[Log] ...When You Really Think About It (part 2)
Who: Caim, Emil Castagnier, Rion Steiner, Luke fon Fabre, Angeal Hewley
Where: Midgar (Crisis Core era) - Fantasy Sector - Sector One Reactor
What: Emil and Caim are drawn to the mako-harnessing reactors of The Planet's largest city. Emil doesn't take kindly to Caim's presence on his gig. Caim doesn't take kindly to Emil attacking him. Shinra doesn't like two one-man-army types fighting near something that could explode and take out half the sector. The IPA is called for additional assistance.
When: Sunday, March 29, 2009
Watch For: Token lone guard, Maria's maternal instincts, Rion learning there are worse trips than the ones drugs give him, Luke tries to beat the evil out of Emil.
(OOC: Rion needs a tag please~)
Ravikiran Srivastava says, "... ...."
Shane Fitzgerald says, "... Yeh'd be surprised."
Rion Steiner says, "Tch."
Ravikiran Srivastava says, "... I am sure young Rion is a responsible young man and knows better than to get himself into any situation that might cause Maria to become concerned."
Anthony Rosaio says, "You don't know many fourteen year olds, do you?"
Ravikiran Srivastava hmph.
Anthony Rosaio says, "I mean, Christ, I'm in my twenties and I get in trouble every time I go outside."
Aerith Gainsborough says, "It's kind of fun, though, isn't it? At least when it's been over for a while."
Ravikiran Srivastava says, "Mister Rosaio, you aren't precisely being helpful."
Anthony Rosaio says, "I mean, it's not always 'Nazi werewolf ambush in parking garage', but you know, trouble."
Rion has an ID Badge, recently printed since he needed it for access to HQ in the Hub. It's kind of convenient to be able to just breeze through a blockade or security checkpoint without having to hurt anyone, or without people pulling guns and going 'OH HELL IT'S RION' or 'FIRE!!' or something. He's only here out of curiosity.
He wants to see what all the commotion was about. If all this talk about Caim's destructive potential was just exaggerated, or the real deal. What kind of 'crazy' they were talking about. If there was anything to it.
The blond boy is not disappointed, but for a moment he is hiding behind some rubble, staring at the bright, searing light ahead and debating whether he wants to get any closer.
Dread scrapes icy fingers along his scalp.
He decides he really, really does not want to move in just yet.
The Knight of Ratatosk leaps back again, clearing the distance from the backlash once again. He flips backwards and lands on the ground, skidding back several feet. He starts to pace slightly- much like an animal beginning to circle its prey. There's a howl of rage, once the force that Caim has called upon disappears, and the red-eyed knight has an explosive aura of white energy around him. He sweeps both hands out to either side, with the blade clasped in one. The power of Ratatosk is channelling itself into the boy at full force by this point, and he launches himself towards the One Eyed Man. The kid's speed is far beyond anything else he's shown before. He's clearing the distance between himself and the swordsman in record time. The blade is lifted above his head and Emil slams it down to the ground, attempting to cleave it through the Bloody Handed Prince. However, that's not the goal. An explosion of flames erupt around around Emil and Caim- but the kid has yet to finish. He sweeps his blade through the air- one, two, three- the strikes never end. At least, until he flips and slams the weapon down once more. If one hadn't believed the fire couldn't get worse- that's what happens. It erupts even further.
Through the flames, Emil is standing there, laughing. Is he not finished yet? "You will BURN." He sweeps his free hand before him, drawing the power of Ignus through him, using all the mana of the fire summoned to unleash it upon Caim in a single blast of energy.
Emil Castagnier hits Caim with his Devil's Hellfire + Ain Soph Aur super.
If it's any consolation Luke, given the circumstances mentioned, Angeal would prefer to keep Caim alive too. The problem is, he's got a city and a reactor to worry about at the same time. Let's hope negotiation will do the trick, because after that comes the attempt at detaining. And after /that/...
When Luke gets through the barrier - though the Peacekeeper is too surprised at the young man who matches the authorization to remember to salute before waving the aristocrat through - he'll manage to get to the area just short of the complex itself before he runs into someone he knows.
Angeal Hewley stands with a group of three uniformed SOLDIER; one shares the colors of his own rank and the other two bearing the blueish colors of Seconds.
The two latter are peeling off at a command from Angeal, moving to circle around the primary fighting area to check on the helicopter crew and get them out to safety, which leaves the Firsts to turn and greet the redhead. "This the one we're waiting for?" The man who questions this, a dark-haired individual, gazes at the noble speculatively. The answer comes with Angeal's answer. "Good to see you again, Luke. Are you ready?"
It's about then that the air shrieks with the fury of a holocaust, though blessedly the small group is shielded by the final building.
There is a brief pause after it clears. Then, "Let's go." Suddenly, the joviality is gone, replaced by a more serious mein. "We'll escort you in, Luke. We'll break them apart if we have to. But your *only* job is to talk to him." There is little doubt what the two SOLDIER plan to do. Whether or not Luke can hold his own is currently irrelevant to the situation. If he /is/ the only one that can talk Caim into leaving peaceably, then that is what Angeal wants him focusing on. Waiting only a moment for confirmation, Angeal and the other SOLDIER begin to enter the compound.
An escort. "You're wasting time just standing around talking," the redhead says flatly. He neither confirms nor agrees to the terms set forth by Angeal - chances are astronomically high that Luke will do exactly as he pleases no matter what the SOLDIER told him he's /allowed/ to do. Nor is he waiting up for anyone, already heading for where Emil and Caim are fighting at a quick trot. He's here to help, not take orders from people who think they understand what's going on. Rion's presence is ... well. Not even noticed! He probably would be, had the Galerian not blended in so well with Midgar's usual population.
There's just one small problem with the goings-on.
That's Emil. Luke remembered their conversations in that Tetris-plane. Things had apparently changed a lot since they'd spoken at length.
But it does stop Luke in his tracks, suddenly re-evaluating the situation. As Luke's never been good at thinking things through, he pretty much just goes with what comes to mind. "Emil, what the HELL are you /doing/ here?!" Yeah, he'll worry about the fact that this place is a mess of fonons, in a lot of rough shape and the site of BATTOL in just a moment.
Fire. Pain. Blood. The shadows dance and scream, and the very stars weep at their torture.
Caim's snarling defiance meets Emil's assault head-on. Some of the flashing strikes are parried, but many of them get through. Each crashes into the man with a feeling more like they had impacted a statue somehow given frenzied life, his very skin seeming to have the sort of resiliance only armored soldiers could even dream of. This is no soft meat. No easy prey.
And you have gotten him angry.
Fire clings to Caim's form with a lover's embrace, twined through his hair, dancing along his limbs, a bloody heat-mirage following the sweep of his blade as the assault finally ends. He is crouched, panting, a snarl twisting his face and the ground beneath him actually warping from the sheer heat of that attack, much less the forces unleashed. But still he stands.
The flames and cinders that dance upon his back flicker, flare, then burst upwards as though suddenly given new fuel, giving the suggestion of great, terrible wings. And he lunges.
Every pass of that massive blade makes the very air scream in agony, sheets of fire and force tracing arcs along the ground in its wake as he chases Emil across the ground, seeking to rip him into as many pieces as he can in the shortest amount of time possible, paying no mind to the new arrivals. Only the chase has meaning. Only the prey. Kill.
KILL!
Caim misses Emil Castagnier with his Storm of Fury super.
Eventually, Rion's got to decide whether he'll leave now or get closer. He can't just stay where he is. If he's going to hang around somewhere dangerous, he might as well try to accomplish something. After all, Tegawa wanted him to help out a little more. And everyone who works with her is always talking about how they were born to help people, or how life's about doing the best you can against evil and while he doesn't really understand that whole 'good versus evil' part, he does understand making people's lives a little easier.
He picks his way through the debris until he reaches Luke's side, reaching out to tug on the edge of his coat, flattening his back against a concrete block and looking up at him. "I can try something. It might make him quiet for a little bit."
Actually, Rion isn't even sure if it'd work. He's drawn other Galerians into his own consciousness, has even tried to seal them inside it for a short while when they're short-circuiting, to try to get it to stop. But if all this trouble is caused by a man with someone else in his head who is hurting a lot all the time, maybe a few seconds of feeling nothing might clear his head a little.
But he won't do it until he's got at least someone else giving him the go-ahead. These men look like military types -- it might be better just letting them do their thing.
Think they know what's going on? Angeal isn't arrogant enough to think that. Nor does he believe that everything will go as planned. Hopefully, yes. But really, the minute Luke barrels past both SOLDIER, it's all downhill from there.
He doesn't try to call the young man to task, choosing instead to follow quickly.
"Are you serious?" his companion mutters.
"Just try to keep him from getting caught in the attacks," comes the rejoiner.
"Right."
Thing about SOLDIER is whether or not they delay, they're very quick in catching up. Luke will probably feel or even glimpse out of the edge of his vision, the form of a translucent shields that linger invisibly.
...Angeal isn't taking chances. Barrier and Shell, cast from the materia of the second First. "You know the other one?" Angeal asks, sparing some of his attention for the attacker that isn't Caim.
You buff Luke fon Fabre's STA to +2.
Ratatosk's fury rages through Emil- the boy is filled with the power of a primal force of his world. He actually manages to keep up with Caim's fury of attacks, using his own blade and a surprising amount of strength that's just seem to come from nowhere. However, Emil's also not anywhere near capable of standing his ground. Even as he is redirecting the massive warblade past him with each strike, he's losing ground and having to step back. "Tenebrae!" The knight calls forth for the Centurion as he suddenly leaps back.
In a flash of darkness, the panther appears between Emil and Caim- "Go, my servant!" There's a flash of light and suddenly a monstrous beast appears in front of Caim. A large, monstrous bear-like monster in brown fur with black claws suddenly lunges forth, attempting to grab the One Eyed Man and fling him back into that reinforced steel wall. It's another attempt to break through the wall.
Emil's attention is suddenly drawn by Luke calling his name. Red eyes snap towards the redhead, and the remnants from the swordsman's wild grin can be seen on his face. Nothing is said, as the smile fades and his eyes narrow just a bit... and he quickly ignores the demand before he takes off with an attempt to gear himself near the wall, should the bear be successful.
Emil Castagnier misses Caim with his Mr. Bear wants to make a door. Can Caim be used to make a door? attack.
Caim has long since reached the point where he is no longer thinking. No longer planning. Each motion flows one to the next with the weirdly fluid grace of instinct fueled by battle-madness. His eyes are wide and fixed, his teeth flashing blood and hate in the night air, his sword drawing curls of destruction across the ground.
There is not even a pause as the hound of shadows appears, nor as the Bear lunges forth. Caim meets the charge with his own, slamming bodily into the hulking beast with a concussion that would total an armored car, and his blade flashes once, twice, again. In the end the poor creature is renderred much smaller, and still he comes, charging straight /through/ the ragged remains of the beast for his true target. His prey.
His enemy.
Caim's warblade slams to earth, embedding itself nearly half a foot in the pavement, and he lets go of the hilt.
Bloody hands spread wide, and energy that is the true absence of light begins to gather from the sundered and riven ground.
His head lifts, his single eye flashing the blue at the heart of a welding torch, and he smiles.
Before a storm of black-red-blood-insanity in the form of twisted lightning lashes through the area.
Caim juggles Emil Castagnier with his Black combo.
Caim juggles Luke fon Fabre with his Red combo.
Caim juggles Rion Steiner with his Love combo.
Caim juggles Angeal Hewley with his Ambivalence combo.
You take 14 damage.
Caim juggles Emil Castagnier with his Black combo.
Luke fon Fabre breaks Caim's combo.
Caim juggles Rion Steiner with his Love combo.
Angeal Hewley breaks Caim's combo.
Emil Castagnier breaks Caim's combo.
Caim juggles Rion Steiner with his Love combo.
Rion Steiner breaks Caim's combo.
There's ... no immediate protests (and more importantly no questions forthcoming that Rion might not be able to answer), and so the blond boy scoots over a little to peer around the edge of the concrete block against which he leans. It wasn't the best timing, as lightning arcs and jumps over ground and people alike; there's something about spasming during an electric-like shock that makes Rion ache for hours afterwards.
This situation probably won't be much different; in any case he's hit the floor before it's done, fingers twitching once, twice, before he curls them into fists. Frazzled, rumpled, and very dusty, Rion, like a little trooper, climbs back to his feet. Glares on fourteen year olds are unusual to find when they're possessed of such unbridled disapproval. It lends a certain too-early maturity to his face.
"Quiet down," he utters through his gritted teeth, and eyes narrow.
While there's nothing really special to see if you're not,... um, Caim, or at least keenly psychic, Rion extends his consciousness. A static white space expands outward, and if it happens to envelop the consciousness of the former-hero-turned-menace, that perception of white space would appear to consume everything in its sterile, clear silence. Everything, that is, except for Caim, whatever lies within him, and the blond boy standing at a distance.
Anything and everything Luke could have said or done is entirely nullified by Caim's decision to unleash lightning on everyone present. It's not the first time he's been struck by the madman's attacks, but it is the first time he has a measure of protection in the form of whatever spells that SOLDIER had cast on him --
Thus, surprisingly, the electrical assault hurts very little. It stings, certainly, but not enough to really draw the same sort of horrified terror Luke had suffered from before.
Time changes all things. Caim's frightening, but in the face of other things suffered, this .... was a minor inconvenience. Wasn't, couldn't be as bad as things endured in the past. So Luke lets Rion do whatever he chooses to do - although young, Rion seemed to know what he was doing, and it might give him time to try to do something about Emil.
Or at least, in this case, use all this mayhem as a distraction to slide up to the not-Pansy and aim a vicious punch right at his temple. "Dammit, pay attention!"
Luke fon Fabre misses Emil Castagnier with his HEY HEY HEY LISTEN stun.
The grounds of the compound are torn up and, while there is no direct indication that the dent in the wall is from Emil's attempt to bust through, there is still a *dent in the wall*. It's worrying.
The two SOLDIER fall back under the lightning assault that rolls across the grounds, not only surging across people they knew about but one that had been hidden.
Who's Rion again? A young kid that looks like a local who got trapped by the fighting. "Hey you, kid! What the hell do you think you're doing?" Nope, physically unaware, that one. The First, however, seems well intentioned in his effort to approach Rion in time to prevent the (to his point of view ) foolish kid from getting hurt. Bad enough they have that kid with the bellyshirt running around mutter muttermutter...
Luke is on Emil and Angeal... his attention shifts toward Caim after a split second's thought. There are two outcomes here. One, Luke stops Emil and Two, Luke doesn't stop Emil. Either way, Caim attacks Emil AND Luke and that leaves the SOLDIER one choice; to step in and engage the man.
It won't be with swords, though that seems suicidal in this case; the Buster Sword is not drawn as Angeal strives to grapple the other man to a brief standstill.
You miss Caim with your This plan would probaly look good only on paper. In a small room. Made by people who never have seen the real world. action.
The bear is cleaved into two, and Tenebrae engulfs into black light, vanishing as it has drawn power from the Centurion. Strangely, it seems to have drawn from the blonde swordsman as well. He lurches forward, the weapon falling from his hands. He wraps his arms around his body, then lets out a howl of pain- but the knight's fury can be heard from within. He looks kneels down to pick up his blade, having been released from the horrid spell launched in his direction.
The boy looks ready to throw himself towards Caim, unaware of Rion's attempt to reach out towards the Bloody Handed Prince. Emil's attention is quickly turned- the knight suddenly snaps a hand out to catch Luke's fist before it can actually strike him. "You're annoying me." Red eyes glance towards the redhead, and he tightens his grip on the noble's hand... until he stops. The grip is released, and his red-eyes widen just slightly. There's almost a second or two of silence from him, before that snarl returns.
"Be gone!" He quickly releases Luke's hand and summons a force of dark energy to engulf the newcomer to the fight.
Maria Tegawa says, "Rion, what are you doing."
Caim's weight settles back to the ground, arcs and crackles of blood-black energy still dancing over his form, and tears his sword free of the ground with one hand, looking ready to resume the assault, rip his foes apart, kill until there is naught left to slaughter.
And something makes him pause. The swordsman jerks, gone stiff, eyes wide and glazed, mouth hanging slightly open, sword dangling loosely in nerveless fingers.
But it doesn't last. That brief respite is shaken off, the Bloody Prince dropping his blade with a crash and clutching at his head, swaying on his feet. This gives Angeal plenty of time to jump in and attempt to bring him down.
Which knocks him out of his confusion, combat reflexes thundering to life.
The grab is blocked, a vicious elbow-strike aimed straight for the SOLDIER's midsection, and then Caim whirls away, snatching his sword from the ground and-
There is a wound in the world.
Time seems to hold its breath as the One Eyed Man reaches for a hole that cannot be there, light that cannot exist bathing his face.
And then he is gone.
Caim misses Angeal Hewley with his GERROFF! jab.
Ravikiran Srivastava quietly, "I believe his walk took him where he needn't be.."
Maria Tegawa grr.
Ravikiran Srivastava offers, "Would you like me to come over..?"
Maria Tegawa says, "Alright."
Rion Steiner isn't exactly paying attention to his radio, but another guy's got his on! It's trasmitting the sort of unbridled screaming one only reserves for special occasions. Typically involving ULTIMATE SUFFERING.
Ravikiran Srivastava says, "Then I'll be over shortl--"
Angeal Hewley may be that other guy.
Maria Tegawa grinds teeth. "Damn it, I did not tell you that you could go on a walk so you could GET INTO TROUBLE WITH CAIM!!!"
Ravikiran Srivastava very very worried, "Is.. can anyone there tell me what's going on?"
Angeal Hewley lets out a startled sound. "He's one of yours, Maria?"
Maria Tegawa says, "He's under my protection!"
Angeal Hewley says, "One moment, grappling Cai--"
Angeal Hewley shuts up to concentrate on not getting elbowed in the gut.
Shane Fitzgerald says, "...."
For all anyone who isn't psychic might be able to tell, Rion simply caught Caim's attention by standing up. Because, no sooner than he looks at him, but the boy takes a stiff, if stumbling step backwards. All the color drains from his face, and so too does the glare he'd previously worn.
There are some things man is not meant to see. Rion's seen some of those things, and he's alright. His psyche is a bit like a rubber ball; it bounces back with a resiliency that has seen him through difficult times and difficult choices. Possessed of a particularly strong endurance for pain, however, that can kind of suck.
Because it means he doesn't just simply pass out into blessed unconsciousness when it starts to hurt.
Kids that age shouldn't be able to scream that loudly for that long. It only really stops when he runs out of air, and at that point, he simply crumples onto the SOLDIER, wheezing an inhale while he prepares to go right back into screeching. Poor SOLDIER, his ears are probably gonna hurt for a while.
"I'm going to do a lot more than annoy you if you keep it up," the replica aristocrat growls, perfectly aware that he suddenly doesn't have a hand to work with; he's certain he can get his hand free if he wanted to, but he /had/ Emil's attention now. And more importantly, there's a moment where that air of death, fire and suffering ebbs, and Luke decides whatever Rion was doing was working at least -somewhat-.
Red eyes. Didn't he have green eyes before? Green or blue anyway, Luke's certain of it. The replica frowns, jerking his hand back in time to being let go - and then there's a surge of first fonons, and immediately afterwards, the shadowy blast. Again the spells from earlier mitigate a lot of the force even as he jerks up both arms reflexively to shield his face, leaving it /irritating/, but not overtly problematic. Luke mutters a curse and reaches for his sword, unwilling to try subduing by force, but there is the sense that Caim was going to be a secondary problem (Caim had failed to kill him through, apparently, personal lack of interest and Luke was going to rely on that lack of interest again), so dealing with a tempermental Emil was more important.
After all, if Caim doesn't have a target, he usually just goes away.
Unfortunately this means when he's winding up to make a solid effort at slugging the -non-psychic blond youth with the pommel of the blade, Rion's started in on that ear-shredding screaming, and Luke flinches away from the sound, nearly choosing running over Emil in favor of turning from it. If he hits at all at this point it's probably going to be by /accident/, because god damn is that an effective distraction.
Luke fon Fabre hits Emil Castagnier with his I'd totally try to hit you harder but WTF SCREAMING HAPPENING jab.
The advantage had been taken, for all it'd be deadly to engage Caim directly like this, it's deemed a nescessary risk.
He sucks in his breath as Rion begins to scream, the sound of it rending the air like the screech of the highest violin notes to sensitive ears. It's enough to distract even a focused SOLDIER at a bad time; and it's more than enough to give a trained, powerful warrior the ease to win free of the man's range. Few people probably could have avoided the elbow, but Angeal manages to twist with a display of unnatural grace that mitigates the damage. And then the Prince is gone with an effort that makes something deep in the SOLDIER's bones absolutely *crawl*.
Or maybe it's the blood.
The other First is swift to catch Rion as he collapses. "Wh... hey... hey kid! Snap out of it!" The pain of it this close isn't... something he's going to talk about, but whatever anger he had for the kid's bad timing is gone in a flash. "He won't stop!" Caught between not knowing what to do and unwilling to just slap the kid, not knowing what /that/ would do, the SOLDIER settles for trying to hold Rion.
Fainting does seem to solve the problem neatly, in the end.
"Luke?" Angeal turns around to check on the progress of the young aristocrat. Suddenly, he realizes that there is still one other enemy to contend with and the last he saw...
Angeal Hewley eventually speaks back up, though his words are quick as if he's still concentrating on the situation. "Maria, I'm not sure what happened. Sebastian caught him before he could fall but... we'll get him to a hospital here."
Maria Tegawa says, "Where is 'here'?"
Aerith Gainsborough says, "They were at Sector 1, near a blockade, in one of the Midgars."
Angeal Hewley says, "Midgar. Caim and another man Luke identified as Emil were attacking each other near one of the reactor compounds."
Cid Highwind says, "!!"
Cid Highwind says, "Wh-what did I miss?!"
Yes, that scream is bloody distracting. Red eyes glance past Luke, and the wave of dark energy relents. He glances towards Rion and Angeal, then curses under his breath as he sees that Caim's just /gone/. This distraction is enough to send the knight sprawling back to the ground as he's cracked in the shoulder with the pommel of the sword. There's a loud clatter of metal and the knight's own blade is dropped as well.
And perhaps it would be easy to finish things off, except a certain, black panther has just appeared, hovering over Luke. "Good evening, Luke. I can't let you continue with this." And that clawed tail snakes around in an attempt to jerk the weapon from the aristocrat's hands. And hold it up out of his reach. How? Easy. Tenebrae's hovering~ Smarmy spiteful dog-thing.
Emil Castagnier successfully targets Luke fon Fabre with his Yoink! action.
Maria Tegawa says, "I see. Can't you bring him back to the Hub?"
Hexxi Felsprocket says, "Now I can devote my attention fully to this Caim matter."
Cid Highwind says, "What the HELL happened in Midgar?!"
Cid Highwind says, "I had my radio off."
Ravikiran Srivastava says, "Caim, apparently..."
Hexxi Felsprocket says, "A berzerker by the name of Caim, and a man identified as Emil, slugged it out in the vicinity of an energy reactor compound. That is the extent of my knowledge."
Angeal Hewley says, "...I'd like to, Maria, but we don't know why he collapsed. We're only a few minutes from the Compan--" there's a pause. "Miss Felsprocket is right. Fortunately they didn't get through the outer wall of the compound.""
Cid Highwind says, "...Is anyone hurt? The reactor isn't... uh... spilling any green vapor, is it?"
Angeal Hewley sighs. "I'm SOLDIER, Cid. I know the signs of a reactor malfunction or breach. The reactor's fine. There are some injuries, one death. Caim has retreated and Emil is..."
Emil, Luke will assert, is not an enemy to contend with, he's just some guy that needs sense beaten into him. "Kinda busy!" Yes, he heard his name, no, he's not going to pay attention, he has a pansy to stalk. Of course any intention of doing unspeakably horrible things is jerked to a stop when his sword's stolen by that GODDAMN DOG, and Luke takes a moment (but only a moment) to verify that Rion kid's in good hands before swatting irritably at Tenebrae. "Goddamn dog! ..Tch, I don't need a sword for this.."
Emil's not out of the clear yet, no sir! Disarmed doesn't mean disabled, and if Luke can actually /catch/ Emil (Or Ratatosk or both or whichever!) he's going to haul him right off the ground and SHAKE HIM. "What the hell did you think you were doing? Do you have ANY idea where you are, who that was, and what he's capable of?!" Somehow, he suspects Emil just won't /care/, but that's not the point. Point is, Caim was there, Luke's still freaked out and Red-Eyes-Angry-Monster makes a good target.
Luke fon Fabre misses Emil Castagnier with his SHAKEN NOT STIRRED action.
Cid Highwind lets out a breath. "Okay. And no one's hurt then?"
Cid Highwind says, "I take it that world is still using Mako, huh?"
Aerith Gainsborough says, "um... just the people who were hurt, I think."
Venetia Martens says, "...Cid, you *were* listening, right?"
Cid Highwind facepalms audibly, "Okay, so -who- got hurt?"
Venetia Martens says, "You were just running on automatic, right? Right."
Cid Highwind says, "I /just/ #$*(%ing SAID my radio was OFF!"
Venetia Martens says, "...Cid, Angeal /just said/ a few people were hurt and one person died. In response to your question."
Cid Highwind taps the speaker, "What the hell is wrong with this @#(%*((@#$ thing!? Son of a @#(%--" and more swearing.
Angeal Hewley says, "The answer to your question about mako reactors is yes and no, Captain. We're converting, but for a city the size of Midgar, it takes time. But if you excuse me, I need to pay attention to the situation a moment."
Venetia Martens sotto voce to Aerith, "Hope he's not cursing so much he doesn't hear."
Venetia Martens says, "Take care, Angeal."
Hexxi Felsprocket says, "Sir Hewley, if you require assistance I can be there in ten minutes or so."
Ravikiran Srivastava quietly, "Do give us an update when the situation is under control, Mister Hewley."
Cid Highwind says, "Angeal, need me to pick you all up in the Shera? We got a medical bay."
Angeal Hewley says, "Right now, we're only a minute or two away from the Shinra building. Maria's ward will be taken there to be checked over. All the others can be handled on the field. I think the situation's in hand, Miss Felsprocket. But thank you for the offer. And thanks to the rest of you."
Hexxi Felsprocket says, "Very well."
Ravikiran Srivastava says, "Thank you, Mister Hewley."
Hexxi Felsprocket says, "I will need access to every file pertaining to 'Caim' and the world he hails from, in order to begin my investigation into this unusual, primal magic."
Hexxi Felsprocket says, "If I come to any conclusions, I'll move to the region and study the magic directly. Maybe we can help Caim regain his self-control."
"I've told you before! I'm not a dog!" Comes the snide response from the Centurion. The sword is idly tossed about in the air- almost in a teasing manner. "Perhaps if you get things right, you might get your little toy back." Bribery always works, afterall.
However, Tenebrae's gold eyes follow Luke as he choses to ignore him at this point. In Emil's case, the Knight of Ratatosk is dragged off of his feet, but before Luke can even begin to shake him, a gloved hand snaps forward to shove the noble away. "What the hell are you doing?! I had things to do here, and he got in the way! All of you got in the way!" This is, most certainly, not the shy and quiet boy that Luke ran into previously. He quickly steps forward- he's not changed physically, but there's a much more threatening aire to him that makes him that much more frightening. There's something far more dangerous surging underneath the surface of that pansy, as is evidenced currently. A gloved hand snaps out to grab Luke by the collar and throw him down to the ground. He holds a hand out, and suddenly Tenebrae's next to him, giving... Luke's sword to him?
The Knight of Ratatosk levels it out towards the redhead at this point. Red eyes look down on him. "He's no longer the issue, as he's not here. I now have an issue with you. What the hell are you?" There's almost something far different from the noble, compared to anyone else in the area. Far more similar to....
Emil Castagnier hits Luke fon Fabre with his Ker'Shove! jab.
Off to the side of this war-torn battlefield, the SOLDIER named Sebastian sidles carefully toward Angeal, unconscious Rion held relatively secure. The conversation goes something like this.
"Are you going to do anything about that?"
"In a moment. Go ahead and take him to medical. Have someone ready to collect Sanders."
"Alright. I'll leave this to you, Hewley."
With that, the SOLDIER moves off to deliver Rion to a safe zone for medical attention. Angeal on the other hand, starts moving closer to Emil and Luke and Tenebrae. The steps are quicker now that a sword has come into play. "The question I have for you, Emil, is what you planned to do here in the first place."
Luke does not like that dog. "Aww, would you prefer 'puppy'?" He is not in the least bit sorry everyone 'got in the way', given how things looked when Caim was done with them. Part of his attention's still on where that kid's going - Rion was important to Maria, apparently, and that he's being taken away is a good thing. He'll get help.
The rest of his attention is wanting to strangle Emil for being /stupid/. Shoving the replica down doesn't mean he's going to /stay/ there, and he reaches out to grab the dull edge of his own sword and shove it aside (damn it, that's HIS sword), willing to risk being stabbed in favor of getting off the ground.
He's a replica! A thing! A /weapon/~! "That's none of your goddamn business. What-"
Oh hey, Angeal's asking the questions he wanted to know, and this draws a faint UTTERLY IRRITATED scowl from the redhead. "Yeah, what he said. Just a /coincidence/ Caim happened to pop up? This place is restricted, or whatever!" He's sure it's not supposed to be just casually wandered into. "And gimme my sword back!"
Y'know, it's probably easier to answer questions when people aren't trying to boot you. Luke really just doesn't give up.
Luke fon Fabre hits Emil Castagnier with his STILL TICKED OFF jab.
Emil staggers back as he's kicked by Luke. This only makes the scowl look that much more terrifying. He grits his teeth before he suddenly steps forward. "Have your damn sword back." And he stabs it down into the ground, between Luke's legs. Obviously, he's not going to get the answer to that question. Let's go to the next: "I don't give a rat's ass that this place is restricted. Taking this much mana for whatever the hell you're doing? You assholes never change! No matter what plane it is!" He quickly turns back towards Tenebrae- the Centurion has already collected his weapon for him, and it's handed over.
But Emil doesn't turn it on anyone at this point. He slides it back into its sheath. He seems to be done fighting. "Just so you know, Caim- as you call him- was already here. Tenebrae sensed him when we hopped the fence. Don't think I'm the only one that this damned facility will draw out."
It's interesting- the seething rage that's just emanating from the red-eyed knight is a stark contrast to the black beast behind him. Tenebrae sits on the ground, patiently, his clawed tail swishing back and forth. He never says anything to add to or confront Emil's arguments.
All three are given due consideration, even the silent panther who seems passive. But it's Emil's words that draw the SOLDIER's attention back to focus on the Knight.
And he nods, accepting the point and acknowledging the claim. Mana, mako, it's close to the same. "Mako was originally tapped as a source of energy that can be converted to electrical power." Calm though his words are, as he continues he becomes much more somber. "Since this plane discovered the wider multiverse... and the future of our Planet, there have been a great deal of changes in an attempt to preserve what we have. Research and establishment of other means of power are being put in place. But... in a city this size, the conversion process takes time." It's an echo of the comment he made to Cid Highwind not ten minutes ago, but all the more sincere.
"Of course, I can't prove this to you without going outside of Midgar. And it will be another two years, at least, before the city's fully converted." Angeal shakes his head. "No matter what the original sin of using mako might mean for us, it doesn't change the fact that I have to prevent you and anyone else that comes from harming the people of this city because you find it wrong."
Luke is suddenly and intensely glad Emil didn't aim a little higher. As it is, he snatches the sword back up but doesn't put it away immediately; he might need it. The explanation of why, theoretically, Emil was here draws the replica to a stop, who takes a moment to puzzle through what that means. "No, it's just a power factory, to make the lights work--" Mana was .. life energy, souls, whatever, the thing that kept everything ali--
"--Wait, you're using WHAT for fuel?!" And he goes from slightly confused to utterly horrified pretty damn fast. "This place actually.. .. but there's only a finite amount, you're gonna run OUT and /everything's/ gonn.. /AUGH/ that's so ... so..."
Give him a minute, he's under the impression that Midgar runs on souls right now. This is going to take a moment to recover from.
Red eyes turn on Angeal. He narrows his eyes towards the SOLDIER and slowly stalks towards him. The weapon remains in its sheath however, and slowly... the young knight circles him. Whatever it is, he's picking up something that's far different than most everyone else around him. "So you say, hmm?" Finally, the rage in those red eyes is gone. But only for a little bit. The blonde turns suddenly. "Two years is nothing. We'll see then." He sets his hand on the hilt of his weapon and turns to leave, quickly breaking into a run. If any soldiers dare try to stop him? Well, the Knight of Ratatosk won't draw his blade. He'll actually use them as springboards to get enough air to clear the fence in a jump. Otherwise, he'll eventually find where Caim made his entry and slip out from there.
Tenebrae remains seated where he has been however. He seems to be content, waiting to hear anything from the two before he finally rises up on all fours. "I would not recommend following him. Especially like this." The Centurion is obviously far more aware of what just happened than anyone else. Whether or not he'll talk? Well, that's the hard thing- making the creature talk. "You will probably get hurt." Casually, Tenebrae turns to start following Emil's path in a much more leisurely manner. Once he steps into the shadows, however, he's gone.
"Luke..." Angeal begins. Was he even listening? Sighing, the SOLDIER looks up as Emil delivers his judgement.
...And that seems to be that, though neither Angeal nor Shinra will leave Emil's retreat to chance. He may not be pursued, but they'll make sure he's no longer in the city and a threat to the area.
"Come on, we need to get back so the teams start cleaning up." There is a pause to glance at the crumpled body next to the wall. Movement attracted his attention, though it's not a miraculous recovery of the downed man.
The guard hound is creeping back, her own injuries ignored in favor of checking on the condition of a master that can no longer respond. The tamed monster noses the unresponsive body for a moment before sitting back on her haunches and raising her head to howl.
"...I'll answer whatever questions you have later." Angeal says as he moves away.
Where: Midgar (Crisis Core era) - Fantasy Sector - Sector One Reactor
What: Emil and Caim are drawn to the mako-harnessing reactors of The Planet's largest city. Emil doesn't take kindly to Caim's presence on his gig. Caim doesn't take kindly to Emil attacking him. Shinra doesn't like two one-man-army types fighting near something that could explode and take out half the sector. The IPA is called for additional assistance.
When: Sunday, March 29, 2009
Watch For: Token lone guard, Maria's maternal instincts, Rion learning there are worse trips than the ones drugs give him, Luke tries to beat the evil out of Emil.
(OOC: Rion needs a tag please~)
Ravikiran Srivastava says, "... ...."
Shane Fitzgerald says, "... Yeh'd be surprised."
Rion Steiner says, "Tch."
Ravikiran Srivastava says, "... I am sure young Rion is a responsible young man and knows better than to get himself into any situation that might cause Maria to become concerned."
Anthony Rosaio says, "You don't know many fourteen year olds, do you?"
Ravikiran Srivastava hmph.
Anthony Rosaio says, "I mean, Christ, I'm in my twenties and I get in trouble every time I go outside."
Aerith Gainsborough says, "It's kind of fun, though, isn't it? At least when it's been over for a while."
Ravikiran Srivastava says, "Mister Rosaio, you aren't precisely being helpful."
Anthony Rosaio says, "I mean, it's not always 'Nazi werewolf ambush in parking garage', but you know, trouble."
Rion has an ID Badge, recently printed since he needed it for access to HQ in the Hub. It's kind of convenient to be able to just breeze through a blockade or security checkpoint without having to hurt anyone, or without people pulling guns and going 'OH HELL IT'S RION' or 'FIRE!!' or something. He's only here out of curiosity.
He wants to see what all the commotion was about. If all this talk about Caim's destructive potential was just exaggerated, or the real deal. What kind of 'crazy' they were talking about. If there was anything to it.
The blond boy is not disappointed, but for a moment he is hiding behind some rubble, staring at the bright, searing light ahead and debating whether he wants to get any closer.
Dread scrapes icy fingers along his scalp.
He decides he really, really does not want to move in just yet.
The Knight of Ratatosk leaps back again, clearing the distance from the backlash once again. He flips backwards and lands on the ground, skidding back several feet. He starts to pace slightly- much like an animal beginning to circle its prey. There's a howl of rage, once the force that Caim has called upon disappears, and the red-eyed knight has an explosive aura of white energy around him. He sweeps both hands out to either side, with the blade clasped in one. The power of Ratatosk is channelling itself into the boy at full force by this point, and he launches himself towards the One Eyed Man. The kid's speed is far beyond anything else he's shown before. He's clearing the distance between himself and the swordsman in record time. The blade is lifted above his head and Emil slams it down to the ground, attempting to cleave it through the Bloody Handed Prince. However, that's not the goal. An explosion of flames erupt around around Emil and Caim- but the kid has yet to finish. He sweeps his blade through the air- one, two, three- the strikes never end. At least, until he flips and slams the weapon down once more. If one hadn't believed the fire couldn't get worse- that's what happens. It erupts even further.
Through the flames, Emil is standing there, laughing. Is he not finished yet? "You will BURN." He sweeps his free hand before him, drawing the power of Ignus through him, using all the mana of the fire summoned to unleash it upon Caim in a single blast of energy.
Emil Castagnier hits Caim with his Devil's Hellfire + Ain Soph Aur super.
If it's any consolation Luke, given the circumstances mentioned, Angeal would prefer to keep Caim alive too. The problem is, he's got a city and a reactor to worry about at the same time. Let's hope negotiation will do the trick, because after that comes the attempt at detaining. And after /that/...
When Luke gets through the barrier - though the Peacekeeper is too surprised at the young man who matches the authorization to remember to salute before waving the aristocrat through - he'll manage to get to the area just short of the complex itself before he runs into someone he knows.
Angeal Hewley stands with a group of three uniformed SOLDIER; one shares the colors of his own rank and the other two bearing the blueish colors of Seconds.
The two latter are peeling off at a command from Angeal, moving to circle around the primary fighting area to check on the helicopter crew and get them out to safety, which leaves the Firsts to turn and greet the redhead. "This the one we're waiting for?" The man who questions this, a dark-haired individual, gazes at the noble speculatively. The answer comes with Angeal's answer. "Good to see you again, Luke. Are you ready?"
It's about then that the air shrieks with the fury of a holocaust, though blessedly the small group is shielded by the final building.
There is a brief pause after it clears. Then, "Let's go." Suddenly, the joviality is gone, replaced by a more serious mein. "We'll escort you in, Luke. We'll break them apart if we have to. But your *only* job is to talk to him." There is little doubt what the two SOLDIER plan to do. Whether or not Luke can hold his own is currently irrelevant to the situation. If he /is/ the only one that can talk Caim into leaving peaceably, then that is what Angeal wants him focusing on. Waiting only a moment for confirmation, Angeal and the other SOLDIER begin to enter the compound.
An escort. "You're wasting time just standing around talking," the redhead says flatly. He neither confirms nor agrees to the terms set forth by Angeal - chances are astronomically high that Luke will do exactly as he pleases no matter what the SOLDIER told him he's /allowed/ to do. Nor is he waiting up for anyone, already heading for where Emil and Caim are fighting at a quick trot. He's here to help, not take orders from people who think they understand what's going on. Rion's presence is ... well. Not even noticed! He probably would be, had the Galerian not blended in so well with Midgar's usual population.
There's just one small problem with the goings-on.
That's Emil. Luke remembered their conversations in that Tetris-plane. Things had apparently changed a lot since they'd spoken at length.
But it does stop Luke in his tracks, suddenly re-evaluating the situation. As Luke's never been good at thinking things through, he pretty much just goes with what comes to mind. "Emil, what the HELL are you /doing/ here?!" Yeah, he'll worry about the fact that this place is a mess of fonons, in a lot of rough shape and the site of BATTOL in just a moment.
Fire. Pain. Blood. The shadows dance and scream, and the very stars weep at their torture.
Caim's snarling defiance meets Emil's assault head-on. Some of the flashing strikes are parried, but many of them get through. Each crashes into the man with a feeling more like they had impacted a statue somehow given frenzied life, his very skin seeming to have the sort of resiliance only armored soldiers could even dream of. This is no soft meat. No easy prey.
And you have gotten him angry.
Fire clings to Caim's form with a lover's embrace, twined through his hair, dancing along his limbs, a bloody heat-mirage following the sweep of his blade as the assault finally ends. He is crouched, panting, a snarl twisting his face and the ground beneath him actually warping from the sheer heat of that attack, much less the forces unleashed. But still he stands.
The flames and cinders that dance upon his back flicker, flare, then burst upwards as though suddenly given new fuel, giving the suggestion of great, terrible wings. And he lunges.
Every pass of that massive blade makes the very air scream in agony, sheets of fire and force tracing arcs along the ground in its wake as he chases Emil across the ground, seeking to rip him into as many pieces as he can in the shortest amount of time possible, paying no mind to the new arrivals. Only the chase has meaning. Only the prey. Kill.
KILL!
Caim misses Emil Castagnier with his Storm of Fury super.
Eventually, Rion's got to decide whether he'll leave now or get closer. He can't just stay where he is. If he's going to hang around somewhere dangerous, he might as well try to accomplish something. After all, Tegawa wanted him to help out a little more. And everyone who works with her is always talking about how they were born to help people, or how life's about doing the best you can against evil and while he doesn't really understand that whole 'good versus evil' part, he does understand making people's lives a little easier.
He picks his way through the debris until he reaches Luke's side, reaching out to tug on the edge of his coat, flattening his back against a concrete block and looking up at him. "I can try something. It might make him quiet for a little bit."
Actually, Rion isn't even sure if it'd work. He's drawn other Galerians into his own consciousness, has even tried to seal them inside it for a short while when they're short-circuiting, to try to get it to stop. But if all this trouble is caused by a man with someone else in his head who is hurting a lot all the time, maybe a few seconds of feeling nothing might clear his head a little.
But he won't do it until he's got at least someone else giving him the go-ahead. These men look like military types -- it might be better just letting them do their thing.
Think they know what's going on? Angeal isn't arrogant enough to think that. Nor does he believe that everything will go as planned. Hopefully, yes. But really, the minute Luke barrels past both SOLDIER, it's all downhill from there.
He doesn't try to call the young man to task, choosing instead to follow quickly.
"Are you serious?" his companion mutters.
"Just try to keep him from getting caught in the attacks," comes the rejoiner.
"Right."
Thing about SOLDIER is whether or not they delay, they're very quick in catching up. Luke will probably feel or even glimpse out of the edge of his vision, the form of a translucent shields that linger invisibly.
...Angeal isn't taking chances. Barrier and Shell, cast from the materia of the second First. "You know the other one?" Angeal asks, sparing some of his attention for the attacker that isn't Caim.
You buff Luke fon Fabre's STA to +2.
Ratatosk's fury rages through Emil- the boy is filled with the power of a primal force of his world. He actually manages to keep up with Caim's fury of attacks, using his own blade and a surprising amount of strength that's just seem to come from nowhere. However, Emil's also not anywhere near capable of standing his ground. Even as he is redirecting the massive warblade past him with each strike, he's losing ground and having to step back. "Tenebrae!" The knight calls forth for the Centurion as he suddenly leaps back.
In a flash of darkness, the panther appears between Emil and Caim- "Go, my servant!" There's a flash of light and suddenly a monstrous beast appears in front of Caim. A large, monstrous bear-like monster in brown fur with black claws suddenly lunges forth, attempting to grab the One Eyed Man and fling him back into that reinforced steel wall. It's another attempt to break through the wall.
Emil's attention is suddenly drawn by Luke calling his name. Red eyes snap towards the redhead, and the remnants from the swordsman's wild grin can be seen on his face. Nothing is said, as the smile fades and his eyes narrow just a bit... and he quickly ignores the demand before he takes off with an attempt to gear himself near the wall, should the bear be successful.
Emil Castagnier misses Caim with his Mr. Bear wants to make a door. Can Caim be used to make a door? attack.
Caim has long since reached the point where he is no longer thinking. No longer planning. Each motion flows one to the next with the weirdly fluid grace of instinct fueled by battle-madness. His eyes are wide and fixed, his teeth flashing blood and hate in the night air, his sword drawing curls of destruction across the ground.
There is not even a pause as the hound of shadows appears, nor as the Bear lunges forth. Caim meets the charge with his own, slamming bodily into the hulking beast with a concussion that would total an armored car, and his blade flashes once, twice, again. In the end the poor creature is renderred much smaller, and still he comes, charging straight /through/ the ragged remains of the beast for his true target. His prey.
His enemy.
Caim's warblade slams to earth, embedding itself nearly half a foot in the pavement, and he lets go of the hilt.
Bloody hands spread wide, and energy that is the true absence of light begins to gather from the sundered and riven ground.
His head lifts, his single eye flashing the blue at the heart of a welding torch, and he smiles.
Before a storm of black-red-blood-insanity in the form of twisted lightning lashes through the area.
Caim juggles Emil Castagnier with his Black combo.
Caim juggles Luke fon Fabre with his Red combo.
Caim juggles Rion Steiner with his Love combo.
Caim juggles Angeal Hewley with his Ambivalence combo.
You take 14 damage.
Caim juggles Emil Castagnier with his Black combo.
Luke fon Fabre breaks Caim's combo.
Caim juggles Rion Steiner with his Love combo.
Angeal Hewley breaks Caim's combo.
Emil Castagnier breaks Caim's combo.
Caim juggles Rion Steiner with his Love combo.
Rion Steiner breaks Caim's combo.
There's ... no immediate protests (and more importantly no questions forthcoming that Rion might not be able to answer), and so the blond boy scoots over a little to peer around the edge of the concrete block against which he leans. It wasn't the best timing, as lightning arcs and jumps over ground and people alike; there's something about spasming during an electric-like shock that makes Rion ache for hours afterwards.
This situation probably won't be much different; in any case he's hit the floor before it's done, fingers twitching once, twice, before he curls them into fists. Frazzled, rumpled, and very dusty, Rion, like a little trooper, climbs back to his feet. Glares on fourteen year olds are unusual to find when they're possessed of such unbridled disapproval. It lends a certain too-early maturity to his face.
"Quiet down," he utters through his gritted teeth, and eyes narrow.
While there's nothing really special to see if you're not,... um, Caim, or at least keenly psychic, Rion extends his consciousness. A static white space expands outward, and if it happens to envelop the consciousness of the former-hero-turned-menace, that perception of white space would appear to consume everything in its sterile, clear silence. Everything, that is, except for Caim, whatever lies within him, and the blond boy standing at a distance.
Anything and everything Luke could have said or done is entirely nullified by Caim's decision to unleash lightning on everyone present. It's not the first time he's been struck by the madman's attacks, but it is the first time he has a measure of protection in the form of whatever spells that SOLDIER had cast on him --
Thus, surprisingly, the electrical assault hurts very little. It stings, certainly, but not enough to really draw the same sort of horrified terror Luke had suffered from before.
Time changes all things. Caim's frightening, but in the face of other things suffered, this .... was a minor inconvenience. Wasn't, couldn't be as bad as things endured in the past. So Luke lets Rion do whatever he chooses to do - although young, Rion seemed to know what he was doing, and it might give him time to try to do something about Emil.
Or at least, in this case, use all this mayhem as a distraction to slide up to the not-Pansy and aim a vicious punch right at his temple. "Dammit, pay attention!"
Luke fon Fabre misses Emil Castagnier with his HEY HEY HEY LISTEN stun.
The grounds of the compound are torn up and, while there is no direct indication that the dent in the wall is from Emil's attempt to bust through, there is still a *dent in the wall*. It's worrying.
The two SOLDIER fall back under the lightning assault that rolls across the grounds, not only surging across people they knew about but one that had been hidden.
Who's Rion again? A young kid that looks like a local who got trapped by the fighting. "Hey you, kid! What the hell do you think you're doing?" Nope, physically unaware, that one. The First, however, seems well intentioned in his effort to approach Rion in time to prevent the (to his point of view ) foolish kid from getting hurt. Bad enough they have that kid with the bellyshirt running around mutter muttermutter...
Luke is on Emil and Angeal... his attention shifts toward Caim after a split second's thought. There are two outcomes here. One, Luke stops Emil and Two, Luke doesn't stop Emil. Either way, Caim attacks Emil AND Luke and that leaves the SOLDIER one choice; to step in and engage the man.
It won't be with swords, though that seems suicidal in this case; the Buster Sword is not drawn as Angeal strives to grapple the other man to a brief standstill.
You miss Caim with your This plan would probaly look good only on paper. In a small room. Made by people who never have seen the real world. action.
The bear is cleaved into two, and Tenebrae engulfs into black light, vanishing as it has drawn power from the Centurion. Strangely, it seems to have drawn from the blonde swordsman as well. He lurches forward, the weapon falling from his hands. He wraps his arms around his body, then lets out a howl of pain- but the knight's fury can be heard from within. He looks kneels down to pick up his blade, having been released from the horrid spell launched in his direction.
The boy looks ready to throw himself towards Caim, unaware of Rion's attempt to reach out towards the Bloody Handed Prince. Emil's attention is quickly turned- the knight suddenly snaps a hand out to catch Luke's fist before it can actually strike him. "You're annoying me." Red eyes glance towards the redhead, and he tightens his grip on the noble's hand... until he stops. The grip is released, and his red-eyes widen just slightly. There's almost a second or two of silence from him, before that snarl returns.
"Be gone!" He quickly releases Luke's hand and summons a force of dark energy to engulf the newcomer to the fight.
Maria Tegawa says, "Rion, what are you doing."
Caim's weight settles back to the ground, arcs and crackles of blood-black energy still dancing over his form, and tears his sword free of the ground with one hand, looking ready to resume the assault, rip his foes apart, kill until there is naught left to slaughter.
And something makes him pause. The swordsman jerks, gone stiff, eyes wide and glazed, mouth hanging slightly open, sword dangling loosely in nerveless fingers.
But it doesn't last. That brief respite is shaken off, the Bloody Prince dropping his blade with a crash and clutching at his head, swaying on his feet. This gives Angeal plenty of time to jump in and attempt to bring him down.
Which knocks him out of his confusion, combat reflexes thundering to life.
The grab is blocked, a vicious elbow-strike aimed straight for the SOLDIER's midsection, and then Caim whirls away, snatching his sword from the ground and-
There is a wound in the world.
Time seems to hold its breath as the One Eyed Man reaches for a hole that cannot be there, light that cannot exist bathing his face.
And then he is gone.
Caim misses Angeal Hewley with his GERROFF! jab.
Ravikiran Srivastava quietly, "I believe his walk took him where he needn't be.."
Maria Tegawa grr.
Ravikiran Srivastava offers, "Would you like me to come over..?"
Maria Tegawa says, "Alright."
Rion Steiner isn't exactly paying attention to his radio, but another guy's got his on! It's trasmitting the sort of unbridled screaming one only reserves for special occasions. Typically involving ULTIMATE SUFFERING.
Ravikiran Srivastava says, "Then I'll be over shortl--"
Angeal Hewley may be that other guy.
Maria Tegawa grinds teeth. "Damn it, I did not tell you that you could go on a walk so you could GET INTO TROUBLE WITH CAIM!!!"
Ravikiran Srivastava very very worried, "Is.. can anyone there tell me what's going on?"
Angeal Hewley lets out a startled sound. "He's one of yours, Maria?"
Maria Tegawa says, "He's under my protection!"
Angeal Hewley says, "One moment, grappling Cai--"
Angeal Hewley shuts up to concentrate on not getting elbowed in the gut.
Shane Fitzgerald says, "...."
For all anyone who isn't psychic might be able to tell, Rion simply caught Caim's attention by standing up. Because, no sooner than he looks at him, but the boy takes a stiff, if stumbling step backwards. All the color drains from his face, and so too does the glare he'd previously worn.
There are some things man is not meant to see. Rion's seen some of those things, and he's alright. His psyche is a bit like a rubber ball; it bounces back with a resiliency that has seen him through difficult times and difficult choices. Possessed of a particularly strong endurance for pain, however, that can kind of suck.
Because it means he doesn't just simply pass out into blessed unconsciousness when it starts to hurt.
Kids that age shouldn't be able to scream that loudly for that long. It only really stops when he runs out of air, and at that point, he simply crumples onto the SOLDIER, wheezing an inhale while he prepares to go right back into screeching. Poor SOLDIER, his ears are probably gonna hurt for a while.
"I'm going to do a lot more than annoy you if you keep it up," the replica aristocrat growls, perfectly aware that he suddenly doesn't have a hand to work with; he's certain he can get his hand free if he wanted to, but he /had/ Emil's attention now. And more importantly, there's a moment where that air of death, fire and suffering ebbs, and Luke decides whatever Rion was doing was working at least -somewhat-.
Red eyes. Didn't he have green eyes before? Green or blue anyway, Luke's certain of it. The replica frowns, jerking his hand back in time to being let go - and then there's a surge of first fonons, and immediately afterwards, the shadowy blast. Again the spells from earlier mitigate a lot of the force even as he jerks up both arms reflexively to shield his face, leaving it /irritating/, but not overtly problematic. Luke mutters a curse and reaches for his sword, unwilling to try subduing by force, but there is the sense that Caim was going to be a secondary problem (Caim had failed to kill him through, apparently, personal lack of interest and Luke was going to rely on that lack of interest again), so dealing with a tempermental Emil was more important.
After all, if Caim doesn't have a target, he usually just goes away.
Unfortunately this means when he's winding up to make a solid effort at slugging the -non-psychic blond youth with the pommel of the blade, Rion's started in on that ear-shredding screaming, and Luke flinches away from the sound, nearly choosing running over Emil in favor of turning from it. If he hits at all at this point it's probably going to be by /accident/, because god damn is that an effective distraction.
Luke fon Fabre hits Emil Castagnier with his I'd totally try to hit you harder but WTF SCREAMING HAPPENING jab.
The advantage had been taken, for all it'd be deadly to engage Caim directly like this, it's deemed a nescessary risk.
He sucks in his breath as Rion begins to scream, the sound of it rending the air like the screech of the highest violin notes to sensitive ears. It's enough to distract even a focused SOLDIER at a bad time; and it's more than enough to give a trained, powerful warrior the ease to win free of the man's range. Few people probably could have avoided the elbow, but Angeal manages to twist with a display of unnatural grace that mitigates the damage. And then the Prince is gone with an effort that makes something deep in the SOLDIER's bones absolutely *crawl*.
Or maybe it's the blood.
The other First is swift to catch Rion as he collapses. "Wh... hey... hey kid! Snap out of it!" The pain of it this close isn't... something he's going to talk about, but whatever anger he had for the kid's bad timing is gone in a flash. "He won't stop!" Caught between not knowing what to do and unwilling to just slap the kid, not knowing what /that/ would do, the SOLDIER settles for trying to hold Rion.
Fainting does seem to solve the problem neatly, in the end.
"Luke?" Angeal turns around to check on the progress of the young aristocrat. Suddenly, he realizes that there is still one other enemy to contend with and the last he saw...
Angeal Hewley eventually speaks back up, though his words are quick as if he's still concentrating on the situation. "Maria, I'm not sure what happened. Sebastian caught him before he could fall but... we'll get him to a hospital here."
Maria Tegawa says, "Where is 'here'?"
Aerith Gainsborough says, "They were at Sector 1, near a blockade, in one of the Midgars."
Angeal Hewley says, "Midgar. Caim and another man Luke identified as Emil were attacking each other near one of the reactor compounds."
Cid Highwind says, "!!"
Cid Highwind says, "Wh-what did I miss?!"
Yes, that scream is bloody distracting. Red eyes glance past Luke, and the wave of dark energy relents. He glances towards Rion and Angeal, then curses under his breath as he sees that Caim's just /gone/. This distraction is enough to send the knight sprawling back to the ground as he's cracked in the shoulder with the pommel of the sword. There's a loud clatter of metal and the knight's own blade is dropped as well.
And perhaps it would be easy to finish things off, except a certain, black panther has just appeared, hovering over Luke. "Good evening, Luke. I can't let you continue with this." And that clawed tail snakes around in an attempt to jerk the weapon from the aristocrat's hands. And hold it up out of his reach. How? Easy. Tenebrae's hovering~ Smarmy spiteful dog-thing.
Emil Castagnier successfully targets Luke fon Fabre with his Yoink! action.
Maria Tegawa says, "I see. Can't you bring him back to the Hub?"
Hexxi Felsprocket says, "Now I can devote my attention fully to this Caim matter."
Cid Highwind says, "What the HELL happened in Midgar?!"
Cid Highwind says, "I had my radio off."
Ravikiran Srivastava says, "Caim, apparently..."
Hexxi Felsprocket says, "A berzerker by the name of Caim, and a man identified as Emil, slugged it out in the vicinity of an energy reactor compound. That is the extent of my knowledge."
Angeal Hewley says, "...I'd like to, Maria, but we don't know why he collapsed. We're only a few minutes from the Compan--" there's a pause. "Miss Felsprocket is right. Fortunately they didn't get through the outer wall of the compound.""
Cid Highwind says, "...Is anyone hurt? The reactor isn't... uh... spilling any green vapor, is it?"
Angeal Hewley sighs. "I'm SOLDIER, Cid. I know the signs of a reactor malfunction or breach. The reactor's fine. There are some injuries, one death. Caim has retreated and Emil is..."
Emil, Luke will assert, is not an enemy to contend with, he's just some guy that needs sense beaten into him. "Kinda busy!" Yes, he heard his name, no, he's not going to pay attention, he has a pansy to stalk. Of course any intention of doing unspeakably horrible things is jerked to a stop when his sword's stolen by that GODDAMN DOG, and Luke takes a moment (but only a moment) to verify that Rion kid's in good hands before swatting irritably at Tenebrae. "Goddamn dog! ..Tch, I don't need a sword for this.."
Emil's not out of the clear yet, no sir! Disarmed doesn't mean disabled, and if Luke can actually /catch/ Emil (Or Ratatosk or both or whichever!) he's going to haul him right off the ground and SHAKE HIM. "What the hell did you think you were doing? Do you have ANY idea where you are, who that was, and what he's capable of?!" Somehow, he suspects Emil just won't /care/, but that's not the point. Point is, Caim was there, Luke's still freaked out and Red-Eyes-Angry-Monster makes a good target.
Luke fon Fabre misses Emil Castagnier with his SHAKEN NOT STIRRED action.
Cid Highwind lets out a breath. "Okay. And no one's hurt then?"
Cid Highwind says, "I take it that world is still using Mako, huh?"
Aerith Gainsborough says, "um... just the people who were hurt, I think."
Venetia Martens says, "...Cid, you *were* listening, right?"
Cid Highwind facepalms audibly, "Okay, so -who- got hurt?"
Venetia Martens says, "You were just running on automatic, right? Right."
Cid Highwind says, "I /just/ #$*(%ing SAID my radio was OFF!"
Venetia Martens says, "...Cid, Angeal /just said/ a few people were hurt and one person died. In response to your question."
Cid Highwind taps the speaker, "What the hell is wrong with this @#(%*((@#$ thing!? Son of a @#(%--" and more swearing.
Angeal Hewley says, "The answer to your question about mako reactors is yes and no, Captain. We're converting, but for a city the size of Midgar, it takes time. But if you excuse me, I need to pay attention to the situation a moment."
Venetia Martens sotto voce to Aerith, "Hope he's not cursing so much he doesn't hear."
Venetia Martens says, "Take care, Angeal."
Hexxi Felsprocket says, "Sir Hewley, if you require assistance I can be there in ten minutes or so."
Ravikiran Srivastava quietly, "Do give us an update when the situation is under control, Mister Hewley."
Cid Highwind says, "Angeal, need me to pick you all up in the Shera? We got a medical bay."
Angeal Hewley says, "Right now, we're only a minute or two away from the Shinra building. Maria's ward will be taken there to be checked over. All the others can be handled on the field. I think the situation's in hand, Miss Felsprocket. But thank you for the offer. And thanks to the rest of you."
Hexxi Felsprocket says, "Very well."
Ravikiran Srivastava says, "Thank you, Mister Hewley."
Hexxi Felsprocket says, "I will need access to every file pertaining to 'Caim' and the world he hails from, in order to begin my investigation into this unusual, primal magic."
Hexxi Felsprocket says, "If I come to any conclusions, I'll move to the region and study the magic directly. Maybe we can help Caim regain his self-control."
"I've told you before! I'm not a dog!" Comes the snide response from the Centurion. The sword is idly tossed about in the air- almost in a teasing manner. "Perhaps if you get things right, you might get your little toy back." Bribery always works, afterall.
However, Tenebrae's gold eyes follow Luke as he choses to ignore him at this point. In Emil's case, the Knight of Ratatosk is dragged off of his feet, but before Luke can even begin to shake him, a gloved hand snaps forward to shove the noble away. "What the hell are you doing?! I had things to do here, and he got in the way! All of you got in the way!" This is, most certainly, not the shy and quiet boy that Luke ran into previously. He quickly steps forward- he's not changed physically, but there's a much more threatening aire to him that makes him that much more frightening. There's something far more dangerous surging underneath the surface of that pansy, as is evidenced currently. A gloved hand snaps out to grab Luke by the collar and throw him down to the ground. He holds a hand out, and suddenly Tenebrae's next to him, giving... Luke's sword to him?
The Knight of Ratatosk levels it out towards the redhead at this point. Red eyes look down on him. "He's no longer the issue, as he's not here. I now have an issue with you. What the hell are you?" There's almost something far different from the noble, compared to anyone else in the area. Far more similar to....
Emil Castagnier hits Luke fon Fabre with his Ker'Shove! jab.
Off to the side of this war-torn battlefield, the SOLDIER named Sebastian sidles carefully toward Angeal, unconscious Rion held relatively secure. The conversation goes something like this.
"Are you going to do anything about that?"
"In a moment. Go ahead and take him to medical. Have someone ready to collect Sanders."
"Alright. I'll leave this to you, Hewley."
With that, the SOLDIER moves off to deliver Rion to a safe zone for medical attention. Angeal on the other hand, starts moving closer to Emil and Luke and Tenebrae. The steps are quicker now that a sword has come into play. "The question I have for you, Emil, is what you planned to do here in the first place."
Luke does not like that dog. "Aww, would you prefer 'puppy'?" He is not in the least bit sorry everyone 'got in the way', given how things looked when Caim was done with them. Part of his attention's still on where that kid's going - Rion was important to Maria, apparently, and that he's being taken away is a good thing. He'll get help.
The rest of his attention is wanting to strangle Emil for being /stupid/. Shoving the replica down doesn't mean he's going to /stay/ there, and he reaches out to grab the dull edge of his own sword and shove it aside (damn it, that's HIS sword), willing to risk being stabbed in favor of getting off the ground.
He's a replica! A thing! A /weapon/~! "That's none of your goddamn business. What-"
Oh hey, Angeal's asking the questions he wanted to know, and this draws a faint UTTERLY IRRITATED scowl from the redhead. "Yeah, what he said. Just a /coincidence/ Caim happened to pop up? This place is restricted, or whatever!" He's sure it's not supposed to be just casually wandered into. "And gimme my sword back!"
Y'know, it's probably easier to answer questions when people aren't trying to boot you. Luke really just doesn't give up.
Luke fon Fabre hits Emil Castagnier with his STILL TICKED OFF jab.
Emil staggers back as he's kicked by Luke. This only makes the scowl look that much more terrifying. He grits his teeth before he suddenly steps forward. "Have your damn sword back." And he stabs it down into the ground, between Luke's legs. Obviously, he's not going to get the answer to that question. Let's go to the next: "I don't give a rat's ass that this place is restricted. Taking this much mana for whatever the hell you're doing? You assholes never change! No matter what plane it is!" He quickly turns back towards Tenebrae- the Centurion has already collected his weapon for him, and it's handed over.
But Emil doesn't turn it on anyone at this point. He slides it back into its sheath. He seems to be done fighting. "Just so you know, Caim- as you call him- was already here. Tenebrae sensed him when we hopped the fence. Don't think I'm the only one that this damned facility will draw out."
It's interesting- the seething rage that's just emanating from the red-eyed knight is a stark contrast to the black beast behind him. Tenebrae sits on the ground, patiently, his clawed tail swishing back and forth. He never says anything to add to or confront Emil's arguments.
All three are given due consideration, even the silent panther who seems passive. But it's Emil's words that draw the SOLDIER's attention back to focus on the Knight.
And he nods, accepting the point and acknowledging the claim. Mana, mako, it's close to the same. "Mako was originally tapped as a source of energy that can be converted to electrical power." Calm though his words are, as he continues he becomes much more somber. "Since this plane discovered the wider multiverse... and the future of our Planet, there have been a great deal of changes in an attempt to preserve what we have. Research and establishment of other means of power are being put in place. But... in a city this size, the conversion process takes time." It's an echo of the comment he made to Cid Highwind not ten minutes ago, but all the more sincere.
"Of course, I can't prove this to you without going outside of Midgar. And it will be another two years, at least, before the city's fully converted." Angeal shakes his head. "No matter what the original sin of using mako might mean for us, it doesn't change the fact that I have to prevent you and anyone else that comes from harming the people of this city because you find it wrong."
Luke is suddenly and intensely glad Emil didn't aim a little higher. As it is, he snatches the sword back up but doesn't put it away immediately; he might need it. The explanation of why, theoretically, Emil was here draws the replica to a stop, who takes a moment to puzzle through what that means. "No, it's just a power factory, to make the lights work--" Mana was .. life energy, souls, whatever, the thing that kept everything ali--
"--Wait, you're using WHAT for fuel?!" And he goes from slightly confused to utterly horrified pretty damn fast. "This place actually.. .. but there's only a finite amount, you're gonna run OUT and /everything's/ gonn.. /AUGH/ that's so ... so..."
Give him a minute, he's under the impression that Midgar runs on souls right now. This is going to take a moment to recover from.
Red eyes turn on Angeal. He narrows his eyes towards the SOLDIER and slowly stalks towards him. The weapon remains in its sheath however, and slowly... the young knight circles him. Whatever it is, he's picking up something that's far different than most everyone else around him. "So you say, hmm?" Finally, the rage in those red eyes is gone. But only for a little bit. The blonde turns suddenly. "Two years is nothing. We'll see then." He sets his hand on the hilt of his weapon and turns to leave, quickly breaking into a run. If any soldiers dare try to stop him? Well, the Knight of Ratatosk won't draw his blade. He'll actually use them as springboards to get enough air to clear the fence in a jump. Otherwise, he'll eventually find where Caim made his entry and slip out from there.
Tenebrae remains seated where he has been however. He seems to be content, waiting to hear anything from the two before he finally rises up on all fours. "I would not recommend following him. Especially like this." The Centurion is obviously far more aware of what just happened than anyone else. Whether or not he'll talk? Well, that's the hard thing- making the creature talk. "You will probably get hurt." Casually, Tenebrae turns to start following Emil's path in a much more leisurely manner. Once he steps into the shadows, however, he's gone.
"Luke..." Angeal begins. Was he even listening? Sighing, the SOLDIER looks up as Emil delivers his judgement.
...And that seems to be that, though neither Angeal nor Shinra will leave Emil's retreat to chance. He may not be pursued, but they'll make sure he's no longer in the city and a threat to the area.
"Come on, we need to get back so the teams start cleaning up." There is a pause to glance at the crumpled body next to the wall. Movement attracted his attention, though it's not a miraculous recovery of the downed man.
The guard hound is creeping back, her own injuries ignored in favor of checking on the condition of a master that can no longer respond. The tamed monster noses the unresponsive body for a moment before sitting back on her haunches and raising her head to howl.
"...I'll answer whatever questions you have later." Angeal says as he moves away.