The Wandering Mountain (Open)

For a being like Fjell Fyr, where he traveled depended on only a few small things. Of those, the single most important one, was where he would most likely enjoy the combat he so constantly craved. When it came to that well...there were few places better for the Blood of the Mountain to go wandering than the varied landscapes of the Chaya Nation. Every part of the Demon World was varied, and Fjell Fyr was used to that at this point. It did not matter to him, so long as he could find the best places to fight, both in terms of a well set up area, but also a presence of beings that would fight him. The thing the goliath loved about the Chaya Nation, was that finding a willing combatant was so much easier than in other places.

Then again, only those with a strong thirst for combat would want to fight a beast like the Blood of the Mountain. At five meters, the demon made a formidable sight, a great, muscular beast with black, rocky skin and a fanged, savage face that seemed incapable of anything so friendly as a smile. The ground did not quite tremble beneath each of the lumbering brute's heavy steps, but where the ground was soft it sank noticeably, leaving great tracks. Fjell paid them no mind, for if any did seek to follow them, then that likely meant they would fight him. His path was straight forward as well, a simple straight line towards the heart of the Chaya Nation from the great volcano that he called a home, down the slopes and through the burnt, ashen remains of the forest that once surrounded it. Plant life did not last long in any area the Blood of the Mountain chose to stay in for a long period of time.

Now, his path took him through grasslands. It would have come to the thighs of a more 'normal' sized being, but as it was, it barely went past his rocky toes. The tracks here were even more obvious, despite how springy grass like this was supposed to be. The reason was that each heavy step left the grass smoldering, and even blackened. Nothing had caught fire yet, but that was not exactly an uncommon occurrence when Fjell Fyr passed through. His entire body radiated heat, and was all the hotter when one touched him. Yet he paid no mind to the smoldering grass he left behind. Whether it set aflame mattered not to him, the demon world was expansive, one field mattered little, and trying to stop to take some measure would simply detract from his journey. No, Fjell Fyr continued on, he did not intend to return to his mountain until he found someone willing to do battle with the Blood of the Mountain.

The Wielder of Dark Chi strode through the Demon Realm, impressed with what it offered. Perhaps he should move here! Ha! What a joke! Like hell he would move from Karakura! So many sweet throats to cut open! Oh my! Just the though of it excited him! His psychotic grin grew even wider when he saw quite the sight. A man standing there! And he was fucking BIG! Jesus Christ that dude is big! He thought, before he grinned even more. Perhaps he would be a challenge? The Wielder of Dark Chi licked his lips at the thought of it. Such a tempting idea. He silently drew his dagger from the sheath on his shoulder, slipping his finger into the small hole under the hand-guard, He then crouched down, keeping his legs primed to leap.

A cobra ready to strike.

He then leaped into the air, kicking himself forward as he prepared to slice at the man mountain's back. But then it hit him. A immense wave of heat struck him like a hurricane. He quickly stopped in his tracks. Well then. He couldn't get close, but he would have to attack him from range. He cupped his hands together at his side, forming a sphere of black and crimson energy. The sphere would grow as big as a basketball. This attack was called "Yoh". A Chi attack that Vanyel absolutely adored using. It was one of his favorite techniques. He then thrust his arms forward, sending not the sphere, but a powerful wave of Chi that would coat this mountain. He then grinned as he twirled his dagger by the ring under the hand-guard.

"'Sup, Mr. Man Mountain? The name's Vanyel Xioyang! The Ultimate Wielder of DARK CHI! If you survive my attacks, I will let you live! If you don't....well, you die! It's simple! So, pray to your god or goddess to help you, because I will not hold back!" Vanyel declared, before an aura of black and crimson red burst outward. The aura of Vanyel's awakening! Vanyel began to laugh. Maniacal laughter that would echo throughout this area of the Demon Realm! As his sclera changed to black, while his irises changed to red, his clothes began to change was well. The blue on his clothing would change to black, and the white areas of his clothing would change to red. As all of this was happening, black chains would burst into existence. Chains that were made of Vanyel's Dark Chi! The transformation was complete! Awakening had been achieved.

Vanyel was going to have so much fun with this guy! He could feel it within his bones.....

Fjell Fyr was neither blind, nor deaf. Indeed part of being a warrior required that one had senses honed to as close to perfection as one could manage, with an ever constant drive to hone them further. The Wielder of Dark Chi might have been silent, but Fjell Fyr had been walking through a great empty field, and there were few places to go completely unseen. Vanyel had come from behind the demon, where Fjell had no eyes, but his bloodlust, his pressure, that was something that was impossible for the mountain to miss. As the Dark Chi Wielder leaped towards him, Fjell's great bulk turned, faster than one might expect of such a mountain, but slower than Vanyel might have. His white eyes fixated upon his foe, seeing him come towards him, only to abandon his attack at the last moment as the intense heat that radiated from Fjell struck him. The brute's fingers flexed, clenching slowly as he turned to face this new target directly, glaring balefully down at the man as the human prepared that attack. Now, Fjell Fyr had no issues with a fight starting without even an introduction, and so he did not exactly wait as that sphere of chi was formed. Oh no, Fjell Fyr was a being of action!

When that basketball sized orb of energy was thrust forward, he had already sprung into action. Fjell Fyr charged forward, a roar like the shattering of a great boulder sprang from his fanged maw. He was not the fastest being, but he was still faster than many would expect from such massive bulk, and he charged straight into the attack of his foe. The demon was a savage beast in battle, and he demonstrated it with this dash. Vanyel might not see it with his own blast coming forth, but Fjell bent over, seeming to fold in on himself as he charged. Even if the human could see before the blast engulfed and coated the Blood of the Mountain, he'd have no idea what was coming. Fjell, like all demons, could control his body to an extent that few other beings could hope to rival or match. Fjell himself used this in several ways, one of them was to forge his body into a great, rocky sphere, a boulder that rolled towards his foes forcefully! If Vanyel had entered his Awakened State before firing his Yoh, then this might have been a very, very poor decision on Fjell Fyr's part, but Vanyel hadn't.

This small difference in Vanyel's power between then and now, gave the demon the means to power through the beam. Fjell Fyr had no states, no transformations or seals on his power. When one saw Fjell Fyr, they saw the Mountain in its entirety. Add in that his body was rather durable, with a tough stony hide, and the natural properties of his Akuma Kyōdo, and he rolled through the great beam of Chi, quite literally in fact. He did not emerge entirely unscathed, the blast seared some of his stony, black flesh, it wore at the many cracks in his hide, widening some and adding a few more, but still he journeyed on. Vanyel would see a great round boulder come through his Yoh, emerging to try and collide with his body forcefully, not just a strong impact that could potentially fracture bone, but a great burning touch that would sear his flesh painfully!

Even after that, the boulder would 'unfold' the great bulk of Fjell Fyr coming free. Whether Vanyel had dodged or been struck, that would not stop the Blood of the Mountain from whirling about to swing one of his massive arms about. Each limb was nearly as long as his body, giving him a most formidable reach in battle. So long was it that his hand would collide with the ground, carving a gouge in the dirt and uprooting a swathe of grass with it! "Know this then, Ultimate Wielder! I am Fjell Fyr, he who has drank of the Blood of the World! Fight hard and well, that I might do the same!" His voice was like crumbling rocks, as inhuman as the rest of him for sure.

Vanyel was impressed by the massive demon's speed. He nodded in approval as he charged directly through his Yoh attack, and he slowly withdrew his katana from it's sheath. "Well, well! Not bad, Blood Drinker! Your body is very sturdy to take an attack like that! But I wonder...can you bleed? AHAHAHAH!" Vanyel asked, before cackling and leaping forward with astounding speed, slashing at the giant's left arm, then leaping backwards and thrusting the arms that held his two weapons forward, causing chains to materialize behind him and launch themselves towards the man mountain. The chains would seem harmless, but they would soon shoot spikes out of them, making them deadly to the touch.

His grin never left his face as he slipped the dagger back into the sheath onto his shoulder, before reeling his arm back and firing another blast of energy towards the man mountain. Another Yoh attack. This blast would be twice as powerful as the first one, since Vanyel's activation of his new form of power. He stretched, before his then called the chains back to him through mental commands, which, if the chains would be able to penetrate such a mighty force, the chains would burst through the giant in front of Vanyel, but if they didn't, they would simply coil around him and bind him there. This chains were as strong as Vanyel himself. The Wielder of Dark Chi could tell that he and this demon were matched in strength....but this battle was not merely a battle of strength, but a battle of skill!

Vanyel cracked his neck, before gripping his katana tight with both of his hands. "You still impress me, Demon! I wonder...how many have YOU killed? I, for one, have killed hundreds! So many interesting faces as the life drained from them! I wonder....will you give me the same satisfaction I would get from killing? SHOW ME NOW!" Vanyel declared once more, before he grinned even more. This might be the beginnings of...a friendship? No, no, no. This was not close enough. This was...a battle bond. Something that would bind these two warriors together as allies! If this Demon would impress Vanyel, he would stop his attack. But...he had not reached that point yet! He still had some time to go!

Vanyel quickly flicked his wrist forward, making the chains to wrap around the man mountain tighter. His eyes seemed to flash as he leaped into the air once more, before he burst into a bout of psychotic laughter as this attack would form. But...his body then vanished! A trick! Vanyel then appeared behind the mountain, firing a blast of Yoh again. He was exerting a large amount of energy from repeated casts, but he didn't care. After firing the third blast, he would leap up and land on the mountain's back, ignoring the large amount of heat that came from him. He then would plunge his katana into his back. The immense cutting ability of Kuro Komo should have been able to cut through his back as if it were butter. That was the power of Chengtan. It gave the item that Vanyel coated his Chi in incredible powers.

He then leaped off his back, observing the man mountain after he attacked. "Well well....you're still impressing me...but NOT ENOUGH." He spat, as if the comment was poison in his throat. He was very, very ready to take on this man mountain now. Warm up was over. Time to kill.

Could he bleed? Now there was a question based in ignorance on what bleeding did when that blood was drawn from the Blood of the Mountain. Vanyel was in for a most cruel surprise, but not yet, it was too soon. For all his savage appearance, there was a cruel, brutal intelligence hidden in his mind, and it shined at its strongest when he was engaged in battle. His eyes fixed on his foe, he had misread Vanyel, he had thought the human would fall to the ground during the firing of his Yoh, but that had not happen, and had kept Fjell Fyr from feeling the satisfying impact of his fist onto flesh. It would not happen again though, for the giant learned constantly through a battle, ever observing his opponents. Vanyel seemed to learn too, he had overcome his fear of the heat Fjell Fyr radiated, and rushed towards the goliath, his blade coming out to strike. The boy's speed was impressive, greater than Fjell's for certain, but Fjell had something else, the kind of terrible courage that saw one take injury gladly to hit a foe...and a reach of just over ten feet.

When Vanyel rushed with that blade, Fjell Fyr, although slower on the draw, responded by swinging his left hand towards his foe. The katana came out, and scraped against stone skin, but slashing attacks were perhaps the least effective upon that stony hide without very carefully monitored accuracy to hit the cracks in that flesh. The Akuma Kyōdo was also still in full effect, and helped absorb the impact still further! Vanyel left a scratch on the skin, but not enough to draw blood, and even with his speed he would have to move remarkably quick to avoid that swinging limb. As thick as a tree trunk, Fjell's arm would hurtle through the air to try and slam into Vanyel, and even just getting clipped by his clenched fist would have a painful impact upon him! Still though, that did not keep Fjell from needing to deal with the oncoming chains, here was something that was a bit closer to a weakness of the mountain. While blunt trauma was the best form of offense against such stony skin, piercing attacks such as suddenly shooting spikes were close. However, a piercing attack had its advantage when anchored on a force that kept it from being pushed backwards.

These chains, while threatening, flew freely through the air, and Fjell brought both of his arms up and then to the side. His great limbs slammed into the chains, the spikes shot out, slamming into his arms, but the demon's great defenses saw the spikes hit, and bounce, helping to force the chains to 'swerve' around him! There was nothing to the sides of the chains that kept them from being knocked in that direction, and thus, it was easier for the chains to be forced in that direction, than pierce those thick, stony arms. There was still the Yoh to deal with, and this was dealt with in the simplest way possible. Fjell Fyr could perhaps try to tank it, but he was not in an ideal position, and his foe was much stronger now than the first. Besides, not all counter attacks came from absorbing the enemy's punishment. With his arms already out to his sides, he just slammed then down and forward, into the ground!

With legs as short as Fjell Fyr's this was how he usually 'jumped' the impact on the ground having enough force behind it to push himself up and forward into the air! With his great weight, even he could not attain anything spectacular with the height of his jumps, but it was just enough to carry him over the fired Yoh, and both fists went up again. Vanyel would have to move swiftly, for the Blood of the Mountain was about to slam down atop him with a terrible fury, and a vicious impact that would make the ground sink harshly. The grass' thick roots were the only reason dirt was not uprooted and sent flying by such a tremendous strike! However, whether Vanyel was struck or glanced by such a harsh impact, or managed to dodge, it would leave Fjell Fyr open to the return of those chains regardless.

A vicious snarl came from the demon as the great lengths of chain wrapped around his body. They did not have the force to overcome his stony, massive body and his Kyōdo kept the chains from ripping through his body...but now, with the chains having a solid force and direction, the spikes that lined them were able to pierce that stony hide. Due to Fjell's sheer size and bulk, the spikes did not penetrate dangerously deep, it was similar to a human having a series of needles stuck into their skin, but it was still painful, and would draw that molten blood from his body. To Vanyel it may well look as if the Blood of the Mountain was furious to be seized in such a way, but in the savage warrior's mind, there was a fiery excitement, and also an admiration for his foe. While he did not yet consider Vanyel a superior, the way the man was so willing to engage in battle, and the skill and zeal with which he fought were all traits that Fjell admired and respected. Whatever the result of this battle, it was clearly a most magnificent one!

Yet, Fjell Fyr did not talk yet, his white eyes seemed to glare at Vanyel as the human took time to boast about his past accomplishments, the chains trying to draw tighter. They could only pierce so deep though, and such tightness might well strain them, placing them more closer to the searing flesh of the demon, where the heat might slowly weaken them...but the heat of Fjell Fyr was about to increase most drastically. As Vanyel leaped into the air, the demon once again used his superior control of his body, seizing every last drop of his blood and pumping it all to the surface of his skin. As the human vanished to appear behind him, Fjell Fyr continued to pump his blood, the Yoh overtaking him, washing him with more of that ki. His Akuma Kyōdo strained to mitigate the damage, but he felt further cracks appear in his stony flesh, felt it blacken still further...but he did not stop or hesitate in the slightest. Vanyel followed his blast by charging towards the demon's back...and right into the Knuse Inferno.

In a moment, every last crack in Fjell's flesh, both naturally and caused by damage lit up with a terrible, molten glow. The temperature immediately around him rose up to a horrific level, hot enough that Vanyel's clothes would actually smolder and smoke, at risk of combusting at a moment's notice! This would be a time to, if the boy could manage that kind of agility, pull back, rather than draw close enough to stab. Getting that close was almost guaranteed to set his clothes aflame in this oppressive heat, hot enough that even Vanyel's chains would start to soften and weaken, warping slightly in the great furnace. If he actually did persist, if he thrust forward, then his blade would pierce Fjell Fyr's back. The Akuma Kyōdo while not just a physical defense, was not strong enough to stop that blade...but Vanyel would likely wish he hadn't. Even discounting the sheer pain he would put his body under to rush into such terrible heat, when his blade pierced that stony flesh, glowing, molten blood spurted out!

It wasn't a massive shower, it wasn't enough to coat Vanyel entirely, but it was a good spray, and well showed the source of Fjell's temperature. It would burn like acid, set his clothes ablaze if they had not already...and eat away at his flesh, practically melting it. Just a second's contact with that on his skin would leave Vanyel with painful, terrible third degree burns if not worse! Yet on top of that, with the Knuse Inferno weakening those chains, Fjell demonstrated his terrible strength. His body shook and then both arms shot out and up as he roared. This time, that terrible sound was more akin to an eruption as the chains shattered around him...but he was not just roaring for the sake of it.

His magmatic blood dripped to the ground, the grasslands catching aflame at last, and with that fire, came the Blood of the Mountain's curse. Fjell Fyr did not curse individuals, but areas, their entire battlefield swiftly became tainted as his blood dripped down onto it, thick and heavy, it did not pour copiously, but in heavy drops. He could even stop it to an extent with his body control. Yet enough fell that the land was rapidly tainted, the fire spreading unnaturally fast as the ground beneath them hardened and cracked. An orange glow appeared between those cracks, very reminiscent of Fjell Fyr's own skin. Most demon curses caused internal bleeding, caused the body to slowly tear itself apart while they were in the area...but Fjell's was different.

His curse raised the temperature of their battlefield, until it felt like Vanyel was standing in an oven. Their battlefield was now a great furnace that would slowly sap at the human's strength, that would begin to cook him thoroughly. Fjell Fyr had now placed a time limit on how long Vanyel could fight, even if Fjell didn't land a single other blow the entire battle.

Vanyel scowled as the katana simply bounced off the giant's back like a boulder. Perhaps this was due to some special Demon ability that granted him protection? Perhaps...but his thoughts were quikly interrupted when the man mountain's fist came out of no where, striking him and sending him flying. "SHIT!" He yelled, before he quickly righted himself in the air and landed on his feet. Well then. That was most certainly interesting. "Well, well! Quite the speed you have, my friend!" He complimented, before seeing the giant leap into the air!

Vanyel's eyes widened as he stood his ground. Vanished. He reappeared a few feet away from the crater that this giant would create upon landing. The Wielder of Dark Chi had escaped! Using his form of Hoho, Xin Yue Buzhou, this would combine the energies of Chi, Sei and Dou, to perform such a fast action! The Dou energy would speed him along, while Sei energies would silence the Dou energy before it got out of control. Vanyel then outstretched his arm, but the immediately pulled it back, as if he were pulling invisible strings. His hand clenched into a fist, tightening the massive clench these chains had on Fjell. He was quite the resilient fighter! Vanyel grinned and clenched his hand tighter, forcing his bicep to bulge and flex.

This hand gesture would tighten the chains around the giant's body ever more, before Vanyel noticed something. Blood. The giant was bleeding! His stony body and immense durability was impressive...but this only caused Vanyel's glee towards this fight to increase immensely! "Well, well, well! You DO bleed! I wonder how much blood a giant like you can hold!" He yelled, before thrusting his other arm out to his side, causing more chains to appear and wrap around this thing. The tight restrains would begin to cut deep into the rock flesh of the Demon, before Vanyel un-clenched his fist.

The chains would slowly loosen their grip on the man mountain, before Vanyel lost his focus. Something that didn't normally happen. He hadn't even noticed it. His jacket was charring. His body was burned. He looked at his arms, which were burning with the fire that had erupted from that monster's body. He quickly attempted to flex his arms, to which he quickly regretted. The pain shot through him like bullets. He grinned and then his hands began to glow with a stranger mixture of his Dark Chi. Instead of a crimson red mixed with black...it was green.

This was the power of his healing ability, Yuhe. This skill would heal him in small amount to the point where he would no longer feel pain by moving his arms. This would be due to him repairing the cells that had been incinerated from the molten blood that had spurted from Fjell's back. His arms would now be healed up to the point of of having mere patches of the burns that happened mere minutes ago. Vanyel grinned as he then picked up his fallen katana. He seemed to have dropped it when he was burned. His grin grew wider as he then raised his arms, with his eyes widening. This was getting to be so much fun!

He slowly clenched his hands into fists. His focus was regained. He now noticed the changes in the battle. The heat. The shattered chains. Everything was now revealed to him. Jiaodian. Another Chi skill. This one allowed him to see things better than he normally could. Vanyel's hand slowly moved to in front of him. He was doing something very dangerous. By closing every single Qiqong in his body, minus the one in his chest, he could charge and fire an immensely powerful blast of energy that he would attempt to use alongside something. He slowly kept a hand over his chest, while placing his other hand upon the ground, before his mouth began to move. A chant began. "Dragon King of The Eastern Seas! Fuel me with your hatred for the Third Lotus Prince! Give me control over the water so I may strike down with THUNDER AND LIGHTNING!" He yelled, before a single kanji letter would appear in the ground below him.

電

Denko. The kanji symbol for lightning. As this was implanted in the ground, Vanyel would thrust his arms out, as new chains would erupt from the ground, wrapping tight around Fjell's body. These chains were not meant for attack, but to bind him down and hold him there until the attack was ready. Black clouds formed above him. A storm was coming. He clenched his teeth as he began to pour his Dark Chi into this attack. It pained him to drain himself of his Chi like this. He roared. As every last drop of Chi that he had stored now fueled the Ritual, a circle appeared. The circle covered half a mile of the area they were in. Vanyel opened his eyes. As the clouds formed even bigger above Fjell, a flash would be seen from these clouds.

It struck.

A single bolt of lightning fell like a thousand pound weight from the heavens as the bolt crashed upon the ground, sending lightning everywhere. The lightning would continue to shock Fjell with incredible, agonizing pain as the lightning shot outwards. As the Ritual would continue, the lightning would then reach the end of the circle. But the lightning would not go outside it's limits. The bolts quickly curved back in, returning to the center of the ritual and bringing even more pain to Fjell as the increased power of this Ritual was shown. After all of that, Vanyel would the collapse to his knees, panting and heaving. The Ritual was fading. The lightning slowly began to dissipate, and the circle vanished.

Vanyel looked at the smoke the Ritual had caused, wondering if the Demon had even survived it. If he did, that would be his final test. If he could survive such an attack like that, with everything he had, he was more than worthy to live. Vanyel slowly stood up, approaching the smoke and awaited the results....

Word Count: 1064

So far this fight had been everything Fjell Fyr loved in a battle. His opponent was closely matched to the goliath's own ability, and fought in an unusual and interesting manner that gave the demon a new view on some aspects of combat. Blood had been drawn on both sides, for though Vanyel had managed to pierce the Blood of the Mountain's flesh, it had come at the cost of his attention, causing the Ultimate Wielder to miss as Fjell activated the Knuse Inferno, catching the warrior full on within it, and as a result suffered great harm from that terrible, molten heat. Yet, even after realizing so late that his skin was being seared and blackened by pure heat, Vanyel was able to respond and act in an appropriate manner. Apparently this Dark Chi that Vanyel wielded could be used to heal in addition to all those offensive attacks that had been delivered with it. It was an interesting thing, and Fjell Fyr noted it down as he stared at the human, the chains falling down broken around him.

Thick lines of orange rolled down his arms and back now, actual thick lines of his molten blood, exposed to the open air and freed from the myriad cracks in his stony flesh. However, Fjell Fyr seemed to pay them no mind, indeed such punctures in his skin could well be used as another avenue of attack when the human went back onto the offensive. Once more, the Blood of the Mountain said nothing, he had not said a word since introducing himself, but he started to move forward, started to. Unfortunately, the goliath's own natural slowness, at least in comparison to most other beings of great power, gave his foe the advantage in making the next move. As that muscular, rocky form leaned forward to dash towards his foe and go on the offensive himself, yet more chains sprouted up around Fjell! A snarl escaped the Blood of the Mountain as the metallic chains wrapped around him, seeking to ensnare him and hold him in place as Vanyel chanted and prepared for some great move. However, Vanyel had made a single mistake here. It was potentially a small one depending on how long it would take the Ultimate Wielder to unleash this attack, but a mistake nonetheless.

He had assumed that chains Fjell Fyr had already proven he could snap once would hold the giant. If Fjell Fyr were interested in being fair, then it had taken a Knuse Inferno to generate enough heat to weaken them to where he could snap them in but a single flex of his muscular body. However, he had only just started to bleed when that had happened, and now his molten blood poured from several cleared puncture wounds, running down his arms and back. This very glowing blood was the source of Fjell Fyr's terrible heat, touching it was like touching the magma of the world itself, for it was by drinking that very same magma, the Blood of the World, that Fjell Fyr could produce it. The chains pulled taught, and pressed against those thick lines of his blood, the heated liquid sizzling as it touched the chains. Fjell did not even need the time for a second Knuse Inferno. Timing his next action with the pulse of his fiery heart, his thick blood poured from the puncture wounds a bit more copiously spreading down the chains binding him still further.

There was one other factor affecting the chains though, which bought Fjell another few precious moments. These chains were created after he had spread his curse to this land, that terrible heat that even now sapped at Vanyel's body weakened his attacks and abilities, not by much, but enough that it made it that much easier to snap the chains that covered Fjell's body. With another heated snarl like the smashing of a boulder, his arms flexed and flung outwards, shattering the chains where his terrible blood had softened and weakened them, freeing him from their grasp again. By this time though, the great black clouds roiled above them, brimming with the promise of destruction, and the circle was just forming. Fjell Fyr did not need to be a genius to know that that was something to avoid, he needed to get out of this circle, even if that meant avoiding this rich opportunity to try and strike his foe. Fjell Fyr sprang into motion. Normally he did not like to use Shadow Movement.

It was something he had very little practice in, and his training and methods tended to focus on methods and abilities where speed was not as useful as strength or durability. Still it had its uses such as right here, the problem is, as he reached within himself, and tapped into that rusty ability, that burst of speed...he did it just a fraction of a second too late. Oh Fjell Fyr got himself out of the direct impact zone. The bolt of lightning slammed into the ground behind him as he moved, but the sheer force of the shockwave, the raw power behind it still struck him. More importantly though, was that the lightning that raced out from the circle was faster than the clumsy Shadow Movement Fjell Fyr employed here. Electricity slammed into the Blood of the Mountain like a great wave, causing his muscles to clench and tense, and great pain to force itself into his body, pumping through his veins as if it sought to replace his fiery blood with pure agony.

Yet, ever had Fjell Fyr been able to effectively deal with pain. It was a lesson learned early, and had been sharpened and honed to a burning perfection within the mountain he now called home. The Blood of the Mountain pushed past the pain, pushed past the agony. It was present, palpable, but he refused to let it rule his mind, refused to let it control him. With a great roar, his body pushed past the electricity that had set his muscles to spasming and tensing, once again he used his body control to form himself into a great sphere! The first thing he had noticed after the pain of this attack was the way the electricity made his muscles spasm and tense, he would never be able to run or maintain Shadow Movement like that...and so he let what momentum he had carry him further forward. Still imbued with much of his Shadow Movement speed, boosted by the very concussive impact that he had been too late to avoid, he hurtled forward. The Blood of the Mountain rolled like a rock, blazing a trail over the burning fields of grass.

He raced the lightning, trusting to his rocky body to withstand this agony as onwards he went, until he rushed past the ring. There the electricity stopped, but he kept going, hurtling forwards until within his mind he realized he could no longer feel it coursing through him. A great, long arm emerged from the boulder he had shaped himself into and slammed into the burning field, halting his charge as he uncurled. His breath came in heavy, slow pants, and his back had been badly cracked by that concussive wave. The foundation of cracks along the flesh of his back had been fractured further, several more, not of his normal natural stature oozed his molten blood...but the pain from the electricity was slowly fading, even if his body still felt...twitchy.

With a roar he forced himself to a stand, the additional cracks upon his back shifted and thick blood spurted from them. It sizzled as it hit the cracked, cursed ground, before he took a step forward, his eyes going towards his opponent. Vanyel would surely attack again any moment, Fjell needed to prepare. He had lost blood, but he still had plenty for his own defense and...no, no the way the human stood over there. Vanyel had exhausted himself with that attack. Perhaps he could still fight, but it seemed he had weakened himself considerably...and with such an attack! Had Fjell Fyr been even a hair slower in escaping from those chains he'd no doubt have taken the full brunt of it. He might have survived, but Fjell Fyr could not help but wonder if he'd even be able to move afterwards if he had.

His back felt aflame, a sign of just how badly fractured his stony hide was...it would take some time to fill these new cracks in and remove them. Yet, that was just a mark of how well this human had conducted himself. Although if he truly had exhausted himself, then Fjell Fyr thought himself the winner for certain. He had escaped that final attack, he could still move, could still fight if necessary...and his curse was still on this land, still sapping Vanyel's strength with every breath of this heated air. "Most impressive human. Yet, I wonder, is this battle now over? You seem to have exhausted yourself, or have you yet another trick up your sleeve?"

Perhaps Vanyel did not realize it, but if Fjell Fyr was finally speaking again, then he was prepared to call this battle over. There was no need to kill an opponent once beaten. If they were slain in the heat of battle oh well, but the Blood of the Mountain rarely killed a foe if they survived being beaten.

Vanyel watched as the man mountain walked out of the Ritual. He was not unscathed. He could see damage along his stony hide. He grinned as he saw that he was most certainly alive. He slowly stood, but the pointed a finger at Fjell. "THIS battle may be over....but I'm not done with you yet, Fjell. You have proven a most worthy challenge!" Vanyel said, before extending his hand. He would shake this Demon's...er, hand. This Demon had proven a very worthy opponent. His grin grew wider as he spoke with his next words. "You and I share a battle bond, my friend! We shall forever be united together as allies, warriors, and sparring partners! Vanyel said.

His heart was racing with excitement as he said his next statement. "Grant this 'ol psycho one wish, will ya?" He said, before continuing. "We fight again. But next time....it's to the DEATH." Vanyel said, before grinning. It would be the final battle the two warriors would have. He would go down fighting. That is how Vanyel wanted to die. He wanted to die fighting. He wanted to fight until his very last breath. He then snapped his fingers, with his index finger pointed at the giant.

Vanyel then grinned and drew his arm back to him, curling his fingers into a fist. He liked this guy. He was a good challenge. He would then look up at the man mountain, before slashing his hand with his dagger. He then would extend it once more. This time, his word was bound in blood. He was promising on his life, that they WOULD have another duel. But this time, only one of the men would walk out alive. This was fine with Vanyel. He would rather die fighting, as a warrior, than die as a weakling, from something stupid, like being mauled by a tiger. He was just like that.

There was the confirmation Fjell Fyr needed, an admission from Vanyel that this battle was over. Vanyel was already talking about this one being over, and then prattling on about battle bonds, and being allies. A most unusual philosophy by Fjell Fyr's own reckoning. Most people, after a fight as heated as this, where either of them might have died had things gone even a little differently, tended to view the results as something worthy of hostility. Yet this strange human now apparently saw the Blood of the Mountain as an ally, how very curious. Still, the mountain of a demon saw no reason to reject the human's offer, and so he likewise extended his hand. Of course, it was far larger than Vanyel's...and still felt incredibly hot to the touch. Yet, he would still get to say he shook the hand of Fjell Fyr.

A slow rumbling chuckle rose from Fjell Fyr, coming from deep within his chest as he started to walk past the human. The fields were afire, the flames spreading ever further with every moment...but even despite that, at least further on would take them away from the ground Fjell Fyr had cursed. "You are an interesting human, to say the least. Very well Vanyel. Our next duel shall be to the death. However, that shall mean little if you stay here until my curse makes you keel over. Save your blood oath Vanyel. My blood could very well cripple you in such an exchange. If you wish to persist, we shall swear when I am sure that you are hale and hearty enough to withstand or recover from the act."

Then, just like that, this great, stony being continued on his path, walking through the burning fields. Normally his wandering was either to home, or just anywhere he might find a fight...yet for once he might actually need to find shelter for another. Now there was a new, and most amusing, thought. It seemed today was a day for firsts and unusual meetings!

Vanyel grinned even more. He was bursting with excitement. He couldn't wait until their final match! He would make sure to get stronger so that he could fight this guy with his full power. Vanyel nodded, before slowly taking a step forward. He would then keep walking, aiming to get to the exit of the Demon Realm. His body was aching with pain. A headache, sore limbs, and low on energy. He had to get out of there before he passed out, or died from that curse the demon mentioned. He continued walking, in a waddle of sorts, aiming to leave the Demon Realm.

[EXIT POST, SORRY FOR IT BEING SHORT]