Tony expected the Combat indicators to drop.
What he did not expect was the maelstrom of viscera, iron, and sand that kicked up around him and placed Akmor’s head back on his shoulders.
“What the…”
Maybe that was Akmor’s version of Fatal Resolve…
”You’re arrogant… Ascendant…” Akmor rumbled, “to think that removing my head would be enough to vanquish me…”
You have successfully resisted Akmor the Black’s Aura of Fear!
Tony didn’t feel like he’d successfully resisted. He’d thrown out a large burst of damage to have it rendered ineffective... like it hadn’t even happened. He weaved to the right as the squared top of Akmor’s blade crashed into the sand. Tony stole a glance at the weapon after he danced away from the spreading blackness in the sand.
It was like the weapon was bleeding blackened ichor into the arena floor. Akmor roared and more of the “blood” sprayed out. Something told Tony that the weapon bleeding on command was bad for him so he did the first logical thing that reached his mind in his berserk state.
Tony took two strides forward, jumped, and drop-kicked the flat of the blade with both feet, sending it sideways and out of Akmor’s grip… doing so also sent Tony into the dirt which proceeded to grab and claw at him.
He wrenched free of the ensnaring sands and fought to his feet. More undead clawed their way to the surface of the sands… at least a dozen of them.
Army of the Dead (Soldier) - Minion of: Akmor the Black - Essence: 1
Tony had been nervous before, but finding ways to prevail over superior opponents had been his thing since the first time he and Tolik had fought and before… but now? Fighting not only Akmor, but a dozen of his minions that all had an awakened Essence trait? He hadn’t prepared mentally for that at all.
Fortunately, they were more normal undead than Akmor was. They moved relatively slowly and Tony still had half of his empowered Berserk state left. He’d be incredibly vulnerable after it wore off.
One thing at a time, Tony… he reminded himself.
He activated Adamant Slash+, going for the variant where the charge was stored in the blade for a time before being released and surged into the lumbering crowd of undead. As he approached, their speed also increased, their eagerness to tear into him made apparent. Unfortunately for the crowd of undead soldiers, Tony was faster.
The empowered Arach Blade, further bolstered by his Adamant Slash talent, carved through the platoon with ease, and to Tony’s surprise and delight, Frenzied Blood Rapture’s icon flashed to life under his status bars. His blade flashed through the shambling horde, dismembering and disemboweling the creatures before they could reach him, for the most part.
More XP I won’t get access to until I leave this place…
The blackened sands returned to their crimson hue with the extermination of the minions produced by Akmor’s Army of the Dead talent and the Exhausted Debuff reappeared with the fading of Pact of Spite and Rancor.
Tony caught himself by driving the tip of Dromohke’s Vow into the sand and leaning on it. He looked up at Akmor, breathing heavy. The opposing Dead Knight’s weapon was now in its true form, a wicked-looking pitted scythe that seemed to constantly drip with the same black blood that had made his undead army.
He didn’t have many options. With his talent activations, getting hit through his guard by Akmor, and the glancing blows he’d taken from the Undead Army Tony's HP was at forty-five percent. If he had Fatal Resolve, this wouldn’t be a problem… he would activate a couple more talents and then bank on his temporary invulnerability and the healing that came after, but he didn’t have access to that anymore. He would have to do the next best thing.
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Channel Dreadblade [Shroud] has been Activated, 1 Shard Remains.
A cowl and cloak of billowing indigo essence enveloped Tony, the increase to his evasion and damage mitigation was obvious in the form of the obfuscation offered by the cloak, the tendrils of essence that streamed into his muscles under it were what increased his damage and attack rating. The feeling was odd. At first, Tony thought he’d been hit with another dose of Hamaskyr, but it was the strengthened connection with Legion that alleviated his fatigue.
He only had one Dreadblade Shard left and defeating Akmor after he sundered his Dreadblade was how he was going to get Legion back permanently. As tenuous as their relationship had been, Legion had protected Tony from the Archon and at current was the closest thing to an ally he had. He had to do this right.
There was no lunging, no rapid advance, just a deliberate trudge toward Akmor. The undead Dread Knight didn’t seem to be in any rush either and now that Tony was closer to him, he could see the pitted plate armor that covered the rotting Orkken head to toe. Akmor the Black was stronger, better equipped, had his full suite of talents, and a point in essence rating on him… as if that all weren’t enough… Akmor was taller than him too.
Why do they always have to be bigger... Tolik... Sujuko... now this guy...
The two Dread Knights circled each other.
“You’ve fought well, Ascendant,” Akmor said. The limbs protruding from his arms tightened around his weapon, some of them arched at Tony, poised, almost independently, to strike.
“Thanks, you’re a scary son-of-a-bitch,” Tony admitted.
“I will take this as a compliment,” Akmor replied.
“Shall we?” Tony asked as he hefted Dhromoke’s Vow.
Akmor tilted his head as Tony showed the blade, “We shall.”
The point of Akmor’s scythe, and several reaching limbs, narrowly missed Tony’s throat as he weaved back, already coiled, Tony lurched forward and slammed his shoulder into Akmor’s center mass before he spun away, slashing with his blade to protect his retreat and deal some damage.
The undead Dread Knight didn't budge as one of his auxiliary arms flopped to the ground.
Akmor growled and advanced, his scythe carving brutal crescents through the air and sand around Tony, bonus appendages grasping and swinging wildly to cover the gaps in Akmor's attack pattern. If the cloak made by his Channel Dreadblade were purely a physical thing, it would have been more of a liability than a boon.
The one advantage Tony had was in his mobility. Akmor was weighed down by the plate armor and slowed down by his nature as an undead, but the reach his scythe gave and cover from all of those damn arms kept Tony on his toes. The scythe chipped through Tony's parries, so he dodged as many attacks as he could rather than blocking... trying to preserve what remained of his HP.
Tony was going to have to go on the offensive at some point if he had any chance of winning... he had 30% of his HP left and, besides his Channel Deadblade (Shroud), no talents activated. Akmor was doing a lot of work to keep Tony on defense, attacking relentlessly with the stamina afforded to him by his undead nature.
There has to be something... Tony thought.
He hadn't gotten this far with broken powers by dumb luck... every time he'd been outmatched in a fight like he was now, there had been something he could fall back on from his life to come out ahead. He just needed to figure out what...
"There is no shame in conceding," Akmor rasped.
"What?"
"Concede, and you will live. Pahadron wishes to speak with you... they cannot do this if you are dead..."
Tony grit his teeth, "Are you so sure that you'd win if I didn't?"
"I am," Akmor answered.
Tony stopped backpedaling and squared his stance.
"Come and get it then," he challenged.
Akmor lunged and Tony activated Indomitable Self, one of the few talents not stripped away by the Archon.
Indomitable Self - In addition to the effects of Invincible Will +, upon activation, the Dread Knight gains 100% of their Maximum HP as temporary Hit Points and is immune to Crowd Control Effects until those Hit Points are lost or one hour has passed. Lore Capacity is permanently increased by 15%
When he had trained in HEMA with Ser Seavey, the grizzled mountain man had given him more useful tidbits than Tony could count, but one stuck out to him as Akmor's scythe crashed down and his myriad appendages closed around him.
"When you block, parry, deflect a weapon, you use the flat side of your blade. When you make your defense your offense, turn the blade. Carve into their weapons and the more resolved steel will win."
Tony gasped along with the crowd as half of his temporary HP was shorn away by Akmor's attack. The large undead wheezed in surprise as Tony's blade carved through the cocoon of arms around him and then the haft of his scythe.
Before Akmor could do anything but take a step back Tony surged forward and drove Dromhoke's Vow, to the hilt, into the space between Akmor's eye sockets.
"You win, Dread Knight... by the skin of your teeth..."