Scene #782: Battle for the Caverns

Owner	Pose
Beli Klum	For once, Beli has decided to be a little more proactive than usual. For the purpose of aiding more than one ally, the Caverns of Prophecy need to be reclaimed from the Confederacy, and Beli chose to leap at the opportunity. Of course, there was the question of whether or not she could even defeat whoever she ended up fighting...but a moment's thought reminded her of someone she may have a chance against, and who at least wouldn't end up nearly killing her if she /did/ fail. Probably. Hopefully. For that reason, Beli hovers in the biting, frigid air just above the slope of the Caverns of Prophecy, wings beating to keep her aloft and arms allowed to fall at her sides. She waits for Serori's arrival, steeling herself and running through various tactics in her head. What she knows of the saiyan woman, what she's seen her do in combat, how she may be able to counter strength and speed that are greater than her own. It's daunting, but Beli refuses to allow that doubt to settle in. Eyes narrowed, posture straightened, she hovers and waits with an air of almost abnormal determination.
Serori	As if to prove she means to take Beli seriously, Serori thunders into the area in a golden flash, power and ferocity in her every movement. The wind whips through her hair, and fire burns inside her green-lit eyes, but neither tempest can match the overbearing arrogance curving her lips into a haughty smirk. It's always brought out the worst in her, this form; then again, it's always brought out her best, too. "I'll do you the honor of giving you the first strike. C'mon, Beli -- show me what you've got." Serori extends her hand toward the waiting half-angel, and flicks a come-hither from her fingertips.
Beli Klum	Serori's thunderous appearance briefly widens Beli's eyes with surprise. She wasn't expecting the saiyan to come in /this/ form. Though...come to think of it, she probably should've guessed something like this would happen. Challenging a member of a conquering warrior race to a battle would no doubt inspire them to be at their best. Well. She didn't expect Serori to go easy on her anyway. A small smirk curves Beli's lips as red flames burn in the center of her halos and coats her black wings in a scarlet sheen. Her voice comes in a strangely playful tone, almost teasing. "Really, the first blow? I hope you are not trying to take it easy on me, Serori." Suddenly, her left hand flicks out at Serori, launching a small ball of darkness at the saiyan. It's only about the size of a large marble, but when it comes near the woman, it abruptly explodes in a much larger, swirling conflagration of blood-red hellfire.
Serori	"Hrrrrrraaaaaah!" Scarlet and shadow swirl around Serori's body as she comes charging through the explosion. Despite the obvious signs she's been struck -- the pristine whiteness of her chestplate has had black smudges scorched into it -- she invades Beli's personal space unabated. Is that pain in her scowl, or an angry sort of determination? This close, it's hard to tell. Incredible strength powers the punches and kicks snapping out at Beli in a rapidfire trial of her infernal defenses. Serori doesn't let up at all, using her speed and accuracy to their fullest advantage. No attack hits the same point twice. Even if it means sacrificing some of her own defenses, she keeps up the assault until she's either breathless, or until Beli manages to get in a counter-attack. "How's this for 'easy'?" she laughs. It has the wicked ring of mischief.
Beli Klum	Thankfully for Beli's own sake, she wasn't expecting that to be very effective, so she's prepared for Serori's speeding rush. What she isn't quite prepared for is being able to endure the swift assaults that hold just as much speed as they have strength. Her reflexes are pushed to their limits as she sends solid darkness sweeping in front of her in temporary barricades where she sees Serori's attacks coming; the innate, primal nature of wrath's magic almost spares her from needing to really think about where her defenses are placed, as if the shadows react before she can. But Serori is relentless. Every whirl of darkness is shattered like glass beneath her fists and feet, only briefly sparing Beli a split second to move out of the way before those assaults come into contact with her. Sooner or later, she has to falter...and so she does, just when she thinks she sees an opening to strike. A shadow moves to attack instead of block, curled into a hard, jagged ball that flies at Serori's shoulder like a punch stronger than any Beli could manage on her own. At the same time, Serori's fist meets her chest dead center. Something cracks, and Beli is sent flying back from the strike until a beat of her broad wings rights her in the air again. Hopefully that was worth it. The rephaite hisses her pain, her right hand lifted to where Serori struck her. "...ah, good," she winces, still smirking slightly up at Serori. "I was worried for a moment there."
Serori	The blow rocks Serori backward, and twists her torso a painful degree, leaving not only her shoulder wrenched, but her hip flexors and lower back, too. Rather than cry out, she snarls like a beast, her teeth all bared in the usual display of her glowing temperament -- charming. Too bad Beli gets knocked back the way she does; Serori's left wide open. At least, momentarily. Almost as soon as she lashes out with that final hit, she's found her footing again. 'Footing' -- can you call it that, really, if you're floating several feet above the ground? Serori darts back a yard to roll and test her shoulder, and to consider Beli while she does. "Tch. You can't learn anything, if I'm always easy on you. How are you supposed to prove yourself some big-time Union soldier if I don't put up an adequate fight?" The air blurs, and Serori vanishes. It's not teleportation; it's raw speed exceeding the perceptive ability of the human eye. Beli is keen enough and alien enough to sense something of Serori's oncoming rush, but maybe not enough to do anything about it. Whenever Serori snaps into sudden appearance behind Beli, it's with her leg swinging around into a savage roundhouse kick aimed for the small of Beli's back.
Beli Klum	Beli has at least a moment to recover from that blow herself while Serori questions her. Another wince shows on her face as she rolls her shoulders slightly; no doubt something is not where it should be after that direct hit. Supernatural though she may be, Beli is by no means particularly durable, and while she can fight through a good deal of punishment, that doesn't change the fact that it's not difficult to damage her in the first place if she's not careful. "Exactly. I knew you would give me a good challenge. Maybe even more than Trunks did the other day." Her right hand falls to her side again as shadows whirl and dance around her left. Her gaze stays fixed on Serori, watching for what the saiyan may do next...but as alien as her nature is, even she can't see the course Serori takes when she moves fast enough to distort the very air. It's only through the grace of that primordial sensation that she gets even a hint of Serori's course, and without wasting a second to think more on it, she acts. Wings beat powerfully, knocking her up and forward so that Serori's kick just grazes against her hip. She can feel the sheer force of that attack even as it scrapes against her in passing; a moment later and she might not have much of a back left. The rephaite takes that brief opening immediately, whirling around in midair and throwing her left hand out toward Serori. From the darkness around her arm comes something that may be familiar: a buzzing, writhing swarm of demonic flies that rushes into a storm around Serori, biting and stinging relentlessly wherever they can reach. Maybe not the most damaging, but definitely annoying, and their density makes it difficult to see much else.
Serori	Serori does two things. One, she shields her eyes under her forearm as a cloud of biting pests consumes her in the most irritating fucking way possible. TTwo, she sticks her other arm through the cloud and points her index finger at Beli. Despite the stinging lashes and bites leaving bloody wounds across her exposed skin, Serori retains enough concentration to light up a powerful sphere at the end of her fingertip. It begins as a blinding dot surrounded by tiny electric motes. As the motes are sucked inward like light into a black hole, the sphere grows and grows, coalescing into a tightly-spinning orb that crackles with explosive menace. Whenever she can no longer withstand the shadowy swarm, she shouts and reels backwards, simultaneously firing the orb right at Beli. Any impact unleashes a devastating blast, the force from which will even drive Serori back on her heels several feet. Blood stripes her body. Deep gouges are left where the flies were able to probe into her flesh. Anger and pain keep her upper lip curled in disgust. Serori wipes away some of the red running into her eyes, and leaps back into the sky.
Beli Klum	Perhaps Beli is reckless, or maybe just not the most experienced, but she really doesn't expect Serori's next attack. Something to get the flies away would have been the priority, she thought, like Trunks did when she used Voracity against him; but no, Serori instead aims right for Beli. The flies, warded away by the intense energy gathering in that orb, move away enough for Serori to have a clear firing line, and Beli realizes this far too late. The orb flies for her, her eyes widen, her wings beat to move her away...and the energy strikes her dead against her stomach. The explosion, naturally, sends Beli flying back with such force and speed that she likely would continue for dozens of yards if the mountainside didn't stop her. That provides another painful impact, however, as she cries out when her back suffers the brunt of her body's weight and speed crashing against stone. Her focus falters, the flames in her halos and the sheen on her wings flickering out briefly and letting the insects of Voracity dissolve into harmless wisps of shadow. She's slow to push herself to her feet. When she does, wincing and hunched over slightly, the damage from that attack is clear: a broad portion of her jacket over her lower torso is simply blasted away, showing burned near-white skin beneath. Judging by the difficulty she has staying upright, it must hurt as much as it looks like it does. "...that was...a good one," Beli winces, still smiling slightly as she looks up to Serori. Her wings stretch experimentally, but rather than leap into the air, she instead sweeps her left hand in front of her, creating four large lances of darkness wreathed in hellfire. One after the other, they fly at Serori, each one moving to where she may dodge after the last comes her way to keep the pressure on.
Serori	Something separating Trunks and Serori is experience, too. Serori has some idea of what those flies are capable of doing; Trunks had nothing like that to benefit him whenever he dueled Beli. Lack of experience can be a killer in the Multiverse, or at least something to bite you on the ass. In this case, literally. Because the flies bite you. Possibly on the ass. Serori has the grace to look briefly worried by Beli's state. The attack had hit hard, maybe /too/ hard, and she and Beli had never been staunch enemies, and of late their friendship had even deepened. Though she'd sworn not to go easy on Beli, it seems that doing the opposite also isn't her intent. She doesn't want to blow Beli away, not really. Such compassion fades quickly in the face of those lances. Serori, already in the sky, blasts off through the screaming onslaught, sizzling lances chasing her in all directions. Zigging, zagging, ducking, twisting, she demonstrates the meaning of the word 'agile', but it's still not enough to escape unscathed. One of the lances rips a scorched gash across her thigh. Another penetrates her chestplate, and though it doesn't thrust deeply enough to put Serori in serious danger, it still hurts like a bitch -- probably why Serori YELLS in vexed pain. Rather than return like for like, Serori just sweeps her hands up over her hand, and flings 'em down, charging and releasing a wave of unshaped energy. It bombards the battleground like a space cannon, consuming a wide radius of destruction that drives deep into the mountainous terrain.
Beli Klum	Thankfully for Beli, she's not going to let herself get caught by two devastating blows in a row, and she knows Serori well enough to know that hands being lifted over the head is a sign that she needs to /move/. While perhaps not the most effective in damaging the saiyan, those lances gave Beli enough time to compose herself and return to her earlier agility, and just before that blazing cannon of energy rushes down at her and carves into the mountainside, her strong wings beat and send her rushing straight up into the air. It's not perfect. The roiling wave's uncontrolled shape means that Beli, even with her speed, finds her feet and the edges of her wings scorched by the outer radiation of the powerful cannon, but that brief pain is far easier to endure than a direct hit with the beam's main body would be. The half-angel's smile has faded by the time she stabilizes herself in midair. As much as she wishes to make the most of this (or, at least, as much as her demonic side surely enjoys this conflict), she's well aware that she has to take it more seriously. Serori really isn't holding back, if those last attacks were a sign of anything. Friendly though they may be, Beli can't let herself falter until this is truly over. The rephaite capitalizes on whatever time Serori may need to recover from that blast. She angles herself toward the saiyan before her wings come in against her body, and like a hawk seeking its prey, she dives. Covered in swirls of darkness and hellfire, Beli streaks like an infernal comet aimed straight for Serori with the intention to knock the saiyan out of the sky...or at least off-balance.
Serori	There should be a cautionary saying in Dragon Ball Z about how you shouldn't throw anything away that you don't want to have lobbed back at you at a bajillion miles an hour. Of course, in this case, the object is Beli herself, so...it's a bit different. Sorta. Catching the angel-turned-meteor in her hands burns the hell out of them, but Serori can tolerate some burns. She doesn't mind how much it hurts to dig her fingers into all that hellfire and fury. It's too good an opportunity to pass up, right? So while she's blasted by heat and wrath and the concussion-force impact of wings beating wildly at her head and shoulders, Serori just grits her teeth, bears down, and winds up the pitch. All that momentum behind Beli's dive is turned into a spin. Then another. And another. Serori latches onto Beli using all her strength, and, through another breathless exertion and all the propulsion she can generate through concentrating her ki output in a particular direction, she spins Beli 'round and 'round and 'round until the two of them are just a blur. And then she releases, flinging Beli toward the ground at the aforementioned bajillion miles an hour.
Beli Klum	Beli has a scant few whirling moments to realize that this was a horrible, horrible idea before she's hurled right at the ground, slamming into it with enough force to dent the earth and no doubt break a few things in the process. The rephaite is slow to recover as the cloud of dust from her impact settles around her. Groaning and wincing around her pain, she steadily picks herself up again, letting dust and dirt tumble off her. Once she finds her unsteady footing, she tries to extend her wings again, but that just makes her hiss through her teeth; judging by the awkward, drooping angles they take, the central left wing and the lower right have been badly injured. Any more flight is going to be very awkward at this point. Fortunately, Beli is incredibly stubborn, and she's not going to let a silly thing like broken bones hold her back while she can still technically stand. She'll just have to get Serori to come down...if she can manage that. Each breath comes heavily and painfully, but Beli barely gives herself a moment more of rest before her left arm thrusts forward. Darkness streams from her palm, but doesn't rush right at Serori. Instead, it's aimed right at the ground beneath the saiyan, where it suddenly shoots up into a thick, twisted 'vine' of pitch black that attempts to weave and curl around Serori with a sound like crushing and grinding glass. A moment later, it explodes with contained hellfire, the conflagration coupled by the darkness shattering into hundreds of cutting shards of shadow that fly in all directions, aimed to catch Serori in their storm before dissolving into harmless wisps.
Serori	How to describe this... Serori is abruptly caught up inside the shadowy squeezy fist of a multi-fingered tentacle made of razor-sharp glass and hellfire. The explosion is only slightly worse than the initial grasp, since without the crushing pressure, Serori has breath with which to scream, and she doesn't like to scream if doing so doesn't involve /powering up/. So, right. Shadowy shards rip Serori apart in the way a paper shredder destroys sensitive documents. Forget armor; that's cut to ribbons. Fragments of her chestplate are sliced clean through. Joining all those nasty fly bites are a number of wounds so deep the blood looks almost black. One cut in particular has her concerned, at least for the moment; she clamps her hand over the side of her neck, and holds it there while looking worried and sort of pale. Close one, huh? Serori aims her free hand at Beli. What follows should be expected. Gold hair tossed by the upsurgence of her shining aura, Serori begins a low and furious growl which quickly spirals up into an endless shout. The power she musters puts a shiver in the ground. Pebbles and other small hunks of debris begin to rise into the air in defiance of gravity. The sky turns stormy, and the light shining in Serori's eyes shows nothing of mercy. Soon, the mountains and winds roar along with her, and soon, lightning gathers into her grasp. Beli had better move, because the column of light cracking down from the heavens ain't no goddamn rainbow.
Beli Klum	As the explosion consumes Serori, concern begins to shift slightly into Beli's expression. The wounds the saiyan endures don't go unnoticed: one even comes far too close to being particularly dangerous. Is that really what she wants to do right now...? She doesn't have much more time to think. The earth and wind tremble, thunder crashes, power builds. Rather than attempt to dodge again, however, Beli's expression hardens somewhat as she comes to a decision. Her wings and the flames in her halos flare from red to blue, and her right hand is thrust out toward Serori. Moments before that blazing pillar of energy bears down on her, Beli is surrounded by a flaring golden light. The holy shield of gold that forms around her is not the most powerful, but it holds. For several moments, it remains stable, until cracks begin to thread their way across the surface of light. Beli strains further, but Compassion can only resist so much, and before Serori's overwhelming assault fades away, the barrier shatters into flickering dust that is quickly consumed by an even greater radiance. By the time the attack fades, Beli is lying on her side in a smoking crater, her body steaming from the overwhelming energy and her clothes burned in several places. It takes her even longer to finally push herself to her feet, and when she finally does, she winces in pain and seems about to fall over. Her wings drape along the ground behind her, and one arm crosses her torso to gingerly hold her injuries. When she looks up at Serori, the smile she offers is more subdued than before, not particularly happy; almost sheepish, even. "...I think...I should probably be the one to forfeit now. You are much stronger than I thought...and I think I went a little further than I intended." Wince. "...not the most successful battle I have had..."
Serori	"Oh." That's disappointing. Serori looks for a moment like she might refuse the forfeiture. She's got a testy look on her face, and the way her tail bristles doesn't bode well. But, despite the fury coursing along her nerves and making her every breath a heated huff, she does eventually see reason. Maybe it's the fact that she's gushing blood from dozens of cuts, or maybe she's just got a soft spot for Beli, but after a struggle against her temper, she settles down enough to give a curt nod of acceptance. "Fine. It's not like you were a disappointment, so I can't complain if you want to stop already." Dropping down to the ground, she dismisses all that Super Saiyan gleam and sparkle, but she still keeps her hand on her neck as she walks closer to look Beli over. "Tch. Not half bad at all."
Beli Klum	Beli's smile fades again once Serori settles down enough to accept her offer. Those injuries make it difficult to keep up a good mood, but at least the saiyan lets her go. Probably not an advantage she'll be able to have in the future. "I guess I will...have to make it up to you next time. When I will not get a little out of hand." Beli chuckles briefly, then lets out a quiet sigh. One of disappointment? "...I...could have done better, all things considered." A glance is given to Serori's neck. She extends her right hand toward the saiyan, showing the warm blue flame that flickers in her palm. "Here. That looks dangerous. At least...let me close it up for you."
Serori	Serori lets Beli heal her worst wounds, then flounces off into the sunset singing a merry song.