Desert Mark Investigation

Desert Mark Investigation
Date of Scene:	17 December 2012
Location:	Dalamascan Sands
Synopsis:	Cirra goes into the Desert area to investigate the new mark that has recently come into Rabanastre popularity.
Cast of Characters:	Cirra Constantine, Angantyr Vespar

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Angantyr Vespar has posed:
The mark was closely considered becoming S ranked, the monster was accounted to be something fierce. However, it did not kill people, infact tended to only defend itself, unless animals were involved...the animals did not return with their owners. It did not matter if they were pets or steeds, but the sentient things got to live, so whatever the monster was it showed it had some level of intelect.

The Monster only seemed to appear at night, avoiding going out during the day, reguardless of mooncycles or anything like that. Somedays it was closer to Rabanastre, somedays it was closer to Flurugis. Today?

It was closer to Rabanastre, right now the beast, made of liquid shadow seems to be hunting a small pack of monsters who were looking to ambush wayward humans. The fight is brutal, hungrily tearing into the pack, before...

Well, right now, the poor group of monsters are now on the opposite end of the food chain.

The beast, looking up every few moments, seems to be wary of it's surroundings.

Cirra Constantine has posed:
LEXUS said a lot of things during the battle of Manhattan. One of them was true: Cirra Constantine was not ambitious enough.

The Judge looked at the trouble in the area and noticed the borderline S rank mark and considered. Hmn. So she is here in the Dalmascan sands at night, waiting. She knows it attacks other animals and monsters, so she had watched a pack from afar atop a messa with binoculars until something of liquid darkness had pounced on them, tearing them to ribbons.

And that's when she picked up the crossbow-... no thats not a large crossbow, thats a 'small ballista' that only someone with inhuman strength could weild and fired it through the night. At this range it can't be leathel, but the tip is cloated with an anasthetic that monster hunters use to capture live prey.

If she's /really/ lucky it might just long enough for her to slide down the cliff face and run across the sands to where the monster is.

Angantyr Vespar has posed:
The Ballista fires, it is at too long a range for the beast to hear until it was too late. The bolt smashes into the back of the large creature, staggering it as he snaps his head around wildly. There is a dark roar, power of darkness raising within it as two orbs of yellow search for the source. However, after a moment, it staggers, after pulling the ballista out of it's back, sniffing the end. It grunts, growling the inhuman growl again but...

He jerks forward, staggering as the anasthetic courses through his body. He drops to a knee, making a bull like snort, as it tries to search for the source of the shot again. It's head spinning, keeping it from either escaping, or finding the source...

"Go...goddamn it.." he mutters, it's voice a distorted whispy thing.

Cirra Constantine has posed:
Cirra sldies down the sheer rockface and hits the sand running. She runs through the night time desert, leaping over obstacles - including a small group of cactoids - and advances on the beast as it heaves it's breath laying on the ground.

Reachign behidn her back, Cirra swings out her scythe and holds it both hands as she walks foreward. "So..."

"You /are/ intelligent."

Angantyr Vespar has posed:
The eyes of the creature snap open, and then it was throwing all seven feet of it's massive girth in Cirra's direction. However, it was a haymaker, made out of desperation at his current situation. It was clumbsy, his body completely numb from the Ballista shot and staggers...rather it hits or is perfectly deflected by Cirra's attack as he stumbles over himself and lands not so gracefully in the sand. The swing was powerful, too powerful, even dodging the blow you could feel the power behind it.

It groans, or growls, it's hard to tell as it tries to pick itself back up. Snarling at the judge, it does not speak this time, trying to shake it's mind clear.

Cirra Constantine has posed:
Cirra raises the shaft of her scythe in defense and takes the hit of the haymaker as best she can. This is both pretty good, and not so good at the same time. It's good in that she doesn't take the brunt of the beast's attack, but the raw power fo it forces the weaponback against her chest and shoves her body backwards across the sand. Her feet digging into the sand and digging troughs for a dozen feet from being pushed back.

Cirra grimeces, the numbing agent must be wearing off faster then she anticipated. She steps sideways around the creature as she swings her scythe around to hold it with the blade at the bottom. "Whats wrong? Don't speak to people?"

Angantyr Vespar has posed:
The beast growls, slowly dragging itself to his feet. It staggers, but does not fall this time. He's shrugging it off, either it wasn't as clean as a hit as she had want...or something about the creature is making it power through it. It snorts once, staring down at the Judge with it's yellow eyes. Bright, yellow eyes.

It rumbles, but speaks to her, "Only judges." it rumbles, with an amused noise, "What do you want, Judge? Are the conquests of surrounding worlds not enough for you? Perhaps you're here to right the fallen pride of that noble I let walk back home?" he says, almost mockingly.

"Or are you here to simply kill me?"

Cirra Constantine has posed:
Cirra narrows her eyes at the beast, she hunches down just slightly, possibly preparing to spring. "I have no care for the nobel's hurt feeligns or his prize bird. I /could/ kill you for the bounty however. That is tempting, but ultimatly money is transient."

Angantyr Vespar has posed:
It laughs...it is not a pleasant thing.

"You could try." he says, again that laugh. "But right now, you are letting your poison ware off. Not very smart." he says, his amused tone turning back to something more grim and gravely.

"So if you are going to do it, now is your chance." he rumbles. The monster's hands balling into fists, those eyes focusing on Cirra.

Cirra Constantine has posed:
If I had only wanted to kill you." Cirra states, "Don't you think I would have just used a deadly poison?"

"No, your death doesn't give me what I want."

"Where did you come from, beast?"

Angantyr Vespar has posed:
"A country you and your masters had so kindly destroyed. It now rests in your so carefully counqured lands...if it wasn't devoured by darkness." the beast says acknowledging the fact that if she had wanted to, she had him dead to rights.

"More to the point, what you wanted is that I was a citizen of Rabanastre until recently. What happened to me is something you do not have to be concerned with...it is not contageus or something to do with the heartless."

Cirra Constantine has posed:
"You can blame Archadia for whatever you like. I don't care." Cirra says flatly.

"My concerns are that you appear to be a creature of Darkness - but not the Heartless." Cirra steps sideways again, slowly. "That means the Darkness between all things. The space between stars."

Angantyr Vespar has posed:
"I think I will, because it happened, I was there." he says, with a grunt. "And yes, I am. Now." he says with another grunt. "I was, technically, one before the infection. Such is the fate of those spurnned by the light."

Cirra Constantine has posed:
Cirra's head tilts foreward slightlyas she stares at the beast through her helemt.

"You're the Dark Knight from Manhattan."

Angantyr Vespar has posed:
"You are the one that fought me," he rumbles, "Yes, I am that Dark Knight. I am curious to your desire to be involved in that anyway, but the matter is moot now, is it not?" The poison was waring off, he was standing. Seven feet tall of massive bulk would be pretty intimidating for most...but is the judge?

"Does it matter?"

Cirra Constantine has posed:
Cirra hmphs. "How karmatic." The Judge doesn't seem that intimidated by the creature's size. "I was ordred to defend the city, so I defended it. Manhattan isn't...wasn't Archadia's enemy."

"The Machine Entity however, /is/. And it was there, under the ground in the vault chamber, spurring on the destruction of the city. Should it attempt to do the same to Rabanastre or Archadia..."

"I won't stop until it is dead."

Angantyr Vespar has posed:
"Yes. Perhaps it is." he laughs, it is not humorous at all. "Machine Entity...Oh. LEXUS." he mutters, "No, I suppose you shouldn't. I am surprised to see Arcadia has not conspripted Shadow Lord help yet. Funny thing that.."

"His name is LEXUS, by the way. I know him quite well, I did not, however, know that he was aiming to do what he did in Manhattan. I would appologize, but..."

"Words do not fix problems, do they? Call what has happened to me what you will."

Cirra Constantine has posed:
"LEXUS?" she hnns.

"No, words do not fix problems, actions do. Right now your actions are atracting a lot of attention from Rabanstre, if your mark rankign goes up to S it's going to atract every get rich quick dreamer and Hunter from the westersands. You should move further away from civilzation."

Angantyr Vespar has posed:
The monster shrugs, "You could as much tell them to ignore the bounty. But you do not." He says, dismissively. "I have no intention of killing anyone, unless I am forced to..." he comments, "So if you want to drive me off, you will have to do so by force."

Cirra Constantine has posed:
Cirra huffs, walking laterally past Angantyr, pacing slightly. "I see. So you insist on being bull headed about it. Intelligent but not /reasonable/." she pauses briefly and looks up at the moonlit sky.

"Fine."

And with no other warnign, hte Judge moves, directly udner the beast's chin. She spins her scythe, the blunt end of the haft smacking forward into the beast's stomach. THe weapon then spun overhead to strike it's head twice.

Angantyr Vespar has posed:
There was a moment where Angantyr was insubstansial, his body litterally blinking backwards in reaction to the Judge's attack...perhaps a bit aware that this was going to happen, or expecting this. The beast comes back viciously, without much mercy, as something shoots out of his body, aiming to smash heavily against her legs in retribution of her strike. He growls...moving completely on instinct now, and brings a hand up. Dark energy churns around his body, before his first clenches, and the dark flames disappear.

Instead they appear around Cirra to consume her first, dark flame burning and flaring up when the beast hits her. He moves in after this, his claws aiming to try and rend her, aiming to tear at her armor and strip it off if he can.

He doesn't speek, the eyes seemingly more wild then they were before.

Cirra Constantine has posed:
he incorporeal nature wasn't expected, not on this strike. Cirra's weapon goes through Angantyr and his retrun strike hits her legs, slamming them ankle deep into the sand. THE flames strike against her form all sides, but the scythe swings around and hooks out at hte beast's arm, pulling it off ballance as she shakes off the flames.

She has to pull her legs out of the sand but when she does she jumps backa nd swings her scythe around into a more defensive posture as she chants under her breath. Words of power that are...not of the Dark Knight's methods. Fields of concentric rings form infront of Cirra as she preprares for a protracted battle

Angantyr Vespar has posed:
The monster chuckles, darkly...

He dives right for her, his right arm charging with chaotic power, before he repeatedly slams it down into her form, aiming to try and shatter the magics that she had built around herself. It is...strange, an odd technique to say the lease, as his darkness seems to completely want to snuff out the magic.

Then he brings both arms down, aiming to smash her as hard as he can across the face, aiming to launch her across the sands of the desert and back down the slope that they were standing on.

Cirra Constantine has posed:
Cirra is struck, the power of the attack shattering her magical shield, or at least one of them as it sends her flying backwards, tumbling across the sands until she comes to a stop. She rolls back up to her feet and pffts out sand from her mouth. Her armor is marred but she's still going, she walks back across the sand carefully. She sets her stance wide as she holds the haft of her weapon up, watching the creature.

With a sprays of sand, she leaps across the interveaning space and lands in a slide past the monster's side, hooking the wicked curved blade across the monster's ankle to pull it over.

Pulling her scythe back she leaps upwards and swings he weapon so it's pike point points down and slams it down at the monster's shoulder to try and pin it to the ground. She swigns around the stuck shaft and brings her feet up high like a gymnast and slams her feet down in a double kick at the back of the monster's head.

Angantyr Vespar has posed:
The monster is sent to the ground, Cirra's strength and speed are surprising, and before he could recover she was on top of him. Those legs slamming into his head, causing him no small degree of pain...

But then his hands reach up, aiming to grab the back of her head and slam her into the hill behind him. It was an act of brutality, not of grace as he pulls himself back up to his feet...

Then something terrible happens. Dark energy channels from inside of him. Dark terrible power as the ground shatters...the earth trembling at the shear amount of darkness unleashed from him. He doesn't attack..no he just channels the darkness between the stars. It just howls, it is a dark and powerful thing...lesser men (and women) would flee in terror at the creature as the dark grows...

Cirra Constantine has posed:
Cirra slams into the hill, but she spreads out her arms and legs, spreadingout the force of impact across her body, "Hnf!" as the monster begins charging up, the Cirra's hand reaches to her belt and grabs a vial, crushing it in her hand. Blue motes of light spreading across her body, knitting her wounds back together.

She pushes off the wall and practically flings herself back at Angantyr. Her scythe spins in her hand as it slices at the beast's body, cutting into its hide in multiple light cuts that burn with a quick setting infection.

Putting her foot to Ang's chest she leaps upwards and brings the weapon down with her weight, slicing the curved blade at the beast's shoulder with her full weight.

Angantyr Vespar has posed:
Cirra's strikes rain down with the scythe, cutting into his chest, as he continues to charge. He turns, right as her foot hits his chest, and the weapon is brought down into his shoulder. The blade cuts deeply, but not as hard as she would have wanted. His skin is tough...supernaturally so, as darkness wells up inside of him, lashing out in the form of a tentacle, to try and smash her across the stomach...aiming to send her flying.

However, he vanishes, blinking from sight once more as he dives at her. His claws aiming to grab her form, lifting her up into the air as they grip down, trying to tear into her form...

Before the blood of both warriors pools below them, creating a barrage of hundreds of claws, aiming to try and tear the judge limb from limb.

Cirra Constantine has posed:
The tentacle smashes into Cirra's stomach, doubling her over it as she goes flying backwards. The beast vanishes from sight and reappears to tear into her, but her armor is strong, and the skin underneath it is preternaturally tough. Blood is drawn as the claws slice through the outer layer of skin, but the woman is not gored through like the beast wants. Blood pooling beneath her, gathering up into claws striking up at her.

Claws of blood rend into and tear her armor form her body, slicing open more skin to drip more blood. She hangs there, cruicified in the air by talons of her own gore, head hanging down, chin to her chest. Lifeless.

Shards of sugar glass fall from her hand.

Cirra explodes forward in a surge of motion, tearing free of the talons in a bloody spray held barely in check by the healing potion she just broke in her hand. Her weapon having never left her hand, and bloody sneer on her face. "Continue to prove your nothing but a monster...!"

The weapon spins around as she runs...no, dances sideways. The weapon is raised up and slashes down into the creatures side, and she flips herself forward on the haft, swinging her legs up to grapple the mosnter's shoulder in her legs and flip herself forward and up, launching herself high up into the air.

Cirra curls up over the shaft of her weapon and spin, turning itno a flaling buzzsaw of death as she comes straight back down at the monsterous form of Angantyr.

The Jduge kicks off the hulking brute and lands in the sands, armor almost completely gone and only the black clothes underneath remain, though torn to near shreds by the monster's claws and the talons of blood. "And be SLAIN!"

Cirra moves in again, feet mocving in a almost rythmic dance as she spins around her center, the scythe swinging up and down as she moves around Angantyr, a deadly dance of death by blades, weilded by a...

Angantyr Vespar has posed:
The beast's eyes widen in surprise as Cirra's lifeless body does not stay lifeless.

Cirra's weapon spins, elegant as she is, weilding the large weapon like it weighed nothing at all. The blade digs into the flesh of the monster, each slash causing pain...causing him to reel back...anguish in the form of a roar is screamed into the night of the Dalmascian sands.

The buzzsaw digs deep into him, threatening to saw him in half as a burst of darkness errupts, challenging her attack, but shatters...her strength was stronger than the defenses he could muster.

But it was enough. The creature falls...lifeless for a few moments as Cirra could take but a few moments to gain her breath. However, there was a loud heartbeat. Tentacles exploded forth once more, aiming to smash her away...

Something was gone. Angantyr didn't remember what...but some small part of him was swallowed up by the darkness to save his life. A piece of who he was, consumed by the darkness infesting him.

There was a rumbling, as the apendage shot back into him, wounds slowly healing as he came back to his feet. He lept on her in anamilstic fury, barring down on her with fang and tooth. His body glowing fiercely with cold flame, aiming to try and nuff out the existance of the Judge. Only thing he spoke, was a howl of fury.

Cirra Constantine has posed:
The Judge comes to a stop as the monster falls, she keeps her scythe held with the pike point towards the creature's body.

What she does not expect is this.../thing/ to just burst out of his body. It smashes her backwards, slamming the air out of her lungs as she hits the sand. By the time she struggles back up to a sitting position, Angantyr is already on her.

The thign slams into her body, slashing into her with savage fury powered by the darkness. The darkness in his /heart/. Cold flame burns her, claws slash at her. Her nethicite infused body is the only thing protecting her back the armor and the leather underclothes have been torn to shreds and scrap metal.

And just as Ang prepares to snuff her out, she looks up, mouth bloodied and one eye shut agains t the flow of blood from her forehead.

"You let it take you." she spits, more to get blood out of her mouth then anything.

"Go ahead and break that one human principle you had. Kill a Judge and be a monster to everyone."

Angantyr Vespar has posed:
Angantyr was on her in a moment, a clawed hand reaching back as his arm gets ready to descend.

'Go ahead and break that one human principle you had..'

It is enough to shake him from the rage enduced vision he was in...staring down at her. "Why...SHOULDN'T I kill you? You...all of you took from me my home, killed the soldiers under my command...destroyed every bit of culture we had..." he snarls, "For what? FOR WHAT?! WHY SHOULD I SPARE YOUR MISERABLE LIFE!?" he demands.

"WHAT MAKES YOUR LIFE ANY BETTER THAN THOSE THAT DIED DEFENDING THEIR HOMES?! THAT YOU HAVE SOME FANCY ARMOR AND GET TO BE LAP DOGS FOR SOLIDOR?!" he booms again, "I can do the world a favor. Right now..." but he's hesitating. "You would be the start...I could start finally destroying each and everyone of your sorry lot."

Cirra Constantine has posed:
Cirra's one open eye narrows at Angantyr.

"You think you're the only person that happened too?"

"My life's not any better then your dead men." she growls. "It's worse." she chuckles humorless.

"I wasn't allowed to die with my home. I got to come in with the 'reliefe' to find it nothing but ashes."

"/Then/ I sold my body to Solidor's scientists, or hadn't you noticed?"

"I'm a monster."

Angantyr Vespar has posed:
His grip is loosened a bit...but it is still there.

"...You...Willingly joined with these people?" he says, "Those who destroyed your home, gave your body to their science? Even if it IS true, why? What possibly could you gain? To constantly serve your slavers? These men who did nothing but destory everything important to you? Why?"

Cirra Constantine has posed:
Cirra chuckles agian, this time there is a dark humor to it. "You misunderstand. They didn't destroy my home. It was another nation. Nabradia." she frowns.

"I hate them the way you hate Archadia. She becomes more somber, and more sober as she stares up at the monster's eyes.

"But I can't indulge in that hate. Because my life belongs to house Solidor. I swore an oath to protect their house and all the peoples of Archadia, wether they be citizens of the homelands for the people of Rabanastre who's king abdicated to us."

"But power, is all that matters. It is all that allowes us to protect ourselves when we are wronged."

Angantyr Vespar has posed:
It was like staring into a dark mirror.

It really was...there were similarities in each of them, perhaps especially now than before. It makes him sick to his stomach, but slowly he lowers his claw down. Growling.

"Goddamn it. Why can't I do it? Seriously, this should be easy..." he struggles with himself. He takes a breath, maybe it was his time with the Princess of Light, reminding him of the goodness that exists there...perhaps it was because they were both similar.

"Funny you say that..." he says, finally, "I did not ask for my power. Did you know that? Before...before what I am now, I was not a dark knight by choice. I was a dark knight by birth."

Cirra Constantine has posed:
Cirra didn't exactly think she was looking at a mirror of light and kindness here buddy.

"Dark Knight by birth?" well theres a difference, she choose to be a Dark Knight, even though everyone told her she'd make a brilliant rune knight.

"Was it Manhattan that did this to you?"

Angantyr Vespar has posed:
Angantyr grabs a potion from her pack, and lets her drink it. Finally, after everything, he sits down, letting his own wounds heal.

"Yes. I was born to a house of powerful paladins. It was our house's great honor. However, as foretold by the being that they made the pact with, once in a generation one must bare the burden of darkness, for their power in the light." he says, with a rumble. "I was born with the power of darkness, It came and went during my youth, I was stripped of my right as first born son." he says, "Treated like I was a bastard, but I bore it. I loved my country, I loved everything about it." he says, "Though seriously? My parents were dicks." he comments. "I digress, however."

"The training in how to use my abilities came later...I had to, lest I be destroyed by them. As for Manhattan...no. Well, not directly. I was out of the city when it fell. I joined with the defenders, when the Shadow Lords turned their guns on civilians. Too little, too late. However, the price I paid for what I did was greater than I realized. I chose this fate, to save the one I cared most for, and..."

"Here we are. Slowly growing mad, more bestial, less...human."

Cirra Constantine has posed:
Cirra uses the non-combat potion. It's cheaper, tastes awfull.

"Hhnn..." she eyes Angantyr. "I'm not here to tell you my whole life story."

"but I don't intend to let myself fade into the darkness."

"You /should/ stay away from the city if you're nto going to be more subtle about your methods." She stands up "I'm leaving. Do what you like, but if others come for you they might not be... sympathetic."

Angantyr Vespar has posed:
Angantyr shrugs, standing up.

"You asked. If you didn't want to hear, you shouldn't have." he says, "Mostly because why the hell does it matter?" he shrugs.

"Tch." he mutters...

And then he was gone. If she looks he was a great distance away, before he vanishes again.

Damn Ender Angs.