'Fourty-one... Fourty-two... Fourty-three...' A young woman stared out the train's window, counting in her head how many crystals she saw pass by. These weren't normal crystals however, no these were huge ones sticking out of the ground, each crackling with magical energy. Society had built itself around these crystals, Verses, and technology designed to extract the most out of both. She sighed, looking almost indifferent and bored, when the truth of the matter is she isn't. In fact, she is really trying to distract herself from the fact she's bursting with equal parts nervousness and excitement. How can she not be, considering she's finally on her way to the country's capital, Sanctirum? Where she'll finally go to one of the nation's top academies, and earn the right to call herself a master of Verse?

Her shoulders slumped, remembering the years of work and effort it took for her to get this far. The woman, an Amanda Gloria or Mandy for short, allowed her eyes to trail over to the bag filled with everything she deemed necessary for her studies. In all honesty, it didn't seem like much, all packed up into the Verse-imbued bag, considering it wasn't much bigger then your average duffel bag, even if she knew it was a bit bigger then it looks. However, even if she knew intellectually how much was really in it, the sight made it a bit difficult for the 24-year-old from imagining the visible size to be the summation of her years of preparation, and it was slightly depressing. Tearing her gaze away from the bag and looking forwards, her teal eyes took note of the others in the car. It wasn't difficult to give them a quick look-over, nor was it really time consuming as there was only a grand total of five occupants.

A mother with her child, herself, a man in a suit who keeps looking at his phone, and an injured man. She stopped short at the last one, a thin eyebrow quirked as she took in his appearance, but primarily focused on the rather large and noticeable bruise on his arm. 'Well, that does not look pleasant,' Mandy idly commented in her head. After taking a glance out the window to note that she should have just enough time to treat it and have a brief conversation before their arrival, she combed back a lock of her mid-back length waves of black hair as she got up. Taking the time to at least grab her bag in order to be able to leave immediately upon arrival, she smoothed her skirt and walked over to him. As far as she was aware, she was a moderately attractive individual at the very least, somewhat on the slender side. As for her current outfit, it was a fairly simple combination of a white sundress with a couple light blue flowers printed on the left side of her waist, and a pair of 1 inch brown heels. "Excuse me, sir?" She spoke up, clearing her throat. "Would you mind if I took a look at that for you?" As she questioned him, she pointed a finger at his bruised arm.

The man was looking out the window of the train, lost in thought. He had gotten onto the train at the beginning of the day, and it was nearing midnight. Needless to say, he was a bit tired, quite annoyed at the train's slowness. He understood he had gotten in a different country,but wasn't magic meant to make this stuff quicker? Even if he WAS taking one of the cheaper trains...which was obvious, considering it was an older model. Large and kind of blocky, made out of normal metals and woods. Downright primitive compared to the newer ones, comprised of smooth white metal, comprised of a steel-crystal alloy, and gold wood, which was made via using magically infused water to grow trees, cutting them down not with an axe, but verses designed to split the trees apart.

Needless to say, the man knew a bit about magical technology, the alternatively to verses. It was quicker to cast and much easier to use, but not as powerful in most cases. And in most cases it didn't matter, so that was a moot point. The man had always appreciated it, and in another life, he might have made a living working on it. But this was his life, where he used it as a tool.

"Huh?" he suddenly, looking up, seeing a woman talk to him. That was odd, he wasn't the most friendly looking sort. His hair was a mess, brown and gong down to his chin, looking like he hadn't combed it in years. He had well tanned skin, and a decent amount of stubble, with bright blue eyes and a hard face finishing his looks off. He was wearing a heavy,long red jacket, with white accents on the sleeves and bottom of the coat, with a several rivets holding what appeared to be armor parts on the shoulder, a darker red than the rest. Underneath the jacket was a simple black tank-top and olive pants, finished off with black works boots. Oh, and of note was his belt and bracelets, which appeared to part of a set. Made out of red leather with a metal plate, each etched with a different word. "Alive" for one bracelet, "Free" for the other, but oddly enough, whatever was etched onto the belt was crossed out.

"..." He stared at the woman, sighing. He figured it wouldn't have hurt. "Sure." he said, rolling up his sleeve to the elbow, holding out his arm, showing a number of aged scars, forming a contract with the quite recent bruise. "Accident at the train station, nothing major." He explained, his voice deep and gruff.

"Nothing major?" Mandy questioned, her eyes narrowing slightly at her judgement as to the size of the bruise proving to be correct. "I'm honestly surprised you're still moving it, this is not one that can easily be shrugged off. If anything, it should be making it difficult to move," she theorized. Knowing she'll more then likely need a better position, she sat down next to the man. 'Judging by the muscles in the arm, he'll likely be moving it around a lot in the near future. I should compensate for that then,' the woman thought to herself as she reached into her bag. Nodding to herself while pulling out a piece of fabric, she took a breath.

"Begin manifestation," she mumbled, the fabric breaking apart. 'Stone, fire, earth. The form will be a strip of slightly warm matter,' she listed off to herself. The first wavelength of Verses answered, a white mass starting to form as the broken up material came together, a Noun. "Command set." 'The nerves there need to be numbed. Not so much his movements are dulled, just enough to match a weak painkiller.' As the Noun was completed, the second wavelength began its work, etching symbols both on the physical and metaphysical nature of the Noun, the symbols glowing for a moment. "Finalizing Verse," she announced, as the third and final wavelength came into play, coating the bandage Verse in a nearly invisible field as she pumped her mental image of what she wants from the Verse and power into the wavelength. With the Ad applied, she let the bandages descend into her hands. "Hmm, looks like it came out right," she thought out loud, examining the Verse critically.

Verse creation is an exact science, which is why few people actively use them these days. Every step needs to be processed carefully, otherwise it will fail or explode in the caster's face. As a result, they are generally time-consuming and it takes significant practice and studies to gain the knowledge and experience necessary to create even a simple Verse like the one she's holding in a swift enough manner for them to be practical. As a result, it was only common sense to be absolutely certain there is nothing wrong before putting them to use on a person. Satisfied, she started wrapping it around the man's bruise carefully. 'A heated fabric Noun, with a Verb to slightly numb, and an Ad specifically limiting it to where it is wrapped around, this should do it,' the black-haired woman thought. "May I ask what this accident entailed?" She asked the man, the Verse slowly coming into effect. It's hardly the complete effect, but it at least prevents it from being jarring when the numbing effect is fully in play.

"Got pushed int a luggage cart, luggage fell onto me and bruised my arm. Simple as that." The man answered when she asked, watching her work. She was pretty good, to be able to form a verse on a moving train with little to no preparation. The man had to admit, he was impressed at her work, and this was shown on his face. "Not bad, miss." he complimented, giving a nod to the finished work. He hesitated to call it done MASTERFULLY, but there was great skill shown in the Verse, that much was fact. "Judging from your skills and the stuff you have with you... Going to one of the academies over in Sanctirum?" He asked, curious. Not everyday somebody was accepted into one of those, and even less often did somebody manage to stay in one to complete the curriculum. Tough to get into, tough to finish, but those who could had the skills and power to show it. Such people were becoming rarer, at that, as people drifted away from the use of Verses.

"Some people need to be a little more careful," Mandy commented as to how he got his bruise. Of course, she doesn't know whether he meant it was intentional or not, but at the moment she's assuming it wasn't. A slight twitch of the lip was the most visible indication of her approval of the compliment, not vocally responding to instead opt to finish tying the bandage in place. As she checked the knot to ensure it was tight enough without restricting his arm, she answered his question. "That's correct, I have been saving up for years now. Finally saved up enough for my entry and a couple semesters, which should be enough time for me to save up to continue funding my classes." Laying back in the seat, she decided she may as well continue.

"I might not have been able to make enough to get into the most prestigious academy in Sanctirum, but it is at least enough for me to get my foot in the door and complete my studies," the young woman stated. Just a second before she continued, the train started to slow to a stop. The doors nearby slid open, a figure standing in the now open doorway. "It will be difficult, I'm aware. However, I refuse to back down now that I've come this far."

"That's good." The man answered. "Kids these days give up too easily, I've noticed." He said, standing up, noticing the train slowing down.

"Anyways, you have a good life, miss. Good luck at your university." He told her, giving a small salute, heading into the aisle of the train, looking right at the figure.

A tall, metallic figure, with sharp edges and heavy armor. Covered deep blue, the white mark of the Sanctirum Law Enforcement on it's shoulder. A Magically Automated Law Sentry, but most just knew them as cops. This one had a signifying mark, a deep cut cross it's green visor.

"Hey." The man told it, giving a small smirk, holding out his hand, crushing a vial he had taken out of his jacket. A sword formed in his grip, as the police machine's armor shifted into heavy gauntlets.

"Do not try to run this time." The machine said.

"Not making any promises."

And suddenly the two rushed forward, metal meeting metal as sword clashed against gauntlet, the force shattering the windows of the train. The two locked stares, nether being distracted by shards of glass flying pass them.

youtube.com/watch?v=rIvHzg_g8I8

"Stopping the train just for me? I'm so flattered!" The man laughed, ignoring the screams of the passengers, leaping back as the machine threw a punch. He lunged forward, going for a stab, only for the machine to twist out of the way. The man ducked, narrowly missing his head being taken off by a fist as air rushed past him, slamming the bottom of the blade's hilt into the machine side. There was a click as electricity begun to crackle around the sword, the sound of which made the police machine side hop away.

The man charged forward, taking up the offensives, giving a vertical slash. The blade was stopped by the machine grabbing onto it, ignoring the electrical currents rushing though it, pulling it forward to drag the man closer, following it up with a punch to the stomach. The air shot out of the man, his eyes widening at the pain. The machine continued with another punch, only for the man to let go of the sword and drop to his knees to dodge the hit, taking out a dagger and slamming it into a space in between the machine's armor. Taking this chance, he pushed backwards with his legs, putting some distance between them.

"I was hoping I didn't have to do this, since I liked that knife." The man said, panting for breath. "Ah well, what are you gonna do?" He asked, snapping his finger. The dagger begun to glow, it's magic activating. The machine reached for it, but was too slow, as it exploded and filled the train car with smoke. The man covered his mouth with his arm, trying to stop himself from breathing in, as he stepped back, expecting this to give him a moment or so.

He was wrong, as the machine fling forward from the smoke, both arms perfectly intact. "The he-" the man started in disbelief, only for his head to be grabbed and slammed into the wall of the train.

"Thank you," Mandy replied to his words. "You have a nice life as well." It was only seconds afterwards in which the man had greeted the machine, a surprised blink her initial response to him crushing a vial to make a sword. Worry started to seep into her thoughts as they both seemed to be squaring off, their words not helping matters. A startled yelp escaped her throat as they clashed, curling up slightly in an effort to protect her face and most of her vital organs from the flying glass. Straightening up once she couldn't hear any more glass moving about, she unconsciously swallowed her nerves as she took in what was going on. 'What on earth?'

Her thoughts were swiftly derailed from whatever tracks they were going to follow, as a mechanical fist with enough strength to shatter most metals nearly nailing you in the face tends to be distracting. Eyes wide in shock, she sat there in stunned silence as the fight continued on, her brain idly processing what she was seeing. As it did so, she started to catalog details. Namely, that the machine was showing considerably less concern then one would expect from law-enforcement, in that it was putting significantly less effort into not nearly punching bystanders' heads then it was in trying to beat up the man she just bandaged up. Sure, it wasn't being completely reckless, but it wasn't being careful either. As if to prove her point, it was right then that it slammed the man into the side of the train, and she felt herself cringing back slightly in surprise.

"OKAY. NOW YOU CAN FUCK OFF." The man screamed out in pain, grabbing the mechanical cop's arm and pushing it back, dropping himself to his knees. He did a roll, lunging for the sword. He grabbed it, spinning around to re-face the robot. "You....have really pissed me off, you sorry sack of metallic shit! Even as a machine, cops are still just pigs, I guess." He said, taking out another vial and slamming it it into the sword's rather large guard. It was incredibly big, and looked more like a block of metal than a proper hand guard, a tell-tale sign of the type of the sword it was. A machine sword, a weapon made for use with magical vials.

A second vial popped out as the first one pushed into the sword, this one used up. "And if you're a pig, I'll take ya to the damn slaughterhouse!" He slammed the bottom of the sword's handle, the blade bursting into flames. He pointed the weapon forward, muttering under his breath. "Girl." He said suddenly, looking at Mandy, his face plastered with a looking of amusement. "Get ready." He instructed, a magical circle made of light suddenly appearing around the blade. It was impossibly complex, filled with runes and designs only the most masterful of magic users could understand.

"Detonator Shot" He said, his eyes suddenly back to the machine, letting go of the sword's handle as it shot forward, flying like a bullet though the air, the heat of the blade distorting the air and catching fire to the green leather seats of the train, filling the air with black smoke and a smell to match.

What it did to the machine, however, the man did not know, as he suddenly rushed over towards Mandy. In a single fluid motion, he grabbed onto her, gripped onto the window, and threw himself and the girl out, using momentum to flip themselves on top of the train. He broke into a run, still carrying her, jumping to the next train car. "Okay, okay, okay. This will get us a few seconds, at most." He said, putting her down, taking out a second dagger and giving it to her. "Here. There's an exit hatch on this car. Use this to force it up, and get to safety."

'A machine sword?' The part of Mandy's brain that was still somehow calmly analyzing the scene playing out before her noted this detail, and then proceeded to try deciphering the magic circle that appeared for the attack. While she couldn't understand the array, she actually could pick out some of the runes, and even recognize them. Even if she knew those runes however, she still couldn't piece together what they were doing to the sword, since they were spaced too far away from each other for her to piece together the entire thing. Of course, she didn't have to figure out the end result, as the entire sword rocketed towards the machine.

As she was a bit busy trying to figure out the array at the time, she hadn't heard the man when he told her to get ready. As a result, she (and she would vehemently deny it later) squeaked slightly in surprise when she was lifted and pulled out of the car. 'What is even going on? How did all this happen, and why so quickly?' She asked in her head, starting to come out of her shock. Enough so that when he handed her a dagger and told her to get to safety, she was able to nod. "A-Alright," the student replied, mentally cursing herself for stammering. Of course, it was while she started trying to pry the exit hatch open that she realized she still had a death grip on her bag. 'Well... At least I'm not down to just the clothes on my back, she thought sardonically, noting her dress had gotten a bit torn from all the glass flying around, a little blood coming from tiny cuts she got in that mess.

The man turned back to the other car, idly noting the fact they were nearing Sanctirum. They could be good for him, if the police machine didn't want to make a scene. It could be terrible for him, if It decided a scene was quite alright and called in reinforcements. He moved a hand though his hair with a sigh, taking out a small dagger. He would just have to end this quickly, slamming the bottom of the dagger's cylinder like handle as he heard metal being ripped apart, the machine staring at him with his green visor as it climbed on top the train car.

If the man didn't know matter, he would have thought the machine was glaring at him.

"Enough." It warned. The man gave the most subtle of flinches at this, subconsciously stepping back. After all, there were many things one did want to hear, and a robot showing emotion in their voice was one of them. Especially when that emotion was anger. It gripped a hold of the mechanical sword impaled in it's chest, tearing it out, sounds of metal grinding against metal filling the air and silver liquid pouring out of the machine's damage torso. "Evidence." It noted, pointing the sword towards the man. "Of your crimes, and soon, of your death."

"Not very professional for a cop." The man muttered, gritting his teeth. "If you think I'm going to let yo-"

"It doesn't matter what you let me do. You're powerless to prevent me from doing it." The machine interrupted, walking towards him. It pulled back the sword, and charged forward, and the man could swore the machine was smirking at him. "Goodbye, Unit-V." Despite the cold, mechanical sounding voice, it still sounded pleased.

"Uh. Well. Fuck you too, jackass!" He shot back, driving forward and stabbing the machine with the dagger, plunging it into the existing torso wound. His body begun to shake, his skin paled, as silver "fuel" covered his hands. If this didn't work, he was dead. He tried to ignore the fact that the machine had shown that there of a chance of him being dead even of it did work. "You're one stressful son of a bitch, you know that?" He told the cop, looking up at it's face and smirking.

It said nothing, simply raising the sword. If the fool wanted to try something as ridiculous as stabbing as his final attempt at victory, then let him. A bit disappointing, but it was to be expected by such a man.

The machine's thoughts were interrupted, as a golden brown glow escaped from his chest. This proved to be the distraction needed, as the criminal jumped back, his speed allowing him to easily escape the machine's grabs. "What did you do?" It asked, feeling magic attach to it's metal body.

"You know, nothing much. A tracking spell mixed with some earth element. I believe they used such a thing to build walls of earth back in the Marker War?" The man casually explained, a pleased look covering his face when he heard it. The rumbling of the earth, then the sound of groaning metal, as a spike of ground shot upwards, stabbing though the train flooring, then roofing, before striking the machine. It impaled it, tearing though blue armor as though it was paper, despite the robotic cop's attempt to lunge forward to dodge or, the man was guessing, to grab him and pull him into the spike as well.

He stumbled, as the train car was forcibly ripped from the rest of the. He looked back, and his pleased look faltered, replaced by a terrified one. Though it had been stopped, the machine's green visor still glowed, directed squarely towards the man. "If that thing doesn't kill me at the end of this, it'll be a damn miracle...."

---
"You alright?" He asked, dropping into the train car and finding Mandy, hoping beyond hope she wouldn't notice how pale he was. He had won, yes, but only due to being lucky, and he knew that. If that spell had activated even a second later, he would have been dead by his own sword. Add the fact that didn't even finish the mechanical law enforcement, and this "Unit-V" was silently thanking whatever gods would listen.

"Y-Yeah," Mandy stammered, panting as she started to ride down the adrenaline high she was suffering from. Glancing over at this 'Unit-V', she couldn't help but notice a couple details. The first is how pale he was, making him look very much the image of a shaken man. The other detail? That he looked so incredibly tired, as if he hadn't had any proper rest in days. Glancing at her bag, she made a quick decision. Reaching in, she pulled out something, and tossed it to the man.

When he reflexively caught it, he noticed that she had tossed a canned espresso. A chilled canned espresso, as if fresh out of a fridge instead of a bag. "Take it," the black-haired woman told him. "My heart's still beating too fast for caffeine right now, I'm not nearly as physically active as you seem to be, and you look like you need it more anyway." Staring at the pocket she pulled the can out of for a second, she fought down the urge to pull out a can of her own and closed her bag up. "Now, I have a question." Taking a deep breath, she tried to calm down just a little more before she continued. And failed.

"What did you do?!" She shouted, arms flailing in panic. "Why was that machine chasing you? Why was it so reckless with so many people around?" The questions just came out rapid-fire, not unlike a machine gun really. And she had every reason to panic right now, since what she saw of that fight? It was like the machine was the cop from hell or something.

"Thanks." Vincent said, grabbing the can, gulping it down without a moment's hesitation, throwing it to the side, giving an amused look at the panicking girl. He totally ignored everybody else staring at him, as it would be rude and impolite to not give attention to the person asking him question. He yawned, sitting down on a train seat, crossing his arms and propping his legs up on the seat across the aisle. He smirked at the girl, shrugging. "Fine. I like ya, so I'll answer." He cleared his throat, and begun to explain.

"I used a spell to form a spike out of earth. It stabbed through the train, and then the machine. It ripped off the back car of the train, and now it's probably trying to get it's body off the spike. It was chasing me because it's a law enforcement machine, and I have broken a LOT of laws. It was reckless because of biting commentary on law enforcement, I guess... or this isn't the first time me and it have rumbled, and it kind of hates my guts. Yeah, I made a unfeeling machine hate, hold your applause. And before you ask your next question, yes, I am incredibly handsome and manly, and extremely brave for fighting it, thank you noticing." He said with a grin, rubbing his chin. It was true he was tired as hell, but he was filled with adrenaline and joy that he had survived that fight. "And, I guess, technically, you're an accomplice. Whoops. Ah, don't worry about it." He told her, smirking as he looked out the window.

"Just....make sure you mention you don't know who I am, alright?" He told her, giving her a serious look. "I'm a very wanted man, and I wouldn't want a good girl like you to get in trouble because she thought she was helping out. Kindness like that doesn't need to be punished, and I would regret if I'm the reason it is."

Mandy just gave him the flattest look she could at his calling himself 'handsome and brave', which was actually quite impressively flat expression considering how she was having a panic attack just a moment ago. "I wasn't going to ask that," she told him, voice just as flat. 'Oh would you look at that, I'm reaching the shock stage,' she snarked in her head. And then he dropped the bomb of her being seen as an accomplice, which promptly pushed her past shock and right back into panic. If that happens, her spot in the academy might be revoked, all that time and effort to pay for schooling rendered pointless, she would have to go home in shame. and that's not even taking into account things like that robot earlier. She could hear her blood pounding in her ears as she tried to force herself to calm down, with only minor success.

At this point, some people would be desiring a glass of alcohol of some description. Mandy on the other hand, had a similar but different thought. 'Fuck it, I am having some coffee.' With that thought, she reached into her bag to pull out a second can, popped open the top, and then promptly downed it. She completely paid no mind to the looks she was getting for her reaction, nor did she care right now that this cannot be healthy for her heart when she was just having a second panic attack. Because right now, she just was not caffeinated enough for this shit. So, after having a couple seconds to drink the chilled coffee and calm herself down further, she chose that point to favor the man with a particularly irate glare. "What, the hell, did you do?" She growled.

Before he could even open his mouth, she raised a finger and narrowed her eyes further. "And don't be a smartass and repeat what you just said. What, exactly, did you do to have them sic Satan's metal-clad cop on you?"
"I'm a terrorist," the man replied without hesitation.
It was at this point that Mandy slowly turned her head to look at the skewered and quite on-fire train car that got left behind, before she turned back to him with a dry look of 'no shit, Sherlock.'