The crypt groans as the floor turns to glass, the air shrieking with the sound of snapping crystal. Ignis pivots on the slick, melting surface, his feet leaving charred prints as he prepares to finish the boy.
Ignis
This thief is a hollow shell, and his flame is nothing but a flicker compared to the forge of his masters.
Ignis
Enough of this dance, boy. Your past was never yours to keep.
Eolsi
He moves like he is trying to carve a map into my skin. If I don't catch his blade in the gap between these shards, I am dead.
Eolsi
You want my memories, Ignis? Come and take them from the edge of the void.
Ignis lunges, his sword a streak of blinding white heat that threatens to ignite the very air. Eolsi braces his legs against a jagged spike of erupting quartz, his daggers humming with a desperate, dark vibration as he prepares to meet the strike head-on.
“You counter attack”
SUCCESS (Great Melee Combat, rolled -1)
Eolsi
The heat of his strike is an insult. My daggers don't just parry, they drink.
As Ignis swings, Eolsi steps into the searing radius, his blades weaving a violet web that catches the molten steel. The collision sends a shockwave of ozone and sparks rattling through the crypt. Eolsi pivots, sliding his left blade along the flat of the warrior's sword, sparks showering like dying stars. With a sharp twist, he forces the blade wide, exposing the warrior's ribs. He lunges, his right dagger flashing toward the gap in the man's armor.
Ignis
How? No mortal shadow should hold the weight of such a strike.
The warrior grunts, his momentum carrying him into the path of Eolsi’s follow-through. His boots skid across the fragile, glass floor, cracking the surface further as he struggles to regain his balance. The air between them vibrates with the hum of the demon fairy's power, cold against the overwhelming fire.
“Will he listen to me & hear me out”
YES (Unlikely, rolled 31)
As the heat of the clash dissipates, Ignis freezes, his eyes widening as he catches the unnatural, chilling hum emanating from Eolsi's daggers. The warrior’s aggressive stance falters, his grip on the molten blade loosening just enough to reveal a flicker of hesitation and genuine curiosity in his gaze.
Eolsi
He is actually listening; the demon fairy's influence is forcing him to see past the steel and into the truth of my words.
Ignis
Speak then, thief, before the floor beneath us gives way to the void.
“You ask him to accept the goddess deal & escape”
SUCCESS (Superb Persuasion, rolled +1)
Eolsi
The Goddess demands a vessel, Ignis. She does not want your life, she wants your silence. If you pledge your service to her, this tomb remains your sanctuary, not your grave. Put out the fire.
Ignis
The offer is a poison, yet it tastes like salvation. My flame has consumed everything I once was. If the Goddess grants me an end to this burning, I will trade my blade for her favor.
The molten glow of the warrior's sword flickers and dies, turning to dull, cooled iron as he lowers his guard. The surrounding sparks extinguish, leaving only the sound of shifting, fractured glass beneath their feet.
Eolsi
He is hesitating, his belief in the fire finally cracking under the weight of his exhaustion. If I push now, he might actually walk away from this fight.
Quest Complete
Survive the confrontation with Ignis
Fault Removed: Fear Of Fire