Well, once more do I return to this story after taking a hiatus to work on Chronicles of the Chosen some. We're starting to move into the last vestiges of Destine's arc now, with only a few chapters remaining.
Begin!
Book I, Part III: Mortal Conflict - Element of Treachery
Chapter XI—Machinations
[Nether Plane, Chateau du Suzerain, Main Concourse]
Aizen Sosuke, like all other planar leaders within the realm, chose his Planeswalkers with a plan in mind, a greater design for their presence. Sometimes, it was a simple plan, something that most outside viewers would easily discern by looking at those involved and the circumstances. Aizen knew well that complex plans weren't always needed, despite the entertainment and pride that they often provided, and he was truly a master at using limited resources to their fullest potential, especially those of his Planeswalkers. Other times...
Well, other times, there were people like Dmitri Yuriev.
Most people that saw the suit-clad Planeswalker wondered just what possible reason Aizen could have had to choose such an individual. From his short, blond hair and blue eyes to the deceptively-devious smile he kept on his face nearly all the time, everything about his appearance screamed "betrayer" or "deceiver." He seemed a scientist at heart, most claimed, though it was later amended that "mad scientist" may have been more fitting after getting to know him. He held an odd fascination with magical trinkets, often spending weeks simply tinkering with his latest experiment and examining new ways to combine magical effects and artifacts.
To his credit, he was skilled at what he did; the Daiesthai within Aizen's forces, and even his Espada, had become leagues more potent because of research that Yuriev had conducted after his induction.
His most infuriating quirk, however, had to be his manner of speech. On the outside, it seemed polite and friendly enough, until one looked underneath the honeyed words and realized the mocking tones and scathing double-meanings that lay beneath the amiable facade. Yet, even with all of this in mind, Aizen Sosuke had come to one conclusion over the years that Yuriev had remained in his employ.
He'd made a fine choice.
"Rubedo. So good to see you again," Yuriev remarked, looking up towards the stairs of the main hall as another figure began to descend them. "Before you go off to see your...benefactor, a moment of your time? Just a little favor, since you're headed to the mortal plane."
The figure coming down the stairs stopped for a moment, sighing deeply as his amber eyes noticed Yuriev's grinning face watching his advance. His spiky brown hair bobbed slightly as he started walking again, only stopping once he was past Yuriev - that way, he reasoned, he didn't have to look at him when he spoke.
"What do you want, Yuriev?" Rubedo asked, feeling the faint vestiges of a headache already approaching just from mentioning the Planeswalker's name.
Rubedo Alaberti was a most unusual case when Aizen Sosuke first came across him. Katanas DeValle had brought the kid to Aizen's figurative doorstep, half-dead, and petitioned him to make the teen a Planeswalker - he had potential, Katanas had said, and wanted Aizen to give him the chance to prove it. Aizen, though somewhat less than pleased at Katanas' presumptuousness, had decided to make use of the opportunity, reasoning that if it happened that he wasn't capable of the station, he'd just get rid of him.
As luck would have it, he was wrong; after Rubedo healed and grew into his role as a Planeswalker, he began to perform his duties with acceptable skill, often finding opportunities in unusual places that his peers missed. He was no Yuriev, Aizen knew, but he served his purpose loyally, and that was enough to satisfy the Overlord.
"Merely to ask for your assistance while you're in the mortal plane, of course," Yuriev remarked. "I've heard rumors of happenings in the mortal realm of late, and I thought it would be...beneficial if someone might gather more information on the subject."
Rubedo's eyes narrowed, though Yuriev couldn't see, and he absently began straightening one sleeve of his white dress shirt. "You want me to listen to gossip while I'm on the mortal plane," he retorted in a deadpan tone, finally glancing over his shoulder at his fellow Planeswalker.
"Certainly not!" Yuriev said, seemingly appalled that Rubedo would dare make such a suggestion. "I merely want you to keep an eye out for any interesting events while you're there - especially of the magical sort."
"Haven't you got enough toys to play with?"
"One can never have enough research material, and I've heard that some artifacts have been changing hands recently on the mortal plane...if you happened to come across any of them, it could be a great boon to my work," Yuriev said, making Rubedo wonder not for the first time how Aizen managed to tolerate someone like him.
"...I'll think on it," Rubedo muttered, willing to accept the request if it meant that Yuriev would leave him alone. "Don't you have work of your own to do?"
"Indeed I do," Yuriev said happily, chuckling softly to himself as he turned to leave. "I do hope you find something interesting down there for me, Rubedo."
Then he was gone, the faint wisps of energy following the opening and closing of a gate to the Crystal Path all that remained in the air as he departed. Rubedo resisted the urge to breathe a sigh of relief; speaking with Yuriev for any prolonged period of time always managed to get under his skin, despite his best efforts to the contrary.
"Freak," he muttered to himself, even as a similar gate to the Path opened before him, allowing him to step onto it and begin his journey to the mortal plane.
[Soul Society, Lord Sovereign's Palace, Throne Room]
Among the three planes that existed outside of the mortal plane and its influence, Soul Society was...unique, in a sense. Having ties to the mortal plane, Ethereal Plane, and Nether Plane all at the same time put it in a position that no other plane within the realm could claim. The reason boiled down to a simple fact - Soul Society was the afterlife, or what could be considered such, of the realm itself.
Soul Society was also a plane unto itself; it had its own leader, its own military forces, its own denizens, and more. Soul Society merely also had a unique task to consider in its operation. When beings died, their souls would return to Soul Society – mortal or otherwise, it mattered not their point of origin. There, they would live out a second 'life' of sorts, often living for hundreds of years before 'dying' once again in Soul Society and being reborn in another plane without memories of their previous life or lives. As it held the task of maintaining the balance between death and rebirth, even the millennia that had passed had done nothing to hinder its neutrality.
Byakuya Kuchiki, the current Lord Sovereign of Soul Society, would not have had it any other way.
The twenty-eighth head of Soul Society, Byakuya made a strong leader for Soul Society from the moment of his induction. Everything about his youthful appearance seemed to exude authority, from the dark-colored kimono, white sash, and beautiful silk scarf that he wore to his dark hair, stern face, and piercing blue eyes. He knew the tasks that would be arrayed before him as he prepared to take his position as Soul Society's leader, and he carried them out unflinchingly, using the same serene disposition that he held as a member of the nobility to gain respect and loyalty from those under his station.
This would later come to include championed Planeswalkers over time, as those of the previous Lord Sovereign passed on and Byakuya began to choose his own emissaries. Above all, he valued intelligence and interdependence in his chosen, trusting those in his employ to put individual needs aside for the good of the whole. In some of his chosen, he'd succeeded greatly - Andréa Beoulve had proven to be a fine choice for the tasks of the plane that he assigned her.
The person standing in front of him now, however...he found that he couldn't deny his skill and loyalty as a Planeswalker, but often were the times that he wondered if he understood the meaning of "putting the needs of the many before those of the few."
"Mister DeValle. Yours is not a face I expected to see anytime soon," Byakuya said calmly, looking over into the grinning face of Darius DeValle.
"Well, you know how I rarely ever drop by unless it's an emergency and all," Darius replied nonchalantly. Most Planeswalkers would be more formal with someone like the Lord Sovereign, but Byakuya had - somehow - grown to deal with his Planeswalker's rather colorful personality.
"Indeed," he remarked, his face never wavering from its emotionless expression. "You test my patience."
Darius nodded lightly; despite his personality, he did know when the Lord Sovereign was unwilling to deal with his quirks. "Ah, right to the point. Well, then, in that case...I need your help finding someone," he asked, moving into a serious tone for the time being. "I thought that you'd be the best person to ask, given the...implications."
Byakuya said nothing in the face of Darius' question, but his gaze didn't move from the Planeswalker in front of him as Darius continued speaking.
"You see, after doing some research into that Great Ethereal War - for reasons that you'll find may, or may not, come into play given the current circumstances - I came across a few names that sounded important. It seems that a few high-profile former members of some elitist organization called the Gilead Order managed to survive all that chaos. They came here."
The slightly-accusatory tone in Darius' voice as he said the last words both set Byakuya faintly on edge and made him wonder exactly what his chosen was getting at. Silence reigned in the room for several long, tense seconds before Byakuya finally decided to speak again.
"And what if they did?" His voice betrayed nothing, as firm and solemn as ever, but Darius was undeterred.
"Then my request should be easy," he said to the Lord Sovereign, his ever-familiar smirk returning. "I want to meet them - specifically, the former head of the Ethereal Archaeology and Magical Maintenance Division, Etchel...something or other; I couldn't quite make out the last name."
Again, silence took over the room as Byakuya seemed to appraise Darius, idly and silently wondering how he'd managed to come across such knowledge as well as what he might want with such a meeting. It was true that a few members of the former Order of Grim Angels within the Ethereal Plane's Gilead Order had managed to survive the war, eventually finding their way to Soul Society and reinstating a new instance of the prestigious order within the plane. Try as he might, however, he couldn't see a reason as to why Darius would wish to meet with a former Grim Angel captain, nor could he honestly see any reason to disallow it, given his station and record.
"You've been busy," Byakuya finally stated, letting a faint trace of admiration creep into his voice for an instant.
"I learned from the best - namely, my brother," Darius admitted, shrugging - which was, as much as he'd like to take the credit for his investigative skill himself, the truth. "So, what can I interest you in today?" he continued, ready to offer up his part of the bargain. Equivalent Exchange didn't just apply to Alchemy, he knew; it was always best for business if you were prepared with the appropriate payments well in advance. "There's some real juicy happenings on the mortal plane, and it looks like both the Ethereal and Nether Plane have agents in position to capitalize on...something. Rumor is that someone suspiciously described as 'appearing to be the Pillar of Destiny' is wreaking havoc down there. Don't know what to make of that."
The barest hint of a smile flitted across the Lord Sovereign's face, there and gone too quickly for even Darius to notice. "Very well. I'll arrange a meeting. It seems, for a change, that your gossiping serves a purpose."
For a moment, Darius looked offended at Byakuya's words, but he chose to say nothing in response - for once electing to keep his mouth shut and stifle the retort which would surely have followed. He settled instead for rolling his eyes, displaying his annoyance at the comment but on the inside feeling satisfied that he'd gotten what he came for.
"Then we have an agreement, Lord Sovereign."
[July 3, 2152 | Galbadia, Deep Sea Research Center, Main Laboratory | 5:13 PM]
"This place is a wreck."
Manes' voice echoed around the vast, empty room as he walked, kicking away pieces of debris while he examined his ruined surroundings. Also known as "Battleship Island," the building was actually a man-made, mobile island and research center, similar to the Garden structures created by Centra. When it was created, it was supposedly designed to be used as a mobile laboratory for the study of marine life and biology around the world.
In reality, it served as the location where researchers from around the world, many of whom were funded by Balamb Garden and Esthar in particular, were attempting to research and study the foundations of paramagic. The world itself, they had long known, contained fountains of magical energy in places where the concentration was strong enough to force it to the planet's surface. Many had been found in Centra, particularly, before the time of the Lunar Cry, but the scientists there weren't as interested in the smaller occurrences around the globe.
They theorized that the planet contained at least one extremely large and powerful deposit of magic, but all efforts to discern a potential location for the theoretical fountain had returned nothing...at least, nothing on land. Unsatisfied with the prospect of failure, the "Deep Sea Research Center," as it became colloquially known, was developed to scour the ocean floors for any signs of magical essence. Around six years ago, however, the project mysteriously shut down, with most all of the researchers leaving the island and declaring the project either a failure or inconclusive. Many wondered why it was so abruptly terminated, but few outside of government officials openly questioned the decision; those officials who did were almost invariably met with responses of "it was becoming financially unsound to continue" or the like.
Now, the island had become little more than a man-made coral reef stationed in the middle of nowhere, a forgotten relic from years of science past. Technically, it was still in Galbadian waters because of some international agreements, but the Galbadian government had long since given up caring about the now-immobile construct.
"The condition of this place doesn't matter, you know," Destine stated, giving Manes a look of annoyance. "All that matters is that you stay out of the way of prying eyes."
"Then why don't you just kill the ones who might pry?" Manes shot back, equally annoyed. He hated being ordered around, and following Destine like nothing more than a menial servant was beginning to bother him more than he could ever remember being displeased.
"Which is more satisfactory, my dear Daiesthai? Merely killing someone, or watching as they realize that there's absolutely nothing they can do to stop you before you do so?" The sweet smile on Destine's face made Manes sick; not for the first time, he wondered if the Pillar of Destiny was completely and utterly insane.
"Killing them means that no one can interfere. It's more practical, and just as satisfying," Manes remarked, almost scoffing at Destine's logic. Destine didn't bother gracing Manes with a response, which served only to further annoy the demon. Debris crunched under his feet as he walked around, examining the room and its contents with much disdain. "What do you want me to do here, anyway?"
"I want you to craft me an artifact," Destine replied casually, a statement which immediately caused Manes to turn back with a look of mild surprise.
"What, exactly, makes you think me capable of such a feat?" His voice was low, but it held a menacing undertone to it that had replaced the typical sarcasm and sneering tone he usually carried. Destine's response, for once, lacked any of the jeering and taunting that normally laced her own speech.
"How much of a fool do you take me for? I was aware of your capabilities long before I even bothered visiting you in the Void. I know just what you were doing in the Ethereal Plane that caused you to get attacked by the Grim Angels. If anyone is the fool here, it's you, for thinking that someone like yourself could possibly steal from the Palace of Creation, with or without help."
Manes' eyes narrowed - for once, he felt like he might have underestimated the Pillar's intelligence. If she knew as much as she claimed, he thought to himself, there really was no point in hiding anything now.
"Fine," he growled, folding his arms. "What do you want this...artifact to do?"
"Now we're getting somewhere!" she exclaimed, almost instantly back to her mockingly cheerful attitude. "It's simple, really. I want this artifact to be a reservoir of energy, the more the better. Something that can hold an adequate amount of power even from someone like myself, essentially."
Manes frowned. "Surely, that's not all of it?" he countered - there was little point in Destine making such an artifact without a reason, as holding power was something that she could do herself without trouble.
"That's where the fun begins," she continued, smiling. "When this artifact's power is released...I want it to sever the connection between beings and their magical energy in a small area for as long as the energy within can sustain the effect. Obviously, the more energy you can make this artifact hold, the better."
"You want a localized anti-magic field? Can't you do that yourself?" he shot back, suddenly feeling once again like the Pillar was wasting his time.
"Not anti-magic. You misunderstand. I don't want it to negate magic, I want it to sever the bonds to magic," she clarified, still smiling. "Negating the magic doesn't negate the benefits that having magic might bring to an individual. This way, however, does just that - neither mortal nor Ethereal beings alike will be able to counter this kind of effect, at least not without great amounts of preparation."
The frown on Manes' face slowly became a smile, which soon turned into full-blown laughter as he realized what the Pillar's plans were - or, at least, what he thought they were. "You're pretty damn brazen, you know that? I didn't think you'd have the guts to try and pull something like this over on the Creator, but then you go and prove me wrong!"
"All in good time," Destine replied calmly, nodding. "Now, I believe you should get started, as we've wasted enough time." As she stepped towards Manes, she held one hand out, causing the small box and bracelet that she'd acquired from the Royal Thieves Guild to materialize atop her palm. "These should provide you with enough of a basis, I believe."
Manes took the pair of items, first looking at the bracelet carefully. It appeared to be some kind of magic-suppressing trinket, more of a novelty than anything in his opinion. Likely what he'd been given to serve as the base item for the creation, he thought as he opened the box. It exuded a faint glow, hinting to the raw energy surging from the red gem held within, and he looked back up at Destine, wondering exactly what he'd been given.
"That, my dear Daiesthai, is what the mortals refer to as a Philosopher's Stone," Destine said with pride, obviously relishing in the surprised expression now adorning Manes' face.
Few things in the mortal plane were as legendary in the study of magic as the Philosopher's Stone - it was the holy grail of Alchemy in particular, the artifact that every alchemist aspired to see, touch, or create from the moment they began their craft. It was said that Alchemy's major restraint, Equivalent Exchange, could be bypassed by using the Stone in addition to the large boost that it gave the wielder's magical ability.
It was really a misnomer - the cost for the transmutation had already already paid because of how the Stone was created. It took the sacrifice of souls, be they Hume, Erudite, even Ancients themselves, to create a Philosopher's Stone, and the souls contained within the Stone became the material used in the transmutation. Only a scant few people actually knew how a Stone was created, even fewer knowing the correct method to create one.
Manes knew vaguely what he was looking at; stories of similar artifacts had floated around the Nether Plane for centuries, yet he cursed his luck for finding one now. If he so much as thought about taking its power for his own, he knew that Destine would destroy him without a second thought. Idly, he cursed his luck even as he nodded towards Destine, forcefully biting back the scowl that threatened to escape.
"Very well. I'll go ahead and begin," he muttered, taking both bracelet and Stone with him as he moved towards one of the least-damaged tables in the room. Destine smiled as she watched him walk away; he knew that she had the upper hand, and if nothing else, the difference in power between them would keep him loyal. Self-preservation was a powerful instinct, after all, even to Daiesthai. Satisfied that he would do as she had asked of him, Destine vanished in a swirling haze of magical energy, eager to check on the state of affairs she'd begun in the mortal plane while she waited.
Two Hours Later...
A console in the room exploded as a ball of dark energy impacted it, sending bits of metal and wires into the air and showering the ground with mechanical pieces. Manes growled in annoyance as he watched, his gaze once more sweeping around the room. He had finished creating the artifact that she'd asked for, and Destine wasn't back yet. Normally, he would've just gone and found her himself, but the Pillar was infuriatingly cloaking her own energy, making attempts to locate her impossible for the Daiesthai.
Instead, he'd turned his energy and idle anger into destroying what little remained intact within the research center's open laboratory, reducing consoles to little more than shattered metal and furnishings in the room to little more than shavings of wood, metal, and plastic.
The vague presence of magic in the air alerted him to another's entry into the room, and his eyes settled on the area, expecting to see Destine...but instead finding a young man with spiky brown hair, a white dress shirt, and brown khakis with a black leather belt standing in the room with a curious expression.
"Well, would you look at that," Rubedo mused, eyes focused on Manes and face holding an expression of mild surprise. "Of all the things I thought I would find, I did not expect an Arrancar so far from the Nether Plane." Manes gave no verbal response at all, but a smile full of malice began to creep across his features as he watched Rubedo.
(Play: Albedo (Manes' Theme) - Yasunori Mitsuda, London Philharmonic Orchestra & Metro Voices; Xenosaga I: Der Wille zur Macht)
"It seems this won't be such a wasted endeavor after all," Manes said, his smile widening with each passing second as the expression on his face became more vicious. "At least there's something here I can kill."
Rubedo didn't flinch at Manes' threat, merely continuing to watch the demon in front of him with a curiously.
"Are all Arrancar this arrogant?" he asked benignly, finding himself rewarded by the sight of Manes' body tensing in anger despite the sadistic smile on his face.
"Arrogance? This is fact," Manes shot back, his temper rising even more at Rubedo's verbal jab. "You got some kind of death wish, kid?"
"Not that I'm aware of," Rubedo replied casually, shrugging lightly as he spoke. "Just business to take care of."
"Business, huh?" Manes spat, clenching his fists. "Only business here is that which you should've minded." The demon chuckled, magical energy already beginning to crackle around his hands as he sneered at Rubedo. "Course, I guess you've got guts...at least, until I'm done ripping them out of you!"
(End: Albedo (Manes' Theme) - Yasunori Mitsuda, London Philharmonic Orchestra & Metro Voices; Xenosaga I: Der Wille zur Macht; Play: Pluto (Manes' Battle Theme) - Black∞Hole, Dance Dance Revolution Supernova 2)
The energy in Manes' hand burst, pulsing slightly, causing energy to encircle Rubedo and form a glyph of blue, vaguely-triangular shapes around his shoulders even as he moved, lashing out with a punch towards Manes' face that the Daiesthai leaned fluidly around. His leg came up a second later, burying a knee into Rubedo's gut that doubled him slightly before another burst of dark energy similar to the one he'd used earlier threw Rubedo away. The energy seared Rubedo's upper body, but he reacted quickly by twisting in the air, getting his feet under him as he landed and sized Manes' form up again.
"I should introduce myself, since it's only polite that victims know the name of their killer," the Daiesthai jeered. "My name is Manes...Arrancar catorce."
Outwardly, Rubedo seemed unaffected by Manes' proclamation, but inwardly he was glad for the information. He had little indication of how powerful the Arrancar might be, but at least now he could make a rough estimate based on what he'd just stated, and thus the appropriate adjustments.
He was forced to set aside his thoughts as a searing ball of fire tore through the air towards him, scorching and warping metal behind him as he ducked underneath the Fire spell. Hoping to seize the opportunity to strike while Manes was recovering from the casting, Rubedo shot forward into a lunge, slashing out at Manes with a furious chop that forced the Daiesthai to guard himself. The force of the blow nearly shoved Manes backwards, but he held his ground and threw Rubedo's hand away, lashing out with a punch of his own that Rubedo deftly turned away. A kick from Rubedo flashed through the space between them as he stepped back, and a sound resembling a brief burst of static filled the air around both fighters as Manes' form seemed to vanish, reappearing several feet away from Rubedo an instant later.
"Mortals," Manes said, smirking at Rubedo as he straightened again. "Always thinking that you're the best, the brightest, the most worthy. You haven't even begun to scratch the surface of true power yet." In a flash, another ring of arcane energy had beset Rubedo's form, this one a deep black in color and possessing a design resembling faint, star-like glyphs. Almost instantly, the blue shapes around Rubedo glowed brightly and energy lashed out at Rubedo from the glyph, burning his body with magical energy and causing him to flinch from the sudden pain. Still, Rubedo didn't move, batting aside the pain with rigid self-control and making a note of the apparent effect of the spell.
Energy began to swirl around Rubedo's hands in response, enhancing his own strikes with Holy-element power, and he dropped back into a defensive stance as he prepared to test Manes' defenses again. Once again, the glyph around him flared brightly, sending another biting flash of magical energy into his body before the ring faded away completely. It seemed like that glyph had activated when he cast his own enchantment spell – he'd have to be careful about what abilities he used. Luckily, it looked as if the glyph's effect only lasted a short time, so that was at least a plus.
"Show me, then," he replied, his calm manner of speaking continuing to infuriate the Arrancar across from him. The only response that he received from Manes was the sight of his form vanishing again, the faint flicker of magic as the Daiesthai charged another spell the only warning Rubedo got that the demon was now above him before the air became filled with orbs of Dark energy, falling towards him like meteorites. Rubedo reacted much more quickly than Manes gave him credit for this time, however, and his form phased out of the plane entirely for an instant as he drew upon his Planeswalker abilities, reappearing right in front of Manes and startling him enough for Rubedo to land a solid strike across the smirking demon's face.
Two things happened then.
Manes, under the grip of inertia and gravity, flew back towards the ground, slamming into the tiled floor underneath him with tremendous force and sending materials atop tables shaking from the impact.
Rubedo, still in the air, gasped in pain momentarily as the dark-colored glyph around his form suddenly reacted, jolting his body with dark energy and causing his eyes to fog over as the magical blindness took hold almost immediately. Despite the pain, Manes continued to smirk at the other fighter's folly – after all, he was a Daiesthai. Pain meant little to him in the long run other than to affirm that he was fighting someone worthy.
"I wonder how I should kill you," Manes said, looking up into the air at Rubedo, who had yet to move after feeling the effects of his Eclipse hex – a spell that was now fading away from the brown-haired fighter's body. "Dismembering you would be satisfying, but hume bleed out too quickly for that...perhaps burning you alive, one piece at a time will suffice..." His deranged musings ceased as he focused again on hexing Rubedo's body, this time conjuring what looked like a ring of green, spiral-shaped glyphs around Rubedo's form. Rubedo tensed, expecting the glyph to initiate some kind of attack as the first had done, but none came to greet the Planeswalker.
He wasn't sure whether he felt better or worse about that fact, given the reactionary effects that the Arrancar's spells seemed to contain. Either way, he reasoned, he wasn't going to learn anything about his opponent's tactics by standing still and letting him cast magic on him all day – one spell might be fatal. The healing energies of Esuna magic played over his face, cutting away the magical haze impairing his sight, and he sprang into action again.
The smirk on Manes' face vanished quickly as Rubedo reappeared in front of him, his fist transiting the space between them in the blink of an eye and just missing Manes' chest as he dodged aside. The demon's right arm swept upward in retaliation, swatting Rubedo's arm away even as his left hand charged a yellow-colored energy ball with the intent of burying it in Rubedo's side or torso. Any ideas he might've gotten about doing just that were quashed as Rubedo vanished again, sending Manes flying forward onto the floor with a quick kick to the back after his planar transit resolved. This time, instead of feeling outright pain, Rubedo felt a draining sensation as Manes tried to recover, his physical energy seemingly sapped away from his body as Manes got back to his feet after the strike.
"What's the matter?" the Arrancar sneered, wiping a bit of blood from his mouth where his face had scraped the tile. "You're looking a little weak there...all the magic too much for you?" The taunt did little to affect Rubedo, who was mentally going over what information he'd already learned.
"Clearly excels in magic, given how quickly he moved out of my range earlier and how many spells he's been throwing around. Doesn't even seem to like melee combat, despite the fact that he's carrying a sword like most Arrancar. Uses a lot of spells that react to certain actions from their target...that was probably a Bala that I saw a moment ago, too – not enough energy in it to be a Cero."
"Not really," Rubedo replied, settling back into a more balanced stance as the jade-colored glyph faded away. "I've watched you long enough. Now it's my turn."
The Daiesthai barely had time to blink before Rubedo was upon him, fists and feet flying in a blisteringly fast dance of strikes. A low-flying hook caught Manes in the side, opening him up for a straight kick that pushed him away even as Rubedo leapt forward to follow, fiery energy flashing around his hand as he lashed out again. The static sound returned as Manes' Sonido carried him out of the way, and he glanced back as he appeared several feet to Rubedo's left to see a large crater in the tiled surface, with Rubedo's fist directly in the center.
Rapidly, he called up the energy for another hexing spell, the same dark-colored glyph he'd used earlier reappearing around Rubedo's form, but it didn't stop the brown-haired fighter from spinning on his heel and dashing towards him again, fist reared for another dangerously-powerful smash. The Arrancar ducked under the diving punch, but wound up countered almost before he began his own attack by a powerful kick that knocked him up and off his feet, cutting into his chest. A second followed, Rubedo paying no heed to the retaliatory burst of Dark-element energy from the hex nor the blindness creeping across his vision as he spun, his heel digging into Manes' stomach and blasting him away to crash painfully onto the floor some distance away.
"Must be a blow to your pride, getting kicked around by a mortal," Rubedo commented, chuckling faintly as he watched Manes drag himself back to a standing position.
Across from Rubedo, the Arrancar was seething; those kicks had hurt, as loathe as he was to admit it, and that in itself was making him even angrier – a mortal shouldn't be able to fight so effectively with an Arrancar like him! The faint ringing sound of metal sounded in the room as Manes slowly drew the blade at his right side, a curved blade with a rectangular guard sporting sickle-shaped designs and a dark-yellow hilt, and placed the blade's edge atop his right forearm. The static sound of his Sonido returned as he moved behind Rubedo before striking out with the weapon, only to have Rubedo leap neatly over both the weapon and Manes himself as if he'd seen the attack coming from a mile away.
"What…?"
Try as he might, Manes couldn't suppress the surprise in his voice even as energy expanded from Rubedo's form, a bright crimson ring of power rolling away from him like a shockwave and melding itself to the walls of the laboratory. As he landed behind Manes, Rubedo similarly couldn't contain the faint vestiges of a smirk that played across his face.
"This is checkmate."
"Why, you…!" Manes' face screwed up into a visage of fury, and energy danced around his free right hand as he cast another hex over Rubedo…
Or, at least, tried to. The moment the spell left his hand, it seemed to freeze in mid-air in front of him, followed immediately by the spell's energy discharging over his own body, causing him to yell in pain as the energy from his own spell tore away at his form. Painfully, he took a staggered step forward, bits of his body burned from the energy released in the failed spell, but gripped his sword even tighter as his teeth grated together.
"That was some trick…" he spat, forcefully trying to bring his anger back under control as he raised him sword again and glared hatefully at the Planeswalker in front of him. Energy began to build around him as he focused and reached within himself for the power lying there, an action which caused Rubedo to sit up and take notice, figuratively speaking, as he felt the power gathering around the Arrancar. "Allow me to show you one of mine. Consume, Frez-"
"Manes."
(End: Pluto (Manes' Battle Theme) - Black∞Hole, Dance Dance Revolution Supernova 2)
Manes didn't get to finish his sentence as Destine appeared beside him, first noticing his rather injured appearance and then the younger Planeswalker standing opposite him.
"About damn time you got back," he muttered, not really caring at present whether the Pillar could kill him or not. Destine, to her credit, ignored his rude greeting as she turned to him, apparently unconcerned about his injuries.
"You finished your task, I assume?" she asked, a question to which he gave no response for several seconds.
"Yeah, I finished one of them," he replied, still looking in Rubedo's direction. "One to go."
"Leave him," Destine said, causing Manes' furious expression to turn to her. "We've plans to finish; wasting time on mortals is not part of them." Not for the first time, Manes wanted nothing more but to bury the sharp end of his blade in the Pillar's face, but managed to refrain from actually carrying out the action.
"Whatever," he muttered, reluctantly sheathing his sword again. Before Rubedo could react, both Destine and Manes were gone, leaving only the Planeswalker standing in the demolished laboratory. Rubedo tilted his head slightly at the sight of the abrupt departure, finally letting his body relax.
"This day just got much more interesting," he said, sighing and stretching out the tension from his body. "I had better go tell Katanas." A slight smile appeared on his face as his next thought crossed his mind.
"He might even pretend to be surprised for a change."
For those of you who know about Bleach and are far enough into the series, you should recognize the (numerous) references almost immediately. We used a lot of elements from the series in our story later on, most of which were the idea of Iron Reaver (he was the one who introduced both myself and DWR to the series), so credit for a lot of theincorporation of Bleach ideas into our own canon goes to him.
I tried to show a few things with the fight between Rubedo and Manes. Manes, while powerful, is a fairly arrogant individual - especially when it comes to mortals, as he refuses to believe that any mortal could match the level of power that a Daiesthai stands at. That cost him dearly here; he had the upper hand against Rubedo while the Planeswalker tried to figure out his hexes, and could've likely finished him off if he had tried. He also greatly underestimated Rubedo's power and speed, expecting that his Sonido would be able to keep him out of melee range. Obviously, he was wrong.
As always, please read and review.