The Eye of Terror: The Labyrinthine Depths of Chaos (Part II)

[Cameron]

Cameron remains at the barrier that was created by Peterson even as Soul Reaver arrives through the Warp Gate. His mind is torn in two places at once. Obviously, he must find out what is wrong with his long-time companion. But Kalana and the other elementals were on the other side of this barrier dealing with Peterson. And Peterson was powerful. Powerful enough to apparently invade Cameron's mind without him even knowing it.

Cameron is finally pulled away from his thoughts when Soul Reaver speaks. He turns towards the area where the warp gate appeared as Soul Reaver's voice echoes through the large empty chamber.

"They took her, and you let them."

Something is wrong. It is Soul Reaver who is speaking, but it is not just his voice that Cameron is hearing. Something else is there too. Something that could only be Blooddrinker.

"This is bad. Who is he talking about?"

Cameron doesn't have much time to think on this as Soul Reaver attacks, first Gulgrim, and then Jharm. Cameron takes stock of the other companions still back with him. Jorumn has vanished for the moment, but Kitharsis and Sepher are still at his side. He hears Fei's mental message loud and clear and passes the information on to the others.

"Okay. Let's deal with this, but try not to kill him. I'll take the center. Sepher, you go left. Kitharsis, swing right. We'll try and flank him."

Cameron doesn't wait for a reply. He launches into the air, closing the large gap between himself and the fight as quickly as possible. As he approaches, he sees fire starting to rain from the skies.

"Excellent."

As the fire rains down over the companions, it doesn't actually seem to hurt them. Instead, it swirls around them, creating a barrier of shimmering flames around each of them. Anyone attacking them in melee at this point would have to attack through the flames.

And as Soul Reaver launches Jharm away from him, Cameron arrives. Seeing an absolute torrent of gunfire coming from the direction of Gulgrim, Cameron deftly positions himself so that Soul Reaver is between him and the Ork. He then raises both hands above his head and brings them down in a axe-handle swing at Soul Reaver's face. Fire and lightning form around his hands as he completes the swing. Should this connect, the attack will not only burn and electrocute Soul Reaver, but also send him flying uncontrollably into Gulgrim's onslaught.

[Soul Reaver]

Soul Reaver snarls as Jharm hurls an orb of light upwards at the clouds.  He could tell already what the seraphim was trying to do.  He countered lightning fast, hurling a small, speedy missile of darkness from his palm.  Its trajectory perfectly intercepted the seraphim's spell, and upon impact it seemed to spatter over it like ink.  Both energies annihilated each other, leaving the rain of fire untouched.

Down on the ground, Gulgrim had called upon his Waagh! to manifest a mighty battle suit.  Bristling with guns and cannons, he unleashed a roaring torrent of bullets, beams and missiles at Soul Reaver.  The initial barrage hit like a freight train - while the typically poor orkish marksmanship led to a lot of the gunfire going wide, there was so much of it that it was assured some of it would hit.  The flesh on Soul Reaver's bare torso is scorched by dazzling beams of light and blasted away in parts by explosive shells as the air around him fills with smoke.  The kinetic impact sends him tumbling through the air for a moment, sending out a spray of dark, boiling blood.

But Soul Reaver is quick to respond.  He breaks his tumble, and then Blooddrinker begins to flashing through the air at blinding speeds.  A mass of sparks streams from the blade as a rain of bullets - all cut clean in two - begin to fall from the skies behind Soul Reaver.  Beams seem to be absorbed into the blade itself, the metal somehow swallowing them whole.  While some blasts still get through, they are mostly glancing blows.

Yet something is wrong.  The rain of fire begins to act strangely, the daemon-born flames spattering of what looks like an invisible barrier, flowing over it and forming a flaming shield.

There could be only one explanation.  The realization comes just in time.

Soul Reaver whips his head around to see Cameron bearing down on him, his upraised fists crackling with arcs of lightning and suffused with a roaring flame.  Soul Reaver does not have time to dodge, but he blocks the blow with his Black Steel Gauntlet.  The lightning dissipates harmlessly over the enchanted metal, but the flame erupts in a violent explosion that scorches his arm and sends Soul Reaver straight at Gulgrim.

Had it connected directly, Soul Reaver might have been stunned long enough for him to drop his guard, but that was not the case.  Instead, Soul Reaver uses the momentum to his advantage.  He immediately dives straight downward so quick that both Gulgrim and Cameron will have trouble adjusting to his sudden move.  With him no longer between them, Cameron was now directly in Gulgrim's line of fire.

But he did not simply plummet to earth.  Fallling, he picked up speed, then close to the ground, spreads his wings wide and streaks toward the heavily-armoured Gulgrim, surrounded by a flickering sphere of fire.  Soul Reaver knew that Cameron could control the flames, but he did not control the spell itself.  With a gesture and a pulse of black mana, he re-wove the threads of his spell to deal with this new development.

The flames hiss away, transforming instead into thick drops of corrupting, acidic black ichor - including those flames that surrounded the companions.  Transformed into something that Cameron held no sway over, these spheres of ichor would now drop and drench the companions that they had previously surrounded.

Soul Reaver streaks toward the nearest target: Gulgrim.  He is still gesturing, weaving another spell.  Bullets from Gulgrim's cannons still blast at Soul Reaver, and even Blooddrinker cannot stop them all, but it doesn't seem to slow him down.  When he arrives at point blank range, he sweeps both himself and his blade upward, intending to cleave through the cannons on one side of Gulgrims armour with his mighty blade.  For a moment, he is suspended in the air just over Gulgrim, his wings spread, and he completes his Terror spell.

A blanket of unnatural fear falls over Gulgrim, and suddenly he is no longer alone.  Lesser Daemons of Inferno - the Nightmares - begin to rise from the ground around him.  Somehow, they manifest themselves from the very ground itself, as though they had always been there, waiting.  Their own fields of fear and illusion reinforce the effect of Soul Reaver's spell as obsidian talons reach to tear Gulgrim's armour to pieces.

Soul Reaver's mouth opens into a grin, his eyes blazing red, and Gulgrim can see a mass of bullets clenched between his fangs.  Soul Reaver bites down on them and they explode, leaving the grinning visage of Soul Reaver unharmed.

[Shadow Chorus]

Gulgrim's fire was inaccurate, but effective. As Soul Reaver fell toward the ground Gulgrim tracked him, leaving allies in his line of fire for only a moment if they crossed his path, though such a moment might be dangerous with the sheer volume of fire. But Gulgrim can see the warrior approaching him, blade cutting down his fire and closing fast for the fight. Hell breaks loose around Gulgrim, terror attempts to gnaw at his mind, daemons appear around him, and Soul Reaver's sword lunges in for his armor. All of this was intended to demoralize or disable Gulgrim, but the red haze closing in on the corners of the Ork's vision meant only one thing.

The ork was angry.

Gulgrim was the epitome of what it was to be an Ork. That meant never running in the face of a fight, never knowing fear, never backing down, and most of all, never, EVER, losing. Soul Reaver's terror spell was like throwing oil into a fire; it only heightened his anger and battle rage. And in the midst of a battle against an enemy that no-one could have ever expected Gulgrim to defeat, he did what would have been unthinkable.

He met the attack head on.

Gulgrim's right arm shot out like a bear trap, reaching out to latch on to Soul Reaver's sword arm. Should the scissor blades of his Power Klaw make contact, Green lightning would Arc from Gulgrim to Soul Reaver, teasing, tasting, attempting to steal the Energy the immortal held in his body and blade. He'd had a taste of that power when Soul Reaver's blade had sliced his chest, and when his spell had thrust him aside, and now he was prepared to try and use it against him. Should he be unable to catch the Immortal's arm, he would continue past, aiming to clamp his Power klaw around his waist if he could not have his wrist.

He was heedless to danger, refusing to even acknowledge the hellscape around him, or the blade aiming to dig through his armor, so long as it meant he could get his vice-grip on the immortal. He would squeeze the Immortal's body with his Power Klaw and take his energy, or he would face him down as the blade bit into his armor.

'if we win we win, if we die we die fightin, so we still win.' the old adage went. And Gulgrim would never let those Orkish words down.

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Gulgrim's guns opened fire at point blank range, blasting away even should Soul Reaver's blade cut through most of them. He would never stop fighting until he had won or he had died. That was his way.

[Soul Reaver]

Blooddrinker spits and crackles as it slices upwards through Gulgrim's armour, chopping a number of its blazing guns from its bulk.

Apparently however the Ork was literally immune to fear, for neither the spell nor the presence of the Nightmares had any adverse affect on the Ork's determination.  His power klaw sweeps forward and closes on Soul Reaver's right wrist, holding it in a vice-like grip.

Green lightning crackles over Soul Reaver, trying to draw power from him.  The daemonic energies seem reluctant to part with their host, but even then, Soul Reaver's limbs seem to grow heavier with the drain being enacted upon him.  And then Gulgrim opens fire at point blank range with his remaining guns.

Blood sprays from Soul Reaver's left side as multiple blasts impact upon him at once, knocking him to the side.

But then there is a creaking sound from the power klaw.  Hissing, acrid clouds rise from its machinery, the black ichor having steadily eaten away at it.  Several guns suddenly go silent as one of the Nightmares, crawling over Gulgrim's back, rips several bullet feeders apart.

Soul Reaver holds out a bloodied left arm, and with a metallic clang, he switches his hold on the sword from his right hand - to his left.

The weapon streaks down and severs what remains of the Power Klaw's arm.

And then Soul Reaver is upon Gulgrim with a combination of millennia of combat experience and utter daemonic savagery, the blade seeking to cleave the greenskin in half.

[Veldanya Venalla]

The Seraphim watches as the orb of light is neutralized.  Then Cameron finally arrives and nullifies the rain of fire, turning it into shields of flame around the Companions.  While Camerons actions have ended the magical aerial assault....the holy warrior could still sense the evil of the "original" spell around him and it displeased him greatly, and quite frankly he held little trust in such evil being turned to "good".  A shield of light appears around the Seraphim once again, almost as if to simply offer a barrier against the distrustful magic.  Then he hears what could only be described as an explosion of utter chaos.  A literal rain of bullets, lasers, and other armaments come screaming up from below, all racing towards their target....Soul Reaver.  Quickly glancing below he sees that the Ork has managed to create something that could only be described as something created by a psychotic welder with a penchant for firearms.  It is quite obvious that the Ork is furious and has pretty much abandoned any sensible thinking.

Then, as if to further prove his distrust of anything dark or evil, the firey shield around the Seraphim suddenly twists and becomes a black oily ichor.  The fluid splashes against the gleaming shield, the two opposing forces destroying each other.  It would seem though that the possessed knight has been....distracted by the Orks enfilade of gratuitous shellfire as the knight soars downward to attack Gulgrim.

So be it....you don't want to face the Light directly?  Her blessings shall still be before you at every turn then.

The Seraphim raises his hands towards the sky and heavenly chanting can be heard, the voices emanating seemingly from everywhere at once.  All of the companions begin to glow a pale white glow as the blessing washes over them.  Each can feel their muscles growing and bulging, and at the same time any wounds begin to seal up and their energy slowly returns to them.  Jharm then gazes up at the sky, now clear of the twisted black clouds as a though runs through his head.  The chanting fades away as he focuses the power of the Light within him.  A moment later a beam launches from his body and up into the sky.  A moment later meteors composed of Light begin to fall from the sky.  Screaming downwards, any near Soul Reavers vicinity seem to home in on the knight whereas any that lands near the Companions further aid them as shields of light manifest around them.   Seeing his prayer complete, Jharm hefts his hammer in both hands and gazes down upon Soul Reaver, fully expecting some form of retaliation for his actions.

[Shadow Chorus]

Most of his guns shut down, his Right arm weakened and then severed, spraying oil and sparks as his Cybork right arm is severed at the wrist, and a new attack aiming for Gulgrim, all the Ork does is smile. The power he had drained would bring him back into the fight, even without his arm. His chest puffed, and he let out a massive bellowing "WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!", putting some of the energy he had taken behind it, creating a sonic burst around him that would push away anything not nailed to the ground, granting him some space between himself and Soul Reaver, splattering the Ichor away from him, and tossing the Nightmares aside.

In the moment he had to recover, his tactical side made a few adjustments to his raging battle-plan. As he noted a strange angelic shield forming around him, His Cybork third arm reached down and applied a replacement weapon to his missing right hand, a new Power Klaw, smaller than the one originally attached to his Mega Armour, but still dangerous. Then the third arm proceeded to produce his Kutlass and set to defending himself from the nightmares with heavy slashes as they approached, leaving the rest of Gulgrim to contend with Soul Reaver himself.

Gulgrim set forward in a slow, methodical stomp toward the Immortal, raising his left arm and opening fire with what guns remained on his body. His Cybork Eye emitted a precision laser beam, aimed at the exposed flesh of Soul Reaver's sword arm, aiming to disable or detach the arm that currently held his weapon. And with his new Power Klaw he would attempt to smash and grab at the Immortal. If he managed to get another grip on Soul Reaver, he would attempt to drain energy again, but that would be secondary to his primary goal, which was now to crush the immortal into submission. He would aim to smash his closed fist into arms, shoulders, sides, and get a grip anywhere on Soul Reaver's central body--Head, neck, shoulders, torso--, where he could compress his Power Klaw as tightly as possible.

There were no more words from the Warboss, only killing intent. If he was successful in this, he would attempt to crush Soul Reaver until he was a lifeless pile in his hands or until one of his allies made him stop. His approach was methodical and unceasing. There was no fear, no hesitation. Gulgrim was in to win or die. And he would keep pressing until one of those objectives had come to pass. His replenished psychic field raged around him like a killer shadow, almost mimicking the effects of Soul Reaver's terror spell, only with no aim. To any who looked upon him, Gulgrim seemed to grow larger, a dark shadow cast upon him as he steadily approached, the image of Green death on a slow march toward the Immortal, guns blaring and Klaw snapping.

Perhaps this was some lingering effect of draining WAAAGH! Energy from a demon, or perhaps Gulgrim had finally become so enraged that his pyschic field was manifesting that rage in its terrible, baleful true form. But this was a rage that not even the Demons of the warp could fathom. Beings of emotion had only the soul to put forth, while Gulgrim was a juggernaut of battle lust, body, mind, and soul. The combined rage and fury of the entire Orkish race flowed through and around him, a veritable whirlwhind of psychic energy that only seemed to grow larger as he fed off the battle, his renewed psychic stores refreshing themselves even further as his battle adaptation set to work.

The longer this fight went on, the more dangerous Gulgrim threatened to become, feeding off the rage of the battle even as he lost limbs and flesh and armor. His psychic field, now that he had given it the boost it needed, was only growing stronger now.

[Kitharsis]

Kitharsis is relieved to see the other half of the Companions. Greetings are cut short, however, as a warp explosion sunders in the distance. Jharm, Gulgrim and Fei rush ahead in a purposeful race of speed. The speed rune on Kitharsis's shoulder itches, enticing him to join in the competition. On another day he may have done so, but the uncertainty of what lies in wait on the other side of the gate persuades him otherwise.

Peterson closes off the Elementals and himself inside a barrier. Kitharsis waits to see if Cameron is able to break it, but it proves impassable. The Elementals are a force to be reckoned with. Hopefully they are stout enough to deal with whatever Peterson has in store for them.

Soul Reaver! His presence is palpably dark.

Kitharsis spits in disgust. Soul Reaver has given in to the darkness he wields. The dark energy roaming his own body seems to relish the thought. A firm push of willpower corrects the outburst.

The Tirthandara sets his resolve for the sorrowful task before him, the beating and battering of a once esteemed companion. He takes a steady pace as he approaches the ongoing melee. Time, in his eyes, seems to slow as he focuses on the movements of Soul Reaver and his allies. Each surge of energy, each burst of magic, the physical and supernatural forces clashing against each other, all are absorbed by his heightened senses.

The vaulted ceiling of the warehouse rains fire from black clouds. He thoughtlessly avoids each plume of flame as they hit the floor beside him. Their glowing embers pass by him like the lazily falling snow of a winters squall. When the flames kick up and circle around him at Cameron's call he gives the slightest nod of thanks. And when the flames turn sinister once again and wash his body with acid he does not bat an eye. His thick, stony skin sizzles as the destructive liquid runs across, but it does not yield.

Jharm's prayer is a boon for one such as Kitharsis. In his eyes, the orbs fall as slowly as the flames. Each dose of light that falls near him is taken full advantage of. Not only do they shield his body, but they also quite profoundly cleanse large portions of dark Tirthandaran energy inside him.

As Gulgrim and Soul Reaver attempt to disembowel each other, Kitharsis approaches in the same steady pace. He stops dangerously close to the Ork and the immortal. The force of their blows send shockwaves over him, jostling the many pouches on his belt and blowing his mohawk back and forth.

"I mourn for you, Soul Reaver. I respected you to the utmost. But as you are now I fear I may never again speak to the warrior of justice I once knew. I mourn for the time lost." A snarl rumbles from Kitharsis's chest as every tattoo on his body ignites.

"I mourn for the time wasted dealing with the demons that you have yielded your sanity to!" He shouts as he springs forward, his boots leaving deep craters in the floor.

Kitharsis's tattoos are alight. The snaking tattoos on his arms are curving forward half a meter in front of him, and the diamond on the back of his right hand extends into a blunt club. He charges toward Soul Reaver's flank. His words were a courtesy to his former ally, but the courtesy stops there. He swings fiercely with the bright crimson club, timing his attack with Gulgrim's. He aims to beat some sense into Soul Reaver, in any way possible.

[Soul Reaver]

Soul Reaver is jolted backwards by Gulgrim's energy blast and he is spattered with black ichor, while the Nightmares are thrown several meters away - though they land with surprising lightness back upon their feet.  However, they turn their faceless heads upward as comets of holy light begin to descend from the skies.

The momentary distance, however, was going to be of use to Soul Reaver.  With enemies and danger on all sides, a protective measures would need to be taken.  A harsh gesture causes a dark barrier of sorcery to spring up around Soul Reaver.  Faintly, screaming faces seems to be crawling over its surface.

Soul Reaver begins chanting at a fever pitch as the Ork marches toward him.  The Nightmares converge on him from all sides, but are no match for his kutlass - even with their agility, they are cut down one after another, flying apart like dry leaves as they hit the ground.  Gunfire roars from what remains of Gulgrim's armour, and a beam of crimson light laces from his robotic eye.

Each bullet and beam that impacts upon Soul Reaver magical barrier unleashes a cracking burst of black lightning and causes the surface to waver and shimmer.  While it seems to lessen the impacts, the barrier doesn't stop them entirely - the majority of the attacks still seem to penetrate.  Behind the barrier, Soul Reaver holds his ground, deflecting what he can with his gauntleted palm, and losing flesh and blood from those attacks he does not.  Firey comets rain down toward him, and Blooddrinker flashes through the air to shatter them as they approach, but even then, Soul Reaver seems to be struggling to maintain his position as the ground around him is hammered with the explosive blasts.  More than once, he needs to take a step back.  But all this time, he just takes the punishment, his chanting droning on.

It is uncertain whether he sees Kitharsis approaching form his flank.  If so, he did not seem to acknowledge the warrior yet, so fixated was he on Gulgrim.  As the ork seemed to tower over him, a tangible surge of energy washes over Soul Reaver - the Waaaagh generated by the Ork was almost palpable.

And then, Soul Reaver springs to meet him.  Blooddrinker slashes upward, sparking as it pushes through the holy barrier erected by Jharm.  A chunk of Gulgrim's armor goes flying, and in return Soul Reaver receives a deep gash in his side.  But something else is happening: the sword is beginning to feed.

The Vortex Blade begins to suck up the vast quantities of energy emanating from the Ork.  Like a plug pulled from an over-filled drain, a veritable whirlwind of greenish-tinged energy begins to suffuse the blade.  Yet it does not consume it as it normally would - perhaps even Blooddrinker cannot absorb this volatile energy that serves no master but its own.  Instead, it spews back out and combusts violently from Soul Reaver's back, his shadowy wings becoming enveloped in jets of green fire that gout uncontrollably outward.  The nerves up Soul Reaver's arms feel like as though they are on fire, yet the pain only seems to fuel his madness further.

Then, Soul Reaver completes the spell he has been casting.  With sinister necromantic power, Soul Reaver weaves a cruel Choke spell into Gulgrim, then Locks it with the final words of magic.  In moments, Gulgrim's massive lungs begin to fill with qualms of choking, oily black smoke.  The true threat of the spell however lay in how it was crafted to be self-perpetuating: the more its victim fights, the more they rage and battle, the faster its effects would overcome them.  Were he to back off, Gulgrim might be able to rid himself of the spell, but battle-mad as he was, he would likely drive himself to his own oblivion.

For now, however, the Ork still attacked as strong as always, and Soul Reaver was forced to take a step back as the Power Klaw grasped at him.  The kutlass slashed from one side, to be met with Blooddrinker itself, but when Soul Reaver raises his other arm to block another attack from the Klaw, it seizes him by his unarmoured elbow.  Soul Reaver has no chance to extract his arm before Gulgrim's claw compresses, slicing it clean off.  It turns to ashes as it hits the ground, the gauntlet disappearing in a blaze of red.

And at that same moment, Kitharsis arrives, glowing tendrils scoring the ground like whips before him and striking Soul Reaver's barrier with thunderous booms.  Soul Reaver roars and swings Blooddrinker in a wide overhead arc, once more severing Gulgrim's klaw.  As the tendrils scorch his flesh, he delivers a massive kick at the Ork - strong enough to send even his massive bulk a few steps back.  He is only just in time: Blooddrinker is raised overhead as Kitharsis' club descends.  The weapons impact upon each other, unleashing a visible shockwave of light and noise.

With the sound of cracking glass, amplified a thousand times, a hairline crack runs up the length of Blooddrinker's previously impervious blade.

Blood bubbles and hisses from the severed stump of his left arm as flesh and muscle feverishly try to regrow.  A smoky blackness billows from the wound, forming a partially incorporeal talon.  Soul Reaver's eyes bore into Kitharsis' own.  For a brief moment, Kitharsis thinks he can see beyond the red glow of those eyes, and perhaps glimpse a deep and painful emotional wound, left ignored too long, and now agonizingly torn open.  But the glimpse is gone as quickly as it came, and Soul Reaver bellows madly.

"YOU DID NOT STOP THEM!!!"

A mass of razor-eged chains burst from the ground around Soul Reaver, intercepting Kitharsis' tendrils and Jharm's comets, blasting themselves into shards if needs be, while Soul Reaver charges forward, Blooddrinker forming a virtually impenetrable lattice of blows in all directions.

[Shadow Chorus]

Gulgrim's lungs are filling with smoke, and it only seems to get worse as he fights, but Gulgrim refuses to back down. His steps are slowing the more he fights, but as he is pushed back, he continues to press forward. He makes a few unsteady steps back toward Soul Reaver, ignoring the sparks flying from his severed arm. He raises his left arm, firing a few more bursts of ammunition from his guns, but his eyes are growing heavier. His aim is getting even worse with the lack of oxygen in his fungal form, but he is heedless to the danger. His steps slow, and his gun arm finally descends, unable to summon the energy to lift his own weapons anymore.

"You ain't....Seen the last......Of ol'.....Gulgrim....." He finally manages to spout, black smoke issuing from his mouth as he speaks, and then he collapses, his massive form causing a small tremor as he strikes the ground.

As he lay unconscious, the rolling vortex of green lightning grew weaker, and almost seemed to turn in on itself, its almost sentient energies realizing that there was a foreign, non-orky substance in its host. The lightning inverted and flowed within Gulgrim's own body, lancing through the choke spell and igniting the smoke. Gulgrim's unconscious form let out a mighty belch of green-black flames, then lay still once more, the spell broken by the WAAAGH! Energy, but Gulgrim still suffocated into unconsciousness.

He was no longer in danger of dying, but he was, for the moment, out of this fight.

[Veldanya Venalla]

From up in the heavens over the companions the Seraphim gazes down.  The bombardment of heavenly light seems to fulfill its purpose quite well, both strengthening his fellow warriors and wounding, or at least impeding, the actions of their fallen friend.  Jharm watches Soul Reaver manages to cast some kind of twisted spell at Gulgrim, black smoke enveloping the greenskin.  Soul suffers for his actions however as Gulgrims power klaw manages to seize the warriors arm and slice it off, though a second later the ork also loses his arm in the ensuing counter-attack.  At this point it becomes evident that the smoke is greatly affecting the warlord however as he begins to choke and gasp violently.  The Ork attempts to continue his assault but eventually his gun arm slumps down and he mutters something towards Soul Reaver before collapsing.

One could safely consider the Seraphim to be a calm, level-headed warrior.  Emotions such as anger or vengeance are emotions of Darkness.  This being said...there are times where such emotions are warranted.  The Seraphims glowing eyes flare as he glares down at Soul Reaver, his hand clamping down even harder on the enchanted shaft of his hammer.

"Your twisted sorcery will not save you in the end....Blooddrinker."

His eyes then shift to the fallen form of Gulgrim.  He had just met the Ork, and while the Seraphim was still unsure as to how much Gulgrim could be "trusted" he was certain of one thing.  The greenskin had fought by his side.  He had fought against an enemy he had no way of knowing its true power.  This would NOT be Gulgrims end.

"The Light does not abandon those in need.  You fought valiantly Ork....now feel the glory of Her healing radiance."

The Seraphim closes his glowing eyes, his hands extending out to his sides.  Once more he begins to glow as the Light flows through him.  His mouth moves as he seems to be saying something but no actual words escape his lips.  The glow within him continues to grow until it begins to illuminate the battlefield.  Jharms left hand then moves until its palm is aimed at the unconscious Orks form.  Nothing seems to happen at first, then suddenly a giant hand appears over Gulgrim.  If anyone should look closely it would look as if the hand was that of woman.  Gently the hand descends until it rests over the warlords body.  Suddenly the light within Jharm vanishes and the giant hand flares brightly as the Light transfers through it and into the comatose warrior beneath it.  Such power floods the Ork that his usually deep green skin seems to flare brightly, all those around easily able to sense the power surge.

The Seraphims eyes open once more as he gazes down at the Ork.

"Rise Gulgrim Bonecruncha.  The Light stands by your side this day and She will watch over you."

He then shifts his gaze back to Soul Reaver.  There is little doubt in Jharms mind that his actions will quite likely have drawn the attention of the crazed warrior, and the Seraphim would be ready.

[Fei]

"Hmm. There appears to be a language barrier. When I say non-lethal force, what I meant to say was non-lethal force to someone such as ourselves." Fei lets out a sigh before the battle began.   He spent a moment examining the source of Soul Reaver's current magic as the battle began.   

"Nope.  He's not listening.  Heh.  Oh, and neither are the others.  Fair enough, I suppose granted the circumstances, I can't fault them.  I'm not sure what the rush is for everyone wanting to kill each other. "  Fei watches the battle take to the sky with Jharm along with Danyael's and Cameron arrives to alter the fire's effect to aid the companions.  Fei continues to monitor and harmonize the patterns of magic being used, unweaving them in his mind,  temporarily shielding his eyes as Gulgrim unleashes a Lead Armageddon into the sky.  "I have to admit I like his style."

With a corona of dark energy, Fei snuffs the flame shield from around himself before Soul Reaver alters the spell upon the companions and twisting it against them.  "Sorry, Cameron.  Fire and I don't particularly get along well."   

Fei lowers his hands down and closes his eyes.  The shadows across the battle grow excited and writhe across the ground, spiraling inward towards him.  A black scar appears below him reaching deep into nothingness and hooks from the abyss leap out to ensnare him, digging deep into his back.  In the eye, the planar fabric holding the abyss at bay is very weak and Fei must concentrate greatly on using it's power here, less be pulled into the void himself. "Almost, just another moment you guys...... "

"DAMN IT JHARM, TURN OFF THAT FUCKING NIGHT LIGHT!"  Fei yells out as the Seraphim summons a holy light down upon the companions.  Fei winces but continues to focus, his face twisting, the beast just beneath the surface trying to break free in the presence of the holy aura.  Kneeling down, Fei plunges both of his arms down into the black scar beneath him and wretches up a pair of black swords manifested and shaped out of the abyss itself.  A scream is heard from the void as the scar is forcibly closed with the retrieval of the swords. 

At ths point Kitharsis has joined in the fray and Gulgrim has just fallen.  Stepping forward Fei appears to vanish in whisps of black smoke and reappear over the Ork.  " Don't tell me that's all you've got, Big Green. " Fei chuckles before nudging Gulgrim with his boot.  "Thank you for distracting him as long as you did.  Let me give you a hand.  And not that lovey dovey hippy hand that Jharm is up there spouting on about.  You let me feed on some of your men, let me return the favor."

With a quick slash, a blood mist sprays over Gulgrim's body looking to seep in through his skin. Should his body accept the boon, Gulgrim would find the vampiric blood drive him into an extreme rage with the endurance of an undying juggernaut, amplifying his strength and speed.

"Now, where was I? Oh Right.   Doc, it's time for my appointment.  You said there would be time for me did you not?"  Fei's head turns to face Soul Reaver who is charging Kitharsis. 

Fei's body discorporates into a veil of shadows and quickly races across the battlefield and manifesting before Kitharsis. Fei intercepts the charge, rushing forward suddenly and unpredictably himself, bringing the Shadow's kiss up one in each hand to meet blooddrinker blow for blow but not intending to strike Soul Reaver directly, a wave of magic devouring abyssal energy rushing forward from behind the vampire to tear away at the black knight's infernal aura.

Knowing he can't physically outpower Soul Reaver,  Fei relinquishes his parry against blooddrinker allowing Soul Reaver's momentum to carry him past Fei who quickly steps behind  to brings both black crystaline blades down upon his blackened wings to singe them clean off and burn away the magic used to create them. 

[Cameron]

Cameron is forced to divert most of his energy to create a shield when Soul Reaver drops from between himself and Gulgrim. This diverts most of the fire away from him long enough for him to drop back to the ground and out of harm's way. He takes a moment to recover as Soul Reaver continues to devote all of his attention to the angry ork.

Then Gulgrim is felled by a spell. Cameron summons his swords and prepares to charge in, but stops short as Kitharsis arrives. Cameron witnesses the blow that causes Blooddrinker to crack. The sight of the fractured blade fills him with dread. A mental message is sent to all nearby companions.

"If we are to have any hope of undoing this, we cannot allow that sword to break! We have to disarm Soul Reaver! Get that blade away from him!"

Cameron rushes in, seeing Fei charging in ahead of him. As Fei attacks, Cameron unleashes a hail of bolter fire from his arm mounted storm bolters to distract Soul Reaver further and keep him from blocking or parrying. At the same time, Cameron attempts to communicate with Soul Reaver telepathically.

"Soul Reaver, stop this! Blooddrinker is going to escape if you press this further! Letus help you control him!"

[Veldanya Venalla]

The Seraphim's fist grips the hammer tighter as the Ork remains sprawled on the ground.  He can sense that the creatures wounds have begun to heal however the injuries he sustained from Soul Reavers attacks must have affected him more then Jharm thought at first.

"If we are to have any hope of undoing this, we cannot allow that sword to break! We have to disarm Soul Reaver! Get that blade away from him!"

Blooddrinker is damaged??? How is that even possible?  That foul creature must not go free!

He watches as Fei darts across the battlefield, slashing at Soul Reaver as Cameron open fires on the knight with his stormbolters.  It would seem they are both trying to distract the warrior, attempting to open him up to attacks from the others.  He would heed the elemental warriors suggestion.  Suddenly the Seraphim drops, plummeting down to the ground.  A few inches above the earth though he stops the fall, gently setting down onto the ground.  Dropping to one knee he places his left hand (palm down) onto the earth as light forms around the hand.  Looking up, Jharm sees his two companions still in battle with Soul.  The light from his hand suddenly seems to sink down into the ground.  A moment later glowing cords of light explode out of the ground around Soul Reaver, shooting through the air and attempting to seize upon the knights arms and some even seeking out the demon blade to wrap around any part of the weapon they can reach.

[Daccio]

As the massive energy breaks and soul Reaver appears, Sepher stumbles to a halt near Cameron. He stares at soul Reaver, his mouth slightly ajar. The massive Daemon presence. He had only felt that much power once before. It was inside of him now, but much too dangerous to let out. The daemon god in his head raged, but made no attempt to take Sepher now. The other daemons were quiet. They knew the power of this one.

Suddenly a voice cut through his stupor

-take the center, Sepher, you go left. Kitharsis, Swing right. We'll try and flank him."

"Right, let's do this." Sepher snarled and launched himself running in a full out sprint, quickly closing the distance to the scene as the fight takes place before him. As he neared, the energies around his  companions changed over and over again, becoming deadly, then beneficial and back and forth. He growled.

Something caught his attention though. The cracks showing up bloodrinker's blade. That was bad. If that broke, the daemon would break free. Not good at all.
Slowing near the edge of the fight, Sepher took a deep breath. Building energies welled with in and finally Sepher threw out his hands, forward and slightly to each side, all pointed at soul Reaver. The ground beneath him began to strain and crack as the magnitude of energy he was putting into his spell coalesced. With a shout, he began  to use his shape metal spell.

Bloodrinker, the prison of a daemon of untold strength, he tried to strengthen so it would not break, yet dull the blade so it would not cut.
The armor around soul Reaver, he would try to weaken, to make it brittle and to confine movement.

His field of vision encompassed many of his companions, and they would find their metal armors tougher, harder, yet retain their same weight and properties otherwise. Their blades would sharpen, and the points of their bullets and blades sharper than any smith could ever produce.

Sepher began and continued to maintain his spell, small stones under his feet cracking with pressure, as he stared at soul. The daemon within him stared as well, glaring at the man.

[Kitharsis]

Blooddrinker... cracks...

The glowing club holds against the Demon Lord's prison, but Kitharsis does not press further. His eyes lock with Soul Reaver's, and for a brief moment he sees past the bloodlust in his friend's eyes.

He only sees pain and regret. A wound left unchecked that has consumed the immortal warrior.

"YOU DID NOT STOP THEM!!!"

The glimpse is gone in less than a breath. Kitharsis leaps backwards as the multitude of razor sharp chains burst from the ground. His tendrils intercept then, each canceling the other out.

Kitharsis's glowing club blinks out of existence as he lowers his hands.

"Such pain in your eyes..." He says, as Soul Reaver charges once again. "Whoever, or whatever has wounded you, I am deeply sorry, my friend. But please see past your rage!" Kitharsis pleads, as he backs away. "This solves nothing! Would you see us dead because of your broken heart? Would you inflict more wounds to heal another? To do so is folly!"

Fei intercepts Soul Reaver's charge. Kitharsis's tendrils continue batting away the razor sharp chains, but he makes no move to attack. Blooddrinker will need to be dealt with, but the sword is merely a conduit for Soul Reaver's emotions at this point. And with the weapon damaged, separating them may prove disastrous.

[Danyael]

So Soul Reaver sought to use the earth as his weapon against the nephilim lord. Every world Danyael touched was his domain. To turn the world against him was as fruitless as trying to whistle away a hurricane. But there was something different now. And so, he would have to alter his strategy. He reached the spikes without hesitation, then exploded into a whirling mass of black, expanding around the spikes before spreading into the earth several yards away.  

And then there was something else. Something amiss. Something separate. “...Soul.” a voice spoke only to the warrior as he made his advance on the companions. “...Soul.” the voice said again, separate and yet very similar. It was identical to, but more authentic, Danyael's voice. An aethereal construct of fading prismatic lights wift and wafted harmlessly around the warrior as he sped onward. “...Soul, please. Enough.” the voice calmly pleaded before the figure vanished again, reappearing softly at random – in between realities – allowing the feeling of its words to reach out to the immortal. “...I'm so tired of fighting, Soul.” the voice said before materializing again, this time more physical, drifting over the land, blipping in and out of sight while keeping up with Soul Reaver. “I'm so tired.” he spoke amid the chaos. Amid the violence and vitriol. Amid the wrath and ruin, Danyael stood alone now, his form unable to touch, nor attack, Soul Reaver. “Aren't you tired of hating?” he allowed the emotions of his words to project through his voice, bringing with them images of senseless suffering. 

YOU DID NOT STOP THEM!!! 

So much loss. The loss of Kawanua. The loss of Sera. The loss of Gale. It was Gale's loss, surprisingly, that hurt the most. Because it was Gale who Soul Reaver killed in a blind rage. “You killed him, Soul." Danyael's voice quivered. "You killed him dead, much in the same rage as you're in now." the weight of his voice echoing on threads of sound that rippled through the air, lingering as if the words had a will of its own, willing each syllable to hold a bit longer. "An innocent boy seeking only to help.” his voice quivered as his form flitted in and out of sight, whisping around in the wind, reaching back and forth from the void. "What was our crime?" he asked, in spite of the raging powers clashing around him, his ghostly form haunting the warrior. "What was yours?"

As Fei and Kitharsis engaged the warrior, Danyael's ghostly form faded around them. It didn't miss his notice that the dreaded sword Blooddrinker was cracked - cracking as it were. But he wouldn't contribute. In spite of all the fighting, he'd be the only one to attempt to reach his companion without the use of violence. Too many times have the companions turned on one another by some means of tentative disagreement – Danyael being among the contributors in the past. And still, in spite of it all, he still had no idea to whom Soul Reaver was referring to.

Focus less on the blade and more on the wielder. If he cannot move, then he cannot move the blade. Danyael's essence reached out to Jharm, Sepher, Cameron and Kitharsis. It wasn't a sound strategy, but what else was there? He has spells of binding and haste. He has powers of summoning. But so do you. he finished his message to the companions before spreading his presence across the battlefield in a spectral mist that eerily reached skyward before slowly wheeling in full gyration, taking on the monstrous likeness of a tornado – but doing no damage and making no sounds. Swirling about, it's swelling form reached around Soul Reaver in tendrils of whirling miasma, clouding around the warrior and his combatants. At the tips of each limb was what could only be described as a conduit between the emotions of the nephilim lord to be conveyed to Soul Reaver. Sorrow, longing, pain... forgiveness. And at the center was the smokey form of Danyael, at the center of a placid hurricane. There would be no world shattering powers or summoning of heavenly and hellish hosts. The Nephilim lord had every intention of using the most placid tactics to reach out to Soul Reaver. "What was our crime?" he asked again amid the quiet 'storm',"What was yours?"

[Soul Reaver]

Above the companions, dark clouds boil as the thick ichor continues to fall, turning the ground into a thick, black, treacherous mire.  Flashes of daemonic orange lightning eerily light the battlefield. 

Gulgrim’s weapons blast away madly one last time but – for now at least - the juggernaut runs out of steam as the Choke spell causes him to lose consciousness.  Both Jharm and Fei come to his aid, but Soul Reaver is too busy engaging Kitharsis to act on their intervention.

Before Soul Reaver can fully press his attack however, Fei appears from the shadows before him.  The arrival of his longstanding companion draws nothing but further fury from the warrior.  Blooddrinker howls through the air at phenomenal speeds.  The blows would be enough to cleave almost anything in twain, but the Shadows Kiss blades misdirect and deflect the attacks, rather than trying to match the massive sword steel for steel.  Abyssal energy surges forward toward Soul Reaver and crashes around the Retribution Shield.  The magical shield seems to flicker and buckle at the impact, but with fevered chanting from Soul Reaver it holds against the onslaught.

Then Soul Reaver is enveloped amidst a hail of bolter fire.  Some shells fall around Soul Reaver, others explode prematurely as they are intercepted by whipping metal chains or ricochet off the Retribution Shield, and most that penetrate are swatted out of the air by Soul Reaver’s shadowy, taloned left hand.  Those that are left are glancing blows, further soaking the warrior in his own boiling blood, but failing to cause lasting damage.

Perhaps sensing this chance, Fei appears behind Soul Reaver, sending one of Blooddrinker’s swings wide. Deftly, Fei slashes both of is blades at Soul Reaver’s phantasmal wings.  The shadowy weapons crackle as they slice through the weakened shield and cleave the wings from Soul Reaver’s back.

Soul Reaver – or to be more precise, the entity acting through him – emits a wordless roar as the wings are severed.  The moment they no longer touch Soul Reaver’s back, the wings dissipate into nothingness, like so much smoke in a storm.

Cameron Aileron attempts to psychically contact Soul Reaver but after the first few words get through, he suddenly feels a massive barrier erected to block his telepathic message.  To his psychic vision, it looks like a looming, horrifying winged humanoid, interspersing itself between Cameron and Soul Reaver.  It glares back at him with narrowed, glowing eyes filled with nothing but hate.

It is unclear how much of the message made it through, but it doesn’t stop Soul Reaver’s madness.  He whirls around to strike at Fei, but ghostly tendrils of holy light burst from the ground.  They hiss as they wrap themselves around both his limbs – both smoky and fleshy – and around Blooddrinker’s malignant blade.  The blow Soul Reaver was about to strike is aborted as the tendrils go taut.

Sepher’s spells hits Soul Reaver at the same time, but is less effective.  Blooddrinker’s blade was forged with the intent to hold a raging Daemon Lord for all eternity, and is thus designed to be immutable to all outside force – the spell washes over the weapon with no effect.  Soul Reaver’s remaining gauntlet, long ago infused with powerful magic, similarly resists Sepher’s manipulations.  What remains of Soul Reaver’s more weakly-enchanted breastplate becomes so brittle that the forces around Soul Reaver blast it to shards, but there is little left to destroy.

As he strains against his bonds, Kitharsis keeps his distance and attempts to reason with Soul Reaver.  His words are heartfelt, noble – and true.  But Soul Reaver’s thoughts at hearing them echo words not his own – and yet he cannot differentiate this inner voice from his.

How noble of him to care now, of all times.  Now, in this moment that his life – something precious to HIM – is at stake!  Where was this understanding when it was needed?!

Danyael tries a similar tactic – an appeal to peace and reason.  His emotions try to flow into Soul Reaver, but his efforts seem to be blocked at every turn.  The cooling flow of tranquillity and forgiveness is swept up in a torrent of hate and rage the moment it tries to enter Soul Reaver’s being.  That said, without looking up, Soul Reaver – or perhaps Blooddrinker - nonetheless gives him a direct response.

Far too many, Nephilim!  Far too many!

And with that, Soul Reaver’s fanged mouth pulls into a sneering rictus.  The black, choking mire near Fei suddenly sprays thickly into the air a pair of Doomhounds leap from nothingness itself.  Their eyeless, horned heads unerringly sense their target as they move to clamp their venomous fangs into Fei’s legs – enough to delay him just that split second Soul Reaver will need.

Soul Reaver’s entire body suddenly blazes with intense crimson light – enough to temporarily blind those looking at him, and more importantly, capable of momentarily banishing the shadows that Fei calls upon to slip into the Abyss.

At the same moment, Soul Reaver rids himself of the seraphim’s tendrils.  In his right hand, he twirls Blooddrinker, the blade slicing the tendrils holding it apart as though they were ribbons of paper.  His left arm – the limb of smoke and shadow – vanishes, leaving the tendrils there grasping nothing – before manifesting anew and unfettered.  Once more, Soul Reaver switches which hand holds his daemonic blade, using his freed left arm to slice the remaining tendrils from his right.  And in a single vicious motion, he sends the invisible ribbons of a flesh-tearing Rend spell at Fei at almost point-blank range.

Not waiting to see how successful his attack has been, Soul Reaver whirls to face Cameron.  Swirling black mana twists around Soul Reaver’s form, then suddenly coalesces into a myriad of swords, all pointed blade-first at the armoured warrior.  With machine-gun rapidity and unnatural precision the swords fire themselves blade-first at the Cameron, intending the skewer him even through his massive armour.

Without missing a beat, Soul Reaver switches his sword back to his right hand, and finishes a complex gesture with his left hand.  The clouds above flash madly as Soul Reaver leaps away, somersaulting through the air and landing directly next to Jharm, crouched on the ground.

The point Soul Reaver had occupied a moment ago is struck by a blast of daemonic energy, manifesting as a bolt of orange lightning.  The force of the impact causes a deafening explosion that envelops a 5 metre radius in a burst of agonizing orange fire, obliterating the rest of the chains emerging from the ground there.

Soul Reaver has other concerns however.  The moment he lands, he slashes lighting fast at Jharm using his shadowy talons, and follows up with a strike from Blooddrinker itself from the other side.  Despite his wounds, both his strength and speed seem to only have increased.  There was no doubt that the madness driving him forward held little regard for his well-being – only for continued carnage.

[Veldanya Venalla]

The Seraphim watches as the tendrils of light seize upon Soul Reavers appendages....but in the end fail at fulfilling their objective.  Then before he can react the twisted knight lands in front of him.  Talons slash at the angelic being, speed far surpassing his own as they manage to bypass his defense and gouge through his shining armor.  A howl of pain emits from the lips of the holy warrior as silver blood seeps from the wounds as Blooddrinker swings around, an unholy howl seemingly coming from the blade.  In a shower of sparks however it connects with the shaft of the Seraphims enchanted hammer.  The two combatants struggle as they attempt to overpower the other until with a burst of light Jharm launches himself backwards, the corrupted ground tearing up into chunks around him.  Clutching at the wounds he glances down, his gauntlet covered in his own blood.   Silvery orbs glare up at Soul Reaver.

"I have tried to to settle this peacefully.  Light knows I do not WANT to kill you Soul Reaver.  Enough is enough however.  It is clearly evident that HE has seized full control, and that is not something I can ignore any longer.  I do not know what it is that I did that seems to have angered you so, but it seems as if it matters little at this point."

With a burst of power he attempts to send one final mental message to Soul Reaver, attempting to punch through whatever defenses Blooddrinker has erected to stop communication. 

I am sorry my friend.  For whatever it was I seemingly wronged you for......and for everything I now do.  Forgive me my friend

Jharm focues then and light glows within him once more.  A moment later all present begin to hear a faint sound upon the wind.  Anyone who listens closesly realizes it sounds like a choir singing, though none can tell what they are saying.  The volume of the choir begins to increase until it sounds as if they are directly overhead, though no one actually is above them.

"Behold Blooddrinker! The Chant of Nelathia!  Hear the joyous words radiate through your twisted and corrupted being!  Feel the cleansing might of the Light wash over you!  Observe the purity of Her majesty and beauty!"

The Seraphims fists clench tightly as he focuses his power into the song, directing it directly at Soul Reaver.  To the Companions, the song radiates power; cleansing, healing, wholesomeness.  To Soul Reaver (or more specifically, the darkness within him) the volume of the song seems to increase exponentially until it seems as if he is surrounded by the entire Seraph race singing at the top of their lungs.  It radiates forgiveness, peace, serenity....things completely alien and opposite of the evil presence that has taken control of the immortal knight.

[Shadow Chorus]

Jharm's healing had brought power back to Gulgrim's form, and Fei's gift made strength flow back to his muscles, and over time he lay there, building strength and waiting. Now, the ground rumbled, green lightning crackling around the Ork's frame as he slowly rose. One arm pressed against the ground, lifting his massive torso. A  glowing red cybork eye and a blood red Orky eye glare out at Soul Reaver as his gaze lifts from the ground. A new Cybork hand bursts from nonreality to replace his missing right hand, and he plants it firmly, digits digging into the ground. A rumbling roar builds in Gulgrim's throat as he forces himself onto his feet, power building around him, the ground in his vicinity shaking as WAAAGH! energy whirlwinds around him. He stands, Ichor around him steaming under the heat and pressure of his building energy, and tilts back his head to scream.

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"

Boosted by his new allies, Gulgrim turns his roar on Soul Reaver, a torrent of WAAAGH! Energy bursting from him and barreling at Soul Reaver, tidal waves of Orky force aiming to slam into the immortal from all sides.

Gulgrim's energy feeds on Jharm's chant, taking what energy the words bring to him and adding it to his own reserves, which were already building with his rage and the heat of battle.

Drain and vent all Blooddrinker likes, there is a seemingly endless cascade of WAAAGH! Energy falling upon him now, the Ork's scream continuing to carry on, not even pausing for breath as he stomps toward the Immortal, one step at a time. As he approaches, he raises his left arm again and opens fire once more, physical projectiles springing to join the immaterial assault. His kutlass appears in his right hand, reinforced by the overflow of WAAAGH! Energy to a near indestructible state and crackling with green lightning. The ground cracks as Gulgrim stomps toward the Immortal, slowly closing on him while his scream rises in volume. The energy refuses to abate, pushed into a state of overdrive by the combined blessings of Jharm and Fei, and by the time he had spent building his power while Soul Reaver was distracted by the fight. The noise invades Soul Reaver's ears and mind, a deafening scream filling the air both mentally and physically, the sound drilling into Soul Reaver as incessantly as the force. Gulgrim's armor slowly rebuilds itself in flashes of green lightning as he approaches, guns reforming and then opening fire and thick plates of armor appearing on his form. Soon the armor is completely rebuilt, save for his Cybork right hand, which still holds his mighty Kutlass rather than the power klaw it held before.

Jharm's gift had healed his wounds, Fei's gift had restored his strength, and now Gulgrim's patience was flooding him with power, his brutal kunnin' and kunnin' brutality paying off  for him in spades.

[Kitharsis]

Soul Reaver cannot be reached, that much is clear.  Kitharsis is not alone as he pleads to his friend, but their words fall on deaf ears.  Either by choice or by Blooddrinker's doing, the effect is the same.  The more Kitharsis watches Soul Reaver's actions, the more he is convinced that he is not in control of his own faculties.

A bright crimson flash surges from Soul Reaver's body.  Kitharsis raises his arm to shield his eyes, but he is too late in doing so.  He crouches down as the red tendrils from his tattoos circle around him, forming a sphere of protection until his sight returns.  He blinks and rubs his eyes with his forearm.  The spots begin to subside, but he doesn't release the sphere just yet.

The orange bolt of daemonic energy crashes and sends an explosion washing over him.  It tears away pieces of his shield as it passes.  The glowing shield fades, leaving a cracking hardened crystal sphere after the explosion passes.  Once the glow blinks out entirely the crystal shield cracks and falls away.

Deep black burns score his body where his shield was torn away.  The wounds are still smoking from the contact with the destructive daemonic energy.  It is now that he notices the thick pool of ichor on the floor.  The destructive liquid tests the mettle of his metal boots, but there is no time to ponder the structure of his footwear.

Jharm is wounded, and locked hilt to blade with Soul Reaver.  With a burst of light Jharm launches backwards, and after a rebuttal of words chanting can be heard. 

Hoping that the chanting hinders Soul Reaver as much as it is empowering himself, Kitharsis goes on the assault.

He breaks into a sprint toward Soul Reaver, horseman's pick in hand.  Tirthandaran energy pumps into the weapon, empowering it.  It begins to glow a fierce red as more and more energy flows into it.  With a grunt he performs a double handed swing at Soul Reaver.  The curved, bladed claw of his hammer is traveling in a blurred red streak toward his possessed companion.  In his maddened state, he hopes Soul Reaver does not catch onto his ruse, for Kitharsis holds the power of his blow.  He intends for Soul Reaver to parry his strike with Blooddrinker.  The charged energy in his hammer is merely to protect it from the raging power of the daemon sword.

If the two weapons connect, Kitharsis will twist the curved claw of his hammer around BloodDrinker in an effort to lock them together.  The tattoos on Kitharsis's arms will burst to life and wrap around the daemon blade, attempting to engulf the weapon.  He will then set his feet and pull mightily, trying to separate blade and master.

Should some other defence or retaliation come from Soul Reaver, a hefty bag of sand sits at Kitharsis's waist.  It is primed and ready to come to his defence.