Discovery [Private w/ Yoren]

Thomas felt sick.  He already found someone unfortunate enough to come face to face with him, and now he's been dealt with, leaving the masked man wracked with guilt.  He'd have to stomach it for now.  He did the right thing.  There's no more suffering for the poor guy now, and Tom would do well to make sure others don't suffer either.  He stepped out of his new home, a shack made of scrap metal, wood, and rope.  It wasn't a good looking home to be sure, but it was sturdy enough to be his shelter for now.  Although he wasn't sure how long it would last, since his first victim was nearby when he "went missing."  

As he was leaving his shack, Thomas grabbed a sack full of his bear traps.  He used these to capture prey, the kind for eating usually, but his first victim had fallen to the trap as well.  His shack was surrounded closely by the blue trees of Finnek forest, and the plants on the forest floor added to the camouflage of the place.  Thomas placed the first bear trap between two trees in front of the shack, a second just a step before it.  Before he became what he is today, he had read something about trapping people.  Most people will see a trap if you don't hide it, and they'll step past or around it, onto another trap covered by something.  Given that people might be searching the woods now, Tom hoped that this strategy would work soon.  He covered the trap between the trees with grass and leaves, taking care not to trigger it.  Whenever he sets these traps, he has to use most of his body weight to open them, so if they caught his fingers, his work would be done, and he'd be incapable of fighting off anybody.

He stepped back inside his shack and set three more inside, covering up the floor with dirty picnic blanket he found abandoned in the forest.  It would normally be easy to pick out where the traps are, but there isn't a single light in the shack, and every hole that light could come through has been blocked with mud, wood, and metal.  With all of his traps set, Tom made note of where they were and began to patrol the forest around his home.  Eventually, he came across the tree where he had hung up the only animal he'd caught so far.  Tom had to make a makeshift hook out of the same scraps he used to make his house, as the ropes wouldn't hold up his prey very easily.  Almost a week ago, Thomas caught a bear in a trap, the only bear he'd seen in his time in the forest.  Now, the carcass was rotting, and it was time to take it off the hook and bring it into the forest.

He hoisted what was left of the bear off the hook and over his shoulder, upset that he would have to hunt for more food again soon.  The masked man walked into the forest, listening closely for anybody that could be nearby.  He wasn't too worried for his safety, but he didn't want to be caught so soon.  Luckily, his traps were loud, and his steps quiet.  Once he was a fair distance away, he dropped the bear to the ground and turned back to the shack, slowly making his way back.

Yoren frowned at the fading day light, it would be dark soon, and he would likely have to call the search to a close. The day had started normal enough, until a report of a missing person had come to his attention. A man had gone missing on a nearby hiking trail, having gotten separated from his jogging partner due to an attacking Grimm. The creature had been dealt with, however the man had not resurfaced apparently. This had happened in the morning, and Yoren had decided to take it upon himself to continue the search when the man failed to show up to an appointment hours ago. The last sighting had been during the attack; however, it was noted no body was found, and the Grimm in question had followed the other man.

Syne didn’t have many full huntsmen or huntresses to spare, being a small country with a relatively new academy, and Yoren was one of the best wilderness specialists on the island, one of the reasons he’d been asked to aid in the search. Currently, the large man was following the trail left by the man, branches broken, and leaves crushed, with some footprints left in the dirt. It was slow work, as tracking was difficult work, and the man had run a long way from the attack, justifiably terrified.

When the trail suddenly stopped, Yoren found it odd, unsettling even, The Wolf would have expected to find a body if nothing else, even if it were rather mauled by wildlife, instead the area was rather corpse free, and there were few signs of what could have happened. One sign however was rather obvious to the eye, even to those who might have not had the knowledge of Yoren. Blood was rather notable to most, especially within a forest as blue as Finnek. That was concerning, especially as there was no indication of dragging such as an animal might do, and there was little to indicate it as the result of Grimm. The man had not been reported to be wounded, and the trail he’d followed had no previous sign of bleeding.

Then there was the second trail, not one made by the same man, as the tread of the footprints was different, and it appeared that the man was likely larger given the sizing of the print. Such a thing indicated that whatever had happened, likely was not good. There had been no reports from the hospital about any unknown males being brought in, nor had there been any unidentified bodies at the morgue. The blood didn’t look fresh enough to have been from the last few hours either, and the fact another human appeared to have been present for whatever had happened was another negative.

He’d been about to message authorities as well as Gwyn, when something else caught his attention, it was far enough away as not to have been as obvious, but the trap was far from well hidden. Perhaps poachers? If someone were caught in a trap it was possible that they would have been taken by the criminals. The blood wasn’t enough to indicate the victim bleeding out, but something was wrong with that assumption. The trap was too obvious, it didn’t indicate the sophistication an experience trapper would show, nor was it the most appropriate for the area. Yoren frowned at this, whatever the case, he had to send a message to Gwyn, unfortunately but a better inspection of the trap would be necessary first, and a long branch nearby served to trigger the trap without threat to himself, snapping the branch in the process.

The large man maintained his guard however, there was no telling where the trapper was, but it was better to be safe than sorry. Yoren had not expected to find anything like this. At best he’d expected a terrified, but alive civilian, at worst a man mauled by Grimm or wildlife. It was obvious that there was something distinctly wrong here however, and the large man knew better than to drop his guard, still he readied his scroll, hoping to be able to write Gwyn, though it would take him time to write a reply, and were someone to attack he would be likely forced to abandon the effort in favor of defending himself.

Someone is here. The sound of one of Thomas's traps going off froze him in his tracks for a moment while he determined the direction of the sound. It didn't seem like it was coming from his shelter, which meant it was from one of the two traps in the trees. Tom distanced himself a bit from the shack and started walking towards the traps, intending to distance himself from them so he wouldn't be spotted right away. If he's spotted, his victim would have a chance to escape and tell others of his home, and the missing person case would turn into a murder case. The police swarming him was the last thing he wanted.

As Thomas got closer to the traps, he spotted the one who triggered it. He was already disappointed to see that he wasn't in the trap, but he became even more so when he realized who it was that stepped in the trap. He didn't know the man's name, but he had spotted the guy at the academy a few times. He's one of the professors at the school, and not one of the pushovers either, one of the capable people there. This was bad. Even if he stepped in the next trap, it wouldn't injure him like the other guy, thanks to the professor's aura. Plus, the professor would actually fight back.

Tom moved behind the man from a distance, taking great care not to brush up against any branches and bushes, and doing his best to not step on twigs or dry leaves. He silently cursed at himself for being his size. It's hard to be silent when you take up this much space. Given his distance, Tom figured that the noises he did make were already hard to hear, so this guy probably didn't hear him. Well, not unless he's a faunus, or maybe even just focusing on sound. Thomas started following the path the professor took, quickly and quietly approaching him with his weapon raised.

Suddenly, he lunged forward at the professor, swinging his cleaver with as much force as he can muster without his semblance. It'd be difficult moving a man the same size, not to mention the heavy armor, but Thomas was attempting to force him to step into the other trap. Thomas began swinging again and again, not saying a word. He could hardly bear it, attacking someone who might have known him, and he felt that if he tried to talk, he would break. But a thought of the future crept into his mind. If this guy got away, the cops would definitely show up.

All fear and remorse left Thomas's mind as he swung one last time, adrenaline coursing through his veins. He had to kill him here and now. His survival depended on it.

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HP: 250/250
SP: 50/50

Four attacks made, 35 damage each, not including defense.

Had Yoren not already had his guard up, he may have missed the footsteps from behind him, but long experience had taught him to stay wary of his surroundings, and the fact he’d been aware of the possibility of attack made the Wolf all the warier of the sounds around him. As a result, the large man did not go undetected, and while Yoren had noticed in time to put his scroll away in favor of his sword, and managed to block the opening shot, gripping his sword as he blocked the attack with the blade’s flat, noting the man was wielding a cleaver-like blade.  Had he noticed his attacker sooner, he may have been able to prevent the attack at all, as his weapon had the reach advantage, and by the look of it the skill advantage.

Still the other man was large, matching Yoren himself in size as a matter of fact, and his weapon also allowed for quicker attacks, causing Yoren the need to play the defensive as another swing came at him. Once again using the flat of his blade to block the attack as he took a step back, leaving his foot next to the disarmed trap.  The large man took a second step back in order to gain more distance, prepared to block the next strike as he did the previous two before he suddenly felt an impact on his leg, and an added weight. Though his aura protected him from any damage from the second trap, Yoren’s moment of distraction allowed the next two swings to strike him as his distraction created a hole in his defense.

Fortunately, his armor protected him from the bulk of the damage but the moment. It took a moment for the large man to figure out what happened, a second trap hidden behind the first, more obvious one.  Yoren knew he would need to fight for his life here, and against an opponent that if nothing else, matched him physically. The large man slammed the pommel of his sword into the stranger, hoping that by doing so he could create some distance between them. He would need to remove the trap as soon as possible. The loss of mobility could cost him, and he needed to get a message to Gwyn as soon as possible. While Yoren didn’t believe the other man would be able to defeat him, it would be difficult to capture the man alive on his own.  He swung his sword in a horizontal slash, regardless of if his previous attack succeeded, it would hopefully require the man to back up in order to avoid the hit,  He would follow it up with an overhead strike in order to press his assault.   He needed to find a way to buy himself the time to finish his message to Gwyn. While Yoren was confident in his skills, He'd already been put at a disadvantage between the trap and the sneak attack.  He also still needed to capture the attacker alive, in case the missing man was still alive somewhere.


Hp: 190/200  Aura: 100/100

Actions: blocked two strikes, but then took a couple hits after stepping in the trap.   35-25=10-10  T1 armor=0   min damage of 5 for both attacks.  

Three attacks made, pommel strike and horizontal slash. 30 damage each before defenses each.

Thomas wasn't expecting his attacks to be received this well, and felt anger swell up inside of him after his first attempts didn't break through his victim's guard.  When Yoren fell victim to Thomas's trap however, his anger was replaced with excitement, almost making him lose himself in the fight.  But losing himself now would be a death sentence.  His opponent was far from helpless, and fighting him without a thought would end poorly for Tom.  Knowing this, he put his next assault into action right away.  Or, at least, he would have if a pommel didn't hit him right in the face.  In the heat of the moment, the masked man forgot that fights aren't all one - sided, and people usually hit back.

The pommel strike didn't hurt too much and, thanks to his size and strength, Thomas was able to take the hit and not get staggered.  The second attack seemed much more dangerous.  As Yoren swung his sword at Tom, the large man knew he couldn't dodge quick enough to get out of the way, and he didn't think to parry, so the blade found its way across his arm.  During Yoren's third attack, Thomas tried something risky that he only saw once while he was at the academy.  In one of his rare demonstrations of dexterity, Thomas spun out of the way of the downward slash, and in this spin, he swung his cleaver at Yoren's trapped foot.

Now he could try to take care of this again.  Yoren's armor was large, seemingly built for fighting someone like Tom, so he had to come up with another way to attack him.  Thing is, what openings could he see?  The guy was covered from the shoulders down, and the head isn't a very big target.  In his mind, Thomas disregarded all doubt and swung diagonally at his target's body, following this attack with a left hook.  A bare handed attack might not be such a bad idea for targeting the head.  Figuring he had enough time for one more hit, Thomas put all of his might into a front kick towards the torso, hoping the combination of force and a trapped foot would work in his favor.

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HP : 240 / 250
SP : 50 / 50

Four attacks.  They'll all do minimal damage if they hit.

Yoren frowned when his own attacks proved minimally effective. It was evident this man’s aura was already unlocked, meaning he could continue a drawn-out fight. Few could match the Wolf in a battle of endurance, but this man appeared to be at least one of those able to contend. Letting out a grunt as the cleaver struck his armor. Despite the maneuver it was evident that this man was likely not a seasoned fighter, or at least it would seem like it prior to the dodge. Yoren wasn’t sure however, and he had little time to truly speculate on the matter as the fight was still ongoing. He was already being hindered by the trap significantly in terms of mobility, which largely left his defensive options to blocking and counterattacking.

The diagonal swing was interrupted by a hanging guard block, one which he converted into an attack after the fact by driving his elbow at his opponent, taking the punch that had followed the attack while hopefully delivering his own. His attack would at least interrupt any subsequent attacks that may have followed the punch, whether it hit or not. Yoren flowed into his next attack quickly with a diagonal slash of his own, aiming for the opponent’s shoulder. From there he would transition to a sideward slash at a slight angle, meant to hit the man at the hip and hopefully also put Yoren in a better position to defend against the next attack.


HP 180/200 Aura 100/100

Actions: Got hit by first attack, blocked the second. And then got hit by the third while giving his own. Interrupted the last one.

Three attacks. Elbow to the face, diagonal slash from shoulder to hip, then a horizontal attack from hip to flank.

Thomas didn't bother to try and block the first two attacks, much less dodge either of them. Whether or not he was in pain didn't change the fact that he was in a very dangerous situation, and it wasn't just losing a fight that was part of the risk here. The growing anxiety of what might happen if Yoren is allowed to leave mixed in with Thomas's already present fury kept him from paying any mind to the attacks on him, and he began his next assault.

It seemed that his weapon was doing just as much good as his fists, due to Yoren's armor and natural sturdiness, so Thomas's new strategy would rely much more heavily on unarmed attacks. As Yoren finished his second attack, Thomas powered through the hit and charged the professor, getting close enough to prevent him from getting his sword into a full swing. As soon as he was within range, Tom lunged, grabbing for his opponent. If his grab was successful, Tom would repeatedly punch Yoren in the eyes four times with his right hand, using his left to hold on as tight as he could. If it wasn't successful, he would direct half of his four punches towards the liver, the other two towards the man's face. As Thomas attacked, he let out a loud, bellowing battle cry. Violence alone wasn't enough, he couldn't help but scream.

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HP : 230 / 250
SP : 50 / 50

Four attacks, all minimal damage.

Yoren frowned when his opponent pushed through his offensive, to get into grappling range. He wouldn’t get the chance to send out his message if he didn’t find a way to create distance, and when his opponent grabbed the rope going across his chest plate he knew this would not be helpful for the current situation. He’d dropped his sword for now, it’d be merely in the way for the moment and he knew that he’d prefer both hands free. The weapon hadn’t been helping much anyway, as his opponent seemed to be surprisingly durable.

His opponent seemed determined to attack his face, understandably so considering that it was the one part not covered by his armor. However, this meant the other man wasn’t keeping his guard up however, especially not lower than the chest considering he still had to hold onto the Wolf. Yoren took another punch before managing to avoid the other two strikes by interrupting the assault with his own offensive.
Yoren activated his semblance. His wolf appearing a short distance away and out of the other man’s line of sight before his opponent’s first strike connected. Yoren deciding to meet the assault with one of his own however and attempted driving his knee into his opponent in an attempt to break the grapple and possibly knock the wind out of his opponent. Then Fenrir would attack, lunging forward to attack the large man that had decided to attack its master.
Should he get free, Yoren would try to put some distance between himself and the fight between his summon and the opponent. Taking out his scroll at the same time so as to add a rushed message for assistance to Gwyn to the message he’d already started writing prior to the fight’s beginning. His movements being hindered by the added clunkiness of the trap still on his foot.

HP 170/200 Aura 70/100

Actions taken. Knee at the gut. 20 damage before defenses. Activated semblance and then Wolfy/Fenrir tackle. 25 semblance damage.

Thomas let out a grunt as a knee found it's way right into his gut, painfully stunning him for a moment. As if that wasn't enough, just barely noticed the large wolf lunging at him, not giving him nearly enough time to avoid the attack. However, it did give him enough time to brace himself. Thomas was a hulking mass of rage and strength, and he wasn't about to let this wolf tackle him to the ground. When he was just about to fall over, Thomas put his left foot back a bit, holding himself up while the wolf held fast on his arm.

This sad excuse of a fighter would rather send a wolf after him than fight on his own? Fine. Thomas wrenched his arm free of the wolf's jaws, tearing through his skin painfully, not that it mattered to him anymore. He grabbed onto the lower jaw of the wolf with his left hand and held onto the upper jaw with the other, holding on as tightly as he could. Once he had a solid hold, Thomas activated his semblance, increasing his strength even further as he pulled savagely at his attacker's jaws, pulling it's mouth apart in gruesome fashion. The wolf was gone, now.

Thomas started walking towards Yoren, panting not noticing the message he was trying to send out. He held his machete and gazed upon it momentarily, unsure of what he was about to do. He shook his head, rejecting uncertainty and heading towards his victim.

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HP : 200/250
SP : 40/50 (Semblance used.)

Executed a dog.

Yoren frowned as he struggled somewhat with the infernal device, while he could manage a scroll easier than other technological devices, but he was still less than skilled with the device. Yoren managed to reopen his message that had been begun prior to the fight. And rather than continuing off the line of thought he simply added a brief message, knowing he likely didn’t have the time to truly go into detail, and pressed a button which would send the coordinates, probably…he hoped. He could tell his summon had been defeated.

He was still unarmed and had to add some relevant information before sending the message. Unfortunately, the man had noticed, him already, and somehow Yoren got the feeling that things were going to be different in this next confrontation. It made no matter, he was not currently in a position to defend from the man’s opening attacks likely to come, but he would need to slow his opponent. He simply hoped Gwyn could show up soon.

HP 170/200 Aura 70/100

Actions: Message sent, summon destroyed.

The Head of Syne Security focused focused diligently upon the academy's closed circuit security cameras, sat in the dark of a basement room. In the freezing cold his only comfort was an old revolving chair he had sat in its centre. A message arrived, instantaneously materialising from his arm on a sheet of hardened light. He dismissed the panel after a simple glance, rising to his feet and turning; making his way up the dark stairs that lay behind him. Drawing the card from his necklace he sliced the scanner, great metal doors opening and closing behind him. As the pale dragon left his cave the courtyard fell silent, this certainly wasn't a common event. Recognising their shock immediately he continued to stride forward, "Pay This no heed. It is not of your concern." He parted the crowd with his stride, approaching the far wall of the courtyard and standing atop it. One fellow, both brave and stupid, was taking advantage of the situation; reaching into the pocket of another hunter and attempting to retrieve their wallet. In the blink of an eye Gwyn turned, pointing a finger straight at the man and with it casting all eyes upon his thieving ways. The almost-thief retracted his hand, slowly backing away with a sheepish grin on his face, but his eyes did widen; as the other students turned back to look Gwyn was gone.

Many rushed to the edge of the wall and some did see that he had fallen... or had he jumped? His white coat, stained orange by the setting sun, was whipped up to show its pink underside. These students would be the first to see that it wasn't some choice of style. Rather, when it looked as though his back were about to hit the wall, there was an explosion of force behind him! Thrust dust was woven into this coat. His body was shot forward and with it he was sent up and straight, above deeper woods and further from shelter. Coordinates were locked in, hard wired, as he soared through the air the gadget on his left arm (the very one which had created the message screen) began to shine an electric blue; in his hands a halberd made of some manner of solid light manifested! It had a large axe-head, square like a guillotine blade, and a spike at its tip. Falling toward the ground at an increasingly fast speed he held the weapon straight before him, swinging at the last second catching a branch with the blade. Carving a deep gouge into the branch, slowing his momentum, he allowed the weapon to disperse, the light fading from his wrist, only to reform differently. In his right hand now a lean and smooth scimitar with a small cross-guard; as he continued forward he caught tree after tree with the blade, slowing his momentum to a manageable pace.

He kept the weapon drawn, dashing toward the location. Every intentional flick of his coat sent another spurt of thrust dust into the ground behind him, forcing him further and further ahead. He would arrive soon.

As Thomas approached his victim, he caught a glimpse of what was in his hand. His target had pulled out a scroll and most likely called for assistance, meaning that Thomas' days as a free man were now numbered. He screamed with rage and launched a fist towards the back of Yoren's head at the same time, furious at what the coward had done. He couldn't fight Thomas on his own, so he called for help? Tom found him self overflowing with rage.

"You disgusting creature... I will make you regret that choice soon."

With that, Thomas started his escape, sprinting through the woods at an almost impossible pace for someone of his size. He made very little noise from far away, and was making decent distance between his previous home and himself. The final part of his plan was going to have to happen now, instead of weeks or months later like he wanted.

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HP : 200/250
SP : 40/50

Threw one punch and started running away.

Yoren had succeeded in sending his message, just as his opponent had approached. When the masked man saw his scroll, it appeared he’d quickly realize what had happened and Yoren felt no remorse in his actions. While not fighting his own battles might be seen as dishonorable, risking allowing a murderer to go unreported would have been a truly dishonorable act. The Wolf simply regretted that he had to set his pride aside for the good of the public, but there had simply been too many unknowns, and Yoren doubted that he could capture the man alive on his own. No, he had made the right choice, and Yoren now knew he needed to pursue the man soon, he knew that traps such as the one he had been caught in had release latches, and Yoren found it after a few moments of searching. The metal prison finally releasing his captured leg and allowing him to regain his mobility.

The large man would have pursued the masked killer had he not heard Gwyn coming, and realized that the head of security would be better able to pursue. Whilst Yoren wasn’t slow per say, even in his heavy armor, the speed the other man had fled with was one he would be hard pressed to match. However, tracking was a different story, as the escape would not have left the man much time to conceal the trail, and Yoren knew well that men such as himself, or the masked man were hard pressed to hide their trails easily as is, given their size.

Should the Head of security arrive, or had he already arrived Yoren would point him in the correct direction that the masked man had run to, pursuing behind Gwyn after in order to provide support.

HP 165/200 AP: 70/100

Trees were falling left and right, Gwyn was cleaving the most direct path to the location. Arriving only to see Yoren remove a bear trap from his leg. He stoped for a moment, being pointed in the direction of the target and quickly took in the surrounding area. With less than a nod to Yoren Gwyn whipped his cape and shot forward and into the air; landing once before jumping again his sword's colour changed; going from a deep blue to a cyan colouration. Bringing the sword across his body he slashed from left to right; and from the sword a gust of icy wind flew forth; it made contact with the trees, appearing as a thin line before beginning to creep along the mass. On the ground a thick layer of frost had formed, crunching under-foot. With the attack performed, a wide radius being slowly encased in ice, Gwyn would halt rather than continue to pursue.

He was listening in, no large creatures were in the area; the prior combat would have spooked them off. The only real exception was Grimm and well... they weren't much of an issue for him. Tracking their target would be as simple as listening for his footsteps. Racing in one direction would just increase the possibility of failure, tracking the target at the risk of going the wrong way wasn't worthwhile. It was best to take a measured and calculated approach, running faster than the wind would be quite the feat without a semblance. Drawing the sword across his body again he loosed two more slashes, cold winds that would creep further and further into the forrest and serve to thicken the frost. Movement would create sound, the target could fly this was unavoidable. Ideally he'd be rooted to the spot and squeal in pain as jagged ice crystals coated them. Sliding his hand along the length of the blade it returned to its original colour, Gwyn would gesture with an open hand for Yoren to stay still before raising a finger to his lips to tell him to stay silent. Mr Ryu remained incredibly still, it didn't appear his chest was rising and falling nor was he sweating despite the mad dash he had made.

Damages: