Event: Ayda's Rampage - Sin? + OPEN TO ALL -Balamb

[Kupo]

A monster here, a few warriors there – even an innocent family who had simply had the misfortune of travelling along the same road, they had all fallen victim to Ayda’s fits on uncontainable violence. She was making her way from place to place without any real aim or direction and she’d been killing at random along the way, whenever she felt over come with rage or sadistic urges. There really was no method in her madness and not surprisingly she’d drawn quite a lot of attention to herself. Brave little hero-lings tried to take her on, whether for a monster bounty or out of heroic obligation she didn’t know, and honestly she was barely aware of them. None that confronted her had strength enough to be anything more than a fly buzzing round her and each time she had swatted them with minimal effort.

It seemed she was losing herself more and more to the monstrous side that had developed during the time she was Sin. When Yu Yevon was gripping her mind and tearing it to shreds she was absorbing the destructive nature that was Sin whilst the fragments of her own mind were developing a bitter, angry quality. Sure, she occasionally reverted to the state of mind she’d had back when she and Ohalland had encountered Lady Yunalesca but those instances were few and far between and often she was too overcome with disgust and guilt over her actions to do anything worthwhile. More often than not she was a big bag full of crazy with no morality and little forethought.

Now she found herself drawing near to a small town called Balamb. She had no idea how she’d come to this place but as of yet no one had confronted her and so she was not lashing out. There was no spite in her as she roamed the streets because she wasn’t all there. She often dreamt as she walked – just fragments of the dreams she had known when shared with the Fayth, nothing near that blissful state where she was not a broken individual but rather a fragment of a whole. She would be vaguely aware of her surroundings, not walking into things as a result and sometimes picking up on peoples’ memories but she was not aware enough to feel any emotion about the events around her.

Ayda was phasing out of one such dream state, to find herself seated on a bench by the pier. This didn’t surprise her as she was often drawn to the sea. Before she was really completely aware of anything she became focused on the events of some townsfolk not far away. It was a fishing boat with a crew of men scrambling around unloading things. Among their number was a young boy who had evidently just dropped a box of fish all over the ground and one of the men was giving him hell for it. There was so much commotion that it was little wonder it had captured Ayda’s attention. She watched with a glazed look about her as the man continued to rant and rave at the boy, who was now snivelling away to himself. Then she spotted it, the subtle changes in his body that announced an imminent strike to those with combat trained eyes. She wasn’t really sure what was happening but in a heartbeat she had closed half the distance between the bench and the fisherman. She blinked and there she was, standing between the man and the boy with his punch caught neatly in her open palm.

Ayda had closed the gap with all the speed of a champion level Blitzball player in a few swift bounds and had stopped the man from striking the boy. Perhaps it was a fragment of her kinder self going out of her way to spare the boy or perhaps it was the cruel side that had spotted an opportunity to not only embarrass the man but beat the crap out of him as well. She didn’t really know why she did it but she did enjoy the satisfying crunch crack that resounded from his wrist as she snapped it like a twig. The gut wrenching yell that escaped him only moments later was enough to truly awaken her sick side and a swift side kick was enough to send the pain consumed ass out into the salty water.

Her bone white hair whipped around as she swung that lithe frame around to smack the awestruck child away from her with her forearm. He tumbled away with a yell and soon shouts from behind alerted her to the rest of the crew coming to their shipmates aid but they too were sent to the ground with an elaborate series of hand strikes and kicks all with that speed and agility that had once famed her in her sport. Every cry of pain, every broken bone made some twisted little fragment of her mind squirm with excitement.

By the time all of the crew were lying around, her moaning in pain or completely unconscious, a small crowd of people had gathered. It was clear the noise had struck their curiosity and they had come to investigate but it was a bad move on their part. She threw herself among them, lashing out this way and that, indiscriminate in choosing her targets. Men and women, old and young fell to her strikes and soon they learned that running was the correct choice of action. With every strike she could feel the sadism slipping into her consciousness a little further. A young man who had fallen to the ground was the first of her victims that day to die. She had stomped on his head, cracking his skull open like a cocoanut, its contents seeping out onto the ground.

It was a glorious day for destruction and before long she turned her attention to the buildings. She launched her own holy element attack, the energy balls dropping like bombs from the sky, the pyreflies swirling around her as she did. Rubble was falling to the streets and people were screaming as she sprung after them as they fled their homes. As she pummelled anyone and everyone she could get her hands on a small smile adorned her face for the first time since Luca.

[Griever]

Balamb wasn't much of a town. It was small and rather empty, with no real attractions to speak of, and as entertainment went, it was terribly dull. Oh, there was something to be said for the wide ocean view and the atmosphere of comfort and relaxation, certainly - that was what made places like this so popular among vacationers - but Lucain liked the feel of the real cities, the movement and life they contained, the rush of constant activity. He thrived on that fast pace, and anything less just didn't feel right.

It reminded him a little of Bodhum. There was that same openness, that same laid-back feel, the way everyone seemed to go about their business in such a leisurely manner, like they didn't have a care in the world. Little lives bred little ambitions, some things were true everywhere.

Lucain stretched his arms out in front of him, rolling his eyes skyward as he leaned back against the wall of some little seaside shop that he hadn't bothered to note the name of. Really, it was a waste for PSICOM to come to such a backwater little place like this, but it did have a history of breeding mercenaries, so...going out on a little reconnaissance was the prudent thing to do, just in case there was something to see.

Even if it was the most boring thing he'd done in months.

Idly, he stretched his gloved fingers this way and that in front of him, blue eyes focused with remote interest on the black-clad digits. The director of PSICOM, relegated to standing around waiting...but it couldn't be helped. The lower-ranking officers he'd brought with him were out looking for whatever information was to be found, and in a case like this one, his own status was more a hindrance than anything. It wasn't likely anyone in this little place would know him on sight, but on the off chance they did, it wouldn't look good for such a high-ranking military official to be poking around in the affairs of another nation. There were those who would see PSICOM's interest in SeeD as a threat, and...well, wars were a messy thing, and averting baseless suspicion was perhaps even worse. He sighed, letting his hands drop to his sides, lowering his eyes to the flow of the sea.

Lucain was used to the fast pace and constant work that presented itself back in Eden. All day, he issued orders, made decisions, reviewed what his officers presented him with, organized and moved his troops across the world to whatever work they needed to do in order to keep favor with Cocoon's citizens strong. It was natural for him, easy, and he'd been at the routine long enough that he even found it comfortable. Tedious tasks were maddening.

The sounds of the pier washed over him without really sorting into any kind of logic, forming more of a dull, general hum of noise. Movement, activity, that was what his focus went to, and without really trying, he picked up all of it - a woman scolded her child somewhere off to his left, a young man paced impatiently near the end of a dock, an old man...he almost laughed as he surreptitiously pickpocketed a girl who was obviously too involved in her sightseeing to notice. Ah, that sort was everywhere. Hiding the grin that threatened to spread over his features, he almost called out to reveal the transgression, stir things up a little, just for some small entertainment - but he cut off the words just before they could come out as another movement, a flash of white, caught his attention.

A fight? Well, that was certainly more interesting than the prospect of a few angry tourists and a petty thief. With a detached sort of focus, he watched the quick, lithe woman, noting absently the fluidity with which she dispatched her target. A violent solution, he mused, but effective. Her destructive attentions turned to the others around her; before long, there were screams, and the fringes of the crowd broke away to flee before things escalated. The woman was trained to fight, that much was obvious in her efficiency and strength, a practiced, deadly sort of grace that few possessed.

Much less graceful was the way she deliberately crushed a man's head like an insect. Lucain's eyebrows rose slightly, his head inclining a little to one side. Interesting.

She wasn't human. That was one prospect that had taken him some time to adjust to after the Merge. On Cocoon, even on Pulse, things were simple, straightforward, but here in the new world, it seemed that there were boundless possibilities and oddities beyond count. Human had never been a question. Discovering the existence of so many who fell firmly out of that category...well, it had been quite the shock, to say the least.

And he had absolutely no desire to involve himself, no matter how much of a bloodbath the altercation became. One never knew what the limits of power were, when dealing with things so far out of what was familiar. Lucain wasn't so naive as to assume that his own skill would be superior, when put to the test; but he didn't move from his place, watching with absolute calm as the town's citizens ran or fell.

It was, perhaps, a dangerous vantage point he chose...but things were so much more interesting here. Danger was infinitely more preferable to boredom.

[Bharune]

Suoh Kahre inhaled a deep breath of salted sea air, but instead of easing him it only quickened his pulse in apprehension. Balamb Garden wasn’t docked on the continent, but according to the schedule on his mobile device it would be by week’s end, and…as much as he wanted to be home right now he’d rather wait for it somewhere familiar than attempt tracking it down. The SeeDs were supposed to familiarize themselves with the new lands and cultures, but…

Suoh had had about as much of the merged world as he could take.

Even a few days felt like an excruciating eternity to the blonde mercenary; he never thought he would miss it so much, but he wanted more than anything to be back in those halls, surrounded by the calm, blue décor and the rippling chatter of his peers and instructors. He had already forwarded his status and location to the Commander, as well as…the news of Chase’s death. The blonde’s stomach tightened at the idea of making an official report, and even though their assignment had been simple surveillance he felt he had failed unforgivably. While it was true that no one had even suspected that level of danger, if he had done something differently…

Chase would still be alive.

Suoh’s knees felt weak at the thought, so much that he halted his steps, his sapphire eyes dropping. Below him, the once-sturdy cobblestone of Balamb’s streets threatened to waver mockingly, but the blonde steeled his will and shoved away the wave of light-headedness, continuing his path into the city. He had already changed into his SeeD uniform and many of the townspeople called greetings in his direction, a few even familiar enough to refer to him by name. Though Suoh hadn’t been born and raised in Balamb, once he had transferred to Balamb Garden he had found himself traveling here often, and more than a few times he had aided the local residents and storekeepers with their computer systems. Once he had spent several days with the owner of the train station as he attempted to implement a new database, but hadn’t had the slightest clue how to work the software. Things like that had put a little extra money in the young SeeD’s savings, though he often helped out freely if he spotted a problem or someone asked for his aid. Additionally, with all the dangers of the merged world Balamb was very diligent about maintaining a close relationship with the Garden and its mercenaries, so the seaside town was extremely accommodating.

Suoh wasn’t feeling very cheerful, but he made a small effort to return a few of the greetings as he traveled the quaint streets. After purchasing a room for a few nights, Suoh stepped out of the hotel with a deep sigh, squinting slightly as the bright sunlight assaulted his vision. And now…he had some time to kill before Garden arrived and, unsurprisingly, he didn’t feel like doing any work.

The blonde sat down outside the hotel, not even bothering to find a bench or a proper place to sit. At the moment he didn’t even care if he dirtied his uniform, he just chose a relatively dirt-free place against the building to take a seat. He was mindful of his gloves, however; Suoh hated it when his gloves were dirty.

He used to sit out here and read when it wasn’t busy, in the sunlight and fresh air but away from the incessant, verbal spew of his peers. And today…even if he had a book, he wouldn’t be able to read it.

Momentarily overwhelmed, Suoh dipped his head into his folded arms, supported by his drawn knees. Maybe he…maybe he wasn’t cut out for SeeD after all…

Or maybe he would get used to it. He wasn’t sure which thought was more depressing.

For a moment, Suoh allowed his thoughts to fade away, briefly choosing to think of nothing. Distantly, he listened to the soft harmony of the ocean and the cry of the gulls overhead, absently noting an unusual commotion wafting from the pier – some ship undoubtedly docking. He had a problem with seasickness, so Suoh never liked ships much; he’d pick the train any day. The submarines were fine, though; even when riding along the surface they were so heavy they didn’t sway much…

Suddenly the lullaby of the sea was sharply cut by a blood-curdling scream, causing the blonde to jerk as a chill swept his body. Before he could think, he was on his feet, circling the hotel to quickly approach the dock. His first thought was that there might’ve been some accident with the ship – several more screams rang out through the clear air – but Suoh had little to no knowledge of such crafts. Sometimes the ships caught fire, and if it was something like that…

He didn’t detect any smoke or strange smells, but he increased his pace into a light sprint.

People were running against him, shoving and crying and desperately trying to tuck themselves away inside the buildings. More than once he shouted for answers, but none would pause long enough for a reply. Soon, it wouldn’t be necessary.

An instinctive dodge to the left was the only thing that kept the youth from being toppled by a much larger body flying in his direction. Somewhere, in the back his mind, he recognized the fisherman that fell to his right, despite the bloody, mangled mess that had once been his face. Yes, he recognized those honey eyes, now unseeing; the same eyes his four-year-old daughter had looked up at Suoh with once, begging to hear all about the glamorous SeeDs. Suoh’s own orbs narrowed as he switched them back to the dock, expecting to find some monstrous devil at the center of spreading destruction.

“Haste,” he murmured in a whisper, feeling the heat of the spell envelop him as he took cautious steps closer, making a wider arc than his original, straight-forward path. He couldn’t see the fiend yet – the crowd was too dense, and he was too far.

Something…white?

“Float.”

The Haste quickened his pulse, urging him to charge forward, but Suoh held the reins tightly. He knew better than that; he wasn’t afraid, but he had to be prepared. Now fast and light-footed, he darted forward, seeming to barely touch the ground as he wove between the people and corpses, mentally queuing spells. He had his pistol, of course, but its effectiveness varied widely depending on the natural armor of the monster and…in this chaos, he didn’t want to risk putting a bullet in a pedestrian. Magic would have to suffice, at least until he could gauge the fiend’s capabilities.

The spell was there, ready in his mind and resting on his tongue, but Suoh almost lost it when he caught sight of the white-haired woman. His eyes widened in surprise and his steps hesitated for a moment.

….

But she had yet to notice him, and he wasn’t going to sacrifice that advantage.

“Water!” he cast, bringing his gloved hand down as the wave crashed against the deadly female. At the very least, he could distract her long enough that the people could get away.

But where were they going to go? Balamb was its own solitary island.

“Get the people to the train!” Suoh shouted to the captain of a local trade ship, who was struggling to help an older man to his feet. The man gave a strong nod and attempted to quickly herd the panicked residents, leaving the youth to focus on the demon once again. Utilizing the full advantages of the Haste, Suoh jerked that same hand back upwards in a follow-up spell.

“Blizzaga!”

That should earn her attention…

[matrium]

Rubbing the bridge of his nose in momentary irritation as the footsteps of a fast paced cadet were heard behind him. Something was wrong, Cadets only ran when something was about to royally screw with his day. The door to the compartment he had been sitting in swinging open admitting the youths. To think of these two as youths though, was laughable to him. They were only a few years younger than himself. Regardless...

Arching an eyebrow at the Cadet, these were transfer students from Trabia he was escorting as part of their exchange program. Hopefully it all went down without a hitch, that didn't seem to be the case though. The two he was escorting were under SeeD consideration and wanted to be at Balamb, which would hopefully dock here shortly. His task was to babysit them.

"Sir, there are civilians running around in utter chaos. There are reports of some kind of attack on the dock, there were casualties."

Blinking in reaction he stood reaching over to grab the Ashandarei that had been leaning against the wall. Looks like he'd actually get to do something today other than just sit around and be bored.

"You two help with the evacuation. If need be depart on the train with the civilians. Keep your location posted to me or Garden. Do your duty as a SeeD member would, protect the civilians. You might not be getting paid for this but lives are at stake, lives we need to protect. Organize and stay alert. Try not to die."

His voice cracking with authority as he spoke. A tone of underlying strength that carried confidence and assurance in it in equal parts. Moving past the pair in his doorway ignoring their salutes. Now wasn't the time for the formalities. Stepping out of the SeeD cabin to the screams and utter chaos of those who do not have the power to protect themselves. The cadets rushed out past him already calling out for order and caution directing the flow of humanity towards the relative safety of the train.

Striding up the stairs against the flow of people that pressed down, they gave one look at his attire, then his weaponry before a small circle flowed around him as he moved up. They recognized a threat when it was in front of him. He wouldn't hurt them, but it did speed things up. Squinting his eyes in the light as he adjusted to it from the train station Matrium breathed in the salty air stirring around him, a faint smile playing on his lips before moving to a crate against a wall. Standing on top of it he tossed his polearm onto the roof before hauling himself up lightly.

Gathering up his weapon, shifting his Katana on his hip for a quicker draw Matrium sprinted across rooftops stepping and jumping lightly to avoid falling as he balanced with his hands on either weapon. His Katana still sheathed while the Ashandarei slanted behind the back of his head. Pausing just near the wharf as he saw someone rush towards a target from behind. So one of those was the objective, but who. They said contain the disturbance, but he didn't know what it was yet. Noticing a point of stillness in the rushing throng of people the SeeD noted a man standing and observing as the tide of others washed around him.

The handler, or just the curious debating on getting involved. Dismissing him as unimportant to the current objective he stood casting two spells on himself in rapid succession.

"Double! Scan!"

Lifting his hand first to the man attacking the one from behind, information flooded his awareness. First and foremost was SeeD member. Ranking, spell listing, everything listed before him now. Nodding to himself he drew back the spell relaunching it at the other target. Words and data nearly overwhelmed him. But this was the target, a crazy incarnate version of a previous person who got amped up by some Final Summon and turned into a being known as Sin who's only cause was destruction wherever it went.

Muttering almost darkly under his breath as the SeeD pressed his assault on the target, he was severely outmatched against this one. Then again so was he, but who was he to complain when it came to doing his job. Lifting a hand to sweep before him as a yellow light suffused him after casting the Aura spell on himself. It was time to see if she could dance. Leaping from the roof and landing in a spring as he whirled his weapon above him using the double on himself to fire off a Protect on both himself and the other SeeD member an aura broke out around him activating his Limit Break, static bursts of lightning in green, white, and blue flickered around him.

"Flick!"

Whirling his spear in a sweeping motion, the intent to knock her from her feet into the air. The air pressure alone was enough to do the task as well if he missed with his initial sweep. Closing the distance to kick her higher into the air so he could complete his combination strike he prayed he hadn't just gotten himself killed hoping this SeeD would back him up.

[Kupo]

Ayda was initially oblivious to her observers, the man from Psicom who was choosing simply to watch her destructive antics didn’t even register on the radar. In this barely aware state she was much like a cat stalking prey, only the ones that were moving caught her attention. The first SeeD to attack, he too wasn’t on the radar, she was too absorbed in bouncing from victim to victim, breaking bones, piercing right through chest cavities with her bare hands. With each graceful, elegant movement the pyreflies swirled around her feet and hands. The more worked up she was the more vivid their colours glowed.

She felt the oncoming magical assault instinctually if at all. Her conscious was not really aware that her next action was a response. The hum of the pyreflies rose in her head as she let the reflect spell wash over her just in time to glow in response to the water spell that came right out of nowhere. The source had not made itself clear to Ayda yet but the bloodlust was rising already at the sense of an impending fight. She felt the temperature drop around her and saw her breath turn to pale mist in the moments before the second spell bounced off of her reflect into the crowd that still fled around her. It might last another spell of that magnitude or a few more, lesser spells but either way it wouldn’t hold out for long. It wasn’t an issue though, her sharp eyes had spotted the hand movement that accompanied that second spell, she had a new target.

Before she had a moment to spring at him her feet went out from under her. A second creature brave or stupid enough to attack her it seemed. The only reason he was not already dead was that her focus on the spell caster had left her undefended and he had the element of surprise. The Blitzball agility that had famed her in life saved her from crashing to the ground and like a cat she entered a flip immediately to land on her feet. Her feet never hit the ground though as his kick came at her before she had a chance to touch down. The blocked the strike with her hands but it was still enough to send her into the air, to make up for it she grabbed his leg after the strike and wrenched him up into the air with her.

She followed the motion with a flurry of strikes, spear hand and palm strikes specifically aiming to pierce and crush respectively with each one that landed. Her frame of mind was not as angry as it had been in Luca, where she had fought all out without really being aware of it. The sadistic part of her mind was in control now, the part that found the terrified screams musical and the idea of a challenging kill simply delightful. She was holding back. Fighting full force wouldn’t be anything like the challenge she was looking for and so wouldn’t be half as much fun. So how good was the man that had knocked her footing out? Could he handle her barrage of empty handed strikes of would he fall as easily as the fishermen? There was only one way to find out and in the mean time she was only just remembering that there was another that had already attacked her. What a violent day indeed. The smile still faintly visible on her face as she hung in the air with her opponant.

[just assuming she landed that grab, if you'd rather she didn't let me know and i'll fix it.]

[matrium]

As he landed his kick an emotion of, not elation, but satisfaction that he had set himself up perfectly struck him. She had been caught off-guard between the first SeeDs' initial assault and allowed him his own pre-emptive strike. The speed of which she had recovered though, shocked him. Guess it was to be expected from this one, he had scanned her himself. Maybe he had missed something a second scan would reveal. Already preparing the Magic spell in his mind a grip on his leg jerked him from his thoughts.

Eyes widening fractionally as he dropped the weapon he had been holding that had aided the launch of her in the first place Matrium was thrown skyward. Crossing his arms and hunching his shoulders reflexively as light erupted from the shattered Protect spell around him as it bled off the initial burst of strikes.

Damn she was strong...

The next several strikes landing on the muscled portions of his bieceps and wrists inflicting large amounts of pain and lots of bruising when it was through. Shrugging the pain and the assault off suddenly, like shaking off water Matrium slipped his hand around her wrist using it as a leverage to kick her back down to the earth utilizing her own enormous and entirely abnormal strength against her as most of her own strength went into his momentum.

Spikes of pain shot down his left wrist causing him to curse under his breath. Bruised for sure, fragmented or broken at this point. Making a fist with his left hand as he fell to the ground in a controlled fall. Unfortunately his own maneuver had taken him over the water, he'd be out of the fight until he could pull himself out. It was better than having to control his fall on the ground and roll with his wrist like this.

"Renew!"

He cast as he fell into the water already feeling the healing spell at work on his battered arms. A heat had sunk into them slowly knitting them back together. It was painfully blissful as it grew less painful each pulse that occurred. Kicking his legs the SeeD broke the surface of the water blowing seawater clear of his mouth before he breathed the air. Salty tang entered his mouth as he breathed in controlled lungfuls of air. His wrist wasn't at full strength, but at least it was mostly healed from the spell. He should be able to keep fighting, settling on that he paddled to the dock to haul himself back up and into the fight.

[seifer]

It seemed like total chaos had consumed balamb.

One moment, Seifer had found himself mindlessly fishing from the first floor balcony of his hotel room (a habit he had begun to pick up due to Fujin and Rajin's nagging), the next it was like the world had begun to end: As he sat on the railing of the smal, half-circle balcony facing the sea the air was suddenly filled with dozens, if not hundreds of terrified screams.

Damn. No rest for the wicked, huh?

After a long year of being what would be considered a wandering mercenary it seemed like work was now finding Seifer instead of vice-versa. Still, as Seifer dropped his fishing line and bolted into his room he could tell something was different about this. There was something so much more sinister in the air. As the young warrior pulled a large case out from under his rather humble hotel bed, he felt a terrible chill run down his spine, one unlike anything he had ever felt before. What was this feeling? Even though Seifer knew it wouldn't impede his combat performance it was still unnerving to say the least. Finagling with the latches on the large black case, Seifer quickly unlocked it and revealed the cases contents:

It was his Gunblade, the Hyperion. Its black color polished to a sheen, ready and waiting to be used for its intended purpose. Quickly scooping up the gunblade in hand, Seifer also pulled out a harness to hold the weapon on his back. Quickly equipping both, Seifer looked up and strode to the door to his hotel room and reached for the handle.

Only to be knocked back and have his vision filled with a brilliant flash of white light, leaving a massive amount of ringing in his ears. Several long moments passed before Seifer's senses returned to him fully alongside a tremendous aching in his body. The young man's eyes focused on where the door had been, which now remained as little more then a smoldering wreak: The result of a direct hit from a blast of holy that had come out of the sky.

...that better not be on my bill.

Picking himself up, Seifer quickly checked himself for injuries. Somehow, he had managed to avoid most of the damage from the spell, if only due to it being on the other side of the door. Making his way past the remains, Seifer looked through the hole in the cieling where the massive attack had come from, seeing a large hole amongst the clouds in the sky above, as well as what appered to be more of those explosive holy-blasts raining down from the sky.

His face hardening, Seifer made his way outside and, striding through the crowds of fleeing people, made his way toward the source of the commotion at the docks...

--------------

It was unlike anything Seifer had ever seen before.

The woman, very clearly the antagonist in this case, seemed to dance about dealing pain to anyone foolish enough to get close to her and death to any unfortunate souls who remained there. Seifer's hardened gaze watched as his quick footsteps drew him closer and closer to the chaos of combat. multiple individuals that Seifer did not recognize were drawn into a brawl with the woman, who clearly outmatched one of the warriors as she knocked him aside with what seemed to be great ease.

Interesting. Maybe this was Seifer's cue to step in.

Striding forward confidently, Seifer made his introduction into the combat assault with a single blast of firaga aimed at the woman. No questions were needed to know that this white-haired person was clearly the threat, and no matter how intimidating she was with those strange lights whirling around her Seifer had no plants of sitting this one out. unholstering the Hyperion from his back, the young man pointed it toward the white-haired woman in his combat stance, waiting to see what her response would be, and who else might be on his side. As much as Seifer might have enjoyed a one versus one, he personally didn't want the hassle right now.

Little did he realize just what he was getting himself into...

[Bharune]

Suoh felt the invasive chill of a foreign Scan reacting with his personal junctioning system and his sapphire eyes darted from the white-haired women to identify the caster, but his attention quickly snapped back to the woman as she deflected his spell. He didn’t have the luxury of being able to divide his focus from his primary threat.

The blonde registered his Blizzaga being deflected onto the few remaining citizens, but there was no time for remorse. He shifted in preparation for head-to-head combat, steeling his resolve. Despite probably being extremely outmatched, Suoh wasn’t afraid, and that much was clear in his hard gaze; he may not be much for combat, but he would fight until his last.

Before Suoh’s life could meet a painfully premature end, however, a third party joined the fray, initiating a stealthy attack on the demoness while her attention was diverted. The woman was thrown from her spot and a fellow SeeD moved in for a rapid follow-up, an assault that sent the pair of them into the air. Suoh only had to cast a single glance towards the vicious exchange between the pair of them to know he was as good as dead if he had to go against the white-haired entity.

He was a technician, for Hyne’s sake.

But his primary concern was the people of Balamb – once they were cleared out, it mattered much less how much damage the city suffered or if they died in the process of confronting the demon. Still quick-footed from the combined Haste and Float, Suoh moved immediately to quickly aid the townspeople. Those capable had already fled to the station, leaving only the wounded behind. He darted to a young woman bleeding from a stomach wound, murmuring a rushed Cura to close the gash. Once she was able to stand, he insistently pushed her towards an elderly man curled near a bench, instructing her to help him to the station as quickly as possible. Suoh had just finished curing and shoving off two boys when he heard the heavy splash, causing him to pivot to survey the fight. At least now the citizens were out of the way – the ones that could be moved, at least. He wouldn’t be able to stop to check the inanimate bodies for people still living, so it would have to suffice.

The blonde cursed when a glint of light reflected off the other SeeD’s katana, which had been dropped and was currently laying on the ground. The other SeeD was going to be a sitting duck without it.

Utilizing the faltering Haste spell, Suoh dashed towards the weapon and swept it up with a gloved hand, leaving his pistol holstered. He wasn’t trained with a katana specifically, but he was trained in blades, if only moderately. So while he had every intention of returning the weapon to its owner once he climbed out of the water, for now Suoh held it defensively as he switched his attention towards the falling woman.

Before he could even form a suitable plan for confronting the demoness, a powerful Firaga rushed passed him, the heat of it causing his own stance to waver slightly before it exploded against the white-haired assailant. Suoh’s eyes darted to the caster.

“Almasy!” He exclaimed in a startled breath, his blue eyes widening behind his thin glasses.

Suoh hadn’t been at Balamb Garden long before the infamous Seifer Almasy had gone rogue, but the short span had been enough to make the other’s acquaintance several times. He’d be surprised if Seifer recalled meeting him – he didn’t really stand out much – but Suoh certainly remembered the head of the disciplinary committee.

Even though they had both been SeeD cadets, Suoh had always been Seifer’s junior and had completely different areas of expertise, so none of their training or classes had ever overlapped. Still, it was hard not to eventually butt heads with Almasy and his posse, especially with how much they had liked to tease others and flaunt some undeserved sense of authority and accomplishment. No, Suoh certainly hadn’t liked Seifer very much back then.

But that had been years ago, and the young SeeD wasn’t going to hold any petty grudges, nor would he judge the rogue for his past decisions. And if there was one thing to admire about Seifer, it was his strength and experience, so Suoh’s immediate feelings towards the newcomer were respect and gratitude. He gave a nod to show complacency, then took several steps back from the fight to let Seifer take over.

Seifer was more experienced than he was, so for the course of the battle he was willing to treat Seifer as a superior.

“Haste,” he cast on the other blonde, queuing a few other support spells.

“We know nothing of her, or why she’s here,” he murmured in explanation to the rogue. “Or even what she is…”

Though his sapphire eyes remained on the woman, in his peripheral vision he monitored the SeeD that had fallen into the water, his hand still clutching the hilt of the katana.

[Kupo]

The mid air exchange of blows ended abruptly as her attacker managed to lock her wrist and swing her own attack around and against her, using her own force to fling her back towards the ground with unearthly power. It was impossible to tell if he’d landed the throw through luck or skill but as the ground hurtled up to meet her it didn’t seem to matter very much. Ayda had once spent a lot of time learning how to fall without hurting herself, in training to undertake her pilgrimage rather than for the water bound sport she loved so much.

In the heartbeat she had before impact she tried her best to utilise that practice, bending her legs and elbows and flattening out her hands to absorb as much of the energy as she could, replicating a spring for all intents and purposes. It worked, to an extent. She was like a shock absorber, removing the heavy damage of her collision with the dock yard, yet even so, her knees buckled upon landing and she only kept her face away from hitting the ground by a few inches.

There was a splash behind her a few moments later, indicating her lucky or skilful friend had fallen into the sea and beyond her concern. She rose from hands and knees to stand on her feet in a small impact zone of broken concrete, blood beginning to seep from her gashed knees. The tang of pain, all though small and inconsequential, made her utter a low throaty growl that sounded more like it ought to have come from a behemoth than the young woman she appeared to be.

Looking about her it was clear to see that most of the weaklings were dead, dying or had fled. That meant that those few standing around her now were here to fight. She was taking a good eyeful of each one, imagining how she would crush each one with no more care than your average human would give over crushing a cockroach. The man alone, with the relaxed stance did not seem an immediate threat yet he seemed too calm for the surroundings, she took note of him now purely because he remained in the vicinity. There was the magic caster she’d been aiming for earlier too; he seemed a little uncomfortable though there was something in his eye that hinted at resolve or determination. Or perhaps it was stupidity she saw in him as he stood there, blade in hand.

The blond on comer seemed surer of himself as he immediately launched a powerful fire spell before she’d had much chance to register him. The last of her reflect spell was drained away as white and black magic collided. It bounced back towards the caster and the SeeD that stood close by. Seizing her opportunity, aware that she was currently undefended from anymore magical assaults, she launched herself after the fireball, using it as cover for the high speed approach. She appeared before Suoh in a crouched stance, initiating a low spin kick that was intended to swipe his legs out from under him or snap his shin bones.

It might have been a slightly risky manoeuvre, leaving her open to attack in the seconds it took to sweep her bloodied leg round in a wide circle heel first, but her speed was likely to compensate for the briefest of openings. The inner monster had her focusing on unarmed destruction, preferring to feel every spike or pain she inflicted directly, up close and personal. She was fighting like a demon and unlike her previous dreamlike violent outbursts that sick part of her was functioning with perfect clarity and clean cut strategy.

Ayda was at her most dangerous when her mind settled into this kind of state.