Vorgal curses as the battlefield between himself and the elemental fills up. " I can't find a clear line. " He steps up behind Ivari, uses spell recall on bills strength, and then caste the spell again, this time on ivari.
Even with the protection agains the lighting, the powerful air blows and the posterior vacuum tores Bjon's flesh like sharp blades. But the big man shurgs it off the pain, and attacks with his blade up-down down-up in a cross patter, ripping through the living tempest.
Noticing the restorative energy coming from Kayle, Bjorn confidence grows.
|
The frown that is very often Cassius's normal expression crosses it once more as he observes the initial spellcasting of his team. Hrmn. Later he will ask questions, for now, they have bigger priorities.
"Kayle, focus on keeping yourself and Bjorn on your feet, and avoid catching the elementals in it! Squad: focus offensive effort on the one Bjorn has already injured!" he shouts, with a nod of approval for Kayle's healing so far. Another nod for Bjorn's powerful attacks.
Staying well back from the front line, Cassius begins the invocation of a summoning spell.
"Take this strength Ivari, it will last a while, and we do not know how the fight night lay out. "
Though now a fraction of the size and luminosity that it once was, the injured elemental still thrashes around beside its companion, small arclets of lightning spewing erratically from its obvious injuries.
Ivari continues to group his shots and target at the closest target...
Bjorn gets engulfed by the debris that the living creature creates on the point it is touching the floor, only coming out after the big sword he carries rips through it.
Once the man gets out of the debris reach, what he glances behind his new coming enemies freezes his blood for a second.
We must do this quicker, not only for the couple more that are coming, but because the big one in the portal will reach our world no matter what the Signifiers try. -Shouts Bjorn, trying to impose his voice over the storm noises.
|
|
Cassius looks up sharply at Bjorn's words, and gazes around for the threat that he sees, that Cassius himself had not.
"Well spotted!" he shouts over the booming storm and sounds of mass, pitched battle.
The spell that he began a handful of seconds ago reaches its completion. A dog-headed creature appears within a stone's throw of Cassius, already gird for battle. Despite its canine appearance, there is something ineffably noble about the creature's appearance, and the sword it grips in both hands seems sharp.
For a half-second, the hound's burning gaze looks to Cassius. Cassius cries out, "The elementals are intruders to this plane, and have attacked in the night, as cowards! Help us defend!"
The outsider nods, and moves to strike, with a flurry of blade and bite.
With his orders given, Cassius looks up at the monstrous lightning elder that is still trying to breach through to this plane... and winning. He has little enough in the way of true damage to unleash against it... his way is one of control, not raw power....
Cassius points, and gestures, and a second burst of golden light erupts around the sparkling heads of the incoming storm-creatures.
Then Cassius speaks to his parrot, in Infernal-- the words barely able to be heard even by those standing close, over the roar of battle.
"What?! Have you noticed it's full of crazy lightning monsters?"
"I am aware, thank you. I hope that they will take little notice of you, frankly..."
"Have you also noticed I'm REALLY BRIGHTLY COLORED?"
"Yes. Yes I have. Decibel-- if someone is calling these creatures here, from somewhere nearby, we must know. Fly quietly, avoid engagements, stay well above the fray. Can you do that?"
"I'm gonna die."
"I sincerely hope you do not, but it is probably not much safer for you to stay on my shoulder. Now go!"
With a harsh shriek, the parrot launches itself from Cassius's shoulder and into the air.
Kayle hold her holy symbol up high and channel positive energy Sword drawn Kayle approaches the elemental.
Bjorn wounds starts to close again, thanks to the divine energy that emanate from Kayle...
Thanks, Brother Kayle! -Shouts the warrior.
Vorgal steps around Ivari, and hurries to the oncoming elementals, stopping when he is 40 feet away. He casts Ray of Enfeeblement.
Kayle glows with a gentle healing light as Vorgal fires a coruscating ray from his hand which unfortunately misses. Bjorn however manages a powerful assault which finishes off the already wounded elemental, it's once-luminous form going dark and then dissipating.
Ivari is forced to switch his targets, and between that and the erratically shifting light only one of his three arrows manage to find their target. Which is far better than the summoned archon fares, its attacks failing to meet at all.
Cassius makes up for much with a successful casting of glitterdust, managing to blind one of them.
The partner of the slain elemental strikes quickly as Bjorn is trying to move back into guard after his attack, though Cassius's protective magicks do their job well.
Meanwhile the two oncoming elementals engage with the summoned archon. One accidentally shorts itself out, touching ground for just the briefest instant, but the other pounds the canine champion, severely wounding it.
|
|
Cassius nods grimly to himself as he notices the archon taking some blows... but he called this creature, out of everything he could have chosen, for its specific hardiness against these foes.
The archon attacks with the resoluteness of celestial realms on its side, undismayed by its first misses.
The archon swings and strikes-- not doing terribly much damage, but that is immaterial to Cassius: he only wants the elementals delayed, and the hound will do that well enough.
Noting Bjorn taking a beating, Cassius grits his teeth. There are too many opponents, and not nearly enough spells in his repertoire... the lament of every wizard throughout time, no doubt. He shouts quick words, and energy crackles from his fingertips to barrage the elemental that is attacking Bjorn.
"Focus fire on the one assaulting Bjorn!" he shouts to his team. "Keep Bjorn on his feet, Kayle! Ivari, as soon as Bjorn's foe is dropped, begin firing on the master elemental! We must lend aid to driving that thing back-- these lesser ones only delay us, and you are one of the few of us with range to strike at the greatest threat!"
It's a calculated risk, ordering the man who may be the best among them at simply dealing raw, straight damage to focus on the foe that is not personally threatening them. Cassius knows it to be a risk, and prays that the lives of his team do not pay the price for his order... but if that lord-among-elementals breaches the planar barrier fully, Cassius thinks that none of them might survive.
Unable to make any headway in the chaos of the battle, Decibel shrieks, the noise quite lost to the storm, and starts winging his way back to his master.
Ivari nods at the wizard confirming the instructions, the paladin gracefully pulling, knocking, and releasing arrows with the speed only the well trained can achieve...
Kayle struggles to help keep Bjorn healthy and on his feet.
The violence of the elemental storm shreds Bjorn light robes, leaving barely his trousers and a strip of robe that covers half of his chest, showing a multitude of bruises and cuts from the creature's vicious attack.
Making a feing attack, but violent enough to still be deadly, the warrior makes his opponent expose to his next attack, that strikes true into the creature.
Lets hope that hound endures enough to change the fight tide. Damn, how a thing this big can move so quick? -Says Bjorn after seeing how the big storm dodged Vorgal's ray.
"cassius, I'm going to target the master, I'll see if I van avoid a physical engagement though."
With that, Vorgal spell recalls fay of enfeeblement, hurries into range of the master elemental while ducking behind any allies that he can, and casts.
Ivari tenses to redraw his aim as Bjorn pummels at the elemental but seeing it still standing the paladin slowly lets out his air as he release a set of well aimed arrows on the creature...
Despite the punishment it is taking, the elemental in combat with Bjorn is still in action, crackling with pain and anger, its serpentine form roiling with vehement electric rage.
The elementals attacking the archon continue to pound away on the creature despite the seeming futility of their efforts.
An intense explosion turns the night into a hellish day, the world going blindingly bright for just a moment before returning to its normal darkness, leaving you, and everyone else it seems, temporarily blinded. The following shockwave ensures that even if any hadn't been blinded, all are too stunned to resume combat for a moment. When you finally blink the last of the stars from your eyes you see that the elemental has been pushed back... slightly. There seems to be no sign of Saren.
After a moment's distraction,Kayle snaps back into focus. Kayle tries to keep Bjorn on his feet, with her waning power.
Keep it together almost, don with this one.
Vorgal pushes away the rising frustration. He recalls ray of enfeeblement and again targets the large elemental.
He can't stop the curse at missing again, though.
After recovering his balance, Bjorn strikes with violence the living storm, as he is fighting for his life.
The wounds the warrior suffers and the violent electrical shocks that jumps from the elemental each time it is struck, translates on a less and less accurate swordplay.
Wraaaargh!! The heavens are falling upon us!!
|
|
Cassius gapes as he sees Saren's blinding charge.... and when the shockwave clears, he stands for a moment, frozen.
If a Maralictor of the Order could do so little against such a threat, even sacrificing himself... what hope have they?
But duty-- and self-survival-- demands that they try. Teeth gritted, Cassius sends another blast of magical energy across the battlefield.
The battered hound archon stoically continues to swing and bite at his foes.
His orders have been given. Cassius watches the battlefield, but nothing has essentially changed: they must still keep the team alive long to even begin to mount a coherent offense on the true threat.
"Vorgal, have you any spells to harass the master elemental at this distant range?" he shouts.
Vorgal winces, miffed. "I'm trying Cassius, the battlefield is too crowded though, so none of my attempts have been effective. I'm trying to hedge his strength."
Ivari continues, focusing on trying to bring Bjorn's foe down...
With a last arrow from Ivari the elemental finally fades out to a few sputtering sparks of static.
The elemental pair assaulting the hound archon continue on in their single minded pursuit of destruction.
Around you you can see other Hellknights finally managing to regroup, following your lead and forming more coherent squads. They are slowly starting to push back against the hoard of smaller elementals, though against the master there seems to be no progress. That is irrelevant to Hellknight discipline however, and they fight regardless.
Phew, nice assiatance
Says a relieved Bjorn when the huge storm-creature vanishes.
Orders, Maralictor Cassius? Must I charge or use some ranged attacks while the hound holds them?
My divine powers might be waning but I can still fight.
Vorgal tries his ray of enfeeblement on the master again, after spell recalling it.
|
|
Hound Archon
The archon continues to stand strong in the face of brutal blows that would surely have felled a mere mortal by this point. His celestial body stands as a bulwark against the storm's wrath, but still, he is slowly but surely being whittled down...
Cassius watches his called creature fight for the space of two seconds before returning his attention to the greater battle at hand. He sees another streak of light blast out to the master elemental, from Vorgal's hand, and smiles tightly.
"That one was well struck!" he calls to the elf. "Continue as you can. Ivari: loose arrows at the master! Kayle: how stand you on healing? Bjorn is still injured, but if you have little left, save it for true emergency and join battle with these two nearest ones as you see fit. Bjorn: drink healing potions if you have any. I have a potion of cure moderate in my pack you may use, and I will staunch what I can with your wand! You may use ranged for as long as my archon holds, but I fear you'll need to battle soon."
"As soon as I can I will call another outsider to help keep us on our feet!"
Ivari nods and moves closer to the master elemental, drawing clearer shots and focusing on accuracy over power...
Amid the chaos and confusion of battle a single arrow flies, piercing directly into the master elemental's neck. Its head snaps around and it looks intently, staring directly at Ivari before its gaze sweeps around to include the rest of the group. All around the fight pauses as the elemental speaks, its voice harsh and crackling, the high pitched snap of static and the tang of ozone accompanying it.
"Well well well... I'm so glad you decided to show yourself. An excellent shot. Almost the same place as last time, no?" the elemental laughs and even despite the interference you can tell it's Zakat's voice.
"Imazi said I can't really play with you again. But you were very rude last time. After all this is over, we'll go again, yes? But that means you have to survive until then. So here, take this. And remember, I get to kill you, nothing and no one else, agreed?"
With a malicious grin the elemental slams its hand into the ground, and everything turns white.
Cassius, orders? I have fire spells ready, but they are the messy kind.
By the gods, what kind of creature is this Zakat? Not for your warding spells, I'll be dead by now, Cassius.
Says Bjorn, burned and wounded, the big man looks now at the Storm-lord with incredulity.
Did that explosion dissipate him or Zakat still there?
After your vision clears you can blurrily see that Zakat's avatar is retreating, the portal closing up behind it, the fiery traces of warding magic blazing up now that the resistance is gone. With no more elementals coming through the portal, the Hellknights have an easier time and the battle begins to turn as they focus on eliminating the remaining elementals.
Coming to her senses after the blast Kayle grabs her holy symbol and channels the last of her divine power.
Kayle turns to Cassius
I await your orders.