Lumikki read over the catalog of the relics for hours now. It took her that long because it was so boring to thumb through. The text was more dry than her remedial magic textbooks and it kinda made her want to set them on fire. But that was the chaos within her talking. That would bring more trouble than it was worth and so she would restrain. But just barely as she was slightly ripping out the pages and crinkling them purposely.

The only reason she was looking through these records, to begin with, was because it would behove her to be aware of all the relics already retrieved. The loyalist of the Talaz Lagaar pride themselves on their histoy and her mission centered around preserving it. All factions were plundering Zero. There were good things there she’s heard, at least, there was. Most was long gone now. Although the Loyalist had their good share as said by this boring book.

She wrote notes on the basic things of note, more along the lines of how to identify what was worth searching. for and what was trash. As far as the Demon thought, they were nonesense and garbage, but that was only because she was not particularly savy about these things. Being raised in Iceberg among Dwarves and tribes made her sentimental to the old ways.

Though, purhaps by burning grace of her own mother, this did not cement her toward stagnation. What good are traditions that never change or adapt. Yet still, traditions are indeed charming and sometimes Lumikki felt an aversion to move on. This was one of those times. She found nothing charming or human here. And although she is a creature of coldness, this kind of coldness she did not enjoy. It, as far as she was concerned, lacked a depth for her to lack onto. But purhaps it was her ingorance that afforded her that.

The usual ravens she would bring along with her, she had left home. She was not very certain as to how helpful they would be, explaining to them what exactly she would be looking for is hard. She hardly even knew herself. All she could do is finish off this cataloug and move onto her work. At least she would not have to skim this over more than once.

Lumikki twirled her hand within the shadows nearby her. Pulling ribbons from the absense of light and bring them to her mouth to munch on. Even the darkness here tasted dry to her, void of all flavor and substance. But it did quell her hunger so she did not think more of it.

She was at the last quarter of the book now, and in another hour she would finally be done. Lumi got up and hard stretched all the aches and stiffness she had garnered from sitting down for so long. Her wings even joined in, pullling back as hard as they could go. As she was left by herself, she didn’t see the point of hiding her form to look more human. It was still a pain for her to focus on and get right. So instead she dawned her skin made of darkness, her hair and wings of frost. Her hands etched of ice and tattoos glowing cyan.

Lumi grabbed her notes and gave them another look over. Getting the gist of what she figured was important. ” Uuuuh… that’ll have to do.” She grumbled to herself. Preferring to do this all alone.

Lumi tucked the note into her void and set off. Walking outside the collection center and into the cold, night. She sighed with relief once she entered her element. Her realm. She’ll never get tired of this.

She pulled out a map that a fellow Loyalist had passed her earlier that day. It had the location circled so that she knew where to go, this being her first time there. She looked the map over, making note of all the landmarks. Plotting her path before she began to take flight. The sooner she got there the sooner she could leave. Unlike the frost-tipped mountains of her home, or the beautiful waterfalls of her guild. Nothing was pleasing in this place to linger on.

Lumikki took a deep inhale and exhaled. She relaxed her form just a little bit more. One that was a mix of her two, humanoid and beast. All of her other wings were slipping out and it felt so good. So relaxing.

Lumikki looked in the direction she was going. Annoyed to be doing this at all. She wasn't even sure if she cared about being loyal to this but she was sure that she'd like the rewards.

She pulled all her wings back, jumping up and kicking off the ground. She wouldn't waste any more time as she made it over to Zero.

As she flew over the industial city only illuminated by the moon, she tried to make note of the things below. Not many people were up and about right now and she hoped that would be the case for the rest of the night.

Finally she arrived.

It was a vast wasteland. One that could not be explored easily in one day. The wreckage went as far as she could see and a lot of major fallen structures obscured much of it. From the reports she read earlier, it was said that a lot of the relics were long stipped away. Leaving behind a pointless wasteland.

She was here to plunder what was left that she could find. Lumi walked to one of the structures, using a cast of her frost-tipped talons to pull up some debris and toss it to the side. She’d make more to claw the rubble below. She lightly kicked off the ground to get a better view from above. Her talons clawing out the junk relentlessly. As they did, her keen eyes would look out for the treasures. Albeit they were hard to find.

This all was making her so frustrated. This was also surely some boring work. She grew more and more careless with her claws. Swiping at a lot of the rubble and debris below.

“Beep, beep, beep.” Beeps and whirling sounds could be heard from below. The rubble was moving, shifting, and sliding around. Everything on the surface was becoming displaced and before she could react, a metallic claw would shoot right for her.

” Fucking hell…..I hate this forsaken hel hole.” She would growl angrily. As the claw made contact, she willed her shadows to push it back. Holding its clasp from fully clamping down on her and when she managed to take a breath, she willed them to spike out and destroy the metallic limb.

This hardly slowed the thing. In the time she was fighting back its claw, it freed itself from the rest of the rubble. The thing was massive, with multiple legs and many arms. It had a lot of lights flashing along the top, and shifting parts along the sides of its round body. The gears and the grinding metal would get louder as you could hear it furiously whirling. It was reaching feverously high pitches and the screeching in her ears drove her crazy.

Lumi turned to the sky as she was hoping to climb up in altitude. Being a distance above made her feel safer than being in reach of a handsy machine. As she rose higher, the robot would try to take on the offense once more. The light sensors installed on top were looking out for her and trying to register just where she was. It did not take very long. The sensors found her quickly. Compartments within the shifting body were moving and opening, revealing gun-like amalgamations pointing right at her. There were eight of them total and for the moment they were all charging and locking on.

A glance below revealed dotted alones heading right for her and she knew what that would mean. The thing was going to start firing and she was not trying to take all those shots. So once she reached an altiude she enjoyed, she flipped backwards so that she could be facing the ground. The moment the robot began to fire she would weave its shots easily. After all, she knew where all of them were going so it was an easy matter to move just at the last second.

Once all eight shots were made, the robot took a moment to reassess. Recalculating it’s next move now that Lumi was able to avoid all of his attack. Of course, Lumi would not give it that chance, she would not let that thing exist in peace. She already pulled her wings back to blew it’s way a massive storm. The thing brunted it at first like the matter was nothing, but Lumi would only intensify the cold. Her frost was slowly incasing the blubs just above that it would use to send out a signal and find her. When she knew the thing was blinded from her blizzard, she would ease a bit once again. Inhaling and exhaling before relaxing her form for the last time so that the she was as she truly was. A raven Demon.

The robot was not yet done with her. Even without its sensors, it was beginning to shoot up above. Something was better than nothing after all and it was taking its chances at hitting her. It was an easy feat for Lumi to lunge to the side, the Demon had spun to the side before darting down. Sure she could use her magic to strike him down but with all her frustrations and the stress of hiding her form. She just wanted to smash into the robot and crush it with  her talons. This, the Demon would think, would bring her much joy. And it surely did when all her talons would rip into the metal and pull the scrap apart.

The whirling gear that would ruin her silence falter. Nothing about the machine came alive anymore and that was how she liked it. Lumi pulled back so that she was further up in the sky again, opting to get a good look at her victory and how it paid off in kind.

To her surprise, there were many goodies here now, with this robot broken open, it revealed some handy toys that she could fly back to the Loyalist. Just enough to shut them up and leave her alone.

Lumi looked down for a while. She was contently looking at the gist of her pay out. Making out just what lied below, at least the top of the pile before breathing in so deeply and trying to shift her form. This was still new to her. It was easier to shift toward her true form than it was not. It was easier to grow big than it was to grow small. But sure enough, with some time, the Demon managed.

Lumi drifted back down and sat upon the biggest piece of newly made rubble. One of her legs were propped up and her head would lean on the raised knee. The Demon took the moment to relax again, enjoying the sensations of her breaths. She calmed down and returned to her lulled state. Now that the excitment was done with, she was bored again. Her agency to move quickly was gone once more. But a las there was a job to do and she would not be able to reture home without doing that. Lumi looked up toward the moon and pulled out a flask from her void. Maybe drinking would raise her spirits she thought. I was worth a try and under the light of such a lovely moon. She took a deep swig consuming all that was inside. Alcohol was such an odd thing after her rebith, it did not affect her the same way. Sometimes it was more potent and sometimes it might as well be like water. She was experimenting to see where each drink would lie.

Once the Demon felt the familiair warmth, she went off to pick up her score. Sinking each item into her void before getting ready to take off again.