The realization of what had happened snapped like the crack of a whip into Negaerion’s mind, and she erupted into action, rolling backwards along the ledge, while simultaneously chanting words of power and reaching into one of her pouches for spell components. With her left hand she flung dust, and with her right hand she drew arcane sigils into the air, all the while clutching a lodestone and chanting her words of power. The Nombril seemed to understand the words of power, because it took a step backwards at the sight of the small reptilian chanting the powerful words. It quickly decided a path of action that would provide it with the greatest chance of success in catching his prey. It knew that the spell Negaerion was about to cast would harm it, perhaps even grievously, but it had to secure her from escape before it could neutralize her threat of magic.
Negaerion’s spell blasted out of the air in front of her, and the sigils, now visible in the air between them, slammed into The Nombril with a force that surprised them both. The statue froze in the middle of its own spell casting response, but only just for a split second. During that split second, however, immense cracks and flakes of obsidian shot through The Nombril, and his footsteps tread lighter afterwards. Negaerion’s spell of Disintegration was quite effective, and her best defense against a target of immense size. Unfortunately, the damage was not even sufficient to distract the creature from its spell and after uttering some words of power in a hideous language that Negaerion had never heard before, it gestured to her with its lengthy arms, and a beam of bright green light issued forth from its hand, striking Negaerion full in the chest before she could react. It spread out over her form, engulfing her in a greenish light that felt like a thousand ants crawling over her bare hide. Unaware of the effects of the spell, she began to prepare for her next act, which, under the circumstances, seemed to be best served in flight from this dangerous and powerful foe. This time she needed no components, and turned away from The Nombril, gesturing out over the ledge into thin air. The Nombril knew what she was attempting, the words of power being familiar to its hearing, and it also knew the danger that Negaerion was about to place herself in. The Nombril was not interested in any of that. However, if Negaerion was allowed to attempt what it believed she was doing-generating a dimensional gap, or doorway, for her to leap through-then she would fall to her death, as its spell had anchored her soul to this dimension, and such travel was forbidden to her until its ward was removed. It quickly paced forward, ash and dust falling from the plethora of cracks along the length of its body, silent testimony to the power that she had just unleashed on The Nombril.
Just as her voice died on her scaled lips, a shimmering black sheet of pure energy, roughly oval and approximately the height of the Tolakian, appeared just inches over the edge of the abyss, and she lunged forward into it. The Nombril reached behind the sheet of energy and she fell through the doorway untouched by its power. She fell, surprised, right into the considerable grip of The Nombril. It yanked her back over the safety of the ledge, in case its own grip failed and the creature in its clutches decided to rob it of its prize. Negaerion struggled uselessly, her strength being only a fraction of the massive construct that held her. She knew that her options were few, and chose to go fully offensive, seeing it as her last option, now that flight from the battle seemed unlikely.
Negaerion fell back on her memory for a powerful spell that didn’t require her to reach for components, since she was firmly clutched by the strange black creature. She began chanting, and waves of energy began to flow between her hands. The Nombril, unaware of the effects of this spell, decides to put an end to the battle once and for all. While still clutching its prey, The Nombril reached out with its many consciousnesses and began to bore into the psyche of Negaerion, using all of its power to launch a psionic attack of incredible force. Negaerion was completely unprepared for such an onslaught, though her mind had never been opened to such forces, her natural defenses peeled back quickly like the layers of an onion wilting away from the direct blast of a dragon’s breath.
Suddenly, Negaerion’s vision went dark, and she sensed that a shift of some kind had occurred, but was not able to pinpoint the sensation. She could no longer feel her limbs, or move or speak aloud. She could hear nothing, smell nothing. It was as if her senses had all been instantly snapped shut. With an immense force of will, she attempted to push past the veil of senselessness to see or hear anything she could. What she saw shattered her mind utterly, and although she would never be alone with her thoughts, the other souls trapped within The Nombril would avoid hers, as much out of fear as out of respect. Her vision blurred to a dark shadow, and spirals of shadow and light whirled across her field of view. In the distance, she could hear a guttural, choking sound, and as her vision continued to clear, she saw a stout green and yellow reptilian, heavily adorned with gems and jewelry, not unlike her, being choked to death at the end of an immense and crack-riddled pair of arms. The sudden realization that she was witnessing her own demise from within the body of the statue was too much for her, and the will and focus that had been her greatest strength was consumed in an instant by The Nombril, even as it choked the last gasping breath from the soulless Tolakian at the end of its great arms.
