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| − | * - Back to [[GoldenCat/SeventhMovement|Seventh Movement]]
| + | #REDIRECT [[ADanceOfAngels]] |
| − | * - Back to [[GoldenCat/DanceOfAngels|A Dance of Angels]]
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| − | == Through Chains of Gold ==
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| − | Thick green mist fills the inn, and both the angels come out through the front door, green mist behind them. As they get out, cutting little assassins on their path, knowing the one who threw the eggshells is still upstairs, they look at the road... the winding road towards Amber Post. And see a group of men in yellow-colored leather, wielding bizarre curving blades on their hands, six of them, plus a leader riding a horse, in a yellow plate whose helmet looks like... well, like some sort of bird.
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| − | They are in there, in front of the angels, watching them....
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| − | '''Selina de Windia: ''' Selina's right eye twitches involuntarily as she stares up at the newcomers, after throwing a glance to the second floor of the inn in case anyone else is up there watching. She grinds her teeth as she does so, then bares them.
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| − | "''MORE ASSASSINS? What the FUCK is WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE TODAY? ''"
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| − | '''Vorpal: ''' Vorpal, sword already in hand, moves calmly past Selina without slowing down. "It's called money, dear", she responds. "What did you think?"
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| − | "Listen up!" Vorpal then barks, loudly, so that even the egg-hurler up in the inn can surely hear. "You will lose a chance to earn a much greater prize if you attempt to take us here! There will be a tournament held in the Guild Headquarters soon - if you can defeat us in the circle, your prize will be 20 jade talents on top of the reward already promised for our heads! You heard me! 20 jade talents! Make a stand here and you will lose your chance! Make way, and the riches of the future will be yours!"
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| − | '''Narrator: ''' They listen...
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| − | ''They listen... ''
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| − | And then, they set down their weapons.
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| − | "The Fangs of Sayla will see you in this tournament, then, Angels."
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| − | '''Vorpal: ''' "Spread the word, will you?" Vorpal smiles her slanted smile and waves a little goodbye with her free hand. "You are going to need someone to tire us down before taking us yourselves, after all."
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| − | '''Selina de Windia: ''' Selina, meanwhile, appears to be simmering in what is a most horrible looking mood, glaring at the newcomers and looking about for any other would be killers to frown at.
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| − | '''Narrator: ''' They just nod, grumbling. "And don't you try to run."
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| − | "Can we fight as a group in this 'tournament'?"
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| − | '''Vorpal: ''' Vorpal looks over her shoulder at Selina. "Can they?"
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| − | '''Selina de Windia: ''' "Yeah fine whatever." Selina growls.
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| − | '''Narrator: ''' "Good then. We will be seeing you soon... no running."
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| − | With that, they turn around, and begin to move out...
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| − | '''Selina de Windia: ''' "And it's not 'money'." She says after they move off. "It's called 'novices trying to beat the grandmaster'. I am professionally offended by this!"
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| − | '''????: ''' "'''Dark Angel! '''"
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| − | Comes a shout from far up a hill, above a cliff, from a woman in sultry red-and-black dress, long red and blue high-heeeled boots that go as high as her thighs, bronze butterflies on her belt and framing her short blue hair. A bronze scythe with butterfly motiffs rests over her shoulder. Winds stir about her... calling. Mocking. Insulting. "Finally, I meet the '''whore''' who has stolen from my contracts."
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| − | "The Northeast is not big enough for two scythe-wielding mistresses of death, slut. I am the '''Bronze Butterfly'''!" She calls, grinning, derision spurring Selina to go to her, to growl and kill... "And I am here to set some things ''right''..."
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| − | '''Vorpal: ''' "Well, that, too", Vorpal responds, shading her eyes as she attempts to discern the sultry hape in the distance. The frown begins to return to her face again, betraying her slipping control of the temper she had managed to acquire for a moment. "Kill her then", she growls, with a low voice. "She reminds me too much of you."
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| − | '''Selina de Windia: ''' Selina glares first at the Bronze Butterfly, then back at Vorpal, feeling the odd bit of Terrestrial magic circle about her. "'''''That's it''''', you witch. I'm not doing '''shit''' for 'business' till you stop spewing the same crap I've heard coming out of your mouth ''since the day we met''. Your goddamn prince still likes you more than me and I still feel threatened by the entire thing -- remember when we left? Get the '''fuck''' over it." She hisses with extra venom under her breath.
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| − | Then she looks up at the other woman, and yells "GO THE FUCK AWAY, WE CAN DO THIS LATER. I'M NOT IN THE MOOD RIGHT NOW."
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| − | '''Bronze Butterfly: ''' She goes wide-eyed, and it does not take too much imagination to see great sweat drops on her face...
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| − | She had used the best of her magic to make the Dark Angel look like a foolish slut... and that is how she reacts? And it takes a long moment with the wind blowing, before she begins to laugh in this wind.... "Ha... ha... Hahahahahahaah! The Dark Angel... is just a frightened, insecure little girl." She puts a hand in front of her lips. "Heeeeeeh..."
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| − | '''Vorpal: ''' "I don't think you have anything to fear about that anymore, you insecure little brat, so find some other thing to complain about!" Vorpal snaps back, abruptly, her words like a torrent of razored cutting edges. "I'll keep on spewing crap into your ear because you are an imbeccile who does not realize that she is bringing it on herself with her own bitchy behaviour! If you want me shut up, then shut the hell up yourself and ''behave''! Get the '''fuck''' over it."
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| − | '''Selina de Windia: ''' "''Since the day we met, you bitch! ''" Selina growls, then follows up with a much louder. "'''SINCE THE DAY WE MET! '''" Between Vorpal and Bronze Butterfly, it is evident she is getting very very angry.
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| − | '''Vorpal: ''' "''''TILL THE DAY WE PART''' if you don't shut up now!" The Pale Angel shrieks in reply.
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| − | '''Selina de Windia: ''' "You can't THREATEN something when you're ''ALREADY CARRYING IT OUT''!" Selina's eyes are blazing in fury right now, not heeding the fact that they're in public any longer.
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| − | '''Bronze Butterfly: ''' She reins back the laugher, watching wide-eyed...
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| − | ''The mystical taunt seems to have... backfired... ''
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| − | '''Vorpal: ''' "You don't have any kind of right to demand me to watch my every word!" Her furious gaze locked with her opponent, she takes a heavy step forward, her free hand flashing in a sharp, cutting gesture in the air. "You don't own me! He doesn't own me! Nobody ''owns'' me! Are you deaf, daft or both? ''Shut up''! Shut up already! If you don't like me the way I am, then go away! You're never sorry for being a bitch, either - what kind of privilege do you think you have?"
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| − | '''Selina de Windia: ''' For a moment, Selina looks like she's about to inflict the most horrible fate she can imagine on Vorpal. Her fingers are curled like claws, her teeth are bared as viciously as any predator's, and she seems on the verge of a hideous snarl.
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| − | Then she relaxes, as if remembering something. Her expression goes more smug, and she crosses her arms in front of her.
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| − | "I didn't start it." Comes the triumphant retort, used by all ages from the creches of the Dynasty to likely the most wyld infected mangers of the Threshold. "You did."
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| − | "And technically," She adds just as smugly. "The dead god or mistress or the void owns you. One of the three. Maybe more than one."
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| − | '''Vorpal: ''' The sudden change in the mood seems to reflect on the Pale Angel as well. She stands a little straighter, more dignified, a warrior not about to lose her mind.
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| − | "No", Vorpal responds with abrupt calmness, surety and conviction. "You just can't stop."
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| − | The matter about ownership she simply leaves unaddressed. It is beneath her.
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| − | '''Selina de Windia: ''' "I'll stop when you stop provoking me." She replies with the same smooth smugness. "Which will be never, seeing how your main method of communication seems to be insulting me. Such a nice thing to do."
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| − | '''Vorpal: ''' "Then we are in a vicious circle, dear", Vorpal says. "Because I won't stop insulting you until you stop deserving it."
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| − | "What are you whining about in any case?" The Pale Angel shrugs, coldly. "I almost stopped insulting you not too long ago. You were on the right path. You just decided to ruin everything yourself. Reap the whirlwind."
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| − | '''Selina de Windia: ''' "''Awww'', isn't that too bad." Selina says in a tone dripping with sarcasm. "I recall you telling me to kill her," She points at Bronze Butterfly. "Because she reminds you of ME!"
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| − | '''Bronze Butterfly: ''' "You do! You are but a ''PALE COPY OF ME''!!"
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| − | '''Vorpal: ''' "The slutty, boisterous, conceited you, yes!" Vorpal snaps back to the Dark Angel, heatedly. Butterfly's comment seems to fly right past her ears. "The sort you were when we first met! You are bad now, but you were worse then! I don't want to remember how it was like!"
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| − | '''Bronze Butterfly: ''' "''I am not slutty''! Just compare our dresses! I have ''class'' you frigid bitch!"
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| − | '''Vorpal: ''' "And a ridiculous sense of self-worth, too!" Vorpal shoots back, not even looking at Butterfly.
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| − | '''Selina de Windia: ''' "I TOLD YOU TO GO AWAY." Selina yells up at the Terrestrial, then glares back at Vorpal. "I remember it so well. I hadn't even said a word to you, and you had to insult me, out of the blue, ''in front of everyone''! Just because ''her majesty the queen bitch of Iranor and social outcast par excellance thought she knew best about such things then me about such things. ''"
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| − | '''Vorpal: ''' "...What?" Vorpal pauses, draws back, a look of confusion momentarily suffusing her face. What the hell was the little moron talking about now?
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| − | Then it dawn to her, and she takes to the offensive with twice the fury: "It's called horseplay, you thin-skinned twit! It's something mercenaries like to do, missus Thinks She Is Refined Lady! Where have you been to miss it? Sucking up Emissary's dick? Besides, dearie, you ''were'' damnably loud there, you cannot deny that! You were loud like a trumpet parade and I said it was easy to track you down because of it! What kind of pride takes that as an insult anyways? I'll tell you! The sort of pride that definitely earns any and all insults thrown in its way!"
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| − | '''Selina de Windia: ''' "Thin skin? Coming from you that's real amusing. Was I ''trying'' to assassinate someone at the time." Selina asks caustically. "Or was I in a melee?"
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| − | '''Vorpal: ''' "Then why the hell should you care what I say? If you are such a grand assassin as you think you are, then what does it matter what I say about your fighting style?"
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| − | '''Selina de Windia: ''' "Oh, how convenient that you dismiss it as joking around when it's a ''first impression''. Do you introduce yourself like that with all your mercenary friends?" Selina asks just as smugly, smirking now, eyes occasionally flitting up to the Terrestrial, glaring then. "Or just me? Is that good business behavior -- since you were so ready to throw this all being business earlier -- with an equal? I bet you don't! ''And it matters so much because that set the model for how you treated me thereafter, with few exceptions for a long time''!"
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| − | She calms again, then shakes her head in mock sadness. "My pride doesn't need your reinforcement to exist. Sorry. Someone else already tried to burn me with it better than you seem to be able to manage. This is entirely about your lack of good intentions toward me."
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| − | '''Vorpal: ''' Vorpal is silent for a moment, staring at her foe, her gaze difficult to read. When she finally speaks, however, her tone of voice is very cold. "You've done nothing to change that role model. You've just continued to be the conceited bitch you are. In the end, it was I who had to change, but even that wasn't good enough for you. You don't have any right to demand anything from me anymore. You've had your revenge already. Don't try to go all self-rightous now. It will only make it less and less likely that I will ever forgive you."
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| − | '''Selina de Windia: ''' "If what I said this morning sounded self righteous, that was not how I meant it to come out. I am sorry if that's what you thought." Selina says slowly, brow furrowed. "But it wasn't about revenge. The revenge was such a small part of it. Look back on the events in the past few days and show me what I broke, except in your case. As I told my sister, I will bear my sins, but only what I have actually done."
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| − | * Bronze Butterfly throws her arms up the air. "You know what? You are too pathetic for me to bother with. I will just put this scene on a dreamstone next time an employer hires ''you'' instead of ''me''!"<br><br>And then she turns around, and walks away, utterly ignored.
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| − | '''Vorpal: ''' "You've broken the trust and efficiency of this Circle", Vorpal replies immediately and very gravely. "I'm working to keep everything running, yet by staring at your own belly-button, you insist of breaking everything again and again today. You've broken ''his'' life, too, because I can't find it in myself to forgive him any time soon, either. It will be very hard on him, ''if'' he still loves me the way you claim. Your insistence of gloating to the Lover has ruined many things."
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| − | '''Selina de Windia: ''' "There was no trust and efficiency before." Selina replies flatly. "Remember the meeting at the table. Now who is showing conceit, that you think your convenient and self-serving setup was somehow symbolic of the 'circle'? You hold the ''illusion'' of trust and efficiency before, because you had everything your way. Do you know what trust is? It's ''not'' what you were doing before. We were both puppets to dance at their appointed hours, in their appointed places. Trust is ''not'' what you told me about how reality has its place -- then accused me of dirtying him with the very thing you praised me for last night. And it is not taking my gloating at the queen of whores as some jab at you. You never trusted me, dear. You wanted me to think you did, you wanted yourself to think you did, but deep down, I was always a dirty whore to you, it seems. I lose nothing with your insistance on cutting me off. I never had anything I could truly call mine to begin with, with you. Except filth, right?"
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| − | '''Vorpal: ''' Vorpal crosses her arms over her chest and says, cuttingly: "Actually, I trusted you at some point. Why do you think I didn't watch over him every waking hour when you were within a day's journey of him? Why do you think I cheerfully turned my back to you in battle, knowing that you wouldn't stick your rapier in it? I knew you weren't the sort of character who could be relied on many things, but I trusted you on all the rest. You just didn't live up to that trust. I am a fool, yes, I know. I am a coward, yes, I know. I am as clumsy as a yeddin with relationships, yes, I know. So there you have it - the confession you wanted. Now quit pretending to be the sacrificial goat. Reality doesn't mean the same as filthy. You just made it so because deep down in your heart, you are so convinced that you really are nothing but a filthy little whore that you strive hard to be just that. You gloated to the slut queen within my hearing only because your vanity wanted a sweet little revenge on her. Your pride roared so loudly in your ears that you didn't care a whit what I might think about it. Thank you so very much, ''my loved one''."
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| − | '''Narrator: ''' Most all people have left but the mercenaries, and of course, try to avoid the angels...
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| − | But from the inn that is fading in the distance to the people trying to pick the other roads, many watch the angels in fear and confusion....
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| − | '''Selina de Windia: ''' "If it wasn't filthy than you wouldn't have told me such when you heard of that. Sex is not filthy, despite what you like to think. You failed to address that. And that is the barest minimum of trust that you showed." She sweeps her scythe out, Angeldust's jet black blade swallowing the light, suddenly swinging it one-handedly behind her, aided by a twist of her torso. The curved blade bites into a neck, and she sidesteps the headless body's plunge to the ground, barely missed by the outstretched dagger that was concealed till the last moment while the man walked up to her. She really ought to pay more attention.
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| − | "But you are not wrong in your assessment of me." Selina says slowly, more quietly. The familiar self-loathing. "None of them were."
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| − | ''Even though I killed them for it. ''
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| − | '''Vorpal: ''' Vorpal grimaces as she sidesteps the headless corpse, but there is no surprise in her eyes, only annoyance. "Don't kill them, for grief's sake! The whole idea is not to kill them."
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| − | And then, as the carcass is left to pump blood into an ever-expanding crimson puddle on the street. "So what in blazes do you want me to do?" The Pale Angel throws her hands up in irritation. "Hug and kiss you and whisper you are not so bad after all? It won't work. Self-loathing is not something others can help you with."
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| − | '''Selina de Windia: ''' "Oh shit!" Selina exclaims, realizing they're supposed to be hiring these people once more. "Well, he couldn't have been worth much anyway."
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| − | Then she shrugs, casting a baleful glance around, looking like she's ready to get moving and leave once more. "I am not some weak flower who needs coddling to think herself worthy of anything, you know. But at least you guessed better than my sister did. But I suppose I cannot blame her for being biased. Let's go now, before more of these cretins waste my money."
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| − | '''Vorpal: ''' "So you don't know what you want, then?" Vorpal asks sourly. "I suppose you're not the only one."
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| − | Abruptly she whirls around, cloak fluttering, and drops into a menacing crouch. Baring her teeth in a terrible, terrible snarl, she hurls a glare at a young sabreman who has run up to only a few steps away from her. "'''''Arrrrrrr! '''''"
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| − | Fear is like a physical blow to the youth's face. His head snaps backwards while his legs keep on moving onwards. The entire momentum hurls him steeply off balance and down onto the ground, the blade clattering away from his limp hand. After that, he does not move.
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| − | "...Huh."
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| − | '''Selina de Windia: ''' Selina's eyes open wide at the display. "That's...kind of scary."
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| − | '''Vorpal: ''' Vorpal frowns. "It is."
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| − | She reaches down to touch the youth's neck and feel for his pulse. "No, no, he's not dead after all." Scanning idly the man's equipment, the Pale Angel notes a long coil of rope attached to his belt. Apparently, he had thought to try and capture the two Angels alive.
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| − | "This is convenient", she states and pulls the rope free. In a few moments she has tied it around the man's ankles. The other end of the rope she keeps in her hand, so that she can drag the man like a sack on the road behind them. "He's the first one", Vorpal announces to Selina with a slanted smile.
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| − | '''Selina de Windia''': "You are very scary sometimes." She says with a not quite self assured tone, pointing at Vorpal feebly with one finger. "But anyways, let's g--"
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| − | She's interrupted by the flash of someone bearing down on her, almost with blinding speed, having leapt at her from a rooftop with a sword drawn to kill. One of Selina's signature moves however, and she is not to be caught by it that easily. The Windian brings her scythe up with blurred speed, wrenching the sword out of her hands, then moving down with the woman into a small cloud of dust that ends up with the woman firmly caught by her sheer strength and hand to hand proficiency. She looks up at Vorpal from her kneeling position. "Tie this one up too, then."
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| − | '''Vorpal: ''' "Second", Vorpal smiles, nodding approvingly at the Dark Angel's disarming maneuver and threads the rope through the wrists and ankles of their latest opponent. Examining the remaining coils of rope in her hand, she notes: "We should hurry. At this rate, we will run out of rope before we're halfway to the Guild buildings."
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| − | '''Selina de Windia: ''' Selina picks up the sword and sticks it in the woman's sheath -- no use hiring these people if they have no weapons. "You are very naughty." She says to both of them. "You would get a good deal of money by your standards for much less risk if you simply stopped trying to do the Bishop's stupid little bounty and signed on with us. Garrison duty, ''hello''! Soft work?"
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| − | Then she rises, turning to Vorpal. "Yes, let's go. We should not arrive dragging half the mercenaries behind us."
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| − | '''Narrator: ''' Then, between and right in front of them, winds begin to gather....
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| − | And they see a cocoon....a cocoon with icy wind ''hissing'' within....<br>
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| − | ... before it breaks, icy butterfly wings coming cutting for them!
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| − | ''Elemental Burst! ''
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| − | '''Vorpal: ''' "Tch!"
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| − | The smirk melts from Vorpal's face in an instant. She reaches over her shoulder for the sword handle - and then ''Betrayer'' is already in her grasp and in the end of a lighting-fast arch of black light, a defensive swing so powerful that it tears the elemental burst apart, cutting a swath through the ice for them to escape. Surrounding buildings are not so lucky, however. Frost spreads across the walls. Entire chunks of wood and stone alike tear free under the onslaught of the deadly butterfly wings.
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| − | "We don't have time for this!", Vorpal snaps. "''We'll'' be fine, I'm sure, but I don't want to see these bounty hunters killed during the battle!"
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| − | * More bombs of smoke explode in front of them now, too far to reach now, but close enough so they could close on them in a few moments... and Bronze Butterfly falls in front of them, cutting the ice with her scythe, and smiling. "Well... I would not take you girls head-on alone..." two sillhouettes appear behind her, in the smoke... "But I am not alone anymore, you see...."
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| − | '''Selina de Windia: ''' Selina blinks. Three on two, and the two having to keep things from getting broken? The Windian immediately comes to a decision about what to do concerning ''that''.
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| − | "Seeya!"
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| − | Noting that the Pale Angel still holds the rope connecting her to their captives securely, Selina simply walks up behind her, grabs her about the waist as strongly as she can in order to hold her securely, and spreads her wings, bends down, and leaps into the air. The action's force is severe enough that it raises a bigger cloud of light snow about them as she ascends, quickly gaining altitude to a safe (for blasting) distance from the fray. "Reel them in!" Selina cries, looking downward and pointing her free hand (relatively) down at the cloud of smoke and still settling debris from the lightning stroke.
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| − | And lets loose five of her own. Low intensity strikes, only designed to singe and divert them while Selina makes her escape with the rest of them, the lightning and wind hurtles down her arm, wrapping around Angeldust before expanding and bursting at the three down in the smoke cloud. This throws up even more, but Selina does not wait to see if they dodged successfully or not. She simply streaks out toward Amber Post, keeping low and using the buildings as partial cover as much as possible given all the people dangling from her grasp.
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| − | '''Vorpal: ''' Vorpal almost snaps ''Watch where you are grabbing me! '' as she is pulled up into the air, but remember at the last moment that this is not some clumsy male touching her. Instead she quickly lifts her sword and clamps her teeth firmly around its handle to free both of her hands.
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| − | Legs slightly bent, boots swinging in the air, she swiftly begins to move one hand over her other and reel their captives in - but not swiftly enough. There is still plenty of rope to go as their ascending flight takes them directly over one of the taller buildins. The captives are swinging directly towards one of the very high walls -- she's not going to get the rope up fast enough on her own...
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| − | "Make a pirouette!" The Pale Angel shouts over the roar of blasting wind. "''Now! ''"
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| − | '''Selina de Windia: ''' As bad it would be for her stability, especially with this cargo, Selina does so, not looking down and so not knowing why the Pale Angel is yelling for her to do that.
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| − | Luckily, she is a good flier and can handle that maneuver.
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| − | * A rapid-fire of essence blocks their way as Selina's barrage comes down, lighting breaking the ground, the buildings, the rocks, breaking everything around them, her shadows like black feathers filling the air... and their chalice of gold takes off while they are too busy to react, too busy covered with both smoke-screens, with Black Feathers and Chalice Shards.
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| − | '''Vorpal: ''' The Dark Angel's sudden maneuver has the same effect on the rope as turning of a winch. The rope coils up around them both, shortening the length just far enough for the captives to narrowly miss the building's edge...
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| − | ''So whatever we do, we really are tied to each other, eh? '' Vorpal bites her lip as she tries to get the rope from squeezing her chest.
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| − | '''Selina de Windia: ''' "This could be a problem." Selina says as she moves forward and up once again, taking more care not to smack the captives into the wall this time. Up and over the building she goes, then back down with all her howling speed, hugging the cover of the meager skyline. More of a skyline to play with in Nexus, and she usually doesn't have this many passengers either.
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| − | * Above the structure of the great fortress, with the actual slave outpost not too far, she can see all the layers - the secondary and tertiary fortresses, inns, walls, merchant and mercenary quaters that begun to grow around Amber Post.
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| − | '''Vorpal: ''' Vorpal's first response is an incoherent grunt as she grapples with the rope. All coiled up as they are, it takes her several moments to find the correct places to hold the rope securely in her hands.
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| − | "All right, untwirl!" Vorpal finally gasps through teeth clenched around the sword handle. "I'll reel 'em in!" She pauses, glaring at the multitude of people staring up at them from the makeshift streets far below. "Damn, we ought to charge money for this circus show."
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| − | '''Selina de Windia: ''' "Oh yeah, we should." Selina grumbles hoarsely, reversing her earlier movement as she slows her speed to afford them a greater length of time before she has to maneuver again in the descent. The constricting rope is twirled out of being around her, and her scythe is no longer pinned so oddly to one side of her body.
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| − | | |
| − | "Hurry it up, going to have to get going faster soon."
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| − | | |
| − | '''Vorpal: ''' Even as Selina unwinds the rope from around them, Vorpal quickly flips it around several times in her hands, reeling in what the Dark Angel twirls out.
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| − | | |
| − | "Just concentrate on flying, will you?" the Ghost-Blooded snarls and begins to coil the rest of the rope in, all the while keeping one eye on the unconscious mercenaries swinging in the other end of the rope and another on any sign of further pursuit.
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| − | | |
| − | ''Never really liked high places in any case. ''
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| − | | |
| − | '''Bronze Butterfly: ''' She leaps out of the smoke, faint anima like a yellow-dominant aurora borealis forming the illusion of wings behind her back, flapping for her to jump, from rooftop to rooftop, going towards the Angels....
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| − | | |
| − | '''Vorpal: ''' "Aw, crap", Vorpal announces. "She's coming."
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| − | '''Selina de Windia: ''' Looking down for a moment and noticing that they're tied up, Selina grins and prepares to ascend once more. With a terrifically forceful beat, Selina's wings once more propell them forward with great speed, her flight much less hindered now that the center of mass is less awkward for her. "Right. Let her try and catch me." She says in a velveteen purr, winging over and around another particularly large building.
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| − | | |
| − | '''Bronze Butterfly: ''' A greater jump, towards Amber Post, and she can see Bronze Butterfly's face contorting with slight... annoyance! "Dark '''Angel'''? Pfffft! Dark '''Bird'''!" She shouts at Selina, too far away for her taunts to reach with laced essence, however, "Dark '''Chicken'''!"
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| − | '''Selina de Windia: ''' "I see she shares some qualities with you as well." Selina says good-naturedly, diving around the corner of a outcropping turret, ascending again behind its shadow.
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| − | | |
| − | '''Vorpal: ''' Vorpal raises a bemused eyebrow and spits the sword from her mouth, snatching the heavy blade from the air into her free hand. "Has she been spying on my tirades at you or something?"
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| − |
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| − | '''Selina de Windia: ''' "Maybe not ''that''..." Selina trails off, moving higher into the sky, trying to increase her speed once again. Climbing meant losing speed, but once you had altitude, you could gain speed at will by diving. And with Selina, that was a whole lot of potential speed to be gained. Soaring twice the height over the tallest building in the short general area below her -- a sprawling, low camp of mercenaries -- Selina begins to pick up speed again, heading toward Amber Post, looking back behind her to get a split second view of the pursuer.
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| − | | |
| − | "Wonder where the other three got to..." She says, looking back ahead and around.
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| − | | |
| − | * Lighting, coming from... somewhere, together with sparks of violet thaumathurgy, strike at the towers near her. Unfortunately for them, to strike the Dark Angel afar, one needs to be a legend.
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| − |
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| − | '''Vorpal: ''' "Never ask that", Vorpal announces, matter-of-factly, while deflecting some of the rubble away from them with a well-timed swing of her sword. "Never ask that aloud. It is the fail-safe way to summon just the trouble you want to avoid."
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| − | | |
| − | '''????: ''' And sure enough, as the Pale Angel speaks that, one of the shadows, one she had seen as a large thing that did not even seem to be alive... is not, as a creature of brass and bronze runs around until it jumps in front of them, gears moving as it lets out a machine scream!
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| − | | |
| − | '''Selina de Windia: ''' "Maybe. You've never felt this before." Selina giggles as the machine (or golem, or whatever it is) leaps up in front of them...and disappears. Her form, Vorpal's form, and the forms of the captives, all losing fullness and becoming black silhouettes that turn to shadow which streaks around and past the machine, reforming a ways away.
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| − | | |
| − | Selina dives a bit then, gaining still more speed, turning aside from the larger fortress she is heading toward, as more might try to drag them down if she strays too close.
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| − | | |
| − | '''Vorpal: ''' "Ooof", is Vorpal's philosophical comment about the experience. The Ghost-Blooded has to blink black spots out from her eyes. "Say, did it occur to you that the Charm might have affected only you and leave us to hang in the air?"
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| − | | |
| − | '''Selina de Windia: ''' "Nope!" She says with a flicker of her eyes behind her, to see if the damned thing is somehow pursuing them, steering clear of the fortress ahead. "I did it before with other people, so I'd know!"
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| − | | |
| − | '''Narrator: ''' And the brass machine falls down, crashing through a house, opening a large gash in it, as more thaumathurgical flares and assassin's arrows come towards the Angels... and Amber Post itself is almost there....
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| − |
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| − | '''Vorpal: ''' "See you in the tournament!" Vorpal shouts, lifting her sword in a lopsided salute as they fly further and further away from their pursuers.
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| − | | |
| − | '''Selina de Windia: ''' Dodging out of the way without using her magic, Selina puts forth a final effort, attempting to reach Amber Post as quickly as possible, losing more altitude to gain more speed. Now she is weaving around taller buildings to fly over shorter ones once more, hoping that the Butterfly lady got shaken off of her tail.
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| − | | |
| − | '''Vorpal: ''' "Steady, steady..." Vorpal cautions her darker counterpart, keeping her eyes on their cargo and the short rope as they weave their way through the maze of buildings. "Mind the mercenaries."
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| − | | |
| − | '''????: ''' And then, out of the blue, comes a shadow.... a soaring shadow that goes through Selina de Windia, crashing into her and sending both of them through a window of Amber Post, making the Dark Angel let go of the Vorpal as she falls inside in a rain of glass, and Vorpal falls with her prisioners...
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| − |
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| − | '''Bronze Butterfly: ''' On her armored right arm, a little jewel breaks into pieces... "Oh, damn. There goes my jewel of soaring leap."
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| − | | |
| − | Pieces of jewels and glass and black feathers raining around them, she unfurls her wings...
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| − | | |
| − | And the accounts in the office they crashed into run like hell.
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| − | | |
| − | "It's just us now, ''Dark Chicken''!"
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| − | | |
| − | '''Selina de Windia: ''' Diving into the Trance at last, Selina glares at Bronze Butterfly as she gets to her feet. "Ok. Now ''that'', was simply impolite."
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| − | | |
| − | Then she looks at the Terrestrial, studying her essence signature, dusting herself off...
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| − |
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| − | '''Vorpal: ''' "Tch!"
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| − | | |
| − | Clenching her teeth together, Vorpal gives the rope a hard yank. It is powerful enought to pull the two prisoners up to her even as they fall together. Letting go of her sword, the Pale Angel scoops them both in her arms like two logs. Bending her body in a right angle, she throws a somersault with the mercenaries, legs out-stretched. She straightens herself just in time to hit the ground boots first. The impact is hard. Stone splinters fly into the air in an expanding circle from her feet, her legs bend in an effort to absorb the shock --
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| − | | |
| − | -- which they do, without any strain at all. The bounty hunters safe in her arms like two sleeping babies, the Pale Angel slowly straightens herself up. ''Betrayer'' hits the ground straight like a spear next to her, soulsteel blade sinking deep into stone with a loud, hissing sound.
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| − | | |
| − | Vorpal moves the two captives deftly to rest atop her left arm. A split-second later she reaches for the sword with her free hand and yanks the weapon off the ground. Whirling around, she flips the black blade lightly up to meet any imminent threat.
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| − | | |
| − | '''Bronze Butterfly: ''' "We are not ''polite'' dear. We are killers. Now, where is your scythe?" She takes a step, perfectly interposing herself between the Dark Angel and the window... and Selina can see her essence signature. The artifact armor in her arm, the thaumathurgy on her knives, her artifact scythe... she is not a martial artist, or at least has nothing of the sort of a Martial Arts form assumed at the moment.... but she has something. Something in there wth her, watching...
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| − | '''Selina de Windia: ''' Selina tosses her scythe in the air lightly, catching it with her right hand in answer, then finishes studying her opponent. A faint grin crosses her lips. "Magnificent! You aren't mystically lax like many of the lazy Dragon-Blooded I see about. You really are different. I'd like to take you with me."
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| − | | |
| − | "For your information, I stronger than most city gods. But don't worry, I won't use all of that against you." The wind of her shield calms a bit, though the office is already in disarray. Then she perks up, the smile getting broader. "I have an idea! I'll fight only with my right hand. We can have a little fun."
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| − | '''Bronze Butterfly: ''' "Damn right I'm not! I'm a world-class assassin! And no longer will I be in your sha..."
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| − | | |
| − | ''Just. ''<br>
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| − | ''One. ''<br>
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| − | ''Hand?!? ''
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| − | Her features contort in anger. The spell is turned against the wizard as she reacts to the taunt, rushing towards the Dark Angel with her scythe cutting the air.... "Underestimate me, will you? The taller the throne, 'Queen', the higher the ''fall''!"
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| − | ----
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| − | * - Back to [[GoldenCat/SeventhMovement|Seventh Movement]]
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| − | * - Back to [[GoldenCat/DanceOfAngels|A Dance of Angels]]
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