Chapter 7: Ambitious Tactics; Soldier VS. Butcher!
Dracolius Second World War Arc – Showdown
Disclaimer: I don't own Fire Emblem, this is just a Fanfiction.
Featured Music: "Neutiquam Erro" - Fire Emblem X: Radiant Dawn OST. Chapter Briefing.
"The Best is Yet to Come (Instrumental)" - Scene 2 (Second Half).
While the Allied forces' morale rockets from their previous victories at Stasia, Ostria and Mount Brookhead their seemingly untouchable momentum is finally dented by the appearance of an infamous name in Sohanthian history.
The Half-Moon Murderer.
Seemingly a serial killer that preyed on random houses of families during cold half-moon night, chief strategist Astrid can only speculate at his inclusion in Sohantha's military. Having received news of rogue Team Three member Sevrenna once more however, their captain stands in the way of a potentially fatal strike aimed for her in particular. The rest of the seemingly invincible Team Three is easily cut down by the shocking display of power Half-Moon commands, driving Allied forces' morale further down.
Quickly attempting to adapt to the fast-changing battlefield however, Astrid orders all available units to the frontlines to assist the fallen Selthris and the pinned down Sevrenna. Under the guiding eye of veteran Sniper Hawke and even Etherthien's king himself, slowly but surely the group begin to pick their morale back up piece by piece.
Hawke now looks to draw Half-Moon's attention away from the dying Selthris and helpless Sevrenna in an attempt to allow Garrus to swoop in and save the doomed pair. Etherthien's 'Killer Instinct' even dares to hope for a victory on the field of battle...
Just as she did eons past.
Scene 1
"Sacrifice, -fice! -fice..." Half-Moon managed to growl out in a seeming stammer of his words, his face making contrasting expressions as he did so. Hawke stared back at him, eyes narrowed and head quickly going through what she had just witnessed.
"DEVOUR!"
"CONSUME!"
Images of him attempting throw his Aegir infused palm into the fallen body of Selthris flashed across her mind's eye.
"He's very powerful; something in his bloodline that allows him to draw from other people's Aegir,"
Talia's words earlier.
What did that mean exactly?
From this she was able to quickly draw clues from what she had discovered so far.
Better not let him touch her, she thought to herself.
As if reading her very thoughts, the short-blonde haired serial killer suddenly leapt at her. Her eyes narrowed and she back-dashed into the air for more room, swiftly reaching into her scabbard for her steel sword. He growled like an animal as he swung the katana he held in his two hands, scowling at her horribly. She narrowed her eyes past her mask but no words or even a grunt escaped her as she watched past the sparks of their weapons into his eyes.
He stopped scowling however and, when he caught sight of her narrowed eyes, he gave vent to a second loud roar and pushed her forward, sending her stumbling back two steps. Half-Moon grunted angrily as he spun around in place in a wide slash attack; she blocked it, sending her back-flipping in recovery and sailing away towards the watching Sohanthian crowd behind her. Acting fast, she sheathed her steel sword as quickly as she could before landing on one of the shocked and gasping Sohanthian soldier's shields.
When the Etherthien Sniper caught the pursuing Sohanthian serial killer, she gave vent to a single grunt before pushing off of the shield she stood on, forward-flipping skyward. Now directly sailing overhead the wide-eyed Half-Moon, she grasped at her Double Bow and shot a single Aegir and fire-infused great-arrow down where he was running to. His own eyes widened this time and Hawke wasn't sure whether it was in shock or concern; she did hear him open his mouth however.
"DEVOUR!"
CRASH
The snowy ground erupted into a massive show of a single explosion and flame to go with it. The watching Sohanthian army now ahead of her all exclaimed in shock and surprise as they watched their seeming comrade enveloped in the blast. Hawke landed in a hard-eyed narrow of her eyes, watching.
Surely he's still alive, she thought to herself.
Especially if he's been compared to Naerith's Masked Man and Aselia's Sathryon Vikeruce.
When the dust finally settled however she got a full-view look at the man – or supposed man- before her; he lay on his knees, suckling at the ground like an animal, eating the very fire she had used to attack with. Hawke's eyes widened when she watched him.
He can eat fire?
Suddenly memories of Talia's words entered her mind.
"Draw from other people's Aegir." She thought to herself in a hard-eyed frown, reiterating the young Thunder Mage's words. Watching him as he was now he was definitely more animal-like than human. Crawling on all fours, sipping at the Quintessence hidden inside the fire with which she used to attack with, growling in one syllable phrases.
She had hardly expected the most infamous serial killer in Sohantha to be so strange of all things.
As if savouring the next tasty meal to come, the grinning Half-Moon forced his front arms back up to stand staring at her. A very light wind began to grow at his legs, signifying a power increase. Her eyes narrowed at him as she watched him carefully. She'd have to be careful and try to rely on her Aegir as less as possible.
Sevrenna gasped as she was almost pushed off of Garrus' mount, almost as quickly as she had been pulled onto it. "What are you-?!" She called over her shoulder angrily as she near lost grip on the bloody body in her arms. "I nearly dropped him you-"
"Just get going!" Garrus ordered over at her angrily. The Swordmaster pulled her scowl back in a mildly hurt and surprised reminder of their situation. "I'm going to go back for Tina and Ed!" The Dragon Rider threw over his own shoulder as he turned Sophie around to immediately take off. The Swordmaster watched him go in a mix of mild irritation and frustration however when her eyes were soon re-faced with the critically injured Selthris in her arm, her anger soon dissipated.
I've seen so much pain and destruction since that night eleven years ago she thought to herself.
Why was this so hard to watch?
"Over here!"
The ebony-haired Swordmaster's similarly jet-black eyebrows shot up in surprise to find the frowning Ariella calling over at her from their camp, not far off. Many tents lay open and medical staff walked in and out of them; seemingly for their patients. The frowning scruffy-haired Norman frowned back at her as he approached her, opening his arms. She opted to give the shut-eyed Selthris a final lingering look before averting her gaze in guilt and raising up his body.
The Alchemist's loyal bodyguard's eyebrows rose up in surprise as he took the bloody body from her grip. "He's... surprisingly light." The scimitar-wielding warrior said in similar surprise.
"I... didn't notice..." Sevrenna could only respond with, her eyes averting his. He raised his eyebrows to match his curiosity as he watched her.
"Norman!"
Ariella's sudden and lightning-quick call shot through his nerves; he gasped before nodding and about-turning to run after his medically dressed superior. "Coming!" He called after her as he ran toward her. Sevrenna watched him leave with a lingering, sad frown attached to her face. As if unused to the feeling, she made ready to turn and leave however, when the old woman's words cut through the air once more, she stopped.
"You as well!" Ariella's surprisingly shrill voice carried all the way over from the middle of the camp. The Swordmaster snapped her head around to face the Alchemist and she winced back.
Was she even allowed to be around him anymore, after that?
She began her walk back with a jog to go find out.
–
2
Even as she back-dashed, Hawke's eyes narrowed past her mask as her steel sword was smashed against by the laughing Half-Moon, his own expression contrastingly in a fit of delight. The blades made loud sparks and, as they landed, the Etherthien bound Sniper swerved the growling Half-Moon's obvious stab dive forward before sinking her indigo armoured left knee into his lower stomach.
"GAGH!" Half-Moon managed to yell out suddenly, his wide grin lost to an annoyed, pained and open-mouthed frown.
He was sent sailing into the air back the way he came from the sheer strength she put into her attack; utilising her decades-long fighting experience, she easily phased into the air as she leapt to the side. With shocking speed, Team One's captain zoomed into frame behind the grunting Half-Moon; the Sohanthian serial killer's right eye opened and it darted as far behind him as it could in seeming preparation. Seemingly utilising his vast Quintessence control, he spun his body around as he careered; righting his position to successfully counter her incoming stab attack. Hawke's eyes narrowed and her brow furrowed to match her disappointment
"Tch!"
Her miffed grunt was easily overtook by the similarly scowling Half-Moon's katana; it raked across her steel sword and the two were locked in yet another struggle. Half-Moon's sailing had immediately stopped and he levitated in mid-air, his looming and low scowl shadowing over her threateningly. Her eyes narrowed up at him past the sparks before, finally, she found his strength slowly but surely overpowering her.
She was worried about this.
"Rgh...," Half-Moon growled lowly, drooling at the mouth as he beheld his next seeming meal before him. "Ae-Aegir...!" He intoned out below her, his hungry-eyed scowl firm and wildly aggressive. Hawke opted not to respond.
Not vocally anyway.
She merely glared back at him in a growing hard-scowl, attempting to hold him back. Unfortunately however, his strength seemed to have been increased from her earlier arrow coated with Quintessence.
Mistake, she thought to herself.
She grunted in tandem with his warning growl and it grew with his when he finally managed to break her hold on her weapon.
CLANG
The steel sword she carried clattered noisily to the ground in a spinning sprawl, leaving the newly wide-eyed and grinning Half-Moon to continue. He laughed like a maddened hyena as he leapt forward went for a killing strike. Hawke's eyes widened and, with as much force and speed as she could muster, she pulled her body in a swift back-flip to evade the incoming attack. Time slowed down for the pair and, as Half-Moon hungrily and urgently horizontally swiped after her wildly, the blade got through.
The Sniper's eyes widened and she sucked in air through her teeth when she felt it pierce the robe side of her armour on her left arm. The indigo cloth was ripped from the angry slash and, with it, a visible trickle of blood. When time finally regained its flow however, she landed onto the ground gracefully on one knee, eyes narrowing past her mask at her opponent. Her eyebrows lifted with her widening eyes however when she watched his grin grow, even at a plateau higher than he had done before.
Half-Moon chuckled knowingly and chillingly as he gradually raised his katana up to his mouth as if to eat the blade itself. Hawke's eyes immediately darted to his tongue slowly exiting his mouth to join with the tip of his katana.
Why would he-?
Her eyes widened when she watched him lap up at the small amount of her dripping blood on the katana.
Quintessence in the blood.
Of course...
As if in immediate response, Half-Moon's eyes widened and with a sudden burst of energy, he tossed his katana to join her fallen steel sword. His growls soon began to intone out lowly as he sent his clenching fists to his sides; as before, a visible ring of wind began to circulate around his legs and body in tandem with the shroud of Aegir itself that began to appear with it. Hawke's eyes narrowed forward at him, watching and waiting.
Was this a transformation?
His short blonde hair soon grew with the sudden exclamation he bore his voice to and, as he turned his head skyward, the ground gave off a resounding tremor to match his new form. His blonde hair had turned blood-red with the billowing and transparent Quintessence cloak he now wore so well. His hair had grown significantly in length to match his new form and his blood-stained grin heralded a new plateau entirely to his strength. Hawke mixed her sweat-growing frown with the ravenous and menacing smirk on his face.
His strength has obviously gotten a massive increase, she thought to herself.
Pushing her panic down with a firm scowl however she narrowed her eyes at the tiny amount of blood he drew from her.
He gained this from that?
Incredible, the Sniper thought to herself.
"Rgh...," Half-Moon growled out in his toothy wide smirk, his body shaking in conjunction with the buff he had been given, almost as if he had not tasted it in years. "Ae-Aegir...," he spoke through his clenched fangs, his eyes widened as he leapt forward, presumably to attack her. "DEVOUR!"
"Thanks again Gar." Leo smiled up at the Dragon Rider appreciatively, saluting him off with his warm expression.
"S'fine; I know how close you two are," Garrus smiled back in a dismissive shake of his head as his mount, Sophie, flapped her wings powerfully to hover the pair above the Mercenary. "I wanna go and take Edgar and Tina back with me as soon as I can."
"Yeah man, you go get 'em." the Mercenary couldn't help but grin his battle-weary face back up at the visibly blushing Dragon Rider. He averted his gaze for a few seconds before chuckling good-heartedly and turning his mount around mid-air, presumably to fly off.
"I'll see you soon!" He called over his shoulder as he shot off like an arrow shot from a ballista, leaving Leo in a light smile of his own. He watched him disappear into the morning distance before turning his head around in a new-found frown.
Have to find Sel, he thought to himself.
No need to worry about Sevrenna being there, he added in his mind as he began to quickly walk through main camp.
"Next I see her she ain't gettin' a smile from me," the Mercenary continued in his head as he sauntered on through, passing scrub-donned medical staff. "Can't believe she broke formation again..." He thought once more but this time in an annoyed, frowning shake of his head before he finally reached a random nearby tent.
Could this be it?
When he entered the tent however, it seemed he was either incredibly lucky or instead led by destiny itself; the frowning Selthris was shockingly up and conscious. He turned his head around, sat up on a bed in a surprised blink; Sevrenna sat behind him, applying some kind of medicine to his wounds via his back. She also turned to face him in a firmer frown. The scrubbed up Ariella stood overlooking them, arms folded as she faced the wide-eyed Mercenary.
Leo couldn't believe what he was seeing.
"What?" Sevrenna suddenly shot over, an angry tone on her voice. Leo faced her with an expression matching her anger, annoyed at her himself for his earlier thoughts.
"Come on, enough," Selthris murmured out from his position, right hand raised upward as if to keep the peace. "It's been a bad enough day." The Lord finished with in a contrastingly chuckling, smiling tone of voice. Sevrenna snapped her eyes away from the Mercenary in a show of her usual cold nature; Leo allowed himself to smile lightly in response as he walked further into the tent to approach them.
"I'm shocked you're up, Sel," he began as he approached in a light, appreciative smile. "You feelin' better?"
"Miraculously he's fine," Ariella responded to him with a light grin of her own, folded arms and all. She turned her head back to face the pair on the bed before her. "Our feared sword-slayer has a heart it would seem." The Alchemist boldly proclaimed in her humoured grin.
The listening Sevrenna, obviously knowing she was being referred to, shot up a heated and warning glare in response. In spite of his earlier annoyed feelings, Leo couldn't help but grin lightly himself.
"Very well, very well!" The old woman chuckled good-naturedly as she shot up her arms in defeat, even lowering her head as she did so. She pulled at the gloves she wore with her well-hearted smile and turned it briefly on the pair ahead of her before re-opening her mouth to finish. "I'll leave you three young 'uns alone." She ended in a well-meaning grin as she turned to leave the tent, pulling the gloves she wore off as she did so. The trio were soon left in an awkward kind of silence and Leo had to scratch at the side of his head as he turned his eyes away from the pair.
"You need any painkillers?" The Mercenary spoke up with, attempting to cut into the silent tension, walking over to one of the cupboards kept inside the area.
"N-No I'm... I'm fine," Selthris replied back as quickly as he could, chuckling in his light smile as he did so. Leo turned to face him briefly as he reached up on the cupboard for them anyway but soon found himself watching the firmly frowning face of Sevrenna hiding behind him. "Thanks... for coming back to see me."
"I needed work done myself y'know," the Mercenary shot back as he reached up high to grab the small bottle, pulling it down. He grabbed a nearby chair and drove it over to use. Dropping himself down into the seat across from the pair he smiled at his close friend. "But I'm glad you're okay," he admitted in his smile. "But... how...?"
Selthris chuckled, this time in a nervous smile as he too scratched the side of his head. "I'm... still not entirely sure why...," the Lord chortled nervously, his eyes shut briefly as he attempted to explain. "Ariella tells me it may have something to do with the Aegir that I still have." He claimed as he watched his companion with a suggestive frown this time. Leo's eyebrows both risen in response when he listened, easily catching the gist of his words. Sevrenna, curious, turned her eyes across at the pair as she listened.
"That would explain it... the Sorcerer...," Leo thought to himself in a surprised frown of his own before nodding at the younger man. "But after all these years...?"
A testament to how strong the progenitor of Aegir Art's teachings really was, he supposed.
"I'm... surprised I will say," Leo began as he raised a curious eyebrow upward and leaned back in his chair. He tossed the bottle of painkillers he held in his right hand repeatedly, catching the spinning bottle as he leaned back in his low grin. "I never saw you the type to repay people back like this Sevrenna." He called over in a teasing grin.
Selthris winced as he averted his own gaze from his goading companion; he felt the angry Swordmaster shoot her new-found scowl up at the Mercenary. Leo chuckled back, happy at the reaction he received.
"I'm just happy things didn't end the way I thought they would," he added this time however, regaining his sombre frown on his face. Selthris' low smile was daunted a little by the new-found tension in the air and he lowered his spiky, silvery-haired head in response. "Would be a shame to see the end of the Vikeruce clan." He ended, this time in a smiling, happy tone. Selthris exchanged his own smile with his best friend, as if in silent agreement.
"I know your father was supposed to be the great 'Oceiros'," Sevrenna finally spoke up for the first time since Leo had entered their tent. His eyes shot over to her as he listened. "But what about the rest of your family? Any siblings?" The Swordmaster murmured over at him as she worked on his bandaged body behind him.
The air suddenly grew tenser even than before. Selthris' smile was soon lost to him in favour a saddened frown, eyes lowering to match it. Leo swivelled his eyes away from the pair in knowing. Sevrenna's left eyebrow rose up in curiosity as she listened.
"Not even your mother...?" She asked quietly behind him, narrowing her eyes at his back. He raised his eyes upward, finally nodding in response.
"Yes," Selthris answered her in his nodding frown. "My mother is no longer with us, but...," he murmured in low-eyed explanation. "She was the good one in our family." The youth gave vent to his quiet thoughts, smiling lightly as he did so. Leo's eyebrow rose up as he listened.
"What...?" The Mercenary thought to himself in light confusion as he watched his younger companion.
"When I think about how people sanctify my father, I...," Selthris began again as he shook his head, this time in a low frown. "I just can't," he explained briefly, shutting his eyes in conjunction with his words. Sevrenna listened quietly, eyes watching him. "I knew him better than a lot of people did."
"And your mother was a better person than him?" She pressed him curiously, raising an eyebrow.
He smiled once more, nodding. "She... was always very passionate... about keeping me safe from others," the Lord smiled in explanation, as if recounting from his memory. "She was so devoted to other people that... I think she may have forgotten to take care of herself."
Even as he spoke, the quiet Leo watched his closest companion with a frown. He opted not to open his mouth in response as he also listened to him.
"Do you have any more family?" The Swordmaster behind him question, unusually curious. "I heard you say they weren't-"
"I... had an older sister... once." He answered her in response, his smile soon dissolving back to his sombre frown. He laid his bare hands across his armoured legs as he spoke. Sevrenna raised a curious eyebrow as she listened.
"What... happened to her?" She asked as she kept from wincing, perhaps uncomfortable with prying. Leo's eyes darted up to watch the shut-eyed Lord, knowing of who he spoke.
"She's... dead," he admitted to her in a simple frown, his silvery eyes shut. "By my own hand."
Finally finding the courage to speak, Leo shot his eyes up to face the pair as he opened his mouth.
"Silvermoon." The Mercenary gave claim to, frowning firmly forward at the pair. This time Sevrenna's sky-blue eyes widened in shock, easily recognising the name.
"S-Silvermoon?" She parroted, clearly shocked. Selthris' re-opened eyes soon averted both their gazes, as if ashamed. "Naerith's famed general?" She whispered over to the pair of young men. Selthris opted to silently nod in conjunction with his contrastingly firm frowning companion. "I-I had no idea..." The Swordmaster admitted as she pulled back a tiny bit in surprise.
"There was no way you could," Leo answered this time, leaning back in his chair as he narrowed his eyes forward. "It happened in Naerith three years ago," he explained very briefly, drawing a similarly narrow-eyed frown from the listening Sevrenna. "Only Sel and I know the real truth of what happened there."
Listening to him quietly in her frown she opted to finally turn her oceanic eyes to the thus far silent Selthris. "Is... is it true?"
Selthris only nodded in his silent, grave frown.
"And you killed her?" The shocked Swordmaster whispered out, eyes widened and brow furrowed forward at him. He nodded once more in his self-imposed silence. "... How?!" She hissed over at him, half-frustrated at his silent responses and half-bewildered.
"... She wanted it...," the Lord admitted in his sad-eyed frown before soon narrowing them in a silent show of his old hatred. "We both did."
Memories of the famed great Sathryon's death from three years ago in Naerith's 'Burning War' soon flashed in her mind in memory.
Of course, she thought to herself.
Naerith's Masked Man was their father's killer.
But... why?
"I was a bad person, three years ago," Selthris finally opened up in his brief explanation. "In the name of vengeance I sold my body... and my soul," he claimed in his glassy-eyed frown. Leo's eyes shot up to watch the shocked face of the listening Sevrenna, guessing at her own past as he also listened. "I got what I wanted, but... in the end...," he explained briefly as he briefly shut his eyes and soon turned his head around half-way to face hers in his frown. She nearly pulled back in further shock but managed to hold her position. "All I felt was emptiness." He finally finished with, staring back at her with his narrowed right silver eye. She watched him in a wide-eyed frown of her own and soon averted her gaze, almost as if being seen through completely.
Though he was silent in his audience, Leo could only exchange and compare the looks from the two, as if in knowing.
–
3
Hawke grunted as she used her arms, coated in Aegir to block to incoming roaring Half-Moon; his animalistic roar rent the air around her and she found herself near overpowered already from his shocking showmanship of strength. He roared the single word he seemed to favour above most of all directly at her, spitting his saliva at her excitedly in his wide-open grin.
"DEVOUR!"
With that single shout of effort he leapt further in and forced her back skidding more than just a few yards. Beads of sweat soon began to drip from the grunting Sniper's 'x' crossed stance and she glared back at him through the mask she wore so faithfully. Finally breaking through however, his grin was temporarily lost to a frown and simultaneously pulling in the Aegir she used to defend with, he collided his palm to grasp at her wide-eyed face with. Veritably pulsing with the billowing Quintessence he commanded, Half-Moon exclaimed loudly as he pulled the woman back easily and tossed her forward, as if she were a mere stone.
The Sohanthian soldiers behind her brought their shields up to defend against and the Sniper grunted as she bounced off of them, being sent back sailing high into the air. Half-Moon watched her hungrily and licked his lips in expectation before suddenly bounding up to meet her. Seemingly powerless to react in time, the Sniper turned her hard-eyed glare down on him as she flew skywards before, finally, he began to approach her.
"BREAK YOUR SPIRIT!"
Half-Moon's instinctual words rent through the air and were echoed somehow as he leapt up at her, his elongated nails raking at her mask. His billowing Aegir cloak seemed to intensify his attack and Hawke grunted as she was struck by the incoming fierce attack.
CRACK
Widening her eyes as she was sent careering across the air from the intensity of his Quintessence-infused strike. The two landed near simultaneously and, as they did, the watching crowd of Allied soldiers cringed. Time seemed to slow down for them however when they watched her stand back up, her leaning posture seeming to indicate a tired sense to her and yet raising up so quickly contrasted with it. She leant forward and, as Half-Moon's eyes widened in a wide open-mouthed grin, the Allied forces behind her also gasped with him.
The earlier crack they had heard was not fake.
Sure enough, the mysterious warrior's mask dropped to the ground in small fragments.
As she watched the wide-eyed Half-Moon with a low glare of her own he took in her facial features. Though her long brown ponytail poked out earlier from the back of her mask, now that it was absent, he was able to see it entirely; a simple side-shed of her light brown hair lay on front and fringe, dripping down at the sides. The softness of her complexion surprised the watching Half-Moon and, as he further regarded her now visible face he took in the final feature; small dabs of face-paint lay across the two sides of her face. The unmasked Hawke scowled back at him and his grin slowly re-grew on his face.
"Strong... Strong soul...!" Half-Moon intoned out forward in a wide-open mouthed grin, a laughing tone to his voice. Opting to remain chillingly silent in response to his strangely talkative fighting style, Hawke suddenly became transparent and, as if reacting immediately to her movement, the Sohanthian serial killer roared as he bounded forward at her. Though he raked his newly elongated claws at her ravenously she didn't react in the slightest. He blinked over at her, unsure on her tactics before widening his eyes when he sensed a presence behind him.
Before he could even roar back at her a great-arrow flew at him with frightening speed, seemingly infused with something other than Aegir. The reappeared and unmasked Hawke re-appeared behind him, gripping her trusty bow from her previous attack. She lowered it and narrowed her eyes forward at him before opening her mouth to finally respond to him.
"Burn."
DROOM
Her voice was so low and quiet he almost couldn't hear her before the impact struck; when it did, an explosion rent the air and a huge influx of smoke and dust was kicked up from the attack. This time Hawke opted to wait for the dust to settle and, as she did her eyes narrowed forward at the billowing Quintessence shroud she saw first.
Still alive.
Though not without injury, she thought to herself as her brow furrowed at the sight of him behind the smoke.
His seemingly pain-growing grunt filled the air around him as he was viewed in a knee-bent position, one of his eyes shut. When he felt her watching him he snapped his hard-eyed glare on her, his earlier wide open-mouthed grin now absent from his expression. She saw a new look on him and one she hadn't seen so far.
Actual fatigue.
"So...," she thought to herself in a low, growing grin. "I was right."
Almost as if sensing her thoughts, the animalistic Half-Moon sent his head skyward and roared like a lion before suddenly disappearing from common view. Her eyes narrowed and, without the mask she wore that weighed her senses down, her eyes easily caught his super-fast form rushing at her from her side.
She leapt in a back-dash, blocking his unsubtle forward claw slash with her Alchemy infused right arm. Seemingly angered by her successful block she spun around and managed to fully evade his follow-up vertical right clawed strike. Watching her land in a slight skid backward, dodging his attacks he gained a wide-eyed seemingly shocked facial expression, as if bewildered by her sudden increase in agility. She stared back at him in a warning low scowl, as if to challenge him.
As if in reaction to her confidence, he answered with an angry roar, both arms at his sides before he merely bounded forward to attack her once more. Hawke's eyes narrowed at his as she leapt to her left side and, as he landed where she once was, he turned his hateful scowl on her as he surged after her determinedly. The agile Sniper deftly ducked her head to avoid his incoming horizontal slash before suddenly widening her eyes as she sunk her right foot into his lower stomach. Widening his own eyes he managed out some kind of grunt, seemingly in pain, as he froze all movement.
"Gurgh!" He managed out before the narrow-eyed Sniper below him infused her arms with Alchemy and grasped at his overextended left arm. He turned his eyes down to stare down at her hopelessly and the pair glared at one another similarly before she suddenly exclaimed in effort as she pulled his entire body over her shoulder.
CRASH
Hawke gasped with effort as she pulled her arms back, stepping away from the destruction she had caused. Exiting the smoke cloud she had created, she watched it intently. When it finally dissipated however her eyes narrowed down at the sight below her in a judging manner. Half-Moon's now bloody and painfully bruised body lay below her, all traces of his earlier billowing Quintessence cloak gone. She scowled down at him as she folded her arms and walked toward him. As if to wake him up she drove her right boot into his ripped chest, glaring down at him. When she did however his eyes shot wide open and he snapped them up to face her from an upside down position.
"Pathetic," she called down at him quietly, finally opening her mouth for the first time in what felt like hours. His arms shot down to grasp at her foot but, as she expected, he couldn't force her off immediately. Trickles of blood dropped from two sides of his mouth. "You may be strong but it's fake," the Sniper judged in a firm narrow of her eyes, her arms still folded. "You'll never beat anyone worth their salt like this."
"Rgh...," the animalistic Half-Moon growled back up at her before widening his eyes. As if in response to the low rumble in his throat, the ground shook lightly before loudly rumbling with it. "DEVOUR!"
The ground opened up below him in response to the new-found Aegir cloak that materialised around him. He deftly clawed up at her with his right arm and her eyes narrowed as she bent her body backwards to evade the attack. Back-flipping up after her he roared lividly as he spun his body around in a leaping roundhouse kick; again she bent her body down to avoid his attack entirely.
Her movements did little to discourage the Sohanthian serial killer however and, as he landed, he roared again as he leapt at her executing a series of super-fast slashes and kicks with his claws and legs. Her arms still folded, as if to display her superior ability over the slow-fading blonde man, Hawke merely glared back at him wordlessly as she seemingly easily dodged each sloppily executed and animalistic attack he could attempt to hit her with.
As she finally back-dashed once more in a simple frowning skid, Half-Moon let out one final furious clamour as he leapt at her unsubtly, his rage seemingly leading him. With a similarly concluding scowl of her own Hawke swerved her body to her right in a sudden, lasting movement. Half-Moon's eyes widened and his scowl slowly dissipated in response to his enemy's movements and, as he turned to watch her counter-attack, time slowed down for him.
She bent her body down and around to launch him at his chin with a surprising kick, sending him grunting and skyward. Following up her counter assault the skilled Sniper let out a single grunt as she spun around in a decisive roundhouse kick, all imbued with Alchemy. Half-Moon yelped in a mix of pain and anger as he was sent careering from the sheer strength she sent to her attack; his new-found Quintessence shroud easily dropped from his body as he rolled across the ground, pained and seemingly broken.
Hawke frowned hard after him as she pulled her surprisingly high leg slowly back to her side from her earlier attack, her arms still folded all through her actions. Seemingly unable to move from the decisive counterstrike, Half-Moon growled in pain as his body shook terribly; a sign he was trying to move but failed to. Hawke marched forward, her arms still folded as she glared over at him. As if sensing her approach, Half-Moon's body shook even more terribly but it was no use; the fallen Sohanthian could barely move at all. When she stopped her march short just over his body she opted to glare down at him wordlessly and he scowled hatefully back at her as he did so.
"H-How...?" The animalistic serial killer growled up at her before coughing out blood painfully. His eyes widened when he recovered from the action before scowling even firmer as he repeated his words. "HOW?!"
"It wasn't that hard in all honesty," the Sniper began to explain, very briefly narrowing her eyes down at him. "When I saw you eat the fire I coated my arrow in... it was pretty clear that you sustain on Aegir itself. Not to mention the blood from your katana earlier," she claimed in her hard frown. He blinked on up at her as he listened. "So I tested using Alchemy instead on you...," she began before upturning a side of her grin as she did. "And I guess it worked."
"Rgh...," Half-Moon growled up at her warningly before re-opening his bloody stained mouth. "Break you up into pieces!" He hissed in a glare of his own. Hawke opted to let her grin drop in response to his words before narrowing her eyes down at him.
"Hmph," she merely muttered out in her throat before lowering her head, presumably from being recognised with her mask off. The Sniper kept her head lowered as she about turned to walk toward her comrades. "Norman!" She called out loudly this time, shooting her head up momentarily, her eyes darting around as if to look for the bodyguard. "Where are you?!"
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