(I dunno, I couldn’t think of a very good title. Literally just a fight-scene word dump that I thought of last night ‘cause I need more practice with combat writing, and felt inclined to write a mini-throwback to my LoL RP days with Arinwei. Comments and criticisms are welcome, but don’t be a douchenugget. Also keep in mind this fresh off the... Keyboard, and hasn’t really been touched up much; sorry for any typos).
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In Skyrim, a conflict between the mages of Winterhold was settled in the dueling ring. Stationed in the lower reaches of the college in one of its largest chambers, it had been installed after a number of rivalries occurred within its ranks, and those involved wished for a means to settle the matter. Arinwei was, of course, in favor of the idea, after having been snubbed more than once by some posh Altmer, but her presence had been constantly denied by the college, due to her rather open alliances.
On the Fields of Justice, however, that meant nothing.
As the fires of the sun left her fingertips, there was an almost gleeful glint in the vampire's eyes. It had been too long since she was able to show such a display of power, and the golden flames that incinerated the wave of oncoming minions warmed her heart as much as it did the air. Burning bits of cloth and armor crumbled around the scattered arcane dust, which Arinwei strode through without a pause; she had a much more threatening target to deal with.
Syndra had arrived just in time to catch the tiny, insignificant creatures beating away at her tower, and the sight put a visible kink in her brow. A sharp, brutal wave of her hand cast them all away, and they dissipated as they as always had, under the assault of her power. Eager for something worthier of her time, dark violet eyes flicked down the length of the lane. A grin split her lips, and the Sovereign pushed herself forward, the ground evidently unworthy of being graced by her touch. “Have they finally sent me someone worth my time?” she called out, a sphere of dark energy forming in her palm.
“I was just wondering the same.” Unlike her opponent, Arinwei did not reserve her first attack to be shown off, and sent out an immediate burst of sunfire, the bolt splitting off into two flares that sought to strike Syndra from either side.
This time it was a frown that marred the pale woman's features, and the orb that had been formed was broken in two, each half warping into a solid plate-like form that was directed to intercept the flames. “Try harder, next time!” Just as quickly as they moved to defend her, Syndra's creations returned to their initial form, with one flying high overhead to try and crush Arinwei beneath it.
There was as much fire in the vampire's eyes as her spells, and those glowing lights traced the orb as it flew in, brief memories of Kate and Vi “shooting hoops” coming to mind. A burst of light filled them as a gloved hand rose to the sky, a a singular beam of sunfire cut down the center of Syndra's orb, driving through and splitting her creation in half.
As arcane residue fluttered down from above, alongside glowing cinders, the two women paused to bear down on the other with their gaze, neither faltering. It seemed to be tradition, this tendency to merely test the other before truly fighting. Both Arinwei and Syndra could have cast multiple spells in the time spent so far, but neither one did. They were testing waters, but as the next wave of minions passed by either one, they both strode in, waist-deep.
Arinwei was forced to leap backwards as a sphere of magic formed below her, tearing at the ground and removing a minion that had wandered too close to her. An immediate response came in the form of whirling ball-and-chain of sunfire, either end crashing over the other as it tore a line through Syndra's minions. The sovereign ground her teeth together and pushed herself aside, the heel of one foot licked by the flames of Arinwei's spell, but otherwise remained untouched. “Try harder next time!” she called out, lifting the sphere from the earth and sending it rolling towards Arinwei.
A burst of fire from her feet propelled the vampire into the air, and both hands came together to send a torrent of fire down onto where Syndra stood, dark, bat-like wings briefly bursting into existence to hold her in the air. Silver hair glowed with a similar fire, and Arinwei's fangs flashed into existence as she flew to the side, prepared for a return attack.
Syndra took the brunt of her enemy's assault, forced to draw up a barrier made from the dark orbs that circled her, but feeling plenty of heat even through them. A quick wave of force was sent upwards in order to disrupt Arinwei's flight, and hopefully buy a few moments of time.
The magical reply forced Arinwei back onto the ground, but it deterred her little, quickly rising to her feet a distance away from where Syndra hovered, surrounded by smoke and cinders. As she ran, the mage hurled a trio of spheres in rapid succession, deep and golden in color, and trailing heat as they honed in on the other sorcerer. “Pick the pace, Sovereign!” she called out, showing her fangs with a grin as she leaped above two minions that battle away.
Syndra handily deflected the first two fireballs, but the third managed to strike her shoulder, sending her tumbling with enough force to break her levitation. Perfectly white hair splayed out onto the grassy dirt below, and for a split second, she remained there, eyes blinking as if she hadn't quite registered the blow. The burn set in soon enough, though, and with a cry of fury, Syndra pushed up from the ground, sending out a shockwave across the ground. “Come here, plaything! Let's see you dance faster than that!” From each hand she drew up two spheres of violent magic, and just as Arinwei had volleyed her fire, she sent the spheres chasing after the vampire.
Dropping her offensive, Arinwei rolled to the side as two orbs struck where she had stood, burying two feet into the ground and send out cracks all around them. The third struck close enough to take her feet out from under her, and it was only a hastily-formed barrier of intense flame that kept her from being crushed by the fourth. The force of the blow left her winded, and Arinwei dispersed her shield in order to blind the Sovereign, a burst of light coming from the vampire's shield. Without breath to reply, she rolled her body to the side and clawed back onto her feet, dashing into cluster of shrubs at the side of their little battlefield.
“'Plaything'...” She muttered the word like it was the insult of a child, stooping low as she moved towards the other side of the flora that shielded her from view. Much like a nerve sending messages of pain to one's brain, a sudden spike flared up in the mage's sensory field of magic, and she lunged to the side as a massive force crashed into the bushes, leaving a deep mark of impact where she had just stood.
“Hah! You move, but you are not yet in motion!”
A roll of Arinwei's eyes, and she quickly scampered back towards her tower, pushing off from the earth with a short burst of fire as another crash sounded from behind her. “Vaex, she is supposed to be your problem...”
Moving in to stand alongside Syndra was a giant of a woman, dark skin shining brightly with sweat, as well as a bit of blood. Her lips were split with a wide grin, clearly enjoying herself, and the massive weapon she hoisted onto her shoulder oozed magic the same hue as the markings upon her skin, a bright sea-green. “Where is your ally, the lizard-man?” she asked, gesturing towards the empty lane behind Arinwei. “He has not returned to our field of battle, and I grow tired of waiting!”
“An excellent question,” said Arinwei, bringing an orb of sunfire between her hands. She slung it with a curve, the sphere spinning outwards and around towards Illaoi's left side, threatening to strike her across the face.
The woman's golden-bronze idol swung in to intercept it, flames spattering around it as they tried to lick at her fingers, a few tongues finding their mark. Illaoi's brow furrowed as the pain began to register, but she merely wiped her hand against her side. “A good shot! But not enough, little one.”
In most circumstances, Arinwei would find her quite alluring... And, technically speaking, she still was. But as another tentacle came crashing down, sending the recently-arrived wave of minions scattering, the vampire had to consider a few other factors.
“FO-KRAH-DIIN!”
As a wave of ice washed over Illaoi and Syndra both, Arinwei drew both hands back, and then crashed them into the earth, golden flame surging across the battlefield and encircling her opponents, a slowly-shrinking wall surrounding them and creeping inwards with the threat of an imminent collapse.
“Must you always be late to these engagements, Dragonborn?”
With dragon-bone armor spattered in discolored blood, sword dripping with a swirling frost, Vaex exited the bushes on the opposite side of their lane. “You're welcome to fight that tentacle-worshipper next time, Arinwei.” Black scales glinted in the light of Arinwei's fire, and-
A bellowing laugh came from within the flames, and out came Illaoi, fire trailing from her body as she crashed onto Vaex with her idol, smashing the argonian into the ground. “HAHA, LET'S BEGIN AGAIN!” Before either Arinwei or her friend could react, Illaoi swung her weapon low and sent the reptilian man flying out of the lane, stomping after him with heavy steps.
“... Perhaps if Karma was here, she could offer a better distraction...”
An orb of dark magic exploded just a foot away from Arinwei, hurtling her backwards and into the body of her first tower, crashing against it with full force. A pained groan rolled up her chest, eyes dimming as they sought a focal point through the daze her mind had been thrown into. How stupid of her to forget that Syndra was still present.
“I will not be restrained! I am LIMITLESS!” A trio of dark spheres already circled the mage, and now three more joined them, one of which was torn from the earth where it had struck Arinwei. With arcane energy streaming from her eyes, the sovereign vanished from existence, then reappeared just a meter out of the range of Arinwei's tower. Her hands rose into the air, directing the weapons she had created, and then giving them their target.
On her feet just as the incantation had finished, Arinwei met the determined gaze of Syndra with an inferno in her own eyes, and as those orbs flew towards her, a bubble of solar magic formed around her, burning as bright as the sun. Syndra's attack tore away at the vampire's defenses, dark spheres drilling themselves against the conjured barrier until they disintegrated. With teeth grinding together, flakes of skin being torn away by the onslaught of magic, Arinwei began to draw her hands skyward, sunfire running across her skin like water. The sovereign's reckless use of her summoner's power had left her exposed, and with all the remaining power she could muster, Arinwei dropped the sun upon her.
A pillar of flame poured down from the sky above, centered directly on top of Syndra, in the midst of a follow-up attack. For the briefest of moments, the other mage was able to see what was to come, and she snarled in outrage just before it struck.
With her body dripping both blood and fire, Arinwei managed a final, satisfied smirk, and fell to one knee, crumpling to the side as she watched the sun eradicate Syndra through lidded eyes. The sounds of the waking world began to grow much quieter the closer she was to death, she had found, and the approaching footsteps of an ally were barely noticed by her. Toting those massive fists of hers, Piltover's best enforcer knelt beside the fallen vampire, a wry grin on her lips. Arinwei gave a weak, fading wave to send her off, the light finally beginning to leave her eyes, and Vi met it with a quick wink, before she charged up her weapon and flew down the lane with a punch.
“Into the embrace of the sun, I go... Before returning to the field of battle.”
Full Name: Arinwei (Abandoned her old mortal family’s last name).Gender and Sexuality: Cis woman, Homosexual (Treats romance with women as a Demisexual person would, though).Pronouns: She/Her.Ethnicity/Species: Redguard/Vampire.Birthplace and Birthdate: Hammerfell, the 8th of Morning Star (Not sure about the years in TESverse).Guilty Pleasures: Steak, vanilla-flavored tea, using illusion magic to scare people that she doesn’t like. Phobias: Pitch-black darkness, branding irons.What They Would Be Famous For: Probably for being the most intimidating mother to show up at a parent-teacher conference for her and Lydia’s adopted daughter, Lucia. What They Would Get Arrested For: Setting someone on fire.OC You Ship Them With: Uhh, no one in particular, though I’ve thought before that if a fanbase was ever created around The Team and their story, people would probably ship her with Kate.OC Most Likely To Murder Them: Veresana. She and Arinwei never get along at all.Favorite Movie/Book Genre: Informational/Documentary-esque. Least Favorite Movie/Book Cliche: Anything related to “standard” romance.Talents and/or Powers: Can use the Sun to nuke you from orbit. Why Someone Might Love Them: Has an incredibly good sense of style and fashion. Is also a giant gay baby with her wife and daughter.Why Someone Might Hate Them: Honestly can be rather rude at times, for seemingly no reason.How They Change: After her initial power-trip of becoming a vampire and indulging in all the “fun” it brought, grew to be a strong defender of mortals that her kin wanted to prey upon. Why You Love Them: Along with Janei, my most-developed OC and is likely the one that I have the most written for out of them all. (Also I’m going to cry again).
So it just hit me today that Arinwei’s birthday was about a week ago, January 3rd specifically. One of the few OCs that I can remember their creation date/birthday of, since I uploaded a screenshot to Steam of her right after I settled on her appearance
A bit late, but happy birthday to my wonderful vampire lady. So happy that she continued to develop into who she is now.
(Written to accompany one half of the commission done by ryuunafadoodles, a little drabble for Kate and Arinwei! Whipped it up the other night but vacation has been distracting me enough that I forgot to throw in the last touches and post it)
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“Fuck youuuuuuu, beeyotch!”
“Aw boss, that aint right. How you gonna do me that like that after I kicked Bowser outta second place for ya?”
“Sorry Pierce, Peach is a busy lady. Got things to do, asses to kick.” Shortly after her statement of triumph, the winner's banner appeared over Kate's half of the screen, and she raised a fist in victory, nodding her head a few times. “Uhuh, uhuh, oh yea!”
“Yea alright. Don't think I'm gonna forget that; that blue shell hurt my soul.” Pierce Washington lay his Wii racing wheel down on the table in front of him, leaning back and folding his arms across his chest.
“Aww, don't be a sourpuss,” teased Kate, still wearing a wide grin. She slipped her phone from her pocket, swiping the screen and bringing up her camera to pose alongside the disgruntled Pierce, who refused to even look in the same direction of the phone.
“No, that selfie does not get my stamp of approval. Send it back.”
Kate cocked an eyebrow and quickly glanced over her shoulder. “Hey, who was your commander in chief?”
A soft, pale hand gave the back of Kate's head a gentle smack as Luna, passed by, giving her girlfriend a bemused look. “Emphasis on 'was', darling. We're not in the White House anymore.”
“Don't remind me. I still miss the hot tub in my room.” Kate turned her face back towards her camera, raising a thumbs up and smiling as she was about to snap her photo alongside Pierce.
“Boss you got a fuckin' hot tub right outside, like ten feet from where we are.”
Kate's wide smile fell and she whipped her head back around. “Pierce would ya let me take the goddamn selfie already?”
“No, I object!”
With a roll of her eyes, Kate snapped the photo, figuring that that expression, along with Pierce's look of offense and shaking fist would tell the story better anyways.
Off to her left, sitting in her usual armchair at the Saint's penthouse, was Arinwei, the vampire's bright golden eyes focused intently on the book in front of her. It was a rather thick encyclopedia of deep sea ocean life on Earth, and she had been flipping through the pages for the past few hours, even before most of those present at the penthouse had awoken.
As if she could simply sense when someone was looking her way, the mage spoke to Kate, who had only just then turned her eyes over to her dark-skinned friend. “We know so little about the seas of Tamriel, due to our lack of ability to progress very far past the surface. I believe there were a handful of records about Dwemer submersibles, but they were unfortunately only works-in-progress, from what we could tell.”
Kate drummed her fingers along the arm of the couch, nodding. “Yea, but we still technically dunno much in the grand scheme of things.” She scrunched up her lips to one side of her mouth, chewing over a few thoughts, before turning and looking over her shoulder for a sign of Luna. “Hey babe, wasn't the official statement on the deep sea shit like, 'We know more about the moon than the ocean?'” she shouted.
There was a second's pause before a, “Yes, darling, that was it,” came from the kitchen, and Kate cocked a thumb in the direction of the blue-haired woman's voice. “But yea, weird stuff.” She paused, her eyes flicking down to the phone in her hand that had yet to be put away, then rose from her seat, a smile lighting up her features. “Hey, Arinwei, c'mere a second.”
“Why, Kate?” replied the mage, her eyes remaining glued to the book in her hands.
“Just for a sec, really. I don't have a picture with you yet, and I just remembered it now.”
The two golden lights left the book to stare across the small gap between them. “... Must I?”
“Please? For me?” Kate's voice softened to a surprising level, and the Saint's leader let her posture slump.
Arinwei stared a few seconds longer, but closed the two halves of her book together, the beginnings of a gentle grin pulling at the corners of her mouth. “Oh, very well. Where shall I stand, then?”
Kate perked up in less than a second's time, and she rose from her seat like a tack had been underneath her the whole time, pulling Arinwei from her chair (much to the vampire's distress, brows raised and eyes brightening) to stand alongside her. “Nah nah, just in close, right here.” The tattooed gangster grinned and lined up her phone for the picture, only to realize that keeping it level with her face would cut out most of Arinwei's. “... Uhh, right, sorry.”
Her nostrils flared, and a small “hmph” of annoyance could be heard
“Here, do that face you give me when I ask you something stupid- Yea that one! Hold that!”
Arinwei rolled her eyes, then let her features return to the requested expression, sighing softly.
“It's all good, we'll do more later. Alright, peace, sunny vampire!” Kate lowered herself just a tad, and wrapped her arm around her friend's shoulders, throwing up a peace sign on the opposite side, and giving the camera her best smile.
The phone clicked with the familiar sound of a successful photo, and the two friends separated for a brief moment before Kate brought it back in to show Arinwei the results. “Not bad, right?”
The mage squinted slightly at the illuminated screen, and while her initial response was, “We look quite foolish,” she couldn't help but smile.
“Hey I call it a good one; I'm keeping it.” She pulled Arinwei in for a side-hug, rubbing her shoulder with a loving roughness before letting her go. “Thanks, Arinwei. Go have some more fun with your fish book.”
“Arinwei! C’mere c’mere, stand with me for a sec.”
“Why, Kate?”
“Hey, I need at least one picture with you before this all over. Here do that face you give me when I’m asking you something stupid; yea that one. Alright, peace, sunny vampire!”
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“Mm, what time is it, Janei…?”
“I think for once, we don’t really need to care.”
“I like the sound of that.”
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A super awesome commission done by ryuunafadoodles of three of my OCs, and Isabela from DA. Kate and Arinwei pose for a selfie together (sorta) and Janei Hawke and her pirate queen GF awaken from a nap with a smooch.
I get a gigantic smile whenever I look at it, and I can’t express how happy I am to see them all, so I’ll just leave it at that!
I’m also planning to do a full drabble for each of these two scenes, and those’ll come later on! For now I figured a little quip would suffice.
((Welcome to the home of Arinwei the Sunborn Vampire! A grumpy vampire who’s grown up in Skyrim, and through a strange series of events, has found herself to be visitor to the Institute of War.
Please feel free to come by and bother her! She’s not as social as she ought to be, these days))
