Pandaemonium
Posts 343
Power Level 30
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Post by Blue Jay on Aug 15, 2016 20:41:42 GMT -7
The only warning Kasty had was a brief movement forward and towards him against the upward force of the dirt and rocks blasted as high as twenty feet into the air. The weight on the top and back of his head would’ve knocked him to the ground normally; as he was, Kasty had to catch himself on his knees before Gilgamesh had landed behind him.
He made two assessments from this; Gilgamesh could jump significantly higher than he had expected, and the Pandaemonium aimed for the head.
He needed to get to his feet. He couldn’t fight from the ground, but if Gilgamesh was making a quick follow-up, he risked an attack in getting up. He risked attack in staying there as well. As he was behind him, he couldn’t see what Gilgamesh was doing and didn’t know enough of his fighting style to predict it. All he knew is he could and did attack fast, and he was going to get hit if he made the slightest hesitation.
He teleported about four feet to the right, reappearing in the same position and at the same angle as he had before the jump, and tried to get a foot underneath him like a runner at the starting line.
“I’ve only had eleven months.” He grunted. Of course he hadn’t mastered it.
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Post by Gilgamesh on Aug 16, 2016 21:47:41 GMT -7
He was right in assuming that Gilgamesh would make a quick follow up attack. Though this time it wasn't aimed for the head. Rather if Katsy had not teleported away in time he would have found Gilgamesh stomping on his spine with enough force that the impact left a crater in the pavement where his foot landed, just a split second after Katsy vanished to safety. Though his location was revealed by his words before Gilgamesh even had to turn around.
"That makes you reckless, not brave."
He knew first hand what happened when one rushed into danger once they got a taste of power. The scars on his body were proof of the flaws of that philosophy. It was through training, time, and mastery that one obtained the strength to influence the world around them. Passion was a poor substitute for dedication. They would have to put their philosophies to the test here. Passion vs Dedication.
He'd rush for Blue Jay, his eyes noting the sprinting position. A poor one for an attack with the blade. But with teleportation the attack and position could change rapidly, he'd need to be aware of that and change his own tactics to make it harder to predict. Thus when he got close Gilgamesh would drop to the ground, sliding to try and kick out Katsy's feet from whatever he was doing as Gilgamesh rushed him, expecting that he'd go under whatever attack the kid had planned with this new angle of attack.
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Pandaemonium
Posts 343
Power Level 30
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Post by Blue Jay on Aug 16, 2016 22:30:14 GMT -7
He should’ve had something planned with the pose he’d taken, made the most of every action he got with the slim margin of error Gilgamesh was giving him, but the truth of it was it was simply a hurried attempt to get to his feet.
He was expecting to take another hit to his upper half, and thus had raised the sword defensively as he jumped to his feet. His legs were not at all guarded, meaning his only means of evasion to Gilgamesh’s attack was yet another teleportation. He reappeared about four feet behind Gilgamesh, vanishing with about as much time to spare as his last teleportation had left him and unsteadily on a single foot.
Shock waves were only working to a mild degree. Gilgamesh was dodging most of them, even taking them as openings. He needed to hit harder, with something different. He locked the sword in his grip against his side, point forward. Blue Jay steeled himself. He had to mentally remind himself that he was not - could not aim for a shoulder or arm like usual. His stance was not fully recovered, but it would be fine. Probably.
Kasty displaced, moving to land directly before Gilgamesh. Behind him, if he hadn’t turned. Using the full of his strength and more than human speed, he made to stab Gilgamesh’s abdomen - the small of his back, or perhaps his stomach. His right hand, resting on the end of the hilt, would serve to drive the strike deeper.
This made him reckless? Kasty guessed it did; but he’d always been like that, ever since he’d gotten his powers. He used to like it, just jumping into the action without too much thought and trusting his heart or something to guide him. Then it’d burned him. A lot of the mess he found himself in could be traced back to rushing into situations before he was prepared or even knew fully what was going on. He didn’t like it, wished he could take things slower and more carefully. But it wasn’t entirely without reason.
“I haven’t had a choice!”
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It's a brand new me, I got no remorse
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Post by Gilgamesh on Aug 16, 2016 22:59:22 GMT -7
So he teleported away again. That meant he had no counter, the young super was now on the defensive. If he was forced to continue to use his power only for evasion it meant less chance for him to counterattack. That meant that even when Gilgamesh was missing his attacks he was gaining ground. Because each successful strike was not being met with a retaliatory strike. They kid was wearing himself down in a battle he couldn't win. He got his powers from the sword, and he'd only had it for less than a year. He was locking himself into a battle of attrition against someone who trained for this for over a decade. Katsy needed to strike back, Gilgamesh knew this. Katsy had to or he was done for.
On the ground with a failed slide tackle would be the best time to strike. And if he was Katsy he'd teleport in behind himself and finish it with a stab to the heart. Gilgamesh didn't have the luxury if being able to teleport and instantly reposition himself. So instead he'd have to out guess his opponent. So he'd plant his hands on the ground and shift his weight to send his body spinning with his arms acting as his anchors for this 360 degree attack. If Katsy teleported anywhere within striking range he'd find Gilgamesh's legs rapidly slamming toward his legs again to knock him to the ground.
The intention was to strike nearly as soon as he teleported in by having the attack start before the teleport happened. He had to anticipate Katsy, but given the kid's seemingly rash nature and eagerness to rush in without proper preparation he suspected that any attack that came would be one spawned from opportunity and fear of losing the opening. Thus it would be sloppy and imprecise. But if he did this right he might not only be able to sweep Katsy off his feet but also knock the weapon from his hand with the impact. If that happened, well then it was just a matter of keeping him from the blade.
"Bullshit."
You always had a choice. He chose to join the Bulwark. He chose to try and rush into danger without training and understanding the powers. He chose to go looking for Gilgamesh. He chose to be here right now. And he chose to cross this line.
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Pandaemonium
Posts 343
Power Level 30
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Post by Blue Jay on Aug 17, 2016 21:18:09 GMT -7
There was a reason Kasty had been opting for his complete teleportations in place of his much longer-ranged displacements. Gilgamesh would find his kick connect with something unseen, at the very edge of its radius. Kasty suddenly found himself not heading towards where he had intended for the displacement to set him, but flying head-over-heels at an angle somewhere between the direction his displacement had been going and where Gilgamesh’s kick would’ve knocked him. He landed in the dirt on his back about five feet away from Gilgamesh with a grunt.
Luck had been both on his side and betting against him. His muscles were tense like he’d just gotten off a spinning fair ride and his head was feeling likewise, but compared to the last two times this had happened, he was decently alright. For one, he was still conscious. He had also maintained grip on the sword - he’d done so in much worse - and he hadn’t hit the ground hard enough to do more than knock the wind out of him, but when he began to pull himself up, his vision spun.
“I’ve only had eleven months.” He repeated, all but spitting out the words as he dragged himself to his feet and raised the sword again defensively across his chest.
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Post by Gilgamesh on Aug 19, 2016 16:43:52 GMT -7
Katsy was fortunate that he landed far enough away to prevent a flowing follow up attack after being knocked down. Thus when Gilgamesh swept his body up into a handstand, he'd tip his body forward to get back onto his feet. Bringing his fists up into a defensive stance, lightly bouncing on the balls of his feet as Blue Jay pulled himself into a defensive position. Still feeling the pressure he'd assume Blue Jay was frantically figuring out what he'd be able to do. A frontal attack wouldn't do much at the rate he was going. Which meant it would be more teleportation. Behind or above most likely.
"That should have been spent training and mastering. Not rushing off like a child."
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Pandaemonium
Posts 343
Power Level 30
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Post by Blue Jay on Aug 19, 2016 19:03:22 GMT -7
Kasty clenched his jaw. In some part, Gilgamesh’s words stung. They were a reminder of why he was here now, rather than training as he suggested; something he’d tried to push out of his mind despite its centrality to the fight. He let the feeling pass. Gilgamesh didn’t understand, and thus he had nothing to say to him.
He was clearly outmatched in skill, for reasons Gilgamesh was happy to point out. It was becoming increasingly clear he was going to have to fight instead with the raw power the sword contained. That’s how he slew dragons, and that’s how he was going to fight Gilgamesh.
Kasty steadied his breath, and displaced. He vanished, but rather than appearing elsewhere on the ground, it placed him about fifty feet up above Gilgamesh. Without momentum, gravity quickly took hold of him and he began his fall. Swiftly, he brought the sword up over his shoulder. He swung it downwards with all of his strength - and from the sword’s edge, a shock wave with enough power and speed to be seen with the naked eye shot towards the ground, and towards Gilgamesh. Like with the dragon, he didn’t hold back. This was as powerful as he could make them. Last time he’d shot one at the ground like this, it’d left a crater more than thirty feet deep and twice as wide in the ground, obliterated the two nearby factories, and had the police at the spot he’d been training at within five minutes. This was why he was hesitant to fight downtown.
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Post by Gilgamesh on Aug 19, 2016 21:05:38 GMT -7
And sure enough there it was. Vanishing instead of facing him head on like a man. Relying on his tricks, as potent as they may be. But he'd gotten a read on it by this point. He's seen what this kid had up his sleeve when it came to his playbooks. There was no sense of a presence behind him, no flash of movement which meant that it was above!
He'd show him the strength of his conviction. Looking upward at the young man as he unleashed his ultimate attack. There was no time to wonder what kind of toll that may have on him. There was little time to contemplation dodging or blocking. Instead he'd meet it head on. Leaping into the air with his own strength as Blue Jay's attack hurtled toward him. Though the power gave it visibility allowing Gilgamesh to know when he needed to twist his body to avoid the brunt of the wave that ripped through his clothes and at his flesh. Clenching his teeth to hold back the pained sound as his body continued to twist. His right leg snapping forward for a powerful crescent kick right for Blue Jay's head while they were both airborne.
Blue Jay had made one accurate observation, while it wasn't his only tactic. Gilgamesh did enjoy hitting the head. It was a quick way to take someone out of the fight. To subdue or kill them. And he wasn't planning to subdue Blue Jay. He intended to snap his neck and send him flying into the shrapnel and rubble that his own little shock wave created.
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Pandaemonium
Posts 343
Power Level 30
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Post by Blue Jay on Aug 19, 2016 22:32:26 GMT -7
It hadn’t been enough. A flash of terror ran through Kasty at the sight of the other super bypass the shockwave to come towards him with a jump. Even that, Gilgamesh had avoided.
He couldn’t hesitate. The sword was bladed on both sides, meaning a swipe upwards would still cut. It would be awkward, it was better than nothing; they were mid-air, what else could he do? As his first swing came to an end, Kasty reversed the direction of the blade, attempting a vertical slice to intercept Gilgamesh.
He knew immediately that he would be a little slower - Gilgamesh’s attack would hit before his swing could reach him. It would be trading a hit for a hit, but there was little other option in his mind at this range. He braced himself and forced his own attack to maintain its trajectory and strength.
Then, he felt the leg make contact. Pain shot through the back of his head and neck, and he felt himself falling much faster than he had previously. Whether or not his swing had made contact - managed not to be thrown askew or had continued far enough to hit Gilgamesh at all - he couldn’t be sure. His vision flashed black and his body went numbly limp. The impact of landing wasn’t felt, so much as its after effects grew as awareness returned to him.
The kick had shot him off-center of the crater. The blast had dug far enough into the ground that the deepest point was below the nearby ocean’s waterline, and water was beginning to seep into the hole. Feeling came back to him like he was leaving a dream, but some of it refused to leave. His legs felt heavy, his left especially so, and needles ran up the insides of his arms. His chest burned. Breathing was hard, and his were shallow. More than anything, though, his neck throbbed. It felt stiff and unresponsive, like someone had replaced it with a log of burning wood.
Among the pain was the hilt, still firmly in his hand, its solid form ever present, and by now, very familiar. Its leather had worn to his hand. His mind felt dull, and his vision was turning black around the edges, but he still knew. He had to keep hold of the sword, and he had to get up and keep fighting. It hadn’t been too long since he’d hit the ground, right? It couldn’t have taken him too long to get back to grips with himself. He’d be able to pull himself up before Gilgamesh could take advantage of his exposed back. It wasn’t over yet.
It was with no small amount of effort that Kasty pulled himself to his knees. Rubble that’d landed unfelt on his back fell off and rolled down the slope of the crater. It was less pain that made getting up a slow and difficult process, and more his body’s unwillingness to work with him. At least the sword was helping him, for once.
But he couldn’t help but feel like that was only because Gilgamesh didn’t need the sword’s aid to beat him.
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Post by Gilgamesh on Aug 20, 2016 20:39:06 GMT -7
Gambits always had risk, and while his attack had landed, and he'd managed to bypass the shock wave he did not escape unscathed. The attack was able to hit a mark. The blade slashing upward from Gilgamesh's right up and across his chest to his left shoulder. Blood flowed freely out as Gilgamesh landed roughly on the ground. His back hitting the pavement, though his head thankfully didn't smack the back of the ground. His whole torso was on fire, he could feel the rip in his flesh and the sticky warmth of the blood that was flowing out.
Rolling onto his injured stomach, he'd push himself up slowly with his arms and legs. Laughing darkly through the pain. He'd miscalculated. The kid had more guts hidden away in there. Good for him. He'd still die, but at least the kid would die with the honor of being a warrior. Spilling his enemies blood in glorious battle. There was no more honorable way to die than with the blood of your enemy on your weapon.
There were no more words to share, no more advice to give. No should haves, would haves. He'd need to stay focused now, one hundred percent. He didn't need another one of those. Each step toward Katsy was painful as the ripped muscles and flesh in his torso screamed in pain and complained with each step. He could do nothing for the wounds but bury them now as his mind slipped into a meditative state. Blank and empty. Detached from himself. No thoughts for where he could sew himself up at. No concern over the trail of blood he was leaving as he stalked toward Katsy who was not trying to push himself up. Nothing existed in this moment other than waiting for Katsy to get to his feet once more. A warrior didn't die on their knees.
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Pandaemonium
Posts 343
Power Level 30
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Post by Blue Jay on Aug 21, 2016 23:19:58 GMT -7
He was not done yet. Kasty forced himself numbly onto his feet, catching himself from falling backwards down the slope with a staggered step. He felt only two things; the white burning of pain, and the sword in his hands. Adrenaline and muscle memory were the only things keeping him moving, and single-minded will was alone directing his actions. Before, he had been unsure if he would be able to kill Gilgamesh. Or if that was really what he wanted to do. He had known he had to fight to his fullest, but he couldn't help but be hesitant. Now, it was the only thing on his mind. He had to. It was Gilgamesh or him. Future regrets meant nothing and hesitancy was going to get him killed.
Gilgamesh was waiting. Kasty gave him a flicker of a smile for his honor. There were many things Kasty hated about the man, but that was one of the few he could respect. It made him someone worth fighting, not just a target to kill.
Kasty slowly drew his sword up to his left shoulder, letting the blade lazily scrape against the rock as he did so. The blade felt like nothing to him though his arms were unable to keep it steady. the tip shook as far as half an inch to either side. He was going to do something dangerous; something he'd only read about and attempted in practice on one occasion to far less than positive effects.
He displaced, but rather than landing in front of Gilgamesh as he had before, his targeted destination was about ten feet behind him. Meaning Gilgamesh was in between what was essentially him hurtling himself at a point at a blinding speed. He'd done this a number of times to break through windows, but glass shattered the instant the tip of his sword touched it. Gilgamesh was not glass, and Kasty knew full well what happened when his displacements were interrupted.
Kasty had been aiming the sword at Gilgamesh's chest, but his hand had shifted the blow to land somewhere around the shoulder or upper arm. Unlike before, he would not lose all of his momentum upon reappearing. As soon as the blade - what was fronting the strike - hit a block in its path, the rest of the energy of the displacement would be quickly challenged into both what he'd struck and into Kasty himself. It was an effect similar to dry firing a bow, and felt like stopping suddenly in a car amplified to several times. His momentum would not end; his forward motion continued at a speed derivative to what he had been traveling at before, carrying him forward and his strike deeper. It was a final attempt; something that was very likely to hurt him as well, but in face of failed shock waves and swordsmanship he knew to be lesser, it was the best he had.
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Post by Gilgamesh on Aug 23, 2016 19:28:00 GMT -7
When Blue Jay regained his footing Gilgamesh slipped back into a defensive stance. Raising both of his arms up, clenching his jaw tightly in pain as blood continued to trickle from the wound across his torso. Though the bleeding was already beginning to slow down thanks to the Qi coursing through his body. Though that didn't stop the injury from hindering his stance. It wasn't as tight as it was before, his range of motion starting to get restricted to prevent him from opening up or worsening the injury.
He didn't have an answer yet for the displacement other than to guess where he'd end up. He figured since surprise attacks hadn't worked that Blue Jay would be going for a head on strike again to try and throw him off. Desperate last stands tended to be from the front, especially when sneak attacks have failed. People defaulted to the most basic of mindsets in dire situations. Fight or flight. But when you got to that point fight was rarely complicated or brilliant. Especially for someone clearly lacking training and mastery, such as Katsy.
It was fast though, fast enough to hit Gilgamesh squarely in his shoulder. His whole body rocking with the impact as the blade dug into his flesh. The force and momentum enough to pierce through his Qi hardened flesh until the tip of the blade penetrated out the other side of his shoulder. Gilgamesh let out a cry of pain that was quickly silenced as he slammed his jaw closed. His eyes narrowing at Blue Jay, determined to look him in the eyes for this. It was time to end this, one way or the other. He lunged forward, causing the blade to pierce deeper into his body with the sickening sound of flesh tearing and ripping, the blood oozing from the wound increased. His shoulder and mind were ablaze with pain, but the pain was fuel.
When it came to fight or flight plans were rarely complicated. When forced into a last stand people tended to go for frontal assaults, and Gilgamesh was no different. Despite what he may like to think. The palm strike wouldn't have far to travel to reach Blue Jay's chest with them as close as they were. And with the sword inside of his body he didn't know if Blue Jay could teleport or not. He would find out soon enough though if he was ripped apart. Rather than fret about what Blue Jay could do his mind was focused on a single objective. To slam Blue Jay down into the ground with the palm strike. Following the momentum of his own blow all the way to the ground where Blue Jay's shock wave had ripped up the concrete, exposing a particularly jagged piece of rebar. He planned to go tit for tat. Though he'd be going for Blue Jay's heart, not his shoulder.
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Pandaemonium
Posts 343
Power Level 30
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Post by Blue Jay on Aug 23, 2016 20:22:49 GMT -7
It was nothing but pain that Kasty felt when his displacement stopped suddenly. It was the remaining force of the displacement and his tight grip on the hilt and his stance that made the strike more than any influence of Kasty, who was only dimly aware that the attack landed. The force of the displacement had shaken injuries that had already put him past a state of deep exhaustion. His body felt cold and his mind dull. Dodging Gilgamesh’s inevitable next attack was not on his mind; that he would be attacked again hadn’t even crossed it. The sudden burst of pain in his chest came as a surprise to him, and the shifting of the sky above him and the sense of falling an oddity.
He hardly felt it when he hit the ground. Neither the impact of the stone nor the piece of rebar that pierced through his back, out and just off center below his ribs, and was the one thing keeping him from sliding down into the crater he had created. It was just like his vision, he came realized; the chill in his bones and the black in his vision, the distant and inverted scape of the docks. And Gilgamesh. The only difference now was the pain, everywhere and nowhere. It hadn’t prepared him for that, but he figured that was okay. It’d be over soon.
Kasty held onto the sword. It didn’t matter that it had been buried in Gilgamesh’s shoulder, he would not let go of it. He had failed at stopping Gilgamesh - he would not fail at his other task. The more important task, he was feeling now. He knew couldn’t let go of the sword, even when - especially when he was nearing his end.
His breaths grew shallow and fragmented, and his heartbeat slowed. Blood flowed freely from the wound in his back and stomach. More was in his throat and chest. His vision was growing steadily blacker, and with little left to see, Kasty closed his eyes. He felt his mind following close behind. He had failed at his final mission; he had not stopped Gilgamesh, and now his fate had come to fruition. But that was okay, he felt. Maybe he would’ve been upset with himself last night, angry or sad that this was how it had to end, but now he was fine to let this all pass. It had been a good fight. Gilgamesh had been more than a fine opponent; he’d been someone worth fighting. He couldn’t call himself perfectly content - few could at his age - but he had accepted death. It was okay.
Kasty’s heart beat one final time, and his consciousness left peacefully.
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