Atar snarled, his face a rictus of pain and ecstasy. He would tear this beast limb from limb, rendering its body into Avum chow with nothing more than his bare hands. Only two seconds, then he'd soak his Spiritual Immolation deep into his flesh, burning it for a boost in physical stats; Strength Ignition, his greatest trump Skill.
The beast bore down, only a dozen feet away now, and Atar shifted his Skill and pushed. The fire invaded his flesh, filling him to bursting as his physical stats skyrocketed beyond his limits. He felt invincible, untouchable. He rushed forward, tearing down two of the lesser creatures on his path toward the behemoth; he went through them like tissue paper. He came up short and braced himself, confident in stopping its rampage.
And that is when his Mana guttered out.
"No," eyes wide, the mage stared at his darkened hands. "No!" Weakness invaded Atar's flesh like a rot, withering his muscles and dropping him to the ground. The hulking monster didn't stop, it only bellowed out rage and an all consuming hunger from it's faceless maw.
Then, from nowhere the muscle-bound bumpkin hurtled into the behemoth, diverting its forward momentum just before it hit the mage. The earth shook as the hulk took several booming steps to catch itself, even as Felix crawled over and jumped aside.
A sudden glimmer of steel caught Atar's fading vision, the last flickers of firelight gleaming from her chain as it lassoed the beast about the neck. Blades dug into scaled flesh with a heavy shunk as the chain massively increased in weight, and Evie hauled on the line. Mere moments later, the crackle of azure lightning assaulted the monstrosity as well; Felix's strange magic grabbed hold if it, tipping the scales and sending it toppling the ground.
NO! THAT'S MY KILL! Rage beyond words tumbled through his mind, and something in his chest finally tore completely. Like a cheesecloth put to torch, whatever covered him was consumed in a flash of pain and power.
Atar's body suddenly surged with unspent potency as a chord within him reverberated uncontrollably; the mage's skin burst with scorching hot fire Mana until it flowed out from him like an insufferable cloak. The Ofrenok all around him evaporated into ash as this concentrated power splashed against them, until the area within three yards of him was completely clear of life. All he could hear was a resounding beat that shook his body, all he could feel was the crashing melody of a triumphant horn that shook his very bones.
But he could still see. The shirtless fool rushed toward him, intent on stopping Atar's glorious ascent.
No! The ever-dimming portion of himself cried out. You're burning yourself up! Wake up!
Wake up!
But he only dimmed further, until the world faded to black.
Felix rushed to Atar, lifted his body up and checked his pulse. He was surprisingly light.
"He's alive," Felix breathed. This close he could feel the residual heat of the Crown the mage once wore, and the ground itself is baked dry in a range of four yards. Moreover, Felix heard the fading remnant of the orchestral music from before...a denouement that settled into silence.
Felix looked up, but there was only silence from his party. He turned, finding Evie on her knees, eyes half closed as she was wracked by a similar distress. He called out to her, but she didn't respond. Then, as he watched, a wave of deep blue Mana poured from her body, crashing against the few remaining Ofrenok arrayed against her; distantly, he heard a frenetic drumming, a cymbal crash against a stormy sea made of a series of rising chords, pushing at the sky itself. It peaked, and fell.
The music...it's their Reveal? I'm hearing their Reveal?
The Ofrenok had all fallen, scorched into nothing or bashed against the rocky ground by relentless waves. Seeing both Evie and Atar down but breathing, Felix searched for the third. Some distance away, surrounded by the minced corpses of her enemies, Vessilia half knelt against the earth. Spear planted and body heaving, he saw the last moments of her own Reveal; near-invisible gusts spun around her, shearing through any corpse too close. The ground around her was a soaked field of offal and gore, her body covered in more of the green ichor.
Setting Atar down again, Felix moved closer to her in the hopes that she was likewise alright. Once within a few yards, he could make out a fading sound. However, before it vanished he perceived a cool clarity, a balm of trilling uptempo woodwinds. An allegro spring breeze, balanced between winter's cold edge and summer's promised warmth.
She didn't move, except to breath, eyes closed but somehow locked in place.
"The Reveals are complete."
Felix turned toward Magda, who had reappeared on the field after leaving them to fight. He was bone weary, and only mustered a frown.
"They're hurt. We need to leave before more monsters arrive," Felix's own Stamina was dangerously low, though he'd be fine given a few minutes rest.
Magda nodded, face serious but a certain pride showing through her eyes as she regarded the Tin Ranks. "They did well, all things considered," she turned to Felix. "As did you, Felix. I'm impressed you're still able to stand after your display."
Felix straightened, his body creaking and popping in protest. "I did what I could."
"And it was enough," Magda nodded and turned toward her sister and Atar. "Thank you."
Felix chewed his lip, considering the shield warrior as she walked away. Then he turned toward Vessilia and got his arm under her.
It was going to be a long walk back up those stairs.