The Storm

Arsenic is at the end of his ropes.

The boy stumbles across Valmasia unsure of where he's even going, vision fading in and out. Without even being wholly conscious of it, he stumbles into the Stinnox cave, panting wearily all the while, head throbbing in pain. Arsenic moves entirely off instinct, he acts according to a combination of habit, pure murderous intent, and a need to alleviate the incessant need to maim...

Kill...

To destroy...

Kill..

To conquer.

Kill!

With a herculean effort, he shrugs off the urge to massacre everything that moves in sight and instead settles on a bloodcurdling scream. He writhed, shaking with pure malice, fists balling and unballing.

He was completely unaware of any spectators.
(Arsenic)


There was a sense of adventure coursing through the young Drakan' body as he paved his way through the thick and heavy sands of the Sarab, wondering just what kind of monster he could find today. He was not ignorant of his Zenkai ability at all and he was going to milk it as much as he could in order to get stronger.

Drakanite pride worldwide.

Eitherway, he was having a bit of trouble manuvering through the desert today for whatever reason. It might have been the lack of sleep that effected him or perhaps the fact that he hadn't ate yet? Whatever the case, Aledy' was moving much more slowly and wasn't feeling the best but he wouldn't let that get him down!

He finally managed to achieve his half-shift just as he had always dreamed!

Now...Just to find a way to infuse it with lightning like Jackson did and he'd be set.

Hmm...What if- Oh, hello. There was A! Why was he in the desert? Eh, well, he could just ask him directly!

"Hello, A." Greeting the teen casually, Aledy walked up to him and gave him a friendly wave.

"Whacha doing?"
(Aledy Shura)


Arsenic gave no answer.

It was immediately clear he couldn't even acknowledge that Aledy had showed up at all. He was currently preoccupied hollering, even having descended to his knees and punching the ground, again and again and again, blowing away massive chunks of the sand as if he were trying to dig to the other side of the world. His voice echoed for several meters, demented screams as if to rebel against the desert sun.

The violet-haired boy clenches his head, and is still, trembling.

"..."

Not a single intelligible word is uttered from his mouth, only guttural shouts, roars, and screams, which eventually lapse into silent flailing, his head being banged against the ground rather than his fists.

He remains hunched over.
(Arsenic)


"...Are you having an anger attack?"

Aledy stared at the bizzare behaviour of his aquiantance with a single eyebrow raised and his hand scratched at the back of his head, truly confused and wierded out. Did his rage broke or something? Or was he just thinking that bangining his head on the floor would make him smarter? That wasn't the stone of wisdom my friend, you could only get dumber.

"...Right. You should probably stop that if you want to have some brain cells remaining." Despite his words Aledy didn't move to help him with that, honestly not wanting to get attacked just because someone was having a temper tantrum and what a tantrum it was indeed.

"Seriously, you should stop before you knock yourself out."
(Aledy Shura)


For the briefest instant, the raging torrent of blue electricity that cascaded alongst his body flashed blood red.

And then it dissipated. It ceased to be, that simple, that easy, the boy remaining still and on the ground for the next several seconds. His breathing is deep, heavy, and irregular, as if he's just run a marathon. He snaps his head up, as if noticing Aledy was there only now, for the very first time. Blood runs alongst his face from the reopened cut on his forehead, the bags under his eyes run deep, and sweat has applied a thin layer of sheen over his skin.

He looked horrible.

Arsenic remained like this for some time, on his knees before Aledy, hands slack at his side. His head tilted at the other boy, neck slouched at a fourty-five degree angle.

And then his shoulders shook. And then his chest. And finally, his head began to bob, but the expression on his face remained the same. Then it came; he burst into laughter, loud, obnoxious, batshit insane.

He was grinning like a madman.
(Arsenic)


The torrent of electricity reminded him of his own lightning magic- one that he was mastered sufficently for now. However, the flashes of red had his eyes widen a tiny bit. "Hellstorm?" The question wasn't directed at Arsenic in particular but at the magic he hadn't seen since Rhymora. Hmm, that was strange and incredibly curious. So, A was an Occultist? That might explain his behaviour in a almost sterotypical way but it was true that Occultists experienced madness time from time.

"Alright, A. Let's have some fun, alright?"

The audible hiss as his sword was unsheathed echoed around the empty sands, Aledy giving his own grin as he aimed the tip at him.

"Come on and show me what ya' got!~"
(Aledy Shura)



[03:34:33] So he was up for it? Good, very good.

Not only has has he been getting incredibly bored these days but his progress has halted for a bit as well after that fight with the vampire. Still, Aledy didn't know that was a vampire and to him it was just a wierd and strong man with blood red eyes and some form of melee magic he had never seen before. Was he using Occultism? He could have swore he felt his lifeforce being drained as the man punched him.

Whatever the case, he was pretty excited for the upcoming bout. It was incredibly clear as well if the small amounts of scales that were growing around his face and the wide canine like grin. Not to mention that his eyes seemed to pulsate in a way. Speaking of pulse, his blood was running hot and his very body felt hot like a furnace.

With a roar and a clap of thunder that would blanket the area around him in sand and dust, he felt his skin rip apart. Wings, horns and a tail sprouted from his body, each added limb looking as strong as on a dragons.

Hands- now covered in scaled armor gripped at the hilt harder, bending the metal slightly as mana coursed through his body even more, enhanching his muscles and increasing his physical strength.

"Show me...Show me your thunder, A!"
(Aledy Shura)

[03:36:16] The boy rose up from the ground, surging with electricity. He'd only just recovered from an episode, his knees were shaky, he was leaking blood, he hadn't slept in days, but he felt more invigorated than he had in his entire life.

He was on the verge of a breakthrough.

"Right."

And that was that. They were warriors- not speakers. This is what they did. The corrupting, hellish blade in his possession was drawn from the ground, and not a worry was given for it's corrupting influence and maddened whispers, for it simply did not matter. He was so, so close, he just needed a little...

"Here I come!"

Push.

He darted forward with ungodly speed, lightning surging throughout his body as he clashed blades with the powerful Drakanite.

Here went everything.
(Arsenic)



[03:45:39] This...what was this?

"What is this, A?!" The draknite would snarl as he clashed swords against the human, beating him around without a shread of mercy as the teen seemed to be...daydreaming? In a battle? Where even the slightest of mistakes could cost you your life? Oh, hell no. He was going to exploit this, to hell with honor! If Arsenic wanted to just stare into space then that was his thing but Aledy was not stopping.

As his anger rose, so did the slightest amounts of sparks appear around him, crackling violently around his form. Of course, they were basically useless- more of a cosmetic effect right now and Aledy didn't even notice, lost in his rage as he was but it was the first sign of improvement.

His left hand caught Aresenic by the collar, bringing the human to meet him in a sickening headbutt that sent the older of the two into the sand with a crash. He was not going to let up, nor was he going to be merciful. This was a battle- between two warriors! Mercy was for the weak! Hesitation killed! He was not going to let himself be beaten because he was too weak and stupid to follow a concept of 'honor'.

"Raah! GET UP!"
(Aledy Shura)

[03:52:28] Arsenic is tossed around like a ragdoll, going skidding across the desert sands by the monstrously strong Drakanite and slamming into a mountainside from the sheer force of the headbutt. He'd embedded for awhile, struggling to break free, and then suddenly drops, again, to his knees. The electricity remains surrounding him, his fist embedded in the ground as he struggles to stand, supporting himself with an elbow and his knuckles. He nearly drops, but manages to stand back up. There is only one problem:

He is hearing two Aledy and hearing three.

–-

Strength never came to you easy. When the other kids fought, you fell. It took everything you had to keep up. You had to build that gap by being exceptional, because you didn't stand a ghost of a chance. You tried to do so much, so many things.

You could never even accomplish one.

–-

That lightning flashes red again, but it's still blue.

He stands, clenching his sword and letting out a guttural roar. He's bloody...

But not beaten.

Fuck the odds.
(Arsenic)



[04:06:59] Mhm...This was much better!

"Better! That's the spirit, A!" Good, he was getting better! He was not daydreaming anymore and his attacks actually connected, cutting through his armor and scales and spilling his blood. This was how it should be! Two warriors fighting for dominance over the other, neither letting up, hitting harder and faster as the battle went on. The warsong sang it's praises in his ears and Aledy listend intently, following its every command and answering with his own powerful smashes.

"Still...This is not enough!" With a burst of wind mixed with electricity, Aledy knocked Aresenic away from him but not before following with a dash that would allow him to capture the teens head with his hand. Pulling him back with a throw he'd release him and then lay a bone shaking uppercut to his chin, knocking him up into the air.

He'd wait for his opponent to recover enough to fight once more before charging after him once more, leaving a trail of dust and electricity with every step as he laughed with maddening abandon.

Aledy was truly enjoying himself.
(Aledy Shura)


[04:20:38] Arsenic received one hell of a wake-up call in the form of the sudden, violent swing that sent him flying throughout the air, rolling like a stone in the skies above. For a long, agonizing moment, his form blots out the sun, and he looks at it, and he swears it looks back...

It is laughing at him.

He reorients himself in the air, diving from pillar to pillar now. From above, he lobs down exploding grenades of electricity...but he's wholly aware that this isn't really going to do much. He's essentially stalling by this point, sweating bullets as he wracks his brain for solutions to this devilishly strong fighter.

He really needed to stop slacking on his magical abilities. This guy's skin was no joke; he was hard as iron, and Arsenic had no solution to it.

This was a glaring hole in the way that he fought, and Aledy served as a hard counter- the wall. Nothing he could do could hit hard enough. He was, in essence, rendered totally unable to do much of anything at all.

_______

Isn't that how it's always been?

I heard you won a fight.

Aww, was that your first time?

_______

Letting out an animalistic roar, he dove back into the fray, lightning coating his blade, other hand surging with a fistful of it. This fight was lost; that could be seen on his bloody, beaten visage.

But hell if he weren't going to atleast cause the Drakanite to break a sweat.
(Arsenic)



Gained 2 Roleplay Points
[04:48:48] You learnt the spell Hellstorm Charge.
[04:52:12] The battle progressed in Aledy' favour like the last two rounds did. But, it was getting more intense by the second. Aresenic was truly getting into the hype of the battle, feeling his own warsong echoing in his mind no doubt. Good, that is how it should be! A warrior needed nothing more than a trusty sword by his side and the sweet taste of his opponents blood on the edge.

Kind of like now! Only with less civilism and more barbarism in Aledy' case. As a angry Dragon man he had an excuse to act like a wild beast whenever he felt like it, simply letting his blood and insticts take over immersing himself fully in the battle and blood lust. He was enjoying this more than he should have, more than a twelve year old should...

However, near the end, Arsenic has gained the upper hand, running around and blasting him with magic which only served to anger him but it was slowly beating him down. No...He couldn't let this happen! He WON'T let this happen at all! He was not losing to a human- much less to a human that had the same type of magic as he did!

"I REFUSE TO LOSE!!" The roar echoed all around them as Aledy pushed back against Arsenic, the thunder around him flickering out as it slowly drifted away, leaving him without it's protective coil. However, his wings would flicker white for an second while both his hair and eyes turned golden as well, signifying some sort of transformation.

As soon as it began so did it end and that was once the drakanite blasted the human away, burrying him into the sand once more before dropping to his knees. His blade fell into the sand besides him, numb fingers letting it go as he panted and wizzed for air.



[05:14:24] Arsenic, for the final time in the engagement, is sent scuttling across the clearing.

This is different from all of the others times- obviously. Aledy has unleashed something of such magnitude he's left hurtling across the vicinity tumbling as he often does these days.

But something is off.

With the ungodly amount of punishment his body has undergone, it's a wonder he's remained alive so long- one'd think this much exertion should have by now just outright killed him. He was under a ridiculous amount of strain on a day-to-day basis, an otherworldly, unrealistic amount, and only the exponentially high willpower he possessed had kept him on his feet even this long.

And so it stood to reason that'd be why when he fell?

He fell hard.

He does not move. He doesn't even seem to be breathing. For awhile, it seems as if Aledy's final assault has killed the sleep-knacked, bloody, beaten Arsenic.

–-

They make stories about kids like you. You run away from home, set out into the world, and figure you're going to change it. That you're something special, different. Ah..yeah...they'll tell your story to little kids...

So they know better than to run away like you.

–-

Arsenic remained still, face-down in a puddle of his own blood, no breathing, no...anything. It was the same situation as before, when he'd had his chest cleaved apart and one of his lungs popped like a deflated balloon. His body had been pushed so far past a point he could tolerate....

He had no choice but to grow.

And so he did.

The blue lightning that'd continually leapt from brightest azure to bloodiest crimson made up it's mind at last-

He had finally done it.

Time knit his wounds, and his pulse restarted, jump-started by blood-red lightning that seared throughout every fiber of his being and birthed him again. The voices were distant. The sun so far. There was pain...to say he could not feel it was a falsehood. Rather, it seemed far away, as the voices did, as everything did. All that remained was he and Hell, Hell having been called to him, joined with the storm that he'd always been.

He got up so slowly one might swear he had never meant to.

His neck had been turned at an awkward angle. He fixed it, snapping it to the side and reorienting it as if it'd never happened. His arm was bent out of shape...but he reverted it, commanding time to do his bidding as he had the storm and the dark. He smiled at Aledy with a spiraling, hellish column of brimstone and light towering up and above him and seemingly into infinity, as if he were ready to continue things-

"In a year, we're doing this again."

And then he collapsed. The lightning? Gone.

But he was breathing, if only barely.
(Arsenic)



[05:26:20] "Right...Awesome..."

Those were the only words to leave Aledy' mouth as he wobbly got up, staggering like a drunken man that just got out of a bar fight. There wasn't much that he could, spent and bruised as he was other than attempt to limp back to the confinements of Danarium and get some rest. He gave a small thumbs up at Arsenic, accepting his promise.

Without further ado, the Drakanite would being the trek back home, the hope of a hot bath, warm food and a nice bed keeping him going.
(Aledy Shura)
[05:28:03] Arsenic, for his part, would lie there for sometime, getting in long-overdue rest. Now that he had, for now, banished the voices in his head, having reached a new plateau of power and having completely overcome the bullshit associated with obtaining it..

All he had to worry about now was his demented, cursed sword and his overuse of Darkness leading to the rapid deterioration of his mind.

But for now?

He rested.
(Arsenic)

______________________________________________________

some time later

______________________________________________________

Arsenic stumbles in looking like a completely different boy than he had been weeks prior. In the time since he'd managed to advance his abilities beyond what they'd been, he had been getting a good deal of sleep in- and so went the disturbing, actually grosteque bags under his eyes that ran so deep he'd appeared on the verge of dropping dead any second. He was in noteably brighter cheer, and his overall disposition had certainly improved beyond that; His body language says it plain as day.

When, atlast, he arrives at Sylus's treehouse, to the man and his wife standing in the center and seemingly unoccupied, he hops on over to his table, pulls out a chair, sits, leans backward with his back to the counter, and places both arms beneath him, elbows propped on it. He also crosses his legs, getting real nice and comfortable in that chair.

He had made excellent progress with magic- this had been the breakthrough he needed in controlling the darkness, and from here, he could only reach drastically greater heights as a magus.

But the stunning combinations Aledy had landed on him had him thinking, and that thought had lead him here, and being here caused him to come right out and say...

"You're showing me how to use a sword too."

_______________________________________________________

No resolve?

Arsenic jostles his way out of Sylus's grip- or attempts to, seeing as the man had a significant strength advantage- and then glares at him furiously in light of the accusations. While some of them are founded, while his words do ring true and each of his suspicions have a reasonable grounding, well...

Fuck that?

Arsenic swiped underneath his nose, and then whipped his arm back, still looking at Sylus as if he had something particularly foul. The tension, atleast on his end, was rather palpable by this point, and fight or flight had kicked in; Adrenaline coarsed through his veins, and he could feel hit in the pit of his stomach, Hellstorm begging to be called.

But that wouldn't get him anywhere. If there were anything he were sure of it, it were that. Sylus was exponentially more powerful than any of his friends, and he knew that he couldn't beat Levi on equal footing, even now- no, he had to figure out a way to use his charm, cunning, and good looks here.

"...You're wrong."

He breathed in deep. The boy stepped backward now, lightning arcing alongst his body for an instant. Memories of Aledy and his fight in the desert, how he'd been pushed to the verge of death- again- and managed to carry on boldening him.

"I'm honest enough with you to know that you're a lot nicer of a guy than you let on."

The boy was quiet after that. His goggles, Levi's goggles, the first and only gift he'd received, strapped to his forehead. Sylus's reflection'd glisten back at him in them, Arsenic standing and looking into the Ookami's eyes without fear.

"I'm honest enough with myself to say that I don't have a chance in hell of beating you, and you kicked me out before."

He grinned. The expression appeared so natural on his face, even though the smile didn't reach his eyes- had never reached his eyes. He'd done it a thousand times, rehearsed it in the mirror, this shallow imitation of joy that he used as something...taunting. A mind-game.

"And I'd say that makes me pretty resolved...resolved enough to do something right now."

________________

Arsenic stared for the longest time. He seems like he wants to argue, like this isn't the proper resolution, and it should, could go anywhere but here- like this is completely unnecessary, and he were being dismissed far too soon. He trembles in place, gritting his teeth, and he appears genuinely flustered, a rarity for him to be sure if you asked anyone who actually knew him.

'You're dumb as shit, and you'll never be strong that way.

The voices said the same, had hollered it loud and whispered it in the dead of night when he'd swore it was banished. It and Sylus's message were ultimately different, yet the idea he were wrong, that, that infuriated him.

If you're resolved enough to do something, start with being honest with yourself and those around you.'

"Why don't I start right now?"

He spun, pivoting on his heel, and aimed to plant his foot into Sylus's chest. Immediately after, whether evaded or not, whether he'd just got his leg cut off insantaneously or any number of things that could happen with this dangerous of an opponent, he wasn't backing down.

"..."

____________

Arsenic goes tumbling out the front door- he did that a lot lately, tumbling. He really ought to consider a career as a professional, considering the fact he was so frequently skidding alongst the ground he may soon be attuned with nature. They were often face-to-face, with him kissing the dirt and grass after being sent flying...

Why was he daydreaming now of all times?

He reorients himself, turning the tumble into a roll and gripping the dirt, gritting his teeth. The boys let out a heavy, prolonged series of pants, shakily standing and wiping his mouth with the back of his other hand, just in time to note that Sylus had just appeared infront of him faster than he had possibly ever seen any man move in his entire life.

Fantastic.

Lightning poured outward from Arsenic, and the boy rolled his shoulders, leaning forward and bending his knees.

"...I think I can. So I will. I must. So I shall."

Variations of this simple phrase were repeated, a mantra, the boy appearing ready to set off in a dead sprint...and then he did. Fast, ungodly fast, a trail of azure electricity scorches the earth in his wake before turning red, and he retains nearly-perfect control. Blame the euphoria, the thrill, the fact he felt sharper, brighter, and more resolved than he had in his entire life.

This is where he was meant to be, this is what he was meant to be doing, and whatever happened here, win or lose, well..

He'd leave it up to fate.

"I'll show you why Levi calls me brother."
(Arsenic)

__________________________

Arsenic has been defeated by Sylus!

__________________________

The battle wasn't difficult in any sense. Strikes were parried with ease, evaded with the swiftness of a truly experienced swordsman. The boy had determination, and he couldn't actually deny his strength when it came down to it. It was misplaced, though.

"This all..?" Steel clashes against one another, sending sparks flying outward in every direction. A foot lifts, slamming directly in front of the boy's face, sending him back.

"Right now you're not doin' shit but provin' my point. Where do you think you're gonna get with such weak will?" Why did Levi call him brother? He didn't know, nor did he care. There was a distinct difference in between the two, though.

"You don't have enough conviction, and your resolve is weak. This is what makes you different from your friends."
(Sylus)

___________________________

Every slash he threw was with the deftness and natural skill of a prodigous swordsman. His agility was, amongst his peers, almost unmatched. Speed had always been his thing- only Aules was faster. He weaved and danced around foes as if they stood stock still, and when his natural speed wasn't enough, time bent to his will.

Sylus was faster.

His every motion parried, riposted, redirected, he was being hurled with relative ease. Sylus, cliche aside, was quite literally the closest thing that existed to a humanoid embodiment of the wind itself. When he raised his sword, he'd already been slashed thrice, and, generally, the entire fight, it was painfully obvious this man could have killed him before he had ever even drawn his sword at all.

He skids back alongst the ground after a particularly violent exchange, sliding back heavily cut and leaking whereas Sylus appeared relatively unscathed by comparison. This...was a lot more ridiculous than he'd thought.

A lot a lot more.

"...And what the hell makes you any better?"

He moves as if he hadn't been cut.

---

You're not durable enough for Emmet. Thorns embed into your sides, vines bludgeon your body, and your every attempt to bridge the gap that she makes by fleeing, impassable roots guard your advance. You can't hold on.

You're not strong enough for Aledy. His skin is like diamond, and every strike of your blade bounds off of him. His face is feral, and you are driven back, every clash, every collision. You are physically inferior.

You're not fast enough for Sylus.

What can you do?

---

He expels a roar after every seing, doing everything he can to hold on to his slipping sanity. This hellstorm fuels his failing body, but he won't bow to it, he won't relent.

Not for anyone.

Not anymore.
(Arsenic)

_________

sometime later, after Arsenic is defeated by Sylus:

_______

[05:37:00] Arsenic was a world-weary fighter despite only being at the age of fifteen. He had seen a lot, done a lot, fought a lot, and it became readily apparent to him the longer he carried on doing as such that his legend would grow only by risking his life...he didn't know exactly what the circumstances would be along the road, where or why he would do so, but Arimanes had told him and his experiences had confirmed...

He only made breakthroughs with the darkness when on the verge of death. There was simply no other time he were able.

Is that Sylus?

He had lost the last battle he had with the Ookami, but, the nearer he drew to this one, the more apparent it came that, despite the possibilities, they could not be precisely the same person. A sibling, perhaps? He was the splitting image, even having similar clothing, but the minor details gave it away.

Regardless, he'd have some fun with this similarity. Arsenic was, if nothing else, a risk-taker..and the fact he'd seem familliar with Sylus would(likely) prevent the stranger from trying to end his life, even though he was going to...

"Sylus...I see you're ready to get laid out, eh?"
(Arsenic)
[05:41:16] Raising an eyebrow as he bends down to pick up the newspaper left behind the morning prior, he squints at the 'new arrival', confused as to why the boy's here. As a moreso secluded individual as of late, Ulric hasn't had the time to meet anyone that's come their way considering they're also wanted and supposed to stay out of sight, but it seems that Arsenic actually knows Sylus... which means that he's a friend? Something like that, probably. Scratching the back of his neck and folding the newspaper up, Ulric tucks it into his sash and turns, opting to make his way on back to the treehouse.

Yawning into his right hand and blinking out tears, he looks back over at Arsenic and shakes his head. "Wrong person, kid... I suggest you head on back to where you came from, and probably try again later. We're kinda busy, and don't have time to mess around." 'Busy' was an understatement. With how things were with Adriane and what plans they were making altogether, they didn't have any time to waste. Children, babies... all of that was a bit too much for him, but he still had to do his share.

He couldn't idle around, right?

"What i'm saying is, beat it." Motioning for Arsenic to leave, Ulric continues on toward his place of residence.
(Ulric Mar)
[05:48:06] Pfff.

The kid draws his sword, twirling it twice for good measure. The boy doesn't at all abide by any rules set- even his own. His hair billows in the winds, long, wild, and untamed. He shrugs off the coat he always dons, spins his sword experimentally, and then grins, a nasty, feral thing. Only seconds after, he moves- and he's surprisingly fast. Nothing that'd catch someone of Ulric's caliber off-guard, but enough that, to most passerby, he'd appear to have up and vanished from sight.

When next he reappears, it's with a similar opener to the one he'd used on Sylus- his foot outstretches, leg snapping out in order to kick at the full-grown man abruptly. However-- having learned his lesson from Sylus, about how easily avoidable this was to a high-level combatant, he'd carry this momentum, and, when Ulric(if Ulric) avoided it, he'd spin, embedding his sword into the ground and using it as a balancing point to launch another kick at Ulric like Sasuke did that one time.

Whether this were to have worked or not, once he was out of radius of any counterattack by adjusting his speed with an instantly cast accelerate, he'd laugh.

"...You're not getting out of this one." He taunted.

He raised his sword high above his head despite it's tremendous size, the scrawny boy possessing surprising(magically-enhanced) strength.

"Here I come."
(Arsenic)
[05:56:38] "To be expected."

Resting his hand against the hilt of his wooden blade and pulling it away from the sheath on his back, Ulric twirls it around in his right hand while resting his left in his pocket. It seemed this was his usual style now, and considering how things had played out in a few situations prior it'd likely be his only one to date. Turning and facing Arsenic, Ulric stares at the younger boy and falls back a half-step, watching as the male rushes forward in a burst of speed. It's impressive, but it seems that Ulric's a bit faster than that-- clearly.

He doesn't quite move, instaed he simply... disappears. It's a show of teleportation that aids him, and in the next moment he appears behind Arsenic, swinging his blade through the air to catch the back of the neck of the boy as he moved forward. Miscalculating the strength and speed of his blow however, Ulric narrowly misses and finds a kick aimed at him.

Using the back of his hand to defend against the blow, he'd skid back against the grass below, tearing into quite a few of the flowers. Adriane would likely be displeased, but he couldn't exactly worry about at the moment. Shaking his head and holding his blade out, Ulric spits off to the side and motions for Arsenic to come his way.

"Bring it, then."
(Ulric Mar)
[06:04:19] Arsenic's speed increases!
[06:06:01] Arsenic, holding his sword high still, rushes across the training field- he does anything he can to throw off Ulric, runnning in erratic patterns..

And then lightning strikes.

It's simply meant to throw Ulric off his game, one of his stomps the trigger. Bolt- one of the initial lightning spells he had learned- sears into the ground aside Ulric, blowing up rubble and, hopefully, aiding in a mixup that'd make landing the initial hit easier. In this instant, he changes, shifting, everything about the very atmosphere intensifying.

...Just like Sylus, he can teleport too. Or is it speed?

Red lightning arcs alongst the boy's body, accelerating his movements, pushing him to new heights. He darts alongst the floor, hovering low, and then snaps up, wielding that enormous cleaver like it was a shortsword- he stabs, aiming to jab his blade dead into the Ookami's torso, the ground underneath them both ravaged.

What was to ensue would surely be a series of clashes at high speed, the two speedsters crossing swords as a hellish storm circled Arsenic, his skin cindered at intervals from the strain of keeping active Hell's lightning.

He was obviously much, much slower than this man.

But that wasn't going to stop him.
(Arsenic)
[06:07:44] {combat} Arsenic has been defeated by Ulric Mar! They're unable to continue fighting.
[06:07:44] Arsenic's speed returns to normal.
[06:07:44] Aules Harn: [How many times]
[06:07:44] Aules Harn: [Must I come upon you]
[06:07:44] Aules Harn: [In this situation]
[06:08:35] Arsenic: [LOL]
[06:09:26] Ulric Mar: ( the lag kinda strong. )
[06:12:51] Swinging his wooden blade through the air, he showcases just how much stronger he's become over the years even with his loss of a hand. To answer Arsenic's question, it's a bit of both really. Ulric had originally developed this technique to be one centered around highspeed movement, but now it'd transformed into something else entirely. Leaving behind afterimages at every twist in turn as he moved from point A to point B, it was clear that though he may've been moving at a high speed, his movements may be nigh impossible to keep track of.

Arsenic would have to train his eyes and attune himself to Ulric's bodily motions if he wanted to succeed, and for the moment it seemed that the ookami didn't want that to happen.

Slamming his blade down onto the top of Arsenic's head and falling back with a jump, Ulric reassumes his prior stance and motions for the younger male to stand up. Ulric'd been training for decades-- he couldn't let himself be beaten by some guy that showed up wanted to fight his older brother, even if he was fast and a bit strong.

"You can keep going, right? You're the one that asked for this, remember?"
(Ulric Mar)
[06:18:49] Arsenic: [>accidentally hit cancel]
[06:18:49] Arsenic: [good job]
[06:18:49] Arsenic: [good job blue]
[06:26:30] The sudden attack sends him skidding backward, but he doesn't tumble, isn't sent hurtling. The other man is fast, ungodly fast, unreasonably fast, but it wasn't as bad as he had been expecting- it wasn't as bad as Sylus.

I can win this.

His hand embeds into the ground to help steady himself, dirt and debris kicked up in his wake as he's sent flying away, and, as the momentum dies down from the force of it all, he hops up-- a short hop. He backflips, and, the moment his foot touches the ground, that instant the balls of his feet touch down, he vanishes.

Abruptly, he appears behind Ulric in a flash of lightning. Emulation, perhaps? A teleport of his own-- He's already ducked down low, and, as he rises up, he swings his sword with all of the strength he can muster, enough so that, were it evaded, the subsequent current channeled would continue alongst the ground a wave that'd carve through and -ravage- the earth, if only for a few short meters, but more than enough to ruin Adriane's garden.

And then he'd cut loose with a sequence of slashes, one after the other, nearly too fast to track.

He didn't dare answer the taunt. He was too far gone, he was too focused- hell's lightning took him over. An animalistic roar tears from his lips that'd rumble the woods, and lesser beings of darkness would know terror.

This was his answer.
(Arsenic)
[06:26:30] Arsenic's speed increases!
[06:27:21] Arsenic: [wait]
[06:27:21] Ulric Mar: ( ? )
[06:27:21] Arsenic: [ok there]
[06:27:21] Arsenic: (COUNTDOWN: 10)
[06:27:21] Arsenic: (COUNTDOWN: 9)
[06:27:21] Arsenic: (COUNTDOWN: 8)
[06:27:21] Arsenic: (COUNTDOWN: 7)
[06:27:21] Arsenic: (COUNTDOWN: 6)
[06:27:21] Arsenic: (COUNTDOWN: 5)
[06:27:21] Arsenic: (COUNTDOWN: 4)
[06:27:21] Arsenic: (COUNTDOWN: 3)
[06:28:12] Arsenic: (COUNTDOWN: 2)
[06:28:12] Arsenic: (COUNTDOWN: 1)
[06:28:12] Arsenic: (COUNTDOWN: Go!)
[06:28:12] {combat} Arsenic has been defeated by Ulric Mar! They're unable to continue fighting.
[06:28:12] Arsenic's speed returns to normal.
[06:35:02] "Again."

Looking over his shoulder as Arsenic appears behind him, Ulric lifts his blade up and turns his body in one fluid and strong motion, swinging with as much force as humanly possible. Even one-handed he aims to stave off the force of Arsenic's blow, and if at all possible the clash forced the both of them back, Ulric's soles pressing into the earth below as cracks form underneath his body. He manages to take the shock of the slash in entirely and transfer it to the ground, but that isn't the end of it.

Defending against Arsenic's strikes that come at him at the same time, he finds that it's a lot harder to find openings in his opponent's defense this time around, for whatever reason. Is Arsenic getting better throughout their combat? Maybe he's learning how to use his abilities more the longer they fight? All the same, Ulric's fast-- he's extremely swift and agile, and though this opponent shows grit and strength, Ulric displays a bit more this time around as well.

Taking advantage of a slight opening he sees, he moves and disappears once more, leaving behind an afterimage in his place. Appearing behind Arsenic and swinging with more force than he'd used prior, he aims to knock his opponent forward and force him to eat dirt before jumping back again, twirling his blade around in his grasp. His words that come next are stronger than they'd been prior.

"I grew up around the strongest Lightning Mage to ever exist and her daughter. I've had to fight against some of the best mages and swordsman that're around in this age. You'll have to do better than that."

Even though he says this, he'd been close to failure himself. He can't let up-- he can't let this opponent get the edge over him.
(Ulric Mar)
[06:41:00] Ulric Mar: ( brb 1 sec )
[06:41:00] Arsenic: [i'll post when ur back]
[06:41:52] Arsenic: [tell me when]
[06:42:43] Ulric Mar: ( aii, i'm good. )
[06:43:34] Speed. Speed allows Ulric to send him tumbling back every clash, every time.

It's crucial, he's learning- he's managing to understand as much over the course of the fray. Levi had strength. Emmet had been tenacious, her magic exceptionally forceful. Aledy was tough as diamond. And Ulric?

Ulric was ridiculously fast- impossibly so. Whatever he and Sylus had developed, whatever they had came together and done or whatever the hell they were eating, the Ookami brothers had obtained the secret to some sort of unparalleled, ungodly speed that enabled them to move with the sort of inhuman agility that he could only watch in envy.

But he could beat it.

He was so focused, so driven, so resolved, that thought repeated like a mantra. Ulric's taunts only drove him further- especially because those hits he was landing were getting more and more solid each round, every exchange. He was completely ignoring the fact his own body was wracked with cuts, that he was bloody and beaten and bruised- Hellstorm made him nuts like that. Those rakes, those scratches, the damage he were able to do to Ulric...

He's out of that tumble, he jumps into the air, and when he hits the ground, he hits it running. His sword is at his side, he's wide open, and if Ulric seeks to exploit this opening, he's going to receive a cut just as deep.

That is the mentality he carries going on.

That is madness.

And that is his greatest strength.
(Arsenic)
[06:43:34] Arsenic's speed increases!
[06:45:16] {combat} Ulric Mar has been defeated by Arsenic! They're unable to continue fighting.
[06:50:24] This viciousness allows him to pull a victory.

From the jaws of defeat, he swings blindly, furiously, howling like an animal; The blunt side of his blood aims to catch Ulric right where he'dve appeared, sending the freakishly fast Ookami scuttling as he had been sent tumultously hurtling several times in the past few months. Emboldened by his minor victory, Arsenic lets out a warhound's cry...

He's still in control.

That was the most exhilerating thing about it all. He was insane-- batshit insane, but he was aware of it. He had lived with it since he was a child, and, in trial by fire, had learned the secrets to controling the darkness- no. No man could control the darkness. He'd honed it, guiding it, pointing it toward it's target and setting free a destructive fury that none could match.

It was horrifying what one could manage when imbued with this much animalistic rage and could begin to point it- he was but an insect in the grand scheme of things, but with his ambitions, that would change. It had to change. It all had to change.

Swinging his blade with the force of the living embodiment of thunder itself, he aims to crush the opposition.

...In a friendly, competitive manner.
(Arsenic)
[06:54:40] Arsenic: [brb a sec]
[06:54:40] Ulric Mar: ( aii )
[06:56:22] Arsenic: [bacl]
[06:56:22] Ulric Mar: ( kk gimme a sec almost done )
[06:56:22] Arsenic: [*back]
[06:58:04] This opponent's style is ferocious, much like a yokai's own. His movements are wild and the many openings Ulric finds and tries to take advantage of are blocked out by the many swings that Arsenic dishes out. It's clear that if Ulric tries to take advantage of any of the openings he sees he'll be cut in two, so he doesn't. Instead he tries to take on a different approach and remains on the defensive. If he does that then he'll eventually be able to break free and--

Nay, not so. Sent flying back through the air before he'd crash into the ground, Ulric blinks once and then twice, realizing just what had happened. His side's bleeding, and overall the damage he's taken slowly adds up.

"So that's how it is..." he'd mumble, pressing his fingertips against the dirt.

He'd allowed himself to fall-- that much was his own fault. Maybe he'd underestimated Arsenic, or maybe... the boy was actually a lot stronger than he'd originally anticipated. Either way, Ulric couldn't let it happen again, could he? Squinting and holding his wooden blade forward in Arsenic's direction, Ulric shifts his right foot forward before dashing in a straight line, aiming to overtake Arsenic and stab him in his abdomen with a strong blow.

He's taking things a bit more seriously now, and for good reason. He has no reason to underestimate someone who'd managed to knock him down, right?
(Ulric Mar)
[06:59:47] {combat} Ulric Mar has been defeated by Arsenic! They're unable to continue fighting.
[07:07:28] Arsenic shields his abdomen, and, with the attempted attack, Arsenic also manages to eject a burst of lightning from his body in an effort to short-range blast Ulric. It appears that while Ulric certainly holds the edge in swordsmanship and raw agility, there was an outrageous degree of pure power in him, his augmented mana fearsome in it's own right. It was strange- the boy possessed a sort of unholy affinity for just inflicting damage, the only defensive maneuvers taken only in order to maintain superior offensive position.

His concentration does not lapse, and he holds nothing back. The boy is downright vicious, planting his sword in the ground and spinning about it as he did before in order to land another downright nasty kick, aiming to send the man sprawling. Afterward, he'd vanish, reappearing above in a brilliant flash of hellish lightning that'd blot out the sun, sword again in hand as he sought to bring it down with all the accumulated momentum.

Ulric was fearsome. He was stronger. He was undoubtedly holding back, seeing as he was still employing the usage of a wooden sword- but Arsenic did not slacken on the path to victory. Everything within his arsenal would be used to obtain this victory.

That was simply his way.
(Arsenic)
[07:10:01] Arsenic used Yokai Horn
[07:14:17] Struck by the lightning in the moment that he rushes forward, Ulric's lit up like a bug to a bright light-- flame. His entire body shocked to the very last cell, he finds Arsenic's next moves to be all the more faster and swift. The kick smashes into his face and sends him flying back, and the blow aimed to strike down on his form lands as well. All the same, Ulric's being beaten-- forced to the ground where he'd lay for seconds on end with blood dripping from between his lips, he slowly opens his eyes, resting his right hand against his stomach.

"... If that's how it is," he mumbles, rising to a stand as he'd lift his right arm up, the wooden blade in his hold pointed directly at Arsenic. He'd taken things lightly so far, but it seemed that he'd been foolish to do so. Arsenic was stronger than he took him for-- under pressure he seemed to florish and become all the more stronger, able to use what leftover power and strength that he could muster.

However, Ulric was stronger. Even with his wounds and his lost hand, he fully believed this to be true. He could win, even with a wooden blade, and he could surely defeat his opponent without utilizing his full strength. It was the antithesis of what he'd thought prior, but now he was fully aware of what he needed to do.

"... Bring it then," he'd say simply. Moving forward. He's a blur-- blood drips from his form all the while. He's prepared.
(Ulric Mar)
[07:16:00] {combat} Arsenic has been defeated by Ulric Mar! They're unable to continue fighting.
[07:16:00] Arsenic's speed returns to normal.
[07:23:40] "Since when... did I start having this much trouble...?"

It seemed as though it'd been ages since his last battle-- his last real fight. While this couldn't exactly be considered such since he was holding back, he was still in the zone-- Arsenic forced him to put as much force and energy into his blows as possible. Pushing himself to his current limit and rushing across the battlefield, Ulric draws upon what strength he has within to aid him.

He'd never truly liked battle before. He'd grown up a coward-- he never liked fighting, and he was always the one to remain in the back and watch his older and more talented brother fight. Ulric had grown up a weakling, one that didn't like to push himself whether it be because of his sickly body or because he just wasn't meant for combat. Even so, he was here now. He'd fought constantly throughout his childhood and teenage years, and he'd grown stronger. He somehow saw himself in Arsenic... if that made sense.

Lifting up his wooden blade to defend against a wild and strong strike aimed to cleanly split his head in two, Ulric pushes back with reckless abandon, rushing forward at full speed at point-blank range. Aiming to slam his head into Arsenic's gut and sent him flying back, he doesn't stop there. No, disappearing once more, he appears behind his opponent and swings for the male's right side before he once more fades. He's everywhere-- blows rain down from all sides as he uses what speed he has to his advantage before finally, he's above Arsenic.

Swinging down with with strength he could muster with his right arm, he aims to finish the bout and send his opponent back to the earth where he stood.

"Since when... did I start having this much fun?"

Sheathing his wooden blade afterward and falling back onto the dirt himself, he'd breathe out and close his eyes, weary... yet strangely content.
(Ulric Mar)
[07:36:28] Arsenic, for his part, is amazed.

He'd known that Ulric was powerful- he had to be, in order to be any sort of rival to Sylus. That was simply the way of it. But the fact was, he was not only slightly slower or weaker than Ulric.

But significantly so.

He takes the blow to the gut and it's chained, nearly flawlessly, into the assault on his right-hand side. His arm just narrowly comes up to block, but it stings- he grits his teeth, then.

And Ulric appears from above.

In that instant, looking up, Arsenic's eyes widening and Ulric aiming to smack him with the hand of God...he thinks about everything that'd lead up to this point, how impressive his performance had been, how much stronger he was becoming, and..

_______


You're dumb as shit, and you'll never be strong that way. If you're resolved enough to do something, start with being honest with yourself and those around you.

Why have you come, child?

_______

He would prove his detractors wrong. He'd prove them all wrong. He'd show everyone who'd placed faith in him that they'd been right to. Any number of cliche thoughts were had, but with them were new inspiration, new goals, new ideals.

"...Him and Sylus are a lot..."

Like him.

This was his last thought before his lights go out, the abrupt blow sending him skittering with hellstorm dissipating in a brilliant technical display. He bounces, one good, hard time, and then rolls, lying on his side collapsed and breathing irregularly. He tries to raise himself up, resisting his failing body's impulses..until inevitably, he succumbs ot unconsciousness.

He's smiling.
(Arsenic)
[07:36:28] Arsenic: [damn i'm so tired i fucked up that there </I>]
[07:36:28] Arsenic: [ah well]
[07:36:28]
(Arsenic)
[07:38:11] Ulric Mar: ( it's ok )
[07:43:18] In the end, that's how things were. He'd long since thought that battle was the only way for him to validify his existence, and that was true. He'd experienced numerous emotions in his life countless times, but now... the only thing that mattered to him was living and dying the way he wished. He'd made numerous mistakes in his life clearly, but none of that seemed to matter now. As long as he could live and die by the blade, he'd be happy.

Slowly rising up to a stand, Ulric looks down at Arsenic and squints, glancing around. All things considered, the wounds are those that can be slept off-- dealt with rather easily considering Ulric had used a wooden blade. His own wounds however...? They'd take a bit of time to heal. Nodding in the fallen boy's direction and resting a hand over his stomach, Ulric makes his way on back to the house.

"You're getting there... maybe you'll beat me one day. Just maybe."
(Ulric Mar)
[07:45:52] The boy is silent on the ground, content. His wounds were knitting themselves back together visibly- now-subconcious use of Time magic, a standout of his fighting. He wouldn't be able to respond to Ulric quite yet...but he had heard. Somehow. He was unconscious, but perhaps the warrior spirit that carried was just too damnably insistent to be stopped by silly little things like a lack of perception due to mental shutdown.

Or something or another.

Levi. Sylus. Arimanes.

And now Ulric.

He'd show them that he was the one who was going to change this world-- forever.
(Arsenic)

_______