But against Malek, such a blow proved useless, only eliciting a dark chuckle from the wraith. With a powerful swing of his halberd, he threw both vampires away, knocking them both into pillars.
"That didn't work too well, did it?" Seras gasped as she stood up.
Kain stood as well, growling as Malek arrogantly stalked them, not even bothering to hide his contempt for the vampires. "I shall close in. I suggest you see if he finds magic as laughable as the blade. Repello!"
With that invocation, the protective aegis of the Repel shell encased him, providing his with almost perfect protection. So defended, he charged back at Malek with a roar.
Seras mentally prepared herself, and as Kain's and Malek's weapons crashed against each other, she circled, and cast, "Exuro Telum!"
The Energy Bolt flew fast and true, striking Malek cleanly... and doing absolutely nothing to him. Contemptuously, he kicked Kain away, into a wall. "You wish to try magic against me, harridan? Let me show you what combat magic is really like! Ter Sanctus Lux!"
With the invocation, and a wave of his hands, three glittering balls of light raced from his hands, streaking toward Seras. Unable to dodge, she instead called out, "Permeo!" The three light blasts passed right through her, impacting behind her.
Seras still fell to her knees. She had been using too much magic. Her Rapier hadn't fared any better against the previous inhabitants than it had against their master, and now she had reached her limit. Her Phase spell ended, leaving her vulnerable once again.
Kain stood up from where he fell. The Repel spell may have prevented him from taking any damage, but it was proving less than effective at helping him maintain his ground. Malek was still able to toss him around like a rag doll. Regardless, he wasn't nearly out of this fight, yet. Snarling, he leapt back at the Paladin.
Seras saw her chance. Pushing off her feelings of weakness, she charged at Malek too. As she expected, the Wraith chose to ignore her, in lieu of defending against Kain's assault. As such, he was completely unprepared when she fell and slid into him, kicking out his greaves and knocking the Paladin to the floor.
Kain wasted no time in taking advantage of that, running his iron sword through the enchanted cuirass, then kicking the halberd away from the armor.
Seras picked herself up, and began dusting herself off. "Did we get him?"
Kain smirked, and was about to reply, when one of the greaves flew back to the armor, and tripped Kain.
Malek stood as the other greave returned as well, and removed Kain's sword, tossing it to the ground. "Did you monsters think I would really be defeated so easily?" As the vampires watched, the hole in the cuirass resealed itself, restored to perfect condition. With a laugh, Malek threw more of the light blasts, while Kain restored his Repel spell, and Seras dodged.
Seras watched as Malek played with Kain like a happy cat with a mouse. It was obvious that Kain was outclassed in all ways by Malek... he couldn't hope to win by himself. On the other hand, she was tapped. Her magic was gone, her weapon useless, and she had no doubt that Malek would be on the look out for any other unarmed combat tricks she might try, not that most of them would be at all effective against an opponent like him. She had nothing else to use...
Suddenly she remembered... from a sheath low on her leg, she drew out the dagger that slew Ariel. Gazing at it, she remembered Kain's words...
"Take it. The knife bares an enchantment. Death magic… very curious."
Could it work? She wondered. Ultimately, she decided that at this point, she had nothing left to lose.
She slaked closer to the battling pair, painfully aware that Malek probably could tell exactly where she was. Finally, she decided to just go for it, and raced in...
Malek saw her coming, and prepared to slice her in two as she approached, but then Kain managed to grab his arm, stopping the Paladin's attack, as Seras struck, driving the knife into the armor.
The effect was immediate. Malek screamed, experiencing pain for the first time since being cursed, the death magic in the blade sapping away at him. Enraged, he threw both the vampires off again, Seras impacting against a pillar, Kain being blasted threw one of the walls.
"Do you wish a real fight then, abomination? Let me show you a mere modicum of my true power!! Fiat Mortis, Fiat Exitium, Et Fiat Terminus Omnius!"
Seras could only watch in horror as a seething wall of destruction formed before Malek. The room shook with the force it was producing, and it shattered pillars as it approached.
There was no where to go, no way to defend herself... she was going to be destroyed here.
And then, she registered Kain grabbing her, dragging her toward where he had been thrown through the wall, she register a strange, red platform, with some kind of symbol on the floor... and then light, and then... darkness.
Not of the eternal sense... but a natural darkness... she and Kain were in a cave.
_-=^=-_
Back at the Bastion, Malek could only roar in frustration. Somehow, Kain had found one of the teleportals used when the living still utilized the Bastion... and now, his own attack had destroyed the portal. He couldn't follow them, and the monsters would be well away by the time he could reach them by any other means.
He seethed as the room collapsed around him...
His prey had escaped.
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(Posted Tue, 19 Jul 2005 05:56)
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らんま1/2 © Rumiko Takahashi
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