those who had lived to tell the tale of him, called him Aurok the Maneater. A giant monstrous centaur, even Joji did not measure tall enough to reach his waist.
He came galloping in from the northeast passage, easily climbing and jumping over where the cliffsides became to narrow for his giant form.
If no one moved the incapacitated Lillianna, then Aurok's charge would trample her to death. Either way he forced Zigmund to give way, the ninja diving aside as Aurok took center stage, unwittingly stood over the cube as he asserted his dominance. Aurok the Maneater lashed out at Joji and Fenna, swiping at one with one clawed hand and aiming to hammer-fist the other into dust with his other.
Zigmund realised he was too hurt and too low on magical reserves to deal with all of them. He needed to reacquire the cube and then retreat so he might recharge and heal. But MacKensie, nearby, was open to attack and with his sword, he was confident he could her take out. That would at least be one less adventurer to deal with, at a later time.
Zigmund dashed towards MacKensie and attacked with a powerful sword strike, so swift that she wouldn't be able to dodge.
"Oi, if you want that cube your gonna have to go through me."
"Your pretty good with that sword of yours, but let's see how good you are with your fists."
Tall. Quinity's sake, tall like a damn orc. Rippling with muscle. A rare breed of human. Her majesty would like him. Potential, certainly.
No matter. He will die like the rest.
"Gladly," was Zigmund's cold response as he ran and jumped straight into a martial stance, testing the giant man with double jab.
Once again, Zigmund felt a tinge of admiration. Joji managed to keep up with a rapid exchange of punches between the two, although Zigmund was merely feeling him out and now caught the Japanese man's fist, steel-dressed fingers with vice-like grip. He yanked the man off balance, at the same time as launching a power right-
"Ahh!" Zigmund exclaimation of surprise when the talons of Fenna's falcon familiar started tearing at neck and helmet. The falcon's damage was merely cosmetic but enough to annoy and interupt the ninja from knocking Joji out. What did actually hurt was the following aerial attack from the other Ranger. "Ugh!"
Whether it was a blade or boots, Fenna's attack knocked Zigmund off balance and he stumbled, shoving Joji away to prevent the huge man from taking advantage of his vulnerability.
By the Gods, these annoying flies are coming from every angle!
Zigmund turned into a roundhouse kick aimed at Fenna to keep her at bay, then hopped backwards to reset himself. Although he didn't get a chance as Arthur came charging with a swinging anchor and a war cry. Zigmund didn't have time to move, but the anchor crashed through nothing but water.
Zigmund's body had turned completely to water, and after the anchor went through him, the body of water splashed onto the ground. The puddle did not soak into the ground - it slid over the dirt and rock at speed, away from the attackers to a position behind the wizards. After that, Zigmund's body reformed so fast, it looked like he jumped out of the ground, his physical plate-steel form taking the place of the water once fully formed.
Relentless in his mission, Zigmund once more zoned in on Lillianna and rushed towards her, but now he was angry. Water magic materialized his aqua-blade fist once again, and tried to run the magical blade right through the white-haired woman.
Figured while I'm testing out these various battle modes, I may aswell steal and test out some of your writing styles too. @Crusader Lord & @Saiyan in the case of the last post lol
Ivar
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Lewascan2