Halting an Elite [B-Tier|Private|Vardreth]

Job Details:

Items Brought:

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Under the clear night sky, the town of Xuilan Shu sat, nestled amongst the trees of a small forest south of the Jade Dragons Mountains. There was a simple breeze that whistled through the leaves and provided a gentle yet subtle coolness in the surrounding area. The encircling forest was abundant with nature, as is the case with every other woodland regions, but none dared to go near the silent town or even move themselves. The creatures sensed danger approaching, though they knew not the reason.

Adrastos, dressed in black robes with his silver hair slicked back into a ponytail, was well aware of the danger because he was the source. He leaned against a building in a shadowed alley, waiting. The man had received intel from his Shadow Puppets that Emperor Yoshiro had ordered one of his elite soldiers to persuade a blacksmith under Emperor Gao Yuan Zu to build him armor. Adrastos also obtained information that the elite soldier would pass through Xuilan Shu, which was why he left Vardreth’s camp in the dead of night to intercept him. Tonight, Yoshiro would not only lose his chance at persuading Emperor Gao Yuan Zu’s blacksmith, but also lose one of his elite.

The magician heard heavy footsteps upon the stone street his alley was connected to and retrieved his wand. He closed his eyes, keeping his breathing steady as he prepared his mind for the task at hand.

---

Vardreth sensed a presence in his tent. Opening his eyes, his hand flew to his blade before he realized the individual who was there was simply his grandfather's disciple, Benoi. Though Vardreth awoke with an uncanny level of alertness, upon noticing the familiar face he let out a yawn. "What is it that brought you to awaken me?" Knowing it would not be some petty matter, Vardreth was already moving to get out of bed. He was only one step away from having no sense of decency, simply wearing a short set of silk underwear.

Benoi, for his part, was silent as usual. Nothing phased him, yet everything in the room was under his observation. Stoic in demeanor, Benoi held a small piece of paper with some words written upon it. Patiently Benoi stood there as Vardreth clothed himself. Hidden daggers were picked up and placed here and there within the warrior's voluminous clothing, followed by a few alchemical bombs. Finally the warrior completed his setup for equipment, placing his blade on his belt to the side.

"Alright, then, let's see what we have here..." Vardreth overlooked the document and his eyes lit up. "Ah, our esteemed guest has already made a move, and in the middle of the night, no less. Hmmm, I wonder what he's up to..? Good work, Benoi. I'll head out immediately." Adrastos had left camp some time before and had a head start on the mercenary captain, but this did not concern Vardreth. Stepping out of his commander's tent, Vardreth whistled. The sound was particular, in a sense, and a response to it was heard shortly after.

A horse neighed in the background as the sound of hooves clopped upon the packed earth. The sound was getting louder as the horse approached closer to the tent.

Vardreth whistled twice before jumping into the air moments before the horse approached. On cue, the horse matched its pace with Vardreth's decent only to catch the warrior upon its back as it continued moving. Vardreth was advised of Adrastos' direction, but how would he find the man?

The horse. Though it didn't have any extraordinary capabilities insofar as the sense of smell was concerned, beyond that of an ordinary horse, they were exceptional just as a breed in general... Though, perhaps, not quite as exceptional as a dog. It would take him a bit of time, however Vardreth made a short detour to where he had fought Adrastos earlier.

---

When twenty minutes passed, Vardreth already had an idea of where Adrastos was headed. There wasn't much nearby in that direction, after all. Xuilan Shu. Let us see what business brings you here. With the advantage of having a beast as his mode of transportation, Vardreth was able to make up in the time delay with the help of the stamina of the special breed of horse as well as the speed that horses ran at.

Vardreth had pat the horse's mane as they slowed down. From the vantage point of a hill, Vardreth watched the streets of the town. Although he did not yet see Adrastos, Vardreth did see a man walking through the streets. Hm... As one of the only individuals moving, Vardreth kept half an eye on the man. There were others, to be sure, however none of them were armed with a weapon...



OOC:

WC: 557/1500

Items Used:

Thanatos Persona Appearance:

Once the footsteps drew closer, Adrastos whispered to the rukh to cast Thanatos Persona before leaping out from the alley, ready to cast an offensive spell, but was caught unaware by how close the man really was and got hit in the collarbone with the elite’s painful thrust. The magician stumbled back, clutching his wound as blood poured down his chest, soaking his black robes and causing the fabric to stick to his skin. Any lower and the elite could have struck a lung, or even worse, his heart.

The magician mentally cursed and glared at his opponent who laughed. “You’re a lucky one to be able to survive the thrust of Emperor Yoshiro’s elite warrior, Tao.” He took a stance with his feet spread far apart as he held his spear in both hands. A sword was strapped to his hip and a shield on his back. This man was well equipped. For Adrastos to think otherwise was stupid. “Unfortunately, I can’t waste much time with you; I have more important business to attend to. This will be over quickly.”

Adrastos scoffed. “Please, there’s no need to be so secretive. I know you’re on your way to one of Emperor Gao Yuan Zu’s blacksmiths to convince him to craft Yoshiro some armor. Nothing is secret in the shadows. Your master won’t be getting any armor.” Tao stared in disbelief. “H-how did you know?” He shook his head. “No matter. Your death will come soon enough. You have no chance at beating me alone.”

The warrior lunged to feign an attack with his spear while using his Dragon’s Breath technique. Adrastos was too close to the man to be able to cast a spell, and because he was not familiar with close quarter fighting, he fell for the trick and got hit with the hardened dust. The magician lost his breath and stumbled backward from the impact. His torso throbbed in pain and he probably had a couple of fractured ribs. Not wanting to sustain another hit, Adrastos staggered three meters away to put more distance between him the Tao.

“Nox Globus,” whispered the wounded magician after looking away quickly. A bright light flashed suddenly. All Adrastos heard was stumbling and cursing in front of him, signalling that Tao had been blinded as the magician intended. He used the opportunity to duck into another alley, but beyond that, Adrastos wasn’t sure what to do.

Each breath burned because of a couple of fractured ribs and the amount of blood loss was making his eyesight slightly blurry. Regrettably, Adrastos didn’t bring bandages or any sort of herbal remedy that could combat the agonizing pain shooting through his body. Nobody he knew, nobody he trusted, was nearby to help either. Nox had been left behind at the camp and the magician didn’t think anyone had followed. Even if they did, there was no guarantee they’d help. Plus, Adrastos would have to life with the humiliation of almost losing if anyone were watching.

Stupid… I underestimated my opponent. A rookie mistake that almost cost me. Why didn’t I use my wand sooner? Use the Shadow Realm? Adrastos shook his head. I need to think of a solution before he regains his eyesight, not dwell on my earlier failure.

The magician continued to use the darkness of the alley for cover as he attempted to concoct a plan.

---

• Adrastos used Thanatos Persona
  
• Tao used Painful Thrust | A-Tier damage to collarbone
  
• Tao used Dragon's Breath | B-Tier damage to torso
  
• Adrastos used Nox Globus | Blinded Tao (1 Post)
  

Abilities Used:

Vardreth continued to watch, Marux's reins in hand, for any suspicious movement. Suddenly an unknown man came out of the alleyway and was immediately cut down by the spearman. At least, to the layman's eyes that was what appeared to happen. Vardreth whistled. The man walking out of the alleyway had seemingly no intent to attack, and yet the stranger walking down the road had immediately drew his spear and attacked in a lightning fast manner.

That attack was skillful and powerful.

Yet it was not this attack alone that caused Vardreth to whistle. The man who was being attacked managed to avoid a death blow at the last moment. Suddenly a bright light flashed, blinding what looked to be the aggressor. Oh..? There are some skillful warriors below. That man who was struck most likely escaped... "Hiya!" Vardreth squeezed the sides of Marux gently, who immediately got a running start and flew through the air. Like the story of the legendary Koi surpassing the Waterfall, the beast flew through the air and landed upon the rooftop of one of the houses. Again, the horse jumped with incredible strength and speed. While the tiles were broken by the weight and landing of the horse, the horse's perfect balance allowed it to keep moving without slowing down.

The horse maneuvered through the area with great ease, as if it were a dragon in flight, landing in the same street that the man from before was walking. The clopping of the hooves were audible as the duo approached the spearman. Recalling the reflexive attack from before, Vardreth decided to not approach his opponent while on horseback. There were plenty of ways for him to kill his opponent while on horseback, but Vardreth more or less wanted to recruit the man to his fold if possible. Patting the horse's neck, Vardreth jumped off and landed just outside of the spearman's range. All of this took time to explain, however it transpired in only an instant.

Seemingly sensing him, Tao grit his teeth and stopped rubbing his eyes. He focused on the presence behind him, wary of multiple enemies attacking, and gripped his spear as he fought off the blindness.

Vardreth spoke up. "Relax, relax. My name is Captain Fang of the Fang Mercenaries. I couldn't help but see your exchange earlier... Care to join my band of mercenaries? I could use somebody like you on my team." Expansion of his forces was something he could afford at this time, and would be a smart thing to do. Vardreth approached Tao from behind, slowly, but did not do so stupidly. Walking, two layers of strengthened Magoi protected Vardreth's body.

Tao detected the change in the atmosphere. It was as if the air had turned into molasses. Tao considered briefly how the individual he attacked earlier managed to dodge his killing blow; it showed that even though the individual did not seem threatening, he truly had the skill to threaten him. Tao immediately attacked Vardreth with his Blade's Dance, using his ears to discover Vardreth's presence and keeping his awareness stretched in order to defend attacks from behind.

Unfortunately for Tao, his attacks met the strong resistance of Vardreth's shield of magoi, and ineffectually slid off of Vardreth's body. "Oi, oi. You've got some skill, I'll admit this, however you don't have the capability to defeat me with that level of combat. Not when you're blind, at least." Vardreth chuckled, his arrogance already on display. He spoke louder now. "I don't have anything against you. I'm just interested in bringing in talents. If you don't want to join, you're free to go. I know there was another talent out there that looked promising as well, I'll see if he is willing."

Vardreth had no idea the man before him was an agent of Yoshiro. His last words would, however, be loud enough for Adrastos to hear. No doubt the voice would be a familiar one as well...

OOC:

WC = 1219/1500
350/390 magoi
390/440 stamina

It is up to Adrastos on how Tao reacts and how Adra reacts :3.

Koi Surpases Waterfall + scaling = 50 stamina.
New Moon + scaling = 40 magoi.

Abilities Used:

Items used:

As Adrastos took cover in the alley, he heard a familiar voice and mentally cursed. What the hell was Vardreth doing here? The only conclusion the magician could come up with was that the young captain was keeping tabs on him. Adrastos had suspected he would, but he didn’t think the teenager would actually follow him anywhere. A good thing the magician wasn’t doing any business as the Shadow Master, else Vardreth would have some questions to ask instead of Adrastos.

The magician remained where he was to listen to Vardreth’s words. Apparently, the great mercenary leader had no knowledge as to who this man was despite being the owner of a supposedly large group. If he did, then perhaps Vardreth would not have offered a position in his little army. Tao thought the same and responded with a booming laugh. “Sorry, kid, but I’m already employed.”

He rubbed at his eyes, regaining his sight once again and locked onto the mercenary leader, annoyed and impatient. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a job to do.”

As Tao was about to walk away from Vardreth, Adrastos spoke up as he emerged from the alley where he hid, still under the guise of Thanatos Persona, “Where do you think you’re going? I didn’t give you permission to leave.”

Tao turned. “Still alive, I see. I’ll end your suffering quickly and be on my way then,” he smirked while readying his weapon. “This will be over before you know it.”

Adrastos’ lips curled into a smile, pointing his wand in the air. The elite soldier was right about this not being much of a fight, least not for the silver-haired magician. If Vardreth hadn’t shown up, Adrastos might not had left the alley due to his injuries, but the mercenary just had to say he’d let Tao go without even knowing what the man’s mission pertained. The magician wasn’t going to let someone so important walk away.

“It’s time for you to succumb to the darkness.”

After feeding magoi into his wand, darkness spewed upward into the air like a fountain and formed a dome covering them in shadows. With Tao being unable to see once again, Adrastos rushed forward with his right arm outstretched until he touched the elite’s head. There was little to no time for him to react as Adrastos fed magoi into Dantalis Serpent upon contact, activating the magic item’s function. Tao howled until he was soon silenced, his screams replaced by the cracking and splitting of the skin covering his skull as the moisture was sucked out instantaneously, leaving a shrivelled-up shell for his head.

The shadow dome dissipated and Adrastos lost the guise of his Thanatos Persona. With the enemy defeated, he tucked his wand in his robes. “Such a fool,” the magician said as he stared with cold eyes at the corpse that rested at his feet.

He look up at Vardreth, narrowing his eyes ever so slightly. “I don’t appreciate being followed, nor do I appreciate how you can simply let an enemy of the Emperor walk away free. I would have thought that the leader of a band of mercenaries would know about Yoshiro sending one of his elite soldiers to persuade a blacksmith, under the command of Emperor Gao Yuan Zu no less, to forge armor for him. If it weren’t for me and my intel, he would have went on his merry way.” Adrastos shook his head while tearing some fabric to tie around his wounds. As he was about to tie the long piece of shredded cloth, a male voice up on the rooftops made him pause.

“Says the man who almost died. If it weren’t for Vardreth distracting him, you’d be a limp corpse lying in a pool of blood.”

Hades the Cat:

A black cat jumped down before sitting, it's cool grey eyes staring at Adrastos. The magician scowled and responded, apparently unfazed that the cat was talking, “Shut up. You have a knack of wandering off and coming back when it’s convenient for you. Where the hell have you been since Balbadd?”

The kitten seemingly shrugged. “I’ve been around, exploring what it’s like out of that desert wasteland I once called home, but I’ve always been close by in case you’ve needed me.” It turned its head, looking at Vardreth with its tail swaying from side to side. "Hello there."

---

• Thanatos Persona Sustained
  
• Shadow Realm cast
  
• Desiccate cast | Tao’s head received A-Tier Dehydration damage
  

[exit]

Abilities Used:

Vardreth stepped back as he promised earlier, giving space for the man to walk away. It was at this moment when the other man appeared in order to continue their fight. Tenacious! Excellent. If he can win in that state, he would truly be a good seedli- Before Vardreth could complete his thought the group was enveloped in a shroud of darkness. Vardreth's eyebrows jumped in surprise, before settling back down. A thoughtful look flickered across his face. Surely this is not a coincidence. I imagine many magicians have such capabilities available, but for the person I'm looking for and the person before me to both be in the same city coincidentally... Unlikely. Coming to this thought, Vardreth immediately realized that the man he was about to let go was likely an enemy.

None of that mattered, however, as both the darkness and the illusion disappeared only to reveal the desiccated head upon the corpse of the man before him. Truly a terrible and gruesome fate to behold. Vardreth whistled in approval and appreciation, resting the dull edge of the blade on his shoulder. Just as he was about to greet the man, Adrastos complained of Vardreth's activities.

Remembering that he had followed Adrastos without letting the man know, Vardreth was about to let out a deep laugh when a voice spoke from a nearby height. Furrowing his brow, Vardreth quickly looked in the direction of the voice but was unable to find any person nearby. The blade was immediately readied for combat, with Vardreth jumping into a defensive stance. A cat jumped down and sat in front of Adrastos while Vardreth kept his attention on the surroundings. This person knows who I am, but I am not familiar with them... At least, I do not believe myself to be familiar with them.
When Adrastos began speaking to the cat, a strange look appeared on Vardreth's face. He must have been hit harder than I thought... Maybe he hit his head in the exchange, earlier? That strange look turned ugly for a brief moment when the voice appeared once more, coming directly from the cat. "WHAT?!" He took a step back, momentarily frightened by the appearance of such a strange creature. It did not seem to pose a threat, however that only aided its capability of causing Vardreth to feel momentarily threatened. Had he been fighting, Vardreth would have suppressed such a feeling and attacked without qualm.

Vardreth was happy he had not said anything about Adrastos being weird for talking to a cat before, otherwise he would have given himself a resounding slap to the face. Clearing his throat, Vardreth tried to figure the creature out before a look of enlightenment appeared on his face. He looked between Adrastos and the cat and then laughed. "Haha! For a moment I thought I had met a talking cat! Friend, what kind of magic did you use in order to make your appearance as such? No need to fear! You can show your true appearance to me!" The world of magicians must surely be a strange place! Vardreth knew his grandfather was correct; he was simply a frog at the bottom of the well, and he drastically needed these real world experiences. He wondered if this was a strong magician ally of Adrastos; perhaps some sort of illusion magic, or some sort of restructuring of the body? He could not be certain.

OOC:
WC = 1719+/1500
350/390 magoi
390/440 stamina
[exit]