//------------------------------// // Rebel 1 // Story: Calming Sigh-- with a Breath of Fire // by Laze Around //------------------------------// I didn’t waste time to put some distance between us. It was a dumb move to engage Hakumen in close combat. His attacks were devastating, and from what could remember of him he has a counterattack skill that would always give him an opening to retaliate. The same moment I jumped back, I raised an arm and aimed at him. “[SIROCCO!]” Multiple balls of magic explosives sprayed on where he was. But I was surprised when he sliced through one of them and created a magic sphere that seemed to disperse the rest of the projectiles that it came in contact with. I forgot about that. Long range attacks were ineffective against Hakumen as long as he was fast enough to cut through the projectile. I don’t know whether it was because of the armor, the Susano’o Unit, or his weapon, Ookami, but the result would always be the same as long as he cuts through them. Hakumen phased through the magic circle and came at me with surprising speed. The ground underneath him exploded just from leg power alone. “[Ice Blast!]” I created another spell. The temperature of the area in front of me plummeted dramatically and a spike of ice rose from it. Hakumen sliced through that distraction easily, but the moment the ice blocked his sight I dove into a shadow and reappeared behind a tree. There was a moment of silence as he stood motionlessly in place. The multiple red eyes all over his body shifting all around and looking for signs of my location. I didn’t move an inch, my breathing was calm and silent even though my heart was beating faster than normal from the adrenaline. I took that moment of reprieve to assess my opponent again. A bit of dread rose inside me as a thought came to mind. Was this a regular Hakumen I’m fighting, or was it the Unlimited version? In Blazblue the player can select two types of mode when they choose a character after fulfilling certain requirements. There was the Normal version and then there was the Unlimited version. The Normal version was self explanatory, the Unlimited version, however, gives the character a boost in some of the things that they have; attack speed, movement speed, attack damage, or even new skills. I can’t tell which version I’m fighting with this Hakumen. Add to the fact that this was a Displaced, my information might as well be obsolete. Still, that doesn’t mean that I’m going to back down. “Come out, coward!” Hakumen bellowed, “It was you who wanted this! Come out and fight!” … that oddly disappointed me. The exclamation was definitely something that the cool and collected Hakumen wouldn’t say. I was expecting him to cut through the tree that I was hiding behind. I expected him to know exactly where I was and I was expecting to be hard-pressed on the defensive. Hakumen was an impressive character with a great sense of justice. Even though he leaned more on the violent side of it, he was someone that people could admire. He punishes the wicked and spares the innocent. He had the charisma to lead five people of exceptional skills against the Black Beast, a monster so terrible that it almost destroyed his world. But compared to the one that I was facing… The tree beside me fell down as Ookami sliced through its trunk. I remained motionless and watched it hit the ground with disinterest. I heard another one fall a few distance away from me, going further and further away from where I was hiding. The one I was facing wasn’t the Hakumen that I knew; the one that I admire. This one wasn’t the original. Even if he had the form, the weapon, the techniques… it doesn’t make him the same person. These were once human, like me. No matter how similar this one acts like the original, he will never be the same. The Displaced are nothing but fakes. But it was because we were fakes that we could grow out of the characters that inspired our new forms. I don’t believe that this one knows that yet. [Mind Sword...] I looked down at my hands as my magic gathered. [Variant: Spear] The handle of my sword extended while the blade began to shrink in length. The almost transparent weapon rested on my palms as I looked out of my hiding spot to see if he sensed me. He didn't. The fabled sixth sense only comes along through experience, and even then it was limited to the intent that awakened it in the first place. The most common being negative intents such as anger, malice, envy, contempt, etc. etc. After becoming a Displaced, he should have inherited some of that sixth sense, but that doesn’t mean that he’ll be good at it. It’s the same with me with my Genes and magic. If there was a Displaced out there who mastered their powers without practice, then I don’t want to meet them. That would mean that there was something wrong with them already to have quickly assimilated their new existence so readily. I don’t want to meet those broken people. Going back to this Hakumen Displaced, he shouldn’t have the ability to sense magic. It was never shown in the game that he was capable of such a feat. “Intent to Harm”, however, he could sense, most likely. I knew he had to since the original Hakumen had been a warrior with great battle instincts. With just a thought, I broke my spear. That was just to test out if he could find me. I sighed. “Let’s try again.” [Magic Ball] I looked at the ball and concentrated, changing its form and molding it into another. [Mind Sword Variant: Spear] The sphere of magic transformed into a pole with a blade on one end, but it still carried the original properties of the [Magic Ball] it was created from. Unlike the regular [Mind Sword] I’ve been using, this one has more substance and has a secondary effect other than just distracting glitters. I don’t use it regularly because of its… of its… Wait... How come I don’t use this version of [Mind Sword] more often? I looked down at the spear again, my brows furrowing in thought. My mind came up with nothing. The advantage of using a regular [Mind Sword] would be that I could add two more effects into it. This version now I’m holding could only hold one more because of the “Three Skills Per Combo” rule. But that doesn’t change the fact that this version was sturdier than just a regular [Mind Sword]. Why have I been using the regular version instead of this? Why didn’t I think of using this version in fights like the one with Nicko and his brother? It doesn’t make sense. Why the hell would I give myself a disadvantage like that? Come to think of it, why can’t I remember Hakumen’s moves? His appearance alone would have triggered my [Recall]. How come I’m not getting anything? Damn it. Now’s not the time for thinking about this. I have to finish this fight first. I need to push him enough so that he’ll use his best skills. I stepped out of my hiding spot and stared at Hakumen in the distance. I grabbed the spear in one hand and raised it, aiming at the White Knight’s back. [Target]-- an offensive skill where my psionics aid me. By sacrificing some power behind my attack, my psychic abilities would help my aim to never miss my intended target. This technique only seems to work on what could be considered as physical attacks, never can I use it with my magical ones, unfortunately. With my sights set, I looked up to the skies and hurled the spear with all my might. The weapon looked as though it would miss, the angle in which I threw it was too high. But as soon as it came over Hakumen’s head, the spear’s flightpath changed and went straight towards him. His numerous eyes shifted and saw the spear. He spun and raised his sword, swatting the weapon in the air. He turned and saw me, but I slid back behind the tree and disappeared in its shadow. He roared in rage and made a dash towards the tree. Ookami sang as it parted the air and sliced through the bark of my previous hiding place. I reappeared a distance away from Hakumen, behind another tree, and heard him roar in rage. Hmm… that was interesting. I ignored Hakumen for now and allowed him to cut through multiple trees, going nowhere near my hiding spot. The spear that I hurled to him didn’t shatter, but it was no doubt damaged. If it had broken then there would have been a blinding flash of light from the effects of [Magic Ball]. That means that I have an available weapon for myself, now. I poked my head out from behind the tree and looked at Hakumen. [Magic Ball] + [Mind Sword Variant: Knife] + [Target] The sphere of magic flattened and turned into a simple kitchen knife. This variation was something I use while I cook. There was no shame in abusing my magic for something so mundane. Besides, it was a good way to practice my control. I hurled the knife far into Hakumen’s right side, aiming at a tree. However, before it could stab into the trunk, it swerved left, dodging every other tree in its way and headed straight to Hakumen’s foot. The White Knight’s eyes saw it and he swung Ookami to smash it into the ground in anger. Hmm… he looks willing enough to use his skills now. His body was shaking as he looked at the kitchen knife pinned under his sword. He raised Ookami high into the air and started smashing it on the magic construct. ...Is it wrong of me to find amusement in his rage? Hakumen turned, his head facing directly at the upper part of my body poking out from behind a tree. I grinned at him and waved before ducking back behind the trunk. I sunk into the shadows again and made some distance. I heard him scream in rage, and I came out of the shadows just in time to see him raise Ookami high above his head. “You wish to see my techniques!” he shouted, “Then come out and watch this!” I did. I stepped out from behind another tree to his left and watched him. He turned his body and I saw his sword glow, seeming as though it was gathering energy from the air. [Kokuujin Ougi!] I raised an interested brow at the Japanese name. [SHIPPU!] He swung his blade downwards and the gathered energy was released. I grinned broadly as the wave of destruction came down at me like a tsunami. I raised both of my arms to the side and shouted, “New Skill Learned!” I stood before the wave and let it wash over me. [Leech Power]-- the skill that sucks in the magic in the air and gathers it within a hollow gem made from my magic. [Mind Sword Variant: Nodachi]-- the skill that would allow me to turn the gem into a weapon. [Wind Strike]-- the skill that lets me create a physical manifestation of the element. Its damage is based on my strength and how much magic I put in it to create the wind blade. [Variant created: Kokuujin no Ougi, Shippu!] I was grinning when I rose up from the shadow of a tree behind Hakumen, out of sight of his many eyes. The fatal flaw of his technique against me was that it shined. It created and deepened the shadows. With someone like me who could take advantage of that, flashy skills were completely useless. That was one technique down, but I was sure that there were others for me to learn. I slowly began to clap as I stepped out from behind the tree. “Awesome, simply awesome.” Hakume growled as he slowly turned to face me. “You really are a Displaced, aren’t you?” I said, “Not just that, but you were also a civilian. Don’t deny it, I can tell. Battle Instincts were shoved down your throat when you turned into Hakumen, and it’s like giving someone a gun then telling them that they could do whatever they want with it.” He lowered his center and made a stance. I paid it no mind and continued. “You’re probably confused with your identity right now. You don’t know whether you’re still yourself or if you’re that character that you’ve become.” I went on, “You were acting a lot like Hakumen before, but that persona seemed to have cracked under pressure.” [Mind’s Eye]-- the skill that lets me read my opponent’s movements and aid the accuracy of my predictions of their next move. It increases my Hit Rate in the original game, but here it lets me plan my attacks better by using the mostly accurate predictions. I used the skill as soon as I saw his legs tense. Jumping back and ducking low, I dodged his horizontal swing. I hopped up slightly and spun sideways, dodging the low swipe of his follow through swing. Both my legs hit the ground and I pushed myself forward. My right palm shot up and nailed him on his masked face. The leverage plus my normal strength was enough to throw him backwards, but he recovered quickly and rolled to his feet. “When you were threatened by me, you allowed yourself to be driven by your battle instincts. Given that Hakumen was originally Jin Kisaragi, and that Jin Kisaragi was slightly unhinged in the head, you became a bit of a psycho.” I jumped up high to dodge another attack, but he quickly followed me in the air. I materialized two sturdier [Mind Swords] and crossed them over my body when I saw him spin in the air above me. [TSUBAKI!] A black distortion wrapped itself around his blade and my arms rattled from the blow of his downward swing. He spun his entire body and used his entire weight to perform the technique, adding more power behind the attack. My blades shattered and I fell to the ground faster than he did. I landed on my feet and hopped back a few paces from him. He landed on the ground and was immediately on stance. “When a civilian is threatened, a Flight or Fight response would occur.” I started, “But when that civilian is carrying a weapon already during the response, they will more than likely lean more towards the Fight response. That means you, the civilian, carrying the weapon, Hakumen, responded to Me, the threat. However...” A sturdier [Mind Sword] appeared in my hand. “Just because you’re carrying a weapon, doesn’t mean that you know how to use it.” I finished. Now it was my turn to be on the offensive. I ran forward and swung my blade down. He met my attack with his own downward swing. Both swords clashed and sparks flew. My weapon was cracked but we both followed through. We both swung our blades upward, and he tried for a lock. I slapped his sword away, since I don’t really block. We both swung sideways, with no one stepping back. Our clashes rage on, in an all-out attack. “You may have the Body, the Power, the Speed, the Instincts,” we continued to clash, “But you don’t have the Technique, the Grace, the Style, or the Finesse to use them right. Instincts help you to know when to attack, when to defend and when to dodge, but during those times it doesn’t tell you how to attack, how to defend, or how to dodge.” Our swords met once again and mine shattered on contact. The shards twinkled in the air and Hakumen’s eyes shifted to them. Not a moment later they started popping like fireworks twelve inches before his eyes. “Gah!” Hakumen cried out and stumbled back in surprise. The eyes on his body were twitching and moving erratically. I capitalized on the opportunity and slipped into his defense. My eyes were closed during the flashes, thus leaving me relatively in better shape than Hakumen. My foot stomped forward with all of my weight pressed down onto it. My body twisted and my shoulder rushed straight to his torso. It was a move that the Minotaurs taught me, something that made me learn a technique in my Skill List. [Charge!] It was an attack based on my defense. Meaning that it was a technique that utilizes the sturdiness of the body and using it as a weapon to ram my opponent with. [ZANSHIN!] A magic circle materialized in front of Hakumen’s chest. My body froze as soon as I touched it, feeling a wave of energy that halted every momentum that I generated. A strong hand grabbed me by my shirt and pulled me forward. I suddenly found Hakumen’s knee being driven into my solar plexus. The air rushed out from my body and I flew back straight into a tree. The bark cracked like the rest of my ribs, and I found myself having trouble breathing. “You seem to think that I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He said. I looked up to where I was kneeling, taking in deep breaths and healing my ribs. “Like you said. I was just a civilian before becoming a Displaced.” he said, lifting his hand up and clenching it into a fist. “If a civilian was given a weapon and they don’t know how to use it, what do you think they were doing before the threat arrived?” My breathing was back to normal, and I slowly rose back up to my feet. “I practiced with it.” he said simply, “Did you think that I did nothing while I was alone in this place? That I simply sat by and let the time flow by? Don’t be a fool.” He lowered his center and made his stance. “I was only unbalanced for a while because you were the first to ever survive this long against me.” “So I guess I wasn’t the only one who was assessing my opponent.” I sighed. “Indeed.” He nodded. [Magic Ball] + [Mind Sword Variant: Spear] I grabbed the weapon in the air, twirled it around my wrist before settling down into my own stance. “Let’s continue then, shall we?” I rushed forward with a thrust, the tip of my spear aiming straight at his head.