3 Chapter 3
"AAAAARRRRGH! THIS IS SO FRUSTRATING!"
Vali screamed out loud in the desert while walking through the sand, nearly tripping for the upteenth time had it not been for some quick recovery sills on his part, ones which had been honed from having to dodge so many attacks. Albion and [Glavenus] DID have a point in the journey here had been some sort of 'training'. Though, that only served to aggravate his mood even further.
"At this rate, you and [Glavenus] will get me killed earlier, and I'm almost running out of my demonic energy!"
That had indeed been true, no matter how much anyone tried to slice it. Since Vali had been using his Demonic Power reserves to act as fuel and nutrients for his body for the last 6 days, he had exhausted the majority of it. He only had about ¼ of it left right now, and that worried him, for if he ran into some kind of trouble then his energy reserves wouldn't be as reliable for evasion than they should be normally. That, and it took some of it to swing the Devil Arm tethered to his back since he was so small and it was so big, leading him to fear what it would be like if he eventually encountered another Stray (he had done so several times during his journey here, killing them swiftly and brutally after [Glavenus] had given him some quick pointers on how to wield Switch Axes).
Furthermore, this seemed to be the very first time ever in his memory that Vali had ever been without so much of his Demonic Energy, and it did NOT feel all too good. If he were to try and describe his energy, then as much as he despised it for its connection to his bastard of a father and grandfather, it had been his literal 'blanket' keeping him safe and protected (mostly) from the outside elements. Although, his father knew about this little titbit about Demonic Power and had means of bypassing these natural defenses, so his abuse could go on unhindered. Right now however, that blanket had been mostly shoved off by all this activity, as if it were him trying to kick the energy blanket off of his person and as a result, expose himself to the outside world. His body felt heavier, his mind felt slightly sluggish, his vision blurred a bit on the outside edges of his eyesight, amongst other abnormal side effects of wasting so much of his power.
So yeah, he had a right to be concerned.
Concerns which got waved off by his Tenants.
'It's part of your training, partner. Even someone like you can end up running out of your Demonic Power eventually. With you being in this situation, you can train your body to the limit, which will benefit you highly in the long run. As much as we have been trying to persuade you to accept it, you can't rely upon that Demonic Power forever, sooner or later you will have to get used and increase your stamina which is very important'
[He's right boy, for even a simple Wyvern, they have to start from the bottom of the pile, relying only on their instincts, their bodies, and lastly their Souls. Even a simple rat can survive the desert if it knows how.]
THIS caught his attention. "Huh?! Then if a simple rat can survive this so can I!" He declared, pumping his fist in front of him as a fiery determination began to boil within him, accompanied by a… somewhat competitive spirit. Those words which [Glavenus] had said, they'd been said with an intent behind them, an attempt to provoke Vali's in-born pride which he had inherited from his father… something which the Devil Arm doubted the boy even realized himself, but nonetheless it worked like a charm. Right now, Vali's eyes and heart burned with the righteous fire of adrenaline, refusing the notion that he would be weaker than a measly RAT.
GRUMBLE-GRUMBLE-GRUMBLE!
With the grumble of his stomach though, the fires simmered down to a more manageable level, as Vali made sure to clear his throat to try and distract his chuckling tenants from what had just happened… it didn't work so well, as one might be able to guess. ".....Right after I find food, can't rely too much on Demonic Power, like you both said."
As Vali continued through the desert, eventually he stumbled upon a small campsite, one which consisted of a few rock formations surrounding a space in a circular-like position, one formation being taller than the others which offered plenty of shade from the morning sun (he knew it was morning because he had asked Albion about it, and considering how the Dragon was, he didn't think he had been wrong).
'Ah, a place to rest! Finally, although it's no food, it'll be the best I can do, until-'
However, just as he made himself at home, a scent of food whiffed into his nostrils, causing them to shift and twitch as their scent invaded them. Vali however, didn't care about that as he became more focused on one thing: food. Honest to god(ouch I hate this headache) food, it was nearby, instead of being a far off dream…. It had been something which he had been thinking about for the last 4 days whenever he had taken breaks from his walking trip, the thought of eating some nice meals once again… heh, it honestly reminded him of his… his mother, whenever she cooked for him despite how that would get her in the end with his monster of a father.
Getting up from his temporary seat,Vali made his way inside the rock formations, heaving a sigh of relief when the shade covered his form and provided him some temporary relief from the sunlight. Soon, his attention got grabbed by the following sight: Two people, a man and woman preparing food right by a fire, he spied on them from a fair distance, having crept behind another small rock to play the role of the observer. Looked like they were just a pair of humans, it seemed, for his senses didn't pick up anything relating to the supernatural from them, Vali realized as he eyed the food they were cooking: a pasta dish, something which REALLY set his hunger ablaze.
Slowly, Vali made to reach back for [Glavenus], his hunger taking control for that brief moment. One can say it was brief due to what had followed: for as he made to lift his Axe from his back to steal the food from them, the woman turned to the man, revealing that she has a big stomach and the man put his hand on the woman's belly as they happily looked at the woman's belly.
Vali was confused about why they acted like that
'Why are they so happy whilst staring at that woman's belly...?' he questioned his Tenants, wondering what their response would be to this strange situation. It wasn't something which he had seen before either, one could almost say that it was the most alien-looking thing he had ever seen. His mother never did it, he didn't think anyways, and he felt sure as HELL his damn father never did either.
[.......Because Vali, she is pregnant.]
'Pregnant?'
'What he means Vali, is that the woman is carrying that man's child, It's just like the one which you were born from.'
'......Is that where I came from?'
[Yes indeed boy, in the future you will have to learn birds and bees.]
'Birds and bees? What's that?'
'Tttttthhhhhaaaattt is something for when you're older, right now it's not the time. Think of it as something unrelated to fighting.'
'....If you say so'
It… didn't take him long to regain control over himself, his hunger dying down considerably. As a result… Vali put his hand away from the Axe and decided to leave the couple alone, his hair shadowing his eyes whilst he moved on. Might as well let their child have a good life and hopes that the child will receive family love... something Vali wanted deep inside.
"Hmmmmmm."
"What's wrong honey?"
"Nothing dear, I just thought I felt someone was right outside of the camp."
"You're being too paranoid Ali."
"I know, but what can I say I'm worried about our child."
"Seriously dear, there is nothing out there in the desert besides snakes and camels, just calm down."
"...Alright, for now, let us pray for the Egyptian gods for our safety."
"Seriously? You still pray to them Ali?"
"What can I say Aamina, my family worships them for as long I can remember, but let's pray just in case."
"Alright Ali, let's pray"
Unbeknownst to the family, a giant snake slithered past them, keeping itself in smoke-like form to blend into the surroundings. It had the mind of an intelligent person since it was created by a… very special being, its order is to kill the intruder on its master's territory, not their worshippers since they are the species that they are sworn to protect not to kill them.
As we went back to our favorite, battle-seeking half-devil, Vali continued along his journey to get stronger… and BOY did he finally start seeing some results starting to happen. For one, his heat resistance felt like it had begun increasing since he felt much more at ease with being under the hot sun.
"Well, looks like you were right Albion, this does help me with my training, maybe I shouldn't have doubted you from the beginning..."
'Why do you even doubt me, partner?'
Vali almost wanted to roll his eyes at the indignant tone which the white dragon had used, his response being the dryest one he had overstated yet. "Well let me see, how about because you and Ddraig created this desert without even looking at your surroundings?" he questioned, but it sounded more like a confirming statement than anything. Heck, he swore he could 'feel' a nod coming from [Glavenus] as if both it AND him were giving Albion the dead fish stare.
'....In my defense, we were concentrated with our fights, to the point that we didn't even have time to look around, which kind of reminds me of a… really annoying being, one that thought it could defeat me. Got a bit too big for its britches, honestly.'
"Really?" Vali questioned, curious. As a child, he didn't think about what these implications were, nor did he know of the phrase known as 'jinxing it', sadly enough. "What could possibly be the being that could be annoying to you?"
'Well since you're a child, your curiosity makes you want to learn new things... that's fine. Might as well tell from what I could remember. This was before I fought with Ddraig.'
Now this caught [Glavenus] attention as well since being sealed away inside a remote space made it so that it hadn't heard of a lot of things.
[Ohhhh before you fought Ddraig: the red dragon emperor? Now this could be interesting]
"Really, before you fought with Ddraig?"
'Yes of course, now where was I…..? Ahhh yes, so before I created the Sahara desert there was the time when I was at Egypt I sensed something that caught my attention. When I arrived, I was surprised to find myself standing before a massive slaughter in the land. Well, slaughter actually makes light of the sight I'd seen, maybe a massive bloody genocide might be a better… or perhaps it could have been a combination of those two and a bloody massacre, all in one twisted package. Nevertheless, what made me disgusted was that it was a goddess who had been slaughtering the people in the name of her lord Ra. She was filled with bloodlust that she thought she could defeat me for standing her way, but of course it didn't end the way she thought it would. She was facing ME of all beings! She was weak and didn't last long against me, I decided to leave her since she wasn't worth my time and that was it.'
... Vali had only one thing left to say about that.
"Albion… your pride really is unlimited, isn't it?"
A deep chortle resonated from [Glavenus] at that one.
[Boy, you have NO idea.]
But a question appeared in mind that made him curious
"Wait you said Ra, as in a god(ouch!)"
'Yes why do you ask?'
"Are there other gods(OUCH I hate this headache) other than YHW-"
SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!
"!?"
His instincts screaming at him now to dodge something that could end his life, pretty much saved him. With a startled Cry, Vali dove to the right just in time for… something, something HUGE, to shoot right on over with the sound of teeth clashing together informing the boy of its attempt to bite him just now.
The cold chill of death traveled down his back, making a shudder travel down said body part as Vali quickly got back to his feet, turning to face his would-be attacker. All the while, his previous experiences made Vali quickly draw [Glavenus] from his back to hold it in both hands, ready to fight with it...
That is when he noticed that his opponent turned out to be this HUGE ass black snake, easily about 80 feet long and over 3 meters tall from its belly to it's back. Its color scheme seemed to be predominantly black for the most part, but with a secondary yellow color which gave it an appearance similar to molten magma. The snake, after circling around from its failed assassination attempt, slithered back towards him and hissed, raising its upper body so it had the height of a single-story building.
SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
Yet instead of screaming and running for his life like any normal child would...
"What the hell is this giant snake?! Why is it that fate always curses me?!!"
The kid just roared out in fury at the unfairness plaguing his life, his earlier fears having apparently come true about him being in much more danger now.
[Maybe because you shouldn't jinx a lot!]
"You're not helping, [Glavenus]! But seriously what is that snake!?"
The snake continues to hiss at him waiting for an opportunity to strike the intruder.
'Hmmmmmm if I were to guess then I would say that snake or cobra is a Uraeus: known as the Cobra of the gods in Egyptian mythology.'
"Cobra of the gods(OUCH! Geez, I wish I could do something about this headache)? How can an animal like that be something related to the gods(OOOUUUCCHH)?!"
The snake, now known as Uraeus, seemed to hear what he had said (how could it not with Vali shouting at the top of his lungs?) and did NOT seem pleased with what he said. As if to punish the young silver-haired boy, Uraeus opened its mouth wide, showing smaller teeth inside it but two large fangs that are dripping poison to the Sand. Upon coming into contact with said mineral, Vali saw the poison disintegrate and was slightly scared of what would happen if he hadn't dodged that bite at the right time.
[Believe me boy, you wouldn't want to see the result.]
'[Glavenus]'s right partner, their poison is so deadly that it could potentially rival against a Hydra, no small feat there, I assure you.'
The Uraeus, being impatient and wanting to kill this intruder quickly, reared itself backward before, with a loud hiss, it then lunged forth, going in for a strike toward Vali's position. With the way its jaws were open, one could literally see into its throat, a sight which stopped Vali from attacking right then and there, resorting to rolling out the way once again, only this time he made it barely by the skin of his teeth. Still, despite having avoided the initial lunge which resulted in the Snake going underneath the desert sand, Vali still gasped when he found himself being sent flying across the airspace above by the shockwave it produced.
Fortunately, Albion came in clutch with some news which pretty much made everything Vali had been struggling with worth it.
'Partner it's time to use your Divine Dividing now!'
"Oh, freaking FINALLY!!!"
If he weren't in a dangerous situation, the boy would have BEAMED at the chance to finally use his Sacred Gear again, but right now he had more important priorities. As the snake got close to the boy with the intent of biting him again, unaware of his thought process whilst Albion quickly told him how to activate it, the young Hybrid called out its name. "Divine Dividing!" before two flashes appeared on his back. When those flashes died down, there they were: the two white and blue draconian Wings of the sacred gear Divine Dividing. Their feathers pulsated as Vali felt a sense of weightlessness overcome him, his form coming to a halt in the air itself whilst he righted his position, gripping [Glavenus] in one hand for the time being.
With his Sacred Gear releasing an energy pulse, Vali used this opportunity to shift his position so he faced away from his foe, then shot forth through the air like a bullet in order to fly away from Uraeus. All the while, the snake hissed in anger that its prey got away for the third time, utter humiliation shining within its eyes.
"#Huff, #huff, #huff now, can you tell me why animals can be related to the gods(ouch)?"
'All right let me explain, the reason why the animals and the snake Uraeus are related is that they are used as symbols for a deity's divinity, kind of like a phantom thief's calling card one can say. In this case, the snake symbol represents sovereignty, royalty, deity, and divine authority in ancient Egypt. The other gods used this to represent the way the humans worship them and it's different depending on the deity themselves: Amartersu of Japan is an Okami or fox, for Horus of Egypt his is an Eagle, and finally for the Hindus is the Nagas.'
"Oh... I see now, guess that makes sense." Vali replied, and he meant it too, his eyes shining with an understanding of a topic that usually children his age shouldn't have been able to comprehend so easily. However, it was said that kids who grew up under abusive homes tend to mature a lot faster compared to their non-abused counterparts, and Vali had not been an exception to this. Even if it were only one of his parents who abused him growing up, it still happened and that abuser dominated the home's atmosphere, pretty much satisfying the conditions for such a harsh, hostile environment where Vali had to 'grow up quickly' otherwise he may have met an early end.
Back behind him, the Snake's fury rose higher and higher by the second as it struggled to lessen the distance between it and it's elusive, yet highly mobile prey. With the way that it flew right now, the snake's vision showed it as a simple dot in the skies above, gradually shrinking it's size despite the Snake straining itself to keep up. Whatever this intruder was, it had speed in the air, and it became more and more apparent by the second as much as it loathed to admit this, since it insulted the creature's dignity like no other.
There were multiple reasons for this though, and not just it's own pride being dragged through the sand (pun intended).
For one, it's prey didn't seem like it had been capable of anything even REMOTELY capable of flight at first, if anything it had presented itself as a simple ground dweller, easy for it to snag and drag into the desert's depths. It had been like this for as long as it had been tracking it down, staying on the ground like a walking target for it to sink it's venom into. Heck, when they had initially fought (well, more like it tried to desperately jump about like a lunatic to avoid it's strikes) it STILL hadn't resorted to anything like this.
That was one point, deception which it foolishly fell for like a dumbass.
The SECOND point, had been that the further and further away it's prey got, the more the Uraeus felt like the prey no longer saw it as a viable contender for the victor in this battle, like it was now figuratively and LITERALLY looking down on it, which served to add to the fury in it's being like wood to a bonfire. It, IT: a Mighty Uraeus, was being taunted like some weak little farm animal by some no-name intruder who didn';t even belong in this land in the first place! This insult stung most of all, making it want to jump up there and gobble the fool down it's gullet once and for all!
…
…
…
…
…
… Hold on.
Just then, a thought appeared in it's anger-ridden mind, one which caused it to momentarily forget about straining itself whilst still trying to maintain the distance between them. Now that it began to think about it, didn't the intruder seem to be scouting something before? It remembered crossing some human's path way back when, but it hadn't given much thought beyond simply fulfilling its orders. The Geard began to turn, shaking off their rust within the Uraeus' mind whilst it began to work out a plan. Perhaps the intruder had some sort of sentimentality towards those mortals? Thinking back on it, the Uraeus recalled that the intruder's scent lingered somewhat, more than what should be expected, in that area. Yeah, the more it thought, the more convinced it became that THAT had to be the explanation, it couldn't really think of anything else that would cause the intruder to stay there longer than necessary as well as not even TRY to do anything to those said mortals.
Now, how could it use this to it's advantage…?
There was only one way to do so.
With this in mind, the Uraeus, not even questioning why it was acting out like this, proceeded to initiate the start of its plan to get even with this mongrel, to pay it back for mocking it's pride like this. The first stage of it's plan involved it burrowing into the ground below, slithering through it with only a faint trail of smoke signifying it's position.
[... Oi, you two.]
'Hm/Hm?'
Whilst the young lad flew through the air, thinking that everything would be alright once he just got enough distance from the Uraeus so that it couldn't find him anymore so he could go back to is training, a sudden calling from [Glavenus] shook Vali (along with Albion) out of their relieved stupors. It also succeeded in making them pause their flight, turning around whilst Vali sensed (and did NOT like) a confused tone shift inside it's voice. 'What is it, [Glavenus]? Something wrong?'
'You seem strangely tense… something must be wrong, then. Your instincts never let you down before your sealing, so I doubt they're wrong here. What is it?'
Upon hearing Albion's question, the former Wyvern simply spoke a couple words to them.
[Look there.]
After that, Vali looked towards the direction that [Glavenus] had mentally tol hm to look, only to see the speeding smoke trail that OBVIOUSLY belonged to the Uraeus. Only thing was, to his confusion, that it wasn't chasing HIM anymore. Huh? What the hell? Thoughts like that filled the young boy's mind, as well as a sense of pride as he puffed his chest out with his free hand on his hip. "Heh, looks like that thing' being a little scaredy cat, huh? Well, I have no interest in cowards who can't finish what they started, anyways…
However, his example could NOT have been taken by his Tenants, their words soon lowering Vali's brovado and replacing it with concern just like theirs.
[Strange, isn't it? I may have been sealed away for centuries, however I doubt a Monster as Prideful as the Uraeus would simply give up the chase like this, especially so early into the fight.]
'You're right, [Glavenus]... this is most unusual, not to mention these creatures have human-like intelligence. Thus, this must be part of some sort of… plan… oh no. Shit, is it not going to do what I think it is?!'
[...Yup, you guessed it, Albion.]
'What? What is it, did you two figure out?'
The more he heard of their conversation, the less that Vali liked, not to mention that it had completely suppressed the prideful nature he had as a descendant of Lucifer. He didn't get a verbal response from them this time however, only the psychological urge to look in a specific direction, likely an action made possible by both his Tenants. Thus, Vali followed that urge and looked towards.. The direction towards where he'd stumbled upon that camp, the one where he'd seen that budding family before.
But why? Why would they point him towards…
Then, it occurred to him that the Snake-like monster had been heading in that direction, too…
Finally, it clicked inside his mind, then got followed by a sense of icy cold dread like the hot climate no longer mattered to him. "!? No… NO! NO, IT CAN'T BE!" He screamed, horror mixing in with the dread now as the revelation of the Uraeus' plan settled in. 'Why?! Why is it going after them?! Those people have nothing to do with this, or the supernatural in general!' he shouted in his mind.
'... This is simply part of the supernatural world, Vali, an ugly truth no matter how one might justify it. Remember the whole Peerage System that [Glavenus] mentioned? That is just one example of just how the supernatural world views humans, nothing but a commodity and a resource they can do with however they please. Fallen Angels tempt humans into sin and butcher them when they're through, Strays (the more insane, twisted and criminal ones) hunt them for food or even for Sport, whilst the Angels see them as simple tools for them to wield their so-called 'holy swords'. Heard once that there was something going on there, but I bet you anything that it didn't turn out too well. What that Snake is doing, it's hardly anything different from how others treat humans, and even this is putting it lightly compared to Hybrids and Sacred Gear Wielders.'
"..."
Vali, stunned and shocked, just floated there in the space he occupied, looking like he had died in pain and terror against a twisted, maniacal foe. These words that Vali had heard from his tenant, they resonated with him deeply since he had been a Hybrid himself, and had experienced this kind of treatment first hand at the hands of his own family. Yet, it was supposedly worse out there? And it was for EVERYONE who had abominable Hybrid/human blood or Sacred Gears?
Now, tht couple, that happy couple with such a bright future ahead of them…
Was going to get axed off? Just for some way to manipulate him?
The image of his mother appeared in his mind, and like a switch being flipped, Vali's emotions instantly switched from cold dread to hot, searing and scorching fury. Fury which would not lose out to the outrage a Dragon would show when angered. His eyes flashed with a silvery blue colour whilst his pupils became slitted, his teeth gnashing together whilst his fangs looked to be almost becoming more pronounced by the second. In that moment, which had been built up to in the past monologue which only took about a couple minutes, a decision formed within his mind as Vali hereby decided to act. "NO! I will not let that happen!!"
With frantic levels of speed, Vali pumped Demonic Power into his Divine Dividing, causing it to release a wave of energy that propelled him forth towards where the Camp was, so he could intercept the Snake in time.
'Faster… faster… gotta go faster!'
Thoughts like these became the predominant ones within the young lad's mind as he proceeded to increase his speed to the limit and beyond. Something which normally Albion and [Glavenus] would have stopped him from doing, but the emotions they felt from him rendered them both silent.
Meanwhile, Vali could only hope to get there before he Uraeus did.
Slithering through the ground similar to a torpedo launched from it's Submarine, the Uraeus neared it's potential hostages' position, a sinister gaze burning brightly within its eyes which pretty much spelled it out for anyone watching what the massive beast intended. It made sure to stay low though, churning up a strong thick dust cloud around it so it's true monstrous visage wouldn't tip the two humans off at the first chance they saw it coming until it would be too late. As a monster representing a divine Deity's power, it had ample experience in developing and harnessing it's ability to assassinate the enemy despite it's large size.
This had been only part of it's ultimate plan however.
Since it had deduced that these mortals had some sort of sentimental relation to the intruder, then the Uraeus believed that by putting them in harm's way, at a scale which would inevitably bring their very LIVES in jeopardy, it would make it MUCH easier to fight the enemy in the long run, since the sentimentality this mortal intruder possessed would make it so that he would be COMPELLED to stay and fight… and should he do something foolish like take to the skies for example, whatever he'd do wouldn't be of it's concern as it would instead shift gears towards the two humans instead.
A decent plan which took advantage of morality, one could say…
As well as a classical tactic any villain in a hero story would try to pull.
With the snake near its direction towards the victim with just 70 feet away from it, the creature made to burst out of the ground, to lunge forth the last 70 feet and swallow the unsuspecting family whole. It wasn't like killing a couple humans would be a big deal for it or its's mistress, for they had killed many in the past so seeing two just drop off the radar like this, it wouldn't cause too much of a backlash.
Plus, humans WERE admittingly quite tasty…
WHAM!
SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE?!
Suddenly, one moment it had been prepping for it's lunge, and then the next thing it knew it's form got smashed by something from above, similar to a strike from the heavens themselves. The Uraeus hissed out in surprise when it felt pain explode forth over its back like a bomb going off, pain which then forced it to halt its tracks and slither away, ending with it being about 300 feet away from its original target. If it could speak right now, then the beast would have howled in absolute fury whilst demanding from the heavens themselves to know the identity of the one who dared interrupt it when it had been pursuing it's goals like it's mistress had ordered it to.
Upon glancing to the source, of which it had sensed through looking for some abnormal body temperature in its surroundings, the Uraeus came face to face with said source seconds later: which turned out to be Vali…. Only, he looked NOTHING like how he had been acting before. Gone was the frustrated and slightly arrogant little brat that the beast had initially encountered, replaced with something far… different. To the beast, it felt as if it were seeing the manifestation of anger itself. As the boy's eyes literally SHONE with such emotions, as if they were screaming with the fury that could be seen visible behind them. "Alright, you overgrown lizard. First, you attack me, but considering that i've had a bad 4 days before I don't care about that. But then, you had the gall to get outsiders involved JUST to satisfy your own FRAGILE LITTLE EGO! Perhaps this will be a thing in the future, bit right now you've gone and royally PISSED ME OFF! If you want those people, then you'll have to get through me first!!!"
With that declaration, Vali held [Glavenus] with both hands whilst the Wings of his Sacred Gear spread themselves to the sides. He made the first move not a millisecond later, not wanting to waste ANY more time on this matter as he reared his weapon backwards and swooped down towards it's head. Since they were so close to the Mortal family, Vali felt as though there would be more of a chance for them to hear what they were doing and come investigate, which would be considered the WORST case scenario for EVERYONE involved.
His intent to smash it's head into pieces clearly evident, the Uraeus hissed in anger as it swerved its body around, circling around Vali's attack as it flicked it's tail from his exposed right flank. Vali saw it coming however, and managed to morph his Devil Arm into Sword Mode, just barely holding it in front of him to block the strike at the last second. As a result, Vali got sent crashing into the ground back first, causing him to gasp lightly as pain shot through his spine. Had he been any normal person, such an injury would have crippled him for life, though thankfully what little Demonic Power he had left managed to negate that by enhancing his back muscles just before hitting the ground.
'...Ngh… asi I thought, this one won't go down without a fight…' Vali thought to himself as he got up and quickly dove to the side, avoiding the creature's lunging attack that it had done whilst he had been down in an attempt to inject its venom into his system. However, an idea soon came to him as he saw the rest of its' body following it inside, defenceless against him, so Vali burst forth into a mad dash through the air, aiming for a slash right into the creature's exposed body which would allow him to use [Glavenus] power of Combustion to create an explosion within it, causing massive damage..
However…
SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!
Before Vali could get any closer, the Serpent-like beast;s head surfaced out from underneath him, jaws open wide and about 3 seconds away from chomping down on him and swallowing him whole, much to Vali's internal horror.
'Crap!'
[Boy!]
'Partner!'
Yells from his Tenants registered with him, but the boy forced himself to ignore them in favour of this current danger he had found himself in. With next to no time to react, Vali thrusted his Devil Arm forth and stabbed it's tip into the creature's upper jaw, planting both feet into the lower one, all in order to keep it from closing around him… whilst making sure not to let the fangs touch any point on his person. No need to get poisoned and become unable to fight as effectively, though this did NOT lessen the danger he found himself any, nope not one bit.
'Not good! If this thing dislodges me, I'll become a victim of those fangs! If that happens, i'm toast!' the young boy's mental voice came out strained and exasperated, which would have been the case for his physical one too if he had tried to say anything, but right now instead all he focused on had been to keep himself lodged in place. He didn't even TRY to use Divine Dividing's flight ability to escape since he didn't want to know what it'd be like to leave a Devil Arm behind, since it was a weapon that was tethered to his Soul and all. His muscles screamed in protest whilst his weary body struggled beyond it's limit to keep him from meeting his end by those Fangs' venomous edge, yet Vali forced himself to hold on.
Especially with the movements that followed.
Vali cringed and struggled to remain in place, using the Switch Axe to remain in position whilst loud and FURIOUS hisses escaped the Uraeus, which had begun to fling its' head around in a way to dislodge the Devil Arm from it's jaws and finally finish what it had started. The creature even mixed in multiple different actions, like shaking its head like a wild dog shaking off the rain covering its body, smashing its own head into the sandy ground with such force that it created rippling shockwaves all around their surroundings. After a few moments of this, the Uraeus' eyes widened when it got an idea, and thus reared its head backwards, causing Vali's eyes to widen as he got a GOOD inclination of what it's plan was.
[Boy, escape quick! If this thing dives down into the Sand with you in it, you won't be able to keep this up with your current level of strength!]
Apparently, [Glavenus] also did so if that shout had been any indication, so Vali tried to think of anything that could help him escape from this scenario… his momentary panic soon causing him to turn his attention to his Sacred Gear. 'Albion! You say that Divine Dividing has the ability to half the opponent's power yeah? How do I use it!?'
'Just use physical contact on whatever part of its body, just get out of there!'
"Then, don't mind if I do!"
"Divide!"
Thanks to him standing on the creature's lower jaw, Vali figured that would be enough to satisfy the whole 'physical contact' requirement, and as such his Sacred Gear briefly 'flashed' with a faint light that came from the blue feathers it had, causing Vali to almost fall over onto the venomous Fangs when he'd felt a surge of power rush through him, but he remained standing thanks to his lodged Devil Arm. The same could NOT be said for the Uraeus, who suddenly felt half of its power got taken away from it with the shock of the act causing it to stop what it had been planning to do previously.
'Chance!'
With this chance finally made available to him, Vali promplty used the newfound power boost to yank [Glavenus] free, then jump right out of the beast's mouth, spreading his Sacred Gear wide to make them do a few flaps before he landed safely on the round, rolling across it like a sausage before getting back to his feet. 'Okay, THAT was an… enlightening experience…' Vali thought himself with a hand over his chest where his heart was, the boy feeling it thumping away like a jackhammer within its confines. Though, it didn't stop the smirk from slowly spreading across his features, especially with the adrenaline coursing through his veins right now.
[That was unnecessarily reckless, boy! One false move and we would have all perished together from that Venom! I for one, do NOT want to die in a worthless piece of garbage's stomach, you hear? That's not what we promised, after al!]
'Yeah-yeah, I know [Glavenis]. Anyways, this should be enough to… huh?'
Looking over to the beast whilst making that response, Vali noticed that it had already finished recovering, as evident by how it lightly shook its head and then glared at him like he was the source of all it's misfortunes right now… which wasn't completely wrong by the way. 'What the?! Why does this guy look fine after that!?' He shrieked inside his mind as he unfurled the DD Wings and took to the skies,quickly avoiding another lunge from the beast which missed him by only a hair, and when he noticed the Tail coming in for another strike, Vali learned from his mistake last time and quickly turned into a full 360 circular manoeuvre, avoiding it successfully.
[Because your ability right now is rather lacking, when you took half of its power a lot of it escaped into the atmosphere through your Sacred Gear. However, since you yourself aren't fluent with this ability yet you couldn't take away as much as you should have, is what I'd say. Am I wrong, Albion?'
'......You're not, [Glavenus].'
Somehow, Vali found it more concerning, not to mention unsettling, that a Devil Arm had more knowledge of the Sacred Gear's workings than even the beast sealed inside of it.
'Alright then, let's get this round… 2... '
Vali made to fight once more by raising [Glavenus] to his chest… only, a little issue reared its ugly head. All of a sudden, a wave of weakness washed over him, like being doused by a bucket of water. A loud gasp escaped his lips as Vali lurched over, raising his right arm weakly to clutch at his chest. 'Ugh… what… is this..?' the boy thought to himself, shocked and more than a little frightened. He'd made sure to try and not get hit so far in this battle, so where was this weakness coming from? Was it a side effect of his Sacred Gear? Glancing at himself, Vali finally caught sight of the source behind this phenomenon: his right leg, which had a small cut, barely even noticeable, even for a Hybrid such as himself. Judging by how the blood surrounding that cut seemed to slowly start turning yellow, as in a turtle's pace, it became all too clear what had happened. 'Oh no… don't tell me…'
'Shit, looks like you weren't careful enough, partner. I can sense it, as although there's a miniscule amount of it, as much as a teardrop, Uraeus' Venom has infiltrated your system. Be grateful that this means you still have a few seconds left before you go unconscious thanks to Divine Dividing's ability giving you some extra power, otherwise any more and you would have been reduced to a pile of goo on the desert sand. Still, like I said, you only have a short moment before you fall unconscious, so decide this next blow with this next attack.'
[Since this next blow will be our last for a while, I'll go ahead and give you permission. Change me into Sword Mode and stab through that beast's head, then put the Phial into overdrive.It'll amplify my Combustion ability enough so that, combined with what power we have left, we can blow this creature's head sky high.]
A momentary sense of dread and panic overtook him when he had heard Albion's expectation, especially since Vali recalled a faint prickly feeling he had gotten when dislodging [Glavenus] from the Uraeus' head earlier, pinpointing THAT to have been the moment he had gotten the Venom in him. The next thing he knew, even as black spots started outlining his vision, Vali felt a wave of calmness overtake him upon hearing his Devil Arm's suggestion. With it in Sword Mode (it'd shifted to Axe Mode after he'd escaped certain death before), Vali gripped it with his strength fading fast, allowing him to realize the necessity behind the Devil Arm's words along with the White Dragon's, all before he went and pulled a full vertical 360 aerial manoeuvre with his Divine Dividing and then shooting down towards the serpentine beast, thrusting his sword forth like he were a certain capted flying hero, and with the speeds that he forced himself to go through, Vali's form became a literal bullet which cascaded down onto the Uraeus.
All the while, the Uraeus had things going on with it as well, a momentary fury erupting within it when it realized what had happened with half of its power. However, this became nullified when. After somewhat sensing that the Venom it had indeed had entered the boy's body, the Uraeus hissed as if it were laughing, almost openly mocking Vali for his failure to avoid it's most powerful weapon ever. To it, it had basically won this little death match that they had with it's ultimate weapon having finally been able to be used against its foe, something which soothed the aches to it's pride QUITE a bit. Right now, it's instincts told it that if it just managed to deal with this next attack, then the intruder would be finished, it's Venom would take hold and he'd be helpless to resist the cruel jaws of death, allowing the Grim Reaper to take his soul to the underworld.
Therefore, as Vali's form shot down towards it, the serpentine Monster decided to end it all by lunging forwards, confidence in it's victory almost blazing from it's slitted eyes whilst it's mouth opened wide, aiming to chomp down and deliver the final blow to this thorn on it's side. However… just before it could do so, Vali smirked as he adjusted his trajectory just a little bit, resulting in his [Glavenus] impaling itself MUCH deeper into its upper jaw whilst it's wielder planted both feet onto it's lower lips.
SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!
The serpent howled, hissed and screeched as pain MUCH greater than previously filled it's being, coming from the impalement of its upper jaw. More than that, shock and realization also filled it up inside as to how his became possible, along with it remembering some things which it had previously neglected to realize. The only reason why it had been able to do so this time, despite the endurance and overall specs surrounding this Devil Arm, had been due to Vali's lack of power and force behind his swings, since he had been so weakened from all the travel that he'd been doing. However, thanks to Divine Dividing's effect, that no longer was an issue, thus…
"Heh… as that one guy from that old robots movie my mother once showed me: Hasta la vista, baby."
CLICK!
BOOM!
With [Glavenus] instructing him, Vali pressed a button close to the handle, not here same one as the switch another one, which ended up causing the Phial inside the weapon to go berserk, leading to it briefly glowing a stark crimson colour before a HUGE ass crimson coloured eruption of power escaped from the Devil Arm, blowing right through the Uraeus' upper jaw as well as the rest of it's entire head. The force of the blast, just like how the Devil Arm had warned him about, had been so great that it rivaled a low tier earthquake, quickly launching Vali about a quarter way's across the entire Sahara Desert, crashing into the sand below and leaving behind a long fissure-like structure upon his landing.
Yet, as he lay there, battered and bruised from his fall with [Glavenus] stabbed into the ground beside him in Axe Mode, having switched back automatically after that 'Overclocking' that it had done by his hand, Vali breathed heavily, almost feeling like his lungs were being constricted by some unseen force. This resulted in him gasping loudly for air, more black spots filling his vision like cells multiplying over a wound at high speeds, which pretty much confirmed to the boy what his Tenants (whom he could no longer hear right now) had told him.
He would be unconscious soon… of hat, there was no evading or avoiding… it was one of those things which he just couldn't do anything about… much like what had happened to his mother.
Yet, he didn't feel frustrated right now… no, instead he felt something else… something which, if he were in his right mind, Vali would have been stunned to realize he had been feeling it at all: satisfaction, born from doing something which felt like it somewhat took off a large weight on his shoulders.
Even as his consciousness began to fade, itr didn't take him long to figure out why as his head slowly turned in the direction of the (still) unaware mortals who were likely still busy enjoying their time together. Vali swore that, in his delusion, he could hear their laughter ringing inside of his head, and despite how silly that sounded to him, he genuinely wanted to believe it, hence the slow, soft smile on his face.
"#Huff…..#huff....#huff…...#huff At-at least..... they are..... save now,.... I'm gonna….. take a…..rest now…..yeah….that would be fine now."
{Impressive boy. Despite that thing pulling some dirty tricks, you managed to succeed in surpassing my expectations}
"!? Who…...are you…?"
And with that Vali finally succumbed to his exhaustion after seeing a lady shimmer into existence before his prone, unconscious form. She looked to be quite a tall woman in her late 20's and early 30's, with her hair as long flowing black hair scattered over her shoulders, her eyes simultaneously changing with the left eye becoming dark green and right eye clear blue. And her facial expression is very indifferent, giving off a kind of chill rising from the heart, pure cold, a pair of black eyes that did not hold even a trace of vitality.
{Hmmmmm… interesting… other devils and humans your age wouldn't last against an Uraeus, but you... your determination surprised me that you protected the human couple, a couple who were supposed to die. You managed to break their death door and their unborn child. I suppose I will take you in for a while hopefully my daughter would get along with you. She needs friends for her age.}
With that said, the pleased looking woman kneeled downwards onto one leg, reached out with both her arms and took the young half devil into them, picking him up like he was a princess. Mentally, she had to note on how light he had been, which made her wonder as a mother how much he had eaten, all before she shimmered out of existence with her young charge... though not before seeing the couple at her right.
"What should we name our child, Aamina?"
"I don't know dear, why not take a guess?"
"Hmmmmmmmmmm... Well, names aside, let's hope our child is born healthy."
"Okay dear, whatever you say."
"Ooohhhhh, what did I ever do to have such a loveable wife?"
"(Giggle) well, maybe fate brought us each other."
"Maybe, now get some rest. The sun is about set."
"Okay dear, sweet dreams Ali."
"You to Aamina."
