Nessiah could hear the sounds of pitched battle from the floor below. He ignored them for the moment, concentrating only on the man before him.
"Hello, Nessiah." Hector sounded casual. "You look well."
"Better than I did when we parted," Nessiah agreed, gritting his teeth. "Much to your dismay."
"Actually, I was looking forward to seeing if you had grown any stronger, or if you were simply continuing to uselessly lash out at me." Hector smirked.
Nessiah saw red. His voice was low as he chanted, "O emperor, protector of many... Victory exists under thy flag alone."
"Flame, drive my enemies before me." Hector's tone was almost bored as he chanted.
The shield went up just before Hector's flames burst against it. Nessiah held his concentration until the fire subsided, then allowed the shield to stand on its own while he cast another spell. "Blind seer, mute soothsayer... All of Fate lies in thy Cards."
He could feel the power surrounding him, but what should have weakened Hector was quickly shut down by his Magic Resistance. He'd expected that. They traded spells for some time, neither one gaining a clear advantage.
"O shepherd with earthly body and heavenly soul-"
"With the knowledge of the magi, ether burst!"
A giant ball of crackling magical energy moved toward him. His shield shattered. Nessiah took steps away from it until his heels were over air. Hector didn't have guardrails.
Then he was swallowed up by the ball of energy, and lost his balance.
