Saga: Reiaz and the Red-head

[damian]

The sun bore down on the grey wastes that were the Zoland Lands, without a cloud in the sky to act as a barrier, scorching the earth and causing deep fissures and cracks to develop, including the complete disappearance of any source of water. Trees were sparse as well, and they rarely had any real foliage on them, just barren skeletons dancing to whatever tune the winds played against them. In fact, even the winds themselves seemed to avoid this place, as there wasn't even a slight breeze upon Crimson's arrival.

Blinking in the fierce sunlight, Crimson unsheathed a pair of designer shades, and slid them over his eyes with a practiced ease. Now with a much darker tint to it, the Zolan Lands appeared even more malevolent than before. Crimson had landed near a thicket of twenty or so skeletal trees, all reaching up to about his chest. He approached them and tested a twig's strength, twisting it between his index and middle finger- it snapped with a dusty sigh, and Crimson blinked in surprise, then threw it away on to the dirt.

Reiaz arrived shortly after this, as Crimson was removing his jacket and holding it loosely in his right hand. He also undid the second button on his shirt, since the top was always un-done anyway and, because his sleeves were always rolled up too, his dragon tattooes shone black in the eery light.
"Y'know, I get the feeling that Kihaku guy doesn't like us much... Why else would he send us to a dump like this?" To emphasise his point, he kicked another skeletal tree, which crumpled under his foot pitifully, "Don't ya think?"

Reiaz's only response was a shrug, which irritated Crimson a bit. Other than their brief introductions back at Rues, Reiaz hadn't spoken a word to him, despite Crimson's "prattling"- as Suicard or Nogard would put it. Crimson crossed his arms and blew out a sigh. If this Dramanius guy was a real evil genius, why the hell would he come here?

Crimson still wasn't entirely sold on this fantasy story of Chaos Spirits and Servants of Chaos. Sure, a lot of crazy shit had happened on Dragonia before now, but this sounded too far-fetched for Crimson's cynical perspective. Whatever this Dramanius guy was, Crimson doubted he'd be tough enough to take on the Incendarius.
Not that you have any intention of going that far... Suicard mentally added, and Crimson scowled again. Using the Incendarius couldn't be that dangerous... he hadn't tried it yet but, if the dragons kept telling him not to, who knows what could happen?

[kihaku]

When Reiaz had shrugged, it was because he'd come up with an immediate answer, but hadn't wanted to offend him by telling him a truth he might not have wanted to hear. However, since it was quite obvious that Crimson, though he really liked to hear the sound of his own voice, was annoyed that the boy hadn't given any input on the current situation. So, with a nervous sigh, he spoke up, "Actually... I think it's really because he knows of our strengths and weaknesses better than we do."

Reiaz would have normally piped down at this point, but since he knew there would be an inevitable, "huh?" or "what do you mean?" right after, he continued with his explanation. "My techniques require a lot of distance between my opponent and I, which such a wasteland readily provides, while you're a big hand at fire-based attacks. While there is little fuel for you to go on, there is alternately nothing for you to accidentally destroy and feel bad about."

It seemed a reasonable enough explanation, considering the memory-transference had not only jogged Kihaku's personal memory but also shared with all three the recent events experienced by each other. Reiaz was very shocked that his idol had taken on an apprentice, or that Elena had been stricken with the sight of a boy, but most importantly that he himself had jumped willingly into the fray against the Minions he'd helped create. He had to remind himself that this Crimson had also faced a similar danger, as was still standing strong before him, still in the face of certain danger and impending life-threatening battle.

"You're a brave man, Crimson of the Dragons. Whether it's a reckless bravery or one backed by skill, I've yet to see... but from what I know from Elena, you'll be a good ally to have nearby when things get, if you'll pardon the pun, hot." He gave a small chuckle that was light as a child's, but seemed to carry the heavy, heady undertone of one who knows from experience what they speak of.

[damian]

Crimson blinked in surprise at this sudden verbal outburst, then smiled and laughed a little at Reiaz's ending joke. This was the only alternative to an exasperated sigh and telling Reiaz that was the thousandth time he'd heard that one; and Crismon was trying to say polite.

Stretching his arms, Crimson looked his companion up and down, and shook his head in disbelief. He had just said some very wise and insightful things- things Crimson hadn't imagined yet- but they were coming from a knowledge far beyond his years.

But this wasn't what shocked him. Reiaz had called him brave. Crimson couldn't remember the last time he was called brave... He'd never really thought of himself like that. He was persistent, sure, and he might have guts, but brave? He smiled to himself, a little smugly, pleased with that and the fact he'd also been called "of the Dragons". How cool did that sound?!

But he had a couple of questions on his mind for Reiaz in particular after his little monologue, and turned to him with his arms at his sides casually.
"Hope this isn't too personal, but I was wondering... how old are you?" He honestly wasn't sure about Reiaz's age- he looked younger than Crimson himself, but there was something about him that seemed much, much older.

Remembering Reiaz's earlier summary of their powers, he also asked about them,
"What do you need distance for, exactly? I think it's only fair that I know what you fight with, since you already know my style." He shrugged, not revealing that he also wanted to know so he could formulate a strategy for the pair of them, in case they did have to fight today.

Not for the first time, his eyes fell to the silver band around his wrist, which hung loosely there with its small peridot fastened into it. He was still unsure how to use it, or even if it worked. He intended to try it out as soon as he could, and glanced around in hopes of seeing some sand to manipulate.

[kihaku]

Reiaz was glad that at least Crimson was willing to help formulate a strategy, just in case they were attacked. Knowing what he did about Dramanius, the youth feared such an event was inevitable, even though he was still unsure that the Will of Chaos was willing to perform such acts upon an innocent planet. "My powers aren't useful at all for close combat. I'm only able of launching arcs and spears of Chaos Energy, not like Kihaku or Elena who are mostly strictly close combat." Shifting his weight, he deftly unhooked the Promise and slid it over his head, wearing over his shoulder like a bow.

"That, and I've never really trained with the Promise as a weapon for up close action-" His words were suddenly cut off as a fist crashed into the side of his head, sending him flying to bounce once, then roll harmlessly against the dusty earth.

"Betcha wish you weren't stuck baby-sittin' now, do ya?"

A man dressed in a nice set of clothes, night black with a button-up, collared, indigo shirt beneath stepped from where he'd attacked the unsuspecting youth. His hair was a light azure blue, matching his eyes, which glared at Crimson with an arrogant gleam.

"Crimson of the Dragons... doesn't get much more pathetic than that."

Time to take out the trash.

Waste 'im.

The two voices came from places unseen, until the perfect Crimson-copy lifted his arms to glare at his wrists. "Both of you, shut it. Now." Dropping his arms, he shrugged. "What can you do, right?"

[damian]

"Reiaz!" Crimson cried as the fist suddenl struck him out of nowhere. He hadn't been paying enough attention, too busy thinking for once, and hadn't seen the attacker appear out of nowhere. Throwing his jacket away, his white shit shining in the sunlight, his hand instantly went for the hilt of the Sword of Cinders. However, when he actually got a glimpse of the attacker, he hesitated.

His mouth hung open with surprise, and his eyes widened behind his shades as he saw his replica- but at the same time, a world apart from him. The suit was different, for one thing. Much classier, but less casual than Crimson's look. His azure hair and eyes sent a chill through Crimson, just from how outlandish they looked at the top of that suit.
"You're... me?" he asked aloud, blinking at the copy that stood before him.

Then the two other voices spoke up, and Crimson tightened his grip on his sword as they did, deeply disturbed. Nobody else could hold the dragons. They were the sign!
"Hey! Copy-cat! You stole our bit!"
"Let's kick his ass, Incendarius!" The voices of his own dragons brought Crimson back, and he glanced at Reiaz, then his mind was made up.

"You wanna know what I can do?" Crimson asked in response to his copy, his voice barely hiding the threat lingering there. In one movement, he drew the Sword of Cinders with his right hand, and with his left fired a concentrated jet of Phoenix Fire at the copy, yelling,
"Bring it, bitch!"

Mentally moving the Phoenix Fire up above the copy and forming it into a perfect sphere, Crimson charged in with his sword and swung it for the copy's neck. He rolled with the momentum of his swing, spinning on the spot and stepping to the copy's right, then he kicked off the ground and flew backwards as his sphere of flames shot back down towards his opponent, exploding on impact.

He skidded to a halt in front of Reiaz, who had been knocked this way by the copy's sneak attack. He glanced at his companion to check he was okay. If Reiaz had been hurt, Crimson wouldn't forgive this copy... no matter how good-looking he might be.

[kihaku]

As the Sword of Cinders came in for a most assuredly leathal slash, it was dodged as the clone simply crouched in place, never losing sight of his opponent. The hovering orb of flame above his head didn't seem to frighten it much, the arrogant smile that Crimson most certainly would have seen in the mirror countless days now flashing in his face, and for the moment, not his own.

As the orb of Phoenix Fire exploded, the copy hadn't moved at all, taking the full brunt of the heat and detonation. By any standard, he was cooked. Reiaz had been knocked unconscious by the force of the blow, and now lay in the dusty spot with a rather large welt growing on his left jawline. His breathing and heartbeat were steady, showing he wasn't too terribly hurt, but he was still in danger. The heat from the sun and lack of water would most certainly kill him.

If what was emerging from the flames didn't first.

The copy was unhurt as he walked out of the smoldering crater left by the flames, indeed giving a jeering chuckle as he brushed what seemed to be imaginary dust from his jacket sleeve. His sunglasses up on his forehead shone in the sunlight, and with a slight nod of his head, fell easily into place over his eyes. He most certainly seemed bored with the proceedings thus far.

"C'mon, seriously, if YOU'RE fire-proof, why wouldn't your CLONE be?" Jerking his arms forward to straighten his clothes, he leaned his head to either side, very audible cracking could be heard as his vertebrae gave way to pops. He seemed to rather enjoy taking his time. Without any further ado, he thre his left palm forward, and there was a roar as a distortion of air rushed towards the original Crimson, a sphere of atmosphere so concentrated it would feel as if a huge fist were crashing into his chest.

"Bring it... bitch."

[Garoten Reklor]

((OOC: Got permission to jump in here for Falkan's return.))

As the blast of air hurtled toward the original Crimson, it looked bad for the pair on the ground.

At the last moment, a shimmering purple line that ould only be called a tear appeared directly in between the blast and its targets. The line widened into a hole just in time for the air to rush through. A loud grunt sounded as if from nowhere, and after a moment a man clad in tan pants and tunic stepped through, holding a black cloak over one shoulder. His face and arms were covered in burns, but only for a second. As the hole closed behind him, the burned skin on the newcomer's body scabbed, flaked, and fell away.

Reval had been home for a time and had chosen this part of Dragonia for his return hoping to avoid notice...the last thing he had expected had been a full-on attack before he even made it through the portal! Sure, it hadn't been enough to cause permanent damage, but that was made him angry. He had survived yet another painful, but far from lethal attack. Now somebody was going to pay.

It didn't take long to survey the situation. The two people on the ground, one unconscious and one kneeling over him, were unlikely sources. The creep standing over against the two with a cocky grin on his face seemed the more guilty of the group. At any rate, just the expression on his face was enough to make Falkan Reval want to put an end to his existence. He set his glare on the Crimson Copy and cracked his knuckles. He wouldn't bother with introductions...this man would be dead too quickly for it to matter.

In one swift movement, Falkan Reval flipped his staff off his back, jammed a spear tip on the end, and launched off the ground toward the copy. He was there before his cloak hit the sand where he had been standing, aiming to stab the enemy through the throat. He twirled the spear sideways on the right while spinning into a kick with his left foot, and then drove the spear in again toward Copy's gut before disappearing in a coud of dust and appearing again ten meters away with a large ki ball in his hands. With a trace of a grin on his face, he sent the ball flying and followed it up with five seeking beams.

And that's the end of that.

He turned to the two would-be warriors on the ground, pulled a skin bottle from his belt and tossed it to the concious one - whom he now noticed looked an awful lot like the guy he had just taken out.

"Looks like he needs some water. You don't need much. Two drops of that will heal most injuries."

[damian]

Catching the water bottle, Crimson opened his mouth to reply, then closed it. He was still a little confused. In his hand not holding the water bottle, he lowered the Sword of Cinders, which he had just been about to use against the copy when this stranger turned up. Sheathing his sword, he knelt by Reiaz's side and tilted his head up slightly, saying in a hushed tone,
"Hey, Reiaz, can you hear me? C'mon, try and drink this..." he removed the lid of the skin and pressed it to his companion's lips, letting him drink for a few seconds before taking it back and putting the top back on.

Leaving it by Reiaz's side, in his reach, he stood up and approached the stranger.
"Thanks for your help," Crimson said, "but I almost had him!" he said, crossing his arms confidently.
"Hey, Incendarius..." Suicard murmured from Crimson's left wrist.
"What is it?" he asked in response,
"Didn't that guy have all your powers?" Crimson sighed and rolled his eyes at this very obvious question.
"Of course he did, get with the program!"
"But surely," Nogard piped up, seeing what his brother was getting at, "That means he's as fast as you are?" Crimson opened his mouth, then frowned. That was a good point.

"If he is as fast as I am..." Crimson muttered to himself, looking round the grey wastelands with a frowning expression. Crimson was able to not only use the After-Image technique, but also Speed of Sparks, which is much, much faster and can transport the user almost anywhere in the vicinity. He turned around to make sure Reiaz was safe, then drew his sword again.

The wind whistled past suddenly, a noise that was full of mysterious and awful dread. Crimson said to the stranger, supressing an involuntary shudder,
"He could be anywhere. And no offense, but I seriously doubt you killed him, especially if he can move like I can, so... y'know... look out."

[kihaku]

There's no nice way to put it, the doppelganger was PUMMELED, simply beaten to a pulp, and stabbed for good measure. On top of that, explosions, explosions, explosions. Hooray. As the smoke cleared, the beaten, bloody, and burned frame of the Crimson-clone stood stock-still before... it disappeared in a breath of air. Creating a copy from a copy seemed kind of redundant and repetative, but it did the job. The instant Reval emerged from his portal, the doppelganger knew he'd be trouble, and was gone before the cloak had even been removed.

Crimson was right, his clone was fast, rivaling even that of the warrior Reval had fought in the Esperanza Tournament, the one samurai who'd been fast enough to land a sword strike. The breeze did more than carry a foreboding air about the two men and boy, but it also hid the clone from their sight, for just as the fire-warrior used flames to convey his person from place to place, so did his copy with the wind and the breeze.

There was a stiff gust of air, carrying some particles of dust and sand, and with a barely audible chuckle the clone was instantly brought back into view, feet just above Reiaz's head, blade-tip hovering over the boy's jugular vein. "Aww, come ON Crimson! This boy is the KEY to your victory, and you simply let him down." He tisked in apparent disapproval, "You disapoint me Incendarius. I thought you were going to be a threat."

At that moment, there was a very violent burst of air, erupting from just behind the dark-clad clone, creating two very large dust-devils that whipped about in opposite directions, their tails unmoving as they suddenly solidified into very large, very fierce looking dragons. One was a deep, inky, midnight black, while the other was an almost equally dark indigo, with black slashes running down the length of his body. Ivory white fangs bared in triumph, each gave a defiant, triumphant roar as the black wyrm flew in for a vicious snap at Crimson's head, while the other ducked low, rushed in, and unleashed a cruel blast of air from his maw, sicles of air like dozens of blades rushing in to dissect the warrior like a science project.

[damian]

"How the hell can you do THAT?!" he yelled in dis-belief as the clone re-formed out of the breeze. But then he saw the clone threatening Reiaz's life, with a sword identical to his own, and Crimson acted in an instant.

Clenchis his fist,s his tattoos glowed blindingly bright and Nogard and Suicard formed out of nowhere, their inky black scales absorbing the fiere light above them, and their conjoined tails glowed brightly as they suddenly breathed a massive gust of flames, consuming the two approaching dragons and the copy.

Of course, it looks like Crimson made the same mistake again- in fact, he had planned this out. Suddenly out of the flames Crimson appeared, a clone formed out of fire, and he swung a massive punch towards the copy's face, hoping to push him off of Reiaz and away. The fire clone then followed up with another fierce punch towards the copy's gut, hoping to wind him.

Meanwhile the real Crimson was floating above this battle-scene, waiting for his opportunity. Nogard and Suicard, now inhaling their flames back inside, lashed out with their razor-sharp claws at the other dragons. Crimson had controlled their fire so that Reiaz had been okay, and now that the fire was gone, Crimson clicked his fingers and used Speed of the Sparks.

He re-formed next to Reiaz's feet, and grabbed them, dragging the kid away while his fire clone continued to attack the copy. Clone against clone, Crimson dragged his unconscious ally out of the way, with one hand, charging a Ki blast in the other. Concentrating, he dismissed the fire copy, and fired the blast of Ki straight at the copy's face. Considering the range, the explosion alone sent Crimson himself skidding backwards, taking the unconscious Reiaz with him.

Coughing in the dust, Crimson forced himself to his feet. He couldn't see where Reiaz was, and hoped he'd managed to get him far enough away. The roars of his dragons let him know that they were still charging against their counter-parts, which relieved him. But he also wondered where that other guy had gone...

[Garoten Reklor]

"If that guy can move like me..."

Falkan breathed a heavy sigh. Of course it wouldn't have been that easy. Where did this planet keep finding these people? The redheaded kid whose life Reval had only momentarily saved seemed to think the badguy was still alive, and Falkan's honed instincts immediately confirmed the suspicion. A change in the wind with no natural cause was all Falkan needed to know it wasn't over yet. As the clone was appearing, Falkan was disappearing beneath the sand. Thanks to a loosely used version of the Stonewall technique, he simply made the sand a part of himself and faded into it. There he watched the clone threaten the unconscious boy and start monologuing something about the kid being a key to victory...

Don't tell me this planet's in trouble AGAIN!

Finally the two mirror images attacked one another, Dragons appeared from nowhere - dragons not very unlike the ones in Hargainia - and the whole place erupted in fire and smoke. Still Falkan waited. The fire subsided and the dragons lashed out at each other. No movement yet from Reval. A violent explosion, evidently set off by the guy bent on protecting the kid. Falkan Reval waited. His first attack had been reactionary and only marginally effective. The next would be planned and devastatingly effective, or he wouldn't bother launching it. If his target had evaded him by sheer speed, it would put him very nearly in the same category as that blasted Nishaio character...meaning landing a it would be nearly impossible for Falkan...

One year ago.

While Reval had only been missing from Dragonia for a couple of months, he had taken a little time to learn better control of Rhiannon's ability to travel between worlds. With that control, he had learned to travel to different time periods in certain worlds, give or take a month or two. One year he had spent training in different environments, from zero-gravity to gravity a hundred times that of Dragonia. From extreme heat to temperatures where no living thing survived. He’d trained in every environment he could think of, all with the goal of returning home to Hargainia and defeating the evil there. The last step on his agenda was Dragonia, where he’d hoped to spar with old allies or even enemies that could push him beyond his limits: the Android Hakuto, for one, or the small but formidable Kilix Gyro, or the impossibly fast Nishaio Shimato. Now he’d found a couple of kids who played with dragons...but were also impossibly fast. It would do for now. The point was, things were different now. Tournament Falkan could barely follow Nishaio’s movements. This Falkan would come close to matching pace.

This Falkan could see the Crimson copy’s movements, and even stood a good chance at hitting him...but there was no sense in chasing the guy all over the desert when slowing him down would be easier...and make him easier to hit. All he needed was the right moment, which came as the large explosion subsided. He quickly located and focused on the enemy’s presence and set in motion three separate techniques. A year ago he would have collapsed from the use of so much energy at once, and even now it was a strain, but against a faster enemy, the best strategy was to attempt to force the opponent into moving into an attack himself by limiting his options of retreat. Since this one seemed to be able to retreat into the air itself, it would take no less than three attacks to force his movement the way Reval needed to.

While underground, he had already cut a sphere shape with Rhiannon. Now with an outstretched hand he used the upheaval technique to raise a thirty-meter in diameter ball of earth, which he sent thundering over the ground toward the clone. He then launched himself forward, tore past his own ball, and sent a blast of ki across the ball’s path, cutting off a backward or left retreat from the ball. Then he disappeared underground and popped up directly in the path of the ball and fired an ice cannon in an X shape with the ki blast. So much for ground escapes. With a sideways roll to keep from being crushed by his own ki-infused boulder, Falkan began the final stage of his plan. He focused on the air above him and expanded his field of control to its limits - about forty meters - and instantly supercooled the air. All energy slows in a cooler environment, and he was counting on his opponent being no exception. Quickly, a massive globe of ice formed around the affected air while the ball rolled past and the two beams crossed paths. Reval opened his eyes and smirked.

“Goodbye again.”

The globe of ice imploded, bringing it’s multiplied tons of weight crushing inward on anything caught inside. Reval disappeared again, this time in a vertical leap that landed him squarely on the back of Vi’drek, who had been circling the battlefield all along.

[kihaku]

There was no end to the number of attacks it seemed that these two warriors could throw at a singular target. Fire blasts, punches, ki attacks, exploding boulders, ice slashes, imploding ice domes, and most likely dragon attacks later on were all being directed towards the doppelganger, who'd been smoothly cruising through this battle until now. There was no way that anyone would be able to survive the barrage, but the doppelganger wasn't just anyone: he was the creation of the Will of Chaos.

"Iron..." The clone entered a crouch just as the punches were en route, hands curled about his body as if winding up like a top, holding his stance until the blows were barely five feet away, "WINDS!" The clone suddenly entered a whilring spin, as if the spring holding him back was suddenly loosed, his palms perpendicular to the ground. The air immediately about him violently spun with him, extending just past his palms and upwards far into the sky.

The very density of the atmosphere shifted, the sheer volume of air being moved at such incredible rates was enough to keep all of Crimson's attacks at bay, though Falkan's ice attacks were still a problem. At the very last instant, when the air supercooled, the tornado froze with it, creating a small window of opportunity for the doppelganger to shoot upwards into the sky, effectively escaping the whole shebang unscathed. Still, his heavy panting revealed he was far more fatigued than he should be for a battle of this calibur.

He was just about to enter a nose-dive for Crimson, when a phrase rang out in the windy air that caught his attention, and froze the blood in his veins.

"Rings of a Broken Spirit!"

His head turned just enough for his eyes to glimpse the most frightening thing this war had to offer: Reiaz, wide awake, with the five Broken Promises floating in the air before him, each with a sphere of Chaos Energy the size of his fist floating in the middle of each. Without another word, there was a deafening roar of raw, unrestrained power as rage-fed beams of destruction, each fully thee-feet wide, converged perfectly on the doppelganger, and vaporized him without another word.

When the smoke cleared, the five individual rings suddenly clamped together, golden bands securing them once more as the Promise, as Reiaz's face once again hazed over in fatigue, and he plopped uncerimoniously on his posterior. "Wow... havn't done that in a while."

[kihaku]

((sorreh, gotta double-post))

Reiaz stood, stretching out his aching limbs, despite Crimson's admonitions that he shouldn't be up and about after taking that really vicious blow to the face. The youth could tell in reality that both he and the V'alcan were preturbed that, despite all their efforts, the small boy had instead swooped in and taken the kill. The large bump on his left jawline was still puffy and red, but he managed to get up without blacking out, so he decided it couldn't be too bad.

"Crimson, don't worry, I know you did your best, but I should let you know that Dramanius knows as much about you as I do, and designed that clone to be the perfect match against you. That was why I was taken out so quickly, and with the addition of our," his words trailed off when he began to refer to Falkan, not sure exactly what to call him, "mysterious benefactor, his fighting became so much more volatile, and why the three of us beat him." The small boy's face broke into a rare, infectious smile, his light blue hair ruffling in the breeze.

With a quick flick, he dropped the Promise on the dirt, and used his finger to trace along the outside. He made sure to keep the depth of his circle no more than half an inch, and very carefully picked back up his weapon. From there, he drew a six-pointed star within its interior, each point touching the circle. When he finished, he drew his hands up to the opposite shoulders, and looked meaningfully at either warrior.

"Hang on."

At that moment, his aura flared to life, a bright sapphire flame dancing along his body as blackness suddenly flowed from his wrists. Throwing his hands forward, he only kept his index and middle fingers extended, and from their tips flew twin lances of Chaos Energy. They struck the circle perfectly, and so began the process of engaging the spell-form. It seemed almost liquid as it raced along the design drawn in the soil, giving an audible concussion, like a small-scale explosion, as the Chaos Energy hit a node. When the roiling midnight finally hit dead center, there was an almost painful boom, throwing Reiaz aside, and casting a shaft of indigo light into the late afternoon sky.

Once again on his hindquarters, he didn't move as he looked into the blue sky with his sapphire eyes, a wide grin on his face. "Time to just relax... and wait."