journal ⚔️ a warning

[discourtesies]

Sender: Barok van Zieks

[The writing is hurried, a cursive that just manages to be legible. In his rush, his usual formalities are cut short. The message is more important than the form it takes.]

There is a demon in the wilderness — a bestial man. Powerful and violent, able to heal itself in an instant. Anyone unable to defend themselves should avoid the woods until [until what? It's killed? If there's any shred of the man still in there, he can't condone that.] further notice.

[Is that a drop of blood on the page? Eh, it's fine.]

It was Kazuma Asogi. I don't understand it, but I wasn't able to reason with him and he became this thing before my eyes.

[After a moment, he adds:]

He cannot be left like this.

Comments

[chippedsoul]

[When Diluc comes out to investigate the lake, he'll find the one responsible is no longer there. But Kazuma conveniently left a trail of fire and destruction for him to follow. It leads away from the lake, back towards town.

He'll have to be careful of the creatures that have turned into mad hell beast from exposure to the chaos. Some may choose to fight, others may just suddenly burst into flames. Either way, they all share the same trait of having gone mad. The closer Diluc comes to the source, the more he'll start feeling this anger boiling beneath. He may be succumb by the strong emotion, if his mind is not strong enough to resist.

Eventually though, he'll spot someone or something having a leisurely stroll through the forest, setting everything he touches on fire.]

[disdelusioned]

[The trail proves easy to follow.

Fire and rage are not unfamiliar things to Diluc. They are the weapons he wields in his never-ending pursuit of justice and answers, weapons he has learned to hone and control over the past several years. The familiarity makes it tempting to give into the madness of it, magnifying his own feelings in a way he's not entirely prepared for, but somehow he manages to hold onto himself. For now.

Catching up to the source of it takes time, frequently waylaid as he is by wildlife that either attacks or blows up in his general vicinity. But eventually, he finds the demon and plants himself in its path.]

Stop.

[It's not a request.]

[chippedsoul]

[He'll stop, only because he doesn't recognize the person in front of him. He may be a monster seeking violence, but there's still a human part of him that acknowledges that he's only after one thing. Anyone else should be ignored, unless they stand in his way, like right now.]

Get out of my way. [He will start walking towards him. Even from a distance, it'll be easy to tell this demon easily towers over Diluc. Not all intimidated by the stranger.]

[disdelusioned]

[Diluc is similarly unintimidated, standing firm and adjusting the grip on the claymore he's holding. He's faced creatures large and looming before. This is no different, except for the need to subdue rather than kill.]

No. You're a threat.

[Even beyond what he's done to van Zieks, this wild and untamed energy cannot be allowed anywhere near where other people are.]

I'll say it one more time: stop your advance.

[chippedsoul]

[Wherever he step, flames would appear. They start to form around his hands as he balls them up into fists. He takes note of the claymore, keeping an eye on anything else this man might have up his sleeves.]

You're not my target. Move or I'll make you. [He may be trying to avoid a fight with anyone, but it be a lie to say he isn't one who enjoys the thrill of a fight. He's also curious about his own abilities right now, so if Diluc really wants a fight, that's just invitation for him to play.]

[disdelusioned]

[Diluc keeps a close eye on the flames, realizing that his Vision is going to be nearly useless in this confrontation--one cannot fight fire with more fire. If he's to stop this man's advance, it will have to be with physical strength alone. Which, of course, puts him at a severe disadvantage.

The mention of a singular "target" doesn't go unnoticed, and gives Diluc a moment's pause. That this man--Kazuma, Barok had called him--isn't after wanton destruction is something of a surprise, but comes as a relief. There are implications in the word "target" that go beyond anything he can dare to know or assume, but at least there's some semblance of reason there.

But this cannot continue unaddressed, either. The risk of collateral damage is too great.]

Your target or not, I cannot stand down.

[And with that Diluc charges, swinging his sword in a circle around him as he gets close to use the momentum of his body to his advantage in the attack.]

[chippedsoul]

[Diluc got some range, and he got power behind the swing of his sword. So he's going to wait, weaving in and out of the sword's way until he can spot an opportunity.

There. Just as the sword makes another pass, he kicks it from beneath. The kick is stronger than the average person, his intent is to knock him off balance, so he can get in and land a fire punch. Ideally the stomach area, but he's not picky.]

[disdelusioned]

[This man is fast, moreso than Diluc had anticipated, and it quickly becomes clear that he's fighting at a loss in more ways than one. Diluc is powerful, but slower. Usually, his flames can compensate for that--but he's kept them at bay. His opponent has no such qualms about using the entirety of his power.

It only takes a moment's hesitation, intended to shift the angle of attack, for the other man to press his advantage. A kick throws him off balance, and Diluc's reflexes aren't quite good enough to prevent the subsequent punch from landing--he dodges enough so that it's off-center, more to his left side than his stomach, but it's still burning and painful. Hissing and cursing under his breath, he stumbles back several paces and glowers.

Pyro isn't the right element for this. He needs Hydro or Cryo. But there are no gods waiting in the wings to give him an elemental advantage just because he needs it, and his understanding of dreamotion abilities is too nascent to be able to call either water or ice forth. It's becoming increasingly clear he's picked a fight he cannot win.

But he's not quite ready to stand down. If he's to concede, it will be after he's tried everything he has. Fire with fire it is.

He calls on the power of his Vision, flames consuming the blade of the claymore. And he presses the attack once more.]

[chippedsoul]

[Oho, that looked like it hurt. That delights him, moreso to see he still refuses to back down. More opportunities to punish this man, especially when he's frustratingly in his way from completing his mission. His brows raise in surprise when the claymore is suddenly covered in flames. So he still has some more tricks.

Couldn't he do that too...? He wondered.

He lowers his hands beside him, the flames starting to sit in the palm of his hands. They start to extend outwards, forming into the shape twin blades. Just as Diluc comes in to strike, his claymore will be stopped by fully formed flame swords. Monkey see monkey do, although one of them has far too much power that it should be illegal. If it startles Diluc enough, he'll take the opportunity of the confusion to land a kick to knock him away.]

[disdelusioned]

[The demon not only defends against the blow, but does so by summoning dual blades made of flame. "Startled" isn't quite the right word, but the manuever certainly takes Diluc aback quite a bit. The block is followed by a kick, the force of which exacerbates the pain from the burns he sustained from the punch, and Diluc skids back several feet and crumbles.]

Damn it.

[Diluc is passionate and driven, and therefore not the one to accept loss easily. But this isn't a winnable scenario. His pride isn't so much that he's blind to reality. To keep this up against an opponent who can not only match him blow for blow, but escalate it, is akin to suicide. He has no interest in testing the limits of life and death in this dream world.

Even so, he's furious about it. He punches the ground angrily, unable to keep his frustration in.

He doesn't look up at Kazuma, nor will he give him the satisfaction of saying that he yields aloud. But the implication of the position he remains in--just shy of fully prone--is obvious.]

[chippedsoul]

[...This all felt great, better than when he was in the Realm of Stories. He's in control and he could feel the potential that he could become even stronger in this world. With his desire for vengeance as strong as it was, he wasn't going to be slowing down anytime soon.

He eyes the fallen Diluc for a moment. The temptation to finish the job was clawing at him. He was helpless and ripe for punishment. But he still had a mission, and he already made it clear Diluc wasn't his target. He shuts those temptations away as he approaches the other man. He steps over one of the fallen hell beast as he does so, which causes something strange to happen. It turns into some kind of dark mist, and taken in by the approaching demon by some invisible force pulling them in. He points his flame blade at Diluc.] Leave. [Third warning.]

[disdelusioned]

[In response, Diluc looks first at the sword pointed in his direction, then the rest of the way up at Kazuma properly. Slowly, carefully, he stands up and holds up the hand that's not still gripping onto his sword. He could dismiss it as a show of good faith, but he doesn't entirely trust Kazuma not to attack from behind--that, and he'll need it to defend himself on his way out of these woods.]

I'll leave.

[His gaze remains hard, even as he agrees to get out of the demon's way.

He retreats, walking backward at first so as not to show his back, and starts the perilous path back toward town. Once he's out of the mad tempest of fire that's been fanned here, he'll breathe a bit more easily and assess the extent of medical attention he's going to require.]