Post by Tracen Tenshou on Sept 23, 2015 14:42:59 GMT
Tracen chased the general direction of the robot. He might have lost sight of the metal man, but his smell was unique and hard to get mixed up, even with plenty of other scents in the festival. He thought he sensed that Raven was nearby too, a smug grin slowly crossing his face as he continued the chase, to a more abandoned section of town. Slowing down to a walk, he pushed open the doors to the warehouse. It looked like Crisis had already been there waiting, above in the catwalk, and Raven was entering from a different entrance almost simultaneously as Tracen.
“I figured you had a better reason to steal a poor man's supplies than just turning it in for cash,” he told Crisis. He was actually in an oddly good mood, no doubt due to being in a more secluded area with Raven. The fact that Crisis had stolen something from him meant little in the long run, provided it wasn't his mask or weapon. “It seems like you've got your priorities straight after all. Either help me beat him or go back to Razhiel.” Honor wasn't exactly something Tracen had when it came to a fight of good versus evil, so he wasn't against teaming up with others to beat Raven. But he understood that Crisis had given Tracen a pretty direct favor, so anything further wasn't expected.
His attention turned back to Raven, getting a good look at the man now, noticing that the other's sunglasses were now gone. The dragon slayer's eyes were an unnatural yellow, pupils slitted like a dragon. Was that the reason why Raven had been wearing the sunglasses? To hide his eyes? Tracen might have been wearing a mask, but it was a part of his identity – not to hide it. “That's the eyes of a demon if I've ever seen one,” he halfway laughed, unsheathing his spear. He'd never been more sure about his mission in his life; things just kept falling into place. There wasn't a need to rationalize his raw instincts - the reason why he felt this way was because he was right. “Did you do something really horrible and get cursed as a result? Or maybe it's a mark from your dragon, a physical representation of your pact when you sold your soul. You must be pretty ashamed of it if you're trying so hard to hide it.”
He lightly touched his mask, the reminder of who he really was, laughing again quietly. The anger against Raven, for everything he'd done and his words against them, was still there. But all the inhibiting elements were gone. There was going to be a fight, and nothing was going to stop him. It was absolutely exhilarating, but he knew they were on limited time. “It doesn't matter if I win or lose. Because even if I fail, I'll set up Razhiel's success.” With spear in hand, he dashed towards Raven. The fight was starting, but he knew he had to hold onto his secret dragon slayer abilities as long as possible, even with a limited timeframe. He wouldn't make the same mistake he made when he fought Kotone.
As Raven moved, the crowds seemed to be thinning them out. Leading them to a less populated area? Clever. If Raven had tried to run, the man trying to kill him would have simply started cutting people down. A blood bath that would simply spark tensions that didn't need to be sparked. Of course... he'd sparked some by showing up, but if they hadn't been so angry to see him, he wouldn't have pushed buttons. ...Though it made sense in Raz's case.
"I want those sunglasses back!" Raven shouted as he took a side door in. He didn't want to run near the masked man, lest the fighting break out before they made it to where ever they were being led to. Which appeared to be abandoned warehouses. Which was fine... for the most part. He still couldn't completely cut loose inside the town. People were still too near, even with Tyr's distraction. something he was going to have to thank her for later.
However, getting his sunglasses back was suddenly forced onto the back burner as Tracen addressed him. Raven had to use every ounce of self control to keep from letting his magic flare out with the rage those words brought out. Instead, a cocky grin crossed his face as Tracen raced in. In response, Raven looked Tracen square in the eyes as he pulled the Dragon Fang free from it's sheath.
"You speak as if you know what happened," Raven said calmly, though there was an undertone that spoke how Raven truely felt. He held up the crimson blade and locked weapons with Tracen, simply blocking for the time being. "You speak as if you knew the child who couldn't even walk when he was saved by a passing dragon."
"You speak as if you knew how the dragon raised this child as if it were his own blood," Flames shot up around the blade and Raven stepped forward to push Tracen back. "You speak as if you were there when that dragon asked his beloved son to kill him so that people wouldn't die. Like you were there when I struck down my father and took on his strength!"
"This is the price all Dragon Slayers pay for full filling their magic's name sake!" Raven shouted and lunged forward for a swing of his own...
The Templar that manned the bow she had interfered with turned and stood to glare at her. Two could play that game. She strode over to him as if that were her intention the entire time. They were the same height but when she stood in front of him she managed to look down her nose at him. “I came from headquarters to watch this event. What the hell was that officer? A dragons natural armor is it scales, its vulnerable spots very small, very few. Even if you had chanced hitting one while it was flying, very unlikely the dragon still has magic. The arrow would have bounced off its scales or been knocked down into the crowd of innocent bystanders…” Violet orbs scrutinized the man before her, a pause more for dramatic effect as she began to coil her whip. “You are a Templar, act like it.” Surveying the mess of Templars throughout the area she added, “Get these fools into teams of four and search the area in calculated sections…” As Tyr tugged on her sleeve, she frowned and shook her head. "Damn coast Templars… sloppy.” Razhiel hung her whip back on the left side of her hip.
Walking away with Tyr, completely dismissing the archer in the process, she looked down at the green haired girl. “That was impressive and that you did. Thank you.” Running a hand through her hair, fingers scratching her scalp all the way to her neck, she asked “I do not suppose I can persuade you to leave them to it, can I?” Hah. This was Tyr she was talking to. “Alright. You do not plan to interfere do you? Can you do that invisible scent and what not on other people?”
Tyr let go of Razhiel's sleeve after a moment as they followed the scent of their other companions. They'd be there in no time; possibly nearly the same time the others if they hurried. She glanced at Razhiel, looking for a moment whether it was up in the air if the same carefree dragon girl was still present, or if the outburst had actually driven her to take on a more serious and perhaps more dragon-like mood.
Then she grinned and that question was over instantly. "You know, I'm really not a fan of violence~" she reminded Razhiel. "But if they want to fight then maybe doing so will help them stop being so mad at each other. I hear some humans actually come to understand each other through fighting." She shrugged, obviously not understanding the concept, but still aware of it. She weaved her spell, her own scent vanishing completely even from Razhiel's nose. "I promise I won't interfere at all unless they need me to step in and stop them from killing one another, and if they don't I won't even let them know I came back. Promise!" she held out a pinky, imitating something she'd seen human children do - a pinky promise kind of thing.
((I'm going into passive mode at this point; Tyr will jump in on her turn should she need to interrupt, otherwise just skip her like she's not there spying on everyone))
The set-up had worked more or less perfectly. It was probably a bit much to expect them to come in through the same door. However, it would seem that holding Tracen's belongings for ransom wasn't sufficient enough to keep him from turning his attentions on Raven and attacking him. Simply informing him that the only way Mecha Crisis would relinquish his stolen goods would be to defeat him in open combat would simply be annoying background chatter at this point. If he wanted to come between these two bitter rivals, he would have to do so most literally.
Then there was the question of whether or not he really should. His whole impetus for this was the inference that Princess Razhiel wanted Tracen and Raven to stop fighting. However, she hadn't really said anything to this effect. Mostly she just seemed angry with Raven and concerned about Tracen. Then again, she didn't outright state that she wanted Raven dead, and Mecha Crisis got the impression, with 63.2435% certainty, that their conflict was more complex than what he could observe at this time, so having him killed may not be in her best interests. Of course, that didn't mean she wanted them to get along, either, although the argument could be made. Also, Raven was effectively an enemy of Valland...
Screw it. Mecha Crisis didn't pull all this off just to sit on the sidelines. Since everyone else was drawing their weapons, Mecha Crisis produced one of his own. Which is to say, the Robot Dragon's Sabre, an energy blade extending from his fingers with an appropriate "Vwoosh." He leapt from the catwalk as the humans' weapons met and brought his sabre down between them to lock them all together.
"Tell me, Raven," Mecha Crisis stated, turning his head towards the Fire Dragon Slayer and peering at him through the stolen pair of sunglasses. "How do you see with these things on? These are most inappropriate for nocturnal operations."
Post by Tracen Tenshou on Sept 26, 2015 5:46:30 GMT
It seemed like Tracen was getting under Raven's skin, which was exactly what the other man wanted. At this point, Raven's anger and blood was pretty much his only satisfaction. Their weapons locked as Raven continued to talk, a much too wide grin still beneath Tracen's mask. "I don't need to be there to know the truth." Experience tainted reality, the eyes of one person seeing the same event differently. He knew truths about dragons and their slayers that they might not even know themselves. "The path you chose was one of death and betrayal, and so that's what your eyes have become." The shadows crept in ever closer as Tracen pushed his spear. At the sign of flames they skittered and danced away, Tracen breaking the lock and taking a step back. But before he could properly do so, Crisis leapt from the top and forced their blades together.
Completely bewildered by the other's action, Tracen briefly cast a look at him, before returning to Raven, and then back to Crisis, not really quite sure where to be focusing. If the other was trying to help, he was doing a very poor job of it. But neither could he understand what mission Crisis might have against him. And the comment - he couldn't tell if Crisis was joking or serious. "I don't really think..." He hesitated, not even sure what he was going to say. "What are you doing?"
"Heh, really now?" Raven chuckled darkly at Tracen's first comment. He didn't need to be there to know the truth? Maybe if someone else who was there told him... But he doubted Tracen had met Draco. And he himself certainly hadn't until just a short time ago. Which meant his view was rather skewed.
The sound of magic humming to life caused his attention to snap up to Mecha Crisis. And then hop backwards as the mechanical man jumped down between them. Raven's eyes narrowed as he prepared himself for a fighting against multiple strong opponents. Raz wouldn't keep the weak around her... she might have been working for Valland as it's princess, but she carried both a noble and warrior like spirit. Those who couldn't keep up weren't worth investing that much effort into when it came to accomplishing goals.
"Wha..." Raven stared dumbfounded when Mecha Crisis addressed him. But then he broke out into hearty laughter. It took him a good moment to recover, and when he did there was a tear in the corner of his eye. The anger from before had all but melted away, and Raven was back in control of himself. "My eyesight is pretty good like this. Much better than the average person's. I see just fine, and when I can't I have my nose and ears. I'm never truly blind."
"So, mr mask," Raven turned and addressed Tracen. His pose was much more relaxed now, and there was a more playful grin on his face. "You claimed I hid my eyes because they're full of death and betrayl huh? All I smell from behind that mask is fear and hate. Pretty baseless too, since if you knew anything more than rumors about the dragons of Fiore, ESPECIALLY the one that raised me... you'd be hard pressed to find good reasons to hate them."
"Me on the other hand..." He held up his hand as his grin widened. Dancing flames slowly built up on this hand as the other held the blade low. As he continued he closed his fist and the flames on his arm intensified. "I can give you five reasons right now to validate that hate. Starting with my resolve to continue to protect humanity from it's own hatred."
"So, go ahead and cut loose," The flames suddenly shot out of his back forming into flame wings. The flames over the rest of his body became more ethereal as did the wings. Since both opponents were going to be strong, he needed to not play around. But his magic was way too destructive to just use. So he was going to use a technique he hadn't used much. And that was to force his magic back inwards to intensify his physical capabilities. He held out his hand and motioned for the two of them. "I'll be your 'demon' for this little three way brawl we're about to have. Show me your resolve, boy."
Looking down at the small dragon girl, she nodded. Razhiel herself did not understand if fighting would help Tracen or Raven. Raven did not know who Tracen was but she was sure he would fight if given the chance. As for Tracen, his anger towards the slayer seemed to go deeper than what one would consider ‘normal’ for his beliefs. He knew Raven almost killed her, he also knew she had a vendetta with the red haired slayer. She was his friend. So was the fight now personal for him as well? Sometimes, it seemed, he went to a very dark place. Did she enable that? Looking off into the now, somewhat calm if not jumpy crowd, she frowned knowing the answer. After this depressing place, she was going to have to address that.
It would always shock her when the dragon disguised her scent. Would it be disguising if it disappeared completely? At least Tyr wouldn’t interfere until they were close to killing each other. She was unsure what would happen when she got to the end of the trail. Would she fight? The fiasco with the rampaging dragon cooled her down enough that she was no longer on that precarious balance. A snort from within told her, her own dragon was watching despite her quietness. Her own thoughts were not safe. Though she could put up a wall, she did not want to hide from Freya. What was the point? It would only hurt them in the long run.
A small smile, she gripped Tyr’s pinky with her own. “Okay it’s a promise. Thank you Tyr.” Letting go, she turned and followed the one scent she had become very familiar with recently. The one that brought worry that stemmed from fondness.
She did not run nor rush. Razhiel felt no hurry to get to the end of the scent trail trusting that if something major did happen there would be loud noise. It also gave her time to decide exactly what she wanted to do based on a few different scenarios. Did she want to brawl? Not exactly. But a solid punch to Raven sounded appealing, if only to wipe that smug cocky grin off his face. Two things fueled her current irritation: his indication that he won on that cliff and his remark of ‘repeat of Valland.’ Repeat of Valland would be killing her. The darker side of her wished he would try.
The warehouse they came upon was quite run down. She stood outside the gate, taking in the sight. Faded bricks, rusty barbed wire topped a crumbling perimeter. The place screamed old and it oddly relaxed her.
Raven's reaction to his question was unexpected. Well, the utter bafflement was, with a 83.452% certainty, but actually breaking out into laughter had a probability of only 34.593%. Getting an actual answer was estimated to be about 95.684%, and the content was just as expected. Logically, one needed superior night vision to view their world through darkened glasses at night, and Mecha Crisis could attest to that, having had to recalibrate his optical sensors to compensate for the reduced visibility. It was the most logical conclusion, given Dragon Slayers had enhanced senses to begin with, but it was always satisfying to know people weren't stupid enough to effectively blindfold themselves for the sake of fashion or disguise.
Although Mecha Crisis' inane question had dissolved the tension, Raven was still more than willing to continue fighting. The android could detect the spike in magical power as Raven focused his energy inwards to permeate his own body. He placed the odds of the intended effect being to enhance his physical capabilities at 64.758%, and the chances of Tracen resisting the challenge at less than 14.946% percent. This fight was happening, but their still remained the question of whether Mecha Crisis should team up with Tracen or turn against him in hopes of sufficiently challenging the both of them. His sense of fair play and strategy told him to take on Raven first.
Mecha Crisis darted forward, his energy blade creating sparks as it scraped along the path towards Raven. Although he doubted such a sight would intimidate anyone as hardened as Tracen or Raven, Mecha Crisis still appreciated the psychological value of such aesthetic. This step began a deliberate combo as he slashed upwards from downlow, then stepping forward again as he slashed downwards, followed by a dramatic twist into horizontal slash, especially if he somehow wound up behind Raven.
It was like the time Tracen faced Kotone, but Raven did even less to hide his true intentions. Always Tracen was dismissed as someone who didn't really know the truth firsthand. But he had. If the core was true then the rest of the details followed. That was why he didn't need to be there to know the truth. What he did understand was enough, and he could base everything else off that fact alone. "I don't expect someone like you to understand." There was no fear for wearing a mask, because the intention was his identity, not to hide his face. "You dragon slayers push that others are ignorant so that you never have to look at yourself in the mirror. Accepting that I'm right would invalidate your existence. My time with the dragons - with Draco - is the reason why I'm so set on this path."
He gripped his spear, readying immediately as Raven summoned fire. Five reasons to hate Raven? It had sounded like Raven was previously trying to tell Tracen that his hate was misplaced. If that was the case, Raven was either preparing for some kind of special attack, or actually planned to level the entire city. Or hurt Razhiel. He was determined to stop any of that from happening. Crisis moved first; running in for a frontal attack against the now fire-winged Raven. The more help against Raven, the better. Tracen knew that his opponent was likely stronger than him, given all his experience and renown. But like he'd said; Tracen didn't need to win the fight. But he was still going to try, and any of Crisis's help would only increase the odds. While the other engaged Raven immediately, Tracen slipped into the shadows created by the fire's light.
Dragon slayers could still sense others through means beyond sight, so most stealth wouldn't be particularly helpful in sneak attacks. But it did allow him to skirt the main part of their clash, flanking Raven on the side. A second after Crisis attacked, Tracen re-appeared in the light, thrusting his spear against Raven. Until there was a clear opportunity, Tracen planned to save his own dragon slayer abilities. If pure strength failed, he'd have to rely on surprise.
Raven scoffed as he was rushed head on by Mecha Crisis. He was mildly surprised by Tracen however. He was using the robot man as a distraction so he could flank the dragon slayer. Well, at least it wouldn't be a boring fight. He had the advantage of being a skilled and experienced fighter. But being out numbered against tactically minded opponents would be a problem. And coupled with that... Mecha Crisis wasn't human. Or alive for that matter. Which meant he wouldn't tire like Raven and Tracen would. Combined... his advantage could evaporate rather quickly.
But knowing all that Raven still had an edge. And one he'd leverage as much as he could. In fights against multiple people that you couldn't separate their advantage was also their disadvantage. It would be hard for them to attack at the same time without risking hitting each other... And their alliance seemed shaky at best.
"Heh... despite being a robot those moves are telegraphed like a novice," Raven commented as he took a step back to avoid the first hit. Then he brushed the second away with the Dragon's Fang. And finally caught the third slash, locking the weapons. Thanks to the Dragon Fang carrying a fairly powerful amount of magic, he could hold even pure energy back with it. Of course... it probably wouldn't be forever, he'd never really tested the limits of his weapon.
"When did you spend time with Draco?" Raven asked as Tracen came busting forward with his attempted flank. Raven might not have seen him, but he'd seen which direction he'd been moving for initially. So he was ready for an attack from that angle. He reached out and grabbed the spear with his free hand. There was a grin on his face as he pulled Tracen's already forward moving momentum in towards him. He redirected that momentum right for Crisis, spear tip first. "You're good at telling jokes, I'll give you that. There's no way you'd hate Dragons and the Dragon Slayers this much if you'd spent any real time with Draco. He loved humanity more than the humans themselves do."
Razhiel’s acute hearing picked up the noise of weapons clashing despite being outside the building. Stepping through the broken gate, hand on her whip; she walked leisurely through the courtyard. To be honest, she was in no rush to get to the battle. There were three combatants. Though unsure of who was fighting who, a fourth opponent would make the situation even messier if not crowded.
By fighting Raven, both Mecha and Tracen would receive information on at least one dragon slayer and his fighting style. It would at least be an educational fight, if not bloody. A smirk at the last thought. Her mood seemed to sway with the breeze as she walked. To fight or not to fight? On the one hand, she had overstepped with Tracen somewhere and she needed to tell him the full side of the story. The trip in Hargeon had ended short and while she enjoyed Tracen’s company, she wanted to tell Eclipse the full story and not have him learn it second hand. This was something that could not be dealt with until after the current situation and it pushed her to want to leave. Another, darker part of her wanted the fight.
There was a mix of emotions, the deeper she clawed the more complicated and entwined it became with Freya. Freya distrusted all dragon slayers but males the most, reasons yet unknown. The fight on the cliff, one she initiated, only fueled that fire. Raven’s own words, even if poorly chosen, added to the hurt Razhiel already felt, even if she refused to acknowledge it. And there was a touch of pride in play. He thought he would have won? Razhiel shook her head. That pushed her to challenge him.
With each step forward she let her mind clear. Decision made now would require clarity. She walked around the other side of the building, finding a fire escape that led up and began to climb.
"If you are attempting to infuriate me by criticizing my technique," Metal Crisis commented as he and Raven locked swords, "Then I should inform you that it is an exercise in futility. As a machine, I have no emotions to elicit, no shame to mock, and no pity to share. Besides, is it not customary to test an opponent's abilities at the outset to gauge their strength?"
As Raven redirected Tracen's spear at Metal Crisis, the robot dragon slayer used his free hand to grab his own wrist, disconnected his forearm, and deflected the spear with his elbow. The spear's tip glanced across Metal Crisis' face, slicing apart the bandages shrouding his head and revealing part of the metal skull underneath. As he socketed the elbow back into his forearm, he remarked, "I would advise greater caution with this weapon. Reckless operation could result in the loss of one's eye."
Post by Tracen Tenshou on Oct 13, 2015 15:34:50 GMT
Tracen had already comitted to his attack, so there was no time to completely stop when Raven deflected him against Mecha Crisis. To Tracen's credit, he still had enough awareness to attempt to slow down, although Crisis reacted quicker. The clank echoed in the empty warehouse, Tracen regaining his footing to turn around against Raven, now side by side with the robot. Tracen gave a frustrated growl, more upset with himself than Crisis or Raven. “Noted.” He wasn't trying to take out Crisis. The problem was, most of Tracen's magic was even more reckless than physical attacks. They were going to need to stagger their hits to work together properly, or Raven could turn it against them.
“By invalidating another's skills or words, he feels better about himself,” Tracen explained to Crisis. It was much easier to discredit someone than to offer an alternative truth. “I was with Draco two years ago, when we were both prisoners of Valland. He 'loved' humanity the way one pities a dying bird. It's degrading – a false affection that exists by viewing the other as helpless. It's not love of humanity as equals, but like children or pets.” He honestly wasn't sure why he was even telling Raven all of this. Thinking back made his head ring and he for some reason, his heart rate had increased when thinking about the why. His reason with how Raven had acted against Razhiel, that was much more concrete and powerful – something he could easily focus on and lose himself in.
The past – it was something that he hated. “The reason why I wear this mask... It's not to hide my face...” The reasons of the past, they didn't matter. “When people know me, they expect me to act a certain way, or say certain things. But that's wrong. I'm not the same person I was back then. I am who I am. The exact reason why we fight doesn't matter. Razhiel hates you. I want you dead.” The thought of him dying, or even being injured, was so much more appealing than the logic behind the fight.
He ran in, this time taking the front lead. The first strike of his spear, actually infused with magic. A fake attack where its shadow was a true attack, the spear less lethal than the shadow it cast. The two were closely intwined and yet not quite together, and even an inch could mean the difference between being hit or not.
"Wrong," Raven said in reaction to Tracen's accusation. With both of them standing in front of him, he was back in control of the flow of the fight. The robot man's face covering was cut off, but it suffered no real damage. Which was fine, he could do all the work himself. "It was my way of warning him that holding back was a terrible idea."
"...I see..." Raven sighed, the cockiness evaporating from his face. So they'd had Draco that long and he'd done nothing. That was frustrating beyond his ability to express in words. Compounding that was how Tracen mistook Draco's love of humanity. He didn't treat them like pets. He closed his eyes. "A man so bitter he couldn't properly understand one being caring for another..."
"If he didn't care about humanity as more than pets," He took a step back as the thrust came. It was too late when he realized the truth behind the attack. But he noticed it early enough to avoid a fatal wound. The tip stuck in his side, though not too deep since Raven was stepping back. He grabbed the spear to hold it in place to prevent Tracen from pushing it deeper or pulling it out with one hand. The other didn't even raise the sword. "Then he wouldn't have given me the strength to kill him, or the other dragons. He wouldn't have given me the strength to fight the monsters that threaten humanity. I would have been like you. So thoroughly devoted to my 'lord' that I lose sight of reality."
"You truly are just Raz's pet," Raven spoke unmoving. He didn't lash out at Tracen even though he was able to from where they were standing. "That mask isn't who you are. That mask represents your inability to face reality and yourself. You'd rather give into someone else's will than create your own path in life. And before this fight's through, I'll shatter that mask."
