Sky Knights vs. Dream Chasers
~Lance

"Damn that Fogel," Jack van Burace grumbled as Cecilia wrapped some gauze around a claw wound on his forearm. She and Rudy were tending to the injured treasure hunter in his living quarters at the DL. Jack continued. "First he throws our match, then he patronizes me, then he sends an army of fangirls at me. Just who the hell does he think he is, anyway?! How dare he treat me like this!"

"Oh, calm down already," Hanpan sighed from his perch atop Jack's shoulder. "It could have been a lot worse, you know. Besides, I would have thought that you would enjoy being chased around by a bunch of cute girls."

"Cute? Cute?! Are you kidding me?!" Jack practically screamed at his companion. "These...these...bloodthirsty creatures sure as hell aren't cute! They're vicious, I tell you! You see the gash on my arm? That was made by a nine-year old! She...they...they all tackled me to the ground and started ripping off my clothes...and then...and then...this one girl said something about my kidney and started digging at my back with a spoon. Do you hear me?! She tried to remove my kidney with a spoon! I had to beat them back with my shoe because they took my sword--"

"Hold still, please," Cecilia said.

"I...I can't take this any more! It's been like this for weeks now! I can't even leave my room without getting mobbed. I've become the laughing-stock of the league," Jack nearly sobbed in frustration.

"Well, I can't say you didn't deserve this," Cecilia said. She secured the end of the gauze on Jack's arm and put the remainder into her backpack.

"You...wait, what? What did you say?"

"Well, you did have a bit of an ego problem before. As soon as you found out you’d be competing this season, you've been telling everyone that you're going to be the next Heavy champ and that you're going to breeze past everyone in the upgrade pool. Come on, Jack, it happens every time with you. I'm actually kind of glad that Fogel did this to you. Thanks to him, you may have learned your lesson this time."

Jack just stared blankly at his companion for several moments. "An ego problem? You can't be serious. I do not have...Hanpan! Do I have an ego problem?" He turned to the creature on his shoulder.

Hanpan looked away. "Well, let's just say that humility isn't exactly one of your strong points."

Jack's head whipped to the other end of the room. "Rudy?"

Rudy just nodded once and took a calm sip of his soda.

"Why...but...I...Gah! Now you guys are turning against me too! This is crazy!" Jack stood up abruptly and grabbed the sword he had propped up against his desk. He hastily strapped it to his waist and stormed to the door. "That damned lizard. I'll tear him limb from limb..."

"Jack, wait!" Cecilia protested as she and Rudy seized their friend's arms. "You can't go out there. At least give your wounds some time to heal first."

"Like hell I will! Come on, let go of me!" Jack turned to Rudy. "Hey, come on. You've got a problem with those snooty Sky Knights too, right? Wherever Fogel is, that Fenril chick can't be far behind. Come on, man, let's go beat the snot out of them together. It'll be fun."

Rudy looked thoughtful.

"Oh no no no. Don't bring Rudy into this, Jack. This is your problem, not his," Cecilia tried to plead with her partner.

"The more the merrier," Jack said with a grin. "Hey Princess, you should come too. There's three of them and three of us, you know. We could have ourselves a proper team showdown - we'll beat them at their own game. That'll teach 'em."

"Absolutely not," Cecilia said, folding her arms across her chest. "I'm not going to go around starting fights with anybody, especially not against those Sky Knights. No way."

Jack just shrugged and took a step toward the door. "Suit yourself. I guess Rudy and I will just have to enter an unfair three-on-two fight and get our asses kicked. Let's see how your conscience deals with that."

With that, Jack threw open the door to his quarters and stomped out. Rudy shot an apologetic look at Cecilia before following Jack out the door. Cecilia just sighed and wrung her hands. If she had one weakness, it was her conscience. Would she be able to live with herself if something bad happened to Jack and Rudy while she stayed behind and did nothing?

With a groan of frustration, Cecilia picked up her staff and followed her two friends out the door.

--------------------

Fogel scanned the letter he had just written, a tiny pair of spectacles resting on the end of his scaly snout. The letter, which was addressed to Sierra, explained his intention to set up a meeting with the vampire woman. There were certain...issues he wished to discuss with her in person, not the least of which involved Jack's fate.

Satisfied that he had not left anything out, the dragoon carefully placed the letter into an envelope and sealed it. As he stood upright from his desk, a stray scent wafted into his sensitive nostrils. He knew right away that it belonged to Jack van Burace. Fogel carefully sniffed the air and caught several other foreign scents. So the Dream Chaser had brought friends.

Fogel was interrupted by the sound of heavy footsteps approaching his room. Slust threw open the door and breathed, "Trouble."

Fogel just nodded and rested a hand on the hilt of his sword. "So it seems. Go alert Fenril. Quickly, now."

Slust nodded and jogged off down the hallway. As his companion left, Fogel could not help but grin at the prospect of an upcoming battle. There was nothing in the world that he enjoyed more than a good fight.

--------------------

It was a cold, breezy night. The Dream Chasers' breath was visible as they approached the small courtyard situated before the quarters of the Sky Knights. Jack stopped unexpectedly. Somehow, he knew that the dragoons were waiting for them.

As if on cue, the door of the dragoons' quarters suddenly slammed back. Fogel stepped out first, followed by Fenril, with Slust in the rear. The three Sky Knights walked side-by-side up to their enemies, armor clinking and swords gleaming in the moonlight. They stopped just a few feet away from the Dream Chasers, who also happened to be standing side-by-side.

"I presume you are here for a fight?" Fogel asked, his voice impassive.

Jack simply nodded, his smoldering eyes conveying all the emotion he needed. He, Rudy, and Cecilia readied themselves for battle.

"Well then," Fogel boomed as he held his sword aloft, "it is a fight you shall receive."

  • The Sky Knights vanquish their opponents
  • The Dream Chasers emerge victorious


Sei
The wind howled across the battlefield as the two groups stared each other down with eyes filled with hatred borne from these seasons past. The songs of metal scraping on metal filled the air as swords were drawn, their shrill shrieks echoing the burning emotions in the warriors' hearts. A moment of silence passed before they charged, their voices hoarse as they screamed with a rage that tore the skies...

CRASH!

...and with that, Jack skidded to a stop as he gawked at the sight of a smashed up Gullwing sitting where the Sky Knights were.

"Well, that was easy." Cecilia said with Crest Graph still glowing in her hand.

"I.. I... what?" Jack asked, as his sword slipped from his fingers, the promises of an epic duel dashed with a crash.

"Teleport." Cecilia answered as she pocketed said Crest Graph. "Just warped the Gullwing above them and let gravity do all the work. Learned that trick a few seasons ago from the little Viki."

"But... but... my revenge..." Jack responded, his eyes still transfixed on the Gullwing crash site.

"Oh, quit whining. You got to see them crushed, didn't you?" Cecilia said as she started walking away from the burning wreckage. "C'mon Rudy, stop staring at Fenril and grab Jack. We're off to get some pie."

Rudy blinked from his reverie, shrugged and kicked the unconscious and slightly smoldering Fenril's head. Satisfied, he grabbed Jack by the collar and went after Cecilia.


Sky Knights: 32
Dream Chasers: 35

dude789
The Sky Knights are strong and fast. However, with Jack's suuport, Cecilia sees a turn which means a Hi-Prison to the face.