Caius the Dawnbreaker attacks Squire!
90% damage negation!
Squire suffers 37 point(s) of damage!
Squire's HP is now 294!
My turn to attack again. I'd really like to hit him with something powerful, like my AuraBolt, but I can feel that my spirit reserves are low. I'm confident that my regular sword strikes will prove to be more effective than the attacks of my allies, however. Similarly to how it protected me, I can feel light energy surging through my body. Perhaps it's suddenly awakened due to finding myself confronted with such darkness, or perhaps it was always there, but did little to aid against more conventional components, it's hard to say. I grip the handle of my long sword tightly in my jaws, leap into the air and swing it down forcefully at the not-man.
Squire attacks!
Caius the Dawnbreaker parries!
I leap back a step, surprised, as the dead warrior effortlessly deflects the blow with his own sword. I suppose that I shouldn't have been so shocked. While I consider myself to be quite skilled with a sword, all things considered, I still can't handle the weapon nearly as well as a skilled human can with their hands.
Vile casts Haste!
Squire's movement speed has increased!
After the too-close call earlier, Carrie has been keeping her distance, holding back on even using her darts. Maybe she's run out of them, maybe she's a little hesitant to throw ranged weapons while I'm in such close proximity to the opponent, or maybe she's just waiting for the perfect opening to strike. The fact that she hasn't fled outright leaves me to believe that she isn't abandoning the fight, however. As for Vile, she's proving to be exceptionally helpful. Each of those spells seems to have quite a dramatic effect. I briefly wonder why she has hadn't used them in previous battles, but I suppose that it makes sense. She was largely needed for attacking.
My opponent looks frustratingly undamaged by the downright massive hit that they had taken earlier. I'm amazed that they are even still standing, when a lower damage number than that was enough to basically liquify the blade bear back at the city. Some of his exposed bones had cracked, but were already fusing themselves back together. That said, it's way too early to despair. He might not look to be injured, but he's clearly extremely dissatisfied with the situation. I suspect that he's not used to being injured at all.
Caius the Dawnbreaker uses Unholy Might!
90% damage negation!
Squire suffers 114 point(s) of damage! Squire's HP are now 180!
That's the attack that I've been waiting for. No, I don't have any cunning plan to counter it, I simply knew that it was coming. His already terrifying black blade swells dramatically, and everything within a wide are, myself included, is bathed in terrible, dark energies. A somewhat familiar image, but a pale imitation of the real thing.
Squire uses Divine Strike!
Caius the Dawnbreaker suffers 1955 point(s) of damage!
Admittedly, that didn't do quite as much as I had hoped. It's rather absurd for me to be disappointed with damage numbers in the quadruple digits, but I had expected my signature attack to be a lot stronger than the ranged AuraBolt. Hopefully enough to end the battle outright. Still, the effects of it weren't trivial. There are now deep cracks running through his exposed skull, and from the way that he's moving, I suspected that underneath his armor, his body was in similarly rough shape.
"Annoying pest..." the not-man growls, as he swings his dark blade once more.
Caius the Dawnbreaker attacks Squire! Critical hit!
90% damage negation!
Squire suffers 66 point(s) of damage!
Squire's HP is now 114!
I had hoped that my increased speed would help me to guard against the strike, but he was still faster, more skilled, clearly having a lifetime (perhaps far more, in fact) of experience with swinging a blade.
Vile casts Slow!
Caius the Dawnbreaker is unaffected!
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I suspect that Vile is running out of useful spells to try out. Buffing me further is likely not an option, and this creature seems to be incredibly resistant to magic as a whole... well, not just magic, almost everything. With one major exception, of course.
Squire attacks!
Caius the Dawnbreaker parries!
I really thought I could slip past his guard that time. I went back to my usual horizontal attack, but he didn't even need to use his own blade to block it. He instead simply raises a food and stomps down on the blade in mid-strike, while I uselessly try to pull it free.
"I tire of this." it says, poorly masking the obvious frustration in its voice, "It's time to end this. On the bright side, I have no doubt that my master will greatly appreciate my putting another paladin into the ground."
I ready myself for another sword strike, but it doesn't come. Instead, his gauntletted hand reaches forward and clasps around my head and eyes.
Caius the Dawnbreaker uses Lay on Hands!
Squire suffers 75 point(s) of damage!
Squire's HP is now 39!
The touch was so cold... beyond cold, really. It felt like every bit of warmth, every bit of life was being pulled from my body. A truly awful sensation. How could a power meant to heal and help people do something so horrible? I know that I won't be able to pull my sword free this round. Fortunately, I have other options. This disgusting impostor is not the only one who can send out power through touch. I release my grip on the sword, and instead of trying to pull away from the metal mitted hand, I instead leap forward, pouncing him. It certainly catches him by surprise, but isn't enough to knock him from his feet. That's fine with me, as I wrap my paws around his torso.
Squire uses Lay on Paws!
Caius the Dawnbreaker suffers 3305 point(s) of damage!
I knew it! This was a power meant to heal and purify. It's only natural that it would be a poison to something to dark and unnatural.
Caius the Dawnbreaker uses Lay on Hands!
Squire suffers 79 point(s) of damage!
Plot armor activates!
Squire's HP is now 1!
I should have healed last round. Just like I should this one. I just can't though. I can't bear to allow this thing, this cruel mockery of a human to exist for even another moment. I have to finish this now.
Squire uses Lay on Paws!
Caius the Dawnbreaker suffers 3225 point(s) of damage!
How? How can he still be alive? I look up at the entity, who is clearly barely holding himself together, but he nonetheless looks down at me triumphantly as he raises his sword. I know that I can't count on that special ability working two turns in a row, either. I can only pray that this abomination was weakened enough by my efforts to allow my allies to finish it off, or if not, to at least escape.
Carrie-Anne uses Blind!
Caius the Dawnbreaker suffers 14 point(s) of damage!
Carrie-Anne suffers 48 point(s) of damage!
Caius the Dawnbreaker is stunned!
I didn't even see the black bird come in, instead just a dark blur as she flew across the face of my opponent, tearing into its skull with her metal capped talons. It couldn't be truly blinded, of course, even the dull organic eye that remained largely just being for show, and the claws of the assassin naturally inflicted no actual damage to the small points of blue fire within those sockets. It didn't need to be blinded, however, just distracted for a fraction of a second. Just enough to lose out on its turn.
Squire uses Lay on Paws! Critical hit!
Caius the Dawnbreaker suffers 7200 point(s) of damage!
Caius the Dawnbreaker has been defeated! Squire has gained 155,500 Experience Point(s) and 120 Gold(s)!
Squire has reached Paladin (Rank 6), level 28!
Strength is now 178! (+30 point(s)!)
Endurance is now 261! (+45 point(s)!)
Agility is now 179! (+30 point(s)!)
Intelligence is now 69! (+10 point(s)!)
Faith is now 310! (+50 point(s)!)
Charisma is now 224! (+35 point(s)!)
Squire has gained 90 maximum HP!!
Vile has reached Arcanist, level 28!
Strength is now 3! (+0 point(s)!)
Endurance is now 2! (+0 point(s)!)
Agility is now 108! (+18 point(s)!)
Intelligence is now 835! (+180 point(s)!)
Faith is now 106! (+18 point(s)!)
Charisma is now 30! (+6 point(s)!)
Vile has gained 6 maximum HP and 300 maximum Mana!
Slave has reached Berserker level 28!
Strength is now 31! (+6 point(s)!)
Endurance is now 1354! (+300 point(s)!)
Agility is now 344! (+72 point(s)!)
Intelligence is now 256! (+45 point(s)!)
Faith is now 64! (+12 point(s)!)
Charisma is now 155! (+30 point(s)!)
Slave has gained 600 maximum HP!
The now empty suit of armor falls away. Well, it's not entirely empty, of course. It's still filled with broken bones which can no longer support the weight of it, most of which have been reduced to slivers. I fall forward as well, completely exhausted, lying against the cold, battered breastplate for some moments before looking back at my allies. Slave has woken up, but looks awfully weak, not just physically, but morale-wise as well. Carrie isn't much better. Exactly how many hit points she has in total might not be entirely clear, but I can't imagine that it's too many, and she took two hard counter-attacks. She might be a tough bird, but she's still just a bird in the end. As for Vile, she might be undamaged, but she still looks very much relieved.
"Hey, Squire?" she says, "Maybe next time you should give us a little warning before you drag us along on a suicide mission, okay?"
I do feel a little ashamed of myself for putting them all in danger. Sure, I might not have know the exact nature of the threat that we were facing, but that's all the more reason that I should have been more cautious. "I'm sorry."
"Heh. No worries. That fight gave us enough experience points to be worth it..." the rat grins, "...almost."
Slave keeps her head bowed, and I have no idea what she's thinking right now. Nothing positive clearly. Well, the important thing is that we're all still alive. I rest my head against the armor plate, completely exhausted, nearly falling asleep when I start to sense some movement. I immediately jerk upright, and look to the skull, the flesh having quickly rotted away. It sits in three pieces, which slowly and through an unknown power drag begin to themselves together.
Squire uses Lay on Paws!
Squire uses Lay on Paws!
Squire uses Lay on Paws!
I use it far more times than that, in truth. Over and over again, I do, pressing my paws to extra bit of exposed bone, and each time they further crumble into smaller pieces. The ability often fails from how frantically I try to apply it, but whatever manner of accursed regeneration is affecting the not-man, it happens mercifully slowly. Much slower than I can regain my spirit. Still, even when the bones are reduced to mere dust, and no even faint hint of motion remains from the remnants, I still continue to cast the ability, terrified that the unholy figure will suddenly rise again to resume the fight.
Even once it's abundantly clear that that isn't going to happen, I still keep doing it. As for my allies, they make absolutely no objections.
---
Slave: "Huh, I thought that the whole 'plot armor' thing was just a one-time gag."
Vile: "You really should know better by now. That's already happened two chapters in a row."
Squire: "Of course it's not a joke! It's an important part of my character!"
Slave: "Why haven't you been using it more often?"
Squire: "It only has a certain chance of activating. It doesn't all the time."
Vile: "Yeah, you can't overuse that sort of thing. Otherwise, battles will get robbed of any sort of tension. It's already doing some damage just being used sparingly: The reader now knows that it's not so dire if she reaches 0 HP, since that power always exists as a backup."
Carrie-Anne: "As usual, I have no idea what any of you are talking about."
Bully: ...