Suddenly, the whole cavern begins to shake. The ooze and tar that's built up over time begins to churn, swallowing up the flames and slowly absorbing the rotting bird into its depths. Adora's sword sinks in, but gets stuck in the putrid, black sludge that begins to pour from its skin.
With a triumphant crow, the witch shrieks, "YOU THINK YOU HAVE BESTED MY SORCERY?! FOOLISH HUMANS!"
The snow starts to mix with the necrotic sludge, churning together into some unholy slushie. The nastiest iced dessert you've ever seen. It makes it that much harder for the fetus to reform its body.
As the witch struggles to filter the ice out of her body, Adora's sword heats up once more and-- cleaves her clean in half.
She gargles on her own blood, "HOW...?!" before the two halves split apart.
Her chicken legs finally buckle, and the rest of her rotten mass comes crashing down in a wet, thunderous crash. With a few more weak twitches, she finally goes still - and her body begins to dissolve into black ash.
"Catra is beyond your help now. But you have slain Malphas... and for that, I thank you."
You hear the gratitude in his weakened voice, but if anything, it’s you that feels grateful. That you were able to actually protect something precious to you. If you could’ve been sure that there was a God to hear it, you might have even thanked him - that you were here in time, that you had the strength.
Without strength, you can’t protect anything.
(That’s what strength is for.)
(and why you need,)
(power, strength,)
(you need it)
But he’s safe, he’s safe - you comfort yourself with those words, that they could be true for at least a little longer. And that’s enough for now.
The illusion around you shatters - and you are returned to the floating platform.
Raven’s statue dissolves - the book absorbing the blue energy, and the sword absorbing the red. The base becomes another pillar of light, spilling out from a portal to the next level.
Except the portal takes them to two different places.
Raven looks worse off than you've ever seen him. His skin is practically grey, cracking and falling to dust. He's barely able to stand under his own power, but even still he croaks out a warning.
"I'm fine. You must finish her... Do not underestimate her power...!"
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Re: LEVEL 3B
improvise.
so you know what?
she's just gonna grab her sword, and leap down, stabbing the pointy end into whatever she can hit.
ideally a head.
two reds! FOR THIS COOLNESS]
Re: LEVEL 3B
Right onto the oil slick.
Reacting to the heat immediately, the whole thing suddenly goes ablaze, burning the bird (and the witch) in a sea of red flame.
Way to have that accidental synergy.
Re: LEVEL 3B
[ although, she's turning to Raven, clearing away some of the rubble that's fallen around him. ]
Sorry I was late. Are you all right?
Re: LEVEL 3B
angrily make sure it's dead, yelling at the corpse? of the thing?]
Where is Catra!
[and then turning towards Shrike, and whoever she's talking to.
she vaguely recognizes him b/c sabre]
Re: LEVEL 3B
Re: LEVEL 3B
Re: LEVEL 3B
[ and she's going to carefully draw a really good sword this time because she got blue, blue ]
Re: LEVEL 3B
will just rear back. and stab the corpse.
blue/red, discarding blue]
Re: LEVEL 3B
With a triumphant crow, the witch shrieks, "YOU THINK YOU HAVE BESTED MY SORCERY?! FOOLISH HUMANS!"
Re: LEVEL 3B
Hang on, Adora, get out of the way—
[ if fire isn't going to work, maybe a different approach, like, uh... making it really cold.
this is not a great drawing of a whole pile of heavy snow but hopefully it gets the point across. blue, blue ]
Re: LEVEL 3B
red, red.]
Re: LEVEL 3B
As the witch struggles to filter the ice out of her body, Adora's sword heats up once more and-- cleaves her clean in half.
She gargles on her own blood, "HOW...?!" before the two halves split apart.
Her chicken legs finally buckle, and the rest of her rotten mass comes crashing down in a wet, thunderous crash. With a few more weak twitches, she finally goes still - and her body begins to dissolve into black ash.
Re: LEVEL 3B
[ over her shoulder, to raven: ]
...is there any coming back from that...?
Re: LEVEL 3B
[said after only a brief break, finally moving away from the corpse]
Re: LEVEL 3B
[ she makes a little tut sound under her breath. ]
I think—you didn't have to do art, did you? If you went somewhere else, then maybe we'll run back into her.
Re: LEVEL 3B
[she rubs her face]
I don't care if it's as a wife or whatever!
Re: LEVEL 3B
You hear the gratitude in his weakened voice, but if anything, it’s you that feels grateful. That you were able to actually protect something precious to you. If you could’ve been sure that there was a God to hear it, you might have even thanked him - that you were here in time, that you had the strength.
Without strength, you can’t protect anything.
(That’s what strength is for.)
(and why you need,)
(power, strength,)
(you need it)
But he’s safe, he’s safe - you comfort yourself with those words, that they could be true for at least a little longer. And that’s enough for now.
The illusion around you shatters - and you are returned to the floating platform.
Raven’s statue dissolves - the book absorbing the blue energy, and the sword absorbing the red. The base becomes another pillar of light, spilling out from a portal to the next level.
Except the portal takes them to two different places.
Shrike
Adora
Re: LEVEL 3B
"I'm fine. You must finish her... Do not underestimate her power...!"
Re: LEVEL 3B
You're definitely injured, though, you should get to a safe place for the moment. We'll be fine.