Ferrying One Without Life (Combat SL Drak & Autumn)

Getting tired of the gloomy atmosphere of the Bellows, Drak makes his way across the marsh land, taking his time to cross the river into the Fields of Glass. Considering how he didn't have time to actually look over the creature that came out from him before, he tests a few ways of how to summon it again.

After a few tests and moments of pondering what he was feeling, he somehow got the strange idea of pulling out his sword and placing the tip of the blade directly above his heart. Slowly sinking it into his flesh, he winces in slight pain before feeling something else as the blade slowly disappears the further he pushes. As he impales himself, he can feel a darkness tingle and crawl up his spine before explosively releasing itself into a large, four armed shadow. As this creature escapes from Drak's body, the explosive force quickly decays what little foliage exists beneath Drak's feet.

Almost just as quickly as the explosive force, the current reverses into an implosive one, returning the dead foliage to its previous state, and condensing the terrifying beast into this shadowy ball with some animal skull as a hat.

Grim:

As Drak pulls his sword out from his chest, it returns to its original state. Not as much curious about the sword, he sheaths it and looks at the creature, carefully poking its cheek and slowly looking it over before muttering, "What a strange creature."

Before he could interact with it further, however, it does a flip and dashes off into the distance, looking back every so often and motioning Drak to follow. This drags him through the twists and turns of the towering glass structures until finally bringing him behind what looked to be another person. Drak wanted to interact with them or leave before they noticed, but before he could do anything, the shadowy ghost creature flew up behind them, shrank down and tucked themselves between the person's feet before popping up in front of them, enlarging itself and producing fangs to try and scare the person before trying to grab them. With how fast things were moving, all Drak could do was click his tongue and draw his sword, quickly moving towards this person, praying this won't end badly.

She was at the edge now, of that she was certain.

The pristine, jagged landscape of the Fields of Glass had faded into a new landscape, gnarled trees casting warped shadows across streams of oily, befouled water, the air carrying the weight of humidity and a far off smell that she couldn’t quite place. The clear, cloudless sky had become a perpetual gloom shrouded in fog that made it difficult to see ahead - a demon attack would catch Autumn almost completely unawares as she crossed the western border of the deadzone.

Protesilaus stood sentinel in her mind, gently suggesting directions they should take and keeping a pair of spectral eyes out for any sort of encroaching threat, their tenuous union made stronger by necessity.

Progress was slow at this part of Paris, as they had to change tack at the signs of any demon activity, but she considered patience a virtue as they took a winding path west, condensation beading on her clothing from the thick fog.

Then, out of the blue, Protesilaus roared out a warning -- no time for a coherent sentence, just an utter feeling of distress that shattered the clarity in her mind -- as a creature burst from the fog (a demon…? No, there was something different about this one), producing fangs and enlarging itself before her. Her programming kicked in just then, blade snapping from its scabbard and into her hands as she slashed a quick arc across the being’s form and danced backwards. Protesilaus burst into existence, rending away the fog with a preternatural burst of wind and then disappearing again as Autumn scanned the surrounding area - whatever had attacked her would surely come back for more at some point.

Grim would disappear the moment the woman lashes out and swings her blade at him. As it reappears behind her, Drak is given no choice but to advance and step in front of her, sword drawn and pointed at her neck. He looks the girl up and down, not knowing her origins. Normally he's not so hostile, but for some reason, today just doesn't seem like one of those days, making him itch for a little blood.

As he opens his mouth to say something, his calm demeanor turns into a menacing glare, closing his mouth and smirking at what might be easy prey. Reeling back, he readies to strike with his sword, making big movements to draw the attention away from his other hand where he summons forth Grim's power and creates a shadowy character for 'Hex'.

Once Drak lunges forward and strikes downward, forcing the woman to dodge, he tosses the 'Hex' at the woman.

Stats:

Action:
Umbral Skill
Hex | Deals a small amount of Dark damage to a single target | 6% HP | Tier 1
HP 60 -> 57
Damage +15% to Dark 15*1.15 = 17.25 17

Miss on 1:

Random number (1,10) :

6

Autumn winced as a blast of umbral energy clipped the side of her torso despite her attempt to avoid it, regaining her footing and hopping backwards to put distance between herself and her unknown assailant. Upon closer observation, the android's aggressor appeared to be a human male larger than her, a shock of brown hair framing a cruel, mirthless smile. A broadsword sat in one of his hands, a weapon that, combined with his size relative to Autumn's, would likely overpower her own blade - though, must notably, he seemed to exude an aura she couldn't mistake if she tried.

"A persona user, hmmm?" She mused aloud - who knew, maybe such banter would distract him.

She leveled her forearm towards the man, various algorithms compensating for aim and the figure's movement as her fingers irised open, the snapping of gunfire echoing throughout the expanse as she fired a rapid burst in his direction.

Action:

Stats:

CORRECTION:

Autumn's stats are as follows, disregard the above post
HP: 43
SP: 40
PEnd: 0%
MEnd: 0%
Ppstr: 14
Pmstr: 10
Dx: 14
Lk: 12

The gunshots each did 14, not 22 damage as a result

Drak immediately winces as the bullets pierces his arms and legs. Luckily he was able to turn his body just in time to avoid the lethal hits. With those hits, he soon realizes the lethality of the woman and that she's no joke, especially since she's equipped with unconventional weapons that tend to exist only with ASSWs. Taking a chance to sheath his blade, he concentrates the wind element around the hilt before quickly drawing his sword as he pushes his body forward, giving him more momentum in his attack.

"Persona? I have no clue what that is, but from what I see, you must be an ASSW unit.", he chuckles as he pushes forward, despite the pain, to keep her from being able to feasibly use her guns.

Stats:

Action:
Garu | Inflicts a small amount of Wind damage to one enemy. | 3 SP | Tier 1
Damage - 15
SP 40 -> 37

Miss on 1:

Random number (1,10) :

1

“Astute observation,” Autumn riposted dryly as the belligerent man commented on her body’s mechanical nature, both of her bullets striking home -- non-lethal hits, but she hadn’t intended them to shoot to kill, anyway -- and droplets of crimson ichor soaked into blackened earth. “Now, do you mind explaining why you felt the need to try and kill me? And I thought the demons were the ones to worry about.” She was abruptly interrupted by Drak channeling a harsh gust of wind in her direction - one she wouldn't feasibly able to avoid, considering how close he was to her.

Not that it mattered, of course; the wind was an element she was very familiar with, and Autumn's sword leapt into her hands again in response. She rotated to the side slightly and pivoted on her back foot as she wheeled her blade around in a diagonal arc, parting the gale neatly and leaving it so that only slight force buffeted her as if passing through a slipstream, blunting the force of the attack so that she came out largely unharmed.

"Going to have to try harder than that," The android quipped, going on the offensive with a pair of rapid thrusts in an attempt to get under Drak's guard.

Drak clicks his tongue as Autumn neatly escapes his wind blade. Ignoring his own wounds, he hops back, avoiding her wind gale and leaving a trail of crimson with each movement. "Not what I was expecting from a machine, but this is a nice learning experience. Who knew there was a wind current strong enough to lift a metallic body like yours." He chuckles as she gracefully lands in front of him. Of course, he didn't let his guard down just yet as the battle just begun. When her blade came at him, he knocks it to the side with ease before blocking and holding his sword at an angle, redirecting the following thrust away from his body.

He winces and smiles through the pain of the bullet wounds, "I think these wounds just might be a good handicap for you. Oh, and don't mind me. I had no intention of attacking, but I couldn't of let my new friend here perish before I figured out what it was, now could I?" He pushes forward, grabbing the bottom half of the hilt with his other hand and slashes at Autumn in an upwards motion before spinning it around and slashing horizontally, trying to strike hard enough to make her stumble or make her lose her grip. "Though, I have to ask.. Do you really think a katana can withstand a Bastard Sword? Sure you could potentially take a few strikes, but sooner or later, your blade will either bend or shatter." He chuckles to himself, a bit cocky in his fighting style despite knowing he can just as easily perish by her blade.

“You might want to raise those expectations of yours,” Autumn cooly snapped back, deceptively calm and collected. In truth, Drak’s comment stung, but there was no room for letting his taunts get to her in the heat of battle lest she succumb to such mockery. Unfazed by how her attacks were parried aside, Autumn quickly redirected her blade, spinning it around in a quick riposte that was intended to get Drak to back off more rather than wounding him. “I could’ve told you, but it seems we’re doing this the hard way now, hmmm?” Autumn continued with a coy grin that didn’t reach her eyes.

Drak responded with a pair of strokes with his heavy blade that Autumn knew she would have no chance at blocking, the android ducking to the side and towards him in an attempt to get under his guard - but not before sustaining a shallow cut on her shoulder in the process. “Who said,” She continued, slamming her shin into Drak’s in order to throw him off balance, “That our blades ever have to meet?” Autumn retorted wryly, ramming the end of her sword’s hilt into his face.

Drak chuckles at her attempt of a riposte, unknowingly setting her off. Side stepping and turning his body away from her attack, he steps away like how she wanted before following through with his own.

As he makes contact her shoulder, he soon sees her aim, not missing the dirty trick she tried to pull. He reflexively raised his leg to meet her shin with his, momentarily forgetting she's made entirely of metal. Realizing his mistake as he brought his leg up, he attempts to pull back and avoid it, failing in the process but managing to reduce most of the damage. When the metal meets flesh and bone, an audible 'WHACK' can be heard followed by a quiet crack. If he leg was not broken by that impact, then it was definitely fractured. He wouldn't be able to use that leg properly for awhile. Hopping back, he hobbles in pain, wincing with each step, but remaining in a defensive stance. "FUCK! That's just fucking dirty! Good on you for knowing your strengths against a human body, but fucking hell that hurts. Coulda gone a little bit easier on this fleshy meatsack I call a body, ya know?"

He smirks, knowing he's on the losing side, then chuckles, "But you seem to have forgotten something... I'm not the only one you have to worry about." And if right on cue, Grim appears out of nowhere right in front of Autumn's face and grabs her, hugging her face and blocking her vision.

Autumn's vision was suddenly consumed by Drak's persona, forcing her to make an awkward, ingraceful attempt at creating distance as opposed to pressing her advantage. Warnings and damage reports blared in her mind as she attempted to get rid of her ghostly adversary before Drak inevitably took advantage of her vulnerability, eventually crying out her own persona's name. Protesilaus came forth with the familiar noise of shattering glass, calling forth a gale that eventually cleared her vision before fading away. Heavy damage detected, An almost insultingly calm and flat voice intoned, Activate Orgia mode? Warning: Inhibition logic will be limited while overclocking is active.

Autumn, almost without thinking, affirmed her decision.

The rest of the world fell away, an increasingly loud whirring noise emanating from her body. The warnings and almost all thought dissipated, condensation steaming off her from the heat - only two parameters existed. There was her, and then there was the enemy, nothing more. It was a sense of knowing, of being able to act, that permeated her entire form, synapses pulsing throughout her and allowing her to think and react faster than ever before.

She launched herself at Drak almost instantly, blade darting towards him with lethal intent.

Drak would stand put, pushing his blade into the earth to use it like a cane as he adjusts his weight off his injured leg. With a smirk, he silently chuckles to himself at Autumn's reaction. Grim wouldn't be trying to do damage at all, only trying to keep his grip on Autumn's face as she flails about, trying to get him off. It would be a funny sight for Drak, and a good time to take a short rest. However, that time wouldn't last long when he notices something strange happen to Autumn.

Without warning, Grim would make a high pitched squeal of pain before returning to the shadows. The moment it does so, Drak's expression slowly fades from a smirk to an immediate 'Oh shit!' When Autumn lunges, the only thing Drak can do is dodge out of the way, diving off to the side, into a pile of glass. Any pain and scratches he gets from that would be better off than running head first into the Super Saiyajin'd Autumn. Despite not wanting to use such a power, he concentrates an aura of Dark energy, releasing it in a large pulse wave to knock Autumn off guard and forcing her to stumble. She would feel no damage to body, but she would be a little weaker mentally as if if life force was almost ripped from her body.

Drak would be visibly exhausted, his wounds hurting a lot more, but he couldn't quite give up. Especially not when this ASSW unit had gone berserk and is attempting to kill him. The least he can do any further is hold onto his sword and defend himself until she calms down or until he perishes under her blade. with an exasperated sigh, he readies himself for an assault, his crimson blood slowly dripping down his arm and covering his blade, almost loosening his grip as the ichor coats his fingers. While he's readies for death, he couldn't help but smile and laugh to himself. "This is one hell of a way to go out, now isn't it? I was hoping for something a little more grand than from pissing off an android, but I guess you can't have it all. Until the darkness set in, may we pray for a peaceful afterlife. May Grim condemn me and guide me past the River of Styx." As if they're his last words, he sighs and gets serious, entering his defensive stance, ready to receive any further blows from Autumn.