- Disguised as Lei Cervantes:
The sword would be returned to dangle on Lei's back, the man now being unarmed before the beasts. Seeing it as a sign of surrender, the two feral lycans pounced for the cloaked man. For a moment it was as if his eyes glowed crimson and pierced through the souls of the beasts, but this didn't stop them - nor was it intended to. That brief moment of reminder of who Lei really was, was all that he needed. In a blink, the beasts were repelled once again. This time as they gazed upon the green swordsman, they saw a shimmering blade in his right hand and fifteen more rotating around him and poised to strike. It was too late at that point, however. Seven pelted the one who had originally tried to strike the man from the front, and eight assaulted the other who had tried to scratch at his flank.
Poked full of enough holes to make wolf cheese out of - and a horrifying thought that was - the pair of beasts fell, deceased. The swords did not disappear, nor did they require physical effort to dig out of the corpses. Rather, like parts of a machine, they returned to their master and levitated around him as naturally as anything. He continued on his pursuit of the final archer, going at his full speed to catch up.
An arrow blasted forth towards Lei, and a sword intercepted to block it, breaking in the process. That was to be expected, and more could easily replace it. It was one nameless soldier among an entire squadron, after all. There was no challenge left to it once Lei felt like trying, because he had a squadron with him to share in the fight now. Caelum's armory was absolute in its efficiency.
Sword after sword sacrificed itself blocking arrows from the fleeing archer, allowing Lei to move without stopping, with unblinking resolve. It was by the time he had been reduced to twelve swords with a thirteenth in his hand that he had closed the gap. His gaze thinned to that of a wild animal, and allowed his remaining swords to go on the offensive.
Two swords slashed at the ankles and heels of the lycan, sending it stumbling to the ground and becoming engulfed in mud. Another would strike at the bow, destroying it. After the werewolf was unarmed and unable to fight back, it turned and looked Lei in the eyes pleadingly.
"Please... just don't hurt the rest of the tribe. The women, the children... they're the future, so please..."Everything in Mr. Cervantes froze briefly. He hesitated. The creature could speak? That wasn't something he was aware of. Ignorant and unknowing of the wider world, it was a revelation to him. He was killing people. People with lives. The words of a person that Lei thought was unrelated to him echoed.
"You already made a choice that was positive. Don't degradate yourself by thinking you can't."...
The words of somebody who should've felt close, yet who was it really? Was it somebody known to Lei? Were the words even directed at him? It didn't matter. It didn't matter, because with one final act of desperation, the lycan was now charging towards Lei who was thinking in two different worlds. One instant.
The next instant, the lycan was sailing backwards into a pool of mud now mixed with blood. The remaining swords held back by Lei all punctured the werewolf at once, sending it lifeless. All was quiet in the forest once again. Aldenwald's ominous nature was replaced by a serenity it didn't often possess, allowing Lei time to think to himself as he stood there before the archer's corpse.
Rain began to pour down after a while. There wasn't much to say; he didn't know anything about the werewolf, despite now knowing that the beast was in fact a thinking, feeling being. What positive choice was there? What was so positive about this? He was a hunter, and yet there was apprehension mixed in with duty. It wouldn't take much effort to find the remaining members of the werewolf's tribe and eradicate them. He'd probably receive a prettier penny than ever before by doing so. He could live comfortably for a while, and not have to worry about putting himself in danger. It would be so easy to wipe out the remaining members of the tribe, but...
"That's enough for today. Let's listen to Aegis, this time. Maybe... maybe things are fine just as they are, for now, y'know?"Lei spoke aloud, but it felt as if the voice wasn't his own. As if someone within him was saying that to him. Who was Aegis? Did it matter? It was his own words, so it made sense that he should follow what he just told himself. He had to, because thinking further about what this other voice implied might give way to something far too dangerous to confront right now. A feeling washed over him that it would be better not to ask questions, and that maybe he wasn't in as much control of his own life as he thought.
That is, if this life was truly his to live.
WC: 2,125/2,125 (15% reduced)
- Spells used:
Name: Ormus' Hundred Faces
Rank: C
Mana Cost: 50
Requirements: Ormus' Hundred Hoods
Type: Supplementary
Element: Arcane
Range: Self
Cooldown: 0 Posts
Duration: Sustain
Effect: Ormus' Hundred Hood is a hooded cape which has a hundred hoods attached to the cape in which faces are collected. Upon wearing the main hood which is attached behind the neck of the user, the user can select one of the faces which has been stored in the other hoods. This does not only change the face of the user, but also their physique allowing them to switch between genders. The hood does not alter the height of the user though. The cape changes into a regular hooded cape upon wearing the main hood, causing the hundred hoods to disappear to hide its effects from others. The user cannot change their appearance into that of another user or a non-player, but they can freely choose any other appearance upon wearing the main hood. The user can decide to represent this by adding an image in their posts reflecting their chosen appearance. Upon changing appearances, the user can take off the main hood and the cape will remain in disguise. The user can undo the effect by putting the main hood on and off again, or change their appearance again by putting the main hood on and off again.
Name: Caelum Bloodline Sword
Rank: D-S
Mana Cost: 25-500
Requirements: Caelum Magic
Type: Offensive
Element: Arcane
Range: 0-10 m
Cooldown: None
Duration: Sustain
Effect: The user summons a set number of swords depending on their rank, which also affects the range of the swords. The user must always wield at least one sword by hand to use the magic. All swords are summoned within a meter of the user. However, after summoning, the swords that are not wielded in hand can be manipulated freely to block, stab, etc., within the given range without any motions. The swords move at spell speed. Each sword deals B-rank damage and has a durability of B-rank damage as well. The user may not freely choose between the number of swords they wish to summon. The spell can be re-cast only if all the summoned swords are destroyed or if the user deliberately cancels the spell.
- S-rank User: 16 Swords; 500 Mana; 500 Mana Sustain; 10 Meter Radius.
- EXIT -