Saul Versus Marburg!
Time to Begin!
Saul had Rochelle in her boomerang proudly hanging off of his back. He looked down upon the defeated and plastered Greko. He ignored Greko's whimpering as he walked on top of him and over him, continuing on his pace. "It looks like you failed my first test, miserably little witch. Perhaps the other ones deeper inside will provide much more of a challenge for me?"
Melody followed quietly behind Saul, but her eyes never left Greko. Just moments ago that witch popper up in front of them. His Soul Protect off and his witch energy flowing around the room at full blast, but now mere minutes later. He was lying across the floor, battered, bloody, and beaten. Saul and Rochelle had dispatched him so quickly, she didn't know what to say. She just felt weak, having struggled against a witch before their eyes and then just seeing them take one down so effortlessly.
"I'm sorry," said Melody, "for all the mean things and all the stupid things Shi must've said to you, Saul. Just because he's an idiot, though, you shouldn't try to kill him."
"Hey!" shouted Shi from Melody's hip, in his yo-yo form. "I can still take him any time, any day, any place. So, you don't need to apologize for the stupid things I said."
"Pointless groveling or idiotic arrogance," said Saul with a gravely tone, "Its actually a toss-up in which one I find more annoying."
"Saul!" scolded Rochelle loudly, "stop being mean to these poor young students, they didn't do anything to you."
"Like I care," said Saul waving his hand and immediately dismissing her, "I barely care about them, so why would I care about what they did to me."
"I'm surprised he cares even a little bit," said Shi, "I thought he was just cruel, heartless, and downright dumb bastard."
"We are almost at the witches corridor," said Saul, "you have two options either A) stay out of the fight or B) get killed. I don't particularly care…"
"Shut it, Saul!" shouted Rochelle. Saul shrugged and stopped talked as he continued down the path.
"I say we kill Saul," said Shi out loud, "I think if all three of us gang up together, we could probably pull it off."
Melody smirked at Shi's big-headedness. His cockiness was one of the reasons why they made such a great pair…but she doubted that they could even lay a finger on Saul even with Rochelle's help. She just wanted to know what was with Saul, he seemed to have undergone such a major personality change since they met him.
The center of the temple opened up around them. Marburg was standing in the center of it, fussing over the body he had. Despite the fact that it wasn't to his exact specifications he was bored and needed someone to operate on. A dead body is better the no body. Foreman was up against a wall he was writing numbers down on a piece of paper, apparently trying to calculate how many bodies he had left, before he needed to go get some new ones. Iblis was huddled in a corner, trying to treat her own wound. Marburg didn't give a crap about her and Foreman had no interest.
Marburg lifted his head up at the intruders. He didn't seem annoyed at the fact that Saul was unrestrained and ready to fight as a matter of fact he seemed pleased. Foreman quickly bounced back up onto his feet ready to fight, despite his lack of bodies or weaponry. Iblis remained unperturbed, already injured she didn't want to make it worse.
"Looks like Grecko failed you once again, Marburg," said Foreman with a smile. He knew all too well that Grecko was no match Saul. He wished he would've been able to see Grecko's face as Saul bashed it in. Anyone with as little respect for their elders as Grecko did, deserved that.
Saul looked over at Marburg, his face twisted into anger. "Nice to see such an old witch," said Saul, "it brings back memories from my old days. When I was slaying witches with my partner."
Marburg smiled, "memories are nice. I mean if you get trapped in a crummy little jar for thousands of years, you have nothing more then your memories to keep you company. Memories about my brothers and friends…I'm sure you have fond memories of your partner."
"That I do," said Saul. "We used to do everything together. We fought and played, things were simpler back then."
"That's great. How is he doing?" said Marburg.
"Saul," said Rochelle from his hand, "you don't have to answer that."
"She's dead," said Saul, "she died saving her fiancé."
Marburg's smile vanished. "That is such a tragedy. Young love is certainly beautiful." Marburg stopped talking and tapped his chin. He looked down at the dead body on the table. "I don't suppose, I'd be able to talk you into getting on the table without a fight."
"No," said Saul, "I promised my partner, I'd kill all you damn witches." Saul reached down to his pocket and pulled a light green bottle. He undid the top and began drinking. When he was finished he put the top back on and set it on the ground, "I'm sorry did you want some?"
"No, I was just hoping that your liver would be in better shape," said Marburg as he looked at Saul's abdomen, "shame. Well, then shall we get started with the fight? Foreman, get him." Marburg simply motioned with his head and Foreman was out of the gates dashing towards Saul. Foreman twisted his body around firing a single punch at Saul's head.
Saul didn't even flinch. Foreman's hand was redirected in a completely different direction. A small metal yo-yo had slammed into it, sending it off of its intended course and crashing into the ground. Melody quickly stepped forward blocking the path. "Hey, Saul," said Shi.
"What is it, child's plaything?" asked Saul.
"You got two options," said Shi, "A) stay out of the fight or B) get killed."
Saul smiled as he braced himself against the ground, Rochelle's boomerang in one hand. His Soul Wavelength coursing through the other, "I think I'm starting to like you."
Saul leapt from his spot charging forward towards Marburg. Marburg jumped backwards narrowly avoiding Saul's glowing fist as it pummeled into the ground, sending sharp shards of pebbles in all directions. Marburg quickly reached into his pocket and pulled out a small silver sphere. He tossed it up into the air where it exploded coating the entire room in a fine silvery dust. Saul spun around on his heels and struck with a finely tuned karate kick straight up at Marburg. Marburg blocked it with his arm and was sent flying from the force.
The silvery dust landed all over Saul. Saul reached up to his shoulder about to pat it off, when the silvery dust disappeared, seeping into his skin. "What's that some kind of poisonous powder?" Saul pulled back Rochelle and sent her flying off and towards Marburg. Marburg ducked down avoiding the initial impact from the boomerang, but Rochelle twisted her body around and ended up whacking him with the bare tip of her boomerang, knocking him down to the ground. Saul quickly caught Rochelle and prepared for another strike.
Marburg smiled as he stood up, "let's not do anything rash now. I know you must be itching for a fight…actually you know what scratch that." Marburg produced another small sphere, this one though has a red hue. "I may prefer my specimens to be alive, but I can do numerous things with a dead host. Creating my rather unique dust is one of those things." Marburg twisted about and sent the small red ball out and towards Saul.
Saul brought Rochelle up and in front of him, using her large mass to block the incoming sphere. The sphere exploded on her and some of the fine red dust sprayed over her and splashed onto Saul's face and shoulders. Saul backed up as he let loose a monstrous cough. His free hand subconsciously began to scratch his arm, due to a mild irritation forming there. Saul didn't pause though, he quickly launched himself from his position and sent himself flying over Marburg. He brought his free hand forward, throwing a single powerful punch directly at Marburg. The punch connected with Marburg's face sending him flying backward towards the wall. Marburg reacted quickly though, he flipped around and braced his feet against the wall. He launched himself from that position back at Saul, while producing a third small sphere, this one green in color.
Marburg tossed the small green sphere at Saul. Saul dodged it, mostly on instinct and precaution. He didn't know what the small spheres did to him, but he knew if a witch as powerful as Marburg was using them he'd want to avoid them as much as possible. Saul quickly spun out and sent Rochelle flying at him. Marburg quickly jumped into the air avoiding the flying boomerang. Saul charged forward and into the air for Marburg aiming for his front, while Rochelle, on her return trip, came spiraling in from behind.
Marburg looked at his two attackers carefully. He stayed focused on Saul, more worried about his Soul Wavelength then a bump in the back from Rochelle. He struck out with his leg aiming a carefully and well-guided kick that slammed into Saul's vicious punch. Marburg sent Saul backwards and away from him, but Rochelle, undeterred came crashing in from behind. Marburg fell to the ground, his back in pain and a large bruise already forming.
Marburg stood up, his face no longer in its previous stats of a bored, but pleasant smile or a bored, but sympathetic frown. This time he wore the face of a man enraged, but was having fun. "My first fight in a couple of millennia! I was hoping it would be against someone of your caliber! I was worried that when I crawled forth from my long and almost unending imprisonment that I would be forced to fight some tourist or some wanna-be, but no I'm fighting someone of experience and power. What more could a man of my age want?"
"A good-looking face?" mocked Saul, "or maybe not to have to fight someone who is going to kill him? Both of those seem like more reasonable answers to me." Rochelle came spinning back to Saul, Saul reached up and grabbed her. "But if you want someone who is going to challenge, I won't hold back any longer."
"You were holding back as well?" asked Marburg with a smile as he straightened his back out, "so was I! It looks like this fight is just kicking off to a marvelous start. You want to show your hand first or should I?"
"Age before beauty," replied Saul.
"See that Foreman," said Marburg turning around and looking at his underling, who was busy trying to fight off, Melody and Shi. He didn't have another body left in this temple, so he was taking extra precautions to make sure this one didn't get damaged. Melody and Shi, were breathing heavily from their past fight.
"What is it?" asked Foreman as he parried another strike from Shi's metal yo-yo.
"Respect," said Marburg, "and you said people nowadays have no respect for us older folks." Marburg returned his attention to Saul, "but now let's see if you can handle my true power. The previous ailments you've gotten from my attacks, a minor itch…a slight cough, are nothing compared to my final illness!" Marburg opened his mouth wide a sickly, translucent green smoke began to fall out from his mouth and fill the room, "now you'll know why I am the beginning of the end!"
Saul's free hand jumped up to his shirt and dragged a large bundle of it forward and up to his mouth covering it. He wasn't about to allow a small trickle of the green fog into his mouth for any reason. He looked about him. The green fog did absolutely nothing to impair his vision. He blinked a couple of times and looked about. Melody, Shi, and Foreman were safely out of the fog's radius. Of course, they would be, Marburg probably didn't want to this fog to affect Foreman with…whatever it did.
"I guess its my turn to return the favor," said Saul as he looked at Rochelle's reflection. She nodded back at him. "Me and Rochelle don't see eye-to-eye very often as a matter of fact we fight…a lot. But we do have one thing in common…
Rochelle's reflection turned towards Marburg, "we both want to take you down," she said glaring at him.
"SOUL RESONANCE!" shouted Saul and Rochelle in unison.
Marburg is now serious, but so is Saul. Will Saul's and Rochelle's Soul Resonance be able to match up to Marburg's latest revelation of power? With Marburg's deadly green fog blanketing the field and the heroes completely lost as to what it does, what kind of hope is left for them? Is this truly the beginning of the end?
Also, for those of you who are actually interested in who/what Marburg is based off of (probably like one, maybe two), here's a quick recap:
-He's the beginning of the end.
-His name is a pretty big clue, if you ask me.
-He wears a pure white robe.
-He has some brothers (take this with a grain of salt, though, while it makes sense if you know what he is…it might just confuse you until then).
-His small spheres inflict a rash and a cough.
50 CSpacian points to whoever puts this puzzle together. (CSpacian points are not redeemable in Canada, the US, Europe, planet Earth, Mars, Mercury, the moon, or most of the other planets. If you are ever on Uranus though…)