An old house in the nicer part of town.

Andy and Ozzy appeared on the front lawn of the house. "This is your show Ozzy, how do you want to handle it?"

Ozzy replied, "Basically, I figure you're the real threat here. I can't really do anything to him that he can't get back up from. So, essentially, I distract him, then you 'poof' in behind him and do your thing. I figure if you just charge in with me, odds are he might try to banish you or something so as to cut me off from support, at least for a little while. Even if Vic can summon you back from Hell, you'd still be out of the fight for a bit, which would be bad."

Andy nodded. "Alright you go in I'll hang back and then pop in at the first available opportunity.

Ozzy nodded, before he started scanning the house, and the door. Just because he figured there was a trap didn't mean he had to blindly walk into it, after all. That, and he wanted to make sure LeCarde was actually in there. Wouldn't do to go kicking down the door of an innocent suburban family, now would it?

Ozzy senses Lecarde waiting inside.

Ozzy brought up a force-shield on his left arm and charged at the door, using the armor's added mass to turn himself into a sort of human battering ram. If he was going to be a proper distraction, he'd have to make a good show of it, after all.

As Ozzy came barreling in Ozzy saw Lecarde standing in the middle of the parlor both hands in his suit jacket pockets. "Nice entrance." And with that he took his left hand out of his pocket revealing a wicked looking claw with a sigil on the palm. A demons claw. He held out the claw and the sigil began glowing and before Ozzy could react the two of them disappeared.

Ozzy now finds himself in a giant replica of the coliseum made from pure obsidian. Ozzy could feel the familiar crushing despair of hell bearing down on him.

Darius stood a good distance from Ozzy dressed now in black armor. "Did you think me a fool? Did you really think I wouldn't sense your demon friend? Did you think I wouldn't have a plan? Did you think I wouldn't anticipate you bringing in back up. You humiliated me twice not through skill or power but through trickery and guile but I have emptied your bag of tricks. Your allies are not here. Its just you. And me."

Ozzy looked around, a bit surprised at the fact that LeCarde had 'ported them elsewhere.

"A Coliseum in Hell, huh? Nice. All I saw last time I was here was nature-y stuff. I didn't know there was something like this. I guess Dante was right. Well, when in Dis..." he said before forming a runesword in his right hand, lifting it high.

"We who are about to kick ass salute you! I dunno about that other guy, though. He's about to get owned, he might want to go have a cry first," he called to whatever crowd may have been present with a smirk.

There is a single watcher in the emperors seat but all Ozzy can make out is a patch of darkness with bright yellow eyes. Laughter emanates from it.

Darius smiled. "I'm going to enjoy squeezing the life out of you. THicker armor I see, but a snail can still be cooked within its shell." ANd with that he thrust forward with his demonic claw and a gout of flame went straight at Ozzy.

Ozzy chuckled and brought his shield up, the flames dispersing on the magical forcefield.

"Bitch, please, I've kicked the ass of better than you. I've danced with Cao Yin, the right hand of Konnish, and all his Thriller-style horde. Not to mention Konnish himself. You're nothing but a low-class, no-talent hack who has to go sucking off demon lords to get any kind of magical power. How much demonic spooge did you have to guzzle down for this little parlor trick, huh?" he taunted, as he increased the size and power of the shield.

 "Boy you know nothing of true power. I have fought and survived YOUR betters. I have fought Maester the first to possess that tome you found in hundreds of years. The Secret Defenders combined could not kill me, you don't stand a chance.'" As Ozzy was shielding against the flames in front of him a spectral claw came up from behind to Grab you.

"Survived, not *beat*. There's a difference there, idiot. If you'd actually won, we wouldn't be having this discussion, I believe. Unlike you, I haven't just survived, I've thrived, I've grown, and I've made friends. You? You're nothing but a leech, a jerkwad that has to settle for attacking my girlfriend because you know you can't handle *me*," he said. He felt something magical coming up from behind him, and so he leaped to the side, letting his shield fall as he did. Unfortunately, he didn't move quite as fast in this armor as he did his old stuff, and his right leg got singed, the armor turning black for a moment and the flesh burning underneath.

"Ungh!! Hnn. Eh, I was born with worse..." he said as he got back to his feet, the armor re-forming over his injured foot.

"Says the one who's yet to go on the offensive." Lecarde vanished only to appear behind Ozzy and launch a blast of lighting from his claw.

By the time LeCarde popped in behind him, Ozzy had another shield up, and used it to deflect the lightning bolt. He then dropped low, kicking at LeCarde in an effort to take the other mage's feet out from under him as he replied, "Just figured I'd let you show off your new tricks first. I wasn't gonna have you eat all that demon-wang for nothing. And what is it with you and getting behind me, anyway? *SO* predictable. You trying to do a little pitching instead of catching for once? I hate to disappoint, but A) I'm not into that, and B) I'm taken, if you hadn't noticed. Sorry if I got your hopes up!"

  Up in the seating, out of sight of the two combatants, another form entered the Coliseum.  Sheathed in darkness, but with lambent purple flame eyes, he watched the battle, waiting for the right moment.

Ozzy leaps over Ozzy's kick while he lifted both hands over his head a demonic broadsword appearing in his hands and brought it down towards Ozzy. "Really? Gay jokes? Have some class please."
This message was last edited by the player at 20:27, Wed 25 Apr 2012.

Ozzy chuckled and said, "Classy jokes are reserved for people I actually like. You? You get the bad stuff. Of course, it could be worse."

He stayed crouched down, using the low stance to brace himself and better absorb the impact as he blocked the blade with his shield. In his other hand, he formed a gladius, which he then thrust towards LeCarde's side, saying, "You know, this is actually sword of fun!"

Lecarde spun out of the way of the gladius It only hit him with a glacing blow but you get through the cracks in his armor enough to make him bleed.. "Your going to have to do better than that" HE said as he  He swept low with the blade aiming to hamstring Ozzy in his not already injured foot.

Ozzy blocked the blow with his gladius and grinned as the blade started to elongate and wrap itself around Darius' sword, hopefully trapping it.

"Lemme axe you something, Darius. When will you learn that it's not wise to face me up close?" he asked, before his shield disappeared and he formed a battleaxe in his now free hand, and he summarily brought it down towards Darius' shoulder in an overhand chop.

Darius grunted as the axe sunk into his right shoulder as he raised his claw and fired a blast of lightingin at Ozzy before teleporting to the other side of the arena.

Ozzy's eyes widened as LeCarde blasted him point blank, the shock sending him flying back a few feet before he hit the ground. Ozzy quickly started to pick himself back up, though. He had to keep the pressure on. He had to give Andy an opportunity!

"Heh. That all the juice you got, LeCarde? You'd have been better off buying a tazer. What's up with that demon claw, anyway? Just another little perk you've gotten from your master?" he asked as he brought his shield back up, both weapons re-absorbing into the armor.

  Andy blipped, and in full Demonform, he appeared behind LeCarde, his left hand punching forward, razored talons sinking into the back of LeCarde, cutting through his scapula and ribs like they were tissue paper.  Then he gripped something, and ripped, the still-beating heart coming out with his now scarlet-painted hand, and he leaped backwards, and following the killer instinct that a decade in Hell had taught him, he bit savagely into it.  Preventing regeneration.

Darius Lecarde screamed as his heart was ripped from his body and at the exact second his heart leaves his body his soul leaves it as well flying into darkness of the waiting demon which chuckles.

"Quite Impressive, your a skilled mage, perhaps I could interest you, in a bargain?" said a voice directly behind and to the left of Ozzy. When he turned he'd see an older gentlemanly type sharply dressed in a black suit both hands on a cane remarkably similar to the one Lecarde had before he destroyed it.

"Thanks, but no thanks. I'm friends with one demon already, don't think I really have room for another one in my life," said Ozzy, smiling beneath the helmet.

"So I'm guessing you're LeCarde's benefactor?"

The old man smiled." Are you certain? There are many things I could offer you, wealth, power, fame, even your hearts desire. Tell me how would you like your father to accept you as a son again? Or for your girlfriends parents to welcome you with open arms? She wouldn't have to live on the street then, and wouldn't it be nice to have your father be proud of you again?"

"Y... yeah. That would be kinda nice," admitted Ozzy, before he continued, "But, really? My dad and his irrational fear of paras can go hug a cactus. And I'm not going to let Clarissa live on the streets, HELLS no. I've got a job, I can afford an apartment. None of what you're offering me is really worth what I'm sure you'd want me to pay for it."

THe man smiled. "Very well, perhaps I'll see you again someday..." And with a wave of his hand Painter and Gargoyle were back in the living room of the house they started in.

Ozzy blinked in confusion as they were 'ported again, and looked around.

"Huh. Well, that last bit went better than I was expecting. I guess it's in 'Da Rules' or something that he can't force me into a deal?" said Ozzy.

  Andy nodded, having finished what he was up to, and he said quietly "Free Will.  As a human, you have it, and it is the penultimate power.  You can choose to be Damned or saved, but it has to BE a choice.  Forcing you won't work.  Tempting a human into it for their own reasons, be it vice or virtue, is the only way.  Be it by promising to do something they cannot, or by promising them something they want."

Ozzy nodded and smiled as he retracted the armor.

"Awesome. Well, hey, I'm just glad he was nice enough to not blow me to smithereens for saying no. Is that in the rules, too? Or was that just him being all 'I can tempt you more later, and you're valuable enough to make me want to wait, 'cause I have all Eternity and stuff?'?" he asked.

  Andy half smiled, and said "More the latter, unfortunately.  See, you're fair game to be Tempted any time.  But you, in particular, have proven to that particular demon that you'd be a worthy and useful thrall or Shade.  So he wants a hold on you.  He'll keep trying to find SOMETHING he can do for you, and the bargain is always the same.  The price is your soul, no matter how small or insignificant the service that Demon does for you.  If you Bargain."

Ozzy scratched his chin pensively, "Hmm. So should I be more worried or flattered? Who *was* that, anyway?"

He then winced and picked his burned foot up off of the floor, as he just realized he was standing on it.

"Owowowowowow! Damn! My foot! Can we go now? This is *really* starting to hurt now that the adrenaline rush is fading!"

  Andy nodded, and scooped him up in his arms, and blinked them to Megaira's place.

------------>> Meg's place (Derring Condos)

Suddenly Lecardes mangled body appeared next to a middle aged man in a black trenchcoat. The man pulled out a cell phone. "Excuse me 911 I...I just found a body, no he can't be alive he doesn't have a heart. The address is __________" He smiled as he looked around the house. "Where it began it also ended, how fitting."