The Evil Council vs. The Felbeast: 4 vs. 4 battle.

[Chronos]

((I think it's meant mainly to save Zerrer from being crushed into oblivion and devoured.))

Mortracta was tasting just a hint of victory. Zerrer didn't seem to be resisting. Perhaps being buffeted by rocks and clay was knocking him slowly unconscious. But what was this? What could have been interpreted as a prescient thought bit at her. Peril from this Felbeast leader. But how? Mortracta had the advantage. Zerrer was as good as dead. Mortracta squeezed a little harder just in case.

Then something awful and (almost) completely unexpected happened. Zerrer quite fairly exploded with flame. Not just any flame, white hot, doubtlessly magical in nature, searing flame in every direction.

Mortracta would have given him a death grip, but the flames had succeeded in blowing the entangling root completely off. There was little left of it but a charred two meter long stub. The other roots nearby were severely damages as well. Mortracta herself writhed and thrashed with agony like she had never felt... at least physically.

She twisted and lurched and squirmed until the rock around her was split and shattered in every direction- probably smacking Zerrer heftily a few times. Still, she couldn't help but think that Ensichrys' electricity was hotter. Not one to give credit to her enemies, this lonely flower.

[Netdroid9]

((Guys? We're waiting for a reply from Zerrer. Is he still here? If he's not, what're we going to do about it? Can the Felbeasts supply an appropriate replacement?))

[Zerrer]

((It acts exactly like normal fire, with the exception of being under Zerrer's control. Oh, and it would affect the entire area.))

Zerrer was only semi-conscious when he was hit in the back by Mortracta. He stumbled out of the hole she was thrashing around in. His eyes were rolled up into the back of his head. He stumbled several steps, and then fell. He got up again, and then forced himself to get behind a boulder, not noticing Holloweyes was there as well.

[3kul]

(('3kul' is sitting at his computer typing this post, HollowEyes is the one currently crouched behind the boulder ))

HollowEyes' eyes widened as white hot flames blasted around the rocks that he was hiding behind, and he didn't need to think twice to quickly seep back into the shadows, regardless of how tired the Onyx Longsword was now making him. Better to be a little weary from overusing a relic than be barbecued alive, after all.

Unlike their master, the Locust Fiends did not enjoy the luxury of choosing any alternative aside from burning death, and quickly succumbed to it. After a great deal of screaming in horrible agony, the last of the Locust Fiends disappeared. HollowEyes hoped that Mortracta was fine, reassuring himself with the knowledge that whatever 'core' part of herself that contained whatever it was that made her live was probably deep, deep below them, safely buried beneath a heap of rocks and dirt.

As he contemplated his next move, HollowEyes was suddenly faced with a most unexpected yet fortuitous turn of events. Zerrer had stumbled into the very same spot that HollowEyes had been hiding in, and appeared to be totally unaware of the Parasitian's presence. Not one to miss such a golden opportunity, HollowEyes partly emerged from the shadows, swinging his stone leg (petrified courtesy of a quickly placed beetle charm) out to slam Zerrer in the back of the head.

(Of course, if he knew how to use a sword he might have simply tried stabbing the Felbeast leader with the Onyx Longsword, but as things are HollowEyes is having enough trouble just holding the unwieldy relic.)

[EnDSchultz]

((I am sorry for my extremely late arrival. If something is painfully amiss with this post, of course alert me right away.))

The noise of battle reverberated about the tunnels leading to the great cavern. It was clear the Council Elder was late and missing the action. The Predator cursed under his breath as he made his way to the battleground; after all, being the senior member he should have arrived before all the others! If anyone asks, I was here the whole time and was simply waiting for the opportune moment to strike, he figured.

Before long, the bright flash of light that was Narc's blast completely illuminated the passage ahead. Shortly thereafter was Zerrer's explosion of fire. Yes, the battle was very close now! The Predator's pace quickened and he activated his cloaking device. As if pitch darkness weren't enough, the Felbeasts would have an even harder time spotting his camouflaged form, which even in broad daylight was little more than a slight distortion in the air when stationary.

EnD strode into the arena, and looked about, getting a feel for where friend and foe were. Reaching into a sack around his waist, the Hunter retrieved two Reflecting Waters charms, which Hollow Eyes had supplied him with before the battle started. He looked at the seemingly mundane pieces of paper, not really knowing how or even if they would work. Shrugging, he tossed one to either side of him, and sure enough, after the charms fluttered to the ground, a pair of Yaut'Ja copies sprang up from each. He wasn't sure how to go about instructing them, so after admiring the detail of their likeness for a moment, he simply said as quietly as possible,

"Remain unnoticed, then when I signal distract the Felbeasts any way you can."

The clones immediately did as ordered without any sort of acknowledgement, splitting up and heading towards Zerrer, the most obvious target. While the two clones went to either side, the Hunter headed straight for the battling Zerrer and HollowEyes, silently unsheathing his wristblades. He would keep his distance, however, but remain ready to strike.

((Being made of water, the clones are obviously harmless and will instantly fall when attacked with anything significant. EnD is using his active camouflage, but I suspect the clones would not emulate this.
If I completely screwed this post up, cut me some slack. I'm rusty, it's very early in the morning, and it's my birthday. I deserve some mercy ))

[EnDSchultz]

((I'm going to try bumping this thread to poke the forum because from the forum index it keeps insisting the last post in the Arena was on the 14th by Zerrer.))

[Zerrer]

Zerrer was essentially unconsious when 3kul swung his leg, but Zerrer's sword had other plans. He spun around, unsheathed his sword and blocked, but the leg of stone had too much mass to block completely. He was knocked backwards and fell down, but stood back up.

He looked to his sword ~We dance again, my friend~

[Chronos]

*CRACK*

The Lonely Flower was still very upset. One of her yet intact roots smashed through the rocks below and up toward Zerrer and Hollow Eyes. There is no vibration quite like that of a sword being drawn. Every blade sings its own note as it is unleashed- Zerrer's was no exception. In fact, his was actually rather pleasant. It was almost a shame that Mortracta would have to destroy it. Mortracta's root spiraled around Zerrer's blade and squeezed- knowing that if she failed, her spiral shaped root would sustain minimal damage from the sword.

[3kul]

HollowEyes was quite surprised to see Zerrer's blade acting on it's own to defend it's master... And also quite annoyed. Just when it seemed that Zerrer would finally be done with he managed to pull another rabbit out of his hat - that he could do this whilst he was unconscious was a feat within itself.

Now, how would he deal with this weapon? HollowEyes didn't have to think very long, for a massive root snaked it's way around the sword in a manner that may hopefully crush it.

Not wanting to get in Mortracta's way, HollowEyes calmly waited to see what would happen. He had a couple of charms at the ready just in case something went wrong, but he was quite confident that the Lonely Flower would get the job done.

[Zerrer]

As Zerrer's sword shattered, it gave off a blast of light. With that light, one could see the look in Zerrer's face as he realized what had happened. He looked slightly pleased, and yet annoyed. The shards of the crystal blade fell to the ground, and amazingly, burst into points of light. They flew back to Zerrer, imbedding it's soul into him and seeming to energize him. He seemed to come back to himself.

"Kovina, my friend." He spoke mournfully, bypassing whatever remains of the Cicada charm. He closed his eyes softly, and started singing to himself.

"Somnus, dikos mou agapi,
neque nec timor
Somnus, dikos mou agapi,
neque nec timor
Somnus, dikos mou agapi,
quod Ego mos servo vos."

With his singing, his eyes behind their lids started to glow. He opened his eyes, revealing them to be pupil-less. He could no longer see any light, but instead- something else?

"Raige. To me." He spoke, opening his hand. Into his hand came a brown hammer with the crest of Zerrer's late master, Ragnok. He wielded this hammer years ago, and it had the peculiar ability to manipulate most types of magic. "Feest. To me." Into his other hand came three slight blades, magically imbedded into his knuckles. The were red, and glowing with an unholy hunger. These claws belonged to his brother- his brother in both blood and in marriage.

Baring his teeth, he cast off his armor, revealing white jeans and no shirt. His chest looked like it was chiseled.

"Try me." Zerrer\Kovina said. He grinned. "It's nice having a body again." The once-dragon\once-sword said.

[3kul]

HollowEyes, like a complete and utter moron, stood there twiddling his many thumbs as Zerrer powered up.

((Hahaha, just kidding! But it does kind of feel like I'm being forced to do that. Oh well...

A bit of a side-complaint/nitpick - it would be nice to have a bit more info on Zerrer and what he's capable of, do you have a more up-to-date/informative profile than this for us to go by?))

Zerrer spoke, alerting HollowEyes to the fact that the effects of the Cicada charm had worn off (unlikely), or that the charm had just been destroyed (extremely likely, what with all of the crystal shards flying about).

He went on to sing for some bizarre reason, but given that this was an unexpected development HollowEyes was hesitant to take this opening - was it a trap? He didn't know what had happened, one moment Mortracta had succeeded in shattering the sword without a hitch, the next Zerrer had... absorbed it? The Parasitian hated the unpredictable, and their information on Zerrer had been sketchy at best in the first place. Now that the Felbeast had merged with the energies of his sword, HollowEyes had no idea what to expect...

However, one thing was becoming quite clear to HollowEyes, something that may very well end this fight right now. ~Hold, Mortracta. I need to tell Zerrer something.~ HollowEyes thought to the Lonely Flower, letting her know that he wanted a chance to speak with Zerrer before they resumed their assault. ~Of course, he'll probably just ignore me and attack me, so be sure to take advantage of that when it happens.~

"I'm not entirely sure what's happened or why you're suddenly seeming so pumped up about this fight Zerrer, but perhaps you've forgotten what it's all about." At this point the Parasitian SiC gestured about himself, showing the rather obvious lack of Felbeasts present. "This is not a fight between me and you, but a fight between the Felbeasts and the Council."

He did not need to see his fellow Council members to know that they were here. He did not even need to sense them. HollowEyes' belief that the Council was the strongest group in the Dojo was unshakeable, and there was no doubt in his mind that the other Council members were currently doing whatever they needed to do to ensure their victory here. Zerrer on the other hand had already seen his fellow Felbeasts in trouble, and would know that they were suffering and in pain.

"One man is not a group Zerrer, if you are the only one left fighting then it should be clear that victory goes to the Council."

[Zerrer]

"Zerrer's asleep right now." Zerrer's mouth said. "He let me borrow his body because my old one had been destroyed."

"You know what? That whole spiel probably had worked on Zerrer. It would have worked on me, except I was just crushed by an overgrown daisy. Even swords have feelings, and that hurt. The only cool thing to come of it is the ability to see the magic around me, and the ability to use Zerrer's old toys. I was always so curious about why he stopped using them and made me." He seemed to catch himself.
"Ha. Now that I have a mouth, I'm just rambling. Well, anyways, it's time to fight. I'm no longer a sword, but I'm still a weapon." He grinned, baring his teeth, and struck a combat pose.

[3kul]

"How pleased Zerrer will be to learn that his precious Felbeasts were completely eliminated all thanks to the thoughtlessness of his sword." HollowEyes laughed, a little surprised at how the response was given but not entirely surprised by the response itself. Against a foe like the Evil Council nobody ever really considered surrendering, though the Parasitian SiC never managed to understand why. Probably just stubborn idiocy... He thought to himself.

"Not many great leaders shirk such important decisions..." Halfway through his sentence, HollowEyes flicked a pair of jellyfish charms at the possessed Zerrer's legs, as well as a third aimed at his head. A little bit of clever villainy that the Parasitian had decied to employ - nobody ever expected the bad guy to attack mid-sentence. "But I guess nobody ever said that Zerrer was a great leader."

If sword-Zerrer was expecting to see the magic that the charms might eminate he'd be sorely disappointed. The charms would be nought but pieces of paper until they hit their mark and activated. Mortracta had no bones, so HollowEyes didn't need to worry about hitting her by accident either, but he decided to let her know what he was doing all the same. If they kept each other in the loop here, they could bring things to an end quickly. ~Mortracta, three charms, two for the legs and one for the head. Expect that he'll avoid them.~

Zerrer's sword would soon find that a fleshy body, unlike his previous metal one, experienced a great deal of pain, and was very delicate to operate. As soon as he took a hit from Mortracta or fell prey to HollowEyes' charms the Parasitian was confident that he'd be completely thrown off... The only problem was getting those first hits in.

[Zerrer]

Kovina, using Zerrer's body, (For sake of convnience, I'll call it his rather then Zerrer's) didn't quite see the charms very easily. They were dim and out of focus. That was the problem with being able to see magic. Everything not magic was almost invisible.

He did see them, and responded with incredible reflexes, thinking them as shuriken. He ducked his head, dodging the third charm and with one leg he dodged the other charm. The last one hit his leg, and he stumbled. Then he grinned as he watched his leg losing it's bones. Halfway through, he twisted the brown hammer. The writing that was on the charm was now imprinted on his leg, with a few rune additions. "Protection", and "Language".

Kovina chuckled. His leg, while half affected by the charm, would be almost impervious to them. He didn't know whether it would make his entire body impervious, but he hoped so.

He swung his hammer at the Onyx Longsword, thinking to use the relic's powers, but then he realized it was too powerful to control. He fell to the ground in order to keep from contacting it, which would result in the loss of the hammer.

Kneeling on the ground, he used his bad leg as a flail, swinging it at Holloweyes's own, as he lifted himself back up with his clawed hand.

[Chronos]

Mortracta felt the sword yield as if it were one of the Guivre's fluffy muffins. She had broken metal before, but this sword should have been harder to destroy. Something was amiss- it was almost like the sword was designed with a possible shattering in mind. Why?

Before she could warn Hollow Eyes, things began happening very quickly. Her intense hunger for Zerrer dissipated. Somehow, he just wasn't Zerrer anymore. A shattered sword... Zerrer has changed... could the sword have been Zerrer? What if the sword was an entity of its own?

It would be upset, to say the least.

Hollow Eyes then communicated with Mortracta, which she understood perfectly. If she focused, this would be fairly easy. Without Zerrer, the Felbeasts just weren't a threat. She wanted to say something clever, but couldn't think of anything appropriate. She wished Ensichrys were there with her. He always knew what to say.

Hollow Eyes had released the charms. Zerrer's body was now moving extremely erratically. It was flailing all over the place as if he had forgotten how to move. The body was completely off balance, that much she could clearly feel. Thanks to Hollow Eyes, she expected such a desperate maneuver. This time, there would be no mistakes.

The Lonely Flower made the rocks split in a sloppy pentagon around Zerrer. Six roots- five on the vertices of the pentagon and one in the center- thrust upward with deadly rootcaps tensed to rip through Zerrer's body like soil.