♥ Ash and ~ ♥ Nina Sari ~
Ash's face didn't really change as the person he was talking to whipped up and around to face him, her face becoming clear as the hood fell off. She look suprisingly smooth, unlike most monsters in the underground, if that made any sense. He could almost call it pretty, reminiscent of the pop idol he somewhat hated. Ash barely registered her attempts to lie while he was gazing at her, but he certainly tuned in for her next sentence.
"Yeah. Right in front of you. Congrats, you found me." Ash looked her up and down once again as she smiled coldly. So THAT was what humans looked like. Hm. He certainly expected them to be more... beastly? Scary? This thing was murdering monsters? It seemed so out of the ordinary, such an almost pedestrian looking thing was a murderer.
But Ash was no fool. He realized looks could be deceiving. He almost had an idea, looking at his face on her shirt, and her similar enough look to some monsters... but he'd need time to think it out. For now he was going to stick to the original plan. He grinned cockily as did she, and he got into a lax but ready state, gripping his Drillsaw and allowing light flames to crackle at his fingertips.
"Oh. That's good. I'm afraid I'll have to kill you now." ASH blocks your way!
Nina stiffened slightly as the now-familiar feeling of butterfly's in her stomach let her know that she'd have to fight. She let the smile fade from her face, focus taking its place. She had to be ready to dodge, and then trap the monster's attack to send it back at him on her turn. Looking at the monster, she realized she recognized him. The logo on her jacket... maybe...
It was at least worth a try. Before he could attack, she let her stance slip, just enough to show that she wasn't trying to be hostile as she spoke.
"You, aren't a normal monster, are you? You're special in some way?"Ash noticed her mannerisms. Her cool switched to a warriors focus and concentration. She didn't appear to have a weapon, so her power must've come from natural strength. But he saw her pose falter, noticeably slow. She wasn't experienced in this kind of thing, was she? Then maybe she was good at ACTing. She did seem to be talking during the fight... He replied,
"Was it that obvious? I'm flattered, but lemme answer your question with another question. You're the kinda gal to do anything to survive, right? Lie, cheat... kill. Lets see if you're determined enough to survive THIS!"He quickly threw his Drillsaw at her, the circular blade cutting through the air right at her. It was a simple attack, easy enough to dodge. He mainly wanted to talk while he could. He was sure someone was tailing him, so this would be his main chance to see if she had what it took. Sure, killing the human would make him look like a hero. A bridge between two races? He'd be more. Much more.
Nina slid to the side to dodge the attack, the saw freezing in the air as it passed her, a purple web flashing for a second as the saw became trapped. She took the saw out of the web and held it at her side as she turned to face the monster again.
"Determined, no. I'm way too..." She shrugged her shoulders as she tossed the saw back at it's owner, trying to hit him but not so he couldn't dodge.
"True, I've killed, and I tried to lie to you before I figured it'd just be useless. But I can't say I've ever cheated. You don't really seem to be the righteous type either though." She smiled slightly, realizing the irony of her words. Some of the monsters she'd killed had called her a cheater for using their own attacks against them, but how could it be cheating if she was allowed to do it?
Ash stood mouth agape in awe as, when the sawblade flew past her as expected, it suddenly stop, frozen in time and space. He tried to listen to what she said but it almost didn't register as he stared at his stopped blade. When she threw it back at him he got clipped and lost a small amount of health he didn't bother to catch, too astounded by her ability to try doing much moving. He could tell she wasn't trying her hardest there.
He back stepped and grabbed the Drillsaw now stuck in the ground. hefting it around his body and hiding himself in it. He wouldn't be using it for a little bit to avoid something like that happening again. He growled in anger at her powerful technique.
"Never cheated? Whatever the H*LL that was seemed pretty d*mn close!... But, you're right." He said, switching gears to her admission of sin.
"Neither of us are the 'righteous' type. We're winners. How long do you think you would have survived out here without doing the things you did, 'humon'? Certainly not enough to experience THIS!"He quickly extended his palm and shot forth a jet of orange magical flame from it. Hopefully she couldn't reflect purely magical attacks. While he was expelling these flames, he shouted,
"Expect company soon, by the by! I'm sure someone followed me. You're pretty famous around here!"Nina dodged the flames, well almost anyway. She wasn't fast enough to avoid getting hit, though as she dodged she didn't feel herself taking any damage.
"W-was that a joke? Or are you purposely not trying to hurt me?" She blanched when he told her that he would have backup soon. Fighting one monster was bad enough, but she hadn't really fought more than one at a time. She probably would have died a while ago if she had tried.
Nina glanced around for a moment. Maybe she could run away before any other monsters arrived? Well, with the lake behind her she might be able to swim away, but she'd not really be able to dodge any attacks very well there. The rocks she'd been hiding between blocked the sides now, and the monster was blocking her from going forward. She sighed and tried to think what to do. She hadn't caught any of the fire just now, so if she tried to attack she'd be using her fists, and honestly that didn't seem like a very good idea.
"Famous, huh? Like you? This... this is a picture of you, isn't it? Why would you warn me that you've got help on the way? Aren't you worried that I might just run away?"Ash smiled slightly. Judging by her dodging it with ease, she knew of orange magic. Though, the slight fluctuation in her voice told him that at the least he caught her off guard. Her reaction to the news that another monster would be coming could be expected by many monsters, but not Ash. In his one track thinking, escape was not an option. Luckily, a glance around told the both of them all they needed to know. It was do or die.
She refused to attack this turn, probably setting up another of her traps while she spoke. But she seemed to have come to a sudden realization. This was his opportunity.
"Yep, you're right. I'm a pretty big guy in these parts. But not big enough. I warned you about help coming because when they do, if they find us talking like this, neither of us win." He grabbed his Drillsaw and started spinning it around like a sling.
"You promoting me would be a major bonus, if they believe you didn't do it. But sometimes, you just have to settle for second best... or dead last in your case." He paused, letting the information sink in.
"If you survive this, whoever they are will arrive soon. Follow my lead once they do. Okay? Now..." He threw the circular saw to the side of the girl like a curve ball, before quickly shouting
"POCKET SAND!" and throwing some sand he had in store for occasions just like these at her face. After said attack, he quickly prepped another orange fire blast and threw it at his opponent as soon as she rubbed the sand out of her eyes.
Nina was ready for the next attack, or so she thought. She saw that the saw was going too wide to actually hit her, and so was just going to catch it, but then she got a face full of sand. The saw still froze in midair, and as she started to wipe the sand from her eyes she reached for it, a somewhat snarky response already forming in her mind before a sudden burst of light and heat in front of her startled her. Shouldn't it have been her turn to act now?
"Hey, what-" She stopped short as the flames hit her. She hadn't moved, and so the orange magic hit her full-force. She watched her HP go down 6 points. It wasn't much but, she didn't have much HP to start with.
She finished wiping the sand from her face, fighting the urge to sneeze as she took the saw from where it had been suspended in her web.
"Heh, nice trick. Shouldn't I have got a turn to throw something at you during that?" She smiled, purely joking.
"Guess we both cheat a bit, huh? So, what lead am I supposed to follow exactly?" She kept holding the drillsaw, not really wanting to give it back to him yet.
He laughed a little as she joked about both of their "special tactics" and how they were both pretty similar in the end. Though, her not throwing his Drillsaw back to him made him a little peeved. He understood though, she wanted at least some leverage over him, and he realized this helped even the odds in her favor, just a bit.
"So, here's the story, those murders? Weren't you. Maybe some monster infighting, some sort of disease, other humons, whatever. You didn't do them. You've been surviving down here pacifistically off scraps until I, Ash Hare, the first candidate running for the leadership election, found you and offered you solace where others would have abandoned or even killed you. Sound good?" He explained. It was a bit much to take in but hopefully she would understand it all. He could explain more once they both reached his abode.
"Oh, and, before I forget- don't think this stuff happens all the time, okay? Cuz I'm normal a mean lean killin' machine."ASH is sparing you!
At first Nina wasn't really sure how to respond. After a moment, she started walking towards Ash, handing his saw back to him once she was close enough.
"Deal. My name's Nina Sari. Nice to meet you, I guess." She didn't know how this was all gonna play out, especially once people started questioning her about her time here, but at least she could keep the lie together for a while. Hopefully.
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Neziul