Meeting of a God and a Dragon [Closed - Lance]

Running his slender fingers through his sleek black hair, the Slayer glanced around in the dresser mirror lying before him. He was suited up and ready to go, signature attire fitting his six-foot-two frame snuggly. A soft, closed-lipped smile spread across the pink petals that lined his features, causing two dimples to form around the corners of his mouth. His cold globes gleamed in the ray of sunlight, basking a small portion of the room in warmth. “Damn Ryder.. How do you do it?”

Of course he was kidding. He didn’t actually care about how he looked, nor did he care about what others thought of his appearance. He did this merely to tick Dashie off, who he managed to catch watching him out of the corner of his eye. On cue, the feline rolled his eyes behind the curtain of hair, crossing his arms along his furry chest. “Pitiful. That couldn’t get you any puh, y’know.”

“You think I care?” Ryder shrugged his shoulders, craning his neck back to look towards his friend. Romance wasn’t exactly his forte, and having sex was even lower on his list. If it came his way, it would come his way. He’d deal with it accordingly. Unlike his little partner, he wasn’t one to go out of his way for “The puh”. “You should! Some of ‘em are really nice. You find the right one, man.. She’ll have you on your knees.” The cat’s lips curled upwards, hinting at the white residing within.

“You gonna’ sit around and talk about that all day, or are we gonna go see what the hell is going on?” Ryder reached down, wrapping his fingers around the crimson scabbard that housed his faithful sword. This sword has saved his ass on several different occasions. While he prefered hand-to-hand combat due to the inherently less-deadly nature behind the sport, he was not against using the blade when need be. “Y’know, you should really hook that damn thing to your waist instead of carrying it around everywhere.” The slayer was already out the door by the time Dashie had made this comment. The Exceed soon followed, waddling beside his brother.

“Because it bothers you. No, seriously. Why do you always get so worked up over me carrying it? I just like to. I feel more comfortable this way.” This statement only caused the Slayer to tighten his grip around the sheath, causing his knuckles to turn white. Holding the sword as opposed to strapping it to his waistline allowed for more maneuverability. He didn’t like being restricted, something Dashie’s method of transporting would do to him. “Alright, fine. Fine.. You got me there. We need to find the bartender though, I’m sure she knows what is going on.”

“Mmm. You just wanna talk to her and ask what is happening, right?” He teased, poking Dashie’s back with the butt of his sheath. The exceed angrily waved it off, descending the steps to the main dining and bar area. All of the chairs had been stacked upside down on the tables, the window shades closed to halt any light from flowing in, save for a few stray rays. From the stairwell, the duo had perfect view of what was behind the counter. Their eyes lie on the bartender, who was crouched down in the corner. Her hands were embedded deeply into the roots of her hair while her knees were brought up into the confines of her chest. Her kneecaps smushed her voluptuous orbs back into her torso, causing Dashie to bounce around happily in place.

Ryder lowered himself down to the bar, leaning over the edge with his forearms resting upon the wooden counter. The wooden frame wailed underneath his weight. He peered over the edge, whistling to catch the woman’s attention. For a brief moment, she gripped her head even tighter, scooting backwards away from the counter. “Don’t hurt me, please! Take all of the money you want!”

“Woah, hey. Chill. No one is going to hurt you or take your money.” The Slayer’s soothing voice carried through the woman’s eardrums, prompting her slowly lift her head. Dashie had hopped up onto the counter himself, staring down at the woman alongside Ryder. Her make-up was smeared across her shapely cheekbones from the tears that had been flowing like two waterfalls. “Ma’am, we’re certified ass-kickers! We’re here to help you!” The exceed stomped his foot, placing both of his fists upon his narrow hips. “Pfft.. I am, at least.” With a grin still plastered to his face, Dashie slammed the heel of his paw against Ryder’s hand.

“Gyaah!”

“Baby girl, can you tell us where we need to go to get in the middle of this mess?” Dashie pointed one of his furry fingers towards the door. Ryder on the other hand was nursing his swollen knuckle, gently rubbing his fingers back and forth across the red nub.

“I-.. I don’t know why you would want to do that?!”

Like a viper, the Ice Dragon Slayer poked his way back into the conversation. “Like he said ma’am, we’re certified ass-kickers.” This statement warranted a nod of agreement from his small Exceed partner. “O-ok.. T-to the west! As soon as you go outside.. Please… Please help the people out there! Their homes are getting destroyed.. People are d-” Her lips were closed shut when Dashie’s finger pressed firmly against them. “Shh-shh-shh…. Don’t worry baby girl, we got this.”

After exiting the establishment, the two glanced to the west. Sure enough, there were pillars of black smoke billowing into the sky, sure-fire signs of a raging fire. “Hmph.” Ryder held his katana close, taking a few strides down the road in the direction of the fires. “Think it could be a fire-using mage?” --- “Dunno. Don’t care.”

Near the Fire-God Slaying user, two shards of ice were shot straight towards his feet. Their goal was geared towards halting the man’s advancement more than to actually strike him. About four meters away, the Ice Dragon Slayer known as as Ryder Frostridge and his Exceed partner touched down on the path leading into Clover Town. “Oi! Can you not destroy this town? It’s actually one of the few that I like.”

“Gyaaakekekekekek! I guess he didn’t get the memo, aye Ryder?!” The Exceed jabbed his elbow into his partner’s knee, a devilish grin etching upon his furry face. He crossed his arms along his chest, throwing his hidden gaze off to the side in an arrogant manner. “We’re two certified ass-kickers! I figured a low-life villain like yourself would have known that already.. You should really leave before we kick your toos-” --- “Ryder. And you?” He extended a friendly greeting to his fellow Slayer, taking a step before his feline friend.

A look of anger and annoyance soon took over the confident smile that shined brightly. “W-what?! Dude, why the hell did you mention your name to him?! He’s a villain! You never reveal your name to the villain!” Dashie jumped into the air, taking a swing for his brother’s head. Luckily, the Ice Dragon Slayer was on edge. Feeling the amount of magical energy flowing within the individual before him, he wanted to be as alert as possible. He was able to cock his head to the side and avoid the small thrust. “You did first. You called me Ryder, so I’m sure he already heard. He doesn’t seem to be deaf, y’know.” Ryder kept his cold stare in sight of the God Slayer.

“Ah, I!-.. I did, didn’t I? Damnit! Whatever, punk. You won’t be awake long enough to remem-” Once again, Dashie’s line was skewered before it could even finish, this time by the enemy before them. He spewed forth an odd statement about how ice wasn’t available on his platter, and how unfortunate it was that Ryder wasn’t a fire-mage. He turned his fiery globes to the cat below, causing Dashie to jump in fear and cower behind Ryder’s leg. “Not on his diet..? What the hell is he talking about? There is no way he’s another Sl-.. No. Not even a possibility. Damn.. It is a possibility. Another like me, huh?”

As his thought process finished its round, the antagonistic mage spoke up once more. He leaned down, coiling his hands around the two ice spikes penetrating the earth below. With ease, he pulled them out of the ground and held them over his shoulders like two pikes. Ryder’s eyes narrowed in on his palms, watching as he ignited the two shards with… Black fire. “Gngh! Black fire? What type of magic is this? It definitely isn’t normal Fire magic.” With a forward slashing motion, he hurled Ryder’s spikes right back at him, only this time with his own added twist.

Ryder’s hips were on a swivel, and he utilized this to twist his upper body around. One of the shards zipped right past his nose, the other clipping a small bit of hair off the back of his head. Dashie held onto his leg for dear life, tears streaming down his invisible eyes. “Gyyeeaaaaghhh! What?! Black fire?! Since when can people use BLACK FIRE!?!?!” Ryder quickly regained his composure, bringing his blade close to his side. He wrapped his left hand around the hilt, threatening to unsheath it at a moment's notice. His nostrils flared as a similar scent filled the air. It was flowing straight from the black-flame user himself. He didn’t know whether to call this an odor, or an aroma.

“Dash, go. Go make sure everyone is out of this part of the town.” His eyes were trained to the God Slayer like a damned hawk, fist tightening around the hilt of his blade. A faint, blue aura began glowing around the guard of said sword. Dashie glanced up at his partner, fear now shaking his entire body. “B-but you need help here! I can help, seriously!” --- “Yeah. You can help by getting any civilians away. Children, women, men, dogs, cats, anything still left here, take them and go to the other side of the town. Wait for the Rune Knights brigade to come. Then you guide them here.” Taking a few steps backwards, a white glittery substance conjured up around the Exceed’s back. Two white feathery wings manifested themselves, allowing him to rise up into the sky. “Fine, but you owe me! I better get a giant damned fish after this is all said and done!”

“Sure thing, pal.” Ryder took this time to look over the destruction caused by the man standing in front of him. “No one else is in the immediate vicinity. I guess I am fine to go all out.” The Slayer shifted his right foot backwards, behind his shoulder. He pulled his scabbard back, quickly unsheathing his katana. He brought the sword across his chest, arm outstretched completely with the blade slicing on a horizontal arc. Follow the tip of the blade was a thick stream of ice shards and slush. Once Ryder’s sword reached back as far as his arm would allow, the stream of ice was launched towards Lance, the edges of said technique slicing into the destroyed buildings on either side of them.

“Ice Dragon’s Lashing Talon!”

As soon as his technique had fired off, the Slayer returned his blade to its rightful home. The sound of metal scraping against metal resounded off in the immediate area, possibly splitting the ears of those with sensitive hearing. It had bothered Ryder the first few times, though with enough practice and training, he was able to block out that sound completely. His cold eyes were dead-set on the man before him, straightening his body out in accordance. He extended his arms forth and produced a wall of the same black flames he’d conjured up earlier, completely negating Ryder’s Lashing Talon spell. He was definitely no slacker.

The Ice Dragon Slayer was impressed with his own display of power as well. The two spells canceled each other out, but Lance’s did the trick. Ryder held his scabbard close, clenching it in his right hand. “Lost Magic, huh? So I was right to assume you’re a Slayer as well? You’ve definitely got the scent of one. I was gonna’ ask, but considering we haven’t even had lunch together yet, I figure it’d be rude. Like asking a woman of her weight, y’know?” His typical sarcastic attitude vibrantly burned through the words that slithered along his tongue.

“This is all I am capable of, yes. But I can assure you, my ice will be more than enough to deter your flames.”

Lance’s fist exploded in a flash of black flames as he launched himself through the air, rearing his fist backwards, Apparently he wanted to engage in hand-to-hand combat with Ryder. That was, after all, a Slayer’s specialty. Or at least he assumed so. He didn’t have time to sit there and ponder Lance’s fighting style just yet. He could feel the intense heat from the fire already licking the sides of his face as the God Slayer neared position. He propelled his flame-coated fist through the air, knuckles aimed right for the bridge of Ryder’s nose. “Wow, these damn flames are hot!” The single thought crossed his mind as he side-stepped to the right, turning his entire torso to the left in order to watch the fist fly right by. The black flames kissed his porcelain skin, leaving small red marks along his cheekbones.

Now on Lance’s left side, he lifted his right leg up, thrusting his foot outwards towards the God Slayer. The base of his booted heel was aimed for the left side of Lance’s torso, going to drive right into his ribs and push him into the house to his right. He wanted to avoid damaging the rest of Clover town as much as possible, but judging from this man’s innately destructive nature and fighting style, that would be an uphill battle while trudging through a river filled with mud all the way up to your knees. It was virtually impossible.

If the kick had connected, it would send Lance flying into the wall or window of the establishment to his right, possibly smashing him through the foundation itself. “He’s strong, he’s fast, and he is dangerous. I need to steer clear of them flames. I wouldn’t necessarily have to if I utilized my magic, but I need to conserve my energy for this fight. He isn’t going to be easy.” Ryder kept his left fist and metal sheath firm, ready to defend against a possible counter attack if need be.

An accomplished grin found itself in Ryder’s wake when the ball of his foot slammed into Lance’s side. A sickening crack filled the air, whether that be to his sizzling fire magic or his ribs, Ryder couldn’t tell. The force behind his well-placed side-kick sent the God Slayer reeling, crashing into the abandoned building to his right. His similarly-statured frame took out a window and the door leading into the house, as well as half of the front wall. Ryder lowered his foot to the ground, steadying himself on two feet once more. He reached up to scratch the back of his neck, allowing his lower lip to retract. “Yeesh. I think I may have overdone it a little too much.”

He spoke too soon. As soon as the words left his tongue, the entire building erupted in a mass explosion of Lance’s signature black flames, completely engulfing the surrounding area. The ground around the establishment cracked from the raw array of Magic Power. Needless to say, the building that Lance was once in stood no more. Instead, it was but a heap of charred rubble littering the ground around the two Slayers. The heat radiating from the cloud of fire singed the ends of Ryder’s hair, forcing the Ice Slayer to back-pedal several steps while shielding his eyes with his forearm.

“God-Slayer Magic..? He is a Slayer afterall? What in the world is this God-Slayer Magic though? There is no way in hell they didn’t mention something of this sort during one of the Rune Knight meetings. Did I just doze off, or is this some sort of new concept?”

He opened his trap to speak, only to find himself face-to-face with his opponent. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Lance’s entire leg coated in this God Slaying magic, flinging like a whip towards his skull. Ryder adjusted his own knees, lowering his torso in order to avoid the deadly strike to his temple. “As I suspected; He is abnormally swift. If he’d of hit me there, I fear I would have been knocked unconscious-” His eyes were averted from the charred building before him to his waist, where two burly arms coiled around his abdomen. He could feel the heat burning away at his back before being lifted off of his feet and tossed into a building behind the two of them.

It seemed to have been a building in which Lance had destroyed previously, as he saw the remnants of blackened cement pass by his cerulean pools before smashing into a hard metal container. His vision blurred for a moment or two before setting themselves upon reality. He was nestled into a small throne-like object, arms perched atop two cold metal surfaces. He could hear Lance cackling in the distance, relishing in the fact that he’d managed to land a hit on the mere “ice mage”.

“He sure knows his way around a fight.. Now what the hell is this col- Oh!” His situation when from bad to good when he scanned over all of the shaved ice and icicles he was lying on. When observing his area, he’d come to the conclusion that he was inside an ice cream shop. He was most certainly inside of an ice cream shop. The aroma that each and every flavor gave off, and the scent of fresh ice. There was nothing else like it.

His optimistic smile had retaken its place on his expression as he shifted his body around. The muscles in his forearms and biceps rippled underneath his glistening skin as he pushed himself to his feet. “Ice-mage, huh? I guess you could say I’m something like that…” Ryder began inhaling, the air current flowing towards his mouth. The shaved ice that was now exposed to the air from the freezer had turned into a blue energy of sorts, spiraling towards his mouth. His chest and stomach swelled, his Magic Power rising to a new height with the energy filling his core. A cold mist drifted along the floor of the building, oozing out into the path in which the God Slayer stood.

Ryder stepped outside of the building, half of his face concealed by the shadows cast by the ceiling, the other illuminated by the sunlight. “Unfortunately for you, I’m not just a mere ice-mage. No.. I’m much scarier than that.” The frigid mist levitated into the air, circulating around his right arm. A large, spiky crystalline structure soon encompassed his entire forearm, forming what looked to be a giant javelin or lance of ice. Ryder pushed himself forward, bringing the ice-weapon across his chest. He swung it out horizontally, much like he had with the sword, only this time going to use the thick base of his weapon to hit Lance in the same side that he had kicked him. If struck, Lance would surely be knocked off of his feet and possibly through the city gates.

"Ice Dragon's Star Driller!"

Ryder had now taken the spot in which Lance had once stood. The Star Driller still locked around his entire arm like a gauntlet, he turned to face his opponent. Bursting forth with an explosion of fiery globes, the God Slayer’s arms soon became engulfed in his magic, taking the form of two jaw-like objects. There were two glowing red spheres on each of the jaws, covering both sides of what Ryder considered to be a head. He slammed the jagged, flaming teeth into the ground which allowed him to halt his momentum and come to a complete stop. A sinister glare now clouded his dark hues, the jolly manner no longer evident upon his face.

If Ryder had to put a reason to it, it was because he hadn’t met anyone else before willing to defy his overwhelming power. He used God Slaying Magic after all, a magic used to slay Gods. While he had every right to be confident in his abilities, he sort of took things over the top in the swagger department. For him to think that Gods were above Dragons in a sense of power may or may not have been absolute insanity. Ryder had never met a Dragon or a God before, so a proper judgement was out of the question. Fairy tales were all he had to keep himself in check in the hierarchy. Dragons were capable of destroy entire islands with their mighty roars. This is something that Lance seemed to by-pass.

As the God Slayer launched himself towards Ryder, he let a smile reveal the white behind his lips. “We’ll see how well your God can fare against a Dragon.” With that, the Ice Dragon Slayer rocketed his way into battle once more.

On the other side of town, the small Exceed that Ryder had sent off earlier, Dashie, was soaring through the air. His head quickly turned from side-to-side and occasionally right underneath him in search of remaining survivors. This part of Clover Town was untouched, seeing as the man had only been able to reach the outskirt of the town before his efforts were terminated by Ryder. Just in case, most of the residents flocked to the far east side of the town. There, they awaited the arrival of a brigade of Rune Knights.

Dashie touched town near the large crowd. There wasn’t widespread panic, but he could tell by the worried looks on their faces that they weren’t exactly keen to be inside of the town’s walls. People were slowly filing out, one-by-one through the large wooden gates. The feline lifted himself into the air once more, hidden-eyeballs shooting over towards the individual nearly the gate itself. It was the bartender from earlier. It seemed like she had taken some sort of initiative and held the gate-door open, calmly helping the residents squeeze through. “Heeyyy! Heeeeeyyy!” He waved his paw through the air, briefly catching the attention of the woman. She smiled, turning back to a much older man standing before her and pointed to the gate. She slipped away and he took over.

“Hello, hello! W-.. Where is your friend?”

Dashie lowered himself to the ground again, only this time hovering in mid-air right in front of the woman’s face so that he could be eye-level with her. “He’s fighting right now, near the western gate. The dude he’s fighting.. He is tough. He uses some sort of Black fire magic.”

The woman’s worried face contorted into a puzzled expression. She clasped her hands together over her ample chest, glancing past Dashie to the ghost-town. “Black fire? Wow.. Do you think he will be ok? Can he hold off a little longer? The Rune Knight squad should be here in about ten minutes..!” A glimpse of hope beamed in her eyes. Dashie spun himself around to look towards the streams of smoke rising into the air. Dust kicked up from the two Slayers smashing each other into buildings. “Ryder might be a punk-ass.. But he can win this. I know he can!”

Back at the battle, the two Slayers clashed. Ryder charged, noting how small the two flame-jaws were near Lance’s arms. If he could get inside, it would at least minimize the damage. He was right. Within about a foot of Lance himself, the raging, demonic fire caged in Ryder’s entire frame on all sides. His lips peeled back, canine-like fangs bared in the sheer agony that spread across his body. A burning sensation hit every possible nerve available to the world. He felt like his body was about to explode. Every fiber of his being burned, threatening to burst at any given moment. His Star Driller was instantly shattered to pieces upon contact. That left Ryder with little to no offensive power to counteract.

Or so it seemed. Within the Star Driller, Ryder had been gathering his Ice Dragon Slayer magic into his fist. Despite the immense pain and his spell failing under the might of a God Slayer, his initial plan had worked. He was hurt, but not immobile, even inside of the black-flame-sphere. Now close to Lance’s body, Ryder launched his right fist forward, a freezing-mist swirling around his knuckles. His punch was aimed for Lance’s sternum. If the punch hit, it would surely knock the God Slayer backwards a good three meters or so, as well as leaving the residue of his Ice Dragon Slayer magic upon his skin.

“You’re one of those guys, aren’t you?” Ryder questioned, his fist outstretched before him. Steam rose from the red splotches on his skin and the burnt holes littering his outfit. This damn God Slayer had really done a number on him with that spell. Fortunately his plan paid off and he was able to throw Lance off course, sending him flying a few meters backwards with a layer of frost coating his chest. “The ones who take their magic too seriously. You really think you’re a god, just because you possess magic from one? Using Dragon Slayer magic doesn’t make me a Dragon. We’re so far from our predecessors, it’s not even funny. In terms of strength, we’re like ants compared to them.” Ryder spoke the truth, though in his mind he was more or less hinting towards some of the Rune Knights he’d met while apart of the organization.

There were some soldiers, obviously of a higher ranking, that could bring Ryder down just by releasing their magical prowess. A mere flick of their wrist could destroy a building or two. The point he was formulating inside of his frigid brain was that both Lance and himself were so far down on the food chain that they didn’t even matter in the grand scheme of things. They were insignificant. Yet here Lance was, boasting of his own strength. “I guess if I ain’t gonna be able to teach him a lesson here, someone else will down the road.” He glanced back towards the rest of Clover Town. He was impressed with himself so far. Being able to keep someone as destructive at Lance from demolishing anything else was a feat on its own.

Ryder’s frosty hues were brought back to attention when a feminine voice echoed throughout their battlefield. His neck whipped around, eyes catching a white-haired woman hastily jogging towards Lance. She reached her petite hand out to grab his arm or shoulder, only to be knocked off of her feet when an explosive display of black fire dislodged the ground around her. Streams of black fire lashed out, bouncing off of the rubble and street, making their presence known. Ryder brought both of his arms up to shield his face from the tiny bits of rubble that were mindlessly flung through the air. “This dude doesn’t give up! Who the hell was that woman, anyways? He just brushed her off like she was a piece of trash..”

“Well, I think if anyone tried stoppin’ you from destroying the town, they would have ticked you off. You seem like a really angry person. I know a few therapists that might be able to help you out.”

The Ice Dragon Slayer had no idea whether or not a Rune Knight squad was coming to investigate. It’d be in his best interest to assume that they were, but he couldn’t know for sure. Up until now, he’d been treating this fight with little to no respect because of that very fact. Lance was fired up, and it didn’t look as if he’d stop this fight and change his ways any time soon. Ryder now had to put his full attention on this battle. He had to treat it as if Rune Knights were not coming, and he was the only one left to stop the God Slayer.

“Gah.. I guess I should, as most heroes say, “Get serious”. I hate using those types of lines, y’know? Very cliché if you ask me. But it seems fitting! Fitting for this situation, at least.”

Cloaking himself in a gelid haze, Ryder pushed forth. He pulled his right leg back only to toss a kick out with the base of his booted-heel aimed for the God Slayer’s chest. His metal scabbard was now grasped between his left hand, at the ready to strike Lance in the head shoulder he dodge, deflect, or parry Ryder’s kick.