How do I slay this?

For the past three days, locals of the nearby towns had spread a rumor to stay away from the mountains as a monster was lurking, a dangerous monster. The local rumors were that there was a demon in the land, or that there was a rift in space due to the residual magic in the land from all the wizards and other magic beings that traveled and fought in the Phoenix mountains creating a destructive force, however nobody had any answers they could prove. All that they could prove was that it seemed as though during the day the shadows of the mountains were being swallowed up as well the night sky, before flashes of some dark grey color could be seen shortly after.

It had been going on for the past three days, no townsmen brave enough to find the cause, and tourism for the mountains a near all time low, however the townsfolk believed the dark oddity had nothing to do with the latter after a recent incident involving a tourist belittling a journalist.

However if one were to actually approach the source, it was neither a demon nor a rift in space, but one woman, an alien woman to be precise. Kloria had set up a camp between two mountains facing east to west, and set up a small camp along one side. She had parked her shuttle along side the the make shift tent. Along the way here she stopped in a town to buy some expendable gear for a makeshift campsite.

She imbedded two poles into a flat side of a mountain roughly eight feet into the air about twenty-five feet apar intersecting with poles stuck into the ground, and two large poles while a fifth larger pole between the two above. There were two tarps strapped to the poles above, while four tarps were strapped to the poles, one large one forming side walls and a roof, two sides of the three smaller ones were used as parts of the front wall while the third was a door that unless she was sleeping, was usually kept open. Inside there was a fifth tarp used as a floor, and a seven foot long futon as well as one table by the side.

Just outside the tent was a Small outdoor kitchenette, and a few meters away was the only piece of Exdraxian origin was what appeared to be a black pump stuck into the ground with a glowing green trim was a special well pump that reaches low into the ground to extract water, while a basin and small bucket was at the base. There was an additional table outside with two stools, with five books scattered about, "Slayer magic for dummies.", "So, you're a slayer now.", "How to put up with being single", "Shadow arts: Ninth edition", and "Swords and Peace", all of which were self help books.

Kloria had moved boulders to block off the camp site from harm, as she expected this to take days, until she could master the dark art she was partially taught by the Exazian Isca. When sought out guidance of the guardian deities of her kin. The Rune Knights were wary of Kloria using her native skill set, so the Exazians found a solution by taking advantage that they are akin to gods and demons, by making Kloria a demon slayer. However they could only teach the fundamentals of the magic, unable to teach her how to fight with it as since evolving beyond flesh, no Exazian had to fight for over a millennium.

So after returning to her physical body, she felt the manifestation, and since she did not want to hurt her kin she arranged to spend as much time as she needed to master her abilities, she had food delivered at specific times when she would not be training.

At the moment, Kloria was staring at a rock in the middle of the area as she took a deep breath, practicing the most basic of attacks. She took a deep breath as she swallowed the shadows around her, the darkness seemingly disappearing creating a dull illumination before the shadows retook over, before she took aim using her hands to create a tunnel for focusing as she breathed out a blast of grey dark energy. "Shadow Demon Wrath!"

However the blast seemed to diverge and split off into hundreds of threads that died out, leaving only a small bit that took off the tip of the triangular rock. "Damn, what's wrong with me..."

The parked ship's green window lit up as the computer responded "Aside from lack of applicable knowledge, your skil lset with the Exo-Armos required you to focus on your physical abilities a lot more, while the Exo-Armos supplements all ranged and magical factors. Summary, you have no experience in this field." Kloria sighed, the computer was right and no use arguing against it.

"On the plus side, at least darkness tastes great."

As someone who neither was very interested in social intercourse or letting people know a lot about her Akeya had quite a lot of traits which nobody else knew about, either because everyone who knew about it was dead or missing, she purposefully had hidden it or she just didn't have anybody she wanted to tell about it. Or even if she did have people she wanted to share things with (a very tall requirement in and of itself) it had just never crossed her mind or the right opportunity had never shown itself.

In this case one thing that almost nobody knew about Akeya was that she was rather protective of the Phoenix Mountains. The reasons for this were several but she had little reason to diverge any of them other than that it was a good place for a dragon to loiter when they didn't want to deal with any upstart mortals while still being relatively close to mortal lands so she didn't have to travel hours just to get back to work.

The details aside the fact was that where the Phoenix Mountains were concerned Akeya paid a bit more attention than she did with most other places, so when she heard rumours that something strange was happening in that area it served to quickly make her investigate further. The mountain range didn't have unusual occurrances as often as some other places but it was still worthwhile to keep an eye on it because in Earthland strangeness and danger could strike virtually anywhere with no warning or reason beyond 'dangerous/strange entity was in this location when they decided it was a good time to start doing their thing.'

Of course the investigation was hindered by the same problem which all investigations of this nature faced: rumours don't make for very good sources of information. There would be magnificent bastards saying that rumours tell you everything you need to know, but they were either lying in an attempt to appear even more magnificent and bastardly or they had other clues which helped them ferret out the correct pieces of information which once again meant they were effectively lying but this time with a bit more evidence planted to make their opponents look foolish.

The usual rumours were present: demons, rifts in space and time which crossed dimensions, magical anomalies... all that was needed to complete the set was talk about some undead or otherwise unholy mythological figures and maybe some kind of cult. Given that she had some experience in the field of research and investigation the dragoness knew better than to try and verify all of these. Instead she tried to find those rumours which provided details which weren't part of the standard 'mysterious thing in the distance' set. People had the remarkable tendency of falling back to the same kind of ideas if given only very vague details, so if you heard something you hadn't heard before that was actually more likely to be based on something. This infuriated rational-minded folk like Akeya since they would much prefer it if the reliable information was what came from several unrelated sources.

In this case the rumours talked about shadows disappearing and even the night sky being swallowed up by something, followed up by eye-watering flashes of not-light. Which might still sound like gibberish to some but to Akeya it spoke volumes, which was why she went to the Phoenix Mountains as quickly as she could to verify those rumours with her own eyes.

Flying above the mountains it didn't take very long before she spotted one of those flashes herself, her emerald eyes narrowing as she traced the flash back to the source and then entered a stead descent. She was invisible, so she didn't have to worry about being spotted unless the creature down below was extraordinarily good at sensing stealthy types like herself. Although even if she was spotted she felt confident that she could deal with what was down below, as from what she could sense its power wasn't on par with her own.

Quietly landing nearby she first spied on her quarry. The creature looked a lot like a human, but her smell was different. That said she behaved a lot like a human as well so Akeya was pretty sure it was just another type of humanoid and not something else entirely just disguising itself. Looking at the camp the woman had made for herself she was quite knowledgeable about the basics of surviving in the wilderness, although she also looked like she got a lot of help from very advanced equipment. The dragoness hoarded knowledge like other dragons hoarded treasures but even she couldn't immediately say what some of the things this woman had with her were supposed to be. She hadn't heard of a country which had this kind of techology but it was a big world out there so that didn't necessarily mean much.

After some deliberation Akeya decided that hiding wasn't needed here, so standing up straight the twilight dragon dropped her invisibility and strode forward, looking straight at Kloria as she came to a halt several yards away. "From what I'm seeing you're a hatchling of a shadow demon slayer trying to figure out how to make it work. Did you come out here so you wouldn't be bothering anyone?" She asked this question with a neutral tone of voice as she stood with one clawed hand on her hip, at this point in time her skin a rich olive and her scales a dark midnight blue. Her emerald eyes were unblinking as they waited for Kloria to answer her.

Kloria sensed an unfamiliar presence arrive, it was not human, but it was hard to determine until the very being approached her from in front. Kloria look astounded as she saw the scaled humanoid creature approach her. She almost teared up as she uttered a name and began to walk towards the female. "Axi? You're supposed to be dead in another galaxy, how in Xicorine's name are you-" She stopped as soon as she got a better look at the approaching female, for once her face was red with embarrassment. She noticed that whomever she was dealing with, was not in fact the girl from her memory.

"I'm sorry, you just happen to look a lot like someone I knew, who was, well, this is embarrassing." Kloria sighed, she took a moment to rub her eyes as as she readjusted. "I'm Kloria Xicor, member of the Exdraxian race, we're sorta, temporally displaced on this world and you are not incorrect in assuming that I am here to avoid bothering others. You caught me at a break. We can talk over there, should be more, comfortable on stools, I could use a break and I " Kloria slowly walked away towards the shelter area as she pulled out two bottles of an energy drink from a cooler in the outdoor kitchenette and rested it on the counter.

She then put down the energy drinks on the table before she splashed cold water from the basin before she dried off from a towel hanging on the well pump before putting it back. "I am basically the same thing as a Shadow Demon Slayer, but I got my training from a being that is similar but not quite a demon. Unfortunately, there was a huge, problem... I don't know how to fully master the basics."

Kloria opened up one of the bottles before she took a sip. "I was taught the fundamentals and how to bring out or control darkness. However I only have two thirds of knowledge needed to complete it. Theory and Application, but, not to speak ill of the kind that guided my people since we first developed thought, but they haven't fought or experienced combat since then."

Kloria gestured towards the books laying about, she learned little from the books that she wasn't already taught on Exaz. She recalled that she was learning fairly well until it came down to taking that concept and adapting it to an actual combat style. "Unfortunately, I don't have the pleasure of knowing many dark based fighters, or slayers, I'm sorta the first of my people to become a slayer, which is also another crutch in the experience department on of being a requip centered user for nearly a century. Since I can't feel first hand on the other side how an experienced dark user fights, how am I supposed to adapt myself to adopt a dark style?"

WC 485
TWC 1316

Tilting her head to the side Akeya raised an eyebrow as the woman reacted rather surprisingly, namely with tears and a voice which was filled with longing. She had expected hostility, wariness, maybe curiosity or even a friendly welcome if this was a particularly optimistic specimen, but it looked like she hadn't taken into account all possibilities. When Kloria explained that she'd confused the dragoness for someone else she blinked, now somewhat interested. "She must be quite the special person if she looks like me, given that there's very few who could pull that off." Another dragon who decided that the humanoid form was generally more practical, or some kind of reptilian race? This stranger had mentioned other galaxies...

"I'm Akeya. I haven't heard of these Exdraxian before, so your kind must have arrived fairly recently on this world." She inclined her head when Kloria offered to move the conversation to a more comfortable location. Taking her clawed hand off of her hip she approached with a serpentine gait, although she declined the actual stool as she instead stood there with her arms folded under her chest and the tip of her tail moving from side to side behind her.

"I noticed that you were having problems. As we speak rumours are spreading about some kind of strange phenomenon which is stealing away the dark of night and then releasing bursts of anti-light." She didn't hesitate to voice her perspective, only glancing down at the drinks that were now placed on the ground before returning her emerald gaze to the woman in front of her. Alien or not it didn't look like this one was hostile in any way, which might be surprising but Akeya had become better at telling whether she had to be on guard for someone or not. Givn that this Kloria person was still struggling to master her abilities she doubted that she would have much to fear even if they came to blows, since unlike Kloria the dragoness had many years of experience using the dark.

Although when Kloria began to talk about how she had no way of learning anything beyond the basics Akeya raised both eyebrows, then lowered them as she looked a tad disappointed. This was emphasized by her tail striking the ground behind her once while one clawed finger tapped her own arm. "There's lots of creatures out there who have to figure things out on their own. Saying that you can't get anywhere because nobody can show you how is the kind of whining I'd expect from the more entitled humans. Or elves." Of course there was the question what exactly had given the Exdraxian her magic if it wasn't an actual demon, but if there was one thing a mage learned if they survived for long enough it was that the world was a big place and there were a lot of things that could leave you befuddled if you didn't keep a steady head and soldiered on. She'd find out what it was eventually, right now she had to teach the woman a little bit about the darkness.

"However if you're that desperate for someone else to explain how it works, I'll give you some pointers." An act which might be surprising for anyone who knew Akeya, she decided to actually help the woman out a little. If she had to explain herself she'd say that maybe she has a little bit of a soft spot for others who also made the darkness a part of themselves. "But even with advice at the end you'll have to make it your own yourself. We're not humans who rely on their predecessors to open the doors for them."

She walked several steps away from Kloria and the drinks, then held up one scaled hand. "Given that you have the holy element added to your darkness I'm not sure how exactly that works, so I'm just going to talk about dark and you'll have to see if that holy energy gets in the way. Now, as you might have figured out dark and shadow are at the core of the same element, shadow is just heavily diluted. This allows it to be a little more flexible than dark in some areas but still leaves it more effective as a tool than a weapon." Pointing towards the untouched drink a dark tendril shot out from her finger and wrapped around it. Suddenly the object was flying through the air towards Akeya, although before it came into contact with her hand it briefly was completely consumed by darkness before disappearing, reappearing at its original location as if it had never moved.

"Dark can be used for direct conflict, but it's also useful for trickery and roundabout techniques. One of the most important things you'll need to learn is that dark spots can be connected. From the perspective of the uneducated that can come across as teleportation. Any questions so far?"

WC: 827
TWC: 1,770

Kloria listened carefully to the instructions given, while she did learn a few new things, she did not really learn anything major she wasn't aware of already. However it was clear that she might have
brought some miscommunication with her wording. The display of the illusions was an outstanding feet, but Kloria knew she wouldn't have such capabilities for a period of time. Kloria focused on her hands as the grey dark energy started to exude and take shape for a brief moment before disappearing. "I think you might have misunderstood when I said experience, Exdraxians would rather die then be hand held the whole way. It is to be expected given that I only learned this tongue four months ago."


Kloria gestured to the various books, she bought them mostly to keep her sanity so she wouldn't go mad "I studied on the subject well, but books and lectures aren't my style. I find that being forced to experience my skills or lack of skills against the biggest wolf in the woods. Adrenaline running with a sense of danger as I have to either eat or be eaten and force myself to solidify everything in the heat of the moment."

Kloria stopped as she realized what she said there, and was very nervous as how they could take a totally different and lewd meaning. Although she found the dragoness very attractive, but she wouldn't dream to rush things especially before she could guess how she would react. "Not that I want to eat you per say, I'm not saying your unattractive, just, well, anyways."

Kloria refocused herself as she recalled she was face to face with the ideal predator she was looking for. Immensely powerful, dark element, and can help a training session for a long time. She guessed that she scared off all the local critters and that was why it took so long for someone to show. "There was a second reason I chose to come out here, I heard that there were noteworthy predators that frequent this area. I assumed that if I trained long enough I'd attract something strong and threatening enough to challenge me to a point where I could solidify my abilities with my slayer magic."

Kloria looked at the dragoness, and supposed that this was the will of the Exazians. However she figured that either way, this was the universe giving her what she wanted for once. "Would you mind if we sparred? I want to experience the receiving end of dark magic, that might give me more clarity then words ever could. I naturally learn through blood and pain."

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When Kloria elaborated that she didn't mean that she wanted to be guided the whole way through her training Akeya raised an eyebrow. "Could have fooled me. But I'll accept that it might just be poor phrasing." She was somewhat doubtful, since it was also possible that the alien wanted to save face, but she didn't feel like starting an entire argument and it didn't matter much what the woman's true thoughts were. If she was willing to show some more independence that would only be for the better, regardless of the reasons behind it.

That said when the exdraxian proclaimed that she wasn't the type to learn from reading the dragoness stared at her. She herself could be considered a bookworm: if she wasn't training or out on a mission one of the first things she'd do was go to the nearest library and begin digging up books on stuff that might be useful in the future. In fact one of the first things she did if given a task she wasn't too confident about was do some research so she had some idea of what to expect. It wasn't like Kloria was the first person to state that they didn't gain much from reading, but it always left the assassin somewhat nonplussed.

"Well, that's one method, although it's a risky one. You'll be fortunate if the biggest wolf is either someone you can escape from if things get tricky or is merciful enough not to finish you off." Of course there was the third possibility of being able to beat the biggest wolf in a straightforward fight, but if you were just starting out with learning a new type of magic that was unlikely. Even the strongest of mages would have some difficulty with that unless the 'biggest wolf' was so weak that they could defeat them with blasts of raw power in which case there was nothing to learn from fighting them.

She refolded her arms as Kloria suddenly looked flustered and explained that she didn't mean her last sentences in a more adult fashion. The dragoness herself hadn't even thought of that, mostly because her current mindset was focused on training and darkness magic. However after the initial confusion she snorted and even briefly smirked. "I'd pity the person who tried to eat me." Was the only thing she said before glancing down at one of her own clawed hands, holding it in front of herself as she briefly focused and gave Kloria the opportunity to regain some of her composure. "There are powerful creatures that live in these mountains, yes, but most of them aren't so kind as to let you get away if you challenge them. You'd have been better off visiting various guilds and asking if they had experts on dark magic which could help you train. The main reason I'm here is because I heard the rumours and came to investigate."

To the suggestion of sparring the austere mage let out a short hum, thoughtfully, before shrugging and nodding. "You can try attacking me if you wish, although for your sake I hope you have some idea of what you're doing. I'm not going to bother attacking first." Given the fact that she wasn't being paid for this and didn't know this woman Akeya could also just have left at this point, but she was feeling generous towards a fellow dark slayer. That and she was curious what this alien could come up with if given the opportunity to experiment. "I would warn you that I don't go easy on people during training, but I'm guessing that suits your purposes perfectly. Come at me when you're ready and we'll see what happens to you after."

WC: 623
TWC: 2,393