Ptotally Ptolemaic Pthrowdown

[Tearen Wover]

The sounds of seabirds, shouts from the bazaar, and the hiss of distant surf along the edges of the limestone docks echoed dimly through the dry and cool atrium. The smell of papyrus and lantern oil suffused the still air, where the crinkly unraveling of a Vedic scroll was the most startling thing to cut through the otherwise suffocating tranquility of this most sacred of loci. Earthtones awash with the oranges and purples of fading daylight threw the soft, sensual curves of the lounge furniture and its sole occupant into sharp relief. Of all the countless projects sprung from Alexander's conquests, Tearen had always been fond of the library in the eponymous Alexandria. True, while its value to human history and knowledge was often overstated in millennia to come, it was certainly a hallmark of a step in the right direction; the desire of the human spirit to learn from past mistakes chiseled into marble and sandstone with immaculate care.

The irony, then, of sensing the presence of one of his most tempestuous and destructive disciples was not lost on the Shadow. Though Rockwell's mind was guarded against all practical forms of telepathic probing, the man still vented frustration and anger into the psychic air like a freight train. Perhaps it was an apt metaphor, consider the deliberation and determination with which Strazio approached his lounging former teacher. Granted, Tearen was not exactly hard to pick out of a crowd for one who had the sort of sensitivity that Strazio did. Though the Shadow certainly did not visibly stick out in his humble cloth robes and dark complexion, the Elder Prime exuded his own presence in a way both as subtle and profound as a towering bank of nimbus clouds.

"We need to talk." Strazio blurted, crossing his arms sourly over his chest. Tearen paused his perusal of the large scroll in front of him before rolling it away and shooting the rage mage a knowing glance.

"Really Strazio, not even a hello?" Tearen quipped raising an eyebrow. He could tell his disciple was not exactly in the mood, but the ex-enigma would be lying if he said he didn't enjoy pushing Rockwell's buttons every now and then.

"You already know why I'm here." Strazio snapped back, his fists balled up into their signature fists. Tearen chuckled.

"You're giving me too much credit, friend...but I'm guessing we had better step outside?" the eldritch human said. His voice still retained hints of a smile, even if it was a tad melancholy. The true context of this situation was not lost on him, but if this was the only way he would get to see his beloved Enigmas on occasion, it would have to suffice...

[Strazio Rockwell]

Outside Rockwell sized up his former teacher. The enigma that stood before him showed no signs of agitation from having been disturbed. This apparent disregard for the severity of the situation sent pangs of anger through the white-haired berserker. He took a deep breath. Gamzee was right, losing his temper would just mean playing right into the enigma’s hand. No, finesse was needed here. Strazio jabbed a crackling finger at his soon-to-be opponent.

“You gave me all of this power, but never gave me a chance to put it through its paces,” Strazio said, “you know how hard it is to use something that you really don’t understand?”

“So you figured that the best way to learn is by fighting your teacher?” Tearen responded.

“More or less,” Strazio chuckled, “besides I’ve been wanting to knock you around a little ever since I met you.”

“Perhaps we could choose a more suitable venue?” He asked, motioning to the ancient library.

“No,” Strazio said, removing Demetri’s rifle from his shoulder, “now, before I lose my nerve.”

Tearen stared past the barrel of Strazio’s weapon and the two locked eyes. A pair of emeralds shimmered around Rockwell’s pupils. Strazio took another deep breath, holding it in for a moment to steady his heartbeat. An inexplicable calm washed over the rage mage. Chattering thoughts were washed away and his vision became a hyper-focused needle. Anger and rage gave way to harmonious tranquility. Breath in. Breath out. Flow swallowed the perpetually-perturbed mage and in that moment he felt unstoppable.

“I’m not going to hold back,” he said, “and you better not either, I’m not going to stop until one of us is dead.”

Starting the fight with my "God-mind" transformation active for one round 2/6 SP remaining.
Strazio's current stats,
ATK - 5
DEF - 3
SPD - 4
TEC - 11

[Gilgamesh]

Gilgamesh sat comfortably in a chair in the massive library, casually reading Sappho’s beautiful poetry. It really was quite a shame that these luxuries were built after the gilded King had passed. It was a great comfort to Gil that he was able to lay claim to these spiritual treasures now that he was alive once again. His eyes slowly glazed over the finishing stanza before raising his hand and snapping his fingers.

“You there, servant girl? Fetch me the next piece of art. This is… Gilgamesh close the scroll and looked at the title, “Sappho 16 . Gilgamesh raised his hand, holding the scroll waiting for the girl to pick it up. She hurriedly took it from his hands before scurrying off into the library to find the King’s next request. Gilgamesh’s ears perked up as he heard two voices echoing clearly throughout the halls, clearly uneasy with one another.

“Perhaps we could choose a more suitable venue?” He asked, motioning to the ancient library.

“No,” Strazio said, removing Demetri’s rifle from his shoulder, “now, before I lose my nerve.”

A vein bulged in his eyebrow, the two would dare desanctify this place of priceless treasure? He would not allow them to defile this sacred place of spiritual pleasure. Gilgamesh rose from his seat hastily, following the loud voices. He hustled throughout the library, not long before ending up between the likely two culprits.

“I’m not going to hold back,” he said, “and you better not either, I’m not going to stop until one of us is dead.”

Gilgamesh stood at the top of the stairs overlooking the two obvious primes. Gold dust materialize and collected upon Gilgamesh, beginning to form his iconic golden armor. “You fools. You would have the gall to spar in a intellectual palace filled with my treasures? His voice dripped with venom. Your bodies will hit the ground before you have the chance, cur.

[Tearen Wover]

Tearen was honestly impressed by the font of psionic might that now poured from Strazio's mind like a great seeping waterfall. Raw mental potency fed directly into his highest mental cortices by the universe itself provided the Rage Mage's anger the sort of grist required for a focused burn. The Shadow saw before him a Rockwell that was more akin to a coiled viper, rather than the raging bull he was made out to be. Another mind flickered across his perception which was familiar, and cured in the fires of deep culture. Tearen was very pleased to see Gilgamesh after so long, and doubly pleased to note that the Golden King's penchant for irrepressible egotism had not diminished.

"So much ambition gathered here before me..." the Elder Prime murmured. The air became tangy with ozone, a palpable indicator that the ex-enigma was now marshaling his own potency. He gathered a deep breath and held it tightly for a few seconds before releasing it in time with the offshore breeze. A glittering pall of mist spiraled forth from pursed lips and wrapped Tearen in a shawl of protective energy as he lowered into a defensive stance. Lavender light heralded the beckoning of Enigma to his hands, and somewhere, a dove crooned.

"...let us see if you have the strength to match–" Tearen started before being abruptly knocked several yards through the air into the hedges by a crackling white fist. The ground smoked and fractured where Strazio had advanced to deliver the punch. He took another smoldering step before the cacophonous ringing of chains sounded. Despite his elevated mind, his body could not divert its momentum quickly enough to escape Gilgamesh's regal snare.

"Tempestuous fiend! I did not permit you to act out of turn!" Gilgamesh snapped, cocking his head to the side. Strazio strained against the steaming chains for a moment before growling softly.

"Oh you just had to give him an opening..." the Rage Mage seethed.

Meanwhile, Tearen picked himself up off of a collapsed bazaar stand and a very tall man in a trenchcoat who had been lingering nearby. The eldritch human grunted slightly before offering the scar-faced shopper to his feet.

"A treasury of apologies. Please, I would recommend leaving the area." Tearen said before summoning nuclear fire into his fingertip. Crocodile watched with restrained ire as the Shadow sent a wire-thin blast of destruction blasting through the ruined bushes. By the time Gilgamesh was wracked by the beam, Strazio had already shattered the chains and was busy smashing incoming Babylonian weapons as they whistled through the air. When the Rage Mage saw Gilgamesh spin down to one knee, clutching a freshly scorched shoulder, he immediately began searching for Tearen. There was, however, no sign of the Shadow in the direction the laser had been fired from.

A slight, fluttering shadow was all the warning Strazio received as Tearen rocketed down towards him from above, halberd poised to impale. Strazio's elevated mind easily prepared a counter, and he grabbed the wooden haft of Enigma before violently wrenching his erstwhile mentor towards the ground. Instead of smacking into the ground with a satisfying thud, however, the Shadow vanished through a rippling tear in spacetime that had opened up just next to the furious fighter. A similar disc of shimmering nonsense had opened above Gilgamesh, who was doing his best to regain his composure behind the violet barrier he had summoned. When the exit portal deposited Tearen's cloaked form on top of the shielding energy, Gilgamesh's eyes widened in disbelief.

"You...insolent...DOG!" the King shouted as a fusillade of golden portals suddenly encircled Tearen's position above Gilgamesh's head. Strazio looked on, his mind racing more quickly than can be expressed, before it came to a screeching halt. He was still holding Tearen's halberd. The instant he realized this, the eldritch weapon jerked to life of its own seeming accord, leaving a smart gash across Rockwell's left calf. He roared in pain as he hurled the thrashing halberd away from him.

This resulted in a standoff, if even for just the span of one breath. Gilgamesh could not drop his shield to attack, or the ex-enigma would be upon him. Strazio could not attack Tearen without putting himself in position to take the full brunt of Gilgamesh's blades, and Tearen could not attack without leaving himself open to either one of the other combatants. It was at that exact moment, however, that a freak storm of sand and grit whipped across the library's courtyard. Visibility was reduced to nearly zero in the dusty gale, and even Strazio's ascended mind could not force down the reflex to close his eyes for just a second.

"You all are being a damn nuisance, you know that?" Crocodile bellowed as he strolled into the fray...

800 Words Exactly, According to Wordcounter.net

Tearen used Tier 2 Utility - Ablative Succor to give himself an additional temporary 6 HP for the duration of this fight.

7/9 SP Remaining

[Gilgamesh]

The heavy winds and sand filled air battered against Gilgamesh’s face, forcing him to close his eyes. His attention was drawn away from the Shadow above and towards the sound of the new combatant. The King waved his hand down, allowing the purple shield to dissipate and the shadow above him to drop. The Golden Portals shifted their attention to the source of this storm.

“One does not interrupt the King as he is carrying out an execution. Your head is next on the block.” The array of weaponry fired blindly in the direction of the new combatant. Though Gilgamesh could not see the results of his onslaught, the sound of his treasures piercing through the floor was enough satisfaction.

Gilgamesh’s smirk didn’t last long as the Ex-Enigma was now atop of him, distributing blows with precision and ferocity. Seemingly unaffected by the blinding storm, Tearen struck his palm against Gilgamesh’s chest. Surprised by the effect and suddenness of the buffet, Gilgamesh was sent flying into a marble column, destroying it as it ‘softened’ his fall. He groaned as he pushed off the marble rubble, the tempest dying down as he did so. The intruder, much to Gil’s dismay, was still in one piece and at the fray of the battle between Straizo and Tearen.

The Gilded King got onto his feet, wiping a trail of blood from his mouth before reentering the battle. The sight of Tearen brought Gilgamesh into a rage, none should dare lay a hand on him. Golden portals erupted above Gil’s head, with spears and swords to greet their targets. With a disdainful scoff he nodded, letting his armory descend onto the battle. With unreal speed and ability, Straizo grabbed a sword from mid air before casually ducking around the other blades. Most of the weaponry missed their mark, only slightly grazing the Elder Prime. However, Straizo’s attention was now upon Gilgamesh.

“I have waited too long for this. You will not interrupt this fight.” The approaching Mage spoke with an eerie calmness, but with determination with every step. He tossed the golden sword aside, it dissipating into golden dust as it left his hand. Gilgamesh sneered at the approaching brute, taking out a golden sword to meet him face on. The mage’s hand began to swirl with pure white energy as he approached and Gilgamesh brought up his blade. Straizo let out a punch, letting the onslaught of pure magic release from his hands.

Gilgamesh raised his purple barrier, yawning as he prepared to block the move, “You magi never learn.” His overconfidence didn’t last long as the bolts of energy pierced through his barrier and collided with his chest. The forced pushed Gilgamesh back a few feet and he grasped his chest in pain, heavily breathing. His armor was pierced with ease and left a large, painful burn on his shoulder. Gilgamesh grit his teeth as he opened up a large portal behind him, firing a quick array of weapons. Effortlessly, Straizo dodged the main attacks and dashed forward closing the gap between the two.

The mages fist closed around Gilgamesh’s throat before lifting him off the ground. The King’s airway tightened and he struggled to breathe. The mage’s fingers began to burn into his skin, while Gil’s eyelids began to feel more and more heavy. As his arms began to feel weaker, Gilgamesh panicked as he realized that the mage was siphoning off his energy. Gilgamesh raised his arm and pitifully slashed his sword into the mage’s side. With a grunt of pain, Straizo tossed him across the room like a rag doll. Gilgamesh slid across the floor before hitting the wall of the library, knocking the wind out of him. Gilgamesh attempted to get up, but he could only muster enough strength to get up on one knee. Gilgamesh opened one Gate of Babylon, letting a trident peak out of his vault.

Straizo turned around, confident that the King was finished. Gilgamesh let the weapon flash by, this time successfully embedding it into Straizo’s leg. The mage turned around to see Gilgamesh back upon one foot with a golden portal in front of him.

“You think that a dirty thief like yourself can steal my divine energy?” Gilgamesh reached into the portal to retrieve a weapon that looked like a black and red lance. The pieces rotated slowly at Gilgamesh used it to help him stand up. He raised the blade and the rotating pieces began to spin with higher frequency, emitting red flashes of energy and causing the rubble on the ground to shake.

Gilgamesh screamed at Straizo with hate, “There will be nothing left of your body when I am finished with it. Enuma Elish!”

 797 Words Gilgamesh used T2 Super Move Enuma Elish on Straizo
SP 4/6 Left

[Crocodile]

Crocodile couldn’t help but to let out a hearty chortle as the waves of wind-driven sand wiped the library interior from view. As irritated as he was over the interruption of his inspection of the bazaar’s goods, it always filled the Pirate with a fearsome glee to watch his worthless prey squirm ineffectually before his might.


Just then, rudely interrupting the former Shichibukai’s laughter, a hail of weaponry cut a course through his storm, heading right for him. Pathetic. Did the fool really think that would work against him? "KU ah ah ah ah!" he laughed as the weapons tore through his torso, each causing a small explosion of sand as it passed and shattering the stone flooring beyond.

His laughter suddenly cut short, however, when the wide arc of a spinning scimitar managed to lop his hand off at the wrist. And while it still hadn’t managed to actually injure the large Pirate, the loss meant that his storm wouldn’t last.

“Hmph…” he scoffed softly, raising the stump before him as it, and his other ‘wounds’ began to refill. “Guess even a worm can get lucky sometimes…”

Slowly becoming audible over the dying sands came the crash and clatter of combat nearby. Focusing his Haki, Crocodile managed to catch the tail-end of the melee between Tearen and Gilgamesh, and catch the moment when Strazio rejoined his fight against the man. For the moment, their attention was focused entirely on one another, and Croc was content to simply watch as his Sables slowly died away. That is, until another volley of medieval weaponry entered into the mix.

Fortunately, it seemed Crocodile wasn’t the man’s target this time. No, it was the dark-skinned fellow and his antagonist who came under fire. Both performed admirably in avoiding any serious injuries, though Strazio immediately moved to deal with Golden Boy, leaving Tearen and Crocodile alone for a moment. Each eyed the other cooly, before Croc turned to face the man.

"A 'treasury of apologies' wasn't it?" the former Shichibukai said as he leisurely advanced towards Tearen. His golden hook flashed in the harsh sunlight, a mirror image of the glint coming from his sadist's smile. "Well, you can keep your damn apologies, maggot; I'm more interested in the treasure."

As the man opened his mouth for a retort, Crocodile raised his voice and interrupted him. “Yeah, yeah... I know it was a metaphor. And, honestly? That just pisses me off more. If you don’t have anything worth my time… I’ll just have to make you pay with blood.”

Only a single step remained to separate the two men. With a self-satisfied grin, Croc readied his hook before him. Tearen, for his part, appeared distinctly nonplussed; a fact which irked the larger man. Of course, he wouldn’t be so smug with Crocodile’s hook lodged in his gut. With that thought in his mind, the former Shichibukai took a step forward and…

...stumbled as the world seemed to zip behind him. His mind reeled at the sudden dissonance between what once was and what is now. Tearen had vanished from before him, but there was more to it than that. The entire world had lurched to the rear, like a ball thrown from a child’s hand.

He didn’t have long to consider the whys or hows of his situation, however, as his stomach suddenly exploded with searing pain. His gaze slowly lowered until it fixed upon the tip of a black halberd protruding from his midsection for a moment before quickly receding from his back. Falling to a knee, Crocodile struggled against his protesting body to look beyond his shoulder at his attacker.

All previous signs of casual condescension left the mafia-esque man as he fixed the ex-Enigma with a furious glare. The ragged hole in his abdomen burned with agony, but his heart burned hotter with an intense hatred. All pretense of cultural veneer left Croc's voice as he growled out, "I'm gettin’ tired a' playin' aroun' widju fools..."

Anger forced a vein to the surface of his greyish forehead, which throbbed rhythmically in time with the spurts of blood leaving him. A normal man would have pressed his hand against the flow of blood, but Crocodile… he only had one hand left to him. And he had other plans for it.

Shouts of hate, pain, and conflict sounded from somewhere behind him, but Crocodile barely registered it at all. His mind had focused on only a single purpose. Fighting his unsteady breathing, the Pirate shouted at his dark-skinned foe as he slammed his hand to the ground.

"GROUND SECCO!!" briefly echoed his words before being drowned out by the roar of magical power from behind.

800 Words, according to Google Docs.

Crocodile used T1 Super Utility: Ground Secco. It has been updated since the fight started (Thanks Omnibama!), so it can no longer be blocked by Super Defenses, but i must maintain it round to round via additional SP expenditure.

As a note, the latter portion of this post plays out while Gilgamesh and Straz are busy, so I finished it up with Enuma Elish, so we’re all at the same point.

SP Remaining: 2/3

[Strazio Rockwell]

Crimson hell washed over the ascended berserker and his hyper-focused world went tumbling end over end. Heat, unbearable and implacable heat, consumed his body as Ea’s cry threatened to incinerate his corporeal form. What had seemed to be an eternity of vertigo and inferno came to a final end as Strazio crashed through a sandstone pillar. Strazio was left smoldering beneath a pile of rubble. Death would have been a welcome escape from the pain. Yet, perhaps because it was the only thing he was good at, the white-haired marauder still drew breath. A shotgun flash of white light erupted from his palm and blasted away a chunk of sandstone that had pinned him. He groaned. Why didn’t he bring Gamzee? At least the troll would’ve tried to eat some of the damage for him. His contemplation was short lived as a spear zipped past his head and staked itself into the sand.

“Still alive thief?” Gilgamesh taunted, more self-assured than before, “don’t worry, your king will fix that.”

A golden axe rocketed through the air and took a chunk out of Rockwell’s shoulder. Strazio swore and dove behind the fallen pillar as a fusillade of sharp objects whizzed by overhead. With his back pressed against the pillar he took a deep breath. Where the world had been awash with understanding and clarity he found that its edges had begun to fray. Of course his duel with Tearen had to turn into a clusterfuck, nothing was ever easy. And for that matter when the hell had it gotten so hot? Strazio found himself sweating despite the relatively meager exertion. He shook his head and wiped away the chattering thoughts, he couldn’t change the heat nor could he turn back time and reschedule the duel. No, he had to work with what he was given, as perturbing as that was. His resolve once again steeled he set to work cauterizing every open wound on his body. Another spear tore through his barrier, missing him by mere inches.

“Keep throwing things, see what happens, I dare you!” Strazio shouted, and in response Gilgamesh fired another series of treasures.

Strazio inhaled slowly and corralled energy into his forearm. Crackling white electricity danced across his flesh. Skin was torn away and atomized, turned into the sizzling magick that fueled his spells. It was a sharp pain, but it was the kind of pain that he could handle. It was on his terms and it was through this pain the the Avatar of Anger focused its undying rage. After a few seconds of channelling his arm was ripped raw and shimmering with a lethal energy. Strazio exhaled. There was an opening only a second or two long, but it was there. His emerald eyes dilated as he stood up and focused on the golden bastard. Gilgamesh opened his mouth to say something, but before he could even make a sound Strazio unleashed the stored energy. What sounded like a thunderclap barked across the battlefield as the breach beam tore through the air. The king’s eyes went wide as the beam drilled dead center into his chest and sent him tumbling onto his ass.

WIthout even waiting to see if his attack had actually connected Strazio broke into a dead sprint. Fatigue strapped itself to his back and he found himself winded quickly. Unnatural heat weighed upon him as if were a water-soaked vest. This wasn’t natural. He caught his breath and scanned the battlefield. Tearen was nowhere to be seen, and all that stood before him was a hook-handed stranger. Heat. Putting the puzzle pieces together Strazio’s mind threatened to overheat. Stopping meant death and the white-haired warrior knew that. His aching muscles screamed and still he did not break his stride. Momentum was needed. At least the bastard wasn’t even trying to avoid him. Strazio smirked, at least he wasn’t the dumb one for a change.

Rockwell’s scar-covered hand slammed into Crocodile’s gut. His opponent’s flesh gave away easily and Strazio buried his open hand several inches into his torso. A fleeting urge to taunt the soon-to-be-dead-man was brushed aside and he dumped magick into the onslaught. A burst of blinding white light tore through the man’s abdomen, blowing a fist size hole straight through his body and sending… sand? everywhere. Strazio’s eyes went wide and they frantically skipped across his target’s body. Without waiting for an explanation he delivered another punch to the man’s unprotected rib cage and once again found nothing but sand. Crocodile’s body shuddered as he chuckled heartily.

“What?” Strazio gasped, still struggling to comprehend.

In a flash of gold the stranger’s hook pierced the magi’s lower back and he screamed in agony. Clarity was gone, replaced by agony.

“Sorry, but that’s just not good enough,” Crocodile taunted.

Used charged Breach taking 1 point of self-inflicted damage

[Tearen Wover]

Meanwhile, it seemed as though the other Primes had lost track of Tearen again. This suited the Shadow just fine as he cruised on the eddies of heated air rising from the battlefield. Granted, finding the strength to get to this safe distance from Crocodile's oppressive abilities had taken a lot out of the elder Prime, even on the lightweight wings of his avian body. Though he could have easily slipped away from the melee at this point, he owed it to Strazio to continue this impromptu demonstration. To be frank, however, Tearen was disappointed in the Rage Mage. King Gilgamesh and the newcomer could be forgiven for letting Tearen out of their sight. Rockwell should have known better. After taking stock of his reserved stamina, the eldritch human decided that yes, he still had some lessons to teach. The crow let out a dull, rasping cry and Strazio's head snapped up to spot its source.

"Dammit Tearen! Get down h-" Strazio said before the sun behind the crow extinguished itself. The sky went awash with putrid green stars, each a swollen eye gazing down at the harried combatants. The ground beneath them exploded into a sea of writhing, spitting vipers, and a fountain of chewing arthropods spilled from every wound. Strazio could feel the familiar tickle in the back of his mind. He knew what was happening.

"It's not real. It's not real..." the furious fighter intoned, watching as a bloody centipede wormed its way out of his palm. Crocodile, being familiar with illusions, was likewise trying to convince himself that the ensuing terror was just a vision. However, when the smell of burning flesh filled his nose and the agony of fire told the mobster that his legs were burning, it was difficult to focus on much else. Poor Gilgamesh was lost. His gleaming, golden trappings had been reduced to moldering sack-cloth. Amidst the vehement attempts to retain their composure, the trio of brawlers became aware of a presence between the three of them. Tearen rose as a haunting black mist from the ground. Acidic green eyes glanced around in challenge as the fringes of his humble shawl snapped and whipped like a squid's arms. Hooks, scythes and fiery fists were leveled at the Shadow, but as in all other things, the elder Prime was prepared.

The newly anointed night flashed as incarnadine light briefly illuminated the carved, disintegrating sandstone plaza. Apep would have been proud. Each bloom of fire signaled another blow from the frenzied, terrified Primes as they fruitlessly bashed their weapons against Tearen's telekinetic defenses. It wasn't until Gilgamesh drove Reaper down into the ex-enigma's shoulder that the King was able to regain any semblance of self control. Alas, the satisfaction of breaching the Shadow's stalwart defenses did not last.

The moment that the blade of the regal scythe bit into Tearen's surprisingly dense flesh, a hail of gleaming light beams rained down on the assembled combatants. Strazio felt a half-nauseating sense of pride mixed with anger; only his teacher would have the audacity to use himself as a diversion whilst simultaneously summoning his weaponized prisms into existence. Gilgmesh saw past the shock and awe tactics; his divine sight revealed that the Shadow had invested more resources than he had intended in the ploy. Crocodile's nefarious heat had turned Tearen's already strenuous gambit into a desperate struggle. Even as the Shadow summoned the halberd Enigma back to his hands, everyone could see the eldritch human panting.

"You! Rabid cur! Strike this magi down while he is winded!" Gilgamesh snapped, trying to simultaneously cope with firing enchanted weaponry at the attacking Aspects. A beam of glittering power struck him in the gut, silencing him. Pride and anger aside, Strazio did not need to be asked twice. With a feral growl, the Rage Mage pounced on Tearen, who had been occupied exchanging fearsome blows with the towering pirate mobster. He didn't care that he was getting blasted by lasers. He didn't care that he was giving Crocodile some breathing room. All Strazio cared about was smashing his bloodied fists into the Shadow's face over and over.

This went on for some time, and at some point even the berserker realized that it was longer than might be expected.

"He's letting you rough 'im up, ya damn ape!" Crocodile shouted, doing his best to keep his sand-infused body free from laser burns. It had occurred to the gangster that this 'Tearen' schmuck had been using Crocodile's own Secco to his advantage. While the other two Primes were busy defending themselves against these damn flying ornaments, Tearen was able to take some time to regain his energy, despite the assault. Strazio paused to look down at his teacher's face, only to meet white eyes and psychic agony.

800 Words Exactly, Wordcounter.net

4 SP Used

Aspects of Divinity -2
Panic Outbreak - 2

3/9 SP Remaining

[Gilgamesh]

The raging magi was delivering an onslaught of blows towards Tearen, each of his punches resolving with a resounding thwack. Straizo was breathing heavily as he continued his barrage, until he looked at his former teacher. The Shadow’s eyes glossed over white and Straizo’s fists dropped to the ground, hanging limply like a rag doll. The two primes eyes locked onto each other for a moment and Gilgamesh hunched over, attempting to get a gasp of breath

The air was scalding, every breath burning his lungs. His lips were chapped and drenched in sweat, which the thick Golden Armor didn’t help with. Gil brought his head back up to see Straizo backing away from the ex-enigma, clearly scarred from his momentary vision. Gilgamesh scoured at the Tearen and waved his hand, opening an array of weaponry. Gil spared no resource, each of the spears and swords threatening the Ex-Enigma.

“You lowly magi forget your place in my world. Begone! He attempted to speak haughtily as bullets of sweat trailed down his face. As he fired his swords, a enormous centipede began to coil around his leg. He recoiled at the site of the worm, his ‘arrows’ completely shooting wide. He sneered at the worm, the grotesque illusory magic was all too real. Gilgamesh looked up to see the Shadow pointing to the floor in between the combatants. Gil peered at the Ex-Enigma before realizing what was going on, his knees began to buckle and he was forced to the marble floor. He grit his teeth at the audacity of this Magus, forcing Gil to be beneath him.

Straizo shook his head as he finally got those disdainful images out of his mind and began to take steps forward to press the attack. Gilgamesh shouted at him, bearing his teeth in rage, “If you value your life, mutt, stand back.” His cognitive thoughts began to shut down and the only recognizable thoughts left in his head were ‘Destroy! Destroy! DESTROY!’ Gilgamesh felt himself choking, his breathes becoming more desperate. He looked at his fingers, their skin gradually turning black. Intense gravity stopped, letting Gil get back onto his feet. As he stood, he swayed back and forth in his spot, his porcelain skin slowly being consumed by the black tainted flesh until Gilgamesh was no longer.

“RAAAAGH!” ‘DESTROY...MAGUS…’ were the only thoughts in the monster’s primitive mind. His glowing red eyes were set on Tearen, the image of the Shadow maddened him. Portals, with a more reddish hue than golden, opened up behind the Tainted King. Each of the weapons that greeted Tearen was covered in a thick, black tar that dripped onto the ground. He let out another primal scream, firing the weapons in rapid succession, as Tearen brought up a small disc to deflect the oncoming missiles, deflecting them to the ground. Each weapon sunk into the ground, throwing up dust and debris. ‘Gil’ grunted at the sight of his weapons not meeting the mark and scowled at the Shadow.  

‘Gilgamesh’ opened another portal, with a single, tainted hilt peeking out. He reached out and grabbed a golden sword, covered in the unknown, viscous substance. He let out a guttural roar before charging onto Tearen like a bull. Brought up his arms in a defensive stances, coating them in a shiny, telekinetic field. ‘Gilgamesh’ brought down his sword, dripping its thick coating onto Tearen, before he brushed it off with his hand. ‘KILL….MAGUS’ kept repeating over and over in his head, infuriating the tainted king even more. He kept on swinging, each blow faster and stronger than the last. Tearen for once looked concerned, unsure if he could keep up. “GAAAAAH!” Gilgamesh shouted as he rose his blade for a powerful downwards slash. Tearen rose his hands to block the blow but the telekinetic barrier failed him, the King’s tainted blade cutting shallowly in his chest. The Monster used this opportunity to kick the Shadow, causing him to fly across the room.

The monster, content that he had destroyed the mage slowed his breathing down. He felt a sharp sting in his shoulder and turned his head to see a silver hook embedded in his black shoulder and Crocodile giving him a smug smile.

Used T2 Transformation Diablo's Influence for the rest of the Round.
ATK: 8
DEF: 1
SPD: 5
TEC: 7

SP: 0/6 Left
717 words according to google docs.  

[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.

[Crocodile]

In spite of his smug smirk, Crocodile was surprised by how easily his poisoned hook had sunk into the shoulder of his black-skinned foe. He’d dealt with Haki-users before, and had thus decided to utilize poison as a means to bypass the unnatural defense afforded when one cloaked their body in it. But this was all wrong… Sure, the guy seemed a lot stronger than before, but there was no hardiness behind it. Had he never been trained in how to control his Haki? Or was this something else altogether, like the flames engulfing Croc’s lower body? It was only thanks to his own ability with Observation Haki that the Pirate was able to see past the melted fabric and blistering skin to the reality behind the illusion.

These thoughts were the distraction behind Crocodile’s slow response to Gilgamesh’s sudden backhand blow to his chest. His hook tore free from the man’s shoulder as his unprepared body took a blow unsoftened by his usual Suna-Suna-No-Mi ability and was sent tumbling unceremoniously across the foot-worn pavings of the Library. Croc’s momentum was halted a short distance away by one of the many bookcases within the venue, the venerable wood splintering and cracking beneath his bulk and sending its ancient tomes tumbling carelessly onto the marble floor. Strands of black hair fell across the former Shichibukai’s anger-twisted face as he struggled to regain his feet after the thing that was once Gilgamesh’s tremendous blow. As the demon who had once been Gilgamesh finished his rotation and stared down his new prey, something annoyingly familiar shimmered into view to his left.

“Looks like you’re havin’ trouble there, Croco-Boy,” bellowed the fabulous form of Emporio Ivankov, striking a pose which should have elicited a blush of shame on any man with pride. Crocodile forced himself to ignore the elephant-sized drag-queen in the room and kept his eyes on the slowly advancing King of Heroes. After all, it wasn’t like the freak was actually here… this had to be just more illusion and trickery; it wasn’t real.

“Maybe I ain’t real, Croco-Boy, but that don’t mean I can’t spill the beans on your dirty little secret. HEEEE HAAAAAAW!!!” Ivankov continued in boisterous fashion, answering the larger man’s thoughts and confirming his suspicions. Crocodile’s fist clenched painfully at his side, the realization of what this illusion was saying causing his heart to sink into his formerly-immaculate shoes. It was true… he knew from his own observations that the other three men in the library would be able to see and hear everything the mirage would reveal about the Pirate, just as he could see the rags on Gilgamesh and the insects swarming through Strazio’s body. Imaginary fire and pain he could deal with. Hell, he’d prefer the real deal over what the blue-haired Revolutionary would reveal about his past.

With an agonized growl, Crocodile asked the illusion the obvious question, “Whaddya want from me to keep yer lips shut?”

Stubby legs carrying him towards the oddly smaller man, Ivankov’s perpetual smile turned darkly sadistic as he answered.

“Oh, not much, Croco-boy!” Emporio said with a far-too-masculine giggle. “You just stand there like a good boy and take the punishment comin’ to ya, and I won’t breathe a word of it to anyone.”

Not maintaining Ground Secco any longer. Crocodile will not retaliate, nor run, as long as Panic Outbreak continues. Ivankov looks like this, for the record: https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/onep...0109161029

Word Count: 546

[Gilgamesh]

The demon advanced upon Crocodile's position, his guttural growling resonating through the library’s isles. His heavy steps, cracking the floor beneath him. The grip on the King’s lungs let up and his mind became much more clear. He was grateful that he was able to think of more words than ‘Kill’. The black creep on his skin began to harmlessly shed itself onto the floor as if he were a snake shedding its old skin. Suddenly, Gilgamesh stopped in his tracks to embrace and enjoy a breath of air, revealing a smile on his lips that would suggest he had not been able to breathe for quite some time. He turned his head to see the two Magus culling their numbers by themselves.

“It would seem that ‘I’ was able to even the odds of that fight.” Gilgamesh he spoke with a sly, silky tone. A few seconds passed before he winced, a slight wave of nausea washed over him, along with a stinging reminder of Crocodile’s sucker punch. He, however, had no recollection of the injury and had to deduce it himself. The turning cogs of his head slowly made the connection that the source of the injury was from the resident hook-owner.

He scowled at Crocodile, “You have proved yourself to be quite the gnat. Hopefully, swatting you will give me some enjoyment."  The prone Croc just looked at Gil with unwavering silence. The illusion next to the Desert Con-Man seemed to have had an affect on him. Gil walked up to him, Croc’s lips pursed together and his eyes glancing back and forth from Gilgamesh and the illusion. Without pause, Gilgamesh backhanded Croc across the face, leaving a large red mark on his cheek that would later bruise. This blow, changed no expression in Croc’s face. Gil’s eyebrow twitched with rage. Although he loved to be in powerful positions, it was humiliating to be ‘gifted’ this opportunity. He wanted to be the one in power and the one who incites fear.

He snarled at the seemingly obstinate warrior before him, drawing out a sword and pointing it at his throat. Croc’s eyes looked defiantly up into Gil’s, speaking louder than words ever could. With a swift motion the King rammed the butt of his sword into Croc’s head, driving him further to the floor, clutching his head. The Gilded King gathered spit in his mouth before lobbing it onto the prone combatant. With a quick stomp, Gilgamesh put his boot on Croc’s face, rubbing his dirt-crusted boot into Croc’s face. With a harsh shove, Gilgamesh kicked off Croc’s face and stared into Croc’s still defying gaze.

“It isn’t worth defiling my blade with your blood.”  Gilgamesh turned from Croc, and began to walk towards the brawl of Magi. “You are a nuisance. Nothing more.”His voice spoke with disdain as he walked to the real threat to the Library. The image of pillars exploding was caught in Gilgamesh’s peripheral vision.

The Gilded King opened an array of portals, the broken walls of the library allowed for the sunlight to cascade over the glittering weaponry. “You mongrels still dare destroy this Library?!” Gilgamesh questioned the two magi, drawing no attention from either of them. The two fighters continued to concentrated on their blows, paying no mind to the egotistical King. His eyebrows furrowed and he clenched his fists in rage. “How dare insects like you ignore a God like me?! The only acceptable penance will be death!” Gilgamesh screamed, his breathes exasperated in rage. His golden weaponry fired, scratching the two primes and embedding themselves into the floor. The impact threw up dust, forcing the primes to cough. As the dust settled, the Ex-Enigma had disappeared from sight.

“NO! Where are you Tearen?!” Strazio screamed, looking around for his old teacher and then directed his rage at Gilgamesh. “You!” He pointed his finger at Gilgamesh accusingly, before advancing. Outstretching his hand, bolts of magik shot out. The hot white energy shot into Gil’s stomach, forcing him to take a knee. Gil quickly drew his sword and readied himself for the full rage of Strazio.

As the two came closer, Gilgamesh let out a harsh slash at the man’s arm attempting to weaken him. Much to his satisfaction, he felt the steel slice through the Mage’s bicep cleanly. This smug feeling lasted for half a second as Strazio’s unblocked fist stuck Gilgamesh in the chest, forcing him across the room. Skidding across the ground, Gilgamesh eventually came to a stop. Getting onto one knee, Gilgamesh dusted himself off. His body ached and screamed for him to stop but he couldn’t let these cur get away with this type of defiance. They all would pay with their blood.

800 words according to Google Docs

[Crocodile]

His left eye swollen to near blindness, Crocodile stoically seethed within as Gilgamesh strolled away towards the other combatants. To his right, the illusory form of Ivankov grinned stupidly down as Croc slowly pushed himself to a seated position and spit grit and blood to the stone floor. His remaining eye glared at the golden king’s back as the boy shouted annoyingly at the other two. The child was arrogant and self-aggrandizing. Normally, these would be traits Crocodile would seek to use to his advantage. Such men were annoying, but easily manipulated. However, at the moment, all he could see was his blinding fury at having been forced to allow the boy to, quite literally, walk all over him. Ser Crocodile was no man’s doormat. And if it weren’t for the threat of the illusory Revolutionary spilling his darkest secrets, Crocodile would not have stood for such treatment…

Actually, where had the transvestite gone? One moment, Ivankov had loomed irritatingly over the Pirate, and the next he had simply vanished. No. This wasn’t a time to wonder why. It was the time to act, while he still could. Fighting against the aches and bruises he’d gained from the battle thus far, the Shichibukai struggled to his feet, spat another line of blood to the floor, and forced his palm up before him. His breathing was ragged, nearly as ragged as he himself felt, but he forced the words from his lips as the small eddy of sand in his palm expanded to encompass the makeshift arena.

“Sables.”

For a brief moment, Crocodile contemplated simply retreating from the battle. He was injured, both physically and emotionally, and these were no mere weaklings to be swatted away as he had done to so many others. Yet… the Shichibukai looked back through the sandstorm towards his gilded foe. At the moment, the fool was blindly raging against the wind and grit, shouting impotently into the gale. But, this was a man who had humiliated Crocodile. Ground his boot into his face and spit on him. Even claimed he wasn’t worth killing. Insolence such as that could not go unanswered. The Pirate had never allowed anyone to live after insulting him, and he wasn’t about to start now.

The large man allowed himself to be carried by the fierce winds, his body sublimating into simply more of the already all-present sand at a crawl. In his own world, changing to and from this form was as swift and effortless as taking a breath. But here, in this strange new world, it seemed much of his former strength had been sapped. A voice, buried deep underneath his loathing, hoped that he was not the only one who had been brought low by Omni. Fortunately, Croc wasn’t trying to move too far in his sand form. He allowed himself to reform somewhat behind his golden target, scoring a path of pain across the man’s back as soon as his hook had formed from his constituent parts. Gilgamesh staggered forward under the unexpected blow, which Crocodile used as an opportunity to hide himself within the vortex again.

“Forget them, boy,” he bellowed, struggling to be heard over the wind and sand. “Allow them their petty squabble! Your fight is with me!”

544 words, according to Google Docs.

[Tearen Wover]

As the sandstone obelisk shattered, the Shadow gathered his incorporeal fragments back to center and returned to a solidified existence. Sweaty, panting, Tearen looked up at the towering fury of Strazio Rockwell with a wistful smile. The black, crystalline exoskeleton receded back from his face, revealing his human skin to be pocked and lacerated quite thoroughly. Was that a pang of remorse he felt flicker across the berserker's conscience? The perception seemed misguided as Rockwell sent a knee into Tearen's gut with a vicious snarl. The overpowered blow sent the ex-enigma flying out of the courtyard, across the shoreline thoroughfare, and into a small grove of apricot trees that was blooming along Alexandria's shoreline. Despite the immense crash and physical pain, Tearen did manage an adroit scan of the surrounding area. It appeared the two interlopers were content to occupy one-another for the time being. Good. That was good.

The distance gave the Shadow enough time to react to Strazio's relentless assault this time. For all the Rage Mage's brute force, he completely lacked tactical sense or subtlety when the cards were down. A clumsy haymaker came down at Tearen, and the Shadow simply smacked the fist away with a telekinetic wave of the palm. A hail of uncoordinated hammer-blows crashed into the Shadow's casual deflections, and with each warded blow, the ex-enigma could feel Strazio's rage deepen. Rockwell truly was a remarkable creature; a self-sustaining flame, with all the vigor and hunger thereto. The apricot grove was blasted to smithereens, with heavy foliage and splintered lumber rattling off in all directions as a blast of strobing magic bounced off of a hastily conjured spacial distortion. In the aftermath, there stood Tearen, no worse for wear.

"How?" Rockwell breathed, haggard and panting just a few feet away. The air around the Shadow wavered and relaxed as his mental grasp on the fabric of reality waned.

"How am I not exhausted? I am exhausted Strazio. I can barely budge my muscles, in my current state...but it is not my muscles that are moving my limbs." Tearen said softly, tapping the center of his forehead with a noticeable amount of effort.

"You still think of the world in terms of cause and effect. Force against resistance. I gave you everything you need to defeat me, and you're still fighting me like any other pedestrian brute..." the Elder Prime smirked, trying to steady his breathing.

"Oh, here we go." Straz barked, throwing his hands up in the air. "You know what? No! You taught us that we defined our own rules and aspirations. I didn't fucking come here to impress you, I came here to prove my strength–"

"I don't think that was ever in question. I wonder, who's the one who doubts it?" Tearen said cutting the enraged man off. The rhetoric seemed to genuinely catch Strazio off-guard, and in the four milliseconds it took for him to blink, the Shadow immediately had his face inches from the other enigma.

"Is it you?" the eldritch human murmured. He managed to a bloodstained grin before Rockwell smashed him into the sky with a savage uppercut. At the crest of his flight, the Shadow came to a halt, and leered down at his disciple with a curious melange of malevolence and whimsy. The rising smoke of the Library had stained the sky an incarnadine shade, and Tearen's rent garments whipped around him like strands of ghostly sargassum. Even in his frantic mental state, the berserker had enough focus to tell that Tearen was gathering his remaining strength into a final gambit.

"You wish to pit your strength directly against mine? You wish to see the full extent of my directly applied power?" the ex-enigma bellowed, folding his hands together in an intricate lattice. Strazio had seen this before; the aerial grandstanding and the gleaming, white eyes. It had happened directly before his erstwhile teacher had sucked him and his classmates into the Singularity.

"No you fucking don't!" Strazio roared as he ran up the length of a fallen tree trunk and blasted himself airborne with a flash of arcane fire. As he closed the distance to the deeply focusing Elder Prime, however, his forward progress seemed to come to a halt. He hung there, frozen in space and time, feeling as if he could neither breathe nor blink. This wasn't the pulsating vortex that the incensed sorcerer had been anticipating. This was entirely something else.

Try to remember this, my disciple.

747 words, Wordcounter.net

3 SP Used

Relativity Shift - 1
A Barbaric Crescendo - 2 on Strazio Rockwell

0/9 SP Remaining

Tearen shifted into his Harmony Form. With Relativity Shift enabled, his stats were thus:
ATK: 5
DEF: 3
SPD: 5
TEC: 4

[Strazio Rockwell]

Blow after unrelenting blow crashed against Strazio’s frozen body. No amount of fury could free the mage from Tearen’s temporal imprisonment. There was no pain, not yet, just the dread that one feels moments before being nailed by a car. Unable to even close his eyes and brace for impact Strazio tried to scream and found that even his voice had been incarcerated. Then, as quickly as it began, Tearen’s assault came to a visceral end. Every blow leveled against Rockwell was made manifest in a crescendo that filled the air with the cacophony of broken bones and bruised organs. Strazio’s body, now no longer suspended mid-air, contorted violently and plummeted back to terra firma. Now little more than a fleshy ragdoll Rockwell’s body bounced once before coming crumpling into a battered heap.

Tearen came crashing down shortly after his apprentice, although the ex-enigma did manage to land on a pair of trembling legs. There was no contempt in Wover’s eyes as he scanned his ruined pupil. In that mess of broken bones and spilled blood he could sense a heartbeat. Defying death long after any sane person would’ve just let the reaper take them Strazio stirred. His body heaved and shuddered as his throat tried to speak and instead only managed to choke up a chunk-filled puddle of blood. Twitching and writhing Strazio crawled towards the fatigue stricken Shadow. Every scrap of energy spent by Tearen was focused on keeping him standing. Time, he needed time to recover, time that the Avatar of Rage had no intentions on giving. Strazio’s mangled hand clutched at the slick black shell of Tearen’s dress shoes, mixing blood with shoe polish.

“You,” Strazio forced himself to say through a knot of blood, “you arrogant... prick.”

Tearen tried to shuffle backwards, but Strazio’s hand wrapped around his ankle.

“I’d… never dream of… beating you in your own element,” every word was punctuated by the horrid scraping of his shredded lungs, “but, you have the audacity… the absolute fucking arrogance… to try and beat me at the only thing I’m good at?”

His hand clawed at Tearen’s suit jacket.

“You’re just a tourist Tearen…” Strazio said, his voice now adopting a crackling static-filled din, “I live here motherfucker.”

With that said Strazio’s hand shivered and then vaporized. His flesh peeled away and the viscera underneath disintegrated into white hot sparks. In mere moments all that remained of the tempestuous mage was a disembodied skull, spinal column, and ribcage. As black as onyx this partial skeleton ignited in an alabaster inferno. Primal and horrendous shrieking tore forth from the skull’s open mandibles and the flames began to take a humanoid shape. The metaphorical chains wrapped around Tearen’s body finally gave way and he began to backpedal, keeping his eyes focused on the indignant effigy. A pair of yellow coals came to life within the skull’s eye sockets and they stared down the retreating prime.

Given a corporeal form the Avatar screamed and bounded forth. Faster than a starving cheetah this rancor of rage tore a path of destruction through the helpless treeline, aimed at Tearen. In that split second Wover’s inhibited mind struggled to suss out a solution. Instinct took over and the ex-enigma focused on the advancing monstrosity. Time warped around the Avatar and it watching helplessly as its already ludicrous speed was cranked up to eleven. Tearen sidestepped the enhanced charge and the Avatar overshot its target by a good hundred feet. It skidded to a halt, kicking up twin curtains of sand as its heels dug in. This moment of respite was short lived as the Avatar whirled around and stormed forth.

This time Tearen was prepared. Having recalled his faithful halberd he pointed the business end towards the advancing brute. As the avatar charged it stuck a burning finger into its mouth and without any regard for pain or sanity it chomped down, severing the digit in a crunch of blood and bone. With its uninjured hand it grabbed the disembodied digit, which had transformed back into an object of flesh and blood. Energy was dumped into the organic grenade and it was lobbed towards his opponent. Tearen raised an eyebrow as the digit tumbled through the sand in front of him. White lightning crackled across the finger and Tearen immediately jumped to action. The ground beneath the digit began to rumble as Wover began to manipulate gravity in the path of the Avatar’s charge. A plume of sand was sent high into the air as the digit was detonated. Had the Avatar been a second slower he would’ve been pinned by Tearen’s trap, but as it stood the Avatar came bursting through the cloud of sand. A flash of white magick erupted from its palm, aimed for Tearen’s chest.

Used Avatar of Rage for 1 post

0/6 SP remaining

Straz's stats are

ATK - 11
DEF - 0
SPD - 10
TEC - 2