<div class="floatright">(http://i.imgur.com/59AJEKU.jpg)</div><br/>Wisps of pink force energy gathered about Nirael's naked form, floating a half an inch away from his skin, solidifying into a barrier around him.  He had just enough time to draw a single breath before Mara’adaki’zain launched forwards at him.  Her clawed hands flung out wide, the artifact in the shape of the key sailing through the air to rebound against a wall of force that the Matriarch had cast, protecting the elves inside the temple from the battle.  They key, artifact, hit the wall and bounced off, landing in the grass just as Mara’adaki’zain reached Nirael.  He was already sliding his fingers along intricate arcane paths as the proper words issued past his lips to complete his next spell.<br/><br/>Mara’adaki’zain's taloned claws tore through the pink barrier around his skin, slowing only ever so slightly.  Her right arm slashing across his chest, her claws sinking into his flesh before tearing through.  He felt a chilling cold in that touch for a moment, followed by a burning pain as the claws dug three bloody furrows across his chest.  A heartbeat later her left hand claw came around, but Nirael managed to bring the magical wooden staff upwards, clumsily trying to block the attack.  It was awkward and clumsy, but it did just enough to deflect the blow to save those razor sharp talons from finding the soft skin of his neck.  An instant later he completed the spell he was casting.<br/><br/>Now, most wizards would have used the most powerful spell in their arsenal at that moment.  Certainly the spell of fireball was indeed a powerful spell, one capable of doing a good amount of damage.  But Nirael was very smart, he knew that<em>a succubus</em>would be immune to normal fire.  So with a few changes to the wording of the spell to draw the power source from his own mana pool and from the plane of primal as opposed to the plane of fire.  In his hand a small pea shaped ball of flame flared to life.  But at that moment the open portal to the plane of primal behind him flared brightly and the fireball grew in size rapidly, larger than an apple.  He quickly launched the fireball over the head of the succubus.  Her claws had already been in mid swing for a third attack when he did so, thankfully her swing was defeated as instincitvely she tracked the glowing burning orb as it passed over her.<br/><br/>A moment later Nirael shut his eyes for a single blink, and in that second, the orb hit the far wall of force that the Matriarch had enacted, and it exploded in a massive ball of heat and primal force.  Nirael's body was shielded from the explosion by Mara’adaki’zain.  But she took the full brunt of the powerful blast.  Leather bat wings tore in a dozen tiny spots as the pink flame washed over her.  The force of the blast itself lifted her off her feet, and Nirael had a moment when he saw the demoness passing over his head, tongues of pink flame licking at her form even as she tumbled over him to land on the ground behind him.  She rolled several times till the momentum of the blast was played out, but sprung to her feet, charging at him again.<br/><br/>Nirael knew that this was a battle to the death for her, yet he couldn't help but notice for a fraction of a second the way her face was flush, her nipples were rock hard, and the insides of her thighs were slick with the juices of her own arousal.  Her smooth mons was swollen and excited, she was doubtlessly aroused, but from the primal energy, the violence, or something else, he didn't know.  Nor did he have time to try to figure it out as her next attack came in fast, slashing low at his thighs and forcing him to step back.<br/><br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">ooc</div><div class="spoiler_body">The massively powerful fire (primal?) ball did 40 points of damage to Mara, and the explosion seemed to rock her greatly, but she's attacking again.  She is at 43 hp left<br/><br/>Her various claw attacks all hit (though I described it as only one actually landing) doing a total of 13 points of damage to Nirael.  He is at 35 hp left.<br/><br/>Round 3 of combat begins.</div></div>