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- [20:38] Siegfried says, "..."
- [20:39] Sors Ultovex says, "'spose it ain't real matta."
- [20:39] Sors Ultovex says, "Tha'll do."
- [20:39] Blaire frowns.
- (Blaire Blackburn)
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- [20:39] Siegfried whispers: That's Blaire!
- [20:39] Sors Ultovex says, "Hand it here."
- [20:40] Cassandra gives the corpses.
- (Cassandra Invidia)
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- [20:40] Yandir asks, "Hear yee, friends! Would one of you possibly be acquainted to a Famfrit?"
- [20:40] Sors Ultovex says, "Ya."
- [20:40] Blaire Blackburn says, "Wh-"
- [20:40] Yandir asks, "Is he around, as of now?"
- [20:40] Cassandra Invidia says, "No! I saw him near from here not long ago tough."
- [20:40] Blaire looks up.
- (Blaire Blackburn)
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- [20:40] Yandir says, "And sorry for intruding, of course."
- [20:40] Yandir asks, "Hrm. Should I wait...?"
- [20:40] Esme leans back against the wall, eyeing Cassandra. Though her attention is grabbed when Yandir and Siegfried appear. Looking upward, she listens to them go back and forth with Sors about a certain masked individual.
- (Esme Rowan)
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- [20:40] Holz Lendora says, "If you'd like."
- [20:40] Holz Lendora says, "Doubt he has anything else to do currently."
- [20:41] Yandir says, "I'd guess otherwise, with how intense his propaganda has been. But I'm glad to know."
- [20:42] Luna was looking around, expectantly. Specifically towards the back of the group, or well, over.
- (Luna Invidia)
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- [20:43] The Ultovexian would draw a claw up. Occultic needles would stab into the ice, shattering it down as the corpse would be removed from the block. Dusk and Aurum stared at the creature, the lifestream screaming out in pain as purple and pale green would shimmer. A table was slowly produced from the rift, and from there, the corpse would be set on top.
- "Tell someone something, they'll forget it. Make someone do something, they'll remember. Kitsune. Ya are gon dissect tha' corpse. Both ya an' him pay attention. Tha' first thang I want ya ta do is take a scalpel out an' slice open tha' back. I want ya ta find tha' spine an' vertebrae."
- "Blaire, ya watch too. It'll b important fer ya ta hav' a view o' a body. Ya will also b tha' one responsible fer stitchin' it back togetha."
- The blue eye of his staff looked back up the cliff.
- "Who wants ta know an' why."
- (Sors Ultovex)
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- [20:44] Blaire Blackburn says, "I-"
- [20:47] Cassandra Invidia says, "Mom."
- [20:47] Cassandra Invidia says, "Can you hold my baby for me please."
- [20:47] Luna Invidia says, "Of course."
- [20:47] Luna reaches out to gently take the little babble.
- (Luna Invidia)
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- [20:48] Cassandra yeet the baby
- (Cassandra Invidia)
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- [20:48] Cassandra gently hands the baby in her mother's arms
- (Cassandra Invidia)
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- [20:48] Cassandra Invidia says, "ok@ Let's do this."
- [20:48] Siegfried stands there atop the cliff, a hand on his hip as he looks down and at gathering of folk. Primarily, he notices the presence of Blaire, of all people.
- And he realizes what the hell it is that they're doing. The table with the corpse that rises up, to be dissected infront of a fifteen year old girl.
- "SORS! WHAT THE HELL IS GOIN' ON HERE?"
- Any attempt that was being made at diplomacy goes to fucking Hell in that moment. Even if it meant him placing himself solely at risk, without being able to bank on Yandir at all, he refuses to sit there as Blaire is molded in any capacity into this.
- "Blaire, step away. Right now."
- (Siegfried)
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- [20:48] Esme gives Melody a brief wave, followed by a smile.
- (Esme Rowan)
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- [20:48] Melody walks into the area... that is so many people...
- (Melody Ultovex)
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- [20:49] Yandir smiles, eager for Sors' words. From the whole bunch, he certainly seemed the most imposing- but poor, gullible Yandir was extremely unblown to all things that mattered in the political array of Agartha and its prudential peers.
- He crouches, leaning forward so that Ultovex could have a better glimpse of his face.
- "I am Yandir Kavira, my good sir. I've heard, from invitees of Famfrit himself -who I was already acquainted with-, that he has been gathering agitators, mutineers and frondeurs! "And what is it that every outcast like me seeks, after all?""
- The lad's face darkens, and the light simper across his simples becomes slightly foxier- direly sl-
- And then Siegfried interrupts him.
- "What the Hel?"
- (Yandir)
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- [20:49] Pom wonders why people are so upset about a dead squirrel.
- (Pom)
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- [20:49] Blaire found it difficult to focus her attention.
- It didn't help that the Ultovex utilized his stress inducing Rift magic as well. The two on the hill (or maybe just one of them) were a little concerning to Blaire for some reason.
- When beckoned to look at the corpse, Blaire grimaces. "I don't- I don't think I can watch-" But when Siegfried barks her name, she flinches a little.
- Even some sweat forms on her forehead, despite the icy environment.
- Oh gosh, oh frick. Blaire stands, but that's all she does.
- What should she do?
- (Blaire Blackburn)
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- [20:49] Blaire Blackburn says, "..."
- [20:49] Siegfried didn't realize it was a squirrel, but Blaire's presence here would concern him just as much regardless.
- (Siegfried)
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- [20:52] Esme reaches into her cloak's inner pocket, taking out a small ebony finished wooden cigarette holder. At the end she placed a silk-cut cigarette and lit the end with a wave of her hand.
- (Esme Rowan)
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- [20:59] Melody looks around at the chaos... The womans hums briefly and looks to Luna... She simply waves hello.
- (Melody Ultovex)
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- [21:00] Luna returns the wave while still holding her grandchild. Smiling sweetly!
- (Luna Invidia)
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- [21:01] The kitsune would gently take the scalpel that has been handed by the Lord Ultovex. She only shows the tips of the blade as she takes the Squirrel's corpse that and put it on the table. She would use her index and her thumb to center her concentration into the squirrel's vertebrae.
- Then she would gently approaches the scalpel, then only with very gentle slices, she cuts the skin over the back of the corpse. She would be very gentle, because else it would not work, she could break it's back OR it would literally not cut precisely enough to do it well. To the back of it's neck at it's back, so the vertebrae could be totally accessible.
- It is as she created a slice over it's back that she uses her index and her thumb to separates the skin, so she can have access to the spine and the vertebrae.
- " Ok, now we can see it. ", there would only be a slight amount of blood, due the fact that the corpse was frozen.
- (Cassandra Invidia)
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- [21:07] The Ultovexian Lord's eyes narrowed as the sound of a loud yell filled his surroundings. He shook his head. "I'm teachin'." He said simply. "If someone pays fer tha' class, I teach. Now simmer down, it's hard ta do a job wit' interuptions." Sors said simply. The blue eye of his staff looked towards Blaire.
- "Then don't. If ya ain't want ta learn how ta stitch wounds up, don't pay 'ttention. Tha' can b a part o' Cassandra's lesson instead." He spoke simply, turning back to face the table and what was in front of him.
- "I'll let Famfrit know ya was here, Yandir. O' he mite dash by. Feel free ta wait 'round, I ain't chasin' anyone out while I'm at work."
- With the interuptions having passed, he turned back fully his attention to the table. He would watch as the Kitsune took the scapel and closely held onto the squirrel's vertebrae. The slice was gentle, slow, exposing the spine, which was good. He didn't hold the desire to see it destroyed.
- "Can ya see tha' spine? Tha's one o' the four important parts. The spine gives it motor function. Tha's wha' let's it move 'round. Now, turn it ov'r. Tha' next important part is the brain. The spine connects to the brain stem, an' I find it's easiest to go from one to the other. To do that, you will need to see the skull."
- A tiny hammer is produced from a pocket, held out to Cassandra. "Fer bes' viewin', use this hammer ta shatter tha' skull."
- (Sors Ultovex)
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- [21:08] Pom softly buzzes as she shifts around moving to Sors' hat since the flower had vanished to watch.
- (Pom)
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- [21:11] A heavy, weary bead of sweat run aslant and steady across Yandir's forehead. The altercation between Sors and his former son-in-law (?) seemed to go far from what the sarradian had expected to unfold, and his uneasy, embarrassed front seemed a strongly evident denotation of it.
- "Of... course, gentleman."
- He slowly turns to Siegfried, eyes bulged and bloodshot, as if they beckoned for the ashen-haired lad to keep his composure and calm, for whatever this was worth.
- (Yandir)
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- [21:12] Being dismissed in this way was...angering. Sors wasn't an easy man to come by, naturally. You had to stalk around to find him, and there were a lot of things that Siegfried'd been looking for him for, to inquire about.
- But...as usual with Sors, things were not what he had expected. He slides down the cliff-face, so that he's closer to the thick of things, closer to Blaire. A hand would descend on her shoulder, then, and he has some harsh words to her, that he whispers angrily.
- Afterward, he looks to Sors and asks his question.
- "How many coins, then, for you to tell me where to find Rindou Sakamoto?" He asks.
- Siegfried was very persistent.
- (Siegfried)
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- [21:13] Siegfried whispers: Get the hell out o' here, right now, and if I see you anywhere near Sors again, I'll beat the tar outta' ya'.
- [21:14] Blaire Blackburn says, "..."
- [21:14] Setsuna Ukitake says, "This is quite the gathering we have here."
- [21:15] Melody glances to the blonde girl, then to Siegfried. She steps closer and folds her arms, watching him.
- (Melody Ultovex)
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- [21:18] Blaire twitches.
- Though she did want to learn, there were more pressing matters to pay attention to, such as the hand on her shoulder and whatever words Siegfried whispers. At first she looked at him with confusion- disbelief, even, but slowly she looked more angry and afraid, actually.
- If not stopped, Blaire would abruptly move forward, past the crowd, her movements so hurried that she almost trips over her own footing.
- There were a second pair of footsteps that followed her in the snow as well.
- (Blaire Blackburn)
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- [21:18] Nemaniti snagged onto Blaire's shirt, to take that opportunity to abscond!
- (Nemaniti)
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- [21:18] Melody leans in closer. She utters a few whispers of her own.
- (Melody Ultovex)
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- [21:19] Melody Ultovex whispers: Do not disturb my lord again. It suggests you will be a problem.
- [21:19] Melody pulls herself back and glances to the necromancy lessons at large, then to blaire as she departs from her side.
- (Melody Ultovex)
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- [21:20] The Kitsune would gently put the scalpel over the table then take the little hammer given by Sors in her left hand. Then she would grab the Squirrel's head with her index and her thumb to show the skull.
- She would with her thumb find the cerebellum and hide it with her thumb. Then just a centimeter over it, she gave a simple and gentle hit. It would not work... She gave another one, but a little over it. It would not break... She gave one... Two… Three... Until a Crack! could be heard. Then she continue again, but a little over that spot so the brain would be more visible.
- She does the same thing until she hears the slight cracking sound of it's skull. Then she puts the hammer away to grab the scalpel and then cuts the skin over the skull. She shows the blade of the scalpel, pointing it over the skull of the squirrel at the precentral gyrus, the makes only very slight and gentle slide over the skin to show the brain. she cuts until she gets to the Cerebellum.
- She would with her index and her thumb, pull away the skin so the brain is visible.
- " Now I can see the brain. "
- (Cassandra Invidia)
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- [21:21] Holz Lendora whispers something.
- [21:23] Cassandra she OBVIOUSLY didn't forgot to remove the bone fragments.
- (Cassandra Invidia)
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- [21:24] And just like that, as if she were here the whole time, the Fourfold Captain materialized in front of the group. Sitting beside Esme, light blues settling on the form of Sors.
- A smirk present on her features all the while.
- "You aren't the only one capable of using these libations. They taste quite gross though, if I'm being honest."
- Folding her arms over one another, her gaze shifts between all present. Familiar faces littered with unfamiliar ones. Perhaps foolish, yet the Qilin's bravery knew no bounds.
- "It's been a while, Sors Ultovex. I couldn't help but speak up, seeing as Ms. Sakamoto was mentioned. You see, I'm here for something similar."
- (Setsuna Ukitake)
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- [21:24] The man seemingly woke up, his eyes had opened a little more and he no longer looked sluggish as before. Holz went through his satchel, unveiling a journal in which he kept most, if not all of his research notes. There was really no reason, it was more like a diary than anything... He seemingly opened up to a random page before eyeballing the whole scenario, watching the Invidia really gently tear through the frigid squirrel's vertebrae. He had already dissected a rabbit once and had been told this lesson before but that was only from a trainee's perspective.. The knowledge he was told now was far greater in capacity and told in much more detail.
- Nonetheless, Holz scribbled away in his journal, occasionally flicking his attention between his writing and the corpse itself. Watching this play out in public, on top of the mountains was... A surreal experience on it's own. The man kinda just watched it all happen.
- As the brain was exposed, the Lendora wondered if it was the right idea to bring the Invidia's mother along for the trip. Even questioning his own sanity after the array of misadventures he'd gone through.- Despite all that, he continued to sketch out all he surveyed. He was just about finishing his drawing of a brain too.
- "Wow. Small."
- (Holz Lendora)
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- [21:26] Melody blinks a few times... she turns to her right and stares at.... Setsuna... Here of all places. How long as this Qilin been standing here?
- (Melody Ultovex)
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- [21:26] Melody Ultovex says, "... Hello again..."
- [21:28] The mother's attention remained mostly on the little Jun she carried, aware of the class being taught yet it didn't impede on Luna's current mood. As if it was all natural to the woman, the company was a plus, she was rather happy to see new or familiar faces.
- Softly humming as the mother radiated a low heat for the child, ensuring their wraps were secure and very comfortable for the baby.
- (Luna Invidia)
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- [21:29] Holz Lendora whispers something.
- [21:29] Holz Lendora whispers something.
- [21:29] Holz Lendora whispers something.
- [21:30] Holz Lendora whispers something.
- [21:30] Holz Lendora whispers something.
- [21:30] "Unfortunately fer ya'll, tha' ain't information I'm givin' rite now." The Ultovexian spoke simply to the two pronged attack of the Qilin and former reporter. The blue eye of the staff looked between them all. "Now, if ya want mor'? Ya jus' gon hav' ta wait ya turn." He spoke dismissively to them all, almost paying them no mind as his attention swayed back to the table.
- "I'm busy."
- Dusk and Aurum are focused on the skull instead. As the fragments of bones were heard cracking, he gave an ever slight nod. The hammer was pulled away and the scalpel began to slice the skin and he shook his head. "Should do it tha' opposite way. If ya shatter tha' skull, first, ya mite break tha' brain. Ya need ta get a betta view o' where tha' brain is located, so ya cut tha' skin first."
- "Ya also ain't want bone fragments innit. Ya will want ta remove them. The brain gives memories an' is where the thoughts begin. After tha' brain, tha' nex' important organ is the heart."
- "I'd like ya ta slice down tha' chest, and look fer tha' squirrel's heart."
- The eyes darted to Holz. "Ya. Tha' brain o' a squirrel gon b small. Like mos' organs innit too. Make sur' ta pay 'ttention."
- (Sors Ultovex)
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- [21:36] With a slight expression of surprise to his face, staring bewilderedly at the new arrivals, Yandir opted to simply watch their criss-cross range of interactions unveil and roll on as they saw fit. Rather than following his own advice and dipping away, however, the lad simply sat by the cliff's edge, rocking the hell of his boot against the rocky canvas that ran athwart its walls.
- He watched, expectantly- at this rate, things were long out of his control, regardless of the motives that sparked and fueled their discussion onwards.
- (Yandir)
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- [21:36] Yandir says, "the heel*"
- [21:38] Siegfried...actually...cannot believe that even after Setsuna has emerged, and it's clear why they have arrived, Sors still just carries on teaching his lesson. The gathered surrounding him seem perfectly complacent in just kind of watching that lesson, as well. It's all quite the conundrum.
- In fact, so dumbstruck is he, the man just stands there, mouth agape, all of his anger, frustration, and vicious determination kind of...deflating. It's like he's a balloon, and you could see the air escaping his body as Sors seems intent to carry on what he'd been doing like they just weren't even here.
- His head cranes to Setsuna, and then Yandir, as if he were trying to gauge how they were feeling about the situation. Melody's words, for the most part, are played no mind. Siegfried's sole concern is what he'd come for.
- He lets that steer his course, works himself back into a state of irritation. His eyes emanate an ethereal blue light, and he steps forward, and kicks, trying to flip over the table upon which the delicate work was taking place.
- Now hopefully having finally got Sors's attention, he looks the man dead in the eye, back to Melody as cyan wisps float around him, emitting an effervescent light.
- "I know who killed Clara," he deadpans. "That ain't important enough to ya'?"
- (Siegfried)
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- [21:40] "I wasn't aware that we needed to make an appointment, all things considered."
- The Qilin remains sitting next to Esme, light blues shifting from the fire itself to Sors. It was a very odd situation, considering how things had left off during their last encounter.
- Her gaze, however, then shifts to the form of Melody Ultovex.
- "It's been a while, miss. I hope you've been well. And I hope you can understand, Ms. Sakamoto is a dear friend of mine. I would hate to see her harmed, or worse..."
- The gaze of the Qilin snapped back towards the older Ultovex, before she sighed and came to a tall stand.
- "I need Ms. Sakamot-"
- Setsuna pauses, upon hearing Siegfried's question. Waiting to see if it would give some sort of reaction.
- (Setsuna Ukitake)
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- [21:41] The Kitsune would nod at the Lord's teaching. She will remember that. " Understood. ", she says before turning the squirrel's body on the other side. so the chest would be visible.
- She would with her right hand, with her index and her thumb spread the arms. then under the rib cage, she makes a single slice, so the heart could now be visible from under the rib cage.
- She would spread the skin with her thumb and her index so we could totally see the heart.
- " I can see it. ", she affirms.
- (Cassandra Invidia)
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- [21:43] There was a lot of activity up in the mountains today. Yet again the same lecture is engrained into Holz's head, the spine allows the body to move, the brain is needed for... Thoughts and general memories. Now it was time for the heart to be exposed into the world. He was glad that Cassandra had a bit of knowledge in the world of medicine or else this dissection might've gone awry a long time ago.
- With every other person trying to grasp Sors' attention, he couldn't help himself from sighing. Once more he would draw... A heart, although there was a question in his mind. He didn't know who this Clara was but he considered the class more important,
- "Is it possible to... Replace any of these organs? Like if the heart is damaged and unable to be fixed."
- (Holz Lendora)
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- [21:51] The first thing that draws his attention is the kick of the table. It was jostled, disturbing the Wildcard's work as Dusk and Aurum narrowed ever so slightly. The blue eye of the Whispering Eye glared at Siegfried as he spoke those words.
- "I hav' an engagement now. Clara is dead. She ain't comin' back a second time. Now wait ya damn turn."
- And from that point, he turned away from Siegfried. Setsuna given even less, only a glance before Lord Ultovex once more returned to his work, ignoring the rest of the painful world.
- "Tha' heart beats mana through tha' body. Tha's the primiary functionality that it'll hav'. Tha' heart mos' easily connects ta the spine, an' mana can then float downwards from tha' heart ta the stomach. Tha'll b the next organ ya want ta take a look at." His arms crossed over his chest, as dead eyes stared towards the work.
- "It is possible ta replace organs. All ya need is one tha' functions tha' same way. It's similar ta ma own eye on tha' reguard. S'long as ya know how ta properly attach tha' flesh, it'll connect an' properly function, same as any normal."
- (Sors Ultovex)
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- [21:53] And with that, Siegfried is actually, truly, well and good...out of options. He has exhausted all possible avenues and routes to grasp the attention of the Ultovexian Lord, who it seemed was significantly harder to bait into a confrontation than Isaac Shimasu.
- Being that he did everything in his power, the man's eyes dim. The cyan wisps he'd conjured up are gone. The wind stops throttling around him like a vacuum vortex. All of the magical augmentation the swordsman had fired up and got ready to go...is just diminished to nothingness, leaving a homeless-looking vagrant seating himself in a chair like everyone else.
- If Setsuna or Yandir were to look to him, he'd just shrug.
- (Siegfried)
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- [21:53] Pom goez to sleep.
- (Pom)
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- [21:53] You learned the spell Mana Surge.
- [21:56]
- {LOAD GAME}
- [21:57] "Very well."
- It was said awkwardly, yet the Qilin did not move to take a seat again. Instead, she remained standing, her gaze never leaving the form of the Ultovex.
- If he required time to... teach medicine? Was it wise to disturb it, given the situation?
- "I will wait, but this better be good."
- Electricity sparked from the crown of her staff, snapping at the burning fire itself, causing sparks to fly in all directions. Not enough to hurt anyone, yet it would cause a racket all the while.
- An adverse effect of her staff and emotions coming together, it would seem.
- (Setsuna Ukitake)
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- [21:58] You learned the spell Mana Overcast.
- [22:02] The Kitsune would make a slight nod as she listen to Sors speaking. She didn't know that the heart distribute the mana. Now it makes sense, since she uses her blood to scribe runes.
- Well, now her attention would be brought back to the squirrel's corpse. she already cutted a reasonable amount of skin over it's chest, yet she would cut again until she gets to the belly button then she would spread the liver with the back of her scalpel's blade, so she would not hurt the vital organs. it is as she moves the liver slightly that the stomach could be seen.
- " I think that's the stomach. "
- (Cassandra Invidia)
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- [22:04] Holz was simply entranced by the lesson. His focus on the outside world disappeared, with all the effort Siegfried placed into his magic and questioning, seeking the attention of Sors Ultovex it was sad to see it go to waste. Although, Holz could be none the happier as he was able to continue studying Azrael's holy arts. That is what this was all about anyway. The Lendora quickly jotted down the Adjudicator's words, glad that his question was answered.
- Once more, the man continued to peer into Cassandra's handiwork, sketching what he saw and adding his own little remarks to it.
- "Have you never seen one before, Cass?" He arched a brow.
- (Holz Lendora)
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- [22:05] The woman stares blankly as the table is kicked and Siegfried proclaims his knowledge of just who murdered Clara. Briefly, the woman looks him over for any signs of a weapon. "I told you not to disturb him." She states, her eyes scrutinizing the man. Whatever punishment he deserves would be dealt with soon enough.
- A simple rule of this mountain. No fighting.
- Without permission.
- (Melody Ultovex)
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- [22:10] There was something about the Wildcard, which simply shut things down. It was a heavy feeling, like nothing mattered, like everything was suppressed. The pain could be felt, but it was pushed onto others instead of forced on him. This smoldering feeling pressed down on Siegfried and Setsuna, them extinguished from his mind.
- And finally, he watched as the stomach was revealed. The Ultovexian would give an affirmative nod.
- "Tha' stomach is divided inta two separate parts. There's tha' large intestine an' tha' small intestine. They're the foodtracts where energy is displaced from tha' body. The same way, it's a mana well, filled with mana which tha' heart then displaces around tha' body. Easy 'nough ta understand?"
- "Tha's the basic four. Now," His hand moved to his pocket, removing some suture and thread. "Sew it all togetha. Ya need ta learn ta make wounds an'replace 'em. Then nex' lesson I'll teach ya mor' 'bout this subject. But fer now, this is tha' same point where I had ma first lesson stop. Nex' lesson I want ya'll ta bring ma several corpses. Squirrels, birds, tha' sort o' thang."
- (Sors Ultovex)
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- [22:16] It was the same lingering sensation that she had felt those few years ago. Yet unlike before, the Qilin had matured significantly. Fighting through his chaotic forces, biting her lower lip.
- Light blues watching, waiting. Cassandra was a friend, after all.
- "Mm."
- Barely audible, awaiting his finish.
- (Setsuna Ukitake)
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- [22:18] Siegfried crosses his legs, one over the other. Awkwardly, he looks down, twiddling his thumbs, and just stares at them.
- He looks over to Setsuna, feeling that stifling pressure Sors could emit, but able to shrug off most of it's effect, at this point. He does, however, get the memo.
- That sensation that sets over him, regardless of whether he could resist it or not, keeps him from feeling comfortable. Its oppressive weight sinks down onto him, and he just sort of...lets it.
- The alcoholic sighs.
- He should've drank before he came here.
- (Siegfried)
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- [22:20] And with that, the lesson was over. For the last time, Holz would scribble something into his notebook before closing it shut. The man's eyes closed as well, trying to remember what he had learned in his head without the use of the journal. Brain, spine, heart and stomach... The most essential parts of the body, replaceable, gladly. They all served a different purpose but even the loss of one would leave the aspirant in trouble as they could not continue the ritual. He took a deep breath and opened his eyes as he exhaled.
- There was a smile on his face, but a question had to be answered before it wasn't their turn anymore. "We'd have to give you another potion for another lesson, right?"
- (Holz Lendora)
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- [22:21] The Kitsune would gently put the scalpel over the table. Then center her attention into the Wildcard's explanations. She nods as an affirmation to all of this and then she took notes of it. " Mhm! I understand! ", then her bright golden gaze would now be centered on it's direction again as she show nothing but a light smile.
- " Thank you Lord. ", she pauses. " I will make sure to bring enough corpses next time. ", she affirms and let him continue with the others.
- She would not stop herself to salute the Qilin with a slight wave of her left hand.
- (Cassandra Invidia)
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- [22:22] Takes the cigarette holder from her mouth, a stream of smoke expelled through her nostrils shortly after.
- Esme had remained mostly silent the entire time, her sienna gaze simply darting to focus on each person in the group speaking, and remaining trained on Cassandra's lesson in between that. Leant against the cliff face, her free hand remained tucked into her pocket to avoid the cold.
- (Esme Rowan)
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- [22:25] The question seemed to catch him slightly. "I'd prefer 'em. Consider it a donation, but I'll b doin' tha' nex' lesson reguardless o' tha' payment. Third lesson, mite charge 'gain fer tain." The Ultovexian would give a haphazard nod.
- "Bring as many as ya think ya will require ta get it right. An' feel free ta stay 'round tha' mountaintop s'long as ya observe tha' rule."
- "There is ta b no violence up here. Ya want ta challenge tha', talk ta Physa. He's tha king." With all said and done he would turn around, looking towards the fire. He stretched in his seat.
- "One lesson done."
- (Sors Ultovex)
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- [22:26] Holz nods.
- (Holz Lendora)
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- [22:26] Holz Lendora says, "Appreciate it, sir."
- [22:27] Cassandra Invidia says, "Understood."
- [22:28] Cassandra Invidia says, "Thank you again. Farewell."
- [22:28] Cassandra Invidia whispers something.
- [22:28] Holz drops one singular piece of wood on the floor and sits right next to it.
- (Holz Lendora)
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- [22:29] "It was a pleasure seeing you, Cassandra. I wish I could speak more, but I'm afraid that I'm here on Fourfold business."
- With that, the woman unstrapped Telaman, before her light blues shifted to the form of Sors Ultovex. Those blues turned unnaturally bright, soon followed by her leylines flaring in similar fashion.
- Not attacking, merely showing that she wasn't defenseless.
- "Sors Ultovex-"
- The Qilin inhaled sharply, before moving around those gathered at the fire. Fighting through the pain, the horrible sensations, in order to come face to face to the man.
- "I demand the release of Rindou Sakamoto. You slaughtered innocents at the shrine, you kidnapped my friend. Where is she?"
- (Setsuna Ukitake)
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- [22:31] Cassandra Invidia exclaims, "Come on Holz! Let's go!"
- [22:31] Holz sighs, reluctantly following.
- (Holz Lendora)
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- [22:31] Holz Lendora says, "Ok..."
- [22:32] Siegfried, for his part, silently stares at Sors. He remains drooped in the chair, a bottle of liquor in his hand, his gaze affixed to the Ultovex man. With his slouch, his posture, nothing really indicates that he'd be ready to fight, as Setsuna prepared to be, if need be.
- Nothing but those eyes. His gaze is very intense.
- (Siegfried)
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- [22:34] "Sors, was it? I will be frank-"
- Yandir's face became somber, long unobstructed by the feigned layers of pleasantry that layered over his expression. It was stern, austere and serious now- much unlike the young lad's usually brighter, dupe demeanor.
- "If it is violence that you fear, then rest easy knowing is not for that we have come for, however-"
- His feet glue to the cliff's edge, and he leans forward, resisting gravity- bent diagonally across the shallow chasm where they sat.
- "We need Rindou."
- (Yandir)
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- [22:37] "It ain't violence from ya'll I fear. As a matta o' fact? I'm almos' certain it ain't gon come ta tha'. The moment one o' ya swings a weapon at ma? I'm neva gon talk ta ya 'gain. Gon' make a whole lot o' thangs futile fer ya'll."
- The Qilin is the one who does the most approaching, coming to his right side. Dusk and Aurum do not look at her. Their gaze remained on the fire.
- "Hurt ma, an' ya hav' no way ta even obtain wha' ya'll want. An' mor' then tha'? A chance ya'll ain't gon catch ma in tha' first place."
- "Now, wha' can ya offer ma fer her location?"
- (Sors Ultovex)
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- [22:40] "All three of you will be arrested, in that case. Can you all flee, I wonder?"
- The Qilin's gaze shifts between each person present, before it narrows back to Sors. It seemed that she was desperate, given the fact that Rindou had been gone for quite a long while.
- "I have little reason to believe any of you. All I know is that Ms. Sakamoto was kidnapped, those in the shrines were slaughtered or injured. You two are as good associate as any, I imagine. Refugees of Dusk as well, I wonder what the Lord Shogun would have to say."
- Pouring mana into the ground, vines soon snapped through the barren snow, attempting to root Esme, Melody, and Sors all in place. Aggression and hostility clear this time.
- "You will face the judgement of the Emperor."
- (Setsuna Ukitake)
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- [22:42] Melody remains sat on the chair with folded arms.
- By her side an overbearingly warm Daemon ignites the fireplace before her, setting the air ablaze with waves of scalding heat. The revelation that these three had come together should not have been a surprise to her, but all the same. It took courage or stupidity for them to walk up here.
- "This is the first I have heard of someone being kidnapped." She comments after Setsune makes the threat of apprehension. Melody shows complete indifference. "You've been busy." Without her, it seemed. What was that she said to him before? Oh, it'll come to her mind.
- Again and again.
- (Melody Ultovex)
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- [22:42] Melody also casts a bubble of exorcism around herself... she is cut off from the warmth of the fire...
- (Melody Ultovex)
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- [22:47] The assault had come as a surprise- but perhaps not so much? Qilins were, after all, creatures of zealot resolve and drive. At first, Yandir winces, but he is not beneath realizing when a dialogue shifts into a bout.
- "I am afraid we have little to offer, if you must make such a request."
- A hop forth, a gesture- the chakram across his back is magnetized off its harness, hovering beside the young man. It crackles with power and brims with such intensity the reservoirs of essence within it flow outward, seeping golden unto the ground.
- As Esme and Melody too are rooted, he keeps tabs on all three, jutting the range of his weapon forth. There was a strange, intense hum to its gyrating- as if an instrument was capable of holding life and exhaling vigor and a want for strife. Closer inspection, though, would reveal it was the bright, vivid emanation of gilt potency that emanated from Yandir that fueled this aberrant behavior.
- (Yandir)
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- [22:50] Siegfried...knows that every word Sors speaks is true, frankly. He'd seen firsthand the speed at which the Ultovexian Lord could move.
- The fact of the matter was, they were at an impasse, a stalemate, one could call it, nearly. One that Setsuna broke. Shattered, really. Any façade that they'd even attempt a resolution with anything other than authoritarian force is shoved out of the window, and Siegfried is ready when the moment comes.
- For he stands, tall, and as he does, the very spirits envelop him, vibrant, glittering, glistening, and blue. Those wisps like gorgeous, delicate fireflies return, ebbing from him and into the world like from him sprung a valve of raw spiritual pressure.
- A hand runs through his hair.
- "I told ya' the day'd come soon that we stared each other down like this."
- Momentarily, his eye glimpses his father's sister, Esme. Then, it flicks right on back, locking onto Melody, who seemed to be ignoring Setsuna's attempt to bind her in place. He thinks of, but does not look to his two companions, instead allowing himself to draw from the world around him.
- And then he allows himself to think of the outcome, and what it could entail.
- "You don't have much left, Sors. How many bridges can ya' burn, how many people can ya' lose, before there's nothing left? Even Undead only got twice to live."
- His hands sweep to Melody and Esme, but he doesn't look at them. He looks only at Sors. His weapon is still on his back.
- "You'd leave them with us?"
- (Siegfried)
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- [22:57] As the mana pours through the snow and vines erupt, rifts open. Arrows fire through them, puncturing the vines that would only bind his feet as the Wildcard slowly would come up and stand.
- "I real hate rule breakers. Yandir was it? An' Siegfried. I'll giv' ya an option."
- "I'm 'bout ta fight Setsuna here. If ya both sit ta tha side, I'll talk ta ya after. But we will hav' ta get a change o' location. If ya both join tha' fight, I'll jus' leave." The staff tapped the floor as occultism could be felt festering.
- And then he turns. "An' here's a lil spoiler. Neither o' 'em know her location. Ya could truth potion 'em an' ask 'em all tha' questions ya want. They hav' not seen her."
- "I think I said it best when I was in Dusk square. I fight ma bes' alone. A war where ma side can hav' only one possible casualty. A side wit' no chance fer hostages."
- He cackled.
- "This is a war ya simply lack tha ability ta win."
- (Sors Ultovex)
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- [23:03] "I think I made myself clear, Mr. Ultovex. I hereby place all three of you under arrest. For the kidnapping of Rindou Sakamoto, as well as the aggression against the shrines."
- Setsuna's gaze flickered to her allies, offering them both a nod, before glancing at those seated at the flames.
- "All of you are welcome to a trial, overseen by Isaac Shimasu and Calista Shimasu, I imagine. You will have plenty of time to plead your case there."
- The Qilin does not relent, her right gauntlet extending forwards. It brims brightly, golden energy swirling around her right hand and palm. Telaman held in her left hand, as more vines materialize and break through the ground.
- "Do you intend on abandoning these two to save yourself? Seeing that you're a coward, I would expect it."
- A wicked smile, before she pursues!
- (Setsuna Ukitake)
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- [23:04] "Sorry, Sors."
- Screw it.
- Siegfried decides that there is no better option than to call Sors's bluff. To risk it all, right here, and right now.
- "I don' negotiate with terrorists. Not anymore."
- The man raises up, and then, he moves, fast. His aim is to apprehend Melody and Esme with his two companions, assuming that they'd be unable to find Sors. Frankly? He doesn't give a damn about Rindou - that likely factors into the decision, at least a touch. She had never done him any favors, in any capacity, and in fact, she had actively conspired against him with Isaac. Clara's initial death could actually be stated to be partially Rindou's fault.
- His sword is massive, and, just like Taiga before him, he demonstrates monstrous strength, able to heave it with casual ease at Esme's head. His great speed aids him from there, able to seemingly vanish,reappear, and grab the sword before it struck the wall, incase she evaded it-
- Which was almost a certainty.
- And then he's hacking, slashing, at Melody, at Esme, at Sors himself if he sticks around.
- Guns fucking blazing.
- (Siegfried)
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- [23:08] Sors' perseverance and willingness to fight in such a gaudy, lone way draws a degree of admiration from Yandir, but it is mixed with a tint of loathing.
- "A piece of advice, Sors- it matters little if your lack of reliance on others is a strength, for it is also a weakness. There is so much you can do and, eventually, you will fade and be swept by the wind. A footnote in the pages of history."
- "And alone."
- The sarradian's more reserved, inward demeanor completely fades, making room for a potent, impossible burst of aureate energy. It fulminates the snow about, melting it and the gravel below into a mixture of char and water, before he dashes forth, rupturing a small vessel drawn from his belt and drinking its tenors.
- The effect of the latter would remain a mystery, for the time being. Its enigmatic nature, however, was extremely unlike the straightforward, cogence fulguration of power that exhaled its blazing form about, as an energy-clad hand grasped for Ultovex's standing.
- (Yandir)
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- [23:09] Across her feet the vines coil, binding them to the chairs forward legs.
- The bubble is quick to form, a shell of golden light that persists as the Ultovex attempts diplomacy. When she came to this mountain she had to accept an obvious outcome, as she had all others. Sitting tight, the woman says nothing to disturb his negotiations.
- He was right in a lot of ways. Only one possible casualty in this one man war he was waging.
- Still, she wanted some blood on her hands too. Somehow she has survived all these years without taking a single life. At least by her own hands.
- Behind her Chicky turns to energy and is absorbed by the cube along her hip. Beside it, another one activates and surges out a creature more accustomed to this... Frosty environment. It whails like an oceanic creature, though non-threateningly. It merely takes a seat behind its bound master.
- They were both playing the part of bystander.
- Negotiations with a Qilin. Setsuna proves to make it a mockery sport. "Once more the Qilin on Agartha prove to be disappointing as always. There is not trial or justice with Isaac the mutilator of children and warmonger at the helm." It caused her to chuckle.
- By her feet, Melody tries her own technique.
- Not near the master of riftmancy that Sors was, the woman could only manage to summon rifts that hardly stayed stable for long.
- She only needed a millisecond.
- Beneath her feet tiny tears in the fabric of Karma form, deep within the soil. The vines are sliced through and severed, unfurling along her feet. The shielded woman takes her step up, the sudden movement shaking and disorientating. "... Hhh. I do hate that feeling..."
- She stretches and takes note of Siegfried weapons clashing at Esme.. "... How did you know Clara died again? We told no one but one person as far as I am aware..." Did Adonis blubber? No matter... "Don't count me out, yet..." She readies her legs for the sprint of a lifetime.
- (Melody Ultovex)
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- [23:12] There is the slightest of cackles.
- "Do ya know wha' it's like ta giv' up? It means ta become something tha's unable ta b broken because it can't shatter mor' then it already is. This world is shit. An' I am a coward o' tha' highest degree."
- Rifts open from above. Smoke bombs fall from the rifts, starting to fill the snow with dust. Invisible chains rattle, making a passage for him to reach a rift as the smoke bombs assist with his get away.
- "See ya'll. Ya illuminated is in anotha castle."
- His hand rises, waves as he tries to move through the rift.
- (Sors Ultovex)
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- [23:12] Smokebomb
- (Sors Ultovex)
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- [23:12] Chase.
- (Siegfried)
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- [23:12] Yandir dashes for the Riftmancer!
- (Yandir)
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- [23:13] Throws down a smoke bomb of her own.
- (Melody Ultovex)
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- [23:13] Sesuna gives chase!
- (Setsuna Ukitake)
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- [23:22] With incredible luck, Yandir and Siegfried had enraptured both Sors and Melody within their grasp. It was surprising, to be honest, considering the latter two's affinity with Rift manipulation, but the obstinacy and stored adrenaline within the two had likely contributed for their speedy advance.
- As his digits latch onto Ultovex's cloak, a content, an unsound smile bends Yandir's lips into an unwholesome, violent grin, that which could only belong to a man who hankered for conflict and strife. For release. Or was it, perhaps, something within? Something latent?.
- "I have you." He spat, appalling, terrible and dreadfully contrasting to the voice that rung this claim out.
- Six ethereal arms jutted from his back, eerie, celestial and fulgurating and blazing, ready to grasp their target's every single limb and rip them to shreds. There was an unsightly level of violence to the whole latter half of this confrontation, as if the youth had simply lost control-
- Or given in to something he had long yearned.
- (Yandir)
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- [23:23] Yandir says, "and*"
- [23:25] They pursue through the snowy everglades.
- Siegfried is relentless, his raw speed working to his advantage in his pursuit. Unlike Yandir, who consumed the potion to amplify his ability to pursue, Siegfried has just...come to a point where he's able to naturally keep up.
- Huh.
- None of this feels real. One moment, he's casually, lightheartedly agreeing to come along on this ridiculous venture, and the next, he's trekking through the mountainside, hunting the bogeyman, who so few have lurked for, and none have found. A man who he used to see regularly, long ago...
- And then he's infront of him, as he dissects a squirrel, a masquerade for children, sitting down in a scene that is the picture of utter madness. Now he relentlessly chases him, and Yandir catches him, and Siegfried is in prime position...
- His blade comes down, at that exact moment, to force him off course, in that split second.
- "You tried to make her somethin' she wasn't."
- The words are spoken with the weight of the judge's gavel, his sword swung with the decisiveness of the executioner's axe.
- "An' for ten long years, I've been waitin' for the chance to show the world you're just a man."
- (Siegfried)
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- [23:31] The smoke bombs open, and the ideal outcome occurred. As the chains rattled, one of the three were lost in the smoke, and with them unable to catch up, the Nethradin would begin to spill from the portal. His arm was caught, but with two being the ones who caught them?
- "Ya've made quite tha' error. Wha' ya seem not ta realize is tha' we are not two people. We are an army." Archers would fire arrows towards the pair in that moment as the Void eyes would begin to open around them. Violent chains ripped around as the horrid, oppressive feeling washed in greater amounts from the Wildcard. A sin had manifested within him, one which Agartha hadn't known.
- "Ya are rite. Ya managed ta grab ma. But nex' I think wha' ya should do is grab ya neck an' crush." As he spoke, the sin of Despair would begin to seep into air around him. The pain that the Ultovexian felt would be shared between Yandir and Siegfried. Theswords met skin, and a part of their minds would hurt in return.
- " This power is known as Despair . It is tha' world's sufferin' given shape, an' ma desire ta harm all tha' exists given life. Clara's death feeds it. Tha' loss o' Dusk feeds it. Sufferin' is all consumin' an' inescapable."
- "Is is tha' plague o' sufferin' I plan ta unleash upon tha' world. Ya think I tried ta make her something she wasn't? I will put everyone through tha' pain she felt."
- "I am mor' then jus' a man. I am pain."
- (Sors Ultovex)
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- [23:34] The woman burst into a sprint.
- Following alongside the cowardice Ultovex she gains her namesake from, the woman attempts to reach his forming Rifts at a speed far greater than the Qilin manages to muster. But the journey is cut short, the sheer attacks against Sors causes her to hold up and stand her ground to defend him.
- Behind her the Daemon is swapped out as she charges ahead, an orb of cosmic light glowing within her grip.
- She launches it ahead, disrupting the overwhelming gank upon the Necromancer. "Didn't your mothers ever teach you to play fair?" The woman barks, her back tense and her arms reaching for the harp behind her cloak. Before her Megor stands, a Daemon evolved from one of the most powerful breeds on this continent.
- Its fire melts the snow around it just from the creatures mere presence.
- "You had your chance to leave..." She states with no true hostility. The woman almost sounded like she had a hint of empathy. Gently touching her hands against the strings, she summons forth a chorus of music to entice and to distract. It compels like a sirens song, drawing the opponents attention from the necromancer and back towards her instead.
- Or it should have.
- It poses little threat compared to the feelings Sors was unleashing. It was like nothing she had ever felt around him before. Gone is the sense of comfort, the quieting of the voids whispers and taunts. Instead, the embodiment of all her fears is directed towards her enemies.
- Just the mere runoff of that magic causes her to stutter, the music slanting and almost faltering.
- She knew his torments were bad.
- But never that bad...
- Maybe now she finally understood why he wanted to truly die.
- (Melody Ultovex)
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- [23:47] The attacking duo was relentless. From one side, Siegfried's emotional susceptibility to an encounter with Sors was very possibly fueling all the keen, mighty drive behind his every lunge and stab. Yandir, from another, held no particular evident enmity towards either Sors or Melody-
- But he was completely immersed in the thrill of their showdown. The violence. The intensity of a vibrant fight. They were primordial forces that reigned humanity's instincts and rewarded their wielders with might. This was a fight for survival, a joust that had their very lives at stake.
- And Yandir's body responded to it with an amount of strength and vigor that was only adequate.
- "I care not for your plagues, your ires and your pains, Sors. Do not take me lightly. FIGHT!"
- The voice that stroke this venom true was no longer the sarradian's. It ought to belong to someone else. He had never been this rabid, had he now? His chakram orbited and vibrated, throbbing with a degree of uncontrollable energy that palpitated with the vicious ring of his words, as if wielder and weapon were latched together in an incorrigible, battle-thirsty symbiosis.
- As the riftmancers were momentarily sent reeling, Yandir took only a few seconds to recover his breath, as a frenetic hand attempted to cleanse away the brunt of the bruises he had been struck. Against such skilled fighters, after all, it was impossible to come out unscathed.
- (Yandir)
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- [23:49] His resolve may have been underestimated a touch.
- As despair trickles into him, Siegfried shines. Melody understands the depths of Sors's pain. Sors himself knows it. The two of them fight together, a deadly, coordinated union, but Siegfried is a lover scorned, a brother lost, and a warrior who has been pit against the world since his inception.
- "I don't fear pain, Sors. Pain's been a constant for me long before you ever entered my life, even."
- Siegfried had scraped every iota of this strength from something that welled deep within him. The spirits, they move alongside him, guiding him, augmenting his blade, his body, his speed heightened, his instincts otherworldly. Clara walks with him. Taiga. Niklaus. Godfrey. The strength that he is able to muster kicks up snow en masse and billows everything around them, the fierce wind that he has honed over a decade of warfare.
- "You think you know more despair than anyone else? You, a man who even now, city ashes, commands far more respect than I? Tell me of despair when you lose everyone, everything that ever mattered to ya', and ya' still try to do the right thing. It's easy to be you, Sors. Anyone is just one bad day from bein' what you are. Jus' 'cause you do it well doesn't make you anything but a fucked up footnote in history."
- The spirits are appeased by his rallying cry. His soul's light burns so brilliantly now, that even utilizing his aura, which suppressed much of the visual glow and distilled the raw strength in exchange for terrifying power, he still thrums with an azure silhouette, like a blue sun, far in the distance. Voices long gone, memories that could never be again are the reservoir from which he draws his otherworldly might.
- "Tell me about despair, Sors…" Siegfried intones, voice wracked with grief, stricken with raw emotion, this fight one he'd known would transpire for years, "When 'yer hidin' away from the world, too scared to show your face. I walk with the consequences of my mistakes everyday. Sors, tell me about despair..."
- Those eyes are not merely his own. They are Taiga's. They are Godfrey's. There were lives in Siegfried. Sors would see them, if he only cared to glimpse. His voice is magnified by something beyond him, the voices of the deceased, that he seems to channel.
- "TELL ME ABOUT DESPAIR AFTER YOU'VE HAD TO KILL THE ONLY WOMAN YOU'VE EVER LOVED, BECAUSE THE BELOVED SHOGUN IS A PIECE OF SHIT, AND HER FATHER'S EVEN WORSE!"
- (Siegfried)
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- [23:52] Well, her music worked.
- Without warning their attentions shift, piling upon the woman who was ill prepared for the aunslaught. She is brought to her knees and kicked aside, knocked into the rockface where she stunned for a time. Through her hazy stare she finds Sors trapped within a pillar of marvellous marble.
- It holds him down as toxic exorcist attacks bludgeon and lay waste to him.
- The Demon is called out as she tries to pull herself to her feet. Blood trails down her forehead. It was not red. No, the blood that flowed there was black. A constant gift the Void bestowed upon her. A taunting way to cause her more pain by tampering with the essence of life and tainting it further.
- Warily, she stands her ground. "You should run while you can..." She states, her world spinning ever so lightly. That Despair Sors radiated was enough to crush a soul, to leave nothing behind but sadness and contempt. But in a weird way, in a truly strange and perplexingway, it encourages...
- All she has ever wanted to do was make others understand that pain she feels.
- The whole world leaving you behind. All but the worst human of them all.
- She screams and clashes her hand against the harp. A powerful cascade of sound resonates, blasting off a physical wall of vibrations to split up the attack. "I'll take you down with me!" She stumbles forward, refusing to give up now. Not after everything she has gone through.
- Where was the finale she was promised? It was not here.
- She had to go find it, still.
- (Melody Ultovex)
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- [23:54] They surprised him. The Ultovexian had expected for them to come for him first, but instead found the pair's focus on Melody. Dusk and Aurum could only watch as the pair subdued her, eyes opening up on him after. Chains rattled, trying to pry them away from her to no avail, and soon after his strikes moved specifically to focus on Siegfried.
- The Nightmare was no slouch. But even so, the difficulty that was old age combined with facing two at once, he would find himself able to only knock down the swordsman before his strength left him. Down the snow he was dragged, before invisible chains would wrap around his hands and feet, moving him like a puppet.
- "Ya will experience pain an' sufferin' untold." Yet as he spoke, there was the sudden call out. Dusk and Aurum looked towards Siegfried as he revealed the truth. The eyes opened up.
- "I'll kill ya maself."
- Every scrape, every pain, began to reflect from the Ultovexian back to the pair. Dozens of years of emotional trama would be forced to them instead of him.
- "I'll kill ya, an' find use fer ya soul. Ya want ta talk 'bout facin' ya consequences? Ya hav' no rite when ya sit 'round a city tha' protects ya. Ya are weak."
- (Sors Ultovex)
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- [23:55] Siegfried says, "Come, then...and we'll see who's weak."
- [00:04] "Ya are weak. Too weak ta do anything on ya own."
- They surprised him last time. But this time he would do the same onto them. They had focused previously on Melody, damage knocking her to the ground, and so this time the invisible chains focused on the one which used beams of light. With him focused, gravity increased, pain that the Ultovexian felt reflected onto both of their skins.
- "Ya want ta talk 'bout pain? I'll make ya feel tha' pain o' losin' the ones close ta ya can ya feel like ya can do something. I'll strip his soul rite out o' his body. I'll turn him inta sand."
- It didn't take too long, but it was difficult. Finally the last occultic needle struck Yandir. half a minute later, the sound of Melody's music would overwhelm the eardrums of Siegfried.
- "I command respect, because I can drown in tha' despair ya feel. It is home ta ma. Ya? Ya walk throughtha' streets o' tha' people who killed ya family, doin' nothin'. Ya are complacent. Ya giv' up an' jus' sit there, turnin' even on those ya lov'."
- "Ma? I am the Despair of pain. A broken all-consumingness tha' hunts an' bleeds an' kills an' harms. I'm not hidin' 'way from tha' world when I take captives. I'm not hidin' way when I take lives."
- "I will hav' ma wish granted. Take this."
- In that moment, a new power trickled along his arm. Occultism infected by the void would crawl forth to the ends of his clawed fingers, infused with the soul tearing power of the void claw. The mass moved forwards, consuming snow and all.
- "I will make ma pale star an' bring despair unknown."
- (Sors Ultovex)
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- [00:09] Stumbling and forcing herself to fight the twisting of the world, she finds herself separated from the Necromancer. Caught on opposite sides of the battlefield, the two opponents try to rush for her, to continue the strategy that had seen them nearly bested. But despite the concussion on her head, this woman knew how to run in high heels.
- "You should have just left..." She states, stumbling about a particularly deep layer of snow. To be taken back to Huangzhou was a death sentence for all of them. This was a declaration of war. If the West taught her anything, it was that nothing was off the table.
- "You'll suffer..." She mutters as a barrier forms across her, parrying Siegfrieds attacks. For a second she calls back to her first brush with death. Huangzhou and the war that repelled Dawn's merciless assault. To think the roles could have ever reversed so drastically.
- She surges water forward, crashing it against the blade wielders chest.
- "Do you know what pain really is?" She surges cosmic light forward, bracing it against his feet with warning shots. "It is being left to your own misery. To have the only helping hand be a blade to your throat." Her fists tighten around her weapon. Tenko inscribed it for her...
- He was helping her fight...
- "You killed Clara when she did not even have the power to say no... You took her second chance at life because you thought-... You thought you had a claim over her..." The woman screams, dodging his blades attack. Though it cuts into her shoulder, slicing a fresh wound.
- "But you didn't... She resisted you... That possession, not love." The woman treks back to Sors side, preparing for the final push.
- (Melody Ultovex)
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- [00:10] In the second part of the clash, they had not been so lucky. Yandir had been met face-on with a powerful blast of telekinetic force, conjoined by Melody's intense bursts of sound magic, which delivered him several yards towards the cliff's fall.
- The lad howled in fury, not daring to divert his attention from the opposing duo simply because they sought respite after their victory- the adrenaline never worn off, and neither did the absurd amounts of mana that seeped outwards from him.
- "N-not... like this!"
- There was no despair the exorcist's voice, only fury, amplified by the insurmountable energetic galore that continued to flame about them.
- "You command no respect to us, Sors. Your bravado is void, empty and paltry. You are daft to think we will give in to such droll swagger."
- A dense orb of holy found its bright, scorching essence amassed within the range of his palm, gripped and pinched upon, before it found release in the form of a multitude of lightning-imbued, volley of sacred light at the misshapen, corrupted heaps of voidmatter Ultovex had sent towards them, in an effort to dim its advance.
- (Yandir)
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- [00:14] Siegfried has forgotten a crucial fact, while he is deflecting projectiles, weaving in and out of the fray, and faced with several horrible happenstance. He has forgotten something very, very important, while he has a volley of projectiles leveraged at him that send him careening, and he is scrambling, Yandir trapped and batted back, and him soon to follow afterward. He has forgotten something crucial, and it stares him in the face, a truth, clear as day:
- This man was Legend, and nothing short of a miracle would still his heart.
- Melody is on her A-game, and she manages to confound him. He hacks away at her, but he narrowly misses, the power he has been able to amass nothing in the face of her flighty footwork. She dissolves into mist, and Sors tears him apart, as he does Yandir. Siegfried is sent barreling through the mountains, going flying through hills of snow. Bones fracture. He sees spots.
- The spirits cannot mend him, but they mold him.They tell him he has more to do. Before he hits the ground, his blade embeds in the ground, and he is coming back into the fray, bloodied, but never beaten.
- "You know nothing of what I do. You don't know the battles I fight, against my allies. Against my enemies. Against my demons. I make mistakes, but I know what it takes. There's a difference between us, Sors. You need to believe all this shit. That you're the will of something greater. That you're somethin' powerful, made manifest." He thinks back to that conversation in the lighthouse, with them, Satsuki, Calael, Quicksilver... "But me? I don't need any of that shit, Sors. I ain't despair. I ain't hope.
- I'm just a man. I do what I can."
- Those fireflies seep into his wounds and from where he bleeds, from where he breaks, he becomes a miracle. Power emits from him that has not lessened, but only amplified, in light of the dire circumstances. Pushed against the wall, he tunes out Melody's jabs. He pushes away Sors's jeers.
- Clara walks with him. He need not address Melody's accusations.
- "I didn't come here to grant 'yer wish, Sors. I ain't no fuckin' genie. But there's somethin' I know you long for. I can see it in you. Those lives in you, windin' down. The scars, scatchin' up. The spirits talk to me, Sors - they tell me your real wish, somethin' that'll never leave those lips, but every man knows, just by lookin' at'cha.
- You wish for death. And Calael forgive me, I'll grant you that one mercy."
- The last roll of the die counts for all.
- (Siegfried)
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- [00:26] "'xactly like this." The words roared out to the Sarradian as the invisible chains would pelt him. Astral force connected, driving pain through the body of Yandir, the intent of the Rift mage being nothing short of death. The sphere of void enhanced occultism trailed not far behind, tracing after Yandir ever with perseverance.
- And then the moment comes. Invisible chains would lurch towards the Sarraidan, sending him the yards towards the cliff's edge. This time there was no let up. His feet would their grip, pushing him across the snow covered lands off the cliff.
- "Die." He spoke, before turning back, letting the Nethradin inspect the edge. In that moment he turned back towards his main objective.
- "An' then there's ya, Siegfried."
- There was a mistake in their movements. They hadn't paid attention to the occultist even as they widdled down Melody. Almost at full power, the barrage of astral force and occultic needles would strike towards Siegfried, every intent to provide supporting fire to Melody.
- "But ya are wrong. Ya 'ttack Isaac, sur'. But then ya murder tha' person tha' loves ya. Ya run 'way from ya responsibities. Ya are jus' some kid tryin' ta play tha' hero, an' failin' every time."
- "Ya are rite. Ya ain't in despair o' hope. Ya are only a weak flame ta b extinguished." The astral blast again surges to Siegfried.
- "Ya are not one capable o' grantin' ma wish. It is not mere death I want."
- "I refuse ta die until ma soul can b destroyed. Anythang less will b rejected. I refuse ta b born 'gain in this world o' sufferin'."
- (Sors Ultovex)
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- [00:32] Beside her the Adjudicator overwhelms and tramples anything caught in his web of chains.
- Melody stays away from him, keeping to the cliff side to remove him from Siegfried's efforts. From afar, the woman sends her Daemon out to erupt the ground with pillars of frozen spikes and unbearable cold that threatens to freeze and shatter anything it touches. She surges everything she can at Yandir, sparing only the bare minimum to protect herself from consecutive lethal blows.
- It wasn't until the exorcist finally fell that she would look back to Siegfried, her skin covered in cuts that oozed the voids ichor. She smiled towards him, her eyes shifting to keep focus on his quick movements. Even backed into a corner, the man still aimed for her.
- She never has been able to do anything alone.
- With Sors support, the fatigued woman sees this through to the end. "You killed her... That body was temporary and you killed her because you knew she would not want you." The woman hisses beneath her breath, constantly running from the man in a game of cat and mouse.
- "Just like a man to say he loves you as he stabs you."
- Volleys upon volleys of magic are launched towards him. A brutal attack from two sides, the man narrowly missess a blow that slices by her skull. As he is beaten to the ground by Sors attacks, she fires one final beam into his back and pins the man down. "This for Clara..."
- She kicks him violently in the face, potentially breaking his nose.
- Again and again, each kick a fraction of what a bladesman was capable of. But they pound and they bludgeon, each adding onto the damage of the last. She was screaming while she does this.
- (Melody Ultovex)
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- [00:39] Die.
- This was Sors' command. His haughty order and verdict. The ultimate sentence of a victor.
- As the Riftmancer pushed him off the cliff's edge, Yandir could only powerlessly fall to what would likely be his instant demise. Amidst this rake, he extends an outstretched, despondent hand towards Siegfried, who had been left to fight the remainder of this battle alone- how could they have lost the advantage? How could things have spiraled out of their control so quickly?
- Claw.
- Was the silent response shouted from within Yandir's innards, the implacable, nigh tangible charge of his will. A response only proper to such a puissant, nefarious ordaining.
- Perhaps it would have been smarter to subdue, and only then eliminate him. The sarradian's temporary surge of might is indescribably inflexible, coercing him to abide to every instinct and leap at every opportunity that offeredthe prospect of survival at a blink's notice.
- As the boy continues to fall, the sixfold arms that sprawled from his back stretch outwards, before digging into the shingly, tarnished canopy of the cliff's bottom. It was an incredible thrust, deeply excavating into the rock and halting his descent. But what of Siegfried?
- He awaits only a moment, watching out for the swordsman's hopeful, and eventual escape, to which he'd follow suit.
- (Yandir)
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- [00:43] Even stars die.
- It becomes nearly impossible, he feels, to not succumb to despair. To not hate, because of it all. His body begins to wind down. No longer is he a nebula, not even a star. Weariness creeps into his body, and even the spirits that sustain him cannot save him from what is to come.
- As much as he tells himself that victory can be clenched from the jaws of defeat, that he is stronger, now, that this time can be different, the truth of the matter was, he, a magical swordsman, he, a man who'd obtained the power of the spirits, who possessed unrivaled speed, who had trained his mind and his body tirelessly to perform the miraculous upset where he felled a tyrant and showed the world he actually was worth something...
- As with many, many other times in his life...
- Siegfried...
- Simply...
- Did not...
- Have it.
- His sword's blown out of his hands by Sors's astral burst, and his whole world fades into golden light, as he is swallowed by the indignation of the Ultovex. Melody's beam afterward only sends him careening even higher, and ultimately, his fall to the earth is only that much harder.
- He lands like a comet from space, body ragdolling before he slams, violently back into the ground. His sword embeds itself into the earth a few inches from his head, and he groans...before Melody's foot comes up, trying to kick him in the nose.
- It's the hardest thing he's had to do in awhile just to tumble out of the way.
- "Someday, Sors…"
- This is for Clara.
- The words burn, as defeat burns, as despair burns, as hate burns, as all things burn to the fire within himself that ebbs, unable to be stifled by this, or any other defeat. The moment the opportunity is at hand, he vanishes, and Melody's foot meets only a spectral afterimage, a phantasmal representation of what'd been there moments before.
- The actual Siegfried is gone. Nothing's left, not even snow, in the blizzard.
- I refuse ta die the nightmare whispered at him, and he believed it.
- But his unfinished statements lingers in the air, long after he's gone.
- Someday, Sors, you won't have a choice.
- (Siegfried)
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- [00:53] It's not hidden. Not at all. The cloak of despair is worn over the Ultovex after the triumph of the battle, a mentally addling False Sin, that made everything feel heavy. Even as Yandir was thrown off the side of the cliff, even as Siegfried vanishes in an after mirage, the Wildcard only slowly turned around, letting the heavy suffering hang from his body. People were arriving. The blood covered the snow as he turned around.
- "There was an ambush set up by Yandir, Siegfried, an' Setsuna. They attempted ta bring us ta Huangzhou. They failed." He spoke simply. "As they always will. But we gleemed information from this."
- He spoke to any that would listen. "They hav' violated tha' mountain agreement o' no fightin' an' ain't ta b brought here o' suffered any long. In addition, Siegfried revealed tha' he was tha' one who killed Clara."
- He floated back away from the snow. Nethradin continued to flow around as he exhaled, the eye of his staff searching for the remaining pursuer. At the same time, Dusk and Aurum stared at the new arrivals.
- "Oh. Also,"
- "I am the Void's Sin, Despair."
- He floated forwards to the crowd as if it were do or die. The words of Siegfried echoed in his mind.
- "I will not b slain by cowards."
- (Sors Ultovex)
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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