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Post by TimePuppy on Jan 26, 2019 22:31:20 GMT
JUst a touch from Ikari casually melted Arthur's sword and blocked his attack without even turning around. Then Ikari started talking about hate, hate, and hate before actually bearing his teeth.
"Unarmed? That sword doesn't look like a bloody prop to me!" Arthur somersaulted backward just barely fast enough to avoid getting cleaved in two, the blade squeezing narrowly between his legs.
"Hey, it's not my fault you're too damn strong! You want proper fisticuffs, get weaker first!"
At Rin's announcement of assisting him, Arthur nodded in appreciation without taking his eyes off of Ikari. He tossed his swords away, leaving them floating in the air while he torpedoed himself forward and jumped into a dropkick. Only then, after hopefully knocking Ikari into Rin's arrows, did Arthur's swords come flying at the avatar of hatred's torso.
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Post by Vapovile on Jan 29, 2019 7:18:28 GMT
Cadence stayed still as Ginkumo explained herself, the plant doll’s eyes rolling as the seconds droned on. Do they not know explaining your plan...is a bad idea…? She thought to herself. The small dome around her chair was rubbing against several of Ginkumo’s wires, digging into the plant matter and creating several openings within. Suddenly, the dome began to retract...showing Cadence laying in her chair of flowers once more. Her expression was as uninterested as ever.
“...heroes…?” Cadence asked, putting a cap on her pipe to snuff out the sweet-smelling smoke wafting out of the end. She dumped out the contents and grew a tiny amount of a dark brown wood-like matter and stuffed it into her pipe. “...You might be right...about them…” Cadence took out a small ornate green lighter decorated with white paint depicting several daisies. She light the material and held it in her hand, allowing the white smoke to billow out, the particles much larger than the almost mist-like consistency of her other material.
“...but I object to the label...I am not here for a noble purpose...just investigating for my own reasons…” Strangely, the particles began to coat the nearby wires, allowing Cadence to see where they were. The plant doll didn’t have any special senses like Callis or Akane, and thus needed a new way to deal with the situation. A small frown briefly appeared on her face as she looked up at Ginkumo. “...and you are standing in my way…”
Commanding her vines to begin dividing, the plant doll maneuvered them to begin latching onto the razor-sharp threads and begin climbing, the thin fibers fusing together around the threads to coat them in a layer of green plant matter that wouldn’t cut them by mere pressure. She made sure to send out several tendrils toward the others, attempting to cover as many of their thread bindings as possible. Several of her plants crashed headlong into threads she didn’t see, splitting them into several pieces. But these failures also showed Cadence where more of the threads were, the broken vines dividing and covering the offending threads.
"...I can’t guarantee anything...but that should help…” Cadence told the others in a bored tone, shifting in her chair and looking up at Ginkumo. She watched as her vines followed the length of thread...aiming to reach the spider woman and form a thin spear of hardened oak that she planned to shoot directly into Ginkumo’s abdomen.
---
Yuu’s attack was expertly avoided when Haruko kicked off the ground and skated away several feet. She had to admit...it felt good to get the first strike in with something that powerful. Though...why wasn’t Yuu using her fire eyes? Even doubled over in pain...she should still able able to summon those. Best to stay at a distance.
“What happened, Arachne? Did kidnapping people get too boring for you? So now you join...him?!” Haruko motioned toward Ikari. She gave a few seconds for Yuu to respond...then summoned two 1-meter long parallel pink walls. Haruko aimed to block Yuu’s exit with one, and use the other to slam the doll hard into the ground, aiming to knock her out before the doll even began to fight.
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Post by HungryHunter on Jan 30, 2019 5:24:33 GMT
“When you taunt your enemies by calling them heroes, do you ever get the idea you might be on the wrong side? I really never will understand people like you.” Stephan pushed his arm into the nearest wire. It cut easily into the Nucleus’ armor, leaving a line that dripped green blood. The Nucleus began to shrink away and compress, becoming practically skintight. His antennae practically vanished, retreating into his armor. Everything that stuck out tightened and hid away.
The last change was his torso’s armor plates breaking apart, only connected by sticky, flexible tissue. It took a practical eternity, but he could afford to wait. Using the marks Cadence left, Stephan began to creep slowly through the deadly maze, moving in ways no human could. “You are under arrest for assault of an HWIC officer, attempted murder, and for leaving these threads where anybody could walk into them, gross negligence!” He pointed through the threads and kept coming, slowly but steadily moving through any hole that would fit him.
Martha was barely on her feet when Gen came rushing from the side. His surprise dropkick caught her in the ribs, making her stagger a few steps backwards. “Hey! I’m trying to help my friend!” She realized vaguely that the strike barely hurt. She decided to hit him in a way that wouldn’t kill him if he happened to be weak. Her foot snapped out, trying to strike him in the side of the knee. “I know you’re doing the same, but your friend is bad. Well, mine has problems too. But I’m helping him be good!” Martha looked back and gave Z a thumbs-up gesture. Dan realized when Z drew his gun that he was not especially fast. His aura flared up, but his leg could not move fast enough to avoid the shot. His aura and the bulletproof pantsleg reduced the blow to merely blowing a shallow hole in his thigh, rather than letting it pierce through and destroy the muscles within. Dan just grinned, ignoring the blood soaking into his jeans. “You’re just full of bullshit… too bad you telegraph like a flailing Kindergartener!” Dan yelled as Z charged. It was like staring down a rhino. Most people would flinch, but Dan was just smiling harder.
He had honed himself against opponents in the ring for years, more training than any normal human could do. Great martial artists knew how to hide their movements, but Z wasn’t a martial artist. He was a predator, raw power and instant death folded into a vaguely humanoid shape. This carried its own finesse: few humans could match the precision he aimed his limbs with. But it meant that when he slowed enough to throw his kick, Dan could see it. Normally, he would take it. But that wasn’t going to cut it here. Ancient muscle memory let him juke to the side, only feeling the wind displaced by the thrusting leg as it rushed past. His feet sent him forward, running instantly past the massive superpredator.
Dan barrelled towards Haruko, but a white blur shot from Gen to him. “Z! I cornered him!” Martha had abandoned Gen to block his path. Dan didn’t stop, lowering his shoulder. “Pink Comet!” He called his attack, delighted to be able to do so again. Martha put her hands out to stop him, but she was playing the wrong game entirely. With the traction of a low stance, Dan pushed right under her arms and slammed her right in the midsection with his shoulder. The white-haired girl was knocked on her ass and stepped on for good measure as Dan kept going. “Haruko!” I need explosives!” Dan yelled, extending his hands. “I… hrgh…” Yuu was still trying to suck enough air into her lungs to speak when Yuu’s neon wall smashed her flat again. She was slow to rise, wary of further attack. “...I released Kate. Marika would have eventually killed her, and I couldn’t let that happen when I could stop it.” She opened, throwing a kunai that went far wide of Haruko, just close enough to look like a real throw from Ikari’s position. “Keep attacking me.” She said, lunging forward but not striking with her sword. Her eyes were locked on Ikari. Dan arrived right about this moment, but in the next, his attention was drawn away. Martha came from behind and slammed her fist into his flank. It stung, but not as much as Z’s attack. He spun, trying to catch her temple with his elbow, but she leaned back just out of range and kicked his legs out from under him, leaving him on the ground when she darted back over to Gen. “Sorry, I’m back.” She was rubbing her stomach, but otherwise grinning at what seemed to be one of her few victories.
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Post by RedLenai on Jan 30, 2019 16:57:41 GMT
Vladimir listened to Ginkumo's plan, he couldn't deny what Cadence said was true. After knowing that this "Sakka" used to create gollems with ink it became a little too obvious now, an amateur writer... At least he could tell that overused cliché in most of children's stories.
How... predictable - He said with a blank expression - and I'm not a hero
As he observed how Akane, Cadence and Stephan took action, he as well should do something.
He grabbed both Callis and Akane by their arms.
Listen, you'll both won't be able to breath for a few seconds - He warned them as their bodies began to shine, covered in Vladimir's white knots. A hurricane of wind flowed from them as it was directed to Ginkumo. The violent strenght of it would break the webs, at least the paladin was conviced of.
He immediatly let go of his companions - Now, deep breath, slowly. Take plenty of air, calmly. There is no need to rush - He said as he gave them space.
Taking his spear again, the ex-Paladin swinged it as he went forward. When the tip of his weapon touched the floor, a thunder came from the Driapchta's body, ending in the place the spear touched - Let's see if you are made of ink too... - He growled, eyed fixed on the spider.
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Post by Kuma on Jan 31, 2019 4:40:25 GMT
-I can give you fisticuffs if that’s how you want to play it!- Ikari dispelled his swords and received the dropkick with a Karate guard, slamming his forearm, which felt like a bar of iron, down against Arthur’s shin. Ikari would defuse most of the damage from the attack, but the force behind it was harder to control. Without losing his form he was pushed backward, his feet leaving skid marks on the wooden floorboards. -Nice try Frosty, but no cig-ARGH!- Ikari didn’t realize he was pushed towards the incoming attacks. Rin’s arrows hit him but didn’t pierce through his iron-like muscles, as his whole body was tensed up, thanks to the Karate guard he was using. Still, they managed to pierce his suit and draw blood from his back, lines of black ink-like substance dripped out from the newly formed wounds. Ikari relaxed his body, looking first at Rin, his eyes burning, and then glared Arthur. -So this is how’s going to be?- He asked and then crossed his arms in front of his face. Energy swirled around his hands and then he twisted his wrists releasing twin spiraling beams of Hatred Flames.
Rin seeing the incoming attack rolled out of the way, but she wasn’t fast enough. Even with her ki reinforcing her body, the attack managed to hit her shoulder as she dropped to the side. The beam seemed to rend through her defense, drilling the Ki Armor and reaching her flesh. A nasty burn formed over her skin. The other beam was flying towards Arthur, moving almost as fast as a bullet.
Gen was caught by Martha’s sweep just as he landed from the dropkick, falling flat on his ass but still ready to fight. -What the fuck!?- He asked as Martha blasted off, running behind Dan. The Former Spirit Boxer stood up before she returned, pulling a kip up. As she saw the incoming blur he prepared himself, gathering his resolve and energy, drawing another portion of power from the Medal. This took quite a while for him to master, and he wasn’t at Ikari’s level, but Gen was able to mimic Ki through Gainen Energy, but only in bursts, he lacked his sister’s consistency and versatility. As soon as Martha stopped and talked he replied. -My fuckin’ knuckles missed ya.- And threw a 1-2 combo aimed to first stun her with a jab to her nose and then nail her with a powerful straight. Orthodox boxing.
Goemon and Riku were engaged in a high-speed exchange of blows with the Karate Star and the Ironclad Boxer hitting each other and drawing sparks and loud CLANGS with each blow. Goemon, powered by his Ki, dented the armored arms of Riku, but the Vengeful Teen regenerated almost as fast as Goemon could hurt him. The Karate Star situation was different. Riku’s body was the armor, while in his case the Ki layer over his skin was the one protecting him, acting like kevlar. Soon their exchange was leaving bruises on Goemon’s forearms, as he used Karate parries and blocks to fight against the high-speed out-boxing Riku was using.
-How amusing… hohohohoho.-Ginkumo courtly laughed as Akane’s shuriken flew towards her. The Ki managed to keep them intact for a while, but soon it was clear that the Spider Yokai had an invisible shield of threads in front of her. Soon the shurikens were torn into small pieces. But it wasn’t a useless act, as Ginkumo had to focus on moving those threads to block the projectiles, thus ignoring Cadence’s actions until it was too late. But worse of all, she didn’t consider that Vladimir could do something. The wind pushed her threads back, to the point some of them sliced up her fan and kimono. Ginkumo skittered backward with fear. -No… it was supposed that I should kill you… that’s how it was written.- The thunder booming on the hallway paralyzed her with fear. -Stop right there!- Callis proclaimed as he took deep breaths while pulling out his swords. But before anybody could act with their newfound freedom, somebody did the deed first.
Out of nowhere, a hand popped up through Ginkumo’s chest. Long fingers with sharp nails piercing through, covered in black ink. The Spider Yokai fell to the floor and behind her was a man. One nobody heard arrive. He was old and had long white hair and beard, dressed in prisoner clothing. As Ginkumo turned into a puddle beneath him, he scanned the group and invited them to attack him with a gesture of his ink covered hand. His other hand was behind his back.
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Post by othus on Jan 31, 2019 5:30:40 GMT
Z calmly turned towards Dan as he dodged yet again, normally, he would take his time pursuing him until his stamina ran out, and his grin turned into despair, but he had to be done with him soon. As Dan called for Haruko's assistance, Z turned that way only to witness Yuu blatantly faking her attacks. He looked at Dan one last time before moving elsewhere.
"Unfortunately, I don't have time to waste with you, Drake. It seems there is a traitor in our midst. while I attend to this matter, I shall let you know despair."
The collector took out one of the marbles out of his pocket which had a black color to it. The moment he pressed it, a spider-like machine made out of millions of small pieces began to materialize.
Z tossed the hand-sized machine on Dan's direction and the collector proceeded to forget about the man in pink, his reaction was almost as if the fighter had died already.
The spider teleported as it jumped all over the place, making it seem incredibly fast, should it latch onto Dan it would begin to drain the fighter until he died.
The Collector then moved towards Yuu and Haruko, with great speed, he attempted to hit the Gem girl from behind with a shoulder tackle, should she dodge, he would still charge straight towards Yuu, taking advantage of her blocked field of vision to pin her against a wall.
Musashi held her breath when Vlad gave the instruction, apparently, his powerset was extremely versatile.
Akane's eyes widened the moment Ginkumo was killed by this new figure. who was this guy? a prisoner? this situation was out of control. As the prisoner taunted the group Akane drew her blade, her Kaneshige began to glow in a bright blue which quickly turned into a purple color.
"Callis, Vlad, Look for an opening, I'll try to give you some time"
Musashi knew there was no way someone could just show up out of nowhere and do as he pleased in such a casual manner. this person was strong, strong like only a few people she had met in the past.
Akane nodded at Cadence from afar, letting her know she would move first towards the target.
As Musashi jumped towards him, she began to add momentum to her blade by spinning, adding more and more force behind her attack. her Kaneshige had a full intent to cut, and that's what the blade of Masamune would do, she aimed with all of her strength at the arm of the prisoner, aiming not to kill him, but only to incapacitate the man as Callis had instructed her. her inhuman jump propelled her straight towards the enemy, laying her exotic blade with beautiful technique.
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Post by Vapovile on Jan 31, 2019 20:52:51 GMT
Vlad’s windstorm came as a surprise to Cadence, who was forced to lower her chair closer to the ground and grow a thin makeshift dome around herself so that none of the threads wrapped around her body. Looks like he’s got wind powers...in addition to teleportation and shields… The doll thought to herself. Why did this man have such a strange assortment of powers? She sat back in her chair to let the others take care of Ginkumo...but a strange new figure took her place.
Cadence tilted her head slightly in confusion. “...not a sound…?” She muttered to herself. Did this man also have the ability to teleport, or was he simply adept at moving stealthily? But if it was the latter...why was he challenging them outright? Surely a stealth fighter would want to take them out one-by-one from the shadows. His garments also indicated that he was probably one of the prisoners here. Why was he not talking though…?
The nod from Akane was reciprocated by a nod from Cadence. She didn’t know what Akane meant by the gesture, but considering that the warrior took off toward the newcomer...she figured it was a motion of solidarity. ...do they honestly expect me to charge in first…? The plant doll thought to herself. She had no intention of drawing this man’s attention to herself until she had a plan to deal with him.
Dumping out the contents of her pipe once more, Cadence replaced it with the normal blend of plants that inhabited her pipe and lit it with the lighter once more. She took a few puffs and laid back in her chair, back to being totally calm. She turned to Vlad and motioned toward the newcomer. “...If you could buy me some time...that would be great…” Cadence slowly told the paladin.
Turning back toward the fight, Cadence began to shift the plants around herself. The vines began to grow a strange brown color, with tiny blue bulbs beginning to appear along the sides. Cadence stared at the bulbs, now deep in concentration.
---
While Yuu was staggering on the ground, Haruko’s eyes narrowed in confusion. Why was this so easy? In their first fight, Yuu was already ablaze by this point and slowly getting stronger. Despite many opportunities to do so...Yuu wasn’t releasing any flaming tears. What was going on here? Yuu’s words then made Haruko’s expression darken into a frown. Was this a trick? How could she be sure that Yuu was the one who helped release Kate from Marika’s grasp? Wasn’t she supposed to be the most loyal doll?
The magical seamstress prepared to dodge the kunai, but its trajectory was wide enough that it proved unnecessary. “...ok, what’s your aim, Yuu?” Haruko asked, forming a neon pink wall between herself and Yuu’s charge. Yuu shoulder checked the wall, making it shudder but not breaking through. “My family’s safety. I don’t think Kuro-san has that in mind.” She jumped and grabbed the top of the wall, swinging herself over and landing in front of Opal Song. She stood, ready with her sword but not approaching further.
Could Yuu actually be trusted here? Everything Haruko knew about her up to this point should point to no. Marika had kidnapped both John and Kate, and Yuu fought to defend Marika both times. But perhaps...Yuu only cared for Marika, and they had gotten wrapped up in something over their heads? Haruko let out a sigh and looked the doll in the eyes. “...so what’s the p…” Suddenly, Haruko sensed something barreling toward the two of them. The magical seamstress instinctually flew high into the air, her conscious weighing in on if she should help Yuu or not. Surely if she felt unsafe around these people, making them seem like allies seems like a bad idea. This momentary train of thought led to total inaction as Z barreled right into Yuu.
Yuu only noticed Z when Haruko moved. Coming in low and fast, even something as big as Z went unseen in the chaos that abounded. “Z, what are you-” Yuu squealed in pain when she was smashed into the wall again. This time something broke, and the wall crumbled around her. Part of her body was in the next room over, pinned between by Z’s indomitable strength. “Z! You missed her! Get off and catch her, she can skewer us both from here!” She screamed, struggling, but it was dawning on her that this wasn’t a mere case of Z being clumsy. She hadn’t counted on multiple observers. The alien had to go. Her eyes flared and her entire body went up in flames, hot enough to melt the tiles at her feet in seconds. With a limited range of motion, she tried to get her sword into a gap in Z’s armor and slide it in, striking at his true body.
Landing back onto the ground, Haruko watched in awe as the strange alien crashed Yuu into the next room over, the doll squealing as she went through. If this is a trick...it’s a pretty convincing one… Haruko thought to herself. Why were the villains now fighting each other? Turning to Dan, Haruko pulled aside one of her dress pockets to reveal a small array of knives that he’d recognize from her normal form. “Here, take them!” She commanded, pulling out 5 explosive knives and slapping them onto Dan’s palm. “Just...be careful, ok? That...thing looks crazy.” She warned. Just what was that thing that just attacked Yuu? Flashing a smirk toward Dan, she took off toward the fight that needed her most...and the one that was sending a feeling of dread straight to her core. “Just hang in there, Frosty…”
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Post by HungryHunter on Feb 2, 2019 0:53:28 GMT
“I don’t put much pay in modern-day prophets myself.” Stephan stepped through the falling threads around Callis and Akane and readied himself, but Ginkumo was not the opponent he faced, even as she was the one he was prepared for. Black spots appeared on his chest, thrown from Ginkumo’s rent torso. He watched her dissolve, realizing he was horribly unequipped for battle with this man in an instant.
The Nucleus was writhing, antennae shot straight for the ceiling in red-alert panic mode. This ancient man wreathed in white now called Akane forward, putting everything she had into her sword. Normally Stephan would want to talk, but this moment did not allow it. He made a short prayer that he would see his family again and charged right behind her. His extra-flexible joints helped him as he jumped by her and spun. With limbs that bordered on rubber, he put more momentum into his leg than any human could as it swung for the silent man’s skull.
Gen’s first punch nearly hit Martha as she skidded to a stop. She only barely leaned her head far enough back to avoid it, growing a smug grin as she came up. “Hah! I already broke my nose today, that won’t happen ag-” The straight caught her on the cheek, impacting then scraping by, Gen’s knuckle leaving a scratch that didn’t bleed right over her existing scar. Martha stumbled for a second, then grinned. “Hey, you’re not bad! I guess I can actually hit you!” She responded with her own combo. Her jab came fast for Gen’s own nose, followed in an instant by a crescent kick that can sweeping in at his skull from the side. Almost as soon as it was thrown, she was bolting to the side not targeted by her kick, throwing a straight at the other side of his face. The two blows were so close in timing that she could very well bounce his head between the two strikes like a two-fighter combo rather than a single martial artist.
Dan’s eyes tracked Z’s hand fishing his device from his pocket and activating it. His eye twitched when it unfolded into an unpleasant little monster. He could handle a lot of things. Z himself was no big deal. But as the spider took off, teleporting all over, he groaned. Why? Why a tiny swarmy crawly darty thing? Just give me something I can punch! He lamented. The pink fighter ducked a lunge of the spider and scrabbled in a half, standing, stumbling stance, supporting himself nearly as much with is hands as his feet for a moment. Dan watched Z smash his own ally halfway through the wall and managed to stand as he drew back away from the attack. His heart jumped when Haruko narrowly avoided being caught up in the charge, relaxing a little when she landed near him.
“Thanks Haruko! Now I feel like I can’t lose!” Dan carefully stowed all but one of the knives in his belt and turned back to the skittering spider, just now sliding into view right in front of him. It vanished again, but this time his skin only crawled a little. Dan concentrated all of his energy into his fist and was delighted when it worked, his body’s aura dimming to a barely perceptible glow while his fist burned with brimming layers of fighting spirit. He had his old powers compared to ki a lot, and it seemed they really were nearly identical.
Already, though, he was beginning to feel the one great disadvantage of these powers; they were limited by his own stamina. Before, he was drawing upon an entire universe of power, unlimited from his non-cosmic point of view. Now, however, he had an internal reservoir, one he had already drawn heavily from just getting these powers. Still, it should be enough for his plan.
The spider kept vanishing and appearing again, Dan standing as still as he could. This wasn’t his specialty, not at all. His speed was middling and his senses were human. A thousand times, he was ready to attack and it vanished again. Finally, it dropped from above and its cold metal limbs touched his shoulder. He could feel the icy feeling of his fighting spirit being drained away, but only for an instant. He whirled, tossing his jacket into the air. The spider leg go to strike again, but not as quickly as he stabbed. The knife became an explosion, rolling him back and dousing him in burning shards of metal.
There were little burning holes all over his freshly exposed pink shirt, but his hand was fine. Tiny first-degree burns brushed his fingers and a dull ache followed. Dan didn’t stop to think about whether the hunting robot survived or if he could handle two knives with half the fighting spirit defenses. He just drew the knives from his belt and ran at Z while he still loomed over the struggling Yuu. Two in each hand, his fighting spirit barriers split, covering both hands evenly as he jumped and put his arms around Z’s neck. “Nice toys. Want to see my friend’s?” Two explosive knives were thrust for each eye-hole in Z’s sturdy mask.
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Post by TimePuppy on Feb 2, 2019 9:14:56 GMT
Why could he shoot his fire off like that? That's not fair! Arthur hoped Rin was okay, but he had to focus on surviving right now. The spiraling flames of hatred approached fast, but not fast enough for Arthur to get hit. It didn’t need to though. The spiral was wide enough and the flames were hot enough its mere presence caused painful blisters to appear everywhere Arthur’s coat didn’t cover, his face especially.
Fuck, he thought. Healing spells are not gonna fix that. He jumped back to weigh his options and have more time to dodge similar attacks, when Haruko flew in, the spotlight no longer around her to allow a slightly stealthier approach to Ikari and his fight.
“Frosty! You ready for an Icebreaker?!”The magical seamstress yelled at him, her face a mix of worry and forced optimism.
Arthur glanced at Haruko and grinned, flinching right after from the pain it caused. He put out his arm and gathered his mana into it for his strongest attack. A magic circle with symbols from out of this world appeared before him and a second later came out a beam of sheer cold. It froze the very air around it as it traveled toward Ikari and when it reached him it would explode with great power and even more ice.
But the attack wasn’t done. Right as the beam would reach Ikari, Haruko would infuse the area with her mana and create a concentrated sonic beam directed at Ikari, a heightened burst of the song that had accompanied her entrance. “You might be strong, but we have teamwork! So...here goes nothing!” And with that, Haruko began to fly circles around Ikari, letting the sonic blasts rip through the air. Her aim was primarily to try bypassing Ikari’s insane durability with her sonic attacks, which passed through skin easier. But there was a secondary objective...shatter any of the ice that managed to get on Ikari. The shards of ice didn't clatter to the ground but turned into a deadly storm of razors surrounding Ikari, cutting and piercing anything they could touch.
“Feel our friendship!” Arthur yelled and regretted it instantly. The joke was not worth it. Haruko shot him a sympathetic smile from her spot in the air, continuing to shoot sonic blasts at Ikari for a few more seconds. She soon stopped though, now breathing harder than she did seconds earlier. It was rough using this much mana so quickly.
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Post by RedLenai on Feb 4, 2019 0:18:21 GMT
Oh, I'm deeply sorry I couldn't warn you! - The man said in embarrassement. However he listened to the doll. Making new pentagrams that protected the girl. Valdimir also summoned a stream of air that would swing around her as a second barrier. One of his hands had a glowing celtic symbol as he made sure the spell was working.
Once he finished his hand stopped shining and he went forward. His companions were already attacking their new adversary... the unknown new adversary, the only thing he coult tell was that the man was old and a prisoner.
Uhm... m-my apologies... sir? - the ex-Paladin said, quite nervous as he tried to talk despite his allies were... doing was it was supossed to do - These are my allies and I am Vladimir Kearney,a driaochta. What are you fighting for?
He knew something was oddly strange. The man didn't seem to be allies with the girl Sakka. As Ginkumo said, it seems that some things weren't written... so despite what that girl or woman could write it wasn't a true written in stone. But the prisoner, if he were won he'll cooperate to gain freedom. He knew prisoners could have another interest... even fight to meet someone stronger could be a reason.
He wished Jeremy or Elatha to be there... they were the stronger ones in their party. Lucille was the informant, Elatha the strenght,Jeremy the tank and he was just the "snowflake heart" as Ela used to joke... this case was similar too. Maybe it was right that he never fit to be a paladin despite knowing when he did things right but he also did many things wrong.
It wasn't time to lament. He should think less otherwise he won't never be able to reach his own goals. Taking his spear with a firm grip the man began to write in mid air new words and pentagrams. He was going to make things as quick as possible. Writting in celtic the words "cut", "air" and "speed" the man summoned a stream that had pressure at the point of cutting woods then he aimed at the prisoner, making sure he didn't hurt or annoy his allies in the process.
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Post by Kuma on Feb 15, 2019 3:39:14 GMT
Nothing.
The continued attacks of the group didn’t seem to reach the old man standing in front of them. Akane’s blade reached first, but it slipped millimeters away from Quan’s skin. Stephen’s kick swung through the air, whistling with a terrifying pitch, but not managing to connect. Callis charged, becoming a silver blur, spinning mid-air as he lunged, but his blades seemed to twist around the body of Quan, who barely moved to avoid the attacks. The final attack came from Vladimir, who sent the air pressure wave. The attack phased through the Silent Fist’s body that for a split second flickered as if the Paladin’s spell only hit a piece of loose fabric. Callis, who had backstepped after his failed attack and was standing behind Quan, looked at the situation with shocked eyes. The enemy didn’t have any Ki or Magic he could sense, not even Gainen Energy. -What in the name of the Ancient Magus is happening here? I cannot sense anything! Not even a scent!- He asked, baffled at the enemy in front of him, who seemed to be impervious to all attacks. Quan moved forward and aimed a series of spear hands at everyone who got close to him. All attacks seemed to come out at the same time and ignore any range difference. It was like he had 4 stretchy arms, attempting to hit Akane, Callis, Vladimir and Stephen on the neck at the same time.
-Not fuckin’ bad? I’ll show ya how we fight back in Kansai.- Gen snarked back at her as he weaved his head to the side to avoid the jab, then he ducked the kick and finally her straight scratched his face as he stepped into her range. A line of blood came out from the wound, but the Hot-Blooded Brawler seemed unfazed by it. Gen, right in front of Martha, performed a small leap as he attempted to clinch the back of her neck to pull her down. At the same time, his knees shot up aimed towards her chin. -Eat shit and fuckin’ die!- He shouted while performing a textbook Codebreaker.
Goemon, still tangled up with Riku, witnessed Dan’s fight against the strange weapon Z pulled out and knew he couldn’t keep playing around. The Ironclad Boxer noticed the Karate Star’s focus waning and decided to take advantage, charging with a 1-2 combo. -Sorry, kid.- Goemon said as he grabbed Riku’s right jab with his own right hand and his left straight with his left hand. -But I need to go full force.- With that said golden fire blasted out Goemon’s body and in a feat of strength, he twisted both arms, lifting Riku off the floor and making him spin mid-air. The Karate Star continued his offensive with a traditional Karate step-in reaching Riku’s legs while he was spinning. Without a second of hesitation, he grabbed the Ironclad Boxer by the ankles and threw him as a living shuriken directly aimed at Z. -Drake-san! Look out!- Goemon’s aim was good, but still, he wanted to warn Dan.
Ikari, glared at Rin, his eyes becoming smoldering embers of deep purple hatred. -You… You bitch.- He pointed at the Young Warrior as flames circled his arm like twin snakes, reaching his finger. His face was a mass of tensed up skin and bulging veins, twisted and contorted beyond recognition, more like a demonic Noh mask than an actual face. -Y'all pay for what ya fuckin’ did!- Once again his voice changed, becoming more passional and surprising sporting a Kansai accent. -Y'all all pay!- He shoots the flames at Rin, who still a bit dizzy from the pain barely had any time to react. Her weapon shifted into a large silver shield. The drilling beam of flames crashed against it and pushed her backward. Her feet cracking the wood beneath her, leaving skid marks until she crashed against a wall, falling flat on her ass. Ikari’s single-minded pursuit to hurt Rin proved to be quite problematic for him.
-Now is yer turn Frosty Fuc- His insult was interrupted by Arthur’s attack that pushed him back as ice crept up his body from the point of impact, locking him in place. Ikari attempted to curse him, but his mouth got covered by the frozen prison. Then Haruko’s sonic attack hit him. At first, nothing happened, but the sound waves, resonating through the ice reached Ikari’s skin. The ice shattered, turning into jagged edges pushed deep into Ikari’s skin. From the punctures black liquid started oozing, mixing with the rapidly melting ice. The ground beneath the Avatar of Hatred cracked under the weight of Haruko’s attacks. A smokescreen of sawdust and steam raised up around Ikari while disgusting wet sounds came out from the obscured area as the black goo kept coming out. Finally, the noise stopped and it was replaced by a metallic chime, then another. Out from the obscuring cloud, a small round metal disk came out bouncing, soon it rolled on the floor and stopped. It was Ikari’s medal.
Everyone in the battlefield, and possibly the prison, felt a tremor, a quake of energy. The smokescreen vanished in a mere second, replaced by an orange bonfire blasting out Ikari… or from where Ikari was standing, as right now he wasn’t there. Instead, there was a man slightly taller than the Avatar of Hatred, with wild brown-reddish hair, thick eyebrows, and sideburns. Orange flames came out from his eyes and body, so buff he seemed chiseled from marble. It was like the advent of some kind of God of War. Something was hidden underneath Ikari for a very long time. For 5 years. The man hidden stepped out the crater formed by Arthur’s and Haruko’s combined attack and rushed directly at the Frost Mage, vanishing and appearing behind him, aiming to use a Karate punch on Arthur’s back. The enigmatic figure didn’t have a name, until Goemon, who stopped his charge to help Dan upon seeing the explosion was standing in shock, incapable of talking.
Finally, he uttered a name. -Ichigan-sensei?- He asked, incapable of processing what was happening in front of him. Ikari Fukushi was Ichigan Nagare?
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Post by othus on Feb 15, 2019 7:11:45 GMT
Akane frowned when her attack slipped, had she miscalculated the distance? No. that was not possible, she had trained with blades her entire life and knew this was not an error on her part, he was doing something, but she wasn't sure what it was, the fact that all the attacks following after her missed further confirmed her suspicion. She moved next to Callis as he landed from his failed attack as well.
"I cannot grasp his movements either, it's like he is not here at all"
The moment Quan moved Akane pulled up her guard, she never expected to get hit on the throat at that distance, but she did nonetheless. Her Armor took the impact but despite the nanites blocking kinetic damage she still coughed blood as she was sent flying against the wall.
*W-what was that?!* -She thought to herself as she reached for her throat, it was a sharp pain that extended all over her vocal cords, it was almost like getting speared through the throat. She panted and spat the blood that rose to her mouth every time she tried to breathe.
*Before we get overwhelmed, we need to break his momentum*- Akane activated her transformation, her hair turned white and her muscle mass grew exponentially, the transformation also began to heal her wound as she moved yet again towards him. Akane's speed was many times greater than before, with movements that nearly outpaced the sound itself.
The Cyber Samurai got Quan into her sword range and began to unleash a skillful barrage of strikes using her four blades, she drew all four using an impressively fast Iai technique which made the attacks flow seamlessly and without delay, this was the first technique she learned from her mother. If this didn't work, nothing would. Her Ki strikes backed by her impressive physical strength made strident sounds in the room as she unleashed a technique fully designed to slay gods.
"Take this! Ten o Saku! 天を裂く (Splitting the Heavens)"
The moment Yuu flared Z began to absorb her energy with delight, Yuu's sword would meet a dead end further inside the armor, revealing it was a tight seal. if she pushed her attack any further, her sword would bend and eventually break.
"Surrender, and I will destroy you peacefully." the alien strengthened his grip in an attempt to break her neck but Dan came to the rescue.
As he jumped and detonated the explosives on Z's face, a cloud of smoke enveloped him and Yuu. after the smoke cleared it would reveal the collector had still Yuu under his grip, he staggered as his mask slightly broke off, revealing more armor underneath it, the color of his armor turned red and steamed for a second as he had absorbed both Yuu's flames and the blast made by the explosives. the collector's red eyes flared as he set them on Dan.
"Weapons forged by such a primitive species can't hope to defeat me. Dan Drake, your fate has already been decided"
The pieces of the robot that Dan destroyed with the first explosive reconstructed into individual spiders, it was a mistake on Dan's part to think less of the automaton, for there were six of them now chasing after him, each one of them the same size as the original.
Z's attention was turned towards Yuu yet again
"I will reduce you and your flames to a smoldering memory, Prepare to d-." The collector's dialogue was swiftly interrupted by the Ironclad boxer's body colliding against him, the force strong enough to push him a good dozen meters alongside the boxer. Z stood his ground until the momentum of the blow stopped, he quickly attempted to grab riku by the neck before he could even recover.
"If you are of no help, then you deserve to die as well"
The Raian was about to smash the boxer until he turned into a pile of scrap, but his intent stopped as Ikari transformed. The collector let go of his supposed ally as he looked at the interaction.
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Post by Vapovile on Feb 17, 2019 23:01:31 GMT
As Cadence concentrated on her plants, she heard Callis's exclamation. "...no scent...?" She muttered to herself. Callis did appear to have superhuman senses, so if he couldn't sense this person...was there some sort of trick at play? Could it be possible that he...wasn't actually there? It was at that moment that Akane vocalized the same sentiment. "...at least someone is on the same page..." Cadence said to herself, turning her attention to Quan. How was he able to move around with such ease? To gather more information, Cadence made many of her vines sprout tiny, crunchy leafs and snapped their stems, sending a small cloud of leafs scattering across the room. If the leafs were disturbed, she would know that this man at least had a physical body.
After she put the leafs down, Cadence focused back on the bulbs on the vines she'd been working on. If this man truly wasn't here...perhaps this wasn't the best plan after all. Was it possible this creature could hit a spirit...? Cadence thought to herself, glancing down at her pocket where a small metallic disk sat. She didn't know much about these creatures...but they appeared to interest the man up in the ogre stronghold that awoken the creature within the medal, so it was probably not wise to use it so freely.
---
The team attack with Arthur made Haruko grin with confidence. The move seemed to actually do damage! Her eyes then narrowed when Ikari began to shift...almost as if he was made of some kind of malleable material like Huntsman. Was Ikari a shapeshifter too? The smokescreen that followed made Haruko float back toward the ceiling, nearly bumping her head against the top of the room as she watched the display before her. Once Ichigan emerged from the smoke, Haruko's eyes widened with surprise. He looked only slightly less menacing in this form...from the passive-aggressive Ikari to the active-aggressive appearing Ichigan. Was this really the same person they were just fighting? Her thoughts were interrupted by Ichigan going to attack Arthur once more.
"Arthur, watch it!" She called over to him, attempting to summon a blue spotlight on Ichigan to slow him down slightly so Arthur has a little more time to react. She then attempted to create a neon pink block directly above Ichigan's head and drop it down, smashing him back to the ground. However, this block was more fragile than her earlier constructs...Haruko now breathing harder as she realized that she was running out of mana to keep this form active.
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Post by HungryHunter on Feb 19, 2019 5:56:30 GMT
Stephan landed on the other side of Quan, spinning back to face him just in time to see Quan’s spear hand strike. He ducked and pain stabbed through his skull. One antennae fell to the ground and began to form a sticky green puddle. Stephan grabbed the bleeding stump by instinct, feeling a clean cut. The Nucleus began to respond, separated plates fusing back together and darkening. He lunged out to the side to avoid Akane’s strikes in case Quan dodge again and sprang off the wall. He landed, rolled, and sprang up right besides Callis and Vladimir. “We need to contain him so he can’t dodge. Does anybody have any ideas?” His armor had gone from pine green to nearly pitch black and shiny like a beetle’s carapace.
“Cool, I don’t know how people fight in Kansas!” Martha lost her dopey grin when Gen palmed the back of her head and dropped. His knees seemed to go right through her mandible to leave stars in her skull. Her head slumped to the floor, legs folded up under her torso. Piercing blue eyes wouldn’t uncross. A few teeth rattled on the tile. Come on, get up. Martha thought, hands groping at the ground. The world spun under her, but she shoved and pushed and rose off the ground, rocking on her soles. As she prepared to continue, her eyes crossed at what she saw behind Gen.
“What the fuck happened to Ikari!?” She looked back to Z for answers and saw his damaged mask. “What the fuck happened to Z!?!?” Still looking back at her friend, she threw a powerful side kick right at Gen’s stomach, nearly falling over from her head spinning. “Fuck, this sucks!” People she cared about were getting attacked and she couldn’t help them!
Yuu realized with horror the futility of her struggle as Z’s grip tightened. Z may be a lumbering, loud dumbass, but he was still a predator without par. His wrenching popped her neck, sending shockwaves of pain down her neck, about to grow worse when he actually broke it. She kicked and stabbed, but nothing happened until somebody Yuu first saw while doing her research today appeared. Dan Drake, the one Martha declared an acceptable target. Her research hadn’t taught her much more than what Martha knew. Reports were mixed. However, she knew those knives didn’t belong to him.
Those were Haruko’s. She realized just what they were and squeezed her eyes shut when they stabbed. Shrapnel embedded itself in her face and shoulders, shockwaves battering her further. “Well damn.” She heard Dan Drake say and opened her eyes to see that Z was nearly totally unharmed and Dan was being surrounded by spiders. Blood dripped from his fingers and some were twisted out of shape by his act of desperation. When Riku came flying, both Dan and Yuu just stared in utter confusion. Yuu was dropped with a grunt, quickly rolling back to her feet and backing away. Let this be their problem. Good job Yuu! Marika-voice said and was ignored. She kicked down the rest of the wall she had been thrust through, seeing shower nozzles on all sides.
There was a moment of hesitation. Dan Drake ducked and weaved barely able to avoid spiders around him. With one smooth movement, Yuu threw 6 kunai at once, all perfectly aimed. “Come with me, Drake.” She looked at Ikari, clearly too gone to report anything, and Riku… who would die if he dared. Drake only hesitated a moment himself before coming charging to join her in the next room over. “Why did you help me?” He seemed entirely ready to punch her, fists up and head down. She supposed it was fair. “Because everybody I actually know is occupied.” She admitted. “But I have secrets to share, Dan Drake. So you are going to be my messenger. Listen carefully, because I need you to relay every bit of this to Callis Nomene.”
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Post by TimePuppy on Feb 19, 2019 22:54:30 GMT
Arthur breathed heavily, the exertion and the mana needed for that winded him. But at least the attack worked. For a second. The sounds of a disgusting transformation came from behind the smokescreen brought on the pair's attack. What came out from behind the wall of floating debris was not as disgusting as the sounds made it out to be. But it was a hell of a lot scarier. Ichigan Nagare then darted behind Arthur and unleashed a powerful punch.
Even with Haruko's spotlights, Arthur was too sluggish. He hadn't recovered his mana quickly enough. Even as he twisted his body, all he avoided was a punch to the spine. He instead flew through a pile of furniture miraculously not yet shredded by the fight and cracked the wall beyond it.
Arthur pushed himself up to sit against the wall and recover when he noticed a piece of whatever furniture he smashed into lodged in his thigh.
"Great," he said, "Just great." It hurt, sure. But it was not as bad as spot Ichigan struck him. Not as bad as the burns on his face. And it was stopping the bleeding. It should stay right where it is until he has an opportunity to heal it. Until they were out of danger.
"Goemon, you know this guy?" Arthur rummaged through his coat pocket while struggling to his feet. "If he's your teacher, maybe try telling him to not kill us." He pulled out something blue. A piece of candy. A mana supplement. It'll get him ready for the boss's second form faster. But will that be enough?
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Post by RedLenai on Feb 28, 2019 23:29:28 GMT
Vladimir tried to analize the previous attacks of everyone... Quang did get hit... his body was tough? But... how? What kind of technique was he using?
He obeserved further... he... looked like cornstarch and water, if you mix them together when you hit it is hard... but if you do it slowly you can dig the spoon inside the mix... so they needed to avoid giving pressure to the criminal's body... but how? This man was fast too and pretty quiet. Everyone seemed to be the strenght-type...
The Ex-Paladin summoned the Book of Driaochta's Spells... maybe there was something that could work for a peculiar case like their adversary.
He couldn't read every single spell since they didn't had enough time. Akane, Callis and Stephan were distracting him already..
A spell... a spell.. something without the cornstarch effect and no need to get closer to that man. He found one!
With his spear he drew the words "breeze", "soft", and "air" before exploding in a thin white dust that moved gently like snow falling. It slowly moved towards Quang, gently but following him. If he rushed he'll attract more dust if he tried to evade it it'll end the same. He made sure the spell didn't follow his allies. Vladimir was sure that his immobilization spell could work, not for long periods of time, but enough to flee in case that man was too powerful.
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Post by Kuma on Mar 5, 2019 4:34:24 GMT
-Ack!- Callis grunted as he barely managed to react putting both blades in a cross guard, but still the attack seemed to permeate through his defense and hit him, launching him against one of the wooden walls and indenting him into it. Quan stood his ground undisturbed, even with the empowered Akane charging at him, he barely moved to avoid the attacks, which seemed more like a stick hitting a curtain than a blade cutting flesh. It was as if the Silent Fist was insubstantial. He danced around the Musashi attacks as a leaf in the wind. And talking about leaves, his movements didn’t disturb Cadence plants. Clearly, there was something off about Quan. Vladimir spell flew towards the enemy but seemed to have little to no effect, as if Quan wasn’t even there. Callis, sliding down the crater caused by his impact on the wall landed on his knees, one hand covering his wounded neck. As he witnessed everything he remembered that this mystery might have a simple solution. -THE PAD!- He shouted with a hoarse voice. -Somebody find the pad!- He repeated as he stood up, standing beside Vladimir and Stephan. Callis took a defensive stance as he advanced. -The pad has information about the inmates, we might find out who he is and what is he do-
Callis was interrupted as once again Quan sent two attacks from afar that somehow reached him and Akane, the two closest to the front. -Akane!- The Beast Knight shouted, worried, as The Silent Fist aimed at the Beast Knight knee while attacking the Musashi Heir’s visor.
Riku, half dazed by the impact looked at Ikari’s transformation with shock, finally showing hints of emotions. -Master…- He weakly said before realizing where he was and attempting to get free from Z’s clutch, by pushing both feet against the Alien Hunter chest to jump away. As he did he controlled the Benkeinium inside of him to reinforce his body and increase its weight.
Gen was also distracted by the transformation and had landed on an uncomfortable stance after pulling the Codebreaker on Martha. He barely caught a glimpse of her attack. -FUCK!- He exclaimed as he tensed his whole body up using a Karate guard, hoping to reinforce his innards through sheer grit and determination. The kick sent him back a couple of meters, cracking the wooden boards beneath his feet. A crimson line of blood dropped from the side of his mouth and he cleaned it with a swipe of his thumb. -Ya done fucked up now!- The Hot-Blooded Brawler grunted between gritted teeth as he charged directly at Martha, this time around going for a DDT, trying to get on a front headlock to then drop his weight down and drive her head against the floor. Martha might have found her match when it came to battle thrist.
Ichigan “beast modded” his way through the blue light like it was nothing and when the pink cube dropped down his knuckles received it, releasing a powerful detonation of Ki upon contact, with the intention of blasting it away. He charged towards Arthur ready to continue attacking, but Goemon rushed in-between the pair blocking the attack with a stiff karate parry. -I’ll handle this, nobody else can handle this.- Goemon exclaimed as he kept moving his arms as fast as he could blocking most of the incoming flurry. Ichigan was silent, his eyes flooded with energy and his fist zooming towards the Karate Star, who blocked with a mixture of shock and tear on his eyes. -Master! Is me Goemon!- he pleaded as they exchanged offense and defense moves. -I thought you were dead!- He kept talking, being pushed backward by Ichigan’s attacks.
The ki released by the pair expanded in raging waves that would push others away. Goemon’s forearms were getting burnt by the attacks of his berserker master.
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Post by othus on Mar 5, 2019 6:26:04 GMT
Akane's machine triggered the Mushin skill which enhanced her speed and reflexes by a hundred times for a single second as she dodged by a hair's width, Akane quickly made more distance as she sheathed her blades, the situation was bad.
"I'm fine...just barely" -She replied to Callis while panting. The sudden increase in movement speed tore some of her muscles, but she barely felt that from the adrenaline rush. After witnessing how a level 6 Niten Ichi-Ryu technique did nothing to him she knew she was no match for him, finding more about his ability was important, but making a strategy on the fly while he kept attacking was gonna be nearly impossible.
"Let's get the intel and retreat until we have a solid plan of action, at this rate, he is going to wipe us all out"
She knew it was only a matter of time before this individual killed someone on the group, after that, everything would collapse, facing Z erased all her notions about pride and honor, what mattered, in the end, was to survive.
The collector let go of Riku, who easily made some distance by pushing the chest of the alien.
"If you are gonna be of help, then assist Martha, now get lost."-He told the iron clad boxer as looked at Ikari's new form which ultimately decided to let it be, he turned around and noticed both Dan and Yuu were gone. The spiders, which Yuu skillfully skewered, reconstructed and grew slightly larger in size. Z signaled them to go after them as he calmly walked behind his swarm of Automatons. Z had clearly become less feral as his hunger began to fade.
"Time to take out Ikari's leftovers"-He said as he chambered his blaster with some of the energy he had siphoned out of Yuu. The collector took a shot at Arthur, who was not paying attention to him at all. the laser this time was a lot more powerful than the one Z had used on Dan, so the beam covered a larger area.
Back where Dan and Yuu were speaking, the six spiders arrived, all six fused onto a spider that now was bigger than either of them, the robot swiped at them with its claws threatening to eat them whole.
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Post by HungryHunter on Mar 6, 2019 1:34:09 GMT
Stephan felt a little better in his more armored form. It likely wouldn’t provide enough resistance to stop somebody like Quan, but even a slight improvement could mean the difference between life and death in a fight like this. Unfortunately, it was the wrong adaptation for what he had to do next. “The tablet?” Callis had left it on the table back in the room with the spiders. “Cover me!” He called, pulling back past Vlad. His body was stiff with tough plates, terrible for running, but he ran nonetheless. It was only a few springing steps to the former room anyway, and from there just a few more to the table. He scrolled through bios before realizing he had a serious problem.
He had no idea who they were fighting.
Unbalanced by her kick, Martha was easily grabbed and dropped. There was a hollow thunk when her forehead struck the ground, largely covered up by the sound of the boards cracking. A twitch ran through her whole body. “That’s it?” She leaned her head up with a smile and before either could move from their position, threw a dozen lightning-fast punches for his solar plexus. It was a front; Martha could barely see Gen with her crossed eyes, and her punches were half as strong as usual, but she would never let him know she was fading.
Callis Nomene? He knew that name, in that vague way one remembers a celebrity mentioned to them once or twice. No, he had met him, but where? “I’m not taking messages while my friends are in danger.” He responded to Yuu and turned, but the way back was blocked when the spider shoved its grinding mechanical body through the hole Yuu made. “Ah, fuck. Guess you have time to explain!” Dan yelled as he lunged backwards. The claws painted long stripes across his and Yuu’s chests as they moved just ahead of its attack. “I’ll make it quick. A man named Kuro-san has Marika making a giant monster. I’ve seen the parts she’s putting in. It could kill that alien and Ikari all by itself and still have leftover power for the rest of us.” Yuu explained, drawing more kunai.
“Marika? Whatever, I’ll deliver your message!” Dan kept backing away, knowing nothing he could do could hurt this thing. “The others will understand and that’s what matters! Now get out of here!” Yuu threw kunai at the machine’s joints and Dan hesitantly nodded, jumping overhead. He ducked back through the hole, looking back at Yuu. She stoically stared, conveying to him nothing. Dan gave up trying to read her and ran on. “Haruko! That woman with the kunai told me about some guy called Kuro-san who’s apparently in charge around here. He has Marika making a giant monster apparently more powerful than what we’re already facing. She wanted me to tell somebody named Callis Nomene, have you ever heard of him?” He breathlessly spouted, taking no time for spaces between sentences or words. He was itching to get back into the fight, but he figured if Yuu was willing to betray her team for this information, it was important.
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Post by Vapovile on Mar 6, 2019 20:43:05 GMT
As the battle raged on around her, Cadence observed the attacks missing Quan by millimeters each time...or seemingly passing right through him. This strengthened her idea that this man could be a spirit, especially since her leaves were undisturbed by his movements. As she watched the impressive display of firepower by Akane, the pieces began to fit together in Cadence's mind. With a shrug of her shoulders, she stopped concentrating on the roots and let them disintegrate into nothingness. "...it's useless..." She said to the room at large, though she doubted anyone besides Vlad would hear her in their combat-focused attention.
Getting up from her chair, Cadence began to casually walk toward Quan, her short frame and almost nonexistent muscles giving a clear non threatening vibe. "...I wondered why you seemed to ignore me...it couldn't have been out of some sense of chivalry...since you attacked her..." Cadence motioned to Akane with her pipe. "...and yet...you didn't attack us when you arrived...only offered a challenge..." The plant doll remembered how he did kill Ginkumo without challenging her, but he probably knew that she wasn't a real person. "...so that made me think...why are none of their attacks working...? He can't smell you..." Cadence motioned toward Callis with her pipe. "...we can't hear you...and you didn't even disturb my leaves..." She waved her hand dismissively, causing the leaves on the ground to turn a brilliant shade of amber. "...so my assumption is...you aren't here physically, are you...?" She asked, cocking her head slightly.
The plant doll stopped her advance when she was only several meters away from Quan, commanding one of her vines on the floor to expand into a small wooden stool that she sat on, the brief exertion having drained her slightly. "...and now I have to ask...why did you ignore me...and why have you not killed these people yet...?" Cadence put her pipe to her lips, taking a deep breath of the sweet-smelling smoke and letting it out slowly. "...my observation shows you are a skilled fighter...dodging those attacks with little movement...so you must have experience..." Her expression remained blank as she stared up at Quan. "...my guess...? You enjoy fighting...or...would...if they could hit you.” Her tone was completely deadpan. “...and you must have some honor...for you didn't attack me...the only one who didn't accept your challenge..." Standing back up, Cadence commanded the stool to wither into a husk and dissipate into tiny shards of plant matter. "...If that is so...you may refer to me as Cadence...nice to meet you..." She nodded politely at him. "...I have no intention of fighting you...so unless you wish me to find a replacement more...on your caliber..." Cadence trailed off. "...I will be on my way..." And with that, Cadence attempted to walk straight through Quan.
While an outside observer would think Cadence’s confrontation with Quan was arrogant, maybe even suicidal...Cadence doesn’t fear death. She considers life to be meaningless, her own existence born out of the whims of a spoiled kid who could create life. If Quan truly was a spirit and was still this powerful, it wouldn’t matter if she put up a fight, for it would all be for naught. She knew her own limits. And if there was nothing to live for, why should one fear death?
---
Despite Haruko’s best efforts at stopping Ichigan, the new fighter still managed to strike Arthur and send him flying into a piece of furniture, a small piece of it now embedded in Arthur’s thigh. “Oooow…” The seamstress said with sympathetic pain. Her gaze then shifted over to Dan, who had begun shouting information at her.
Kuro-san? Marika? Giant monster? Given what Marika could make with just human parts...Haruko shuddered at the idea that someone more competent was directing the spider seamstress to make something more sinister. The last name made her frown with suspicion. “Wait wait wait...Callis is here?” She asked Dan. How would Yuu know that Callis was here? Considering she is working for this...Kuro-san...could she have had access to the building’s cameras? And if Callis was here...was the JHWAB here as well?
Haruko opened her mouth to ask Dan more questions, but her gaze quickly fell upon Z, who was walking straight toward Arthur. Her eyes widened in fear when he loaded something into his baster and took aim at Arthur, who was in no position to dodge. “Arthur, move!” She yelled at the frost mage, the conflict between Ichigan and Goemon a blur in her peripheral vision as she dove forward and attempted to make a wide pink wedge in the blast’s path, trying to divert it to either side of Arthur. It took her full concentration now to keep the construct active, so she didn’t have enough mental capacity to strike at Z while she defended the frost mage.
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