frostbite

So lost in his rage as he was, Lumen was completely oblivious to the kidnapping that happening right under his nose. Whoops!

His approach merely continues, until of course, the Demon would lash out with its tail out of reflex would the Ice-magi jump back to avoid it. Why he had thought that the Demon would ever heed his words, he's not sure. Perhaps because a part of him didn't want to fight, beneath it all.

But now things were different. This Demon wasn't going to listen, and at them raising a javelin of water, would the next course of actions be decided.

"Words are lost on you and all your kind. You can't be reasoned with, you can't even be understood. How you've managed to amass a following of worshipers, I will never understand..."

"But rest assured, I will hunt them down as readily as I hunt you. Until you're nothing but a stain on our history..."

He'd spare no more words on theDemon, instead, he'd lunge forward, attacking them plain and true.
(Lumen Vastra)

The javelin of water was released with a mere flex of mana. A reply for Lumen as it approached, a predatory gait within the movement of the serpent as it closed the distance.

"They have opened their minds to the truth, and not allowed such mindless hate to fester against my kin. You're blind, magi, but soon you will learn."

Zolael's words came to a close, and with it his assault. An endless amount of water materializing in an attempt to drown Lumen within its wake, uncaring for the damage that would be inflicted on the surroundings with their battle.

No longer did it speak, but instead focused on anaylzing its foe. So focused upon the task that it didn't realise that Loupe had grasped victory off to the side.
(Zolael)

How curious.

The gaze of the Serpent turns to the combat between Zolael and Vastra that is about to commence. It would be interesting to see just how far one of his kin has come - or whether he's not that far at all.

"Hssss.."

The tiniest of a contemplating hiss. It remains observing.
(Fidi)

Anger fuelled the Ice-magi's actions. A deep-rooted hatred for all their kind and all the Occultists that worshipped under them. It's what powered him to fight on, through the fear, through the guilt. Until all that remained of their kind was ash.

The battle had started upon the release of the javelin, with Lumen quickly darting to the side to avoid it. He'd lunge forwards moments later, hardened staff slamming into the Occultic entity all while the blizzard rampaged around them.

Snow and Ice would gather all around the area, the blades of grass freezing solid and their surroundings taking on a blueish hue under his fury. Lumen himself was wholly unaffected by it, but Zolael would find their movements dampened.

It's perhaps what allows him to triumph over the creature in the end. For their power was nothing to scoff at. More then once did Lumen think he'd lose under their Occultic might, their powers whittling away at his defenses.

But in the end, he'd muster all the mana within his being to call forth Winters Fury. Glaicers jutting out of the ground and tearing apart the earth as it traveled towards Zolael. The impact sends the creature flying back and unable to fight.

"Must be embarrassing for you? To lose to a lowly human. You must think our only purpose is to serve under you. And yet, here I am. Making a fool out of you..."

"Must hurt your pride..."

He taunts the Demon as he approach's, the temperature plummeting to neigh unbearable degrees. It all but freezes the blood solid with their arm, rendering it useless.

"I gave you the chance to release him, and yet you'd rather play mind games...."

His approach continues, slow. Perhaps too slow...
(Lumen Vastra)


It had made a grave error in judgement. And that soon came apparent when ice and snow slammed into its already damaged form to further irritate the burns that littered the demon's body.

But it persisted in its attempts to defeat Lumen, water never ceasing to be called forth as its own body constantly looked to slam into the smaller being. The ground cratering beneath the serpent's tail as it tried to squash Lumen like a bug.

Alas.

As it made to approach, the biting cold only grew more intense. The sudden glacier that sprung forth from Lumen forced the demon backwards, form digging into the ground as it tore through a tree, the frost-bite that had only started to become known to the demon struck.

Pain, unimaginable pain from within its own body, the serpent's limb decayed, frozen solid from the singular blow that had led to the victory of the magi.

And then came the taunts, the attempt to prickle away at its mind. A hiss reverberatedthrough its entire form, no verbal response coming but instead a link between minds.

Anger fortunately didn't cloud the judgement of the demon further, weakened already, and now further pushed to the brink of fatigue it prepared to depart. To tactically retreat from the defeat that it had suffered.

"You'll be remembered, magi."

A verbal response, words sounding within the air as a wave of water was unleashed to stall for a moment, to give the demon ample time to flee from the approaching Lumen.
(Zolael)

Once more did Lumen ire in his judgement. So ready to make the creature suffer in the worst ways imaginable, that he all but allowed them ample time to escape. A wave of water crashing around Zolael and preventing Lumen from following after him, despite his best efforts to try.

All that was left for the Ice-Magi were further taunts within his mind. Of a terrible fate that awaited that poor man.

It sent him over the edge again, seeing red and promising bloody vengeance. "Know this, Demon! As long as I breath, you'll -never- be safe from me. I will rid the world of you, I promise!"

If his words did reach, he didn't know, and probably didn't care. For he was too angry in that moment. At the missed opportunity...

The blizzard never let up.
(Lumen Vastra)

Zolael has been defeated infront of him.
Again.

Is it odd to behold, when his kin is unable to oppose something greater, but instead falls apart before the might of a powerful foe that wields the ice in such manner? Is it any surprise that he would be battered and bruised by overwhelming waters, and the aggressive torrents would push him aside in such manner?

Is it any surprise that it evokes anger deep within the Serpent's heart?

To be told their kind is nothing. It's never going to be a unity of peace, between humanity and demonkind. So long as both of them exist, there could be no co-existence. There can be no peace, especially when people like Lumen exist. And even now, when the injury of such grievious manner is placed upon the body of Zolael, the snake-eyes seem to narrow.. the gaze of the Serpent only darkens, and already it slithers forward.

"Obnoxious human.."

"Repugnant in his ways.."

The gaze that darkens is almost too familiar to what humanity can feel. The contempt and disgust to another- the will to put another down for all that they do. It's only the two sides of the same coin - that no matter how much people intend to pretend they're entirely different creatures..

They're not that different after all.

"Always pushing yourselves as far as possible from the beasts, and yet.."

"You are no different. No.."

"You are worse than us."

The Serpent is weak. It's often called inept, even the 'runt' of the litter, one could say. But this time..

No, this time it won't be that.

This time, it lunges at Lumen - straight for his throat.
(Fidi)

Lumen had been so lost to his emotions, that he'd failed the remember that there were yet other Demons present. Fidi, for example who had been watching the confrontation from start to finish. It was yet another ire in his judgement, a mistake he'd have to grow from.

And so, it's only the skin of his teeth did he manage to avoid the Demon lunging straight for his throat.

Once more did the blizzard pick up in its fury, his anger returning plain and true. There was still so much of it within his core that it felt like he'd never be satisfied regardless of how many battles he fought.

"You monsters are to blame! You take away life without a shred of care, and then you have the audacity to wonder why you accumulate so many enemies..."

"We'll never see eye to eye. You simply cannot be understood!"

Perhaps this attack was a good thing. Was there still a chance for him to do something?
(Lumen Vastra)

First bite.

The snake-eyes stare deep, deeper into the mind of Lumen; could he not understand that he faces not just a simple Demon that evokes slaughter and violence for mere sake of violence, but one that evokes such rights to make another understand? To sow the seeds of chaos that would not only produce the downfall of either side..

It is meant to make the beauty bloom.
Beauty amidst the blood.

"You already feel it.."

Badum! Heartbeat quickens. The sight grows blurry, and vision darkens. Poison... the Serpent's bite was, of course, venomous- and while the two marks of fangs linger over his neck, it seems that this confrontation would be far from over. The gravity pushes...

The shadows deepen. Enough to evade the otherwise deadly attacks that Lumen could fling Fidi's way- the attacks that could very well tear it apart. He relishes in this. He relishes in pain, but not Lumen's, his own...

This body was mean to break.

"Look at you."

The voice echoes, somewhere from the dark. While the shadows circle around him, the puppets dance and the poison scrambles his vision, the whispers coax the youth to search for the Serpent. But could he find him?

Could he find a way out?

"Fighting like a beast.."

"Blaming another for your shortcomings. Are your kin any better, to attack ours on sight? Even the fresh clutch of ours, a day old, already a subject to be terminated.."

"Pitiful."

Yet, the shadows strike. The very same shadows that intend to incapacitate Lumen, now bring him solace, albeit temporarily. But why?

When the vision clears, before him is a Serpent- bloodied, with the needles of ice sticking into it.

"Go on.."

"Hit me. As hard as you can."
(Fidi)

The Cadet was at this point hyperventilating, the world spinning around him as he struggled to stay on his feet. Fidi was younger then the Demon prior, but he was by no means weaker. They were quick, their form slithering through and past his every attack, regardless of how hard he tried to land them.

The Poisnous fangs were his biggest issue, their venom perhaps fatal if it were able to penetrate into his skin. Though it's hard to evade their attacks, given their ability to merge within the shadows at a moments notice.

Would this be a battle he'd leave unscathed? Perhaps not.

But Lumen would battle on despite his odds, until his foe was vanquished to dust.

"You're a creature of Hel, woven from nightmares. You have no rights to exist, to spread your corruption wherever you see fit! As if any of us should feel sorry for attacking something like you."

"The only thing pitiful is you thinking the world will kneel under you..."

At their behest then, he'd charge forth again. To fight. Win or lose.
(Lumen Vastra)

{RP BATTLE} You have LOST round 3!

Lumen Vastra has lost 11 vitality from this battle for three hours.

{RP BATTLE} You have LOST the battle!

"Hit you as hard as I can? You'll regret saying that!" Lumen replies.

And with those words spoken, would the star of Rhyt empower his form further. Cosmic radiance invigorating his mana and the attacks that followed, all while the blizzard around them continued to rage.

In a burst of cosmic fueled fire would he lunge straight towards the snake. His staff slamming hard against them and leaving them open to his barrage of Glaciers. "A 'beast' is making a fool out of you too,"

Though they may try to sink their fangs into him, the blistering temperatures that circled him made it neigh impossible.

His energy was all but spent now, but he had enough within him still to send a wall of ice straight towards Fidi, crashing into them to seal his victory. Though leaving no lasting injuries like he would've hoped.

"You're no better then any of the worms you call kin. A sad, pathetic excuse of a creature.You'll pay for what you've done!"

Was it the adrenaline that fueled him? Or his desire to rid the taint known as the Demons. Whatever the case was, he emerged the victor if only barely.
(Lumen Vastra)

This body is meant to be broken.

And when the ice barrage is made to pierce the body of the Serpent, when the cosmic starlight incinerates the flesh of the Demon, there seems to be little regard to such injury. Is it the madness that takes over in such moments, or is it the thrill of the battle that he experiences?

Or is it something else?

"Aha.."

"AHAHAHA."

This creature... to laugh when the blood spills so plenty, when the defeat nears so close- that despite the bites and injuries inflicted upon the body of Lumen, it lies defeated. The bellowing laughter that echoes through does not help to ease the tensions in the slightest either.

"You fool."

"You ignorant, repugnant ape.."

Steadily, the coiling snake rises in the single place- where the shadows deepen, and the injury taken only further forces it to acclimate it towards the challenges present, it seems to hold no fear.

"I am but lesser of my kind.. inept, weak, young."

"Yet, you perform so poorly? You allow me to bite you, to tear your flesh apart?"

"To cause so much pain?"

It begins to slither closer. Of all things, unfortunately for Lumen, he did not manage to grasp upon the Serpent immediately. Which can only mean one thing..

"I don't know who you think you are.."

"But I grow rapidly. These skills you face today are nothing. This body you face today is nothing. But when I will return better, stronger?"

"I will search for you."
"I will find you."

"And I will end you."

The mesmerizing stare of the Serpent drills into the soul of Lumen. Here, so close..

Does it even view this as defeat?

"Run.."

"While you can."
(Fidi)

The blood drains from the Ice-Magi's face, his injuries and fatigue finally catching up to him. It's a struggle to stand, let alone grip onto his staff and fight further. He'd won, twice, and yet... why did his anger and hate not quell. Why did he want to fight on even at the cost of his own life?

There was nothing to be gained by pro-longing this any further. To remain when he had it not within him to continue.

The raging blizzard would die down as a result, the plummeting temperatures returning back to more bearable degrees. Despite that though, his hatred remains. And his red-hues lock hard onto the Demon as it approaches him.

Had he been younger. That poor ignorant boy of thirteen years of age. Perhaps then Fidi would strike some sort of fear within him, but he wasn't. His innocence had been lost. Stolen by the Demons, and so he remains idle.

His legs feel weak, as if at any moment he'd topple over despite his best efforts to look tough in that moment.

"Ah, your true self is revealed. The real mindless beast who seeks nothing but self-gain. You creatures and we humans will never see eye to eye. And that's why you cannot be allowed to exist further..."

"You and the fools the prostrate themselves before you,"

He backs off somewhat. There was no point in dragging out a battle he had no chance at winning, in his current state at-least.

"As you say though. Grow strong, hunt for me even. Show the world for the monsters you are. I won't not run. Dirty little beast."

Fidi wouldn't kill Lumen. No. It would be the other way around. He swore it.
(Lumen Vastra)

Woven from the darkest nightmare.

Bloodied, torn, injured- and yet, capable of so much more. The bare fangs exposed, dripping with Lumen's blood still, just as much as the Demon's wounded body drips with the blood of its own. Is it any wonder that it would not be so easily made to submit? Is it any wonder that, despite its weak form..

This is a beast?

A cackle. A brooding laughter. The forked tongue extends to taste the blood of Lumen upon its fangs; the snake-eyes peer into the two holes around the base of his neck, the very same point of injected venom earlier on. Had he not been victorious, and able to avoid further injections of venom..

What would become of Lumen?
Death.. or worse?

"You distance yourself from us.."

"But you're just like the rest of us here."

"Your life will be slaughter. It will be struggle, sweat and tears. And blood... the delicious blood I taste upon my fangs - your blood."

"Your life will be a burning star.."
"Until I snuff it out."

A threat. No... a promise. The Serpent had ways to grow, unfortunately for Vastra. And now, these ways would be realized in something more.

He'll meet him yet.

Soon. Very soon.
(Fidi)