Chaos Dev #5

Priscilla walked, her gait refined and possibly even elegant. Her piercing eyes stared forward as most primary senses lowered in ability, dulling down, and allowing her eyesight to be more clearly focused rather than having any other sensory distractions. Hatsu Wvelven was the one she saw. The one that had dared the enter her range of vision. He was there wasn't he? That time where Giovanni was slaughtered. That place where her life had almost ended but she was thrown out to send a message instead? Yes. Surely. Priscilla was certain that Hatsu had been one of the people that had manifested within her sight on that day. The day that her knife had turned into a sword, and the day where her metaphysical sword had turned into a larger blade. Thicker and sharper. Nobody other than the people that had attended somewhere in the past would know what this meant, but it did mean something.

To sharpen your knife was to make a weapon with your will. Priscilla had interpreted her journey along this path as a series of weapon transformations. Purely make-believe obviously. No weapon was being created by her soul or will. Only her will was being affected. Tempered. Balanced inside of the stress and anger. Utilized.

The Cainanite continued her waltz. Every step she took was completely silent, as if her feet never touched the ground at all. Almost like her body was completely weightless. No imprints or details were left on the terrain that she walked on. While Fate might have had something to say about her presence- that dreaded aura of corruption that followed her- the physical world did not.

After a short time, she stopped, arms crossing and head tilting to accompany the gesture. She squinted, salmon-colored gaze piercing through as a glare. She did not speak, and neither did she move. Priscilla was completely still now that breathing had not been a necessity.
(Priscilla Invidia)

Hunting had taken his time up, which had led him out here instead of attending the ceremony for the Chieftains. Their rights to become such had become a large event that the entire Gehenna forces had attended in. His hunger had led him across the various territories that stretched out from the lands to the east, in pursuit of a source of knowledge that would be considered unorthodox. It had taken several days in order to successfully predict where to head next, but he did not expect to find himself in the midst of the plains, segregated from immediate forms of civilization. A newly acquired rifle remained strapped to his back, totting a bayonet and outlined with a riddle of magical sigils.

 Yes, she was he one he recalled. The one they spared in order to have a message delivered to their kind. The very same kind that looked down upon humanity and pitied them, when these creatures were now the ones scavenging to survive among the cities that surrounded them with oppressive force. Any other individual that had been present besides Hatsu would be seeking to finish the job they started.

 However, he was free. His freedom to think beyond that of the expected hostilities between forces. To dare to question and probe where others would be reluctant to. His morbid curiosity had taken him to this point, and he watched with a hint of detached interest as he took note of the odd waltz-like movements of Priscilla. No movement was wasted, and yet her style of walking was almost hypnotic.

 From some distance off, he could feel her corruptive energies, settled upon a hill as he held up a lens that was contained within a cylinder. Likely, the scope of his rifle being utilized as a telescope - meeting the Invidia eye to eye as they spot one another.

 Coming to a slow rise, a small smile splays upon his features as he tucks his tools away, hefting up the heavy rifle as he straps it to his back. Making his way over the hill, he'd eventually come to pause only several paces away from the woman of the night.

"You've come far, but I believe this trip will not be a wasted one. Before we begin, let us exchange our names as a courtesy. I am Hatsu, whom am I speaking to? You're familiar to me, though you've changed since then." His tone was brutally cold, as if doing nothing but exchanging business cards despite the seemingly warm invitation of introductions.

 Perhaps he had changed since that brief exchange in Baukengard as well.
(Hatsu Wvelven)

Priscilla was here for no reason other than her own. Her belief was that she was one who could walk wherever she pleased. While she could do most of that, certain areas were not available under the threat of final death. Huangzhou knew how to kill vampires, but Gehenna? Perhaps they didn't. Perhaps Giovanni had not died for a final time. Final death was a dreaded thing even amongst vampires. Almost as much as their loss of vitae- the occurrence where they turn into mere husks of their former strength when faced without so much as a drop to drink. Horrific to think about, yet it would not happen in Agartha. Only if she was captured and unfed. But if she was captured? That meant death. There was no keeping a vampire. To fight a vampire is to state that you want its death. You are either with them or against. Capture would always mean death.

Priscilla didn't pity humanity that much. They were pathetic yet they didn't arouse any sort of pity within the ashen one. Priscilla disliked the thing that she was in the past. That was why her denial of Fate and breaking past the world's order had happened. This was why her turning had happened.

The Vampire did not call forth most of her depraved power. The power that at will, could clad her form, and give her the strength of Cain.

"Hatsu. Mention the full name. It is rude to exchange names but not include the last one, don't you think? Why don't I display the only politeness here.

My name is Priscilla Invidia.

Strange to meet you here."

Priscilla's features were porcelain. Statue-esque. Under that undead exterior was something hidden. The growing sense of bloodlust and chaotic buildup. Like lactic acid fermentation within the muscle cells of one who is exercising, except this was a different type of buildup. Both might be fatal. Who knows?

Something different. Hatsu was right. Something had changed since the last time they had met together. Instead of being clad in depraved energies only, a different type of force had come. Oppressive force that had manifested in the air around her. Perhaps it had done so as a result of her actions.

Perhaps her knife had grown to be serrated.

"The pleasure is mine."
(Priscilla Invidia)

"Hatsu Wvelven. I normally do not mention my last name, solely because it has little to actually do with me. Last names are often weighed the same as titles of power - empty. I could care less what family someone belongs to, so long as the person themselves prove to be entertaining, or interesting. So tell me, Priscilla, what has brought you out here? Your loss of your kin must have been unfortunate, and yet you do not lash out towards me."

 He continues his approach, moving with a stride that spoke leagues of confidence. It was a man who had seen countless battles, and lived to see the tale through each harrowing experience. Even if he was younger, his eyes carried the weight of a soldier, one of which has seen more than his fair share off combat. Even so, he still had a bit more to go to reach his true potential, and the depravity Priscilla exudes was dismissed.

 Or more accurately, it was overlooked as it paled in comparison to that of a Sin. A Sin that also happened to be of her kind, whose presence left his hair standing on end, even when the man acted nothing but friendly or cordial. Fear was not prevalent in his gaze, sizing up the woman before him - if one could consider such creatures to be like man or woman. "I'll get to the point, as my mortality is constantly ticking away. I'm not here to kill you, but I have come with purpose. I wish to learn about the cultures and views of various races, though I've yet to hear the side of Vampires. Not for lack of trying, so much as their inability to humor me. I believe I've amassed enough strength to warrant that audience, now, however."

 A hand rises before him, studying it curiously as it trickles with latent energies. While she exuded heavy waves of depravity, the power of twilight encompasses his appendage, causing him to briefly illuminate as sparksand the like circulate around his fingers. "You look like you're pent-up, should I calm you down before we begin a discussion?" He inquires, apathetic eyes meeting her own as he comes to stand directly before her.

 A challenging gaze, that of which was presented from a Human. He did not lower his head, regardless of the popular opinions of her people believing that he ought to. Her knife had grown serrated, but he made a habit of breaking weapons apart with a hardened shield conviction.
(Hatsu Wvelven)

"A trick. I do not care about last names if they are from someone so -common-. Something we share, I would think. The only respectable thing in a last name is the power it wields. But that power pales in comparison to what a first can wield."

Her eyes closed for a moment, sharp smile blessing her features.

"He was not my kin. I could care less for one of his type. If given the chance, I would have pushed him into the fray and left myself. You have mistaken my views. The girl that you had captured- merely a pawn. Nobody of importance. Neither of them were of any importance. The ones who stay about and do nothing are the ones most annoying. The girl- Only good at cooking pancakes. The vampire- Barely one to move around in places other than Gehenna I assume. There was no loss, Hatsu. I am simply here to flaunt my ability."

Priscilla opened her eyes, hostile gaze embracing the Wvelven.

She truly didn't care in the slightest about who had been captured that day or what happened to her shoulder. It all could be either fixed or forgotten about. None of them had much allegiance to her anyway. Vel might have said another story- that was his thrall that had been captured.

Sister was not like her brother. It was nothing of her own. None of her business.

"Stupid. Stupid thing to say. 'Kill'. I am already dead." The former Kitsune lifted a hand to obscure vision of her mouth, covering it slightly and laughing into her palm. "If you have not found out about this culture- then it is because of a lack of trying. Do not flatter yourself, Hatsu. Everything may be achieved if your will has grown."

Sanguine and corrupt power surges from within her. The aura she had clad was strange in nature, yet it gave much strength. The aura was her strongest of the blessings.

"Calm, you say? Why, I'm the calmest bunch here, Hatsu. Perhaps it is you who needs to calm down." Priscilla glared back at his challenging gaze. Even in her injured state, she could still bring down a fight if it was needed. The Vampirism within her willed it so.

"We can change that."

The force that had pressed down the area did not lift. Rather- it floated further down. It was like a steady guard or hand. Comparable to the confines of the law. Government. As Restricting as these things would be.

"I do hope you try more in figuring out this cultural stuff. I had done the same, but all of you had attacked rather than done anything rational and talked. Who's the real bloodthirsty beast here, hmm?"

Priscilla already knew the answer yet she spilled such words forth to make fun of the situation.
(Priscilla Invidia)

Apathetic. She did not bat a single eye in the face of her companions being taken in, or murdered. But at the same time, Hatsu appeared unbothered by the news itself, despite a small smile forming. Even in her answers, he was able to glean information about the culture that had been the foundation for Vampires, and strong kinship did not route itself through every undead individual. They would be just as likely to turn upon one another, which led him to wonder just how they were superior in some ways. Perhaps their abilities were formidable, but their behavior was not unlike that of those they 'pitied'.

"Would you expect an apology from me? Such a foolish ploy was only able to be responded to in turn by force, when it's happened several times over. Even so, there is no regret on my part, even if the girl is now a slave. Your kind prides itself on being undead, but I'm from Huangzhou. I know the proper way to endone, though I have no interests in following their foolish inquisition. They can not even govern themselves, after all."

 The two stand dangerously close to one another, though his hand eventually drops as it slips into his pocket. There was a sense of ease that exudes from him, and a smile that bordered upon dangerous and inviting at the same time. Perhaps he was blood-thirsty, as he did not appear to mind whether this took a turn for the educational or merely into a battle among clashing races. He was aggressive, that much was clear.

"I take what I desire to, but a fight would be rather pointless. You're still recovering from that last battle, I'd imagine. So placing it aside, why not tell me about yourself, and I will answer questions you have in turn. What made you wish to turn yourself into something that the majority of the world abhors? Perhaps...envies?" He inquires, a hand rising upward as he strokes his chin in thought.

 He appeared to inspect her carefully, though he's attentive to what she had to say. Much like one studying a perversely interesting book.
(Hatsu Wvelven)

Others certainly cared. She was just the black sheep. While others had kinship and such- Priscilla hadn't listened to much of her siblings or others from the group other than her father. He was the only one she respected. Other than her last remaining uncle of Neo's side. The only ones she cared about were the closest.

"I do not expect anything from one such as yourself. No apology is needed, accepted, or expected. They must live with the consequences, yes? Ehehehe. We did wander in purely for fun. Something I had obtained.

And yes... I could infer by the name where you originated from. You are not with them anymore, therefore it isn't of any importance to mention."

One of her ashen hands ascended to grasp the hilt of her blade, slowly drawing the tool outwards. Mid-way, it was thrown out with a quick burst of speed, impaling into the soft ground below. Priscilla leaned on it heavily, staring with an unblinking gaze at Hatsu.

"Heh. Correct you are. While recovery is something still happening-" Priscilla's pink glare was wreathed in sanguine red, a smirk breaking out. "-War is too, always happening. Maybe I'll answer your questions after you're defeated. If you lose, that's quite a shame, you know. Being defeated by an injured individual."

Wasting no time, the vampire lunged, cleaving her sword in a an arc that aimed at the Wvelven. Her injury really put a dent on her ability to fight in truth, but who cared about injuries? Definitely not Priscilla.

That lingering force cracked through. A force of entropy had broken through the strings that laid upon the world. Priscilla's hatred fueled it. Hatred for the human condition. For Huangzhou. For her injury. For all of her injuries. For what happened to Un-wol... For what happened to Coraline and Corinth.

The cleave was empowered with this metaphysical might. This was her sword.

"This is obviously a loss... Eheh." She muttered something to herself, which was probably not audible at the time to Hatsu.
(Priscilla Invidia)

A curiosity, this Vampire had been. She appeared to be indifferent towards her kind, which in retrospect, was the opposite of Malentine. That man had appeared to care deeply for his kin, but they had betrayed him at every turn, leaving him brutally alone in the aftermath of it all. Such a bitter thought is cut short in his mind, as he takes note of blade's arc, whipping toward him with surprising speed. The metallic glint does not escape his vision, even if the swift arc of the attack was enough to force him to move from his positioning - or at least, that's what she'd of presumed.

 As the blade came sailing towards his neck, a buffer of a wall-like structure slams into her hand. A struggle takes place before the point of contact, a maelstrom of winds slamming into her appendage with enough force to keep her paused in place. "A shame, indeed. I do enjoy wagers, however." He mutters, his aura flickering to life in slow undulating waves. The wind that had been keeping her at bay abruptly twist and turn without warning, aiming to slam into her exposed mid-riff as it aimed to tear into her armor and clothing.

 The drill-like transition from the wall of wind serves as a buffer, intent upon sending her flying back in order to separate the two. A large leap is made as Hatsu shifts back himself, skidding along the slope of grass as the air began to grow frigid. His rifle is cleanly removed from its strapped positioning with a 'snap', evidently condition to be removed at a moments notice. A click of the hammer is made as he directs the weapon at Priscilla with one hand.

 A smile forms, clearly awaiting to see the results.
(Hatsu Wvelven)

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The experience was a harrowing one, perhaps under-estimating her overall. Her blade quickened with each swing, and even if her injuries had weighed her down to a degree, it had devolved into a series of tactical exchanges. Vampires were considered superior to Magi in many forms, from speed, strength, and agility. This is proven to a degree as she zipped around at immense speeds, Hatsu's eyes widening briefly as he lost track of her. Within moments she had closed the gap as she swung open him, drawing blood as it splatters along the grass. Even so, the wound is frozen shortly after as Hatsu's palm falls upon it.

 The loud retort of his rifle firing off mana-infused projectiles is heard, having them slam into Priscilla's form with enough force to wrench her back and cause her excruciating pain. They carried the force to rip right through her, but she had enough wits about her to avoid horrid injury. The exchange between the two was ferocious, massive fields off cosmic energy illuminating the area, accompanied with a harrowing array of icicles ripping through her clothing, armor, and skin.

 The crystalline blue constructs quickly devolved into red-stained spires, pointing up at the moon-lit fields as the ichor ebbed downward. Hatsu stood tall as he was left panting lightly, the rush of battle causing his heart to slam neatly against his chest.

 Regardless of the state of a Vampire, their absurd strength was enough to cripple even the strongest of Magi. Initial shock had shifted into caution as he now stood above Priscilla, a cavernous array of icicles locking her in place as her movements become restricted to a degree. If it was evident that she had settled down, he would extend a hand downward to roughly grab her face with his uninjured palm.

"What's my prize, then? Perhaps having my questions answered?" He inquires, settling down as frigid mist leaks from his mouth. Surely, it was dangerous to fight these creatures on equal footing..it was no wonder that even the strongest of fighters could be bested by these individuals blessed by Cain.

 ...It inspires a shiver down his spine, as he realizes the horrific power of Malentine in full.
(Hatsu Wvelven)

Each swing of her blade leaked this entropy from before, in a much smaller degree than the first cleave. Her agility had manifested as a blessing of her vampiric aura. The blessing of Cain was horrible to experience at full power. Priscilla did not come close to full power. The woman moved around with dashes of poison miasma to accelerate her, wrapping around Hatsu as her blade dug into his flesh. Venom coursed in. His veins would burn.

Priscilla is hit with multiple shots of his rifle, but deflects or weaves through an amazing amount of them. Many of the shots he had thrown passed through air instead. Her blade would catch one that had narrowly missed her hand and forced it backwards to somewhere vaguely at Hatsu. The Vampire knew that with her injury, she would not be able to close in as much as she hoped and therefore stayed back and attacked when she could guarantee no risk. The cracks produced by her knife, which was now a sword would have sealed by now. The chaotic energies that leaked through to attack Hatsu no longer sprouted from her will or blade.

The battle had gone on for too long for her to be able to pull any more. Priscilla's siphoning was quickly healed up by the more harmonious energies of the world.

And Prisiclla had fallen just where she thought the battle would be over for Hatsu. Her joints locked and her sword had punctured the ground. All it took was one wrong move. Each attack that had come from Hatsu was completely devastating to the Vampire due to her state. This state had proved to be a major drawback.

Hatsu had attempted to restrict her movements but it was to no avail. She was neither pushed to the point of capture nor to the point of incredible lethargy. The power of Cain was summoned once more, even now breaking past the icicles he summoned. Her restriction did not come easy. The woman jumped backwards just as Hatsu had said his line. The smirk that she had given him did not fade through the thick and thin.

"Prize? Didn't I say that I'd answer your questions if you lost? And even- Shameful. Even while injured I had brought you almost to your knees. I thought that my loss had been secured. There's no shame in it for me, ehehehe."

Showing no signs of being tired at all, the Vampire composed themselves.

"If only you were brought down."

Priscilla's sword was gripped, still leaking fresh with blood. A velvet tongue descended down upon it, sampling the cuisine as if it was a fine dinner. After the blade was clean, it went back into its sheathe.

"There is no prize."

The wind broke. She had dashed off, a trail of poisonous bog following her movements. Through the defeat, she could still have a laugh. And that she did.
(Priscilla Invidia)

Hatsu's expression evens out into a dead-pan, though his aggravation is apparent. He had spent immense effort in order to bring Priscilla down, but it took only himself to do so. These Vampires were not individuals to face in singular combat, at least not in standards that Humans like himself were placed upon. No, they were strong and he acknowledged such, and he made no excuses as his hand lightly hovers over the bloodied areas upon his clothing. He had acquired victory, but he did not expect her to escape so suddenly.

"How bothersome." He murmurs, adjusting his disheveled clothing as Priscilla fled the scene. To say he was disappointed was an understatement, but perhaps he was not meant to understand these creatures. He turns on that note, sighing lowly as his hands slip into his pockets on his way back into the city.

"..Ah. She used Arcane, didn't she?" He mutters, feeling the reverb from the metaphysical attacks still ringing along his chest. Yes, he was sure of it.. She had struck him with that same elusive force that he had been seeking.

 It only proves to make his mood more foul in the process, as more questions that he had slipped through his fingers. Cursing beneath his breath, he would see his wounds mend and figure out how to salvage information from this clashing of wills and weaponry.
(Hatsu Wvelven)