[OPEN] you bring the marshmallows

[demonass]

Who: Nero & Open!
When: Throughout July Juril
Where: The Wilde (Dorchacht) and the Northern Outpost (and maybe other places)
What: Quests & shenanigans
Warnings: Violence because, well, DMC. Will update if necessary

𝕸𝖎𝖘𝖘𝖎𝖔𝖓⓿①-𝖆: Don't Make Waves

[ The fact that there's not going to be a quick departure from Geardagas is starting to sink in. As much as he doesn't like it--and boy is that an understatement--Nero isn't the type of person to sit idly for any length of time. So while he doesn't exactly feel beholden to the Coven for it's hospitality, he does figure he can spend some of his time being useful. At least get a better feel for whatever the hell this "Cwyld" infection may be.

He has suspicions, but who the hell knows.

Of course, he ends up agreeing to go to a Cwyld-free zone only a little too late. Ah well. Just wrap this up quickly and move on to the next job, right? It's a couple days out of the city and to the lake proper, which would be fine by him if he were alone, but he has company. And casual chit-chat that that doesn't revolve around (supposedly) witty banter isn't his forte.

But he does start to speak up more when their destination is within reach. It's midday, but the forest provides some ample shade. ]

So...this Cwyld energy's supposed to be the main issue around here, right? If that's not here, then this could just be your run-of-the-mill camping trip gone wrong.

𝕸𝖎𝖘𝖘𝖎𝖔𝖓⓿①-𝖇: Making Waves

[ It's been a spectacularly boring day. As nice as a little lakeside retreat would be under normal circumstances, it's not at all what any of them are looking for right now. And their lack of progress makes Nero grow more and more impatient as the day turns into night. Managing to catch some fish had been a small victory, yes, but it offered absolutely nothing to the circumstances around these disappearances.

Unless the fish ended up giving them food poisoning or something. Indigestion in the wilderness is never a fun experience.

That said, other than growing irritation, he's fine. That's what leads Nero to standing at the lake's edge, skipping rocks until they stop catching the light of the fire and he has to rely on moonlight and sound to track their movements. He's trying to beat his record of seventeen when one rock suddenly disappears with a plop after skip eleven.

Nero frowns, raising a brow as he bends down to pick up another flat stone. He tosses it out again and this time it suddenly stops at skip nine.

Then something on the lake begins to glow and it's definitely not moonlight. ]

...Are you seeing this?

𝕸𝖎𝖘𝖘𝖎𝖔𝖓⓿②: Branching Out

Weeding.

[ His flat tone is enough indication of about how exciting he finds that activity to be, but his unimpressed frown drives the point home. (While some may think that's just how his face looks most of the time, his frowns do have distinct differences, one just has to pay attention...and be willing to do so.)

Nero sucks in a sharp breath, lips forming a thin line. ]

We're here to do yard work?

[ Reaching behind him, he pulls the nearly man-sized sword off of his back and stabs the point into the ground beside him. ]

And I left my shears back in town. Guess we'll have to improvise.


[ OOC; Have questions or want to plot something in particular? You can PM this journal or add me on plurk at doggystyle ]

Comments

they are ridiculous

[demonass]

[ What were the odds? Probably...at least somewhat decent considering these requests were going out to all of the mirrorbound who were willing to take up on the offer. And an even less amount who would decide to go head first into a snowstorm to fight elementals.

But how the hell was he supposed to know she'd be one of them?

So now he's got a very cold face and a cut on his brow from the ice, but it's decent luck considering the direct attack. Nero shakes his head and knocks off the rest of the snow by hand, grimacing, even if he does have to kind of appreciate the line. Kind of. ]

Didn't think I'd be seeing you again so soon.

[ Yep, that's one mean looking sonuvabitch heading their way. Nero twists the handle to his sword, revving the engine that sits below the guard several times until sparks start to shoot out of the little exhaust pipes. Yeah, that's right--motorized sword. Because you gotta be extra.

And she's got a sword too. Surely it can do something really neat. ]

If things are getting icy, we're just gonna have to turn up the heat!

[ Oh yes, they're absolutely doing this. They're going all the way.

The snow is rough but that doesn't stop Nero from stomping forward in it to meet the elemental half way. And just when he's a couple of yards away, the elemental starts powering up it's own attack. That's when he revs his sword once more and swings and the blade glows with heat, slicing forward and cutting through the ice and snow, and lobbing off one of the elementals limbs in the same motion. ]

[sparkstrikes]

[The sound of a motor revving gives Lightning pause, even as the elemental comes stomping towards them, and she has to turn her gaze away for a second to look, just as he moves away and brings it up to slice part of their enemy clean off, melting away parts of it in the process. Her brows arc, impressed, and she takes this moment to be thankful that he has his back turned from her to miss it.

In the same motion, Lightning comes bolting forward with her own sword in hand, attempting to take the opportunity to relieve the elemental of another one of its limbs while it's still reeling from the first loss, but the trauma seems to have turned it intangible, like it's transformed into the snow to blend in, and her blade falls right through it, sending her tumbling into the snow. She breaks her fall with a tumble, avoiding landing face first, but she's had better falls than this one.

Under her breath, she grumbles.]

That's cold...

[Is she talking about the elemental or the weather? Who knows...

Spitting and shaking off the snow that sprayed onto her face, she looks up at Nero.]

Stay frosty. These things change somehow... Can't always hit 'em.

[demonass]

[ Can't let it get to his head, right? He's got plenty of cocky one-liners to make up for any small bouts of approval she refuses to share. Of course, as cool as his move was and as initially effective as it seems, an elemental that's lost it's main form and decides to be everywhere is infinitely more annoying than on he can hit.

--Or she can hit, as it seems.

At least they're on the same level as far as mid-battle commentary goes. And that's very important.

Nero pivots, moving to stand behind her with his back facing hers. If that thing is gonna surprise them, then they'll just have to get maximum coverage. ]

Right.

[ The elemental sends a burst of cold wind right at them before literally flying between the two in a flurry of snowflakes before swirling back into a physical form. Nero swings with a grunt, missing this time as dissipates once more--it's clearly decided that teasing the fuck out of them is going to be better than facing them head on.

That icy voice in the wind might actually be laughing. ]

Great. It's got a sense of humor.

[ He starts revving his sword up again, trying to see if there's any clear indication in the wind which batch of snow is just snow and what is trying to target them. ]

I'm hoping you're about to tell me that you're a witch with crazy fire ball spells up your sleeve.

[sparkstrikes]

[Just as Lightning gets to her feet, she's sprayed in the face with a cold wind that she can—conveniently—use Nero to shield her against it. She steps behind him, a hand over her face, where the frost from her fall is already biting at her skin, turning her ears and cheeks a deep red.

Coward, she mutters under her breath at the laughter, fixing her eyes forward on some odd movement in the snow. It's blowing backwards, turning to—ah, whip her right in the face, followed by more peals of amused laughter gusting in the wind.]

I wish.

[He's not wrong about needing magic, and she grits her teeth. Practiced as she was with l'Cie magic, this is different. It requires a different sort of concentration—more than what even she's used to—and until she can hone her skills as a Witch, she's going to need his help.]

I've got some. Lightning magic. It's not great, but it's something. Think you can buy me some time?

[demonass]

[ Thankfully Nero doesn't seem to mind the cold too much, but he'll come to regret that shortly. The tips of the fingers on his left hand are starting to feel a little tingling, but he's ignoring that in favor of adrenaline. You know, when you get worked up over a stupid fucker of a foe as it laughs in your face.

Lightning is just...really quick hot fire, right? Might work just as well. Nero nods, rolling his shoulders and rotating his over-sized sword in the same motion. ]

Oh yeah, this number ain't over yet.

[ Time probably also means space, so he takes a few confident strides forward and addresses the swirling frost around them. ]

Hey, chuckles! Still got a few one liners left for you.

[ A new whip of ice snaps forward, but after seeing it go for Lightning the first time, he's anticipating something like that and manages to side-step it this time. Which means he has the time to look properly offended and pats his chest with his metal hand. ]

Aw, c'mon. No repeats. Recycling old jokes just thins out the crowd.

[ This time the elemental half forms, swinging down a large icicle like a sword. Nero swings the Red Queen upwards to meet it. ]

Now that's more like it!

[sparkstrikes]

[Cocky bastard, Lightning muses to herself, a short chuckle forming under her breath as he addresses the frost. She hardly has time to dodge the ice coming for her, only just managing to raise her arms to block it from blowing across her face, but it slices clean through the sleeve of her coat, burning the skin underneath it.

Okay, now she's pissed. She really likes this coat.]

Take care of it, but don't get yourself killed in the meantime, you hear?

[Him striding towards it so nonchalantly had her worried for a moment, and she never enjoys asking others to serve as a decoy until she can get her magic properly flowing, but if they're going to get any closer to beating this son of a bitch, then they're going to need all the magic they can get. It's a good thing she's being less stubborn about it now, and has been practicing, but she's far from being able to master the technique.

As he swings his weapon up to meet the icicle, it shatters on impact, and she seizes the opportunity to slip away while visibility is low. Not that it will do much, with the way it seems to make up the storm itself, but if he's good at keeping up, then she should have nothing to worry about, right?

Snow and specks of ice blow around the elemental's arm, making it grow large—almost as big as its body—until it comes to a point at the end, sharp as the tip of a well-sharpened blade. Rather than swiping down, it lunges forward in a fencing-like move.]

[demonass]

[ If there's one thing that Nero has a lot of experience at, it's being a snarky little shit, and that usually offers decent incentive to his opponents. He may not be back up to one-hundred percent efficiency, but he's confident he's got enough fight in him to buy her some time.

Hopefully he won't regret being all too willing to play his part.

The first few blocks are fine, but when the elemental decides to turn it's arm into the world's coolest (ha, get it?) rapier, Nero realizes that it's big enough to be a problem. Rather than block it, he dodges, letting the elemental slam first--erm, spear? first into the snow. His dodge is, of course, a showy mid-air circular flip that has him revving the engine to his blade so that when he lands on his feet, he similar swings the red-hot metal back down on the icy creature. ]

Nice try!

[ It embeds itself in the elemental's back, but doesn't go all the way through. Which would be an accomplishment in and of itself if the elemental didn't twist what parades as it's head around and do a full body swing, sending Nero flipping up and over it's back.

He lands in the snow with a thud, much less stylish than his initial trick. But as he straightens, he has to laugh and points. ]

Think you've got something of mine.

[ The elemental straightens as well, then looks down--

Yeah, the sword's still stuck in there. ]

[sparkstrikes]

[It tries to dislodge the sword from its body first, its one free icy hand gripping it and attempting to pull it free to no avail, and so it does the only thing it has left to do and transforms back into its intangible self, creating a thick sheet of white around where it used to be and letting the sword drop into the snow.

Meanwhile, Lightning is still several feet away, bent over her own sword while she tries to invoke it with magic. If it's the only way to take this damn thing down, then she'll get it to work, consequences of that be damned. She's sick of it... It proves difficult to try imagining what the fire magic would feel like in the middle of all the snow, when her body is screaming at her to get out of it, but she tries anyway, knuckles turning white as they hold onto the gunblade.

Then, something red sparks in her fingers, and what was once just a steel blade is now imbued with fire, burning a hot red that she thinks she can now use. She leaps to her feet and turns, barrel of her gun raised with her finger on the trigger, but all she sees is the dark outline of Nero pointing at a whole lot of nothing, his voice taunting the elemental as it surrounds him in a storm of ice.]

Tch.

[Her footsteps crunch in the snow as she books it back to his side, and just as she flicks the fiery blade free and winds up a swing, she shouts—] Down!

[demonass]

[ A well-timed quip can be just as devastating as a sword to the head. At least for some beasts, but this elemental seems to be just as willing to goad as be-goaded, and as long as the damn thing keeps de-materializing itself, they've got a snowball's chance (haha) in finishing it off.

Before he can properly thank the elemental for giving back his sword, there's a sudden flash of light and his current partner shouting at him.

Don't need to tell him twice.

Nero immediately drops to the ground and slides himself forward across the snow so he can take back the Red Queen in one fell swoop.

Light that bitch up, Lightning! ]

[sparkstrikes]

[She waits for just the right moment to swing her sword upwards, just as it re-materializes into its solid form, and the metal cuts right through it like a hot knife (literally) through butter. The fire spell doesn't last for long, and it's already dwindled away into nothing when she drops it into the snow.

It gives Nero the opportunity to land the killing blow now that it's significantly weakened, chopped in half, and on fire.]

Your turn!

[Slice and dice it, Nero!

Lightning, on the other hand, staggers to grab her weapon but falls to the ground when she feels her fingers burning hot, the magic scorching underneath her skin. God damn it...]

[demonass]

[ It's all about perfect timing, and as the fire burns it up, he sees his opening just before she tags him in. He jumps to his feet, grinning widely. ]

You know what they say.

[ Nero revs up the Red Queen as he charges forward, twisting the handle and running the motor until the blade is red hot once again. One stylish swing might do it, but a killing blow is way more fun when it's a series of slashes, so that's exactly what he delivers. ]

If you can't stand the heat--

[The elemental is weakened, trying to find it's "footing" after the fire spell, but Nero chops it into several pieces, all melting on contact. The combination is too hot and too quick to reform before the next assault. It's like butter, if butter were an assholish inhuman entity.

The storm around them dies down almost instantly to something more acceptable, if still frigid. ]

--then get outta the kitchen!

[ Not his best line, but it'll do.

He takes a deep breath and stabs the end of his sword into the ground, giving her a moment to cool off. Shifting his gaze over to Lightning, he does a double-take when he sees her on the ground. ]

...Hey. You got it over there?

[sparkstrikes]

[She's quick to get back up when his attention turns to her, shaking the snow from her hands and picking up her sword. It's still a little on the warm side, so she sheathes it away once she's sure that the elemental is taken care of. The wind slowly dies with it, leaving them in a soft, gentler snowfall.]

Yeah. I'm good.

[Except her steps are staggered, and she slides her hands into her pockets to hide the lightly glowing veins of magic under her skin. It's chilly, alright?

She kicks at the snow on the ground where the elemental once stood, and where it's started to melt the chunks of its icy remains away.]

You know what they say... Don't play with fire.

[That's a real Lightning Farron original victory line.]

Nice one. Thanks for having my back.