The thick smell of ozone permeated the rocky mountains of Era as storm clouds gathered and lightning flashed and thunder rumbled. Yellow bolts streaked across the sky and poured down striking the ground scorching the earth. Rocks were shattered blowing debris around as a lone figure stood amongst the rampaging storm, a young woman in her mid-teen years with long raven black hair. She had fair snow-white skin with crimson red eyes that shined like gems, dressed in an elaborate gothic style of dress coloured predominantly in black and red with an assortment of frills and ribbons. Atop her locks, she wore a headband with ear-like shapes and a large red ribbon in the middle. High heel boots dug into the ground as black stockings and matching garter coated slender legs. Resting in the clutch of her right hand was a giant battleaxe as tall as she was.

This young girl was not what she appeared, but was the seventy-eight-year-old acolyte of a Demonic God and former member of the long-gone Grimoire Heart, Yumi Hateshiginai. A psychotic murderer who had been transformed into a daemon long ago to regain her youth for her faithful loyalty towards Malum, a God of Chaos and Destruction, also known as the Blood God. Yumi was what one would call a fanatic faithfully serving her God without question.

Perhaps one may ask just what this Priestess of Malum was doing out in the open on this stormy day. She was attempting to increase her power. Two years spent in the abyss torturing the souls of the unfortunate had left her stagnant seeing no growth in her strength. To rectify this manner Yumi was attempting to make up for the lost time and develop to grow. In order to complete the mission given to her by Malum to usher in his arrival, she had to become stronger.

The first task for her growth was to regain her spells. Being in the abyss Yumi had no use for magic, so she had grown a little rusty and needed to refamiliarise herself with the Lightning Magic she possessed. Five spells were the start, five spells to regain her bearings. Yumi was in possession of the knowledge of four low ranking spells but none had any offensive power. To get an edge she would need combat-ready spells to use against those who would dare to stand in her way.

However, to experience the true effectiveness of her spells, Yumi had sent a request through the seedy underbelly of Era. Using only her first name she requested a training partner to assist her, should anyone accept they were to meet her just outside Era on the mountain in occupied in this rocky clearing late in the evening.

wc: 465

Standing at the top of the mountains of Era, Caius enjoyed the lovely view of the storm raging across the skies. In fact, he enjoyed it so much that he brought one of his fellow business associates with him. That guy didn't enjoy it as much as him. Probably because he was being held upside down off a cliff. "If you say you're sorry we can make this all disappear!" Caius said with an assuring tone. He held the man by his left leg, dangling him off the side of a steep drop that no doubt would spell certain death. The dangling man was skimming money off the top of deals after selling Caius' drugs. That was just plain not cool. His business associate responded by spitting at his feet. Caius responded by immediately releasing his grip. "Hey watch the shoes you dick!." The man fell too his doom with his screams being drowned out by the loud thunder. As he fell, a paper flew out of his back pocket and the wind carried it up to him . Caius snatched it out of the air to take a look what it said. The gist of it read.

WANTED:TRAINING PARTNER. MEET OUTSIDE ERA IN THE MOUNTAINS
-YUMI

It was almost like destiny. He was already up in the mountains during the evening and the area she had .listed on the map was only a few minutes away. It was decided, he was going to meet up with this Yumi character If she was as shady as the guy he just dropped off a cliff, she might be able to take his place. If she refused, he could always find another use for her Caius flipped the hood of his black sweatshirt over his head and would head to the location on the note.

Climbing up the side of the mountain, he emerged to an open rocky clearing. He saw a silhouette of a person but couldn't quite make it out from the distance. As he approached, lightning struck and lit up the sky. It revealed the one who wrote the note to be a woman that looked about 12 years old in a goth loli outfit. In her hands, she held a giant axe about the same height as her. Caius gave her a very confused stare. That confusion turned to laughter as he started to cackle to himself. "Wait just a god damn minute here. You are Yumi?" he shouted at her. Caius lifted up the request to double check it was the right location. Checking the surroundings again, there was no more doubts about it. "Is this some type of prank or something? Can you even lift that axe with those tiny noodle arms of yours? You were the one that wanted to fight? I mean I don't normally beat up 12 year old's but I'm open minded. " Caius shrugged his shoulders after mocking her and awaited her response.

510

Sitting on a large rock ignoring the surrounding lightning, Yumi focused on internally as she passed the time. The flow of magic coursed through her, flowing beneath her muscles like a silent river. The river was calm, moving without agitation before it began to flow faster as Yumi increased the speed of which her magic circulated through her body. Yumi was channeling magic internally, letting it flow into her muscles, carefully controlling it so it would not go berserk and tear her apart. Channeling magic internally always carried some kind of risk, but it was a risk Yumi was long use to. Originally in her youth, Yumi had developed her own kind of magic, one that focused on channeling magic internally to be then fired externally or compressed in the muscles boosting one's physical attributes.

Since becoming a daemon, however, Yumi's magic had changed and evolved gaining a lightning element. Lightning magic was something Yumi had yet to get used to but was slowly becoming accustomed to it. Like anything, with time it could be mastered. Yumi just had to be patient and slowly learn to properly control her lightning magic. Manipulating magic was one of her specialties as the lolita was confident she could master this magic in no time. A small glow formed on her skin as lightning sparked between her brows. Electricity crackled on her flesh tickling her slightly as it created a layer around her. Focusing, Yumi forced the lightning into her body, bringing it into her muscles to help stimulate them.

Taking a deep breath, Yumi's eyes began to glow as she felt her muscles beginning to ache and expand. Yumi's muscles felt envigorated as a surge of great strength suddenly went coursing through her. Yumi had always been primarily focused on buffing spells to increase her own physical abilities and offensive spells designed to annihilate her opponents.

Suppressing her mana Yumi allowed the spell to die down, breaking her control of it as the lightning dispersed. Jumping down from the rock, Yumi stretched her limbs, it was almost the approaching time of the quest she had issued. Luckily she would not be waiting that long as a figure climbed up the side of the mountain and stared at her in confusion, appearing baffled as they shouted.

The figure was a six-foot-six tall man, easily towering over Yumi's much smaller four foot ten frame. He had black hair with matching black eyes and dark skin tone. He had a buff of black chin scruff and was dressed in dark colors. The man lifted up a paper request before asking if he was being pranked or something, before insulting Yumi. The lolita's eyes narrowed slightly as he insulted her, calling her limbs noodle arms declaring she probably couldn't lift the axe she carried.

Yumi decided to show him just what she could do as she lifted the massive battleaxe with her right arm. The axe was lifted up into the air effortlessly as Yumi showered no strain to raise the massive weapon and brought it down with the same ease. The smoldering battleaxe smashed into the boulder she had just been seated on. A loud bang sounded out as the rock cracked before it exploded into debris, shattering under the might of the great axe and Yumi's own strength. Hefting the axe upwards she rested the flat edge on her right shoulder and turned to look at her guest.

"I think I can use it just fine, youngster," Yumi spoke in a soft, innocent sweet-sounding voice, much like that of a child's but it had a strange allure to it. Yumi gave the man an arrogant look like a murderous intent reflected in her hues. "Like you, I have no objections to beating up someone half my age."

Yumi's eyes started to glow a demonic shade of red as red circles formed in her eyes. A black shade began to bleed into the iris of her hues as a dark black light burned from within them. A demonic aura began to seep out of from her body rising up into the air creating a fearsome visage of a demonic being. Said being took the form of a towering beast covered in thick black plated armor with four upturned horns stretching from his head seated upon a throne of skulls as a river of blood flowed around him.

"To answer another question, yes I am Yumi! Hateshiginai, Yumi to be exact. But you may call me the Witch of Carnage. But I doubt the name means anything to you. It has been many years since I was last on the mortal plane."

How many years had it been since Yumi lasted declared her epithet? The nickname she had once been known by. Of course, the name probably had little meaning nowadays as she had disappeared from this world two years ago, as did her legacy of horrors. Yumi was eager to reshape herself and let the name 'Witch of Carnage' spread across Fiore inducing fear into all who heard it.

"Oh terrible me, where are my manners." Yumi smiled maliciously as she recalled the demonic aura, drawing it back into her tiny body. The glow in her eyes died down with but only the burning blacklight remaining as great strength flooded through her very soul. "It is only polite I ask thy name, as the one who accepted my request."

"With the pleasantries out of the way, tell me, boy, how do you feel dancing with the devil? Shall we damn you soul for all eternity?" Questioned the daemon lolita in a mischevious tone, an amusing twinkle flashed in those hues of her as she licked her lips in a sickening sweet manner.

At a glance Yumi seemed like a child, but deep down one could see the look of a killer in those innocent hues. A fierce desire to burn the world reflected in those jewel-like eyes crossed with a slither of insanity. Looking into those eyes would tell you everything about Yumi, she desired to see the world burn.

WC: 1025 + 465
TWC: 1490

In a response to his taunts, the tiny little girl used only one hand pick the giant axe of the ground. It was almost a way to “stick it to him” for mocking her. Though her arms were probably half the size as his, he doubted he could lift a weapon of that size with one hand. It was very impressive. Most people would be horrified at this strange revelation. While there was some shock, Caius found it more amusing than all else.

“Well I’ll be damned!” He shouted at her with glee. “You’ve been drinking your milk little girl. Got those strong bones” Lifting his arm he gave a flexing motion at her. Indeed this little loli was the woman he was looking for. Accompanied by her recent feat of strength came a sinister aura. It was almost similar to his own. The dark and eerie feeling gave him a sense of deju vu. He just couldn’t put his finger on where he felt it before. Oh well. He wasn't going to be one upped by her. Caius lowered down the hood of his sweatshirt to great her aura with his own.

"Witch of carnage huh. It's got a nice ring to it. They call me Caius and I'm sort of a bad ass myself. Since you were so kind to show me yours, let me return the favor." The air turned cold as purple and black energy slowly manifested around Caius' body like a flame. In a quick burst, it then shot out in a circle in the surrounding area spreading it's malevolent force. While her aura resembled that of a beast, his was shaped like a skull representing imminent death.

"So now that we got the foreplay out of the way I say get this party started. Let's see what you got little girl." Caius lifted up his right hand and pointed his index finger at the girl. A purple magic circle would form as a small beam fired at Yumi. It wasn't very powerful but it was a good way to test out her abilities. He would just stand in place and await her next move. The dance with the devil had now begun.

spell:

Yumi's eyes flashed at the drinking milk comment to get strong bones. It seemed this man was a smart ass and was quick to fire off quips. A joker if you would. It was not the first time she had ever come across a joker in her line of work. However, what came next surprised her as the man lovered his hood and released his own demonic aura on a level higher than her own. Where Yumi's manifested in the shape of her Demonic God Malum, his manifested in the shape of a skull.

"A fellow being of the depths, fascinating." Yumi was fascinated by the fact she had finally met another daemon after all this time. Yumi couldn't recall when she had met another of her own kind on this mortal plane. But it wasn't just the demonic aura that would shock, but his name. He had introduced himself as Caius. A name Yumi was all too familiar with.

Caius was the name of a former comrade Yumi knew in the past. Before disappearing into the abyss to serve Malum, Yumi served loyally under Grimoire Heart as its oldest member and had seen many individuals come and go. One of those to stick around was Caius. Yumi had been there when Caius had joined the guild as a wee youngster and had seen him and many others grow in strength. Watching from the shadows, seeing them grow stronger. She had even participated in many raids alongside her fellow members. Caius, Odin, Nastasya were just some of the names she recalled from her past as a member of Grimoire Heart.

She didn't have much time to think, as the man who called himself Caius, stated the foreplay was over and it was time to party before raising a hand, pointing an index at her. A purple magic circle formed at his fingertip. Narrowing her eyes, Yumi matched in kind lifting her left hand and made a gun shape. From the circle a small beam much faster than expected was fired crossing the distance. By the time Yumi had fired her own spell, it was only a meter from her face.

A ten-centimeter sphere of lightning quickly gathered on Yumi's index finger and was fired. The lightning ball raced through the air to meet the incoming projectile head-on as the two would clash in mid-air. Tiny shockwaves rippled out from the point of impact as the two similar spells connected, each able to counter-act the other due to matching strength.

Raising a curious eyebrow, Yumi looked at the man and spoke slowly, "Caius. That is an all too familiar name to this one. Once belonging to an old comrade of mine. Kazama I believe his last name was." Yumi remarked as she reminisced of the past. It had been many years since she last saw or interacted with anyone from the past. But she was unsure if this Caius was the one she had once none, for a few reasons. One being he looked different to the one she was aware of. Second, the Caius she knew would be well aware of just who Yumi was having seen her in her current form and would be knowledgable on her nickname.

The name Witch of Carnage was something she never hid from her comrades as she frequently went by the codename Carnage, an homage to her title. "Are you one and the same, or just a pretender to the name? Or is it but a mere coincidence we have met on this stormy day?" Yumi posed the question as lightning circulated around her fingertips and flashed between her eyes.

WC: 617 + 1490
TWC: 2107

Spoiler:

The beam of darkness surged toward Yumi but she remained unphased by its threat. In a gesture similar to his own, she gathered lightning in her hand and fired back to meet his blast. The two attacks clashed together in a roar like thunder before they both fizzled out. It was an even match in power. "The loli has lightning too? You are just a little bundle of surprises." Caius said impressed by her demonstration of strength. It was clear now he couldn't take her attacks lightly anymore.

The fighting had a brief pause when Yumi spoke up. A previous ally had the same name as him and was curious if he was related. The last name of that Caius was Kazama. When she spoke the name "Kazama" he felt a small pain in his head. The truth was he was the one and the same. However, he did not know that at this time. After Crowley was killed and Grimoire Heart was dissolved, Caius lost his purpose. The guild was all he ever knew. In order to revive the guild, he followed the guilds forbidden text to an island where Crowley got his magic. At the island, there was a concentrated leyline of magic Caius tried to make his own. Instead, it lashed out at him. Part of Crowley's magic was to wipe the memories of those who left the guild. While attempting to tame the magic, it had done just that. Afterwards, Red Hades found him and he just went by the name Caius.

Back on the battlefield, Caius rubbed his head. He was trying to think why the name sounded so familiar but came up with nothing. Once he calmed down, he just shrugged his shoulders at Yumi. "Nah never heard of him. But I'm no pretender little girl. I'm THE Caius. That other idiot wishes he could be me. Now enough talking already. I want to see what other tricks you have up your sleeve." In response, Caius fired another blast at Yumi from the same finger. This time with the power amplified up a few more levels of power. His bullet magic wasn't very flashy but it got the job done. With this attack he could help gauge her abilities a little better.

Spoiler:

"Life's full of them," Yumi remarked as she swung her battleaxe lightly through the air, gripping it loosely with her right hand. Yumi eyed the man named Caius, noticing he rubbed his head for some strange reason after she had spoken up about the Caius she had known. This Caius went on to proclaim he was no pretender, calling her a little girl again. Yumi felt no offense from being called a little girl or a loli for that matter. After all, she far enjoyed her youth over being an older citizen. Yumi had dispised growing old, hated her old body for it was frail and useless.

"Most would be angry at being called a little girl all the time. but it's better than what I was previously called."

Yumi found no issues as the man called her former ally an idiot stating he wished he could be like him. Yumi while having been a prominent member of Grimoire Heart, hadn't been particularly close to any of her former allies, they had simply been work partners. Yumi wasn't sad at the destruction of Grimoire Heart with Crowley's death nor had she cared. Life was what it was.

It seemed whoever Caius was getting serious as he did away with the talking and wanted to see what Yumi could do. Gripping the battleaxe tightly lightning flashed behind her as electricity began sparking between her eyes. A yellow glow came into existence around the gothic lolita as bolts of lightning danced across her skin. Like before, Caius fired another bullet of magic from the same finger as before at her. However, Yumi could feel the increased flow of magic coming from the incoming bullet.

There was one spell in her arsenal that could potentially face the incoming bullet, but the problem was there was a risk of consuming herself. The spell was an area of effect one designed to engulf her enemies. It was only an A-rank spell, could be highly effective. It was a new spell she had developed, one created from others she had used in the past. Refined and redesigned into a new approach. While she could cast it at this distance, she to would be engulfed in its eight-meter range and dealt damage.

Yumi decided to forgo the idea, for now at least and simply deciding to counter with her axe. While it would take a little damage that could be repaired. But she had plans to lessen the amount it would take. Magic poured out from her tiny body, "Lightning Eruption." The verbal command was soft but it echoed through the air loudly as lightning violently erupted out from her body. Bright white and yellow bolts flashed through the air as a devastating lightning storm erupted around her consuming a 4m area. When it struck the incoming bullet it disappeared having been overpowered, but would do the job in weakening the incoming spell. Yumi was left unharmed by her spell.

With the lightning spell having been used the axe followed through after having been close to Yumi's body to avoid the lightning. The axe cleaved through the air heading towards the incoming spell. Muscles strained as the massive axe struck, hitting the magical bullet head-on, cleaving through it with ease. However, the axe was not to be done there as lightning burst into existence once more flooding into the weapon.  

A giant magical circle formed right beneath Caius's feet over eight meter's in diameter. Lightning left the giant axe flying upwards into the sky as clouds darkened. Thunder echoed as light flashed before a giant bolt over eight meters in size in the shape of a giant sword came crashing down towards Caius from above. The blade was massive in size with a razor-sharp double-edge that had only one intention, to destroy. A giant shadow loomed over the rocky area as Yumi kicked back off the ground launching herself backward to increase the distance between her and Caius. Covering a five-meter distance in a matter of a quarter of a second.  Leaving herself one meter from the giant lightning blade's descent. Yumi had no desire to be struck by her own spell. That would be suicide.

Yumi had no intention to start ending her life so quickly. She had only just regained her youth a few years ago and was going to enjoy it as much as she possibly could.

"I'd advise you to dodge. My spells have never been friendly. Nor do they tickle." Yumi couldn't help but comment once she was out of range.  


WC: 776 + 2107
TWC: 2883

It seemed Yumi was very observant after the first attack. She knew that the blast of magic was coming from his finger so she stayed on guard even while the two of them spoke. As the purple magic circle formed around his finger and fired, she was already prepared gathering lightning of her own in retaliation. Sparks surged from her body and like the storm in the sky, she erupted in a blast of lightning. The attack was impressive but his bullet still chewed through the attack. Ready as ever, Yumi took her axe and swung it against the magic attack and destroyed it with ease after softening it up in the magic attack beforehand. No movement of hers was wasted and it showed. She was very experienced in battle.

Following up her previous attack, a yellow magic circle formed beneath his feet. The circle was gigantic and covered a huge radius on the ground around him. This wasn't good. Though he had great power in all of his attacks, he lacked mobility in fights when it was needed in a pinch. The follow up to the magic circle was lightning coming from her giant axe into the sky. Thunder boomed across the sky as a lightning bolt dropped down towards him with malicious intent. Yumi must have felt the power in his last attack and stepped it up by pulling out one of the big guns in her arsenal. If it hit he would no doubt be in for a bad time.

Caius had no choice but to fight fire with fire. Moving his finger up only took a fraction of a second as he fired his bullet magic towards the lightning bolt falling down from the heavens. As the attacks collided, the lightning gave way and dispersed in the sky as the bullet magic parted the clouds in the air. After reaching it's max range the attack fizzled out. Looking back at Yumi, she had made some distance from him probably trying to avoid her own attack. Though she was a bit disrespectful before, she seemed to acknowledge him as a threat now. "That crazy power really was packing a punch. You really are trying to kill me huh you sick little psycho?" Caius said. The tone in his voice was one of enjoyment and mockery. For a demon like him, battles like this were a rare commodity. He wanted to enjoy it as much as he could.

Caius pointed his finger at Yumi just as a threatening gesture before speaking to her. "You got some skills for a 12 year old. I'll give credit where credit is due. One of the strongest mages I've found on this shithole of a country. For that I'll let you in on a secret. The truth is I got one more level higher than that last attack. So the way I see it you got two options. You can surrender and admit I'm superior to you in every way or I can shoot this thing and you can die. The ball is in your court sunshine." Judging by their previous conversation this girl didn't like to be underestimated. She had a cocky attitude about her. The truth is he kind of liked that about her. However, at the same time he did want to provoke her. It had been a while since he had fired off his most powerful spell. He was fine with either outcome but anxiously awaited her response.

Spoiler:

"I'm sure you'd be a great sacrifice for my great God." Commented Yumi as she stood at a distance from the man calling himself Caius. He had used another one of those bullet spells to disperse her magic destroying it while still carrying on with remaining strength. The spell flew up into the sky parting clouds before it fizzled out once out of its range. Like before the man pointed a finger at her in a threatening gesture, no doubt preparing another spell one of greater strength. Yumi sadly lacked any other offensive spells only having the three and she had used them up for the moment and would have to wait for the cooldown to reset on them.

However, Yumi was hardly afraid even if she could feel a great amount of power coming from behind the next spell to be fired. Sneering slightly the lolita gripped her axe tightly. A murderous aura reflected in her hues as a demonic fire could be seen burning within them. "It would be a great offense to my God if I simply surrendered. Unbecoming of his High Priestess." Yumi spoke up again as a magical aura began to surround her, she was thinking of what to do next. Surrender wasn't really an option for her, even if this was just a training exercise.

"It would seem we are both the type who prefers not to mess around and likes to go for the kill." Twirling the giant axe one-handed lightning sparked between her eyes. "Sadly I'm not one to surrender so easily. I'd rather go down fighting, or else I'd stain my pride." A large magical circle appeared beneath her as lightning sparked wildly. Yumi raised the axe and released a loud verbal shout, in the form of a battle cry. Lightning poured down from the skies and struck her tiny frame.

Lightning formed a tight blanket around Yumi's body clinging to the top layer of skin. Hair stood on edge as lightning pierced into her body burrowing deep to the muscles. Muscles strained and expanded ever so slightly, the action was barely visible but was noticeable by the twitching of her limbs. The grip on her axe became lighter as Yumi felt a pressure being released. Raising the massive axe, Yumi stared towards Caius preparing for his next action. Yumi wasn't going down without a fight and while she felt the incoming spell would completely wipe her out, she wasn't afraid. Yumi had long since lost the fright of death, no longer did she fear its embrace. She knew when she died, her soul would pass on to Malum to become one of his demonic warriors.

This was only the start of Yumi's life and when she perished she would rise as a true demon in the abyss. For her soul belonged to Malum and was bound to the demon through her sacred oath to forever be his follower. Very few would be willing to sell their soul to a demonic god for all eternity.



WC: 514
TWC: 3397

Spoiler:

A God? Suddenly it clicked in Caius head like a light bulb. The reason why Yumi was so crazy was she was some sort of religious fanatic. This wasn't the nice god they teach you in the churches in Fiore. No this was some dark shit. The one of blood and sacrifice. Caius didn't discriminate against it. Blood and sacrifice as pretty cool in his book. Hell blood, torture, and suffering was pretty much his hobby. However, he preferred to think of himself as his own god. That way he could do things on his own terms. After all his success in crime was built solely on his shoulders.

This god she loved so much apparently didn't let Yumi surrender and she flat out rejected his generous offer. She was ready to lay her life on the line for her beliefs. Hey whatever makes you happy right? True to his word, a magic circle appeared on Caius finger as the spell would start to form. "What are you blabbing on about? I do like to mess around but when a small girl starts wielding a giant axe and lightning I tend to get a bit cautious." Purple magic energy started to gather at one focal point at the tip of his finger as it started to form into the shape of a ball. Yumi responded by charging her body with lightning again to counter attack. "That's the spirit Yumi! Let's have this battle be like a toast to your god! Mazel Tov!"

In a flash of light Yumi dashed forward. At the same time, Caius fired off his spell. The darkness energy expanded and would engulf all in front of it. There was no doubt this would be the final exchange. Either this attack would get rid of Yumi or she would break through it and he would be exposed to that axe of hers. Truth be told was he was having a good time and starting to like this girl. If she managed to survive through this he was thinking of a proposition for her.

Spoiler:

"Malum look upon me and grant your blessing! If I die may I be summoned to your side once again to live out my days in the abyss as your loyal servant!" Yumi proclaimed loudly her words echoing over the mountain as a fearsome aura surrounded her. The symbol burnt into her back, lit up glowing a vibrant red as the mark of malum came on display. A matching symbol appeared in the sky over her head. Gripping the axe tightly the lolita sped towards Caius charging in like a tiny rocket, moving at speeds equal to regular spells.

Lightning surrounded Yumi and her axe as Caius seemed to accept her final stand. Yumi kept low to the ground as Caius countered with his powerful spell the one he said he would use. Like before the man raised his hand and pointed a finger directly towards her and fired his spell. Like before a magical bullet was fired, the lolita knowing the projectory chose not to avoid the spell instead faced it head-on like a maniac. Roaring loudly, Yumi swung her axe into the path of the spell. The axe struck with a loud bang as the spell detonated right in her face. The spell would engulf the Lolita as a powerful gust of wind erupted from the impact.

The Lolita bit her inner lip as the spell sent her flying back, the axe she carried left her grasp. The giant axe flew up into the air and went sailing across the battlefield where it crashed into a boulder splitting it in two on impact and became impaled in the ground. The demonic loli herself was sent skidding across the terrain, torn fabric falling to the ground as blood sprayed through the air. Two pairs of trenches were carved from Yumi's feet as she refused to fall over. Yumi went skidding back across the mountain top leaving two ten-meter long trenches in the earth from her feet.

As the smoke cleared, Yumi was an utter mess. Her clothing was torn and disheveled revealing her creamy white skin but left more than enough to keep her modesty. Her right hand which she wielded her axe in was bloodied as blood dripped to the ground. The lolita spat out a ball of blood and saliva onto the ground as she struggled to stand. She had taken the full brunt of the attack but refused to collapse. Only through sheer will did she remain on her feet.

"Is that all you got?" Spat out the Lolita hiding the pain she was feeling.

WC: 432
TWC: 3829

Not even deterred, Yumi swung her weapon into his spell.  He smiled as he anxiously awaited the result while they clashed. The goth loli tried her hardest, but it was overwhelmed by the bullets great power. The giant mass of purple magic energy had overtaken her and continued forward until it dispersed. Smoke and dust from the attack started to settle after a few seconds revealing a standing Yumi. Sure she was a bloody mess but she had tanked his ace in the hole and survived. He could only count on one hand the amount of times that had happened. He wanted to keep on the good side of this girl. "That in fact was all I got. I can't believe you're still kicking. I like you kid! "

Caius walked forward to Yumi keeping a finger pointed at her. "Bang! Bang!" he mocked her as he approached, Pretending to fire off some more bullets from his finger. He just wanted to get a reaction out of her while he approached. Once he arrived, he squatted down to her level.  He waved his hand in front of her face to see if she was still conscious. "Hey Yumi still there? That's a big hit you just got smacked with and you took it like a champ." Caius gave her a bit to catch her breath. He could tell she was struggling to stand in place. The truth was he was getting pretty exhausted himself . His mana reserves were low after firing so many spells. It was best to call it now.

"Listen Yumi we should stop here. Besides, I got a little proposition for you anyway." Caius stood back up and pulled a vial out of his pocket. In the container was a rainbow colored dust. This was the drug he created called Sparkle. The contents of the vial were extremely potent and felt like you were on every major drug at once. Euphoira, hallucinations, mental alertness you name it. The best part was it was extremely addicting making people come back for more.

"This is Sparkle. My baby. I run a business around this country that needs some help expanding. Drugs, alcohol. slaves. The good stuff. Being a big burly man like myself sometimes it's hard for me to 'recruit' people into my slavery service. I was thinking you can play a wolf in sheep's clothing. Just act like an innocent little girl and befriend people and then bring them to me to get caged.   I can pay you of course. You said you were into sacrifice. I can give you one of the slaves in my reserve to do whatever messed up shit your god wants.  If that's not good enough I can give you straight cash. Or maybe." Caius handed Yumi the vial. "I can pay you in this. Go on. First sample is free."

Yumi would have glared daggers at the man's mocking attitude if she wasn't so tired. The daemon was using all her will power not to fall over, she refused to show any sign of weakness by collapsing, no matter how much her body wanted to embrace the sweet void of unconsciousness. Looking up with fiery eyes, Yumi stared directly up at the man called Caius as he stood before her. He then crouched down and waved a hand in front of her asking if she was still there.

Caius stood back up and pulled a strange vial from his pocket gaining Yumi's curiosity slightly, but she hadn't the energy to speak yet. In the vial was strange rainbow-colored dust the daemon had never seen before. Whatever it was, it probably had to do with whatever the proposition Caius had for her. In some form, she was slightly curious just what he wanted to propose for her.

Apparently, the dust was called Sparkle a drug of some kind and helped the man run his business. He was some kind of drug-dealer who also had his hands in alcohol and slaves apparently. He did put an enticing offer on the table with slaves for sacrifices but Yumi was more interested in the hardcore cash. That was when she shoved the drug into her hands saying it was a free sample and he could just pay her in the dust.

"I'd rather keep my wits if you don't mind." Yumi rebuked in an exhausted tone. The Demon had no intention of indulging in the drug. "It is an enticing offer though and I am interested in money. I can get sacrifices anytime I want. I've already caused a little mayhem down people and sent over a dozen souls onto my God. While I have an abundance of heathens at my heels, I am lacking in funds."

Yumi needed jewels to improve herself. With cold hard cash, she could buy better equip and potions. "Very well I'll accept the offer."

WC: 345
TWC: 4174

Yumi eyed the drug but didn't reach out for it. She was a smart one. Caius shook it at her like a dog treat to entice her to take it but it was a no go. After a few moments of contemplation, she accepted his offer. Caius was ecstatic and threw his hands up in in the air at her response. "Fan-Fucking-Tastic! " he shouted as it echoed through the mountains. "Sure money it is then. I treat my employees well!" This was big. He had a some concern with Era being the Rune Knight Capital of the country but now he had some extra muscle. Things just got a lot easier as long as he kept her happy.

Caius stuck his hand out to shake on the business deal that they had just struck. "Can't wait to get this show on the road partner." Lightning struck in the sky as he spoke as almost to acknowledge the wickedness of the deal they had just made. The two evil auras mixed together that would signal nothing but a bad omen for the entire town. "I say we get out of this mountain and head to town to celebrate Yumi. That is .. are you ok?" He didn't know if she could walk all that distance under her own power with those injuries. " Do you need me to carry you back? You're probably light as a feather. I'm not taking that heavy ass axe though."

Yumi extended her hand to take Caius's. The two shook hands to seal the deal between them. After the lolita started making her way towards her fallen axe as Caius talked. She had barely enough energy to speak at the moment let alone go drinking. But first things first she needed her weapon. Reaching out the lolita wrapped the handle. Magical energy flared up as lightning consumed her tiny body and poured into her muscles to empower them. With the brief return of her strength the lolita gave a strained shout mixed with a roar as she lifted the giant axe out of the ground. The axe was torn free from the earth as debris went flying. Whipping the axe around the lolita threw it onto her back where it clipped into place.

With a tired sigh she turned to glance at her new partner, "I will politely decline. I must return to my dwelling to rest." Spoke the lolita before she turned back and started making her way towards Era, "Perhaps another time." Raising a tired hand she waved goodbye to her new business partner and slowly made her way back home.

Yumi needed to rest up and recover. While she hadn't shown it, the attack had done some damage to her internal organs, and forcing herself to use magic to retrieve her axe had only worsened it. The demoness needed to heal up, the last thing she wanted was a bounty hunter coming after her while hurt to claim her bounty.

{EXIT}

WC: 255
TWC: 4429