WOTW II(R1) - Istasis vs Alphonse

[Rilla]

He shot through the door, but would find this attempt ill-fated as wind summoned by his opponent. Try as he might to push through the wind, he found himself at odds with the wind and in turn brought back to the very man he sought to escape. The trip, however, was one of learning. Though his opponent was bringing him back towards, he had also forgotten that he knew little of his opponent. Warrior excelled in close-range combat. His chi flared up within him, and Alphonse thought of the perfect time to execute what he had in mind, though a part of it would have to be neglected.

Alphonse fought hard against the wind, timing himself perfectly to fall back against the breaking roof; when it fell, he loosened himself slightly and pressed against it - almost pushing it towards Istasis, whilst it acted as a type of shield to protect him from the man. He noticed that the beast only had one usable tendril, as the other had been used to secure himself to the ground, to fight against his won wind. As they moved closer, Alphonse enacted his plan. Chi flurried from his body, but not in attack - but in a disruptive fashion. Thrice gathered, the disrupting chi would weaken anything with three or less gatherings of magic - within a fifteen foot radius of Alphonse - this included the wind that whipped around them. He was also effected by this prospect, but did not mind it - he had no other magic’s prepared for use. His opponent, however, he did not know.

Whatever Alphonse did, he would need to make quick - especially if his opponent was indeed weakened by the disruptive chi. In that regard, he moved to his right, as a large block of rubble careened towards the man - and inadvertently Istasis. The wind, by Alphonse’s reckoning was magic inclined, and this was noted when it had all but died down after the rubble slammed into the roof; this was also, he assumed, true for the tendrils that grew behind the man, as well as the magic that had been gathered by the hammer. Should any of it come into use, the Disrupting chi would strip it down. The breakage from the collision would surely slam into Istasis. Counting on this, Alphonse leaped from the roof and hit the ground, preparing himself to move, guard, or attack the man -regardless of what happened.

[Tantalum]

As expected, Istasis was wise not to take his chances. His foe had been denied of higher ground, but even after enhancing his Void Helix, Alphonse resisted just long enough to avoid the overhead hazard. Cleverly, the man had directed the house roof into a makeshift counterattack - and coupled it with the first active ability of his own.

The energy Alphonse released was of no alignment - meaning Istasis would not sight it any easier - but the effects it held were quickly established. In seconds, the black waves which accelerated his Void Helix lost their grasp, and the winds returned to their natural command.
His tendrils were unaffected by any and all energy, and so they stayed intact; but as he watched the plate of rock hurdle towards him, he was surprised to notice they were unresponsive. With his magic distorted, it appeared he could no longer manipulate them - and though lacking the time to confirm, it was likely this applied for all his magic ability in the vicinity.

Unable to raise either from the ground they rested upon, Istasis would be left short of two limbs; however Sine remained as his failsafe, and no further magic would be needed to minimise his own damage. Assuming the roof's rotation and trajectory in instants, Istasis aimed to travel to the shortest side in his way. A single backwards step carried him four feet off to his left - perfectly far enough for his grounded tendril to hold his balance. His right leg served as his pivot, his left arm held out his weapon, and his eye focused ahead to perfect his timing.
Finally, Sine's head swept the ground as he forced down his weight - before slashing along and through the wall in a brutal diagonal swing. The brittle slate immediately gave way to its colossal mass, while the hammer's grooves chaotically dismantled all that followed past its tip. The rightmost half of the roof would follow behind in three parts, each barely falling short of the temple behind Istasis; while the sundered left half would cause little harm as its bricks scattered over the street path.

Just as he had cleared his vision ahead, he barely had enough time to register his second concern; one particularly large shard of debris, headed at an off-angle towards himself. His tendrils would normally be enough to deflect such an object, and his alternative was much less desirable.
From his earlier swing, Istasis caught Sine's neck in his right hand, then lowered his stance to brace. The rubble smashed crudely against the hammer's back, and although straining to hold ground, his weight was enough to lessen its momentum. Cracked but not shattered, the remaining stone twisted away to his right, landing unsoundly.

"...Perfect." Istasis doctored his message with overwhelming approval. By just being in the presence of his foe, not only were his defences rendered useless - but while disconnected from the energy in his surroundings, his fatigue would restore slower as well. With Alphonse so close to his own position, he did not half-expect being locked in close range - and if his combat prowess was as notable as his title suggested, Istasis would find himself at a satisfying disadvantage.

[Rilla]

And the world became is oyster. His opponent was preoccupied defending against the rubble that his once prominent abilities had been the cause of and now, he had left himself open. Alphonse took no chances and moved as soon as the hammer was swung - switching hands that held Alphonse Jr.. When the man smashed the roof, breaking it to bits; his hammer continued the swing. Then the man had to deal with the excess rubble that he had always caused. Alphonse began his move behind that piece of rubble. When the being he faced braced himself to take the blow, Alphonse was quickly closing the distance - protected by the rubble Istasis sought to protect himself from.

His sword swiped from, jutting about a foot past the being that was known as Istasis; daring to lodge itself into his left side, - if doing nothing more than slicing into his upper shoulder/neck. It didn’t matter to Alphonse which part was hit, for the damage would be monstrous, even if it didn’t put him down - his arm would be very well useless after such a powerful strike. But the Warrior was ever vigilant, he was well aware the power the man had to have possessed to wield such a massive weapon - if he could just get his hands on it. That would be for another time, however; as for now, he tensed up his muscles in his left as the sword careened towards the man’s shoulders. Chi was pulsating in the sword, welling up as it needed to for a future use.

He had positioned himself perfectly - inside the reach of the hammer, disallowing himself from having to take a full strike from the spinning head of the behemoth. As well as inside the range of the thing, Istasis would be forced to adhere to his Disrupting Chi’s ability, at least for another couple of moves - within this range, it would punish him unrelentingly. His right hand held the hilt, just as his left did, but was positioned so that, if Alphonse needed too, he could remove the hand and grab Azio - his Wazikashi for a quick physical defense, or strike. Odds were, in Alphonse’s mind, in his favor and he would not let his advantage depart him. His body pressed forward, keeping him within range of the man and inside the range of his hammer.

[Tantalum]

And finally, the fray began. Before discarding the last of the dismantled house, Istasis sighted his foe sprinting behind - sword drawn in his left hand, and using the hurled rubble as a means to get within his range. The winds and dust appeared to phase the man as little as himself; and factoring in his magic-less state, physical strength would remain as his only lead.
Pulling back his right leg, he forcefully kicked to retreat from his position - immediately freeing his grounded tendril with a wide burst of stone. The act would not harm Alphonse, but could hamper his footing should he take a direct approach.
He landed a single step behind, in line with the rubble that settled to his right. His hammer was drawn inwards, its head lowered such that the shaft protected his upper - but not having escaped his foe's reach, Alphonse Jr. struck towards him, its tip sliding beneath the hammer's counterweight. It had swiftly cut into the side of Istasis' shoulder, only instants before clashing against Sine's shaft, preventing what may have been a severe injury.

"So perfect." the fiend spoke airily, in exaggerated awe. Black, gaseous strains seeped from the two-inch-deep wound, coiling serenely around Alphonse Jr. until the harsh gales carried them away.
"Yet you wished to deprive me of such a perfect creation." To this second, Alphonse's earlier gesture was still beyond comprehension, though it would matter little as long as he stayed willing to fight. "What other traits does your mind conceal from me?"
Still able to hold his hammer's weight, the strike had not faltered his guard - although a counterattack would be too reckless with his opponent so close. Keeping watch on both of Alphonse's blades, Istasis would hold a loose defensive stance until able to circumvent the foe's aura.

[Rilla]

“No,” Alphonse stated coldly, as he moved in time with the man. His sword had been lodged in the man’s arm, or at least the tip had cut into the man. Magic outside of five feet, would be allowed now. Alphonse had to make his move and make it quick. His disassociation of magic was going to run thin soon, and he was well within the magical range of his opponent. With the ground ripping up around them, Alphonse used it to his advantage. Upon one of the pieces he stepped and pressed forward, in an attempt to press his sword along the man’s arm, if nothing more than to cripple the man.

In the same instance, the Chi in his sword doubled - preparing for something major. As he pressed forward, he could hear the thoughts of the man ringing in his mind, but it didn’t bother him - he couldn’t go further than planting a conversation in there. A weak blast of chi was sent from his right shoulder as he pressed into the attack. The goal of the chi, as it was weak, was to knock the man off-balance, or at least, push him back enough that Alphonse had some wiggle room.

Well aware that he was still in the danger, he formulated his next mode of movement. Should the weak blast of unexpected Chi, connected and had the desired effect, he could break off to the left using what he could of the remaining disrupting chi to get out of harms way. He was banking on the movement of the man, backwards, in conjunction with the chi-aided shoulder block, that he could use the momentum to increase his speed by at least a step. He knew that the ground would likely be ripped, as it was moments prior, by the grounded tendril, but that did not worry him. He planned on being a safe distance away.

However, he had also planned for the event that he would not be moved forward by the man. He would pull the sword back and slash across the man’s chest, using the built up chi in a fashion of his choosing to debilitate the man as best he could. All it would take, is the man’s actions to be known, to know which course of action he would take.

[Tantalum]

Stepping masterfully across the small crater as it formed, the foe was quick to shorten the gap Istasis had made between them. Somewhat surprisingly, he did not intend to withdraw his sword, but the wounded fiend held every intention to persuade him otherwise.

Istasis' right arm extended as his body twisted to the left, such that Alphonse's blade was in front of the hammer's base - thus rashly separating it from his shoulder. Although the sword was completely unstained, the shadowed strains began to seep more steadily in response. The bleeding was only worsened by the pressure Alphonse used to lengthen his assault; the hammer's shaft was forced against his shoulder instead, and Istasis was made to lean forward against it to counter the man's strength.
The following chi blast - as unforeseen and impressive as it was - would also fall short of its intended use. It served to force him a full step back, but with the hammer in front of him accounting for half his weight, his balance did not falter. His left arm extended as much as necessary to sustain contact with the foe's blade; while his right leg, already drawn back from his first landing, launched him forward to close the distance again.

He turned as he travelled, attempting to force the katana towards its wielder, as he glided past Alphonse's right. Further relying on his mass, his left hand shifted to the back of Sine's counterweight, and his right turned the shaft, again directing its drill tip forward.
Although the hammer was not swung, it was now in ample position to cut into Alphonse's upper left thigh as Istasis jumped past. If not evaded, Sine would chaotically pull, shred and penetrate all that came in contact with it.

Istasis would land five feet from where he once was - at the edge of the shallow crater - with his back turned to a house opposite the one he had dismantled.

[Rilla]

His opponent was crafty, he had unknowingly prevented Alphonse from releasing the pent up attack that now rested in his Katana. It mattered little, for it was only prolonging the inevitable. The sword gathered another well of energy, taking it thrice as strong as it had been previously. Now it was down to whether or not his opponent would give an opening for the man to exploit with merciless precision.

And then, there it was.

His opponent jumped towards him and instinctively, Alphonse moved his threatened leg - but he wasn’t fast enough. With the proximity given, Alphonse was able to move his leg out of harm’s way, but his clothing had been punctured and torn asunder by the drill tip.

This is what provided Alphonse with his opportunity. When Istasis angled his weapon forward, the drill tip aimed towards the upper left thigh, leaving the shaft of the hammer extended into the air. Alphonse took advantage of this and ducked low and jumped forward. Alphonse Jr. was ripped forward with the movement and slide free from the hold the shaft had on it. In this, they were still relatively close together which gave Alphonse his chance. The thrice pent up magic within the weapon was released as the man soared through the air. His protected path would take him into both a slash to the gut, as well as a powerful blast of chi, point blank in roughly the same area.

His own flight path would take him past the man, but with the ground as broken as it was - his landing would be shaky, at best, and likely end up with him on the ground - something he would need to recover from quickly, if he could not end it with his previous combination of attacks. There was still Azio, so, things were still heavily swayed in Alphonse’s favor, instead of that of the bleeding, it seemed, man.

[Tantalum]

Again the foe's agility had allowed him a narrow evasion - as he veered to the left of the drill, leaving only his clothing in harm's way. Sighting the given opportunity, Alphonse had then leapt forwards, ready to force his blade against the narrow remains of Istasis' defence.

"No promises indeed..." The angel had hoped not to stand in again, but such a reckless stratagem warranted his attention.
"No promises broken," the demon corrected his partner's pessimism. "I only needed to prompt him, was all."
"I seek a greater opponent than this."the winged figure turned away in disgust. "No 'prompting' will amend this fodder for Liaison's amusement. Would I not want to entertain our host with the Warrior's death?"
"I seek for my own mortality; While I just wish for my progress, correct?"
Hesitantly, the angel nodded, folding his arms. "So this way, I can have both. I like to think I am my side of reason," The demon ended his point with a knowing smile.
"It is alien to my reasoning," he had to disagree, "but it is too late not to abide..."

Having twisted upon making the jump, Istasis was able to cover himself for most of the blade's travel; his right arm retracted naturally, no longer resisting the wind, while his left remained as it were, using Sine's shaft to keep the blade at maximal distance from his upper body.
Given his foe's agility, it was almost enough. Rolling off of and past the cylindrical shaft, Alphonse Jr. all but nicked the right of Istasis' waist just as the foe travelled past.

Within his mind, the damage had been projected upon the two entities as well. The angel shot a glance at the second minor cut, located beneath his arm.
"Pitiful..." he exclaimed, scoffed loudly - and would have boasted much more, if not for catching sight of the demon's widening grin."I would not underestimate him so much."

Almost instantaneously, the cut lengthened.

Pulsing-white glares of doubt and concern were shot across the corrupted expanse.
"...Maybe this has paid off after all."

And widened. Seven times larger than the initial wound - save for a strand near his middle torso, which Sine had covered from. Although he had avoided the brunt of the chi blast, the remainder was able to cut into his dense avatar with ease; a shadowy line now spanned two-thirds across his front, tainting his navy coat with gaseous blood. While it did not reach to his back, it was considerably deep at his right side - just enough for most humans to consider fatal.

"Idiot." Under heavily exasperated breaths, this was but a rough summary of the timeless slander hurled at his partner. The demon merely leaned on his wall without response, smiling ecstatically to himself with his left hand sunk inside his virtual wound - straining it, even, as if the metaphoric pain could be amplified. After countless threats of seals and banishment, it had been too long since he had indulged in true, physical pain; and within the confines of his mind, he would thoroughly savour every fraction of a moment it lasted...
The angel dived, wings fluttered. A swift mid-air spin-kick sent the demon hurling over shards of dismantled brick, swiftly bringing him back to his senses.
"I will not take defeat from this shameless mortal." Speaking down at the nuisance, he lowered to the ground just as rapidly. Very soon did he regret the painful black scar across his leg - the result of making contact with his other half - but did well to ignore it all the same.
"I will see to this injury for now," his words were orderly, and he referred to their outside wound. Under his watch, this fight would not be stretched any more than needed. "Kill the man in ten seconds, else I may do it myself."
"I suppose I can no longer refuse." The demon righted himself from his sprawl - still smirking upon thoughts of his shattered fantasy, with his right hand examining the whitened scar along his jaw. "He has disappointed me also. Now I feel inclined to repay him..."

"...It is not as perfect as I hoped." Likewise, his letdown was voiced to Alphonse, at the same moment he was struck by the blade. His voice was filled with sadistic intent, which would multiply as the pain began to kick in. Selflessly he had lured Alphonse with an open guard, and he had but a single shot to pull it in his favour.
Alphonse had jumped forward to perform his strike - which put him in direct range of the tendrils which followed Istasis, now reanimated outside the influence of his disruptive aura. Already veering in front of the man, they had but to turn outwards a single foot to present an unavoidable danger. Aided by Istasis' omnidirectional sight, they were placed in line to catch Alphonse's right thigh and left shin respectively; either to cleanly hook around his limbs, or impale them if he tried to shift in mid-air. His strength was doubted to compare with their solidness, and his chi would again have no direct effect. Assuming the grab was successful, he would swiftly be dragged backwards - face-first along the broken ground - until Istasis made his own difficult landing.

[Rilla]

The Blue Butterfly

Positioning, it was all important in battle - so much so that lack of proper positioning would spell the end of a competitor in one swift move. Given his own position, and the angle at which he was being forced; his jump couldn’t take him far - not that it would have anyway, his choice in jump was horrible. This was due to several contributing factors. He was being pressed by the hammer, as well as the master of it; he had no leverage to make a exceptional jump that would take him far past the man, and his weapon was being combated, not only by the hammer itself, but by the flesh of the man as well. When he connected with the man, his jump was further halted by the resistance offered by the flesh of his opponent, almost completely stopping it. This would work out in Alphonse’s favor, as he would come to a stop upon the broken rocks, immediately.

His attention was focused on the tendrils that were still active and sought to come for him - intercept his path, but he was prepared. He immediately launched himself off to the right, further away from the man. He had all but nicked the right side of his opponent, and would use this to his advantage; using what strength he could muster, he brought around the sword, in the natural movement of his body, bringing around the sword and launching a weak blast of chi, in conjunction with the left over chi blast from his previous attack. In his mind, with his movement and how he positioned the blade, the chi would crash into the tendrils and perhaps prevent them from following him.

Following his attack, he rolled off to the right and immediately sought to bring himself up. He would be several feet away from his opponent, more or less eight feet in total, easily crossed with his slightly increased speed. He would have to give it to his opponent, the man was a crafty one and would most likely keep his prized hammer. “The creatures today have gotten stronger,” he mused aloud as he brought himself to a battle-ready defensive position, then dropped his sword to angle it towards the ground - both hands still attached to the hilt of his sword. A softly glowing blue butterfly flapped past him.

Whether or not this was his end, and judging by the slight pain in his left leg from his landing it very well could be, Alphonse would truly become the Warrior - and this was something Istasis would need to worry about. He still had not reached for Azio - though he knew the battle would end relatively soon, it was rare that Liaison let battles go much longer than this one - but who would emerge victorious? Moving his fingers, he gripped the blade and brought it to his forward, almost directly before the middle of his body, the point leaned towards Istasis.

"Good bye, fair beast," was all he said.

[Rilla]

And finally, he reached the fight he had been most itching to get to. Alphonse and Istasis. The damage here, while not shocking, was pleasant and completely done by Istasis, whom destroyed the ground and a building. Yet, Alphonse had inflicted the most damage on him - cutting the man deep across his mid-section. Oh how delightful.

“I see it, Alphonse, I truly do! The man I made you into, the sinking feelings of a sociopath! Come, Alphonse, you’ve won your fight, though barely - and now, you can live to fight in the next round. Oh! You’ve impressed me so far, I do hope your children will be proud of you ever get them back.” He could see the grimace on the face of Alphonse as the man held his sword. Liaison sent him off smartly, and then did the same to Istasis.

“You did good, beast - for that, you shall be rewarded personally by me - for bringing out the man I needed him to be.”