Consequences Breed Actions

    Xander was told by one of the members of Scale about something that was found out awhile back: Giganpor was the one providing the goblins weapons.

Weapons that killed many inexperienced members. Inexperienced adventures. Even those that were just not prepared.

The Salamander had been debating on what he wanted to do about this. Too let it go or to act on that knowledge he had, the trouble is-- to ignore it is not something Xander could do.

    This brings the adventurer to Fort Ouph where he managed to track down the Were Fang. While stealth would have maybe been the better part, a Holy Knight is not stealthy; They are a magical tank.

As such, Xander's voice called out toward the Lion, yelling out his name out. "Giganpor!"

    Giganpor was just moving along, having picked up some materials for smithing back in Shibuya. And well, he had no idea what if anything was coming his way. That had resulted in his looking around whenever Xander had called his name.

    Setting the bag of materials down, he raised an eyebrow as he turned look for the source of the yell. And then he finds it. Xander namely. "Yes?"

    Well, first time it's been someone has called him out in a long time like that. Now he's just curious on the why it seems.

    Xander moves directly toward Giganpor, his eyes locked onto the other man. His steps had purpose behind them and they were carrying him quickly the distance.

The six foot man gets almost striking range from Giganpor, but he doesn't make physical contact with him. For now, he lets his words speak for him. "You have been found in arming the Goblins within the tower. Arming them with weapons /you/ crafted, perhaps in some ploy to slow us down, but in turn," He points his finger directly toward him with a low growl emitting from his throat.

"You placed hundreds of adventurers lives in danger and tombstoned /several/ more. Why the /hell/ did you do it and what the /fu**/ do you have to say for yourself? Because mark my words.. I don't give a shit about the guards... I will cut you down where you stand if I don't like what you have to say."

    Giganpor raises an eyebrow. He looks at Xander carefully, eyeing him. As if judging a threat. "That before or after you've calmed down?"

    "You are welcome to strike if you wish. I do not really care about your opinion in the long run." Giganpor says.

    "You know, I thought for sure that Amalthea or another would come to me first with this. I guess you were just one of the first to figure it out." Giganpor looks at Xander, then around them. Then he shakes his head, "What you are angry about is something that will unfortunately happen sooner or later. I just took the second obvious step. The first one would have been far more noticeable and met with more force by others."

    Xander's fist slowly clenches tighter and tighter. His teeth sneer showing off those canines. His draconic eyes looking slowly more and more wilder. "You bastard!" The Salamander roars out toward him. "Those are /lives/ you fu**ed around with! /Lives/! How can you /NOT/ care about them?!"

The Salamander throws his hand to the side. "We don't even begin to fully understand what graving us does! We don't even begin to understand how many times we /can/ be till something bad does happen, /if/ anything bad happens! How can you possibly sleep with that knowledge on your mind! How can you possibly be so damn calm knowing you have taken hundreds, if not /more/ to such a state!?"

He then motions right at Giganpor, "Worse! You don't even deny it was a bad idea or that you even--" He looks at his own hands, "Sorry for it!" Then his hands grip tightly.

    He closes his eyes only for a moment, before he snaps them open and looks directly at Giganpor. "... you.. are no better... than /them/." His hands continue to grip tighter, his claws digging into the leather of his armor. "... I wanted to give you a chance.. just a chance.." His lips start to curl into a smile, even though he tries to fight it. "Because you done good things... good... things... but this..."

"... I couldn't save their lives.... but here..." He finally gives into that smile, with teeth bared and voice low, "... here I can take vengence for them.."

    Giganpor listens to it all, looking at Xander carefully. Then he smiles a little. "Lives, huh?"

    "What about the lives out here?" He says, looking at Xander.

    Giganpor's not intimidated by height at all. He's got the height slider probably at max, after all! And there's a reason that he's the tank usually, or the mobile turret.

    "You are mad because of Adventurer lives. You are mad because of lives lost in something that might be wishful thinking. Yet out here? Do you not know what happens every time you fight a boss in that Tower? Do you not understand what we have to go through each and every time?" Giganpor sighs, shaking his head.

    "I pity you. You have people that you want to go back to. I simply wish to protect this world, to protect those that look to me because I can do things that I would not be able to outside of here."

    Giganpor looks evenly at Xander, "Tell me something, would you condemn the lives of Yamato simply to be able to leave this world?"

    "Don't you /dare/ try to spin this fu**ing table." Xander growls out before he goes to grab Giganpor and moves to attempt to slam him into a wall. "It bugs the /shit/ out of me! I worked my ass off to protect the Landers around Alne went that Wave came over the tower. I /tried/ to protect the people in the Weste went it came there."

His scaled tail flicks to the side hard. "I don't sleep well. I feel like shit every time it happens. I /hate/ what it does to these people. Even if they are god damn computer programs!" His eyes look dead at Giganpor, "But you-- You don't even express that shit."

    "You gave those goblins those weapons and this whole damn time you never said sorry. You never said you wish there was another way. I /DO/ wish there was another god damn way, so who is the real monster here? The soldier who knows the nightmares he makes and the hell he has created. That he knows he looks the damn devil in the face every day because of the actions-- or the man who wants to play /fu**ing/ hero and doesn't want to at least admit the /sin/ of his actions!"

"I /know/ I am a monster..." He growls lowly. "I /have/ always been a monster.. But you.. you are a piece of shit... and now I am going to give you a choice... a choice you never gave them... Fight me with some sense of bravery... or fight me as a coward... either way... One of us is not leaving here."

    Giganpor tilts his head one way, then the other. He looks at Xander. "You did not answer. And I do not care if you call me coward or hero."

    "I do not care if you wish to have me express remorse. I really do not. I did what I had to do to slow things down. To give us a chance to handle the problems out here, rather than deal with additional ones." Giganpor says, shaking his head again.

    "I do not care about what choice you give me. It would be the first time I have died since the Apocalypse. Might be a new experience." Giganpor looks at Xander, and that's when the sadness in his eyes becomes apparent. "But, if I had a choice, I would do so again. We come back. The Landers do not. And personally? I would rather this world than be stuck in a wheelchair the rest of my life."

    Giganpor shakes his head, "If you really want to make me regret it, go find a way for the Landers to be like us."

    Xander's eye twitches. Every time Giganpor speaks, that tone, just brings more and more flash backs. The fact the Lion's uncaring words, how he just so easily justifies the actions.

Is that--

Also how the hackers felt about their Flash of Death.

    That killed all of them.

        That nearly killed him.

    "Trust me... there are far worse things then being stuck in a wheekchair." Is all he lowly rumbles. "...and I did answer your question." His eyes narrow. "You just didn't like the answer you got!"

Before Giganpor could say another word, the Salamander draws out his sword,it glows with a bluish flame hue, with electricity coursing around it. A strike he not only swings once, but twice at the Were Fang.

    And with that action....
    Xander's name flags red.

    Always having his shield is probably one of the good things for Giganpor. Especially as he was getting ready to go back out to the fields, and back towards Shibuya! That has him raising his shield as the attacks come swinging.

    "Maybe I did not, but you did not like mine either." Giganpor says.

    Then his shield roars with flames as a further one gives a burst of light behind it. The tank-like defenses are further fortified as Giganpor shifts from a mystic circle shooting up from his feet, turning him into his armor wearing Were Fang form.

    And oddly? Giganpor doesn't attack. At all. Just lets Xander beat the hell out of his shield it looks like.

    The Holy Knight however doesn't seem to back down, even as the flames lick around him. His teeth clench tightly and he keeps pushing on.

The sword flashes with red runes as it lights up with fire. His swings it multiple times, each time trying to bypass Giganpor's defense, staying hard on the offensive. His final strike he attempts to lay in an electrical charge with the blade. All in hopes to throw the Were Fang off balance.

    Unfortunately, the electrical only seems to irritate Giganpor, much like the flames do as he brings his shield up to block again and again.

    The hard offense is surely a way to break most tanks, but Giganpor doesn't seem to mind it at all. He just... tanks it. Literally. Over and over. And he seems to be watching and waiting.

    "Are you sure you wish to do this, Xander? I am not an enemy. There are far worse things than you or I out there right now. And I seriously would rather spend my time in my forge rather than deal with your tantrum."

    The Salamander doesn't give a response to Giganpor, the only response the Werefang gets a low growl, before he brings that sword around with a harder electrical charge.

The electricity slamming against the shield as Xander goes to hold it there, his eyes with no light in them at all. Burning with only killer intent. When he does at last speak. He speaks with short, precise words. "You. Will. Die!" Before he brings his sword around once again with another electrical barrage.

    "Then I am sorry about this." The electricity is pushed through as Giganpor brings out his weapon of choice. His hammer-axe spear. The hammer head comes around, swinging at Xander hard and two handed.

    And what's worse, it's glowing and Giganpor himself is glowing with the green of earth magics. The resulting boom of impact on whatever it hits is probably one of the scarier noises to come out.

    But obviously Giganpor is getting tired of having to play defense, and opening up with something that is... very harsh in applying. Seriously, he probably has some weight to that thing with how hard it's going to hit. And maybe send Xander flying if it does.

    Giganpor's attack swings in and probably causes any landers watching to scatter at long last as the Salamander raises up his own shield.

It glows with a reflective light and flame washes around it, so as soon as the weapon make contact, it sends a reverb of power right back at the Were Fang, as the Salamander absorbs the rest of the hit, causing him to slide back several feet.

    Xander almost goes off balance, but quickly regains his footing. However, there may be an opening there for Giganpor to take advantage of.

    Giganpor sighs, sticking the other end of the hammer-axe spear in the ground as he stands up. "Do not do this. You already have a red flag."

    His eyes seem to sharpen a bit as he looks over Xander's stance, and seems to be watching for movement. But he raises his voice, enough that Xander might be reminded of a drll sergeant, "STAND DOWN ALREADY." The sheer force is probably disorienting on it's own, no doubt.

    Xander stands his ground, growling as Giganpor yells at him. He braces for the sound wave impact and the armor lights up with several runes as the cape behind him bellows out. His feet slide a little from the sheer force and yet-- yet none of it made it to his health bar?

    Giganpor may recongize his handy work. That armor. That armor that Xander is wearing was built by his own hands and enhanced by another member of the Scale.

As he rises after the shout, there is a glow around him as previous damage is slowly healed up. His eyes look directly at Giganpor. Before he shifts his stance, twirling his blade, then motions with his shield arm, showing his index finger at Giganpor before he does a 'come here motion'. "Come here, kitty kitty. I don't think I heard you well enough." Then a sadistic smile creeps over his face.

"Cause if you want to rattle me... you got to do /far/ better. After all," He chuckles. "I have met death and we have danced!"

    Giganpor shrugs, "You asked for it."

    "Do not test me when you wanted this." The hammer-axe spear is brought down, hammer side first and aimed at the shield arm specifically. From the opposite side no less.

    Then the axe comes back around, trying to leave a line on Xander's torso. The kind that might not be that dangerous. At least until the weapon is brought back, then stabbed at Xander himself as he tries to leave something to really test Xander's defenses.

    "Are you done yet? Or do you really wish to do what you are so angry about?" He asks.

    Xander attempts to move as Giganpor comes in. His tries to move his shield arm around as it becomes engulfed with flames, but he is too late. The Hammer impacts the backside of his arm.

This causes the Salamander to grit his teeth a little, but when the spear tip comes in, it slams him hard and the damage after causes the Salamander to move with the blow. Sliding, circling around on his feet, as another glow washes over his body, but the 'bleeding' debuff hangs there above his head.

"My word is my bond, Giganpor." He says lowly. "My threats are never just threats. They are truths!" He then comes back in with his blade shifting to a purple hue as he goes to try to strike for the Were Fang, only his blade leaves behind a purple hue; A poison effect.

    Giganpor's body is covered in frost again as the sword just scratches through some of it. The poison has him snarling at Xander. "Then you should not make useless threats. Remember, we can't die here."

    Giganpor brings the weapon up and just flat out tries to stab Xander in the shoulder with the opposite end of the spear. Which also looks quite sharp, too. And tries to shove Xander away at that.

    "No. You will 'die'. In a sense." Xander says as he accepts the shove and takes the direct hit from the weapon. Using his arts to remove one debuff, to just gain another. "You will just end up at a church in twenty-four hours!"

Then he swings his sword around and slams it into the ground. There is a magical rune that dances around the ground, along with the blade, so once he draws it up, the very ground attempts to erupt under Giganpor. "And then I may kill you again.. and again. Maybe for every life you have taken! I couldn't avenge my brothers in arms in the real world, but I sure as hell can avenge those here!"

    A quick series of bursting symbols appear across his shield before Giganpor pushes out of the pillars by pure physical strength. All that blacksmithing apparently is good for something.

    Even then, there's a red line or two on his torso from all of that.

    "If that is what it takes, then don't expect me to go down easily!" Giganpor roars back.

    His weapon comes up, and instead of trying to stab into Xander, he purposefully aims to miss. And rock snakes sprout out, trying to add to Xander a poison effect of his own from Giganpor's side.

    Xander raises up his shield which ignites on fire, as Giganpor slams his weapon down. The flames ignite between the two of them, with the Salamander almost going down on his knee.

As the snake comes, he attempts to swat one right back at Giganpor's own face, but the other manages to get a bite on him. Once more the armor glows as it tries to handle the debuff popping into sheer pain, along with the poison.

One of them manages to take hold.

    Giganpor is definitely not shy on the poison. The flames lighting up doesn't even seem to slow him down that much, nor the second snake bite. Instead, he brings his buckler up to block the majority of the damage from the poison. He can't do a thing about the poison itself except to cast some healing as his shield glows a white color, at least staving that off.

    In answer, he gives a roar and brings the hammer side of his weapon down hard.

    Xander readies his own shield once more as it glows bright white. The Hammer slams down on it and Giganpor would find a magical resistance against his own swing.

The Salamander grits his teeth hard as he tries to resist the blow, which at last he moves his shield to the side, in attempt to move in quickly for a rapid strikes with his blade.

    Giganpor's own response is flames erupting from his shield as he blocks most of it. Most of it being the key word as one does leave an angry red line on his shoulder. The flames dance before going to his weapon.

    And a swing of the hammer end is headed as the axe and hammer are both engulfed in flames, trying to set Xander alight.

    Giganpor's was succesful in doing that. The two are engulfed in flames, as the fire dances around them. The Salamander has fire dancing on his armor, his shield, and across his scales.

Yet the pain does not slow down the crazed member of the Scale, if anything Giganpor can hear him actually /laughing/ at his injuries. An almost /insane/ laughter.

    The pain seeming to bring out a side not seen by anyone, all but perhaps one so long ago after the expansion drop. Yet Giganpor's sheer force does cause Xander to be send back.

His feet sliding across the pavement, before he comes rushing in toward the Were Fang, rushing that blade in for a stabbing motion into the perhaps far larger player.

    Giganpor brings up his shield, the smaller buckler pushing aside the blade as it passes along his torso, leaving a smaller scratch before he brings his weapon around in a spin and chops upwards at Xander's torso.

    The insane laugh has Giganpor eyeing Xander, but also noting his own health even as the blue of water magic engulfs his weapon mid-chop.

    The Splash of water moves toward Xander and he moves away from the attack, as the flames still dance over his body. Those fiery gold draconic eyes just stare directly at Giganpor with no life in them; No light at all.

He then moves his shield around, bending the water into a bubble and then shoving it aside. As he does this, his sword ignites with red runs, engulfing into flames as he swings the blade directly for the Were Fang.

    Giganpor brings his weapon around, attempting to block the flurry of strikes before another flame pillar shoots up, attempting to engulf Xander again and just add to all the fire everywhere.

    His distraction in making the firey pillar, however, does cost him as a series of angry red lines appear on him once again.

    The flame pillar rushes around Xander, but the Salamander continues to push through the pain. Even as it chews at his HP, even as more and more red lines seer around his body, Xander does not back down.

Instead his blades glow with magical energy, a mix of fire and electricity as he swings the blade multiple ways. Trying to not only paralyze the other tank, but bring him low.

    Giganpor again ices over as the fire and electricity splashes against him. The frosty armor protecting him as his shield glows blue, followed by his weapon glowing green before he purposefully misses a strike. Rock snakes shoot out again, trying to bite into Xander.

    Another red line has appeared on Giganpor, though, and his health is starting to look low.

    The burning, the poison, it was taking its toll. The flames chewed away further at Xander's health. The snakes took hold and the Salamander attempted to once more block, and strike back with his own poison swing.

Both were getting low on health, both were refusing to give up, at least Xander had no plans to surrender. He also had a feeling Giganpor was the same.

To tanks locked in battle, like two bulls locking horns.

    Giganpor weakens more from the flames, but he answers poison with even more poison it seems. The ground suddenly explodes with spores into the air around Xander as Giganpor steps back a few steps, to give himself breathing room even as his shield bursts into flames again.

    No words need to be sai really, and Giganpor's definitely close to his last legs from the looks, too.

    In a duel, the fight would be declared already. Xander as the winner, but there was no duel system up. There was no one around to break the two up.

It was just the two adventurers in a city. Two adventurers with a different view on the world and their own personal philosophies. A friendship that could have been, shattered by a single action from one-- and now another action from another.

    Xander moves through the spores, the poison damage stacking up as his armor glows in trying to counter the poison eating away at his health. The Salamander lets out a draconic roar in defiance to the pain. In defiance to Giganpor; In defiance to himself.

He leaps up, sword igniting in a length of flame, before he goes to drive it down at the ground and flames erupt from the ground in explosive force toward the Were Fang.

    Giganpor brings a burst of light up again, taking a lot of the firebolt even as he swings around, the hammer head glowing green again as he aims at Xander himself this time.

    Even as his HP hits zero, the swing at least might actually take Xander out. It's a close call at least, but there's definitely a moment where it looks like he's about to turn into a tombstone.

    The weapon comes down to bear and Xander meets it with another warcry. His shield lights up brightly as the hammer slams down. There is damage starting to show over Xander's body, but with one final push, the Shield explodes the Were Fang back.

All Xander can do is watch as Giganpor fades into pixels leaving behind the Tombstone. As he stares, his sword drops to the ground, as he falls to his knees. "... I am sorry..." He says softly. "... But the debt had to be paid..." He closes his eyes.

He opens the menu and starts to make contact with people, all while he starts to pull out a note. A note which he holds in his hands.

Each one starting almost ways the same way, but at least with the same word; Sorry.