Once upon a time there was a witch that was alone. A child, that traveled alone, ate alone, fought alone, and would probably die alone. That was Jikan. She was fine with that. But over the time of her exploration she found some things to care about. It took her to get into her 30's to find that, but she did.

An unexpected guild that even though had its unlawful members, and sometimes chaotic tendencies. She found herself enjoying their company. And their fighting. It was a kin ship to her. One that may not be entirely normal, heck, or even healthy. But it was hers. And with the care taking of children she found...her coldness being softened at times.

But there was a current problem. Two years of no talk with or sight of their Guild Master. Jikan had spent those two years doing her best to rebuild the town they settled in after the battle of their foundation, did requests for the people and protected them. It may have been violent in retrospect against the people that threatened the town and the guild, but as one of the founders she had to do something. Especially with the children she found living around. It may have given a bad reputation to the 'Light" guilds or the ones in power wearing a mask, or the the people who were not near or with the people. But that was how the dice fell.

She had world that one of the other founders, the only other one she knew that was somewhat active, was in the west. And so, after temporarily leaving the North, she sent out a call to him. They needed to decide a new Guild Master for stability. And there was only one way to do that with the mantra of Sleeping Calamity. Combat.

She stood in a bit of opening lady away from the nearby town of Astera, waiting for someone to arrive.

Fate had a play in the hand you were dealt when born, but that was where Knuckles saw the end of fate or the workings of a God. From the moment you were born you became what your actions had made you. For those like Knuckles who were born without magic or a lack of skill to control it, they were often looked at to be the least common and often deemed to be nothing in life but simple folk. Knuckles had resent that path.  His parents had groomed him from birth to take over their business, but that was not where his heart was.  He had set off as an adult to chase that dream of becoming a Warrior of Legend. He sought power from any source and over the past two years that path had been learning to control the powers given to him via a Demon he had struck a deal with while learning to properly use the hammer weapon of the god of Thunder.  True it was off-putting to use a weapon made for a god by a god when he sought to slay their champions in total conquest.  It was true in this time he had done little to benefit his fellow guild members of Sleeping Calamity, but they pretty much explained it. They were agents of chaos and only awoken when they felt like it. Today seemed to indeed be one of those days when two of the founders found themselves linking up in the west over something that needed to be addressed.

While true Knuckles did little to impact the guild outside of being a founding member and hanging out with a newbie here or there he had held the guild and its member in high regard. Though with the lack of leadership it was no wonder the guild was left to wander the lands and do as they did before forming a pact with each other. Jikan, a woman who he had fought with and against had traveled to the west so they could discuss the matter at hand. As she was the only other Founder he had heard wind of in the past two years over the course of many letters back and forth they came to an agreement.  The two of them would once more stand across the battlefield from each other and test the other in one on one combat and the Victory would win the right to call themselves the Guild Master, as the current one Ariel had going missing in action or likewise vanished from the world.

A loud roar that boomed through the skies like thunder signaled that Knuckles himself on the back of Fang had arrived at the meeting grounds for their bout. In seconds a large white wyvern dove from the skies before circling twice around the area.  The dragon-like creature would flutter its wings rapidly as it touched down onto the ground.  Knuckles in all his armored style jumped down from the saddle as the voice from an imp-like creature could be heard as it slowly flew down towards the ground following Knuckles. "What is the point of being the boss anyway I mean you are not leadership material if you ask me. You are no closer to becoming a Legend than you are a Demon. "

Knuckles looked a bit annoyed at the comment as his face was clearly visible as his helmet laid under his left arm tucked away safely. "You would not understand, you are incapable of viewing anything as serious Strea. Just shut that mouth of yours while I handle my business with an old friend."  Knuckles noticed that Jikan had indeed arrived before him. "Apologies for the late arrival Lady Jikan. My Friend Strea here took their sweet time getting themselves together. They are not important however do not waste your time with them. "

Knuckles began his walk towards Jikan showing a warm smile now upon his face as he was glad to see her in such good health. Much had changed since they had last seen each other.

WC: 680

Gear/Stats:

Maxx and Mia were away from Jikan. Standing behind their caretaker as she stood in wait. She had not been waiting for long and nor did it seem that she wuld have to wait much longer. The color in the sky darkened, a thunderous boom filled the air. It even felt like the ground was shaking with anticpation. Eagerness to welcome a powerful warrior to step on the idyllic terra firma. Knux looked healthy as he got off his mount, and Strea looked as powerful as ever.

However there were things that were knew from both of them. Knux seemed to be a little more prepared in having new armor and an interesting weapon. And Strea could talk? Jikan did not recall hearing that the last time she interacted with Knux. Granted, it was not for long nor did she really talk to his mount. And at this point, she was done at being surprised at seeing an animal talk. Magical world with many different weird things. Countless tools to give the ability to communicate to animals.

It seemed though that Strea did not care about the topic of leadership. Downplaying Knux it even seem and the role. Jikan was more than happy to explain the importance but it was taken care by Knux.

"No worries Sir Knux. I'm glad to see that you appear well". A soft courteous smile came from Jikan's face. Welcoming Knux and thankful that he came as it would not feel right without doing this at least when dealing with their Guild master issue.

Must had changed, in what felt was such a short time in two years. She reached her left hand out, offering a hand shake to welcome him. "Shall we talk now to catch up or save it after the fun?".

Taking the hand of Jikan Knuckles gave a warm and honest smile. You as well Lady Jikan. I hope your travels have been well. Those little ones yours?" The Warrior asked before letting her hand go. The leadership issue has waited this long, why not put it off longer while we catch up on each other's lives. I fear at the end of the fun one of us might not be able to speak well enough for fair conversation. " Knuckles motioned for them to head to a place they could sit and relax while the two were able to converse and catch each other up on matters before today.

"Have you heard from any others? The last I spoke to anyone myself was Hassan in oak some years ago. I fear we might need to start preparing for something big to bring ranks to our name. Perhaps I am mistaken and we are better as we are now. A small group of members. " he wondered what the woman's take on this situation would be. If Knuckles had any idea of Jikan's thoughts he might better understand what vision they had for the guild under her rule versus his vision of what they should be. At the founding of the guild, it was understood to him that they acted as individuals with the backing of the other's names to power their group as a whole. Something like oh there is a Sleeping Clamaity member, they have ties with Knuckles The Clout Chaser, or Jikan The Amazon. It was different than Oh they are with fairy tail or some other legal guild.

"Ah well I suppose it has been fine. I have only just now traveled a little. As you know, I've spent pretty much all of my time these last two years taking care of our territory in the north". She reached back with her thump on her left hand, pointing to Mia and Maxx. "yep that's my exceed Mia and my duhlin mount, Maxx".

Mia stayed where she was but did give Knux a little wave hearing Jikan call her name.

After pointing Jikan would release and relax her hands to her side. "I suppose that is true. I haven't seen many people in a long time in our guild", she would think walk alongside Knux as they found a spot to sit.

They reached their spot and Knux asked his first question. An expected one, crossing her legs as she sat, Jikan held her head in her right hand as she leaned forward a little. Resting her elbow on her thigh. "Hmmm, the last time I can think I saw anyone was two years ago. A weird town popped up; skeletons, zombies, vampires, witches. All sorts of creatures of the night. On that day I met a few people that joined our group; Nadine, Ika, and Hassan. All knew to me. Oh, there was this fellow named Taiko as well. But he was pretty quiet and just ate and drank". She reached her left hand to her ear, moving a piece of hair behind her ear. "Besides that no one from these two years, besides recently. I met a demi human who life I saved. His name is Skald and he is joining with us. There is another fellow I spared with a little bit before coming here named Ragnar. But I am not sure if he will take me up on my offer to spar with us. He's a pretty entertaining fellow".

She kept her hand by her ear as she spoke. "The others have been very quiet since I last saw them. Ariael vanished and besides you, I have no knowledge of them. Be if they are dead or just doing their own little thing wherever they are. Two things need to happen soon", she lifted one hand up. "Gather information to know where our members are and how they are". She lifted a second finger, "And a power test. I've been defending our town, but I cannot cover ground as fast as I could if we have multiple eyes. Besides the plain fun of fighting and gaining strength, we need power to protect what is ours after all".

She put her fingers down. "A small group of numbers if fine, only if they work together and have power. Gathering more people can be good. If they have potential or are strong. Regardless, I don't have much interest having weak people join. There is no good in having people who cannot protect themselves or help their guild mates gain further power in what way they need". She paused then lift out a soft amused laugh. "But maybe that's my aloof personality talking. Having more people present could be fun in general".

Knuckles felt bad, he had returned to the west after he left the night of the foundation. He had not returned since then, he did not know he had left all the work to Jikan alone. He had hoped the others would handle most things and send for him if he was needed. it seemed the others had done pretty much the same as him or even worse. Guilt riddled him, he had not even helped her break out of prison. Lowering his head Knuckles sighed heavily. "I offer my deepest regrets and apologies, Lady, I have left you alone to withstand all this on your own and failed to help you escape after the Knights jumped us. I promise after today I shall no longer allow the weight of our guild to rest on your shoulders alone. No matter which of us becomes the head, we shall move as one. "

After his apologies Knuckles offered his own plans. "I feel the same. A small but powerful force. Each one of us is equal to 5 for 10 men. Well with this out of the way, shall we get to it?" "

Sleeping Calamity was a group of individuals that worked together. There was some unity and cooperation but maybe not in the same way that other guilds worked. That was Jikan's thought at least. She had never been in a guild before before this one so she had no true insight into how all these things worked.

The forming and start of the guild was...chaotic and less than idea. Being attacked because of a big bounty and members either escaping or being locked into a prison before breaking out. It was tumultuous in every way possible. With the years after, it has been some new phase of life.

Jikan maintained a cool, soft, serene voice as she spoke. "We all do what we are good at doing and can do. With how the founding went, I think everyone was just trying to lay low for a bit. I know at least I was just trying to avoid anything annoying while heading to where our building was going to be located. I try to have power to let me handle these situations, and thankfully I was able to alone. Regardless, your feelings are heard and appreciated Sir Knux. Let us start where we weren't able to in the past".

After finishing talking and taking Knux's answer Jikan  then nodded  before jumping back, creating a distance of  15 meters to start the spacing of their right. "Ready when you are Knux".

Stats and Equipment:

After their discussion, they had come to terms with everything and gotten caught up on most things. Now it was time to get to the business of today.  As Jikan jumped back 15 meters Knuckles grabbed his helmet and slipped it on covering his pretty face. The worst thing to happen whenever he fought.  After dawning his helmet he gripped his shield and hammer.   He walked away from the sitting area but keep the 15 meters from each other.  

Knuckles looked back to Stera and Fang, each of them knew what to do. Stera lifted from the ground and flew to a clearing but stayed within sight of Knuckles. Fang lifted up to his full height letting a roar out before leaping into the air and flying off until the end of the match.  

Lifting his shield up as well as his hammer Knuckles leaned forward and got ready to get this battle on, Knuckles leaped forward closing the 15-meter gap in a second. As he traveled along the route toward Jikan he was sure she was going to leap away in some direction, he just needed to figure out which.  For now, Knuckles planned to bring an overhead swing down on Jkan's head once he landed. This strike could do 3 x A if not dodged or blocked.

Gear/stats:

Once Jikan settled and created the 15 meter distance the fight was on! Jikan stood 15 meters away from Knux, her left hand up to protect her head while her right was up protecting her body. Knux putting his helmet on, showing that he too, was ready for their fight to start. With both of their mounts and companions out of the way, the two fighters were set to go forward.

When Knux lifted up his shield and hammer then lunged forward towards Jikan. The red and black headed warrior would take a deep breath while back stepping in a backwards run moving 7.5m/s.  The mana flowed through her lungs and chest before causing her bosom to lift into the air and expand quickly. A 4 diameter purple appears in front of her mouth before a dark beam of dark energy in the shape of a cone blast is let loose from her mouth 4 diameters wide. If it was able to make impact, it would deal 2xS damage.  

Knux's speed increase from last was impressive, he was moving as fast as Jikan. But thankfully she had the base distance of 15 meters to work with, as well Knux lunging into the air. With him being in the air, it would be hard for him to shift his body out of the way to dodge the spell without some type of interference. The beam continued to move its full distance as Jikan moved back creating a distance of 7.5 meters from Knux once he landed.

Jikan would switch her gears as soon as she got to 7.5 meters away from Knux. She would move to run forward towards Knux, moving at 7.5 meters per second. Once she reached Knux, she would throw out a punch from her right hand, a jab to Knux's center.

Wc: 312
Fight reward: 311 / 2250

Spells Used:

mana: 4,775 / 5,025

On his way toward Jikan, she moved back and cast a magic spell. That was new from their last fight but Knuckles had picked up a thing or two.  At the first sign of the use of the spell being used, Knuckles let go of his iron shield and pushed kicked off of it at an angle forcing the shield and the spell to meet before it would meet  Knuckles. With the push from his legs, Knuckles flipped backward into the air as the spell met the shield and blasted through it traveling past Knuckles off somewhere into the landscape behind him.  Once he flipped into the air dark energy emitted from him. Jikan had seen a bit of this before two years ago, but his control of the Demon energy had grown to nearly full control.

Knuckles' eyes now glowed a bright red as Obscura covered his arms and legs in most areas as well as his chest covering the armor with the black energy. On his back, 2 meter long wings grew which granted him flight, which he took advantage of and flew straight up for 7.5 meters per second.  Unknowingly allowing him to dodge the attack from Jikan's fist. Knuckles looked down at Jikan As he kept his speeds going up.  

He had to admit Jikan had grown stronger than he had thought since they last had fought, be still he figured where she had Magic he had the gear to best her.  Knuckles thought he should perhaps fight magic with Magic, but perhaps it would be best to keep that as a backup plan for now.  He needed to get in close but on his terms this time.  The Daemon was eager to see how she could withstand one of his attacks.  However, as he learned from their last encounter this would be a game of speed and wits rather than brute strength.

Stera looked out at the fight and let out a sigh. He was growing rather bored of this. It seemed Knuckles was always wanting to get into a fight with someone everywhere he went. All this for a group of misfits from what he could tell.  He wished this would be over already so they might move on to something else more fun.  He supposed he had to endure it though.

Gear/stats:

Knux was an impressive warrior. That was true in Jikan's mind in the past and today. The fellow red headed warrior thought and acted quickly. Quickly removing his shield that he held in front of his body, Knux kicked off of the armor. Kicking the shield into the approaching blast while propelling himself backwards. It was thankfully enough of an angel to move him out of the 4 meter diameter of the beam as it blasted through the shield and the terrain behind him. Once that was done she saw a dark aura emitting from him. Something she was aware of already. Him being a daemon.

But it was different this time.

It felt darker, less wild and more controlled. Knux's eyes glowed red, dark as his hair, a dark substance moved and covered his arms and legs as well as his chest. Likely a power up as well as armor maybe. But what really stood out was Knux's back, or more specifically, what was on his back. Black wings. That was new. Wide, they were real made out of the same black essence that covered a part of his body. Knux used them to fly up, avoiding Jikan's punch as he moved into the air 7.5 meters above her.


She looked up. It seemed he was taking this to the air. Jikan had not had any fights, against any real opponents, in the air yet. This would be new and a learning experience. She jumped into the air with a lunge, moving 15 meters per second. She would use enough of her muscles to move just enough to get above Knux in the air, when she did she would throw out a kick each from her legs aimed at Knux's sides. First with her left leg then with her right. She would roll her shoulders while doing this, keeping her hands up in a guarded stance to protect her body and head.

With the rolling motion of her shoulders. Two wings made out of wind shaped feathers would spawn on her back. A white 4 meter magic circle forming on her back as well as below her. The magic circle below her would with her body on the edge of her position though while the rest of the magic circle was behind her. Gust of wind flowed as Jikan prepared for the airial combat and whatever strategy Knux had ready.

Wc: 407
Fight reward: 719 / 2250

Cooldown:
Midnight Howl - 4 turns

Spells used:

mana: 4,725 / 5,025

Knuckles was again taken back by another new feat of Jikan. Did she just evolve to levels he had no idea of? He knew her to be quick, but now she had the magic of flight and serious destruction power. Just what could she not do at this point he wondered? As she flew up Knuckles fed mana into his hammer as he tossed the hammer out to his side as he cast Mjolnir's Throw, aiming for her head but would take anything he could get. The hammer flew down as she flew up, the two would have to meet at some point during this flight. Meanwhile, Knuckles himself dove down to join his hammer in the assault, while Jikan would have to deal with the hammer attack, he would follow Jikan's movements as he flew down past Jikan as Knuckles attempted to grab her by the ankles as he flew towards the ground and swung down attempting to slam her into the ground as they traveled at 15 meters per second to the ground.

If he was able to do so Knuckles would look up for his hammer and fly to it attempting to catch it before it hit the ground, but most importantly he would aim to keep his motion going. He did not wish to lose his speed advantage if he had been able to slam Jikan down.  With the added strength from his transformation, he was so glad he had made that deal long ago for this point.  Knuckles looked back down towards Jikan after grabbing his hammer from the sky. Jikan had pulled something out that he had not seen from her before and was sure she had more up her sleeve.  

All in all if the Hammer attack landed it would have done 1 S rank of damage while his throw should have done 3 A rank. Over all, he hoped he was able to apply some good damage to Jikan. He would feel bad if he did not even hurt her in this fight.

Gear/stats:

Jikan had a set plan of actions, however, with Knux's decision and fast thinking, things would have to wait and be changed. As she lunged forward into the air above him, Knux threw his hammer towards her, aiming at hitting her head. As the time she had Jikan reachd out and struck the hammer with an open palm with her left hand. Absorbing the impact of 1xS damage to her left arm that the hammer dealt as she gripped it and held the head of the hammer in her hand, preventing it from falling to the ground. It would damage her left hand but not enough to keep it from being of us thankfully.

As Jikan was using her flying spell, Knux appeared, attempting to fly below her, during this motion she would throw out a vertical kick from her left leg worth 1xS damage to his head, trying to hit him as he came by. If this hit it would perhaps stop him  or make him reconsider his planed actions, if not it would continue as normal for him as it seemed that Knux was flying below her to reach out for both of her ankles flying towards the ground. If so, to counter act this force, Jikan thought quick and would continue her flight upwards, counteracting Knux's speed with her own. Given that both of them were moving at 15m/s it would be impossible for their positions to change because of the counteracting force. At most, it would be a tug of war eventually resulting them staying in the same position in the end.

Knux was just as a fierce warrior as she remembered and...smart. How often had he fought in the air in the last two years? Jikan was jealous. The fellow red head seemed a natural. It just made Jikan want to fight harder. Her attempt to catch up to the fighting opportunities missed between the two over the last two years!

Jikan continued to hold the head of Knux's hammer in her left hand as mana began to flow in her right hand as she quickly acted. Making a closed fist she punched straight down towards Knux as a white magic circle appears under her as she casts her spell. A sight he shown be familiar with, a white and brown light flashes around her fist before a twirl of wind is formed around her hand before a twister blasts forward at Knux's head, 1 meter in size traveling 15 meters per second. On impact it would deal B rank damage. Given know's extreme close proximity to her, and the speed of the spell moving 20 meters per second, it would be likely impossible for Knux to avoid something so close. Jikan doubt it would deal any real damage to her durable opponent though, but it something.

If Knux was still holding onto her ankles after likely tanking her spell, Jikan would continue her upward flying motion while behind over, enough to avoid a possible headbutt from Knux but enough to use the 1 meter reach of her arms. She would throw out a punch from her right hand aimed at the center of Knux's back. If this blow landed it would deal 3xA damage.

Wc: 548
Fight reward: 1267 / 2250

Spells used:

mana: 4,625 / 5,025

cooldown:
midnight howl > 3 posts

post breakdown:

Stats and Equipment:

How exciting was this? he was able to fight at full strength and felt the rush of battle consume him.  Knuckles felt a strike on his helmet as it shatter and cracked falling into pieces before descending down to the ground.  Grunting he fed mana into his armor as he felt the resistance of Jikan, using the charge spell from his armor as the B tier wind spell met his hair and cause some serious irritation and also messed up his hair. This spell allowed him to reach his full speed for up to 20 meters, now instantly moving at 30 meters per second he pulled Jikan down likely causing her attempt to bend over and punch him in the face to be halted.

As they would near the ground Knuckles pulled with all his strength and swung downwards attempting to use Jikan as a hammer and slam her headfirst into the ground before letting go of her ankle and holding out his hand calling to his hammer as he cast the spell Mjolnir's Return to bring his hammer from Jikan's grasp to his right hand once more.  It was a furious match that was for sure, and it was one for the record books in the Sleeping Calamity battles for Guild Master that would likely happen from time to time as each future generation would take over the mantle.  This was what the guild was all about, pushing each other's limits to reach new heights of power and eventually using that power to fight others.

For Knuckles that meant becoming a Man of Legendary Status, a household name where they would share stories of his tales and feats, perhaps even erect a statue in his honor.  This was his reason for growth and he would not allow anyone to stand in the way of that.  

If all went to plan he would deal 1 S of damage to Jikan's head while he had taken B to the head.  A trade-off he was okay with. Still, this battle had been taxing on his mana supply. Not being a mage was really starting to become a drag and a bigger issue for him the longer this fight went on. Now that his run had come to a halt he hovered off the ground by 2 meters waiting for Jikan to stand back up. He did not have long left with the ability to fly or his Daemon Transformation at all, he chose to stay closer to the ground before he ended up falling out of the sky and getting himself into a bad postion.

Gear/stats:

pre post:

The will of the two Sleeping Calamity founders were shown in their struggle for position. Each of them trying to control and decide the next course of their battle for leadership. It was exciting. Knux had truly grown much in the two years with his exploration. Even though Jikan fought many hostile mages and adventures attempting to make Orchidia their own little foot hold. Time and again Jikan found them not be a threat to her power and the few unnamed Sleeping Calamity members that had slowly accumulated over the years. At most it was a slight workout. This was different, it was a power she had expected from one who was supposed to be a fellow founder. One that escaped imprisonment those years ago unlike her. This, was a fight!

Her other attacks landed but the rest would be different. Somehow Knux increased his speed, moving at a pace of 30 meters per second. A move that would cause Jikan trouble as she bent forward using her core and knees in an attempt to throw out a strike to Knux's back.  Knux flew them towards the ground and as they were closing in Knux swing Jikan by the grip he had on her ankles, slamming her into the ground head first. Hurt but still in the fight, Jikan could only watch as Knux held out his arm before she melt a pull from the hammer in her hand. The object freed itself from her graps as it become one with ts owner once again.

On her back, she looked up at Knux as he hovered directly 2 meters above her on the ground. It hurt a little, her body was simply spread out with her hands open. She was getting bruises and scraps from this fight. Her clothing and armor was taking damage as well. Her cap was crushed to shreds from the blow. Somehow she felt that she owed it a thanks for not letting her receive as much damage that was possible from that hulk like strike. She wouldn't take this lying down on her back though. Acting quickly as soon Knux was in the air, Jikan would clench her right fist, casting a spell called Good night that created a 16 diameter purple magic circle appeared under her as well as one meter below where Knux flew. From Knux's location, a purple magic beam of magic power would fire, 16 meters wide AoE attack towards him. If the spell hit him it would deal A rank damage to all of his gear and his weapon located in its range and deal A rank damage to Knux's unprotected head. The spell would travel at 20 meters per second. Given Knux's close proximity to Jikan, the spell circles would form and the spell would fire almost instantly, with that factor and the size of the spell that Knux was smack in the center of, it would likely be  hard to avoid this spell.

At the same time she was casting this spell, she would cast another spell at the same time. Usinger her index finger, she would point at Knux. Causing a brown, 4 meter magic seal to form under him as a white and brown 4 meter magic circle formed under Jikan. Jikan then would quickly flick index finger and a composite of rocks in various sizes fly into the area Knux was on, staying within the confinds of the magic circle. If this spell was able to hit Knux, he would suffer a A rank debuff (80) to his endurance.

After these spells were casted,  Jikan would roll backwards in a lunge 10 meters before standing again. Guarding herself with her hands up to see how Knux would respond. With the combination of her attack spell and debuff spell, if both were successful, Knux's head would most likely be hindered from the blow.

Wc: 653
Fight reward: 1,920 / 2250

post breakdown:

spells used:

150 mana used in post

mana: 4,475 / 5,025

cooldown:
midnight howl > 2 posts
Gale shrapnel > 2 posts
Wings of peace > 3 posts
Brittle Bones > 3 posts
Good night > 4 posts

Stats and Equipment:

Things looked as if they might be starting to go his way in this fight and that perhaps he would be the one to take the mantle of Guild Master and lead them into an era of chaos like no other. He felt pride and excitement as he bounce Jikan's head off the ground, he was aware she could take the hit. At least she had best damn be able to if she was wanting to become the leaders of their little chaos rocket.   As he reached his hand out and the hammer met it with no fight he fingered he had landed a stellar blow.  Jikan had proved a versatile enemy. Everything Knuckles had done to gain an advantage she had matched him on it. It had really shocked him she could fly, and all the different magics she had cast so far. She had really improved not just as a woman, but as a fighter and perhaps she had what it took to become a leader too.  Knuckles looked back at the time they founded the guild, it was Jikan and himself that lasted the longest that fight. They were the weakest members at the time, but their will to fight and lack of giving up had driven them to push beyond what most thought them capable of.  The same could be said now during this fight as the two threw everything they had at each other trying to win and push each other to new heights. It was clear that whoever was going to walk away with the title was going to have to earn every inch of it.  Knuckles felt good at this moment, he was enjoying himself and then.

A Magic circle appeared over Jikan, a blast of Magic came from Jikan's direction. "Shit" Was all he could say as he attempted to fly backward in a lunge of 15 meters per second but the blast was just too fast and caught him in the massive 16-meter blast.  As soon as it hit he took damage to his gear all around and felt his man flee from his body. It was as if it was sucked out of him forcefully causing him to push out all the air in his lung for a moment.   The black energy that covered his body started to break down and fade, first being the wings on his back forcing his body to drop the 2 meters he had been hovering.  If Knuckles would have not moved the 15 meters upon seeing the magic circle of the first spell the second spell Jikan had fired off almost at the exact same time would have also landed, but it seemed the rocks would fly towards him and be short by less than 1 meter given the distance the two were after Knuckles Let Jikan go.  They had been at the minimum 1.5 meters away and he had lunged backward 15 meters upon seeing the first magic circle appear.  The first spell had a greater range and speed than the second fired off right after the first one, it would have taken at least 1 second for her to extend the finger outwards towards him.

With smoke covering his armor and the rest of his gear Knuckles looked across the field from Jikan who at this time had moved backward herself about 10 meters, putting a total of 25 meters between the two of them.  Now that his transformation was over he lacked the ability to fly and the enhancements that came with it.  That was fine, his gear was still pretty healthy, and his resistance to Darkness types had paid off here making him take one rank less damage from the Spell than what was intended.  His gear did not take the same benefit however it was only his head that was the only area of his body uncovered, the rest of his gear took A  rank of damage, while his head took B.  This still would not hinder him in any capacity.


Perhaps it seemed like Knuckles would be out of the fight without his Daemon transformation. That would not be the case however, Knuckles had the drive to fight even without all the power he had gained from the Daemon, he no longer felt like he truly needed the Demon's power at this point, but still used it when he wanted to finish things fast.  

"Lady Jikan, you have done well to prepare over the past two years. It is truly an honor as always to face off with you. It is time for us to end this. "  

With that said Knuckles would Lunge once more 15 meters per second closing the gap between them to 10 meters then lunged again towards Jikan yet again for 9 meters swinging his hammer outwards with 3 A rank of damage behind it. The hammer strike was planned to hit Jikan in her left Arm.  He'd follow up that strike by planting his left leg before swinging his hammer upwards in an uppercut motion aimed for her chin.

Gear/stats:

As Jikan casted her spells they would do something. The purple beam shot forward towards Knux as the red headed warrior attempted to move backwards away. While this transpired, she had also attempted to cast dust to dust. The magic being created with the magic circle under her happened in time, but by the time she pointed towards Knux the fellow barely moved out of the 4 meter size of the brown magic circle. Allowing him to avoid the debuff but not quite moving out of the way of the 16 meter purple spell due to its speed. Resulting his whole body taking damage and his unprotected head. On impact Jikan felt a flow of mana flow into her body, helping replace the mana she lost from attacking.

After the little mana Knux had left in his body left him, he had no choice but to fall from the two meter height to the ground.

When Knux met the ground there was a total 25 meters between him and Jikan. His body normal again, the black coating and wings that was previously on him no longer there. Knux may have gotten more durable over the two years but he was still a living thing. His head took damage as well as his gear. Jikan just needed to pick her timing now and get in a few good hits. Hopefully it would break his defenses so she could further put him on the back end, or perhaps she could get lucky and hit his head? Maybe, but that would not be an easy thing. For Knux was not the type of fighter that would be out of a fight simple because he had lost his magic. He could still fight and move!

Jikan talked back to Knux as he spoke, "You have done well too Knux. You've gotta fast as me, and I havent felt it truly yet, but your striking power has jumped up levels. There is pride in gaining so much in so little time Sir Knux. It has been a pleasure, now lets see if one of us can finish this!!".

With the talking done Knuckles lunged forward, going 15 meters per second. Jikan chose to move forward as well, moving at the same time Knux did. Traveling 15 meters per second, she only needed to move 9,5 meters to meet Knux at where he stopped after his first lunge. This was an attempt to try and get into a tighter angle on Knux, making it harder for Knux to attack with his hammer. Any plans for doing a second lunge wouldn't be possible anymore because of Jikan removing the path of travel from him.

As Jikan moved forward in her lunge, she would move forward putting her hands out in a tiger palm strike. Her left hand ( 1xS) aiming at Knuckle's shoulder while her right hand (1xS) that held her gauntlet would be aiming at his chest, attempting to grab at his armor top to hit through to his body.
Her left hand would be attempt to grip his left shoulder, and her right would attempt to grab any undershirt he had on, or simply his neck if he had no shirt under his likely broken armor. If this was not the case, it would be fine for Jikan would still have the possible grip on Knux's shoulder from her left hand. Regardless Jikan would then throw out a knee strike to Knux's stomach using her right leg. Using the strike to protect her body from Knux's left side as she attacked. This strikes would come right after the other.    

Wc: 613
Twc:  2,533 (wc met)


100 mana recovered from mana drain from void magic hit

mana: 4,575 / 5,025

cooldown:
midnight howl > 1 posts
Gale shrapnel > 1 posts
Wings of peace > 2 posts
Brittle Bones > 2 posts
Good night > 3 posts

Stats and Equipment:

post breakdown:

There was not much he could do about Jikan rushing in to meet him as their exchanging of words.  She met him head-on and did not prepare for this, he thought for sure she would have cast a spell and sent it towards him, however, she did not. She took him an opened palm strike to his armor at the shoulder, it could take no more as it crumbled and shattered from his body showing his white cloth shirt under it. At the same time, she had sent an attack on his chest, the force of the strike caused him to become hindered at that point.   As Jikan moved her arms to grab Knuckles by his shirt and grin the Knee up, Knuckles swung the hammer towards his stomach attempting to bat Jikan's knee with the head of his hammer for 3x A Rank damage.  With his left arm, he would bring his elbow towards the temple of her right side attempting to daze her for 1x S rank of damage and weaken her grip on his shirt. If he connected the Daemon would draw his right arm back and then shove it forward attempting to strike the head of his hammer into the chest of Jikan for another 3x A Rank of damage.  

The fight had gone from a sporty and flashy fight to a close ranked fight between two ruthless and powerful fighters. They had different fighting styles but each had come into its own over the years. No matter what would be the outcome of this fight no one would be able to say that the two of them did not give it their all and that the new position of Guild master had not been earned in blood and sweat.  
Knuckles felt good about his chances though, sure he was coming to the end of his rope soon, but he would make sure if he went down Jikan would not be far from it either.

Gear/stats:

TLDR:

pre post:

In the few seconds that passed for Jikan's and Knux's move to past. Intensity and the fire of both of them were present. Wind gushed and shifted at their exchange of blows. In a quick motion Jikan's blows from her hands to Knux's right shoulder and body landed, breaking his armor and dealing some solid blows as his undershirt was revealed.

As she attempted to follow this up with a knee strike though, Knux's swing his hammer towards his stomach, an attempt to attack Jikan's knee and block the Knee strike with the head of his hammer with his limited mobility. Jikan's grip on his right shoulder would logical limit its normal movement and slow down its movement by at least a second. This and combined with the given the tight space and the fact that Knux was reacting to Jikan, Jikan's knee strike would perhaps hit Knux's stomach for 1xS damage before Knux would be able to block the blow.

Knux's blow would still come if or if not this was the case though, hitting Jikan's right knee and dealing 3xA damage to her right leg in total. Jikan felt the pain but was still able to move as normal with it. Once this happened Jikan would let go of her grip with his shirt and his shoulder as she lunged backwards moving 15 meters per second until she was 5 meters away from Knux.

Because of the speed she would move she would hopefully move fast enough to avoid any possible follow up attacks Knux would do. Potentially this meant that Knux's elbow strike to her head and his hammer head shove to Jikan's chest would both miss. If not, then surely the second blow would not connect given that it would transpire after his elbow strike. Meaning that even if Jikan got hit by the elbow strike, she would still be moving and thus evade the hammer head attack.

As Jikan moved backwards, she would swing out their left arm away from their body. Causing a giant magic circle that was 4 meters in length to appear under Jikan as well as under Knux. In this circle eight purple wolfs would be formed within the bounds of the magic circle. Four of the wolfs were created in a reverse C arc around him, two above him, and the other two behind him in a V shape path. These 4 by 4 sized purple wolves would each be made at the same time. Immediately, they would attack Knux from their positions targeting the unarmed spots on his body moving 20 meters per second. The two wolfs above would aim for Knux's head while the others would attack his body, aiming at his arms, legs, and torso. Each Wolf that hit would inflict 1 B rank damage.

This fight had gone on for awhile now. One that was sporty and fierce. Each of them taking their turn to deal out powerful and ruthless blows. Jikan was not sure if Knux cared about who was the GM, but, Jikan at least believed that Knux agreed with her that the leader had to be powerful. A group of warriors could not have a leader that was weak in combat. And although she had a believe that other factors mattered when talking about the role of a leader, she agreed that a fighter, leader, and protector had to have some strength to face what could come before them.

It was a tough battle, both of them had a chance to come out the winner. There would be more to this but Jikan hoped this move would put the scales to her side. If not, she was in for a much tougher fight still.

post breakdown:

spell used:

mana: 4,075 / 5,025

cooldown:
midnight howl > 0 posts
Gale shrapnel > 0 posts
Wings of peace > 1 posts
Brittle Bones > 1 posts
Good night > 2 posts
Wolf pack > 5 posts

Stats and equipment:

His hammer made contact stopping the knee from making the mark on his body, however, after he struck with the hammer Jikan let loose of his shirt as she pushed backward narrowly moving from the elbow of Knuckles. This also allowed her to move out his hammer strike.  While outside his reach and no longer able to chase after her, Jikan cast their spell as Knuckles found himself hopelessly outflanked as 8 wolves appeared around him.  He did not expect the use of such a spell or for Jikan to back out of his reach. Because of this, he had fallen victim to the spell in full force.  Knuckles ate every single hit yet was still able to stand even if he was bloodied and beaten.  The hammer within his palm began to feel heavy and his grip loosened a bit but he did not drop it.

He stood there in tattered clothes and one eye open, the vision blurred with blood. While he still had the strength to fight he took a single step as a smile pressed upon his lips.   "I think this contest is over. You clearly still have mana left to cast more spells, I have no means to defend against them. I commend you Lady Jikan on a battle well fought. You have fought with honor and bravery.  I Knuckles Shi recognize you as the Strongest of Sleeping Calamity and thus proclaim the Guild Master. Lead us well M'Lady. "

With that Knuckles leaned forward and tucked his right arm at his midsection and he bowed in respect to her. It was painful to do so, however, he wished to be the first to show his respects to their new leader.  

"Let us return to the Guild Hall so we may announce it."  

Knuckles walked over to his companion and smiled at Stera warmly.  The red imp-looking creature chuckled. "You sure got ya but whooped there Knux!" It teased at Knuckles.  He shut his eyes and nodded. Agreeing. He was still behind Jikan, but he knew he had closed the gap by a large amount since their first battle. He would one day catch up to her and show her even with her Magic that he would be her equal.