Storm Magic - #1

[21:05:52] Adrian Montbell says, "Selene."
[21:05:52] Selene Montbell says, "Adrian."
[21:06:43] Adrian Montbell says, "Evan told me something, a while ago."
[21:06:43] Selene Montbell asks, "And what is it he told you?"
[21:06:43] Adrian Montbell says, "There are going to be times he can't protect me. The one percents."
[21:07:34] Selene Montbell says, "Mhmm, no guardian can be there at all times."
[21:07:34] Adrian Montbell says, "That much was evident with my last encounter with Zahrir. That was one of those moments, dear sister. And I nearly lost my life-- no, I'm confident that I would have had he not shown up."
[21:08:25] Selene Montbell asks, "So you wish to sit here all day in safety?"
[21:08:25] Selene Montbell asks, "Is that what we're to discuss?"
[21:22:04] Adrian Montbell says, "No. Quite the opposite."
[21:24:38] Adrian Montbell says, "Selene, come."
[21:25:29] Selene Montbell asks, "So you plan on.. what?"
[21:25:29] Selene Montbell asks, "Taking up your right to the flames?"
[21:25:29] Adrian Montbell says, "In a sense."
[21:28:03] Selene Montbell asks, "And you've brought us here to do what, exactly?"

[21:40:51] Adrian had a rather serious disposition plaguing his normally expressive and cunning visage. The scholar nodded forwards, gesturing for his twin to place some distance between them. Behind those amber shaded spectacles of his, Selene witnessed a look that was vaguely familiar to her. One that he often assumed amidst his battles of the mind, against other scholars and intellectuals. A pair of steel blue eyes that spoke louder than even his most articulate instances of wordplay."We’re going to fight, sister."He reached back and removed his recently outfitted tome. The grimoire oozed with magical energy, a certain pressure hanging over his shoulders. A large runic circle appeared around his feet, spinning violently as scores of lightning shot outwards from the powerful inscriptions. The wind began to gather around him as if dancing. Soon enough, a powerful blue miasma of water flowed around his body. It was almost as if a small storm had gathered around him, as if Focalar himself had sent a maelstrom to grant him strength.Beforehand, Adrian had never shown such capability in the arcane arts. Then again, his sister had never seen him resort to as much. Had he been holding out on her, their whole lives? Perhaps. Nonetheless, such a peculiar and sudden request in addition to the revelation of his status as a magi made for quite the tone setter."I’ll be frustrated with you if you hold back. Come at me with everything you’ve got, Avenger."
(Adrian Montbell)

[21:50:14] Adrian to take up the flame? Selene had only entertained the idea briefly every now and again, as their parents chose the daughter to be the one who carried the blade while the son was the scholar. She had known this for her entire life, and Adrian telling her that he wished to fight threw her off guard."Surely you're kidding, right? I mean... I haven't seen you fight a real battle or duel since the day we were born!"She spoke with exasperation. There could be no way that her brother had somehow become a better warrior than her.. but the look that she had spotted in her twin's eye told her otherwise. It was as if a single event was all it took to put the pieces in the right spot for Adrian to become a fighter.Sighing in resignation, she took her steps back and unsheathed her blade, stabbing it into the ground before her. She wouldn't hold back, not for her brother, not for anyone. She closed her eyes for a moment before igniting her flames, surrounding her form in hot red ember-tongues as the glowing runes within her Mauler pulsed."I'll give you all I can give you, Lord Montbell. Let us see how things turn out."She spoke the term Lord without a trace of sarcasm behind it.. just before she rushed into combat without any hint of defense in her body.
(Selene Montbell)

[22:03:53] Selene had rushed into battle and treated her brother as if he was a random warrior on some distant battlefield. No family ties or friendly interaction to weight her down as she fought.... and fight she did. It was like the spirit of a rampaging bull or wild dog seized control of the Montbell daughter as she slashed, kicked, headbutted, and whirled savagely...Of course, she did think of quite a few things while pushing the pressure as hard as possible... One such thing being: Why did her brother carry water and wind instead of the flames instrinsic to her? As twins, shouldn't they have enough in common to inherit the same burning blaze? It mattered not, however, as Adrian had thoroughly surprised Selene. She assumed him to be the equivalent to a fresh-faced recruit and thought that her attacks would quickly bring down the scholar. Boy was she wrong. The power that Adrian had summoned from the depths seemed to be ever so slightly inferior to the constantly honed and trained fighting style of his sister. Which was concerning.... As the battle reached its peak, Selene had closed the distance as best as she could before backhanding her brother in the face and spartan-kicking him in the torso to send him sprawling."You... I didn't expect you to keep up like that... I thought... you only read books and worked on your runes...!"She spoke heavily and out of breath, a drawback to her fighting. With practice, Adrian would no doubt surpass her... "We need to keep.... working on your magic... maybe get Evan to give you pointers..." She dropped her Mauler and kneeled on the ground, panting to steady her breathing. She had won, but only by a fraction....
(Selene Montbell)

[22:15:50] Adrian had never actually fought his sister. They bickered as children, and got into the usual horseplay that all siblings were known for. The last time he had seen her lift a blade was when they were young adults, prior to their departure to Agartha. When he had been locked up in his room reading various tomes, she had been training. The new Champion certainly had the potential, but he was raw and unpolished. He had no experience to his name. Selene, however, did.The way he carried himself in the first half of the fight stood as a true testament to this fact. There was apprehension, hesitation. The scholar saw how aggressively his sister fought and was intimidated by her presence. How could he not be? She was armed with a giant blade that probably had severed more than just an arm.She had made a fool of him, in more ways than one. However, after being thrown around a bit something changed. Smoke rose from embers, turning into flames. The Montbell flame was not something that was represented by magic, by sword style, or by occupation. It came in many shapes and forms. It was something that bound the two siblings together, in spite of their differences. A switch flipped.That was when the course of the battle began to take a turn in his favor. He grew more comfortable, more confident in his own abilities. And he had nearly given her a real run for her money. Though, it was not enough. Selene had been successful in her efforts. The scholar felt the wind being forced out of him as her foot connected his his chest, sending him sprawling across the ground.He pressed a hand to the ground, and slowly but surely saw his way back to his feet. The flame had yet to falter."Again."
(Adrian Montbell)

[22:31:12] There was something different, the second time around.Adrian rose with a certain diligence about him. A determination for progression and advancement that seemed to overshadow his lack of experience. Like a hurricane, he flew across the battlefield as a mixture of lightning, wind and water accentuated his movements. The three elements seemed perfectly compatible, so much so that it was unnatural. The Montbell seemed to dance about his sister as she ran towards him, taking advantage of her aggression in order to gain the upper hand. As powerful as she was, if she couldn’t hit him, it made little difference.When her sporadic clashes came down towards him, jolts of lightning accentuated by wind enhanced his reflexes to such a degree that he was able to thwart her offensive maneuvers. Her flames were continuously dulled with each passing moment as the maelstrom of spells being enhanced by his grimoire were shot forwards.The fight came to a close when Adrian utilized his newfound magical prowess to entrap his sister in a powerful vacuum of wind. Water was tunneling down the center, as a pillar of lightning shot through it. As much as it was a spar, it was still a devastating conglomeration of attacks.
(Adrian Montbell)

[22:42:17] Lightning fast engagements that involved her enemies being rushed down and stomped to the ground. That was what Selene specialized in, and prolonged conflict was not the woman's comfort zone. She rushed forward once more as she usually would, though something felt off. No matter how hard she tried to close the distance, Adrian seemed to be just out of reach at all times. With no chance to unload her power in one short burst, the fire magi had been ensnared in a hopeless fight now that Adrian had adjusted to his own ability.She quickly ran out of steam as she was slowly worn down by lightning bolts and other assorted magical attacks. The end was near, and her trained mind and body could feel it. Her arms and legs becoming dead weight as seconds passed and soon enough, Adrian had gripped her body in a wind vacuum, finishing the ordeal with a magical trio that would have spelled her end, had her brother and she been in live combat.She dropped to the ground like a sack of rocks and her only support become the Mauler that had been thrust into the ground and she fell. Kneeling, exhausted, and leaning against her blade, she shook her head and took a fifteen count before speaking."Where did this come from? You could have done so much with your ability..."She had been slightly jealous that he had taken far more magical aptitude than she could ever dream of. Her flames at best were just a fraction of the power wielded by a fully realized magi. But... she had applauded her brother mentally, since she was too tired to physically pat him on the back and nod approvingly.

(Selene Montbell)
[22:56:48] Adrian made his way over to his sister. He crouched down, offering her a hand and helping her up. He had told her not to hold back against him. The twin would have been dishonoring her dignity as a warrior if he did not come at her with everything he had. When the question was asked, he paused for a moment. The scholar placed a hand on his waist, looking off into the distance. His tome floated in the air about him."I’ve always had the potential. Years of being locked up in a library instill you with a degree of knowledge and understanding that cannot be found on the field of battle. I’ve read a great deal of tomes, grimories and encyclopedias in my meager twenty-one years of living. So much that I cannot tell you how many I’ve absorbed into the confines of my mind in full confidence.""But it was something I ignored. I am a coward, sister. Selfish.""Runewriting has always been my passion. It is always what I wanted to focus on. So much so that I dedicated myself entirely to the practice, not sparing a moment of my time for anything else. But I’ve come to a harsh realization in these new lands, sister. I can no longer be a simple runescribe. It is something I realized even before this.. title had been granted to me.""I do not need to fight on the field of battle. I do not need to raise a sword and fight on the front line. But I do need to be able to defend myself. I need to be able to defend my peers, my household, and my friends. No longer will I be dead weight.""No longer will I allow you, Evan, Morthane, Aesperus, Forte, Ausar or Dylerun to shoulder the burden."
(Adrian Montbell)