1172/Sparks In The Land Of Steel

Sparks In The Land Of Steel
Date of Scene:	18 December 2014
Location:	Land of Steel
Synopsis:	Chloe von Einzbern and Dominic Masoch encounter Kojirou Sasaki, the Avenger-class Servant who wanders the Land of Steel, and wind up in a fierce battle, with all three putting their lives on the line!
Cast of Characters:	617, 655, 662

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Fake Avenger (662) has posed:
     THE LAND OF STEEL

     If anywhere can be called Hell, it is the Land of Steel. The ashen-grey landscape is little more than uniform dust, as far as the eye can see. The warp gate emerged on some desolate part of this horrible reality; there are no defining features, no distinct elements, nothing. There is no foliage. There are no animal. There are no people.

     It is as if the world one day up and died. Of course...that is, in fact, exactly what happened.

     There is nothing here. No - worse than nothing. Nothing would be a mercy to this tortured landscape. This is nothing but a 'ruin' of the world-that-was.

     In the distance, however - much further than walking distance would allow - there are lights.

Dominic Masoch (655) has posed:
Extraversal World Name: Unknown
Rank: B-A (Unclear. Need Further Data)
Notes: Highly reminiscient of Odin. Air seems different from many Extraverse worlds. Recommend noting for Alchemists, Engineers, or Scholars. Do not recommend as casual destination.

    Dominic Masoch sighs heavily, the action stymied greatly by the purple bandana currently around his face to cover his mouth. It is not for the air's impurity that he wears it, but for the heavy dust that such a desolate world would contain. The natural ability of his body to process magical energy is likely a life-saving adaptation, but he will be fatigued tomorrow. It is denser here.

    He wipes dust from the screen of his mogPad and gives a scowl at the world, as if his nobility would cause it to be less godawful to walk through out of respect for his station. The mogPad is slipped into a messenger-style bag he wears over one shoulder to rest the satchel at the opposite hip of his long, slender-bladed sword.

    "If anything, it will make a good story for the Light Warriors," He murmurs to himself. Yes, he was out here to catalog some extraversal worlds of varying variety for club activities. Pulling down his bandana, he takes a sip from a bottle of water and then drops it back in his bag.

    As he walks, he says in a loud voice, "mogPad, dictate" A pause, "New note on open file: I have yet to find life here. I see lights in the distance and will make my way there. End dictation," He finishes.

    And then he just keeps walking towards those lights. They may not be reachable on foot in a timely, but he won't let that stop him. He is stubborn, if anything.

Chloe von Einzbern (617) has posed:
Chloe von Einzbern... Probably got in a fight with Illya again. No no, not the knockdown drag out kind where she tries to murder the other girl; she can't particularly do that anymore. But still one of those stupid little fights that girls have that causes one to storm off in a huff. Well Tonight, it's Chloe that went storming off, and when she did she went wandering. But of all places to wander to, a realm where the very planet itself died and the air is laden with practically noxious levels of magic.

"Geeze, this is kind of depressing."

It's so barren. The sheer empty bleakness for as far as the eye can see in the ruined old dead lands is a huge buzzkill, enough so to actually kill a bad mood; leaving the girl with little else to do except somberly trudge on, hands folded behind her head, scarlet cloaks fluttering lazily behind her. At least until she sees the lights.

Could there actually be people in a place such as this?

Curiosity wins out a little too quickly over caution as she starts heading in that direction.

Fake Avenger (662) has posed:
     It's a very, *very* long walk to get anywhere near the lights. It might take hours. Fortunately, time is easy to tell - the sun and the moon remain high in the sky, so as the moon starts to sink below the horizon and the sun starts to rise, it becomes easy to tell that the source of the lights is, in fact, a city.

     It's not a city as anyone from either world would recognize it. It's a vast metropolis, tall and shining in the sunlight. It looks more like a hive than a city; it built upwards, criss-crossing each building with metal pathways.

     Well, the world may be dead, but human life persists. Like insects, they've built a hive for themselves. This far out, the fine details can't be seen, but tiny objects seem to be flitting back and forth above the buildings. Maybe some sort of vehicle?

     Suddenly, from behind them, there's a voice. It's gentle and calm, and filled with just a bit of cynicism. "Were I you, I wouldn't head further in that direction. That city belongs to the A-RAYS. Liners aren't welcome there."

     There was definitely no one there when they left the gate. But, should they turn around, they'll see a man. He's maybe five-foot-seven, with blue hair and violet eyes. A lavender kimono hangs off him, tattered with age and use, and a purple-and-gold hakama in similar condition hangs over that. On his back is a nodachi nearly as long as he is tall.

     Etched across his skin are...tattoos? Patterns, of some kind. A deep and terrible black. They're...eerily forboding.

     He has a wry smirk on his face. "Although...I suspect that you aren't Liners at all, are you?"

Dominic Masoch (655) has posed:
    While Dominic could be considered at the peak of his physical condition, Dominic still suffers fatigue. Partway into his journey, he finds hunger gnawing at his stomach and reaches into his satchel. He removes a plastic baggy of what appears to be jerky and sniffs at it. He takes a large piece out and takes a tearing bite with his teeth, getting about half of it, before finally noticing the girl that seems to be heading the same direction as him.

    "Young Miss!" He calls to her in a tone of formality, in clear defiance of their less-than-formal current surroundings, "Would you like some Behemoth Jerky?" He holds out the large piece of dried meat in her /general/ direction, in case she had managed to hear him and want some.

    As the city comes into view in the dawning light, he takes out his mogPad and raises it up, wanting to get the distant hive in frame for a picture, "mogPad, please delete last. Signs of life foun-"

    When did the man get behind them?

    Dominic whirls around swiftly. Even while distracted, as a Fencer, he should be hard to sneak up on. A place like this, where it was silent and dead all around, should make it nearly impossible on top of that. His mogPad settles on the man and takes a picture with a loud CLICK noise, "Ah. Good day, sir. What, if I may ask, is an Array and a Liner?"

    He slowly lowers the mogPad, "Oh, yes, my manners. I am Dominic Masoch of Ramuha."

Chloe von Einzbern (617) has posed:
Now that is a sight. Even Chloe can't help but issue a small whistle of appreciation, filtering through her teeth, at the towering city; its spires and bridges, gleaming in the rising sun. A squint and that golden gaze focuses intensely on the city- tracking every little flitting figure and darting object up high.

For the record, Chloe doe accept the jerky; it gets a sniff before she starts chowing down on the tough slab of dried and cured snack meats with an idle 'fanks' from a half full mouth. "You don't look like you're from around here." Idly commented. Not that she would know what people from 'around here' would look like, but a young man with good proper manners and formality even in a wasteland seems fairly out of place. But when Dominic whips aorund, she doesn't even turn. Not for a good moment anyway.

"You know. I'm not the easiest person to sneak up on." She opens in reply, sucking on her teeth with a light 'tsk'. Still, she keeps her hands folded behind her head, one boot scuffing toes on the barren earth. "But I think you just pulled it off.

Now she turns, head tilting at the very sight of the tattooed man in the kimono.

"You're not normal."

This girl has no filters it seems. But she doesn't clarify what that's supposed to mean. The term 'Liner' sounds familiar and for good reason. But she merely drums fingers on her hip. "Well. Are you going to enlighten us, or what?"

Fake Avenger (662) has posed:
     The strange man's eyes flick to the mogPad as it takes the picture. Those violet eyes are filled with little black flecks that cannot be natural. He watches Dominic for a long moment, his smile unchanging. "Ah. I thought so. You're from beyond the Gate." The strange man takes a step forward, and it becomes apparent that he isn't leaving footsteps in the ashen sand. Chloe probably immediately realizes this as an effect of Presence Concealment.

     "Dominic Masoch of Ramuh." The man's eyes flick down to the sword at Dominic's waist. "Are you a swordsman, Dominic Masoch?" There's something about the way he says it - and the flicker in those violet eyes - that doesn't go well with the calm expression on his face.

     It mostly certainly isn't fear.

     "I haven't yet gotten to see the swordsman skills of those from beyond the Gate. I've been to the stars, but that held very little interest for me. In fact, it was a bit disappointing."

     The man's eyes flick over to the little girl. "Ah...of course. My thoughts got away from me. It's been a very long time since I had someone talk to me in my own world."

     He looks up at the sky and smiles. "Those people you can see flitting about in the distance are A-Rays. The hundred subspecies of humanity, the beastmen, the mighty. The Liners are those who inherited humankind's weakness and made it strength."

     "Although...that's just a poetic way of saying it, I suppose. The A-Rays are the beastmen, and the Liners are humans who can survive in this hellhole."

     "As for me...I'm Sasaki Kojirou."

     "Avenger-class Servant."

Dominic Masoch (655) has posed:
    Dominic has the convenience of answering both Chloe and Avenger at the same time:

    "You are correct, I am not from your world. I hail from Galianda. I am exploring this world on behalf of Alexander Academy and the Light Warriors," He lowers his mogPad and slips it into his back. It's still on dictate mode, so with a good picture of Sasaki, it is also writing down the things he says for editing later.

    In formal and noble fashion, he hooks an arm under his stomach and bows at the waist, "A pleasure to meet you, Sir Kojirou," And a bow to Chloe as well, "And you as well, Young Miss. You will pardon my rudeness, but I cannot kiss your hand at the moment," And he would have if she'd held it out to him earlier.

    "However, ah... not normal?" He asks to Chloe, standing up properly and taking off his hankerchief so his mouth is revealed. He calmly folds it and places it into his pocket, "How so?"

    "And yes," He replies to Sasaki, "I am a swordsman. My world classifies my job as a Fencer. I see you are one as well. Are you of the Samurai Job?" He asks in a cordial and matter of fact fashion.

    The talk of Beastmen simply goes over his head. To fathom humans and monsters mixing into one being is hard for Dominic, even as he grows to learn the Extraverse has such interesting beings. He blinks a few times and tries to let that information sink in.

Chloe von Einzbern (617) has posed:
Oh hey manners. Chloe should be giving her name right about now, but instead she kind of segues off that for just a moment longer. "Oh yeah I could see they're not exactly fitting the bill of the standard human. You know, two arms, two legs, hands, feet, that kind of thing." Well the two got their answer on the topic of Liners and A-Rays.

Her eyes flit to the sands- the lack of footprints, and again she clicks her teeth.

"Nope. He's not normal. He's an abberation; an irregularity; not normal. A fluke in the Grail System?" She ventures while repeating for Dominic; pausing to fold her arms across her chest. "Avenger Class huh. Never heard of it before now."

Now it's the talk of Jobs that goes over her head, but Chloe simply stretches arms upwards. "Heh. Chloe von Einzbern." Okay there it is. A little late now but she gave her name.

Fake Avenger (662) has posed:
     "I'm not a samurai at all," Kojirou replies, "I'm merely a swordsman who wasted his life. I'm afraid I never served a lord in life. Though in death..." He trails off, letting the thought go.

     The ancient Servant's eyes turn towars Chloe again. "von Einzbern. Ah. I remember her. The little white-haired girl with the Berserker. It's been a very long time since I thought about the Einzbern girl." Kojirou's smile fades, turning flat.

     "It's a very nostalgic day today." Sasaki notes thoughtfully, pursing his lips. "An Einzbern girl, the Grail...and a swordsman who isn't a Liner. Very nostalgic, indeed."

     "Are you strong?" Avenger suddenly asks, and there's that flicker in his eyes once again, that flicker of hunger that doesn't at all match up with his peaceful demeanor, that doesn't at all fit with that handsome, peaceful, smiling face. "Are you both strong?"

Dominic Masoch (655) has posed:
    "Chloe von Einzbern. Well met, young lady." Dominic nods his head when she gives her name. He gives her a polite smile and a nod of his head. She reminded him slightly of Kyra in her demeanor, and he liked that.

    "I know not of a Grail, but Berserkers are a rare Job in my world," He looks to Chloe, "You knew a Berserker?" It's mostly a cross-cultural piece of confusion on his part, "They say you cannot train to be one, merely be born with the potential."

    But he gets asked if he is strong, and when that gets asked, he puffs up a slight bit, "Yes. I would say I am one of the best Fencers at Alexander Academy. I have won numerous tournaments and am well-experienced."

    He looks towards this man who leaves no foot prints, a man whom the young lady called an irregularity and a fluke, and a man who stated he wasted his own life, "Why do you ask?"

Chloe von Einzbern (617) has posed:
Gold eyes widen. It is when Avenger dredges up the past on hearing her name and recalls a 'white haired girl' that Chloe's breath catches briefly in her chest. Try as she might to not show it, a brief flickering flutter crosses her expression. A tingling pang twitching from within. Jealousy perhaps? Nevertheless, she lets her eyes slide closed with a slow breath filtering through teeth.

"Heh... It should have been me." Murmured under her breath before giving a shake of her head. "Oh I knew a Berserker alright." Given to Dominic after a second. "He tried ripping my arm off- wasn't exactly the most polite guy, unlike you." But then those gold eyes slide back open half way. "Nostalgic huh. How long ago was it?" Asked before her lips quirk into a soft smirk. "Strong?" She doesn't miss the odd glimmer of light in the old Servant's eyes. "Why? Were you wanting to find out?"

Fake Avenger (662) has posed:
     The instant the assent of strength leaves Dominic and Chloe's mouths, there's the sound of metal scraping against a sheathe.

     "Long before the world died," Avenger replies as he swings Monohoshi Zao out of its sheathe. It's a stupid blade - stupid, impractical, and massively oversized. It's long and thin, as unwieldy as a sword can be. It looks like it might shatter with the right amount of pressure on the right place. Moreover, Chloe can tell with just a glance that it's not special in any way - it's not a divine sword, it's not a magic sword, it's not a fairy sword, it's not unique in any way, except for how incredibly pointless it is.

     Moreover, Kojirou doesn't take a stance. He just draws the sword and holds it casually at his side. It looks ridiculous - a five-foot-seven-inch man with a five-foot sword. It's also ludicrously well-kept, shining in the sun's dawn as brilliantly as the city below, like an arc of fire in Avenger's slender fingers.

     "I'd like very much to find out how strong you are," Kojirou informs them. Though his tone is neutral, the hunger in his eyes is most definitely not. The tattoos on his body - the /scars/ on his body - seem to twitch and shift as he speaks, and the little black flecks in his eyes do the same.

Dominic Masoch (655) has posed:
    There is an awkward noise that leaves Dominic when Chloe comments to his demeanor. He clears his throat with a gentle ahem-ing tone, "Ah, I see. Well to treat a lady with anything but the utmost respect is uncouth where I come from," This is the response she gets from him.

    He is saved from further response when he hears the telltale and gentle noise of a sword being drawn. The corners of his mouth upturn into a gentle smile as he turns his attention back towards Avenger, "I see," He replies, taking off his messenger bag and walking a short distance away to set it down in the dirt. It would only weigh him down.

    When he has returned to his original position, his right hand wraps around the guarded hilt of his blade. With a smooth motion, he draws the blade. It gleams like fresh silver in the morning light. At 39 inches of blade-length and forged of mithril, it is a high-quality rapier. No Fencer would ever be caught without theirs. If Chloe copied it, she would get a very nice sword with no special powers.

    Dominic's body shifts. The Fencer is a one-handed style, so to fight he doesn't even have to take off the cloak he wears to cover his left arm and side. That hand remains firmly upon his hip. It is the right hand, gripping his blade, which comes up and has his blade held at waist-height, parallel to the ground in a classic stance. One boot drags across the dusty ground as he turns profile to the man, finishing his positioning.

    "On guard."

Chloe von Einzbern (617) has posed:
Chloe could ask.

She does not.

Rather than dwell on just how long this world has been dead, her focus is fully on the Servant as he draws that blade. To her, no howling wind, no blowing dust, could hope to drown out the telltale song of steel singing against the lip of a scabbard, as that unwieldy sword is drawn. Her gaze flits from blade to blade as Dominic follows suit shortly after, and she holds her arms up in an exaggerated shrug. She's not carrying any weapons.

Visibly.

"Haaaaah... That look in your eyes already says it before it left your mouth." She points out. Before two words leave hers.

"Trace On."

A flicker-flare of scarlet light forms in her hands, laying down a grid-line framework and outline of a shape in each of her hands, short, curved, bearing a cylindrical handle. Before the projection begins to fill itself in,, two swords from seemingly nowhere now rest in her grasp, one blade black, one blade white. They could be twins. But they aren't.

"I'm pretty sure he's already ready for us." She notes to the Ramuhan. "He's a Servant after all." Even if he's an abberation of the normal system. It's kind of intriguing.

Not that this stops her from up and vanishing- and re-appearing with no warning much closer, opening right out the gate with trying to test the defenses of getting past that oversized sword, with the married swords, Kanshou and Bakuya.

Fake Avenger (662) has posed:
     Avenger watches the Fencer draw his blade like a junkie watching a dealer pull out a hit and dangle it in front of him. And why shouldn't he? This is what he wished for. This is what he literally lives for. What else is there for Sasaki Kojirou, in this day and age? What else can there be but swordsmanship? This is the greatest pleasure he has ever taken - perhaps the only pleasure, the only ambition, the only desire every lodged inside his heart. He cared nothing for the Holy Grail. His victory was a mistake.

     This was always his one and only wish. As Dominic takes up his stance, Kojirou's lips twitch upwards in a smile. "A European-style swordsman and an Einzbern girl...it really is just like those days long ago. I wonder if it's fate that the first swordsmen I meet in all the wide multiverse are you two..."

     The ancient Servant looks up at the sky and parts his lips in a genuine smile. It's a pleasant moment for him, for sure. Maybe it's the first pleasant moment he's had in years. Who can say? It's not like time means much in the Land of Steel, and certainly not to a true immortal.

     The familiar light of Projection draws his eye - as do the swords that appear. "Ahhh...no wonder. Are you like that Archer, then? That mysterious man...yes, I didn't recognize the cloak on you, but I know those swords anywhere."

     Chloe vanishes and reappears directly in front of him. Kojirou's voice is as calm as can be as he brings the massive blade around.

     "And this style of attack, too."

     Monohoshi Zao is not a fast sword, in the hands of a normal person. But Kojirou...as Chloe brings her blades around, Kojirou brings up Monohoshi Zao, the massive sword flickering into a blocking stance, his free hand pressed against the flat of the blade to reinforce it. The twin swords collide with Monohoshi Zao...and then, Monohoshi Zao yields, as Kojirou lets the blade fall downwards to throw Chloe off her balance. It slides off her blade, the grinding of metal against Projection, as Kojirou brings the hilt of the blade around for the back of her head.

     "I'd like to see something new, Archer-class Servant!" Avenger tells her, "Show me something I've never seen before! Show me the swordsman's skills from beyond the world itself!"

     He glides to the side between them, his sword levelleing out again at his side. Though he appears to be unguarded, it's clear now that Kojirou is /never/ such a thing.

Dominic Masoch (655) has posed:
    "European? I know it as Ramuhan. My land produces swordsman of both your style and mine," Dominic said in an even tone. He would have to read about this Yorropeun later. Unsurprisingly, he won't find much on Moogle.com, Galianda's leading search engine. And he wouldn't touch any of the others like Kweh-hoo. It will be a fruitless search.

    Not fruitless, however, was holding his attack to allow Chloe the opening maneuver, "I hope he is. I do not intend to be an easy opponent for him," He notes as she jumps in. Calculating gaze watches the interception of the blade and the gentle deflection. By using such a large weapon, the man could interpose a line of steel on orthodox and predicted attack vectors.

    Dominic smiled. He'd just have to use non-orthodox attack vectors.

    Many an unprepared swordsman has fallen to one of the more surprising moves in the Fencer's Arsenal: Piercing Blow. Meant to compensate against longer-weaponed opponents who were outside melee, but too close for Nighthawk, the Piercing Blow is a technique which Fencers rely on against opponents who use a proximity-heavy defense. Or for monsters that hide behind bigger monsters.

    Dominic shut his eyes for a moment and took a long breath. And then when he opened them again, the yellow cracks that ran through his irises had lit up in a brilliant gold. He was channeling MP into his blade, but still not advancing. Instead, he simply flicked the blade and thrust it forward, projecting another 39 inches of sword, comprised entirely of magical energy, from the tip of his rapier as a surprise attack.

    His hope was that Sasaki would not expect a straight thrust to come from almost once-again the length of Dominic's blade.

Chloe von Einzbern (617) has posed:
That block came so suddenly, and so fast. As the twin blades meet with the oversized katana, Chloe is halted dead in her assault right then and there with a flash of sparks before the oversized sword lowers and Chloe goes forawrd. She is off balanced, yes, but she lets her momentum take her in a tumbling roll, twisting as Avenger brings the grip of his sword around.

It's not perfect, the soft grunt of pain and dull smack of the hilt says she took more than a winging hit from the strike, but her roll ends with her on one hand and on her toes. Like a runner on the block, almost.

"... He knows that--..." It's what Kojirou SAYS that makes her falter. Only for an instant. To be recognized as Archer while using swords was shocking enough. But he recognized her from her opening attack. "Hoh... Was he one of the ones you fought, back then?"

Nevertheless the swords in her hands are cracked, split along the spine, edges chipped away. She tosses them away. And in a flare of red she holds two new swords. One long, black, and straight edged. The other slender, made almost of blue crystal. And both quite heavy. "Okay then, try this..."

She waits to throw herself in again. Not until Dominic makes his lunge and that MP fuelled magical edge makes to try and pierce that guard, Elucidator and Dark Repulser are brought to bear. What seems like a wild flurry of swipes and swings is a calculated attempt at keeping that long sword busy guarding against a flurried frenzy of blows meant to overpower and punish defense- so that the Piercing Blow has a better chance to connect.

Fake Avenger (662) has posed:
     Dominic's approach is a damn good one. Kojirou wasn't expecting that - he hadn't expected the young man to have magic. He contemplates blocking it for a brief instant before deciding that that would be a poor idea; it would leave him open to Chloe's dual-wielding style. He also contemplates dodging it, but that carried potential risk; what if he misread the nature of the attack? It could be a Noble Phantasm of some sort, after all, with some sort of instant-kil properties. It was probably a ranged attack, though; initiating a strike from that distance was highly unlikely.

     He's made the decision in the space of half a heartbeat, his mind already made up before Dominic even releases the strike.

     Dominic can tell within an instant, as Kojirou shifts his foot slightly to the side, that Kojirou read the nature of the attack just based on his stance. As Piercing Blow comes screaming forward, Chloe right in front of it, Kojirou brings up Monohoshi Zao again. It's not a block. It's not a parry. It's not quite either, not /really/. The ancient Servant clangs Monohoshi Zao off the first sword with a casual, testing motion as he steps around to the side. As the wild flurry begins, Kojirou steps into synch with it in a heartbeat, stepping just outside its range as he brings the sword around. It's like watching an intricate dance, with the swiftly-moving Piercing Blow as the music; his eyes keep tracking it with each motion. He's giving up a lot of ground, but he's also leading Chloe backwards - Dominic and Chloe can probably tell within an instant that he's allowing himself to be lead.

     And the reason for that is probably painfully obvious to both of them. Piercing Blow could actually kill him, or injure him, or wound him severely. Against two opponents of this level of skill, being wounded in such a manner would be as good as a lethal mistake. He can afford nothing against either of them - the Archer with uncertain skill, and the swordsman with a magic sword.

     Kojirou can feel the blood pumping in his veins. As soon as he's passed out of the range of Piercing Blow - as soon as he's *confirmed* that Piercing Blow has a range - he stops his odd step-back-parry tango.

     He steps forward, his blade flashing in the light of the rising sun. Each strike is blindingly fast, faster than Monohoshi Zao has any right to be - faster even than most Servants have a right to be. It's painfully difficult to follow, but the intent is clear - push Chloe back towards Dominic, so he can attack them both at once.

     A defensive battle against a skilled opponent with a range advantage - let alone two of them - is a losing battle. Kojirou's only hope is to close the gap.

Chloe von Einzbern (617) has posed:
They say it takes two to tango, but what of a dance with three? Far more complicated than it has any right to be, that much is for certain. Especially when factoring in Dominic's apparently level of skill, and Kojirou's tactics. There's no denying, Chloe is going to have work closely with the Ramuhan man on this one. And with many split-second decisions, and little time for verbal communication.

A challenge, for certain, considering her lack of a propensity to play well with others.

Elucidator and Dark Repulser are high quality blades, heavy and powerful, lending well to that defense punishing and vicious Aincrad style. But copies can only last for so long. Even good copies. Indeed, there's no missing the fact that the Avenger-class Servant is taking her for a ride; and when he turns the pace around and starts making to put HER on the defense and back her into Dominic, she does begin to back that way.

Every ringing blow degrades the swords in her hands further and further. It is Dark Repulser that shatters first, a fatal crack suddenly wrenching in a SNAP as Monohoshi Zao meets it again. But rather than let herself be danced right back at the Fencer, Chloe uses the last strike that Elucidator has in it to force herself aside. Using the very inertia of blade against blade to jink to her right, a silver sword with ancient nordic runes along the spine now held in both hands. It's a longer blade- sized more for a giant of a man than a small slip of a girl like her. But with Naegling in hand she seeks to try and pincer the swordsman between herself and Dominic.

Dominic Masoch (655) has posed:
    Dominic had hoped that the hit would land, but had suspected that it may not. In a fight of raw and pure swordsmanship, he was on even ground, if not out-classed. It was hard to tell with extraversal opponents. He had made an error in playing such a trump at the start of the fight. He had revealed the effective length of his blade in his opening move. When Kojirous teps back far enough, he can see exactly where it fizzled out and the mana lost cohesiveness.

    That may have cost him the fight in the long term, especially against an opponent who could stand against two opponents in conjunction while he reads into his moves. Dominic moves in with Chloe when she advances, thoughts running through his mind:
    'His blade is sixty inches.'
    'My effective range is seventy-eigh inches and thirty-nine inches. I cannot properly form mana quickly enough to use the ability on the intermitten distance.'
    'I will have the advantage in attack ranges between sixty-one and seventy-eight inches, he will have the advantage in ranges fourty through sixty, and we will be theoretically even on ranges zero to thirty-nine.'
    'I cannot get caught in the 61-78 inch range. I will die.'
    'If I am incorrect about his efficacy in close range, I will die.'
    'I cannot be wrong.'
    'The girl plays a secondary factor in the fight. She provides a secondary front that requires his attention, dividing his skill between multiple opponents.'
    'I have just met the girl, but I have to trust her to read the flow of this fight.'
    'She will come through. It is necessary.'

    Following in the wake of Chloe von Einzbern, Dominic presses forward. He tilts his body to the side, the blade of his opponent skimming back him with a gentle whistling through the air. He takes a slow stance and shifts at the last second, barely avoiding one of those stinging hits. He is unharmed, but the beret on his head falls to the ground, split in half horizontally. A few locks of blonde hair land with it, a testament to how close he came to scalping the young man.

    He lets instinct take over as he follows in after Chloe. She has a utility advantage over him, he can see, with her blade-switching techniques. As she moves to pincher, he will dig boots into the ground and come at Kojirou from the other side. His arm lashes out in a trio of mundane, if skillfully delivered, jabs and thrusts aimed for the center of his opponent.

    Right now, as much trust as he is placing in his own abilities, he is placing more in Chloe's abilities. It is foreign for him to trust a stranger, but battle forges strange allegiances.

Fake Avenger (662) has posed:
     Kojirou's deadly dance picks up the pace as soon as he notices Elucidator and Dark Repulser cutting away. Monohoshi Zao may not be capable of cutting swords made by the gods, but steel? It's more than capable of that. He's a rapid, brutally fast swordsman, each strike flowing into the next as if he was a river in human form.

     Kojirou's eyes flash as the girl leads him to the right with a sudden reversal. The massive Naegling appears in front of him. It's far too large for him to block, far, far too large. Monohoshi Zao would shatter in an instant from just one blow; he doesn't even need to test this sword to see that. The European greatsword is a bigger threat than the longswords or the Married Blades ever were.

     The Ancient Gleaming Blade forces Kojirou into the trap like a doomed rabbit. He's forced to step between the two, relying solely on his False Eye of the Mind to keep an eye on Dominic. That's a very bad position for him to be in. With Naegling, Chloe controls the range of the battle better than he can; considering the speed of a rapier, that means that his opponents functionally rule the battlefield.

     As he expected, Dominic flashes out with the speed advantage of the rapier, rather additional magic. It clearly took him time - actual time, not just seconds - to restore his strange power. That was good - there wasn't a mundane strike that Kojirou couldn't see.

     That wasn't to say that they were any less lethal, particularly in the situation he's found himself in. Kojirou steps to the side, shifting his profile to a flat one as the first strike comes in - and allowing him to keep an eye on both opponents, rather than rely on his False Eye Of The Mind. It wasn't that he couldn't, but it was easier to respond to strikes like this. As the second strike comes in, Kojirou swings his arm upwards, compensating for the thrusting nature of the strike to knock the blade away with minimal damage to his own arm. It might hurt, but that wasn't nearly as dangerous as being cut by Naegling or stabbed by the rapier directly. A little cut was nothing. It wasn't even a flesh wound, and it wasn't going to impair him.

     The third strike is more difficult. As Dominic lunges in, Kojirou's eyes flash once again. He turns around to face Chloe, stepping backwards into the rapier attack - and slightly to the right. The rapier passes under his shoulder as Monohoshi Zao flows into a rapid shot against Chloe - and in the span of a heartbeat, Kojirou releases the rapier from his arm, tosses Monohoshi Zao to his other arm, and brings the flashing blade around for Dominic's throat.

     No words need be said. Kojirou is not toying with them. He doesn't need to compliment their skill. The fact that he's taking it as seriously as he is - that he's fighting the way he is, that he's taking such risks - should be compliment enough for them, if they're half the swordsmen he thinks they are.

Dominic Masoch (655) has posed:
    He would normally feel satisfaction for landing taps to the arm. That is a point where he comes from, after all. Only the last time he scores a point, he killed his first Hume. And this situation is no less life-or-death. It's that moment's falter as the realization he may find himself in these situations more and more that leaves him faulty and slightly lacking in technique.

    That is why he reacts slightly too late to avoid the whistling blade that is coming in towards him in any sort of real way. He clutches out /something/, though, falling flat backwards and catching a hand against the ground to leave himself bent backwards. This means that while Kojirou's blade misses his trachea, jugular, and other lovely and vital parts of his body, he gets a NASTY looking gash that runs up against the underside of his jawline and arcs up to his ear, almost three full inches of cut.

    When he stands back up, it looks pretty bad. Blood seeps down his neck and jaw, soaking into the collar of his clothing. He hopes it won't scar. He hopes if it does, Kyra will think it looks dashing. He is a high-school boy after all.

    Panting slightly, he realizes that if he acts rashly and moves back into the fray, he will be putting himself further open. He needs clarity of action right now and he needs to relocate his center.

    So rather than attack, he takes a deep and steadying breath and then retakes his defensive stance. He will let his opponent come to him. That is the best strategy right now.

Chloe von Einzbern (617) has posed:
There is no faking the fact that Chloe's breath is coming heavily. The pulse of blood thumping in her ears over everything else, the rapid flutter of heart beating in her chest.

This is a *fight*.

Even if the two seemingly have Avenger pressed for the moment, a Servant can always pull out some form of insane counter, or game-turning trump card in the blink of an eye. And though Chloe now decides what ranges this battle is waged at, she is now inifnitely more wary than she was when walking through the desolate wastes.

But let not wariness and caution be mistaken for indecisiveness.

Let it never be mistaken for that .

She was already moving to bring Naegling down- not directly upon Kojirou, but to his side in a chop to try and hold him in line with Dominic's stroke, but the sudden inhumanly fast swing of that absurdly long blade comes as she's in mid-swing.

    "-No way."

In an instant she forms not one- but ten swords, broad of blade and absurdly thick, lining them in front of her like a wall of steel. And still, Monohoshi Zao cleaves through the fakes with a crashing shatter ablating to dull the blow; yielding a grunt from the girl, holding another sword much closer to her chest, cracked terribly- much like one of the ribs under her armor after having to absorb the last remnants of the strike.

As far as Servants go, this one is some kind of beast.

And when that slash draws Ramuhan blood, Chloe grits teeth. But Dominic saving himself from spraying the contents of his arteries all over the dust is relieving for only an instant. The Servant is still between them. But while the young nobleman is put on the defensive, she can cover for him.

Swords..

They just appear- seemingly from nowhere as they did before. But this time they hang in the air. And it's like they wait there for just a moment or so before Chloe grunts. A swiping motion of her arm is all the command they need, as they fire off like bullets, lancing groundwards to try and keep the swordsman herded and impale.

Fake Avenger (662) has posed:
     The ten swords shattering doesn't surprise him. Kojirou remembers Archer well, and his particular gimmick. Seeing a little girl wielding the same power, with the same expert skill, surprised him greatly. She was stunningly competent. It was a good thing Monohoshi Zao kept her on her toes; the impractical nature of the sword was probably all that was keeping him going.

     Kojirou draws blood, and his heart bursts to life, pumping furiously. The sound of it roaring in his ears is exciting. How long? How long since he's fought real swordsmen? The A-Rays don't use swords; they're pure strength, pure physical battlers who don't care about technique. And while there are skilled Liners, none of them compare to *this*. None of them use real swords, either; just their magical Knight Arms, their strange weapons made of bone and Grain. This is...

     This is something Kojirou's longed for for almost a thousand years.

     But...but! But. That moment is tainted. Just a bit.

     Kojirou is a man who's been in countless battles. He's fought for longer than most people can imagine - from his own lifetime, in the middle of Japan's Sengoku Era, to the impossible Holy Grail War, on through the thousand years since that age. His life has been one of swords - more completely than anyone young, even that boy whose fundamental nature is 'SWORD', could possibly understand.

     He can tell that Dominic hasn't killed a lot of men.

     It's a simple thing to see, that moment of hesitation. In a way, it impresses Kojirou that the young man can fight him so well, even with Chloe's assistance. Just training, just contests, would never normally allow someone to fight this well. Certainly, Kojirou hadn't killed many people in his life, but he wasn't afraid of it, either; he had killed who he needed to kill, but largely, he had simply practiced that pointless technique until he had attained a mastery beyond human comprehension. After his death, in the Land of Steel, he had become a monster soaked in blood, and those terrible skills had become polished further still, shining like a challenge to the gods themselves.

     To kill this boy now would be a terrible, /terrible/ waste.

     Chloe makes the decision for him, dictating the terms of the battle with her ability all over again. One of the blades slashes past Kojirou's cheek, another past his shoulder, narrowly avoiding fatal hits only thanks to his own inhuman speed. The blood that pools from the cut is hideous and black, and as Kojirou ducks and dodges and weaves the rest of the strikes, further cuts appear on his body. He doesn't bother trying to parry them; they're too fast, too many, to dedicate his blade to any one of them.

     However...when the covering fire is finished, Monohoshi Zao vanishes into its sheathe. Kojirou looks over at Chloe and Dominic, his violet eyes nearly black with wriggling sigils and symbols. The cuts on his arms are already starting to seal up as the black blood melts away with a hissing sound.

     "Come back when you've been in more battles," Kojirou tells Dominic slowly, "That moment of hesitation would have cost you your neck if we were alone. Once you've become comfortable with killing men, seek me out again, and we'll duel one on one."

     "Archer-class Servant. It seems our parlor tricks are well-suited to each other. I'll look forward to fighting you again. For now, though..." Kojirou looks over towards the city. "I imagine we've attracted attention. You should leave. I intend to."

     The patterns on his body wriggle and writhe again. The pulsating darkness of his eyes fades to violet. And then he simply vanishes, like a gust of wind blowing across the ashen plains, as though he was never there.

Dominic Masoch (655) has posed:
    'Come back when you've been in more battles. That moment of hesitation would have cost you your neck if we were alone.'

    A statement that rings with an undeniable truth that Dominic cannot deny. As his opponent sheaths that long sword of his, Dominic brings a gloved hand to touch at his wound, wincing slightly. A very true statement. If Kojirou had been just a little swifted, just a little less impeded, his blood would be staining the dirt. Dominic cannot deny that. And yet...

    'Once you've become comfortable with killing men, seek me out again, and we'll duel one on one.'

    That is a statement that brings mixed parts understanding and fear in Dominic. Understanding because it, too, is a truth. In this Extraverse, Dominic will have to become used to fighting other humes with real weapons. And fear because the sheer idea of him becoming comfortable with bringing death on others frightens him.

    Moments like these are when those who seek the Sainthood of the Blade find themselves off the path. So delicate and narrow a trail it is, to carry a knowledge of how to kill, but a wisdom of its usage, and a temperance of its skill. So his reply is carefully given.

    "I will seek you when I have grown in experience, but I may never find killing others a comfortable act. A blade is heavier when bloodied and I feel a life should only be taken when it is necessary," He notes, finishing with a simple, "But you are right. I would have died today."

    He flicks his rapier slightly, a standardized motion meant to clean blood. And then he sheaths it calmly. It is after he does this that he takes out his hankerchief again and holds it to his open wound, trying to keep the blood from getting much worse. He watches the man simply vanish.

    "I should head back to the Academy. And inform my instructors I will be missing my first lessons today."

Chloe von Einzbern (617) has posed:
Avenger-class Servant.

Just what IS he?

After that last flurry of flyng swords, when Kojirou decides he's done, and stands there regenerating for moment- just long enough to give his last words to the both of them for this encounter, Chloe is left with her hands braced on her knees. Her breath slows- and eventually levels out to normal, much quicker than an ordinary girl's would; aided by the superhuman Heroic Spirit stamina granted by the Class Card housed within her body.

But for as calm as she looks, Chloe is acutely aware of how badly that fight could have gone if she or Dominic had misstepped or miscalculated even the most minute twitch of motion amid that fray. "Heh... I'll be sure to have a lot more swords by then."

She's a cheeky little thing, at the very least.

But then Kojirou takes his leave. And with a very valid tidbit of advice, as golden eyes turn towards the city.

"Not bad." That's to Dominic, more directly now that they're not in a life or death fight anymore. "Huh. and you really wanny go another round with him too. ... You kind of remind me of my big brother a bit." Now she's holding her hand out. "We should go. I'm pretty sure the people in that city can cover a lot of ground very fast. Want a ride back to the gate, at least?"