Fate And Consequences [Training/Solo]

Training

Spoiler:

Flicking a strand of hair away from his eyes, Lagi scanned the room for the tenth time from his vantage point leaning against the interior wall. It was still just as empty and unused as before, a neat little office space that spoke of nothing personal except perhaps an appreciation for order. That or his quarry simply didn't come here all that often, a hypothesis he was beginning to lean towards more strongly after having searched the entirety of the office only to find a collection of uninteresting nicknacks.

It was said that a man's office was a window into his soul. The space that he chose to work from on a daily basis, where he sat in silence, where he did his writing and his thinking and his planning. Either he had the wrong room, or his target was as empty-headed as this bland and lackluster space described. For all the cool colors, the steady wooden desk in the corner, and the shelves upon shelves of dusty books, this room was empty of soul. The only things that held even an ounce of personalization had been the small metal statue he'd spied atop one of the bookshelves, nearly hidden by the thick treaties and other titles. Prying the artwork free, Lagi had inspected it for any sort of hidden cache or engraving, but it was just as it had appeared at first glance. It was a family portrait of the target and his family,  the corrupt officials that were heavily involved in human experimentation in the past. Lagi originally wanted their research, but he figured that he should answer the inherent fear of dooming the dungeon beasts if he left this individual unchecked.

Maybe it had been a useless task, coming here in secret and trying to surprise Gnash Delarosa, his target. Certainly, if Lagi had expected to glean some understanding from his personal space, it was just as denuded of important information as the man's old file had been. All he had to go on was the stories from the town, and his quiet digging into public and not so public record that bribed off of a spymaster that investigated the experimentation in the past. That, and the tingling sensation through the danger sense provided by Orie, that intangible push that made everyone fear this place. It was almost too weird, for one reason or another, people unconsciously avoided coming in this part of heliohapt.

He could feel the air here thrum under his power, feel the very richness of his aspect seeping through his pores as it had saturated all of the blackened sands. This was the kind of power of a being who went out of their way to experiment themselves, much with success. Having never met, never even crossed paths or glances, even still he knew standing in that room exactly who he was dealing with. Gnash only spoke one sentence at first upon looking at Lagi.



"I have been seeking the path of becoming the ultimate lifeform, and yet, never seen someone casually walking the steps of my pinnacle. "

---

"Don't mind me for getting comfortable in my own home..."


Slipping from his casual stance against the wall, Gnash dropped insouciantly into the chair that jutted away from that empty desk. Crossing his ankles and leaning precariously back, he spun until his body was splayed in the open sight of the only door into the study. Dearly hoping the man proved to be more interesting than his previous pursuers, he wondered about the king of the vampires acting as his assassin today.

"Those who get too close to where I am, I always know about them. Lagi El Nagi,  the evolution of man, the secrets of our DNA, and the connection to alma torran..... you only scratched the surface. "

He had been denied his games for so long, dealing only with petty human minds that couldn't understand the vastness of reality or the darkest depths into which they could all fall. He was so tired of it all, the petty arguments and the useless bickering. However, with Lagi, maybe there might be some meaning with their interactions. There had been no need for disassembling, no need to pretend to be anything but the monster he was with them.

"Are you wondering why I look so human?  Would you like to know the secrets of immortality? I'll tell you, it's one of the biggest mistakes I made. Life seems more worthwhile if there is a sense of mortality to the great power you possess, even if it seems subjective at first.  When nothing happens, when you watch your loved ones grow old and die, that's when you start to feel it. Do you still want that, Lagi?"

Lagi himself was shaken, he had no idea how this man knew about his past or what he truly sought after in the sense of power.  Maybe his previous assessments were right, Gnash Delarosa was a dangerous man.

"I've taken so much time and effort to secure my past and identity to spare my loved ones the pain of my sins.  The amount of trouble and strife it would bring for those who seek revenge, and you casually sit upon it and reveal your leverage. Gnash, do you think my wrath is a nonfactor?"

There was nothing polite about Lagi's tone, nothing cordial about invading another man's territory and waiting for them in their private sanctum.  He was the invader that brought it upon himself to investigate or even kill this man.  Gnash was a man who obviously lived longer than Lagi and has possibly achieved even more power than he did. Maybe he even walked the same path before changing, he could never truly know the things this man went through. But even as a small whisper in his mind, Lagi asked himself if this was his future? This man never really denied his fate, he reserved himself to this strange sense of inevitability,  a mark on one's path in seeking something beyond what they were born with. On such a path, they will cross this man, they always do.

1025/4500

Silence filled the throne room with the thunderous applause of serenity as Lagi walked outside of the house and beckoned Gnash to come over.

"Our conversation isn't worth having in this house, and I'd prefer to leave it in one piece. "

He said this as he made his exit from the house and focused the energy inside of his metal vessel.

"You have such an appreciation of my things, it's almost like you know the value of them. It's the doorknob that serves as the magic tool. Don't worry, I already set it to another place since you expect to get hands-on. "

---

Creating a foggy haze around the outside area of his home and rolling along the marble ground of the audience floor was the only source of natural light in the field the mysterious, that horrible crescent moon eyeing him with a contemptuous sneer through the four great glassless windows, so reminiscent of the arc of a blade it was almost laughable. Blue eyes stared blankly ahead, studying sights that were far from the comprehension of lesser men with a fixation that bordered upon madness. Slow was his progress, but vast was his patience and his power. One day, one month, one year, two, three, four, however long it took was of no matter to him, one day he would see the world he envisioned in his dreams become a reality. Whatever happened beyond that or before was of no concern to him and filled his thoughts for only the briefest of moments before being consumed by his desire.

"Revel in the suffering of my enemies with great malice, the grasp of your dark hand reaches all! Radiate, Doxrus!”

A spark of recognition zapped the vampire king's sight into focus and he saw the hazard magic engulf the outside world in a temporary green hue and acted as a display for the authority he harbored. His body started to form the full equipped as he found himself covered in the armor of a black fanged beast. Beyond the scope of his physical awareness, Gnash knew exactly what he was seeing. Most individuals might confuse Lagi with a regular king candidate without seeing the rukh pattern.

The previous studies of the blond human knew all too well what

Broken was the silence that had laid claim to the room, split by a deep and unholy note that ululated rhythmically and echoed throughout the hall, creating thousands of mirrors of that same tone as if from the bottom of some deep dark well.

"Hazard Claw..."

After saying the name of the spell and tensing up the muscles of his left arm and started to swipe in the direction of Gnash. However, even though it seemed like he wasn't in range, the passive ability of the projectiles flowing through was all he needed in order to make a connected hit to Gnash. Or so he thought.

"What the...."

As the smoke cleared, it seemed that Gnash was partially covered in some kind of purple energy that seemed to be growing on him. His hands were completely covered purple and black as he chuckled.

"That's a nasty little djinn you have, almost as powerful as my unholy element? Ever heard of plasma magic? It's capable of some pretty incredible things."

---

"This was bound to happen sooner or later. The feeling of being absolute and running into someone that can match you. It's a simple fact that it happened so suddenly, almost as if it was fate that brought you to me. But I know for sure that you don't believe in any of that. "

The comment was neutral, something they both knew as if they had talked it over at length once upon a time but giving it voice seemed to make it complete, like signing a contract. Or fulfilling it.

"Well don't stop my account, come on then! Entertain me!"

With a wave of his hand, he shot out a projectile in the same manner as Lagi did, a barrage of them. In response, Lagi continued to use the Hazard claw as he went through a few exchanges with Gnash. It was a series of near-misses due to the projectiles crashing against each other, as well as the fact that this seemed like more of a warmup for Gnash, indicating that he might have had some more in the tank in the idea that his magoi pools were large. So was Lagi's but he had no idea what Gnash could do, as well as how strong he was.

"Want to hear something funny? This isn't the first time that we met, there was another occasion when you were human that I came across you during my travels through Reim. I always keep notes on people who have the potential to be something, and make bets against myself to see if it goes the way I think, or it goes against the grain. I will say this to you, Lagi El Nagi, you ended up being exactly who I thought you would be. "

What the hell was he talking about? Ever since he met the man, he was spewing nothing but nonsense. Initially, Lagi figured that he mentioned everything earlier due to some kind of uncanny connection he had Gnash as a person who also started to take an interest in being more than human. Now there was a time that they met in the past?

"Impossible, how is it that you are able to keep up with me?"

It was a bit of disbelief in Lagi's corner that Gnash was able to do any of this at all. This power that he sought, was this the main limit that he was experiencing right now? Did he finally pick a fight with a person that he could not win?

"If I honestly told you the things that I could do, I very much doubt that you would believe me. But if it makes you feel any better, no one did."

used

Spoiler:

WC: 2028/4500

As they started to go back and forth, Lagi realized that maybe being on the defensive is what he truly needed to do instead of being offensive. The only thing that can be done is trick Gnash about the nature of his Djinn, the fact that it wasn't only about power and that it had a knack for breaking things as well. Lagi wasn't sure if this was a quality trait of Gnash's own body, but if there was anything that he contained that involved him maintaining the same ferocity, he wanted to separate his worthy foe from it.

"But first, I need to get some space. This back and forth is getting pretty crazy. "

Lagi flew in an evasive manner to garner some space from Gnash, who suddenly stopped briefly and observed what Lagi was doing. Lagi's breath hitched in his throat, caught up like a flightless bird that could only beat its wings against his esophagus. It wasn't fear that stilled his heart, for all that ice drenched his blood-soaked veins the moment their eyes met. This was a man who was a perfect equal, something carved out of the very patchwork of his dreaming hallucinations and cast down to be his mirror. He could sense it, just being this close, the mountains that stood between them and the rest of the world. The deadly pressure of his plasma energy, he thickly cloying smog of power that sought to seal away his breath.

Gnash Delarosa, he was truly strong. Maybe even stronger than Lagi himself. Or maybe it was he that was stronger than him. For some reason, the first time, that wasn't even what mattered. Power, on its own, was inconsequential when you could shift the very fabric of reality with a thought. He had enough arrogance to know, and enough experience to prove, that a king candidate of any nature was not an unbeatable foe. It was larger than life, blooming wide and bright and solid in his path, but if it came to blows she would find a way to dismantle even Gnash's mysterious methods altogether.

"What, are you going to hide now? Such methods don't exactly match the kind of look you are sporting, almost like a mad dog. "

Sucking his teeth, Lagi decided to go for broke.

"Chernobyl Aura"

By saying the name of the technique and focusing hazard magic all around his body, Lagi decided to scale the technique as much as he can to block as much as his attacks as possible. All at the same time, sending a wave of hazard magic in his direction that seemed to be damaging his things. The sudden realization that things started to break on his end made Gnash stop and whistle.

"That's a pretty nasty power you have there. "

He breathed heavily as he cautiously moved forward towards the man glowing with a vibrant green and black hue. It wasn't fear that made his throat tighten or caused his heart to beat like tiny hands against his collarbone. It wasn't even anger, that scalded his nerves and brought him to a perfectly honed edge, every single detail around him thrown into flawless clarity.

No, it was pure excitement that caused Gnash's mind to shudder to a full-tilt halt as he blinked demurely up at his visitor Lagi and the power of his djinn. Moving almost without thought, his body stretched upward, hands high above his head as his spine popped and that unnerving smile grew wider across his face. The two might know very little about each other from one could initially tell. Or, in Gnash's case of proposed immortality, knew of what Lagi used to be. Their likes, their names, their aspirations, even their reasons for being here. But they knew what mattered, and that knowledge was like a burning iron trailing down his cheekbones. Decidedly content and certain in the knowledge that he possessed, someone with the power to protect it and knew the of it. It was just unfortunate that Lagi was trying to kill him in the process, but first dates are always considered as the trial run.

"I would ask for a cease-fire, but I did come here with the intent of killing you."

He was originally here for an assassination, or even realistically an intelligence grab, but the lessons of his past encounters with powerful beings were impossible to buck entirely. Even if he was finally on sure footing with his target, assured in his ability to waltz into any room without anyone being able to stop him, it was not the case this time. Lagi did not need to hide in the shadows, it was just that this was where he had always been, and the darkness that had seeped into his soul was never going to wash out no matter how strong she got. He had gotten used to the habit of acting dishonestly, such a human thing to do.

He hated it.

---

"......................"
"...................."

Silence dripped between them, cool and measured, and yet just as hot as a summer's day. Lagi's nonexistent heart beat a rapid staccato rhythm, drumming it into his chest until everything fluttered. Across the distance, they stared, eying each other up for the first time. Assessing, probing, analyzing.

"It's a little late for that, don't you think, king of the vampires? In all honesty, if you wanted to borrow some of my things, all you had to do was ask. Eternity is a long time, and even though I'm not exactly keen on making new friends, the people I can stand to tolerate are few and far between. Tell you what...."

Mumbling some words as a magic circle appeared in the middle of the battleground, a golem made up of shining metal and symbols on it emerged.

"I seemed to have perfected the idea of a Living magic tool. How about you play with it for a while, hm? I just want to see how easy it could break against this.....magic of yours."

Used

Spoiler:

3036/4500

When the golem started to spew a bunch of energy, the projectile itself seemed to be a big enough blast that Lagi would rather find out the type of damage it did instead of getting hit by it first. usually for things such as this, testing the waters to see if you can counter it is the best way. He had  Utterly forgotten the reason why he came here. He wasn't interested in the death of Gnash, didn't want it. The only thing that interested him, the one thing in the room that he did want, was the knowledge of the man before him. He was no good to him dead, and Tartarus was a place for beings of all walks of life. If this man lived as long as he did and managed to Was he a meticulous perfectionist? Certainly not, though for this one piece of alma torran technology, it seemed as if Gnash made an exception just for him.

"What the...."

There was also the strange notion of the creature making small clones of itself, mostly human-sized.

"An anti-army golem? You using it on one person is a bit much. Uranium...disaster!!!"

Lagi bulked his arm muscles while infused with hazard magic and performed a seismic clap, rippling the hazard magic within the existing radiation in the area to create a 15-meter cone in length and width that travels as far as 40 meters. The intention was to get all of  golems in one swoop, or at least, damage the big one as much as he could.

"RAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!"

---

Setting his eyes upon the growing golem army once more, Gnash walked backward, as if stepping away from his latest sculpture to admire the dimensions, study the proportions and decide whether or not his own creation pleased him enough to spur him onward. That unashamed analytical stare persisted as he stood, shoulder hefted against the edge of a pillar and a notepad he seemingly pulled out of nowhere, leaning into it with his arms crossed and the faintest of smiles decorating his features. Gazing up and down the design of the golem, figured he would admire his own work. Still, he wondered, as his studious leer resembled the looks of lust, joy, sorrow, and lifelessness at the same time. As it was it was difficult to ascertain what was going on in his mind simply by staring at the golems and how Lagi's magic interacted with that.  Was he sharing his exact thought with having such a worthy opponent in the form of Lagi? Or was there a different process altogether?

One important note that he made was the fantastic foreboding feeling that he experienced whenever their eyes met.

"Fate, even though I believe in it, I personally loathe those words." He declared, purring like some great feline beast. "It was inevitable that we should meet, but only because of the actions we chose to take. I knew that my decisions would one day lead me to you, fate had very little done to with it. You might claim that fate is simply causing me to make these decisions, but at that point, it becomes a debate centered around belief and we both know how well that turned out for the highly religious like those from Sasan, don't we?"

While Lagi was trying to break apart more of the golem's integrity and durability,  Gnash simply talked.

"It's like a game. Either you would win and I would grow too impatient to wait and seek you out, or you would lose and you wouldn't be able to stand not meeting me any longer and come to my castle to find out more about me, or we would end it with a draw and meet at the point in time pre-determined by our actions. In the end; you lost."

His grin grew and adopted a mocking sympathy as he took advantage of the lack of distance between them.  Mind games were one of the things that Gnash used in order to get what he wanted or avoid what he considered as the worst-case scenario.

"Tch..."

Lagi was starting to get impatient, even though it was working. But there was nothing he could do at the moment.

"It was for the best though, had we drawn then I think our meeting would have been far bloodier than this and that simply wouldn't do. It'd be a shame for such a wonder as you to be sullied." He withdrew his notepad as soon as the last golem was finished and cocked his head slightly as he looked down at him an almost fond gesture as he saw all of his most cherished delusions of grandeur being reflected on the vampire king. "So let's not chalk up this meeting to anything silly like fate and just admit that you were too eager to see me. You want to know what I know, and you can take pleasure that you broke my project that took six months to complete.  Can we move on from this?"

3876/4500

used

Spoiler:

"Fine...."

After getting rid of the last golem, Lagi realized that without his extreme magic, he was at a stalemate. Getting out of his full equip, he maintained a posture that said that he meant no harm.

"Good, back to the study then."

---

His eyes never quite left Lagi's shifting sideways, up, down, even peripherally when he turned to adjust the broken pieces of the golem that were left lying around or the essential pieces he took back to his study. But never once, despite his smooth movements, did those eyes depart from their study of the vampire king.

"Having some thoughts of dissecting me? That was actually one of the reasons why I wanted you killed. As strong as you are, I have no interest in seeing the dungeon beasts suffer because of your interests."

---

Lagi could feel the gaze like a heavy thing, and yet there was no stifling pressure, no automatic irritation as he took in his full features with an open appreciation. Even without preternatural insight, he could literally feel, thick and cloying, tinged with crimson blood that was a hue away from hate. The stirrings of Gnash's interest was closely paired to his own personality, from the very bedrock of his nature. He was not surprised to find that someone so consumed by their own ambitions and the rumored evolution of man would be the sort of individual to focus on the physical aspects that could be provided.

Lagi found that it irritated him just as much as one might have assumed. His lips peeled away from his teeth, a nasty glower turning his red eyes into a maelstrom of promised pain as he entered his vampire lord form The easy delight of earlier melted away to reveal a hard posture, all dark lines, and jagged edges. He was the edge of the blade and Gnash would do best not to forget that. They were not fighting now only because he wished it to be that way, not because he was too soft to continue their previous bout or had doubts of defeating him. His blood flushed with the song of war, it was in his very nature to be willing to do heinous things for the sake of the few. He was a blade borne through struggle, sharpened in strife, blooded in calamity.


“Don't try to play games with me, Gnash. I can read you too, and you'll find it's an uncomfortable game to be the recipient of. Deep down inside, I know you wanted to see this. You consider this my true form."

Gnash continued to look amused, even giving a surprising glance when Lagi transformed in front of him.

"The form you take, both of them, are two pieces connected to your true self. Just wanted to see if you were ashamed of either them, I wanted to see if you were a hypocrite of you own cause. "


It wasn't just his own power that allowed Gnash to evaluate someone and their potential at a simple glance, things were done at a much easier pace when life was much simpler. Back in the day, the name of Gnash Delarosa had been the best in the business of understanding others. At reading them. He had made it a specialty, the first person to recognize and master reading microexpressions. At this level of the game, they were all the more exaggerated, body language becoming open and expansive in a way that weaker beings could never safely sustain. But it was all a form of manipulation to him, a means to an end.

“ Would you like to discuss your offer for my help? Unless you want to discuss your sins? There's so much to regret in a life like yours, isn't there? So many people you lost. So many people you were unable to protect. Oh, but you did your best, didn't you? You were a good father. Family is so important, after all. Or was it selfishness, huh? You keep surviving, don't you? When everyone else is dead or gone. You have to come to terms with the fact that on your path, you might be the last one left standing. If that comes to pass, will you still maintain the courage to walk it? If you can stand that, then I will "Allow" you to use some of my research for yourself."

Usually, Lagi would get angry if people talked about his family, but he remained calm. Instead, he thought about what Gnash said and really weighed his options against trying to do the forceful approach. No matter how strong Lagi was, as soon as he finds his equal in the terms of power, he could no longer force someone to do what they are told.

"Fine, I'll play along. No matter what, if I'm the last one standing, I'll keep going."

4500/4500

Training finished

Learned

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