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Post by Jisui on Mar 30, 2012 17:00:54 GMT -5
As the priest recovered from his coughing spell, his eyes widened as he realized a woman was talking to him from the fountain. At least... a woman from the head up. From the bottom down, the young man looked surprised as he observed the woman's plethora of tentacles running about the water.
(A scylla. People with human torso's and octopus bodies... was she really sleeping in a fountain?) The voice inside of his head began to explain with an air of incredulity, what kind of person slept in the middle of a public fountain?
"Y-Yes..." The priest gave a weak smile as he addressed the girl, wiping the sweat from his brow. "I'm afraid I'm a bit sick. Did I wake you u-" He suddenly gave a surprised cry as the woman fighting crashed straight into the fountain, breaking a piece off. His eyes widened as he glanced over towards a marching group of soldiers clad in gleaming gear, where had they come from?
(...And I believe that's our cue to leave. Now.)
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Post by Mayor on Mar 30, 2012 18:55:54 GMT -5
Ah, the thrill of battle. What wonders the senses a warrior developed in a fight, their perception speeding up to allow them the ability to truly soak in all the violence. Or, at least, that was how Drago perceived the highs of battle. And truly, he was using his drug of choice, though the quality could be better. The lupine swordsman had been providing no joy to the fight; sure, he was a quality opponent, but there was no thrill for battle in him. The wolfen had a fighting style that would seem to impress a thrill, but the stone face took any joy from Drago.
But the damsel? Drago could get behind her. There was a thrill for battle in her, a bloodlust that emanated from her ever so slightly. The reckless attacks indicated an overwhelming offensive, a style Drago had always supported. And the way she wrecked that fountain, yet was still getting up without effort? Drago could get some more fun out of her.
Yet here was the soulless fighter in front of him, shooting some crappy projectile technique. Where was the thrill in taking distanced pot shots against an enemy? There was no reaction as a punch cracked bone or a blade rendered flesh. There was no pleasurable feedback; simply unacceptable to the battle-thrilled brute. Timing the release of the shots, Drago quickly raised his arms and lifted his heels, and as the shots approached him, slammed his body down with pure force. The brass knuckled, huge punches shattered the blades upon impact as they merged near their intended target, sending shrapnel of the attack tearing up Drago's arms, but the damage was shallow at best.
Preparing to counter attack, Drago noticed the soldiers surrounding the combatants. These guards had been pains before, causing willing opponents to back down in fear of some puny set of laws. Drago wanted that to happen least of all, so he began cycling a few plans through his head. If he and the battle-thirsty dame could arrange to duel again at a later date, Drago would be fine taking one for the team. It would make the buildup to their duel even more climactic [[innuendos a go]].
Taking the blade he currently held on to and examining it, Drago made no aggressive actions. Rather, he took to shouting at the object of his fighting desire.
"Hey, battle-maid," Drago paused for a second, realizing he now had a name for her, "what say we wrap this up another time? I'd prefer these weaklings not interfere with the fun."
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Post by BloodValkyrie on Mar 30, 2012 19:13:56 GMT -5
Veronica's eyes widened at the proposition. She then looked around, taking another look at all the guards. Yes, that was a rather...satisfactory idea. She couldn't afford to kill all these guards unless she wanted the whole city upon her. With a better way out, one that even promised another fight with the hulking man, there was no reason for her to refuse.
She smiled, the bloodlust in her eyes ever-present, and nodded. "Ha, that sounds splendid. You're not running away though, are you?" Veronica was confident that the brute did not plan to run, but wanted to tease him a bit. It wasn't often that she met someone of such power and with such a lust for battle...in reality, he had actually quickly gained her respect. Of course, respect did not mean she didn't still want to feel more of his blood on her.
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Post by Greed on Mar 30, 2012 19:42:47 GMT -5
The scyllan girl backed away from Veronica, still in the fountain, half submerging her face in the water. She knew there were people that fought for a living, but these people were absolutely off their rocker. The huge boxer looked like he was a piece of minced meat, and the black-haired girl was barely phased from what Kali could tell.
"Eeeesh, I don't want to be caught up in any of that..." The scylla sighed; there was no way she was going to get back to sleep after this. Then again, it was kinda a random occurrence, so there was that. She had just heard there would be a festival in a place called Vindictus, and went to check it out. That, and now there were guards everywhere, and Kali didn't have any real escape route in-case certain misunderstandings occurred. She kept her head low, and looked at the priest again; she didn't want to leave him hanging, but she didn't really have a way to help him either.
"Er, I was just wondering, because you have a really bad cough." It took her a little while to answer him, but that was understandable, given the weirdness going on in the town square. Idly, she wondered if she of all people should be thinking the situation was wierd; she was the one who had been sleeping in a public fountain after all.
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Post by Jisui on Mar 30, 2012 20:03:16 GMT -5
(Max! Let's go already!) An impatient, urgent voice resonated in Max's head, perhaps worried about the guards that were moving closer to them.
"Wait a second! It won't kill us to stay, it's not like we were fighting!" Max snapped back in a low murmur, no doubt drawing a few looks from the scylla near him.
His eyes widened, realizing that the girl in the fountain was still there. "Oh, my apologies! That's... just a childhood illness I'm afraid. There's nothing I can do about it." The young priest smiled sadly, looking at the scyllan girl as a stray breeze caught the attention of his hood. The wind gently flipped his hood over, revealing a young man's face, chiseled and elegant and altogether rather handsome if not for what seemed to be a perpetually tired expression and slightly slumped eyelids that was the mark of someone who generally had little sleep.
"I'm Max. And you?"
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Post by Shin RyuKen on Mar 30, 2012 20:45:55 GMT -5
Vydunas was pretty impressed with the boxer. Although Vydunas's tactics were pretty underhanded, he couldn't help it; the blade was even more selfish than he ever was. Sometimes it took the most unsanitary measures to damaging an opponent, and to a fighter of that stature, Vydunas knew the blade alone wouldn't dish out any damage.
He sheathed his sword in resignment towards the boxer for the time being and looked towards the guards. The demon girl seemed like she was doing the same. Ignoring the drunken fool that interrupted the battle, "Hey, you probably should arrest the drunk guy first, he's not actually a threat. I'm just here on friendly sparring leave."
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Post by Greed on Mar 30, 2012 20:57:20 GMT -5
"Me? I'm Kali, nice to meet you." The scyllan girl smiled a little, but remained cautious of the guards and the crazy people in the area.
"Hmm... I'd better just stay low... I don't wanna cause anyone any more trouble than is already going on..." Suddenly, she turned her head to Veronica, and cocked it slightly.
"... are... are you ever going to get out of this fountain?" Fair question, as being with the violent woman made Kali nervous. That, and she was bound to catch a cold, or something.
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Post by deathsentence on Mar 30, 2012 22:16:51 GMT -5
Exchanging pleasantries with each other was the last thing anyone would dare do in this situation. The guards had their swords ready, but were hesitant to strike. Did the fight came to an abrupt end? Perhaps now was a good as time as any for the guards to passively reprimand the instigators. Their tension started to ease, knowing that the fight was merely over and any unnecessary violence would just further cause more disruption.
However, thoughtlessly provoking the drunken commander of the group would have its consequences. The clad-armored drunk gave out a *hic* before responding to Vydunas.
"U LIL-SHIT! Wuh u say?!"
"That's far enough!" An unfamiliar voice cried out to the drunken guard, causing the drunken guard as well as the other guards to pause as if they were issued an order. It was a voice of authority, one that ordered complete silence.
Just soon after, someone naturally walked through an opening in the crowd and inside the surrounded area. It was another knight that had the same attire, but something was different about this particular knight. In contrast to the guards' apparel as well as the drunk guard's clothing, his was slightly different. He was a helmet-less man that appeared middle-age; a fair-skinned individual with piercing green eyes and short messy orange hair with fringes that slightly covered the right side of his eye. Around his neck was a brown cloth cloak that covered a good portion of his upper body down to his waist, the armor beneath that partially appeared to share the same color scheme as the rest of the guards' armor; green and gold.
His looks alone didn't demand silence, but something else did. In his right hand, he carried an abomination of a weapon. It appeared to be a jousting lance towering above the man's average-size stature. Decorated in gold and green, it looked impractical enough to serve as only a decoration than a weapon; however, what made this weapon a weapon in its own right was its unnatural glow. Surrounding the towering lance was a bright-green glow. Occasionally, something ethereal that looked like "four-leaf clover" petals would appear and vanish. It was a calming feature, but an eerie one at that.
The drunk man scoffed when the decorated man showed himself.
"Wuh.....wut THe HeLL U duin ear, Clubis! Yu frekin STUCK UP!"
Suddenly agitated, the drunk sluggishly approached the lance-wielding man. "Cunt u LIEK *hic* puray chess or some-thing! WE GOT THIS! SO LEAVE!"
The man didn't bat an eyelash. Rather, he was confused as to who this drunken knight could be. With an innocent blink of the eyes, the man responded with: "Who are you?"
"Whoo am I?! Who am I?! WHO THE FUCK ElSE?!"
The drunk suddenly took off his helmet in a sudden fit of rage, showing himself to be a bald cross-eyed man with very flushed cheeks. "Imma *hic* guy *hic* thas gonna bring URDER! Yu Yungin! Prince Fruitcake and friend kummanded moi *hic* to handle the disruption!"
The man looked past the drunk, noticing the group of people he couldn't help but to stare at. Even the awkward situation didn't help, as he couldn't help but notice the peculiar girl inside the ruined water fountain. Among that, was some large muscular man, a wolfman, and someone else wearing white that slightly caught his eye. Hell, even the fountain itself looked weird, like it was alive or something was living in it despite the damage. It was a weird scenario that made him narrow his eyes; partially expressing curiosity and agitation mainly at the property damage.
Finally, the man looked at his drunken companion, causing the drunk to widen his eyes a little. "So I see." he responded to the drunk with a smile. "A strange group of juveniles that you were going to take care of, right? Right?"
"Yea*hic*! Das raight! Luuks liek u got it, yungnin!"
"Got it. Carry on, then."
The drunk sluggishly turned his back on the man in mild satisfaction. "Al *hic* ight, men! Appre-...!!!!
Before the drunk could finish, the man touched the drunk's shoulder with his left hand, instantly causing a reaction from the drunk turning around to face him once more. As soon as he did, WHAM! The man had already delivered a headbutt straight into the guy's nose! The drunk's body couldn't register what the hell had happened at first. It took a stumble or two back for him to fall on the ground unconscious.
The guards were frozen in silence at what happened till the man spoke once again. There was a slight smile on his face. His eyes were focused on the cause of the disruption. It was as if he wanted to praise them for some sort of accomplishment. "I see."
In a clear and demanding voice, he spoke:
"Apprehend them all at once!"
They were befuddled, not knowing what course of action to take. Once they took a look at the commanding knight, they saw a mischievous grin and a calm look of bloodlust. This man wanted to fight and they knew that. That treasured lance was proof of that. Though they knew, they fell for the man's indirect intimidation. Once again, they brandished their swords. A pair of guards charged, each of them heading for Vydunas and Drago.
Against Vydunas, the guard charged at him with a horizontal slash against his waist. It was a blade of ethereal light, something that common folk in this town hardly ever see.
Against Drago, a lone guard tried to slash the gargantuan man horizontally despite if he was paying attention or not. There was no control over his swing. It was if he just hastily swung as hard as he can with enough force to cut through flesh with his own strength.
Against Veronica, three guards surrounded the fountain. Each one of them held up their hand and aimed directly at her. A small green rune formed in the palm of their hand and they were ready to maim her with whatever attack they were planning.
And from a distance, the man held onto his calm grin. The palm of his hand tightened around his jousting lance.
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Post by Shin RyuKen on Mar 30, 2012 22:35:52 GMT -5
Vydunas shrugged at the drunk man's babble. All of what he said sounded like one giant slur to Vydunas's old wolf ears. It wasn't something he hadn't seen before, but given how prestigious the templars are supposed to be in Vindictus, he expected a little better of a first impression from the guards. At this point, he wasn't really about to question them, though. Instead, he merely remarked at the drunk man, "Not the classiest I've seen the military here, I gotta say."
Apprehension was nonexistent on Vydunas's face; the blade gave off a pulse more akin to a sigh as the templar drew its blade. A sword of light? Really? The blade wasn't aligned with an element as much as the templar would like, and Vydunas wasn't a demon either, so what thread that would be, he didn't know and the rational thought going on in his remind was a testament to that.
"I wasn't a Star Wars fan, sorry. That won't get me arrested, right?"
How Vydunas could muster a quip like that and still maintain his train of thought as the templar drew close was even more of a mystery. Vydunas immediately drew his katana almost consequently after the templar and made a quick mental note of his predictable attack pattern. A generic horizontal slash wasn't very bold in the way of swordsmanship, especially charging at an opponent.
Vydunas retorted the templar's bold move by swinging below the upward slash, and making a pivotal turn to generate momentum with his blade. The pivot was sequenced by two full steps, remaining below the templar's attack to the point where Vydunas could still raise his back. The momentum was then converted into a full, vicious thrust through the templar's vulnerable chest area, where the thunderous force of the stab would surely stab the templar right through the heart for approaching Vydunas so hastily. Vydunas never liked such gruesome finishes, but if it meant punishing the guards for their insolence and keeping his blade's belly full, in a figurative sense, he may as well walk off to the nearest inn and play it off like today never happened.
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Post by Mayor on Mar 30, 2012 23:12:15 GMT -5
What a miserable existence was before Drago. This "man", if Drago was going to be so kind as to acknowledge that, was a piss poor excuse for a foe. Drago had seen enough swings of weaponry to recognize the sloppiness of the blow before him, and stopping it would take next to no effort. Drago pulled his left arm up and in against his body, then quickly rotated and extended the punch so that the brass knuckles collided with the guard's sword almost identically to what had happened to Veronica earlier, coincidentally with her sword in his hand during the hit.
However, rather than launching the foe back, Drago restrained himself, only using the punch to blow the knight's blade away from Drago, while at the same time opening the man's guard. In a smooth, rapid movement, Drago pulled his right knee up while throwing his right hand behind the knight's head. A half second later, and Drago's knee shattered the knight's nose, stunning the knight for a long enough period for Drago to thrust the battle-maid's sword in under the knight's right arm, piercing his heart and ending the knight's short career as a fighter.
"What part of this looks like I'm the type to run?" Drago shouted at his battle-maid while picking up the body of the recently deceased knight with both of his hands. Turning in her direction, Drago hurled the corpse with the same level of might that had sent Veronica at stone-shattering speed moments before. The knight's corpse was on a collision course with one of the guards at the fountain, with a weapon in tow as a gift for the battle-maid, securing their contract for a future duel.
But Drago still had the present to worry about, and so he turned his attention to Freckles McKnight, and brought forth his battle-worn grimace. Pounding his chest with both hands, Drago let out a monstrous bellow of a challenge;
"COME AT ME!"
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Post by BloodValkyrie on Mar 30, 2012 23:31:52 GMT -5
Veronica looked at Kali and blinked a few times. "I'll stand here as long as I want. Now stay down there in your water. It would be a shame if you got in my way and had an...accident." She looked at her, currently, only blade while saying the last part; obviously hinting at what she meant.
Then the guard's corpse crashed into one of the three guards surrounding the fountain. She pulled her sword out of the body a moment before it impacted, using the remaining momentum from it to spin her body around, holding both her blades. This successfully cut one guard's throat wide open and slashed the other one across the eyes. The raven-haired maiden set her sights on the blinded guard, deciding the one with the slashed throat was going to die in a few seconds and therefore not worth her time.
Veronica lunged at the blind guard, knocking him to the ground and sitting on him. She grabbed his hands and forced them away from his face, briefly admiring the damage, and then proceeded to decapitate him. Blood splattered on her face and dress and she smiled with joy. These guards were no challenge, for the most part, but right now Veronica simply didn't care. She just wanted to satisfy her urges. To see flesh tear and blood splatter.
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Post by Jisui on Mar 30, 2012 23:59:37 GMT -5
(...What barbarians. Only a true brute would satisfy their battle-lust in this way...) The inner voice noted with marked disdain as it observed the brutal battlefield that had suddenly been turned into a bloodbath, guards attempting to restrain the three street fighters.
(Max, it's time to go. Max? Are you listening to me?! Stop where you are right now!) The voice, at first alarmed, turned desperate as the priest silently grabbed his blade, rushing out to the scene as quickly as possible, stepping in front of Vydunas, Veronica and Drago, keeping his sword pointed low to the ground. Why... why were these people killing other innocent people like this?! And worse... why were they doing it with such easy, nonchalant expressions on their faces...
"Stop! There's no need for this senseless killing!" The young priest desperately yelled at the group, the sight of scarlet blood running down the streets made him sick to the bone, but even worse, filled his body with such a profound sadness, he couldn't even describe it in words. "Please... for the love of god... just put... down... your weapons..." Max muttered quietly, his breath becoming more labored as an intense sweat began to break over his forehead, his breath becoming more labored with each intake.
(There's nothing you can do... just keep away from those people, Max!) The voice warned him yet again, he got a bad feeling about the group, in particular, the beautiful woman who cut off one of the guard's heads without any change of emotion... she was the most dangerous.
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Post by Greed on Mar 31, 2012 1:23:52 GMT -5
Kali blinked, her expression absent as a bit of blood from Veronica's kill splattered on her face. This woman... she was a psychopath! And Max had just run out in front of one of those lunatics, trying to talk him down!?
"What... you just... killed those two..." The scyllan girl was practically shuddering as she spoke, "Are you wrong in the head!? You don't just..." Kali froze as she saw the priest in the middle, trying to talk everyone down. At this point, she had no other option than to reveal herself entirely. With an enormous splash, the scyllan girl propelled herself out of the fountain, and began to rush toward the priest. First and foremost, he was in danger. ALOT of it.
It was quite the sight for everyone though, not only to see a scylla, but to see how quickly she was able to move on land with such strange appendages. Her lower body seemed so strong that she was able to lift her entire body off the ground when she moved. When she reached Max, she got behind him. her back facing his. She was going to get more than odd stares now, that was sure.
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Post by deathsentence on Mar 31, 2012 15:53:38 GMT -5
It was brutality at its finest; the guards that made their initiative didn't even have a chance to retaliate! Vydunas, Drago, and Veronica had made a bloody and brutal example that caused most of the guards to reconsider even attacking. They had a look of hesitation on their face. "Are they mon-monsters?!" One guard yelled. "These freaks aren't human! None of them are!" yelled another. "Don't think we'll let all of you off easy!! Death is the ultimate reward for scums like you lot!!!" One more guard hesitantly yelled.
Though the guards' morale was struck hard by the barbaric scene, the man with the jousting lance was hardly affected like the rest. His face contorted in light anguish at the loss of his comrades in such a manner. Even for him, he didn't expect such brutality. The headless corpse of what was the remains of that guard scorched itself into his retinas. They showed no hesitation or struggle against their foes. It was just instant death. The death of his troops obviously made a dent into that man. It was enough for him to say "Sorry...." in a small apologetic pause. Then he finished with "...but this is war. This is what Regalia should face rather than avoid."
Then he smiled. It was a battle hungry smile provoked by Drago's words. He knew he had to fight, not because he wanted to, but because of the horrendous deaths his fellow guards faced. Instantly, his eyes became blazed with ferocity. As if his weapon responded to his spirit, the jousting lance's occasional glow became frequent. That golden and green glow with the petals of four-leaf clovers surrounded the lance and began to gyrate like some sort of cyclone. The gyration was ferocious enough to even pull in the air it surrounded.
"Fall back!" He commanded to his guards. They didn't hesitate in doing so, but the guards knew that their commander was angry. The screams of the gyrating jousting lance was enough to cause them to back off.
With his eyes fixated on Drago, Vydunas, and Veronica, he shouted:
"My name is Caius Clovis! Admiral of the Regalia Empire! Burn those words into your mind as my lance pierce through your skull!!!"
And then he muttered: "And...beware of the Ides of March...for I will make sure it will never end..."
[[Ides of March: Caius can use his lance to enter a state known as the "Ides of March". This causes his lance to glow in gold and green magic surrounded by four-leaf clover petals. The coating of this magic will begin to gyrate similar to a cyclone. When used against opponents during melee attacks, it causes the target to get pulled into the lance, making it difficult to avoid.]]
Before his very own eyes he suddenly notice a white garbed man. It was the man he noticed earlier. That man passionately objected to the violence that was taking place. Caius couldn't help but to contort his face in conflict. He also understood where the man was coming from. It was a senseless fight, but Caius wanted that. Now there was no choice. Those three barbarians needed to be taken care of.
"MOVE, DAMMIT!!!" Caius yelled at the white garbed man. "Get out of the way!!"
Not before long there was a creature that emerged from the fountain. The look of shock and bewilderment filled the guards' expression. "It's...It's a monster!!" One yelled. "What is that!?" yelled another. They readied their swords once more, not knowing anything about this freakish abomination. Caius himself couldn't help but wonder what that was. Whether it was an enemy or not, if it stood in his way, he would have to thwart it.
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Post by Shin RyuKen on Mar 31, 2012 16:34:40 GMT -5
Vydunas sighed quietly to himself as the corpse of the dead soldier slid off his body and onto the ground. Vydunas's life force felt fully replenished and the scent of fresh blood emanated fragrantly from his katana. The sight of fresh blood was almost as noticeable, as his blade was coated with a nice shade of crimson. It wasn't the most elegant finish to the job, but considering what just appeared in front of him, Vydunas figured it probably was as simple of a finish was it was going to get.
Vydunas looked outward at what appeared to be the leader of the pack. Considering how the wolfen just killed a soldier in two seconds record time, he wondered just how it long it would take between the time his sword pulsed and the time this man would die against three other people, two of which were noticeably more violent than the tired ol' wolfen. Vydunas just rolled his eyes at the man gyrating his lance and picked up his invocation rather quickly thanks to his apt wolf ears. He then remarked, "Right. And I'm the patron saint to St. Patrick's Day, and I think your lance is too big." before assuming a defensive stance, lowering his body and preparing for his sword to salivate the fresh blood before him.
It seemed that, after all, the two other fighters besides Vydunas were both just as hungry for this man's head.
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