[IC] Fighting King: Brawl in the Streets

[LemonZest1337]

Oh, thank goodness the introductions were done. Hopefully, Sam could just toddle off and wait for their first missio-. Oh no, not a truth game. That involved... Truth. And Sam honestly had nothing he really wanted to share, I guess he could say about him being a farmer... Plus a truth game would require a lot of words and that was also a pain... It was lucky that Eric had burst in, though the news he brought was less than great. It looked like they had their first group of goons to pound. Hopefully, the shopowners were ok.

---

By the time Sam finally got to the scene so much had already happened. Light was doing... Something to the poor people she'd decided to fight and Chris was handing out a beatdown to a couple of armed thugs. The rest of his companions had entered the store and were dealing with the gang members in there, and it was obviously going well judging be the man who was running out of the store. Huh, it seemed they were running in Sam direction, how fortunate. Sam cracked his neck twice before walking forward towards the terrified man, he really should have been looking where he was going.

Sam continued walking forward holding out his left hand catching the fleeing man by the throat. The man let out a surprised "Hugk!" as Sam grabbed him. Sam's momentum wasn't slowed at all by the extra weight as he lifted the thug off the ground. The thug's coughs and splutters got the attention of two more goon's who turned to face Sam, a little shocked to see their comrade being lifted off the ground one-handed. Though this shock didn't stop the pair running at Sam, one wielded a crowbar while the other was coming in with just his fists.

Sam grunted as he winded his arm back and hurled the goon he was holding at the unarmed man sending both his target and his projectile to the floor, sadly only the thrown thug was knocked out through Sam doubted the other was going to get up any time soon. Sam then turned his attention to the grunt with the crowbar, he'd managed to close the distance in the time it took. Sam finally stopped walking forward as the thug swung the crowbar right for Sam's midsection, the flat of the metal bar slamming into Sam's stomach with a heavy thud. The blow didn't seem to be very effective and the thug slowly looked up at Sam's masked face. Sam simply headbutt the thug and knocked them out cold.

Sam groaned as he started walking again, aiming to get closer to the store entrance just in case more goons felt like running into his fists.

KO - 2 Injured - 1

[PlatinumSkink]

As Naja took on the defensive, she somewhat got aware of the others of her team going on the offensive. She noted Llexe launching herself in, and… so violent! It wouldn’t normally be an issue, honestly Naja herself was equally violent, but Naja had just thrown her target out the building specifically to avoid hurting the any part of the shop, the floor included! … She has claws on those gauntlets, huh. It did look like Llexe took a pretty bad hit, but she seemed utterly unaffected so perhaps she didn’t even need to dodge that.

Light was playing with some of them and Christopher was engaging a few outside. Meanwhile, Kiyoshi was moving to take apart some opponents with his sword… though not literally, she was observing. Somewhere out there Sam acted as a literal wall that their opponents just couldn’t escape against.

With those monsters outside, Llexe in here threatening to kill them and Kiyoshi swinging a sword with movements like a blur, it somehow came to be that the few remaining, panicked gang-members saw the muscular cyborg as their best chance. Honestly, she wasn’t sure if they were wrong. If they somehow took her down, they’d have hostages. Which, of course, was the very reason Naja placed herself here.

Two of them were running in to punch her. Their simple plan was that coming from two directions made them more likely to win. It made sense, but their style… it was untrained. This was just sad.

Rule number one of taking on multiple opponents… take them on one by one. Before they reached her, she sprung forth to meet the one on her right, fists raised to punch. He raised his fists to guard his face… so Naja punched him once in the gut with her right hand, doubling the guy before her second fist struck him him in the face, knocking him out, and the hand in his gut held onto his clothing so he didn’t fly into the wall.

The second guy pursued her to strike her from the side. Naja spun towards him, still holding attacker #1 in her right hand as her right metal foot flew up to almost strike her opponent’s head. He blocked it with his left arm, but his whole guard cracked after blocking Naja’s high-power metal leg. He shouted, and was about to career into the wall of the store’s goods… when Naja jumped from left to right leg bringing up her left leg in a swift kick into the man’s side from the other side, nullifying his movement and knocking him out. Her left hand quickly flew forth to grab him by his clothing before he fell into anything.

‘You’re safe for now, we got you,’ Naja told the couple as she gently put the two Tunnel Snakes on the floor, no harm done to the store on her expense. Nobody took her on after that.

+2 KOs. Total: 13 KOs, 3 injured, 1 winded and 1 fighting Light. 2 unaccounted for, but they’re probably pretty scared by now.

[Archmage MC]

When her allies came to deal with these thugs in force, Light noticed there wouldn't be that many playmates left. Sam was an unstoppable wall, while everyone else was either beating up people inside the store, or were with Light dealing with the people outside. Giving out a sad "Awww" as she noticed this, she caught the fist of the one person she was fighting with. Using her other hand to pin his other arm to his side and stopping him from moving, she began to play with him by doing a mock dance with him. Sure the thug tried struggling at first, but when Light could effortlessly drag his feet across the ground, he eventually just gave up struggling knowing he was just completely overpowered. Of course this didn't stop him from saying obscenities, but that ended fairly shortly when Light began to sing a slow dancing 60s song in eldritch.

The thug she had gut punched earlier recovered from being winded to the scene of his buddy being played with like a doll from a cloaked figure that was just speaking tongues. Seeing this, he tried to swing at Light, who swung his ally to block the attack, following up with using his allies own fist to smack him. This continued with a playful side kick from Light, followed by a smack by his buddy, and eventually the weirdness of the situation really got to both thugs. But just as the free thug was thinking of running away, Light grabbed him and put both thugs in a big hug, swinging them around like dolls and squeezing them until they passed out.

Throwing her unconscious playthings on top of the third thug she had knocked out earlier, she moved to help the others. If this meant dealing with anyone who was going to run away, or anyone who called for help, time would tell.

+2 KO, total 15 KO, 3 injured, 2 unaccounted for.

[Kurisu Shiruba]

Two more punks stood on Chris' way as he just finished playing with Trio the punch. He smiled softly after wiping the blood from the knife slash that he received. "Looks like you got lucky, lassie. But this time we're not going to go easy on you!" One of the two bikers roared as he was cracking his knuckles.

His reaction was to yawn at the bully's threat and scratch the back of his head. "Whatever, chump. I had to hold myself back and let them give me some hits on purpose, because you are just that weak. Besides, the fact you always attack in numbers and go for people who can't defend themselves says quite a lot about how much your strength and fearsome reputation are nothing more but a mere facade."

This time Chris was serious; He had some fun playing with the other three thugs, one of them he just let go, albeit somewhat conscious. When the two came rushing and ready to fight, he was already in his fighting stance. The playful persona gone, just the adrenaline rush he was barely able to contain. The first thug tried to come with a combination of jabs, all of which he dodged with grace. Then, the biker was countered with a fierce kick to his ribs, followed by another two on his solar plexus and his face. While flinching, Chris performed a scissor grapple with his legs and tossed him towards the other.

While the two were getting themselves up, or rather, struggling to, Chris just went to a nearby oil can and smashed it. A pleasant, and ironic surprise followed as a succulent turkey leg in a luxurious porcelain plate was waiting for him. Once he finished the meal, it was time to finish the job. The second thug came close, but fell down after getting hit by a sweep and knocked away with an Oborozuki. He had hit a wall and slowly slid downwards, and on his eyes, two comical spirals spinning.

KO: Biker Thug 1

"Hey, don't run away, you're the next." Chris was faster than him, and as his opponent was trying to run, his parkour abilities gave the ninja an advantage. The man was caught in a scissor joint and dropped. "You know, I could kill you right now. But I have orders to keep you alive."

"P-p-please! I surrender! Don't hurt me!" The man was crying. His pants were wet after he emptied his bladder in sheer panic. "I don't take surrenders. Your friends are very tough when it comes to people who can't defend themselves, but it's time for you to know what happens to those who prey on the innocent." Chris sniffed the air, feeling the strong stench and sighed, "Damn, how much of a whiny coward you are!"

In a short burst of fury, Chris threatened to stomp on his face. The biker fainted in fear and Chris let him be. "All right, who's next in line?"

KO - Biker Thug 2

Total KO: 4, 1 injured.

[ProPro]

The Tunnel Snakes had proven that they were little to no threat, getting trounced and tossed away at every opportunity. With the majority of them unconscious and the remaining either injured or too scared to fight back, it seemed that victory was all but assured. The women huddling in the corner still hid behind their counter, but risked peaking to watch the mayhem unfold.

The sound of two motorcycle engines revving interrupted the fight. Two women, perfectly identical in appearance, clothing, even down to their dyed hair, pulled up to the fight. The remaining Tunnel Snakes gave the duo their attention. The women hopped off of their bikes, the one on the left blowing a bubble as the one on the left spoke.

"How long does it take to get protection money from on measly run down store, eh? Look at all this, your getting your asses handed to you. And what exactly are you supposed to be?" she gestured in the direction of Light. "Halloween is a long ways off."

"Viper! Cobra! These guys are freakishly strong! They're like the Six Disasters' best fighters!" called out one of the remaining thugs.

"Is that right?" asked the twin with the bubblegum. "Well then I guess it's time to really make a name for the Tunnel Snakes. If we can beat their butts then the Six Disasters will have to recognize us."

"Sounds like a plan, sis." Both immediately took a fighting stance, with the one on the left, Viper, drawing two short knives, while Cobra on the right produced razor-tipped fans. The Tunnel Snakes rallied to their leaders, even inspiring some of the knocked out ones to rejoin the battle.

Mini-Bosses Approach: Viper and Cobra

Style: Back to back teamwork - Viper and Cobra never stray far from one another, using Viper's knives for fast offense and Cobra's fans for a defensive flourish. Skilled, but individually no threat. Together they make a moderately strong team.
Ability: Mook inspiration - Eight Tunnel Snakes have rallied around their leaders, inspired to fight harder than before.
Threat Level: Warm-up

[Lugubrious]

The purr of motorcycle engines roused Llexe from her current activity—repeatedly slamming the shop's door on the head of the foe left winded by Kyoshi moments before. A couple of chicks rolled to a stop a moment later, the sight sending a few of the goons scrambling to join them as they dismounted. Somewhat interested by the spectacle, Llexe pushed open the door and let go of her victim's jacket, allowing him to slump, senseless, to the ground. She stepped out of the shop, coldly stomping on the man's back as she moved over him, and gave the revived thugs a scathing glare. None of the enemies she'd attended personally had gotten up again, and for good reason; if they possessed even the slightest bit of consciousness, it was better spent trying to staunch their badly-bleeding wounds. A few drops fell from Llexe's talons onto the pavement as came to a stop and got a better look at the twins.

Just a glance at them confirmed that the sisters shared everything they had: the same prissy dyed hair, the same ugly jacket, the same stupid face, and -as it turned out- the same terrible judgment. One held two knives and the other two...fans? Was that girl joking? Not like it mattered. They had pointed their weapons at Llexe, wordlessly making a declaration that they thought they could hurt her. In reply, the woman raised her hand, sweeping a talon across the group of goons. Her eyes, burning pink, promised anyone who lifted a finger a world of hurt. “Dead idiots. Don't get up this time.” Crouching low enough to place her claws on the ground, Llexe twisted her lips into a derisive sneer at Cobra and Viper. What were they doing with bubblegum, like little kids? “Little girls. Put away your toys.” The smirk became a snarl. “Cut me and I'll carve up those pretty faces!” Still essentially lucid, Llexe made a quick judgment. With their henchmen fanned out on either side of them, the sisters couldn't dodge to the side. That made things easy.

Like a bolt of lightning shot through her, Llexe rocketed upward with her special technique, Roll Over. She pulled her arms and legs in and span like a dragster tire as she flew in an arc toward her prey. Once in rage, she straightened out again to execute a savage double overhead slash. One arm, propelled by spinning and muscle power, fell upon each sister. Even if the blows didn't connect fully, Llexe's weight carried her onto her targets. If all went to plan, she'd take both to the ground beneath her, where things could get really ugly. Her reckless, merciless stunt would leave her open to attack from everyone at once, but so what? These thugs were nothing. Any of them who struck her would be signing his own death sentence. And she had everything to prove.

[Archmage MC]

Light wsan't too sure what to make of the two newcomers who approached on a motorcycle, being a bit too preoccupied playfully poking the pile of thugs nearby. They didn't seem all that strong, although with her head visible they did comment on her which she thought was adorable. They did rally a few of the KO'ed thugs to their feet and all with a cry of "Tunnel Snakes...." with the thugs saying "Rule!" but again, even their little bladed weapons didn't look super strong either.

Wanting to play with these two newcommers, Light made her way to them with a grin on her face. While Liexe was making a distraction with her bull charge into the group. As the thugs that Liexe wasn't distracted stood at attention at Light approaching, she had a fun idea. Using her Sharp Void ability, she dashed through a few of the thugs, striking them with void energy. She then abducted the first thing she could grab and jumped away, having struck two other goons with her Sharp Void ability.

Of course she couldn't see who she grabbed with everything being a blur, and lo and behold, it was the one guy who she jumped at the start of this whole fight! "Hello again!" Light said with a grin, the man who was full of vim and vigor suddenly adorning a face of terror at the sight of Light. He tried to struggle as Light walked away from the group, who were more focused on Liexe to help.

She brought the struggling man over to Sam, petting him like he was a teddy bear or doll. She offered the man to Sam, saying. "Hey buddy, wanna give a hug to this guy for me? Some of the others in that group need some love!" The thug, seeing the hulking wall that was Sam, started to panic even more. First he was terrified by this creepy feeling monster lady, then abducted by her again, and now he was going to be left in the care of a giant man? It just wasn't his day!

[LemonZest1337]

Sam looked up from the thug he'd just flattened to see a pair of twins blazed onto the scene on their motorcycles. With the way, the pair rallied the remaining thugs made it obvious they were the leaders of this rather flimsy gang. Before Sam could choose an opponent to engage Llexe had already rocketed into combat heading straight for the new arrivals. Sam wasn't eager to get in-between Llexe and her quarry so he decided he'd head for the thugs on the left, see if he couldn't keep them off the berserker.

Sam stormed towards the line of goons only to stop as Light blinked into the enemy and abducted one of the poor souls, seeing it fit to deliver the mook straight into Sam's hands. Sam grabbed the thug by the scruff and gave Light a nod before turning to face the panicked thug. "Hey let me go you freak!" The thug yelled as he struggled helplessly in Sam's vice-like grip. Sam's head twitched as the thug called him a freak, letting out an angered growl and lifting the man high into the air his feet dangling at least 3 feet off the ground. Sam slowly wrapped his free hand around the thug's ankle and let his scruff go causing the thug to fall painfully onto his back.

Sam looked at the rest of the gathered mooks and started advancing on them, dragging the poor thug behind him, intent on using the sorry sack as a weapon to beat the other gang members with.

[BCTheEntity]

Well, that had gone pleasantly. It transpired that most other minions remained outside, and by the time he'd stepped out, two... very, very similar-looking women had appeared, the only noticeable difference being which of them was blowing a bubblegum bubble, at least at first. However, leaders they inevitably were, for their mere presence brought their allies running to their side, some even revived and ready to fight all over again. A fascinating amount of charisma. Yet what a shame it was wasted on crime.

Llexe made her attack immediately, lunging from- ah, the one he'd winded was looking to be in bad shape- from the doorframe and into the sky, dropping down on the twins with what looked to be a vicious assault. Simultaneously, Light charged into the group, clad in some form of energy that apparently sliced at the gangsters as she literally passed through them. She was an oddity to behold, for certain - but it seemed that Llexe might want help fighting the two identical gang leaders. Or not, but she'd probably lose if she fought them on her own... or kill them outright. Either way, his help would be required.

Knives, and fans. Kiyoshi knew that of the two, the fans were the more defensive weapon; though normally tessen were used as clubs rather than razors, they were nonetheless good at deflecting attacks. That being said, of the two, Kiyoshi believed the knife-bearer might be somewhat simpler to render a non-threat. And thus, after a second or two of consideration and walking calmly in their direction, Kiyoshi, for want of a better word, "charged" - though his real self continued to calmly walk toward the duo, his figure suddenly blurred into a chain of rapid afterimages around the weaker gang members, each image holding the wooden blade as if to strike from above until the clone before the final clone. The last clone, the true attacker of the chain, spawned into existence in a crouched position, already moving to unleash quite an abrupt low slash toward the knife-wielder's gut specifically, an effort to catch her and her ally off-guard by how it repositioned itself - and luck had it that it even struck both of them in one go, occupied with other threats as they were. This was his Afterimage Strike, or at least a version of it - funnily enough, the ability to spawn ki images of oneself was extremely useful, especially when they didn't have to spawn in the same positions as their predecessors.

Whether or not the attack made contact, most of the clones would vanish, save one positioned right next to one of the weaker gang members. To those who knew not how the technique worked, they might well be shocked to realise Kiyoshi's "real" body faded too. To those in the know, they'd be more than aware that his real body had merely switched places with the image in question, just in time to follow up his initial charge with a blow to the head of the unfortunate man, knocking him out cold. The gamble was, would this draw attention? It surely wouldn't matter either way, of course, but he imagined that Viper and Cobra would be too preoccupied to deal with his presence specifically, or else that the other gang members would be dealt with accordingly before a loss of focus would be a problem.

[PlatinumSkink]

The sound of motorcycle engines alerted Naja to the new arrivals. Seeing how there were no threats left inside the building Naja started walking out in time to hear the reasoning of the two females for attacking them. Hmpf. Llexe was already on her way, so it was likely Naja’s retort would not be heard, but…

‘You fools. Us being beaten by the likes of you right now would only prove that we’re weak. If you want recognition, wait until we’ve dismantled a couple Disasters, THEN beat us,’ Naja told them with a sigh. ‘Though, not like it matters…’ the cyborg then bent her knees in preparation for launching herself. ‘You’re not beating us.’

Their opponents fought like a duo. Naja could see it in their stances. All the holes were being filled by their partner, one through offense and the other through defense. Fighting against them by herself may even have been a challenge. However, she wasn’t alone. As such, Naja dashed in full speed to fill in behind Llexe. The berserker was going to have to live with Naja looking after her, duo against duo, whether she liked it or not.

Llexe’s Roll Over was likely faster than Naja’s top speed, but Naja was pretty fast, herself. She dashed in behind Llexe’s mid-air assault, past the walking Kiyoshi, where she realized how exposed Llexe had left herself. Trying to defend her Naja pulled a swiping kick with a metal leg to slam away any who intended to attack Llexe in her motion. If any grunts came for the cyborg she could easily slam away their attack with a punch and then elbow them with a baji quan elbow slam that probably left them disabled.

The problem was in case the twins were good enough to somehow counter Llexe’s assault. If so, Naja attempted to kick away their counters with quick, defensive long-range savate kicks, hopefully too quick for the enemy to intercept while long-ranged enough to discourage interception before Llexe recovered. There was Kiyoshi’s… clone, too, which could perhaps assist with the matter, perhaps even ensured Naja wasn’t needed, but she wasn’t about to gamble that. Impressive speed, that.

Time was on their side, as Naja couldn’t imagine any of her companions being taken out by the goons. With time, there’d be less thugs about and their victory would come easier. All that really mattered now was that Viper and Cobra didn’t manage to injure any of them. Because that’d mean they were off to a terrible start.

If it turned out her defense wasn’t needed, Naja’d stick around by Llexe, intent on backing up in this fight against the twins.

[Kurisu Shiruba]

Viper and Cobra appeared shortly after Chris had taken down his foes. He looked at the twin girls and cracked his knuckles. For him, there was no place for Chivalry on the battle field and the two women seemed to be formidable opponents.

Both were weapon wielders, which made things far more interesting. He tried finding gaps on their defense or holes in their attacks, but the synergy of the twins was very polished. When he saw Kiyoshi using after images to get their attention drawn, an opportunity seemed to be appearing soon! The ninja used his fast parkour movements to make cover on the Samurai's part. His goals were only of disposing of potential threats. While he wasn't hiding or anything, his motives were rather clear. Even though the Snake sisters could perceive the little bluff on his part, it would at least be a nice little gamble to lure them both together. If Chris could distract them, he would have an advantage on a sneak attack as his fighting style was great for facing multiple enemies at a time.

All he would need was Kiyo's clones to start either distracting Viper or put Cobra into anticipating her defense. Then, his kicks would do the rest - Shirohebi, being a mixture of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and acrobatics, would be more than enough to exert some pressure on Cobra's defenses and Oborozuki could put Viper out of balance. Even if some thug prepared an ambush, they were so ridiculously weak and unskilled that they could be sent flying to a nearby trash can with a single Sparta kick.

[Lugubrious]

For as long as they'd been prowling the streets, the twins had heard and scoffed as threats, no matter how well-founded they proved to be. Neither allowed Llexe's taunt to ruffle them, and as the berserker launched herself into the air, they kept their heads. With the very goons they called to their sides barricading them in, and Naja barreling right toward them, Viper and Cobra needed to act fast. As one they thrust both their weapons upward in defensive formation, and a split second later Llexe's claws fell upon them. The weight of her heavy slash jolted their fingers and wrists, slapping their defenses downward. Llexe dropped on the twins the next instant, too fast for them to steel themselves and remain standing, and together the three women hit the dirt.

Stunned by Llexe's speed and ferocity, the thugs whirled to face their bosses, refusing to believe they went down in one strike. They saw the trio struggling on the ground, and watched as Viper sank a knife into her assailant's lower back. Pain shot through Llexe by lightning, and her pink eyes darkened to a light red. From the side came a kick from one of the thugs, who slammed his boot into Llexe's head, sending her tumbling off of the sisters. A number of his friends started toward her to lay on the pain, but at that moment her allies struck. Light took her pick of the litter, using her powers to strike at a few of the foes not focused on Llexe before abducting one to bring back to Sam, who thundered in the next moment to lay into the vagabonds using one of their own as a living bludgeon.

Meanwhile, the sisters -winded by their sudden, forceful introduction to the ground- struggled to their feet to face Kiyoshi alongside a few goons. As menacing as the samurai's slow walk was, they felt sure they could take him with the numbers advantage, never imagining he would turn the odds around the next moment. Suddenly a flood of Kiyoshis descended upon them. In confusion the thugs wildly at their targets, and from the mayhem a single clone surged forth to strike Viper's midsection with its blade's wooden edge. As the woman wilted from the blow, Cobra stepped up to cover for her against Naja and Chris, only for Llexe's claw to close around her ankle. With a vicious cry Llexe yanked Cobra off her feet and onto the ground once more. To her right, a handful of Tunnel Snakes recovering from Kiyoshi's assault rushed at Naja and Chris to help their boss out, but the pair were more than ready. Before the first could even get in range Chris lashed out with a straight kick that hurled the man through the air and into a trash can. One of the clones went out like a light after Kiyoshi took the place of a clone and struck his head. Then, Naja's let loose the machine-powered savate kicks she'd been planning to use on the sisters against their last two underlings. In only a couple seconds, the four thugs were writhing on the ground once more.

The other wing fared no better. Sam, both unstoppable force and immovable object, demolished any attempt as resistance with his makeshift weapon, who soon fell unconscious himself. Light hardly needed to intervene again, but her ally's three victims remained unhugged, so she blitzed into the fray once more. Between them, they left nobody standing.

At the same time, Llexe was following up on her promise. Even on the ground, Cobra made a valiant attempt at defense with her fans, but a terrifying strength possessed her attacker. In a matter of seconds Llexe grabbed and tore up her fans, leaving Cobra on her back beneath the berserker with only her fists at her disposal. The Tunnel Snakes' boss landed punch after punch on her, but while each hit physically moved her, Llexe didn't flinch. She loomed over Cobra, eyes growing ever darker and redder with every blow, until she let out an inhuman snarl and brought both fists down on Cobra's sternum. She screamed as her ribs cracked, thrashing desperately to try and throw the berserker off. Instead of budging, Llexe pinned her down before slashing her face again and again, covering her features in bloody gashes. Oblivious to Cobra's howling, Llexe pushed her talons through her prey's cheeks, then with a final punch broke her nose. The twins would never be identical again.

Viper's horrified gaze flickered between her brutalized peons and her sister. The last of the mooks had fallen. In the span of only a few moments, the six fighters had effectively separated the sisters, laid waste to their subordinates, and taken one down. Llexe's eyes were lightening as her shoulders heaved from the exertion, her wounds starting to catch up to her now that revenge was dulling her rage. Someone else would need to deal with Viper, but she figured it wouldn't be a problem.

[Archmage MC]

Light smiled as Sam took the thug she offered him and watched a bit as Sam more or less intimidated the poor guy who was already spooked by Light and the effects her Void Touch caused. When Light turned away from Sam, Sam having dealt with her gift and advancing towards the group of thugs, Light noticed there weren't that many thugs left. Heck, even onf of their bosses was getting pummled, although a bit mercilessly, by Llexe. But considering the other one was open, Light saw a chance for a hug.

Making her way over to the group, moving much faster than Sam and his intimidating walk with a Sharp Void dash(Without the sharpness), Light got behind the distressed Viper and gave her a hug. "Ahagl ahagl, ymg''ll ah ahehyee Magl. Mgah'ehye guh h' yog (There there, you'll be just fine. Lets hug it out.)" Of course Light was speaking eldritch and giving her a bit of a strong hug, as someone else dealt with the whole Cobra/Llexe situation, the Cobra lady not looking too pretty, but very much still alive. Although being mauled by what was essentially a berserk tiger lady at this moment wasn't the best of things.

Viper wasn't taking things as easy as Light was. Thanks to Light's Void touch ability, Viper was getting far more agitated than she normally would. And considering she was already pretty distraught, she was making quite a racket as her feelings of fear and paranoia were being amplified. For all intents and purposes, Viper was making things look much worse than they were. Sure Cobra was a bit brutalized, but it wasn't nothing some rest and surgery couldn't fix up. Light wasn't having a super great time either, considering Viper was stabbing her so she'd let go. Out of annoyance of this, Light threw Viper to the ground, taking one of her knives away in the process. Since Light was a Void creature, she didn't bleed from her wounds. Instead, wispy darkness seeped out of the wounds.

[BCTheEntity]

Dealing with the thugs was, it transpired, a simple enough affair. With a few more strikes, and in a few moments, it was Cobra trying futilely to beat Llexe away from her, whilst many of the remaining fighters circled around Viper, who was clearly on the back foot there. It felt bad to simply gang up on her, but it was clear that a few seconds was all that would be needed to-

Cobra's attacks were suddenly drowned in a cruel growl, and her voice emitted a cry of intense agony. Even as Kiyoshi turned to see the carnage, Llexe was rending the girl's face asunder. And yet, his distraction provided an opening for Viper to dart in and attempt to strike him, itself a crucial distraction that he was forced to deal with, his blade beating her away and backward into Light's range, just as Llexe tore open the other girl's cheeks gruesomely. It occurred to him belatedly that perhaps she was attempting to reach her partner, but that would be a digression from the matter at hand: Kiyoshi's clones spewed out from him again, this time toward Llexe and the fallen gangster, getting in range of her just as the clawed girl smashed her victim's nose in. The only response Kiyoshi could give was to swipe at Llexe with his weapon, bludgeoning- and he hated that word, but it really was bludgeoning her with as much of the heavy wooden sword as possible to force her off of the gangster's form, and promptly yanking Cobra out of reach of the maniac, inspecting her for... oh, those were truly horrific injuries. What a wonderful start to their heroics; nothing wrong with their actions, it was just somebody with their face violently ripped to shreds.

And in his increasing fury, Kiyoshi almost failed to realise how badly injured Light was getting until she tossed Viper to the ground, her body punctured in many places, seeping some shadowy wisps of substance that Kiyoshi could only assume was equivalent to blood. Again, he was forced to take action, sending another wave of clones in the gangster's direction, the last one quickly striking the second leader around the head and shoulders as she tried to get up, finishing the job Light started, though seemingly at the cost of her well-being, if not worse. This time, his real self didn't leave its original position as the generated clones faded away, instead turning toward Llexe with an expression and posture rather unlike his previous calm demeanour.

'What the fff...' Catching himself before he made a discourteous statement, he quickly but angrily rephrased 'What were you thinking, Llexe? In what world did you think this was reasonable?' Even as he gestured to Cobra's unconscious and bloodied form, he knew passing the blame to Llexe in full was just as discourteous as swearing at her. He could have moved to stop her sooner. He could have taken on Cobra himself, or at least in tandem with the more aggressive person. And in turn, there was no way he could blame Llexe for Light's wounding. He was angry with her, true, and he was rather forming an image of her in his mind that he'd rather not form of anybody, but frankly speaking, the failure here was utterly his own, and his anger dissipated quickly, giving way to despair and self-hatred as he knelt next to the woman unfortunate enough to draw Llexe's ire.

This was unacceptable. How could he have let it happen? How dare he let it happen? He had more skill than that, he knew he did, and yet he'd allowed this failure of justice to come to fruition, not to mention... hell. Llexe was wounded too, not to mention Light. They needed medical assistance, and quickly.

[ProPro]

Cobra wasn't moving anymore. This, coupled with her absolute brutalization, was enough to force the few remaining Tunnel Snakes to back down. Only Viper was still fighting back for the honor of her sister, but found Light's restrictive bear hug too tight to escape from. "YOU MONSTERS! I'LL KILL YOU! I'LL KILL YOU ALL!" Stab. Stab. Stab. The knife wounds were shallow and growing more shallow with each attempt at a puncture. Finally Light tired of her little game and simply tossed Viper aside. The woman barely had any strength left to fight back, her one remaining knife feebly clutched in her hand. Kiyoshi's single blow immediately took her out, as the weapon fell harmlessly onto the street. Ting.

Match Complete!

Completion Reward: 1 Exp (All characters)
Mini-Boss Defeated: 1 Exp (Light, Kiyoshi, and Llexe)
Hidden Objective Complete (Protect store): 1 Exp (All characters except Llexe who caused damage to a tv)
Bonus Award: 1 Exp (Llexe for Lugs being a stand up bro and resolving a whole round of posts by himself)

A few of the Tunnel Snakes had already started to run away in fear, while others did their best to help up downed friends and colleagues. Nobody dared to get in close enough to help up Cobra. They weren't going to risk winding up like her, even if the crazy woman who did it was now preoccupied by the swordsman.

That's when a simple, nondescript Jeep pulled in. Well, nondescript save for the obvious large stylized dragon symbol painted on the sides. The Tunnel Snakes that were limping away suddenly changed into a full on run. No way were they sticking around for what was about to come next.

The driver and passenger doors opened up, revealing two uniquely dressed individuals. The driver was shirtless and wore a black studded gauntlet on his right arm, while covered in a copious amount of tattoos styled as a Chinese dragon and cloud design. He had long black hair, and a headband. The passenger was a dark skinned Native American man with a large scar across the bridge of his nose, and wore a bunch of gold, red, and brown clothing. His light black hair was fashioned into a ponytail that could reach his ankles, and tied off in a ribbon. Altogether his ensemble gave him the appearance of a feathered mesoamerican dragon.

"My my, would you look at this, Pacho?" said the tattooed man as he shut the driver door. "We get word that some rotten snakes are moving in on our turf, come out to do some exterminating, and find that the job has already been done for us. Heh. Amusing."

The Native man, Pacho, said nothing, merely crossing his arms. He stared down the scene with an intense glare. One got the feeling he was analyzing every detail.

"I don't recognize any of you. Far as I can tell, you're not members of any of the Six Disasters. And that means you're one of three things. Hopefuls looking to be recruited in, a new gang trying to make a name for yourselves, or you're meat." He clenched his gauntlet hand into a fist and smashed it into his own Jeep, caving in the door. The blow nearly knocked it right off the truck, though he didn't recoil or flinch at all. "If you're a new gang, walk away now and we won't have to stomp you out. Call it thanks for the favor you did us today. Course, if you're meat or hopefuls, then what happens next is going to be the same: a fight. You ready for a one on one?"

"Mm," Pacho grunted.

"Right, sorry old friend. Two on two."

Ring Match Begin!

Rules: Choose 1 or 2 representatives to battle Pacho and/or O-Chul, OR choose to leave immediately.
Threat Level: Moderate

[PlatinumSkink]

… Aaaaaaand she failed. A couple thugs had gotten in her way, and while they were a breeze to blow down, they had successfully kept Naja from supporting Llexe in any sort of timeframe that actually helped. Now she was partly injured. And that… was so… immensely… frustrating. It rather felt like it was her fault, even though Llexe had been the one with the suicidal charge. Real anger coursed through Naja’s remaining veins as the rest finished up, enough so that she had to contain herself from kicking one of the downed goons, hard. Or just plain destroy a nearby wall.

Calm down, Naja. You’re better than that. You don’t need to take out your aggression on anything…

She stood there motionlessly, assuming the others could handle their own injuries, containing herself for now. … Or, at least, until a jeep pulled up, and two men came out. Naja turned and walked to somewhat stand in between them and the rest of their team, as some of them were injured. As if they needed protection. Naja inspected the strong-looking men that had come out. Nice bodies. Decently so. Honestly, they looked more like the men she’d been expecting to team up with on this mission, rather than this band of misfits. They were a sight for sore eyes.

Well. Minus the attitude, the loud unpleasant noise made slamming the car, and the nerve to call them “meat”. That could use some work. Naja let a slight smile flash by her lips before she promptly dropped it and replied.

‘You’re part of the big shots in this area? I suppose that’d make you the Black Dragons,’ Naja deduced, looking at the markings of the jeep and the tattoos of the first guy. ‘Good. That saves us the time trying to find you,’ the cyborg gently told them, and then turned around to the rest.

‘How about it? Any of you more eager to take them on than me?’ Naja asked, checking her allies after the last battle. At least two of them was some manner of wounded… she thought. It was a little hard to judge with Light. Regardless, she then turned back to the two, confidently smacking one metal fist in the other’s palm. ‘Otherwise, I’m ready to take you on.’

With that, Naja waited to hear if any multiples of her allies argued that they wanted the fight more than her, in which case she’d honestly just bow down for now, she was willing to watch from the sidelines and inspect the capabilities of her allies… but she also really wanted to beat someone up right about now.

Specifically the talking one. His face would feel good to beat in.

[LemonZest1337]

A lot had happened in the time Sam spent clobbering the goons with their friend, it looked like Llexe had gone a little too ham on one of the gang leaders and Kiyoshi had decided to smack her off the poor woman. What a teambuilding experience. Sam wanted to intervene but before he could lumber his way over to the pair a jeep pulled up with a disgustingly obvious dragon symbol plastered on the side. Sam turned his attention to these newcomers, his ally Naja had done the same responding to their threat with a challenge. Naja was right about it saving them time getting a few of these big players out of the way now would be a great boon to their efforts in cleaning up the city.

Wordlessly Sam walked up behind Naja and punching his hands together and cracking his knuckles. Sam wasn't going to let Naja go into this fight alone, these guys for sure looked tougher than the rest of the goons they'd just faced. Though admittedly taking a glance down at Naja Sam wasn't totally sure that she would need his help. She did look pretty scary, she had this fire in her eyes like she was really looking forward to this fight. Sam was looking forward to getting rid of the rubbish, but he had nowhere near the levels of enthusiasm he felt coming from off Naja.

[Archmage MC]

Light watched as Kiyoshi seemed to blame himself for what was going on. Well, after knocking out Cobra with some kind of.... well, Light couldn't really explain it. Some afterimage rush attack? It played tricks on her, distracting her from the puncture wounds she had gotten. As the thugs got up and retreated, dragging their comrades away with them, in came a jeep with a dragon symbol on it. "More reinforcements?" Light said as two men came out of the jeep.

One was some emo looking guy that Light instantly disliked from his appearance alone. The other was some native American guy that she thought looked way cooler, and was far more interested in. both of them wore dragon tatoos, so Light figured they were from one of the other gangs. And considering the emo guy announced their group as 'not being part of the gangs', Light was right.

Light absently scratched at the wounds Cobra had inflicted on her, which reminded her that she had gotten stabbed. Naja approached the pair, choosing to be part of the '2 on 2' they asked for, with Sam soon following suit, the two striking a pretty fun pose all things considered. As they were doing this, Light focused a bit putting a finger in her mouth and blowing into it. With a slightly audible pop, all her wounds closed up, leaving her skin pristine with no scarring. "Yeah, you two go get'm! Now if only I had popcorn...." She said, stepping back to give Naja and Sam the space they needed to fight. She made her way over to Llexe and Kiyoshi, patting the latter on the shoulder. "Hey mate. Do you know how to heal her? I can regenerate, but I dunno if she can." Light said, offering what help she could.

[Kurisu Shiruba]

Chris had a nasty feel of the two guys being too much for his fighting style - It had a peculiar flaw of being not so effective when it comes to one-on-one fights, as Kurenai Ryu Taijutsu is more focused on facing groups of enemies rather being focused on direct duels, like Kyokushin Karate, for example.

He was there, busy, getting something to wipe down the blood of his wound, and followed Llexe shortly after. With such a limitation in his martial art, staying away was the best solution. Chris also heard Light claiming she could regenerate herself, with her Wolverine-like heal factor, but the same couldn't be said about the other.

Still, while he got a neat look at Cobra and Viper... wow. A few more slashes and that unlucky woman would look just like something out of the mutants he fought in Brazil.

[Lugubrious]

Wound by wound Llexe fulfilled her promise, though when she calmed she would doubtless realize that she'd yet to lay a finger on the scum that actually stabbed her. The crimson dervish left her eyes as her assault wound down, their fury evaporating like puddles on a hot day. As the adrenaline left, the pain from her wounds rolled in, and its distraction left her totally oblivious to the appalled samurai blindsiding her with his glorified club. The impact stunned Llexe and knocked her right off her victim, rolling once before coming to a stop on her back, left arm and both shoulderblades scraped by the ground. While she did feel inclined to leap to her feet and rip her attacker a new one, she could not move until the stars in her vision cleared away, and the fog of pain and tiredness dulled her killer instinct.

After a moment, she found herself confronted by Kiyoshi, whom she treated to a blank stare. What was he asking? “Um.” Following his gesture she glanced at Cobra, her dispassionate gaze unaffected by the bloodcurdling sight. “Told 'er not to,” she muttered, as if that explained everything. If her response was somehow unsatisfactory, she did not get the chance to find out from her questioner. Soon after, another vehicle appeared, this one markedly different than the bikes of the snake sisters. From the jeep came two men, both rippling with muscle and bold in their choices of clothing, to greet the fresh meat personally. Llexe didn't bother paying attention to what the colorfully-tattooed one said, only rolling her now-white eyes and sighing when he -like her employer- made a corny show of strength by wrecking his own stuff. While she didn't remember Roulette saying anything about bozos like these, who obviously had nothing to do with the break-in, any chance to knock some skulls together was a chance to hone her craft.

Llexe made to rise and engage, but a jolt of pain stopped her. Her Rage had worn off completely, leaving her skull, jaw, and knife-wound hurting something fierce. She attempted to get up anyway, only to receive a worse throb and collapse to her knee. Try as she might, she couldn't get mad about old wounds, which meant just standing up was be a problem, let alone thrashing these deadbeats. While she struggled, gritting her teeth, Naja and Sam took the new arrivals up on their offer. A scrap would begin any second now, with Llexe languishing on the sidelines. The thought of being relegated to bystander pissed Llexe off, but not anywhere near enough. Annoying as it would be, she'd be sitting this one out.