paixaorpg | Something Wicked This Way Comes [Complete]

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Something Wicked This Way Comes [Complete]

Character(s): NiGHTS and Reala
Content: NiGHTS tries to figure out what's going on. Reala, on "Wizeman's" orders, goes to kidnap him.
Setting: Outside of Paixao
Time: Evening.
Warnings: Violence in the form of an epic fight of sparkly doom. >8D

He needed to get out. Jackle may have disappeared (but that was the Maren's way; he was always disappearing and seeking out new ways to interpret his insanity into the visions they truly were), but Wizeman was here. NiGHTS has doubted it at first, but Wizeman had indeed been in the city, giving NiGHTS his usual look of arrogant disapproval.

"Have you yet to learn obedience?" The words echoed in the nightmaren's head and he clenched his gloved fists in anger, shutting his eyes to keep the memories out. Obedience wasn't NiGHTS' way, especially with one as imposing as Wizeman, but the fact that he was here, now, surely meant something terrible - after all, the last encounter NiGHTS had with Wizeman had ended with serious injuries on both sides.

NiGHTS lifted effortlessly into the air and zoomed past the guards, completely ignoring their cries to come back, and the spirit began to dance in mid-air, whirling past the doubts and worries that were now forming in the usually carefree creature's mind.

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Reala soared through the city like a shooting star, trailing a thick, dazzling comet's tail of golden sparkles behind him. His body was sound again, his eyes ablaze with fresh purpose, and he was (and always had been) quite efficient in seeking out his brother. The Maren peered out through the gate, feeling the tug in his mind that told him he was close, spotting the figure dancing in the sky, some distance from the domes..... Reala found himself sneering at the guards as they called out to him, tried to persuade him to stay inside. He simply flew on, aiming a kick at the face of the loudest as he passed; the Paixaoan's head snapped back with an exclamation of pain, and he stumbled, holding his nose.

Nothing more to do, now.... Just get NiGHTS captured and back to Lord Wizeman, and then their plans could move forward as anticipated.... He would get this over with quickly. Reala tensed for a moment once he had gained a proper altitude, then picked up speed, a red and white blur as he streaked towards NiGHTS. He'd take his brother by surprise, stun him a bit, take the edge off of him for the upcoming fight....

NiGHTS had had his eyes closed as he executed some of the more difficult looking moves, though they came easily to him. It had been so boring being stuck inside the city, and neither Jackle nor Reala had provided much in the way of entertainment. The maren's eyes snapped open, however, at the tug within his mind that let him know his twin was near, and he stopped in mid-loop, looking over at his brother.

"Reala, what are you-" NiGHTS never got a chance to finish his sentence, however, as Reala rammed into him and he crashed into the ground. The maren cried out in surprise and pain, vision blurring even as he tried to get back up. "What are you doing?"

The impact was solid and satisfying both as their bodies collided and as he slammed NiGHTS into the ground, the jolt of the landing coursing through him. Reala had landed nicely, unlike his twin, with one knee planted solidly in his stomach, while the other rested on the ground by his side; one clawed hand firmly pinned down an arm, while the other had fisted into NiGHTS' collar. He smirked, grinding his knee into the other Maren's gut. "Why, NiGHTS. Didn't think I'd stay down forever, did you? I hope you've enjoyed your freedom while you could."

NiGHTS gave a choked, pained sound as Reala's knee struck his stomach and he struggled to shove the other off him with his free hand, glaring defiantly up at his brother even as he grinned. "Is this your way of showing thanks for earlier?" Despite the situation, however, NiGHTS was glad Reala had recovered. Not so glad, of course, that he'd just submit to him, but it was still there.

The jester winced at Reala's sadistic actions, gasping for breath. "What are you talking about?" It had to be that Reala had met up with Wizeman; Reala had seemed strangely lost without their creator earlier, and now his eyes were glimmering with their usual malicious purpose.

Reala only smirked, well-pleased at the edge he'd gotten; he did so love it when he came out on top.... It only proved the fact he was the superior twin of the pair of them. The effort to push him off earned only a sneer; NiGHTS wasn't even close to physically strong enough to manage pushing him around when he didn't want to be moved, especially when he was pinned like this. "Oh, of course. What better gift could I give you than a personal escort?" He only laughed at how NiGHTS winced, a rolling chuckle that suggested he was in a far better mood than he had been before. "You're coming with me." And that, more than anything, would confirm NiGHTS' suspicions. Without Wizeman here, where would they go?

NiGHTS growled at Reala, fangs showing subtly as he bared his teeth. So like Reala, to act perfectly friendly one moment only to slip behind you and slit your throat. Or attempt to, anyway; NiGHTS had no intention of going down.

"Oh?" the maren chuckled. "This easily? I don't think so." He tilted his head back so he could better look Reala in the eyes, proud and defiant. "Then how about a little match? You and me, one on one." Reala could never resist a challenge - for that matter, neither could NiGHTS.

Reala laughed at the arrogance, the defiance, the preposterousness of that statement. As if NiGHTS could really weasel his way out of coming? As if he could fail his master now, when they were so close? Inconceivable! He'd sooner die. But a challenge....

Well, he would prove once again that NiGHTS was no match for him. He would make sure that NiGHTS was simply too beaten to get away once they were finished. "As you wish." Driving in his knee once more for good measure, Reala rose into the air several feet, leveling off before assuming a ready stance. This would hardly be a challenge at all!

"Ungh!" NiGHTS grunted, glaring at Reala; leave it to his sibling to pull a dirty trick like that. "Too afraid of me to play fair?" he taunted, rising into the air in order to face Reala. The two of them were reflections of one another, holding perfectly still in midair, at least until NiGHTS gave a giggle and raised an arm playfully.

"Ready?" A grin. "Set... Go!" With that, the nightmaren headed straight for his twin, pouring on the speed in an attempt to use it to his advantage. It may not be a game, but NiGHTS still intended on having fun.

"It isn't my fault if you choose not to play with all of your pieces." Reala only smirked as he watched NiGHTS ready himself as well. The signal was all he needed to prompt him to take off; Reala pivoted to the side, twirling as he took off, streamers of gold sparkles thrown from him as he arced away and to the side. In a straight, clean rush, NiGHTS would catch him too quickly. There was no doubt about that; evasive tactics were necessary to keep this match interesting. He had to keep going, keep NiGHTS guessing.... Then, then he could strike.

"It's not a matter of that, Reala," NiGHTS called as he whirled to the right, following after his brother. "You've always played dirty." Which, in NiGHTS opinion, wasn't fun at all - at least most of the time. Still, the maren knew that was Reala's way of doing things - and this bone of contention was one of the many reasons they were now rivals.

NiGHTS caught sight of an opportunity and turned, spinning straight towards Reala and diverting his focus in order to switch the use of his Paraloop from a defensive tactic to offensive. He flew around in a quick circle, hoping to catch his twin in the cloud of white-blue stars.

It might not have been fun, but it certainly did tend to be effective; Reala had never been a fan of bumbling mistakes made by people who did things just for the fun of it. That was why things were best left to people intelligent, focused, and driven enough to carry them out properly. And while NiGHTS may have been smart enough, he certainly didn't have the focus or drive, the loyalty and ambition to do Master Wizeman's bidding. Not at the moment anyway, though he suspected that would chance once he was gotten hold of.

Either way, Reala started to rise to get more altitude again, only to see that NiGHTS coming at him again, faster than he had anticipated. He tried to wheel out of the way with a sharp turn, though it was not quite fast enough; he found himself caught in a whirling spiral of twinkling white-blue light as NiGHTS completed his circuit. The pain was swift and terrible, cutting through him like a sword plunged into his gut and slashing through him before he could free himself; anyone unfamiliar with the attack might have been surprised no spray of blood had accompanied it.

Regardless, he was jarred a bit before he could regain control of his own flight, and snarled in rage, pouring on the speed as well in spite of the pain. He corkscrewed into the air, higher and faster than before to give himself a little breathing room before he shot out, away from the domes. Leading NiGHTS on a merry little chase seemed to be the smartest thing to do right now, string him along a bit so he could control when and where they got closer, then double back for a strike before he could get away....

NiGHTS had always preferred his freedom; even while he was loyal to Wizeman, he had never wholly been. Reala had never seemed to notice how distant NiGHTS was near the end of it, when he started spending more and more time in Nightopia and less and less time ripping Visitor's heads off. Then NiGHTS had actually gotten to know a couple of Visitors, and met Owl, and decided that evil was a lot more boring than doing his own thing.

NiGHTS laughed, stretching out his arms with the sheer joy of flight even as he felt the attack connect. "Careful, Reala," he half-sang, throwing a carefree smile in his rival's direction, "you don't want to get caught, do you?" He followed Reala, spinning and twirling in the air, pulling several acrobatic tricks in a row as he did.

Reala smirked at NiGHTS' warning, coasting downwards again in a series of aerial flips and somersaults to better keep an eye on his pursuer. "Just who is catching who, I wonder?" They also performed the handy feature of killing a little time while retaining his speed; one last, forceful flip brought him into an abrupt about-face as NiGHTS drew nearer, and Reala shot back up with a fresh burst of speed, aiming to glide straight under and up behind him for a quick paraloop. Golden sparkles trailed thickly behind him, blazing like fire against the setting sun.

NiGHTS was caught off-guard at Reala's abrupt movements; even so, he only just got hit by the Paraloop. The Nightmaren grit his teeth, refusing to cry out in pain as he reeled back. "Not bad," he called, "but I think we both can do better than that." With that NiGHTS aimed another Paraloop in his sibling's direction, ignoring the blunt, throbbing pain that Reala's attack had caused.

"Catch me if you can!" The taunt was giggled, and NiGHTS stuck his tongue out at Reala, glittering dust trailing from his fingertips as he spun into a complicated acrobatic twirl.

"Oh, I'm sure. But the question is, will you get a chance to?" Reala smirked, flipping end over end backwards through the air, muscular body arching impressively to avoid being caught in the whorl of sparkles NiGHTS' paraloop left. Chuckling, he did a quick loop himself, obscured for an instant behind his own veil of sparkles before he shot forward again. Trying to get in a second paraloop so quickly was a tricky business--when you were that close, it was easy to do, but also easy to get caught in one yourself....

He'd just have to be careful now, wouldn't he? After all, NiGHTS had just tried one, so he was about as open as Reala himself was.

NiGHTS chuckled, a grin coming over his face even as he felt the Paraloop strike at him. He dodged, barely as Reala had, before spinning away and attempting yet another. This was how the old games went, with the two siblings whirling around each other until there was a victor one way or the other.

"Me?" NiGHTS asked sweetly. "Hm, I don't know. I guess we'll see, won't we?"

"So we shall." Reala gloated; even with the seriousness of his mission, even with the lingering pain of the paraloop he had suffered through, the raw adrenaline rush, the dark thrill of danger, the exhilaration of flight.... He couldn't help reveling in it, savoring the back and forth interplay of their aerial dance as they gave and took ground, made feints and strikes and dodges too quick and graceful for any infantile Visitor to ever hope to replicate.

Even the fact that he saw NiGHTS closing in for another strike couldn't bother him; he saw the opening he wanted, and he was in a good position to take advantage of it. He cut loose with a burst of speed, blazing straight through the swirl of sparkles that began NiGHTS' paraloop to twirl around him instead. It was a risk, flying straight into a the beginnings of a paraloop like that, but if you timed things just right, it was likely you could get them while they were still occupied with their own and not in a position to get away.

NiGHTS laughed, stretching out his arms as he enjoyed the feeling of wind against his face, of flying, of freedom. How wonderful it was, and the Nightmaren grinned wider still, knowing how Reala must be enjoying it too. He danced in midair, laughing at the danger and the rush of it all, twirling and playfully sticking her tongue out at Reala.

It was, perhaps, for that reason that he got hit and he fell a bit, still refusing to give a cry. The Maren rose into the air and gave a defiant laugh. "Is that all you've got?" With that, he spun again, heading towards his brother.

Reala laughed as well--a caustic, overhearing sound that suggested he might well be laughing at the efforts of a tiny insect to swallow him whole. "You haven't seen the half of it." He cut a quick retreat to avoid immediate retaliation, taking an erratic, needlessly complex path away. A little diversity was good for confusion, after all--and besides, it made it all the easier to use the lingering curtains of sparkles to mask his presence at points, doubling back every so often to follow trails he had cast before.

NiGHTS giggled again, twirling his way around in a similarly complicated pattern. "I've seen all of it, Reala - or have you forgotten?" came the playful retort. NiGHTS knew Reala better than anyone ever could, even Wizeman. The maren continued his pursuit of the other, determined to remain free this time.

Reala might have caged him before, but this place was different - and NiGHTS had never stayed caged for long, anyway.

Reala simply smirked at that jibe, not bothering to answer; he remembered alright. His memory was better than NiGHTS' in fact--he remembered all that Master Wizeman had done for them. He remembered his debt, their debt. And he remembered his job, both then and now. Get NiGHTS and bring him back, so their plans could begin in earnest. No more dallying about. Sneering confidently, the Nightmaren pivoted suddenly, arcing up to try and catch NiGHTS in a paraloop before he could halt his pursuit.

That Paraloop had been far too easy to see. NiGHTS dodged artfully, spinning out of reach before whirling back to his brother and looping quickly, attempting to catch Reala in it. NiGHTS had always been the faster of the two, just as Reala was the stronger - it always made things between them so much more interesting.

Without even checking to see if the Paraloop had hit, Nights looked over in Reala's direction. "Had enough?"

Reala pulled out of his own attempt at a paraloop, twisting as he tried to twirl away--just a little too slow, when all was said and done. The sparkles swirled traitorously around them as the pain sliced through him, sharp and terrible. And urgent as Reala knew the mission to be, he let it overtake him, a savage, strangled snarl of agony escaping his painted lips as he was thrown back.

He didn't straighten out this time--quite the opposite, actually. Long, metallic pink claws curled over his own stomach for a moment, and he pulled in a ragged gasp of air as he fell freely. He tumbled out of control for several long seconds before he caught himself, hands curling into fists as he growled defiantly, shoulders tensed.

Even with everything Reala had done to him in the past, NiGHTS didn't enjoy having to do this. Sure, he liked the thrill of the chase, the fun of competition and the freedom of flying, but he didn't like having to hurt his near-twin. NiGHTS halted cautiously, watching Reala's swift descent. "Hey," he called out, "are you okay?"

Evil nor not, NiGHTS didn't care. Reala was his brother, and that twisted bond had stuck between the two of them for centuries - even if Reala didn't want to admit it. The maren drifted a little closer, hiding the worry he felt.

Reala hovered for a moment, looking somewhat unsteady as he glared up at NiGHTS. "Just fine." He ground out, fangs bared even as they clenched together. "You aren't getting away from me that easily." Taking a deep breath, Reala coiled, launching himself upwards in a swirling surge of golden sparkles, relying purely on the thrust it gave him.

He managed to get a few feet before his momentum gave out, another noise hissing out through clenched teeth as he clutched his stomach, seeming almost to fold in on himself. Without anything to keep him going, Reala slid into a nosedive towards the ground, wisps of sparkles curling around him as he appeared to try to halt his descent. It ended all to suddenly as he met the ground with a crash, laying sprawled in an ungainly tangle of limbs as the Nightmaren coughed and tried to catch his breath.

NiGHTS chuckled. "You're just as stubborn as ever." His expression changed, however, when he saw Reala go crashing into the ground. "Reala!" Worried and dismayed, the jester raced towards the ground, hovering anxiously above his sibling. "What's wrong?"

This wasn't like Reala at all. It usually took three or more hits for him to go down; what was going on? A thought sprang to NiGHTS and he looked more worried than ever. "Are you still sick?"

"I'm.... fine...." Reala forced himself to sit up, arms shaking as though his own weight were hard to support, looking slightly dazed. Not all of it was an act; letting himself freefall had been a bit dizzying, and hitting the ground that hard gave him a headache--not to mention that two paraloops did hurt. Still though, he wasn't nearly as hurt as he seemed to be. Perhaps that was best illustrated by the fact that his hand quickly closed over one of NiGHTS' legs near the ankle, claws biting in as deeply as they could go before he rose. Enough chit-chat, time to get this show on the road....

"You don't look fine." NiGHTS crossed his arms, frowning. Reala had always been prideful, and that pride usually came up and bit him at some point. Would he never learn? On the other hand, NiGHTS was usually gullible when it came to a good actor - despite the fact that Reala really did seem to be in bad shape, he had to have been lying about some of it.

NiGHTS cried out in pain, stumbling back, and tried to take off. "Reala!"

Reala only smirked, at he cry, his other hand shooting out to snare NiGHTS' free ankle. Flexible as NiGHTS was, even he'd have a hard time reaching that far while being dragged, and he'd have an even harder task of getting Reala to let go, now that he'd gotten a good grip. "Yes~?" The Nightmaren purred, golden sparkles briefly mingling with NiGHTS' silvery ones as he pushed off the ground. Now that he had him, all that remained was to return to Master Wizeman.... And return he would, even if he was hurt a little more badly than he had expected to be.

NiGHTS struggled against Reala, snarling angrily. "This was supposed to be a fair fight, Reala!" NiGHTS was many things, but insidious was not one of them - that, of course, was left to Reala. Wizeman never did approve of NiGHTS' tendency to play fair and even let his prey go sometimes.

Yet, struggle as the maren might, he was caught - once Reala had him in his clutches, it was rare for NiGHTS to be able to escape on his own. "Let me go!"

Reala tsked reprovingly at NiGHTS as they soared back through the gates, not bothering to spare so much as a glance at the guards. "Now, now--you've had your fun. Don't you know there are more important things to be done?" Like returning to Master Wizeman and allowing him to deal with this wretched traitor as he saw fit. Like it or loathe it, their plans would soon begin....

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Something Wicked This Way Comes [Complete]

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