OOC: AH! Triple post! I'm frightened! Must have been a glitch in the site or something. BIC: Scourge cried out in pain, his power cutting off in time for Xardius to slice upwards into Scourge's chest. Scourge stumbled backward, life blood spilling to the ground. Coughing, Scourge smiled and raised the cannon. "End game." Firing, energy poured out of the nozzle as three crystals exploded at once. Xardius pushed Wing to the side, desperately trying to block it as Scourge's power roared into him, blasting him into nothing but ashes. As the power died, the smear that was left of Xardius slowly blew away in the wind. Falling to one knee, Scourge's arm fell apart around him, revealing his normal arm and his fist clenched tightly. Squeezing his left fist, Scourge slowly stood again, his wounds slowly knitting. "Fire Phoenicians have the unique ability of high-speed regeneration," Scourge said with a shrug. "The only way you can hurt me is to make it so I can no longer regenerate. Your friend Xardius is, I'm afraid, quite dead now. He won't be coming back from that." "Now, for the rest of you, I think I will finally draw my sword," Scourge said, his right hand closing on a black hilt, his left hand closing on another. Drawing both swords, Scourge assumed a ready position, his left leg crouched slightly, his right leg extended. His left hand held his sword backwards, the point angling back towards his elbow, his right hand holding the sword, angled down in a 45 degree angle from his right foot. "Come at me with everything you have," Scourge said. "I will crush you all for the final time." *** Xardius lay in a gray haze. "What...just happened...?" he thought out loud. His power swirled around him, transforming into the dark woman. "Your body was completely destroyed, it will take a few moments to restore it," the woman said. Xardius shrugged. "So what am I right now? Just a consciousness? What's stopping my power from taking over?" "Scourge," the woman said. "Scourge is blocking me. Somehow he's concocted a way to block my savageness. He's saving you at the same time as he's killing you..." "Is that right..." Xardius muttered, sitting up. "I don't have legs yet." A few moments later, Xardius stood, at the bottom of the building. "We need to take this somewhere where I can cut loose," Xardius muttered. "I think it's time to get that portal..." Pulling out his cell phone, he dialed his location to the ship's memory and began the climb back up to the top of the building, hoping the ship would get there in time... OOC: I'll let you take it from there Nulix... There won't be any more real fighting with Scourge, unless Skinnar takes forever...
OOC: *sigh* BIC: Scourge's shot shattered the stairs, sending debris everywhere, Xardius clambered from the ruined chimney. "Here I go," he muttered under his breath, hoping the UO would take his cue as he rushed towards Scourge. Scourge turned and fired at Xardius, a massive burst of energy that hit Xardius like a speed train. However, Xardius met it with his own massive burst of energy, a shield that cracked instantly but held for the instant it took for him to deflect the energy up and around him as he sped towards Scourge. Scourge's eyes widened as Xardius rushed forward, hoping that the rest of the UO was charging from the side... OOC: Ugh, gotta go. You guys seem a little dilapidated anyway.
OOC: Dude, it's a smiley face that's so excited it has its eyes squeezed shut... And, c'mon, you've got a character that can beat Scourge up and the best you can do is Vecked followed the others...?
Xardius charged forward, yelling "Now!" Bursting through the door to the roof, he rolled to the side, hurling fire to combat Scourge's booby trap, and then throwing himself forward as Scourge fired his cannon, blasting a hole through one of the large chimneys and forcing it to collapse on Xardius. Scourge twisted, aiming his massive cannon-arm at the rest of the UO as they clambered from the hole. "It ends here," Scourge said, firing once again... OOC: You pegged me at least, Nulix. JK, XD
OOC: I don't see why it's so weird... You don't know what I sound like right? So what do I sound like in your head? I'll post some more plot when someone's online at the same time as me...
OOC: It's a habit of mine to imagine all voices to be likenesses of my own... BIC: Xardius looked around, spying a door lying off-center, with stairs behind it. "Those stairs should take us up to the top, but we'll have to be careful. This building still seems stable enough, but the stairs could have been knocked off-center from the shots... The climb will also give us time to think about how to beat him..." The UO began climbing the stairs... "It kind of seems to me that we attack him, and he defends with ease, but is slow at attacking back," Xardius said. "So we're going to have to get him to attack one of us. I nominate myself, because it's my plan and I probably can withstand even a shot like that, though it'll hurt like sitting on ten thousand needles... Right before or right after he attacks, the rest of you jump in and slam him. I'm confident that at least one of you will be able to land a blow on him... If we can get him off-balance, we can crush him." Xardius sighed. "However, Scourge is uncannily smart at strategy, so we're going to have to pull this off in one move, and probably run decoy before that." Xardius looked up. "We're almost there...Is everyone ready?"
OOC: OK, I'll be on tonight for anyone who sees this. BIC: Xardius moved carefully over towards Vecked. "You all right? Not that I like you or anything, but it'd be a pain if you died now..." Looking around, he shook his head. "He's panicking, trying to intimidate us to bide himself time...We've got to keep pushing him..." OOC: Sorry but I can't really do anything until everyone's ready to follow Scourge. After the next bit of the fight, Nulix, you can pull out your portal thing because I don't know how to get the portal to us or the us to the portal... Then I can start doing longer posts as the fight will swing towards Xardius vs Scourge...
OOC: I don't know where everyone is, but... I don't want to really control everybody and run after Scourge. Nulix, what is going on with the portal? After we find Scourge and start fighting again, that's when I figured the portal would show up... Also, I'm going to PM you about something...
At the nexus of it all, Scourge stood, his body vibrating at near supersonic speeds, his power creating an eye of the storm as it ripped apart all attacks before they could connect with Scourge. The fire disintegrated into sparks which were blasted back into the grenades, setting them off too soon. The sonic blasts were parried with lightning-fast variations of Scourge's own, creating an explosion that cracked the ceiling, and left Vecked off target for his downward onslaught. At the same time, Scourge's power surged upward to block Wing's attacks with fleeting tendrils of his former shield, disappearing as soon as they appeared. While this happened, Xardius made it to Xane, cracking his neck. Creating a healing spell, he laid it on Xane's arm, fixing it. "Here," Xardius said, handing Xane a crystal. "Stick that somewhere safe. I've been saving that for a while. So long as it's on you, you'll temporarily be able to tap into the power saved in there. No one should have to be left behind in this battle..." Xardius turned back to Scourge. "Time to go to work..." At the pinnacle of it all, Scourge smiled again. "Now, it's my turn. Since you've adequately surrounded me and I am unable to utilize my speed, I will show you what true power is. Stage 3, ignite." Scourge's power levels doubled, then tripled. Power swirled around him in visible flames, spiraling around his right arm to form a massive construction. Covering Scourge's entire arm, the artifice extended nearly a foot below his right hand, ending with a cannon-like nozzle. Traveling up the arm, the red and black armor glowed slightly before opening up above the shoulder to frame over two hundred transparent crystals, the largest of which stood two feet above Scourge's head, the smallest being the length of one of his fingers. Scourge's power erupted outwards, pushing the UO and Vecked back, then sucked back in to become nearly nonexistent. Scourge gestured with his left arm. "This is as strong as I'll ever get. But..." Power suddenly flaring, one of the crystals shot downwards through the arm. Scourge raised his arm above his head, aiming at the ceiling as power exploded from the cannon end, sending debris everywhere as it plowed through the castle above, sending a six-meter wide hole straight up through the atmosphere before it finally dissipated. "Now for you all," Scourge said, aiming the cannon at the floor and firing again. The explosion tore up the floor, sending a massive explosion of flame and ash and soot at everyone and no one in particular. Xardius' shield shot up again, framing the others as the heat and fire washed over them. As the smoke cleared, Scourge was no where to be seen. "He must have gone up top," Xardius coughed. "We've got to follow him." OOC: Wow, big post. I have a picture of his arm, and I'll try to upload it. I was doodling the other day and I came up with it...
OOC: Come of the wunt thing already... :P Scourge turned to Vecked. "You pathetic being. How mistaken you are. Fully realized? Perhaps your power is at its limit. But if you think that makes you stronger..." Scourge shrugged as Xardius coughed behind him. "Show me if you can control your powers...I will crush you all." Xardius stood to his feet. "Xane...Wing...I gotta get you guys fixed up. Vecked, I hate your guts at the moment, but if you want to know where the portal is, you're going to have to fight Scourge while I heal the others. Got it?" Scourge smiled. "It matters little. In the end, you will all die." Xardius snorted, and stumbled towards Xane, already raising a healing spell. Scourge nodded to Vecked. "So show me what you have newly fledged Phoenix..." OOC: I would appreciate it if no one controls others' characters from here on. I will refrain as well (such as not throwing anyone around like I did Wing). Do you get what I mean? I think it'll make the battles cooler for the moment... Scourge no longer has a shield, but he's now as fast as light at times.
Scourge danced aside, letting the momentum from Wing's blows blast him backward...straight into Vecked's flame. Stumbling forward, Scourge winced. "Stage 2, commence," he muttered. "None of you are going anywhere." Raising a hand, he spoke again. "Let us begin." WUNT. Wing flew backwards into Xardius as Scourge hit Wing. Scourge looked at Xardius and then... Xardius desperately braced himself as Scourge's punch threw him backwards. "He put all his energy into his legs!" Xardius yelled. "To see that so quickly," Scourge said from behind Xardius. Xardius threw Wing aside out of harm's way as Scourge blasted him from behind with a massive spell. "Is admirable, Lionheart," Scourge said from in front of Xardius, and then all Xardius knew was fire... Scourge dusted himself off, and smiled slightly as Xardius hit the floor and skidded slightly to lie still. "Your strongest member, defeated," Scourge smirked. "Who's next?" OOC: Nulix, wait a little while for the portal OK? I've got a good plan here, but I don't want to spoil anything. I'll give the go-ahead when I'm ready. Sound good?
OOC: Even though it clutters the thread, it's funny to read... BIC: Scourge's eyes narrowed as his fingers danced, his power intercepting Wing's twilight spells and cutting them apart like paper in a shredder. As Xane attacked, Scourge swept back, keeping ahead of the game with quick footwork and fast dodges and quick blocks. At the last instant, Scourge backflipped, smashing a foot into Xane's chin and carrying him away from the action. Raising a fist, Scourge summoned a massive amount of energy. "Die," he muttered, and threw it at the UO, the energy ball expanding into the spell Ultima. Xardius' eyes widened. "Holy...!" Then the world exploded. *** Enigma stumbled as the explosion's wave hit where the two men were. He turned to look at the next room, where smoke was billowing out. "I guess that means it's begun," Enigma said. "The surviving members of the Brotherhood and I are going to be out of touch for some time. Good luck with everything, Raijin." Enigma turned and began walking away slowly. *** Xardius coughed. "Is everyone all right? My shield was half-baked..." Letting the shield drop, he wafted smoke out of his face, and coughed again.
OOC: Gotta go in ten minutes, so hurry post!
Scourge began running forward, and Xardius swallowed. "Anytime now Wing..." he muttered as Scourge's power sprang into being around his hands...
"It could be dangerous if that thing backfires, but I think it's a sound enough plan," Xardius said. "We'll need something extremely strong, so together...? You direct the magic, I'll provide the raw energy..." Stretching forth a hand, Xardius spewed forth energy into a manipulative pool before the two of them. Scourge shook his head. "That's not enough, old friend. You'll never beat me at this rate..." "And I thought he wanted me to win," Xardius harrumphed. "Whenever you're ready Wing."
"Why can't he do it?" Xardius asked, finally breaking free as Scourge danced backwards back to his chair. "Because," Scourge said. "I've begun implementing the first form of my power." He raised a hand. "And now it's ready." His eyes narrowed. "Stage 1 begin!" Light burst forth around him, dancing into the shape of a perfect sphere, reminiscent of a Reflect spell. "Now, you have no chance of even touching me," Scourge said, walking forward, the ground denting around the shield as he walked. "This shield can withstand anything." "Wing, regroup!" Xardius said, grabbing his friend and running back to the others. "Now what?"
"It's going to take more than that," Scourge said, turning back to Xardius in time to get Xardius' fist in his face. With a oof, Scourge reeled back, his power sagging as Xardius surged forward. Desperately, Scourge threw forth both his hands, barely catching Xardius' blade in his hands, his power straining. Sweat beaded down his forehead, and Scourge gritted his teeth... "If he moves, Wing," Xardius grunted with effort. "He dies! It's either you or me who kills him! Do it now!" OOC: Yeah, that's fine! This fight's going to take quite some time...
OOC: Nice sig Wing! And I don't know where it is either, despite Nulix claiming he wrote it... He even told me the post and it's not there, XD, lol So... BIC: "Let's do this. I'm counting on you guys to give the crushing blow," Xardius said, turning back to Scourge. "Here I go..." Power raged into Xardius like a avalanche, threatening to sweep him away. Xardius held firm, focusing it forward into a thin line near his blade. Fire exploded around his sword as Xardius sprinted forward, swinging his sword down at Scourge with all the force he could muster. Scourge looked bored as he raised a hand, his own power springing up to smash into Xardius', stopping the blow from reaching him. "Now!" Xardius yelled, pushing with all his might. Scourge took an involuntary step back, a small smile skipping onto his face. EDIT OOC: Well, when he said he wasn't going to be on long tonight, I thought it'd be longer than that! Oh, well...
"Scourge is almost as strong as I am, so a head-on attack won't do anything," Xardius said firmly. "But if I make him use all he has to block me, then one of you guys can slip past his defenses and crush him." Xardius looked over his shoulder. "I've wanted to say this for a long time, but...Wing, Xane, Bellatrix...even stinky Nulix..." He turned back to the others and stuck out a fist towards the others. "You are my family. No matter what happens, that's the truth." He smiled. "Let's take just one more guy on; there's no way we'll ever lose if we work together. Are you guys with me?" OOC: Character development post? From me!? BIC: "Raijin," Enigma said, walking up to him. "What are you going to do next?"
