Curing Marburg!
Marburg's attention heated up drastically as he once again surveyed the damage done from the brats' last attack. He was in an outrage. He wanted to kill them. They were mocking him. Three kids and a blind man! If he lost he would be the laughing stock of the world! Even retreating until he was at full power wasn't an option! He needed to get rid of them once and for all! Prove once more that 'The Great Plague' Marburg was the best! And he knew the perfect technique of how to do it.
As he rethought about it He just needed to kill the younger brats, the older one wouldn't bother him. He was blind, but he was also a capable meister. And he had already taken down one of them, people would understand if he decided to retreat after killing four meisters, be as young as they are didn't matter. Each meister is a force, regardless of age. It was settled he'd kill them...starting with the child's plaything!
Marburg turned his attention to Melody. Marburg didn't know what it was about those two that just got him riled up...perhaps it was because it was a girl? Not only was she a child, but she was also a woman...in every way shape and form, she was his inferior, but she still acted like she deserved a place next to him. It made Marburg wondered what had happened to the world while he was awhile...did men finally give into the women's stupid demands of equality? He couldn't believe it was possible...he couldn't fathom what reason was there possibly to make women equal to a man! Were horses in charge of their own civilization?
Marburg shook such thoughts from his head as he stared down at the girl, she must've been chosen for some other ridiculous reason...maybe a wealthy uncle? It didn't matter for now he would end the life of her, "bacteria isn't just airborne you know?" stated Marburg as he stretched out his left arm, "there are other ways to transfer highly deadly viruses. Gas is just more widespread it spreads widely and infects anyone it can find...but its just as easy to create a concentrated dose of any virus...including my own!" A green liquid began to leak from Marburg's pores. Soon it began to turn an almost crystallized white as it blurred together with his arms. "This is it! This is my Plague's Touch!"
Marburg smiled. Its been ages since he had to use this technique. It was just as deadly as the gaseous orb he used, but it was reusable, he could touch multiple people and infect them with it. The only downside was the lack of the airborne aspect. He had to touch them to infect them. He needed to get in close to them.
"Melody! Ash!" shouted Michael as he strode forward, "get behind me! I have the highest chance of surviving whatever this is." May's reflection nodded in agreement, she had her own look of fierce determination. Michael brought his bow up and aimed at Marburg. He fired a quick shot.
Marburg chuckled as he dodged out of its way. He brought his virus infused arm and grabbed a hold of the shot. "Still haven't learned have you?" Marburg charged forward his robe billowing out behind him as he dashed towards Michael or past him as was his attention. He stopped short and made a quick half-jump back as Clare's iron ball attachment came crashing into the ground between him and Michael. May let out a short shriek as she watched the heavy metal ball smash into the ground in front of her. Another few feet and it would've smashed into her and Michael. Marburg let out an almost snake-like hiss as he glared at Quill, who calmly walked into the center of the battlefield.
"No...I was..." said Quill quietly as he stared down at the ground... "I was too late...wasn't I?" Quill backed up almost as if he was wounded, "I struck a fraction of a second too late, didn't I? I couldn't stop him before Marburg touched that innocent young girl...because of that...I...I..."
"Quill!" shouted Clare, "calm down. She was just startled...she didn't get killed. She is still alive." Clare was calmly looking upwards at Quill's face as it changed from one of distress to a smile. "Our timing was still good."
Quill let out a brief sigh as he turned around and, after a quick confirmation from Clare that he was facing the right way, he lifted his sword upwards at Marburg. "Now...just because you didn't harm the fair lass is no excuse! I will still bring justice upon you. Clare! Location!" Clare quickly responded with Marburg's location. Quill dashed forward his blade at the ready. Quilll slashed out, barely missing Marburg's feet as he escaped to the air.
Marburg brought his arm downwards in a slashing motion splashing his poisonous liquid on his hand outwards and onto the ground around Quill. Quill let out a quick grunt as the liquid landed onto his skin and seeped into him. "Don't worry," mocked Marburg, "that was a very low dosage. Even without the advancements this world has made in medicine, it would still be curable." Marburg smiled, this man wasn't going to get the pleasure of a quick death by his virus, no, Marburg wanted his death to be dragged out.
"HIYA!" shouted Ash as he brought his bladed gauntlet around and at Marburg, intending to land another blow onto his body. Marburg jumped backwards avoiding the blow. Marburg was about to open his mouth and say something to mock him, but he had to dunk to avoid Melody's swinging yo-yo that grazed above his head.
Marburg was starting to get annoyed. There were too many enemies for him to fight as soon as he dodged one blow, another one came soaring at him. He was starting to get exhausted just by thinking about he was going to avoid the next blow that came. He may just have to rely on his trump card after all.
A shot from Michael's bow interrupted Marburg's train of thought as the arrow drilled deep into his shoulder. Marburg let out a screech of pain as he turned around to face the group. "Must you always interrupt me! There is an entire wall behind me to shoot at!" Marburg breathed heavily as he swished his arm around in the air. A small ball of liquid began to form in his hand as he swirled it around. With a mighty heave he sent this ball of liquid flying at Michael and May.
Quill quickly intercepted he swung the flat side of his blade forward at the ball, sending it splashing about him, but effectively dissipating the high concentration of the poisonous sphere. Quill brought his blade down. "This is it," said Quill as he looked at the kids, "now we will deal the finishing blow. Saul and Rochelle are both knocked out. We need to speed this up, so...let's hit him with everything we got!" Quill dashed forward, his pink claymore glinting in the light as he drew in closer to Marburg.
Marburg laughed as he brought his poisoned hand forward. The liquid on it hardened to a point it was basically solid. Quill brought the blade forward and into Marburg's hardened acidic arm. The blade smashed into it, sending chips of poisonous ice flying across the room. Marburg laughed loudly! "Hah! You may only have one blade! But I have more then one arm!" Marburg lifted his free hand up and coated it in the same liquid as the other as he brought it down upon Quill.
Quill backed up dodging the falling arm, "two arms, huh? How about four weapons?" Quill leapt out of the way. Michael fired a single arrow at Marburg's chest. Melody struck out with Shi's his thin, yet burning string wrapping itself around the arrow. Melody tugged on the string of the yo-yo, causing it to unravel. The arrow began to spin due to the force of the string, not only that but the yo-yo's flames were also transferred onto it.
Marburg couldn't even react to it as the burning arrow spun into his chest forcing him backwards, but his feet never left the ground as he absorbed the shockwave from the blow, he only barely skidded onto the floor. He stood there breathing heavily with the burning arrow in his chest, "hah...hah...it looks like once again...I come out on top."
"Nope! That position is reserved solely for me!" shouted Xander as Ash smashed his metal gauntlet into the arrow, sending it even deeper into Marburg's body. Marburg's eyes widened in pain as he was fell straight to the ground, gasping for breath. The arrow had burned and twisted its way into his skin and the final push it was given was just what it needed to make even the 'Great Plague' Marburg, himself, hit the floor writhing in pain.
Marburg wasn't about to let it end like this. He wasn't about to let this battle be a win for those kids! He'd just have to turn it into a draw. Marburg lifted himself up from his place on the floor, "nice try...kiddies," he said in between gasps of breath, "but I'm sorry to say this fight will still end with your death!" The cool whitish-green liquid on his arms began to slowly turn red, this liquid slowly crept up and around Marburg's body. Once the liquid and fully covered the man, it began to undergo another transformation as it began to form bubbles all over it.
"Get out of here!" shouted Quill looking over his shoulder and at the wall behind him. "I think we need to put as big of a distance between us as possible!" The group quickly nodded and turned about all of them racing for the door to escape from the room, Michael and Ash stopped by and picked up Saul and Rochelle and quickly continued on their way.. Quill remained in front of them with his sword in between him and Marburg, readying to embrace the blow. The bubbles slowly began to grow in size.
"Quill!" shouted Clare as her reflection appeared on the sword looking up at him, "we should get going, too! This blast could cover the entire room, maybe even the temple!" Clare's iron ball began to swinging wildly.
"I know," said Quill as he turned back around and faced Marburg's body lying on the ground, "I don't think the kids'll make it out of the blast radius in time. I'll divert most of what I can...the kids will just have to manage after that. Let's go...SOUL RESONANCE!"
(-With the group and Lord Death at the DWMA-)
"Hmm...I suppose that's why I haven't heard from Quill, yet,"said Lord Death as he rolled his head about on his large hands, "OH, well. I'm sure he managed. Its not like Quill to be beaten by something like that." Lord Death recalled Quill's first day on the job, not many people with his disability would've even applied for the jobs that he did, but Quill did and he accomplished them.
"I can't believe you sent some blind old man with a pink sword to save us!" shouted Xander as he jumped upwards at Lord Death, grabbing his cloak. "Couldn't you have sent someone better! We barely made it out of there as is."
"Really?" said Lord Death, "he was blind. He never told me anything about it...I suppose I should've picked up on it. Anyways, how was the mission?" Lord Death crossed his arm and looked at them, inquisitively.
"I'd say it was a failure..." said Shi thinking back to Saul lying in the hospital bed.
"Yes...um...well," said Lord Death as he paused for brief moment, "I suppose you all should be on your way. Take the next couple of weeks off from missions and focus on healing...okay?" The group had a consistent murmur about them as they left the room, each of their heads hung low thinking back to the mission, Saul, and Quill. Lord Death sighed as he returned his attention to the mirror behind him, "yes?"
Quill's face appeared over the mirror, "Lord Death, I just wanted to relay that I am still alive. No need to worry," said Quill as he breathed heavily into the mirror, "I am currently experiencing some minor health issues, but I will continue to hunt down Marburg."
"He's still alive?" asked Marburg without a hint of surprise, "I guess its too be expected of him...with him alive...the other two will start acting out...I better alert the rest of the Death Scythes."
Oh, no! Marburg is still alive! ...okay...I'm pretty sure most of you guys saw that coming...especially if you know me...anyways! This is the finally chapter of the Marburg Arc...what's next? Well, some filler chapters and then I think I'm going to go into the War or Famine Arc? So, you guys better start sending in those War and Famine OCs, you are running out of time!