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originally posted in:The New Dojo
11/18/2016 2:09:03 AM
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[i]The woman had been drawn to the condition of the bird, to say the least - so much that both of her light blue eyes had locked upon its body, surveying it in what could have been confusion. But alas, as she peered into its eye, and saw that ever-so familiar gold... [/i]
[i]Something within Irina sparked. An insanity. A madness, hiding away deeply. She thought she would never see it again, that the populace would forget the Executioners of Martyr Logarius...she thought Daniel, the man that had murdered her love and sliced her tongue out years ago, had been killed off months ago. She KNEW he was killed off, his name was upon the cherry blossom's trunk...[/i]
[i]It was impossible...it had to be.[/i]
[i]Jumping up suddenly, Irina's eyes suddenly flashed upon the surrounding area, her left hand suddenly drawing her modified Evelyn pistol as her right hand draw her Rakuyo; a weapon utilized by the lady huntress Maria, the main steel blade sharpened yet bloodstained, as the secondary blade, the dagger, protruded from the brass hilt of the weapon itself.[/i]
[i]It was easily seen that she was fearful for her very life...that she was terrified of the one thing that she thought was gone. No, she knew the Executioners were gone...[/i]
[i]Then what was that faint glimmer of gold and rusted blood she had seen within the eyes of the bird?[/i]
English
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As she whirled around she caught the silhouette of a figure standing several feet behind her. He was clad in a long, thick black leather overcoat, oddly reminiscent of the apparel the hunters of Irina's world wore. He wore a belt around his waist and a bandolier around his chest over the coat. At the left side of his hip sat a curved katana sheathe embroidered with various Oriental and Celtic designs, yet its most defining feature was a fuel barrel, ergonomic grip and firearm trigger near the mouth of the scabbard. It was a beautiful abomination of forgotten culture and brutal machinery. The handle of the sheathed blade was tied with dirty rags in the traditional Japanese fashion. At his left sat a rather large revolver; a Mateba decorated with the same engravings as the katana sheathe. There was another holster a few inches in front of the revolver, this one much more wide and tube-like. A firearm no doubt - but what kind? Holstered within the bandoliers on his chest were two .50 cal Desert Eagles, placed on his chest Edward Kenway style. Slung on his back was a large anti-tank rifle and abnormally large sawed-off shotgun, the former of which he dropped to the ground as Irina stared at him. Perhaps the most eerie piece of equipment was the man's mask, which he clipped on to his face just as Irina looked at him, hiding his features. It was an industrial gas mask, decorated with Tribal markings etched onto the matte black surface. Within the noir reflection of the visor Irina saw a glint of it once more - the rusted gold of a mad executioner's helmet. "I see it in your eyes," the man's aged and reluctant voice said beneath the exterior of the mask, "that look of insanity. Bloodlust. A monster lurking deep within yourself. That's my job, I presume. Hunting down these monsters within men." The sparrow cawed as it flew towards the man, who opened his coat slightly. The small avian disappeared within its folds as the man approached Irina, that same golden glint in his gas mask's visor.
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Edited by Orn: 11/18/2016 12:14:45 PM[i]Irina only stood still as Lucien began his approach, her gloved fists tightening over the handles of both her drawn Evelyn and Rakuyo. Her face had contorted into a worrying look, one filled with a slight fear yet an anger, too. She didn't understand; she had tried in the past few months to stop herself from murdering, killing, and delving deeper into her own madness, yet...[/i] [i]As she stared longer and longer at the faint, familiar gold...that madness began to slowly, but steadily, return to her mind.[/i] [i]Then, a footstep backwards, quiet and lightweight, and taken by Irina herself. Then, another. Even as she stared into the thing that she had found to fear more than anything else, the Vileblood didn't lunge in her insanity, but instead began to...retreat? Irina looked as if she would at least try to say something to Lucien - to tell him to get away from her, or something of the sort - but she couldn't find the right words for it all. Even then, Irina's mind wasn't fixated on speaking to the man that would most likely try to kill her in the near future.[/i] [i]Her main priority was to find a way to end this without one being killed, and that was considering both. Lucien had already seen the savagery within her eyes - now Irina had to convince him that she could hold back her own bloodlust.[/i] [i]She finally found the words for what she would say to the man, and only hoped that they were enough to at least make him stop in his tracks. If not...she would resort to violence.[/i] [u]"I don't know what you want, and I don't know how many others you've murdered over what they have seen and done, and what they have become because of their own actions,"[/u] [i]Irina spoke with a low, quiet tone, yet one with a tint of an Italian accent.[/i] [u]"...At least know...that I attempted to hold my own insanity back, these past few months, due to my own initiation into this place...and the death of one that caused me much suffering. But that simple fact wouldn't stop one such as you... Would it?"[/u]
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"Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster," he says with a grim finality as he stopped took a strange stance: legs spaced out like a master swordsman would with his hands poised over his waisted armaments. "And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you." Within Lucien's mask's reflection Irina saw herself amidst the fleeting rusted gold hidden within the black. The red splotches seemed to stain her reflection as well, as if fate itself was signifying the Vileblood's insanity and bloodlust. Despite Irina's attempts to deter Lucien, it seemed that the man was there for a fight and wouldn't take any less. The air still had the stinging scent of brimstone and something burning. The Hunter has now become the Hunted.
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[u]"Mm. So I assume you'll be fighting to the death, then? I'm personally not the biggest fan of that, but with how this conversation is going...[/u] [u]Well. I'll at least be somewhat courteous."[/u] [i]Upon the last comment, the Vileblood woman smirked, before tipping her body towards Lucien in what seemed to be a deep, dignified bow. Even as she feared for her own life, her own existence...Irina could still remain in a jokingly and somewhat like-able attitude. But alas, she could not, and probably would not, be able to hide herself for long.[/i] [i]As she rose up from what she had done, she giggled to herself, although she peered into the faint gold and her own bloodied reflection once more. Her death did not frighten her too much, it was the bringers of said death that would. Although the grin remained, it was almost emotionless.[/i] [u]"But of course, we must get to know each other. I assume you would already know my name, considering that you bothered to track me down. But I myself...well, I do not recognize one such as you. So...who are you, if you would mind telling me?"[/u]
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"In my homelands they called me many things. The False Prophet, Cain, The Exiled Wanderer. You and I share more similarities than you think - names branded upon us as derogatory titles born of their fear. My name is Lucien Farcòn, Irina Eliza Scarlette. And I've heard a lot about you from the locals. Those eyes... Yes, I've seen them before. I need only look into a mirror to remind myself of what those eyes are. What we both hold inside of them." He never once shifts from his stance or tone, not feigning a smile neither like Irina did. Lucien continued to talk as his hands remained poised over his arsenal. "Whether this encounter ends in death is entirely up to you. But make no mistake... I see a demon in your eyes, Vileblood. We are but two monsters standing on a plain of corpses. Did you know? Demons cannot be killed. They can only be devoured, adding to another monster's sinful powers. Atonement is a painful thing indeed. So feed me your sins." The man never once loses his composure and continues to stare at the woman through his mask.
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[u]"Well, well. You seem much more different than the others that I deal with. The wannabe heroes. The so-called vigilantes. I must point out how terribly annoying they get...[/u] [u]But alas, you arrive. Someone that claims to be a monster themselves. It's....interesting. To see someone identify themselves, and even see themselves...as something terrible."[/u] [i]Irina softly chuckled, although a tint of what seemed to have been suspicion was within her own laughter. It actually was new to her; meeting someone that had openly admitted to have committed punishable actions. Her body remained as still and as motionless as Lucien's, both feet firmly planted upon the earth beneath her. [/i] [u]"But the path to atonement would be a long one indeed, for I have sinned beyond measure in my lifetime. Murder, lies, thievery and selfishness have lead me to where I stand today, at the Dojo, where I am among one that hunts monstrosities such as myself. [/u] [u]Can you forgive that? A person that has slaughtered countless innocents, and murdered so many that opposed her queen, her monarch? Can I even achieve a path made up of good actions, and attempt to fix my the past that I an known for? [/u] [u]I'd be surprised.."[/u] [i]The woman fell silent once more, a sigh escaping her slight pinkish lips as she tilted her head slowly. She awaited a response, and nothing else, from Lucien.[/i]
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The man chuckled grimly, as if he even tasted the bittersweet in his next words. "Monsters cannot atone by good deeds. Demons cannot gaze into the face of God and plea for mercy. I would believe the latter if I was faithful, but I see it as a metaphor. The only fate for us is to wander and taste more blood. I do wonder what you saw when you looked into the abyss. No 'maleficent force of evil' that is tangible and quite cliche... When you looked into the dead pupils of your victims, what did you see? What transformed you into what you are today? Forgive me. The curious meandering of a nomad such as myself." With astounding speed the man drew his revolver from its holster and fired a shot several feet away from Irina, right in front of her. His draw speed was fast, almost as fast as the cyborg cowboy... He put another bullet in the chamber and holstered the revolver. "A shame how I must do this. But consider this salvation, Vileblood," he said that name like the name of a new friend, unknowing nor uncaring of the bloody history behind it. "allow me to take upon the weight of your sins, so that you may not toil with your own demons as I did. You can never convince yourself they're gone. They never are. I am sorry. But the next bullet will not be a warning shot. Such is the fate for monsters like us."
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[i]Nothing but a sigh escaped the Vileblood's pale, pinkish lips as her head then rose up, both of her crystal clear blue eyes locking upon Lucien. It was not in a hateful or violent manner, not even in a saddened of grieving one - she looked upon the man with a face contorted into a look of interest, and even mercy. A smile upon Irina's pale, smooth angular face, she grinned slightly as she whipped out her Rakuyo to her side, while she kept her Evelyn at her waist, gloved fingers wrapped around its smooth wooden handle.[/i] [u]"Mm. I see, I see.[/u] [u]Know that I do not wish any harm upon you, and that if you are harmed, whether it be a simple cut or a life-threatening wound, I will make sure that you will recover from it."[/u] [i]The grin suddenly vanished from her face as Irina then became much more serious than before, her right foot stepping behind her as her left foot stepped forwards, beginning to assume a stance of lunging. She holstered her own firearms, staring upon Lucien with a face of no emotion.[/i] [u]"...Melee only, or are you utilizing firearms?"[/u]
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Beneath his mask, his lips set themselves into a tight line. "Anything you wish, Vileblood. Allow your choice of weaponry to be a final rite before we battle - before one of us emerges as the devourer and the other sustenance. While I do appreciate your honour, I believe death is the only outcome for either of us. Demons do not deserve mercy." He stayed stalwart in his stance still, not moving once as he stared at Irina through his mask. He breathed in the herbal fumes from within his mask as the area around him began to shift in his own mind, his senses and reflexes sharpening tenfold.
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[u]"...We'll see."[/u] [i]Even then, the woman refused to draw her only firearm, but would not hesitate to if the time to draw it arose. Silently, Irina her head towards Lucien, before her gloved left hand clasped the handle of her Rakuyo. [/i] [i]With a defining clang, the Vileblood ripped the weapon in two, the dagger separating from the sword's handle and finding itself with Irina's palm. The steady, quiet footsteps of the Vileblood sounded across the area as she began her slow approach, a emotionless look etched upon her face as she only stared at Lucien eerily.[/i]
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"A firearm and a blade similar to my own? Interesting." [i]But does she have the same dexterity I do with such weapons? We'll soon find out.[/i] He broke his stance by dashing forwards and drawing his revolver, in one extended hand firing two .410 shotgun shells. Lucien would see her capabilities - first starting with her resilience. A .410 shotgun blast may not have as much stopping power as a regular shotgun, but it shone in disorienting the target. Immediately after the shots exited the firearm's barrel Lucien withdrew that hand and thrusted with his katana, seeming to favour his blade's range over its power in this situation.
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Edited by Orn: 11/22/2016 1:36:23 AM[i]Jolting forwards as Lucien had done so suddenly, Irina made it a tip priority to dodge the incoming bullets, jolting to her left and right as each of the cartridges that Lucien fired then flew past her body and head. Her biggest priority was to dodge or hope to endure any fired projectiles at the moment; while open wounds would give her the capability of utilizing and manipulating her own blood, she didn't want to face extreme pain or something of the sort. [/i] [i]She was incapable of dodging the incoming pellets spread by the blast, as some small beads embedded themselves into clothing and eventually, flesh. While she grimaced, the pain was still something she could withstand - although blood had already began to pour from holes within Irina's very clothing.[/i] [i]As Lucien thrusted with his own sword, Irina then turned her own body, to where his blade barely passed by her stomach. Utilizing this, she immediately jabbed forwards with her dagger in her left towards her opponent's solar plexus, throwing herself at him in an attempt to knock him over. The move was risky, but if done properly, could benefit her.[/i]
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Edited by Chinkronomicon: 11/22/2016 1:43:17 AMStrangely enough... Lucien didn't get knocked back as Irina intended for him to. In fact, he moved himself accordingly to Irina's momentum in that small moment so that her dagger would become embedded in his stomach as he spun away from her. While doing this he used his sword hand to bash Irina's hand off of the dagger via pommel smashing her wrist with his katana. With the pistol, he fired a few point-blank shots at her chest - more shotgun shells. Either she would have to let go of the dagger to minimize the damage done to her by the point-blank shells or risk severe damage from Lucien's firearm.
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Edited by Orn: 11/22/2016 11:57:33 AM[i]Indeed, she did suddenly let go, dashing away as more pellets slammed into her left arm and side, causing more blood to spew and more pain than before. As she dashed away far enough, she sighed as the blood pooling around her and surrounding locations began to quiver and shake, as puddles began to rise from the earth and towards Irina's open palm. The blood leaking from her wounds eventually hardened over, blocking off more of the deep red liquid from leaving the wounds.[/i] [i]As the surrounding area was then cleared of spilt blood, and each drop within a grotesque, malformed deep red orb within Irina's left hand, she only chuckled quietly, circling Lucien as she kept the ball at her side. It seemed that Irina, while also being a Vileblood and something of a swordswoman - could also manipulate the life essence of most organic beings - and was waiting for Lucien to attack.[/i]
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Grimacing, Lucien ripped Irina's dagger free from his chest after holstering his off-hand sidearm. He held the dagger in a stance awfully similar to Irina and her Rakuyo - a near-perfect recreation. Ash stained with violet-blue embers escaped from his chest wound as well. It cauterized the stab and seared it shut whilst spreading to the stolen dagger, cinders hardening on its blade to create serrated spikes akin to a beast's teeth. He spun his katana in hand and slashed it alongside the ground, sparks created from the mere speed of the slash and setting the napalm upon it on fire. As the blow dragged along the ground and left it, a wave of fire and burnt earth sailed towards Irina.
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[i]The way that Lucien utilized the Rakuyo's dagger definitely surprised Irina - but it also casted a look of interest upon her pale face, a grin slowly beginning to cross it. So Lucien could adapt and utilize the weaponry and fighting styles of his opponents...it certainly surprised her.[/i] [i]As the flaming wave of fire approached, the Vileblood only jolted to her left, speeding away as if attempting to get away from it. If completely necessary, she would have attempted to utilize her blood manipulation to attempt to adapt to it. [/i]
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Little did the Vileblood know, Lucien had other plans for her. He emerged from the wave of fire in a quick blitz of speed - he used the fire as an attack as well as a smokescreen to get closer to Irina without her knowing. The man shoulder-bashed into her as a surprise attack, immediately closing the gap and rendering both of their swords ineffective due to the close-range. This, however, did not apply to Lucien's knew serrated knife. He would push her to reveal her inner monster, even if he had to bleed every last drop from her. With a pommel smash to the chin, Lucien whirled on the ball of his right foot and drove the dagger upwards through Irina's chest in an icepick grip, shredding more tissue with its teeth-like protrusions.
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[i]As corrupted blood began to gush from the new wound, Irina did not use her manipulation of the thick red liquid to close the wound, but instead kept it open. After seeing what Lucien could do, the best thing she could even do at the moment was attempt to rip the dagger out.[/i] [i]Which eventually, she would.[/i] [i]As her left hand churned with her own blood, it suddenly writhed and formed over her entire hand and fingers, forming into a wide, katar-like blade. The liquid then solidified, allowing Irina to suddenly rear back and thrust forwards with the new weapon wrapped around her left fist.[/i] [i]Right towards Lucien's unarmored throat.[/i]
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[i]There we go.[/i] Lucien dropped his sword into the ground tip-first as he raised his hand to stop the blood katar. It stabbed through his palm, which was surprisingly resilient for a man who seemingly had no powers. With his other hand he grabbed the barbed dagger implanted within Irina's chest and leaned his head in close, almost as if he was going to kiss Irina through his mask. "Oh, poor child of blood. Within this fool's gallery of advanced technology and science... Did you really think you were the only master of flesh? This is true atonement." He twisted the dagger inside of her, releasing branching talons of hardened ash and his own boiled blood from when Irina stabbed him. The branches expanded through her chest, penetrating organs and burning her body from within. If Irina were to pull it out, it would surely rip out chunks of her flesh.
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Edited by Orn: 11/26/2016 10:30:45 PM[i]The Vileblood's eyes only widened in agony, while the blood katar in her left hand began to shift and change, the once frozen blood changing back into a liquid state. It wrapped around Lucien's wrist, while Irina's left hand itself wrapped around his hand in general as the blood tightened around him, as if...trapping him.[/i] [u]"...S-So."[/u] [i]The sound of a blade clattering against the ground could be heard as the sword portion of the Rakuyo clattered to the ground suddenly, rendering her right hand completely free. As her own blood dripped and oozed even more from the chest wound, it began to freeze over the blade of the Rakuyo's dagger and eventually, Lucien's hand. It was still breakable - it would just take a lot of force to do so.[/i] [u]"...S-Seems that I have a...a choice...[/u] [u]...Do I draw a weapon and attack with the intention of murder against a would-be murderer? Or...d-do I perhaps remain some sort of hero...and simply allow myself to die at your hand?"[/u] [i]A soft chuckle escaped the pained Vileblood's mouth, as the blood that had wrapped around Lucien's hands and the dagger blade fully solidified, becoming a glass-like solid.[/i] [i]Suddenly, Irina stopped chuckling to herself as her right hand suddenly reached with incredible speed towards her longcoat's inside pocket, fingers wrapping around the handle of a lightsaber. While she swung the inactivated handle, the blade suddenly extended into its true shape - a singular abyss black lightsaber blade, the very light surrounding it being sucked into it. A darksaber, which was speeding straight towards Lucien's hand holding the dagger embedded within Irina - specifically towards his wrist.[/i]
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With a howl of pain, Lucien pulled his hand free of its bloody prison - only, the shell of blood was still there... and more sanguine liquid dripped from where he broke free, remnants of flesh decorating the outside of the shell. He had ripped his arm free of the blood by shedding most of his skin and muscle tissue. Lucien's hand and forearm were now skeletal, with tendons just barely holding every bone together to be functional. The darksabre cuts through the empty shell as he palm strikes Irina with his off hand in the solar plexus to knock her back slightly. With speed to rival the Dojo's best, he does a whirlwind kick to Irina's hand holding the darksabre before picking up his sword and backing up slightly. "So it's true, yes? You killed a man for that weapon." [i]High temperature, plasma contained by magnetic fields. Interesting. Highly volatile.[/i] His skeletal hand slowly begins to grow flesh upon it once more, albeit rather slowly. "Show me more of your demons, girl. Feed me your true sins." In his semi-skeletal hand he drew his revolver and fired the remaining three bullets at Irina before discarding the empty casings and putting new rounds in: translucent rounds seemingly made of plastic with a blue stripe around their tip...
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[i]Though Irina was caught and stumbled backwards from the first attack Lucien committed, she then suddenly leaped backwards entirely, the blood beneath her and Lucien trailing towards her body as she stopped herself.[/i] [u]"...Indeed, I did kill a man. A clone, by the name of Bliss. He was a good man, truly...and yet he was still murdered by my very blade."[/u] [i]As Lucien fired the three remaining rounds towards Irina, her left hand suddenly flew upwards as the puddles of blood upon the ground flew up and solidified, stopping the first two shots then shattering upon the third, as the spread shots slammed into Irina's body once more. Gritting her teeth, the Vileblood's ability ensued once more as the blood liquified and covered the wounds, although something could be seen within Irina's crystal clear eyes: [/i] [i]She was tiring.[/i]
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As Irina staggers back from the blow, Lucien backs up himself and holsters his gun. Lucien falls to one knee before he lifts his head and glares at Irina. For a second she can see something beneath his reflective visor - the unbridled flame of pure hatred. He stabs his blade into his own stomach and twists. A thick and warm miasma begin to fill the area, bringing upon a scent of burning flesh and brimstone. Lucien's form grows two large avian wings, made of burnt-black flesh and soot-ridden feathers. A pair of colossal arms unfold from his lower middle back, seemingly made up of thousands of thrashing arms all amalgamated into two limbs. Two of the arms withdrew Lucien's .50 Desert Eagles while others picked up his 2-gauge shotgun. One even reached into his holster to draw his Mateba revolver. Whatever demon Lucien had become laughed in a thousand different tongues. It unfolded its wings as they were set alight with corrupted cobalt flame - as did his sword, who's flames only heightened and seemed to whisper with every crackling ember emitted from it. He took his grenade launcher out from his belt with his left hand. With the wings, the massive limbs and the flaming sword paired with the grenade launcher, he looked like some demented Angel of Eden. And then the miasma enveloped him, making him disappear from sight as the sound of crackling flames and cries of children surrounded Irina.
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[i]Memories of buildings set ablaze in Yharnam and the screams of innocents before their deaths filled Irina's mind, her face contorted into a look of concentration as she only eyed the monstrosity that Lucien had revealed himself to truly be. The lightsaber blade suddenly extinguished, and Irina holstered the saber's shining handle back within her coat as she reached down to grasp the handle of her Rakuyo's sword portion - the dagger portion still remained within her chest, due to Irina's own slight fear of removing it during combat.[/i] [i]Irina took this time to make sure that she had control of all of the spilt blood in the area at the moment, as her own and Lucien's began to swirl slowly around her beaten body.[/i] [i]Now, she would wait. She had to remain calm, and remain strong, no matter the case.[/i]
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Laughed. Sickened laughter emanated from Lucien, for it would be inaccurate to say he himself was laughing. He chuckled in a thousand different voices, yet was crying in pain at the same time. It was as if he had mouths beneath his corrupted flesh that cried and laughed like two parallel theatre masks multiplied by the thousands. As Irina swirled hers and Lucien's blood around her, some of it began to... dissipate? No - [i]it was turning to ash.[/i] Lucien's blood transmuted into calcified skin cells with burning blue cores, skin to a swathe of hot cinders. Irina had unintentionally trapped herself in a swirling ash storm by controlling Lucien's blood. He slowly raised his sword up and brought his blade down quickly, not hitting Irina at all due to the range between them, but shaping the ashen winds around Irina into razors that burnt her flesh every time they cut her - he was cauterizing each wound to ensure she would bleed no more.
