Jump to content

Hero, Don't Kill The Demon King! Chapter 1: Lives Not Yet Thrown Away


Nanami Touko
 Share

Recommended Posts

"WOOOOOO!" Taliyah was cheering at the top of her lungs, it was almost starting to hurt her throat. She was next, so she couldn't go as crazy as she wanted to, but seeing Xalrei smash this arena was amazing! "Leave it to a dragon to show how powerful they really are! This is amazing! GO XALREI! GO GO GO!" Almost falling over the rim again, Taliyah pulled herself back and took a deep breath. "Isn't she cool, Nessraya? She's so cool! I hope I can be half as cool as she is, just... Huh?" There was... Eyes had been glued to Xalrei's amazing show, but during the small lull in combat, she'd peeked around the crowd and... That... What, was that?

"N-Nessraya? What kind of monster is that?" Horns? That outfit... Kind of reminded her of Asami. "I don't think I've ever seen horns like that... Uh, well, I guess I should mind my own business, but... Curiosity..." Maybe the general would know.


Somehow, the humans had become more enjoyable than their little Siren. Jezebel rolled her eyes, turned Marina towards Agni, went towards her desk, stood there and waited. "Buy what you like and get out of my shop. Never thought I'd see the day when a human was more agreeable than a monster, but I guess it takes all sorts, doesn't it? Cianna, Marina, whichever it is, you might want to find new friends if this is the rabble you're stuck with." With a scoff, she pulled a book out and got to reading. "Don't want the one nice human to get ruined by company like this."

Edited by SnakeMomMelissa
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 2.4k
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Gabriela scoffed and smirked at the elf. "You better finish up your business fast Marina. Something is telling me this woman's childhood was highly troubling with that attitude of here. She acts so high and mighty, yet she runs this dump. As a matter of fact, i'll pay the full amount. Agni, don't bother showing this point-ear around, I'm sure Nessraya has better things to do than listen to the ramblings of the mentally insane." 

Gabriela pulled out her money and gave it to Marina. She then turned around and walked for the door. She stopped next to Agni. "How about we wait outside?" She seemed rather annoyed.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It was that obvious, huh? He should have known. This wasn't exactly something he knew how to fake his way through. But at least she didn't seem put off by it all... "A-ah, no. Not exactly. Or well... at all really. It's the fate of my people I suppose. We isolate ourselves and then children are so rare... Well, I didn't exactly have a large selection to choose from. And then I'm not exactly... Well, I'm still young. All the other Fallen are a good bit older than me, so no one really saw me in that way. Mostly they just saw me as a little brother at best..." At worst, he was viewed as a kid ripe for parenting. There was no shortage of that in the village, especially when he was a few years younger. It had all just started to quiet down the last few years but... He sighed. "With this whole stunt that I pulled sneaking off from the village, they're just gonna view me as even more of a kid. One who needs discipline..."

He'd gotten sidetracked now. He was reminded of that fact as she leaned in and asked a completely unexpected question. "Hwa- I... Buh?" He stared at her, confusion evident on his face. A date? In public? "B-but I didn't think... I thought all of this was teasing. I mean... I know I'm attracted to you but..." He buried his head in his hands as best he could, though her clinging to his arm made that a bit difficult. It took a few long seconds but he finally managed to mumble out, "Y-yeah, I'd like that. A lot... I don't mind at all. You're... Well, I'd be honored to be seen with you, honest."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

"In that case, Taliyah, I hope you are paying attention to her opponents near as much as Xalrei... if you want to impress her, learn what you're in for, after all." Nessraya replied, the half-lizard's enthusiasm rather endearing... she really did look up to Xalrei, but from her position it made sense... what half-lizard who had been stepped on by societal expectations wouldn't look up to a dragon, let alone one that seemed to enjoy her company? When Taliyah pointed out a strange monster, Nessraya looked over, expecting some sort of relatively uncommon hybrid to catch the girl's eye, but... squinting at the figure Taliyah had pointed out, the General couldn't pick out her origin at a glance.

"I... am not sure. She doesn't remind me of any race I can recall... perhaps an obscure hybrid, but I can't think of a combination that would look like that... how curious..."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As Jurius approached Xalrei was finding herself a bit panicked. The last time she'd tried to fight a mage she'd wound up half-dead on the ground. She didn't even know what kind of magic he used. Was he like Gabriela, using light magic despite being a monster? That wasn't a risk she could take. This needed to end before he could get a spell off.

Ominous chanting spooked her out of thoughts. Jurius wasn't going to just sit around and wait for her to make the first move. Because of his initiative, her panic only increased, not ready to, or even sure if she could, take a hit from his magic. She haphazardly chucked her lance at him as she charged him, her wings propelling her forward as she glode just above the ground. He easily dodged her toss, her lance not meant to be thrown, and continued his chanting; however, the slight delay it had caused was all the opening Xalrei needed. Opened claw closed around his face and he was slammed against the floor of the arena. Although sloppily, Xalrei had managed to accomplish her goal.

She retrieved her lance as the healers got to work on Jurius. She was more embarrassed by the victory than sorry for the spell caster. The next foe on her path was a zombie, dressed up all weird. Like the Kitsuwolf before him, the man carried a gun; she was already not looking forward to this fight. She closed the distance quickly, not giving him a chance to get a free shot on her. However, he sidestepped and fired on her, a much quicker shot than Frank. Luckily he missed and the first round ended in a dud. She stabbed at him again, landing a hit on one of his legs, and he fired back, only one shot piecing her hide. Were the extra shots worth it if he couldn't hit? She swung again, same verse as before, just with more pain on her end. She went for another hit, starting to feel worn down from all of the pain. Luckily for her, she hit and the zombie crumpled. 

She caught her breath as the healers patched her up. This was... a lot more tiring, and painful, than she'd thought it'd be. As the final opponent stepped out she didn't even consider backing out. She'd come all this way, she wasn't going to let a bodysuit clad gorgon intimidate her. Besides, Taliyah was cheering her on so earnestly; she couldn't not want to show off for the excited lizard girl. She leveled her spear at him, grinned, and gestured for him to come closer.

He started to run at her, low to the ground, and she ran at him until they clashed. Her lance pierced his side as he approached, his dagger biting into her arm. She kicked him off and hopped back, raising her spear before he could snake his way past her guard again. She thrust at him again and caught his shoulder but wasn't able to avoid getting her outstretched arms slashed up in retribution. She didn't bother retreating this time; instead, she stomped down on his foot and headbutt him as hard as she could. He recoiled but came back fast, dagger stabbed into her side as he uppercut her. She staggered back, on the verge of collapse. Was this as far as she could go. Was she going to lose so close to victory? Hell no! He was already advancing on her, ready to finish this. She welled her remaining strength and smashed the shaft of her lance down on his head. He continued for a hot second before collapsing in front of her, had he a bit more fight in him he probably would've won.

She let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. She'd won. She'd actually won! She raised her fist in the air in triumph, a huge grin on her face.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The final opponent had come and fallen just like the rest. This girl was indeed strong, certainly strong enough for her liking. It was perfect. With another clench of her fist she rose her head. She rushed out to the ledge of the stands and jumped off a rail guard, sending the crowd in awe. She landed within the ring, and rose up. "...dragonic child, I wish to challenge you." With a huff the samurai drew her blade and took a stance. "I am Ayane Kusanagi, warrior of the far east! I have come to fight the strong, and you have proven yourself. Now here I come!" Before Xalrei could even accept, she would find herself facing a series of sword swings from the oni warrior. Each swing was as fast as the wind! Seems her sword hand was too eager for the match and she decided to open first. Her Astra swings seemed to leave a red trial behind each swing, almost like fire.

Edited by TheRoon
Link to comment
Share on other sites

What was this? Xalrei had wielded this power before and had easily triumphed with it, but now she was ... somewhere else. There was a distinct sense about this place and the area Xalrei was in. Violence, subdued, but unmistakable. Souls clashing against other souls while surrounded by ... onlookers, perhaps. It was difficult to reach out so far in this state, but that was the least of Requiem's frustrations. Xalrei was fighting without the cursed blade at her side. For what purpose? To say this was vexing to the cursed blade would be a stupendous understatement. Angered and confused by the circumstances, Requiem began to give off a very faint, bloody red glow. Only one thing to do, it seemed ...

'Tell me ... what is happening? Why am I here ... and Xalrei ... elsewhere? Why has this power been forsaken?'

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Remaining on good terms with this elf had proven to be a good idea, even handwaving the generous discount... as long as she kept Marina's secret, Agni wouldn't complain. "I promise you will see her, that's for sure." Whether she would cast magic... surely Nessraya would if Agni said it was for Marina's sake, yes?

And that was precisely why the incoming accusation were unacceptable.

"Excuse me?" Agni turned to Gabriela, wearing a distraught face as he witnessed a very unexpected side of the siren. "I'm sure she'd only meant it to mean you would feel uncomfortable wearing a coat over your wings, ma'am. Nothing to offend." Going so far as to belittle her, goodness... It was so sudden Agni couldn't really call Jezebel out for her own retort...

Then Gabriela continued, conjuring up ideas of pasts that probably never happened (but would sound worse if they did) to attack the shopkeeper.

"I--" Agni had to defuse this quick, he clicked his tongue. Gabriela was undoing all the good-will he'd managed to gather with Jezebel.

"Gabriela." He placed a hand on the siren's shoulder, "I know you've been terribly on-guard these past few days, these bandits pretending to be refugees were quite a shock," Agni winked, "but you don't need to hold your grievances to the village. We'll get a good night's sleep, good company, and forget everything."

"Please, pardon her words." Agni turned to Jezebel in kind, his smug face making an attempt at being apologetic. "We've had quite a stressful event during our journey here. A group of barbarians, if you will --claimed to have been people from the ravaged villages by the borders seeking aid. Turned out they were just leading us to a trap. Nothing myself and the general couldn't handle, but still... we lost a man back there. Poor Jeeves..." His eyes laid to the floor, his expression muted, but somehow managing to convey a hint of sadness. "He was a good man."

"Their spokeperson was an elf, a rather well-spoken one. He convinced us with ease." He furrowed his brow, "Suffice to say, it left quite an impression on our friend. It doesn't justify the remarks, but... if you would find it in your heart to forgive."

Edited by Xinnidy
Link to comment
Share on other sites

No sooner than the healers had finished treating her wounds another challenger had stepped into the ring. Or perhaps landed was the better term, she'd thrown herself in from the stands! Give that the woman appeared to lack wings, she couldn't deny it was a bit impressive. "I don't know what your deal is, but I- Woah!" Before she had even accepted her challenge this Ayane was charging at her!

She raised her lance to try and block the woman's swing, but the Oni was far faster than Xalrei had expected. The cut burned as if on fire. She managed to block the woman's next two lightning-fast strikes, barely redirecting them away from their target. The fourth strike slipped past her guard, cutting up along her arm. She hissed in pain, but Ayane still wasn't letting up. Xalrei barely managed to dodge the final slash, leaping back out of range by a hair's width. She quickly swung at the Oni while her guard was down, the lance connecting hard with her opponent. 

"W-Well, you had enough?"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Suddenly, there was a moment where Gabriela lashed out at Jezebel. What even happened? Marina had never seen her act like that before. And before she could even attempt to calm the siren down, Jezebel adjusted her towards Agni, a clear look of confusion on her face. What even happened? And before anything could be done, Gabriela started lashing out even more. Marina's face soon adopted a bit of fear that could be clearly seen by Agni.

Oh no, oh god oh god, please no trouble please no trouble...! Nessraya's gonna be so mad at me...!

Then something... admittedly amazing happened. Agni stepped in to stop Gabriela. Marina had barely noticed due to being lost in her anxiety. Thankfully the hood was on, and hid her face from Jezebel as she watched Agni. It was an attempt, if a little silly of an attempt, to lie about Gabriela's issue. Whatever it was, Marina would definitely have to figure out what it was.

Regardless, back to Agni's lie, Marina honestly had to try really hard to not laugh at Jeeves. Thankfully, she got it together, and there was a pause for a brief moment. If she helped with the tall tale, it might make it more believable. If Jezebel didn't believe their story, well... Marina didn't want to think about that. She started removing the coat from herself, as she also spoke up, "J-Jarvis. His name was Jarvis." Once getting the coat was off she had set it on the desk, as she looked at the racks of clothes, "We called him Jeeves. He always thought it was funny."

How much more could she lie? Was she even helping, did she make it worse? Regardless, she took a step back with a bow, "I'm terribly sorry about this, Miss Jezebel. I'll be as quick as I can... Thank you." And the girl retreated into the clothes racks, not frantically, but she wanted to be fast, humming quietly to herself to calm herself down.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Gabriela looked down at the ground, observing her feet. "I apologize." Looking back, those remarks were quite over the top. It's unfortunately quite easy for Gabriela to misinterpret what other people are saying, and this is definitely not the first time. "Just... use my money and pay her a little extra." Gabriela looked quite down, but promptly removed Agni's hand from her shoulder. "I....will go ahead. Please excuse me." At that point, Gabriela stormed out. To think she would mess things up so bad. It all just came back to her in that moment. 

"Mosi... curse you." Mosi, a young siren who manipulated her and played with her heart, then when things got inconvenient, dumped her like yesterday's garbage. The details are foggy at best, but what she does remember is his complete indifference to the whole affair. Rolling his eyes when Gaby cried her eyes out. Not a soul being there for her when she needed it the most, and finding peace only in solitary. Books and the like. Studying siren magic. To tell the truth, going home is the one thing she wanted right now, but it's impossible, as her home does not exist. "What am I living for anyway?" Gabriela spread her wings and flew to the Arena, walking inside.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

While the zombie had thought she'd prepared everything necessary, she must have forgotten something, or else the vampire was just more comfortable with some of her own tools. The slight wait gave her time to reconsider, but even trying to imagine up possible fallout from the worst case scenario possible didn't manage to come up with anything worth backing out over. So Jade simply stretched a little, limbering up, awaiting Lavinia's return.

When she did climb back in, the vampire sounded more amused than annoyed by the suggestion, when she declining to partake from the blood that would obviously spill during the procedure, preferring instead that legendary location of lore, the neck. Maybe it was like the difference between using silverware, or eating with your hands? At least Jade hadn't offended her, though, judging from how it seemed. She easily could have, without meaning to, so she'd have to be more careful in the future.

As the vampire began to caution her that it might hurt, before remembering her audience and realizing there was no need, the exchange elicited a slight giggle in response. Jade tried to keep it light, so as not to disturb the procedure with unnecessary motions, and was mostly successful. A few wiggles on Lavinia's part and some tugging later, and foreign object was free.

"Toast, huh?" Jade echoed back, a bit in disbelief from the comparison. Rotating her arm a bit, working the shoulder and reveling in its being back to normal, she added an afterthought, "Well, at least that still sounds tasty, even if I can't quite imagine it. I was a bit worried it might come off... spoiled, or something. Somewhat silly concern, I guess?"

She waited until Lavinia finished stitching her up, then rested a gentle hand on one of the scars just above the vampire's knee. "If you ever need the favor returned, just ask. But for now," Jade leaned backward, arching her neck, back of her head almost resting on the vampire's shoulder. "Left or right?" She twisted her head slowly side to side, and prepared to relocate to the other shoulder if that were said to be more convenient.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

"Well! Aren't you a friendly little--" Before Jezebel could permanently lose a customer, Agni stepped in and attempted to make better the situation. It was a good story... He was a pretty good actor, but one thing threw it away. Still... The act was good, and the bird was gone, perhaps having realized the trouble she was causing her comrades. With a hefty huff, Jezebel folded her arms, and scowled. "You're lucky you're cute!"

That was all Agni was going to get, she was having a pretty crummy day. Having to service humans, getting lambasted by some bird over the smallest assumption, and now having to play along with Agni's farce. Enough to make her grumble... At least the human girl was nice. Taking steps over to her, as she tried to lose herself in the clothing racks, Jezebel placed a hand on her shoulder, and sighed. "Don't worry about it, Cianna. I've had worse. And..." she leaned in to whisper, "you don't need to go along with Agni's lie." She winked, heading towards a box of gloves. "Just don't tell him I said that~" What did she want again, gloves, an outfit or something, she needed a hat if this vampire disguise was going to work.

"Grab whatever outfit you'd like, Cianna... I'll make sure you have a nice set of gloves and a comfy sunhat to go with everything. Free of charge... Just make sure you swing Nessraya this way, if Agni 'forgets', okay?" Hopefully the rest of her day would be fine... Agni had spent a pretty penny, at least.


"Of course it was teasing," she chided, swatting gently at his arm, "but... You shown me a good time, and you're fun, even if you don't like to play along every time..." Giggling and swishing her tail, Asami let go of his arm and stood up, fluffing her hair out. "If you're going to go as far as to say you'd be honored to be seen with me, then by all means, let's have a fun day out on the town~ Not that there's much town, but, hmhmhm... You understand what I mean." A small yawn interrupted her talking, her tail wagging lazily as it finished up.

"I'll go ahead and get changed, then. You can too... My apologies if you have trouble getting into your pants, Bladen~" With a hefty snicker and a smile, the door opened and she was gone, just like that.


A clamor arose from the arena's watchers, was this a part of the show!? Some booed, for a moment, until Xalrei managed to deal with this sudden interloper... Cheers were back on the menu! For this dragon to come out of nowhere and not only beat their regular lineup, but a sudden challenger? Amazing! At least no one was upset at the sight...

Well. Someone was.

"Xalrei!?" Taliyah had hopped into the arena, at the confusion of some of the crowd... That died away as it was clear she wasn't there for a fight, most still content with the dragon's showing. "Are you okay? What... Wh-Who are you? What do you want?" Nessraya was probably a better person for this situation, but it wasn't like Taliyah could just watch her friend get charged by some... Some really strange monster, out of nowhere. The healers were similarly confused, wondering if this was a show, or something random... They went about fixing up both parties, either way.


"Right... If you would be so kind." How very enticing this scene was, it had started to dawn on Lavinia. She wasn't here for that, but the realization caused her to pause just a moment. She'd been working on Jade's stitches while the woman worried about her blood. Honestly, how silly... She was dead, not rotting. "There's nothing wrong with your blood, Jade. Thicker than most, but still more than fine... And, there we are." Carefully sewn together, Nessraya could attend to it later, and make sure it was sealed properly, the insides where they were meant to be.

"Still, you really do know how to treat a girl. Were I a worse person, I might've taken advantage of the beautiful woman sitting on front of me... Let us both be happy I've managed to hold onto my morals, this past century~" With a tease and a chuckle, Lavinia slipped a hand onto Jade's stomach, the other resting gently against her arm. "Do stay still though, yes? I don't want to harm your neck. That would be quite the waste..." Pleasantries laid out, Lavinia leaned in and sunk her teeth into Jade's surprisingly soft flesh, relishing in the salty taste with a satisfied hum~


"Oh, goodness, we got all kinds t'day." The counter zombie was surprised to see a siren now, after all their amazing guests. Was there a circus in town? Some sorta convention? Had he missed it on his way in? He didn't know, but he could only assume... "What can I do for ya, missy?"

Edited by SnakeMomMelissa
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Between Ayane's fury and her reckless blazing swings she wasn't quite prepared for the lance to slip through her assault and right into her side. "!" She felt the pain right away and was floored quite quick. Thankfully she didn't loose consciousness, but between the medics and another newcomer it seemed like their duel was cut short. "...hm." She looked down at her hand. "The blood..settled a little..." With another breath she stood up. "An excellent battle, miss. It was abrupt, but I had to challenge a warrior of such strength." She sheathed her katana and took a bow. "I am Ayane Kusanagi, I fought you in order to settle a curse that was put upon my blood. It's not something I tell everyone I fight, but you do deserve that much at least. I thank you."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

'Oh Requiem... this is the arena, it's combat for sport. You won't see any killing here.' Nessraya noted at the ornery demon blade, watching as Xalrei managed to complete her arena challenge with a few close shaves, but complete it she did. When the next challenger leapt into battle... quite literally, the General was ready to intervene if necessary, but Xalrei had proven herself capable enough to handle her mystery opponent. 

And there went Taliyah. How many people were going to leap into that blasted ring before Xalrei had left it? The unknown appeared to be introducing herself at this point, and the arena's healers were doing their work, so there seemed little need for Nessraya to join them.

"You're causing a scene now, dears. Do try to wrap things up."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Combat for sport? Easily a foreign concept to the cursed blade. Perhaps there was a way to change the situation, a way to turn this arena from a game into a killing field. Tempting as the notion was, these people were already demonstrating remarkable restraint. They had broken off hostilities during the last life and death struggle with ease. Xalrei set Requiem aside in order to fight at a disadvantage ... for 'sport.' They could easily decide not to make use of this power once again, especially if Requiem was knowingly involved in the incident. The arrogance of morality seemed to be a constant thorn, dangling meat in front of a starving hound and thinking nothing of it ...

'Grrrrr ...' A frustrated, resigned groan was all that followed Nessraya's brief explanation.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Marina hadn't gone very far before being spooked by Jezebel suddenly coming behind her. What she was being told... it confused her. Free of charge? Everything? A very on-point confused look was on her face. At least, for a moment she was stunned, and went to retort, but the elf had already walked off. Take the kindness of this lady. You probably won't have as good a moment as this later, and she was off to search for an outfit.

There were so many clothes. Marina didn't get to do this in the castle. It was all stuff picked for her. A lot of stuff she admittedly hated, and now here she was, basking in the sudden ability to choose her own clothes. Cherishing the little things like this seemed to be a fine idea for Marina, considering the more major actions she committed recently have led her to a very unrewarding past few days. Regardless, she shook off her negative thoughts as she eyed clothes longer and longer.

...

How much time had even passed? She was so engulfed in her time just looking at things, she hadn't even really thought of something to wear. Marina backtracked some, to something she noticed earlier. A simple long-sleeved purple shirt, always a nice cool compliment to blue. Next... some pants. Some dark gray pants, almost on their way to being jet black caught her attention. Something not too dark, but went with the look she was going for.

Folding said clothes, she carried them in her hand as she went to find some boots. Luckily for her, she happened to spot what looked like boots almost exactly like what she was wearing now, except in that same dark blue as her coat. Please let me be lucky just a little longer. And finally, just to be safe (and as clean as possible), a set of undergarments and some socks. She felt these didn't really matter in the grand scheme of things since they'd be covered by her regular attire anyway. And with that, she double checked her things. She was set. (or so she hoped).

Finally, she had made her way back to Jezebel's desk, setting down everything she had gathered. Noticing the elf once more, she gave out the question she had been pondering on for as long as she had been in there,

"Why are you helping me? Not to look a gift horse in the mouth, but... I'm a human. With everything that's happened with the Hero," hopefully dropping the term of 'the Hero' would sway her as far as possible from figuring out her identity, "I expected... well, not this." Marina gave a nervous laugh.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Was Xalrei okay? She was never better! Well, she was a bit miffed that her big moment had been interrupted by some stranger --and she was definitely strange-- jumping in and nearly ruining her moment; however, aside from that, she was having the time of her life. She had honestly impressed herself with her run through the arena and her ego definitely appreciated the boost; the cheering from the crowd was like icing on the cake in that regard.

"I'm fine, Taliyah." If anything she was worried about the mysterious challenger. She'd hit her rather hard with her swing, enough to bring the woman to the floor. She seemed fine though, especially with the healers tending to her. As she introduced herself, however, Xalrei couldn't help but think of her as an oddball, what with her 'cursed blood' and everything. "Uh huh. Well, you're welcome I guess?" The seriousness of the other woman only added to the weirdness of it all.

Somewhere in the middle of everything Nessraya had told them to hurry it up. As much as Xalrei wasn't one to shy away from attention, especially such positive attention, Nessraya was probably right. The center of the arena probably wasn't the best place to continue with this... Whatever this was. She gave the crowd a final triumphant pose and turned to leave. "come on you two, let's talk about this outside."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

"Outside? Hm...you're right." Ayane was planning on leaving it at that, but she did owe the girl for taking her glory for a brief moment. She also had an important question to ask of her and her friend. "Very well then." With her sword sheathed on her side she followed the Dragonewt. Along the way she took off a peculiar looking dark red gourd from her sash, with a simple pop of the cork she started to drink as she walked. It was a faint odor of sake, more than likely a foreign drink in these lands. After her quick drink she wiped her mouth a bit and took a sigh as she continued to follow.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

"Wahh! Sorry!" Taliyah was spooked, suddenly realizing where she was. The crowd, still pleased by Xalrei's victory, wasn't getting ready to boo them out yet, but there were clearly some who were wondering when the three girl circus was going to move on. "R-Right! Let's go girls-- Oh, sh-she's already going. Ayane, right?" She'd shouted her name when she challenged Xalrei, Taliyah figured that name remembering was important. "I-I'm Taliyah! Whatever you did was super cool... Not that, you're cooler than Xalrei, but... Well, that, I-I don't mean, you're still cool! But, well, I... Ahhh, n-never mind..." Taliyah was flushed to her neck, hiding her face and rushing ahead of the odd monster, ducking out of the arena.

"What an impressive showing, folks! Give it up, for the Dragon, Xalrei!" The announcer was glad he didn't have to shoo the group out, riling the crowd back up to excited. "It's been a while since we've had such a thorough thrashing of our line up here in Aensbrook! And, she had friends! One of them just so happens to be... The General of Vaia herself, Nessraya Tryxyss!" Another hefty cheer erupted from the crowd, most shocked. The general, here!? Impossible! Why, the very thought...


Jezebel's face shrunk into a menacing grimace at the mention of this 'hero'. "Waste of fucking life if you ask me," she snapped, sighing. Cianna, Marina, whoever didn't deserve that... "Ugh... That 'Hero'," she said, spitting into her trashcan after spouting the word, "is the reason I'm being nice to you. Actually meeting humans that give a shit about us... Call me crazy, maybe there's good in your race after all, and it's just the army that's nuts. Maybe if I'm nice enough to a human, you'll tell your friends back in wherever, and I can help smooth this over... Grand thinking, right? But it has to start somewhere, and neither of you have tried to kill me, so I'll take what I can get." With a hefty huff, she shook her head. "No more talk of that mess, okay? Find your clothes and be on your way... It was nice to meet you both."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Good, that had all smoothed out nice and quickly. With those three leaving the ring, it appeared that it was her turn to go to bat as it were, the announcer calling her name to an uproar from the crowd. Good to see that some townships still knew how to show some respect~

Now then, she could always fly down from the stands and make a show of it, but she haaaad just admonished Taliyah for leaping off the seating. And going in the normal way would allow her to pass the others on the way... yes, let's go with that then. Her method of entry decided, Nessraya moved down from the stands, turning towards the main entrance to the ring proper just in time to pass by Xalrei, the newcomer Ayane, and Taliyah bringing up the rear.

"My my, a wonderful show, Xalrei~" The General congratulated, leaning in to give the dragonewt a playful kiss on the cheek, at the same time she was handing Requiem back to it's prior holder.

"I do hope you'll cheer me on~ Oh, and he's angry at you for fighting without him~" Nessraya teased, floating past the trio to stand at the edge of the ring and waiting room, giving the announcer a wink. She did wonder what they had in store for her...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

"Wahhhh... X-Xalrei, I... I know she's close an' all but, are you, two... You, you know, a thing? You and the Vaian General... Wow..." Could she get more impressive?

The arena's announcer nodded, clearing his throat. "Speaking of just that person... Take a guess at who's next into the ring, folks!?" Cheer, cheers upon cheers, only slowing when he began to speak again. "Our regular lineup can't stand against the might of such a powerful succubus, so give it up, for Aensbrook's retirees!" A line of seven, impressively equipped and powerful looking fighters stepped into the arena, each waiting for their turn to take a crack at Vaia's latest martial leader.

"They've all worked in some fighting capacity, as mercenaries, adventurers, some even for the country itself! Let's see if the General has what it takes to beat the previous generation!"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

"Taliyah, hm?" She watched as the girl stuttered her words. She didn't think much of it, mostly because her attention was turned toward Nessraya's kiss. "?" She tilted her head at that. Was that some sort of greeting here? Or perhaps she was just that friendly. She faintly heard the announcer say "general". Very interesting. Ayane was curious to see how strong she was, but if she watched the battles for too long her blood might rise again. Best not to do that. She had business to attend to anyway. "Miss Taliyah, and you too miss Xalrei. I have something to ask of you." As she spoke she rose her hand toward her horns and pointed at them. "Have you seen a woman with horns like mine and black short hair? She also wears similar robes to mine and carries a strong stench of alcohol."

Edited by TheRoon
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Xalrei saw Nessraya coming and held out a hand to receive the demon blade. "Yeah, I was-" She'd already started to respond, but Nessraya's kiss silenced her, her cheeks tinging pink in a light blush as the succubus returned Requiem and moved past her. What the hell did she mean the sword was mad? More importantly, why did she have to tease her out in the open? It was only going to- And there went Taliyah, jumping to conclusions. Xalrei's blush only worsened at Taliyah's question, her denial swift. "Wh-what? No, nothing like that..." Though Taliyah's question did make Xalrei wonder just what sort of relationship she had with the general.

Thankfully Ayane provided her with an out with a question of her own. "No, I haven't. The only person I know who even comes close to that is Asami, but she's a kitsune. Though, she's probably the person who could help you... If you can find her. I don't know where she is right now, but you'll probably see her eventually if you stay in town long enough."

Question answered, Xalrei moved towards the stairs, turning back once she reached them to wait for Taliyah. "We can talk more if you want, but I don't want to miss one of Nessraya's matches. You're welcome to join us, of course."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

"Oh my... what a lineup you've prepared for me... all that's missing is a red carpet~ Mmm, let the fun begin, shall we?" Nessraya noted as her opponents were lined up... they certainly had a grizzled look to the lot of them, and clearly all experienced in combat. How would they fare, she wondered?

It didn't take long for a pattern to develop. They all managed to take her first shot... well would not be the correct word, but they remained standing. And despite valiant efforts, they couldn't take her down before inevitably kneeling beneath her next attack. One by one they fell, cleanly taken out of commission by a pair of well placed flames. It wasn't until her sixth opponent that Nessraya raised an eyebrow. A snail monster? They did tend to be incredibly sturdy, but lacked in other areas. At the very least, she expected this one to take more than a couple of spells.

There wasn't really much in the way of movement. Simply two turrets firing off magic in rapid succession... Nessraya's far more potent, but her opponent far more capable of receiving said potent punishment. In the end though, this Mr. Chuckle withdrew into his shell like the others before him... it had just taken much longer. 

"It is a good thing they provide a tome to use... had I needed to exhaust my own magic, that one might have proved quite dangerous..." Nessraya mused as her final opponent came out. A gnome carrying a blunderbuss... those were always tricky. Difficult to aim but devastating when properly used. This could prove a tricky opponent, especially if she couldn't take him out quickly.

A trade of blows. Her flames struck true, but the buckshot flew wide. A second, the same result. He was still standing, but barely. She could finish this before he got off another shot. Hitting the gun directly with her third flame, the powder within ignited, causing the gnome to drop the weapon in a panic as it began to crackle and pop, leaving his hands slightly more burned than the rest of him, and taking him out of the fight. That was that, then.

"Impressive, impressive~ You all fought quite well... mmm, what an interesting diversion."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...