caughtinanetwork | .2

Entry tags:

.2 | video;

[Okay, this time, the post is deliberate. Hubert is addressing, well, everyone. He pushes his glasses up out of habit before he begins speaking.]

My name is Hubert Ozwell. I've been in Vatheon for several months now, and... some of you likely saw me on the network a few weeks back. I apologize for not realizing my SFC was turned on.

That aside, I was part of the residents that were taken to a strange place some time back, and the dangers presented there were many and difficult. I realize the longer I remain stationary here, though, the more likely my combat skills are to atrophy. That's not something I would like to happen.

I am aware of the defense force, however I haven't decided just yet if I want to join. If anything I would like to ensure that I'm not going to be a liability and that I haven't lost my edge.

[Yes, it's only been a short time and he's already worried about this.]

Would anyone be interested in sparring at all? I extend this offer to anyone with decent to passable combat skills, as there isn't much I haven't dealt with. I also have healing artes, so I have no concerns or qualms about injures.

I await responses to know if this is something worth perusing. Thank you.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Alright. Thank you.

[Serph switches to video, so Hubert knows who to look for.]

I'll be waiting by the forest entrance. There's a clearing a short distance inside.

[And it's conveniently near where Serph lives, so he'll be waiting, leaning against one of the trees.]

[Hubert nods]

I'll see you there then.

[And Hubert arrives not long after the feed ends, dressed in his usual uniform and holding his dual blade at the ready.]

[A strange weapon. Serph has never seen anything like it before. But he gives Hubert a nod in greeting and stops leaning against the tree. He's not big on greetings and his manner is generally abrupt, so he turns to enter the forest, making a "follow me" gesture with his hand.

He'll be leading Hubert into the aforementioned clearing. It's a fairly open space, so it's plenty of space for sparring. In fact, there might be some damage on the surrounding trees. Burn marks, gouges in the tree bark, ripped up areas of grass, that kind of thing.]

[Hubert returns the nod, and doesn't question the silence or the motion, simply following obediently like the good soldier he is.

He examines the area closely, making note of this place for later matches should the need arise. He's already had a few by this point with other interested parties, but they were at the park and he probably damaged more there than he really wanted to in the end.

He watches Serph closely after looking things over, a bit of readiness to his posture but his demeanor still casual for the moment.]

[Everything settled? Alright then.]

It will be easiest to assess your combat abilities with a spar.

[He raises his left hand to the tattoo on his face, which begins to glow a light blue. He's had enough people freak out on him, so he at least warns Hubert--]

Please do not be alarmed.

[--before he transforms into a demon about a foot taller than his human form. While Serph keeps the blades hidden within his arms, he doesn't stand and wait, going immediately for a punch to Hubert's chest. He doesn't have wall shattering punches like Heat as a demon, but Serph's demon is significantly stronger than the average human.]

[Oh.

Well.

That's... sort of new. Ish. He'd seen some pretty weird things before though so he doesn't actually freak out. He just kind of... stares. At least until he's swung at.

Thankfully he sees it coming in time and very quickly bounces back and to the side, the punch missing him by mere inches. He breaks apart his staff and with a click the blades are folded back, revealing oddly shaped twin pistols.]

Flare Shot!

[He starts firing, alternating shots between the two pistols. Unfortunately firing does have him standing still momentarily, but they're decently powerful hits for such a basic move.]

[Despite his larger and heavier body, Serph still retains the same agility. Serph lacks eyes as a demon, so he's not capable of seeing Hubert's actions, but his senses make tracking his movement easy. However, he doesn't know what exactly happened with Hubert's weapon. He does know it's changed somehow, and moves immediately when the shots start. Still, the first two shots hit his left arm, though Serph turns his arm so they hit the thick scales rather than softer flesh. But his demon is aligned with water, so the burn from those shots hurt him more.

Those are not normal bullets, are they?

As his height, the distance between them is quickly traversed. Rather than backing off, Serph quickly moves to the side to avoid most of the bullets and closes the gap in a single stride. This time, he aims to disarm Hubert (at least, one of his weapons) with a strike just above the wrist.]

[Hubert is a bit of a glass canon. He's a damn good shot, and with his blades a decent strike, too, but he leaves himself open quite a bit and that becomes evident as he tries to dodge the strike but does wind up losing his pistol in the process.

It flips out of his hand and sticks in the ground behind him, just out of reach. He still has his other one though, and he resorts to firing one handed. Two shots, and he's jumping away again, attempting to avoid those heavier strikes early.]

[A preference for ranged, then?

The earlier combined weapon suggests Hubert is capable of close range combat, though. However, given the agility he's demonstrating, that also suggests he would go for quick strikes in melee range before withdrawing. The ability to swap between melee and ranged as needed seems useful.

Serph's moving even before Hubert starts firing, already coming to expect it now that he knows Hubert has guns, but one of the shots still gets him on the leg. It hurts, sure, but he's lived through worse. Serph shrugs it off.

Being out in the open against a gun user is folly, though, so Serph's going for the cover offered by a tree.

The question is, will Hubert attempt to get back his other weapon?]

[He does go for it. There's no hesitation, just patient waiting for the proper opening. As soon as Serph's away from him he flips back, coming to a stop a few feet away and right next to his discarded gun.

He grabs it and clicks the blades back in to place, and the blades back in to the staff before he's up on his feet again.]

[It's a trap, man!

...But Hubert is faster and more agile than Serph had estimated. Nevertheless, because Serph doesn't use eyes to know an opponent's location, he also doesn't need line of sight for his spells.

The only warning Hubert gets is a hissing sound from Serph, before a massive icicle will appear from under his feet.]

[Damn! He should have seen that!

The icicle erupts from the ground and sends him flying in to the air, but he manages to use the momentum to still pull off a leap. He spins through the air and lands in a crouch, but not without damage. The ice still cut through to his right leg, leaving him bleeding and a bit unbalanced.

He lets out a pained grunt when he can't stand again, quickly breaking apart his staff again. He crosses the guns in front of him, a bright white and green glow surrounding him.]

Rays of light shine upon us! Healing Wind!

[A green glowing array flashes around him, and the wound is mostly healed. Enough that he can stand again, spinning the pistols back in to blades then to staff form again.

He doesn't make another move yet, though, hesitating for the sake of not wanting to make another mistake again]

[Serph's curious about the breaking and reformation of those weapons. Something to ask, later.

The icicle shatters on its own, breaking into fragments that rapidly evaporate.

While Hubert's healing himself, Serph's also in the middle of casting a spell. The same one as before, in fact. Serph's not one to give opponents much room to breathe, so, again, Serph hisses and another icicle erupts from the ground Hubert is standing on.]

[This time he's ready for it, and he side-steps before the ice can get him again. He attempts to go for a straight, head-on attack this time, charging forward once his blades are broken apart again, swinging them in tandem.]

Dualblade Dance!

[Fast learner. Quick close range engagement. Smart move; Hubert's reach is longer than his fists in melee range.

Serph isn't willing to find out how sharp Hubert's blades are, even if his flesh is much tougher than a human's, so he darts to the side; he estimates that Hubert is too fast for him otherwise. Unfortunately, this also means the tree is no longer between himself and Hubert.

He's not very familiar with human melee weapons other than knives though, so he moves in for a grab when he thinks he senses an opening in Hubert's attack.]

[Hubert instinctively yanks back from the attempted grab, clicking the blade back in to a gun and firing with one hand.

He doesn't stick around long to see if it worked, simply darting zig-zagging backwards to get out of arm's reach quickly.]

[Argh.

Serph lets out a snarl of pain. Yep, that shot definitely hit him in the ribs, just under the armoured scales, creating a mark where the shot hit. But he recovers almost immediately, easily shoving aside pain; he's learnt to in a literal dog-eat-dog world. Serph isn't about to let Hubert gain distance on him either; he has a good idea that Hubert fights best if he can engage and disengage from battles quickly.

The question is, is Hubert out of leg's reach? Serph covers a lot of ground in one stride and kicks low, attempting to break Hubert's balance.]

[He would have been, had Serph waited just two more seconds and one more step back. And Hubert is quick on his feet, but there are moments when even the best isn't good enough. He gets caught with the low lick and stumbles to the ground harder than he was expecting to.

There's a grunt as he rolls away, but he's only down for a few seconds before he's up on one knee, pistols at the ready again.]

[Serph doesn't give chase. Instead, he holds out a hand.]

Enough.

[His voice is a little deeper and slightly guttural in this form, but it's still distinctly Serph's. Raising his left hand, he reverts back to his human form and gives Hubert an approving nod.]

Your weapons are very interesting. Can you show me how they join and separate? I cannot see when transformed.

[It seems like a good time to exchange thoughts on the short spar.]

[Hubrt nods and straightens. He feels a bit of stiffness in his leg, but it's nothing another healing spell won't help later.

He ignores it for now, quickly putting the staff back together to demonstrate.]

Of course.

[He pulls the staff apart first, twisting the pole slowly to show how it clicks and separates.]

I will be the first to admit, it is a weapon that's taken many, many years of practice to perfect.

[He lays one down on the ground so he can continue with just one.]

The handle clicks down like so... and the blades move back...

[He pushes the handle down at an angle, and with a snap of his wrist the pointed blades separate, swing back and click in to place, turning in to the pistol.]

Like that.

[Serph watches intently, totally fascinated. Wow. Damn. It's one thing to know the weapons change, but it's quite another to actually see them change in front of him. It's an interesting piece of weaponry.

He nods again.]

It's quite versatile. Is this a common weapon in your world?

Common? No, not exactly. Though to say any weapon is "common" in my world would be a bit of a stretch.

[And back to staff form, quickly as he can once he picks up the laid down blade.]

Many people start off training in a certain style, and eventually come to customize their own. For that reason, there are hundreds of styles of weapons floating around. In fact we often found discarded or retired weaponry along our travels.

[The concept of customised weapons is foreign to Serph. But it seems the people of Hubert's world has had time for such things. He nods.]

What other skills or experience do you have?

[Whether it's combat related or not.]

I'm a Lieutenant of the Stradha Military, actually. I have a bit of hand to hand combat experience, but it's not my strong point.

.2 | video;

voice

video -> action forever?

video -> action!

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)