(But there was a risk he'd go too far.)

There were no guardians protecting the tomb, only several small slivers of metal welded, it would seem, to the entrance of the cave. There was a tension in the air, and Sura felt a strange tingling in his spine..

Again, he calls upon his memories for this place.

There were no memories to conjure - not here.

Sura knew that he would have to enter the tomb for more success with the spell.

As he finished the conjuration, he felt another series of presences in his Realm.. three Gods, perhaps.

He called upon his scorpion allies to identify the presences as he moved towards them.

As Sura got closer to the intruders, the scorpions spoke to him, a little fearfully.

One comes wrapped in the sacred shell of the scarab, Lord.

Laktos.

Sura made his way towards them still. "Does he hope to defeat me here? At the source of my power?". He looked to the scorpion. "What do you know of Laktos?"

Nothing, Lord, said the scorpion, confused. The name has no meaning to I.
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:24, Fri 25 Dec 2009.

Sura then continue to walk until he could see them. He'd then ready a sand defense and observe them.

Balast appears here and looks around him reaching out will all his senses for Sura.

Sura

Sura watched, sand shaping around him, as he saw the three - two dark-robed, silver-bladed Cultists and the bug Laktos. Behind them - a newcomer. A fourth presence. A dark being, with broken eyes.. Sura saw Laktos turn to watch the visitor.

Balast

Balast senses three divines, a little less then a hundred meters in front of him - one cloaked in the battle-armour of the scarab, the two others wearing the dark robes of Osiris-Ra, silver blades in their hands.

As Balast appears, the scarab-clothed one turns and stares at him menacingly.

Sura saw that he was distracted by the newcomer and used his magic to incinerate Laktos' arms and legs.
This message was last edited by the player at 04:52, Tue 29 Dec 2009.

Balast looked hard at the three and a grim smile twisted his mask.

"I have come to seek entry into the ranks of the sand.  I am a god with aims similar to those of Osiris-Ra and I believe service to him will bring me great joy."

He slams one armoured fist across his chest in salute.

"Be gone, pathetic worm," spat Laktos towards Balast.

Sura felt a strange sense of familiarity as all of the heat within his body was ripped from him. He muttered a few words of power instinctively as his knees weakened and his head started to throb. Strange muttering filled the air..

There was a tension.

There was a single flicker, and Laktos screamed and screeched as he burst into flames, the scarab-armour running off him as if something much lighter, and the smells of burning flesh and chemicals filled the air. He waved his hand, rolled on the sands, and yelled his pain as he died.

The tension remained.

The tension released, and grey-green flames ripped throughout the two Cultists that had followed him. They cried out their similar screams as they died. The flames continued to grow, transmuting sand to glass, filling Desolace with smoke and ash.

Flames ripped through Balast, though he was lucky - while he still fell, uttering a silent scream, he knew that the wounds were only temporary. The flames would not take his life. His form - this form - was mangled, scarred, but he was not dead.

Sura panted heavily. He made his way towards the smoking wrecks. He was exhausted and felt strange but his smile spread wide across his face. He dropped his mirage that hid his true form, revealing the skeletal figure that once resembled a man. He examined Laktos' remains, looking for life as well as his possessions.

Balast props himself up on one arm and looks hard at Sura.

"Can I assume you had a reason for including me in that sand-god?"

Sura saw Laktos, boiled like a lobster within his own armour, Blade of the Sun at his side, but before he could continue he felt a huge wave of exhaustion crash over him - paradox. Sura collapsed, unable even to stand up, as the world spun once more.

Balast leavered himself upright and walked over to the collapsed god.

"Last time I checked my words didn't cause others to collapse.  Something in the corpse perhaps?"

He leant down and examined the corpse carefully being sure not to touch anything.

Overcome with the paradox Sura laid still for a moment. He took this moment, his victory. He pulls himself up the best he could and his attention went to the stranger. He did not speak however, he just stared at him.

At the first sign of movement on Sura's part Balast swung round, blade extended in a flat arc designed to connect hard with Sura's skull.  His other hand reached for Laktos's Blade of the Sun as he attempted to pick it up and prepare to use it in his next attack.

"I invented the concept of treachery fool, do not try to trick me by playing dead."

Reacting as fast as he could, Sura attempted a sand/dodge maneuver: The details being sand was flung upwards to absorb the blow as well as to get into Balasts eyes while Sura made some distance by rolling away.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:20, Fri 01 Jan 2010.

Balast felt his blade hit the rushing of sand, and it was thrown from his hand, unable to hit such force. Sura rolled, attempting as best he could, but was struck with a glancing blow upon the thing as the Balast struck him with the Blade of the Sun - a low blow.

Several meters apart from one another, coughs and huffs wracking their body, neither fighters were in a good position. Sura felt like he wanted to collapse. Balast felt the heat of the sun, the dryness of his mouth, the blistering, biting burns - he felt like he should be dead.

There was a rumbling beneath.

Quickly responding Sura encased himself in sand - making it as solid as possible: an ultimate defense.

Balast simply picked up Laktos's corpse, heaved it over one shoulder and disappeared through his own black portal.

Balast saw the God of the Desert drop to the sands and disappear within their dusty embrace. Before Balast could react, Sura was gone, the area about him empty.

As he staggered towards the corpse, he realized how thirsty he was, how hot the sun's stare was..

There is a rumbling beneath the ground, and it explodes below Balast, a giant thing of black armour, many legs, and vicious claws. Balast felt agony as the thing descended upon him, crushing against his many burns, and as he fell towards the sand he felt the stinging of its tail.

He heard the laughter of Sura.

Sura thought it best to remain in his defense.