The Most Dangerous Game (C Rank Mission- Hunted!)

[Abigail Parker]

It was a pleasant spring morning in Era. The sky was a vivid blue, with the sun shining gold upon the earth and white clouds floating by lazily. The warm air and cool breeze was a welcome change to the pure frigidity of the winter season, as was the sight of snow finally melting away. After being beaten down by Mother Nature for so long, the people of Era were ready for some pleasant weather. Even rain was more welcome than another flake of snow by this point.

Abigail took a drag off of her cigarette as she reclined on one of Era's many rooftops, her gaze fixed on the western horizon. She was dressed in an interesting fashion: a blood red, hooded duster over a black collared shirt, coal black jeans, and black leather boots that reached up to her knees. The duster was sleeveless, had four tails of equal length, both front and back, and was accented with gold trim. On her wrists she bore brown leather bracers, the sleeves of her shirt tucked into them, and tied around her waist was a sash woven from gold thread. Overall, the outfit was rather "Renaissance" in its trappings. Not that anyone in Fiore would identify it as such. Of course, she had seen gaudier outfits out on the street, so she'd practically blend in, with the added benefit of a hood to conceal her features. Thankfully, she had managed to actually scrape together the cash to actually purchase the clothes, as opposed to stealing them, so she couldn't be pegged that way, either.

The reason she was so concerned with hiding her identity was because of the Magic Council. Over the past week, she'd heard hushed murmurs in local pubs that the Council was sending out hunters to track down guildless mages. Bad news for her. It wasn't that she had managed to get herself into trouble since her arrival here. Far from it. The past month or so had proven to be rather quiet, aside from a couple moments of vigilantism here and there. She simply had the sneaking suspicion that the Council's attack dogs weren't all that discriminatory about who they went after. So she was going to take every precaution possible to avoid a confrontation. While she may not have agreed with the Council's policies, Abigail knew it wasn't a good idea to get on their bad side if she didn't have to.

Sighing, a cloud of smoke bellowing out from her lips, Abigail rose to her feet and flicked her cigarette over the edge of the roof, before pulling the hood of her duster up over her head. Shadow quickly engulfed her face, leaving only her jaw visible. A hand on one hip, the redheaded adventurer glanced over the edge, seeing the crowded street below. It was a steady river of people bustling this way and that. Easy to get lost it, if she could make it down there safely. Immediately, she scanned the wall for a clear path down for her to take. There weren't as many handholds as she'd like, being accustomed to climbing the walls of Twilight Town, with its many pipes and missing bricks. Era's architecture, even with the scars of war still fresh, was decidedly less accommodating to the intrepid traceuse. Then she spotted a wide, bright red awning. Pure Errol Flynn shit, she had to admit, but it looked like her only option. Inhaling a deep breath, Abigail took a step over the edge, and then let herself fall...

She felt the rush of air, heard the rustling of her coat, and then felt a sudden impact as she landed on the canvas. The awning sagged under her weight, and she was sure it was going to give. But by some stroke of luck, it held, and she slid down it to the ground below, landing on all fours. Her breath shaky, Abby smiled and then stood up straight. Aside from a couple wayward glances, no one seemed to pay her much mind. That was a godsend if she'd ever seen one, and she couldn't stop herself from uttering a quiet prayer of thanks. Once she saw an opening, Abigail then made her way into the crowd, and allowed the current to carry her down the street...

[GM Account]

The figure in the shadows watched as the woman tumbled along rooftops. People rarely looked up, so it made sense. Fortunately... or rather... unfortunately, the young Seeker on the woman's trail was better than that. And she'd noticed the hooded figure trying to avoid attention. She followed swiftly and silently from below, surprisingly nonchalant despite the uniform. Finally, the red-haired woman tumbled down, quickly disappearing into the crowds. Perfect. She wasn't the only one who could sneak. This Seeker was an expert at silent tracking.

She followed her through the crowd for a short while, but before long she decided it was time to make her move. Extending her arm, she held out her hand in the shape of a gun. The people around her saw that the Magic Council official was making a move, and quickly shouted and got out of the way. That was troublesome, she'd have to act fast. She had hoped that she could fire off the spell at Abigail through the crowd.

From her outstretched fingers, a bullet of compressed wind fired straight at Abigail's back, flying at a high speed. With luck, she wouldn't see it coming until she was flat on her face because of it.

MP: 125/150:

[Abigail Parker]

The sound of people behind her screaming caused Abigail to stop in her tracks and turn around to see what the cause of the ruckus was. What she saw was not at all encouraging. The crowd was quickly dispersing, people running like chickens without heads in every direction. And in the center of it was someone bearing the badge of the Council, and that someone was pointing their hand as if it were a gun, directly at her. Abigail's mismatched eyes went wide, and immediately she put her hands up and began trying to talk the Council agent down. "Hey, wait a minute! Is resorting to violence right off the bat really the best deci-!"

Her attempts at reasoning were swiftly cut short by a forceful impact centered in the abdominal area. She had expected some kind of noise, some dull boom to serve as an indirect warning. But as far as she could tell, there had just been a brief rush of air and suddenly it felt like a cannon ball had slammed into her gut. All the oxygen in her lungs was forced out by the blow, and her feet left solid ground as she went flying through the air. For a brief moment, she seemed to just hang there in midair, and then she slammed onto the ground, the suddenness of it rocking her body to the bones. Already Abigail was sore all over. But she had to admit this was absolute child's play when compared to the experience of your blood boiling while inside your body. Count your blessings when they happen.

"Great. Got a cowboy cop on my hands..." She said breathlessly as she quickly jumped to her feet, bringing her arms up in a nondescript fighting stance once she was properly upright. She didn't want to use magic if she didn't have to, if only to prove a point to this Seeker, and the Council by proxy. She wasn't one of their damn terrorists, but she'd defend herself if they forced her into a situation where such action was necessary. Besides, killing her would just make things worse for herself in the long run. Abby'd settle for assault and battery of an officer of the law. Wouldn't be the first time.

Her strategy worked out, the redhaired adventurer rushed towards the Council's agent, juking and jiving through the frightened civilians with the swiftness and fluidity of clear water rushing downstream. Even as she ran, Abigail's muscles relaxed in preparation for the attack, so that she could act without any resistance from her body. Once the distance between herself and her assailant was closed, Abigail immediately brought her leg up as if going for a side kick aimed at the Seeker's ribs. This was nothing more than a feint, however. If her opponent reacted accordingly to what she seemed to be doing, Abigail would quickly drop down and go for a leg sweep. Though that was a very big "if."

[PatriotArrow]

(I'm just gonna do my GM'ing on this account)

The Seeker's target rushed at her rather quickly for someone who had just been flattened. It was actually rather scarily impressive, even to the Seeker. She moved to block the feint, just as Abigail had figured she would, and then found herself falling backwards from the leg sweep. she caught herself, doing a cartwheel to land on her feet again. "I am Seeker Arleigh Krouse of the Magic Council. I will give you one chance to turn yourself in for the crime of not registering with either a guild or the Magic Council. If you do not comply, I will take you back in pieces if I have to." She at least had stopped her assault for the moment. Was she trying a different tactic for some reason?

She stayed in a fighting stance, however, indicating she was more than ready to continue if Abigail didn't comply. She might even want to get a chance to fight Abigail. Some Seekers were known for their love of violence and the lack of rules attached to them compared to their Paladin brothers and sisters. Around them, the crowd had finally dispersed for the most part, save a few people wanting to watch the action. Abigail was now the center of many people's attention, as was the seeker. Whatever happened there would be a lot of witnesses.

WP - 130/150

[Abigail Parker]

By the time the Seeker had managed to get back on her feet, Abigail had already assumed the proper stance of her fighting style of choice. Though it didn't look much like an orthodox stance. With its triangular footwork-left leg all the way back with the left arm held up just below her chin, then right leg back with right arm up-and overall rhythmic movement, it looked more like a dance than anything. She maintained this fluid rhythm as the Seeker cried out her name loud enough for everybody to hear, as well as her intention to take Abigail in, dead if need be. Honestly, Arleigh's barking barely registered in Abby's mind. She was already somewhere else, spiritually. The only thing in her mind was the rhythm of the bateria's music, meant to drive the game forward. It was like she was back in the roda from all those years back. Except this wasn't a game. It was life and death.

Without responding to the Seeker, Abigail quickly dropped down to the ground, moving her leg all the way forward, using her left hand for support while her right arm covered her face from attack. This movement carried her a good foot towards Arleigh, thanks to the reach of her legs, closing what little distance she had put between them. Coming up from that and resuming the strange dance-like stance from before, and then immediately lashed out with a basic straight kick aimed to the chest, striking with the heel of her foot. She was quite sure her "dancing partner" would be able to defend herself against a simple attack like this, but Abby wasn't exactly intending to hit her with it, even with the strength and speed she had committed to it.

As she kicked, Abigail finally spoke. "It's nothing against you." Quick and succinct. There was a pause as the kick was completed, and Abby immediately moved to resume her stance, leaving her open for grappling or a quick spell. If Arleigh indeed tried to grapple her by the leg or something similar, Abigail was prepared to swipe at her with a knifehand strike to drive her off. If she went for a spell... well, the redhead wasn't certain what she'd do. Capoeira didn't exactly have any contingencies for "opponent tries to burn your face off." Regardless of what Arleigh decided to do, Abigail took the trouble to finish her thought. "I just don't like being ordered around."

[PatriotArrow]

The Seeker was either arrogant, or simply wished to conserve magic, because she simply tried to use martial arts to stop Abigail’s martial arts assault. She did exactly as predicted, grabbing Abigail’s leg before being pushed off by her secondary assault. She frowned, looking somehow more serious than the overly serious dog of the Magic Council already was. “You have chosen to make this harder on yourself,” she told Abigail in a neutral tone. “I did not wish to do this,” that was probably a lie. She had attacked first, after all, “But I will bring you in by force, if that is at all possible.”

She was indicating that she would use lethal force if need be to quell this one person rebellion she was sent to take care of. In her hand, a dagger of wind appeared, and she slashed at Abigail with her new weapon, trying to disable her for now. She followed up a set of slashes with trying to kick or knee Abigail, whichever was more convenient in Abigail’s current position. “Failure to uphold Fiore’s laws will not be tolerated.”

After her assault, Arleigh prepared to defend from more physical attacks, since Abigail seemed unable or unwilling to use her magic for some reason.

WP - 110/150
MP - 115/150

Wind Dagger:

[Abigail Parker]

Abigail couldn't keep herself from smirking when the Council Seeker fell for yet another mix-up and grabbed her leg, only to be forced back by the knifehand swipe. Quickly cartwheeling backwards to put a couple feet between herself and Arleigh, Abby resumed the dance-like ginga stance, either not realizing or not caring that her hood had fallen from atop her head. Arleigh rattled off some more talk about how she didn't want to use force, but she would in order to bring Abby in. It smelled like a load of bull where Abby was standing, but she didn't call the Seeker on it. Let her believe that, if it helped her sleep at night.

When the Seeker summoned up the knife, Abigail's mismatched eyes widened. It seemed that the kid gloves were off. The Council's dog was out for blood now. Abby was so stunned by this turn of events that she barely even moved to defend herself from the first slash, which caught her right across her nose. It hurt worse than the attack Arleigh had opened with, but it was a familiar sort of pain. It certainly wasn't the first time Abigail had felt the bite of a blade, and it most definitely wouldn't be the last. Still, it was enough to knock her out of her daze and allow her to react to the following volley of swipes Arleigh made with the wind knife. Abigail managed to bob and weave quickly enough to avoid them, but the kick to her gut caught her off guard and sent her flying back a couple of feet, breathless.

Finished with her assault, Arleigh took the time to prattle on about how failing to follow the laws of the land would not be tolerated. Abigail, wounded and well aware of the toll this little brawl was taking on her body, still found enough energy inside herself to laugh. "Law or no law, I have the right to choose the road I take. If your superiors paid you to think for yourself, you could try it sometime..." The redhead said to the Seeker, her tone making no secret of the fact that she was mocking her opponent, or at least her opponent's dogmatic behavior. "But I know I'm wasting my breath, so let's just get this over with. I didn't want to have to go all out on you, but that attitude's gonna get me killed if I keep it up. I'm sorry." Despite her contempt for the Seeker's blind adherence to the law, the apology was genuine. Abigail took no joy in having to shed blood.

Having said her piece, Abigail dropped down to her knees and clasped her hands together, as if she were praying. Within seconds, the redhaired woman was engulfed in a blinding white light, and slowly, her form began to shift. She gained a full three inches in height, and wings sprouted from her back. The light dissipated, and the figure kneeling there couldn't have been any farther in appearance from Abigail. Her hair was blacker than the night sky, her eyes dark blue pools of regret. Blood-stained angel's wings jutted out from her back, spread to their full span, and she wore a cream colored dress. A golden crucifix rested on her collarbone. The only evidence that this being and Abigail were one and the same was the still-bleeding cut running across the bridge of her nose.

The angel, Aleph, rose to her feet and looked at Arleigh with a sullen expression. "Come, then, Seeker. Let's put an end to this pointless battle."

WP- 200/250
MP- 175/200

Form: Aleph:

[PatriotArrow]

If Arleigh looked surprised at Abigail's transformation, that was probably because she was. It appeared she hadn't been informed just what kind of magic Abigail used, and this low level Seeker had decided to take the job anyway. Well, at least that explained why she shot first and literally talked later. She backed up a step before raising her dagger defensively. “I cannot abandon my charge,” she told Abigail, though it appeared she had lost some of her nerve when the woman with two-toned eyes had transformed into a literal angel. It also appeared she truly believed she couldn’t abandon orders to take care of dangerous guildless mages.

“I must ask you again to submit,” she insisted. She wasn’t attacking. Was she afraid? Signs pointed to yes. She took another step back before dropping into a stance that would let her more easily dodge Abigail’s attacks, not willing to be on the offensive right now. “Regardless of what you may think, the Magic Council has people’s best interests at heart. They wish to keep everyone safe, even if it means making their lives a little less convenient.” Yeah, she was trying to talk her way out of fighting despite being too brainwashed by propaganda to actually just give up.

[Abigail Parker]

When the Seeker began to back away, the angel simply stood there, that same sad look in her dark blue eyes. She was honestly contemplating simply attacking her. After all, she only had a limited amount of time before her magical reserves depleted and she would have to revert back to human form. But at the same time, did she truly wish to risk killing this woman who, for all intents and purposes, was simply doing her job? It was a difficult question, even now. The longer this fight dragged on, the more it seemed like it was kill or be killed. Abigail wasn't comfortable with that, and neither was Aleph. But Arleigh seemed adamant in bringing her in. Being imprisoned would not be ideal, especially with the witch in black running around. Whatever must be done to stop Emiliana's rampage, she would do. She had sworn that once. But could she really go through with it...?

When Arleigh asked her once again to stand down, a bemused smile appeared on Aleph's face, and she took a step forward. Blood-stained feathers fell from her wings and drifted to the ground. "You claim that your organization, which I would assume includes yourself, has the best interests of the people at heart. That you desire to protect. And yet, you attack my vessel first, and only now you are attempting peaceful negotiation. Not only that, but what has Abigail been doing since she arrived in this world? Nothing. Quite literally. She has been keeping to herself, and harming no one." The smile that graced the angel's lips quickly disappeared, replaced by an expression that was cold and threatening. "So I'm left to wonder what, exactly, you are protecting the people from when you attack simple wanderers who have been trying to avoid conflict with you, Seeker." Aleph's voice dropped to a sinister octave, and she took another step forward.

"But regardless of what you may tell yourself, it is obvious that you do not intend to back down. And sadly, neither do I. My vessel has a mission, and I will not allow her to be stopped." With those final words, a spear of pure, dazzling light energy formed in the angel's hand. She spread her legs apart, leveled the spear over her shoulder, and then lobbed it at Arleigh with full force.

WP- 200/250
MP- 148/200

Lance of Judgment:

[PatriotArrow]

Arleigh had no argument for Abigail’s argument… or whomever this was… did takeover work this way? And who defeated angels?! Maybe she shouldn’t have taken this job as a Seeker… Suddenly, the spear was lobbed at Arleigh with great force. The spear grazed Arleigh, taking part of the flesh on her arm with her. She grunted in pain, trying not to let the pain get to her. “You… or… Abigail… might not be a threat, but who or whatever you are is,” she told the angelic woman that had taken Abigail’s place. Despite her words, she kept backing up. Finally, she yelled and leapt at the angel, attempting to stab her before dropping down to sweep her off of her feet. She’d never really thought the peaceful negotiation would work, or she might have tried that originally. They didn’t send Seekers after those who would come quietly; not even novice ones like Arleigh.

“The negotiation was attempted when your vessel seemed unwilling to fight seriously,” Arleigh informed the angel known as Aleph. “I was informed she… or you, perhaps, was likely dangerous, and had been managing to evade Paladins. That is unlawfully resisting the law, even if your intentions are peaceful,” she told the angel. “And now I see that because of you, I can’t let her run free!” Arleigh swiped at Aleph with another dagger swipe, then another, then another. She was attacking with great speed, for a human. How good that would work against an angel… well… she was finding out.

WP 80/150
MP 100/150

[Abigail Parker]

(Sorry for the really belated post.)

When she heard Arleigh yell, Aleph knew that was a sign that the Seeker intended to attack. As such, the angel dropped to her knees and clasped her hands together in a prayer pose, much like Abigail had done before her. Upon doing this, a large, translucent dome with a gold tint to it appeared around her. Just in time for the Seeker's wind dagger to make contact with it. The impact sounded with the shrill tone of metal scraping against metal, and sparks even flew from the shield as the Seeker's knife struck it. And yet Aleph didn't even flinch, the dome absorbing the force put into the blow. When Arleigh went for the leg sweep, however, the barrier shattered, sending Aleph back a couple steps, clutching her stomach.

She felt winded. Undoubtedly, the feedback from her shield being overpowered caused some damage to her, though not as much as she would've received otherwise. But she had no time to rest now. She had a fight to finish. As Arleigh began swinging wildly with her knife, Aleph reacted accordingly. She ducked under the first swipe, and sidestepped to the right to dodge the second. But she hadn't anticipated the third strike. Because of this error, Arleigh's weapon found itself lodged in Aleph's left wing. The angel screamed in agony as fresh blood began to stain her feathers. Fallen and unable to fly or not, getting stabbed in the wing still hurt.

Desperate to drive Arleigh away from her, Aleph went on the offensive. She opened up with a swift left hook, following that with an uppercut with her right hand. And in case both of those attacks missed or otherwise didn't push the Seeker back, the angel tried to grab hold of her shoulders and deliver a savage headbutt.

WP- 170/250
MP- 126/200

Divine Aegis:

[PatriotArrow]

Arleigh’s attempt to bring down the fallen angel was valiant, and for a short moment, she thought she had actually harmed the woman when she cried out In pain. But Arleigh had temporarily forgotten something vitally important: Stabbing an angel’s wing wasn’t going to do much more than anger her if she wasn’t going to fly with it. Suddenly, a whirlwind of punches assaulted her – successfully. The seeker stumbled back once, only to take another blow. She didn’t step back far enough though, and took the angel’s daring headbutt as well.

She had a splitting headache, and suddenly she couldn’t focus. As she dropped to her knees, her dagger dissipated and she struggled to stay up, though only for a moment. She dropped to her hands and knees, panting and shaking in fear. A novice seeker was no match for such a powerful angel, so it seemed, and now she was going to pay for it. She would gladly give her life for her country… but that didn’t mean it wasn’t scary. Tears fell to the ground as she shook, unwilling to stand again. Those blows, while hardly lethal, had been more powerful than she’d expected. “So that’s it then,” she said bravely, looking up at Abigail’s angel form with eyes that struggled to focus. "Kill me and be done with it."

WP - 20

[Abigail Parker]

When the Seeker collapsed to her hands and knees, the fallen angel glared at her with smoldering eyes, obviously fighting the temptation to deliver the finishing blow. Arleigh practically egging her on, demanding that she be killed, simply made that temptation all the more powerful. Aleph's fists shook with barely contained anger. For a few seconds, both women simply sat there, staring at each other and slowly bleeding out. Eventually, the angel closed her eyes, and the same white light from before surrounded her as her form shrunk in height and her wings retreated into her back. The light receded, and Abigail was once again standing before the Seeker, sneering. The only traces of Aleph were white feathers scattered all over the ground.

"I'm not going to kill you." She informed Arleigh in a flat, cold tone of voice. Loudly, Abby gathered up whatever saliva was left in her mouth and spat at the ground in front of the Seeker. Then she continued. "You're not worth the trouble it'd bring me. And all it'd do is convince the rest of your dumb little buddies that I'm one of their so-called 'terrorists.' I'd be proving right all of the bullshit they've deluded themselves, not to mention you, with." She turned to walk away, throwing her hood over her head as she did. Taking a couple of steps forward, she then pulled out a pack of cigarettes and a book of matches and lit up. She took a hit off the cancer stick and then looked over her shoulder.

"Just remember. You picked a fight with me. And if there's a next time, I assure you three things. I'll be pissed. I'll be armed. And I won't hold back." With that said, Abigail began walking again, holding a certain middle digit up to the sky like a beacon for the Seeker to see. Her last open act of defiance for the day, and one she'd probably remember fondly for years to come. She kept walking until there was maybe thirty feet between her and Arleigh, then hung a right into the nearest alley, where she melted into the shadows.

~EXIT~

MP- 114/200

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