The Legacy of Lothevis: Awakening

Vincent only had to look around one time to see that his teammates were in as much trouble as he was.

Sure.. He could keep replenishing the energy that he was expelling, sure he could keep up with Lothevis, but the clock was ticking, and with Barometra having just collapsed, and with every hero giving it their all and still not being able to phase Lothevis, things truly were looking grim.

"Things.. They just can't end like this." Vincent whispered to himself softly.

Suddenly.. Memories flared to life. Images of the past. Happy images. Faces of friends, innocents that he had saved. Sunsets and sunrises in Talos Island. So many things he would truly miss if he never made it out of here alive.

And Muffin...

A slow curse hissed through the lips of Vincent Cross as his cloak came off. His teammates would have to look away from him, with his ripped cloak thrown down on the floor now, Vincent was glowing violently. His body surged with power as he slid his feet out clenched his fists.

He had no idea what good could come of this, but he had to try something.

So Vincent looked to Lothevis.. Right into his eyes as the Behemoth charged forward, digits extended forward, reaching for him. Just as the demon got as close as it could get without touching Vincent.....

Boom.

Over and over again.

Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom.

Everytime the creature would get up from the first blast, Vincent would find a way to expel another destructive blast of Celestial energy, throwing the beast back a few steps. His other teammates were safe from the energy that he released. His one and only target was Lothevis. The mad demon had to fall.

He didn't know how long he could keep this up, but he had to keep fighting.

Barometra placed her hands beneath her trying to get up to her feet. Her head was swimming from the impact and every muscle in her body felt drained beyond reason. She felt the invigorating force of Scorpia's medical device as it passed over and noticed the shimmering force field that Noelle had erected around her. It would take a few moments for her head to clear and she hoped that the bubble would keep her safe for that long.

The noises and lights in the room were overwhelming, but with her body drained of electrostatic energy she began to focus her thoughts outward.

Okay, maybe she couldn't hurt the thing....

Not even bothering to look she extended her senses out, feeling for Lothevis' bioelectric emanations. He may have been a magical creature, but he was still a creature...

The substance in Barometra's blood reached outward to the creature, drawing strength from it as she began to sap its energy to replenish her own. No she couldn't hurt it, but maybe she could slow it down...

Lothevis met Vincent's latest blast with one of his own, a rage of dark, unholy energy that met the opposing mage's celestial energy with a peal of thunder, the two forces almost gnawing at each other in their eternal opposition. Lothevis poured on the force, causing Vincent to do the same. With his foe's focus so drawn, the demon beast suddenly spun in place, his tail crashing into the airborne mage like a club, knocking him back.

With a stomp and a burst of evil power, Lothevis followed this up with a burst of oppressive energy that radiated outward from him and blanketed the room. The force of this nova threw all the heroes back and held them to the walls of the chamber, crackling and binding them in place. Even Vincent, with his reservoir of divine energy, could barely move as fast as maple syrup, struggling through the dark mire like a swamp.

Lothevis broke out in another peal of laughter.

"You all fight well . . . but it just isn't enough. None of you is strong enough to face this might."

The beast placed a massive claw to his ear.

"What's that? You want me to crush you now? Love to!"

Slowly but forcefully advancing again, Lothevis flexed his mighty claws and licked his massive jaws, preparing to let loose with the final barrage of pain and death that would seal his victory here.

And then he stopped, his eyes growing wide, as though he had seen something startling.

All of a sudden, Muffin appeared out of nowhere, right in front of the huge creature, looking startled and bewildered, which turned into shock and fear as she gazed up at what Lothevis had become.

He looked down at her and twitched slightly, his eyes becoming momentarily glazed and vacant, then overflowing with rage.

"What . . . what have you done? No! You'll ruin everything! I'LL KILL YOU!"

Raising a massive arm which exploded with jagged, wicked spines, Lothevis moved to crush the young hero where she stood, roaring in absolute fury.

". . . stop . . ."

The single word carried across all the noise, even that of the fiery portal. In its wake, a sea of silence pervaded the room, as all things went quiet. Lothevis froze, only a few feet away from crushing Muffin into the stone floor, his face now filled with fear for the first time.

The black, binding energy suddenly vanished, and in it's absence, a new shadow appeared, halfway across the room from where Lothevis stood. All eyes were drawn to this new arrival.

At first glance, it appeared to be the same astral projection that Lothevis had used before. The differences between this one and that one, however, were all too obvious. Whereas Lothevis' shadow-form had fire in its eyes, this one's eyes were filled with the heart of Hell, the purest, deepest, most intimidating fire any of them had ever seen, casting a reddish glow that rivaled the portal's light. Whereas Lothevis' shadow-form has been made of deep shadow, the center of this thing was like a pit straight into the darkest part of the Netherworld Abyss, drawing light into itself like a minor black hole. The magnetism and force of presence in this thing was palpable, even as it simply stood there and crossed its misty arms.

Lothevis drew back, plainly terrified of this thing, and uttering only a single word in a quavering voice.

"Darkthorne."

The shadow thing floated up into the air, moving toward the demon beast. Despite the fact that it was only 1/15th the size of Lothevis, the gigantic creature cringed away from it.

"Lothevis," it said in a flowing, forceful voice, "you were wise to keep that part of me separate. All the hatred he felt for you, all the strange, new emotions, the unique evolutions . . ."

Alighting on the floor once more, it turned toward the heroes, specifically Muffin.

"So many . . . new things have entered my perception."

Lothevis hissed in a craven manner.

"You're too late, Darkthorne! The bond will still take place, and there's nothing you can do!"

The Darkthorne shadow whirled on him again.

"Think not?! You can feel your grip loosening even now. Your heavy-handed control in that brain is no longer the only force there, and you know it. You have real competition, and your pitable attempt at squatter's rights will no longer work."

Lothevis growled and tried to attain a menacing combat pose again.

"You can't hurt me, demon. You're nothing but a bunch of mist out here."

Darkthorne laughed, an almost lyrically gleeful thing compared to Lothevis' harsh chortling.

"You're absolutely right, Lothy. But," he chuckled, turning back toward the heroes, "I can make sure these gathered warriors can stand against you on a much more balanced scale. Let's see how well you fight when I'm not there to back you up."

As Darkthorne spoke these words, the sharp spines that covered Lothevis immediately retracted, the dark glyphs upon his flesh faded away into powder, and his wounds were no longer healing hardly as fast. Lothevis watched this happen with terror and unease, then looked out at the heroes with a new sense of vulnerability.

"What do you say, champions?" Darkthorne asked them, gesturing toward the weakened beast. "Round two?"

Muffin smiled wickedly, the first to come forward. Her eyes seemed to reflect the fire in her heart, the fire in her fists. She sprinted forward, a blur against the darkness, and suddenly her fist was under his chin in a super-powered punch.

It was incredible - even more powerful than the attack that had helped break the dam in Darkthorne's mind.

Lothevis gasped as dark blood splattered across the walls, down his chest and chin. His head was screwed around in a very unnatural way, but he was recovering slowly, and looking bewildered at this small woman's strength.

She began pummeling him in the stomach with heated jabs, darting back from his attempts to hit her. She let out little grunts, roars, and snarls to match Lothevis', and then shouted,

"I'LL KILL YOU!"

This was the opening Gideon had been waiting for, hurtling across the room to join Muffin in the fight. His fists were glowing with energy as he launched himself into the melee, "I don't suppose *a soft grunt as he threw another punch* you can explain how to *another grunt as another punch landed upon Lothevis* disable that damnable *a two-fisted overhand blow rained down* device, imp?"

Lothevis tried his best to fight, now reduced to only his massive size and his claws for weapons. Try as he might, however, he could not seem to hit the smaller foes. It was as though his coordination was gone, and he no longer had any expertise in utilizing this body.

The shadowy Darkthorne floated over to where the machine sat, still oddly protected by the unholy shield. He ignored the combat going on, leaving the heroes to pummel Lothevis as they saw fit. He deserved no less.

"Just keep doing exactly what you're doing, Doctor," he replied to Gideon's question, "and I'll give you a way."

Picking herself up from the crumpled heap she'd fallen into on the floor after Lothevis' last attack, Noelle saw Muffin Kid's sudden appearance as well as Darkthorne's, and took the moment while Muffin and Gideon and Hunter threw new, invigorated attacks at Lothevis to gather another round of strength.

As Muffin pummeled the giant demon, and Hunter took aim with his gun, Noelle pulled all the ice, all the chill, all the cold from the air around her, and threw it at Lothevis with a violent toss of her arms. As the ice crystallized around him, holding him in place, unable to move, she whispered in a harsh voice, "Hey, hell dude. Freeze."

She knew it wouldn't hold him forever, but maybe it would be enough, for now, until she could do it again -- keep him held, or slowed, trembling with cold as the others pummeled him.

And hoped Darkthorne could find a way to close the portal...