(The dagger is like the sword, lol. Actually, all her weapons are the same. So De'Tearion is kinda in a predicament right now.)
"And you appear to have the same level of knowledge as a cockroach too." Jackie smirks.
She raises an arrogant eyebrow. "Oh? Tell me, what makes you think you can follow through on that threat, m'lady?"
"I may be a fool, but I'm not a coward like you. At least I have enough confidence to keep my promises. I've got a bigger pair than you, and I'm a woman!"
(Alright, lol)
“Aye, keep insulting me,”he muttered, becoming bored.
De’Tearion became eerily calm at her question, the mist swirling faster around his fingers. Though, the moment she called him a coward, something in his eyes snapped.
De’Tearion shrieked, casting a bolt of dark energy that knocked aside her dagger-wielding arm. He then lunged forward, tackling her. He kneeled on her legs, pinning them down with the bulk of his heavy weight. His hands captured her arms, holding them out to the side. Then, his second pair of arms grew out of his waist, one pair of claws holding her tail, the other pressing down on her throat.
“I am no coward, and I attacked you not because you are a warrior woman. Yet, I see now that you are nothing more than a worthless, discourteous female. Now, give me one reason why I should refrain from eating you alive,”he hissed, his voice distorted by a low, clicking growl.
Just to be sadistic, De’Tearion opened his mouth a bit, a long, dark yellow proboscis tipped with a clawed grapple coming out. The entire thing dripped with thick, translucent black saliva. After a second, the proboscis snapped at Jackie’s nose, the umbrella-like grapple unfurling and scratching her nose with its four claws, drawing blood. He then immediately retracted the proboscis, tasting her blood.
“A bitter tasting sorceress, yet ‘tis something new,”he commented, humming in contemplation, a truly cruel gleam flashing in his deep blue eyes.
Jackie laughs. "It's what I do best, Fuckhead the Mighty."
She yelps as the darkness stings her through her mithril bracer, but otherwise doesn't flinch or make any move to escape, though she could quite easily.
"So I'm completely sure that I'm right then." she huffs. "And as for why you shouldn't eat me, well, I'd taste terrible. You smell like you crawled out of an asshole, though. Tell me, how does it feel to have crawled out of the world's smelliest shit pile, Assmouth?"
She snickers.
De’Tearion rolled his eyes, ignoring her.
He noticed the pain his bolt had caused her, keeping it in mind for later. He didn’t mind that she was still, but he knew something was off. Few creatures trapped by a Goliathan were ever still, and this woman was as much as trickster as some Forestfolk.
His continuing growl became louder, harsh chirps adding to the sound. His hands started to crush her arms, quickly approaching the point of breaking bone. He also started shaking, fighting to contain a feral rage that was steadily taking hold.
“On the contrary, you actually taste quite delightful, despite the bitterness. And, I enjoy the blood of sorcerers above any other,”he mentioned, a savage grin crossing his lips.
He leaned down low, his nose nearly touching hers. The proximity to her scratched up nose seemed to encourage him.
“You clearly cannot smell. I know what hygiene be, and I have known nobility since birth. I am no beast that lives in filth, though I have been feral before. And, you are truly inviting that part of me,”he hissed.
An intense, hypnotic gleam entered his eyes, and he stared deeply into hers.
“And, I have eaten not in days… Now, sleep,”he cooed, his voice barely audible.
His eyes seemed to glow brighter, even though they never changed, sending forth a powerfully soothing sensation that urged Jackie to sleep.
"I grow tired of this idle banter." Jackie yawns, barely even acknowledging De'Tearions statements. She pecks the Goliathan on the cheek, smirks, still infuriatingly awake, then clicks her heels together. She vanishes from beneath De'Tearion, appearing behind him. She brings an elbow to the back of his skull, kicks him in the crotch, then vanishes from the arena entirely, her snickers lingering.
(So… how powerful is Jackie?)
(Also, I apologize for having such long posts. De’Tearion is one of my favorite characters, lol, and highly developed)
De’Tearion rose up a bit, his eyes widening in surprise. He swayed for a moment after Jackie vanished, off balanced by his limbs suddenly holding the ground instead of a woman.
When she hit him in the head, he yelped, then whipped around to retaliate. However, her crotch kick threw him off balance again, and he flopped onto his back, watching as she disappeared, and seething now that his headache was worse.
He teleported away a moment later, appearing in a small cottage he had acquired. It was outside of the town where the arena was set, tucked discreetly in the woods, a perfect place for him.
De’Tearion groaned, holding his head for a moment. He then shrieked angrily, and attacked a nearby chair in a fit of rage and frustration. The chair was torn apart in seconds, and De’Tearion leaned against the wall, shaking with the effort to calm himself down. Tears of black blood streaked down his face and he pulled up an amulet he had tucked under the collar of his robe, holding desperately to the black glass pendant of a female goliath beetle.
After a few moments, he slid down the wall, foul memories replaying in his head despite his attempts to fight against it. So much failure, so much ridicule, and so little freedom.
Eventually, he managed to get out of those dark memories, and considered the strange events in the arena. He knew he needed practice with a sword, but that wasn’t what concerned him. Jackie had been able to resist his hypnotism, utterly. He had never encountered someone like that, except for Vanishers, and Jackie was definitely no Vanisher.
“How?”he breathed, shaking his head.
Then, the small kiss. What was that? Why would she do that? They had been fighting, not courting. There was a difference! Especially when she reminded him of the power-hungry females of his own race! It made no sense, but it also bothered him in a way he couldn’t really describe. He wasn’t sure what to do about it.
“Mercy have me. What madness be this foul woman?”he burst, rubbing his temples with his free hand. The massage seemed to help his headache somewhat, and he soon dozed off against the wall, his jet black hair somewhat disguising part of the mess on his handsome face.
(She isn't, really. Aside from immunity to hypnotism and other mind effects, some magical ability and exceptional combat skills, she doesn't have many abilities. Anything such as teleportation is due to magical items.)
(You're good, lol.)
(De'Tearion's utter confusion is hilarious, lmao!)
As De'Tearion is having his breakdown, Jackie is laughing.
"His face was priceless!" she was saying to a handheld scrying glass. She had stripped off her gear and flopped down on a large bed, on her belly.
"I bet it was. But, Jackie. You're not there to have fun. You're there to increase our followers and make us money." says a dry male voice.
"Oh c'mon, Vodhr! Let me have my fun. It produces better results." she whines, rolling over on her back.
"Fine, fine. Just get it done." the voice says.
"I will. Bye!" she replies, tossing the glass away.
Her face becomes thoughtful. De'Tearion, huh?
(Oof. That just took out a few of De’Tearion’s prey-catching weapons, lol. Thumbs-up)
(Yeah, lmao!)
De’Tearion didn’t sleep for long. His head still pounded, and hunger nagged at him. He hadn’t eaten since he’d arrived at the arena several days ago.
But, he had tasted Jackie’s blood. Even a tiny sample like that built a link of sorts, allowing De’Tearion to track her far easier than others, among other things. And, the smell lingered with him, haunting him with the temptation of a meal.
He remembered another woman he’d had that with. A kind, young human that he’d fallen for years ago. Unfortunately, one mistake turned her kindness into hatred, and he was forced to leave everything and everyone he knew… again.
“Why have you forsaken me, Mercy? Why have you cursed me with the name of De’Tearion?”he moaned.
Another wave of Jackie’s smell hit his nostrils, and De’Tearion rolled his eyes, sighing.
“Why must you keep taunting me, Mercy?”he muttered, starting to clean his face.
Nothing happened. De’Tearion snorted, finished cleaning, and slowly stood. He then walked out of the cottage, closed his eyes, and inhaled deeply, focusing on Jackie’s smell. It flowed around him, through him, engulfing him in her scent. After a moment, he turned and opened his eyes, walking through the trees with a determined stride. Unless he found a worthy meal beforehand, then she would be it, even despite her strange abilities.
(Lol, she doesn't have much physical strength, so there's that. Her weapons and armor just increase her literally blinding speed to the point where that doesn't matter.)
(If you couldn't tell, heavy inspiration was taken from On'nyosh, lmao!)
Sighing, Jackie straps on her armor and weapons again, heading out to find De'Tearion, unaware that he was already coming for her.
(Lol. Literally a strength vs. speed situation then, lmao! Though, De’Tearion is fast in his own right, but probably nowhere near Jackie’s speed by the sounds of it, lol)
(Lmao!)
(Also, was Jackie even hurt when De’Tearion started crushing her wrists, or did she escape that before it got too bad? I’m just curious)
De’Tearion continued through the forest, moving in the trees with the stealth of a cat. He steadily followed the scent of Jackie, detecting that they were now approaching each other.
A faint chirp cooed from him, and he leaped straight up into the trees, vanishing into the leaves with barely a sound. He then closed his eyes, their damning glow disappearing instantly. The lack of sight didn’t faze him at all. All of his senses were quite keen, and it was also more fun when his prey couldn’t see him.
(Hello?)
(Working on it, I promise I didn't forget about you!)
(Okay, just double-checking, lol)
(Lol, yeah. And probably, lmao!)
(Since she's basically cat-girl On'nyosh, she somehow managed to escape with only extreme bruising, lol.)
Jackie stops 20 feet away from De'Tearion's current position and listens. She grins once she hears the Goliathan warrior's heartbeat.
"I know you're there, Fuckhead the Mighty." she calls out.
"I'd like to challenge you for the right to own the life of whoever wins our next duel."
(Lmao!)
(Lol, thumbs-up)
(Wait a minute! She can hear heartbeats too? …Or is it because of her cat ears?)
(So, do you want to say it’s night, thereabouts? Or is it still day? Don’t mind me, I just keep seeing nighttime and I want to make sure)
De’Tearion almost chirped at her words, but he managed to stay quiet. He pondered how she knew his whereabouts, even with his silence. Remembering her ears, he questioned what else she could hear, and decided not to move. He would test her hearing. If she still knew his location, despite his silence, either her ears were more keen than he’d initially thought, or her nose was, or both.
He ignored her first words and considered her next ones. What nonsense was ‘owning’ someone’s life? It made no sense to him at all. But… if he accepted the challenge and won, would that essentially make her a subservient meal? So rarely has he found an easy meal, especially one that would sate him.
(Her cat ears lol.)
(I'd say it's twilight, as a good in-between.)
A slight rustling of leaves behind De'Tearion siould have alerted him. She could use light magic, and the Jackie on the ground was a fake. She was able to throw her voice, which had finally come in handy.
"Your heartbeat, Mighty Brown Shitbag. It gave you away. Either accept my challenge or die right here." she whispers, right into De'Tearion's ear.
(Lmao!)
(Thumbs-up)
De’Tearion had quickly picked up on the fact that Jackie’s heartbeat and blood flow didn’t sound right. So, when he heard rustling leaves, he immediately knew that somehow Jackie had tricked him, and could clearly hear her heartbeat next to him.
Despite the surprise though, and how insanely annoying Jackie was, she seemed to become more intriguing each time they met. De’Tearion had never met anyone who could actually trick a Goliathan like she’d just done. If he had to admit, it fascinated him.
De’Tearion calmly opened his eyes, giving Jackie a curious sidelong glance. It was a bit eerie the way his eyes shined in the dimness, but somehow it seemed to highlight his face in a very attractive way, particularly his delicately carved high cheekbones.
“You hear heartbeats? Interesting… Now, explain your terms. ‘Owning’ another’s life be something I am unfamiliar with,”he bade, unfazed by her threat.
He then settled into a more comfortable position, practically lounging now as five of his six clawed limbs spread out to hold onto the surrounding branches. He leaned on his free primary arm, gazing at Jackie with a calm but stone expression.
(Hello?)
(Sorry. Life got hectic.)
Jackie tilts her head. "Own a life. Meaning, whoever loses is effectively the slave of the winner."
As she speaks, she notes the extra arms. And De'Tearion's casual tone.
(You’re good. My schedule’s changed slightly, so yeah)
(Also, just to clarify in case, the ‘six limbs’ part was referring to De’Tearion’s four arms and two legs, so yeah. Hopefully I didn’t confuse you there, lol)
De’Tearion chirping, considering her words. Though he wasn’t very familiar with the concept of slaves, one of the creatures in his homeland was notorious for gathering slaves, even if they only ended up eating the poor bastards afterward. But… if De’Tearion won, then that likely meant he had a willing snack.
“Very well. I accept your challenge,”he said.
Then, without any warning, De’Tearion expertly twisted and kicked Jackie out of the tree. Afterward, he swung down, holding the branches with his toes. While hanging upside down, he simply screamed, a frightening chorus of chirps and clicks that could intimidate most creatures, even without the fear-inducing magic enhancement.
(I figured, lol.)
Jackie simply twists, lands on her feet, then leaps straight back up, pulling out a bow, nocking 2 arrows and letting them fly, all within 6 seconds of having fallen. Without waiting to see if the arrows hit their mark, she tosses the bow away and pulls out her sword, flipping so her feet were against a branch some distance above De'Tearion, and pushing off, her sword making no sound as it slices towards the man's chest.
De’Tearion quickly stopped screaming, frustrated by how many of his abilities seemed to not work on Jackie. He then teleported, one of his toes getting nicked by an arrow, a groove now in the curve of his claw.
He appeared on the ground, several feet away, black mist forming around his fingers. With a growl, he shot forth two balls of dark energy meant to stun. One hit the branches where he’d previously been, and the other hit the branches above that, where Jackie had jumped. They exploded in large bursts powerful enough to snap a few branches.
Jackie hisses softly as the second ball grazes her shin, clicking her heels together and appearing behind De'Tearion, her sword buzzing like a demented hornet as it whisks towards the beetle warrior once more.
De’Tearion chirped angrily at the fact that Jackie had only been grazed. He then noticed her click her heels and vanish. Magic item?
At the last second, he realized that she was right behind him, and he whipped around. He gasped as her sword cut a chunk of his hair off, nearly hitting his nose, and he stumbled back to the ground. His lost hair almost immediately disintegrated into ash.
“‘Tis been many centuries since I last encountered one as fast as you,”he hissed.
He then teleported to several feet behind her, throwing two more balls of stunning energy, both directly at Jackie.
Jackie smirks. "And so you find me interesting enough to torment, but not to kill. For now, at least."
She dodges the first ball, but the second hits her square in the shoulder. The resulting shriek of anger and pain went far past the human range of hearing, the sheer pitch alone killing the grass, trees and animals in the area.
Another, shorter sword appears in her other hand as she jumps the 20 feet of distance between them with ease, her swords swinging at his neck and legs.