Thalassa
Deciding in the moment to trust Vesper, Thal does exactly as he says, darting hastily left as she feels the air shift where her shoulder had been a millisecond ago. The disorienting movement makes her sway enough that she crouches low against the ground to avoid taking a stray hit as the lamplighter gets yanked around by tendrils of shadow like a leash on its lure, slicing her blade through the scales while it's distracted.
In the corner of her eye, she sees another shadow reach for its tail, her body moving to avoid the flick that shoves mud and fog alike through the air. As she comes back up in a crouch, she drags another wound into the creature's underbelly. It's like a dance of dodges and strikes set to the fluctuating music, focusing on not getting slapped around or crushed while she slashes her dagger up with each movement. The obsidian flares and sizzles along the scales with each hit, and by the time Vesper calls out again, flames are licking up her arms, trailing every swipe of her dagger. She can hear the strain in his voice as she feels the lamplighter struggle above her. Whatever he's doing, she doesn't have long to capitalize on it.
Thal doesn't hesitate, darting towards its dipping head - about where the throat should be. She pushes both daggers deep into the exposed section, spreading her arms apart to split the scales wide. Blood sprays down on her head while she shoves her fire through the gap, scorching the internal structures in a loud boil that filters into the singing like a gurgle. If she wasn't so concentrated, she might have smiled at the chaos, but instead, her face twists in a grimace at the expenditure of magic that sears a path upwards, making the glow of its mouth turn red with flames.
In a final surge, the warbling song turns into a low keen and the lamplighter shudders a dying note. It's a relief that has her fire winking out and her arms falling to her side - but she's still very much under the beast, and when it starts to fall from the sky, Thal has the briefest survival instinct to move.
Gasping a shallow breath, she darts and dives as it plummets into the muddy ground. Exhausted, her efforts aren't quite enough this time, and Thal feels the weight of the jaw slam onto the back of her calves. The oily mud absorbs some of the possible damage with a squelch, but there's still a flash of pain as the lamplighter carcass pins her. She clenches her jaw as she sucks in a breath, stunned for a moment in the aftermath of everything. Her eyes blink to clear the mud and blood and chaos from her vision, slowly propping her arms under her upper body as she gathers her strength, already analyzing how she's going to free herself.
In the corner of her eye, she sees another shadow reach for its tail, her body moving to avoid the flick that shoves mud and fog alike through the air. As she comes back up in a crouch, she drags another wound into the creature's underbelly. It's like a dance of dodges and strikes set to the fluctuating music, focusing on not getting slapped around or crushed while she slashes her dagger up with each movement. The obsidian flares and sizzles along the scales with each hit, and by the time Vesper calls out again, flames are licking up her arms, trailing every swipe of her dagger. She can hear the strain in his voice as she feels the lamplighter struggle above her. Whatever he's doing, she doesn't have long to capitalize on it.
Thal doesn't hesitate, darting towards its dipping head - about where the throat should be. She pushes both daggers deep into the exposed section, spreading her arms apart to split the scales wide. Blood sprays down on her head while she shoves her fire through the gap, scorching the internal structures in a loud boil that filters into the singing like a gurgle. If she wasn't so concentrated, she might have smiled at the chaos, but instead, her face twists in a grimace at the expenditure of magic that sears a path upwards, making the glow of its mouth turn red with flames.
In a final surge, the warbling song turns into a low keen and the lamplighter shudders a dying note. It's a relief that has her fire winking out and her arms falling to her side - but she's still very much under the beast, and when it starts to fall from the sky, Thal has the briefest survival instinct to move.
Gasping a shallow breath, she darts and dives as it plummets into the muddy ground. Exhausted, her efforts aren't quite enough this time, and Thal feels the weight of the jaw slam onto the back of her calves. The oily mud absorbs some of the possible damage with a squelch, but there's still a flash of pain as the lamplighter carcass pins her. She clenches her jaw as she sucks in a breath, stunned for a moment in the aftermath of everything. Her eyes blink to clear the mud and blood and chaos from her vision, slowly propping her arms under her upper body as she gathers her strength, already analyzing how she's going to free herself.
Would you like me to be smaller, weaker, softer, taller?
Would you like me to be quiet?
Would you like me to be quiet?
