3000 TC
Stamina at one percent. Dissipating miasma in progress. All mana-absorbing properties are suspended. Resurrection of allies imminent. Countdown in five minutes.
I began to feel woozy again. How was I going to stand against A'grappa with no stamina and no allies? His will was pushing down on me. Eating away at my ability to withstand him. One attack. That's all he needed to land. Just one. And, the multiverse would be his.
Mara. Focus. Kaddyr commanded.
My eyes were beginning to blur. I could barely make out A'grappa lumbering towards me. How do you suggest I do that when it feels like my head is underwater? I struggled to move away, my feet didn't want to cooperate.
Mara. Came Lillith's voice. I've realized you have used everyone else's power except mine. You have no idea what ability I bring to your repertoire, do you?
I visibly shook my head. I didn't even have the energy to think. I could barely move.
Go ahead, scream. Let out all of your fury, frustration, and ferocity. Everything. Invoke the wrath that hides behind your calm demeanor.
You don't mean? Kaddyr started to say, only trailing off.
A'grappa now stood before me, his acidic spit dripping on the ground at my feet. I could smell the decay on his breath. He didn't do anything, just stand there, breathing heavily. His will beared down upon me. I felt woozy. I could feel warmth filling me from the center of my gut and welling up inside me. I let my body go limp. I released all the restraints on my psyche. I opened my mouth and let out a howl full of anger and rage that shook my very core. I could feel my hands, chest, and head shake as I bellowed right in A'grappa's face.
Doping activated. New ability detected. Charm. Stamina at three hundred fifty percent. Stockpiling mana. Absorbing mana. Stamina Thorn in effect. Dissipating miasma complete. Resurrection of allies imminent. Countdown in two minutes.
I felt a surge of power and strength flow through me.
A'grappa swiped at me.
I was behind him before he could even complete his attack, his eyes, struggling to keep up.
What you didn't think I'd make this interesting? Lillith said with a laugh. This isn't even the most that my ability does.
A'grappa's tail swung at me, narrowly missing me as I sidestepped out of the way. Immediately, flames erupted from his skin, sending out columns in every direction at once. His eyes were frantically trying to find me as I dodged plume after plume. I could see his tendrils whipping back and forth as if they were grasping at something. I could sense something in him that sent waves through me. I wasn't sure what I was feeling at first. But, the pain I felt in my chest was deep.
Finally, his eyes locked on me. When he moved, his speed increased exponentially. He was in front of me before I could blink. His foremost arms in motion, swiping at me. I was trying to keep him from the others. But, his movements were getting harder and harder to predict. I erected a strong barrier as he continued to swing at me. I was moving farther away from the others.
Resurrection of allies imminent. Countdown in one minute and forty-five seconds.
A'grappa took a breath. "Dragon's Flare Bolt." A beam of concentrated lightning shot directly at me. It was faster than I could dodge. I erected several of my strongest barriers, attempting to slow it down. I doubted that it would even manage to stop it. I layered the barrier's with Ban'iel's ability to absorb mana and stamina. Perhaps that would make it less potent.
The feeling returned. Stronger than before. Every inch of my body wrenched in pain. The fibers of my being twisted. I could feel unrelenting rage. Fury beyond all I had ever felt. Such vehemence that I had nowhere to direct it to.
Is this what he is feeling? Is this his rage? What could have driven him to these lengths? I asked myself as the beam bent from my barriers and narrowly missed me by millimeters. How could such rage exist?
I'm sorry, Mara. This is a byproduct of my ability. Ban'iel suddenly answered as I continued to try to dodge his attacks. Nothing is ever black and white.
The A'grappa I knew wanted nothing more than to destroy everything. All that exists. Gilgahlad said. Perhaps that is where is rage comes from.
"You must die." Came A'grappa's voice from somewhere inside that body of his. He still sounded like several voices at the same time. "For the Greater Plan. You must die. Your mana must return to the void." He lumbered towards me. His tentacles searching for me. "Marthukas was right." He hissed. "Marthukas is always right. I should just give in to the plan." He seemed to be talking to himself more than anything else.
Resurrection of allies imminent. Countdown in one minute and twenty-five seconds.
WARNING! WARNING!
Sudden alarms rang in my head. The noise was deafening. I could only fathom what kind of skill A'grappa would use to create such a warning.
Atmospheric mana drain imminent. Brace for impact in three seconds.
Atmospheric mana drain?
Immediately, I got my answer. The pressure of the air surrounding me began exert more power on me. I could feel mana being pulled from everything. A'grappa's will began to force itself over everything, making it all submit. Including the planet. Flames began to encircle A'grappa. They were swirling around him faster and faster. Ever increasing in speed. I could feel his rage. It had nowhere to go. It was being ejected everywhere.
Atmospheric drain in progress. Resurrection of allies imminent. Countdown in one minute and ten seconds.
When the flames finally dissipated, relieving also some of the pressure in the air, I could finally see what A'grappa had done. Or better, what he has become. His form was similar to the form he had taken as a eldritch dragon, yet parallel to his humanoid form. His body resembled a human with muscles that made any warrior jealous. Red amber scales ran the length of his body covering him in protection. At the center of his chest was a large maw full of fangs and dripping all over the ground. His hands ended in claws. His back had large decaying wings full of eyes, searching, ever searching. His face was as I had remembered when he first appeared before me. But, his beard had turned into long tentacles full of more eyes. The horns on his head remained, pushing out over his red hair.
"Child of Rammel, forgive me." Several voices spoke at once, all of them A'grappa's. "I no longer have time to waste. I must fulfill my promise to Marthukas, you see. The plan must be done." Then, he was behind me. He swiped at me with such speed that there was no way I could dodge it.
I erected a barrier just as he made contact. It pushed me back several feet. The barrier held. I could feel all the pressure behind his strike. I was sure that it would continue to hold. The question was for how long. Once more, A'grappa was behind me. He continued to swipe at me, pushing me from one place to another without me having even the slightest chance to counter any of his attacks.
"Not even going to fight back?" He poked.
The air pressure was making it very hard for me to move. I felt extremely sluggish. Almost like when the miasma had taken over from his first transformation. It was taking all of my effort to block his attacks. But, I knew I wouldn't defeat him like that. I had to find a way to create an opening.
What can I possibly do against his speed? I asked myself. Any ranged attacks will just be dodged. I can't approach him carelessly and attack him upfront. Even point blank attacks will be evaded. What options do I have?
Why not use my ability in conjunction with all that you use? Perhaps it will drain some of his mana. Ban'iel said. At best, it can keep your stamina up so you can endure. At least until the countdown is over.
Do you really think she wants to put her allies in harm's way again, Ban'iel? Tiamat argued.
She has to do something. Kaddyr countered.
I had to do something indeed. I encased myself in my barrier. Laced it in Ban'iel's ability to partition mana and souls. I bided my time looking for an opening. Any will do. No matter how little the chance I got. I had to make sure that I defeated him somehow.
"I can smell your hesitation, Child of Rammel." Came A'grappa's voice from behind me once more.
I sent out arrows made of Yog's ash. Only for him to sidestep out of the way and punch my barrier once more. I found it very odd he wasn't using any of his flame attacks. I focused on enduring instead.
"Withstanding my attacks aren't going to help you in any way. You might as well make this fun for me." His mirth was evident. "I know you have it in you."