Paladin vs Lich, ZG Dev (Protective) 1

[18:53:52] The wave of psychic emptiness echoes through the Paladin's mind, his body going limp as his very holy essence seems to dim down and fade slightly. Quickly, his gaze moved to face the others in the square, quickly...

His first reaction was not to protect himself, even if his leylines shone to do so, covering him in a slight, shining coat of yellow light. Its usually peaceful sensations, the symphonic hum, would be muted by the disabling sensation that ran through his body.

But of course, his first reaction was to run towards the center of the square, his hand ready to pull onto the nyeshk greatsword as he shone slightly, but instead of charging at the odd presence in the middle, he put himself in front of Kaschei, and by consequence, in front of Toka.

"Stand behind." He said.
(Paladin)
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[19:09:13] He merely opens his arms, condensing a slight sphere of light around him, Kaschei and Toka, and all those surrounding him that still stood unaffected by the demonic forces. He felt the horrid sensation tugging at his soul, and yet, made his force to stop itself from getting pulled.

More than anything, his protective sensation made marble rise from the ground up towards him. It slowly covered his body, crackling with holy energy, the yellow irises gleaming through his helmet. It seemed to form a shield at his vacant hand, even if it meant a sacrifice to his balance by holding a broadsword on the other.

"Fight as one!" He said, lifting the marble arm and shield over his torso, and also his sword as a just-in-case anything happened to Kaschei or Toka.
(Paladin)
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The Paladin fought with his own best behavior. The marble that surrounded him made sure to protect all those that it could, occasionally getting in the way of several strikes, or at least dampening the hits that the masses were supposed to suffer.

His holy magic encompassed not only himself, but Masika and Kaschei as well, in its more pure essence. It sought to transfer whatever impact they'd suffer to himself, and such was his burden. The Protective magic cast upon everyone that he could, Cullen would suffer most strikes instead of these two.

And whenever he could not bear to himself to help, he'd hurry to help the weak and the downed, getting the bodies back to the backlines and helping everyone up so they'd at least stay safe. The very minimum that he could do was that, before charging into battle, landing a few hits upon the skeletal lich.

And as such, he was one of the few that were not downed. Instead, realizing that it tugged at everyone's soul, he focused. The Paladin raised up his nyeshk sword to the skies, the fierce holy enchantment glowing within, as it expelled a powerful jolt of light, forming a sphere over his head.

And as such, he sought to transfer the burden from Kaschei and all those that he focused on protecting as much as he could. All those nearby, he sought to at least amenize the harm that they'd suffer with his own efforts. A very, very primitive form of the Zealous Guard that was formed around everyone, encompassing them with Marble, now exploded in a protective layer of holy magic, absorbing the impact and preventing their souls from being pulled away from their body as much as he could.

And as such, he was one of the last ones that stood tall against the creature. Affected, the holy-infused man looked at the defeated core, holding the nyeshk sword at his hand. The massive blade scattered across the ground, as his yellow irises focused against the core...

"This is not good." He scowled slightly. His being was not only being consumed by the spirit rot of his own, but also those of others. He took upon himself to transfer the burden from others into him, and he regretted nothing -- Or maybe, deep down, now he did. He looked at his hands, seeking to see the yellow flourishing light...

And nothing came. Wielding the sword, he looked at Hatsune, still covered in crackling marble. "This is not good, right, Hatsune?"

There was one thing that differed greatly from how he usually was. The voice, filled with tranquility and serenity, as well as his gaze, seemed rather empty. His voice betrayed true emotions -- He was feeling, at the depth of his soul, desperate.
(Paladin)
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The Paladin's own holy aura still resonated along with hers. However, even if it still transmitted the same sensation of peace, the same sensation of hope, of valor... He was affected, and it seemed to be a losing battle that he was fighting.

He instantly turned around, looking for whatever wounded magi remained at the spot. Yellow irises would scan the environment, looking for any wounded that still remained in there. However, he had to give Hatsune a fair warning -- One that he knew that she already thought about, but he still had to say that.

"Hatsune." The yellow irises examined the shard. He nodded slightly towards her. If there was a single soul to which he trusted those, it'd be Hatsune. The marble surrounding slightly his body would erupt down, as his guard officially opened up as the core distanced itself in Hatsune's hand. "Be careful. Please."

He then sheathed the Nyeshk longsword, the yellow leylines that possessed it fading away slowly. This was a man affected by holy magic, which guided his hand and spirit. However, he was still affected. Having taken the hit for many was a burden that it appeared not only on his armor, but on the very skin buried underneath it.

"I'll look for the others. I believe... I believe I need to see what is this." He obviously did not refer to the core, but to himself.
(Paladin)