[EVENT]
Characters: OPEN
Location: Death City
Rating: PG
Time: September 26, past noon
Description: The city is under attack; the Return of the Sand Muks; the return of something more auspicious; and Dude, why are our hands glued together?
( escape all that waiting and staying )
Location: Death City
Rating: PG
Time: September 26, past noon
Description: The city is under attack; the Return of the Sand Muks; the return of something more auspicious; and Dude, why are our hands glued together?
( escape all that waiting and staying )
Apparently, this was a particularly bad day to be ambushed by the enemy given Genesis' state of mind. Ever since the rescue attempt left for the desert, he had been restless-- some would say frustrated-- with his duty to the city. He didn't complain-- not aloud at least. But it was clearly visible to those observant enough. Any keen eye from his subordinates in the Shopping District would have noticed the way his patience seemed to have grown shorter (if it wasn't short enough already) and his body language more livid than the usual languid wave of the hand or arm to punctuate his speech.
Well, if it wasn't clear to Vergil that something was up, the faulty resonation definitely spoke volumes about it. And it was hurting them as a partnership as well. But the Weapon seemed too out of it to grant them full resonation.]
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Of course, it went totally without saying that he was oblivious to Genesis' mood in regards to behaviour and mannerisms. Empathy simply was not his strong point.
In any case, they had evidently made good time regardless of their respective states as when the two of them reached the doorways to Holocaust Mall, the sand constructs were only then moving in on the location. There was quite a few of them, too, and Vergil noted that they seemed mildly different. Larger... and claws were already out. More aggressive. That boded poorly. The Meister bowed his head slightly and closed his eyes, focusing on narrowing his mind upon the battle at hand and summoning forth his dark ki. He wasn't at a stage where he could use it freely alone, but with Genesis' assistance he found himself capable of sustaining it.
It was slow to come, and the motes of midnight were taking an unusually long time to connect into a tangible aura. He continued concentrating, but his gaze rose to observe the approaching sand constructs.]
Are you ready, Genesis?
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Ready.
[He seemed to be barely resonating in his state of mind.]
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Alright, let's go.
[The maneuver was simple - cut obliquely upwards to intercept the descending claw and destroy the enemy before it could finish its own attack. In the instant the Meister began to swing the Weapon forward, though, he knew something was dangerously off. Mid-swing he realized his movements were far too slow and that the thing was going to take his head off at the neck if he didn't avoid it instead. In spite of his fatigue, reflexively he managed to sway out of the way of the brunt of the attack, though one sharpened edge grazed his temple with a shallow scratch.
Of course, the other claw was coming for him in the next second, so mid-evasion his left hand settled at the saya of his katana and freed an inch of the blade. Before the next attack could arrive, Vergil was forced to reverse-grip the sword in his left and slice upwards extremely tightly to barely manage to sever the construct's arm from its body. He then backed away, resheathing the katana and moving to secure it one-handedly at his right hip instead of his left. He was going to have to mirror his normal two-weapon style and use his left hand for battojutsu. Great.]
Genesis, something's wrong. [He'd had no trouble wielding the katana, which meant something was wrong with their resonance.]
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[It was easy to see for someone who spared enough attention that over the past few days, Genesis had been increasingly restless, itching to do something-- obvious, to join the search party. While he had heard the report back from Date, there was still a lingering touch of frustration and concern. There was so much he wanted to do that wasn't part of his role here in the watch-- and more so, things he wanted to do that weren't part of his role as a weapon. He felt that sickening feeling rise up in him again, the sensation of being used as opposed to being the one in control of everything.
Genesis was never the kind to tell people how he felt outright. Instead, he preferred to lash and brood until someone noticed. This was one of those times. Although once in a while, he let resonation take its place, otherwise, it was a tedious task, burdened by Genesis' real weight and the way his frustration got in the way of resonation.]
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Could you explain, please? [The question was phrased courteously, but rather hurriedly. He was still backing away from the sand construct, and the others were already picking up speed to join the first. He was also quite aware that he didn't have a whole lot of room in which to retreat - eventually he'd be up against the mall entrance, which was what he was meant to be defending. He had to discover a way to fight them here, and quickly.
With the way Genesis was fused to his hand, Vergil couldn't even reverse his grip on the Weapon. Given the size, even if he could the broadsword wasn't exactly convenient for defense, but this way it was virtually impossible. The only solution was to open his attacks with the katana, using the time gained to actually land an attack with Genesis.
...of course, the sand constructs had two claws, which meant he was going to have to dodge one attack completely every time. In his tired and burdened state, that was going to be extremely difficult.]
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My mind is far from the battlefield right now. And it seems I cannot call it back so easily.
[This is going to be difficult.]
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Would you mind filling me in on where it is, then? [A note of his annoyance may have crept into the telepathy. Vergil wasn't inclined to deal with Genesis' personal feelings, but the logical approach was to deal with this problem as neatly and as soon as possible.]
[He maneuvered sharply and slipped left of a sand construct's left claw, slashing his katana upward from its sheathe to slice off the right claw as it descended. With a notably slower movement, the Weapon eventually arced around overhead and sheared through the creature from its would-be neck to its hip, the paths of each sword forming an invisible "V".]
[Too slow. Far too slow. It was going to take forever like this, with two attacks to a single target. That wasn't how he fought, but one was down at least.]
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I don't believe we can fight like this-- with me affected by my emotions.
[There seemed to be a bitter edge to Genesis' telepathy.]
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-and we can still fight. [He didn't want to argue with the Weapon, but he was trying to be realistic here, and either one of them being seriously injured or dying had to be avoided at all costs.] I can't study your emotions and fight at the same time. If you can explain, understanding your state of mind should allow us to resonate properly.
[In theory, anyway. Vergil circled, putting one construct between him and the second one before slipping a downward slash sideways and arcing his katana across to sever the other descending claw. He used that time to reposition the much-heavier Genesis.] I can hold them for now.
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[The rough sound came from Genesis as he was held back as Vergil took the offensive. There seemed to be a sudden flare-up in the Weapon's Soul Wavelength. It seemed more responsive now-- more powerful, even-- but at the same time suddenly pulsing with recklessness.]
Might as well get this over with.
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Instead the blades tangled and his attack was completely ineffective, striking nothing but metal and air. The katana remained in his hand, but all that meant was briefly trapping his own weapons and leaving his left side exposed. Naturally, a split second later a claw of sand that had risen descended violently.
Genesis. [Vergil's voice was surprisingly calm for someone whose shoulder had been raked and bloodied. Fortunately he'd swayed away from the brunt of the attack.] This needs to be stable. Could you please tell me what it is that's bothering you?
[He abruptly released the katana, pulled back Genesis and stabbed him violently through the attacking sand construct, giving the hilt a twist for good measure and exploding the creature in a sharp blast of flame aura.]
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It's too petty. You will think ill of me for it, Vergil. It is better left unsaid.
[And all the while, he continues to try to calm himself down-- to right the trouble resting in his own soul, but to no avail.]
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...I see. [Irritation was slowly creeping into Vergil's projected words. It didn't matter in the slightest what the damn problem actually was, as long as he could understand not only it but Genesis' state of mind.] In the interests of not sustaining further injury, I feel that it ought be said.
[This was taking far too long, and the next construct was coming for him. He paused long enough to reach a decision; quickly, he ducked and retrieved his katana and replaced it in his left hand, then thrust Genesis' point into the ground, hand still fused of course. The Weapon was a liability for attacking, so he would use him for sake of increasing mobility. It meant having to protect the arm, but it was better than trying to lug around the extra weight in his already tired state.]
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Fine then. [The words were spat out, like a child forced to tell the truth.] I was frustrated. I wanted to go after the witches' trail, too. But I knew that the city was my priority.
[The handle seemed to heat just a little, making Vergil feel how much Genesis didn't like admitting to something that would hurt his pride.]
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