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<blockquote data-quote="Emperor Valerian" data-source="post: 2611383" data-attributes="member: 15043"><p><strong>Nayu the Bold</strong></p><p></p><p><em>Nayu...</em></p><p></p><p>Felonca shuddered, her face bathed in orange as building by building, the Jade City took alight, as scholars and soldiers began to burn what could not be saved. Almost incessantly, bright flashes erupted from the plaza between the great buildings, as scholars teleported away with court officials, documents, and magical tomes.</p><p></p><p><em>He walked to his death... so calm...</em> Felonca’s mind returned to the same trench she’d dug for herself over the past thirty minutes. Even as she clambered through the Imperial Palace, the haunting image of Nayu’s brown eyes... dead, devoid of life... scarred her soul. She shook her head, trying desperately to focus on the task at hand; rescuing the Emperor from the palace, as Nayu had requested.</p><p></p><p>Yet she couldn’t shake the image from her mind, and she couldn’t focus on anything except his loss.</p><p></p><p><em>“Promise me you’ll make sure the Emperor gets out alive and unharmed!”</em> she heard Nayu’s voice echoing inside her head, and she stopped momentarily, tears starting to course down her cheeks, just as they had when her father had dragged her away, just as they had when she watched her love walk so calmly into the darkness. </p><p></p><p><em>”Promise me!”</em> her memory made him shout even louder. <em>”I need you to do this!”</em> She shook her head</p><p></p><p><em>Why?</em> she asked herself in reply. <em>Why should I care? My love is gone... my Emperor is gone...</em></p><p></p><p><em>Because that was his last wish,</em> she reminded herself darkly, before an ironic smile made its way through her tears. <em>He was always thinking ahead... he thinks,</em> her mind refused to accept the past tense, <em>he can distract the Military Governor or Prince Hu by sacrificing himself... one takes death to save all...</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>But he left me! Alone!</em> she shot back angrily, the reflection of the flames licking across her eyes. <em>And he never gave me the chance... to tell him... he never knew...</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Or did he? The one moment he looked at you, there was something in his eyes.</em> The memory tumbled back, of the brief moment where his empty eyes had held something. </p><p></p><p><em>He used himself as bait...</em> Another tear ran down her face, acceptance finally reaching across her mind. </p><p></p><p><em>Why?</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>To give you time!</em> She gritted her teeth, the tears flowing more.</p><p></p><p></p><p><em>He’s doing this for you...</em> She wiped her face, slowly putting things together. <em>He died to save me... to save Yuandi... to save the Empire...</em> she thought, trembling. <em>To give you time to save everything... to make sure Hu is defeated. He went to die to give you time!</em> Her teeth gritted more, and her mind slowly fell onto the task before it.</p><p></p><p>“Find Yuandi,” she whispered to herself, between the tears.</p><p></p><p>“For Nayu.”</p><p></p><p>With a speed and grace that surprised even herself, Felonca bounded through the great halls of the palace, smoke already rising in wisps from the ever-closing fires. In forlorn vain she searched the throne room, the reception halls, the dining halls, until finally, just above the noise of the chaos outside, she heard the sound of a child crying.</p><p></p><p><em>Yuandi...</em> She sniffed about, her mind sorting past the smell of smoke, of panic, finally latching onto a familiar smell of jasmine spice and silk robes. She followed the scent, finally reaching a small alcove, a gaping hole in its floor revealing a meeting room below.</p><p></p><p>“Your Majesty!?” she called, eyes scanning the room below. Amidst the smoke, at first she couldn’t make out anything other than knocked over chairs and a large ebony table. But as she looked closer, she finally could see the off-yellow of a jeweled foot sticking out from under the ebony blackness.</p><p></p><p>“Your Majesty! It’s Felonca!” she called hopefully. The foot stirred, disappeared, and was replaced with a frightened face. Tear streaks were still fresh on the young Emperor’s face. </p><p></p><p><em>”Do this for me!”</em> As the flames rumbled closer to them, Felonca clambered down, and stretched out her hand.</p><p></p><p>“Your Majesty! Grab my arm!” she called, stretching as far as she dared towards the trapped young boy below. The young emperor below clambered from under the table, and stretched a jewel-covered hand upwards towards her. Felonca grabbed the arm, and hoisted the boy to her level.</p><p></p><p>“Are they coming? Are they attacking?” Yuandi asked anxiously, and Felonca wanted to cry on seeing those brave little imperial eyes staring up at her, their small forms desperately trying to hold back tears of their own, trying to remain regal even as the boy in Yuandi wanted to run and hide. The brown eyes reminded her too much of Nayu’s eyes, as he strode off into the darkness, and dark thoughts jumped to her mind. It took all her willpower to keep them from ravaging her face. <em>He’s scared. He needs me to be strong!</em> she told herself, hugging the boy.</p><p></p><p>“Yes, they’re coming, but we’re going to get you out of here,” Felonca replied, trying to shake the depression from her mind. <em>I’ll do this, even if I have to die trying!</em> she promised herself, thinking of Nayu’s final words to her. </p><p></p><p>“I promise you that,” she added, hugging the little boy fiercely, as a tear coursed down her own cheek. “You’ll be safe, Yuan. You’ll be safe.”</p><p></p><p>Silently, she looked up, past the ceiling of the palace, towards a distant place where she could see the face of her love.</p><p></p><p><em>You'll always be my Emperor, my love...</em></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><em>You are a madman,</em> Nayu shouted to himself as he drew near the gate to the Inner City, the great lions adorning its wooden doors shaking and rocking as something immense and powerful repeatedly slammed them.</p><p></p><p><em>A madman with a plan, I suppose. If it can be called that.</em> The sorcerer sighed, feeling the nerves in his body tingling, fear rushing through his veins. Each time the gate groaned under the pressure, Nayu’s muscles tensed. His mind was ready to fight... his body was still ready to flee.</p><p></p><p><em>Calm Nayu... you can’t panic. You need precision! Accuracy!</em> He closed his eyes, trying to focus his scattered mind. Slowly, he brought his thoughts together, back towards a single place... the cool, airy archives of the Imperial Scholars, several days before. Tomes upon tomes had lain about him, replete with almost any kind of magic conceivable.</p><p></p><p>The gate shuddered again, interrupted his concentration.</p><p></p><p><em>Precision, Nayu,</em> the sorcerer told himself, his skin crawling at the thought of what he was about to endure. <em>What if the scholars are right? What if innate magic is more dangerous than their studied, control use of magic?</em> His thoughts started to scatter again. <em>What if what you’re going to try to do is beyond your means? What if your soul becomes seared, or is even destroyed by what you’re about to do?</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>There is no other way,</em> he thought, calming himself through sheer willpower. <em>They must be stopped HERE, and chances are high that the Military Governor or his sorcerers could easily deal with something made of normal material... something made from the essence of the ancestors themselves...</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>If the ancestors are willing to be used that way,</em> he reminded himself. Ripping the ancestors from their peaceful coils to strip what magic residue they had left would be a jolting process. They could curse him. They could even possibly try to kill him. <em>They watch this world, but it is not theirs.</em></p><p></p><p>He closed his eyes again, his mind traveling back to a time in the not so distant past, focusing upon one face.</p><p></p><p><em>Papa,</em> Nayu prayed, <em>I need your strength and guidance again. I apologize for what I must do here... I have only recently learned of this power, and I’m afraid I might not use it correctly. Papa... watch over me. Protect me, as I channel you and your ancestral spirits to stop this attack.</em></p><p></p><p>The gate groaned again, as if something titanic was leaning against it with the force of hundreds of battering rams, and slowly, carefully, Nayu began his chant.</p><p></p><p>Nayu felt it first in the bottoms of his feet, a tingling, growing warmer and more powerful as it slowly climbed his frame. Rippling wisps of ghostly filament seemed to spring from the ground, slowly whirling up the length of his body, entering every pore of his skin.</p><p></p><p>The tingling suddenly changed to a burning, as the ancestral spirits fought back, trying to keep what magic they had left tied to their forms. Nayu gritted his teeth, as the pain increased, the wisps whirling faster and faster.</p><p></p><p><em>Concentrate! Precision!</em> he shouted to himself. He stretched out his hands, and closed his eyes, as the magic careening through his body seemed to sear itself into the very fibers of his being. </p><p></p><p><em>Father... ancestors... help me now!</em> </p><p></p><p>He felt the hairs on his arm stand on end, his muscles twitching and tingling as power beyond his imagination flowed through his body, coursing out of his fingers. He kept his eyes closed, concentrating, as the hum of magic turned to an unholy moan, a screech from the beyond. Slowly, the blackness that covered his sight changed, despite his closed eyes. </p><p></p><p>At first, he saw splashes of color, wisps of light at surging points in the roaring noise around him. Slowly, the points coalesced, combining to form a ghostly arm in the darkness of his shut eyes, then another, robes rippling outward from both. As Nayu gritted his teeth, he couldn’t help but open his eyes.</p><p></p><p>Lancing from his fingertips were thousands upon thousands of points of light, each exploding as it left his hands into a ghostly copy of his own. Some hundred feet away, just inside the gate, the hands gathered, their ghostly white forms expanding, stretching, growing, until finally they covered the entire size of the gate... a shimmering, ghostly wall of ancestral power.</p><p></p><p>As the last of the spectral hands flashed from his own, Nayu felt an immense release, as the screaming moans seemed to die away... as the ancestors relinquished their power to his young mind.</p><p></p><p><em>Thank you, papa,</em> Nayu whispered a prayer, the pain leaving his body. <em>Thank you, Ones Who have Gone Before.</em></p><p></p><p></p><p>Beyond the shimmering wall, the gate into the Inner City finally collapsed under the immense pressure, and an immense spider demon tumbled through the breach on its eight gangly legs, letting out a screech of triumph as it rushed forward...</p><p></p><p>...and slammed into the invisible wall with a dull, rumbling thud. </p><p></p><p>The immense beast made Nayu tremble, despite the wall of power between them. Its body was covered in spikes and points, some of which held the dead bodies of city defenders, blood still oozing from their wounds. Its immense, ant-like head twisted back and forth in anger at the unexpected obstacle, its mandibles clacking as it backed up yet again and charged forth, only to slam into the wall yet again.</p><p></p><p><em>A bebilith...</em> Nayu realized, shaking slightly. He’d read of those beasts in the tomes of the Jade City... demons so immense and powerful that they hunted other demons from below for sport. <em>And now the Military Governor has one...</em> he thought anxiously, realizing that clearly not enough time had passed. <em>I have to delay them more...</em> he thought, focusing his weary body on channeling magic once more.</p><p></p><p>The immense demon tumbled back from its second charge, chittering noisily in confusion and frustration. It slowly turned its immense form around, chittering and growling in some obscene tongue to someone further back, and Nayu’s chills redoubled as he saw a bone-wheeled chariot come into view behind the powerful creature.</p><p></p><p><em>There he is,</em> the sorcerer thought, fear and excitement making his body feel almost numb. Part of his mind still screamed aloud that he shouldn’t be here... that he should be on the walls, directing the defense, helping Felonca...</p><p></p><p><em>It’s too late... you’re committed now,</em> the cooler side of his mind reminded him sullenly. <em>The Military Governor is here... and if he has the power to summon demons this great, your wall won’t last long against him... ancestor’s help or no...</em></p><p></p><p>The great bony figure stepped from the chariot and strode past the demon with complete indifference. Indeed, the great spindly creature seemed to lower itself as the man strode confidently past. As his hands stretched out for the ghostly wall of magic, Nayu felt the magic in his veins finally pulsating at its fullest.</p><p></p><p><em>Precision... precision...</em> the sorcerer told himself repeatedly, dreading the pain that would come from concentrating that hard again. <em>This has to be accurate! You’re going to have one shot at this, before he breaks through and kills you!</em> he screamed to himself, as a tiny white bead pulsated and grew in his hands. He closed his eyes, and traced the bead’s path with his mind, the arc, the fall...</p><p></p><p>His eyes snapped open.</p><p></p><p>The wall of magic was already shimmering, as the Military Governor immersed his hands in its shadows, testing, probing, feeling its weaknesses. </p><p></p><p>Nayu raised his right hand, pointing to a spot far above the breached gate, and opened his hand. The bead of magic swept upwards, arcing higher and higher, until it reached its apex, just within sight, high above the city. As the wall began to waver, the bead tumbled downwards... growing brighter and brighter as Nayu still fed more magic into its tiny shape. Downwards it tumbled, towards the wall itself, into a tiny crack between the magical wall, and its stone counterpart...</p><p></p><p>Nayu was forced to close his eyes as the bebilith and the Military Governor both disappeared in a brilliant flash of white and yellow, the magic muffling the explosion of Nayu’s carefully tossed <em>fireball</em> to a mere dull roar. The bebilith’s screech of pain shrieked through his eardrums, as the immense gate shook, shuddered, then stone by stone, crumbled on top of the great demon and his diminutive master.</p><p></p><p>As the dust of the collapse settled, Nayu peered into the gloom, the noise of the advancing army rumbling to a halt as the thundering collapse concluded. Above the ruined stones, all he could see were two spindly legs, twisted askew.</p><p></p><p>For a moment, the sorcerer stood in shock. <em>It worked?</em> He could hear the sounds of trumpets, of orders bellowed and answered, as the demonic army halted beyond the ruined gate. They were leaderless, rudderless...</p><p></p><p><em>No more new demons...</em> the sorcerer slowly realized, as the giant spider legs twitched a few times before falling eternally still. <em>It’s over...</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>You’re alive!</em> A grin exploded across his face. <em>The timing was perfect, the wall was placed perfectly to block them but allow the fireball through... that will hold them for a while, at least!</em> </p><p></p><p>As he turned away to head back towards the Jade City, happy to be alive and in one piece, Nayu didn’t see the bony hand that reached from between the bricks, and began to push the stones away...</p><p></p><p>====================================================</p><p></p><p>Nayu’s player had the idea to put up a <em>wall of force</em> just behind the breaking gate, and leave enough room for him to chuck a bead of a <em>maximized fireball</em> into the gap, hopefully bringing down the gate and killing anyone underneath. His hope was that if he showed up, so would the Military Governor... which did happen. I made him do a ranged attack to see how close he got when he tried to chuck this <em>fireball</em> bead down this narrow slot, and he rolled a 20. Perfect toss. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /></p><p></p><p>He just didn’t realize exactly how strong the Military Governor was...</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Emperor Valerian, post: 2611383, member: 15043"] [b]Nayu the Bold[/b] [i]Nayu...[/i] Felonca shuddered, her face bathed in orange as building by building, the Jade City took alight, as scholars and soldiers began to burn what could not be saved. Almost incessantly, bright flashes erupted from the plaza between the great buildings, as scholars teleported away with court officials, documents, and magical tomes. [i]He walked to his death... so calm...[/i] Felonca’s mind returned to the same trench she’d dug for herself over the past thirty minutes. Even as she clambered through the Imperial Palace, the haunting image of Nayu’s brown eyes... dead, devoid of life... scarred her soul. She shook her head, trying desperately to focus on the task at hand; rescuing the Emperor from the palace, as Nayu had requested. Yet she couldn’t shake the image from her mind, and she couldn’t focus on anything except his loss. [i]“Promise me you’ll make sure the Emperor gets out alive and unharmed!”[/i] she heard Nayu’s voice echoing inside her head, and she stopped momentarily, tears starting to course down her cheeks, just as they had when her father had dragged her away, just as they had when she watched her love walk so calmly into the darkness. [i]”Promise me!”[/i] her memory made him shout even louder. [i]”I need you to do this!”[/i] She shook her head [i]Why?[/i] she asked herself in reply. [i]Why should I care? My love is gone... my Emperor is gone...[/i] [i]Because that was his last wish,[/i] she reminded herself darkly, before an ironic smile made its way through her tears. [i]He was always thinking ahead... he thinks,[/i] her mind refused to accept the past tense, [i]he can distract the Military Governor or Prince Hu by sacrificing himself... one takes death to save all... But he left me! Alone![/i] she shot back angrily, the reflection of the flames licking across her eyes. [i]And he never gave me the chance... to tell him... he never knew... Or did he? The one moment he looked at you, there was something in his eyes.[/i] The memory tumbled back, of the brief moment where his empty eyes had held something. [i]He used himself as bait...[/i] Another tear ran down her face, acceptance finally reaching across her mind. [i]Why? To give you time![/i] She gritted her teeth, the tears flowing more. [i]He’s doing this for you...[/i] She wiped her face, slowly putting things together. [i]He died to save me... to save Yuandi... to save the Empire...[/i] she thought, trembling. [i]To give you time to save everything... to make sure Hu is defeated. He went to die to give you time![/i] Her teeth gritted more, and her mind slowly fell onto the task before it. “Find Yuandi,” she whispered to herself, between the tears. “For Nayu.” With a speed and grace that surprised even herself, Felonca bounded through the great halls of the palace, smoke already rising in wisps from the ever-closing fires. In forlorn vain she searched the throne room, the reception halls, the dining halls, until finally, just above the noise of the chaos outside, she heard the sound of a child crying. [i]Yuandi...[/i] She sniffed about, her mind sorting past the smell of smoke, of panic, finally latching onto a familiar smell of jasmine spice and silk robes. She followed the scent, finally reaching a small alcove, a gaping hole in its floor revealing a meeting room below. “Your Majesty!?” she called, eyes scanning the room below. Amidst the smoke, at first she couldn’t make out anything other than knocked over chairs and a large ebony table. But as she looked closer, she finally could see the off-yellow of a jeweled foot sticking out from under the ebony blackness. “Your Majesty! It’s Felonca!” she called hopefully. The foot stirred, disappeared, and was replaced with a frightened face. Tear streaks were still fresh on the young Emperor’s face. [i]”Do this for me!”[/i] As the flames rumbled closer to them, Felonca clambered down, and stretched out her hand. “Your Majesty! Grab my arm!” she called, stretching as far as she dared towards the trapped young boy below. The young emperor below clambered from under the table, and stretched a jewel-covered hand upwards towards her. Felonca grabbed the arm, and hoisted the boy to her level. “Are they coming? Are they attacking?” Yuandi asked anxiously, and Felonca wanted to cry on seeing those brave little imperial eyes staring up at her, their small forms desperately trying to hold back tears of their own, trying to remain regal even as the boy in Yuandi wanted to run and hide. The brown eyes reminded her too much of Nayu’s eyes, as he strode off into the darkness, and dark thoughts jumped to her mind. It took all her willpower to keep them from ravaging her face. [i]He’s scared. He needs me to be strong![/i] she told herself, hugging the boy. “Yes, they’re coming, but we’re going to get you out of here,” Felonca replied, trying to shake the depression from her mind. [i]I’ll do this, even if I have to die trying![/i] she promised herself, thinking of Nayu’s final words to her. “I promise you that,” she added, hugging the little boy fiercely, as a tear coursed down her own cheek. “You’ll be safe, Yuan. You’ll be safe.” Silently, she looked up, past the ceiling of the palace, towards a distant place where she could see the face of her love. [i]You'll always be my Emperor, my love...[/i] [i]You are a madman,[/i] Nayu shouted to himself as he drew near the gate to the Inner City, the great lions adorning its wooden doors shaking and rocking as something immense and powerful repeatedly slammed them. [i]A madman with a plan, I suppose. If it can be called that.[/i] The sorcerer sighed, feeling the nerves in his body tingling, fear rushing through his veins. Each time the gate groaned under the pressure, Nayu’s muscles tensed. His mind was ready to fight... his body was still ready to flee. [i]Calm Nayu... you can’t panic. You need precision! Accuracy![/i] He closed his eyes, trying to focus his scattered mind. Slowly, he brought his thoughts together, back towards a single place... the cool, airy archives of the Imperial Scholars, several days before. Tomes upon tomes had lain about him, replete with almost any kind of magic conceivable. The gate shuddered again, interrupted his concentration. [i]Precision, Nayu,[/i] the sorcerer told himself, his skin crawling at the thought of what he was about to endure. [i]What if the scholars are right? What if innate magic is more dangerous than their studied, control use of magic?[/i] His thoughts started to scatter again. [i]What if what you’re going to try to do is beyond your means? What if your soul becomes seared, or is even destroyed by what you’re about to do? There is no other way,[/i] he thought, calming himself through sheer willpower. [i]They must be stopped HERE, and chances are high that the Military Governor or his sorcerers could easily deal with something made of normal material... something made from the essence of the ancestors themselves... If the ancestors are willing to be used that way,[/i] he reminded himself. Ripping the ancestors from their peaceful coils to strip what magic residue they had left would be a jolting process. They could curse him. They could even possibly try to kill him. [i]They watch this world, but it is not theirs.[/i] He closed his eyes again, his mind traveling back to a time in the not so distant past, focusing upon one face. [i]Papa,[/i] Nayu prayed, [i]I need your strength and guidance again. I apologize for what I must do here... I have only recently learned of this power, and I’m afraid I might not use it correctly. Papa... watch over me. Protect me, as I channel you and your ancestral spirits to stop this attack.[/i] The gate groaned again, as if something titanic was leaning against it with the force of hundreds of battering rams, and slowly, carefully, Nayu began his chant. Nayu felt it first in the bottoms of his feet, a tingling, growing warmer and more powerful as it slowly climbed his frame. Rippling wisps of ghostly filament seemed to spring from the ground, slowly whirling up the length of his body, entering every pore of his skin. The tingling suddenly changed to a burning, as the ancestral spirits fought back, trying to keep what magic they had left tied to their forms. Nayu gritted his teeth, as the pain increased, the wisps whirling faster and faster. [i]Concentrate! Precision![/i] he shouted to himself. He stretched out his hands, and closed his eyes, as the magic careening through his body seemed to sear itself into the very fibers of his being. [i]Father... ancestors... help me now![/i] He felt the hairs on his arm stand on end, his muscles twitching and tingling as power beyond his imagination flowed through his body, coursing out of his fingers. He kept his eyes closed, concentrating, as the hum of magic turned to an unholy moan, a screech from the beyond. Slowly, the blackness that covered his sight changed, despite his closed eyes. At first, he saw splashes of color, wisps of light at surging points in the roaring noise around him. Slowly, the points coalesced, combining to form a ghostly arm in the darkness of his shut eyes, then another, robes rippling outward from both. As Nayu gritted his teeth, he couldn’t help but open his eyes. Lancing from his fingertips were thousands upon thousands of points of light, each exploding as it left his hands into a ghostly copy of his own. Some hundred feet away, just inside the gate, the hands gathered, their ghostly white forms expanding, stretching, growing, until finally they covered the entire size of the gate... a shimmering, ghostly wall of ancestral power. As the last of the spectral hands flashed from his own, Nayu felt an immense release, as the screaming moans seemed to die away... as the ancestors relinquished their power to his young mind. [i]Thank you, papa,[/i] Nayu whispered a prayer, the pain leaving his body. [i]Thank you, Ones Who have Gone Before.[/i] Beyond the shimmering wall, the gate into the Inner City finally collapsed under the immense pressure, and an immense spider demon tumbled through the breach on its eight gangly legs, letting out a screech of triumph as it rushed forward... ...and slammed into the invisible wall with a dull, rumbling thud. The immense beast made Nayu tremble, despite the wall of power between them. Its body was covered in spikes and points, some of which held the dead bodies of city defenders, blood still oozing from their wounds. Its immense, ant-like head twisted back and forth in anger at the unexpected obstacle, its mandibles clacking as it backed up yet again and charged forth, only to slam into the wall yet again. [i]A bebilith...[/i] Nayu realized, shaking slightly. He’d read of those beasts in the tomes of the Jade City... demons so immense and powerful that they hunted other demons from below for sport. [i]And now the Military Governor has one...[/i] he thought anxiously, realizing that clearly not enough time had passed. [i]I have to delay them more...[/i] he thought, focusing his weary body on channeling magic once more. The immense demon tumbled back from its second charge, chittering noisily in confusion and frustration. It slowly turned its immense form around, chittering and growling in some obscene tongue to someone further back, and Nayu’s chills redoubled as he saw a bone-wheeled chariot come into view behind the powerful creature. [i]There he is,[/i] the sorcerer thought, fear and excitement making his body feel almost numb. Part of his mind still screamed aloud that he shouldn’t be here... that he should be on the walls, directing the defense, helping Felonca... [i]It’s too late... you’re committed now,[/i] the cooler side of his mind reminded him sullenly. [i]The Military Governor is here... and if he has the power to summon demons this great, your wall won’t last long against him... ancestor’s help or no...[/i] The great bony figure stepped from the chariot and strode past the demon with complete indifference. Indeed, the great spindly creature seemed to lower itself as the man strode confidently past. As his hands stretched out for the ghostly wall of magic, Nayu felt the magic in his veins finally pulsating at its fullest. [i]Precision... precision...[/i] the sorcerer told himself repeatedly, dreading the pain that would come from concentrating that hard again. [i]This has to be accurate! You’re going to have one shot at this, before he breaks through and kills you![/i] he screamed to himself, as a tiny white bead pulsated and grew in his hands. He closed his eyes, and traced the bead’s path with his mind, the arc, the fall... His eyes snapped open. The wall of magic was already shimmering, as the Military Governor immersed his hands in its shadows, testing, probing, feeling its weaknesses. Nayu raised his right hand, pointing to a spot far above the breached gate, and opened his hand. The bead of magic swept upwards, arcing higher and higher, until it reached its apex, just within sight, high above the city. As the wall began to waver, the bead tumbled downwards... growing brighter and brighter as Nayu still fed more magic into its tiny shape. Downwards it tumbled, towards the wall itself, into a tiny crack between the magical wall, and its stone counterpart... Nayu was forced to close his eyes as the bebilith and the Military Governor both disappeared in a brilliant flash of white and yellow, the magic muffling the explosion of Nayu’s carefully tossed [i]fireball[/i] to a mere dull roar. The bebilith’s screech of pain shrieked through his eardrums, as the immense gate shook, shuddered, then stone by stone, crumbled on top of the great demon and his diminutive master. As the dust of the collapse settled, Nayu peered into the gloom, the noise of the advancing army rumbling to a halt as the thundering collapse concluded. Above the ruined stones, all he could see were two spindly legs, twisted askew. For a moment, the sorcerer stood in shock. [i]It worked?[/i] He could hear the sounds of trumpets, of orders bellowed and answered, as the demonic army halted beyond the ruined gate. They were leaderless, rudderless... [i]No more new demons...[/i] the sorcerer slowly realized, as the giant spider legs twitched a few times before falling eternally still. [i]It’s over... You’re alive![/i] A grin exploded across his face. [i]The timing was perfect, the wall was placed perfectly to block them but allow the fireball through... that will hold them for a while, at least![/i] As he turned away to head back towards the Jade City, happy to be alive and in one piece, Nayu didn’t see the bony hand that reached from between the bricks, and began to push the stones away... ==================================================== Nayu’s player had the idea to put up a [i]wall of force[/i] just behind the breaking gate, and leave enough room for him to chuck a bead of a [i]maximized fireball[/i] into the gap, hopefully bringing down the gate and killing anyone underneath. His hope was that if he showed up, so would the Military Governor... which did happen. I made him do a ranged attack to see how close he got when he tried to chuck this [i]fireball[/i] bead down this narrow slot, and he rolled a 20. Perfect toss. :) He just didn’t realize exactly how strong the Military Governor was... [/QUOTE]
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The Celestial Empire (Romance of the Three Kingdoms-ish, Updated 12/09/05)
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