[M] A Dark Fantasy (Holey & Elizabeth) IC

[Holeypaladin]

The Godslayer noted the way the goddess smiled. So, it was indeed possible, if difficult, to get such a reaction from her. He himself had no real issues in drinking a glass of wine, or even several, as he was unconcerned with the effect of the alcohol. Still, she didn't smile for long, as she didn't seem to keen at all to the idea of thinking of his visit as a date.

The general was quite clearly jealous, and it showed. It didn't surprise him that the long-dead shadow of a soul had feelings for his goddess, but she also didn't seem to return them, so it was quite one-sided. Well, she clearly wasn't interested in the Godslayer, either.. at least, not yet. She didn't have a whole lot of words to say, which was making it quite difficult to figure her out.

"Of course," said the Godslayer, noting the way she hesitated. "You know..." he said, "You're making it a bit difficult for me to figure out what to do with you. I came here to talk, but that doesn't work very well if you don't give me much of a response to anything I say. Had I come as an enemy, you'd know it. I'd pretty direct like that."

[ElizabethStark]

Corvus thought for a moment, "I am not one for small talk," she took another small sip of wine, "you've come here to find out whose side I'm on in this upcoming battle, correct?" Her question was moreover rhetorical. She looked into the Godslayer's green-blue eyes and wondered for an odd moment what those eyes had laid witness to - she wondered about his story. Her mind rarely wandered to such thoughts about others. She was rather uninterested in such affairs. However, the Godslayer was an interesting person. His very existence did intrigue her, even if she did not wish to admit that.

Corvus continued as she looked away from him and began toying with a string of darkness, "Give me one good reason I should not join the side you oppose." She knew the Godslayer was a force for good despite his personality. It was well known he destroyed evil deities and spared those who never did anyone any harm. Personally, she had no reason not to join the side of her creator, the God of Death. Most treated her unkindly, as though she were beneath them - even if they did fear her. Lesser beings and deities alike. It was why her army was so large, for most of her soldiers crossed her in some way when they still had breaths of life. She was tossed aside by her very creator who rarely honored her with his existence. Yet she admired him immensely and was insanely attached to him. She would do anything for him... the only reason she had not decided was due to uncertainty and confusion. She wasn't sure what she wanted. She had every reason to despise lesser things when they only feared and hated her; naming her "The Boogeyman". She did not owe them anything but her rage.

[Holeypaladin]

Listening to the words of the goddess, the Godslayer considered how to respond to her. "I am indeed curious, though I do have suspicions as to which direction you are leaning." He didn't have to wait long for her to reveal what was on her mind. By her words, she tended to favor the evil deities in the upcoming war. In a sense, the Godslayer couldn't really blame her... there was a very primitive fear of darkness among mortals, and uneducated humans tended to hate what they feared. With such hatred directed towards her, it was only natural for her to return it.

"One reason hmm?" Gazing at the woman's pretty face, the Godslayer chuckled slightly. "I can give you several. The first, most obvious reason, is that you would make an enemy out of me, which is definitely not something a rational goddess would want. Secondly, from what I know of you... you don't have a whole lot of friends in the immortal community, right? Don't the other deities look down on you? Well, it may not be much but... you would have my own personal friendship, if you would work together with me. Perhaps even more, in time... who knows?"

Thinking for a moment, he considered what else to say. "While it is true that deities such as yourself are often shaped by the religious beliefs of mortals... it's also true that you have your own will, and can work to reshape their views yourself by acting to influence their view of you. Humans fear darkness, true, but you also provide solace, do you not? Together, we can work to influence the way people view you... which might also, in turn, grant you more power. Right now, most of your Divinity is a result of fear, but what if humans also prayed to you to keep their children safe at night? At least keep it in mind."

[ElizabethStark]

Corvus listened and let the Godslayer's words sink in. She considered them but would not act on them in that moment. She needed more time - more time to think. She wanted the God of Death to grace her with his presence. She thought he would have by now with all that was going on. Tensions were running high... he could not have forgotten about her, could he have? No. Corvus denied the thought as soon as it entered her mind.

She stopped playing with the string of darkness and returned to her glass of wine, gulping down a larger sip, "That was my whole existence, for a time. To protect the lost and scared... the children..." Corvus put pressure on the glass wrapped in her hand, "But they were always afraid, even in the beginning." It did pain her how children feared her, how parents told such awful tales about "The Boogeyman".

"And this," Corvus continued and brought up her palm, and suddenly a small, white and bright flame appeared from her index finger, "this was once stronger, when I had first come into existence this is what I used in order to form my shadows. For shadows cannot exist without light," she paused and let the flame flicker away, "that power has dwindled, that flame.

"But I still continue to grow in power, even without that light providing for my shadows. Darkness is a formidable thing. There is a difference between the two - shadow and darkness."

Corvus, once again, looked at the Godslayer, "Nothing can change that fear. That deep-rooted, primal fear of the dark that insignificant life forms possess.

"Because most of the evil deeds done in this universe take place in the dark, don't they?"

Corvus looked away and gave a sheepish, but almost sad smile, "Other deities look down on me because of the way I was created - by the direct hands of another god."

[Holeypaladin]

The Godslayer didn't know much about the relationship between Corvus and the death god, but it was enlightening to hear of her origins... of how she would protect the lost and scared. If this was her foundation, then it was something she could easily return to. Of course, she was right in that there would always be a deep rooted primal fear of the dark... but one could be feared and respected at the same time.

Waching as she demonstrated her white flame, the Godslayer gave a nod. "I see..." he remarked. "While it is true that much evil takes place in the dark, much evil takes place in the light, too. The dark is not inherently evil, nor is the light inherently good. There are ways that we can change the way mortals view you, if we work together. But it would need to be something you desire... something you want to return to being."

Chuckling, he remarked, "I'm not expecting you to suddenly be worshipped as a goddess of truth and righteousness. That would be a bit too much to ask for. But you can at least be respected for your duality. Because though bad things often take place in the dark... so too do some good things. Intimate moments... romantic things... the sort of thing that would make your general over there extremely jealous if I went into detail, for example."

"I have enough influence on the mortal world to change the way people view you, to an extent," the Godslayer said. "But you'd still need to do your own part. It's something to at least keep in mind. You are what you do, not just what people think you do."

[ElizabethStark]

Corvus continued to simply listen. She could slowly feel the effects of the alcohol wear on her. She noticed her glass was a bit more empty than she anticipated it wanting to be - an unexpected annoyance grew within her when she realized just how much information she had shared with the Godslayer. This was why she avoided alcohol, her physical being could never keep up with its contents. Her aggravation only increased with Basil's conscientious and overbearing protectiveness that he had washed over her. He obviously hated the Godslayer - from the very moment he regarded her as "pretty", Corvus could feel the entity's elicit anger boiling over.

Her vague facial expression told the world of her growing irritation, as well as the shadows dancing violently against the walls and the darkness wrapping itself around different objects in suspense, as if ready to attack on the account of the goddess. They never would, however... she was smarter than to do such a rash move.

Corvus retorted, "I will think about your statement, but only just that. My decision has not been made, not in the slightest." Her last word was tinged in abhor.

She had been rather bitter and grim for centuries, it would be a difficult process... to completely change - or even just a little - her methods and her way of thinking. Her system of viewing the universe may have been slightly distorted due to the abandonment she experienced by her creator and due to the fact that other deities viewed her in such an ignominious manner.

[Holeypaladin]

The Godslayer stared at Corvus for a moment. He had given her the nice way out, acted friendly towards her... or at least made an attempt to do so. However, it still seemed she had all but made up her mind. Perhaps it was instead time to show her why she didn't want to make an enemy of him. Currently here, on her home turf, the shadow goddess was in the place where she was most powerful. Perhaps that power was getting to her head a bit too much.

"You know what they say about the Boogeyman," the Godslayer remarked. As he did spoke, a certain affect began to emanate from his person. Due to Corvus' proximity, it could be felt instantly, growing in power. "The Boogeyman is said to eat the bad little boys and girls, who misbehave." As it grew in strength, the Godslayer's aura of anti-divinity enveloped Corvus and extended to fill the whole room. Basil wasn't affected, as he didn't have any Divinity to nullify, but Corvus, however, was a different story.

As Corvus sat in the anti-Divinity field generated by the Godslayer, he regarded her with a cold, level gaze. In this field, she was mortal. In this field, not only could she be killed, but she wouldn't have access to a large portion of her power, and her power level was reduced to an extremely powerful shadow sorceress, but a mortal one. "I hope you don't plan on being a bad little girl, Corvus. Or else someone might come and consume your soul."

[ElizabethStark]

Corvus grew incredibly tense, her original anxiety comprised of irritation had turned to that of fear. She did not look in the direction of the Godslayer; only looking forward in agony as he stripped her of almost everything. Her shadows disappeared and her darkness dissipated to a fairly small portion. Her comfort was gone and she was left feeling bare and vulnerable. She glanced at her wine glass, she would not be able to lift it to her lips for another sip. Not many deities new of the goddess's weakness - it was simply rumored yet usually denied as being nothing but. She took note of what the Godslayer's power tore away from her... it stole her ability to generate darkness into her own physical strength, even if that physical strength was rather poor and weak, without it, she could not even lift a half-emptied glass to her lips. She could still keep herself propped up but walking would be a challenge.

Corvus was achingly weak, every god had his or her weakness... this just so happened to be hers. She began to fully realize her situation. Either she joins the side of this man - or be killed by his hands. Basil shifted, understanding something was wrong with the threat that was thrown at the goddess. She moved her head slightly, so that her ear was more to the direction of Basil, "Be calm." She needed him to relax, and so did she need herself to. Her voice felt weak and filled with anxiety.

Corvus shifted her head back to its original place, not daring to look at the Godslayer, she spoke, "I do not..." She trailed off. She wanted to deny him but she was not any good to the God of Death if she were dead. She pursed her lips slightly and all she could manage was a small, "Fine." She admitted defeat in this endeavor. She could not outright oppose the Godslayer, nor could she continue to mull over what side she would join. For now, Corvus would play by his rules... but only for now.

[Holeypaladin]

The Godslayer carefully looked over the goddess as she sat in the middle of his unique power. For some reason, she didn't move. For a moment it seemed like she was simply paralyzed in fear, but after regarding her for a bit, it seemed she simply didn't have the strength to move. Most deities could still function and put up a difficult fight while their Divinity was nullified but... Corvus was different. Perhaps it was due to the fact that she had been created by another.

Eventually, she seemed to resign herself to defeat. The Godslayer didn't believe her... not entirely. But he had shown enough that it was unlikely the goddess would challenge him directly. The anti-divinity field flickered out, allowing the shadows to return to full strength and for her body to move. "Glad we could come to some sort of agreement," he spoke as if nothing had happened. "By all means, feel free to finish your drink."

He sipped at his own wine, leaning back slightly as he did so. "You must have some questions for me, right? I expect you don't receive many guests, despite your good taste in wine. So by all means, ask away. I'll answer... most anything you ask, though I might not respond to some topics in particular."

[ElizabethStark]

Corvus felt her strength return and felt a sense of relief wash over her. She hesitated for the glass of wine, thinking it over in her head. She decided she would not act on her better judgment and took another sip. She set down the glass gently as she, to her own surprise, questioned him, "What is your purpose, what drives you?" She looked over at him with curiosity swaying in her eyes.