[accidental video]

[promisedknight]

[Ren is in armor as Kamen Rider Knight and fighting another Rider. He gets the upperhand quickly, and throws him into a railing, where he falls to the floor. Ren then walks over, holding his sword.]

I win.



[He pulls back his sword, then brings it forward in a thrust and...]



[...stops centimeters from the other Rider's throat, just as two others, his friends, run up behind him.]

Ren.

[Ren is shaking, second guessing himself: Do you really think you can kill someone? You're not the cold person you think you are.]

[Soon enough, it's clear to the enemy Rider that Ren can't kill him, and he kicks away the sword, then kicks Ren back. Ren's too shocked to do anything as the other Rider summons a weapon and lunges for the kill. Luckily for Ren, though, one of the other Riders isn't willing to let him die.]

Ren!



[The other Rider pushes Ren out of the way just barely, sparing him the worst of the injury. They both hit a post behind them and fall. Ren starts to get up, but he's too injured, and collapses.]

Comments

[of_many_treasures]

Pretty soft of you.

But I guess that gooey center of yours is what makes you up.

[voice]

[promisedknight]

Shut up.

[His voice is raw, like he just spent some time crying. Might explain the immature response.]

Re: [voice]

[of_many_treasures]

I mean it. Being soft doesn't mean you're not strong.

Re: [voice]

[promisedknight]

Not here. Not when everything's depending on me to do this.

Re: [voice]

[of_many_treasures]

So what now then?

Re: [voice]

[promisedknight]

I don't know. If I can't fight...

Re: [voice]

[of_many_treasures]

You're giving up like that?

Re: [voice]

[promisedknight]

Gai already knows I can't kill him. Kido's going on about how much he thinks of me now. There's not much left that I can do.

Re: [voice]

[of_many_treasures]

You know, I could step in and help.

Re: [voice]

[promisedknight]

No. It's bad enough I couldn't do it once, but if I can't do anything on my own...

Re: [voice]

[of_many_treasures]

Well, at this point you're going to have to do it, or deal with it somehow.

Re: [voice]

[promisedknight]

How?

Re: [voice]

[of_many_treasures]

You'll have to decide on that yourself. Heroes get their hands dirty.

[sumofallreds]

[Marvelous is torn between making fun of this guy he's never seen before, and being overly stern with him.]

Just what was that?

[Seems to be the most likely middle-ground. He can decide later which to go with.]

[text]

[promisedknight]

Rider battle. I had my chance to kill him, and I didn't.

Re: [text]

[sumofallreds]

Not much for commitment then, are ya?

Even for a last-second change of heart, you should've been ready for a counter. Or at least went for a crippling blow. You could've been killed the way you went about it.

Re: [text]

[promisedknight]

[The reply comes after a long time.]

I knew what I was supposed to do when I agreed to become a Rider. I should have been ready. If I can't, maybe I should have died back there.

Re: [text]

[sumofallreds]

And a defeatist too I see.

[That kinda attitude....]

Look, I won't pretend to understand what a "Rider Battle" is, but no matter what kind of fight, you can't let a mistake just wreck you.

Re: [text]

[promisedknight]

If I can't learn to kill, I'm dead. There's already an enemy who knows my weakness now.

Re: [text]

[sumofallreds]

So...I take it this is a battle-to-the-death sort of deal? What's the purpose of it?

Re: [text]

[promisedknight]

There are 13 Riders. The last one to survive gets a wish for anything they want.

Re: [text]

[sumofallreds]

A wish, huh?

Seems kinda pointless to have a battle like that over a wish, when a simple defeat could work just as well.

Re: [text]

[promisedknight]

I don't know how it works or why there have to be 13 of us. But for me, it's the only chance I have.

Re: [text]

[sumofallreds]

Then you'd better start training your resolve then, shouldn't you?

But if I were you, I'd be watching your back for other reasons than your competition. Let's just call it a rogue's intuition.

Re: [text]

[promisedknight]

Yeah.