Match of the Millennium

Description: With the help of Benezet, Brandon Malone has found a lead on the mysterious comas. Following the threads of energy, he finds the barrow that houses the queen of the banshees. Within the grave mounds, Brandon alone can to exorcise the queen, to break the hold of the banshees within Illyria. And Brandon must stop this dark magic here, before the full force of the banshees descend upon the soldiers of both NOL and SO.

[BRANDON]
Brandon Malone felt Benezet Desire was helpful in a way. While it didn't yield much in the way of information he didn't already have, it helped him look at what he did have in a different way. Considering that he was dealing with the problem of multiple threads going to multiple barrows, he had to be systematic about which ones he took down and what order. He was also pretty sure they sensed both him and the bokor poking around so it was only a matter of time before they responded.

He requested some of the Sacred Order contingent to go the other barrows to keep sources of the other threads busy so they wouldn't have an opportunity to either unite or retreat. Meanwhile, Brandon headed to the thread that felt the strongest.

He held tight until he could be certain everyone was in position and gave the signal. A bolt of prismatic light fired up into the air, piercing the night sky outside of the barrows. With the signal given, he ventures into the mounds as he uses his senses to find his way towards his target.

[LOTUS]
After going some ways, Brandon eventually enters the larger central chamber. The ley line he is following enters the center of the room, and abruptly stops, seeming to almost disappear!

As he walks into the room, a beat passes, and abruptly his dim self-powered light source flickers, the power behind it momentarily interfered with enough to be visibly noticed. Several torches, long dead and spent, lining the room abruptly ignite with etheral blue fire, lighting the room in an soft sapphire hue. Unlike normal fire, this light source almost seems to be lowering the temperature, as a sudden chill fills the burial place.

A soft cry is heard in the distance, a mournful womans voice lamenting some unknown circumstance. Slowly it grows closer and more angry sounding, seeming to come from multiple places within the room. It echoes from all the small alcoves in which a corpse rests. It is from these very alcoves that a sudden wind springs, cold and unfriendly, filling the room with a small maelstrom of swirling air all around it's edges. As the torches flicker it almost seems to make the shadows come alive, as if the wind itself had substance. These shadows move with the wind for several moments before suddenly converging into the middle! A burst of darkness occurs there, and the wind is gone, the ghostly torches still.

Now floating there is a tall, sickly thin creature. Her form is definately that of a female, grey skin taut over gaunt cheekbones. Her eye sockets are inky-black, with cold blue pinpricks of light casting their gaze at Brandon. The tattered remains of what was clearly once a very lavish dress lash about as if in a constant wind of their own, but no legs can be seen. Each hand ends in a five-fingered hand, and each finger a razor-sharp claw. Upon her head is a silver-colored metallic crown upon which unknown runes glow...

The creature stares at Brandon with undisguised anger, pointing a clawed finger at him. When she speaks, the hollow sound seems to echo, as if more than one person is speaking at once "Leave this place, mortal. The living have NO place here! LEAVE! I will not ask again". Those eyes pulse brightly as she near-shouts 'LEAVE!'.....

[BRANDON]
When he sees the dim light flicker from his Minor Arcana tarot card, he almost reaches for another card in case his card was stripped of the energy he had charged into it. That is when the torches ignite with azure flame that rips away what little heat is left in the room. Brandon focuses on his breathing in a trance-like state as an attempt to regulate his body temperature.

That's when he hears the sorrow-filled moaning in the distance bouncing off of walls which makes telling from where it was coming from by just listening next to impossible. So he uses his other senses. The thread binding this area to the Sacred Order victim comes closer and closer until...

A female creature, with sickly features and claws appears before the arcane private investigator, directing a baleful stare in his direction as she makes it clear that he's unwelcome here. Unsurprising. It's rare that when Brandon shows up on job, regardless of whether he's being paid for it that he is welcome. The menacing presence threatens to overwhelm him but he chooses to stand his ground. He's made too many promises not to.

"If you could release the hold that you have on the person that you are connected to, then maybe we can talk about me leaving."

He shifts his posture as he lets his dimly glowing tarot card drop to the ground, one hand reaches across his stomach in close proximity to the rest of his deck of cards, as he positions his other hand in position so he can rest his chin upon fist in a thoughtful pose. It wasn't quite a fighting stance but he could turn it into one in the blink of an eye.

COMBATSYS: Sylvanas has started a fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Sylvanas         0/-------/-------|

COMBATSYS: Brandon has joined the fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Brandon          0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0         Sylvanas

[LOTUS]
Despite Brandons attempt at diplomacy, it seems either this is unacceptable to this creature, or there is no intention on her part to come to any accord. The eyes pulse again, the face contorting in rage as she suddenly attacks!

Rather than move towards him, she seems to simply vanish from where she was to where he is, instantly closing the gap between them! With a shout of rage, she keeps it simple, swinging her clawed hands down at him in a double overhead strike "Foolish mortal! YOU WERE WARNED! NOW DIE!".

COMBATSYS: Brandon fails to counter Corrupting Touch from Sylvanas with IX - Hermit.

[     \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////// ]
Brandon          0/-------/-----==|=------\-------\0         Sylvanas

[BRANDON]
The attempt at 'diplomacy' goes about as well as Brandon had expected. Not well at all. The creature's eyes pulse, the face controrts in rage and that was all it took for Brandon to know that there was going to be a fight on his hands. The thoughtful pose suddenly tranforms into the Hitman(aka. Philly Shell) boxing stance just as she vanishes.

The vanishing act makes it difficult for him track her for just an instant and unfortunately for him, that instant was all she needed. His finger tips lightly brush the leather pouch on his belt as he steps forward to avoid the incoming attack that he had assumed would be from behind. He brings up a card and an illusionary body double forms in his previous location. As a result of misjudging origin of the attack, both the illusion and the arcane brawler both get clawed. Blood and seithr goes everywhere in the wake of the corrupting clawing attack.

[LOTUS]
The banshee doesn't give much pause after her initial attack. Following through her momentum, she continues to attack with her claws while a long drawn-out moan of anguish drones from her dessicated lips. Her speed strangely drops a bit from the initial speed.

At first, it seems almost as if she is toying with him. However, it won't take Brandon long to realize that the moan is more than it seems. The sound itself starts low, and though it rises as the attack continues, it's pitch alone is enough to potentially throw off his inner ear. Make him misjudge his position and undo his coordination a bit too much.

COMBATSYS: Brandon blocks Sylvanas' On a High Note.

[      \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////////////  ]
Brandon          0/-------/----===|==-----\-------\0         Sylvanas

[BRANDON]
Brandon indeed doesn't take long to figure out that there's something off about the sound but he doesn't want to drop his guard completely to address it. The Hermit tarot card vanishes from sight with a bit of sleight of hand as he continues to maintain the Hitman stance but as the volume and pitch rises he raises the shoulder of the arm guarding his torso to cover one ear(and knocking his white fedora off in the process) while he covers his other ear with the hand from the other arm. He lets his aura do the to protect from the moaning attack.

When the moaning ends, he drops his shoulder from his ear as he lets his finger tips brush the leather pouch once more and another tarot card appears in his finger tips. All of a sudden, Brandon's entire body glows with a pale yellow light for just a moment as he rushes forth to slam shoulder first into the creature with an additional boost to the spell from tapping into a fraction of his power directly.

COMBATSYS: Sylvanas interrupts III - The Empress from Brandon with Rebound Throw.

[              \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////////      ]
Brandon          1/-----==/=======|====---\-------\0         Sylvanas

[LOTUS]
The shoulder rush aims true! However, just before impact a clawed hand, burning with otherworldy chi, intercepts Brandon with a grab to the throat! Despite her frail appearance, the hand has monsterous strength compared to what a human would expect, and his charge is slowed considerably!

When he impacts her, it only confers a fraction of the power it otherwise would have!

The force of the impact DOES still knock the banshee back, however.... and she pulls Brandon along with her! Using this momentum, she spins, flinging him into the air and across the room as best she can!

[BRANDON]
The clawed hand catches him just before he can fully close in with the banshee, and while he feels his shoulder connect it feels completely wrong. That's when his feet lose connection with the ground and his body goes flying away from her for about three feet before he's sent skidding across the ground.

He brings himself to one knee as he takes stock of his situation. He's in pain, covered in muck, and hasn't done anything to faze the creature. Desperate times call for desperate measures. As he completely rises to his feet, his form becomes engulfed in a bright yellow light. If the banshee has any sensitivity to energy, she'll realize that the restraints on his energy have been released. Playing a game of defense hasn't done him any favors this fight.

COMBATSYS: Brandon taps his power directly surrounding his body with a bright aura.

[               \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////////      ]
Brandon          1/-----==/=======|====---\-------\0         Sylvanas

[LOTUS]
The whispy figure stares at Brandon. Judging by the way her eyes go wide, she is well aware of what he is doing.

For a moment, an expression of what looks almost like fear passes her features, as she also recognizes the threat he represents!

Not desiring to close for the moment, she does what a banshee does best!

Scream!

With an almost feral look, she screams in rage at Brandon, the invisible waves of ethereal chi passing through the air towards him, their harmonics of the kind that disrupts matter of most kinds in a very uncomfortable way!

COMBATSYS: Brandon blocks Sylvanas' Hue and Cry.

[                 \\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////       ]
Brandon          1/---====/=======|====---\-------\0         Sylvanas

[BRANDON]
The banshee once again screams and Brandon wants no part of it. He doesn't even have a chance to bring up his guard before he's once again forced to cover his ears to protect from the auditory onslaught from the creature. Once again, the combination of covering his ears and using his mystical aura to protect him is successful but it causes him to slide backwards.

He brings his fists up, this time in a boxer's peek-a-boo guard as he walks back in and tries to get in the banshee's face. Risky proposition considering all the screaming it has been doing. And that's when Brandon gets to work delivering a series of punches to the head and body as he weaves from side to side before giving a shove as he steps away.

COMBATSYS: Sylvanas blocks Brandon's Charged Combo.

[                   \\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////          ]
Brandon          1/=======/=======|======-\-------\0         Sylvanas

[LOTUS]
With supernatural speed, the Banshee entercepts all of Brandons punches with her clawed hands, the impacts finding strangely sufficient hardness from what appears to be an insubstantial creature. Despite this, the impacts DO still ring solidly, pressure waves of of both force and the energy within continuing to follow through, seeming to partially disrupt her form momentarily. Unfortunately, the damage is not enough to maintain this dispersion completely.

The shove is met with both arms, and as Brandon tries to step back, she blurs forwards, attempting to grab him by the throat, pick him up, spin, and slam him into the ground, followed by clenching the hand holding him to crush the life from him!

COMBATSYS: Brandon dodges Sylvanas' Power Throw.

[                   \\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////          ]
Brandon          1/=======/=======|======-\-------\0         Sylvanas

[BRANDON]
When the banshee reaches out to touch the private investigator, slips under the grasp as he steps around to her flank. While the banshee looked to be insubstantial, his fists felt as though they were connect to a physical object. The problem was, as he viewed it, he was failing to connect to either the head or center mass which also meant he was having difficulty seeing what his magic could do.

In the fraction of a second between ducking and the side step, he considers the fight up to that point. Her defenses were too solid when attacking the head and body, she floats so attacking the legs probably won't help his cause all that much either. It's desperate, but he has no choice in the matter and retreat wasn't an option either. He decides to deliver a powerful side kick to the banshee's hip bolstered by the energy that threatens to tear him apart.

COMBATSYS: Sylvanas reflects Strong Kick from Brandon with Sound Barrier.

[                       \\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////          ]
Brandon          2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|=------\-------\0         Sylvanas

[LOTUS]
The banshee swings down, Brandon slipping out of her grasp at the last moment! Her attempt to grab him misses, and when she tries to follow up with the miss with a slam, she strikes only cold earth, sending bits of stone and dirt in all directions!

Knowing her flank is open, and that he is likely going to attempt to strike from the side, her eyes flare brightly with that cold blue light. She gives a sharp cry, and a translucent barrier of energy forms around her body at just the last minute!

When the kick comes, it strikes this barrier instead of her, stopping the kick cold without direct harm to Brandon. However, the shield absorbs Brandons energies that empowered the strike, and as the shield disperses it emits a large surging burst in a wave back in the rough direction from which the kick came!

Slowly, the Banshee turns to face her attacker, now aware of the direction from which he has attacked.....

[BRANDON]
The moment his foot connects, a look of horror is displayed on his face as his power which was already tearing at him, gets redirected towards him to tear at him anew. He's sent flying away by his own power and once more is sent skidding away.

He tries to will himself back to his feet but he has been tearing himself apart and the banshee has been tearing him apart too. He slowly works himself to one knee as his vision blurs. The blood loss from the claws starts to catch up with him and he desperately tries to call forth the most powerful of his combat spells. His hands flare up as a mass of seithr forms above him but he loses the focus required to shape it into swords of light. Unconsciousness is just too swift in overtaking him and he is now at the banshee's mercy.

COMBATSYS: Brandon chooses not to act.

[          \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Sylvanas         0/-------/------=|

COMBATSYS: Brandon can no longer fight.

[          \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Sylvanas         0/-------/------=|

[LOTUS]
Either by luck or fate, when Brandon is sent flying, he lands in the corridor outside the room! Now over the line dividing the burrow proper with the connecting exit, the Banshee can only come to it's edge. This incarnation of her, done specificly to send him away, is for the moment bound to the room she is guarding! Despite his pending unconsciousness, he is safe from her rending claws. She fumes at the larger rooms entrance, wishing nothing more than harm upon the man that she for now is unable to visit upon him! Despite her ability to fend off Brandons attacks, she must rest before she can reform herself more carefully, and thus have a much greater range....

With a last glare of superiority, she begins to fade back into the ether from wence she came, the blue torches flickering out one by one.... as Brandon fades from consciousness, her parting words do manage to reach his ears "Such is the fate of all foolish enough to oppose the will of the land itself!".

Log created on 18:46:39 04/05/2018 by Lotus, and last modified on 17:21:03 04/06/2018.