Re: First signs

[themagus]

By the time Tiruf and Lavara got to Avan and Magus they were running, Avan at the front usig his shield to shov aside the skeletons and bypassing them, not having time to fight them anymore with Magus blowing them with raw energy bursts. Tiruf passed Magus to run near Avan, pushing aside and knocking down enemies without really noticing them. They were running for safety, out of the alley and away from the horses' hooves and the knights' lance. As fast as they ran the death knight was closing fast, his horse running the skeletons that were in his way without consideration. Now safetly seemed at hand, and death a promise...

[Spritz]

Lavara was bewildered as she was running, a thousand thoughts, actions, and emotions racing headlong through her brain, there one second and gone the next. Her feet pounded on the ground, faster and faster, and she started to clear the pathway for the others. Another small alley ajoined the one they were on, and the elf turned into it, gesutring for the others to follow her. Though it was a dead end, a large stack of crates reached high, piling up on the wall. They could climb the boxes, and get to saftey on the roof.

[themagus]

Magus was the groups back and had the most reaction time and best observation point to see what came ahead now that Lavara took the lead. He saw Lavara taking an instinctive turn to a different alley and heard her shuoting for them to come after her as she did so. Avan kept charging right ahead, his eye locked on the end of the alley where it opened to a paved larger area, but no one could see what was there exactly from the narrow alley there were in now. Magus saw Tiruf taking a glance toward the alley that Lavara took and he thought Tiruf will follow, but the barbarian kept charging with Avan, smashing skeletons and running at full speed. Magus took the turn after Lavara and just a moment later the death knight passed the alley entrance and kept charging at Avan and Tiruf. Maguses' eyes widened as the cold wave emenating from the kinght washed the alley for a moment, and he ran even faster, catching up to her at the end of the alley and grabbed her sleeve. He stopped her, breathing hard and wide-eyed with realization "We must ge back!" he said hurriedly, then took few deep breaths and explained himself "Avan may have a plan, and we have to help him, none of us alone can beat that thing". He would get back there with Lavara or without her, but he was hoping he could make her see that everyone needed her as much as she needed them, that sort of enemy could be dealt with only of they worked together.

[Spritz]

Lavara placed her hands on her temples as she saw that the others hadn't followed her. Shaking her head, she felt something tug on her arm, and looked down to see Magus looking up at her, urgency in his eyes. She jumped down off of the crates, hitting the ground quickly, and taking off, grabbing Magus by the arm and dragging him along behind her. Her keen eyes scanned the area, and thankfully, the skeletons hadn't pursued. The knight had almost reached the othre two, and Lavara looked at Magus in horror. "What do we do?"

[themagus]

"Come on!" Magus was still holding her by the sleeve, and started sprinting out of the alley. By the time they got back to the alley they came from, Avan Tiruf and the death knight got out to the wider area, exiting the way they headed. Magus ran to that exit, pulling Lavara behind him and stopped to scan the new terrain - a large open square the shape of semi-circle, paved with stone and a small ruined dry fountain in its middle, made of marble that was now as gray as the cobble stones on the ground. The flat side (err... whats the called) of the semi-circle ended with long and wide stone steps leading slightly uphill to a great hall. The hall had high walls suit for a two floors building with closed unbroken windows that had no curtains yet the inside wasn't visible, it was dark as night, even in this afternoon. The walls, windows, the great wooden door that was the main entrance to the hall and even the roof were there. The square, the stairs and the city hall were all intact and it was obvios that nothing - not the weather or the volcanic burts affected them, only the ash-gray colors that rules this rigion were able to force all of them to their will. Magus saw the death knight slowing his horse to a walk and turning around to face them. Stopping, his horrible gaze pierced Magus and Lavara and marked them as his new, other victimes. What he didn't see were his other companions. Once he stepped out of the alley and into the square he felt a tap at his shoulder, tunred and saw Tiruf standing close to the wall, and looking to the other side he saw Avan, both dofged the knights charge by turning abruptly from the alley, a turn that the horse couldn't make. Now Avan and Tiruf stepped forward to protect the mage and young elf. "Well, round 2" said Magus, winked at the odd remark he just spat out his mouth and braced himself as the knight started to circle them for a better approach.

[
Alleyway going to the semi-circle square, ignore the underline, i had to put it there so the vertical line could be in the middle of the D:
D
_|
]

[Spritz]

(Not sure if I got all of that... But I'll do my best.)

Lavara watched with her keen, bright eyes as the knight circled them for another attack. She knew it was perilous to try and fight, thus knew that standing here, trying to hold thier ground was just like signing thier death warrent, and with a flourish. She leaned in close to magus, whispering in his ear.
"We cant fight. The only way to get out alive, is to escape. Dont try any of your magic crap." She hoped it didn't sound too harsh, but they didn't need any experimental magic failures at the moment. Though the young mage had been keeping up alright, leaning his new skills and using his magic well, he still got misfires, and a misfire at that moment, could kill them all. Glancing rather nervously back at the knight, his peircing red eyes made a shiver of horror roll down her spine, and she quickly held up her sword.

[themagus]

The death knight walked his horse to the beginning of the steps, to the flat part of the semi-circle from the groups left, so everyone will be lined up for his assault. He said few words in an unknown language that made Magus shrink inside then the lance he carried darkened, black mist covering the shaft while wierd black writings emerged on the pike. The writings were glowing black against the gray metal, powerful symbols that emenated death and penetrability, fear and might. The knight leveled his lance and charged ahead carrying his death curse as it was a huge arrow, the dark mist vaishing in the midair few meters behind him. Tiruf charged at the knight head on, not being able to shout his battle cry out of the fear desperation and death the knight was overflowing with. Avan held his shield high, he let the metal club hang from the leather strap connecting to his wrist and rested his hand, palm open against the inner side of his shield. The dwarf priest began mumbling and in a short time his shield started to shine with faint white, the shield pulsed with power and a bright dot of light appeared in the center of its outer side. Avan quickly took a defensive stance and held his ground. A moment before the clash charging Tiruf found his voice, he let out a crude cry, jumped and rolled to the left side of the horse, out of the lances' way however he made only a glancing blow at the horse, hardly being able to harm it enough to change its course, not to mention stopping its charge. The knight, recognizing the force of good standing right infront of him aimed the lance at Avan and charged streight at him. Just before the lance and shield met Avan lifted his shield and started taking a rightwards sidestep with his supporting back leg to deflect the hit. The meeting of forces, the onslaught made by a representitive of unholy evil and the defeders protection imbued with the powers of the god of good created a shockwave that knocked both adversaries away, dismounting the knight off his horse and disarming him from his lance, Avan on his part rolled back, stopped in his knees and stood up, his head low and back bended, gathering himself. The knights horse disappered in the mess, leaving no trail. Magus watched the battle as it folded and was surprised when Tiruf and Avan stood up to the knight. Lavaras' words triggered an emotion he didn't have time to decipher but he was staying with the others, Lavara can go if she want. As the knight charged his mind took over and he had several understandings - they couldn't outrun the death knight, not when he was on his horse. Maybe Lavara could get away, elves could be stealthy, but him and Avan weren't able to run and climb so well, and Tiruf was already fighting. One other thing - if he and Lavara ran off the knight would probably win, and then it'll be their turn. It was enough for the knight to see his enemies in order to hit them with a death curse, so yes Lavara could make a run for it, but he was too clumsy, it'll take just a moment for the knight to concentrate to kill him. When the mage saw what happened between the knight and Avan he figured another thing - the chances were slim indeed, but they could fight. He reached behind him to touch Lavara and get her attention "We can fight him, i don't know if we can win, but we can fight".


[ im going to leave it there to show my typos problem today- WHO PUT A RENDEER IN THERE?! xD ]

[Spritz]

Lavara had been able to jump out of the way as the knight had come charging on, and she winced as he fell from his horse, thanks to Avan. She heard someone whisper to her, and decided that it would be a better thing to fight, then to run, seeing as they were all from different races, and had various levels of speed.
Readying her own sword, she watched the knight closley, looking for points of weakness in him, and his armor. Where the metal met metal, there were small spaces, that a thin sword could peirce through. Nodding to Turif, she took advantage of the knight being on the ground, leaping forward and yelling hoarsly, aiming with the tip of her sword and plunging the sharp tip into one of the spaces between the armor, thus managing to strike him with a solid blow before dancing backwards and out of his reach.

[themagus]

Tiruf was watching Lavara charge and was yelling at her, trying to chatch her but she was the quicker, her shout sounding more like a squeak at the death knights (without the beard, hehe) presence. The moment Lavaras' sword tip toutch the weeker part of the knights armor her sword gets covered with frost and the hilt feels like liquid fire, but now Lavaras' momentum carry her forward and the sword pireces the armor. A direct connection between the death knights energy and Lavara is made allowing the energy to flow from the knight to Lavara, the sword bursts out of her hands and land a fair distance away, frosty mist coming out of its frozen blade. Lavaras' hands fall limply by her sides and she can't move them and it feels like they aren't a part of her body anymore, they just hang by her sides. The assault of the knights energy is mighty and overwhelming, Lavara take few more steps to where her momentum was taking her, the world seem to stratch and shrink, she falls to the ground and everything deems like someone was turning the lights off slowly and she falls into unconscious sleep as black as death, where red glowing eyes were waiting for her.
The death knight felt the stab and the mind of the week creature that stabbed him recoil and shuts down, the stab was nothing and hed no effect as it didn't harm the source of the magic holding him together, he could keep fighting without pain or disadvantage if they took off his hand, but the courage however was impressive. He stood up and drew his sword, taking a loot at the elf that lay on the groud. He didn't strike, he would make that one a slave to help him pass iternity and besides he had more dangerous opponents to face at the moment, especially that dwarven priest. He advanced at Avan slowly bringing his long sword infront of him. Avan took his club in his hand and strengened his grip of the shield, he felt the presence of his god and knew he could fight the knight on equal terms, without taking the penalty of recieving a strike that will result with what happened to Lavara. Magus was watching everything and trying to think of a selution. He eyed Lavaras quiver, thinking about the enchanted arrow, but it was too early to try anything and he didn't know how to use bow, he knew how to shoot, but hitting was a whole different matter. Tiruf was holding his hammer at the ready but didn't charge, he didn't have the protaction Avan had, and he would suffer nearly as much as Lavara if he would pierce the knights armor, even defending fron a strike will render his weapon useless so he was wating for a golden oportunity, he saw Magus signaling for him to come over and started circling the death knight, keeping Avan between them. He would reach Magus before they would make their first move and he hoped the mage had a plan.

[ i still encourage you to edit your last post, it can change the resolt in this one. ]

[themagus]

Avan stood up, shield and club already in his hands. The knight was a little bit quicker than Avan, he stood up and reached for his beltes sword, the scabbard lost its beauty long ago and surrendered to the all serounding gray. He didn't make it though as Tiruf's maul hit him from the side, making it drop face down to the ground. Now Tiruf had no weapon but he gave Avan the advantage he needed, and Avan charged in, his clubs top glowing white like the sun the volcanic cloud hid, but still not shining on the death knights armor. The death knight got to his knees and drew his sword before Avan could get to him holding it with his right hand, but instead of using it he pointed at Avans heart with his left hand and sent his death curse at him with one clear universal word - "Die". Avan, even though he didn't hear the chant nor never fought a death knight before was knowlagable enough to lower his club and place its glowing end over his heart. The curse hit the blessing and they canceled eachother, the light shutting down and Avan kept charging onward. The dwarven priest bashed the knight with his shield as hard as he could but the knight, just a moment before the collision rose to a half standing and used Avans' momentum and shield to push himself and hop into standing position. Tiruf made an attempt to retrieve his war hammer but the knight nearly cut his head off, Avan took his opportunity to another bash with his shield, both hands supporting it this time to make the bash stronger and because he didn't have enough room to charge. That got the knight far enough from the maul to allow Tiruf to snatch it back and he ran for Magus, hoping the mage had a plan and leaving the knight to Avan, the only capable member of the group who could face the knight under even conditions. As Tiruf strted running toward Magus the death knight and Avan axchanged blows, Avan skillfuly maintaining the cover behind his shield and counter attacking when he could while the knight rulling the attack by physical strengh and the longer reach of his long-sword, non exceeding the others' strong points. The moment Tiruf got to Magus the young mage grabbed the hammers head and Tiruf let go. Magus released a burst of energy into the maul concentrating on a repelling spell against the element of evil. He never did that before as he tried only few repelling spells against elements and phisical objects while repelling spells against evil were the luxury of the devine casters - the servants of the good gods, he tried anyways and with the inner feeling of seccess he empowered the spell by overcharging it "One hit" he told Tiruf with a warning look, then turned back towards Lavara and dashed the short distance to her without looking back, knowig any of them had a moment to spare. Tiruf ran over to the fighting, looking for the right moment to spend his one precious hit. Avan was striking and the death knight parried and hitting Avans shield, Magus got to Lavara as Tiruf got to the dueling couple. Avan was getting ready to block another blow and started a counter attack, Tiruf was taking a hesitant half a step forward, prodding at his opportunity while Magus lay down beside Lavara. She was pale, a much brighter color than the ash-gray enviroment that made her look like she was made of marble, her skin was probably cold as marble too but Magus didn't touch her, he didn't need to, and her lips were deep purple and her eyes frozen, open and gazing at nothing. She didn't have any willpower left in her, most of her life gone, but unlike the last time he had his. Avan was attacking for a change, the knight preparing to parring his strike, and Tiruf was changing his angle, Magus stared into Lavaras' eyes and time began to slow like the other time, as he was drawn into her...
[by themagus and Spritz]
What Magus found wasn't anything he would ever want to see again. He found a persons inner world, but the death knight's curse had already taken hold of Lavara, corrupting and destroying everything she was. Her livley, elven nature was missing, replaced by something hard, deep and cold, her emotions were no longer there, shredded to dust, her physical body was dead by now, her mental universe broken and vanishing as he watched, the fingers of the curse had already progressed in demolish and destroy everything it came into, devouring it and leaving nothing left for chance. But he could see it, which meant there was still a light somewhere in there that illuminated Lavara, a light that if he did not find will become the deepest kind of darkness the world knows...
[end of by Spritz and themagus]
]Magus was looking for the source of light, moving fast between fractures of past event and future hopes, sensation of colors and winds of emotions, all broken, faint and fading. Suddenly he noticed an object keeping still in the destroyed space, he felt it as much as an instinct and sensed it as much as he saw it in this world. He reached for it and found what used to be a pendant, broken replica of a crow holding a quartz that appeared to be longer than it was now, anotehr fragment, but this one was different in a way Magus couldn't explain, it stood out just a little more than the rest of his enviroment. He noticed how the light was playing on the crows' surface, one side shadowed, the other lit. He moved it around, looking at the lighting and found it fixed and stable, and set off toward the shadowed side where he assumed he will find the stronger part of the curse and the part of Lavara that was still fighting. He kept the pendant and used it as a compass to guide him through the tormented chaos and the the very essance that was Lavara.
Now Magus could see it - a strangled figure serounded by a huge cloud of darkness that got closer every passing moment, toutching a part of her with a gentle caress and slightly repelling when she resisted. Every time she did she got weeker and her glow fading which allowed the tenacious overencubering curse get a little closer, swallowing more and more of her life that were nearly gone by the time he got to her. Magus left the broken pendant and was slightly relieved when he got to her the curse backed away from the light that he brought with him, but stayed all too close, devouring it, not letting it illuminate anything els around him but Lavara. He reached for her hand and froze only an inch from her. Her eyes were open but she didn't see him. Even here, at her most inner part the curse faded her enough for her not to respond for anothers' presence. He had to call her, and so he did - he said it, thought it, felt it and sent it to her "Lavara...".

[ finished, but pls talk to me before you post ]

[Spritz]

It was dark, so dark. A chilling sensation was creeping over her body, its dark fingers moving over her and grasping her very soul. Lavara was lying on the ground, her eyes frozen open, not seeing. In this dark, cavernous world, she could barley make out the feeling of weight pressing in on all sides, on her chest, threatening to crush her heart in its wake. She didn’t know what was happening, her brain sluggishly trying to think about what had just happened. All she remembered was charging at the death knight, her sword piercing deep, then, nothing…. No feelings were detected. Even if she tried, she couldn’t make herself feel anything. Suddenly, a light, a single light made her blink slowly, only once. It was shining in the darkness, hardly able to be seen through a thick grey cloud of.. something, that seemed to be hanging over her and holding her down. A dark figure was making its way towards her, but soon, as she fought for conciousness, as she fought to stay awake, it became lighter. As her eyes closed, she tensed, physically twitching and writhing as the curse took most of her into its grasp. Her eyes wrenched open, and in a sudden urge of desperation, she flung her hand up, trying to grasp the light, trying, trying to hold on. Trying to fight the curse.

[themagus]

Magus was waiting, only a tiny moment that seemed to be going on forever when he saw Lavaras' eyelids slightly blinking, her focus changed and her hands moved ever so slowly towards him, reaching, pleading... The moment froze, Magus had an immnesse feeling that everything in the world not just in here, but everywhere, is depending on the next moment, the moment he will succeed or fail, the moment when the curse will succeed or fail, his companions, the knight, the villages and so on. Trusting his instincts he cough Lavaras' hands and pulled as hard as he could while giving her from his life energy just enough to survive, carrying her through the shatters of her world he glimpsed behind her the curse corrupting everything in its way to get the one it was sent to destroy but he didn't have time to think about it, all he could do was to concentrate on getting them out. They were moving faster and faster rushing back to the point where Magus got into Lavara and as one moment they were being chased by darkness the other moment they fell into a huge pool without a splash, the water warm, welcoming and supporting. Magus recognized it as his own realm and though Lavara was there with him he quickly released his hand from hers, afraid the curse will follow him. The curse however fell on the one that attacked the knight and didn't follow. In Lavaras' body it bursted and dissipated for Lavara was no longer there, leaving her body dead, as her soul was now with Magus. Seeing the worst was over Magus hugged Lavara and streamed more of his life force into her, reviving her to the point she will be strong enough to heal by herself and took her to the link he created between them. He eased her through it, legs first and was vastly relieved to see her face calm and comfortable, he was right - the curse left the body when it had nothing els to destroy. He held her hands lastly and the moment before Lavara was completely herself, a moment before he returned wholely to himself there was one entity made of two souls, split into two bodies that were at that moment one. The moment passed and they were back to their bodies, to their worlds. Magus relaxing and Lavara regenerating from the horrible occurence. Magus woke up, the feeling of the link lingering, like if he'de turn around or look behind the corner Lavara will be there. He opened his eyes and saw Lavaras face, still as pale with blue lips, her eyes were close. He found that he held Lavaras' hands, put them to her side to checked her pulse and for his delight there was one, week but strenghening as his hand kept it in check nearly refusing to let go from the miracle as the realization, triggered by a distant thunder, that there were more happenings around them slipped into his mind. He gathered himself to lean on one elbow, seeing he wasn't feeling dizzy he crouched quickly, a great metalic noise of clattering armor followed, and shook Lavara gently, calling her to wake up as the feeling of urgency returning to him bringing with her the memory of the last event and walking nightmare they still had to kill, place and time already fitted back in his mind.

[ btw did Lavara changed her eye color? i remember them green at the beginning? xD ]

[°∞ßlûē•ßãbÿ•Døll∞°]

Hmmm should I join.... Cuz this toic seems interesting..

[Spritz]

Uhm........ Ask magus, but there isn't really a part you can play...

Magus, now is Lavara in her own body?

[themagus]

that was a bad edit...
see post below

[themagus]

Hmmm should I join.... Cuz this topic seems interesting..

it'll be hard to get another character in right now, gonna need a REALLY original idea for that...
what kind of character would you want to be anyways? that might help me get an idea...

Magus, now is Lavara in her own body?

yes.

[Spritz]

(I am such a bad person, I kept putting of this topic over and over!! I'm so freaking sorry!!)

What had happened?
Lavara slowly blinked, her large green eyes opening, and she quickly closed them as the heavily sulfurous air made them burn and start to water slightly. She was faintly aware of someone beside her, and forced her eyes open again, trying to contemplate what had just happened, what was going on.
As she raised her hands, they were trembling slightly, and she propped herself up on her elbows, her brain sluggishly starting to work, the objects of confusion slowly falling into their rightful place. Magus was beside her, and her confused, troubled expression finally cleared. Lavara swallowed once, her throat parched and burning, her lips dry and cracked.
"Magus," Her voice cracked slightly, and she cleared her throat in an attempt to speak, though her voice wasn't coming willingly. Her head snapped up, eyes suddenly hardening and flashing with fury, as they settled on the figure of the death knight. It was she that had brought this upon herself, and her slender hands curled into deft fists.
"Magus, what are we supposed to do!?" The whole situation looked hopeless, after what had happened to her.

[themagus]

Seeing Lavara was still week and dizzy, hardly able to get up Magus helped her to a sitting position and held her there so she could gather herself while looking behind, at the fight. The knight was prone again, somewhat disoriented this time and few meters from where he was just a moment ago. Tiruf was standing, his hands limp but he still held his maul. It was clear he's fighting to keep his focus, but Magus succeeded - the cursed touch of the death knight didn't have nearly any effect on Tiruf, relatively speaking, and the shockwave defenately worked on the knight. Lavara wasn't in a position to fight, yet, but she'll have to soon enough. Magus knew he needed to buy her some time, a little bit more and perhaps she'll have enough to use her bow "Rest for a moment" he said while putting her bow in her hands and taking hold of the blue feathered arrow, gripping it by the head, he signaled to Tiruf to come over. Avan and the death knight were fighting again, the death knight as ferocious as he ever was but Avans' strengh was beginning to whine down and he was falling to a more defensive technique. Tiruf hurried to Magus, offering his maul. It was easier to enchant it this time since the magical format of the last spell lingered. They exchanged few words to understand how their partners were doing and Tiruf was back into the fight, threatning, making fake attacks to distract and deter the knight, and looking for another golden opportunity. Magus came back to Lavara, trying to catch her disoriented eyes so he could see if she recovered well, bringing the beating of life to her body and soul, or, if she was suffering a mental shock and maybe even a psychological disease that will numb her forever. He crouched, grabbed her by the shoulders and turned her to face him, gazing intently at her, waiting for her to lift her head, he had a good feeling though and he hoped with every fiber of himself he was right.

[Spritz]

Lavara looked down slightly as she felt something slip into her hands, and saw that Magus had placed her bow into her palms. Closing her fingers around the wood, she blinked once, her face taught and dirty, smeared with dust and dirt. The air made her lungs burn, her throat dry, and she didn't dare try to speak. Magus stood, and left her side for a moment, and she used that time to push herself into a crouch, her hands on the ground, fingers outspread and supporting her weight until she was steady enough to get to her feet. Booted feet fell onto the ground beside her, crunching the stones underfoot and stopping. The figure soon stooped down, and she felt heavy, strong hands on her shoulders, turning her slightly. She raised her eyes to the concerned face of Magus, and managed a weak smile, nodding once and setting her jaw. Raising her head, her fingers clenched around the bow, and she pushed herself into a standing position, her legs almost giving out beneith her, but growing strong. A few moments passed, untill she felt like she was now strong enough to continue on, and notched an arrow onto the taught bow string, letting it fall into the arch between her thumb and forefinger, ready to aim it at the knight, though holding back. "What do you need me to do?"

[themagus]

Magus was impressed. Being able to stand up like that and notching an arrow after facing a death curse... He mantally shook his head and asked himself what was she made of, then he remembered all that time he had to save her, she was probably regeneratin quite well. He waved towards the knight and said "We have to kill it soon, before it'll kill us, i can't go through it again" He was refering to the soul transference, he didn't feel tired but the experience was mentally overbearing. "I think i can pull this off one more time, the arrow... but the knight have to be vulnerable. Tell them or make them understand you'll need a shot at him, one that will go past the armor, i'll get the arrow ready". He waded off a small distance away, holding the arrow in his hand and feeling its magical signature while asking himself how much magical strain can he put on that small object, and how much of it can he put on himself. Avan was giving everything he had since he didn't have much left but the knight was a good opponent. Avans agressive burst came a bit before he fell to rely on his shield but this time his left arm was already tired and he wondered if the knight ever felt like that too. Ofcourse he did, when he was alive, but no more. The death knight was getting used to fighting against two opponents and now kept Tiruf in his sight as well, not letting him a good enough chance to strike and occasoinally throwing a strike at him, knowing he won't dare to get close as there was no good devine force to protect him. The knight couldn't use his magic which got annoying, sometimes he doubted he could dodge both his enemies strikes but he made it fairly enough, they weren't that good. He also wanted to finish the fight and get to his not-yet minion, that elven one. After avoiding his curse he wanted to torture her and strip off her mind, which will prove a long time of entertainment, much longer than this fight. Tiruf was fighting but horrified. He never met something like this knight and heard of him only in legends and from bards singing their tales in inns, a valorous knight who got corrupted well enough for the gods to punish him to eternity of suffering, or a knight poking his nose into magic so dark it consumed him... either way none of the tales he heard told him how to kill it. He had to stop himself from recoiling from the fight every time the knight made even the slightest move towards him, but he also knew he was the only thing preventing the knight from turning Avan into shreds because he held some power too, not much, but enough to make the knight think twice. If Tirufs' weapon hit the result would be to Tirufs favoure and Avan might just get the chance to call his god to smite the evil being, but if the death knight get to score a strike the win will be the knights'. Magus went to the other side of the fountain then stopped. He looked at it, the water weren't more than a finger wide stream going down the stone at the center and into a shallow pool at the gray stones' base, serounded by a low marble wall. There was something about it, in the middle of this close to infernal place there was a fountain, with water. He stepped into it and felt that something was missing, like a deep black yet thin blanket was lifted from him, the evil aura of the knight didn't affected his magic anymore, it seems the fountain held some magical resistance qualities. The mage gripped the arrow with his two hands and used the low wall serounding the fountain as his ritual circle, seperating the world from his magical niche and summoning the forces around him to create his spell. The water complied as he felt them through his boots, fire was in the air and earth everywhere, as it always been. There wasn't much of the air element but he didn't need much of it, he used his will to use them, combine and craft his spell, imbuing it into the arrow using his own magical powers, those he had left in him, all of them, concentrating them into the arrow. More... more... all of it, everything he had and everything he could command and muster from the poor elements around him condensing everything into the... He opened his eyes, all he could see was a blue bright sun, it was tiny and close to him, and he held it in his hands. He got out of the fountain and the spell was complete, his ritual magical circle was destroyed and he mentally came back the reality. He collapsed, sitting on the ash avsorbed marble wall, looked to Lavara and reached with his hand, offering the arrow, its tip glowing so fiercely it was illumonating everything, making it look like it was night and the arrow was a torch, or the arrow was the sun, and the faded sun in the volcanic sky was the moon. Magus couldn't go any further, just sit there and wait till his magic regenerates for a bit, and his ears would stop buzzing.

[Spritz]

Lavara's hand quickly flew up behind her head, and she grabbed the feathered end of one of her arrows. Pulling it swiftly out of the quiver, she quickly notched it on the string and gripped the wood of the bow feircly with her right hand. She nodded once, stiffly as Magus told her to tell the others, but she wasn't quite sure what to do. Her mind wasn't fully functional yet, after the death knight's curse. A throbbing, skull splitting headache was pounding the inside of her head, as if someone was slinging a pick axe around and trying to kill her. She couldn't help but raise a hand to her temples, holding it there for a split second before she stiffened, knowing that now wasn't the time for any of this.
Pain is temporary, it will go away. Focus on what you need to do Lavara, everyones life depends on it.
She swallowed once, her throat dry and partched from the sulferous air, and lack of water. Her tongue was dry in her mouth, lips cracked and bleeding. She looked to the side quickly, spotting Magus working on a spell for the blue arrow. Her own red one was notched between her two fingers, and she raised her jaw a bit, looking at the knight with cold eyes. Her fingers unknowingly tightened around the string, and she raised the bow, closing her right eye and aiming and the knight. The figures of the fighting Avan and Tiruf would block her shot time and time again, and she knew that if she let go at the wrong moment, it could possible injure one or the other severly.
Suddenly, Lavara lowered the bow. The two men were seemingly able to hold of the knight for a few more moments, and she whirled around, her keen eyes searching the ground for her blade, wherever it was. She would need it, as arrows wouldn't do all the good in the world.
A sheild would have been better, but she did not possess such a thing, and cursed herself for not thinking of it when she had had the chance to bring it along. Shaking her head, she caught the flash of the silver blade, where it lay on the ground. Half of the metal had been broken, leaving a jagged, deadly sharp edge. She moved over to it, and grasped the handle in her fingers, sheathing it quickly.
Whirling around yet again, she drew the arrow and aimed at the knight.
Her mind keenly focused on the minds of the others around her, the fighting Tiruf and Avan. Pain exploded in her head as her mind started to work its way into theirs, but she ignored it and held her bow steady.

Give me a shooting angle.

[themagus]

Avan was huffing and puffing, fighting undead never took that long and he was getting tired, his lungs were burning, his thighs were yearning to rest from absorbing the blows while the knight had a good time. Avans' god was with him but striking was up to the dwarf alone, and he felt lower than he usually did around tall folk. He saved Tiruf a few times during this battle, and the barbarian had saves him, covering his weak spots with huge swings of his battle hammer, not giving the knight a change to land a strike. Tiruf was on edge so much he was afraid to do anything, the knights' presence was getting to him as he had to fight without the protection of a goodly divine force. He tried to strike only when he had to help Avan, saving him by striking at where the knight should have been to use the chances Avans' tiring moves left open. Then Lavaras' message came in, it was a blur, the words swirling, unsettling and none of the combatants completely understood it. There was someone who did however, Avans' god heard those words through his priest, understanding there were more participants than the fighters and giving this event a high priority he sent his own command to dismantle the knight. Avan suddenly stopped his assault to shout at Tiruf "We need to" *THUM!* the knights sword hit Avans' shield so hard it made him stagger "Take his helmet off!" he lowered his shield to take a look at the knight, flinched and held it back up *THUM*. The knight was trying to tire him, and Avans' hand started tingling from the blows. He heard a rattle of metal armor and guess the knight was about to deliver another thunderous strike, changing his defense to offenceand hoping the knight won't guess it was coming Avan dashed forward and at the last moment to placed his shield at the side to hear a weak clank of metal as the unprepared knight tried to strike anyways, his swords guard hitting Avans well placed shield. Avan drove headlong into the knights stomach. This wouldn't even hurt him, but the dwarf got what he wanted - the bash made the knights' body fold, his sword resting against Avans' shield, his other hand flialing slightly, giving just the perfect opportunity for Tiruf to use the one shot he had to make on the knight and spending the charge of his recently enchanted hammer. Tiruf wasn't left with much time to think "you want to take his bloody helmet off?!" he managed to shout with lungs the burned from the ash and sulfur filled air, and then his chance stood openly right infront of him, the knights eyes were watching him, cursing him for being there. With a resounding rawr Tiruf swung his hammer as powerfully as he could driven by basic survival fear and using all of his body, performing an uppercut that could mash just about any living organism. The knight was sent flying as the power from Tirufs' maul unleashed, sending him roughly ten meters away. The death knight got up surprizingly quickly, swiping everyone with his soul freezing, naked look, seeing Lavara yet still misjudging her, and her arrow. His helmet was rolling over a distance that was as double as the knights' flight distance, his bare head serounded by shades of darkness that still did not allow them to completely recognize his features, his eyes mocking the weakness of mortals. While Avan held an expression of disgust and unsettling fear Tirufs hands hung limply at his sides, barely holding his maul, he seemed obvious to the situation, somehow not caring as a small part of the knights energy got throught to him, weakening his will.

[ there, now you have enough time to go for the arrow ]

[Spritz]

(How would you editing change anything??)

[Spritz]

The harsh sounds of swords clashing together filled the air, the skill uncanny. Lavara was able to see that Tiruf and Avan had somewhat heard the message, as they seemed to stiffen, their posture letting her know. The elf could only hope and pray that it had gotten through clearly, but she didn’t know what had happened. Attempting to slip into their minds once again, she was rewarded with a powerful burst of pain, an explosion of light behind her closed eyelids. Moaning slightly, she nearly doubled over as she tried to ease the pain. It was almost to much to bear, but her spirit fought back, pushing to the surface of her foggy, unresponsive mind and letting her try and think clearly.

Placing her palm on her forehead, smears of ash and dirt coated her cheeks, an expression of pain across her fair elven features. Soon and slowly, the pain started to subside, throbbing in the back of her temples as it drifted away. There was no time to rest, as Lavara knew she would only have one chance to finish the knight off. Opening her eyes, her posture stiffened and she raised her chin, quickly taking in the opportunity the two faithful warriors were trying to provide her.

She quickly whirled around, her sharp brown eyes scanning the desolate, grey area for Magus. She was able to spot him within a second, slumped down on the rim of an old crumbling fountain, tiny drops of sparkling water barley covering its stone basin’s bottom. “Magus! The arrow!” Her voice was desperate, and she whirled to look around once more, seeing Tiruf gaining on the knight. Leaping into action, she sprinted forward, quickly nearing Magus and managing to grip the arrow in her fingers. The tip was glowing with a fierce blue light, making her blink and squint, trying to see around its glow. Taking it quickly out of his hand, she had no time to thank him, not now. Her bow was held tightly in her fingers, the smooth wood pressing into the palm of her hand.

She notched the arrow onto the taught string, letting it fall into the notch between her fore and index finger. Her hands were trembling as she cast her eyes up once again to the fight, seeing the knight sprawled down on the ground. His face was ghastly, but his features could not be seen clearly. As her large brown eyes flicked up to his face, she was greeted with a cold, dead glare. This was not good. Raising the bow once again, she pulled the string back and aimed it at the knight. As the arrow’s head swung to face its target, it suddenly crackled with energy, tiny bright blue sparks and bolts dancing around its tip and scuttling down the length of the arrow. This was not the time to waver, not the time to doubt. But Lavara suddenly found herself wondering if she could even do this; if she was capable of even getting this done and over with. Her face was taught and dirty, before her posture stiffened and she closed one eye, looking down the shaft of the arrow and aiming at the knight.

Everything then seemed to happen in slow motion, the knights gaze seeming to peirce into her very soul. When she let the arrow fly, it was cast out of her hands, and now only the Gods had control of it now. Her sharp eyes watched its every movments, her arm lowering to her side. The feathers rustled, the wind whistling over them as it soared closer and closer to the knight. Suddenly, Lavara flinched and nearly turned away, the arrow connecting with the flesh of the death knight. It sunk into his neck, slightly higher than she would have hoped. It’s tip buried deep beneath his ear, the whole shaft sliding through his neck and the tip coming out the other side. The elf didn’t know if the shot would be fatal, but she could only hope.

[themagus]

After handgin the arrow to Lavara Maguss' hand fell limply to his lap, he was exhausted and deteriorating, his body nearly unable to hold itself and he fought his eyelids trying to keep them open. He saw Lavara notch the arrow but the moment she began to draw it his vision darkened, blacking out. He fought it as much as he could but the world kept going black narrowing to a small circle in the middle of his eyesight. The last thing he saw before blacking out was Lavara finishing to draw her bow, the blue arrow responding to its target violently, then everything went black, the sence of time and place mixing and swirling like a maelstorm. Magus fought consciousness as hard as he could keeping aware of his body, trying to move limbs and contract muscles. The next thing he saw was Lavara, that was the closest to him stand at her shooting position with the bow hand slightly lowered, the arrow wasn't there anymore. Instead there was a 3 meters diameter orb of blue glow serounding the knight emitating sparks, small lightnings within the orb and mists of energy whirling around and inside it. The death knights' figure was hazy and he thoght he saw a thin line coming out of its neck. The knight lifted its head gaving a heart piercing shout as his grim form vaporized starting at his limbs and ending in his head, hsi eyes gleaming in denial and pain a as they disappeared into the air. The death knights' armor fell to the ground, empty of its master as the orb faded away, and the world became dark once again. Magus was hearing a voice, deep voice that told him to wake up and he obeyed, opening his eyes and seeing Avan standing over him. He was lying on his back, his clothes soaked as he fell backwords into the small pool the fountain created and he brought his hand up for Avan to take and help him up. As the dwarf took his hand te young mage could feel how weak the priest was, but he helped Magus to his feet and turned, Magus followed his gaze to see Tiruf approach Lavara to check on her "We're not done here... we'll rest for one minute and then we go to solve this problem" Avan was saying, looking meaningfuly at the intact structure of the hall, up the stairs, hinting that the core of this furse was waiting for them there. After a break that seemed too short to help Avan got up and said "Alright, gather yourself up, we're going to end this mess".

[ i know i ddn't give you that much to work with yet i don't want to go too far ahead... ]

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