Dinner and a Showdown

Kotone sighed as she sat down at the bar area of the restaurant known as the “Super Express.” She didn’t eat out much when she was at home, but she was feeling lazy today. The foreign dishes there were great, of course.  She wondered if maybe it would be better to eat out *with* someone sometime. People could be nice, if she liked them. Like Roejaster, or Ren, or even Kade. She chuckled to herself. She must be getting soft if she actually wanted company.

Kotone’s katana rested at the foot of her seat; weapons weren’t normally allowed in the restaurant, but she’d had a history of behaving better in her hometown than anywhere else, and people here tended to trust her a bit more.  The way people were at-ease in the building compared to nearly anywhere else she went and was recognized was a testament to that. Perhaps that was why she’d been feeling like sticking around home more lately.

“I’ll have the house special,” Kotone told the man at the bar as she adjusted her ponytail and grinned a small grin that allowed one of her fangs to poke over her lower lip. It was some foreign chicken dish today. She’d never tried it, but she thought it sounded good. “And a glass of ice water.” Kotone took the glass, chewing on some of the ice as she waited. She had an odd feeling about today. Maybe something exciting would happen. She was starting to get a little restless.

It wasn't fair. He was just getting to enjoy his fights away from the Council's watchful eyes when he'd been called back to settle some minor thing. He was indeed feeling like a dog of the Magic Council. Wolfe. What an appropriate name right now. He was a wild beast, angry and untamed.

And those bastards see fit to parade me about, handling things they themselves should be dealing with. Order of the magical world, my foot. They can't handle anything too big, oh no, they have to send one of their patsies to do so... Though I am there pasty, so I guess that makes me the weak one...

Wolfe sighed theatrically. He was here in a city he hadn't visited often. Might as well enjoy himself now that he was "off-duty". If there was one thing he considered a perk to having to work for the Magic Council it was the free traveling he got to do. After all, he almost never returned right after a job and the Council, at least, didn't seem to mind if he took that much time to himself. Probably because most of them were terrified of the man they knew as Wolfe. The silent swordsman decided it was a good time to get some grub. He'd find an opponent afterward so he could vent.

Well, that's the plan anyway...

Immediately upon walking into the restaurant he realized that he was going to get what he wanted. There was a girl chewing on some ice, louder perhaps than she knew, that was giving off a fairly powerful magically aura. He couldn't see it like aura-readers but it was something of a gift he had. To be able to tell who possessed magic and an approximation of how strong they were. And this girl was strong. Possibly even a Lost Magic user. Wolfe suddenly became aware of people staring at him. He was dressed rather simply, but the vibe he gave off was dangerous. No need to tell people he wasn't here to start anything with them. After all, the wider birth they gave him the easier it was to get to his new target. He walked over, and plopped himself down in the seat across from the girl. That should get her attention. He noticed she had a sword resting against the chair she was sitting on. She was either very bold, or very stupid. Perfect. Either one worked for Wolfe. The swords on his back did little to protect him from the stares of the other people. The fact he was getting noticed while she carried on happily meant they knew her, and liked her. The fact he was associated with the Magic Council would help him here, though.

"I didn't think they allowed swords in a meal place."

Jeez, talk about being heavy-handed. Wolfe's own swords might as well have been signs that said stay away. However, he wasn't being a hypocrite for no good reason. Whether the girl ignored him or said something, she'd have probably understand that she was a target for him. And if she didn't, he could always show her the Magic Council brand he had under his eye-patch. Granted, he wasn't planning to really do anything to her that wasn't within his right. He wanted an excuse to fight her, though he never liked leaving people with any permanent damage. After all, the only thing he really enjoyed doing now that he was the Council's dog was fighting. Better to not drive opponents away, so he could fight them again later.

Kotone heard the man enter. She smelled the familiar scent of someone who had been traveling. She didn’t turn around though, and kept munching her ice nonchalantly. Who cared if some idiot came in wanting to sound all tough with their big, confident footsteps. She knew all about that crap. She’d done it all the time. The man sat in front of Kotone, and though she wasn’t looking at him directly, it was obvious he was a dog of the Magic Council. Oh, how she loved the Magic Council. Kotone had zero respect for the organization, in truth, and wasn’t very good at following their orders. She’d been responsible for taking down several of their more corrupt leaders in Magnolia and other places during the guildless hunt.

“They don’t,” Kotone told the Magic Council man, obviously not even slightly caring that he was an authority figure. “Some of us are special even without waving around uniforms and spells.” Kotone was obviously trying to ignore the man as best she could, while still managing to sound insulting. She was here for food. She’d intended for any excitement to come after… but this man wasn’t budging, and it seemed he had something against her for some reason.

Finally, the dragon slayer looked up, flashing him a cocky grin that showed off her pair of fangs. For a brief moment, her eyes flashed an icy blue before they returned to their normal amber color. “You have something against a girl enjoying a little lunch, doggy?” she asked, using a slightly more insulting term for magic council dog. “I don’t like causing a problem around here, but you’re making people uncomfortable. They’re trying to enjoy their lunch.”

Wolfe had wondered what she was going to say. However, he hadn't been expecting most of it. The girl was very sharp, and very confident. What a nice catch indeed. He'd have to remember this one after they fought. At least, that's how he felt right now. He finally broke into a smile when the girl finished speaking.

Heh... that's to be expected I suppose. The Council does have that kind of reputation.

He took his swords off his back and laid them next to his chair, glancing at the other customers as if to warn them away from trying to touch them. He sighed theatrically and then met the girl's gaze straight on. He'd noticed the fangs and the eye color switch. So, she had powers to. However, some of what she said didn't quite add up. She mentioned being special, but he had to assume she was trying to dissuade him from a fight. She was sitting here, mostly normally, and eating. She had a sword, sure, but other than that he figured the restaurant just knew her fairly well. As she said, she wasn't causing any trouble for them.

"Special, huh? You don't act all high and mighty though. The name's Wolfe, not doggy, but I suppose they are basically the same so if you want to, you can keep calling me that. As for me having a problem... yes. I might not have a problem with you eating lunch, but what you do after might be some of..."

Wolfe yawned, a genuine mood for him right now, and focused his attention on the girl. His words really didn't match his tone. He encountered the same reaction with Shina. As long as he put on an act, people seemed pretty willing to buy it. So, if he acted aggressive the girl might want to fight him. Not a great way to make friends, to be sure, but he wasn't looking for any. His was looking for a fight and this girl seemed strong.

"... might... might be some of my..."

Wolfe yawned again. He wanted to get to fighting already. Well, he suppose sparring would be a better term. He had no reason to fight this girl. She hadn't done anything wrong as far as he knew. However, a fight was a fight. Sparring just was a way of saying there wouldn't be any hard feelings after two people punched each others faces for a while.

"... concern. You seem strong... and to be honest, I'm super bored. And looking for a fighting, or rather, sparring partner."

Wolfe finally stopped yawning after the last little speech. Insofar as he figured, the act was working. The more riled up the girl got, the easier it would be to get her to fight him. He smiled his lazy. smug smile again and got up off his chair.

"And I'll be waiting outside. Don't try and run though. Unfrotunately, the way the laws are set-up now, I don't even need an excuse to hunt you. Though I'd rather have an excuse than legitimately find out something about someone they might now want other people, especially the Council, to know."

The implication there was clear. His demeanor was completely serious now. No trace of smugness or lethargy. Wolfe wasn't stupid, just putting on an act for the world to buy. She'd flashed her fangs and her power a little too suddenly. He'd bet anything that not only was she a Dragon Slayer, but that she was a Guildless one as well, considering to how she reacted to his Council memer status. That could mean trouble for her. He'd been keeping his voice fairly low and monotonous but if this became a bigger incident the Council might find out no matter what he did. He'd rather not have that happen and he was willing to bet she didn't want that either.

Kotone looked to Wolfe with the corner of her eye as he threatened her in a not-so-subtle manner. She didn't care for his threats, and it showed on her face. "I'm not sure if you're stupid, or just think I don't know. Your guildless hunt is over. You don't have a thing on me if the owner is okay with me having my sword in here." As Wolfe made his way outside to wait for her, she stood up slowly, giving a look to the waiter, who seemed to understand and went to put her order on hold. "That said," she began with a sigh, "I can't let someone like you go around threatening people just because you want to hit something."

 

Kotone moved towards the door, throwing on her long black jacket and her katana as she moved. She was dressed relatively plainly, though it wasn't the most normal style - a short-sleeved button-up shirt, a loosely-fitted tie, and a short, red skirt with boots that almost went up to her knees. She looked more like a teenage girl than a fighter, if it wasn't for the katana and the confident warrior's stride.

 

When they arrived, Kotone eyed Wolfe, a scowl on her face. It was obvious what she thought about the man. Her opinion wasn't high, for several reasons now. "Now," she told him, her stance widening slightly. The rest of her body showed no signs of preparing for a fight. "Let's see if you're worth my time," she told him. As she did, the air around her suddenly chilled to sub-zero temperatures, and frost began forming on the the ground. Her eyes flashed the icy blue again. She wasn't gearing up. She was letting the flow of magic already inside her free.

So, she was pretty well caught-up on world news. The Council had said something about them not going after Guildless anymore. Not that it mattered to him outside of his concern for his son's safety. Still, he was part of the Council and he didn't really believe that they had stopped hunting Guildless. Still, best to let her think she had some advantages. She made a remark about him being worth her time and the ground started to freeze over. Oh, ok, so she was the type that like to play up their strength. As a Dragon Slayer  she must have not encountered too many people that were superior to her in terms of power. Wolfe smiled. This time, however,  there wasn't any trace of his carefree and somewhat smug nature. This was a madness that seemed to overtake him when he entered battle. He was smiling because this was a fight, and he was not going to hold back this time. She wanted to find out where she stood in the world? Well, then he'd kindly show her her place. At the point of his swords.

"Worth your time...?"

Wolfe sighed, planted his sword in the ground and then took of his eye-patch, stuffing it in his coat pocket. He appeared not to even care that Kotone was preparing for battle. She must've thought that as long as she didn't move he wouldn't know she was releasing magic. The ground around her was frozen, sure, but if she believed that would make it harder to get close to her she certainly had another thing coming. Unlike her, Wolfe knew that it was pointless to reveal yourself to an enemy before the fight began. He wasn't going to use any magic unless she pushed him to do so, and he was going to make her work for it.

"I just hope you don't hurt yourself, little Dragon."

A trivial provocation, but she seemed to be falling for anything he said. Which, of course, made winning this fight seem like it'd be pretty easy. Still, she must be a Dragon Slayer with those fangs and the power he was sensing. So, there must be some bite to back up her bark. So, who would win? The dragon or the wolf? Wolfe picked his sword out of the ground and let it rest on his shoulder. Hew would wait to see what her first move was, but if she didn't make one well, he didn't mind showing off a little.

"Whenever you're ready."

A fairly obvious lie. He knew she was already ready. Now it was just a matter of seeing what move she would make. He took up a weird stance, his legs spread slight and his knees bent, with his body angled to the side to make him a smaller target. However, he didn't point his sword forward, letting it just rest on his shoulder instead. He wasn't taking this seriously. Not yet. Time would tell if he even had to.

Kotone smirked. So this guy thought he was superior. Was it because he was older? Or because she was allowing him to see her power? It could be any number of things, last the young dragon slayer checked. People picked all sorts of reasons to think they were better than her, including thinking they were better for using people to satisfy their base desires, in the case of Tatsuma. Doggy could think what he wanted. Unlike him, she wasn’t going to underestimate her opponent.

It was pretty obvious she was waiting for him to make a move. Kotone’s magic and general fighting style weren’t meant to outspeed opponents. She was much better at predicting moves, and she’d fought a slew of speedy opponents lately. Better to let him go first and assess the situation.

The katana came free of its sheathe, the sound of ringing steel echoing throughout the area. They were far enough away from the diner that she could fight without restraint, if she had to. Kotone flicked some hair out of her face, the wind catching it and blowing it off to the side. “No no,” she told him, holding the blade casually at her side. “Let’s be civil about this.” Her grin widened. “Ladies first.”

So, they had a standoff. Like true swordsman, neither wanted to make the first move. They knew their own styles so well any move they thought could be countered was a disadvantage. Wolfe hadn't shown the girl his magic yet, so he had a slight edge there. However, she hadn't made the first move. He wasn't expecting her to stay back and let him take the first shot. She wanted him to go first obviously. She was smarter than she looked then. However, the same was true for Wolfe. He didn't want to make the first move. Better to surprise her with a counter-attack. Still, they weren't going to get anywhere until someone made the first move. However, she had said that she couldn't let him harm other people. He smirked at the thought. His target was her and her alone. She obviously thought very lowly of him. Mostly likely if he said he was going to go bother other people she was going to want to stop him.

What an idiot. She must think she's some sort of hero. Or possibly the victim here? I guess that might be it. She must think she's somehow a victim of the Magic Council's wrongdoings. Well, that little pity party is going to stop soon.

He was almost certain she was a Dragon Slayer at this point. He sighed theatrically.

"Oh. I see. Well, that means you get the first move. If you're too scared though..."

Wolfe turned around and started to walk off. He was almost certain the girl would follow him, but if she didn't he'd charge back and attack her. Better not show off his magic just yet. Still, if she did try to stop him, the battle would finally be on and he'd be able to counter-attack freely. He wasn't really going to attack anyone else, but it would be better to let her think that. She was become increasingly annoying to deal with but he liked the challenge. He'd been fighting a lot of wannabes lately (though Shina was somewhat of an exception) and needed the workout.

[i]If she doesn't attack at the opening, I'll start with an attack that doesn't tell her too much about me.

While his back was to her, he kept watch out of the far corner of his eyes. He should be able to react to whatever she through at him that way without appearing to be looking back at her.

It had become that kind of game. The kind that made fights seem far more boring than they actually were. The kind where Wolfe refused to take her bait, and she didn't want to take his. The dragon slayer knew she might be making a mistake, but if she could get the fight of him now, win or lose, he might not go challenging someone who would really get hurt. Was he really that type of person? She knew the magic council. She knew what they claimed they were and what they often were instead. She wasn't their victim. She was a dragon slayer. She was raised by a mighty dragon of legend. Why then, should a simple man, even Cornelius Argon himself, be worth bowing down to?

"Alright then," she muttered, adjusting her stance silently as Wolfe began to walk away. The ice user launched forward, faster than she appeared, even without speed-enhancing magic. With a quick slice, she attempted to swing at his back while he was turned away. She probably should have been more surprised when the swordsman in her sights countered her attack with relative ease, and she quickly leapt back defensively, more than ready to parry any counter attack. she wasn't using any of her magic either. Right now, the pair were simply warming up. If he counter attacked, she was ready to parry. If he didn't, another quick attack would be thrown.

Wolfe easily blocked the attack. His frown grew more pronounced. The attack had told him everything he needed to know. Still, he wasn't happy with the level of attack Kotone had performed. He could tell she was holding back. She was slightly more powerful than he was, and just as fast without his speed-enhancing move activated. Not that he wasn't planning to spring it on her when he felt it was the opportune moment. He sighed, and relaxed himself into his regular battle stance. The familiar feeling of being in battle once more served to focus his attention on his prey. His magical aura would be almost palpable, at this point, to the Dragon Slayer.

"... that was good attack... for someone far below your level. Don't hold back. I don't need you doing me any favors, Ice Dragon. You might be powerful, but the fact you've been buying my act so far isn't a good sign. Come at me with everything you have. I deserve the beating, right?"

The was none of Wolfe's earlier edginess in his voice. He was being serious, but his demeanor was changed. He seemed almost sad now. He wanted this girl, who he felt to be very powerful, to give her best. To fight him with all of her strength. When he first saw her at the restaurant he knew she was powerful. In her last attack, she allowed him to glimpse her power. However, she didn't think he was worthy of all of it. Wolfe never liked that. He didn't quite value his combat skills, since they came pretty naturally to him. As such, someone not taking him seriously in battle wasn't so much an insult as it was disappointing. It was time to show her something that she would have to fight back with her full strength. He pumped a large amount of magic into his swords, which started to levitate.

Flying Fang:

"I'm the bad guy, right? So, come on, fight me!"

Wolfe threw his arm forward, causing the swords to fly toward Kotone in their overcharged state. The were quick and powerful and with Wolfe's ability, even if Kotone dodged he could have them follow her. Whatever she did, he return them to his side almost immediately after. The Dragon Slayer couldn't know exactly how his powers worked, so she'd have no reason to try and disrupt the magic in the swords with her own. Still, there was always the possibility that she would get lucky and figure it out. If she did Wolfe would have to go physically retrieve his swords. He smirked at the thought.

What a pain that would be. Still, this Dragon Slayer is different from the others I've heard about. Most of them love to show off their strength...

Wolfe fixed his gaze on his opponent, his visible eye watching her every move. He would take this time to learn what his opponent could do, while trying to do as much damage as he could. He maintained the connection between him and his swords, so they would float and fly around even after she tried to retaliate.

Kotone didn’t answer Wolfe at first, though he was asking for her full power. Instead, she listened to his taunts, claiming to need a beating. She wasn’t sure why he was trying to goad her too much, but it was just a bit too much to suck her in.  She knew he was playing as well. A magic council seeker like him wouldn’t be goading a dragon slayer without some form of magic to back him up. “Sure,” she told him through a fang-revealing smile, “If you’ll stop screwing with me and give me a real fight,” she answered even as Wolfe’s swords started to levitate.

“I’m the bad guy, right? So, come on, fight me!” he screamed at her even as the swords flew towards her. Kotone’s eyes narrowed as she jumped between the blades, one of them only just barely catching her jacket. She thrust out her arms as they flew past, shuriken of ice appearing in her hands as she spun around. She threw them just as she landed, the two ice blades flying straight for wolfe. “Alright, Doggy. You want to mess with the Spell Breaker? Prepare yourself. Now it gets fun.” Kotone dodged the swords again as they flew back towards his hands, and she quickly inhaled before exhaling, the air filling with a thick, chilling fog that would chill Wolfe to the bone and slow him down.

Her assault didn’t stop there. She launched herself at Wolfe, prepared to dodge another attack through the fog. She would dodge the attack if one came, at least as best she could, but her goal was to get in close and slash him with her sword.

MP 260/310:

Wolfe saw the girl expertly dodge his attack by jumping through the gap in the blades, like a circus acrobat. He smiled at this and his grin grew even wider as she dodged his blades returning. She WAS good, and it was starting to show. In the meantime, she hadn't wasted a single move and the ice shurikens flew straight toward Wolfe's face. He sighed theatrically once more, planting his swords in the ground and catching the projectiles between the fingers of his right hand.

"Tch... That stings..."

The hand he'd caught the shurikens in began to freeze over, probably an effect of the shurikens. He quickly grabbed his swords, combining them and pointing the blade forward. Time to show the girl what he could really do.

"Let's see how you handle this...!"

MP 150/200:

As Kotone breathed out what appeared to be a dome-like layer of fog Wolfe pumped a large amount of magic into his sword and smirked.

"See ya around!"

Suddenly, Wolfe was gone, completely ignoring the charging Dragon Slayer, his speed pushed to its limit as he appeared behind Kotone and the fierce gale that followed behind him blew the fog away entirely. His sword was raised above his head, and he swung downward hard. Even though he was a tad slower than he might've been if he hadn't been hit with the shurikens, he was still as fast as anyone who'd ever called themselves speedy. The downward, crushing blow seemed pretty powerful as it cleaved through the air, the sword vibrating at a rapid rate. However, Wolfe intended to defeat his opponent, not kill. As such he hesitated and aimed for the least vital area he knew of on the body, the foot. If he managed to hit there the pain might make Kotone have trouble moving, but it certainly wouldn't kill her.

With my speed enhanced right now, a blow to the foot might as well be fatal. Impairing her own movement would give me too much of an advantage at this point. I can tell those ice attacks were meant to slow me. My hand might've gone numb if I hadn't started moving as quickly as I did.

Kotone was a Dragon Slayer though. Wolfe expected her to easily read him and dodge the attack, unfortunately. She was also being helped by the fact Wolfe had hesitated for even a half of half of second. After the sword came down, Wolfe vanished again, appearing about 10 feet away from the Dragon Slayer, his blade at the ready and his visible eye fixed on the girl. He hoped to draw this fight out as long as he could without getting beat. He was starting to get the feeling that he'd underestimated the girl a slight amount, even though he'd already admitted to himself that she was powerful to begin with. He wasn't underestimating her combat skills, but rather her disposition.

"You're pretty humble for a Dragon Slayer, Ms. Spell Breaker. Why? I mean, from what I heard all the Dragon Slayers seem to want to show everyone how strong they are... But you seem like you don't even like fighting. Or you weren't as eager as I expected, I suppose."

Wolfe split his swords once more, placing them upon his shoulders. His stance was total nonsense and he'd been telegraphing each of his attacks so far. This was a game to him. A game that might end up with him being hurt, sure, but risks were always involved. It should be clear that he wasn't fighting the girl out of malice at this point, or because he was a (unwilling) member of the Council. This was just kind of how he passed the time, and communicated with people. His speed was still boosted and he'd be ready to move if the Dragon Slayer attacked but now he was curious.

"I'm glad you know that the Council said we don't hunt people anymore. Though, if we really didn't, I'd be out of a job and free to do what I wanted... That'd be nice... I wouldn't trust the old farts when they say something like that, is all."

Wolfe twirled his blades back into position and took up a proper stance again, finally ready to continue. If he'd missed his attack, which seemed highly likely, he'd have to start fighting seriously now. She'd already seen two of his moves so Kotone would have a good grasp of what he could do by now.

"... what's your real name, Spell Breaker? I have a feeling I'll want to know it in the future."

Wolfe caught the shuriken and sped up to avoid Kotone’s sword slash. So, he had speed too. Why did everyone put so much stock in their speed? She wondered as she brought her sword up and blocked Wolfe’s strike to her backside as she appeared behind her. It had been easy to follow; her superior senses meant that even though she was slower, she still knew where he was the entire time, and had stopped short to react accordingly. Of course, that had placed her on the defensive, and her offense was lacking after her initial onslaught. She’d fought an even faster Tatsuma, and Fayte had been no slacker in the speed department either; that didn’t make actually landing a proper hit on the offensive any easier.

“You’re fast,” Kotone taunted as she spun around and Wolfe retreated away, “But you won’t land a single blow if you’re going to keep playing after telling me to fight,” she grinned at him. “That hesitation is why you didn’t hit me.” Kotone flourished as she repositioned and turned to look at the man as he placed the swords on his shoulders, the fang-filled grin never leaving her face. Her eyes sparkled with excitement that she couldn’t contain, though she was disappointed that this big talker wouldn’t even take things seriously. Instead, he was lecturing her about the Magic Council, which she knew good and well wasn’t done doing its share of stupid things. It had simply stopped hunting mages for being guildless.

“My name?” she asked, thrusting her free thumb into her chest. “Since you asked, Doggy, I’m Kotone Hoshino, Spell Breaker, Ice Dragon Slayer, and daughter of Krendall the Ice Dragon. Oh yeah, you’ll want to know my name if you somehow don’t already.” She raised her sword again, inhaling slowly. Before she could exhale,  her black cat Sid appeared on the sidelines, apparently done doing… whatever he’d been doing while she was at the restaurant. He was never too far away from her though, impressively enough. He let out a meow, but Kotone was already mid-breath. Sid only looked on curiously, obviously used to this sort of thing happening as Kotone's beam of cold energy shot towards Wolfe at high speed.

MP 225/310:

Kotone seemed impressed enough that Wolfe finally cracked a small, genuine smile. He figured she wanted him to take this fight seriously. After all, she had obliged him so it was only fair. She introduced herself and Wolfe titled his head.

"I get the Ice Dragon bit, but why are you called the Spell Breaker? I mea-"

Suddenly, Wolfe spotted the cat, who seemed to belong to Kotone. Okay, now he was jealous! The cat looked cute and Wolfe's rather cocky demanor seemed to vanish. He was entranced by the cat. However, Kotone had been in the middle of performing some kind of supped-up version of her dragon breath attack. Wolfe growled. He'd allowed himself, in his laid-back, devil may care attitude to be distracted and now didn't have much time to react. Well, he'd have to take things seriously now. He stepped back, once more combining his swords into one, vanishing again and appearing back farther away with his sword pointed forward. Raising the weapon he held above his head he waited until the last possible second to dodge the breath. He leaped into the air and vanished again, appearing above Kotone's head.

"Rrrraaaaaagh!"

Wolfe roared as he came down, swinging his sword down hard in an attempt to crush whatever lay beneath the weapon. The wind he left in his wake made it the fall easier and quicker, as all the air particles around him were sucked up by the vibration of his sword, leaving the area around like void of air to slow him down, like a sort of vacuum space. As he landed, whether he hit the Dragon Slayer with his initial attack or not he'd reach out in attempt to grab his target and headbutt her before throwing himself back again, leaving the gales that were left in his wake to blow Kotone off her feet. He wanted to be able to close distance quickly, but also keep himself at a decent range in order to be able to properly counter any attack Kotone threw at him. The speed enhancement's lasting effect drained a little more of his magic, but it was worth it if he could land a few good hits.

She wants to fight me seriously? Well, then I'll just have to make sure I keep the pressure on!

The swordsman took up his stance one more, splitting the blades apart this time as he narrowed his visible eye and gazed in Kotone's direction. If his attacks had hit the Dragon Slayer would have to spend some time recovering. If not, he'd have to come up with a new strategy. He wanted to turn off his speed enhancement, since it drained a decent amount of his magic but he also wanted to win the fight. Depending on Kotone's current state, he might want to keep out-speeding her, or he might want to turn it off and enjoy himself some more. He shot a quick glance back in the direction of her previous attack, noting that the breath covered more ground this time than it had previously.

"You kind of know what you're doing, don't you? I see now I was an idiot to take you lightly, even for a second."

Wolfe's voice had a measure of kindness and admiration in it. He still wasn't sure how it was going to turn out, but now he was taking the fight seriously and was enjoying himself plenty.

Kotone didn’t have time to answer the bit about the Spell Breaker that Wolfe had begun to ask. By the time he’d started, he’d both been distracted by Sid and angered enough to counter attack. Possibly even quicker than before, Wolfe practically disappeared before reappearing above her head and slamming down his swords at an accelerated pace. Kotone’s superior senses were the only thing that allowed her to keep track of him. As he slammed down, armor of ice appeared on Kotone’s flesh, blocking his swords with her makeshift armor. The ice cracked and splintered where he hit, but Kotone was safe underneath.

Kotone wasn’t quite able to avoid the grabbing maneuver, and took the headbutt. It was a lot harder than she’d expected, and she recoiled with a muffled cry as her ice armor disappeared sooner than she would have liked as she lost her concentration momentarily. Her pain didn’t slow her down though, and as she stepped back from a combination of the attack and the wind blowing, she launched a counter attack. A deadly shard of ice appeared over her right shoulder, launching itself at Wolfe quickly. As he dealt with the attack, Kotone had fully recovered.

Wolfe insisted that she ‘kind of’ knew what she was doing, which was easily the understatement of a lifetime. She might have been young, but she had fought for her life against grown soldiers as a child. She’d killed, however reluctantly. She knew what she was doing every bit as well as this guy, whether she’d had as much time to develop those abilities or not. She didn’t bother responding. Instead, she slammed her hands into the ground, causing spikes of ice to erupt from the ground at his location, even as she launched herself forward again. As he was either hit or moved away, she launched yet another attack. “Ice dragon roar!” It hadn’t been long. The next attack wasn’t as strong, but it would still do its job if it connected. All of her attacks had the abillity to slow him down, and each grazing hit would help even the tiniest bit.

MP 130/310:

Almost as soon as he took up his stance, a shard of ice flew straight toward him at high speed. He growled. This girl knew how to fight speedy opponents. His speed enhancement than he'd like it to be, but the real advantage was it allowing him to perform surprise attacks at critical moments. Usually. This girl hardly seemed surprised by much of anything, so it'd be a good idea to ditch his speed. So he did so, refocusing his energy instead to narrowly shifting out of the way of the shard. He smiled to himself.

If that was the distraction I should be abl-

Suddenly, the ground beneath him grew cold and several spikes shot up, scraping and slashing at his legs. He grimaced in pain, and once more noted that he his limbs felt a little heavier after being hit. He could tell he wouldn't be able to move as fast. Which might be problem, as Kotone shot toward him as he stepped back to regain his footing. As soon as Kotone was within range, she unleashed her icy breath attack. However, Wolfe knew that when someone was off-balance was the best time to try and pressure them. He acrobatically spun around, stepping back with his forward foot and twirling into a sort of pirouette as he released his swords, using his magic to keep them afloat and pointed at Kotone's neck as he reached out to grab the back of the girl's head and push forward. If he caught the girl unaware she have been one place to go forward. And with her momentum and Wolfe's maneuver she'd slam face first into the ground. She couldn't move sideways, after all, with his swords waiting to stab into her if she did.

Let's see how the Ice Dragon deals with this.

After Wolfe's attack attempt was completed his swords would once more fly back into his hands and he'd combine them into the larger sword form, taking up his stance and readying himself for another counterattack. Whether Kotone was affected by his last little trick or not, he was sure she would be ready and willing to continue fighting. This was certainly becoming a more exciting battle than he'd expected. He assumed that Kotone had more control over her magic at this point than he did with his. Maybe he really was out of practice.

I'll have to fix that at some point after this. Can't let myself fall behind anyone in terms of power. Not if I want to keep fighting for fun. Let me get more excited, Dragon Slayer. I want to feel again!

Wolfe continued to stare in Kotone's direction, waiting for his opponent's response.

"So, Spell Breaker, about my earlier question? Your nickname's origin? ... I assume you can easily fight me and talk at the same time, right?"

At this point, it wasn't a taunt, but Wolfe's genuine curiosity that was driving him to find out the meaning behind Kotone's nickname. He liked learning new things, and her nickname was fancy enough that he really wanted to find out the story behind it.

MP: 110/200

Kotone managed to land a decent hit or two on Wolfe with her assault, which was good, because while she’d been growing exponentially in magical power, she still used quite a bit of it in that volley. Still, she was sitting decently well. As she rushed forward, the older man caused his swords to levitate again, this time using them to funnel her in a straight line or risk taking an actual fatal injury. At the same time, he reached out and grabbed the back of her head, tugging downward. Reacting quickly, a second sword formed entirely of ice formed, shoving aside the blade on the right side, though the pressure it took shattered the ice blade as it did it’s job; the icy blades weren’t as strong as actual steel. It did provide enough of an opening for Kotone to twist as she fell, enough not to land on her face at least.

As the dragon slayer fell, Wolfe prepared for a counter attack, likely sensing that she’d managed to keep  her wits about her due to not having her head slammed into the dirt. She summersaulted backwards, landing on her feet acrobatically, her katana brought up ready as well. “So, Spell Breaker, about my earlier question? Your nickname’s origin? … I assume you can easily fight and talk to me at the same time, right?”

Kotone grinned a grin that revealed her fangs again, as she so often did, especially when she was having a good fight. “It comes from defeating enemy army mages in the war with overwhelming force,” she answered him even as she kept attacking. She feinted, looking like she was going to try and slash with her sword before she kicked at his ankle in an attempt to trip him. If it worked she would put her sword to his throat and try and end it there, if not, she would move defensively to stop the next attack. “Yeah, that Spell Breaker,” she continued the next chance she got. “I’m not like most of the stupid stories they tell about me say, so I don’t blame you for not recognizing me as the same girl.”

MP 120/310:

Wolfe froze for about a second, unsure if he heard the femme Dragon Slayer correctly. Her fanged grin seemed a lot less happy to him now.

The war...

As Kotone feinted, Wolfe lazily blinked, not even bothering to pretend to take the bait. Her true attack came in the form of an tripping attack aimed at his ankle. He stepped over her leg, and brought his sword forward in a harsh hacking motion, meeting her sword midway on its way to his throat. His one visible eye had lost all sense of joy. He was incredibly angry now. As Kotone made a move to return to a defensive position, he pulled his second sword apart form its combined form and readied himself to slash downward hard. It would be a certain kill attack. If he hit Kotone, even if she managed to not die on the spot, he was going to probably collapse a lung with the attack. Memories of the war flooded his brain and he gritted his teeth. Someone must pay for the horrors of that terrible event.

"We... they... I... I failed... in that... awful time..."

His attack attack never came.

"That... hell... you were part of it...?"

He was frozen in his pose, as if time had stopped around him completely. He waited for Kotone to back out of his range and then dropped his arms to his sides. He'd lost all will to fight. His fury hadn't gone, but was merely being held back. He wasn't angry at Kotone. He was angry for her. For himself. For his son. The war that had ravaged the land of Fiore and stolen so much from so many. He looked at Kotone, pity visible in his eye. He truly did want to hurt something now. but knew better than to take the pure rage he was feeling and use it on something or someone that was innocent. No, the only ones to blame were the Council. His true targets. He combined his swords once more, sheathing the weapon on his back somehow.

"Sorry... I've never heard of the Spell Breaker before. You fight extremely well... though I suppose that's to be expected. I apologize for everything the Council's stolen from you. I intend to take what I've lost back from them too, if it's any consolation."

The girl was impressive enough to keep fighting after having been involved in that awful, terrible event. However, whether she liked it or not, Wolfe truly did not want to fight anyone who'd been involved in that. His very held very little emotion in it. There were certain people he wanted to kill because of the war, but she wasn't one of them. He'd save his hate for them. He'd intended this to be a friendly fight. It never was a good idea to fight with anger in his heart, and he knew it. His swords began to vibrate on his back. His anger was causing his power to leak out through his swords, uncontrolled and unfocused. He took several deep breaths and tried to calm himself.

"Seems like I've been pretty rude to a war hero... Sorry."

He turned away, prepared to walk off after he listened to whatever Kotone had to say in response. His swords were still leaking power. Anyone would easily be able to see he was not alright. However, he wanted to get away from civilization as quickly as possible now.

MP: 60/200

Kotone stepped away the moment she noticed Wolfe had stopped his somewhat crazy assault. It was too bad; she’d been having fun. But she was panting after the exertion – she’d gone through a fair amount of her magical reserves rather quickly just to throw him off guard. He suddenly took on a new demeanor. This one seemed broken, maybe even crushed. Suddenly he was apologizing for the Council’s actions during the war, and apologized for being rude to a ‘war hero.’

“That’s a new one,” Kotone raised an eyebrow, flourishing as she sheathed her sword behind her back. She crossed her arms, not in the slightest bit concerned with the scrapes she had from the fight. “I’m not used to being called a war hero.” About that time, Wolfe turned around obviously about to depart. “Hey, what’s your deal all of a sudden?” Kotone asked the man. “C’mon, doggy, did you lose your bite?”

It wasn’t actually a taunt so much as a slightly rude invitation to get him to reveal why he stopped the fight. “I know I’m strong but it’s not like you didn’t stand a chance. No need to pout about it.” Kotone crossed her arms, leaning more of her weight onto one foot than the other, slouching slightly. “Unless you have another reason for stopping the fun…?”

Wolfe smiled sadly back at the girl. He could tell she was concerned, though her words were harsh. Good thing he never relied on words to communicate his true feelings. Still he felt like he did owe the girl an explanation. He turned to her and his swords finally stopped leaking power. He felt his anger draining from him, which was a good thing. He was about to exhaust all his magical power.

"The war... I forgot about it for a long time. I... don't particularly like remembering it. If you fought in it, you know how bad it was... There isn't anything I can say other than how happy I am you survived something like that."

Wolfe sighed, his pose now completely relaxed.

"The moment you mentioned that, I blanked. I saw red... again. I remembered all the hate and pain that comes with something like that. In doing so, I lost. To you. To someone strong enough to shoulder something like that and still be able to smile. You might not even noticed yourself, but that takes an incredible will. Something I might not possess. I am happy to have gotten to fight you. Physically, you are just as strong as you are mentally. To me, you are war hero, if only because you survived and are still living. As for me... I'm a relic. Just a ghost from the past trying not to gather dust. I fight because I want to make sure I still exist. A thing like me cannot hope to compete with true strength. Strength that comes from character, not combat."

Wolfe smiled again, even more sadly.

"Believe me when I say this, Dragon Slayer. I did not challenge you out of malice, or because I'm a member of that wretched Council but because you seemed truly strong and I wanted to learn how to gain that strength for myself. You have proven me correct. You are strong. Strong, and more alive than me. I don't have the right to harm someone like that, someone so necessary to the world of the future. Now, I'm tired. I hate talking and I must take my leave."

Wolfe powered up, his speed once again enhanced. This time he wanted to run from the Dragon Slayer. He knew she wouldn't like that, and with her senses she could probably track him, but he didn't want to say anymore. He'd talked too much already and he was mentally exhausted from having been reminded of a number of things he never expected nor ever wanted to talk about again. This time, he pumped all of his might into his dash and vanished once more, leaving behind a fierce gale that would hopefully keep Kotone in place and prevent her from following him. He couldn't sustain his power for long though, so if she did give chase he'd have to fight her without magic. Even though he never trusted others words, he felt like maybe, just this once words might actually work. After all, he'd run out of other options.

MP: 0/200

“…” Kotone was silent as Wolfe explained himself. He lacked confidence in life, not fighting. She looked at him seriously the entire time, her face in a slight frown. One fang poked over her lips momentarily after her grin had faded. The fire wasn’t gone from her eyes even after his self-depreciating rant. “Strength in combat can’t stop you from becoming what you hate,” she told him, knowing after the conversation that he firmly hated the organization he worked for, though why he still worked for them was a mystery to her.

Her ponytail was messy and her clothes were dirty after the fight, but despite Wolfe’s reaction, she looked far more alive than she had clean and bored in the restaurant. Even as Wolfe took off, she simply stood there for a long moment, watching him leave. “… I know that from experience.” Kotone turned around, putting her hands in her jacket pockets and walked back towards the restaurant. She let out a sigh, now talking to herself more than him, since he was likely long gone. “You just have to find the strength you don’t think you have.” She’d looked to Sid as she talked, the small cat falling in step with her. He really was more dog than cat with that loyalty he displayed. “C’mon Sid, we’ve got lunch to finish,” and with that, she stepped into the restaurant, silently wishing this Wolfe character well. No one, even innocent people, were left unscarred from that war. Not in Fiore.