Dry Spell
The Hag's Hex
Hag's Hex's premiere brawler Marak had just come from as his Guildmaster would put it, "socializing with the enemy". More specifically he had developed a rather queer kinship with Lorus, a member of the supposedly rival dark guild Chrysalis. They practically had a social symbiotic relationship when together. Marak's bluntness and outgoing nature are able to help Lorus experience the world anew, and Lorus's strange mercurial concoction able to stabilize Maraks' physical and mental states better than booze ever could.
The problem came when they were inevitably forced to stop interacting, whether from members of the Hag's Hex playing Catch The Barbarian or Lorus being forced back because of guild responsibilities. And that is where the story begins, with Marak wandering back into the Hag's Hex....without alchemically enhanced mercury or booze to keep him stable.
The first one to greet him was Luckuv, and she chose a very poor time to tease the man by clinging onto his arm and dragging her finger.
"Heeyyy Marak, how's my favorite musclebound tribesman doing this fine day, hmmm?
Marak greeted her in kind.
By proceeding to grab her by the arm and try to slam her into the ground with the force of an Etherion Cannon.
Using Telekinesis, Luckuv's arm luckily dislocated at just the right time to allow her to backflip away from the now discovered to be irate Marak.
Her heart beat in her chest like a war drum from this near-death experience. Luckuv hastily and shakily grabbed the communication lacrima she had and yelled into the crystal.
"Dry Spell! I repeat, Category 5 DRY SPELL!"
The Hag's Hex guild mobilized as fast as they could. Axel stopped overseeing a roulette table, Amare stopped flirting with customers,Hilda stopped security duty, and even Vera ran away froma backroom deal as they all rushed to the scene. They knew better than most the infrastructure and lives that have been lost under their usually sedated guildmates nigh-endless rage. Fortunately they also knew how to subdue him in the most effective way possible, though that didn't mean it would be easy.
Step one of the plan was constant distraction and evacuation. The distraction part was handled by Vera, Amare, and Luckuv. Vera covered the area around Marak in a smokescreen, while Luckuv and Amare using their respective Eyecatcher and Sound Magics attracted the attention of Marak away from people, and saved each others lives when the goliath was too close for comfort. While Axel handled the evac, using Telekinesis and Transportation in order to effectively get both assets and people out of harms way.
Step two of the plan was to bring out the other big guns. While Marak was constantly assaulted by visual, audio, and even telekinetic stimuli, Hilda would go on the offensive by jumping up and delivering a thundering double hammer strike to the head while he wasn't coated in Iron God Slaying Magic.
Lightning Devil Slayer Magic: Mjolnir!
And so the devastating blow was wrought and shattered every window in Hag's Hex.But as a testament to Marak's legendary durability even without magic, he wasn't knocked out, with only had a small amount of blood leaking from the back of his scalp. But Hilda wasn't one to give up so easily and put the pressure on before Marak could activate his magic and exponentially increase his already staggering durability and strength.
Amperic Barrage!
So Hilda let loose lightning-fast punches covered in Lightning Devil Slayer Magic. But Marak, even under this barrage, was using his magic to cover himself in Iron God Slaying Magic. And so after about the 500th punch in about two seconds he was in in his full Iron God Slayer State, and ready for some payback. Marak grabbed both of her arms that still crackled with energy and initiated a returning devastating combo of blows.
Iron God's Headbutt!
And Hilda was sufficiently staggered enough and leaning back for Marak's next move to take full effect.
Iron God's Sternum Shattering Straight!
Only for it to be diverted by both Axel teleporting Hilda out of the way and Amare further distracting him with a hit of his own to the still hurt back of Marak's head.
Combination Magic: Light-Make Beauty Devil Slayer Magic: Cupids Arrow!
And so Marak was stunned, for the magic was quite potent and the area still vulnerable enough for the magic to slightly take effect, allowing the Hag's Hex guild some much needed breathing room, room that allowed Axel to enter the fray and hopefully turn the tides. And so he tried.
Rare Magic: Risky Bet!
And so a giant magic circle shaped like a roulette wheel spun in front of Axel, and landed on something that the man found useful.
Wood-Make Magic: Natures Restraints!
And so large wooden chain shaped constructs rose from the ground and wrapped around the limbs of Marak, and in his desperation he instinctively used the first magic he had ever used.
IRON GODS BELLOW
So his mouth spewed forth a dark grey beam of pure destruction, that manifested large iron spikes around him omni directionally, piercing through the wooden constructs and pinning down the already rattled Luckuv via a spike through her left leg. She screamed and cried out in desperation hoping that would somehow get through to Marak.
"PLEASE DON'T KILL ME,MARAK PLEASE!"
It did get to Marak, but not in the way that Luckuv read in various fairy tales in her youth. For Marak's face went from pure rage to completely distraught in an instant, and for some strange reason not at all staring at her.
A Place Far From The Hag's Hex
A large young boy with long flowing orange hair no older than eleven stood in the ruined remains of what was once his....home.....but to the boy, such a comforting word could not be applied to this place. This boy was named Marak, "The Rotten One" in the tongue of his.....the people around him. The Rotten One was well into his rampage and in his all-consuming rage towards all things he truly earned his title, tearing people and wooden huts alike apart with his bare hands, consequences be as damned as he was said to be. The Rotten One now stood over a young woman just as orange haired as he, begging for mercy.
""PLEASE DON'T KILL ME,MARAK PLEASE!"
The Rotten One's hands, nay his entire body smelt the same as it did now within the Hag's Hex. The pungent scent of Iron. The Rotten One balled his hands into fists, ready to do what he had done with so many others.
But then, something in his brain snapped and The Rotten One was seized by panic as reality shattered around him.
The Hag's Hex
Marak had gone into a full blown mental breakdown, screaming and holding his head as he was sobbing and rolling around as if his body was in complete agony.
Hilda, for all of her cruelty towards the weak and considering she had just laid the smackdown on this man, just felt sad. Someone who she would consider her equal and arguably her superior in fighting, someone who she could party with all night and have fun with, had devolved into....this.
Axel's mind went somewhat astray as well, the eerie scene had brought back some bad memories involving a body-snatching monster, how he had fought with all he had in body, mind, and soul to stave the creature from taking over his very being.
Amare upon seeing the unshakable party animal that had barged into the Hob House and brute-forced one of his dreams into reality was being turned into the mental equivalent of a mewling infant right in front of his eyes. It felt so....unreal.
Luckuv even still on an adrenaline and endorphin high with being impaled through the leg and all, still felt empathy for the man in his quite pathetic state.
Vera had the foresight and pragmatism to find, fill, and bring the magical item used to make Marak's Centuple Moonshine, which still made her wince a little as she remembered the day Marak was found alone in an alley and recruited. Seeing that lovable oaf with biggest, dopiest, and most importantly sincere grin be contrasted to what he was right now, a broken man that went for the bottle like a starving toddler. It just felt so very wrong.
They closed down the casino, which luckily could be repaired quite easily with Axel's Wood-Make Magic. Even after that it was a sad and sombre day in the Hag's Hex, made somehow sadder when The Boozehound woke up.
"Uh...wots wrong? What 'appened to ya' leg Lucky? Woah...wot 'appened in the casino? Why're ya guys sad? Is there anythin' I can do to make ya' feel betta'?"