School's In Session *Challenge to Tenyas*

[ThePromise]

A friendly bout between friends, nothing huge at stake here, let's rock.

Rules: Will be explained in the battle by my own character.

Location: School Roof, Deblin High.

Name: Calipher

Age: By appearance, 17 years of age.

Gender: Male

Appearance:

General Character Model

Calipher’s hair is of a particular brown-red tone, falling down and accepting gravity, not a single hair moving past his glasses. He would be physically fit, but not possessing the overall bulk that muscle-headed buffoons hold. It isn’t as if punching him in the rectum would be treated as a breeze of air. He is not fragile, but not a slate of steel at all, and could be blown away with the right amount of force inside an attack. He stands at an average 5’11, with lightly, and I mean very, tanned skin. There do not appear to be any evidence of accidents or battles on his body at any time. Oh ..and glasses. /lol

His clothing would resemble that of your average student, though it may be darker than the actual norm. Appearing a student is appearing as a harmless young man lost on his way. A long sleeved dark shirt with gold running down from the golden line in the center, right at his collar and heading to the very bottom of his shirt. His pants are ..well, just as dark, and his shoes, you can guess, dark and proper, good for grip. The appearance doesn’t get more simple than this, consult the character model for much else.

Personality: Alternatives is definitely a word to associate with Calipher, because he always seems to have one, and finds an opponent with multiple methods to things interesting. He is one to appreciate tactics that have very defining results, such as binding a foe by the neck, and using him as a rag doll to attack a companion, and they could double as a shield as well. Those kinds of alternatives to confrontations are what makes him enjoy it, but the obvious is a very large mood killer. If you have plans, use them. Despite what he is, Calipher finds humanity rather interesting, so prone to weakness and emotional attachments that they so desperately need to feel whole.

While you know what pleases him, what he despises happens to be failure. Sounds like a rather generic crime boss, yes? This goes for even himself. He greatly hates it when a plan doesn’t’ come through as he hopes. This goes hand in hand with stupidity in both words, and actions, again, even his own. From this, everything else can just be worthy of a palm-to-face.

Ability/Power: Calipher is capable of manipulating his own shadow. It is his exact size and is unable to, in normal conditions, increase in size. The shadow itself however, is very elastic, and can stretch itself to great length, losing width in the process of this. It is not invulnerable to elemental strikes, but is capable of resisting them and even having the strike revolve around it, so long as it may maintain itself. Regardless, it would not last forever. The shadow takes commands from Calipher’s very mind, as together they are practically one being that can split in two, letting the subtle part of shadow take place. Talk about sticking in the shadows eh? Another unique quality is that the shadow can be split into pieces, multiple, dangerous pieces than can span across a good distance from Calipher himself, and even stick to a target or ally, giving him the exact location of the enemy without them even feeling a thing.

The lethal factor of his shadow results in any area of it able to form itself into a sharp, piercing spike that can thrust itself into a foe, capable of acting as a finely sharp dagger, it may also be just limp and soft, capable of retrieving items or wrapping around objects and people. The most defining feature would be that its effectiveness increases on dark surfaces, as it is capable of changing tone to fit its surroundings. By no means can it change its color, a shadow will be a shadow after all, but it can change the contrast from darker and lighter. Along with it, it is capable of taking new form, no form can be larger than a human being, this could be animals or something of the like.

Lastly, his shadow grows stronger in many aspects, so long as there are other shadows nearby, helping it extend, build a greater strength. It finds strength among shadows just like it.

 

[Tenyas]

Name: Ciralars Trinidad

Age: Has the body of a Sixteen year old.

Gender: Female

Appearance: She has the kind of physique you'd expect of a teenage girl. Developing hips, small shoulders, thin arms, and curvy legs. Standing at 5' 6" in height, she considers herself far smaller than she actually is, almost always crossing her arms and avoiding eye-contact [emphasis on the eye-contact, she hates her own looks]. Her hair is a bit weird, however. It only goes to her shoulders and seems to have bulk to it, causing it to seem a bit raised when it isn't. It's deep black color is contrasted by her white bangs and tips, which she repeatedly states is it's 'natural' color, despite all the rumors that she uses hair dye.

For as long as she can remember, she's always had a black cloak. Underneath that, she has a red and black trimmed shirt she's kept from her 'origin' days, the print on which is a rather stately raven from the days of yore. Her pants are what you'd kind of expect considering her attire. Slim, trim, and almost unnoticable black pants underneath the coat.

Her eyes are really expressive, even though they're constantly flashing between emotions, and they seem to draw people in with curiosity, them being a deep purple and yet a swirl of yellow surrounds the pupil, a remnant from when her true colors showed up. Her features are really great at getting what kind of expression she wants across. Thing is, she rarely takes advantage of it, instead only showing distaste, annoyance, and a fair amount of anger.

Personality: Ciralars is... mixed. She hates people and yet she hates to see them die. She fears death yet always seems to lean towards it in a sickly drawn way. She's reclusive and hates gaining any more attention than need be, gaining a snarky and sour attitude towards others to hide her inward fears.

Ah, yes, that's it. She fears everything. From having to make decisions to being faced with death, she becomes violent to the outside world because of her fear. In fact, she fears herself at times. She has a split personality, always conflicting thoughts making her temper. Ciralars has a light case of schizophrenia, or so others say, enough to where she has delusions of a seperate self that is both the only being she ever truly talks to and the one thing in the world she absolutely wants dead. She mutters to herself and curses often, seemingly towards others when, really, she's just upset at internal things.

Asides from that, Cira could be nice if she tried. She's just too afraid and too far gone to try by now. Too many betrayels, you see. Her thoughts are quite cluttered, bickering and such...

Abilities: Ciralars is able to manifest ice at will and has powers over electricity, although her catastrophic discharges cause harm even to herself. She weilds these elemental powers through her double-edged javelin, the business end pronged with sharp blades and the butt of it clawed around an orb of sorts.

The extent of her immunity to her own abilities is limited, as she only takes somewhat less damage then a normal human would from being electrocuted [electrocution and freezing, if done for a period of time, will kill her but, when able to free herself quickly enough, she gets to escape her fears for a while longer].

Ciralars is speed and magic based, quick on foot and light in the air. She's also somewhat frail and gets cut rather easily, though her tolerance of pain is high it greives her greatly to see her own blood and, of course, it physically hinders her.

Anyway, let's explain how her elemental abilities work, shall we?

Ciralars is able to produce both electricity and ice through her own body and, through concentrating through a medium of sorts, is able to control and weild it as a weapon. When used 'naturally' with no medium, it comes out far more hectically and, while it causes more damage to her opponent in this rawer form, it also damages she herself.

The ice is, for the most part, stable and collects where the girl wills it to. It has to be within her visuals, however, and goes straight from its solid phase to an unrelated vapor since it's not 'true' ice. This 'untrue' ice is slick and is able to form columns or spires, depending on how the girl flicks/twirls her javelin. Basically, it's frozen gases, not completely H2O, making it toxic if done in certain environments and its characteristics change with its surroundings.

The electricity, on the other hand, is hectic and scatters itself freely, only ever giving in to a set direction when conducted through another object such as metal or liquids [ice could, theoretically, work as a conductor but, it wouldn't be as accurate as other means]. It can be used to make nerve-wracking pulses or, directly offensive burns and slashes upon an opponent. Like the ice, this isn't 'natural' electricity, instead only able to short out equipment and char most metals. It could, theoretically, turn a large metal pad into a bunson burner but, such an action would require a fair amount of concentration and, like so many other attacks, has the odds of turning back and biting its owner.

Overall, Ciralars is speedy, frail, and makes her own elements come to life through whatever is available.

History: You don't really need to know much. She's kinda died once before, came back believing she was possessed, all that jazz. Oh, she also has a couple siblings, both as messed up as she is, if not a bit more so. Ciralars is sort of trying to stay as far away as physically possible from them so, don't be surprised if she gets snippy when you try to stop her.

 

[ThePromise]

"What have we here...?"

The voice of a being similar to Ciralars spoke in order to gain her attention, but, as things were, she'd find it close to impossible to turn her body right around. By an attempt, she would feel as through her ankles were tightly bound by hands, but not hands entirely, more of gravity keeping her in place and preventing anything but what was below those ankles from moving freely. In other words, she as bound where she was, dead in the middle of a sandlot, 6:30 in the evening, with nothing but herself, and now him. He could smell her easily enough, as he knew what he was and could identify it among even the worst of smells. If she turned her head, she'd find nothing but a pretty plain young man with glasses, appearing as though he just got out of school for the day. Difference being, his shadow was now connected to hers, two thick lines running from his feet and reaching her own.

The shadow extended up to her ankles, although every other place on her body was free of his influence. So far eliminating the presence of another demon wasn't on his agenda, and it had been a while since he had gotten exercise from someone worthy of him. In other words, he'd let her go, only to come to him later on in time. Right hand in his pocket, he adjusted his glasses with his left, looking her over and trying to memorize most of her womanly details. Her form was believable, indeed.

"...You should know what I am by now ..what we both are ..and I didn't plan on sharing this town with one of my own. So.." letting go of his glasses, the brown-red haired young man moved to get closer, having been about ten steps behind and, closing the distance, set his hand on her shoulder as he came beside her. From here, both scents were intense, enough to catch and remember if one so chose. "How about a little sport? Tomorrow at this exact time, I want you to meet me at the nearby High School for a battle of skill and wit. The winner can stay if they so choose, but the loser has to obey a single command from the winner ..and it could range from just about anything."

At this point long, dark tendrils rose from the pool of shadow under him, raising up and wrapping around Ciralars waist, wrists, and her neck as well, binding her further and keeping her in place. Leaning in, this young man whispered into her ear rather intimidatingly.

"I'd think by now you would understand that I am not giving you the option to say no, and I expect you to be there ..if not, the consequences may be disastrous for you, young lady." undoing the bind around her neck that was no doubt making it hard to take in air of any amount, he released it, and soon enough, the other tendrils slowly unwrapped themselves, leaving Ciralars free, other than her feet. By this time, the young man had let her shoulder go, and moved in front of her, only to go past her and behind her again, walking off in the opposite direction, the shadow that bound her releasing itself and traveling back to its master, otherwise leaving him without a shadow, despite the sun glaring at his back.

"Dress appropriately, I may end up ruining some of your clothing .." was his one last warning, leaving her to think, react, whatever it was she'd choose to do. Of course, maybe she'd be a coward and flee, but with the mark he left on her ankle, a small trace of blackness hiding past her sock, she wouldn't get far.

----------

The cawing of a bird from far off signaled that it was growing late in the evening, the area turning a light yellow, and the sun otherwise taking its leave for the day. Sunset was giving him an advantage he wouldn't mind using, but if it set quickly, the fight would end too soon. Standing on the rooftop, facing the exact opposite of the entrance, was Calipher, he who had chosen a young female demon to combat at exactly this time yesterday, and he was eager, eager to see how she'd fare, and eager to see if he still had it in him to deal with any threat he faced. As before, the sun did not create his shadow, as it instead remained inside his being unless called to.

Her unique scent was growing closer, and he could also feel the planted shadow on her drawing near. So she wasn't dumb after all. By the time she would already arrived, whether it was from the school itself, or the air, or whatever means she chose, his back was undoubtedly facing her, as he stared off at the fading sunset, arms crossed and focus elsewhere.

"...So you've come."
​

 

[Tenyas]

She hadn't expected him to force her like that... With a shadow no less. It was scary. She'd thought he was just another human, just some guy following a girl while she was walking. She'd been so ignorant of that damned smell. Her senses had always been dull, hadn't they? Ciralars hated it. Just thinking back to it...

One moment, she'd been walking, looking down and seeing nothing but pavement before what seemed to be her own shadow caught her in her steps. Upon closer inspection, it hadn't been her shadow but, that man's. She wanted to bite her tongue and just lash out but, didn't dare. Something had made her not dare strike at the moment. Perhaps a memory? Ah, yes, that may have been it.

No matter the cause, she was silent asides from a low hissing within her own mind. He bound her wrists, her wrists, and actually placed a hand on her shoulder. He came off as some overly calm territorial loonie at first but, he didn't act like a loonie in the slightest. More perverted than anything in her mind.

The fear of the shadow, how it had her by the neck, made her skin crawl and gave her the urge to writhe and struggle like a wild animal but, fear also held her back.

"...If not, the consequences may be disastrous for you, young lady"

That smug tone... Ah, even now it rang in her mind and made her seethe with spite. Who did he think he was? She hadn't even done anything to make him protective. Ciralars had just been walking through the danged town and he took it upon himself to bind her, threaten her, and challenge her. Feh...

Well, after a long night of grumbling and bickering with herself, Ciralars had come to a conclusion. 1) She hated that frickin' shadow trick and 2) wasn't about to run off if it meant getting gagged again. She hated being gagged.

So, now she walked down the street, heading closer to the building where he'd said to come. Remembering what the guy'd said, she kept her eyes on the roof in case he planned a pre-emptive strike or something like that. He likely knew she was coming already. Not willing to bother with the stairs and all that jazz, Ciralars decided to do something she did well. She, with the aid of her weapon, scaled up the side of the building, leaving behind good sized holes as she used the javelin to vault up and along.

Getting up to the top, she hopped over the fence, cloak flowing and threatening to reveal her face as she landed.

Ah, yes. There he was. She frowned and averted her eyes, standing as far away as she could without seeming like she was avoiding him, and mumbled, "Fine, I'm here. The hell do you want now?"

 

[ThePromise]

"Didn't I tell you yesterday evening? A battle between us, I could use the work out." Maybe she really was dumb. Calipher had thought he made this clear with her yesterday but apparently she was too slow to really remember it at all.Turning around to face her, he looked her over again, no noticeable change of clothes, no change in posture. She remained her negative, silly self, and didn't bother trying to prepare either. This could end up truly bad for her.

He extended his left arm towards her, the small sphere of shadow leaving her right ankle and speeding across the surface of the roof until it joined his own foot and disappeared. Yes, by now she'd realize that he planted that on her, and perhaps grumble about it or call him a creep. Whatever she said, the fact of the matter was, he knew her exact location the entire time, having more than just scent to go on. She didn't appear too powerful, just indifferent, looking as if she didn't want to be here. After being bound and in an uncomfortable position with a male who had the power to strangle you at any moment he so chose, Calipher understood, perhaps he'd feel the same.

"I'll offer a single rule ...no death blows. You win the battle by knockout, or by the opponent surrendering. We can begin here, but if things get intense, the entire town is our battleground. I'm certain the rule will not be hard to follow."lowering his arm, Calipher realized something. He didn't know this woman's name at all.

"We've yet to introduce ourselves ..I am Calipher. What is your name?" no more hostilities or intimidation. Just demons associating before a battle ..nothing strange here.

 

[Tenyas]

Ah, yeah, she had forgotten that tid-bit. A fight on the rooftop in the evening, how fun. And the hell was that thing that just-oh... Frick.

How could I not have noticed that?

Because you never bother to look.​

Now she was definitely going to pay more attention to what this guy did. No death blows? Fine. She couldn't stand so much blood anyway. But that darned condition of the winner getting whatever they wanted bothered her. What would this guy want? If he was a demon, he'd likely end up twisting the circumstances. Have her kill herself or something like that. That'd probably be the most merciful thing he could do.

"We've yet to introduce ourselves ..I am Calipher. What is your name?"

Calipher. Reminded her of sulpher. Burning and bright. Like fire.

Don't you dare think about that, twit.​

Shaking her head, the girl replied, "My name is Ciralars. Ciralars Tri-..." She stopped at her last name, biting at her lip.
I don't want to say it. I can't say it.
Growling a bit at herself, she brandished Kiernon, her javelin, and aimed it at Calipher.

He wants to keep you here until they come and find you.​

H... He does?

Yes. Can't you see it? It's in his eyes. He's just distracting you until they catch up.​

I... I don't want to go back.

Sparks went from her hands onto the weapon, electric arcs leaping across like focused static. The orb of the javelin glowed and was encased in a light frost. "If you think you're going to keep me here, you're dead wrong."

I'm never going back. Never.

 

[ThePromise]

Ciralars ...noted...

As silly as she seemed, she was smart enough to remember her own name, and even Calipher had to admit it was rather fitting. There was no way to explain it, but the name suited her, somehow. Regardless of how cute it was, it was time to display his ability, as well as examine hers, and find out just who the strongest was between him. She was just going to be a training exercise, and if she displayed enough might, he'd be sure to ask for a rematch someday.

She halted herself from saying her last name. Past demons, heh, pun. But it wasn't his concern what significance her last name held, and frankly, it had nothing to do with the battle. By now she was beginning to get serious, brandishing her weapon, taking aim and channeling her elements through it. From what he saw, electricity, and ice. Not a problem. Her sudden fire was intriguing at least. Keep her here? He didn't plan on it, but she was free to believe what she'd like, unless it became an annoyance.

"Very well ..let's..begin." taking a step forward with his right foot, two individual streaks of shadow left the sides of his foot and traveled towards her across the ground, fanning out widely before closing it from both her left and her right. A very simple pincer maneuver, but the tendrils didn't leave the safety of the ground surface yet. They'd wait until the very last second, and upon closing in, the ends grew sharper. Raising themselves from the ground at the last few seconds, they rose up, intending to thrust into her calves and otherwise destroy most of her mobility.

...Of course, this was just a test of reaction time, and to overall invite her to strike back.

Lets see what you've got to offer..

 

[Tenyas]

Shadows from below, speeding in fast...

You better move, idiot.​

Ciralars stabbed her javelin into the ground and kicked up just as the tips of the shadows raised and shot out like knives.
Knives...

Stop thinking, more moving!​

The shadows may have missed but Ciralars was pretty sure that she was ready to fight now. Using the electricity that was already in the tip of her weapon, Cira made a static pulse that crumbled the rooftop and distorted the shadows where they lay, causing a repulse that sent her and her javelin upwards and back.

Landing, albiet shakily, on the fence, Ciralars flipped her javelin so that the orb end was now facing forward. Frost that had been collecting on its surface cracked and appeared to spout outwards, coating a fair amount of the roofing with jagged ice. Twirling her weapon around once more, she leapt and stabbed the ice covered ground and released an electric shock, remaining in the air with the support of the javelin as the surface below crackled and conducted a large charge of lightning. The charge spread, being diffused into areas where the ice ended but still travelling chaotically along any metal it could while still being attracted towards the single individual standing in her sights.

No, no, no... I don't want to lose.

You can't lose.​

 

[ThePromise]

Airborne, not a surprise.

Suspecting something like that, Calipher remained unphased by her maneuver, but destroying where she stood in the process. The area where she stood received structural damage, a little deep at the center where she was but it otherwise spread out, his attack nullified but shadows remaining in the cracks. Cira wasn't planning on stopping, and eager to watch her retaliation, he kept a close eye, seeing the gathering of ice from the orb, blasting it across the rooftop all around, not hitting him entirely. The fact it was widespread meant two things. One, she had a plan. And Two, this would be a wide spread attack. Well, with that doing little to nothing on his own, Calipher suspected what came next, and a scenario did happen to involve her jumping down to the ground. The electric shock flowed across the roof, running along its surface, the attraction jumping from jagged ice to jagged ice, building up a field of paralyzing shock.

"So that's your plan." he commented under his breath, kneeling down and having his shadow appear below him, a pitch black circle with multiple tendrils, twelve in total, surrounding him and otherwise absorbing the electrical charges while Calipher otherwise remained unharmed in the attack. Her strike was decent enough to give the tendrils a light blue glow. She must've expected this to wipe him out entirely, and it would have worked if he didn't have alternatives.

Hah, references to Personality..

Standing back up once the burst of electricity was otherwise taken in and rendered useless, the clouds overhead crept over them both, most of the roof being taken up by it, but his shadows surrounding him remaining apparently there. The space between them did continue to have sunlight, but no new tendrils had grown to reach her.

"Not bad at all, Cira ...maybe I should begin to get a little more serious with you ..that tactic was rather genius." he complimented her plans without smugness, and had grown to appreciate her talent a little more. However, the tendrils at three, six, and nine o' clock rose up in the air above him, creating a triangle of sorts and gathering all the electricity stored into the three above, releasing it in the center and bringing into existence a powerful sphere of pure electricity. From the shrill noise and the otherwise flashing of the orb, it was easy to understand that this was the might of her attack in a smaller, more contained form.This was meant to also catch her attention.

His two long tendrils from his previous attack remained in the crater she had created, but unlike what she planned, they remained intact.The clouds were hiding them inside as they blended in to the perfect tone the cloud created, and were now slithering along into the smooth surface unaffected by her earlier performance, not making a sound. When they were close enough, they gently rose above the surface, not disturbing a single pebble, and were brought right beside her neck, not touching it, but remaining there, out of her field of vision. The flashing of the sphere may have helped with her focus to begin with.

"..Well." Calipher said over the intense screeching of the ball, shrugging his shoulders and otherwise shaking his head at Cira. There must've been more to this young woman, or was this the only trick to play? "I think ..this might be it." upon the word 'it', the tendrils near her neck simultaneously wrapped around it, choking her and otherwise using the strength to raise her into the air with a strong jerk, close to strangling her immediately. Releasing the orb, the three turbo-charged tentacles above released the compacted sphere of certain doom, sending it careening towards Cira. Accounting the distance between them, and the way these tendrils may have held her, she had about four seconds upon contact.

If he measured that power correctly, half of the roof she was standing on, would be blown away towards the very ground below. It was a long drop..

 

[Tenyas]

Pay attention. Focus or face pain again. Cry and cower again from it like you always do.​

I am paying attention... Just shut up. Leave me alone.

Twelve. Twelve weird shadowy vines had absorbed her electricity. They moved like snakes. No... Like flexible ivy with a non-existant wind.
Thorns... I don't want to deal with the thorns. That hurts.

Her violet and gold eyes were distracted by the way he was manipulating her element. Was he going to shoot it back at her? If so, sh*t then. It wouldn't kill her but, damn it would hurt.

You're losing focus! He only used three tendrils to make that! Three!​

But there are-

Her skin prickled before two rope-like constructions gripped at her throat, wrenching her upwards. Instinctively, her right hand had clutched her javelin while the left began to tug at the tendrils. It hurt.

You don't listen well. Hold your breath and focus, fool!​

The sphere came shooting at her, just as she'd had guessed, and she struggled with the shadows.

You're going to die again. You always die.​

I-I don't want to die. I don't want to lose!

Working with limited mobility, Ciralars swung her javelin at the contricting shadows and forced them to loosen via prying. Her weapon made a creak as if struggling itself before some give was given. As soon as her neck was free, she was falling back towards the ground with the electric orb still coming fast. Reacting rather than acting, she corrected herself in the air and pierced the bomb.

Noise erupted and the air thinned.

Parts of the school building was now cracked and bits were coming off from the impact. Brick fell to the sidewalk and concrete shattered into some of the lower windows, at least those that weren't already heavily damaged from the explosion. Surely nearby residents or some form of law-enforcement were alerted by now? There weren't any sirens yet but, wouldn't someone be making some calls?

Get up and say thank you.​

What did you do this time?

Ciralars had ended up on the ground and was, as could be expected, sore from the fall but, that had been pretty much all that had hit her. Her body was cold, tingling in the extremities, probably from something she didn't really have control over. Her javelin was still in her hand, Cira discovered, and as she got up she was pleasantly surprised to find nothing broken asides from her alter-ego's ego.

What happened?

You were an idiot and needed a sheild. Happy to oblige.​

Ah. She got it now. Larciras had, last second as per her usual, made a negative charge of electricity to negate the brunt of the attack. Still lacking in the helpful department, the ego had also allowed Ciralars to suffer a fair amount of pain from the fall. Her throat didn't help manners either, her breath coming in quick gasps at the moment as her body tried to cope with the shock.

Okay. Now she was ticked. What happened to the "No Death-blows" rule? If she'd been human that would've-... Okay, so she wasn't human but, a being could sometimes wish for as much.

Not in the mood at all to bother with getting back up again so mister hot-shot could throw more balls at her, Ciralars looked up to the sky. The sun was setting quicker than she'd expected and it was somewhat overcast. Hm... Clouds.

If he can use them, why can't you?​

Shaking off a bit of rubble, Ciralars filled the end of her javelin with energy once more and aimed at a rather large cloud. A bolt of lightning shot up and struck, causing a change in the cloud that made it rumble dangerously. Flipping around her weapon, she stuck the orb against the wall of the school and thought carefully about how she was going to aim this. It would probably make the energy bite back but, she wanted that guy to know she wasn't a pushover.

The orb lit with a faint blue for a second before a line of ice shot up the wall. The trail thickened until it twisted over and into the hole left behind by the explosion. The ground beneath Calipher crumbled one second and, the next, a pillar of ice was lifting him up towards the electric filled cloud. Ciralars' hands were going numb from the cold but, continued. Jagged icycles formed on the sides of the pillar, its base surrounded by pikes of it, and the cloud above rumbled and clapped as the lightning within ricocheted, struggling to find a proper place to strike. As the pillar neared, the bolt flew to hit it.

 

[ThePromise]

"That ..just..figures." Always a way out. Always some influence. Always some possibility to avoid a situation that seems impossible to dodge. Somehow she had managed to beat on his shadow enough for its grip to loosen, it didn't feel the same measure of pain, so perhaps it loosened due to the blows themselves. If he was anyone other than himself, he'd probably have called bullshit by now. Big time.

Withdrawing every tendril back to his being and his shadow disappearing once again within himself, no trace of it left behind. Once again placing his right hand within his pocket, Calipher suddenly looked rather bored. He just spent time examining her, seeing her frustration, but all the while he was wondering if she'd do anything spectacular anytime soon. Maybe this was a bad idea after all. Everything was so slow paced and distanced with her, and it was tedious waiting for her to pull something off. Even with that rumble towards the sky, he casually looked up towards it, managing to somehow not be bothered by it. Yes, it bode well, but there was no way she'd get him from here, too much warnin--

The ground beneath him crumbled for a moment.

"Hm?" an immediate eruption of ice followed, rising in a pillar and carrying him skyward, shaking and causing his stance to falter, his hand abandoning its pocket and now putting him on alert. This was rather unexpected, he'd admit, and his interest in Ciralars grew again. Slowly stepping forward to the foreboding edge, Calipher took careful note of the jagged spikes protruding from the sides. She was intending to keep him right here to take this attack, but it wouldn't work. The closer he came to the cloud, the greater the shadows around him grew, and he was a few moments away from being struck.

"People might call me insane for this..." Calipher had never caught Lightning before. True, he was able to easily negate his foe's electrical discharge as if it was child's play, but he dealt with magic, not exactly a force from nature itself, spurned by that Javelin. This was risky, but the shadow generously provided by the cloud, he had a much better change of this working. Challenging a force of nature itself, the young man raised his right arm to the sky, fist closed towards the cloud and a single dark tendril of shadow coming from his shoulder, curling around his arm repeatedly until finally it ended on top of his fist and extended a foot from that, the end sharp, acting as a lightning rod for the bolt to focus all its strength.

This was a risky move, but victory didn't come without taking a risk every now and then.

As the pillar abruptly ended its journey, the bolt came as expected, the flash signaling its arrival and the force of nature colliding with his shadow tendril, having it endure some an attack would have been more than he could have asked for it. His shadow found strength and endurance within others, so without the edge of darkness surrounding him, he might've been in some deep shit by now. The blast was more powerful than he considered, and he braced his right arm with his left hand, holding it there as the very last of the explosive electricity was contained.

For the most part, his right arm received various burns around where the shadow was coiled on his arm, but other than that, he had done a successful job in staying alive. Calipher had just taken mother nature's attack and was alive to tell the tale, though it was really unremarkable, anyone like him could've done something similar. And now, with his arm steaming and his shadow managing to contain all that force, Calipher figured of a more productive way to use it. Ciralars might've been hoping for this to beat him once and for all. Well, with the pillar still in tact, she would be sorely mistaken. Taking a step back from the edge, he turned right around and took a few more steps to the center, looking down at the center and immediately imagining how this would play out.

First, he'd-- ..you didn't really think I'd sum it up did you?

Kneeling down, Calipher drove his right fist into the ice pillar, digging the tip of that supercharged tendril inside up until his fist hit it. From here, he willed it to pierce lower and lower, driving through the ice and only being able to be identified by the blue glow that headed down the very middle of it. It wasn't long before it went further and further, heading inside towards the very source of the ice pillar, until it had hit the very bottom, piercing the ground below it. From there, separate tendrils formed from there, digging into the ground inside and some sprouting just above the frozen pillar ground, digging through the numbing ice to brace for an impact. Four sprouted from the center and dug into the earth around the main one.

The amount of force charged into his shadow could've just been sent back to Ciralars, but that would've perhaps brought her to the brink of death, as it might have him. Might have As fun as it would be to redirect her attack back at her a second time, it would probably wipe her out. She appeared much too frail and he didn't want to obliterate her. She had it coming though, another stunt like that, and his restraints were dropped. With the shadow prepared, all he had to do, was call out to her.

"From me, to you!!!" shouting upon release of all that electrical explosive force, the entire foundation of Deblin began to be blasted away. Every inch of the school, brick, glass, was all being blown in a direction opposite of Calipher's shadow, having released all the explosive energy it had held in one mighty blast. If he were to guess, some of the debris would be blown half a mile away, but it could just be an exaggeration. The broken glass, coupled with the heavy debris being blasted in that instant, would bring anyone on the verge of collapse, and with Deblin High nothing more than a memory with chunks of rock and dust still hitting the ground, he could hardly make out anything left. A scattered desk or two, maybe, but otherwise, the ground below was clear. The Ice Pillar had been blown away at the very same time, and the only reason he had not begun free falling was due to his shadow digging in to hold him without issue, and now, he began to drive himself back towards the ground, the shadow pulling him, rather than him pulling the shadow.

It took him but ten seconds to have his feet meet ground again, right at the very center where the blast took place, and there was nothing in a a good radius there, except a pitch blast scorch mark. Dust began to settle in the area, though it didn't cause him any worry. If Ciralars was still able to continue, then a destroyed building was the least of this places worries.

"It appears as though summer came early." What was left besides ash, dust, and memories from this?

 

[Tenyas]

Gods, she couldn't keep this up for much longer. Her hands were freezing from making so much ice in such a short period of time. She was getting rusty...

You're holding yourself back. Why? Why don't you just let it go? You could be so much more stronger if you just stopped caring.​

I... I'm afraid. I'm afraid of the dark. I don't...

The air tingled with electricity.
Wha-

Before much could be done, the building began to explode. A rush of thoughts crammed the girl's head. Would death be cold again? Would she be blind again? Would it hurt like it did before? As the rubble blew outward, her eyes shut tight and her javelin was wrenched from the wall.
I don't want to.
Impact made her body go numb, her thoughts still going haywire. Why didn't she try harder? She knew she could do so much worse. Why didn't she? She could fry him with electricity straight on, make ice spikes on every bit of ground he could walk on, and even...
I'm afraid. Please, I don't want to.

Quit crying, coward. You let this happen. It could've helped you, you know.​

No, I don't want your help... Go away.

Go away? You're never alone. Never. Always here, will always be. Why don't you just kill him? Let me kill him.​

I don't want to kill people.

Ciralars, battered and bruised, lay on the grass near the destroyed building. She didn't dare open her eyes, she felt like she was dieing. Then again, death should be quicker than this. Where was he? Was he going to come to her in his sinful form, tail like a scythe to slice away what little life she had left or, was he messing with her? Were the Gods just going to let this little demon suffer? She'd already suffered. Who would want to live by now? Everything tried to kill her. Everything.

You're just ignoring what's inside of you. You're ignoring what you are. C'mon. Let it out. Just kill him.​

How many people had she killed? Dozens. Hundreds. Thousands. She would listen to her thoughts and that was what came of it. Death. Betrayal. Pain. It was only fitting Calipher would kill her. Merciful even. She wanted to die. Her body hurt and she deserved it. She had nothing to go back to and she deserved it. She lost.

Calipher landed on the ground with the aid of his shadow not too far away just as Ciralars sat up. Her cloak was half-way unzipped, revealing the bright red of the shirt underneath along with the odd green liquid from her cuts. It hurt and she deserved it.

You're a useless coward. You always have been. Die, then. You will be back again. You'll still hear this.​

I don't care anymore...

Ciralars looked at the other demon, hair a mess and arms crossed around her legs, and didn't say a word. She didn't even bother picking up Kiernon, just left it laying there, and thought only of a story she'd heard when she was younger.

There once was a beautiful kingdom with a King, a Princess, and an Advisor.
They lived happily and had all they ever wanted but, the Advisor was never happy.
The Advisor, thinking he could make himself happy, brought a Dragon to the castle.
The Advisor made the Dragon put the King in the dungeon and the Princess in a tower.
He took everything for himself and made the Dragon guard the castle even though it didn't want to.
One day, two Knights came and told the Dragon it didn't have to do anything.
The Dragon went against the Advisor and swallowed him whole, letting the Knights save the King and Princess.
The King ordered that the Dragon be killed. And the Knights killed it.
They lived happily ever after.
Because;
Monsters always die in the end.

 

[ThePromise]

The dust began to settle and spread rather quickly, and from the debris ridden mess came Ciralars, his opponent, just ahead, sitting up as he watched her, looking rather defeated. She gave up rather quickly, Calipher was surprised at how two attacks, not counting the test, would bring her down so quickly. The fall must've hurt her, and the debris did the rest of the work. He only literally touched her once, and it had come to this. His stance was natural, he wasn't slouched or bored, rather, he was curious with her new disposition. If she held back, that would be unfortunate, but he may never know. The young man could see it in her eyes.

She surrendered.

Inhaling deeply, he exhaled it through his nostrils and moved across the ruined schoolyard, moving to the grass where she sat and stood in front of her, examining her closely. Nothing looked too bad, then again, everything looked painful. The bruises, the cuts ..yet she remained conscious. She was strong enough to stay awake, but it must have been quite the challenge.

"I am the winner, and so, I get one thing from you, as I stated yesterday." moving beside her and kneeling down to her level, his eyes dead set on hers. She must've feared what he wanted. Her body. Her free will. All in the palm of his hand. To be a slave. No, he had something else in mind.

"..Your last name. I choose to know your last name ..I think that's fair."

Bringing his right hand on her shoulder not moving, but insisting that he wasn't going to harm her any further. Ciralars had been defeated, and out of all the things he could have taken from her, he had wanted to know her full name. He could stare at her all day. Point is, it was his victory, and he wanted to know just a tad bit more of her.

Ciralars Tri-- ....

 

[Tenyas]

Everything hurts. It always hurts.

Ciralars winced as Calipher kneeled, expecting a devilish grin or for him to grab her already sore form. She could normally stand so much more. Stand being swung around like she always was. Stand being trampled and stand being burned. Perhaps she was getting weaker without her sisters. Perhaps she was useless without them. A useless being with no other purpose but to hurt.

"I am the winner, and so, I get one thing from you, as I stated yesterday." Ah, yes. The stinger. What would it be? Her life? Her soul or something like that? He could have it. She didn't care anymore. "..Your last name."

H... Her name? All of that and he only wanted to know her last name?

"I choose to know your last name ..I think that's fair."

Ciralars didn't know what to think. Larciras was silent, brooding more like it, and not a single thought trailed through her mind asides from an emotion. What was it? It felt so... So dreary. Like so much weight had just been pressed upon her and yet she was still able to sit, staring back at this stranger who had every right to end her existence.
My last name?

The girl looked down at her hands to see the gloves on them torn, exposed bits of her skin bleeding from the cuts. Calipher put a hand on her shoulder before lifting her up to her feet. She was numb to it, mulling over those words as she was forced to put an arm on him to support her weakened legs. She felt a little shake in her chest, found breathing to be hard again, and finally choked out, "Trinidad... I am-was... Ciralars Trinidad." Her vision blurred. Trinidad. Not one alone but, three. She had sisters. One who teased her and made fun of her and poked and prodded her but loved her. One who abused her, forced her away from the world, and yelled at her to protect her from herself out of love. She had been a Trinidad. And now she was alone.

Ciralars sniffed, her vision growing cloudier, and continued to speak, "I was a Trinidad. I-I had two sisters, one young and such an idiot that I could hardly stand it and the other old and obnoxious." She was actually crying now. What happened to being human? What happened to being with her siblings? What happened to make her change like this? She wanted to die. Die and just restart. Ciralars was sobbing now, unable to control it after years of running. How can you hide from yourself anyway? "Trinidad. A Trinidad..."

 

[ThePromise]

Ciralars Trinidad, wielder of Electricity and Ice, and a very heavy ranged attacker ..noted.

She was a part of a trio of sisters, one small and annoying, the other grown and overbearing. Typical sibling banter and arguments, and judging from her attitude she had left them in pursuit for something more. What that was, wasn't his business. The topic sort of awoken sensitivity he never knew she had, and it appeared as though she was choking up, her emotions running freely as the faint sound of sirens in the distance were heard. This was a moment that couldn't have come at a more awkward time.

This girl, this ..demon..just as he was, had begun to sob at the mere mention of her last name. Holding her up and looking towards the destroyed school building, he sighed silently, unable to really comfort her how she may have expected. In a way, he must have helped her, or harmed her further. All he could do for her was take her away from here, perhaps a hospital, a secluded location she knew of ...or perhaps even back home to her sisters.

He had given her a good thirty seconds to let the brunt of her crying out from her system, devil knew how long she had that inside.

"I won't tell you to go back, and I will not tell you to keep running. All the advice I can give you, Cira, is to remember who you are, and remember where you came from." No matter how painful it was, she couldn't just up and forget who she was and neglect her origin. Her sisters were family, no matter how annoying, no matter how overbearing, they were still her family. The sooner she accepted this, the better, and maybe she'd do something better than walk down lonely streets without a purpose, just as he had found her.

Giving her a momentary glance, Calipher nodded at her as she began to compose herself again. Breaking down in front of a guy like him, must've been a little embarrassing for her. When she was prepared, he turned around, heading through the forest to get back into town without further questions. Hospital, Safe House, it didn't matter, but he'd leave her knowing she was able to walk on her own two feet.

"Ms. Trinidad ..well fought." were the last words he mumbled before the pair disappeared into that forest, destination unknown from here.

They were only as demonic as they made themselves, still, even a demon needed a place to call home, and for Cira, there was always one for her to return to..

~The End~
​