The Phoenix Blade

[The Demon Auditor]

It was an amazing spectacle, to be sure, watching Aeric dispatch wolves, a cat guy fight a demon girl, a demon-like babe fight an angel-like dude, and a cat chick whisked away into oblivion...

"Mmm, good times!" ODK thought to himself with a grin. He was surprised at the elemental and demonic activity in the clearing. He could see a lake ahead, and he felt a smaller, but no less significant presence within it. But...there seemed to be perhaps a little bit more? It deserved investigating.

Rather than draw attention to himself by using magic -- either to teleport himself to the lake, or freeze time and play pranks on people, or something silly like that -- he took the more mundane route and simply walked there. Yes, he avoided Dissy and Rafia duking it out, taking the scenic route instead, and was halfway to the lake when the tree fell where he had been standing. Fortunately, nobody was paying any attention to him, which was exactly what he wanted. It was subtle, but it got the job done sometimes. After all, you can't catch every demon by wining and dining them, sometimes you have to...sneak up...on them...

He was nearly to the water now, and he could feel the small, slithering snake demon wriggling around under the surface. All his senses were open now, and as Rafia unleashed an electrical demon from his own pocket dimension, ODK gave it a mere shrug of his shoulder. He bent down at the water's edge, unable to see the demon. "Now what could you be up to, hmm?"

ODK was a powerful mage by any means of measurement, to be sure, but to keep these powers in check, he used a lot of 'gimmick magic', which were mostly devices imbued with magical properties for a specific task. Usually these took the forms of rings, pendants, wands, staffs, and even fashionable footwear.

At this time, though, he decided to go with an oldie but goodie: a cloak. Long and black, he pulled the garment from the inside of his trench coat and wrapped it around himself, pulling the hood up. For a brief duration, it would protect him from all harm. Well, anything that tried to attack through the cloak, anyway. He figured it would be enough for him to have an adequate reaction time if someone suddenly had a hard-on for throwing themselves at his feet in a violent manner.

In the meantime, he began to work his craft: demon catchin'. The lead player for his evening pleasure: the snake with wings under the water. If his tendrils of thought could penetrate the simple creature's mind, he could easily manipulate it into doing his bidding. He had to struggle to focus himself, though, with so many other demons lurking around the area, and he had no idea what effect the forest might have on his abilities.

[magic]

(Rayne is the Consular, Terry. Get it straight! Jedi can't fight here, right?)

(Aeric)

His flowing offense halted when they came into view of the woman. The elf halted his movements, mentally cursed and seathed his sword. Knocking an arrow, he watched, point lowered until he meant to fire it.

ODK was doing SOMETHING, of which he was unsure, but he was positive that the man was more formidable against magic than he was. Sure, the elf was raised by a mage, but his wizardry was limited to healing magics and defensive actions on the second or third level. Not advanced by any means, except to a first year mage who just learned how to touch his/her power.

Then the man was moving. Aeric held drew his bow back as ODK moved outward toward the target. He was providing cover. His elvish eyes watched carefully waiting for someone to spring on the one he was providing back up for. Hopefully, Talisen would think, or do, something.

Give me a straight up sword fight. Aeric thought.

[Elyza]

*Elyza’s brow furrowed slightly as she felt the familiar creeping sensation on the back of her neck. It felt like long, cold dead fingers scraping across her flesh as Lucien managed a complete connection with her, despite her earlier failed attempt at doing so. She watched as the winged bug performed his own type of amateur air magic, creating an air pocket that protected him from her winds. For now.

She snarled, her lips turned slightly southwards at the ends as he swung at her with his scythe. Deflecting the blade with her hand, Elyza barely noticed the blade slice into her flesh. Blood as black as night began to drip from the wound and Elyza growled in her throat. Staring at the creature, Elyza took out her fury on Lucien while remaining icy calm on the outside. The wind around her now began to shift, as shadows slowly emerged from the whirling leaves and debris. The raging winds and the dark shadows resembled an intense storm as leaves and sticks were ripped from their now dead trees to be flung at anyone unfortunate enough to be in their path.

~You want me to spare this.. thing?! This vile creature that dared to spill my blood… YOUR blood?!~ she felt the automatic pressure on her skull as she spoke to him this way, and she forced herself to remain calm. ~M’lord.. as always.. I shall follow you.. I think you’re wrong, but I’ll find you this fucking blade and then cut Moridanu’s head off… right after I rip the wings off this bug!~ she looked around the clearing once more, seeing ODK slip away from the group. Arching a slender dark brow, Elyza considered asking Lucien if she could stay a bit longer, but she knew what the answer would be.

Realising that resistance was futile, she let out a deep, stale breath and looked the bug in the eye. The shadows that flew around her grew darker and larger in size with incredible speed before they careened into the large ancient trees that were now devoid of the life energy they once held. Their empty husks however still had claim to limbs and roots, and the shadows soon converged with the trees.

~It seems to be your lucky day bug… I got a blade to find.. ~ Elyza snarled, before she vanished in a dusty cloud of dried leaves, sticks and rocks.

{As the wind grows even more intense, these rocks and sticks become projectiles hurtling through the air throughout the forest clearing. There are hundreds of them and it should be almost impossible for someone not to be hit by at least one. The trees surrounding the clearing and in a 100 mile radius of the group suddenly uproot and begin to close in upon the group, swinging with pointed branches and trying to trip with gnarled roots. These trees also begin to converge on ODK although he is out of the way of most of the flying debris }*

[Discord Lasarythe]

<>With the attention span of a fruit fly, if a very bloodthirsty fruit fly, Discord was distracted enough by the noises and sights around them to notice the snake helping to free her newest pet. A great lover of serpents, she would have happily grabbed for it long before it ever got the chance to attach itself to the palm of the poor sucker she was pinning had she bothered to pay attention. His snarling and general irritation caused the demoness’ black lips to curve in delight as she leaned in to purr in and nip his ear with her fangs. Then, as though the woman on his back had vanished only to be replaced by another that looked exactly like her though held a different personality, the demented glee faded from her face and the purring stopped abruptly. With icy seriousness, she whispered into the ear she’d just (tried) bitten.<>

“It is not the pets that kill, but the pets that die. The question is, do you know who you are? I do. You will die.”

<>Fascinated and suspicious as his energy seemed to change under her grip, she sat back slightly at the crackling sound only to be caught in the side of the face as he reached back to hit her. Even for one of Discord’s considerable strength the blow was painful and managed to knock her off his back and onto her own for a moment. She screeched in rage as the electricity shot through her body, but sprang to her feet immediately. Inky, black blood gushed from both her nose and mouth where she’d bitten into her own tongue, drenching her chin and the clawed hands she held her face with. As angry as she was at Rafia’s attack, Discord thrived on pain in any situation and when the screeching stopped she smiled.

Without a sound, she strode forward, steepling the fingers as she opened a connection with her own hellish energies. They would take a moment to build, but already an unholy glow began to emanate from her cupped palms. Still moving towards him, she thrust both arms out and opened her hands to release twin orbs whose oily black surfaces bubbled and spit. They burst immediately into a shower of acidic droplets magically held in flight for Rafia that were an extension of her own blood and would burn through most anything, especially flesh, cloth, and weak armor. She liked it best when her attack met with an opponent’s face and eyes.<>

“Dead kitty…”

[Rafia Ragazzo]

Rafia was slightly taken aback to say the least at Discords apart eloquence, one moment she seemed like nothing more than a demented Demon with only one thing on her mind and the next intelligence brimmed from her eyes and she spoke like a poet. It was what made her so deadly Rafia realised suddenly with the sick realisation landing in his stomach like stones.

Rafia's chest heaved in and out, the use of the snake was exhausting, and to have so much energy travel through such a fragile body was a new experience, as a god his strength and stamina knew no bounds as a mortal it was sickening. Rafia felt a new surge of energy, if he was every going to reclaim his throne back in his own dimension he would need the Phoenix Blade and this demon was standing in his way.

Rafia took several steps back in alarm as Discord began to connect to something, he couldn’t feel the connection not like a mage could or someone connect with the netherworld, But his animal senses were heightened enough to know that she was doing something.

Rafia saw the Black Orbs emerged, He lifted his own hands and tried to bring forth the same electricity that the Snake created through his body, his hands erupted in the same blue electricity, His hands shot up and a makeshift electrical shield formed in front of Rafia, but it was not quick enough. While most of the acidic blood hit the shield a globule managed to get through and burst against Rafia shoulder. He tilted his head back and screamed in pure agony, the material of his tunic began to fade away to nothing revealing his burnt red skin, the burn travelled up his shoulder and across the left side of his face. In anger Rafia growled loudly, the world was no more instead all that surrounded him was Discord and he wanted her to feel pain. His arm once again buzzed with Electricity, this time, he aimed it directly at her instead of a quick burst, it was a streaming chain. He couldn't even see if it hit, the pain was too much, blood was in his eyes and the blue electricity clouded his vision.

ODK reached out with his own mind to penetrate the snakes, but this snake was no garden variety, true in this realm snakes were not exactly the scientists of the animal world. But where the creature originally came from, where Rafia had summoned him from, Rafia while a god had created the beast to be one of the most intelligent, to understand language and comprehend it. ODK's mind connected with the Snakes, but it was too late, the snake had found the Phoenix blade and was heading back to the surface, it began to twitch and shake in displeasure and the mere force of ODK's mind, it resisted, but it was nothing more, it was an animal even if it was an intelligent animal. It headed towards ODK, giving the blade to Rafia a long lost memory. But something happened something that severed the connection, something not of this world but the underworld. The snake instantly remembered his task.

The Chain of electricity stopped, the snake fell from Rafia arm dead. Its energy and life depleted. Rafia wasn't even sure if he had hit Discord at all, but it was too late, he could hear the Snake calling for him. With an incredibly painful leap, Rafia spun through the air in a series of back flips. It didn't take him long to land at the edge of the pool. Rafia saw ODK and with a click of his finger and a puff of purple smoke a large mole like creature roared loudly and moved to attack ODK. The Snake flung from the lake, wrapped around it's the end of its tail was a small flawless red stone; around it was a series of complicated silver rings. Rafia reached for the instrument, pulling it free from the wriggling flying serpent. Rafia put his fingers through the rings and twisted it so the stone was in the centre of his palm. Although it looked like an incredibly complicated instrument he somehow had an instinctual knowledge of how to put the instrument on.

The Phoenix blade buzzed, it made sound like the dimension ripping in two. Rafia could move freely, he looked at the instrument in his palm realising that the commotion around him had stopped, in reality he was moving so fast. It wasn't long before the real world came back. He felt strong, healed. The burns around his face and neck were no more. He was stronger, bigger than he had ever been before. His muscles grew, his hair grew, he was a lion among mice. The Phoenix blade cracked with flames and red electricity, the blade had changed, shifted, it was a tiny instrument no longer. Instead of covered his entire arm like a gauntlet, the stone had grown and become jagged in his wrist; fire erupted from the stone and from his wrist erupted a blade. Pure silver it was almost white but at the same time flames licked off the metal.

He was a god.

[Discord Lasarythe]

<>Regardless of the fact that her opponent’s shield had spared him much of her attack, his pained yowl was enough of a reward for the disturbed Discord. She wanted to hear it again…and again. If connection with his shoulder brought about that kind of pain, there were a number of other places on the furball that she wanted to experiment with her acidic blood. Violent visions of a burned and broken pet writhing at her feet were shattered when a crackling chain caught her in the side with stunning force. It wasn’t the chain itself that had billions of colorful explosions bursting before her wild eyes, but the electricity that formed it coursing through her body. Momentarily blinded by the dazzling lights, she plunged further into agony by grabbing madly for the end of the pet’s nasty weapon and, even as it scorched and blistered the pale flesh of her palm, she heaved it and hopefully him to her.

Before Discord managed to sink her claws into his wide, terrified eyes- as she imagined she would when he fell into her arms- the chain was ripped from her grip. She staggered, breathless, as the constant barrage of shocks she had embraced in order to hold the chain ceased suddenly. Nerves throughout her throbbed and tingled followed by a series of involuntary twitches that served only to further enrage her. Left open, the connection between the demoness and her source of power continued to surge with energy until it filled her. A dark light illuminated Discord’s pallid complexion from within giving it an unholy, silver glow which pulsed and shifted around her. From every orifice this light spilled as though her form could no longer contain the power. Soulless, black eyes transformed into lit, swirling portals to her personal hell while the scrapes and other open wounds received in battle burst with flickering rays of energy.

Seemingly unaware of her surroundings, she strode after the retreating Rafia. The hand burned by his chain curled into a fist, the razor claws extending from each finger pressing into charred, bloody flesh. Black flames erupted from the wound and were molded into yet another, larger orb as she brought her hands together. Different from the first, she sent it spiraling erratically at the cat’s unprotected back while he remained distracted with the blade, guiding its path and speed carefully with movement of the still blazing hand. Within a few feet of her target she jerked upwards and sent the glistening sphere into the air just above Rafia’s head where it exploded outwards into hundreds of slithering tendrils, their toxic, hooked ends seeking to catch in any number of points on his body. Despite the wide range and multiple directions of the tendrils, they remained connected at the center so that she may pull them back at once and reel her victim in.

The light emitting from her eyes and wounds now trickled through parted lips as they curved into a delighted, if mad, grin. In an eerily girlish tone, she addressed her preoccupied pet.<>

“Give it here, pet. Let Dissy have a look at your new toy.”

(I'm too tired to reread it, so if there are typos I'll have to find them later. <>Yawncollapse<>)

[Rafia Ragazzo]

Rafia felt better than he had ever felt as a mortal, energy was surging through him, power crackled over his expanding body, his muscles grew and tensed, he looked down at Discord with a wicked glint in his yellow eye. He could see every blood vessel and poisonous as it was, every muscle tendon, every weakness.

He licked his lips, his now long black hair was beginning to turn golden, his black claws curved and grew stronger and longer, they shimmered with a silver glint, as if his nails were now made from iron. Rafia put forth his gauntlet, it cracked with yellow and red energy, with an enormous charge, he released the energy in Discord Direction, he laughed manically. He could see Elyza hovering on the edge of consciences she was a powerful sorceress to be sure, he could now sense, a handful of creatures that equalled her power, The Queen, the Keeper, Oona, Krisztinya, Discord., Talisen. It meant little to him, but he knew they're names, they're abilities and weaknesses. The information was almost too much, it presses against his skull, destroying other thoughts he might have had.

Rafia placed his hands in the air, silently be began to tear open a hole in the realm, he tried to break though into his own realm where he was a god. But it was too much, there was too much information, too may stars and lands and worlds to track through. Rafia howled in pain, the Phoenix Blade recoiled; it was ripped away from his skin. Rafia fell back to the ground, his burns remained.

The Phoenix Blade however, lay at the feet of Elyza…

[Discord Lasarythe]

<>As fond of pain as Discord tended to be, after a certain level even she had trouble classifying the experience as pleasurable. Whether it was rarely displayed common sense or something so basic as survival instinct, the demoness was raising her hands and her energy in defense against whatever the pet’s new toy was firing at her. Palms open and fingers spread before her, black light spilled from her hands and hung in the air around her like delicate tendrils of smoke. For all the effort she put into the shield, it did little to protect her. The brightly colored blast pushed through her defense as though it was, in fact, smoke and caught her in the stomach, scraping along the insides of her raised arms.

Discord was thrown backwards, the growl escaping her tinged both with agony and fury. Her trip through the air came to a sudden and unexpected halt as her right shoulder connected with the solid trunk of an ancient oak. The force of the impact had her head snapping back so violently that her demon strength alone spared her neck from breaking. Scratched and broken, she dropped heavily to the ground where she lay motionless and silent.

Given time to come to the correct conclusion that she was, indeed, alive, the injured demoness coughed gently. Inky and thick, blood gushed in torrents from her mouth and nose. Cold tears filled her closed eyes, streaming down until they met with the rest of Discord’s blood soaked face. Numerous, zigzagged black streaks marked their many paths against the ashen background of her skin. Bits of bark, moss and dirt clung to her damp skin and what remained of her leather ensemble. On her side, one hand lifted slowly so that she could trace the burnt edges of the hole in her vest through which the ugly burn covering her abdomen could be seen. Scorched and bruised, it was a wonder that the flesh remained at all. Pained by even the slightest touch, she whimpered softly and eased onto her back.<>

“That hurt.”

<>Then, as though she hadn’t nearly been killed but moments ago, Discord began to laugh. Holding her wounded stomach gingerly and drenched in her own blood, she remained sprawled at the base of the tree giggling wildly. When the hilarity of the situation ended as suddenly as it started, she fell quiet. She wiped at her wet face with the back of her arm and paused to lick the blood away. In the distance her new pet was howling and clearly having the time of his life. Ready or not, it was time to play.

Sinking her fangs deep into her bottom lip, she grips the thick trunk of the oak with one arm and leans into it as she fights her protesting muscles for an upright position. Although her knees threaten to buckle, Discord locks them in position while resting against the tree. She closes her eyes once more as her vision clouds and clamps both arms over her damaged middle as though the act itself could prevent her insides from escaping. Grinding her teeth and growling viciously through the agony of movement, the demoness pushes away from her support to stagger unsteadily towards her fallen pet on the far side of the clearing.<>

“Dissy sees you, kitty. Up. Get up! Now it’s my turn to play…”

[Elyza]

*Leaves, sticks, rocks and dirt flew around her in a dark brown haze as the wind she had created screamed throughout the clearing. Not far from where she stood, there were two other energies, one she could identify as Discords’, the other she held neither care or time for. That was all she knew. There was no sound, nothing moved, nothing was real. Except for the blade.

It lay at her feet, blinding her with its glory as she gazed down upon it with eyes of purest ebony. Her dark tongue flickered out to lick the corner of her mouth nervously, as she reached down to pick up the blade with hands that felt as heavy as lead.

The transformation was instant, though she knew that it was by no means complete. The only physical indicator of her transformation was the sudden appearance of an intricate tattoo that was wrapped around her entire arm from the tip of her middle finger all the way up to her shoulder. It was the power of the blade seeping into her pores and she relished the sensation as she licked her lips again, this time with a decidedly forked tongue. Testing the weight in her hands, she smiled. The blade felt right in her hands, powerful and brought to her by fate. Her lips creased into a sinister smirk as she thought about the fun she would have carving Moridanu up with such a powerful blade. This blade, combined with the supernatural forces and beings under Lucien’s command, would surely turn the tide of the war for the side of darkness. Eager to show her dark Lord her latest acquisition, Elyza shifted the weight of the blade into one hand. As she hoisted it up onto her shoulder, she looked over at Discord.

~I can see youre having fun Luv, so don’t mind me. I got what I came for.. and now its time to go home and show Lucien. Ill see you back at the Lair..?~ without waiting for a response, she offered Discord a wink, should she happen to look upon her, before vanishing in a cloud of dark soot.

Appearing from nowhere a few moments later, Elyza was soon walking down the cavernous tunnels of Luciens Lair. Dragging the sword behind her so that it trailed over the ground with a slight grinding sound, Elyza stalked the darkness of the winding corridor as she called out.

~Luuuuuuuuuccciiien… Im hooommmmeee… Come seeee my new toy!~ *

~To be cont’d in Luciens Lair.