Of Minds and Warfare.

More, more of his scent! Ah, the Wolf side of Hannibal's being is ravenous, screaming at him to make a move!.... No. As long as his teachings still hold a place in his mind, Hannibal will stay his ground. But... That doesn't mean he shouldn't test the waters. With the wind dying down, and the snow slowing along with it, Hannibal gives his saber another quick electrical charge. Using his nose, Hannibal follows the scent trail, straight to what he assumed was its apex, before swinging Vonalzo, firing the lightning at the trails apex.

Smelling ozone in the air, Roland swiftly ducks, an arc of lightning sailing overhead with a safe margin. A moment later, he rises back up and continues his advance, slightly shifting his trail to point a few feet to his side. Still downwind, Roland prepares to drop the trail entirely before his next strike.

Hmm, the trails moved... Still, the occurrence is odd; the winds contradict the change, with the way the current still moves. Nonetheless, Hannibal can't help but test it, still. Slashing through the air, Hannibal fires another charge off Vonalzo's blade; this time wide, and sweeping. As the electrical current zipped through the air, it spread out, fanning the scent trail, as well as a few feet on each side. "Your close, Roland..... Getting... Close..." Hannibal mumbled, squinting as he scanned the area in front of him.

Smelling ozone once more, Roland drops the trail and propels himself well into the air, drawing all five blades as he reaches his apex. In rapid succession, he launches each blade at Hannibal before he touches down, using his wind to close in on Hannibal more quickly.

"And the Red Swordsman rears his head!" Hannibal shouts, raising Vonalzo and using quick, precise movements to block and parry three of Roland's launched blades. The last two, Hannibal sidesteps, feeling snow patter against his leg close to where the blades impacted the ground. At seeing Roland accelerate towards him, Hannibal swings his saber to his side, and pulls Villam up. With three bullets left, Hannibal fires one, aimed at Roland's collar bone.

Roland summons a powerful updraft under Hannibal, inadvertently throwing the Faunus' aim enough to have the shot sail harmlessly over Roland's shoulder. Tapping further into his Aura, Roland increases the power behind the updraft, hoping to launch Hannibal into the air.

"Hah-erg!" Hannibal grunts, actually leaping, allowing himself to get taken up by the powerful updraft. Mid-air, he angles himself and stabs downward, firing a bolt of lightning at Roland. Twisting out of the wind current, Hannibal lands with a heavy thud, throwing up a bit of snow. With a low flourish of his blade, Hannibal slashes at some snow, picking and flinging it at Roland, before advancing on the Swordsman, Vonalzo's blade brought up for a downward stab.

Roland dives away from the incoming lightning, rolling to his feet as the snow Hannibal flung sprays across his chest. A moment later, he twists out of the way of the Faunus' jab, pushing the blade away by the flat with his palm. In retaliation, Roland then twists along the blade he just pushed and brings his elbow up to strike at Hannibal's jaw. "Give it up, Hannibal," Roland taunts, trying to demoralize his opponent. "This was over before it began. You're out of your league trying to fight me."

Hannibal takes the strike to the jaw, but turns his head to the left, moving with the attack to decrease the damage done. With swift pivoting movement, Hannibal lifts his left leg, armored boot and all, and twists, launching a hard and heavy heel kick to Rolands mid-section. ".... Chosen to be leader for a reason, Roland.... Best me in a spar, my place above you is still set..." Hannibal responds, sucking down a small bit of blood that Roland managed to kick up in his mouth. A small rupture that is easily sealed and healed.

Roland catches Hannibal's kick with both hands, then twists, adding a vortex of wind with it to add force. "You're simply the more compassionate, charismatic of the two of us," Roland says, a fierce grin in place.

"Among other things, I'm quite sure!" Hannibal says, pivoting again, and using the the forceful twist to his advantage. Jumping with his right leg alone, the lower portions of his long white coat flying up into Roland's face, Hannibal's second kick, via his quickly rising right foot, is hidden from view, and headed for Roland's neck area. "Regardless, I'll take what you've said as a compliment."

Roland raises his arm to block Hannibal's incoming kick, then quickly locks it down, hoping to trap the Faunus' leg. "Once again, Hannibal, you've become predictable," he chides, a confident grin still in place.

"Have I?" Hannibal says, feigning an absent mind as he drops to the ground, arms out in a push-up form into the snow. "So, Sorry!" He grunts, twisting first the upper portion, then the lower parts of his body in an attempt to flip Roland over and onto his back, while the Swordsman still had hold of Hannibals' legs.

Once Hannibal begins twisting, Roland releases his leg, allowing him to fall to the ground unhindered. Roland finally strikes with a veritable hammer of wind aimed at Hannibal's back. "Yes. You have," Roland says in response to Hannibal's question.

Hannibal remains close to the ground once he falls, taking the brunt of the hammering wind; thank Dust for his armor. Tucking in, Hannibal rolls to the right, "Said I was sorry, didn't I!" He grunts, maneuvering his left wrist. He aims Villam, firing from the hip, a single round... At such a close range.

Roland stumbles back as Hannibal's shot impacts against his Aura over his hip. Continuing to back away slightly, Roland sweeps his hand to recall his blades, positioning them with the tip aimed at his opponent. Sweeping his hands out to both sides, Roland moves the blades to encircle Hannibal, revolving around the Faunus menacingly.

"Heh... Eh-haha!" Hannibal lets out a bit of a laugh, staring up at Roland. He stares at Roland a few more seconds, a small grin forming on his face, and still chuckling, as he turns his gaze from left to right, watching the floating blades circling around him. "Hah! Hahaha...." He trails off, looking back down at himself, still laying on the ground, Revolver in one hand, with one round aimed at Roland. Slowly, Hannibal gets back to his feet, chuckling as he does so, the grin never leaving his face.

Hannibal manages to close his mouth, the chuckles only sounding like muffled huffs. He looks about himself; at Roland, his blades, down at his own sword and pistol.... His pistol. Hannibal suddenly favors the weapon, flipping it around in his hand so he's holding it by the barrel. Hannibal looks at the weapon, then at Roland, then back to the weapon. Without warning, Hannibal raises the pistol, looking like he's about to pistol-whip Roland, then at the last second, heaves his arms and throws Villam at Roland.... Throws, Villam at Roland. Fathers' and Grandfathers' teachings be damned, Hannibal just threw his revolver at someone.

Roland leans out of the way of the impromptu projectile, watching it fly past in marvel of the stupidity of the action. Mouth hanging slightly open, he turns back to face Hannibal, asking, "Did you really just..."

"GRAH!!" Hannibal roars, bum-rushing forward to spear-shoulder tackle Roland. Not forgetting about Vonalzo, Hannibal keeps its blade away from the two of them, but holds it in a tight grip, aiming to use it should He manage to somehow bowl Roland over, and end up on top.

Roland is sent to the ground with Hannibal's tackle, and his eyes widen in surprise that the Faunus got past his swords. The red-clad swordsman quickly summons his swords arranging them overhead to fan out, with the blades directed at himself and Hannibal.

Clambering on top of Roland, Hannibal takes the slightest notice of Rolands hovering, orbiting swords. Maneuvering so that he's kneeling over Roland's chest, Hannibal brings up Vonalzo, and switches grips, so it looks like Hannibal's about to stake Roland through the head. With one last gruff, huffing of air, Hannibal brings down Vonalzo..... And stabs it's blade into the snow, an inch and a half to the right of Roland's head, but angled in a way that Hannibal could easily pivot-cleave the Swordsman's head off. "D-do..... Do you yield? *Huff-huff* You wanna.... Wanna call it down the middle, or?.... Or what? *Huff-Huff*" Hannibal says, clearly out of breath, and amped up on adrenaline, "I don't.... Don't think you'll... Ah, damn....."

"I'd say we can call it a draw, this time," Roland says, setting aside Gale's blades. "I never would have thought you'd do something so stupid," he comments, referring to when Hannibal threw his gun

"Neither would I...." Hannibal admits, getting off of Roland and standing up, pulling Vonalzo from the snow and sheathing the cavalry saber. "Heat of the moment, you know?... I can't help but feel, somewhere, my Great Grandfather is turning in his grave...." Resting his hand on Vonalzo's pommel, Hannibal speaks the code to stop the training arena's artificial environment settings. Looking around as everything fades away, Hannibal sees that the arena doesn't look too worse for wear. Twisting his neck and rolling his shoulders, Hannibal loosens up, before turning and walking toward the arena's stair steps. "So.... Anything planned for the rest of the day?"

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