632/Rigorous Testing

Rigorous Testing
Date of Scene:	22 October 2023
Location:	Juuban Ward
Synopsis:	Riventon's got an upgraded device, and a bone to pick with Chrono. Chrono has some very good points to make. Will Riventon listen? (no)
Cast of Characters:	Takashi Agera, Chrono Harlaown, Rashmi Terios

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Takashi Agera has posed:
Takashi Agera actually rested pretty well last night. The Heartstealer rifles had been handled, his upgrade worked, and there was one less witch in Tokyo, and a new number in his phone. As far as time went, this was one of the better times in a while, really. So he even slept in. But one can't put one's work aside forever. Hotaru was still at risk, Dark Energy had secrets to unlock, and over breakfast he decided that the witch and its familiars didn't really constitute a good enough test of his upgraded Device. No, he'd need something he was sure had been troublesome in the past, and guaging exactly how difficult a given witch was, was impossible. And with Mami there to deliver the finishing blow, plus the energy he spent aiding her, it was similarly impossible to know how efficent he was.

    He needed a single fight, with someone who wouldn't call for help, with someone who had pushed him in the past. And while there was more than one option, it'd help if they were also a device user, which made him point to one of Tokyo's residents in particular.

    So Riventon was hunting. But he wasn't hunting for Chrono's life - he was just hunting to test himself. To challenge himself. Maybe grab his Device and see what about it made Chrono able to cast so fast. Maybe get a little revenge.

    Riventon eventually found the spike-armored Enforcer doing a patrol - and figured that Chrono wouldn't be surprised, since Riventon wasn't actively spending any energy to disguise his presence.

    "Hey, TSAB." Riventon calls. Despite his new henshin, in its heavily armored mode, being different from the one he had met Chrono in before, the attitude, the voice, and the lab coat motif would easily clue Chrono in to who was calling him. "I'm not gonna sneak attack you. But I do owe you some bruises. And I know you're not gonna hand over your staff for inspection. So if you don't like the terrain here, figure out where we're doing this. I'd suggest over the ocean, but I wouldn't want you to pass out and hit the water - unlike some people, I try not to kill."

Chrono Harlaown has posed:
Chrono Harlaown was... wellllll... he was doing pretty well. Dance went well, he had a girl friend now. He wasn't engaged (which, frankly, he supposed he hadn't been for a while but now it was kind of official.) He hadn't...

He hadn't really understood his feelings. Not for a while. It wasn't until then, until she'd caught him, until they'd danced, until his heart started going faster, until he'd seen her there, until they'd been so close, until they'd...

... It just hadn't been clear. So he did notice Riventon earlier than he made himself visible. But until the hostile act, he hadn't been intending to interfere. After all, Riventon... might be someone's Catra. And, say what he will... the guy hadn't attacked civilians when he'd had the chance. So his reaction the first time they'd met had been... maybe hasty.

Of course, then he was called out. He turned to face him and... sighed. "Must we?" he asked. "If you wish. I see you've made some changes to your device. I take it you've been learning how to better alter your spells for different situations?" he asked.

Noooope. But the alterations to the device were likely more hardware designed. "Hmmmm... Follow me," he said, before taking off, away from the city...

Towards where he normally trained with the other device wielders. "So then, Riventon-san. If you don't mind me asking. What is your intent? It seems I had misjudged you on our first encounter, for which I am sorry and, believe it or not, I am pleased you survived. You don't... fully strike me as one of Precia's simple lackeys. Assuming that vial you drank before wasn't something that revealed your 'true nature' as such."

Takashi Agera has posed:
Riventon relies on his Dark Energy levitation for overland movement, which isn't as fast as a dedicated spell from a Device but doesn't burn as much energy either - it's about as casual as walking or jogging. "I'm always learning, Harlaown-san." Riventon replies. "I suspect one way or another, I'll learn some valuable things today, too." he notes. "But, plainly, I want to acquire your Device. Since I don't think you'll surrender it willingly I'm prepared to break it free. Given that you tried to kill me when you were winning, I feel like that's frankly pretty reasonable spoils." Maybe something about losing the shadowmask from his first henshin made him slightly less of a jerk, since he could no longer hide his face, even if the veil prevented that face from being connected to Takashi.

    "I told you, I don't work for Precia Testarossa. Not even my department. I just help Fate sometimes." That is a grossly incorrect view of things and even he knows it, but he goes for it anyways. "I have my own plans and goals. Precia Testarossa has hers." he adds, in the process elevating himself to her level in the way he talks. Even though he is absolutely not.

    "What about you. If you're from the TSAB why are you sticking your nose into things - and if there's an official reason for it, why did your organization send only half of an agent?"

Chrono Harlaown has posed:
Chrono Harlaown nodded, though 'always learning' made him a little wary. He was, honestly, worried about the man becoming more of a threat. But well... not his world. And if he wasn't after the jewel seeds...

"Mmm. I suppose that's a fair desire. But, unfortunately, my device isn't for you. Even if you had access to it, you wouldn't really be able to use it. It's custom designed for and by me." That likely just made him want it more.

"But you're not the only one who keeps learning. And if there's one thing I've seen on this world, it's that there is a lot to learn."

He came to a stop, glancing around a moment before zooming off to a familiar area. Not many people and... he quickly made a barrier, holding his rod overhead before turning towards Riventon.

He then sighed. "Fate is a dangerous, but manageable threat," Chrono said. Though the fact Nanoha had managed to overpower her so well...

"You should be careful with her, if you're not a member of Precia's team."

As for the half an agent comment, he merely smile to Takashi. "Come now, Riventon-san. You're really only half a problem, after all. Though, I'll be honest. I'd imagined you'd be quite a bit older during our first encounter. I figured you had some kind of crush on Precia or something. I do hope you're not pursuing her daughter. Or maybe you're just seeking their devices instead?"

"Whenever you're ready. Let me know when you feel you've had enough and we can go over what you need to keep practicing."

.... WAIT WAS HE TREATING THIS LIKE A TRAINING EXERCISE?! THE LITTLE SHIT!

Takashi Agera has posed:
"Well, even if I can't use it, I can still draw information from how it's assembled, as I break it down peice by peice. And then it's spare parts, or I can use it to build a device for another one of my associates. I'm sure my device wouldn't be of any use to you either since you can't channel Dark Energy the way I can. The individual differences between Mahou are pretty vast, even within the same general system."

    "But maybe that's not where it works wherever you're from. The other offworlders I've spoken to have vastly different expectations versus our reality." Riventon shares.

    At the 'half a problem' comment he bristles only slightly before smiling back. Until the comment about Fate. That upsets him, but it's not in the sense of taking it as an insult. "Fate-chan is one of my little sisters." he says, coldly. Not by blood, but in a sort of adopted way. "Bring her into our little back and forth and it won't be just your Device I'm disassembling, kid."

    Riventon knows Chrono is treating this like an exercise. But so is he, pushing his limits here. He has his birthday present, after all. He can go to his limit. He can find out how much his device has given him an edge. "Go ahead and give me your pointers. It's not like I've ever had any regimented training." He says. And that's about all that h says before his hand reaches out from between one of the cloth 'armor plates' of the cloak and he fires off a series of Dark Energy blasts. No spell casting, just raw Energy, to get it out faster and give less warning and bait Chrono into some offense. He wants to see what his cloak can weather.

Chrono Harlaown has posed:
Chrono Harlaown shook his head like he was dealing with a petulent child. Which, in a way, he was. Even if the man was older than him. "I see. I'm afraid I can't let you do that. I'll admit, it lacks the same sentiment that an intelligent device has, but it really took a while to get all the settings how I want them. As for dark energy... no. I choose not to wield it. Honestly, the fact you do fills me with more than a little concern. Are you aware of how destructive it is to your system?" he asked.

The reaction to Fate, however, made his eyes narrow. "One of your... huh. I see. Then perhaps that'd make you her Adora? Or would you be her Catra... it really is confusing sometimes. An inability to imprison criminals and get you the mental care you need to be a reasonable member of society is incredibly troublesome."

"Truly? No training? So your device, did you truly have no help in making it? If so, you truly should be proud. My first piece of advice, however, would be choosing one and sticking with it. Style, I mean. Both belkan and midchildian styles of magic have advantages, but attempting to use both will basically require you to learn the same styles and techniques in two separate ways."

The blasts came at him and he held out his left hand. A round shield formed, a bit diagonal, making the blasts hit it and slide along it, the explosions deflected with ease. Still... he was making his own measurements. He'd gotten stronger. More, he wasn't charging in, like before.

"So tell me, do you prefer to fight at a distance or a more martial style? I should be able to give you pointers in either."

Takashi Agera has posed:
Riventon laughs. "What makes you think it's destructive to my system?" he asks, one-hundred-percent seriously. "Look, kid. Remember those differences we talked about? That's one of em'. Dark Energy is my birthright. I wield it as easily as your body converts oxygen to carbon dioxide." He pauses. "Unless you're a weird alien and subsist on nitrogen or something. But you look human enough and all the offworlders seem to breathe air." he notes.

    "I'm nobody's Adora or Catra." He says, but then pauses. No, he didn't think Mami Tomoe would jump through a portal hunting him down just yet. The idea of that is kind of nice, so much so that the next blast he launches while thinking about it isn't as strong as the rest.

    Riventon shakes his head. "I'm not going to give up the advantages of either. If normal people can learn one, I can certainly learn two, even three." he says. Again, without a hint of irony, nothing more than saying that he can read and write in the level of effort he ascribes to it. "Thinking mastering multiple systems would be weaker assumes there's some sort of finite amount of mastery that has to be ascribed. That's not the case."

    Riventon starts putting progressively more energy into those blasts, which means they are coming at a slower rate but a harder impact as the little verbal duel goes on. "There you go again, saying pick one or the other. I'm gonna kick your scrawny butt at every range. And are you just gonna stand there?"

Chrono Harlaown has posed:
Chrono Harlaown gave a soft sigh. "I see. Your 'birthright' is it? You know, I've heard that before." He deflected the next blast. But the one after that he moved to the side, beginning to move in a wide circle around him. "'You don't understand! I and I alone can wield this lost logia! I know it has destroyed everyone else, but I'm SPECIAL! I'm doing it to save my home! To save my family! To save my world! To save my cat!' It's always the same, though. Everyone believes that they, and they alone, are the special one."

"They never notice until everything they care about has been destroyed by their own hand. Some can be stopped before them. Some can be reasoned with. But some have to be put down for their sake, for the sake of those they care about, to save worlds..."

He batted another blast away with his rod, the weapon glowing. "And I am hoping that, in the end, you can be reasoned with. That you can be saved. If not for your sake, then for those who care for you. Still, I doubt you'll put any stock into my words. To you I'm just a TSAB enforcer who is putting their nose too close into business that isn't my own, right? After all, you're the 'real hero' and I'm just a stepping stone?" he sounded almost bored when he said it. As if he was used to dealing with people like Riventon all the time.

"Fear the man who has practiced a spell a thousand times, not the man who has practiced a thousand spells once."

That last blast, when he shielded it, knocked him back a few feet. But when the dust cleared, he had his rod aimed at Riventon...

            <<Stinger Ray!>>

A spray of magical blasts were unleashed. If he wanted to test his defenses, this was the spell to do it. The blasts weren't as powerful, but they were fast, precise... and designed to pierce armor and shields.

Takashi Agera has posed:
Riventon shakes his head. "Nothing can't be handled with the proper precautions. You sound like you're talking about people weilding things they don't understand. Which is, yes, foolish and a recipe for disaster. And some things are too dangerous to wield, perhaps. It doesn't mean there isn't still useful data to extract from them. Somewhere just south of too much power to control is enough power to change the world without blowing yourself up in the process." he says.

    "But we're not talking about a Lost Logia. We're not talking about a Jewel Seed. We're talking about a power that makes me who I am. If it's going to lead to my destruction I'm already doomed and I might as well have fun with it while I last." He adds, maybe picking up some of a different sister's fatalism there.

    "Somebody died to give me my powers, so if I have to die because of them, it's all about what I do between one and another. How did you get your powers, huh? What did you sacrifice for them? Or did you just find your staff on the side of the road?" he questions.

    Finally he gets Chrono to open up with some attack spells of his own - and drops his hand back within the cloak's shielding. And closes his eyes. Time to see if this worked as well against a real mage that it did within the realm of theory and practice. As the Stinger shots rush forward, it's time for Riventon to show at least one of the benefits of cross-discipline research.

    Depending on how familiar with Ancient Belkan magic Chrono is, the defense that Riventon's new cloak seems to grant him has a similar effect to one of the Belkan's spells - as the Stinger shots roar forward, shatter on impact and end up scattering around Riventon's outfit, flecks of magic discharging around and behind him. Riventon opens his eyes. "And here I was hoping that you were going to attack me?" he asks, not letting on how much or how little energy was diverted into the armor that allowed him to repel the shots, or how effective the piercing properties of the attack truly was. The armor mode certainly makes it more efficent to spend mana that way than it would otherwise, though. But the other key was denying information to his opponent. And projecting confidence.

Chrono Harlaown has posed:
Chrono Harlaown sighed and gave a nod. He'd heard it before... "No, being born of this power doesn't more damn you than anyone else. But there's always a price, a cost. And often that line between 'unable to control' and 'to do good' is blurred the closer you get to it. If you desire to change the world, then you must accept that there are limits to what you will pay for this."

"If you fail to accept these limits, then there will be none."

His eyes twitched slightly when Takashi mentioned someone dying... "My father gave his life to protect my world from the types of powers that you wish to carelessly wield. My mother sacrificed everything she had left in order to try and protect the dimensional worlds from people who would wield such powers, regardless of who was hurt. No, nobody died to give me my powers. But I fought for these powers so I could continue the path *they* showed me."

"I have seen the temptation things like your dark energy impart. I've watched countless fall to their siren call. And I have seen, again and again, where that path leads. There is no easy path. There is no quick, simple solution. There's no magical fix that makes everything better."

"It takes a willingness to fight, to struggle, to not give up. It takes determination to *not give into that temptation*. It takes resolve to *refuse* to accept the future you are handed, to instead change it into the bright future that you can be proud of!"

He then shot forward, diving at him... And holding out his rod. "I am sorry for how your power may have come and the price it took! But following the path of Darkness will never give you anything but heart ache!" As he came closer, he aimed the rod...

            <<Blaze Cannon!>>

A swirling vortex of flame came from the staff, a shotgun blast of incinderary cyclonic destruction.

Takashi Agera has posed:
Riventon makes a 'tch' noise at that. "You act like I rolled out of bed with this greater power than the last time I faced you, or like I merely made some sort of faustian bargain with the things that you fear coming out from under your bed." Riventon says. "There hasn't been any quick, simple solutions, no! Everything I've had - every success - has come on the back of previous failures and my hard work. You think just because I have Dark Energy that my path is easy? You couldn't fill my shoes - and that's not a short joke." he says. "You couldn't walk my path. And the reason I can tell it isn't about power or lack thereof. It's about fear. You fear this power - so much so that you wouldn't use it. I respect it. I understand its threat, but just because something is dangerous is no reason to refuse it whole-cloth."

    "But I won't sully the sacrifices of those who gave me the strength to follow my path by being turned away from a little fear. Fear didn't put us into the sky, or into space. And fear won't help us survive what's coming. Only power will."

    Riventon is intending to take the next attack with just the Panzer Barrier his cloak grants him, but his device gives him a lot of other warnings, and so instead he has enough awareness to channel energy into a Round Shield barrier, and in fact at Axion's urging an additional barrier are put up in front of that one - which turns out to be a good thing since the attack blows through the first barrier and the second, and even through the Panzer Barrier he can feel the intense heat of the attack - the destructive force. He can feel how MUCH energy it takes to prevent that heat and kinetic power from damaging him, and even with two barriers and the inherent defensiveness of the cloak, after the smoke clears, there are scorch marks on the cloak.

    Riventon knows that standing there and soaking THAT attack and others like it is not an option. He takes a few steps forward to offset the feet that he was pushed back. The marks on his cloak and the extra barriers tell truth to how much effort he put into it, even as he acts like it was nothing. "That's a little better, at least. Now we can have a proper duel." he says. "Axion, mode shift."

    <<OFFENSIVE SHIFT.>> The device replies, and with no small amount of loud metallic sounding shifting, the cloak folds backwards a few times and compresses, ending up forming a gauntlet on his right arm that extends to his elbow, while the rest of it ends up a much more traditional labcoat with the same patterns swooping over it.

    "What I've given up, the time I've worked, the effort I've put in - this is no easy road. And when you claim it is a simple solution or a magical fix..." Riventon's eyes flare with purple energy "... it really pisses me off."

    <<SCHATTENSCHLAG!>> the device calls as the dark-energy backed blast, enhanced by his upgrade and his the anger he allows himself to feel at those comments, roars out of his right hand in it's own destructive surge.

Chrono Harlaown has posed:
Chrono Harlaown sighed and shook his head. Riventon... hopefully one day Riventon would get it. That was just it. Just because the path was easier than a more difficult path... had some struggles.... didn't mean it was the correct one. After all, there wouldn't be people like Precia if power that should be untouched was always easy.

"It's not the power that I fear, Riventon-san. Hopefully, one day you'll be able to understand that. Before it costs you too much. I hope that those who sacrificed for you wouldn't desire your path to end up as one of suffering and destruction. Power at any cost only gets more expensive every time you try to wield it."

And one day he'd have to pay if he wasn't stopped before then.

"Mode shift? Your device changes? Interesting," Chrono said, his eyes narrowing. "You don't need dark energy, Riventon-san. If what you crave is 'power', you could have it without using this energy. You have a brilliant mind, talent, skill. You could do so much without wielding a power that shouldn't be wielded. This power will one day destroy all you care for, if not you yourself!"

He thrust out his left hand, forming the barrier again. The energy surged against it, sending ripples of magic through it and into his hand as he was, slowly, pushed back. His barrier jacket tearing slightly from the energy displaced by the shield.

Less armor, faster form, focused on offense. He could deal with this. No need for as much power.

            <<Stinger Snipe!>>

Three blue orbs formed, his counter flashing out, coming rapidly at Riventon from forward and from behind on each side, in a Y pattern.

Takashi Agera has posed:
Riventon is (if you stopped and asked him) still embracing his anger and letting himself feel it, letting all of those words from Chrono upset him so the can drive ever onwards in combat. "If you tell me I shouldn't wield dark energy... you're telling me I shouldn't even exist!" he shouts. "And if that's your terms, I quite heavily DISAGREE." he says, and starts to move towards Chrono after the impact of his Shadow Strike.

    "What's wrong, doesn't your stick change modes? Perhaps into a shield, or perhaps it'll change into a pair of shackles since you're so intent on trying to press your worldview on everyone else." he says, moving towards Chrono. The Stinger Snipe is cast, and the first orb coming at him from the front is shielded with a Round Shield from his right hand - a twist of his torso and the back left one is comes at him is intercepted by a triangular Panzerschild, the Ancient Belka equivalent. One has to wonder if he is just choosing to use mulitple kinds and is showing off, or if there's some subtle benefit to each type of shield. But the third one, he has no arms for.

    <<DEFENSER.>> Axions adds to the fray, blunting the third attack with it. All of the shields hold, though Riventon's heavy breathing afterwards is visible, as is his forward movement being stopped in order to manage all of this. "Good work Axion." Riventon notes. <<OF COURSE. HIS DEVICE IS STUPID.>> Axion adds. "That's right, your staff isn't intelligent, is it?" Riventon asks.

    "Let's see your solution to a similar question, then." Riventon announces, channeling energy into his hand as a belkan triangular magic circle opens beneath him. <<A TEST!>> Axion adds. <<IRRLICHTSPIRALE!>> (Will-o-Wisp Spiral) Axion's device calls as four black spheres erupt into existence around Chrono, and begin to spiral around rapidly while keeping their distance from him, keeping equidistant from each other as well. Riventon puts his hand into the air, open palm to the sky. "Who was there to teach you? I had nobody! Who was there to build your device for you? I had nobody! I did it all myself. And I still did it better than anybody else did with all of their help. And I'm still improving!" Riventon yells, keeping his fury up to keep the power up, the swirling spheres crackling with angry power as they close in. "And now I have some runt in a spikey costume trying to say he knows about sacrifice, about the cost of power? I earned every drop of power I have with hard work! AXION, SHOOT!" he shouts, closing his fist at the same time, And suddenly the spinning spheres stop spinning and rapidly converge on their target at the same time, from their four different angles.

    The impact at least kicks up some dust and smoke no matter what, giving Riventon time to add. "It's not just my power that makes me strong, it's not just Dark Energy, you're right. It's my intelligence. It's my will. It's the strength of my conviction."

Chrono Harlaown has posed:
Chrono Harlaown stared at him, his eyes narrowed and... "Why do you say that? Are you composed of dark energy in some way? Or is it keeping you alive?" he asked. Well, he didn't know Riventon's situation... so why not ask?

And the other boy countered, working with his device. Three barriers. One midchildian, one belkan and then one device. "No, my device isn't an intelligent device. It's a storage device."

The orbs circle him... a question... an answer... He waved his device...

Then all four of them came at him.

The dust enveloped him, swirled around him and... had he won? Had he--

And then three swords came flying from the dust, clearing it. In the middle of the dust, Chrono stood. A single, spherical barrier around him. Cracked and damaged, but standing. Chrono was panting. But, once again, he had demonstrated the advantage, the speed of a non-intelligent device. Weaving the stinger blades in before creating the spherical barrier around himself. Those scant extra seconds of having more processing offered him.

"You had noone. I can't argue with that. I can't say I understand that. I've *always* had people to help me. The fact you had to make it here alone isn't fair, nor is it right. It certainly isn't deserved."

"But you made it here alone. That doesn't mean you always have to be alone. There are people who can help you, who will help you, if you let them. For all the darkness this world has, it has an equal, if not greater light. You just have to be willing to take the chance on it."

Chrono's barrier jacket was slightly singed and torn, but... he was every bit as determined as Riventon to share his point. That the darkness he wielded did NOT have to be the only way forward.

Takashi Agera has posed:
Riventon didn't expect the Spiral to put down Chrono, not that he would have been precisely disapointed in that sequence of events. Often, duels seemed to be coming down to energy spent versus energy kept, how much it cost you to guard attacks, and how much you had in your tank. Overwhelming force and overwhelming resistance met. Questions were asked and answered in the form of special attacks. But in the end it was just as much a magical arm-wrestling match as anything else.

    Three blades surge outward, and two blades are blocked. One by Riventon's active interference, one by Axion's defenser. One slips through, and the magical blade finds purchase in Riventon's shoulder, having gone in front the front. Begrudgingly, he had to admit, the boy was good - and fast. Maybe faster than Riventon was at weaving multiple spells together. He'd have to train harder.

    "I didn't say I was alone now." He kind of wished he'd brought an ally - as that would have been the exact right time to do it. But this test would have been less useful if he had backup. The sword in his shoulder starts to dissapate. "Because of the strength I have, I've been able to help those important to me with their dreams too. Because of it, I've been able to change the world for the better. Because of it, I've been able to save lives. Just because it's Dark Energy doesn't make it only able to be used for evil. Power is power. You need it to protect as well as to attack. And power takes so many forms."

    "And right now, my power still has new forms to take! Axion!"

    <<PEITSCHENKABEL FORM>> Axion agrees, and each of Riventon's fingers emits a single bright purple threads of energy - before he closes his hand and the tendrils wrap together into one larger line of gleaming purple Dark Energy and magical power. Blue 'sparks' of energy crackle along it's length. There's little time to appreciate the asthetics, because Riventon whirls around and the cable-whip lashes forward, likely crashing into a barrier as it unnaturally arcs through the air and cracks into a small burst of Dark Energy at the tip. And he just keeps lashing out with it, the whip trying to come at Chrono from all directions.

    "You've got no understanding what I've suffered, you've got no understanding of the good I've done, the lives I've saved, the evil I've stopped!" he shouts, his eyes flickering with the same energy that crackles down the whip's line as it tries to break in over and over again. "You don't know anything! You come here and moralize at me and you're not even from here! You're just some kid, pretending to be an agent, overstepping your authority. Go home! Leave my world to me! I'm sick and tired of being told that because some other IDIOTS can't control themselves, I can't EXIST!" Though it might seem like Riventon was the one out of control. And he was, though he might never admit it. All he wanted to do was break through that shield and throw Chrono into a wall. Or three. He wanted to win. To 'prove' himself right. "And I'm NOT. GOING. TO. PUT. UP. WITH. IT! I'll use whatever means I have to, in order to achieve my goals, in order to be who I need to be!"

Chrono Harlaown has posed:
Chrono Harlaown narrowed his eyes on Takashi. They were talking in circles now, weren't they? Riventon was good, but his power had limits. They... weren't that different. At least, in Chrono's eyes. They'd gone down different paths. But he couldn't help but wonder how things would have gone, had Chrono grown up in the same situation. He'd always had people there to help him up. Had Riventon? If Riventon had them, could he even see them for that anymore, or did the dark energy make it impossible for him to notice the hands pushing him forward?

And for now, it may be true. Perhaps the power Takashi had could do good. But maybe it wasn't needed. Maybe it was just the calm before it all came crashing down. With each passing day he was further away from good, one step closer to when the cost became truly apparent... and then it just got worse and worse as the costs piled up and you sunk further and further beneath the weight.

Chrono formed a shield around himself, the whip crashing against it as he held his staff out, reinforcing it. With each strike of the whip, an inky darkness coated the shield. Building up. Again and again. Rattling, cracking. The first collapsed and he barely managed to get a second up in time, the whip striking through and leaving a black mark across his right arm.

"You're losing your cool and losing your head," Chrono said. "You're not told to not exist. How long until the costs for your power become the very thing you're trying to protect?" Chrono yelled. The inky darkness burning against his barrier, even as he tried to claw it away with his gauntlets and simultaneously maintain his crumbling spherical barrier.

Takashi Agera has posed:
Riventon continued the barrage, not letting up, either physically or verbally. "Stop talking to me like I don't know infinitely more about magic than you ever COULD!" Riventon snarled. "The difference between your understanding and mine might as well be the difference between your device's intellect and my Device!" he adds.

    <<LIKE YOUR DEVICE, YOU'RE STUPID.>> Axion helpfully translates even as it's being wielded.

    "Your brain can't even concieve of how much I know, how much I've seen. That when you cast a spell and you think you understand it because you've drilled it, you're just a toddler pushing bricks into holes! Dark Energy is the tool I use to build those blocks and drill those holes. I handle magic on a fundamental level you can't even see! I've been to the Dusk Zone, where you cannot even tread!" He yells. It's possible he's trying to remind himself of this as much as anything, or psyche himself up.

    "There's another advantage to having a fully intelligent device, though." He says, as a Mid-childan Magic Circle opens up beneath him, even while he's still lashing away. "It'll cost me a lot of energy but I have PLENTY TO BURN. Axion can prepare a spell while I focus on pinning you down!" he yells. "Which is it going to be! Lose your barrier to the strikes - or lose it to the blast that's coming?!"

    <UBERLADENES SPERRFEUER!> (Overcharged Barrage) Axion calls, as Riventon's left hand becomes the focus for a series of circular targeting reticles, while his right hand maintains the distanced-melee assault. "Looks like I'll be picking up the surviving peices of your device instead of the whole thing. BUT WHO IS GOING TO PICK UP THE TINY PIECES OF YOU I'M GOING TO LEAVE STREWN ALL OVER THIS BARRIER?" he shouts as a series of black orbs generate - most near Riventon, but several in angles above and around the area.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
-- THEN --

Sitting on a skyscraper rooftop with a ramune and a good book is a *wonderful* perk of being mahou. Especially when the book in question is the Lord of the Rings omnibus that Molly had been kind enough to gift her. And she had *just* gotten to Theoden's speech at Helm's Deep, which reminded her of Chrono...

...which reminded her that she is Chrono's *girlfriend.* Eeeeee--

The layered reminders prompt her to send off a quick message, just in case he's not busy.

    << Heeeeey Chrono-kun! If you got some free time, did you want to maybe go to the park for a bit? >>

*send*

-< MESSAGE ABORTED -- USER UNDER DIMENSIONAL BARRIER >-

    << ...Well that's odd. Hey Nico-kun, would you mind pinging S2U and seeing where he is? >>

    << *BONG!* >> << CONFIRMED, MASTER. GEOGRAPHIC COORDINATES ACCURATE. >>

    << ...Who's he training? >> Rashmi thought, marking her place in her book and closing it, popping it into Nicomachea, then finishing her drink. << Maybe he won't mind if we look in? >>

-- NOW --

Two voices ring out at Barrier's edge, one after the other.

The first, the high, panicked voice of a girl unfamiliar to Riventon. "CHRONO-KUN!"

The second, a Device's voice, pitched in the form of a tweedy, if mechanically-distorted English professor.

    << *BONG!* >> << SOLAR STING >>

Streaking down from above is a single, speedy Barret arrowing in on Riventon's head. Whether it impacts person, Barrier Jacket or shield, what's notable about this Barret is its *endurance.* Like Chrono's Stinger Snipe, this Barret has more endurance than anything else, but this one is utilized for a... different sort of harassment.

The harassment of a moth against a lightbulb. ...If the moth punched the lightbulb like a trained boxer every time it made contact.

While Riventon is dealing with an extremely pissed-off bee made of magic, a streak of green, yellow and white Barrier Jacket drops to Chrono's side.

Rashmi halts her descent just a bit above the ground, reorienting herself and touching down on her feet. "OKAY THAT'S ENOUGH," she says... And Chrono has never heard her sound *quite* so angry.

    << *BONG!* >> << SOLAR SHIELD -- RED SHIFT >>

...Nor has he seen her put out *quite* so much energy without wavering before, layering three separate bubbles of translucent, golden energy over herself and Chrono.

Of note, also, is the fact that the two outermost Shields seem... jittery. As if having trouble containing the energy making them up, in a solid, stable form.

But what doesn't waver is Rashmi's gaze. Nicomachea, pages open, is thrust out to face Riventon, and the stare from behind the Device's armored cover could sear metal. "You stop this. *Right.* *Now.*"

Takashi Agera has posed:
Riventon is so about to just unleash all of his power even though Rashmi's here. To hell with her, her shields, her BOYFRIEND, her stupid beelike-ow, ow- barret, he was going to finish off this undersized runt of a litter... But it's Axion who stops casting the spell. The black orbs wink out one by one, as the stinging barret is repulsed now by more than just henshin aura magic, but proper defensers, until it finally wears out. "The hell?" Riventon asks, more about Axion than just the general situation.

    Axion speaks only to Riventon. <<Entry of a new combatant requires recalculation of situation.>> <<New combatant energy levels high, retalliatiory attacks likely.>> <<Experiment no longer relevant with entry of new combatant.>> <<Ceased spell to maintain functional energy levels, prevent injury to self and Meister.>>

    Damnit. Intelligent device. It was intelligent, it had made the right call, and Riventon was mostly mad at it being the right call rather than it making it. The bound corded lash retreats and returns to Riventon's hand. and he holds his arm horizontally, elbow to his right, so that his gauntlet can open up its venting ports and release great billowing clouds of smoke and steam, with small purple sparkles of Dark Energy throughout.

    And as the device exhausted the magic energy, Riventon's face also rapidly returned to the same normal calmness he had originally approached Chrono with - like he'd also ehxausted out all of his negative emotions along with the magical offgassing.

    <<Defensive Mode.>> Axion reports as Riventon's whole combat form shifts from the heavy gauntlet to the locked up defensive Panzer Cloak. He scoots a tuft of silver hair back and looks at Rashmi. "Now why did you go and do a thing like that? We were having a good duel." he says, like she had interupted training, rather than shown up when Riventon was glowing like a luntatic lite-brite and threatening to leave her boyfriend in seperate parts. "It's not really sporting of you to bring in your second when I don't even have one, Mister TSAB."

Chrono Harlaown has posed:
Chrono Harlaown sighed and couldn't help but almost pity Riventon. The difference... was definitely true. There was a huge difference between both their understanding and their devices.

But the mistake was to assume that the lack of an AI in Chrono's made it 'inferior'. Made it, somehow, 'lesser'.

The dusk zone... there... was something else he needed to learn about. And he was right, the advantage of an intelligent device. One could only weave so much, do so much. Having them work like that... but in the end, they all drew from the same source. The same baseline.

If he could endure this blast... He threw his energy into his shield, trying to keep it up. Trying to endure it... and...

He couldn't. He saw the black orbs. He'd need to take it. To see how much he could endure. He could... do this. He'd taken worse, right?

Maybe. It'd likely at best leave him in shambles, but he could...

... could...

Ohhhhh he had the BEST girlfriend. His eyes LIT up.

But more than that, it was the readings he was getting from her. Her device. It wasn't dark energy. But he'd never seen her do this before. Anything like this. And that was it. He'd seen the dark energy at work... but this was the first, true experience he had with light energy.

... And he was maybe, just a teensy, tiny, itty bit... fanboying behind that TSAB smile of his. Eyes sparkling juuuuuuust a little bit. He had the COOLEST GIRLFRIEND!

He then glanced to Riventon... and sighed. "Riventon-san... you're right. I've always had other people to catch me when I fall. To help get me to where I am. If I hadn't... perhaps I would have turned to dark energy too." And then... he reached out. Putting his hand out, and over, Rashmi's hand holding her device. The metal feeling... just a little warm. The warmth of magic.

"You're powerful, smart and incredibly capable. But the path you're walking leaves a permanent mark and the more you lean on that darkness, the more damage you'll do to yourself, your device and those you care for. You may have been alone up to now..."

"But you no longer have to be. There are people here who will help you. When you're ready. When you need it... send me a message. For now... I yield. You win," Chrono said. And his device sent a 'friend request' as it was. Well, the device equivalent. Probably didn't FEEL like much of a win for Riventon, though. After all.

Chrono was leaving with the cool girl.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"I didn't *see* a duel,* Rashmi says, voice heated. "I saw *Sunbreaker's tantrum* all over again."

But then Chrono puts his hand over hers, and she... relaxes, some. Riventon going from cackling dark-wraith to defensive cloak certainly helped some... but the words he expressed after, helped a lot more.

    << ...You are so *unbearably cool,* Chrono-kun, >> she sent via Nicomachea, a message for him and him alone.

When Chrono says the words 'I yield,' Rashmi drops the shields, and while still very obviously wary... She honors his declaration without any sort of argument. It's not even that she shares the ideals he's espousing, though she would very much have a friend over an enemy.

It's that she trusts him to know what he's doing. After all, *he's* the veteran. He's probably been in standoffs like this a dozen times.

She doesn't echo the friend request, though. Maybe save that for when he sees them again, and *doesn't* try to atomize her boyfriend.

Takashi Agera has posed:
Riventon 'shakes out' his shoulders. That stupid barret hit harder than he'd originally given it credit for and he was going to have a headache in the morning. Nope, actually, headache right now. Damn. It was impressive what you could just flat out ignore when you were hopped up on Dark Energy, Adrenaline, and who knows what else. Neat trick though.

    "That's because your inexperienced with Dark Energy. Kinda like Sunbreaker, actually." he says, sounding thoughtful. "The difference is between controlling your emotions for powerr, and letting your emotions control you for power. You see a tantrum, I'm just drawing energy from anger. You think I could have pulled back the attack, if I was so out of control?"

    Riventon's device makes a snarky, unspecified ping in his mind.

    "I accept your yield, spacesuit, but nothing else." Riventon adds. "If you want anything more you'll have to fight me with an equivalent number of people sometime. Either 1-on-1 or 2-on-2 or 3-on-3. I'm not alone anymore, I could have had someone here too - if that was the rules you wanted to operate under. I guess now I know not to come alone. I thought giving you warning and letting you pick the battlefield would have been enough." He was actually doing a decent job of acting more annoyed than angry now... but every once in a while a facial expression or small flare of energy noticed by their device might indicate he's not as calm as he appears.

    "Disappointing but at least I got my data. Maybe next time I'll just duel the girl, though." There is something in his tone that indicates the threat that 'next time' might not be so much of a 'duel', but leaves a slice of plausible deniability. "Good day to you. Enjoy your afternoon."

    And then Riventon makes a mock bow and teleports out, to go look over data and probably seethe/sulk.

Chrono Harlaown has posed:
Chrono Harlaown couldn't help but get a little bit of red in his cheeks, his smile a little wider. Just a hint. And... << I think you were pretty impressive too... Rashmi. >> No chan. No san. None of that. Just... Her first name. And that time he wasn't flustered when he said it.

He glanced towards Riventon.... and his eyes narrowed a hint when he said he'd 'duel Rashmi'. Because he caught that threat... and if he thought that Chrono would just let that happen... Still...

He glanced to Rashmi. Now that they were alone, he leaned up and, his cheeks a little red, he pressed a soft kiss on her cheek. "Thank you for the save. He's gotten stronger than I expected. Not to mention his use of dark energy makes him pretty formidable. But, despite all that... I think he might not actually be entirely a bad guy. You know, this was so much simpler when I was just a TSAB enforcer. Find bad guy, capture bad guy, get bad guy treatment and care so they could become a member of society. None of this dark energy stuff. But..." Then his hand gave hers a little squeeze.

"I didn't have you... either. So... maybe this is better after all." Then, finally, he let the barrier fall.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
Rashmi, knowing Devices by at least some practice, would probably have a ping of her own to Riventon's question, if she'd heard Axios'. And she did *not* miss the implied threat in a duel she never agreed to in the first place. It's a good thing she knows so many people she can count on to watch her back...

And as Riventon leaves, and Chrono calls her by only her name, Rashmi's face goes nearly redder than her hair. "I uh... really...?" Shaking her head, she smiles, and leans down to kiss Chrono again. "Hey, I'm just glad I was wondering who was suffering your training this time."

Slipping her other hand into his and letting Nicomachea float by her shoulder, Rashmi purses her lips. "If he's not a bad guy... He's gonna have a *lot* of trouble getting out of that mess. Here's hoping he thinks it worth the effort, I guess...?"

Then wow, Chrono, you *can* be smooth when you've a mind, because we're back to blushing like mad. "Uh... Aheh... Well I mean, *I'd* say this is better, even if the morals are murky."

Chrono Harlaown has posed:
Chrono Harlaown chuckled and gave a small nod. "Really," he said. Their hands interlocked. Sure, his gloves were made of metal... but there was still warmth from the magic. "To be fair, I think he is suffering. I've studied a bit of dark energy... and it's not pleasant. And I've certainly seen dozens of mages who talk like that. Those held under the sway of a lost logia. So certain they, and only they, are the ones who can handle it."

With their hands together, well, her book floated. His rod didn't. But he didn't mind gripping it with her. "He is. A long effort. And it will be worth it... hopefully he makes the choice before he loses everything he's fighting for."

But then, he pulled his hands from hers... and hugged her. Around the neck. Tight. Best part about flying? Height difference meant NOTHING. "You. Were so. Hot. Back there," he whispered. "You have NO idea. I have the COOLEST girlfriend. Do you wanna get ice cream? My treat. I was quite fond of that 'couples sundae' we shared last time. Though I admittedly remember the one I was sharing it with, more than the flavor..." Oh, he had it baaaaaad.

It turned out dating someone you picked yourself rather than your mom chose for you was pretty nice.

... Luckily he didn't SAY that.