[ Graduation Dungeon ] ( Levi & West )

[nekoluch]

At the sound of her own call to action, Levi rushed through the knight's legs without looking to se if West followed. Sliding until she cleared its body and pouncing upward with her tail's aid to reach behind it's neck, the ghoul clamped onto it's armor as best as she could, aiming to distract it while keeping out of the javelin's way. Her tail batted at the long feathered attachment of the knight's helm.

Aye! Behind ya!

Levi tried striking the knight with her claws, but there was obviously little headway she'd be able to make trying to rip through metal this thick. They'd need to hit harder, it seemed. While coming to this conclusion, Levi was suddenly thrown back down towards the ground by the knight's shaking, succeeding in removing her from her safety point. On her feet, the ghoul braced herself for any follow-up attacks.

Gonna take more than'a few claw marks ta'git through that armor, I tell ya. Perhaps West's style would prove more useful in this case.


Damage: 7
HP: 45/50
Hits: 1/3  

[Smerdle]

He finally stopped grousing moments before Levi was thrown from the knight, summoning his wings and launching himself into the air to take her place as she fell. West slammed his fist into the base of the helm as he passed, grunting when it didn't yield. How were they going to defeat this stupid pile of crap?

Dismissing his wings several feet above the knight, West landed heavily on its shoulder, drawing its attention away from the tatzel. It turned to look at him, its head only able to get a little past halfway before its helm creaked to a halt against its shoulder plate. West smirked as he watched it, balancing carefully while he stood. If it needed to look at him to attack, then surely it had eyes in that... weird glowing hole. He jumped toward the creature, jabbing at where its eyes should have been and getting flung to the ground for his trouble. The javelin followed as the knight dropped it in favor of bringing its hands up to rub at its face.

"Th' eyes. It didn't like that. Or if we could get that thing," he said in a rush, nodding at the knight's weapon.

Damage: 4
HP: 35/50
Hits: 1/3  

[nekoluch]

I hear ya. Affirming that the weapon needed to go, and that eyes existed on this creature, Levi tried to veer out of the knight's line of sight again while it was preoccupied with holding its face. The javelin could be moved away from its side while they had the chance. Better yet, perhaps it could be used against the being. The tatzel ghoul considered this and went in for the grab.

However, when the ghoul tried to tug at the weapon, she found that it was a whole lot heavier than she could manage on her own. Straining to heave the metallic two-headed spear, Levi hissed, determined to keep trying but getting nowhere. The weapon only scrapped the edge of its blade against the ground, causing a sound that alerted the knight to the tatzel's direction. In a stomping rush, the knight gunned for the ghoul and the javelin, forcing Levi to abandon her attempt and try to dodge the full brunt of the attack at the last second. The Knight's shoulder slammed into the ghoul as it moved to pick its spear back up, the mist puffing upward with the sudden stop. She ad indeed managed to escape the full attack, but there just hadn't been enough time to get completely out of range.

The knight now had its javelin back and Levi rubbed at the gash on her forehead before climbing back up to her feet and hollering back to the wrath demon. It's too heavy. Can't do it on ma'own. Don't think without my pin neither.


Damage: -
HP: 35/50
Hits: 1/3  

[Smerdle]

This wasn't going well. It wasn't going all that poorly either, at least not yet, but for every revelation they made with regard to how to hit this thing, the knight just struck them back doubly hard. At least they were alternately distracting it so they could smack it around a little.

"'Kay, that's out then. Fer now," he said, strafing around the knight. He refrained from asking her how she was, even when he saw her touch the cut on her forehead, kicking at the back of the giant ankle in front of him instead. The knight reached back, brushing at the demon with its free hand and knocking him in the head in the process. West stumbled slightly, circling back around to Levi as quickly as he could. They needed to strategize.

"Think we could trip it?" he asked, speaking as softly as he could so the thing couldn't hear. "Knock it off it's feet an' get its helmet off'r somethin'?" West stood poised and ready to run even though he was still a little stunned. They were far better off presenting two targets, but if the knight could speak, surely it could understand.

Damage: 6
HP: 30/50
Hits: 2/3  

[nekoluch]

Levi took up a piece of the crackled floor from the javelin's wake and, throwing it in another direction, caused the knight to turn around to inspect the sound rather than follow West's movements as he came to meet her. Even if the knight was smart enough to know it was a trick, the sheer fact that it posed as another distraction would give them the seconds they needed to actually get out of sight temporarily. Sticking together meant a larger target; another shockwave would be disadvantageous.

Once they'd found the chance to regroup without the knight swatting at them, the quiet huddle could take place. Wouldn't say it's impossible. If I can trip it up while yer on tha'other end… Levi too spoke quietly, one hand over her skull pin, expression fitting their serious strategizing with as much thought as she could muster. Her tail came between them to show West what she'd meant. Get it how we want it, then bring'em down ta'our level. The tatzel pulled the pin off and became her two-legged self just in time for the knight to catch on to their position again. Once again Levi bounded out of the way of an incoming javelin between them, utilizing her airtime to holler at the knight.

Fly like a flufferfly, ssssting like a flea! C'MON, BIG FELLAR! She landed on the knight's head, using it as a platform to take off again, hopefully coaxing it to follow her so West could get at it and they could get into suitable positions.


Damage: 2
HP: 30/50
Hits: 2/3  

[Smerdle]

This time, he was ready. Hopping away fairly nimbly when the javelin came down again, West only stumbled a bit as he darted away from Levi and the knight. If they could lure it far away from its weapon and manage to trip the thing... it was a long shot, but it would have to work. And the next time he even caught a whiff of one of these stupid armored bastards nearby, he was finding a jackdamn can opener before he got anywhere near it.

At the moment, it was turning to chase after Levi, leaving West plenty of opportunity to move as far in the opposite direction as he could before it took notice of him again. The knight seemed to be getting faster the more they struck it, or maybe it was just him that was slowing down. He hadn't been treated all that gently in here, he supposed.

"No, yer ********' not," he muttered, his back to the wall as he skirted around the room. The boil's fist began to glow softly, fading abruptly as he flicked his wrist at the knight, sending a tiny burst of FEAR at the back of its helmet. It wasn't enough to hurt the creature in the slightest, but it did divide its attention once more. He looked for the tatzel in the dark, but he couldn't see her. West hoped she was ready to do her part.

Damage: 12
HP: 25/50
Hits: 3/3  

[nekoluch]

That's it. As the bright ball of wrathful might struck the knight in the back of the helm, the tatzelwurm bounced upward and away as far as the walls would allow for. This was going to come down to speed. The bigger they were-slower yer gonna be. Judging by the knight's taking off in another direction, Levi felt her invisibility training had come in handy. Their trap was working and all she had to do now was make sure the knight didn't get to whip its javelin around at West before she could attempt to bring it down. The wrath demon would be able to keep it down from his point of view, the tatzel reckoned.

The clanking of armor urged Levi after the knight, driven to bound on after it until she could see West within the knight's range. The ghoul did what her kin did best and leapt one leap after another, gaining until she was at the knight's side. One more leap in front and the serpentine dragon's claws clamped into the ground, tail shooting out to wrap around the knight's ankles.

The white tail constricted as the knight slipped mid-step, baffled as to why it couldn't move its feet no doubt. A groan of unidentifiable lineage came out of the front of the helmet as the giant toppled forward, causing Levi's eyes to dart over to West to ensure he'd be out of the way. West was a big boil, he'd undoubtedly see the danger and take the proper precautions. But just in case- TIIIIIMBEEER!

The ghoul herself made sure to wind around the falling figure, looking back upwards to the head of the knight and noting a particular change. As it fell, so too was its helmet. The metallic hat which was protecting whatever lay beneath was coming off. The thunderous crash of the giant knight, bound and without partial armor, was like a beacon; it was time for some serious offense. GOTCHA'NOW, SSSSSSUCKER! Levi's cackling hiss rang while she tightened her grip as best as she could to limit the knight's movements so West could do what wrath demons did best. Or what she thought they did best by his example.


Damage: 2
HP: 25/50
Hits: 3/3  

[Smerdle]

The knight was coming right for him. For a moment, West wanted to dodge, to try moving around behind his foe so he could get the drop on it. But he was working with Levi tonight, and it seemed she had that whole drop thing covered.

West watched her familiar white tail twine around armor-clad ankles, hopping out of the way as she warned him the knight was about to drop. It fell mere feet away, its javelin clattering to the ground nearby, and the boil let out a sharp laugh. They'd done it. Together. It was time for them to go get their diplomas and get the hell out of this hole.

His mental celebration was promptly cut short as the knight let out a whalish bellow and thrashed in place, still held largely motionless by the tatzel's tail. Maybe they weren't quite finished here after all. He circled the angry creature, smirking at Levi when she hissed out their victory. There was something off about the knight now that it had fallen, and when West finally got around behind it, he learned what it was.

Its helmet was loose.

"Oh, yer goin' down now," he said under his breath. "Y'had that cheaty little hat on this whole time, an' now yer gonna see what it's like t'fight fair." He gave the ghoul a brief, guilty look that clearly read don't judge me for talking instead of hitting, and then he was moving again, yanking at the knight's armor as his fists began to glow in earnest. Once he had pulled the helmet off, he didn't hesitate. West hit the thing immediately—once, twice, three times—each hit bringing with it some of his rage. He couldn't feel the knight's growing anger, but he could see the results of his power in the way it continued to thrash weakly, somehow managing to glare at him even though it lacked much of anything that could constitute a face.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the creature's hand rise at its side. It was time to end this.

West pulled his fist back just to the right of his ear and let it fly. The knight splintered and cracked under the force of his punch, falling to pieces at the demon's feet as he took a step back.

Quote:

8-10: You do something really cool and impressive, like hit the Guardian so hard that its armor flies off and it dissipates like the badass you are.

 

[nekoluch]

ATTA BOIL! Levi gave a toothy grin, feeling some sense of pride in watching West beat the stuffing out of their overgrown plated foe. He had kept the knight down and provided a much needed whooping, as was expected of the wrath demon. She knew better than most that when his hands did that glowing thing, the force of his strikes increased immensely and wasn't surprised when the last blow splintered the figure audibly. Aside from the basics of head, body and limbs, there wasn't much else to say about what creature lived inside the metal suit.

Not feeling anymore struggling against the muscles in her tail, the tatzelwurm uncoiled around the giant's feet, wriggling from underneath the weight of it's feet. Once the crumbling sound had died down, the ghoul began to move towards West, mouth opening to say something clever about their victory, when her peripheral and ears reacted to something. The crumbling had picked back up again.

Levi's head turned to overlook the ashen form and clued in; it was regenerating. She hissed through her teeth and promptly grappled the creature again with her tail. Only this time, the white tendril coiled around the identifiable neck. No ya'don't! Squeezing and wrapping, the scales of her tail pushing against one another as well as the mass that tried to replenish itself, the tatzel followed her instincts. Her next move had the white tail constrict and pull one part of its coils away from another. With enough force, this meant decapitation and the disruption of possible regeneration.

Much like anything that did not mean to be forcefully pulled apart, the head shot across the room, popping away from the shoulders of the knight like a toy ball attached to a paddle. Only this time the ball wasn't returning. The head hit the back wall first, producing a crumbling cloud of blackened dust, before it tumbled onto the floor and dissipated completely. Just to be certain it wasn't going to grow a new one or anything either, the tatzelwurm then pounded down on the body with her tail, pulverizing its remains. Those too soon dissipated leaving nothing else in the room but her, West and the glowing diplomas they now only had need to claim.

Levi's tail whipped over the body to clean itself of any remaining particles still attached to her fur while she gave a gruff huff. N' sssstay down. Her eyes searched the floors for her skull pin until she caught it under-paw and returned to her student form. Phew! The ghoul dusted off her hands while making her way to West's side, as she'd initially intended, to stand victoriously in their empty room and soak in their accomplishments this evening. Bugger didn't wanna stay down. I can respect that. Had some fight to 'em. But tha'fellar just didn't know who it was messin' with, eh? kekeke. N' now… guess that means we did it. Bonafide graduates, boil. The tatzel nodded in the direction of the pedestal where their diplomas stood atop, taking steps to get closer but waiting to make sure the demon was coming with her.

The two rolled up scrolls were clearly marked by different colored ribbons and the ghoul took up the one with the glamourous gold and red band pertaining to the monster dorms. Opening it, she read, smiled and turned it around to show it off to the wrath demon enthusiastically. Well lookie here. Swift… darin'… Sounds 'bout right ta'me. What does yers say?

Quote:

AMITYVILLE ACADEMY

To all whom these presents shall have come: Greetings unto you.

Be it known that we, the Headmistress and Faculty of the Academy under authority of Fear and the Laws of Halloween, have admitted

Levis Coneseed, The Swift and Daring

the Rights, Privileges, and Dignities to which a Persons of Halloween with Amityville Experience may Expect.

 

[Smerdle]

West tensed and raised his fists as the knight tried to reform, still so fresh off of his own triumph that he almost jumped in to truly finish the job himself. His eyes lit with a faint glow as he stepped back instead, watching Levi take off the knight's head and chuckling as he tracked its bouncing finish. When she joined him once again the demon grinned widely, loosening his fists and slapping his palms together in a slow, but still somehow appreciative, clap.

"Yeah he did have some fight. But no one's got as much fight as us."

It was true. Even when they faced insurmountable odds, saw things that left them shaken and forever changed, got hurt and hurt each other, they lived to see another day. So many days, in fact, that they were now considered... grown-ups, he supposed. West's smile faded slightly as he looked from the ghoul to the pair of scrolls nearby. He wasn't reluctant to graduate, far from it, he just needed a moment to prepare. What if he opened the thing and it exploded, or worse, what if it was blank inside? He followed Levi closer to the pedestal, watching with wide eyes as she unrolled hers. Swift and Daring.

"Can't argue withhat," he said, smile returning as she turned to him. All right. Here went nothing.

Taking one final step, West reached for his red and black wrapped diploma, unrolling it very slowly until he reached the dark, neat print. Certain now that it wasn't all a huge joke, the boil quickly unrolled it the rest of the way.

Quote:

AMITYVILLE ACADEMY

To all whom these presents shall have come: Greetings unto you.

Be it known that we, the Headmistress and Faculty of the Academy under authority of Fear and the Laws of Halloween, have admitted

Westus R. Warrick, The Swift and Daring

the Rights, Privileges, and Dignities to which a Persons of Halloween with Amityville Experience may Expect.

Well.

That was unexpected. He slapped the paper back on its stand and spread it open with one hand, scratching curiously at his middle initial with a blunt fingernail. When he realized that the tatzel could clearly see what he was doing, West grabbed the piece of parchment and rolled it tightly again.

"Swift n' darin' too," he replied, looking down at the floor. "Dunno how true that is, really, but we've been practicin' enough, I guess. Maybe th' only one I'm not swifter than is you." He punctuated his words by jabbing Levi in the shoulder with his scroll, managing a smile now that all suspicious letters were well hidden.  

[nekoluch]

The ghoul watched West open his scroll, rolling up her own and peering over to glimpse at his when the wrath demon moved it out of view. Well, as he moved, so too did shed, balancing behind the boil on her serpentine tail so she'd had a higher stance. As he flattened out the diploma over the pedestal, Levi raised a brow, suspicious of his scratching at the document, crossing her arms. At first, she'd assessed that he didn't appreciate the title he'd been given, but it seemed like he was going for his …name?

Was it a typo?

Easing off her tail, back to where she'd been standing before, Levi crossed her forearms at her back and offered a small innocent smile. She hadn't seen anything at all; nope, not a thing. Of course, his suspicious action would now require a bit of investigating. First, she gave a chuckle at the fact that West had gotten the same title as her. Yew can hold yer own, boil, ya'll can be sure'a that. Expect no less from my'mate. Saying it aloud was a bit jarring given their current subject matter. They were adults now; adult tatzelwurms who had mates were ready for the next steps in life. There was a moment of silence then as Levi looked about the room, needlessly checking to make sure the knight's head hadn't regenerated just to come back and sass her for thinking such things. Time for that other subject to be brought up.

Yew got a typo thar? Lemme see. Levi opened her free hand, offering it for West to place his scroll in for her own viewing.  

[Smerdle]

And there went the smile.

Actually, it didn't fade right away. It went a little crooked at the word mate and the reminder of what he had wanted to talk to her about when they had first arrived here. Then, however, he frowned, a bit of a sneer lifting his lip in the smile's place.

West rolled his eyes. He nearly rolled his entire head. "'S'not a typo. It's my ********' parents bein' assholes." He lifted his hand from where he'd let it fall to his side and spread his fingers, presenting his crumpled diploma for Levi to take. "Now that's just great. Th' damn thing's ru—"

As if directly contradicting what the boil had been about to say, the scroll stretched leisurely in his hand, ironing out its wrinkles before their eyes.

"Hm. Guess that's actually pretty cool." He shook his head faintly and held it out to her. "I'm sure when I enrolled, they gave 'em my... um... whole name. I dun tell anyone what it is, 'cause... well..." How to explain that simply calling that name with any sort of intent would bring him to her from anywhere, even if he didn't want to come? That he would essentially be a slave, at her beck and call no matter what he was doing? West sighed. "Demon stuff."  

[nekoluch]

Levi blinked as the scrolled and once-crumpled diploma cleansed itself of imperfections before their very eyes. So they don't get damaged none. That's danged handy, it is. Levi clenched her fingers around her own scroll and nodded with approval. No critters would be chewing on the corners of her diploma when she got home.

The ghoul tilted her head with a raised brow, waiting for West to get his explanation out as to why he'd dread his own name being known. In the meantime, her hand accepted his offered diploma and her eyes focused downward at the text, expecting some form of vulgarity between the "West" and "Warrick" but there she found only another name. Huh. N' this is some sorta bad name fer demons? As soon as she'd said it, the real reason clicked in. Demons in school did mention here and there that full names were sometimes parts of demon spells. To know their full names meant a sort of power over whomever had their name known. Levi, of course, did not favor acts of removing ones will; she'd keep this new name secret.

So R- … yer middle name wasn't after nobody? Yer folks just picked it outta nowhere? The tatzel offered the wrath demon's scroll back to him, rolling it back up first to affirm her swearing to secrecy and keeping it concealed. Levi's expression showed her immersion into the subject of West's family, her own diploma being ducked away behind her back and tail upward in intrigue. Was named after m'Granpappy. Mate ta ma'Gran back home. Mighta been meant fer a fellar, but I like it all tha'same. It came from family, ya'know? Did West's family not think much of their own parents either? Perhaps the act of ruining ones offspring was in itself a wrath demon practice.

The ghoul would try to understand their practices as best as possible; one day, these rituals could effect her, after all.  

[Smerdle]

"Nah, it's not... well. Maybe it's kinda bad." His hand followed hers a short distance when she took his diploma as if reluctant to give it up even though he'd been the one to offer it, then reclaimed it quickly when she handed it back. "An' t'be honest, I dunno if it's a family name now that I think of it. Guess if it is, they didn't like whoever had it first all that much. Not like yers. Little Levi an' her Gran," he teased, sticking his diploma in his waistband with a grin.

"But yeah, usually demons're better at hidin' their kids' true names than my parents were. It's usually a whole separate name even, somethin' that there's no reason t'even tell no one. My parents're usual in every way 'cept this. They made my name real easy. 'Hidin' it in plain sight,' they said. Only not hidin' it at all. They didn't use it against me much, they jus' liked the threat of other people figurin' it out." He paused, the smile that had faded during his rant faintly raising his lips again as he looked at her. "Wouldn't mind you knowin' outta everyone though. Bein' able t'summon me whenever you'd like. Not that ya couldn't jus'... use yer phone." He chuckled.  

[nekoluch]

She couldn't help but smirk for the wrath demon after his attempt at joshing her. It was her silent way of suggesting "what of it?" while keeping a playful demeanor. Those were the only grandparents she really had by blood since her parents were cousins of the same family. Some tatzels back home had TWO sets of grandparents. The ghoul considered this a luxury since she could only imagine how fun it would be to have even more Grans in her home given how much she respected the one still with them.

No way ta'hide it now? Hmm, well, I'suppose anybody that knows ya'now would know yer Westus but hows about when yer, well, not here? Aside from the pranksters in Amityville, schoolmates wouldn't pose much of a problem since West could pummel them into the ground, Levi figured. Those back at his home would have tormented him already had they known what his full name was. From the sound of things, his parents hadn't freely given out his name, despite their alleged tormenting, so he was safe enough there. Right? It was more a question of when he was outside on his own. Out venturing through the whole of Halloween to find his place and purpose, just as she'd thought of doing. Where would West go anyway? The tatzel returned to the thought process she'd had prior to entering the exam, but even now it wouldn't linger long. West's verbal gesture and invitation to around-the-clock summoning caused her was to stand straight and eyes grow wide. Anywhere? Anytime? Any place? Levi's mind had drifted into her memories of past experiences, the end of her tail wavering side to side in enthusiasm of the possibilities. There was something terribly thrilling about this new knowledge.

The ghoul opened her mouth to thank the boil, but his second point dawned on her. Rethinking the whole prospect, Levi was once again ready to articulate her view. Well~ that's sure true enough, boil. But sure as fast as ya'are with them feathers, don't think you'd be half as fast gettin' ta'me as ya would be if I just- called yew over ta'me. Poof! Her hands came up and fingers fanned out from her fists as she made the sound effect of West's summoning. No waitin', see? Her head tilted when she smiled like she was waiting for West to confirm his interest in this idea. She'd always be able to se him and vice versa. 'nless it takes a toll. Wouldn't saw ya in half er nuthin', would it?