Sign Here for More Work [Johann//Private]

Johann absent-mindedly stared out of one of the windows that adorned the walls of the Mess Hall, the warm spring sun of Amber Island's mild blooming season casting its light on the table before him. Sat against the wall on one of the benches, the God of Ishgar was quietly munching on a slice of bread, one hand supporting his head as he stared at the sky. He thought about the last few days, weeks, the time it had taken to build this thing from the ground up and what had happened since. The guild, Dies Irae, as the organization of mages unified by a common goal was referred to, had had a pretty good start. The Magic Council had funded the project and, while insisting on the God of Ishgar's leadership, had largely given him free rein, Johann remaining successful in keeping most of the guild's affairs away from the Council, not least due to the geographical distance between Fiore and Amber Island. The town at the foot of the hill, now that the guild had officially opened its doors to members, gained a lot more attention and traffic from all over Earthland, the settlement expanding at quite a rapid pace. All manners of trade flourished, and perhaps with a bit of time and careful planning, this town would become a city, and Amber Island would return to the glow it once held decades ago. As it stood, however, that was still a far-off dream.

Johann took a sip from his tea. He had returned from a mission that had required his attention just this morning, the Mess Hall, of course, his first destination after coming back to the guild hall, the hearty breakfast before him quickly reduced to only crumbs. It had been a somewhat stressful time, even for the Rune Mage who had grown accustomed to a life like this, but still, the way everything seemed to come together now filled him with a sense of accomplishment, a sense of pride. There was, however, something that still loomed over him like a threat, a dreadful prospect that would seemingly never leave the man, no matter where he went. As the Guild Master of a legal guild, there was a substantial amount of associated paperwork that had to be taken care of. The offices of DI provided him with some buffer, but at the end of the day, it was the same as always. He sighed, standing up. It had to be done either way and so, without a bit of gleeful anticipation, the man made his way to his office.

Just a few minutes later he opened the door, the first thing he noticed, apart from the small stacks of paper that had formed on his desk, was the rose-haired girl sat on a meager excuse for a sitting accommodation, slumped over his desk and working on the paperwork originally destined for himself. "Sivvy?", he had not expected to find her here. "What are you doing? Have you been working on this the entire time I was away?". The man raised an eyebrow, stepping closer to see the stacks of paper that seemed to have been dealt with already. "Did you even sleep last night?", his voice was concerned, seeing that the girl didn't exactly look refreshed. Of course, Mars was quick to offer his own commentary, Johann choosing to ignore the Seal's antics as always. "Looks like we found someone else who gets off on unreasonable amounts of paperwork, old man"

---

Word Count: 585
Word Count Total: 585
Thread Total: 1,103 / 3,000

Johann couldn't help but stare at the rose-haired slayer for a few seconds. Why had she chosen to sacrifice her own time to essentially overwork herself, despite the fact that they had offices for that and the majority of this paperwork fell under his responsibility? "That really wasn't necessary, Sivvy. You should've gotten some rest", he addressed the almost finished and precisely stacked sheets to the side of his desk Sivvy was referring to. He felt bad that the girl had been sitting here for ... hours, days possibly, working through what was essentially his own burden to deal with. Had he somehow given the impression that he was overworked? Had this prompted her to take action of her own volition? He sighed softly. "You worked through the paperwork that was meant to keep an entire division of clerks busy for a week ... by yourself? And you worry about the fact that you weren't done before I came back?". The Ambassador of Dies Irae couldn't help but shake his head. It was a certainly impressive feat, undoubtedly, even the silver-haired Rune Mage could not deny that, but at the same time, it was everything but humane to put such an expectation on any single person. He wondered just what exactly was going on in Sivvy's head that prompted her to do these things.

"You're too cruel", The Seal's distorted giggle echoed through the God of Ishgar's mind. "The poor, poor girl just wants you to acknowledge her hard work, tsehe. Maybe you should give her a pat on the head?". There it was again, that incessant, senseless babbling. Perhaps, Johann thought briefly, perhaps the childish Seal had had a point? The fact remained that the girl had done a good job, an important job. It couldn't be helped. "Well ... anyway, thank you, Sivvy, thank you for your hard work. Good job with the paperwork", he hesitantly produced. He figured that he shouldn't really encourage her to do stuff like that, but he couldn't ignore the fact that, after all, she had done a good job, indeed. Still, the fact that she had spent so much time in his office bothered him. "My mission went fine", he answered the mentee's question admittedly a little curtly, but followed up suit. "I'll tell you how it went over breakfast if you like? Come on Sivvy, let's get you out of this office". If the girl agreed he would once again open the door to his office, leaving behind the paperwork for now to take her back to the Mess Hall he had just come from. Who knew, maybe he would get a second breakfast? The God of Ishgar certainly wasn't at his limit.

---

Word Count: 452
Word Count Total: 1,037
Thread Total: 1,947 / 3,000

The mention of breakfast seemed to at least energize the girl, Sivvy promptly leaving the small spot by his desk and hurrying out of the dark room. At least she hadn't lost her appetite, a good sign. Johann closed the door behind her, walking alongside the clone to their destination. Sivvy seemed excited at the prospect of a hearty breakfast, and admittedly, although he had just eaten, so was Johann. The bottomless pit that was the God of Ishgar's stomach could always use more, and the second portion of breakfast couldn't hurt. "Waffles and bacon sound lovely", the silver-haired man commented with a soft smile, admittedly giving in to a bit of gleeful anticipation. The scrambled eggs and toast he had had earlier had been lovely, but bacon and waffles would certainly be a delightful treat as well.

Soon after they would find their way to the guild's Mess Hall, where Johann, along with his mentee, acquired his second and her first breakfast of the day, sitting down on the other side of the table, facing the girl. Without much delay, the Ambassador reached for his cutlery and began picking off pieces of delicious waffle, chewing with satisfaction as the taste filled his mouth. Sivvy was quick to remind him of his earlier promise to reveal more about the last few days he had spent away from the guild. Could it even be called a mission? It was a thought that occurred to him, and he would ask himself silently, reaching the conclusion that, perhaps, he had used the wrong wording. "To be honest ... it wasn't really a "mission" or a job per se. It seems like it was more of a ... matter of personal interest, an opportunity, so to speak". True, it was vague, but he couldn't exactly tell the girl that he had traveled to the capital of Minstrel, where the royal bank of Minstrel had opened its vaults for the first time in 10 years, and Johann subsequently had entered the heavily guarded and fortified compound to ... "reacquire" the assets the nation of Minstrel had, unlawfully, in his opinion, seized a long, long time ago. He was the guildmaster of a legal guild now, after all, and, while he had been masked, it wouldn't reflect well on the organization known as Dies Irae ... at all. He changed the subject. "And what did you do while I was gone? I really hope you didn't just do paperwork. Wasn't that a little too ... monotonous?", his voice was again laced with subtle concern. He had to admit, though, that the girl had done a masterful job, and a job he would've hated to do at the same time. Could he really be unhappy about that? Well, he knew from experience that wasting away in a dark office for days at a time with only the white of the paper as your companion wasn't a nice task. It was hell, at least for the silver-haired Rune Mage.

Still, he had to acknowledge the girl's way in some way. An idea began forming. It would eliminate the constant need for his presence at the guild as well. It would certainly be a lot more efficient this way. "Say, Sivvy ...", he began, setting down the fork in his hand before continuing "... have you ever thought about being an Ambassador?". His question was everything but subtle, but he had no need to be. There were not a lot of people the man truly trusted, and even fewer he would trust with something like this. Two people, as it stood. "You'd get your own desk, oh, and of course ...", he tried to sweeten the deal a little, a small smirk spreading across his face "... there is the added benefit that Ambassadors eat for free, and as much as they like".

---

Word Count: 644
Word Count Total: 1,681
Thread Total: 1,173 (-2,000 Used for C rank Free Form)

Well ... that had been easy. The off the cuff comment had been more of a friendly joke than anything, after all, the girl's eating habits were how the two had met. Joh hadn't expected that that would be a determining factor, at least that was what he deduced from the what appeared like Sivvy expressing hesitation at first. Johann leaned back in his seat a little, a small, amused grin on his lips. "Congratulations then, Ambassador Sivvy", he said, the grin widening into a warm smile. "Trust me, you're stronger than you think. Don't worry about it. We'll get you there in no time", he tried to reassure the rose-haired slayer that, despite her being reserved about the position itself, she, too, would reach her full potential. It was their goal, the guild's goal, after all. Perhaps the girl, in her somewhat ... quirky ways did not realize it, but where she insisted on being useful to the man she had, to the God of Ishgar, "proven her worth" already a good while ago. He took another bite of his waffle. They were really quite delicious. Johann didn't mind the second breakfast, in fact, he quite welcomed it. There was no doubt in his mind. The little trip to the Mess Hall had been worth it, and he was certain he wouldn't regret it.


The spring sun was casting its warm light onto Amber Island, a day uncharacteristic for the territory off the coast of Minstrel. Joh welcomed this change. Ever-present rain and cold got boring, bland after a few days, not to mention it was severely limiting the potential for activities on Amber Island itself. On rainy days the only somewhat productive pastime would be a mission or paperwork, both of which had their own pros and cons, but today, the silver-haired Ambassador of Dies Irae though, today was the perfect day for a little bit of excersize. He had neglected his training for a while now, and it was about time to reintroduce that habit into his life now that the dust had settled and things had quieted down a little.

The Rune Mage had found his way to the training grounds the guild used, dressed in rather atypical clothing for himself, wearing nothing but a black tanktop and a similarly simple black pair of pants, slowly making his way to a quiet spot to use for himself as he marched across the dusty ground before finally coming to a stop. The training area seemed empty, giving him more than enough space to play around a bit, and so the man started stretching, preparing himself for a day of activity.

---

Word Count: 444
Word Count Total: 2,125
Thread Total: 12 (-2,000 Words used for C Rank Free Form) - 4,012 Words Total

The sound of cracking wood caused the silver-haired God of Ishgar to turn, right in time, it seemed, to sidestep what appeared like a projectile created of the severed head of some poor training dummy, the piece crashing into the ground behind him. Quietly, the man raised an eyebrow, following the trail of the piece of the dummy before turning his head around once more, facing the direction it had come from only to spot a familiar figure approaching. Johann quietly raised an arm in recognition when his fellow Ambassador waved in greeting, Johann's expression bearing a half-confused, half-startled smile. "Heya, Sivvy", the man would acknowledge his mentee, nodding in greeting. "Seems like. I've been sat in the office a lot lately, so I figured that getting out and moving a bit couldn't hurt".

"What about you?", he would quickly follow up, pointing over to the scattered and broken training dummies the rose-haired slayer had already thoroughly taken care of. "You seem to be a little ... underwhelmed with your opponents over there. Care for a little spar, a friendly duel like last time?". He looked at her with friendly smile. It had been a while since the two had fought against each other, and while the slayer had fought fiercely, the difference in strength had been somewhat obvious the last time around. The prospect that his fellow Ambassador had potentially changed, evolved, gotten stronger intrigued the God of Ishgar, the Rune Mage wanting to see for himself what these months had done for her. Maybe the result would be a little different than last time? In any case, a duel seemed like an exciting premise for a training session. The girl was an excellent fighter, and so, Johann wouldn't be opposed to improving alongside her, honing their skills together. Though the parameters of a friendly duel had been stretched a little the last time the two had clashed ... should he remark on that? No, it would be best to spar as it was natural for them and allow her to use her full strength. The flow of a fight would only be hindered, limited by restrictions such as that one. Of course, he hadn't factored in the possibility that the girl would decline his offer, which would also be fine. The two could use one of the training scenarios the Trial Grounds had to offer. "Or we can test out the new runes I put in place and test our skills against an illusionary foe. Certainly seems a little less ... impactful. Both has its merits. The choice is yours".

---

Word Count: 432
Word Count Total: 2,557
Thread Total: 4,876 / 3,000

The answer somewhat surprised the silver-haired Rune Mage, Johann tilting his head to the side with a sheepish grin, responding with an unceremonious and perhaps a little awkward "Is that so?". Now that he was thinking about it, he didn't really know if the choice between these two options would be an easy one for the rose-haired Slayer, or even which one she would prefer so he could make the choice she would prefer. Pushing this random thought further, he was sure that while yes, he knew that the girl before him had her quirks, certainly, but ... what did he really know about Sivvy? Was his knowledge about her preferences not a little on the low side? Well, unless he would start out by summoning oversized cupcakes to fight, that was. Still, now that his attention rested on his fellow Ambassador the slight pause and the nervous behavior did not escape him. Perhaps the man was disturbing her training and she was too polite to say so? Perhaps the prospect of another sparring session had upset her?

"Are you sure you're okay with these?", Joh raised an eyebrow while his gaze would rest on his mentee. "I can leave the Training Ground to you if that is what you would prefer?". It would only be fair. The girl had been here before him, after all. He would simply leave and find another spot if that was what she needed. Still, would that be what she wanted? Another question the God of Ishgar couldn't answer. He'd just have to wait and see. Still, of course, the Ambassador of Dies Irae would enjoy a good duel, even look forward to the possibility of it with considerable excitement. The girl had certainly gotten stronger compared to the last time they had fought, hadn't she? It would be thrilling to see what she could do when she was fighting seriously and without any restrictions or limitations. "If you do want us to train together though ...", the man's expression showing the awkward smirk still, "... I would prefer a friendly duel. What do you think?".

---

Word Count: 352
Word Count Total: 2,909
Thread Total: 5,546

Momentarily, the man's expression would change in a touch of surprise, though rapidly shift back to the smirk he had sported before. It seemed like his fellow Ambassador had indeed made up her mind, deciding for the latter option, something the argent-haired Rune Mage preferred, admittedly. A duel between friends would be the perfect opportunity to hone one's skills and improve, would it not? He guessed that he'd have to wait and see, but the experience from way back, when he had still been a Vice President for the West Fiore Trading Company and recruited the Slayer for the same, convinced him that this would be an interesting training session with utmost certainty. Sivvy had gotten stronger and grown a lot in the time that had passed since then, and the man was, in truth, excited to see the improvements for himself. Of course, he had not been idle or remained stagnant either, so the clash would undoubtedly as impressive as it would be intriguing. "Very well", Johann's response to her would follow quickly when she decided in favor of the duel.

It did not seem like the fellow Ambassador of Dies Irae would lose any time, either. Without delay or any other preparations, Sivvy turned around and assumed a combat stance. Her readiness to engage in combat fascinated the man time and time again, how she would transition between a state of calm into this seamlessly, though, it raised an important concern. "I expect that you will not hold anything back, Sivvy, and the same goes for me, of course, but ...", he shot a look around, snapping his fingers with an arcane, blue-ish spark lighting up between them, "... it would be a shame if we ruined the brand-new Trial Grounds, wouldn't it? I have an alternative solution".

As soon as the man had finished his sentence, the sky almost seemed to grey for a moment before their surroundings changed. The arena faded away, changing into an expanse of seemingly endless white that stretched into all directions, as far as the eye could see. The only thing differentiating the up and down was a similarly white ground, giving the two more than enough room to do however they pleased. The man's own pocket dimension would restore itself to perfect condition anyway. "This should be better. Now, with that out of the way ...", the man reached to his side, Mars' blade materializing in the grasp of his right hand in a glow of red energy, before, similarly to his opponent, assuming a battle stance, the straightsword angled towards her, "... let's get started".

The girl would follow the suggestion immediately, barely a second passing between the man finishing his sentence and the girl breaking out into a sudden burst of acceleration. Johann couldn't help but find himself startled by the lack of at least a moment to prepare himself, though this time he knew what was coming. His speed and instincts would aid him this time, the Rune Mage raising his arm just in the right moment. The fist that was meant to crash into his face instead struck true on his radius, a momentary flash of black energy protecting the body underneath as the defensive aura broke. Despite this original setback, the man couldn't help but grin. The difference to the last time they had clashed was already noticeable, the increase in both speed and strength taking Johann by surprise. It was no wonder that the next strike, which followed immediately as soon as the Slayer had regained any semblance of footing, would find its intended target, her kick slamming into the God of Ishgar's side with considerable force, for a moment threating to knock the man off his balance. It was hard to overlook Sivvy's evident combat prowess when being on the receiving end of her skills, the man righting himself out of the semi-spin the attack had threatened to send him in. The damage seemed comparatively minimal, though the pulses of dull, numbing pain would remain for a few more seconds and send their echoes throughout his entire form, the grin, however, not vanishing from his face. It seemed that his fellow Ambassador had chosen to close the distance in an attempt to, he presumed, enter her preferred combat range, which meant that Johann had to get some distance between the two again. While the Rune Mage's proficiency was admittedly similar, denying his opponent an advantage was too valuable to pass up, Johann raising his free hand, open palm facing the rose-haired Slayer.

A burst of magical energy followed, Johann sending out a wave of unseen kinetic force towards Sivvy, if not to damage her, then at least to attempt and knock her back. If she would indeed be forced away from him it would give him a little more time to prepare for his next spell. Regardless of whether his diversion would hit or not, the man would try anyway, lifting up the sword to summon a large, dull grey magic circle below that quickly expanded, Johann in its center.

---

Word Count: 846
Word Count Total: 3,755
Thread Total: 6,716

It seemed like the burst of force pushed her back, though not with enough power to actually deal enough damage to get through the Slayer's defenses. It was to be expected, though he wouldn't spend too much time pondering over this fact, the ashen grey magic circle beneath himself spreading as it grew in size, crawling across the monochrome ground of this pocket space. It didn't seem like Sivvy would take this without any reaction, however, the Rune Mage assumed no less from her. She was an Ambassador, after all. Swiftly, her outfit would change, Johann viewing the transformation with watchful eyes and admittedly satisfied grin. He wanted Seven to give him everything she had to offer, all strength and all determination she could spare, and he would do her the same favor. There would be no holding back this time. The red bodysuit the girl had formed seemed to give her the edge in speed for now as she outmaneuvered the growing magic circle, Johann narrowing his brows, the magical glow fading away with the flick of his wrist. There would be no point in casting the spell if the girl had already evaded it, after all.

Even then, the girl had more surprises to offer still, Johann's eyes darting to the weapon she formed in her grasp with little effort. He had to think quickly and act quicker, otherwise, Sivvy would threaten to turn him into swiss cheese. With a single word that echoed through his mind, the man gave in to the stir in the back of his head, his left eye darkening in the matter of a moment, a piercingly carmine iris centering itself on the rose-haired girl, the runes clearly visible on his left side flaring up with a similar red color, now accompanied by the normally invisible runes on his right arm. Quickly, the man waved his hand through the air, a wall of roaring flame erupting between himself and the girl that was firing her assault rifle in the hopes to deflect a few of the projectiles and shield him from her vision for just a few moments. It seemed that luck was not on his side, though, a burning pain pulsing through his right shoulder. A bullet had struck true and pierced the shoulder blade, leaving behind a clean entry wound and an undoubtedly not-so-clean exit. Regardless, the man would maneuver, bursting into a full sprint towards her left flank before finally dashing through the cascade of fire, coming to a screeching stop when his feet made contact with the ground once more.

"You've gotten a lot stronger since we fought last, Sivvy ...", the Ambassador commented in a seemingly carefree tone as he raised his left hand, the runes on his arm erupting with an amber color, arcs of electricity running down the extremity before coalescing in his open palm, "...but the same thing can be said about me!". With a thunderous roar, the spell was fired at the girl, a lightning bolt rushing forward at the slayer. Whether the attack would hit her directly or not was a matter of second priority. As soon as the bolt would find any target it would release its stored energy, exploding into a massive burst of electrical energy that darted across the air, clinging to any surface it could catch a hold on for a few moments before finally subsiding, leaving behind charred, smoldering marks on the formerly perfect ground of the expansive pocket space.

---

Word Count: 582
Word Count Total: 4,337
Thread Total: 7,762

The attack had been a direct hit, the stench of burned skin mixing with strings of smoke that rose up from the smoldering ground lingering in the air, and while it pained the man to see that his fellow Ambassador was obviously hurt, Sivvy made no sign or indication that she intended to stop. Calling the fight right then and there would undoubtedly be a blow to the Slayer's pride, but then again, the silver-haired Rune Mage didn't even know if the girl did indeed possess something akin to pride. She was hard to read, even now doing her best to keep a calm expression to her, even if the Ambassador could've sworn to see a glint of anger in her eyes as her brows narrowed, the man attributing this previously unseen change in the girl to the heat of battle. While she hadn't behaved like this when they had sparred previously, it was obvious that Sivvy had grown a fair bit. Perhaps, Johann thought, it had become easier for the normally excessively collected Slayer to allow herself some leeway in regards to expressing those emotions? He would have to wait and see ...

For now, he had another problem on his hands. As he lowered his own hand Sivvy threw hers up, the equivalent of an arcane flash of magical power erupting from her, Johann's dual-colored eyes following the direction of her motion upwards, his eyes widening. The bleak monochrome sky was in what came close to an instant filled with sharply glistening metal, hundreds, if not thousands of blades appearing as far as he could see. His eyes darted from side to side, but everywhere he looked blades loomed over him high up, suspended for just a brief few moments before finally, in a fluid follow-up swipe his opponent sent them down akin to a hail of arrows. Johann instinctively grit his teeth, reaching out with his left hand, a small vortex of spiraling, ink-black darkness expanding in his grasp, forming the scythe that Sivvy was already all-too-familiar with.

He only had moments to react, spinning the blade of the weapon around before the first swords threatened to skewer him, the Rune Mage bringing to bear all the focus and speed his body would allow him to, spinning the scythe around in what appeared like an elegant choreography to deflect blade after blade, the metallic clings and clangs of steel echoing through the space around them as sword after sword fell to the untouched white ground.

Of course, however, Johann was only one man, and even he had blind spots. The sheer number of projectiles was overwhelming on its own, not to mention both the speed and strength behind the attack, and even though the man vigilantly deflected weapon upon weapon, it wouldn't take long for the first blade to make it past his improvised defensive perimeter, penetrating his left and previously functional shoulder. Valiantly Johann raised the scythe once more, in one wide swing deflecting a few more blades, but Sivvy's attack had, quite literally, struck a nerve, soaring pain and numbness making it extremely difficult to even move the limb, the blade in his shoulder not exactly adding to his mobility. And so, within another second, one more blade struck true, blood spattering from a wound in his chest, another one boring through torso, sword after sword raining down upon him, throwing him back with every impact before finally, the attack subsided, leaving at least a dozen, if not more, weapons embedded within his body.

Blood burst from the man's mouth as he sunk to his knees, the overwhelming, mind-numbing flames of pain all over his body combining into a dull sensation that quickly faded away, leaving behind nothing as his vision blurred, Johann's consciousness slipping from his grasp. His dull eyes raised at the similarly dull horizon, the Rune Mage collapsed forward, by now accustomed to the sensation of death that overcame him swiftly and mercilessly, one last raspy breath escaping his torn lungs before finally, Johann would fade away ...

... and Mars would take over.

A grin spread across the vessel's face, and before his limp body would hit the ground his form exploded into an eruption of ebony magical force, a massive magic circle spreading with the toll of a heavy bell before collapsing inward on the Rune Mage's position. The constant stream of magical pressure would fizzle out not long after it had appeared, leaving no trace of its presence in its wake beside the vessel, though, his form drastically changed, no longer Johann, but the Lord of War himself, ashen white skin adorned with cyan runes that sparked with arcane power, two sanguine pupils sitting in the midst of charcoal scleras eyeing the Slayer expectantly, a broad, toothy grin twisting the Second Seal's face into a grimace.

"Well, if that isn't the little Slayer girl, tssehehe ... It's been a while".

---

Word Count: 821
Word Count Total: 5,158
Thread Total: 8,958

"Oh, well ... I suppose the old man didn't quite catch that", Mars cackled in response to the girl's words, obviously amused by his own unhinged antics. The Seal took a quick glance around, the broad, toothy grin on his face widening in satisfaction. So it was not even a real fight that had seen the Ambassador falter and perish, no, it was just a casual spar. "What a waste of a life, Johann von Weiss", the Second Seal couldn't help but think, though. Why did the Rune Mage not do something about her attack? What had he tried to accomplish? "Well, whatever". Either way, it wouldn't matter now. What was done was done. Now that he was here, he would make use of the chance he'd been given. Might as well have a little fun, right? It wasn't like he got out often anyway, so this was a good opportunity to stretch out his legs a little.

"Who knows? He might be able to, he might not be able to. Guess you'll just have to strike me down to find out". Mars would cackle once more, theatrically spinning on the spot, the back of his hand pressed against his forehead in a dramatic fashion. "The noble hero-", Mars would point at Sivvy, "-saves the princess-", the Seal now swinging his arm around, pointing the same finger at himself, "-from the evil monster", pointing at himself once more, though with the other index finger. "How quaint, tssehehe". The situation at hand was, indeed, thoroughly amusing. Of course, he didn't actually know whether Sivvy wanted to fight him or not, but that didn't really strike the Lord of War as relevant, as long as he wanted to fight her. And Mars, of course, was always in the mood to fight.

Of course, the Nephilim of War wouldn't exactly wait around until Sivvy would begin to make her move. No, the swords had been her chance to end this fight, and now it was his turn to play. Just what to do, what to do? He could be so indecisive at times. Aha! That would be fun, wouldn't it?

Mars raised an arm, the runes covering his skin, his arm almost entirely covered in black scripture, were set alight, radiating a grey magical glow, arcs of arcane power dancing around his open palm as he extended his hand. With great speed, an ashen magic circle would form and spread out above the extremity, spinning slowly, ominously, covering some distance before, quickly, collapsing in on itself not long after it had appeared. The circle lowered itself until finally converging in his palm in a concentration of pure magical power, the wind, now, despite the distinct lack of any kind of present weather in this realm, picking up as air was sucked into the spinning projectile, concentrated, compressed, ready to be launched at her. "I hope you prepared yourself, Slayer girl. Let's play~".

All while keeping his eyes on Seven, watching for any kind of movement, no matter how minute, the Seal lowered his hand, sparks of energy erupting from his hand as the projectile of compressed air was launched forward, not even necessarily at the girl. Near her would be plenty enough. With considerable speed and force, the spell would slam forward and, as soon as it hit a target, unleash it's deadly potential in the form of its stored kinetic energy, resulting in a massive burst of pressurized air that expanded out in a deadly shockwave, the previously so pristine and unstained ground of this pocket space demolished yet more as the white, stone-like substance splintered and cracked under the weight of the explosion, sending pieces of rubble and small splinters flying in all directions. Oh, what a beautiful, wonderful art this was. Creation, of course, was beautiful and, sometimes, sacred, but ... destruction had an appeal all of its own. Mars grinned gleefully from ear to ear. "Are you still alive, little girl? I would hate to think that was all it took".

---

Word Count: 672
Personal Word Count Total: 5,830
Thread Word Count Total: 10,240

"Ah, just as I thought. You wouldn't go down so easily, tssehehe. You're a fierce one, little Slayer", the Seal would cackle in glee as the smoke and dust began to clear, pieces of crushed and broken rubble raining down all around. The metallic egg was swiftly spotted, even through the obstruction of the blast's aftermath, Mars' senses would make sure of that. The wide grin on the Seal's expression would widen ever-so-slightly. She was stronger than she appeared to be, more durable, certainly, but would that help her against the Lord of War in the long run? The Second Seal was rather eager to find out. The girl, however, didn't seem like she wanted to play along with his eccentrics, an annoyed "Tsk" escaping the Seal's lips reflexively. "You're no fun".

Instead of small talk, though, the girl seemed very much eager to let her actions speak for herself, the counterattack to Mars' spell following without much delay. The Slayer's form shifted in color before, in a sudden and immediate burst of speed, the girl would surge forward towards the Nephilim through the lingering remains of the cloud obscuring her path. The Second Seal's eyes, however, would follow her movements with precise accuracy, the wide grin returning to his face as he raised his arm, the extremity alight with glowing, runic scripture, to meet her kick with similar, inhuman speed. The force of the attack would cause a resounding crack upon impact, though apart from blocking the strike, the Seal hadn't moved an inch, dark, unblinking eyes staring at Sivvy, who was now within point-blank range to the Nephilim. "You'll have to put a little more effort into your attacks if you want to take me down, little Slayer. Here-", with his other hand, the Seal would reach out, a sword materializing within the grasp of his extremity, the air around it aflicker with magic. The grin on the Seal's face, however, would vanish in syncronicity with his movements, raising the sword to point the tip of the weapon at the omnipresent, colorless sky. The Nephilim's deep, distorted voice would ring out once more, though devoid of all emotion, the deranged amusement it normally held gone from his tone.


From one second to the next one, the air around Mars would erupt with an overpowering aura, magical pressure that concentrated within him blanketing the area around him in an omen of what was to come. What followed was a distinct sound, something that Sivvy had witnessed before. A singular, resounding vibration filled the air with a hum that sounded like it had come from a massive, heavy bell, and, almost in unison, the blade in Mars' hand began to glow, a helix of golden light wrapping around the weapon. Several hundred meters above them, the same light would shine before spreading into all directions, a gargantuan magic circle extending across the featureless sky for hundreds, thousands of meters, mile upon mile upon mile in the blink of an eye, radiating with immense, nigh unfathomable magical energy. It wouldn't matter if the girl would try to attack once more, if the would run, if she would try to defend against the attack. Mars, hellbent on destruction, would make sure that she wouldn't make it out of this unscathed.

Of course, he wasn't the only one to make a decision on that matter.

"Didn't I tell you something about that spell?", the voice of the silver-haired Rune Mage would ring out, Mars' arm twisting and driving the sword through his own chest, causing the circle to collapse and fade into nothing. Blood burst from the Second Seal's mouth, the creature faltering backwards, though managing to keep himself on his feet. The grin returned. "Back so soon? Thought that I'd have a little bit more fun before you'd ruin it, tssehe ...". "You need to learn the difference between a spar and a battle, Mars", the same voice would speak from the Second Seal's mouth once more, answered by a carefree, "Well, whatever", before his form was shrouded in shadow, dispersing to reveal Johann's form, hand still clutching the hilt of the sword that had pierced his chest. With a strained, although fluid motion, he would pull the now bloodied blade out, though the wound would heal in what amounted to almost an instant, leaving the man with torn and tattered clothing, though he didn't pay much mind to that fact, his eyes seeking out Sivvy. "I'm sorry. He doesn't know how to limit himself. Are you okay?". The girl looked just as bloodied, battled, and battered as he did, Johann, if need be, administering some healing magic to Sivvy, should she need it, though not without a deep sigh. "That got a little out of hand, so ...", he spoke before snapping his fingers, the seemingly never-ending battlefield around them vanishing, placing them back at the Trial Grounds, exactly where they had been some time prior. "... let's leave it at that, for the time being".


A heavy thud and overwhelming pain ripped the Ambassador from a deep unciousness, the silver-haired man skitting across the polished marble before the archway that gave entry to the guild hall of Dies Irae, instinctive yellps escaping him as bones broke under the strain of the impact. The man came to a halt after a few meters, sanguine stains left in his wake. The man, clad in a bloodstained, tattered coat of black color, tried to sit up, though his vision was blurred, pain shooting through his body with every movement, no matter how minute, causing him to slip back onto the cold stone. He tried to breathe, but he felt liquid fill his throat, coughing violently and reflexively, red, viscous fluid dripping down his chin. How did he end up like this? A sharp pain pulsed through his chest. Ah, of course. Rakshasa. The half-dragon woman had struck him in the chest, and indeed, had hit the artificial heart, the magical core of his body that sustained him, had corrupted it with her venom. Joh had lost that battle, certainly, but that was the least of his worries at the moment. He was severely injured, the wound in his chest, as well as deep cuts and scratches on his body that he had incurred moments prior, bleeding still.

The unnaturally strong healing factor he normally enjoyed, even though he could feel his magic pulse through his body regardless, seemed entirely absent, and while a certain durability had remained, any normal person certainly would have died by now, the situation didn't look good. Had she dropped him off here? Why? She could've killed him right then and there, in the jungle where Johann had encountered her. Why did she take him all the way to Amber Island? Why had she left him here, at the steps of the guild hall of Dies Irae? Did she want people to see him? To witness how broken, how defeated, how powerless he was in this moment? Did she want to humiliate him? Johann felt anger well up inside him, though it wasn't enough to overwhelm the crushing pain, the silver-haired Rune Mage wincing in agony as he rolled from one side to the next one. While he had fought, bled before, he was certain he had never experienced, never felt something like this. It was as if acid coursed through his body, which was barely held together by its own magical power. He had to endure this. He had to survive this. He repeated those words in his head, over and over. It would pass, as long as he could just endure it now, and even though he had finally managed to draw hectic, shallow breaths, his vision would begin to darken once again as unconsciousness threatened to take him.

---

Word Count: 1,309
Personal Word Count Total: 7,139
Thread Word Count Total: 11,942 (-4,000 Handed in for 2x C Rank Free Forms - 7,942 Total)