[center][@Zool][@Calle][@Saiyan][@Teyao][@Crusader Lord][@Zapdos][@Eviledd1984][/center]


[i]Willpower.  Cunning.  She looked right in my eyes.  Even as her blood flowed around my blade.  As if she had me right where she wanted me.  Lightning.  The only thing that such a bunch of weaklings could've had that'd do any significant damage.  Perhaps I should've scouted.

And now stands before me the male version of her.

Willpower. Cunning.  Almost killed himself to save her from being finished off.  Lightning hurt him far more than it hurt me.  And now he looks into my eyes.  As if he has me right where he wants me.  My own weapon.  The only thing such a weakling could have that'd do any significant damage.

Just where did these fools come from?  Did even the ants have fighting spirit there?[/i]

Zigmund assessed Zell's stance, seeing no obvious weakness in it.  As a martial artist and swordfighter, the finer details of foot and hand placements were not lost on him.  A few wisps of smoke rose from his shoulders - the only sign that Lillianna's lightning had done any lasting damage.  It had though.  Especially around his forearm and fist where his water-blade had once been.  He delayed his next action for a moment as he thought about what the Cleric was shouting.

[quote=Weakling No.6]
[color=6ecff6]"Fenna! Tell your bird to take the cube and go to Valhiem! If this guy wants it so much he will have to learn to fucking fly!"[/color]

[color=6ecff6]"Adam restrain him! Mac arrows! Don't let him move freely! Everyone else gang up on this asshole!"[/color]
[/quote]

He couldn't let that blasted bird take the cube, under any circumstance.

And then one of the adventurers gave him an opening.

Clive, already hurt and injured, made a valiant effort to attack Zigmund.  Weaponless, but good with his fists, he ran up from behind the elemental ninja and threw a punch.  Zigmund heard the footsteps and dodged easily, slipping his own arm under the punch and getting Clive in a sleeper-hold.  Clive choked as he clawed at the metal arm now under his chin.

And then with all his might, Zigmund squeezed and then jerked his arms to the sound of a loud crack.  He broke Clive's neck.  The man died instantly.

Anticipating the shock he would instil in the rest of them, Zigmund threw the lifeless body of Clive at Zell, then rushed at him.  With one hand he grabbed his sword, with the other hand he launched a powerful punch that connected with the Englishman's chin and sent him flying.

Without delay, Zigmund stepped toward James and threw a spinning back-kick, that too connected to the head and knocked the Cleric away from Lillianna.  Then he reached down for the Lightning mage's satchel and took the prize he'd come for.  His primary objective had been completed.  Now all that was left was to kill everyone.  And with how much they'd hurt his ego, managing to annoy and obstruct him every step of the way... he would enjoy this.

His sword in one hand.  Control core in the other.  A smile hidden by his visor.  He raised a foot over Lillianna's face, about to crush her skull before being interrupted.

"What?" Adam's giant plant roots attacked and he stepped backward, away from Lillianna, in surprise.  He slashed one, cutting it easily.  "You think these little plants can restrain [i]me[/i]?"  Then made the mistake of deciding to duel-wield.  He magically formed his water-blade once more, so that he could make quick work of the constricting roots.  As soon as he did, he spun into a duel wield attack and while his physical enchanted sword went through a root like a hot knife through butter... "Ahhh!"

His aqua-blade dissipated instantly, molecule by molecule quickly absorbed into the plant root and he dropped the Control core.  The water-blade was not just a weapon, but his lifeforce too.  Such an unexpected, unforeseeable situation that stunned and angered the elemental ninja.  Again, he was left with a painful understanding of why Her Majesty wanted these adventurers from another world dead.

[Center][i][b]"ROOOOOAAARRRRR!!!"[/b][/i]

[img]https://static.wixstatic.com/media/13b25e_6416e2ce7f5847fba43b8a81a007c01f~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_640,h_810,al_c,q_90,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/13b25e_6416e2ce7f5847fba43b8a81a007c01f~mv2.png[/img][/center]

Homing in on Lillianna's scream, the true apex predator of The Mazy Hillocks had finally arrived.  Those who had lived to tell the tale of him, called him [i]Aurok the Maneater[/i].  A giant monstrous centaur, even Joji did not measure tall enough to reach his waist.

He came galloping in from the northeast passage, easily climbing and jumping over where the cliffsides became to narrow for his giant form.

[center][@Zool][@Calle][@Saiyan][@Teyao][@Crusader Lord][@Zapdos][@Eviledd1984][/center]

[b]If no one moved the incapacitated Lillianna, then Aurok's charge would trample her to death.[/b]  Either way he forced Zigmund to give way, the ninja diving aside as Aurok took center stage, unwittingly stood over the cube as he asserted his dominance.  [b]Aurok the Maneater lashed out at Joji and Fenna, swiping at one with one clawed hand and aiming to hammer-fist the other into dust with his other.[/b]

Zigmund realised he was too hurt and too low on magical reserves to deal with all of them.  He needed to reacquire the cube and then retreat so he might recharge and heal.  But MacKensie, nearby, was open to attack and with his sword, he was confident he could her take out.  That would at least be one less adventurer to deal with, at a later time.

[b]Zigmund dashed towards MacKensie and attacked with a powerful sword strike, so swift that she wouldn't be able to dodge.[/b]