#ibis talks

Avernus was an unforgiving landscape, the rough terrain scraping against the pads of Ibis's bare feet. She'd been trudging through this literal hell hole for over a month now, evading devil patrols as best she could. It was boring and tedious Ibis much preferred a fight, but it was a necessary precaution.

After falling to many a devil blade, forced to reform in the depths of the Abyss only to crawl her way back to Avernus again…she'd learned to be more cautious.

Despite her previous failings, Ibis's resolve was resolute.

She WOULD get to the material plane, no matter the cost.

Movement caught Ibis's eye in the distance. A green spec, moving out in the open.

A lone devil. All alone. With no back-up.

Perfect.

A vicious grin tore across the cambion's face, her body laying low as she prowled towards her new found prey. A devil isolated from it's pack was a rare find, usually traveling with an entourage of underlings and muscle to back them up. If this one was so confident by themselves…that must have meant they were high ranking. Valuable.

Fighting against devils directly had not worked out thus far…perhaps ransom would work in her favor.

// a wee bit of cheeky raphael on the house to get you warmed up lmao :*♡♡

"RAT? HA! Tough talk coming from a verbose peacock! You devils always do love your words."

Her muscles tense as she levels the devil with a sneer full of teeth, wings flexing in anticipation.

"Nah, I ain't lost. Got places to be. And you're in my way."

@fiendishfinesse

Tw: Blood, torture, minor gore

Hooks dug into her flesh as she hung prostrate and bare before her tormentor, her captor. Blood oozing from lacerations across her body, each wound a gift from the man- the devil, before her.

Pain was a common bedfellow, Ibis knew it well.

A guttural snarl erupted from her throat, muffled by the muzzle placed on her. Infernal chains coiled around her tight, keeping her immobile and, to her immense irritation, powerless.

She had been ambushed by an orthon and it's merregon entourage. What would have been an easy fight had she heard the giant thing coming. Now here she was, slung over this devil scum's shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

It tossed her to the polished floors of whatever domain it bowed to and left without a word. And by the clown shoes that invaded her vision shortly after she had a feeling she knew who'd sent it out for it's hunt.

Raphael stood before her, looking all the part of a satisfied cat.

It made her vision turn red with rage. Smoke billowed out from behind her muzzle as flames tried to burst from her mouth.

Raphael materialised from flames, silent as a thought, a perfectly composed masterpiece of devilish charm.

“Do tell, how many of my guests did you manage not to incinerate today? Ah. . . No, don’t spoil it. The suspense is far greater.”

Eyes slid over her form, checking for defects. A smile played on his lips, a thing with no kindness in it whatsoever.

“I’ve brought you a gift.”

A snap of his fingers, and a collar necklace rose from hellfire flames. At its center, a red gem throbbed—not metaphorically. It beat like a heart.

“The Emberheart Collar, forged from infernal gold.”

He announced and took a step closer, half a pace, but the heat spiked between them. The collar reacted to her, flaring brighter, like it already knew her.

“When you wear it, your fire will taste like war. Your strength will double. Surely, your enemies will be charred black before their bodies turn to ash.”

He dangled between two fingers

“And. . .should I whisper your name in Infernal, it will listen. And so will you.”

The catch.

"My favorite buzzkill. What are you going to nag me about now-"

The retort falls flat as she locked eyes with him. He was poised like a predator, eyes appraising her, as if seeking where to sink his teeth into first. It made her skin crawl, a primal reaction from her lesser half that she pushed down with a swallow.

Ibis steeled herself, meeting Raphael's piercing gaze with one of her own, eyes blazing with challenge. She would not show weakness.

"…A collar? What use do I have for such a petty trinket-"

In an instant her vision narrowed and her adrenaline began to spike. The power that emanated from the collar was intoxicating. She felt a primal draw to it. All demons hungered for power, and she was no different. But Another part of her recoiled like a beast, knowing that should she accept this offering, it'd mean being indebted to this Devil for eternity. Forced to submit like some whelp to this…this orderly swine of a fiend.

Raphael stepped forward, she stepped back.

"You seek to collar me like a dog? No. NO!" Her temper flared, wings puffing up behind her in agitation. Smoke poured out of her mouth as she spoke. "You won't own me! I refuse! Keep that thing away from me!"

What's life if not for a little CHAOS??? Could you imagine how boring things would be otherwise? BLEGH No thanks!