Elric vrs. Drake - Lake Martin

[Golden Emblem]

It was a strange spring day at Lake Martin. Usually around this time, the lake would be frozen over, and there would be a few inches left of the winter. But today, the sun shone down on the grassy earth, and the lake, while chilly, did not have any ice in it whatsoever. Instead there was a small dock for people to sit on, with someone taking advantage of that at the moment.

That person was Drake, and he sat, pants rolled up, at the edge of the dock, feet kicking into the water gently. His halberd sat beside him, yes, but it was as if he were taking a break more than anything.

Would someone disturb such a peaceful scene?

[Griffin]

At the other end of this lake, some light ripples could be seen headed toward the dock. As minutes passed, these ripples became larger and larger. And...uneven. Like people were fighting beneath the waves. Soon, it felt like the ground was shaking. Not like an earthquake, but like something was being slammed into the lake bed. Then, it all stopped.

For about thirty seconds.

Closer toward the dock, not necessarily an explosion, but a large force erupted from the lake, scattering water, fish, and vegetation around the shoreline.

A large creature landed heavily on the shore not close to, but not far from the dock. Squid-like legs, a large, furry, bear-like body, and a crab-like multi-pincered head. Seconds later, a man, soaked to the bone, dressed in black, appeared next to the creature with a lighter landing. He rubbed his palms together and drew a half-circle with each hand around the beast. A black hole appeared in the ground and the creature sunk into the hole.

Elric sighed heavily, completing his task at hand. He saw Drake sitting on the dock. "Sorry for the mess," he shouted over.

[Golden Emblem]

Drake had been hit by the explosion of sorts, and not only was he about as wet as the mysterious man who had appeared from the water, he had been hit with some vegetation, and was now trying to get it away from his hair and face. However, even with this distraction, he had seen the strange creature appear from the water, along with its even stranger disappearance.

"That is fine, but who are you?" Drake asked, more curious than anything. "And what was that?"

[Griffin]

"An abomination. A mage tried multiple, complex summons at once and they all summoned within his body instead of in their repsective circles and violently fused together. Turned into that creature. I was sent to return it."

Elric removed his cloak, ringing ungodly amounts of water from it. His wooden staff was soaked through and would need a fire to dry it our properly. He donned his damp cloak, preparing to depart. He didn't enjoy being in the company of strangers, whether they see him as a dark mage or a daemon-hunter.

[Golden Emblem]

"Return it to where?" Drake asked, more curious than accusatory. "That magic, I must say, was very strange; I have never seen it used before. Are you some sort of dark mage?"

Drake didn't seem to understand that Elric was wanting to leave, as he continued to approach, his emerald eyes in a state of constant awe. Even though he held his halberd to his side, he didn't seem as if he was going to be a threat... more of an annoyance, actually.

[Griffin]

Elric wasn't in the mood. Hunting daemons wasn't a hobby. It was a job. He hated daemons and he hated the image it cast over him, being a dark mage. But, he had to eat somehow. One good thing that came out of this was the control of some anger Elric usually couldn't express.

"To answer your first question, yes, I practice dark magic and no, I'm not a daemon. In fact I hunt them. It's one of the few things people like me are allowed to do. I'm not as privileged as some," Elric said with a touch of scorn, clearly taking notice of what Drake was. "Second, I returned it back to where it came from; wherever it is these damn things reside before being forced to our world through a circle. Some call it the Spirit World. Some call it the Fade, the realm of dreams. Some call it Hell. My job is to hunt them, not ask where they're going. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have another daemon to send back before nightfall aaaaaand speak of the devil."

Four summons actually took place when Elric was called out. The fourth got free and, free of mutation, was much more ferocious looking. Large and wide, like a rhino, but no longer than dog, tattered gray hide and fearsome horns. "Must of been attracted by it's friend. Out of my way, pretty boy."

Elric marched toward this creature, his distaste for daemons obvious. The rhino-like beast charged him, but Elric did this for a living now. He shoved his hands out in front of him, creating a barrier of darkness. The daemon rebounded off it, stumbling off to the side, eventually tripping over itself. Elric, not quite thinking straight from his tirade, twirled his staff around, producing a dark magic spearhead on the end, and stabbed it into rhino-daemon's head before opening to portal to Daemonland.

"Two less abominations, one less stupid ass mage to deal with, and one more paycheck," he said to himself. He looked over at Drake once more and scoffed to himself. "See you."

[Golden Emblem]

"Excuse me?" Drake snapped, his voice much darker than it was when he was asking questions out of mere curiosity. Drake was sick and tired of being insulted due to the fact he was an angel, and Elric was just being rude about it. "I am not sure what you have heard, but you are wrong to believe that I am more privileged than you are. Also, calling me a pretty boy makes you seem like an arrogant one, yourself."

Drake was more tense than he had been on the dock, and while he was still barefoot and soaking wet, he held his halberd with a much tighter grip. He didn't know if Elric would attack him for what he just said, but if Elric did, Drake would be ready to strike a counter-attack.

[Griffin]

"Like I should gave a damn about the quarrels of a high and mighty soul such as yourself. And angel or not, everyone's more privileged than a dark mage."

Elric began to take his leave, damp cloak flapping in the breeze, staff held over his shoulder.

[Golden Emblem]

Drake walked behind Elric as he attempted to leave, making sure to keep enough distance to avoid getting smacked in the face with Elric's staff. He was very disappointed with the dark mage before him, and whether he liked it or not, Drake was going to talk to him in order to make Elric see the error of his ways. He was usually not so determined, but insulting him based on grounds of race was getting on his nerves.

"I understand how it is to feel as if others are more privileged than yourself, but that is not the way to act!" Drake told him, trying to remain calm. "I hate to sound rude, you were in the wrong."

[Griffin]

Elric stopped walking when Drake began speaking. For once in a very long time, Elric had to actually work at controlling his temper. He breathed in deeply, and then blew it out slowly. He felt the fire in his veins subdue.

Then he lashed out.

Turning on his heels, Elric threw his arms out to the sides, creating a flashy, not necessarily harmful, blast of darkness appear around him with enough force to stumble Drake at the most.

"Live with darkness in you for a day. Then judge me."

[Golden Emblem]

Drake wass just slightly on the stunned side when Elric had sent a blast of darkness his way, causing him to stumble back a few steps. However, when Elric told him to live with darkness in himself for one day, a smile appeared on Drake's face, and he actually let out a slight chuckle before calming himself and glancing at Elric with a straight face, as to not anger him more.

"It may not be the same darkness as your own, but every person has darkness in them. Some people just have more of a prominent darkness."

[Griffin]

"Or actual darkness, not metaphorical darkness like most claim to."

Elric said this completely free of sarcasm, as it was true. Growing tired of this man, he held out his hand slightly in front of him. He closed his eyes for a moment to focus, and cast his most simple spell. A small orb of darkness floated above his palm.

"This is darkness, sir angel," Elric said as he didn't know how else to address the man, "pure darkness. No metaphor. No spiritual inkling. Real, raw, darkness." Elric returned his arm to his side, letting the orb fall to the ground. It landed on the grass.

It withered instantly.

"Now do not test me again."

[Golden Emblem]

Drake stepped away from the dark mage as the grass withered from his spell, as he did not want that to happen to his feet. This man used a type of dark magic that he had never seen before, and he wasn't sure if he wanted to deal with a fight, were one to break out. Drake used slight light magic, yes, but he had no idea if it would do anything to this man, or just be absorbed.

"I apologize, sir mage," Drake responded. "I will not test your darkness again."

[Griffin]

"Actually..." Elric started, an idea obviously forming. "What if you did? Test me again. In the same way, I'd be testing you. I have nothing else to do with my day and I have ruined the peace of yours. It will be interesting. Steel versus magic. Angelic being versus hunter of daemons."

He flipped up the hood of his cloak, holding his staff firmly in front of him.

"Light versus dark."

[Golden Emblem]

"Are you sure?" Drake asked, not trying to souund rude in what he mentioned to Elric, but instead just trying to be polite. "I understand you to be quite powerful, but I may be able to challenge you, sir mage, and actually cause you some physical harm. I feel as if you should know the risk before challenging me to something like this."

While he was being kind, Drake held his halberd in a defensive stance, ready in case Elric charged him.

[Griffin]

Elric gave the faintest hint of a smile. Any more and his veins would feel like they were burning again, his head filled with pressure, his muscles tearing at each other, unable to contain the power stored in their shadows. So is his curse, so is his strength.

The mage suspended his staff inches off the ground, allowing both hands to be spun around the staff. A thin layer of darkness molded around the knotted wood of the staff. It added durability he would need, unless he wanted two staffs.

Elric was no melee combatant and felt like testing the mystic powers of the angel. Staff held in his left hand, he created another orb of darkness like the one earlier in his right hand. He thrust his hand foward, sending the orb sailing toward Drake.

[Golden Emblem]

Drake managed to duck under the first orb of darkness, trying to avoid getting hit with it whatsoever. He didn't know what darkness would do to flesh, especially that of an angel, seeing as this was his first time fighting a dark mage; or, at least, one like this. He didn't, after all, want his skin to suffer the same way the grass did when it had been touched by the pure darkness.

Not fearing another attack of darkness for at least a short time, Drake stood up and charged at Elric, trying to slash down at him with the axe end of his halberd.

[Griffin]

Elric was disappointed with the miss, but he didn't expect Drake to be inept. When Drake made his charge, Elric took a quarterstaff grip and raised the staff to catch the axe strike in the center between his hands. He could get a read on Drake's physical strength and test his the enchantment he placed on his staff.