Eligos: The Necropolis/The Chamber

Ayero wasn’t surprised when Merrze as able to keep up with her movements, deftly blocking the first of her slashes with her blade. The second slash from Ayero’s magoi manipulation technique proved to be successful as Merrze lifted her arm to block, but soon found that the magoi enhanced blade would not yield to her flesh alone.

The Fanalis woman could feel the telltale signs of her blade slicing cleanly through Merrze’s arm, the bone and muscle giving only slight resistance against her blade, but not enough to decelerate its path in the slightest. A small pang of victory rose in her stomach when her opponent’s arm had been removed, but she predicted that this would not stop the fiery young Fanalis and continued to pour magoi into her weapon for the anticipated counter.

Sustaining Stramazzone, Ayero batted away Merrze’s Dragon Slice with the first slash of her blade, bending back slightly in an attempt the stream of blood from where Merrze’s arm had been removed. She was breathing heavily, wracked with indecision, guilt and anger—but knew that it all rested on this one moment. You’ve killed before. You can do it again. You have to do it again.

Lowering her center of gravity slightly, Ayero’s arm flowed from her first slash to her second—aimed at Merrze’s right leg in an attempt to remove the limb. Should she be successful, Ayero would step back, her chest heaving heavily and blood streaming down her arm. Limbs could be restored with magic, but a lost life could not be regained without tapping into darker forces, as far as she knew.

Leaning on her sword, the older Fanalis cleared her throat and spoke, lifting her head towards Eligos. ”I’m sorry. I cannot complete your final task.” As fatigued as she was, her voice rung strongly within the chamber.

”I think I understand what you are looking for in a candidate. But Merrze…” Ayero would grunt and roll on her feet to stand at her full height, no longer using her sword as a crutch. She pointed the blade at the other woman as if gesturing to her. ”She has given me no reason to try and end her life. Though we are in competition to gain your power, she has not harmed my family, my country, my loved ones. I will not hesitate to strike down those who have malicious intent, for I protect through my strength.”

Nodding her head briefly in respect to the Djinn, Ayero could feel the heat of her own breath on her chest. She had worked so hard, come so far…but her beliefs were firm. ”I intended to use your power to protect, but I will not allow myself to kill this woman who has done no wrong.” She glanced sideways towards Merr before facing Eligos with eyes of cold steel, her heart racing as she spoke. If this cost her the power Djinn, then so be it, but she would not compromise her morals.

[90/290]
[Tomato Ammo: 4/10]
[Kabu Ammo: 14/20]
[Vittoria Damage: 100/600]
[Gyatso Damage: 80/400]
[Ayero Damage: B-tier to arm]


CD:
-Cross Slash (7)
-Simple block (3)
-Swift Roll (1)

Spoiler:

The fanalis expected nothing less from her opponent when she countered her attack, as her Dragon slice was clashed she pushed through to try and protect herself but her sword would be destroyed in the process, without it she wouldn't be able to fight back as well the again the white haired girl would not be able to defend herself very well at this point, she wouldn't have the energy to retaliate at this point, if she tried to attack the girl again there was a good chance that she would pass out in the process and it was too risky to attempt if she wasn't able to finish it in one strike.

As Ayero continued her attack the fanalis saw her blade go cleanly through her right leg and saw it fall over, when this happened the warrior lost her balance falling to her knee and tried staying up using the broken sword, it was essentially over by this point unless she was able to pull off a miracle, but would she be able to land a killer blow, did she have the will or energy to do it. As Merrze contemplated she started to cough up blood, she had used up so much energy that she had internal bleeding but she expected this since her vision was mostly concealed by blood.

The fanalis looked up at Aye and waited for her to attempt to deliver the finishing blow but to her surprise she didn't. She coughed and could barely see but the girl did her best to pay attention to what was unfolding and was surprised when she said she wouldn't kill her but for a second she showed a slight smile at her kindness, there was a chance Aye would have to kill her anyways, she wasn't sure if she would be able to kill Aye if they were reversed but she respected her for standing up to her beliefs, the only reason the lioness could fight with killer intent is because she expected Aye to try and kill her, but Merrze could not kill the innocent, if Aye didn't plan to kill her then she wouldn't try to kill her fellow Colonel, but if she had to she would fight to live, she had to go back so she could accomplish her goals.

She wanted the power of the Djinn but at this point it was his decision, if he made Aye fight her she would fight back but if he didn't she was sure that Aye would most likely win, the girl would try to win but she would only do so if necessary at this point, she looked at the Djinn determined waiting for his word.

Magoi: 15/250
Ammunition: 5/15
Merrze: A-tier left arm gone, B-tier midsection, A-tier right leg gone
Fluffy: B-tier

Eligos watched as the fight came to a pinnacle, arching a brow as Ayero stopped short of delivering a merciful death blow. He listened to the woman’s speech with a placid face, waiting for her to finish before walking over to her. As he walked, he glanced over to Volcallano, the creature using Molten Scales to defend against the paltry attacks from El Drago. He raised a hand and the creature immediately retreated, giving a snort of discontent at being denied the end of its fight as it went back into its cage, the wall slamming down to contain Volcallano. Eligos stopped a few feet in front of Ayero, his gaze like flint. His voice matched his eyes and was loud enough to echo through the room.

“You are foolish if you think, for even a moment, that you are being merciful in sparing her life. She is a warrior, a strong one, and you have taken her arm and her leg. Even with magic to repair her, nothing will mend the psychological scars you have left her with. You have shown this young woman her own weakness and you did not even acknowledge her strength by giving her an honorable death.”

He looked down to Merrze, the woman bleeding profusely from her severed limbs. The damage done to her was fatal, it was only her determination keeping her eyes open this long. But he saw something in her eyes, the same look Ayero had. Neither of these women would kill without reason, even if it was to gain immense power. He supposed he should find that admirable, but he had the lingering taste of disgust in his mouth that Ayero had not at least given the other warrior a proper death and had instead maimed her.

His gaze swept over to Lagi, the man had not been a complete weakling, but he would not have won against Volcallano. Eligos gave a small snort, the man had not even been smart enough to show some humility, to apologize for his absurd challenge. The ruler of Reim had more ego than brains, that much was apparent. If Lagi had shown some remorse for his thoughtless actions or had apologized, if for no other reason than to give his partner a fighting chance, perhaps Merrze would not be slowly bleeding to death right now. A careless man should never be given power.

His sharp eyes then traveled to Azix. The King Candidate had stood by and done nothing this entire time. He had not spoken for or against his Contender, possibly the smartest thing he could have done, but he had made no move to assist Lagi, either. Had it been a strategy on the part of the magician, or cowardice? He supposed some things were better left unknown. His voice boomed out again, the heat of the entire dungeon rolling through his tones.

“I should simply evict you all from my domain and hope someone will make it this far again. You question my methods, but you would put the life of one friend before the lives of the thousands you could have saved with my power. One day, you may be in a situation where killing a single innocent will save the lives of many, many more. But, you are all also very young, by my standards, at least.”

He gave serious consideration to his threat to simply evict them all and be done with them, but there had been many to enter his dungeon recently and none had made it beyond the first room. Perhaps it was better to simply hope one of the Contenders would grow to understand the purpose of his test, before they were faced with the reality of what could happen if they tried to show mercy. He paused and let everyone present consider his words, that they might simply be removed from the dungeon with nothing to show for their efforts. He would wait and register the looks of panic, hopelessness, or determination that might flash across each face, making sure they all felt the gravity of the situation. He had the power to eject them, it would take nothing on his part to open a portal that would remove them from his domain.

---

With a sigh, Eligos would wave his hand, a platform raising with two items on it. He looked to Azix and then to Lagi, waving to the platform with a nod.

“You have both supported your Contenders, in your own ways. You may take this as a token of your trials through this dungeon. Take them with a lesson.”

His gaze shot to Lagi, like flint as he address the ruler of Reim.

“When supporting an ally, truly support them, or you are doing both you and them a disservice. Remember your actions reflect on those you support.”

He turned to Azix with an arched brow.

“When the time comes, you will understand my earlier comment. Be prepared for that day, King Candidate. Those that stand at your side today could just as easily be driving a blade into your back tomorrow, if they feel they have a reason.”

He moved over to kneel before Merrze, his face softening the slightest bit, the closest thing to tenderness he had shown this entire time. He reach out to gently touch her hair with a tiny smile.

“You have potential, young woman. Do not let your failure today keep you from fighting tomorrow. There is too much strength in you to waste needlessly.”

Finally, he would stand and move in front of Ayero, his massive frame dwarfing hers, his horn nearly as big as her body.

“You have proven yourself to be the strongest one in this dungeon. I only pray you use my strength to assist you and that you will never have to face a time where you will be asked to sacrifice one for the many. A strong fist and a soft heart are a dangerous combination, when it comes to war. And war is coming. Now choose your vessel, my King Candidate. Where shall I reside?”

He would cross his arms as he waited for her to decide, brow arched.

Spoiler:

Lagi had the look of a man that was half dead, the smoldering flesh of his body that was granted from the second degree burns was alarmingly potent, it could be picked up from whoever was within the vicinity. El drago was also damaged and burned, scarred, but he was still fine. A dragon of EL drago's caliber could take such punishment, but Lagi was nothing more than a human. Lagi was doing his best to hold his consciousness. "Eligos....." LAgi would speak loudly, but his tone was change. "I'm sorry, you were right, my words, actions, had more of an effect on me a well as everyone else. Pride shouldn't overtake...my.....never mind.....just know that i'm sorry for insulting you. "Merrze was suffering because of him and every seconds between each and every word that Lagi formed from his mouth was a result of the high fatigue that he was experiencing right now. Lagi was dangerously tired, and he was experiencing something a bit different from what he was expecting. Voices in his head, voice of people that he didn't recognize in the slightest, but they were like the faintest of whispers, almost illegible. "...." El drago looked towards Eligos with a pitiful glance. " I failed as his partner, the fault lies with me as well, please forgive the child......" El drago would say as he humbled himself and knelled for a while. "

Lagi slid down the tail and his charred body slowly walked towards the platform. "......" He put the gauntlet on, but ten he waked over to Merrze and Ayero. " Looks like you won, i wish i has more to say....but......i don't.... and not in a bad way...... i just.... don't.......I'm your king...i'm supposed to be responsible for you...keep you safe...and......i feel so.... disappointed in myself......" Lagi would then sadly look at Merrze. You're dying, i..... was ..... a terrible leader.... maybe i was bad for the country.... a bad lover throughout my life...either dying or walking out on me.....and those who stay....are cursed of getting hurt because of me doing more harm than good." Lagi would say as he placed his hand near Merrze's cheek. " My....horrible decisions.... caused you so much pain........i betrayed your expectations..and don't deserve anything of you.....not your affection....or friendship...or even comradely. i'm.......not worthy of it....." Tears, that was the wetness that dripped upon his body, the sizzling charred skin exposed to the outer world as he made his own decision. "Orie....eject...." Orie exited outside of Lagi's body and looked up at her master. Lagi then slowly pointed at Merrze's body and gave his command. " As much as i can give........please...........take it all.... and give it to her." Orie whimpered, but she obeyed, entering Merrze's body by using host body. After Merrze was made as the new host, Orie used super cell repair and healed merrze of A rank damage. Maybe it was enough to keep her alive, just until Azix got to her if he decided to help.

However, Lagi's eyes profound blood instantly and he immediately fainted while standing up, much like a motionless statue. Something was wrong, el drago could tell, even orie, but no one knew, not now anyway. But to azix, a single black butterfly would fly past his face from Lagi's direction. A fluke? A moment of weakness? Or.....

0 MAgoi

Abilities used

Spoiler:

OOC: its in merrzes discretion to what the a rank heal....heals off for her. ORie will return to lagi after...

Lagi and el drago- B rank second degree burns

Azix stared at Ayero, jaw agape, when she refused to kill Merrze. A part of him found it admirable that she had such strong morals and wanted to use her power to protect. It was one of the reasons the orange magician believe her to be a good King Candidate. At the same time, the Fanalis had first hand knowledge of Azix's ability to revive the dead. No permanent harm would come to the girl, besides the trauma of experiencing a quick death and resurrection.

It would come to no surprise to Azix that Eligos was unhappy with Ayero's decision. The magician even had to agree that she had done a disservice by not finishing Merrze off. While Azix had a spell to heal someone, it was not as powerful as his resurrection spell. If someone died, the magician could completely heal their wounds. Since Merrze was still alive, bleeding profusely from two stubby limbs, the orange magician could only partially help alleviate her pain.

Approaching the white-haired Fanalis, the magician knelt at her side and pulled out his God's Necklace. With a few hushed commands to the Rukh, he used the necklace as a medium to cast Blessing of the Gods. Suddenly, Merrze would be bathed in a brilliant white light as one of her limbs would be restored. Once his job was done, the magician stepped out of the way to allow Lagi to do his part.

Azix turned to Eligos when the Djinn addressed him and looked at the items resting on the platform nearby. He knew the Djinn's advice was meant to help him, but it was a painful concept to Azix and he had to take a second to process it. For most of his life, Azix had been friendless. It was only in the last few years that he had found a few people that were close enough to be called a friend. If any of them were to betray him, Azix wasn't sure what he would do. Losing Ariella had taken a huge toll on him, which he was only starting to recover from because she had come back to life. The magician wasn't sure if he would take betrayal any easier.

Stepping up to the platform, a bracer caught the magician's eye. Picking it up, Azix looked it over for a moment before slipping it onto his arm. He wasn't sure what the magical tool was capable of, but if he had to guess, it had something to do with lava, given the theme of the dungeon. After the dungeon, the magician could spend some time studying it, but for now, he walked over to stand at Ayero's side where he would wait to see what item she chose for to hold Eligos' power.

[260/380]

Cooldowns:
Crazy Horse: 1

Spoiler:

Ayero stood over Merrze, her gaze unreadable as she stared down at the white haired Fanalis. She had not yet let go of her blade, gripping the sword tightly even though her opponent had lost two limbs and was bleeding profusely. Her mind had gone numb, unable to process her own choice or speech in the intense heat of the moment. Before she could have a chance to organize her thoughts, Eligos himself approached her.

The wild-eyed gaze of a warrioress drained from Ayero’s eyes as the Djinn spoke, her expression becoming more somber as she absorbed his words. A wave of remorse washed over the young woman as she let her eyes flicker back to Merrze, the other woman far more bloodied than she. Would she have done the same thing? Would I be upset with her for it?


Seeing that the battle was over and that their partner was left standing, Kabu and Tomato hustled over to the ring. Tomato flittered around Ayero and chirped happily, trying to get her caretaker to show a smile, but Kabu briefly checked Ayero over before slithering over towards Merrze. As far as he knew, Ayero and the other familiar-smelling Fanalis woman were not on bad terms. The black serpent would spit his healing saliva (Reset)* onto Merrze, hoping to undo some of the damage that Ayero had done.


Ayero would glance over toward Kabu and Merrze as Eligos spoke, her instincts telling her to go to her injured comrade but her respect for Eligos and fear of how Merrze would react held her back. Finally, the gigantic Djinn would face her, announcing that his power would be hers.


Ayero’s sober face melted into a surprised expression, not having expected to be chosen by the Djinn, especially after her point-blank refusal in completing his task. Nevertheless, she slipped her had into her breastplate, fishing around momentarily before producing a metal charm fashioned into the shape of an eagle head and feather. It was a gift given to her by the Cambulac people, and the small token was a symbol of the skill she had learned alongside them.



Ayero would hold out the charm in the palm of her hand, careful to keep her eyes on Eligos. Her mind and her stomach were churning, trying to digest the entirety of the situation. It felt like it wasn’t real, like she was in a fever dream.

*As with Lagi, it’s up to Merrze where/what this heals.

[70/290]
[Tomato Ammo: 4/10]
[Kabu Ammo: 14/20]
[Vittoria Damage: 100/600]
[Gyatso Damage: 80/400]
[Ayero Damage: B-tier to arm]


CD:
-Cross Slash (6)
-Simple block (2)
-Reset (5)

Spoiler:

The white haired fanalis kneeled barely hearing what was being said until Eligos had gotten closer to her, she tried her best to focus but everything was waning, it felt as if she could would pass out at any moment but the girl tried her best to focus on the words of the powerful Djinn, his face and words were kind which she appreciated, she tried her best to mutter a few words to the towering blue being while giving a bloody smile but there were slight pauses between as she could not help but continue to cough out blood every few minutes, she was truly at death's door.

"Why thank you for your words."

She tried to focus but she was close to falling over, as she was about to fall over she heard Lagi speak, most of what the emperor had said was muffled to her and she could barely see him, his words were kind and she respected him for admitting to his mistakes and feeling bad, she felt as if he was hard on himself but it was not her decision to change his on what he did. As the blue slime creature went inside her body another man had walked over to her, it seemed as if it was Azix he shined something on her and is it was being done she felt pain where her left arm used to be, and then she started to feel pain at the stump that was once her right leg.

Immediately the warrior's eyes shrunk as if she were a deer who had been struck by an arrow,, she clenched down hard bearing her death and she started to slightly thrash around. In both of her limbs she felt the cells forcefully replicating to make new limbs, she felt the bone growing and the muscle forming over it, she couldn't control it and the pain of nerves being created and forcefully attached themselves reconnecting sending electrical impulses to her brain giving her control, she had felt this pain once before when she met Ari the mage who regenerated her leg once. As the pain sent through her body she tried to stay strong and the lioness saw a hand form on her arm and foot on her leg, as she healed the snake belonging to Aye spit on her, which she thought was kinda rude at first but it started to heal the wound that was at her midsection.

As Merrze's body had finally finished repairing itself she was on all fours breathing heavily before trying to stand up, she wobbled a bit like it was her first time standing but after she was up she gave everyone a smile as she was still covered in her own blood.

"I guess I should thank all of you for healing me, course I'm going to be needing a lot of bedrest once I get back home."

She chuckled a bit but then she slowly walked over to Aye and extended her right hand for a handshake, sure she had dismembered her and spared her to where she would most likely bleed to death but she could not be made at the girl. She had spared her life and gave her challenge. Merrze was a fighter of course but the girl appreciated being allowed to let live, she had things to strive for and do but eventually she would want to fight again.

"Aye you were truly a much a better choice then me, I wish we could've fought a bit longer but I think I might've looked like a pincushion if I fought in that condition. One day I want to fight you again when I'm stronger and show you what I'm truly capable, though hopefully it won't be a fight to the death."

The white haired girl did her best to show kindness and walked over to pick up Lagi, she would carry him since he had passed out. The girl was disappointed of course but her opponent was better and more deserving of the Djinn, she just hoped soon she would have on of her own, and she did know that she had to get stronger.

The lioness stumbled over to her pet giving him a warm hug, she would put on all of her gear and wait to see what would happen after the Djinn went into Aye's vessel.

Magoi: 15/250
Ammunition: 5/15
Fluffy: B-tier

Eligos made no move to interfere with the healing of the young Fanalis woman, waiting as each of the other adventurers took their turn offering a bit of themselves to restore Merrze. When her partner fell unconscious, he simply arched a brow. Perhaps there was hope for the man yet. When Ayero approached him and showed him his intended vessel, he simply gave a nod before touching the small charm, a magic circle glowing for a moment on the surface. The sound of rumbles could soon be heard and the floor began to shake and Eligos looked around him briefly. His power had been bestowed, he had just enough left to teleport the adventurers out of the dungeon. A noise made him look down, a kind smile crossing his face as the four LavaToms came to surround their master one last time.

“My tiny constructs. Fear not. You shall not crumble with this domain.”

His words seemed to reassure the creatures and they bumbled about as Eligos summoned up his final spell, using his power to begin the process of transporting the adventurers from the quickly-crumbling abode he has resided in for centuries.

Spoiler:

El drago would then stand up and sigh as he slowly made his way over to one of the lavatoms. "My partner is quite skilled at animal care-taking. I can promise you that if you stick with him you'll have a warm home, good nutrients, and a suitable terrain. "Lagi did tame a few mine golems, so he was pretty knowledgeable in the ways of taking care of a beast that was made of some form of rocks. " Oh? This one seems to be the everyday veterinarian here, i think i'll stick with the dead guy and his dragon. Hohoho...."" The chosen laughing tom named Tim would then roll over to el drago's hand and stayed there for the time being as Lagi was taken off of merrze by El Drago; "If you do pardon me Miss Merrze, i think it would e suitable if we spit up for the time being. You are quite fatigued, and i dont think i should burden the load of carrying Lagi upon you. Leave it to me...." After taking Lagi, El dragon and the laughing tom, along with orie inside of lagi, went through the portal.

-exit

Ayero held her breath as she held out her metal charm to Eligos, wondering if the Djinn would find it suitable. To her surprise, Eligos seemed to have no qualms about inhabiting the eagle charm and touched it with his hand, a small magic circle surfacing onto it. That’s it? Ayero gazed at the charm in momentary wonder, mildly surprised that she had felt no surge of power or…anything, really. She didn’t know what to expect.

But the Fanalis wouldn’t have long to ruminate on those thoughts, as the chamber around them began to rumble and quake. Ayero quickly shoved the charm that now held Eligos’ power into her chest plate for safe keeping before gathering the various weapons she had shed before her fight with Merrze. Luckily it seemed that the various beasts we able to bring the other woman back from the brink of death with their combined healing efforts. Kabu would slide around Ayero’s waist and shoulders as she as approached by Merrze.

Surprised yet again by how well Merrze had taken the ordeal, Ayero hesitated for a moment before firmly grasping the other Fanalis’ hand in a handshake of solidarity. ”You fought like a true warrior, Merrze. I would be honored to fight you again, on our own terms.” A quick glance around her sparked a sense of urgency in Ayero’s chest.

Turning to Azix, Ayero gave the magician a nod and clapped him on the back. ”Thank you for all that you’ve done, my friend. I’m not sure how I would have fared without you.”

With that, the Fanalis woman would feel herself being pulled by a recently familiar sensation, as if traveling through space…

[Exit]

As usual, when Ayero clapped Azix on the back, she didn't hold back her Fanalis strength. The magician was thrown off balance and fell forward, onto his knees. He glared at her as he picked himself up, though there were no hard feelings. Azix knew by now that that was how the Fanalis woman chose to express her sense of camaraderie with others. "No need to thank me, I was happy to assist you. When you're ready to train your metal vessel, seek me out." Azix hoped she did, not only so he could help a friend, but so he could learn how Ayero planned to use her Djinn. Especially her Extreme Magic, when she got to that point. He imagined something along the lines of a sea of lava baring down upon the enemy.

Suddenly, Azix felt the familiar suction force of being pulled from the Dungeon and back to his world. Even though it was his third time experiencing it, being sucked out of the dungeon was disorienting. When his senses returned to normal, the magician was surrounded by a pile of treasure in a hole where the dungeon once stood. Azix grabbed his share of the loot, piling it onto his magic carpet, and wondered how he would use his riches. Previously, he would have poured it into his social programs, but they no longer depended on his finances. Perhaps he could start something new programs in Kou. It was something to think about at least.

Hopping onto his carpet, Azix sped off towards the palace, giving Ayero time to contemplate her next move.

[exit]

The fanalis sighed as she leaned against her pet exhausted as she would wait to be pulled out of the place, she wondered how long they were in the dungeon but all she knew that is was a great experience, the white haired girl felt as if she had learned new things from coming here and knew that she had to get much stronger. The girl would have no idea when her next opportunity to acquire a Djinn would appear but she did know that it was time for her to start training again, there were people much stronger than her so she had to train so next time she would acquire the power she needed.

The fanalis was slightly starting to feel he body being pulled away, it felt like a strange sensation but it was interesting, as the scenery felt as if was changing she noticed one of the Lavatoms roll up to her, despite the threats of her being food she kinda grew attached to the little guy.

"Come along little buddy, but if you're joining me things are going to be a little rocky."

As the words departed from her mouth they were pulled out of the dungeon, soon she would be moving forward in her plans.

[Exit]