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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Rel" data-source="post: 2349478" data-attributes="member: 99">Everything converged on the island in the center of the marsh.  Ilrath and Magdar overcame the clouding of their minds and charged into knee deep water to attack Bale’s flank.  The Giants and Ogres continued to struggle toward the melee with Dire Wolves, Bears and Elk biting and clawing and goring them all the while.  The Shining Lady’s dying gift of the Lanter Archons swooped in to surround Marcus with their light and bolster his body with their magic.  Speaks huge bear form crashed forward and he infused all within this Circle with Healing.And in the center Cathal began to sing.Not all present understood the words to the Brigante Battle Hymn but its meaning was clear:  Death is all around us but we shall not stop.Another barrage of blows rained down from the godling to land on the warrior.  If there was one thing that Bale could not abide then it was Hope.  And if there were two things that Bale could not abide then the other one was Singing.  His crushing attacks landed upon the iron warrior but they seemed to lack the strength of his earlier assault.Despite the fact that this series of blows were not as strong, Cathal was barely standing.  He knew that the next attack would be the one that destroyed him and he only hoped that Marcus or Ilrath or someone could take up the Bloodstone Blade and succeed where he had failed.  He struck again weakly but his blade did not bite deep and Bale shrugged aside its magic again with ease.The battle continued to rage all around the central confrontation.  Lazarius swooped to the side and sent another Lightning Bolt sizzling through both Giants.  The one fighting Great Root howled at the terrible burns it withstood.  The blinded one died as blood boiled out of his mouth to spray the marsh with gore that immediately turned to crawl to its giant master.  Marius skewered the last of the Dragonkin through the chest leaving him gasping.  A giant limb smote the creature from the air in the next instant leaving the sky clear of foes for now.Cathal delivered another weak thrust with the Bloodstone Blade, doing no noticeable harm to Bale.  Cathal felt every ounce of the weight of the stone sword as his strength fled from him.  The tip of the weapon dipped down to rest upon the ground as the Brigante looked up at the wall of blood before him to see Bale raise his fists high above to deliver the final blow.  Cathal’s vision seemed to blur in the face of the oncoming attack and he mustered his last breath to continue belting out his song of hope.Blood splashed outward from the impact of Bale’s fist.  The godling roared in frustration as Marcus’ Wall of Force warded off the smashing blow.  He held forth the Shield in grim determination, knowing that he had bought them not minutes but seconds to live before Bale recovered.Sensing the desperation, Speaks resumed human form that he might crowd in close enough to provide healing to the failing Cathal.  Even Marius swooped in on his great wings and managed to activate a Scroll of Healing that he had obtained from the Church in Emor.  Lazarius was busy dodging blows from a very angry Giant or he might have tried to assist them as well.The Giant swung at the flying Wizard in a rage that would have been present even if Bale had not.  One, two Lazarii were struck from the air.  But not the one that truly mattered.  That one let fly with his final Lightning Bolt and the Giant fell with a great splash, dead in the marsh.Bale had been thwarted on his last attack but he was not the reborn godling of hate, murder and destruction for nothing.  With but a thought he Disintegrated the Wall of Force that Marcus had thrown up and resumed his assault.  His next blow struck Cathal hard but not hard enough to overcome the healing that had been applied to the Brigante in the last few seconds.  Even as Bale drew back to strike again the Lantern Archons swarmed around the human to give him the strength he needed to fight for a few moments longer.Those in Bale’s army who had tried to rally to him were starting to falter.  The herd of Dire Animals were dying well, taking a terrible toll on the Ogres.  The Treants were now free of the Dragonkin and surged forward to attack as well, while Great Root himself stepped between the column of Ogres to prevent them from attacking those who fought Bale directly.  Blood flowed thick in the shallow water and it flowed in one direction:  To Bale.Fed in strength by this influx of fresh blood he drew himself up to his greatest height yet.  His voice boomed over the battlefield and was directed straight down at Cathal.“I grow tired of toying with you!  Your end is near!”Fists of blood hurled themselves at the Brigante warrior and drove him to the brink of destruction.  Even with the combined healing powers of nearly every member of the group, the assault unleashed by Bale was enough to place Cathal back on death’s door.  It was becoming too familiar a place.He gathered himself as best he could and something that was either Conviction or Desperation manifested itself in his song.  He struck a final time and felt the Bloodstone Blade bite deep.  Very deep.  And it seemed to strike something hard.The “something hard” was stone.  And it very quickly became a LOT of stone as the magic of the Bloodstone Blade finally took hold and spread upward and outward.Bale’s howl of rage took on the distinct sound of panic and he flailed his arms at his own body as if this might stave off the magic that was overtaking him.  One arm became stuck as the blood within it caught the magic and conducted it right up into his shoulder and then his huge, amorphous head.  His cry lingered for a moment, echoing from the stony confines of his throat before it faded away entirely.Cathal’s voice faded too as he collapsed in exhaustion next to the massive monument he had created.  Bale had been defeated.  Somebody else would have to deal with his legion of minions.</blockquote>

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