Post by Kotone Lazarus on Jun 12, 2015 14:48:08 GMT
Fwoosh! Snap! Bang! The tree fell over after a single swing. Not that it was that impressive for the dragon slayer, but being impressive wasn't so much the point as keeping her skills honed. Sweat dripped off of her chin as Kotone panted after the last strike. She'd been at this for hours; intense exercise and training was something she'd picked up doing after all the exciting stuff ended a couple of years ago, and something she'd started doing even more since her kid had been born - she had a lot to make up for. She'd made a ton of progress, at least. One couldn't tell how out of shape she'd felt like she was just a few months ago.
Kotone's dark brown hair blew in the breeze as she finally relaxed her pose, her blue eyes losing a bit of the glow as she stopped channeling her magic. Around her, the ground was covered in a layer of frost, and in some places ice. It was like a pocket of winter in the hot sumer weather. Kotone sighed as she relaxed completely, dropping one arm as the other moved to put away her sword. The sword itself reconfigured to fit in the sheath as she moved until it fit neatly onto her back.
It was time for a break, she supposed. Maybe she'd head into Cerulean Town and get a treat to bring home. It wasn't like the trees were even good practice when it came to fighting back. Kotone glanced around the area. She was going to have to remind a certain nature wizard to come and replace the trees she'd cut down again. It looked like roving bands of loggers had come in the winter to slice trees down and move on.
Kotone grabbed her black hoodie, throwing it on over her tank top to kind of cover up the fact that she'd been working out a little better. It was still reasonably early, so it wasn't like it was super hot yet. Regardless, she was the ice dragon slayer. Temperature wasn't a big deal for her either way. At any rate, she could think of a stall that was set up in town with some icy beverages that were calling her name.
Post by Mirai Tempestus on Jun 12, 2015 16:09:10 GMT
The summer would turn out ridiculously hot this year, Zanza could tell as he basked in the shade of a tree in a forest close to Cerulean Town. He’d been repeating a cycle of dragging colder air from above him and bringing it down onto him before sending it back up to cool down again.
It hadn’t worked very well. Say what you might about his clothes, heat resistant wasn’t one of their many attributes. Neither was black, which right now was a major plus in his books. The peace of the day and the slightly uncomfortable-ness of the heat was making life, for lack of a better term, boring. There was just nothing happening anymore. The Guild Hall was usually empty in the summer with people off doing job after job whilst the weather was nice and the jobs were relatively easy.
In a professional guild like Lamia Scale that meant jobs disappeared rapidly, devoured by hungry mages in need of work. The fame of a few of their members really attracted clients like moths to a flame. It seemed everybody but he himself had something to do today.
Crash!
Yeah, like destroy helpless trees apparently. It seemed whoever it was out there hurting his tree friends had really let loose and were apparently decently close. He sighed, climbing to his feet using his trident as a cane to push off of the ground before feeling the familiar sensation of air currents swirling around his feet and yanking him forward violently. He smirked as trees rushed past faster than most could run, until he found the tree that had been toppled and the one that had made it topple. Almost immediately he squashed a sigh.
“Of course, the one person I find happens to be one of two people stronger than me in the guild…” He grouched, deadpanning at the Ice Dragon Slayer’s back and the sword that rested there. He’d never spoken to the woman or her husband, despite one being a wizard saint and the other being his own guild master. He’d just never had time to get to know them.
Sure he knew of them, but it wasn’t the same thing. Still, it was good to see that she hadn’t become complacent with her skills and was still actively honing her abilities. It was also a good thing it was somebody he could reveal himself to without looking like a hostile target. Discreetly, he focused a cold air current to reach the ice left by the woman, watching as the ground around it cooled and the ice spread. Good to know he still had that kind of control.
“You know, trees are actually good for the environment and I was quite ready to nap under one a minute ago. Could you please leave a couple around for me?” He chuckled as he stepped into the open, trident held lazily in one hand. Perhaps he should invest in a way to secure it across his back?
“On a serious note, good job. Nice to see that the infamous Ice Dragon is still hard at work. What’s up? Preparing for something?”
Post by Kotone Lazarus on Jun 12, 2015 18:00:32 GMT
It wasn't hard for Kotone to sense the approach of the Lamia Scale wizard before he even got there. She did have her dragon-like senses, after all. The air cooled noticeably as he approached, using the wind to enhance the cool that was already in the air after releasing so much ice magic. Kotone just folded her arms, grinning her knowing, cocky grin as he complained about finding one of the two people stronger than him in the guild.
"Oh, trees are good for us? Huh." Kotone shrugged as if this was new information she's just figured out because of the devil slayer behind her. She turned around casually, the grin never leaving her face. "And here I was just taking care of them so they wouldn't threaten the good people of Fiore." The wizard she'd thought of earler - the one with the nature magic - was able to regrow the trees no problem. He actually made a fair profit off of being able to help plants in people's gardens go from nearly dead to full bloom once again. He wasn't much of a fighter though.
The dragon slayer stood there, casually appraising Zanza for a short moment. "Infamous? Ouch. I thought I'd overcome that particular part of my title a few years back." Her cocky grin had reduced itself to a merely friendly'ish one by then. Kotone casually ran her hair through her hair as she spoke again. "If you must know, Zanza, I'm not a fan of either getting too lax..." Kotone glanced back in the direction of the guild hall. "... or the shape I was because of Eri." She shrugged. "I'd rather not be fat and out of shape if I am needed for something, you know?"
A few years ago, Kotone might have just left it there and tried to leave without saying much else. She'd had a bit of practice talking to people since Kade though. She fidgeted a bit with her hoodie as she stood there looking otherwise confident and composed. "What about you, Zanza? Here to tell me my hard work is too loud so you can't nap? Or was it just too hard to resist my company?" She'd heard that one a few times in the last couple of years. Despite the fact that she wasn't the most personable person, she still had fans who tried to butter her up. The male ones ere odder. They tended to try to flirt more, as if she would pay them extra attention for it. She'd finally gotten the recognition the younger her had thought she deserved, and now from on top of that pedestal, she kind of wished people would just leave her alone. Ah well.
Post by Mirai Tempestus on Jun 13, 2015 12:56:45 GMT
Zanza let out a guffaw as he listened to Kotone’s words, finding them similar to what the younger Zanza might have said. Years ago he might have relished the attention that having participated in the fight against Nox’s Dragons brought to him, even if he hadn’t actually defeated any nor had he been one of the ones to destroy the machine controlling the beasts.
Instead, he was brought to fame for his “valiant efforts to protect the populace of Fiore”. After that he’d learnt the pain having fans brought, so he was more than a little empathetic with the ice dragon slayer.
He stepped forward a few paces, stopping his wind and stabbed the three prongs of his trident into the ground. “Nah, I’m used to sleeping around chaos by now, lord knows we slayers see enough of it. I was just in the area and decided to pop up and see whoever it was, help them if they were in trouble or something.” He chuckled slightly, leaning on his trident casually and allowing a gentle breeze to flow through the clearing, carrying a strange mixture of both warm and cold air.
“That’s right, you’re a mother now aren’t you? Heh, I guess that’s what I get for isolating myself for another few years, I miss out on sweet stuff like this. I suppose a fashionably late congratulations is in order, so congratulations” He grinned cheekily, listening to the sounds carried by the breeze for a moment before reclining even further against his trident.
“You have a lot to protect now, huh? A child, a guild, a lover. Hell, most of Fiore probably expects you to be the first to jump to their defence since you became a wizard saint. I can’t imagine the pressure of it all…” He trailed off, staring unseeingly at nothing above Kotone. He had his mission too, which had to take priority over anything, including the guild if need be.
“Well, for whatever its worth, even though we don’t know each other too well I’ll always be here to help you and anybody who needs it, no matter who they are. At some point all of us are going to become brothers and sisters in arms.” He finished, admittedly rather ominously.
Post by Kotone Lazarus on Jun 14, 2015 18:01:01 GMT
Kotone couldn't help but chcukle at the man in front of her. She shook her head, that grin that almost never used to appear at all still present on her lips. It certainly made the hot-headed dragon slayer seem more tame than she once was, true or not. "You'd think I might be stressed about having so many people looking toward me for protection... but that's not really what worries me anymore. Heck, I haven't had a ton of work to do in awhile." Kotone shrugged at her own statement as if to say it wasn't a big deal. She did miss it, andshe did miss the days when she could just flex her muscles and make the bad guys run in fear. Her newest challenges, well, they couldn't be handled like that.
"It's all the other stuff that's been added on since that worries me sometimes." It wasn't that the new worries were horrible. She enjoyed being a wife and mother. She even enjoyed being married to a recently named guild master, despite how different her life was now than when she was just a wandering wannabe hero. "It's more complicated than when I could just punch away my problems or yell at them and never have to deal with said person again." That might have been the Kotone Zanza knew about a few years back. It was who she had been when she'd visited Lamia Scale for the first time nearly five years ago, not knowing she would one day date its ace and join the guild. A ton had changed since then.
"I'm not sure how much you can help me with that kind of stuff," she responded to his offer to help, her grin growing just enough to show off part of her dragon slayer fangs. "I know who to look for if I need help easing into my old hero duties again in the future, though." Kotone sighed quietly. "I was just about to go get a snack, but since you're here, you've got one of two choices." Kotone shifted her stance very slightly, standing in a manner that relayed her confidence and stubbornness. "You can either come with me for a snack so I'll have a bit of company..." The grin returned, having disappeared when she sighed, "Or you can help me practice against a target that fights back."
Post by Mirai Tempestus on Jun 14, 2015 19:30:15 GMT
“An un-punchable problem? Sheesh, didn’t know those existed!” Zanza mocked playfully, mirth dancing in his eyes as he pretended to faint in terror. Problems like that were usually few and far between, so having multiple dumped on you at once must be stressful as nothing else. Still…
“Sounds like you’re rather fond of the benefits of these “other problems” for all it worries you. Almost makes me jealous, if I was the jealous type.” He crossed his arms, serene smile on his face as his trident stood faithfully by his side. Truly, this whole family thing sounded pretty cool to somebody who’d never really experienced such a thing.
“Truth be told I’m not sure how I could help with that kind of thing either, but just say the word and I’ll be there to help out. If you ever need a babysitter or something you know where to find me, plus we both know I’d be strong enough to protect her.”
Then she suggested a fight. Or well, that was all he heard in her next sentence. Even if he wanted to try to hide it he was still a slayer and combat was just in his blood by now. It went against his nature to say no to a fight, spar or not. So as soon as Kotone asked the question, he flipped his trident into his hands and grinned.
“Part of me wants to say no to the fight, probably the part that recognizes you as stronger than me. But you should know better than anybody that a slayer doesn’t simply refuse a fight. Maybe I’ll surprise you?” He grinned cheekily before wrapping his feet in wind and zipping off into the undergrowth, throwing a “Catch me if you can!” over his shoulder.
Post by Kotone Lazarus on Jun 14, 2015 20:41:14 GMT
"Heh, well thanks to Kade I think the whole guild would be pretty reliable a sa babysitter, but I'll keep you in mind." Kotone was glad her guild was dependable. She'd never imagined how handy having a group of people to depend on would be before she'd joined. She'd never needed anyone, and even now she could handle herself. It was Eri she had to think about.
It was impossible for the dragon slayer not to notice the way Zanza had to hold back his excitement when she'd mentioned the sparring match. "I've never fought a devil slayer before," she admitted as she shifted her feet slightly. Her overall posture remained relaxed, but she was ready regardless of how she looked. "Let's see what you've got." Besides, she was out of practice. She needed to see if she was still truly Wizard Saint material.
With barely any warning, Zanza moved with lightning speed towards the undergrowth in the woods. "So you're playing that way, huh?" Kotone dropped her arms, wind beginning to whip up around her as the air grew steadily more frigid despite the warm weather. Kotone moved her hand up as she concentrated, the area around where Zanza moved froze over almost immediately as the air itself condensed into ice crystals. She closed her hand, causing a storm of ice to fly in all directions like thousands of tiny razors. It was one of her more powerful spells, but she couldn't help but hope he would impress her. She hadn't had a good fight in ages, and hadn't had an enjoyable fight in even longer.
Post by Mirai Tempestus on Jun 14, 2015 20:56:12 GMT
Zanza barely had time to block the ice shards sent to him with a hastily performed Heavenly Rotation. As he finished his spin, he frowned in thought. He was covered well defensively and offense was one of the things a slayer excelled at, so this match would come down to power, will and instinct.
He focused on the air surrounding his feet and sped off back into the clearing, irritated frown still in place. “Why did I even entertain the idea of hiding from you? Your senses are probably sharper than mine for crying out loud!” Then in a static burst of sound he was gone again, now standing in the air above Kotone. He wasn’t sure how long it’d take her to look up, but he was sure she knew that he could stand on the air, which was why he decided to zip off again, this time to where he’d been standing whilst they’d been talking.
With a loud clang he stabbed his trident into the ground, gripping it with his right hand as he smirked at Kotone. Oh boy, this would be fun. “Oi Dragon, let’s hear your roar then shall we?” He shouted over to her, before he started building up air in his lungs, gathering more and more pressure as he inhaled deeply.
He stopped inhaling and grinned, whitish-blue energy escaping the gaps in his teeth, before he opened his mouth and unleashed his attack. “Wind Devil’s Scream!” was heard over the torrent of air unleashed from his mouth, white in colour and moving extremely fast.
Post by Kotone Lazarus on Jun 14, 2015 21:08:30 GMT
Kotone's eyes flicked along with the devil slayer's movements. As she'd hoped he was able to block her attack. The same attack had felled many Shadow Heart guild members in the waning days of their reign, and to the average wizard it was deadly. Judging by the lack of blood smell, this one hadn't even been scratched. "My senses are sharper than the average dragon slayer's," she confirmed with a cocky grin. "Now we'll find out if I'm out of practice!"
Zanza moved above her before moving back. She'd learned a long time ago to fight opponents that were faster than her, and she'd since developed her wind-based magic to enhance her considerable offense and defense with her dragon slayer magic. Unlike him, she didn't dodge around trying to throw him off guard, not yet. He tauned her, saying he wanted to hear her roar, just before initiating his own devil slayer equivalent.
She was faced with two choices - three if she counted just taking the attack. Even for her that was probably a bad idea. She suspected he was stronger than his guild rank dictated. She could either defend or dodge, and frankly that scream was coming faster than she'd expected. Kotone held up her hand, her own wind-blown ice shield blocking the scream. It cracked from the force, shattering once the attack was. Kotone actually had to flail her arm a bit to make the sting go away.
"Alright. You want a roar? You've got one. Ice Dragon Roar!" she shouted in turn, a beam of ice-based energy shooting at an equally terrifying speed towards Zanza. Everything around it froze instantly as it shot towards her opponent. It was a powerful attack, but its real power lied in the fact that it both damaged and slowed her opponents' movements.
Regardless of what he did, she was ready to get started. Messing around like this just wasn't her style.
Post by Mirai Tempestus on Jun 14, 2015 21:32:36 GMT
Zanza smirked when he saw Kotone block his scream, after all he’d have been disappointed if that had taken her out so quickly. Plus it was nice to see that her ice shield had only just managed to stop his attack and that she was even a little uncomfortable after having blocked it. That was before she’d launched her roar at him…
Sweet merciful lord, just what was she!? There was no way he could let that hit him, under any circumstances. So for the second time that day he was forced to use Heavenly Rotation, gritting his teeth and spinning as wind gathered around him and formed a spinning orb of protection. He knew when the roar had hit, he could feel the force of it knock the orb backwards a fair amount, but the spell did its job and the roar from Kotone was reflected off into the woods, cleaving through a few trees before exploding against a thick group of them.
Zanza stopped his rotation and gawped slightly, glad she hadn’t tried to clash her roar with his scream. That would’ve ended badly. “Aww man, I was just sleeping there!” He groaned out half-heartedly, before zipping off in once again and snatching his trident from the ground, levelling it at the dragon slayer.
“Now then, I guess you’ll want to hear my roar won’t you?” He chuckled at his own joke for a second, subtly gathering air pressure in his ears until he couldn’t hear anymore, before grinning as the winds started increasing dramatically. His “Roar” had activated, they were now fighting in his domain, evidenced by the trees that were staring to become uprooted around them.
He activated his Carrying Step again, speeding towards Kotone even faster now that the winds from “Roar” were increasing his speed. He appeared in front of her, aiming a stab at her stomach with his trident, planning to follow up with a close range blunt force “Wind Devil’s Scream” to create some distance again.
Post by Kotone Lazarus on Jun 14, 2015 22:28:54 GMT
Deflected. Kotone's grin only grew when she watched her dragon roar fly off into the distance. Did she want to hear his roar? "Do I? You don't charm a girl with half-hearted tactics," she told him even as the wind picked up around them. "Show me what you've got." At first, Kotone's hair and clothing began to whip around, before she inhaled and it was like the wind around her simply stopped affecting her at all; within about a foot of her, the increased wind wasn't an issue, though the trees and other obstacles probably were.
"Time to get serious." As Kotone spoke, her blue eyes glowed a more haunting shade of icy blue. Frost started growing around her and the air around her became noticeably colder - dangerously cold to anyone who wasn't her, at least for prolonged periods. The Carrying Step flashed Zanza to her, the trident that was propelled by his hand came even faster. Kotone moved to the side as the weapon stabbed, her own ice-make chain kama whipping around to strike him in turn.
Whether or not it worked, Kotone grinned again. His tactic was the exact tactic she'd used to great effect several times when she was a little younger. As he started to scream, she ducked directly under, her air shield practically shattering from how close of a call that was. This wind was going to be distracting at best. "Funny thing about home-field advantage," Kotone shouted loud enough to be heard over the gale. "You aren't the only one that can have it." With a snap of her finger, the trees and other debris that had been tossing around in the windy arena were coated completely in ice. in the next moment, they shattered into razor sharp ice chunks similar to her opening move, removing them from play entirely and replacing them with her own attack.
He'd tried to use her own tactic against her, whether he'd known it or not. She wanted to see what she could do? Well, she would show him. She responded in kind, drawing her katana at last and allowing it to unfold even as she lunged forward. "Nice try," she told him as her own wind magic closed the distance faster than had seemed possible a moment before.
Her hand extended, Kotone used a spell identical to her dragon roar, this time blasting from her hand as it pushed her back slightly and altered her path. She used the momentum to fling the katana, which was coated in an icy chain she used to manipulate it as it was thrown. It traveled with deadly precision; if the roar didn't hit, hopefully this would. He wanted to get fancy, she'd show him why they'd started calling her the Ice Dragon.
Post by Mirai Tempestus on Jun 15, 2015 10:54:31 GMT
Great, he’d missed both attacks, even though he’d managed to put some distance between them. He couldn’t help but notice something shatter, something he knew all too well. He let out a hearty laugh as he kept his eyes on Kotone. “Wind magic, eh? Trust you to taunt me with my own element, even if my control over the wind is stronger.” He chuckled, snapping his eyes to the floating chunks of ice that had once been trees.
“Funny that you should do that, reminds me of one of my own techniques. Weep!” He called out as the harsh winds died down instantaneously, the once deafening roaring sounds now eerily silent. He smirked as thousands of blades, invisible to the naked eye, hovered in the air around the two combatants before he realized something: Kotone could probably see them too. Damn dragon slayer super senses…
His eyes narrowed as Kotone fire another roar, this time from her hands. She’d probably analysed the Heavenly Rotation enough to counter it if he used it again. Hell she was probably expecting it. He only really had one thing he could do at this point since dodging was no longer an option. He activated Providence Wheel, placing his left hand over his right and holding them out in front of him just as the roar hit.
Just like last time, the force of her roar knocked him back slightly before the effects of his spell truly kicked in as the roar was split into five miniature beams of ice that spiralled around his body and odd into the distance. He finished his technique and shook his hands, numbness seeping in through his skin despite the attack being blocked.
Then he noticed the Katana coming towards him and for the life of him Zanza couldn’t remember Kotone throwing it. He also couldn’t reach his trident to parry it, so that was a no go. So he did the only thing he could, he improvised. Using what he knew of controlling existing air from his knowledge of Wind Devil’s Sorrow, he shifted the wind blades in the air enough to sever the ice chain attached to the Katana, before trying to catch it in a bubble of hardened air.
It was like trying to breathe and hold your breath at the same time, hardening and moving the air with the thrown blade, but eventually it came to a stop, the tip of the sword hovering just between his eyes as he let out a slight whimper. That had been too close, even for his standards. Reaching out with a shaky right hand, Zanza wrapped his fingers around the hilt of the blade and yanked it out of the air bubble. He had no skill with a blade like this, so trying to wield it would probably just hinder him.
So instead he just tossed it aside, gathering wind around his hands and feet in a bastardized version of his carrying step that he could use on any limb to speed up his attacks. He just grinned before zipping off, reappearing behind Kotone and aiming a kick at the back of her left knee, reaching out to grab her right arm and flip her over his shoulder at the same time.
Post by Kotone Lazarus on Jun 15, 2015 14:33:28 GMT
Well. The fact that his own wind-based blades had replaced her own ice ones was interesting. Kotone The tables had been turned on her own turned tables... or something. Bah, that was too much thinking, and Kotone would waste time if she followed that path instead of her instincts. Her dragon roar was at least partially deflected again, her katana tossed aside.
The wind slayer didn't waste time; he quickly zipped off, appearing behind Kotone. He kicked at the back of her left knee and reached out to grab her arm at the same time. The kick landed, somewhat painfully since even knowing how to time things, dodging the every attack of a speedy opponent was next to impossible. His hand clamped around her arm and she flipped over, though she managed to twist in to a way that was beneficial, reaching out and touching his back while he had ahold of her. "Ice prison."
The point she touched was the origin for a binding spell that spread around him even more quickly than he could move. As she touched the ground (rather hard, mind you) she set off another spell, this time causing ice to erupt from under neath him and batter him with blunt force, if he hadn't somehow escaped. Kotone rolled when she landed, tearing away from his grip and standing up as her own approximation of his Carrying Step activated. Rather than launching away, she attempted to move toward him before he could recover. Rather than using a weapon, she aimed a simple, but undeniably effective, kick. They could probably go at this for hours,but Kotone aimed to finish it in a few moments... hopefully as the victor. One thing was for sure though - this was the best fight she'd had in a while.
Post by Mirai Tempestus on Jun 15, 2015 14:53:24 GMT
Zanza felt an icy shill flow through his body as his skin frosted over in front of his very eyes. What had Kotone done to him? He couldn’t move a single muscle, his skin seemingly refused to stretch and move. He couldn’t even blink or open his mouth. Still, his kick had hit her and he’d managed to grapple her and throw her like he’d planned. Didn’t change the fact that she’d proceeded to ruin his plans, but he’d take a small victory where he could get it.
Growling, he unleashed a set of razor sharp winds upon himself, slicing through the ice entrapping him (and his skin itself), allowing him to start moving. Not too soon either, as just as he leapt backwards ice burst forth from where he’d been not seconds ago. He crouched on all fours before lurching forward using Carrying Step, charging straight towards the ice dragon and activating Providence Wheel to parry her kick, the swirling winds redirecting the force of her attack to his right side as he zipped past her.
He turned to face her after he’d passed by, skidding to a stop with a focused gleam in his eyes. He stared at his opponent as wind gathered around his hands, forming sickle shaped weapons that he gripped between his thumbs and index fingers. Basic wind sharpening in practice, but usually the basic skills were the most effective. Without waiting for his opponent to even think about a defence he shot off again, throwing the wind sickles as if they were shuriken, before zipping ahead of them and yet again reappearing in front of Kotone, aiming a sweeping kick at her shins to take her off of her feet so that the wind sickles would catch her mid-air and pin her to the trees behind her.
Post by Kotone Lazarus on Jun 15, 2015 15:03:32 GMT
Never underestimate a dragon slayer. That was something she'd told people many times. The same was true for devil slayers, apparently. He'd recovered faster than she'd expected, and he'd rapidly thrown a form of simple wind shuriken at her. She countered in turn with her own ice versions, powered by her own wind magic to increase their speed to be every bit as fast. The shuriken collided in mid-air, which left the rapidly moving Zanza to deal with. He reappeared in front of her, though in truth her senses let her track his relative location rather easily, so she was ready for it. This was going to hurt though.
Kotone felt a sharp pain where her shin had collided with boot. She didn't bother stifling the grunt of pain; she was concentrating on something else - the air around her shimmered, and in a split second, as the man was still following through with his kick, a solid dome of ice appeared around both of them. Normally it was an effective all-around shield, but she'd used it like this before - it was an equally effective way to force people to stay close and restrict their movements.
Kotone stepped back, her ankle throbbing painfully as she used the momentum of his kick to move her body into a position that could easily counter attack. Daggers of wind-blown ice appeared in her hands as her own enhanced speed and reflexes allowed her to swing with incredible speed and strength at the man. At the same time she attempted to move forward, pressing him against the icy dome walls.
