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 Posted: Thu Apr 22, 2010 1:53 pm
Letalus could feel the magic in the air before he saw it. Created by magic as he was, the flow of conflicting energies was almost an itch on his skin as he neared the building. He almost froze as he caught sight of Merro flinging out what could only be fireballs at three as of yet unknown assailants. Lowering himself slightly to gain a sprinting speed, he darted into the radius of dull light...and felt himself slow immediately.
It didn't take him long to understand the situation...as well as he could, anyway. Somehow, a spell had been cast to disarm anything magical, more than likely by one of the three cloaked figures. It was a kind of magic he'd not experienced firsthand before, true, but it was clearly magic. If he stayed for much longer in the circle of light, he'd surely shut down completely, trapped in an unmoving, inanimate sculpture.
As he neared Merro, each step getting harder and harder, he took quick stock of the bestial humanoid and an apparently healed Leanna. They seemed poised to run and Merro probably would have as well, but she now seemed on the verge of fainting. That last spell must have taken what energy she had.
Instinctually understanding that this was no time for conversation, he grabbed Merro and lifted her up, knowing that even with his draining strength, he'd still be able to move faster than her at this point. He glanced at the transformed Nova and Leana, wordlessly conveying that their plan to run would be an excellent thing to do now and, holding Merro close, turned his back on the mages and ran.
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Posted: Wed May 05, 2010 10:22 am
Foom!
Heat washed over Tiff and the scroll she was reading was oddly backlit by a bright orange glow. Still reading under her breath, she glanced over the rims of her glasses to see the two men alight in dancing flames. "And that," she thought to herself smugly, "is why you never take point." Her instructors would be so proud. She had learned something in the Legion after all.
She finished the second scroll, and as the magic left it, the ancient parchment crumbled into ancient dust. Tiff gave a little gasp and a sinuous squirm at the delightfully tickly sensation that followed. In the small gap between her cloak and her gloves, she could see deep violet symbols crawling over her skin. She knew that the effect wouldn't last long, and there was the distinct possibility that Azazeal might accidentally set the roof on fire if he didn't do something about those flames. She'd better get moving.
Moving with fluid grace, Tiff dropped daintily from the sagging roof to the ground and sidestepped behind Alasdair and his still-smoldering shield. Now... where had their quarry gotten to?
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Posted: Mon May 10, 2010 3:56 am
Surprise flickered on Alasdair's face as the ball of flame seared towards him.
"Won't be that easy," he muttered as the energy around one sword crackled and shifted. Widening, he braced with the newly formed tower shield, the energy straining against the heat of the blast.
Crunching of wood could be heard as the blast disappated, Alasdair wrenching himself from the frame of the building. Blood trickled down his arm from a fragment of wood embedded into his shoulder.
He turned slightly, the energy-sword flinging towards Letalus's legs. The other rod shifted back, reforming into the energy blade he had used before.
"Don't Run! The fun's just getting started!"
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Posted: Mon May 10, 2010 9:28 am
The look on Nova's face was near priceless. With wide blinking eyes and a partly dropped jaw, her ears perked up in surprise. Not only had the girl unleashed a spell she was no doubt unprepared or skilled for, but much less shot the flames off while cloaked in Azazeal's anti-magic field.
Nova felt this was indeed the time to flee, having witnessed a heroic Letalus scoop Merro up like a dainty fledgling that had fallen from it's nest. Slipping an arm under Leana's armpits, she aided to girl to her feet and quickly began ushering her and herself behind Letalus's stride, not giving a second thought or glance to the individuals left behind.
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Posted: Mon May 10, 2010 9:54 am
Azazeal stood motionless on the roof as the flames struck and danced wildly about him, barely feeling even the heat.
That was truly remarkable for such a "young child" he thought to himself. Being able to produce such power despite her obvious lack of capacity for such high ranged magic was one thing, but to surpass his high leveled anti-magic field was completely another.
Azazeal flicked his wrist once, producing a mini shockwave that obliterated all surrounding fire on the roof. Placing a hand on his chin and supporting that arm at the elbow with his other hand, he pondered over this a moment and thought aloud as he sometimes does. "Lets see...when the dark-haired girl unleashed her attack, I felt her magic from several yards away instead of right in front of me. It came even closer and then right alongside of her when that man had come to her rescue." As if he were answering others around him, he smirked and carried on, "Obviously the man holds the catalyst of her strength...This is more than enough reason to acquire her for my studies."
He walked to the edge of the roof and dropped to the ground below, now standing behind Alasdair and Tiff. "Alasdair, change of plans, we'll be pursuing the dark haired maiden and her accompanied savior." He stated as he flipped his cloak hood back atop his head, "Tiff, please continue with your original task. Do what you will with the red head...but of course that still means no pets".
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Posted: Tue May 11, 2010 10:06 pm
The dizziness passed in a few heartbeats, having been no more than should be expected by an ill-trained mage who'd just unleashed more magical energy than was good for her, stolen life force or no. With the cursed sword that she was bound to now under the influence of the suppressive runespell, the effects upon Merro were damped down considerably. The very little excess energy the sword still had stored was now a mere trickle feeding into her, barely whispering against her where before it had ranged from wildly distracting to completely mind-blowing.
As her mind cleared, she found herself being carried away from the scene of her pyrotechnics. It was confusing, to say the least, for the last she remembered, she had been standing upon her own two feet. If the situation was unexpected, however, at least the embrace felt familiar to her at some level. By the time she came to the realization that Letalus had returned from battling with the bandits, her arms were already locked tight around his neck and shoulders, pulling her upper body so close against him that a specter would have had a hard time wriggling between the two. Eyes shut tight, she took in a deep breath and sighed in relief that her captor had come for her.
Ah, sweet irony.
Blue eyes snapped open as she recalled the situation she was being carried away from, and she hastily looked up and back to where the lasts embers of her fireballs had just dissipated. There was movement everywhere, but her seeking eyes went first to the strange rod-wielding cloaked figure she'd felt most immediately threatened by. The man was now holding a sword and shield, but Merro had no time to puzzle that through, for the sword was suddenly flung low through the air toward them.
A sharp cry of "look out" or "dodge" would have been highly appropriate, however all Merro managed to get out was an inarticulate caw of distress as she clawed at Letalus's cloak and tried to pull him out of the way. This would have been a logical move had she been at least a foot taller, ten times as strong, and standing on the ground.
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Posted: Fri May 14, 2010 6:28 am
Merro's warning cry was unnecessary after the mage's arrogant call after them. Letalus could sense the weapon coming right toward him, faster than he could outrun or truly dodge while in the circle of the magic spell that surrounded them. Gritting his teeth in desperate frustration, he jumped to the side at the last moment, and while he avoided a crippling blow, his legs were still cut and he lost his balance.
As lightening suddenly burst around them, Letalus fell on top of Merro. He had enough sense to make sure he was still supporting most of his weight off of her, but all other thoughts were vanished as he was struck again and again by the errant electricity. His face buried in the crook of Merro's shoulder and neck, his gloved hands tightened into fists on either side of her head as he struggled to protect her from the worst of the spell.
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Posted: Sat May 15, 2010 2:21 pm
"As you wish.." he spoke towards Azaezal as he shifted his attention wholly on the mage and her downed rescuer. As the rod next to Letalus stopped discharging energy, it disappeared from its position on the ground and back into Alasdair's hand. With almost no effort, the blade crackled back to life.
Taking his bearing, he sprinted towards the two. Alasdair started to jump on top of Letalus, both blades swinging in an arc to slash at his back. He suddenly stopped in mid-air, then bounced back with a strong force towards Tiff as though thrown from a horse.
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Posted: Sat May 15, 2010 2:27 pm
A translucent hand could be felt on the back of Letalus' shoulder as the man named Alasdair was blown away from him.
"You really should hire a bodyguard after this..." Tomlin mused, as he shifted into appearance. Popping the hemitite crystal into the gauntlet, he took a second to focus on Letalus. Hopefully it would heal him enough provide assistance in battle.
Tomlin raised his hand to the cloak clasp, quickly undoing it and allowing the invisibility cloak to fall to the ground. He then draws his rapier, and releases his grip on Letalus' shoulder.
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Posted: Mon May 17, 2010 7:07 am
Leana didn't need to be told. As Nova began trying to get her up, Leana stumbled to her feet and started running. These mages meant business, but she didn't want to lose sight of any of the others.
Ugh if only she'd been more aware. She at least wouldn't be injured, and they might have avoided this mess. She was now just glad that Nova was large and powerful looking, though they'd get to why that had been kept secret later.
But now Leana had no idea where they should go. Best bet...wherever Letalus was.
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Posted: Fri May 21, 2010 10:44 am
There! Nova and PetPerhaps were racing off in that direction. Her fingertips brushed the ground as she crouched and sprang after them.
"Tiff please continue with your original task..."
The original plan to capture their... now her... deliciously athletic quarry had taken weeks to organize and had involved an ambush (sprung), an anti-magic field (dispersed), and the combined efforts of all three of them. Now Azazeal wanted her to come up with something more effective on the spur of the moment that she could do by herself, with no support, while the two of them hared off on some new... Oh look, a squirrel!
Tiff absent-mindedly pirouetted to avoid Alasdair, who flew past in a wide-eyed and vaguely upside-down manner. Their new project seemed to be going well...
Fortunately, Tiff mused, her Original Task was to Seduce the Innocent. Thank you Azazeal. Glasses or no, she was on the case! One should, she reflected, choose one's words carefully when attempting to command a devil, particularly a tricksy devil like herself.
While she idly wondered what Ms. Rosenstein was doing right now, her long skirts snagged on a bush and she went down in a heap. The crawling symbols faded almost imperceptibly, turning her tumble into a roll and a somersault, and she sprang up to continue the chase. She brushed a leaf out of her disheveled hair. "Good thing nobody saw that."
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Posted: Fri May 21, 2010 11:42 am
Nova's stride had easily gotten her and Leana, past Letalus and Merro's position. A backwards glance made her skid to a halt as she saw Alasdair leaping for a fallen Letalus. Before she could make her way back to them, the assault had been surprisingly handled as Tomlin shifted to visibility near her fallen comrades, thank the Gods for that one, but...was Merro even alright after having such a mountain of a man crash upon her?
Her attention was then shifted to the movement heading towards her and Leana. The mysterious third contender obviously had intentions of coming after them.
Since Nova refused to leave before seeing Letalus and Merro back on their feet, she would have to stand her ground. She shoved her hand into her satchel, muttered under her breath, and pulled out a short wooden rod. She then braced both her hands on it and a soft light radiated from it, like the soft glow of a candle. In a flash, the short rod was now a bow staff ready for combat. After a few impressive maneuverers with the staff, she was now standing in a fighting stance.
"Bring it" she muttered through a snarled expression.
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Posted: Wed May 26, 2010 11:14 am
Sailing past Tiff and Azaezal, Alasdair twisted his body as best he could towards a tree. Concentrating on his weapon, he changed the shape to a whip, snapping it into motion as he sailed past a medium sized branch.
The whip coiled around it, but nothing happened to the tree itself.
As the momentum carried him past, his legs swept out from underneath him. Pulling hard on the branch, it snapped, and as his feet hit the ground, Alasdair rolled forward and hopped over the tree branch.
He started his sprint back towards the now visible enemy, his face screwed into a maniacal grin.
He was out for blood.
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Posted: Wed May 26, 2010 11:45 am
With all targets out of his anti-magic radius, now was time for his rethink of the situation.
As customary to his nature, Azazeal was absorbing as much information as possible, and more due to his "enhancements", on the events that were taking place. Obviously the invisible/visible man was of no true threat to Alasdair with his "beginner kit" to being a mage, but his combat skills could prove bothersome if the "magic man of stone" were to regain his composer quickly and both were to attack at once. Alasdair was brilliant on the battle field and stronger than an ox, but even a steel rod would bend under pressure like a brittle twig in the right places. Now would be the opportune time to acquire the maiden.
Azazeal's hands began to glow with a dark aura, and within seconds, he had vanished into the shadows, completely untraceable.
As Alasdair was on his mad rage towards Tomlin, Azazeal reappeared standing directly beside the fallen Letalus and Merro, a glowing sword of energy pulsing in his right hand, and eyes fixed on a vital point of Letalus's spine as his target.
"Please, don't scream; this'll only hurt for a moment before you die." he smirked as he lifted his hand to strike.
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Posted: Thu May 27, 2010 6:12 am
Letalus' arms tightened a fraction more about her body as he leaped sideways to avoid the incoming blade, and then Merro found herself falling to the ground for something like the third or fourth time in the past half hour. Letalus dropped her part of the way down as he re-assigned his arms to bracing duties, and the successive impacts of her body upon the hard-packed dirt and Letalus' large frame falling upon her knocked the breath out of her body.
The young woman was not allowed any time to lie in the dirt and dust being dazed while considering how intolerable all this falling about was, for the air around them exploded into searing light. Merro screamed and huddled instinctively under what shelter she could find, which at that moment happened to be Letalus. He was lying atop her by all appearances, but with most of his weight on his forearms and a knee, she was by no means immobilized as she otherwise must have been. Lightning danced all around them, and while her skin was alive to every bolt and blast and some small sharp bites of the magical attack could be felt along her legs, Merro found herself relatively unharmed.
With her adrenaline and heart rate already raised to the highest point they could go, the slightly familiar voice coming out of nowhere and the sudden materialization of the gold thief of the other day only got a blink and a gasped, "You!" from the overwrought noblewoman. The man seemed to be an ally rather than another attacker from his way of treating Letalus, however.
Saints be praised. Merro didn't think the situation boded well already despite the greater numbers on her side.
Further speech to the questionable ally was suspended for the moment as she struggled to wriggle away from Letalus and get to her feet (again), casting her eyes about as she did so. Just beyond them stood Nova - at least she thought it was Nova - and Leana, looking poised to meet an attack. Whipping her head about, she saw two of the cloaked figures ranging out to engage their divided party, with the one coming toward her being he of the shape-shifting weapons.
"Letalus!" she cried urgently, not getting any more specific than that while tugging at whatever of his clothing she could get purchase upon while trying to scramble upright herself. She was half on haunch and hands when all of a sudden a third cloaked figure appeared upon the scene.
Directly beside her.
With a sword.
Merro froze in shock for an instant, taking in the sight of this most menacing figure raising his hand to strike what must surely be a fatal blow. Her eyes were locked on his as he spoke and when she realized that he was speaking to Letalus, she inexplicably felt no relief at her own temporary reprieve.
Merro screamed something - what, she couldn't hear, above her pounding heartbeat - and lunged for the mage.
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