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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Lazybones" data-source="post: 3624799" data-attributes="member: 143">Chapter 201THE  EDGE OF FATECelleen’s mass inflict moderate wounds spell was easily powerful enough to kill Shay and Dar outright.  But as the priestess hurled the negative energies of the spell into the aether, focusing it like knife points on the tenuous lifelines of her foes, the magic wavered and dissolved.  She turned with fury and looked at Varo, who held his divine focus in one hand, and had stretched out his other toward the priestess.  The cleric of Dagos had called upon one of his last higher-valence spells to fuel his own mass inflict, and had used it to counterspell her magic. Celleen shrieked in frustration, and lifted her mace as though prepared to deal with the cleric in the old-fashioned way.  After what her fellow priest had done to Herzord, it seemed unlikely that Varo would fare any better. Dar’s vision grew clouded, as a red haze descended over his perceptions.  He knew that another hit, any hit, hells, even a sharp push would probably end it for him.  But deep inside his brain something had snapped, and he refused to go down, demanding that last hit before he would capitulate.  He reached down and grabbed Theron’s wrist.  The cleric tried to pull free, but Dar’s fingers were like iron, his stolen strength returning in a rush of blind fury.  For a second or two, the pair wrestled for control.  Then Theron snarled and lifted his mace with his other hand.  Dar did not relinquish his grip, and lifted the cleric’s arm.  He spoke, each word a shout that sprayed a fine mist of red out from his blood-smacked lips.  “NO!”“MORE!”“FREAKING!”“CLERICS!”With the last word, even as Theron shifted his weight and brought his mace down, Dar drove Valor around and down in a violent blur.  The axiomatic blade hit the cleric’s arm at the elbow and kept going, severing the limb and breaking the connection between them.  Still holding Theron’s arm, Dar staggered back a step, while opposite him the priest missed wildly with his own swing.  The burning head of the mace formed a red trail that Dar only barely perceived.  Theron, wavering, managed a step forward, bringing the mace back up in a upward arc aimed at the fighter’s head.  Sheer instinct warned him of the attack, and he brought Theron’s forearm up to block, while driving Valor up with his other hand.  The blow pierced the cleric’s armor in the gap between plates under his weapon arm, the blue steel sliding deep into his body.  Theron gasped, and his fingers loosened.  The burning mace plummeted to the ground, landing on the stone floor of the dais with a loud clatter.  Dar stood there, holding up the cleric—or perhaps holding himself up against him, the two connected by the foot of steel driven through Theron’s body.  Blood cascaded from the severed arm of the priest, pouring onto Dar’s armor.  Theron stirred, and whispered something into Dar’s ear.  Then he fell, and Dar yanked Valor out of him as he dropped to the ground. “NO!” Celleen yelled, a sound of animal fury erupting out of her throat as she charged toward Dar.  Her mace came up, and she drew the power of Destruction into her as she crossed the few steps that separated them, poised to put an end to this enemy that had slain her lover. Unfortunately for the cleric, that path also took her by Shay, who tripped her as she passed.  The cleric landed hard on her face.  Her jaw cracked the hard stone floor as she hit, and she spat blood as she tried to get up.  It took her a moment to get her bearings, but she quickly recovered, shaking her head to clear it as she got her hands under her and pushed up.  Unfortunately, that brief delay was too much, as Talen came up behind her and drove Beatus Incendia down through her neck with enough force to pierce her fully and chip the stone beneath. Celleen gurgled something, and collapsed.  Talen stood over her, and looked around.  Varo was helping Shay to her feet; even with his help she could barely stand.  Dar was wavering like a drunken man, but he refused to go down.  He was covered with blood, which trailed off of him like raindrops.  Looking down from the dais, Talen saw a landscape scattered with bloody corpses.  Allera was on her feet, kneeling over Serah’s blackened body, while Kalend sat on one of the bronze tiers, shaking uncontrollably.  Victory.</blockquote>

Verification