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Post by Zerori on Oct 3, 2018 16:15:58 GMT -5
Age 1344, Salmo (10 years in the past)
Zerori's current PL: 500
Amid the vast darkness of space, close to her family’s origins but far from any highly populated planets, Tokepo’s ship followed the course of a particularly dense jungle planet. Far from their known location, Galactic Patrol (or Empire, Tokepo didn’t care for the differentiation) were still trying to track him down. His last job had worked well for him and Zerori, a sizable score of hundreds of black market bombs were nestled safely into the cargo bay. Given that he’d stolen them from a Patroller controlled planet, he had invested all of his zeni and credits into the most sophisticated cloaking that money could buy. Worth it, it was.
Now they were returning to the planet that Zinathra had requested leave on, threatening to dislocate his shoulder as a warning should he refuse. He didn’t understand why she wanted to stay on such a desolate and humid planet, hardly populated with any people that he could discern from sensors, but he rather liked his shoulder where it was. As the ship set down, a struggle with the smallest open space not occupied by an aggressive species, Tokepo was the first out of his seat and at the bay doors. Zerori made to follow, hardly ever separated from her family, but was stopped by a stern glare from her father.
“You’ll stay here. If I know your mother, she’ll be ready for a fight,” He looked out to the arid jungles, a grin on his face. “Just like the day we met.”
From the threshold, Zerori leaned back against the wall and crossed her arms, “Then I should be there to observe! What do you expect me to do here; clean your mess of a ship?”
“It would be your mess, but knock yourself out – stay in it.” With that final word, Tokepo turned and took off with a burst of power. From her place at the doors, shutting behind her, Zerori would scoff and walk back inside to prepare.
“I won’t.”
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Ten minutes and a preemptive scan of the area from the ship later, the hybrid was on the ground with a satchel slung over her shoulder and a proud grin on her face. She wore the spandex attire most Saiyans were so fond of with more comfortable editions such as pockets and holsters for a singular gun. She checked that he was far enough away that Zerori could trust he’d be gone awhile, especially if her mother was a difficult as he said she was. The excitement on her fact was tempered by the results of the scan she performed. A structure was nearby and that could only mean one thing for the greedy youngling.
Treasure.
From the ship, it was hardly a dozen paces before she embarked within the jungle, the trek quickly taking her down farther and farther until the giant shroud of vegetation nearly eclipsed the sun completely. Shadows and light danced in her vision as she pushed past limbs, vines and the occasional native creature. After what felt like forever going in one direction, another opening along the floor of the jungle was within reach – and with it, the structure she’d been tracking. It was an incredible amalgamation of some kind of mineral and rock that had been made to stand at am angle.
Zerori tilted her head at the shape, wracking her brain for whatever it was called that her mother referred to as temples. “Uh… Zie… Zicorn-? No. Zig… shit, Zig-something!” With a huff, Zerori dismissed what the structure’s shape was and proceeded to search for its entrance. What were once stone stairways had long since crumbled in some places and – in others – just didn’t exist. With use of her energy, Zerori bounded across the stretch of air to land upon one of the many levels of terraces.
All at once, a feeling came over that nearly made her knees buckle; she’d endured it up to a brief stagger before she locked her knees in place and frowned at the queer force. Her skin sweated, heart raced, and her eyes struggled to focus - all signs that she was deeply affected by the energy, but one symptom enraptured her focus wholly. Like the call of a siren, Zerori felt compelled by that same force to move inside the structure.
Before she realized that she could resist it’s pull, she was well into the unexplainably bright halls and travelling deeper still. It seemed the only pull now was her own curiosity at this eons-old temple. The air was stressed, like she had dived into water and descended many atmospheres into its depths the lower she went down the stairs. When it seemed as though she was gasping for air, she finally forced her legs to stop moving and slowly regained her composure on the floor she was on.
A once over of the floor had her staring in awe at various tools, arranged and kept aloft in the air through some sort of magic. Another pull, gentler this time, had Zerori walking toward a scroll of some kind that was wrapped in very fine… hair? Sense would have told her not to touch it, but a desire to understand overrode most common sense and she reached for the scroll and snatch it up. In a flash, it was opened and she was looking over her glyphs with aggressive intrigue, even as the corner of the page crumbled to ash.
It was only when it the scroll set fire did she drop it with a sharp expletive, “-The hell?” She hissed, watching as the scroll burned away to reveal a steadily expanding circle. Unsteadily, she stepped back away until she finally stopped to stare at the magics that seemed unstoppable. Tentatively, she watched with clenched fists and an expression of petulance – enough to hopefully hide any fear she had of this unknown she had stupidly released.
Words: 1003
@amatricina
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Post by Deleted on Oct 3, 2018 18:02:10 GMT -5
Amatricina wandered the royal archives of her fortress, within were held the endless relics collected across the ages. Magical, mystical, or otherwise simply rare, treasures from countless generations of her clan gathered from untold number of conquests across countless battles. But not all relics were gained by the hand of war; some were given willingly. Demons were ambitious creatures, and one of their primeval goals was to breech the seal between the Mortal and Demon realms. Mortals in their folly, all too often accomplished this goal for them, using ancient and powerful magics to create rifts and portals between realms. They were often small and fleeting, allowing only a single individual through for a short duration. These encounters were brief as they were rare, but they nonetheless filled the demon in question with hope a more permanent breech could be established. As a result of such dealings, demons often bestowed mortals with magics or power in the hopes they would use them to discover the means to produce more powerful bridges between the realms. It was a mutually beneficial arrangement for both parties. To the mortal, they are bestowed with dark powers in exchange for the demon's price, and for the demon, they plant the seeds of corruption in mortal minds, hoping to sow them into a more permanent rift in the Kais' ancient seal.
The archives held dozens of such treasures and relics, given over by cults or sorcerers who consorted with demonic powers. Amatricina had been told the origin of most of them by her late father, though he had explained mortal lives were brief and fleeting compared to their own. The original owners of these treasures were likely long since dead from, their counterparts in the mortal realm lost or destroyed and the bridge between them effectively closed forever. Or so she thought, Amatricina turned sharply, feeling the fires of dark magic stirring to life in an adjoining room. She rushed into the room, following the trail of magics that now permeated the air. One of the ancient scrolls had fallen free from a shelf, unfurling on the stone floors. As it did so its parchment burned away like ash, the ink bleeding free like blood from a wound. It formed the sigil of her clan in the stone, black as ash and sizzling with heat. Amatricina stepped around the circle carefully, as it crackled with mystic energies. She was familiar with this particular scroll, and those that had made it. A cult of mortals, sorcerers that hungered for power. They had wished to cast down their gods and overthrow their rulers, and they had contacted her father for help inadvertently in their quest to do so. Tartaros had obliged them, bestowing them with forbidden fire magics in exchange for thousands of their bravest warriors to corrupt into a new strain of demons. How long ago had that been, Amatricina mused to herself. Thousands of years at least, the covenant was made long before she was born.
The demoness took a deep breath, composing herself. Her father was gone, and as head of her clan that meant she inherited all his previous responsibilities, even those dealing with mortals. Whatever pact he had bound to them, she would honor. Amatricina focused her magics, dark energy crackling like ebony lightning from her finger tips as it surged into the summoning circle. She wished to maintain the bridge at least on her end, so if nothing else she would be able to return if the seal began to fade. Once sufficiently confident the runes would remain stable for her return trip, the demoness stepped into the circle. Dark energy flooded forth from the seals as she did, creating a kind of "tunnel" around her. It was black, void of heat or substance, like an open wound in existence. Amatricina felt a pull, and she was dragged through the void towards her unknown destination. She arrived wreathed in a pillar of flame, it burned away into a shower of ashen cinders upon her arrival. The journey had taken mere moments, but felt like days had passed. When she emerged on the other side, Amatricina's head was throbbing and her eyes adjusted to the return of light. Her father had never warned her traveling between realms felt like that, it was far from a pleasant sensation. Ultimately the demoness found herself standing in a large stone room, dimly lit and empty of all but a single being.
Amatricina regained her composure, standing upright. She stood at a modest five and a half feet tall to the tip of her head, though her massive crowned set of horns extended feet upwards and outwards from her skull. Her figure was wanton and voluptuous beyond reasons, her imposing bust barely contained within her metal brassiere and her wide childbearing hips and ample rear clad in skintight leggings while she wore a pair of knee high armored boots. The demoness wore a set of gold and crimson gauntlets, large rubies inset into the metal and long golden claws extending from the fingertips like talons. A pair of metal pauldrons rested on her slender shoulders, supporting a long great cloak that hung to the floor behind her. Amatricina surveyed the mortal in front of her, she was several inches shorter and appeared quite young. She could only infer she was some kind of priestess sent to summon her to the this realm. Amatricina began to speak, her voice haughty and her words carrying her air of authority. "I am Amatricina, daughter of Lord Tartaros, ruler of the Fire Demon Clan. Priestess, tell me as to what purpose you have summoned my presence in this realm. Be quick about it, my time is more precious than your life." Her ruby gaze was cast upon the mortal girl, her scowl harsh as she awaited reply.
Word Count: 979
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Post by Zerori on Oct 3, 2018 21:13:17 GMT -5
From the core of the circle, having reached it’s apparent completion, Zerori watched on as a literal pyre of flames exploded upwards in an almost cyclonic twist. Even from the distance she’d given the spell, Zerori felt as though the small hairs of her eyebrows had been singed and was intensely burning within her own clothes. The temperature and pressure around, if it was hard to breath before, was like trying to choke down smoke and ash. Protectively, she’d brought the back of her hand – gloved as it was – to try and filter it enough to breathe.
What appeared next would haunt her nightmares for weeks to come; the visage of the most scantily clan woman she’d seen before had come from the circle she’d accidentally summoned. Her attire, the cold glare with which she bore down upon her and the overall thrum of power that beat down upon her own rendered her mute. W-What… is this? Zerori thought, blinking to try and regain some sense of herself again. The haze was still heavy on her as the woman demanded the reason for her appearance – as if Zerori had purposefully brought her into this world in the first place!
For a few muddy seconds, she could only struggle to move her mouth before the words finally came; an almost ridiculous exclamation, really, “A-Are you really a Demon?!” Zerori cried, tone both incredulous and in disbelief. While it couldn’t be helped that Zerori was young and not entirely educated about her upbringing, she didn’t think of how dumb one might have taken her question – especially a DEMON of all beings. Still, she pushed onward, trying to jump on her mind to remember her mother’s words about their realm that she hardly paid attention to.
“I’m not a priestess, or whatever that is; where did you come from?! Are there more demons from there? What's a Fire Demon?! D-” She felt her voice strain, having not taken a proper breath since going on her tirade. She gasped, bringing a hand to her throat as she struggled to take in air and control her rate of breath to avoid suffocating. Finally, she coughed, “Did my mother send me here… to summon you?” Of all the education that she’d received from Zinathra, none of it was as straight-forward as her Father’s. It was always cryptic and metaphorical; the only useful skill she had received being the ability to touch and create fire… And she’d been told nothing more to work off of but to ‘practice until it feels natural.’
It seemed just like her to send Zerori off – without any realizing it – to another lesson that made no sense.
Words: 457
@amatricina
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Post by Deleted on Oct 3, 2018 22:08:27 GMT -5
Amatricina raised an eyebrow questioningly, the answers to her demands were not met, instead answered in turn by more questioning. This mortal was barely a child, she stammered and blurted out her words as if she spewed forth thoughts the moment they entered her head. It was rather precious, in a pathetic sort of way. Her question annoyed Amatricina far more than being summoned had, as if the child had the audacity to question her lineage. "What kind of preposterous question is that, Mortal?" She said the last word with disdain, the syllables rolling off her lips like searing hot venom. "Of course I am a Demon. I am the Firstborn of Tartaros, of the planet Monsigneus in the Ashen Cluster, far within the black depths of the Demon Realm. You have no authority to question my heritage." Already tired of the mortal's prattling, Amatricina raised a hand, focusing her burning red ki as she prepared to simply smite the cretin from existence and be done with it. She was clearly after all, not of her father's pact, this venture was a waste of the demoness' time. As she began to focus her ki, Amatricina sensed it, how had she not noticed before? There was more to this child than first glance. She was no mortal, at least, not entirely. Amatricina withdrew the energy back into herself, before turning to give the room a proper inspection. Large statues of ancient beings surely long since dead flanked either side of the room. The demoness' irises shone bright with a ruby energy before firing twin beams of ki at a statue's torso. It was obliterated from the waist up, and Amatricina let out a small smirk. She flew towards the remnants of the statue, seating herself on it. Heat radiated from her body, heating up the already broiling jungle air to the point small insects caught within it began to shrivel and die. The stone beneath Amatricina began to glow, dull orange at first, then red hot as she heated her seat. Soon the rock began to melt, and she sunk comfortably into her newly crafted "throne", eyes never leaving the young girl as she did so. Bits of molten rock dripped and ran down the legs of the statue with a hiss before hitting the floor to cool into small pools. "You are right about one thing child." Amatricina said with an almost playful teasing manner to her words. "You are no priestess. And if you are not part of the cult that struct a pact with my kind, then you have no business with me." She smiled though, a sinful smile as Amatricina pretended to inspect the gleaming golden claws of her gauntlet. "Luckily for you though, I already see more of you than you know, and I am intrigued. So I will honor your questions." The demoness crossed one leg over the other, quite comfortable on her molten throne as she looked down upon the mortal girl. "Your first question I have already answered. I come from a burning planet that rests under a black sun, in a realm far beyond your imagination. Your second question, is rather foolish. Are there more mortals?" Amatricina tittered at the silliness of the question. "Yes there are more demons, there are demons beyond measure, until numbers living on countless worlds. Many of which would not spare so much as a second thought to humor a mortal girl as I do." The girl's next question had tickled Amatricina's pride, she did so love to talk about her race. "Fire Demons, dear child, are just as we sound. We are Flame Made Flesh, we are shadow and fire, we are the demons with which fire resonates the strongest. It is our birthright, our greatest weapon, the core of our very being." The demoness exhaled sharply through her nose, two small jets of dark smoke pouring from her delicate nostrils. Amatricina twisted the smoke into a ring with one of her golden clad fingers, then gently blew the ring at the girl's face. "Have I made myself clear?"The girl's final question amused Amatricina the most. She shook her head before she replied. "No, probably not. I have no knowledge who your mother is, and if she did send you here to summon me, that was rather foolish of her. She is lucky I can sense what you truly are, or we would not be exchanging these pleasantries." The demoness gestured with a hand, motioning to the summoning circle that still crackled with power on the ground. "Whoever made that scroll is the one I am here for. I have answered your questions, now answer mine. Tell me child, where are the ones who built this temple? I have need to speak with them..." She let her words trail off, closing her eyes as she felt around her for the presence of any dark magics or ki users. The region was... empty? There were a few power levels of note in the vicinity, but no fire magics to speak of. What had become of the cult her father struck a bargain with she wondered. Amatricina opened her eyes again and simply stared at the child, patiently waiting for her response.
Word Count: 885 Total Word Count: 1,868 Zerori |
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Post by Zerori on Oct 4, 2018 12:29:41 GMT -5
Zerori’s face dropped at the sound of the Demon being wholly unimpressed, her excitement at learning about a being that was like her already making her look like a fool. When the Demon raised her hand, no doubt to destroy her, the hybrid felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end and quickly brought her arms in front of her to defend herself with what little power she had. As she awaited the impending fires of the Demon to incinerate her, arms shaking in barely contained terror, it took a moment of two to realize that she wasn’t obliterated yet. Tentatively, she looked past her arms to see what the hold-up was – only to let out a very unwarrior-like cry of surprise when a statue bore the brunt of the Demon’s power.
In a matter of seconds, the scene before her so surreal it was as if she was watching a live performance of a performance and the actress before her was top notch. Once she was seated, Zerori swallowed loudly before she cautiously approached. I’ve only got one life, She reasoned surprisingly maturely to herself.
Shockingly still, the Demon saw fit to answer her questions and Zerori fought to temper her excitement much better than she did last time. “Th-Thanks,” She offered, subdued but it was more than she usually offered in her teenage angst to even her parents. As her questions were humored with answers, Zerori would quickly realize that this Demon was clearly not impressed, Tch, who would be?! ‘Are you a Demon?!’ Damn, that was stupid!
She was distracted from her self-depreciation by a ring of smoke being made and blown in her face – the scent of brimstone and sulfur threatening to send her into another bout of coughing. She struggled to contain the incessant scratch in her throat, barely getting out a strained, “Y-yeah, got it,” before she swallowed and did her best to not pass out. This wasn’t going as well as she hoped – which was NOT summoning and Demon and rushing out of here with treasure. Still, the Demon had a point.
She hadn’t died yet. More over, her heritage had intrigued Amatricina enough to humor her foolish curiosity. It seemed that now it was her turn to speak and exchange information. Zerori looked around, taking in the artifacts and strange objects of interest (no longer in a muddled haze) as she cleared her throat.
“Uh, that’s a good question. My father and I just landed here to find my mother; not because we had any real knowledge of this planet. If anything,” She crossed her arms, looking off to the side with a smirk, “I’m probably the only one to find this place in at least a few centuries. I used the scanners on the ship to look for…” She paused, her smirk falling into a fearful frown. Should… I tell her I intend to loot this place? Hell no – she’s like some guardian of this temple or somethin’, right? She’d incinerate me for sure if I told her that. She looked at the Demon before coming up with a bullshit reason. “-lookin’ for my Mother. She’s, uh, obviously not here, though… so, uh,” She cleared her throat, more than a little intimidated at trying to lie to a being that felt nearly deified.
As she struggled inwardly with what to do, Zerori didn’t notice that a call had started to come in on the communicator at her hip. She’d turned down the volume to retain stealth, in case she had to tango with any natives, but with her attention so aptly kept – she wouldn’t realize that her Father noticed her absence.
Words: 614
@amatricina
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Post by Deleted on Oct 4, 2018 13:48:42 GMT -5
The demoness was beginning to enjoy herself, the mortal girl was more entertaining than a group of cultists bargaining for her gifts would have been. Amatricina watched her the same way a cat watches a mouse when its too bored to go for a kill, a mixture of curiosity and playfulness. When the girl stammered out a meager thank you the demoness gave her a coy smile. "I accept your thanks. At least someone taught you your manners." The girl radiated her emotions, she wore them like a mask on her face. Eagerness, apprehension, nervousness, a tinge of fear, and... plenty of curiosity. But below the surface, Amatricina knew much more lied. What darkness lurked in her heart? She wondered to herself. It was a vice all mortals shared: Sin. Only the shinjin were truly pure of heart, every mortal had their vice. What was this one's? Amatricina's own curiosity was getting the best of her in this instance, her time was precious... but she had so much of it. This little distraction couldn't hurt. "Hmph. So you don't know what became of my father's cultists?" Amatricina mused aloud, feigning surprise as she rose from her seat. "Oh well, that's a shame, mostly for them. Ha! Look at me, getting all worked up about being summoned... all for nothing." The demoness kicked off the statue, it crumbled beneath her as she did. With an elegant grace she landed not far from the mortal girl, armored heels clicking against worn stone floors. "So, you come to this planet with your father... he must be that power level I can sense. He's not far from here, no? He feels rather impressive, at least compared to other mortals I've met." The demon's gaze grew distant, as if looking through Zerori. In truth she was trying to sense the other strong power source, the one from earlier. It had...vanished? How curious, did it sense her? Was the mother's ki sense more acute than the father's? Could she suppress her power level? It didn't matter, they were beyond Amatricina's concerns. Just another idle curiosity of the mortal realm. "Hmm... and your mother is hiding herself, from me even as we speak. Wise." The demoness let out a haughty laugh, hand on her chest as she did so, relishing in the fact mortals needed only to sense her power to cower before her. Amatricina walked slowly around the girl, eyeing her over. Her taste in attire could be better, she looked like a street urchin in that outfit. Messy black hair, sun kissed skin, and red irises. Indeed... she was as Amatricina had assumed. The demoness stepped behind the girl, gently wrapping her arms around her and resting her chin gently against the girl's right shoulder. The heat of the demoness' body wafted from the girl like standing in an open oven, Amatricina's ample bust pressed flush to the girls back and the demoness's left horns graze against the back of the mortal's head. "Tell me child..." She spoke softly into the girl's ear, just above a whisper. Her words soft and smoothing, unnatural in their motherliness and affectionate tone. "It was your mother wasn't it? I smell demonic blood in your veins, I feel latent power within you. Tell me more about yourself, Half-Breed." A sinfully sinister smile crossed Amatricina's porcelain complexion, pearl white fangs gleaming against the ruby glow that shone from her eyes. This child was more fascinating than any mortal cult would ever be.
Word Count: 592 Total Word Count: 2,462 Zerori |
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Post by Zerori on Oct 4, 2018 22:10:50 GMT -5
While Zerori hoped her lie wasn’t seen through, she stared unflinchingly at Amatricina as she made comments here and there about the people that had once inhabited this place. Easily, she could gather that she must have been centuries old – at least, if she had first hand knowledge of the beings here. Then again, Zerori mused, she did say that those people worshipped her father. Shit, how old was HE?! The one-side conversation quickly took a turn as her own father was mentioned – but not her mother. At that, Zerori’s face scrunched up in confusion before she remembered not to give away too much. If anything, Amatricina was giving her information she couldn’t have found out otherwise.
By this point, having not noticed that the Demon had vacated the statue throne she’d created, Zerori could feel the entirety of the Demon’s focus on her. It was more than a little intimidating, even if she was certain that she wasn’t about to die. She couldn’t help but feel like she was under the lens of a microscope or some tool wielded heavily by a higher power. She swallowed uncomfortably as she settled behind her, taller by a good head but not enough that she was double over twice by any means.
Her heart pounded within her chest as the smell of sulfur suffocated her senses. Like a spider taunting the fly, Zerori’s instincts were sharply telling her to run, escape and get as far away from this Demon as possible. And still… something kept her immobile; it might have been the arms that were around her shoulders.
Without turning her head, Zerori looked into Amatricina’s gaze – rooted to the spot as the Demon inquired about her blood. It was the word, ‘Half-breed’ – negative connotations Zerori had never cared for before now suddenly eliciting emotion. Before she knew realized she was doing, Zerori was down, out and away from the Demon – red hues glaring daggers at Amatricina’s face as she snarled. Tightly clenched at her side, her fist began to radiate a heat similar but no where no the power the Demon had.
She didn’t understand why, but the way she had spoken… the word and the way it felt disgusting coming from this ruler of Demons, instantly had Zerori on the defensive. Between clenched teeth, likely guarded by the pull of self-preservation, Zerori spoke in a hiss, “’Latent Power’, huh? It wouldn’t surprise me if that was the Saiyan side of my heritage you're feeling,” She spoke petulantly. In spite of her defensiveness, she did not refuse the Demons desire and spoke quickly, clipped and to the point. “My mother doesn’t tell me much about my other half. Says she can’t go back, anyway – that Demon Realm. What’s there to know, anyway, huh?! There’s magic and war and Father says there ain’t no profit in that!”
As she continued to spit what she was told about the Demon Realm, the fire that burned angrily around her fist seemed to stoke hotter and brighter until finally, “Augh, shit!” With a pained cry, Zerori’s focus was on her hand now – waving it wildly to put out the uncontrolled flames that originated from her anger. Once out, burns could be seen along the skin that was revealed through the pieces of destroyed glove. Instead of shocked or surprised, though, the look of shame and revile as she glared at her injured hand was enough to tell anyone that this was a common - and tiresome - occurrence.
Words: 600
@amatricina
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Post by Deleted on Oct 4, 2018 23:43:45 GMT -5
Truly the girl's emotions were worn on her sleeve, and Amatricina felt the anger building within the child at her words. Half breeds were rare enough, and she had yet to meet one that didn't balk at being reminded of their true nature. It came as no surprise when the girl scampered out from the demoness' embrace, almost as if she was trying to run from who she was. Her emotional state was such a jumble, so many conflicting feelings all spinning in her head. A shame the girl did not have anything here to guide her in such a vulnerable moment. Amatricina watched with intrigue as the half breed summoned up her own small vestige of powers. "How cute." She teased, inspecting her nails as if to pay the girl's powers no mind. "You remind me of myself at that age, all fire... and no furnace to contain it."When the girl spoke again her words had come sharp, tainted by her anger and her pride. It was all the sweeter to the demoness' ears, let that hatred boil within her. It brought her no small joy in bringing such negative emotions bubbling to the surface. Only by pulling forth the darkness within, could she hope to truly corrupt the girl without. "Saiyan?" Amatricina repeated that word, she'd never heard it before. "Is that the mongrel race that's sullied your demonic blood? At least they seem strong, I have seen far worse lineages in half breeds. At the very least your pairing doesn't disgust me with your weakness." Her words were true, and she spoke them more coldly in response the child's argumentative tone. Amatricina had seen a number of half breeds in her life, the ill sired spawn of demons that grew sentimental to mortals or tempted them to lay with them in their lust. Most were pathetic creatures, defiling their pure demonic strength with the weaknesses of their mortal blood. This one, was curiously absent of such obvious flaws, and it was that curiosity that was preserving her life as they conversed. As the girl's temper flared, so did her power. Amatricina watched with morbid curiosity as the girl's unchecked power overwhelmed her mortal coil, it was not an entirely unexpected result of her nature. Half breeds were often left with power beyond their physical body's ability to properly withstand, it often lent itself to very self destructive results. Too much "demon" for the "mortal" to handle, and the weaker half tended to give out. In a flash Amatricina was besides the girl, moving at blinding speed when her attention was focused on her injured hand. "Tsk tsk tsk." She said, shaking her head as she spoke; the myriad of bells and jewelry that hung from her horns clinking and chiming. "It is as I feared." The demoness spoke with a feigned concern to her words, looking down over the girl's shoulder at her burned hand. "Your demonic blood is too much for you to handle I'm afraid. If you don't learn to control it and strengthen your body, it will come to consume you. I have seen it happen plenty of times before."Amatricina grabbed her right gold and ruby gauntlet with her left hand, pulling it free and exposing the delicate porcelain skin and black talon-like nails of her svelte hand beneath. Without so much as uttering an explanation, the demoness took her bare hand, placing it over the girl's burnt palm flush against her own. The demoness focused her magics, drawing the excess power from the child with her ki absorption technique, drinking the demonic energy in until she felt the child was sufficiently "drained" to manageable levels for her body to handle. It might leave her feeling a little woozy in the short term, and a bit sapped for the next couple days, but she'd eventually recover after plenty of rest and regular meals. Amatricina held no intentions of crippling the girl, if she wished harm on her she had a thousand more fun, and much more painful ways to inflict it. Once she was finished, Amatricina slid her gauntlet back on as if nothing had happened, blowing the child a kiss with her once again gloved hand as she slowly walked away. The demoness began to slowly sashaying about the room as she pretended to observe the handiwork of its craftsmanship. In truth, Amatricina no longer cared in the slightest for the temple, or its builders, they were clearly lost to the dust of time. "Your mother shouldn't keep secrets from you child." The demoness called back over her shoulder, "What she hides from you, will only come to hurt you more. She's probably right though, I doubt she could ever go back. I can only guess why she left in the first place. Who did she anger? Who did she lie to? Who did she steal from? Who did she betray? What is she hiding from you..." Amatricina turned to look back at the girl, malicious fire burning into her ruby eyes. "...and from your father? Speaking of him, he's not entirely wrong you know. There is magic, and war. Unending bloodshed between the many factions, powerful sorceries beyond mortal comprehension. But there is so much more, but only for those with the ambition to claim it." The demoness held out her hand, and in it she held aloft a red orb of demonic ki. With her other hand she weaved her black magics, obsidian lightning crackling from her fingertips as it was sewn into the crimson energy. It formed the crude facsimile of a planet, with deep molten scars all along its surface, a thick haze of ash and smoke enveloped it, and brilliant ruby rings orbited like a crown upon its head. "My home." She said simply, before crushing the ball between her hands sending a shower of sparks and cinders across the room. "There is so much more I could teach you about our Realm, and all you'd have to do... is ask." The way she spoke, inviting and warm. Like the sweet nectar of a fly trap, ready to lure in unknowing prey. She would not force her heritage upon the child. No, it was so much better when they reached up and grasped it themselves.
Word Count: 1,059 Total Word Count: 3,521 Zerori |
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Post by Zerori on Oct 5, 2018 3:59:56 GMT -5
Zerori had been focused on the pain that radiated from her arm, the occasional throb and tense of the energy that made up her magic causing havoc on her skin, that she didn’t realize how fast Amatricina was until the sound of her tongue had the hybrid nearly jump out of her skin. Looking over her shoulder, Zerori stared with unhidden shock as she seemed to quickly assess what had happened to her. For years, her own mother had cryptically spoken only in riddles and cruel metaphor about her power ‘coming into her own in time’ and ‘if she was worthy, the pain would fade’, and none of it helped or was useful at all.
Rather quickly, almost dizzyingly fast, Zerori was starting to see the fortune in summoning this great Demon. Her senses may be telling her that she was in danger – and they were probably right! – but something was ever present in the Demon’s appraisal of her. In a rare display of doubt, Zerori questioned, “Y…You have?” Although it was purely rhetorical, a result of how surreal every part of this interaction.
Surprising still-! Zerori stared in almost dread as Amatricina removed the golden gauntlet that shone so gallantly and moved her hand to press palms together. All at once, alarmingly fast, Zerori felt lethargic – a dark haze rushing in on the edges of her vision. Within seconds, she was barely able to keep hold of Amatricina’s hand as it felt like her energy was being drained from her. Just as quickly as it had happened, her hand was being released and Zerori struggled to stay on her feet. The subsequent growl from came from her stomach was all the proof needed that she was drained immensely.
To keep the world from spinning, Zerori settled down on the stone floors and stared at her hand with a half-lidded expression of exhaustion, “What… was that?” She muttered softly to herself. The Demon spoke again, gaining Zerori’s lagged attention as she seemed to ‘lay down the law’ on what was happening. Given her display and demonstration of power, Zerori didn’t have any reason to doubt her claims about what her mother was or wasn’t hiding.
The mention of her father had Zerori giving a childish huff, the respect she held for him absolute – even if she did give him a hard time now and then. Once more, Amatricina seemed to invoke her own magic to show off what looked like a very strange and warped planet – revealing it to be the Realm of which she spoke of. My… Home? Zerori mused through muddled thoughts. The question of whether she wanted to learn about such a place – a missing piece of her heritage – was like meat strung up for a carnivore.
For a few tense moments, drained and honestly starting to gain a terrible headache, Zerori said nothing as she thought about it. It doesn’t SOUND like she’s going to take my soul or something thing like that… but it certainly feels like it… The Demon Realm. Mom told me only terrible things about it and she’s probably right, but- She looked up at Amatricina, her lips pursed in thought as she wondered if it would be a mistake to accept.
When finally she seemed to make up her mind, Zerori clenched her slowly healing fist again and gave a silent nod. “Okay. Teach me,” She demanded, quickly following up with an almost comically offended expression, “-But no bullshit! I’m tired of being lied to and if you’re just going to lie to me to take my soul or some shit like that-!” Petulantly, she crossed her arms in a show of resolve.
Words: 624
@amatricina
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Post by Deleted on Oct 5, 2018 12:50:16 GMT -5
The demoness smirked and let out a small chuckle when the child sank to the floor, questioning what had happened. "That, was a snack." Amatricina teased playfully as she licked her plump lips. "And a rather tasty one at that. I just took your excess demonic ki, to keep you from hurting yourself for a while. It'll return eventually, and unless you do something about it, so will that pain it inflicts on your body." Her words were a harsh truth, though she questioned if the child truly understood the gravity of her affliction. How much had the girl's mother hidden from her? Too much, that was all that was certain. A cheshire smile crossed Amatricina's face and her eyes gleamed a sinister light as the girl accepted her offer. She did so love to pull mortals towards the darkness that lurked in their hearts, to corrupt their wills and watch them turn to the ecstasy of sin. Her gaze was locked on the half breed child, watching with mirth as she adamantly barked out her own "stipulations" to their deal. Amatricina nodded in faux understanding, slowly sashaying around the girl as she spoke. "Despite what lies and half truths you may have heard of demons, we are not after your mortal souls. At least, not all of us anyways... Souls are what the Kais covet, they hoard them like a miser hoards gold in the afterlife, sorting them into arbitrary categories such as "good" and "evil." I care much more about the living, they can achieve so much more than a mere soul can." Her words were sinister as they were true, there was very little a soul offered the demoness beyond a tasty snack a minuscule portion of the owner's ki. To her the living held much greater promise with their potential. "Besides, your mother should teach you not to swear in front of guests, Child." Amatricina let out a haughty chuckle, amusing herself as she chastised the mortal girl. Her laugh faded, and a seriousness returned to her visage. "Know this Mortal, on our shared history I speak no lies. It is your birthright, so much as it is mine, even if we share only half our blood. Now listen well, I will not repeat myself." The demoness' tone grew cold, harsh and authoritative. She was in no mood for games now, the seriousness of her words second only to the importance of the events themselves. Amatricina turned sharply, and with a quick slash of her hand bisected another statue at the waist. She'd destroyed her last seat, though she was quick to make a new one. Once she'd settled in on her makeshift throne the demoness began to regale her tale. "Our realm, the Demon Realm, was created millions upon millions of years ago by its original inhabitants. Before the Demon Realm was, it simply was not. It was an empty, black, immaterial nothingness at the bottom of the universe. Below even Hell in the afterlife where the souls of the damned reside, an abyss from which nothing existed. Until that is, the Kais saw fit to fill that void with the first of our kind. The Kais, for all their strength, all their power, and their... divinity... are not immortal. They live, they die, and they fear, just as we do. In these ancient times beings hungered for power and held great ambitions, as thinking beings always will. Some grew great and powerful, mastering or discovering terrible magics and dark arts. It is said even some of the shinjin fell to such dark desires, becoming corrupted in the process. These power hungry individuals grew to such might they came to realize they could challenge even the Kais themselves. Factions were formed, and a terrible war was fought, one beyond our comprehensions. Our ancestors were the ones who lost, bested by the Kais and their divine allies." Amatricina cleared her throat, she wished she had a glass of wine or something to wet her throat as she spoke. "Those original inhabitants, wizards, sorcerers, powerful beings of ancient races, fallen shinjin, and hundreds I do not have the patience to list, were all cast down into the void at the bottom of the universe as penance for their crimes. For you see, the Kais were strong enough to win, they were not strong enough to destroy. Their foes had been bested, but could not be truly vanquished, their power had grown too great for that. So instead they were cast down into a place the Kais believed they would be rid of them forever. To ensure their prisoners remained trapped in the void, the Kais placed a magic seal upon the realm to ensure those within never escaped." Amatricina spoke the last phrase with utter disdain, she hated parts of her story with every fiber of her being. But she could not change the past, only create a future of her own making. "Our ancestors, imprisoned in their tomb, were not content to simply lie down and die. They worked their dark magics tirelessly, using their powers to create all that would be our realm. They discovered a great power in our realm unlike anything they had known before. Dark Energy, it is unlike anything found in the mortal realm. With this newfound gift our ancestors created existence from emptiness. They birthed whole stars and planets from their power, creating the realm that would be their home. Not content to live out the rest of existence alone in their new home, these ancestors saw fit to fill their realm with life. They created entire races in their image, or in mockery of mortal races they had left behind. Demons all of shapes, sizes, strengths, and intelligence. Everything from bestial races to lowly sentients barely fit to be called demons, to beings as powerful and intelligent as myself." Amatricina let out a haughty titter, a snicker on her face as she held a hand to her chest. "These ancestors no doubt tried to breach the Kais' seal on their realm, and return once more to the mortal universe. But they failed, the barrier was too absolute in its power. Perhaps a few succeeded, in their own small ways, but the seal upon the Demon Realm could not be lowered. So unable to turn their ambitions outward, they turned them inward. Beings that hunger for power are never content to stop. Our ancestors turned against each other, trying to overpower and subjugate one another. They bred whole armies for this purpose, created powerful artifacts to destroy each other, and waged terrible wars across the black depths of their realm." Amatricina huffed, thinking on her own place in this endless cycle of bloodshed. "And that dear child, is largely the state our realm has remained in to this very day. The innumerable factions fight each other in a great realm spanning conflict for superiority. Each trying to rise above the rest and subjugate the entire realm under their banner. It happens on occasion, when an exceptionally powerful demon is able to unite our kind under their rule. The last Demon King died hundreds of years ago, long before you or your father, or his father I assume..." Amatricina trailed off, thinking of her fallen king. "Dabura was his name, Dabura the Demon King. I was merely an adolescent then, but I still remember his face. I was there by my father's side when we knelt before our king. He cast his sword over us, knighting our clan as one of his many vassals, a dutiful subject in the service to their lord. His power was beyond mine, beyond my father's, I had never felt anything like it before." Amatricina clenched her fist, cinders flew from her hand. Tradition and the survival of their clan had dictated the terms of their subjugation. Even still, it enraged her that she carried the memory of her father bending the knee and dropping his head low before another. If ever it happened again, Amatricina vowed she would not be so weak as to simply lie down like a dog before its master. She let out a sigh and continued her tale. "Dabura ruled us, for a time. Centuries passed and our realm flourished and knew peace we had not known in thousands of years. Then one day a powerful wizard arrived in his court. Babidi I believe was his name, I do not remember it well, I did not frequent the Demon King's throne-world often, when I did it was purely for formal occasions. Something happened between them, and one day... they just left." Amatricina motioned with her hand, a small ball of fire lighting in her grasp before poofing into a puff of black smoke. "Just like that, Dabura and Babidi were gone. Where to, was anyone's guess. Most assumed they had found a breach into the mortal realm and left to conquer it themselves. Clearly it seems, they did not succeed."Amatricina shifted in her seat, growing stiff from sitting idle so long. "The Demon King's rule collapsed overnight. He had no powerful heir to take his place and maintain his throne, and his sister Towa vanished without a trace not long after. His vassal clans and warbands returned to their worlds, no longer having any common cause to bind them together. Within the year our long peace was broken, old rivalries and unfinished business reigniting the flames of war. They raged anew across the Demon Realm, every faction returning to their goal of conquering the Demon Realm for themselves." Amatricina let out a chuckle, shaking her head slightly. The jewelry that adorned her horns clattering as she did. "And that, dear child, is where we are today. For the past half a millennia the Demon Realms have once more been locked in an endless struggle for power with no clear end in sight. And that is why you will grow to be the being I know you are destined to be." The demoness leapt down from her seat, arching her back and giving a mighty stretch before gazing down at the child with her ruby visage. "Power, ambition, it will all gnaw within you like a hunger. Like it does within me. You'll never slate it, you'll just crave more. Embrace that hunger, let it drive your ambitions and your every desire. The blood within you is ancient as it is powerful, harnessing it will be your greatest weapon." Amatricina learned in close, locking eyes on the girl as she did. "I'm sure in time, you'll make your mother very proud." Her words dripped like venom with her ominous intent. The demoness pulled away slowly, letting the full gravity of her long speech resonate with the half breed. The child was going to have much to reflect on after this day, of that, she was more than certain.
Word Count: 1,827 Total Word Count: 5,348 Zerori |
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Post by Zerori on Oct 6, 2018 6:22:38 GMT -5
Gaze trained on Amatricina, Zerori absent-mindedly clenched and unclenched her fist; it still felt pain but not nearly as badly. Still, her words elicited a cold stab of dread within her belly and the young hybrid could only hope that she didn’t exacerbate it after their encounter today. Amatricina had spoken of the stereotype of Demons desiring the souls of the victims and that what she had taken from Zerori was more like food than any sort of deal or treasure; whatever the ‘Shin-Jin’ were seemed to be the ones that Zerori may have to watch out for the most.
Ignoring her hand for the moment, Zerori’s face scrunched up at the playful taunt before she responded in a simple snort of indignance. If she thought this was anything like her usual foul-mouthed self, then she had another thing coming. Or, she would have if Amatricina didn’t suddenly make another make-shift throne out of a statue and sit herself upon it like a teacher preparing to lecture a student. Before she had begun speaking, Zerori took out a device from her satchel and pressed a button on the side. She glanced up, sitting down with her legs crossed and expression serious before she spoke, “So I don’t… miss anything.” As if she had to explain that the Demon.
For what felt like forever, Zerori listened to Amatricina talk about the origins of their people, the realm they came from and the terrible might of their ancestors as they waged war against the Kais that imprisoned them. To their credit, Zerori believed that the Kai deserved what they got if they seemed so high and mighty to imprison the Demons to a realm so isolating. She went on to elaborate that these Great Demons – though trapped in this realm – were powerful enough to create existences from nothing. Zerori swallowed, a little nervous that any one person could have that much power.
The story continued to go on to say that many kinds of Demons went on to try ruling one another but the last King that they had, had died hundreds of years ago. Softly, Zerori spoke, “Dabura, huh…” It was a simple name, but it did feel almost taboo to say it. By the reaction of Amatricina, Zerori flinched at the sudden anger and was almost tempted to apologize before she went on. Something had happened to Dabura, likely the work of this ‘Wizard’ Babidi and then he was gone – had they struck a deal?
Zerori watched the ball of flame tentatively, uncomfortable as it burned brightly before she snuffed it out. “That sucks,” She commented idly, uncertain if any words would do the story justice. As the story came to an end, she brought a hand up to the device and pressed the button – still in awe at the epic she had listened to. When Amatricina had left down form the statue, it was more than a shock when she went on about some sort of destiny.
With a bewildered face, Zerori left to her feet and held a hand to her chest, “Me?!” The very idea of her, as powerful as a being that could create something from nothing, sounded nothing short of becoming some kind of god. Obviously, and with good reason, Zerori was a skeptic. She looked Amatricina in the eyes, unnerved by the words as if they were some sort of prophesy, before she couldn’t help but look away. “Hmph… Sure, but if you haven’t it in so long, what hope do I have to do it?” For one so young, Zerori could easily bring logic to the Demon – even if she was moved by what she had said.
She did want to be great – but the Greatest Demon? It wasn’t something she had thought about until now…
Suddenly, like a harsh awakening from a dream, a long crash was heard. It was muffled, distant but it continued on like a jackhammer as it pounded away at the structure. Zerori looked around frantically before she remembered her communicator and looked at it. Several attempts to contact her had been missed and she felt her blood turn to ice. “Oh shit,” She muttered in fear. Looks like her Father found out.
Words: 713
@amatricina
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Post by Deleted on Oct 6, 2018 18:59:09 GMT -5
Amatricina let out a soft chuckle as the girl inquired about the cyclical nature of the Demon's Realms endless turmoil. "Because dear, ladders exist to be climbed. Where there is power, there will always be strife. It is in your blood just as it is in mine to seek power, to claim it for you own. It is our way, from the beginning of our existence until the end of time. You cannot fight your very nature, Child." The demoness ran an armored hand through her flowing mane of crimson hair, relishing the twisting new depths of emotions that stirred within the girl. She had done what she could, planted the seeds within the girl's mind. Only time would tell if the child would let them bloom, or wither and die like so many before her. Distracted by her self satisfaction, Amatricina snapped back to attention when she felt that mortal power level drawing near. The girl's father... the "Saiyan." She mused to herself, knowing this brief encounter was nearing the end of its course. With a haughty grace the demoness approached the child, one last time. Amatricina looked down upon her with a kind of faux motherly affection, a smile creeping across her face. "Never forget what you are, Half-Breed. The demonic blood that flows in your veins can never be replaced, and the darkness that stirs in your heart can never truly be silenced. You will either grow to control it, or let it consume you like so many weaklings before you." The demoness reached a hand up to her neck, working at the gem on her necklace. After a few moments she pried it free, holding it aloft in her hands. A ruby oval, flawless in its smooth complexion. It glowed with a soft crimson light, giving off a dull heat of demonic origin. No bigger than a large egg, fit easily in a person's hand. Amatricina held the gemstone for the girl to see, before placing it in her burned hand. She wrapped her own armored hand around the girl's as she pressed the gem into her palm. "A parting gift, Child. A trinket to remember me by. Do with it, as you will, I have hundreds more just like it..."The demoness ran her hand through the child's onyx hair, ruffling it slightly as she did. "So much potential, I hope you don't squander your heritage..." She mused aloud, before raising her hand, a red ball of ki forming in her palm as she did. "Run along child, or this temple will be your tomb." Amatricina stated coldly, focusing her ki before firing the blast upwards. It impacted the ceiling, detonating as the ziggurat began to collapse around them. Pillars buckled as stones dislodged from the roof, the outer walls beginning to crack under weight they were never forced the bare. A small smile crossed the demoness' face, her father's ancient pact was concluded in her eyes. Whomever had built this temple was no more, and she would not deign to be summoned here again. Let these ruins be her only legacy of this place, and let the dust of time reclaim it as it does all things mortal. With a casual grace, Amatricina turned and began to slowly walk away. Rubble and stone collapsing around her, though she dashed to and fro with blinding speed to dodge whenever a piece of falling debris was about to land on her. Armored heels clicked against stone as Amatricina stepped back into the runic circle, symbols still flickering with demonic energies as they readied themselves to transport their host. The fire demon gazed back at the girl, one final time as she began to channel her energy into the mystic sigil. "A shame I never even got to know your name, Child." The demoness remarked aloud, as the pyre of flames slowly rose around her. Then in a dazzling flash of light, she was gone. Returned to the black realm from whence she came.
Word Count: 675 Total Word Count: 6,023 Zerori |
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Post by Zerori on Oct 7, 2018 9:22:36 GMT -5
Still cynical about the chances of her climb to power, even for one as young as her, Zerori felt herself pout in thought. Perhaps… it was her youth that gave her the advantage? The potential for someone that still had yet to do anything worthwhile or ‘great’ their life? She didn’t know anything about fighting against her ‘nature’, but she knew what she liked to do and didn’t intend to stray from that way of life! It was all she knew, anyway! When Amatricina spoke again, a shocking tone of kindness that send a shiver down her spine, Zerori felt a warmth that she hadn’t really felt with her own family. Her father was the closest parental figure that she truly felt any love for, but Zerori wasn’t going to deny the strange feelings this lady elicited out of her.
Maybe she would… belong more, if she studied up on her own demonic power. In spite of the gentle warning (weak, her?! Not a chance!), Zerori gave a nod to the Demon before she tilted her head in curiosity when presented with a jewel from Amatricina’s collection. Cautiously, Zerori held it in her head and it glowed dimly, staring at it in awe as the power that thrummed against her skin seemed to almost speak a secret language in her very blood. If this wasn’t evidence of her heritage – the reaction her own energy had to this jewel from a lost realm – she doubted she’d ever see anything more authentic.
She gripped it tightly, feeling confidence that had her grinning and looked up at Amatricina, “Hell yeah! Thanks!” It was at this moment that Amatricina had released a powerful ball of energy that had the structure coming down, the hybrid jumping a step back in shock. Warned to leave, Zerori gave a nervous nod before she started to rush off.
Just before she reached the threshold to scale the stairs, she heard the last words of the Demon before turning around and yelling back at her – just before she disappeared, “It’s Zerori! Don’t forget about me!” Before rushing away as a large piece of stone nearly decapitated her.
She was sure her Father was going to beat her, even if it would make her stronger, but… maybe he’d be more lenient with the gift?
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[Exit]
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