[b]Title:[/b] Master Passion Greed

[b]Characters:[/b] Audrey M. Jones and Ignis Fatuus

[b]Summary:[/b] The first battle between the Dream Mage and the Nightmare Illusionist. This is something I had planned to have take place in Kaosu's plot, The Divine Wings of Tragedy.


He had been looking forward to watching everything be set in motion. The destruction of the worlds, he wished to see before his very eyes. It was no surprise that the holier-than-thou Interferences would come to stop this; that he had been expecting from the start. What he didn't expect...was that she would be among them.

Audrey Marianna Jones.

For a moment, there was anger. But only for a moment. A twisted smirk crossed his face; this was his chance. To finally be rid of her once and for all. He won't attack from here, though. Oh no, if she really had a power reset, then he had to see for himself up close. A one-on-one battle to see if she's any weaker than before.

And so he called to her, to get her attention.

"Your life is mine, dear Audrey!"

That was enough for her. From where she was, she snapped her head up and looked around. She had heard that voice before; not that she didn't think she'd ever hear it again. She just didn't expect to hear it [i]now[/i].

A sweltering heat. Then, a large ring of black fire formed around her, separating her from everything else that was going on. She whipped back and forth violently, obviously unprepared. She signed up to prevent the coming apocolypse, not to fight her enemy to the death!

And then he appeared before her, in his new robes and staff. She could feel the evil intent behind the grin and his eyes, at least the one that was visible. She could also see the red glow beneath his bangs, which she knew he would use against her.

But what terrified the Dream Mage the most?

[i]'He's...he's f***ing sexy!'[/i]

Yes, she found her nemesis attractive. Their first encounter, and that was the only thing that came to mind. Ignis Fatuus chuckled, the Thunder Rod rested against his shoulder. He could tell what she was thinking just by the way she was gawking at him.

"Despite my hatred towards you, I am quite flattered that you find me appealing," the Nightmare Illusionist said, mockingly.

Audrey shook her head violently, cursing to herself. Just because he looked attractive didn't change who he was or what he intended to do with her. So she scowled and summoned her sword.

"So...you made allies with these freaks?" she asked, her tone emotionless. "What, you had nothing better to do?"

Ignis gave another chuckle in response. He was willing to humor her before he can eliminate her. "The Horsemen are an interesting lot. I happen to be honored to have sworn my allegiance to them."

She scoffed. "You're only honored because you can't think of any plans for yourself." When he didn't reply, she continued, "Well, now that we're both here, do you intend to avenge Kaztos now? Since you obviously haven't gotten over that bastard's death."

Again, he didn't reply. However, his grin widened. He then gave another chuckle, which slowly increased in volume. Then, he threw his head back and gave a full-blown maniacle round of laughter.

"AHAHAHAHAHA! My, that's hilarious! Do you think I want revenge for his cause?" He looked at her with his wide, mad grin. "Do you really think this is all out of the so-called 'friendship' I've had with that fool? No, of course not. This is not for him. This is for the plans that you have ruined for me. Plans to convert his thoughts, to help me kill you." The man then sighed and shook his head. "Of course, I should've known it would be a lost cause. Why did I even consider an alliance with him? With that hypocritical idiot. He spoke of such things like 'never let your emotions control you'. And what did he do? He allowed just that. His anger took full control just by being called a silly little name. He swore revenge over those pathetic excuses for killers, even though he outright told them they were all insignificant. And he died out of his love for you." A scoff of his own. "Funny, he mentioned how pathetic you were at one point. I wonder if he ever realized that he was just as pathetic as you were? A petulant, annoying, lovestruck fool...that's exactly what he is. It's no wonder he got himself killed."

Ignis pointed his staff at her then, ready to start the battle. "And soon, my dear little Audrey, you will be joining him."

Now before, Audrey would have lost it there, blown up in his face for mocking the evil bastard she once loved. But now was different. She had gotten over those feelings. In fact, she actually agreed with what Ignis had just said about him. So instead she looked without emotion, holding her sword at the ready. "Fine then. Try to kill me, or take me like you would've done with my brother, my friends, and my love."

The fight was on.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6vC8yeJ4QI[/youtube]

The combatting mages stared each other down, circling their battlefield. They were watching on the other to make their first move. It only took half a second before Audrey swung first. Ignis batted the strike, however, and made to jab her in the stomach. She was quick to block before kicking out at the man's gut. He grunted, the wind nearly knocked out of him as he stumbled back, unfortunately leaving himself open. The girl slashed horizontally, then gave an uppercut. Ignis was knocked back, only to disappear in a burst of fire.

Audrey grunted, looking around warily. She had to keep her guard up, had to be prepared for any incoming attack. A spark hit her shoulder, making her wince but also turn. A column of fire was coming at her at a rapid pace. She reacted, leaping out of the way in the nick of time. She barely avoided being singed, but the minute she was on the ground, Ignis had appeared before her, ready to impale her with his staff. Audrey rolled out of the way quickly, Ignis instead stabbing the rod into the ground.

The two continued to exchange blows after that. Neither would land a hit as they fought, with every dodge, block, parry, and counter. Eventually, the two had gotten into a clash, Audrey trying to cut through while Ignis kept a firm grip. The Dream Mage charged energy into her sword in order to overpower him easier.

While she did this, she asked, "If all you want is to kill me, what do you plan to do after I die?"

Ignis grit his teeth, finding it harder to hold his guard as the girl powered up her sword. Hearing her question, however, he had to grin. He knew what she was trying to do; he had the perfect response to this. "What do I plan to do? Do you really think me so simple-minded, my broken angel?"

The response was simple. "Yes."

She backed off, sending a powerful slash at Ignis. The Nighmare Illusionist held the Thunder Rod to block; the strike had been so powerful that he was knocked off his feet. But despite that, he laughed out once more.

"Oh, you poor, poor girl," he mocked, looking up at Audrey with that evil glint in his eye. "I'm afraid you are mistaken if you think killing you is the only goal I have in mind."

He then held up his staff, lightning crackling around the orb of his staff. Audrey frowned, but then jumped as thunder struck down RIGHT next to her. Then a few more came, Audrey rolling away before they struck her down. As she got up, she saw that Ignis was gone again.

[i]'Not again...'[/i] Audrey thought as she looked around, knowing that Ignis was going to pull the same fire column trick again. But before she could find where it would come from, her pink cloud energy had suddenly appeared, circling her. She blinked, but then a name popped into her head. A new spell.

[i][u]Daydream[/i][/u]

Right when she spoke the word out, the energy surrounded her and formed into a magic shield. And good timing, too, because the fire was JUST coming down towards her. But this time, it reflected off her into different directions. Audrey used this chance to run through the fire, the Nightmare Illusionist clear in sight. Before he would react, she reached into the fire dome, grabbed him, and threw him back into the battlefield. She then jumped at him as he was in the air, rapidly slashing at him. For the final strike, she held her sword over her head, charged it to its fullest, and brought it down on the man, sending him crashing to the ground HARD.

Once again, Audrey tried to take the advantage. As she fell back to the ground, she pulled out a few knives and threw them at the downed man. Unfortunately, right before they would hit, Ignis was gone in a fireburst once again. The Dream Mage almost expected him to pull the same trick yet again, but the sweltering heat behind her told her otherwise. She whipped around, right when Ignis smacked the end of his staff at her. She grunted, but blocked the next strike, kicking out at him; he parried with his own, and once again, they were exchanging blows.

"A supporter now, are you?" Ignis asked, barely dodging a stab to his shoulder.

"Healer," Audrey replied back, parrying another strike of his staff. She went for an uppercut as she followed with, "That doesn't mean I can't handle myself!"

Ignis managed to dodge that as well, letting out a laugh. "You really think that?" he asked, blocking an overhead strike. "I'm afraid to say, foolish Audrey, that you are very mistaken." He smacked at her again, this time adding his fire to the blow. "I knew you lost your power, but I didn't think you would become any weaker."

Audrey bit her lip as she was both smacked and burned at the hip. She held back the pain, growling out, "Shut up!" as she charged up her sword, letting it go to strike the illusionist once more.

However, not only did he dodge, but a strange glow came from his gray robe. Ignis looked up with a smirk and said, "I think I've seen enough now."

Before Audrey would ask what he meant, the same glow surrounded her. She felt some of her strength leaving her right then, bringing her down to her knees. The Dream Mage had been about to stab her sword to the ground to bring herself back to her feet, but then Ignis grabbed her by the collar of her shirt, lifting her up. A wide grin crossed his face, before a sudden burst of fire exploded from his hand. Audrey cried out, the force of the small explosion throwing her back and skidding across the ground, stopping just before the firewall of the dome. The girl groaned in pain, a part of her shirt damaged and her chest receiving a nasty burn. She cast Vita on herself to heal the damage, slowly sitting up...

Just in time to see the red flash.

She gasped as she suddenly found herself bound by black threads, her arms held at her sides and her ankles held against each other. Audrey tried to struggle, but stopped as Ignis pressed his foot against her chest, looking down at her with a smirk and his glowing red eye revealed.

"It seems I've won this round," the man said, his smirk turning into a wide grin.

Audrey glared sharply at him. She thought she'd be able to handle her own; looks like she was wrong. She couldn't even break free from the threads, despite the fact that she knew they were fake. "So you gonna kill me now?"

Ignis chuckled in response. Yes, he had her at his disposal...but no. He won't kill her yet. There were other things he wanted to do first.

"Not yet," he said, now kneeling down to her level. Still with the grin on his face, he responded, "Not yet. Before I do, I'm sure you're wondering what my other plans are."

Audrey scoffed loudly. So he was going to tell her? Did he not know that was the most typical villain thing to do? "Really? Are you f***ing stupid or something? I mean, what are the chances--" She yelped as the threads tightened around her.

"I am aware of the cliche," Ignis remarked, chuckling again. "Just as you are aware that you could break free at any moment. Yet here you are, struggling against this small illusion."

Audrey curled her lips in and looked away. It was true; no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't break free from the imaginary bonds. She cursed herself for underestimating him now, since now she knew he could keep her contained despite her awareness.

"Anyway..." Ignis began, wiping off his smug look for now, "as you know, you are not the only one I wish to kill. Your brother and my former host has been another target of mine for a long while. But you should know that my hatred for the both of you has grown. So much that it has extended to your family line..."

Audrey caught on to what he was trying to say. "Lemme guess, you're gonna figure a way back to the Real World, kill my brother and the rest of my family. Is that right?"

The dark pyromancer couldn't help but smirk again. "Oh, how very observant. Perhaps you deserve a medal." He gave a small chuckle to his little comment, ignoring her scowl. "Joking aside, yes. That's exactly what I plan. Though I'll admit, after that is done, I do not know what else I would do next. There are many possibilities to what I can do; just what would I start with?

"But that won't be for a long while. I have much time to think about it before I find a way." His smirk widened then. "In the meantime, I'll do what I can after I'm through with you. I already plan to find some followers; perhaps even my own second in-command." A sigh, and a shake of his head. "Unfortunate that Koyaanisqasti is dead. She would have been perfect for that. But...I think I've found a replacement for her."

Audrey's scowl deepened. She couldn't believe that he was after Aani before. Not only that...but his statement of a replacement... "If it's Sorin, I swear to god I'll--"

"Sorin?" Ignis cut her off, chuckling again. "Why, of course not. I plan to kill him after you, as he is a threat. Who I'm talking about...well," he reached into his pocket and pulled something out. "I might as well give a hint."

He had pulled out a few strands of blue hair. The Dream Mage grunted, disgusted to know he had been carrying hair this whole time, but also getting who he was talking about.

"So it's Kalas now? What does he have to do with you?" Despite the fact that they hadn't interacted much, she considered the Baten Kaitos native as a friend, almost like a brother figure (if only because he acted like her actual brother sometimes). She worried for his safety, and hearing that this man was after him now brought her concerns even more.

"That is none of your concern," the Nightmare Illusionist remarked otherwise, taking a small whiff of the hair (which made Audrey shudder a bit) before putting it away. "He is merely a replacement, nothing more."

Before Audrey would protest otherwise, she gasped as the threads tightened once again, almost immobilizing her completely. She kept trying to break free; it was all fake! Why couldn't she!? Ignis chuckled at her expense, leaning in even closer to her.

"I should confess now." He trailed a finger from her jawline to her chin. "Despite my hatred again...I also find myself so very attracted to you, dear Audrey. I know why that fool had gone lovestruck over you." His wide smirk returned once more. "You see now why I won't kill you yet?"

"....." At the moment, no words her spoken. Audrey's eyes were widened as she got the implication. But then she glared sharply and started screaming, wriggling violently in her fake bonds. "OH F*** NO! YOU SICK F***! YOU'RE NOT GONNA F***ING--"

He grabbed her face forcefully, stopping her. "Oh, but I am going to." His red eye gave a flash once again.

In the next instant, Audrey was frozen in place, white in the face. What she had seen was many screaming faces, all in her face. Her heart nearly stopped; she did nothing to fight back anymore. She was too paralyzed with fear to do anything.

Ignis grinned to himself. Finally, he had the little wench right where he wanted her. He'll finally have her life right after he was done with her body.

"My sweet enemy..." Ignis hissed sharply, leaning in ever so closely. "You are mine now..."

His lips were close to hers now. He was close to breaking her in the worst way possible. Just as he was about to plant a forceful kiss on her...

Her eyes suddenly snapped open.

"Get away."

A sudden shockwave pulsed out, knocking the illusionist away. It was so strong that it knocked him [i]right[/i] out of the fire dome. After landing quite a bit away, Ignis snapped up to a sitting position, his mismatched eyes going wide. What in the many hells was that!?

The girl was slowly making her way towards him, walking out from the opening she made. Her head was down, her hair covering her expression. Her sword charged with energy as she approached, slowly and threatningly.

Ignis grinded his teeth together roughly. One moment, he had been in the victor, and now the damn girl was about to finish him. But what exactly happened that made her like this? What happened to make her break free so suddenly?

The man growled to himself. At the same time, he could feel his fellow comrades were not doing well now. Of course, luck had to be on the side of the 'heroes' again. He should've known they would all fail.

Ignis Fatuus was left with no other choice. He had to get out. And so he was gone, whisking himself away in yet another fireburst. They might have won now, but next time, he vowed, he will have his victory. The girl's life will be his soon enough...

Right then, the Dream Mage had stabbed her sword where he had once been. Despite the fact that he retreated, she showed no reaction. Instead, she fell to her knees, worn out. And then she blinked, looking around in confusion.

"Wha...?"

Even she didn't know what just happened. But whatever it was, she knew Ignis had got away. She cursed mentally before getting up, her sword disappearing back in her mentalscape. Audrey M. Jones then walked to rejoin the rest of her friends. Next time, that bastard will pay for what he nearly did to her. For that, she'll never forgive him...