Fable - Ask Two doctors!? What is with your health!?

[Asa Renwyk]

Both their wards were glowing. That meant they were under the effect of some kind of illusion. Good thing he prepared beforehand for such a tactic. Centuries of experience paid off in moments like these, but he wasn't prepared for what followed as suddenly they were under attack as soon as they discovered the trick. It was not so much the ambush that took him by surprise. It was the fish hooks.

Enca got her hands caught, and it rendered her unable to do much more than be an anchor keeping their attacker from going far if they planned to keep their weapons in use. But it gave him the moment he needed to form a plan. A rather simple one, but simple tended to be the most effective and he doubted this attacker was truly prepared for what was about to follow.

Pulling out his saber sheathe with saber still in it, he caught the lines with it then began to twist it around. The lines began to get twisted about the weapon and all tangled together forming an impromptu rope. A slight smile crossed his face seeing this happen.

"I have it darling. No need for panic."

And then he suddenly began the tug of war with a violent, full force jerk of his newly made rope. As he had told Enca before, he was no mere human. His body was far better suited to following in his dad's path in life: a fighter. The strength their attacker would feel coming from his line as they were no doubt struggling already with Enca's line was inhuman. It was a force beyond even the strongest of men and all of it was being directed at very precise places thanks to their choice of lines and hooks as weapons.

After the jerk, Asa made his follow up immediately. Fresh blood was spilled from Enca's wounds. He used his magic to manipulate it into a pair of bolts that were sent flying towards the source of the lines. Hopefully the bolts would impact them and their body would impact the stairs, but that was an optimistic outcome. He knew it was likely one of his attacks would work, which was acceptable. If he was unlucky this day however they might both fail. He was taking a shot in the dark at an enemy he had yet to see and confirm the physical prowess of after all.

Enca Boralaine

 

[Enca Boralaine]

"Come on...let go! So annoying! Get off my line!" Splintered and flying across the room a wooden object made its way toward the duo their combined strength too much for the...doll? Yes, a doll small and wooden collapsed on the floor its head ripped apart and a bundle of wires flowing from what used to be its mouth. The doll wore a dirty pink rag as a dress and its hair was sticky and matted yarn that dearly needed washing.

Two black buttons for eyes, a mouth drawn in wax...everything about the doll seemed normal apart from the wires.

"This thing certainly had a lot of tensile strength...It took both of us pulling just to snap it. How do you suppose it works?" Enca turned over the doll and examined all its angles this time a hollow, windy sound catching the vampire's attention. "What's this?" The joints, the neck, the legs, almost every part of a doll you'd expect to be able to move had tiny holes in them each gape about one to two millimeters wide. She might have attributed this to poor upkeep if the holes weren't so uniform.

Firing off into the shadows a pair of bolts formed entirely of blood escaped from the light before connecting with an unknown target from the sound of things shattering whatever it may have been. Into the light, a shower of wood fell into the spiral staircase below forever lost in this powerful illusion. "Did this...Doll attack us? I find that a bit hard to believe but...stranger things have happened I suppose..."

The sound of wood came reverberating through the halls again this time coming from above. "En garde!"

Descending from above wrapped in webs of darkness a horde of dolls enough to fill a display case dived at the two combatants. Their hands were replaced with a small razor blade for each arm and what should be a happy warm smile was instead drawn as an evil menacing grin with pointed daggers for teeth. Each of the dolls had a different hairstyle and attire and the longer one looked the easier it was to tell just how much effort went into the appearance of each doll.

That didn't make them endearing, however. Like the little bastards, they were they danced around the green torchlight and the shadows twisted and contorted around them giving them this imposing warped appearance that only grew direr the more dolls that joined. "Somethings a bit...off about their movements. Keep a watchful eye..."

Clinging to the railing the dolls leaped into motion like little imps serving an unknown master. They volleyed over the two intruders cutting and stabbing them from above as they sprang from railing to railing and from wall to wall never missing a beat like a band of trained circus performers. They were fragile little things a mere swipe of the hand was enough to dispel them for beings such as Enca and Asa but durability isn't where hordes keep their strength.

If a plan was not made soon it was very possible the two might very well die on those steps...

Asa Renwyk

 

[Asa Renwyk]

As their attacker came falling from above, the alchemist raised a brow. A small wooden doll. The little holes in it didn't go unnoticed. Already he had a theory as to what was going on. The magic users here were in dire need of a proper education in the fundamentals of magic application. So wasteful and inefficient if his theory was correct. Far easier and better methods of animating such tools.

"Judging from the design I would assume it is an animated object using the same principles inherent in golems and pseudo-telekinesis. Most likely either strings of magic or magical strings are attached at these joints and the will of the user is transmitted into the doll, which then acts upon said will in rather simple fashion. Most likely when we pulled on the strings we removed the doll from its control cords."

Asa just smiled to Enca.

"At least that is my current theory based on our experiences and this do-"

He was interrupted by Enca when he yelled for him to take up his guard.

More of the things began to crawl from somewhere above. How many of them were real and how many a fantasy? They were currently under an illusion so it was possible some of them were part of it.... But he currently had no evidence to support that theory so best to assume them all real for now.

He drew his saber and took up a defensive stance. Quickly he began studying over their attackers. A mass assault with dolls designed for melee. Interesting tactic. Likely the original one would trap targets and these would swarm for the kill. Possible there was more of the hook kind hidden above.

Best he do something about them all.

Never taking his eye off the dolls, Asa said in far too casual a tone for the situation, "Enca dear, if you are bad with fire I suggest getting ready to protect yourself. I have this situation as well and it will be rather bright soon."

And with that done, the alchemist did to these dolls full of wicks what he had done to that cultist outside. He snapped his finger and ignited all wick like objects not part of himself or Enca in the immediate area. All loose yarn hair bits. All frays in unkempt clothes. All splinters in wooden forms. All of it would be sparked into a flame like the wick of a candle. All of it most likely lacking the protection of bee wax to prevent the spark from spreading through them like kindling over branches. A great sea of flames expended from just the simplest of spells applied with the simplest of knowledge about how fire works.

Asa would have enjoyed the scene of flames coming to life in such great numbers more if it didn't nearly sap all the energy out of him. Magic always came with a cost and while the spell required a trivial amount of energy to perform the sheer amount of objects being ignited would have taxed anyone, let alone someone so limited in their magical capacity as him.

He dropped to a knee and began to breath heavily. His skin paling like he had just lost a lot of blood, although none had been. Unless he used blood to fuel his casting, he was unlikely to be able to more than light a single candle soon.

Enca Boralaine

 

[Enca Boralaine]

Enca's arms became a blur of speed and power as they created an impenetrable fan of defense around her and Asa striking down any who approached with a well-timed chop. A wave of fury came over Enca as her eyes examined the dolls a surge of repressed memories washing over her. "That night..." Enca let her arms stand on the floor as her leg lifted into the air kicking away a huge swath of dolls with one well-timed kick.

"You were there too weren't you ya little-" Enca's raised leg turned into a Gatling gun furiously chipping away at any enemies that came her or Asa's way. "I'll sit these dolls on your grave." Now Enca let the rest of her body balance on her arms as both her legs raised into the air and began a raging barrage of kicks the decimated any the came to close.

"Enca dear, if you are bad with fire I suggest getting ready to protect yourself. I have this situation as well and it will be rather bright soon."

A fire spell? If that's how it's gonna be then she'd better get to stepping. Enca's arms pushed off the ground launching her up and over Asa as she landed a good few steps downward. A fan of fire erupted around Asa leaving a cascade of flaming dolls tumbling down the stairwell. Maybe she blinked at the wrong time but Enca never saw anything shoot out from Asa everything just kind of...combusted...

"My dear was that the candlelight spell?" Even someone magically illiterate knew the candle spell when they saw it and all its apparent uses. To think that a command used to stoke fires and burn wax could be used in such a destructive and artistic manner was...well it was inspiring really. "My my Sir Renwyk you're becoming an even greater catch by the minute..." Now exposed to the great golden light tendrils formed of darkness and birthed of shadow retreated into the darkness their power having been revoked.

"Now it makes sense...whoever this is they use shadow to puppet the dolls. That's why they strike from the darkness and falter when in light."

THUNK! Out from the darkness, another wooden shot could be heard followed by numerous others fired in every direction. Unlike before Enca had no intention of even evading these bolts, whatever the enemy had in store she felt it better to just face it head-on than to keep running from place to place.

"I may be able to survive this no problem but I'd suggest you move if you don't want to be struck."

 

[Asa Renwyk]

On one knee with labored breaths, the doctor watched as the puppets were no more and the shadows controlling them retreated. A slight frown formed on his face seeing this. Words escaped him directly from his thoughts.

"Truly? Shadows? Of all the options to move puppets you chose the most vulnerable and inefficient one? Regular threads infused with magic would have been better!"

A sigh left him. These cultists clearly lacked a basic education or instruction on proper magic use. They were wasting more magical power than he possessed within himself, and he was outclassing them. It was shameful. None of them would pass back at the college and be expelled.

The comments from Enca pulled his focus away from mentally failing his opponent for their wasteful lack of creativity with magic. The slight frown turned into a slight smile as his eye settled onto the woman.

"Why yes it was my dear. Are you feeling more enthused about our deal?"

Then more wooden shots began to come out of the darkness. It was all such wasteful tactics and movements. They blind fired wherever they pleased like a band of ill trained militiamen. Was this their grand trap to prevent intruders? The illusion was appropriately frustrating, but the one attempting to take advantage of it was just annoying him in its shortcomings.

Generally his patience would hold for ages, but he had seen everything he wished of this being. If they were so reliant on the shadows then all he needed to do was just remove them.

Spotting where some of the bolts were being fired from, Asa moved and narrowed his stance to make it harder to aim for him. Then he moved his arm in such a way that it would take a couple of bolts directly into it while also being grazed to open up scratches. The point to it all was to get his blood flowing. His personal reserve was depleted, but he could still take advantage of the magical essence in his blood.

"Enca, my dear, be ready. I'm going to make it so we can bask in our host's glow. Would you be so kind as to quickly and appropriately greet them for me? I only have so much blood to use before even I will parish."

And with that, he got behind her. Then he cast the second of the basic spells all who wish to enroll in the college must learn: mage light. Balls of light began to blink into life everywhere. They were spaced out so that they left nothing in shadow. The hopes being it brought their attacker into the light stopping their magic and giving Enca a target for whatever way she wished to counter this ambush.

As he cast and held the spell, blood dripped from his wounds. None made it to the floor. All of them faintly glowed before vanishing out of existence. Every drop of energy they contained convert into the magic required to fuel his continuous spell.

Enca Boralaine

 

[Enca Boralaine]

Despite her attempts to warn him, Asa seemed intent on being struck by the enemy his reasons being his own she supposed. Now riddled with bolts from every direction, Enca took a note of her injuries drawing a mental line between her wounds and the point from where they fired. This info may have cost her an eye and both of her legs but it was worth it to know where the enemy was hiding out.

Dropping to the floor the Vampire found herself bathed in a blanket of light one that scattered the enemy and sent their troops falling from the sky inanimate and lifeless.

"Tsk tsk tsk! By the divines, if your going to use shadows to attack AT LEAST use an illusion that doesn't incorporate light..." The Vampire's eyes drifted to the top of the stairwell where most of the shots were focused. Everything they had endured during this battle until now had brought them to this moment where their trust in their strength outlasted their enemy's. "Fifteen seconds. Fifteen seconds until my legs heal up and I tear our host in two."

Like water flowing down a cliff, shadows hugged the walls like tendrils with terrifying speed. Sharpened and twisted the spikes maneuvered through Asa's wall of light their target his beautiful and all so essential windpipe. "I get the feeling I won't make the flight up there without light and that you won't survive down here without damaging that smooth skin of yours." Enca's horrible power kicked into action and tore Asa from the path of destruction. "I won't have that."

Enca wrapped her built arms around Asa shielding him from the cage of darkness moving to impale him. Hang on love." Webbed and transparent, Enca's wings tore through her back flesh oozing and dripping with fluid and dead skin after having been destroyed. The woman's wings slapped the air as she soared up the stairwell the shadows below uselessly colliding with the stone steps.

Carrying Asa was no trouble at all but with her wings, in their weakened, damp state she had a bit of confusion on how to best adjust to his weight. "All the shadows and dolls are coming from above so whoever is attacking us must be doing so from-" Enca felt her face pressed against an invisible barrier hidden from sight but very much there. "-Above...okay...that hurt more than it should have..."

Asa Renwyk

 

[Asa Renwyk]

The trick of light worked. All the little dolls began to fall. The shadows had no power over them anymore. No life was breathed into them. Naught but toys in the end it would seem.

This seemed to anger their grand opponent. Pushing through the balls of light despite the effect they had, the shadows sought to strangle him. They wished to force a slow, agonizing death from him. Memories of a life long lived full of forgotten decades. Centuries of knowledge collected and advanced by a singular life lived long past what was natural. A mortal breed into existence by the manipulation of an aboration upon this realm. The anchor for the great hedonism that sought to devour all this world had to offer....

And then Enca moved to protect him. She embraced him fully. Her wings sprouting from her back like the angel she was proving to be. And then a warning. She was about to move them. Away from the shadow. Away from death. Towards their foe. Towards hope.

A clever action, but one that would prove to be inconvenient for him.

Before Enca could whisk him away from his font of power, Asa quickly gathered all the blood around them. The essence of it absorbed into himself. A truly inefficient action, but one that restored his magic and overflowed his natural reserves. A situation his body could easily handle. Like a small spring that flowed into a vast canyon, he had far more space to hold the precious substance than what was naturally seeping in.

Thankfully he was quick from centuries of practice and made it just in time before his thick figured angel flew him away from the bad things.

The doctor pulled back on his light spell. He focused it around them so that the shadows could not get through. She pointed out that their enemy had to be above them and then hit an unseen wall. The first clever strategy the cultists had used so far. But he was tired of this farce. So much trouble with an enemy that was not as strong or prepared as they thought.

He tapped her to get her attention. Then with a smile he said in that ever calm voice, "Give me a moment dear, I have an idea."

The alchemist reached into his pouches and began to grab at objects. A clear orb, a charcoal pen, a bit of ash and salt. Without needing to look he very quickly drew circles of magic upon the orb using the pen. While he did he chanted something under his breath inaudible. If she dared to listen in it would become clear his words were not in a language of this realm.

Once he was done the whole thing was coated in the salt and ash mixture. From deep within the orb a bright light of deep red, black, and sickly green began to glow. Asa looked to where the wall that stopped Enca must have been. With his free hand he shot out a blast of raw magical energy to break it away.

Then immediately after he threw the orb through the hole as he said in a serious tone, "As master of our pact I grant you freedom of your holds to rampage, trick, and roam until our enemy is no more."

The orb was glowing brightly as it fell into the room beyond and bounced several times. As it seemed to come to a stop from within it leapt out an imp blazing in hellish flame of red and green. It cackled like a madman as it screamed out in its demonic tongue. Whoever was in the room now had to deal with a being not of this realm casting light all about as it rampaged about unchecked.

Asa would smile to Enca. "I suggest we wait. It has been some time and he was never very good at controlling himself."

Enca Boralaine

 

[Enca Boralaine]

Enca felt her claws dig into the stone wall above her fingers squealing as they supported not just hers but Asa's weight all by themselves. If not for her powers it was doubtful Enca would have even been able to last this long. All around them a sea of shadow furiously struck at the duo before being banished by the presence of light. Why didn't they switch up their tactics? Did this foe honestly have no other methods of attack?

Kind of embarrassing she lost to them earlier...

"Give me a moment dear, I have an idea."

Enca's legs snapped into place as the healing process finalized the muscles and bone tissue having been repaired. The vampire quickly took the opportunity to plunge her feet into the stone ceiling giving her fingers some leeway.

"Why do I get afraid whenever you have a new idea?" The enemy was growing more desperate now the attacks were no longer sly and maneuvered now they had become vicious and aimless only focused on getting through to the two. The staircase was completely out of view now the shadows had taken their place...and it was glorious. It was a strange thought to have at a time like this but Enca couldn't help but wonder how many lesser beings were defeated by this foe.

The user itself isn't that bad it's just that well...she's fighting a Cambion and Vampire...this was a longshot from the get-go. It's honestly a wonder they've lasted this long. Still hanging Enca found herself shuddering at the low rumble parting Asa's lips the venom with which he spoke a clear sign into what he was attempting here.

Such hellish words and intent are to be expected from someone like him but seeing it in action is so ...sobering. Burning into existence shimmering with light spanning in every dimension a tiny little devil hungry and jumping around like the little imp he was started tearing through the corridor above roaring and frothing at the mouth as he seeked out his target in a mad frenzy.

A cloud of dust and brick sent the pair tumbling to ground their support demolished and Enca's foothold gone. A gruesome demise was rapidly advancing but the threat was quickly diminished by Enca wrapping her arms around Asa anew and jolting her wings to life. There wasn't enough space between her and the ground to successfully pull up so things were about to get rocky...

"Your legs! Tuck them in!" Enca felt as though she were being split in two as she righted herself mid-flight adjusting to where she flew at an angle just about the steps below. Even now she sped along the stairwell Enca found shadows pursuing her and Asa their jagged edges managing the occasional slash of her heels. Slanting them upward, Enca pushed her feet off the ground and put the duo back on course. The hole was in sight and with it their enemy...

"From which hell did this thing come from!!?!" The Drow child frantically retreated into the farthest corner of her black moldy room a pained expression on her youthful features. A black dingy blanket went over the girls body as the Imp shoved her to the ground gnawing and clawing at her protection. "Keep it away from me! Keep it away!!" A bladed crown of shadow cried out from inside the blanket impaling the small creature and taking its light with it.

Zar'haina took a look at the hole in the floor and felt her heart sink and fall out through her feet. She could hear her enemy approaching and with it their cursed light. That left only one place to hide, one place to hide before she was found and one place left to hide before they found Estel pinned to the ceiling her mouth sewn shut. "Shhhh! Stay quiet! I'm gonna go hide where they won't find me!" The little Drow scurried off ignoring the muffled protests of her sister.

 

[Asa Renwyk]

Things were not going as planned, at least not for Asa. The imp (as usual when out of its orb) was not being very helpful. Yes it was after their enemy but it wasn't trying very hard to be effective nor actually hit its target. Instead it was having more fun running around ablaze and throwing fireballs about willy nilly in more an act of doing its job than actually doing it. It was the sort of things he would forcibly make it return to its orb for, but other matters intervened.

What was holding Enca and Asa up had given way and the pair was tumbling once more. A warning to tuck his legs in went out and he quickly complied. Shadows chased them from the hole so he directed the mage lights towards it so as to hinder if not stop their enemy using it to assault them further. Enca got them safely to the ground and then back into flight once more during this time. She was proving to be rather versatile and adaptive. He fully approved.

The imp's temporary form was broken and the trickster sent back into his prison. An event that Asa felt happen through his pact connection with the lowest of demons. A slight frown crossed his face. Of course it proved worthless. The thing only ever proved helpful when inside the orb to act as a battery for its scrying and detection of magic abilities. How any demon cultist or summoner got real use out of the traditional methods of using imps was beyond him.

As they came to the hole in the floor, Asa patted Enca on whichever body part was most convenient. Hopefully it was somewhere proper but he made no effort to make sure it was first. A smile would be offered to her. "Enca my dear, why don't I go in first and you take a rest? Your parts so far have been overwhelmingly physical and I would rather you not tire yourself out before I get the chance to do so personally. I trust you will swoop in an save like if anything happens like a defenseless princess."

It was less of a request and more of him letting her know what he planned to do. She was free to comply or follow however she wished. He left a couple of the lights with her so that she had a bit of protection from the shadows and then went up through the hole in the floor with the rest.

As he came into the room, he dusted himself off. Where he had been impaled had already healed up. The extra magical essence in him from the blood conversation seemed to have passively been consumed by his body to speed up his healing. He would need to take note of that detail in the future. It could be a problem if he ever was overstocked on the stuff like now.

His amber eye idly studied the place over as he strolled over to his orb and picked it up off the floor. The place reeked of fear. And it was coming from two different sources within the room. One from the ceiling above him and the other from within the darkness of the other side.

So he looked up. There he saw something peculiar. A little drow girl with her mouth sewn shut pinned up there. He dimmed his lights down and gave her a smile. Then he put a finger over his lips as if she was able to speak in her current state.

After his attention turned towards the second scent of fear. His guess was it belonged to the one who had been giving them so much trouble. Casually he moved towards it. As he did he wondered who he might find. Could it be another child like the one on the ceiling or perhaps an adult who was meant to watch over her? His guess from the particular kind of fear the scent was of was that it was a second child. Most likely a sibling.

Anger was beginning to boil up in him. Emotions with him rarely got very strong unless it related to one of his more instinctive desires. Even those required certain conditions to be met before they began. These cultists using such poorly cared for and trained children as front line soldiers had drug out the wrath sleeping deep within him. He had more reason to end this cult now, but first he needed to deal with this troubling situation.

In a casaul and as friendly a tone as he could manage, Asa spoke. "Your sister is safe and so are you. No more tricks please. I can tell where you are. Just come out so I can make sure that evil imp didn't hurt you. I'm a doctor so if you are sick or injured I can make you better."

The doctor waited a moment. No doubt the child (he had already made up his mind and assumed there was a second child here) would have a hard time trusting or believing him. So he decided since they liked the dark so much he would offer them an olive branch the same way he had with Lady Enca before.

Asa waved his hand and the lights around him went out. He smiled and said in the same tone as before, "There. No more light. I take it that it bothers your eyes."

Enca Boralaine

 

[Enca Boralaine]

"Enca my dear, why don't I go in first and you take a rest? Your parts so far have been overwhelmingly physical and I would rather you not tire yourself out before I get the chance to do so personally. I trust you will swoop in an save like if anything happens like a defenseless princess."

Enca's golden eyes narrowed and a sly grin split her face allowing her razor-like teeth to poke through. "And what allow you to see our puppetmaster without me? Sorry Asa but I make a habit of looking at those who try to kill me." The vampire quickly fell in step behind Asa her nose seeing Estel nailed to the roof before her eyes ever did. Her mouth was laced shut and the sweet smell of blood had coated the floor completely.

Drows are never on her radar in terms of food. The lack of sunlight their species are known and have evolved for makes them taste really stale and flavorless, not something you want to deal with when everything else you eat just comes back up.

"Wait hold on...that's a kid! Ohhh...don't tell me the other one's a child too? I don't feel like killing a child today...perhaps they have a writing crop or a cane around here I could-"

A damp, dingy feeling invaded Enca's nose but with it was a metallic haze that obscurely hinted at sugar. Definitely, ichor but this one smelled...sickly? Yeah, that's the word, sickly. A sort of decayed scent that picked at the senses and warned caution...something that Asa wasn't taking very seriously...

"Asa you shouldn't go in there...We're not sure how this enemy behaves and from what we've seen..." Her eyes flickered toward Estel. "They aren't well mannered."

Enca found herself drawn to the scene and with her attention focused elsewhere she quickly fell out of step.

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Zar'haina still tucked deep within the stone walls of the fortress was met with an interesting choice. Her enemy was standing before her just...standing there. All her life in all her battles every single one of her foes had one goal in mind and one only. To dominate. To kill. To kill their enemy no matter who it may be. Is that really all an enemy is? Someone who wishes you harm? And if that is true does that make this man an enemy? Is he truly someone to be despised?

No, no he's not. But they're still enemies.

"Yes. Yes, that's how it's supposed to work I think..."

With his light extinguished and his defenses lowered pin cushioning Asa with a large array of spikes was no challenge at all. Neither was wrapping a dark noose around the Cambion's neck and securing his neck firmly in place. Without the presence of light, the shadows ruled supreme once again. His first mistake was appealing to her compassion, something Zar'haina abandoned years ago.

Tiny hands connected by brittle bones slid a massive stone wall aside revealing a tiny chamber hidden inside the stone just big enough for the little girl to fit inside. Still wrapped in her dingy black blanket the child stepped forward her eyes blank and emotionless and her feet bony with barely enough power to support her weight.

"I've never seen a doctor that can't tell if they're sick or not. What you need is counsel at the most powerful level. The preeminent's will is the highest form of righteousness and it's my job as her messager to see that, that will is brought to life. No matter what it takes. I don't care who it is."

The shadow's grip grew tighter and the spikes stabbed inside Asa's flesh drove deeper.

"Anyone who I have to kill...is my enemy, it doesn't matter how I or anyone else feels. We were enemies the moment you were a threat to the preeminent. Perish." Zar'haina's slender fingers closed into a fist and with it, the thin shadows wrapped around her hand closed and grew tighter until the target began to ooze with blood and their bones cracked under the pressure.

"I've decided to keep my distance. I'll take your life standing over here."

"The only thing being taken is your leader's head." Zar'Haina grabbed a fistful of shadow and whirled around quickly launching the shadowy assault at the woman standing mere inches behind her. Enca made a mistake walking into her range for even a vampire couldn't be quick enough to react to-

CRACK!! Once again underestimating her enemy has cost Zar'haina even more ground or in this case the battle entirely. The realization was slow and painful, unlike the fist that quickly sent the drow skidding across the room and away from her thoughts of murder. The darknesses slowly squeezing and poking the life out of Asa slowly retreated back onto the floor their font of power writhing on the ground.

"You're right in that an enemy is normally someone who chose to oppose you. HOWEVER. I am not your enemy." She winked at Asa her smile having yet to fade after all this time. "I am simply someone who dislikes having their toys broken."

 

[Asa Renwyk]

The gambit had been made and the results quickly proved to be disappointing. As the young drow girl came out of her hiding place (he had been correct about there being two kids), it became quickly obvious she was not in any mood to trust him. And she took advantage of his gesture to attack him.

Her attack wouldn't have been a problem if not for how she approached things. She drove spikes into him that didn't leave and began to strangle him with shadow. His body couldn't regenerate his wounds while foreign matter was in the way. So instead it just continued to produce more and more blood to replace what spilled out. He could have likely gone on indefinitely from the stab wounds by converting his lost blood into fresh blood in a seemingly endless loop of pain creating recovery creating pain.

But the lack of air was something he could do little about. Even if he could hold his breath for longer than a normal person, he would eventually die from it.

The fate chosen for him was different. As she had been doing, Enca came in to rescue him by punting the frail drow girl across the room. The spikes and strangle hold upon his neck both faded instantly. And the moment he had fresh air in his lungs once more the spike wounds began to recover passively. But all of this healing had consumed a rather large chunk of the reserve he had created from Enca's blood before.

He looked down at the little pool that had formed around him. Then his gaze went to the drow girls. Even if one of them had tried to kill him, he could not fault them for any of it. The adults in their lives had not raised them properly nor taught them well.

A frown crossed his face as the doctor converted his blood into magical essence that he absorbed into himself. It was not an efficient form of recovery, but he couldn't afford to be picky right now.

"Thank you Enca my dear. You are a delight and I seem to be owing you a debt at this rate. Might have to forfeit studying your curves."

A slight smirk was given to her.

"But before any such talk, I have a duty to my new patient. A little precaution this time however is in order."

Asa walked over to the drow girl who had been manipulating shadows. He pulled out a small travel ink well from his pouch. The cork was popped off and he dipped a finger into the ink. He bent down and brushed her hair away from the back of her neck. Then he began to draw a ritual circle with elaborate symbols and runes.

As he did this, Asa said, "I am placing a mark to stop your magic use. It will not harm you in any way. It will remain there until I release it. If I die before releasing it then it will be there forever."

What he had to say contained a lie. The mark could be removed by anyone adept enough with magic and a bit of knowledge at rituals, runes, and symbols. People such as these cultists. It would be fairly simple as they would just need to use a little magic to break a key part of the mark and the whole thing would fade away. That last part was a lie as well. He would need far more time and preparation to make a mark that would last that long. This one would last about a day at most before it went away, but a little lie right now wouldn't hurt anyone.

Once the mark was made he sprinkled some ash over it as he canted some words under his breath, then he slapped the mark gently and is soaked into her skin like a tattoo.

"There we go. Now to move onto your injuries."

And the doctor began to look her over to see exactly what damage might have been caused to the poor girl.

"Enca darling, would you be so kind as to see to our patient on the ceiling? Those threads around her lips will need to be removed and wounds seen to. I imagine she is suffering other effects from her current circumstances as well."

Enca Boralaine

 

[Enca Boralaine]

"Thank you Enca my dear. You are a delight and I seem to be owing you a debt at this rate. Might have to forfeit studying your curves."

Enca scowled at the mere idea but her face soon returned to a smile transparent of her desire. "You will do no such thing lest I be disappointed." Now she had to deal with the Drow siblings and the injuries they had sustained. While Asa tended to the girl she shunted across the hallway, Enca made her way over the other drow lying face down in a pool of her own ichor.

The sudden and abrupt destruction of her focus had disengaged the drow child's shadows in every part of the fortress including the ones suspending her sister above the ground. Enca pulled the girl out of the puddle so she could examine her better and for the first time realized that this one was a bit older than she had previously surmised.

Enca has never been good at guessing ages with her being a vampire and all but from the look of this one, it was safe to say she was in her mid to late teenage years. Her eyes were darkened from a life without decent sleep and her height and weight were stunted from what could only be years of ill health and eating habits. Just what is this cult? Who could be so vile as to treat children this way?

She had to stop thinking about this before certain memories flooded the surface of her mind and struck her heart with deep aching pain. She had to take her mind off that and focus on what she was doing now.

There wasn't much she could do for Estel's brittle body other than to get her a proper meal but her cuts and lacerations were not outside her reach. Normally Enca would take the conventional procedures of closing the wounds and supplying the body with enough energy to continue healing on its own but it really was time that they moved on.

Enca tore her finger on her razor-sharp teeth releasing a gushing flow of crimson that would serve her patient. Not the most sterile thing in the world but without a good majority of her kit she was pressed. With a quick stab at the neck, the Vampire's blood mixed with Estel's. The Drow's mortal visage quickly ran pale with 'sickness' a very common effect of early Vampirism. Anyone who isn't of Boralaine descent (save for that fledgling a while back) will quickly die from the disease now running through Estel, however, this can be cured and the bonuses that come with it are enough to make this a solid move.

Over the next week, Estel will weaken from bodily decay in the same way corpses turn to dust and bone but before that happens her wounds will regenerate and her body will grow stronger and free her of any ailments. This is the nature of Vampirism, To create a strong and worthy vessel free of sickness and fit to prey upon mortal-kind. This is the best she can do for Estel, give her the strength to get healthy again.

A simple thing she's done it before to heal those beyond medical practice. She's got time, a simple cleansing spell would keep her from turning a luxury most were not afforded before it was too late.

"That will keep her stable as well as immobile while her body adjusts to the new strength. Asa, we need to finish this...this monster..." An uncharacteristically serious look contorted Enca's pale features as her eyes glowed golden and the veins on her face began building violently. "I won't let him get away with all he's done! Trash like him can't and won't be allowed to persist!"

Enca's eyes widened as purchase was found just a few floors above their position. She couldn't make out exactly who or more likely what was in there but...all the same, her enemy was at the heart of this mess, and if intuition served...

...it was him.

"Asa. You used a lot of magic during that last fight, how much energy do you think you have left? If you need a little time to rest I suppose I could humor you..." The smell...something foul...just what in the hells is going on with this cult?!?!

 

[Asa Renwyk]

As the doctor examined the drow girl's injuries, he did make a mental note of what his fellow doctor had to say in response to his mention of forfeiting his rights to studying her curves. It would seem she was very excited about that particular activity after they finished things here. The signs had been present along the way but this confirmed them for him. So long as the pair survived the upcoming events it would seem he was in for a long, enjoyable night.

The young drow showed many of the signs of neglect upon her body. Brittle bones, stunted growth, and lack of general body mass due to malnutrition. She was also bruised with some possible broken bones after she had been punted away like she had been. The coloring of her skin and eyes showed how little light of any kind she was exposed to. He had to guess her fear of light was due solely to this fact rather than the types of magic she could perform. All in all, she was in very rough shape.

A fact that angered the usually stoic and apathetic man.

He began to fish around inside of his pack, eventually producing his lone healing potion left. It was basic. More of a supplemental measure while he performed surgery or for patients who had been sick for some time to ease and speed up their recovery. It helped but would never perform any kind of miracle.

The cork was removed and he placed it upon her lips. If the girl could not drink or would not drink it then he would help her do so by massaging her throat as he slowly tilted it up. Once the entire liquid was drank, he would recork the vial and put it away. No sense wasting perfectly reusable supplies. Then he pulled out a bit of a sweet treat he was saving for later.

With a slight smile he would say, "Here for being such a good patient." Another lie, but she didn't know how to be a good patient so why tell the truth? He would lay her down near her sister. "What you drank was a potion to help you heal faster. You should feel less pain in a few minutes. Needs a bit of time to begin to work. Get some rest. I will be back to check on you soon and then we can get some proper food into you both."

And with that he moved over to Enca. She was being serious and he could guess why. A most foul presence was in the place. He could feel it. Another quirk of being a cambion was being able to feel these kinds of things so easily. She was both impatient to deal with this cult leader yet also concerned with his well being. As she had pointed out, he had used up a lot of energy already and he was sort of tapped out.

The man just gave her a slight smile. "Why Enca my dear, are you worried about me? I am flattered. I almost believe you are trying to keep me in good enough condition to study your curves vigorously all night long."

A wink would have been perfect following his words, but that was something impossible for a one eyed man. So instead he settled for a swift, playful smack of her plump behind.

"No need for rest. It will do little. Best we deal with this man as soon as possible. The sooner we end him the sooner we can return to our patients and the sooner I can get my hands all over your wonderful figure."

An impish smirk was directed her way.

Enca Boralaine

 

[Enca Boralaine]

The slap delivered to her rump had Enca truly worried for Asa’s well-being and her checkup once they were done here. If that’s the best he can do then she doubts he’ll be the partner she’s been hyped up for this whole endeavor.

"Again. And do it right this time. If I don't feel a print you aren't getting your hands on anything tonight!"

Those promiscuous thoughts quickly faded from her mind as the corrupting energies above grew stronger and swirled with hateful, horrifying power. He knows they’re approaching…

Her memories of the night she was taken came flooding back sending images of a bright lunar crescent and a sky peppered with stars. Trees surrounded a clearing filled with grass that was now blackened and burnt from an emerald fire that withered the ground and brought terror to whatever it radiated. There, Enca stood bloodied and battered with both her arms destroyed as she fell to her knees from a split calf.

Her right eye was replaced with a crimson gaping hole that shot straight through her skull and from the way she was breathing it was clear she was tired from a night's worth of fighting. Most of her blood was soaking the withering grass and her once steaming wounds burned more quietly now as the Vampire fell back on only her most basic regenerative powers.

Standing directly in front of her a black-robed figure emerged from the fire his jewel-encrusted shoulder piece and gold-tipped boots a homage to his status when he walked amongst the living. Oh did I mention the man had no skin or muscle tissue? No eyes either, just a gaping abyss with a green glowing spark burning inside that somehow allowed the thing to see.

All of her attacks up until this point had failed for the undead man was simply quick to react with either a spell or a counter. His strength was phenomenal and his ability to manifest weapons was nothing to be trifled with. His body was mostly incorporeal which made punching the shit out of him that much harder for Enca that night.

“Y-You’re...a Lich!” WOOOOSH!! Enca was sent tumbling down the grassy hill by another emerald gout of fire she found herself unable to avoid.

“I am whatever my mistress requires me to be. There is not much in this world that successfully evades my reality…” Enca’s leg twisted and contorted when a surge of life was sent running through it. The healing process was beginning despite all the injuries she’s incurred.

“Yet you seem very fluent with this rarity. Yes, I can see why the mistress is proud to call you her dyad, the other half that forms her duality.” The Lich spoke with an ancient voice that wreaked of death and rattled the bones, it was a form of power over his enemies to make them fear that which cannot be braved.

Crushing the clay dirt beneath her pale feet, Enca rocketed off the ground and shot toward the lich like the mystical arrows the elves are said to have crafted in their forests. On the Lich’s head sat an ebony crown with a bright ruby housed in the middle where a range of spikes pointed toward the sky. Liches obtain their immortality by binding themselves not to a body but to an object that holds their soul until it is destroyed.

...and she had doubts that his shoes are that meaningful to him.

“You right bastard!” Enca’s foot smashed uselessly against the ground where the Lich had moved his crown inside his shadowy body to hide it from Enca’s strike.

“Godsdamnit!!” A river of chains sprouted from the shadow mass, each of them tearing a hole through Enca as they locked with the ground and the treeline below, skewering her like a roasted hog over a fire.

“No one has ever escaped the fate my mistress has chosen for them because no one has ever escaped justice before. Man, woman, young, old, rich, poor, justice arrives and punishes without regard. I in a previous life ruled as a Wealthy King over a vast land, my riches vast and my power infinite. However, years of tyrannical rule caught up with me...and justice was served in the form of rebellion.”

The chains drove deeper into Enca’s body as she wobbled there bleeding, without the strength to wrench herself free.

"Deep within my fortress I hid tucked away with the last of my court preparing for the worst as the doors to my castle were breaking down allowing my subjects to infest the halls. I was finished, justice had reached me and soon the guillotine would as well...BUT I. WAS. SAVED. My mistress in all her eternal beauty and glory came to me as a beacon projecting herself from her ethereal realm with a message!! Serve her...server her will and she will give me everything I COULD HAVE NEVER DONE BEFOOORREEEE!!!"

The chains strung through her body became laced with spikes that drew massive amounts of blood from the agonized woman her face frozen with pain and her speech reduced to quiet whispers and gasps as she hopelessly tried to get air through her punctured lungs.

"Do. You. Under. Stand? She SAVED me from JUSTICE!! A FEAT NO MORTAL COULD EVER HOPE TO ACHIEVE! The only thing safe from justice is justice itself. How could one who so easily bestows and belittles punishment not be justice!? HOW COULD ONE WHO STANDS ABOVE EVEN TRUTH NOT BE THE AVATAR OF RIGHTEOUSNESS!? Her power made me into the ancient being I am today and it is her power that ordered you to lose to me! The agent of reality!!"

The memory ends there, she assumes she blacked out from the pain or blood loss. Their enemy is a Lich...troubling...but not enough to stop her from riding out on this crusade of justice! Well maybe for Asa it's about justice, she's mainly in it for the vengeance aspect. Ignoring her survivalist urge to turn around and rush outside, Enca began her ascent up the stairwell the foul power in the air like smog in a chimney. It became harder to breathe the higher one climbed and if her ears weren't mistaken...

...Enca swore she could hear two voices up there.

 

[Asa Renwyk]

The response that Asa got from Enca certainly did take him by some surprise. Not only did she focus on the smack to her rump but she demanded he give her another one and properly forceful this time. He had taken her to be more inclined to soft, gentle touches as befitting a proper lady. Instead he was in the presence of a woman who wanted roughness and forcefulness from those who dared dream of enjoying her divine curves.

He was pleased to know this before anything serious began and was happy to oblige. Always give the woman what she wants and enjoys after all. It is only the polite thing to do!

But he waited. She had withdrawn into herself for a time. Something clearly unsettling having crossed her mind. She was in no position to appreciate a bit of playful intimacy like that. So best he do what he did and wait for her to be in a more aware and receptive state of mind.

In that time he took a moment to check on his current reagent situation. Mostly those mushrooms he had collected before. His stock of salt and ash and bonemeal. Those three being the base materials for nearly all his rituals. Small amounts of medical herbs. A few pinches of various minerals. A pair of vials containing mild acids for burning away rust. And then his stock of oils for his equipment and as a base for his alchemy that didn't particularly like water.

Not much to work with unless he planned to feed someone poisonous meals. But he could work with it. At the very least he could potentially work out a ritual using what he had. Likely would need to given the foulness of the energies he was feeling from above. Perhaps if their enemy underestimated them then it would be a rather simple matter.

Then Enca was with him once more.

Asa smiled to her as she began to head towards the stairs.

"I planned on using a gentle touch, but if what you wish for is the rougher kind...." A hard, full force smack would strike Enca's rump. The loud slap echoed all about them in the stairs. A rough squeeze followed and the doctor leaned in right next to her ear. The last bit was said in a whisper. "I can and will happily oblige dear."

The smack was something no human could replicate. It was beyond their natural strength. No doubt she would feel the imprint of his hand there for some time and may even develop of a bruise. It all depended on how tough and how quick to regenerate her vampiric powers were at dealing with the action. Regardless it would give her a good idea of what his true physical capacities were.

The doctor was no human as his appearance might still suggest. Truly he was a cambion with a body capable of handling the demonic essence born within it.

Enca Boralaine

 

[Enca Boralaine]

As the inhumanly strong smack sent her cheek bouncing up and down with a red print burned into it the Alabaster woman slowly turned around with the creepiest smile one could have ever seen. This was a face that had been the downfall of many, an unholy gaze that's the end of days and let the target know just how badly she wanted to devour them to gorge on every morsel of their being.

"You and I my friend..." Her lips parted to show the rows of razor teeth inside many of them having just grown in as a result of her desire to be with this man. "...Are going to have the time of our immortal lives."

She had completely forgotten for a second that the two were approaching a being more ancient than her and beyond the reach of death a feat so many had tried and failed to accomplish. Could she even beat him? Could they even beat him? It wasn't just a question of whether or not she'd survive this time anyhow either, she had Asa to think about and all the fun she had with him in this short time they've known each other.

It's funny really how quickly they went from enemies to whatever they were now, she didn't even really know. She wouldn't let him die! Lich be damned!!

As the two approached the top the dark energies in the air became thick and visible like hazy clouds of gas the smelt horrible like death and decay. Such hateful vigor could only be the result of an equally decrepit spirit...two spirits she was beginning to fear.

"I-If you die...I'll break into hell and kick your ass you understand me!?" It was more an attempt to calm her nerves than anything but she did want him to know that she was counting on Asa not to die in this fight. "What we need to do is bust up that ruby inside his crown. I just KNOW that his soul is in there. If we break it he's through. This may sound stupid and even fickle but...I'd like to keep the crown, a memento you understand yes?"

Enca's heeled foot touched the top step where a door peering to the left opened into a huge stone chamber with long wooden bookcases lining either side with nothing in between them but a desk at the end of the elongated room where a sickly green mist was rising from what appeared to be some kind of scrying orb which was the only source of light in the dark putrid study. Sinister shapes danced around the ceiling as the two talked seemingly unaware of Enca's intrusion just yet.

"Oh, it's been TOO LONNNG since we've had a real heart to heart. You muuust need something...just what could my oh soooo loyal subject need from tiiired, wiiiiiithered old me?"

"I need...guidance my mistress. My people have been unable to stop our escapees from progressing through the tower. Zar'Haina who has one of the greatest kill counts amongst our order was rendered immobile by this pair! IT'S INCONCEIVABLE!! How could they stand outside my justice!? Defy what I an agent of righteousness called forth for them!?"

"OooooOOOhhhh!! Hoohoo!! You stillll have SOOO much to understand. The justice you chose, was nooot the one I permitted. Whateeeever you desire is yours to have! But I have to share that desire otherwise your wants are worthless as are you to my crusade."

"I-I-I don't understand...what do you mean I've done everything you've asked and-" Enca could hardly believe it to be the truth but...the figure had come through the orb and wrapped her hand around the Lich's chin! And they were kissing! Gross...who would want to kiss something without lips...The kiss lasts for a while and Enca contemplates attacking the lovers when the womanly figure retreated back into the orb her long talon-like fingers running down the Lich's incorporeal neck as she did.

"This is your final truth. There is nothing in this world that righteousness can offer you any longer. Pleeeease don't despair, this is only the natural order of things. I will continue without you and it will allll beeee fiiiiiiiiiiiiine. I know this is hard but you will have to find a way through this. Just so I don't leave you eeempty haaanded...My final truth to you is the elimination of our intruders-"

“Behind you.”

The figure slurred in her slowed seductive speech. The Lich turned around at the sight of a shimmering light soaring across the study, its sharp whistle and air-cutting power only something a Vampire could have accomplished with their unearthly strength.

Somehow the Lich was still able to react in turn with a blade sprouting out from his chest that quickly cut the scalpel in two sending the two halves dropping to the floor.

“Your attack has failed, Miss Boralaine. All you’ve succeeded in doing is giving away what little surprise you had.”

Enca wagged her pointer at the Lich as though she were a mother scolding her misbehaved child. “Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. The only failure here is your ability to read my movements. That knife was the setup.” A thin crack ran across the Lich’s ruby, a crack that had not been there a second ago.

Confusion washed over his undead face. He definitely blocked the blade so how is it he still took damage? Could this be the "ghost" Zar’Haina saw attacking that Cambion from earlier? Clearly, Miss Boralaine has some unknown ability she chose not to showcase the night of their battle.

On that note...where is that man anyway? “I assume your fellow doctor is in tow behind you? Tell me did you kill my dear Zar’Haina or did you pity her enough to let her go? Poor girl...did you know she has a magical ailment that makes her allergic to sunlight? Very tragic. A child that will never know the feeling of the sun on her skin.” Enca fully stepped into the room now her scalpels wedged between her clawed fingers.

His head was the target and he knew it, their best chance at getting The Lich was with either a spell or a reflection attack. They had to use the latter sparingly though, Enca isn’t an accomplished mage or anything so her magical reserves aren’t that high and it should only take a few times for him to realize what her abilities are.

Not to mention the threat of the Lich. Asa is about half of her in terms of speed, power, and regeneration, and Enca LOST to this foe. Could he live long enough to get something off? She didn’t know but she’d fight on anyway and keep him alive in the process.

“Asa. I’m going to rush him.” By the time the stone floor had formed its cracks, Enca was already on the other side of the room three of her fingers primed to rip the gem straight out of the Lich’s crown. “Your speed truly is horrifying. I will have to do something about it. However, I find more interest in killing him first.”

Rising out of a green gust of flame, chains dark as night and steaming with onyx energy moved toward Asa determined to stop whatever he planned to do.

“My mistress has given me my final truth. Let these chains be yours.”

 

[Asa Renwyk]

The reaction that Asa got to the smack of her ass was truly better than he had hoped for. That smile spoke volumes as to what was on her minds and her words were a promise he gladly hoped to have fulfilled. And to get his own thoughts on the matter across to her he chose actions over words.

An impish smile spread across his face as she looked at him. His hand gripped her plump behind and squeezed hard. A deep kind of desire filled his eye. One that went all the way to his very core. His mother was a being of pure gluttony, lust, and greed. He was no stranger to those things, but ever since he had taken in that succubus essence not long back his lust had taken on a more pressing and frontal presence. Not just his usual lust for knowledge and advancement, but also a lust of the kind the two doctors had promised one another once their affairs in this fort were over. This side of his was on full display to her right now reflecting her words back to her like a silent mirror.

And then they continued on. They had a duty to attend to.

At the top of the stairs was their ultimate foe. A lich (sad how some refused to stop living when their time came) in conversation with some other being. The whole sight reminded him far too much of when his mother was feeling chatty. Convenient for him that she was so lazy and not entered this place as well. No doubt such a corrupted soul would be a meal not even her slothfulness could prevent her from claiming.

He half listened to what was said as he began to take into account the room. When the mention of the crown came up he already had begun forming a plan. Seeing the lich before him said plan had fully developed.

Taking one more squeeze of her behind, Asa leaned in right next to Enca's ear. Sweet nothings were whispered into her ear. "Dear mind getting me a piece of the lich if I don't first? I have a plan."

And after he pulled away with a smile upon his face he gave her plump rear a strong smack like before.

A knife was thrown as he got a bit of space between him and her. He was well aware of how wide her attack range was. His saber was drawn as the banter began. The girl from before was mentioned meaning to taunt him. Why did the undead think it would work?

"Magical ailments are much simpler to cure than natural ones. I will have her cured of it once a few reagents are gathered. If it was an ailment she was born with and not of a magical nature then you would be correct. Thankfully for her, you happen to be the type to be wrong. Even your mistress thinks so and has abandoned you. A sad fate truly. Is there anything we could do to bring you a bit more dignity back before your passing?"

Just like how terrible the magical use was for those cultists, their leader was horrible with his taunts. Seemed Asa was going to need to teach another lesson. This time on proper witty responses.

The chains were not the impressive things the lich deemed them to be. Either they would fly straight towards him or they would attempt to twist and catch him should he dodge. Basic patterns in these kinds of skirmishes. His best opinion was the one he already took. The cambion charged forward towards the chains and ducked under them. Then he simply continued he dash towards the lich. If they could turn then the chains would have to completely change direction, likely to entangle themselves instead of him, or would continue flying away from him in the wrong direction. Even if the best case happened he would have distance.

Truly had none of these cultists studied proper tactics for magical combat? A blade through the heart was as deadly as any fireball and required a fraction of the time and effort to use.

Enca Boralaine

 

[Enca Boralaine]

Enca winced as she saw Asa charge forward after narrowly escaping the chains summoned by their foe his intent as unclear to her as the nothingness she grasped between her fingers. Where a bright red ruby should have been there was only a thick cloud of smoke black and hiding whatever foul energy swirled within.

“If I was that easy to defeat then I surely would have lost to you before. A mistake you have both made in underestimating me is a mistake that will cost you your lives.”

Colliding with the floor on which he once stood the Lich’s chains clattered uselessly on the stone ground as Asa jumped away still rushing his enemy even now. For the briefest of moments, the chains shook and hummed while a mass of grey shadow formed a line in Asa’s direction. Starting from the base the mist materialized into another link of chains sprouting from the originals.

The mist was far faster than Asa was even with his increased speed they still managed to run under Asa’s feet covering the ground in their inky black mist.

“Do not mistake me for some mere brute. My attacks are brutal, brutally precise that is. Now behold! The boot of hells!!”

Rising up his foot like a sock made of smoke, Asa’s foot was encased in the eerie mist which quickly turned itself to metal which did an effective job locking itself to the Cambion’s foot. “You’ve heard the gruesome tales of the Iron Maiden right?” Before the inside of the boot could line itself with spikes the Lich let out a horrible roar when he saw the form of yet another crack in his ruby created by one of Enca’s reflections no doubt.

Now that the thought caressed him...where had she run off to? The Ceiling? No, not there, Behind him! Wait she wasn’t there either...where could she have-CRACK. A sharp whistle drew another crack across the Lich’s ruby bringing the being one step closer to falling.

“You would hide while your ally is in peril? Abysmal teamwork. Poor execution.” His ethereal gaze fell on Asa. “Reckless tactics and horrid assumptions. You people have yet to educate on fundamentals, haven’t you? I believe I am correct, right my fair lady?”

A sea of black erupted around the Lich, the black smoke turning to metal that would protect him from the ground shaking blow made against the shell. “Worthless. Worthless. My mistress has given me powers far superior to yours.” Things were starting to get out of hand. If this kept up they might find themselves in a precarious situation. Clearly, the Lich was capable of taking them on one vs one but if they were in sync...

Enca took of toward Asa her hand primed to slice the metal contraption off his foot.

...They might have a chance.

Asa Renwyk

 

[Asa Renwyk]

The black mist formed and ran itself under his feet. Asa already was aware there was no escaping it. The speed of it was too great for him to possibly overcome. And the result was his feet becoming encased and then spikes stabbing into them. A wince escaped him, but it did not even last a second. He expected the pain.

What was frustrating was how much this abandoned fool enjoyed talking. Clearly from his words and attempts to taunt them, their words had struck a nerve. Or perhaps he was lacked that much awareness? He suspected both. Fools and their pride. They were only separated by death, and that was the outcome Asa was aiming for here.

"I do not believe you understand the concept of teamwork nor fundamentals. If you did then certainly you could have taught it to your disciples and they would be alive here now. But you do not and now they lay dead to easier than novice level spells."

The doctor chuckled. "Of course judging a spell based on some silly notion of difficulty and strength is foolish. I know this because it is clear you think a fancy spell such as this somehow makes you a great mage. Did you forget? This is not even your own power. It is the power of your supposed Mistress. The one who abandoned you knowing you would die. Shame. I imagine her power is always withering and waning now that she is gone. As it is not your power."

He was taunting him. It seemed to be working. The threat was the lovely Enca and not himself at the moment after all, yet he was drawing the attention to himself. The fundamentals of combat and magic were the same. You stayed focused on what you were doing. His falling for taunts was proof that he was lacking and weaker than he liked to claim.

Then he encased himself in that metal shell. Was he that much of a fool? Asa already had an idea of how to turn it against him. He was making this an alchemical test when he should be making it a magical fight.

Enca came over and was primed to free him. The doctor smiled to her. In a hushed voice that he knew only he and her would hear, he said, "This fool believes his defense is as thick as your ass darling. After you free me be ready to attack. I can easily deal with his defenses."

Asa turned his attention over to the lich. As soon as his feet were freed he would move out of the mist while converting all of his spilt blood into energy. Energy he would then use to create a basic heating spell. One, as an alchemist, he was intimately familiar with. It would be directed at the man's own metal shell turning it into a kiln and the lich the unprotected lump of clay inside. How long would his already cracking gem hold out in such heat let alone the Lich's body itself?

Enca Boralaine

 

[Enca Boralaine]

A plan of attack? Already?! If nothing else Asa is consistent, that being his uncanny ability to come up with battle plans while being stabbed. Now that she thought about it they seemed to get stabbed a lot. Noted. A chop of her alabaster hand cut the hellish boot holding Asa down dissolving the severed halves back into the nightmarish smoke that birthed them.

"Let us see this plan of yours and remember! My standards are high so you'd best deliver!" Enca gave Asa a devilish simper that let him know she was tooling with him. Finding another use for his blood, Asa quickly turned the Lich's coffin into an oven and it seemed the spectral entity was on the menu.

"I see...if his body doesn't give then his oh so precious ruby will. So simple yet so ingenious, I love it! You'll have to educate me in your ways...I'd like a private session if you don't mind." After getting himself slashed more than once and having seen her ability on full display it's likely the Lich had come up with some kind of counter to her reflections, that meant she would have to assault the ruby in a different manner. Enca's eyes wandered over Asa's shredded and bleeding foot. The worry was banished from her mind.

He's fine. That blood gives him power. A Strategy quickly caressed her mind and Enca knew how'd she kill the Lich the moment he showed his revolting face. She'd win the fight that was never in question but...something would feel missing if she simply killed the Lich. There is a greater looming threat here and if she kills him without learning anything then that threat will simply take a new form and hunt Enca down.

Best case scenario Enca gets the Lich to tell her the identity of his mistress.

Burning red hot the gray metal shield melted into smoke and cast a hazy mist over the room. The smell was simply foul and the smog proved to be one of the only things thicker than Enca. Did he mean to impair their vision and kill them that way? Laughable. Fueled by an unholy curse the vampire's eyes cut through the smoke like butter and peeled away the magic's origin like an onion. A few paces from Asa the Lich darted forward with incredible speed his cloak billowing in the mist and his dark visage painted clearly in the haze.

Worst case scenario she has to put all her focus into just staying alive.

His finger, now as crooked as it was sharp primed to take a swing at Asa its power within the right to do some major damage if it were to land. The ability to create metal from smoke was a versatile discipline and its dangers numbered almost as much as the weeks it takes to perfect it.

You've been had and now this mist will be red with your blood! You can't escape this smog or my attack without taking a breath and the moment you do I'll turn the smoke into tiny fine shards AND SHREAD YOU FROM THE INSIDE!! You'll die like a common vermin, fell to the exterminator because of his own impulses. The impulse to breathe that is...

A smile all but split the Lich's face as he launched his attack knowing that his plan was now in motion. "You think yourself SO smart, SOO educated but in the end, the only thing you knew how to do was die like filth who needs a harlot to carry him on her back so he isn't skinned and turned into an ugly rug I sweep the dust under!"

"Your mistress leaves for five minutes and you become more childish than the children you command? I would have abandoned you too, especially after you lost all your minions in one day." Enca had blasted across the room her hand stretched out for the jewel nailing the Lich to this mortal coil. She'd do what should have been done 'in a previous life.'

Asa Renwyk

 

[Asa Renwyk]

An impish grin crossed Asa's lips. "Be ready. Private sessions with me are rough and hard. May be bigger than you could handle."

Were his words eloquent and tactful? No. But he never wished for them to be. They were crude as this lich's use of magic and as subtle as his ego. Besides, Enca was a lady who enjoyed a bit of brutishness with her eloquence. He had already figured that much out. It was a tease and taunt to excite her for after the battle. It also served as a means to let her know he wasn't out of this fight yet.

The moment the smoke began to spread, Asa began to hold his breath. Having seen what the lich did with it figuring out what his plan was was rather simple. It did not help that the fool also announced it after as well. Enca might not even need to breath and he could hold his breath for some time. Aiming for lungs was not the best way to win this fight.

Asa also already possessed the perfect counter on his person already. He pulled up his alchemical mask over his face from beneath his clothes. He always kept it there while out and about due to never knowing when he would stop to brew potentially dangerous potions. Also it helped when being around fungi that might be deadly as well. It could stop a little magic smoke that had to be denser than regular smoke if it was changing form into iron. Most likely the smoke itself held large quantities of iron to begin with and his magic was a simple transmutation or alteration spell to shift its form between the widely spread smoke and compacted iron objects.

So the counter now over his face, Asa just breathed like normal. And it seemed the Lich was still far too focused on him still. Would the fool ever learn? He was showing such disrespect toward his dear Enca ignoring her so. It was enough to make him a tad upset.

A lesson was in order.

The alchemist began to step forward, knowing it would hurt like hell, and then fell forward. It was an act. As he dropped he used his body to block the view of him pulling an item out of his pouch. A vial. He dipped a fingertip into the blood on his feet as he curled up. His hand still gripped his saber hilt. A small magic circle was drawn on the side of the vial. It was a simple spell so would require no real time just the blood used for the ritual and a bit of magic power to activate it.

Asa would be out of magical power after this, but he suspected Enca was about to end things soon. He just needed to distract the lich a bit longer. Something he would accomplish now he hoped.

As the Lich came to him, the sound of his movement as loud as his mouth, Asa rolled out of the way of the attack. The contents of the vial were thrown up onto the Lich as he did. It was the acid he had on him. The ritual caused it to endlessly replenish itself. It would eat away at what it touched over and over and over. Nothing would stop it until the spell ended in half a minute. Nothing except the instantaneous destruction of every bit of the acid at once.

The doctor got up onto his feet from the roll and aimed to slash off the Lich's hand turned into a weapon with his saber after he did.

"I was planning on mercy but you crossed the line. My darling Enca is no harlot. You can, and should, apologize but it will gain you nothing from me. Foolish filth that can not admire a lovely lady such as her deserves to be culled."

Asa was only a tad upset with this Lich.

Enca Boralaine

 

[Enca Boralaine]

His attack had failed...completely. "A mask. Who would have figured?" An eruption of sizzling liquid forced the Lich to sacrifice his hands in service of his ruby, his lifeforce that must be protected above all else. His mistress had given him his orders to destroy these two intruders and he won't have it be known that his lady was right to abandon him.

Cutting through the fumes burning from his skeletal hand the Lich coated, Asa's saber in his murky mist chaining the weapon to the floor by bonds erected from within the swirling clouds themselves. In his mind the Lich still held the advantage, his enemies were within his mist and he could generate metal from any direction he willed.

I'm beginning to worry that I haven't been able to kill that harlot already, perhaps I should have focused on her from the beginning as opposed to her agonizing companion. Most don't live long enough to develop a counter to my mist and now the fair lady has had all the time she needs to analyze me...

His eyes or rather the empty gaping mass where they would be twinkled in the way a spark does in the dark of a cave its creator barely treading the verge of igniting a fire. He'd take a deep breath if he still drew it his mind and body still in need of such tedious maintenance.

"I still hold the advantage. You and Boralaine will die without ever grasping the true reality of your impending doom."

A living thing with a mind of its own and the urge to consume, emerald fire swirled out of the Lich's font of power the head of the attack like the head of a serpent relentlessly tracking its alabaster prey. A pair of clawed fingers reached out for the ruby and were blocked by a wall of fire, forcefully and fueled by waning energy.

"I see...your mistress provided you with power directly so that you could never break her influence. Now that she's gone...your abilities are failing you." A swift kick severed the neck of the fire from its source breaking the wall and exposing the Lich.

"No."

The Lich erected another wall of fire only this one was broken before it even touched the ground. The vampire was advancing on her adversary her golden grin both gleeful and a sign of imminent death.

"No..."

The swirling clouds parted for an iron rod black as night to shoot toward Enca who's stride has yet to break. The lady bent forward and ducked under the rod her pace maintained and the bloodlust pulsating through her translucent skin. Whenever her veins began working as though she were alive it kicked her body into a sort of "overdrive." Her enemies innately understand what it means to be the target of her bloodlust when it stares them in the eye and soon this Lich would too.

"As the very stimulating Asa said, I am no harlot and I certainly don't have any mercy for someone like you. The only reason you haven't been culled yet is because-" Enca's chest flooded in a stream of cherry-colored ichor the wound that let it flow unable to heal with the offending object still present. The vampire seemed more annoyed than pained by the spear which quickly burst into smoke after being snapped in two.

"-I had something to ask you, about your mistress. Do you know where she is? I am going to kill her after you."
Enca eyes Asa from beyond the Lich. "Not before I deal with a huge project of mine's first..." Enca guessed that the Lich would spring into action, his emotions ruled him like alcoholics are ruled by their spirits. In a way, his mistress is his greatest weakness no doubt something she intended when forming her bond with him.

His strike was sloppy and easily countered with a simple hand grab. Her inhuman strength was far superior to his and the second attack only succeeded in getting him grabbed by both arms and being flung against the wall. His ruby evaded destruction but now his brittle exposed skeleton was cracked and still melting from the acid flung against his chassis.

"My mistress...will see you on her terms...when you are in chains...and groveling...AT HER FEET!" The fading entity launched a metal bullet that Enca sidestepped before it had even fired. "I wonder how you even set up all this. You are actually a very pathetic creature." The skin on Enca's pale fingers peeled back and allowed her terrible talons to emerge from her painted nails. Now longer than her actual fingers, the lady stuck the dagger-like appendage into her eye so that she could revel in the pain it caused her.

"You have around twenty seconds left to live before I ram your skull into the floor. If your mistress is as powerful as you say then why not let me pursue her? If my death is so assured then why not point me toward it?"

Asa Renwyk

 

[Asa Renwyk]

The blade cut clean through the Lich's arm. One limb was rather useless to him now, although he did manage to chain up Asa's saber. He abandoned his weapon to the mist. No sense in fighting over it. His feet were injured, but he could likely still punch clean through the thing. Inhuman strength was handy for moments like these.

The Lich still claimed to be at an advantage and even was trying to make a show of it. Rather pathetic use of his waning energy. Did the being have no concept on efficient magic usage? Oh how the foolish were blessed with great gifts.

Out of nowhere like some kind of prophecy come true right as Asa was thinking of making a comment about how the Lich was struggling against him let alone the pair, Enca kicked the Lich. He smiled as he watched. It would seem his part was over. The being had wasted so much of its power just trying to kill Asa, who was limited on his resources this whole fight, and so was at her mercy.

Asa just continued to observe as there was nothing the Lich could do. Whatever damage she took would just heal away and make her angrier. She lectured him but his words made it clear all of this was taking place on deaf ears.

It was at the end of the interrogation that he decided to step in. Enca wanted answers but was not asking questions in the right now to get them. At least not from someone as delusional and deranged as this Lich.

"Darling do we even need to concern ourselves with this bitch of a lich's mistress? Clearly she is far too weak to be of any concern to either of us. Look how pitiful her supposed chosen champion was. I lacked any of my usual resources and yet he still failed to kill me while throwing everything he had at me. No strong being would ever take on such a pitiful, weak being as him. No doubt this mistress of his is hiding and shaking in fear as we speak. Why not just end this poor soul's suffering and prove to him why you would be the much better mistress to follow?"

It was a gamble that he could provoke the information out of the Lich. His words had worked so far so there was a theoretical chance. But no theory was true until proven. Now it was only a matter of waiting to be proven wrong or right.

Enca Boralaine

 

[Enca Boralaine]

It seemed that Asa had a different way of getting answers out of the Lich, one that involved more guile and less intimidation. That's the problem fools are always so stupid that you can't scare them to get what you want, no instead, you have to trick them into using their ego against themselves. That revelation didn't stop Enca from clawing a hole through the undead's skull, though. Even with an ethereal form like his the damage he's sustained compounded by his lack of stamina and the cracks in his phylactery means he'll be dead in no less than a minute.

"We need to concern ourselves because even insects are annoying when they continue to bite and prod at you. Even if his disgusting mistress is shaking in the corner of a room, sweat dripping from her oily face, we need to remember-" Enca glanced at the Lich out the corner of her eye. "Animals are often at their most dangerous when they get cornered."

Steam began to billow in her eye cavity, the blood dripping down her cheek evaporating at the start of the healing process. "Perhaps you are right, and she really is no worry to us. Look at the evidence. With all her, wisdom she couldn't find someone worthy of carrying her message of, righteousness he called it? Maybe she realized the error in her ways and, that is why she left him. To find someone better than him, although judging from this, battle I wouldn't say that is much of a feat."

"Be silent!" Skeletal fingers wrapped around the Lich's ruby his, soulless eyes growing dimmer by the second. "Insulting me is...acceptable. But I will not allow you to slander, my lady!" Enca smiled at the raging fool they had him firmly on their hook. "And what do you plan to do about it?! It's already shown you can't kill us, so your only hope is that somehow your mistress provides a better exercise than you ever did."

"You conniving little..." The Lich stood up and propped himself against the wall, his frail and broken body too tired to support his weight any longer. "I know what you are trying to do, and it WON'T work! If you think I can be beguiled into giving away my lady so easilly then you underestimate my loyalty." The Lich slumped back down onto the floor, the light in his eyes burning at their brightest now. "When you meet and trust, me you WILL meet eventually. It will be on HER terms, not yours. She can be stalled, and she can be burdened, but my mistress cannot be stopped."

The Lich fell to the ground the last ounces of his strength dying as the flame within his empty skull did. "How long will it be until your both stinking corpses twitching on the floor? We'll find...out soon...enough..." The red ruby faded into a dark grey coloration, the soul it carried departing to whatever fate awaited its wretched misdeeds. His soul gone no longer able to hold together his tried decayed body, the Lich's skeleton collapsed on the floor. His magic was the only thing holding him together, and now that it was gone...the natural order resumed.

"You know It's ironic. All he did was boast about his mistress but when you think about it...he hasn't had her favor since we began fighting." Enca smirked at Asa in the only way she knew she could do genuinely. Predatory. "Though with you around, I'd say I'll never want for attention."

Asa Renwyk