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 Posted: Sun Jan 11, 2015 1:40 am
"Malphas, take care of the wolf."
Asmodeus' expression was almost bored as he watched the mare charge at her; no, her certainly never expected her to let him walk all over her, take the basket and leave. She was hard-headed; he knew she'd fight back. But even if she hadn't -- he would have killed her regardless. The mare had served her purpose, and now he no longer had use for her. He spread his wings wide in a threatening display before he charged towards her, meeting her halfway, dodging her horn as their bodies collided together. Asmodeus grunted from the impact but it was obvious Nymphalidae's smaller frame felt it much more, and he advanced on her when she stumbled back from the blow. He rammed into her side with his horns, intent on ending this fight quickly with hard, crippling blows.
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Posted: Sun Jan 11, 2015 1:46 am
"BETRAYER!" Malphas shrieked, swooping down from the branch he'd been sitting on, his claws out and ready to attack. "Betrayer, betrayer!" His claws nicked one of Hródolf's ears as he glided over him, screeching again as he turned in the air for a second attack. "Always knew you weren't loyal, always quiet! Never liked your orders!" Malphas delighted in this, attacking the false familiar; Hródolf never belonged to Asmodeus, only HE did. He was his true bonded, the only one he'd ever need. He'd never betray him. He went for his face this time, but Hródolf was ready, leaping towards him just as he swooped down to drag him to the ground, teeth clenched in his wing. He kicked out with his legs, his other wing flapping wildly as he tried to free himself from Hródolf's grasp, clawing at his shadowy body and slapping his wing in his face repeatedly as he continued to scream at him.
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Posted: Sun Jan 11, 2015 1:52 am
With Malphas' wing in his grip, Hródolf shook his head violently, swinging the bat around to try and tear through his wing. He wanted to be done with this fight as soon as possible -- he had to help Nymphalidae. Hródolf never doubted his bonded's strength, but he knew for a fact that Asmodeus was just stronger than her in all ways; his body was much larger, his wings more powerful, his kick harder and his tail a wicked whip -- she couldn't do it alone. One of Malphas' claws caught him just below the eye and he snarled, recoiling more out of shock than pain as the bat escaped from his hold. He could insult him all he wanted, he didn't care; he was, for the first time in his life, proud to be called a betrayer. He snapped his jaws and bat out with his paws as Malphas struggled to get into the air again, knocking him back down with each swipe, and when he finally saw an opening he lunged for his throat.
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Posted: Sun Jan 11, 2015 1:59 am
The collision of their bodies and the horns thrust into her side knocked the wind out of Nymphalidae, stumbling further back away from Asmodeus as she tried to catch her breath. She was lucky that his horns were more suited for ramming than gouging, or she would have been dead -- she had to be faster, quicker on her feet. It was the one advantage she had at her size. Rearing back, she kicked out with her hooves, going so far as to walk forward a few steps on her hind legs when Asmodeus backed up to dodge her. She landed a hit on the side of his face before she had to drop down to all fours again, and this time when she lunged she felt her horn pierce flesh. Excitement ran through her veins, but only for a moment; Asmodeus had managed to evade a direct blow, her horn only tearing into the delicate membrane of a wing.
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Posted: Sun Jan 11, 2015 2:04 am
Asmodeus was almost stunned the moment he felt Nymphalidae's horn tear through one of his wings; how could this have happened? How could this weak little mare have even managed to touch him? He's been too sure of himself, that's why. Too proud. Asmodeus narrowed his eyes and lashed out with his tail, slicing the mare across the muzzle, and while she was distracted by the pain he took advantage of the moment to shove into her again, harder this time, knocking her to the ground. With a loud snort he reared up to stomp his hooves down where she lay, expecting to feel the crunch of her bones, but the mare was faster than he was, rolling over and away from his hooves. Asmodeus growled and stomped again, not wanting to give her a chance to rise to her feet, but once again he missed -- and this time when his hooves hit the ground, Nymphalidae lunged in and closed her teeth around his leg, biting down hard.
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Posted: Sun Jan 11, 2015 2:15 am
Asmodeus' roar of pain was like music to Nymphalidae's ears, and with the taste of his blood on her tongue, she rolled over again and pushed herself back up onto her hooves. Although adrenaline would keep her going for now, she could feel fatigue settling into her muscles; it was still far too soon after giving birth to be fighting like this. His whip-like tail lashed out again, cutting a gash into her side, but Nymphalidae pushed through the stinging pain and tossed her head, wielding her horn like a sword -- she had never learned it's intended use. To her, it had always just been a weapon. And she used it now, slicing across Asmodeus' neck with it with a yell; there was too little blood for her to have hit an artery, but it made Asmodeus stagger back nonetheless. Her nose flared as she let out a harsh breath, kicking dirt up off the ground when she lunged for him again, her rage fueling her on -- keep attacking. Don't let him regain his footing, don't let him breathe; keep attacking, keep attacking, keep attacking!
Blunt horns hit her in the throat and she wheezed, choking as her throat closed up from the blow, and although she kept on her feet she felt suddenly dizzy and unable to focus. Each breath was a painful struggle, and through her daze she could hear the Kalona laugh.
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Posted: Mon Jan 12, 2015 11:30 pm
Malphas realized he'd left himself open for an attack the same moment Hródolf did. The flash of the wolf's teeth sent him into a panic. "Don't kill me!" he shrieked, jerking his head backwards as he brought his wings up to protect his neck. Hródolf's teeth sank into his wing again, and Malphas only had a moment to feel relieved before he heard -- and felt -- the sickening crunch of bones. Pain lashed through his small body as he cried out, struggling desperately to escape the wolf, wondering why Asmodeus told him to get rid of Hródolf. How could he, a bat, go up against a wolf and expect to win? Didn't Asmodeus know this is what would have happened? "Let go," Malphas sobbed, drawing away quickly when Hródolf released his shattered wing. "Let me go, just leave me alone, you win, okay? Let me go!" He curled in on himself on the ground, his body trembling as he waited for Hródolf to decide what to do with him. The wolf's shadow still loomed over him like a nightmare, and just when Malphas thought Hródolf was going to end it, the shadow moved away.
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Posted: Mon Jan 12, 2015 11:54 pm
Blood trickled from the wound on his neck and his hind leg throbbed from pain, but Asmodeus stood tall and proud as he watched Nymphalidae struggle to breathe after the blow he'd dealt. Perhaps another time -- or perhaps with another soquili -- this would have been enough. Asmodeus would see to it that the damage to her throat had been fatal and left her to choke to death alone, knowing she'd failed to protect her basket. But this wasn't just any other soquili. This mare assumed herself worthy of becoming a Kalona's mate, as if there was anything even remotely Kalona about her. She spoke of lesser beings as though she wasn't one herself. He stepped closer to her, his tail tangling in her mane and pulling, further and further until Nymphalidae's head was tilted back and tears streamed down her face as she tried to breathe through the pain. "There is nothing Kalona about you," Asmodeus hissed. "Just look at you. Those wings, that horn, how small you are... how could you think you could ever compare? A fragile little thing like you?" he said with a laugh, the smile on his face all too delighted. "I'm going to kill you now, and then I'm going to take the demon child as my own. I'll be sure the foal knows all about how his mother sold him to me for the price of a wolf."
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Posted: Wed Jan 14, 2015 10:07 am
No. This wasn't how any of this was supposed to happen. How had it all gone so wrong? How had she been tricked so easily... and why was she losing? She knew she was strong. She had killed countless soquili before Asmodeus! So why couldn't she defeat him, too? An unwelcome stray thought in the back of her mind supplied, because you have only ever killed those who were weaker than you. Nymphalidae had never been challenged. While perhaps it was smart to pick off the weak to survive, all she felt was, once again, humiliation. The only time she'd ever took on more than she knew she could handle was when she had help on her side. Hallow's Bane. She took the easy way out at every opportunity, but still boasted her own power. She supposed she was paying for that now.
Not that she was going down without a fight.
Nymphalidae twisted and thrashed in the grip of Asmodeus' tail, feeling the way her mane pulled against her scalp, and with one final jerk of her head she ripped herself free, a few chunks of mane ripped away. Her head throbbed, her throat ached, overshadowing the pain in the rest of her body. She thrust her horn forward with a raspy scream as she tried to drive Asmodeus away -- or even better, drive her horn through his chest -- but her horn only glanced his shoulder.
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Posted: Thu Jan 15, 2015 9:31 am
Asmodeus grunted from the sting of the cut -- he'd been having fun defeating her at every turn, but now he was growing impatient. He was tired of playing this game and he was ready to walk away with his prize: her foal and her blood. "Enough," he rumbled with a growl, rearing up. He kicked out hard and struck Nymphalidae in the side with his hooves, the cloven tips tearing through flesh before she was shoved to the ground. As she scrambled to get away and back up again Asmodeus stomped a hoof down on the tip of a delicate wing, and when Nymphalidae rolled herself away he watched with delight as part of it tore away. He rushed to her side again, lifting up his hooves to stomp down on her body, raining down blow after blow. If only she'd stop squirming it'd be so much easier to crush her head and be done with it.
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Posted: Thu Jan 15, 2015 9:39 am
Hródolf should have ended the bat's life then and there. It would have been quick, easy -- but Hródolf had never killed anything that was spirit-touched before. He'd been sure he was ready to do it, but then he'd hesitated too long, and by that time, his ears pivoted toward the sound of Nymphalidae's screams and he had no time to act now. He bolted away from Malphas' crumpled, trembling form and leapt at Asmodeus. Teeth closed around the large Kalona's throat, and Hródolf's claws scrabbled at Asmodeus' chest as he struggled to keep his grip, biting down harder and harder. But he wasn't quite strong enough; Asmodeus threw him off with a violent shake, and Hródolf hit the ground with a yelp. Still, the distraction had worked -- Asmodeus' fury was now focused on him instead of Nymphalidae. "GO!" he cried out, backing away as Asmodeus advanced on him. "Go now, run, mistress!"
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Posted: Thu Jan 15, 2015 9:46 am
The smell of his own blood was filling his nostrils and soaking all down his front, trickling down his legs, and Asmodeus could only see red. Malphas had failed to keep Hródolf out of the way and now the traitorous wolf was attacking him. He must know it was a fool's errand; Asmodeus was too strong, and he should have ignored the wolf after tossing him aside and finished with Nymphalidae. But he couldn't think straight anymore; he was too enraged by his servant's betrayal; he'd intended to kill Hródolf regardless after this, but now was a good a time as any. Asmodeus galloped to where the wolf had fallen and clamped his fangs around the back of his neck. He didn't get quite the grip he wanted -- he could taste the blood filling his mouth, but he'd only gotten the scruff -- but it was good enough. Hródolf twisted and snared and clawed at his face, protected by the mask he wore, and Asmodeus had no intention of putting him down now that he had him. It was only a few steps away toward the edge of the cliff where the river roared below, and then Hródolf was gone, falling over the edge with a startled cry until his voice was swallowed up by the sound of the water.
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Posted: Thu Jan 15, 2015 9:56 am
"NO!"
The scream left Nymphalidae's mouth before she realized what she was doing, and now that she was back on her feet, she stumbled to the cliff's edge to try and see where Hródolf went. She couldn't see his broken body on the rocks below, but that didn't mean anything -- he could still be dead. She was furious at Hródolf for betraying her all this time, but still her heart clenched when she thought her familiar might be dead at the bottom of a ravine. They had, truly, been bonded. And just as easily as Asmodeus gave her the wolf, he'd taken him away, too.
She could barely stand. Her body was bruised and broken and bleeding, and all the adrenaline Nymphalidae had been running on before had drained out of her in a rush. It felt as though she would collapse at any moment, but Asmodeus was still here and the fight wasn't over yet. When she turned to look at him, her eyes strayed further to her basket on the ground not far from where he stood now. If she'd known that was what he'd wanted from her for Hródolf... she never would have made the deal at all. She couldn't let Asmodeus have her foal.
But she also couldn't fight anymore.
Nymphalidae grit her teeth and charged with the last of her strength.
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Posted: Thu Jan 15, 2015 10:00 am
Asmodeus smiled. He knew he had won the moment the mare met his eyes. He could see the way her body quivered, the exhaustion settling in her bones -- but also the anger over the loss of her familiar and the inevitable loss of her foal. Asmodeus bent his head down and met her full on, crashing into her and sending her tumbling back and to her knees. Closer to the ravine.
"Don't worry, mare. You'll be reunited with your wolf soon enough."
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Posted: Thu Jan 15, 2015 10:04 am
On her feet again. Tears stung at Nymphalidae's eyes as she struggled to keep standing despite the pain. The promise to see Hródolf again brought her no comfort; it wasn't an assurance, it was a threat. When Asmodeus charged at her again, she tried to run, but with a powerful beat of his wings and a jump, the Kalona was in front of her again and blocking her escape. She turned and tried to run the other way; Asmodeus didn't bother trying to get in front of her again, but his horns rammed into her hip, shoving her hard. One of her hind legs slipped off the edge of the cliff, nearly toppling her over.
A snarl, another painful shove, and Nymphalidae was falling into the ravine.
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