Woe (Finished)

[Chloe/Kat]

Kasul, having already been charged previously, created an invisible barrier between Chloe and Fukari in that moment leaving the Empress unmoved and unharmed as the Blind Assassin crashed into the ground. Fukari would soon feel the gravity around her hold her down with an unprecedented amount of strength to crush her where she laid stuck beneath its might as the vampiress came down plunging Kasul into her heart.

[Alex]

As Chloe came down upon her to which there was no escape a smile curved the Blind Assassin's lips where others would have been paralyzed with fear. Just seconds before Kasul could pierce her heart did a thick and intense blaze of fire erupted from Fukari like an explosion engulfing them both in the flames. The Blind Assassin's skin turning a dark shade of pink as her clothes melted off, beige claws grew on her fingers and feet and wings extended from her back as she broke free from the weight of gravity and zipped up into the skies, the flames diving down to reveal the half devil in her demon form hovering above the Empress in the air.

Sight returned to Fukari upon summoning her demon form to the surface. For the first time in her life she laid her eyes on her home, Jherrazad. For the first time since the beginning of their battle Fukari could see Chloe; her pale skin, her bright round blue eyes, the angry expression on her face, the burnt blonde hair and finally the Kasul itself. All five senses returned to her and the introduction of a sixth was not far off the mark.

"Congratulations. Only one person has ever brought this out in me."

[Chloe/Kat]

The invisible barrier cast by Kasul was still in tact, protecting Chloe from the intense flames released from Fukari as a result of activating her demon form. She followed Fukari up into the air via lunge and unleashed an Air Rave with Kasul against the demon but it wasn't the Air Rave that Fukari would have to worry about. It's all the rage built up and released to inflict twice the damage Fukari's last two attacks would have inflicted as the barrier protecting her was revealed to be Royal Guard.

[Alex]

Had this been on the ground up in a corner perhaps it would have worked. But the sky was like a vast ocean with plenty of room available to swim in. And when Chloe finally took the dive into that ocean she would find nothing before her. All that build up, all that clever planning and it was all for naught as her target was no longer there. Fukari was now behind her, exploiting the opening from releasing Royal Guard to rip open her back with her razor sharp claws while Chloe was still in the midst of her aerial strike. The desert sand below may have yielded to her authority but up here? Up here Fukari was in control.

[Chloe/Kat]

Chloe fell back into the ground face first with blood oozing down her back from the wound Fukari had created for her. The Empress struggled to crawl through the sand, shamed in front of her entire empire in a matter of just a few seconds that turned the tides in the Blind Assassin's favor. She even struggled just to keep Kasul in her clenches as she slowly got up to one knee and looked up to Fukari with anger and hatred consuming her soul.

[Alex]

Fukari watched the great Empress of Jherrazad fall out of the sky, blood pouring down her back, and crashed into the sands below and then struggled just to get up to a knee with great satisfaction but she did not swoosh down to finish her off. She knew better. A possum is always capable of changing the tides no matter how bad it wounds may be. Instead the half devil chose to remain in the air, where she was able to move freely, and track Chloe through both sight, smell and hearing. Being able to use all five senses was a delicacy as normally she could only use four.

"Giving up already? Somehow I expected more from you. Get up! You shame more than just your empire crawling through the dirt!"

[Chloe/Kat]

Just when Chloe was about to make it back up to her feet she collapsed against the ground a second time for all around them to see. Dirt covered her body and got into her clothes. The blood continued to pour down her back and stank the air as it appeared the vampiress' body were too weak to regenerate the wounds on her back. Some in the audience from their houses were happy. They wanted to see Chloe dead for dethroning the Empress they grew to love, respect and fear. The only thing they feared about Chloe was Kasul.

That was about to change.

While Fukari taunted her from above the vampiress looked at her hand and saw the flesh was tearing itself apart slowly before healing over just to tear apart again. Like hell itself plagued her skin and nothing could free her from it. A hell she lived day by day. A hell that was on her side.

And just like that Fukari's sight was blinded once more.

Her hearing deafened.

Nostrils covered, taking away her sense of smell and reducing her to have to breathe from her mouth.

Her sense of taste would be no more, her entire body would go numb as even if her fingers touched the surface of the ground she would feel nothing and all she would be able to see within her mind was her greatest fears come to life and she would have nowhere to run. Both body, mind and soul were vulnerable like never before and the same terrors that plagued her now plagued those who doubted her as the entire Desert Empire was filled with screams.

The blood that poured down her back returned to the inside of her wounds before they closed up and the vampiress was once again on her feet, as if no damage has ever been inflicted upon her body, Kasul in hand as she looked over to the Blind Assassin as the Nightmare consumed her like a silent horror movie to which no end was in sight. Although none of the victims today would be able to hear her she spoke anyway.

"And those who doubt me, and wish me death would know that I have both god and devil running through my veins! The suffering I have felt here today is NOTHING compared to the suffering I'm about to put you through!"

After those words were said and done, Chloe plunged Kasul into Fukari's heart to send her to an early grave where the Nightmares would follow her into eternity.

[Alex]

Fukari hands grabbed the flat sides of the Kasul blade and pushed it to the side before delivering an elbow into Chloe's face knocking her back. Before the Empress of Jherrazad, the impossible. The half devil known around the world as the Blind Assassin still stood across from her position on the desert sand in her full demon form, all five senses untouched when they should have been sent into disarray. Her mind at peace where there should have been only chaos. Life where there rightfully should be death. A living paradox that defied everything known to be true and only one question echoed to mind.

How?

[Chloe/Kat]

Chloe took the blunt end of the elbow and staggered back but while she may have been able to maintain her footing, she would not be able to maintain her shock at the sight in front of her. By now Fukari should have been snatched away by the Nightmare, barely able to hold on to what little life she would have left naturally making her perfect pickings for Kasul to finish her off but nay. Fukari stood in perfect condition as if Chloe hasn't used the Nightmare at all but it was very much evident by the people around them that she had used it. So there was no way in this lifetime or the next that Fukari should be standing like nothing happened, and be able to stand immune to Kasul's pull on top of it all.

"This isn't possible... IT ISN'T POSSIBLE!" The vampiress began to cry in frustration. What else could she do? That was it. If the Nightmare couldn't work then nothing could. How could someone resist its power? How could someone shrug it off like it was nothing? Was she really so weak? Was she really incapable of doing what Amoura, Sparda and others in possession of the Nightmare could do? Was that it? "You should be dead... YOU SHOULD BE DEAD!"

[Alex]

Fukari watched the hope slowly fade away from Chloe's eyes as frustration took over them and tears began to drip down her cheeks, her lips curving in great satisfaction at the sight of the broken Empress that now stood in front of her. The half devil couldn't have asked for a more fulfilling revenge than the one unfolding right before her eyes. For a brief moment, Fukari imagined it was Ranko standing in front of her, tears of frustration raining down her cheeks as the borrowed power she relied upon so heavily to do her fighting for her failed her in the end. While Fukari knew that even when faced with hopelessness Ranko's expression would never change from the emotionless mask it always was, the vision through Chloe's face was joyous all the same.

"Ironic, isn't it? How you and your friends rely so much on the power you seek to destroy."

Just as Ranko grew to rely on Kasul in battle these outsiders that polluted Genesis with their presence took what was once a curse to them and turned it into a strength. While many would call that a triumph, to Fukari it more like an abductee growing attached to their abductor. Completely oblivious to the fact they're still under siege.

"Yet you fail to realize you're no more than mere puppets of the First Aspect."

[Chloe/Kat]

Fukari seemed to be perfectly content with just talking now. Good. Talking is good. Chloe could do talking. Talking never killed anybody. A full on frontal attack has already proven to be deadly and if she could resist the Nightmare's pull then there were no telling what else she could do in this battle. Talking was probably for the best. "How? How did you become immune to the Nightmare? How is that even possible?"

[Alex]

Fukari began stalking the area around Chloe, like a vulture circling it's prey as the Empress spoke demanding to know how the Nightmare was blocked. It was indeed an amazing sight to behold. Those who rely on the power the most actually knew and understood so little about it while those who chose to oppose it entirely understood it so much more. The real sad thing however was the fact the vampiress asked as if her enemy would give her an answer.

"I have no intention of telling you how I've bested the Nightmare. And you won't have to worry about figuring it out."

Fukari faked a few sudden movements towards Chloe to keep her on edge but still didn't attack her, simply biding her time until the Empress made her decision to either keep fighting or surrender and die. Retreat wasn't an option unless she wished to abandon her great empire. The Blind Assassin had a feeling she would die before doing that. Either way...

"You won't be around for much longer."

[Chloe/Kat]

Chloe watched Fukari as she circled around her like a vulture circling its prey and unfortunately for her she was the prey. She had been since the beginning of this fight. An assassination attempt years in the making where Ranko had been the target originally but because of her, her thirst and a lust for power greater than her own, Chloe now found herself in the middle of it all. Why did she have to seduce and take Ranko's life? Why did she then allow herself to be seduced by this lifestyle, this power? While Fukari wouldn't be able to see it that question was soon answered to her by the blade itself as she spoke at length towards the Blind Assassin.

"Well I guess there's nothing left to do except..." As the vampiress trailed off the air inside of Fukari's lungs began to fill up, exceeding their usual 80% capacity until the only thing her lungs could do were... "Burst the air in your lungs." ...Pop

[Alex]

Fukari raised an eyebrow and then felt a terrible pain coming from her insides. Both her lungs had burst from the inside out and now blood was flowing everywhere. She staggered about, crying out in sheer agony as she fell back into the sand and her demon body worked as fast as it could but regenerating organs were no small feat even for a demon.

[Chloe/Kat]

"Interesting..." Chloe trailed off as she approached the bleeding Fukari not able to imagine how agonizing it must have felt to have your lungs explode from the inside out and it wasn't a feeling she herself was in any hurry to find out about. "You're able to completely fend off the Nightmare but at the end of the day you fall to the most basic of weaknesses. Lost of a vital organ. I see now I was hasty with resulting to the Nightmare." Chloe looked towards Kasul. "I beg your forgiveness. I should have trusted you from the beginning."

A small group of guards came onto the scene as the vampiress glanced returned to the fallen Blind Assassin. "Now allow me to extend you the kindness I never received. Guards, take her to the hospital ward in the castle. She'll need tending to while her own regeneration kicks in." Chloe resheath Kasul. "I trust you'll be able to regenerate your lungs?" she asked Fukari though didn't expect much of an answer, you know, lack of lungs and all. Chloe turned as the guards surrounded Fukari with a to help her up.