Hunting for Souls

[Mani4c]

Justicar was in a foul mood. Between the sudden appearance of Halberd, and his continued anger concerning his loss to Viral Mani4c, it was safe to say that almost no one wanted to be around him at this point. The fuming swordsman was currently pouring over a small mountain of files, trying to find a way of defeating Viral Mani4c should he ever reappear. "I STILL can't find a technique that will destroy that damn viral lunatic if he goes critical again!" Justicar threw another file away, his temper reaching a fever pitch, "I refuse to be crippled by some raving lunatic with a healing factor!" Justicar grabbed another file, this one marked. "Project: SOUL"

The silver haired warrior opened the file and began to read, the file was heavily corrupted, but what Justicar was able to read peaked his interest: "...Continued observation has yielded interesting results. It seems that these "Souls" can be used by other avatars, binding to them and giving them the ability to become the avatar contained within. If an avatar was able to merge with multiple Souls, they would be a force to be reckoned with. I've managed to locate four souls that were formed from powerful warriors. I've created a map with the locations marked on it in an addendum to this file."

Justicar looked for the addendum and found the map. "This could tip the scales in our favor." Justicar Opened a text window and sent a message to Amplify. <Can you come down to the Library? I've found something that you might find...exciting.>

 

[Prythian]

A few minutes later, Amplify appeared. This time, her braids were in a pattern like ocean waves. She faked a yawn, hiding a grin behind her hand as she prepared to have a little fun at Justicar's expense, mischief glinting in her golden eyes. "Something exciting, huh?" She said in a bored-sounding voice as she sauntered over to Justicar, draping herself over his shoulder. "Good, because even you were starting to get boring around her. And we all know I'm here as long as it's..." She bared her teeth directly at him. "...entertaining. So!" She pushed herself back off of him, and tilted her head back and forth, stretching her neck. "What's up?"

[Mani4c]

Justicar chuckled. "Were you trying to be seductive or scary just then?" He had a smirk on his face as he handed her the file for Project: SOUL, he took notice of Amp's new hairdo as well. "Nice look by the way, the ocean waves thing looks good on you."

Justicar had gotten used to Amp's presence, and he even considered her a friend, though he did his best not to broadcast that fact. "I think I've found a way to even the playing field between me and Saber, and seeing as you hate to be bored, I figured that a little scavenger hunt across the underground would do us some good."

[Prythian]

Amplify waved off the compliment. "You should know by now I have very little control over what pattern those braids go into when my hair goes up." She said dismissively, attention focused on the file. "Hmm. Old programs, high chance of incompatibility with a more modern avatar, chance of dangers inherent in the use of the programs even without that, plus they're likely hidden behind intense encryption and trap programs... and of course there's always the possibility that someone else got there first." She listed off, voice neutral while doing so. Then she bared her teeth, this time in a wide grin. "Lots of danger and unpredictability? Sure, what the hell? I'm in." She handed the file back to Justicar.

[Mani4c]

Justicar smirked, "I know you can't control it, I was just being nice." Justicar returned to the matter at hand, looking at the map he located the nearest Soul, "The nearest soul is actually a small distance away from here, to the south." Justicar looked at Amp and smiled, "Well my dear, once I get my blade we'll be off. Bring your best treasure hunting fedora and meet me out front in five minutes."

Justicar got into the elevator and headed up to his quarters, grabbing his sword and coat, along with a woven grass hat that Masamune had made for him((Think Samurai Jack's hat)). His armor could be summoned if he needed it.

He also grabbed a small bamboo flute that he'd bought about a year ago, he considered it a lucky charm. Justicar put on his hat and smirked "Okay, time for a treasure hunt." He then headed to the atrium, seeing Amp waiting for him. He walked up to her and smiled, "Ready for an adventure?"

[Prythian]

Amplify, meanwhile, had gotten her naginata and was leaning on it like a walking stick. She didn't have on a fedora, though, staying in her normal human-looking form without any real embellishments. "Well... you're the one with the map. So I'd say that by myself... nope, not ready at all." She gave a teasing grin. "Lead on. I have to admit, the hat doesn't look half bad." Her grin got even wider, and her eyes seemed almost to glow. She gave it just a few more moments, waiting for the proper timing on this. "Makes you look like a real fun guy."

[Mani4c]

Justicar smiled, and began speaking in a dramatic tone "Now I've got to get rid of it, it's spreading lies about me! Not to mention that I hate mushrooms." Justicar laughed, "Come on Amp, let's go. Next stop... No F***ing clue. But it's got what we're looking for, so onward!" Justicar and Amp headed out towards the location of the first soul, and both were silent for a few moments before Justicar decided to pull out his flute and play a tune.((Here's a link to the song Just focus on the flute.))

[Prythian]

Amplify smiled as the flute began to play, idling spinning her naginata next to her in time with the tune. Almost without thinking, every now and then when it was most appropriate, she reached over and clapped her hand against the flat of its blade, punctuating the rhythm with a beat. Then she opened her mouth and began to sing along. She wasn't singing words, or if she was, they weren't intelligible words; it was more like vaguely word-like sounds that she felt seemed to fit with the flute.

[Mani4c]

Justicar noticed Amp's enthusiasm and smiled, 'It's always nice to have a receptive audience.' Justicar continued playing for a while, simply enjoying their little duet while it lasted, allowing the music to settle his nerves and keep him calm. 'I haven't been this mellow in a while, I should really take up the flute as a hobby.' 

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. As they neared the location of the first soul, they stumbled upon a lake with a thin strip of land leading to an island in the middle. Justicar put away his flute and ventured out onto the island with Amp, where they found a small glowing sphere floating about 3 feet off of the ground. It cast a gentle light on the duo, seeming to know of their presence.

Justicar took a step forward and cleared his throat before speaking to the orb. "Are you one of the four souls that inhabit the underground?" The orb glowed brighter, reacting to Justicar's question. "Yes, I am the spirit of a great assassin known as Vapour. I died after a fierce battle with my brother Dust. What do you want of me, swordsman?" Justicar gathered his courage, "I humbly request that you allow me to use your power." Vapour Just laughed, "It's not as simple as asking my permission boy! You must prove that you can handle my power... Best me in combat, and you shall receive my power." 


The orb glowed even brighter, almost blinding Justicar. ((Here's what he looks like)) "Now that I'm in a more suitable form, I have to ask your friend something." Vapour looked at Amp, his eyes has a piercing gaze that seemed uncontrollable. "Why does your comrade seek my power? Answer honestly, I'll know if your lying." His tone wasn't forceful, but anyone could tell that the connotations behind that final statement was nothing less than a threat.

[Prythian]

Amplify had merely sat back and watched, leaning on the naginata's shaft while the two of them talked. "Not very well hidden, were you?" She murmured as an aside, clearly not a question that needed or even deserved an answer. Her own eyes sharpened until they were almost as piercing as Vapour's, shining like gold in a forge. "You clearly can't tell much if you think that I would lie. Lying is boring." She huffed. "All he told me was that he was seeking your power to match someone else. 'Evening the playing field', I think he called it. You really should ask Wolf yourself, he's not really much on the whole lying business either, and if you can tell if I am, you almost certainly could tell if he was." She smirked at Justicar. "Doesn't he look like a bad liar, Soul Man?"

[Mani4c]

Vapour smirked behind his mask. "You've got courage, I'll grant you that." Vapour looked at Justicar, who had placed his hat and flute on the ground and was clutching the grip of his sword, ready for a fight. "I need your power to defeat a certain enemy of mine. Beyond that, I will not say. Now... are you going to fight me, or just stand there?" Vapour's eyes narrowed, "Well then, I suppose there's only one way to settle this." Vapour lifted his hand, and a glowing sphere appeared in his palm. The orb flashed a bright gold color and transformed into a massive cleaver shaped sword.

Justicar unsheathed his own blade and brought it up in front of him before activating his armor. "Alright, let's dance big boy!" Vapour Cackled madly and dashed at Justicar locking blades with him. "I'll cleave you in two!" Justicar just chuckled before shoving Vapour away and slashing him across the chest, leaving a deep gash where he was hit. "Grah! Little s***." Justicar turned to Amp, "Amp! Artillery Support, GO!"

[Prythian]

Amplify smirked. "And here I thought this was going to be your fight." With a flash, her hair tumbled downwards... and then a slim armor covered her entire body, the hair dividing into two long strands exiting from the back of the helmet. Four rainbow orbs appeared in the air around her, floating, waiting for her command, but she wasn't using them just yet. "Let's see..." She spun her naginata, pointing the bladed end directly towards Vapour... and then suddenly pointed downwards, the first shot firing from the tip of the shaft directly towards his feet. He would have to move or get knocked back on his ass, and once he moved, Amplify was going to fire her second shot directly at where he was going.

[Mani4c]

Vapour was knocked off of his feet by the blast, losing his sword in the process. "Nice one Amp!" Justicar sprinted towards the fallen warrior, hoping to run him through while he was unarmed. "YOUR MINE!" Vapour raised his arm, summoning a huge serpentine dragon made of water from the lake. "I don't think so! Water Style: Aqua Wyvern technique!" Vapour pointed at Justicar, and the dragon surged toward him, striking him in the chest and throwing him back a few yards. "Damn! Bastard's got a few tricks up his sleeve." Vapour stood up and retrieved his sword, lifting the blade above his head and gathering a large orb of water at the tip of the blade. Justicar cursed, "S***, that's not good. Amp, not to sound pushy here, but I need a speed boost if I want to dodge those water attacks, can you spare some orbs?"

[Prythian]

Amplify nodded as four more appeared around her, and two of them immediately shot for Justicar, breaking up into energy and supercharging his speed routines. "Make the most of it. In fact, here!" Two more also flew to Justicar, charging up his strength routines. "Meanwhile, I've got some orb use of my own to handle..." She pointed the naginata at Vapour's current position again, and one of the orbs broke apart, feeding into the naginata. "NOW!" With that, she rapidly fired five of the powerful blasts out, aiming each one so as to attempt to hit the entire area that Vapour was currently in. There were only 3 of the orbs left floating around her.

[Mani4c]

Vapour swung his blade outwards, stopping the shots with a wall of water created by the orb on his sword. "Special Delivery!" Justicar dashed at his target, smashing Vapour in the ribs with a vicious left hook. Followed up by a trio of enhanced sword strikes. "Argh! little rat!" Vapour swung his blade at Justicar, only to have it knocked aside, "Too slow!" Justicar delivered more slashes to Vapour's midsection before lunging outwards, stabbing him in the abdomen. "Urgh!" Justicar grabbed his sword with both hands and kicked Vapour off of the blade.

Justicar lowered his blade, "Give up?" Vapour simply raised his hand and summoned another water dragon, "HERE'S YOUR ANSWER!" Justicar swung his blade and smashed the dragon into a spray of water. "I'll take that as a 'no'."

Vapour lashed out with the flat of his blade, hitting Justicar in the helmet before stumbling to his feet, he was covered in deep cuts and the stab wound in his stomach was very deep. "Hah, hah. I'm not done yet." Vapour raised his sword, shrouding it in water. "Now... say good night!" The hydrokinetic swordsman ran towards Justicar, bellowing out a war cry. Justicar simply raised his blade, focusing his energy into it. "Heh, can't belive I have to use this..." Justicar's blade started to glow a bright gold, and he ran towards Vapour, his own blade poised to strike. When the two swordsman met, they yelled out the name of their technique. "Water Style: Tsunami Cleaver!" "Kokūjin Ōgi: Akumetsu!" The two strikes landed, and a massive explosion of light and steam clouded the battlefield. The two fighters couldn't be seen or heard.

[Prythian]

Amplify blinked furiously as water vapor whooshed into her eyes through the holes in her helmet, and her hair drooped a bit, dealing with now being wet. "Gah! Wolf, you're going to owe me for this one." She threatened, voice legitimately angry. She swiped at the steam in front of her with the flat of her blade, clearing some of it away, completely soaked. "You'd better have won, or I'm going to kick your ass, Wolf!" Meanwhile, four more orbs appeared around her, the seven orbs slightly starting to fight with the hazy cloud of steam and light.

[Mani4c]

The haze cleared, revealing the two swordsmen. Justicar's blade was thoroughly planted in Vapour's chest, having dug it's way through his left shoulder. Vapour's blade on the other hand, was inches away from Justicar's neck. "Urgh, gah-" Justicar raised his left hand, his index and middle fingers extended. "Empty Sky True Form: Judgment of the Sword!" Justicar made a slashing motion with his two fingers, and suddenly a massive line, similar in appearance to a swipe of ink from a calligraphy brush tore past Vapour. It actually appeared to injure him, this line was followed by a rapid swarm of almost 50 more strikes, almost covering his body with black marks before exploding outward.

The water coating Vapour's blade fell off, hitting the ground with a splash, Vapour coughed before chuckling "Son of a b**** you got me..." The wounded swordsman exploded in a flash of light, replaced by a glowing orb that flew into Justicar's chest. Justicar's body glowed for a moment before returning to normal, Justicar deactivated his armor before looking at Amp, noticing her soaked through hair and tried to stifle a snicker. "Sorry Amp." Justicar walked over to his hat and flute, placing the hat on his head, and slipping the flute in one of his coat pockets. "Still, at least that's over."

[Prythian]

Amp just shook her head, shaking off water droplets. Gripping her hair, she began literally wringing it out. "Next time you should try to be a little faster with your attack so that there isn't a giant explosion. Not much to ask for, is it?" She chuckled a bit, showing that she was already blowing off, well, steam. "That being said..." Her armor vanished, and her hair leaped back up into braids, this time the pattern looking like spirals. Unfortunately, the process of doing so forced the rest of the water out of her hair, pouring down all over her and soaking her black-and-gold clothes. She spluttered. "...Wolf, those injuries had better be important enough for us to go back, or I'm going to hit you."

[Mani4c]

Justicar snickered, "Sorry, no dice, but I think that I can help with that." Justicar focused his energy and started to glow, his body began to change shape, when the glow died down it was revealed that Justicar had taken the form of Vapour. "Alright, stay still." Justicar pointed his hand at Amp, the water that had soaked her clothing reacted, extracting itself from her clothes and making them bone dry. "And for my next trick." Justicar spun around and pointed at a rock, the water he collected shot off and struck the rock with enough force to drill a hole the size of a quarter straight through it.

Justicar snapped his fingers and returned to his original form with a amused smirk on his face. "Oh, I am LOVING this..." He looked at Amp. "So...still want to stop off? Or should we continue?" 

[Prythian]

Amplify's eyes gleamed as Justicar pulled all of the water off of her. "Well, Wolf, I'm up for either. But I'm not so sure about you, given that you were injured in that fight. You get too hurt, we're going back straight away, even in the middle of a fight. Got that? Good." She nodded abruptly, taking it for granted that Justicar was going to listen to her. "So, we can go on or we can go back. Your choice. That said, I have a feeling the next one won't be so easy to find or to defeat."