Saix had always been an early riser, at least by Axel's standards. He remembered, long in the past, all the times he'd gone to visit Lea, and been met by Lea's mother, and the news that his friend was still in bed. Saix got up in the morning, not in the early afternoon
( ... )
Saix's blood raced with adrenaline. He enjoyed the fight, always had, even when his quarry was a pack of wolves, or the other, more common beasts that roamed the deserts of Dalmasca, or the Highwaste near Lindblum.
He enjoyed this more. It wasn't the element of danger, but the beast being a more equal match. Fighting alongside Axel helped, too. He could get into the fight, without being concerned for a healer, or having to watch what he did, because Axel knew him well enough to know how to fight alongside him.
He blocked the swing of the creatures tail, but he could still feel the blow rock his balance. It was powerful, but that wasn't a surprise.
As Axel attacked its eyes, Saix swung again at its legs, hitting hard at the ankle joint, and bringing his claymore around again for a successive swing. He hoped to cripple it. If he could slow it down so that it wasn't quite as fast with that tail, he could let loose in full.
Using his natural pull over the Fire in his thrown weapon, Axel charmed his thrown chakram back to him. It hit, of course, and the smell of smouldering flesh was testament to that, but it missed the eye. The Pylraster wasn't stupid. It wasn't expecting to lose the fight either, judging by it's deliberate turn of the head to protect what precious little vision it had left.
No matter! Axel simply threw the wheel again once he'd allowed for the recoil, re-adjusted his grip reset the concentration of fire. This time, it positively glowed as it streaked towards the monster.
Meanwhile, Saix's attacks were taking their toll. It was favouring one leg more than the other and the blood that ran down from the numerous cuts and spike wounds scented the air with copper. It's swings were less calculated and more desperate and, as it swung around the other way to snap at it's attacker, the chakram struck home.
It wasn't down, but with it's vision destroyed and one leg becoming more painful by the moment, it was disorientated.
That was the time Saix decided to back off. Axel could handle it for a few minutes while Saix attended to another matter.
Going berserk here was different. It had taken time to get used to. In the worlds he knew, all it took was a little moonlight, and a little time to lift those self restrictions and go. Here it was less complicated, but the feeling was much the same. It was less restrained, like some collar had been unfastened. He could see the movement of the Pylraster more easily, like the brightly waved flag and loud noises Axel had asked for from their mark earlier.
He could also smell the blood, and it smelled like victory.
His scar split, and his eyes flashed. He snarled as he charged in to attack the creature, hitting wildly, and with violent relish.
While Saix backed off, Axel moved in. He was happy in either long-range or short, so the sudden switch-up of positions didn't impact him negatively. Upon taking back his chakram for the second time, he swung both blades at it, adding yet more marks to it's map of scars. He laid the fire on thick, burning the fresh slash wounds as he carved them, minimising the distracting sprays of blood that erupted whenever the Tyrant was cut deeply enough to properly penetrate it's thick hide.
It snapped at him in desperate retaliation, but he was faster than it. He leapt back and hurled a ball of fire magic at it's face as it opened up it's jaws wide, giving it a bite of that instead of himIt reared back, shaking it's head and trying in vain to extinguish the fire with little swipes from it's undersized front limbs. While it's attention was elsewhere, Axel stayed back and swung one hand out in an arc. An ethereal substance, like dark ichor, crept along the ground with the movement. With a smirk, he altered the direction of his swipe to a skywards
( ... )
The berserker did. The attacks came relentlessly, one strike followed by another, by the next, and another. There was barely space to blink between them; the berserker was fast.
And he hit hard. Axel might not have sprayed the beast's blood, but Saix did. His senses were swamped in it, and his face and clothes spattered. Every swing threw more blood around.
The spikes meant that every clubbing, crushing blow bit in, hit that bit deeper. It wasn't as efficient as an axe, but Saix wouldn't have exchanged it for anything. Once he'd got his weapon back, he wondered how he'd ever managed without it. Like this, the battle was so much more fun.
The Pylraster roared as something in its leg finally gave way, and Saix swung again, hard, as it toppled.
Axel braced himself as the Mark went off it's legs, watching for a struck out leg or a vicious bite laced with failing desperation. It kicked out with it's decent leg, but he was no where near it -- that was Saix's problem. It was too much to ask for the Tyrant not to struggle, after all.
With it down, Axel concentrated on his use of fire.
He could probably stick it with a chakram and immolate it in much the same fashion as he'd been able to as a Nobody, using the wheel as a go between between himself and the monster, but Saix seemed to be enjoying himself too much for Axel to want to end it quickly. As such, fireball followed fireball as Saix relentlessly assailed it with blows.
The kick from the Pylraster hit Saix, knocking him back. Luckily, it didn't leave him dazed; if it had, it would have knocked him out of his berserk state. Instead the berserker seemed to shrug the blow off, moving in again to shower the wounded animal with savage blows. They'd have shook the ground and left shockwaves in his wake, if they'd hit there. Instead, they made short work of the creature's other leg, and anything else they made contact with.
Then Saix backed off again as he came out of it, breathless and exhilarated, and splattered with gore. Their mark was as good as finished already, and Saix's body sang with the exertion and the joy of violence.
Truly enjoying a fight. He hadn't ever been able to do that when he was a Nobody. The smile he'd worn when they began was still on his face now, and his scar was a little reddened. That, under the drops of the Pylraster's blood, made him look violently insane.
Vicious snarls still rumbled as it tried to catch it's breath in the calm after Saix backed off, but it was done for. It's nostrils dilated as it tried to smell which direction it's attackers were in, but it's sightless eyes couldn't back it up. The monster feebly struggled with it's forelimbs, but every tiny movement obviously caused it agony. After a few moments, it's movements and growls gave way to naught but shallow breathing.
Axel looked at it, seeing that it had no fight left in it and probably nothing more for his slightly psychotic hunt partner to enjoy. Still, he looked over at him, undaunted by his battle-happy behaviour or his blood-splattered appearance.
"Do you want to finish it off?" He offered, pointing to it's prone form with one of the tines of his chakram.
Saix panted for breath a couple of times before he stood up straight again. He still looked wild, but he also looked more alive than he did when he was being his usual, calm, restrained self.
The exhilarating thrill of the fight was over, for this creature. The killing blow was a formality now it was already defeated. It stopped being fun for his berserker self when the opponent gave up.
As the Pylraster had.
"All right," he answered, hefting his claymore again and approaching the beast's head. Finishing it off was a duty to the animal, as much as it was necessary to claim their reward. Saix preferred to leave an opponent dead, not merely beaten.
For a second, Saix seemed as solemn as an executioner. An insane, battle crazed, blood-spattered one, but an executioner nonetheless. Then in one swift blow, he brought his claymore down hard on the monster's head, hard enough to crack the skull.
Axel didn't look away as Saix finished it off. Well, he'd watched him lay into it, why would the killing blow be any worse? He reclipped one of his weapons to his hip and held the other, looking down at the now-dead Pylraster.
"So, what are we taking as evidence?" He asked, scrutinising the beast as he used his free hand to push his wilting hair off his face.
Teeth would be obvious and easiest, but teeth could easily fall out during a fight and weren't always indicative of a kill. He wasn't sure, but Saix was bound to know what was best or, of course, if the bill poster had asked for something specific.
"Take the sail," Saix answered. Teeth were easy, scales or skins were for those that had them, or those that were small enough, claws were another possibility, but a claw could, in theory, come off any Tyrant large enough. Generally, if nothing was specified, Saix took the most identifiable feature of the creature, or a couple of the less identifiable ones.
The sail was likely their best bet with this one. A couple of the Greater Tyrant types had them, but they weren't exactly alike.
"Can you do it?" He asked, looking at Axel. Saix had begun to feel the blow it had landed on him, as the adrenaline of battle and the effects of his berserker state wore away.
Something to eat and a few minutes to sit down on something other than a chocobo was in order.
Axel nodded and circled the Pylraster to remove the sail. The chakram wasn't going to be any good for the job, but luckily his class allowed him to carry knives and, as a last resort in battle and for their usefulness in the field, he tended to have one or two with him.
It came away simply enough. The bones that stiffened it weren't exactly easy to cut through, but with some twisting and hacking, he managed to remove the thing in one piece. After he did, he took it to his Chocobo and stashed it in the saddlebag.
The bird didn't seem happy with him. He did, after all, reek of blood, but it didn't bolt. He had a feeling that the pair wouldn't be happy to allow them to ride in that state, but he was fairly sure they'd be able to find a stream or something to wash up in, anyway.
He hoped so. He could stomach eating straight after a gory battle like that, but he wasn't up for doing so when covered in dragon blood. Speaking of eating, he grabbed their lunch while he was there.
When Axel came back over, Saix had seated himself on the grass, leaning back on his palms with his face turned to the sky. He wasn't in the mood, just yet, to get up. He was going to have a single bruise covering the whole of his chest and stomach by the morning. His whole chest ached, for now. He'd probably bruised his ribs.
But for the moment, he was content to relax on the grass and take a few moments to calm down.
When Axel got closer, Saix spoke, still with his eyes closed, "Perhaps our next one should be larger?" It would probably be meaner as a result, but they could cope with that. They'd coped well enough with this.
Axel flopped down next to him, put their lunches down between them, and lay back with his head on his hands. He looked up at the sky, now brilliantly blue and clear, and laughed a little.
"Hey, let me wash the blood from this one out of my hair before you think about the next, all right?" He turned to him and grinned.
He'd enjoyed himself. The fight hadn't been too tough, but their quarry had been powerful and it felt like a victory more than the simple eradication of an oversized pest.
Saix looked at his friend and smirked a little before he lay down next to him. His hand went to his chest, however, gently prodding for tender spots.
"Perhaps enough time to let these bruises heal," he conceded. He'd take a potion when they got back, which would help, but he'd still likely be tender for a while first.
After a moment longer he asked, "What did you think of your first real hunt?" The one against the oversized, sentient cactus hardly counted. It had been a trial, but not a challenge. A real hunt should be a challenge. It was more fun that way.
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He enjoyed this more. It wasn't the element of danger, but the beast being a more equal match. Fighting alongside Axel helped, too. He could get into the fight, without being concerned for a healer, or having to watch what he did, because Axel knew him well enough to know how to fight alongside him.
He blocked the swing of the creatures tail, but he could still feel the blow rock his balance. It was powerful, but that wasn't a surprise.
As Axel attacked its eyes, Saix swung again at its legs, hitting hard at the ankle joint, and bringing his claymore around again for a successive swing. He hoped to cripple it. If he could slow it down so that it wasn't quite as fast with that tail, he could let loose in full.
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No matter! Axel simply threw the wheel again once he'd allowed for the recoil, re-adjusted his grip reset the concentration of fire. This time, it positively glowed as it streaked towards the monster.
Meanwhile, Saix's attacks were taking their toll. It was favouring one leg more than the other and the blood that ran down from the numerous cuts and spike wounds scented the air with copper. It's swings were less calculated and more desperate and, as it swung around the other way to snap at it's attacker, the chakram struck home.
It wasn't down, but with it's vision destroyed and one leg becoming more painful by the moment, it was disorientated.
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Going berserk here was different. It had taken time to get used to. In the worlds he knew, all it took was a little moonlight, and a little time to lift those self restrictions and go. Here it was less complicated, but the feeling was much the same. It was less restrained, like some collar had been unfastened. He could see the movement of the Pylraster more easily, like the brightly waved flag and loud noises Axel had asked for from their mark earlier.
He could also smell the blood, and it smelled like victory.
His scar split, and his eyes flashed. He snarled as he charged in to attack the creature, hitting wildly, and with violent relish.
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It snapped at him in desperate retaliation, but he was faster than it. He leapt back and hurled a ball of fire magic at it's face as it opened up it's jaws wide, giving it a bite of that instead of himIt reared back, shaking it's head and trying in vain to extinguish the fire with little swipes from it's undersized front limbs. While it's attention was elsewhere, Axel stayed back and swung one hand out in an arc. An ethereal substance, like dark ichor, crept along the ground with the movement. With a smirk, he altered the direction of his swipe to a skywards ( ... )
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And he hit hard. Axel might not have sprayed the beast's blood, but Saix did. His senses were swamped in it, and his face and clothes spattered. Every swing threw more blood around.
The spikes meant that every clubbing, crushing blow bit in, hit that bit deeper. It wasn't as efficient as an axe, but Saix wouldn't have exchanged it for anything. Once he'd got his weapon back, he wondered how he'd ever managed without it. Like this, the battle was so much more fun.
The Pylraster roared as something in its leg finally gave way, and Saix swung again, hard, as it toppled.
Now was the time to start finishing it off.
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With it down, Axel concentrated on his use of fire.
He could probably stick it with a chakram and immolate it in much the same fashion as he'd been able to as a Nobody, using the wheel as a go between between himself and the monster, but Saix seemed to be enjoying himself too much for Axel to want to end it quickly. As such, fireball followed fireball as Saix relentlessly assailed it with blows.
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Then Saix backed off again as he came out of it, breathless and exhilarated, and splattered with gore. Their mark was as good as finished already, and Saix's body sang with the exertion and the joy of violence.
Truly enjoying a fight. He hadn't ever been able to do that when he was a Nobody. The smile he'd worn when they began was still on his face now, and his scar was a little reddened. That, under the drops of the Pylraster's blood, made him look violently insane.
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Vicious snarls still rumbled as it tried to catch it's breath in the calm after Saix backed off, but it was done for. It's nostrils dilated as it tried to smell which direction it's attackers were in, but it's sightless eyes couldn't back it up. The monster feebly struggled with it's forelimbs, but every tiny movement obviously caused it agony. After a few moments, it's movements and growls gave way to naught but shallow breathing.
Axel looked at it, seeing that it had no fight left in it and probably nothing more for his slightly psychotic hunt partner to enjoy. Still, he looked over at him, undaunted by his battle-happy behaviour or his blood-splattered appearance.
"Do you want to finish it off?" He offered, pointing to it's prone form with one of the tines of his chakram.
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The exhilarating thrill of the fight was over, for this creature. The killing blow was a formality now it was already defeated. It stopped being fun for his berserker self when the opponent gave up.
As the Pylraster had.
"All right," he answered, hefting his claymore again and approaching the beast's head. Finishing it off was a duty to the animal, as much as it was necessary to claim their reward. Saix preferred to leave an opponent dead, not merely beaten.
For a second, Saix seemed as solemn as an executioner. An insane, battle crazed, blood-spattered one, but an executioner nonetheless. Then in one swift blow, he brought his claymore down hard on the monster's head, hard enough to crack the skull.
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"So, what are we taking as evidence?" He asked, scrutinising the beast as he used his free hand to push his wilting hair off his face.
Teeth would be obvious and easiest, but teeth could easily fall out during a fight and weren't always indicative of a kill. He wasn't sure, but Saix was bound to know what was best or, of course, if the bill poster had asked for something specific.
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The sail was likely their best bet with this one. A couple of the Greater Tyrant types had them, but they weren't exactly alike.
"Can you do it?" He asked, looking at Axel. Saix had begun to feel the blow it had landed on him, as the adrenaline of battle and the effects of his berserker state wore away.
Something to eat and a few minutes to sit down on something other than a chocobo was in order.
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It came away simply enough. The bones that stiffened it weren't exactly easy to cut through, but with some twisting and hacking, he managed to remove the thing in one piece. After he did, he took it to his Chocobo and stashed it in the saddlebag.
The bird didn't seem happy with him. He did, after all, reek of blood, but it didn't bolt. He had a feeling that the pair wouldn't be happy to allow them to ride in that state, but he was fairly sure they'd be able to find a stream or something to wash up in, anyway.
He hoped so. He could stomach eating straight after a gory battle like that, but he wasn't up for doing so when covered in dragon blood. Speaking of eating, he grabbed their lunch while he was there.
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But for the moment, he was content to relax on the grass and take a few moments to calm down.
When Axel got closer, Saix spoke, still with his eyes closed, "Perhaps our next one should be larger?" It would probably be meaner as a result, but they could cope with that. They'd coped well enough with this.
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"Hey, let me wash the blood from this one out of my hair before you think about the next, all right?" He turned to him and grinned.
He'd enjoyed himself. The fight hadn't been too tough, but their quarry had been powerful and it felt like a victory more than the simple eradication of an oversized pest.
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"Perhaps enough time to let these bruises heal," he conceded. He'd take a potion when they got back, which would help, but he'd still likely be tender for a while first.
After a moment longer he asked, "What did you think of your first real hunt?" The one against the oversized, sentient cactus hardly counted. It had been a trial, but not a challenge. A real hunt should be a challenge. It was more fun that way.
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