10-14-2015, 09:09 PM
Magus’ wrath spread across his bloody countenance like a cataclysm, screwing his face up into a venomous snarl. He’d fallen right next to his opponent who had done the same. To think an impudent, cotton-candy haired runt had matched him, even for a moment. Those words squirmed their way through his mind a second time.
“Only room for one assassin in this arena.”
The deadly conjurer forced himself to sit up, glancing over at the Black Star, who laid just feet from him, wisps of smoke streaming from both sides of his head. The boy saw Magus getting up, and summoned the will to do the same.
They hadn’t even found their footing when the boy lunged at Magus again, whipping his scythe around with far more dexterity than a dazed man should have had. The Fiendlord had had quite enough chain-scythe antics, however, and handily deflected an incoming slash away with a backhand to Black Star’s wrist, and followed up with a harsh palm strike to the chest, before he snaked his leg behind his opponent’s and brought him down with a hard slam, tripping him up like the boy had done to him with those damned chains.
“I’m no assassin, boy, no killer for hire, exchanging blood for gold. I’ve lived a thousand lifetimes and the impact of my actions stretches across eons,” his voice, already a low rumble, grew darker, quieter. “How dare you try to compare yourself to me, you petulant whelp?”
The kid clambered to his feet and Magus vanished, scooping up his fallen rapier and racing over to the weapons rack filled to the brim with deadly medieval implements. He withdrew a loaded light crossbow and, without even turning back to his opponent, brought it to bear against him, looking over his shoulder to sight his target.
He waited until the kid turned away from him and then reappeared. Just as soon as he’d pulled the trigger and loosed the bolt, he stepped back into the place between worlds once more. He stifled a bemused chuckle at the sight of the crossbow bolt suspended in the air nearly halfway between himself and the Black Star, ever so slowly traversing the distance.
Magus wasted no time in rushing past it and past Black Star, positioning himself so the boy stood between himself and the crossbow bolt now sailing toward them. He’d just about slipped back into the material plane when he saw it.
One of those bizarre, formless shadow people stood just on the outside edge of the invisible barrier that housed their combat, facelessly staring at him. Magus fought down the chill creeping up his spine; he had to focus on the matter at hand.
Magus blinked back into reality right in front of the Black Star, but before the kid could react, the crossbow bolt bit into the flesh of his back, piercing him right between the ribs. His eyes went wide and he arched his back, leaving him open to a slash across the chest.
The wizard-cum-swordsman went for another swipe, but the boy had collected himself enough to slash upward with his scythe, crashing his blade against that of the rapier’s, shattering the fragile steel of the elegant gentleman’s sword.
Black Star pressed his attack, slicing deep across Magus’ face before being pelted by a flurry of Gloom bolts and tossed backward off his feet. He crashed hard onto his shoulder and tumbled through the dirt as the Demon King clutched at his face, doubled over in tormenting pain.
The crowd was in an absolute frenzy at this new escalation of violence, and by the time Magus had collected himself and stood upright, the wretched assassin was pulling himself to his feet.
A deep, surgical gash stretched from just left of his left eye, down between his nose and upper lip, to the bottom of his jaw on his right side. Blood flowed freely from the wound, but the Black Star hadn’t fared any better. He’d been badly burned in patches across his flesh, and the ragged cut across his chest and bolt wound in his back had added to his misery.
Without wasting a beat, he hurled two bolts of Gloom, vanished, popped up at the boy’s side and drove his knee into him, vanished again, appeared on his other side just as the bolts crashed into the Black Star with explosive effect, and slammed his elbow into the kid’s face, dropping him to the dirt.
“Only room for one assassin in this arena.”
The deadly conjurer forced himself to sit up, glancing over at the Black Star, who laid just feet from him, wisps of smoke streaming from both sides of his head. The boy saw Magus getting up, and summoned the will to do the same.
They hadn’t even found their footing when the boy lunged at Magus again, whipping his scythe around with far more dexterity than a dazed man should have had. The Fiendlord had had quite enough chain-scythe antics, however, and handily deflected an incoming slash away with a backhand to Black Star’s wrist, and followed up with a harsh palm strike to the chest, before he snaked his leg behind his opponent’s and brought him down with a hard slam, tripping him up like the boy had done to him with those damned chains.
“I’m no assassin, boy, no killer for hire, exchanging blood for gold. I’ve lived a thousand lifetimes and the impact of my actions stretches across eons,” his voice, already a low rumble, grew darker, quieter. “How dare you try to compare yourself to me, you petulant whelp?”
The kid clambered to his feet and Magus vanished, scooping up his fallen rapier and racing over to the weapons rack filled to the brim with deadly medieval implements. He withdrew a loaded light crossbow and, without even turning back to his opponent, brought it to bear against him, looking over his shoulder to sight his target.
He waited until the kid turned away from him and then reappeared. Just as soon as he’d pulled the trigger and loosed the bolt, he stepped back into the place between worlds once more. He stifled a bemused chuckle at the sight of the crossbow bolt suspended in the air nearly halfway between himself and the Black Star, ever so slowly traversing the distance.
Magus wasted no time in rushing past it and past Black Star, positioning himself so the boy stood between himself and the crossbow bolt now sailing toward them. He’d just about slipped back into the material plane when he saw it.
One of those bizarre, formless shadow people stood just on the outside edge of the invisible barrier that housed their combat, facelessly staring at him. Magus fought down the chill creeping up his spine; he had to focus on the matter at hand.
Magus blinked back into reality right in front of the Black Star, but before the kid could react, the crossbow bolt bit into the flesh of his back, piercing him right between the ribs. His eyes went wide and he arched his back, leaving him open to a slash across the chest.
The wizard-cum-swordsman went for another swipe, but the boy had collected himself enough to slash upward with his scythe, crashing his blade against that of the rapier’s, shattering the fragile steel of the elegant gentleman’s sword.
Black Star pressed his attack, slicing deep across Magus’ face before being pelted by a flurry of Gloom bolts and tossed backward off his feet. He crashed hard onto his shoulder and tumbled through the dirt as the Demon King clutched at his face, doubled over in tormenting pain.
The crowd was in an absolute frenzy at this new escalation of violence, and by the time Magus had collected himself and stood upright, the wretched assassin was pulling himself to his feet.
A deep, surgical gash stretched from just left of his left eye, down between his nose and upper lip, to the bottom of his jaw on his right side. Blood flowed freely from the wound, but the Black Star hadn’t fared any better. He’d been badly burned in patches across his flesh, and the ragged cut across his chest and bolt wound in his back had added to his misery.
Without wasting a beat, he hurled two bolts of Gloom, vanished, popped up at the boy’s side and drove his knee into him, vanished again, appeared on his other side just as the bolts crashed into the Black Star with explosive effect, and slammed his elbow into the kid’s face, dropping him to the dirt.
Quote:748 words according to that there wordcounter.net
![[Image: Magus.jpg]](http://rpnexus.com/sig/miscsig/Magus.jpg)