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Post by Deleted on Feb 24, 2015 0:25:05 GMT -6
The more Veigue stared into his father's eyes during the fight, the more things became a little unsettling. The man still had his usual grumpy expression, but something about the way he returned the gaze puzzled him. It was as if his father was expecting something out of him. Did he want Veigue to say something or what? At this point, the swordsman felt little need to talk anymore. This was the last person he wanted a conversation with now. But regardless of what it was, his father was attacking him like a wild animal, not giving him any kind of breathing room whatsoever. Okay...so his dad wasn't exactly kidding about the whole holding back his true skill thing earlier. As quickly as the man swung Kenji and it's sheath, it was like his wrists were made of rubber or something.
...Veigue was at least able to block the attacks though. However, he felt a sharp pain to his side, not realizing his father had struck him there with the sheath until the very last moment before impact. His movements were too swift and fluid for the naked eye to keep up with properly, for that moment Veigue feeling as if his own confidence shot down a little. When he thought about it in the back of his head as he was immediately pressed on the defensive again, history seemed like it was trying to repeat itself. When he lost to the man the first time, it ended in a similar manner, of Veigue thinking he had a chance until his father stepped it up and struck him down in a instant. After all, this was the same man that taught Lena everything she knew...how was he even supposed to come close to matching his father, even though he was no longer in his prime? Out of all of them, he was still the lesser of the three...
"...Hmph. This is quite disappointing. I'll just end you right now..." As their blades met and his father shook his head, Veigue gritted his teeth out of slight disappointment himself. Was this the best he could aspire to? His father was speaking as if he had the fight all in the bag now...not that he didn't believe him considering how he still couldn't get in a single counter attack. The man slowly pushed his blade - as well as himself - forward as the back of Veigue's sword was almost touching his face. His father was overpowering him to the extreme, and any sudden loss in his grip would result in him getting cleaved in half.
It wasn't before long that his father took him by surprise, sliding Kenji down a bit before pushing upwards on Veigue's sword with a sudden jolt. With it purposely intending to hurt Veigue's wrist, his sword flung out of his hand and spin upwards so viciously that it seemed like it was going to hit the dark clouds...just like the last time. That brought back a split second flashback of that happening before, nine years ago...and Veigue knew that was just a bad sign of his failure. But something sort of...snapped in his mind. He wasn't going to allow being disarmed mark his defeat. He was going to prove to his father everything he meant. As such, he bounced back quickly after the attack, much to his father's surprise as he twisted to the man's side. He saw Veigue spinning his sheath a bit with both hands as he smirked at the sight of his son trying to fight him unarmed.
...Veigue wanted to wipe that smug look off his face so badly, but maintained a calm mind to not make any mistake. Actually...this was perfect. There was at least one thing Veigue knew he could rely on, and it was his body's movements. Sure, he didn't have his sword, but he could at least save himself in the same manner he did against Zarius. His father wasted no time in swinging his sword rapidly at him, but Veigue flexible movements evaded the blade's edge, as if his father was trying to hit a snake but failing. He could see his father getting slightly irritated as Veigue wouldn't stay still even for a moment. As Veigue was dodging for dear life, he could hear the slicing wind above as he listened carefully. His sword was coming straight back down, and as such was luring his father away to where it would fall back down.
When his father tried to go for a thrust, Veigue performed a huge leap over his father entirely, then using the man's head as a temporary footstool to leap higher and retrieve his sword from mid air. Veigue was glad that actually worked...at least proud of his aerobics to a certain degree. After a graceful flip forward and landing on his feet, he made use of the opening he had as he jerked his body around quickly, adding more force to his horizontal swipe of the sword aimed at his father's backside. His father still had good enough reflexes to twist around while in a blocking position, but the force of Veigue's strike pushed the man away and sliding in the grass several feet backwards. At least he finally created some distance between them, but Veigue was panting a bit for air as he couldn't continue his assault at the moment.
"You've certainly learned some...interesting tricks. To think you've pushed me this far, yet still standing before me. I'll have to admit I'm impressed...I've never seen a Magnus fight in such a manner. I may have to take back what I said. But it's about time I've shown you true mastery of the sword and sheath..." The man spoke as he finally caught his breath and stood tall. But then suddenly, Sigmund switched his sword into a reverse grip and got into a certain stance.
"...So you're finally going to use that one, I see." ...As much as Veigue sounded like he wasn't too concerned, he actually was. Far beyond it. He knew what was coming, but he also knew that was the exact same advanced technique that he's continually failed at mastering. It was something even Lena couldn't do perfectly, and he was finally going to see a master of the fighting style at work. For the first in a very long time, Veigue begin to tremble slightly, not sure if he'd be quick enough to dodge any of the pain that was soon to come his way. In a sense, this was a good opportunity to finally find out what he was missing...but he had to survive the attack to even learn anything.
--
The Gesh Gang continued to recklessly charge forth with no coordination, Lena herself feeling like they were nothing but brute fighters at the end of the day. Considering how Nayru was currently handling her opponent, they didn't really seem all that threatening. Gesh himself looked like he handled those two axes quite proficiently, and the minions seemed to have a more straightforward style of fighting. Like...bandits, really. Usually when one thinks of melee fighters with swords, you'd think they'd fight with a little more finesse and skill to make up for their weapon not exactly being the strongest out of others. It was like an axeman trying to wield a sword, and that looked a little awkward. But these guys...somehow made it work if they've been surviving up until now.
When one of them came into contact with her, Lena didn't find too much difficulty blocking the somewhat muscular man's attacks. With careful timing, the swordswoman pinned the man's blade down with her own and gave him a very painful swipe of her sheath upside his head, causing the man to be disarmed and knocked out cold upon dropping to the floor. They weren't trying to kill these men, after all...so that was better than cutting the crap out of him with her sword. But she knew that eventually, she'd have to fight lethally at some point. She just had to avoid vital points. As her previous opponent was defeated, the third closest minion approached her as he seemed to have a little more skill than his now-napping buddy. He was actually able to evade some of Lena's attacks and literally took a strike from her sheath to the head...a rock head, more like it. It wasn't long before Lena gave him the slip and pivoted behind the man. A quick vertical swing from her sword struck him, but she made sure not to hit him somewhere where he'd die. The worst he experienced was just a bleeding flesh wound. Regardless, it was enough to take the man down as well. "...Soooo much for fighting non-lethally. I'm so bad at this."
Indeed.
More of them approached the two, seemingly trying to split themselves up between the two women to try and give them a harder time. Another mob of three locked onto Nayru and sort of had an obvious attempt to try and surround her as they approached her and their buddy who got hit in his gut. Lena tried to stay close to Nayru as much as possible, but she had about three or four more trying to do the same to her. She braced herself, but had a plan brewing in her head to try and take all of her targets down quickly, and enough to not give them enough time to even attack her. If that worked out well, she could back-up Nayru in her incoming mob fight.
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Post by Nayru Al-Saiduq on Feb 25, 2015 5:21:12 GMT -6
"Would you-" The weapon handle strike clearly hadn't worked very well at all, whether because she did it wrong or because the guy wasn't easy enough to put down, Nayru didn't know."-Stay-" He grunted, elbowing her away before trying to bring his sword up for another hit. "-DOWN!" The combination of frustration at her own failure and the situation peaked for an instant, drawing out a bit more power than she had intended to use; Nayru regretted it the instant the pain started, like a river of fire in her veins, and more so when her empowered strike sent the man flying backwards with a sharp crack somewhere in his lower chest. He struck the wall a dozen feet away and dropped like a sack of potatoes, though the lack of blood made it... difficult to tell exactly how hard she had hit him. Not least because she was distracted by her own pain.
He was probably alive, though, right? It wasn't like she hit him THAT hard, and he was clearly pretty tough... ish... her head was swimming, it was hard to concentrate. Nayru let out an audible hiss as she struggled to take in a proper breath, focusing on it rather than her body. Whatever worked, right? She didn't say as much, but the dragon was thoroughly grateful to Lena for speaking up, for distracting her, since apparently it was thoroughly needed. Her words were a little strained, but a reasonable approximation of a conversational tone...ish. "You don't say." Did that sound sarcastic? Nayru wasn't quite certain, and they didn't really have the luxury of chatting like a couple of old ladies at a church bake sale as several more members of the Gesh Gang approached.
More of them.
"...And Aerious thought I was being cute about bandits being a part of the landscape," Nayru muttered rebelliously to herself, not really caring who else heard what she said. All that infinite wisdom and perfect gravitas was draining away into a sea of angry teenager quite quickly. But it wasn't HER fault, really, these jackasses just -had- to pick today to show up and make a nuisance of themselves. Yes, Nayru, try talking to them, that will TOTALLY help you escape a battle. Nothing could possibly go wrong! It definitely won't be more difficult than a normal battle where you don't have to worry about holding-well, Lena was here, so unlike when it was just Veigue, she had to hold back to some degree anyways... she had been fortunate that Veigue was who he was, but most mortals would have had a great deal of questions about scaly arms.
...And yet she couldn't help but feel a little bit competitive, as stupid as it was, since Lena had already taken down two opponents in the time it took her for one. Friggin' top grade dragon pride right there, going to get her killed some day. But she didn't really have any great ideas, and not moving meant less pain, so Nayru opted to just stand there waiting for their attack.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 9, 2015 21:00:22 GMT -6
"Veigue...do you know why the wolf is the animal that represents our clan?"
The man had his eyes shut for a brief moment as he pulled his sword closer to himself and keeping it in reverse grip. Veigue didn't bother to say anything, but no doubt he was still listening to his father's puzzling words. He felt a drop of sweat on the side of his face, not sure if this was going to end well for him. The technique he knew his father was going to use was intended as a finishing move...meaning his chance of survival were quite slim considering his old man was going to be aiming directly for his vital points and nowhere else. That's why it was so difficult to pull off in combination of...well, should be obvious now. He just had to wait and see what he could do. At the very least, Veigue knows how the technique is executed, so he should know how to evade each attack...maybe. He didn't know for sure since he never saw his father personally use it.
"...Many reasons, actually. Even though we were a clan, we're quite...independent. None of the Sacae tribes accepted and acknowledged us as family of the plains, hence being branded as a simple clan. But did we let that stop us? Of course not. We forged on alone to meet our goals, and with much ferocity. That same ferocity that a wolf has to fend for itself...is the force that guides our movements and sword. The wolf doesn't stop until it catches it's prey...Veigue, are you prepared? The pain inflicted upon you will deliver a strong taste of how much pain the peaceful kind among the Magnus experienced...when they were mistreated and cut down like animals with unjustified prejudice!"
With his father's tone going from low to fierce, the man hit an immediate sprint. But before Veigue could even try to move, the man had an incredibly sudden burst of speed to where it seemed like he took a single step. The man was already in front of him and his sword was aiming to sever him in half. Behaving on pure instinct, Veigue allowed his sword to block his father's sword, but the speed of the attack pushed him away. His heart was racing, and his father almost literally disappearing after stepping away didn't help either. He heard the foot steps in the grass, looking over his shoulder to see his father dashing towards him, but was too slow to react. The sharp pain of Kenji slicing through his jacket and striking him on the back...that same spot where he had the deepest scar. Ironic how the first person to inflict that wound managed to strike him there...for a third time.
"...Urgh!" The pain was too unbearable for him to not grunt, almost falling frontward before catching himself. But when he saw his father dash past him, the man moved away so quickly again that he vanished like he did before, only leaving a brush of wind behind that hit him in the face. The swordsman knew that this was no time to panic though, as he could still hear his father's footsteps in the grass despite moving too fast for the naked eye to see. As such, he could hear the man approaching him from behind again. Trying to beat him to the punch, Veigue turned around and as soon as he saw Sigmund, the man went for a feint before vanishing again from what looked like a side step. God, this was much tougher to predict. As much as Veigue practiced and failed the movements of the attack, he should have known it inside out. But now he sees how it feels to see the target's perspective.
Instincts told him to look to his right, as it seemed like that was the direction his father was going to come at him next. But Sigmund's footwork was impressive...realizing that wasn't case until the last second. He heard the footsteps to his right for a moment, but when his eyes locked into that distance, he heard them travel unusually quick to his left. Before he knew it, the wind brushed upon him again as his eyes caught onto his father from the other side. But the blur of silver distracted him and before he knew it, Kenji struck him again in the chest, and very deeply as he saw his own blood fly out in front of him. If Veigue hadn't pushed himself back a bit, the sword would have went right through him and more than likely struck his heart. Even though he dodged that probability, it hurt like all sin to be struck so deeply regardless.
His father continued to repeat this process, striking from every single angle on the ground with extreme speeds and seemingly vanishing after each strike. But Veigue was at least getting used to it despite the miserable position he was was in. If it wasn't for his exceptional hearing and reflexes, he'd be more cut up than he should be. He was able to deflect incoming attacks from his vital points, but ended up being hit somewhere else when redirecting the attacks. However, he knew he wouldn't be able to keep this up. He was already out of breath and another quick attack from behind or otherwise would likely be the end for him.
"...Farewell!" Though he sort of saw his life flash before his eyes already when his father suddenly reappeared in front of him and Kenji to his side. The man jumped at the same time he swung his blade upwards and vertically. Veigue didn't really know what was going on as his eyes closed for a moment. But upon opening them quickly, he saw his father diving back down on him. The finisher of the attack was a straight up decapitation attempt...and Veigue was pretty certain that he wasn't going to dodge it, until he managed to lean backwards...though he kinda leaned back a little too much, slipping in the grass and twisting around until he fell on his chest. Out of all the times to be a klutz...it actually saved him!
...That didn't stop Sigmund from brutally stomping on his back to break his fall though. But feeling the man leap off him immediately, he raised his head a little to see his father a good bit away from him. Well, that was a...delightful experience. Veigue wasn't even sure if he was still alive, vision being blurry and all. But he could still hear the man's tired voice amid all the pain. "...Even if I missed a little bit there, you're still finished. You put up an admirable fight, but...I'm afraid that your time is--"
Veigue cut the man short, immediately standing on his feet - barely - as he struggled to rise. Blood rushing down the side of his face and feeling burning pains all over, he still didn't allow it to keep him down. "...You shouldn't even be able to stand right now. Why is it that you continue to stand and fight when you're in so much pain?!"
"Because...I've felt much worse pain than...this. No amount of physical pain can compare...to how much I've endured internally! This...is nothing. And it's also as you said before..." Veigue looked back up to his father, albeit with one eye closed, but giving the man a smirk. "...We wolves never give up."
----
Lena was starting to feel the pressure already, but she could still dispose of her opponents in the manner of what she was thinking before. But seeing Nayru deck the ever living crap out of one of the bandits and sent him flying sort of...eased her mind a little. In a very odd way as she was nearly lost for the right words. "...Well, I...I guess my brother wasn't kidding about your strength...!" Even though she knew Nayru for a good while, she never saw the woman fight before. But judging from how uncomfortable Nayru seemed, Lena had to assume that she was right that Nayru wasn't exactly feeling at 100% after her ordeal that her brother spoke of earlier. Though the thought crossed her mind, wondering what she was capable of with all of her strength recovered?
...Something told her she didn't want to know just yet.
Regardless, that was more than enough to drive her to take her opponents down quickly and help her friend out. The swordswoman twirled her blade a bit before holding it in a reverse grip, getting into a certain stance as she was ready to perform the advanced technique to their family's style. Lena herself knew how difficult it was...and even she had problems executing it right. Like Veigue, she ended up tripping all over herself on multiple occasions. But with much experience under her belt now, she sort of found a way more...unique to her in order to make the technique easier to pull off. But as the group of four men surrounded her and were closing in, Lena was ready. Her first step was her first strike, then blurring in action as she leaped high and quickly, ending up behind one of her opponents before striking him down on the back upon her landing.
The remaining two were confused as they didn't know what was going on, but Lena rammed her sheath into one of the unsuspecting men's stomach, the impact strong enough to drop him unconscious. The last one finally spotted her and was going in for an attack, but Lena allowed him to get closer instead of finishing her attack immediately. She swiped her sword to the side in a very odd manner, which actually distracted the man for a moment. But when the young woman turned her head, a grin could be shown on her face. "Gotcha!" Before the man could react, all he felt was a powerful sheath smack upside the head, the expression on his face clearly showing that he was knocked silly. While she ended up injuring half of them with her sword, at least she could tell they all were still alive. But her attention went immediately back to Nayru, as the men that surrounded her took advantage of the woman waiting for their next moves. One tried to attack her from behind as he brought his sword down on her while the other two went for a reckless charge in the front.
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Post by Nayru Al-Saiduq on Mar 15, 2015 22:25:51 GMT -6
"It's -hard- to judge how hard to hit these idiots without killing them!" Nayru was well aware that her rising ire was reflected in her voice, but at this point she was almost enjoying her anger, or at least halfway to turning into an anger-fueled supervillain, if these wannabe-bandit idiots wouldn't stop squirming around and being annoying. The frustration was turned inwards as much as outwards, though, at her own weakness and the foolishness of having lied to Veigue and Lena about being fine, having led them out here and risked their lives in an attempt to act like she was fine.
Her movements were a little jerky as Nayru rotated her shoulder within its confines, still desperately trying to get used to channeling her power through this body, but she was far from done yet. Deep breathing. In, out, in. She didn't really have the time to actually do a kata, but while she didn't have much experience as a warrior, she did at least have some martial arts training to fall back on - ironic, that a dragon would rely on an entirely human fighting style and its mindset at times, and yet no less effective.
She didn't have a lot of time to feel sorry for herself though, as Lena did some fancy move that pretty much wrecked the group attacking her almost simultaneously. Huh. She wasn't exactly an expert swordsman, but even a neophyte like Nayru could tell that must have taken some serious skill, she'd had trouble following Lena's movements throughout it.
Though now that she had seen it once... her long-dormant competitive spirit, its flame reduced to a mere ember, sparked up just a little bit. It probably wouldn't hurt anything if she asked Lena to use it on her sometime, just to see if she could counter it, or at least take it... perfectly normal for red blooded Elibean patriots to have a little friendly competition once in a while, right? Yeah, perfectly normal, nothing wrong with that at all. She smiled mischievously, looking at Lena with eyes that shone like a kid in a candy shop, in a way that might be considered very worrying.
Fortunately(?) for the Sacaen swordswoman, she was saved from her horrible fate by Nayru realizing that aw crap things about to get dicey. Two of them now, attacking... consecutively, she thought, it didn't look like they would reach her at quite the same time. She sank into a familiar pose, trying to focus on the situation more than her aching body, and heard something behind her as her senses widened a bit - or perhaps it was instincts, she didn't know; another attacker. How he had gotten there she wasn't sure, but then keeping track of vermin was never an easy task.
Hm. Less thinking. "Hah..." her breath came out audibly as she focused, the calm before the storm - and then she was the eye of the hurricane. "HAH!" One blade swung upwards to intercept the first attacker from the front, nothing fancy so much as a simple parry with enough force behind it to arrest his momentum to a degree, and then she was already spinning around to try to deflect the man behind her - closer than she had thought - not enough time to parry properly; make do with what you have. Continuing to pivot, she brought her left forearm up to block the blade with flesh harder than steel, ignoring the momentary surprise on the man's face as she continued the snap pivot, bringing her right arm around and up to his head, pulling it along with her swirling motion as she accelerated, forcibly bringing him along for the ride.
The first one was still momentarily disoriented, the third in range - now. AGain with her left arm she intercepted the weapon, this time from the third attacker, but it was less a clean parry so much as simply incidentally interposting her straightening arm in the way of the blade, the steel sliding across the spin in a momentary flash of sparks, as her arm reached around behind him as well.
Their skulls met with a resounding crash, the contact entirely audible as un unstoppable force met an immovable object - or at least she assumed their skulls were made out of the hardest material known to man since neither of them gave way in the least - but at least they dropped like rocks the instant she let go. Two down. Arresting her motion harshly, Nayru reversed it again, bringing her elbow around to meet the first man, his disorientation starting to wear off as he slowed his own momentum, but he was still moving forwards when her right elbow slammed into his stomach hard enough to drive spittle from his mouth as he was launched backwards the way in the direction he had come.
...It really was easier if she just followed her instincts instead of thinking about it. Nayru cracked her neck to the side as she returned to her full height - slightly less imposing than it had been just a few days ago, admittedly - and wiped a bit of imaginary dust from her side. That hadn't been so bad, and she hadn't really even had to use super strength for that... much... granted the last bit had been slight overkill but he probably deserved it.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 25, 2015 0:49:26 GMT -6
"...Stubborn. So very...stubborn. But, not that I actually mind. At the very least, I see we've got something in common after all. But in your position right now, stubbornness is foolishness." Sigmund had a tone of slight amusement despite the fact that he, too was exhausted. Veigue continued to stand bravely as he refused to lose to his father again. He was just fortunate that he was able to avert having his most vital areas struck during that madness, and even more fortunate that his tendons in his legs and feet weren't affected either...otherwise he would have had to just forget about nimble movements during the fight. He was just in much physical pain elsewhere. It was going to take a little bit to get adjusted to the stinging all over though. Now he sees how his opponents felt when they took injures from his own techniques. More proof that he and his family were a little...too creative at killing people, much to his disliking.
Just as he was prepared to try and do...something, Veigue stared in slight shock as his father was casually walking towards him, Kenji by his side and not appearing to get closer in order to assault him more. The man's eyes...it had a certain eerie feeling to them as Veigue wasn't sure of Sigmund's intentions at the moment. It wasn't long before the two were in close contact now and forced eye contact was made. Veigue could feel the sweat dropping as he wasn't sure what to expect...a stab? A punch? Whatever it was, he just wished the man would get on with it so he could properly be prepared for it...if he could.
"Of course...after your entire journey thus far, I suppose it's only natural for you to behave in such a manner. Even amidst uncertainty, you still press on with those...friends of yours. But aren't you forgetting something, you fool?" Sigmund stabbing Kenji into the ground, he crossed his arms as his expression went to dark natured accompanied with his frown. "Trust has only invited disaster, no? My son...you've roamed the shadows of this world just as I've done before, and believe me, I know the pain of loss and betrayal just as deeply as you do do. Do you earnestly believe your friends will continue to be by your side after how you've seen the ugliness of the heart's dark side...a side that all hearts possess in some form or another? You just don't realize how much you're being hindered by clinging to temporary bonds that'll one day be severed...and especially after already having several destroyed already."
Veigue...didn't exactly have much of anything to say in response, despite his own heart and mind rejecting what his father was attempting to brainwash him with. He knew the man was just speaking to weaken his resolve and force him to collapse in defeat, but why was it that he couldn't just speak up to shrug him off? He knew he couldn't trust those poisoned words, but after experiencing the loneliness of his journey, it was difficult to drown the words out as his expression soon turned glum.
"...I've seemed to have hit a sore spot after all." His voice was slightly lowered, but picked back up in volume as he scoffed. "Petty relationships will get you killed one day, Veigue. It won't change the fact that you've walked a dark path for yourself. Or is it just that you've decided to run from solving your own problems? That woman won't shield you. She's just like everyone else...and it's only a matter of time before that bond, too...is severed. You, of ALL people should know that depending on people who will hurt you is nothing but a weakness. You're better off casting aside such things to--"
"Shut...UP!" Veigue's fist was as fierce as his shout just now, cutting the man off as he decked the stuffing out of Sigmund on the cheek. The man stumbled, but caught himself as he took a few steps back, holding the spot where he punched as he glared at Veigue ferociously. "You're right about one thing...people are generally distrustful. But if you continue to spit that nonsense while putting my trusted friend's name in the middle of that nonsense, I'll knock your jaw clean off!" Veigue hadn't realized how much of his composure he lost there, but given the heat of the moment and the subject at hand, expressing all of that pent up anger would actually do him some good instead of keeping it bottled up all the time. "...You're the one who ran away from your own problems. So what if I lose everything again one day? It's not a matter of wallowing in despair...it's about continuing to walk forward despite the trials and tribulations. Even if I'm walking an uncertain path, my heart's instincts tell me to walk it anyway. And I will continue to believe in those I trust today no matter what you say. After all, that's what...Mother and Nayru taught me. And I'm going to prove it to you by taking you down once and for all!"
Sigmund covered his left eye after Veigue spoke, staring out of anger...and surprise to where he couldn't snap back with a counter argument like normal. Veigue prepared his sword, ready to battle once more as Sigmund just stood there and hesitant regained Kenji. The end was drawing near.
---
Lena could see the frustration Nayru was going through, actually amazed in a way that she possessed such strength. It wasn't really too long after that she thrashed her three opponents while displaying more of her martial arts. While it was still a little difficult getting used to her new appearance and apparent change in demeanor, Lena still wouldn't be able to believe that Nayru was capable of what she was showing now when they had their chance meeting in the past. She had faith in her brother's swordsmanship, but it was obvious that he had a very helpful ally and friend keeping him out of harm's way thus far. While it wasn't the time nor place to think about such things, it did at least ease her troubles for Veigue's safety since he seemed to already have worthy protection.
She still wasn't sure if Nayru was in tip-top condition overall though, giving the woman a quick, energetic smile before returning to her side and holding her hand up for a high five. All that seemed to be left of the minions were...two of them. But they were acting funny for some reason, not even approaching the duo or even attempting to as they both stood beside each other and a bit wide-eyed.
"Aaaaaaw...shiii--" One of them just couldn't get it out, his shaking was apparent as his buddy was behaving in the same manner.
"H-hey...are all the bros...d-dead?"
"Th-the hell I know! Man, I don't get paid enough gold pebbles for this..."
"Like I pay you guys, anyway! And pebbles aint cuurency! Gah hah hah!" The voice of the brute sounded behind the two as Gesh's large hands covered the top of their skulls. Without warning, the man lifted them both up from above and just hurled them away in different directions with little concern for their well-being. Well...at least they weren't dead unlike the guy who got kicked off the roof earlier. Gesh walked towards the two women as he maintained that smirk on his face and wielding his dual axes once more. "Y'all pretty good, beating up mah bois like that. Ya got me interested now...now let's truly see if you're right or wrong!"
"...I don't want to fight you, Gesh...but if this is the only way to make you see light, then so be it." Lena wasn't too much of a fan for this sort of fight, all jokes aside. While she and Nayru were obviously trying to avoid bloodshed, she wasn't sure if Gesh was actually going to spare them any fatal wounds himself. From how he talked earlier, their fate just depended on his mood. But the man seemed...happy for some reason with that goofy smile of his. That just made this battle all the more confusing and would have torn her apart on the inside if they had no choice but to kill him if he got too aggressive.
"Pffft! Right...we'll see!" The titan of the man charged at the two like a bull, but had quite the impressive boldness behind it. That kind of charge wasn't something a normal person should take head on. When he came into contact with the two, he swiped his axes in both directions horizontally at Nayru and Lena as he immediately began their battle. Lena felt confident that Nayru could avoid the strike or do whatever she felt necessary, so he simply rolled away from the maniac Gesh as she attempted to gain a bit of space as she observed his fighting style.[/font]
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Post by Nayru Al-Saiduq on Apr 4, 2015 23:36:21 GMT -6
Nayru missed the upraised hand entirely, trying to focus on keeping her body under control despite its best efforts to the contrary; the pain she had managed to ignore momentarily had returned in full force with interest to spare as a result of her antics, and while she no longer had to worry as much about the whole 'transform into berserk giant monster and kill everyone' thing, as far as she could tell anyways, her new slash old body was proving to take some time and effort to get used to (again), so she was really nothing all that impressive power wise right now anyways.
...Weren't you supposed to get huge power boosts from the power of friendship or something? Nayru was pretty sure that if this was a good book, she would have gotten eye lasers and superpowers after mastering her heart with the power of her friends and stuff, or possibly cured cancer or brought Elibe's human and dragon populations together in everlasting peace. Real life seriously sucked sometimes. Even the happy endings still came with caveats, and living 'happily ever after' didn't really exist.
She was gonna be living happily ever after in HELL if she didn't keep her eye on the ball though. Metaphorically speaking. She wasn't actually staring at anyone's balls - oh god that sounded horrible why would her brain not stop being on - GESH! Yeah. Bad guy. Who wasn't all bad. Was she actually this air-headed or just loopy from exhaustion slash pain? It was a little disconcerting to realize that she wasn't entirely certain, but Nayru didn't have a whole lot of time to feel sorry about herself with the bandit slash not-super-bad guy approaching her and Lena with murder in mind.
...He wasn't very good at being a not-bad guy, was he? Hm. They could work on that. And maybe he wasn't reallllllly trying to kill them, he was holding back his attack and those axes weren't really coming all that fast-NO that was definitely an attack. The dragon took the blow head on, bracing both hands before her to stop the blade in its tracks as Lena went... somewhere, she couldn't really tell honestly, but Nayru figured the other woman knew what she was doing... which was more than she could really say for herself, as it so happened, so maybe she was just fated to be the big dumb bruiser while providing a distraction for Veigue. And Lena, it seemed.
Ignoring the shudders echoing through her body from the impact as she skidded a bit back from the force of the attack, Nayru managed to eke out what she was hoping was either a casually confident smile or a fearsome war snarl. She didn't really have a mirror to check which it was. "Fine." Her expression shifted, the adrenaline coursing through her throughout the battle kicking in harder in the wake of her life being threatened, "Let's DANCE!"
The last word came out more strained than the previous as she threw her weight and power alike into trying to force Gheb Gesh back, trying to set him off balance with the force of a charging bull.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 7, 2015 17:31:27 GMT -6
Veigue couldn't help but suddenly feel an overwhelming calm take over as he stared his preparing father down. The man was obviously exhausted, but he probably still had enough fight in him to try and finish him off with another technique. Despite his injuries, Veigue stretched himself a bit as he was sort of easing his pains. But...the realization finally hit him that this "world" wasn't exactly real. Chances are, this was just some freaky dream that's way too vivid for it's own good. However, his father's spirit was real...and he could at least do something about that while trying to bend things into his favor to make things fair. However, what he had in mind was something he always did when in this condition...just toughing it out. And it's not like he'd actually die here...unless his spirit would die or something. Wouldn't be able to explain to Nayru and Lena about a soulless Veigue walking around...
...Pessimism aside, focused his mind clearly and closed his eyes to prepare himself. But he was feeling oddly confident for some reason, like he could finally do the same move his father did, though...in his own way. Sure, it was painful to watch himself get nearly killed by that advanced technique, but getting hit by it actually gave him some experience as to how the footwork worked. However, if his father was going to try it again himself, Veigue had no other option but to go for it, as anything else would be too slow to catch him. As such, Veigue got into the same stance his father did as he held his sword in reverse grip. This caused Sigmund to grit his teeth, probably both out of surprise and annoyance.
"Pft! As if you're skilled enough...I'll just end this right now!" The man broke a sprint towards Veigue, the swordsman himself not saying a word as he could still hear his father's footsteps in the grass. The look of determination struck his face as Veigue dashed forth as well. The moment he re-opened his eyes, he halted a bit to plant his foot quickly onto the ground, then blurred in motion to his father's left, his legs moving rapidly as the speed of his movement was similar to his father's earlier. When Sigmund turned to where Veigue was supposed to be...the swordsman wasn't there. But rather, right behind him as the man felt the sharp pain of Veigue's sword cleave through his back. Veigue moved too quick for his eyes to follow, but given this was an attack he was already familiar with, he tried to turn around despite the pain to swing Kenji. Veigue was already a step ahead as he dashed pass his father with a horizontal swipe of his sword, striking Kenji itself as he disarmed Sigmund entirely.
The family blade hurled in the air, but with his currently free left hand, Veigue acquired Kenji when the blade seemed to gravitate towards him. He didn't even know he dropped his sheath earlier, but Kenji would do for a nice replacement as a second sword. He didn't have the time to think about the fact that he was holding a sword he still didn't feel worthy of using, but in his dire moment, he wanted to keep moving so his father couldn't keep up. As soon as both swords were in a normal grip, he swung them both in a cross slice, striking his father in the chest as the crimson flew out.
"Got to keep moving...!"
Another step to the side was accompanied with another horizontal swing from Kenji, striking his father on his unprotected side. Veigue continuously ran circles around his father with his high-speed movements, striking him from all angles and vital areas as he seemed to disappear and reappear between each step and strike. With his father having no means to protect himself, he was unable to evade or block any of the attacks as Veigue was able to earlier. And his exhausted stated added on more to that. After striking his father well over a dozen times, Veigue delivered one final swing as he dashed pass his father and inflicted another wound to his side, the man falling down on his chest as his crippled and bloodied body fell into the grass like a rock.
Looking over his shoulder at his seemingly dying(?) father, Veigue swiped both swords to remove most of the blood before saying his peace. "...Indeed. This is over...for you. Now leave me be. Your shadow haunts me no more." ...From another's perspective, Veigue was more or less the cold-blooded killer the villagers saw him as. And he sort of realized this as he pondered on the reasoning of finishing Sigmund off so fatally. But...doing this also gave him even more of a calm feeling, like a small portion of that weight on his shoulders was lifted. It had to be this way, otherwise he'd be lying to himself about his resolve. In order to push his father's poisoned words out of his head, he had to forcibly remove them himself.
As he found the sheath for his weapon and took Kenji's away from his father's hand, he hesitantly sheathed them both as it was strange looking at his father the same way he did when he died those nine years ago. But at least this time, he wasn't as torn up about it as he was before. Still, he still just wished that they both saw eye to eye from the start. It gave him no pleasure at all to strike down a family member.
"You impress me, my son...very well done."
Veigue heard the voice of his father echo around him, but it obviously wasn't from the body he just dropped. However, when he looked over to his father's corpse, he saw that it just vanished in a blink of an eye. Wait...the hell was going on now? Some strong winds picked up so fiercely that he was forced to cover his face and hold his ground. By the time he opened his eyes back, he was seemingly in some kind of clear, white void as the stormy and grassy environment was gone, like it was never there to begin with. Add more to the fact that all of his sustained injuries weren't there anymore either.
As he still scanned the area in confusion, he saw his father once again and in front of him. The man...seemed a little unrecognizable though. Maybe it was because he didn't have that grumpy, hateful look on his face like usual? He seemed a lot more...genuine. He didn't have a smile, but his expression seemed neutral and he sort of lost that negative vibe Veigue always felt. The man walked closer, and Veigue's natural instinct to tense up occurred. So...someone you literally just dropped dead is now up and walking again? Jeez, this guy just needs to go away already. Sigmund waved his arm a bit at the sight of this, light-heartedly smirking a bit.
"...No need to be alarmed, Veigue. I'm not here to hurt you. Just to simply tell you...that you are worthy."
---
"Hey!! What da hell?"
Gesh was obviously surprised Nayru was able to stop his weapon like that, especially after swinging it with such force behind it. Since the man didn't exactly know who he was dealing with, it was rare to see anyone bold enough to stop a speeding weapon with their bare hands. Though what probably surprised him the most was that she was successful and managed to force him backwards. Gesh almost tripped over his own legs as he stumbled backwards. However, he was still able to talk during his current imbalance... "Aight...this is gettin' more fun. Never found someone to challenge...the great Gesh's strength directly!!"
Lena saw the opportunity as the bandit was regaining his balance, dashing forth at an impressive speed as the silver of her sword blurred along with her. Gesh's jaw nearly dropped as he saw the woman coming at him from the side, purposely losing his regained balance now to fall on the ground and on his back. He had a big grin on his face afterwards as Lena had to halt suddenly...
"...Waaaah!!" Lena couldn't stop herself as her foot hit Gesh's side by a mistake and ended up tripping in the process. Gesh was just happy he dodged an arrow there and wasn't really thinking of taking advantage of the young woman's fall. When Lena hit the floor, the brute pushed her legs off of him and rolled away, still maintaining that goofy grin as he rolled over into Nayru's direction. Even with his rather large stature, the man was able to flip his body while rolling until the bottom of his feet touched the ground, inclining upwards until he was standing tall again.
"Hehehe!" Even with his grin, his actions spoke for himself that he wasn't entirely too confident on rushing Nayru at that moment. Instead...he went for the next best thing: taunting. He gestured with his dual axes at Nayru to attack him. "Let's see how strong you really are!"
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Post by Nayru Al-Saiduq on Apr 23, 2015 9:23:25 GMT -6
The right side of her face involuntarily spasmed in the wake of the exertion - and the immediate and overwhelming pain. The fire of her burning spirit and red-hot needles of agonizing sensation combining to swamp her senses, holding Nayru back from any sort of immediate followup attack as Gesh stumbled backwards; she cursed the reality of the situation but was herself momentarily frozen in time as she struggled to cope with everything that was assaulting her senses. The power flowing through her chafed and burned through deteriorated and misaligned magic circuits, but so too was it a heady sort of sensation, a feeling of life so intense that it was almost addictive.
It had been so long since she had been able to truly feel her own power - through her true body, not some doll - that Nayru had nearly forgotten the nigh-overwhelming rush of absolute power and certainty that accompanied it, the liquid confidence flowing through her as her birthright. Pain was temporary, but this - she could feel the barriers that had hounded her for so long crumbling away under the relentless tide of essence. It felt as if she was one with the storm - with the world - even despite the grounding reminder through pain that she was far from godhood.
Still. Even if she was too weak, too blind, to grasp it - she had glimpsed that world. Nayru didn't understand it yet; without a trainer she was clueless of what a dragon could truly accomplish beyond her instincts. But a seed had been planted, one that would only grow with time, and she did not need to fully comprehend it to grasp some measure of its significance.
In the meantime, she had some thugs to punch out. Assuming Lena didn't beat her to it, anyways, which the human swordsman seemed determined to do.
By the time Gesh taunted her, Nayru was already charging, not wasting her time with words or intimidation. She didn't have a brilliant battle plan so much as instinct and a bit of training to follow, but Lena's... plight was a warning that Gesh was a bit smarter than he looked. She was aiming for a center-mass shot, trying to force him to either block head on or strike mid-dodge, but held back a little since she wasn't trying to KILL him per se... and because she didn't want to repeat Lena's mistake.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 23, 2015 14:38:40 GMT -6
"...Worthy? What nonsense are you babbling now?" Veigue crossed his arms, still not comfortable with the situation and always expecting his father to pull some dirty trick from his sleeves. After those mind games he tried to play earlier, Veigue couldn't help but be cautious towards anything the man said to him at this point. And with him still being...somewhere else that wasn't where Nayru and his sister were, he wasn't sure how to proceed from here. But hearing out the rest of whatever his father is trying to say might give him some sort of clear direction as to how to get himself out of the mess.
"Heh...well, considering all that's transpired thus far, your sharp tone towards me is expected. And I don't blame you...but I am sincere for once, Veigue. It's about time I finally tried to make things right while I still have a little time left. But first...your current situation. Now where to begin..." As the man was pondering, Veigue dropped his guard a bit, never hearing such earnest in his father's tone. He wasn't foolish enough to let it completely down though, but Sigmund definitely seemed like he had quite a lot to say as the swordsman opted for silence. "Really, this is nothing more than a rather vivid dream caused by the spirits living in Kenji. Really, the ancient ground your physical body stepped in is what makes this possible. This isn't reality...but a wielder of Kenji's soul and souls of the previous can communicate here. This is more or less a trial for those who are uncertain about their worthiness of wielding Kenji. And you passed yours, making you worthy and you should cast aside any doubt that hinders you. Plus, it's just a sword, so not like you'll anger the gods for using it unworthily or anything...but some like yourself do feel the need to have some sort of proof that they are ready, and now you have yours."
...Was odd seeing his father joke around a bit, but Veigue let it slide as he refrained from speaking and allowed the man to continue. "...But there was something holding you back before our final duel. Most who went through this trial like yourself always had something that stopped them mentally from progressing, and sought answers by coming to this shrine. You allowed your resentment for me, while justified, to cloud your mind during battle. The man put a rather honest smile on his face as he crossed his arms and stared his son in the eye. "You seem unnaturally in control of your emotions in general compared to most, but...you lacked absolute domination over them. You realized it on your own at that very last moment that complete control and calmness of the mind is required to swiftly swing your blade and allow your body to move like the wind, did you not? It was why you couldn't perform the advanced technique either. It simply requires perfect concentration to move around in that manner without fail...and you attained that by casting aside the hatred and other feelings for the moment it was most needed. Your mind can be your greatest asset...and your worst enemy at the same time. But now that you've attained that level of concentration, you're more than worthy of this sword."
"...I see." Well, all of that wasn't EXACTLY the way Veigue figured out how to use the technique, but all of that sounded much more accurate than his own take on it. He didn't think the day would come when his father would actually teach him more about swordsmanship like he did a long time ago...and when Veigue looked back on the fight, the man did seem to be sneaking in some advice in with much subtly. But there were things obviously still bothering him that made feeling relieved that he was ready for the sword not even important to him at the moment. He returned his father's gaze, but in a neutral expression as opposed to a hateful one. "Knowing all of this...why did you still taunt and provoke me in the same manner as nine years ago? I just...need to know more about you than just my skill with the blade and Kenji's trial."
Sigmund went silent, a look of shame obvious written on his face. At that moment, Veigue finally saw much weakness in his father's eyes, and thought maybe what he said may have been a little too harsh, even in his position. But the man looked back to his son, seemingly already mentally prepared. "...To seek my own answers from you, as well as to test you and...to prove myself wrong."
"What...do you mean?" Veigue's eyes widened a bit, not exactly believing what he just heard. But he had to keep his mouth shut again, knowing that there was more to this than his father was letting on. This was more than likely time to shed light on things that were never spoken, and Veigue for the first time in a while was a little anxious to hear it. Whether to believe it or not...but this time, it was under different circumstances. Sigmund took a deep breath afterwards, looking away from Veigue now as he couldn't seem to meet direct eye contact any longer.
"I needed you to face me when you hated me the most, which is now. Otherwise, you wouldn't take our battle as seriously. You wouldn't have learned what you have now. But other than Kenji's trial, I needed to gain true closure on the final chapter of my life. I died with many regrets and an incomplete mission...my weak decisions and way of thinking before my passing also caused my children to inevitably suffer...you especially. It's ironic because I wanted nothing more than my family to be happy, but...in the end, I was the one that ended up destroying that happiness. If only Cecille could see my foolishness. She'd be so disappointed..." The man's sorrow was more apparent as his wife crossed his mind. But he forced a smile as he walked closer to Veigue and rested his hand on the startled swordsman's shoulder. "But seeing you push through the suffering with a strong resolve truly proved to me that I was blind to things I already knew, and allowed my problems to cloud my judgment. I ran away from them, as you said...and as a result, I looked towards the darkness instead of the light. Our battle reminded me that I shouldn't have ever given up...and you also taught me things that I should have learned before dying. Quite strange to be schooled and scolded by my own son...but I also wouldn't have had it any other way.
"...." This was all too much for Veigue to allow to sink in at once, unable to say anything as he stared down at his feet. He had many conflicting feelings now, still unable to dispel his lingering resentment and fighting with acceptance of his father's words. It was so difficult because this time, he really could feel the truth and sincerity in his explanations now. That one question that continued to plague him now was "How should I feel now?" If only he had more time...as from the sound of things, he and his father's souls were going to part forever soon.
--
Ooooooh!"
Gesh was too excited for this. When Nayru approached, the man stood boldly as to not falter, which would be much to his tough opponent's favor. In his eyes, Nayru was a little hard to predict...stack that on the fact that Gesh wasn't exactly the brightest flame in general. But he at least had good combat instincts and he was going to put that to use against his opponents. With Lena temporarily down, he could focus mainly on Nayru at the moment. The woman already lunged forth and Gesh didn't know where she'd attack him from until they came into close contact, seeing her fist quickly raging forth and down a bit. The man continued to keep that grin on his face, but he knew that this wasn't going to be a very easy fight for him...easy fights was something he was rather too used to, so he couldn't help but be excited for a worthy challenge.
...Despite Gesh being a little more agile than most men his size, he wasn't THAT quick or had razor sharp reflexes. Nayru's charge was straightforward, but he lacked the speed to actually evade her attack in such a short time when they met up close. It pained him to do so, but he decided to go on the defensive, crossing his arms and occupied hands with the dual axes, all while bending down and backwards a bit. He effectively blocked her attack with his bulky forearms, but he could feel a sharp pain coursing through his body as he took the blow, feeling quite stunned to where he knew he wasn't capable of performing any kind of counterattack. An eye twitch from him and his expression changing was obvious enough that he was feeling some pain. This more than likely opened up an opportunity for Nayru to strike him again immediately if she chose, and Gesh wasn't sure what to expect from her next since she probably has him right where she wanted him.
After Lena snapped out of it, he slowly regained herself as she witnessed the two clashing from afar. "Blaaah...I can't believe I fell for something so stupid..." She broughy much disappointment to herself, and as a result, Nayru was forced to fight the brute by herself in the meantime. Lena would just go on over and give her a hand, but she saw that approaching Gesh like he was just an ordinary bandit wasn't such a great idea. She slowly rose to her feet, but didn't move yet as she needed to find out a better way at approaching Gesh or at least take him by surprise. He looked over to her still-knocked out brother from a distance, still quite worried if he was ever going to wake back up. While Nayru and herself were likely enough to deal with Gesh, having a third person would have helped this along much better...but above all, she just wondered what was still going on with his unconsciousness, for he had been out for a very long time.
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Post by Nayru Al-Saiduq on Apr 24, 2015 19:55:08 GMT -6
It took a moment of actual effort to not follow through with a killing blow of her own - much as with her sparring matches with Veigue, in dangerous situations Nayru's instincts kicked in full force, beyond her ability to effortlessly control, and there was very little nonlethal about a dragon on the warpath - even more so for her considering her darker tendencies. Despite the mindscape battle that had granted her control of her body once more, she still had much to learn about controlling herself.
But she hadn't killed Veigue yet, and if she focused on the task at hand, she should be fine too. Reassuring herself a little, Nayru channeled her training, switching from her generally more spontaneous style to one of the martial arts forms she had some experience with. Gesh certainly wasn't out of the fight yet, but the momentary pause was all she needed to continue her onward momentum, stepping into his guard even as her right leg snaked forwards, her body turning to the side slightly as she eclipsed his left leg with it and pulling out with sudden force. Quick, efficient, practiced - a simple leg reap, the hallmark of Ōuchi gari.
No need for monstrous super strength or even her powers, amusingly enough; one legged and falling backwards with nothing to steady himself against, Gesh was brought to heel by a power far greater than any human or dragon could bring to bear: gravity. Not that the martial artist left the task entirely to chance. She pushed down as he fell, accelerating th fall beyond reaction speed and slamming Gesh into the ground with enough force to knock a little sense into... or out of... the man, to the accompaniment of his flailing arms hitting the ground with the weapons dropped from the shock of impact.
Her hand still on his chest, Nayru stared impassively at the man for a moment, her mouth set in a thin line. I could kill you right now was the unspoken message, as clear as if it had been shouted from the rooftops despite the lack of a single word. Then her serious expression broke as she released the pressure, rising to her full height and extending a hand down to the fallen but not seriously injured man. Actions spoke louder than words, after all. Nayru had failed to talk her way out of the situation, but she hoped their bodies had communicated a bit more effectively.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 25, 2015 22:04:58 GMT -6
There was a bit of silence between the two men now, Veigue still unable to look his father in the eye as his brain scrambled trying to find a way to respond to...anything. It was just difficult to look past everything when it's all pulled back from underneath the surface for him to fully reflect on. He was trapped between what he was supposed to be feeling and what was he required to do and feel towards his father's apology. Considering this is quite the unnatural phenomenon, Veigue also had to deal with that. It wasn't every day that you were able to speak to the soul of someone you saw die before your very eyes, and especially in this manner. The swordsman just clenched his fist as he remained in silence, forced to be stuck within his own head as he felt ashamed at the same time.
"I'm not asking you to forgive me right away...or even at all. But just know one thing before we part, Veigue." The man now placed both of his hands on his son's shoulder, causing Veigue to jerk his head up in surprise. When he thought about it, his father never did show this kind of side to him, ever. While Veigue felt awkward, he also felt something he never did before as he was anxiously waiting to know what his father was about to say. "I may have been too weak at heart to be the father you needed the most, but deep down...despite the fact that I was blinded by the darkness and gave everything up, I never stopped loving my son. From the day you and Lena were born, I never wanted either of you to end up like your fellow clan members. I wanted you to just grow into a strong man who followed his own path. And...I see that dream of mine did come true, albeit without my help. Looking past those hateful things I've blurted out in the past, I just want you to know that I'm beyond proud of the man you've become. I know you still have a long and hard road to travel with much uncertainty ahead, but you already what you must do. Keep walking, son. I will always support you in spirit. Your mother as well...but I'm sure she already conveyed that message to you in her final moments."
"Father...ah, damn it..." ...If only Veigue could just wish that was just some normal dream and shake himself awake. But he knew that it wasn't. This may have been a fake dream world, but this conversation and his father's words were real. How was he supposed to keep hating the man after he said all of that? But his father was obviously being the most truthful he's ever been. He could feel his eyes watering, but the swordsman simply blinked a few times to clear his eyes before nodding to his father. "...Thank you."
The man turned his son loose now. While Veigue's expression stayed the same, he did have a feeling of peace in his heart. It wasn't total peace, but it was enough to help ease his mind almost completely now. It was the beginning of him finally putting an end to this chapter of his life, even though he still had a long way to go towards complete recovery. It wasn't easy to erase all those years of emotional pain in such a short time, after all. But something else crossed his mind as the young man crossed his arms, a bit of concern now written on his face as he was beginning to lose himself in thought. However, it was better to just get it off his chest now, while he's still got time left.
He tapped his foot as he was unsure how to speak at first, but he just winged it eventually. "Before we part, there's something I need to know, father. On the walls of the shrine, there was something written there that caught my eye. It said 'Beware of Lyle'...it was one of the only things that had me completely puzzled, but...it also gave me a rather uneasy vibe. Do you know what it means?"
"...." The man had a very gloomy expression, but he quickly cleared that up as he looked in an opposite direction with a frown. "Yes...I carved that into the wall the day after you were born. It was my own little way of...trying to give you and Lena a message in case I died before telling you anything. I knew that the chief over our old home would tell either of you about the shrine's existence." Veigue frowned as well after the man said that, though not out of anger. It was out of concern, as that sounded quite dangerous already. As Veigue followed up with a simple question asking why, the man took a few steps back as he turned around.
"I have a...journal I've written a lot of my thoughts and experiences in. Lena undoubtedly has it in her possession now. Since I don't have the time to explain things to you personally, my journal will tell you everything you need to know about Lyle. But..." The man hesitated, then finally turned back around to face Veigue as he had a look of mixed seriousness and sadness that even Veigue hadn't seen before. "...Lyle will no doubt be the toughest obstacle in your path. Trust me, both of your paths will cross someday, and it won't be friendly. I know he's still out there...and given how you've surpassed me now, I fear that time might be closer than we think. Just promise me you'll keep honing your skills, Veigue. You'll need to in order to even...stand a chance. But I believe in you."
Oh, just great...when things start to turn out well, something else happens. A new threat...and from the sound of things, this wasn't going to be his average encounter with an enemy of his. If this Lyle person had even his father against the wall, he must have been quite the terror. Veigue did remember that Nayru gave him his father's journal at Lena's request, but...it shamed him to admit that he barely even read it. Mostly out of hesitating with his feelings on his situation against his father. But now that things are calming down now, he can finally read it without fear now. "Whoever this person is...you have my word that I'll be prepared to take him down when that time comes."
"Heh. Well, I like your courage. You'll need it. But...it appears that my time is now up." As the man spoke, it seemed like the dream world was slowly darkening. It was strange, as it seemed like the fake reality was steadily tearing itself apart all around him. But despite all of his, he saw his father hold out his arm in front of him and his fist balled up, obviously to bump fists with his son. "We'll never communicate like this again, but it made me happy to see you and speak like this, my son. Kenji is now rightfully yours. It has...undiscovered potential, but I believe you and your friend may be the ones to discover it. Now go...good luck, Veigue!"
It actually did make Veigue sad to hear this, but at the same time...he felt great. But that undiscovered potential part...was he talking about Nayru? Well, not like he had the time to ask that, but it was something to keep in mind. He returned a smile to his dear father as he bumped fists with him. "...You got it!"
--
After all that transpired and Gesh was quickly dropped to the ground with a sound thrashing, the huge man had quite a mix of feelings as he was stared at by his victorious opponent. Gesh had always believed that not too many people could overpower him in a battle of pure strength...and the shock of the realization that his previous opinion of himself was false...was quite a lot to bear. He could just see look on her face and tell that this was probably one of the only times where he was fortunate enough to still be alive. If he had came at the duo as a true bloodthirsty murderer, he and his men would be splattered all over the ground and it would have been all his fault. But as Nayru stood tall and stretched out her hand, Gesh didn't take it immediately. He wasn't even sure if his pride could take it...
He was aching all down his back and arms, feeling that hard fall's after pain. Even his huge frame wasn't able to withstand that without some kind of pain or injury. But it was going to be tough to get up on his own after that fall, hopelessly grabbing the woman's hand with his head still faced down. After slowly standing back tall, he took several steps back as he avoided eye contact with Nayru. He wasn't expecting to lose, and especially like that. And the fact that they made a deal based on this fight tore at him even more. The man clenched his fists so tightly that blood began rushing down his knuckles.
"We don't got no choice...! Our lives were destined to be like this ever since everything was taken from us!" The man fell down to one knee as he punched the solid ground without concern for his hand. "The scum that were jealous of our simple lives destroyed everything...and sealed our fates. We were branded among their kind when lies were spread about us! You think it's so easy to just...start all over fresh when you don't got nowhere to start. Well it aint! We in too deep now! We aint like you and other people! Our lives we're living now were chosen for us, against our will...we gotta do this to survive!"
As the man expressed his deep anger, the previously unconscious Gesh gang members finally began to come back to their senses. However, they saw their boss down and defeated...and heard his words. All of them were paralyzed. Not by their defeat, but for how true their boss' words rang true. Many of them just kept their heads down in silent sorrow as they too believed there was no hope for any of them to just start their lives over. Seeing this for herself, Lena didn't even know what to say as she slowly returned to Nayru's side. It at least provided her with somewhat of a perspective on some bandits that weren't really all that bad deep down.
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Post by Nayru Al-Saiduq on Apr 26, 2015 1:29:47 GMT -6
Nayru listened impassively to Gesh's commentary, not interested in interrupting or lording her victory over him. How many other bandits had started out from similar stories? She had heard a number over the years, but rarely had she come across a man who was willing to change his ways, who could even comprehend the possibility of another life than the one he led. Gesh was far gone from the man he must have once been to be able to gather and command this group - but there was still enough left of him to recognize that, to rage against the confines of what he had become, and that made all the difference in the world.
...Though honestly she didn't really know how to rehabilitate a bunch of sorta-bandits with one happy pep talk and a slap on the back. She had talked big, but Nayru kinda had to admit to herself that she had just been winging this whole thing, no holds barred, and she was paying for it a little since she apparently wasn't quite smart and experienced enough to pull it off flawlessly. None of which actually mattered all that much, honestly. She owed it to Gesh, and to herself, to try anyways. Even if she wasn't the smartest dragon, or the wisest, or the cleverest, there was no excuse to give up now.
The irony of the similarity between their situation and that of dragons was not lost on her. In some ways, while it certainly wasn't the primary driving force behind her decision, it did act as a secondary motivator. When she spoke, it was with a quiet, regretful calm that spoke more clearly than her words themselves ever could. "My kind... met a similar fate. Those few that remain are reviled, unable to even exist as a group without being hunted down. I've spent most of my life running, and hurt a lot of people along the way, some of them good people who were just in the wrong place at the wrong time."
She crossed her arms, trying to call on the meagre warmth of her own flesh as a bulwark to help keep her going while she... effectively opened up to a bunch of people she had never met before. "...But where there's life, there's hope." The dragon inclined her head to her friend, still unconscious on the floor. "Veigue taught me that. If it wasn't for him, I'd still be running."
Was she still? Nayru wasn't entirely sure how to answer that one. Certainly she wasn't all better just yet - it might be a little premature to be talking about having solved anything - but her interactions with Veigue had slowly forced her to come to terms with herself, and while the fight wasn't over just yet, she'd definitely made progress. And if she could do it, these clowns could sure as hell do it too. "There is always a choice. Monsters are spreading across Elibe, bandits are raiding undefended villages, and the fires of war have begun to rage across Elibe. Mercenary work can pay well, and help others in the process. Even within Sacae, I'm sure there are plenty of jobs you could find if you looked hard enough. You might not be able to regain what you lost, but that doesn't mean you can't find new things to care for and protect."
Eh... as motivational speeches went that one lacked a bit of focus, but at least it wasn't as bad as the potato incident.
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Post by Deleted on May 3, 2015 17:07:52 GMT -6
Gesh stopped damaging his own hand as he heard Nayru out, not really too sure how to respond as he processed her words. The man just remained where he was, obviously having a lot going through his mind as he stared at his bloodied hand. Gesh look a glance over to all of his defeated gang members afterward, all of them still unable to move, but were slowly lifting their heads as they too were tuned in. The big man was still somewhat confused as to if he was actually capable of starting fresh, and to help his group out as well. It was probably the first in a long time that the giant had to think long on something only to have nothing to respond with.
Gesh then put a hand over his left eye, which had a huge scar across. Given the gesture, it was more than likely a past wound from when his village was destroyed. He had memories of his home and family fill his mind to where he knew that people like his wife and children couldn't be replaced. "...Other than my own family, our village was like a huge group of family itself. I don't care about the other stuff too much...me and all the guys here just miss our families. Most of these guys aint from our village, but were blokes I found that shared similar fates. Family you grew attached to can't be replaced, but I guess that's nothin' we can do about..." The man finally gave in and just sat down on the floor with his legs folded, still having a look of uncertainty as he slowly continued to speak. "But I dunno. Would anyone even trust us that we wanna start clean? Just look at us...we look no better than the ruthless thugs that destroyed our home, and there are still folks we wronged that aint gonna forgive us easily. I wouldn't be surprised if they tried to hurt or kill us out of revenge for what we did..."
"...It's not a matter of being forgiven. If you have that desire to start over clean, then work hard towards that goal despite the pain that's ahead."
Veigue's tired voice sounded from the other side of the room, Lena turning her head quickly as she saw the swordsman in a sitting position, stretching and massaging himself as he had finally awakened mere moments ago. He heard most of the conversation as he was slowly regaining his consciousness, immediately putting in his piece. "...I don't know what's going on here, but I've got the gist of the problem." He still needed a moment to regain himself entirely, still feeling a little bad from being on that floor for such a long time. He had finally awakened from little trial the spirits put him through, now needing to re-adjust himself to reality as he unfastened Kenji from his side and leaned it against his shoulder. It felt strange, but he became more and more comfortable with the blade as he had no more hesitations on holding it like his personal weapon.
"I, too know what it feels like to lose my home and family. To search for my place in the world and also try to find redemption. My journey is still ongoing, but I'm not giving up. Redemption can be quite elusive, but you'll catch it eventually. So if all of us here can keep walking forward from our past to a better future, then so can you." Even though he still didn't quite understand the situation, he could tell from the jump that the apparent bandit was someone that suffered similarly to everyone there, so his words should have helped further back up the point Nayru was trying to cross.
Gesh continued to just sit there in silence as he stared over at Veigue, but the man seemed a little more calm as the group tried to advise him. The man clenched his fists, but wasn't as tense as before as he looked back up to Nayru with a look of sincerity. "...I am sorry. For everything me and the gang did here. I'll still give all this some more thought, but we gonna go the straight and narrow regardless. You sure that we can trust y'all's words...?"
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Post by Nayru Al-Saiduq on May 4, 2015 19:57:37 GMT -6
Well that was a load and a half off; like the Atlas of legend finally freed from the burden of the world itself on his back, Nayru could almost feel the unconscious tension of her worry for Veigue draining from her, her raised shoulders lowering a bit as she relaxed. Dealing with a family man turned bandit turned mercenary(?) was one thing, but one of her very few friends possibly having dropped dead was something else entirely, and not a prospect she had especially liked. Sure, she had stayed calm enough and focused on the task at hand, but the dragon had never been too far from the realization that once they finished with the easy part where they killed a bunch of bandits, neither she nor Lena were healers, and if Veigue had been in serious dangerous, they couldn't have done much to help.
"...Veigue." Her smile and voice held warmth to them, no subtle display of relief at his well being despite her terseness... and a certain degree of fondness unusual for her, one that people less oblivious than she (and possibly Veigue) might notice. It was rare for her to open up much, much less showcase it, but the last day or two had been full of surprises, for both herself and others. While Nayru had no idea what Veigue had been through, an unfortunate side effect of NOT having mind-reading or spirit-detecting superpowers, she did note some difference in how Veigue was treating his sword - Kenji - the significance of it was partially lost on her, but after the discussion on the subject back after Zarius's death, it was something that stuck in her mind nonetheless.
She would have to ask him about that - later - right now they had other concerns, she thought, turning back to Gesh with her initial concerns alleviated. Veigue looked fine, albeit a little winded, and more interested in the ongoing conversation than in discussing his adventures. Which was fine by her, 'cuz sometimes it turned out that being pretty old DIDN'T make you automatically smart, and trying to reconcile her past and former selves into the present one was playing havoc with her reactions to everything. His words made sense, ironically probably better put than her own... redemption as a concept was a common goal, but harder to realize than those hunting it might wish, as she knew all too well.
While she didn't know Lena very well, Nayru knew that in their own ways, they were all trying to deal with their pasts. She had spent a long time running from hers. Veigue, Lena, Gesh - they had their own burdens to bear. But the world was a better place when people helped each other carry those weights rather than letting each other be crushed by them, and that was why they were here. Honestly, it was just nice to feel like she and Lena had been able to help Gesh at all, even if it took Veigue to actually solidify it; much better than just smearing the lot of them across the shrine like a fine raspberry jam.
Dammit now she was hungry. More hungry. Ow. Also, sore. This whole 'physical wants and needs' thing was something she could do without. And what did Gesh mean by his statement at the end, anyways? Was he asking if redemption was possible, or if the group was just going to murder him the second he turned around? "Of course we're trustworthy," Nayru blurted out before her brain could catch up. "A cliff-diving maiden of the blade, a swordmaster who falls asleep at random times, and a mysterious lady wrestler - who better to give life advice?"
...Was that horribly inappropriate for the situation? She wasn't entirely sure. She also wasn't sure if Lena was going to kill her for bringing up the cliff incident again, which would be a really ironic way to die, and also probably fitting. Tightening her crossed arms, looking a little awkward about her last 'contribution' to the conversation, Nayru hastened to improve it a bit. "I'm just happy no one got hurt. The path to redemption may be long and narrow and easy to lose track of, but that is itself the trial - the more you have to atone for, the more difficult the recompense must necessarily be... and yet all the more fulfilling the journey's end will be."
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Post by Deleted on May 6, 2015 13:36:26 GMT -6
Well, that all went well. Veigue was finally feeling well enough to stand back on his feet, feeling the dizziness fade as he walked closer to the group and kept Kenji in hand. With his senses all getting back in place, he noticed many men here, most of them injured and bruised...well, guess he didn't really need an explanation later. He could tell Nayru and his sister must have just pounded on all of these guys. He did see one of them was apparently dead on the ground, though...his wounds didn't look like anything Nayru or Lena did. Okay, never mind...he was getting curious now. But that could wait for a later time, walking next to his two companions as he stood by silently for now.
...Though Nayru's comment sort of made him raise an eyebrow. Was she talking about how he dropped out earlier...? Eh, while he ignored it, his eyes shifted to the side as he looked to Lena, the woman having her cheeks all puffed up and red again. Veigue smirked a bit as he silently whispered, not really making things any better. "Well, it is tru-"
"...Shut up. Go back to sleep." Seeing his sister being unable to take a joke was amusing, but he just let that be for now as he paid more attention to Gesh, who was finally rising from the ground as Nayru spoke to him more. The giant still had a look of uncertainty, but at the very least, he managed to crack a little grin before looking to the small party. He did have a long road ahead of him, but he knew that deep down, he was better off trusting their advice than someone else that were probably going to outright murder he and his gang for what they did today.
"...Then I guess I owe y'all my thanks. I'm gonna think long and hard on what I wanna do to help people out, Nayru. From here on, me and the gang are gonna get ourselves cleaned up. Aint that right, boys?" Gesh had a bigger grin and he gave his gang members a thumbs up with his...er, less damaged hand. They all seemed to be in higher spirits as well, shouting and cheering as they all picked themselves up and quickly surrounded their boss. One of them was dragging their dead partner, which made Gesh feel...REALLY bad about that. "Ahh...huh. Looks like I've gotta start with apologizing to you guys first for being so brutal with y'all. Gesh must have realized that he was playing the brute a little TOO good during his madness that it got one of his trusted gang members killed...and by his own hands to add insult to injury. But at least the gang member would go to somewhere better than Elibe. He hopped so, anyway. Though when he heard a VERY weak cough from the apparent dead man, that made Gesh jump a bit and his men cheering with...too much joy. "...Never mind. He's still alive somehow! We'd better get the heck outta here and help 'em"
"Man, these guys are strange..." Veigue just wondered how Nayru and Lena even got involved with these guys...but he knew he could still help them a little bit there. "...There's a village very close by. It's my old home. While the people there aren't too friendly in general, they'll take your friend in when they see his terrible condition."
As Gesh personally hauled the almost-dead gang member over his shoulder, he listened to Veigue as he gave the swordsman a big smile. "Thanks! Y'all been helping us too much despite trying to gut you all not too long ago. But yeah, let's get outta here. Though before I leave...Veigue, right? Take care of that sleeping problem I heard about, man. You were knocked out the entire time. These ladies could have used yer help if someone tougher than the Gesh Gang came along!" Gesh then turned around as he waved to both Nayru and Lena, gathering his gang members all up before they all exited the building with haste.
After Veigue watched the group make their way back up and out of this pit, he slowly turned his head as he had a rather dull expression, not saying anything but staring at both Nayru and Lena as it was quite obvious that he was curious as to what Gesh meant at the end towards him. Lena just turned her head as she simply whistled and tried to pretend she wasn't paying attention.
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