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Post by Kuma on Oct 6, 2018 3:31:07 GMT
-Of course, I cannot allow you to leave empty-handed after the trouble my daughter caused to you.- Dödsbringare scanned Gapjärn injuries, that got translated to her human body. -I must say I am quite surprised you managed to hurt my daughter to this extent, warriors these days seem to be quite more capable than the ones in my time.- She grinned. -You are 100 years too young to deal with me though.- Dödsbringare laughed, covering her with the back of his hand. Gapjärn tried to join with her mother’s chuckle but her laughter was interrupted by a sudden coughing fit. Callis realizing the situation walked towards them. -Even in self-defense, we have done too much damage.- He got even closer. -Allow me to help.- Dödsbringare nodded, allowing Callis to move in closer and he summoned the power of the Grail from inside him, his hands suddenly lighting up, as if golden radiance coursed through his veins, making his bones and blood vessels visible, his skin turning translucent.
The skill Callis was drawing from the relic was called Manus Redemptoris, allowing him to heal people, he couldn’t fix lethal wounds, but he could speed up the recovery of others. After a minute or so, Gapjärn wounds stopped bleeding. Then Callis turned to Onyx and without asking he healed the wounds caused by the caustic breath. The Beast Knight turned to face the Deathbringer. -I still consider I should trade the weapons and not obtain them for free.- Callis explained. -It would not feel right if I took the weapons without giving anything in return.- After everything Callis still held the same idea he had upon entering the lair, to barter for the blades. Dödsbringare grinned. -You have done enough, you had to withstand my daughter temper tantrum and you even bothered to heal her.- Callis shook his head. -Healing her was not something I wish to use as leverage, it is my duty as a Knight to help those in need.- He looked at his hands. -For once I can do more than fight for others.-
Callis had been practicing using the Manus Redemptoris, a power so opposite to anything he wielded before, by visiting hospitals and healing wounded and sick individuals until almost collapsing. At first, he could only fix paper cuts, but after weeks of pushing his limits, he is capable of fixing broken bones in 1-2 hours of intensive usage. The Deathbringer looked at Callis with a puzzled expression. -You are not the kind of Knight I knew, every Knight I have met has tried to kill me in the name of a king, a damsel or just plain greed, most using the excuse of me being a dragon meaning I am evil.- A sad smile appeared on her face. -We had to move many times alongside my mate, we lived for many years in the Middle East until the Crusades sent truckloads of Knights in our direction, so we moved here, living with a community of dwarves that slowly left to start new mines wherever they could find veins.- She looked around. -All we have left is our hoard and each other, so even if you do not wish to take something as a reward I insist you do, each of you, you deserve it. She is more important than any of the trinkets I have collected.-
With utmost courtesy and manners, surely learned after eons of living all over the world, the Deathbringer did a very formal and elegant bow, lifting the sides of her dress. Callis begrudgingly accepted. - I thank you for your generosity, oh Might Wyrm, please accept my card and do call me if you ever need any kind of assistance.- Callis extended his business card to her, who took it and pocketed it. The Beast Knight turned around looking in Onyx direction. -Mes Onyx…- He turned to Akane. -Akane.- He bowed. -I thank you so much for your help and I ask you to help me search for blades among the hoard beneath us.- He pointed at the abyss beside them.
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Post by HungryHunter on Oct 6, 2018 6:22:51 GMT
Onyx couldn't watch Callis heal the dragon. The light was painfully bright in his eyes. The power was useful, but irritating. "Yeah, still not sure why this guy insists on calling himself a knight." Onyx responded to the dragon speaking of her experiences with knights. He ignored how ancient she had to be to have met Crusaders, even the latest of them. Luckily, his own crusading ancestor was unlikely to have met this dragon. He had never made it to the Holy Land.
He didn't know how much he resembled the bloodthirsty knight of old and didn't want to dredge up any unpleasant memories. "I do not ask for anything for myself, but if you absolutely insist, I cannot reject your generosity." He leered into the ravine Dödsbringare opened up in the floor. "Of course I'll help you two look. I just need some help getting down there to do my digging." He rubbed his hands together, almost a little eager to test out the powers Callis could impart, if only because it got him closer to the treasure below.
He paused for a second and turned to find Gapjärn. "Oh, Gapjärn. Perhaps we can do something for each other. You're clearly seeking a good fight, and I learned today that I'm out of shape. I'm no knight, but that do you think of being training partners?" He offered. He hadn't fought a real opponent since his father, and it showed. Nothing he did felt quite right. He was sloppy, limited. And a dragon was just what he needed to sharpen up.
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Post by othus on Oct 6, 2018 6:58:16 GMT
"You are most kind, I shall accept the gift as well. but please, if there is any matter I can help you with, do not hesitate to call me as well, my organization will help if it's within their reach"- Akane teleported the Musashi business card and gave it to the Dödsbringare in the formal Japanese manner.
When Callis aimed to bow before Akane, she stopped him midway by holding him by the shoulders, she looked at him with a gentle gesture.
"You don't have to kneel before me, not ever again. Starting this day, we will walk together and see each other eye to eye, until either of us falls"
Akane then kissed him on the cheek as she turned towards the abyss, she looked at the beast warrior one more time.
"Well then, ready to get what we came for? don't leave your girlfriend waiting in the dark, ok?!"
Musashi equipped her visor and got a rather unorthodox set of weapons out. it was a pair of Kusarigama with some rather long chains. She jumped into the abyss, the sounds of the sickles going back and forth crept on the abyss as she descended.
That set of weapons was something entirely new to Akane, yet she knew how to use them to perfection. The memories of her past life brought forth experience she did not have, and if she truly concentrated, she was at times able to speak with her past self as well. the Kusarigama was not quite a weapon of Musashi, but one of his rivals, Just as Akane learned from fighting the raging blade, so did Miyamoto from fighting his past enemies.
*Shishido Baiken, your precious technique did not go unnoticed by Musashi, it shall live on through me as well*
Akane descended even further with great speed, still impressed by how massive the Dödsbringare was in her true form.
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Post by Kuma on Oct 8, 2018 3:50:55 GMT
Gapjärn shyly looked at her mother, after hearing Onyx’s proposition. The Deathbringer nodded with a grin. -She clearly needs it too, if she got tagged by humans.- She gave a passing glance at Akane. -No offense, even amazingly superlative humans like yourself tend to look small when I compare them to myself.- She wasn’t being arrogant, she spoke as if she was stating a fact. The Maw of Iron nodded at Onyx’s proposition. -I will do my best not to embarrass my noble lineage any longer. I thank you for your help noble dwarf- She did a small bow, just like her mother’s, but one of her hands caressed her healing thigh and a dangerous glimmer in her eyes showed that the training sessions might be quite the challenge for Onyx... Callis smiled. -Yes Akane, sorry, old habits die hard.- He turned to Onyx as the Musashi Heiress started her descent. -Mes Onyx, I will help you out.- The Beast Knight extended his arm, trying to remember the feel of the moment when he imparted his heavenly lightness to Akane. He raised his thumb, index and middle fingers as energy coalesced around his hand. -Alis Angelus.- He whispered, joined by a celestial choir harmonizing with his voice. A pulse of golden wind flew off his hand hitting Onyx. -Now you’ll be as light as a feather.-
To prove his point Callis dropped back first to the abyss, his body gliding down as if he was sinking into deep water, his clothing swaying upwards. Soon he reached the bottom of the pit, surrounded by a much bigger hoard than the one they just saw, not because that one had just fallen, but this one was several times bigger on its own. The Beast Knight scanned the area looking for weapons. He didn’t see anything around his location, but nearby Akane’s landing there were several weapons. A long spear, the halberd Callis used against Gapjärn, twin handles for what seemed to be either axes or morning stars, but the heads were deep into the hoard and another set of handles that were silverish white and were oddly shaped, as the hilt and the crossguard were the same length. Close to were Onyx would land, there were a couple of very rustic daggers, seemingly made from organic materials coated in metal, one was longer and the other shorter with a heavier curve. Meters away from that pair there was a single sword with a red hilt and a ruby pommel carrying a strange luminesce.
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Post by HungryHunter on Oct 8, 2018 17:04:30 GMT
Onyx pretended he didn't see Gapjärn nursing the wound he himself inflicted on her. He just focused on steadying himself when Callis' power flowed through him. It was a little hard to keep his balance with such reduced mass. He had to place his feet carefully, withdrawing his sword back into an arm-ring to keep himself more balanced. It was difficult to force himself off the ledge. It was enough of a drop that even his durable body couldn't normally survive totally intact. He closed his eyes and took the step. The slow drop was disconcerting. With dizzying slowness he crawled to the floor below, finally landing.
"We are not meant to be airborne." He growled to nobody in particular, but his mood was swiftly picked up. He ran his fingers through the coins until they found the shaft of the halberd. When Callis used it, it didn't seem to have any special powers, but Onyx doubted a mere regular halberd could be found in this sort of treasury. He ignored the one-handed weapons around him. He preferred meaty two-handers. Real weapons, to crack scales and skulls alike. Callis was free to the lightweight slashes and slicers.
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Post by othus on Oct 9, 2018 1:39:20 GMT
Akane finally jumped into the bottom, the sight of treasures everywhere was impressive, but if she were to look for weapons, there were some that clearly stood out.
Musashi walked straight towards the silver set of weapons, she had never seen something quite like that before, She carefully swiped the gold coins trying to uncover the true shape of those weapons.
Akane knew she would probably find it strange, a lot of weapons were, the philosophy behind weapons was a lot diferent from the one back home. She felt some anxiety as she dug deeper, noticing the odd distribution, why was the crossguard so large?
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Post by Kuma on Oct 9, 2018 4:40:03 GMT
The blades uncovered by Akane were of an impeccable craft. The hilts look like crucifixes entangled by thorns. Both sculpted from a solid piece of an alloy of Mithril and Silver. The blades weren’t metallic at all, but crystalline, slightly bluish and translucent. They were single-edged blades, but from the design, she would easily notice that the blades were meant to be used either as regular swords or using the crossguard as a hilt, allowing a better reverse grip, more or less a bladed Tonfa. Callis for his part investigated the area and found the rustic daggers, seemingly made out large fangs coated in metal. He picked them up with interest, but upon noticing that one was shorter than the other he immediately disliked them, he tried to use a longsword and a short sword a couple of times and they messed up his flow. It was a relatively common style back in Centris, using a long stabbing blade as the main weapon, while a sturdy short sword served as the "shield", blocking and parrying attacks. He kept browsing, hoping to find a weapon that suited him, or that one of his comrades did.
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Post by HungryHunter on Oct 9, 2018 5:03:15 GMT
Onyx lifted the halberd easily, shifting his weight to keep the heavy head up naturally. He gave it a few experimental jabs and swings far away from Callis and Akane. It handled well, but that was to be expected. Screwing up a halberd took a special kind of incompetence. They were just slightly fancier spears. What he wanted to know what the magic. Fingers and eyes simultaneously searched, fingers finding what he was looking for first. A series of runes marked the halberd's pommel, archaic but readable.
It was a single word; "twist". He did just as it said and an ancient illusion spell kicked in, projecting runes into the air above him. "...Oh, that's good. Callis, can I borrow you for a second?" He pointed the halberd in Callis' general direction and approached until the tip was about five feet away from Callis' chest. He twisted the pommel again and felt mana rushing out of his body. "About how far would you say the point of this is from you? Don't worry, I'm not moving and it's not going to hurt you." He was more worried about an overzealous Akane hitting him for this than Callis, but it paid to reassure him.
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Post by othus on Oct 9, 2018 5:37:39 GMT
The tonfa, while made out of exquisite materials and Craftsmanship, made Akane shy away from the weapon.
"Hmm this is such a shame, I'm afraid these are not exactly weapons i can use..."
Akane looked around as she noticed Onyx had gone for the halberd, the long spear suddenly got her attention, Musashi had no middle ranged weapons, even though they were something she knew all too well.
Akane drew the spear from the ground, of course, she wasnt expecting it to be a run of the mill weapon, but as long as it was in good conditions, she would keep that. She tried not caring too much on what Onyx was doing, but she still felt like saying something.
"Be careful there guys, I don't want to see anyone hurt" Akane said with a smile, hiding the threat that was underneath that sentence.
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Post by Kuma on Oct 9, 2018 13:02:35 GMT
Callis, hearing Onyx request, moved towards the dwarf, with curiously silent steps over the glittering floor. -I will assist you Mes Onyx.- He stood at the ready while Onyx placed the halberd. -Do not worry, I trust you.- He said, easing the Dwarven Collector’s worries. The Beast Knight’s face, after the pleasantries, turned from gentle to puzzled, upon seeing the weapon in Onyx hands. For a moment he tried to focus his eyes on it, but soon he rubbed them with a mixture of shock and frustration. -I cannot ascertain the distance between me and the halberd, as it is going back and forth.- Callis was quite surprised to find such a refined magical item in the hoard, maybe he would be able to find a weapon for him. After helping with Onyx’s experiment he walked towards Akane to see how she was faring. The Musashi Heiress had a strange spear. The whole thing was carved from a solid piece of metal, jet black, with red leather wrappings near the bottom and just under the slender and delicate tip.
The weapon, not that either of them would know it, used to be part of the arsenal of a forgotten hero, crafted from meteoric iron and enchanted by a strange hermit. Upon picking it up Akane would notice warmth from it, as trapped inside, or better put, residing inside there was something aligned with Fire, not an entity, more like a force of nature. The weapon had some very faint engravings, with greek-like writings and art, hinting to its origin. “Πρώτη Φωτιά” was the name of this weapon, information they might get if they asked the Deathbringer, but apart from that the rest of the weapon was a mystery. The Beast Knight walked closer to Akane. -So have you found a weapon that suits you Akan- Callis stopped mid-way, as something inside him pulled to the side. The Beast Knight looked around until his eyes locked on the weapons Akane uncovered before. The harmonizing latin chorus coming from the Grail pointed him towards them. Callis extended his hands and picked the strange blades from the floor.
“Sacrum Regalia”
The voices echoed inside his head as the energy of the Grail intertwined with the weapons, the bluish hue of the crystal blades slowly turning into amber, loaded with the energy that now resided inside of Callis, in vein like patterns, almost as if the crystal blade held a frozen divine lighting inside. Without even thinking it, the Beast Knight changed the grip to the side hilts, the blades following his arms and poking out just a few inches after his elbow. Callis started moving, performing a complex dance of offense and defense, using the strange hilts to spin the blades, changing their direction and angle as he moved, without making a sound. Each strike left a golden trail behind it, that floated in the air for a moment before vanishing, such was the speed of Callis’ attacks that it looked almost as if he was painting the air with a brush of golden radiance. He stopped with a double overhead attack performed with a frontflip, sending a blast of golden light in front of him, like a thin curtain bursting out of the floor and splitting the hoard in front of him.
Callis was panting, not out of tiredness, but out of excitement. He stood upright and looked at Akane with shining eyes. -I think I found my weapons.- The Beast Knight let out a shining smile, almost like a kid with a new toy, quite out of the ordinary, but it made him look younger as if a weight had been taken off him.
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Post by HungryHunter on Oct 10, 2018 0:07:05 GMT
"Calm down, the point's five feet off of him. Even if I threw it he'd duck it." Onyx rolled his eyes at Akane. Callis confirmed his weapon worked. What a wonder! A halberd of unknown length would keep anything at bay, and against large foes, ruin their defensive efforts. Anything that attempted to avoid the halberd or only be struck by the shaft could easily be struck. He kept stabbing and swinging, practicing his footwork. It had been years since he used a polearm, but he still had the fundamentals in mind. He wore away at his rust until he saw Callis swinging his blades.
He watched him in the corner of his eyes as he continued. Weapons responding to Callis' own magic was a good sign. They were strange weapons. Onyx knew his weapons, and bladed tonfa-type weapons were uncommon. Even so, Callis took to them like he was born using them. Onyx didn't understand how anybody could move like this man. There were catfolk he knew who were less graceful. The final wave made him jump. "Be a little more careful, this is still a dragon's hoard!" He yelled, rolling his eyes again at Callis' grin. What even was this knight?
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Post by othus on Oct 10, 2018 1:01:23 GMT
*Of course he can dodge it* Akane thought to herself, not minding Onyx's complaint at all.
The heir of Musashi finally tried the weapon herself, with every slight tap, the weapon seemed to crack and slowly regenerate back, Akane pulled more force behind it, which finally revealed what was so special about it.
A burst of flames escaped from the rupture, the spear was meant to be used that way! Musashi smiled. With the Tantalum Carbide coating of her armor, fire was her new best friend!
Akane masterfully swung the spear, with a kick on the spear and a fast twist, she burst flames towards the front, it was a fine weapon, especially to keep foes at bay.
"Excellent balance, fire has put my life in danger on many occasions, today it shall become my ally. I've decided! this shall be the weapon of my choosing"- she said excitedly, staff techniques were a primordial part of Niten Ichi-Ryu, and she wasn't taking advantage of those.
She walked with the spear towards Onyx and the beast warrior, witnessing Callis' swordsmanship made her happy, he seemed to be enjoying himself, much like she did whenever her Kaneshige blade was being used. When he finally declared he had found his weapons, Akane smiled back as she replied to him.
"Those fit you well, I noticed you fancied a reverse grip from time to time, so those are perfect"
Akane came closer to Onyx, she still had something to say to the dwarf
"So, we got all the way here, defeated a dragon and even got you some part of the treasure...now that we are Battlebound, surely you dont mind if I get that dagger of yours right?"
Musashi smiled at him with a big grin, like a kid who was asking something for Christmas.
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Post by Kuma on Oct 10, 2018 3:39:19 GMT
Callis walked towards the Deathbringer and her daughter. -Thank you once again for your kindness, I hope I can live up to the quality of this weapons.- The Beast Knight performed an elegant and courteous bow. -Is the least I could do after having to handle my daughter.- Dödsbringare glared in Gapjärn’s direction. -You come here and apologize to the nice Knight.- The Maw of Iron shyly walked to her mother’s side, looking down. All her bluster and arrogance gone, looking even smaller than her human body was. -I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to do it.- The Deathbringer smiled, chuckling at her daughter. -I must admit that maybe she needed a good scare to set her straight, I am positive that you and your comrades might be capable of killing her if the fight continued.- Callis, a bit scared by the impotent aura of the Winged Plague, looked away while talking. -We could have, but we would not do that, I do not like killing without cause.- The Deathbringer smiled even more. -You really are one curious Knight, most would try to kill me on sight, even while knowing it is suicide.- She placed her hand, heavier than it looked, on Callis' shoulder. -You are a courageous one young Knight, I hope that “Sanctus Spinam” serves you well in your future endeavours.-
Callis thanked her again before walking towards Akane and Onyx, who were starting to talk. “You just got to rummage through a dragon’s hoard and you want more? Are you sure you don’t have a dragon ring like mine?” Onyx scoffed, leaning his halberd on his shoulder. “Be happy with what you got.” He turned and bowed to the dragons. “We will leave you to recover, divine ladies of the mountain.”
“You know it’s not for me” Akane replied to the Dwarf’s statement, she sighed as she looked at Callis.
“Nevermind, it’s not something you would understand” Akane was in great mood, a lot of great things had happened on that day. Musashi only wondered what would happen after this. She reached the dragons as she bowed before them in the traditional way.
“I will put this weapon to good use, I appreciate the gift” She said to them both, Akane looked back as she got near the Beast Warrior.
“Well, I guess there isn’t much left for us to do here, shall we go back?”
Callis nodded, smiling at her. He felt so good, even lighter than before as if a great weight had been lifted from over his shoulder. “Maybe this is what it feels to be loved.” He thought, as he extended his hand and grasped Akane’s. -Let’s go.- Dödsbringare had pointed out an exit tunnel for them to leave, that would take them to the bottom of the mountain, near the path they took to come. The Beast Knight slowly got closer to Akane and rested his head on her shoulder. -Thank you, Akane, for everything.- Even with his sharp teeth, his smiles were quite adorable.
“Anytime, from now on, I’m sticking with you, hope you don't mind” Akane answered with a playful smile, she then got close to the beast warrior as she whispered in his ear:
“You don’t have to sleep on the couch now.” Musashi said still blushing as she whispered those words to him. maybe it was sudden, but life had many turns, and for a warrior, you never knew when it could be the last moment. Akane had decided to live every day now as if it were her last.
Callis violently blushed upon hearing Akane’s words, trying to keep a scream of shock contained inside his throat. He managed to do so and merely smiled, placing his arm around her back, his hand gently resting on her shoulder, getting as close as possible. -I would very much like that.- He whispered in her ear, before turning his face and talking to the whole group -We have a long walk back, I hope we can get something to eat back in the hotel.-
Onyx was going to tell the happy couple that he could hear them, but he felt that bringing it up would just make it take longer for him to forget they said it. “If you two can find your way back to town on your own, I’ll be heading home myself.” He strolled out of the mountain, Akane, and Callis not far behind until he broke away. He stopped halfway up to watch them pass. Happy, laughing, talking like old friends. He smiled because it hurt to frown. The dwarf walked on and entered the winding wormholes beneath his home. He only made a brief stop at Gerd’s to drop off his new weapon to have a glamour placed on it for easier transport on his way home. He entered the empty house and stretched as if to fill the empty space. Onyx walked back into the armory where their adventure had begun. He walked back up to an empty-handed mannequin and handed them the adamantine sword. He glanced at the dagger Akane had been so set on. It looked so unimpressive, surrounded by bigger, more magical weapons. Sentimentality. Part of him scoffed. The rest of him was walking over to one of the many cubbies on the wall. With the twist of a key, he swung it open and ribbon came springing out. It wasn’t valuable ribbon; he just didn’t have anywhere else to put it. A single string was taken and wrapped around the dagger. His stomach growled. Maybe he’d make them buy him dinner for helping them out. Carrying the dagger, he left the mountain cave behind.
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