[center][color=c0c0c0][b][u]Slayer[/u][/b][/color]
Level 1
Day 1
Location: Abandoned Castle
[@Hylozoist] [@Holy Soldier] [@Gentlemanvaultboy] [@Lmpkio] [@Zarkun] [@ToadRopes] [@Bright_Ops]
[b]Word Count: 689
Experience: [color=orange]||||||||[/color][color=black]||[/color][/b][/center]

Without any inclination to experiment with his fractured hand's durability any further, Slayer felt it wise to take a step back and observe the situation.  His own endeavor had, of course, distracted him from taking into account the firstfruits of his allies' efforts against Oswald, but now that he got the chance to get a serious look, Slayer wondered if he had in fact missed anything at all.  Despite the repetitious sound of gunfire ringing in his ears, the gentleman discovered that the Shadow Knight was anything but bullet-ridden.  In a display of uncanny precision, Oswald completely diverted the substantial kinetic and energetic forces intended by the soldiers to end his life, and not just to harmlessly spark against the floor.  Slayer, though fully understanding the lack of forethought evident in a plan that involved melee fighters attacking at the same time as the gunslingers, and how this result was to be expected, could not help but let out an admiring, [color=c0c0c0]”Hmm!”[/color]  The lad had a keen eye and a steady hand.

They did not prevent Oswald from succumbing to Slayer's tactic, however.  A sudden shift beneath the warrior's feet left him off balance, in a perfect position for a decisive blow from whoever was still standing.  Flexing his hand, which tingled as it regenerated, Slayer wiped some fallen stone dust from his monocle-deprived eye.  He would have expected Brigan, unflappable colossus that he was, to shrug off the reflected rounds and pulverize Oswald on the spot, but instead the brute lumbered right up the stairway, presumably toward the objected purported to be on the second floor.  [color=c0c0c0]”Well, that complicates things.  One can admire being goal-driven, but at the expense of one's allies?  Most reprehensible.”[/color]  Without a follow-up attack to keep Oswald pinned down, on the defensive, or otherwise on his toes, the vampire imagined that he could easily get up and resume fighting as before, albeit without a wall of meat to keep him from singling out the less physically formidable heroes who'd closed to fisticuffs range.

A bright light arced through the air, floating like tennis ball over Slayer's impeccable hairdo.  He guessed that it had been lobbed just as Oswald had fallen and Brigan began to move, but its travel time prevented it from instantly taking advantage of the opportunity he'd wrecked his hand to provide.  A fragmentation grenade could easily punctuate the knight, and an incendiary grenade could cook him in his own armor, but Slayer doubted it would be so simple.  Oswald had already proven himself quick-footed, and his demonstration with Belderiver confirmed for Slayer that he'd honed his movements to such a degree that no split second would be wasted.  

However, Oswald didn't get the chance to prove him right.  Luigi, having recovered from his own tumble, batted the grenade away before it could hit its mark.  The sight made Slayer's mustache twitch.  What was the man thinking?  The next second, of course, Luigi belted out exactly that, and his words brought a sagacious look to Slayer's face.  Not being in a position to act on the 'command' -Luigi was not, after all, his leader- he decided to do the next best thing: talk.  [color=c0c0c0]”Well now, what a change of pace!  Have you considered that our shadowy friend here may not agree to your truce?  Even so, while it's true we don't know what we're doing, we could at least pick a side and commit to it, not flop about willy-nilly.”[/color]  He shrugged, and in order to grow close enough to Oswald to avoid raising his voice unduly, he advanced across the stone floor and a way up the stairs.  With his pipe held close to his lips, he addressed the knight whom he'd approached.  [color=c0c0c0]”That said, I never liked that odorous ogre of a man, and if we must still work out our differences, it would be far better to do battle with words.  Sharp wits locked in a speedy repartee—that is a duel between dignified men.  Heroes must, after all, find out and do what is right.”[/color]  Should the fight not end as suddenly as it started, however, Slayer was ready to chomp down on his pipe and blow a cloud of smoke over Oswald's position.  No matter how keen the eye, a stinging haze would prevent him from dealing with gunfire.