541 - Moving Into Position
Behemiel’s announcement was no idle boast, the hound archon rushing forward to attack as soon as he’d finished speaking.
He was faster than Lex had expected, closing the distance between the two of them in under two seconds, leading an upswing of his now-glowing sword. Unable to react in time, Lex couldn’t hold back a pained grunt as the weapon passed through his immaterial body, Twilight’s spell enabling it to harm him even in shadow-form. Fortunately, it was still less damaging than it would have been if he’d been solid, but that was cold comfort as the hound archon pressed his assault, stepping in closed after his initial strike and bringing the sword back down for another.
In the face of that, there was nothing Lex could do but give ground, jerking backward and veering right. He didn’t dare move skyward. Although Behemiel had no apparent means of flying, Lex had little doubt that if he took to the sky as a shadow, Twilight would replicate what Princess Celestia had done and dispel his dark magic, leaving him to plummet painfully to the ground where her summoned monster would be waiting to tear into him. While Lex doubted she’d be able to dispel his dark magic and return him to corporeality easily, the possibility was too great and the results too severe for him to take the chance.
Nor was sinking into the ground a viable option. While it would have provided him with absolute cover from both of his opponents, staying hidden ran the very real possibility of Twilight or Blueblood charging him with quitting the field, which would be an automatic forfeiture on his part. Even if he vanished only to return a few seconds later, Twilight would be able to say – even after their fight had concluded – that she’d thought he’d given up and fled, dropping her guard as a result and thus potentially delegitimizing his victory if he overcame her. That was something that Lex needed to avoid at all costs, even if it meant putting himself at risk now.
And Behemiel seemed intent on capitalizing on that risk, a third swing of the creature’s sword following after him as he fell back, the tip of it nicking the edge of his umbral form and sending another jolt of pain through him. “You’re a sorcerer of unusual caliber,” growled the hound archon, already moving to pursue him. “The magic you’ve used to take this form reeks of evil, and yet I sense no groundswell of corruption from you. Are you resisting the spiritual contamination such powers bring, or are you simply hiding the true nature of your heart?”
Lex didn’t bother answering; even if he'd cared what the creature was saying, talking during a fight was pointless at best and a distraction at worst. Instead, he called upon his dark magic again, black crystals shooting up from the ground. But unlike the massive stalagmites he so often raised, these were smaller, barely an inch long. The lack of mass, however, was made up for by the sheer quantity of them, raising several thousand in a fan-shaped area between himself and Behemiel. It wouldn’t be enough to keep the creature at bay permanently, but since it was barefooted it would be forced to break off its attack while it circumvented the spike-filled ground…or at least Lex hoped that would be the case. Planar creatures often had esoteric defenses, and if this “hound archon” was the same then there was a chance it wouldn’t even notice his attempt to keep it at a distance.
But he had more immediate concerns to deal with. Hanging back from the fighting, Twilight was casting another spell, and Lex immediately lurched to the side, placing Behemiel between himself and her. Twilight wouldn’t dare attack him if she ran the risk of hitting-
He was proven wrong a second later, as Twilight completed her spell and sent a lightning bolt blasting through him and Behemiel both.
The strike hit Lex dead-center, and it was only because he had no physical form that he wasn’t flung backward from the force of it. Even then he dimly recognized that he’d just taken considerable damage, that knowledge coming to him through a haze of intense pain. But he was less concerned with that than he was with how badly he’d misread Twilight’s intentions. She shot right through that creature she summoned! Is she-
“Brilliantly done, Lady Sparkle!”
Behemiel’s voice was completely without pain, and that sent a surge of dread through Lex as he turned his attention away from how badly he’d been injured and back to the battlefield. Sure enough, the hound archon was completely unharmed, lacking any visible burns or scorch marks, and in that moment Lex knew exactly why Twilight had hit them both with her lightning bolt. Planar creatures often had esoteric defenses, and it seemed that one of Behemiel’s – which Twilight had clearly known about – was immunity to electricity.
Indeed, the hound archon seemed more concerned by the field of needle-sized spikes separating itself from its quarry, its eyes darting between Lex and the ground as it tiptoed forward cautiously, sword held at the ready as it carefully planted its feet between the individual protrusions. “Now that our enemy is wounded, I will lay him low!”
“Behemiel, wait! I want to give him a chance to stand down!” Moving so that she had an unobstructed view of Lex, Twilight held out a hoof toward him. “Lex, please, don’t force yourself to keep going! I know you want to help make Equestria better, but this isn’t the way!”
“This is exactly the way!” Goaded into responding despite knowing better, Lex sent a hate-filled glare at Twilight. “You and your fainéant mentors have allowed my homeland to fall into complacency, and your indolence is crying out for redress! I will NOT stop until I’ve undone the damage your neglect has allowed to happen!”
But rather than being intimidated by his defiance, Twilight seemed saddened by it. Stepping closer, she lowered her voice. “I know that something’s wrong with your magic,” she confessed, and had Lex not been bodiless he would have winced, hoping that no one could overhear her. “And I saw the vigil that everypony held for you last night while you were recovering. Look around.” She swept a hoof out to encompass the crowd watching them. “You already have everything you need to help everypony; you don’t need a crown to do more.”
“Don’t you dare lecture me about doing more!” hissed Lex, his eyes glowing brighter. Bad enough that she had figured out that he was without his magic. Bad enough that she was actually thought she had him so beaten that she could casually converse like this during their fight. But to have Twilight Sparkle – a pony who thought that idly giving lessons on reciprocal altruism made her fit to govern a nation of millions – talk down to him about responsibility was more than he could take! “YOU AND YOUR ILK HAVE ALL SQUANDERED THE POWER YOUR ROYAL STATUS AFFORDS YOU, AND SO NONE OF YOU DESERVE TO KEEP IT!” he roared, and this time the black crystals that sprouted around him were larger. “I AM THE ONLY ONE WITH THE VISION, THE STRENGTH, AND THE WILL TO GUIDE EQUESTRIA INTO THE FUTURE!”
“Spoken like a true despot!” snarled Behemiel. Throwing himself forward, the hound archon dove past the final portion of the spikes Lex had raised, coming up on his feet in one smooth motion as he brought his sword around. “I see now why Lady Sparkle is intent on defeating you! To do so is the responsibility that her office demands of her!”
Righteous indignation poured off of the archon in waves now, radiating from it so heavily that Lex – even as furious as he felt at that moment – couldn’t help but take note. More than just a display of emotion, the creature’s wrath all but rippled in the air, surrounding it with an aura that bordered on being palpable. It seemed to thicken the very space around him, and although Lex knew that couldn’t actually be the case, he could almost feel his incorporeal body growing heavy, dulling his reactions as Behemiel brought his sword down with a roar. The blade passed right between the green and purple eyes that were Lex’s only visible feature in that form, sending a brief shot of agony through him.
But rather than breaking his resolve, the renewed push only made Lex angrier.
Abandoning any semblance of caution, he pointed a shadowy tendril at Behemiel’s face, gesturing rapidly as he hissed a series of arcane words, his voice tight with controlled fury. This was the only attack spell he had left among thaumaturgical repertoire, one that he’d kept in reserve all this time because he’d considered it too deadly to use against another pony. And while he had no idea if the hound archon would simply shrug it off the way it had Twilight’s lightning bolt, it was a risk that he was now willing to take, even knowing that he’d likely be defeated if this didn’t work.
Except that didn’t seem likely, as Twilight – doubtlessly deciphering what spell he was casting, the same way he had for her summoning spell – suddenly screamed a warning, telling Behemiel to look out. Lex had the pleasure of seeing the hound archon’s face suddenly twist in alarm, watching as the creature started to shift its weight in an attempt to dodge. But it was too little, too late.
A half-second later, Lex’s spell was complete. For an instant he felt a measure of impedance, and he recognized it as the same spell resistance that Xiriel and the dragon he’d fought outside of Tall Tale had possessed, the externalization of the archon’s inner magical channels attempting to fight off the incoming magic. But it was nowhere near as strong as the belier devil’s had been, and even the dragon’s had been more substantial, making it no surprise when Lex’s spell punched through the feeble opposition and surrounded Behemiel a second later.
Instantly, the hound archon was frozen solid, his entire body encased in ice over a foot thick.
There was an Equestrian spell like this, Lex knew. He’d never seen it in action, but he’d heard about how it used the water in the air to create a block of ice around a target, immobilizing them. The spell he'd just used, however, was of Everglow origin, and was far more deadly. The ice it covered the target with was supernaturally cold, far more so than frozen water naturally was. The result was that it leeched heat out of the target’s body at an accelerated speed, and while – thanks to the orange prism circling him – the icy prison would remain for almost fifteen minutes, it would kill most creatures in a fraction of that time.
“BEHEMIEL!”
Twilight, it seemed, knew that too.
Rushing forward with a look of fear on her face, she stopped a short distance back from where her ally was frozen. Holding out a hoof that shook only a little, she quickly began to gesture, chanting as she did, and Lex recognized the dispelling spell she was casting, knowing that he wouldn’t be able to stop her before she finished it. If she succeeded in undoing his spell and freeing that creature…
Both ponies felt the clash of power as Twilight’s spell collided with his own. Although there was no visible manifestation to the contest, each of them could feel the interplay of magic, Twilight’s being strong enough that Lex felt certain she had to have enhanced her spell somehow, the same way Celestia and Luna had done when he’d fought them. But he’d cast his with the benefit of his floating gemstone, heightening the degree of refinement with which he’d unleashed his magic. This is going to be close, he knew.
And then, just like that, the struggle between their two spells was over.
“No!”
Yes!
The rush of exhilaration that Lex felt then wasn’t only due to his magic winning out over Twilight’s. It was also because, in her horror over being unable to save her ally, she’d taken another step forward.
Right into the area that he’d cursed at the start of their duel.
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Huh...so he can curse something else besides a living being. While it would undoubtedly fuel any potential propaganda about Lex being the second coming of Sombra, it is still within the rules of the duel, especially if Twilight had bent said rules earlier by bringing in Behemiel so she nor anyone else can cry foul on using his magic the way he did...at least not without looking like a fool.
Anyways, I'm looking forward to seeing what kind of curse he placed in the area. It could be anything from a debilitating weakness in the body to the suppression of magic(though this could be negated if she just leaves the area unless the curse latches onto her). Regardless of what it is, I wonder if it'd be enough since Twilight is geared up in magical equipment, some of which is meant to protect against such magic...well, unless it had supercharged the curse with more magic.
you know, I probably should have done this like a chapter ago
Hopefully, as a Summon, Behemeil will just be desummoned, with a major block on recall time due to restoration, instead of being locked permanently.. Unless thats what Twilight was trying to do, in desummoning, and the ice locked his form to this plane?
Paralysis and Confusion are the usual side effects, though even Dancing Lights is useful as a Distraction unless high levels get automatic Will save verses Illusions of Cantrip level?
Also,
SUMMONER FIGHT
10557264 As you noted, Lex's apparent ability to curse more than just individuals is reminiscent of how King Sombra cursed the entire Crystal Empire, which included its structures as well as its inhabitants, to disappear with him. The question now is exactly what Lex was doing with whatever curse he used. We know he sank additional power into it, but the specific effect he was going for remains unknown, though I suspect we'll find out sooner rather than later.
Of course, Twilight is prepared to resist whatever he tries, but as her inability to dispel his icy prison spell demonstrates, there's a good chance that she won't be able to. Of course, she did shrug off the minor curse he tried to use on her wings, so she might be able to do so again. At this point, there's no telling how the contest will end.
10557367
10557613 Cool soundtrack, though I feel like you've used that particular label before.
10557597 Twilight was attempting to dispel the icy prison spell around Behemiel before it reduced his hit points down to 0. As for whether that would kill him or just banish him back to his realm of origin is unclear (though I suspect those in the know regarding the Pathfinder rules about summoning will probably be able to come up with the answer).
10558769
Catfights don’t have anything to do with cats, so summoner fights don’t need to have anything to do with summoners
10558935 I get the feeling that Pinkie Pie would approve of your reasoning.