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Post by Sayf al-Din on Sept 13, 2016 9:15:33 GMT -6
精神病の愛 You knew the game and played it, it kills to know that you have been defeated, I see the wires pulling while you're breathing. WORDS 601 NOTES ecclesia, devour | The sound of the Void energy hitting its target, the earsplitting screech that came with the discharge of that energy.
Sayf grinned as Aisio cried out in pain, watching as the red-haired Huntress spend towards the ground below. There was no time for him to waste now, especially when he was so close. Following her trajectory, Sayf activated Ecclesia once more, the dark orb fluttering as it shifted into another form. The weapon morphed into a dark sword akin to an ōdachi, roughly as long as he was tall. The blade, sharp enough to cleave through simple metals like a hot knife through butter, was black and red - the telltale color that his weapon was overall. It was crude, twisted and hideous to look at. A corrupt manifestation of weapons used long ago.
As Aisio crashed into the desert floor, Sayf prepared himself for some sort of attack. She had surprised him before, and expected such to continue. The woman stood, tattered and wounded, but still ready to put up a fight. It was admirable, but foolish. Part of Sayf - of Æthelwulf - had to wonder if the woman had a death wish. Perhaps, he thought, the pressure of being the only person left to carry on the family name was getting to her. Such pressure was sure to break even the most seasoned of warriors, and as such, Sayf was relieved it was not a situation he would find himself in.
If he were to fall, a son would replace him, ready to carry on the family name beyond his own death.
Stopping in his tracks, Sayf eyed Aisio carefully as she rose to her feet. Her sword had now taken its form, the moment he had been waiting for all this time. "Behold, AEthelwulf, Excalibur! The blade of kings!" She called out, launching herself at him with impressive force. With a grin on his face, Sayf braced for her attack, holding the odachi in front of him to catch whatever attack might come. A flutter of Aura and glowing of Dust, he realized she wasn’t going to outright attack first. Icicles, sharp as knives, rained down upon him, tearing through flesh and cloth alike. The cuts were almost instantly healed by his Aura, but the sting remained.
The force of the gust had pushed her back, leading her to follow up with an attack using the massive sword. Raising his own weapon, the two blades clashed with enough force to push the sand in their immediate vicinity into a small crater. Without warning, however, Ecclesia’s wicked form began wrapping itself around Aisio’s Excalibur, almost as if trying to devour the broken sword. “The blade of kings, you say?” He laughed. “In order to be the blade of a king, it must be wielded by a king - you and your pitiful family are no kings.” The darkness spreading from Ecclesia set its path - attempting to spread down towards Aisio’s hand.
“Ecclesia, the Corrupter.” He murmured, a confident smirk on his face. “Devour her.” As if on command, the weapon’s form shifted quickly, consuming Sayf’s arm and replacing it with a twisted and horrific limb. The arm, Grimm-like in form, was still latched against Excalibur, but the blackness among the woman’s blade was now barbed and full of needle-like protrusions. One such spike, the closest to Aisio’s body, extended at an almost mind-boggling speed, intent on impaling the young woman where she stood.
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MADE BY VEL OF GS + WW |
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Post by Aisio Pendragon on Sept 15, 2016 1:06:46 GMT -6
Aisio barely even registered her opponent's words, a fire in her eyes and a primal bellow released from her lips. He blocked with his sword, but Aisio simply pushed harder. She pushed Excalibur into his weapon, Ecclesia, with a guttural growl. This was what she was born to do, to fight, to win. All Pendragons live to fight, long for the thrill of battle and the sweetness of victory. Of course, Aisio was young, reckless, and wasn't very good at reigning herself in, so in situations like this she went off like a loose cannon. She pushed with all her strength, the blackness stretching down her blade barely being noticed, and not being considered a threat. Her wings began burning at the tips, slowly right now but she knew it would get quicker, but Aisio was too focused on pressing her attack with all her strength to notice. Then Finn changed his weapons form, the barbs pulling Aisio from her bloodlust just long enough to realize what was coming.
She gasped in pain as the needle ran her through, the fires of her aura roaring around the wound just to make sure she survived. Her right hand pulled off Excalibur's hilt and moved to the needle, pressing her hand to the wound in shock. Excalibur, now being held with only one hand, drooped to the ground, the burning blade pressing gently into the sand. She looked between the wound and her opponent and attempted to speak, only to cough up blood instead. She hacked up blood for a second, grimacing in pain as she did so, and as she looked up the smallest inkling of fear stretched onto her features. What if this was where she died? Was she ready, did she do enough, all these questions raced through her mind. She thought to her brother, who fell honorably in battle against the Grimm, thought of her butler who had protected and cared for her even in the toughest times. She thought of the teachers at Vytal, who had trained her to fight and win.
Her face hardened, resolve replacing the pain and fear that were plaguing her features. No, she hadn't done enough. In order to do that, she had to get out of this alive, to tell people about Barnett working with The Cult of St. Ashes, or whatever they wanted to be called. One word echoed in her mind, the only rule of a noble teacher who had sacrificed herself to save Vytal. "Win." Aisio herself stared at Finn, coughing up one last set of blood before spitting on his boots. "You..." She growled out the word, the hand pressing against the needle still within her chest moving to the left side of the wound. "You can go to hell." Her hand shot into her trench coat, gripping Flamelash and drawing it in one motion. She didn't waste time, they were already at point blank range, she just pointed at him and fired.
The dart of flame roared from the golden barrel of the gun, then another, and another. She roared in pain, anger, and simply to focus herself as she pulled her wings back and flapped as hard as she could. The red crystal upon her harness glowed and two pinpoint beams of heat blasted from the fading wingtips towards Finn. She pushed herself back with the gust, or tried to, and shoved herself off the needle impaling her. Aisio's scroll beeped once, and a cursory glance showed her aura was all but gone from that stunt, and she landed upon the sands with a grunt. Excalibur had cut a small trench in the sand where she had dragged it, and she stored Flamelash back in its holster. She brushed the blood from her lips before gripping Excalibur with both hands again, lifting it into a ready position.
"We may not be kings in name, but we are leaders. We helped lead humanity back to Legion, were one of the first families to raise ourselves up after returning from the mountains. In fact, we are one of the only families to have survived from Old Remnant! So no, we are not called kings. But should we have ever wished it, we would have ruled over many, and our subjects would've been proud to call us kings." Those were all the stories she'd heard of the history of the Pendragons, she didn't know if they were true or not but she believed them. Aisio swung her blade through the air, green crystal once more glowing as it cut through the air. This time though, due to its larger form, the gust of wind created was wider and stronger as she cleaved a hole in the wind itself. With a shrill shriek the blast of wind went sailing towards Finn, but Aisio dropped to a knee as it did so, panting heavily.
Combat Notes:
Aura: 48/400
Crystal Chamber: 9/20
Spare Chambers: 2 Fire, 1 Electric
Ice Crystal: 4/5
Fire Crystal: 3/5
Wing Duration: 3/15
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Post by Sayf al-Din on Sept 19, 2016 12:53:17 GMT -6
精神病の愛 You knew the game and played it, it kills to know that you have been defeated, I see the wires pulling while you're breathing. WORDS 688 NOTES Die | Everything between them had come to this.
Their weapons forced together, Sayf grinned as Aisio pushed harder into Ecclesia with a low snarl. Of course, this was until Ecclesia morphed its form. The spine of his weapon had met its intended mark, puncturing Aisio’s small frame with surgical precision. Her gasp of pain led him to chuckle deeply under his breath, briefly eyeing the light of her Aura surging around the wound. Aisio Pendragon was strong - for now. Sayf still had many tricks up his sleeve, and he was prepared to utilize all of them in order to finally put her down. When her right hand drew back from the hilt of her sword, he took the opportunity to put a little bit of space between them - roughly eight feet.
It was here that Sayf regarded the woman in her entirety for the first time, taking a great deal of pleasure in the fact that she had sustained such a wound at his hand. It was true that the Pendragon family was well known throughout the world, but to stand against Finn Tosenslayer - as he was known - was foolish, even for her. To him, it seemed their battle was finally coming to an end. The only thing that was for certain was that one of them wouldn’t be walking away. On this day, one of them would die. Either Aisio would foil all of his plans on her own, or he would cut down another pest caught in a hidden war the likes of which her family had never seen before.
His now twisted arm - similar to a Barghest’s mighty tail claw - began to spasm as its form grew more and more grotesque. The claws were sharp enough to cleave through some of the most impressive armor materials on the planet, and more than enough to clash against her Excalibur if need be. "You..." She snarled as she spat blood towards his feet. "You can go to hell." In one quick motion, she drew her pistol and opened fire. He didn’t have time to activate his Semblance, instead leaving Sayf to try to duck out of the way. They were too close, it was too fast. Managing to lean slightly to the side, first couple darts missed their mark, but the final one hit. It tore through his face, leaving a burning trail up his left cheek and over his head.
So much pain.
So much heat.
A bloodied mess on his face, Sayf stared Aisio down with bloodlust as she prepared her wings for another attack. He ducked out of the way, the beams smashing into the sandy earth with immense force. Such a hit would’ve made for a rather bad time, and for the first time in years Sayf felt a bead of sweat form on his brow. "We may not be kings in name, but we are leaders. We helped lead humanity back to Legion, were one of the first families to raise ourselves up after returning from the mountains. In fact, we are one of the only families to have survived from Old Remnant! So no, we are not called kings. But should we have ever wished it, we would have ruled over many, and our subjects would've been proud to call us kings."
Her attack followed, but Finn didn’t wait for it to meet him. His eyes on Aisio, he timed his Semblance perfectly with the swing and her dropping to one knee. In a blink, he was gone, and the Dust attack smashed into the surface where he once stood. That instant, and he appeared as she began sinking to the ground, driving his devilish claw upward into her torso. It was a killshot, one he intended to land. If the woman dared to push herself back, Sayf readied Ecclesia to extend after her. If she were reckless enough to dodge to the side, he would simply swing the arm to follow - using the extended range almost like a scourge.
"Goodbye, Aisio."
Death was imminent.
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MADE BY VEL OF GS + WW |
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Post by Aisio Pendragon on Sept 19, 2016 14:26:38 GMT -6
Aisio couldn't dodge. She could barely stand, only able to watch in despair as Finn appeared next to her and struck at her torso. Things seemed to move in slow motion for her, and she did the only thing she could. She angled Excalibur to block the strike, the flames on the blade licking onto Finn's gruesome weapon as they collided. She was only able to hold it for a moment before a sickening creaking sound sent a cold sweat onto her neck. She recognized that sound, the last time she had heard it when her brother fell to the Grimm. Sure enough, terrifying cracks spread through the metal of the blade and almost instantly after the blade shattered fully. Fire exploded out from the blade now purely made of aura, which dissipated shortly after and left Aisio holding nothing more than a useless hilt. Both hands released from the weapon, and she stumbled backwards in shock and terror, trembling as tears began forming in her eyes.
She didn't process the burns on her face, or arms, nor did she notice the torn remains of her trench coat fall around her. Instead Aisio's glowing crimson eyes were focused on the hilt of Excalibur completely unable to contemplate that it was gone. That was the only true remnant of her legacy, and the reddish purple claw was extending towards her. She was going to die here, and with her the Pendragon name would fade into dust. Aisio sobbed, tears streaming down her face as she began to drop to both knees. This was who she was, a broken warrior. She couldn't even protect herself, how was she supposed to save all of Remnant from this threat. Faces began soaring through her mind. Her brother, always strong and protecting those who couldn't protect themselves, a true Pendragon through and through. Her father, noble and kind, leading what was left of his family to victory and training them to do the same. Ash, who had cared for her when she was too devastated to even feed herself, got her back on her feet and convinced her to take up Excalibur and uphold the family tradition. She had failed them all, they had all trusted her and she had let them down. As she fell she spoke, her words full of tears and sorrow. "I'm sorry."
She didn't hit the ground, Finn's weapon hitting her in the chest before she collided. The weapon punched through her leather armor with ease, tearing it to shreds as it continued towards its target. Pain unlike anything she'd experienced shot through Aisio's body as her chest was torn open and the claw running into her organs. Blood began flowing from the wound, though with the claw still there the bleeding was quite lower than what it could've been. Instead, her lungs had been punctured and blood began pouring into them. The red liquid that was her life flowed from her lips as she coughed and gurgled, her flaming aura trying vainly to keep her alive. Tears streamed down her face, fear and despair etched into her features and burning wings dissolving into embers. She looked at Finn with an emotion she hadn't shown anyone for years, true terror, and sobbed as much as she could with blood pouring into her lungs.
A torrent of sand shooting into the sky in the distance foreshadowed the arrival of Ash, the man sprinting along the sand as fast as the wind towards the two of them. He had seen the fiery burst from Excalibur's explosion, and he skid to a stop just behind Aisio. "My lady!" He rushed to her side and looked at the claw in her chest, tears forming behind his half moon glasses. "No, Sisi..." Aisio looked at him and struggled to open her hand and turn it outward to him. He got the message and gripped her hand in his, a small smile forming beneath Aisio's tears. She tried to speak, her words barely making it through the blood and being wheezed out with incredible effort. "So much...I need to do." She sobbed again, coughing and hacking up more blood, Ash closing his eyes and looking away as she did. "You...have to tell them. Barnett...working with.....AEthelwulf."
Ash looked up at her, a quizzical look in his eyes as he did so. Her words were hard to hear, he was barely able to make them out right next to her. "My lady, I don't understand. Who is AEthelwulf?" The arm not holding onto Ash twitched, trying to lift but failing as she spoke. She spoke only two letters, and they were gasped out as little more than breaths. "A...Eeeee" The letter trailed off, and her hand went limp within Ash's grip. Her crimson eyes lost the unique glow of the Pendragon's, the light fading from them as her head lulled forward. "My lady. Aisio, please. Aisio!" Ash shouted, the tears in his eyes falling as he shook her dead hand. After a moment he stopped, releasing Aisio's limb and turning to look at Finn, his only expression one of sorrow and guilt.
"I recognize you. My lady described you in great detail. You are Sir Finn Cullen, knight of Rift. At least, that is what she believed." He gently pulled Aisio's body from his weapon, holding her carefully with both hands even as what was left of her blood poured down his hands and onto the sand. He sighed as he cradled her corpse, softly crying as he gazed softly at her killer. "I presume that is not your name nor your profession, but frankly I don't care. I will be taking her back to Legion where she can receive a proper," He sniffled, looking down as tears began pouring down his face with renewed vigor. After a moment he looked back up, still with a soft gaze of sorrow, and spoke again. "a proper burial. I beg of you, you took her life, one rich with possibility. All I ask for is to be able to bury my, friend. At least give her that." He didn't move, instead waiting for Finn's response, his words having no anger or resentment in them, only the sad plea of a close friend.
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Post by Sayf al-Din on Sept 20, 2016 12:46:11 GMT -6
精神病の愛 You knew the game and played it, it kills to know that you have been defeated, I see the wires pulling while you're breathing. WORDS 562 NOTES A great warrior | Terror.
For Sayf, to see such an emotion in his opponent’s face was something to celebrate, but something about this left him…off. As his Grimm-like claw tore through Aisio’s chest with unbelievable force, catching her as she dropped towards the ground. The sound of her coughing on her own blood, paired with the sight of such, left him feeling a little uneasy. He had killed many people in his time as a warrior, but something about this particular event put him off. That dull look in his eyes, the look of a killer, dissipated and was replaced by the familiar glow of Finn Tosenslayer.
In the distance, Sayf noticed someone making their way towards the two, and he quickly withdrew his arm from the young woman’s chest. The person, a man who must have worked closely with Aisio, held her near lifeless body as she tried her best to overcome tears and choking on blood, all to single him out. Sayf’s eyes, full of sorrow for the first time in years, looked away as the life finally escaped her tired lips. Catching glimpse of her sword’s hilt, Sayf quickly shuffled over and picked it off the desert floor, leaving the man to tending to Aisio’s now lifeless body.
"I recognize you. My lady described you in great detail. You are Sir Finn Cullen, knight of Rift. At least, that is what she believed." The man said, holding her carefully. Sayf’s head tilted to the side, his expression blank - void of any and all emotion. His face was covered in blood, both from himself and the red-haired woman from Legion. Reaching into his tattered black cloak, he pulled out a wad of reddened bandages and tossed them to Ash, keeping a small ball of bandages for himself. "I will be taking her back to Legion where she can receive a proper…” The man’s voice trailed off.
Sayf watched as the man began crying, going about wrapping the ball of bandages around his face. "…A proper burial. I beg of you, you took her life, one rich with possibility. All I ask for is to be able to bury my, friend. At least give her that." The man finally added, his voice reflecting his internal anguish. Sayf shook his head, clipping the hilt of Excalibur to his belt. “Aisio Pendragon, the broken warrior…The last heir of the noble Pendragon house, inheritor of the Wings of Icarus and wielder of the legendary blade Excalibur.” He murmured, pulling his heavy black hood over his head.
“Bring her back to Legion and see to it she receives a proper burial.” Sayf added, turning his back to Ash. “Make sure she is celebrated as a great warrior that gave her life for Remnant. Both sides of this conflict have a lot to learn from someone like her.” With a sigh, he lightly patted Excalibur’s hilt on his belt. “This’ll be coming with me, for now.” He added. “I’ll see to it that it’s returned to her, personally.” With an apologetic nod, Sayf activated his Semblance, disappearing into thin air as he made his exit.
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MADE BY VEL OF GS + WW |
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Post by Aisio Pendragon on Sept 21, 2016 19:31:38 GMT -6
Ash caught the ball of bandages and set to bandaging what he could of the gaping wound in Aisio's chest. It wouldn't matter for her life, but he didn't want to take her to Legion bleeding. As Finn grabbed Excalibur's hilt, Ash's eyes widened and filled with tears anew. So the weapon was broken, the last part of the Pendragon's line gone. He nodded grimly at Finn's words, and after he disappeared he looked down at Aisio's lifeless body, the bandages staunching a little of the bleeding, he lifted her back up and began walking slowly towards the wall of Setek. "Finn Cullen. When next we meet, I will avenge my Lady." The vow was quiet, spoken under his breath as he approached the stone walls surrounding the desert city. He walked towards the maintenance entrance he had used to get out, carefully making his way through.
While he moved he held Aisio carefully, almost as one would hold a child. As he made his way through the streets towards the airship dock, people who were still celebrating the victory over the Taijitu stopped and looked on, their joyous spirits quickly falling upon seeing the bloodied body of Aisio. Where once there was the sounds of a whole city's worth of merrymaking, silence began spreading from where Ash was. Those who recognized her blazing red hair, or the seal upon Ash's neck, or her armor, or any other marking of Aisio Pendragon stood and saluted proudly, or held their heads down in respect. Ash traveled on, taking little to no notice of the people watching. In Setek, there weren't many people who knew who the Pendragons were, but a lot of them could recognize a hunter when they saw one. Thus, almost every person they walked past did something to pay their passing respects, from a salute, to holding their hat to their chest, even just a small nod. But there was always something, and it almost made Ash smile. Almost.
He made his way into the airship dock, the attendant immediately standing and approaching them when she saw Aisio's body in his arms. "By the authority of the Pendragon house I require your fastest ship to Legion immediately." The attendant nodded quickly, scurrying towards her desk and typing away. As she looked at them and nodded gently again, another man walked in and beckoned to them. He said something that Ash didn't hear, he didn't care enough to hear, but he knew that he was to follow. As he started, he paused at the door to the hangar, looking back to the woman at the desk he made one final request. "Send word ahead, to the Prime Minister of Legion. Tell her...Aisio Pendragon has fallen." He winced, quickly looking away and following his guide into the hangar. He boarded a ship, one which soon took off and began its trip back towards Legion.
The captain came down a few times, to help Ash with anything he needed, bring him food, or sometimes just to sit there silently with him. Ash was grateful, but barely even noticed most of the time. He was too wrapped up in his own mind, his sorrow, his guilt. What if he had gotten there sooner? He should have gone with her to fight that man, his job was to protect her and he had failed. Now he was left with a final cryptic set of instructions, the name of something he didn't understand, and a final vow of vengeance. Halfway through their journey, he received word from one of the friends of the Pendragons, telling him that Aisio had left everything she owned to him in case of her death.
Six days after leaving the deserts of Setek they arrived in the hangar of Legion's airship dock. Ash carefully lifted Aisio and exited the airship. The dock was empty, not a single airship present and almost no personnel. The ones who were there approached Ash and began walking alongside him silently and with purpose. Ash continued walking, he didn't much care who was with him at this point. His eyes were filled with sorrow and remorse and exhaustion. He hadn't slept much on the flight, his mind filled with nightmares, of him not saving Aisio, her last words, and all manner of things like that. He exited the hangar to the admittance area, which was once more almost devoid of life. The man sitting at the desk rose and gave a salute as they entered, holding it as Ash walked towards the door. The two men flanking him strode ahead and opened the doors to let him through, and Ash stepped into the cold Legion air that was home.
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