The Beginning (Arkaine Vs. Loco)

A barren wasteland stood down below the Cloudy blue sky and the great blinding sun. Decayed plants and some remains of animals rolled along with the wind, and bones stood out of the sand, completely white, bleached from the sun. Tumbleweeds rolled across the sandy surface, and the sandy winds blinding all who travel against the ferocious winds. Bugs, Mammals, and Lizards scurried to their holes to escape the extreme heat of the sun. Along the wasteland to the east was simply a stone-floor like surface, almost flat, and somehow completely untouched, the work of mages when they were practicing the art of controlling Mother Nature. And further down this unusual stone surface, was the canyon.

A tumbleweed rolled down to the giant canyon, bouncing down the slopes until it was falling down, and after a long fall, simply bounced and continued to roll slowly, and soon to a stop. The canyon was very wide, some can find a way across it the easy way because of the stone like platforms that stook out, created by erosion from the rain. Adept fighters and acrobatics can take the quicker way by jumping up the platforms easily, others can climb up the rugged walls of the canyon. The very bottom was flat, but at times a hole was shown here and there, and the surface was wet, some moisture was kept in the deep canyon. Along the canyon, was the Ruins of the Maoais, the Ancient and the Wisest of all kind in earth. The ruin entrance was carved beautifully with magnificent sculptures and nicely designed pillars, all in a dark brown and dark gray, and it practically looked unscathed, although some of the crevices were covered in sand, some slight gusts got to the bottom of the canyon. This is basically a dream to any excavators or adventurers. The sound of the winds filled the canyon, echoing the deep canyon, not until the sound of footsteps were suddenly heard.

CRUSH!!

the Tumbleweed that fell down to the canyon cracked into a bunch of pieces, and the pieces were scattering across the canyon. The sound echoed the whole canyon, and soon died out and the echoing winds took over again. A man came through the east end of the canyon, taking a walk through the lifeless, long ditch it is, finally reaching his destination. he was slightly dragging his feet from the rather exhausting trip to the canyon, some dust rose from the ground as he now was adding weight to his steps. "finally, I can rest for a bit, after I find a good place to sit down" he thought as he noticed the ruins on his right side, his main purpose for coming here. He gained a hobby throughout his life: Acquiring old manuscripts, copying hieroglyphs, and reading ancient texts. He had a good friend translate them to he could read them. but he did go and grab whatever treasure was left behind as well. He had to make money somehow, as he will never get rid of any texts he found until the time was truly right.

But he came here for another reason

An unusual stranger gave him a note requesting a meeting near the ruins, as he knew about the ruins as well, and it made him think that it was rather odd that someone else would find it. He reached his hands for his coat pocket, and got out a rugged piece of paper with nice handwriting. And it said: "Hello, I have a proposition for you. I will mark a location that will suitable for our needs, and I will tell you about the deal. Meet me at the bottom of a canyon, you will notice it if you see a ruin entrance. I will enter the canyon from the direction where the sun rises. I hope we will meet soon.

Oh and by the way, watch out for huge gusts of wind!

This made the man feel very unusual, the last thought he had on his mind was the gusty winds, this made him abruptly think of a mage sending him that letter. He never trusted mages, except a few friends of his who live with him back at his home back at the huge grassy plains. He shook the thought out of his mind as he turned his head left and right, hoping to find a place to sit down and rest, thinking of what should happen next. A rock stood out from the path on his left side, nicely curved and rather flat at the end, it hardly stook out, not to mention it was near the ruins, this caught the man's attention, and he decided to sit down.

The man had a good build, an overall build for traveling, and some skills for the art of magic, most of which is basic spells, some are more advanced though as he worked on improving his magic. He wore a Thick black coat that reached down to his ankles, somewhat multi-layered at the bottom. The coat arms reached all the way down to his wrist, and it was covered with multi-layered Steel plates at the outside of his arms. Under his coat is a full set of plate mail covering every single part of his body except for the hands and his head, covered with several layers, with Jet-Black coloring with Gold outlining and very well polished, as it shone in the sun. A Belt was around his waist, Boiled leather, and the hook was a Thick Metal Plate that had the carved words "RAGNAROK" on it. He always cared for mobility while maintaing a very suitable defense. His face, nicely toned, and somewhat skinny, had an adventurous look, but also with a slight feel for battle, feeling that it will happen soon. He had a scar on the upper left of his forehead, a curved scratch from one of the monsters he fought during one of the adventures.

Strapped to his back was his sword, the sheath was attached to a long leather strap that went through the coat, as he made slight holes in his coat, and the sheath was all silver, carved with nice craftsmanship. It was adorned with a diamond on the tip of the sheath, but what was inside the sheath was something more... A Giant Black sword of remarkable design, an outstanding hilt showed out, with a pair of demon and angel wings, and a red, evil demonic eye that stared into the darkness. the blade was given a remarkable design, a double-bladed sword that was given a unique way of removing an enemy's weapon if struck at the right spot. The edge was beyond razor sharp, it could cut through stone like a knife cutting through butter, he hoped to use this as an advantage in the battle he might be going for.

But the most remarkable thing that the man had, was wings, A pair of Demonic and a Pair of Angelic wings, they sprouted out of his back, the demonic purely black, and small claws at the ends, placed that the upper part of his back. The Angeilc wings, that were an outstanding sight to behold, were on his upper back as well, close to the demonic wings. Soon, they began to form, a dark figure on his right, and a bright light forming at the left that soon created... his darkside and his holyside, showing only their upper bodies, they both looked exactly like him, but Darkside had a face of discontempt, and his Holyside had a face of concern. They decided to speak to him, his Darkside speaking first.

"So then... this is the place were supposed to be waiting at Arkaine Asileus?" Darkside spoke in a non-enthusiastic tone.

The man Named Arkaine slowly turned to darkside, responding to his question.

"Yes, this is place, I was going to go here for the ruins... but this 'Visitor' wanted to speak to me." he responded abruptly

"I dont see the reason to wait for him."

"Well, I think its best to see this person with my own eyes first."

His light side decided to speak.

"And I'm guessing you want us not to interfere."

"True, I need to fight in my normal form, I cant be too dependant on you guys, that's basically the reason I decided to walk, I didnt want to fly because I wish to travel around the world in a more 'human' manner. I want to walk on foot to see what it feels like, I want a different experience with these trips to the unknown, not to mention I want to fight without you two. Although it feels exhausting, but I feels rather enjoyable for some reason." he spoke out while having a slight chuckle.

"yeah, but you have to remember..."

Arkaine's Face turned grim. "Yes I remember... I can only sustain in my natural self in battle for so long, and if that time comes, I'm forced to transform into either one of you when the time comes, whether it be that certain day or a time where I cant hold back the energies any longer."

"Well, lets face it, you can't fully control us, as you had us for a few years, it will take much longer for you to get full control. Remember, you do have the blood of demons, angels and humans, basically because of that transfusion. Its not that bad though, at least its not spontaneous."

Arkaine thought for a second... He was right, and is thankful for that, but that line just gave him horrid memories... He quickly shrugged them off as to prevent a bad flashback of a mission he went on. the two figures soon formed into wings and slowly shrinked and merged into Arkaine's back. He decided to Draw his sword and look at the blade. On the blade, near the hilt, the words were carved for the sword, a name so to speak. "Terminus Nova" were the words on the blade, he remembered an old, ancient ruin to the far north, that is where he got the sword at.

Soon Gusts of wind came out of nowhere... Arkaine perked up and jerked to the right, the winds blowing at his face, and soon noticed his visitor...

"It seems that you are finally here..." as he slowly tightened his grip on his sword, waiting for the dark silhouette to reveal himself.

D. Side: /***** (Physical)
H. Side: /***** (Magical)

[LocoColt04]

Canyons just don't get any more perfect, do they?


Vincent smiled inwardly as the concept of enclosed areas delighted him. His silver six-in-one chain mail jingled lightly with each step as he held his lance in his right hand like a walking stick. He didn't really need it, no, but it was something he'd grown accustomed to. The four and a half foot titanium rod clanged against a large rock as Vincent stooped over to examine it. Its luster was highly reflective, and it didn't seem natural to the area. He reached toward it with his left hand, but a jolt of electricity shot back at him. That's odd, he thought, that never happens. I wonder what's with this place? Could it be those ruins I found a few weeks back? Vincent shrugged, as though someone were asking him the same question, and rose to his feet.

My powers... they react rather strangely in this place. What's IN those ruins? I must find out... at all costs. Why did I ask him here? Arkaine, I think it was. There was this... this way about him. I don't know. He had this heavy "treasure-hunter" aura about him, and maybe he can help me find it. Yes, he can help me find the legendary Illumina. And then, I'll beat the hell out of him with it. Yeah, that's it.

Something caught his slate blue eyes. A hilt, short and blue, rested vertically near the southern wall of the riverbed. Vincent debated leaving it, for a hilt alone wasn't much good, but curiosity got the best of him. As he approached the dusty blue hilt, he noticed that it was much more than just a handle, but an entire sword. It was implanted in the ground, surrounded by small rocks and embedded in solid clay. Vincent turned his lance over, letting the eighteen inch steel blade at the top do all the work. He poked and prodded at the ground, slowly loosening the clay and shifting the rocks aside. After a few minutes, the hilt shifted a bit to the left, and Vincent lay down his lance. He grabbed the six inch hilt, one hand on top of the other, and rocked the blade back and forth, slowly releasing it from the earth's grasp. There was an inscription on the side, but he couldn't understand the glyphs. The blade itself was just over two feet long, but it was wide and incredibly sharp. He turned the sword over a few times, admiring its beauty, and polished it off with his black shirt. He readjusted his chain mail afterward. Now holding the sword with his right hand, Vincent picked up his lance with his left and continued onward toward the ruins.



The wind whipped around Arkaine, catching his attention. He seemed to mutter something, but Vincent couldn't pick it up through his own wind. Vincent breached the field of vision in full stride, and finally stopped just a few feet away from Arkaine. His cropped black pants and boots were dirty from his recent extraction. The treasure hunter's eyes grew wide at the sight of the sword in Vincent's possession.

"Ah, so you know what this is?" Vincent queried, curious himself.
"You... that's the Ragnarok!"

Vincent's heart quickened as he began to scheme.

"Tell ya what kid, you help me, and this baby's all yours."
"Do you have any idea what you hold in your hand?"
"Oh yes, now that you mention it, I do. This sword is worth more than our lives."

Vincent grinned.

"You help me find what I'm looking for, and you have my word."

Arkaine didn't argue, but upon asking what Vincent wanted, he didn't get much of a response. "I'll tell you when we're inside." That's all Vincent would manage. Arkaine's curiosity spiked, as any treasure hunter's would, and he agreed to help the lone weather mage.


((OOC: Misspelling "Ragnarok" was bothering me. >_<))

The dark slihouette soon showed a man, wearing a shirt that had the right sleeve torn, it would expose his shoulder if it weren't for the chain mail he wore, beautiful silver that was well crafted, Arkaine kind of wondered where he got it from. Another thing he noticed was the giant spear he wielded, incredibly long, and a long blade, created by an alloy that Arkaine knew too well, it would appear that this would be the first time that Arkaine would be going against a person who would use a spear though, how well... he didnt know. But what caught his attention the most, was the blade he wielded, a beautiful sapphire blue hilt with a rust-like colored blade, golden around the edges, it was beyond razor sharp, and it was wide as well, somewhat like a heavy blade. The rust-like color on the blade showed off its age, knowing that this blade lasted for centuries on end. But he knew what the blade was when he looked at the glyphs, they were an ancient language that was used centuries ago, he studied some glyphs, and he already knew the translation, it exists... its the "Ragnarok". He heard rumors that it exists, but the rumors were true. This caught the stranger's attention when he saw Arkaine's expression, completely surprised and almost gawking.

"Ah, so you know what this is?"
"You... That's the Ragnarok!!"
"Tell ya what kid, you help me, and this baby's all yours."
"Do you have any idea what you hold in your hand?"
"Oh yes, now that you mention it, I do. This sword is worth more than our lives."

Arkaine took quick notice of his grin. 'hmm? What does this man had in mind?'

"You help me find what I'm looking for, and you have my word."

Arkaine decided to not argue if he wanted the sword. 'Let's face it, everybody wants that damn sword, its one of the more superior swords in existence.' were the words he always heard whenever he was having a drink at the tavern. He decided to follow this man, but didn't bother to ask this man's name until he was near his destination. He asked what he was looking for, but didnt get much of a response, "I'll tell you when we're inside". This made Arkaine feel rather uncomfortable, be shook the feeling off as they headed to the ruins, going through the nicely sculpted entrance.

Through the long corridor of the underground ruinous labyrinth, Arkaine had slightly depressing thoughts while walking, he wanted the sword, but he wanted the glory of actually finding it and wielding it than a person just giving it to him. He stopped for a bit, and sighed... But he continued forth through the dark, damp corridor. A mural caught Arkaine's eyes, it showed a army of men going against a demonic beast, and behind it was a shining sword, this made Arkaine remember a set of lines he read from one of the ancient texts. "Through murky maze and beyond, guarded by a beast from the flames of hell, the Illumina stood in the brilliant light like the sun, waiting for a new wielder.", he made him ponder if its that sword that is, or was, here, as the material, a metal called "Heaven's Gift" was forged into the sword, something that Arkaine wanted... His thoughts were interrupted, as Arkaine's senses perked up a bit, his nose catching the slight smell of death beyond, he kept slient, and walked on with the traveller. Soon they reached the stairs, and descended down to A maze.

Water was at the maze, over ankle deep, 'this might explain why there was a damp feeling in that corridor...' Arkaine pondered. he went down a small set of stairs, and walked around the maze. The walls didnt reach the ceiling, as the ceiling was way up, it might seem that an adept mage could blow it up, creating a hole reaching to the surface. the walls were elegantly sculpted, but they seem old and eroded a bit, some were heavily cracked, Arkaine could punch a wall and break it if he wanted a shortcut, but he didnt see any yet.

Arkaine and the stranger heard a unusual sound at their feet, they looked down, they saw remains of skeletons next to them, but they ignored it. The water became thicker suddenly, as if he stepped into something he shouldn't have. He looked down, and there was blood, it became thicker the farther he went, an idea came across his mind...

"If we go where the blood gets thicker, we might get to the other side if possible..."

The stranger decided to respond.

"Are you sure its going to be safe?"
"It should be, there seems to be alot of blood here, whatever it is, its got to be dead by now."

so they decided to head were the watery blood thickened, it lead to a cracked wall, and Arkaine decided to punch it, and soon enough, it got them to the other side, with a giant surprise in front of it. A 'WHOA!!' came from Arkaine's mouth as he saw some of the skeletons still intact and unbelievably standing, having their rusted swords inside a huge demon, apparently it looked like it bled to death. He went closer to it, and touched it, having his metal glove heating up instantly.

"AGH!" came from Arkaine as he soaked it in the bloody water to cool it down, letting slight traces of steam rise up from the cooling glove, he rose up after he got the glove to fully cool down.

"What in the freaking blue hell!? The monster's still hot?" Arkaine pondered for a bit... "Well, it is a demon, but why is it still hot though? Its a fire demon of some sort... But its unusual that it would still be scalding hot when its dead, and some of his body is underwater... *shrugs* come on, he's dead, its better for us if we leave."

Arkaine and the stranger walked up to the door behind the dead demon. A giant gold door with a giant sword at the middle. Arkaine and the stranger decided to open the door and head up the stairs, a bright room at the end of the long flight of stairs, Arkaine's Dark and Holy sides decided to speak in his mind, but he paid no attention to it.

"...I feel unusual... as if something bad is going to happen..."
"what's wrong, you dont seem to be yourself..."
"Its the stranger, I dont trust him at all, as if he's going to backstab us..."
"The same judgement with all of the others he traveled with?"
"Look, im not here for jokes, this guy here is having a rather tight grip on his spear, as if he's going to skewer us. And the unusual expression on his face is rather, how you would say it... distrustful?"
"...Good Point, you may be right about this one..."

After the small conversation ended, Arkaine decided to ask a couple of questions.

"Well, since were this far, what is your name?"
"My name is Vincent Cooper, you already know the reason why were here."
"So... What is it that you're looking for exactly?"
"If you must know, I'm here for the Illumina. The Ragnarok is your consolation. Help me find it, and maybe there will be a monetary reward as well."

Arkaine's mind suddenly jolted, the Illumina, here!? Arkaine couldn't believe it, but if it were true, he could take it for his own... Truthfully, he didnt want the sword...

He wanted the material that made the sword.

Arkaine imagined the beauty of the metal that the sword was created from, it's extremely rare, and can be forged into powerful weapons, he could forge the metal, as he was a blacksmith. In some cases, if the metal were to be forged into a weapon or armor of some sort with such care, it could be ever stronger than the Illumina! He would use the sword's power to locate the other "Heaven's Gifts" and create a weapon beyond anyone's imagination... But the problem was... How to forge it? Arkaine had another thought.

'if its true, then the Illumina might be here!! If anything... I might want to grab it for myself first, but I going to have to fight him for it though, or maybe make a compromise perhaps...? It might work, but im not sure... But its best to try.'

Arkaine strayed into his thoughts, admiring the material in his mind... Until the traveller decided to speak once more.

D. Side: /*****
H. Side: /*****

[LocoColt04]

Arkaine turned to face Vincent as the dragoon finally found something more to say.

"So, do you want the Ragnarok or not? You'd be insane not to."
"Oh, uhh... yes, sure, that's fine by me."

Vincent looked Arkaine over, fully aware that the thief was plotting against him. He'd just have to make sure that wouldn't happen by any means necessary. With the Illumina in his possession, Vincent would be able to sell it for any cost, for the richest men in the world would gladly bid their entire lives for the sword. That's just what he was hoping for. His village needed the money desperately for plans of expansion and remodeling, and he knew he could get it. The bright room at the top of the stairs really meant just one thing: they were close. Torches were anchored to the walls and they continued to get larger and brighter as the men approached the room. Upon reaching their destination, Vincent nudged Arkaine forward, and followed him around the corner into the bright light.

The room was full of treasure. Mountains of gold coins, jewelry, and rare artifacts were scattered about the massive cavern. The ceiling was high, fifty meters at least, and the walls seemed to have no end. Vincent brushed against one of the mounds with his left side, pausing for a moment and leaning his spear against it, and snagged a single gold coin and placing it in his pocket. He tightened the grip on his spear again, a bit paranoid of his looting partner. His eyes searched furiously as Arkaine gazed at the treasures surrounding him. Something caught his attention from across the room. A pedestal, low and hidden by treasure chests and piles of silver, sat back on the eastern side of the cave, out of view. Vincent looked back at Arkaine, who had stopped for a moment to examine some odd markings on some strange thing that he could have cared less about. He approached the explorer with much haste.

"Here."

Arkaine looked up, peeling his attention from the hand-crafted jar and saw Vincent offering the Ragnarok with both hands extended. Arkaine curiously took the blade from Vincent's hands and, as he did, Vincent snatched his spear from the ground and ran from Arkaine toward that hidden pedestal, weaving through the treasures unneccesarily in hopes of slowing Arkaine down. Vincent never turned to see if he was even being followed yet or not. He worried that Arkaine may have the ability to fly with those four wings of his, and with that thought, he leapt upward with great force. Vincent flew easily hundred feet in the air or more, gliding downward with speed, accuracy, and grace. He planted himself directly in front of the Illumina.

Nothing had ever stolen his attention such as this sword. It lay peacefully atop the white marble platform, covered with a thin layer of dust from the years of rest. Almost daringly, he slid the left sleeve of his shirt over the blade, letting it remain where it had been for decades. He was reluctant to pick it up as though touching it would soil its perfection. Everything was white. The hilt and handle were made from a fine ivory, accented with the most beautiful pearls he had ever seen. The crossguard curved out on one side, forming a graceful guard against attacks to the hands. It was undoubtedly meant to be weilded with both hands, for it looked much to heavy to be used efficiently with one. Legends told of a man strong and swift enough to use one hand. Vincent only wished he had that kind of strength, but his power remained in his legs due to his years of dragoon training. The blade was of a metal unknown to him, perfectly smooth and perfectly sharp. Nearly four feet long, it had a very gentle curve, and was sharpened on both sides. There were no distinctive markings, no glyphs, no distractions, just perfection. It seemed to glisten in the light, reflecting a soft white which gave it an illusionary aura. Vincent slowly reached his hands out to grasp the handle when he heard soft footsteps behind him.

Vincent swiped his lance from the floor as he swung around to face Arkaine, who stood behind him with both his sword and the Ragnarok at the ready. Vincent swallowed hard, because any man weilding two weapons was a challenge. He turned his lance sideways, with the blade to his right, holding it in front of his body as a guard. He kept his right arm a bit lower to give the worn steel more force on an upward swing. He jerked forward with his left arm, taunting Arkaine with the blunt end of his weapon. Neither man moved for a few moments, locked in a fight of intimidation.

Vincent jumped forward at Arkaine, low and quick, thrusting the blunt end of his titanium staff directly at the man's face.

Arkaine's attention was at the jar, the language was something he knew, but it was in a different form, as if there was a similar race... It made him question what ruins were these. Arkaine turned around to see Vincent giving out the magnificent sword to him, "here." he said in a rather non-chalant voice. Arkaine was rather hesitant about grabbing the sword, but he soon grabbed the hilt, his nerves intensifying instantly as he slowly gripped the sword, admiring the ancient blade, he almost bursted into tears. But such feelings were abruptly removed from his mind as Vincent reacted by instantly running to what looked like an altar. Arkaine immediately rushed to him, but his wings suddenly appeared right thereafter, and the force created some wind that pushed the jar. Tilting, Arkaine abruptly turned around and put the jar back to place.

'Why are my wings appearing!?' he thought as he soon got a response from his alternate sides.
'Because he already saw us, there is no point trying hide us anyways.'
'I think its best for us to be out, you might use us one of these times, which I predict will be very soon'
'well, so much for trying to be discrete about this damn issue.'

Since Vincent did see his wings, he will hide them no longer, but he will use his feet for most of the time, the wings will be used for balance. Arkaine had to rush, to see where Vincent went, swerving between the mountains of treasure and relics. Arkaine saw him, and the Illumina resting on a pedestal, it almost made Arkaine paralyzed with such surprise, it exists as well. He would celebrate, but Vincent was there admiring it, and he already knew that plan B would be out of the question, because a compromise would be rather foolish at this point.

'Time to stick to plan A I guess.' He thought as he drew Terminus Nova from his sheath. He slowly stepped forward, hoping that Vincent would notice him, and he did. He got his spear while he spun to see him. Gulping, Vincent gripped his spear, and Arkaine tightly gripped his swords, Ragnarok at his left, and Terminus Nova at right. A staredown was now commencing, Vincent was trying to intimidate Arkaine a bit by jerking his left arm, taunting him with the blunt end with his spear, emphasis on try, Arkaine just stood here, waiting for an opportunity.

Vincent rushed right thereafter, low and quick, he went a thrusted his spear, Arkaine noticing that it was coming to his face, this woulvd've been no problem, if it werent for one thing...

Arkaine had never fought against a person with a spear before.

The blunt end almost reached Arkaine's face, and with great speed and precision no doubt, and that made Arkaine fell to the side, the spear slightly got the side of his forehead, scraping some of the skin off, close to bleeding. He got the Ragnarok to block the rest of the attack, letting it slide against the titanium pole, he had to do it by impulse, if anything, he had to everything arbitrarily, because this is his first time going against someone with a spear. He had to trust his instincts, and let them do the actions from here on in. he was now laying on the floor, he got his gripped right hand, and pushed himself, rolling away from him, and pushed his himself up with both of his knuckles on the floor to get him in his position, still gripping on his swords.

'This is not good, first time against this person, and using a spear no less... I might have to use my wings more often if this is the case...' He sadly thought.

But he didn't want to use them immediately, he wanted to fight more like a human than a winged entity. He felt the scratch on his forehead, it stung a bit, but he didnt feel any blood yet, which kinda surprised him as he kinda thought that it would do something more horrible by the sheer force that Vincent put into that blow. Arkaine would need to put in more effort if this were to be the case, and apparently, use his wings right now, even though he hated it.

Arkaine flipped Terminus Nova into a stabbing position, his right hand gripping, he rose his arm up high, letting heat gather at the tip. He soon stabbed it at the ground, with tremendous power that caused a small wave of fire to race toward Vincent. Arkaine thought that Vincent might jump, so he rushed him with his wings, hoping to do a rising slash with Ragnarok, and stab him with Terminus Nova. He wasn't really ambidextrious, so his left hand was rather slow with the attack, but he hoped that one of the attacks would connect...

D. Side: */****
H. Side: /*****

[LocoColt04]

Instead of striking back, Arkaine lifted his sword above his head. Vincent could have easily interrupted the charging attack, but since he was always up for a challenge, he opted to take a few steps back and see what would happen. Foolish, perhaps, for the Illumina was much more important than some petty challenge, but it was a challenge nonetheless. His eyes grew wide as a stream of fire left the point where the blade struck the ground and rushed toward him. He immediately crouched, keeping his spear directly in front of him, and summoned forth a small barrier of wind, causing the fire to rise up and over him. Before the entire stream had passed, Arkaine was already rushing toward him at great speed. NO TIME!! Vincent thought to himself as Arkaine came closer and closer. He broke the barrier and the last bit of flame hit him directly, dissipating immediately. None of his clothes caught fire, but his right arm, which he used to block his face, was burned a bit from the exposure.

Arkaine was now too close for Vincent to think. He reacted upon impulse, leaping backward and landing atop the pile of treasure nearest the Illumina not even a second later. He watched intensely as the treasure hunter swung upward and stabbed with his swords.

Ah, so he expected me to jump. Shame he underestimated my speed and balance. Does he know nothing of dragoons? Vincent chuckled as Arkaine stood below, looking for Vincent who had seemingly disappeared from sight. At the sound of his slight laugh, Arkaine looked upward and saw Vincent crouching on the mound of treasure. Vincent leapt off the pile, leaving everything perfectly in place save a few gold coins, and landed directly in front of Arkaine. He said nothing, but smiled, bringing the blade of his lance upward toward the left side of Arkaine's midsection.

Arkaine's attack seemed to work as Vincent was defending from the small flamewave, he never predicted that Vincent would create a barrier of wind, but that was little concern or him right now since he's rushing him right this second. After it ended, he went with the second phase of his attack, but failed as both sword strikes missed when Vincent lept backwards, landing on the golden mountain of treasure. 'Bad move.' Arkaine thought as he noticed him jumping off the treasure pile, hardly disturbing it at all, except the few coins that slid down. Arkaine kept an eye on him, noticing his burned arm, 'Good, at least I got him somehow.' he thought quickly while putting his left hand in front of his midsection. Vincent landed right in front, almost caught him in surprise. Smirking, he went with his attack, the speed abruptly made Arkaine side step to the right, but his hand got caught in the attack, resulting with a cut on the left side of his left hand that did bleed, it didnt strike his artery though. It would've been a rather big problem if it did.

As to prevent any other attacks that Vincent had in mind, he quickly flew behind him, leaving a bit of distance between them. He placed Ragnarok on the ground and his sword in his sheath, and got a small piece of cloth he pulled out from his pocket. Covering the injury with little effort, he worried more about time than ever, thinking about his next attack. Scoffing the horrible attempt to bandage the cut, he had an idea in mind.

He got both of his swords again, gripping Terminus Nova with a grip that could suffocate a man, he rushed at him once more. Charging to Vincent with his wings once more, he went and tried to strike Vincent with Terminus Nova. But whilst in the midst of the downward slash, he flipped his sword in stabbing position once again, making a quicker but less painful attack, planting it on the ground. In a split-second and keeping a very tight grip, he used all of the weight of his body and the armor he wore to let his body swing around twice after planting his sword, stretching both of his legs and his arm thats carrying the Ragnarok out as an attempt to hit vincent once more.

D. Side: **/***
H. Side: /*****

[LocoColt04]

Vincent cringed as Arkaine approached. He was halted by the implantation of the Terminus Nova into the floor of the cave. Arkaine began swinging around rapidly about three meters from Vincent's body. He reached out farther and farther with each passing, and by the third, nearly struck Vincent's body with the Ragnarok. Vincent stepped backward a few times and looked at Arkaine with a sense of disappointment. As Arkaine began to realize that he wouldn't strike Vincent this time, Vincent was already walking out of the cave entrance and down the stairs toward the winding labyrinth of a corridor he had arrived through.

Vincent could feel the slight movement of air behind him and knew that Arkaine was closing in. He picked up his pace slightly, turning only upon the realization that he'd left the item he came for back in the cavern. He bounded up the stairs, leaping right over Arkaine into the mounds of treasure beyond. He rushed immediately to the Illumina and pulled a small cord from a pocket in his pants. Setting down his lance, Vincent lifted the sword from its holy pedastal and wrapped it in the cord, strapping it to his back. He took a moment to place a few more gold coins into his pocket and arose once more. Vincent snatched the lance from the floor and bounded back toward Arkaine.

The bodies of the men met right at the top of the stairs. Vincent wasted no time with idle conversation, knowing fully that Arkaine had no plans of bargaining now. He rested the foot of the lance against the ground and immediately lifted both legs directly toward Arkaine's chest with intentions of knocking him down the stairwell.

(OOC: Sorry about the extremely long wait XP)

Arkaine knew that the mediocre attack wouldn't get Vincent, although he thought that he wouldn't know until he tried, and he found out the hard way. Seeing the dissapoinment in Vincent's eyes, he knew that he would have to try harder, this is battle for the possession of the illumina, not a simple playfight. Arkaine's senses perked up as he noticed Vincent heading for the long corridor of stairs they previously came from, and he rushed toward him with no remorse, and Vincent's walk started to pick up pace until he came to an abrupt halt. Arkaine continued to rush him, but soon came to a screeching stop as he noticed Vincent jumping over him.

He soon saw Vincent quickly grabbing the Illumina, hastefully wrapping it with the cord and soon strapped it to him. He soon grabbed his lance, and this already made Arkaine thinking that now he will never make negotiations until the end, if either live to that end. Arkaine waited for him at the entrance of the corridor standing right at the top of the stairs. Vincent was there soon after, resting his spear on the ground and soon used his two legs, lifted directly towards Arkaine himself, hoping to push him down the stairwell and severely injure him.

"Not this time!!"

Arkaine quickly moved out of the way, letting his feet slide with the floor when he side stepped, keeping himself in balance. Vincent landed on his feet gracefully, and was right in front of the staircase, and then a bright opportunity came to arkaine. He sheathed both of his swords quickly, looking like a blur of metal when the swords rested on their scabbards. Swiftly and gracefully, Arkaine got behind Vincent, clamping his hands together, he rushed towards him. Hoping to be success, he performs an extremely swift, accurate, deadly Elbow strike, aiming for the back, hoping hit him and push him down the stairs to the watery labyrinth with severe power, as he knows that the elbow is one of the stronger parts of the body when you attack a person.

D. Side: **/***
H. Side: /*****