Pride and Glory (Shinsou vs Storm)

[Shinsou Vaan Osiris]

The arching vaults and sanctified alcoves sang to the whisper of Storm Veritas’s magic as the wily electromancer vanished above and behind the etched columns, following the path of his daggers.

The Telgradian muttered to himself on receipt of the latest insult, again allowing his frustration to get the better of him. The words his friend spoke, in the context they were used in, left a bitter taste; it was one thing to surmise that Shinsou was not entirely present during his tenure, but it was another thing altogether to suggest that the former Brotherhood leader had simply up and vanished, or some other such insinuation. Still, Osiris felt a little wound open. The fact Storm had made Shinsou recoil from just two words was proof enough of his talent for getting under skins.

If anything, it made him even more determined to prove himself.

It was then, as the Veritas’s power pulsed through shadow and icy haze, though the arcane winds of the Ai’Brone’s magic, a puzzled expression spread across his glistening face. Storm had melted into the shadows above, but had not resurfaced. Surely, he had not forgotten that Shinsou could sense his movements?

Quick to sling mud and even quicker to get gone. Why are you hiding, you silly bastard? I can sense you now as clearly as I could see you before…

Back in Radasanth all that time ago, the swordsman had tracked him easily before conjuring those abyssal spears from a rift in reality. Then, had they screamed through the heat and haze of that awful melee, wreathed with amethyst arcs of lifeforce, and had gutted Storm to within an inch of his life. Had he forgotten? Or perhaps he had never known about his ability? Was this what the Citadel did to people, with its honeyed whispers of immortality and lack of consequence?

The questions faded from his mind as Shinsou reminded himself that there was always an angle. Perhaps Storm knew he could sense him, and was lulling the Telgradian into a false sense of security? After all, his magnetic prowess made him unpredictable and a man with an imagination like his always had a creative way to kill someone up his sifan sleeves. That was why it was important to end this quickly; and with a few quick calculations, he'd be ready.

Fifteen to twenty feet away is fine by me, so I better put you to bed before you start getting imaginative with your party tricks.

He had never really been one to make his voice heard in battle; after all, the Telgradian was far more content to let his opponents feel his power tremble through their bones, to fear it. This was no exception, friend or not. As he stepped forward, his heels clicking and cracking the thin layer of frost beneath him, the marble floor smouldered beneath the nauseating dark matter that dripped from Shinsou’s cladded palms.

The ethereal purple wreaths of energy that latticed around his hands ceased as Shinsou knelt, spreading his smothered fingers quickly out across the icy stone. The black, viscous membrane of the dark matter pooled beneath his hands before bobbing and bobbling into four vine-like entities. Cast amongst the ancient tiles, the dark pythons rapidly crawled across the floor and crept silently up the reverse of the marble embellishment that the electromancer had foolishly chosen for a perch. The extensions of the dark magic were lost amongst the shadows of the recesses above, but Shinsou could feel them approach their target.

A little more…

The creeping vines curled around the circumference of the pillar, two to a flank, before rearing back to strike at a hovering Veritas. The Telgradian, a smile barely etched, watched on with anticipation.

Time to clip those wings. I call this one, "The Shinsou Strikes Back".