Nokamata: Illusionary Display

[20:29] Admittedly, it took a minute. Barrachan headed off at some point, and Selena took the moment to take a brief nap. It wasn't to say that she was entirely out for the count though.
"Hm?" Something woke her up...
Or rather... The lack there of.
The silence of the room was off-putting enough for her.

"Oh. Huh... Did I..." she scanned the room over to see not a soul in sight.
"I guess I slept through whatever happened." she glanced over towards Romulus to find him still here. Either, he had patiently waited on her to awake? Or something else occurred -- not that she knew, or very much cared.

"Hm? Should we be off?"
(Selena Nokamata)
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[20:29] Selena Nokamata says, "-- wait.."
[20:29] Selena Nokamata says, "Hrmm... He was going to have you put against some stranger. I'm not sure why, but now having thought about it, I'm starting to think it might be useful."
[20:29] Selena Nokamata asks, "... Say... Have you ever used your magic prowess in a fight? ... Like... Against another person?"
[20:29] Romulus Aethern says, "Nah, actually shot a man before."
[20:30] Selena Nokamata says, "Oh. That's something."
[20:30] Selena Nokamata says, "Or, lack there of, really."
[20:31] He sighed, before leaning back against the wall. "So, what happens now?"
(Romulus Aethern)
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[20:32] Selena Nokamata says, "For now, I suppose I see where you stand. In terms of combatives, really."
[20:32] Selena Nokamata says, "Think of it, something like a test."
[20:33] Romulus Aethern says, "Yuo... yUo want to fight me? God I..."
[20:33] Romulus Aethern exclaims, "I don't to get you hurt!"
[20:34] Selena Nokamata asks, "That's if you can actually -hurt- me now. If you've never fought anyone, how could you know you could?"
[20:34] Selena Nokamata says, "... I have."
[20:36] Romulus gulped audibly before taking the rifle from his back, pulling the bolt open and working it forward with a loud clank, chambering a round. "A-as you wish ma'am."
(Romulus Aethern)
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[20:37] Selena beckons over with a finger.
(Selena Nokamata)
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[20:37] Romulus Aethern asks, "S-so, are you ready?"
[20:38] Selena Nokamata asks, "Hmm? Well, I suppose I should really make sure of that now, shouldn't I?"
[20:50] Selena kept herself posted with her cane-torch... Really, it was what kept upright. How was a woman that could hardly stand going to face off against a man armed with a gun? Seemed rather foolish, if anything!
That was when she took her crimson hues to scour the room.
The ceiling was high, but it was still reasonably close, especially compared to the canopy of trees outdoors.

Then, there were the lanterns, giving off their red glow, partially matching her optics. She couldn't help but grin as she reached an empty hand into a pouch tied up to her side, only to slip out a small vial.

"You see, Romulus. I'm injured, but not dumb." she explained, plucking the cork from the vial's top while her cane seemingly defied gravity itself by her side. "I know, I'm not fast on my feet with this injury... But I have an entire ceiling. A room... While, all you have..." she brought the vial to her lips, gulping it down with her head knocking back.

Yet, her voice spoke despite this, almost as though echoing throughout the confines of the chamber:
"--is the ground..."

She tossed the vial away, shattering the glass against the arena floor. Her right hand took to the cane-torch once more, soon seeing it gleaming betwixt her digits with alabaster. The light soon ebbed and crawled up its length, gnawing and transmogrifying the very material and texture until it'd morph an otherwise perceived tool for her maneuverability into something much more... Destructive.

Now towering over her own height, the cylindrical staff spiked upright with a crimson gem within its sharpened blade-like hilt. Slowly, her body ascended for the air above as the air grew heavy -- thick, as though tangible to those who'd find themselves within Selena's presence. The same light that took her stave just moments prior soon gleamed from her silhouette to take the room.

Her image grew muddied, blurred by the obscuring light -- leaving her rather faint to make out. The wick of what one could assume to be a torrent of wind caught at Romulus' ears. Despite her blackened shadow-image, her crimson eyes shined through to pervade her combatant with a nightmarish twist on such an angelic display.

Her cackle filled the room, boasting with confidence... She didn't need both legs to move, when she could fly.
(Selena Nokamata)
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[20:50] Romulus took a deep breath, one hand gripping his rifle so hard it was turning white, the other fixing bayonet. He was afraid to hurt her, yet... He felt somewhat intimidated by her dark, warm aura, which was making reality bend and distort from time to time. He assumed position, checking if all ammo pouches on his webbing were still full with a corner of his eye.

"Are you sure about it, ma'am?" Aethern wiped few droplets of sweat from his forehead. With every second filled with anticipation intimidation was turning into actual fear, though he wasn't sure what he was afraid more; hurting Selena or getting hurt himself.
(Romulus Aethern)
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[21:04] A gun blast through the chest?!
Selena seemingly fell to her knees, clutching at it in vain. A gasp.... And she'd peel over in anguish. Was this it? So simple and with such dramatics.
Certainly Romulus could rush to her fallen body, though his movements would grow slowed. The world around him soon succumbing to spaghettification as his vision stretched into an infinite hall devoid of detail.

"Don't tell me... Yet another mishap?" her voice spoke out to him, taunting him.
She put him in another illusion -- surely he could've broken out of it! Reality as he knew it shattered akin to glass, bringing him back to the arena where he'd find her levitating above him, crimson eyes glaring him down.

She didn't say a word... In fact, she merely awaited his further action... Goading him... Just silently demanding of him to put up a fight.
What was this tingling sensation tremoring throughout his veins? As thoughants sought to nimble at his fibers beneath the surface, whispers cooing out to him... To follow through...
To strike.

"I've practiced this art for as long as I could understand magic. As far as I'm concerned... Reality can be whatever I want... and as it would have it, you haven't very much laid a scratch on me, aside from fatigue."
She awaited the ne--
Lightning struck, and quite literally, smited her down to the ground.
The arena quaked in reverence, only for a tap to be felt on Romulus' shoulder.

Dare he turn to see the source? To witness Selena waiting behind him the entire time? What even was this fight? The air refracted betwixt their souls, soon shredding at cobblestone to toil Aethern asunder -- A ripple of raw mana, distinct but unrefined.

"Well? What was that about hurting me?" she went on.
(Selena Nokamata)
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[21:09] His hands were trembling. Breath erratic. He shook in horror, almost clinging to his weapon for dear life as he has witnessed the woman's power first hand. He resisted the urge to curl up in a ball and start crying. He slowly got up and wiped dirt from his face, eyes widened in terror. It was... Inhuman. Mortifying to be so close to some who easily could've just snap your neck like a mere match. He never was so scared in his entire life. "I... I..." He mustered like a frightened kid. And then something curious happend.

Another splinter, prickling at the inner side of his mouth, bring him back to the world of living. He clinged to the match. The smell of sulfur. The woody, oily texture. He assumed position yet again, trembling slightly and took a deep breath. "Again!" He screamed, deciding to fight for his honor.
(Romulus Aethern)
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[21:11] Selena Nokamata says, "Just try and move..."
[21:12] {Won Restrained RPB against Romulus Aethern}
[21:23] "--and again, we shall." she agreed, picking up her hand to snap her fingers. The snap seemed out too close for Romulus' ears, given she had some distance on him. It was even as though, it willed his eyes to blink.
In an instant, he was... Across the arena? How? No... Was he facing off against.... Himself? But--

A glimpse down would reveal a feminine physique, curves fitted within leather padded armor?

'Again!' He'd hear, in his own voice! A glimpse up would reveal his own person charging forth the battle for honor. Through the battle, the true Romulus would feel the body he battled within almost working in auto-pilot, as it was never his own. He was witnessing this all from Selena's point of view.

… Or at least, from the perspective she demanded of it -- however warped it'd be. Soar abroad they'd try, bolts of lightning would just knick them amidst every attempted evasion. It was as thoughthey just weren't fast enough.
The gun shots shredded at the armor padding, skimming their skin. A grunt and stagger, but still they'd struggle onward. A Romulus-piloted Selena reached out to conjure fulmination of her own to meet the image of Romulus they'd conflict against. Two... Lightning magi? No, if it wasn't assumed by now, this was just another layer of illusionism. Though, illusions couldn't un-will the influence of lightning... Could it?

A doppelganger of them would surface... Was that... The true Selena? It leaped into the fray, only to see a gun shot pierce its being, fizzling out of existence just as swiftly as it came into it. No, it was just a clone.
A blink, and lightning speed unveiled Romulus' image before the true Romulus piloting Selena's body. Their rifle lowered to the pilot's face, looking onward as they perceived the battle to be won.

Yet, for some reason... This version of him did not seem so keen on leaving it at this. Their finger crawled back on the trigger, with the piloted Selena looking up the barrel to witness one grand flash.

The End.

An alabaster sheet coated over what grotesque fate may've held one over in the world of the living. All that was, was silence...
Solace for once...
Peace and quiet, to truly process everything that had just occurred.

Before another blink...

Romulus was, back where he was -- having just assumed his position for a rematch! Was all of that... Not real? An illusion?
Selena levitated just where she had before all of the shenanigans took place... As though:

"None of it happened." she clarified, as though to truly hammer the final nail in.
"The battle ended before it even started."
(Selena Nokamata)
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[21:39] He dropped his rifle. The weapon calmly returned to his side, bolt worked open, magazine empty, chamber still letting out a trail of smoke. His shaking hands were exhausted from the fight, managing the recoil, resetting the trigger, working the bolt yet... He was there. Shaking. In the same place he mustered the courage to fight back. His hands were stiff, as if made of granite. A cold stone. His shirt was drenched with sweat, eyes staring at the woman.

He tried to say something, yet only pathetic, quiet squeak ascaped his mouth. He was struggling to stand, feeling as if someone just bashed his skull in and stirred his brain with a spoon. He saw himself killing her. Yet... It was like a nightmare. An all too real nightmare.

Romulus would only nod at her words, still partially paralysed, yet gathering the strenght to wipe the sweat from his face. "I... I want to go home." He half-whispered, not even daring to take a step forward or backwards.


(Romulus Aethern)
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[21:47] Selena couldn't help but crack up.
"Heheheh, don't give in like that now!" she held her staff out to her side, engulfing it whole in alabaster to deform its very image. Through will, she deformed its façade back to its former impromptu shape of her walking cane-torch contraption.

"At least, now you know I'm not helpless." she claimed...
Despite all of this, she did not descend back to the ground. In fact, it seemed as though this ascension thing was a very one-way kinda street.

"That said, I have a proper gauge on your fighting ability. You have power, but clearly not very avid against slight-of-hand tactics... It probably was a tad bit overkill on my part, but I have a decent idea of where your resolve stands." she claimed, "--and it needs some work, but it'll do for now." This sparring session indoors certainly gave her some handle on this flying thing, in which she took advantage of as she gentle soared for the southern entrance.

"Come... The search continues."
(Selena Nokamata)
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