forgottentales | 1st Entry

[He hums in silent agreement.]

Not at all ideally, but a more realistic goal, nothing until my life is being threaten. [And he has a feeling, Rokurou seems the type who would oblige to go that far. His brows furrow as he draws his sword, the soft cackling of Hyde echoes in the back of his mind.] Do what you must. [Aka, fight as usual and don't hold back.]

[A light grin as he extends his hands, two long blades suddenly appearing in them. He really loves this ability—]

Well you did say were rusty, so guess I can at least start off light to warm you up. But when the time comes, I'll go all out.

[He then twirls one of his blades as he shifts into a stance.]

Ready?

[...That's a pretty neat trick. Though he could have sworn he only had one long sword last time? Shrugging it off, he nods. Feeling a bit daring, as if he needed to prove something to himself, he goes in for the first hit.

He swings his blade across, testing the waters to see what he's dealing with. Already it feels strange to just be crossing swords with someone else, but he isn't going to let that distract him. Hyde is already enough of a distraction.]

[Rokurou notices Disciple noting his actions, and it occurs to him that the last time he fought it was against Hyde. And since he doesn't remember what happened...makes sense if this seems unfamiliar.

But he doesn't say anything, instead he allows Disciple to make the first move, parrying the blow with one blade before countering with the other.]

[Anticipating the second sword, he ducks out of the away, but doesn't counter. This is, familiar, but also not. His body and mind were not entirely in sync, even though the knowledge was there. Hyde's interference has really left him out of touch in his technique. He readjust himself and then comes back towards Rokurou with an uppercut.]

[This time Rokurou steps away from the sword before following it up by coming back, bringing one sword for a sideways slash and the other close behind.]

[He manages to block the first hit, but doesn't catch the second sword and ends up needing to roll out of the way. I could do better.] Tch. [He chalks it up to his lack of experience fighting against twin swords, nothing more. Taking a moment to breath, he stands back up, returning to form.

They exchange a few more blows, with Disciple eventually finding his footing where he could at least fend for himself. All the while, as he gets into the groove, the buzzing in his mind keeps getting louder and louder. It's a feat that he can still focus and keep Rokurou on his toes with the distraction in his mind. Just focus on knocking him down, takes his swords out. At least one.]

[Rokurou continues on the offense, only easing up so that Disciple can get a few hits in. He can't immediately tell that the man is becoming distracted by his Essence, but for better or worse, he feels it's about time to take it up a notch.

After another clash of blades, he jumps back and shifts his stance before running in quickly, jumping in a little to forcefully bring his blades down. There will be a noticeable increase in strength and speed as Rokurou bears down on Disciple.]

[He should have seen it coming, but he anticipated it too late. He's taken by surprise instead when Rokurou suddenly comes down on him with a sudden leap in strength. Though he manages to block his swords with his own, he skids backwards from the force, trying to remain standing. He is fighting a daemon, they may just be sparring, but he's still dealing with someone not quite all human. It's...quite a rush to be fighting a challenging foe. We should even the odds, hm~?]

Stay out of this! [He turns his blade slightly, just enough to direct the remaining force behind Rokurou's attack to continue to the side instead. If Rokurou comes in close enough, he'll try to kick him away. He doesn't need brute strength, he just needs to fight smarter. I could do even more things with him.]

[Both the shout and the kick is a surprise, so he's caught a little off guard. Although he doesn't completely lose his balance, he does stagger a bit from the impact and looks over as he regains his footing.

Hm.]

Getting noisy, huh?

[He can only assume it's Hyde.]

A little. [It's more than a little. He shakes his head, though breathing heavily, he raises his sword again.]

Keep going! [It seem reckless of him to want to continue, but was it actually him that wanted this or Hyde?]

[Rokurou studies him for a moment, but they were here to try and see how far Disciple can be pushed before he goes over that edge. So without another word, he resumes his offensive attack, this time keeping an eye on whatever techniques Disciple might try to employ.]

[It's a losing fight on Disciple's end, but he's stubborn enough to hold out for as long as he can. Though he keeps up with the daemon as best as he can, his movements gradually become less elegant and more feral. There was no pattern to his technique and he was resorting to some dirty tactics whenever Rokurou manages to get a hit in, knocking up sand, kicking him in the legs when he had an opening.

How can he hold it in when he was having so much fun? He just has to try everything.

They eventually lock swords, their strength now just even enough that he wasn't getting pushed back as hard. His conscious was starting to fade in and out with the other personality like before. But something....something felt wrong. His grip tightens on his sword, the strength behind it increasing. So was he. His whole body felt like it was burning up, pulling at him from every side, his clothes getting tight around him. He let's out a sharp cry in a panic, pushing against Rokurou even more. What was going on??? He could hear Hyde's quiet and unsettling laughter in his head, through his own mouth.]

[As the movements become more unfocused and wild, Rokurou knows that Hyde is getting closer to revealing himself. This is even more telling when he can feel more strength behind the hits that connect, and how much quicker he has to regain his balance or straighten back up. He's also having to dodge and block more, pushed back a little farther than usual.

But his eyes widen when he sees something...changing about Disciple. Did he push Disicple too far? Sure he wants a go at Hyde, but this was also supposed to be an exercise of restraint, to see how far Disciple had to go before that actually happened. Whether he was supposed to come out, however...

Gritting his teeth, he takes that push before pivoting on his heel to whip around behind Hyde to attempt to slam the hilt of his blade at the base of his head so at so knock him out. He heard that laugh—it might be too late or it might even spur the Essence to come out instead. But might as well try and if it doesn't work, well. He'll be sure to greet him.]

[He did tell Rokurou to keep going, so he really has no one to blame but himself for this outcome. He's certainly lasted longer than previous attempts, but there was something very different about the shift this time. It's taken Disciple by surprise, a mixture of wanting it to stop, but also a desire to know what is happening. Don't you want to see this to the end...? The temptation to know was too great, or perhaps Hyde had assume too much control over him now.

Before Rokurou has a chance to get him from behind, Disciple, or Hyde, turns slightly to swing his arm at him, swatting him off like a fly.] I don't think so. [He growls as he speaks. He screams again as his body pulls at him again, gripping at his clothes. It's too tight, his whole body was screaming, surging with more power than before. His shirt never stood a chance as it's ripped apart. The Disciple had gotten taller, by maybe a foot and had gained some mass. His form remain more on the slender side than a body builder's though. He drops down to one knee. The burning sensation was going away, but his body still felt sore from the ordeal. It gives him a bit of time to look himself over, let this new strength he's unlocked sink in. I should see what I can do.

He might have forgotten to pay attention to whatever Rokurou is doing during all of this.]

[T'ch the reaction time was faster than he expected. He's forced back, skidding a bit along the ground away from him before he straightens. But seeing this transformation happening right before his eyes... He can only stare in some wonder. It's almost like watching someone whose malevolence is taking over before they turn into a daemon. In some ways, that's exactly how this is.

Interesting.

Of course, rather than feel any fear or concern, Rokurou is just studying this and with some mild anticipation, a small rise in excitement. He's studying not only for his benefit, but for Disciple as well. This kind of transformation is something he's surely not aware of.

So once Hyde has finished taking over and studying himself, Rokurou calls out to him.]

You done? Or do I need to get you a mirror?

[He lifts his head when Rokurou speaks up. Ah, yes. He had prey waiting for him. He tears off the shoes that were constricting his feet. They now had matching claws to his hands. He then stands at his full height, running a hand through his hair, pulling it back.]

I just need one thing. [His voice sounded gruff behind those newly added sharp teeth of his. With a smirk, he suddenly lunges at Rokurou at incredible speed, looking to pounce him like a wild cat.]

[Fast.

And feral.

The way Hyde looks and acts reminds him of the various daemons he's fought in the past, and he just smirks a little as he doesn't move until the last possible second. With the help of his enhanced daemon eye, he's able to track Hyde's movements a little better than the average person, but looks like he'll be tested on how well he'll be able to follow through with it.

First he'll actually take the blow, digging in his heels as he crosses his blades to parry both claws and teeth that might be aiming for him. He knows Hyde got stronger, but he wanted to really test and feel how much. It takes more strength than usual to push and jump back to clear some distance between them.

However, he's not going to try and go on the offensive yet. He'll be testing his luck and skills, but he needs to see what Hyde is capable of.]

[He's figuring out his capabilities as well. This new upgrade felt good, but unwieldy under his control, more so than usual. He nearly loses his balance as he collides with Rokurou. He digs his claws into his sword, impressed Rokurou can hold him back.]

I need a bigger sword. [He pushes against him again, trying to see if he can apply enough strength to force him to move.]

[Rokurou does have to exert a lot of strength to keep Hyde back, but so far it's still manageable. Not something he'd want to do for too much longer, but long enough to smirk.]

Looking at you, you could probably use a few other things in a larger size.

[With a burst of force and strength, Rokurou pushes his blades forward against Hyde before swinging one outward and away, intending to strike him while disengaging at the same time. Although he initially uses one so as not to expose his defenses too much, he'll be quick to follow up the first strike with the second blade, the first blade already swinging back down for a triple strike.]

Hng! [Taken aback by the sudden burst of strength, he could only step back and be dictated by Rokurou where to move. He ducks and weaves through Rokurou's swings, though he could feel the third hit graze his shoulder. He starts to bleed, but the healing process was already at work mending the wound.

Not having any of this, he goes in for a kick to his side.]

[It's a well-timed kick and there's no real time for him to avoid it completely, so he winces as it connects. It's definitely strong, on par to some of the higher level daemons back in his world. Hastily he shifts his weight to keep his balance after a quick stagger, keeping himself aware and adjusting his blades a little defensively as he does since he knows this is an opportunity for Hyde.

There's also a gleam of his daemon eye as he tries to keep track of his movements.]

[He is definitely following up, swiping at him with his claws to keep him from trying to retaliate. The glint from his deamon eye isn't missed and he recalls something about that eye being able to see certain things. Hmmm.

There's a shift in his attacks as he aims higher. That leaves the lower half open, but hopefully he'll be ready with well aim kick.]

[Adjusting to the higher aim, Rokurou continues to quickly move and step around to avoid the claws. A few graze him, the sound of fabric tearing clear, but he doesn't mind it. Instead after one swipe he jumps a step back to shift into a stance, and when Hyde attacks again—

He can't execute the original technique completely, but he doesn't need to. The moment the claws are parried by his blades, there's a small burst of wind before Rokurou seems to disappear from in front of him. Executing a type of flash step, the daemon is now behind Hyde. Traditionally this would come with a cyclone, but the elemental aspects of his artes were lost in the transition into the realm. Regardless, the repositioning is the most important thing.]

Huh? [Rokurou suddenly disappearing catches him by surprise. That's fast, but he doesn't let that distract him for long. He's not letting him have that satisfaction. Not knowing where he's showing up or to expect, he blindly swings his arms around to hopefully force him to retreat.]

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