Abyssal (ManxMan)

Damaged Vessel

Marius lifted the piece of the wall that had fallen on top of him and tossed it to the side. It crushed one of the nearby, unoccupied cages strewn about the yard. As he rose to his feet, he glimpsed curious, stunned servants and guards watching their king take hit after hit from the suddenly-powerful Astrian prince. Uncaring, he brushed the dust off him. The King's Tailor would have a fit at the sight of the precious black adamantine suit so dirtied. He couldn't recall ever getting this dirty in a fight in recent memory, nor had he had to exert this much energy in a fight in a long, long time.

The part of him that lived for exhilarating battle and prized difficult conquests was enjoying this.

Alas, he was going to have to put a stop to this bit of unexpected fun. He'd drawn too many eyes. Soon, his people would start talking about the mysterious Astrian half-breed and his strange powers, and such talk would reach his enemies.

"Have you had enough playing around?" Marius said to the Golden Merman, who stood hovering just a few inches off the ground like a floating deity.

Sometime during their fight, the powerful Spirit had gained the ability of hovering, possibly even flight.

Seeing its endless, haughty power had made his skin crawl with barely-kept desire. His heart within his chest had made itself known, its beat increasing exponentially. Never had Marius wanted to possess something more.

"Are you not enjoying our squabble, oh mighty king?" The Golden Merman purred, cocking his head to the side ever so slightly. He'd said it as if it were a genuine mystery why Marius was not relishing being tossed around like a dead jellyfish in the current.

"Hmm, I must say I'm curious to see what you're truly capable of, but I'm afraid we've attracted too much unwanted attention and must now bring this little 'squabble' of ours to an end."

"You say it as you, a mere king, are capable of drawing out my true power. Do not be so full of yourself, false king."

Marius' jaw ticked as rage suddenly exploded within him like an erupting volcano. He felt its lava, hot and burning, course through his veins. He very nearly lost control.

It took every ounce of willpower in him to quell his fury.

So, the golden merman was all-knowing as well despite occupying the body of a clueless half-breed who'd spent his life living out of the sea. Or, at the very least, the Spirit knew Marius.

"What's the matter, usurper? Is this perhaps a sour spot for you? Have I struck a chord?" A slow, wicked smile stretched the Golden Merman's lips, and his eyes glittered with amusement.

His loins stirred.

Marius cracked an ugly smile of his own.

The Golden Merman thought himself in a position of power. He thought to bait Marius into losing control and doing something foolish.

Did he really think him so hot-headed and foolish as to be driven into a frenzy by the truth?

Marius was an usurper.

"I'm afraid my skin is thicker than that."

The sound of metal being ripped apart made him glance over his shoulder. One of the cages was being magically dismantled as if by an invisible hand. One of the poles forming the cage floated to the Spirit's side, one side of it looking particularly sharp.

"Shall we test it, then?"

With a flick of his hand, he sent the makeshift spear hurtling through the air straight to his head.

Marius simply tilted his head effortlessly and ever so slightly to the side, and the spear shot past him.

The Golden Merman flicked his wrist again.