Cage Number Three

[Dissinger]

He was only trying to rest...

Soon however, he realized that in defeating Shadar, he had not defeated Shadar fully. There were many things that he would come to understand, the first and foremost being, when a man kills a harpy’s master, the harpy tends to get pissed, very fast. As he tried to regain some energy after exhausting himself on the other thief, he felt talons dig deep within the flesh of his back. Grunting softly as his nerves were finally starting to protest to this most heinous treatment of his body the Harpy flew directly towards the nearest shard preparing to skewer him alive.

Daggers fell from his hands as this occurred, the pain finally causing him to act like he had a pain limit. It had been a long time since pain had caused him any serious discomfort, and yet here it was. Flailing at the bird he watched as she dipped preparing to drive that metal shard straight through his chest. Shaking his head he tried to grab for the bird's foot as he shouted out, pain evident in his voice, "You'd be surprised what you can live through you damn canary!"

Red energy arced over his body as he tried to thrust it into the bird, unsure if he would survive, however, he knew he was done for, as the bird continued its crash course he turned back just in time to see the shard begin to enter his chest. As the momentum of the Harpy continued to push him against it, it pierced his leather vest with ease, and he slid down into the dark embrace of the cold steel. Immediately his body went limp as he closed his eyes, shuddering as he felt his heart being pierced. He was dead; he knew it and his body craved it.

Closing his eyes, blood began to drip from his mouth as the hole in his heart made way for the crimson fluid to go where it had sought previously. Closing his eyes he muttered half to himself with his final breathe, "Draw."

Liliana covered her mouth with her hand as she saw the brutal display, Seth had a vicious streak she knew, but seeing it again, so viciously attacking the other man was surreal. The man that had been so kind and gentle, had been like that? She couldn’t even fathom how the thief she knew had become so cruel and vindictive, but she knew that he wasn’t succumbing to his baser instincts, he was those instincts. The thief she loved while there, had lowered himself into the depths of darkness to survive, and this was the result.

She knew she would have to help him now more than ever to raise back up.

Seth Dahlios is dead. He has tried to cast Seven Deaths on Brigitte, if you choose to let it hit, she only has to overcome one illusion not all seven.

[Shadar]

Brigitte barely noticed as Seth wriggled in her talons. She wanted him to feel death so badly that she knew he would. He couldn’t stop it, no matter what he threw at her. She was right. With the heavy, juicy sound of a knife in a melon, he was impaled on the spike and she wheeled upward with a cry of triumph. The red light that had hit her must have been bloodlust messing with her eyes, because as she released all that anger into that final push she had felt and seen it fall away. That sensation of a second pair of wings left her and the pain returned like a strip of sandpaper down the back.

Then, the horror began. Far above her, clinging to the ceiling of the cage, was the very opening from which she had been born. It was a large portal of all colors, like paints mixing but never blending. The round edge was a dull silver metal that was gripped by the four bearers. That title was the only name she had known for them. Creatures of gaunt grey skin, hidden all but the head within green robes, and large bulbous eyes that glowed red like iridescent blood. They were her midwives, and now as they stared at her with cold purpose, she saw them as something else.

Angels of Death.

Turning frantically, she faced the body of Shadar and threw herself toward it with damaged wings flailing. She could feel them on the ceiling, skittering across it in the blink of an eye and with not so much as a hiss of fabric. Fearfully, she hazarded a glance upward and confirmed it. “Leave me alone!” she squawked harshly.

In response, their withered feet let go from the mesh and they plummeted downward in a controlled fall. They didn’t just descend alongside the portal; they lead it with the precision and speed of a bolt of lighting. Brigitte tried to sweep low to the ground to dart from underneath, but it was too late. She manage to only squeeze between two shards before it pressed her to the ground and left nothing in its wake but a puff of her misty blood.

’Bout time, bird bitch.

She wanted to weep as she looked around. Everywhere was the color of thought, a multihued mess reminiscent of gelatinous creatures pressed together. Some of them still had characteristics of the Gisela army. A purple arm here, a flicker of pixie wings there, all lifeless.

This’ll only hurt… a lot. Hellish, really, Jackal scoffed as he hovered in front of her. His fiery eyes were an inferno of delight, casting his purple furred muzzle in an almost bloody tone. The rest of him was bright, almost obnoxious purple where he wasn’t covered in his red robes of Egyptian cut and marked with hieroglyphics. Should be fun, he laughed heartily as he pulled a latex glove from the air and slipped it on one clawed hand. The diamond embedded in his forehead bore her reflection as he leaned forward intently, and she saw her tear streaked face. Ringed by the mane of almost shimmering red hair, her face was despairing to look at. Her mouth was aghast in wordless terror and her eyes as wide as a child’s. There was reason for fear.

Grinning smugly, Jackal pointed to her right leg and twitched one latex-covered finger. Tickle tickle. Her leg fell open like the layers of an onion. Feathers, skin, flesh bone. Everything peeled away with a sound as sickening as the feeling of it. It was focused pain, too light to numb her mind, but potent enough to make her arch her head and open her mouth in a silent, tear streaming wail. Jackal levitated the shredded pieces of her onto a small metal tray that had appeared beside him. We’ll do the rest slowly, he teased as he licked his lips.

One word left Brigitte’s mouth, a quiet and fractured word. “Sha… dar…”

The demon cackled. You think he can help you? He’s ready for a biology class last time I looked. He’s doomed, anyway. Even if they revive him, you’re not there to feed emotion to that new body of thought he’s so freakin’ proud of. He’ll just fade away… Jackal made a sweeping motion, as if shooing away dust.

Brigitte continued to look upward, never meeting Jackal’s gaze as the tears continued to flow. She could see her blood misting about her as if to trap her there for the coming torture, but that wasn’t the force behind the despair now. “I’m sorry,” she mouthed in near silence to the corpse that she knew was too far away to hear. “I… I…” Then, something even stranger happened. She laughed, a sudden cackle of glee like a vengeful child punching their rival in the mouth. It rolled off her tongue in a harsh bird-like tone, but there were hints of smaller birds in the sounds, ones that sang beautifully.

Losing it already? the dream demon asked incredulously.

Brigitte look at him now, her pain-gritted teeth turned into a frightening smile. “You must have made me dumb to not see it until now,” she hissed with pained triumph. “If Shadar disappears, you lose a vessel and you’re stuck here forever. If you pull me apart, Shadar disappears.” She laughed now without a hint of pain. The relief was so overwhelming. “You can’t hurt me for your own survival!”

Point and match, Jackal said uncharacteristically as he bowed like a gentleman. Then, he blurred out of existence, as did the entire realm of birth and death.

Brigitte found herself curled up on the ground, her form shaking with mirth. It didn’t last long, though, as she realized the pain was still there. Looking down, she saw that her leg was actually gone, the wound steaming blue. Clenching her jaw to keep from screaming, she snapped her head back. There, she found Shadar’s body, still pinned, only a few strides from her. Her heart swelled. Pain, fear, despair, none of it mattered when she was near him. Struggling on broken wings, she lurched to his side and wrapped herself about the side of his body. Their different bloods mixed in the growing pool, forming a dark purple.

“No one can take me away from you,” she whispered into his ear as she began to sing gently to him in all the tones of beautiful birdsong.

((Everything portal related was an illusion created by Seth's spell, I assume visible only to Brigitte. What everyone saw was Brigitte freaking out, then her leg shredding to nothing.))

[Artifex Felicis]

The boy's breath did not even begin to return to him. His body felt weak, sluggish and unresponsive. He did not take his eyes away from the battle, watching it and hoping for some sort of opening to plant the frog sticker in his hand into the body of someone else. There seemed to be hundreds all around him, as well as a strange sort of noise above them in the stands.

The audience was cheering, many of them for their deaths. A weak smile managed to play itself across the injured cat boy's face, the irony of what the audience was thinking. It passed quickly as the cat boy nearly reeled again, his lose of balance still hurting him. He let go of the wall as he made the yarn return to him, taking a few tentative steps towards one of the two downed men that seemed like easy pickings.

As with the rest of the battle, the far more unlikely happened. The harpy, something the grandmaster ignored for almost the entire melee, swooped in, pulling the dead body of one of them men. Leon stopped, hesitant at that moment, his mind coming to a simple conclusion after his head swiveled, seeing the broken body of the brown skinned man and another gone as well. A genuine smile broke his face, enough to make him forget his strange balance and weakness.

"I survived to the end!" the boy said allowed, his voice harsh and scratchy in his throat. He coughed, a movement catching the side of his vision. The cat boy turned, in enough time to see the two fists slam into his side. A crack reached his feline ears, probably coming from ribs hit by the gauntlets. He stumbled back, the yarn shooting out, aiming for the strange demon's neck as its controller fell to the ground, coughing up a small bit of blood as his head hit the ground. His teeth clacked together as he did so, possibly chipping.

The cat boy wanted to scream, but his chest was in far too much pain for him to do so. He slowly inched himself back, controlling the yarn, making it go on its course. The narrow make shift rapier he had taken lost as he fell. His body hurt badly at the moment, but the worst of the pain was in his head. Darkness began to eat at the corners of his eyes as the yarn drew back, lashing out again for the demon's neck, following the will of its master for its last few moments.

[Ther]

Advancing: Dissinger, Abenaki, Komosatuo

Abenaki-
Introduction: 6
Setting: 7
Character: 8
Dialogue: 7
Rising Action: 5
Climax: 5
Conclusion: 5
Strategy: 6
Writing Style: 8
Wild Card: 7
Total: 64/100

Shadar-
Introduction: 6
Setting: 8
Character: 8
Dialogue: 6
Rising Action: 5
Climax: 6
Conclusion: 5
Strategy: 7
Writing Style: 7
Wild Card: 5
Total: 63/100

Artifex-
Introduction: 6
Setting: 6
Character: 7
Dialogue: 5
Rising Action: 5
Climax: 5
Conclusion: 4
Strategy: 7
Writing Style: 8
Wild Card: 7
Total: 60/100

Komosatuo-
Introduction: 6
Setting: 7
Character: 7
Dialogue: 5
Rising Action: 5
Climax: 5
Conclusion: 6
Strategy: 7
Writing Style: 8
Wild Card: 8
Total: 64/100

Dissinger-
Introduction: 8
Setting: 6
Character: 8
Dialogue: 8
Rising Action: 5
Climax: 6
Conclusion: 5
Strategy: 7
Writing Style: 7
Wild Card: 8
Total: 68/100

Cyrus gets 130 EXP
Modrue gets 160 EXP
Arawn gets 80 EXP
Chumley gets 75 EXP

[Ther]

Dissinger gets 3,163 EXP and 300 GP.

Abenaki gets 3,025 EXP and 300 GP. Raises to Level 1.

Komosatuo gets 3,025 EXP and 300 GP. Raises to Level 1.

Shadar gets 900 EXP (75 bonus) and 100 GP.

Artifex gets 900 EXP (75 bonus) and 100 GP.

EXP/GP added.