The battle for Silent Glaciers!

Seikatsu had returned to the Silent Glaciers off a whim, a desire to return to the spot he'd obtained his first and only child, as well as learned more about nature. However, he'd noticed that the land had changed slightly. Where his single hut had rested, a small village had replaced it. Off in the distance he saw a group of figured moving in and out of a large hole with wheel barrows. 'This is new...' he thought to himself, not being used to seeing things change so quickly. He angled his wings, causing him to begin his descent to check out the town.

A good ten or twenty meters from the village's floor, Seikatsu began circling around. The people inside paid him no heed, probably had better things to do. After seeing they were peaceful, or seemingly peaceful, Seikatsu decided to land. Slowing his speed while getting closer to the ground, Seikatsu noticed the town's folk beginning to gather where he was landing. Touching the ground, the people looked at the large man who wore a tan, tattered cloak and no shoes as though he were a kind wearing the finest silk robes. They welcomed him as a savior, knowing that he would be their salvation from a threat that drew near.

"Hold outlanders." Seikatsu said in a deep, commanding voice causing the celebration to halt abruptly. "To what honor am I given to cause such quantities of glee?" he asked, questioning the situation. A few moments later, a rather well aged man walked through the crowd and addressed him. "We can tell you're a wizard. For the longest time, we've been being attacked by the Frost Giants. We sent notices to the guilds asking for help, we'll pay half now and half when you're done. Just please, get rid of them so our little mining town can finish our business and leave." the older man said. Seikatsu didn't know what he was talking about, after all he wasn't bound by the laws of any alignment. The village needed help, and his presence made them feel hopeful, so Seikatsu couldn't turn them down.

Seikatsu looked around, sensing a strange presence nearby, but unable to pinpoint it exactly. "Look, all we need if for you to find the giants and k-" the leader's words were cut short as he man hunched over of large, firm fist that was now embedded into his abdomen. Seikatsu quickly pulled his fist from the man's stomach, allowing him to drop to the floor and gasp to reclaim the air that was forced from him. The villagers all stepped back with fearful looks in their eyes. The man looked up at Seikatsu, his eyes becoming narrow, and filled with terror at what was staring back. Seikatsu's hood was forced off his head by the magic power radiating from him in the form of a pitch black aura. His tan tattered cloak began whipping around as the look of rage, and hatred filled the soul wizard's eyes. White wisps, and blue, ethereal tendrils gently seeped from the ground and began dancing in the air. "You come to a foreign land! You build settlements without permission of the natives! You DARE steal the mother's precious stones! And you are enraged when her emissaries come to retaliate!" Seikatsu said with a wrathful voice that boomed through the town. He slammed his right foot into the man's chest, pinning him to the ground as he reached into his cloak. Out of the cloak came a long sword, pitch black at the blade with a single grey line running parallel to the spine. Near the guard was a thorn like protrusion, and six blood red jewels arranged three on each side. The blade began to glow, resonating with Seikatsu's demonic soul as he pressed the tip to the village leader's throat. "Should the mother order me, I would end your pitiful existence AND your village of fools!" Seikatsu said, his enraged voice now split into multiple tones, sounding as if multiple entities spoke all in unison through the single man. He lifted his foot and the blade, letting it hang in place as he said "But the mother demands this land be not tainted with such human things, as war and greed. I shall arrange a peace between your people. Should the giants refuse, I shall then end them." Seikatsu said in an annoyed voice. His rage subsided and he turned around, flicking his sword before sheathing it. At this moment, he saw before him a being who blatantly didn't belong to these people, someone who he could sense power from. 'Her strength... it is equal, no... it is greater than my own.' he thought as he approached her. Seikatsu bowed politely "I apologize for tainting your eyes with my presence, but this humble nave wishes to ask for your aid in a venture." Seikatsu said in a very sincere voice, as custom of his tribe when asking for help.

'Be careful around this one.' Altsoba warned Seikatsu in his head. The female before him accepted Seikatsu's request, and the large wizard rose from his bowing position. His dark purple, severely dull, dead looking eyes locked with the sea of blood in his new partner's eyes for a brief moment. He wasn't phased by the abnormal color, the man opened his mouth with a very blank expression on his face. "You have my gratitude. I am Se-" Seikatsu paused for a moment, his gaze moving to the blanket of pure white below his feet. "No. I'm not." he said under his breath sadly as he clenched his fists, remembering the promise he made Lisa back in Clover Town during the priory disaster. "I am Niyol." Seikatsu said with a hint of sadness and humility in his voice. "If it is any consolation, I am less than I appear to be." Seikatsu said as he walked past the woman, not caring so much as to ask her name. His words were pointing to the fact the fact that Altsoba, Seikatsu's demon, had actually warned him about her. For Altsoba, she'd only warn Seikatsu if someone wasn't exactly what they looked like. That and having crimson eyes didn't exactly match the normal human variant of colors, granted purple is a rare color, it's still possible to be born with it. 'I wonder...' Seikatsu thought for a moment, stopping the thought as he continued walking. 'No. If she wants to tell me about herself, the battlefield is the best conversation starter.' he said as the cancellation note of his forethought.

Seikatsu walked through the gate, keeping an ear out so he'd know exactly how far away his ally was. He didn't trust her enough to be in stabbing range, and would only find her value when they fought side by side. "The sooner I get this shit over with..." Seikatsu said under his breath, his fists began to clench tightly as the pain showed on his face. A single drop of blood went from his hand to the snow covered floor. The air was so cold the cut froze over, but Seikatsu couldn't feel it since ice was partially in his element, after all, this is where he trained.

Seikatsu stopped in place, looking back to make sure he didn't put himself in his ally's danger range. "Thank you." He said with a fairly sullen voice. He closed his eyes with his back turned to Annora, whom he still didn't know, and tried forcing himself to calm down. Memories of his training in these lands, the first time he held his pet wyvern, when she saved his life were flooding back to Seikatsu. A single tear began forming in his eye, it ran down his cheek and fell, freezing before hitting the snow. "I'm so sorry Lisa, I couldn't pro-" Seikatsu said under his breath, but getting interrupted by the sound a snow crunching. His eye flew open when he realized they were surrounded and began backing up towards his ally. He looked around while backing up, trying to pinpoint where the sound was coming from, and then immediately spun himself to have his back to Annora's. "Sorry for invading your personal space, but it seems we're surrounded." Seikatsu said, his previously sullen voice now focused and determined in tone. "If it's any consolation, I feel honored to have someone to fight alongside again." He added, his voice the same as before. The memory of him fighting alongside his wyvern came back to him, taking his mind from fighting for a second. He snapped himself back to reality just in time to see a set of wolves slowly stepping out the snow covered brush, and in front Seikatsu. His ears focusing behind him, he heard more wolves on the approach. "Glacial wolves... shit." Seikatsu said with disdain. Looking around, Seikatsu gave a quick count of how large this group was. In front him was seven Glacial wolves, all growling and snarling at Seikatsu. The soul wizard let out a deep breath while he refocused himself, and reached into his cloak. From the large, tattered, torn tan cloak Seikatsu pulled out two blades. One was pitch black, with a single silver like near the spine of the blade. It had several crimson jewels embedded in it that began glowing gently as the sword sensed Seikatsu was entering a fight. The next was pure white at the tip, but changed to a blue hue as a gaze is turned to the grip. Where a guard would go, laid a single crimson jewel that also glowed slightly. He shifted his legs into a fighting stance specific to those who used dual swords, and he got ready for the first wolf to try its luck.

HP: 300

MP: 108%

Effects:

Mana Pocket - Seikatsu can store a maximum of 50% more MP

Cold Mana - Seikatsu regens 2% MP per post

Seikatsu felt a slight smirk creep its way to his face when he heard his temporary ally speak. She mentioned of the creature's beauty, something a normal person wouldn't think. The average mortal would see the wolves as rabid, vermin, and wish them death. "Likely a small portion of the main pack, but yes, sad all the same." Seikatsu said with a blank voice, unintentionally portraying no emotion. The cloaked man shifted his weight, preparing for his first aggressor to come at him. The seven wolves eye'd Seikatsu, snapping their teeth, snarling, growling and glaring at him. One of them lunged at Seikatsu, kicking up snow as flew through the white powder at him. Immediately after the first, another came from the opposite side. Seikatsu knew this tactic, one attacks from the front, the other from behind leaving the target with one option, move aside. Once Seikatsu moved aside, the wolves next to him would tear him apart.

'Three...' Seikatsu thought, waiting for the exact moment to react. The wolf was only a couple meters away from him, but he stayed in place. 'Two...' he thought, again waiting for the right moment. 'One...' he thought, the wolves were now only a foot away from him. As the two jaws were closing in, merely half a foot from Seikatsu's legs, the mage gave a quick jump and pressed his foot against the nose of the wolf in front him. He pressed off, performing a back flip in the air and landing directly behind the wolf that was originally behind him. Seikatsu's body, accustomed to fighting with the sword in hand, automatically returned his Thorn of Betrayal to a striking position, and the Hear of War to a defending one. The wolf he was now behind accidentally snapped its jaws on the wolf Seikatsu pushed off of, but didn't deal any major harm to it since the animals have very thick, very nice, fur which acted as a type of armour. He dropped to the ground as he heard the pair of paws pressing off the snow, signaling one of the others was making an attempt to bite on his neck. The wolf, not expecting to find prey so well seasoned, flew over the mage and slammed into the other two. Seikatsu's eyes darted left and right, scanning his situation and processing it. 'Five in front, one directly left, one on left rear-oblique.' He thought to himself as the wolves got up shaking the snow off their heads and snarling at their fast food.

Seikatsu saw through the corner of his eye as his partner took out one of the wolves that attacked him, she didn't seem to be just screwing around like he was. Seikatsu let out a slight sigh before letting a small grin creep partially on his face. "If you insist on being so serious..." he said softly as a wolf charged towards him. The wolf already had a gash on it from being hit by Annora's attack, so it would be fairly easy to kill even if Seikatsu decided to stop fooling around. The wolf was split in half as it passed the large, shirtless man. The top portion of its body was split all the way down, and slid across the white blanket in a separate piece from it's lower half causing the snow to turn crimson. "Reap." Seikatsu said as the blood finally hit the floor, revealing his Thorn of Betrayal to have assumed its truest form, the Scythe of Betrayal. The other wolves, who tried to close in behind the one Seikatsu bifurcated, all jumped back to get out of the 9 foot range of Seikatsu's blade. Seikatsu stuck his Angel's Heart into the ground, grabbing the pole of his scythe with both hands. He locked eyes with one of the wolves, causing his pupils to focus in on it making it so he was directly challenging it. The wolf snarled, accepting the challenge and barking at the others. The remaining wolves obeyed the wolf's desire for a 1 on 1 battle, and turned their attention to Annora.

Seikatsu unfurled a pair of black wings, increasing the places the wolf could bite, but gave Seikatsu an advantage over the over sized dog. He shifted his posture to gain better balance, also shifting his hands' placement on the pole of his Scythe of Betrayal so as to be able to swing it better. The wolf took a few steps back and began squaring itself up with Seikatsu. The wolf was the largest of the original seven, able to poke Seikatsu in the eye with its nose, while on all fours. It's pure white fur was glossy, as if it had been to the groomer just before attacking the pair. The two got ready to begin their battle, their fight for dominance to prove which of them was worthy to lead.


[9/25]
[393]

The wolf and Seikatsu side stepped from the fight, keeping each other under careful watch for the first sign of movement. Only forty or so feet from the main battle, Seikatsu and his opponent circled each other, looking for a proper moment. 'Any reason you're letting the girl take the rest?' Altsoba asked in his head. 'This one's their leader.' Seikatsu answered, keeping his focus on the large, snow white wolf in front him. The great wolf charged, kicking snow up behind it as its speed increased with every step it took. Seikatsu ran forwards, dropping to his knees at the last second and flattening himself out as much as possible as the wolf jumped. While watching the wolf leap over him, Seikatsu spun around while moving his scythe around him. The smaller blade slammed into the wolf, leaving a large gash on its side and sending it into a tree. Seikatsu then stuck the scythe in the ground, as if it were a flag, claiming the land in the name of Seikatsu and his Altsoba, the Demon of War. He then took a fighting stance with no weapon. The wolf slowly stood up, staggering on its injured front leg and snapped its teeth from the immense pain. 'You're not planning to kill it at all are you...' Altsoba said with an enlightened voice. 'No. I'm gonna try something new and tame it.' Seikatsu said with a focused look, staring at the large creature as it got up.

The wolf stood straight, blood running down its injured leg. The dog licked the wound, causing the blood to freeze over. It then took a stance, all four legs spread to steady itself as it got ready to charge again. Seikatsu continued staring at it, focusing on the wound as he knew hitting it again should be enough to stagger it. The wolf charged suddenly, as before it jumped and Seikatsu sidestepped. However, the wolf landed on its front paw and pivoted using its momentum it got a slash on Seikatsu. Ignoring the cut, he quickly grabbed the paw and pulled on it, swinging himself onto the wolfs back and grabbing at its scruff. He then reached his mouth over to the wolf's head and slammed his teeth as hard as possible on its ear. The wolf let out a terrible shriek of pain and dropped to the ground, refusing to fight Seikatsu any further. He released the ear and sat up, still straddled over it Seikatsu gently rubbed the wolfe's head. "I'm your alpha now." he said in a low voice and stood up, the wolf standing up with him but not taking the opportunity to attack as Seikatsu still had his hand on its head.

Seikatsu had noticed his ally fighting. She was fast, agile, and beautiful with her dance with the wolves. He remained at the side of his newly acquired temporary pet, watching the ballet as it continued. Soon after it finished, he approached his ally bearing no true expression aside from blankness. The wolf followed him closely, acknowledging him as his new leader, and not wanting to be alone after his friends just died. He looked at the wounds that was beginning to freeze over further, having not known the wolf's saliva were capable of this. He gently placed his hand over it, stating the simple command "Un-Freeze." with a near emotionless tone. He'd been trying to master this spell for the longest time, and would be attempting to do the inverse of it for the first time after having no success with the original. Seikatsu showed no signs of being afraid of hurting Annora, as he knew doing so would make it more likely to happen. Should Annora back away, the spell would not occur. Seikatsu was at risk of being lethally damaged should Annora decide to randomly slash at him while he focused, knowing this he still attempted the spell. Under the circumstance that the woman would remain to see what he was attempting, the ice on her wound would recede and fall off after a certain point. Afterwards, Seikatsu would reverse the spell again, but be pushing his personal limits and cause the wound to partly freeze over enough to clot the bleeding, but not so terribly that it would hurt her. A drop of sweat rolled down his face as it did so, along with a small smile from the accomplishment. Assuming this was what happened, he would then say "This would be the first time I performed that properly." with a voice that held a small amount of fulfillment in the task, his unfamiliarity with doing this spell right was shown by the amount of sweat on his face. The sweat quickly evaporated from his skin, and he produced no more sweat as the air was cool enough to let him recover quickly. Assuming Annora would refuse the healing, Seikatsu would pay it no heed, understanding he and she were strangers and had no reason to expect anything other than betrayal from the other. Regardless of what happened, he would then walk to his scythe and pick it up. He would make a flicking motion that when finished, would show the scythe having reverted to its original sword form. He would then walk to his Angel's Heart and remove it from the snow. After flicking the blades in unison, he'd then give a quick spin to them before gently placing then in their respective sheathes.

[15/25]

There was a strange emotion in her voice, the girl Seikatsu healed that is, when she verbalized her gratitude softly... It sounded of, confusion or disbelief, or bewilderment of sorts. 'She must not have many who would aid her freely...' he thought to himself. It wasn't long after that another group of wolves, seven more again, had began walking up to the two. They'd arranged themselves in a chevron shape, with the largest wolf at the front and the two smallest ones in the back. He stood in place, watching as the group continued their approach while growling at the two mages and their newly acquired wolf companion. "Take the one in the middle. I shall occupy the left, madam I leave the right to you." he said. Upon the order given, the large, snow colored dog erupted forth at a speed that startled even its own target. It jumped, grabbing the group's leader by the back of the neck and used the momentum to keep the two of them flying backwards. The wolf that was bitten rolled through the snow, unable to comprehend what just happened. The one that attacked landed on all four paws, sliding through the snow while facing its opponent. Hunched over, snarling with the hairs on the back of its neck raised. "Quite intelligent are they not. Shall we join?" he said with a bit of a smirk at how well the beast took orders, and that it understood human-speak.

Seikatsu drew his blade, the black blade with the three crimson jewels on each side came out, flashing as the light impacted the reflective metal. "Reap" the command was said plainly as he charged at the three and jumped above them. Performing a flip in the air, Seikatsu caused a small cloud of snow to kick up as he swing the scythe while spinning. The pure white inner edge of the larger blade shone in the cold sunlight, reflecting his desire to kill them all and consume their souls. He turned his gaze to see if his... ally... was moving to take the three others.