Test Your Might - (RP)

Sting returned to the arena. He had been gone for a merely 2 days as he had to learn how to control his new powers now that his silvermancy had stopped working, along with most of his other powers. He now held a more serious attitude because of it. He just took a seat and watched everything else go down, waiting for an opponent to challenge him.

@alianette: @maverick_6:The crowd's roars were silenced as Vamp rose from his seat and drifted to the crater, in which lied the decapitated body of Pax. "Congratulations, Alianette. You will advance to the next round. Go now, rest and prepare." As Vamp waved off the fellow soul-stealer, he began to take the one that she had not. A sort of energy drifted from Pax and into Vamp, and his eyes lit up, his formerly white, milky irises regained color as his pupils defined themselves. His grey hair darkened a bit, and he let out a sigh of refreshment. Now it was time to greet the new guest.

"Wake up. Yes, you, the overgrown gorilla. Open your eyes, I'm speaking to you." Vamp stood before Pax, who was hanging, suspended nude by hooks and chains in a dark stone cavern. The walls began to glow orange, before collapsing to reveal tortured souls in pain, a generic image of hell if there was one, fire, brimstone and all. "You are not like them." Vamps said in a raspy, whispered voice that sounded as if it came from all directions rather than his mouth. "You are special. Strong. Worthy." Vamp began to float, and circled around Pax. As he came back around in front of him, he had deformed his image into something demonic, grotesque, still recognizable as Vamp, but horrifically deformed. "Open your mind to me, slave. Let me see what you are afraid of, what you hate. I want this hell to be perfect for you."

@below0gaming: Vamp seethed with rage. "What do you mean he's gone!? Nobody leaves!" He did not float down as he usually did, instead preferring to walk with an aggravated gait. He alerted his guards. "Find him. Now. Bring him back, and execute him." He turned to Sting. "Congratulations. You win, and will advance to the next round. But first, I grant you the honor of executing your opponent." Vamp tried to keep up appearances, but was genuinely angry that a kid in a Boba Fett cosplay costume would ruin his track record. "Viper!" Vamp called out, and a man resembling him appeared. He looked as Vamp did, but wore no shirt, having large white wings sprouting form his back. He held a flaming golden sword in his hands, and his eyes were pure black rather than Vamp's typical milky white. "Retrieve Linus. Prepare him for execution. A portion of my guards will be assisting you."

@gas_mask: The Raptor did not hesitate in attempting to pounce on his downed opponent, the urge to devour his flesh growing with each blow. His attack was, however, interrupted by a swift punch to the face, accentuated by the ultra-sharp blades. This cut across the side of his face, leaving a massive gash from his nose to his ear, going just under his eye. He roared once more, acid still idly dripping from his mouth, before charging once more, snapping his jaws and slashing wildly with his claws, spitting acid infront of him in an attempt to use all of his assets in an all-out feral assault. Survival was less important than the kill now. He would tear open the soft flesh of his armored opponent if it meant dying to do it.

@plan-b: Viper wasted no time in his ascension. He donned simple breathing apparatus, his abilities taking care of the rest of the dangers of space. His comrades sported high-tech spacesuits, zero-gravity functionality weapons, and booster packs despite the deceptively primitive nature of Vamp's island. The guardsmen had traced the destination of the vortex to a general location, that location increased greatly due to their knowing that Plan-B could have drifted through miles of space by now. Viper's keen eyes, however, picked something up. A trace of armor, a piece knocked loose during the battle between Sting and Plan-B. He was close. As the soldiers continued to search, one called in to Viper. "Hey, uh, I think I found-" The comm cut to static there. Viper looked to where the signal came from and saw a soldier drifting backwards through space, a large hole in his helmet, blood trailing out of him and subsequently freezing as he flew. "Look out, he's got a-" Another soldier gone. Plan-B's location was unknown. He was most likely using a gun of his he had stashed somewhere, or had simply found one. But he needed to be advanced on, or the mission would surely fail.

@medusa_merc The silence of space was my ally in this battle I opened my small the computer on my forearm then activated my cloaking device I shut it then noticed that my legs were still bleeding "GOD DAMN!" my leg was trembling in pain and twitching. I swung myself around the asteroid I was previously hiding behind The shuttering of the cloak was hard to see because of the infinite darkness that surrounded us I grabbed a soldier from behind and shot him in the head twice silently. I grabbed my knife and buffed it then activated my oxygen boosters on my feet then blasted towards Viper with my knife being held in both hands behind my back.

@medusa_merc: Although the Raptors rage could lead to many advantages the way The Raptor went crazy sending acid every where, and the talons that cut swiftly though the air, So Gas Mask dashed back getting many deep cuts on his armor, got up , and prepared to retrieve his drill that was a couple meters away, but since his opponent was faster, that may be a hard task.

@medusa_merc: "I refuse, I will not execute a man for no reason. If he chooses to leave then that is not my business." Sting remained seated simply looking at vamps face awaiting a reaction.

@medusa_merc: @kitsune_squad:

Dropping to a knee the soul reaving martial arts prodigy picked up the two fangs of the man she'd just slain. She took a moment to conjure new clothes having lost hers in the previous bout. Once dressed she took two loose pieces of string from an audience corps to fashion the two fangs into earrings. Once done she took a severed arm from one of the other corpses to use for another project of hers.

The body was just a composition of elements, typically no Keijijo would be able to do what she was going to as they only could obtain an element or two. Do to crafting souls to herself and obtaining all Yoso she'd figured however she could begin a new study. The foundation was already there symbols infused with chi was a common thing, used to create matter from nothing or provide extra attributes. A common one was teleportation by means of throwing blades. But that came with a displacement of matter, it was metaphysical work it was within reason though that one could do something similar with the physical world as well. One might call it a crude or advanced approach to alchemy. The best summarization though was simply Alianette was looking for a new move.

An explosion sounds off and smoke billows from Alianette's room as she leaves. She's no worse for ware however as she heads to the dinning hall. The fights were done for the day, and Alianette was still uninspired by the competition. She retained the belief she'd fought the hardest foe early on. But no matter she'd eat before picking her next prey.

The hall was grand and long encompassing countless people and tables. Most though were in a position in someway within the sight line of two tables in particular. It was those two tables where the contestants ate. Throughout the hall was countless chatter talk of fights earlier today of fights before and fights yet to come. Ominous yet harmonious music could be heard faintly in the distance by a dedicated source outside of most glances of the eye. And as for the food and service it seemed ripped right from a page on Valhalla grand and inviting.

Ali was quick to finish her food however and approach three girls who sat together. She smiled in a mock friendly way as she came near. "It's a pleasure to meet you my name is Alianette. Thank you for what you've done for Japan." Ali couldn't remember what team the trio worked for mostly because Ali cared not for the teams which came and went like seasons. Heroic work was heroic however and those who saved or claimed life in mass were the best kind of people to Ali. Still it had it's drawbacks as well, she knew one was near in insole one had a devastating cry and another could teleport. Their heroics gave fame and told Ali a bit what she was up against but who was who?

She looked them over, one was young and innocent, looked least prepared. Invulnerability was how she stayed a player in the game most likely. There was one that was an obvious trickster even when just sitting Ali could tell the girl was someone always plotting pranks and mischief. That was the teleporter. The eldest was thus the sonic crying leader, she knew she was the lead by her more level head and general mannerisms.

"Sadly I came for an experience that isn't delivered by tea and a nice meal." The slender Yoso master went into motion leaping into a brutal combination of moves. Her hands went for the leader, while her legs went for the one who seamed invincible.

Her hands raced with lightning and fire and moved with a breeze that's wind currents could cleave wood in two. The right hand went for the elder team members throat while the left hand went for the side of the head. With the various energies around her hands there was a chance of electrocution and burning if not incineration of flesh. A move that could boil eyes and scorch throats without trying. At the hight of the moves potential however was plausible decapitation. While she never went in expecting the best outcome the design of the motion was to remove the screamer's head from it's shoulders. At the same time there was the kicks that went for the youngest.

Those with the durability to tank artillery rounds who couldn't be hurt by titan like punches rarely blocked and were even rarer able to block well. The kick followed by another kick had thus it stood within reason a good chance to land Ali had figured. Besides Alianette wasn't a known entity speculation of what she could do was based on most likely her fight with Pax alone. A fight that showed Ali to be able to break metal at best she was hardly going to crack diamond or better hardness with her physical moves. The young one had little to fear from Ali by appearance. But then again Alianette went into that move with a completely different intention then standard blows.

The body is made of various elements a major one is carbon, depending on the molecular bonds carbon could be as soft as pencil lead or as hard as diamond. While in all likelihood the youngling's durability came from more then just he molecular structure it did most likely play a part. The first kick, sought to take this element and destabilize it to make skin and bone instead be easy to shatter. The second kick focused on other elements such as wilder hydrogen and so on, the many components in the body that were much alike with a bomb. She sought to manipulate these elements in such a way that within the body they were not squishy guts and organs but unstable explosive matter. If the first move was a success her opponent would be robbed potentially of her durability. If the second move landed the girl might just blow up like a human sized stick of TNT. The best part of these two kicks though was while Ali went for the head all she needed was to impact flesh. And neither move was grounded on it's physical impact. Rather the damage came from an unnatural means that sought to rearrange matter against it's will. Matter that fell within her reason of manipulation thanks to the hundreds of years the ten souls gave her in Yoso experience made even more lethal by the prodigy who used those elements and was fought to be an embodiment of life and death. Ali was hard to put down and found subliminal ease in putting others into graves.

@alianette:

A day over... The squad was unable to actually “fight” a contender, at least not yet. And I honestly prefer it that way. This way, me and my squad will be able to save our energies, and maintain the “surprise” element that we pack. After telling the girls to hit the showers, we had our dinner. There we were at the grand hall. While the contenders who managed to stay alive talked about the earlier battles, we had a very different topic, since the three of us stayed in our bunkers the whole day. Actually, the three of us spent the whole day praying to the fox god.

Moa: “This is just like in Harry Potter!”

Yui: “Hayree Pohwtah” Yui said with an accent. And the two kitsunes laughed out loud. I knew just what they’re talking about, and I was just about to make a remark when---

"It's a pleasure to meet you my name is Alianette.” A woman approached us. “Thank you for what you've done for Japan." She added.

“Suzuka-ne Desu. Yorishiku---“ I was to politely greet the woman as the leader of our pack. But this Alianette person interrupted me saying:

"Sadly I came for an experience that isn't delivered by tea and a nice meal."

*leap*

She was off the ground in an instant. She’s choking me. She’s choking me!

<Kuso!> I thought to myself, not realizing this has been addressed to my megitsunes telepathically.

“Moa--- Suzuka-ne! Tasukite!” Yui cried out. A kick was sent to her by the Alianette woman the very same time she’s attacking me. Kick one- Yui managed. But kick two sent Yui flying away, Yui was being confident the whole time. But she never forgot to remain alert, Yui even managed to redirect the kick that was aimed towards her head to her chest. This does not change the fact that we’re in danger.

Pressure. Physical pressure, mental pressure… Ugh! KUSO! KUSO KUSO KUSO KUSO!!! Seconds from now i'll burn! And I shall definitely die!!! But—no! My spiritual well being is unshaken. Kitsune Sama. I know you’re watching over me.

I closed my eyes. Despite the excruciating pain, and her hands reaching out to my voice box like she exactly knew what I can do with it—I focused all of my remaining energy to call upon the powers of all the gods in the heavens. I called upon thee--

Then I felt the woman’s grip loosen up a bit. A real tiny bit. But that gave me the idea that something’s being in her way. Something… someone… MOA!

I don’t really know what Moa did. But it helped.

Moa: “You cheeky piece of shi--- uh. Shimmy coco puff!”

Moa punched the woman behind her right knee: a spot that’s always worked for all of our opponents. It never failed to slow down, or hurt severely, surely it isn’t much but it helped me. It helped get my self together and so I called upon the powers of all the ancient deities. Red smoke covered me. I hoped it impaired Alianette’s sense of sight. I somehow escaped her clutches via this distraction and then there I was. Re-emerging from the mist, The crimson warrior!

“SUZUKA NAKAMOTO DESU! Leader of the Kitsune Squad! I see that you want a battle.” I taunted, hiding signs that i am still in pain. Limping, Yui stood beside me.

Yui: “Oh yes she does.” Yui struggled to say, despite being really hurt. Her arms over Moa’s arms.

Moa: “Ooooh! You hurt Yui. You hurt her bad. And I am not liking this.”

Moa disappeared in a blur. Appearing only inches in front of our opponent with a smug look on her face.

“Konnichiwa!” She said before disappearing again.

*Blur*

But as Moa disappeared. The tip of my sword was all that Alianette could see. The tip of this sword of mine pressed very lightly on her throat.

Yui: “I dislike you for being rude, attacking us while eating? In front of food? BAD!”

Moa appeared beside the woman and remarked: “You’re a beauty though. I’d say you’re a seven!”

<Moa! Remain vigilant>

Moa: <Hai!>

Yui: <I still got me some strength left. I have to say, she knows how to rock me though>

<Yes. Definitely, this one knows about us. And I dislike this.>

Moa: <Yui, please, be cautious.>

Yui: <Hai>

Moa: <Yui, Can you still run?>

Yui: <Haii!>

Then this happened in a split second--

*Blur*

Yui appeared behind the opponent with Moa. Kicking at the same spot Moa did to worsen the damage done, while Moa pushed her nape towards the tip of my sword. By instinct I made a go for it and slashed her neck. The two megitsunes bailed the second they made their attacks to a safe distance. And so did I.

(That's Yui there, Kicking you, and Moa pushing your nape towards the tip of my sword. imagine yourself in that space between the two)

With the three of us together in our battle stance, I spoke.

“What do you want?”

@kitsune_squad:

Her hands find a home impacting with force and furious elements the targets resistant. The motion to behead the foe wasn't met with such bloody results but they did land. Similarly one kick was evaded and the other struck the stomach rather then the head. The team was resourceful to say the least, this fight wouldn't be easy. But then Ali fought a variety of foes and trained in the worst situations she could find. Just because there wasn't an instant kill didn't mean she was concerned. Resistance comes no need to hold on, she inflicted her wounds time to move to the defensive.

A punch to the back of the knee footing is compromised having barely landed on her feet from the kick before. The Yin Yang prodigy drops rolling off the table. Her rise finds a sword near her throat held by the leader of the trio. The other two are quick to aproach from behind. The teleporter was first moving from front to behind in a second the other running to position. Both are quick the move is a sound one but Alianette's body is quickened by lightning in the veins granting her swifter motion. Her sparring with her father Ishin gave her the knowledge to be ready for such movement. She leaps from the floor to the seating portion of the wood and from there to a backflip. A small cut marks her neck but the kicks miss.

"This is a competition I came for such. You should be proud, proud that I chose you over the others. Sense your a talkative trio however let me pose a question. How resilient to alteration are your bodies?" She remarked with curiosity, a childish intrigue clear in the otherwise mature and composed opponent. "Yui was it? That kick good as it was, wasn't for bruising. I sought to restructure the elements of the human body. Turn flesh into a bomb all it needs is an ignition source." A quick wave of the hand was made spreading fire throughout the room threatening to ingulf everyone in flames. If her kick had affected the elements like it was designed to when it hit moments ago the result would be brutal. As a body turned to a bomb instead, detonating in a destructive force. Of course Alianette was only getting started with her attacks.

She shot forward like quicksilver, a barely visible blur to the human eye. Her target was the yet to be touched Moa, teleportation and speed were nothing new to Ali still it was a threat. As such Alianette shot forward with a pair of rapid palm strikes. She went first for the face wanting to break the nose and send bone ripping into the brain. The second move went for the chest wanting to collapse the ribcage. Both motions didn't depend on impact however simply coming into proximity. For Ali in that moment took all the fire and heat to convert it into thousands of volts of electricity. Seeking to incinerate Moa like a fly to a bug zapper.

Next up was Suzu still moving as swift as lightning Ali turned to direct an attack on the third foe. Her movement of hands wasn't harmful infact it looked like nothing more then a pulling exercise. With this motion however Alianette sought to rip the air away from Suzu's reach. She planned to rob the leader of breath and then keep oxygen from getting near her threatening to choke the woman as if she were floating in space rather then in a cafeteria. All of these actions passed in less then three seconds Alianette proving to be as resourceful as she was fast.

@medusa_merc:

Pax's eyes flashed open, as they bounced sharply about in his eyesockets. He was alert, and neutral, wondering where he was. And then they fall down towards something. Someone familiar. A man who spoke to him, who told him to wake up. His eyes narrowed, and as he sought to move, his fury grew. He could not. Vamp had explained to Pax, that this was indeed, hell, somewhere Pax had figured he would once appear. He was born to come here, bred to come here. He heard the sounds of pain, and suffering. The cries of the weak.

If Vamp was at all capable at reading Pax, he could tell that what Pax despised most, was being imprisoned. As for what he feared, he would find that Pax did not "fear" anything. He was incapable of feeling fear and so he was literally, afraid of nothing. He had to be taught to have some sense of self preservation when it came to unnecessary risk taking, and yel, here he was. Coming here to this tournament was an unnecessary risk, with dire consequences. He knew his opponents could be god-like in power and yet he came anyway. It is not simply just a matter of conditioning but of Pax's very nature. Tampering with his brain, the generator of the soul, led to him being incapable of feeling this fear. Specifically, the Amygdala. He couldn't feel fear or any type of attraction or infatuation towards any sex.

He was bread to be a killing machine. One who would come to enjoy punishment, enjoy pain and enjoy killing. To such a degree that he rarely wished to leave when they simply gave him that. However, if there was anything Pax hated, it was being powerless, helpless, contained. Having a feeling of not being able to exert his will to do what he wishes to do. And vamp seemed to be yet another who wished to do this to him.

He looked at vamp with a look of fury and hate. He would struggle with such force in his effort to break his chains and rip vamp's face off with his giant mouth that it would seem he would sooner rip off his own limbs as he rebelliously attempted to free himself. To try to rip the thing that imprisoned him apart irregardless of whether or not he was so capable.

@alianette: @kitsune_squad:

Arceus calmly walked down the hallway, contemplating the challenge he was about to throw Trickshot's way, when he heard the crashing sounds of conflict coming from the dining hall, followed shortly after by cheering. A fight was breaking out in the mess, but among who? He could imagine Trickshot pissing someone off to the point of attacking him, so if he were lucky maybe the bastard would already be dead by the time he got there. On the other hand, it could be one of the younger contestants, or even the potion vendor or the crazy bacon healer man. He would only know when he got there.

As Arceus rounded the corner flames shot forth from the center of the room, engulfing the area in a blazing heat that scorched several of the spectators as well as the diners foolish enough to continue eating during such a heated battle. He ducked back behind the wall as the flames surged through the entrance, licking the wall opposite the hall itself. Luckily the blaze seemed short lived, bathing the area in a wave of flame rather than engulfing it in a lasting inferno. There was only one contestant he knew of with control over the elements like that, and judging by the pained cries and other ambient sounds of battle, Alianette's newest targets were the young Japanese girls from earlier.

Thoughts ran through his head at a feverish pace, the first was his instinct to stop the fight and save the girls, despite the fact that they could more than likely hold their own. The second was his powerlessness, how weak he was in comparison to someone who could bend the elements to her will and trade blows with the monstrous man from earlier. The last thought was much more grim and self serving: no matter the outcome of this match, he would be one step closer to winning the tournament itself. He paused at the last thought, staying behind the wall separating him from the dining hall.

Am I really going to let them die? Alianette is powerful, far more powerful than I am, and they need help. Isn't this what I'm here for, to win? Shouldn't I let this happen?

He glance back into the room, lightning now coursing through the air as Alianette stuck once more at the young trio. It was then that instinct overcame rationality, and he charged from behind the wall and into the fray. She wasn't here to incapacitate these girls, she was here to kill. This was what Arceus lived for, to protect those that needed protecting, to save the powerless from those that sought to abuse their strength. With all her power she could easily coax a surrender from her opponents, knock them unconscious perhaps, instead she chose to sully her hands with the blood of children.

His will was steeled, his focus absolute. Charging himself with psychic energy, Arceus bound into the room, taking only fractions of a second to close the distance between himself and the aggressor. As she focused on making some sort of pulling motion he responded with a telekinetically charged kick, seeking to catch her off guard he sent a nearby table flying at Alianette's skull. As he turned with the kick he pulled some of the knives off of the tables, peppering the cutlery across her body at impossible speeds, seeking to slow her down by inflicting wounds at her legs and arms. Two knives flew for her upper thighs, another two at her shoulders. Each blade was thrown slightly off center, however, leading her to duck the table and dodge the blades by moving to her right. The last projectile, his own combat knife, was thrown last. Just as the table obscured the line of sight between him and Alianette and the other blades would (hopefully) lead her to dodge to her right, he charged the blade with telekinetic force and let it fly, reinforcing its arc with all the force and focus he could muster. The blade would barely appear in normal human sight, it travelled at the same speeds as the bullets he fired from his rifle, and it was aimed at her right knee. If all went according to plan she would be putting much of her weight on that leg, and the blade would cleave through her flesh and incapacitate her long enough for the girls to escape. If they sought to escape at all. He left the girls with only one warning as the barrage of blades came to an end. "Run!"

@arceus_aurelius-rex:

The cleanup crew had barely begun their jobs when Trickshot left his quarters, walking cooly down the hallway to pick the easy meat before he got paired with somebody who might take a little bit out of him. After all, he wanted to be all there for the show. He could not help but hear chatter of the crowd in one direction huddling around the corpses that littered the battleground, and the roars of the crowd behind him, along with the crashes that signified another duel. Some people just can't contain themselves, like a virgin on his first slice of pie these chumps were.

As he rounded a corner, he saw a familiar look of disgust. Arceus, always the big hero, passed by him and shook his head slightly, emitting an audible 'Ugh'. Trickshot smirked back and chuckled lightly to himself as he progressed through the hall. Poor kid thought he stood a chance. It was pathetic, really. He continued out to the main area, where Vamp watched as the guards moved Pax's gargantuan body ad made repairs to the platform. He pushed his way trough eager crowd members, who shouted at him in many different languages, no doubt pleading for more bloodshed. Fuckin' fanatics. As he begin to walk the short set of steps onto the platform, he stopped, raising a hand and looking back over his shoulder. "Stay tuned." He said with a sick grin, laughing as he approached a very annoyed-looking Vamp.

"Yeah, I'll take Calamity Jane over there." He said, making a light and uninterested venture towards Vamp's gunslinging bodyguard. The man grunted through his mask as he rested his hand on one of his holstered revolvers. "Y'know, like, a challenge. Lemme at 'im." Vamp, unamused by this, simply looked back at his guard and motioned for him to step out onto the platform. The masked man cocked his head before sighing and looking down, trudging past Vamp and onto the platform. "I better be getting a bonus for this." He said in a gruff tone, placing his hands just above his weapons of choice and positioning himself in a stance as he would if he were in a classic old western duel. "I would tell you to shut up and draw, but.... Let's say you've made a poor choice in judgement."

"Yeah, yeah." Trickshot said sarcastically, mocking his opponent. "Cocky little bastard, ain't ya?" He positioned himself on the opposite side of the platform, and began tossing a small switchblade into the air, catching it by the tip each time. "Bein' cocky is perfectly fine." He said turning his back to his opponent and continuing to pace around. "But if you're gonna talk a big game," he said with a grin, glancing at his opponent over his shoulder, his slim, knife-wielding, bearded silhouette being the only thing visible to the gunslinger due to the position of the sun. "You've gotta be able to back it up." With that, Trickshot quickly turned, throwing the small blade at his opponent, who blocked the incoming projectile with the leather braver one arm, drawing and shorting with the other. He used the raised hand to fire using the hammer of the revolver, increasing fire speed, this first flurry of attacks happening within a matter of short seconds. Much to his surprise, however, Trickshot had disappeared. "See, the thing about the other cocky ones," Trickshot said from behind the gunslinger, causing him to turn and shoot, a distraction Trickshot used to target the masked man's liver, winding him greatly. "They're just so damn predictable! The whole fuckin' monologue and all." He acted as if he didn't see the gunslinger's 'stealthy' grab for his boot knife, and effortlessly dodged the clumsy stab, grabbing his opponent's arm and jabbing his index and middle fingers into the side of his neck, Paralyzing his jugular. "Hurts, do it it?" He said, still gripping the arm, and pulled his switchblade from the leather bracer. He used the blade to remove the man's index finger, throwing it back down into the man's foot, seemingly uninterestedly, pinning his foot to the ground, before turning and walking away with the man's finger. As the gunslinger removed the blade from his foot, and reloaded his guns, Trickshot patiently waited, feigning a yawn. "Hurry it up over there, at this rate you'll die of blood loss before I kill ya." As he leaned against one of the posts that held Vamp's tent, he watched the gunslinger stand, guns in hand. "What you gonna do now, punk? I've got the guns on you. I don't care what you've got planned, but you're unarmed, and I like my odds. You?" The gunslinger's question made Trickshot laugh to himself, wagging the masked man's severed finger in defiance. "Plenty." He flicked the index finger towards his opponent, who fired twice into the air as the finger made contact with his head. It pierced through his skull just above his left eye, implanting itself into his frontal lobe, a crude lobotomy. Trickshot walked over to the paralyzed man, contemplating ending him. "Eh, I'll leave the rest to your guards. I already earned my check." He bent over, and retrieved the finger, before taking a single bullet from one of his guns.

He placed the items in one of the pouches on his otherwise skin-tight suit, and looked up to Vamp. "There goes round one. Next batch, I challenge Arceus Aurelius-Rex. See ya then, pops." Trickshot laughed to himself as he stepped down from the platform, the cheering crowd parting for him like the Red Sea. "Tune in to Ameteur Hour Fridays at 9 for some more of what you saw back there. Check it on Pay-Per-Veiw for the real 'juicy' stuff." As he spoke, he didn't look back to the crowd, to Vamp, even as he heard the 'sknit' of a guard's blade being implanted into the fallen warrior's skull, and the crowd's roars of approval. He had a message to send.

Knowing Arceus was pre-occupied with whatever was going on in the dining hall, Trickshot picked the lock to his room. Real easy locks, these ones. Not that he normally picked locks, but Tricksht felt a bit of elegance would be a nice touch to the message he was sending. He sat on Arceus's bed, taking a combat knife off of his nightstand. Real strong, should be good for the task at hand. He carved onto the bullet 'Trickshot', before placing it, the knife, and the brain matter-coated severed finger onto his pillow. "Heh heh. Sweet dreams, Arcy." He said, closing the door and locking it behind him, walking back to his room to lounge on his bed until it was time for the main event. He dialed his phone. "Yeah, Christoph? Get Rudy and the crew over here, I've got a special event comin' up. Aurelius."

@maverick_6:

"Not talking? Maybe I'll just force myself I into your mind, take what you choose not to give me. But that's so much unnecessary effort on my part, and so much unnecessary pain on yours." Vamp, with a snap of his fingers, merged the environment around them. It was a holding cell. A simple chair and table in a small, metal room with energized bars in the form of a gate behind him. Pax now hung from high-tech containment devices placed on his hands and feet. Vamp now took the appearence of Jonathan Bold, speaking in his voice as well. "You'd better hope this is home sweet home, or I'm going to have to make quite a mess in that brain of yours."

As 'Bold' leaned in closer to the suspended Pax, his skin began to rot, the stench filling Pax. In a warped voice, 'Bold' continued. "This is my world. I can make this as good or as bad for you as I like. Your fate here depends on your cooperation. See, you don't need to be a prisoner. You can be a soldier, as you were before. My soldier. You would be supplied with your confiscated gear, as well as great power, power I can give you, if you would only cooperate."

'Bold' shrunk back down into the seemingly feeble old man that was Vamp, and he turned his back, snapping his fingers once more. The capsules which held Pax's limbs released, dropping him to the floor. "A simple change of allegiances and you will be more powerful than Maverick ever could have made you. You could be immortal, an eternal warrior. All you have to do, is submit." Vamp turned, and waved his hand, which should hold Pax on his knees. "Do you understand what I am asking?" He asked, waiting for a response. "Now," he continued, indifferent of the previous answer. "Will you comply?"

@alianette: @arceus_aurelius-rex:

Yui burst in flames. This woman’s hand wave became the catalyst for a very acute bomb. It was that easy for her. And if she can do this to Yui, who knew what else she can do? Rage was building up as I saw my megitsune engulfed in flames, she’s being blown to bits from the inside. And the graphic scene displayed before me became more unbearable with each passing second.

Moa: “Impossible! This is not happening!”

The whole dining hall is covered in flames now, and some of those who had a closer view of the battle are now incinerated themselves.

Moving in lightning speed, she came for Moa. But Moa, more vigilant than ever dodged both attacks, not as smooth as she did with our enemies before, she did it by the skin of her teeth-- but at least she had. For if she had not managed to avoid the attacks it would have been fatal. The battle’s pace has been so fast that we did not even have a moment to cry for Yui. The adrenaline rush that I feel is in play, and I feel like time is slowing down… Closer… Closer… She’s moving so fast, towards me, but I perceive it slowly… really slowly… Nearer… She’s getting towards me nearer. And then--- Table!

A table went flying towards this woman’s head and I didn’t wait before it hit her, whether or not it did or did not. I leapt. And from the above, I saw a man--- Throwing a salvo of knives.

“Run!” he said, commanding the both of us. As I was already at a fairly safe distance, I kicked a chandelier to propel myself backwards, while also directing it towards Ali. Hoping to add up to the pressure she’ll be having.

Moa: “Oh you!”

Meanwhile the projectiles are in mid-air, Moa picked up a fistful of Yui’s ashes in a split second and threw it directly at Alianette’s face. Hoping to impair her vision, she did this with gritted teeth and teleported behind me right away.

Gravity pulled the both of us down, and just before our feet landed the ground, Moa held my hand and I found ourselves being behind our saviour.

Moa: “You were saying?” she asked the man.

“He told us to run you!”

Moa: “Uh--- This woman? She killed Yui! This can’t be!”

@medusa_merc: @kitsune_squad:

One opponent was down, bested by the latest technique in Alianette's list of moves. The inferno which danced along opponents and spectators alike flooded the air with the smell of burning flesh. An alteration of matter in the youngest squad members body led to a detonation of grizzly portrayal. There wasn't the time to enjoy the victory however as there was still the two girls to take down. And surprisingly another jumped into fill the slot of the fallen squad mate. Hands passed through the air the color of static and dancing currents beautiful but not met with the crescendo of ruptured flesh and bone.

And before Ali knew it she had to move to the defensive as she was attacked mid motion. Her hand raises to shield her eyes of the ashes, the move was nothing new for her. She'd fought plenty of people in fights both clean and dirty. This however was an optimal distraction for the new arival. A table came her way, her elemental senses picked up on it easier then the knives and the heat of the moment limited her response speed. Her fist flew toward the table with no lack of speed or might. Impact of the wood echoed with a loud crack throughout the room as flesh met wood. And sure enough it split apart splinters flying in every way. The larger pieces of wood helping to redirect the chandelier. Vermillion fluid dripped from the Yoso master's knuckles a few slivers of wood imbedded in the flesh. Knives however moved without fail, the downside they were designed to lead the target. He thought she'd dodge not face head on. So the blades were grazing wounds instead of deep impacts. Ash of scorched individuals danced about her some touching torn flesh. Her body stung but it wasn't going to slow her down. Still with accelerated motion and indeed in the game the last knife she was ready for evasion wasn't to possible to fast instead she dropped to a knee with palm up, her left hand catching the blade instead of a vital joint. Her hand was almost split in two from the blades size but it was better then being potentially slowed down.

"I do apologize your friend deserved better. It's a fatal game however innocent or not you had to know the risk." It was the only ounce of compassion the remaining squad would likely get. As now it was back to the engagement of competitive sport.

The walls floor and roof of the hall the trio were in were forced to close in an elemental display seeking to crush the three. She doubted it'd be enough to end any of them as they moved forward exit closing however she moved downward. Swallowed by the earth, briefly gone as she went for Moa the teleporter. Ali sought to drag her under ground swallowing the trickster like the ground consumed Ali. The difference was the elements worked for the Yoso master while a lack of air and extreme pressure would work against Moa if the move worked. Leaping from the ground once more Ali launched an attack on the Aurelius.

Fast as lightning spawning from the attempted rear flank Alianette attempted to impale the Aurelius. Her hands danced with a furious heat that would burn most metal and cutting winds. Her hands more like heated knives then flesh. She thrusted her hands in a way thought sought to impale the man. The wind and heat would then go off in an explosive force sending them outward. A motion that would turn what was two sword like motions into a violent implosion wishing to split the family man in two. Even if she missed though she was close to her opponent. A perfect time to launch the blade in her palm toward Arceus looking to plant the blade in the man's skull. The move split Alianette's hand in half the image was grizzly but she found it worth it. For she was at point blank range and through means of elements could turn the knife into just as fast of a weapon as he had.

Once more but this time on a larger scale Alianette sought to suck all the oxygen toward her through her mastery of air. She didn't have the time to launch a direct third attack against the leader of the Kitsune. So rather then that she sought to direct all the oxygen in the air and in the lungs of her opponents to her. To choke the trio out as she also built up more air about her own body allowing to provide a tornado like shield for herself and gift her limbs with a cutting edge for further retaliation.

@alianette: (I knew I missed something. I'll try to get to this today or tomorrow.)

@alianette: @kitsune_squad:

There was a short speech about knowing the risks as soon as they signed up for the tournament just before the walls and ceiling came crashing down, even the floor rose to meet them in an attempt to crush all three combatants. As out of his element as he was, however, Arceus' focus was absolute, and his focus had never been keener. As the walls and ceiling closed in he pushed outward with enough force to counter his collapsing surroundings. In all the chaos, however, he'd lost track of the two remaining girls and their foe, the dust still swirling in the air. Suddenly he heard the crash of something rising from below the debris, and, just as he'd feared, it was the elemental assassin coming for their lives once more. As soon as he saw her slim muscular body rising through the ground his first instinct was to make a quick roll out of the way, drawing his magnum as he did so and opening fire, which might have worked well if he had been allowed to keep his hand cannon. Instead he grasped for air mid roll, realizing too late that he had lost that means of retaliation.

"Damn it!"

In the moment he was rising from the roll, defenseless, his opponent took the opportunity to press forward, arms charged with primal elemental force. As she thrust her arms forward Arceus could do little more than charge his own body with kinetic force while simultaneously pushing her back, speeding his movements and attempting to slow hers in an attempt to evade her, but she was too fast, too skilled to be shaken off so easily. The strike landed flush in his side, the air and fire exploding against his ribcage. Had he suspected an explosion Arceus might have been able to nullify the force of such a blast, but it had caught him off guard. As soon as he felt the blow's force expand in his body he was able to negate some of the force acting on his ribs, but not enough. Ribs cracked and organs were crushed as the strike exploded inside of him, the flesh on the opposite side of the blown clean from his body.

As chunks of gore splattered against what was left of the opposite wall, Arceus' eyes narrowed in pain. He knew he had to get out of there, that he was no match for the elemental enchantress standing before him. He also knew that her assault wasn't over, and wouldn't be until she'd satisfied her bloodlust. While they were still locked in close combat the Yoso master took the time to strike, sending the knife he'd attempted to cripple her with rocketing back toward his own skull in a somewhat ironic turn of events. He was used to projectiles travelling toward him at such speeds, but he was not used to dealing with projectiles of such size, or from so close up. He began to negate the force behind the blade, but the knife was travelling too quickly and too close for it make a difference. Even if he reduced the force behind it the blade would still have enough force to bury itself in his skull, so rather than oppose the force of the blade he opted to throw himself backwards, the force required to dodge the blade nearly snapping his neck in the process. Even as he flew back, however, the knife still managed to find him, slicing through his ear and scraping fragments of bone from his skull. The cut was deep, and blood flowed freely from the new wound but it beat taking the knife to the skull.

Even with his close dodge however he was still in terrible shape. His ribs were fractured and exposed, his right ear cleaved in two and blood loss from both wounds led to an incessant shaking in his legs. Death had never been far away, but it had never been so close as it was now. Still he could not back down, could not surrender. He had to escape, and he had to make sure the girls escaped with him. "Defend those that cannot defend themselves." It was a code he'd attempted to live by all his life, and it seemed it would be the code he would die by.

With steely resolution Arceus fixed his eyes on the girl before him. She wasn't much older than the girls she was slaughtering, but aside from their ages the girls shared no similarities. As far as he could tell the dark-skinned beauty before him was an unfeeling, nigh emotionless killer. Perhaps she killed for the challenge of it, maybe it was just the excitement of putting her life on the line, or perhaps it was simply an unquenchable thirst for blood. No matter the reason the fact remained that she was a killer, one with seemingly limitless power, and he couldn't let her power remain unchecked. Drawing all the focus he could he thrust his arm forward, and with one simple motion telekinetic force surged through the air, slamming into the area in front of him with all the force of a speeding train, forcing furniture, chandeliers, and hopefully his foe, flying through the rear wall. With any luck this would buy him and the others enough time to escape.

Normally he might try to reason with her, try to sell her on the sanctity of life, the finality of death, but they were beyond that now.

@arceus_aurelius-rex: gona wait on the Squad but that was a bad ass post :)

@vocal: Thanks! I figure we should give Medusa something to read when he comes back.

Because they always come back...

@medusa_merc:

Pax seemed mindless, he did not speak words, and more so made loud guttural noises, as he snarled towards the grotesque man, his desire to take his head unwavering and fury seemingly without any end. However....

That bark all came to a stop when Vamp turned into Bold. It wasn't fear that seemed to halt Pax, but more, respect. Something of seeing an Alpha. Bold was someone who's control over Pax was absolute. Pax could never figure out a way to actually beat him. Him and Moya never fought, he didn't respect her. She used men and tactics to get the better of him. But Bold? He had the men, the tactics and was far too powerful for Pax to fight head on, having actually had a hand in much of the genetic giant's combat training.

He listened now, to the man as he spoke, his body still and his face locked in a near deadpan scowl. His eyes locked on vamp, as his putrid scent filled the Maverick Monolith's nostrils. To which, Pax replied by snorting in Vamp's place. Then watching as he turned back into that decrepit old form of his. At the end of his long drawn out speech, he finally muttered his reply after only a few moments.

...But. I want it under certain conditions. I want my body to be the same as it was before. No stronger. No weaker. Two, I want a rematch. With her. Three. I want to be able to be killed. Again. Those are my conditions for me to allow you to bring my soul away from hell."

He spoke without the slightest falter as he looked at vamp, dead in his eyes. Indeed, Pax would hardly respond to any threat or muse. Only some reason could sway him now. It was only the beginning.

His evolution had begun with his mind.