Virus - Yidhra

[Otys]

Sat on the hilltop, Lioth observed the valley spreading before him. Farms, villages and in the distance a big city. He wasn't sure if this was the capital of this kingdom or not, but the place was perfect for what he intended. It was definitely a market city, a trading centre, and travellers came and went daily through the gates on all four sides of the city. He'd flown over it to see that it never slept. Day travellers just got replaced by night workers and scum. He could, of course, start with the city, but it was better for him to start small and be patient. That's why he was on this hilltop, miles away from the city, preparing his spell. It was an easy and small spell that would go undetected, and right now he needed to stay low. Remain undetected for as long as possible. His little disease also needed to remain unnoticed for as long as possible. It needed to grow undisturbed.

The demon gathered a handful of dirt and whispered to it, his red eyes illuminating green while he chanted. Green light emitted from his mouth and soaked into the dirt and he smiled. Lioth opened his hand and let the wind carry the dirt away. He spread his wings and his body dissolved into smoke. Four more instances of him materialized from the smoke and each flew to a nearby farm, village or road tavern. Each carried the disease he'd just created. Soon enough the villagers would fall ill. It would start as nothing for about a week, then general exhaustion, mild fever... by the time the first symptoms developed the first infected would have infected a lot more. The first few wouldn't suffer and would recover quickly, further spreading it, thinking that they were okay. Then.... the virus would take the old and the weak among the population, feeding the demon with some misery and death. Most would recover, however... some would die horrible deaths. It was needed. He needed it, he just needed to wait and let the disease develop.

That was four weeks ago.

Lioth found an abandoned tower, not far from the city and made a home in the ruins. It would provide enough shelter from the sun during the day and the chill during the night. It wasn't a permanent home, so it was good enough. Away from humans, but still close enough for him to feed on their fear.

There was a small problem...

Lioth knew someone was after him for the past week or so, maybe more. Humans, demon hunters, from the Order of Whatever, he couldn't care less, he wasn't even sure who or what was after him. He could feel them, their determination and anticipation. Cursed creatures, they always had to show up on his hunting grounds and ruin the fun and his plans. So he had spread a small illness to clear the weaker of their kind, set a few farms on fire some time ago... or maybe a few small towns. So what? He was doing them a favor really, ridding them stupid puny humans of their miserable lives. A predator needed to hunt to live. Just like a wolf couldn't live without meat, Lioth couldn't live without energy - souls. For what was coming, he needed to collect as many as possible. The easiest and fastest way? Kill. Kill and make them afraid. He could feed of fear, but souls were so much ... faster. And his disease. He only needed to wait a little longer for it to be ready.

He's killed off quite a few of the previous hunters and had no doubts he'd do the same with the ones now. The demon had already managed to lure them in the ruins he's claimed as his home. He could feel their fear and decided to feed off it for a while. Flying over their camp at night, setting fires nearby and summoning shadows and beasts to scare them gave him the wanted results. His magical power was in its peak in the dead of the night, but weakened under the sun. So that's when he found appropriate to hide and rest.

For his bad luck however, he had not been too careful and had walked into a magic circle trap. The runes were carved in the old stone road and covered in dust and mud. They have activated the moment he's walked amongst them, stripping him of his power and freedom. No matter how powerful he was in day or night, these traps were specially designed to contain beings like him. The holiness of the spell used had drained his energy almost instantly, and he had hit the hard stone surface with a loud thud and a roar of rage. His wings beat the air relentlessly, his claws like steel tried to scratch the surface and destroy its holiness. Trying to fly up only resulted in him slamming in an invisible wall. It was not a circle, it was a sphere. An unbreakable prison. The more Lioth struggled and fought, the weaker he got.

As the sun started to rise, all remaining energy evaporated from him, and he lie down. His wings now tired and relaxed, folded. Some men came a bit later and eyed him from afar. Lioth hissed and growled to intimidate them, but they didn't back off. He recognized their holy pendants and averted his eyes.
"We got it." one said. "Do we kill it or do we send word to the capital?"
"Why wait?" the other asked and shot a bolt, dipped in holy water.
It penetrated his left wing and the area burned like fire. He growled again and tore the bolt out. His hand also burned, before he tossed it to the ground. The next bold pierced his chest and this time he screamed in pain. But pain was all it did, although it went straight through his heart. He pulled it out and his red eyes locked on the two men. A simple bolt, even to his heart could not kill a demon like Lioth. He made sure to remember their faces. They'd die slow. He received a few more bolts, that only made him bleed.

"Why won't it die?" the first man asked and sent another bolt and hit the demon in the chest.

"It's too powerful." The second man answered and threw the crossbow onto the ground. He then drew his sword and nodded to his friend. "It's weakened. We have a chance."

The other man nodded and also drew his sword. Lioth looked at them and ripped out the last bolt. He stood up, intending to let them chop him up into pieces. He still had all his powers inside the circle, and swords, blessed or not rarely scared him.

The men stopped dead in their tracks. Second guessing their idea to try and take care of the demon themselves, and Lioth could see that. Although their fear was beyond his reach, he could still see the waves emitting from them.

"You two don't look very brave or strong." Lioth said to them. "Perhaps you should send word to the capital and call for help."

The two looked at each other.

"It's trying to get into our heads, it's what demons do. Don't listen to it."

"You are going to die on this road and no one will ever find you." Lioth said and took his stance just in case his words wouldn't work. He intended to kill the two men, but was worried what would happen next. Would he be stuck here in the trap until more humans came? He'd be a sitting duck and not alive for very long. Or would he be able to somehow break the trap? Either case, he was adamant that he was not dying today, slaughtered by humans.

One of the men swung his sword at Lioth, but missed. The demon stepped back until he hit the wall of the sphere. The man stepped forward and into the trap, and that's all Lioth needed. He moved forward fast and grappled the man, then sunk his claws into him. The sword aiming for the wing missed and just slid down the leathery skin. Lioth's wings folded and embraced his victim. Venomous spikes adored the tips of his wings and as he hugged the man all 10 stingers – one for each fingers, found their way into the flesh of his victim. The injected venom worked quickly on the muscles and paralyzed them all.

The other man seeing what was happening to his friend, moved behind Lioth and slashed through Lioth's wing. The demon screamed from pain and from the unexpected attack and threw his victim on the ground, only to grab the other one and pull him closer. Wings were one of his most sensitive areas, and this idiot had damaged one. The demon growled in his face, and simply sucked the life out of him.

Red energy left from the second man and got absorbed by Lioth. He threw the dead body next to the other one.

Lioth looked at both dead bodies and huffed. He was still stuck in the demon trap, even if he had no immediate enemies, he was still in trouble. Sure, he could kill anything coming his way, but being stuck he'd die of starvation sooner rather than later, and being the sitting duck he was right now... He concentrated and touched the ground beneath his feet. It was a road, made of stones, but he could sense life under it. Worms, vermin and... trees. Trees and their routes, all he really needed to do was move one of the stones and break the circle. It was difficult, the route had its own way of growing and the circle prevented, but Lioth pushed on.

With a crack the ground moves and a root made its way to the surface. The circle broke, and the demon exhaled with relief. He'd been lucky that there was roots right under him and within the sphere... but now he was exhausted. He walked slowly back to the ruins he called home.


@Yidhra

 

[Yidhra]

Poets and fools claimed that in within the endlessly-stretching hours after midnight, serenity and tranquility reigned supreme. Most of the waking world had long since been snared by the gossamer webs of sleep. The clear sky had been stained a rich black; serving as a backlit canopy for the stars that twinkled like counterfeit diamonds and cracked pearl of a full moon.

The city's cobblestone streets -previously teeming with life and the raucous cries of merchants hawking their wares- were nearly empty, save for the occasional drunkard stumbling home after a rousing night of drinking; or those who engaged in more clandestine operations, whispering to their clientele in back-alleys or buildings that had been presumed abandoned. The occasional hushed conversation, irritated city guard, or barking dog's voice shattering the false tranquility of the night.

No matter how quiet and restful the night, Fate is a supremely unkind mistress and Lady Luck's wiles are both finicky and capricious.

"Idrael! Idrael!" The deep, rumbling voice -though muffled by the wooden door- carried a measure of frantic irritation; the surname spat and snarled as though it were a vile curse; the pounding of a large fist striking the heavy door as a percussive backbeat between each increasingly irritated shout of that name. "Open the gods-damned door, it's important!"

The naga's tail had already begun to uncoil from beneath the thick, embroidered, emerald-green blanket she'd been using; sitting upright upon the plush, circular cushion that served as her bed before she was fully awake; yawning expansively and rubbing at her eyes. A headache was already beginning to form at the back of her head; courtesy of that incessant pounding and her would-be visitor's near-shrieking. If it truly was a matter of importance, her guest would just have to forgive her for not bothering to grab a vest or shawl to cover herself with; for not having the time to do anything with her hair, or making a pot of coffee.

"Unless you're dying, would you mind shutting the hell up?" She hissed in response, slithering swiftly from her sleeping chamber and toward the entranceway of her small house; pausing long enough to light a few lanterns along the way before she acquiesed to her visitor's requests -demands- unbolting and unchaining the locks, opening the door and moving backward to permit that visitor entry. "Go straight down the hall to the sitting room, don't deviate and touch nothing. I'll be behind you," She instructed, trailing along after her visitor's too-loud footsteps that echoed loudly on the burnished wooden floor.

Not caring if the newcomer chose to sit or not, she coiled her tail loosely, comfortably beneath her, one hand coming to rest on her hip, at the junction where flesh met scales. A low, thoughtful sound was made in the back of her throat as she tilted her head, an eyebrow arched in silent invitation for the human to speak. Judging from the young guest's unassuming appearance and unremarkable attire, he was nothing more than a courier. Unfortunately, it did not seem likely that he'd be the first to break the silence.

"Yes?" She prompted, the inquiry hovering between dull boredom and annoyance at having been roused at such an unholy hour.

"Locria sends his regards."

Teivel Locria? That was a name she hadn't heard in ages- and such a simple greeting couldn't have been all the spymaster had wanted. "Oh," Celisse sighed, rolling her eyes. After a few moments had passed and the messenger still hadn't actually delivered his message, she began slithering forward; devouring the distance between herself and the poor, inept or possibly just tired and shy fool.

"If you don't find your voice and soon," That hissing whisper dropped into a murmur as she raised her left hand and trailed the tip of one claw down his neck, "You could end up losing it."

"There's trouble!" The courier blurted as he backpedaled, stumbling backward into the wall that had been a mere few steps behind him.

"What's this about trouble and Teivel? You're not making any sense."

"Locria told me to find his 'associate,' Celisse Idrael... told me to tell her... uh... you. That there's an issue that needs to be solved. His request was for you and no one else. He said you'd enjoy the hunt and what you get to do after."

"Keep going."

"People in the nearby villages are dying."

"...That could be bandits, I'm not a damn mercenary."

"It's not bandits. According to Locria, one of his informants said it could be some sort of sorcery."

"And why should I give a damn?"

"Because it's a request directly from Spymaster Locria. He wants you to hunt down, capture and question the damn sorcerer- and have some fun while you're at it."

"What's in it for me?"

"You'll figure that out on your own, like always."​

That had been last week.​

---

The first little hamlet Celisse had entered had simply been burnt to the ground; only smouldering wreckage, torched crops and dead livestock, their corpses being picked over by opportunistic vultures and a few scavenging coyotes. There had been absolutely nothing of interest and even less that she had been able to go off of; as such, she assumed it to be an unrelated attack- and had it not been bandits, then certainly goblins would have been the culprits. Not a damn thing she thought was worthy of a closer investigation-- until she came across two additional farms in comparable states of ruin, the culprit having left nothing incriminating behind. The torturer certainly wasn't the sort of person who would report such findings to anyone; the queen-regent and her king-consort were greedy enough that they'd probably increase everyone's taxes as soon as they found out what had happened anyway.

When she'd made her way to the first inhabited village, she'd been treated with distrust -which was only to be expected from villagers, who had likely been expecting some of the king's men, or at least a small contingent of mercenaries to investigate what had been going on- and while the older residents, along with the village headwoman, had explained some of their people had been experiencing bouts of illness, it wasn't anything exceptionally unusual. Malaise and maladies tended to strike when they would; for the most part, humans were a resilient bunch and it sounded like all but the youngest or eldest had recovered. However, a similar illness had plagued and actually killed more than a small handful of people two towns over.

The fifth village seemed to have been one of the hardest-hit. The nameless disease was spreading swiftly through the populace and had already claimed several lives. A fruit peddler claimed she'd seen something with wings, flying toward the ruins toward the west; though she'd been unable to elaborate. It could have been a sorcerer's familiar, a gigantic bird, or an a fever-induced hallucination. Regardless, it was the only somewhat interesting information that anyone had been able to supply; if it was as unreliable as it seemed, well, at least the naga had been given some sort of starting point. If there was nothing to be seen within the ruins or on its grounds, perhaps she'd be able to find something that would point her in the right diretion.​

Three days ago had been a regular pain in the ass.
​

---

Celisse was fairly certain that she was after someone; not something, like she had initially thought. It would have been much easier if she'd been right about it being bandits or goblins; but then again, nothing could ever be easy. She was certainly no monster (or demon) huntress; she didn't even know the name of such an organization. Hell, she wouldn't even be associated with the kingdom's spymaster, had they not been working for the same thieves' guild a lifetime ago, when Celisse had still been a child. As for the kingdom itself, she was loyal to neither it nor its people; she was a torturer, plain and simple and worked for whoever could afford her. She enjoyed her job immensely; it allowed her to express herself in ways nothing else possibly could. But at that moment, she had no idea who she was supposed to be after. A demon, an infuriated avenging angel, some sort of mage, a horrific winged entity... the rumors had called her prey all of those things. The only commonality between any of the rumors had been the ruins. Something still seemed off about the whole situation to her as well; she was no heroine, never had been one and never would be.

Insects soared overhead, buzzing and droning in their desperate attempts to escape from not only panicked, sqwaking birds that morning, but whatever might have been lurking somewhere up ahead on the overgrown, largely-abandoned road. The rich, heady scents of copper and iron hung heavily in the air, touched by the sweetly heady mingled aromas of righteous indignation, rage and terror; combining to create a positively intoxicating perfume that permeated the vicinity. Celisse momentarily came to a halt, hyacinth-hued eyes narrowing and forehead furrowing in concentration as her long, thin, forked tongue slipped from between her lips, undulating and flicking, tasting the air before she withdrew it back into her mouth again, pressing it firmly against the roof of her mouth. Humans, several of them. There was something else, too; fainter than the humans' blood, but like them, it was close... I'm not sure how long ago, or what it might have been... but I'll be damned if it isn't delicious, as far as I can tell right now. Was something being hunted?

There seemed to be even more questions now than there had been in the first place. Grumbling under her breath, she set off down the broken and weed-choked grey stone road once more, carefully avoiding the sharp, broken pieces of granite, upturned roots and debris that might have ended up damaging the scale plating on the underside of her tail. Save for the sun changing its position overhead and the fact that she was starting to get hungry, Celisse had no way of knowing for certain just how long she had traveled along that lost roadway before she finally came across the remains of the carnage.

A pair of corpses -surprisingly unmutilated- lay in the road much like broken and discarded toys; the roadway splattered with crimson that was soon to fade to nothing more than rust-hued stains. If the corpses' filth-stained robes were indicative of anything, she was willing to bet that these men had either been priests in service to some obscure deity, or they may have been demon hunters. One appeared to have been punctured several times -- but, by what? Had he been stabbed by a blade, the wounds would have been ragged. Neither arrows nor crossbow bolts would have been removed that cleanly and uniformly. Had it been some sort of animal attack, there would have been bite marks, not just clean holes. Reaching down and resting her right hand on the first corpse's shoulder, it was clear that he'd been killed a while ago; though he was somewhat cool to the touch, it couldn't have been more than a few hours. Shifting her attention to the other corpse, this one seemed to be in even better shape than the previous; however, something was very wrong here.

Snarling profanities under her breath, Celisse rose to her full height once again; lingering for too long would likely be one of the worst mistakes she could make. Heading back to the city was out of the question for the time being, as well-- all she could do was continue onward, until she finally reached her destination. An ancient, crumbling tower of dark, brownish-grey stone, adorned by verdant ivy and greenish-brown moss, its original purpose lost to the annals of time; now little more than a monument to long-forgotten things. Pausing to readjust the pouch of tools that hung from the right side of her belt and assuring herself that her Kidaari were close at hand in case she needed them, the torturer closed what little distance that remained between herself and the ruins, slithering across the tower's threshold; an unwelcome, transient guest ready to let the games begin.​

 

[Otys]

Lioth lazily moved his wings to prompt some draft. It was too sunny and too hot for him to come out. He was quite comfortable under the shade of the almost still-standing roof at the top of the tower. The tower had suffered some damage, there was a massive hole in the wall and indeed part of the roof was missing, the rest covered in moss and unidentified grime. The ivy provided enough shade and respite from the heat, and he was happy and relaxed. He was so relaxed he was ready to fall asleep again...

... That was until he heard the noise and sensed a large life form nearby. The demon lifted his head and huffed. It was probably nothing but a bigger animal scavenging around. Maybe one attracted by his earlier victims. Lioth shouldn't be worried, after all, what could possibly take him? The intruder kept approaching, and the demon stood up from his comfy place in the shade to take a look. At first, he saw nothing but sensed the life form nearby. There was something more, it was not an animal, but luckily it wasn't another demon either. The last thing he needed was another demon.

He folded his wings to minimize the chance of being seen and crawled to the edge of the floor. The boards were rot and loose here, and one creaked when he leaned out. He opened his wing by reflex when the board cracked under his weight and he needed to keep balance.

That's when he saw the intruder. A woman. A snake woman. Not that he didn't know that these existed, he'd just never seen one, and it took him a double take to realize what exactly he was seeing. No doubt she would have heard the noise and would have seen him gawking at her. Well, the safest and smartest thing to do would be to fly off right away, but he quite liked the place, and he needed to stay put a little longer. His virus was almost ready to be harvested and he couldn't just leave his work, because a rare creature had walked into his improvised home.

His red eyes narrowed at her and a low growl escaped his throat. Now that she'd seen him, he couldn't just let her go. He couldn't ket anyone know where he was. She didn't know it yet, but she was a dead soul. Better kill her swiftly.

Lioth opened his wings fully and attacked. All he needed to do was touch her and drain her life force.

 

[Yidhra]

No different than most other snakes, Celisse found the heat to be quite pleasant; perhaps even energizing, in a sense. Though it would have been tempting to curl up on a large, flat rock and bask in the warmth for a few hours, she had not been afforded such a luxury- and likely would not be the recipient of such a possibility for quite some time. The velvety gloom of the ruined tower was appealing in its own right, there was no way to deny that; the layer of filth and grime that blanketed nearly everything within her line of sight was only to be expected; the collapsing roof and massive hole in the wall unfortunate side-effects, victims to time and the earth trying to lay claim to a structure that had withstood unknowable ages of disuse and neglect.

While she had been prepared to explore the tower in order to locate her prey, it did not seem like the naga had to venture all that deep inside; the tantalizing presence she'd tasted in the air mere hours ago was far more prevalent here; though the scents of age and mildew, dirt and decay hung heavily on the still air, that exceptionally delicious, fascinating aroma permeated the interior ground floor of the tower. You're not trying to hide? What a pity. It wasn't that she had any reason to assume the being that had intrigued her was sapient; which would have been nothing short of regrettable, but there was still the distinct possibility that what she was tracking may have simply been a predatory creature with no reason to try and mask its presence or take other precautionary measures. Regardless, I can only hope you taste as good as you smell.

Watchful and wary of her surroundings, entirely unsure about what manner of being that may have been laying in wait, she slid her Kidaari from their sheathes at either hip, fingers closing around the steel handles so the sharp, triangular blades were aligned with her knuckles, the redhead had slithered perhaps twenty feet deeper into the near-silent main hall of the tower- and slid to a halt; the loud creak of a faulty floorboard disrupting the still, near-silence that had engulfed the ruins mere moments before.

Head tilted more in curiosity than anything else, narrowed blue-violet eyes sought to pierce the shadows that danced along the walls and exposed beams of the ceiling; thankfully, with the sunlight that streamed through the holes in the roof and ignited the dustmotes into glittering, molten-gold faerie-dust that hung lazily in the air, it wasn't difficult to discern the location of the tower's inhabitant. Given the distance that had lingered between herself and the resident, she had been able to make out that it was at least humanoid in build; based on its silhouette- either her height or somewhat taller, as far as she'd been able to tell; possibly broader than her as well-- had her eyes not been drawn to what she had believed to be a pair of rather large wings, she probably could have made out additional details. Damn sure not an angel; those bastards have feathers. Too big to be something like an imp. I don't think you'd be a gargoyle; so I'd wager you're some kind of demon, or at least related to one.

Celisse had been ready to possibly hunt the individual through the tower; possibly corner them on the uppermost floor, if it came down to that... but instead, it seemed as though all she'd needed to do was wait a few more moments. A low, rattling, maliciously-amused peal of laughter rose from her throat in response to her prey's growl. It would appear as though this individual was quite enthusiastic about greeting the snake-woman, if nothing else; for the demon wasted absolutely no time in bridging the distance that had remained between them. Though his flared wings were a rather pretty display, it seemed that he was something of the impulsive sort, for there were no sneered greetings, no sniveling threats or asinine, haughty remarks before he had launched a pre-emptive strike.​

"Fuck the pleasantries and other pointless nonsense; that's a relief!" Though dark amusement colored that quickly-hissed statement, there was a measure of truth behind those words; it was always a nice change of pace when Celisse's prey didn't beg for their lives, or otherwise try to plead their cases. Perhaps this demon would prove himself to be entertaining. What a damn shame that she was intending to slowly, metholodically break him; tear him apart piece by piece until she'd obtained what she came here for- if she was in a good mood when that happened, maybe she'd at least be willing to give him a beautiful death; otherwise, she was planning on just leaving him as a mindless, babbling shell. It all depended on how cooperative he was.

Seeing his attempted grapple, she would move to slither swiftly toward his left side at an agle; should she have successfully evaded his attack and positioned herself, the naga would go on the offensive. She would swing her tail at his ankles, attempting to either trip him up, or at least somewhat throw him off balance. Simltaneously, she would swing her right Kidaari upward; seeking to thrust it into the membrane of his wing and yank downward; attempting to tear it, as a means to at least somewhat even the playing field.

 

[Otys]

Lioth had never before seen a creature like that, he hadn't had many fights with a snake either, so the tail at his ankles came at a complete surprise, and indeed pushed him off-balance enough for him not to be able to react as she moved to the side. He still managed to land on his feet, and for a brief moment there, their eyes met. He saw that she was like him, a hunter, a predator and quickly realized that he was the prey. Unfortunate indeed.

He wasn't sure if his own venom would affect the snake, but it should, so he prepared his wing. The venomous spikes popped out ready to sink into her, when his wing got stabbed and he yelped. The bitch had weapons. Weapons was something Lioth had never used, he'd never had to. He knew how to deal with swords and the men wielding them, but he had no idea how to deal with the smaller weapons. Her Kidaari sunk into the membrane of his wing and tore upwards, hitting a bone and opening a hole. She'd hid a blood vessel as well, and dark blood sprayed both of them momentarily, then only oozed.

A growl followed the yelp and by instinct he pulled his wing away from the pain. The hole widened a little and he folded it.
"Bitch!" he said and swung with his claws to her face. At the same time, he attempted to kick the offending tail.

 

[Yidhra]

While Celisse knew of demons -she'd read tomes regarding their exploits and general capabilities in the past; had drank with and listened to the tales that one or two demon hunters had regaled her with at The Bent Copper- but this was the first time that she'd actually been tasked with handling one. There was a first time for everything, it would seem- and the naga would have been lying with herself if she hadn't been downright delighted with the idea of being allowed to do anything she wanted, so long as she extracted the requested information from him.

First blood was hers, or so it would appear; however, that never meant an easy triumph would have been at hand. She couldn't keep a mischievous little smirk from curving her lips when she'd knocked him off-balance; that smirk stretching even wider when her prey caught himself and landed on his feet. During the fleeting moment when they'd made eye contact, her own had narrowed in a strange sort of understanding as her smirk twisted into an anticipatory, hungry grin; she believed she'd glimpsed at least considerable intelligence and possibly a predatory nature; perhaps they'd been cut from the same cloth.

Uncertain as to the nature of those nasty-looking spikes that emerged from the demon seemingly at will, she wasn't willing to find out the hard way; nevertheless, she swallowed a smart-ass remark when her wickedly-sharp, straight blade found its home in his wing's membrane; though it was extremely tempting to lick his blood from her blade, self-preservation and instinct dictated otherwise; it would have been foolishly suicidal to indulge at the moment.

"You're sweet, but save your compliments until later, I've done nothing to deserve them yet," She taunted; recoiling backward, lowering her head and angling it away from him.

Though she was quick, he was even swifter; those claws sinking into the golden-brown skin of the side of her face- she was exceptionally fortunate that he'd missed her eye, had instead managed to tear deep, jagged-edged lacerations down her cheek. Though they stung fiercely and wept sluggishly-flowing scarlet blood, those lacerations weren't likely to be life-threatening, they nevertheless caused her to sharply draw a hissing breath through clenched teeth; the hollow-tipped fangs unfolding from the roof of her mouth in response. Seemingly immediately afterward, a swift and fairly painful kick struck the side of her tail; only serving to add insult to injury; causing a grunt of frustration to tear itself free from her throat.​

So, her quarry didn't want to take things slowly, did he? Well, that was perfectly fine with her; at least she would no longer have to pretend to be civilized. "Now be a real doll and try
not to give up too easily."

Relaxing her hands, the snake-woman let her paired Kidaari fall to the floor with a resounding, metallic clatter as she coiled her tail beneath her; shoulders slumping and spine popping as she relaxed her posture and began swaying slowly, rhythmically. It was a rather risky maneuver, especially considering that she knew very little about how the demon fought- and far less about how he might react to her own venom, should her attempt pay off. She was a gambling woman and things just weren't fun unless the wagers were high.

No different than a striking snake, she would propel herself forward, tilting her head to the right, jaws parting as she lunged; attempting to catch the demon in a constricting grapple. If she were successful, her tail would begin to squeeze more tightly as she would attempt to bite and inject him with her own venom; intending to aim for somewhere along one of the arteries or larger blood vessels that run from wrist to neck.

 

[Otys]

The cold blood on his fingers felt strange. Blood had always been warm when he'd sunk his fingers or tongue into it, but this... this was just wrong. Still the hiss that came from her, brought him joy. He'd landed a hit and a good hit at that. Unfortunately, he needed a bit of a longer touch to be able to concentrate and drain her life force. Though he wasn't sure if he would even be able to use his powers with the extreme pain in his wing. It would have to be hand-to-hand combat.

He was confused for a second when she dropped her terrible weapons. Why? She'd managed to open a hole in one of his wings rendering it useless, and now she simply dropped them to the floor. Suicidal was she? Her swaying left and right didn't distract him as much but now he was wary of her tail. By the looks of it, it was just as scary a weapon as his wings were.

Lioth took a small step back, but that's when she came at him, her tail coiling around his legs and her jaws, with nasty fangs aiming for him. He lost balance, but wouldn't just give up like that. As she squeezed him, so did he. He reached with his hands as if for a hug, and dug his claws into her shoulders. He'd been aiming for her neck, but she was making it hard to breathe and concentrate. Both his wings, the good and the bad one beat the air relentlessly, by instinct. As her teeth sunk into him he hissed in annoyance but felt the burning poison being injected. Small trickles of blood escaped the holes and he laughed. He laughed! His blood was contaminated with the same virus, after all it was his creation, he was nurturing it within himself.

"So this is how we both die, snake?" he said and his good wing folded, aiming to sink at least one of the spikes into her back.

Her venom was faster acting than his. If it was lethal for him, he wouldn't see her puking her own guts from his virus and he wouldn't see her shivering and panting for air, as her muscles refused to work due to his own venom. If he'd managed to hit her that is. Lioth's head started spinning, and he saw colours. Lots and lots of different colours, and the form became blurry. This is how he died then? Better than the alternative.

 

[Yidhra]

In a peculiar way, it seemed as though they might have been somewhat evenly-matched- and perhaps surprisingly, she considered her opponent's unorthadox, fairly unpredictable methods were rather entertaining, causing her to view their brawl as more of a game than anything else. She'd never encountered another being whose wings could be used as weapons- and given his wingspan, they were fairly difficult to avoid at times. Unfortunately for her adversary, she was far from suicidal; it was simply part of her nature to determine when it might be an opportune moment to place a blind bet, instead of simply exploiting an opening. She had almost been disappointed when he started to backpedal; however, it seemed as though she'd reclaimed the upper hand- at least for a moment; swallowing mirthful laughter as she successfully wrapped her tail around his legs and began squeezing; coils sliding against one another as she attempted to constrict even tighter; she wasn't quite trying to break his bones just yet; but was hoping to come relatively close to doing just that; trying not to grin when he started losing balance.

It was unfortunate that her rather risky maneuver had left her back quite unguarded; that she hadn't expected to be yanked roughly into a rather crushing embrace; the demon was considerably stronger than elves and humans alike, quite possibly moreso than an orc or ogre; it was becoming fairly difficult, though not entirely impossible, to draw a breath; her eyes narrowing into slits that were beginning to sting and water. His annoyed hiss was cause for a brief moment of elation as she sheathed her fangs deeply into his flesh; injecting the demon with her agonizing, hallucinogenic venom; though she had no way of knowing for certain if his blood might have been caustic, corrosive or perhaps worse -that which was most tempting was oftentimes extremely dangerous, after all.

His claws sunk deeply into her shoulders, forcing a strangled half-snarl to wrench itself from her throat; muffled as her jaw would instinctively clench all the more tightly for a moment; then release as the nearly electric shock of adrenaline would course its way along her spine; setting nerve endings ablaze, tainted by searing agony as slugglish, gellid blood began to drip from her new injuries; muscles twitching and jerking as she fought against the natural reaction to recoil, to propel herself backward; Relax and go with it; don't make a stupid fucking mistake, think- and nail this bastard.

Unclenching her jaw, Celisse's tail would swiftly free the demon's legs. With his claws still imbedded in her shoulders, moving her arms sent white-hot knives of new pain soaring along her already-taxed nerves and forcing a shriek to tear itself from her throat, she lifted her head and would shift to redistribute her weight. Her left arm would be lifted upward; if he didn't jerk away, she would cup his jaw and try to tip his jaw downward, while her right arm would encircle his waist, her wrist twisted so she could potentially reach just a bit higher-- her fingers would try to grasp hold of the wing membrane she'd injured, aiming to grasp the lower edge of the hole and jerk downward; simultaneously tilting her head backward as far as she could without moving her shoulders too much; attempting to slam her forehead into his, in a headbutt that she would put as much force behind as she could muster.

Though his wing spike did manage to pierce her back, rather than searing pain, Celisse was met with the burn of a shallow prick; though it immediately began to burn and itch severely, it was impossible for her to determine if that were due to an allergic reaction to something he might have come in contact with, or something far more nefarious. "Like hell it is, bat," Though those words were raspy, raw and halting, they managed to retain a measure of teasing certainty, "This is just the beginning." Sides heaving as she fought to catch her breath, that traitorous thing hammering against the cage of her ribs like a bird attempting to escape its captivity, she laughed. A low-pitched sound that rattled within the confines of her throat. Stupid bastard, if you die, I should be able to find and pay someone to resurrect you as many times as it takes to make you talk.

Celisse didn't know if his venom would be lethal to her, but the middle of her back was starting to go numb. Unsure about whether she'd simply inhaled something unpleasant, or it may have been something else entirely, her raw throat was slowly becoming irritated and dry- it had to be because of whatever had been in the dust and dirt they'd stirred up. Probably. It hardly mattered either way; the most important thing at the moment was to retrieve the silver manacles and chain from her pouch, once she was able to extricate herself from his claws.​