Heart of Stone [Lexaeus, Zexion]

[Axel]

Peace and Quiet. Maybe.
--------
[Timeline Note: July 18th]

There had been no particular destination in his mind. He had let the Corridor simply take him where it had willed. So, when Axel emerged in the middle of a dark and almost lifeless landscape, he had no idea he had set foot in the world known as Enchanted Dominion.

In all honesty, it really didn't matter what the world was called. He just needed a breather.

Damn meteors hurt like hell.

His right hand crossed over to his left side and held it for a moment. With a slight grimace, he surveyed his current surroundings. Nothing but drab stone and mist. The larger section of ground he now stood on was very quickly reduced to a thin, winding path that led to a rather ominous-looking castle. It was always castles, whether of the dark, light, or in-between persuasion, wasn't it? Axel was about tired of castles.

He had no drive to explore, so he picked out a section of rock wall and gingerly leaned against it. His shock of red hair was a beacon in the middle of all the gray and brown. Everything was quiet. Even the noises of animals were absent in this desolate place.

[Prythian]

Axel would have a short break... a couple of minutes or so... before Lexaeus arrived, following the slight trace left over from the Corridor. Unfortunately for Axel, despite his unease and confusion about the whole thing, Lexaeus was going to show no mercy.

Skysplitter was going to be entirely ruthless at this point.

As the Corridor faded, Lexaeus stood there, eyes closed. They snapped open, and he turned, finally locking onto Axel. "...You were smarter than that." That was about the only words he had to spare for Axel before charging forwards and swinging Skysplitter at the large red target his hair made, with a strength that could shatter rock easily.

[Axel]

Never a Dull Moment

[/font]
--------[/center]

Of course. Of course Zexion would have sent Lexaeus after him immediately. Axel just wished there had been a little less immediacy involved. The hulking form of Number Five was certainly intimidating, but since Axel had known this meeting was coming, the shock at the sudden appearance was mild if not nonexistent.

You have no idea. No idea.

Well, the Flame wasn't going to roll over and die. And until he had some confirmation that the Schemer was around here somewhere, he would do everything he could not to die. Lexaeus had to believe this was a genuine kill. And the Flurry of Dancing Flames would never go down without throwing everything he had at the one who sought to end him.

Lexaeus might have been able to squash him like a bug without any problems, but the one thing Axel had over him was speed. So, when the Silent Hero moved toward him, there was plenty of forewarning. Dashing away to the side, he slid to a stop just long enough to summon Eternal Flames. Both chakrams streaked toward Lexaeus. And Axel kept moving. He didn't plan on staying in one spot for very long.

"Guess they don't mess around back at the Castle. Didn't take long for you to show up. You couldn't have waited at least a day?"

[Prythian]

Skysplitter impacted and tore a chunk out of the rock wall, pulverized fragments of rock falling out around it. The chakrams struck him, but Lexaeus barely noticed that as he turned around. He simply shook his head at Axel's seeming strategy, lifted Skysplitter above his head, and brought it down on the ground, the ground beneath the blow breaking apart into fist sized rocks from the attack.

A five foot tall shockwave instantly rose up from the strike, carrying the rocks with it as it flew outwards from the attack. It would fly until it reached 15 feet away from the original point of impact before fading. In addition to this, Lexaeus took advantage of the shockwave to use Skysplitter to lift some rocks off the ground, heft them into the air with the axe sword, and use the flat of it to send them flying at Axel's current position, wherever that might be.

[Axel]

...Ow.
--------

Lexaeus' way of making small talk was to send the earth itself toward him. Oh, yeah. The Silent Hero was all business. But it was a nice change, in a way, from Vexen who just loved to chat it up during a fight.

There were just a few too many things for him to avoid all at once. The tall shockwave shot toward him at about the same time several rocks hurtled in his direction. He jumped backward, as if thinking doing so would lessen the blow, and attempted to deal with the flying rocks first. He managed to deflect one with a chakram, duck beneath another, but the third caught him square in the chest. He stumbled backward but didn't maintain his balance for long. The full force of the shockwave crashed into him, and he flew backward, slamming hard into the opposite rock wall.

Holy hell.

After collapsing back down to the ground, Axel didn't move for a moment. But then he pushed himself up, pretend anger written all over his face. Fire consumed his chakrams, and he hurled them with every ounce of strength remaining. Whether or not this affected Lexaeus didn't matter at this point. Seeing fire explode in pillars beneath the Silent Hero at least made Axel "feel" a little better.

[Summary:
Axel used Solar Flare.
Posts until next use: 5
Uses remaining: 3]

[Fate]

Hearing Voices is a Good Thing, Right?

One of the things that Zexion liked about Lexaeus was that he wasted no time in a mission. The Schemer had just arrived in the world and found that Axel and Lexaeus had already begun. They were a distance away from him though, at least for now. Zexion was going to have to get much closer to the fight to watch, which meant that he would have to avoid the attacks from both of them. He was not looking forward to that part, not in the slightest. Axel probably wasn't thrilled with the meteors and Lexaeus knew how to use his surroundings.

Cloaking himself in invisibility, he made his way over to the fight. He kept his distance, especially with Axel using that move of his. Though, now that he was here, how was he supposed to let Axel knew that he was without Lexaeus knowing? He had to think for a minute. It had to be something only Axel could either see or hear. Hearing would prove to be a little better at this point since the Flame was currently concentrating on the battle at hand, as he should. Concentrating yet again, the Schemer spoke in a whisper; yet another illusion.

"Axel, I have arrived," he told the other, keeping it short, "When the right moment comes, I will make you fade. You know what else to do." It was pointless to tell Axel to put up a good fight and make it look believable; Lexaeus was perhaps the easiest opponent to do that with because of his strength. He just needed to make sure that he didn't make this death too believable and actually die. If that happened, then the coup plan would need a lot of reworking.

In the meantime, Zexion opened his Lexicon and began to write a few things down, rendering it invisible as well. He had to make it seem like he had been doing something back in the Castle.

[/size]

[Prythian]

A quick (for Lexaeus) shift in position, and Axel would find his chakrams being blocked by the large side of Skysplitter as he held it in front of him. The pillars, on the other hand, Lexaeus was unable to block or dodge. The flames engulfed him, blocking him from view for a moment... but when the fire faded, Lexaeus stood there, grimacing in pain, but certainly still alive and standing, ready to continue the fight.

He let out another swipe at the rock wall, breaking loose a large chunk that the Hero then slammed with the flat of Skysplitter to send it flying at Axel. And unlike the previous ranged attacks, this rock was about half Axel's size rather than the size of a fist. Of course, to finish it off, Lexaeus ran forwards, jumped, and slammed the ground hard, raising another shockwave and creating another crater of rocks.

[Axel]

And It Burns, Burns, Burns
--------

Blocked chakrams could be forgotten as long as Axel got to see Lexaeus engulfed in fire. Suddenly, he wasn't in quite so much pain anymore.

When he heard Zexion's voice, he managed to keep any signs of surprise from his face. He also resisted the reflex to look around for the Schemer. He knew what to do, all right. Fight for his life. That required his full attention.

Oh, good. More rocks.

This one was much larger than the previous projectiles had been, and it was obviously too large to deflect. Not only that, but yet another shockwave was hot on the flying boulder's tail. Several colorful phrases ran through his head.

He could take the boulder and hope to be sent flying out of the shockwave's range. But if that proved ineffectual, he would end up taking both the rock and the shockwave. Not a good combination. But those damn shockwaves weren't exactly gentle.

In a split-second, he made his decision and dove out of the way of the flying boulder... straight into the wave that predictably sent him flying back against the same wall. With a groan and a grimace he made no attempt to hide, he slid down to the ground again. It took him longer to stand this time, but stand he did.

And he was pissed.

All thoughts of what was necessary for the coup were gone. Plans flew out the window. Murderous rage filled his head and just like that, the area exploded with the formation of a ring of fire. No more getting tossed around. He jumped into the flames and immediately shot out again from higher within the ring, hitting the ground and causing a wave of his own.

[Summary:
Axel used Inferno.
Remains in effect for Axel's next three posts.]

[Fate]

This Might Have Been a Bad Idea

Today, Zexion decided he did not like the combination of rocks and fire.

The fight was going as a fight should, both fighters giving everything they had. Lexaeus was always that way though, very dutiful. Unfortunately, those shockwaves were not only felt by Axel. The Schemer had to suppress any pain he felt from them, which was mild in comparison what Axel was receiving. He backed away a little bit, stumbling as he did so, and closed the Lexicon. He should have known that he'd have to dodging and making sure he didn't get himself killed. The two elements he was dealing with here were perhaps the most powerful ones, especially combined.

Just as he thought dealing with the earth was enough, Axel activated his circle of fire. It was a little bit stronger than it was in Castle Oblivion that time the Schemer was able to deal with. Unfortunately, right now he was caught completely in the flames. And he was burning. He didn't like burning. It was exceedingly painful to endure and Zexion had to suppress the urge to scream out or diminish his illusion. He couldn't do either or that would ruin everything. He got out of the fire as quickly as he could, going to the outside of the ring and more toward the forest. Hopefully, Axel would consider this as fair enough payback for the meteors.

He didn't summon his Lexicon back this time, instead keeping an eye on both fighters. Preparing himself in case of another attack, he used his own ability. It wouldn't protect him against all damage, but at least he'd be able to withstand more of it than before if necessary. There would be more to endure too. Lexaeus was in his natural element right now and had plenty of more tricks; the Nobody was considered one of the best in the Organization for a reason. And, of course, Axel always had more fire. Always.

[Battle Report:
Zexion used Magic Bracer
Remains in effect through next post
Uses Remaining: 1]

[/size]

[Nothingness]

The Observer

Luxord had a front row seat to the entire fight, safely floating on one of his cards in the tree canopy. He was finally starting to understand why the Schemer loved to just watch--it was such a thrill to be unseen and notice everything that was going on around. It was as if all of his senses had been enhanced without having to concentrate on anything but the scene at hand. It all felt so much more real!

Delight spread across his face as he watched both fighters giving it their all--the predator ruthlessly hunting down his prey, while the prey was trying to overcome its adversary. The law of nature in action. Yes, this was the fifth act in the play, and this time the ante had been upped: it was a true duel to the death. When Axel created his signature ring of fire, Luxord could feel the heat as the flames rose and danced underneath the overcast sky.

"What's this?" Luxord thought as he stared at a part of the ring closest to him. It looked as though it had broken for a moment, but that couldn't have been it. No, it must have been a trick of his eyes. After all, the flames were writhing constantly, and he doubted anything could have gotten in or out of it, what with such a fierce duel taking place within its confines.

[Prythian]

Lexaeus hit the ground again, and a shockwave rose in response to Axel's. He began moving after it, though it outdistanced him relatively easily, and when the two shockwaves collided, they erupted upwards as the force had nowhere to go but up, effectively canceling both attacks. However, the Hero planned on using that cancellation as cover, for as it cleared Axel would see Lexaeus coming for him, Skysplitter at the ready.

He would unleash one mighty swing at Axel. If it hit, Axel would be flung 50 feet through the air, far beyond the circle, and likely slam into a wall.

Hard.

[Axel]

Do or... Almost Die
--------

When both fire and earth collided and shot upward, Axel wasn't going to stand around and stare at it in awe. Any second now, something else was going to come his way, something that would probably send him flying into that wall. Again. Not going to happen if Axel had anything to say about it.

This time, it turned out to be Lexaeus himself. Rather than wait around for a Skysplitter to the face, Axel quickly leaped into the flames, waiting until the last possible moment before dashing out of them, leaving fire in his wake.

[Prythian]

Axel dodged the blow, as expected. Lexaeus had hoped otherwise, but here in the flames such hope was futile. However, Axel did the unexpected directly after. Instead of fleeing, he dashed out of the flames at him. This still didn't seem right to him. Axel could've escaped at this point. In the end, it mattered not. Axel was heading straight for him.

He braced himself, digging into the ground as he prepared all of his strength amidst Axel's hell, and swung with all his might the moment Axel entered into Skysplitter's range.

[Axel]

Just Give Me a Minute
--------

He had known it was a bad idea. And under different circumstances, he probably would have taken another course of action. But Axel knew he had to throw this fight, no matter how real he was trying to make it. Necessity dictated his choices. And this had been a bad one. A very bad one.

For a moment, he thought he might have blacked out as he went sailing out of the ring of fire and... yet again straight into that damned wall. He couldn't take much more of this, and when he again collapsed back onto the ground, he decided to stay there for a little while. Lexaeus was still inside the ring, which should allow the Flame a precious few spare moments to find the strength to get back up. But what strength he had left was leaving him quickly.

[Prythian]

Lexaeus stepped forwards to the edge of the ring. He could not see through it to find where the Flame had gone, but that hit had been powerful and even Axel would be winded. That meant he needed to press the attack right now. If he was judging things right, at this level of strength, unless Axel was weaker than he thought... then Axel would be fighting for a while yet.

With that thought, he brought Skysplitter down, breaking up chunks of rock under the edge of the circle, lifting them up with the flat, and then hefting them into the air with Skysplitter and sending them flying in the direction he'd sent Axel.