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[Anastasia]

> roll 1d100 vs 20 applies to virtually everything
<Rei-chan> Kotono rolled : 1d100 vs 20 applies to virtually everything --> [ 1d100=65 ]{65}

> roll 1d20+43 (+??? ???) SR
<Rei-chan> Kotono rolled : 1d20+43 (+??? ???) SR --> [ 1d20=16 ]{59}

> roll 40d4+40
<Rei-chan> Kotono rolled : 40d4+40 --> [ 40d4=110 ]{150}

Make a Fortitude save as well, assuming you survive.

[Nephrite]

[blockquote]Rolled 1d20+47 : 7 + 47, total 54[/blockquote] mettle

I do, by the way.

[Anastasia]

Pain. Dozens of magic missiles pummel you like fists to a boxing bag. You stay up despite the flares of pain as...

Go. Also the cloak wasn't supposed to apply to that but it missed, so no big deal.

[Nephrite]

"If you're so insistent, then you should at least be willing to hear a dying man's last request, right?" Moore asks. He fishes out the stone from Jovar and tosses it, gently, towards Makim so it will roll to him. "I can't exactly make a break for it."

Could he, though? A Time Stop would buy him enough time, but... there's no point, that's not his way.

Hopefully that doesn't anger the stupid clouds.

"I didn't enchant it, and I don't know what it is Prince saw or what spell he used." He says.

That's it.

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[Anastasia]

> roll 1d20+41 touch AC 1 the clouds are persistent annoyances
<Rei-chan> Kotono rolled : 1d20+41 touch AC 1 the clouds are persistent annoyances --> [ 1d20=8 ]{49}
> roll 1d20+41 touch AC 2 the clouds are persistent annoyances
<Rei-chan> Kotono rolled : 1d20+41 touch AC 2 the clouds are persistent annoyances --> [ 1d20=1 ]{42}

Yet you dodge the cloud, dropping the stone. At this point the eagle chooses to join the battle again after Makim raises his hand, another call as a black beam flies right at you, again.

> roll 1d20+28 touch AC
<Rei-chan> Kotono rolled : 1d20+28 touch AC --> [ 1d20=10 ]{38}

Not that he hits you, but it's still close, making you dodge to the side as...

Makim.

Makim just looks as you, utterly expressionless, "Do I look like a fool?" he asks, entirely plainly and without inflection. Instead he raises his hand and draws a complex symbol in the air with his finger, forming lines of fire that converge, before becoming a flaming cage of fire, surrounding you utterly, 10ft of space to the sides (and keeping the clouds within) and 15ft above you. It meets with the ground, the flames marinating you within. It's hot!

30 fire damage, ignores resistance and deals half to immunity.

Go.

[Nephrite]

"No, I don't. I also don't think of you as a coward. I have no idea what your objection is. What power do you think I have here in your own world? You know nothing I've said is a lie. I'm not trying to trick you into letting your guard down, where would I even go?" Moore asks, as he merely stands his ground in the cage, making no other motions.

[Anastasia]

More pain. The cage burns you as Makim watches you, the heat of it blistering your flesh.

30 damage, same conditions as last round.

Makim merely watches, doing nothing, letting you cook.

Go. Makim's holding.

[Nephrite]

Moore winces at the pain -- he's been through worse than this, though under slightly less awful circumstances...

He certainly thought his death would be a little bit less ridiculous than this, too...

He could just as easily break this cage as he did the last one, but would that prove a point? Is there a point to prove here?


He takes another breath. "What are you so afraid of that you think you'll see?"

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[Anastasia]

"Fool, waving around your weapon and wondering why you're dying," Makim drawls, as the flames continue to scorch you.

30 more damage. Go. Remember you pass out if your HP equals or is less than your temporary HP.

[Nephrite]

"It isn't a weapon. I didn't come here with any hostile intent." Moore says with a shake of his head. He takes another breath. Maybe his final one? "Nor do I leave here with any. I'm not a very good assassin, unfortunately."

'Cresiel, Xandra -- hopefully I can see you both again and make up for this.' He thinks to himself. 'I don't regret coming here, hopefully this will spur him to action...'

I don't want to die again.

He takes another breath. He's not going to try and run away -- no matter what, he can take heart in that. He didn't run away.

The next tick knocks him out, for reference.

[Anastasia]

Makim merely looks on, the pain of it too much. You fall and black out, vision darkening as...

More.

You're cold. Your body aches, groans. Your mouth has a foul taste in it, your eyes gummed shut with something. Your arms are above your head, entire body throbbing, aching, and numb at points.

You're at 1 HP, for reference.

[Nephrite]

Well, he's -probably- not in Hell, so that's a plus...

There's not much for him to do since he can't see and he likely can't use any of his magic from where he is...

Are his permancy'd spells active right now?

[Anastasia]

Moore isn't sure in the circumstances.

"There you are." Makim's voice, distorted. "Don't bother to say anything, your vocal cords aren't there." The sound of wood scraping on something. A seat moving, perhaps. "You know what else I hate? Martyrs." A clink of glass on glass, the sound of liquids moving. "Anyone with half a brain would have ran, and I've seen enough death not to kill the suicidal. If that was your goal, you could have survived easier by running, I would have let you go since I'd made my point. You damn fools are all alike. This and that, martyrdom and dying and killing and fucking too, probably."

The sound of swallowing, a gulp after. "Aaaah. Your permanent spells are gone, destroyed. Your spell powers are all expended for the day, don't bother trying. That includes your natural pixie magic. Your eyes are gooped up, don't bother trying to open them. Moore, Moore Moore. Such secrets your mind had. I helped myself as compensation for the stupidity. You know how many times I suspected Titania and Morwel were the same? Seven times. Each time I managed to find something I was sure proved it wrong. Every fucking time. Deflected away like a master martial artist deflects an arrow. Or all that anathemic knowledge. Beautiful stuff. I knew about Arborea's hidden layers, though I'd never been. Oh, and the Yggdrasil! That will be useful to know where it is. I suspected of course, but again, I'd never gone and confirmed it. Let alone the light, whatever it is. Erathaol, Zaphkiel, Zaphkiel's poodle, I care not."

More liquid moving, more swallowing, another clink of glass on glass.

"Seeing a Duke of Hell die was new, too. You've been remarkably active - even before you woke up in the Lost Realm. Gotta say, you've pulled it together since then. But you had nowhere to go but up. That's the only reason you're alive, by the way, despite your colossal fuck up. You have a lot of powerful people who need you or will rain vengeance on me for killing you and using your soul as kindling. I could handle it, but why bother? You were enough of an annoyance as it was. Aurora's not worth trifling with, nor is your sponsor and Crystalle might care, too. I value my freedom from all the endless futility of planar war, including having it brought here for fulfilling my promise to you. Your Ilsenine would call in favors. Crystal, Afina, Jaela, all of Aurora she can. I don't need Medi's legacy attacking me, frankly. So I'll settle for tribute. All the knowledge you have to start with. Blood and bone, to wreck unholy havoc on you if you try and take revenge. You won't, I saw your mind, but consider it a contingency. Having to explain to someone like Queen Morwel how you managed to lose her secret and get it spilled. Oh, and tell her I won't spread it, I don't need HER making trouble as much as I don't need Celestia or Aurora attacking me."

A pause, another drink faintly heard.

"I like you more like this. You really should learn to shut up when someone tells you to shut up. That voice of yours, it's a weapon as terrifying as one of Jaela's spears, Erathaol's staff or Afina's golem works. So this is how it's going to be. You go back, you get yourself healed and you never come back. Consider that my contribution to the war effort against Shar. You come back and I use something besides my fun magic and I take you seriously. See, have another lesson. People like Medi? There's more in his same vein. Not with his sheer ability to do the impossible, but ones strong enough to do what they want in the cosmos, so long as they aren't stupid. You're on your way to being one of them and I'm already there. All the shit Medi can rain down? I can keep up. Medi's legacy was enough to pry Hell off an entire world. My wrath will make that look like a fucking spring dance. Clear? Clear."

A pause, silence for perhaps a minute.

"Sleep. You'll wake up somewhere more comfortable. I strongly suggest you learn from this experience and learn when to shut up, too. I'm merciful because I'm pragmatic enough to be. Many others won't or won't care to be."

[Nephrite]

He really doesn't have a choice -- at the same time, there's no malice there, is there? No, it isn't pragmatism either. He's still hiding behind...

...

No, he's made his point -- both of them have.

Was it worth the cost?

...

...

...

Absolutely.



And next time, he won't stop talking, either.

Someone else would want revenge -- it's like he said, though, that's not what he was after.

Both of them made their points to each other, whether he thinks it or not.



But maybe now's as good an opportunity for a nap.

[Anastasia]

You stir, awaken. The sound of waves, the feel of wet sand. Light. Light peeks through your eyes as you open them, stirring you.