Wrathful mother

[19:32] Niklaus Rowan says, "Mmh."
[19:32] Niklaus Rowan asks, "Boy, what are you doing here?"
[19:32] Aku asks, "Me?"
[19:33] Niklaus Rowan says, "Yes, you."
[19:33] Aku says, "It should be obvious."
[19:33] Niklaus Rowan says, "I don't know if it is."
[19:33] Aku says, "I'm lookin' for Eniel."
[19:34] Aku says, "To put him down. The guy's an idiot who doesn't get anything he's praising."
[19:35] His hands flick a bit as he allows the water to disperse and fall back into snow to the ground below them, and then he would lift a finger upwards, pointing toward the area just above them.

"His tower was just destroyed. The last two of his cultists here... Dispatched."

Then, his heel digs into the ground as he half lids his gaze.

"Let's take a walk and look, shall we?"
(Niklaus Rowan)
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[19:38] Aku glanced off towards the cultists that had left the scene moments prior, then towards the King of Dragons. The redhead shook his head lightly.

"That wasn't the last of them. There's many more— they're following his word like they're orders, blindin' themselves from the real freedom they could attain."

His eyes shifted up towards the mountains where the tower used to be, then back down towards Niklaus.

"We can walk if you wanna, but if he's around I'm not gonna be nice and let you take him on just 'cause he was an asshole to your people or whatever. That guy's mine."
(Aku)
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[19:50] With a decisive drawing of her gunblade, runes of white-gold illuminate across its surface - running from handle to chamber. She gently leaves Lailah in the care of Noel, the snowy-cloaked Wayfinder taking steps towards the red-haired boy.

A muffled clink locks the mechanism of her weapon, crystals within the cylinder pouring light from the chamber! In a softened tone, and paired with a smile, she speaks towards the youth;

"I have just been informed that you have hurt my daughter.

I'm not going to stand for this."

The weapon's point is aimed towards the youth, an incandescent glow ebbing from the barrel.
(Magdalen Elisheva)
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[19:59] He probably should have expected something like that when he caught sight of Lailah and an older woman vaguely reminiscing of her. His little 'walk' with Niklaus would have to wait, it seemed. Aku was not one to turn down a challenge. A shrug was offered to the lord of dragons before grey eyes shifted towards the winged woman pointing her weapon at him.

"It sure sounds like it." He said, right hand reaching for his staff behind his back. A wide grin spread onto the redhead's lips as he spoke again, grey eyes meeting Magdalen's mahogany own.

"I hope you don't mind laying down, then."

A wild burst of cosmic energies exploded forth, shrouding his form.
(Aku)
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[21:09] Crouched on the snow, the Drakanite would watch the fight between the red haired ruffian and Magdalen, and there's a clear and very distinct look to his muscles and posture that suggested if something were to go anywhere near south, he'd be prepared to leap into the fray and do what he had to to make sure she wouldn't end up harmed.

Still, though, he knew better than to doubt the power of all of these siblings and their chosen. They were full of so much zeal that it was impressive to witness.

Protecting this kind of future did seem very much viable to him. Hopefully they would all continue down this path of advancement and betterment in the future.

He'd hold his silence, waiting, but the victor was very much clear.
(Niklaus Rowan)
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[21:14] Wrathful is the mother scorned!

With a head full of righteousness and a gunblade full of golden-white, enervating light, the dark-dress and snow-cloaked Elisheva immediately launches herself into the air in a spiraling helix of light -

Her free hand moves as she does painting runes that only afterwards become apparent as to what they're for - white light that takes on an viridian hue as six massive seals are created in her wake.

"I'd give up that 'god', dear."

They dance around her, rotating and swirling as a crippling onslaught of golden blades and radiant light-feathers pour towards the cos-mage! And, as she flies and strikes, as soon as she's at a disadvantageous position, she blinks -

"His freedom is a lie - "

Disappearing and reappearing somewhere else. Blades descend from the air, golden-white light pouring off of her and coalescing into those luminous swords - while blades attack from below, glistering marble poking up from the ground to attempt to hold the other fast.

"A saccharine-sweet, too-good-to-be-true promise that ends in naught."

A final blossoming of marble blades explodes from beneath him, managing to strike him in the myriad of flowering gold-veined stone-blades! Though, she doesn't manage to hold him fast, and instead, a stone sword is launched as a parting gift, to strike him in the chest and glance off armor - but to launch him away.

"The only freedom is that which you work for and build with your own two hands."
(Magdalen Elisheva)
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[21:26] Despite his excitement to see such a fight blossom the young one was bested. Not only bested - this... was a masacre. He could barely follow the woman's motions as she teleported left and right upon the battlefield. Wings growing tenfold only obscured the massive beam of holy energy that collided with him head on. Aku didn't even have the time to bring up his arms to defend himself.

She dumpstered him. Taught him a lesson while carrying wrath in a way unmatched. It was... reminiscing of when he fought Sors, though the young freedom-believer was nowhere near afraid for his life as he had been back then, no.

Magdalen wasn't here to kill him. She was sending right back the pain Aku had caused her daughter. She was dared to belittle Belial's offer, and had the right to do so with the strength she carried.

He deserved it.
He deserved to lose.
He deserved to be scolded.
He desevered something far worse.

"You... think I haven't worked for it?"

From the aftermath of a quickly decided fight, amidst a cloud of vapor and dust stood a young teenager. Bloodied, beaten, but standing up proud and strong. A pained expression sat on his face, a frown on his features as red ichor dropped from his fingertips.

Under the moon's eye he spoke up.

"Freedom comes from power. Freedom isn't something that you're given; you gotta take it for yourself and make it your own."

His thoughts differed from the man he came to slay down, after all.

"The Crimson Moon church thinks a few sacrifices and prayers are enough to get his blessing. That his gift is enough to give them freedom. That following Eniel's word is gonna break those shackles Dawn's put on them."

Aku's grey eyes shifted up towards the moon. He couldn't move. His legs wouldn't respond, his body was barely even standing up on its feet. He struggle. Fought. It hurt. His trembling right arm shifted up towards the heavens, bloodied hand grasping at the celestial body out of his reach. A mad grin spreading on his lips.

"That's not what freedom's about."
(Aku)
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[21:34] With her blade still in hand, the flying, judgmental motherly figure readies another massive sword of white-gold, energies coalescing around her to run through and around her opponent.

And as it does, she talks to the battered form.

"You've never got it through legitmate means. You're howling at someone else to lend you power.

You're no better then they are, looking to their prophet, ranking themselves and submitting - but your prophet is something in the sky."

That crushing wave of energy is coming towards him - a sword of Damocles that descends - not to kill him, most likely, but to make his body so numb with the enervating mana that he won't be able to do much for a while.

"Be your own prophet, child. Look within for this power you crave, not trying to beg, borrow, or steal it from those around you.

It's harder, but ultimately makes you stronger. I wonder if you'll be able to handle such a challenge..."

He does have a window to escape, however. He could hop the cliff and plunge a bit into the snow-storm wracked cliffside near him.
(Magdalen Elisheva)
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[21:41] Niklaus' gaze moves from the battle to all else, and then he pushes himself up.

"Let me know if you need anything, Magdalen."

A bow of his head is given as he turns in the snowy expanse, aiming to go check on the progress up North.
(Niklaus Rowan)
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[21:42] He saw the light, the divine blade rushing towards him. Blood was spilled, tainting the snow behind him in a violent fashion. And then came the pain. His arm falls back down to his side, bicep sustaining a not-so-shallow cut as his whole body seems to numb itself from the pain - refusing to do much more that listen to his instincts.

If he was caught there he'd be dead. Yet his legs refused to move.

"Pretty rich words for someone who was born into power."

Her attempt at goading him to follow the right path only made her seem like a hypocrite. Perhaps if someone truly believed in him, in his way, in his quest for freedom. But they were all blind to it - blind to the truth. A shadow was cast upon the boy's for from up above.

"I'll do what I want and follow the path that I wanna follow. That's what freedom's about."

The shadow grew smaller and smaller before a meteor revealed itself - falling right by Aku's side. As it crashed a small localized avalanche was forced upon Agartha's peak. Where his body failed him the heavens wouldn't. The young teenager would be carried off by snow alone.
(Aku)
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[21:49] Glimpses between both battles transpiring caught on the child's divided attention. The prowess of Belial shone above in crimson cosmic energies against the ethereal forces of her Aunt Thera.

Occasionally, the young angel peeked back, but nothing more than a cliffside with brief flashes was viewed. Her mother's assault upon who inflicted her wound was given the most of that attention.

Emerald hues watch her with an anxious demeanor visibly expressed on her visage. A hand reaches forward towards Magdalen in a worried manner, yet ceases when a sparkle of the young child's mana is produced if only for a second. It catches her eye, and the girl stares towards that palm with utmost curiosity. The child's protective nature allowed her to create even the slightest glint of that?

Lailah cants her head. The little girl's gaze flicks back towards the multitude of swords crashing down against the Belialite's body before speeches between both were spoken.

"Freedom comes from.." She pauses, eyes drifting back down at her opened hand before her. "..power?" She repeats his words as if they were her own, but in the few seconds it takes for that to occur, a fae landed atop her head, and that little limb reaches up towards the fae as a gesture for Joleth to settle in it if she wanted to.

Regardless of that or not, her sight shoots towards the blood spilled before another semblance of his abilities came crashing down, stirring snow to carry him away. She spectates, until he ultimately disappears. The young Elisheva is left in disbelief to all that had gone on around her.
(Lailah Elisheva)
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[21:57] Luminous and radiant, she's most definitely a hypocrite. Bearer of an impossibly rare birthright and wielder of miraculous powers.

As that meteor frees Aku from her further wroth, she descends from the air... To give a hug-squeeze to Lailah. She shakes her head, giving the child a smile.

"It's best not to cleave to broad, sweeping concepts like 'freedom' and 'power'.

Life is a game of flexibility, fluidity, and change. You need to study and learn and adapt. Only through that will you make a lasting change..."

That snuggling hug is upheld for a while!
(Magdalen Elisheva)