Xaul struggled through the waves of insanity that washed over him, surfacing more and more often. His voice fluctuated and faded in and out as he spoke, waging a war within his own mind. “Ohhhh, that’s rich. Goal power armor shield sword!” He dodged out of the paths of the knives that Epsilon had summoned, his roll taking him straight into the path of the cryokinetic blast. The energy caught Xaul right in the cheat, knocking him to the ground. A harsh laugh escaped his lips, turning into a wracking cough as Xaul clawed his way to sanity. The Kounnar faded slightly, but the hellish glow of Xaul’s tattoos could still be seen through the ice encasing him.

“St-stop me, shiny…” Xaul’s whisper carried, his voice almost normal. “You… see... myabilties. SeewhatI… can do.” His words were stilted, changing pace and volume randomly as Xaul fought down his bloodlust. “Talk… medown. Hurt me… Throwme… an… anchor. Somethingto use as a… focus.” Having said his piece, Xaul stopped trying to hold himself back, gathering his strength to shut down the Kounnar cold, without any blood sacrifice to sate Resheph.

A whoop of glee burst from Xaul as he slid back into his Kounnar, the insane Xaul once again in full control. He threw himself against the ice, and loud sharp cracks issued from the frigid cage. “We used to be so close, shiny funny man.” Xaul’s voice was once again tainted and evil, Resheph’s influence taking its toll. “But now, but now you push me away. You’ve become so cold, so frigid…” Xaul flexed his body once more, shattering the ice. “Und merke bald ich bin schon lange kalt,” he chuckled, standing slowly. The words came from Resheph, but they described Xaul quite well.