[img=http://i.imgur.com/sGTUbek.png]

Sethan's vision, which had been swimming for a few moments, returned to him slowly. What... had just happened? He retraced his memories to try to piece together what had just gone wrong. Slamming into the wall, smashing through several bookshelves, hurtling through the air, being slammed with unholy force by one of the statues, and, ah, here it was, the statue repairing itself from his Proclamation. Sethan quickly devised a theory of why that particular spell had not worked, and he could only assume that Set's minions had some innate resistance to divine venom due to their creator's natural opposition to Apep. These constructs must have been formed a great deal of time ago, as Sethan did not think that Set had enough power in this age to create such powerful minions.

Idly aware of sounds of battle further into the library, Sethan pulled himself out of the pile of rubble that his landing had formed, rising to his feet like a marionette whose strings had just been lifted. He was a bit unsteady on his feet, but the statue's attack had not done any serious damage. To the dead king, at least, as his suit jacket was actually ruined. Sethan clicked his tongue in annoyance. Today of all days he had to wear his good Versace. Walking at a brisk pace to rejoin his companions, he discarded his shredded jacket and relocated the thankfully unharmed grimoire that he been tucked within to behind his back, in his waistband. There was no reason that he couldn't be battle-worn [i]and[/i] still look good, so he also removed his tie, unfastened the top few buttons of his shirt, and rolled up his sleeves to the elbows.

The battle seemed to be well enough at hand, as even Isis was lending a hand, or talon, to the effort. Wait, what had she just said about guardians. Turning around to see the library's defenses emerge, Sethan nearly jumped out of his skin. At the rate that they were emerging, they would be upon him very soon. He was a hardy creature, but being torn limb from limb would still predominantly immobilize him at best. He had to think of something and fast. What kept insects at bay? Pesticides, of course.

Calling once again upon the the most potent of toxins, breathed by the Lord of Serpents and his kin, Sethan Proclaimed. Though now, he did not draw upon the Pillar of Ren, the Name, as he had before. This new Proclamation was instead focused by Sheut, the Shadow. Behind Sethan a great cloak of darkness descended like a robe of impossible length. It thickened and filled a great space behind Sethan as he walked, staying always exactly a pace behind him. It was now clear that he was sowing a miasma of impermeable darkness, which the guardians close behind him were all too eager to surge into. However, this was not merely a poisonous cloud that trailed behind Sethan. Mysterious un-things existed within it, undetectable and unknowable. They struck with otherworldly force upon all that which would do harm upon he whom summoned them. The vicious guardians were torn from this world into the twilight between life and death by these apocryphal shades, granting the God-King a margin of safety from the rapidly-enclosing horde.

However, this did not come without a great deal of effort. Sethan's expression contorted in concentration as he hurried along to the gateway. If he could sweat, it would likely be running down his face in great rivulets. The statues were essentially taken care of, it was only the tide of scarabs that had to be escaped at this point. Sethan was content to bring up the rear, keeping the guardians at bay and buying time, but there was a limit to how long he could keep up this draining Proclamation.

"Hurry now!" He grunted out. "Stay ahead of me and keep moving!"