Ptotally Ptolemaic Pthrowdown

[Strazio Rockwell]

Scratching, crawling, skittering, Strazio could hear the relentless din of a thousand insects. These bugs wriggled through his flesh, eating away at his innards. He screamed as a centipede burst out from beneath his fingernail. Beetles squirmed through the marrow in his bones. His heart filled with maggots. Rockwell clawed at the flesh on his forearm, trying in vain to crush a cockroach. He squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head. None of this was real, none of this could be real. Strazio shuddered and opened his eyes. No amount of mental conditioning or self assurance could steady his panicked psyche. Thousands of ants marched beneath his skin and he roared in terror again.

“Stop, for God’s sake stop,” he pleaded and fired a burst of energy at an illusory mayfly.

Strazio’s fever dream came to a halt as his eyes caught sight of a teal flash of light. Enigma whistled through the air towards the mage’s jugular. Instinct kicked and Strazio’s phobia of insects was quickly replaced with a fear for his life. His body twisted as he bent backwards to avoid Tearen’s signature blade. Wover moved to disengage, but Strazio grabbed at the Shadow’s wrist. For a moment Tearen stumbled as Strazio yanked on his arm, but the ex-enigma’s body quickly turned incorporeal. Wover began to float away, his emerald eyes already counting several steps ahead.

“Get back here!” Strazio shouted and leaped after his teacher.

A burst of white-hot magick crashed into Tearen’s gut and sent him tumbling to the ground. Rockwell rushed his fallen master with the ferocity of a starving lion. A vibration emanated from the fallen prime and just as Strazio fully committed to his strike his attack was diverted by a sudden deluge of force. A barrier of bent light safeguarded Tearen, harmlessly deflecting Strazio’s magick infused fist. Another blow was leveled towards the ex-enigma, but its burning payload once again redirected. Strazio swore and jumped back, refusing to take his eyes off his master.

“Come on,” Strazio shouted as he closed one eye, “stand back up!”

Tearen chuckled and climbed to his feet. He raised an eyebrow and asked, “did you get some dust in your eye?”

Strazio smiled, “nope, but I know if I let you out of my sight for even a moment you’re going to try and pull some bullshit again.”

Strazio held up a finger to his closed eye and as he opened it he closed the other one. He continued, “so from here on out, I’m not taking my eyes off you until your a ragged corpse.”

Tearen smiled and responded, “well, let’s see if you can keep true to your word.”

“Don’t worry about me,” Strazio said as he swapped eyes, “you’re the one that’s about to be missing teeth.”

With threats made the rage mage charged forth with a burst of crackling energy. Tearen stood still, halberd in hand as the mage approached. Once the white-haired berserker entered melee range the teacher leaped backwards and performed a single pirouette. As he spun he heaved Enigma over his shoulder and towards the advancing pugilist. The bladestaff spun end over end, carving through the air with a menacing buzz. Refusing to break his onslaught the mage rushed headfirst into the saw blade. Strazio’s skin peeled away, bursting into a cloud of energy-laced fireflies. His dissolved form surged past Enigma and resolidified mere feet away from Tearen. As he burst into existence he lunged forth and wrapped his hand around the Shadow’s throat, slamming him against a pillar. He raised his free hand for the coup de grâce.

“Checkm-” Strazio attempted to declare.

His declaration of victory was cut short as Enigma dutifully returned to its master, burying itself beneath Strazio’s shoulder blade. He screamed in agony as the teal blade drew blood. Despite this horrendous pain his one eye stayed trained on his target. Tearen’s body once again become incorporeal and he began to phase through the sandstone pillar.

“No!” Strazio shouted.

In an act of desperation he brought his hand to his mouth and chomped down on the fatty part. Blood spurted out from the wound and dribbled down the mage’s chin. Wasting no time he planted a bloody handprint right where Tearen’s head had finished phasing into the solid mass. Lightning crackled across the crimson liquid and a moment later it detonated in a spectacular display. The pillar was crumbled and Wover was revealed.