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Post by ??? on Jul 23, 2016 16:20:19 GMT -6
Cela, the most revered monastery in the Kingdom of Pinnacle. On this cloudy, starless night, that monastery stood silent; as one might expect, given the hour...but there was more to it than that. This silence was deep, almost eerie...like the calm before a storm, perhaps. Indeed, the only sound at all was that of the chill wind passing by; an ill wind, that carried with it portents of calamity...or so you might say, if you were the superstitious type. Yet, nothing seemed particularly out of the ordinary...at least, on the surface. In truth, however, there was one minor irregularity; on this most inauspicious of nights, the monastery had received an unexpected visitor. A visitor whose presence at Cela had still yet to be discovered.
She was currently kneeling on the cold floor of the monastery's majestic temple, her head bowed reverently in the direction of the altar and her hands folded before her in prayer. Her face was hidden by the hood of her tattered robe; a garment reminiscent of something that a monk might wear...albeit the monk of an abbey, rather than a monastery...and it was fairly tribal in aesthetic, as well. Regardless, even at a glance it was easy to tell that this mysterious individual was a pilgrim of some sort. Perhaps this devout woman had simply arrived some time after nightfall and was now resting here in prayer and contemplation as she awaited the dawn...or so you might say, if you were the type to be taken in by such a ruse.
In truth, however, there was a much more intimate reason why the woman had chosen this specific location to lie in wait. It was because she knew...she knew that on this particular night, only two people would enter this room. One of them was her, the drifter lying in ambush; the other was a man named Renault, a member of Cela's High Council, who made a habit of visiting this temple alone every week, on the night of this particular day. She knew this because she'd been watching him for quite some time now..."getting to know him", you could say...because she knew he had something that she wanted. And on this most foreboding of nights, there was something else she knew, as well.
She knew that tonight, only one of them would be leaving this room alive.
Weather: Overcast, no starlight.
Temperature: Chilly, cold enough to see your breath.
Date: January 21st, X1
Threat Level: Red
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Post by Engram on Jul 23, 2016 17:56:20 GMT -6
Dark and cool, not necessarily out of the ordinary for the Monastery. Still, something caused Renault’s stomach to churn. A sense of foreboding, of tragedy, looming overhead. Over the past few nights, the elderly monk had suffered terror after terror in the depths of his dreams. Beasts of darkness, of ultimate destruction, unleashed upon the word of Remnant. These were the dragons of a time long forgotten, a time that was slowly beginning to fade away to myth - the Four Wills of Remnant. Monsters of such unimaginable power that early settlers of the Kingdoms believed them to be the physical manifestation of the planet’s own power. It was these monsters that plagued Renault of Cela’s dreams, these monsters that almost managed to drive him to complete sanity. A cigar in hand and whiskey glass in the other, he sat upon his balcony overlooking the city below. Even under dreary skies, the vast mountainous world they knew as Pinnacle managed to sustain its natural beauty. With a heavy sigh, Renault set down his glass before throwing a heavy leather robe over his shoulders. It was time for his visit to the temple, where he made his weekly pilgrimage in an effort to appease the Great Architect. This date was marked for another reason altogether, as well. Today marked the anniversary of the day Ceyla, his daughter, left the Monastery to become a Huntress. Despite sharing many letters since that day, Renault had never had the opportunity to see or speak to the young woman that had become his only family. Since that day, it had become a tradition for him to pray for her safety and proper guidance. It was the least he could do, being so far away. News of the events in Rift were troubling enough as it is, and he knew that - despite his opposition - she would have fought for Legion. Luckily, no news had come that she had perished. It was the only assurance he had that she had made it out alive. Thankfully, it was the only assurance he needed. Several loops of prayer beads, made completely of Dust, coiled around his neck and wrists. These were his way of connecting with the world, as well as the weapon that made him a capable opponent in the case of combat. The Monasteries were, to his benefit, a hostile-free zone. Swift and severe punishment was sure to strike anyone that chose to ignore those laws. But then again, in the times they were living in, it seemed like the laws didn’t matter. Everything was slipping into chaos. Everything was slipping towards war. As Renault approached the temple and pushed open the door, he noticed a woman inside. An familiar place at such a familiar hour, he was a little surprised to see that someone else had chosen such a time to visit the standing relic. Cautiously, the old man walked past the woman. He remained clam and collected, even smiling as she glanced at her in passing, as he continued to the altar at the end of the room. The fizz of a match being struck echoed in the building, and he lowered the burning piece of cardboard to the wick of a candle. “What brings you out to the temple at this hour, dear?” He said in a welcoming tone. “It’s not every day we get stragglers wandering about in the middle of the night."
Renault: This old, generic anime dood.AP:  ? Weapon: Dust Beads Semblance: Foresight - When attacked, Renault’s Aura is slowly chipped away (10AP per use) to give him the ability to see the future (within his location) up to one second. |
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Post by ??? on Jul 23, 2016 20:47:17 GMT -6
The woman remained motionless as the monk tread past her towards the altar; it wasn't until he addressed her that she finally spoke. "I suppose you could say I've come in 'pilgrimage'..." She replied. Her voice was calm and beautiful, but at the same time frightfully unnerving, like white silk dripping with freshly spilled blood. "In search of knowledge...in search of 'answers'. And oh, how close those answers are to me now..." She rose to her feet at those words, her arms falling limply to her sides as she did. The monk should've sensed it clearly now...instinctively. Everything about this woman felt wrong. Everything about this woman felt dangerous.
"Even as we speak, I stand at the door that will lead me to 'heaven'..." As she spoke, a dripping sound began to echo faintly through the temple, like water dripping from a leaky faucet. "And you, Renault of Cela, hold the key..." It would probably take him a moment to realize what she meant by that. She wasn't talking about a figurative key, after all, but a literal one...a key which Renault happened to be wearing around his neck at that very moment; the key to the ancient monastery archives, wherein was collected the knowledge of countless generations, dating back to a time even before the great cataclysm.
"Of course, I doubt you'll be inclined to surrender it willingly..." The dripping sound was becoming more frequent with each word that left her lips, and it wasn't long before the source finally became apparent; the woman's arms were bleeding. Ever since she'd risen to her feet, the cascade of blood had been slowly intensifying, running down her arms before dripping from her limp fingers to the stone floor below. The sheer amount of blood loss was almost staggering, as though she'd completely severed her brachial artery. At this rate, a normal person would be dead in minutes...and yet, somehow she seemed completely unphased, as though there was nothing out of the ordinary.
"But that's fine...after all..." For the first time since their conversation began, the woman raised her head enough that Renault could see beneath the hood of her tattered robe. Her face was wrapped almost entirely in white linen bandages and naught was visible of her features save a jagged, toothy smile and pair of feral, golden eyes staring out at the monk with a predatory gaze...the sclera that should've been white stained an unnatural, bloody red.
"I planned on killing you anyway..." A faint, sinister chuckle rose from her throat as those words left her mouth, gradually escalating until it finally progressed into a full blown fit of maniacal laughter; then, without warning, she lunged forward, dashing at Renault with incredible speed before tensing the once limp fingers of her right hand and swinging the bloody appendage at him as though it were some sort of claw, clearly intent on slashing him despite being entirely barehanded.
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Post by Engram on Jul 24, 2016 8:04:39 GMT -6
What an odd child. Renault didn’t bother to turn to face her at first, instead keeping his attention on the altar and the mural that loomed over the room. The Great Architect was a comforting image to have at his side in times such as these. That sense of impending doom still lingered in the air, but Renault’s composure remained unaffected. When the strange woman spoke of pilgrimage, his eyebrow quirked up, curiosity taking hold. ‘Why would a young lady, such as yourself, be out on a pilgrimage of all things?’ He queried in his mind. No use using words at this point, he was in prayer! If she wanted to have a conversation, she would have to wait.
It was when the woman rose to her feet that Renault finally felt it. That sense of dread, that…danger. It had been coming from her. He had felt it across the Monastery before ever setting foot in the temple. “The door to heaven is open to any who truly wish to walk through, my child.” He said calmly. “There is no need to be so imposing. If you wish to know the Truth of our world, then I shall do what I can to bring you one step closer to finding that truth.” His hand rose to touch the key around his neck, almost as if he had been compelled to do so at her mention.
“You want the key, then. Is that right?” His voice became monotonous, rumbling through the temple like thunder. “The Archives are no place for a young woman, so I’m afraid I must decline.” Renault turned to face the woman now, still retaining his composure in the face of someone that was clearly a threat to his life. “I regret having to say this, m’lady, but if you want this key - you’ll have to kill me first.” While he had hoped that these words would serve to dissuade his attacker, the words that followed only served to make his worst fear known - she had come here with the intent to end his life. Renault shook his head, almost chuckling at the idea. Was it really his time to die?
There was still so much to do.
So much to do.
As she charged, Renault’s Semblance activated. In his eyes he saw his attacker, lunging towards him and throwing a powerful strike with her right hand. In response, he threw his left arm into the air, summoning the power of the Earth Dust among his beads. A pillar of earth shot up between him and his attacker, providing him with necessary protection and a few seconds to put some distance between them. Renault wasted no time formulating how to respond. With a flick of his wrist, he send several focused bolts of electricity flying in the direction of his attacker.
“What do you expect to achieve here? Tell me!” He asked her. “Who are you, and what do you want with the archives?” |
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Post by ??? on Jul 24, 2016 17:42:01 GMT -6
As the monk retreated and the pillar shot up between them, the woman made no effort to stay her attack; her bloody fingers gouged deep into the stone, as though they were the talons of some great beast, rending the solid rock apart like it was tissue paper and leaving bloody claw marks in their wake. Her jagged grin widened as the monk put space between them and immediately launched a counter attack, her body gliding around the incoming lightning bolts with the preternatural grace of a leaf dancing in the wind, chuckling again as he began questioning her motives.
"Did you know, Renault of Cela...?" She asked calmly, advancing towards the monk with a slow, menacing gait of utter nonchalance as she spoke, her arms still trailing puddles of blood with every step she took. "There are some people in this world who believe that 'Heaven' is not a place, but a state of being...something that can be achieved while we yet live and breathe..." She flung her arms wide as though to illustrate her point, sending sheets of blood splattering to the floor at her sides.
"Yet everyone's 'Heaven' is different, as are the steps that they must take in order to reach it..." As she continued her cryptic explanation, something would no doubt catch Renault's eye; there was something rising from the woman's body now...some sort of scarlet mist that appeared to be diffusing into the surrounding atmosphere, leaving behind a thin veil of crimson fog in her wake. "In order to reach my 'Heaven', there are certain things that I require...and the archives of this monastery hold a clue that will lead me one step closer to finding them...a clue that will lead me one step closer to 'Heaven'..."
No sooner had the woman finished her sentence than she suddenly vanished; or so it would appear to the untrained eye. In actuality, she had seamlessly transitioned from a casual walk into a bestial charge of such velocity that no one short of a hunter would likely be able to track her movements through sight alone. She covered the gap between herself and Renault in an instant, making the speed of her previous attack look statuesque by comparison as she took another swipe at him with her bloodied right hand.
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Post by Engram on Jul 25, 2016 12:35:23 GMT -6
How would he, Renault of Cela, have described how he felt as his opponent slashed through the solid earth that separated them? Horrified, was a good way of putting it. Never before had he seen someone so destructive with their bare hands. Clearly there was more to this girl than met the eye. Not only was she powerful, but she was remarkably fast, dodging by his bolts of electricity with ease. In his mind, he cursed the young woman. Who could she be? Was she aligned with the White Fang, or perhaps the Cult of Saint Ash? Thoughts subsided as the girl chuckled, a clear response to his questioning.
Clearly, she was not the religious type, instead opting to give Renault a speech he was far too familiar with in his line of work. Heaven is not a place, but a state of mind. The mindless drivel of someone with nothing to hope for, of a soul so far gone it had no hope for repentance. Frankly, Renault was far more concerned with the physical state of the girl. Though she was strong, she was bleeding - profusely - all over the temple. Had she fallen victim to an attack? Perhaps Grimm were involved? As a peculiar reddened mist rose into the air, Renault once again felt the evil flowing from this girl.
Was he afraid?
Absolutely not. He was, however, worried.
Renault didn’t have much time to formulate a response to the girl’s words before she was on the attack again. His Semblance once again kicked in, offering the man a glimpse of what was to come. An attack from her right hand. As if by reflex, Renault raised his arm to block the girl’s attack. A barrier of Aura formed between him and her, staving off what would otherwise be a lethal attack. This time, however, he did not put distance between them. Instead, the electricity from the Dust within his beads lit up, intent on ramming his sparking fist into her abdomen. This was the first time in a long while that Renault was forced to use force.
Hopefully it would be worth it. |
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Post by ??? on Jul 25, 2016 18:06:29 GMT -6
The woman's hand collided against the barrier with tremendous force, causing blood to splatter everywhere as though some grisly water balloon had suddenly exploded, painting even more of the holy temple with crimson gore. It seemed as though the monk had decided to change up his game plan a bit; instead of retreating, he was trying to open her up for a counterattack. With an animalistic smile still tugging at the corners of her mouth, she immediately shifted her right foot back, throwing all her weight to the side as her left hand moved quickly to intercept Renault's forearm, diverting the attack away from her body by a hair's breadth and leaving behind a thick, bloody handprint just above his wrist.
Then, without pause, she decided to capitalize upon her new position at his exposed right side by throwing her right hand forward once again with as much strength and speed as she could muster, aiming to lacerate his unprotected ribs before he had a chance to retract the arm he'd tried to shove into her torso. Given her advantageous position, it would be difficult for him to find a way out of this one, even for someone with reflexes as uncannily sharp as Renault's seemed to be. All the while, the scarlet mist rising from the woman's body was beginning to diffuse even faster than before, causing the mysterious red fog to slowly envelop the two combatants; its true nature belied by the overwhelming scent of blood now flooding Renault's senses and the taste of iron now dancing on his tongue.
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Post by Engram on Jul 25, 2016 23:24:55 GMT -6
The force of the woman’s hand smashing into his Aura Barrier was enough to push Renault back. Slightly, but enough to be noticeable. He furrowed his brow, his teeth grinding his teeth together as her blood splattered all over the temple. Why? Why was she doing this? Catching glimpse of her twisted smile, Renault felt his blood ran cold. Now he was experiencing fear. Now he was afraid for his life. He was going to have to pull out all the stops if it meant putting this girl down and protecting the Monastery. She could not be allowed to enter the archives.
His assailant was quick in following up to his attacks, effectively parrying his electrified fist. What came next, to the old monk, seemed to happen in slow motion. For the first time in decades, his Semblance failed him. A handicap he knew he possessed, Renault’s Foresight required a certain amount of time to recharge before firing off again. With how fast his attacker was moving, it was well within that cool-down time. A sharp pain pulsed through his body, originating from his right side. Her counterattack had met its mark. He could feel it trying to bleed, the only thing staving off the injury being the man’s Aura.
With her hand lodged into her side, Renault reacted the only way he knew how - with an attack of his own. An eruption of fire, originating from the center of his chest, ignited the immediate area between the two. Renault was thrown back, smashing into a row of pews that framed the room. It was there he remained, his body limp as he tried to muster the strength to stand. His wound was critical, his Aura no longer dedicating its resources to healing. If he was going to survive, he would need all of his available Aura to fight back.
Now bleeding, and profusely at that, Renault slowly staggered to his feet. Focusing some Aura into Fire Dust, he used a small flame to cauterize the wound. At least he wouldn’t be bleeding all over the place, now. At least now he could fight back while he still had the strength. “If you want to kill me, child, you are going to have to try harder than that.” He said, his voice heavy and serious. “I have fought humans and Grimm, the likes of which you’re young mind couldn’t possibly comprehend.” He took a readied stance, despite knowing what the outcome of this battle would be. |
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Post by ??? on Jul 26, 2016 18:25:12 GMT -6
Blown away by the sudden explosion, the woman quickly righted herself in the air before digging her bloody claws into the floor in an effort to slow her backwards momentum until she finally grinded to a stop on the opposite side of the room, her path clearly highlighted by the enormous trail of blood she'd left behind. As Renault rallied the strength to stand, the woman took a moment to process what had just happened. As expected, her attack had found purchase in the monk's side, but when it hit, she was surprised to find that her fingers were slicing not through Aura, but through raw, unprotected flesh. She was certain she wasn't hallucinating, but if not then how? He clearly still had Aura left, considering he was able to pull off that explosion, so why hadn't it stopped her attack?
Her suspicions were confirmed as Renault finally managed to stumble to his feet; there was a definitive clawmark dug into his ribs and it wasn't just her blood that was now staining his side a vibrant shade of red. For some reason, his Aura hadn't protected him. Could this be some drawback of his Semblance? She couldn't be sure, but it hardly mattered. Even if she was right, she had no idea how this vulnerability worked or how to trigger it, so there was no need for her to try and change up her tactics in some misguided attempt to exploit her opponent's newly revealed weakness. After all, the stage was nearly set; soon it would be time to raise the curtain.
The scarlet mist was billowing from her body like a smoke machine now, surrounding her with a veritable cumulonimbus of vaporized blood as she lowered her stance towards the ground, her right hand tearing into the floor behind her as she smiled a little wider in response to the monk's provocation; there was something decidedly different about this from her previous attacks...something ominous. Then, just as the fog had finally enveloped her, cutting her off from the monk's line of sight, she shot forward in another blindingly fast sprint, her body so low to the ground that she was nearly doubled over, her right hand still trailing behind her, slicing through the ground as she ran.
In the meantime, it was likely that the monk was so utterly preoccupied by what she was doing that he hadn't noticed as the bloody handprint on his right arm began to stir. As the woman prepared for her charge, the blood of the handprint had subtly shifted, coalescing into a small plashet on Renault's forearm, where it then waited surreptitiously until the woman had nearly reached her target; then, it suddenly extended, forming into a long, thin needle of crystallized blood headed straight for his jugular vein. Her aim was to divert the monk's attention at the last second, throwing him off-guard just long enough for her to follow up with an attack of her own. To that end, as soon as she entered striking distance, she immediately threw her right hand up from below with titanic force...but this wasn't the same as her previous attacks...something was different this time.
For some reason, the woman's right arm was now substantially bloodier than it had been mere moments ago, as though something had caused her bleeding to intensify dramatically after she'd taken up her new stance...and that blood was now being projected from her fingertips in the form of five large, crystallized streams that traced the locus of her attack perfectly, making it appear as though she were leaving behind massive, bloody clawmarks in the air itself. This had the effect of amplifying the destructive power of her attack by several times over; if Renault took an attack like this head-on, his Aura would be severely damaged...and if it failed to protect him again, it would almost certainly prove fatal this time.
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Post by Engram on Jul 27, 2016 11:07:08 GMT -6
Having allowed himself to be pummeled for some time by his opponent, Renault had now formulated exactly how he would be fighting back. Watching her intently, he took a guarding stance in preparation for an oncoming attack from the woman. While he had not discovered the means nor extent of her power, Renault believed putting her on the defensive was the best means of fighting back. He could not fight her like other monks at the monastery would have, and if she had been expecting such, she was mistaken. The Aura Master was now ready to fight for his life, and to give that life up, to defend the world of Remnant.
Observing the reddened mist flowing from her, he was able to deduce that this was what the rest of this mist in the air was as well. No matter, it’d make little difference. If this was her means of combating him, then all Renault would have to do is diffuse it. Once she disappeared from view, Renault’s muscles tightened. His Aura began to flow, whipping around his body in an invisible wave while his body produced a stunning golden glow. His Aura’s ability to amplify his offensive and defensive properties took effect, his body seemingly bulking up as a result.
Renault’s right arm began to tingle, slight at first, until it grew more noticeable. A spike, or needle, formed from the bit of blood that had ended up on him during their previous scuffle. His Semblance once again flashed, showing him the incoming attack from the bleeding young woman. He wasted no time, ducking out of the way of the attack that would have likely been decisive in this battle, following up by swinging his right arm - and by extension the pike of blood - into the young woman’s side. Loitering was not an option, and Renault rolled out of the way of his assailant once again, putting distance between him and her.
A few seconds, and his Aura was ready to be used if need be. Focusing on the beads, Renault channeled the forces of Air to whip up a small storm within the temple. Things that were not bolted down started to be thrown around by the force of the wind, before the pressure within the temple blew open the windows. This provided the means he needed, now was the time to build upon his method. With the gale force winds whipping through the temple, Renault channeled his Aura into the element of Water. The liquid reacted with the Wind, creating a typhoon of sorts in the immediate area. This served to do two things: dilute the reddish mist that had entered the air, hopefully limiting her control, as well as push it out the windows because of the winds.
His Aura pulsing, her directed the wind and water to her immediate area before throwing a pulse of lightning in her direction. He wasted no more time here, using his Aura to merge the Air and Water Dust to form Ice. Shards of razor sharp ice flew in all directions after the girl, intent on wounding her more than she appeared to be. Renault was sure now - this was her weapon. Somehow, manipulation of blood was key. Did this mean she didn’t have an Aura to heal herself? Naturally, one’s Aura made it impossible to sustain such wounds until combat had subsided. So what was the deal here? Regardless, the old monk kept his eyes on the area the woman was last seen, waiting for any sign of movement.
Were she to attack, he would be ready. |
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