The air was cold around Breg Epona as Merc marched his way into the central plaza, it hadn't taken him too long to arrive at the town coming from Lumina cloth and somehow he had even managed to beat the first train from Mac Anu... then again he did suppose that Gladius had woken him up annoyingly early. It was a fairly central area, so most everyone could see exactly what was going on... though Merc didn't care if he had an audience or not. Standing on the edge of a fountain, arms in the air, was his mark. Chrono was exclaiming some crap about how brilliant his guild was and how he had the perfect plan for winning the tournament and getting out. He was blabbering on and on about how any whom would join him would be granted a free exit from the World they now sat in. Chrono was of a higher level than most all of the players who were simply hanging out around or hiding in the town. If anything it seemed to Merc that the guy was trying to round up weaker players to use as meat shields... it was a common tactic for weaker guilds... use smaller members coerced with promises of freedom as damage sponges so that you and you guild mates can gain experience without danger. Disgusting.
Merc finally pushed past the last of the crowd and stood proud in the area that had cleared itself around the fountain. WIth his massive sword propped on his shoulder and his gun blade held loosely in it's gun form by the tall mans side... Chrono couldn't help but give the man a skeptical look. "Good day sir! Perhaps you too are interested in joining the reapers of-" *BTOOOM* The scrawny player known as Chrono was quickly shut up and his guild members who stood around him had an uneasy look forming on their faces as Merc raised his gun and shot a single bullet into the sky. "Shut it kid, I'm not here to join your crappy guild... to be perfectly honest, guilds like yours who use innocents as bait make me sick!" As Merc spoke these words, an uneasy murmuring resounded through the crowd.
"Bait?" "What is that man talking about?" "Didn't the Reapers say they would help us escape?"
The nerves on Chrono's face turned to sudden shock and anger. "W... what?! Who do you think you are? Accusing me of such things? The Reapers of Eden only want to- Gah!" *BTOOM CRACK* Another shot, fired slightly to the left of Chronos head and lodging itself firmly into the fountains marble design. "Oh? A protector is still what you claim to be? Well then... why don't you prove it you over-zealous ass? Fight me. Duel. Life or death. Right here for all of your friends to see." Merc smiled slyly to himself. "I mean... surely if your strong enough to lead all of these people to freedom... then one little player such as myself should be no problem to kill am I right?" Chrono's face turned to a grimace as the crowd began to whisper once again.
"This guy's making alot of sense..." "Yeah if this Chrono clown can't even beat one guy in a one on one fight then..." "Yeah, how are we meant to follow someone like that?"
Suddenly, Chrono's grimace once again shifted into an expression of pure rage. "I'll show you fool... if you wish to stand against Chrono, head of the reapers, then your challenge is accepted!" Merc sent the duel request quicker than one might expect and his username popped up before Chrono's eyes. "Now let us fight! Merc!" Accepting the request, Chrono pulled out a basic sight and rushed forward. With a skull mask, dark cloak and ninja boots... this guy was really taking the whole reaper theme to the extreme.
"HAAAAAA!" He scream a battle cry as he launched into the air, attempting some sort of flying downward strike. "Nope." Merc raised his firearm skywards and fired, the bullet collided directly with the leaping Chrono's chest and launched him backwards, leaving the poor fool to bounce hard on the ground. "25% of your health depleted." Chrono, raising himself in a rage rushed forward and did a massive sweeping at a range far too close to be effective. Merc simply planted his broadsword in the ground to face the direction of the swing and the opposing scythe bounced off harmlessly. Merc then, without hesitation, moved forward and smashed his skull hard into Chrono's delivering a devastating headbutt that knocked the guild leader onto the ground in an instant, complete with a satisfying cracking sound that made the crowd audibly and visually cringe. "That's 10% more kid, are you sure you're even trying?" Merc said calmly as he stepped towards his downed opponent, whom at the time was desperately trying to crawl away and right himself at the same time. Merc simply smirked and turned his sword so that the flat edge was facing his opponent. "Alright kiddo, time to fly!" With a single swift motion, Merc wedged his sword, flat edge up, underneath his fleeing opponent and quickly pulled the sword up over his head, launching Chrono several meters into the air before allowing the young player to break onto the ground. Leaving another satisfying crack. "Oh... nice 64%, welp, looks like you're down to your last little percentage. Talk about perfect damage calculation, am I right?"[/color]
"W... wait! Please!..." The weak and damaged Chrono desperately tried to crawl away as his guild members and the crowd stood there helpless, unable to interfere in the duel of two other players. "L... Look... you're a professional right? You have to be with those skills! Tell me who's paying you and how much it is... I... I'll double it! Triple it even!" Merc smiled as he holstered his broadsword in a huge scabbard mounted on his back and slowly walked towards the fallen Chrono. "Sorry weak stuff. I don't make a habit of betraying my trusted clients... but let's just say you pissed off the wrong people." Saying this, Merc picked up the weakened Chronos by gripping his hair tightly and pulling him up for the crowd and his fellow "Reapers of Eden" to see. The entire crowd was left in awe and fear as they looked upon this once confident leader who had so quickly been reduced to a broken and beaten mess. "Alright listen up! The Reapers of Eden are finished now! This guy was a weak and pathetic fool... and all who followed him are destined to share his fate here today! I am ENDING this guild... understand that?! If I even THINK that anyone else is trying to take up his mantle?!.... Then I WILL find you... and I WILL kill you! Now... as proof of the sentiment..."
With a single fluid motion, Merc moved the tip of his gunblade to Chrono's now tear ridden and grovelling face and pulled the trigger without hesitation. The crowd was left to watch in horror as Chrono's head exploded into a wave of quickly fading particles... the limp body of the dead leader fell to the ground and slowly disappeared in similar fashion to the now vanished head. As the duel was officially over, the former guild members of the Reapers of Eden turned and ran from Merc, tail between their legs... they were terrified of him, afraid that they were next and with his words in tow Merc was certain that they were aware of the consequences of following in Chrono's footsteps.
The crowd simply stared in awe then, as Merc, without a word, turned and began to leave... most likely heading back for transport to Lumina Cloth. In the distant the mercenary could hear the first train from Mac Anu pulling into the station. As Damian pushed through the crowds he felt them all in a panic moving to grant him passage... and he could hear talk of the events that had just occurred spreading already... seems he was to be the talk of Breg Epona that day... but no matter. He hadn't mentioned the Knights of Hyperion once... so he was certain Gladius would approve just fine.
Finally pushing through the crowds and walking away with a barrage of shock filled looks piercing into his back. Damian sighed and holstered his gunblade before holding his hands up behind his head.
"Another job done. Now all I have to do is head to the arena for that oh so wonderful reward."