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An Eternal Duel Commenced
Posted around town are help wanted posters for a group called "The Extremely Virtuous Institute of Legends" requesting "brave and capable individuals interested in archaeological study. Weapons recommended. We are not responsible for any death/maiming/paper cuts resulting from this expedition."
The poster then gives directions to an area in the mountainside where you find a temporary camp. The camp is headed by a charismatic individual whose entire body is covered in bandages which give off a faint, red glow from within.
["The Extremely Virtuous Institute of Legends" sounded like the most suspicious and idiotic name possible, but he was curious to see what was going to happen anyways, considering it was specifically calling for "capable" people. Kazuo had brought with him the revolver he stole the other time with the weird butterfly chick, so he figured that may be enough. It was loaded after all.]
Hello? Anybody there?
[He calls out as soon as he reaches the camp.]
A man wearing a black coat and with a gleaming black axe strapped onto his back wanders into the area. It's made of strange glass which looks Otherworldly, and twists in unfamiliar ways. A shotgun of the same material is also there while he absently steps toward the glowing man.
Though not without closing his eyes and taking a look through his sixth sense, which should give him... Some idea of if they're actually magic, though the function is beyond that method.
"Oi, is this the place? Sounds like a very legit and not dangerous at all job, totally. I'm willing to take a look at it I suppose."
*Wandering into a place she probably shouldn't be is a completely unarmed girl in a light brown coat. She skips into the camp without a care in the world smiling happily.*
This is the place where the poster said the stuff would be. This is gonna be fun. I've never been an archeologistical studyist.
*The girl laughs. She looks around at the others in the area with her strange orange eyes and smiles widely.*
Hi Hi. I am here to do the assity thing as an Achelogical Studyist too. I hope we get along.
Malcolm would find that the man wrapped in bandages positively radiates magic, a wild natural force held together by mere strips of cloth. not only that but he'd find several similar signatures around the camp, likely other... "People" like him.
The glowing man stands up, towering at a little over six feet as he spreads his arms to welcome the newcomers
Rafaam: "Ah, yes. I knew we'd get some guests if I just advertised it. My name is Rafaam... Curator of this Extremely Virtuous Institute of Legends, a research group looking into powerful artifacts. You see, my... Crew, and I recently discovered these ruins. But we've ran into a.. Bit of trouble"
Rafaam looks over the three applicants... One of whom seems... Lost. But he's never been against throwing children in the range of fire.
Rafaam: "You see, I sent a few lackeys in to search for the Ghostfire Longblade, the signature weapon of a legendary Duelist by the name of Mordecai. However..."
Rafaam lets out a sigh as he looks around the camp for dramatic effect
Rafaam: "As of now, none of them have returned. The job is simple, get in, acquire the Blade for our research, and get out.
Oh, and if you find anyone in there that's good too."
Rafaam mentions his coworkers as an afterthought
Strolling from behind the whole group advancing towards the camp would be a girl on her phone, most likely a girl who's not really apt at paying attention to her surroundings. Even so, her gaze is filled with disdain.
"We have QR codes. What's the use of archeological study anymore?"
As she almost bumps into air and trips over the dreaded invisible rock, she stops herself, looking up from her phone and speaking towards everyone else at the camp with a clearly jaded tone of voice.
"Oh nice, a circus. Boy do I love watching the stupid people huddle up and comingle with each other."
*Tana raises her hand at Sanana's question.*
According to Cytus, archeologically is about finding ancient violins which is both awesome sounding and I've never owned a violins before. And you!
*Tana spins and looks at the six foot tall glowing man.*
You are very large and shiny. Worry not large and shiny person. I shall rescue your friends and get you your special violins. Though Ghostfire Longblade is a strange name for a violins. Hmm. Oh well. I'm sure it's super awesome.
*Tana giggles.*
Let's go fellow archeologistical studyists. Let's go rescue this glowing large guys friends and his violins. Heck yes!
(edited by Tana)
[The possible pointless loss of human life wasn't exactly the best of news but it was clear he had to do something about it, especially after the whole "Alien Invasion" and what not which he just learned about. Gotta make it right somewhat.]
Alright then, sounds simple enough.
But what do I get out of it? I would imagine that such a dangerous task also means a high pay of some sort.
[Kazuo, knowing there was no point in hiding, would pull out his revolver and make sure it was ready to fire. After this, he would wait for the reply to his question before going anywhere.]
Besides you look all weird, I can't just run in with nothing waiting here.
Malcolm sighs a little bit while staring and drawing his axe out.
"So a magical weirdo wrapped in wild forces wants me to do something...? What that guy said, the hell we getting for it. This whole shebang sounds mighty suspect to me."
He waits, weapon ready to strike at any moment it might need to. And if he did decide to attack, it'd be with utterly inhuman speed and strength that some present might not even see. Of course that'll only happen if someone else hits first.
Excuse me, mr axe guy. Please do not hurt our other friends with your axe. That is not a nice thing to do. And it looks like it could give people diseases. Thanks for listening.
*Tana bows her head at Malcolm.*
A loud, shrill voice can be heard far off into the distance.
"Hi everyone! Justice Archangel Flonne is here to save the day!"
The angel would appear alongside the group of volunteers, seemingly out of nowhere.
"I'm here to help you guys beat up the no good evil bad guys with the power of love and friendship!"
Rafaam: "But of course."
Rafaam chuckles to himself as he eyes Kazuo. The bandages over where his right eye would be shift upwards slightly before Rafaam breathes out a sigh
Rafaam: "You're telling me you've never seen an Ethereal before? We are a proud and trustworthy race of interdimensional merchants, curators, and many other... Fine jobs. And the Extremely Virtuous Institute of Legends is but one of many transdimensional organizations ran to discover wonderful treasures from around the multiverse. Though I understand our... Condition can be a bit off-putting to you physical races."
Rafaam raises an arm, unwrapping but a finger's worth of bandage through which a burst of energy flows out and into the sky. Rafaam quickly wraps his finger back up, containing his form within bandages once more before addressing the group again
Rafaam: "Very well, in exchange for your cooperation each of you will be awarded with about one-hundred gold pieces. Which would translate into a hundred thousand yen. Not bad for a couple hours' work no?"
Rafaam visibly cringes at the "angel"'s shrill voice. He quickly tries to cover it up by saying
Rafaam: "No no, there is nothing to worry about. Definitely no bad guys here just an honest organization for the advancement of magical research."
(edited by Archvillain)
*Tana watches Rafaam eject a beam of pure energy into the sky.*
So, that was cool.
*Tana grins.*
We're getting money for this? I bet I could buy my own violins with that! Cool and stuff!
Sana's face was brought with confusion, her eyes looking up once more from her phone as she turns her head towards one of the weirdos and asks a question. Though her own inquiry included an unneedingly sarcastic change of voice as she almost seemed to mock someone.
"Oh, a shebang? What is that, some 1950's term I'm too lazy to look up?"
She merely takes a photo of the angel appearing out of nowhere with it's incessantly shrill voice, but overall, tunes her out quickly when she goes ahead and looks at whatever their employer of theirs is doing. Which seems to be firing a beam out of the sky. Only word she really paid attention to was the money talk, so that's what she commented on.
"Money, huh? Fun. I could always raise my net worth up some more."
(edited by Sanana)
I've dealt with beings from other universes or dimensions before. So, I guess what you're telling me makes sense. I have no reason not to believe such a stupid story.
I've seen way stupider happen to be true.
[Kazuo would then cross his arms and close his eyes, considering his options. He may not be able to summoning anything, so he may have to figure out some kind of new configuration of Numbers if things get too complicated.]
So, where do we go?
It's better if we just get over it sooner than later.
[He had seen weirder, so he pays no mind to the rest of the group for the moment. "At least not until I see what they can do" he thinks. Then again, the blue haired girl does ring some bells. He wonders how common that hair color is in this world.]
Malcolm stares blankly at that whole speech. It's so obviously suspicious that he's now having an internal debate.
M: Alright, I know this guy is suspect... Arguments for and against killing on the spot?
?: Pros, we don't have to listen to him anymore. He won't be able to screw us over later on. And he seems impudent enough to ignore my rulership so fuck em.
M: Compelling points except that last one. Cons... Shooting first is wrong, I guess? Uh... We need money, but if he has it we could loot him...
The man's debate lasts a few seconds in real time, and with a put upon sigh he'd nod and agree. Not because he trusts this fuck, but because he's hoping for a good brawl from their obvious trap. And good god what is that shrill blonde thing?
"Fine, I'll do it. Not like I've got anything better to do, just gimme something to kill."
As for Sana, she just gets an eyeroll from the Nemissary.
"Hell if I know when it came from. And I hope you aren't as useless as you look, because I ain't here to babysit. That goes for everyone actually, your safety your problem. If my fight happens to help cool, but defending ain't my goal if that comes up."
"Good, very good... Then if we're all set."
Rafaam chuckles to himself before calling out.
"SARAAD! Lead the new hires to the ruins."
Another Ethereal, dressed in similar rags to Rafaam's, comes out of the camp. He's much shorter than their leader, and rather than speaking he simply bows to his guests. Saraad doesn't speak, but instead merely gestures for the others to follow him
Saraad leads the group to a carefully dug hole in the mountainside. It gently slopes downward giving the group an excellent view of their meticulousness and stoneworking before he finally leads them to an enclosed cavern.
Finally, he leads the group to the back of the cavern, a simple hole in the wall through which they would find themselves in an upper corridor, with one path leading off to the left, and one to the right. Simple.
"Right. In the time of Justice, I swear to defend this honest organization's magical research to protect innocent children across the globe!"
Flonne appeared to be in an excited state, raising her fist to the air and puffing out her chest in a confidant stance. Her staff in tow, the divine idiot patiently follows behind the suspicious leader, eagerly analysing the landscape she found herself in.
"So, nice place you got here."
Malcolm follows along with a sigh, aiming to sense the presence of any fellow undead beings that might be up ahead. If it were Brood he'd even be able to tell what kind, but others he'd only get the vague sense of them being there and a location. The living, not even that much could be gleaned. Either way he speaks out while heading forward first.
"So, what all can you lot manage? I'm... Strong, fast, nigh unkillable. A few other things too, but that's the gist. And which way to go..."
He stares at the now split path rather curiously, there must be something he can do to figure it out. But it also may not matter which way they go, frankly. He's prepared to move into either route if needed, but for now simply waits and watches.
Malcolm would notice the presence of several magical entities in the area. Aside from his companions, there would be Saraad who merely waits by the exit behind them, as well as one much more powerful source down the right hallway, and a scattering of weaker sources in the area, eight in total. Two of them are down the left path and the others can be felt somewhere on the other side of the wall they're facing
Soooo. Is this the enterance to the place of wonder, violins and archeologically discoverable places?
*Tana's orange eyes glitter in wonder.*
I'm excited. ONWARDS!
*Tana, in her infinite wisdom, walks down the right path.*
(edited by Tana)
On the other side of the wall huh... Neat, but the right pathway interests him more.
"Well well, looks like we have options. The left pathway has a couple weaker beings, I dunno what kind they ain't anything I've fought before. But the right... Big one, probably important I bet. Should be fun."
He cracks his knuckles with a grin and begins stepping down that road, it'll be interesting to see what exactly has this signature after all.
I'm not too into this kind of thing but... ruins are always interesting to see. Just imagine the lives of people back in the times these were all brand new...
I wonder if people from the future will think the same of now.
[Kazuo would let out a sigh before heading in, deciding to reply back to Malcolm.]
I can do stuff, yeah. Just probably not as flashy as your brooding schtick.
You can go deal with that one, I'm going the way that fits me more.
[He would say as he readies his revolver and moves towards the left pathway.]
"Thank you very much, oh virtuous employer of ours. I can't wait to be bored out of my mind during this nature walk."
Using the flashlight on her phone, she navigates her way with light, because who likes going in blind? Even if everyone else is following some mummy that's "kind" enough to help guide them as they try and follow it for some nice prize or something.
"Oh boy, a route split. Fantastic. I never liked any of you, buuuuutttt, I'll try to entertain myself. I can uh, yeah no why would I tell any of you? Byyyeeee!"
Sana says to them, flashing a peace sign before leaving towards the left pathway. After Malcolm accounced his selfishness, she decides that trying to go towards the same pathway as him isn't getting her anywhere.
Malcolm and those who follow him would first pass by a few broken-out stone windows which look in on a ruined cathedral. Many of the pews are shattered, or broken whether it be by time or combat, with the remains of roughly four people wearing armor scattering the floor.
Continuing along the passageway, the group would come to a more open area, with tattered rags scattered about. Some of these rags resemble the ones Saraad and Rafaam wore, while others clearly belonged in the Church itself.
There's another path passing through the open area before branching off to the left.
And finally, standing in front of a door near the back of the room is an ancient skeleton holding two long blades. His ebony armor gleaming despite the lack of lighting.
As for Kazuo and any others who choose to follow him, they come across another simple, open area, with the ruins of an altar visible near the back. In front of the alter lie two skeletons. One of which remains sprawled over the alter, his hand clutching for something no longer there, and the other whose grip remains firm on the spear by his side.
Similar to the other group, there's a small pathway leading off to the skeletons' side, which leads to a mostly empty staircase down, decorated only by a few long extinguished candlesticks attached to the walls
*Tana beams.*
So, Mr Axe Guy. It's just you and me now. I'm glad to be working with you. I'm Tana. I want to try to be a archeologistical studyist. I like cute things like kittys, yummy things like cake and fun things like video games. How are you today, Mr axe guy?
*Tana gasps. She runs ahead of Malcolm and stops outside the church.*
Hey look. I know what this is. It's a place of holy people and stuff. Wanna check it out, Mr axe guy?
Okay little girl, just don't get in the way.
[He would carefully approach the skeletons and pay close attention to the spear, wondering if these two had been fighting before falling. He would be trying to see exactly how these two died by looking for any broken bones of some kind, but he wasn't an expert, so he may be only capable of just catching the basics, if anything at all.]
At least it seems like this is from long ago...
Just like everything inside of this place.
Then again, all weapons work fine enough, you may want to take the spear. While inside tight corridors, they are quite effective.
[Regardless if whatever he got from the pair, he would shoot both skeletons in the skulls, hopefully breaking them. He wasn't taking any chances, not even with the dead.]
"Woohoo!"
Flonne follows closely behind Malcolm down the pathway, shouting and rushing towards the Skeleton Swordsman as soon as she sees it.
"Ooh, a spooky skeleton! Let me show you the power of love, mr spooky!"
She then holds her rod up and attempts to bonk the skeleton over the head with it.
Malcolm sighs at the girl, despite his harsh words... He won't really let her just get killed if he can help it. Much to his Hollow's chagrin all things considered.
"Eh, I could be worse. I'm not in a post armageddon hellscape anymore I guess. My hobbies include fighting, training to fight, and figuring out new powers I can use in a fight."
Nothing to do about that freaky ass figure though except for get ready to throw down, a pair of tough bone-forged wings jut out from his back, a visible aura of mystical power swirling around the man and rendering him faster while he grins.
"As for where we are... Just stand back and let me go handle that guy, I think he's gonna be fun!"
The Nemissary doesn't quite strike first, but he's very obviously expecting violence to happen. Violence which he'll react to by waiting and trying to counter its first strike rather than rushing in.
"So are you even able to understand me, or just gonna rush forward and try to kill me for existing?"
"Wow, little girl? I'm way taller than any little girl your incompetent eyes could have glanced over."
Unlike Kazuo who is very careful in his approach, Sana just strolls around, using her phone as a flashlight, blankly looking ahead with a surly expression. When she sees the skeletons lying around the altar, she does some of her own unprofessional examinations after Kazuo finishes. She looked around the bonework to see if there's anything of note...like loot. Of course, since she's bored, she starts to act like that older sibling trying to get somebody out of bed.
"Hey, wake up. I don't care if you're dead and that I don't know any hoodoo-voodoo BS magic, wake up."
She snaps her fingers, not at all caring about the risk of them coming to life. The snaps would rattle the inanimate being's bones, making it's lower jaw tremble from the sound of her fingers. Kazuo wouldn't really be able to hear anything though. The only thing he'd see is Sana reluctantly taking the spear after he shoots them in the head. Sure it's a weapon she'll be throwing away later, but it's not like it won't be a total waste.
*Tana looks over at the skeleton.*
That looks to me like a spooky, scary skeleboy.
*Tana digs into her pocket and pulls something out. She opens her palm, causing four small crystals to float out, surrounding her in a slow orbit.*
He doesn't like he wants to be friends though.
Kaz approaches the skeletons, shooting them in the head as a safety measure before he comes closer to inspect them.
Kaz would find that several of their bones have been broken already, mostly along their ribs in the area near their heart, and with his assistance there's a new hole in their skull
But despite his best efforts its not enough to stop them from moving. As soon as he approaches the two stand back up, with a new hole in their body. The skeleton armed with a spear makes an immediate, unwieldy thrust at Kazuo, while the other watches Sana.
Although the second skeleton is completely unarmed, it clacks its teeth together, making an irritating rattling sound as a faint circle glows in the space in front of it.
In Malcom's group, Flonne approaches their own, well-armed Skeleton, tension mounting in the air as she approaches..
The swordsman intercepts her strike with his blade, delivering a harsh blow to the rod and blowing Flonne back as his eyes take on a bright green glow. Once the attack has been countered, the armored skeleton takes a fighting stance, burning orbs glaring straight into his opponents
???: "My oath is eternal."
he stares straight at Flonne, the one who first challenged him, before making a slash at the air between them. Where his blade strikes the air a fantastic, ghastly fire erupts in an arc, threatening to fill the entire room.
Although his primary opponent is Flonne, Malcolm and Tana would likely be struck by the flames if they are not careful
???: "En Garde!!"
*Tana jumps to one side in an attempt to avoid the flames, floating a little as she does.*
Hey! That was rude, spooky scary skeleboy. Don't hurt me or my friends. We didn't do anything to you yet.
* Tana's crystals are fast to float up in formation near her head, two in line with her temples and the other two further out and lower down, in line with her mouth.*
You need a time out to think baout your mean actions.
* Tana frowns slightly. As she does, each of her crystals glows before firing a ray of dark energy at the skeleton. Each ray seems to be as srak as the night with glowing lights like stars to boot.*
Star shot (X4 light almighty damage to all foes)
Fire, it just had to be fire didn't it? Destroy Shape can block that shit but he doesn't want to bring it out so soon. Instead the man pushes his speed a little further still and just moves with the kind of speed that makes dodging bullets seem simple.
"Hell yeah! Let's throw down, name's Malcolm Chambers, Nemissary of the Sword!"
His impossible speed would allow the man to evade the flames, not by moving back but by rushing forward into the enemy's own space. And with a wild grin he slams the axe down from above, aiming to slam it directly into it's head with enough force that the air bursts in a blast, even if he misses that would still slam into the for.
[Because he was looking at the skeleton, he was able to react quickly enough to get away from the path of the spear. Managing to dodge and thanking him assuming they would just not remain dead.]
Skeletons are moving now, I hate this.
But I wonder, will more bullets work?
[Kazuo would point his revolver at the armed skeleton and unload the entire chamber n the hopes of breaking the bones completely. The end result would be an armless enemy. Regardless of what happens, he would need to reload, as this takes the final four bullets.]
You can fight though, right? I would hope you are not a dead weight.
And just like that Malcolm would feel a presence somewhere above him but the sensation it would give him wouldn't feel to be completely out of nowhere but as if it had been there before but at the same time not in a contradicting way.
"Undead fighting one another. It seems so terribly ironic but I suppose even the living fight one another as well. You'd think that at least in death we could all learn to throw down our weapons."
A strange figure would be standing somewhere above Malcolm despite there being no solid ground. A pale white body wrapped in an even whiter jacket.
Sana simply looks blankly, not really expecting the skeletons to come to life nor being surprised that they're attacking them. Well, Kazuo's getting attack, she's just having a stareoff. She flaunts around a bottle of perfume, spraying a purple fragrance onto herself before looking back at the skeleton.
"Oh hey, you actually woke up. Thanks. Now can you tell your brother over there to give me his spear? Nevermind, I have a better idea."
She simply giggles to herself before putting her pointer finger over her mouth to make a 'shhhhhh' sound. This in turn, would make the annoying rattling sound not have to be present in her ears, while also making any kind of actions she makes not make any sound.
"Since I'm like this, I get to talk soooo much trash about my partner. Ok, so his fashion sense sucks, he looks like he needs to get a life, this dumbass skeleton probably will interrupt me so I should kill it, and my partner looks super sad."
The girl puts her palms together and puts them up to her mouth, letting out air in order to make a deafening, yet quiet whistling sound. Irritating, were it not for her being completely silent. The only thing that could hear it would be the skeleton that's looking at her right now. Despite it only being the sound of a whistle, the sound seemed like it could have a high enough pitch to make it's bones start to crack under the pressure of the extremely shrill sound.
*Tana would become easily distracted by the new entrant and wave at them from below.*
Hello, new floaty ghost guy. How are you?
Malcolm finds his foe reacting in an instant, the duelist's own superhuman speed letting them block the axe, not with a blade, but by dislocating their shoulder and intercepting it with their armored elbow instead, sending the axe off to scrape the armor on Malcom's right
???: "As I'd expect from my rival."
The skeleton turns his shoulder.... Feat, into a punch, aiming a gauntleted strike at Malcom's head in hopes of striking his opponent off balance, or even knocking them to the ground.
Because he was absorbed in fighting his one oppoent, the skeleton would soon be pelted by Tana's magic. Though he doesn't seem to have taken much harm, he has definitely taken offense as his voice rings out.
???: "Care you not for the sanctity of a duel? Leave, and this insult shall be forgotten."
The skeleton doesn't seem to care for anything other than fighting, not even giving Elian a passing glance in order to focus on his opponent.
on the other end of the church, Kaz would find his skeletal opponent... Much less impressive. It nearly falls forward from its lurching thrust, and makes no aim to avoid his bullets. As such its arm is broken with only a few bullets needed, causing its spear to clatter to the floor.
Down one arm and without its weapon, the skeleton's only course left is to attempt a jab at Kazuo's face, its raw bones serving as the only weapon it needs.
As for Sana, though it can't hear anymore, the whistling does cause its bones to crack further, centuries of wear causing its skull to finally shatter, the skeleton itself falling to the floor.
Though she might notice the bone-dust around its body starting to slowly crawl back towards the rest
*Tana blinks twice.*
What's a duel? Wait, why are you getting so mad I attacked you? You tried to burn me with fire! Fire burning is not a very nice thing to do! You don't get to explain mister boney... pants... guy!
*Tana pouts childishly.*
Flonne is easily knocked to the ground by the skeleton's barrage of attacks, but is somehow none the worse for wear
"Owie..."
She then gets up immediately and fafes Tana, the pout of the child being met with a stern, motherly frown from Flonne.
"Hey, you, don't you know how incredibly impolite it is to disrespect the dead like this? If he only wants to fight one opponent, then you should let him have his way. Being stubborn like that isn't very just, you know!"
Malcolm grins a little bit wider, this is starting to get good. The counter blow would be slowed by that pair of wings, rushing into it's path and making getting at the Nemissary harder. Strangely when they do manage to impact, the warrior would also notice that hitting Malcolm's skull feels far more like hitting steel than bone.
He isn't unharmed entirely, but the bruise on his skin is already fading and the bone below seems fine. He's good enough to lash out in response, a field of steel sharp bones rushing up from the ground to try and entrap his enemy. A field the bone crafter himself can easily weave through while trying to dart to his foe's left side and speaking a bit.
"He means he wants to fight me alone kid, and I'll gladly oblige that request! As for you floating man... Eh maybe you have a point, but my greatest joy is a good challenging brawl!"
Wha-!
*Tana pouts and hums in annoyance.*
Stupid angel person.
*Tana goes off in a huff to the ruined church and keeps going down the left path past it.*
(edited by Tana)
The strange man would smile as he seemed to walk on the air, closer to the other two while still staying a good distance above them.
"I see, then brawl to your hearts content..."
Elian would simply raise a finger and try to command the dead to raise from the ground between the location of the Malcolm and the skeleton and location of Flonne and Tana. If the dead were successfully raised they wouldn't actively attack as much as simply move to be an obstacle to keep the others away from the fight.
"I'm always willing to grant a wish if the results are interesting."
That's it-
[Between Sana's comments regarding his casual style of clothing and the skeleton falling so easily he gets distracted enough to get punched in the face. He would take a few steps backward while covering his face in pain and yelling into the palm of his hands. After this he would take a deep breath and put his hands against his hips.]
You earned that one.
I'll give you that, this one time. You did more than the one alien chick the other day.
[Kazuo would raise his hand to the air as a black vortex makes a rough sword appear on his hand.]
Imaginary 3.0 - Lawful Blades.
Now go back to your grave, asshole.
[The sword was more like a club as he used its weight and his own arm strength to attack the skeleton, aiming to break its spine.]
"Uh, you weren't supposed to hear that."
Sana whistles, merely looking back at him a bit confused before glancing over towards the bone dust going back to the rest. With a sigh, she merely points at it casually.
"Should we be worried that pixie dust is trying to travel somewhere?"
The duelist reacts to Malcolm's entrapment effort by thrusting his left blade into the ground, causing the ground around him to become wreathed in his signature ghostfire. Though the fire doesn't incinerate his barrier on the spot, it would only take a moment for the duelist to break free from them.
???: "Impressive."
Tana heads down the left path, leading her to another hallway. She can hear the sound of fighting behind her and look out into the main cathedral through a window to her left. More interestingly, Tana notices a small, wooden door off to the side, nudged open for its lock had long rusted away
On the other side of the church, the skeleton seems satisfied with itself for managing to his his opponent, and moves in for another punch, only to be smacked by Kazuo's rough sword instead. It wouldn't take much to finish the skeleton off, leaving the group with an alter, a spear, a stairway forward, and the pathway back.
What do you mean I wasn't supposed to hear any of that? You were being super loud.
I swear...
[At that moment he started to wonder if it wasn't his ears that picked on what she was saying, but he didn't have to wonder much about it. Not like it was important. Despite this, he would look at the stairways that would take them further. He would slowly reload his gun as he makes his way towards the next place.]
Whatever the case, grab the spear and let's get moving.
We'll deal with things as they come while the others deal with the worst of it.
Time seems to... Bend a little bit, the man's moves speeding up in subtle ways as two things happen. One is that his body bursts outwards with a flurry of steel hard bone, now covering his entire form and making him look all the more imposing.
Two, he dashes foward like a mad man, swinging his axe with a blow that starts down and moves up, aiming to slice straight past the enemy's armor with both his absurdly sharp weapon and the even greater strength which his now bone armored form manages to output towards the skeleton.
"I try to be if nothing else, and yeesh that one is a little draining to use gotta admit. Ah well, you're skilled enough to warrant pulling out serious magic though, I have to say."
"Since you're not yelling back at me, I'll let it go. Lol."
The girl slyly comments, picking up the spear and simply resting it behind her back. Her arms stretch out downwards like she's trying to hide something, yet the spear is perfectly horizontal and not at all hidden correctly. Truly a great way to wield a spear.
"Lets get going then, leader."
The duelist breaks free from the earlier trap in time to be caught by Malcolm's axe. The skeleton seems almost happy as its armor is cut clean through. However, it gives no congratulations, merely letting out an ominous.
???: "my oath is not yet fulfilled...."
Before finally crumbling apart to the floor, ghastly blades still held in its skeletal grasp as the light in its eyes grows dim...
Kaz and Sana head downstairs to find the main cathedral. Their first sight is an ancient alter, long since robbed of any significance, and rows of pews, shattered be it by combat or by time. Among the pews lie four resting suits of armor, all with scorching marks lying in various places throughout the church. Behind them is the church's main entrance, a once grand pair of doors now rotted away by time.
The sound of clapping could be heard from above as Elian stares down at Malcolm.
"A good duel if I ever saw one. Seems like I didn't even need to make that blockade to prevent any interference."
Elian would simply wave and any undead he had summoned would soon begin to fall apart until they became nothing more than dust.
Finally he'd float down somewhere behind Malcolm and put his hand out in a friendly manner.
"So, where should we go next, partner?"
Why would they put a cathedral in a place like this? I have to wonder if it was because they had to hide, and even then, this place doesn't seem easy to construct.
[He would look around, absorbing every detail he could before something off took his interest. He would turn to Sana as he takes the dust off his hat.]
Did you say "lol" back there?
Because if you did then you really are something else, like...seriously.
There's a reason I call you little girl.
[The important question made, he would head down closer to inspect the area around the suits of armor. He tries to check if there was anything he could use, including if the armor was still safe to use.]
Any protection is well received, I don't want to go any further without it.
Unless of course there is no alternative.
"We're supposed to be paying attention to scenery? Pictures exist."
The girl dryly says, taking a few pictures of the cathedral around them and saving them for later. She rolls her eyes when he inquires about the use of "lol", simply giggling to herself as she gets her reply ready.
"I didn't feel like trying to fake laughter. So, lol."
Sana looks down at the suits of armor, almost kicking it until Kazuo decides that it's worth something. This in turn, makes her just kick dust slightly away from where they sat.
"Wow, you're seriously going to try using those? When are we going to need that? It wouldn't look pretty on me anyway, I don't feel like taking off this jacket."
She fixes her oversized beige puffer jacket, making it go off her shoulders in order for her blue sweater to be seen instead. Big jacket hanging past the shoulders is surely a great fashion trend after all.
Malcolm... Doesn't even bother dismissing his boney shell of armor, why do that when they'll clearly be fighting again soon. No the wings and armor stay out even while he briefly shakes Elian's hand with a shrug.
"Partner? Not really so sure about that but sure man, if you want to tag along then I got no real reason for stopping you or anything. Now let's take a look and find out what's behind door number guarded shall we?"
The Nemissary chuckles a bit while moving forward to do just that, axe still held in his hands with a grin while advancing through the door his fallen foe had not so long ago been preventing them from reaching. And absently making another attempt at sensing for mystical beings further ahead of course.
Elian actually wasn't expected to be accepted so quickly. He almost would be suprised by such events but he chose to simply go along with things for now.
"Sound interesting enough...Do you always trust random Lich's you meet in strange cathedrals?"
He'd simply follow Malcolm, unworried about whatever may lay ahead.
it was probably a good thing that Sana didn't immediately kick the nearest full suit of armor. Seeing as its occupied.
As with the skeletons before it, once Kaz and Sana get near it the suit of armor picks itself up off the ground, drawing a rusted blade from its sheathe. The sound of drawn steel alerts the other three suits, who begin to stand up themselves.
After taking a moment to get up, the first knight would take a quick step forward, slashing downward at Sana's shoulder with its ancient blade.
Malcolm and friends proceed through the door the duelist was guarding, with Malcolm's scan finding no magic source ahead. Instead, he finds a fairly small room, perhaps a storeroom based on the few boxes scattered around, and a well-worn ladder. Though the ancient ladder seems perilous, it would prove to be sturdy when tested
The man shrugs a little bit while moving forward, wondering what exactly may be within this place.
"Hmm... Trust is a strong word, more like. If you're gonna try to kill me or something then it'll happen and I'll deal with. If you aren't then that's great. Could end badly either way, but that's just how the world is don't you think? I'd go insane if I freaked about every random person I meet under weird conditions."
He'd just keep on moving at this point, the contents of these boxes aren't exactly his biggest concern at the moment. He could climb the ladder like a normal person, but the Nemissary instea uses his inhuman prowess to leap upwards in a single bound. Or if its high enough, take flight with the boney wings upon his back and ascend that way.
With the spear resting horizontally behind her back, she simply glared at the suits of armor as they started to stand up themselves, almost tapping her foot in impatience. Once the first knight decides to make the first move, she yawned before turning around, simply intercepting the slash directly with the sharp end of her rusted spear.
"See, this is why you should just be grateful with what you have."
As Sana feels the tip of her spear starting to crack under pressure, she let go of the spear and instead opted for the mini blade hidden under her jacket sleeve just to bunt the ancient blade away from her. She retracts it before grabbing the spear again, putting it behind her back once again just to try and unusually acupuncture the suit of armor, letting it break on purpose.
"WHOOPS, OH WELL! Time to just use something that will actually be effective."
Sana snaps her fingers, letting the vibration caused from the snap act as a shockwave that will be strong enough to at least push the suit of armor back a few feet. Afterwards, she takes out her perfume bottle and sprays it in front of her, forming a cloud of purple fragrance that only shows her silhouette.
"Right, right...Attacking you out of the blue isn't really my style anyway...Not to mention that'd be far less interesting."
Elian, like a normal person, would use the ladder to get up...if by like a normal person you meant walking up it as if the ladder itself were solid ground. If the ceiling proved to be in his way his body would simply phase through that as well, acting as if any unmoving obstacles didn't exist at all.
Wow! That caught me off guard, alright, classical dungeon stuff it is.
[He would say as he immediately takes some distance to avoid any possible new damage coming his way. He would start to device some kind of plan, but he figures that if the armors are being occupied and they are like the skeletons, then what he needs is either something to quickly deal with them or a perfect defense.]
Imaginary 1.0 - High-speed Alloy!
[He would shoot the highspeed gears at the helmet of the one attacking Sana hoping to push it back even further than it already was, but at the same time, he was hoping the speed would just make the helmet be crushed entirely.]
I like it more when the guys talk and talk, it's easier when they get all angry.
Malcolm refuses to use the ladder like a normal person, which is understandable given its condition, but would probably still get him scolded if there was anyone alive left there.
up the ladder the group would find an old bell tower, massive metal bell hanging in the air above the pair, held up by a series of rafters, with windows to let the bell ring true.
At their level, they also find what seems to be a small, personal area. Etched on one of the nearby rafters is a heart with the letters "M + A" within. In addition there is a single, ancient wooden test dummy that's worn with blade marks.
Finally, the walls are lined with medals and other small awards for fencing tournaments, all now tarnished beyond readability.
However, beneath these medals is a small piece of paper, well-folded and yellowed with age, which is now fallen to the corner of the floor.
Sana's spear shatters into the side of the armor. However, she'd simply find Kazuo's suspicions confirmed, with the armor being occupied by a single skeleton that doesn't seem to mind the splinters in its ribs.
Seemingly used to fighting magic-users, the skeleton brings its blade to a horizontal, using the ancient weapon to block Sana's impact and merely get pushed back a few feet, only for it to be struck by Kazuo's gears and fall backwards over a pew, its balance now totally ruined
Unfortunately for them the other three skeletons in the area would finish stirring, one in the middle of the pews, and two towards the back.
The skeletons near the back reveal their weapons, short bows mainly intended to fight indoors. The skeletons don't seem to mind that their strings have long rotted away, each bringing out a single arrow from within their ancient quiver to fire. One at Sana, and one at Kazuo.
As for the third, it brings out a much longer, stronger spear than the one Sana had stolen, and a large, round shield. The skeleton makes a clattering noise as it moves to the space between the archers, ready to defend them
[The creatures were taking too long to act, and Kazuo had yet again time to prepare, but now he had to question how exactly he should deal with this terrible situation. Not like these armored bastards were all that terrible, but he had to figure out a way to quickly get rid of them all the same.]
Sana, I dunno how hard you can scream but I would appreciate that you make a lot of noise.
Oh, and use me as a shield if you would like.
[Kazuo would cover his face with both arms as a white aura covers him, absorbing what little vibrations were around the area within himself.]
Imaginary 4.0 - Do Re Might!
[The vibrations absorbed would not be enough to create a perfect defense, meaning he was stuck at "0" for the time being. Luckily, this meant he could dodge until he gets hit. Once that happens, he'll be in the exact spot he was at until he releases the vibrations.]
But do not get in the way, if you have some hidden power you better use it now.
She almost let out a laugh as she saw the armor skeleton fall on the floor, but that'd be considered too immature. Instead, she laughed at the arrow coming her way inside the purple smokescreen she made with her perfume.
"Oh, use you as a shield? How chivalrous of you."
As she twirled the arrow that failed to hit her, she throws it back at the archer that sent it her way, whatever sound with the impact it makes getting exaggerated by a long shot as if the arrow was actually an explosive.
"Fiiinnnneee...ahem, Anti-Silence Protocol: Maestro."
Sana states with a dry attitude, her arm extending towards the air as she snaps her fingers once more, letting out an extremely powerful vibration. The shockwave it creates was similar to a giant burst of wind flowing through the area, but what was more powerful were the after effects of it, leaving a deafening ringing of the ears for anybody that might have heard it.
Hmm? What this?
*Tana looks at the door.*
This looks suspicoiolus.
*Tana checks the door to see if she can open it up.*
The arrow makes a loud *thunk* as it pierces the armor of the one who shot it. However, as with the spear before the arrow simply goes into its rib cage. However, this leaves the resulting sound wave in a good position to crack a few of the skeleton's bones, leaving it somewhat injured.
As for Sana's next blast, the skeletons' armor would prove effective enough to absorb most of the impact, leaving only a ringing that the skeletons could neither hear nor feel.
As before, the two archer skeletons take aim, this time both focusing on Sana before loosing their arrows once more, aiming to pierce their target's chest.
Next up, the sword-wielding skeleton would slowly pick himself back off the floor, armor pushing itself back out where the gears had struck its helmet. The skeleton approaches Kaz once more, this time making a swift thrust at his current position.
Finally, the skeleton with a shield begins advancing itself, aiming to get close enough to skewer its targets without leaving openings.
Tana opens the door to find a small room with a cot in the corner to her left. There are a few ancient, rusted swords on display against the far wall, and a small wooden desk to her right.
The desk is still covered with papers that seem to have been thrown aside in haste, all yellowed and unreadable by now. However, the desk's drawers are still shut for now.
*Two of Tana jewels fly into the room ahead of her, shining light around the room and allowing Tana to see better. Tana frowned.*
Well this place is creepy. Wonder what happened here. Oh. I always wanted to be a Holmes. Lets see here.
*Tana begins to investigate the room to see if she find any clues to what happened.*
[Kazuo would have to cover his ears for a moment. The Vibration Field would reduce the loud noise Sana had created, but it was quite painful still. More importantly, the blast she had unleashed would be absorbed by his defenses, raising the ability to a proper Level 1, making him unable to properly move his legs, at their normal speed. He would see the attack coming from the Armored being, but although the attack goes through, he feels but a light impact on his abdomen without it piercing. Most of its force would be absorbed, raising the defenses to Level 2]
There is nothing chivalrous about this, it's about practicality.
Once the conditions are set, I can at least take down two of these at once, if not all of them.
And so...!
[Two vortex would open up right above the archers.]
Lawful Blades!
[It had been used once already, so now two swords fall from above. These are heavy enough for no human to be able to move them, not even a little, but most importantly, they end of it was as pointy as it would get. If any of them hit, then the weight of the blade should be able to cut the enemies in half, or at least crush the armor enough to force them into the ground.]
“Oh, so you are selfish? Fair enough I guess.”
Instead of opting to try and defend herself, she ducks behind her human vibration shield, letting the arrows go ahead and hit him instead. After she sees him summon swords, she gets out of her cover in hopes that they get picked off.
“Enemies that don’t have senses to stimulate are so annoying to deal with.”
She flicks her wrist, sending out a mere spark of sound towards the skeleton so as to not risk putting in effort. Sure, the small blast of sound does at least make the spear and the shield the skeleton carries vibrate in order to try and make its whole body shake, but she doesn’t have faith it will do anything.
Malcolm picks up the paper absently, giving it a gander to see if he can find anything useful on it. As for the other man who travels with him currently...
"So, what do you think the odds are that bell is tied to something interesting? I'm a bit curious to see what it might do, but who knows?"
He just shrugs while staring up at it, hands still gripping his axe and covered in tough boney covering along with the rest of his body.
"Leap before you look though, that's my motto in these situations. No sense fretting about what could happen in my opinion, but if you pressingly object I'll leave it alone I guess."
Looking around the room Tana finds a faded old photograph showing three people smiling happily to those outside
There are two young men dressed in old-fashioned cloth and leather fencing suits, one with golden blonde hair and the other whose hair was her black.
Flanked by the two men is a young woman, about the same age as them wearing a fancy dress with her brown hair in curls.
Tana also finds a scrap piece of paper, well yellowed over the years, that has a simple score sheet, marked “M” on one column, and “R” on the other
Both sides have many tally marks on them, with the side labeled “M” narrowly pushing ahead of its rival
Back downstairs Sana’s sonic pulse has about the expected effect, the spear skeleton’s weapons start shaking, but the relentless creature doesn’t stop, instead it’s aim is simply thrown off.
As for Kazuo’s blades, the archers make no attempt to dodge the strike, instead getting impaled upon the blades, face down on the ground
However, it would only be a moment before the archers began to crawl forward, ripping the blade through themselves in order to be free from its weight. There was no body to continue it’s breath. There was no mind to hate. Yet still they possessed only a grudge. A burning hatred that seemed impossible to extinguish with damage alone.
The sword-wielding skeleton, confused as to why it’s attack didn’t work, decides to switch targets, taking a quick step towards Sana before making a horizontal slash at her stomach
Finally, the shaky spear-wielding skeleton attempts to skewer Kazuo with its lance, however the vibrations knock off its aim, resulting in a shaky blow that would scrape by him itself
As for Malcolm, he carefully unfolds the note, trying not to rip the fragile paper. Within he finds a faded letter which reads as followed
To my best friend Mordecai,
Know your sacrifice was not in vain. It is thanks to you that Annelise and I could live happily. I only regret that I could not fulfill our final promise. May we Duel again in the afterlife
Your eternal rival,
Richard
"I feel like that previous protocol would have been done better if I remembered the acronym. I can't be bothered half the time to use my retention for useful things. Hmmm..."
Seeing the skeletons come back to life, the girl merely rolls her eyes and looks towards Kazuo, the one person she can pour all of the workload onto. Putting her fingers together, she makes the sound of a whistle once more, the loudness and vibrations being exaggerated as always. This would both annoy his ears and power his barrier even more.
"Hey, how about thinking outside of the box next time."
Sana merely glances towards the skeleton coming towards her, taking out her perfume on reaction and spraying it right at her undead arversary. Though she does indeed get cut from this seemingly pointless endeavor, her adversary most likely wouldn't be able to note that their sword was now wafting the air with a faint purple whiff of her perfume.
"Come on, try and hit me again, I dare you. Surely you can do better this time."
[This was great, the ability moved right up to Level 3 and-]
Wait hold on what are you-!?
[Sana had used her ability once more and Kazuo was forced to cover his ear. Of course, his ability was now moving to Level 4, and this was not good at all, not for him at this moment and only because he liked controlling the Release timing. At this moment, quick sparks would appear at random around his body as he crosses his arms in the shape of an X.]
Brace yourself, dumbass.
You did this to yourself!!
[The ground would vibrate as the field around his body becomes smaller; evens his arms began to vibrate because of the stored energy. Soon enough, a massive blast of power would be released from his body the moment he extended his arms. This move uses the energy from the attacks he received by both Sana and the Skeletons and releases it with twice its power, hopefully striking down everyone around him and knocking them back at least a few meters with ease. Indeed, this includes Sana.]
Don't be so careless, you'll end up killing yourself like this.
[Kazuo would look around for the next place to go regardless of how Sana was, this was all her fault anyways. He figured these enemies would not be easy to get rid of, so it may be for the best to get a move on. He figured the best way to go right about now is to go through the church's main entrance.]
"What did I use last time again? Anti-Silent Protocol? These names kind of suck, but it was said that I could use something else..."
Once she's done fully powering his barrier ergo with a lot of pestering, she yawns and stretches her arms the moment that Kazuo gives her a warning she won't be heeding one single bit. Instead of trying to worry about anything, she stands in her own place casually and thinks to herself, not even bothering trying to take down the thing that just slashed at her stomach.
"I'm not too worried about what's going to happen, so whatever. All-Silent Protocol: Embrace"
As such, with a snap of her own fingers, the world around her begins to deteriorate, and just like magic, she falls asleep mere moments afterwards. Yeah sure, she seems to have knocked herself out, but really, the all-powerful blast won't do damage to her. It will knock her sleeping figure back a few meters similar to a ragdoll would, yet the girl was still fine as she sleeps peacefully. Just don't expect her to wake up anytime that is now.
Hmm?
*Tana looked at the picture.*
I wonder who thse two are? M? And R? And... a third person?
*Tana gasps, stars sparkling in her eyes.*
C... Could this be a contest for love? Mr. M and Mr. R fighting each other! Rivals in love! Fighting for the hand of their childhood friend both have a crush on! Oh. So romantic.
*Tana sighs, dreamily.*
Looks like Mr. M won. I hope they're happy. I feel bad for Mr R though. A loser in love. Such sweet sorrow.
*Tana pretends to swoon before giggling.*
Still. Wonder what happened to them all. And why's this stuff down here anyway? Hmm. The love war mystery continues!
Malcolm shrugs a little bit and decides to hit the bell, hard too. Not hard enough to shatter it, by his guess anways. But enough to send the ringing sound flying through the area and make it heard by those present. He'd then stare at Tana with blank eyes.
"Sounds wild to me kid, I wouldn't know about anything like that though. I just love a good brawl, and if that skeleton down there was one of them then I can say they were worth brawling with!"
The Nemissary cracks his bone covered knuckles a bit before simply leaping downward, the fall from the top of the tower not even bothering him at all through the defenses of his transformation, easily allowing him to simply begin looking around again to see if the bell's ringing changed anything.
Kazuo’s blast knocks the two skeletons apart, their armored limbs flying across the church. Though they can’t be killed it would likely take awhile for them to recover, giving Kazuo plenty of time to exit the front door.
As Kazuo passes the threshold he hears the chiming of the church’s vell loud and clear. Looking back inside he’d notice the skeletons he’d just defeated coming together almost instantly, fitting their heads and limbs back on in a fraction of a second. They come together in formation, archers in the back, and begin to advance deeper into the church, completely ignoring the unconscious Sana, as if they had remembered something more important they had to do
In front of Kazuo he’d notice a fairly large graveyard that wraps around the side of the church and towards the back. None of the graves visible had been disturbed but there’s no stopping him from investigating the rest of the yard
Tana would also hear the sound of the bell, echoing throughout the church, but nothing else comes to her.
Finally, after ringing the bell Malcolm jumps down to the floor in time to pick up a sound from below him
???:”they’re here. Go, we’ll finish this later!”
The skeleton says to no one before the sound of his heavy armored boots can be heard getting further away
[The young man would be glad the enemies simply decided to head elsewhere; and even Sana was safe by this one lucky moment. He let out a sigh and looked back at the large graveyard, wondering if the bell that he had heard was the other group's doing.]
Doesn't matter much anyways.
But this place...
[He could tell, it was definitely going to be dangerous to just move around within this area, but he wasn't exactly that worried. He would summon a shorter blade to hold it in his left hand with Lawful Blades, leaving in "Stock" another 3 to be used later on if he so wanted to. With two blades in hand, he would try to get a closer look at the tombstones if any remained as he made his way deeper onto the yard with his guard up.]
Kupo?
*Tana looks around, confused at the ringing of the bell.*
Wonder what that was? Onwards to adventure!
*Tana ran out of the small room, her small gems returning to her pockets, and looked out from the second floor balcony down at the main church area.*
What's going down, bropeoples? Anyone there? Hello?
(edited by Tana)
As Kazuo explores the graveyard outside the church, he feels a slight breeze, a calming tickle on his skin that seems out of place for such a dark place.
Kaz passes by rows of graves, most of them weathered beyond recognition.
Though he comes prepared nothing leaps out of the graveyard to ambush him, their souls having finally found rest.
However, he soon comes upon a shaft of sunlight feeding the barest patch of grass.
Within this small meadow lie a trio of tombstones, separate and newer than the others. These stones read, from left to right
Richard: Fae Fencer.
Annelise: Contested Rose.
Mordecai: Eternal Duelist.
In front of the stones is a single rapier, it’s tip buried a few inches into the ground. Although everything else has begun to fade this blade seems to be in strangely good condition. However there doesn’t seem to be anything magical about it.
Tana exits her room and returns to the area where the path split, only to find that the duelist who once blocked the other path is now gone.
Looking down into the church she sees a group of four armored soldiers, two wielding ancient bows, one who holds a long sword, and another who carries a spear and shield, advancing past Sana’s unconscious form and towards the staircase up. However, as soon as the sword-Wielder approaches the stairs, a jet of ghostly fire roars out to consume them.
Seconds later the skeletal duelist emerges from the staircase, taking note of the unconscious girl on the floor and declares[/ i]
???: “I shall protect you my love.”
[i]As he moves to engage the soldiers
Were Malcolm to leave the bell tower he’d end up in the same area as Tana, witnessing the same thing
[The breeze would make Kazuo wonder if he was close to an exit or if somewhere within this area there was an opening. This idea becomes way more obvious the moment he sees the sunlight shining down on the trio of tombstones.]
Richard, Annelise and Mordecai.
So this is the guy...
[He would then look at the rapier which was obviously anything but normal. It is quite doubtful anyone came here previously and simply left this thing for show. Considering the rest of the area he is around and the one before, it's safe to say this blade may be as old as everything.]
...and this could be his blade, the Ghostfire Longblade.
I do not doubt this was just a blade made out of a special material to always remain like this. No powers, just durability.
That alone makes a sword legendary, perfect for an "Eternal Duelist". And besides, some pretty legendary warriors had run of the mild weapons they were just very good at using.
[He would throw away the shorter blade he had on his left hand and let it thrust itself right next to the rapier he was about to reclaim.]
Mordecai may come to me if this is truly it, so I must be ready.
[He would indeed try to pull out the blade and keep it with him at all times. Did he succeed or fail at this, he would stay away and try to explore the area a bit more to try and find any possible alternative exit, just so he didn't have to go back the way he came.]
Malcolm sighs a little bit while walking out from the belltower, upon seeing the soliders appear. Rather than try and speak with them, the bone armored Nemissary simply draws his shotgun in a blur. Soon enough the weapon would ring out three times, bursts of gleaming black glass rush forward toward the soliders, the tiny shards spreading out and easily slicing through whatever they hit. Which would be quite a bit considering the fact he's torn forward at superhuman speed to be within about 20 feet of them. There's also the other one to worry with, but he can think on that later.
"Oi vey kid, you really did find yourself in a fun spot huh? Well don't worry too much, I can take care of this easy enough I think."
*Tana whistles while looking at the phenomenol cosmic power before her in this comparitable itty bitty living space.*
That was awesome.
*Tana smiles before deciding to go down to the floor below and meet the skeleton man personally. Meeting knew people was always nice after all.*
Kazuo
The rapier comes out of the ground easily, as if it had been waiting for a hand to wield it for a long time. The weapon feels unnaturally light, as if he weren't carrying anything at all.
Looking around Kazuo notices a shaft through which the sunlight beams. Though its too small for a person to fit through, he could probably dig a way out through there without collapsing the cavern.
However, the arm he carries the rapier in seems drawn back the way he came, into the church. But well, it is just a sword. Its not like he has to listen to it.
Tana and Malcolm
Tana and Malcolm head down to the floor below, where the Duelist fights the soldiers. At first the suit of armor with a shield is able to hold the Duelist at a distance, using its spear to prevent approach and his shield to block waves of fire. This gives his archer fellows a chance to shoot at him. However, it wouldn't be long until the Duelist is able to knock aside his opponent's shield, enabling him to quickly incinerate his opponents.
His fight over, the Duelist doesn't seem to notice either Malcolm or Tana, instead walking over to Sana's unconscious form.
???:"There. You're safe now my love."
[He could feel the strange sensation pulling him back towards the church, and would also find strange how this one rapier was so light and yet so durable. It was settled then.]
I hit the jackpot.
And that's where I should go.
[He would point towards the area from the which the sunlight is coming. He would think about what to do for a quick moment before acting. He decided that perhaps, considering the current situation and considering he isn't fighting, he should do something with the time.]
Lawful Blades, High-speed Alloy.
[First, he would make a vortex appear pointed at the shaft from the which the light is coming. Next, another would appear on top of him and it would drop a sword identical to the one he found in the area, a perfect copy minus the special attributes. He would carefully place it in the exact same place he found the original and then dirty it just a bit, to make it seem it had been there for a while. He would take the smaller blade and the one he previously had on his right hand and would then launch them through the vortex pointed at the sunlight, from the which other two blades would be shot. No gears would appear, instead, he had used the swords he had on Stock for the additional punch. If things went right, he would make the hole big enough for him to escape. After this, he would keep the quite special rapier on his left hand. There should be next to no evidence of him being in this area other than maybe the bigger hole.]
And we're out. I don't care about the money or if this is actually the real deal, but I have to admit...
It is pretty cool.
I bet I can find some use for it.
...
Yeah, I know, but it's not like he expected to get anything back easily.
[He would say to nobody there while chuckling. He would then calmly walk towards the opening he had created and would try to, by all means, get as far away from the area as possible through another route, effectively leaving with the sword and not telling anyone about anything...should he succeed in actually digging the hole.]
Oi
*Tana calls over to the skeleton man.*
Hello. I'm approaching you. I cannot say hello without approaching you.
*Tana approaches the skeleton.*
Hi. I liked your fire spell. How'd you do that?
Malcolm just sighs a little bit at how careless Tana is being, kid has no sense of survival does she? Clearly didn't grow up anywhere like his world thhat much can be said for sure. Oh well, it isn't like he's pressed into a tight spot at the moment so might as well follow her.
"Tch, guess I'm here too. Was a neat trick there I'll admit, I've seen similar things before but somehow I doubt yours is the same."
He absently speaks to the man, despite the very combat-ready look of his boney transformation the Nemissary's voice speaks more of a casual and non-hostile approach... For the moment anyways.
Kazuo
As expected, Kazuo breaks the hole open further, providing enough space for him to crawl out, if nothing else. There doesn't seem to be anyone outside, so his decision to abandon the others goes off without a hitch.
He comes out to the mountainous countryside, and makes sure to take a long route around. So as to make sure he's not followed and doesn't run into any of Rafaam's men.
Kazuo is able to escape safely, however as he leaves the sword begins to feel heavier. Not too much, as it is still a rather light blade, but he no longer feels the tugging, as if the blade had simply given up on speaking with or assisting him. The weapon is still a rather high-quality sword, but any other properties would be lost to time.
Malcolm and Tana
as soon as the two come close to the duelist, the skeleton sweeps their sword at the ground in front of them, sending out a jet of flames like the ones that incinerated his previous opponents. The fire strikes the ground ahead of the pair, acting as a warning shot rather than an attack
???: "Return, wherever it is you came from. I have no time to waste with outsiders. I am awaiting my challenger."
The duelist stands above Sana's form, weapons posed protectively as he readies to fight these
two strangers.
Sana
The girl wakes up to a... Rather peculiar sight. She had earlier been fighting a group of undead, and now finds only a single, large figure in a light suit of armor standing over her. Though its eyes are empty it seems to be glaring at two of the people who had come in with her, though who knows if she ever bothered to learn their names.
M, S, and T
???: "Be you friend you will respect my challenge and leave Annelise and I be. If not then I shall meet you with everything I have."
The skeleton glares at Malcolm and Tana, giving them one final chance to simply leave before any more harm is caused.
[Kazuo would figure the rapier was getting annoying until it stopped getting annoying. He would stop on his tracks for a moment and look back the way he was taking, wondering if he should make his way back.]
No, I don't really care.
I'll just go get myself some ramen after dropping off this at home.
[Kazuo would shrug, resting the rapier on his left shoulder as he keeps walking forward, wondering what to do with this weapon. He would need to buy a scabbard to carry it around if he needs to. Maybe it was possible for him to summon it at any time, but he wasn't going to sacrifice this one to Imaginary Numbers. More ideas moving rapidly inside his head, he would finally just focus on leaving the area with a new, rather special weapon.]
The Nemissary isn't stupid, he knows fire will fuck him up beyond the repair of even his own formable healing rate in this state. But there's another choice...
"If you mean the other duelist who was in here, I already beat him man... But I'll gladly be your challenger instead, lets fight, man to man... Though in truth, you'll be fighting an ally of mine instead really."
The man's boney form starts shifting and growing, turning into black jagged glass. He easily stands a whole nine feet tall now and the axe plus shotgun he uses both grow to match his new stature.
"Hah, so you think to stand against a king's wrath hmm? Well no matter, I shall elimnate these foolhardy delusions of yours in an instant deadman!"
Malcolm's voice isn't quite the same any longer, no longer lazy, nor the friendly banter he'd let forth while fighting before. But instead seething with contempt and the clear idea that he's superior to anyone else.
In truth, it's now his Hollow speaking, and the manifestation of darkness hiding in his soul is even more of an effective fighter than the man himself. The same bone trick he had used in the prior fight of a large field to entrap his foe is performed again, but this time now coated in that nearly unbreakable and horribly damaging substance of Voidglass.
"Just do me a favor, and stay in there for a moment!"
{Sana was indeed awake by that point. Her eyelids shuffled amd fluttered themselves about in response to her body going to sleep for no reason. While she feels an exasperating need to yawn and stretch, like she has been on this whole adventure, she doesn't really show any signs of caring.}
"...Wake me up in five more minutes..."
{She very quietly mumbled, and switched positions as she tried to go to sleep again. Her mumbles were made extra quiet by her using her powers not entirely on purpose, so one could most likely think that she would be suffering from some type of nightmare of a sort. Really though she just didn't feel like waking up there. Life is hard.}
*Tana raises her hand*
Hi. My names Tana. Or at least I think it is. You seem to have mistaken our fellow Archeological studyist, like me and mr Axe Guy here are, as your probably also not dead but still dead girlfiend. I'm sure it's a common occurance. Probably. Anyway, what's your name?
???: "Honorless Cur!"
The duelist shouts as Malcolm's bone cage attempts to enclose on him. Considering that the duelist is standing directly over Sana, ordinarily she might have been hit by accident, however, a bright blue light flares in the skeleton's eye sockets, a blaze that travels down to his sword. The duelist swings his sword in an arc around him. Sana can only feel a fraction of the heat that allows the skeleton to burn and slash his way through even Voidglass as the skeleton's blade passes over her.
Malcolm would notice him swinging with far more speed and strength than he had in their previous encounter.
The Duelist takes a few steps forwards, away from Sana, his "Annelise", and points his blade at Malcolm
???: "My dear friend would never lose to a barbarian who'd carelessly put a lady in danger."
Finally, the skeleton looks at Tana, the.. Interesting child who had interrupted his duel before.
???: "Very well, I shall at least grant you the honor of knowing by whose hand you fall."
The Duelist stabs his sword into the ground, a ghostly, roaring fire flaring up all around him as he announces
Mordecai: "You stand before Mordecai, Duelist of Eternity. Finest Duelist in all of Avalon, who knows only one rival."
Mordecai bends his knees a little, taking a lower, forward stance
Mordecai: "And so, the Duel continues."
Before swinging his blade in a horizontal arc towards Malcolm. From the tip of his sword flies a jet of his great ghostly fire. As before, though Malcolm is his primary target, due to Tana's positioning they might accidentally get struck by the flame as well.
{As the collateral damage brought from the ghastly flames singes the ends of her jacket, the girl seems to not bother that much with it seeming to be threatening to any normal person. Of course, her mumbling and other actions are silenced as if she were actually dead.}
"I got time for a little song..."
{Sana, like a sane human being, takes her jacket and pulls it onto her like a blanket, letting her spotify playlist play a song from some obscure band that's been around for forever as the side of her head she's laying on covers the only airpod she got to listen to the music.}
"Wonder if they notice anything..."
The Hollow frankly couldn't give less of a damn about their foe's words, if not for the fact it's bound to try and avoid hurting things besides their target in this case. Its a bit annoyed to see his Voidglass being damaged, but it doesn't melt without notable effort on the part of the flames.
Slowly and dulled enough that it wouldn't truly be able to hinder his healing factor if a strike were to land, much to the Tyrant's relief.
The Hollow: "Tsk, a mere barbarian? Don't get me mixed up with something so pitiful as that, I am the Darkness slumbering within this man's soul, a terror unleashed upon the world through the flaws behind a Nemissary. My host's name is Malcolm Chambers, it'll do for me too I guess."
The thing is if anything, somehow even more skilled in general than its less psychotic counterpart. Those ghostly flames aren't too hard to partly dodge, though some do scrape against the thick Voidglass of his newly formed Destroyer Shape.
Shockingly given its size, however, the Nemissary is even faster than before now. Combine all this and it adds up to a stunningly skilled and quick pair of blows flying from his battle-ax straight toward the other fighter.
One from below aimed to cleave up into his torso diagonally, the other from above seeking to get at the head with a horizontal. Both performed with such quickness they might as well be at the same time.
(edited by Malcolm-Chambers)
Woah!
*Tana flips back through the air. As she does, three of her gems float from out of her pocket and spin around her. Gravity seems to lessen it's hold on her, allowing Tana to reach the second floor once more.*
Alright. I get it. Mano-e-mano. I won't interrupt this time. Just try not to kill your not-girlfriend. KK, Skele-dude?
Mordecai does not notice Sana, instead he’s focused on fighting Malcolm once more.
The supernatural duelist brings his blade up to block the first blow, a strike hard enough for the force to be felt around the church.
However, he’s too slow to evade the second happening at nearly the same time. Malcolm’s blade passes effortlessly through the skeleton’s head. However, just as part of it is sliced off, some force pulls it back.
As close as they are Malcolm might notice the minuscule crack his blade left behind. A technical wound that indicates the skeleton isn’t actually healing. It’s more like his bones are simply forcing themselves to function
Mordecai: “Not bad, but I won’t go down so easily.”
Mordecai would kick Malcolm with startling speed, already much faster than he had been blocking earlier. The kick would likely make an ordinary human burst, but Malcolm is far from ordinary. However, it might still send him flying across the room into one of the church’s walls.
Mordecai: “You see? I’m only getting stronger!”
The force of their fight would start to shake the cavern, with some debris shaking loose of the already ancient roof. It seemed that they may collapse the place by accident at this rate.
As for Tana specifically, she’d find the upstairs floor as she left it, with three places to go. Straight towards the belltower Malcolm explored. Left towards the room she visited earlier. And finally right, towards the stairway and the hole in the wall they entered from, where Rafaam’s employee Saraad would likely be.
{As Sana lays on the floor, mapping out the possible things she does, she ditches her music and just mumbles her thoughts out loud under her jacket blanket. She sighs as she starts to come to terms with which option could be the most fun.}
"Trying to leave takes too much effort. And perfume. Maybe if..."
{The young lady smirks from under her cover, putting up her things by pocketing them as she goes ahead and stands upright, dusting off her clothes. She sprays her figure with perfume before clearing her throat, now putting on a facade extremely uncharacteristic to what her...teammates, might have been used to.}
"Oh Mordecai, must you always fight for my sake?"
{The girl says aloud in a voice that similar to a character from a Shakesperean novel, just with a lack of the dainty and finnicky language. As she does, her face is somehow a mix of beckoning for Mordecai's attention as well as a glare towards Malcolm to demand from him a result that will make the most out of the distraction that she's so gracious to give him.}
*Tana looks around before hoping back down to the main floor and trying to leave through the front door.*
Welp, Imma just... step out for a moment.
Malcolm chuckles a little bit at that, the blow which slams into him does send him back... But its more like a few feet rather than flying all the across the room, the massive Voidglass coated terror is clearly not so easily knocked down. it does slow him down for a few moments, but that healing factor is already working double time now.
"Heh, yeah you are getting better... Congrats pal, maybe you actually have a chance of exceeding my hopes!"
The Nemissary grins a bit, he can tell what Sana is going for and he likes it. That's great even, in the likely brief moments she hopefully buys him the other fighter would suddenly be beset upon by a massive gleaming spear of Voidglass that rushes through the air with impossible speed, if it struck true it would not only do terrible damage but turn the man's bones that it gets at into nothing more than dust.
"Enjoy my Lance of Hate, because you won't be enjoying anything else by the time this gets done Mordecai!"
Tana
Tana leaves the church to the sound of combat behind her. As Kazuo had before her she finds a sprawling graveyard, the tombs seemingly untouched by time. The cavernous ceiling still hangs over her, but in spite of that she can feel a slight breeze coming from behind the church.
Malcolm and Sana
Mordecai: "Fighting is my life, it always has been."
Mordecai could hardly call himself a duelist if a little conversation was enough to distract him. The massive man parry's Malcolm's spear, aiming to knock it to his side. However, he's not yet fast enough to do so perfectly, resulting in the spear piercing the left side of his armor and getting a few of his ribs in the process
Mordecai: "For you, I'd travel to the stars and back. And nothing can stop me."
The fire in Mordecai's eyes seems to grow, the duelist's firey spirit igniting his skull and spreading to his shoulders. His blade too, seems to catch a light of their own, a blistering blaze igniting along its side.
With his fire intensified, Mordecai aims to make use of it, bringing up the sword on his left in an attempt to burn through Malcolm's armor and take off Malcolm's right arm.
Meanwhile, the duelist uses his right to attempt to grab Malcolm's other arm and prevent him from dodging effectively
"Ah, some things never change. And as such, stagnate for the better."
{Though she was still keeping up her facade, she didn't care to at least try to make her facial cues stay on point since Malcolm didn't finish it right then and there. Sana gave him a disappointed glare before returning to her loving exchange with her not really lover.}
"Well, Mordecai, I'd love to be there right at your side as you travel so. But I must ask, wherever is Richard?"
{She says to the skeletal being, inching ever so closer while not hiding anything behind her back so as to convince herself not to try and go for a cheap potshot here and now to ruin this duel. It is a one on one fight after all, so Malcolm should obviously have no trouble with it.}