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"Allow Me To Cut Through Those Words!" |
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This page, A Flickering Flame Challenges The Encompassing Darkness, is currently under construction. Please bear with the changes made by the author. |
Mitsuru took in a breath of fresh air as he held his head up toward the clear blue sky. A quiet sigh escaping his lips as he exhaled before turning his head to look down the path before him, "I'm going to be pissed if this ends up being another dead end trip. Why's this guy so hard to find anyway?" Mitsuru asked himself out loud. He shook his head before stuffing his hands into the pockets of his black jacket and continuing down the path. He walked for another half hour before coming to a large field, empty all except for a few trees and rocks jutting from the ground. Mitsuru tilted his head a bit as he saw a figure a bit of a distance away, someone sat on one of the large rocks, facing away. Thanks to Mitsuru's enhanced sight he was able to clearly make out that the figure had black hair, and while that wasn't a lot to go off of in determining ones identity, Mitsuru had come a long way and honestly just wanted to believe that he had indeed found who he was searching for. He began to walk toward the figure. Not being too loud, but not sneaking either as he hoped to casually approach this person. When he was only about twenty five feet away, he stopped and just looked at the man sitting on the rock. He was sure it was him, the man he was searching for. "Hey, you wouldn't happen to be Dmitri would you? Dmitri Xavier, youngest winner of the Grand Tournament?" Mitsuru asked, leaning forward and to the side just a bit as he tried to get a better look at the man's face.
The young man sat on the boulder clutching a small clay cup of white tea, sipping on it slowly to savor the floral flavor within. Dmitri noticed the approaching man and turned his head to face the fire-haired man. "I left that title behind a long time ago, but I am indeed the man you seek." The dark-haired man stated and glanced towards his companion below. Hidden from Mitsuru's view was Dmitri's bodyguard Ginshou, prepared to strike at any moment to protect the man who paid him. "Ginshou, calm. Perhaps you should go into town again, buy some more of this tea. It relaxes me." In a small strike of lightning, the blond had briefly appeared into Mitsuru's view, then disappeared once again. "Just what do you want with me?" Dmitri spoke with a slight Icbergyn accent, but his words were still distinct and precise as if each word was separated by the stroke of a knife.
Mitsuru raised an eyebrow in amusement as he watched the bodyguard appear and disappear just as quickly. When Dmitri confirmed his identity Mitsuru spoke, " I would think someone capable of winning the Grand tournament wouldn't need a babysitter, but to each his own I suppose." Mitsuru said, pulling a sucker from his pocket and popping it into his mouth once he had finished speaking. He allowed his tongue to roll over the candy a few times before pulling it out once more, "I've been searching for you for the past few months, you're not an easy guy to find you know? It was quite a pain in the ass. I'm the type of guy who likes a good fight now and again, so I was hoping you'd be willing to agree to a little spar? I don't know what you spend all day doing but you look like a guy who could use some excitement, what do you say?" Mitsuru asked, popping his neck.
Dmitri contemplated the other man's offer for a moment, then two. "I don't really wish to fight. But thank you for acknowledging my skills." While speaking, Dmitri had shifted to refill his cup of tea, gaining a full view of Mitsuru in the process. His body clearly has muscle, trained for a long period of time. I can feel the subtle heat emanating from him, fire wizard for sure, but what type? The man's tactical mind was hard at work to decipher all that he could from the man's aura and appearance. "You're strong, I will give you that already. I feel your strength. It's subtle but everyone's magic origin leaks to a small degree, and if you try hard enough, you can feel it." Dmitri's eyes narrowed and a dark flash temporarily took over, "I don't wish to fight, but I want to learn about your true potential."
Mitsuru tilted his head back as Dmitri spoke, paying attention to the man's words while studying him carefully. He knew he was no master of reading people but he was normally able to get by fairly easily even without the use of his enhanced senses, but in this situation, he could not read Dmitri with or without the use of his enhanced senses. Despite the fact that he knew he would be young, his childish appearance wasn't what Mitsuru had expected to see when he finally came face to face with the man who had won the Grand Tournament. He had expected a much burlier man, probably about the same height as himself, but no. Dmitri was skinny and shorter than himself, though this did not force Mitsuru to drop his guard. Regardless of what the man looked like, he had won the Grand Tournament, the youngest ever to do so. Mitsuru would not judge this book by its cover and would instead wait to read its contents. When Dmitri finished speaking Mitsuru wasn't sure exactly what he was getting at, "I don't understand, is that supposed to be a yes?"
"No. I just ask of you to release your magical aura. I am interested in it. If you'd like, I will show you mine in return." Dmitri spoke simply, enunciating his words as if he was talking to a child. Honestly. How flame-brained is this man? He thought to himself. "I no longer hold a wish to fight like I previously did, I am now but a mere traveler in this world, waiting for my time to pass. But if you attack, I will not hesitate to defend myself like any proud man would." It was clear even at a distance that Dmitri was a cold and calculating man, already planning an attack strategy if the opportunity arose. The darkness wizard was also perplexed that a Fioran knew of the Grand Tournament and the politics surrounding his homeland.
"Listen man, I'm a lot of things but I'm not an ass. I'm not going to go attacking someone who doesn't wanna fight." Mitsuru said, scratching the back of his head. He was a bit offended that Dmitri thought he'd sink that low, "Whatever, I don't know why you're so interested in my aura. There's not much it could tell you that you wouldn't be able to learn during a fight." Mitsuru said, complying anyway by releasing his magical aura. What's this guy's deal? A champion who doesn't like fighting? He thought, biting down on the sucker in his mouth, shattering it to pieces.
Dmitri smiled, his opponent had manners. "Alright. I shall fight." Dmitri released his own aura. It was equal if not greater in size than Mitsuru's and completely enveloped Dmitri in pitch black, making him practically invisible within it. It seems as if the aura itself was teeming with shadowy forms that slunk around through it, further obscuring the man within his own creation. "Now then, I'll start with the basics," Dmitri said then used his Umbrakinesis to fire a cutting blade of darkness towards his opponent. It was shaped like a crescent moon, with the outwardly curved end facing Mitsuri. Dmitri would frankly be surprised if the man managed to avoid the speed at which his attack had been released at.
Mitsuru's eyes widened as the blade flew toward him. He threw up his hand, creating a shield through the use of his telekinesis. It was weak, mostly due to the speed in which he had to cast it. The crescent shaped blade hit the shield, halting for only a moment before breaking through. Luckily, the shield's curvature had thrown it a bit off coarse, seeing to it that it only nicked his left shoulder. "What the hell? What a dick move, not even taking the time to lay out the rules?" Mitsuru asked, grasping his bleeding shoulder. Dammnit, he fucked up the jacket too! He thought, quickly taking it off and tossing it to the side. He requipped Suijin, allowing the water blade to form before swinging it at Dmitri, the blade elongating into a whip-like object as it flew through the air.
Dmitri's smile only deepened as he prepared the Dark Tendril spell to combat the water blade. The dark clashed against the water as both men focused to gain control. Dmitri soon revoked his spell as he knew that neither could win the standoff. He started to run towards Mitsuru, charging a small amount of Strike Magic into his firsts to begin a physical attack. He threw a quick right hook, followed by a left jab towards his stomach.
Mitsuru dropped Suijin as Dmitri began running toward him, letting the water sword return to his pocket dimension. He side stepped the fist swing, spinning quickly to avoid the second which lead him to face Dmitri's right side. He had felt the pressure coming off the first punch as it had swung past him, leading Mitsuru to understand that it was not a normal punch. Despite having no idea what effect his punch would have if one were to connect Mitsuru remained confident, Thinking you can get the better of me in close combat is a big mistake. Mitsuru thinks to himself as he dropped to a crouch, kicking horizontally at Dmitri's legs, trying to sweep him off his feet.
The man leaped over his opponent's legs in a heartbeat, not baffled by Mitsuru's speed at all. He's skilled, but I am better. Dmitri considered Mitsuru's talent and decided to back away. He triggered Darkness Body and moved backward quickly, after transforming back into a corporeal form he began another spell. "Hand of The Abyss." A circle of darkness surrounded the earth underneath Mitsuru and a shadowy hand reached around the man's waist, attempting to pull Mitsuru downward into the pit of darkness. Dmitri smiled, the spell would only keep his opponent within the depths for a maximum of five minutes, but that would be plenty of time to prepare a counterattack or leave if he was bored. The fate of this fight rested on how his opponent handled the Hand of The Abyss spell.
Mitsuru jumped back up to his feet when Dmitri backed away only to feel the pressure of the shadow hand grasping him by the waist moments later. It slowly began pulling him into the black portal it protruded from. Mitsuru grabbed the hand by its index finger and thumb, attempting to pull it apart to no avail. Dammnit, he thought as he let go of the hand and crossed his arms over his chest, "Fire dragon's claw!" He yelled, cloaking his fingers in fire before swiping them at the hands wrist. The X-shaped slash cut through the hand, allowing him to jump away as the hand faded away. He then turned to Dmitri, repeating the action of swiping his hands at him, causing eight sickle-shaped flames to fly toward him as Mitsuru ran behind it ready to proceed with a roundhouse kick aimed at Dmitri's jaw.
"Shadow Filter!" Dmitri spoke, his emotions flaring as the attack seemed to barrel in on him. A Dragon Slayer... I should've known. He thought as his shield formed, protecting him as the flames barricaded the shadow's barricade. Dmitri raised a forearm to block the kick, then pushed on Mitsuru's leg in an attempt to throw him off balance. The dark-haired man then held out two fingers and chanted "Shadow Shot!" as a ball of darkness was released from his fingertips, sent flying with great speed towards Mitsuru's face.
The push against Mitsuru's leg sent him off balance, forcing him to spin and take a few steps back to avoid falling flat on his ass. Mitsuru had only just recovered when he heard Dmitri shout out his next attack. When he saw the shadow bullet flying toward him he threw up his arms, cloaking them in flames to cover his face though they did little as the bullet slammed into his forearm with enough force to lift Mitsuru off his feet. He landed on the ground with a thud, sliding back on the grass which stained its white cloth with its green coloring. Mitsuru jumped to his feet, quickly assessing the damage to his arm. It wasn't broken to his relief, but it was definitely going to bruise and swell soon. "You're stronger than I thought. That's a relief, I was getting tired of always winning...most of the time." Mitsuru said, remembering his hot-headed Guildmaster, his confident smile fading momentarily before returning full force as he focused on the task at hand. He pulled out his lighter, flicking it until a flame was created. Mitsuru consumed the small flame, feeling the pain in his left forearm fading a bit. "That hits the spot," he said before tucking the lighter back into his pocket. He then held out his hand toward Dmitri, "Fire dragon's flicker." Mitsuru said calmly, snapping his finger and creating a spark that flew toward its target.
"Dark Cutter!" Dmitri called, splitting the spark in half with a sickle-shaped sharpened edge of darkness. The two smaller sparks still hit Dmitri, singing out on his canvas cloak. He outstretched his hand. "PUSH." He said, his voice rising in anger. He sent a telekinetic blast towards Mitsuru to send the man flying backward. Dmitri was furious. How dare the man even touch him. Now, the ex-Khan was ready to completely destroy his opponent.
Mitsuru quickly requipped his dragon's blade, raising it above his head and swinging it forward, releasing sword pressure. The two invisible forces clashed, the sword pressure cutting the telekinetic wave in two. Mitsuru felt the force push past him like a strong gust of wind as the majority of the blast had gone off to either side of him. "Why so angry? You're telling me you never took a single hit during that tournament thing? Sounds like you were up against some pretty weak opponents. On the other hand, if it's the cloak you're pissed about, I can promise you I'm just as pissed about my jacket. That's genuine leather ya know?" Mitsuru said, spinning his sword before it began to radiate a blue aura. He lifted it into the air before lowering it to point the tip at Dmitri, "Sword Beam," Mitsuru stated right before a large beam shot from the tip.
"Ricochet." Dmitri waved his hand, summoning a telekinetic reflective barrier to protect himself, sending the sword beam back at Mitsuru. "I never said I didn't take a hit. When rumors spread, they're often overexaggerated. It was just the last fight that I didn't take a hit in." He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "You really are straight forward. I am not upset about my material possession being seared, it is my pride that is affected! Now, it is time to finish you off." Dmitri held his hands forward as a dark sphere formed in his hands until it reached the size of a watermelon. "Evil Explosion!" He launched the explosive ball of darkness at him in hopes of obliterating him forever.
Mitsuru side stepped his returned attack, requipping Suijin again as Dmitri spoke. Mitsuru swung his water sword, elongating it into a whip in hopes of catching the ball of darkness and returning it to its owner. However, the ball exploded the second it made impact with the whip-like sword. The explosion shocked Mitsuru, "What the hell?" Mitsuru said, pulling Suijin back to find it had only half the length it had originally had. The ball remained, though much large, for a few moments before disappearing. Mitsuru shook off the shock before turning his attention back to Dmitri, "Pride? What the hell kinda excuse is that to try and kill someone who just wanted a friendly spar? Pride is meaningless and stupid, that's a lesson I had to learn the hard way. Facing your opponent with honor and dignity is how a true warrior fights!" Mitsuru yelled, running toward Dmitri. He stopped about fifteen feet away, taking a deep breath and exhaling a large cloud of black gas that surrounded Dmitri. "Fire dragon's destructive bite!" Mitsuru yelled before clicking his teeth, creating a spark and igniting the gas.
Dmitri swore as the gas surrounded him and began to run, almost clearing the circle before the gas ignited around him. The dark shield was formed a second too late and Dmitri felt the full force of a Dragon Slayer's flame. As the smoke cleared, Dmitri shed off his cloak and small burns covered his hands. "Pride is what made me the Khan of Iceberg. I also didn't win by being honorable. I won by my wits." he spoke, his accent thickening with anger. "Dark Tendril." He released a whip of darkness which weaved its way toward Mitsuru and suddenly sharpened into an edge, recoiling before whipping itself towards his stomach.
Mitsuru jumped back a second too late, the whip-like tendril slashing across his stomach. He winced in pain as he dropped Suijin and grasped his now bleeding stomach. Mitsuru smiled despite knowing his wound was nothing to laugh about, "So quick to anger... You remind me of my younger self though, a bit stronger." Mitsuru said with a half-hearted laugh before his features softened, "No matter what strength it has given you up until now, that pride'll be the death of you someday." Mitsuru said, pulling out his lighter. He flicked it several times but couldn't get a flame, "Damn, of all the times for this not to work, right?" He said, sliding it back into his pocket, "It doesn't matter." He said, raising his sword while still grasping his stomach. "Sword birth," Mitsuru said as twenty blades of various shapes and sizes formed behind him, levitating through the use of his telekinesis. He tilted his sword slightly, his smile returning full force as the swords began flying toward Dmitri.
Instead of increasing his rage, Dmitri started to breathe deeply, sending air deep into his diaphragm. Keep calm... What happened to the Combat Cool you were so proud of? "Dark Body." Within a moment, Dmitri's body vanished, allowing the blades to phase through his own body. When he reappeared his eyes were closed. "Thank you for reminding me of who I am." Dmitri's cold gray eyes opened and an icy smile slid onto his face as tendrils of darkness rose all around Mitsuru's body. "Web of Evil." The tendrils shot towards him, forming into sharp edges, beginning to wrap around him.
Mitsuru surrounded himself in telekinetic armor as the tendril surrounded him. He could feel the pressure on the armor, but it held. "I didn't come all this way to help you find yourself," Mitsuru said with a snort as he cocked his head to the side. He threw his arms out to the side, using his enhanced strength coupled with that provided by the telekinetic armor to pry the tendrils apart. Once they were far enough apart, Mitsuru stepped out of the death trap. He walked a few feet forward before falling to a knee and grabbing his stomach again, the bloody stain spreading a bit further. "I'm fine, it'll heal soon. It's not too deep." He said, getting back to his feet. I gotta end this soon... He thought, looking Dmitri in the eye and smiling before taking off in a full force sprint toward him. Mitsuru brought up a fist before quickly dropping into a leg sweep, knowing Dmitri would probably jump over it again, leaving himself airborne. Mitsuru would follow through with the sweep, bringing it back around before using his hand to support himself as he extended his leg upwards aimed at Dmitri's jaw.
Like Mitsuru thought, Dmitri leaped and fell into his opponent's trap. As Mitsuru's foot connected with Dmitri's jaw, the darkness mage was sent flying and landed back on the ground over 15 feet away. His head was spinning, but fortunately, Dmitri hadn't broken any bones, though he would have a wicked concussion for the next few days. I've got to finish him. I can't back away. Dmitri thought and eased his body into a form.
He spread his legs and held one hand above the other forming an L shape. Slowly, his hand started to move outwards at horizontal angles while forming a swirling vortex of darkness. "Oh lords of death. I implore you to aid me. To conquer all the light that faces me. Essence of Osiris!" Out of the vortex spawned over twenty incorporeal beings with glowing red eyes that contrasted the pitch body of the soldiers. The figures raced towards Mitsuru, swooping down upon him. If the shadows made contact, they would go through Mitsuru, seeping him of his magic, strength, and soul until they were either defeated, or Mitsuru turned into a soldier himself. "This is what remains of those who opposed me. Their souls now belong to me and the god Osiris, and you would join my army shortly." Dmitri's smile was sick and twisted, seeming to ooze fear itself and it revealed the true insanity behind how Dmitri rose into power.
"An incantation? Fancy," Mitsuru said as he covered his arms in fire, going to block one of the beings swings only to find that it passed through both the flames and his arm without him feeling so much as a thing. Though, he felt the loss of strength in that arm, forcing him to drop his sword as he let it fade back into his pocket dimension. In the time it too for him to realize he could no longer move that arm, another one of the beings had hit his other shoulder, making it impossible for him to use either of his arms as they began to surround him. I guess punching my way outta this isn't happening, he thought before coming to the realization that this was some sort of darkness magic. He smirked, "I ain't becoming anyone's slave. Fuck that and you." Mitsuru said as he jumped into the air above the figures, arms waving uselessly at his side. "Heavenly Flame Breath!" He yelled, taking in a deep breath before exhaling a large volume of white flames that emitted a blinding light. The flames struck the middle of the group of shadow beings, the flames brilliant light banishing the darkness beings.
Mitsuru fell to the ground once the attack had finished, landing on his feet before falling onto his back. He breathed heavily as he tried to sit up to no avail, "Damn, I was just starting to have fun too." He said, feeling the blood from his stomach wound running down his sides and onto the back of his shirt. "You take this stuff way too seriously man," Mitsuru said, his voice becoming a bit softer as he lifted his head to speak. " I get the giving it your all type attitude, but this was just for fun. None of my attacks were meant to actually kill you, worst you could've gotten was a broken bone or two, a burn here and there." Mitsuru said, his head lying back down onto the grass and closing his eyes. " I admit defeat, it was a fun fight. Wouldn't you agree?" Mitsuru said, a soft smile adorning his features. "I don't wanna be a bother, but do you think you could help me get to a doctor? Maybe a fire or something?"
"If someone tries to attack me, I take it seriously. Learn quickly young man, there's no such thing as a fight for fun." Dmitri scowled. It was irritating that the man had so quickly found the weakness to one of his most powerful spells. Holy light could vanquish the spirits of that spell, rendering it a huge waste of the user's magic power. The traveler went back over to his teapot and grabbed a second cup, filling it with the white tea. Dmitri approached Mitsuru and sat cross-legged beside him. "Drink." He said, passing the cup to the dragon slayer. "The tea is good. It gives you energy, helps heal wounds, tastes nice. It's made of Ikhora Leaf."
"You gotta learn to loosen up a bit, man. Every other traveler I've ever met was pretty chill," Mitsuru said, lifting his weakened arms, needing both to hold the cup as his muscles felt incredibly weak. He sipped the tea lightly, instantly feeling his strength slowly returning, his wound stopped bleeding. Mitsuru let out a pleasant sigh as he finished the cup, "Thanks Dmitri." Mitsuru said, able to sit up. Moments later he was back on his feet again, his strength had not fully returned, but enough had to allow him to walk on his own. "That tea stuff is pretty cool," Mitsuru said, picking up his jacket and then retrieving Suijin from a bit further away before turning back to Dmitri, "Congrats on the win by the way. We should fight again some time, now that I know what I'm up against." Mitsuru said, his confident smile returning. "Not for awhile though Okay? I think I still need to get a bit stronger before I can win against you."
"I am chill." Dmitri shot back, his blood boiled at the mention of the word Chill. Everyone was always telling him to chill when he was perfectly calm. "I don't really want to fight again. I don't like fighting that much anymore. Bloodshed is somewhat pointless, I only did the tournament to win, to prove myself." Dmitri stood up and frowned. "I need a new coat. Perhaps Ginshou will pick one up later. Well," He said, turning back to Mitsuru. "It was nice to meet you." Dmitri held out his hand to shake Mitsuru's.
"Alright, to each their own." Mitsuru said with a shrug, "Sorry about the coat, I'll probably have to get mine replaced too. I'd offer to pay, but I'm kinda broke." Mitsuru said with a quiet laugh before letting out an equally quiet sigh and shaking Dmitri's hand, "It was nice meeting you too. I wish you the best of luck in your travels," Mitsuru said with a smile. He let go of Dmitri's hand before putting on his jacket and letting Suijin fade away into his pocket dimension. He turned and began walking away, waving goodbye from over his shoulder. Even though he was bested in the fight, and almost killed a few times, he had enjoyed it, satisfied to have held his own against such a powerful opponent.