Simon completes his chant -- a ringing note sounds over the din of battle -- and shouts: "Zarina, get away from her! Fifteen feet or further! That spell is going to blast you if you don't!"
Meanwhile, the summoning spell takes its effect: a single, raven-like bird with a plaster mask has appeared behind the oncoming thugs, and starts to croon an unearthly melody as it rises into the sky.
Poog hacks and coughs as the spell overwhelms him.
This am stupidly ironic, he thinks as he tries to regain control of himself.
Trapped in his force cage, Zak waits with tensed muscles for the walls to disperse.
Simon finishes his chant -- and a dog appears. Or does it? The animal seems to fade into and out of existence constantly, its voice echoing weirdly.
The old man turns to Zarina's battle - and his eyes widen in shock. "Zarina, get away from her! Fifteen feet or further! That spell is going to blast you if you don't!"
Regardless whether Zarina listens or not, Simon turns his attention to Zakarras, trapped in the orb of force - and he levels his hand at the cage in a commanding manner, his voice ringing out with arcane power: "Aranea arcanorum rescindenda est!"
The blink dog snaps at Wu Jufeng, but she leaps away from its snapping jaws for the moment. During this time, Wu Dizhen has been blocking Zarina's claws with forearm blocks, an arrogant smirk on her face as the elemental power grows. By the time Simon completes his spell of unraveling, it has grown to encompass both women.
And then, it suddenly blinks out of existence.
For the first time in this fight, a look of worry crosses Wu Dizhen's face. "No!", she cries in rage. "I am twice the magician and ten times the warrior you are, old man. I'll kill you for that! But first, your pet dragon!"
Flanked as she is by Asha and the planar canine, Wu Jufeng begins casting a spell. Immediately, Asha strikes her, forcing her to try to ignore the disruption in her concentration. She cannot. The force of Asha's strike steals the arcane words even as they begin to pass through her lips. Jufeng's mask of rage begins to crack with signs of worry.
"Now, dragon lady," Wu Dizhen cries, leaving her defensive stance for a moment. "You die!" She unleashes a bevy of unarmed strikes at Asha's stomach.
The Xun, having been scattered by the twin toxic clouds and forgotten, regroup and rejoin the fight. The four split into two pairs, each of them moving to assist one of the Wu Sisters.
"Twice the magician, ten times the warrior, and yet not even half the person I am, witch!" Simon shouts back with cold disdain as he rushes forward, then launches into a series of somersaults and cartwheels that end him behind Wu Dizhen. Immediately, Grovnaidel flickers out, the blade full of a cold reflection of the sun's light overhead.
At the same time, the blink dog continues to attack Wu Jufeng, its bark dopplering oddly as it continues to fade into and out of existence. For all its alien qualities, the expression on its face as it attempts to savage the evil woman is plain enough to understand: if the blink dog has anything to say about it, it will soon be snacking on Wu Dufeng's rump!
Zarina growls at the Mage and tears into her, bringing her full suite of attacks, claw and bite to bar. "Mention my father again, I dare you!"
Claw one
Damage plus
fire
Claw two
Damage plus
Bite
Damage plus
fire
Poog continues to be nauseated, coughing and retching pitifully and hoping he gets a chance to participate in the fight before it's over.
Asha takes a step back, frowning in concentration, to the optimal range for her glaive. With a murmured prayer to Shelyn, the monk then unleashes a flurry of glittering attacks on the enemy witch.
Poog continues to cough and choke on the noxious fumes.
Wu Jufeng may be a powerful mage, but she is no match for Asha's skill with her glaive. With a trio of strikes, the air shugenja falls.
"SISTER!", Dizhen cries out as she sees Asha strike down her sibling. It distracts her enough for Simon and Zarina to get a strike in, and the woman is bleeding from her wounds. "No! It cannot end like this. It will not!" She continues to engage Zarina in single combat, her eyes blazing with fury now.
The Xun falter for a moment as they see Wu Jufeng still upon the sands. "Don't just stand there, you idiots!", Wu Dizhen screams at them. "KILL them!" They look to each other and then back to Zarina and Asha. They scream a battle cry and rejoin the fight.
A cheer goes up from the Phoenix Guard as Jufeng falls, and they begin to rally against the Xun. One of the Xun, however, has slipped past both Marythsan and Kiang Zhen. He pulls a long curved blade and is about to stab the Emissary. With blinding speed, the Emissary disarms the man and punches him in the sternum with an open palm. The Emissary's hand vibrates and radiates an orange energy as he withdraws his hand. "You should sit down now," he says to the Xun with an eerie serenity.
Zarina keeps attacking the spellcaster, fire erupting from her eyes.
Claw one
Damage plus
fire
Claw two
Damage plus
fire
Bite
Damage plus
fire
Simon darts in and out again, his blade flashing and crackling with electricity.
"It is already over," he says, his voice grim as a hanging judge's verdict. "And you have lost. This ill-conceived plan has failed. You have failed."
Zak continues floating in his force cage, regretting that he has no snacks as he enjoys the show below.
Dizhen focuses on defending against Zarina's lethal claws and bites, but is completely blindsided by Simon's attack upon her flank. She refuses to topple, however.
Asha turns, whispering a brief mantra, and sprints across the field, somehow avoiding the blows of her attackers as though they weren't even there. She uses the momentum of the movement to drive her blade home against the remaining witch.
Poog continues to cough and hack.
Asha's glaive comes close, but Dizhen cartwheels away from the slash. Surrounded on all side, she reaches into her belt pouch. "Fine, you all want to get close and personal? Take this!"
She begins chanting the words to a spell, but Zarina's attack causes her to drop her components and say a few choice words that certainly aren't part of the mystic language.
The Xun continue to attack Zarina and Asha. Asha's pair rush her, and swing their sansetsukon at her, though Zarina's pair are able to take advantage of their numbers.
"Time for you to lie down and sleep, dear hag," Simon says as he darts in again, Grovnaidel gleaming as it seeks Wu Dizhen's blood.
Asha easily avoid the Xuns' attacks, keeping her focus on Dizhen.
Poog takes a deep breath, coughing up just a little more bile as he realizes he's getting himself back under control.
"That am no fun," he mutters crossly, looking around as he regains his bearings.
Zak continues to float lazily in his force cage as he admires Asha's combat prowess.
Zarina turns to the remaining monks, and commands them to stand down. "This is your only chance to lay down your arms and walk away with your lives. Take one more punch,and we will end the lot of you."
Intimidate
Dizhen seems off-balanced by the loss of her sister, a fact Simon takes advantage of by opening another wound on her back. Dizhen opens her mouth to hurl more insults at him, but she is blindsided by Asha's glaive strike - the second Wu Sister falls to the earth, unconscious.
As Zarina snarls at the Xun, they begin to back away in fear, and you notice the fight in the stands has gone about as well for them there as it has for the Wu Sisters on the fight stage. Those who have not been killed or rendered unconscious are fleeing the Grand Pavilion for their lives. The crowds that have packed the Pavilion over the last few days are gone, leaving only yourselves, the Guardians of the Phoenix, and the Tournament officials the only souls in the edifice. Climbing down the steps of the ziggurat, Emissary Xho Nuo approaches you, joined along the way by both Kiang Zhen and Marythsan.
"A heartfelt congratulations on a hard-won victory today, Warriors," the Emissary says to you. "Not only have you earned your right to bear the title of the Ruby Phoenix Champions, but you have defended Hao Jin's legacy today from those who would despoil it for their own ends. There are few here to witness the transfer of the title, but we owe all of you a debt that can never truly be repaid." Marythsan approaches you and kneels, offering up a single orange-red feather to the five of you - as it catches the light of the sun, it seems to shimmer with an inner flame.
"Hmm! So now we get gift, right?" Poog asks rudely, spitting out the last bit of phlegm toward the Wu sisters as he approaches the others.
Poog's remark elicits a trio of reactions - a look of stoicism from the Emissary, a snort of amusement from Kiang Zhen, and a sigh of exasperation from Marythsan. "Soon enough, little Warrior," the Emissary replies. "There will be a celebration to honor you as befits such heroes, but rest assured - before the sun rises again, you will each claim your rewards."
Very slowly, Simon wipes his blade clean -- on Wu Dizhen's clothes. The sentient rapier makes a sound somewhere between a snort of sardonic mirth and the harsh clang of steel on steel at the gesture.
Simon's expression is solemn, but haggard after the Emissary's words about the Reward. Still with that painful slowness, the old man sheaths his blade -- and leans heavily on his cane, his shoulders slumping and his body seeming almost to wither as his years settle on him like a leaden mantle. Somehow, it looks as if here stands a loser, rather than a winner in battle.
"Finally. I shall look forward to the coming day, then," Simon Greer says. "The coming day... I... I..."
Heavy coughs wrack Simon's body, and his frame shakes with them.
"If you all do not mind," he manages to gasp out between coughs, fresh blood staining his lips. "I should... would appreciate some help getting up to my room. The... the excitement. Finally, I..."
The coughing fit seems to be growing only worse instead of better, and Simon can barely manage to stay standing, let alone walk.
Poog scowls at Simon and moves closer, roughly channeling magic to heal the man.
Eventually released from the force cage, Zak floats to the side of the old man, concern clear in his features. "Come on elder, lets get you resting properly. A little sleep and a few prayers and you'll be right as rain." The words ring empty, the flying archer lacking the guile to deceive anyone regarding his fear for the old man's condition.
Zarina was silent. She had heard the words of the woman who had caused her father's defeat years ago. Zarina's group had bested the evil doers. She want sure exactly how she felt, other than drained. She would figure things out more definitely tomorrow, but this evening was for rest.
Simon looks from Poog to Zakarras and a feeble smile blossoms on his lips.
"Thank you both," he says, his voice quavering. "Yes. Some rest would be just the thing."
The old man starts to bow to the Emissary, but stops when it seems he is on the verge of collapse.
"My apologies. All the excitement. Might I recquisition one of the Guardians of the Phoenix to take me to my rooms? I... I should like to rest until the morning. And perhaps I might request the pleasure of the company of Bao Gan, priest to Qi Zhong? That should be more than sufficient."
The old man continues to smile, a small blush on his cheeks as he stares into the middle distance..
"After all this time," you can just barely hear him mutter. "At last."