Kethri flew circles overhead, smiling to herself as she spotted the sow below. Pigs couldn't lift their heads very far, meaning if she stayed above the pig, it wouldn't be able to see her. Perfect.

She was silent as she descended, trying not to giggle and give herself away as she drew her magic towards her claws to heat them up. They would sink into flesh like butter, making it stupidly easy to tear the samples she wanted off. Two clawfuls should be enough, she'd just have to use it sparingly.

Her claws heated up, going from black to a dark blue, the centers turning cyan, making her grin. Oh this was going to be beautiful.

She descended like an angel, white wings flared, blue eyes wide as they zeroed in on Sora. The pig didn't stand a chance against her. It was a good thing her fur was coarse, too. She needed as much as possible to test.

Round: 1/?
Attempt: To 1000 degree knife sora and take a chunk out of her.
Defense: Currently airborne
Injuries: N/A

@Sora

Sora had been busying herself with foraging. The greenery of Pisces was such that she needed to be careful not to overeat, lest she lose out on meals later in the cycle, but still -- she'd been managing. Grazing in patches, to give various places more time to regrow rather than mowing everything down evenly. It was a decent strategy for someone with the mediocre intelligence she had, and Sora was rather proud for having come up with it.

Today though, she'd noticed a new smell and a shadow on the ground.

At first, she had ignored it. Then, she had seen the shadow's persistence, and had snorted at the ground a few times in a very hog-like manner. With the aid of her new ears, that gave her a clear picture -- something was circling her, and it was large. A bird, obviously, and one with talons like Morganite's. So when the shadow began to grow larger out of the edge of her vision, Sora moved as suddenly as she could manage -- heat passed by her, but the owl's talons came up empty.

The hog bristled. "I'll give you one chance to apologize." She was not in any sort of mood to be playing games, especially not with someone who reeked of the Sentinels.


Round: 1/5
Attempt: Move out of the way!
Defense: speaking = echolocation = i know where u are >:3
Injuries: A mostly-healed burn on her side


@kethri

Kethri let out a shriek as she passed, quickly flapping her wings as she rose into the air, circling above and narrowing her eyes as she stared Sora down. How had she-?

Her shadow, of course. She'd been overconfident and had given herself away.

"Apologize?", she asked, shocked, before bursting out laughing, hovering over Sora, "No. I won't. Your hide will do well for my experiments- you ought to apologize to yourself for making this harder than it needs to be. I would have been on my way if you simply stayed put."

She swooped up and dove down like a falcon, claws flexed. Heat came to her talons again, glowing hotter than before.

At the last moment she swooped up to snatch at Sora's flesh, trying to dig in her talons to grab a piece of her and rip it off. Just a bit of skin, fur, and muscle would do. Her talons would burn the vessels they met anyway, so she didn't understand why Sora wouldn't just let her do it!

Round: 2/?
Attempt: To 1000 degree knife sora and take a chunk out of her (again).
Defense: Currently airborne.
Injuries: N/A

@Sora

strong language

violence

The noisy bird kept talking, sound painting a clearer and clearer picture of her -- physically and internally, and -- "Aren't you just an ugly person," Sora spat, hoping to simultaneously upset Kethri and keep noise in the air. The shadow skirted just at the edges of her vision again, barely giving her enough time to register it and Sora half-turned to kick out at Kethri as she approached. The hog detested magic, and hopefully she'd not only strike before Kethri could make contact and therefore disable the spell, but also avoid getting burned to hell and back in the process.

The talons struck true, digging into her shoulder, but there was no fire behind them. There was, however, fire in Sora's eye. "You BITCH," she roared, already scrambling to figure out her next move.


Round: 2/5?
Attempt: Stop the magic in its tracks
Defense: keeping an eye out, i guess?
Injuries: A mostly-healed burn on her side, talons in my shoulder


@kethri

Kethri's magic failed as Sora managed a kick to her side, but her talons raked down Sora's flesh anyway, not enough to tear out a chunk but enough to hurt. She peeled away and hissed, pleased at causing the other turmoil.

"My my~, such foul language,", she mocked, "Is that the only thing you could think of to insult me? Try again, hog. I'm not one to be affected by the words of a patchwork nobody."

She looped around to deliver another scathing blow, this time from behind. Talons out, beak in a grin. She'd tear at Sora until she bled out, if she had to. Besides, the other was too slow to pull her from the sky. Her talons grew hot once again, her magic reliable as ever.

Round: 3/?
Attempt: To 1000 degree knife sora and take a chunk out of her (from behind!)
Defense: Currently airborne.
Injuries: N/A

Sora could have given a speech, but her thoughts were usually far more condensed. Kethri was taking to the sky again as blood marred her newly-white pelt, the sting of pain from the talons blurred by adrenaline and the rage that had brought it. "I'll show you who's a nobody," she growled, continuing to speak a necessity that Kethri did not seem to have noticed. "I'm a Champion of Hydra, and I earned that title by fighting for it." Not that Sora had exactly entered into the Trials willingly, but she was vaguely hoping that Kethri hadn't been around when she'd whined at Vargas and was cowed even for a moment by her experiences with the other champions among the Sentinels.

Her mind raced. Kicking at Kethri made the magic stop, but she still got hurt -- anything else would leave her with a nasty burn and very likely a chunk of her flesh in the owl's talons, which was not what she wanted -- Caves only knew what Kethri could do with it. She could try to put Kethri on the ground, but she risked an even worse burn. Blocking the attacks wouldn't do much, and neither would just leaving her bruised -- so Sora would just have to keep stunting the magic until it failed her, and strike then.

Sora grunted and kicked back. The talons still collided with her flank, but there was no heat behind them -- just sharp keratin striking her skin.


Round: 3/5?
Attempt: Stop the magic in its tracks
Defense: honestly not much
Injuries: A mostly-healed burn on her side, scratches on shoulder + butt


@kethri

Kethri laughed, "Of course! I know you... you sniveled outside of the tunnel to Hydra, whining about how you were herded into the darkness like cattle to the slaughter. As if we'd care. As if it wasn't necessary. My deepest apologies for your kin."

Sarcasm dripped from her words, and she rolled away, feathers falling from her body as she flew around again, still with no injuries. Not even a bruised ego this time! Her talons heated up again (she smelled them starting to burn, so she'd have to make this quick) and she dove in again, letting out a shrill scream, hoping to make Sora's ears ring and annoy her enough to become clumsy with anger.

"Give up!", she said with laughter in her voice.

Round: 4/?
Attempt: To 1000 degree knife sora and take a chunk out of her (omg again)
Defense: Currently airborne.
Injuries: N/A

@Sora

Sora didn't dignify her with a response, her ears ringing. Plenty of noise from the owl to work with, so her own voice wasn't needed -- the scream, the annoyance of it, but her anger was condensed to a pinpoint already. Sora smelled blood, and she was sure it was her own. But Kethri would not get the better of her, not if Sora had anything to say about it. She would not let this deranged bird take what she wanted, and certainly Sora would not let her escape unscathed.

She kicked out again, measured and careful -- less to break something and more to interrupt the magic, to move her away, although desperation was beginning to tinge her actions. She had to play it safe, there was no more room for discussion. She just had to.


Round: 4/5?
Attempt: Stop the magic in its tracks
Defense: honestly not much
Injuries: A mostly-healed burn on her side, scratchy scratchy x3

@kethri

Kethri snarled as she was pushed away yet again, starting to get frustrated.

"Just- give in you hopeless FREAK!", she shrieked, swooping down one last time, anger in her eyes.

Her magic failed and she faltered, before she suddenly let out a scream of outrage and pain, her claws burning up and her feathers singing, her feet burning horrifically. She knew she was going too far, but the stupid pig had to resist.

"STUPID PIG! PATHETIC WORM! Your family died for NOTHING! You were a waste of their sacrifice!", she snarled, her words like knives, "You sit here and wallow in your own self-pity- for what?! FOR YOURSELF! You selfish prick!"

She hated this stupid animal.

"Your stone would find more usage being a weight than it does being in your head!", she hissed, sneering.

Round: 5/5
Attempt: 1000 degree knife
Defense: Airborne.
Injuries: N/A

@Sora

Murder was in her eyes as she lunged for Kethri, no fire in her talons, no contact at all -- and war in her words. She aimed for Kethri's wing, planning to keep her firmly on the ground -- trying to break it, to make her suffer for her insolence. "Just wait," she said, her voice like ice. "You'll be next." Sora let her certainty hang in the air -- whether Kethri believed her or not, Sora was sure of it.

The Sentinels were kept under the Master's thumb, just like they'd been kept under the Merchant's. They'd be sacrificed, one day. In the eyes of the Masters, it was all any of them were good for.


Round: 5/5
Attempt: RUIN HER WINGS
Defense: rage?
Injuries: A mostly-healed burn on her side, scratchy scratchy x3


@kethri i'll gm tag