Schradinger

Southwestern Forest

His solution to the second attack was as simple as his solution to the first, and he dropped his head beneath her blow, bending at both knee and back as he twisted his own body to the left and gripped the "hilt" of his blade with two hands. As her fist sailed above him, he pulled the blade down and left, aiming to bisect her abdomen from the original stab wound to her right hip and pull the sword clear of her body. He would then pivot his body back to the right, circumstances permitting, and angle a second slash through her legs at the knees. If her position and momentum held true for the fraction of a second it would take to execute both maneuvers, the portion of his blade nearest the handle would strike her right leg, while her left would be struck only inches from the tip.

All-Star Marvel: Audax Mundus Novus

Hmm... What if Fence was the target, and he found his own contract (or had sniffer programs out looking for any such contract that let him know if someone wants him dead) and enlists Remy to protect him? She wouldn't want to kill Remy if she could at all avoid it, so her hesitation to do so would clue him in on the fact that she's not doing it voluntarily.

For the Gods! [RECRUITING]

Light said in the opening post that it was a "decent sized courtyard", so there is that. But realistically, no. If Notdeadyet and Daglobster are still around they can change the setting to a full-size battlefield if they want.

All-Star Marvel: Audax Mundus Novus

I don't have a set number in mind, but it would likely be within two to four more posts. If I go too long without her being shown another way to live, I'm going to run out of ways to make her seem like a victim (and thus not a villain) while she slaughters things in the name of profit for Harkins. Lol.

And Gambit would definitely make a good first encounter. He doesn't have the same goody-two-shoes mentality that a straight up hero would, yet he's way too gung-ho for independence to let her be kept on her leash. He'd probably be able to get through to her easier than someone who is just plain "good", so that could work out well. :)

For the Gods! [RECRUITING]

True enough, which is likely why Light never intended the original characters to be at the level of Sovereign, N'athr, and now Krix (due to his current strength boost). Still, an arena more than two kilometers across would be huge. Likely too huge for the spectators to see the match itself unless it was on their side of the battlefield. Without some method of televising everything, the whole point of having a physical arena becomes moot.

All-Star Marvel: Audax Mundus Novus

Does anyone want to do a "crossover" bit sometime soonish (in IC time)?

Long story short, I'm going to need a hero to encounter X-23 on her next outing and show her that life doesn't have to be lived as a slave/puppet assassin (otherwise she'll quickly be crossing the line into villain territory, and we can't have that). If no one wants to cross the two arcs this early, I'll probably make two more posts then apply for a second character that could do it (probably Hellion), but I'd prefer to interact with another writer during that transition.

So any takers?

For the Gods! [RECRUITING]

ASTA said
How did Krix intercept that many stones with the single chain while also simultaneously altering each stone's trajectory to such a heavy degree the stones incurring a sever loss in velocity during the process? I could see him blocking the things, but flinging them back at a completely new target like that comes off as very strange.

Additionally, is there a maximum and/or minimum radius his stone-manipulating/stone sensory powers can function at, or is it unlimited?

The trajectory would have been altered by less than 20 degrees. Sovereign is currently behind Krix, and the second wolf is in front and to the left of him. He didn't stop them then hurl them back, he just nudged them onto a new course, something that requires much less willpower than stopping over two dozen stone projectiles traveling at over mach 2 dead in their tracks. He also didn't use the chain to do it, he was just re-coiling that around his arm.

And for the purposes of this RP, the range would be effectively unlimited. His actual range is around 1 kilometer (getting weaker the farther away it is), but the arena isn't that big. It might be bigger than a 100 meter radius though, which is the range at which his sensory abilities begin to degrade enough to inhibit his perception of things.

For the Gods! [RECRUITING]

Krix could feel the sand and dust as it surrounded the spectral wolf, and more importantly could feel the empty space which was occupied by that wolf. The cloud of earth did not settle as it should have once the beast moved away, but rather followed it to the copse where it took refuge, continuing to obscure sight as well as smell. He could also feel the chunks of stone being wrenched from the ground as his opponent circled, and it became clear what the next move would be. A wave of his hand as the chain retracted and the stones were hurtled toward him was all the warning he would give as he altered the stones trajectory to fly clear of him and instead fly into the copse where the second wolf had taken refuge with its sandstorm. Assuming, of course, that the wolf still occupied the space. If not, the stones would be directed to whatever locale it currently inhabited, carrying all of the force his opponent had launched them with. More than enough force to shred tree, wolf, and stone alike.

Southwestern Forest

Her expression gave it away, and when that changed, time slowed. Or at least Arthur's perception of it. He watched the muscles strain to move her limbs as fast as they would go, felt the impulses racing through her nervous system to carry the commands of her brain, and began to move himself. Even his own movements, which were quicker by far than those of the woman beside him, seemed to crawl through mud as he anchored himself and pulled his torso down, beneath the level of the oncoming blow. A blinding flash illuminated his right hand as the massive club passed over his head, and coalesced into the form of a sword as he rose back up in the wake of her assault. He drove this new blade directly toward her heart with all the strength and leverage his anchored position gave him, using her own momentum against her as she threw her weight into the blow and propelled herself toward him and the point of his weapon.

All-Star Marvel: Audax Mundus Novus

Agent Designation: X-23
Mission Parameters: Training Scenario
Target Priority: None
Evaluation Commencing...

Yesterday it had been a bear. The day before, a mountain lion. It had been almost a week since she'd faced a human, or even another mutant. She preferred those fights. At least when it resembled a human she knew what to expect, how to anticipate. People were smart, and she knew how to counter smart. The animals were worse. Nothing but feral instincts and the need to kill. If you cut a human deep enough, they'd back off to regroup and recover and plan a new approach, but with these animals it didn't matter how deep the cut was, they wouldn't stop coming until either you or them was dead.

It probably didn't help that they were genetically and cybernetically enhanced too. Teeth and claws sharp enough to rend steel, and speed and strength that far outstripped her own. Every time, the odds got stacked higher against her, and every time she was in worse shape when she finally put them down.

Today, the room was pitch black except for a single light shining down on the center where she stood, so so caught their scent before she saw them. They smelled like wolves, but... wrong somehow. Like someone had taken the pure intent of nature and twisted it, deforming it into a creation that only vaguely resembled the original creature. She saw the eyes next, almost glowing with a dark red hue that caught the light above and turned it back on her. Her heartbeat quickened and her nostrils flared as she strained to determine how many there were exactly. Her ears told her at least five, but her nose was picking up over a dozen scents that weren't her own.

She really hoped that was just Harkins pumping chemicals into the room to mess with her. Her heart sank at the thought he might not be, that the pack surrounding her might actually be more than a dozen strong, and every muscle in her body went rigid. In truth, she was grateful for the fear. For the adrenaline it brought. She was going to need every edge she could get, and the adrenaline with its boost to her strength and speed and stamina was more than welcome.

The first attack came from behind, and her only warning was the subtle scratching of claws on the metal floor. She reacted on instinct, whirling and unsheathing her claws as she drove a fist toward the predator's temple. Her blow struck true, driving into the creature's head and killing it instantly, but it was no ordinary wolf. With nearly twice the size and four times the weight, its momentum was more than enough to drive her off her feet and into the darkness surrounding her small pool of light. What happened after would be little more than a blur of teeth, claws, and pain in her memory as the pack descended on her. When it was over, she stood broken and bloodied over the corpses of nine augmented wolves, her costume torn to shreds and her wounds still pouring blood as they began to close.

Exhausted, she dropped to her knees in the midst of the carnage and closed her eyes as tears began to stain her cheeks. Why? What did they want from her that they would put her through test after test designed to drain away every last shred of who she was? Sometimes, it seemed that there was no purpose beyond causing her pain, but the animalistic, primal part of her mind knew that these tests made her stronger. Knew that if she went back to the first creature she had struggled to defeat, it would be little more than trivial now. Pain was the quickest way to learn, and no one could endure more pain than her. No one she knew, anyway.

"Excellent work, 23. Report to the showers and clean yourself up."

She opened her eyes and glared at the now-transparent observation room windows and the man that stood beyond them, but was too exhausted to manage anything more. Slowly, she moved to comply with the order and made her way out of the testing room and toward the showers, already dreading whatever they had in store for her next.