Storm Magic - #6

I suppose one quick spar won't hurt... but only one for now. I recently fought Dirk twice in a row and Ludin right after, so I'm still aching from pushing myself and getting slammed by Dirk."

She drew her Mauler and lightly touched the side of her face, a fading bruise still there. The fighting style between Dirk and Adrian was similar, but the former had more control, as he was a frontline fighter and had more time to practice his craft, where her brother was still in his books. The raw power was there, but it had to be sharpened.

Selene did understand the desire to improve, as comparing herself to Aesperus for example was like a child and adult. Their form was similar, but the Redeemer had perfected their own fighting while Selene still had major flaws and sloppy movements.

"Lets get to it." She took to her stance, and set herself ablaze, a grin forming behind the layer of crimson flame.
(Selene Montbell)

Adrian holds his hand forwards.

The tome strapped to his lower back flies forwards, connecting with his grasp. Winds began to gather around him, the waves of the oceans behind him becoming more and more fierce as a stream of water catapults into the air and encircles him in tandem with the fierce tempests. Clouds gather above him as four pillars of lightning shoot down into the ground next to him, encircling the scholar in a display of pure magical might.

The cube fitted into the end of his ring explodes into a mass of blue energy, a creature taking shape above of a runic circle that had suddenly been etched into the ground before him. His daemon encircled him like a sort of protector-- adding another set of eyes to the equation.

"Of course, sister."

Selene was right. He needed to keep up with his training, because eventually? There would come a day where he couldn't talk his way out of a situation. He got lucky with Izel. The next timehe decided to pull a stunt like that, it was unlikely Marge or Aesperus would be around. He needed to learn to fend for himself.
(Adrian Montbell)

Progress.

It was what made the world go round, and it existed in all corners of life. In every aspect of every single tangible and intangible object there was a guiding hand that enabled internal and external growth.

Their first bout was very close. The two siblings exchanged blows every other moment. Fire collided with water. Pillars of lightning clashed with her blade. Adrian landed a hit, Selene landed a hit. There was a push and pull. Ultimately, the scholar ended up winning. By the skin of his teeth, he managed to summon down a volt of lightning to crash down into her before she could reach him.

But she got up, just as Adrian had may times before during their previous skirmish. Something on her face said 'again'. So that's what they did. They kept going. And as fate would have it, Selene bested him the second time around. The third? That was a different story.

The two fought vigorously. The Montbell flame was strong in both of them. When the siblings fought, a switch had been flipped. It was a competition. A battle for supremacy-- one that neither of them were ready to lose. Adrian channeled every last ounce of magical energy he could to enhance the miasma of wind, lightning and water dancing around him. It was almost as though Focalar himself had been guiding his movements, whispering into his ear and telling him exactly what to do, when to do it, and how to do it.

The battle concluded with Adrian working in tandem with his daemon. He readied a powerful stream of water, powered by the surrounding ocean. Wind only amplified it, swirling around it as it compacted the beam and augmented it's power. A pillar of lightning shot down through the middle and at the center of the whole thing was his companion. It shoot forwards like a cannon, utilizing it's own abilities to amplify Adrian's beam.

Then, it crashed into Selene.

Putting an end to their skirmish.
(Adrian Montbell)

Defeated, but not too upset about it. The growth Adrian was showing was impressive, but it was sure to go away in time most likely. Selene had been bested before only for Adrian to grow lax and not practice as much.

From her spot on the ground, she called out, "Good work, brother, but you'll need to keep to a strict training regime. Practice your own abilities, even if its only on dummies or trees. Teach your fish thingy how to fight in sync with you, too... Our journey can start whenever now that we're all ready for the most part."

She rose to her feet and sheathed her Mauler. Her flames were extinguished from the blast Adrian had created, and her armor was a wet, dinged, and damaged in certain areas.. nothing a bit of maintenance couldn't fix, however, as the two weren't aiming to kill one another.
(Selene Montbell)