Lumikki was not content relying solely on armor. Regardless of its origins or where it came from. It was not because she did not trust in it. Being raised by Dwarves only made her too keen on what such equipment could do. The magnificence of her Uncle Brone's armor was something that had not been surpassed, though seeing it on Yuurei was unsettling. Yessssss…., Lumikki thought to herself, that is what I want. Armor of pure frost and thigh ice. One of me own…..

And it would be that thought that charged her. Along with the memories of the war. As Joya was distraught in a civil battle, Lumi and Brone were but two who fought within it. The pair fought alongside the other. Pushing through the territory and claiming back all they could. But it was the battle with the shinobi that would pulse in her mind. Besides all her sadness and regrets, Lumikki could never forget the armor conjured by her Uncle. A means to turn the tide of the battle as it expanded their presence further. Imbuing all of those in the Dawn with the vigor of the Shield’s vigor.

It was in that form that she wanted to take, to make her own. So she sought the company and guidance of her Uncle to aid her. Perhaps with the hope to test the might of her magic with the patrol.

Brone Heavyaxe was heavily armored and brandishing his weapons including the new addition to his arsenal: Olaf Oakley. The dwarf was excited to come across the large club for he always wanted to wield a sentient weapons. Though the merchant who was selling the talking club seemed so happy to rid of the weapon, the dwarf wasn't aware that Olaf was unwanted because he was seen as annoying to others that were around him.

The dwarf made his way to the training dome as the sun was setting. The sound of his laughing could be heard easily along with the loud tales of the talking club. Lumikki had asked her uncle to help her train her new spells and he was always looking forward to seeing what new spells she was able to make; to him it felt as if she was crafting like the dwarves within the halls of the forge; it made him proud.

The double doors opened and in walked the dwarf, blurting out a laughter as Olaf continued his constant talking "Really, you should have seen the toe! My handler held me up high above his head, I swear I could hear the birds chirping in the clouds above, right before I was brought down and slammed into the giant's toe; it went black and blue in a split second, the nail heavily cracked, the sight of it was awful, honestly I didn't know how powerful I was until that moment, but then again, I should have known, since I was able to break the scale of an emerald dragon, and it was a female too!" the wooden club kept rambling on even after Brone approached Lumikki and waved at her with a wide smile and teary eyes from heavy laughter.

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Really, Lumikki did not know what to make of it. It was not often one absorbs talking weapons, and ones so animated at that. Of course, Beni had granted her padding there. This was not what floored her. It would be the fact that this personality was far more pronounced and far less….mysterious than her brother presented. Where most to all his words had her attention in a vice while this fellow already had her nerves.

But perhaps the change to Demon granted her less patience. For all Lumikki knew, she was simply just more irritable now; and seeing her Uncle in such good spirits especially answering her call to train, could help her void that. At least that was what she was hoping for.

So as she heard the wafting bellows of the pair on their entry, catching every word in an eerie, foreboding clarity. Lumikki would try her hardest to regain focus. Bringing her mind back to the armor she had adorned that day.

Maybe this was for the best, she would try to lie to herself. Training will need to push me limits and stretch me focus…, she would reason. All while rubbing her temples as she tried to drown them out. When her Uncle, ripe with tears had finally made his appearance. Lumikki would look scrunched in face and stature as she was trying to re-envision what she wanted.

” Greetings Uncle. Thanks as always for answering the call. Who is this energetic friend of yers? Seems new in the arsenal….” Lumi began, her voice was a bit more piercing than her usual friendly tone but these were intricacies her Uncle would hardly care to unravel. He was a straightforward man and one could see that in his straightforward company of the moment.

” All the same, thanks again. Yes, yes…let me just get me mind sorted.” One could wonder how just the smallest introduction of such an addition could wind her so. That would be because her mind tended to trail along every word. Processing them all as they came. If she was lost in her world or thoughts, she could block most things out, though words of others could still tug at her focus. But when she was at her capacity, she would ingest every phrase. For better or worse, Lumi did enjoy analyzing others' utterances. But with the wooden bloke before her, she would have to train her ability to let go as well. Let other’s words enter her ear and out the other.

” That armor of yer’s Uncle. It is very unique aye? I probably won’t be finding one out there for meself, or enough dragons strong enough to front the frost and the one to masterfully smith it….so I was thinkin…maybe I could craft one of me own. One like the day of the Shinobi.”

She tensed her talon-like hands, with skin already dark as night save her hands the color of frost. Black ice would creep along her skin much like the time she trained long before. It would coat her but hardly pass as the armor she wanted. There were no intricacies and this spell felt hardly as strong as the Demoness felt she needed. With all her battles thus far, Lumi felt like she needed something more. Sure she could never be as tough as stone as her Uncle, though a Demon she still retained her frailty. Which would not seem so apparent if not for the fact she often faced monsters.

And so she needed a new and daunting form. Even when she remained petite, dawn a form that would add the edges to the frame. And what better inspiration than the Valkyries of battles long past in junction with the magic one presented by her Uncle?

"I'm always here to answer yer call, frostflower" Brone chuckled, expressing his enjoyment for having his training sessions with her, no matter how destructive they end up becoming; he then held the talking club up before him to show her, "This be Olaf" he introduced him.

"That's Olaf Oakley, to be specific" Olaf said with confidence, "Once a mighty tree who had witnessed many wonders and now a powerful weapon who has faced off against many of foe-" he went on with his rambling but Brone ended up cutting him off.

"Don't mind the yappin'" Brone said as he placed the still talking club into his satchel which thankfully muffled the rambling Olaf. The dwarf rubbed his hand over his armor of tundra blue ice, polishing it with pride as Lumikki complimented it, though he was unaware she was actually referring to the powerful armor spell he activated during the war at Joya.

Seeing her black ice form carefully over her body brought to mind the protective spell she used long ago in which he tested by throwing a jab, but this was different, more denser, more detailed. Though the young Clan Heiress didn't seem too impressed by her own work, Brone clapped in celebration, "Wonderful! Now let's test it!" he quickly said as he clenched his fist and spread his legs, "Brace yerself, lass" he said right before he threw a jab.

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There was an instant shot of relief when the Oat conjugation was silenced. Relieving Lumi of the steady headache building at her temples. And with Brone’s assurance to not be bothered, Lumi began to relax. Shedding the tension she felt at the moment, or perhaps that would be misplaced. As what happened next would take her off guard once more.

Lumi wore her second skin sure, but her stance even if study wouldn’t hold to such a Dwarf’s raw strength and her spell was hardly to her liking. It paled in comparison to what she initially called Brone in for. And so with the thwap of Brone’s jab coming quick toward Lumi’s gut. She was not only taken off guard but sent flying backward. It would be from her intuitive use of magic that would keep her crashing onto the wall nearby as the shadows would warp and tear to catch her. Cushioning the brunt of the force before it could harm her. And with a triggered-like reflex. A black tendril would swell up beside Brone, stretching a meter taller than him before swinging itself. Swatting him backwards as he did her.

” Ye could of given more time to warn a lass before brunting her!” Lumi snarled in frustration, she did her best to pull back her anger as no damage was done.” Oy, ye hardly even gave me time to cast the real spell I was trying for either. This second skin aside, I wanted something more grand.”

The shadows placed Lumi back on her feet and the Demoness would walk back forward. As she did, her gaze was affixed on her arms. As if looking at herself was the only thing to help guild her in grounding the idea she had on the cusp of her mind into reality. With every step she would flex her hand in arms, as if trying for a trigger to the spell that she wanted.

” Shaping magic gets easier after a while….sometimes it hardly takes more than a passing thought. But then there are times when its hard to focus on what ya want….I want armor like yers, merged with the armor of that day.”

He watched as his niece tumbled back and was safely caught by her shadows like a net. Then a shade a appeared beside him and slapped his entire back so roughly that his helmet jerked forward and out of place, blinding him, "Aye, sorry, lass! Just a tad excited is all" he chuckled as he fixed his helm back onto his head.

Brone watched as Lumikki positioned herself and looked down, moving her arms and focusing. She once again referenced 'that day' and it was then that the dwarf realized what she was referring to, "Ah! That spell! Aye that be one the best dang armor I ever had, but it takes a lot of mana, I tell ye that, but if ye want to match that armor, ye gonna have to think layers on layers interlockin' like chainmail, that's how I see it anyway" The feel and the conjuring of the spell was hard to explain; Brone didn't know the details and explanation of magic weaving and spellwork, but knew armor and weapons. Hopefully Lumikki knew what he was referring to.

” Hmmm chain main ye say? Ya know it’s funny, I could often seem magic as clothes and fabric, I shift it around as such all the time; but to see it as armor now, well that’s quite some perspective indeed. It’s a good thin Pa never shied away from dragging me down to his shop and forge. So let me think on it a sec, I’ll signal again when I’m ready to go.”

And so Lumikki fell back, deep into her thoughts. Deep onto all those experiences as a child. She would have to admit, it was a lot to take in. The process of forging gear was an intensive one. Deceptively complicated and only made to seem simple at a glance, as many tasks take monotonous repetition. One could get loss in the number of swings the hammer makes, his clinking to the heated metal almost melodic. Yes, there were plenty of times Lumi would fall asleep to such sounds. To the relief of her Dwarven Pa as he meditatively got to work on his tasks, quietly praising his luck as he was stuck watching his little lass while the misses did tasks of her own. He would not admit to how sweet those moments were, or how much he longed for them to return; but he never complained about Lumikki’s company. Favoring the fact that he had a good kid of his own.

When enough years struck her, He would take to teaching her the trade. Figuring that it never hurt to share such knowledge to his little one. He was doubtful she would ever take up his forge, but he would not suffer her buying into poor gear, or worse….dating a blacksmithing hack. No, no, no-his girl would be made aware what quality is in all regards of her life. And so he took to work showing her the steps and details that he deemed vital.

Morgrym often worked in a room nearly entirely dimmed, save for the flames fueling the forge just behind him. Light was not a necessity to him, and in the darkness was where he could see the glowing metal best. Heating what ever piece he was working on until it was the perfect shade of pale yellow, almost white, before heaving it onto his anvil to get to work. He would coax Lumi to see, explaining her what to look out for and while. As orange would be no where near enough, but sheer white would make the metal too soft to keep the details he wanted. And Lumi would gasp as the heavy heat that made even the air warp just before her eyes, praising her Pa for touching it like a plain sunny day.

” We are lot like the metal in me forge lass.” He put the heat metal back on the flame and snatched up a hulking piece of ore from a crate near the fire.” What ye see in me palm could be deemed useless to an untrained eye. Some fool could cast it to the side for he knows not what it is. And if ye look close,” he brought it to the flames so that she could better see, forgetting that peering into the dark did not come naturally to his own as it did him.” It would be hard to blame the idiot. Look at how jagged and imperfect this is. It could very well be just a rock. But that’s all of us at the start ye know. Indistinguishable and purposely. It’s only through the passionate flames of life and the skills of one’s own grit and cunning that tempers us into something spectacular.” in the heat of the moment, he snatched a shield, a previous work of his, and presented it before his daughter. Tracing the details of the etching with his finger before carefully grasping her hand as if it were delicate glass and prompting her to follow along the lines. Letting her feel the depth of the markings and the ceaseless intricacies of his runic work and decorative lines. And as he did, Lumi’s face would light up more and more as his point was sinking in deep into her soul. Perhaps too deep as it was almost lost to the forge that was life and rebirth.

And as Lumi thought more and more about it, her ice would layer and interlock over her skin. Far from the norm that she usually mustered, which was fabric and mesh, but like the metal work of her father in his forge. And her Uncle before her.

Armor, black as obsidian would adorn her small frame. It left no skin bare as it hungrily consumed her. Wings would grow from many points, the helm, knee plates, and boots. While runic etches would carve its way atop the surface of bigger plates, calling to the powers of protection and overcoming battle, before fluttering out into feathery flourishes. Her helm like before would over much of her head, and a band of darkness would over her eyes leaving only her nose and mouth for others to see. But with her dark skin, the would still prove hard for most to discern. The back of the suit had four holes with the intent of freeing her wings should she need to, and from her waist down hung a black fabric like skirt that sat atop a plate of ice. While her neck and chest was adorned in a plating that bore ice crystals and many shades of blue and purple.

” Try it now,” she insisted as she finally felt fitted perfectly with powerful armor of her own making.

Brone nodded and sighed with relief. He was bad at understanding the workings of magic, let alone explaining how his own magical weapons worked. Lumikki, like Brone and many other dwarven children, had been brought to the forge by their parents to learn the ways of the forge, it was a way of life and they use such knowledge in their daily living, even if these dwarven children didn't grow up to be blacksmiths.

The black ice took its time forming around Lumikki, covering her body entirely. Brone was impressed, seeing how detailed the armor was and how it perfectly it fit her as if she had several dwarven tailors who helped measure her from head to toe to get the perfect measurements for the full body armor. The runic designs brought a sparkle to Brone's eyes as he got close enough to get into position. He clenched his fist, but this time, he didn't intend on throwing a jab, he was going to put all his strength into it, having confidence in his niece's craft. He would pull back and throw his weight into his punch, his fist slamming into the black armor.

The gleam in his eye from her work would not give away his sudden strike. If the Demoness hadn’t requested it, the move would have been too swift to get her to brace for. But as she spoke her conviction, she took a stance much like her Uncle had done prior in battles. Wide and to the side, enough for her to attempt planting her feet and holding ground; but in the wake of the strike, she would not hold for an inch. The force alone would be enough to send her backsliding. And with the impact of his fist, all could hear the all too familiar crackle of ice as her feet skidded the floor.

The cracks would continue to spread through the plate, the breaking ice sounding off in cold and curt muddles like the breaking of a glacier. It was a pleading sound left alone outside in the tundra but not quite inviting in a fight. And yet, it was the fact that it had kept sounding was a reassuring one as it meant her ice remained despite the splitting. Much of it would remain sitting firm.

The Demoness would not allow herself to slide far, she may lack the raw strength her Uncle bore for the moment but her magic was enough to meet his might. And as her feet still dug into the ground, ice shards would propel from her soles and carve into the floor. Halting her movement soon after their might, like talons, clung to the earth below.

In the wake of the punch, Lumi felt no pain, nor did she feel the shock of the blow. The ice clung to her skin, but it was like padded flesh. It was her as much as the dark was and with that it cradled her to perfection, shielding her from all harm.

” If a Dwarf of yer caliber could not strike me down, then the Tundras of home are mine. None of the ilk in Iceberg would touch me now.”

The black ice cracked under his fist. Lumikki slid back until she came to a full stop. Brone observed the cracks that ran along the armor; from the feel of his fist connecting to witnessing the outcome, he determined this spell was more powerful than her ice that layered her skin, "Aye, lass, that armor of yers is tougher than your shield spell" he smirked. The density of the black ice was immense, possibly even greater than his own breastplate made of nevermelting ice. Finally his niece has crafted a powerful armor that rivals the greatest forgers.

"The tundras? Yers?" Brone laughed as he unclenched his fist, feeling the frost upon it, slight pain having to struggle to open it, "Yer sound like ye plan on over taking the tribes" the idea was farfetched, but a part of the dwarf wondered if his niece was serious of the idea; she has grown so much in power that she could be seen as a threat to even Paradise Dawn. She has faired well during the war with Joya, so why wouldn't she suggest such a thing?

Lumi’s face shifted from pleased by her achievement to that of smug and malicious intent. Her smile pulled back into a smirk and her eyes began to glow. Though she did not mean to allow her demeanor slip or show such eager hunger that she often kept tucked away.

” I have a hankering for such pursuits. Our warriors are content to die in glory and preserve what is theirs. Nothing wrong with such aims, but it leaves to short lived wisdom. But Uncle, I could become eternal. If Iceberg is the home from where I hail, then I think I owe it to me motherland to watch over it.” Her smile pulled back further until sharp fangs were revealed. The Demoness’ unbridled hunger was slipping out of her the more she gave her goals some thought. But this was the first time she would make them known to another outside of her immediate flock.

” I’m willing to amass the wisdom, and I sure got the time to. What are yer thoughts Osborn?” She had not called him this much before, usually enjoying the familial name. But as everyone else got nicknames in her life, she was compelled to call him what he was. Particularly without thought in the moment, the implications of playing at his power in a conversation so charged. But witnessing him in battles, what was he if not a god-bear.

He heard her and he nodded to her statement. She was indeed right, she spoke like a true warrior. When Brone looked to her, he saw such a demonic visage, and he understood, that thrill of the fight, to go against the tundra and feel life, even when warm blood runs down your own body.

She called him by a nickname, not like the endearing nicknames they would refer to one another at times; this surged the blood within his veins and he showed her a smile of his own. He clenched his fist before bellowing out in a loud laughter. "Whatever plan ye have, lass, make me known of it so I can have me axes ready!" he practically shouted this out. The danger, the adventure, the thrill it all, it brought him life and he couldn't wait to see what the devlish smile of that little woman would bring.

[Exit]