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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Lazybones" data-source="post: 3547372" data-attributes="member: 143">Chapter 175PHALEN’S FURYTalen, his body possessed by the spirit of an elven ghost, swung Beatus Incendia at Shay.  The scout, overwhelmed by the transformation, fell back too late to avoid the stroke.  The blow was clumsy, swung without the knight’s usual skill, but the edge still clipped her side, splashing white fire against her torso. The goblinoids, confused at first by what had transpired, could understand this threat, but as the hobgoblins leapt forward to engage, Shay yelled, “No, don’t hurt him!”  Even as she fell back, favoring her side, she repeated the command in the goblin language.  The hobgoblins hesitated, exchanging a wary look. “We need to incapacitate the body without killing the commander,” Varo said.  Serah tried to put his words into action as she cast a hold person spell, but the magic faltered against the incredible will of the ghost.  “He’s... he’s too strong,” the priestess said.  Dar did not hesitate, coming forward with Valor held at the ready.  The possessed knight swung his sword at him, but the veteran warrior easily avoided the clumsy stroke, and stepped inside his reach.  “So, who the hell are you supposed to be?” Dar said, smashing the hilt of his weapon up into Talen’s gut.  The blow knocked the air out of the knight despite his armor, and he staggered back a step.  “You know, I might actually enjoy this,” Dar said, coming forward for another strike. The knight smiled.  “I am named Phelan, human, and it wil be the last name you ever hear.”  The voice was Talen’s, but the words were spoken in an archaic style, the Common heavily accented.  “Grab him,” Varo said, as the hobgoblins came at him from the left, while Baraka and Kalend came in from the right.  Talen held his ground as Dar came at him head-on, bringing up his sword again to hit the knight in the face.  Talen did not attempt to defend himself, but instead dropped his sword, and wove his hand in front of him in an obviously arcane gesture. “He’s spellcasting!” Varo warned, driving Serah back behind him.  Kalend paused and leapt back, seeking cover.  Dar tried to hit Talen before the ghost could complete the spell, but he was just a heartbeat too slow. Talen laughed, the sound followed by a hissing that exploded into a bright roar of flame.  The empowered fireball erupted from his hand, blasting Dar with the full force of the spell, knocking him back.  The flames spread outward into a globe a full twenty feet across, engulfing almost all of them in their radius.  Screams echoed through the room, several of them abruptly cut off as charred bodies slumped to the ground.  Dar surged forward through the dying flames and trailing wisps of smoke, his face blackened under his helmet.  He roared defiance as he smashed the hilt of his sword into Talen’s face.  The knight’s helmet absorbed some of the force of the blow, but he was still staggered by the sheer force of the impact.  Talen’s body had also been heavily damaged by the fireball, and he moved sluggishly.  Dar hit him again, the blow snapping Talen’s helmet strap again, knocking the protective headgear free.  The skin of Talen’s face was crinkled and oozing blood, but the evil glow still shone in his eyes, and laughter still trickled from between cracked and bleeding lips.  Shay rushed forward; the scout had been shielded from the fireball by Dar’s body, and she’d escaped serious damage.  Varo, too, was still in the fight, and he came forward as well, placing himself to flank the knight.  The hobgoblins were all down, dead or dying.  Allera was tending to Serah, who had been caught on the edge of the blast; Varo’s push had probably saved her life, but she’d still been seriously burned.  The healer’s own wounds were considerable, but she characteristically ignored them to tend to another.  Shay lunged forward to grab Talen.  The possessed knight tried to block her with his shield, but she yanked it back, pinning his arm.  Talen drew his dagger, and the scout shifted to defend herself.  But instead of trying to stab her, Talen smiled darkly.  Too late, Shay realized what the ghost intended.  “Talen, no!” she yelled.  She lunged for the knife, but wasn’t quick enough to stop him as he reached up, and drew the blade across his bare throat. Blood exploded from the wound, and the knight’s laughter turned into a wet gurgle as he collapsed.</blockquote>

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