dev 3 - sudden interjection

The fox seems to be sat, watching on at the afro man do his things with the boars. Both ears instantly perk up, twisting and twitching toward Ryodr as he shows up.

There was a simple answer for the question, seeing as where he came from was her home and all she had no problem answering it.

"Osrona."

Though she did cower slightly after answering, the stranger was something else.
(Tara)

Osrona.

Now there's a pause, a silence that fills the air. Ryohr raises a hand and clenches it into this tight fist and with it, brings out this deep dark power that looms within. Occultist flame roars to life, consuming Ryohr's being in this demonly magic. "Mistake," he finally says.

The same orange-black flame that burns around him, extends out to the staff he grabs. And the aura of decay becomes that much more obvious. The ground beneath and the grass starts to flatten and almost erode, as if the essence of life in it wilts.

Ryohr's hand on the staff tightens and then a crushing sense of force comes down from the air and starts to try and flatten Tara to the ground. It becomes clear, early on that it's an assault and with a final swing of his staff, battle would start and a blast of occultic magic flies. Destructive and dangerous. It was otherworldly, in the bad way.

"Where are the Knights?"
(Ryohr)

"Tsk, tsk.."

As much as Ryohr seems to attempt the assault, the shadows stretch from around Seneval, intending to snatch out Tara from the way of assault; here, before the man could achieve what he wants with the sudden attack, there's only a single, brief sentence..

"Go find your own.."

"She's mine."

But it doesn't look like Seneval is attacking. Instead, the shadows already keep her close, closer.. until she's practically secured in what seems like a cocoon- one in which it's rather difficult to break out, but..

At the same time, there's nothing threatening to her.

"Do you understand..?"

A glance given to Ryohr. How unlikely for him to interject like this.. but why?
(Senevál)

Ryohr's eyes shift as shadows stretch out, from seemingly nowhere. In truth, it was behind some dark tree that Seneval hid behind. And that shadowy magic, that moves to cover Tara in a cocoon protect her from the nearby assault. The shadows shift a little from what attacks Ryohr launched prior, but seem to remain strong.

Then, here came Seneval's declaration. That he owned Tara already. Such a weird claim warrants a pause from Ryohr, now clad in the warring flame of occult. The hand that clasps staff tightens and the being grips it tight.

Did he understand..?

"Let's test it." There's a reply. The anger from beneath this hooded mask starts to fester and grow as the occultism is tapped into, and the orange-black magic flares. Ryohr swings staff again but this time, there's no intent on hitting Tara but Seneval himself. It was a battle and judging from the way this hooded being attacks, merely to test how strong Seneval was.
(Ryohr)

Would he really challenge him like this?

"Foolish thing."

While the shadows leave Tara aside, shielded in the cocoon which she could not leave for the time being, if only to protect her from the coming blows.. already the shadows warp around Seneval entirely, promising something entirely else..

Something much darker.
Something worse than Occultism.

"Big mistake.."
"But it's okay~. I'll teach you why.."

The shadows warp further; they intend to close the cocoon around Tara entirely - to make sure that she cannot see the transpiring battle; they extend forward, even further.. until the patch of battlefield is entirely cloaked in the unnatural darkness - so much so that the two combatants remain visible to each other.

Only they are in sights to one another..
And nobody else from outside.

Here, something about Seneval finally warps, enough to manifest the strength which hardly any creature could otherwise match; the bones and flesh bends, revealing a creature that should not exist in this world - the creature that is normally considered superior.

"Grovel and beg, human. While you can."

"Or I'll make a soup out of your insides."

A spider.. with teeth and dripping of venom, and black threads appearing all around. Yet, Ryohr is given little time..

For already it lunges forth.
(Senevál)

They were here on a purpose, that became cut short by Seneval's intervention. Shadows stretch and contort, swinging around and consuming this being's body. And Ryohr can only watch on, staff gripped tighter and eyes in a trained glare.

It was worse than occultism, a darkness that breaks to reveal a monstrosity, towering over Ryohr. That masked silhouette begins to look up, craning their head to take in the sights of the now beast-spider that stood before them. A demon. But there's no grovelling, or begging yet, just the sheer adrenaline and feeling of rage that is stoked. That they'd need to do battle with something such as this.

There's little time to digest and just like that, Ryohr is thrown into battle with the demon kind.
(Ryohr)

It becomes far too late.

For already the spider lunges, and it intends to sink its fangs into the body of Occultist, tearing upon his flesh, piece by piece.. for as much as he tries to resist against the Demon's might, it's rather evident from the start..

This isn't the fight he should've picked.
This is something terrible. A nightmare.

One which walks upon the threads of shadows, finding time to leap upon Ryohr time and time again, until he finds little escape; there are already first wounds that intend to slow him down, portions of venom travelling into his system and intending to keep him steady for the time being, where the claws rend his flesh. What's worse is the overwhelming feeling of Occultism.

It is the mastery that no human could ever achieve.

"Now. You see. Your mistake."

"And you. Will pay. For it."

These are akin to the spider's hisses amidst the combat, spoken in a tone that does not befit humankind; alienating, able to send shivers down anyone's spine. Even now, with the shadows coming close, closer..

There's a terrible sense of dread that lingers.
(Senevál)

Ryohr battles away, leaping back and forth as Seneval happens upon them. There's bite marks from the spider's teeth that manage to rend flesh and poison. And little do Ryohr's attacks seem to phase the monstrosity. Even with all of the might of the occult. The staff held is clenched tighter, and they swings it with less regard for aim and more based on passion as the fight progresses.

There's a glance, this way and that, eyes darting under the guise of the hood as they try to find where Seneval would pop out of the shadowy threads next. It was like a spider playing with it's prey and without strength, Ryohr would quickly become that: food.

Hisses resound, probably some whispers of demon kind, of the clans of Astreylla but that does little to deter Ryohr now, focused and leaning into anger more and more as the battle rages on. "The battle is not over," a growl. They let loose a strike of their staff and impart a stretch of gravity that looks to cover the area in this crushing, suffocating force. They would not back down just yet. And fight with all of the force they could muster. Human. Demon. Animal. It didn't seem to matter what he was up against, it'd feel his ire.
(Ryohr)

To fight a monster is not easy.

In truth, it isn't the deed that any human should perform at all, for the beasts of Occult tend to have much more power, much more strength than ordinary humans could muster.. and this fight is only a testament of that- for it becomes incredibly difficult to keep Seneval at bay, and with each coming shred, with each clawing that rends his flesh, this endeavour deepens..

The blows are constantly exchanged, and where Ryohr manages to temporarily push back the Demon, even with the might of a magi it's simply not enough- for he already finds himself engulfed in the shadows, with the darkness spreading all around the battlefield in which Seneval has them trapped.

Until the spider almost becomes lost in the shadows.
All to Ryohr's worry and fear.

"Shhh… you will quickly find yourself lost soon..."

"Flee... surrender... thrash... give up..."

"It matters not."

The dark of the shadows was already difficult to fight inside of; a nightmarish material, difficult even for Occultists to not be frightened of, if only for a single fact - death awaits amidst this Black Web. And as much as the man may try to remain on guard, with a single sound that may catch his attention off in the side of this shadowy bubble..

Seneval appears in another, leaping right at him.

Weakened, he has no strength to push back the Demon anymore, and he's pinned on the ground; the fangs quickly sink into his flesh, the venom seeping into his bloodstream, filling him to the brim. To any ordinary human, this would be a lethal dose..

And only the fact that he's a magi is capable of saving him.

His essence withers. It feels like sickness, comparable to no other.. enough to make him feel as if he could lose his life here and there. For the time being, perhaps, he could find himself black out- and only at that point does the spider climb off..

Until he shapeshifts back into the human.
And the shadows finally dissipate.

Though..

What people see is merely a man standing right above another; even though there are bite marks upon his chest, there's little trace of spider's nature upon Seneval now.

"Ah.."

"It's settled."
(Senevál)

It was a clear defeat throughout the battle. As much as Ryohr had struggled, today was not their day, not their battle to win. Victory would not be had... A nightmare is apt to describe it.

The magi battles but hidden in this vessel of shadows, it becomes increasingly difficult to navigate and Seneval wields this darkness and that overwhelming occult like a powerful weapon. Ryohr, the hooded figure shifts, hearing calls of surrender. The whispers of something terrible. The temptation to give into fear. They evoke anger, anger at the lack of strength Ryohr held, the lack of might. Then, before he can blink, the spider strikes again.

Seneval comes atop him and bites down hard, venom enters. The onset of demon venom. Ryohr feels his magical essence wilt and tether, like a plague that grips him by the chest. It goes black for a moment.. Seneval climbs off, and the shadows that blot out the life of the forest and the warmth of the sun start to recede. Yet, today it seemed was not Ryohr's day to die.

He lays there for a long stretch. Occult venom buried itself in his body, causing the occultic rash on his forearm to start to fester, burn more. It wakes him and bloodstained eyes crack open. Maybe Seneval notices him as dead and leaves but if not, Ryohr makes for an escape. It's not with all the might he can muster, for he clings desperately to what mana he has left, that hadn't been eroded by this venom.

The hooded being had lost and that was clear. Bite marks segregate the armor on his chest and on his shoulder and all over, with marks becoming more clear on his shoulder and back as he leaves. The hooded being moves through the lush of the forest, shaky steps. Their skin two shades paler than earlier.

And as he makes it further back home, his footsteps become crawls.
(Ryohr)

The moment that the man lies defeated, and the essence seems to have been ripped off..

He has no more interest in the Occultist; with the shadows steadily disappearing, his gaze turns towards Tara, with a smile upon his countenance spreading out. He did want to do something about her, did he not? Even then.. when the shadow cocoon steadily unwraps around her frame, there's only few words he has to tell to her.

"It's over. Come on out.."

"And come with me, hm? Unless you were meaning to keep running, of course.. but that's okay. I'll catch up anyway."

This does offer the chance for Ryohr to escape. For now, his attention is settled onto Kitsune.
(Senevál)