Azalea took a couple deep breaths and shifted in her seat again. "During our fight, you flipped a switch of sorts. You recognized that the Rainbow Angel grew more powerful in the presence of darkness, so you switched to holy magic. Ordinarily, all this would do is stop the Angel - or in this case, the Mini-Angels - from recharging so quickly. But this time... This time, they powered down. They refused to fight back."

"And do you have any idea why they did that?"

Azzy nodded. "Because my faith faltered. I gazed upon your power, and upon Executioner, and I realized that I was going to die... When I became trapped in the scrambled recesses of my own mind, you all but confirmed it. I was in hell." She clenched her fists as tears rolled down her cheeks. "I couldn't run away from you, Myrrh. And for attempting to do so, my price was damnation."

Marian stared at the Shivite. "Uhm... come again?"

A couple sniffles later, Azzy blurted out, "The portal! I used Plane Shift on an imaginary plane, and it took me to another one: My own imagination. And it was twisted and deformed... And worst of all, I couldn't escape!"

"Yeah, I'd go crazy in my own head as well... but did you seriously think I was going to kill you?"

"Your blade is called Executioner," said Azalea. "You tell me."

Marian leaned back. "I will not deny having killed people before, but let me ask you this: are you a rainbow-coloured angel? The name of the weapon is just that. A name."

"Myrrh, when I saw your power, I believed you were an Angel of Death. I believed I was being punished."

Marian closed her eyes and sighed. After a moment of silence, she spoke softly: "I'm sorry... I had no idea."

***

Marian Alexiel Maroon, the 6'0" blacksmith of the Searing Forge and elder sister of Iris Maroon, is a half-angelic being from the planet K'Emi who boasts a vast array of weaponry and incredible white and black magic power. Her most recognizable signature weapon is Executioner, a hybrid scythe/broadsword so large, it's impossible for normal people to wield. Marian is known for having a cold demeanor, ruthless fighting capabilities, and a strict moral code, all of these things contributing to make her an accidental heel among Tandy Arena fighters. (She's really more of an antihero.)

There are a number of design elements about Marian that I sorta overlooked until I actually started drawing her. Apparently, she has a great deal of symbols associated with her, like crosses and chains and a peculiar shape that could be an alchemical symbol. (Look on the blade to find what I'm talking about.) Those symbols, together with the designs of Executioner and Twin Soul (the jewel hanging from the chain around her neck) lead me to believe that her overall design was influenced heavily by Kingdom Hearts. Not a bad thing in and of itself, as long as nobody asks me to draw more superfluous buckles than I have to. >.>

All joking aside, though, it feels good to be back in front of the tablet and shading in my usual way... I did mess up pretty bad on the right hand - it looks like she's covering something in her pocket, not putting it on her hip - but the rest turned out generally okay.

Probably gonna do some simpler, sketchier pieces next so I can toss out some ideas I've been having. ^^

Marian is (C)

Credit also to and Nicktendo DS for the references.