mayfield_logs | The Day of Judgement

['Gears?'

--this may not be the reaction he wanted, but it was better than radio silence. there might be a chance he can get through -- if not to her, then to the guardians protecting her.

the downward swing of Necro's blade is quickly met with the clash of another -- a scythe, formulating quickly from a hammerspace; it looked something like blood fluidly escaping his sleeve before creating a definitive and hardened substance in a unique shape. he applies only enough force to stop the incoming slash -- still, not parrying or attempting to attack.]

I don't believe that, and neither could you! How could she be happy with a world ground to dust by her own hands?! Her heart would never be happy with nothing but ashes!!

From those ashes, new life will form. A Utopia for Gears, free from the selfishness and hatred of humanity...

-Necro's mouth opened, a blast of fire erupting from it at Abel's unguarded face.-

--Freedom at the cost of--

[ah--

the mouth--? his eyes widen briefly in surprise; the flames lick over him and the heat triggers immediate response. he leaps backwards to put distance between them. perhaps it was too late to free himself from being scathed; the sleeves of his cassock where he'd lifted his arms to protect his head are singed... but the damage to his person is quickly being repaired by the nanomachines' effort. skin is knitting, rebuilding itself, as he reaffirms his stance.

...he's in the dark. and she might really intend to take his life...

Dizzy...]

-Instant healing... not unlike her own. Necro quickly realized that this would take more than his power alone... They'd need to fully Install Dizzy. Show this priest the full extent of the Command Gear's evolution. With an inhuman, ear-piercing cry, Necro, along with Undine and the Tail, combined their collective systems...

The resulting transformation was truly crushing. No doubt Abel could feel it. No doubt anyone in town could. All of Dizzy's magical cells igniting at once, forming the inky black thing before him. It was androgynous, but still clearly Dizzy. Pure red eyes opened, and the voice that spoke sounded of thousands, booming all at once.-

LOOK UPON ME AND AWE AT THE BRINGER OF YOUR EXTINCTION!

[in the dark... yes, he's in the dark...

is she always capable of this, or...

...

he finds himself taking a small step backward -- not in fear; it isn't as though he had any sense of self-preservation or fear for his life. a man who cannot be killed and who's pitiful life is that of the worthless sinner doesn't bother with the fear of mortality. no... it's more accurate to say that this expression of shock on his face is because this transformation reeks of a power that's sick, pervasive... wrong, for its intent.

...coming from someone like her, it's all wrong. very... very wrong.

and like this... the innocent people that could be caught in the crossfire...

he has to take her somewhere less populated. the park--? it's unlikely with the goings-on that it'd be getting high traffic right about now. but getting there is another story. if he ran, would she-- ...it... give chase?

his grip on the scythe is tightening, and so is his jaw. red eyes fixate on their mirror. ...he can't fight her. he can't fight her, and now -- he doesn't know if there's any reaching her at all.]

...It isn't too late. It's not... too late. [is he convincing himself, or her?]

Do you hear me...? I won't let you hurt them. I won't let you hurt yourself like this!

[all he can do is get in her way and pray there's a sign of drawing her out from wherever she's retreated in this murderous bloodlust-- the oppressive stench of blood and... hate.]

-Nothing. Dizzy was silent as her hand raised, from it firing off a gigantic ray of light. The Giga Ray, normally her strongest of magical outputs, Dizzy was the very peak of all Gears. Ever strand of DNA of ever cell in her body was on fire with magical output. And the strength of the Giga Ray reflected it.

A great and terrifying power. The same as her Mother's. The power to wipe entire nations off the map...-

[Ciel knew about Dizzy's self-defense mechanism.

...At least, that's the role that Undine was normally supposed to play for her. Focused on defensive and healing magic, it was her automated protector. With the apparent combining of her different 'parts' to create one ultimate individual of staggering power however, maybe this black 'final being' has discarded the defensive shell that worked semi-separately from Dizzy's consciousness. Possibly because it has no need to, now that it is 'complete' with the sole purpose to 'destroy'. Ciel was never lucky, but she banked her hopes on the possibility.

That, and on the element of surprise. The creation of Dizzy's current form let loose a torrent of energy that no magically-inclined being can possibly miss. She wasn't on the scene until now, and even so, the two winged beings were probably too focused on each other to have noticed her quiet but swift approach. Either way, she can only estimate the level of Dizzy's current strength. A firepower she can't match, no, but in terms of physical ability in close quarters, she might still hold a fair chance to at least prevent the destruction of half the town if not more, as well as the other figure facing her garbed in an all-too-familiar cassock. Carefully reading the flow of mana from Dizzy and the air surrounding her, she had to accurately calculate the time of firing, to maximize her odds of redirecting that aim and minimize any chances of encountering resistance--

--Now!

Shooting forward at the fastest speed she could manage, which wouldn't even amount to a blur from a normal person's vision, she closes in on the other girl from behind. Abel might catch sight of a black shadow before it stops to a screeching halt and gives way to an equally familiar form dressed in habit: Ciel now stood directly next to Dizzy, but only there to knock her raised arm up with her own so that the Giga Ray's aim is redirected towards the sky.

Not even a beat later, the energy is let loose. One would think that the sky would be pierced and ripped apart from a force this overwhelming. A strong current of air proceeds to sweep the streets around them, the strength of the beam sending all forms of debris hurling out. ...That set aside however, the only casualty would be a few puffy white clouds up above; that's one immediate crisis averted. As for the rest...

She's expecting a retaliation of her part, so for what it may be worth, Ciel will attempt to draw herself back into a defensive position. Now that Dizzy knows she's here, she can't pull a surprise stunt like this a second time. Again, tanking is something she is also capable of, but it'll take much more to stop Dizzy from her current rampage and save the rest of the town from another close shave. Her mind is racing even as she pulls away; if they can't reason with her, they need to cut the source of her power. How will she do that? By sapping Dizzy's magical energy? --No, there's too much, that'd be slow, tedious, and inefficient. Forcing the mana to leave her body might work, or suppressing it back to how it normally is, given that everyday Dizzy has always been capable of it with the days they've spent in leisure together as proof.

...So, a seal. But what kind, and would the ones she knows how to perform back home even work? It'd still definitely be worth a try, yes, but--! She'll also need to get in contact with Abel, who's had to call out whatever he tried so hard in the past to not have her find out. They can talk about that later; right now, they need to cooperate to make sure Dizzy doesn't hurt anyone else - and if possible, shut her down without hurting her at all.]

[...there's no time to so much as absorb what had just happened.

there's only enough time to recognize what crucial elements of the board, so to speak, had changed -- and to react accordingly. the crisis had been averted, and a new piece had appeared... one familiar -- too familiar, both a relief and a source of a deep -pang- of trepidation. but he will worry about trivial, menial regrets later -- this is much more important than his own remorse over secrets forced to light.

he had been poised to go airborne at the sight of the Giga Ray's charge; now that it was no longer necessary to dodge, it didn't mean the danger was through. Ciel is now in close range to whatever it is Dizzy has become, and there's no telling how she'll respond to her efforts being thwarted. regardless, he has to reach her for more reasons than one. if Dizzy's counter is to charge another of those blasts while Ciel is on the ground... the town will be in just as much danger as it was a moment prior, and this far apart... communication is limited. so, the best answer that he can find is also a rather simple one.

utilizing a speed Ciel herself similarly demonstrated, the naked eye wouldn't be able to pick up the speed of the movement -- one second he is stood in the street, and the next... he's in front of the 'weapon' and the Sister who had single-handedly saved countless lives. he's wasting no more time; this situation is hardly in their favor -- Dizzy wants to end them, while they only wish to protect her. fast action is the only way.

arms fold around the deceptively small woman and lift her off her feet with care but haste before immediately launching up to put distance between them and their unfortunate 'enemy'; if Dizzy is going to fire, it'll be skyward -- and now, Ciel has his ear, too.

if anyone can determine a way to save the 'angel,' it will be her.]

Edited (whoops i can werd guud) 2012-06-05 07:52 (UTC)

- ... Clever girl.

Whatever schemes they were cooking up had better work fast. Dizzy, with tremendous physical might, used her tail to try and swat Ciel away, the appendage growing into a whip of sorts. At the same time, she lifted a hand towards Abel, a great bolt of lightning forming about her fingertips before arcing at the priest.

Fighting the both of them, in Dizzy's mind, would be challenging... but oh so invigorating. She'd enjoy this. The work would make her final victory that much better.-

[This isn't too different from the 'usual' back home, truly. Left on her own devices, she would've found some way to deal with the upcoming lash - not like she can't regenerate from any fatal wound anyhow, but change of plans at the sight of Abel approaching. They might be moving at speeds too fast for any average human to comprehend, but keeping up between each other isn't a problem. There's still the tail and the bolt of lightning to deal with, however, hence why she will launch herself a good 20 feet up in the air to completely get out of the way of that sweep - for his sake too, if he's coming in range. She knew she wasn't landing before she even took off, offering no resistance as he catches her somewhere mid-air and takes off once more. She might be skilled at aerial combat even without the ability to fly, but her disadvantage here is obvious, between two entities who are easily capable of such.

As for that bolt of lightning-- she can't immediately say if it's homing or not, given how fast everything is going, which is why the immediate following reaction is to throw up a barrier. Dizzy's using the element that she herself holds an affinity for, so calibrating the strength to... 95% repelling and 5% absorbing? That should theoretically be a good ratio of protection and getting an idea of Dizzy's mana pool.

So she chants under her breath a few words, which Abel might catch as mathematical terms in French. Her extended left hand almost seems to be tossing out a formula, before it instantly expands into a white magical circle imbued with glowing glyphs. Some might be recognizable as letter of the Hebrew alphabet, the basics for the Numerology branch of magecraft derived from the Kabbalah school that she's inherited as 'Daughter of the Serpent'. It's a mobile shield raised at the tip of her finger that she can move at will along with her arm, possessing a radius wide enough to completely cover them both even with his wings outstretched. ...That is, provided that Abel doesn't evade the bolt completely, but at least there's a measure of defense now, instead of having to dodge without fail any magic-based attack that Dizzy might keep dishing out.

--But moving on.]

Makeout Point or highway.

[She mutters without explanation, eyes still narrowed on Dizzy's form, but he should get the message: those were both places away from the residential areas of the town. If they're to take the fight elsewhere, one of those locations would be ideal - the park is still too close to people.]

[intercepting the Sister, he's gaining height without hesitation. he's already resolved himself to something -- if he can't reach Dizzy, then... he can protect Ciel, in whom he has absolute faith. maybe he doesn't possess the means by which to fix this, but her skills are much, much different than his. and even if she might not have a way to counter this herself -- she has resources and accesses to people and abilities that might.

he'll leave it in her hands; deferring to her judgment has occurred before she spoke a word.

but just as he's in the dark regarding Dizzy's capacity, so it goes much the same for Ciel. he doesn't know what she's capable of -- doesn't know what she can do, where her limitations and weaknesses lie... so he hears the too-familiar crackle of lightning and is reacting in an effort to guard; it happens fast --

he's preparing to take higher ground, attempt to dodge if he can; if that's impossible, then he'll have to shield her with the wings and expel a counter-charge--

...but it becomes unnecessary as he cants his head at the sound of her chanting, and-- the shield it conjures forth. the words that follow them are clear... and he gives a small nod of his head in acknowledgment.

the highway, then. he'll believe there's less of a chance to find someone lingering in that area here and now. there's no need to say anything -- he'll simply push quickly toward his destination and keep her secure in his arms, not allowing his mind to wander on anything else but the threat at hand.]

-Enticed by the idea of killing them now, the black demon took flight as well, giving chase to the holy protectors. She was growing more and more reckless as the power of her Install infested her mind. But that singular focus on Ciel and Abel, at least, kept her from up and nuking the entire town... yet.

She kept tossing the lighting their way, using the arcs as a tether of sorts, keeping them within range for another Giga Ray, when the time was right. The hunt was on...-

[At least Dizzy's focus is on them now, which effectively spares the rest of the town - for the time being. Ciel will continue to concentrate on defense then, by closing the fist that held out the shield. Instead of one large circle in front of them, the barrier shifts into a spherical form. It's thinner and won't be able to directly withstand a charged blast, but against smaller attacks on the side, the effect will be similar to jets of water pushing a balloon: it's made to deflect while sapping some of the energy from Dizzy's offensive and use it to propel them more forward instead. She'll have to be careful and stay flexible however, sacrificing sheer defensive power for overall mobility may work now but not later. She IS starting to get a better idea of how Dizzy's attacks work too though, and if she starts charging another Giga Ray, the sudden peaking of magical concentration in the air ought to be able to warn Ciel ahead of time. They just need to keep this up for a bit longer until they reach the highway; in the meanwhile, she'll continue to rack her brain for any spell she could use to suppress Dizzy's new form, or at least, maybe force Undine, Necro, and the tail to split apart so that the Gear gets stripped of her currently tremendous firepower.]

[he keeps veering through the sky -- zigging and zagging to attempt to evade what lightning the now spherical shield couldn't withstand, putting acceleration into the speed of their flight to cross the town as quickly as he possibly could at this level of release. the 'demon' was following, and that was all that mattered.

it isn't until they're reaching a safe degree of obscurity from the town that he's beginning to dip toward the ground. if she fired now, it would be out to the expanse laying beyond city limits and not into populated areas, but even now, they ran the risk of an un-contained explosion ravaging more than their safety zone. they had to end this sooner than later.]

Ciel.

[does she have a plan--? she already knows he'd guard her with his life; all she has to do is ask, and he'd do whatever he could to assist.]

-Whatever plan had better come quickly. The lighting was growing in strength and frequency, lighting up the sky in a fantastic array of energy as Dizzy continued to try and shoot down her prey.-

[Then that means she must pour more prana into the barrier to increase its power, but Ciel was already very much aware of how cautious she must be in partitioning her magical energy. She might be loaded even by the standard of the most skilled of magi in her world, but if she hopes to seal Dizzy away, she absolutely must be mindful of how much she's expending. Chances are, it might take every last drop of what she's got.

A quick glance at Abel from the corner of her eye, and she pulls out a Black Key with her free hand. Still keeping a keen watch on the road below, she flings the cross-shaped blade downward with flawless accuracy: it lands right on the middle of a white paint line that split the two sides of the lane apart.]

Drop me off there. I need 3 seconds to set up a seal, but she must fly across the glyph to activate it. Will you be able to redirect her?

[She doesn't need him to tank, though uninterrupted prep time would be nice. ...Not necessarily a luxury that they can afford at the moment, however, but she ought to be able to hold her own nevertheless.]

[theoretically, it would be no problem -- if he could goad her to move across the precise spot of the glyph, of course. he could always physically drag or throw her, if push comes to shove...

he'll figure it out. (or, better yet, Ciel will if he finds himself unable.)

so, he simply nods his assent -- spiraling away from the next barrage of lightning; it's coming quick now and he isn't sure how long Ciel's shields are made to hold. he rather not find out the hard way and put her at risk if they fail.

the moment he's in range of the ground, he's setting her safely on her feet directly in front of the Key she had set as a marker, before he's pivoting and lunging back toward the creature Dizzy had become. the bloodscythe is discharging high voltages of bio-electric current sharp enough to make the air pop as he charges directly toward her, forcing the blade downward hard in an effort to cleave into her path if she wished to get to him (or behind him to Ciel) into the pavement.

the current of lightning, however, continues to arc and explode jerkily onward and toward Dizzy -- simply intended as a distraction. she's fast enough to dodge, but he'd like to keep her attention on him so Ciel can complete her task. three seconds isn't long at all -- but three seconds can seem an eternity when playing games with 'monsters' capable of leveling worlds.]

-Ah, a real fight. Finally. Dizzy jumped back a bit, taking up a defensive position. The lighting clashed against her, but as things became more clear with less visual interference from the high-magic being tossed about... a glance Dizzy's way would show that she had literally caught the projectile, holding it in her hands as if it were a ball or stick.

Eyes narrowing, she traced the lighting with white-hot flames, sending it right back at Abel in a WMD style game of 'catch'.-

[It doesn't look good up there, but it's not her immediate concern - rather, a problem she musn't take involvement in. She needs to prioritize her mind on sorting out the formula to create a seal that will hopefully break Dizzy out of her berserk state. Above all else, stopping her is the most crucial task at hand. She can only do what she's told Abel personally before: have faith. That he'll make out of okay, while another circle starts to spread out by her feet.

This is a test. Using the earth's mana to carve out the symbols, the plan is to then bury a set of Keys to nail Dizzy's shadow onto it when she flies by overhead so that a stronger connection is established - she can't really make this work just as some sort of stretched-out net all the way down on ground level. Ciel already predicts that the Keys will shatter the moment Dizzy makes a move to break free. These charms won't be able to withstand the sheer amount of the Gear's phenomenal power, but one instant should be enough for the experimental seal to take effect and gauge the results. If Dizzy so much as staggers and her magical signature weakens, no matter how quickly she recovers, it would be sufficient proof that Ciel's on the right track.

...It's the best that she can come up with on such short notice. Entering this blind, she can only pray that the theories and thaumaturgical equations she had to draw on the spot would be applicable. If Abel can buy her these three seconds, the circle will be complete, though she will attempt to fortify it while keeping watch of the skies above. --Just in case, if he needed backup...]

[ah... a rather dramatic game of ping-pong, is that it? under different circumstances, maybe he would be the first to crack exactly that sort of joke, but--

well. unfortunately, there's doubt he's not the only one finding it difficult to find humor in this situation at all.

the scythe is jerked from where it had been buried in the pavement of the road by he long, whip-like chain and returned to his grip -- lightning is further generated by his person and channeled through the weapon as he swerves and dips toward her, attempting to dodge the incoming projectiles. he has to get in closer-- if she wants to play long-range games of 'toss the WMD,' luring her over Ciel's seal would be next to impossible. engaging her might provide the chance to propel her forcibly over the necessary location. he isn't bothering with subtlety -- veering sharply downward toward the 'demon's' face and, last second, instead of swinging the blade toward her -- it's dissolving into the air like ash, and he's extending claws toward the creature with abruptness. one aimed for her face in a tight grip-- another for a shoulder, to try to forcefully propel her down and closer to the ground with the momentum -- if not actually collide into it. if he makes contact... the megavolt of bio-electricity he's generating might not feel pleasant -- but he's purposely keeping the charge at a superficial level. he doesn't want to hurt her-- never has, and never will.]

-The strategy was effective. The demon's single minded focus on devastation made it difficult to focus on changing battle strategies, and soon enough she made a small crater of her own in the road way, though still hardly damaged by the successful grapple.-

[--Done.

That's the troublesome part about slamming something down on the ground. You can't exactly rip up the earth and carry the conducts with you. In a situation like this, mobility is invaluable. If she's to redo this full-scale...

She'll need another way of deployment. ...Which she has an idea about, but for now.

She'll continue to stay put and sharpen the technicalities. Any extra time is used to try improving both means and method - her struggle is to find the best solution possible with the highest rates of success here.]

[time is something he hopes he can afford her.

when Dizzy makes impact on the ground, he follows through -- flapping wings hard and keeping that grip upon her tight and secure to lift her with him. he's hoping that the significant current does as intended -- at this proximity and voltage, he's manipulating it to numb her, perhaps slow her responses so he can drag her bodily for the seal.]

-No. No. Not like this. Dizzy grips back, sending her own charge into Abel. This was a trap. They'd lured her like the monster she was. But she wouldn't let them get away with it. No no no. She'd do more. She'd crush them to dust. Just a little longer, and she'd have another Giga Ray ready...-

[It doesn't matter. Any instant now, and she needs every last shred of her attention geared towards timing this perfectly - for an arrival that's nigh impossible to predict. After that, she can rejoin the fray and do something up there. It is a problem that neither of them knows the extent of the other's regenerative abilities (save for Dizzy of course, who seems impossible to scratch to begin with and is still brimming with magical energy), though Ciel is still fairly certain than hers is superior to Abel's. Hers relied on no source of energy, after all.

So through narrowed eyes and outstretched hands, she waits.]

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