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Post by Nayru Al-Saiduq on Apr 13, 2014 0:51:41 GMT -6
Silently promising herself that she was going to force Veigue to spar with her until she could keep up or he lost consciousness - whichever came first, really - Nayru struggled to keep her head in the game as the aforementioned ally sprang into action, juking the mace-wielder and laying into her previous opponent with a vengeance. They had agreed to try this switching thing after all, she vaguely remembered, her body reacting where her mind was still elsewhere as Nayru moved to attack her new opponent.
Her belated reaction gave the man time to recover from his own obfuscation, though not quickly enough to launch a preemptive strike of his own. It was in equal parts terrifying and enraging to realize that she had very nearly been cut by a common thug, no matter his speed, and Nayru could feel her control slipping as she intercepted the mace with her banded forearm, sending the man reeling in equal parts disbelief and from the force of her parry. She followed his momentary stumble backwards with a purposeful stride, and the next time he swung she turned her anger into a weapon, her left hand batting his weapon aside with such force that wood and iron alike were ground to dust as the top half of the mace simply disappeared into the air, taking with it what remained of her attacker's - victim's - bravado.
A snarling growl escaped her, a token of the struggle to retain control in the face of personal danger; a sound made not by a trained warrior, but a feral monster waiting to be unleashed. Aaaaand Veigue was still there and this was probably a bad time to go completely berserk. The thought helped pull her back to reality, as woefully odd of a sense of humor as it represented, and Nayru ended the encounter with one final strike, a downwards backhanded swing against his chest that pulverized bone and heart alike as it drove the corpse into a ground from which it rebounded, landing lifeless a few meters away.
She did not bother to track its trajectory, turning to Veigue to ensure he was alright with a wan smile that belied her condition before focusing on the madman that had dragged them into this whole mess. She was curious as to what his intentions were, but the atmosphere was odd in a way Nayru couldn't quite place, and he was interested in Veigue rather than her anyways, so she settled for letting the two men hash things out before stepping in herself. Sacaen honor was a strange concept she had never quite grasped, not to mention there were a million different versions of it, and she didn't want to accidentally insult Veigue's ancestors to the seventh generation by saying hello instead of hi or something equally esoteric.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 13, 2014 11:58:33 GMT -6
"You all right?" He turned to his ally from the corner of his eyes when she approached. Since he was distracted momentarily, he didn't see what went on between her and the mace wielder...though from what he heard, it sounded painful to watch anyway. At the very least, all of the thugs were down, unless more "monkeys" were hiding within the tree above. The last thing he needed was more crazed assassin getting in the way. He only had one thing in mind and it was to settle things with their little mystery man there...who seemed to still be staring at him. Seriously, he had to be sleeping or something, as he was in that same position for the longest.
"...What?" Blunt and straight to the point, at least. He was just tired of this little staring contest already. His sudden call out caused some movement from the mask man as he finally stood to his feet...and surprisingly was acting a little serious from the looks of it.
"...As merciless as ever, I see. I was just glad that hasn't changed about you." The man crossed his arms, allowing another giggle to escape from beneath the mask. "It would have been boring if ol' sinful Veigue turned a new leaf and showed his enemies mercy. After all, Saceans are true to themselves and hard to change their ways." ...Sinful? As much as Veigue wanted to intervene on that bit, he kept his trap shut and allowed the lunatic to finish speaking. The very thought that he was catching onto their identity quickly was just grating on him because he was very close, but was one clue away.
"Surprisingly, you spared my life that faithful day...though if it wasn't due to the emergence of your dear mother, you probably would have ended me as well. After all, we both brandished genuine steel when we clashed. Heh...I actually have to thank her for that."
The Sacaean growled under his breath at the nonchalant mention of his deceased parent, but he took a moment to calm down and analyze the words...and it struck him as deep as any sword could as he stared directly at the man, a sweat drop falling from his face as he clenched his weapon tighter. "...How about doing two things for me? One, shut up. Two, remove that ridiculous mask...Zarius."
"Ding! Ding! He's finally figured it out, folks!" The man clapped as if he had an actual audience, and with his identity finally discovered, he snatched the mask off his face as the thin rope from behind snapped effortlessly, revealing his short, crimson hair and eyes accompanied by a sly smirk. By the time he dropped the mask in the grass, he already raised his leg to stomp downward and smash the mask to pieces. "...It was about time you figured it out, you dreck. The whole masquerade crap was a real downpour of embarrassment."
Guess the main question was simple: Why was he even here? He couldn't really forget the guy...the main one that aggressively bullied him when they were children. But what really bother him was this sinful part, and the drastic change in character. He never did like the guy, but he wasn't this 'crazy' back then. "...What the hell happened to you?"
"Oh, whatever do you mean, old friend? I'm the same old Zar as ever...except, with new founded power, thanks to you." Following another chuckle, he revealed his two short swords as he finally unsheathed them, but didn't get into a battle stance as of yet. "I did have some obstacles though...that wretch of a father, for an example. Buuuuut, thanks to your example, I handled my problem accordingly to grant both my freedom...and marvelous power!!"
Veigue's eyes actually widened in surprise, as he knew exactly what the idiot was talking about. It left a bitter taste in his mouth to think back on it, but he immediately gritted his teeth before replying. "No...you...didn't. You blind, stupid fool! How could you?!"
"YEEEEEEEP! I sliced him up until he was quite unrecognizable! But I don't know what you're getting so angry for...after all, it's how you've gained your freedom and power, correct? You have the same blood of your kin on your ha--"
"...Enough!" Allowing his anger to consume him, the swordsman fiercely drawn his blade as he pointed it forward. "Killing your father was the stupidest thing you could have done. What...happened with me has nothing to do with power or anything. You spilled innocent blood and I won't overlook that! Your thirst for power is misguided." What failed to hit Veigue was the reasoning for Zarius coming after him though. It had to be vengeance for defeating him in their little exchange before he was rushing to his mother's side that day...and what he was getting on about earlier. This was the worst possible time for any of this to be brought up, as it was information that was better kept unknown.
The insane Sacaean had a rather irritated expression on his face at Veigue's response, pointing one of his short swords towards the swordsman with a frown. "Come on now...don't be that way. I can say the same thing for you. What did Mr. Sigmund do to you that resulted in his demise? That doesn't deny the fact that you have innocent blood of your own father on your hands as well! You've cast aside your honor for power and you know it! I was...impressed by the path you took and followed the same road...so the day would come for me to have my revenge against you for making a mockery of me...not only did you defeat me, but you spared my life at the same time! That was a huge stain on my pride that I can never wash way, and I WILL make you BLEED for it! So don't you dare go telling me my quest for power is misguided when you're in denial about your own sin! At least I've accepted mine!"
"...And I've accepted mine as well...which is why the path you've chosen is incorrect." He lowered his blade a little, but was still ready for anything. He was growing very uncomfortable with the subject now, especially with Nayru around. He had a combination of mixed feelings lying within and he didn't exactly know what to express now. Anger? Sadness? Guilt? All three were in the mix, but he settled for a more calm, yet anxious stare towards his adversary as he awaited the final move that would determine where this struggle was headed.
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Post by Nayru Al-Saiduq on Apr 14, 2014 1:48:42 GMT -6
Well, at least it wasn't boring. As the two men jousted verbally, hurling insults and bandying names that meant nothing to her, some degree of Veigue's story came to light; one, that he had terrible taste in acquaintances - seriously, an emotionally and mentally unbalanced dragon and an equally unbalanced psychotic murdering childhood friend, not the best list of people - and two, apparently there had been some sort of kerfluffle with his father a while back that ended up in him killing his own father. This "Zarius" was clearly insane and his testament unreliable, so she couldn't tell how literally he had taken after Veigue's example in slicing his father to ribbons, but it was clear there had been violence, and from the sounds of it, death.
Which sort of ruled out the possibility of his father turning to the Dark Side and wanting to rule the galaxy as father and son, but it did shine a glimpse of light on Veigue's eternal reticience to discuss his past, as well as the lingering spark of resentment that still burned within him. Whatever had happened that day, he still bore the scars - they were evident in his pose, how quickly he had snapped under Zarius's relentless verbal assault, and the anger in his words. Even knowing what the end result had been, she still couoldn't see him as a murderer, though. And Lena - had she been talking about his father when she stressed the word "he?" She certainly knew something, and yet she clearly cared about Veigue, and not in the sort of abused, Stockholm-esque way that a victim would.
Whether it had been simple self defense or a tragedy born of rigid Sacaen honor, Nayru didn't know, and doubted Veigue would tell her - but in the end it changed nothing about who he was or even what she thought of him. They both had blood-stained hands, but hers were drenched in the blood of more innocents than he had likely ever known. To pass judgement on him for something she did not even know the full story of would be hypocritical at best.
There really wasn't much she could say to Zarius to defend her companion, nor did she get the feeling Veigue would really appreciate it, so Nayru ran one hand down the delicate silk of her ruined shoulder cover and allowed herself a moment of peevish annoyance before composing herself and moving to Veigue's side, laying a gentle hand on his shoulder from behind and to the side of him. It was clear he was wrestling with his emotions from the sound of his voice and his lack of motion now, but without knowing what the actual problem was, she could do little but offer her unconditional support. If she had the wit for it, she would've cracked a joke to lighten the mood... but that might be inappropriate. Nayru wasn't really sure so she opted for a quiet smile at Veigue before turning to Zarius entirely, her expression carefully neutral but the silent message clear - no one is killing Veigue while I'm around. She seemed to remember promising a certain someone that she would keep this oaf safe, after all... even if he had some work to do in learning how to pick better friends.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 14, 2014 14:44:59 GMT -6
The two stared each other down, showing the obvious disliking they harbored for each other. While Zarius talks about revenge, Veigue should be the one seeking vengeance...after all, he was the main one making life hard for him in their old village and he always wanted to beat the snot out of the twit. He felt like that day he defeated him in that sword fight wasn't even a "battle" so to speak. He just wanted to literally beat the buffoon to a pulp for all the times he used to beat HIM to a pulp, but not kill him. But his adversary was insistent on duking this out the deadly way instead, and frankly...Veigue didn't give too figs about his pride. The hand of his friend shifted his attention from the stare down, noticing she briefly smiled and further proved her commitment to staying to help to the bitter end by entering the struggle despite the danger. He wish she didn't have to trouble herself with this lunatic too, but regardless, he couldn't deny her kindness and efforts to help him see this through. He'd have to thank her later...that's if she felt any differently after knowing of his sin. He couldn't even return a smile back out of the guilt he bore. The crimson haired dual swordsman swiped his sword once as he prepared himself for the battle he was waiting on for the longest. A deranged smile was plastered on his face as he was anxious to play his final "game". "Bring it! I'll rip you BOTH to shreds...!"Battle themeHe sprung forth into action with his short swords beside him, aiming for the center of the two. Veigue didn't know what he was planning, but it didn't seem like it'd be something 'fun'. By the time he nearly closed the distance between himself and the duo, he flipped forward wildly like a monkey while spinning rapidly with his twin swords, aiming for the both of them. It was a crazy, yet dangerous move to try and take head on. Veigue was planning on parrying, but that would only result in him getting his sword knocked out of his hands. He just had to trust that Nayru could get out of the way in time, as Veigue himself leaped to the side to escape the range of the attack.
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Post by Nayru Al-Saiduq on Apr 16, 2014 20:30:10 GMT -6
So much for diplomacy. If Veigue ever had a golden tongue, he must have bitten it off, because neither participant had seemed in the least interested in a peaceful resolution. Blood for blood - the oldest law of the world, a primal truth that had existed long before humanity and would continue to hold true long after dragons and mortals alike had become dust. A fact of nature, and yet that made it no less sad that childhood acquaintances would meet to drown the earth in each others' blood. Poetic and profane all at once that what should have been a pleasant meeting should be poisoned by reality.
Already further back and to the side of Veigue, Nayru didn't have to move as far as him to avoid Zarius's insane assault, but she stayed her hand in hope of some sort of last minute reconciliation, an utterly futile effort but one she was condemned to attempt no matter how clear it was there would be no success. In his madness she could see herself reflected, even if it was a mere shadow of the lack of control and sanity alike that haunted her as an eternal companion. In his search for power he had abandoned that which separated humanity from the beasts that dwelt among the shadows, throwing away that which she most desired as if it were trash - it was like a slap to the face that he could so easily discard her greatest desire, and she knew all too well the cost of its absence.
Knowing before she parted her lips that she was accomplishing little more than wasting her breath and liable to attract his ire, the dragoness was forced to speak her mind anyways, calmly and evenly, in a final bid to reason with him. "Nothing is worth losing your humanity, Zarius, not even power. You travel down a road that ends only in blood-soaked ground which will swallow you whole, but you yet have the ability to turn back, to reclaim that which you have lost and atone for what you have done."
Silently, petulantly, she could not help but rage at the unfairness of it all, but that frustration was covered by the desire to ensure he never had to understand its value as she did. Even if she had to put him down like the mad dog he was before that - death was far preferable to living in eternal torment.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 16, 2014 22:30:12 GMT -6
After recovering rather hasty from his wild assault, the battle-driven maniac spun his swords with a crazed look that thirsted for more action. Veigue couldn't say anything but just silently acknowledge the fact that Zarius had completely lost his mind and there was no way he'd be the big, yet normal bully he always saw him as. He was starting to feel rather bad about doing this, but there was no choice but to fight. If he didn't raise his sword, his enemy wouldn't drop his either. But it was unavoidable destiny, after all. The two had bad blood ever since the beginning, though he had no idea they'd meet again after so long. While he never liked Zarius, his insanity was yet another thing he had no one else but to blame himself for. Another reason why the battle with his father led to nothing but tragedy for those around him.
Before he was going to approach the lost Sacaean, Nayru spoke her mind in attempts to ending this without bloodshed...which he couldn't blame her for trying. He always wanted to beat the guy to a pulp, not to death...but he was very doubtful the lunatic would listen to her. The dual swordsman turned his head in the woman's direction as she spoke, but displayed an expression that obviously told those who gazed upon it that he wasn't very pleased with what she said to him.
"...Hah hah hah! Oh, shut up! How would you know?! You couldn't even begin to fathom how much importance power holds for me...without it, my life is a total joke! My weakness has always haunted me and the only way to look beyond the past is to pursue strength in the future by all means necessary! I don't give a damn about everything else! Until you've walked the same path as I, you'll never understand...now do me a favor and go to hell!" Following a prolonged battle cry, the assassin crossed his swords as he was ready to charge Nayru at any second.
Noticing this, Veigue sprinted into action in attempts to stop him before he could attack. Hearing his adversary approaching, the assassin twisted himself around insanely fast to where Veigue swung his blade and it was immediately stopped by both of the dual short swords. After parrying each other, they went a round trading blows, but Veigue was forced to go on the defensive by how inhuman his opponent's attack speed was. He actually missed the day when he could just disarm the fool with one parry and be done with it...but within these nine years, he'd improved immensely. Eventually, the dual swordsman saw a mild opening and kicked Veigue to his side, launching the young man off his feet and sliding into the grass. Actually remembering how much Veigue could take a hit, he didn't risk following it up and decided to rush back towards Nayru instead while he was down.
"Now, as I was saying...DIE!" The maniac charged with that being his only warning, swinging both of his blades in a single cross towards Nayru as quickly as he moved.
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Post by Nayru Al-Saiduq on Apr 17, 2014 2:29:19 GMT -6
"Power without wisdom is meaningless!" It came out louder than she had intended, a shout boiling over in emotion alongside her temper. The sheer blind foolishness of this mortal fool was almost as frustrating as his castigation of what she would kill to change herself to if she could. And kill she had, and would again today if Veigue didn't get to Zarius first - not out of veneance, but with mercy, putting the madman down like the dog he was before he could cause any more harm. He was too far gone to understand, but she suspected Veigue understood as well as she that this was both the greatest and the only mercy that could be shown; to allow the man to die with part of himself still remaining, before he completely gave in to the darkness and sacrificed everything he was.
Already on the assault, his blades came quick and lethal, a cross of shimmering steel that might well cut through an unarmed human frame entirely if what she had seen so far was any indication of his skill. Curiously, he seemed to be fine with just launching a single, up-front attack, as if he was pitting his power against hers? Part of her wanted to match it head on, part of her warned against trickery, and the hand scythe wielding assassin's little trick was still fresh in her mind. Unlike Veigue, Nayru knew nothing of Zarius's tendencies outside of what little she had gleaned from his words today, so planning for his movements would be difficult.
A cross, eh? A sad smile flitted across her features at the irony of the symbol, the necessity of what she and Veigue had to do weighing on her, but she brought both arms up into an X regardless. Zarius had been given enough chances to mend his ways, and so it was her duty to put him down if Veigue could not. She intercepted the strike head on, planning to force both hands forwards as soon as his blades struck in a brutal parry to check his momentum while reserving enough focus to attempt to prepare for whatever he might try to pull if he was still rational in his fury.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 17, 2014 17:54:47 GMT -6
Veigue hit a rebound rather quickly to make sure he'd stay in action longer and more efficiently, standing back to his toes as Zarius had already attacked Nayru. Realizing how easily he got knocked down, he couldn't fight him head-to-head...otherwise, he'd end up getting more than a kick to the side. He was out for blood, so that kick he suffered must have been just his lucky break for a chance. He gathered the next time a confrontation like that would take place, he'd end up getting sliced instead. He had to outsmart Zarius to land any hits on him. Not wasting anymore time, he sprinted towards the two again, but was prepared in case he'd end up countered again.
After his twin swords were blocked, a crazed smile pierced the lost sacean's features, not even hearing what Nayru responded with and was more interested in tearing her to into red ribbons. While he wasn't expecting her to stop his assault in that fashion, he at least expected that his attack wasn't likely to land a clean hit, so after her hands were pushed forth, he jumped back a tad and landed to his feet, but immediately had an idea as Veigue was already recovered and was about to strike him from behind, a mischievous smile following after a bit of silent laughter.
He suddenly dropped in the grass after pushing himself forward a bit, then twisted his body around rather flexibly as he was faced towards Veigue while crouched down. Then in a clean motion, he swung his leg horizontally in attempts to knock the swordsman off his feet. Since Veigue was on guard in his charge, he managed to stop the moment Zarius turned around and caught onto part of his plan, back flipping with split second timing over the kick. Even though he failed to clip Veigue, his body twisted around while still ducked down, attempting to try the same tactic on Nayru to drop her. Whether or not his kick connected, he rolled in the grass towards Veigue to avoid any retaliation. The last thing he wanted was to get punched by her or something. Though he had the sudden urge to just stand there to see what it felt like. From how she crushed one of the assassin's chest earlier, it probably wasn't good, but he loved pain, so it would be fun. "I MUST test that out...! Heheheh! But first..." He spoke silently to himself as he gazed upon his other recovering opponent.
After literally bouncing back up like a slinky in front of Veigue, his grip on his weapons were firm once more before lashing out against his adversary wildly like before when they clashed. Veigue was once again forced into the defensive as he simply parried the attacks, but gave no counterattacks. It was rather bothersome for the swordsman, as he felt overwhelmed. It seemed they both were on par with general movement speed, but his opponent wielding two versatile weapons placed him in an extreme disadvantage. But he couldn't keep fighting him like this. Deciding to go all out on Zarius, he tightly gripped his sheath and managed to lock his blade in between both of his opponent's with a sudden switch to offense after parrying another strike. With sharp timing, he held his sheath as if it were another blade and managed to strike the side of his opponent's body with all his strength applied.
The assassin grunted in pain, but since he was going off pure adrenaline, he recovered insanely fast to where his stance was not broken. He managed to push Veigue off of his dual swords and allowed a burst of laughter to escape him before jumping so high that he managed to flip over Veigue entirely and landed behind him safely. While this granted enough time for the silent swordsman to react and turn around, Zarius had already recovered from his drop and lashed out at Veigue again with his relentless flurry of attacks. Once more forced on the defensive as he parried the attacks, he was pinned. The attacks were too fast for even him to keep up with. At this rate, he'll eventually tired out and it'd give his opponent a chance to inflict some serious pain. But he was determined to find a way around this, so he used that as fuel to continue guarding against the assault until Nayru would likely come to help.
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Post by Nayru Al-Saiduq on Apr 19, 2014 2:03:42 GMT -6
Not sure whether to expect a straight attack or a repeat of the scythe assassin's midsection strike, Nayru was pleasantly surprised to have an easy strike to block - and more than slightly incensed a few moments later when the hyperactive lunatic made a point of tripping her in the middle of a frenzied burst of activity. While she managed to catch herself rather than losing her balance entirely, it gave Zarius time to assault Veigue uninterrupted, clearly taking a significant advantage by dint of his superior strength and mobility. The whole battle was moving far too quickly for her tastes; Zarius had clearly learned from what she had done to his assassins and thus refused to take her strikes head on, while he outsped even Veigue and was so far having little trouble dancing rings around the both of them.
The problem was that while he outsped her even more than he did Veigue, she could take a hit much better than her companion could. One deep enough wound could kill Veigue instantly, whereas if she kept her concentration she could turn most strikes into shallow cuts at worst. Better yet, that would give Veigue a chance to attack on his own, something with which he had an advantage over her due to his own speed. The problem was simple and obvious - Zarius did not give a god damn about her existence, with Veigue being his entire focus. Made it hard for her to distract him. Also hurt her pride a bit, which wasn't doing anything good for her temper. Or Veigue's continued lifespan, which was probably more important, but seriously the amount of disrespect this Zarius guy was showcasing just made her want to punch him in the face more so than usual.
Seeing Zarius completely focused on Veigue yet again, as if a stupid little attempt to trip her had been enough to put her out of the fight entirely, was enough to convince Nayru that she ought to garner a bit of his precious attention. She wasn't sure if punching a hole in the guy was quite what the plan was, though, and also not certain that impacting Veigue with over a hundred pounds of dead guy traveling at high velocity was going to end well for him, so she settled for grabbing Zarius one-handed by the back of his shirt and hurling him bodily, taking advantage of his distraction to grant Veigue a second to relax before the lunatic recovered and launched himself back into the fight. "You alright?" A low voice, her gaze focused on Zarius after she had quickly ascertained that Veigue wasn't quite dead yet.
Her voice rose as Nayru turned her attention once more to Zarius, one hand on her hip as she stared down at him. "You face the both of us, cur." Not exactly the most subtle antagonizing attempt ever, but the fight couldn't continue the way it had been so far - Veigue was absolutely outmatched and she was letting him down with her own lack of contribution.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 19, 2014 18:00:12 GMT -6
While they were fighting, the tip of one of Zarius's blades managed to nick him on the side of his cheek. If he hadn't turned his head to the side and downward a bit, that wouldn't have been a mere cut. Suddenly, the tyrant was literally thrown away and off him, as he the maniac didn't really have enough time to see what happened...just that while he was yanked and released, he kept a rather disturbing laugh going on before rebounding and taking the time to recover from getting pulled away. He was just standing there at the time with his knees bent while getting back into stance, giggling to himself as Nayru spoke. "Eeeeehehahaha! C'mon, c'mon then!! Gimme one of those punches! Things are just getting started!"
Having some difficulty breathing correctly after that ordeal, Veigue fell to one knee, but tried to prevent himself from falling entirely. "I...I'm fine." The last time he remembered dealing with a fight like this, it was almost exactly the same way. "Damn him...he's definitely faster and stronger than I. That fighting style...it's very similar to..." Naaaaaah, it couldn't be. Both of them were two different people, though they were equally crazy...no, Walter was even more psychotic. Zarius would be considered "normal" compared to that guy. But all self-jokes aside, this was almost a mirror of his fight with Walter Slasher, except unlike that battle, it was evident that he clearly stood no chance in a head-to-head bout with Zarius. That only meant he had to expose a weakness to to win...like last time.
"...Attacking him directly is suicide. We can't keep fighting him like this..." He finally stood back to his feet after catching his breath, unsure how to proceed. While he was worried he wouldn't have enough time to get back into his groove 100%, he couldn't help but watch as Zarius stood there and did nothing. Just there, staring at the two as he maintained that insane smile. Veigue wasn't complaining if it was time he could take to recover from their clash just now, but he wondered what the crazed fool was up to.
Zarius twirled his dual swords continually before stopping to stretch his arms out. "Let's goooooo! If you two seriously believe you can defeat me together, then COME ON! I want to prove you wrong. Let's some tactics, or whatever! LOOK! I'll even let you two make the next move...but if you fail, I'll leave you both craved into pieces in your own pool of blood...I want some FUN, not disappointment! This is the final game, so step it up!"
"Arrogant bastard...at least that hasn't changed about him." Veigue sighed hopelessly. But judging from the sound of his cocky words, he was literally about to start going for the kill with their next exchange. It was about time they came up with something if he was giving them the chance. He was certain if Zarius went at him like that, Nayru would be fighting Zarius on her own, for he wouldn't likely survive. In order to defeat arrogance, you had to expose it's weakness underneath it's tough exterior. "One thing about Zarius is that he easily gets distracted. We've got to find a way to trip him up and attack while his guard's down, but I'm low on ideas here..." He said towards his ally, though kept his sights on the psycho sacaean.
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Post by Nayru Al-Saiduq on Apr 22, 2014 16:08:31 GMT -6
She hadn't really expected him to twist his ankle and explode into bloody giblets, but it was a little depressing to see the lunatic recover seemingly effortlessly after being hurled several meters, and even more disconcerting that he didn't seem to care in the least. It was becoming more and more obvious that, against what she had hoped with known futility, he was beyond saving. They couldn't beat sense into him, only spare him from degenerating further by putting him to rest now. And she was seriously going to have to talk to Veigue about choosing his friends better, because a lunatic murder bot and a crazy dragon lady were not flukes but evidence that he needed to raise his standards severely.
First came Zarius, though. It didn't seem that he was all that interested in her, and it also didn't seem that Veigue had a ghost of a chance on his own - crazy or no, Zarius had an impressive degree of skill with a blade and impressive agility to go with it. Veigue couldn't match his overall abilities, and she couldn't match his speed or even come close. She eyed him a moment longer, trying to think of a simple solution, but none came to mind. None that allowed her to stay human and keep Veigue safe, anyways. So. What advantages did they have? She could take a hit, at least. Probably. As long as she kept her focus up and the mad Sacaen didn't manage to slip through her guard too severely, she could match him for a time even in this limited form.
That didn't really help them win, but maybe she could buy time for Veigue to think of a better solution. She wasn't really a tactician, Nayru acknowledged that fact even if it grated on her sensibilities a bit, and they didn't really have time to discuss a plan. And while she evaded the conscious realization, there was an undercurrent of wanting to be useful, to help Veigue without endangering him and prove herself reliable. It wouldn't solve the inevitable issue of him finding out what she was and leaving her, a wise choice but one she did not want to come soon, but perhaps the interim would be more pleasant if she could bathe in someone's trust for once. Even if it was false.
"I will face him." Nayru rolled her shoulders as she spoke quietly, limbering up in an attempt to prepare herself for what she knew was coming. "My durability exceeds yours, so I am more likely to survive a head-on confrontation." There was the speed differential, but she had tasted steel before and survived it; this day would be no different. "...You are not alone. You have others to fight at your side. Use me to attain victory."
If she was to be a weapon, she would at least choose her wielder. Hopefully Veigue would come up with something good, or this was all going to be a horrible waste of time. Also, blood. She had a finite quantity of it and Nayru did not want to see how much of the countryside she could spraypaint with it. Stepping forwards, she stared down at Zarius from her superior height, distaste evident in her dismissive gaze. "This is no game. You must pass me in order to hurt him."
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Post by Deleted on Apr 23, 2014 19:59:58 GMT -6
Nayru's sudden idea to take Zarius head on caused the swordsman to immediately turn his head in surprise, at first unsure on what she was thinking until she continued on with her reasoning. "Hold on! Think this through more first--" He held his arm out towards her, though it was in vain as she'd already stepped forth to challenge the madman. As the inevitable was surely going to begin, Veigue couldn't help but wonder...why was she doing this? It was at least obvious to protect him, but why go through the extreme to risk her life for his? Especially after knowing he wasn't any different from Zarius aside from the mentally insane part. They still had other options to consider, and his life didn't take precedence over hers. She had something to live for unlike him, and he didn't want her to risk losing that over him; a drifting sacaean with no place and a shattered dream.
The eager opponent stood there as he arched an eyebrow at Nayru's approach. Soon, he settled for a freaky smile as he allowed his arms to fall. "...Pfffffftahhhahahaha! So the both of you came up with this? Taking me one-on-one?! Fine...bring it! This actually makes it easier for me to kill you both...I accept your challenge, worthy adversary. I'll break through you for my vengeance!!" With haste and sparing no time for preparation, the dual swordsman bolted forth towards the woman before pulling off a movement rather...unusual. He leaped forth with a quick feint before closing the distance, dropping down backwards until he slid on his back in the grass as he attempted to drop her with both of his legs this time with his momentum, beginning phase one of his plan to inflict pain.
The fight had already started, much to Veigue's disliking to the idea of her fighting him alone. But...what could he do? If he jumped in now, he'd only get in the way. All he could do was hopelessly stand to the side and watch until something sparked in that brain of his. What good was nine years worth of experience when he still lacked the skills to protect? The mere recall of self-weakness caused him to clench his teeth out of disgust towards himself. But the more time he spent dwelling on his weakness, the more time he was wasting to come up with something, and fast.
"...Damn it. When I struck him with the sheath earlier in a vital spot, it was a direct, painful blow...yet he didn't even flinch. Zarius was never like this...what kind of unorthodox training did he go through?" As he tried to come up with a plan, he looked towards his ally as a frown easily formed. "Come on...think of something. Even when she lands direct hits upon him, his crazy endurance and undying love for pain will place her in danger eventually."
The idea of watching Zarius's sporadic movements during the battle came to mind, as he didn't have to worry about fending them off for now. He had plenty of time to analyze his fighting style for a weakness...but how much time did he have? Hopefully enough before something terrible could happen.
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Post by Nayru Al-Saiduq on Apr 30, 2014 12:59:11 GMT -6
Trying to brush aside the nagging thought that this was a terrible idea and she was going to die in a puddle of her own blood within the next few minutes, Nayru focused on the fight at hand as she warily approached the insane swordsman, quite aware of his speed and ferocity. This was no time for second thoughts, though, and she knew that if she didn't take this very seriously, she would be dead long before Veigue came up with a fantastic solution. Relax. Blank out everything. No emotion. No fear. No thought.
Nayru could feel her consciousness recede slightly, her sense of self diminishing as she tuned her reflexes and mind alike for combat. Not too much. She couldn't lose herself entirely, or her own worst fears could come to life - literally - but by suppressing her 'self' she could also drown the boiling morass of emotion in nothingness, keeping her mental faculties focused entirely on the fight at hand. It was more of a bestial, instinctual approach than human - but without Veigue fighting at her side she didn't have to worry as much about acting normal.
When Zarius charged, she was ready. No hesitation, no fear. When he repeated his strategem from earlier, she was ready, not far behind his movements; when he launched the second leg sweep of the battle so far, she gathered power into her fist before bringing it down towards him with enough force to shatter stone. Not so much with expectations to hit as to send him on the defense, if only for a time, to test if it was possible induce some measure of fear into the madman's heart.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 1, 2014 12:09:01 GMT -6
Even with expecting his attempts to fail, the lunatic halted his position before he could slip and fall face first, following a complete twist around facing the ground. Though from the corner of his eye, he could see the fist dropping down at him and his heart actually raced during. He crouched in an odd position before hopping away like a rabbit for dear safety, then rolled in the grass as he spazzed out for a couple of seconds. He was excited to the point where his body reacted on it's own as if it was shocked with both fear and entertainment. The thrill of the fight kicked in so early. He acrobatically flipped up after recovering from his roll and proceeded to his usual spinning of his weapons out of excitement. The crazed smile he settled for was probably disturbing enough to send a chill up someone's spin.
"Oooooh! This is so fun! Let's keep it up! I'm FAR too eager to feel the pain now!" Following another series of laughter, the maniac had to approach Nayru differently since she reacted to a way he wasn't anticipating. He darted himself at her as if he were to try another senseless attack, but during his sprint, he tossed one of his short shorts as hard as he could upwards as it spun viciously in the air as both a distraction and part of another insane plan he was brewing, then kept up his speed to confront her once more, holding the remaining sword in his hand in reverse grip as if it were a dagger, swinging it horizontally with ferocity.
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Post by Nayru Al-Saiduq on May 2, 2014 18:32:03 GMT -6
She hadn't exactly expected to finish the fight in the first attack, but it was disappointing how even mid-attack he had managed to evade her attack so quickly. At least there was a very pretty network of spiderweb cracks spreading from the center of the small crater where her fist had met ground, which made everything so much better. If she had had the presence of mind to consciously think it, Nayru might have laughed - it reminded her of the Bael she had fought in those human ruins some time back, which in turn made her rather grateful that Zarius was not, in fact, a two-story-tall spider. Not that the speed thing was working out a whole lot better, but at least she could block without breaking her arms. And there were less spiders. ...She really should have taken one as a pe... for study purposes.
Zarius shouting something incoherent and probably crazy ruined her train of thought, but she was left without much opportunity to be angry about it before he charged again, this time switching it up by... throwing one of his weapons away? It was clearly bait of some sort, but Nayru had very little experience fighting opponents half as quick as him, nor enough knowledge of his thought processes to even hazard a guess as to what his plan was. Two weapons, multiple avenues of attack - but where would the real attack come from? Was the aerial blade merely a distraction, or was she meant to assume it was, to focus on the blade yet held, and be attacked from above without warning when it fell back into his hands?
It was a split-second decision, a brief instant in time to decide her response, and the clash between instinct and conscious thought took the valuable moment away from her. Nayru was already refocusing her arms and energy alike upwards when Zarius's second blade slipped below her guard towards her stomach, silver kissing alabaster as crimson flowered in its wake. She recoiled instinctively, her right hand moving to cover the wound in momentary panic as any thought of counterattacking disappeared beneath a tidal wave of repressed emotion set free by her complete lapse in focus.
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