Re: The Arena

[Crowley]

(OOC: No worries xD This would be my first time in over a quarter of a year.)

IC: Vatic perceived the stranger in what passed for vision in his eyes.

He smiled wanly. “My name? Vatic.” He studied her face, wondering whether she would react to a voice without speech.

He thought about picking her name out of one of the crowd and decided against it.

“And yours?” As he said this, his hand motioned towards his sword, as if drawn by magnetism. He knew the blade called for blood, and like the sword he sensed this person’s soul to be substantial.

Bane groaned. “Why do you waste your time?”

“Shut your trap or I’ll file my toenails with you once I’m done.”

The sword groused its discontent. “Have it your way.”

[dragonmoon]

Moon grinned. "Not really a prophet, I hope. I go by Dragon Moon around here. I'm one of the owners of the place."

As she spoke she changed rapidly. She grew nearly a foot taller and her skin turned to silver scales, except on her face, stomach, palms, and the bottoms of her feet, where the skin merely paled and toughened. Her hands and feet also grew a bit, and became clawlike. The long black hair she had tied up receaded until it fell only from the center of her head. Even wings sprouted from her back, but they were only large enough to glade and slow falling. Though her overall apearance was now very draconic, she was still very much in a humanoid form.

"You don't mind my shapeshifting, do you?"

[Crowley]

He titled his head with interest as the woman called Dragon Moon transformed. He hadn’t been expecting it, but he didn’t dread its meaning very much at all.

"You don't mind my shapeshifting, do you?" she said.

Vatic shrugged. “Nice of you to ask.” He grinned. “After you’ve transformed that is.”

Bane let off a growl in Vatic’s head. “You know, if you had killer her earlier, I wouldn’t be worrying about you dying right now.”

Vatic let off a laugh. “You worry too much, what’s a little healthy competition?”

And now to his opponent. “I guess I should tell you that my sword is…” He wanted badly to finish the sentence with the words a bit a of a grumpy old tart, but ended with “magical.”

He drew it out now, and Bane’s runes took on a fire-emblazoned aspect.

“You know, Dragon Moon, if you live through this, which you won’t,” Vatic smiled with sympathy, “I would stop this shapeshifting. It isn't kind to your figure.” He drew out a grin.

And with that, he charged the draconic human. His sword’s tip trailed close to the ground and as Vatic charged forth, Bane started to hiss and the dirt directly under the sword’s path started to shoot up from the ground and fall once the sword had left.

Vatic looked at the heavens for a second, whispered the name of the demon of death, Lot, brought his sword up in an arc behind him and sent it swirling towards the woman’s face, which looked slightly more vulnerable than the rest of her body.

Bane screeched his song of death along the way, “Kthlo Hlyah, Kthlo Hlyah”. Translating it into human speech, it would become “Death, fun, death, fun”, hardly as dramatic as in the tongue of the sword.

[dragonmoon]

Moon leaned back and dropped to her knees at the same time the moment the sword had begun to rise, letting it go over her head. Immidiatly afterward she pushed her legs down and to the left, driving her body to the right and managing a cartwheel to stand herself back up.

"If I have no chance of surviving," she asked with a smile, "why bother giving the advice?"

[Crowley]

Vatic tumbled sideways with the force of his sword.

"If I have no chance of surviving, why bother giving the advice?"

Amazed at her speed, both physically and in terms of wit, Vatic couldn't help but spare a laugh in spite of being caught off guard to Moon's abilities. He had yet to meet somebody who could so easily avoid the simple, yet effective, attack.

"I don't know," he said as he balanced himself and his sword, "mayhaps I'll spare you and make you my wife." He winked cheekily.

Suddenly, his hand felt like it had caught fire and he only just managed to avoid dropping his sword because of it.

Bane's voice filled his head. "Stop your adolescent flirting and kill her for god's sakes."

Vatic knew Bane was more or less right; he needed the money and thus needed to concentrate.

He could feel his eyes begin to slowly turn red with focus, and decided it would be a good time to try and further measure her abilities.

Seeing she had cart wheeled to safety, he decided to safely hop forwards and thrust his blade straight at the centre of her body, hoping to trick her into showing him the extent of her abilities.

[dragonmoon]

"Your sword doesn't seem to approve of me," Moon managed to say before Vatic's next attack.

She was distracted a moment as she watched his eyes change color and wasn't so quick to avoid him the second time. Still, with the help of her wings which she flapped rapidly, she managed to step back far and fast enough to avoid the sword's sting.

"And, so you know, though killing is an option, you don't have to kill to win. So don't be offended if you leave here alive." She winked.

[Crowley]

“Your sword doesn't seem to approve of me”

The words caught him off guard, most people used a shield for protection, but this one seemed to be content with filling his head with doubts about death. And sure enough, he missed once more.

“Are my reactions slowing?” he couldn’t help but think to himself.

"And, so you know, though killing is an option, you don't have to kill to win. So don't be offended if you leave here alive."

Cheers from the audience at this, they seemed to enjoy seeing Vatic played around the field.

Vatic took in these words and was, more or less, annoyed. Out there, in the real world, it was kill or be killed. He liked to keep it as real as possible wherever he went. He almost shot back a retort, but decided to better position himself before talking.

He took up his sword with both hands, gently admiring the craftsmanship that had gone into the hilt and wondering why they had decided to have such a cranky old nag for a blade. His legs were aligned with his shoulders, and he stood at an angle to Moon.

Vatic calmed his mind, allowing the red to evanesce. “My sword… He doesn’t like anybody very much.” He tried to smile, hoping his anger wasn’t too obvious, for even he knew anger was a weakness. “And don’t worry; I’m not offended with the prospect of leaving here alive.” A chuckle. If she intended to spare him, it would be her funeral.

The world was a hard place, hadn’t his family taught him that by leaving him?

Since then, Vatic hadn’t trusted many. And now, out of the blue, a fighter with ideas of compassion for her fellows. It was… He strove for a word. Disgusting.

He couldn’t take very much more of this; he was used to bathing in blood, not thoughts.

“Have at me, shape shifter, I am ever so weak from attacking you,” Vatic said with a mockingly coy tone.

The blade moaned softly, the wind around it started to beat like a war-drum and the clouds were forming in the sky above, almost gathering above the arena.

[dragonmoon]

"Yes, you cartainly are serious," Moon said, though more to herself than Vatic. The man who only moments before had been joking about things seemed now quite irritated. But then, with a magic sword, he was probably used to killing others quite easily.

She opened her mouth, but closed it again. Perhaps she shouldn't tease the man so much.

No, all this man wanted was a fight. Tooth and claw were to short range against a man standing ready with a sword. Instead she spit out a thick green acidic venom at him.

[Crowley]

"What?" His surprise couldn't be contained.

The woman had just spat what looked to be phlegm at him, except it had a startlingly more dangerous look to it.

The sword cried out in Vatic’s mind. “Its acid you fool, move!”

And move he did, but one moment to slow.

He felt a minute amount touch the skin of his arm and for a second, he thought he was alright.

Then he felt a cool burning sensation run through his arm.

The only thing that kept him from screaming aloud was his dignity.

He bit his lip as a replacement, embracing the saline quality of the blood that his lip yielded.

The sword laughed at him. “See how women are? Deceptively beautiful, cunningly vicious. What would have happened had you fallen for her and believed she would spare you? She may have slit your throat.”

Vatic dearly wanted to tell the thing to be quiet, but the power Bane was passing unto himself was helping and he couldn’t afford to anger the being right now.

He looked at the burnt skin and was appalled with its burnt tone; as if the skin had been ripped off and stitched haphazardly back on.

Under the muffled panting of his own breath, he swore.

At himself
At Moon
At Bane
At the world

Only then he realised he was on a battlefield, hoping the dragon woman hadn’t built up more of this burning liquid. He brought the sword up to his side once more, sparks bounced off its runes and he charged. The pain in his arm was now fair away; it was his intent now to take an eye for an eye.

A metre away now, Vatic threw his whole weight into the air and he soared above. He brought the sword once more in an arc but this time he sliced at thin air. For a moment, it looked pointless too even him, but midway through fire seemed to seep out of the runes and downwards, to where the lady stood.

He laughed, the wind carrying his mirth up and above.

Yet, something nagged at him inside. He didn't know what, but it did.

[dragonmoon]

Though she ran, Moon was still lightly singed by the fire on her wings, just enough to make her cringe.

Knowing it was a foolish thing to, she checked her wings. Nothing a little salve couldn't take care of. She chuckled though. "Magic flame. 'Tis a wonderful thing."

[Crowley]

As he landed and check his opponent, he screamed at himself in anger.

Why use fire on a dragon?

He looked to the heavens, wondering if Bane intended what Vatic thought the sword did.

"You know, Vatic..." Bane's voice was dry with contempt. "You're beginning to prove yourself... useless."

Vatic worried. Had Bane sensed a soul strong enough to carry him? That had been the only thing binding the two before.

He looked with new contempt at his enemy, thinking her to be that one.

"Enough games, lady. I wish I wasn't so bound by this thing, mayhaps we could have been friends. As is, though, you possess to me enough of a major threat for me to need to call on stronger forces."

His telepathic voice trailed off. His mind focused on calling the wind elementals and he could see the clouds above spin with rapid fury. He saw the face in the clouds and knew that if he, Vatic, failed, then that face, Wyd, would claim his soul.

This served only to anger Vatic more, and he could feel the dust kicking at his feet. He felt the air bite at his face as it swirled upwards into the eye of the storm now brewing.

He tempted a look at the faces of the audience, hoping them to be full of fear. They weren’t. They apparently thought they’d seen better.

“I’ll show them,” Vatic grumbled and yet again the velocity of his magic took on new meaning of power.

Now the clouds entwined and separated, slowly forming a vortex of energy. And consequently, Lightning.

And before Vatic himself knew it, lightning struck by his body, barely missing it by a centimetre. Slowly, more bolts started piercing the ground, edging their way towards Moon.

And once more the feeling struck Vatic, as he watched Wyd unleash his attack upon the draconic figure. But this time, he recognised it. It was guilt. But even this couldn’t stop the elemental attack; Vatic had lost control the moment the first bolt had been shot.

It was now up to her.
-----

OOC: Sometimes I wonder where I’m going with what I'm writing xD So sorry if this post really demonstrates my ability to make a good potpourri.

[dragonmoon]

((Bah, no problem at all. ))

Moon backed up, repeated swearing under her breath, but the lighting still drew closer each time it struck.

She had to think quickly. What being would this not affect? Some metal golem could probably handle it, but her flesh couldn't become metal. However, it could become energy.

Grabbing desparately at that thought, an electric buzz began to hum in her ears and Moon changed again, now into a lightning elemental, just as she backed into the wall.

[Crowley]

It happened so fast Vatic wasn't able to register when or even what had occurred. When he did, he was as shocked as the blade.

"She's... become an element." Vatic himself had been possessed by elements, but he knew it to be impossible for him to turn into one.

When had he entered another world? Nobody could do that where he came from, could they?

The blade was angered; further so by Vatic's thoughts. "You are young! Any of the old Lazarus could have taken her in a single blow, and yet you continue to fight and get hurt. Why should I not strike you down now?!"

Vatic grasped for words and found none. He tried to let go of the sword, out of fear. He found he couldn't. His hand felt one with the sword.

Bane let out a contemptuous laugh. “You think she is the one I wish to leave you for? Fool. No, we will make short work of her now, under my command.”

The sword lifted itself into the air, controlling Vatic’s hand now, and seemed to shiver with terrible majesty. Soon, Vatic felt numb all over, and he knew it to mean Bane was now master of his body.

He felt his legs push hard against the ground, felt his heart beat rapidly, but was numb to the pain his body was obviously feeling. Vatic became a spectator in his body.

Slowly he saw his body move towards the element of lightning that had once been a woman and he saw the sword make a slicing movement towards her.

“Now, Vatic, I’ll murder once more and quench my thirst. Then, you’ll be next.”

Vatic tried to say “*******”, failed, and found himself powerless to do anything other than watch.

[dragonmoon]

Moon saw the blade coming and her entire body shot almost instantly to the side.

She had to take care of him quickly. No matter how useful a purely elemental form could be, she hated it. The way it felt, the way it messed with her mind. Fortunently for her, this one she knew to be quite effective, and she reached out to do no more than touch the man.

A touch that just might prove deadly.

[Crowley]

The blade howled its annoyance. Yet another miss.

Vatic felt the blade lose temporary control of him in its anger and he let out his pent-up anger upon the blade. "So, apparently you can't do very much even when i'm not in control. Perhaps it’s you, Bane, who's grown old and weak."

"Silence!" A shock ran through Vatic's body.

But it had distracted the blade long enough and the Bane-controlled Vatic was touched by the lightning elemental.

Though he wasn't technically in charge of his body, he could sense the pain all around him as the muscles tightened.

The sword was trying its best to channel the electricity into itself, for what harm could electricity do to metal?

But Vatic, who had heralded the weapon long enough, knew the scent of death when it came and it seemed like that was his destiny now.

He cursed his fortune but wondered. Could he transfer himself into the sword while Bane controlled his body?

He tried.

And failed.

But just as he thought he was going to fall into the pit of death and into the eternal service of Wyd, Bane somehow managed to pull his corporal form back into a state of full life.

“Just end it,” Vatic tried to reason with the sword. “It looks like we’ve been bested.”

“No, you have! Your body limits me!”

Vatic sighed and looked at his opponent. What an unexpected surprise. He had come in to the arena with high hopes for a good meal and so much had happened. Bane had shown his true colours and Vatic had shown his lack of knowledge. Blast.

But Bane wanted to live, at least until he had finished off the woman. And this meant dragging along Vatic’s body with him.

What move would this woman make next?
Hopefully something short and sweet.

“And painless” Vatic added posthumously.