infernus

She's been here for a while now, hiding in the shadows, and watching how the world works in this particular country.

It's a far cry from the rampaging civil war she had come from in the far east of this particular place. Here, there's tensions that roil between those without magic and those gifted (or in her case, cursed) with it, but they mostly come to head when it comes down to the monsters.

Monsters. 

Never had she thought that she would see actual monsters, not outside of her homeland. There, they rampaged every so often, killed by locals that brought them down. They were rare, and hardly ever really happened. No one knew where they came from, how they appeared, or what they wanted. But they were always killed. 

Here though? Here in Ivras, the monsters were the ones that were too greedy with magic. A sort of ironic end, to those that wanted their power to be so unwieldy that they lost themselves to it. This one is no different. The word had spread of a Lich that was growing too strong, too fast. It's likely that it was him, wasn't it? Maybe she had seen him once or twice in passing, she doesn't know. She only knows that she feels a sense of pity for him, for what he's turned into. She couldn't imagine having so much power that it literally ate you alive from the inside out until you were nothing but the corruption that drove your bones.

Her own magic is a curse, but that? That's just a sad ending to anyone that allowed it to happen.

A breath, and she allows it out from her lungs, her small shoulders dropping and her eyes half hooding. 

If there's anything she's learned about monsters here, is that the corruption, the magic that floods off them in waves, gives her a good feed. That it sustains her in a way that she won't have to use her magic in any sort of manner for a while. 

The hunger is a nasty thing that gnaws at her stomach, in a way that normal food won't help. But monsters would fill that hunger, make it go away for quite some time, and leave her living even longer. It's always like that. Siphon, siphon, siphon, survive. Siphon from a monster? Survive another twenty years minimum. Something in the corruption feeds it, or maybe it's the massive amount of magic in general that happens whenever there's a gathering like the mages that hunt their own kin (or what once was their kin). Whatever it is, it's been centuries, and she still has no idea how it works. Only that it helps her survive and keeps her alive an unholy amount of time.

The breath shudders out of her lips again, and she finds herself reaching a hand up, rubbing at her face just a little delicately.

This one was a doozy. She can feel the hunger gnawing, but she can feel the magic thick in the air, practically radiating out and encompassing the entire area. It's a taste of something she knows she needs, a sweet tingle on her tongue that she can't quite reach just yet.

But the blazing inferno to the north of her isn't that far off.

Nothing but a massive skull of black, peering out of flames that lick the land, melting the snow and sending plumes of black where it scorches everything in its path.

Part of her wonders just what was going on in that mind. Was it any coherent thought, or was it some animalistic innate urge to keep pressing forward on hooves that shook the earth? Just nothing but static that buzzed behind oozing eye sockets? It's hard to imagine something that doesn't have some level of intelligence or consciousness. Even cats have some sort of intelligence and are capable of interacting with anyone around them, communicating their needs with ease. 

This huge fucking thing though? She doubts it.

Another sigh slips past her lips, and Pandora finds herself stretching a little now, her wings tucking up against the line of her back and her eyes fixate on the point where the monster is heading. There's already a lot of commotion happening, but it's the perfect cover. It's what she needs in order to just get in, feed, and get out. With as many mages as there are running around, she'll be able to find herself lost in the magic of it all, almost quite literally. But she knows what the monster will 'taste' like; the levels of corruption bring a sort of bittersweet touch to her tongue that she won't be able to push aside. That is what she will focus on, and not worry about the others scattered among the fields, fighting it.

Finally, Pandora puts motion to her limbs, taking off at a light jog towards the monstrosity and the magic that soars through the air around it. The metal that whines and whistles through the air, the hiss of plants, of ice! It's so much at once, and the closer she gets, the more she can feel the tangles of magic at her fingertips. She wants so badly to latch onto it, to absorb everything around her, but that's the funny part, isn't it? As much as it tempts her, she never gives in. 

She hadn't back home, either, not even in the throes of the civil war that took her best friend from her and finally sent her running to the west to find sanctuary. 

They had ripped them away from her, a midnight raid that descended on a peaceful village that had stood in neutral territory. The raid had rapidly escalated into full on conflict, when the rebels had shown up to battle them and attempt to keep the villagers safe. It had turned into a full bloody battle when more from each side showed up, and the village was nothing but smoking rubble in the dead grass. It had been a heartbreaking time, where she had escaped, watching the fear on her friend's face, begging them to come with her. They had shaken their head, the fear melting away to concern. "You need to leave, Panny. You need to find shelter. There's none here for me, but remember me, okay? Don't ever forget me, and I will always be there with you. I promise." It had been such a blow, to hear those words. She had screamed, had begged, all while being pushed through the small opening in the wall. Pushed out of the way, away from fires that ate houses and people alike. The screams had been so loud, the blood had been tangible in the air. Everything smelled metallic and wet, and maybe that was the tears on her lips.

The memory fades as her steps become quieter and she takes a route around the mages and their fight. It's easier this way, to sneak around and take what she wants. She doesn't even have to get close, not with the way the magic is rolling off the monster in waves. 

She skirts around a puddle or two, a sickening black ooze that makes the hairs on her arms stand on end, goosebumps erupting over her skin. Don't touch that, then. She can tell what it is from that alone, and she continues her way, reaching through the air with a hand, feeling the tickle of bitterness on her lips. There. A hiss, and she grips the magic hard with her own, fingers closing around it. A visible way she can use to picture her own magic curling around theirs, sinking invisible fangs into the pulsing power. 

It's euphoric, sending her head spinning a moment as she draws in deep breaths, and feels how it laps over her. Warm, inviting. 

Gradually, the gnawing hunger seems to fade, easing up at long last, and she feels the tingle of vitality. Finally. The hunger doesn't hurt her, and the world shrinks away, the sounds fading into the distance.