OoC: Thanks ZV! That means a bunch. I've been trying to improve my writing style for a while now.

IC: Leth grinned at the results of his shot. The drunk had taken severe damage, and would likely be brought down soon enough by someone else. Since it didn't appear that he was going to retaliate at Leth (actually, he looked more like he was being burnt to a crisp at the moment), Leth focused his attention on the two remaining warriors. The girl had come back - from where, Leth had no idea, although the now-gone strange magic barrier Leth had ignored earlier seemed especially suspect - and the Deku seemed about worn out. The weird blindfolded guy was still around, but it didn't seem like anything was harming him... best wait to deal with him after the others were gone. After one more quick scan of the field, Leth decided on the Deku. He almost pulled a regular arrow from his bow, then second guessed himself.

Why take the chance? He thought, and instead pulled out his second special arrow from its section in his quiver, and, after a careful moment of aim, released it at the wooden forest creature.

(Ranger's Missiles At Oaken the Explosive)

HP: 15/ 31
SPL: 13/17

His target was absolutely consumed by the flamin' storm that came from Yukie's mouth; he couldn't help but smile at his luck. Noneth'less, he couldn't help but feel a pang o' sorrow when the fire died and revealed its target had as well. 'That was a tiny bit more gruesome than I was aimin' fer,' he thought with a grimace at the sight o' the charred flesh. Death by flame weren't ever a pleasant way ta go, but at least when it was his fire he knew it'd be a quick death. He thought ta say so to the Cap'n, seein' as he seemed purty darn affected by the drunk's demise . . . but shied away. Wait 'til later, after they took care of rest o' the pirates.

Speakin' of them other pirates, it didn't seem like too many were left. 'Course there was Blindfolded Creepy Guy, but Yukie really didn't wanna be takin' on that guy jist yet. Like he'd told Alpha, it'd be better ta just let the guy go fer now . . . at least, that was his hope. He really couldn't know 'til aftawards whether er not he'd made the right call.

But he'd made a call -- he weren't gonna change it now.

Drawin' his Twin Deku Swords once again, the Deku charged towards Oaken -- then saw the black sphere surroundin' Little Thief 'n Hannah disappearin'. Arrika was down! -- and Oaken was already purty weak . . .

Alrighty then, let someun else take care o' that there insult to the wooden race -- this Deku'd be headin' off ta rescue a damsel in distress! . . . er, whateva. She weren't movin', even if she weren't exactly in any real trouble at the moment.

Sighting Hannah with a hard glare, Yukie charged forward and brought his blades ta bear. He gave a quick feint to the right, hoped back left, ducked 'n dodged a couple more times, then finally leapt straight at 'er like an arrow!

[[Dual Wield L3 -- Sea-Strider Hannah]]

Yukie
39/71 HP
20/25 SPL

* * *

Alpha felt the mighty blade bite right through his skin and close enough to his vital organs that he was very sure for a moment that he was actually going to die! . . . But the darkness wasn't ready to try consuming him just yet. Even with blood starting to flow from his torso, he still shot Dogura a smirk as the samurai retaliated in the mage's stead.

Quickly reaching down -- he didn't have time to try attacking again -- Alpha let his glowing fingers rest against the wounded skin. Magic poured into the wound, his mental image of what a healed body should be like fueling its intent and working to patch up the massive amounts of damage he'd sustained. Hopefully he wouldn't have to do this again for some time . . .

[[Life L1 -- Alpha]]

Alpha
1/56 HP
18/48 SPL

"N-!" Arrika tried to scream as she felt Hannah's garrotte close around her throat. She struggled to pry off the weapon and Hannah, but the pirate girl was too strong. She saw lights explode before her eyes, and inside, she begged and pleaded with the Goddesses not to let her die, not to let this damn trip, this bloody battle, be the last time saw Saki or Thea or Alpha or-

The Sheikah's body slumped to the ground with a thud.

And somewhere, hundreds of miles across the sea, Seth clutched at his throat and held back a sob.

Thealter was enraged. To be risen from his wretched, dark slumber only to see Arrika dead. He picked up his staff, which was at his side, and flew at Hannah with murderous intent. At least he intended to. Then he noticed that Arrika was breathing. Thank Nayru, Farore, and Din. Perhaps for the second time in the long time, the Goddesses decided to pour their blessings out. So Arrika was only knocked unconscious.

He turned to the blind-folded man. "Hey, no eyes. Mister devourer," he called aloud, shouting loud enough for that fiend to hear him, assuming he could hear with the ability of a normal human being. "You so much as think about touching her, I will show you pain absolute." Then he though to himself, We really need to hurry this up, I need to see if she's ok.

Then he turned, and rushed full force to drive his staff into Hannah's skull. So what if Hannah didn't kill that marvelous thief, she injured Arrika, and rendered the Sheikah unconscious. She would pay for her insolence, and she would pay in blood [Staff on Sea-Strider Hannah].

---

Meanwhile, Orpheous shook his head. Why was Thealter always such a fool? He had to make theatrics out of everything, and he could never just act for the good of the collective group. At least he finally regained some of his honor. But they would need his talents if that blindfolded guy was as bad as they all thought he was. Something was unnatural about him, he didn't even seem of this world.

Orpheous looked carefully upon the creature, studying it. He took into account all things, including reactions of its existence by the crew it was part of. He also gazed upon the movement of the creature. He marked the form, shape, attributes, and other factors that defined what this being was.

Orpheous was a well read man, and he had been to many different worlds and had experienced many different phenomena, probably more than most of his traveling companions would ever dare to dream. Not only that, but even since before he came to Hyrule, he was well versed in Hyrulean culture, as well as the other countries cultures as well. He knew all the major events, and he had even written papers about the nature of Hyrule prior to the Flood, posted in the Library under a pseudonym for some unsuspecting reader to stumble upon. He might not be as specialized in Hyrule as some of his more veteran companions, but Orpheous knew a thing or two. And he searched through the recesses of his men to find anything that might give further detail as to the nature, motive, abilities, or history of this creature [Insight Check on Blind].

Leth's arrow once again found its mark, as if some magical unseen force from the heavens was guiding it the entire way. Oaken pivoted to gather momentum for his next swing, but as he turned, the Deku found himself with an arrow lodged in his throat. [Oaken -3HP] The Deku shut his eyes tight- he knew he was finished. He dropped his giant sword, and the sound of a dying Deku filled the air- it was always a somber tune of desperation that emitted from the death of a Deku. Taint watched as his former ally slumped over. Oaken fell to the ground, and looked Taint directly in the eye. "Crowjack... Help..." He uttered before the orange glow faded from his eyes. The Zora lowered his head and closed his eyes. His tears saturated the ground beneath him. But he knew that Oaken had turned- and he wouldn't let anyone, even a former friend and ally, harm his crew. This drew his attention to Hannah. He turned his head in her direction, knowing full well of Arrika's situation. Taint's eyes seemed devoid of compromise. All mercy left in him was lost. He stared coldly at the woman, and she stared back.

Those eyes... Those were the eyes he had toward us... When we killed Captain... Hannah thought as she watched carefully. Taint stared for several more seconds, rage building within him before he said something softly. Just abover a whisper, he uttered the words...

"Kill her."

Just then, a figure shot past the Zora at a high velocity, both swords drawn. Yukie slammed into Hannah at top speed, dealing a grizzly blow to her side. [Hannah -22HP]. She cried out loudly, and swiped back at the Deku with her own dagger only to miss by a large margin. Yukie was simply too fast for her in her weakened state. Before she could flee any further, Thealter was on the warpath. She saw this coming a mile away however, and could easily avoid his attack with a quick jump backward. She attempted to jump, but found her feet stuck to the ground. She looked down at her feet, and was bewildered at what she saw. Two sets of bony hands were wrapped around her ankles and feet, preventing her from escaping. Suddenly the Garo all pounced on her and held her firmly in place. Taint snapped his head in Morgoth's direction. The man had both of his hands planted firmly on the ground with a magical aura glowing from both of them. He winced and looked up Thealter through one eye. "Finish her!" He coughed out.

Dogura watched Morgoth with great concern. The necromancer was sweating pretty badly- he was quite old to begin with. He feared the worst for his health. Hannah gritted her teeth, and stared at Morgoth wide-eyed before returning her focus to the masked man who was already upon her. The cane smashed into her skull making a sickening crack sound that rang out throughout the docks. All was silent for several seconds after Thealter's attack. She stared wide eyed off into the distance as blood trickled down the front of her face. It all seemed to move in slow motion as she fell to her knees, and then to the soil beneath her. [Hannah -3HP]. Blind slowly crept across the field, and passed eerily close to Thealter on his way to Hannah. Suddenly, Thealter heard a whisper that he could hear rather clearly, as if it were in his head.

"Arrika is not dead yet... I have no interest in her..."

Suddenly, Arrika woke up from her slumber, probably at the sound of her name inside her head. Blind reached inside the woman's chest and pried her soul from it. He quickly devoured it, and turned his head in Thealter's direction. "You, however... You were supposed to die today..." The man-beast-creature looked up at everyone and suddenly everyone heard the voice the same as Thealter- a wicked whisper that sent shivers down the spines of all who heard.

"Everyone on this island, save for the pirates you killed, was supposed to perish on this very day..."

Blind pulled a list from his ragged clothing. It was a yellowed piece of parchment folded up like a scroll. He opened it and read carefully the words that were inscribed on it. "Dogura Shadowclaw... You were supposed to fight the pirates alone, and die defending the boat. Without anyone waking up, Hannah was to slip inside the Inn and kill you all in your sleep... Then, they would destroy every living thing on the island... What caused the interference here..." It's head suddenly shot up to look at Morgoth, who was still quite winded from the battle. "Morgoth... You..." Dogura's head turned to Morgoth who stood absolutely still. Suddenly it all occurred to the samurai. Morgoth's magical blast is what awoke everyone... So he caused a change in fate? How is that possible? Morgoth swallowed hard. "Dogura... Ganon called off the search for you because you were supposed to die today anyways... But there is still a price on your head... And you, Morgoth... Where did you escape to? Ganon's been looking everywhere..." The Necromancer knew he was in deep water now.

"A change in fate, is a change in fate however... You're all free to go, except for Dogura Shadowclaw, and Morgoth Fleshrender... They're coming with meee...."

It whispered in its wicked tone. Dogura and Morgoth stared at the creature for several seconds. Orpheous also studied the Sea Horror, only to find out nothing more than he knew before. There was a long silence before a voice erupted from the middle of the Docks.

"Like hell they are..." Taint stood firm eying the creature. "They're a part of my crew, and you're not taking them without a fight from me." He stood firmly waiting for the creature to speak again. Taint shook his head. "I don't speak for everyone when I say that. If any of you want to leave, I understand- this isn't your battle... But I'd sure appreciate your help." Blind was silent for moment before opening his mouth to speak.

"Very well... I'll kill you and take your soul too... Even if your soul is pure, and belongs in the heavens... I'll taint it to the core and take it with me... Far be it from me to decline the opportunity to reap the soul of a do-gooder..."

[music= Hideous Incarnation of Evil]

Suddenly, Blind's neck snapped sideways, his cheek touching his shoulder. Then directly backward, and his body began to shift. His shoulders broadened, and the stitching at his mouth was coming undone. His tatters of clothes ripped off, exposing his body which was also sewn together. A disgusting groan erupted from the creature, and it sounded as if many voices rolled into one were speaking in unison. "I'll show you why I'm Ganon's new grim reaper!" It cried out in a horrifying voice. Suddenly, people poured out from both sides of the village onto the docks. About twenty or so soldiers in armor, along with seven clerics rushed to the crew's aid. The clerics made their way to each and every member of the crew healing them of all their lacerations, and replenishing each and every spell point they'd used. The soldiers surrounded the still growing monster as it continued to transform.

"By the Goddesses!! What is that thing?" One of them shouted as they all began to panic at the reaper's size. It easily doubled the height of the average man, and didn't look like it was finished growing. Tentacles began to sprout out the sides of it, and near the center of its stomach was what looked like a glass container full of souls stitched into its body. The clerics got to Taint, and began to heal him. "Thank you..." The Zora muttered. He was frightened, but didn't want to show his crew that- it made for a bad leader. Morgoth stood up with the help of his cane and a few clerics, who began working their magic on him. Dogura appeared next to the necromancer. "Are you feeling alright?" He asked. Morgoth snicked at the samurai. "I'll be alright for now... Dogura Shadowclaw." Suddenly Dogura flashed back to when Blind was speaking. Dammit... He did say my last name didn't he? Dogura cursed the creature, and accepted the healing embrace of the clerics as they moved around.

Taint stared at Blind, as his transformation was finished. Blind stood staring at all the guards that surrounded him and sneered, more of the stitching coming undone. His mouth was oversized by now, the corners stretching to each ear. His body was massive, and two massive claws dangles from his wrists. Taint held his sword tight, and decided he needed to say something before the battle. "Friends... Allies... My crew," he began. "We've been through quite a lot together thus far... I want to say that I've enjoyed every moment by your side." He stated loudly as he looked around at each and every one of them. "If you want to make a run for it, I won't pass judgment... But I think that if we stand together, we can beat this thing." He gritted his teeth, for the first feeling like a leader. So this is what leadership was. All these years he'd never felt like this: responsible. Responsible for each and ever life in his crew. "Together we can defeat anything. In the face of even the worst odds, I know we can pull through somehow. We're strong as a unit, and our bonds make us stronger than this thing can imagine. Let's tear this guys apart."

[Leadership L1 - AGI]

He was now truly a leader. Quite a capable one at that, for his words empowered the party, and encouraged them to hold strong, and work together. He stared down the creature, as Dogura appeared next to him. "How are we going to combat that thing?" Taint closed his eyes for a second. "It might not be easy to watch," The Zora began. "But we'll have to watch the soldiers fight it first, and fight based on avoiding the mistakes they made." Dogura smiled at the Zora and patted him on the back. "Sacrifices are necessary sometimes. Good to see you've learned that." The Zora stared at the monster analyzing it carefully. Blind opened his massive mouth and let out a terrifying shriek that echoed off the entire ocean. The island itself seemed to quake. "Here we go." Taint stated uneasily.

Mini-boss: Blind, Ocean Horror
STR-15; DEF-10; AGI-8; INT--; SPI-10; SPL--; HP-150
Current Abilities:

Slither: Blind moves at a break-neck speed, doubling his AGI for one attack.

Souls of the Condemned: Blind releases ten tormented souls from within him to attack his foes. Can only be used once per four rounds.

Shadowslash: A physical attack of a shadow element that never misses. Will deal double damage to an opponent using Shadowmeld or Stealth.


Everbreeze Soldier
STR-5; DEF-8; AGI-4; INT-3; SPI-4; HP-15; SPL-20;

Condemned Soul
STR-6; DEF-8; AGI-6; INT-3; SPI-4; HP-20; SPL-20;

Blind, Ocean Horror
HP: 150/150 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII


Everbreeze Soldier #1- HP: 15/15
Everbreeze Soldier #2- HP: 15/15
Everbreeze Soldier #3- HP: 15/15
Everbreeze Soldier #4- HP: 15/15
Everbreeze Soldier #5- HP: 15/15
Everbreeze Soldier #6- HP: 15/15
Everbreeze Soldier #7- HP: 15/15
Everbreeze Soldier #8- HP: 15/15
Everbreeze Soldier #9- HP: 15/15
Everbreeze Soldier #10- HP: 15/15
Everbreeze Soldier #11- HP: 15/15
Everbreeze Soldier #12- HP: 15/15
Everbreeze Soldier #13- HP: 15/15
Everbreeze Soldier #14- HP: 15/15
Everbreeze Soldier #15- HP: 15/15
Everbreeze Soldier #16- HP: 15/15
Everbreeze Soldier #17- HP: 15/15
Everbreeze Soldier #18- HP: 15/15
Everbreeze Soldier #19- HP: 15/15
Everbreeze Soldier #20- HP: 15/15

Blind began his rampage by releasing ten condemned souls from the vessel on his abdomen, each of them taking the form of a soldier clad in armor with a shield and a sword. They faces however were decayed, some with teeth missing. A few of them had their faces completely flayed of flesh, a few even missing eyes.

Condemned Soul #1: HP: 20/20
Condemned Soul #2: HP: 20/20
Condemned Soul #3: HP: 20/20
Condemned Soul #4: HP: 20/20
Condemned Soul #5: HP: 20/20
Condemned Soul #6: HP: 20/20
Condemned Soul #7: HP: 20/20
Condemned Soul #8: HP: 20/20
Condemned Soul #9: HP: 20/20
Condemned Soul #10: HP: 20/20

All out war broke out between the guards and the souls. Each exchanging blows left and right, the battle raged on. While the guards outnumbered the souls by quite a few, the souls seemed to be stronger. The war raged on between the guards and the souls, until the results of the war were becoming clear. There were far too many guards for the souls to handle, and they were quickly losing the fight. Not a single soldier perished during the war so far- they were highly skilled.


Everbreeze Soldier #1- HP: 4/15
Everbreeze Soldier #2- HP: 4/15
Everbreeze Soldier #3- HP: 15/15
Everbreeze Soldier #4- HP: 4/15
Everbreeze Soldier #5- HP: 15/15
Everbreeze Soldier #6- HP: 4/15
Everbreeze Soldier #7- HP: 15/15
Everbreeze Soldier #8- HP: 4/15
Everbreeze Soldier #9- HP: 15/15
Everbreeze Soldier #10- HP: 15/15
Everbreeze Soldier #11- HP: 4/15
Everbreeze Soldier #12- HP: 4/15
Everbreeze Soldier #13- HP: 15/15
Everbreeze Soldier #14- HP: 15/15
Everbreeze Soldier #15- HP: 4/15
Everbreeze Soldier #16- HP: 15/15
Everbreeze Soldier #17- HP: 15/15
Everbreeze Soldier #18- HP: 4/15
Everbreeze Soldier #19- HP: 15/15
Everbreeze Soldier #20- HP: 4/15

Condemned Soul #1: HP: 10/20
Condemned Soul #2: HP: --DEAD
Condemned Soul #3: HP: --DEAD
Condemned Soul #4: HP: --DEAD
Condemned Soul #5: HP: 20/20
Condemned Soul #6: HP: --DEAD
Condemned Soul #7: HP: 20/20
Condemned Soul #8: HP: --DEAD
Condemned Soul #9: HP: 10/20
Condemned Soul #10: HP: 10/20

[Awareness Check]

Taint watched intently. "So far no surprises." He muttered as he watched Blind. "It looks like releasing souls makes him vulnerable for a time. He's not moving a muscle." Dogura stated as he watched Blind rest. Taint and Morgoth nodded in agreement. Dogura sent that message via telepathy to everyone in the party, so they would know to attack the next time this happened.

"Alright then! Let's go help them out!" Taint called out, charging into the fray, Dogura close behind. Morgoth commanded his Ninja-Garo to attack alongside them, and they followed orders without question. For now, Morgoth would observe; no unnecessary risks.

Dogura Shadowclaw
HP: 83/83 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
SPL: 27/27 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

Captain Taint
HP: 74/74 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
SPL: 15/15 IIIIIIIIIIIIIII

Morgoth Fleshrender
HP: 36/36 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
SPL: 58/66 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

Garo-Ninja#1 HP: 30/30
Garo-Ninja#2 HP: 30/30
Garo-Ninja#3 HP: 30/30
Garo-Ninja#4 HP: 30/30
Garo-Ninja#5 HP: 30/30

OOC: Mini-boss time! So much statwork I pissed myself off, but I'm prepared to drown in it! XD

You're all completely healed, if you didn't gather that in the post. All the Garo were healed too, and they're here for two more turns.

Alpha, your leadership would normally have a cooldown of six turns, but I'm treating this as a new fight, so knock yourself out. Yes, Leth, that also means you get your arrows back.

Get him!

OOC: Oh mai. This does not look safe.

IC:
Alpha darted over to Yukie as Blind's speech concluded, feeling a tad off about the whole creature's words. 'Hannah? That girl was supposed to kill myself and Yukie?' It wasn't exactly a . . . feasible concept, not for the Sheikah. They had sensed the magic blast so very easily; any magic used to hide her coming would have been picked up right away, and no one could Stealth well enough to completely evade a Sheikah's senses.

Whatever; that future had not come to pass, so considering it was hardly relevant. What was entirely relevant was the fact that Blind was not only growing into a massive beast intent on killing anyone who stood in its way . . . and that, through his words, it became obvious that he was a servant of Ganon. It was that implication, more than anything else, that made Alpha freeze in place, a certain degree of horror creeping into his features. Even when Yukie was getting ready to charge into the fray, he stood motionless, leaving the Deku to stare up at him, bewildered by the sudden shock.

Anyone who knew Alpha's past (which is to say, no one), though, would understand: if Blind knew Ganon . . . there was a distinct possibility that he was aware of Alpha's former life as Wraith. He might be able to recognize the Sheikah, expose him . . . and then everything would fall apart . . . again . . .

Without a word he tucked Brenyuu back inside the Void. No sense letting the beast see it and put two and two together.

He looked up at the battlefield, narrowing his gaze in on the beast. Yukie seemed to take comfort when the Sheikah raised his staff (his wooden one, this time) once again, but Alpha was still considering his options. He had two, really: destroy the creature . . . or leave before it could recognize him.

To be honest, he rather favored the latter.

Probably would've taken it, too, except that that meant abandoning his allies. He'd grown a conscious in late years, and his heart wouldn't allow it -- then again, neither would the cold, calculating half of his soul, either. Dogura had proved quite a valuable distraction for Ganon's forces -- they focused on Ganon's former Reaper and left the Dark Beast's former Assassin alone. If this monster won, it would take Dogura away, and that role would be left empty, with no one to fill it. Not a good plan.

Dogura's voice suddenly rang in his ears, making him glad that his mental shielding kept the samurai from picking up any thoughts the Sheikah wasn't overtly trying to make known. Taint's assessment of Blind appeared accurate -- the beast had come to a complete stop when it had released the souls. It would be a prime time for them to strike . . .

Well, if they wanted it to release souls, likely the only way to ensure it would happen would be to clear the field of the soldiers it had already summoned. Raising his healed hands skyward, the Sheikah called forth all the magic within him and in the realm surrounding them, drawing the elements into a mighty helix above the island. As long as chance decided not to revisit the strike he'd used against the pirates (he doubted that the Shadow element would be particularly effective against these Souls), this could very well deal some massive damage to their opponents.

Crying out in a mighty yell, the Sheikah let loose the power and hurled the explosion straight into the fray of Souls and Beast. [[Elemental Explosion L1]]

Alpha
56/56 HP
34/48 SPL

* * *

Yukie, on the other hand, decided to put a theory of 'is own to the test. 'It ain't moving too much right now,' he conceded, 'but I'm willin' ta bet it kin still be hit even when not releasin' them souls!'

Twin Deku Swords held high, the small fighter charged forward in a beeline towards the Beast, pourin' on as much speed as he could muster. No time fer feints or dancin' or twirlin' in the breeze -- he aimed to strike fast 'n hard, with no time for Mr. Blindfolded Beast ta finish recoverin' from his summonin'! [[Dual Wield - Blind, Ocean Horror]]

Yukie
71/71 HP
25/25 SPL

Leth's momentary happiness at his shot once again hitting home was only that - momentary. As the Deku died and let out its sad, wailing song, Leth was seized with an overwhelming sorrow. Leth, shaking, looked at his hands as the realization that he had just killed another person sunk in. Was it really necessary to KILL the pirates? All they wanted was their ship... They weren't necessarily evil people who deserved to die. Sure, he had killed dozens of foul creatures in his day, but to kill another human(ish) being, to kill someone with a soul? That screamed in opposition to every basic nature of man. No, Leth realized that was a lie. Many of the foul creatures of Ganon's horde had souls, but Leth never thought twice about killing them. It shocked Leth to his core to think of what he did, and what he had done in his past. Just because the minions were of a different race, and he couldn't understand them, they seemed to be non-human. Inferior beings.

But no. In battle, it is a matter of life or death. Both sides had gone into the fray knowing that one of them was going to die; such is the way of war. It was kill or be killed. Leth knew this in his heart, yet the idea of taking the life of another sentient being seemed so foreign. Who was he to decide who died and who lived? He closed his eyes, and whispered a prayer to the Goddesses for the souls of those who had died today. Hopefully they would find peace. After a few moments, Leth opened his eyes and surveyed the scene before him with a new respect for life. He would not kill without necessity, and he would always respect the life of his foes and prey.

So thinking, Leth steeled himself to face the new monstrosity before him.

It certainly had changed since Leth had seen it last, now it resembled the features of a monster more than that of a man. Leth was glad of this; the face of the newly dead deku - at his hands - was still fresh on his mind; he did not know how he would handle killing another humanoid being. He examined his quiver. He still had plenty of arrows left, though he only had three of his rangers missiles. He didn't dare try to retrieve the two he had already fired; the thought of pulling them out of the carcasses of his dead foes was repulsive, plus he did not want to turn his back on the new monstrosity. He had his knife, of course, and his rapier, though he doubted that would be of much use in this situation. He pulled out his third rangers missile, and filled it with the power of ice (OoC: not sure if this is legal... if not then pretend its a regular arrow) and released the [ice rangers missile] at the temporarily-immobile Blind.

41?/41 HP (So you said I could get my extra health at the end of the battle... does this count?
13/17 SPL
9/9 Will (right?)

OoC: Yeah I know I get my arrows back... but I think I'll wait to retrieve them once Leth has worked out his conscience.

”Arrika is not dead yet… I have no interest in her…”

Arrika's body jolted and she regained consciousness with a hoarse gasp. She curled up on her side and clutched at her throat, wrestling with an invisible phantom, as if Hannah was still strangling her. She was... alive...? But how? There was a swollen ring around her neck that burned when her finger brushed against it, and she winced. She tried to crane her neck to look around and immediately regretted it. She let out a soft cry of pain, tears gathering in the corners of her eyes. Her friends all seemed to have made it, from what she could see, and the pirates defeated. Where was Hannah? She had to be dead, or she would have finished her off…

She coughed painfully and forced herself to get to her feet. Apart from her sore neck, she felt fine, if not very shaken.

Then came the horrible sounds, of a soul being torn from a body, of a monster appearing in the place of a boy, as if from a ghastly chrysalis. Arrika saw what had become of the female pirate, but at this point, the previous battle seemed trifling, even petty. The stench of Blind’s chaotic aura was enough to overwhelm her senses and send them haywire.

"If you want to make a run for it, I won't pass judgment... But I think that if we stand together, we can beat this thing."

For a moment she believed that she had survived Hannah because the Goddesses wanted her to get out of this alive. She woke now, before she was devoured by the monster that was once Blind, because the three deities meant her to escape the battle while she could.

But there was something different about Taint now that kept her from disappearing. “Don’t worry about me, Captain. I’m in,” she called, mustering the biggest grin she could, but inwardly she knew she’d flee the battle this time if things got too rough.

It was then that she spotted the container of souls at Blind’s side. She’d seen terrible things before- phantoms and ghouls and the grotesque results of all of Rhyss’ failed experiments, but none of those things had ever disgusted her as much as tampering with souls. Until this moment, she thought she would never find anyone who she would loathe as much as she had Kobas. The fights hadn’t meant anything to her until now; she’d fought because she wanted to stay alive. But now, seeing the captured, tortured souls made her relive the last three years, made her blood boil and ensured that she’d stay in the battle to the very end.

She raised her left palm, the wolf’s ring glinting back at her. “I’ve killed a demon before. The spawn of the devil himself,” she hissed at Blind, “and I’ll get rid of you as well. Din’s [Fire]!”

Thealter couldn't believe it. This team of pirates that weren't even a difficulty to overcome was supposed to kill him today, was supposed to kill them all today. After listening to Taint's proposal, he was tempted to leave, but he knew he couldn't live with himself if he did. He wanted to get to Gossip Isle, and see the treasures there, and he knew she would never forgive him if he just left now. Instead, he readied an elemental burst, and pointed his free hand at the fiend with gathered energy [Elemental Burst L2 - Light on Blind][-6 SPL].

---

Meanwhile, Orpheous was disappointed. He had hoped he could identify Blind. But his form gave rise to another theory, an ancient mirror world similar to the Sacred Realm that housed dark demons many years ago. These were demons of supernatural strength and god-like intelligence, or at least the greater demons there were. Some scholars debate that this world was the origin of the Dark Beast himself. Either way, Orpheous wondered if maybe that was the source of this fiend before them. He also knew how easy fate could change hands. But he would admit that this creature had a vast amount of knowledge if he kept a record of deaths. Orpheous himself almost wished to get a good look at it, being a traveler not of this world, he would think that the list wouldn't expect him to be here either.

He also knew that Hannah couldn't have killed them all. Not because he believed particularly in his own talents, but because he believed in Alpha's. Alpha was a Sheikah to rival the gods just as those demons of old were. It seems that not only is Alpha wised and versed in a great number of topics, but his training in combat is superior to most, and he was so devilishly quick for a scholar.

Orpheous shrugged the thought off. They had to kill this eldritch horror now, and at least his comrades under stood that. He himself stood back and began to observe the creature, trying to find that one weak spot, and he pulled out a scroll and quill to describe what he found [The Quill is Mightier than the Sword][-10 SPL].

OOC: I'll try to edit the stats in later, sorry if I don't get to it before you post.

Sakiko had doubted Blind the moment she saw him devouring the bodies like a blood crazed monster. Nonetheless, she couldn’t keep down the rising horror and disgust as she listened to what Blind had intended; murdered in their sleep?. Well. You couldn’t expect a villain to be honorable, could you? But still – that was one cheap plan. She was angered and indignant at the macabre scheme, and was glad that there had been a change of fate. But then, I never did believe in a thing called fate… Even if it did exist, it was always changing, like the air above us. If that was fate, then it was better left to be called chance.

The Mage’s horror did not end, unfortunately; Blind’s complete transfiguration was demonic to say the least. The way that his body snapped so unnaturally, and grew to more than twice its normal size was…

…nothing compared to what she saw next. Souls. In his body. No. Sakiko trembled in fear and repulsion, her pale hand shaking until it became a translucent shade of chalky white. What if it eats me too? Will I be forever entrapped in that abysmal cage of a body? Before, she had been fighting with reluctance, with annoyance, with anxiety. But now, she felt the dark shadow of dread and terror seep into her entire being, weakening her legs and her mind. How can we fight this thing? This fiend! How can we even dare to win? The brave actions of the clerics as they came to heal were all flickering blurs. She hardly felt the wonderful sensation of being healed. She only felt fear and the looming prospect of death.

"Friends... Allies... My crew,"

Sakiko’s eyes darted to the Zora, a small being compared to the horrendous sight before him. However, she couldn’t help but notice that look of determination tightening his face, his resolute grip on his sword. He isn’t afraid of death. At his words, she looked around at her allies about her; they all seemed to her to have hardened faces, so grim with the prospect of death. Yet firm. Unwavering. Valiant. They were on her side; they were good – they were fighting against the force of evil that glared upon them like night over day. Yet they were unafraid, because they had a purpose. Perhaps it was only to live, to survive – but that alone was a heroic idea; to dare to live in a situation like this.

"Together we can defeat anything. In the face of even the worst odds, I know we can pull through somehow. We're strong as a unit, and our bonds make us stronger than this thing can imagine. Let's tear this guy apart."

Yes – together. She had faith in the abilities of the others, as she knew them to be capable. As long as they were staying, she wasn’t leaving; that wouldn't be honorable. She saw that Alpha had already gone to action, using elemental explosion to rid of all surrounding enemies – the souls weren’t too big of a threat now, so she figured that her thunder or elemental explosion wasn’t necessary. She watched as Yukie, Arrika, Leth, Thealter, and Orpheous went for Blind. I’ll leave the souls up to you, Alpha.

With renewed energy, Sakiko closed in her fingers to create a half fist. Every nerve in her hand tingled to collect the magical energy singing in the air; she breathed slowly, trying to get in tempo with the breath of the wind. The breeze from the sea, yet unpolluted by the evil of Ganon’s reaper, brushed through her hair with a steady beat. The warmth of the wood caressed her feet, the light of still early day swept past her pale skin…the water of the ocean thrummed to the call of Sakiko’s magic. She slowly let her eyelids close, feeling in tune with nature. It’s time. She opened her palm in Blind’s direction, the ocean breeze suddenly blowing back her silver mane with ferocity.

“ELEMENTAL BURST!”

[Elemental burst Level 1 at Blind][-6 SPL]

HP: 33/33
SPL: 51/57

Sabertache was not a poetic man--far from it. All sorts of philosophy and higher meaning was lost on him. However, even he had to admit that in the rush of the battle, time seemed to slow, and everything left an impression. He felt Sakiko's cold more than her hands and body as he supported her, feeling it pulsate throughout her. The tendons in Alpha's hands and face as he healed his fellow mage vibrated with the intensity of a taut rope in Saber's eyes. Most of all, the mercenary couldn't shake the sound of his heartbeat.

Ba-dum.

Taint, Dogura, and Boone were tangled in a lethal dance that seemed to be moving at the pace of a dirge. Behind them, the deku who had kept Saber company was coming to assist.

Ba-dum.

That drunk was drinking. Sabertache was the very model of surprise. His eyes moved back to Boone; Taint had him. They were safe.

Ba-dum.

Finnegan was a wrecking machine. The Garo were being pasted, and Saber tensed as Thealter fell. They were not safe. He jumped a little; Sakiko had risen, her hand grasping at his shoulder as she began to counterattack.

Ba-dum.

Something disturbed the air. Sakiko? The sky filled with ice. He had no idea that his allies posessed this power. Sakiko would be okay now. He could leave--

Ba-dum.

That animated wall with a hammer was coming their way. Sakiko's way.

Ba-dum.

He raised his hammer.

Ba-dum.

Sabertache leapt towards the mammoth. Futile? Probably.

Ba-dum.

Yeah, it was futile. A brief pain, and nothing.

Ba-dum.

Wait, ba-dum? That was odd.

Ba-dum.

His eyes opened. There were more people. LOTS of people. Had it been day, he would have been blinded, no doubt. Good thing everyone attacked at night, right? He was several feet away from where he remembered standing. He would check for the wounds later; he would just get squeamish now. A cleric was leaving; probably one of the townspeople.

Rising to his feet, he stretched his neck. It definitely felt looser. His sword seemed to have gone AWOL, but that wasn't important. The fight was over--

And another one had started. Hopefuly, the mutilated combatants were the enemy. If not, Sabertache was about to mess up real big. He reached in his bag for a bomb--and swiftly decided against it. He would catch too many of the soldiers in the blast the way the battle was going. He HAD to find his sword.

Well hey, there it was. Laying on the ground amidst the bodies, about half the distance between Blind and himself. Rushing forward, he slid to a halt by his blade, letting a Fire spell off at his foe to cover the move. Not that there was any particular reason for Blind to focus on him amongst all the other warriors. [Fire]

HP: 47/47
SPL: 12/17
Will: 9/9

OOC: to Leth- We agreed to regular arrows that ignore defenses, so I'm gonna have to omit the arcane archery. Sorry. Also, yeah, it's a new battle, so your new health kicks in. Good luck staying alive this time

Alpha's elemental explosion erupts with the nature element, and takes the form of lightning. It courses through the veins of all the remaining souls, only one managing to survive it. The soul was quite wrecked however, and seemed pretty close to death. Blind himself cannot move away from the blast, and is hit dead on. Although it looks like the surge of lightning jerked him back into animation.
[Souls #1, 5, 9, 10, & Blind -22HP][Soul #7 -11HP]

The soul charged Alpha, and caught him recharging from the massive spell. Off guard, Alpha couldn't manage to step out of the blade's radius, and suffered a minor chest wound. [Alpha -10HP] The ghostly warrior looked like it was gonna take another chop at the mage, but a sword ran through its chest from behind. It ripped back out of the soul the same way it came, killing the creature instantly. [Condemned Soul #7 -10HP] Its armor collapsed off of its body, and the soul floated upward towards the sky, revealing Taint as the attacker.

Thhhhaaaaankk yoooouuuuu...

The faint whisper reached Taint and Alpha as the soul floated towards eternal rest. Taint watched as it floated upward, and then looked back down at Alpha. The souls were freed if they were killed! It made the Zora feel better about attacking enslaved souls. He shrugged at the mage, and turned to face Blind, who was not looking very happy- he never really did in the first place. Suddenly, the stitching on the creature's chest began coming undone- in fact two areas, both on his chest near his shoulders began un-stitching themselves. When the flesh opened up, black holes were revealed, each with a blaze brewing in them. He had his sites set on Alpha- a special gift for destroying his souls. Just before the fire erupted from his chest, Yukie jumped right up in Blind's face, nailing him near the throat for a massive amount of damage. Blind reared backwards, and both fireballs shot towards the sky, missing the Alpha and the deku completely.

Next attack to land is Leth's arrow, which lodges itself deep within Blind's shoulder. The creature flinched slightly before his body expelled the arrow, and it fell to the ground. [Blind -12HP]. Blind targeted Leth with a blazing fireball from deep within him, and out it fired! It blazed across the field and smashed into the man for a burning 20 damage! [Leth -20HP]. Blind sees Arrika's fire incoming, and now fully mobile, dodges left. The fiery projectile blast of magic misses, but Blind is unable to pinpoint where the blast came from before Thealter's elemental burst of light caught him right in the face for serious damage. [Blind -21HP]. Blind hated light- he absolutely hated it, but unfortunately had developed a tolerance to the element over time. Blind shot from his position, sort of gliding towards Thealter. He seemed to be dragging himself by his hands, but he was moving far too fast for that be the source of his mobility. He quickly launched a swipe of his claw that seemed to fade from view for a moment before making contact with him. [Shadowslash][Thealter -15HP]. Unfortunately for Thealter, the attack was nearly impossible to predict, and the scholar took the brunt of the damage.

Orpheous' check succeeds, and the scribe notices that Blind seemed to be guarding his blindfold at all costs. Whatever was under it, it was probably his weakest point- or perhaps that was just natural reflex to protect your senses. Either way, Orpheous finds this to be the most suspicious behavior of the monster's defense plan. Sakiko's elemental burst was charged this time with the element of earth, and an earthquake erupted under Blind, causing him to fall over and crash into the earth. [Blind -17HP] He quickly sprung to his feet, and found the spellcaster, as her hands were still aglow with magic. She was across the field, and out of reach of him currently. Suddenly, he hit the ground, and without even using his arms, slithered towards the girl at an incredible speed. He bowled into her, running her over beneath him, Luckily for her, the soil was soft, and she wasn't completely crushed under the monster's weight. [Sakiko -15HP]

Blind turned around, and let out a screech to intimidate the crowd. Dogura however, with unwavering courage, leaped out of a shadow at top speed, and soared through the air at the beast. He landed on its chest and stuck his sword deep inside the creature. He then threw his weight on the blade, riding it down and ripping the creature open from the front.[Blind -16HP]. Blind screeched in agony, and slammed one of its massive claws into the samurai, sending him flying off the island and into the ocean. [Dogura -15HP] Dogura hit the water, and allowed the sweet silence to infiltrate his ears. He let the water wrap around him, before realizing that he hadn't been knocked into a fresh water source. The salt stung at his wounds, and he quickly surfaced and returned to land. Meanwhile, Blind's wound began to stitch itself up, closing up quickly.

This allowed the creature to spot Saber attempting to grab his weapon. It was within his attack radius to prevent this, and the creature quickly shot a fireball at Saber. However, Saber was quick, and managed to shoot a fireball of his own, immediately canceling out Blind's. This annoyed Blind, and he hit the ground again preparing to run the man over. However before he could attack Saber, five Garo-Ninja jumped in Blind's face, attacking him from every direction. The tentacles on the side of the beast managed to knock three of them out of the way entirely, and block one. One of the ninjas got through, and its sword sliced into the creature's face. [Blind -11HP]. The Garo that got through however, would quickly come to regret its free-fall towards the ground. It couldn't change its direction when Blind fired a blazing burst at it, knocking it across the docks. [Garo-Ninja #5 -20HP]

Suddenly Blind reared up and looked down on the crowd. They were fighting valiantly. Such great power... Where is it coming from? He thought as he scanned the field. One of them was giving the rest the strength and the will to keep fighting. He couldn't tell, and decided that now was the time to unleash hell upon them. Suddenly some of the stitching across his chest opened up, actually connecting the previous two wounds. Inside his body it glowed red like magma. Suddenly, a bright fire burned within him. He looked down at the soldiers that were rushing to meet him with their swords and spears. It roared, and a gigantic blaze unleashed from the massive opening on his chest. The fire was well the size of the Inn, and roasted everything in sight. Dogura who had just made it back looked up at the inferno headed towards him, and even he couldn't get out of its radius in time. Taint lifted his shield to cover his face and upper body- but it wasn't enough to save him. Morgoth had little time to react as well, but managed to put up a small weak shield in front of him that sheltered him from the attack. The flames swept through damaging nearly everyone.

New attack- Abominable Boiler
Blind undoes some of his stitching, releasing an inferno that consumes everything in the area for 20 damage.

[Taint, Dogura, Alpha, Leth, Arrika, Orpheous, Thealter, Sakiko, Saber, & Teal -20HP]
[Yukie -60HP]
[Everbreeze Soldiers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, & 20 -20HP]

The entire team had been torched. Simply burned beyond belief, and Blind seemed to be regaining his strength for the moment. Morgoth let down his shield, and winced at the smell of burnt flesh. It was coming across the other side of the field particularly. All of the Everbreeze Soldiers had been welded to their armor, each reduced charred remnants inside their molten armor. Morgoth's eyes opened as he watched a bit of movement from the field however. One single soldier had survived the boiling apocalypse. He stood up in the face of the beast, and held his sword at the ready. He fell suddenly to a knee; he was badly injured. "Garo!" Morgoth called out to his minions. They dropped down near the soldier and hoisted him up. They leaped through the air and set the man down next to Morgoth. The necromancer examined his wounds, as Dogura slowly made his way next to him. Taint also slowly stood up, a little uneasy from such a powerful blast. He noticed that a soldier had survived however, and stumbled over to Morgoth. The soldier stared up at Morgoth as the necromancer removed the man's helmet.

"H-h-help m-me..." He choked out, wincing in pain from the burns. Morgoth used a minimal amount of magic to heal the man to a walking state. The man coughed, tears welling in his eyes. "Nobody survived did they? Why me? Why did I survive?" He cried. "Mitchel!" He cried out turning over out of Morgoth's arms. He got to his hands and knees and stared at the carnage created by the inferno. Sure enough, none of the others had survived. "Th-that thing... What is it?" Dogura stood up, still feeling the pain in his legs. "We don't know... But we can't let it live." Taint nodded as he stood up next to the samurai. The soldier's head collapsed into his arms, his face in the dirt. "Mitchel... He was my best friend..." Taint closed his eyes; he knew full well what it was like to lose a friend. His eyes moved over to Finnegan's soulless body, and then back to the weeping soldier. "I'm sorry..." Was all he could say as the man sobbed silently for his fallen comrades, and his fallen friend. Taint looked around at everyone, and called out. "Everyone alright? Do we have anyone downed?" He called out concerned.

Suddenly, Taint flashed back to Yukie's reaction to his shield when it was heated up from the fire. His eyes scanned the field for the Deku, and finally they found him. "Morgoth!" He pointed in Yukie's direction. Morgoth stepped forward. "Yeah, I'm way ahead of you..." They jogged towards the badly burned warrior, and Morgoth knelt down next to him, allowing the healing energies to surround Yukie. "Your assault was brave, elder Deku... But do take better care. I'd hate to have to see you like this again." Suddenly Dogura knelt down next to Morgoth. "Morgoth! Sakiko isn't breathing! Go tend to her- I'll take care of Yukie!" Taint's eyes widened, as he followed Morgoth quickly towards Sakiko's body. Dogura knelt down next to Yukie, and pleaded for the Goddesses to take pity on the burned Deku. "How could you allow a monster like that to live... Let alone long enough to scorch a good man?" Dogura asked the higher powers. "Please undo the mistake that was made here today- heal Yukie for at least half of his wounds..." The light shined down on Yukie, healing the grunt for half of his total health just as Dogura requested. [Favor of the Goddesses - Yukie] [Yukie +35HP]

Taint knelt down next to the mage- she'd had it. Her body simply couldn't take a hit like that so suddenly after she'd been singled out and attacked. The Zora picked her head up off the ground and held her still as Morgoth released the most powerful of healing energies into the ice princess. "You're too young to die now... And you don't deserve to die this way..." [Resurrection L1 - Sakiko]. "C'mon... You can't die... I can't let any of you die..." He almost felt like crying- this whole expedition was his idea. If anyone died under his command, he'd never forgive himself. "I can't live knowing I couldn't protect my friends..." He muttered as Morgoth stood up. "I'm exhausted..." The necromancer commented, breathing heavily. "I don't know how much longer my old bones can keep this up." Sakiko woke up with half of her vitality restored, and the Zora looked down at her. He smiled with relief, and let her go when she got to her feet. He picked his sword up and stared at Blind, who was mobile again.

However this time, the stitching around his stomach was un-stitching itself, which always meant another surprise for the adventurers. Out of the stitching, souls floated around the creature, creating some sort of shield around it. There were twenty of them surrounding him, and it looked as if they'd all have to be destroyed before any damage would get through to Blind.

New ability- Soul Overshield
Blind releases the tormented swallowed souls to surround him, not allowing damage to get through until they're destroyed.

Over Soul Shield Spirit x20
STR-0; DEF-10; AGI-6; INT-0; SPI-6; HP-25;


Taint could barely contain his rage at this point. "You've killed one of my friends... You've badly burned another... And on top of all of that, you've killed Mitchel. He was important to someone, and you don't care at all do you?" He asked the beast as he stared at it.

"So what if I don't? All a soul is, is delicious. A shield for me, and a pawn for Ganon. You fail to see the big picture. When I devour all of your souls, you will all become my personal guardians." Blind taunted.

"Shut up." Taint commanded as he glared angrily.

"You know who had a delicious soul? Your old captain..." Blind hissed.

That was all it took. Taint spread his stance. "You want to mess with us...?" He asked, as he gathered energy. Dogura's attention shot from Yukie to a growing magical aura somewhere on the field.

"You want... a reason to care?" Taint said through gritted teeth as a blue-magical aura surrounded him. "I'll give you a reason!" He tightened his fists, and veins began popping out all over him.

Dogura stared at Blind as the magic grew. Wait... It isn't coming from Blind... Morgoth? Dogura turned his eye towards Morgoth who was staring at something else with a dropped jaw. Not Morgoth? Alpha! Dogura scanned the field for Alpha when his eye dropped on Taint, who was absolutely surging with magical power. The energy was actually visible around him! Dogura's eye widened. What power is this!? I haven't felt an aura like this since... Since Shadowclaw!! He watched in awe as the Zora's feet were creating craters in the ground where he stood. The magical energy ripped through the air around him, and his pupils suddenly turned the brightest shade of blue. At that very instant, he shot towards Blind at a speed unseen by the Zora, or anyone in the party for that matter.

Taint's secret ability- Cascade Evocation
Taint lets loose the hidden power within him, allowing him to move at supernatural speeds, and strike with the ferocity of an angry deity. For three turns, Taint gains +10 to all stats, and gains the ability "Gale Cutter". After three turns, Taint is removed from combat for five rounds.

New ability- Gale Cutter
Gale Cutter is an attack only possible when one is under Cascade Evocation. It is an ongoing attack that allows another attack and target for every time an attack hits its intended target.

Blind reared back as Taint leaped in front of him, and swung his sword at the first soul, cutting it in half, allowing it to float towards eternal rest. [Soul #1 -25HP] He immediately appeared in front of the second soul, not wasting a second as he cut through it. [Soul #2 -25HP]. Blind swung wildly at the Zora, unable to hit him as he continued his rampage on the third soul. [Soul #3 -25HP]. Dogura stared in amazement as Taint did it again and again and again, Blind unable to touch him. [Souls #4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, & 13 -25HP]. Blind screeched and lashed out with [shadowslash], which hit the Zora knocking him to the ground. Taint landed on his feet, creating a deep impact in the soil beneath him. He stared up at Blind with the fiercest eyes the creature had ever seen. Morgoth couldn't believe what he was seeing- it would probably be safe to say nobody would. It just wasn't expected out of the light-hearted Zora.

Dogura flashed back to when Taint was fighting Boone...

"You can't hit me like that, Crowjack. C'mon... Unleash that technique that got you into the crew in the first place... I want to see that power again."

Could this be... That power Boone was talking about? Dogura's mind raced trying to make sense of the situation. He could even beat me as I currently am... Dogura thought bitterly, knowing he wasn't such a force to be reckoned with anymore. Morgoth gripped his staff, deep in thought. Power like this cannot be without side-effects... Just what kind of price will this come with? The cleric decided that he should continue around healing everyone for as long as he could. The farther he stayed away from Blind the better. Besides... Morgoth thought. That thing seems to have its hands full at the moment... He snickered, as he looked around for hurt comrades.


Blind, Ocean Horror
HP: 51/150 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

Over Soul Shield Spirits x7
HP: 25/25

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dogura Shadowclaw
HP: 48/83 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
SPL: 27/27 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

Captain Taint Cascade Evocation [2 turns left]
HP: 64/84 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
SPL: 25/25 IIIIIIIIIIIIIII

Morgoth Fleshrender
HP: 36/36 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
SPL: 43/66 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

Garo-Ninja#1 HP: 10/30
Garo-Ninja#2 HP: 10/30
Garo-Ninja#3 HP: 20/30
Garo-Ninja#4 HP: 10/30
Garo-Ninja#5 HP: 30/30
Everbreeze Soldier #10 HP: 5/15

The burns brought her back to Kobas and the underground labyrinth. But she had survived that, and although she was severely injured, she would survive this monster as well.

She didn't let allow herself to dwell on her first failed attack, but what stopped her dead in her tracks was Taint's furious barrage. She stared after him, openmouthed, until her brain kicked in and she remembered that this wasn't over.

We can do this... we can do this... she chanted to herself after seeing Sakiko brought back from the clutches of death.

The freed spirits gave her a rising sense of hope. Maybe Blind would kill her before she could do any lasting damage, but if she could free just one of those trapped souls...

"Din's [Fire]!" she shouted again, raising her left hand and targeting one of the Over Soul Shield Spirits.

Sakiko had just recovered from performing the elemental burst, when she saw a blur moving toward her with frightening speed. She didn’t have time to scream, let alone jump aside; inevitably, she felt the monster’s weight almost suffocating her as she was pushed toward the ground. Maybe if he stopped gobbling up so many souls, he’d be slimmer! She let out an angry cry of frustration and managed to pull herself out from his overbearing weight.

The mage clutched at her throat, coughing like mad. Every organ seemed to be strangled from oxygen, and she felt her insides caving in. She uncertainly stood amongst the fighting, trying to force air into her lungs. Just breathe slowly, one breath at a time. Her vision was blurred; everyone and everything seemed to move about her in a flurry of color.

Think straight! Get back to battle! This is no time to –

As she blinked her eyes madly, she saw a blare of fiery red and orange burst through the sky. Her breath caught in her throat, her feet rooted to the spot. Her heart beat madly in her chest, and for the first time, she felt warmth traveling throughout her body. Sakiko closed her eyes as she felt the searing breath of fire grip her body, surrendering herself entirely to its blistering hatred. I deserve it…

Wasn’t life so ironic?

She knew she would die; she wasn’t so naive anymore. After the crushing weight of Blind, her body was already injured. Life was so fragile. But she knew that. She had always known that. Death seemed so frightening and foreign when you were so far away from it; but at the Death’s Gate, it was almost a welcoming prospect.

She thought, felt, heard, saw no more.

Then, there was no ‘smooth transition’; there was no hand tugging her back to consciousness; there was no gradual seeing of the light. Her eyes snapped open once more, and she felt Taint’s supporting force, and the burns, and the pain. She tried to smile back at their captain, but she couldn’t manage; she felt that every pore of her skin was screaming in agony.

However, it was all very much better than being dead. Well, now that I was killed once, I guess I’m not very afraid of being killed again… She put a hand on her chest, and muttered a prayer to the Goddesses. Her health was low, and she was certain that another attack from Blind would knock her out for sure. Favor of the Goddesses – Sakiko

And…then…so…suddenly…

Sakiko was almost knocked out by an extreme magical force; she grimaced, wondering if Blind was attacking again. No! It was Taint. Her mouth dropped open, wondering how in all of Hyrule he had the power to do that.

Ooc: I’m not sure if I’m allowed to cast two spells in one post…? If I’m not, then please ignore the following.

IC: Sakiko saw that Blind had created a protective barrier of souls. Taint had done quite a job getting rid of most of the souls, and it seemed that Arrika was attacking one. That leaves six… She called to the elements once again.

“Elemental Explosion!” [Level 1 Elemental Explosion][14 SPL]

SPL: 39/57

Ooc: So Favor of the Goddesses is a free spell, meaning no cost to SPL? >_< It had been so long that I forgot….

He was injured, there was no denying that. Thealter was definitely spilling his blood now. He coughed, blood coming out of his mouth. Thankfully, he didn't injure his lungs, he must of just bit his cheek really hard. Yet, he looked up, and saw that even Arrika was pouring her heart out into the fight. He couldn't give up, not yet. He pointed his free hand, the one not clutching at his staff, which he used as a brace to hold himself up, towards the injured thief. She needed to be healed before she fell. "Life," he muttered, calling out his spell before releasing his magic to heal her [Life L1 on Arrika][-8 SPL].

--

Orpheous almost slapped his head into his open hand. That fool Thealter was actually putting the healing of the thief over the sake of killing Blind. If Thealter has just cast an elemental explosion, then the oversouls would more than likely all be dead, leaving Blind open for attack, and certainly the rest of the adventures could finish Blind. Heck, the woodcarver alone could probably accomplish the feat. Oh well, there was always the next series of attacks to kill Blind with. He looked at his finished work, the anatomical scroll containing Blind's weak point. He added a P.S. to it: "Wait until you're sure you can hit him." Then he rolled it up, and called out to his target.

"WOODCARVER," he shouted, "take this." He threw the scroll to the boy, and hoped he could read and understand the scroll. Now it all rested on the boy. Meanwhile, he pulled a bomb from his bomb bag, lit it, and threw it towards the oversouls [Bomb].

OOC:

I can both transfer the scroll's position and attack in the same turn, right?

Thealter's stats
STR: 4
DEF(rating): 16
AGI: 4
INT: 6
SPI: 5
SPL: 64
HP: 55

Current HP, SPL, and Will

Orpheous
HP: 33/53
SPL: 32/42
Will: 9/9

Thealter
HP: 20/55
SPL: 50/64
Will: 9/9