Volcano Girls: Demonic Misjudgements... [Episode 17935]

Scythe kept her face impassive as she hid her shock at her binding's failure and as she ordered the Lord Thunder's followers to launch the attack that would result in their deaths. Shrieking their war cries they charged the demon Onryu, buying precious seconds for Scythe to examine the foe...

Demonic power, no protections, burning need for vengeance, shrieks of agony and death, these dominated the impressions that flowed into Scythe as her senses tried to read the flows of life, death and magic. Her eyes snapped to full alertness, his ties, his home, the demon was of earth, not hell? A curse rose to her lips:
"A halfbreed. A stupid little halfbreed!"

Screams of agony and terror rang out as Lord Thunder's servants died in pain, agony and daemonic hellfire with the sound of Onryu's laughter ringing out over all. Scythe didn't try to run, she knew the power of demons, she knew how to deal with the halfbreed - and she knew she couldn't outrun it. The only question she had was whether or not the lives of the flunkeys would buy her the time she needed to alter her remaining spells.

Gestures flowed and quiet syllables rolled off her tongue, Scythe hated this, spellcasting on the spur of the moment, life and death riding on her skill and ability to string together improvised spells. She hated this, this was Inverse's way, that loathsome red-head, to stand in the middle of battle twisting and weaving the magic, dancing on a razors edge of life and magic where death was the least of the worries.

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The last flunkey was flung across the room, his body smouldering, wisps of smoke coming off it. Of the others, all but two had been reduced to piles of ashes, scattered by the feet of the demon as it came for Scythe, daemonic fire building in it's hands as it came towards her gloating:
"Now evil one, the fires of vengeance will take you and your screams will amuse me until I choose to let you *DIE*! With my own burning hands I'll choke the life out of you and make your spirit drink of despair!"

Onryu reached out for Scythe, the raging fury inside of him had only been fueled by the futile efforts of the deluded fools who died proclaiming the glory of Lord Thunder. Arrogant, confident that he had faced and broken the worst her magic could manage, Onryu moved to claim his prize. To send daemonic fire raging through this woman and turn her little mumbles into screams of agony, to laugh as her nervous shocked twitches became spasms of unimaginable pain.

He reached for her, her eyes snapped open and focussed on him, her hands moved up and GRASPED his, surprise slowed Onryu a fraction, she was leaping into his fire? Then he looked into her eyes, truly looked, as she spoke spoke a WORD. In her eyes was a dancing light, a twinkle that said she knew the danger and accepted it, a savage fire that said she would not yield, a cold prideful flame that showed she would neither grant nor ask for mercy and finally, there was the inhuman glow that said she truly did not... care?... that nothing but herself had any real meaning for her.

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Scythe ignored the pain washing in from her hands as she completed the spell. As she spoke the WORD, the demon screamed and was engulfed in fire. Daemonic fire, his own Daemonic fire to be exact. Stepping backwards Scythe cradled her burnt and charred hands, channeling her limited healing skill to blunt the pain and repair the damage. As she brought the pain under control, Scythe looked at the demon frozen in a rictus of agony, and smiled:
"How do you like this little halfbreed? The tender merciful touch of your own fire. In case you are wondering, what is going on is that I have empowered your demonic half and trapped you in your own flame. The pain you feel is your own demonic power burning away your sanity and your humanity. In 3 days and 3 nights the process will be complete, and you will be a true demon. There will be nothing left of who you were, no more ties to this earth to block and shatter binding spells, you will be a true creature of hell. Powerful and merciless."

Scythe smiled some more and wagged her finger at the figure trapped in the pillar of daemonic fire:
"And you want to know something... frustrating? It's actually a very simple spell to break. All that is needed, is for someone - human - to put their hand in the fire with you, to share your pain for... oh... 2 maybe 3 minutes, hmmm... I do have to admit that I'm not *exactly* sure about how long it takes. Anyway, while they do that you will steal part of their humanity to replace what you've lost, and turn them into a part demon like yourself, although weaker. Tell me little demon, who is there who will sacrifice their humanity for you?"

Laughing quietly, Scythe turned around and walked out of the room. As she did so she told herself that it was better to plot and scheme and make it so that the battles were nothing more confirmation of her superior plans. That clashes like this were painful and weakening, that they were to be avoided, not sought out for the thrill and glorious sensation of victory. That was the way of the damned red-head! Not of Scythe.