Lloyd Irving

[and holding out his hands, black streams of energy (were those skull silhouettes?) flowing over them as two identical handguns appear. Kid holds up one.]

These guns are special in that they do not fire physical bullets but my soul wavelength. If you are hit, it will hurt, but it will not be fatal nor will you sustain any real physical damage other than some burns and bruises. However, the pain will feel a little different than if you were hit by a physical bullets.

[a pause.]

In some ways you could consider them similar to 'magic bullets' or blasts of condensed energy.

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I'm ready whenever you are. [and he looks a little too happy about this.]

Though it's probably best if you lead.

[because it is very possible he could still get lost. and end up in the wrong room.]

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Magic bullets. Got it! [Yeah, that bit about soul wavelengths had lost him, but he can understand a simplified explanation like that.

...man, that's so cool how his guns just appeared.]

Okay.

[He draws his swords, preparing for the start of this fight.]

I can use mana, just to warn you, but I'll try not to hit you with anything too strong. You ready to do this?

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[That last comment earns a blink, but Lloyd just decides not to ask. Instead, he nods and leads the way to a fairly spacious, empty room. Once inside, Lloyd stretches, then draws both his swords.]

We're just training, not dueling, right? Do you want to put any limits on this, or just keep going until we decide to stop?

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[locked and loaded, ready to go.]

That's perfectly fine. You can use whatever you have against me.

[and aiming.]

Ready.

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Then... go!

[Lloyd bursts into motion, dodging to the right. Kid is still on the ground, but he doesn't know how long that will last. Better to take advantage of this while he can.

So, focusing on long range attacks, then. He'll start with-]

Demon Fang!

[He doesn't make it as strong as he could, but the shock wave of energy that lashes out from his swords will still hurt if it manages to hit.]

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[Kid was rather intrigued by what Lloyd would do—and the dual sword technique was even better—but as soon as he released the attack, Kid simply jumped to the side to avoid and immediately opened fire, letting out three shots aimed directly at Lloyd's legs.]

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[unsheathing his sword.]

I don't need any limits, but I'll hold back if you need me to since we're only training.

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[He probably could have dodged, but Lloyd stands his ground instead, shifting only enough to avoid a direct hit. Throwing his arms up so that his swords cross, with every ounce of focus he can muster he flares his mana out. With a flash of green, the mana forms into a shield that surrounds him.]

Guardian!

[He needs to know how effective his shield is against this attack. Barely in time - the bullets hit and flash out.

Lloyd grins.]

Hah, pretty good! Now try this!

[He dashes forward. What he's planning is still technically long range, but he needs to be closer than this. If he can just get close enough...

He summons his mana, preparing to attack the moment Kid gives him a chance.]

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Yeah, same here.

[They'll have to figure out where they stand against each other before they can really decide if one of them needs to hold back.

He falls into position. He's ready whenever Ace is.]

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[...oooooh! Kid couldn't help but notice the symmetry in Lloyd's actions, so he admired both that as well as the shield.

but now he had to be on his guard again as he sees Lloyd rushing at him.

he had two options: stand his ground and wait or run forward to prepare for a counter.

Kid decided to wait, shifting his stance just a bit so he would be able to react at a moment's notice.]

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All right then...here I go!

[and with probably more speed than Lloyd probably expected, Ace was suddenly rushing at him, the blade flashing as he brought down in a downward slash.]

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[Definitely more than he was expecting. Lloyd's eyes widen in surprise and he barely has time to bring both his swords up to block. The harsh clash of steel on steel rings through the air, then Lloyd is struggling to hold Ace's sword back. If he can just... shift the weight to one sword...

There!

Freeing one sword, he brings it around to slash at Ace from the side.]

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[Perfect, now's his chance! His next attack isn't quite so symmetrically executed as he twists briefly to the side, swords back, then one sweeping down, forward, and out.]

Beast!

[The mass of mana he'd gathered follows in its wake, and even though he's still several feet back, the snarling visage the mana forms lunges the rest of the way, seemingly intent with a will of its own to slam into kid with enough force to knock him off his feet.]

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[...why could it not be symmetrical?

but Kid just waits until the very last moment, watching Lloyd's movements. the moment he saw Lloyd take that twist and step to the side, he knew he was about to do another attack, one that was most likely ranged like the last one since he was still some distance away. Kid took that second to time the dodge perfectly, raising an arm to help block and deflect the attack with the side of his gun as extra insurance. it was a little strange since he hadn't really fought against opponents who used such skills, but that wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

sliding down low and twisting his own body around, Kid instantly fired several rounds at Lloyd's now exposed side. so far he's been rather conservative, mostly so he could get a feel of Lloyd's attacks and style. but soon he was going to have to go on the offensive if he really wanted to help Lloyd deal with ranged attacks.

and he had yet to whip out the flying skateboard to go aerial, too.]

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[whoa, that's kind of close!

seeing Lloyd free one sword, Ace expected he would use it to attack him. he had little choice but to swerve around, his blade sliding off one to parry the other before jumping back.

but he was still smiling—in fact he looked like he was enjoying this quite a lot.]

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[SHIT! He's not used to such near-instantaneous attacks! No time to form Guardian, the only thing Lloyd can do is lunge to the side, throwing himself into an awkward sliding roll that he can't let Kid take advantage of. At least one bullet skims past narrowly enough that he feels the sting anyway, and he hisses, trying to ignore the pain enough to concentrate his mana. He doesn't have time. He needs more time.

Not waiting to form any real attack, he slashes one sword across the ground, trailing mana in its wake. The mana doesn't go far, not as weak as it is, but it does what he intended, throwing a spray of dirt and grass in the air, hopefully masking his movements enough to make it difficult for Kid to aim at him. He just needs enough time to get back to his feet and able to defend!]

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[His attack might not have succeeded, but there's a grin on Lloyd's face, too. He's enjoying this challenge, having someone he can test himself against without anything riding on it. Ace is good. He can tell that even after just that one short exchange. How good is another question, but the only way to find that out is to try another attack.

He presses forward, going on the offensive this time. One sword swings across from the side, trying to catch Ace in an awkward position to defend. His other follows in its wake from the same direction, ready to take advantage if Ace occupies his sword with fending off the first.]

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[better get used to it, Lloyd! one of the advantages of long distance is that with the right weapon, if it's fast enough it can reach and disrupt a target a lot faster than if someone just tried to run to them.

however, Lloyd's attack was also effective. Kid had to raise up an arm to shield himself from the spray before he turned to where he thought Lloyd might be]

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[though Ace had to block the blade, it was more of a quick deflection and step back as he swiftly brought the sword up to parry the other. not only was Ace known for his strength, but also for his fast reflexes.]

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Guardian!

[The shield is up barely in time to shield him from the bullets. He makes a note to himself that he really needs to work on his speed with that. He drops the shield quickly, not willing to stay in one place for long, but instead of rushing forward again, he jumps up. He needs to move faster, and he knows one attack where he can. It'll also bring him into close range with Kid, and for a fighter like him, that's even more valuable than if he can land a hit with this.

Mana collects, then when he's at the peak of his ascent, he shoves it against himself, propelling himself like a shot at and angle toward the ground, right where Kid is standing. His swords are out and ready to strike.]

Rising Falcon!

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[The ring of steel on steel splits again and again as Lloyd continues to try to press an attack, only to be thwarted every time. Man, it's like fighting against Kratos.

But even the best can slip. He just needs to find an advantage, a weakness, a hole in Ace's guard. Maybe if he tries a double attack-

He's already acting on the thought before it's even finished, both swords striking out. It's a bold and reckless move, leaving him unprepared to defend, but sometimes the best defense is a strong offense. Ace can't take advantage if he's too busy fending Lloyd off!]

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[or can he? instead of blocking the swords, Ace twists his body to dodge to the side, essentially sidestepping to avoid them. continuing with the momentum he spins around to bring his own sword at Lloyd at an upward angled slash.]

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[Lloyd was fast, and Kid barely had time to register and try to predict where he would land. of course it was easy to assume that he was aiming for him.

however, Kid had two things on his side. One, he was faster, and two, he wouldn't have to wait for Lloyd to land before he could attack. technically if he wanted to he could have side stepped and moved just enough so that he would be out of the target area and fired on Lloyd while he was still in mid-air.

instead his natural fighting instincts kicked in and he jumped back just a few precious seconds before Lloyd reached him and fired.]

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