There were a lot of things one came to expect as an Empirium protector. In Steel's experience, the Assassins always came first; they were justifiably headstrong, and fast, and used the shadows to their advantage. They were her weakness - and the Guilds knew that Crusaders such as she tended to struggle in their lumbering armour.
When the door whispered open behind her, the softest, sweetest sound of nervous breath on the air, she didn't turn. If she couldn't have the advantage of speed over him, she would simply employ the element of surprise.
That was then the talons went tearing between the dark wings on her head, grabbed clawfuls of scalp and hair and let forth a screech that pained her ears. All thought stopped in favour of searing pain, and she brought her hands to her head, jerking away from the falcon with a cry.
A Hunter?!
The bird was gone again, beating its wings hard and circling back around - going for her eyes. The Haeddongum sword was heavy in her hand when she swung it up and forced the falcon to swerve or be cloven in two.
Even for a bird, it wasn't a hard choice to make.
"Heathen dirt! Wasteful lump of flesh! Where are you?!" She spun on metal boots that clanked and echoed off the walls, the long cape and the cross-motifs fluttering and trembling. Her eyes sought out some sign of life, listening for the origin of rapid footsteps.
There - there! The slightest flash of flesh and material, just long enough to reach out her hand and --
"Gloria Domini!"
Divinity filled her, infallible and all seeing, and her smile was all teeth. Enough to hurt it, yes, but not enough to kill! There was no fun and no punishment in death, was there?
Stupid pretty bird. Down it fell, crashing down and tumbling, it's body thumping solidly against the floor and kicking up a plume of dust. Feathers followed it down, embraced its body like petals on a grave. It twitched, physically shattered.
Steel came to stand near it, saw its eye move to focus on her; it spat out a strip of cloth, stolen from her sleeve as it tore past, and it cried for its master. Foolish creature. And somewhere, in the dark, its owner would surely be watching, listening.
Step b-back! O-or else!
... Perhaps not so stealthily. Another light ignited behind her, and Steel slowly turned; there, behind the fiery head of an arrow, behind the poised Ballista, the Hunter.
Steel smirked, eyed her slowly; her body was small, light, built for speed but not for armour. Flesh was exposed like a gift. She seemed to be alone - and the terror reflected in her eyes left little room for doubt. "It seems I broke your birdie."
She advanced slowly; the Hunter was close to the Empirium, and she could already have taken a dozen rapid-fire shots to destroy it, but here she was, defending a pet. Something easily replaceable. Something that did the devil's work to keep her little hands clean.
Steel gripped the hilt of her sword, spread her arms out wide as she ascended the steps with predatory grace. "You want to play, too? You can shoot... but I will still kill you before you can kill me. God protects me from unholy arrows and dirty souls."
The bolt whistled past - barely whistled past her ear, and she turned to watch it disappear into the dark, make a dull thud in the distant wall. Brave girl.
But oh, the desperation in her eyes, the need to escape! Didn't she know this was what happened when she played this game, when she got involved in war and fire? "You've never destroyed Empirium before, have you?" Her lips quirked upwards, eyes narrowed, long eyelashes throwing stark shadows on her cheeks, across her nose. "It'll take more than a little bolt - it'll take time, lots of time.
"Get on your knees and beg forgiveness, and I won't stamp on pretty birdie's head. Please, I promise," The last little line was a cruel mimicry, and she laughed as she came ever closer; at her elevated height, she towered over the girl easily.
Steel's hand grasped the underside of the crossbow, and forcably worked to tilt it up to the ceiling, far from the Empirium, far from where it could do harm. She leaned forward, leering down, fascinated by the Hunter's wide eyes.
"... What's a pretty bird doing, playing with the wolves all alone?"
"You want to play games, do you?" A firm yank dragged the Ballista from the Hunter's hands, and Steel sent it spinning and skidding away, shattering as it toppled along the ground, losing pieces every which way. At some point it fired, missing the poor bird's head by inches as it lay sprawled, unmoving still. Crippled - but if the Hunter could get it out in time, nothing a Healra couldn't fix.
"I'll show you a game we can play." She smirked, loving the terror that rolled off the girl in waves, loving the way she could drive her back with every step. The Empirium was soon behind her, glowing light haloing her flesh, the soft leather of her clothes. How pretty, how small and how pretty, delicate, just like her pet.
Perhaps Steel could have a pet of her own.
She reached forward, cupped her cheek in a cold gloved hand. "My name is Steel-Sky of The Divine Order. A Grand Cross Crusader. Do you know what that means for you, if you do not obey me now?" She smirked a little, eyes narrowing as she focused on the girl's lips, softly parted for her panicking breaths. Unholy vermin were so soft, so pliable, so frightened in the dark. "Tell me your name, bird."
"Kazu," Steel echoed, purring. Such a pretty name, perfect, suiting her wonderfully. It made it all the more frustrating when she tried to wriggle away; a firm hand slammed up against the Empirium, trapping her there and threatening more.
"If you run, Kazu, I'll kill you." It was blunt, straightforward, that simple; there was no sin in slaughter, not for her, not when they were Godless wretches like Kazu. "My Grand Cross... it'd incinerate you before you could move away, before you could scream. God's wrath always lands true."
Cold steel eyes focused lower, took in the slender figure and the scant clothes that covered it. There was a small skirt and little shorts beneath, a shirt with snaps that kept it tight - one above her full breasts, one below. She dragged her fingers down from Kazu's face, down her collarbone, to the top snap.
"But if you stay... we can play, instead. God likes pretty birds..."
When the door whispered open behind her, the softest, sweetest sound of nervous breath on the air, she didn't turn. If she couldn't have the advantage of speed over him, she would simply employ the element of surprise.
That was then the talons went tearing between the dark wings on her head, grabbed clawfuls of scalp and hair and let forth a screech that pained her ears. All thought stopped in favour of searing pain, and she brought her hands to her head, jerking away from the falcon with a cry.
A Hunter?!
The bird was gone again, beating its wings hard and circling back around - going for her eyes. The Haeddongum sword was heavy in her hand when she swung it up and forced the falcon to swerve or be cloven in two.
Even for a bird, it wasn't a hard choice to make.
"Heathen dirt! Wasteful lump of flesh! Where are you?!" She spun on metal boots that clanked and echoed off the walls, the long cape and the cross-motifs fluttering and trembling. Her eyes sought out some sign of life, listening for the origin of rapid footsteps.
There - there! The slightest flash of flesh and material, just long enough to reach out her hand and --
"Gloria Domini!"
Divinity filled her, infallible and all seeing, and her smile was all teeth. Enough to hurt it, yes, but not enough to kill! There was no fun and no punishment in death, was there?
Reply
(The comment has been removed)
Stupid pretty bird. Down it fell, crashing down and tumbling, it's body thumping solidly against the floor and kicking up a plume of dust. Feathers followed it down, embraced its body like petals on a grave. It twitched, physically shattered.
Steel came to stand near it, saw its eye move to focus on her; it spat out a strip of cloth, stolen from her sleeve as it tore past, and it cried for its master. Foolish creature. And somewhere, in the dark, its owner would surely be watching, listening.
Step b-back! O-or else!
... Perhaps not so stealthily. Another light ignited behind her, and Steel slowly turned; there, behind the fiery head of an arrow, behind the poised Ballista, the Hunter.
Steel smirked, eyed her slowly; her body was small, light, built for speed but not for armour. Flesh was exposed like a gift. She seemed to be alone - and the terror reflected in her eyes left little room for doubt. "It seems I broke your birdie."
She advanced slowly; the Hunter was close to the Empirium, and she could already have taken a dozen rapid-fire shots to destroy it, but here she was, defending a pet. Something easily replaceable. Something that did the devil's work to keep her little hands clean.
Steel gripped the hilt of her sword, spread her arms out wide as she ascended the steps with predatory grace. "You want to play, too? You can shoot... but I will still kill you before you can kill me. God protects me from unholy arrows and dirty souls."
Reply
(The comment has been removed)
But oh, the desperation in her eyes, the need to escape! Didn't she know this was what happened when she played this game, when she got involved in war and fire? "You've never destroyed Empirium before, have you?" Her lips quirked upwards, eyes narrowed, long eyelashes throwing stark shadows on her cheeks, across her nose. "It'll take more than a little bolt - it'll take time, lots of time.
"Get on your knees and beg forgiveness, and I won't stamp on pretty birdie's head. Please, I promise," The last little line was a cruel mimicry, and she laughed as she came ever closer; at her elevated height, she towered over the girl easily.
Steel's hand grasped the underside of the crossbow, and forcably worked to tilt it up to the ceiling, far from the Empirium, far from where it could do harm. She leaned forward, leering down, fascinated by the Hunter's wide eyes.
"... What's a pretty bird doing, playing with the wolves all alone?"
Reply
(The comment has been removed)
"I'll show you a game we can play." She smirked, loving the terror that rolled off the girl in waves, loving the way she could drive her back with every step. The Empirium was soon behind her, glowing light haloing her flesh, the soft leather of her clothes. How pretty, how small and how pretty, delicate, just like her pet.
Perhaps Steel could have a pet of her own.
She reached forward, cupped her cheek in a cold gloved hand. "My name is Steel-Sky of The Divine Order. A Grand Cross Crusader. Do you know what that means for you, if you do not obey me now?" She smirked a little, eyes narrowing as she focused on the girl's lips, softly parted for her panicking breaths. Unholy vermin were so soft, so pliable, so frightened in the dark. "Tell me your name, bird."
Reply
(The comment has been removed)
"If you run, Kazu, I'll kill you." It was blunt, straightforward, that simple; there was no sin in slaughter, not for her, not when they were Godless wretches like Kazu. "My Grand Cross... it'd incinerate you before you could move away, before you could scream. God's wrath always lands true."
Cold steel eyes focused lower, took in the slender figure and the scant clothes that covered it. There was a small skirt and little shorts beneath, a shirt with snaps that kept it tight - one above her full breasts, one below. She dragged her fingers down from Kazu's face, down her collarbone, to the top snap.
"But if you stay... we can play, instead. God likes pretty birds..."
Reply
Leave a comment