The War Chief was just as impressive close-up as he was from a distance. He towered over Finn, and his metal-bound shoulders were nearly as wide as two Finns put together. He held a black warhammer that crackled with purple chaos energy, and the energy shield he generated trailed static-like energy along the ground as he moved.
The battle around them appeared to descend into silence, as if it were just Finn and Durzog alone in the entire world.
“You can’t win. You must see that by now,” Finn said valiantly, darting forward and flicking his blade out to test Durzog’s defenses.
His blade’s flames met a resounding crash of light against the metal haft of the warhammer. Durzog had merely twitched his fist, but the parry had been powerful enough to send a shockwave up Finn’s arm.
Oh. He’s fast then, very fast, Finn thought.
“Of course we will win. I will kill you, and then I will kill the Realm Founder here, and I will have both of your Hearthstones to add to my collection.” Durzog grinned, darting forward in a blur.
Finn just barely managed to spin out the way as Durzog’s hammer came crashing down on the bed of the cart he stood on. He jumped up to the wooden boards.
Where the hammer had hit, the cart had burst apart.
Durzog nodded approvingly before straightening up and squaring his shoulders. “And I will win for simpler reasons, too. You are a Renegade. You cannot win against the might of the Elder Zones, or the Celestial Engine itself.” Durzog gave a thin-lipped smile.
“A Renegade? What do you mean?!” Finn said.
The War Chief jumped forward and delivered a blisteringly quick series of attacks. Finn managed to dodge and parry, but just barely. Then, the next strike went high but swooped unexpectedly low, curving to hit Finn’s calf. He was thrown backward, feeling the impact to his lower leg.
You have been hit for 90 points of damage.
Finn gasped as he rolled along the wooden boards, sliding to his side and pushing himself back to his feet. Durzog was marching toward him, hefting his magical hammer high. Finn knew he wouldn’t be able to defeat Durzog with physical prowess alone. He would need help.
Ascension Path: Combat.
Speed of the Warrior. 150 Mana. +50% to attacks and damage.
Finn felt power spiral from the soles of his feet all the way up his spine. He threw himself forward, slashing low with his own magical blade.
Clang!
Durzog blocked the blow, but Finn’s body was a blur as he pivoted on his injured foot—not feeling the pain thanks to the Morale he had cast earlier—and brought his blade down in a two-handed attack.
You have hit War Chief Durzog for 105 points of damage.
Speed of the Warrior +50% damage.
Morale +25% damage.
You have struck War Chief Durzog for 180 points of damage.
It was a powerful blow. It sent Durzog reeling backward, but the War Chief didn’t fall over. Green ichor was dripping from beneath his smashed breastplate, but he didn’t even look bothered by it. He shook his head and bared his tusks. “Good hit…for a fleshie, I guess…”
This time, Durzog didn’t throw himself into combat. He stomped and punched out with his warhammer. Purple light crackled, and a chaos bolt burst into the air. It flew toward Finn, who had just enough time to grab the wooden beams on side of the barricade and use them to swing out of the way. The bolt hit the ground behind him, blasting barrels into the sky and causing more flames to hungrily grab at the top of the barricades.
Finn heard the screams and the clash of metal around him. The Malvas defenders were fighting for their lives, and Durzog only had a fraction of his army left, but he was suddenly uncertain if they would survive.
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No! The Morale must be wearing off! Finn realized as he stumbled across the wooden boards, ducking and jumping back as Durzog laughed and tried to strike him. How much Health do I have left?! His attention flickered to his personal stats.
Name: Finn Callahan
Health: 233 / 968
Mana: 312 / 1072
Stamina: 566 / 816
He cringed. 233. That wasn’t a lot. It would only take another two solid hits from that hammer or the Chaos Bolts to end him… but he was the Beast-slayer. Troll-slayer. Founder of Blackwood. Failing wasn’t an option.
“What do you mean, ‘Renegade?’” Finn asked, putting a note of panic into his voice as he sought to buy himself time.
I need time to cast my magic. Boost my strength as much as possible…
Durzog brought the hammer back down on the wooden beams where Finn had so recently been standing, obliterating two beams that were at least a foot thick. Finn jumped out of the way to land back on the broken cart behind the War Chief.
Ascension Path: Combat.
Enhanced Block. 100 Mana. You become almost impossible to hit for a short period only. This power affects your parry, block, and dodging abilities.
“The word has gone out amongst the Elder Realms, Finn of Blackwood,” Durzog snarled, throwing another Chaos Bolt rippling toward Finn.
This one was easier to dodge, but as Finn skidded to one side, he realized it didn’t really matter if he was hit or not. The bolt flew past him to destroy another part of the barricade. Durzog was slowly winning and dismantling the Malvas defenses even when he missed Finn with an attack.
“You are wanted for crimes against the Asai of Time, against the Celestial Order, against the Celestial Ascension itself. I don’t know what you did over there, but Time is angry.” Durzog chuckled, and Finn realized what he meant.
It was Shadow, wasn’t it? When Shadow had him inject his that prism into the Celestial Register, it had done something to the Asai of Time. Attacked him. Weakened him.
And now Time wants me dead, Finn thought in horror. An actual Asai wanted him dead.
Ascension Path: Fire.
Strength +1 STR per 20 Mana (200 Mana spent).
“So that’s it? You’re here at the behest of the Asai?!” Finn shouted as he backed away from the advancing troll, using 200 Mana to increase his Strength by 10. There were still a few powers he wanted in place. That he would need in place.
Durzog slowed suddenly, squinting at the human before stopping entirely. “Stop running, little fleshie, or are you a coward as well as a renegade?!”
At the last word, Durzog brought his Chaos Hammer down against the remains of the cart, and a wave of burning purple energy rushed forward. It blistered the air like a heat wave.
Finn tried to leap away, grabbing one of the roof beams being used as a strut, but the wave of energy hit him. He was slammed back down with a painful crash.
You have been hit for 85 points of damage.
Health: 153 / 968
For a moment, all Finn could feel was pain. He saw stars as he blinked and coughed. Black smoke rose around him, and there were glimmers of burning chaos energy on either side.
“Dear stars,” he groaned, pushing himself to his feet as Durzog advanced through the flames.
“Enough of this charade, fleshie. The truth is you were elevated above your station,” Durzog growled, swinging his hammer as he prepared to strike. “It’s not your fault, but you cannot be allowed to keep the power you didn’t deserve.”
The Hearthstone! Finn’s mind was woozy with exhaustion, and he knew it was because his personal Mana was so low. But he still had a reserve stored in the glittering purple crystal that was the jewel of Blackwood itself.
Ascension Path: Combat.
Speed of the Warrior. 150 Mana. +50% to attack and damage.
“Every fleshie’s natural place is under a troll boot!” Durzog jumped forward and brought his hammer down.
Crash!
It was met by Finn’s parry as his own Enhanced Block came into play. The powers of Combat glittered across his body in a golden shield as the powers of Fire raced along his limbs like angry snakes.
Finn turned, ducked the next strike, and then struck out.
You have struck War Chief Durzog for 125 points of damage.
You have struck War Chief Durzog for 100 points of damage.
Durzog cried out as Finn rained down hammering blow after blow. He forced the War Chief back onto the ruined cart.
Finn already knew it wasn’t going to be enough, however. There was no way that Finn could do enough damage with just his blade, regardless of how powerful it was.
The troll ducked then lashed out with the Chaos Hammer. Finn’s enhanced reflexes saw it coming, and he sidestepped.
It was now or never. He drew back the Pyrrhic Blade. He only had one shot at this strike, and a limited amount of Mana left.
The Pyrrhic Blade.
Fire-Bolt. Convert Mana for damage.
Finn summoned the fire inside the blade, the power that was written into it by the Asai of Fire himself, and he struck. As the blade swept down, Finn released that inner inferno. Flames raced along its length and burst free in an explosion as the blade met Durzog’s body.
Both the troll and the broken cart were blown back in a firestorm. Finn had put in all the Mana that he dared, barely leaving enough for him to remain conscious.
You have struck War Chief Durzog for 400 points of damage (Fire-bolt)
You have struck War Chief Durzog for 75 points of damage (STR)
You have struck War Chief Durzog for +10 STR (Strength)
You have struck War Chief Durzog for 30 points of damage.
Speed of the Warrior +50% damage.
You have struck War Chief Durzog for 765 points of damage.
There was a short, sharp roar of pain that ended abruptly as the troll leader slammed into the water, wreathed in flames. Finn saw the blackened body hit the water before a great gust of steam burst upward, obscuring his vision for a moment.
When the steam cleared, the War Chief was gone.
Finn’s eyes lit up with the celestial crackle of energy as experience flooded into him.
You have defeated War Chief Durzog. Experience awarded.
The Trollish Alliance Army of Durzog has been defeated. Experience awarded.