Acmlm's Board - I2 Archive - Story Forum - A Moment In Time
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Grey the Stampede
Posts: 3195/3770 |
Kalar stirred. Garro's spell had sucked the poison out of him, but he felt his head pound as he staggered to his feet and picked up his weapons, both new and old.
Kalar: "I'm not entirely sure... I think I can carry at least two of the bodies. Can you handle Nijote? Cor, I feel like crap right about now. That poison Nijote used was pretty potent, before I dropped off I could practically feel it coursing through my blood. She's a very accomplished apothecary if she can pull that off, especially on me. The airship's not too far away, if all else fails we can use Garro's coat as a makeshift cot and drag them all there. Janus should wake up pretty soon, too..."
He set to work, picking up first the small and rather frail Garro and then the hardier and heavier Janus. There was, however, a small problem. Satchel still lay gripped in Janus' hands, and was still far too heavy to lift by anyone but him. Curses, Kalar thought.
"I'll rephrase that: Janus'd better wake up pretty soon." |
Dracoon
Posts: 3550/3727 |
Rhiea: "They're lucky I'm here."
Rhiea stepped into the middle of them all and started to concentrate all her power she could. Light flowed everywhere around her, acually entering the bodies of Nijote, Janus, Kalar, and Garro, healing them.
Rhiea: "Its to bad I can't heal fatigue..."
The light started to spin around her, faster and faster, then it turned to gold. Soon there was an entire gold wave all around her, washing over them all. Soon, all their wounds were healed and Rhiea looked around, breathing heavily.
Rhiea: "Umm... Hey, Kalar, do you know how we're going to get them back to the airship?" |
Grey the Stampede
Posts: 3181/3770 |
Garro: "Sh... shit! I..."
He staggered to his feet weakly... It looked like it was his turn to show how much he had learned. As Nijote fell to the ground and Janus stalked over to her, calling his hammer to hand, Janus raised it over his head and said his vows for vengeance against Kalar. Garro had to act fast...
Janus: "Nijote, you killed Kalar... You killed him, you've messed up so much of the timeline just by killing him, just by inflicting any kind of unnecessary injury on him..."
But Garro, who crawled over to Kalar's limp body, knew the truth. Kalar was just sleeping! He was hardly dead, that was a sleeping draught that Nijote had used on him, not a deadly poison! And Janus was about to kill her for it...
Garro had to stop him. He searched his thoughts with haste...
Haste... Haste! That'd be a good starter. It'd also help him think a little faster.
Garro: "Haste!!!"
Janus turned 'round as a brilliant rush of white light overran Garro, increasing his speed and thought processes by an innumerable degree. It was one hell of a spell, that was for sure.
Garrofiguredinstantlythathe'dhavetofindsomewaytoneutralizethepoisoninsideofKalar's bodyandactedinstantly,actuallyactingfasterthaninstantlyduetothesped-up thoughtsthatranthroughhishead.Hewhippedouthisbibleandchantedaprayer...
Garro: "Hellbetothosewhotaintandscorn,maytheirpoisonouswaysbeeverforlorn!"
ThechantrangoutfromhisthroatasabrightlightsurroundedKalar,amassingdataonhis sleepingstate.Thewhitelightrushedawayfromtheshadowywarrior'sbodyandflewtoward Janus,transferringthepowerofNijote'spoisonintoJanus'dumbfoundedbody,rendering theenragedwarriorunconsciousandunabletoreacttothefuryofGarro'sholypower! AsJanusfelltotheground,hammerbesidehim,hecouldonlyaskonequestion...
Janus: "Garro... Why?"
Thehastespellworeoff just as Garro approached Janus, bleeding freely from Nijote's wounds... He refused to cure himself until everyone else was safe.
Garro: "Janus, you'll find out... When you wake up... Ugh..."
He fell to the ground as Janus dropped into darkness. All three of them were out of commission, and one of them was actually bleeding rather badly at this point. |
Dracoon
Posts: 3519/3727 |
Nijote came out of the attack, obviously bruised and battered, but still able to fight, and far from defeated. Janus had become much stronger than her for that attack, much stronger, but she'd kept her cool, she was trained to. She stood up, checking herself over to make sure she had no open wounds and then approached Janus again.
Nijote: "Good job... you're getting there... still..."
Nijote put her dagger to Janus' throat, not even bothering to get behind him this time. She felt some pain that wasn't from Janus' attack, nor any of the other attacks either. She wasn't sure what had happened, but it wasn't life threatening.
Nijote: "You could do better..."
Nijote felt a surge of pain through her stomach and coughed, blood. She looked down at Janus, she realized her vision was fading, thoughts assualting her mind.
Nijote thinking: "What happened... I can't feel my body... I can't move... I can't see... is this... what its like to die?"
Nijote lost all senses and collapsed, she was still alive, and far from death. She'd over exerted herself with most of her organs and muscles still not recovered. |
Grey the Stampede
Posts: 3148/3770 |
Janus: "D.... did you just..."
The fire welled up inside him again. There was Kalar, standing against an invincible foe, extending his limits to points that he had never known, all in a struggle he was doomed to fail at. And so suddenly, he was cut down. That kind of heroism was what the world needed more of... To destroy it was doing the world a great injustice.
"He's dead..."
The sight was sore for his eyes, but he could not admit otherwise. His expression slowly changed, from sadness to scowl, as he found within himself that one single force that had driven him to madness so long ago.
Courage.
Suddenly, it was Janus who disappeared. He ditched the stun baton in favor of his beloved hammer, and struck fast, struck hard, struck true with a wide but impossibly fast horizontal blow to Nijote's front. He didn't stop. The difference between Janus and Kalar was that Janus was fast enough to scare Nijote, and had been the entire time. Apathy, however, can be a great equalizer.
Every blow he swung hit the ground with earth-quaking force as Janus rushed Nijote, lashing out as Kalar had before...
But hammerblows alone weren't going to finish this one. He pointed his palm at her, blowing a blast of void energy at her that he quickly followed up with a sliding tackle that went fluidly into a rising upper strike. Hit or miss, he knew that this entire endeavor would be for naught if he hadn't shown her just what he had learned, which was thus: Never save your best efforts for last.
He reached into Satchel, and pulled out a small, silver jewel that looked like it would have felt more comfortable being green...
"Chaos Control!!!"
Janus gripped the emerald in his left hand as the hammer in his right dropped to the ground, and felt the chaotic energy overflow his body. Untrackable, unarmed, uncaring, that energy focused itself into one single, solitary dash that sent Janus literally from one point in space to another in milliseconds. He used the momentum from his dash to power one final crushing punch, emerald in hand, directly at Nijote, be she on the ground, in the air, or somewhere thereabouts. he swung, and an echo of pure Chaos energy (the kind that made trees bend in 90 degree angles for no reason) followed.
The instant his punch followed through, the chaos energy left his body and went back into the emerald. Janus dropped to the ground, panting. That was the best he could do. Now all that there was for him to do was get better. |
Dracoon
Posts: 3518/3727 |
Nijote was able to dodge most of Kalar's fury, and managed to get far enough away to start her own attack, emerging from the shadows with only one long cut on her left arm.
Nijote thinking: "They're... almost there..."
Nijote realized she was breathing incredibly heavy.
Nijote: "Did that... take so much out of me...?"
She knew it didn't, she felt the pain in her stomach and her heart start to beat faster.
Nijote: "Damn..."
Nijote jumped off the ground and did another disappearing act, heading for the shadows, Kalar was ready, he didn't need to continue. She couldn't let him continue either.
Nijote: "Go to sleep for a bit, you'll be fine now..."
Nijote had whispered to Kalar on her way past, slicing his arm with her dagger, having a sleeping poison on it.
Nijote: "Now, just to get Janus..."
Nijote got behind Janus again, the dagger to his throat, breathing heavily.
Nijote: "See... you aren't even able to protect... him from me..."
Nijote pointed with her other hand as the shadows cleared, Kalar laying there, seemingly dead.
Nijote: "What do you... expect from someone stronger... who hates you?" |
Grey the Stampede
Posts: 3147/3770 |
Nijote: "Axel..."
At the mention of his foe's name...
At the sight of his friends lying on the ground, covered in blood and in intense degrees of pain...
At the thought of being nothing but a corpse as those same friends were killed for no reason, no reason at all...
Janus just stuck frozen. On his knees, at the very whim of Nijote's dagger. He suddenly knew.
He realized it. He realized it all inside of him, what lay within, what lay without, the sheer sense of oneness with the world that existed when all was in danger, when the stakes were so high, when all was necessary to defend. He knelt. He felt the will to survive grow within him, and the will to protect grow even stronger. He remembered what he saw in Star's eyes, and he remembered especially that one memory that was new.
That memory had become reality. He knew it. He had created it. He cared about it.
He wanted it... Her... To be safe.
Janus: "I.... It.... It feels really..."
A tear rolled down his cheek as he spoke, his voice cracking as he realized the sheer futility of trying to save anyone now. He really, truly was weak and it really did feel like there wasn't anything he could do about it. Nijote had pounded it into his head in the span of several seconds.
"Really..."
Kalar: "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
It seemed as though Kalar had also heard Nijote's manifesto... He rushed her, fighting madly. He rushed her like he had never rushed anyone before, with all of his rage and anger pushed forward and focused completely on her. Dark swirls of shadow surrounded him, and bright red filled his eyes as everything he had learned so far came out in one long blow of psychotic, destructive fury. He slashed, and sliced, and cut, and anything else he could think of doing, over and over again at Nijote with all of his hatred.
He wouldn't stop, he resolved to never stop, not until he was dead. His shadows grew outward and extended like tendrils toward Nijote as they consumed him, her, and Janus. Janus was thrown out of the pit of shadows and landed roughly on the ground as Kalar flew toward Nijote, pulling off a sloppy-looking mockery of her Evisceration attack combined with her Bloody Edge attack that resulted in shockwaves made of his own blood flying toward her, blackened by the darkness that surrounded them. This was really only for effect. I'm pretty sure being smattered with boiling blood would be kinda freaky, which is why Kalar went into a grating spin, a whirlwind of blades that sucked the shadows around them with it. He went in circles around Nijote, slashing here and there with near-pinpoint accuracy.
His speed wasn't nearly enough to match hers, far from it, but any observer could tell he was improving (in fact, if Nijote really was that fast, none of this would probably do any good at this point). Around his feet as he ran were little flecks of blue light, tiny sparks that grew up here and there...
Kalar: "I can't let you hurt anyone! ANYONE! Nobody will die! Everyone will live, I'll show you, I'll make you see!"
He dashed away from her and ran back, his eyes burning red the entire time as he brought his scythe down on her even faster than before, swinging like SHE was Star, like SHE was the one responsible for all the pain that had already been caused...
Janus: "....Lonely..."
Janus retreated off into his own little world as he watched Kalar fight his psychotic, but futile, fight. Kalar was trying, honestly trying really hard to get better, faster, stronger. He really was fighting like this was it, his last battle against a foe he could never hope to defeat. He was hatred, he was rage, but throughout all that darkness, he was determined. Every blow made his muscles that much faster, that much more enduring.
Janus could, too... Janus sat there and watched Kalar. Janus could. Janus knew he could. Janus knew that alone even now he could match Nijote blow for blow, if only he tried. If only he tried, god damn it all!
Why didn't he try before? Did it really take all of this to show him just how much he was needed?
Maybe before he just didn't care enough... And now, he definitely did. |
Dracoon
Posts: 3517/3727 |
Nijote was tripped up, but in the instant she hit the ground, she was up again, dodging the bullet, in mid air as Kalar came down, ready to hit her, she seemed to actually jump off the mid air going into the same incredibly fast speed and disappearing.
Nijote: "I guess I might have to actually use some techs..."
Nijote rushed into the shadows and disappeared, although there were few shadows left, there were enough.
Nijote: "Bloody Edge!"
Nijote rushed out from the shadows right towards Garro, a crimson energy emmitting from her daggers as she slashed forward, sending crimson shockwaves at Garro. She touched the ground then seemingly disappeared again.
Nijote: "Evisceration!"
To Kalar, and only Kalar, Nijote seemed to rush out of the shadows again at Janus at the same incredibly speed, darkness surronded Janus and Nijote went into the darkness with a sickening noise left behind. Nijote emerged with blood all over her.
Nijote: "Enjoy your dream?"
Nijote was now in front of Kalar, a hand suddenly covering his face.
Nijote: "Don't worry, the pain doesn't last to long."
Kalar started to feel an immeasurable amount of pain as Nijote actually hit several preassure points just on the front and sides of the skull with quick hand movements.
Nijote: "For the last..."
Nijote jumped off the ground and drop kicked Kalar, sending her towards Janus, in a sudden dispear of dirt from the ground, she disappeared again. Not even half a second later, Janus could feel a very could hand on his neck with a dagger being held to it, Nijote's voice spoke into his ear, but it seemed much different, or rather... what was expected of her.
Nijote: "How does it feel? Knowing that I could end your life so quickly?"
Nijote pressed the dagger a little closer to Janus' neck, having the tip touch it near his wind pipe, he would drown in his own blood if she were to cut it open.
Nijote: "How does it feel to know that I could kill them both and you'd only be able to watch? How about the notion that Star could do the same to me, and everyone else on this planet? What about the fact that even you are vulnerable to Star's attacks, that he could erase you, as if you'd never been? How would it make you feel, if you never had the chance to stop Axel?"
Nijote had to presss herself to Janus to make sure he couldn't move, no matter how much she'd insulted him, she couldn't risk him developing new strength and getting away easily, if he managed to break free, she would still have a chance to put him down for a few minutes, and with only Garro and Kalar alive, thats all she would need. |
Grey the Stampede
Posts: 3146/3770 |
Kalar's eyes flashed red as he smiled. The kick came up and struck nothing but shadows as Kalar was rendered formless for a few soul-shattering seconds. And now, he could speed himself up too.
And yeah, Garro would have been astonished, if Nijote had... Well, time. Which Janus had. He stopped it for just an instant to turn around in the air, and started it up again, matching Nijote's footspeed easily and swinging his hammer at her legs in a trip maneuver as Garro whipped his pistol toward her and fired a single blast of holy energy, which was immediately thrown into a wave of shadows that reformed itself into Kalar, who swung both scythe and sword at Nijote, dissipating into darkness once again. |
Dracoon
Posts: 3515/3727 |
Nijote looked around carefully and already knew how to strike back. As Kalar came up, she took another step side ways, dodging it easily and letting him continue to rise up. The blasts of energy came to a sudden hault as Nijote swung both her daggers into the air right before they hit, causing a shock wave to block the blasts. She already knew their major problem, exploiting it would be unfair, but it would teach them.
Nijote: "You're all being..."
To Nijote, things seemed to have slowed down dramatically. This was just her surpassing her normal limitations and increasing the speed of everything in her body, but she truely loved how even fast things seemed when they were slow, she really didn't think living like this would be that bad, she even had time to turn her mind away from the battle, being relaxed for less than a second to everyone else, bt nearly a minute to her. Nijote leaped into the air, aiming a kick at Kalar's kidneys, she could've have stabbed him there and let him slowly die of blood loss, but that could be easily healed by Garro fairly quickly, just a kick would do, he wouldn't notice how critical of a spot she'd hit till later if he wasn't bleeding. She let her kick carry her back to the ground, where she flipped and rocketed towards Garro, already knowing what point to aim at on him.
Nijote *thinking* : "I wonder when Janus became so noticably weak, even as three, all their attacks are likely to do is wear me out over time, something they won't be able to use on Star... he'd be able to take the attacks and counter attack immeadiatly..."
Nijote was now right in front of Garro, who she would imagine was astonished, she'd barely been in this attack for a second and a half. She shot up, removing a needle out of a pocket, aiming at a certain place in Garro throat, it would disrupt his ability to breath for about 30 seconds, and after that he wouldn't be able to speak for at least an hour. She jumped away from Garro and continued to think about some other random things, really reflecting her life, she came to the realization that if anyone could pry into her mind, they'd feel bad for Janus and the other two, she was hardly focused at all. She returned her body speed to normal, wanting to see what their reaction was to the attack. She winced in pain as her body slowed back to normal, boosting her speed by such a great amount was never going to get easier on her. |
Grey the Stampede
Posts: 3144/3770 |
Janus: "Talk is cheap."
At that moment, a metal hand shot out at the spinning scythe, grabbing it and pulling Kalar to Janus' location as the bullets flew past him. He wasn't THAT stupid. Kalar swung upward at Nijote, rising and slashing her as a pair of holy blasts centered in on her location from...
Garro: "Heaven and Earth!!!"
....Yeah. That might be what the gun blasts were for. He followed up by chanting another quick prayer, and the skies began to darken.
Janus: "Tactical Modification!!!"
Combining the fire he had attacked with before with a lightning-fast rush at Nijote while in the air, Janus whooshed past her and struck with his baton, bushido-style, and a column of flames blew alongside Kalar's upward strike.
"Alpha Revolver!!!" |
Dracoon
Posts: 3514/3727 |
... they'd be destroyed.
Nijote: "The problem with attacking with three people..."
Nijote moved to the side a little bit and jumped up, grabbing the scythe in mid spin, she didn't struggle to bring the scythe to a stop though and was pulled back with it, but it was no longer spinning. She flipped over in mid air once and sling shotted it right at Janus.
Nijote: "is that by sucessfully countering the first attack..."
Nijote smiled a little as she landed on the ground and jumped out of the way of the bullets, and laughed on the inside as Janus stood in the path of them still.
Nijote: "I can bring the whole thing down." |
Grey the Stampede
Posts: 3143/3770 |
Janus: "Quite aware. Kalar?"
Kalar: "Cognition. Garro."
Garro: "Hm."
Garro pulled his coat over himself as the explosions rocked around him. He closed his eyes and chanted a quick prayer while he was still capable of conscious thought. The poison seeped into his skin and was immediately released as the antidote spell took effect. He opened his eyes and chanted another, with a set of familiar-looking angel wings sprouting from his back. Very showy, but not very effective. Instead, he drew his guns, firing once into the ground and once into the air...
Kalar's eyes flashed red as he focused on Nijote. In an instant, the entire sequence was replayed in his head: Her movements, the setup of the wire, and the nature of the poison became apparent to him. He took the scythe Janus had handed him and whirled it in his hands, holding his breath and shutting his eyes as his mechanical leg fired off hard, sending him flying through the air and toward the wire net. In one quick swipe he slashed through a set of them, trusting not his eyes but his knowledge of where Nijote had placed them to give him an edge. His hand fired out with the original Multiweapon clutched tightly in it, transformed temporarily into a small dagger. The servos in his arm whined as the hand was sent spinning, the dagger held in such a way as to send another set of wires through a meat grinder of wire-slicing blades. Adopting a piece of the legendary Sion's fighting style, Kalar then retracted the steel prosthetic and reformed the Multiweapon into a broadsword, which he hurled, spinning, at Nijote, calling out, "Strike Raid!!!" as he did.
As for Janus, well... A trio of bright lights appeared above his head (???) and formed into one big one as he got a rather excellent idea for evading that explosion. He crouched down, and suddenly disappeared, reappearing a few feet away from the poisonous explosion with what looked like a long, electric stun baton in his hand. He sliced at one wire and sent an electric charge through it, hoping to blaze the other wires in the process.
As soon as the poisonous dust cleared, Garro pointed his pistols at Nijote again, and sent a hail of bullets at her as Kalar's scythe flew through the air. Janus attacked low, teleporting again and enveloping himself in flames, sending a vertically spinning roundhouse kick her way that blew fire in several directions, one of which being hers. They weren't wasting time, and soon enough they'd be in near-perfect synchrony with each other, if this kept up... |
Dracoon
Posts: 3513/3727 |
Rhiea was sniffing the air the entire time they talked, her eyes had caught only a glimps of what had happened, but she had the nose when times like this came around.
Rhiea: "Standing still was a bad idea on their part... They're underestimating her speed..."
Rhiea sniffed the air again and jumped backwards as Nijote appeared right next to her.
Nijote: "They might need some healing after this."
Nijote walked slowly out in front of the three of them, leaving the extremely confused Rhiea staring after her. Rhiea began to look around, to see what she'd done, she couldn't see anything different. Then she sniffed the air again and realized she hadn't been smelling Nijote, but the poisons she'd set up everywhere.
Nijote: "I'm disappointed."
Nijote started to losen her long over coat and looked right above Garro, Kalar, and Janus. They'd been to busy preparing to realize how much danger they were in. Nijote had only used the shadow meld at the begining to make them think she'd stay hidden in the shadows, she then had actually rushed them at her top speed, which had made her invisible, with the awareness of the air currents and many other factors, she'd managed to even make sure there was no wind that came off of her. However, the human body is far from being able to take this type of force constantly, so she'd only stayed in it for a few seconds, and that was all she needed. Wires started to shine in the sun, making a net around and above them, explosions occured almost at the exact same time, sending a different type of poison at the three of them. Janus had a very potent toxic poison comming at him, Kalar had a paralyzing one, and Garro had a confusing one.
Nijote: "You're aware Janus, that you and Kalar might be able to dodge if you risk being shredded by the wires, but Garro won't be as fast. If it touches you, it'll seep into your blood stream." |
Grey the Stampede
Posts: 3142/3770 |
Janus: "Any of you guys ever watched Naruto?"
Garro: "No."
Kalar: "Nope."
Janus: "Fuck. Alright, let's see what we come up with. Together, all three of us are strong enough to take her out, but individually, I'm probably the only one who can stand a chance against her. She claims to know how I fight, but I've learned a few things since she last saw me. Kalar, I hate to ask, but how good are you with Heartless Fusion? That bastard Grey wants it, he can have it, but I need to know how good YOU are with it."
Kalar (nervously): "I.... ah... I haven't tried it since that last time, actually. I'm a little scared."
Janus: "Well, that kind of familiarity with darkness will come in handy later on. Work up some courage. Garro, any new spells?"
Garro: "A few. I think in particular, this will come in handy..."
He whipped out his bible, and pushed his spectacles up his nose as he read aloud...
Garro: "Shine in the mourning sun, bring dawn where there is darkness, let the sinners cry their shames for all the world to see..."
And there were suddenly a LOT less shadows... Nijote, however, was still nowhere to be seen.
Janus: "Good. Shadow magic?"
Garro: "I've been looking into melting a few faces here and there... Not my deck of cards, but it'll come in handy."
Janus: "Alright. Keep together, then. I've got a few surprises up my sleeve, too..."
He reached into the pocket of his pants. A soldered together compact disc that looked like it had been broken before lay in his hand. He took it out, scanned it, and readied another disc. Of the original text, only the words "---ier" could be seen.
"If anything, this'll help me learn a little faster just what Nijote's going to be planning. Kalar, I'll let you direct tactics on this one, I'm not feeling confident enough after being talked down to like that."
He winked as Kalar's face went, if at all possible, even whiter than it already was. His second disc already out of Satchel, Janus scanned it, and it broke to dust in the air---a full scan. One final disc appeared in his hands, clearly marked "DO NOT SCAN UNLESS EMERGENCY". Naturally, he scanned it. Janus cracked his knuckles and grinned. He reached into Satchel one last time, and pulled out a small rod, handing it to Kalar as he spoke.
"Alright, buddy. I've had this for a long time. It was a present from Death on my 100000th birthday... Keep it safe, and use it well, I think it'll cut through a little more than your Multiweapon will. Only disadvantage is that it doesn't shift..."
Kalar looked at the device curiously, and pressed a small button on it. Instantly, it expanded into a full-sized staff, and a shining, silver-clear scythe blade appeared at the top of it. Sharp enough to cut the very threads of air that surrounded them...
Kalar: ".....holy shit."
Janus: "Unholy, actually. Be careful with it. And now, fearless leader, orders?"
Kalar: "Gah! Uh.... Hrm...."
Garro: "Come on, use some of that Wisdom we've heard so much about!"
Kalar: "Ok, let's see...."
He stared off into the shadows, knowing suddenly what to do, as though an outside force were directing his thoughts.
"Janus, you're on defense. Nijote's a trained assassin, right? So she'll have long-range and short range attacks aimed at us at all times. You're better at melee combat than Garro is, and Garro's got the distance advantage, so he'll keep us defended from afar. Garro, we'll need a blessing or two, and if you can call some of that holy fury down on her when she closes in, that'll help too. Janus, I don't know what you just scanned, but I think I can assume... Other than that, your void magic will be instrumental in keeping her in place. This'd also be a good time to train Time Magic, if you can."
Janus: "That's my boy. Now all we need to do..."
Kalar: "Is wait. She'll come at us eventually. Trinity Magic's not gonna do it today, we need to learn to stop relying on it."
Garro: "May god have mercy on us all..." |
Dracoon
Posts: 3509/3727 |
Nijote was a little creeped out by Janus staring at her, but ignored it.
Nijote: "You couldn't right now anyways."
Nijote got out of the bed and stood up and gave an order to a crew member to tell the captain to land. She walked towards one of the exits, not saying a word, she knew they would follow.
Lunari: "Hey, Rhiea, go with them, they might need some healing... and I'm worried about Nijote, she suffered a lot of internal wounds..."
Rhiea: "Ok..."
Rhiea ran after them to catch up. They, if they'd all followed, were already outside.
Nijote: "All right... I have enough information on all of you to know about how powerful you are and what you should concentrate on."
Nijote paused, trying to recall all the information.
Nijote: "Kalar, you have a surprising weapon mastery and you're very good with close combat, but you lack speed and strength. Even with the weapon advantage, you need at least one of those to have any real effect on someone who's more skilled, more powerful, and faster."
Nijote already knew that, she wasn't as fast as (FF) Star, and not near as strong, but she at least had enough speed for effect.
Nijote: "Garro, your attacks are already powerful enough, and you don't have a hard time dodging at mid to long range, but... you're predictable... incredibly predictable..."
Nijote remembered anything she'd ever heard of Garro, he was limited to a few techs here and there, and could only use holy or light energy effectively.
Nijote: "Janus, I know how you fight a lot more than you'd think... You're fast, skilled, and have pleanty of techs to use. However, you're weak and easily stopped. In close range combat, you stand almost no chance, and after a while you're out of things to do to save yourself."
Nijote went into a coughing fit, but regained herself. She was surprised Star inflicted so much damage, but she knew this would at least take these three of their guard.
Nijote: "And this Star... He's fastest person I've seen, only beaten in raw power by Dracoon, and probably several hundred times more skilled than any of us. However, he has a glaring weak point..."
Nijote thought back to the battle, seeing everything she did wrong and the only thing she did right.
Nijote: "He's unable to predict any sneak attacks... He's limited himself in rage to seeing only in front of him. Which is why, we need one of you... to keep him stopped in front, without risking death..."
Nijote brought both of her daggers out and stood straight up, now ready to get them started in the best way that she knew how.
Nijote: "This isn't a simple training where you run laps... you're going to put your life at risk. In other words, I'll kill you if you can't defend yourselves."
Without another word, Nijote disappeared into the shadows, using a shadow meld where she would completely disappear from sight. She didn't have to limit speed either, she could virtually be anywhere around them, ready to attack after only a few seconds. |
Grey the Stampede
Posts: 3137/3770 |
Kalar grinned sheepishly and tugged at a few of his loose threads as he heard Nijote's backhanded insult while Garro folded his arms in indignation.
Kalar: "Heh, drinking...."
Garro: "I'm the designated driver. And Janus, of course, has barely even been HOME for the past few years, nevermind out at bars. Something about a girl he says WON'T die for a change. Hmph. Can't even tell his friends... In any case, anything you have to offer us will be absolutely divine, we're ready to help at any time."
Janus walked into the room as Garro finished making his excuses, a serious look on his face.
Janus: "Nijote, you're quite right... I've tried to keep some maintainence of my skills over the years, but to be truthful, I could be doing much better. We all could. Star told me something many years ago, and I really didn't understand what it meant until now... But this is that time that he mentioned. A lot of time's passed since then. Maybe not for you, but most definitely for me, and I almost feel ashamed if this is as far as I've come."
He walked up to her and grinned as he looked into her face, really looked, for the first time in a long time. It had never really occured to him before, but for a bloodthirsty assassin, Njiote was actually quite beautiful. She had almost a motherly aura to her, a far cry from what he had originally perceived. It was here, in a time of crisis that she had taken control and done what she needed to do to protect the people she cared about. Maybe she wasn't so bloodthirsty after all.
"Hrm... Thank you for your offer, Nijote. If it were up to me, I'd seal myself off in time for a while to grow... But obviously, we don't HAVE time for that now. And we definitely don't have any to waste. Let's move." |
Dracoon
Posts: 3503/3727 |
Raiko: "AHHH I HATE THINKING! Every plan I've ever amde has gone horribly wrong, can't someone else think of something!?"
Rhiea laughed a little, she didn't seem to really understand all of what was happening right now.
Nijote: "We have a bit..."
Lunari looked shocked as Nijote was sitting in the bed.
Lunari: "You shouldn't be up for a few days!"
Nijote: "We don't have that much time... I have an idea, but we'll be cutting it close..."
Nijote thought over the basic plan. It was simple really. An ambush waiting near the original Star. All they needed was a clean attack to stop Star long enough for the original to go into the cave and defeat the Time Elemental. It should be easy... if they could last more than a few seconds against him. Star would be ready for Nijote and Janus, even for Lunari's cancle techniques. He wouldn't risk it that late...
Nijote: "I'm guessing we have about a day, maybe more if some others resurface and hold Star off for a bit... Kalar, Garro, bring Janus here, all three of you are going to get out of your drinking habits and actually train for a change."
Raiko: "Hey what about me?"
Nijote: "You don't need any training... we just need you to make a perfect shot..."
Raiko sighed, he hated being left out.
Star (FF): "This is over!"
Far Future Star generated a huge amount of energy, and ripped the area above him wide apart, all the Time Champion Stars being sucked into it and vanishing.
Star: "Now... for the last worm and then I can rest..."
Nino: "Prism!"
Nino reacted before Star could even think of his attack. It had already started, somehow he knew ahead of time he'd need the attack. A bolt of lightning shot towards Nino, but at the same time, a weird object made of light appeared and. The lightning struck it and it shined brightly, then vanished, along with Nino.
Star: "..."
Star sat down and began to rest his power, he knew what he was going to do, if only he didn't keep getting interupted. |
Grey the Stampede
Posts: 3133/3770 |
Janus sat in quiet meditation... There was so much to think about, so much for him to focus on right now.
There was that strange Star, who had somehow wiped out Dracoon, and nearly destroyed both him and Nijote.
That sword style... It was similar to that blade master's, but so much more fluid. Not only faster, but more accurate.
He had watched that instant where Njiote had pierced the psychotic Star. He had dropped his guard when he was so focused on ruining Janus' arm. Nijote had taken the opportunity.
And then there was the void. Within that, he had seen her get sliced more times than he could count in a second. And under the influence of that amount of void energy, too. Perhaps he had negated the effects of the gravity by channeling time energy around himself and using it to free his movements. Nijote would have naturally been slowed down, and Star would have been given ample opportunity to rip her to shreds. The fact that she wasn't was merely a testament to her own skill. It was almost as though Star had control over time and himself as separate entities...
Perhaps Janus could do the same.
And then the halo. He had pulled that one completely out of a hat. Void energy worked against Time energy, but the two cancelled each other out easily. In any kind of engagement with that Star, he would have to learn to control both types in order to gain a disadvantage. Next time, he thought. Next time he would be more useful.
"You were weak and died..."
"Get stronger or the same thing is going to happen in this time line..."
"He's not ready."
Star... His words rang in Janus' head again. That kind of insult, from someone who had seen it all happen, it hit even harder on Janus soul now that he realized just how much of a threat to the time lines that Star was now. Janus had learned a lot today...
Garro: "We're not time travel experts here... You're going to have to suggest something."
Kalar: "Yeah, any day of the week I could tell you whatever you wanted about dark energies or hell or devils or demons or vampires... Time travel, nah-uh. Janus is the expert on that."
And, of course, he wasn't in the room at the time. |
Dracoon
Posts: 3494/3727 |
Raiko: "Thats the worst thing we could do."
Raiko had been sitting in the cornor, trying to think of what to do and what not to do.
Raiko: "No matter what, we have to keep the young Star out of this. If we interfer, he might not go fight, and never become possessed by the time elemental in the first place."
Raiko tried to think some more, he might be an arrogant bastard, but he did know how to work his mind, and how to think up complex solutions to complex problems.
Raiko: "We just need to bring him to his senses, or completely destroy him. If we bring him to his senses, he'll probably restore the time line by his own will, if we destroy him, the time lines should be in safe hands. I think we need all the power we can get right now, but we can't do this as a long ass gathering either... Hey... where did Nino go?"
Nino hadn't shown up to the sick bay like most of the others, and she wasn't even noticed on the ship.
Lunari: "I haven't seen her since Nijote jumped off the ship..."
Raiko: "Its to late to worry about that now isn't it...?"
Rhiea: "I doubt she did something stupid, she'll show up again!"
Rhiea tried to act positive, but it was kind of troubling that Nino wasn't around.
Raiko: "Anyways, I think I know what we can do, but we'll need to find at least one of the Time Champion Stars..."
Nino had gotten off the airship, but went slower than Nijote had, she was now at the edge of the crater, looking into it. Star stood in the middle, his body glowing and his sword spinning around him.
Star: "Where is he!?"
Star's sword kept spinning while he said that and Nino knew what he was trying to do.
Nino: "Star stop!"
Star grabbed his sword and looked at Nino. He started walking towards her, having neglected his wounds, the daggers still in his stomach.
Star: "Another bug waiting to die!"
Star picked up the speed as a huge dark mass appeared under him, chains flying from it, holding him in place, he struggled to break them, but couldn't.
Star: "What is this!?"
Nino: "I can't let you kill yourself..."
Star struggled again against the chains, still not being able to break them. Nino struggled to keep them there though. She knew she couldn't hold out that long.
Star (TC): "Back off, let ME take care of this!"
A Star appeared in front of her, glowing with energy, Nino released the chains, just to see Star (TC) charge the other Star. This was an incredibly stupid course of action, and Star (TC) was knocked into the ground. To Nino's surprise, about 50 more Stars appeared, each one doing the same charge, overwhelming (FF) Star. |
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