” Uuuuuuuncle! Are ye ready for me next spell?” The cheeky Demoness would look over to him, leaning forward as she whined. She didn’t want to send ravens to get him, only take up much of his time. And so the poor Dwarf would find no peace in his work as he tried tinkering in his forge.

” Ye could set some of the better patrol men to take the toll, supervise it like some training again. It’s been a while since I helped test the mettle. They just might be going soft.” This was around the step of heating the metal, but with Lumi’s constant pestering, the room was running a little too cold for the heat to stick and the metal to soften. To agitate the situation further, she even intention chilled the stoked fire. Not fizzling it out, but weakening its flame.

The Demoness throughly enjoyed her meddling, and a sparkle would gleam in her eyes. It was safe to say that the gremlin would not leave Brone’s side until he agreed to entertain her.

The forge was hot and the flame was strong. Brone Heavyaxe was softening a metal scrap when he felt a draft. It wasn't until he noticed the flames in the forge dim and flicker that he realized it was a demonic omen. Lumikki appeared from the darkness and he confirmed he was right.

His niece would pester him as he would hammer away at the heated scrap metal. He would listen to her, allow her to speak freely, though he normally is talkative as well, at this moment, he was putting more of his focus on his work, especially with the sudden difficulty due to the cold. Brone thought about sending the patrol to train with Lumikki, but remembered she has become so powerful, her spells could accidentally kill them.

The scrap metal bent in an undesirable way; the dwarf took a closer look and realized the metal was warped because it wasn't properly tempered. He gave a heavy sigh as he pinched the bridge of his nose, "I need a break anyway, let's take it away from the forge" he said as he tossed the metal and the tongs to the side before picking up his shirt and breastplate.

The cheeky Demoness bounced with every step as the pair wandered to higher peaks. If she was to destroy the guild once again, it would be through battle and not practice. In her mind she was already plotting her hand motions and conjurations. Lumi felt like she had the gist of the spell she desired in mind. Yet it was not entirely fleshed out. The only prompt Lumi was using to formulate her next magic was that she wanted to emulate the ripping winds. Though her magic was of frost and dark, wind was not entirely an element under her command yet gales were to birds as breath is to life.

And so Lumi stayed mostly silent, occasionally answering a conversation with her Uncle as she contemplated an icy current she could create. ” Ever faced any wind magic during one of yer many battles?” Lumikki finally inquired. She never felt it herself besides when she clashed with Brone in one of their previous battles. And even then her magic would prevail to quells its might before it ever became a problem.

But not that the memory became prominent in her mind, she mulled over that attack while waiting for Brone’s response. He spun around with axe in hand and in his rapid rotation, a tornado formed. Perhaps if she created a rotation of her own, she could be given a similar reaction, but as how and what to spin she did not quite know. It would be her desire to rip all that entered her winds that helped hint on her solution. Clearly her wind needed to rip like talons~ and it would be on this revaluation that she finally concocted her spell. Now it was a matter of execution and seeing if it would indeed work.

Brone exited the forge and made his way up the staircase that led to one of the main buildings of the southern side of the guild territory. The moment he heard his niece mention 'wind magic', he groaned, "Aye, a samurai used wind magic and it cut it up good" he tried to laugh it off, but it worried him what kind of magic Lumikki had up her sleeve. He ended up learning from his own experience that he wasn't good against fierce wind; Gnicholas the gnome would mention to him that it would make sense that dwarves who are so entuned with the earth that they would have some form of irritation or vulnerability to wind base magic. Brone wasn't sure what the gnome was talking about, but he personally knew that being in the air, or the sky upset his stomach.

They would make their way north towards the training dome would it was kept away from most building structures just in case his niece's new spell was disastrous. He didn't want to spend another evening writing reports.

Lumikki kept skipping along as she mulled her prospects. One would think in her daze that she missed the entrance of the training dome that they passed by, but it was purposeful. Lumikki was leading her Uncle further, to the Sigmundir Passes as there would be more room to work on the plateau then in a structure, and she wanted to kick up as much wind as the spell could muster.

” Fuuuurther…” Lumi coaxed Brone, so he would be inclined to follow. She knew him blunt and practical, and so ignoring his confusion would cost them more time. ” Theres more room in the mountains.” She continued, concluding the explanation.

The pair would not veer too far from the guild in order to get to work, as there was much open space to make do with. And after Lumi gave the area a look around, she found that she was pleased.” Aye! It’s time to give it a try now. Are ye ready to brace yerself? This one shouldn’t pierce yer armor so ye should be more comfortable than me last training.” She clapped her hands in excitement, brimming with energy and passion. And after waiting for Brone to get settled, she would try to work out the final details of the spell.

After just a little more deliberation, Lumi got to work. Pressing her hands so the fingers touch her palm, she rotated them so that her hand placement sits opposite to before. Such a gesture to represent the intention for rotating wind and the claws she’d use to do it.

Three black frost talons, much like the ones she’s learned to summon often, appear above Brone. While a lavender magical circle flashes quickly beneath the soles of his feet. The ends opposite of the long gnarled claws, would all point to a center while all the talons hovered on their side with the nail tips facing counter clockwise.

This would be where the spell began to feel more clunky. As Lumi had not yet learned, let alone perfected the movement needed for the spell. So all talons would turn quite slowly but in tandem. It was like watching a windmill turn slowly in a weak gust of wind until the gale picked up and so did its rotation.

And pick up it did when Lumi was finally getting used to her constructs. The faster she could willed it to spin, the more she could stir the winds. Much like Brone when he rotated with weapon in hand to summon a vortex, Lumi was managing the same though her tempest was more frigid than his. Eventually the gale kicked off into a storm of its own, turning into a frost tornado with winds that already threatened to cut deep but the claws of talons only exacerbated the slashes further.

Lumi held her hands in place while focusing deeply on her spell. She was not yet used to handing magic that was so energetic, but her excitement feed to the spell nicely.

” How fair ye Uncle? Does this maelstrom seem reminiscent to the Samurai’s technique? Do ye think I it strong to shred me foes to slivers and pieces?” Her voice was an energetic and winded as her spell. And she eagerly awaited a response.

They eventually reached the slope of a rocky terrain, far from the guild's main buildings. Brone had expected for this to take place in the training dome, but he was nudged elsewhere and he questioned why. He would fasten his armor to him and slip on his blue helmet. When he looked upon Lumikki's excited face he thought nothing much of it, just that his niece was excited to use a new spell. When she mentioned it was aimed to pierce defenses and shrugged, "Ye need more spells as such, ye may never know if we te face other heavily armored dwarves" he laughed.

Then she began to cast the spell. When it took form, Brone was surprised, he looked all about him, finding himself trapped within this artwork of death. Normally he would have ran out of the circle, but because he was taken by surprise, he wasn't about to leave it before the talons began to spin, faster and faster. An icy wind whirled up; the whirlwind and the talons began to shred into his armor. Scratches and gashes sprouted all throughout his armor and helm, the wind and the talons tore into his skin as well, despite how tough his skin was, blood still flew about.

As the spell faded, Brone stood there with his arms up protecting his face. He lowered his arms once he heard the sound of the wind fading. Looking at his niece, blood dripping from his brow, "Aye... I think ye can do real damage" he said, his worry and surprise kept him from thinking of anything else other than defending his face.

" Oy if a Dwarf approves then I can be sure it's true. No one knows the bitter taste of the wind like a Dwarf with a skin of stone and heart of earth." She grinned maliciously but quickly softened her face and features. Her hands were clasped together and her posture slouched to show her excitement. And before she could walk over to Brone, she did a little dance.

She always had this level of excitement when spells were completed. The Demoness always felt much joy when her magic manifested and took form, often in ways that complimented her best. But instead of basing a spell on another, which was something she had done in recent ones to honor her guild alongside her, she had been focusing on spells that bring out the best in her. And now she has something like the wind in her arsenal.

Lumikki hopped over and laid a hand on Brone. Hoping her spell could alleviate some of the pain and damage inflicted. Black frost flowers would sprout all around him, growing and wilting in quick succession. While places with the deeper wounds would see the most flowers." Maybe I should be asking Beni to help me with these. I'm starting to feel bad with all the times I hurt ye and me spells are getting too strong tank with yer armor alone."

Brone couldn’t help but smile when he watched Lumi’s visage return to the child-like wonder he was use to. To many of the patrol, they believed her demonic form was her true being, but her uncle knew too well the sweet young woman before him was her true being, no matter what form she took.

The dwarf winced when Lumikki placed a hand upon him. He didn’t realize how strong the spell truly was until the pain from the wounds came to surface, but the healing spell that was conjured by the demoness soothed him. He breathed slowly, ”if ye want to drag Beni, go right ahead, but remember he can’t take a punch like I can” Brone laughed. Normally he would oppose the idea of letting others take his place to help his niece, but her magic has grown so much that even her uncle risked heavy wounds if she wasn’t careful.

He patted her on the head after she managed to close his wounds, albeit he still felt the pain. He would walk off towards the mess hall so he could get a bite to eat and turn in.

[Exit]

" No one could take a hit like ye Uncle, but maybe it's for the best. When the time comes that we battle others for real, it would only behoove ya to grow used to me frostbite. Can't have them thinking just cause we fight together on the field that it would mean I hold back." Though Lumikki holds back her catastrophic nature she is still a being of destruction. The longing to rain down natural disasters was an itch she could not ignore and the desire to fight seriously beside her Uncle was compelling.

Lumi saw his wince even as she healed him, and a little giggle slipped from her lips. " How does Beni hold up in a scrap anyways. Even as a sword and shield, I do not recall getting to see him in battle." There was a small whine of longing from her as she was truly perplexed. She never saw any Oni in a fight before but Brone got to fight his fair share. " What is an Oni like in a fight Uncle? Ye had to ram a few back in Joya, Aye?"

But he was already making himself back to the guild hall. Whether for a meal or rest, she did not yet know. Lumi followed him all the same as she wasn't yet done to leave his company. She wanted to see what stories of their Joyan battles she could pry out the limping man.

" Aye, suppose it could wait after a bit of ale yea."