Re: The Fatal Conflict! (GBS2G7) (Round 1: Everybody's Dead!)
10-08-2010, 03:05 AM
Originally posted on MSPA by SleepingOrange.
"... Speaking of overkill."
Kargrek looked up to see the useless lush of a demoness advancing with more purpose than he usually associated with her towards them. He and the alchemist had retreated from the seam a bit after Kargrek had launched the wave of fire towards the bottles; they watched her move closer from the sheltered lee of an alley, straining to hear or understand the slurred and mumbled invectives she was spewing. The barbarian shifted into a fighting stance as the hellspawn raised her arms and began forming another fireball, then dropped the stance at what he saw next.
Luron vaulted from the roof of the building behind Laura; the light behind him framed the action dramatically, and the warrior appeared to fall in slow motion, sword swinging glacially towards the unaware fiend's neck. Laura's clawed hands wove and gestured, increasing the size of the fireball; it looked like she would be neatly beheaded in mere moments.
The corks on the potions Kaja had crafted had been gently smoldering since Kargrek had sent the fire at them. The plan had been to craft them with a delayed blast that would allow the pair a safe retreat from the seam; this method of ignition had simply increased the delay, since the corks had to burn all the way through before any oxygen would reach the volatile concoctions. Four tiny plumes of smoke had been rising unheeded from the widened seam, forgotten since the appearance of the stumbling Laura. Only the alchemist noticed the soft hissing sound of rapid oxidation; he turned to watch his creations function, the understated smile of a satisfied master craftsman on his face. All other nearby eyes were focused on the action centered around Laura.
Luron himself watched the scene play out exactly as his vision suggested; he saw himself leap towards the demoness, saw himself raise the sword, saw the oddly-amused expression on the enormous barbarian's face... His present finally matched with how he had seen the future while he was in midair, arm drawn back. As he had half-expected, though, the unseen future deviated wildly from the expected. He was mere feet from his target when everything went firey and painful.
Lorrden's potions had been well-made and no less potent for their slower activation. Four explosions, each of which was powerful enough to destroy a modest building, resounded in unison. Searing flame billowed through the previously-still air, pushing chunks of asphalt and rock and soul in front of them. Most of the contestants were farther down the street, faffing about with time nonsense or clumsy seduction or coming to grips with zombification; Kargrek and Kaja were safely in an alley specifically selected for its angle from the street. Only Luron and Laura were anywhere near enough to the blast to be struck by it, but both were near the epicenter.
The pair in the alley squeezed their eyes shut and plugged their ears against the deafening blast; when all was quiet again save for the patter of falling gravel, the cautiously moved out of the alley to survey the results of their handiwork. While the fissure that the explosion had created would doubtless be interesting and important, the fate of Luron and Laura was more urgent. The former had apparently been knocked much farther than the latter; he was sprawled quite a few yards away from the source of the explosion. His sword had skidded several feet away from him, and judging from the smear of blood on the remaining street and his shredded face and clothes, much of his travel had been rolling and sliding across the asphalt. As for Laura... She seemed to have taken the brunt of the damage.
The demoness was crumpled a couple of yards away from the edge of what was the seam; her left leg was lying at an unnatural angle, and her hair (as well as a decent portion of her outerwear) had mostly been scorched off. Embedded in one shoulder was a large and jagged piece of cement. She tried to push herself to her feet with one arm, coughing up unknowable ichor, but collapsed again. It certainly appeared as though she wouldn't rise again, but with demons, who knew?
"... Speaking of overkill."
Kargrek looked up to see the useless lush of a demoness advancing with more purpose than he usually associated with her towards them. He and the alchemist had retreated from the seam a bit after Kargrek had launched the wave of fire towards the bottles; they watched her move closer from the sheltered lee of an alley, straining to hear or understand the slurred and mumbled invectives she was spewing. The barbarian shifted into a fighting stance as the hellspawn raised her arms and began forming another fireball, then dropped the stance at what he saw next.
Luron vaulted from the roof of the building behind Laura; the light behind him framed the action dramatically, and the warrior appeared to fall in slow motion, sword swinging glacially towards the unaware fiend's neck. Laura's clawed hands wove and gestured, increasing the size of the fireball; it looked like she would be neatly beheaded in mere moments.
The corks on the potions Kaja had crafted had been gently smoldering since Kargrek had sent the fire at them. The plan had been to craft them with a delayed blast that would allow the pair a safe retreat from the seam; this method of ignition had simply increased the delay, since the corks had to burn all the way through before any oxygen would reach the volatile concoctions. Four tiny plumes of smoke had been rising unheeded from the widened seam, forgotten since the appearance of the stumbling Laura. Only the alchemist noticed the soft hissing sound of rapid oxidation; he turned to watch his creations function, the understated smile of a satisfied master craftsman on his face. All other nearby eyes were focused on the action centered around Laura.
Luron himself watched the scene play out exactly as his vision suggested; he saw himself leap towards the demoness, saw himself raise the sword, saw the oddly-amused expression on the enormous barbarian's face... His present finally matched with how he had seen the future while he was in midair, arm drawn back. As he had half-expected, though, the unseen future deviated wildly from the expected. He was mere feet from his target when everything went firey and painful.
Lorrden's potions had been well-made and no less potent for their slower activation. Four explosions, each of which was powerful enough to destroy a modest building, resounded in unison. Searing flame billowed through the previously-still air, pushing chunks of asphalt and rock and soul in front of them. Most of the contestants were farther down the street, faffing about with time nonsense or clumsy seduction or coming to grips with zombification; Kargrek and Kaja were safely in an alley specifically selected for its angle from the street. Only Luron and Laura were anywhere near enough to the blast to be struck by it, but both were near the epicenter.
The pair in the alley squeezed their eyes shut and plugged their ears against the deafening blast; when all was quiet again save for the patter of falling gravel, the cautiously moved out of the alley to survey the results of their handiwork. While the fissure that the explosion had created would doubtless be interesting and important, the fate of Luron and Laura was more urgent. The former had apparently been knocked much farther than the latter; he was sprawled quite a few yards away from the source of the explosion. His sword had skidded several feet away from him, and judging from the smear of blood on the remaining street and his shredded face and clothes, much of his travel had been rolling and sliding across the asphalt. As for Laura... She seemed to have taken the brunt of the damage.
The demoness was crumpled a couple of yards away from the edge of what was the seam; her left leg was lying at an unnatural angle, and her hair (as well as a decent portion of her outerwear) had mostly been scorched off. Embedded in one shoulder was a large and jagged piece of cement. She tried to push herself to her feet with one arm, coughing up unknowable ichor, but collapsed again. It certainly appeared as though she wouldn't rise again, but with demons, who knew?