OoC: I accept. Please excuse weird wording as it is late at night.
Meanwhile, a T.V. set was blaring in a small town called Kuroi. An 18-year-old girl named Lunar Starr sat watching the news on a leather couch inside of a small house. A man on the television announced that it was the six-year anniversary of the death of a man named Adam. Years earlier, he joined the town's martial arts tournament, killed three of the competitors, and severely injured one other competitor.
The girl seethed with anger as the man on the screen said the names, "Hizashi Starr, Saitou Starr, and Kyle Stalker died at the hands of this stranger named Adam."
Lunar knew that Adam, her parent’s murderer, was not dead. She knew that Kyle sacrificed himself for nothing. It made her very angry that her two 'guardian angels' Shin Zonjiru and Ri Conozco could not do anything to help her avenge them. The blond-haired man, Shin, never gave her straight answers to anything; and the darker-haired man, Ri, was working undercover in Adam's ranks. She wanted to know what Adam was planning, but neither of the 'angels' were any help.
The man on the T.V. changed the topic abruptly, "In other news, ten mysterious towers have appeared just miles outside of our city. We go to Shiva Benickt for more."
Lunar watched the flickering images of a news crew filming the mysterious towers with little interest. The man, Shiva, reported that these towers were uprooted from their original spots all across the globe and reappeared in an abandoned field as though by magic. He mentioned that there were legends from these foreign lands stating that if any one of the towers could be climbed and conquered, a wish would be granted to the victor. The catch was that the wish had to suit the castle's affiliation.
Lunar was interested as soon as the word "wish" fell from his lips. She picked up the phone and dialed the number of her foster mother, Sayoko Kinnian.
"Hello, Sayoko? I'm going out of town for a few days... do you think you could watch Nataku and Caleb... let them out twice a day and feed them in the mornings for me. Thank you." She hung up and turned off the T.V. set.
Lunar Starr appeared on the edge of the Ten Towers clad in a blue cheongsam patterned with sliver moons and stars. She wore black shorts underneath and had her dark hair pulled back into a bun. She walked between the monolithic towers in wonder until she came upon a gleaming tower that glowed with a holy aura. Bands of molding divided the floors, and statuesque figures of angels and deformed demons stared down at Lunar as though in judgment. Above the entrance, a tympanum depicted a powerful god sitting on a throne with his arms spread wide. Lunar opened the heavy door, ready to attack at the slightest movement.
The inside reeked of blood and sweat. There was blood marring the beautiful and colorful frescos on every wall. Lunar found the staircase, which spiraled upwards into darkness. She studied the frescos that depicted shining religious images on her way to the first door. She opened the creaking door and stepped inside.
Ten Towers
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Apiary Tazy
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BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
*Lunar could barely take the flash of light. By the time it was over she realized she wasn't going to climb up some tower. There was fighting involved. Lunar looked around and found herself surronded by technology, Blue and Yellow, and many other colors were in this Tron-like world. Lunar would only be there for a minute before her opponent appeared*
Nina: Ok, Ok, I get it, a fight right?
*The Mage was wearing a Blue Robe and a Brown Hat, which hid her face in its shadow. Her Pink Hair, however, shone brilliantly to all the light in the area, she waited for Lunar to make her move*
*Lunar could barely take the flash of light. By the time it was over she realized she wasn't going to climb up some tower. There was fighting involved. Lunar looked around and found herself surronded by technology, Blue and Yellow, and many other colors were in this Tron-like world. Lunar would only be there for a minute before her opponent appeared*
Nina: Ok, Ok, I get it, a fight right?
*The Mage was wearing a Blue Robe and a Brown Hat, which hid her face in its shadow. Her Pink Hair, however, shone brilliantly to all the light in the area, she waited for Lunar to make her move*
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Jenocide
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Lunar waited for her eyes to adjust before staring at her new surroundings. The brightly flashing lights of the large room seemed strange after the previously calm staircase and hindered her eye-adjusting process.
After a few moments, her eyes fully adjusted and she finally spotted her opponent. Lunar charged at her and threw her fist towards Nina's solar plexus, but the quick mage evaded the blow. Lunar stepped back and sent her knee flying into the anterior portion of Nina's left leg, crushing the muscle against the bone. Nina fell to one knee; her leg started to spasm beneath her painfully. Lunar stepped back into a traditional fighting stance to see what Nina's next move would be now that her leg was 'dead.'
After a few moments, her eyes fully adjusted and she finally spotted her opponent. Lunar charged at her and threw her fist towards Nina's solar plexus, but the quick mage evaded the blow. Lunar stepped back and sent her knee flying into the anterior portion of Nina's left leg, crushing the muscle against the bone. Nina fell to one knee; her leg started to spasm beneath her painfully. Lunar stepped back into a traditional fighting stance to see what Nina's next move would be now that her leg was 'dead.'
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Apiary Tazy
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*Nina's Leg was in great pain. How the girl caused such pain from that kick Nina didn't really understand, but still. Nina was not going to lose to her. Lunar would not give Nina the chance to use a powerful spell as Lunar ran back towards her and tried to deliver a punch to the Solar Plexus. Lunar threw the punch only to get it blocked by Nina's hidden Staff. Nina then tapped Lunar on the back of the head with her book, causing a somewhat static cling kind of shock to Lunar's forehead. Lunar moved back, only to notice she was actually slower then before.
Nina cast a lock or "Slow Spell" on her*
Nina:Ok, now stand there like a good girl, Your speed is decreased to 2/3rds, so I'll see anything coming....at least until I charge this
*Nina raised her staff in the air and a red glow grew from the tip. Nina then pointed the tip at Lunar and smiled as she slowly tried to get back up*
Nina: FIRE 2!
* A powerful Fire Blast came from the tip and shot straight for Lunar*
Nina cast a lock or "Slow Spell" on her*
Nina:Ok, now stand there like a good girl, Your speed is decreased to 2/3rds, so I'll see anything coming....at least until I charge this
*Nina raised her staff in the air and a red glow grew from the tip. Nina then pointed the tip at Lunar and smiled as she slowly tried to get back up*
Nina: FIRE 2!
* A powerful Fire Blast came from the tip and shot straight for Lunar*
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Jenocide
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Lunar decided to try and dodge the blast and bent her knees slowly to try to sit on the ground while twisting to the side.
She was fast, but she wasn't fast enough. She felt the blast burn the side of her face and winced.
Once it was past, she straightened up slowly. Nina tried to get up on her injured leg, but it was still throbbing with pain.
Lunar made a slow, circular motion with her outstretched hand and a blue, glowing light followed it. She clasped her hands together and her hands were glowing with blue energy.
She looked up slowly at Nina and said, "SHOOTING STAR!"
Beams of blue and yellow light flew from her hands towards the nearly immobile Nina.
She was fast, but she wasn't fast enough. She felt the blast burn the side of her face and winced.
Once it was past, she straightened up slowly. Nina tried to get up on her injured leg, but it was still throbbing with pain.
Lunar made a slow, circular motion with her outstretched hand and a blue, glowing light followed it. She clasped her hands together and her hands were glowing with blue energy.
She looked up slowly at Nina and said, "SHOOTING STAR!"
Beams of blue and yellow light flew from her hands towards the nearly immobile Nina.
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Apiary Tazy
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*Nina was unable to dodge the shots Lunar had fired. Nina even tried to Duck, but to no avail. Each one hit its mark, almost 100%. Only 1 missed her body, and it hit her arm. Nina tried to get up, but it did not work*
Nina: I....WILL NOT FAIL!
*Nina aims her rod at the sky with her good arm and Yelled "BOLT 2". Suddenly, Lightning rained upon Lunar in a "Much slower than real Lightning" Manner. With Lunar still finding it hard to move, she would have to think of a way to survive....But, would the Lightning Bolt do any damage? (I mean it is slower)
OoC: You survive, you go to the next floor, simple?
OoC2: Firestorm, You're not done, yet.....
Nina: I....WILL NOT FAIL!
*Nina aims her rod at the sky with her good arm and Yelled "BOLT 2". Suddenly, Lightning rained upon Lunar in a "Much slower than real Lightning" Manner. With Lunar still finding it hard to move, she would have to think of a way to survive....But, would the Lightning Bolt do any damage? (I mean it is slower)
OoC: You survive, you go to the next floor, simple?
OoC2: Firestorm, You're not done, yet.....
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Firestorm
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Death and destruction and more death
A sea.... of bones?
Ranto ducked a punch and sidestepped some some flames, but he was not paying attention. There was a voice too, but he did not care. He was too busy taking in the surroundings.
Ranto seemed actually pleased by the scenery. The hideous black sand stretched for miles in every direction. The eerie dark color was unnatural, and Ranto assumed that the color of the sand had been changed by years of exposure to the dark aura of the castle. The bones were a clear indication that either a dangerous creature was nearby or the aura of the castle was fatal to passerby. The mountains of bones around him stood for centuries of death, and only Ranto could actually enjoy that.
His observations were interrupted when a ridiculously strong dragon fist nearly took his head off. He ducked again, now annoyed by the attacker.
"How dare you ignore me! I am Pnoy the Third, and as long as I am here, no one will eve..."
"You..." Ranto interrupted, his dark red irises now glowing. The deep crimson color had always been unnerving, but right now it seemed as though his evil eyes were on fire, glowing with a hatred that only a demon-spawned underworld creature should have been able to express. The hatred was intense, like something the dragon had done had deeply offended Ranto, and now he wanted revenge.
"...did you do this?"
Ranto motioned around him with his hand, pointing to the mountainous legion of bones and death that surrounded the two of them.
"Did you kill ALL these people and creatures? How dare you!"
"Some of them," Pnoy responded, "and the re..."
"HOW DARE YOU! YOU KILLED ALL THESE PEOPLE, AND YOU DIDN'T INVITE ME!? DIE!!"
Ranto swung his weapon out at head-level, aiming to decapitate the dragon, but his sword caught only air. Instead, the dragon's fist plowed into his face like a train wreck, and he collapsed into a pile of bones. He had not even settled into the pile when he felt the dry, scaly dragon fingers wrap around his left ankle. Pnoy picked him up and swung him around like a rag doll, slamming him back into the ground on the opposite side of where he started. He was only on the ground for a quarter of a second before he was jerked off the ground again and crashed into another pile of bones.
Pnoy was having fun with this. He was swinging the the human around like a club, using him to break as many of the bone piles as he could. He tossed Ranto around for a good ten seconds, and in that time he slammed him into no less than fourteen bone piles.
"Your threats won't get you anywhere, human," Pnoy told him as he ran his opponent into the ground again. Ranto finally pulled his foot out of his shoe, and Pnoy was left holding Ranto's footwear. The dark mage seemed to be having trouble standing up, and the bloody marks all over his body indicated that the thrashing worked quite well.
"I'm faster than you. I'm stronger than you. You can't win. And that cursed "one-hit-kill" crap that you've been pulling stops here. You will never have time to inscribe your death mark on our surroundings."
"Kuro was faster and stronger than me. Where is he now?"
That statement hung in the air like a poison. Pnoy was not happy.
--------------------------------
This was getting kind of funny. Ranto had used the Demon Crest on Mario simply because he was not sure what to expect. Mario had looked harmless, so that probably meant he had some sort of secret weapon. Ranto did not want to deal with a secret weapon, so he pulled out one of his strongest techniques right from the get-go.
With Kuro, Ranto did not really have a choice. The environment he was in made most of his attacks useless, and the Zeva was so strong that Ranto could not think of any other option.
With Nyne, however, Ranto was going to move on and use a different technique. Ranto was not a one-trick pony. He had scores of malicious maneuvers to utilize, and he had planned on killing Nyne in some other horrid fashion. However, Nyne had made the mistake of challenging Ranto's darkness ability, insisting that it would not work and that the island shields would block his demon buddies. And it was because Nyne had told him the darkness would fail that Ranto chose to prove him wrong. He had proven his point, and now he would move on.
And now here was Pnoy, challenging the darkness again, telling Ranto his move ws too slow and he could never pull it off. Ranto would have been sick of the move by now, but these guys kept challenging him. And so, he would make a game out of it. Although he knew they would eventually figure out some way around his move, he would see just how many of them he could kill using only that move. He would use nothing but the Demon Crest to kill every last one of them.
The best part of all this was that the darkness used so much mana, he could normally only do it two or three times, but this tower kept healing him between floors. He could use the darkness until it came out his nose.
-------------------------------------
Ranto knelt in the sand and started tracing the mark in the dirt, but before his finger even reached the ground, Pnoy's fist ran through his face again.
This fight had been going for less than twenty seconds, but Ranto had already been beaten to a pulp.
"Are you serious?" Pnoy asked.
Ranto again did not answer. Instead, he held his sword out, pointed straight up. He motioned with his other hand for Pnoy to look at the handle.
Crap...
Already inscribed on the handle of the sword was Ranto's runic emblem. Pnoy shrank backwards, expecting instadeath, but then he realized that the mark on the sword was slightly different. It was an entirely different pattern, not the darkness rune. And the effect was completely different too, as the spell mark lit up and Ranto's sword started glowing red.
"I dare you to get near me, dragon. You'll see what a soul tainting can do to a person."
Pnoy had to come up with something else. Pummeling Ranto had been fun, but Pnoy did not even know what a "soul-tainting" was and he did not want to find out the hard way.
Instead, he turned and ran parallel to Ranto. He began a mad sideways dash, leaping over bones and flying across the sand with the kind of speed that only a dragon can muster. The dirt flew up behind him as he gained speed, running in a circle around Ranto. He steadily increased his velocity, far exceeding a realistic capacity and achieving a speed that Ranto could not even follow with his eyes.
A resounding sonic boom announced that Pnoy was moving a speed greater than most creatures could even think.
And yet Pnoy continued to accelerate, starting to leave an afterimage behind him. As he began to eceed the speed of light, Ranto's eyes began playing tricks on him. The light refraction around Pnoy was going haywire. Pnoy moved so far ahead of his own image that he literally caught up with himself, so to speak. Pnoy could see his own trail of blurry afterimages ahead of him as he ran, but he caught up with those and passed through them, starting the process over.
To Ranto, however, it just like Pnoy split himself into three hundred copies of himself and started running in circles.
He's... he's as fast as Shuri... I didn't think anyone else could do that...
It was at this point that Ranto realized what Pnoy was doing. The air around him had long ago become violently disturbed, and as the running continued, Ranto found that Pnoy was singlehandedly forming a tornado in the middle of this black desert.
Impossible... he's not even using magic of any kind... he's just that fast!
The wind eventually scooped Ranto off his feet and began twirling him in mid-air. That would not have been so bad, except that the piles of bones around them were also picked up into the whirlwind.
The flying bones repeatedly slammed into him, some breaking themselves on impact, while other were just breaking his bones. Pnoy continued to circle below as Ranto was pelted over and over again by bone, beating him into even worse shape than before. Pnoy did not have to lay a finger on Ranto in order to pulverize him.
From down below, Pnoy's voice echoed upward. His voice was oddly distorted by the wind, but Ranto could still make out what he was saying:
"This is the Dragon's Wind! I hope you'll find it an interesting way to die!"
-------------------------------
As yet another piece of bone crunched into his right elbow, rendering the limb numb, Ranto tried to think of way out of this mess. If he used his Guardian's Ring, the tornado would instantly cease and he would fall seventy feet (because the tornado had lifted him that high) and crash to his death.
Besides that...
This was just the kind of wind-elemental attack that would overpower the charm anyway.
If I can't get rid of the tornado, perhaps I can use it for own purposes. If only I could summon the deomn flame from up here! The tornado would spread the flames and engulf this entire area...
...actually, that gives me an idea.
---------------------------
In the middle of the hurricane, Ranto pointed his index and middle fingers downward. A sudden burst of dark magic worked its way through his arm and down to his fingertips.
"[{Leprosy!}]"
A gaseous green mist sprayed from Ranto's hand and into the wind. As the wind picked up the gas, it began spread wildly through the tornado, filling every inch of the whirlwind with the toxic fumes. Ranto continued pouring his mana into the spell, columns of the green crap filling the storm.
---------------------------
Ever watch someone put real fruit into a cup and blend it into smoothie mix? The fruit juice slowly spreads out and fills the cup until every last trace of the smoothie mix has turned color to match the fruit. It only takes two or three seconds....
---------------------------
After three seconds, the entire tornado had turned a ghastly shade of green. Pnoy did not notice this; the entire event was above him, and he had to keep his eyes on where he was going. The only reason he finally did notice was because his heart rate was increasing for no reason.
The magic of Dragon's Wind enabled him to run without tiring or exerting himself too much, so his heart should not be under any strain, so he was slightly concerned when his body started aching. The muslces in his legs were losing their feeling...
He slowled down and finally came to a stop. It took him a could ten seconds to decelerate to a standstill, due to the momentum carrying him forward.
Behind him, Ranto finally landed on the ground. The disease infecting Pnoy had forced him to slow down, and the tornado slowly shrank down to nothing and allowed Ranto to avoid falling.
Pnoy's skin was changing color. His flesh was decaying... for second or two. But then, it just stopped.
----------------------------
When a person makes a smoothie out of real fruit, they have to trade something in. They give up their fresh, whole, succulent fruit and choose to blend it into a drink. Obviously, the fruit flavor becomes less strong as it is diluted, but the volume is increased...
---------------------------
"Whatever you tried to do to me, mage, the wind scattered it so far that it was diluted by the time it entered my system. Your poison isn't strong enough."
Ranto had already figured that out. The wind allowed him to spread the leprosy spell really far, but it also spread it so thin that is was not as strong as usual. It had, however, forced the dragon to slow down. He could not run as fast.
"Where's your sword, Ranto?"
Ranto now noticed for the first time that the tornado had knocked his sword away. He could not see it anymore.
"You lost your sword... and now your mine!"
Pnoy leaped forward at the unarmed Ranto, but his speed was decreased to a manageable level. Then, Ranto did something unusual.
He turned and ran.
"Come back here!"
Pnoy followed him, and the chase was on. Ranto scrambled all over that desert, leading Pnoy on a wild goose chase.
Through the sand, over the bones, in circles, round and round they ran. Pnoy threw dozens of fireballs as he ran, but Ranto was moving in an akward pattern and he was nearly impossible to his. Pnoy just followed yhim, know that as soon as he could get ahold of him, he could tear him limb from limb.
----------------------------
Ranto seemed to be getting tired. The dragon had nearly infinite stamina, but Ranto could only run for so long. His pace slowed, and Pnoy was gaining on him.
Finally, Ranto turned around and said, "Stop. It's over."
Pnoy ignored Ranto's warning and jumped at him. Ranto ducked under him and leaped to the side.
"Pnoy.... look around us."
The dragon stopped to consider Ranto's statement, and then he realized what had happened:
All around, in the sand, their footprints made trails through the dirt. Trenches dug into the sand by their feet were all around them in an erratic pattern, but that pattern was familiar.
Pnoy was devestated by the realization that he had been helping Ranto this whole time. Ranto was not heavy enough to make deep footprints in the sand, but the dragon's feet sank in, digging the Demon Crest into the dirt as he chased Ranto.
"You were right, Pnoy. You were too fast for me. There was no way I'd have an opportunity to draw my rune. That's why I let you draw it for me."
And as he said that, the entire desert seemed to light up as the demon flame spewed forth to devour Pnoy just as it eaten his colleagues.
----------------------------------
As Ranto climbed the stairs to the fifth floor, he announced his intentions up the corridor:
"Who else wants to challenge the darkness!? I'm right here!!"
A sea.... of bones?
Ranto ducked a punch and sidestepped some some flames, but he was not paying attention. There was a voice too, but he did not care. He was too busy taking in the surroundings.
Ranto seemed actually pleased by the scenery. The hideous black sand stretched for miles in every direction. The eerie dark color was unnatural, and Ranto assumed that the color of the sand had been changed by years of exposure to the dark aura of the castle. The bones were a clear indication that either a dangerous creature was nearby or the aura of the castle was fatal to passerby. The mountains of bones around him stood for centuries of death, and only Ranto could actually enjoy that.
His observations were interrupted when a ridiculously strong dragon fist nearly took his head off. He ducked again, now annoyed by the attacker.
"How dare you ignore me! I am Pnoy the Third, and as long as I am here, no one will eve..."
"You..." Ranto interrupted, his dark red irises now glowing. The deep crimson color had always been unnerving, but right now it seemed as though his evil eyes were on fire, glowing with a hatred that only a demon-spawned underworld creature should have been able to express. The hatred was intense, like something the dragon had done had deeply offended Ranto, and now he wanted revenge.
"...did you do this?"
Ranto motioned around him with his hand, pointing to the mountainous legion of bones and death that surrounded the two of them.
"Did you kill ALL these people and creatures? How dare you!"
"Some of them," Pnoy responded, "and the re..."
"HOW DARE YOU! YOU KILLED ALL THESE PEOPLE, AND YOU DIDN'T INVITE ME!? DIE!!"
Ranto swung his weapon out at head-level, aiming to decapitate the dragon, but his sword caught only air. Instead, the dragon's fist plowed into his face like a train wreck, and he collapsed into a pile of bones. He had not even settled into the pile when he felt the dry, scaly dragon fingers wrap around his left ankle. Pnoy picked him up and swung him around like a rag doll, slamming him back into the ground on the opposite side of where he started. He was only on the ground for a quarter of a second before he was jerked off the ground again and crashed into another pile of bones.
Pnoy was having fun with this. He was swinging the the human around like a club, using him to break as many of the bone piles as he could. He tossed Ranto around for a good ten seconds, and in that time he slammed him into no less than fourteen bone piles.
"Your threats won't get you anywhere, human," Pnoy told him as he ran his opponent into the ground again. Ranto finally pulled his foot out of his shoe, and Pnoy was left holding Ranto's footwear. The dark mage seemed to be having trouble standing up, and the bloody marks all over his body indicated that the thrashing worked quite well.
"I'm faster than you. I'm stronger than you. You can't win. And that cursed "one-hit-kill" crap that you've been pulling stops here. You will never have time to inscribe your death mark on our surroundings."
"Kuro was faster and stronger than me. Where is he now?"
That statement hung in the air like a poison. Pnoy was not happy.
--------------------------------
This was getting kind of funny. Ranto had used the Demon Crest on Mario simply because he was not sure what to expect. Mario had looked harmless, so that probably meant he had some sort of secret weapon. Ranto did not want to deal with a secret weapon, so he pulled out one of his strongest techniques right from the get-go.
With Kuro, Ranto did not really have a choice. The environment he was in made most of his attacks useless, and the Zeva was so strong that Ranto could not think of any other option.
With Nyne, however, Ranto was going to move on and use a different technique. Ranto was not a one-trick pony. He had scores of malicious maneuvers to utilize, and he had planned on killing Nyne in some other horrid fashion. However, Nyne had made the mistake of challenging Ranto's darkness ability, insisting that it would not work and that the island shields would block his demon buddies. And it was because Nyne had told him the darkness would fail that Ranto chose to prove him wrong. He had proven his point, and now he would move on.
And now here was Pnoy, challenging the darkness again, telling Ranto his move ws too slow and he could never pull it off. Ranto would have been sick of the move by now, but these guys kept challenging him. And so, he would make a game out of it. Although he knew they would eventually figure out some way around his move, he would see just how many of them he could kill using only that move. He would use nothing but the Demon Crest to kill every last one of them.
The best part of all this was that the darkness used so much mana, he could normally only do it two or three times, but this tower kept healing him between floors. He could use the darkness until it came out his nose.
-------------------------------------
Ranto knelt in the sand and started tracing the mark in the dirt, but before his finger even reached the ground, Pnoy's fist ran through his face again.
This fight had been going for less than twenty seconds, but Ranto had already been beaten to a pulp.
"Are you serious?" Pnoy asked.
Ranto again did not answer. Instead, he held his sword out, pointed straight up. He motioned with his other hand for Pnoy to look at the handle.
Crap...
Already inscribed on the handle of the sword was Ranto's runic emblem. Pnoy shrank backwards, expecting instadeath, but then he realized that the mark on the sword was slightly different. It was an entirely different pattern, not the darkness rune. And the effect was completely different too, as the spell mark lit up and Ranto's sword started glowing red.
"I dare you to get near me, dragon. You'll see what a soul tainting can do to a person."
Pnoy had to come up with something else. Pummeling Ranto had been fun, but Pnoy did not even know what a "soul-tainting" was and he did not want to find out the hard way.
Instead, he turned and ran parallel to Ranto. He began a mad sideways dash, leaping over bones and flying across the sand with the kind of speed that only a dragon can muster. The dirt flew up behind him as he gained speed, running in a circle around Ranto. He steadily increased his velocity, far exceeding a realistic capacity and achieving a speed that Ranto could not even follow with his eyes.
A resounding sonic boom announced that Pnoy was moving a speed greater than most creatures could even think.
And yet Pnoy continued to accelerate, starting to leave an afterimage behind him. As he began to eceed the speed of light, Ranto's eyes began playing tricks on him. The light refraction around Pnoy was going haywire. Pnoy moved so far ahead of his own image that he literally caught up with himself, so to speak. Pnoy could see his own trail of blurry afterimages ahead of him as he ran, but he caught up with those and passed through them, starting the process over.
To Ranto, however, it just like Pnoy split himself into three hundred copies of himself and started running in circles.
He's... he's as fast as Shuri... I didn't think anyone else could do that...
It was at this point that Ranto realized what Pnoy was doing. The air around him had long ago become violently disturbed, and as the running continued, Ranto found that Pnoy was singlehandedly forming a tornado in the middle of this black desert.
Impossible... he's not even using magic of any kind... he's just that fast!
The wind eventually scooped Ranto off his feet and began twirling him in mid-air. That would not have been so bad, except that the piles of bones around them were also picked up into the whirlwind.
The flying bones repeatedly slammed into him, some breaking themselves on impact, while other were just breaking his bones. Pnoy continued to circle below as Ranto was pelted over and over again by bone, beating him into even worse shape than before. Pnoy did not have to lay a finger on Ranto in order to pulverize him.
From down below, Pnoy's voice echoed upward. His voice was oddly distorted by the wind, but Ranto could still make out what he was saying:
"This is the Dragon's Wind! I hope you'll find it an interesting way to die!"
-------------------------------
As yet another piece of bone crunched into his right elbow, rendering the limb numb, Ranto tried to think of way out of this mess. If he used his Guardian's Ring, the tornado would instantly cease and he would fall seventy feet (because the tornado had lifted him that high) and crash to his death.
Besides that...
Hmmm...."This, my friend, is the power of the Guardian's Ring," Ranto revealed, "and it renders all but the strongest elemental attacks useless. If you were to try and throw a fireball or wind blast or anything, it would be absorbed. The only way to penetrate the Guardian's Ring is to use an overwhelmingly strong elemental attack, one so powerful that only a dragon or master sorceror could generate. Anything less than that will just be swallowed by the ring."
---------------------------...an overwhelmingly strong elemental attack, one so powerful that only a dragon ... could generate...
This was just the kind of wind-elemental attack that would overpower the charm anyway.
If I can't get rid of the tornado, perhaps I can use it for own purposes. If only I could summon the deomn flame from up here! The tornado would spread the flames and engulf this entire area...
...actually, that gives me an idea.
---------------------------
In the middle of the hurricane, Ranto pointed his index and middle fingers downward. A sudden burst of dark magic worked its way through his arm and down to his fingertips.
"[{Leprosy!}]"
A gaseous green mist sprayed from Ranto's hand and into the wind. As the wind picked up the gas, it began spread wildly through the tornado, filling every inch of the whirlwind with the toxic fumes. Ranto continued pouring his mana into the spell, columns of the green crap filling the storm.
---------------------------
Ever watch someone put real fruit into a cup and blend it into smoothie mix? The fruit juice slowly spreads out and fills the cup until every last trace of the smoothie mix has turned color to match the fruit. It only takes two or three seconds....
---------------------------
After three seconds, the entire tornado had turned a ghastly shade of green. Pnoy did not notice this; the entire event was above him, and he had to keep his eyes on where he was going. The only reason he finally did notice was because his heart rate was increasing for no reason.
The magic of Dragon's Wind enabled him to run without tiring or exerting himself too much, so his heart should not be under any strain, so he was slightly concerned when his body started aching. The muslces in his legs were losing their feeling...
He slowled down and finally came to a stop. It took him a could ten seconds to decelerate to a standstill, due to the momentum carrying him forward.
Behind him, Ranto finally landed on the ground. The disease infecting Pnoy had forced him to slow down, and the tornado slowly shrank down to nothing and allowed Ranto to avoid falling.
Pnoy's skin was changing color. His flesh was decaying... for second or two. But then, it just stopped.
----------------------------
When a person makes a smoothie out of real fruit, they have to trade something in. They give up their fresh, whole, succulent fruit and choose to blend it into a drink. Obviously, the fruit flavor becomes less strong as it is diluted, but the volume is increased...
---------------------------
"Whatever you tried to do to me, mage, the wind scattered it so far that it was diluted by the time it entered my system. Your poison isn't strong enough."
Ranto had already figured that out. The wind allowed him to spread the leprosy spell really far, but it also spread it so thin that is was not as strong as usual. It had, however, forced the dragon to slow down. He could not run as fast.
"Where's your sword, Ranto?"
Ranto now noticed for the first time that the tornado had knocked his sword away. He could not see it anymore.
"You lost your sword... and now your mine!"
Pnoy leaped forward at the unarmed Ranto, but his speed was decreased to a manageable level. Then, Ranto did something unusual.
He turned and ran.
"Come back here!"
Pnoy followed him, and the chase was on. Ranto scrambled all over that desert, leading Pnoy on a wild goose chase.
Through the sand, over the bones, in circles, round and round they ran. Pnoy threw dozens of fireballs as he ran, but Ranto was moving in an akward pattern and he was nearly impossible to his. Pnoy just followed yhim, know that as soon as he could get ahold of him, he could tear him limb from limb.
----------------------------
Ranto seemed to be getting tired. The dragon had nearly infinite stamina, but Ranto could only run for so long. His pace slowed, and Pnoy was gaining on him.
Finally, Ranto turned around and said, "Stop. It's over."
Pnoy ignored Ranto's warning and jumped at him. Ranto ducked under him and leaped to the side.
"Pnoy.... look around us."
The dragon stopped to consider Ranto's statement, and then he realized what had happened:
All around, in the sand, their footprints made trails through the dirt. Trenches dug into the sand by their feet were all around them in an erratic pattern, but that pattern was familiar.
Pnoy was devestated by the realization that he had been helping Ranto this whole time. Ranto was not heavy enough to make deep footprints in the sand, but the dragon's feet sank in, digging the Demon Crest into the dirt as he chased Ranto.
"You were right, Pnoy. You were too fast for me. There was no way I'd have an opportunity to draw my rune. That's why I let you draw it for me."
And as he said that, the entire desert seemed to light up as the demon flame spewed forth to devour Pnoy just as it eaten his colleagues.
----------------------------------
As Ranto climbed the stairs to the fifth floor, he announced his intentions up the corridor:
"Who else wants to challenge the darkness!? I'm right here!!"
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Jenocide
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Lunar braced herself for immense pain since dodging lightning is nearly impossible, but the pain never came.
She looked up to see Shin Zonjiru, one of her guardian 'angels' standing above her holding a metal sword straight to the roof. He began to go limp as he fell to his knees next to Lunar.
She could feel her speed returning to normal as she kneeled next to him and yelled, "How did you know I was here? You could have gotten yourself killed!"
He laughed, "That's not possible, gorgeous..."
She stood up and walked away from him, "I've told you not to call me that.... You know, Ri told me why you call me by that name. It's because, in my past life, I made you."
Shin did not say a word, but he got to his feet and the sword disappeared from his hands.
After a few moments, he smiled, "Well, let's go to the next level..."
Lunar shook her head, "Next level? There's no way I'm letting you come along. You're going back to the Lee's. This is something I have to do by myself... besides; I would have thought that you would be against this..."
Shin nodded, "I think it's a good idea, gorgeous... I'll let you do it alone, if that's what you want."
Lunar nodded, "I don't want your help and I don't want Ri's help either. Tell him that."
Shin laughed, "I don't speak to that imbecile," and he disappeared into thin air.
Lunar shook her head, mumbling a few curses as she walked towards the door. She climbed marble steps towards the next level. The figures on the walls were getting larger (as they were more prominent figures in the religion) and the blood on the walls looked fresher than it did on the previous level. She pulled open a large stone door engraved with spiritual writing and stepped inside.
She looked up to see Shin Zonjiru, one of her guardian 'angels' standing above her holding a metal sword straight to the roof. He began to go limp as he fell to his knees next to Lunar.
She could feel her speed returning to normal as she kneeled next to him and yelled, "How did you know I was here? You could have gotten yourself killed!"
He laughed, "That's not possible, gorgeous..."
She stood up and walked away from him, "I've told you not to call me that.... You know, Ri told me why you call me by that name. It's because, in my past life, I made you."
Shin did not say a word, but he got to his feet and the sword disappeared from his hands.
After a few moments, he smiled, "Well, let's go to the next level..."
Lunar shook her head, "Next level? There's no way I'm letting you come along. You're going back to the Lee's. This is something I have to do by myself... besides; I would have thought that you would be against this..."
Shin nodded, "I think it's a good idea, gorgeous... I'll let you do it alone, if that's what you want."
Lunar nodded, "I don't want your help and I don't want Ri's help either. Tell him that."
Shin laughed, "I don't speak to that imbecile," and he disappeared into thin air.
Lunar shook her head, mumbling a few curses as she walked towards the door. She climbed marble steps towards the next level. The figures on the walls were getting larger (as they were more prominent figures in the religion) and the blood on the walls looked fresher than it did on the previous level. She pulled open a large stone door engraved with spiritual writing and stepped inside.
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Apiary Tazy
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^ OoC: Not yet, either Firestorm or Arensa have to finish before another can compete. Wait your turn, it'll be a while.
-----------------------------
Ranto:
*The Forth Floor was actually even more foul than the Desert, the Bones and Flesh piled up like a Mountain, until it broke through to the next floor.
Ranto loved it
Ranto moved upwards on the stairs and into the Doorway*
....hahahahahahahaha....
*Ranto heard a really deep voice....It could be the Devil, a Demon, it could be a Woman disguising her voice. No matter, because it was laughing at Ranto*
"You are lucky to have made it this far....However the First Four Floors were....a "Tutorial"....Yes, the Tower does replenish your energy....But, only until the 8th floor...hahaha...Also, From here on you will no longer get the first move, The opponents might not even introduce themselves to you....If you REALLY want what is in here....come look for it....Mage-y. HAHAHAHAHA!"
*The White started to clear and become a City....a City with a Red Sky. Bodies of Teenagers flooded the street as he saw People in Blue Pummeling them until thier brains pop out....Ranto would've enjoyed this if a Bullet had not suddenly hit him in the Shoulder. the Blood splattered onto a cop, who turned and saw Ranto. He obviously thought of him as one of them. He pulled out his Large Stick and ran at Ranto.*
Ranto: hmmmm...I'm guessing my opponent is hidden.... why else would I have to be hit first?
*Meanwhile a Woman looks on through a Sniper Scope, Smiling. She wore common Spy Gear, with several Daggers on her right leg and a Pistol on the left. The Brief Case Behind her geld a Bazooka, with Strange Marking that looked like Alien Technology. She pulled out a Walkie Talkie and turned it on*
Artfice: This is Artifce calling Big Baron, target is in my sights and being attacked.
WT: Bring him in, Dead of Alive, it doesn't matter
Artifice: right, Artifice Out
-------------------------------------------------------
Lunar:
KERSPLAT!
*Lunar opened her eyes to see she was on a Bridge in the Jungle. The Bridge was old, but very strong (It was not a Rope Bridge, but a Wood Bridge). By the time she saw her surrondings, everything around her turned Dark, and several Robed creatures surronded her*
Old men: OOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMOHMMMMMMMMMM[size=-10]where'sthecreamfilling?[/size]OHHHHHHHHHHHM!
*Suddenly, one of them broke off, and the rest dissappeared....However this one would turn out be More like a Alien. He threw off his robe to reveal he was more like a Grey Insect with Bird Wings and Head with a Dome-Shaped Head*
Greystone: I give who a chance to turn back.....Afterwards, you will be crushed into small particles....
----------------------------------------------
OoC: BOTH AT ONCE!
-----------------------------
Ranto:
*The Forth Floor was actually even more foul than the Desert, the Bones and Flesh piled up like a Mountain, until it broke through to the next floor.
Ranto loved it
Ranto moved upwards on the stairs and into the Doorway*
....hahahahahahahaha....
*Ranto heard a really deep voice....It could be the Devil, a Demon, it could be a Woman disguising her voice. No matter, because it was laughing at Ranto*
"You are lucky to have made it this far....However the First Four Floors were....a "Tutorial"....Yes, the Tower does replenish your energy....But, only until the 8th floor...hahaha...Also, From here on you will no longer get the first move, The opponents might not even introduce themselves to you....If you REALLY want what is in here....come look for it....Mage-y. HAHAHAHAHA!"
*The White started to clear and become a City....a City with a Red Sky. Bodies of Teenagers flooded the street as he saw People in Blue Pummeling them until thier brains pop out....Ranto would've enjoyed this if a Bullet had not suddenly hit him in the Shoulder. the Blood splattered onto a cop, who turned and saw Ranto. He obviously thought of him as one of them. He pulled out his Large Stick and ran at Ranto.*
Ranto: hmmmm...I'm guessing my opponent is hidden.... why else would I have to be hit first?
*Meanwhile a Woman looks on through a Sniper Scope, Smiling. She wore common Spy Gear, with several Daggers on her right leg and a Pistol on the left. The Brief Case Behind her geld a Bazooka, with Strange Marking that looked like Alien Technology. She pulled out a Walkie Talkie and turned it on*
Artfice: This is Artifce calling Big Baron, target is in my sights and being attacked.
WT: Bring him in, Dead of Alive, it doesn't matter
Artifice: right, Artifice Out
-------------------------------------------------------
Lunar:
KERSPLAT!
*Lunar opened her eyes to see she was on a Bridge in the Jungle. The Bridge was old, but very strong (It was not a Rope Bridge, but a Wood Bridge). By the time she saw her surrondings, everything around her turned Dark, and several Robed creatures surronded her*
Old men: OOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMOHMMMMMMMMMM[size=-10]where'sthecreamfilling?[/size]OHHHHHHHHHHHM!
*Suddenly, one of them broke off, and the rest dissappeared....However this one would turn out be More like a Alien. He threw off his robe to reveal he was more like a Grey Insect with Bird Wings and Head with a Dome-Shaped Head*
Greystone: I give who a chance to turn back.....Afterwards, you will be crushed into small particles....
----------------------------------------------
OoC: BOTH AT ONCE!
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Apiary Tazy
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Apiary Tazy
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Jenocide
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Lunar rolled her eyes, "I didn't come to this tower to give up because of some crazy winged freak."
Greystone laughed at her. It was a bad move.
While he was still laughing, she charged at Greystone and jumped into the air at the last second. She brought her elbow down quickly onto his dome-shaped head. He went skidding to the wooden floor of the bridge.
Lunar stepped backwards and slid her right hand over her left wrist. Suddenly, a hilt appeared from her arm and she drew out a Gladius Hispaniensis of 81 centimeters with a gleaming silver blade.
Greystone blinked, letting his eyes adjust from the blow.
Lunar, in the meantime, charged at him. As she ran, the words, "ad astra per aspera” gleamed in gold on the sword's silver surface.
She swung the blade at the insect-like creature called Greystone, and he fluidly dodged her maneuver. She then hopped up onto the wooden railing and pushed off it in a spin, aiming her sword at Greystone with quick accuracy. She knew she had hit him, but she was not sure if it was a critical hit or not.
She landed behind him and swung her sword from a crouching position, but he was not where he was a second ago. She had lost him for the moment.
Greystone laughed at her. It was a bad move.
While he was still laughing, she charged at Greystone and jumped into the air at the last second. She brought her elbow down quickly onto his dome-shaped head. He went skidding to the wooden floor of the bridge.
Lunar stepped backwards and slid her right hand over her left wrist. Suddenly, a hilt appeared from her arm and she drew out a Gladius Hispaniensis of 81 centimeters with a gleaming silver blade.
Greystone blinked, letting his eyes adjust from the blow.
Lunar, in the meantime, charged at him. As she ran, the words, "ad astra per aspera” gleamed in gold on the sword's silver surface.
She swung the blade at the insect-like creature called Greystone, and he fluidly dodged her maneuver. She then hopped up onto the wooden railing and pushed off it in a spin, aiming her sword at Greystone with quick accuracy. She knew she had hit him, but she was not sure if it was a critical hit or not.
She landed behind him and swung her sword from a crouching position, but he was not where he was a second ago. She had lost him for the moment.
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Apiary Tazy
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You used a Sword-Like Dagger?
*Greystone was almost in awe at the Human. She Actually was able to damage the Wing, limiting his flight for a minute or so. However, he wasn't going to be beaten like that.
He saw the Roman Sword's Writing, saying "to the stars through difficulties". What could that mean? It didn't matter to him right now. It didn't seem to be of any importance...*
Greystone: HAHAHA....You think you are all that, huh? Well, let me bring you down to Earth!
*Greystone swoops towards Lunar like a bullet, almost crashing into her. However, she dodges, sending him through the bridge and damaging his wing further. He grabs the end of the hole and flips back onto the edge, only to almost get kicked by Lunar again. He jumps and lands on Lunar, knocking her on the ground. He then makes a Symbol in the air, causing an Ax to form in front of Greystone, who grabs it.*
Greystone: Now, let's fight correctly.
*Greystone was almost in awe at the Human. She Actually was able to damage the Wing, limiting his flight for a minute or so. However, he wasn't going to be beaten like that.
He saw the Roman Sword's Writing, saying "to the stars through difficulties". What could that mean? It didn't matter to him right now. It didn't seem to be of any importance...*
Greystone: HAHAHA....You think you are all that, huh? Well, let me bring you down to Earth!
*Greystone swoops towards Lunar like a bullet, almost crashing into her. However, she dodges, sending him through the bridge and damaging his wing further. He grabs the end of the hole and flips back onto the edge, only to almost get kicked by Lunar again. He jumps and lands on Lunar, knocking her on the ground. He then makes a Symbol in the air, causing an Ax to form in front of Greystone, who grabs it.*
Greystone: Now, let's fight correctly.
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Firestorm
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Survival
Ranto listened as the voice explained how the tower worked. This was, of course, irrevocably stupid. Knowing what he was up against would give Ranto the upper hand later on. The interesting part was that these opponents kept calling him “mage,” which puzzled him.
I haven’t performed a single soul binding since I got here. Why do they keep calling me a mage? The demons were conjurations. Surely they must realize this by now. If I were a mage, I would soul-bind the demons and use them as tools.... *
As Ranto pondered the discrepancy, he emerged upon the blood-red city of chaos. The masses around him were in complete and utter disarray. He could discern that there were at least two factions at work here: the ones dressed in blue and basically everyone else. Was this a civil war?
His thoughts were disrupted by the metallic projectile penetrating his shoulder. He reeled back from the blow. The blood spewing from his wound flowed violently outward, spattering onto a cop. Ranto thudded onto the ground and stared up at the red sky, not noticing the policeman’s approach. His mind and heart raced, trying to reconcile with reality. What had just happened? It felt like being stabbed, but no one had approached him.
Ranto was still not familiar with the concept of a gun...
---------------------------------------
Artifice observed Ranto from the rooftop. She had planned on putting a few more rounds into him, but now he was on the ground and she could not get a clean shot as long as all those people were in the way. A few more bullets in him would weaken him enough that her thugs could bring him in, but she had to wait until he moved to a less crowded area.
----------------------------------------
Ranto’s mind came back to reality just in time for him to avoid being smacked around by large a cop with a stick. He moved just in time and the club hit the ground, splintering the wood in various segments.
Ranto immediately assumed that the cop was his opponent. He sprung to his feet and punched the cop.
Sort of.
‘Punched’ is not quite right.
‘Punched’ is more accurate.
Yes, that is correct. He punched the officer in the chest, and the force of the blow shattered every trace of skeletal strcture in the man’s torso. He collapsed backwards, completely unable to move and already on the brink of death. He would not live much longer.
Ranto was surprised. He had expected a much more challenging opponent. However, as the man rolled over on the ground in the throes of death, he attracted the attention of several other cops in the vicinity. They saw their comrade on the ground and rushed to help. Ranto was immediately surrounded by the officers, and they were not looking too happy.
Ranto did not want to waste time on these guys. He slowly reached down and grabbed the corner of his cloak. The soft fabric ran between his fingertips, almost alive. He pulled the cloak up and over himself, hiding under it, and in that moment, he vanished. Gone. Totally disappeared. The officers were not sure what to make of it.
A full city block away, Ranto reappeared, hiding in an alley between buildings. He did not plan on fighting everyone in this city. He had to figure out who his opponent was, but he knew he could not just walk down the street again. He would probably be stabbed again by that invisible force that got him the first time. There had to be SOME way to figure out who he needed to kill... or maybe he could blow up the whole city? He would need time to prepare an appropriate spell to do so, but that was still an option.
“Get him!”
Two people attacked him. Ranto did not know who they were, or why they were after him. This whole city was insane. This time, he pulled his sword on them. He disemboweled the first before they could process the fact that he was holding a sword. The second one tried to run, but Ranto pounced on him and tackled him from behind. He jerked the guy’s arm up behind and pinned it in place, nearly snapping the shoulder.
“Owww!! Let go!”
Hmmm.... I have an idea....
Ranto pulled his knife from its holster and tore the man’s shirt off...
---------------------------------
Artifice scanned the city streets below her, trying to figure out where Ranto had run off to. She was lining up a shot on him when he had vanished. Now she had to find him again.
*Artifice, do you copy?*
She looked down at the walkie talkie. She really did not want to talk to her boss again, at least not until she knew where her target was. She ignored the call.
*Artifice, I know you can hear me. Pick up the freaking reciever.*
She sighed as she grabbed the com unit.
*Artifice here. What’s up?*
*Artifice, have you apprehended the target yet? This is taking you longer than usual.*
*See, Baron, I’m having a little problem right now. The target...*
Her words trailed off when she spotted Ranto coming around a corner down the street. He had given up on hiding, and now he was making a run for it down the sidewalk.
*....the target is in sight. Hang on five minutes. I’ve got him*
*Big Baron out*
She leveled her sights on the villain as he ran down the sidewalk, being chased by Artifice’s henchmen. They probably could not catch him, unless...
She put a bullet through his leg to slow him down. Ranto tumbled onto the pavement as the slug tore its way through his left leg, and he crashed into the ground. Artifice’s cronies caught up to him as he rolled on the ground and pulled out their nightsticks.
And then they beat the living crap out of him.
For a full two and a half minutes, they worked him over with their batons, breaking his bones, damaging his facial features, beating him over the head, in the ribs, in the face, in the arms and legs.... the beating went on and on until he could barely move.
Finally, they decided that they had pulverized him enough and picked him up onto his feet. Ranto groaned as they dragged him across the street and into an office building, leaving a trail of blood behind him. They stuffed him into an elevator and rode to the rooftop, where Artifice was waiting. The thugs shoved him onto the floor, handcuffed and barely breathing. She strode over to him and wrapped her hand around his hair. She jerked his head back to get a good look at the blood-red eyes that made him so intimidating.
“So this is the famous Ranto, huh? You did good, escaping from us for a good ten minutes there. But you can’t run forever.”
“I don’t need to run when I’m the one doing the hunting, wench.”
The voice did not come from the body on the ground. It came from behind her. She whirled around and found Ranto standing some thirty feet away, on the other side of the roof. He was standing right next to the fire escape stairs.
“How...?”
Ranto just grinned his evil, twitching smile. He waved his hand casually, and dispelled the illusion. The man on the ground in handcuffs returned to his normal appearance, that of the ruffian who had attacked him in the alley. His eyes turned from the blood-red back to their normal brown color. His clothing, which matched Ranto’s at the moment, melted back into normal street clothes. His black hair turned blond, the final step in returning him to normal.
“I figured I’d never find you unless you came after me, so I made a decoy to draw you out.”
“Clever of you, but also stupid.”
She pointed her sniper rifle at him, and all of her henchmen leveled their handguns at him as well..
“You’re worth more alive, so I’ll give you one chance to surrender.”
Ranto raised his hands, but not in a surrendering fashion. It was more like he was mocking her.
“Go ahead. But before you kill me, you might want to take a closer look at your prisoner.”
One of the thugs behind Artifice looked down at the guy they had pulverized and dragged up here. His shirt was soaked with blood, of course, but there was way more than there should have been. They had beaten him with sticks, not blades. So why was the guy bleeding to death? He reached down and felt the man’s back. Something was wrong. His back was... scarred. It felt as though he had been cut up like a side of beef.
Artifice turned around to look at the man. The soldier was starting to lift up the shirt to see what was wrong underneath.
“NOO!!”
Too late. Even as Artifice was figuring out what the problem was, their fate had been sealed. Underneath the man’s shirt, the Demon’s Crest had been carved by knife-point into the man’s back. And the unwary soldier who found the markings did not understand until it was too late. The rune emblem glowed for a fraction of a second before it ignited. The black oil exploded in every direction and splattered across every surface within twenty feet of the man’s body.
Artifice, however, jumped behind one of her thugs just as the trap was sprung. The oil splattered all around her, but she managed to avoid it, using her soldier as a shield. The man she was hiding behind, however, erupted into flames, as did the rest of her squad. They panicked as the demon flame burned them to the core, and the smell of burnt flesh nearly made Artifice wretch right on the spot. To make matters worse, the demons that dwelt in the flames appeared, and began to attack the soldiers. They did not attack Artifice, however. She kept calm, not moving at all. One inch in any direction might attract their attention. They went crazy, ripping the soldiers apart and eating them right in front of her. They had armored black skin, covered in scales and sharp, evil looking claws. They varied in size, some reaching eight feet tall, while others only came up to her knees. Regardless of size, however, they were all ferocious, attacking the men like there was no tomorrow.
After the demons had eviscerated everything in their path, they turned on Artifice. They leaped at her, surrounded her, reached for her.... but could not touch her. The demons came as close to her as possible, merely inches away from her, so close that she could feel their hot breath running up and down her body, but they did not touch her. They would not reach their arms out of the dark flames to touch her, nor would they take one step outside the boundaries of the flame. They slowly vanished, one by one, until both the demons and the flame were gone.
She could not move. Every muscle in her body, every single motor skill, was traumatized. Ranto was standing right next to her, but she did not notice. She had seen a glimpse of hell from inches away. Her human mind was short-circuited by fear. She trembled from head to toe.
She had survived the Demon’s Crest, but she was not sure that was a good thing. She was scarred for life... that image of the demons swarming around her was burned into her memory forever. She would be haunted by nightmares for as long as she stayed alive, and she would never sleep peacefully again.
Ranto lifted her left arm with his right, and he placed his left hand over hers. The hand was warm for a second, then normal again. When Ranto withdrew his hands, the Demon’s Crest was plainly visible on the back of her hand. The crest was tattooed on the back of her left hand, a permanent reminder of what happens when you encounter the darkness.
She was slowly beginning to come back to her senses. She looked at the tattoo for a second, then up at Ranto. He was standing over her, staring at her. His dark red eyes bored down into her soul. She was still shaking.
“Let that mark be a reminder to you. Never trifle with me again. I don’t care about killing you anymore. If you somehow survived the Demon’s Crest, then I figure you’ve earned a second chance at life. But if you ever make me mad....” he pointed at the mark, “just remember what happens to those who displease me. Now....
...is there any way I can get to the next floor without killing you? Because if I have to end your life to move on, I don’t have a problem with that.”
---------------------------------------
OoC: *In Ranto’s home country, a mage is more like a beastmaster. They bind the souls of monsters and animals to themselves, and use them as tools in battle. Think Pokemon. That’s why he is confused when anyone calls him a mage.
Ranto listened as the voice explained how the tower worked. This was, of course, irrevocably stupid. Knowing what he was up against would give Ranto the upper hand later on. The interesting part was that these opponents kept calling him “mage,” which puzzled him.
I haven’t performed a single soul binding since I got here. Why do they keep calling me a mage? The demons were conjurations. Surely they must realize this by now. If I were a mage, I would soul-bind the demons and use them as tools.... *
As Ranto pondered the discrepancy, he emerged upon the blood-red city of chaos. The masses around him were in complete and utter disarray. He could discern that there were at least two factions at work here: the ones dressed in blue and basically everyone else. Was this a civil war?
His thoughts were disrupted by the metallic projectile penetrating his shoulder. He reeled back from the blow. The blood spewing from his wound flowed violently outward, spattering onto a cop. Ranto thudded onto the ground and stared up at the red sky, not noticing the policeman’s approach. His mind and heart raced, trying to reconcile with reality. What had just happened? It felt like being stabbed, but no one had approached him.
Ranto was still not familiar with the concept of a gun...
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Artifice observed Ranto from the rooftop. She had planned on putting a few more rounds into him, but now he was on the ground and she could not get a clean shot as long as all those people were in the way. A few more bullets in him would weaken him enough that her thugs could bring him in, but she had to wait until he moved to a less crowded area.
----------------------------------------
Ranto’s mind came back to reality just in time for him to avoid being smacked around by large a cop with a stick. He moved just in time and the club hit the ground, splintering the wood in various segments.
Ranto immediately assumed that the cop was his opponent. He sprung to his feet and punched the cop.
Sort of.
‘Punched’ is not quite right.
‘Punched’ is more accurate.
Yes, that is correct. He punched the officer in the chest, and the force of the blow shattered every trace of skeletal strcture in the man’s torso. He collapsed backwards, completely unable to move and already on the brink of death. He would not live much longer.
Ranto was surprised. He had expected a much more challenging opponent. However, as the man rolled over on the ground in the throes of death, he attracted the attention of several other cops in the vicinity. They saw their comrade on the ground and rushed to help. Ranto was immediately surrounded by the officers, and they were not looking too happy.
Ranto did not want to waste time on these guys. He slowly reached down and grabbed the corner of his cloak. The soft fabric ran between his fingertips, almost alive. He pulled the cloak up and over himself, hiding under it, and in that moment, he vanished. Gone. Totally disappeared. The officers were not sure what to make of it.
A full city block away, Ranto reappeared, hiding in an alley between buildings. He did not plan on fighting everyone in this city. He had to figure out who his opponent was, but he knew he could not just walk down the street again. He would probably be stabbed again by that invisible force that got him the first time. There had to be SOME way to figure out who he needed to kill... or maybe he could blow up the whole city? He would need time to prepare an appropriate spell to do so, but that was still an option.
“Get him!”
Two people attacked him. Ranto did not know who they were, or why they were after him. This whole city was insane. This time, he pulled his sword on them. He disemboweled the first before they could process the fact that he was holding a sword. The second one tried to run, but Ranto pounced on him and tackled him from behind. He jerked the guy’s arm up behind and pinned it in place, nearly snapping the shoulder.
“Owww!! Let go!”
Hmmm.... I have an idea....
Ranto pulled his knife from its holster and tore the man’s shirt off...
---------------------------------
Artifice scanned the city streets below her, trying to figure out where Ranto had run off to. She was lining up a shot on him when he had vanished. Now she had to find him again.
*Artifice, do you copy?*
She looked down at the walkie talkie. She really did not want to talk to her boss again, at least not until she knew where her target was. She ignored the call.
*Artifice, I know you can hear me. Pick up the freaking reciever.*
She sighed as she grabbed the com unit.
*Artifice here. What’s up?*
*Artifice, have you apprehended the target yet? This is taking you longer than usual.*
*See, Baron, I’m having a little problem right now. The target...*
Her words trailed off when she spotted Ranto coming around a corner down the street. He had given up on hiding, and now he was making a run for it down the sidewalk.
*....the target is in sight. Hang on five minutes. I’ve got him*
*Big Baron out*
She leveled her sights on the villain as he ran down the sidewalk, being chased by Artifice’s henchmen. They probably could not catch him, unless...
She put a bullet through his leg to slow him down. Ranto tumbled onto the pavement as the slug tore its way through his left leg, and he crashed into the ground. Artifice’s cronies caught up to him as he rolled on the ground and pulled out their nightsticks.
And then they beat the living crap out of him.
For a full two and a half minutes, they worked him over with their batons, breaking his bones, damaging his facial features, beating him over the head, in the ribs, in the face, in the arms and legs.... the beating went on and on until he could barely move.
Finally, they decided that they had pulverized him enough and picked him up onto his feet. Ranto groaned as they dragged him across the street and into an office building, leaving a trail of blood behind him. They stuffed him into an elevator and rode to the rooftop, where Artifice was waiting. The thugs shoved him onto the floor, handcuffed and barely breathing. She strode over to him and wrapped her hand around his hair. She jerked his head back to get a good look at the blood-red eyes that made him so intimidating.
“So this is the famous Ranto, huh? You did good, escaping from us for a good ten minutes there. But you can’t run forever.”
“I don’t need to run when I’m the one doing the hunting, wench.”
The voice did not come from the body on the ground. It came from behind her. She whirled around and found Ranto standing some thirty feet away, on the other side of the roof. He was standing right next to the fire escape stairs.
“How...?”
Ranto just grinned his evil, twitching smile. He waved his hand casually, and dispelled the illusion. The man on the ground in handcuffs returned to his normal appearance, that of the ruffian who had attacked him in the alley. His eyes turned from the blood-red back to their normal brown color. His clothing, which matched Ranto’s at the moment, melted back into normal street clothes. His black hair turned blond, the final step in returning him to normal.
“I figured I’d never find you unless you came after me, so I made a decoy to draw you out.”
“Clever of you, but also stupid.”
She pointed her sniper rifle at him, and all of her henchmen leveled their handguns at him as well..
“You’re worth more alive, so I’ll give you one chance to surrender.”
Ranto raised his hands, but not in a surrendering fashion. It was more like he was mocking her.
“Go ahead. But before you kill me, you might want to take a closer look at your prisoner.”
One of the thugs behind Artifice looked down at the guy they had pulverized and dragged up here. His shirt was soaked with blood, of course, but there was way more than there should have been. They had beaten him with sticks, not blades. So why was the guy bleeding to death? He reached down and felt the man’s back. Something was wrong. His back was... scarred. It felt as though he had been cut up like a side of beef.
Artifice turned around to look at the man. The soldier was starting to lift up the shirt to see what was wrong underneath.
“NOO!!”
Too late. Even as Artifice was figuring out what the problem was, their fate had been sealed. Underneath the man’s shirt, the Demon’s Crest had been carved by knife-point into the man’s back. And the unwary soldier who found the markings did not understand until it was too late. The rune emblem glowed for a fraction of a second before it ignited. The black oil exploded in every direction and splattered across every surface within twenty feet of the man’s body.
Artifice, however, jumped behind one of her thugs just as the trap was sprung. The oil splattered all around her, but she managed to avoid it, using her soldier as a shield. The man she was hiding behind, however, erupted into flames, as did the rest of her squad. They panicked as the demon flame burned them to the core, and the smell of burnt flesh nearly made Artifice wretch right on the spot. To make matters worse, the demons that dwelt in the flames appeared, and began to attack the soldiers. They did not attack Artifice, however. She kept calm, not moving at all. One inch in any direction might attract their attention. They went crazy, ripping the soldiers apart and eating them right in front of her. They had armored black skin, covered in scales and sharp, evil looking claws. They varied in size, some reaching eight feet tall, while others only came up to her knees. Regardless of size, however, they were all ferocious, attacking the men like there was no tomorrow.
After the demons had eviscerated everything in their path, they turned on Artifice. They leaped at her, surrounded her, reached for her.... but could not touch her. The demons came as close to her as possible, merely inches away from her, so close that she could feel their hot breath running up and down her body, but they did not touch her. They would not reach their arms out of the dark flames to touch her, nor would they take one step outside the boundaries of the flame. They slowly vanished, one by one, until both the demons and the flame were gone.
She could not move. Every muscle in her body, every single motor skill, was traumatized. Ranto was standing right next to her, but she did not notice. She had seen a glimpse of hell from inches away. Her human mind was short-circuited by fear. She trembled from head to toe.
She had survived the Demon’s Crest, but she was not sure that was a good thing. She was scarred for life... that image of the demons swarming around her was burned into her memory forever. She would be haunted by nightmares for as long as she stayed alive, and she would never sleep peacefully again.
Ranto lifted her left arm with his right, and he placed his left hand over hers. The hand was warm for a second, then normal again. When Ranto withdrew his hands, the Demon’s Crest was plainly visible on the back of her hand. The crest was tattooed on the back of her left hand, a permanent reminder of what happens when you encounter the darkness.
She was slowly beginning to come back to her senses. She looked at the tattoo for a second, then up at Ranto. He was standing over her, staring at her. His dark red eyes bored down into her soul. She was still shaking.
“Let that mark be a reminder to you. Never trifle with me again. I don’t care about killing you anymore. If you somehow survived the Demon’s Crest, then I figure you’ve earned a second chance at life. But if you ever make me mad....” he pointed at the mark, “just remember what happens to those who displease me. Now....
...is there any way I can get to the next floor without killing you? Because if I have to end your life to move on, I don’t have a problem with that.”
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OoC: *In Ranto’s home country, a mage is more like a beastmaster. They bind the souls of monsters and animals to themselves, and use them as tools in battle. Think Pokemon. That’s why he is confused when anyone calls him a mage.
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Apiary Tazy
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OoC: Ok, Ok....Beastmaster....got it
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*Artifice looked at her hand, those horrible memories....It had only been 20 Seconds since that image was burned into her.....*
Artifice: no....no, you win....My Boss wil have to find someone else.....
*Ranto smirked. He didn't expect her to give up, but of course for someone with no magical knowledge, it would have been anyone's answer....The City Flased, and soon Ranto was back at the Tower.... There was Several Hanging Skeletons around him, as well is the skeleton of an Elephant, with Human Bones making the Trunk*
"Hahaha....so you made it, huh Mage-y
Ranto: Why are you calling me "Mage-y"?
"Hm? Oh, yes... Mage is the most widely used term, but some still get technical about it.....hehehe.....6th Floor awaits, Beastmaster"
Ranto:....
*Ranto lared at the Elephant, as if it was the thing he was speaking to. He immeadiatly climbed the Stairs and got to the door. The Whole thing smelled like blood, so much so that Ranto was almost happy to open that door*
GROWL!
*Ranto saw the Room turn into a Hallway Filled with Pearls. All of them nearly blinding him at first. He looked and saw a Woman dressed in Cloth that only covered "those" areas, and Ribbon surronding her body*
Goddess: So, you hope to face a God?
*The Goddess Aimed her hand at him and with some sort of intent, turned Ranto's Clothes to stone before he could react*
Goddess:....I shall now erase you from this time frame
*The Goddess put her hand to Ranto's face and then....A Rock crushed them both....Ranto was [ushed out of the way by some kind of force....something that looked like a Blue Line.....His cloths returned to normal and he looked up. It was a Man dressed in Karate Garb, and Hair that, except for the Bangs, looked like it came out of a Toothpaste tube, he Laughed, almost evily, then started talking to Ranto....in a different language....
Yamabiki: ¡Le derrotaré, y después hago una actitud del triunfo!
*Yamabiki immeadiatly caused a Giant Cannon to come from nowhere, then he aimed it at Ranto*
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OoC: He's Speaking in Spanish....
\/ I'll Explain here.... Yamabiki is a MUGEN Character, or in better explanation, a character who will rip off all fighting characters, while providing lame attacks of his own. It's like a gimmick character..
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*Artifice looked at her hand, those horrible memories....It had only been 20 Seconds since that image was burned into her.....*
Artifice: no....no, you win....My Boss wil have to find someone else.....
*Ranto smirked. He didn't expect her to give up, but of course for someone with no magical knowledge, it would have been anyone's answer....The City Flased, and soon Ranto was back at the Tower.... There was Several Hanging Skeletons around him, as well is the skeleton of an Elephant, with Human Bones making the Trunk*
"Hahaha....so you made it, huh Mage-y
Ranto: Why are you calling me "Mage-y"?
"Hm? Oh, yes... Mage is the most widely used term, but some still get technical about it.....hehehe.....6th Floor awaits, Beastmaster"
Ranto:....
*Ranto lared at the Elephant, as if it was the thing he was speaking to. He immeadiatly climbed the Stairs and got to the door. The Whole thing smelled like blood, so much so that Ranto was almost happy to open that door*
GROWL!
*Ranto saw the Room turn into a Hallway Filled with Pearls. All of them nearly blinding him at first. He looked and saw a Woman dressed in Cloth that only covered "those" areas, and Ribbon surronding her body*
Goddess: So, you hope to face a God?
*The Goddess Aimed her hand at him and with some sort of intent, turned Ranto's Clothes to stone before he could react*
Goddess:....I shall now erase you from this time frame
*The Goddess put her hand to Ranto's face and then....A Rock crushed them both....Ranto was [ushed out of the way by some kind of force....something that looked like a Blue Line.....His cloths returned to normal and he looked up. It was a Man dressed in Karate Garb, and Hair that, except for the Bangs, looked like it came out of a Toothpaste tube, he Laughed, almost evily, then started talking to Ranto....in a different language....
Yamabiki: ¡Le derrotaré, y después hago una actitud del triunfo!
*Yamabiki immeadiatly caused a Giant Cannon to come from nowhere, then he aimed it at Ranto*
--------------------------------
OoC: He's Speaking in Spanish....
\/ I'll Explain here.... Yamabiki is a MUGEN Character, or in better explanation, a character who will rip off all fighting characters, while providing lame attacks of his own. It's like a gimmick character..
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Firestorm
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Confuzzlation
OoC: What.... I don't... okay, let me make this simpler:
When Ranto hears 'mage,' he thinks of something like 'beastmaster.'
He is not either of those, which is why he is confused. So that part where he claims to be a beastmaster in your previous post is exactly the opposite of what I meant. It's not really important. I personally don't care. I was just filling you in on it so you know what Ranto is jabbering about.
Next, would you mind providing some info on my opponent (Yamabiki, right?) so that I can make this next fight more interesting? I should have a response up by the end of the day.
By the way, the online translator interpreted your statement as
"I will defeat him, and later I do an attitude of the triumph!"
OoC: What.... I don't... okay, let me make this simpler:
When Ranto hears 'mage,' he thinks of something like 'beastmaster.'
He is not either of those, which is why he is confused. So that part where he claims to be a beastmaster in your previous post is exactly the opposite of what I meant. It's not really important. I personally don't care. I was just filling you in on it so you know what Ranto is jabbering about.
Next, would you mind providing some info on my opponent (Yamabiki, right?) so that I can make this next fight more interesting? I should have a response up by the end of the day.
By the way, the online translator interpreted your statement as
"I will defeat him, and later I do an attitude of the triumph!"
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Jenocide
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Greystone flies at her at high speeds, his dome-shaped head making him more aerodynamic.
Lunar prepared herself by swinging her sword at him in an upward arc.
Greystone laughs and thinks, "HA! I'll knock her down with the force of my mighty axe!"
His axe comes down on her sword and starts to force her downwards towards the bottom of the wooden bridge. Greystone lets out a mighty laugh that's more like a bellow. Lunar just smiles at him.
Greystone smiles. He thinks that her sword will snap in two.
Right at the point where his axe forces her sword to th breaking point, it glows brightly and sends him barreling backwards into a rail of the bridge.
The rail cracks and he falls over the edge. He manages to grab onto the wood with his free hand and flip himself back up, but he looks at her sword in awe.
She swings the sword above her head and points it at him, "Well?" She asks, with a gleam in her eye.
Lunar prepared herself by swinging her sword at him in an upward arc.
Greystone laughs and thinks, "HA! I'll knock her down with the force of my mighty axe!"
His axe comes down on her sword and starts to force her downwards towards the bottom of the wooden bridge. Greystone lets out a mighty laugh that's more like a bellow. Lunar just smiles at him.
Greystone smiles. He thinks that her sword will snap in two.
Right at the point where his axe forces her sword to th breaking point, it glows brightly and sends him barreling backwards into a rail of the bridge.
The rail cracks and he falls over the edge. He manages to grab onto the wood with his free hand and flip himself back up, but he looks at her sword in awe.
She swings the sword above her head and points it at him, "Well?" She asks, with a gleam in her eye.
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Apiary Tazy
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Firestorm:....I originally wrote "I will beat you and then do a win pose"....weird
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*Greystone was having problems. As an ancient, his body was not "exactly" made for combat. He has trained his body to the utmost, but it still had limits. His Left Wing has horribly Damaged, and Lunar was extremly fast. He would have no chance unless he tries his magic.
He runs at Lunar, full force, and attempts to kick her, but he would only hit her elbow as it smashed into his face. He was sent flying onto the rail again, this time, only cracking it. He jumps off and smashes the rail, then hold a Piece in one hand and the ax in the other*
Greystone: I'm afraid you will have to do some dodging.
Lunar: Uh.....Afraid?!
*Greystone did not answer. He threw up the rail and smashed it the ax, causing it to break into little pieces and be sent towards Lunar. Greysone did not bother to see if it hit her or not because he was too busy setting up the trap.
Any fighter will say the best place to bein a fight is in the opponent's face. Greystone knew this, so, in a split second he layed down a pieve of paper. It was a Fire Trap. A Fire Trap is actually a Spellcircle on a piece of paper that, once activated, will be like a mine. The unlucky schmoe who steps on it will be engulfed in Flame. It could hurt Greystone, but not as much as it could a normal Human with flammable skin. He touched the Trap with his ax, activating it, then looked up*
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Firestorm: Your Questions may be answered in my Edited Post above yours
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*Greystone was having problems. As an ancient, his body was not "exactly" made for combat. He has trained his body to the utmost, but it still had limits. His Left Wing has horribly Damaged, and Lunar was extremly fast. He would have no chance unless he tries his magic.
He runs at Lunar, full force, and attempts to kick her, but he would only hit her elbow as it smashed into his face. He was sent flying onto the rail again, this time, only cracking it. He jumps off and smashes the rail, then hold a Piece in one hand and the ax in the other*
Greystone: I'm afraid you will have to do some dodging.
Lunar: Uh.....Afraid?!
*Greystone did not answer. He threw up the rail and smashed it the ax, causing it to break into little pieces and be sent towards Lunar. Greysone did not bother to see if it hit her or not because he was too busy setting up the trap.
Any fighter will say the best place to bein a fight is in the opponent's face. Greystone knew this, so, in a split second he layed down a pieve of paper. It was a Fire Trap. A Fire Trap is actually a Spellcircle on a piece of paper that, once activated, will be like a mine. The unlucky schmoe who steps on it will be engulfed in Flame. It could hurt Greystone, but not as much as it could a normal Human with flammable skin. He touched the Trap with his ax, activating it, then looked up*
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Firestorm: Your Questions may be answered in my Edited Post above yours