Headed by a Snake

Lang Hai swatted the Warlock away, but the green sphere surrounding Liber greatly reduced the impact. Sustaining combat in his dire hybrid form increased the drain on his stamina. And much more of it was being taxed by regenerating injuries from being hit by every gods-damned Eldritch Blast the Warlock threw.

"I had heard tales of the strength of the Sea Wolf Marines," Liber mocked. "Frankly, I am not impressed."

"Gehehe..." Hai's barrel-chest thrummed as he laughed. The man's taunts meant nothing, "Soon, the shell will break. And then I'll tear you apart and chew on your insides."

Liber frowned, seeing that a crack had developed in his mana shield. He raised his arms at his sides, mana collecting in green flames at his palms, "Glory to the SNAKE GOD!!"

Hai placed his arms in a cross to guard his chest and face against the eldritch barrage. He couldn't remember a time where brute strength hadn't been able to solve his problems in combat... not since he raised his comprehension of the Sea Wolf Body Art to Major Completion.

He snarled in frustration-- he needed Rico to be okay. The three of them could escape... Then Hai would bring all 3 of his working cannons and the tens of working rifles he had and blast the Warlock to oblivion. He'd bring Eilean too! That shield might be able to stop a punch, but it probably wouldn't stop a hundred Water Lances!

What was that green-haired nerd doing? Why was he taking so long?

Hai desperately wanted to believe that Tycon could save Rico. She was too strong to just die-- even though Liber's spell was really weird. If she did die... Hai would ensure Liber would suffer far worse fates than death.

He felt the rage growing, his blood pumping faster. He'd thought he was fresh out of adrenaline, but he felt his energy returning and his fear and worries melting away.

"I'll TWIST and TEAR apart your limbs from your body!!

"I'll CRACK your bones and DRINK the marrow!!

"I'll BEAT you to death with your OWN GODS-DAMNED SPINE!!

"HOW DARE YOU HURT RICO!!"

Hai dropped his guard and began barreling through the spell blasts. Each spell burst against his scales, numbing and burning. He could feel the dark energies twist and bore into his flesh, eating away at him.

The pain was immense. And it remained.

He sustained more injuries on his body.

All of it hurt. Maybe even his soul was burning away.

He had taken so much damage and his injuries were so severe that his healing factor could not keep up.

But it did not matter.

"Fall, damn you! FALL!!" Liber yelled, his voice frantic.

"RISING STORMMMMM!!!" The air hummed around Hai as his five-fingered death claw met the resistance of Liber's mana ward. With a crash of thunder, a thick blast of air burst outwards, crumbling the stone of the surrounding walls and forming a web of cracks on Liber's mana shield.

"Not enough, Sea Wolf!" Liber smirked. A thin trail of blood ran fresh down the side of his lips.

"Oh, I'm just getting started," Hai promised. "Sea Wolf Sect: THOUSAND WAVE CRASH!!"

Hai's massive arms blurred as he activated the Martialist Skill, smashing dozens and hundreds of punches against Liber's shield. The bearded man held up both arms, the life in his face visibly draining away as he desperately channeled mana into his barrier.

Hai gasped for breath, ignoring the pain in his lungs and the broken bones in his fists, "Blood. And. Thunder."

He kneeled down to steady himself and shut his eyes to concentrate his mana. The teethed tentacles on his back raked downward, shattering Liber's shield. The green sphere burst outward, covering the entire hall in shattered mana shards, sizzling and melting onto the pockmarked wooden floor.

"...How frightening." Liber's voice remained calm, "I must admit, I am a little impressed."

Hai shot his eyes open enough to wince in pain. A painful shock shot through both of his arms, followed shortly by the cool feeling of numbness.

Hai gargled as he fell to his knees. Strength was quickly leaving his body, "What... have you done?"

Looking down, he saw that from the elbow-down, Liber's arms had lengthened and ended with the heads of snakes. The transformed appendages bit down into Hai's forearms and were pumping him full of venom.

This was the ability that Liber used to kill Rico...

"You... mage... bastard!!" Hatred seethed in Hai's black-sclera eyes, "I will be avenged. This. Means. Nothing."

Hai's body began to reduce in size, his freakish muscles returning to that once more of a 14-year old boy.

"Ahahaha! What's this?!" Liber cackled, his eyes glowing red with madness. "A mere child!? What use is your strength now? You kneel before the might of the--"

Liber's speech was interrupted by the whirring of a sword hurtling towards him.

Blood spurted through the air. Liber pulled his arms back.

"Tss," Tycon scoffed. "My accuracy suffers, throwing from that distance."

Liber cradled the bleeding stump of his left forearm, grinning, "You've missed, Mister Tycon."

...

Tycon walked forward. Hai was in a sorry state, even reduced to his normal form. It appeared the boy-Captain had been poisoned, as well.

« System, analysis: Lang Hai's condition. »

[Analyzing... Analysis complete. Weakness Bite. Second-Circle Necromancy. Greatly reduces target's strength.]

Tycon cursed inwardly. This encounter had become far more difficult.

He shrugged, feigning nonchalance, "Indeed I did. I was trying to end that poor fool beside you."

"Sod off, old man," Hai muttered.

"You're not dead yet, Sea Pup. Or are you trying to tell me that's the best you can do?"

As weakened as Hai was, Tycon needed the Sea Wolf back in the fight.

[Inspirational Surge conditions met. Activate? Y/N?]

« Activate. »

"The poison has weakened me, Tycon. And my injuries are severe," Hai spat. "But I've broken his shields. I've done my part."

[Inspirational Surge has failed.]

Liber stroked his blood-stained beard, "I'm curious to how you've attacked me without suffering a magical backlash. Was the magical contract a fake, Mister Tycon?"

"I took a splash from your mana ward explosion, sir. You should be more careful."

Tycon charged forward but he had 10 yalms of distance to cross to get to the Warlock.

Liber's right arm glowed with mana as several green-glowing eldritch orbs hovered behind him, "Well played. But surely you must realize the contract was the only thing that was protecting you."

« Seven gods-damned hells! Activate Tumble! »

[Activating.]

Tycon ran on the side of a crumbled wall, flipping in mid-air, barely dodging the face-melting barrage of spells. He smashed his boot into Liber's chest. Then, he hopped up and kicked him with a roundhouse to the face, staggering the man back.

Tycon glared at the kneeling Hai beside him, "You get the hells up right now, you worthless piece of garbage. Since when has a Captain-- no, since when has a Marine been allowed to give up?"

[Inspir--]

« Activate, gods damn you!! »

"I'm telling you I can't move my body!! I just can't!!" Hai's body trembled. It was obvious to Tycon he was trying-- but it wasn't nearly enough.

[Inspirational Surge has failed.]

Tycon snorted and he spat onto Lang Hai's face.

Hai's eyes shot open like he couldn't believe it, "What... the fuck, you sick--"

"You're no longer worthy of my respect." Tycon shoved the boy to the floor with his boot, "Fine!! I'll finish this fight my gods-damned self. And when I'm done, I'll tell Rico that you died A SNIVELING COWARD!!"