[hider=Lost Echo] [center][h3]Knight Sylvestre vs the Cereal Killer – Round 2[/h3][/center] Metal met magic at high speed, and the results were instantaneous. A tremendous flash bloomed before Juniper, filling her vision and, for a split second, striking her blind. The very next moment the light began to die down, and through her partial blindness the shrine maiden could make out Erina darting backward out of range, even as a heavy, blunt impact struck her good shoulder. A moment of confusion filled her, but even in bewilderment there could be no hesitation in the heat of battle. Once again she swung her conjured sword, the heavy but devastating arc tellingly slow. Grim-faced as she was nimble, Erina bent out of the way of the blow, and with mounting frustrating Juniper stopped her overswing short and sent the blade flying back the other way. Once again Erina moved out of the way, sliding so closely by the arcane edge that it seemed to clip through her garments. Thrice more Juniper attacked, all to no avail, until in her displeasure she hurled her katana at the spiritualist like a boomerang. A moment's elation filled the shrine maiden as she felt sure that the bizarre attack, covering a wide horizontal area, would connect. With no alternative, Erina held up her blade to block, and its magicked doppelganger flew straight through. Juniper gawped as her weapon disappeared through her opponent, passing through her body as though she didn't exist. Then there came a flicker, and Erina was gone—a trick of the light. Finally understanding, Juniper turned around, and she spotted the kitsune hightailing it across the plaza toward the clustered buildings, blade sheathed. Her opponent had been a hallucination, or an illusion. “No wonder my attacks looked like they shouldn't have missed her,” she growled, starting to run. Athletic though Juniper was, her lightweight adversary seemed to have the edge in speed. “Shame on me, falling for that. Looks like the hunt is on.” She watched Erina disappear between the medieval-styled structures, and a few seconds later followed suit. Her pace slowed as the cobblestone street narrowed, its side branching off into a couple other paths. Whether due to some illusion or just because of Erina's fleet-footedness, the spiritualist was nowhere to be seen. A heavy sigh escaped Juniper, her battle-rage ebbing away. The reality of the situation was all too clear: with no personal stake in a fight that might cost her a certain ghostly companion, Erina had made the logical choice. There would be no finding her here, and no reason for the kitsune to abandon one of her many possible hiding places. As much as Juniper wanted to fling curses, she couldn't really fault her would-be foe, either. She thought of what Erina said -[i]you won't tear us apart[/i]- and gave a dry chuckle. “Guess that one was the truth, though not because you'd beat me, huh? Fair enough.” She spun about on her heel and started back the way she came. Whether or not Erina was around to listen, Juniper spoke again as she gave a saucy wave behind her. “Just so you know, I wasn't gonna banish your spirit friend. Unless he was actually a demon or something, I mean. Just wanted to try to provoke you, though that wasn't very honorable of me. If you want to come back and watch the main event, I won't attack.” In the shadows, a half-laugh of exasperation and disbelief infringed upon Erina's otherwise perfect stealth. Shaking her head, she waited a few seconds before emerging from her hiding spot to head toward the central plaza. [center]-=-=-[/center] The knowledge that he had the upper hand made Runch all the more dangerous. Starting the moment Cyril began to move, the pirate held out both hands and began unleashing one Grapeshot after another. With nothing to do but lock his jaw and be grateful Runch's sense of fairness seemed to be preventing him from bombarding him with Hellberry Blasts instead, Cyril detached his shield from his shoulder and held it above his head as he charged. After only a few seconds he was close enough, and with a mighty effort leaped into the air. When he began to lose momentum he activated his Sheen for an upward boost, but the whole process proved beyond slow as far as Runch was concerned. The captain had time to loose two more one-handed Honey Traps on the approaching target before bringing around his blade. Cyril's disorientation due to the blobby impacts turned his grand overhead cleave into a lopsided attempted at one, and in the end he did little more than land on Runch in the perfect spot for the pirate to catch his weight with a Spoonsaber block and pivot it overhead. Thoroughly disgusted, Cyril sailed bodily onward to crash down, shield-first, into the cobblestones on the pillar's opposite side. A few more Grapeshots rattled his cuirass and greaves as he tried to stand, one shin stuck to the ground by sticky honey cereal. Still bearing that nauseating smile, Runch sunk his Spoonsaber's blade back into the top of his tower and held out both hands. [color=turquoise]“Bori Bori Cannon!”[/color] A large sphere formed between his palms and launched Cyril's way. Just in time he managed to tear himself up and bash sideways with his shield, deflecting the cannonball out of harm's way. It smashed into the cobblestones a short distance away, sending chips flying as it continued to bounce along. The vibrations from the impact could be felt in Cyril's bones, and as he gingerly tested his shield arm, he felt even more sure that the current situation could not continue. [i]As long as he's up there, I can barely assail him. I need to mix things up.[/i] [color=turquoise]“Boppin' Blueberries, what a parry! Last poor fellow who tried to take a Cannon head-on ended up flat on his back with spirals in his eyes!”[/color] Ignoring him, Cyril beat on his shield with his halberd twice, then pointed his weapon's tip at the elevated rapscallion. “Summon Greater Lightning!” Runch's mustache twitched, but he did not move except to put his hands on his hips. [color=turquoise]“Omnomnomnom! I was wondering when you might try that. A clever trick, Sir Knight, but not clever enough for ol' Runchy!”[/color] His eyebrows furrowed as Cyril began adjusting the screw in his head again. [color=turquoise]“Hey now, good manners cost nothing. If banter's not to your taste, here's a second helping of Hellberry Blast!”[/color] A fiery, crunchy cluster burst forth, forcing the vanguard to employ his Sheen to dodge. Beneath his faceplate, Cyril wore a wry smile. [i]He's awfully pleased with himself for 'figuring it out'. What could I have done to capitalize on that ploy, if that was my aim? No, you were fooled after all, pirate: I know that you know about my abilities. And that you're getting a little annoyed with my pragmatism. You're the type to enjoy fighting, a fun sport. Shooting from safety, blasting me when I go for the screw...boring and formulaic.[/i] Cyril moved his grip on his glaive a few inches higher, and crouched. A few Grapeshots battered his armor and shield as he took a breather. When Runch turned on his Firehose, the vanguard used Sheen to launch himself into a backward roll, after which he returned to his defensive posture. With a roll of his eyes, the pirate called out, [color=turquoise]“Bori Bori Firehose: Cluster Cracker Recipe, Full Nozzle!”[/color] From his outstretched hands, a stronger, more concentrated stream of spiky, angular cereals shot out toward Cyril. When they made contact with him or the ground, they popped in a spray of nutty shrapnel, but their target appeared unfazed. The next thing to fly through the air toward Cyril was a cheery laugh. [color=turquoise]“Omnomnom! Very well! If you wish to hunker down out of reach, I'll 'come to you' myself! I hope you're ready for a hearty portion, sir!”[/color] A spray of cereal formed a slide on the side of his pillar, and with a short hop the pirate dove down head-first. [color=turquoise]“Bori Bori Jet!”[/color] Torrents of grain began to pour from the soles of his boots, launching him down the slide on his belly faster and faster. A second later he shot off the ramp at the slide's end, soaring into the air. He rose higher and higher, forcing Cyril to crane his neck to see, until at his enormous leap's zenith Runch called out, [color=turquoise]“Bori Bori Pillar: Crumbleberry Recipe, Family Size!”[/color] This time, the pillar formed above him like a zeppelin's balloon, rather than beneath him. Below, the vanguard realized just what the pirate meant to do, just as Runch heaved his newest creation downward. A shadow cloaked him as the pillar descended like a colossal hammer, and Cyril leaped up in a dead sprint to get out of the way. A second later the great column smashed into the ground, instantly breaking apart into an super-heavy tidal wave of cereal that threatened to swallow him whole. [i]This man is insane.[/i] [i]With any luck my new friend is buried somewhere underneath here, and I can nab his soul while he cannot resist.[/i] As the ludicrous quantity of cereal ground to a stop, and a sudden quiet took hold, a hard cereal disk landed atop the highest point in the pile. Runch landed upon it, using the surface area of the disk to avoid sinking in, and stood in triumph. He cast his eyes all around until he spotted his foe half-submerged in the gooey mess a couple hundred feet away. The sight refreshed the captain's smile, and he jogged the vanguard's way, creating mini-pillars of hard grain beneath his feet to get him across the Crumbleberry as he did. Cyril did not appear to be moving, but he did have his shield obscuring his upper half, oriented in Runch's direction. The halberd was nowhere in sight. [color=turquoise]“Breakfast? More like stuck fast! Omnomnom! Looks like I've caught you at last,”[/color] he declared as he drew near. [color=turquoise]“If you'll hand over your phylactery, sir, we can put this behind us and be friends all the sooner! I just hope this fight hasn't put you off my food, omnom.”[/color] He reached out with his spoonblade to catch the edge of Cyril's shield and pry it away. [b][i]Click.[/i][/b] In a silvery flash Cyril exploded upward from his crumbly prison, taking Runch momentarily aback. The vanguard's formerly-entombed right hand clenched around the shaft of the halberd he'd hidden below, but it was with his outstretched shield that he struck. Charging low, Cyril slammed into the pirate's legs, knocking him up and over, and the Spoonsaber flew away. [color=turquoise]“Urk! Bori Bori Jet!”[/color] Runch continued in his flight with the aid of cereal streams from his hands, and from his upside-down position he watched Cyril begin to slow and sink into the Crumbleberry. However, with unnatural precision and ease, the vanguard spun around and activated Sheen again. The next moment the silver-shrouded shield slammed into Runch square in the torso, knocking the wind out of him, but before he could fly far Cyril's halberd-tip was already stretched behind him. Its inner curve perfectly positioned to catch his neck, it stopped him in his tracks, allowing Cyril to pull himself in and plant a foot against Runch's chest, leg bent at the knee. From there, a full-strength pushkick sent the Cereal Killer flying down to splatter into the Crunchberry somewhat closer to the mess's edge. As he hit and smooshed into the cereal cushion, Runch blinked. [color=turquoise]“By Chocula's cuspid! What happened? Is this the power of that screw?”[/color] Flat on his back, he could see Cyril falling toward him, poising to land on him with all his weight. [color=turquoise]“No you don't! BoriBoriJet!”[/color] he babbled, and twin cereal spurts sent him tunneling through the Crumbleberry like a torpedo. A brief moment of darkness later, he emerged onto the cobblestone, free of the morass. A simple backflip using the momentum of his slide returned him to his feet, and a moment later Cyril boosted onto solid ground a couple dozen feet away. Runch could see, given the moment allotted to him, a subtle difference visible in all of Cyril's movements. They seemed mechanical, devoid of unnecessary movement, everything meant to save energy and maximize efficiency. When he looked upon the vanguard's helmet, he could scarcely remember the human face that must lie beneath. [color=turquoise]“That was quite the-!”[/color] Cyril stampeded toward him, cutting him off. [color=turquoise]“BoriBoriHi-fiberFists!”[/color] the captain exclaimed, and thick clods of cereal grew around his clenched hands. The vanguard swung early, making Runch wonder if he'd somehow made a mistake, only to flinch as a splodge of Crumbleberry -carried on Cyril's halberd-blade like batter on a paddle- smacked into his head. He lashed out with a straight punch that connected with nothing but metal, yet even then the Cereal Killer's next move was on the way. [color=turquoise]“BoriBoriEruption!”[/color] From every pore cereal began to form, popping out in a wave meant to repel Cyril's next attack, even if Runch couldn't see it. The moment of opportunity that move brought him went toward wiping Crumbleberry from his eyes, but the eruption was already dying down, and Cyril moved to strike again. Runch held his hands out and, after a split second to take aim, cried, [color=turquoise]“Shoot!”[/color] which blasted the Hi-Fiber Fists off his hands at his opponent. One one the unexpected projectiles smacked Cyril in the face, stunning him for a brief moment. Making a wager, Runch pointed both hands straight down at the ground. [color=turquoise]“Hellberry Blast!”[/color] An explosion went off between the two men. Both were hurt, but as Runch suspected, it affected Cyril more. Not only did the blast send the vanguard reeling, but it dislodged the polearm from his grip, and it clattered to the cobblestones a few feet away. Before a second could pass, however, Cyril was moving again—even as blood dripped from between the plates of his armor and his gambeson smoldered with fire. An ironclad hand closed around Runch's neck, and the pirate found himself lifted into the air. Stone-cold in his silence, the vanguard executed a chokeslam that pounded the pirate into the ground on his opposite side. Groaning, the pirate rolled to his feet to see Cyril reaching, slower than before, for his lost weapon. He took the opportunity to launch himself away on a jet of cereal, and create a new pillar to perch atop. Once again the two men locked eyes. This situation mirrored that of a few minutes ago, but things weren't exactly the same. Runch's phenomenal durability was starting to wear thin; his breath was shallow, and his bruises and cuts were numerous. Beneath his smoking and dented armor, Cyril also felt the strain of heated battle, perhaps all the more acutely thanks to the screw in his head. Both men could feel the tension reaching its climax, but even now, battered and bruised, neither felt the slightest inclination to step down. [/hider]