10-13-2015, 09:32 PM
The wizard fought against the pain, but the urgent burn of pain radiating through his abdomen betrayed him and he took a knee, one hand on the armour covering his injured flesh. The boy lunged at Magus, keen to deliver the final blow before his opponent could recover.
The Black Star leapt across the final few feet that separated them, and his target vanished. Again.
Magus clenched his eyes shut and half-groaned, half-roared in frustration, hidden away from his enemy and the audience in the plane between planes. He picked himself up off the ground and regarded the boy caught in mid-leap, his chain scythe brought to bear, ready to come down on Magus’ head and end the battle before it began.
“Little mongrel.”
Wispy tendrils of darkness crept into the corners of his vision. Those… things were near; he had to work quickly. Magus rushed over to a weapon rack and retrieved an elegant rapier before leaping over a barricade and taking cover behind it, slipping back into the material plane.
The snivelling little whelp jerked his head this way and that, trying to get a bead on the wizard who remained behind cover, channelling energy into a small, greasy sphere of energy that roiled there, suspended in the air just above his palm. A faint, purple glow emanated from the inky black energy.
“Where’re you hiding, huh?!”
Magus continued to build up the negative energy already sizzling inside the bolt of Gloom he’d been channelling. He gave the hilt of his newly acquired rapier a reassuring squeeze. The child was aggravatingly good in close combat; the Demon King would need the weapon to fend Black Star off if he could close the distance again.
Black Star stalked carefully toward a barricade – the wrong one, unfortunately for him – and he mood of the crowd soured at the protracted inaction. Conveniently, Magus’ Gloom was just about ready to go. All he needed was for the brat to make a mistake. Just one little error, and Magus would strip the flesh from his bones.
Then, it happened. The filthy urchin leapt over the barricade he’d been stalking, poised to slaughter whatever had been on the other side, and conveniently leaving himself completely exposed from Magus’ vantage point.
The wizard stood, levelling his palm against the Black Star. “Play with fire,” he rumbled, recalling the last time he’d said those fateful words, so long ago. “And you get burned.”
The tide of the crowd turned again as the Gloom leapt from his hand with a sizzling crack, sailing across the void between the combatants. The cheering thundered in a sharp crescendo as the bolt crashed into the hapless Black Star, engulfing him in the blighting explosion.
Magus found himself recalling the face of the young man who had sacrificed himself to save his friends – and the wizard. He found himself saying those callous words.
A boy going up against the Fiendlord; it was like Crono facing Lavos.
The smoke cleared, revealing a gigantic star fixed in the air between Magus and the runt. The bizarre shield had absorbed most of the blast, and rather than dead, the kid had barely more than a few scratches and burns.
“Impressive,” the spellcaster remarked. His scarlet eyes hid the surprise that ebbed under the surface. “But I hope you realize how outclassed you are. I’ve barely begun to test my abilities, and you seem utterly on edge.”
“Oh, right. That’s why you couldn’t stand after we scuffled for like three seconds.”
“Be silent, you cur.”
“Come here and say that, wimp!”
“Very well.”
Magus blinked out of existence once more. The Black Star knew how this worked and adopted a defensive stance, his back to the barricade. The wizard would somehow teleport from nowhere and he’d have to be ready right then to strike first.
The wizard blinked into reality for a moment, throwing an elbow into the side of Black Star’s head, sending him reeling before blinking out again, reappearing almost instantly in front of his adversary and driving the pommel of his rapier into his gut. Magus disappeared again, popping up on the kid’s side and thrusting at him with the sword.
This time, the Black Star was ready. He desperately twisted his body, wrapping the chains of his scythe around Magus’ blade and wrenching it free from the wizard’s hands before launching a snap kick to his face, staggering him backward, blood trickling from his lips and nose.
The Black Star leapt across the final few feet that separated them, and his target vanished. Again.
Magus clenched his eyes shut and half-groaned, half-roared in frustration, hidden away from his enemy and the audience in the plane between planes. He picked himself up off the ground and regarded the boy caught in mid-leap, his chain scythe brought to bear, ready to come down on Magus’ head and end the battle before it began.
“Little mongrel.”
Wispy tendrils of darkness crept into the corners of his vision. Those… things were near; he had to work quickly. Magus rushed over to a weapon rack and retrieved an elegant rapier before leaping over a barricade and taking cover behind it, slipping back into the material plane.
The snivelling little whelp jerked his head this way and that, trying to get a bead on the wizard who remained behind cover, channelling energy into a small, greasy sphere of energy that roiled there, suspended in the air just above his palm. A faint, purple glow emanated from the inky black energy.
“Where’re you hiding, huh?!”
Magus continued to build up the negative energy already sizzling inside the bolt of Gloom he’d been channelling. He gave the hilt of his newly acquired rapier a reassuring squeeze. The child was aggravatingly good in close combat; the Demon King would need the weapon to fend Black Star off if he could close the distance again.
Black Star stalked carefully toward a barricade – the wrong one, unfortunately for him – and he mood of the crowd soured at the protracted inaction. Conveniently, Magus’ Gloom was just about ready to go. All he needed was for the brat to make a mistake. Just one little error, and Magus would strip the flesh from his bones.
Then, it happened. The filthy urchin leapt over the barricade he’d been stalking, poised to slaughter whatever had been on the other side, and conveniently leaving himself completely exposed from Magus’ vantage point.
The wizard stood, levelling his palm against the Black Star. “Play with fire,” he rumbled, recalling the last time he’d said those fateful words, so long ago. “And you get burned.”
The tide of the crowd turned again as the Gloom leapt from his hand with a sizzling crack, sailing across the void between the combatants. The cheering thundered in a sharp crescendo as the bolt crashed into the hapless Black Star, engulfing him in the blighting explosion.
Magus found himself recalling the face of the young man who had sacrificed himself to save his friends – and the wizard. He found himself saying those callous words.
A boy going up against the Fiendlord; it was like Crono facing Lavos.
The smoke cleared, revealing a gigantic star fixed in the air between Magus and the runt. The bizarre shield had absorbed most of the blast, and rather than dead, the kid had barely more than a few scratches and burns.
“Impressive,” the spellcaster remarked. His scarlet eyes hid the surprise that ebbed under the surface. “But I hope you realize how outclassed you are. I’ve barely begun to test my abilities, and you seem utterly on edge.”
“Oh, right. That’s why you couldn’t stand after we scuffled for like three seconds.”
“Be silent, you cur.”
“Come here and say that, wimp!”
“Very well.”
Magus blinked out of existence once more. The Black Star knew how this worked and adopted a defensive stance, his back to the barricade. The wizard would somehow teleport from nowhere and he’d have to be ready right then to strike first.
The wizard blinked into reality for a moment, throwing an elbow into the side of Black Star’s head, sending him reeling before blinking out again, reappearing almost instantly in front of his adversary and driving the pommel of his rapier into his gut. Magus disappeared again, popping up on the kid’s side and thrusting at him with the sword.
This time, the Black Star was ready. He desperately twisted his body, wrapping the chains of his scythe around Magus’ blade and wrenching it free from the wizard’s hands before launching a snap kick to his face, staggering him backward, blood trickling from his lips and nose.
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![[Image: Magus.jpg]](http://rpnexus.com/sig/miscsig/Magus.jpg)