Round 1: Dissinger Vs Abomination

[Silence Sei]

Round starts May 3rd, 12:01 AM CST. It's the battle of the IKs Monster Vs the Cults Favorite Son! Or maybe I have that backwards..... Anyways, Good luck!

[Dissinger]

“You realize that she can't let that go unanswered...”

“I think you forget, that was the point.”

“You realize she is going to over commit to this. She has never been a good judge of force.”

“And? In this case it might be warranted.”

“You are really walking in blind on this one, you don't know what he's capable of...”

“I tested it out in the citadel, I don't think it will be too much of a problem.”

“What, your new magic?”

“What else could I be talking about?”

“You mean the magic that is completely untested, that you have no clue how it works, that could potentially slide you back into being a power hungry maniac?”

“You have no proof of that cousin. Besides, this is my daughter, if I have to be the worlds worst monster to save her from that, so be it.”

“There are far less noble reasons to fall, you should know that.”

“Are you trying to sway me? Is that your reason for talking to me?”

“If your conviction is not solid, you won't succeed. I've seen some of the monsters Cassandra created even before she left the knights. You have as well, the dark daughters are constantly around Samantha. If you are not careful, she won't hesitate to destroy her, and that doesn't always mean death. Are you ready to fail so badly that She will be your legacy on this world? What if they don't kill her, what if they convert her?”

“If the day comes that she falls prey to our lineage, I will make her the best monster there can be, so that no one will ever kill her, till long after I am dead...”

“You'll regret those words, I promise you that.”

“You and I both know the truth, no parent should outlive their child.”

[Abomination]

The clouds parted, allowing the moon to shine down upon the field of grass, dead leaves, and dirt. The light reflected off the tombstones, the shards of glass at their base, the mounds in front glittering in the wind. A low fog settled in the valley of graves, adding a thin film of gray along the ground. It was quiet, with not a single cicada chirping, nor any birds or other small animals. At the center of the graveyard was a great, dying tree. Its branches were bare and bark was peeling off its trunk.

One of the mounds was moving, a low rumbling below the ground. The tombstone behind it was blank, its stone face clear and unsullied. Dirt rolled down the mound as it shuffled, and from its top a hand with sharp nails burst forth. The rest of the being followed, sitting up with mouth agape, his brows pulled close together, and his eyelids heavy. Draug yawned, standing up and shaking the dirt from his body. He was wrapped in bandages from head to toe, with only his face revealed. He ripped the rest of the bandages from his head, letting his hair flow out and fall on his shoulders. One of his eyes was obscured as always, and the other had deep rings of what would be exhaustion on any other creature.

The Abomination grunted. "I don't know why they keep putting people in these, it doesn't seem that comfortable to me."

He glanced over at another fresh mound, under which was hidden the hilt to a massive sword, and then at the tree, whose frail branches swayed in the wind. Blood started seeping through some of the bandages on his upper body, his breath deep and full of anticipation. There was a small benefit to fighting here:

He wouldn't have to go far to bury his opponent.

[Dissinger]

Any and all Bunnying is permitted by both parties such as to allow for more meaningful interactions during this fight. Such interactions are made with the full knowledge of the other combatant and approved before said combatant posts again.

Boots, worn and coated in the dust of a dozen countries shuffled through the cemetary. A chilling breeze blew carrying upon it a solemn stillness. There was no explanation for why nature was quieter where the dead resided, but the finality of death seemed to tell even the critters of the forest to stay silent. Seth dahlios moved between gravestones until he saw the figure crawling up from the dirt, bursting from the ground in macabre fashion. Jensen Ambrose of the wetworks division was right, Draug Remi had indeed been cornered in the cemetery, but now his pursuers were gone.

Seth was certain they were all dead.

Moving out into the moonlight the Lavinian Demon brushed brown hair from his face before he shouted out, “Like the gift I sent you?” He didn't even pause to let the joke sink in, “Good. Now tell me what hole Cassandra is hiding in and I'll let you go on another murder spree. I'm not interested in the lapdog of a delusional sociopath.”

The silence tore the words from the air, stealing them away for later, perhaps to torment their speaker. Hubris was at a high tonight, and the Demon was it's master. He studied the homunculus before him, seeing in person Draug Remi for the first time. He had heard the stories, been told of the feats the young thing had achieved. In the end, there was talk, and there was truth, while they were not mutually exclusive, they were not one in the same. Hubris however, was also not an unique trait. Draug smiled and licked his lips, "My my, if only it was that easy." He lifted his hand, palm facing upwards, and curled his fingers inward. "Let's play a little game. If you're still alive by sunrise, I will answer one question."

“I got a better idea. If you don't tell me where she is, I will tear it from you. Then, I will nail you to the tombstones, and have Jensen come clean up the mess. I'm not stupid enough to think I can kill you and make it stick Draug Remi, but I'm also not dumb enough to make the mistake that you can't be beaten,” Seth challenged. Coat was shrugged from his shoulders before being tossed on a nearby tombstone. The name obscured by the leather coat a bag and hat soon joined it. Seth carefully tilted his neck this way and that, popping and relieving the tension therein. Task accomplished he casually drew a knife and lazily began to play with the blade his eyes never leaving the homunculus. He moved from the aisle of stones and stood arrogantly in the clear path between. He looked at the abomination before him and snickered, “And to think, people are afraid of you.”

[Abomination]

Draug spat, "No need to throw around insults. Our purpose here is pure, I've wanted to take a crack at you for so long." Blood mixed with drool and ran down his neck, staining the bandages on his upper body. "Before that, I need to see if you're worthy of the task I have for you." The Abomination enjoyed the silence for another moment. "While I generally don't care for them, I've studied humans from time to time. Did you know that they actually find the quiet to be unsettling? I can't fathom it. The silence is a time to collect your thoughts, to see what's truly important."

He leaned down and pressed his hand into a fresh patch of dirt. The transmutation circle on his palm glowed with vigor, and a few faint wisps of lightning jumped from his fingertips. The ground shook, and like Draug another being rose from the ground.

"I had to bury this one, he was being far too loud while I was waiting."

Several heads topped this body of mangled flesh, all of them moaning loudly, asking for death. It's upper body was massive and covered in bone and muscles, most of them exposed, and two meaty arms expanded from each grotesque shoulder. They were each easily thrice the size of normal arms. Its lower body rose up last, and was nearly comically smaller than the upper part, but still rippling with muscles, making the entire being upwards of 7 feet tall. Each movement caused blood to squirt out from various parts of it, and once it saw Seth it grew even more anxious, extending its arms to try to reach him.

"I'm not sure if you recognize him, I made him especially for you. Those Ixians who pursued me are now part of a greater being, they are much more than the sum of their... parts."

At first, the flesh golem hobbled its way towards Seth, an awkward limp fitting its deranged form, but then like a baby animal learning to run for the first time, it broke into an unnatural sprint, its hands in a grabbing motion, ready to rip the Lavinian Demon apart in its plea for death.

[Dissinger]

Memories of Seth's time studying dark tomes of lore awoke at the sight of Draug's hands coming in contact with the ground. To those initiated in such things, it looked as if the homunculus had merely called something forth from the ground. Seth recognized alchemy, the restructuring of the dirt into a nearly liquid form as the figure rose from the dirt. A chimera of human bodies groaned in a cruel parody of the lives that made it.

Well, that explains the lack of bodies...

The monstrosity, drawn by remnants of its former life pursued the Lavinian Demon, who took the opportunity to roll past the grasping and clutching arms into a row of tombstones. Immediate crisis averted the demon saw it stop, almost confused. Luckily while it had heads facing in all directions and arms, the lower portions was merely a single pair of legs. The ability to run in any direction was not given to it. Still Seth remained vigilant of the Son of the Blessed Mother, this monstrosity was certainly capable of shifting the Lavinian's attention while giving Draug a nice opening for attack.

The being slowly came to a halt before it turned slowly, blood spurting upon the ground. Seth could only guess that it was storing the blood of the seven men, giving a macabre display meant to disgust and put Seth off. While the gore was certainly beyond the norm, it was well within the bloodshed Seth had caused, and was of no concern to him. Blood was blood, no matter how it was spilled. Seth cared not for how the blood flowed, only that it would. It was certainly a considerable expenditure to create such a being.

It also meant Seth had no ideas on how to beat the damn thing.

You ever hunt boars boy?

Seth barely reacted to the outside world. To anyone studying him he tensed only slightly in response to the foreign voice. Eyes narrowed slightly as he recognized the voice of the soul within the changeling amulet. An ancient artifact created by Lazarus for the Demon Wars it gave one unparalleled versatility, if that person could gain the trust of the soul trapped within. He carefully made sure not to give out any other sign as he moved keeping a few rows of tombstones between him and the creature. Without legs that could force his way through the rows it had to swat and smash the stones in it's way, buying Seth precious time.

Not really old man, whats the plan?

I'm not going to possess you, but I will help you a bit on this one. Trust me?

Seth considered the prospect. The soul within the changeling amulet was a Traitor General, one did not get that name by lottery draw. Karel Dahlios had been the first traitor of long dead Revan, leading an army against the King on a march through his lands to the capital. Still, he had nothing to lose. If Karel betrayed him he'd use magic and that would be that, if Karel didn't betray him, he might get through without expending too much energy.

I'm game.

Get in a line with the thing when I tell you to, make sure it's between you and Draug Remi. I'm only going to get one shot at this...

Seth nodded as the circling continued. Seth carefully lead it out back into the main path, even as a polearm began to form in his hand. Quicksilver flowed from his arms, flowing into the form of the shaft, before a cross bar was created. Solidifying a pointed tip no longer than a foot protruded from the front before Seth realized the plan. He grinned before he spoke out loud to Draug, “You're an arrogant one, but like mother like son. Let me show you why you should cut the apron strings kid.”

The monstrosity howled in agony as it charged once more at he Lavinian, who set the pole arm before him. Too stupid to know better, or perhaps too desperate to die, the abomination impaled itself upon the spear. Seth's arms reflexively moved to set the spear correctly in the ground putting the butt deep into the dirt. He felt Karel's memories flood his mind briefly as he felt the monster hit the cross bars. With no more space on the spear to slide down the end of the spear jutted into the dirt, secured by Seth's back foot. As the butt end of the shaft sank into the semi moist ground the spear began to buckle, bending more and more with the exertion of the beast, even as Seth held his ground stoically.

It seemed the delyn spear would break under the strain before it began to right itself, shoving the beast back. Blood gushed from the open wound, reducing the chimera to a stuck pig on a spit. As liquid rubies poured from the beast the howl began one of agony. Each head screamed pitingly for an end to the agony. Seth remained impassive as he carefully shoved the spear forward Forcing the beast down to the ground in a practiced maneuver. It tried to use it's arms to shove off the ground, only to be pinned under the crossbar. With a bit more force a sickening crunch filtered through the air.

More screams filtered into the air before Seth carefully pulled it back. It would hurt the creature to even breathe at this point, let along have the force to push itself up. Clawing at the dirt around it, Seth carefully brought the spear back and jabbed once more. To the inexperienced he looked foolish stabbing the thing in the knee, before a pop resounded through the area. A cry of agony drifted on the breeze before Seth stabbed the spear resolutely into the chest one last time, hitting the collective heart of the beast. With no way to stand, and no way to act without pain, the beast shuddered and lay still, dying at long last.

The final wheezes almost seemed to whisper to him, “Thank you.”

Leaving the spear behind It slowly melted into quicksilver moving across the ground. Trailing up the Demon's knee he moved past the monstrosity, his boots miring in the bloodied ground before he continued, “You're a fool if you call that better. I'd call it mediocre at best. You're just a kid playing with Alchemy, hoping you'll discover something really good while mommy ignores you and leaves you all the dirty work she can't make Aerith do for her.”

[Abomination]

"Mother has given me a great mission, but I do not expect you to understand." Draug watched the battle quietly, taking note of Seth's actions. "And perfection is not a goal, but a process. I grow closer to becoming the ultimate being, and any sacrifices along the way should be grateful to be part of the grand experiment!" He slammed his fist into a nearby tombstone, sending a shockwave in every direction and shattering the stone as if it was made of old bread.

The Abomination extended his right arm, which shook violently while a blade grew from the sides, shredding through the bandages and running down his shoulder all the way to his fingers. The arm grew in length to take the shape of the 5' scythe blade, the flesh shrinking to expose more of the blade, his fingers twisting and receding into his wrist, being absorbed like wet clay in a sculpture.

"I expected at least this much from you. Now let's start having some real fun!"

Draug broke into a sprint with the scythe-arm, intending to cleave the Demon in two. Seth stood his ground, spreading his legs and digging into the dirt. It didn't look like he was going to flee, and The Abomination was nearly upon him.

The hex mage was calm, and said the words, "You’ll be surprised what you can live through." A ball of crimson energy formed in his hands, and as if it was a tangible object, he threw it at Draug, the energy flying at him at the speed of an arrow. Draug's momentum was working against him, and he could only muster a brief look of surprise when the red spell hit him, stopping him in his tracks. Seth retreated several meters, observing Draug's reaction, who was still motionless.

The Abomination's world grew darker, and the air became... wavy. He tried to take another breath, but only felt a cool, liquid sensation in his lungs. Immediately he choked, his throat locking up. He stumbled backwards, clutching his neck, veins exposing themselves around his body. Draug recognized the feeling of water in his lungs, and determined that somehow he was drowning. He struggled, his mutated body struggling to stay together. For a brief moment, his mind went blank.

In that moment, he heard a voice in his head, "I recommend you accomplish your task and leave. You're not ready to fight him."

He was in a dark chamber, only illuminated by faint candles along the walls. Each time they flickered, the two figures were cast in darkness. The one speaking was Memnar, the chief alchemist of The Cult.

Draug was the other, and he rebuffed the alchemist, "And resist the chance to fight the most powerful Ixian? I relish the opportunity." He lifted his fist. "I'll bury him. Once he's gone, there will be nothing to stop me."

Memnar was silent for a moment. Only his face was briefly visible inside his dark cloak and hood when the lights flickered. He shrugged, "I only have one piece of advice for you. We do not know much about his abilities; few have lived to tell. You may actually be in a unique position to combat it. Remember that you are not one. You are many. He's not going to expect that."

Draug blinked back into reality, but he was still drowning. He knelt down and slammed his fist into the dirt, the force creating a small crater and sending a weak shockwave out in all directions. Flesh bubbled from his skin, growing into a great tumorous lump that dislodged itself from his body. Once it was away from him, the flesh mutated and grew exponentially, until it resembled the shape of a dog. Made of pure muscle and bone, it lacked all facial features except for a huge mouth that spanned half its head, and small holes for hearing and smelling. He was planning on using the flesh hound for a spare set of lungs, but realized that it was having no trouble breathing at all. Hex magic... Draug shook his head and plunged the fingers of his left hand into his chest, piercing through his lung and feeling around. No water. Nothing.

And so the illusion faded. Draug leaned against the dying tree, feeling the wind gently lapping at his skin. His body still felt sluggish from being severely deprived of air, and each hoarse breath he took was accompanied by sweat pouring down his face.

"Insults," he said between coughs. "And tricks. Is that... all you got?" He yelled and spun around, slicing through the tree with his scythe-arm, watching it fall to the ground and kick up dust and dirt. The flesh hound retreated, hiding behind one of the tombstones. He needed time to recover from the ordeal, as well as close the small hole he made in his lungs.

[Dissinger]

“From the looks of things, I don't need much more. You take after Jeb in that circle, even he couldn't force me to draw daggers. Do you know why the rest of your family is afraid of me Draug? It's not because of my good looks, that seems to be the only thing Cassandra has going for her is those looks. It's certainly not because of the terror I inspire in people, you got that covered, though thayne know why,” Seth carefully pulled a blade as it began to twirl to life in his hand. Pirouettes and lazy twirls marked the Lavinian's self made style as he moved carefully, watching the baleful eyes of the homunculus.

“It's because they don't know shit about me. I worked alongside your Mother for the better part of two years, and she never learned a thing about me. I learned everything about her, her reliance on Katrina Ferman's poisonous cookbook. Aerith's worship complex because she was used as a kid and saw the thing she was missing in a murderous harpy. Jeb's hidden shame at making a monster in a world already filled to the brim of them. Yet when people talk of me, they only can say fighting me is assured death,” Seth grinned at those words before he brought the blade to a halt and casually pulled a gauntlet tight on his hand, flexing and testing the leather. “At the end of the day they sent you because they know that sending anyone else was a death sentence. Even then I'm sure Cassandra is plotting for your eventual death at my hands.”

Draug remained silent, hissing coming from his chest where the hand had punctured a lung. It underlined the silence, the hissing that seemed to be almost his way of talking as his head slowly tilted to the side. It wasn't merely the tilt of confusion, of one seeking answers. It was the tilt of one who wasn't all there anymore, the full bore tilt that bordered on turning the head entirely upside down. A studying gaze that seemed to penetrate any barrier set between it. Seth could almost see the corners of his lips tug upwards in some sadistic smirk, half formed and half forgotten by the vacant stare in the eyes.

It was a silent reminder that Draug wasn't a true human, he was made in a laboratory.

“Nothing, nothing at all to say? Your so called family has nothing you don't already have, and your response is silence?” Seth finally asked when he realized Draug wasn't going to say anything. “What are you-”

He realized the danger about a second before it erupted from beneath his feet. Gnashing teeth and an inhumane howl erupted into the air as the flesh hound that Seth had seen Draug form finally entered the fight. Instinct kicked in as the Demon moved a knife and stabbed the thing in the flank. Thick muscle was split under the blade as the demon managed to avoid becoming a snack through careful maneuvering, letting the thing go by. Seth let out a curse of frustration even as he saw the thing land. A casual glance saw that Draug's hands were pressed once more to the ground.

Seth frowned at the act until he saw light explode from the hands, and a cloud of dirt erupted about him. He tried to move only to feel walls of dirt rise up, encasing him in the warm embrace of the cemetery soil. He looked up in a half panicked state to see the night sky. A sigh of relief left him as he tried to brace against the walls and climb up, only to find no purchase. The dirt was solid, but still too moist. His boots were unable to kick into the dirt, so compacted was it, and the soft soil would give way under boot. He wasn't climbing out anytime soon. Even a blade though able to sink into the dirt, would not help him out, it was a few feet above him, and with nothing to give his feet purchase, it would be all upper body strength. Strength he didn't feel he had anymore.

“Son of a godless whore...” Seth swore as he waited for Draug's next trick.

[Abomination]

Would Draug burst through the wall? It wouldn't be out of the question, he had heard of the creature's strength. Perhaps he would jump in through the hole at the top, where Seth would have no escape. He didn't have time to wonder, because he felt something wrap around his right ankle, and by the time he looked down, it was dragged down into the ground, nearly up to the knee. In the next moment, the dirt in front of him burst open to reveal the Abomination's scythe-arm rising rapidly toward the Demon. He fell backwards to try to avoid it, hitting the wall while the blade cut across his chest. Seth needed to react, and he needed something effective.

He started to utter the phrase to one of his spells. "Time's"---Crack! He felt Draug's hand plant itself firmly onto his windpipe, nearly breaking his neck and stifling his voice before he could finish the incantation. The Abomination hurled him through the wall, which crumbled all around under the force of the move. The Demon hit the ground and coughed up blood, blood dripping from the wound in his chest.

Draug stepped out from the pile of dirt he created around him and sneered, "This is the feared Lavinian Demon? Weak. Weak!" He was genuinely angry. His right arm reverted to its natural state, the scythe blade popping out like overflowing water in a cup and hitting the ground below. "The same as the rest of them. I don't know why they bother keeping your daughter alive if she is as weak as you. If it was up to me, I would have skinned her alive by now."

Rage filled Seth's eyes, and as he opened his mouth to form a response, he felt nothing come out. Clasping his neck, he felt it numb under his fingers. He was still able to breathe, but any words he tried to force out resulted in grunts and coughs.

While closing the distance between them, Draug continued, "There's nothing weaker than a little girl! I make sure that they don't stain this planet any longer. Humans do nothing but propagate their weakness, becoming more fragile with each successive generation! When I'm done with you, I'm heading back and finishing your daughter off once and for all. There will no longer be a reason to keep her around. It's what Mother has wanted for a long time now, I will show her that you are nothing to fear!"

The Abomination pulled a handle that grew out of his back, and with it the huge two foot blade of the battle axe compressed in his body came out. Not only that, but two fleshy appendages grew out of his shoulder blades, and each one of them had a scythe blade sticking out of them, the same as the one he had before. The blades for his shoulder-arms were broken into two pieces, held opposite each other like the pincers on a praying mantis. The scissor-like arrangement sat at the end of the limb-like appendages, ready to cut Seth into ribbons.

The Dark Son lifted the battle axe and brought it down upon Seth, who dodged out of the way. When he grabbed Seth's neck, he actually started the process of assimilation, gaining a boost to his fighting capability as well as limited use of the hex mage's own abilities. His understanding of them was very limited, but he understood from what happened before that allowing himself to be hit by those spells was very dangerous, and that casting them required Seth to speak, hence trying to crush his windpipe. While Seth survived the attack, his ability to cast his spells was successfully squelched. Draug's lips twisted into a sadistic smile, revealing his sharp teeth.

"You will feel my pain."

The way he spoke the words, the tone of his voice and the subsequent nauseating sensation that the Demon felt was all he needed to know what was going on. He immediately felt like throwing up, pain coursing through his body as fast as his blood. Why? Draug was not hurt. Why did he feel like his organs were being run through a meat grinder?

"Your spells deal in pain. Against anyone else, that is enough to cripple them, to send them to their knees and be weak and useless. But me? I am always in pain. My existence is torture, my body constantly rejecting my borrowed organs. Now you will know what it is like!"

Draug charged Seth, the scissor-arms coming down upon him ready to chop him in half, but Seth dodged again, wielding his knives Ebony and Ivory. His movements were fast and precise, and every time one of the Abomination's weapons came down, Seth used the opportunity to cut into him with one of his daggers. Despite the pain being inflicted upon him by his own spell, the Demon was undeterred by the sensation. It was nothing he couldn't handle. His movements remained crisp as ever as he evaded the battle axe. Draug bared down upon him once more, swinging the axe downward and only finding purchase inside another tombstone, shattering it with the force of his strength. Winds kicked up with each attack, creating small dust storms throughout the graveyard. Every time Draug missed the Demon, the ground shook violently.

However, the Abomination was slowly learning from Seth's movements. The scissor-arms were starting to graze the Demon when he dodged, forcing a more aggressive response out of him. Seth decided to step into the next attack, planting both his daggers into the side of Draug's neck and leaving them there. Draug swatted at him with the axe, but Seth ducked and jumped to the side. The Abomination was about to move in for the next attack, but found that he couldn't breathe. He reached for the knives and tried pulling them out, but felt as if his entire body was experiencing cuts when he did so. While the pain was no problem for him, his body reacted to it instinctively, and he took a few steps back while nearly losing his balance. He grit his teeth and finally pulled them out, expecting to be able to use them, but the sensation continued while he held them, causing his hands to shake uncontrollably. He was forced to drop them, and the entire sequence of events allowed Seth to finally gain some distance and catch his breath.

[Dissinger]

A hand clutched his throat, massaging the windpipe. Breathing was difficult due to the collapse, but still somewhat manageable. Talking was off the table, and without his voice Seth felt a pang of fear in his gut. The Hex Mage was down his largest arsenal. Sure he had knife play, but Draug was learning, adapting to his fighting style. He doubted he could take a shot to the gut and capitalize, especially when he had already lost Ebony and Ivory to a previous attempt at the same thing.

Even now the Homunculi was shrugging off the phantom pains that the twin daggers had brought, giving way to the exhilaration of being less in pain. Seth had once relished in being able to take a beating and keep going, now he knew how his opponents felt. Draug was a tough bastard, and while Seth was as well he didn't have the ability to repeatedly shrug off blows. Clenching his hands into a fist he punched it into the ground and slowly stood, even as he brushed his mind against the soul in the changeling amulet;

Wake up Karel. I need your help now...

I know, I can tell when you're scared. How bad is it? The voice of the Traitor General filtered through the thief's head. It was hard to remember the general wasn't always watching, it took a moment for the two to coordinate usually, and Seth often just demanded something before using it immediately. The versatility was nice, but sometimes he wished Karel could see what he saw, and give him his advice, with his voice gone he desperately needed the help.

No voice, he got my windpipe. He also cut me across my chest, and I'm sure a few of my ribs are learning to swim in my bloodstream, Seth returned.

Close quarters is going to slaughter you if he is managing to hit you. I'm sure you got a few more cuts you're ignoring and failing to tell me about if he got a clean cut on your chest. The ribs are going to take up pretty much all your tolerance to pain, and even then you're going to be at a disadvantage. Gift and reset, you can't gain anything from this position, The general's report was almost exactly what Seth's assessment was. He felt his gut drop out before the General finally spoke up, I forgot something...

Quicksilver slid across his arms, wrapping about the arm casually even as a tendril snaked into an outstretched hand. Draug Remi looked upon the Demon, a stare down of loathing and hostility that slowly was reaching a crescendo. He seemed ready to rush forward only to stop as the liquid metal stretched to the other hand held out, a soft clinking echoing in the still air of the cemetery. Many a grave had been desecrated, but there was still more carnage to behold. The Thief Extraordinaire let a roguish grin light up his face as he carefully curled fingers towards Draug in a cruel mockery of the gesture the abomination had done at the start of the fight.

Have fun boy, I'll hold out as long as possible. Make him work for his meal.

With pleasure, The Lavinian thought. Draug seemed put off by the chains that had formed, the ends of each chain cruelly barbed and twisted in a mockery of shackles. Seth closed the distance carefully testing his ability to breathe and finding it satisfactory for now. The Homunculi sought to close the gap with a cleaving blow only to find a chain caress an ankle and tug, shredding the skin and pulling him off balance. While not enough to unbalance the Abomination it did cause his head to move low enough that a vicious knee hit the beast in the mouth.

Rocketing the beast back, Seth brought the chain down in a harsh slap against the chest shredding skin and causing a splash of blood against the Demon. Unperturbed by the display he slashed again only to find Draug move to a side, rather than let Seth get a grip on the ax he was wielding. Chains continued to swing out from the demon even as sweat caused the shirt to stick to his back. He had been fighting for almost five minutes and a lesser man would have been exhausted. Used to such prolonged engagements he continued to swing for the Homunculi.

Draug, seemed ill prepared for a man who was used to wielding chains. Openings were taken with sadistic glee as more and more blood spilled from the Homunculus. Draug Remi had thought he had gained an advantage in shutting up Seth Dahlios, it seemed the Lavinian Demon was more insufferable when he wasn't playing head games. Using his time wisely he tried to go for muscle and sinew rather than bones. Joints over ribs. While the Demon felt his chest on fire, he continued the onslaught. He had pulled himself down a spear to attack Letho Ravenheart, he had been electrocuted by the attack of Zephyriah Albion and managed to keep moving, he had his bones broken many a time.

The truth was while Draug said existence was pain, Seth was it's consummate master.

The Lavinian Demon had born such pain and suffering that he had used it as a weapon. Draug Remi understood the spell pain, but did he know why Seth wanted that particular spell at that time? Did he understand the nuances of Eye for an Eye? Was he at all sure why Sowing Salt had been chosen for the Hex Magi as his first spell? To live a life of pain and call each day agony because of pain from just a body? That was amateurish, at best. Seth had born such pain the day he realized Gift of the Magi didn't heal him perfectly, letting pain linger in his frame.

Draug's pain spell had been used as inefficiently as possible. He had sought to cow Seth by assuming the Demon couldn't take what he dished out. That underlined that Draug knew nothing about him, nothing at all. The chains slowly began to melt and slim back forming into the bracelet around his right gauntlet as he moved back and watched what Draug's reaction to being beaten like a whipped mule.

He grunted before a guttural word made it past his lips, “Next.”