[Action/Accidental Voice?]

[dissonates]

[Asch is in the wooded area in front of house 5, close to the crossroads but facing away, working through his techniques and practicing his fonic artes. He's been pretty irate since his conversation with Natalia, and after Jacob's sacrifice and his discussion with Guy, he's more focused than before, but he's still not in the best of moods.

His journal is open on a rock nearby in case something else happens or he's needed for something; feel free to a) see him, b) hear him shouting out random attacks, c) troll, or d) ignore entirely. |Db]

Comments

[knightofratatosk]

[Oho, this is going to be fun. Ratatosk isn't familiar with that arte, but the fact that Asch is able to use artes at all means this will be a more entertaining battle than he's had in a long time. Have a Havoc Strike aimed right at you, Asch. Let's see you block that one.]

[dissonates]

[There's one he knows. Asch is smart enough to know that Havoc Strike is difficult to block, so he dodges, twisting around to slash his sword towards his opponent's back as he lands.

How the hell does Ratatosk know these artes? Though Yuri had known artes he was familiar with as well... hm.]

[knightofratatosk]

[Good thing Ratatosk is fast or else he would've been sliced open pretty nicely there. As it is, it nicks him as he spins out of the way, and he hisses angrily.]

You bastard...

[If Havoc Strike didn't work, it's time to up the ante. Asch might've been able to dodge that, but a Converging Fury should be more difficult to avoid.]

[dissonates]

[Asch grits his teeth - Ratatosk is too fast, and it's impossible to get out of the way in time. The most he can do is block the strikes as best as he can, but a couple manage to break through, and he backs off a little, giving himself more room to move. Not giving Ratatosk a chance to attack again, he blocks the last strike and charges energy into his fist, lashing out at Ratatosk's face while his sword is still against Asch's.]

[knightofratatosk]

[A self-confident smirk spreads across Ratatosk's face once he sees that a couple of his strikes have managed to breach Asch's defenses. Yeah, now he's just getting cocky-- until Asch's fist almost manages to wipe that smirk off his face. Good thing he tilts his head to the side just in time to avoid it. In retaliation, he'll lash out with one foot, trying to sweep Asch's legs out from under him.]

[dissonates]

[He may have missed, but that doesn't mean he's done attacking. He grabs ahold of Ratatosk's scarf and sidesteps the foot, giving it a good hard yank. Maybe a moment on his ass would wipe that smirk off his face, too.]

[knightofratatosk]

[Aaaaand down he goes, landing right on that non-existent ass of his with a yelp. He always KNEW that outfit was stupid and this just proves it. He'll definitely be having a few words with Tenebrae later, but right now he's more focused on getting up. At least he didn't lose his grip on his sword-- now THAT would have been embarrassing.]

Damn you--!

[He lashes out in Asch's direction with a wide swipe.]

[dissonates]

[Too bad, Ratty; while you were on your ass, Asch had stepped back to get a bit of distance between them, and- lo and behold, he is casting a fonic arte. Have a nice, welcoming Thunder Blade heading towards the back of your head.]

[knightofratatosk]

[And he's still holding that sword, too, meaning that it acts like a nice big lightning rod and channels that electricity straight into him. With a yowl, he rolls out of the way of the worst of the attack and back to his feet before springing into the air (albeit a bit slowly) and launching a rain of energy needles down at Asch with Raining Fangs.]

[dissonates]

[Asch needs a moment to get his full movement back after the arte, so the most he can do is block some of the blows, withholding a grimace as he does so. Like hell he's going to show pain while his enemy's right in front of him if he can avoid it.]

[knightofratatosk]

[The smirk is back on Ratatosk's face as he lands after that attack. If Asch wants to play dirty by doing things like yanking on his scarf, he'll play dirty right back by launching another Demon Fang at him and using that as a cover to race in with a quick slash.]

[dissonates]

[Asch isn't going to just sit around and take it, so he gives Ratatosk a taste of his own acrobats, leaping over Demon Fang and diving downwards with Havoc Strike, his sword clashing with the other.]

[knightofratatosk]

[Considering Asch is physically stronger and just plain bigger than he is, Ratatosk ends up getting shoved back a bit until he manages to brace himself and lock his blade with Asch's.]

Looks like not all of his friends are useless after all.

[dissonates]

[Asch keeps his sword strained against Ratatosk's, expression focused on the fight and nothing else.]

Don't mistake me for some weakling who can't hold his own.

[knightofratatosk]

[Technically Asch has the upper hand when it comes to sheer strength, but can he win in stubbornness?]

Then that sets you apart from most of the people here.

[dissonates]

[Ratty, you really have no idea who you're talking to. Asch is not budging.]

And just what makes you think you're so special?

[knightofratatosk]

I thought he'd told you all about me. Or did you already forget?

[Since Ratty has no qualms about playing dirty, he's gonna try to kick you while their blades are locked.]

[dissonates]

I didn't forget- I just don't give a damn!

[Asch breaks contact and flips away, shooting back towards the ground and slamming his sword against it for Slag Assault, knocking a blast of dirt and rock at Ratatosk.]

[knightofratatosk]

That makes this that much easier.

[He's forced to launch another wildly-aimed Demon Fang to knock the debris away before it hits him, leaving him wide open for an attack, especially considering all of that dirt is effectively blocking his view of Asch at the moment.]

[dissonates]

[And Asch doesn't hesitate to take that opening, slashing his sword to send Ratatosk into the air for a Light Spear Cannon.]

[knightofratatosk]

[However, Ratatosk twists midair to launch another Raining Fangs at Asch with a snarl. Though he won't show it, he's starting to get a bit tired.]

[dissonates]

[Asch rolls to avoid the attack, still getting struck by a good chunk of it. He's built for endurance, himself, but even he's getting weary of Ratatosk running circles around him. Time to bring out the big guns, then.]

[knightofratatosk]

[Built for endurance Emil's body most certainly is not, and even with Ratatosk's own innate power augmenting it, he can only push the body so far. That's why he chooses to back off for a moment to catch his breath, all the while eying Asch warily to see what he's going to do next.]

[dissonates]

[Asch steps back, watching Ratatosk closely. Trained to recognize when an enemy is losing steam, he knows better than to let them catch their breath; still, it would be reckless to charge in blind. He lifts his blade and points it at his opponent, eyes darkening.] Is that all your boasting is worth?

[knightofratatosk]

[Ratatosk scowls angrily and straightens up a bit.]

Not my fault he's so weak.