Chaos. Delicious chaos soon followed after the instructions. Bak was an earnest girl, but her frame wasn't fit for subtlety, as the screams and yells soon followed. She didn't manage to stop the stab in time, but she had managed to bring Vittorio back with her... with the intervention of Mr Wet Noodle himself, who Celestine thought that he should search for a new nickname. Napping nightmare, maybe? Well, that and a few drinks. Specially if his girlfriend was invited. They seemed to disappear with the help of one of Clara's creatures.
They were her problem, now.
He sighed, amused. Heaps and heaps of work would await him... "Well, isn't it great when they are all grown up, causing all sorts of trouble?" He let a faux laugh and tear, before trudging the path towards the medical pavilion. Would he need to stitch lightboy's wound caused by Vittorio? That was all sorts of amusing, and awkward. Speaking of which.
The chief princess of awkward was not there. His memory never lied. Diana was kissing a pillow. Ria was still groaning. The other charred vigilante was trying to do tongue tricks with a pencil. But Alexandria Sova, better known as Andras, was nowhere to be seen. Celestine frowned, as he went towards Ria. She was probably the one with the most sound witness report right now. Those awfully accurate eyes and all. She took her by the scruff of the neck and shook her. That should have gotten her attention.
"Where is Andras?" He demanded, in a composed tone that oozed annoyance.
"Wha? I dunno. Think I heard thot patrol though. Oh fuck, you don't suppose she's eating her?" Ria answered, with her own flippant attitude. Who was toth patrol? And why would she eat Andras? His gears didn't clicked at that precise moment. He shook her again.
"Toth patrol who?" He affirmed once more.
"My dumb teammate. Demon bitch. Meredith! God." It was Ria's annoyed reply. Even the most keenest minds like Cel had their share of daft moments. Usually in times of stress. This aggravated him greatly. He had to do something. It was bad enough Andras going missing. It was worse than the titty monster had not heed her advice and had taken her... and if Diana's nonsensical rant of earlier was true, it meant trouble...
Speaking of which, he really needed an stand in. Grabbing one of the antidote syringes for the sedative he had just given to the Witch, he ruthlessly jabbed the frail body of Diana with another shot, waking her up all in a sudden. She seemed to gasp for breath.
"You are on healing duty, Diana. I will send you a cheque." Cel said, his body language finally showing signs of exasperation.
"Wait, she's not actually gonna eat her right? I know she's a bitch and all but King can't have her eating Andras. She's real...like....real good at stuff. Like, trump card stuff." Ria seemed to chime in, confirming Celestine's suspicions. Andras had vast hidden powers.
"Diana freaked out. There is some truth on her ramblings. " He added, as he, without a word, left the medical bay, heading for where he had hidden his getup. He had to find the titty monster. Now, he did not know much about him, merely what the tournament information had given. But the key in this life was not knowing the information, but finding the information from someone who knew.
Maybe the knight nerd of the armor was still in the locker room, getting ready...
Diana let a drawn out sigh. "That man, he just knows how to dump his problems on me, huh." The witch said, as she got up on unsteady feet. She was beyond drained, but the quick medical aid Cel had provided stabilized her condition. She concentrated, a minor healing spell forming on her hand. "You can help me, trap master." She said to Michael, offering him some magical healing to at least bring him back to his feet. She had caused the majority of damage after all. And he seemed to be more helpful than Ria when it came to mystical and healing arts. Her foot would have to wait.
Not too shabby. Celestine thought, as he ran his hand through his wig's black hair and looked at the ornate brass mask, couple with the boots, medical aid waistpack and tonfas. It was a good thing he hadn't immediately disposed of them. Now he was once more, ready for action. Pity about the lack of blade. Shanking the titty monster would be a great pleasure. There was his target, the vigilantes locker room.
Well, it was lucky he had seen the feeds well enough, otherwise he would have not recognized him. One of his teammates, the bird-man thing that had opposed Diana, Ria, and that flying harlot was there too. Naseraph, he was named. He put a hand on his hip, and let out his feminine voice, of his Fallen One getup.
"Hey nerd, now that the show's been crashed you up for some knighting?" He said to Wolf. "Rescuing princesses, damsels and that fare? Cause that special you-know-who who wants your babies has just taken leave with the Demon Lady of Despair. And people at the medbay are really cross." He let his hand slip to one of his tonfas. "I suppose you don't know where your pet demon lady friend is, do you?"
Wolf made it to the street, barely even noticing Nas had followed him. Eventually his mind caught up and processed what the other boy had said. More importantly though, the more he looked at the map, the more he realized how far away it was. There were a fair number of taxis that had been sitting around that were starting to take off. They weren't the only people hurrying out of the arena. Some of the taxis were taking off empty, afraid that whatever danger was making people panic would catch up to them.
"Vera's missing... think she was taken..." Wolf finally managed to speak to Nas. As awkward as it might have been to take a taxi in this situation, he needed something faster than walking. He was too tired to run that far, he'd just end up collapsing half-way as much as he hated to admit it. Before he could try to flag one down, though, someone new appeared. Or... not so new.
Wolf immediately bristled, but as the masked person spoke, Wolf's eyes began to dance back and forth as his mind raced. They suggested that Meredith had taken Andras. Something that a day ago would have been inconceivable in his mind. He refused to believe it, but right now he couldn't convince himself it was impossible.
He grit his teeth, "Just stay out of my way!" he snarled and turned back to the street. He tried to flag down a cab, but it just rolled right past him, the driver's eyes filled with fear as they kept glancing at the sky, as if expecting demons to swoop down at any moment. Wolf's teeth threatened to shatter if he clenched his jaw any harder...
CRASH!
And suddenly Wolf's hammer crashed into the street in front of the cab in a plume of dust, causing the driver to slam on the brakes before he hit it. The passenger door opened and Wolf climbed in.
"Thanks for stopping," he held up his phone, "this is where we're going."
"L-l-look, I don't want any trouble-" the driver stammered.
"Then drive fast." And with that Wolf dispelled his hammer, clearing the road. If Nas and "The Fallen One" wanted to tag along, well, the back doors were unlocked.
Yuuto stared incredulous as his shuriken had flown over the intended target. He never missed... unless the target had moved. Indeed, he saw Christine's handiwork. As the events unfolded, Yuuto had his new standing orders. With his Void Energy now fully restored, he stepped in front of David after his attack on Rurik, ignoring the boy's absolutely horrid butchering of his mother tongue. He hadn't even bothered to deflect the projectile that Rurik had sent at the kid's way.
"Clara-dono say you no interfere. Make life easier and stay. I will hurt you if must. I will kill you if must. You no interfere, Void will keep you alive." Yuuto said to the kid. Sure, it was unlikely David was gonna be able to do a whole lot with those holes in his legs, but Yuuto disliked loose ends in missions. They were troublesome. Yuuto ignored what was going on behind him. While they attended the same school, this 'David' was a loose cannon helping a foe. He was not to be trusted.
Michael raised his arms, flexing his fingers, then pushed himself up into an upright position. His body was still pretty sore, especially his arms, but he definitely felt better than before. It would have to do, and wherever he was going, it was a lot better than resting and recovering in bed. "Thank you, Diana. That feels much better," Michael said to Diana, nodding in appreciation. "And for the record, my name is Michael, but 'Trap Master' is not bad," He slid out of bed and got back onto his feet. There was a small but painful throb when he landed on his injured leg a little too roughly, but otherwise he was fine. Michael paid it no mind. There was work to do.
"There are a few questions I want to ask you while I still can," Michael continued. "First of all, how did you dispel my Trap Arts? I've never had that happen to me until now. Secondly, what are you planning on doing right now? From how panicked everyone's been recently I assume the trouble must be severe."
The Fallen One clenched his fists as he walked after Wolf, being so rudely brushed. "My my, aren't we touchy today." However, he reasoned that even if he followed him, by the grim looks of his face, he would find Meredith. And probably a lot of delicious, delicious chaos. He smirked upon seeing the ruthless handling of the taxi flagging, and he grinned wickedly under his mask as he went towards the driver's door.
"Shh, it's okay." He said. And with that expression, his hands shot around the driver's neck, clamping the bloodflow and turning him unconscious swiftly. He could've used a strong medicine to sedate him, but there was a major scuffle incoming, he thought, as he tossed the driver carefully outside the taxi. "I know what you're thinking. Yes, I might be a bastard. But I just spared you having a hesitant driver and collateral damage in whatever awaits. He will wake up, and may find his Taxi with a couple of scraps some time later." He said, deftly sliding in the driver's seat.
"Besides, you don't need driving. If you want to do it in style, it will be street racing." Celestine said, as he took the driver's seat and revved up the engine, waiting for the signal to race towards Wolf's destination.
"Understood Michael." Diana said, almost in a grim monotone, as she steadied herself and started checking on all the inventory and medicines for magical reagents. She wobbled as if she was about to pass at any moment, but she stood on her feet due to sheer grit and experience. She looked at some alcohol. "Mm, alcohol is a purifying agent also used in alchemy. Might squeeze a couple of advanced healing items out of this. If I can find some more rare ingredients." She mumbled to herself as she set up her task.
"Oh, magic is but another use of power like blessings. Although since it's not directed from a God's will, you need to control the flow through diagrams and drawings. Powers that rely on such structures can therefore be disrupted as long as you identify the patterns." Diana said nonchalantly. "And to answer your second question, I might pass out again soon, so I will need backup to heal all the people that quack had the gall to leave abandoned. I will bleed him dry out of his money for this."
Lise didn't pay much attention to any of the other fights. While she knew many of her family were fond of watching peasants scramble amongst the dirt of an arena, she considered it rather pedestrian. She felt that entertainment fitting for her would have to come from a higher degree of human ingenuity, something that can be considered art. Her most recent purchase of a television had shown her the breadth of modern entertainment, and although she considered most of it base drivel, there were a few things that piqued her interest.
If only she could manage to make them appear when she wanted to. She would have to bring in someone who was more inclined with such strange creations. She was going over the mechanics of the seemingly magical technology of the black glass television as well as the wonders it displayed to her in her mind as the fights continued.
Lise was knocked out of her internal musings when Andreim spoke up. She didn't really have a good grasp on what was going on, but it seemed like one of the peons on the enemy team - or, wait, her team - went and made a mess of things, and someone hurt someone else? 'Well of course they would get hurt, they can't seem to grasp the spirit of a friendly duel and end up making it personal.'
"We're bailing them out? Are they really that important?" Lise groaned. To her, it seemed like a waste of effort. "Or is this a case of sponsoring a fighter for promotional purposes?" Lise had never really paid much attention to the more business-oriented side of Valois-Saint-Remy, but she knew that sometimes lifting a grubby lowlife to spend some time in the spotlight with the royalty was a common tactic that boosted popularity of both participants.
She sold herself on the idea. 'I may have to hire a manager in the future, so I don't have to do this. But for now, it's a necessary evil.' With that, she took Andreim's hand.
He had a slightly surprised expression on his face on hearing Lise's questions. Ofcourse their comerades, comerades such as Katherine was important. Not only to him but to the future which was soon reaching it's new dawn.
"Ofcourse our comerades are important, and yes this is our way to sponsor ourselves for the coming future. I want you to give it your all, like I will. So we may all reach the stars. In chess, the King and Queen are the most important, but they need the rest of the pieces aswell. And this particular rook, I am not willing on giving up on. Hold on tight and watch the arm." Andreim said reassuringly to Lise and nodded towards his arm which had taken some damage during the tournament, then quickly he began to move the large vortex of water, which spun away along the ground. Andreim kept yelling along the way for people to move out of the way, so they could get to Katherine as fast as they could. Also these other people had to get out of the area, or they would get caught up in a fight. He gazed off towards where Katherine was, and there was some fight going on there.
People dove and scattered like frightened rodents before Andreim's charge. The crowds thinned but didn't disperse as he left the arena. There had been plenty of those who'd been much closer to the exits when they'd begun to flee and so had had a large head-start. This meant even as he raced down the street and around the arena, there were still people running ahead of them, either trying to escape on foot or attempting to get to their vehicles.
He didn't make it far from the arena before he'd have seen a flash of orange light, that faded to a dim, ominous glow. Getting closer, he'd have seen strange men in cloaks and masks. Some of the feeling tournament goers had unwittingly charged right into their grasp. One man lay on the sidewalk, neck gushing blood. One cloaked individual was picking themselves up off the ground. Clearly the man had been killed for attempting to retaliate. The others weren't so lucky, being dragged off toward the light-source, some sort of pulsating rip in the air itself.
One of the strange individuals, his appearance unique from the others who wore mostly the same outfits, noticed Andreim's rapid approach. His robes were pattered and had no hood, though a mask still hid his face. Lastly there was a staff slung over his back.
"Another meddler," he spoke under his breath, mistaking Andreim's pursuit of Katherine as an attack on them. He pulled a curved dagger from his belt with three rapid movements carved a shape into his own palm. He then thrust his hand at Andreim and a massive glyph burnt itself into the space between them. There would be no time to change direction. It flashed and sparked violently in reaction to Andreim's water vortex, disrupting it and dropping him and Lise to the ground. The glyph also vanished. "Quite the display... this one may be too much for you." The man turned away. He turned the blade against his palms once more and them slapped his hands down on the shoulders of two of his compatriots.
He then took his staff and slammed it against the ground. The glowing rip pulsed and beams of light shot out and seared into the two men he'd marked. They writhed under it, light pouring out of the holes in their masks. "Come, we must move on," the man with the staff motioned for the others to quickly carry their victims into the rip before following them, the rip shutting behind him. The few tournament goers still in the area picked themselves up and fled, likely saved simply by Andreim's appearance on the scene.
Thus Andreim and Lise were left with the two the man had left behind. Their eyes could not be seen behind the masks, but suddenly they way they carried themselves was like they were starving predators, staring down Andreim and Lise like prey.
A flash of light illuminated the maintenance corridors of the tournament. A large, barefoot man stepped out of a rip in the fabric of the world itself. He wore a frightening mask and wasn't alone, though he towered over those who were with him. He tilted his head back and inhaled deeply.
"So this is the epicenter of the latest activity... but its source has left. Very well. Go, their spawn have torn each other apart and are ripe to be plundered. I will give them something else to think about." And with that he marched off alone.
At the medical pavilion there was a frantic knock on one of the doors. One of the physicians left behind after Cel had left hurried over to answer. The door had a window, but there was no one beyond it.
"Hello? What the hell is going on today!?" He swung the door open to look only to have a being who had been hiding around the corner lunge and drive a knife into his shoulder. A gloved hand shot out to cover his mouth and silence him, pushing the man back into the room. Three more cloaked and masked individuals stormed into the room. Any patients who had the strength to move were quickly pinned down by them, while the rest could only watch in terror. A fifth entered the room as the physician was dropped like a sack of potatoes, having been choked into unconsciousness. This one had a strange, wooden mask quite unlike the others.
"I will prepare our exit. You, go check that other room. I believe that is where the most injured and most vulnerable will be," he told the first, pointing to the area where Diana was speaking to Michel. Only the cloth privacy flaps separated them from their attackers. "We should have plenty of easy prey."
And Elsewhere...
But these were not isolated incidents. Throughout the city, little points of light unleashed hell upon the unsuspecting. Some could fight back, but most were caught unaware. The world was filled with those with the power to do battle, but few had the will. The world had long become soft. They weren't warriors -- they were cattle.
As the two tumbled forward Katherine feel the claw on her wrist tighten and yank, pulling her back into the darkness as the demoness reasserted control and caught herself, her hand landing in the pool of strange, multicolored blood that was now seeping from the boys legs. "Could you not have just portaled us away?" She asked, unbeliving not only their bad luck but that all of her enemy's had gathered in one place so incredibly quickly. If she'd known this would happen maybe it would have been more advantages to remain in the stadium. At least there was an ready supply of victims there compared to this desert.
There was no time regrets now, though. She would just have to make do with what she had.
"Look here child." she said inwardly. "If we're going to still be working together after this then you could use this knowledge. My fire, unlike yours, is hungry." As she spoke with Katherine the blood began to bubble, steam, then suddenly erupted into flame. The fire devoured it, following the trail up the boys leg to the source and digging in greedily for just a second before the demoness pressed her will down on it and it pulled back. From that moment, besides that momentary pain where it had cauterized the wound, the fire on his leg did not hurt him at all. All it did was burn until the blood was gone, and as the blood disappeared both the demoness and Katherine could feel power welling up in them. Not enough to fill the void, but more than the demoness had expected. The boys blood packed a tremendous potency, almost as though it were the base of his divine gift. "The more it consumes the more it grows, and the greater the sacrifice made to it the stronger you become as a result. If you are ever in a position to use it, be careful. Had I not exerted the strict control I keep on my flame, it would have devoured our erstwhile ally whole."
As if to affirm this commitment to Darts safety she reached out as Rurik launched one of his projectiles and pulled him out of it's path. It was the least she could do after he'd soaked that annoying boy. Turning, she pulled herself up to Katherine's full height and stared Rurik down. Despite how it felt she knew it wasn't pure arrogance that drove him. That lout had been annoying when she'd been at full power. Still, this challenge might be the only opportunity she had to turn this situation around somehow. So long as this was going on, Clara seemed happy to let it play out.
She would need to be careful. She couldn't surrender herself to rage like she had last time. As she fought, she had to also search for an escape. Conserving energy, fight conservatively, and be on the look out for any sort of trick.
"Hey, Kath! Rurik peeked at me changing at the locker room today! Can you believe it?"
The world went red. "Know your place you piece of shit, don't you have any standards!?!" The demoness threw out her hand without thinking and one of those seals from the roof sprung up around Rurik. Instead of causing a pillar of fire to shoot out, however, this one sent a pulse of pure fire across the ground around him. The water left behind from darts hose attack, along with the water in the park grass, flash boiled and exploded into a cloud of scalding hot steam all around him.
The demoness stared at her hand in legit shock. That hadn't been her speaking, not really at least. That emotion hadn't come from her heart or her head, it had been an automatic response like pulling your hand away from a hot stove top.
Was this a disgust so palpable it has been engraved in Katherine's very nerves?
She was so distracted by this she hadn't even noticed that Thobias had swooped in to cart off dear Christine.
Naserph followed along with Wolf and the Mysterious Stranger as they went out to the car. First Versa, now Andras? It sounded like that someone was targeting Wolf specifically. "The woman you love and the woman you were sworn to protect? You don't suppose this could be a trap for you?" He asked as the stranger pulled the cabby out of the cab and took the drivers seat for herself. Nasearph was unhesitant in taking the back seat.
"Does this have anything to do with those rumors I heard of you killing twenty-one demons and their dog last month?"
Rurik really wished Christine hadn't done that. Testing the situation was fine and all, but why did it always have to be at his expense? He dove clear of the rune, rolling across the ground, a trail of steam following him. He jumped up, pulling at the back of his shirt to keep the hot, steamed cloth away from his skin. He was hardly unscathed.
He also realized a moment later that in his mad scramble, he'd practically stumbled right up to the demoness. He glanced about, but there was no help in sight. He looked back at the demoness and shrugged. He'd said he wanted to punch her in the face, right?
Well... he went for it. He cocked his fist back and aimed to let her have it.
The close proximity to Lise had appearantly distracted him, as his water manipulation under their feet ceased to work when some kabuki-type had gotten into the way with his group of equally odd dressed and masked entourage. Having cast a flashy and big glyph. Andreim landed on his feet, making sure that Lise didn't fall to the ground, it was not befitting for either of them to crawl in the mud with the maggots.
Who dares to attack me? But more importantly lady Lise? What? Andreim looked to the dead civilian ahead, who'd had appearantly tried resisting these guys. The person had a gash in its neck. On seeing this, Andreim widened his eyes.
"Get behind me, Lise..." Andreim stepped forwards abit to make sure Lise was not in the firing line.
This is why the world needs to change. People like these robed individuals need to disappear forever, to be rooted out permanently and mercilessly exterminated. When the law fails to protect the people believing in it. The militaristic clad young man grit his teeth together and narrowed his eyes.
"You bastards! I'll find you and wrench your soul from your wretched excuse for a vessel!" The leader of these thugs then made for his escape and carrying some victims with them. "You have quite the nerve to attack us and then flee! Then look upon my determination and tremble!" Andreim yelled out, gathering two smaller vortexes of water in his both hands. This person had appearantly challenged him, and then realized his mistake, as the fool fled into some crudely made portal. He changed his sight to the two minions the kabuki-man had left behind.
"There are those whom wield power, and there are those whom are wielded by the power. I know which one you are... DISAPPEAR!" Not waiting for them to get the first move, he held out both of his arms and created a cone shaped attack as one of the vortexes moved to his right hand to join it's twin, reaching out to engulf both of the peons in a whirling watery tornado, while he readied his left hand by heating it up to high degrees.
I'll fling them my way, using the water pressure, then I shall cut them down like a hot knife through butter. Andreim focused as he kept his left hand flat and beaming from the heat. This is no longer a tournament fight. No mercy for the unpure.
"Interesting..." Michael said to himself. That would mean that he'd need to come up with anti-magic countermeasures the next time he faced a magic user, or at least a way to protect his Trap Arts. It seemed like it was a topic that would be worth studying. "Well, healing's not my forte, but perhaps I could-"
Michael stopped, as he began to hear voices. Normally this would not have raised an alarm in his head, but there were many factors already contributing to it. For one, the place had been quite silent for some time. That alone was not really much, but there had certainly been at least some noise outside, whether it be footsteps or the chatter of some physicians. Also, there were voices now, and they did not sound particularly friendly. He was pretty sure he heard the words "most vulnerable."
"We have company," Michael said as he drew up a defensive buff on his chest, and enforcement buffs on his arms and legs. These would ensure he wouldn't get much more injured than he already was, or at least that was the plan. He then began to draw a Trap Art near the privacy cloth. It was small and simple, but it was all he had time for. If it went as planned, the would-be assailant would be entangled in black, inky tentacles, hopefully leaving him disoriented enough to be quickly taken out.
Brutus had spent the rest of the time after the medics had revived him just laying in bed. Why? Why did he lose to Bak? Why did his electricity cut out? It seemed it wasn't his powers, either. Aram hadn't been able to perform his Alchemy. Still, it seemed that dear Bak and her explode-y pal were due for some payback next time he saw them. However, those thoughts would have to wait, as he heard voices. Foreign voices. Damn. It was a bad time for him to try and fight. He had his electricity back, but he was bruised and sore all over from Rurik's explosion and Bak's repeated shots from her flak gun. Not that he knew what had caused the bruises.
"Alright. Let's see how this goes." the electric boy muttered, sneaking to hide behind a curtain. As soon as any of the cultists walked through, they would feel the sting of his tag, followed by a 10-second burst of electricity from his Flashfield.
David was disappointed by how ineffective his fire hose plan had turned out. It seemed Rurik had some kind of shielding ability, which he thought was bullshit, but he now knew he needed a better plan if he wanted to beat the cocky jerk. As he pondered a new strategy, Yuuto stepped out in front of him. David had almost forgotten about the strange ninja guy since he had stayed quiet this entire time. Yuuto told David in a few, strangely phrased, words that he wanted David to stop resisting and threatened to hurt or even kill him if he didn't comply. David only felt more pissed off now, "If you think your threats are going to stop me." He started to say but stopped. "Shit. Maybe I watch my mouth before it gets me killed." He thought morbidly, "With my legs bleeding I'm not going to last. Holy shit!" David's train of thought was derailed as he felt a sharp burning sensation from his legs. He saw fire crawling all over his lower body and in a panic readied his fire nozzle, but before he could foolishly shoot himself the fire stopped. He felt a tingling sensation from the burns but noticed that the bleeding had stopped. It seemed that the Demoness had helped him. "Hey, thanks Kath...Whoa!" David had started to say, but his words were cut short as the Demoness yanked him to the side. He felt something invisible blow past where his face use to be. "OK, thank you's later." David quickly added as he glared at Rurik.
David chanced another look at the Demoness and noticed her intense gaze, she stared at Rurik with a stoic but determined expression. David felt anxious as the tension began to build. He was starting to get the impression that things were about to go down. However, it was all shattered when he heard Christine yell, "Hey Kath, Rurik peaked at me while changing in the locker room today! Can you believe it?!" David couldn't even process what he just heard before the Demoness' expression did a one-eighty from stoic determination to disgust and rage, "Know your place you piece of shit!" she screamed while throwing her arm out, "Don't you have any standards?!" David watched as a very demonic looking circle appeared around Rurik and for a moment felt some pity for Rurik as everything suddenly burned around him. "Wow, I really need to not piss her off." David thought, "but this is an opportunity." As the steam rose David hardly needed to adjust his aim. Yuuto was standing right in front of him after all. David slammed the handle of the fire nozzle forward and shot at Yuuto from blank range. This close it would be like getting drop kicked in the legs by a bear wearing high heels. "Let's Bring you down to my level!" David screamed through the torrent of water.
The tournament was underway, all the contestants taking part in the display for power and fame were all gathered in the same place.
All but a few, and it was among these few where Kanzael currently found himself. Having entered the Mephisto school, seeking assistance from a willing student to undertake an ambitious task which would not only empower their school but also weaken St.Laurels. The hoodie wearing adult walked into one of the many rooms, this one in particular was a workshop of a peculiar kind. Not the type he would normally be used to himself, he was more a person into alchemical mixtures but occasionally tinkered with weapons.
"So you decided to stay behind-o, ace of the base?" The adult gave an amused grin as he looked to the only other person in the room.
"How would someone of your caliber like to do some extra work?"
"Depends, what kind of work are we speaking of?" The robe wearing student asked, as he sharpened a rather gruesome looking weapon upon a whetstone. The student in question was tall and thin, his movements almost robotic. The weapon he was working on was a sort of large cleaver, almost comedically oversized. Slowly and rhythmically he moves the edge across the stone, honing the blade with mechanical repetition.
"Oh the kind which makes me all tingly inside, and a good way to get some extra points with our mainman-o Mephisto. Though it requires someone who can do the talk and walk, plus stalk."
Kanzael stuck out his tongue before decorating his face with a shit eating grin. "I need someone who can get into the good with them St.Laurel kiddo's and become their bestest buddy, just so we can give them a chance to join our crew-o." The adult shoved both his hands into his hoodie pocket, taking out a small pill of some kind. "Slip one of these into their drink and then take them to me. Nothing like watching a shining example of the law take a real shot to the gut and then invite them to dance with the big boys" He placed the pill on his right thumb and then shot it up into the air towards Luigi. "This'll be disorienting them for awhile then make them go nighty night, long enough for you to haul their ass to safely all the way to my caring embrace." Kanzael chuckled to that.
"Do this and I shall in turn arrange for you to get some good new materials to work with, plus you'll do our crew a favor by adding some boyos to our base. But if you find a lass-o, that be mighty badass-o." Kanzael made a clicking sound with his mouth and whistled.
Luigi's arms held still, as a strange tentacle like appendage shot from a hole in the upper-back of his robes, a clamp catching the pill out of the air. Luigi inspected the pill closely or a few moments, trying to discern what it was made out of. "Hmm, I've already some clout with some of St. Laurels, making them some bits and bobs. That should be my opening...but if you do kidnap them, and they decide to.....disagree with your rules, what would become of them? Worst case scenario, to sate my curiosity." Luigi asks, speaking a bit quietly. Luigi wasn't against the idea, but he wanted to make sure if things went wrong, what the plan was.
"If they don't see things our way, even after the right kind of encouragement, then they will just have to vanish." Kanzael replied, then took a swig from a bottle of water he was carrying in his hoodie.
"At least mentally, wipe out all sense of who they are. With the right kind of pill and the right kind of time, you'll end up with the right kind of blank state mind you need to make a brand new persona. Suitable for our needs, and boy are we needy." Kanzael grinned. "Be on the lookie-out-o for the Youth officer-o Ascot though, that boyo is persistant like a fly around a pile of shit. And boy are we up to all the good shit, by good I mean the bad shit that is so bad it gets really good. You know?" The adult stretched his both arms out wide and assumed a relaxed stance. "Don't worry about it my boyo, they will never be able to track the shitto back to you. Since they be kinda fuzzy after all those good pills. Just don't mix them drinks up right-o?"
"I'll take note, I'd not want to be at your mercy. " Luigi says, hiding the pill in a small compartment on one of his arms, the metal parting to a small compartment. He gets up, swinging around his new weapon, a large one handed cleaver that makes a gentle whistling noise as it waives though the air. Finding it to his satisfaction, Luigi places it into a scabbard, allowing him to carry it on his back. "Now then, I should ask, any preference when it comes to new recruits? I live to please my clients, so knowing who would be the most to your liking is a high priority..." Luigi begins.
This guy, he gave Luigi the creeps. Maybe it was the weird lingo, maybe it was how casually he spoke about such vile things as personality reprogramming. Luigi himself could, and would do it for a high enough price but this man simply spoke of it like it was a hobby, and that was disturbing. How little regard for the mind and soul could one have to imply such measures.... It didn't matter now however as Luigi had a job to do, and he would do it no matter how much the client bothered him. He just hoped it'd not be to much of a shit show in the long run.
"Preferencio!" The man made a snapping noise with his fingers. "We need someone whose got potential, how about fetching that new shiny spectacle girl that the Laurel boyos got?" Kanzael grinned as he began to give out further physical descriptors fitting in on Michelle.
"My boyo does that little lamb need a break, and I'm the kind of guy for the job. But I'm kinda chased by o' friendly buddyboy officer Ascot, if I as much as set my foot in the school of the uncool" The hoodie wearing man went closer to the taller Luigi. "If you cannot fetch me that nice lil sheep-o, then another will have to do. Try take one who looks like they are having the time of their life. I mean, not all of us have that fortune right? Oh and try not-to chop-o up them with that cleaver o' yours right-o?" The man gave a casual shrug.
"You will get your material-o short after your delivery of the goodie goodshoes, imagine how terrible it would be with the city taxes on that shit? That's something which should be illegal." He gave an amused chuckle.
"A fist-o to our man Mephisto for providing us with this paradise underground, mighty fine and damn good for buisness." Kanzael began to slowly clap with his hands, in a praising manner but not fully convincing.
Luigi nods, and thinks for a few moments as he contemplates a plan. "Would you know how to go about catching their attention? Michelle, that is....if you want her in particular, well, I could use some good bait." Luigi asks, pulling out a small note pad, and a small mechanical pen tipped tentacle slips out of his sleeve, ready to write down anything said.
Luigi was not familiar with detaining a person for more than stripping down a corpse for parts, nor was he very persuasive as a large lumbering metallic creature. However, he was a very good salesmen which he could use to perhaps get close. Close enough to slip a tablet into her drink? Maybe not, but it was his only real strategy he could think of. He awaits a description from Kanzael.
The pillmaking deviant decorated his face with a sly look. "By impressing her with your power, plus a little bit o' extravaganza. Challenge the lass'o to a sparring match, say that you've heard of her amazing-o skill o' power and you want to see them first-hand."
Kanzael took out a small pill bottle, throwing it towards Luigi, it contains two blue pills and one yellow. "These two little blue marked beauties will empower the physical nature of whomever consumes them. Use it to beat her down but tell her you won only because of using the wonderpill, let her try one afterwards, and she'll be unable to live without getting more of them. You see, they are very addictive, to make certain you don't befall-o the same urge-o she will, take the yellow pill as you start feeling the urge-o for another and the urge-o will be gone-o. You will be feeling slightly numb for awhile, but that's nothing compared to getting some good parts right?"
Kanzael shrugged. "Though if you are confident-o enough, you can of course try beat her without them. The important part is making her want more. Then chat up with her at some café, tell her about this dapper gent you met. Be friendly and neat-o. That's when you slip the sleeping pill-o into her drink. Make sure none sees you. To her the last thing she will see will be you, take her to a taxi and tell the driver to drive her to this address... where I will be waiting." The hoodie wearing man gave a satisfied smile. "To all onlookers, you appear just as a dapper gent fetching a cab for his lady friend and all witnesses will be able to tell it was so. But it wasn't your fault the taxi driver was waylaid by some charming highwayman eh?"
"Drugs will be far less effective for me...the metal is far more than skin deep. I'll take my chances with the fair fight." Luigi begins, as his writing tool began to quickly scribe down the instructions, moving quickly with a satisfactory scratching noise. "Although, that's with normal toxins and biological agents. Magical items may work, but I'd suspect at a much worse level. Could be good if she decides to switch drinks. The taxi idea sounds like a nightmare if divine scrying becomes involved, so worse comes to worse, I'll try to just lure her to the drop site. If you're able to procure this sort of thing, you'd no doubt have a way to capture her if she was not totally sauced. Thank you for the information." Luigi says, before he starts to walk away from his new employer. This was going to be a difficult job, he just held hope it would be worth it in the end.
Just before he exited the workshop he looks back. "I'll be seeing you soon, hopefully. At most, maybe a week or two, as you can't rush a good covert operation like this." Luigi speaks, his voice taking on an almost devious sounding mechanical distortion. With that, Luigi attempted to leave school early today on a special assignment from a teacher. His intent, to head home and grab a nice club and shield before going on his hunt. Hopefully this girl wasn't off somewhere distant, hunting and fighting to train for the next tournaments. This would be so much easier if she was still in Rhea.....
Kanzael had nodded in reply to Luigi. "Use whatever means-o you have, to bring us a new recruit-o." The man allowed his eyes to turn into slits as he smiled. So many hopeful youngsters, and I have all the time in the world to bring them down to the bottom. What admixtures should I pick this time? Oh why not do it all on a roll of dice, see whom is unlucky and whose more unlucky. He mused by himself. "Take your time perfecting the catch boyo!"
Luigi returned Kanzael's nod, and walked out of the workshop with his mission at hand. This was one of the more vile things Luigi has ever contemplated doing. The hunt begins, with one life threatened to be warped and twisted to evil, and another willing walking a very fine line between monster and man, who would come out of this whole, physically or spiritually? It would be hard to say, but what was certain was that a predator was on the hunt. Luigi began his search for this Michelle, one that would hopefully end with him spying her without being observed beforehand. No need to come off as a stalker.
It was quite the sight. The two girls were walking in an almost perfect line, the second one having quite the height advantadge over the first, but being the one following obediently. It did look bizarre to the onlookers, as the second girl seemed somewhat... lost amidst the crowd and was following the first like if it was a puppy. An overgrown one.
"Michelle." Melanie said, almost a hint of inflection in her voice. " If we both go shopping... why are you the only buying? Is this how all shopping is made? One carries all the bags of the other?"
"Melanie, I told you to keep an eye out for anything you wanted to buy too," Michelle said, turning her head back to look at Melanie. Belinda soon took over, turning all the way around and put her hands behind her head as she started to walk backwards. She had a mischievous smirk on her face as she added, "Yeah, and what was it you said? Something like 'I can't have an eye out of my body' or whatever, hahahaa!"
"BelindAAA!" Michelle said angrily as she regained control, only to mess up her footing and fall onto the ground. By sheer luck, she managed to not strike her head onto the hard floor, her back taking most of the impact. Nevertheless, it still hurt. "Owww..." Michelle groaned as she pushed herself back up, rubbing her back to ease the pain.
Melanie stared at the other girl, as she lost her verticality. She stood there, watching how her comrade fell on her back. Her expression unchanged, she tilted her head as she addressed the girl with multiple selves. "That is a inefficient way of walking, it seems. Having visual information on one's path precludes falls." She pondered, before stopping for a second, her response robotic as she finally remembered that in these situations, one had to help people get to their feet. So yanked her back to her feet she did too.
"If you are wounded I can carry you."
As the two girls suffered a few setbacks, one tumbling over their own feet after a self inflicted argument a rather tall lumbering figure can be heard walking towards them as the clanking of metal is audible with each step they take. Their red robes flow in the wind, the figure's features remained fairly hidden due to a hood hiding away their face. The giant seems to be walking directly towards them as Melanie tries to pull their friend to their feet, flashes of a reflective red catching the few rays of light that venture under his hood.
"Are you ok?" He asks as he drew near, his voice with an unnatural distortion. "You should be careful. People have died from falls like that, as all it takes is hitting your head in the wrong way for it all to be over." He adds, before he leans down a little bit. "Wait a moment, are you Michel? I've heard of you, and your magical armaments. My name is Luigi and I consider myself a bit of a craftsman. Would you be willing to, when it's convenient for you, have a bit of a sparing match so I could test my wares against your abilities?" He asks, a tinge of excitement creeping into his near toneless voice.
"Heh heh, thank you, Melanie, but I-" Michelle began to say before Belinda took over. She had heard the odd sounding footsteps coming from behind her, and her instincts told her that whatever was approaching was dangerous. She turned around to determine the source, and looked up to see this mysterious fellow that seemed even taller than Melanie. The guy screamed trouble, and Belinda kept her guard up.
"Thanks, I'll keep it in mind," Belinda said, keeping up a calm and casual composure. An eyebrow was raised, though, when talk of a sparring match came up. With Belinda's provocations, Michelle tended to get these earlier in her life, and it usually resulted in their victory. This time, though, the situation was a bit different. "Hmm... that depends," Belinda began to reply, placing a hand on her hip. "What do I get out of this, Luigi? What do you have that can make it worth my while?"
"He said the truth." Melanie added in her emotionless inflection. "He is also tall." She tilted her head at the mention of craftsman. "Craftsman. Do you know of objects of beauty?" She said, her voice showing something that sounded usually very alien: Interest. She paused to ponder the implications of the craftsman. "No. you want to test wares against abilities. You sell practice targets, most likely."
"You wish to turn this into a betting game? Fine, if you insist. If you win, I'll reveal to you my newest invention, able to make anyone's powers skyrocket. You'd be nearly unstoppable to your peers with no side effects. However, if we're upping the stakes if I win I get to analyze your weapons fully after the battle. I'd know them even better than you would, and you'd be at a disadvantage fighting me in the future. How does that sound for an even trade, power for power." Luigi says, before looking at the girl with the dull emotionless voice. "I've made objects of beauty in my eyes. Things that could bring about glorious destruction, war implements of the highest quality. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and to me I've made many things that are gorgeous."
Belinda made a show of it, pretending to think about Luigi's proposed bet. She already knew what her answer would be, but she wanted it to look like it was a tough decision.
Belinda, I don't think this is a good idea, Michelle spoke to Belinda in her mind. Belinda knew her partner would be worried; she always was. Trust me, Michelle. Have I ever let you down before? Belinda mentally responded to Michelle. You don't want me to answer that, Michelle answered, knowing full well of Belinda's history with her. It'll be fiiiine, Belinda reassured her. No, it won't! We don't even- Michelle tried to argue before Belinda mentally blocked her off.
After the short mental exchange, Belinda smiled confidently and answered, "You're on. I'll be looking forward to our duel."
"Weapons are for defending objects of beauty." Melanie stated, her head tilted in confusion. She eyed Michelle's exchange with the new guy. An unknown. "If you don't know your enemy nor yourself you will lose every time." She recited at random. It seemed only fitting.
"Hmm, your friend seems to be quite sharp. So, when and where would you like to spar?" Luigi asks Belinda as he sounds like he's fighting back a chuckle. "I've nothing else planned for the next few days...the fight won't take more than half an hour, so if you can find a time block to squeeze that in, that'd be great." Luigi begins, pulling out a pen and paper out of seemingly his sleeve.
Belinda frowned, feeling like she was being made light of. "Hmph. Alright then, how about- ow," Belinda was about to say until she grabbed her forehead, a jolt of pain stabbing her mind. She knew this feeling. Michelle had forced her way through her mental block. Belinda didn't even have time to say anything else before Michelle regained control.
Michelle let out a sigh. She couldn't tolerate Belinda's recklessness a second longer. She needed to get something out of this. "I know of a place that allows duels. We can head there, but I'll need to make sure I can get a reservation," Michelle explained. Unlike Belinda, Michelle carried herself with a calm and composed demeanor. "Do you have anything planned within a week or two? I should be able to find a time then. Also, I'll need your contact information to send you the finalized details."
"Hmm, my next Wednesday is clear. I had been hired to build some sort of memory device, but that fell though the cracks once I explained how long, and how expensive that would be. Some people just expect the world to be handed to them for free." Luigi says, grumbling a bit before he remembered the task at hand. He pulls out a note pad from his sleeve, flipping past some marked pages before he begins to write utilizing a pen built into the tip of one of his fingers. A few moments of quill like scratching later the mechanical giant hands Michelle an address she could contact him at and a phone number written on a small bit of paper, not knowing if Michelle had a magical communications device or not. "I'll await the details eagerly, but I must go for now. My father sent me to shop and if I take to long he may get worried." Luigi explains, as he began to walk away with audible clanking.
Michelle watched Luigi walk off until he was out of sight, then she let out a long and frustrated sigh. It was quite the way to ruin a day. Hey Michelle, you're planning to use THAT arena, right? Don't we have our own room there to do what we want? Belinda asked Michelle.
Michelle lashed out at Belinda, mentally yelling, IT'S YOUR FAULT! If you didn't accept this duel, we could've had a relaxing time without this threat looming ahead of us! I was lucky to even be able to choose the time and place for us to fight!
What's the big deal? If you didn't like it that much, you could've just refused him yourself. Belinda countered.
I... Michelle started. Well... it would've been.... rude.
Rude to refuse some random stranger's challenge. Sure, Belinda said sarcastically, knowing she scored a point in this argument. Admit it, Michelle, deep down, you're like me: you want this. You itch for trouble, even if-
No! Shut up shut up shut UP SHUT UP! Michelle yelled at Belinda as she clutched her head, unable to hold back. In her turmoil of emotions, she returned back into her mind, forcing control of her body back to Belinda.
She staggered a bit and blinked, surprised. "Woah." She looked down at herself, felling a tad guilty for doing that. Oops... Belinda thought to herself. I'll make it up to her later... She turned around and saw that Melanie was still nearby. "Oh, Mel, you're still here," Belinda said. "You, uh... you wanna come to my place? Maybe find a small creature that wants your legs again?"
Melanie eyed Michelle and the exchange, the same vacant expression as always. "I am here. I am not requested somewhere else and it is not time to go to bed yet." She paused at her request. "What I want is irrelevant. I have no desires. But small creatures may aid me in my quest. So therefore I accept your request. But if they want my legs they can't have them."
And so a week passed. Michelle sighed as she waited in the training room, having arrived an hour early. She had done all she could to gather intel on Luigi and determine the fairness of the duel. She only hoped it was enough. To pass the time and get ready for the main event, Michelle began to warm up, performing various stretches and other simple exercises.
"I still can't believe you thought a hat and sunglasses would make a good disguise," Belinda said, taking control of Michelle's body while still keeping in pace of her warmup. This also served as additional practice to fight in sync.
"Your idea of wearing a sickness mask wasn't any better," Michelle retorted, regaining control without pausing during a switch in warmup activity.
"Yeah, probably not. And in the end, we wore them both!" Belinda said, chucking to herself. "Remember the look on that guy's face when he saw us? And he just turned away and pretended we weren't there."
"Let's just focus on our upcoming fight, ok? Stick to our plans and get this over with."
"Ugh, fine, you're such a killjoy."
The two continued to warmup in silence for a few minutes, then Belinda suddenly asked, "Hey, we invited Mel over to watch our duel, right?"
"Yeah, of course," Michelle answered. "Why do you ask?"
"Ehh, no reason."
A week passed, and the iron giant spent it descended into his workshop under his home, his sanctum sanctorum away from all other distractions. The sound of bending metal, clanking machinery and twisted hissing could be heard rising from the depths. After a finding about the details of the sparing match, Luigi knew exactly how to proceed with his duel of fate. "Let's see how well my planning works out..." He mutters to himself as he puts the finishing touches on his gear with a paintbrush, detailing a few numbers and letters onto the side of his grand surprise. With that being the finishing touches, Luigi heads on out with his new gear towards the place ordained for his duel. Luigi walked into the training arena, a pair of ear buds in as his head bobbed to some music. He headed towards where they would be fighting, knowing he was early he'd have time to analyze the battle ground. He hoped his special abilities would give him insight into the area that no other could gain, without far more intense study, an advantage that'd not be expected from him. An advantage that was known was easily maneuvered around, but one unknown was unstoppable. He looked around the foyer that stood before the room where Michelle had chosen for them to fight. He took count of how many people were wondering about, waiting for fights or who were staff here to prevent things from getting out of hand.
On Luigi's left arm was a shield, styled after kite shields of times long passed. In Luigi's right hand a large baton that crackled with electricity even in its idle state. His robes the same, save for the addition of a flowing cloak that obscured his form. He took his survey of the foyer, before walking to the room he'd been told to meet Michelle at. He knocks on the door to see if the room is currently occupied, his intent being to not wander into a room and get blasted in the face by a stray attack. "Hello, is anyone in there?" He asks, his robotic voice carrying a tad more than normal as he put some extra force behind his words.
Michelle was having a small sip from her water bottle when the knocking managed to startle her, causing some water to go down the wrong pipe. She broke into a coughing fit and thumped her chest with a fist to try to help clear the water out. Belinda found the situation highly amusing, but wisely chose to say nothing about it. Instead, she said excitedly, Sounds like our challenger is just outside. Let's bring him in.
"Right," Michelle croaked, followed by a forceful clearing of her throat. Michelle walked over to the door and looked out the small window, confirming it was Luigi. Opening the door, Michelle greeted him, "Come on in, Luigi. I've been expecting you." She eyed his equipment, judging their potential capabilities in battle.
Luigi was surprised to find not only was the room occupied, but it was occupied by his opponent, Michelle. Within his mind he cursed as he knew he'd most likely not have the time he'd need to study the room to its full extent. Well, if one wishes to make god laugh, tell him your plans. Luigi looked down at his sparring partner and sighed. "I should of expected you to be the kind to show up early. I take it everything is in order?" He asks, attempting to look around the room with his keen eyes for any sort of environmental factors that don't normally meet the eye of the average man.
Luigi's new equipment appeared to mostly be a shield of some non-descript metal and some sort of mechanized stun club that crackles with electricity, and a mask he's wearing with tubes leading into his robes that lets out a gentle wheezing with Luigi's breathing. His robe does have some new bumps that were not there before as well telling there is more than meets the eye. Luigi turns his attention from his scan of the room to Michelle, who was eyeing up his equipment. He knew that look, as he himself had magical powers that relied on such. He figured he'd allow them to stare, until they caught him catching them staring.
Meanwhile, Melanie arrived somewhat late, her hands with a small furry creature known as a cat on tow. She looked at both contenders, before tilting her head, and eyeing Michelle, she stopped idle for a second as she followed inside. "Your opponent is different." She stated as a matter of fact, without any kind of care nor filter, as the cat quickly disappeared through an oscillating portal in her hands.
Michelle could tell that Luigi's choices of weaponry were going to be quite the hassle. This was not going to be an easy duel, but she wasn't going to simply accept defeat. She intended to win.
A sound from the door broke her concentration, and Michelle spotted Melanie finally arriving. "Melanie!" Michelle cried out happily. Her eyes then drifted towards the cat in her arms, and surprise briefly flashed on her face before remembering that such strange occurrences happened often. "Yes, Melanie, he is," Michelle responded to Mel's remark.
Returning her attention to the matter at hand, Michelle began to say to Luigi, "Alright then, Luigi, let's get ready for the duel." The room was already emptied out of training equipment and the like, providing plenty of room for the duel. At least, Michelle hoped it was enough. She got into position near the center of the room, waiting for Luigi to do the same.
"On the count of three," Michelle said once Luigi was in position. A wicked grin broke out on Michelle's face as Belinda took control. "Three," Belinda said as she summoned her spear, instantly thrusting it towards Luigi's left shoulder.
Luigi got into position, readying himself for combat and was caught off guard by the sudden attack from Michelle. He raised his shield only for the spear to easily punch though it. Quickly thinking, Luigi pushes the spear to the side using the shield against the spear's haft, turning a crippling blow into a glancing strike as the spear head tore into his robes and sparks flew as it cleaved into the armor on his shoulder. "Oh, that was not cool." Luigi retorts as he attempts to lock the spear's shaft in the shield to prevent Michelle from moving it while he swings his club, intending to either make her take a strike while she struggled with her weapon or drop it to retreat.
"Feisty, I have to give her that. I'd of never of guessed such underhanded tactics from her. Maybe she'll be better off than I first anticipated." Luigi thought as his magical powers came into effect, studying Michelle's weapon now that the confrontation had started.
Belinda's smile widened as she felt the attack connect. The shield wasn't even an issue, or at least Belinda assumed so until she realized she couldn't free her spear from it. When the baton came swinging down, Belinda's mind was scrambling to react, but was too slow to do anything.
Michelle, however, reacted faster, taking control. Belinda's spear disappeared from existence, and Michelle's shield appeared on her left arm, which she raised to deflect Luigi's weapon just in time. The baton slid across the surface of her shield, but Michelle felt a jolt of electricity when the weapon connected with her shield. With the added weight of the blow itself, Michelle could not withstand the impact and fell backwards onto the ground. With a grunt, Michelle pushed herself back up onto her feet, but her left arm felt strange, probably from the electric shock. Michelle hoped the effects of the electricity were short-lasting.
Michelle's mind was racing at a million miles an hour, trying to come up with a way to close the gap and regain the offensive. As she played around different scenarios in her head, Belinda grew impatient and informed Michelle, Tell me what to do when you're done, Michelle. I'm goin' in. While doing so, Belinda took control again, dematerializing Michelle's shield and summoning her spear back.
Belinda began to charge at Luigi once more, aiming for his left shoulder again. Once she was nearby, though, she used her Blink ability, disappearing with a loud "pop" noise and a small cloud of smoke. She reappeared at Luigi's right side, a few feet in the air. As she fell, she swung downward with her spear, aiming at Luigi's wrist in an attempt to disarm him. She even spun a little as she swung to apply more centrifugal force.
"So, exceptionally sharp and flexible huh? Could be useful..." Luigi thinks, watching as Michelle blocks his strike and was yet sent to the floor. Luigi took up a defensive posture against her, knowing his little shield trick would only work once. Soon she got to her feet and charged again, and Luigi stood ready. What he was not ready for, was the loud popping noise and the smoke that lingered. Luigi quickly spun around to find her above him, baring down on him with her spear. However, he was not fast enough as with little problem the spear sheared off Luigi's right hand, sending it and the baton crashing to the floor. Sparks flew from Luigi's wrist as Luigi felt a surge of intense burning pain shoot though his arm along side a truly rapturous fury. Before Michelle could hit the floor, Luigi attempted to crack her across the skull with the flat of his steel shield. He aimed to strike with full force, hoping to make Michelle see stars.
"Now, you've done it." Luigi speaks, his voice an echoing boom of anger that even the mechanical modulation of his voice couldn't hide. Michelle could watch as under Luigi's robes squirmed something, like giant worms wriggling under a thin layer of soil. After a few moments, a thick blue smoke cloud would begin to erupt from Luigi as the gas began to fill the room. "Let's see you strike what you can't see...." He echoes from the billowing smoke. The echo was of course, a voice effect he used for dramatic moments. He was angry sure, but that couldn't stop his showmanship.
Belinda was mildly surprised to see Luigi's arm to get sliced off. She had originally intended to strike his wrist with the shaft of her spear, but it seems she had aimed a little too accurately. Michelle was shocked as well, and was about to express her outrage at the action. Neither of them had much time for any other thoughts, though, as Luigi's shield smashed into the back of Belinda's head, causing them to land roughly.
Belinda clutched her head, trying to get the pain to stop. Belinda! Belinda, get up! Michelle yelled at Belinda, worried for her. Slowly, but surely, Belinda pushed herself up, grabbing her spear off the ground. "Still ok!" Belinda answered with a pained grin. Even through the pain, Belinda could tell that the smoke was going to be an annoyance. "Hey Michelle, you might wanna take over now," Belinda muttered. "Your defense might be better than my offense here,"
Got it, Michelle said, taking control, feeling the painful throb of the recent head injury. Her shield back in place, Michelle figured it was no longer a time to hold back. White sparkles started appearing around her body, and her armor began materializing. First came the pieces around the arms and legs, followed by the chest piece. Finally came the full helm. Fully equipped, Michelle waited, keeping her guard up and senses active. Michelle felt that she was at a disadvantage in the current situation, and until she could get a lock on Luigi's location, she would just have to stay put and rely on defense.
Luigi watched from the smoke as his opponent geared up, going on the defensive. Under his mask, a grin crept across his face as she played right into his hands, err, hand. The throbbing pain on the back of her head would begin to subside as Luigi moved though the smog. Mechanical clanking and a bright sparking giving away his general location every so often, like a radar tracking a shark. "Come on now, are you really just going to armor up and stand there until the gas vanishes? You were brutal before, but as soon as things start going up in smoke you act scared?" Luigi asks as he stalked though the mist.
"I just got to wait now. Little does she know, this smoke is filled with a mixture of numbing agents, and sleeping gasses. With the canister now fully activated, this room's air is thick with my mixture of sleeping gas. I just hope her friend also falters in the face of the gas, or she'll be a pain to deal with. If I can get her to exert herself, she'll suck in more of it. I just hope she doesn't figure it out, and go bolting from the room." Luigi thinks as he paces around the room slowly, taking a moment to pick up his severed hand and baton. Best not to leave such evidence behind, for he'd no doubt be a suspect after she disappeared.
Michelle stayed silent, keeping her shield close while listening for the various sounds Luigi had been making. A footstep here, a metal-sounding scrape there... and that wasn't even counting the earlier taunts. To her, the tension was palpable. Michelle was close; she could feel it. She just needed to find the opportunity.
And there it came, when she heard a footstep close by. Her instincts were telling her that Luigi was within striking distance. With that in mind, Michelle clenched her fist and turned, using that momentum to take a swing at Luigi, where she hoped would be his head. Fortunately, it seemed like he was bending down, so perhaps she would not be far off the mark.
Was it her, though, or was she moving a bit slower than usual?
Melanie, on her part, squeezed her eyes, as the thick fog covered everything. She could not be a witness if she could not watch combatants, so she would be faulting in her duty to Michelle. But at the same time, if she decided to help with the visibility problem, it could potentially be seen as interference. Breathing the gas made her a bit light headed, so one quick-portal later, she was fully equipped with a gas mask. Passing out was not advisable. So, she did what she used to do in these dilemmas and situations. She called Michelle with her phone.
"Do you wish me to remove the visibility obstruction so i can watch your duel, or do you think that would be interfering?"
Luigi knelt down to pick up his baton, when though the smoke he saw the movement of a figure rush towards him. This alone wouldn't of been enough to allow him to avoid this attack, but another thing tipped him off even before he saw her move. Her phone began ringing as she attacked, giving her position away! Luigi quickly raised the baton he had grabbed onto into the path of the sluggish attack, attempting to block with it. If her fist connected, a huge burst of electricity would no doubt shock her as her armored fist smashed though the baton almost destroying the electrified head of the weapon. However, unfortunately for Michelle, Luigi's gear was built to last. Rather than the electricity ceasing after the head of the weapon was smashed and it should of faltered, it would continue as Luigi attempted to press it to Michelle.
The gas was working, sure, but he needed this fight over fast. The baton would hopefully fatigue Michelle, and then the gas would take hold as she gasped for air after the shocking pain filled her. This was his hope at least, he knew that what would really happen is anyone's guess.
A painful shock coursed through Michelle's arm as her fist connected with something. Michelle screamed in pain, and quickly backed off. Now her right arm was feeling tingly, and her phone, which she swore she had switched off prior to the duel, was somehow ringing through her armor transformation. Michelle didn't even realize that was possible. She fumbled through the smokescreen for her phone with her left hand, then remembered that she needed to dematerialize her armor to get to it.
"Ugh, why didn't I take my phone out before I started fighting?" Michelle grumbled, finally returning to outfit to normal. Probably because you forget the tiny things when you focus too much on something, dummy, Belinda playfully taunted her. "Shut up, Belinda," Michelle replied, finally finding the stupid thing and answering it.
"Hello?" A moment of silence followed, but was soon followed when she realized it was Melanie, who Michelle could actually hear in the room. Michelle didn't even need the phone; she was right there! "No Mel, it's fine, it's... it's..." Michelle was having trouble finding the words to say. Her mind felt cloudy. Hey Michelle, does this place smell a little funny to you? Belinda asked Michelle, but there was no response. It didn't take long for her to notice that something was wrong. Michelle. Michelle! Snap out of it! Michelle! Belinda continued to yell at Michelle, but Michelle was already succumbing to the sleeping gas' effect. It wasn't long before her legs lost their strength and she fell onto her side. She couldn't even keep her eyes open...
Melanie received the call with a neutral expression in her mind, closing the phone and focusing once more in the mist. She would not interfere further in the fight, despite her contradictory observation. She instead scanned the room for objects of beauty...
Luigi watched as his foe collapsed and passed out, meaning he had won. However, there were bigger concerns as he could hear Melanie speaking. She hadn't been effected? Damn it all, now Luigi had to figure out a way to sneak Michelle out of the sparring room without Melaine finding her. He began to root in his pockets, before he had an idea. Gathering up his severed hand, and deactivating his damaged baton, Luigi put his plan into action. Quickly slipping off his over robe, he slid Michelle into them, tying the bottom of it to make a makeshift sack. He slung her over his shoulder, and using the cover of the smoke tried to silently move towards the door. Without his robe on, his mechanical body was much more on display as what he wore under them was a wife-beater, a bandolier across his chest with several of what appeared to be grenades, and a baggy pair of cargo pants with far to many pockets. His helmet would also be revealed to have been a gas mask, the filters hidden under his robes.
"Ok, now for the really dangerous part of the plan. Getting her to the drop zone. My hand is severed, my equipment damaged, and I've got someone watching. I just need to hope they're distracted enough that they don't see me sneaking out of the room." Luigi thinks to himself as he moves though the smoke. Only time could tell him if his hope was misplaced.
Luigi's hope was well placed, almost perfectly in fact. Melanie seemed totally disinterested in him as he fled with his prey, leaving the arena with Michelle in tow as he fled towards the drop sight, moving not in a full sprint, but more of a jog or power walk. "Well, that was surprisingly easy." Luigi ponders, as he marched down towards where Kanzael was supposed to be to pick up the drop. "Please be here, I don't want there to be another hiccup now, right at the end..."
Kanzael stood at the meeting place, a place he usually hung out at. To him it was almost like his summer house, to others it was just a dump, but to most it was just the underside of the large old bridge connecting two parts of the city. There was a couple of wooden structures, this was a place where shady people generally met to go about their business. Was it selling stolen goods or buying it. It used to be a place where some homeless used to live, but they have since then been chased away.
"Yo! It's my boyo'rino, Luigi-chappo!" Kanzael waved as he removed both his hands from the fire lit barrel, some random lowlife thugs were about, some which had current or past connections with the school. "Let me have a look-eyo at watcha been gotten for the downtrodden! You fellorino's give him some space, you just don't flap around my metallic buddy here!" Kanzael casually pushed one of the younger thugs to the side and walked up to Luigi's imposing figure.
Kanzael walked closer to get a better view at what Luigi had brought along with him, he gave a sly grin as he realized Luigi was carrying a girl. "Fuckin' A-maze thing-o! I knew you were the right boyo for the yoyo, you came right back-o to my nice place o' slack-o!. Show me what we have here..." He beckoned to Michelle's body.
Luigi sighed with relief as he saw Kanzael, and heard his strange dialect. He quickly and carefully handed over his robe, which held Michelle. "I apologize, but you'll have to handle her for a moment." Luigi began before he shows Kanzael his severed hand. "I'm a little low on manual dexterity at the moment. I need to replace this..." Luigi mutters, sounding a bit aggravated about the loss of his hand, before he had a wicked evil idea. "....and replace is the optimal word. When she awakens, tell her you attacked me while I was trying to get her to a medical professional....and use this as proof." He says, gently moving the severed hand, flapping it about a slight bit. "I can create a better hand to replace it, but she wouldn't guess I'd just give up my hand. It'll make it that if she gets away, I'm absolved of guilt. Oh, and she can teleport, so beware of that." Luigi adds. If his planned worked, he was cleared of danger if Kanzael proved inept at containing Michelle. A win, win for the mechanical menace.
Kanzael took the wrapped in Michelle from Luigi, throwing a couple of looks over her. "Great joy'ette, ain't she a lucky one?" His words came to an halt as Luigi showed his injury, it took Kanzael by surprise. Someone actually managed to wound this massive freak of a metal menace? It both frightened him, but intrigued him. But it didn't stop there. As Luigi kept talking, Kanzael's expression changed from being excited to a look of curiosity. Once Luigi began to speak of his plan to use his severed hand, Kanzael felt strange within. It was a mix of fear now, fear and admiration. He was being one-upped by this far younger boy, this metal giant of a boy but a boy nonetheless. And he liked it!
"I could kiss you my metal-o munching masterpiece of a buddy-rino! It's an amazing plan-ette! I couldn't have done it better myself-o! You sir are a genius-otto! Your cunning is making me all giddy with wanting to get started right away. But but, a promise is a promise, I will get you the material'os as soon as possible. And I will even throw in a little extra thing-y just acquiring this nice-o piece-o of laurelette ass to my fiddling fingerinos. How would you like some bombs? I have plenty of things that can blow the common-itos house out of proportions."
"Not to worry about teleportation-magi'nistas, I shall make sure that she doesn't want to teleport-ito's away." Kanzael gave a soft exhale through his mouth while having a full on grin, with his teeth from the upper jaw and the lower not connecting. "Now time to mentally choppety chop chop on the girly's brainblob, then I'll get the material'os the coming night-o when the good lil' folks are sleeperinos." Kanzael walked to the side of Luigi. "You are turning out so damn fine-esque, I could almost think you be related with me. We are going to stir-ro up so much fun it's going to be making the circusinos go out of buisness-o."
He began to laugh as he began walk off with his newly acquired package. He had to get her to the Mephisto school basement, to one of the holding rooms. Those soundproof rooms where bothersome students and captives were generally taken. When she would wake up, she would surely find herself in one of those dark basement rooms without any window, just a small went for air and the metal door.
Of course he had to make sure she couldn't escape out of there. So on his way back he began to ponder on ways to prevent her teleportation. He gave a look to the chopped off hand which Luigi had handed over.
Luigi smirked under his mask at the mention of a bonus, his favorite thing for a job well done. Kazuel spoke of getting explosives for Luigi and a devious plan popped into his mind. "Explosives would be good. I'm sure I can put them to good use disrupting our enemies. I'll need a few hours before you send the next job, if you have one. I need to run repairs, so for now, goodbye and have fun." Luigi says as he heads off back towards home, as today was a good day, for Luigi. Soon, the entire city would know of his works, and would tremble with fear.
Her head turned as the boys punch connected. Then she slowly turned it back, incredulous. As though she could not believed what had just happened. It had been the first time any human had ever struck her in the face.
Then she felt it, and grinned. There was something happening. When could feel point of demon energy flaring to life. "Oh it seems you lot have more problems to deal with than just me." This was a boon. All she had to do was live and wait for the chaotic situation to open up an escape rout.
Then she reached out to take him around the neck and shake him like a dog toy. The thing about the boy was she knew his tricks. Shoot something at him, come at him fast, and he'd just deflect it. Oh yes, she remembered. He was on the list, right after Clara, Alto, and King but above the explosion boy, the ninja, and the tank girl. So it would be fun to get him and then let whiplash do the work.
Rurik was probably more surprised than the demoness that his punch had actually hit her. Though, quite frankly, he was pretty sure it had hurt him more than her. There was a reason bare-knuckle punching someone in the face was frowned upon -- too many bones.
And then he choked when the demoness grabbed his neck and swung him about as if she intended to thoroughly scramble him. In desperation he tried to shoot her, but his bolts flew off in random directions, far wide of her as he was shaken back and forth. Before he just blacked out, he was able to focus enough to realize that he didn't have to hit her, just make her let go. He focused his energy and fired at her wrist which being attached to him by her hand, was a much easier target.
It was just enough to break free by forcing her hand off of him. He fell to the ground and frantically crawled away. He tried to fire off more bolts behind him, but his vision swam and those went wide as well. He stopped and steadied himself, finally managing to take aim and fire two bolts directly at her... but at this point he'd expended too much energy without stopping to recharge. The bolts were weak.
He probably should spent that time getting back to his feet. If he even could. He tried to push himself up, but his legs felt like rubber.
The demoness side stepped the bolts that the boy had somehow managed to aim true. "This is it? After all that talk is this all you can muster?"
Waste time, that was the ticket. Don't kill him yet. As long as this went on it was unlikely that Clara would interfere. Keep it going long enough and she'd get her opportunity. But the boy was going to have to put on a better show than this.
"Come, where is all that verve from the rooftop battle. Surely you have not devolved so far since then." She taunted, then charged in to return the punch he'd given her. "And in front of your lover, honestly. Aren't men supposed to get some kind of power boost from that?" She continued, whether or not the shot connected, throwing a flurry of blows. Enough to hurt, no doute about that, but she had no intention of killing him. Come on, boy, get mad. Get one of those heroic second winds. This going for only one round wouldn't be advantageous for either of them. "Does it hurt knowing she's probably rooting for me over you? Or did you even take her feelings into account when you started this up? Oh, who are we kidding? Someone willing to wager the love of a girl like that away could never understand her feelings. A thief dealing in stolen goods, never understanding their true value, that's all you are!"
Was she actually getting mad? She could feel herself punching harder and harder as she talked. She clamped down on that feeling mixing with the ones she knew were hers and let up on the gas a little bit. Calm down. Calm down!
Rurik thought he might've actually blacked out this time. The beating must have stopped before it did permanent damage though, because he came to soon enough. The demoness seemed distracted for a moment, she he began feebly crawling away. He made it a few feet before he just stopped, needing a moment to breathe.
He lay there on his back staring up at the slowly darkening sky.
He was trying to remember what he was hoping to accomplish here. He had a vague notion that he'd wanted to help Christine... and so what was he doing? There was a reason he just didn't... do things. You didn't get to decide if you succeeded, life did. And life always turned on you.
The fall hurt less if you didn't climb too high to begin with.
So what the hell was he doing here, half-assing it and getting his ass handed to him? What did that accomplish? Why had he even let Christine into his life to begin with? He told himself it was what it was when she would finally, inevitably, drop him, but part of him wondered if he'd survive the landing intact.
Knowing all that, knowing it was inevitable, why was he trying to drag it out? He was garbage and she wasn't. He was supposed to be OK with that. He'd wanted that safe, shallow existence where he'd never fear walking off another cliff. That was who he wanted to be -- who he was.
Even the demoness knew it.
And that really...
really...
really...
Rurik shot up onto his feet like a vampire rising from it's coffin.
"So... it's really you deep down after all, huh Kath?" Rurik stared her down right in the eyes. "Yeah, you're so far above me so it's up to you whether or not I'm good enough for her, right? Well get over it already, I'm not going anywhere. But hey," Rurik pointed at his forehead with his thumb, "maybe if you hit me hard enough I'll forget all about her." And then he shoved his hands in his pockets and he let every ounce of resentment he'd stored up toward Kath over the years show on his face. "But I don't think you've got it in you."
Diana furrowed. The events of the day had gone from bad to worse. Just when she could not think it could get any worse with Lightbringer abandoning them, now some strange freaks with masks had taken to assaulting the medbay. She hefted the alcohol in one hand. It was nowhere near enough any kind of decent spell component, as she scratched the back of her hair thoughtfully. "I know, Michael. I hate cultists." She whispered to herself. It was then when she realized... she had another spell component to use. She hesitated as she took the scalpel, and cutting a chunk of her luscious silver hair, pressed it firmly against Michael's brush, uttering a few words. The brush glowed, and the hairs now very much resembled those of Diana's.
"I used my own hair to strengthen your tool. This silver Brush of the Witch should be useful. Battered as we may be, we need to win this. Cultists abduct and sacrifice people." She said somberly as she readied the alcohol, remnants of her own hair and...
She spotted a tooth among those things that had been taken out of wounds of various fighters. An imp's tooth! Luckily, her luck had not vanished alltogether. With those she could conjure something decent... She began to draw. Any kind of undead would do really, but whose undead would answer her meager summoning of alcohol, an imp's tooth and silver hair?
An arm shot through the circle, full of gray muscle and tough sinew. This was odd, Undead powerful like this should never appear...
"You denied me my fight, Volva. But it seems you are getting desperate. Which means that I Ulf, will get to fight my share." The booming voice of the war-happy Draugr claimed.
