07.11e: A Marriage of Inconvenience

[Draylen]

Aibne rolls past the first strikes, ducking under the diagonal, and cursing as it takes him away from his sword. He tries to block the second with the spear, and curses as it explodes, giving a small scream as he takes the blow with full force. Large, angry welts show on his hide, and he swears, just barely moving past the next strike, taking one on his left leg. He keeps moving, rolling around the crazed Infernal, until he's able to get back to his sword.

He picks it up, and swirls to his feet. The cloak takes the brunt of another series of blows, but the stone sword slices through the ephemeral energies and disrupting them. He approaches slowly, limping, his cloak in tatters, his hide covered in large, angry welts, and he starts cutting the blasts, approaching him. "End. The. Spell!" he growls angrily, looming large over panicked, raving human.

[Chtalo]

At this point no one is likely watching the entryway to the castle, so no one will see the otter standing in the open gateway, staring at the scene and considering, before his eyes shoot to Dal'ashi in combat with... a bear? He takes off at a dead run, hefting the spear of bone he grew earlier, and gives it a heave. Not so much as a growl or a grunt, but it's thrown with great strength towards Dal'ashi. As the spear leaves his hand, he drops to all fours, body rippling as the bony plates begin to grow back over him, this time bristling with small spikes that sparkle in their own moonlight.

[Joshua]

Dal'ashi smiles. "I almost started monologging... No, you can't be." The spear strikes him dead center in the back... and ... uh... bounces, barely denting his fur.

"Hello again husband." He will comment. "Well, since neither of you has any idea, I'll have to show you my new patron."

He will tense, then swerve to smack Ch'talo with claws out. Charged with whatever cold as he is, his claws cut through the lunar's shapeshifted armor like it wasn't there, ignoring the power. Likewise, when claws land, they are as effective as striking with (normal) fingers. What's worse, when he goes to smack both of you away (cause he doesn't like being crowded), his blows hit with the inertia of a small mecha.

And, just to reiterate.. the sense that something is about to arrive is almost finished. We're talking seconds, not minutes.

On the plus side, without the roach thing empowering them, the zombies are offering much less resistance... although, cleanup is still slow going.

[Chtalo]

Ch'talo spits and grunts as he staggers under the blow, staggering back, growling and beginning to glow more brightly, almost the light of a full moon bathing him as the bony plates surge back plated in quicksilver, his claws stretching as he lunges forward.

"You ceased to be my bondmate when you read the Broken-Winged Crane!" he snarls, lashing with his claws viciously, (local) power wreathing him in light and fury as he lunges forward, the cold sensation washing over him but not deterring him from his task. He wil seem singularly focused on Dal'ashi, but any knowledge of Warfare will see that with the angle and focus of his attacks, he is trying to move so Dal'ashi's back is to Aibne.

[Joshua]

Part of the big issue is the shadow charms fade when they strike him. Not dispelled, but whatever benefit they once gave in previous encounters are not happening this time.

"Oh, that old thing." Dal will observe. "Yes, quite useless. Petty power from petty gods." He will gladly let you maneuver him to where Aibne will get a clean shot at his back. He delays long enough for a sensation of reality cracking to start to arrive. Hairline fractures appear where he steps. "Shame, my ride's here. And I can't bring you with me."

[Draylen]

"Your'e not going anywhere," Aibne says. He doesn't go for the clean shot, but instead to harry and hamper at the joints and tendons of the Infernal. "I will chase you from here to whatever pits of fire Dworkin came from if I have to. You will not escape," the bear growls viciously, aiming to debilitate, but not kill.

[Joshua]

He will perfect dodge the last strike... Similar and familiar crystal appearing around him that will shatter into additional distance*. He will stomp on the ground, shattering it into a small, jagged, and utterly black crack that he slips into.

It will rapidly close. And it feel wrong enough that jumping into it feels... not something you think you'd survive.
__________
*: The concept of additional distance. Kinda strange.

[Wyvern]

Tinder (currently escorting Rogbar and Jiga) arrives... takes one look at Dal's method of departure, and turns right around to bolt back the way he came. This time, however, he's making no allowances for people following him; either Rogbar or Jiga (or both) still could, of course, but it'd be a rather rougher trip.

[Chtalo]

Ch'talo snarls as his prey is about to escape, grabbing a small pouch at his sideand tossing a fine multicolored sand in the air. He jabs his paw forward, and the motes hang in the air, painting out the... well, Aibne will recognize it as the Pattern, but in negative space, the sand trailing off at the edges. He shoves it forward at the disappearing prey.

"NO! Come back here and fight, you *coward!*" he snarls, but does not follow him into the darkness.

[ShadowOfPreservation]

Jiga just stands there shocked for a moment, partially from the scene in front of her and the awareness that Tinder seems to have just turned tail and left her and Rogbar to fend for themselves, but also from the experience of following Tinder yet again to get here. "I...we found Rogbar," she announces nervously, her better instincts causing her muscles to tense in preparation to take flight. "His captor is dead I think and that didn't look good so...time to go?" She looks around for Alys, Cameron and the freed prisoners as she makes the suggestion however.