[center][h2][b][color=f7941d]Student[/color] versus [color=bc8dbf]Master[/color][/b][/h2] Day 2, morning [i]Wild Wind, themerlinhawk, Grin, Monochromatic Rainbow[/i] Marielle, Raven, Adéla, Sirius, Shard, Megelis, Amber, Lazarus, Zachary, Ralrisk[/center] Blackwing was peacefully quiet, as it always is many stories in the sky. Birds singing, wind massaging the sails, and many sleeping crewmates aboard. That all changed when a massive explosion blasted in the center of Blackwing’s beam, rocking the whole ship. It woke everyone, and the smoke could be seen from several miles away. So much for a quiet morning after all. Amber jumped from her bed, her foot caught in the sheets and she crashed face-first on the floor. An explosion erupted in her brain at least as powerful as the real one, making her doubt for a moment that a real explosion even happened. She sat up and looked around disoriented for a second, her hair falling in frizzy strands in front of her eyes. Then her senses cleared and she jumped out of the room and out on the deck. The cold morning air hit her and coiled around her pjs, making her arms wrap around her for warmth. She stared out at the beam, trying not to shiver. A whistle on her left made her turn only to see the face of a handsome young man she’d never seen before. His eyes travelled up and down her shorts and tank-top, lingering in places where a man’s eyes always lingered. “Do I need to hit you?” She asked. He smiled bitterly and pushed himself up from the ship’s wall. “Someone already did that yesterday so please refrain yourself.” He peeled his eyes off to stare at the explosion’s direction. “She’s finally making her move.” He grinned. Adéla was still awake, testing out her newfound abilities and recording the results on her computer. She wasn’t getting too adventurous with them, but some interesting nuances had made themselves known to her through this method. Still, she would have to ask later about any books she could read to further her- A shockwave rattled through the building, jarring Adéla out of her mildly sleep deprived fog as she jolted to her feet, mind racing. Dressing as fast as she could in the dilatant base of her armor and grabbing her sidearm just in case, she raced to the elevator and upon reaching the floor where she thought the shockwave had originated from, raced for where the source seemed to be. Ah, so she had been right, at least as to the location. “What in the hell…?” She muttered, looking around for someone who might’ve had at least some idea of what was happening. Megelis slid into the hallway beside Adéla. “Son of a bitch why in the world is..” Megelis caught sight of Adéla. “I assume you heard that too given the current state of your gear.” Megelis wasn’t wearing any of his armor but his sword was held in his left hand still in the sheath. “No, I definitely did not feel that powerful shock wave.” Adéla snarked, “You have any idea who’s attacking, if it’s an attack? I don’t see anything else, and no more explosions, it seems to be just the one.” She cracked her knuckles, watching the ship closely, “Perhaps one of us should grab a first aid kit, just in case.” Megelis frowned. “Sentinel hasn’t alerted anyone… Okay grab a medkit, I think that was the Blackwing.” Megelis turned and tapped a wall panel. “Eve, would you meet me and Adéla at the Blackwing? Something just went down and I’d like some backup in case Adéla and I need some magic.” With that he turned back. “I’ll call the elevator meet you at the end of the hall.” Adéla didn’t have to go far to find a medkit she could take. It was a rather sizeable affair actually, about as large as an average sized backpack, the nurse she’d gotten it from had said it was designed for EMTs arriving on scene with little support. Apparently, it even included a collapsing stretcher, somehow. She slung the kit over her shoulder and ran for the elevator. In the back of her mind she wondered if she would have need to use her own recently discovered abilities, but she extinguished those thoughts and caught up with Megelis. “Got it. Let’s go see who’s causing that racket.” ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [b][color=f7941d]”GET OUT HERE.”[/color][/b] Marielle snarled. [b][color=f7941d]”I’M TIRED OF PLAYING FETCH FOR YOU OLD LADY. GIVE ME BACK WHAT’S MINE.”[/color][/b] Her fist lay on the hard flooring of Blackwing’s largest portion, crumbs of combustion sprawled around it. Lady Marrowblade was the last person she wanted to have her will under constriction. The captain never listens to what she has to say, and at this rate she’ll never give it back. [i]I have to take it from her by force. No bitch has the right to my will but me.[/i] Marielle stood up and stretched, eyeing one of Raven’s surprised pirates. “Look,” She growled. “Find Lady Bitchface and tell her that she needs to get her ass kicked.” The pirate gave her a look of disbelief, a look of almost pity. Marielle grabbed him by the collar and lifted him up, a dark look capturing her features. [b][color=f7941d]”I know you heard me [i]fucker.[/i]”[/color][/b] [color=bc8dbf]“That’s enough, Marielle.”[/color] There she was, clad in her full armor. The pirate queen. Her eyes were a deep red, staring into her student like hot ice. Her voice was sharp enough to cut the top of an entire forest. Over Raven’s left shoulder Shard stood watching with folded arms and eyes full of storm clouds. He made no move to interfere with the two women. Shards armor was different than before, it was composed of a breastplate and the fluid storm crystals connecting his gauntlets and Greaves. The Heart of Storms hung from his left hip in its sword form. “Young Lady, I would advise you to rethink your course of action.” His voice was calm and soothing but there was a clear warning in it. There she was. The boss’ lover, the Pirate Queen, Raven Marrowblade… a legend in the flesh. Her eyes hid secrets he couldn’t even imagine. “Are you serious?” Sirius whispered, a smile twitching on his lips. “She’s gonna challenge [i]that[/i]?!” This girl was braver than him. Beside him Amber withheld a laugh. This was a long time coming and Raven should have expected it. A girl like Marielle could only be pushed so far until she snapped… and she could never be tamed. It had taken Akime a hundred years to take the same edge off herself, and that was probably only possible because she was already dead. When she spotted the half-hidden master of the tower, her smile froze. The one man she never wished to see again, the same stormy eyes that still haunted her nightmares. Amber turned and ran back to her cabin. Sirius didn’t spare her as much as a glance. Marielle’s dark scowl turned upwards in a maniacal grin. [b][color=f7941d]”THERE YOU ARE.”[/color][/b] She cackled. Her eyes were bright orange like an old brewing star. [b]”Took you long enough, old lady. I was just about ready to turn this,”[/b] she holds up the pirate further, who makes no effort to squirm from her grip. “Into [b][color=f7941d]crisp.[/color][/b]” Marielle then gripped air. The pirate she clutched was gone. [i]What?![/i] He was in Raven’s arms, not a single gold hair out of place. [color=bc8dbf]“Marielle, your frustration is with me. Not with the innocent.”[/color] The pirate suddenly appeared in the crowd of Raven’s crew and members of the tower. Almost everyone jolted at the sudden appearance, and the pirate just stared at Raven. He knew his Lady’s power all too well. Raven showed no signs of movement. Marielle was shaking with rage. “Then stop hiding behind Shard like a [b][color=f7941d]DOG,[/color][/b] if you’re all powerful, [b][color=f7941d]PROVE IT.[/color][/b]” Fire surrounded Marielle like a magnet to her skin, slithering around her. [b][color=f7941d]”Give me my will back.”[/color][/b] Raven’s lips gently frowned at the edges. [color=bc8dbf]“Marielle...I’ve done this to protect--”[/color] [color=f26522]“STOP PROTECTING ME!”[/color] Marielle blasted. [color=f7941d]“STOP. GIVE ME MY WILL BACK TO FIGHT YOU.”[/color] A purple dome spiraled around the two, separating the duo from the crowd as Raven’s heels gently clapped against the floor. She made her way to the center, eyes locked on Marielle. Raven knew at this point there was no use resisting. She wanted her student to be safe at all cost, but she’d long realized it was putting her companions in danger. She was smarter than to let this go on any longer. It has been a while since she brawled against a woman in this manner. There was a flash of expression as Raven eyed the girl of flames, as if she were staring in a mirror. It quickly evaporated back to her usual expressionless demeanor. [i]I wonder if this was how the chimera felt. [/i] She entertained the thought while inhaling. Raven had created a magical barrier around the two, to prevent any recoil for Marielle’s will. She knew that she could never miss be it she had to use her own, her student, however, was more wild with her swings. [i][color=bc8dbf]Sorry, Christian, our...date...will have to wait for a moment.[/color] [/i] she slipped the words into his mind. Faster than a blink of an eye Raven’s armor popped into thin air, leaving the woman in a white tank top, black under hand wraps (Save for her tech arm) and long pants that tucked up at the knee, leaving black footwraps covering her bare legs and feet. The woman had her hood up covering her face. Normally this would block all human vision, but this way she could see all. Her bare shoulders displayed black tattoos that shone like oil. Tattoos of a queen of midnight. Standing as still as ice, she waited, before finally exhaling. This granted Marielle her full capacity back. [color=bc8dbf]“As you wish, Marielle.”[/color] The student burst into flames, a loud roar thundering from the explosion, smoke flooding and shaping from inside the dome like an orb before being released at the bottom. [i]Oh...fuck...yes….[/i] Marielle’s heart sang with the union of her captured power, turning her skin into raw energy. The corners of her eyes winced from the pain, but a grin melted and stretched her lips.[i] Locksis….[/i] She laughed. [i]I hope you’re watching.[/i] With that she jammed a ten of spades into her arm. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [i]Not a problem[/i] Christian sniffed the air and turned his head to look over his shoulder at the cabin; the strangest feeling that he had smelled something on the air once a long time ago coming over him. With a shrug he dismissed it. A man in grey and tan detached himself from the crowd and made his way over to Shard, the man’s hair immediately gave him away. “Lazarus, come to see the fun I assume?” The other man raised an eyebrow “Fun? Gee I love the prospect of death on a grand scale so early in the morning. Nothing like that to get the Grand Lich’s attention am I right?” Lazarus deadpan was erased by the appearance of another individual. “You know that never works on me.” Shard chuckled and Lazarus looked at him like he was crazy. Ralrisk detached herself from the shadow behind Shard and approached to his other side. Her face was sour like a pouting teenager. “How do you do that.” Shard just chuckled and turned back to Raven and Marielle, “I can smell you a mile away, no matter how you change your shampoo or perfume you still smell like the Shadow realm.” He hastily added when she shot him a dirty look “Not that, that is a bad thing.” Lazarus peered at Ralrisk. “Is this the brat you took in when her sister tried to kill her?” Shard glared at Lazarus and Ralrisk cowered a little. “Lay off her Lazarus.” Lazarus looked taken aback for a moment. “Sorry, she just grew up really fast. i wasn’t sure.” Shard shrugged “Well when you’re locked-” Lazarus returned the glare and Shard chuckled. Zachary approached Blackwing and descended to the deck. It appeared that the hot head had decided to go supernova. Vulture landed on his shoulder. Shivering Zachary made eye contact with Lazarus, it was uncomfortable being this close to the Avatar of Death. Vulture adjusted himself before settling in on Crow’s shoulder. “Stupid. You’re going to get yourself snuffed. The hell would you fight Raven for?” Crow frowned. “Dumbass” Adéla emerged from the elevator with Megelis in tow only to be greeted with… not what she’d expected. She looked back to Megelis for some inkling of what was happening here before shrugging and moving a little closer to better get a sense of things. Spotting a familiar face in the crowd, she made her way over to Christian, folding her arms over her chest as she watched the altercation in front of them. “So… what’s happening here, exactly?” Christian looked up as Megelis and Adéla arrived “Marielle is renegotiating the terms of her contract with Raven it would appear.” Megelis shook his head. “That sounds like a bad idea, Raven can safely go ten rounds with you. Marielle is in for the ass beating of a lifetime.” Megelis rolled on of the barrels on the deck over and perched on it folding his legs; laying his sword across his lap. “Adéla if you wanna settle in, this shouldn’t take that long.” Christian chuckled at that. A motion caught his eye and he turned towards Ralrisk who was pointedly ignoring Megelis on the other side of him. [i]You and Ris having a fight?[/i] Megelis looked up at Christian whose eyes were now a bronzed gold. [i]She’s been acting all weird since we got on board Nemesis. I don’t know what happened.[/i] Shard turned back to the two combatants [i]I suspect that you are probably leaving out a key detail.[/i] Megelis snorted [i]Yeah a detail I don’t see as being important but clearly she does.[/i] Adéla wasn’t exactly sure what to think of the situation. “So, she woke everyone up so she could have an argument with Raven? What kind of…” She shook her head, leaning against a nearby beam as she folded her arms over her chest. “Well, I brought this first aid kit here, so if someone ends up bleeding out we can do a little more than just stand around gawking.” She noticed another woman who seemed to be steadfastly ignoring the boss of the Tower. Another person she should know and didn’t, she presumed. Curiosity prodded at the back of her mind but she shushed it for the moment, she could ask when there wasn’t a potentially very lethal fight going on. Sirius’ eyes narrowed when Marielle’s whole body went ablaze and then averted his gaze. That’s when he spotted the whole elite of the Tower, along with some new faces at the opposite end of the deck. Even the girl who hit him earlier was there. Hmph. Perhaps a piece of debris would avenge him. Then again, the light surrounding Lady Marrowblade probably wouldn’t allow it. For a moment he considered strolling over to the Tower Knights (after all, they were his people whereas the pirates surrounding him were complete strangers) but decided against it. He’d have to walk way too close to the two fighting women and that would probably be unwise. So he just leaned back on the side of the ship and shoved his hands in his pockets. He hoped the show was good, it was early in the morning and it was still pretty cold. Then again – his lips stretched – it seemed like Marielle was about to change that. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [i]It hurts…[/i] Marielle’s grin matched the wild flames dancing around her body. Just a fifth of spades is lethal, using twice the energy could tear her body apart. She was not one to care about pain, though, not so long as her opponent hurt worse than her. Her muscles were stiff as they went for the deck in her pocket, eyeing her master for any movements. Raven’s eyes shone with concern. Her soft words bleeding into Marielle’s head, a slightly tough edge on them. [i][color=bc8dbf]Marielle…[/color][/i] The lady knew that the path the girl was taking was dangerous. Using way more power than her body could handle was not wise. The student ignored them, however, and charged her. She quickly collapsed the distance between the two and sent a right cross straight for Raven’s head. It felt as if she didn’t move, but the woman’s head tilted to the side, and Marielle completely missed. This threw off her balance and sent her to the wall of Raven’s magic, flames all around her combusting like a grenade. It was as if Raven completely changed the placement of her body as Marielle threw the punch. Marielle roared and threw herself back at Raven, throwing punch after punch in explosive consistency. The last punch Marielle threw caused an uppercut of flames, smoking the area in grey. When it cleared, Raven stood, completely unharmed. Marielle stared in disgust. The student threw her arms up in the air, collapsing a ton of molecules and forcing them to speed up. The ball of light in her hands grew to twice the size of her head before throwing it straight for Raven, the light exploding, and filling the barrier dome with physical light. Raven was behind Marielle. She had her arms behind her back, unphased. Her eyes were distant, as if they were staring through the absolutely livid being in front of her. Marielle quickly spun out of reflex, lifting her leg up in a kick as she used her body to power it. Raven caught it, with no resistance. The captain gently released her hold on Marielle and the motion forced the girl’s body to obey a terrifying push, violently pulling her to the complete opposite end of the barrier. The slick elixir of Raven’s voice melted into venom. “[color=bc8dbf]Stop this…[b]Now.[/b][/color]” Marielle lay on the floor. Her body shook as she placed her palms on the ground and pressed down, forcing herself upright. She spat blood, painting the wooden boards with small dots of red. Parts of her skin were peeled due to the overuse of the power. [i]No…[/i] In her hand clutched a card. Using all her effort, while releasing a pained grunt, She jammed it into the tenth of spades. Lady Marrowblade’s face darkened after the card shone from the sunlight. The joker. “Why….” Marielle started inching towards her. “Won’t you..just..[b][color=f7941d]DIE?![/color][/b]” She suddenly moved so fast it was hard for the average eye to see, forcing herself at Raven. Marielle’s limbs violently thrashed around in structured punches and kicks, throwing everything against Raven’s body, marking it for death. The pirate queen’s body morphed from the impacts, twisting and cracking from the raw power. The sound of gunfire and smell of burning skin erupted in the air as Marielle threw a long, nasty flurry. Marielle’s voice contorted to a dark, loud rumble as she laughed. Then, there was another sound. Breaking and evaporating glass. Marielle’s eyes turned from chaotic to surprised, and before the world could see it Raven punched Marielle’s cheek from behind, the ten of spades and joker in the woman’s hand. Marielle had no room or time to scream and was sent rocketing into the barrier’s wall again. A loud rumble snaked itself around the entire ship from the impact, before it gradually fell in decrescendo to complete silence. When the smoke faded Raven was in the center, staring down at her student’s mangled body. Her expression was unreadable, like a grim reaper. Adéla impassively watched the scene unfold with her mouth set in a firm line. She felt rather sorry for Marielle, at least, from her rather ignorant perspective on the matter. Why the girl had decided to challenge Raven in the first place however, perplexed her. It was painfully obvious she was nowhere near the older woman, so why potentially get herself killed for a little money? She’d seen similar curb stomps in the Stygian Blade as a matter of fact. Even participated in some herself. Some up and coming wet behind the ears rookie would get it into their head that they were hot shit, and decide to challenge one of the older and more powerful members for their position, or something silly. Such scenarios usually ended up in the challenger being carted out on a stretcher, if not outright dead. She’d had to deal with it herself as she ascended the ranks. A recently joined grunt would get it into her head after a successful raid or somesuch that she was more qualified than the Lord-Commander put in charge of the operation - which usually ended in a corpse. Where the SB recruited such idiots from, she wasn’t sure. All this came to mind as she watched the fight unfold, and dark images of broken bodies and mangled corpses danced in the back of her mind as she watched the hopelessly outmatched girl wage a fruitless struggle against a far superior opponent. She could still feel the questioning blank stare of countless dead eyes a- no. She closed her own eyes for a moment - that was behind her now. She wasn’t a high ranking member of a terrorist organization, wasn’t executing people daily, was just waiting with a first aid kit for the inevitable outcome of this fight. Sirius was watching the fight with lips slightly parted and a look of excitement in his eyes. The thundering sounds and blasts of fire and light would have made him flinch if he wasn’t so lost in his own thoughts. He was trying to understand a situation that was beyond his comprehension, a dozen question and scenarios playing out in his mind. What was the source of such rage? It was obvious to anyone what the little girl was no match for the pirate queen. Yet she had come here, demanding this match… to regain her will? But why not just leave after she got it. There was either something deeper going on here or the little knight was simply that petulant. Or was Marielle just plain suicidal? It intrigued him greatly. He watched her vigilantly and savoured the way their bodies moved in unison. As the fight finished, almost as quickly as expected, he approached the women… just as a girl peeled off the crowd on the other side and stood in front of him. Ah…. That one. His eye twitched before getting locked by her coldly contemptuous ones. “Leave.” She said simply, her glare like ice as the few scattered flames still burned behind the barrier. Sirius frowned with a sour twist to his lips. “High temperatures can cause irreversible damage to a human, body, especially the brain. …Something you’re surely prepared to dealing with.” He mocked, eyeing the first aid kit. He put a hand on the barrier and glanced Raven’s eyes, looking for any disapproval or warning. “May I?” He asked, ignoring the little twerp next to him. Adéla continued to glare icicles at Sirius as she pushed him aside. “Perhaps,” she stated coolly, “letting the little sadist attend to her wouldn’t be advisable. I…” She paused, she didn’t know any healing magic, “I have a stretcher, we should get her to an infirmary.” Raven’s eyes slid up to Sirius’s, then Adéla’s, her expression cold and lifeless, staring thousands of years into the past. Her stare glided back down to Marielle laying on the ground, the red in her look suddenly lifelike when her student stirred. [color=bc8dbf]“She’s still alive,”[/color] She whispered, more to herself than anyone else. The cold voice rang out from behind Raven. “She isn't going to pass over in my presence. Death itself bends to my will. You have no fear of killing her.” Lazarus stood next to Shard in the same spot he’d been through the whole fight. “You could even conceivably tear her apart and she would still live if I chose to bar the way.” Shard gave Lazarus a look and he stopped talking. Folding his arms and resuming his stony silence as he observed. Marielle’s voice was but a mere whisper, but it was enough for the lady to hear. She hears all. [i]”Why...won’t you tell me where he is…?”[/i] She coughed and shivered, whole body going numb. [i]”You...promised…”[/i] Finally, the student’s breathing slowed as she passed out on the beam of blackwing. Immediately Raven shot her hand out, collecting the moon energy that created the barrier before turning on her heel and walking away. Her lips moved, but nobody could hear it save for one. As the last of the barrier died down a girl ran to the center of the scene, her long red hair glistening from the early morning sunlight as she strode towards Marielle slowly. Before anyone could blink Raven’s armor was back on her body before she vanished from sight. Rolling his eyes at Adéla’s suspicion, Sirius decided to ignore the threat and crouched down next to Marielle. Carefully he lifted her head and rested it in his lap. At the initial contact he literally burnt his fingers on her skin but a quick water spell fixed that. Mist started rising from his hands as he held the girl’s body up, enveloping her to cool her down gently and steadily. “Now if we just had a stretcher.” He smiled at Adéla, implying he’s ready to surrender his patient over. Adéla didn’t say anything, pulling out the stretcher from the oversized first aid kit and gently maneuvering her onto it. She pulled out a small tube and flicked it twice before pressing it firmly against Marielle’s arm, hopefully that would dull the pain somewhat. Slinging the pack over her back she moved to the rear end of the stretcher, looking over to Sirius as she murmured just loud enough for him to hear, “Take the other side, please.” Sirius did without much commentary. The girl with long scarlet hair approached the duo, eyeing the new patient with her minty glass eyes. She was silent, taking her hand and feeling the top of Marielle’s forehead to check her temperature, deep in focus. Adéla looked over, “Can we safely move her,” she paused, “Eh… what’s your name?” The girl looked up and gave a smile with white teeth. A soft whisper flooded into Adéla’s ears. Her voice was like melted butter, and sang like the most exotic birds in spring. [i][color=f6989d]”Hello. I am the main medical source for blackwing. It is nice to meet you. I can tell you’re very caring.”[/color][/i] With that her smile faded back to a look of concentration, getting a read on Marielle’s most fatal wounds. That wasn’t quite the answer she’d be looking for. Adéla pressed again, “Yes, it’s wonderful that you think I’m nice, and we can talk about that later. But I need to know if we can safely move her to the infirmary. Anything we can do out here will be much better in there.” The strange girl nodded. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Shard turned to Megelis “I’d say the girl has talent. I think it’s gone relatively uncultivated though until now” Megelis nodded absently “Since when can Lady Marrowblade move faster than [b]I[/b] can see?” Ralrisk snorted and Megelis gave her a dirty look. Shard’s lack of intervention made his two lieutenants look at him. The distant gaze made both of them frown. Shard finally spoke “Might be good for her to have an instructor, with that much power she could cause some serious problems for the Tower without discipline…” Megelis watched Shard but his confused stare suddenly turned to a look of abject horror. “No way. Shard! you can’t be serious. That BITCH burned down half of Kevin’s watch with ONE MATCH. One Match!!” Ralrisk maintained the confused look until it suddenly dawned on her who was being discussed. “She’s Stygian! You can’t bring her here.” Shard frowned at Ralrisk “Just because she was born with a Stygian name doesn’t mean that she is a member of the Stygian blade.” Lazarus raised an eyebrow at the conversation. “Who are we talking about?” Megelis turned to Lazarus “Lady Firebrand.” Lazarus eyebrows shot up at that. “Fuck. That. Kaelia the Tarot is fifty different kinds of bad news and that is not including her capacity to melt durasteel. Shard I know you’re different but I didn’t realize you were stupid.” It was Shard’s turn to act surprised. “Kaelia came to us after you left...how do you..?” Lazarus muttered “Reputation, there is only one person who could make these two scared. Besides she’s about as mature as Marielle is, you want her to teach Marielle how to use fire? Jesus when did you acquire a thrice damned death wish.” Shard gave all three of them a condescending look “Luckily none of you are my Mistress of Sight, I’ll talk to Raven but I think this is a much more productive idea than you are giving me credit for.” All three of them gave Shard a less than agreeable stare. “I said I’d talk with Raven, calm down.” [center][h2][color=9e0b0f]♠[/color][color=ed1c24]~[/color][color=f7941d]♠[/color][color=ed1c24]~[/color][color=9e0b0f]♠[/color][/h2][/center]