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daily-rubbersoul-redux · 3 years

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Jacian stood across from Natalio in the abandoned street, hand on the hilt of his sword. A determined frown was painted across his face, and the wild was blowing gently through his hair.

This was it. The final confrontation.

….He knew full well that he would be incapable of taking down the man on his own, especially since he had no idea where his main sword had gone after the incident three weeks ago. But if he could hold out until Gabbrielli and Taiana returned, and wear him down enough, then…

He was sure they would not fail. He would not fail.

“….So this is the course of action that you have decided to take.” Natalio let out a sigh. “…I expected as much.” He met Jacian’s gaze with a stern frown of his own. “Fine then; You know what comes next.”

“Indeed, I am well aware. And I do not intend to lose.” His gaze hardened.

“Hmph. Then allow me to ask you this: Why fight? Or rather, who are you fighting for? Your father? Your friends? The girl?”

“…While I would normally say yes to all of those, my answer is no. This does not pertain to them; It is between you and I. This is a battle not of strength, but of convictions. And so, I am fighting for myself; I am fighting because I believe in the strength of my own convictions, and I believe them to be stronger than yours as they are now.

Face it, Natalio; You have fallen from grace. And until you yourself can see how far you have strayed from the path you once set off on…

I REFUSE TO LET UP!” With that, he drew his sword, swiftly taking a combative stance before leaping forward with a battle cry.

[the rest has been put under a cut bc this shit is 18 fucking pages long, and i'm not about to clog everyone's dashes with a text wall THAT LONG-]

Natalio stood firm, his eyes narrowing as he prepared to take Jacian’s blow head on. Normally, he would be at a disadvantage; He was fighting with no weapon, and Jacian had a sword and the skills to use it masterfully, after all. However, as he would quickly prove by parrying Jacian’s oncoming attack, he had no need for a weapon.

Jacian’s boots skidded against the pavement as he went flying back. He had expected this, but even still… He felt a twinge of fear as he watched the slashes left by his blade rapidly heal and disappear. This was going to be a difficult fight; It would likely come down to a test of stamina, and even then, he was at a disadvantage due to his lower defenses and inability to utilize his full power. But all he had to do was hold out until the others returned; And that, he was sure he could do. He once more took up an offensive stance. Alright then, it was time to put his training to use…

As soon as Jacian finished that thought however, Natalio decided to go on the offensive as well, springing forward to attack. Jacian only had less than a second to process this, and dodge, but…

He was ready. With a small flash of greenish-yellow light he dodged to side, almost too quickly to be seen. Small particles of electricity surrounded him as he went in for a counterattack, though he was once again intercepted, this time by Natalio catching the blade before it could hit its mark. He ignored the blood slowly making it’s way down his arm as he looked over Jacian. “So, you have been practicing with your powers… Hm. Hm! I must say, I am impressed Jacian.

…Though we both know that simply dodging will not be enough to tip the scales in your favor.” In one swift and powerful notion, he threw Jacian’s blade back towards him; Though the blonde managed to keep a hold of it, he was sent flying back once more. Natalio crossed his arms as Jacian regained his composure. “You say that he with the stronger convictions shall be the victor, full well knowing the strength behind my own, and yet you still choose to fight. You are no coward, but I also know you are no fool.” His eyes narrowed. “What exactly are you implying?”

Jacian gave no reply, simply taking an offensive stance once more, eyes narrowing as well.

Natalio let out another sigh. “…Then, so be it. No more talk.

And no more holding back.”

And so, the two began to truly battle; Each clash resulting in cuts that quickly healed, burnt flesh that quickly regenerated without as much as a scar. Jacian managed to dodge most of the man’s attacks, but the few blows he did take were akin to getting hit by a sledgehammer. He still was managing to keep up, but… It was clear that he was losing in terms of stamina, if only by a bit. But still…. If he didn’t do something fast to buy himself some more time, he might be in trouble. He had an idea, but… He glanced at his blade.

… It would be very, very risky…

…He had no other choice. Without giving a Natalio a chance to fully recover from the last flurry of blows, he rushed forwards, electricity swirling at his hands. He had to time this right; he only had one shot.

He leapt forward, letting out a determined scream and, letting the electricity flow through the blade milliseconds before impact, slashing diagonally across Natalio’s chest, and leaving a long, deep gash of burnt, bloody skin. The man gritted his teeth, letting out a groan of pain as he staggered back.

Jacian sprung back, surveying the damage both to the other man and his own weapon. It was now half as long, with naught but jagged fragments of steel left at the end. The entire top had been vaporized… It was most certainly unsuitable for battle. But still usable if need be…

Natalio was still reeling from the attack. To think that Jacian had that kind of power within him… Truly, he had potential.

…To bad he would…

Hm…

Jacian took a minute to try and regain some of his stamina as the wound across Natalio’s chest slowly began to heal itself. At this rate, he… He wouldn’t have enough time. And having a smaller weapon meant he would have to get closer if he hoped to get any hits off…

Shit. This was looking bad.

And bad it was; In the split second that Jacian had been trying to figure out the best course of action, Natalio had recovered enough to go for another attack. By the time that Jacian noticed, he no longer had any opportunity to dodge; All of his options were covered. He took up a defensive stance, not knowing what else to do, and closed his eyes as he braced for impact.

…Which never came. Rather, all heard was a grunt of pain from Natalio. What in the gods name…?

Even to someone like Jacian who was probably closer than most people to approaching anything resembling an understanding regarding the principal, he still had no idea how it was that Orlando was that good at being sneaky when it really mattered. Maybe it was just a skill he developed to be more "evil" at some point, but the end result was that, in one moment, he wasn't there, and in the next he was, brandishing Jacian's lightning blade like someone who was completely unfamiliar with the concept of sharp metal. That said, the only explanation for the way the sword lodged itself into Natalio's back like a thrown battleaxe lodged itself in a skull was pure luck.

"I've gotta say, I probably should've asked you about how your powers worked before building a contrived plot around them, but any chance you can magic this thing up for me?"

Jacian opened his eyes in shock. "Wh- Orlando!? Why are you... WHY DID YOU COME BACK!?"

Unfortunately, in the time that Jacian had been distracted by his friend's appearance, Natalio had already managed to rip the blade from his back, hissing in pain as he did, before the wound started to heal itself once more. He inspected the blade as it held it before him; This was the sword that Jacian had forged specifically so that he could utilize his abilities more often, yes? Hm...

"Orlando, please, you must leave! You are in great danger being here, and I refuse to let anyone else get hurt, so please, just this once, listen to me!" Rather than holding an expression of pleading of desperation, Jacian's face displayed an expression of pure, raw determination.

Orlando huffed, crossing his arms. "I don't know how much I really managed to help you while we were talking things out, but at the very least I figured out this: If I'm in 'great danger' or whatever, then you're in danger too, and I'm not going to just let you take everything on by yourself! We're supposed to be... a TEAM!"

In the midst of Orlando's brief monologue, Chumbawamba had crawled its way up on Natalio's back and delivered as many stings as it could before Natalio could tear it off as he had done with the sword - the poison delivered by its stings wouldn't be capable of freezing a man of Natalio's size for at least an hour, but it did hurt like hell, staining the wounds a neon pink even after they'd regenerated. Just as his Stand had been disarmed, Orlando used the word "TEAM" as a war cry - in one fluid motion, he drew his hammer, spun around, and shattered the man's jaw.

The blow sent Natalio reeling and forced him to stagger back a few paces. He slowly straightened his head out, wiping the blood from his mouth with his free hand. Tch…

“Dammit Orlando, this is not-”

Before Jacian could finish his sentence, Natalio had firmly planted his foot into Orlando’s chest in a manner similar to Ganondorf’s forward tilt, sending the principal flying back, landing splayed out on his back. Natalio sighed as he resumed a normal standing position. “Stay down; This is not your fight.”

Though those words fell on deaf ears, as by this point Orlando had likely lost consciousness. Jacian tried to run over to his friend, but his path was blocked by the larger man.

“He will be fine. Here.” He tossed Jacian’s sword to him. “There is no point in us fighting if you are at a disadvantage; It would not be fair, and any victory on my part would be meaningless.”

Jacian was at a loss for words as he caught his greenish blade, looking at the pathetic specimen that was the remains of his other sword. He silently tossed the broken blade aside, doing a few practice swings with his regular sword to get re-accustomed to its weight. With this, he…

He had a chance again.

Before the fighting could resume, however, Taiana finally returned, though she could only look on in shock at the scene that was laid out before her. “What on Earth… WHY IS ORLANDO HERE!?”

Jacian turned his attention to her, with Natalio simply waiting as the two conversed. “He came back to try and help, despite my wishes. Taiana, I know you want to offer me aid, but… Please, could you see him to somewhere safe?”

“Jacian, I can’t just… You look tired already as is! I can’t just leave you on your own, what if…”

“Taiana, do you trust me?”

“What does that-”

“Just answer.” His expression was somehow both comforting and determined at once, as an eerie shine made its way across his sword. “I can do this, Taiana. I promise, I will not leave you. Not again.”

She went silent for a few seconds, looking between him, Natalio, and Orlando, before giving a small nod. “…Okay. I trust you, Jacian. I’ll get him out of here.”

Jacian smiled. “Thank you.”

She nodded again, making her way over to Orlando’s unconscious form and hoisting him up, before departing from the area once more.

…Good. With no one else around to worry about, his true weapon back in his hands, and a foe near impervious to death…

He had no reason to hold anything back.

Once she was out of sight, Jacian let out a deep sigh, before giving Natalio a determined glare. “Now then…

No more holding back.”

As Jacian said that an eerie greenish-yellow glow began to envelop the blade, sparks of electricity coming off of both the blade and his own body. With a roar akin to thunder, he charged forward, using his power both to propel him forward faster and to deliver a large, electricity imbued slash.

Natalio narrowly dodged, getting nicked by the blow on his forearm which still left a fairly large gash. It was clear that the regular blade that Jacian had been using before had been hindering him; No wonder he had spent most of the fight simply dodging and biding his time. The man smiled. Good.

Now he could stop holding back as well.

With a roar of his own, Natalio charged at Jacian for a counterattack, throwing a meaty punch which Jacian only barely managed to block with his sword; A solution which still resulted in him skidding a good three feet back.

They both continued in a constant exchange of blows; Jacian was getting hit less, due to his speed advantage and the fact that Natalio often had no need to dodge, but every blow he did take was devastating. However, Natalio was beginning to show some signs of exhaustion as well; The battle could still go either way, though it was likely that the next few hits would decide its outcome. And at this point, Jacian was beginning to tire. His movements were becoming a bit sloppy; He was having to resort to blocking rather than dodging much more, and the strength of his blows were diminishing as well. He had to be careful, move too slowly even once and… No, that wouldn’t happen. He refused to allow it to.

He only had to hold on a bit longer. He could do this, he…

He…

Jacian went in for another attack, hitting his mark with exceptional force, but leaving himself open for a split second in the process. And in that split second…

Natalio sharply kneed him in the chest, completely throwing him off and causing him to double over in pain, before following through with a roundhouse kick, sending the blonde flying. He tumbled against the ground, landing on his side with his sword clattering against the concrete beside him. He let out a small groan of pain, curling up a bit as he clutched at his chest. Shit…

Natalio slowly wiped away the blood that had accumulated on his face over the course of the battle, his breathing heavy and labored. Many of the wounds he had sustained were mere memories at this point, but some—a select few, mind you, but some—had managed to leave actual scars. He was impressed, very impressed, but… This fight had drawn on for too long; He needed to end this, now, while he still could.

He began speaking as he approached Jacian. “I must admit, Jacian; You have done exceedingly well. I could feel your determination to win in every blow, see it in every movement. You are incredibly skilled young man. You should be proud of that.”

Jacian weakly looked up at the man, as he now stood over him blocking out the evening sun.

“However, you made one fatal mistake, Jacian.

You underestimated my resolve, and my faith in my convictions.

And for that, you shall pay dearly.”

He grasped the boy by the collar, lifting him up to meet his gaze. “You are well aware of the consequences for betrayal, Jacian. I truly do wish that it never had to come to this. But,” He swiftly punched Jacian in the gut with immense force, prompting a gag of pain as the boy began to cough up blood “I am afraid that you have lost.

…Send my regards to your father.”

As he prepared to throw another punch, Jacian weakly began to raise his arm, and made a feeble attempt to hold the man’s hand back. Natalio stopped moving, further impressed by the boy’s resolve, although… A bit confused as to what he hoped to accomplish with the meager action.

He hacked up more blood, and at this point was barely able to keep his eyes open. “No.” he croaked out, his breathing as shaky as his voice.

“…Y-you are the one who… has lost.” Before Natalio had a chance to reply, Jacian screwed his eyes shut, shouting as loud as his weakened lungs would let him. “GABBRIELLI, NOW!”

Natalio’s expression turned to one of confusion as a figure veiled in shadow with a hold on a long object leapt down from the roof of a nearby building. Before either of them could react, Natalio would find himself with a lance plunged into his back, letting out a yelp of pain as he released his grasp on Jacian, who crumbled to the ground in a pitiful mass, breathing heavily.

Gabbrielli ripped his weapon out, using his father’s back as a springboard to gracefully leap to Jacian’s side, before gently picking him up and putting some distance between them and Natalio.

“I-I told you I could… Do it…” Jacian smiled weakly, before hacking up more blood.

“Hey, easy there Jacian… And I know. You really are skilled, both in combat and with your words and plans. Now hold still.” Gabbrielli gently placed his hand on Jacian’s forehead, a warm light enveloping them both as what appeared to be feathers fluttered around them. After a few minutes, the glow dissipated, and Jacian grabbed his sword once more, using it to help him shakily get to his feet.

“…Are you ready?”

“Yes. Thank you, my friend.” The two turned to face Natalio, who was still recovering from the deep wound in his back, and the deeper wound in his heart.

“Gabbrielli… You…” He was trying his best to keep up his anger, but… It was clear that the metaphorical mask of his emotions was cracking.

Jacian, now having recovered enough to stand without the support of his sword, opted to point it at the man instead, his determined expression returning once more, with an intensity far greater than previous. “Face it, Natalio. You no longer hold the iron clad resolve that you once did; Your convictions have become weaker, and you no longer fully believe in your goal. The fact that I was even able to pull this off proves that. And if you still do not believe me…”

“THEN ALLOW US TO PROVE IT!” Both boys shouted, rushing forward before engaging the man in what could only be described as a dance of blades. They took turns landing blows, gracefully pulling back after they struck to allow the other to take a turn, before finishing with a simultaneous slash that left two large, vertical gashes across the man’s chest.

Jacian hopped back as Natalio groaned, staggering backwards a few steps, though Gabbrielli stayed put, facing his father with a sad yet stern expression.

“…It pains me to do this father. It really, truly does. I… I didn’t want to believe it, when Jacian had told me what you had done, but… After seeing what I have today, I am unable to do anything but believe his words.” He lowered his lance, his expression staying stern. “…So I suppose that you can consider me as an opponent as well, father. That is, if my lance work was not enough of an indication.”

Natalio stayed silent, head hung low. Was this truly what it had come to? The ones standing in his way were…

…

…So… Be it…

Without a word, he wound up his fist, preparing to throw another punch. Gabbrielli stood firm, not a trace of fear in his eyes.

Natalio threw the punch.

…Though his fist stopped less than an inch from his son’s face; He had begun trembling.

…He couldn’t do it. He couldn’t bring himself to willingly, KNOWINGLY, hurt his child. But why, why? He had always been able to crush anyone who stood in his path; He had slain people who he considered to be his greatest allies, who he would have trusted with his life. So why, why now…

…Was there truth behind Jacian’s words?

“You see it now, do you not?” Jacian approached the man, his own weapon lowered as well. “If you really wanted me dead, then I would have been dead before the battle could truly begin. I know how you work, Natalio. I can tell when you are holding back. Even when you had me by the throat, the punch you threw was not full strength. You either did not intend to kill me, despite your words, or…

…You could not bring yourself to. Even though I am a traitor, in your eyes.”

The man stayed quiet, still shaking a bit but otherwise staying motionless and emotionless.

“…Natalio, please. For your own sake, just stop all of this. I understand your reasons, I truly do; When I first realized the truth of what happened to him, I was willing to do near anything to avenge my father as well. But surely you too can see that this has gone too far; That the pile of innocent corpses has grown too high for this to be considered anything close to moral anymore. Losing your own children should have been the wakeup call. This needs to end no-”

“SILENCE!” The man roared, finally looking up with a burning fury in his eyes. In the matter of mere milliseconds, he once again had Jacian up by the collar, though this time Jacian made no effort to struggle, his gaze and expression unchanging.

“You truly think you have any right to sit here and lecture me, telling me to QUIT? After all I have done to get here, all I have sacrificed? After having to let that… That THING use me in order to stand a chance against him? After I was duped into killing my own children, you simply expect me to QUIT!?”

Jacian stayed quiet, which only proved to further push the man over the edge. This rage, this fury...

He could tell it was naught but the result of denial.

“ANSWER ME! ANSWER ME!” Though his eyes still held the same maddened fury, tears had begun to stream down his eyes.

“…If you cannot come to that conclusion yourself, even after clearly displaying a sense of doubt in your actions, then nothing I say will serve to sway you. And as it seems that you will not willingly stop on your own…

…We shall stop you ourselves. This is for your own good, Natalio.

This is the last thing I do to serve you.”

Before the man could respond, Gabbrielli used the pole of his lance to sweep his father’s feet out from under him, causing him to fall forward, losing his grip on Jacian in the process, who hopped onto the man’s back and attempted to hold him down with Gabbrielli’s help.

Meanwhile, Taiana, who had been waiting on the same abandoned building’s roof that Gabbrielli had been, cracked her knuckles. It was time for her to do her part. She wished she could have helped more, but… Gah, Orlando just HAD to be himself. Still, at least she was here for the most important part of Jacian’s plan.

The part only she could do.

Taking a deep breath, she dived from the building, a blue light enveloping her as she fell.

Time to end this.

Natalio was struggling to throw the two boys off of him, though they had still managed to hold him down for the time being. “Ngh… Get the hell off of me!”

“I’m sorry father, but- Gh, no!”

Jacian stayed quiet, opting to focus what little energy he had left of keeping the man down, and nothing else.

If not for the fact that they had been fighting for nearly an hour, and that Natalio’s energy was drained from not only the battling but also from what could only be qualified as an overuse of his stand, there would have been no chance that the two would have been able to keep the large man down. But tiring him out first, and forcing him to take on massive injuries in an effort to drain all of his stamina…

It had all been a part of Jacian’s plan; He knew he stood no chance using brawn alone. But he was no mere soldier, no mere knight. No, he was THE Jacian Von Rittedel; Esteemed leader of the White Lily Corps, and professional evil rival.

Plans and strategy were his forte.

And this plan,

Was about to reach its grand climax.

As the three lay on the ground before the abandoned building, a blue light began to bathe over the area as well as the sound of something making impact with the ground.

Something BIG.

Being the only one actually facing the building, Jacian was the only one to bear witness to what this something was; Emerging from the light was a large, reptilian creature clad in black and orange scales that shimmered with a warm glow in the evening light. Its golden horns seemed to form a crown atop its head, and its slender build in combination with its aerodynamic wigs made it apparent that it was agile, yet also likely strong due to its apparent musculature.

It was a dragon, and not just any dragon.

It was…

“TAIANA!” Jacian shouted up at her, preparing for the final act of his grand plan. “NOW!”

She let out a roar, which could likely be heard across town, before grabbing onto the side of the abandoned building, beginning to crush it between her hands.

Debris was already beginning to fall, ranging from pebbles to rocks large enough to crush someone’s skull. Gabbrielli grabbed onto Jacian, but the two didn’t move.

Not yet. They still needed to keep Natalio, who was beginning to get more panicked in his attempts to escape them, down. By this point they had both utilized their weapons to pin the sleeves of his suit—as well as the shirt underneath—down as to limit his movements. Even so, they were lucky to have been able to manage for so long.

Taiana was moving as fast as she could, blue fire beginning to come from edges of her mouth as she barred her fangs in frustration. Just one more push and…

The side of the building began its collapse. Gabbrielli quickly sprung into action, feathered wings seemingly made up of a warm light springing from his back. Once again using his father as a springboard, he leaped off with Jacian in tow, both boys grabbing their weapons as they departed, before Gabbrielli flew them a safe distance away.

And it was a good thing that he did, as not even seconds after their departure, the avalanche of concrete and debris made its way to the place they had just been standing.

Natalio had no time to react; His legs were crushed near instantly, and any attempt his stand made to recover them was in vain due to the constant, unrelenting damage being dealt by the rubble.

Not that it mattered whether he was healed or not.

It was not as if he could feel his legs any longer anyways.

He lay there dumbfounded, as Gabbrielli and Jacian landed in front of him, with Taiana joining them shortly after, once more in her humanoid form.

The three teens stood over the man, looking down at him expressions varying from stern anger to determined sadness.

Jacian was the first to speak up.

“It is over, Natalio. You are no longer in a state to fight on; No longer in a state to pursue your goal. You have no other option than to surrender and accept punishment for your actions.

In other words, this is checkmate.”

Natalio looked down. “…I admit defeat. And if that defeat is to be at the hands of my own son, the person I aspired to take from, and the person I trusted most, then…

So be it.” He looked up at them as he said that, a tired smile on his face. “I think I understand now, Jacian; I understand your convictions. Your purpose for fighting.”

Jacian gave a curt nod. “Good. Now then, we are going to call the authorities to get you medical aid, since your stand will not do that for your legs anymore, and so that you can begin your atonement. I expect that you will wait here and accept what is to come.”

“…Of course.”

By this point, Gabbrielli had turned his head, trying to hide the tears that had begun to well up in his eyes. “Father, I… I wish it didn’t have to turn out this way. Why… I… I need to hear it from you. Why?”

Natalio’s expression softened, as he looked down once more.

“…Because I was emotionally weak, and unable to let go, my son. And I thought that by becoming strong, and destroying the thing that had taken my love, your mother, away from me, that I would be able to fix everything, and put her soul to rest.

Maybe I was wrong.

…But that does not mean that the bastard should be allowed to continue to soil the world with his foul presence any longer. No matter what, I will stand by that assertion.”

“…Yes, that’s the street. Alright, please do hurry.” Taiana hung up, before turning to the other two. “Alright, wrap it up guys. We gotta go.”

“…Farewell, father. I never will agree with what you’ve done, but… I still love you.”

“…And I love you as well, my son. Please, take good care of your sister.”

“O-of course.” And with that, Taiana and Gabbrielli began to depart, though Jacian hung back for a few seconds, unsure of what to say. His emotions were… Conflicting to say the least.

“…You need not say anything, Jacian. Thank you for your service; And for doing something for me that I was unaware I needed done. I hope that you continue to grow into an excellent young man. And please, watch over my son for me. Consider it a last request.” Natalio smiled again, and Jacian nodded, giving a small but genuine smile back.

“Of course. Farewell, my Lord.” And with that, he departed, joining his friends as they walked off, leaving the struggles of the past three weeks behind them.

Finally, it was over.

#and with that #it's over!#well #almost :]#thank you ceph aka orlando mun for helping me out with this :]#[white lily knight] jacian von rittedel #[bloodstained purple gladiolus] the lord; natalio roi #[blue sky prince] gabbrielli roi #[bladed rose] taiana seiryu #[actual lore?] story post

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