Name: —
Race: Demon
Class: Vampiric
Age: Immortal – 24days.
Crystal Essence: [Pink]- Lvl.4— 20ESQ
[Available Essence Points— 0]
Faith:12
Agility: 7
Perk: {Reais Smite}, {Blood Rush}
There is something wrong with the earth. A pounding and thumping, a billowing wave of dirt that follows several moments later. The demon could tolerate it all before but now, no longer. With its slumber disturbed, the demon crawls out from the mud home it'd built with the four-armed brute's ribcage and bones.
Having digested the beast and more in entirely, the demon has grown well in its slumber. Joints, new and old crack all up and down it’s body. From the fragile, curious knees holding up its flatfeet to the soft, thin ears and bone perking them up as it squeals with pleasure from a satisfactory nap.
Smacking its lips, the demons licks it’s nose and sniffs the air, on the hunt again but also curious of what’s wrong with the earth. Today nothing has died near it, no skirmishes were fought in the night— it would’ve spurned awake to watch if there had and possibly participate. The air tells nothing of why the earth rattles but it does still.
Another boom carries through the forest of sick trees, billowing a wave of sand and dirt across, the demon catches a some in its mouth and spits out distastefully. Looking about it wonders if there’s a place other than here, where the earth doesn’t rumble, send sand into its mouth and disturb its sleep. However, all around it is the forest and the demon realizes for the first time that it’s lost its way back home but it questions whether it ever intended to return to its old birth crevasse— surely the demon has grown too large for it now.
It strides, walking tall without the wobble of its waddle prone feet, it’s strong new knees provide this. The demon let’s itself follow the thumping and pounding, perhaps that is where it will find food.
Trekking further into the forest the demon takes stock of its surroundings, it’s ear twitching at the slightest breeze and nose crinkling at piles of dung it passes by. There is life here. Though the trees are sick, twisted and charred black, often oozing some fluid that smells as worse than the replica did after days of rotting…there is life.
Among the sick, oozing trees there are boiling puddles on the path the demon follows. Crawling out of some are worms, snaky little things but without wings, fangs or even Crystals. Too small for Crystals the demon figures as it lifts one out of a puddle overwhelmed with sand— it seems it is not the only one suffering with the thumping.
Staring at the wet, black sludge body of the worms between its pinched fingers, the demon ponders, “Can I eat that?”
It does. Swallowing and grimacing as the sludge of worms slide down the back of its throat, bitter and thick but having more crunch than the demon thought. And somehow, even without a Crystal the demon absorbs some modicum of ESQ from it.
0.023ESQ Absorbed!
The demon decides that the black puddle worms are to be eaten but not as much as other creatures with Crystals. As it treks it picks up one other but not another after that.
Something that looks like a tree draws the demon's attention as it travels. The base is thick and a bright green with deepening streaks of orange travelling up to its veiny canopy. Standing underneath it smells different than the other sick trees. It sustains some life as well, just as the sick trees had their puddles of slick, slimy worms the umbrella tree has pockets of tiny singing birds. A bit too tiny to be birds the demon thinks as it snatches an entire pocket out of the air with a snap of its maw.
0.33ESQ Absorbed!
The demon notes other trees like it further ahead and some quite unlike it, some with six broad petals, littered with sensitive villi that curls up at the demon’s touch; their stems straighten and sink into the ground leaving only a bulb behind.
The bulb’s top is orange too, the same as the streaks on the giant umbrella tree. The demon walks past to touch another and it too curls up, sinking into a bulb in the ground. When the demon brushes the third, every one of the flora bulb down to the earth and in sync they begin to inflate. Starting from the first a burst of blue gas permeates the forest as far as the demon can see.
Sniffing the gas, the demon crinkles its nose but soon chokes on its breath, noting how the buzzing pockets of flies fall out of the air, dead at the stench. It’s not long before the demon’s sprinting away.
However, before it can get past even the first bulb the demon is thrown off its feet as the earth quakes and trembles. The massive boom rattles everything in the forest and sends a clearing wind across that wipes away the blue poisonous mist, loose branches, whole trees and even screeching creatures that fail to hold their ground.
Tossed around on the ground the demon is quick to grab onto whatever its hands blindly touch. What it grasps yelps and kicks at its face, sending the demon crashing back into a tree trunk with the vicious wind.
When the worst of the wave passes the demon pulls itself together, recalling being kicked in the face as well as the blue mists it resolves to escape. Wherever to it doesn’t know, but as soon as its eyes peer a path it starts sprinting down it. In its burst of momentum, the demon slams headfirst into a fellow sprinting creature, both repelling to their asses only to skip back, stare and snarl at each other in the wake of the shockwave’s destruction. The forest is no longer the same, many of the umbrella trees are fallen and flung, taking their broad canopies with them and revealing a blood red sky dusted filled with dark clouds of smog.
The demon only spares this sky as well as the monuments within it a short glance. It bares its fangs at the creature responsible for knocking it back instead. A creature not larger or smaller than it, not one it can grasp and throw, or one that can throw it. Matted with dark brown fur, arms as long as its body, a curly tail and a set of white teeth, there’s not much worth nothing of this creature at a glance. But the demon knows better, it can smell the blood of hunt on it, the creature means it’s challenge as much as the demon does. Its yellow irises stand a contrast to all else as they send a wary feeling throughout the demon. It backs up and the curly-tailed creature does the same.
***
Standing a foot back neither take their eye of the other. The demon watches for a change of mind, testing with its feet as it attempts another step back. This one, the curly-tailed creature does not reciprocate, instead it growls and straightens its form a bit. Letting its arm hang loosely beside it but forming a fist as its curly tail hovers overhead.
The demon narrows at this, uneased by the yellow in the creature’s eyes, it undulated like nothing it has seen before. Wary to look at the creature’s eyes, the demon sets its sights to the tail only to discover a horrendous change.
As tail curls, its matted fur rages in a yellow flame that engulfs all the way from the base to the tip. Before the demon can defend itself the curly-tailed creature leaps, crossing the distance between them in a single bound. It twists in it’s descent, positioning its flaming tail to smite the stunned demon.
The demon shrieks and tosses itself to the side in time to avoid the earth-shattering tail whip. The curly-tailed isn’t done, it’s fists blaze with the same yellow flames and it lunges after the demon.
Rolling in the dirt the demon avoids, one, two, three searing smites, letting the earth take the blows while it gathers itself and lands on its feet taken aback but ready to retaliate. The demon notes something it hadn’t once on its feet— there are more of them, more curly-tailed creatures beyond the one aflame and after it. Growling the demon recalls the time it tried eating an accompanied creature— the crystal blasting fowl and its replica. It lost a valuable foot and all the food it would’ve had because of numerical advantage.
The curly-tailed dashes forward, it’s palms and fist aiding its shorter feet in a knuckled run. It shoots its tail outward and over the demon in an arc that launches it behind the demon, sandwiching it between itself and its companions.
Cornered the demon steals glances at both sides frantically, growling through gritted teeth. None of the others are aflame and so baring its fangs in full the demon floods its being with Essence pumped from its crystal. Taking a page from the four-armed brute’s fight book, the demon digs into the earth, expending the accrued Essence in its muscles to launch its entire body after its flame-tailed opponent.
Before the curly-tailed can blink the demon snatches its throat as it continues to soar, stabbing it’s claws as deep as they’ll sink into the yellow-eyed creature. Crashing into the ground together the two enter a struggle for dominance, finding the curly-tail's strength even with claws digging into its throat to be formidable. A fortunate thing is the flame is snuffed out, either by the crash or by the shock of being snatched into flight. Whichever is responsible the demon is thankful not to deal with the strange yellow flame as it presses down on the curly-tailed.
The creature is quick-witted and with more limbs than the demon can match the two enter a strangulation stalemate. Claws dug into the creature’s throat with length of its tail wrapped around the demon’s neck, squeezing with increasing strength even as blood pools out of its own.
A raucous chorus of whooping and yowling carry around the tussling two, reminding the demon of the rest of the companions set to come after it at any time. A strong whiff of blood teases amidst its growing desperation, fuel it the demon’s strength as blood and Essence roar throughout its body, turning its dark irises as red as the sky. The demon belts out a guttural roar at the paling creature's face, “Raaarrr!!”
[{Blood Rush} Active!]
Enraged and bloodthirsty the demon’s claws dig deeper and with a swift pull it rips out the curly-tailed’s throat. Not stopping there, it grabs the tail strangling it and plants a foot down against the gasping creature's chest to tear it off and lunge at the blood pooling throat. Within the creature’s throat the demon finds a handy Crystal, throbbing with power unused. Clamping down quickly the demon absorbs all ESQ before leaping off the creature in time to avoid another flaming tail whip.
This time it doesn’t wait for the new curly-tail to recover and pumps Essence from its Crystal into its left arm, coating it with a shroud of distorting Essence— "Reais Smite!".
Faster than the curly-tailed can react, the demon bursts through its chest with its fist of spiralling Essence taking out a throbbing organ as it does. The second curly-tailed falls and the demons roars out in bloody victory. Challenging the others edging on the sides of the devastated forest to fight if they dare.
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Three striding out of their covers, manoeuvring around the demon, using their arms as forelegs and their flaming tails as weapons. Flanked on both sides the demon sees only one way out, but before it can take it a dire fatigue overwhelms it and worse— there’s something else out there.
[{Blood Rush} Disabled!]
Watching what only few of the curly-tailed creatures have taken note of the demon’s body sags with fatigue, but leaves it enough strength to clasp onto a torn up root— the creatures flanking it take it as surrender and lunge.
THUUBOOHHMMM!
The demon had gotten only a glimpse before, but nothing like the full picture it got now. A giant rock walking across the world takes another step and a shockwave devastates the land. Holding dearly to the root, the demon takes solace in watching several if not all the curly-tailed creatures get flung away and crushed. It’s mirth soon turns sour as it feels its weight and the blasting wind tug on the root, unearthing it bit by bit until—
4 ESQ Absorbed!
5 Essence Points Absorbed!
Crystal Essence Level 4—>5!
[FAI] perk {Wave Shot} Attained!
Name: —
Race: Demon
Class: Vampiric
Age: Immortal – 24days.
Crystal Essence: [Pink]- Lvl.5— 29.01ESQ
[Available Essence Points— 5]
Faith:12
Agility: 7
Perk: {Reais Smite}, {Blood Rush}, {Wave Shot}
***
The demon’s stirs awake by a stream of rushing water logging into its ear and half of its face, a bit more and it would be drowning. The demon picks itself up sideways, letting water drip from inside its head of hair as blood flows down the half of it’s mushed, semi-drowned face.
Searching about, the demon notes startling new developments. Something metal and round clamps on its ankle, a chain links and ties to a tall iron staff rooted in the ground. The demon stares, lost at both the bondage and the staff. It’s not long before it deems itself ready to move again as a growl from its stomach bristles it to action.
Sniffing the air of its new surroundings, the demon notes a hard lack of trees, soil and life in this place. Besides the stream, everything around it is made of rock and smells the same as the curious staff and the metal bogging down its ankle. The metal is heavy and inconvenient. The demon’s only been awake for a few moments and it’s already annoyed with it. Pronouncing it’s claws the demon strikes at it but a sharp sting arcs from the staff, through the chain link and up the Demon.
It’s jaw rattles, slamming and gnashing its teeth together. The demons pauses the second after the electrifying experience is over, wide-eyed and frightened with a rapid pacing heart. Just what is happening? It surely cannot eat the chain and the staff, the source of that shock is out of the question as well. Instead, the demon follows the stream, it flows past where it awoke and deep into a dark, massive crevasse, larger and wider than anything the demon has dug or lived in before. The stream cuts through a large patch of barren land, leaving the jungle it explored in the horizon behind as well as its source.
The demon half-waddles over a few paces but doesn’t pass a glowing crack in the wall. The crack exudes a sliver of white light and more like it spread through the walls, providing the cave with some light in places where it’s reflected off the stream. The water flows uphill there, carrying upward on a slope in a way that sends a shiver of unease through the demon.
This is only its first encounter with water, however some instinct tells it that the water should not behave like that. Yet, it bolsters some curiosity within the demon as it turns back toward the staff to examine it instead. The demon licks that staff, recoiling at the strong metallic taste. After a second of grimacing the demons changes its mind, recognizing something in the pang of metals on its tongue, something it has tasted in blood.
The staff tastes like blood but it also tastes like punishing arc of shock from earlier. After licking the staff some more, the demon notes its surface flaking off in slivers, like curled up dust bunnies of metal filaments. It picks these off and chews, finding them not nutritious at all, not even enough to give a fraction of ESQ.
“…Yhea snoo, wlli eb.”
Ears dried and perked the demon hears something approach from the cave. The path and stream light up orange as a lantern heralds the approach of two tall beings conversing with one another. One holding the lantern with falling threads of hair and the other chatting excitedly, their bright violet eyes lit up in the light.
The one with tumbling hair leans back at the entrance, letting her companion approach the demon with the lantern and a firm reaching hand. The demon snaps, growling and threatening with Essence smoking off its hands and feet.
Chuckling lightly, the violet-eyed man smirks back at his companion before snatching out at the demon. Bound by the chain, the demon only manages to skirt out of his grasp, but it’s sure to sacrifice some Essence in its fists for more in its legs.
Hissing, the demon dances around the man’s grasp each time he comes in for a grab. Being only half the man’s height the demon soon sends the man grunting and growling as his frustration mounts and eventually he turns back, yelling at his now smirking companion.
The demon’s hope sour at the woman’s introduction, just as tall and possibly faster, the demon fears it’s time to be eaten has come at last. Then, she falls to kneel beside the staff, fetching something tied in cloth before whistling a soft hooting tune unlike anything the demon’s heard.
Sniffing, the woman interests the demon, enough that a second of distraction earns it further imprisonment as her persistent companion snatches it up from behind. Holding it up and bearing the retaliatory bites as the woman yells at him. The two enter some squabble and the demon finds it’s bites do nothing but annoy the human as he rewards each one with a harsh squeeze, letting up the moment the demon releases its bite.
The woman snaps for its attention and the demons turns from the man’s quirky tasting blood to look into her eyes. She pushes a tight braid aside as she presents the demon what she’s unravelled— a glimmering rock, or perhaps more by the scent.
A combination of colours swirls within the rock. The demon lifts its ear, twitching as it picks up a faint hum, almost a ringing sound emanating from the bright thing. Nostrils flared, the demon smells something familiar as well, blood most certain but blood like in the staff it licked.
The demon turns away, if it’s anything like the staff then it’s not worth tasting, but the woman insists, shoving it closer, prodding its face with it all while casting glances at her chattering companion.
He crushes harder than before and the demon rages, thrashing at his grip.
[{Blood Rush} Active!]
He has none of it and cracks the demon’s side and arm with a single flex. He leans in beside the thrashing demon swelling with Essence, bulking muscles and fangs, grabbing it by its head of hair to let it thrash mid-air while he stands back and commands with a flare of violet in his eyes, “Behave!”
[{Blood Rush} Disabled!]
Mind swirling, a cool, freezing sensation flows through the demon as it hangs, held by an unknown imposing man and fed a strange rock by a sympathetic woman.
***
Once more, the demon awakes. Heavy eyelids fluttering open to the sight of the woman’s chin, her hands stroke down and around the demon’s head, pulling back it’s ears as she pets and converses with her companion.
“…about you but I don’t mind dying down here, and if you don’t listen to me we’re both going to meet an untimely end.” She says, the words tingle the demon’s mind in an odd way.
The entire sentence is forgotten but the topic is understood. Stealing a glance at the violet-eyed man, the demon decides right away to be cautious of both but of him especially.
Sitting curled around the staff, the violet-eyed man groans, rolling his eyes as he sneers, “Whatever, we can catch the real sniffers later, for now let’s quit with the preparations and join the test, everyone else has anyway and if we’re quick we can steal their sniffer with…whatever this thing is.”
She sighs, looking onto the demon and smiling when she catches it stealing glances, “It’s a Vampiric Demon, born natural of the void. With enough blood it can become a terrifying creature.”
“We have to feed it?”
“Ugh, no, I’m just stating. From the size of this one, I don’t think it’s strong enough to survive out there much less help us with the test.”
“Do you have a better idea then? Not to place blame but…you’re the one that caught a Vampire demon instead of a sniffer.” The violet-eyed says, throwing some sticks onto a pile, with a snap a lick of flame engulfs the sticks, roaring vibrant colours before stabilizing at a quiet, hot orange.
Light brightens up the small space before the cave, the demon’s curious to have a look beyond the woman’s chin and the darkening red sky though risking movement could mean it gets hurt.
The woman lightly taps the demon’s button nose, “I know you’re awake and I know you can understand us, look at me, little vamp.”
Still hesitant, the demon peeks at her with one eye open and its head turned away. She giggles, “Very well, I am Lucy and this is my partner, Ken. We’re both sorry about treating you rough.” She says, and ignoring Ken’s snort she asks, “Do you have a name?”
The demon can only stare up at Lucy, the thoughts and ideas rushing through its mind with every word from her stagnates its actions. Lucy proves patient, sitting beside the crackling of Ken’s burning sticks as the demon’s mind races to finally shake its head.
“Ahh, yes, you wouldn’t. If you like, I could give you one and in turn you could help us with our test, it’s a daunting one.”
“As if, you’re the only thing holding me back.” Ken says, tossing a sideward glare at Lucy.
She doesn’t deign him with a glance, instead paying the demon her full attention as she has a closer look at the Crystal embedded in its left hand. Humming, Lucy says to the demon, “A name might be too much for you, too soon and the boons effects now would only bring diminishing returns later.”
Again Ken snorts, “Later? How long do you think this pet you’re trying to keep will last? Name it whatever and let’s get on with the test already!”
Eyes narrowing Lucy glowers at Ken, “Fine, I’m still satisfied dying here, I was only putting in this much effort because I thought you’d want to make the most of your teammates death and come out of this achieving something, but I guess not.”
Lucy lifts the demon off her lap, startling it into flinches and hisses. Ignoring it, Lucy places the demon in front of the staff, kicking Ken’s fire into scatter charring sticks as she makes space.
“Hey! You could have asked!”
Ignoring him as well Lucy domineers over the demon, “Little one, it’s unfortunate we meet at our weakest, if I had a little more control then this wouldn’t be necessary and your future wouldn't be sacrificed.” Here the demon’s ears droop and Lucy falters, “I’m sorry.”
An aura heavier than any it’s encountered springs from Lucy's centre, pouring out a geyser of energy she speaks to, “Ilvadh seynum ul dun chee!”
As she proclaims the enveloping energies thrumming around her smite through the demon, seizing it in place. The invasion of power boils the demon from inside out as every channel of its pathways are engulf and its Crystal cornered—
{Soul Bond Active}— Familiar; Master Lucy McNil
Crystal Essence— +10EP to Attributes!
Latent Perk Activation!
[AGI] perk {Crimson Blink} Attained!
“Be so called, Lavinia, familiar of Lucy McNil.”
{Reais Identity Sheet Update!}
Name: Lavinia
Race: Demon
Class: Vampiric
Age: Immortal – 25days.
Crystal Essence: [Pink]- Lvl.5— 29.01ESQ
[Available Essence Points— 5]
Faith:22[+]
Agility: 17[+]
Perk: {Reais Smite}, {Blood Rush}, {Wave Shot}, {Crimson Blink}
Overlord: Lucy McNil [Available Familiar Points— 0]
The demon crash to the ground, it’s little legs grown thick and long as it trembles. It’s matted fur sheds and soon the over half of it is gone as it studies itself. An intelligence it’s never had before prompts it to the water where takes in the being, creature, demon…the vampire before her. Lucy has done something to her and now, as she observes herself for the first time, she realizes that the demon she sees reflected in the stream is not the same as a moment ago.
Her once thin and fluffy ears are now stiff, short, and barely protruding through the new growth of thick fur, or rather hair, on her head. Her eyes shimmer with the hue of her Crystal, a colour she studies closely and with a clearer view as most of the fur has shed. Her button nose now rests lower, visible below her eyes, and her fangs appear long, white, and healthy. The same can be said for her claws, which are now a strong onyx colour.
“Lavinia.” A tender voice whispers as the tip of her nose sends ripples through the water. “Lavinia..ah!” she gasps tumbling away and into a scowling Ken as she realizes the sound of her own voice, of her name.
He spits and addresses a pleased Lucy, “Is that as strong as you could manage? It’s less furry now big whoop.”
Lavinia scowls and gasps out, “Lavinia is- is is.”
“Leave it alone, Ken and be grateful I could even pull this off. They aren’t rare voiders but their potential for power is greater than most, there are some governing zones we’re not even clear for!”
“Whatever.” Ken scoffs, walking into the cave with the lantern he hollers, “If there’s nothing else let’s go!”
Lucy and Lavinia let Ken travel down with the lantern, leaving them with the darkness of the red sky, it’s clouds and each other.
“Yes, Lavinia is strong.” Lucy says, startling Lavinia. Light excluded, Lucy’s eyes comprise of white rings and arcs shimmering within. Wearing a comely smile, she adds, “You are strong and you will be stronger, the Dungeon will make it so or it will crush that new spirit of yours. Goodluck, little Lavinia.”