The not so quiet Process (Valo)

He wanted to leave this life behind him.

But Vivi had told him how much purpose he gave to people, how many people he had inspired throughout his time as a vigilante. To him, it meant the world to hear that from her, especially when he felt down on his luck. It was thanks to her that he decided to pick the bow back up and give it another shot.

Not having the same tracking capabilities as before with Helios not yet in San Francisco, Valo instead did a lot of recon personally. Eavesdropping, tailing people, and picking up on small clues that his targets didn't know they were leaving behind. They all led him to this place.

Dressed in his standard red vigilante gear, hood over his face, and mask covering his identity, Valo crouched down behind a crate, bow in hand as he peeked around the corner. He had a directional microphone out to overhear what was going on. It seemed the woman was in charge of this operation, and if experience told him anything, it was not to underestimate a woman in charge of anything.

For now, he'd lay in wait, trying his best to keep out of sight as he continued to scout for information to relay back to Vivi.

Tch, leaving already...

"I have no choice but to engage the target, Aphelion. I'm going in."

Speaking to Command, Valo would jump on top of the crates, readying arrows as he did so. Arrows would fly out towards the tires of the cars to take them out, if he was able to do so. Readying another arrow, he would point it at the woman in command, his voice coming out distorted.

"Sorry, but you're not going anywhere."

That bo staff...

Valo's eyes narrowed as he saw it, thinking it looked oddly familiar. The woman in front of him was definitely skilled enough to be something of a threat, but he wasn't sure just how much, not to mention the men that were with her. Still, if it was close quarters combat that she wanted, then he would oblige. It wasn't his method to shoot his opponent in close quarters anyway.

"Don't worry. After you, I'm going after your boss."

Holstering his bow, Valo would jump up as the woman struck at the crates, sending them toppling. While he was in mid air, Valo would pull out his sword, the Dragon Talon, lightning sparking around him as he slashed down at the woman from above. Chances are, it would be blocked, but then, he wasn't trying to kill her anyway.

Raising his blade, Valo began to charge at the woman as she made her advance. His eyes would widen, however, seeing what she did next. Her velocity increased considerably, and she swung her bo staff around in a way that caught him off guard. Barely turning his body in time due to the surprise, Valo would just manage to block the staff with his sword, a giant spark emitting from the force of the impact. It would be enough to send him flying backwards, landing on the ground with a skid before he rolled back up to a crouching position, staring at the girl through his mask.

I knew it...

Standing up to his feet, Valo would point the Dragon Talon at the woman, demanding answers.

"Where did you get that staff?"

A friend, huh? There were only two staves like that in the entire world that Valo knew of, and he knew this because he built them himself. It was a gift to Christa, who he hadn't seen in a long time, before the walls surrounding District #552 went up. The only explanations possible were that this was Christa in front of him... or his worst fear was true, and she was really dead, and some criminal found her equipment.

He wanted it to be the former, but he was prepared for it to be the latter.

"If I have to take you out, then fine. You're making a mistake going up against me. Especially if you have her staff..."

His voice trailed off a bit near the end. Pointing his sword at her, darkness would channel through the mark on his arm, moving through the blade for a moment before firing off at her quickly in a large, dark arrow.

(OOC: Symbol of FEAR/Shadowshot: 125% INT damage for 1 post per 25 INT. (1/3 used))

That voice...

Valo had to stay focused, but it was becoming more difficult. Whatever was going on here was just too eerie, but if he let himself get distracted, he could get killed. He couldn't go down, not here. Watching her closely, his eyes widened as she came at him so much faster than before. Barely blocking the blow to his side, Valo would end up taking the jab in the center of his chest, causing pain to rocket through his torso.

Damn it! that hurt a lot more than I thought it would...

Gritting his teeth as he slid back from the force, Valo concentrated and attempted to shut off the pain receptors in his body, his eyes glowing a bright red as he did so. At the same time, he would try to grab at the woman's staff before she could pull back, and if possible, he would lift her up and over his body before slamming her down on the ground behind him, if she was still holding onto the staff.

(OOC: Unbreakable (Tier 2) - Reminiscent of his time as the Wraith, Valo is able to channel his Qi energy throughout his body and nerves, dulling any sensation of pain and amplifying his recovery time as a result. For one post per 10 INT, Valo is able to ignore any pain from any attacks that he receives while this ability is active. Damage, however, is not ignored. After this ability is fully exhausted, Valo feels any and all pain that was inflicted on his person. (1/8 used))

Now she was disarmed, but there wasn't much fun in that. She looked like she was wearing down, but even then, she refused to give in. Holding her staff tightly, Valo would raise it up before throwing it towards her like a javelin. It would be easy to dodge, but it wasn't intended to hit. Meanwhile, energy would surge around his hand and he would aim it towards the ground below her, firing off another dark arrow with the intention to destroy the floor beneath her.

"I'm giving you one chance to surrender."

(Symbol of FEAR/Shadowshot: 125% INT damage for 1 post per 25 INT. (2/3 used))