Guy Cecil (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
nobleman) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
damned_institute2009-10-20 07:38 pm
nobleman) wrote in damned_institute2009-10-20 07:38 pm
Nightshift 44: The Coliseum
[Warped in from here.]
When Guy's eyes opened, it was almost as if he was waking up, and yet he knew that wasn't the case; he was standing, with a weapon in his hand, and somehow feeling far more comfortable than he had in weeks.
His gaze was on his feet, and it took him a few seconds to let everything sink in. He was wearing boots. His boots. And while being back in familiar clothing wasn't so new to some people, it was definitely a big change for him.
His head then snapped up and he realized just what he was holding. It wasn't Ashton's sword, but his own, the Jewel of Gardios -- and on top of that, Guy realized that he felt more powerful somehow. Did he have access to fonons? He had been working without them for so long, but it was almost as if he could feel them in the air now.
All of those changes didn't matter as much when he took in his location. The sphinx had warned them, of course, but the huge coliseum still impressed him, and what was even stranger was the way sunlight seemed to be filtering in from overhead. Was it actually day? This almost felt like he was in some sort of dream.
But that theory was torn into shreds when he eyed Sync, also in full form, standing across the arena from him. So what, they were supposed to fight? Guy didn't have a problem with that (it was what he'd come down here intending to do, after all), but he knew there had to be some kind of catch.
As he glanced to the side, he saw that Claude and Dias were in similar positions, except facing each other. "Wait," he muttered under his breath. No way were those two going to fight each other except in a sparring capacity, so what was going on? He wasn't sure where Anise and that other girl had gotten off to, but maybe it was for the best that they weren't here...
When Guy's eyes opened, it was almost as if he was waking up, and yet he knew that wasn't the case; he was standing, with a weapon in his hand, and somehow feeling far more comfortable than he had in weeks.
His gaze was on his feet, and it took him a few seconds to let everything sink in. He was wearing boots. His boots. And while being back in familiar clothing wasn't so new to some people, it was definitely a big change for him.
His head then snapped up and he realized just what he was holding. It wasn't Ashton's sword, but his own, the Jewel of Gardios -- and on top of that, Guy realized that he felt more powerful somehow. Did he have access to fonons? He had been working without them for so long, but it was almost as if he could feel them in the air now.
All of those changes didn't matter as much when he took in his location. The sphinx had warned them, of course, but the huge coliseum still impressed him, and what was even stranger was the way sunlight seemed to be filtering in from overhead. Was it actually day? This almost felt like he was in some sort of dream.
But that theory was torn into shreds when he eyed Sync, also in full form, standing across the arena from him. So what, they were supposed to fight? Guy didn't have a problem with that (it was what he'd come down here intending to do, after all), but he knew there had to be some kind of catch.
As he glanced to the side, he saw that Claude and Dias were in similar positions, except facing each other. "Wait," he muttered under his breath. No way were those two going to fight each other except in a sparring capacity, so what was going on? He wasn't sure where Anise and that other girl had gotten off to, but maybe it was for the best that they weren't here...
Re: Coliseum Floor - North
One would think that getting a 'helping hand' from the Head Doctor himself would receive at least the slightest bit of amusement, but Sync was anything but grateful. It was almost as if they didn't trust him to finish the job on his own, which would only lead to Claude and the rest his idiot friends pinning Guy's inevitable death on something completely unrelated like this. It figured that he couldn't even enjoy this one thing.
The replica threw Landel a harsh glare, teeth grinding together as he bit back his poisonous words.
No, this was Guy's fault. If the swordsman had just kept to himself then he wouldn't have had to drag spineless bastards like Claude into the picture. Ha! It served him right for trying to make friends in a hellhole like this!
"Looks like it'll be to the death. Just like old times," Sync announced bitterly, raising his head high to meet Guy's eyes with his own condescending glare.
Re: Coliseum Floor - North
The girl would stay safe if he continued to fight, and he was just going to have to hope that Dias and Claude could stall for long enough that the Head Doctor was satisfied.
Then again, with that man watching them from up on his throne like that -- it was hard to imagine that he would let them slip by without going all the way. That was one thing that Sync had said that Guy could agree with.
In any case, the only way he was going to get a proper attack in on the God-General was if he got back up to his feet, and so Guy used his sword as support as he dragged himself back up. Even with that look that Sync was giving him, the swordsman reminded himself that he couldn't lose his head. He was usually very good at that sort of thing, but all of the extenuating circumstances was making it a little more difficult.
He didn't hesitate, however, in drawing in close to his opponent as he thought through his next attack. He drew his sword close to him and then pulled on the fonons that seemed to be plentiful all of a sudden. It didn't take him long to choose out an Arte. "Beast!" he announced, and he flung his sword arm forward and watched as the transparent blue figure of a beast appeared and rammed toward the Tempest with a roar; hopefully, this was something Sync couldn't dodge as easily.
Re: Coliseum Floor - North
Looking away from Guy, the God-General scanned the coliseum, quickly catching sight of the red stain lingering in the air. Of course, he couldn't help but laugh at the sight. What the hell did Anise think she was doing? Did she really think she had a chance against someone like Landel? From the looks of it the arte was considerably weaker, giving the God-General the impression that she was still bogged down by this institute's seals.
Unfortunately, with his attention now fully on the scene before him, Sync hadn't the time to dodge Guy's sudden attack until it was too late. Green eyes immediately cast back down at his opponent just as the swordsman announced his attack, grimacing at the sight of the transparent beast heading straight for him. His arms criscrossed in front of his face, the same green lighting snaking out at all directions when the arte connected.
"Augh!" The force of the attack was more than enough to knock him back, the God-General's back sliding against the coliseum's floor. However, Sync suddenly forced the bottom half of his body upwards, performing a back flip and landing on his feet in a crouched position. He graced Guy with a wild grin, giving the blond a quarter of a second before immediately retaliating.
"That's more like it!" Already he was rushing towards the swordsman, suddenly twisting off the side in an attempt to confuse the latter before striking a fierce uppercut aimed at his jaw.
Re: Coliseum Floor - North
Of course, it didn't help when he kept wondering when he might get another unexpected injury somewhere, but he was going to have to hope that Claude could keep up his end of the fight. As much as Guy wanted to stay tuned in to every part of this situation that they'd landed themselves in, the fighter in him was completely aware that he couldn't afford to do that.
The fact that this attack actually connected filled him with a satisfaction that got him even more eager to keep up the fight. He watched Sync's recovery with little surprise; as small as he was, Sync was well-trained and he wasn't about to go down easily.
Guy prepared as Sync rushed him again, trying to follow his movements while also attempting to forget about the way his face was throbbing and the blood was still continuing to seep down his chest. While he wasn't bleeding profusely, the exertion of the fight certainly wasn't helping.
However, Guy wasn't just going to leave himself wide open to get slugged in the face again. The moment Sync drew in, he jumped back and then swung his sword down toward the ground, belting out the name of yet another Arte; it was coming back to him as if he'd never stopped using his powers: "Demon Fang!" A wave of energy went bursting from the sword and sliding across the ground, heading straight toward Sync.
Re: Coliseum Floor - North
Guy had already beaten him several times, and even killed him once in the end, but with no friends to come to his aid he'd be damned to let the latter believe that he actually stood a chance.
Given that they were still technically fighting in close quarters, Sync couldn't completely evade the Demon Fang when he was recovering from the latter's dodge. The attack managed to hit, ripping into the side of his pants with angry streaks of red clawing up his calve. The God-General paid no mind to it, however, already preparing to counterattack with something much more powerful. The God-General's body acted on its own, performing a short back flip before unleashing his next arte.
"Cyclone Blaze!"
Sync could feel the heat of the flames surrounding his entire form as he launched himself at Guy.
Re: Coliseum Floor - North
If something bad happened to her...
Of course, the only way to prevent that was by fighting tirelessly, and so that was what Guy intended to do. However, Sync had one advantage in that he wasn't likely to get distracted by whatever peril the other participants might be in. Recognizing the attack by its name when Sync called it out, Guy winced as he realized that he had very little chance of dodging it.
Lo and behold, he was more or less a sitting duck as Sync rammed into him, the flames surrounding his body scorching Guy's skin as he yelled out in pain and stumbled back.
There was one good thing about what had happened, though; while he was now in even more pain than before, the fire had cauterized his chest wound, so the blood flow would now be significantly less. His clothes were still singed and that hit had taken a lot out of him, but that didn't mean he was beaten.
The moment Guy could find the strength to move, he swung out with his sword, wanting to get Sync away from him before the younger man could follow up with a series of punches and kicks after all that.
Re: Coliseum Floor - North
Sync didn't even offer a hint of a smirk when his arte connected, watching listlessly as the latter's flesh seared from his chest. Unfortunately, before he could throw the swordsman off balance the God-General found himself dodging away from the latter's meager attack. The swing itself managed to tear into the front of his uniform, though it barely grazed into his own skin. Of course, why would something like that ever harm him? If Guy planned to kill him then he better step up from this lousy performance!
Re: Coliseum Floor - North
While the wound on his chest that was still slowly bleeding - the one he had taken from what had to have been Claude's inaction - didn't heal even a small bit, the burns became less severe and his face wasn't hurting nearly as much anymore. Centering himself like that really did help in a pinch.
It also gave him that burst of energy that he needed to really let loose. Knowing that he couldn't hesitate any longer, he raced toward Sync and wound up with his sword.
He didn't waste any time, yelling out "Tiger Blade!" as he was propelled into the air with a series of slashes before he came down with one final strike, relishing the feel of his blade tearing into his opponent -- and had he felt some resistance, the hardness of Sync's mask and then the satisfying feel of it cracking under his strength?
As Guy landed he took a quick hop backward, intending to get out of range until he could move in with yet another Arte. However, right as he was preparing something else, he felt another phantom wound start to tear open at his torso. Dammit! How was he supposed to win when he continued to have to fight two different battles, one of which it was impossible to win?
He wanted to look over to the other half of the room and see what Claude was up to, but Guy resisted. If he did that, then his friend would have to deal with even more guilt, and he didn't want to force that onto the younger man. He just had to focus on Sync...
Re: Coliseum Floor - North
But the God-General didn’t get the chance to when the swordsman finally attacked, raising his arm to repel the first slash. However, the blond forced him to remain on the defense, trying to match Guy’s sudden speed. In an attempt to block a lower slash, however, Sync left his upper body wide open, the blade slicing deeply into his right shoulder while specks of blood dotted the clay floor. The attack caught him by surprise, but before he could recover the latter was already descending upon him with his final strike.
There was a loud clang! as metal collided with metal before one of the two caved against the pressure of the arte.
Flying shards of metal ripped into Sync’s flesh, cutting deeply into the skin underneath his, now exposed, eye. Blood began to pour down his forehead from where the mask had been pressed down from the force of Guy’s attack, matching with the deep patch of red that surrounded his shoulder. In the end the severity of the attack broke off three fifths of his mask, though what was left stubbornly remained hooked to his face. For the first time since the start of the fight, pain began to cloud Sync’s mind.
Yet that did nothing to stop him. Instead of being impressed the God-General's anger skyrocketed. Why the hell didn't Guy fight back like this sooner? If Sync hadn’t already known that the blond was too stupid, he would’ve been under the impression that the swordsman was just playing around with him!
“Bastard!” Now there was nothing to hide the murderous glare that Sync gave Guy, already rushing towards him in a fit of rage. Clenching his left hand into a tight fist, the God-General swung upwards in another fierce uppercut.
However, Sync couldn’t care less if it actually connected. In reality, the swing served as nothing more than a distraction while he prepared for his real attack, right hand clenched in the same manner. All of a sudden the God-General twisted his body, outstretching his arm as he shoved his right palm into the middle of the swordsman’s chest. A purple flash appeared at the point of connection, seemingly harmless at first, before the ghastly symbol of the curse slot carved itself right into its victim.
Re: Coliseum Floor - North
While he could have been angry at his friend, Guy knew better than that. It was Landel and his sick mind that had come up with this coliseum, and he was the one who was to blame for this. Guy could have yelled himself hoarse trying to damn the man who was only a matter of feet away, but he knew it was pointless. There was just no way to get through to a person like Martin Landel; he'd learned the same sort of thing from Van.
Guy really had destroyed part of Sync's mask, and while he did take some pleasure from the sight, he'd only added to his opponent's anger.
Guy did his best to pull back from the uppercut, making it so that Sync's fist only grazed his jaw, but then he was assaulted by a whole different kind of pain. It flared through his chest with a familiarity that made his arm throb. He knew what this was, and he felt his fighting spirit switch into a sort of panic as he flinched back and fell into a crouch.
The curse slot. He glanced down just as the purple light was fading, and felt his stomach twist with nausea. He'd thought he'd been long rid of that thing, and here Sync had just given it back to him. Guy took all of that fear and converted it into a controlled rage as he jumped to his feet, ignoring the way his movements were becoming sluggish from the blood loss.
"What did you just do?!" he snapped, though not loud enough to grab the attention of the other participants. He ran back toward Sync, not caring how his attacks might pull at his wounds. "Sword Rain Alpha!" he yelled, and his sword flung out at the God-General with a series of jabs that was certain to tear into Sync's chest and torso just as Guy's had been. It was about time he evened things up. Sync deserved so much more than that for what he'd just pulled.
Re: Coliseum Floor - North
The God-General's laugh, loud and arrogant, rang out in response to Guy's raging demands. It was a good thing the latter's anger was so amusing to witness; he could've very well cut off any sort of conscious thought in the latter's mind until he was nothing more than a mindless drone. However, the prospect suddenly became more tantalizing when Guy rushed at him with a fury of jabs, forcing the God-General back into a defensive stance. While there was no doubt his speed matched with Guy's own swiftness, the combined pain and exhaustion seeping through his body was making him more sluggish.
Sync bit back a cry of pain when the blade's tip finally tore through his chest, partially exposing the symbol drawn there before a stream of blood trickled down his skin. This quickly descended into a domino effect, several more jabs connecting into Sync's body, though he'd be damned to lie down and take everything like this. The God-General willed himself to focus on the swordsman's pattern of attack, dodging or blocking any remaining advances before rushing back in.
Spinning his body in order to gain momentum, the teen immediately performed a series of hard kicks and punches with the very intent of forcing Guy not to attack. He just couldn't afford the latter swinging his sword so recklessly, which meant digging under any of the swordsman’s weaknesses and exploiting them to their full potential. The teen was relentless as he produced wave upon wave of strikes, finally finishing the combo with his chosen arte.
"Reaper's Toll!" At that time a bright blue flash encased his right fist, Sync immediately unleashing the charged attack as he swung forward with all his might.
Re: Coliseum Floor - North
It was that very feeling that reminded him that he would never be as good of a person as Luke. Despite all of his friend's immaturity, Luke would have never gotten pleasure out of something like this. He would have had the resolve to do it, but he would have been struggling with guilt each time he swung his sword.
Then again, Luke had never had his mind toyed with by the God-General. Guy didn't even want to think about what Sync might try to do with the curse slot if he survived this.
Unfortunately, it looked like both of them were just taking turns when it came to going all out on each other. After finishing up with an Arte like that, Guy didn't have the immediate energy necessary to block or move away from Sync's barrage of attacks. He did his best to move his arms up to block his face and his chest, but that didn't stop each punch and kick from hurting.
It was as he heard the name of another Arte called out that he realized he was in serious trouble. He cried out when Sync's powered-up first connected with his left arm a final time, and in a strange twist of fate, the bone cracked once again -- in a different place, maybe, but this still counted as the second time that Sync had broken his arm.
Finally, as the Arte finished, he had a moment in which he could take a rest, and he forced himself to back away from his opponent even though his arm was throbbing unbearably. He was really going to have to break out all the stops in this case, and he started to wonder if he could gather up the amount of fonons needed for his Mystic Arte...
Re: Coliseum Floor - North
However, all of that was forgotten when he finally looked off to the side, immediately catching sight of the tragic scene before him. Based on physical stature alone it almost surprising that Claude had come out the victor, but maybe it'd been a good thing, for Claude's sake, that Sync hadn't actually witnessed how the other swordsman died. Unfortunately, only the God-General would be heinous enough to make light of the situation, his loud laugh ringing in the air and he rested a hand on his hip.
"I guess they're just waiting on us now, huh?" Sync chuckled. While his own fatigue was more than evident in his voice, the replica merely waved it off as he continued, though in a darker tone. His chuckles had died down by then, expression contorting to one of disgust as he graced the fresh corpse with a condescending glare.
"Maybe Claude shouldn't have made such weak friends."
His visible eye focused back Guy, that nasty smirk returning in full.
"Don't you see, Guy? If it hadn't been for you then he never would've met me, but at least you now have someone else who'll mourn your death."
Re: Coliseum Floor - North
Just as he was trying to prepare himself for the attack, Claude's voice cut in. He could hear the way it was cracking with anger and some kind of desperation, and Guy felt his heart twist as he turned his attention away from his own battle for a second. At least Sync was also distracted...
Maybe he should have expected it, but he'd honestly turned his attention so much onto his own fight that he'd hardly thought about what could be happening on the other side of the arena. He hadn't formulated an opinion about who would win between Dias and Claude, but that was mainly because he hadn't expected either of them to being willing enough to actually--
But someone had to die, and apparently that someone was Dias. As horrible as it was, Guy's first response was relief. If it had been Claude who was bleeding out, he wasn't sure how he would have been able to handle it. He thought very highly of Dias, but they had never connected in the same way, and the best way Guy could empathize was by trying to imagine how hard this was for Claude.
Terrible, yes, but humans had a tendency toward that. The curse slot that was still burned into his skin was proof enough of that.
If anything, Guy could take solace in knowing that he would never be as bad of a person as Sync was. The God-General went as far as laughing and mocking the situation, and Guy remembered what he'd been focusing on before all this. He would deal with Claude later. Right now, he had to keep on Sync so that no one else died here. Well, except for Sync himself, but he didn't count.
"I'm not the one who's going to die here," he said, his tone an unexpected kind of dangerous as he finally felt the beginnings of the Arte build up around him. Sync was going to pay for this. Guy started the chant as the fire circled around him.
"Oh noble conflagration... Incinerate all!" He darted toward Sync with an almost superhuman speed, forcing the God-General up into the air with just the force of his blade as the flames grew and tore into his enemy. "Razing Phoenix!" he finished as he landed and the flames surged even higher.
That was what Sync got for making light of someone being forced into killing a good friend. Guy knew too well how it felt, and it was Sync's fault that he'd ever had to experience that. This, as far as he was concerned, was the God-General's just desserts.
Re: Coliseum Floor - North
And yet Sync hadn't expected for the swordsman to suddenly move so fast. Even the replica couldn't keep up with the blond's movements until it was far too late. The God-General cried out when the blond's blade suddenly sliced into his back, forcing him upwards as he felt the surge of fire sear into his flesh. He jerked, but before he could do anything his body was fully engulfed in flames, forcing out a scream of agony.
Sync eventually collapsed back onto the floor, unmoving. Most of his uniform was singed, various burns mingling with his wounds and littering his entire body. Nearly every bit of exposed skin was covered in blood, a thin trail trickling down his forehead and into the corner of his mouth. At a distance, it looked as if the God-General had finally met his end.
But the slight rise and fall of his chest was proof that he was still alive, half lidded eye staring off in the distance. The pain and exhaustion was overwhelming, but none of this was new to him. Experiencing one's own death should've never been a common thing, and yet he'd been already been through this twice. Some part of him had to wonder whose sick idea this was, but the God-General had long since given up taking his death seriously. Even now he was overcome with laughter, quiet chuckles interrupted by the periodic wheeze or cough.
When Sync finally spoke his voice was soft, just loud enough for Guy to hear.
"Make it count this time..."
Closing his eyes, the replica quietly waited for the end.
Re: Coliseum Floor - North
The laughter came through first, and it was enough to make Guy frown. Sync would never lose that high and mighty attitude, not even when he'd been bested. Then again, wasn't death what he'd wanted all along?
This would assure that the curse slot would never amount to anything, at least. Guy knew Anise wasn't going to want to see this (regardless of how soulless Sync was, he still had Ion's face), and he could only hope that she'd have the sense to avert her gaze while he finished off the God-General once and for all.
He didn't see much reason to respond to Sync's last words, and instead walked over, somewhat subdued (in the end, Sync seemed pretty pathetic, and it gave this whole thing a bitter taste), and prepared his sword so that he could jam it down into the younger man's chest...
Re: Coliseum Floor - North
And yet he was.
Unbeknownst to Guy, the God-General had slowly been gathering all the fonons around him, opening his fon slots as wide as possible in order to absorb the necessary amount in the shortest amount of time. Despite the pain, Sync was far from giving in, and he hoped the latter would drown in regret for not finishing him off sooner.
Green eyes suddenly shot open the moment the blade was thrust downwards, a quick swipe of his feet knocking the sword away as the God-General jumped to his feet.
"HARROWING GALE!"
Sync was immediately encased in a glowing green sphere when he finally unleashed all his fonons. He lashed out at Guy with breakneck speed, every punch or kick coming in harder than the last as the God-General knocked the swordsman's body around like a rag doll. The rush of adrenaline flowing through his veins made him feel unstoppable, and he couldn't help but laugh as he delivered his last round kick before twisting his arm back for his final strike.
"Now you DIE!"
And yet he didn't aim the deadly blow at any vital point on the latter's body. No, he craved to make him suffer, and that meant ensuring Guy would never be able to lift another sword for the rest of his life; something he intended to end very, very soon.
Re: Coliseum Floor - North
In Jade's words, it was a miscalculation. He hadn't properly judged just how badly Sync wanted to make him pay, and so he was completely blindsided when the boy jumped up and knocked his sword clean out of his hand.
The sound of the Jewel of Gardios clattering on the dirt a few feet away was the last thing he registered before he was assaulted with a world of pain. He'd been on the receiving end of this attack before, but that had always been with Tear and Natalia there to back him up with healing spells. Now? He was already far too injured, not to mention worn out from his Mystic Arte.
The pain was so all-encompassing that Guy couldn't properly register where new bruises were forming, or where bones might be breaking. Part of him feared that he wouldn't even live through to the end, and yet with that last hit he was finally knocked back so hard that he crumpled to the floor in a sad imitation of how Sync had collapsed earlier.
Covered in blood and contusions, Guy struggled to even try to lift an arm, and yet it seemed like he could barely manage that. He hadn't breathed his last yet, but he knew for a fact that Sync wasn't going to let up now.
He turned his head, just slightly, catching sight first of his sword (too far to reach) and then of Dias' corpse further on. Was that what he had to look forward to? He could only see the lower half of Claude's body, but maybe that was for the best. He didn't know if he had it in him to face Anise or Claude right now.
Through the pain and the half-consciousness, Guy finally managed to turn himself so that he was at least laying on his back. It killed him that he was basically helpless to Sync's whims now, and yet it was hard to even worry about that when the primary sensation for him right now was all that unbelievable pain.
Re: Coliseum Floor - North
"Guy!"
Anise was screaming from the stands.
"Don't just lie there! Stand up! Guy!" Her panicked voice came out shrill and hoarse. The tears she had been struggling to hold back were pouring out now.
Guy couldn't lose here. Losing meant dying. Anise had already lost plenty of friends here, and now she had to lose one right in front of her eyes? And lose him forever, at that? She couldn't accept that. She wouldn't!
Re: Coliseum Floor - North
Claude's fist slammed against the unseen wall out of frustration. He already knew it was futile, that there was nothing he could do for Guy from behind here. And yet that only heightened the panicked sensation that twisted in his gut, and strengthened the urgency in his words.
"You gotta hang in there!" The shout was punctuated by another pound of his fist. "Guy!"
Anise was screaming for Guy to get back up, too, Claude realized, but he didn't take his gaze off of his friend for even a moment. Even though his chest began to tighten with dread, he couldn't allow himself to just stand back and quietly accept what was happening. Guy had to pull through. The only other alternative was to let Sync kill him!
Re: Coliseum Floor - North
And then there was the shouting. At first everything seemed to have been coming through a filter, but both Anise's and Claude's cries soon became crystal clear. They were screaming, pleading for the blond to get up, but Sync knew the truth.
Guy was going to die.
The God-General slowly made his way over to where the latter lay, paying no mind to how Claude was pounding uselessly at the invisible wall. It excited him to know that he'd finally be able to get even, all the while squeezing out every last bit of misery from everyone around him.
Eventually Sync found himself hovering over the swordsman's form, taking the time to admire every wound he'd inflicted while scowling at every one he hadn't. He didn't bother to pay any respect as he casually stepped onto one of Guy's arms, making sure to press his entire weight against the fractured bone before stepping on the other and repeating the process. The replica continued this until he was satisfied, finally stepping off and circling around until he was crouched behind Guy's head.
Given their physiques it was no surprise that Sync struggled to move Guy, though he refused to give up until he had the latter just where he wanted him. Eventually, with a good amount of work, the God-General had managed to shift them until the swordsman's body was facing Claude, blonde head forced upwards so that Guy had no choice but to look up at the other swordsman. Meanwhile, Sync was on his knees behind him, one of his arms around Guy's neck in a loose choke hold while the other hand was clamped tightly into the latter's hair. However, instead of paying any mind to Claude, Sync's attention was solely on Anise.
The God-General's gaze was emotionless, even when he pulled his arm back, slowly strangling Guy in the process.
Re: Coliseum Floor - North
For their sake, he tried once again to make his body move, but it refused to respond, and his blood went cold when he heard the footsteps of Sync moving in his direction. He wanted to order his friends not to watch - whatever Sync was going to do to end this, it wouldn't be pretty - and yet his throat felt dried out. No words would come.
It was a whole different story, though, when Sync suddenly did the unthinkable and pushed his weight down on Guy's broken arms, first one and then the other. While Sync was small and thin, his weight was enough to make the pain blinding, and Guy lost all semblance of pride as he screamed out hoarsely each time the God-General stepped down. He wasn't sure he'd been through this amount of pain before. Not like this.
If anything, that made him even more certain that he was going to die.
His stomach churned and he felt like he was starting to go into shock, but he forced himself to stay aware. He couldn't back out now, especially not when he realized that his body was slowly being moved until he was faced with Claude once again.
He wanted to look away - Claude shouldn't see this - and yet there was nothing he could do. Then Sync's muscled arm jammed under his neck and pulled up against his throat, closing down his air passage. The swordsman gasped for air, taking wheezing breaths as he once again tried to pull up his crushed arms so that he could remove the God-General's grip.
They wouldn't move.
Re: Coliseum Floor - North
He was going to die.
She couldn't do anything to stop it. Claude had tried, but even he was just as helpless, with the barrier separating them. And now, as if he hadn't done enough, Sync was moving to choke Guy. Was watching the only thing they could do!?
Anise's body shuddered with each shaky breath she took. It was difficult to even process the kind of cruelty she was witnessing. Her trembling body suddenly grew stiff, however, when Sync's cold, green eyes turned to her.
"Stop it," she pleaded, despite knowing it was no use. "Stop it!"
Re: Coliseum Floor - North
When Sync did the unimaginable and began to press his weight down on both of Guy's undoubtedly broken arms, Claude pressed himself against the wall, as if unable to believe what he was witnessing. Screams sickeningly similar to the noises that had roused him that night Sync had stuffed him into a closet echoed throughout the coliseum. Desperate, Claude briefly paced up and down the edge of the invisible barrier, like a caged animal looking for some sort of escape. But no matter where he looked or touched, there was no apparent weakness in the wall. Martin Landel had set this up to be a fight between only Sync and Guy, even if that meant locking Claude out while he was forced to watch that monster torture his friend.
Being a spectator alone was unbearable enough. He couldn't begin to imagine what Guy was going through on the other side of the wall, as Sync grabbed him by his hair and began to strangle him right before Claude's eyes. The way he'd deliberately turned Guy to face him while this was going on didn't go unnoticed. Sync was trying to make this as painful as possible for everyone involved, that bastard!
But it was the realization that Guy was unable to fight back, that he was going to be condemned to a gruesome death he didn't deserve, sent Claude sagging to the ground. He faintly felt his sword slip from his grasp as it clattered onto the dirt beside him. This was almost exactly what had happened when he watched his father die -- powerless to do anything to save anyone, he'd been forced to his knees and frozen into place.
The same sorts of feelings coursed through him -- terror at the thought of losing someone he loved, fury at such senseless cruelty, horrified from finding himself completely and utterly useless...
"That's enough, Sync!" he yelled -- at least, he tried to, but his voice caught in his throat on the last syllable as his eyes began to burn with tears. "Please..."
Re: Coliseum Floor - North
"Anise..." Despite his exhaustion, Sync's voice rang clear, and yet it wasn't 'his'. It would've seemed to most that he'd planned to soil Ion's identity, but that wasn't the case. In reality, Sync had done nothing but speak naturally, effectively dropping the voice he'd been forced to use for so long. In many ways it was both foreign and familiar, but in the end it brought the same empty feeling.
"... It was my fault from the start, wasn't it?" The replica eventually began, refusing to look away. "None of this would've happened if I hadn't been born like this. I never would've been thrown away, tossed aside to be picked up and molded into what I am now."
It was an achievement in itself that Sync could say that so sincerely, but maybe that was because he no longer had the energy to be bitter. He was tired, and it must've shown, but Sync pressed on anyway. The God-General didn't care if anyone dared to interject, or that there were even other people around in the first place. Meanwhile, his grip remained relentless, even though he was hardly paying attention to Guy anymore.
"I must look like a monster, but I can't help it. I've lived this empty life for so long that I've forgotten how to be happy..." He paused, realizing his mistake and laughed. "No, it's not that. I've just never learned how."
Sync's laughter eventually died, relaxing until he was gazing up at her with a serene look. His visible eye drooped, though that smile remained.
"But if things had been different then you... you would've been my guardian, and you would've protected me all the same, right? You would've shown what happiness felt like, and we would've been together until the day I died."
By then his smile disappeared altogether, replaced with a solemn expression. It was hard to make out if the God-General had been sincere, or if he just wanted to hurt Anise in the worst way possible, but maybe that was why he was so dangerous in the first place.
"I'm sorry, Anise. I'm sorry I ruined this for us."
Without warning, he suddenly twisted Guy's neck until a loud snap penetrated the air.
Re: Coliseum Floor - North
Re: Coliseum Floor - North
Re: Coliseum Floor - North
Re: Coliseum Floor - North