[Rygar]

Wedar did not wait for Yael to make good on his blood promise, he removed his staff from his back and engaged Master Yael in combat. He lunged his staff straight into a small fissure in the sternum of the wizard and then torqued to one side, creating a small opening. Yael growled in pain and Wedar quickly shot his open hand into the slot and stung his foe with a small but mighty blow. Yael answered in kind with his fist and landed a blow square on the jaw of the monk that should rightfully have knocked him unconscious if it were not for his years of training, he rolled with the punch and swung his foot around to land a kick that chipped a small bit of rock from the wizard.

Bardoc reached the landing first and plowed his shoulder straight into Master Yael’s backside. The wizard staggered and spun to face the warrior. Anticipating his arrival, his hands were already glowing with blue energy and sent a bolt of frost directly at the barbarian’s chest! Whether it be the natural hardiness of the Northman or the magical protection from Sadiki’s beating drums, the spell shattered upon impact and dissipated into nothingness.

“Ho! Let me show you how it’s done, you pathetic chunk of dirt!” taunted the barbarian, and with that gripped his axe and swung it deep into Yael’s shoulder. The wizard unleashed a cry so visceral that even the members of Rustle cusped their ears trying to drown out the screeching from their minds. Wedar relished in the pain and mounted the back of the elemental and worked his fists against the granite exterior, cracking the thick outer shell natural to all elementals and revealing traces of the softer mantle below.

Yael retaliated and swung his gargantuan fist at the barbarian, as skilled at combat as he was, Bardoc could only raise his arms to deaden the blow. He gritted his teeth as he heard his forearm snap beneath his bracer. With another hand he grabbed Wedar by his tail and threw him clear across the cavern, smashing into the rock. Nishoba had arrived, and with all his might struck Master Yael dead on. The wizard had puffed out his chest, welcoming the blow, the shards of obsidian covering his body nearly split the monk’s fist in two. Nishoba screamed in pain and was nearly rendered unconscious when Yael slammed his fists down square on his head. He gathered himself, knowing his fist was flayed as it were, he leapt up and grabbed a hold of Yael’s limb and applied a painful arm-lock. With his arms squeezing the wrist and his legs around the shoulder he twisted with all his might. The many cracks and fissures in the limb closed against one another, and with one final arch of his back the pressure was too much to take and the outer crust of the arm exploded into a hail of rock and dust!

“ENOUGH!!” cried the wizard in a rage, and he spun around so violently that he launched Nishoba head first into the heavy metal door behind him! The monk hit with such force that a splatter of blood exploded from his head and his lifeless body hit the floor: the first of them had fallen. Ameliorate had been careful to keep her distance for just such an event, yet the monk's body was too close to the battle for her to call back his spirit. Sadiki continued his soothing songs to ease the flow of mana to his comrades but found it difficult to resist charging into battle. The Blob however, did not have the patience nor the mental acumen to make such a decision. He waddled forward as fast as he could and stood at the landing before the wizard.

“Bad rockman will pay for dat, you hurt us no more!” he cried and began a chant to his god, and then shot forth a jet of disease from his hands that landed on Yael’s back and seeped into the cracks of the elemental. “You not so strong now, my magics hurt you good!!” Yael spun to face the shaman and whispered a brief word of magic and teleported to stand right before the ogre. He wrapped both hands around the shaman’s neck and began to squeeze. With his voice taken away he could not cast the next spell he had planned, so instead he took his Spear of Fate and plunged it into the arm Nishoba had made vulnerable. The poisonous magic crept forth from the powerful artifact and began to burn the wizard from the inside.

“How many lessons must I teach you insolent worms?!” the wizard exclaimed, and ripped the weapon from his arm. In a flash he swung the serrated spear across the ogre’s gut. His flesh gave way to the weapon and he stood there helpless as his organs cascaded forth from his belly and he fell face first into a pool his own blood and filth. Bardoc had just finished setting the bone in his arm when he saw the shaman fall.

“Crude construct! You will pay for these transgressions against the Guard… now come! You will not so easily vanquish a warrior from the Wolves of the North!” Bardoc picked up his weapons and stood tall with his arms out wide, the Elemental King seemed to welcome the challenge and charged towards the barbarian. Yael swung his mighty fist but hit only air, as mad as he was Bardoc was fighting smart. He clipped the wizard with his short sword and followed up with a slash from his axe. He crossed his feet as he circled the demi-god, once again the wizard lunged but the barbarian scored a riposte. Yael managed to land his next blow but it glanced off Bardoc’s shoulder.

“You feel weaker, wizard. The shaman’s poison runs deep indeed!” Bardoc taunted, scoring yet another blow. The wizard indeed was beginning to show signs of wear, but he was far from finished.

“You may be quick like the pathetic insect you are, but how will you fight when you cannot run..?” whispered the wizard, and no sooner did he finish speaking that a great score of roots rose out of the cavern floor and entwined the warrior's legs. Slash and hack as he did, the barbarian could not free himself before Yael was upon him. The wizard hit him with a flurry of powerful strikes, it was a great testament to the make of his armor and his strength of will that the barbarian stood standing.

Meanwhile, hiding in the shadows, Ameliorate began to cast her spell of healing to mend Bardoc’s wounds, but she was stopped by Sadiki. “No, right now we need to remain hidden, should we reveal ourselves we will not be able to resurrect anyone” the bard tried to reason. But Ameliorate shot back, “It’s no use, I can’t get close enough to their bodies, we may as well stand and fight and die together!”.

“Don’t worry, stay patient and wait here, when the time is right I will get you close enough to make all the difference” the bard reassured her, flashing a small grin as he watched the battle unfold. His soothing psalms had almost completely replenished the clerics supply of mana, and so he ventured out into the cavern to aid his friends.

Wedar groaned as he sat up, he had hit the cave wall with such force that he had been knocked unconscious. As his vision came into focus he saw Impermeable eviscerated on the floor and Nishoba crumpled in a heap, a trail of blood dripping down the door he lay against. He then turned to see Bardoc on the verge of death, practically beaten to a pulp. He propped himself up on his staff and rushed to save his friend. With all his strength he leapt in the air and brought his staff straight into Yael’s back. The wizard screamed as bits of magma shot forth from the wound, flail as he did to try and toss the monk he could not overcome the lizard’s agility. Wedar held strong to the staff and with his free hand pounded it deeper and deeper. He knew soon that he would pierce his core and send his foe back into the abyss.

As the wizard continued to fight for his life Bardoc, barely able to see through the swollen slits of his eyes, had managed to free himself and joined in the fight. Yael’s hands were focused on Wedar’s staff, and so left him vulnerable. With all the strength he had left cleaved at the wizard’s chest, knocking bits and pieces of his protective earthen shell to the ground. Wedar closed his eyes and torqued on his staff, hoping to split the wizard in two. So focused was he that he barely noticed the flash of light that filled the cavern. He opened his eyes, and to his horror saw an enormous comet of ice fill the sky above him. It hit the monk with such force that he was sent flying straight back and his body was crushed against the cavern wall from the celestial blast!

Bardoc tried to deliver a death blow amongst the chaos but Yael caught him by the wrists mid-thrust. In his weakened state the barbarian could not get free from the iron grip. With all his might Yael spanned his arms wide and there was a hideous pop as the warriors arm’s dislocated from their sockets. His screams echoed throughout the chamber and then Yael tossed him towards the monk’s limp body. He reached behind him and pulled out the staff and threw it to the ground.

Master Yael raised his arms and cackled as he looked down and the broken shells of Wedar and Bardoc. “It has been pleasurable punishing you, but now your time has come to an end. But do not say that I am not kind… I have the decency to give you a funeral pyre!” He summoned forth a great sea of fire beneath the men, they barely had the energy to scream before their life was snuffed out in a fiery blaze a sizzling flesh.

All the while Shadowgrey and the rest of Rustle watched the gory scene unfold. A few even pleaded with the Dark Elf to lend their aid, but he dismissed the suggestion. “This is their battle, either they will perish or have such a tale of victory that it will be sung throughout the Karanas! While our hearts may be with them, we must not interfere, besides…” he looked out into the cavern, assessing every angle of the battle and noticed Sadiki making his way towards Master Yael. “…something tells me they are still in this fight”.