The sky above Orchidia was slowly shifting from blue as it was beginning to be covered by deep grey cumulus clouds. Wind moved at a speed that seemed to be magical, but even Ariael knew that the nature was simply expressing its pain and madness upon his location. There had been words that a great storm was brewing in the north sea and was making its way down to Orchidia. Most of the inhabitants of the town had decided to evacuate. They assumed that if they travelled southwest to Oak Town that they would be protected by the Seighart Mountain Range. Of course the storm wouldn't pass over the mountains... That was common sense, but as Ariael stared north, even he was beginning to doubt that.

The man stood at the top of a watchtower that was located deep inside the forest of Orchidia's outskirts. To his left he could see various people with luggage on their back and in their hands moving as fast as they could to Oak Town. The road that they were on was like a trap. Branches from trees snapped and were hurled all across the road. The Mage Hunter simply smirked at the villagers. He couldn't find it in his heart to even pity one of them. Today was a beginning for an end for him. If he was to start anew, then being reborn after a great destruction would be even more magnificent.

A day ago, Ariael had sent letters out to three individuals that he had came across during his journey across Fiore. The first was Jikan, a red-head that could make him laugh and one of the few people in Fiore he could hold a conversation with, next there was Miyamoto who could wield a blade much like himself, and last was Knux, someone who Ariael still knew very little about. Those three individuals would travel to the very spot where Ariael was standing in order to make an alliance that would shake the foundation of Fiore. Most would call their alliance a guild, but Ariael hated that term. A group of acquaintances was a better definition of their alliance. He was unsure if the others knew each other or not, but after today they would learn about each other whether they wanted to or not.

High in the skies flew Ariael's robotic companion. The machine constantly searched the forest for the three, as well as anyone else who could or would interrupt their meeting. Today wasn't a day for games, so if anyone who wasn't of importance were to appear, Ariael wouldn't hesitate to cut them down where they stood. A ring shined on his left hand and its own world of sorts was where his equipment was stored. An aura of darkness slowly exuded from his body and took over the room he was in at the top of the tower. If anyone was to walk in it, they would feel the foreboding presence coming from the man.

The tower stood 15 meters tall and no tree in sight had yet to grow taller than it. Like he said before, from his position Ariael could get a clear view of nearly everything. And if he did have a blind spot, Asimov would surely see it and alert him in an instant if anything appeared in it. After today his past would be no more.

"I foresee a calamity." whispered the newly changed man.

Ariael watched as each of the individuals arrived in their own manner. From the road, Jikan rode on the back of a beast towards the bottom of the tower. From his position, the man could see her hiding the beast away in a stable of some sort. Also on the road was Miyamoto who had activated a spell and began to run across the ground almost faster than Ariael could comprehend. As he was doing this, a great winged beast flew from the south and would hover in front of the tower's window. Off the back of it jumped the red hair man, Knux.

After jumping through the window, Knux would greet Jikan who had just made it through the doors of the tower's highest room. Ariael was surprised that the two individuals knew each other, however it would make their meeting all more quicker. Just after Knux's introduction was finished would Miyamoto finally climb through the tower's window. His spell allowed him to cling to the side of the tower, much like a spell that Ariael had in the past. The Mage Hunter would give the three individuals only a minute to greet each other, after that minute passed would he begin to speak.

"I'm a man of a few words. That letter I sent to you three spoke of an alliance. Here in Fiore guilds are in nearly every town and city. I would like to form one with you all here. Jikan, Knux, and Miyamoto... You three will be the founding members of our little band of misfits." said Ariael in a calm voice. He would walk backwards and lean his back against the window of the tower while staring at the three. In the past when he had met Jikan, Ariael had told the red head that he was forming a group called Laughing Basilisk, but Ariael had since then changed his mind about the name.

"If you all agree to join me, after today we will be known as Sleeping Calamity. A guild birthed during the hurricane that terrorized the City of Orchidia." said Ariael in almost a whisper. He would then let the three give their answers to him and talk amongst themselves about forming a guild. Making a guild in Fiore was no easy task. And being acknowledged as one was an even harder mission. However, Ariael felt that with the people he gathered here today that they would be a force to be reckoned with across all of Fiore.

As the four were talking amongst themselves, the raging storm outside had continued to grow even stronger. Within in time would the eye make its way towards Orchidia City. Even more branches, vines, and whatever else that didn't have much grip to anything solid and strong would continue to get blown away. The rain that was pouring down on the area was beginning to appear to be just below a category one storm and was quickly growing stronger as time passed. As it watched the rain grow even more, Asimov had decided to use its internal scanner so that its vision may or may not be hindered by the flying debris and any other future showers that could be stronger than the present.

Like always would it share its vision with Ariael via a small screen that appeared above the Mage Hunter's left wrist. Through its scanner Asimov could see literally everything as long as its sight passed over it. Hovering in front of the tower about five meters away from the window. It didn't take long after activating the scanner would it see a lone man walking in the forest. Why would anyone be walking alone in the forest as the storm terrorized the area? Well he wasn't technically alone. A small cat thing was next to the man on his shoulder as well.

Ariael who had noticed Asimov activating its scanner would look at his left wrist. The man would begin to ignore the other three in the tower and start to observe the screen. If Asimov had activated its scanner, then it was best to pay attention to it than the others for the moment. With his back still in the window, Ariael would watch as a man would appear on the screen. Asimov had focused its lenses so that it could peer through the veil of trees shielding the man from any eyes. Silently praising Asimov for its observation skills, Ariael would continue to look at the man, hoping that he was no threat to their meeting. Soon the man would pull something from his pocket or whatever. Ariael didn't know what it was, nor did he care. He was more focused on the appearance of the man.

The lone human walked with an enormous shield and he was protected by some very unique armor. Why was he so geared up? It was normal to see people with weapons and such. Even more so with the people leaving Orchidia. The lone human could just be someone from Orchidia who had gathered up all their belongings in order to leave. However, after looking at whatever was in his hand would he appear to move towards the tower where all of them were located. That motion only puzzled Ariael. The man could be attempting to seek shelter? If that was his objective then Asimov, nor Ariael would let him enter. However, the man's walking had somehow turned into a full sprint. If Ariael had a working heart it would have probably started to pound from excitement.

A hood and mask covered the man's face, so Ariael couldn't make out who he was just yet, but the man's actions alone made Ariael feel that he didn't have good intentions. The man only ran towards the tower after looking at whatever was in his hand. It was as if he found something he was looking for, or was Ariael reaching with his assumptions? The man also moved in a way that protected him if someone was attempting to look at him with a naked eye? Why so cautious in the middle of the storm? He didn't know anyone was in the tower right? Well, Ariael was kind of facing the window so of course he would know someone was in it.

Ariael watched as the cat thing leaped from the man's shoulder and proceeded to run towards the tower while being on the man's right hand side. Well towards the back of it to be exact (if his assumptions from the angel the cat had taken were correct). The cat had to accelerate in order to reach its max speed, so what came next would be enjoyment. The Swordman's protector released two pencil like objects from itself one after another in order to stop the cat from making it towards the back of the tower, or at least that was what Asimov assumed due to how the cat maneuvered. The second was aimed directly at the cat and the first meters in front of it, towards the direction it was heading. If predictions were correct, then this happened as the man was about fifteen meters away from the tower. The cat had ran away from the man towards the right and the missiles would maneuver through the area faster than the cat could achieve its top speed. They moved in a away to avoid any obstacles that would affect their path. If all went well, they would reach and hit the cat before it reached the back of the tower.

You see, Ariael didn't have to order it around. His robot was a protector of some sort. Not to mention that Ariael had already told it to observe the area for anything unnatural. If the cat and man were natural, then it was simply mistakes made on the machine's part. But of course like Ariael had said, he wouldn't allow anyone or anything to interrupt their gathering. As for the man, Asimov would allow him to continue forward because he had started to slow down. The man would step out from beneath the sea of trees about fifteen meters away and make an announcement of who he was and what he had came to do. The name rung a bell and Ariael instantly knew who he was and of course had he came to collect the bounty on Miyamoto's head.

Ariael would slowly inhale some oxygen as the man spoke. His body would shudder with an enjoyment that couldn't be explained. Since his arrival in Fiore had he been looking for someone who could test his abilities to the max. It was only his luck that he would soon encounter one of the strongest people in all of Fiore, a Kingsguard of the Rune Knights. The Mage Hunter had to mentally stop himself from pouncing out of the window and going to face the man head on. He probably would have hadn't Knux pushed him from out of view and taken up the space in front of the window for himself (a clout chaser indeed). Holding his composure, Ariael would stretch his arms and back backwards. His calmness had instantly disappeared and his lust for battle had grew a hundred fold. Even from where he stood in the tower could he sense what the man feared most. And that fear was what gave Ariael the confidence and energy he needed to attempt to eradicate the man from the surface of Orchidia.

"The man is a formidable opponent. Only months ago had he captured the Wizard Lord, Odin. Be cautious of the threat at hand. He appears to be alone besides from a cat he was with that is to our left about fifteen meters away as well, if not more." said Ariael just seconds after the man finished his last sentence. In all honesty, Ariael could care less about the others in the tower. His only objective now was to test the abilities he had received from whatever god was in the underworld below. If today was a dawn of a new version of him, then rising from the ashes after a victory or defeat would make him even more satisfied.

 

Stats/Mana/Spells/Equipment:

As Knux continued to block the window, Ariael would watch the situation below the tower unfold. It seemed that the cat was unordinary and was able to sprout wings in order to escape Asimov's missiles. It would reach Shichiro and soon come to be protected by his embrace. The Kingsguard had used an unknown spell to block the attack. Ariael knew instantly that a defensive spell was being used, but he was not worried. Only a few more hits were needed in order for the spell to completely shatter. The spell the man used reminded Ariael much of his own. There had been talks of the abilities that Shichiro Uchiha had and maybe Ariael would see the full potential of them if they were to face each other in combat.

Soon the man would stand from his curling position and begin to make his way towards the tower. The cat would escape from the man's grasp and begin to fly upwards. Either the cat was flying upwards to enter the window of the tower, or it was attempting to launch an attack against Asimov. For the moment Ariael's attention was focused on the man. It wouldn't take long before the man burst forward and knocked down the door of the tower. Ariael could simply tell from the loud noise that came from below. Why did the man go through the trouble of knocking the door down? He could have simply opened it. Was he portraying himself to be the big bad wolf and those that were in the tower were the little piggies? A million questions ran through Ariael's head when he heard the door get knocked down.

Anyway, just as the man punched through the door would Ariael make his way out of the room and down the stairs as well. Before exiting the room would he summon both his sword and shield from his ring. Knowing full well that an immense battle was about to commence between the two Dragon Slayers. The stairwell was like a spiral and it circled the entire tower except for the top floor where the meeting was being held. Like stated, the spiral tower size had a five meters radius. Nearly sixteen feet of space to move in if one was at the room up top. However, if one was on the staircase little room was available for any large movements. From the wall to the rail of the stairs was a space of one meter, or 3.28084 feet to be exact. It was a simple tower so the stairs weren't that grand or large. Ariael could lay horizontal on the steps and his body would not even be able to form a laying position. It was a tight space indeed. He wondered if the man had been angling his body while rising on the stairs so that the large shield on his back didn't inhibit his movements?

It would only take moments for the two individuals to encounter each other. Ariael would make it about five meters down the stairs before reaching Shichiro who was still moving up the stairwell and had already climbed ten meters of the stairs. Continuing forward, Ariael had his sword held diagonally with his right hand and his left hand was down at his side with his shield in grasp. Performing an upwards arc, Ariael would attempt to perform a cut across Shichiro's right hip and all the way up towards his left shoulder. He made sure not to make a wide arc that would lead to his sword being hindered by the tight space they were in. His armed move in a way so that if the man attempted to parry or duck he would still be met with a slash that connected with his body. The Mage Hunter doubted the attack would do much due to the the defensive spell, but he could only hope. Hope was the only thing needed for the man to defeat a mage as legendary as the Pack Leader.

In the skies above, Asimov watched as the cat flew towards it. Seeing as Asimov was fifteen meters high and flying at its maximum, the machine would simply watch as the cat seemed to hit an invisible barrier, unable to fly any higher than ten meters. Maybe it wasn't strong enough to push its flight limit? While watching, Asimov would see Knux leap from the window in a bold attempt to subdue the attack. It seemed like the Clout Chaser was chasing even more clout. Asimov would release a series of beeps and bops laughing at both the cat and Ariael's red-headed guild member.

Stats/Mana/Spells/Equipment:

The High Ground....

Oh how it was a magnificent place indeed. The Kingsgaurd played directly into the Mage Hunter’s hands when he proceeded to fully initiate a battle on the stairwell in the tower. One could say Ariael was in an environment that was absolutely beneficial to everything that he needed to do in order to come out of the battle successful. As his blade traveled across the man’s body from his hip to his shoulder, Ariael would proceed to flow his mana into the blade causing it to release miasma deep into the part of equipment that protected the Kingsgaurd’s shoulder. Almost instantly the man would feel pain in his shoulder and see his armor slowly being rusted away. As the sword glided across the man’s shoulder, Ariael would retain his grip on the handle and proceed to snap his fingers using only his index finger and thumb.

The motion would cause the Kingsgaurd to instantly experience the full effects of the power the Nightmare Dragon Slayer wielded. Ariael didn’t know what the man could see or feel, but after seeing his own spell in use plenty of times, the Mage Hunter knew well that the man was about to experience great fear and confusion.

As Ariael swung his sword upwards, he would see the Kingsgaurd making a motion with his hand to deliver a punch. Swiftly would Ariael shift his weight and bring his right leg and foot up on the stair behind him. This allowed him to pivot on his left leg and bring his right side back diagonally to narrowly avoid Shichiro’s punch. This created a gap where the man’s punch was going, causing it to travel to an empty spot where his arm would’ve been and seeing how his arm was moving upwards, a height advantage of the man’s arm actually reaching his bicep would be in play. During the motion of pivoting would Ariael also lean his torso backwards slightly. The headbutt the man attempted would easily fail seeing as Ariael was taller and standing on sets of stairs that were higher than the man’s own and due to leaning backwards, the headbutt would fail to reach his chin.

With the right side of his body pivoting back to his right, Ariael’s hand and arm that held his shield would come to make its way in front of his body and directly in front of the Kingsguard. Keeping his shield up for defense, Ariael would proceed to attack again with his sword. The blade that had just slashed across the Kingsgaurd would begin to travel back downward at a diagonal angle that would hit the man’s left arm below his shoulder. This action happened as the man was leaning forward to headbutt his chin. The sword moved in a way looking to punish the man for leaving his arm stretched out from a punch with a sword directly above it. If the man tried to duck below it, pull his arm back, or even turn it would still simply hit him because as stated, they were merely inches away from each other.

As Asimov flew in the skies above, it decided to start back patrolling the area. For the moment it only had a short list of attacks it could do before it was ready to fire another missile. His connection to Ariael had been turned off seeing as his owner no longer needed to know if more people came. Jikan and Knux were both outside and at the top of the tower was Miyamoto who could alert the future Guild Master if there were any drastic changes. Activating its scanner once again, Asimov would peer into the trees to see if more people would turn up to help the Kingsgaurd. It was his luck that he saw two people more than twenty meters away beginning to approach the front of the tower.

Leaving the battle with the cat to the two red heads, the machine would begin to fly downwards at an angle just a couple of seconds before they reached a range of twenty meters away from the tower. The flying machine streaked across the stormy sky and before long it would see one of the individuals break out into a sprint. At first Asimov only wanted to observe the two, but one of their actions made it believe that they could be coming to help the Kingsguard, or had knowledge of their meeting in the tower. It was safe to assume either seeing as they were hanging around the man known as the Fallen Angel.

Anyway as it flew forward, Asimov would only have to cover a distance of ten meters before it was around fifteen meters away from the tower. During its flight it had maneuvered through the branches swiftly in order to not be seen. It was when he was more than halfway to his destination that the woman broke out into a sprint and traveled faster than the man who was currently still walking, which caused a distance of at least seven meters to be put in between the male and female. After travelling the ten meters, the machine would come to hover five meters in the air over the trees. Neither individual had acknowledged his existence when they were approaching so they were bound to be surprised by the attack that would soon follow. Being around four meters in front of the man who was walking forward towards the tower, Asimov would release a blast of electricity that would erupt from his core and affect the area surrounding him. The attack occurred almost instantly after arrival and covered a distance that he took seconds to traverse at a speed far faster than it believed his target or targets would be able to escape.

Stats/Mana/Spells/Equipment:

I dealt x3 A Rank Damage to Shichiro which breaks his defensive spell and causes the remainder x1 B Rank Damage to apply to his armor.

Successful hit allows me to activate Miasma which deals x1 A Damage to both body and equipment that it hits. My Dreads of Nightmare spell raises the damage to your body to x1 S Damage to body only due to the minor magical weakness you now have.