Bur Omisace: Aqueducts Boss Fight

Our heroes are in dire straights, their Paladin escort Goarn is lying on the floor gurgling and thrashes from the dart stuck in the Burmecian's neck. Their other paldain companion is still trapped inside the shield of electrical energy that holds Lee captive and has rendered the Lady Silmeria currently unconcious. Marduke is free of his restraints but the residual static charge surrounding his body has made it all but impossible for him to summon the energies to wield his magic and Mazurek is a crumpled heap upon the floor. Savourn, Leader of the Knights of Restoration has come for Ainsley, the Conduit of Shemhazzi the Whisperer and he has just felled Mazurek without even moving from his negligent, almost uncaring position at the centre of the cross chamber the Aqueduct is flowing through.

Marduke glances to Mazurek as he is downed and winces at that, no this fight is clearly not starting off a good foot. He still has that electrical charge around him as well and knows his own magic right now is to risky, so instead he turns and dashes over towards Lee's cage and actually smiles to the man. "This is going to hurt me a lot more then it is you." Sticking his foot into the nearest water and then gritting his teeth, stick his hand into Lee's cage, attempting to short it out for him.

And what a spectacular show it is, even Savour raises an eyebrow as Marduke connects himself, Lee's electrical cage and the swiftly flowing Aquduct together. There is a wet, meaty zooorp sound as Marduke stiffens and lands with a splash in the current, the summoner concious, just about but dragged swiftly down stream, it'll take him a while to get back out and back to the fight but the cage around Lee and his own residual static charge are gone. Savourn just yawns idly, "Please my Lady Ainsley, just call off your misguided grunts, explain to them the light of what they are missing."

Ainsley visibly balks when Savourn calls her friends 'misguided grunts.' Her eyes widen, and focus on the water. She turns her attention to the cage that Lee was once in, and then to Savourn. She doesn't seem impressed with him. In fact, there's a certain amount of 'I don't give a f***' in her eyes that her mother would be proud of. "This is how you appeal to someone?" she says, her voice murderous and cold, "I think I have an idea of the 'light' they are missing." And then she weaves a spell with a motion of her hands and a few very well-spoken arcana words, a spell of fire, and casts it at Savourn's face like a cannonball, trying to ruin his prissy hairdo.

Savourn watches Ainsley, he is impressed, her storm of deadly fire comes raring in toward him, he turns, his straight falling, curled at the bottom platinum blonde hair waving over one shoulder. He watches it then raises his free hand, the cannonball of fire slams into it, he gracefully rocks backwards, feet moving, his poise and balance barely ruffled and then slaps his hand and the fire-ball to the back of his gun. There is a chunk, the smooth gleaming chrome chamber rotates and he lifts his hand cannon, one side of the chamber now glowing with bright fire. "Oh my lady, such a beautiful gift, I shall be sure to use it well have no fear."

Lee blinks at Marduke, then winces at the sudden fury of a shorted-out electrical field, shielding himself by reflex, then watching as Marduke falls into the water, "Hurt you more'n me? No doubt, ol' son, but that hurt just t'watch..." The flash of erupting flame from Ainsley's spell gets his attention quickly, however, and the young man grins in evident approval as he tosses his hat and cloak aside so they don't hamper him, "A girl after m'own 'eart, she is." Savourn's capture of Ainsley's spell is less encouraging, however, and he wastes little time joining her, taking a protective position beside and slightly in front of Ainsley, looking up at Savourn with crimson eyes, pupils having narrowed to cat-like slits. He brings one gloved hand up to his mouth, balled in a loose fist, and blows a puff of air into it, pitch-black flames edged in faint midnight blue wreathing his hand, "Gonna say this simply, mate, so there's no misunderstandin'... You can't have Ainsley. She's mine." Without another word, he stretches his arm towards Savourn, palm out, the black fire around his hand, a manifestation of pure and natural Black element rather than a magic spell, jetting towards the pale-haired man like a flame-thrower, the flames themselves seeming almost semi-liquid.

The paled haired man watches Lee and then frowns at his firey eyes and then he sees the spell and his eyes widen and he laughs, it is a rather creepy, manic laugh as he dances a little jig, "Oh my... you I was not expecting, My Lady, you bring such beautiful friends... I wonder though.... do you know his dark little secret or has he not told you that yet?" He dances sideways as that wave of fluid black flame roars in toward him and strikes out with his free hand again.... there is a powerful CHUNK and another line on his guns chamber now glistens with an oily darkness, the chamber turning again. The wall of nightmarish black fire flows over him.. engulfs him and then fizzes out as the rage and energy behind the spell seem to just not be there any longer after his gun has charged.

Silmeria stirs inside her cage, groaning in pain and shaking her head. Looking up, she blinks the fog of unconsciousness away, in time to see the black fire, and its almost contemptuous dissolution. Dragging herself to her knees, she takes up the Gunblade, planting its point in the floor and using it to aid her in levering herself to her feet. "Nnngh... Ainsley. Ainsley!" Shaking her head again, to banish the last of the cobwebs, she straightens, steeling herself to push through her cage. "Deny him! He won't take you by force, so *deny him!*"

The cage crackles around Silmeria... the weakened Esper girl is somehow able to stumble through the crackling cage of electrical energy and back out into the open. Savourn sketches her a mocking bow, "Oh daddies girl has decided to join us, what is wrong my little dead friend, did you forget to pass on like a good mortal? Or did Daddy forcibly deny you your right to rest?" Marduke meanwhile is able to struggle against the current and pull himself back up out of the water, dripping wet, his staff still gripped in one hand, safe once more on the side of the aqueduct." Now then Ainsley, my dear sweet Lady, will you not join us? Walk with us on the path of truth and ritousness, learn the true history of the world and embrace the natural order of things once more?"

It is first a single hand that gribs the side of the aquaduct, then another still holding that staff of his. Marduke pulls himself out of the water with a few pants and lets the water drip off him for the moment. He taps his staff into the ground catching his breath and offering a touch of a smile. He may be going a bit crazy these days who knows anymore. Pushing off his staff he stands there a ways away and starts to chant, the words of power forming and the energy starting to gather around him. This time there is no static build or anything else to hinder his powers. The water droping off him pausing in the air as the raw energy ripples around him. Holding up his staff and with one last chant he slams it into the ground. The water dripping off him and around him suddenly disolves into mists and a lot of water from the nearby channel rushes up around him turning into Mists as it does so, "Come forth Dragon of the Mists, Chlaal!"

Savourn pauses and glances back at Marduke, he smiles "Oh my.... and a summoner! Gosh... the Lady would love to have him my Lady Ainsley... of course... the meddling get of that tiresome bore Mist will be a slight problem. No matter...." he turns back and holds out his hand to Ainsley, "We have time for you to choose, come with me Ainsley... the time is now.... join us." His gun whirrs, pointed down the channel toward Chlaal and Marduke just in case it is needed.

Ainsley does feel hesitance. She doesn't want her friends to get hurt anymore, for one, and especially not Lee... that trick with the gun is really bothersome. She stares at Savourn, her gaze is steely, and her mouth droops into a frown. This is distaste that she's actually considering it... the knowledge of the world is an offer that a scholar is the most vulnerable to. She hardly budges. But then she reaches into her robes where she had something tucked out of view, and draws out some ancient-looking weapon, obviously not the stuff they sell at current weapon shops, and levels it toward Savourn. She doesn't speak a word. She just stares.

Lee tsks as he watches his fire get absorbed by Savourn's gun, looking disappointed, but hardly surprised, "Was 'alf-expectin' that... Fancy hardware y'got, lad, but makes me wonder what you'd be wi'out it." He glances towards Silmeria as she returns to the waking world, then frowns at Savourn as he derides her, unable to help himself, "'Ey, yer an arse'ole, y'know that?" He remains where he is as Marduke starts his summoning, and glances at Ainsley to see how she reacts to Savourn's continued attempts at persuasion, looking back at the man as Ainsley draws the weapon and levels it at the pale-haired man, his own flame-wreathed hand still at the ready, "Looks like a 'No' t'me; too bad ol' son. An' fer th'record, yes, she knows m'deep, dark secret. Fact o'tha matter, I's got more'n one o'those, and she knows 'em all. An' she didn't 'ave t'ask Shem-a-lamma-ding-dong t'learn 'em, either."

While movement is painful, the Esper grits her teeth, pushing herself up to stand across from Lee beside Ainsley, Gunblade leveled to partially herself and the scholar. "The compact between my father and I is not mine to reveal, son of the Betrayer." Her voice tells of her gaining strength, eyes intent on their all-too-pretty adversary. "Should you truly wish to know, attack us, and take it up with Him *yourself.* Else stand aside, and stay our course no longer!"

Shrugging his shoulders the man smiles, "Well if you insist my dears.... if you insist.... My Lady Ainsley do excuse me whilst I deal with this." He steps forward and blurs.... re-appearing next to Lee and smiling, "I do so hate you Dragons... you drip arrogance, if you are the chosen children of the "Great Sky King" why are you all still hiding hmm? It makes no sense, the Occuria are gone... but oh wait no... of course! You're too scared to reclaim your place... silly me" He then cracks Lee firmly on the back of the head sending him and his flaming hand forward into the aqueduct which quenches it with a HISS of steam. He blurrs again and re-appears next to Silmeria, the esper gets a smile and a sketchy nod of the head, "She betrayed no-one, ask your father how he treated the Whisperer sometime, I am sure you'll see the truth eventually, just as I've let you see the truth in Poof the Scaredy Cat dragon here." He then levels his gun at the Esper's breast and pulls the trigger, thankfully Silmeria's reaction time is enough to drop flat to the floor as Ainsley most impressive fire-ball ROARS back out of the barrel of his gun, her gun-blade however is not so lucky, the molten slag of what was once her proud weapon splatters to the floor and sizzles as the main force of the fire-ball punches through the side wall of the aqueduct leaving a gaping hole out to the pleasent mountainside beyond. Silmeria really doesn't have much luck with her chosen weapon at times it seems, not to mention her hair is now a rather frizzled mess. Once again the Man blurrs and spins back to his original position and fires again, a roaring FLAME of Midnight Black Pure Elemental flame roars down the tunnel, it flash boils the water in the aqueduct, it cracks the stone of several pillars crumble but Chlaal moves in front of Marduke, shrouding his summoner with a wall of mist that absorbs the dark flame and leaves Marduke untouched luckily and the Mist Summons is still ready to act. He turns to Ainsley and holds his hand out to her once again, "Last chance Lady Ainsley, put down the pea-shooter and come with me, or I shall have little choice but to leave today and when we return the Knights of Restoration will not be so kind as to let these minions of yours live. We shall remove them and then we shall take you to our ladies voice."

Marduke watches what is going on, not really being able to react or do much as two of his companions just get taken out like that. A wince as Simlerias poor gun is destroyed, and Lee is put into the channel. Yet he stares as the black flame comes his way and glances around, nope, nowhere to hide or run to in time. Yet Chlaal is there to move in and forms a wall of Mists to protect the summoner. Marduke just nods letting out a soft sigh, "Thank you, disperse now." Blinking to Chlaal as he doesn't, the dragon rumbling, "Can't Disperse, some douchebag flash boiled all the moisture and it needs to stabalize first." Marduke just blinks and holds up a hand to his head and frowns a moment, "Err well ok then. Lets cool it off. Freezing Mists!" Holding up his staff as he channels the energy. The mist dragons shifts around forming into its full dragon form and takes in a deep breath, then lets out a wave of Mists towards pretty mcpretty face. The mist though leaves frost wherever it passes, a wave of Freezing Mists indeed!"

BLAM!! Ainsley does not give a damn what this man wants. He just hurt Lee, and her loud shout of rage as she swings the shotgun toward Savourn! And in her wild swing, she fails to keep her footing correct to make up for any faults in her weapon, and the blast knocks her on her arse so hard she lets out a squeak noise that would be adorable if she didn't just try to blow someone's torso off with a shotgun. Thump! And her arms sting! This is why she didn't use this thing right off the bat. "S-stupid... shotgun..." she mutters painedly. It's obvious there is no longer any doubt that she wants to murder Savourn, though, not the slightest sliver of it.

Lee blinks as Savourn appears suddenly beside him, frowning and opening his mouth to respond to the man's commentary on his culture as it stands in the modern world, but not given the chance to before he's knocked headlong into the flowing water of the aqueduct. And just as he's starting to try and swim, the water disappears in a sudden veritable explosion of steam, leaving him to fall to the now heated stone of the aqueduct itself. He regains his feet slowly, steaming himself as the water he was wet with also evaporates, but aside from a few bruises, he looks none the worse for wear. A second or two to collect himself, and form a proper scowl before he lets out a short and quite un-human roar of anger, heading for the aqueduct wall to climb out and rejoin Ainsley as quickly as he can, even as water from further up the aqueduct swiftly approaches, the man moving with even more urgency as he hears the shotgun go off followed by Ainsley's squeak, unable to actually see what happened.

Silmeria drops hard to the ground, the fireball roaring overhead. So many loud noises in such a short span of time, it's small wonder that only until they die down, does the Esper look up. An expression of frustrated dismay crawls over her tanned features, at the sight of her *second* ruined Gunblade, and with a resigned sigh she picks herself back up, stooping to help Ainsley up. "Ainsley," she murmurs quietly, "three times he has offered, and three times you defy him in silence. You know better than any, what lack of power there is in a blank page. You must refuse him, deny him, and in this? Words speak louder than action. Trust in us to aid you... but trust in yourself to choose what is *right.*"

Savourn sighs sadly and turns to watch the approaching wave of Ice from Chlaal, "Well... this is most inconvinient you know children..... you are all such blinded fools. I can see they have indoctrinated your mind well Ainsley... never mind I shall return for you another day. I have what I need now... the identity of your closest allies. The Spirit's Get, the Cowardly Egg-hatched monster and the Summoner." He regards Silmeria and the rest of you, "Let this be a lesson to you," his gun spins in his hands and is tucked nonchalantly beneath his claok. "Until we meet next dear friends..." he blurs again and is just gone as the wave of fridgid ice slams into the other three. Lee being who he is is toally unphased by this wave of cold, Silmeria and Ainley however are somewhat frosted by its passage, no lasting damage but SHeeeeet is it cold. Oh and did we mention their clothing pretty much cracks and grows brittle, nothing drops off but things are definatly frosty, frozen and damaged.... but Savourn is gone... for now at least. Marduke starts to walk up slowly after the man disappears. He frowns as he glances and looks back to the dragon following behind him. shaking his head at some silent conversation perhaps and nods. The dragon takes the time now with the magic and air returning to normal and after the frost waves to disperse into a light shroud of mist over the area. A precaution in case the man comes back. He looks to Ainsley first and smiles faintly, "You ok?" Apologies for all the cold, not a chance.

Ainsley is taking this much like the others might want, and perhaps more. When the cold washes through, and Savourn flees, the reptile woman stares at where he was, and puts her weapon away, shivering...and her pants crack and tear. She uses some fire to heat up her robes, her face going red and using the thawed and tattered robe to cover herself up. "I'm g-going to tear out h-his heart, put it on a s-spike and set it on fire," she mutters, "And g-give the greasy charcoal left to Hades to s-seal his bloody disgusting s-soul in." The shivering and teeth chattering makes that sound far less intimidating, but that was a very specific threat. "... I'm fine. I hate him. Can we move on?" He glances off to the darted paladin, frowning lightly, remembering that last.

Both Paladins are dead, The dart to Goarn's throat did for him whilst everyone was fighting Savourn and his companion perished trying to break out of that lightning shield, all that plate metal covering him seems to have done for him.

Silmeria shuddering against the sudden assault of chilled, damp, and frosted-over robes, Silmeria pauses beside the bodies of the Paladins. "May you find peace in Lord Alexander's Gardens," she murmurs, voice soft and sad as she closes the eyes of the corpses, then tugs back their collar to search for a medallion, or some other token of allegiance. "Rest, Knights... word will be sent to your brethren to lay your bones as you deserve. So swears the Speaker for the Dead."

Lee finishes climbing out of the aqueduct, only to find Savourn gone. And so, Lee makes a number of very rude gestures in the general direction of where he last saw the pale-haired man, muttering things along the line of "Tosser" and "Fahkin' wanker" and such. He doesn't keep on for too long, though, having more important things on his mind, which leads him to resume his rush to rejoin Ainsley and the rest, brushing frost off his clothes as he goes, and collecting his cloak and hat on the way. Giving the cloak a quick snapping flick to loosen up the sturdy garment and get rid of whatever frost gathered on it, he offers it to Ainsley, draping it over her shoulders over the scholar's robes, "You an' me both, Ains... Jus' lemme get m'claws inta him, an' I'll show 'im an "egg-'atched monster"..."

"I will take them with me now my Daughter," a chill voice from behind speaks quietly, "Leave them in my keeping...." The source of the words is a dark cloaked figure holding a very large scythe standing upon the opposite shore of the violently rushing Aqueduct. The water froths and splashes againsts the cracked stone sides and pours out of the hole in the wall blasted open by that giant flaming fire-ball. He regards all four of the group and sighs sadly, his voice a dark, rumbling echo, "Matters spread beyond the bounds of our expectations, the rules are skirted almost to the edge, our interferance is limited but this encounter... broke one rule and thus I am here now, to the Temple of Ice I shall escort you and give to each of you here what counsel I may that will not permit the balance to shift further."