The Secret Powers of the Index (continued)

[Zuka Zamamee]

Continued from here

((If Carzal doesn't post, I'll assume that he's just tagging along))

*Zuka, Carzal, and Ashirbadon finally reached the summit of the Temple. There were three hallways that lead on for what seemed an eternity. The one on the left and right seemed too badly damaged to be travelled safely, while the one in the center seemed safe enough. Zuka took several steps forward, knowing that his objective was just ahead several hundred feet...*

*...when he suddenly realized something was wrong. Terribly wrong. He sensed a presence nearby. A familiar one at that. It was powerful, and was creating a powerful aura. Zuka recognized it at once*

*Itarildë had come to Aewin*

[Itarilde Calaelen]

*Itarildë had arrived in Aewin hours ago, waiting for Zuka's predictable arrival. The High Druid Priestess was sitting cross-legged in front of the very sacred Index itself, meditating and clearing her thoughts. She was prepared for an all-out duel against her former lover. They had clashed against each other many times before. The first time was in El'th'norann where she realized Zuka's true fate. The second was only 16 years ago where he managed to knock her unconcious and...violate her. That had resulted in her giving birth to a daughter, Turwaithiel, but to spare her daughter, the druid had her hidden away with foster parents. The most recent of their clashes was in the royal palace of Syl'arboreth itself, where Zuka's brother, Mahtan, and a dozen druids of the Order of Paranë waited. Zuka had gotten lucky that Akanzel arrived just in time to spare the necromancer's life. But now...now the necromancer was without luck, without power, without his army, and without his former master to save the day*

*She sensed Zuka's arrival, but remained calm. She tracked his progress until he arrived at the capital, which was when she gave orders to her..."agent." And now that the necromancer was now in the Temple of Aewin, only a few hundred feet away from her, she decided to act*

*The High Druid Priestess rose slowly and retrieved her staff, Nala'gash, and walked down the hallway to meet the necromancer. She found him waiting for her. Itarildë smiled victoriously*

"Well, well, you've finally arrived. I was beginning to wonder if the dragon would kill you or not. Seems as if you were willing to risk sacrificing your friends to meet your personal gains. Then again, what more could be expected from a manipulative, cruel, sadistic bastard such as yourself?"

*The druid slowly walked around the necromancer, continuing with her speech*

"You were spared at our duel in Syl'arboreth because your master arrived. But here...here you have no army. No powers. No master. No reinforcements. And, as usual, a shortage of allies. Tell me, Zuka. Are you ready to die this time?"

[Raghnall Faeryn]

-*The dragon would rear back, but not in time to avoid the massive ice formation. A large crashing sound would be heard as it connected. Followed almost immediately by a screaching sound as the ice continued to flow upwards, scraping across the scales that were shoved aside upon its entry.

Raghnall would come to a sliding halt, almost falling on his face as he stumbled, the ice pausing for a moment. Catching his bearings he would close his eyes, the ice continuing upwards.

A lump just above the dragon's shoulders would form though it would not be there for long. As suddenly the lump would burst, the tip of the ice shuddering forth covered in an 'icky' substance that one would assume was the dragon's blood.

Opening his eyes, Raghnall was about to turn away when the ice acted of its own accord-In an explosion of power the group would be showered with debris once again. This time it was splintered scales and bones, along with organs and blood.

Raghnall would be literally covered in the goop from head to toe, luckily having managed to not have his mouth open at the time. Though now his mouth would hang open semi-agape, his eyes widened a little - And the reason was obvious. Following his gaze, one would find not the dragon, but a massive 'pin-cushion' of ice. Spikes and needles of varying lengths and sizes jutting from the central spike, covering every inch where the dragon had once stood each tip as sharp as a well-sharpened stilleto...*-

[Carzal]

"Hah... the elf girl."
Carzal's attention was no longer focused on the dragon. A wild dragon was not as dangerous as a trained elf druid. Carzal had met her before, and she had proved herself barely able to deal with Zuka. In Carzal's mind, that amounted to nothing, because that meant that if she tried to enchant him, he could destroy her with a sword thrust after protecting himself with his amulet.
On top of that...
"You call Zuka foolish to come to a realm with no magic, and no allies? Do you realize where we are?"
He paused, waiting for the words to sink in.
"We are on a world devoid of true life. The only things that live here are demons and dragons and other creatures of death and violence... creatures that would be only too willing to respond to Zuka's unholy call. At the same time, your druid's nature is nowhere to be found. The very base of your strength in non-existant in this world. That, and I have prepared some fairly powerful spells since we met the dragon, and using them on your is almost too easy. So speak with respect, child."
She might not have been any older than him, but she looked like a child and was naive enough to be one. Besides... Carzal knew that in his life he had seen far more than most elves would ever see, and this protected, magically-trained girl was no exception.

[Zuka Zamamee]

*Zuka was taken aback by Itarildë's harsh speech and presence, knowing full well that this would be the fight for his life. However, Carzal's speech made Zuka realize that he was the one with the advantage, not the High Druid Priestess. However, her mind was perfectly intact; his wasn't. If a magic duel would be forced upon them, they would be in the fight for their lives. About this time, Ashirbadon stepped beside Zuka, staring blankly at Itarildë, almost as if he were waiting for something to happen. Finally, the necromancer spoke*

"Carzal, leave this between Itarildë and myself."

*The necromancer then stared harshly into Itarildë's eyes, waiting for her visage to show any signs of fear or uncertainty*

"My dear Itarildë, it appears as if this time you are the one that is defeated. If Carzal's speech hasn't gotten through your thick skull, then nothing ever will. You have no allies, yet I do. You have no powers, yet I do. You have no reinforcements, yet I do. So, you answer me this: Are you ready to die? And once you die, who will lead the Order of Paranë? No one. It will be a forgotten cause in due time, just as your life will be forgotten from all memory. Prepare yourself!"

[Itarilde Calaelen]

*Itarildë smiled as she recognized Carzal, ignoring his speech. It was almost immediately followed by Zuka's, which she also ignored. They were oblivious to the truth, of the true powers that lie before them. It was almost a sin. But they would never know about it, now would they? She ran her slender fingers through her hair, moving her bangs away from her eyes. She returned Zuka's stare with one that was just as cold, if not colder*

"My friends, it appears as if you are more ignorant than I have ever imagined possible. You see, there is a traitor in your midst, one that has been playing along with your quest just to bring you to me. None of you have expected it so far, and now the traitor shall make himself known."

*With that spoken, Ashirbadon stepped forward and took his position to Itarildë's left side. The demon growled in a low pitch, ready to spill blood. Smiling again, she spoke more*

"I have also brought another friend with me. Zuka, Carzal, you two might recognize him."

*From behind her, seemingly coming from nowhere, an elf wearing light armor and wielding two mythril katanas stalked out of the shadows and took his position to the right of the High Druid Priestess. Mahtan coldly regarded his brother, despising everything that the fallen one had become. He glanced at Carzal and nodded his head slightly, indicating his gratitude for his adversary sparing his life at Syl'arboreth*

"Yes, your brother still lives, Zuka. It appears as if Carzal did not execute him, as you had commanded. You see, Mahtan has been preparing for this day for many months, sharpening up his swordsmanship skills and defensive magic. He was a mere push-over when you first met him. Now, he is the best swordsman and tactician under my command."

*With that spoken, the High Druid took two steps backwards, drawing in the powers of Aewin to her. It was true that nature wasn't present, but she was also an Elementalist, drawing her powers from Earth, Fire, Water, and Air. Three of those four elements were present, and she could just as easily substitute elements as she could conjure them. They were in for more of a match than they had initially believed*

"No, Zuka, prepare yourself!"

*With that spoken, she unleashed the fury of Aewin's powers onto Zuka, siphoning the element of Water and converting it into Fire. An inferno would lash out from her staff, aimed at Zuka and his remaining allies, waiting to consume them all*

[Raghnall Faeryn]

-*Raghnall would continue to gape at the ice sculpture for a small while, oblivious to the goings-on around him...That is, until he felt the shift in the elements-There was a draw on the water and suddenly it was twisted and contorted into fire. He did not know exactly what was going on, but that much he knew.

Focusing he would 'water-shift'-basically the equivilant of shadow-walking, but with water instead-to where he had felt the disturbance. He would appear directly in the middle of Zuka's 'team' and the other's. Fortunately, he would appear directly behind the path of the flames, having avoided very serious injury by just a millisecond.*-

[Carzal]

She really believes it, mused Carzal.
She was an idealist: it was clear from the moment you spoke with her. She truly thought that in his land-scape, with these allies she had the upper-hand. For a moment, Carzal regretted having given up his dark powers for the light, because there had been some that would be truly useful against a non-evil opponent.
But no matter. Light had no weaknesses, and neither did Carzal. Zuka would have to look after himself, at least until Carzal was finished, something, he suspected, would happen before Zuka was. And this was for two simple reasons.
Basically... Itarildë was... a mage. More than that, a druid. Druids were usually peaceful, although they had powerful magic and allies to call upon in need. But what did they know about fighting? About sword-fighting? Nothing. So Itarildë's claim that Mahtan had improved significantly meant little. Even if he had, Carzal was confident of his superiority. As his new form became more comfortable, he became more used to it, more able to use it to its full extent. Every time, he was faster... and he had a total advantage there. Besides... to mix your time between defensive magic and swordsman ship would detriment both, wheras Carzal simply relied on the basics of magic, or those that were god-given, focusing his energy into his true skill... the blade.
Carzal yawned, drawing his long sword as he did so, sighting along the end of it. His eyes flickered for just a moment, taking in Mahtah's position. Disconcertingly, he looked just as calm as Carzal did. For a moment, Carzal wondered: had he really improved?
It was a pity that they were constantly pitted against each other. Another student of the sword would be the perfect person to learn from, and to teach... and unlike Zuka and his ex-girlfriend, they truly had nothing to fight over. Aside from ambition. And, Carzal knew, neither would kill the other, in the end. It would be like smashing a stain-glass window or burning a master-piece of a painting... illogical. Especially if you are a master painter, or glass-worker....

Rather than selecting his short-sword, Carzal unclipped a spear, which had been strapped to his back. It was not a throwing spear, but a short spear, designed for personal combat. He gave Mahtan a look.
"Ready?"

[Zuka Zamamee]

*Zuka felt Itarildë draw in the powers of Ice and converting them to that of Fire. With barely a second to spare, he was able to conjure forth a barrier strong enough to withstand the intense blast. He would keep it up for so long as he could, but he knew that if he didn't act swiftly he would be beaten. Clearing his mind, the necromancer teleported directly behind the High Druid, calling forth on the dark, arcane powers that he relied off of. Dark, shimmering, crackling energies from the negative plane rippled around the necromancer, threatening to consume those that were too close. Though he was weaker than usual, he still had no problems conjuring forth these powers and unleashing them*

*With his arms outstretched, he summoned the energy into himself, concentrating the energies into several focal points. It was from these focal points that the energy materialized into six Dark Pulse orbs, each two inches in diameter. The necromancer released one of them at the High Druid as rapidly as possible, trying to get the advantage over her. It was with this split second downtime that he was able to survey the scene. Carzal and Mahtan once more fighting each other and Ashirbadon, Raghnall, and TBeck waiting. Mahtan had been a nuissance to Zuka, but Carzal had always been there to challenge his brother. Zuka would have to thank his friend for that someday soon. Now, however, there was a High Druid to kill*

[Carzal]

Mahtan, unsheathed his own sword, a flatter and thicker thing than Carzal's, but still potent
"Yes." he said as he assumed a stance.
"Oh good!" said Carzal brightly and half way through the exclamation he attacked, swinging his spear around in a wide arc and lunging with his sword.
Feints within feints...
Carzal swung the spear with amazing speed, and it was the obvious attack. Mahtan would block it immediately. As he did this, he would find that the blade of the long sword was a far more serious problem, and attempt to divert that. Again, successfully. But while he was doing this, Carzal's coup-de-grace was set in motion.
Mahtan reacted predictably, momentarily going to block the spear than changing his angle to deflect Carzal's sword away from him. As he did this Carzal changed the angle of his spear's descent, aiming to shove it through Mahtan's upper-right chest.
Mahtan delt with it admirably, moving his body to continue to push Carzal long sword out of the way and delivering a countering blow to Carzal's spear, which Carzal quickly moved out of the way to keep intact.
Now drawing a smaller dagger in his left hand, for defence, Mahtan launched his attack.
Carzal defended him easily: his offence lacked glamour, although it was much faster than it had been. The whole time, studying the other. His defence was the key. To see how he reacted...
Nearly skewed by Mahtan's blade, Carzal barely danced aside, gritting his teeth. So that was how he wanted to dance, did he?
Mahtan had feigned a weakness in attack this time, luring Carzal into a false sense of security.
Carzal pressed on the attack in a flurry of blows that drove Mahtan back, his spear hovering on the outside, looking for a way in.

[Itarilde Calaelen]

The High Druid cursed when she realized that Zuka was no longer standing directly in front of her. She felt the manipulation of the dark powers from behind her, and she swung around to meet his attack. Channeling the powers of Ice, she created a two foot long icicle type spear. It was barely finished and launched in time to counteract his Dark Pulse orbs. The explosion of ice shards and negative energy washed over everyone nearby, but she gritted her teeth and continued to press on her assault.

Once again she channeled her magic into a focal point just above her left palm. She created many, many more ice spears, and, in quick retaliation, launched these with startling speed towards the necromancer.

[Zuka Zamamee]

Itarildë's counterattack startled Zuka. Instead of firing his Dark Pulse orbs at the spears and wasting precious energy, he channeled his dark energies again into a focal point upon his left palm. Holding his orbs with his right hand, he would be ready to brutally retaliate if necessary. The focal point heated to flashpoint in a split second, igniting into searing flames. Without hesitation, the necromancer launched the inferno at the High Druid, feeding more and more energy to continue up its onslaught.

Zuka was weak, and getting weaker. And with the Index so close yet so far away, he would be doomed unless he could break the barrier in his mind and defeat Itarildë.

[Carzal]

Their blades sang, cutting the air at high speed. And time was telling that despite Mahtan's advances, he was not Carzal's match. Carzal had also improved, although not as much as his opponent has, but it was telling in the way that Mahtan fought. His two baldes were fast, but not fast enough to gain a decisive advantage over Carzal's single blade. And then, without warning, Carzal struck, his spear moving through Mahtan's blades without touching them, and smashing into his shoulder. Mahtan fell back, and in that moment, Carzal slashed the other sword out of his hand.
Mahtan fell on his back, disarmed. Carzal loomed above him.
And now it was his decision. To kill, or not.

[Zuka Zamamee]

Since I will not be finishing this in an RP manner, here's what basically happens:

Carzal and Mahtan fight until one of them wins. Either Carzal wins and lets Mahtan escape just like in Creation, or Mahtan wins and lets Carzal live for being a worthy competitor. Either way, Mahtan would eventually be captured by Zuka.

Zuka finally defeats Itarildë and Ashirbadon with the help of whoever joins him, and they join Mahtan as captives. Zuka then takes the Necromancy Index, breaks his curse, and finds all of the other Indexes.

There are the Necromancy Index, Fire Index, Lightning Index, Destruction Index, Water Index, Earth Index, Abjuration Index, Conjuration Index, and a few more. Zuka takes the Necromancy, Destruction, and Conjuration Indexes, and lets the others sort out their spoils of the battle.

From there, the RP was really open to any other plot changes.

[Carzal]

Takes the Fire Index, the Mind Index, the Dark Index and the Light Index.
*woot woot*