The Stinger Snipe [training]

Junior Member

Dante Florencia

I JOINED ON January 1970. I'VE MADE 79 POSTS. I AM A SEXY Male.

The Stinger Snipe [training] Jan 10, 2014 8:49:28 GMT -5

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Post by Dante Florencia on Jan 10, 2014 8:49:28 GMT -5

† DANTE FLORENCIA †

Dante gave out an amused sigh and shook his head in response to the young woman’s answer. “If only physics were that simple, miss; and I could already imagine something like that being done if only we had the technological capability and deeper understanding of material science,” he explained with slight dismay. However, he noticed that his female companion’s voice held genuine eagerness behind it so he decided to elucidate his point further.

“To explain it in simpler terms, for your bullet to do what you want it to do, it would first need some sort of remote-control mechanism with which you could direct its new trajectory with in case you missed. Second, your bullet must also continue to spin at high velocity in order to maintain its inherent kinetic energy and also provide for a system with which it could replenish its energy to maintain its spin. Lastly, you would need another kinetic charge to propel the projectile into its new trajectory, which could probably come from your energy restoration system where it could use the surplus energy as a new primer,”

He paused for a moment and took a look at the young woman before him. For a possibly deranged beauty, she was not half-bad. Most other girls he met would rather talk about clothes, politics, or traveling whereas this treasure of a woman actually wanted to hear what he had to say regarding scientific theories and ballistic design. She was strange, but in a good way.

Dante continued. “And before you ask, miss, all of those have not yet been developed as far as we know. If they were, mark my words when I say that bouncing bullets would be the least of your worries. Think along the lines of remote-controlled miniature kill-bots that could recycle kinetic energy and remain in a stationary position until you tell them to fire at a new angle or even a new target. You would probably get two to three shots with it before you run out of juice to combat gravity with sheer angular momentum, but in the end, you would manage to take out three birds with one stone.”

After a somewhat lengthy, yet simple, explanation, the Italian now raised his TAR-21 and seamlessly transitioned into the original topic after he had addressed the woman’s question. “This baby, on the other hand, does something a little more primitive than your bullet idea, but provide for the same level of satisfaction: it recycles its own energy to propel it forward and deal catastrophic damage,” he said and trained his sights on the nearest tree he could find: a sturdy Japanese Tree Lilac. “Watch closely.”

The young man pulled back the trigger as the first Stinger round left the muzzle of the gun and sped towards the tree bark. It hit the body with great force, its silicon carbide tip burying the projectile inside the bark before the small coin-sized bullet hole exploded into two times that size and rustled the Tree Lilac hard enough to shake a few leaves. It was here that Dante explained the mechanics behind a Stinger round, from the gunpowder kick-charge to the moment of detonation once the bullet had successfully hit its intended target; all doing so by using simple language anyone can understand because he wanted the woman to understand.

As he told his female companion the basics of the Stinger, he was not afraid that the secret to the Stinger would be stolen – after all, they did not have the chemical formula for the bullet’s special rocket fuel which would ensure that the deadly bullet did not explode prematurely, something which conventional rocket fuel notoriously did. Yes, their competitors could try, but in the end, they would only end up killing themselves and lessen the competition for the Florencias – a tactic which should be worth noting to hedge off small-fry who would even think of challenging his family’s reign on the arms industry.

And then Dante’s mind came up with this strange, but fun idea—

“But I guess you would not really appreciate my simple explanation without actually testing a few out yourself, huh?” The man switched the gun’s safety on and presented it to the young woman. “So here, how about firing off a few rounds and see for yourself what the power of recycling could do?”

"Secrecy is its own security."

Last Edit: Jan 10, 2014 8:54:07 GMT -5 by Dante Florencia

Junior Member

Saegusa Kotone

I JOINED ON January 1970. I'VE MADE 76 POSTS. I AM A SEXY Female.

HEILIGER DER LICHTSTRAHLEN

The Stinger Snipe [training] Jan 14, 2014 18:39:19 GMT -5

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Post by Saegusa Kotone on Jan 14, 2014 18:39:19 GMT -5

As Kotone listened to Dante's explanation, she compared his theory to her own. She noticed an astounding similarity, but kept quiet about it.

Her main problem was trying to control a remote node of her own spiritual energy. Kotone has, obviously, never attempted such a thing.

As he fired the round, Kotone noticed the effect looked more like a jackhammer than an actual bullet. However, she did get an idea of how much destructive power the bullet had.

When she was handed the firearm, she did as she was told, first taking a steady position, then switching the safety off. She then aimed at the tree next to the previously targeted tree, then pulled the trigger. She seemed to actually have enough knowledge of firearms to aim and shoot one, and handle recoil.

Bang!

Kotone instantly switched focus onto the bullet itself as it was set free. Could she perceive something as fast as a bullet? Amazingly, the answer was 'nearly'. After all, being a Quincy meant you had to be able to dodge anything by reflex in order to keep your distance.

That was when she finally understood the man's explanation.

"So it's like a bullet in a bullet..."

She already had a good idea of what she had to do. Flipping the safety back on, she handed it back.

"Thanks, that was... an eye opener." She commented as she did so. If she wanted to get back to her original goals, however, she would need some time alone.

She wasn't sure if she would, though, so she simply kept up her interactions with the man.

Last Edit: Jan 14, 2014 18:40:53 GMT -5 by Saegusa Kotone

Junior Member

Dante Florencia

I JOINED ON January 1970. I'VE MADE 79 POSTS. I AM A SEXY Male.

The Stinger Snipe [training] Jan 15, 2014 18:48:19 GMT -5

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Post by Dante Florencia on Jan 15, 2014 18:48:19 GMT -5

† DANTE FLORENCIA †

The Italian’s eyes flew wide open in surprise when his female companion assumed the steady position and fired off the first round which hit the adjacent tree just as squarely as his own shot did. While it was obvious in his discerning eyes that her posture lacked the rigid finesse that was expected of by the Florencia family’s standards, it was obvious that the young woman clearly had some manner of fire arms experience – shooting a bow, at the very least. Dante liked what he saw, and more and more, his initial impression of her as a ‘lunatic’ started to become overshadowed by his growing admiration of the woman’s unusual, but amusing quirks.

When the woman finished and presented his gun back to him, Dante was a little hesitant taking it away from her. Why would he want it to end so soon when he just found an incredibly interesting talent from his companion? Moreover, this was only the second time in his twenty-three years of life that he had met such a beautiful woman who can shoot a gun just as good as she looks, and the first time meeting one who was just a civilian. In a nutshell, he wanted to spend more time with the woman and allow her the opportunity to drop another bombshell onto his bunker.

Just as his hand reached out to get a hold of the TAR-21’s frame, his cellular phone rang out to the tone of ‘his parents’ theme song’, or so they say. It was relatively old, but it had a nice beat to it and the lyrics somewhat described his father and mother’s respective situations prior to finally coming together forever. Sure, being a former mercenary and a servant was something not usually called a ‘normal situation’ by conventional standards since it was more the plot of a romance novel than an actual relationship, but in the end, it made Dante's parents' love story interesting enough to leave an indelible mark upon their youngest child’s head. A song for difficult relationships he thought to himself in jest and took out his phone to answer it.

The person on the other line did not need any introduction to Dante because it was the soft and gentle voice he had been blessed to hear on an almost daily basis for most of his life. “Good morning to you as well, mom,” he replied, his voice and expression filled with a genuine look of happiness. Dante loved his parents and did not mind showing it in front of other people because there was nothing wrong or embarrassing with it. “Yeah, I am testing out guns now; yes, I arrived safely; and no, I have not checked my e-mail yet. I will now though – just give me a minute.”

Dante covered his cellular phone’s transceiver and turned his attention back to the other woman. “It looks like I would have to leave you two for a little while. Pardon my bluntness, however, but I will leave my gun with you; until then, feel free to shoot to your heart’s content, miss,” he said and bowed apologetically before the man headed back to his Ford Explorer about one and a half kilometers away, leaving the woman and Mana alone, who unbeknownst to Dante, still had her kitsune form pinned close to the woman.

With Dante’s departure, Mana instinctively cuddled closer to the new person whom her partner considered a friend. It was both a sign of affection and an effective way of getting to know the woman through her distinct scent which was similar to that of spring lavenders. She gently caressed the woman’s hand and whispered into her ear an idea which she might find interesting. It might have not been that way, but in her silence, Mana listened to every single bit of the conversation the two of them had.

“Dante’s talk of a tinkerer’s wizardry and human alchemy does not seem to surpass such a simple problem. Why not just attach strings to the projectile and direct it as a puppeteer would a marionette? Surely a sufficiently long enough string could allow one to direct the movement of one’s arrows, right?” she said as-a-matter-of-factly like it was just that simple.

"Secrecy is its own security."

Last Edit: Jan 15, 2014 19:08:13 GMT -5 by Dante Florencia

Junior Member

Saegusa Kotone

I JOINED ON January 1970. I'VE MADE 76 POSTS. I AM A SEXY Female.

HEILIGER DER LICHTSTRAHLEN

The Stinger Snipe [training] Jan 19, 2014 22:04:39 GMT -5

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Post by Saegusa Kotone on Jan 19, 2014 22:04:39 GMT -5

"Okay, I'll just wait here for you, then."

The man named Dante made his excuses and left, leaving her with the gun. She wasn't entirely sure what to do with it, considering what she wanted to do in her "alone" time didn't require one.

Still, though, she repeated the process once more, taking aim, shooting, then watching the bullet's stages of operation again. It was then she answered to the Kitsune.

"Yes, a string could definitely help you steer an arrow." She started with an agreement, despite knowing all the reasons that made it a difficult task.

"Except, I don't... well, use arrows. It's more like a string of light." To prove her point, she grasped her necklace. In response, a bright blue light shone through her hand, materializing into a rectangular panel of translucent blue.

"'Dante'-san may talk about human physics to great lengths, but, unfortunately, not -all- of it applies when it comes to spirit physics." She started to explain.

"The differences are far too great for me to begin comprehending them all. Here's an example..."

Switching the safety on, Kotone placed the firearm on the ground. With a breath, she generated six balls of light in front of her.

"...These are my 'arrows'."

Visually, she aimed at the trees with the dents made by previously fired bullets. With a single motion, all six balls turned into beams of light, distributed evenly between the three trees. Together, two columns made a hole in every tree, going straight through them in a show of power before dissipating.

"As you may have guessed, attaching a string to this simply won't work. However, there are things you can do with regular spiritual energy that you can't do otherwise. One of these functions is sensing it, and the other is controlling it." Kotone put the Kitsune's theory down.

"Of course, if I tried something similar to the actual Stinger bullet, we'd get this." Kotone never tried it, but she was here to experiment anyway, so why not?

Taking aim again, Kotone spawned four balls of light, each directly in front of the other. Here goes.

The result was a singular beam of light that completely annihilated anything in it's way, leaving only fallen branches and leaves... and a stump. Thankfully, no one was around to sue her for deforestation.

"...Aaaand that's what you get... I guess..." Kotone commented, in awe of her own result. She noted the results and moved on quickly.

"...Now let's try the real thing: A mid-air redirecting projectile."

This time she tried to execute it for real. She poured spiritual energy and spiritual particles into a single basketball-sized sphere, then took aim.

Fire!

The initial shot was always the easy one. She held back the spiritual energy in the projectile as it fired, causing it to transport through a beam of light to a second point, some ten meters down the makeshift firing range. She was able to control her range and trajectory without very much trouble, but the next step was the hardest part.

She could feel her own energy in the ball ten meters away, but could she control it? She reached an open hand out towards it, trying to direct it. She managed to connect to the ball, but doing anything with it was quite the difficulty.

Still, she managed to do it with sheer willpower, spiritual particles swirling around the shrinking ball to compensate for the "lost weight". Then, with more effort, she managed to give it a new trajectory and shoot it out again. This time it was curved trajectory, drawing an "S" shape to another point a total of twenty meters away from her. This way she can test the maximum range and number of shots she had. The original projectile had now shrunk to the size of a tennis ball, so Kotone suspected she only had enough for one more shot.

Again, she tried to reach out to the hovering projectile. It was much harder this time, as if she was trying to keep a kite steady against a strong current of wind. Was it possible? The gathering spiritual particles around the ball indicated it was.

Even more concentration later, she managed to shoot the last shot, aimed directly forwards. This time, she aimed to stretch it as far as she could, managing to reach a total of a fifty-meter range in three shots before it finally dispersed.

Panting, she leaned backwards, falling to the ground if the Kitsune did not support her. Theoretically, if she managed all three shots at maximum range, she could attain up to a 150-meter range.

Which would be great if controlling a single one was not so impractical at the moment.

Anyway, since the man called "Dante" could be returning any time soon, she deactivated Lichtfluss and waited for his return. He might be more than a little surprised at what seemed to be the remains of trees in a line that had a good chunk of them vaporized.

SPOILER: Click to show

Stinger Snipe: A new form of Heilig Pfeil. First, an extra-large ball of light made of a mix of reiryoku and reishi is spawned. It is then aimed and fired as a beam of light, usually in a curved or snaking trajectory, piercing multiple targets at once. At the end of it's range, or once it hits an obstacle it cannot pass, the reiryoku activates and gathers the reishi around it, effectively re-charging itself. It can then be aimed and re-fired from it's new position, repeating the process. This technique lasts for three turns (one shot per turn if fired to max range), and regular Heilig Pfeil can be fired alongside it. Kotone can control a maximum of three of these "Stingers" at any time.
Lichtlanze (Lance of Light): An attack created by merging several regular Heilig Pfeil to achieve synergy. Creating several balls of light in a line pointed at the enemy, the trajectories of the beams are connected into a single line. This creates a thick, powerful, beam of light with far greater speed, power and range than the same number of beams shot from different angles at the same point. The greater the number, the more powerful the beam, but this technique suffers from diminishing returns, and any more than ten is impractical.

Last Edit: Feb 15, 2014 0:43:29 GMT -5 by Saegusa Kotone

Junior Member

Dante Florencia

I JOINED ON January 1970. I'VE MADE 79 POSTS. I AM A SEXY Male.

The Stinger Snipe [training] Jan 28, 2014 21:07:51 GMT -5

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Post by Dante Florencia on Jan 28, 2014 21:07:51 GMT -5

† DANTE FLORENCIA †

The falling body of the woman felt light as a feather when Mana caught the latter with two of her nine tails that crooked itself into a make-shift fur hammock for the tired young lady. To think that this beautiful specimen of femininity held such destructive prowess surprised Mana in as much as it did when Dante had acknowledged her just minutes before. If she had any doubts of the strange ki she felt from the woman before, this was her confirmation as to what exactly that energy was.

Mana had seen it before, back when she was still known by her old name, Fuyu no Miyuki, when it had been displayed by a man who had once trained deep in the mountains along with what she presumed to be his son, a handsome young boy with hair as white as her fur. They called themselves ‘Quincy’, or some such title, and they utilized arcane weapons made of light and thunder in the shape of bows. It was the only instance where she had seen such supernatural prowess unfold before her eyes since Mana was never able to see them again after that unexpected encounter.

From what she had seen from back then and the sight that transpired before her, it was apparent to her then that the two humans she had seen in the past were not the only ones who possessed such abilities to channel the powers from beyond and fashion them to their bidding. This woman before the kitsune now, however, was similar yet different from those two from that time; and while both obviously harnessed the same energy, they utilized it in a different manner. Of course, compared to those two, the young lady was significantly weaker; but what she lacked in strength she more than made up in versatility, as what can be gleamed from the destruction she had just caused.

“Well, you are certainly not a photographer like Dante perceives you to be,” she said in a most nonchalant tone that served only as willingly stating the obvious as an acknowledgement of the young woman’s abilities.

While it could be argued that Mana was likewise capable of vast destruction, as a naturally impartial being much like her partner, she would rather stay in the sidelines than to commit herself to a ruinous endeavor when she did not feel the need to, especially if it would just be to match the woman’s level of devastation. After all, Mana was not one who bothered to judge humans and their works so long as it did not interfere with her own – it was something that her long life taught her and a belief she similarly shares with her partner, even if the latter was oblivious to it. Some may call their mindsets apathy or indifference, but at least from Mana’s point of view, being detached from one’s personal feelings in their line of work is a standard.

Dante’s words from long ago rang inside Mana’s head while she cradled the woman with her tails. Weapon manufacturers are like bartenders; regardless of who comes through the doors, it is our duty to treat them with respect and equality, be he a saint or be he Satan. A customer’s privacy is his own right – we are only here to provide what he wants. It made sense to her, but somehow, Mana still felt that Dante’s melancholic expression at that time told her otherwise. Maybe someday he would share it with her, but until that day, Mana was content to stay by his side as the cutest pet an arms dealer has ever had.

"Secrecy is its own security."

“Dear sister…,” a voice repeated as it echoed from the row of destroyed trees. It started off as little more than mewling at first, but as time went by, the voice gradually became more ominous until it had finally reached an audible level. Mana immediately reacted to it and shot her gaze to the area where the woman had just demonstrated her immense power to see a mass of pitch-black miasma forming and the figure of a light-brown kyuubi with a bone-white face manifesting from it. Mana could not believe her own eyes; it her own sister, Natsumi—

—and she was now a nogistune.

Upon seeing her beloved sister’s eyes gaze back at her after a long time apart, Natsumi could not help but grin cheerfully. Every fiber in her body tingled with excitement and ecstasy, a fact that reflected upon the dark miasma behind her showed as it pulsated with colors back and forth from pitch-black to deep purple. How long had she waited for this moment: running away from the shrine, preying scores of people – both good and evil – and eating their livers to make her stronger, to even challenging the island’s local god in an effort to subrogate him and control her own piece of territory for her purpose – everything she ever did was only for this reunion. Now, it was hers.

“Dear sister, I finally found you~” she said in a sickeningly sweet tone which sent shivers down Mana’s spine. She still could not believe how her own sister, one of the most devout of all of Inari’s and Tamamo-sama’s servants, could fall so far from grace and become the very thing she once hated so passionately. At the back of her mind, however, Mana knew that it was most likely because of her disappearance that she became this way as she sat frozen with eyes locked wide open.

It was her own fault that her sister had now become a demon.

Last Edit: Jan 28, 2014 21:16:27 GMT -5 by Dante Florencia

Junior Member

Saegusa Kotone

I JOINED ON January 1970. I'VE MADE 76 POSTS. I AM A SEXY Female.

HEILIGER DER LICHTSTRAHLEN

The Stinger Snipe [training] Feb 4, 2014 8:01:24 GMT -5

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Post by Saegusa Kotone on Feb 4, 2014 8:01:24 GMT -5

Caught by the fluffy fur of the Kitsune's tails, Kotone rested silently.

Or rather, she would have.

Kotone's rest was cut short by the arrival of a very dark spiritual pressure. If there was a pinnacle of dark intent, this would be it. Instantly, as if on reaction, Kotone's Lichtfluss activated and Blut Arterie kicked into high gear.

This dark presence was cutting her nap short, and she didn't like it. Using solely her spiritual pressure sensing, she locked onto this "sister fox" as she got up off the makeshift bed.

There would be no delay, not even time for an introduction. Immediately thirty balls of reishi were gathered, spawning like the kitsunebi in the darkness that was the nogitsune's presence. They were organised into three lines of ten spheres, all of these lines pointed at the source of this presence.

And Kotone would not give it time to dodge.

Instantly, each sphere would form into a beam of light, starting from the back of the line going straight forward in a flash, like a chain reaction. The result was three large rays of light that would dispel the darkness and replace it with a crater.

That was, of course, assuming the darkness was still there.

"What do you two take me for? An Onmyōji?" Kotone questioned. Interrupting her break time was not a good idea.

"Sorry to ruin the family reunion, but I'm not one of 'em."

Junior Member

Dante Florencia

I JOINED ON January 1970. I'VE MADE 79 POSTS. I AM A SEXY Male.

The Stinger Snipe [training] Feb 4, 2014 22:51:37 GMT -5

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Post by Dante Florencia on Feb 4, 2014 22:51:37 GMT -5

Just as a great philosopher once noted: ‘the greater the light, the larger the shadow’. Those very words held true in the case of Natsumi who, due to the radiant light that was her deep love for her lost sister, cast a shadow so great that it drove the once devout kitsune past the point of no return. In the time she had desperately searched for Mana, she came across people from all walks of life, from pariahs to villains; but nevertheless devoured them all the same. Power had become her drug, and since that time, she never thought to stop because everything was for Mana – her soul included.

Eventually, Natsumi grew tired of stalking human prey and decided to eat a god in order to expedite her meteoric rise to power. She managed to gain a foothold in a small island where she challenged the deity, but in the end, Natsumi lost and was sealed in a tree. That was, of course, until a certain young woman practiced her mystic arts and set her free from her prison. Of course, being sealed up for so long had drained her of a lion’s share of her original power so the nogitsune expected that she would be unable to make use of most of her powers; most, but not all.

The light from the young lady who had freed her from her imprisonment tore through the shadows and illuminated her severely weakened, yet no less elegant, form and completely incinerated her body as it did the nearby woodland in the surrounding area, leaving only a crater of barren earth and charred soil. It was similar as the god’s weapon that had defeated her, but only to that extent. Had she been at her peak, she might have as easily shrugged off such an attack as she could eliminate her liberator by ripping out her throat. Nevertheless, such power would not be enough to kill; after all, she is the shadow incarnate, and although the radiant light can banish her, she will always remain, as is the nature of a shadow.

“Fufufufu~,” the female disembodied voice laughed in amusement. “The brighter the light, the longer the shadow,” commented the fox. “So long as light exists, the dark will exist alongside it.”

In the instant her ghostly voice finished her last syllable, the sky above her seemingly shattered as a massive bone-faced entities draped in black poured in from the void. When the entity came to the colossal creature stood nearly as tall as a modern skyscraper, with a lanky frame which ran in direct contrast with its exaggerated physique. Two face-shaped masks adorned its chest in place of what should be a neck and a head while bones protrude from the entity’s flesh and designed to look like crude armor sets. In its solar plexus area was a transparent dark-orange orb that glowed ominously like a nightlight – a mark made of Natusmi’s ethereal energy which distinguished it from the other Men as a nogitsune’s familiar.

With a hearty chuckle, Natsumi explained this strange occurrence. It was the least she could do considering that she planned on letting it loose upon them. “Sister, do you remember what Tamamo-sama taught us? Human beings who have lived a life away from Nirvana would be cursed to wander as Men as punishment and that they should be avoided when possible,” she said sweetly. “I never really understood why we had to abandon these poor creatures, so I took one in and made it my own. Allow me to introduce you my Men, Shite!”

As if acting in cue, Shite extended both of his hands and shot forth two lances of crimson light aimed directly at the woman and Mana with the intent of paying back what the former did to the creature’s mistress. She knew that the kitsune would be able to survive it. She could not say the same for the woman, however.

† DANTE FLORENCIA †

It took Mana a while to snap out of her trance, but when she did, she did so at the exact moment her sister’s Men was about to unleash an attack. Natsumi always had the problem of talking too much and Mana regularly chastised her for it because it was conduct unbecoming of a scribe of Inari. This time, however, she thanked Inari for her sister’s quirk since it allowed her enough time to gather her wits and protect the young lady she was with.

With a simple swipe of her tail, Mana effortlessly swatted away the two attacks as if they were flies. To her shock, however, the kitsune saw her precious partner running back to them, and in his way, the two powerful beams of light she had just parried to protect herself and their lady-friend. Her heart stopped while her eyes could only await the inevitable meeting of Dante and the lances. With her action, she inadvertently killed the most precious person she had in her life.

Or so she thought.

“Mana; miss photographer, are you okay?! I heard explosions!” screamed Dante as he powered through the fields, running as fast as his feet could take him. Since he did not have the ability to see spirits, he was completely oblivious to the danger that had just threatened his life nor did he see that those same lances that would have normally killed any human being instantly disappear as soon as they came close to his person. They did not even explode nor dissipate; rather, in the blink of an eye, they simply ceased to exist.

Mana’s eyes widened even more while her mouth hung agape, a mix of elation and shock mixing in her heart in response to what she just witnessed first-hand. The same reaction was also painted upon Natsumi’s face who, for her part, was baffled at what had just transpired. Her eyes saw everything, but even with that, she could not even explain it. Not in more than a hundred years of her life did she ever see something of such instance happen – it was that shocking. In fact, she was so flabbergasted that Natsumi did not even notice Dante reach the two women – well, one young woman and one Arctic fox from his point of view – and ask them if they were alright, subsequently checking on them for any signs of injury. The arms dealer sighed in relief when he saw none.

“Damn, what happened here?” exclaimed Dante and scanned the area for any sign of enemy attack, but found none. All he saw were the scorched earth, ashen trees, and a sooty mist that hung over the destroyed patch of earth – residual smoke from all the destruction, he surmised. The glowing red haze floating in the sky, however, unnerved the young man because he knew that it was not the sun that was being obscured by the supposed fog of war. He had seen the battlefield sun under the blanket of black smoke so he knew that the sphere he was seeing was not it.

The Italian stood in alert. “So… I am guessing that that is the thing that caused this…” he remarked. Of course, he did not even know what exactly the thing is so he did not know if it was a new weapon or a UFO. All he knew was that, if that floating orb of light caused the damage he saw plainly saw before him, they were in for a seriously one-sided battle. But still, Dante remained cool, calm, and collected even in such a potentially dire situation.

“Hey, Navi,” he addressed the orb not knowing that it was only part of a larger unseen entity, “if you are looking for Link, you are way too far from Hyrule to find him!” he exclaimed with a confident smirk. It was wort a shot; and if the Legend of Zelda reference did not get it, Dante had another joke he wanted to pitch. A killer one.

"Secrecy is its own security."

Junior Member

Saegusa Kotone

I JOINED ON January 1970. I'VE MADE 76 POSTS. I AM A SEXY Female.

HEILIGER DER LICHTSTRAHLEN

The Stinger Snipe [training] Feb 5, 2014 11:30:57 GMT -5

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Post by Saegusa Kotone on Feb 5, 2014 11:30:57 GMT -5

Kotone watched as the intruder vanished, trying to pull some intimidating speech about why it won't just stay down.

Well I am the light and my job is not to destroy all shadow. It's to keep shining.

But before she could turn away and leave, a large creature of black spawned, tall enough to be classified as Menos Grande, but not quite. It attacked them, and Kotone prepared to defend...

...But the Kitsune interrupted, swiping it towards...

Well he definitely took his damn time.

At that moment, Kotone did not truly fear for the man's life, as she believed that for such a legendary spirit to be protecting the man, he had to have something different about him. Something that could attract that legendary creature.

And Kotone's suspicions were proven right. Sure, Kotone herself could not explain the phenomenon, but she came to this island to comprehend the possible range of her own abilities, not someone else's.

To be honest, Kotone believed that she alone could destroy their adversary. However, this adversary belonged to the kitsune's business (though Kotone was partly at fault for drawing it out) and Kotone still had tasks left unfinished that she would certainly need her energy for.

Thus, she and the kitsune had one thing to do: Turn tail(s) and get out of there.

"Three things: One, I am not a photographer. Two, Navi is blue, not red.

And three: Things are happening that we should not be close to, and it's time to get our tails out of here." Kotone spoke quickly and calmly. Right after she spoke, she would shoot a look at the Kitsune, whispering in a low tone:

"It appears your man right here has Divine Protection, and it's better we use that to get out of here and deal with her and her lackeys when you get more privacy."

Junior Member

Dante Florencia

I JOINED ON January 1970. I'VE MADE 79 POSTS. I AM A SEXY Male.

The Stinger Snipe [training] Feb 5, 2014 22:51:36 GMT -5

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Post by Dante Florencia on Feb 5, 2014 22:51:36 GMT -5

† DANTE FLORENCIA †

In situations where one is forced to face an opponent and knows not his capacity, Sun Tzu explicitly stated that a tactical retreat would be a better option than risk losing a majority of one’s forces in a confrontation. The philosopher did not describe it as cowardice for the father of strategic warfare, despite always preaching the lesson of always knowing one’s opponent before one faces him, is not above actual reality to entirely disregard the existence of rare instances where an opponent would simply appear out of nowhere to aid an enemy army. In the same manner, Dante followed his master’s logic and nodded when the woman had proposed for them to do as Sun Tzu taught in his works.

“Good idea, Ms. I-am-not-a-photographer,” he said with a teasing smirk, “but allow me to reveal a facet of myself as well since we are all confessing our feelings now.”

Without losing a beat, Dante quickly picked up the case of unspent Stinger rounds and threw it high into the air at the floating dark-orange orb. The Italian then quickly grabbed hold of the assault rifle that his female companion had dropped onto the grass out of justified neglect and rapidly set his sights at the lead-lined brief case and pulled the trigger. His stance was solid while his eyes were sharp and knife-like – tell-tale signs of a military-trained gunman, if the woman’s eyes were fast enough to discern the minute details of his quick and fluid motion.

A rupture of gunfire swiftly followed the act like the sound of thunder after a lightning strike. Three Stingers exited the barrel of the rifle and closed the distance toward the case and pierced the protective layer as if it were made of wet paper. Not even a split-second later, the projectiles soon fulfilled their purpose and exploded inside the case which subsequently woke the other inert Stinger bullets into life in an explosion of fire and noise that spread active Stinger rounds all over the place like grenade shrapnel. The difference, however, was that these ‘shrapnel’ were far more lethal than any brass shard could ever be.

“Run!” he later exclaimed and picked up his little white partner with his left hand while he dropped his gun and instinctively grabbed hold of the beauty’s arm. If she so chose to accept, he could start the sprint into the nearby woodland with both partner and person in hand which was how he wanted it to be if only so he could account for both Mana and Ms. I-am-not-a-photographer.

While Dante was fairly sure the Stinger rounds would cause more than just a distraction for whatever it was that was confronting them, his logic could not discount the fact that the thing was some kind of new weapon of unknown origin. Whether or not the barrage of random Stinger-shrapnel would take it down or not, one thing was clear: the young woman was right: they needed to get away. Fast.

"Secrecy is its own security."

Shite shielded his ‘eyes’ from the explosion in protection, but the giant’s act did nothing to protect him from the randomly-flying Stingers as they pierced through the mark his mistress gave unto him and broke it to pieces which revealed a large perfectly-shaped hole in the place where his dark-orange core used to be. Immediately, Shite’s body convulsed and the titanic entity roared out like a hungry lion that had finally been freed from its chains.

Natsumi could only curse at the fact that her Men had gone berserk and since she no longer had a way to control it, she could only watch in disappointment as her familiar reverted to the feral state she had found him to be in. It was a pathetic sight to behold and Natsumi could feel her heart sink by just thinking that she was still too weak to subjugate Shite again. Yes, she was a nogitsune now and she knew that she had sacrificed everything, but even so – even if everyone else hated her – Natsumi still held a part of herself in check despite most of her morals having left her heart in the same way Mana was taken from their home. One of those things was compassion for those who similarly fell from grace just as she had.

“Please… stop it, Shite!” she cried, almost pleading, but the giant ignored her pleas and continued to rave about like a madman, unhinged and uncontrolled, baying for destruction of whatever scale it could cause.

Another roar left the Men, but this time, it was a roar that acted like a warning to his targets that he was about to fire off an attack again. Moments later, two streaks of light left the monster’s arms and charged at the direction of Dante and his comrades. The first one vanished from existence as soon as it came into close proximity with the young arms dealer, but the second lance darted just above the trio and hit a canopy of trees in the distance. In a flash, the once vibrant sea of green disappeared in a hellish explosion of such magnitude that it dwarfed the woman’s own attack made prior.

Beside herself with desperation, Natsumi forced her body to regenerate into a physical form while her Men continued to wreak havoc upon the surrounding land. Wait for me, Shite, the fox thought to herself, I will bring you back to your senses and properly introduce you to my sister!

Junior Member

Saegusa Kotone

I JOINED ON January 1970. I'VE MADE 76 POSTS. I AM A SEXY Female.

HEILIGER DER LICHTSTRAHLEN

The Stinger Snipe [training] Feb 8, 2014 13:34:37 GMT -5

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Post by Saegusa Kotone on Feb 8, 2014 13:34:37 GMT -5

The man named Dante agreed, immediately setting up an explosion to act as a smokescreen for their getaway. How he did it, she didn't really care. In fact, just straight-up abandoning everything and running with both Kotone and Mana in tow sounded more like what he would have done.

At least, in her point of view. The explosion-as-a-flashbang plan would work perfectly fine too, but Kotone felt the rise in the spiritual pressure from the Hollow, and that was not a good sign. It only served to enforce the fact that all three of them should hightail it out of there (puns directed at Mana not intended).

As he grabbed her arm, Kotone didn't bother to reject. This man has some damn Divine Protection and if there was any universal method of receiving it's benefits, it's to let the guy have contact with you. As long as it stayed appropriate, of course. It just helped that their aim was to get out, not to make out.

Keeping up with the man's speed proved no problem for her. In fact, speeding around with Hirenkyaku was something she was more used to, but often Kotone would find herself running the old fashioned way. Especially in populated cities, where her workplaces always resided. How this man plans to escape the "calamity", however, was something Kotone could not grasp.

Well, whatever it was, it better be good.

Junior Member

Dante Florencia

I JOINED ON January 1970. I'VE MADE 79 POSTS. I AM A SEXY Male.

The Stinger Snipe [training] Feb 9, 2014 4:27:34 GMT -5

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Post by Dante Florencia on Feb 9, 2014 4:27:34 GMT -5

† DANTE FLORENCIA †

The three dashed past the verdant field of green and into the forest on the opposite side of where the supposed new weapon was currently doing a sweep of the area. Dante’s heart skipped a few beats every now and then, worried that whatever that thing was might catch up to them and annihilate them as it did with the patch of woodland. How it did so was not within Dante’s purview, although it was clear to him that nothing – at least, as far as he knew – shot out from the unknown weapon's direction.

With each stride from his powerful legs, the possibility of high-powered mines dotting the land surrounding them rose up in the Italian’s head, but it was quickly set to a very low probability considering the timeframe which the attack happened. Nothing could plant mines in an area as wide as an island that fast except bomber-delivered cluster mines, and Dante was positive he had not heard the familiar outer casing breaking apart to scatter the bunched high explosives anything of the sort. Still, he did not want to discount it since there was the possibility that a new delivery system was used. Hence, he did something that he thought would increase their chances.

“Sorry for this, Ms. Not-a-photographer, but it would be safer for both of us if I do this,” Dante apologized before he, without breaking stride, pulled the young woman towards him then swept her off her feet like one would a princess. The arms dealer, however, did not have the luxury to enjoy holding a young woman in his arms like some medieval knight rescuing a damsel since his only purpose for doing so was to quicken the pace in navigating potentially hazardous territory. Of course, the latter was not true, but Dante did not know that – in his mind, mines were the only thing that would cause an explosion without being fired from a gun and the damage from before supported that theory, no matter how low the probability of it is.

With Dante’s honed reaction time and incredible agility from years of doing Parkour, the young man navigated his way through the thicket, all the while avoiding signs of possible buried mines, and managed to clear the woodland area in a matter of minutes. In the end they had finally reached the beach – Dante’s insertion point and designated extraction point if ever things became dicey and he needed a fast getaway.

When Dante's boots soon reached the soft white sands, he immediately set the young woman down and fell to his knees as he heaved in bellows out of sheer exhaustion. After all, to carry a fully grown woman while managing a potentially hazardous area while being chased by an unknown enemy was something he did not do every day. Despite that, the arms dealer still managed to smile from ear to ear as he looked up to the sky.

As sure as there was a rainbow after the rain, there it was: his own personal fortress in the sky, the White Leviathan in the sea of clouds, the Mizukagami, as it floated at low altitude. Its massive silenced engines were no louder than an entire store filled with giant industrial-strength fans set on high power while its entire carriage of defensive armaments, from the 80mm Howitzers to the anti-aircraft chain guns, readied to fire on anything that threatened the airship’s grounded captain at a moment's notice. Dante’s crew had seen the destruction wrought about by the unknown weapon and lowered the massive two hundred-meter craft to a lower altitude to see if there was any trouble. Sure enough, there was, and the Mizukagami was right on time to save the day.

“Sir, are you okay?!?” a male voice blared over the loud speaker, obvious worry in his tone of voice.

Dante nodded in response. “I am fine, Vergil, and so is Mana! I have a friend who needs a lift though – we cannot really leave her here now that this place has become a mini-Hong Kong now, can we?”

Vergil heard his captain’s words through the heightened audio interception program built into the ship’s main communication line and wasted no time to comply. On his order, the airship's port helipad hatch opened up to deploy its single black Mi-26 heavy transport helicopter with powerful, but silenced rotors to pick up its three passengers. It was the Mizukagami’s personal transport helicopter dubbed the ‘Stork’.

“Pilot, go get our lover-boy!” Vergil ordered to which the pilot was all too happy to comply and lowered the craft nearer to the water. However, just when it looked like things are looking up, things took a turn for the unexpected.

Vergil broke the air of relief. “Sir, a massive unknown unit has been sighted! I cannot get a solid visual, but thermal scans show a humanoid figure heading straight for you. It is about to—,” he was about to finish, but Dante quickly interrupted him with an order.

“Pilot, pull up now!” shouted Dante which was immediately relayed to the pilot through Vergil’s linked communication system which the airman did without question. His split-second decision saved his life, for as soon as he did, a large trail of light shot out from their giant pursuer and split the sea water just under the Stork in half before a massive jet of scalding-hot water shot out into the air. Dante, however, like all of the Mizukagami's crew, with the sole exception of Vergil, did not see it coming.

“What the hell just happened?!” asked Dante in surprise, but Vergil was just as stunned as his captain was. “No clue sir, the thing… just shot out something, but what it is, I have no idea! A laser of some sort, maybe?”

With that revelation, Dante snarled at their extreme misfortune. Even so, at the very least, he was able to ascertain some prima facie capabilities of the unknown enemy: not only was it invisible, its weapons are also invisible as well. It also produces no noise and could only be captured through thermal imaging unless you were in close proximity to it, as what happened with that dark-orange sphere. In short, it was the pinnacle of modern warfare – a weapon that cannot be seen or heard with the destructive power of an entire military battalion. It was the perfect killing machine, and it was coming for them.

“Vergil, give us supporting fire and take the ship to a safe altitude! Likewise, plot a zig-zag course for our pilot until he reaches the coastline, but whatever your do, fo not stop firing until you reach a safe altitude! It is time to End this!”

In complete obedience to his commander’s orders, Vergil did what he was told. Dante, on the other hand, told his female companion about his plan. “Miss, I am glad that fate allowed us to meet on this island and I hoped that our parting would have been on a more normal note, but as they say in France: ‘c’est la vie’."

Dante spoke further. "The chopper I requested will be here soon so you can use that to get out of here safely. I have reason to believe that this weapon came here because of me and I would not like to make your death a part of my conscience. This is my problem, not yours.” Dante smiled and caressed the raven-haired woman's face. “Besides, it would be a waste to the world if a beauty like you were to die today. God would hate me if I allow harm to come upon you.”

As quickly as Dante followed his gut feeling to save the pilot’s life, the Italian leaned in and planted a short kiss upon the woman's cheek. It was an Italian gesture to signify how much you cherish another's presence, but in all possibility, the woman could easily interpret it at as sexual harrassment. Maybe Dante would be lucky enough that the raven-haired beauty would not turn out to be a feminist? That is, of course, if he would even live to see such a goddess' visage ever again.

"Just a little parting gift to signify our blessed meeting. It was nice to meet you, my friend; have a long and prosperous life."

With those words conveyed to the black-haired woman, the Italian raced back to the scene of the destruction with Mana in hand to attempt to distract their attacker long enough for the young lady to safely get away should she choose to climb onto the rescue chopper, to get to the safety of the mainland. When that is done, Dante would call upon a special weapon of his own.

"Secrecy is its own security."

Last Edit: Feb 13, 2014 18:51:27 GMT -5 by Dante Florencia

Junior Member

Saegusa Kotone

I JOINED ON January 1970. I'VE MADE 76 POSTS. I AM A SEXY Female.

HEILIGER DER LICHTSTRAHLEN

The Stinger Snipe [training] Feb 14, 2014 9:25:12 GMT -5

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Post by Saegusa Kotone on Feb 14, 2014 9:25:12 GMT -5

Making a getaway was no easy task, although the man felt it necessary to carry her over the threshold. Kotone felt like complaining about how theoretically less aerodynamic it was to carry her that way, but she ultimately kept silent, holding the fox as they went.

Soon enough the greenery had turned to sand and sea. Honestly, Kotone hadn't paid much attention to the beaches when she had first arrived, considering her Hirenkyaku was so fast she had only caught a small glimpse of it. It was quite obvious Dante couldn't walk on water, she was quite happy to get off, replacing her weight with Mana's.

Standing up, Kotone turned her attention to what was essentially a giant militarized airship, complete with a helicopter for transport. Kotone could only wonder who this man could be to have such a ridiculous setup.

Her thoughts, however, were cut short when their... predator had caught up. So much for divine protection. Instead, he had the protective power of military weapons. Kotone paid no real attention to whatever commands Dante barked out. She just wanted some alone time to finish her techniques.

Which was what Dante granted, bidding her farewell and kissing her on the cheek. She thought nothing of it, and, although this situation was somewhat her fault, she simply accepted it.

"And I hope you too make it out of this alive."

With that being said, all that was left for her was to get to the chopper and get out of there.

Later, she would finish the conception of her new techniques in her own privacy, but the meeting between Kotone, Dante and Mana ended there.
-Thread Exit-

Junior Member

Dante Florencia

I JOINED ON January 1970. I'VE MADE 79 POSTS. I AM A SEXY Male.

The Stinger Snipe [training] Feb 16, 2014 3:33:46 GMT -5

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Post by Dante Florencia on Feb 16, 2014 3:33:46 GMT -5

† DANTE FLORENCIA †

The moment had passed and Dante and Mana’s fateful meeting with an unnamed beauty had once more become part of their personal histories. Her final words were filled with hope, but the young Italian arms dealer was not one who took to flights of fancy when the blatant reality of the world was glaring at them in the face: an invisible opponent with enough firepower to level an entire city all by itself. It was a hopeless cause no matter how one looked at it, and there was no way in the world he could stand up to such a monster all by himself. As it stood, any normal person would give up outright and nobody would blame him if he did the same—

—then again, Dante was never a normal person to begin with. Win or lose, he would play his cards without regret because that was the way he lived and that was the way he wanted to go from this world; and maybe, just maybe, Lady Fortuna would give him another chance to meet their raven-haired friend again. Yes, at least for this moment, Dante wanted to hope that he would get lucky enough if only to see her raven-colored hair dancing with the wind again.

Hope? For you, my dear, I will turn that hope into certainty.

“Authorization code: Takemikazuchi! Give it to me, now!” Dante shouted with all of his might while he continued to run back to the plains to confront their pursuer. He knew that it should be there the moment he arrives and he knew that this was going to be his make or break moment: triumph or die – no exceptions.

Somewhere in the confines of the Mizukagami, a system protocol activated itself and sent a coded message to the eight powerful cargo planes that had been circling overhead at an altitude of thirty thousand feet. Each of the pilots inside received their confirmation and did not think twice as to their charge once they had their orders as one by one, the massive hooks and cables that had carried Dante’s special weapon aloft released their iron grip and let their massive cargo break through the sea of clouds and descend to its proficient wielder.

When the arms dealer had finally reached the clearing, he knew for a fact that his invisible target was there with him. The earth-shattering footsteps it made were enough to confirm his suspicion, but what really allowed the young man such a certain presumption were the pounded patches of earth where the unknown weapon had continued to upturn while it flailed around like a mad dog. Whether it was its pilot’s tactic or whether the phantom was malfunctioning was something Dante could not say for sure, but in any case, he did not need to. All he needed to do now was to put on his noise-cancelling ear buds.

As soon as Dante raised his hand, the deafening roar of high-powered jet engines sprang to life. Above the young man, a towering structure stood from end to end, and pierced the sky with its titanic height. Held aloft by man’s manufactured wings and maintained by the skill of its wielder, it was a weapon that truly represented the colossal might and ingenuity of the human race to fight back against fate and return from the brink of destruction time and time again – a five hundred meter-tall effigy of the human spirit: The Kriegsmesser Anti-Enemy Mass Weapon, or as Dante liked to call it—

“—Over End.”

[Thread End]

[Exit to ‘He Who Fights Monsters’]

"Secrecy is its own security."