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Speed, power, endurance, skill: these traits are desired by all at some level. However, only the strong of mind can truly attain greatness. People in this district respect and strive for one thing, power through honor. However, while this sentiment is easy to comprehend to those in the outside, it means something else to live by it. Those who incorporate this philosophy into their daily lives will forever be considered resident of this district. Those who pervert or follow the opposite ideal are seen as less than trash and to many, not worthy of life.
Guidelines
To say this town has laws is a misnomer. Instead, it would be more accurate to say the district has guidelines. Depending on where you are, these rules could mean something entirely different. However, there are are a few that are constant across the entire district.
1. Do not steal: Stealing is seen as cowardly and not suited to a warrior. Not only will you be seen as weak, but many see it as cowardly.
2. Murder is only allowed through honorable duel: While this is one that changes based on the leader, honorable duel refers to depends on the place.
3. Home is sacred: This is an example of a guideline more than a law. Things such as arson, vandalism or unsanctioned destruction will earn the ire of the full force of the district. However, if you have lost your home in a duel, it is as good as destroyed if one chooses to do so.
4. All major conflict must be solved through duels: The culture of this district is dedicated to strength. If you are strong, you get what you want.
Guidelines are enforced universally by the 4 great dojo’s of this district. Each one is comparable to the strongest of elites. Together, they are seen as a rival to the police themselves. However, because they supply the city with loyal, reliable and easy to predict bounty hunters, the relationship between the police and this district is positive.
The first of the dojo masters is a martial artist who incorporates magic into his fighting style. His name is Bahadur Klearjaac. It is said that when he fights, his entire body shines, radiating a warming light like the sun itself. The area around his dojo follows tends to favor those with magical combat abilities and the accumulation of knowledge. Fair trade and commerce is also important, so this the most economically booming.
Name: Bahadur Klearjaac
Race: Human
Age: 25
Height:
Weight:
Appearance:
(https://images-ext-2.discordapp.net/external/fbHSe4xZ7TklQv35jPbAf2CP6M_l1QzrZEmNsqRkOrU/https/i.pinimg.com/564x/2a/10/4b/2a104b41b0dba68d4c7685e1f15a234f.jpg?width=196&height=325)
Attributes (with chi enhancement)
Strength: Incredible (Fantastic)
Agility: Incredible (Fantastic)
Durability: Incredible (Fantastic)
Willpower: Zen
Magic: Extremely high
Magic Resistance: Very high
This style of magical resistance allows him to hold hostile attacks in his palms, such as fireballs and lightning strikes, so long as his chi is active. His extensive knowlege of magic allows him to physically knock back magical attacks. Weaker spells he can parry as if they were the fist of a baby. Stronger spells he can block, but at the cost of his very body.
Other Abilities:
Way of the mage: This is a martial art practiced by Bahadur. It allows him to seamlessly integrate magic into strikes, practiced by integrating magic spells with katas. Eventually, the practitioner is able to cast spells while striking their opponent. A one inch punch can become a one-inch flame fist. An axe kick can become a thunder strike. An upper frame-block can become a wind-blasted block. This allows him the rare ability to attack and defend at the same time. He can cast spells and stike his opponents in one move easily, so long as he is able to use his mouth.
Elemental magic: Bahadur has master the use of fire, water, lightning, wind and earth, allowing him to conjure these elements freely from his aura. Examples of low-level attacks include fireballs, lightning strikes, conjured earth, and wind blasts. At his highest potency, Bahadur can summon tornados, create fireballs, rain down dozens of bolts of lightning and create massive water dragons. These spells are all very high potency. Of course, the most powerful attack is a massive laser beam fired from his palm that utilizes all five elements. This attack is the only one that hits at extremely high potency and requires charge time, even with his speed chanting.
Chi enhancement: Like many in the district, Bahadur Klearjack is capable of enhancing his body with chi. What makes his version of the power unique is how he specialized in modifying his chi to better utilize his "magic". By channeling it through his aura, he is capable of resisting magical attacks and channel magical attacks through his fists necessary for way of the mage.
Weakness:
Intimacies:
Lesser ties: Other dojo heads (Rivals)
Lesser tie: Followers of his quadrant
Lesser cause: Unite the dojo
Greater principle: “I shall not give my great dojo to anyone, no matter the cost.”
Greater cause: Integrate all magic into fighting to create the ultimate warrior
The second dojo is run by a man who favors instinct. To Ferrison Monroe, skill comes not from vigorous exercise but from the thrill of battle. Power is not attained through knowledge but experience. Many of the people in this territory sleep outside and the only buildings here are shops, fitness centers and restaurants. The rest is open fields decorated with tents and planted trees. Using a car or truck in this city is considered weak and you may be given looks pulling up in a vehicle of any kind. However, because of the embrace of the harsh environment, no one in this town steals, though there are lots of fights.
Name: Ferrason Monroe
Race: Human
Age: ???
Height: 6’ 7’’
Weight: 250Ib
Appearance: Describe what your character looks like, such as hair and eye color and body type. Pictures are welcome too.
Attributes
Strength: Incredible/Heroic
Agility: Incredible/Fantastic
Durability: Incredible/Fantastic
Willpower: Zen
Magic: None
Magic Resistance: Medium
Chi protection: Through battle with various mages, Ferrison Monroe has learned to adapt his ki against most forms of destructive and non-destructive magic. Non destructive magic cannot penetrate his aura. However, destructive magic interacts with his aura in accordance with the regular properties of magic resistance.
Other Abilities:
Ultra Instinct: Ferrison is an experienced fighter who’s instinct is absolutely inhuman. His intuitive sense for battle allows him to adapt to fighting styles that he hasn’t even heard of in mere moments as if he had been practicing against them for years. Every strike gets him closer to understanding the weakness of an entire martial art. As is his life philosophy, the experience is his greatest weapon. If he fights a style he is unfamiliar with for a long enough time, he may even be able to mimic it. With enough time during a fight with a stronger opponent, he can learn their entire style, growing faster, stronger and more evasive.
Chi enhancement: This is the martial art taught by the first district. By drawing on the energy of the environment, he has granted his body freedom from the prison of age. This allows him to project an energy field created from his own life energy that protects against magic and enhances his physical body beyond its natural limit.
Chi blasts: This one is fairly simple. By harnessing the power of chi in his palms, he can fire destructive blasts of chi with fantastic power from his fingers, palms, feet and even mouth. He can use feet blasts to propel himself at heroic speeds, but these are tiring and can drain his stamina faster.
Experience of the martial artist: Ferrason Monroe is a man born from battle. He has fought thousands upon thousands of different masters, accumulating countless priceless experience. Victory, defeat, draws: it doesn’t matter the outcome. With every battle, he became much stronger than before, able to craft his own style from a combination of street fighting and professional martial arts. Thanks to the sheer diversity of styles, he has grown even further beyond that, able to pull off moves that defy physics themselves. This allows him to keep up with fighters far stronger than himself as if they were physical equals.
Equipment: Equipment is for weaklings.
Origin: Provide the character’s backstory. No need for an essay, but make sure that others can get a general understanding of the character’s identity.
Weakness:
Intimacies:
Lesser tie: Other dojo masters (rival)
Lesser tie: The people of his section
Greater cause: Achieve the highest level of human instinct.
The third dojo is run by a woman known only as Seras. Legend has it that when she was only five years old, she defeated a master martial artist in a fist fight. Those who reside in his district tend to be incredibly intelligent, with divergent ideas about how the world of martial arts should be run. They are united by their talent and those who work hard to achieve their goals are never truly on their level.
Name: Seras
Race: Human
Age: ???
Height: 5’11
Weight: 192ib
Appearance:
(https://images-ext-1.discordapp.net/external/lbjSkGgdzBn_hGi5plzREtahdLmbuwdpBUqE2ddLfUA/?width=258&height=363/https/images-ext-2.discordapp.net/external/Ue3VSvnkXNtjU9qAgDTSWxrNP5T45DUwH4JOS-4Cm2g/?2754437/https/safebooru.org//images/2644/1414e72b907b7d45104f951b3d8a3778fe542f08.jpg)
Physical Attributes (With chi enhancement)
Strength: Exceptional (Fantastic)
Agility: Exceptional (Fantastic)
Durability: Exceptional (Fantastic)
Willpower: Zen
Magic: Extremely high
Basic elemental spells: Seras is capable of casting fire, water, wind, darkness, earth, light and even grass spells. The following are examples of her absolute best spells. She does have access to weaker spells such as fireballs, water blasts, wind slashes, dark beams, light beams, conjuring earth and conjuring vines. All of these attacks strike at high potency. Unlike Klearjack, she is not as good at integrating magic into her fighting style. She is a mage and a fighter, not someone who has created a martial art of magic.
Fire dragon of desire: A giant flaming dragon spell emitted from her soul. Its size can be controlled by Seras, its maximum is the height and width of a building. It strikes with very high potency.
Whirlpool of fate: More than a tornado than a whirlpool, this spell generates a tornado of water capable of tearing through buildings. Its direction can be controlled by hand gestures from the user. This also strikes with very high potency.
Blackhole: A powerful spell that creates an orb of mana that turns dark from the sheer density of the magic. It draws in anything and everything regardless of whether they be friend or foe, crushing them in the center. This is another example of a very high spell.
The sun: Combining fire and light magic, Seras generates a mini sun. This miniature sunburns so hotly that it raises the temperature to around 100 degrees regardless of what it was before. Natrually, burning in the center of this massive fire means death for most.
Magic Resistance: High (with chi enhancement)
Other Abilities:
Chi enhancement: Chi is the ability to use the strength of one’s own soul to draw on the energy in the environment. Seras’s soul is so innately powerful that she is able to draw on far more power than any other martial artist in the entire district.
Well read: Seras’s entire philosophy revolves around education and the gathering of information. While the other dojo masters engage in espionage to an extent, Sera’s network makes up almost all of the information gathered by the district. Sera’s knows almost everything there is to know about other districts, whether they want her to or not.
Body projection: This is a special ability Seras has in which she is capable of converting her body into a ghostly form and flying directly into another’s mouth, taking over that body. Those with average willpower or below are fairly easily taken over. However, Seras can take over another with gritty willpower. She cannot take over the body of someone with equal or less willpower. The cost of this ability is that it destroys her current body in the process.
The final dojo is the spiritual center of the district. Meditation, martial arts forms, the power of nature itself is what guides this area’s culture. Headed by Sethrol the Calm, every meal is a picnic and every spec of earthbound dirt is a bed. These people are most comfortable sleeping in the city streets or in the luscious fields of their section of the district. In this place, spirituality is king.
Name: Sethrol the Calm
Race: Human
Age: 1,000
Height: 6 feet tall
Weight: 210ib
Appearance: Describe what your character looks like, such as hair and eye color and body type. Pictures are welcome too.
Attributes (With Ki)
Strength: Fantastic (Heroic)
Agility: Fantastic (Heroic)
Durability: Fantastic (Heroic)
Magic: None
Magic Resistance: High (Very high)
Willpower: Determinator
Other Abilities:
Peaceful mind: If one were to read his mind, they would find a person who has complete and utter control over their emotions. Fear, anger, sadness, joy, anxiety: over the years he has mastered them all through intense meditation. Sethrol alone decides when he feels anything.
Master of mediation: The type of meditation Sethrol practices is a stillness of the soul. By emptying ones own thoughts and hear the “sound of the world,” Sethrol becomes hypersensitive to the world around him. He can feel any and all hostile intent, which has kept him from being assassinated many times in his life. This particular ability also makes him sensitive to chi and ki, adding to his skill in that area. This meditative awareness is a sixth sense, allowing him to “feel” the world around him.
Chi enhancement: The martial arts taught by the first district is woven into the daily life of Sethrol. Like all practitioners of chi, Sethrol is capable of using his soul to draw upon the natural energy of the world around him, enhancing his body far beyond their natural limits. It also gives protection from magical power. Similar to Yamada, Sethrol is so proficient with chi that he preforms enhancement as simply as breathing. It affects all of his stats, giving him fantastic power across the board.
Ki enhancement: Ki is the power to enhance one’s own body by drawing on the power of one’s soul. Similar to Yamada, Sethrol can enhance every stat, magical resistance included, by one.
In the event that any of the laws are violated, citizens are required by the heads of their dojo’s to fight for the sake of upholding “the law of the land.” For this reason, outsiders such as the police do not interfere without risking causing unnecessary unrest. The people of this district hold the law in their hands, just as they do their own lives.
No matter what dojo you belong to, your occupation will be similar. People work in this town tend to work in a field that requires battle. Bounty hunters and body guards are about as common as a teenager working as a cashier or busser. Those who work the shops are typically commuters, but as a result they are often treated as second class citizens.
Dueling: In this district, conflict is settled through battle. If you have a problem with the way you are being treated, beat them up. If you win, you are right, if you lose you are wrong. In each duel you wager something. This wager can range anywhere from a promise to say hi when you see your opponent to betting one's life. It is seen as cowardly to fight someone without a duel and full on riots have broken out in the past when the district residents failed to live up to this policy.
Weaknesses
Bound to code: If someone manages to defeat a dojo master in a duel, they can request anything they like, so long as the duel was judged as fair and honorable. It is entirely possible to have the full power of the district at someone's disposal if they managed to defeat all four dojo masters. However, there are some interesting mechanics to the loyalty of the dojo masters.
The first mechanic is that dojo masters will only obey the person who defeated them in battle. For example, if a person sends a servant to defeat a dojo master, they will not obey that servants master, only the servant itself.
The second mechanic is that loyalty for long term requests can be lost if the dojo master deems that person dishonorable. At best, that person will have their ties cut and at worst they could become enemies of the entire district. However, if the request is small, the dojo master may not take worth into honoring said request.
Easy to manipulate: People in this district have a natural disdain for politics, so while many are smart, they do not have the life experience nor skills to whether the world of politics. This means people here can be played. However, be warned, if they do catch wind of your ploys, you will be relentlessly hunted by the entire district. In many cases, bounty hunters from this district have been killed or worse through manipulation of their code of honor.
[/list]
Other Masters
Once a stray, late-budding talent sheltered by Sethrol the Wise, Zhang Liu is infamous today as the Source-Melting Hand, for mastery of his unique technique. Fashioning himself as the merciless enforcer of the Dojo heads, he targets those who especially disrespect the spirit of the district. To most martial artists in the area, he is a boogeyman with the ability to destroy their martial and spiritual gifts to the root.
Name: Zhang Liu
(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/215164527791177728/596105745595105290/tumblr_poe1fdfTY91rl0b60_500.png)
Attributes
Strength: Fantastic
Agility: Fantastic
Durability: Incredible
Willpower: Zen
Other Abilities
Martial Hero: Zhang Liu’s physique is suffused and fortified by the spiritual power of qi, which he developed through years of grueling physical and meditative training. Aside from the fighting skills and techniques he’s mastered, he’s capable of sensing spiritual power and lightening his body to enable gravity-defying acrobatic feats.
Fighting Expertise: Zhang Liu has honed his unarmed martial arts with ruthless dedication. He is the equal, if not superior, of any master in striking techniques in the Nexus. His instinct and reflexes are sharpened to a fine edge, to be directed against whatever needs crushing.
Source-Melting Hand: Zhang Liu's unique technique. A flow of red energy concentrated on the palm and fingers, which upon striking a target directly in the center of mass will permanently dissolve the foundation of their inner energies. This melts the spiritual core and meridians of martial artists, destroys the magical capacity of sorcerers, and evaporates circuits and pathways of mystic power. The victims have their internal source of supernatural might severely weakened or erased completely, and for most this is irreversible.
He can also emanate this destructive power as a close to medium-ranged wave which does not share the same dissolution properties but can wash away attacks and constructs of spiritual or vital energy with High or Fantastic power. Likewise, he can use these techniques to tear into barriers of spiritual energy, dispersing or breaking them.
Weakness: When his hand flashes red to use his unique technique, anyone who would be susceptible can instinctively tell that this move is dangerous, as their mystical channels in some way sense its abhorrent nature.
Intimacies
Greater Cause: His duty to the Great Dojo
Greater Tie: Sethrol the Wise (Only my life may repay this debt)
Lesser Cause: To be recognized
Lesser Principle: Showing weakness is unsightly.
Other related NPCs:
One of the loudest and most ardent students of Bahadur Klearjacc, the Horned Butterly is a common sight at his dojo. She is fiercely proud, enamored of beautiful swords, and insufferable about her height.
Name: Aira
Race: Demon-blooded Gnome
Appearance:
(https://danbooru.donmai.us/data/__original_drawn_by_nagisa_kurousagi__b92369b1d5fa9d5e4f414f9aa040d11d.jpg)
Attributes (with Chi Enhancement)
Strength: Exceptional (Amazing)
Agility: Amazing (Incredible)
Durability: Exceptional (Amazing)
Willpower: Gritty
Magic: High
Aira's combat arts are a combination of complex footwork and specialized magic following in the example of her master, which combine into a deadly sword style.
She dramatically enhances the cutting power of swords that she wields along with their durability, bringing ordinary blades to an Incredible edge and exceptional masterworks to Fantastic power. When entering combat or setting up iaido moves, she instantly transmigrates her sword between the state of "sheathed" and "drawn" or from a slashing to stabbing motion, reducing these movements to effectively zero delay.
Flowering flashes accompany her strikes along with illusory butterflies that partially obscure her small frame. She can dodge attacks beyond her Agility's usual ability to respond or instantly close short distances through momentarily becoming a butterfly of light that flicks away at Heroic speed, though will tire herself out by doing it in rapid succession.
Dance of Yomi: A iaido technique with a slight delay combined with a forward dash. The cut extends 10 times past her standard reach in a single instant, and she vanishes into the slash itself for a hanging moment, reappearing at the end of the attack.
Other Abilities
Chi Enhancement: The martial art taught by the master of the First District, passed on by his students. By drawing on the energy of the environment, Aira enhances her body far beyond its natural limits. She can perform chi enhancement as easily as breathing, but an extended fight against a superior or equal opponent will cause it to falter eventually.
Acrobatic Fighting: Aira can twist, flip, and twirl through the air with masterful skill, taking advantage of her size to make acrobatic attacks and reversals that would put to shame ordinary swordfighters.
Assets
Enchou: A masterwork katana with a beautiful fuschia blade.
Intimacies
Greater Tie: Bahadur Klearjacc (Admiration)
Lesser Tie: Swords (Infatuation)
Lesser Principle: "My height is of no importance!"
-
The Colusieum that resides beyond the Heavens
"Bulls?" One man shouted. "We have to watch bulls? I don't train all day to watch damn bulls!"
Amoung a filled stadium, the most elite members of the district stood. The people in this part of the Nexus were thought to be the most noble of all, or at least they considered themselves as such. Warriors of distinguished accomplishments were all invited to this battleground to settle the major differences. This crowd of stressed martial artists and proud warriors could only be satiated with the most intense show of battle.
"YEAH."
Two lone bulls wander around an enormous square arena, their feet clacking along the ground, only to be drowned out by the angry roars of the crowd. "I heard there was supposed to be a champion here? A duel between two warriors? WHERE IS THE DAMN DUEL WE WERE PROMISED?!"
In a magical bubble floating above the center of the ring, four figures stood. "Ahahaha look at them. They want blood," said Ferrison. He was a large man who looked like he could fit in as a tank in an rpg. He had huge muscles, a huge beard and armor befitting of a modern day god, glorious and shiny, especially within the light of the magical barrer holding them aloft.
Another man spoke, his words soft and calculated, something that would be drowned out by the crowd if they were closer to the ground. "This event was meant to help calm their warrior hearts, not feed their bloodlust," The voice came from a middle-aged man, Sethrol the Calm. He glared down at the crowd, sighing before continuing his words. Sometimes, I wish we could just sit down and meditate rather than fight these pointless testosterone-fueled battles."
"Agreed," Seras said. As the only woman in the group, she sat at the edge of the bubble, one hand on her hip. "This is just barbaric."
Bahadur Klearjaac let out a hearty laugh. "HAHAHAHA. You all are simply too harsh. The restless spirit is part of battle too. I think we have done well for them to be this impatient."
Meanwhile, a blue haired girl stood in the center of the ring, microphone in hand. She had a petite build, wearing a gee and bandages for shoes. "I SEE WE HAVE SOME GOOD ENERGY IN HERE TODAY. FEAR NOT, THE FOLLOWING EVENT WILL NOT DISAPPOINT."
-
11:30 AM
Nanako
Amidst all the cheering and shouting, Nanako sat in the middle rows of the Coliseum, oddly subdued. Not that it was odd for the squirrel girl, that is. The past couple days, she hadn't had much luck sleeping, and even using Justice as an oversized pillow that almost smelled like a forge only helped so much. Not that she'd been going entirely sleepless, managing a few fitful, dreamless hours. The strangeness of the city around her certainly helped in distracting her, but every night...there wasn't much chance of avoiding it. Just the thought of it left her feel deflated for a few moments before she managed to distract herself again.
Still, she'd never seen a matador show, and when she'd spotted flyers for one while wandering around a new district, she'd figured it couldn't hurt to take a look around, even if she'd had to beat someone up to haggle a decent price on some snacks. Looking around, the squirrel girl popped open the tiny tin she'd carried in and popped some nuts into her mouth as she looked around. The squirrel girl stopped short for a moment at the sight of the group floating above the stadium that looked like they'd been pulled straight out of some budget RPG, glancing between them with a small smile before turning her attention back to the ring.
Granted, the flier had mentioned bulls, but she couldn't help wondering what the deal was. It seemed like everybody expected a duel, and the flier had mentioned as much. If they were expecting a duel between two warriors, what were the bulls doing here? Unless they were supposed to be some kind of stage hazard, like the were-direlions in that one arena back home. Nanako watched on curiously, munching on some nuts as she did.
-
The Colusieum that resides beyond the Heavens
11:34
As the blue haired girl continued, spotlights formed at the edge of the arena, down at the gate of the stadium. "NOW. WELCOME YOUR CHAMPION. THE WONDERFUL, THE GRACEFUL, THE INVINCIBLE VEGA."
"Invincible my ass! Who the hell is that!?"
-
Vega
11:34 AM
A young man wearing a beautiful coat made of black silk and gold stepped into the light of the arena. The blue sky was clear, and the sun shone bright above him. A good day for a performance, yes. A rose laid between his lips, and he smiled waving at the spectators. His golden locks shone like a treasure, and his skin glistened under the hot sun. To call this man anything less than strikingly beautiful would be an insult, his body was chiselled and firm, yet relaxed. A perfectly aesthetic set of clothes decorated him, but did not detract from his appearance. But most striking was the one thing no one could see. His eyes, they were sapphires. Blue, like the sky.
Gorgeous. And cold, so very cold.
There is no beauty in this place, nothing more than decrepit vessels of blood and bone enjoying their bread and circus. His eyes did not even look at the beasts he was sent to slay. He cared little about this place's politics, or the barbaric people who wasted its precious oxygen. But a request was a request, and there was a sentimental charm to this. How long had it been, since he stepped into the grounds of the corrida?
Smile and wave, smile and wave. It was the show, only the motions. And yet, his smile was the sort that would make any lady who saw it swoon.
-
Nanako
Nanako was settling into her seat, tail swishing curiously behind her, when someone new came out into the arena. Someone downright gorgeous, at that, Nanako perking up in her seat as she leaned forward. The squirrel girl might have laughed a little at the idea of some guy prancing out with a rose in his mouth and a smile and a swagger normally, but somehow, this man managed to make it work. As it was, she found herself having a hard time taking her eyes off him as he waved to the crowd, Nanako taking in the man's chiseled form and handsome smile with a slight blush dusting her cheeks.
Still, she could feel the anticipation building all around her as she wondered what was next. Where was the other contestant? Or was this man going to fight the bulls? She wasn't sure how the latter might be entertaining, but she was interested enough to give it a shot at least.
-
The Colusieum that resides beyond the Heavens
11:35
The light of the man's aura practically filled the stadium. Even the announcer was tripping over words, thoughts blocked by her brain's inability to process anything beyond the man's handsome face. "Eee- I mean. YOUR CHAMPION EVERYONE."
There was a pause from the crowd, a moment of pure captivation. And then a roar of boos and jeers filled the air. "Oh a pretty boy huh? What your late and now you wanna steal our women?! Go to hell!"
The bulls snorted, thier target imprinted in their eyes. The two creatures circled their prey, each one looking for an opportunity to attack. Unable to wait too long, one of the bulls charged, its feet clacking on the ground like harsh rain striking the earth. Would this dashing champion be able to dodge this mighty beast or would he fall to its horns?
-
Vega
"Hmph. It is the prerogative of the filthy to claim stolen what was never theirs." Despite the rose, his lips found no difficulty uttering those words, silent yet loud enough for the audience to hear. Perhaps it was what one would call the loudness of one's spirit. A loudness that ill needed something as brutish as the roar of one's lungs. But, well, he doubted a mere swine would understand.
His eyes were cool and disdainful. This meaningless noise was nothing short but auditory vomit spewed by the masses. It was ugly, filthy, and tainted by a disgusting emotion. The fear of creatures aware of their simple mindedness and inferiority. Perhaps he would cull that corruption out too. But first...
His smile and gaze turned triumphant and warmer when he glanced at the bull rushing at him. For a moment, the horn looked so close one would imagine it piercing him vividly. Alas with a dance-like turn of his body, he swayed his cape and flowed away from the bull like water, releasing the read cloak that waved against the wind like a flag. His smile was cheerful and proud as he looked up at the croud, ready for yet another charge.
But was this all? He thought they could unleash more than mere animals, creatures that might challenge even him. How sad, though expected.
-
Nanako
Even from here, Nanako could practically feel the contempt coming off the man, though she wasn't sure if it was directed at the crowds or at the bulls he was faced again. And speaking of them, the squirrel girl watched intently as they circled him before charging the man down. Though they moved like they were underwater, the man didn't seem to be moving at all. It was almost like watching a train crash in slow motion, Nanako unable to look away as the bulls drew closer and closer.
And then, right before they would've gored him, he moved, practically flowing like water as he slipped away, leaving his cloak in his wake as he dodged them smoothly. Meanwhile, Nanako's eyes lit up as she leaned in, now well and properly interested in what the man might do next. Though she certainly hoped it would do something. She imagined it might get dull rather soon if he just kept dodging them. Still, it was strange. Why use seemingly normal bulls with someone like that? Was it supposed to be more like a dance? The crowds around her practically felt like they were expecting a fight.
-
Messing with the bull
The bull snorted, shaking its head as it struggled to orient itself. Meanwhile, the other rushed the man, intent on skewering him with its horns.
"Oh my," Seras said. She and the other four leaders of the district stood in silent anticipation for most of the preformance, but the graceful movement got a reaction out of her lips. "Odd... he doesn't seem to be enjoying himself...."
"Bah. Everyone enjoys battle at some level. The boy probably just doesn't like the crowd jeering at him BWAHAHAHA."
While the guys in the bubble could see the cracks in his mask, the audience could not. The men in the audience continued to boo, while the girls blushed their faces off. "You think your so cool? I bet anyone could do that!"
The blue haired announcer put her lips to the mike and shouted, "THEN HOW ABOUT WE GET ONE MORE BULL?! A BULL TO END ALL BULLS"
A whistle followed the sight of smoke entering the arena air as a giant mechanized beast entered the arena. It was a massive beast the size of a shed. It had golden horns decoreted with dried blood from the many champions who had fallen here.
The crowd silenced. "Oh god... its fluffy."
"Fluffy? Ha. That show off will learn today."
The ground shook as the bull emerged, its white metal eyes glaring at the man below.
-
Vega
With another step, he tangoed between life and death while the two bulls tried charging at him once more. His feet clacked, his body spun with the world, and all the horns struck were the spirits of the air. Once, twice, maybe a dozen. The beasts were quite dull compared to his movements, even he found it boring. But he smiled. His body glistened and shone while the scarlet cape flowed like water, like a dance, and with a graceful step he dived right under the charging bulls, sliding on the ground fantastically only to surge back behind them. Only then did the earth shake.
The third centrepiece of this lousy play finally entered this scene. This... fluffy? Despite having such a cute name, it was quite unsightly. But no matter. Ten, twenty, even a hundred of these bulls were no match to him. He would paint this stage with the most wonderful of colours. Thus, he bowed and tossed a rose at the middle of the arena, right between him and the giant beast.
-
Anticipated crowd
As the crowd watched the bulls, the jeering became more intense. Although something interesting was happening. The men in the crowd were booing even harder than before, despite the man's grace. Meanwhile, the woman cheered even louder, attempting to defend the man's honor.
"Cocky bastard! Your not special!" One man said.
"Oh he is so graceful!" A woman added to the fuel of the crowd.
Sera. the only woman of the leaders folded her arms. She was clearly the most engaged in the match. "Do you think he has calculated his odds or is merely bluffing before the crowd."
Meanwhile, Ferrison Monroe, the man who responded her comment before, indulged her open curiosity once again. "When a man faces down a beast, regardless of his skill it is not about experince. Rather, it is a dialogue between man and beast. It is not about mere calculation, but a heart to heart."
"Agreed. This is not a mere faceoff, just simple communication between man and beast. The calculations of battle come down to not the mind, but experience itself. There is no doubt in the world who will be victorious," Sethrol the Calm added.
"AH A ROSE. SO GENTLEMANLY. BUT IS THIS A GESTURE OF CONFIDENCE OR A PREMATURE DECORATION OF HIS OWN GRAVE?"
-
Vega
"Wrong."
He took the first step, a simple step forward, and drew his sword for the first time. Slowly, surely, he unsheathed it with a small smile. But if his words were quiet and calm, the tension in the arena became a veritable storm.
"This tomb well suits a beast like you. Let the sound of scattered petals be your requiem, and this flower be a parting gift from me to you. I will make this a song worthy of a beautiful heart." His eyes glanced to the crowd, and almost absentmindedly he blew a kiss to the audience. He paid little mind to it, but a fluffy haired spectator managed to catch it first, much to the dismay of thousands of young maiden hearts.
"Olé!"
-
Fluffy
The golden bull snorted, pushing shrapnel into the air as it charged forward. As the massive beast galloped across the arena, the entire coliseum shook with the vigor of an earthquake. It put its head down, showing the matador its horns as it threatened to skewer him alive.
Even with such a maddening figure approaching the smaller man, the great battle for the rose was far greater. The girls all began fighting over the rose, the shape of the crowd folding in as bodies fought for supremacy. Even the announcer was distracted by the rose, unable to speak into the mike without producing strange fangirl like sqeels.
"Ohoho. The boy is going for the direct approach," Bahadur Klearjaac said.
"
-
Nanako
Nanako's confusion only grew as the crowd's jeering intensified, even as the man made a graceful showing of practically dancing between the bulls. It certainly lent credence to the idea that this was some weird dance, but the crowd seemed set on a fight. Just then, the announcer spoke up again, and a new contender entered the arena. Instead of another normal bull, however, this time it was a large mechanical bull. That was also golden.
The squirrel girl looked at the newcomer incredulously, canting her head to the side as she watched the beast storm out, her tail twitching indignantly. A tiny part of her felt a little offended by the name, as that bull wasn't at all fluffy. In fact, it was an affront to all things fluffy!
Nanako watched out of the corner of her eye as the rose flew into the crowd, provoking a small fight among the girls in that area that quickly spiraled out of control. She didn't pay it too much mind, though, focused as she was on the events playing out before her as the blonde man drew a sword at last and faced down the charging golden bull.
Man, why didn't the flyer mention anything about this?
-
Vega
Such power, and all it was good at was pummelling the earth with its hooves. And yet, he had to respect such temerity. Even a stupid beast would know better than approach him...
With a smirk, he bowed and met the beast's mad charge with a swooping wave of his read cloth, and for a moment the world turned a crimson red. Something unbelievable was going on; like a red river, the red cape was flowing in the air and pulling the shrapnel away from him gently, as if it was nothing more than driftwood in the sea. Despite every piece of rubble and stone being practically a bullet, his red wings caught them all and simply pushed them aside with nothing short of pure grace.
But it was not enough. The beast of the coliseum was strong. Only when its horns plunged into the red cloak did its dance stop, and swirled around the two. For a split second, Vega was before the beast.
And then he was gone. The moment the cloak swooped around his body, before the horns could strike him, he vanished from the coliseum. All that remained was the cloth carried away by the winds. But what was the meaning of this? This was no magic ability, and yet he was nowhere to be seen. Could anyone solve the mystery of Fluffy's charge?
-
Fluffy
The bull rushed forward, groans turning into growls as it launched itself into the red cape. The horns, or rather one of its massive horns plunged into the cloth and for a moment it seemed as if he had impaled the man. In that single moment, the crowd had silenced, the announcer viciously gripped her mic, her hands clasped almost as if praying.
And then he was gone.
The massive beast turned its head back and forth, looking for the warrior. The other two bulls put their snouts to the ground, sniffing for the man. They wanted blood.
-
Vega
But he was nowhere. Out of sound, out of sight. It was as if that attack truly had him vanish from this world. And yet, the red cloak flew freely in the air, and with it came an air of menace. Seconds passed, and stretched like an eternity. But there was nothing.
Until suddenly, a sparkle gleamed under the sun, blinding all below with its shine. Like an angel from above, he descended gloriously with sword brandished on his left, posing while lunging down with the speed of a bullet and plunged the blade straight into the gaps between Fluffy's armored carapace. In an instant, a stream of blood flowed upwards like gorgeous petals made from scarlet tears.
He smirked and disengaged, leaving the sword to mark the bull. But this was but the start. He was fast, incredibly so. The animal, the predator, for the first time in its life had become prey.
This was no matador battle. Something so ugly and crude was not worthy of his time. But he would make this execution...
Absolutely beautiful.
-
Nanako
Despite herself, Nanako could feel her anticipation building as the bull neared the man, the squirrel girl leaning forward in her seat as the tension coiled higher. Then the moment was upon them, the bull's horned rushing forward to gore the man, and then he was gone. Nanako looked around for a few moments, confused, swearing she'd seen a blur of motion right before impact. As if on cue, the man reappeared high above the bull, the squirrel girl watching with excitement as the man plunged down towards the beast and drove the blade deep into it.
To her surprise, however, instead of the oil of damaged mechanicals, what flowed instead was blood. It sprayed up like petals from a dying flower caught in the wind, flowed down from the wound in scarlet streams, staining the gold of the bull and the silver of his blade.
Her surprise left her speechless for the moment, Nanako freezing where she sat as she stared, the only one not cheering in the vast crowd.
-
Fluffy
A splash of scarlet flashed onto the pristine arena, as the bull fell onto its front knee. The massive beast had fallen to the ground. The smaller bulls rushed to its aid, intent on piercing the man with their horns.
The crowd roared with approval at the slash, even the men at this point standing up. With that strike, the man had proven himself a warrior.
Within the floating magical bubble, the dojo leaders all watched on with amused smiles. "Yes... the victor was decided before this match even began. Truely our citizens have much to learn," Sethrol the Calm said, clearly satisfied as he spoke.
Ferrison Monroe let out a hearty laugh. "BWAHAHAHA. Is that not why we teach? Our entire district exists for those who love battle."
Sethrol frowned. "No. We exist to teach martial arts."
The woman tapped her foot on the ground, or rather the bottom of the bubble. "Let us not have this debate. If we get caught up in this, we will miss the boy's battle."
-
Vega
Oh?
As he danced across the arena, he smiled and spun his body, delivering a warm wave to his audience. Only then did he notice, something that could not escape his chilling eyes. A woman, deep within the crowd, was the sole one who did not cheer. Her expression remained imprinted in his memory like a painting.
It was most exquisite.
For a moment, his smile turned truly beautiful. The bulls rushed at him, but his reaction only took an instant. Rather than dodge, he bowed down to his crowd, letting the horns clash against one another while he ducked with no effort at all. Or rather, this had stopped being a battle. Right now, he was a performer, and the bloodstained arena his stage.
-
Fluffy and his crew
The massive golden bull gathered its strength and stood to its feet, snorting as it fought against the pain. Its eyes began to glow red with anger. As the two smaller bulls stood dazed and confused, the golden bull found its pray. Rather than simply charging, the bull leaped high into the air, intent on crushing the man with the full force of its weight. It would prove it was not only the strongest, but the smartest bull of all time.
The crowd stopped cheering, some in the crowd clenching their benches, leaning forward to see if the bull would gather the strength to overcome the man. Men, women, all of the warriors of the arena were on the edge of their seats, no longer doubting the man's credibility as a champion. No, the crowd was now picking allegiances, picking the mighty bull or the champion.
"Ah the beast rises once more," Sethrol the calm stated, his eyes closed as if he no longer wished to see. "At this point, it is not much of a battle is it? The man is clearly the more skilled combatant. Moreover, he doesn't even seem to care."
Ferrison Monroe "Bah. The battle ends when one warrior falls and another rises even higher than before. That is when a battle ends."
Seras was the one to speak up, folding her arms over her chest. "Perhaps, but it is hard to call this battle a fair duel anymore wouldn't you say? This is why I am weary about these sorts of battles. It is an exercise in endurance not power."
"Come now Seras," Ferrison added. "You two are far too cruel. This is a battle for the crowd's hearts, not physical victory."
-
Vega
For a moment, he looked shaken, and his expression changed when he looked at the great beast, so large it cast a shadow over him. And then, a massive impact shook the arena, and for a moment there was silence.
But the bull never touched the ground.
Dangling over the arid arena's floor, the beast seemed to float in the air. A single hand held it up, grabbed it by the chest with an unearthly strength. He could never dodge such a move, not by a beast of that size. Because he didn't need to.
It was in the palm of his hand this whole time. This performance.
"Apologize to me, beast." A stomp of his foot cracked the ground, and now he soared into the sky with the massive bull right in his clutch, raised higher in the air for the spectators to see. And for a moment, that trashing, furious creature was blotting the sun. "Apologize, that you drew breath into my world."
And with a simple motion, he hurled the beast down with explosive force, enough to crack the ground all over and send dust and debris flying. It was utterly spectacular, like an athlete dunking a basketball. Sure, it would not kill it. Yet. Because he wanted to savour this struggle, at least enough that he could paint a masterpiece on this arena, a painting made from that monster's blood and entrails. So let it get back up, rise again, and meet him while he descended from the skies.
But where did this demonic power come from? How could he be so strong?
Why, did you even need to ask?
Strength belonged to the beautiful. Therefore, he was strong.
-
Fluffy, Strongest Bull There Is
As the bull came down, it was filled with content as it suddenly crashed down. However, there was no destruction, no debris flying, no reaction from the crowd. That was when he realized.
The man had caught him.
Immediately, the bull wiggled in his grip, trying desperately to escape. That single action had robbed the bull of the sense of power that it fought for so long. All the champions it had slain and tortured on the grand stage, all the people it had crushed under its boot, all for the love of the crowd and for the attention of the humans. Now it was another human that had threatened that title, the title of entertainer.
The crowd roared, drowning the bull's yelps of pain as it smashed into the ground. The smaller bulls flew out of the ring, instantly ending their role in the battle. After all, once you leave the arena, the eyes of the people no longer fall on your shoulders. Now, it was a match between the giant bull and the man. It's eyes furrowed, narrowing on the human that had humiliated it thus far. Silently, it acknowledged the man as its superior, perhaps even its replacement.
That is what it meant to be a champion.
Once again, the bull stood to its feet, lowering its head, ready to charge. It knew what it was: a bull, nothing more, nothing less. A bull could not outsmart a human. A bull could not overpower this human, but this bull could outlast this one, and turn the hearts of the people on him.
-
Nanako
To Nanako's surprise, the bull still got up, again and again. But the match had already been decided. The man was clearly beyond the capabilities of the golden beast, and its smaller compatriots had already been flung from the arena. She felt a bit of a chill as the man looked over the arena, certain his gaze had locked on her for a moment. She couldn't bring herself to cheer, even to blend in, but then she spotted the bull rising again. Part of her wanted it to stay down.
The match was over, that much was obvious, but it continued to persist. This was just some arena match, and it had already taken some heavy damage. Her breath caught in her throat as the man simply caught it as it fell upon him before slamming it down again. The match had already been decided, so why did he continue? Was the point of these matches to kill the beast?
And then those noises again, skritch-skritch-scratching at the back of her mind. For a second, she could've sworn she'd heard the flap of wings behind her, but a quick glance back assured her there weren't any. Looking back at the arena, she watched, feeling like she was moving underwater, as the blonde descended on the beast.
-
In the Crowd
Nearby was a thin young teen girl wearing punk clothes, cargo pants with a tight black shirt. Lip piercing, short hair dyed black with purple streaks, glasses, she didn't really stand out much except insofar as she wasn't a native. No, she had sneaked in with a couple of friends from a neighboring barrio to watch the bull fights. Apparently her classmate's cousin was dating one of the staff behind the scenes, so they'd managed to get in without much of a fuss.
The girl, Zoe, had been watching with stars in her eyes as the big hunky guy manhandled these bulls and danced around them. But then, things got crazy! The big, mechanical bull but it had blood so was it a cyborg or, did it have armor? What was going on?
She'd cheered even more loudly, but as it became ever more a test of endurance she felt herself hesitate. "That's... kind of messed up," Zoe said out loud to her friend next to her. "I mean, he's basically won, right?"
"Yeah! Now he's gonna finish it off!"
Zoe winced at the thought there. "That's..."
Another friend next to her said, "Oh yeah, you've never seen these before have ya? The bull always dies if it loses. It's just how things go, ya?"
"I guess..." Zoe looked away from the fight for a moment, instinctively looking to see if anyone else in the crowd felt like she did.
-
Vega
His eyes seemed to glow with intensity. He bowed, ready to meet his charge again with a beautiful smile.
-
Fluffy
"THE BEAST STANDS ONCE AGAIN. WHO WILL LIVE AND WHO WILL DIE?" the blue-haired announcer said, roaring into her mic. She tried to pretend she was there the whole time, but truethfully, she was blown away by the shockwave and no one noticed. The crowd did not even notice, their eyes drawn to the two fighters with such magnetism that her fate was entirely tossed aside.
At last gathered to its feet, the golden bull charged, its heart and soul in every step. Intelligence would not win the day, nor would power, only heart could win this day. Among differences in strength, heart was something that could be possessed by anyone, man or beast.
The crowd became silent once more, awaiting the next clash between champions.
-
Nanako
The squirrel girl leaned forward in her seat as the bull picked itself up, getting ready for another charge. The cheering crowds around her had long since faded away from her awareness, Nanako's attention focused almost entirely on the scene below her. The man bowed at the beast, seemingly waiting for it to attack. Like she was sure it would, even with all the injuries it had sustained. Even though the victor was clear. The squirrel girl realized with a sinking feeling that barring some kind of mercy on the blonde's part, this could only end with the beast's death.
Suppressing a full-body shudder, Nanako watched, wanting to look away as the bull charged once again, but entirely unable to, her gaze quivering as she watched, trying to brace herself for what was next.
-
Vega
Oho. He's gotten faster.
His eyes opened wonder for a moment, despite that the smile did not drop off his face. The horn grazed against him, and the earth cracked under his hooves and utterly shattered under its horns, causing it to cave upwards, but he managed to step away just in time and step up from the newly born platform. He pulled out yet another silver blade, brandishing it with the grace of a swan to pierce its liver.
-
Fluffy
Even as the Golden Bull's enormous body rushed forward, the crowd remained silent, caught up in the sheer tension of the moment. It lowered its head, pointed its horns and roared louder than any lion could. As the ground scattered in the face of its determination, it finally felt the man move. It raised its head, switching the trajectory of the weapons known as its horns upwards rather than forwards. The strike hit the tip of his torso, causing blood to splatter along its back.
It wouldn't hit him, but it would let him know, if he messed up, even for a moment, he would be skewered.
This caught the eye of Seras. "My my," she said. "Sethrol the calm, have you taken note in the sudden shift."
"Anyone could notice, even those born without a warriors heart," Sethrol the Calm responded.
"Hahahaha," Ferrison laughed, his body ignited by the energy of the ring. It was as if the tension of the ring itself gave him life. "Look at them. This was a wonderful change of pace. THe next time anyone questions whether a duel between beast and man is preferable over a duel between men, ill simply remind them of the battle where horns met capes, and every beat was a fist striking the very core of their hearts!"
-
Nanako
Nanako visibly winced as more blood splattered across the bull, the beast barely managing to parry another strike from the man. There was something about the strike that confused her, though. It was clear to the squirrel girl that that strike wouldn't have been immediately fatal even if it had landed. The match was already over, all that was left was the final stroke. Was it really not enough for it to be a clean kill? Would it have to be long and drawn out? Just like...just like...
Nanako shook her head, trying to beat back the thoughts scratch scratch scratching at the back of her mind. She remained riveted to her seat, unsure of whether she should do something or just watch. Was every matador fight like this? In hindsight, she probably should've looked up what these things were, but that was meager comfort now.
-
From the Crowd
"That's one hell of a bull!" One of the men in the crowd shouted, while smacking a shorter one on the back. "Look at it go!"
The shorter one, Matthew, grunted in annoyance as he got knocked forward. "I see it, I see it. Don't get so excited when that handsome bastard hasn't got a scratch on him."
It was stuff like this that made him regret not spending more time training. Oh sure, he had a respectable amount of skill, enough to get him through day to day life in this district, but it wasn't enough for him to have any real status. This sort of event was a distraction - and a reminder of his own lack of talent.
"How old is he even...?"
Hard work only went so far when you lacked talent.
-------------------
Zoe grimaced at the sight even as her girlfriends cheered, hooting and hollering for the (admittedly super hot) guy playing with the bull. Not that he wasn't impressive or anything, but the blood wasn't really doing it for her. She glanced around again at the rest of the crowd.
"Is this just normal here...?"
-
Vega
He had to avoid the strike, and abruptly changed his stance to dodge the horns. But in the process, so did his strike change, and bounced off the armor with a dozen flying sparks while he moved back, jumping a handful of times back to gain distance.
That beast...
"How delightful!" He raised his cape and prepared for the next exchange. "Come, animal! Show me that your heart's beating has a meaning!"
-
Fluffy
The beast almost seem to grin, if that were possible for the facial structure of an animal. Somewhere deep down, despite all the pain, despite all the suffering, despite the anxiety the bull was having fun. No, it was because of it.
"Are? ARE THEY ENJOYING THIS! THIS SORT OF THING IS ONLY SEEN IN MATCHES BETWEEN WARRIORS! A MATADOR CANNOT BE A WARRIOR! NEITHER CAN A BULL! WHAT IS GOING ON!?"
"Ferrason, you mentioned this was a battle for their hearts right?" Seras asked.
The bull rushed forward again, rushing at the man, his horns poised at the matador.
"Why yes I did Seras," he said, his voice brimming with pride.
Seras placed her hand, almost as if she wanted to touch them and said, "What do you do if they both won?"
"No!" Bahadur Klearjaac "Only one man can shine. Two stars cannot exist in the same space or their impact is lost."
Ferrason just couldn't stop smiling, a massive grin stretching his lips to their limits. He looked like a giddy child. "I'll tell you what happens...."
It was at this moment, the bull rushing forward, the crowd's excitement at its peak, the sheer number of eyes glued to this match, that there was a sensation of true excitement. If one were to take a snap shot of the entire colosium, you would see a massive crowd of people radiating pure happiness from the smiles on their faces and fists raised to the sky, all but two. But then again, such a snapshot would be impossible, because such a camraman would be unable to resist taking a snapshot of that moment, the bull's horns inches from that man, its teeth clentched, blood dripping from its body, but eyes full of fire.
Yes, to enjoy battle was the nature of this place, the brightly burning blaze of battle was the fuel that pushed these people along. Despite all the ideological differences, despite intent or personality, all but two people were united by the struggle of life and death.
-
Vega
The young man's smile was shining, brimming like a star. It was only when it felt the horns approach him and the gusts of wind push against him that the shiver of death crawled down his spine. It was a good shiver, it made him feel quite good. And for a split moment, that calm and beautiful smile morphed into one of true evil, with eyes burning like the Devil's.
He threw his blade in the air, the cold steel shone and glimmered under the morning sun until it pierced the skies. Then and only then, the bull came to him, and seemingly pierced him. But alas it was not so. With nothing but his bare hands and the cape, did he swipe against the deadly horns, greater than a war-axe, and pushed its charge to the side with a gentle sweep, while being pushed back by the beast's power.
BOOM
But it was not so. For the beast's strength was unearthly against all men. And just as the two clashed, the bull caused the earth beneath to cave and he lost his footing. Now, only standing on one leg, he was falling back and wide open for a fatal blow. For a moment even he seemed surprised.
-
Fluffy
The blue haired announcer was so shocked that she almost seemed to forget about her job. In the moment they clashed, she seemed at a loss for words. The bull let loose one mighty roar, one that would make a lion collapse in sheer terror. The bull's charge had succeeded, with sheer heart alone it had managed to break the barrier between man and beast. In the moment of the clash, the beast could feel the man's determination and realized his folly.
This was no battle of beast and men. No, this was a battle of two living creatures fighting for what was important! The fact of the matter was that this man had not gained his strength from the talent of being human alone.
Still, for now, he had proven his will was stronger. Yes, he may have been deflected, but the opening was present. Taking the opportunity, the bull pivoted its feet, lunging forward and thrusting its head downward to pierce the man's chest, intent on finishing him.
-
Vega
The end, final in its essence, and steeled in the form of these horns. They drew closer, closer, closer, until they were just about to kiss his heart. And all of a sudden, a splash of crimson flew in the sky, along the violent snapping of pierced bones-
Of the beast's jaw being struck squarely by his foot. While he was falling, no, because he was falling, he grabbed the ground with his hands and delivered a concussive blow with his leg. And now, the bull was flying.
-
Nanako
Nanako felt like she was watching a train-wreck in slow motion as the bull and the man charged each other once again. She wanted to look away, but she couldn't, riveted to her seat as she was. Then they came crashing together, the man seeming to deflect the assault for a moment before he was suddenly foiled. Left unbalanced and on one foot as he was, surprise shook the squirrel girl as she realized that the fight might not be over yet after all.
But just then, that notion was scattered to the wind as the man managed to grab hold of the broken ground beneath, his flawless abs flexing as he delivered a bone-crunching kick to knock the beast upwards. Nanako couldn't help a wince as she heard the crack and saw more blood spray, even all the way up in the stands and surrounded by cheering fans. Still, she was less certain that the man would have it so easy now.
-
Fluffy
And that was his folly....
"OH GREAT FIGHTING SPIRITS! WHAT A BLOW! IT SEEMED AS THOUGH THE BULL HAD ITS MOMENT, ONLY TO BE RUTHLESSLY PUNISHED FOR ITS BOLDNESS! WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT?! NOT EVEN I KNOW!"
The bull was filled with immediate shame as it was punted upwards, not for its effort but for its arrogance. Perhaps it was appropriate to be forced to stare at the sky, its jaw shattering beneath the impact of the boot. The intense pain burned through its body like the sun's energy flowed through the earth. Yet, even as the bull gazed at the sun, it could only see that moment, the moment the bull had reached the sun, that glorious man only to be burned alive.
-
In the Crowd
The crowd was silent for a moment, stunned by the sudden turnabout. The only interruption was the click of a few old fashioned cell phone cameras, still fairly prevalent across the Nexus due to certain companies lacking a presence. Once the bull reached the apex of its flight, they began to roar.
-
Vega
He stood on one foot, triumphant while the other was raised to the top. No, not yet. This was only the appetizer. That very same foot that kicked it to the skies came smashing the earth down with a thunderous stomp, so Vega soared in turn, taking to the skies like a swan. Or the rising sun.
In that moment, the sword began to fall back to the earth. It all happened so quickly, yet to the two fighters it seemed like it could last forever. The moment where he grabbed it, just above the animal. The moment where he reached the apex. His eyes and smile too, reached their peak.
Like a star.
Thus he came down on that bull, slashing at his side while it flew so high, and he, so low. When he landed on the arid stadium, he flicked his sword about and took a dance-like stance. The bull too, was now falling down. Slower, and leaving a trail of red in the sky like rose petals.
For he landed as well, like a star.
-
Fluffy
Just as the sun rises to its peak, only to fall back into the earth, so too was the destiny of the bull in that moment. Yet in that moment, that second, the bull was shining brightly. Yes the heat of battle was overpowering, but so too was the heat of the sun. It just turned out that his light did not burn as brightly as another. Two suns cannot exist in the same galaxy, lest they threaten to destroy all life.
That is why when the foot struck him to the ground, he accepted his fate.
The great golden bull had slain many soldiers, destroyed many warriors. Considering the strength of the people in this district, that was no small feat. The bull could retire as a great creature, one to rival man itself. That is why when the blade slashed though his body, his roar did not sound like a cry of pain, but the roar of a warrior.
And that is why he told himself that he would not fall.
-
Nanako
Nanako went still with the rest of the crowd, eyes fixed on the sight before her now, the squirrel girl no longer wanting to look away in this moment. Watching the man streak upwards, blonde hair flying behind him, Nanako was captured in the moment along with everyone else, though her concerns still lingered. There was a flash as he passed the bull, Nanako recognizing it as the blade that had been tossed upwards earlier and her eyes widening as she realized what was next.
She wanted to look away as the man cut a long gash down the bull, but couldn't. She didn't want to watch the scarlet spray scattering like leaves on the wind, but she had to. The beast wasn't quiet as it was struck down, but Nanako couldn't hear it. Desperate cries clawed at her ears instead, Nanako practically feeling the spray splattering hot and sticky all over her, smelling the coppery stench flooding her senses. And all that time, she remained transfixed by the sight before her, staring silently as the crowd roared.
-
Vega
He put his hand to the side and smiled brightly as he landed on the ground. He was trailing against the earth, addressing his foe, no, the entire audience, with a voice that needed no microphone to boom once he stopped.
"O wretched creature, who made so many men taste their hearth under your horn! I will admit, of all the beasts i fought in the corrida, you are the one who had the most guts! Today, I shall offer you a parting gift!"
For it will part you. Part of you here, part of you there, part of you.... way over there, splattered on that wall. Ufufufufu~
And with that, while the bull blotted the sun, he smashed the earth under his heel once more and rose to the heavens. The beast thought it would never fall, and it was right. For today, it would fly, cut down a thousand times! He would never let the creature or his own body touch the ground.
Another slash came, and pierced its eye as a sword lodged into it. Then its hip. THen its lung. Then its leg. Cheek. Tail. Snout.
Petals sprayed onto the earth like red snowflakes, yet not a single one touched his body. He just kept hopping off the walls of the coliseum, never reaching the bottom. Instead, rising higher, higher, higher! For five entire minutes, the creature struggled in the air while he drove it to dance higher and higher.
How strange. No matter how ugly, one's blood was always beautiful. In the end, the red rain formed the shape of a heart on the scorching earth of the coliseum. And still, there were no signs of it stopping. It was too fast, too overwhelming, and yet the beast would not die. INstead, it would keep cutting open, and rise, rise, rise-
Until it shone under the sun, under Vega, who loomed over it to lodge yet another sword in its body. 47 had entered its body so far, yet it would not die. Not yet.
-
Fluffy
"Good lord! The Matador is coming back with a vengeance!" the blue-haired announcer roared.
A cough was heard as the bull floated in mid-air, unable to fall due to the force of the slashes. Blood covered his vision as his eye was slashed. Red oozed from his mouth as a lunge was taken out. A stinging sensation erupted through his body as the blade sunk into its hip.
The crowd roared.
"Kill it!"
"No let it suffer."
To the crowd, the bull was getting its dues. In the end, no one can escape from karma.
-
In the Crowd
Matthew was gripping the top of the seat in front of him, his half-trained eyes pinned to the superhuman display of prowess - and the moral quandary presented by it. Matthew had known one of the previous fighters to fall before the bull, and so he remained silent. It was not his place as a warrior to judge the lives of anyone who wasn't opposite him in a fight.
That was for those fighting the battle to decide. "DO IT RIGHT!" He shouted, though his voice was drowned by the rest of the crowd. His acquaintance next to him gave him a glance.
-------------------
Zoe closed her eyes, unable to take the sight of the violent escalating to this level. And the sounds, people wanting the bull to just die like that...!
She held her hands together and began to pray for the strength to handle the outcome.
-
Nanako
Nanako watched as the man darted about, wincing blades streaked through the air and sank into the bull. There was something wrong with the picture, she could already tell. Though the crowds were cheering around her, the blades weren't striking home. None of the injuries would've been immediately fatal, yet it was as if...as if that was the point.
At last, the squirrel girl moved, hands twitching a little as realization hit. The fight turned prolonged torture before the bull's second wind wasn't enough, the crowds wanted its death to be drawn out like this too? Nanako could practically feel a shell cracking, giving way around her as that numbness started to leave, the cheering crowds coming back to full volume, the thoughts and sounds she'd been trying to keep at bay washing away with something new. Something burning in her chest and through her veins, scorching them clean of the feeling that had kept her rooted in her spot for so long. She could practically feel the blood pounding in her head as fury lit in her eyes, the crowds around her fading away once more, even the plight of the defeated bull slipping away from her mind.
Nanako leaped clear of her seat, leaving sluggish sound and an even slower cloud of debris behind, straight down for the arena. With how fast the man could move, she was already sure she'd miss even before she cocked back her arm, but she didn't need precision right now. She just needed close enough.
"DORYA!" the squirrel girl roared as she fired off that monstrous punch straight for his flawless chest with all the strength she could muster.
-
Vega
-!
It was all so fast, too fast for human perception. The sword shattered in a thousand pieces, but it was not the bull's doing. Before his eyes could even dart to the side of the attacker, his body moved on reflex, and his arms swooped to guard from the blow. Thus, the rising sun fell down the earth like a comet.
The earth split.
For a moment, all you could see was the dust and debris. That is, until it cleared, revealing the animal laying down behind a woman. The matador was still surrounded by the dust, nowhere in sight.
-
Announcer
The bull fell to the ground, or what was left of it after the girl launched from the stadium. The cheering from the crowd had stopped, the entire stadium unsure of what had happened. One moment the bull was being ruthlessly beaten, the next a comment emerged from the stadium and smashed into the ground.
"WHAT IS GOING ON?!" the blue-haired announcer yelled, her voice echoing through the mic as she lifted herself off the ground. "Did someone fire a missile!? IS THIS A TERRORIST ATTACK!"
Hearing this, all of the members of the crowd got to their feet. The thing that made this district special was that every man, woman and child was a proud warrior more than willing to put thier lives on the line for their homes. Every single one glared at the arena, waiting to see if this attacker was man or technology.
-
In the Crowd
Zoe covered her head as she heard the impact, and her prayers immediately took a different tone.
Please let everyone be okay!
And then, reality shifted. The force of the impact moved oh so slightly so that the cracks propagating from the crater didn't do more than superficial damage.
It was why nobody did more than stumble, slightly, from the impact.
The people near Nanako at her jump point weren't so lucky.
-
Vega
Indeed they weren't. The power behind her jump was so great, it had caused a handful of spectators to entirely lose their footing. Women, children, even once proud men. Once, they were at the heights of the stadium rings, but now, they fell. Horrified, those who realized what was going on could only watch.
A rose petal stroked the cheek of a horrified spectator. And another one, and another...
In the blink of an eye, each one that was falling disappeared one by one. It was almost incredible, before they hit the ground the dust shifted for a moment, and they vanished! What was the meaning of this? First Vega, now this attack, and now even they were starting to fade out in an instant!?
No.
The dust was clearing. You could almost see a shadow of a silouhette in one. No, two, three- wait!
It was Vega, holding a young girl like a bride, one of the spectators who had fallen, while the others were safe around him. The sword that was meant to strike down the bull could be found in the centre of the arena, untouched. After all, between taking a life and saving those, the choice was all too obvious.
-
Nanako
Nanako looked for the man amidst the cloud of dust. Then the sounds of the crowd registered, different than before. Belatedly, she realized that some of them were left falling in the aftermath of her leap. Before she could move to catch them, however, the remaining dust clouds shifted, depositing each of them safely on the ground. Then the dust settled, revealing the blonde man holding the last of them in his arms, Nanako feeling quite conflicted with what was playing out. It still surprised her more than it should have, how fragile the average person was.
"Oh no..." she muttered under her breath, rage draining from her and shame creeping in to replace it as she looked around for anyone else in danger, "What..."
-
Laura
I am alive?
"ITs...." The announcer started.
Short, skinny but built from head to toe with nothing but muscle, Laura was a girl who valued strength over everything else. She lived in the district run by Ferrison, spending her days building her body to its peak. So then why?
Why was she in that man's arms?
A heat filled her cheeks as she tried to escape the man's grasp, her martial arts instincts failing her next to the man's unearthly sexieness beauty big dick Sexy chest valor. She was truely greedy for the touch of a champion thankful.
"A member of the audience?" the announcer said, her voice overtaken with genuine confusion. "Looks like a visitor from another district!"
The crowd started to boo.
"Get out of here! Go home freak!"
"What is that a squirrel girl!"
"I dunno i think thats kinda hot. She even has big tits!"
"Shut up Rob!"
Fluffy stood at the edge of the crater, knocked over by the impact of the shockwave. This was how the mighty bull would be tossed aside? Saved by some outsider? The bull swung onto its feet, fueled by anger alone. Beaten, bruised and punctured, all the creature had left was its pride. Its pride as a warrior of the great dojo district. The bull slowly walked across the arena, falling to the ground the second its feet touched the edge of the crater.
If it were a human, it would have cried.
-
Vega
He looked down on the girl he was holding with a charming smile, ignoring the outrage of the audience. Slowly, surely, his gaze averted to the one who struck him. Strange, she was the girl he noticed earlier. To think she'd hold such strength... and beauty.
His eyes narrowed, as if piercing through her. Then and only then, did his smile grow even more gorgeous than ever. His face turned to the audience and his voice cracked like a golden blade under the sun.
"Calm down everyone!"
Once the thunder struck, the arena fell quiet, if only for a moment. Then, he let the girl down to her feet and brought his arm towards the one who thought to interrupt him, presenting her with a joyous tone.
"The girl clearly panicked. This kind of spectacle is not one for everyone's stomachs, you can't hold it against a girl. Besides, shouldn't you be cheering!? The lady packs quite the punch!"
-
Crowd of onlookers
The crowd silently acknowledged his words, sitting back down in their seats. While the urgency to act was gone, the hostility was not. Rather than their normal jovial attitude, the crowd took on the aura of a group that desired blood. It was the kind of tension that could trigger a riot if improperly handled. Everyone knew it, but no one cared.
The announcer looked around, wondering what she should do. She looked up at the bubble floating above them all. Sethrol the calm gave the girl a little wave. "I GUESS THE SHOW MUST GO ON! ONLY ONE CHAMPION CAN REMAIN IN THE RING! IS THIS CHALLENGER A TRUE WARRIOR OR A COWARD?!"
"Perhaps we should not allow guests," Seras said.
Sethrol the Calm shook his head and said, "No no. If we do that we will become far too insulated. These sorts of events are what keep our district diverse."
Bahadur Klearjaac finally spoke up. "Bah! This is why we have trade between our districts. If it were up to me, the four of us would take her out ourselves. She seems far too strong to let do what she wants."
"Nonesense. Such a thing would violate everything we stand for. This is clearly a duel and the rules of our district indicate that battle must be respected at all cost, even if it threatens the stability of our district."
-
Nanako
The squirrel girl's shame turned to confusion as the man answered the boos and jeers with a swift rebuke. Surprised to see the man speaking on her behalf, Nanako's fists clenched tighter as she remained where she was, part of her feeling sickened that the blonde was the one saying it and the rest of her refusing to attack him while he was surrounded by the people she'd endangered.
"So these matches are supposed to be like this?" Nanako asked, feeling that spark start to burn in her chest again. Her desire to fight him had drained out along with the rage at the sight of what she'd done, but now...
"Hm. Looks like I don't have much of a choice in the matter," the squirrel girl noted, sounding almost a little tired as the announcer spoke up again, the tension in the air practically palpable as the crowd simmered down.
-
Vega
The tension was suffocating, and for a moment the two locked stares. For a moment, it truly did feel like someone was going down. What an interesting girl, he thought.
He smiled and wagged his finger at her. "No no, why would I do that?"
-
Laura and Fluffy
The young woman glared at Nanako, standing alone in the center of the two. "You worthless bitch! You make an entrance like that and you speak like this? Your worthless! Where is your fighting spirit!?"
The bull, the giant golden animal came up behind Nanako, seemingly already forgotten by the crowd. Indeed, the crowd was silent, their eyes transfixed on the two warriors in the champion of the ring. Even the announcer seemed to be focused only on them. The steps the bull took that seemed to shake the ring meant nothing to anyone. Blood splattered across the ring with every step. Its breathing was labored and worn. Yet, despite its efforts, it had already been forgotten.
At the very least, its successor was one beyond itself: a beast and a human.
-
Nanako
Nanako zipped right up to the girl just as she'd finished talking, part of her tempted to simply shove the girl out of the way. After what had just happened, though, she thought better of it, instead lightly pushing her off to the side. There were more important things to talk about right now, anyway.
"No? No what, don't want to fight?" the squirrel girl asked, more questioning than taunting.
-
Vega
"Hahaha. Not really, and why should I? There are many better ways to enjoy a lady's company than hurting her." His eyes were... warm, for a moment anyways. When he looked at her, he felt at ease. It was as if two hearts could connect.
"Besides, beautiful things should be cherished. Do you wish me to spare that animal's life? For you, perhaps I shall. Perhaps I shall..." He took a step forward, another step, and walked past the girl with blue hair. A few words escaped his perfect lips, like the kiss of death. The one they were aimed to was quite clear.
"Get out of the way, hindrance."
-
Fluffy+Announcer+Laura
The first one to fall was Laura, the girl saved by the gentlemen champion. She fell to the ground, discarded by the two. She grumbled as the squirrel girl ignored her words. Quite frankly, both of them were ignoring them. She spat in the direction of the squirrel girl, for her gutlessness as well as stealing the attention of that man. If it were her in that position, she would have fought him without question, regardless of the consequences.
The announcer was the second to fall. The man's words cut into her like a precise assassin. It was quick, painless, devastating and ended with the blue-haired girl on her knees, her face in utter shock. Yet strangely enough, there was a smile on her face and heavy breathing. Her legs would not stop shaking, even as they were pressed against the cold hard pavement of the arena.
The bull was the last to fall, but only in terms of its patients. The giant creature charged at Nanako, unable to take her disrespect. It looked at the ground, its horns pointed at the squirrel girl, intent on skewering her.
Meanwhile, most in the crowd got to their feet. "FIGHT GODDAMN IT!" one man shouted.
"First bull fighting now this!? COME ON!"
-
In the Crowd
"I don't get it." Matthew crossed his arms and frowned in concentration as he looked out over the interloper who had almost caused a huge incident. "How can someone this strong not be raring to go?"
His buddy shrugged. "I don't know, but damn it's good to get some proper eye candy in here!"
------------------
Zoe bit her lip, her eyes pinned on the new girl in the ring. She kept her hands folded together. "What's going to happen?"
One of her friends scoffed. "Better be that bitch getting what's coming to her."
-
Nanako
"I, what? Really?" Nanako was surprised, both by the brief warmth in the blonde's eyes and his offer. She heard the girl spit at her, glanced over just in time to feel the slimy warmth of her saliva splattering on her arm. The sound of the bull bearing down on her was more important, however, Nanako turning around to face the bull head on.
Instead of striking back or stepping aside, however, the squirrel simply grabbed hold of the mighty beast, flipped it over, and gently hoisted it clean off the ground with as much visible effort as if she was lifting a giant pillow.
"I'll be taking you up on that then, thanks!" Nanako said before leaping clear out of the arena and zipping across the rooftops, only barely slowed by the bull's weight, "Alright, let's see about getting you to a healer..."
-
Vega
He blinked wide eyed at her sudden movements, looking a little baffled despite his perect face. Despite that, he eventually chuckled and shook his head. "Good grief... haha..." He sighed. It had been a while since his blood rushed so.
The chuckle grew louder. Slightly, a little more. And more. ANd before long, he was laughing heartily, as if for the first time he had found something humorous in life.
What an interesting woman.
His eyes turned to the audience. "Thank you for your eyes and ears, you have been an exquisite crowd! Please, do not be disappointed. This fight may have ended sourly for some, but I promise. Before long, you will witness a show that will drown out even the stars!" He waved his hand spectacularly, and smiled. After all, everything went well, no?
-
Angry Crowd
"What the hell!"
"She can't just kidnap him!"
Every single last person in the crowd stood up and began rushing away, ignoring the champion. After all that attention, all that praise, the full brunt of the crowd's attention and emotion landed on the squirrel girl, the one that took their former champion. The martial artists rushed out of the ring, all in a strangely orderly fashion as if they were one organized army. It was a rare event, for all of these people to work together in unison, but that was the power of rage.
"Farewell champion," Setherol the Calm said, looking down at the man from within the bubble above the arena. "I appreciate the lessons you have taught all of us. I imagine this will not be the last we see of you."
-
Zoe
She felt like the only one in the crowd who wasn't upset at the end to this match. On the other hand, Zoe's head hurt so much from all the hollering and shouting that followed. She covered her ears, and whispered inaudibly to herself.
'I don't think I'm coming back again!'
But, at least she trusted that everything was going to work out in the end.
-
Nanako
Not for the first time, Nanako was a little surprised by how slow things were. Back home, she was sure she'd already have someone on her ass if she'd pulled a stunt like this in an official match, and yet this far out and nothing so far. Still, there was the matter of the heavily bleeding bull she was carrying. Fast as she was, the squirrel girl wasn't sure she'd be able to get all the way to that Citadel she'd read up on lately. It'd have to be a local healer if it was anyone. The bull made various annoyed noises at her, though she doubted it could do much else at this point.
"Quiet you, you can fight me after you're healed," Nanako shot back, zipping along the roofs as she continued looking for somewhere she could get the gored beast healed, pushing aside the sticky warmth of its blood on her arms, "Come on, where's a good doc when you need one..."
-
???
It was just a hunch, really. Where else would a healer be than down that kind of street? It helped that after a few blocks there were signs with a big H on them to guide the rest of the way.
-
Nanako
The squirrel girl followed up on that hunch without a second thought. She gave the blatant signs a curious look as she zipped on by, but it was soon lost in relief as she spotted just the kind of place she was looking for.
"Alright, looks like you get to live today," Nanako noted under her breath...
With the doctor's doorman passed and the doctor agreeing and being paid to heal the bull, Nanako left the office behind. She zipped along through the streets, making some distance between herself and the office, just in case someone from the arena managed to catch up.
Ducking into a convenient alleyway and stepping out of immediate sight of the streets, Nanako finally relaxed again, sitting down and starting to bring her hands to her head before she realized they were still bloody. Flicking the blood off her hands, the squirrel girl pulled her knees to her chest, curling up and leaning up against the wall behind her.
With nothing left to distract her, Nanako could feel those things scratching at the back of her mind all over again. The bloody, torturous spectacle, the people she'd endangered in that moment of blind rage.
She knew she couldn't just lay there the whole day, but a few minutes couldn't hurt, right?
-
Vega
He nodded with that same brilliant smile. With a wave of his hand, he revealed another cloth, which waved and swirled around his body until it covered all of it.
And then he was gone. The red cape just fell to the ground, as if he had been a ghost.
Continued here (http://darksidemoon.net/SMF_forum/index.php/topic,749.msg59035.html#msg59035)
-
Nanako
The squirrel girl followed up on that hunch without a second thought. She gave the blatant signs a curious look as she zipped on by, but it was soon lost in relief as she spotted just the kind of place she was looking for.
"Alright, looks like you get to live today," Nanako noted under her breath...
With the doctor's doorman passed and the doctor agreeing and being paid to heal the bull, Nanako left the office behind. She zipped along through the streets, making some distance between herself and the office, just in case someone from the arena managed to catch up.
Ducking into a convenient alleyway and stepping out of immediate sight of the streets, Nanako finally relaxed again, sitting down and starting to bring her hands to her head before she realized they were still bloody. Flicking the blood off her hands, the squirrel girl pulled her knees to her chest, curling up and leaning up against the wall behind her.
With nothing left to distract her, Nanako could feel those things scratching at the back of her mind all over again. The bloody, torturous spectacle, the people she'd endangered in that moment of blind rage.
She knew she couldn't just lay there the whole day, but a few minutes couldn't hurt, right?
Carin
A lack of proper sleep soon caught up with the squirrel-girl as she drifted in and out of a restless nap, twitching and shivering in and out of awareness. Her mind gnawed at her, at the thing humans called a conscience, which she had so rarely put to the test as often as she had these past several days. Accusing eyes crept into the corner of her vision until -
She felt a small hand come to rest atop her head, and heard a voice that chased the eyes and teeth away.
"It's okay."
-
Nanako
Between the adrenaline rush leaving her and the restless nights prior, a tiny part of Nanako wasn't surprised as tiredness weighed down on her like a wet blanket.
She drifted in and out, today's events just adding more weight to everything clawing at her, Nanako trying to ward it off as much as she could in her current state when...
Then everything clawing at her faded, the squirrel girl's ears perking up as familiar warmth spread from the small hand on her head. Nanako looked up to see a small girl with white hair and red eyes. How did she get here without being noticed? Had she really been so out of it that she'd failed to see this coming?
Nanako was far more confused by what she'd said, however.
"...What?" was all she could get out, the first step in both of the questions coming to mind right now. What was she? What did she mean 'It's okay'? After everything that had happened today?
-
Carin
The small girl smiled down at her, and ran her fingers against Nanako's ears. "It's okay! No bad feelings right now."
And indeed, what the squirrel had been feeling before was a hazy and indistinct discomfort.
"I saw that you weren't feeling too good, so I stopped by to help."
-
Nanako
Nanako's eyes widened a little with what she said, unexpected warmth seeping in just at the sight of that smile. Then she felt those fingers rubbing her ears, leaning her head into the girl's touch with a warm little sigh, surprised as she realized that the unpleasantness clawing at her mind had faded. It hadn't vanished entirely, but the respite was welcome after the past few days.
"Nnn, how did you...how'd you know?" Nanako asked after a long moment, her curiosity getting the better of her, "You a telepath or something?"
But even if she was, how didn't I notice her?
-
Carin
Carin's smile turned a little sheepish at that question. "Not quite, no. Some people call me a goddess."
The petite deity's name seemed to almost reveal itself to Nanako as she listened, and watched that smile, and was pet more.
"I saw your fight and the way you tried to save that bull. It was really nice of you to do that."
-
Nanako
"A goddess?" Nanako's eyes widened further, even with the warm buzz from the petting running through her, "I...wow. Never thought I'd meet one."
The squirrel girl bit the corner of her lip as she felt the little goddess's name pressing into her mind.
"Carin, huh?" Nanako trailed off for a moment, the girl's praise dusting her cheeks with a slight blush, "That wasn't really a fight though, w-was it? I just got that guy's attemtion, that's all. Put more people in danger while I was at it..."
In spite of herself, the squirrel girl glanced away, shame creeping into her again.
-
Carin
She giggled, "Yep! I'm pretty small, but I'm apparently the real deal!" and posed a bit with her free arm up in the air in a fist.
But then she went back to patting Nanako's head.
"Yeah, that was pretty careless, but nobody got too hurt. They'll be fine - just be more careful next time."
-
Nanako
"Yeah, you seem pretty real to me," Nanako giggled along with her despite herself, that creeping shame fading with the rest, "I'll do my best there, though."
The squirrel girl was quiet a little longer, leaning into the pats as thought over the first question to come to mind before going ahead with it anyway.
"So what do you do, anyway? Just go around helping people?" Nanako asked curiously.
-
Carin
"That's all you really can do in the end." Carin tilted her head and winked at the squirrel girl. "Just remember, it's okay to ask for help sometimes too!"
She kept petting Nanako for a while, letting the peaceful ambient sounds of the world they found themselves in soothe her.
Then she answered. "If they let me."
-
Nanako
"I...yeah," Nanako said, trying to push aside the first question to come to her mind. It wouldn't be fair to ask that of someone who was already helping her. Still, the question remained, unsaid, "Yeah, I'll keep that in mind."
Leaning into the petting, the last thing Carin said got a small frown out of her, even though it melted away with the petting.
"If they let you?" the squirrel girl looked up at her curiously, "Some of them don't?"
-
Carin
"Some people don't want help." Carin wilted a little bit as she confessed that, her voice small like a child who'd been yelled at for being bad. "Often the people who need it the most. But when you try, they turn you away."
But then, the goddess shook her head and put a smile back on.
"So, I focus on the ones who want my help. Mostly. Is this okay, Nanako?"
-
Nanako
The sudden drop in Carin's tone had her moving before the smaller girl could finish, her own troubles forgotten for that moment. She pulled the little goddess down and hugged her close, though she was careful not to use too much force.
"Of course it's okay," the squirrel girl said, pulling the girl's head against her chest, patting her back cautiously in turn, "That's definitely a good place to start looking."
Again that question scratched at the back of her head, but she couldn't ask it. Especially not now, not with Carin like this.
-
Carin
The goddess let out a soft hum, rubbing her head against Nanako's big firm chest and squeezing tight with her arms. It was enough to show the squirrel girl that this little girl wasn't weak at all - not in the slightest. "Mmm. You're pretty nice. Do you want me to help you more?"
-
Nanako
The squirrel girl let out a soft gasp as Carin nuzzled against her and hugged her back, Nanako realizing that the girl wasn't as squishy as she'd worried Carin was. The offer caught her attention as well, Nanako pushing her question back further as she continued patting the girl, hugging her a bit tighter now that she knew the girl could take it.
"Sure," she nodded, ears perking up in curiosity, "I'd be happy if you would. What did you have in mind?"
-
Carin
Carin giggled, and winked up at the squirrel girl. "Right now you're asleep, and that's the easiest time for me to reach out to someone who doesn't pray to me. If you just keep me in mind and ask for help, I can be there with you in spirit anywhere!"
But then she looked away, visibly bashful. "Oh, sorry. I don't normally just come out and ask people to pray to me. But it's the easiest way for me to help out. Even if it's just helping you deal with your anxiety about people getting hurt."
-
Nanako
With Carin looking visibly embarrassed by how forward she'd been, it was Nanako's turn to giggle and pull the little goddess in just a little more snugly against her chest. It really was surprising how cute she was being and how much lighter the squirrel girl was feeling. Hardly how she'd imagined meeting a deity would be, but she wasn't complaining.
"It's fine, and I'll be sure to keep that in mind," she said with a giggle before glancing away in turn, "...really, I just wish we'd met sooner."
-
Carin
"Mm. No use in regretting what already happened - neither of us can go back and change it. That's what free will is all about after all." She rubbed her head into the vast softness presented to her. Her own hair was soft and perfectly silky smooth. "You make choices, and then you learn to live with them."
But then she stopped.
"I would like to help everyone who needs it, someday."
-
Nanako
"Yeah, suppose so," Nanako nodded, sighing a little as she stroked the girl's silky smooth hair, letting herself get a little lost in the feeling. The last bit had her curious though, Nanako opening her eyes again and glancing down at the little goddess as Carin stopped nuzzling closer.
"How would you get to where you could do that?" Nanako asked, her curiosity getting the better of her and pushing her second question back for now.
-
Carin
"To help everyone? Well, I'd need everyone to at least keep me in mind as someone they can ask for it." Carin hummed in thought at this line of thought and looked straight up. "If enough people prayed to me, and believed in me? I could help everyone."
A brief, heavy pause.
"But I can't just go around making people do that."
-
Nanako
The squirrel girl didn't seem weighed down by the pause much, looking down at the girl thoughtfully for a long moment before shrugging.
"Sounds like you should just do what you've been doing, then, and help the ones who'll let you," Nanako said simply, "...Think I could help?"
-
Carin
"Do you really think it's working...?" She sounded uncertain now, her face turning down into a little frown. But then she perked up, red eyes wide with surprise. "You mean you want to?!"
Carin placed her hands on Nanako's cheeks, smiling while her eyes practically sparkled in happiness.
"If you want to, we could do so much together!"
-
Nanako
Nanako's eyes went wide as Carin suddenly held her face, a slight blush dusting her cheeks at how excited she sounded.
"I'd say it's working, y-yeah," Nanako said, trying to keep her voice even in the face of such adorable eagerness, "You're helping me, a-and I'm sure you'll help plenty of others. The people who refuse you might come back around later, too."
"And yeah, I want to help if I can," she perked up with a smile of her own, "You helped me, after all."
-
Carin
"Really?! Oh, this is great!" She hopped out of Nanako's arms, and hopped around a bit in excitement around her. "We're going to do so many good things for people together! Oh, I need to tell the rest of my faithful to expect you later, and I'll need to figure out where to -"
The goddess paused.
"Where precisely do you live, again?"
-
Nanako
The squirrel girl stood up as Carin hopped free of the hug and started practically bouncing around. Unable to help a smile at the little goddess's clear joy, though part of her wondered if things were maybe going too fast. A tiny, often ignored part of her.
"Ah, I'm renting out a place in Pine Garden with a friend," Nanako said, giving her a curious look, "...Why, are they all going to be meeting us there?"
-
Carin
"Hmm? Oh, no, not that." Carin shook her head, and hopped again in excitement. "I think you're my first from Pine Garden, though! Most of them are in that place everyone calls the slums."
She pouts at the thought of it.
"It's not a nice place. I'm hoping that together, we can all make it a nicer place to live. But you can't just kill people and hope to make the world better."
-
Nanako
Nanako frowned in turn, already knowing what kind of place Carin was talking about even if she'd never been there herself. The squirrel girl frowned at the last part, all the same, unable to help thinking back to the arena. And then that day...
"Of course not," Nanako said quickly, shaking her head and trying to focus on the little goddess in front of her, "I really don't like killing anyway."
The squirrel girl fell quiet for a long moment, before finally speaking up, "...So, does it get easier? That man, in the arena...he knew what he was there for, and he made it seem so...simple. I...don't want that. I don't ever want that."
Nanako was disgusted by the idea, but...she needed to know.
-
Carin
Carin blinked a few times, her face scrunching up in confusion. "I do not believe killing is something that should get easier for anyone. The easier something is, the more likely you are to keep doing it if it gets you what you think you want."
She turned around again, her back to the squirrel girl, and continued. "So it's okay if you don't wanna be like that. That's a good thing!" She looked back over her shoulder and smiled.
-
Nanako
"Alright. Good," Nanako said with a relieved sigh, zipping over to Carin before pulling her back into another quick hug, "Thank you. So how should we get started with helping the people out in the slums?"
After a moment, however, something else occurred to her, Nanako frowning a little even with the little goddess in her arms.
"Wait, I'm still in that district, right?" she said after a moment, "...That whole crowd might still be looking for me. They did seem kinda mad about the fight ending the way it did."
-
Carin
The little goddess appeared to enjoy the return of the hugs, and settled in comfortably with her head against Nanako's chest. Carin hummed at the thought of her question.
But, a more immediate concern presented itself. "Ah, don't worry about them. You'll get away fine! You might want to wake up now though, just to be sure. You can talk to me again while you're awake by just praying."
-
Nanako
As much as she didn't want to end the hug prematurely, Carin did make a good point. It wouldn't be any good to waste her head start, and it would be trouble to fight that many people off without injuring any of them by accident.
"That'd be for the best, yeah," Nanako nodded, holding on to the girl even as she felt the pleasant little dream fading, "And I'll be sure to keep you in mind!"
And then the squirrel girl was awake again, blinking blearily and letting out a yawn as she stretched her arms up. Then she popped up to her feet, rubbed the sleep from her eyes, and headed off, zipping along the streets as she made her way out of the district.
Continued in Little Russia (http://darksidemoon.net/SMF_forum/index.php/topic,740.msg59316.html#msg59316)
-
Yang Xiao Long
2:00 AM, NExus time
It was a dark room with no exit, where all entry was gated by a lock. The only source of light was a single television screen, that and an ominous red glow. The air of menace and terror filled the air, unlike anything the world had ever seen.
Yang flicked through a list of songs with his remote until an intense shine flicked in his eyes. Of course, he dragged Aruna into this. The frog mascot of the Keropoyo bounced up and down, the neon colored words Kero-Kero Karaoke jumped from under the corner of the screen, flickering with glowing sparkly stars and happy rainbows. Truly, an image to be feared, for the oppressive aura only intensified from the depths of the television.
He pressed okay. On that moment, a melancholic melody played, and the first notes of the piano spoke of great tragedy. No, it was a cry of pain, from the depths of one's soul. The two were transported into a new world, that of a dark city whose dark grimness was only reflected by sterile joyless lights of the nightlife. A desolate, dead city where those who lost it all walked. Or at least, that's how the music video looked.
He gripped the microphone, took a deep breath, and-
"HOooooW CaAAn YoooUUUU SeeEEEE inTOO My EyEs... LiKe OpEn DooOOOORsss!" He passed it over to Aruna like a track race's stick.
-
Aruna
Sitting on the couch, wide eyed, foot tapping rapidly, Aruna couldn't believe she actually let Yang drag her to this strange human establishment. She was always under the impression that humans only liked it when people sang well. However, he was making some strange human noise that made her ears grate. At the same time, there was a strange passion to it, as though he were making noises from his soul. No, it wasn't as if, she could tell that he was. After all, she could see the soul-changing colors, the smell growing more intense.
As she held the mic in her hand, she caught herself staring at him like a snack. "Oh wait... you want me to do that too?" she asked.
Continued from the slums. (http://darksidemoon.net/SMF_forum/index.php/topic,746.msg61812.html#msg61812)
-
Yang
A small bead of sweat ran down his forehead, embarassed. "Yeah, quick, it's your cue. I'll do the rapping."
This was a time-honored tradition among all yakuza. Karaoke wasn't just about having fun, but it was about strengthening your bond between brothers. It was a sacred ritual that no one could violate. He gave her a hearty thumbs up and passed her the mike.
-
Aruna
Aruna tried to follow the music, but she did not know the lyrics. This music was far too recent for her, too hip and cool. The first lines slipped past her, overshadowed only by her trying to mutter along with the words. Staring at the screen, she realized where she could recover.
"WAKE ME UP INSIDE!" she yelled, her voice causing anything resembling glass to crack. Despite her honest efforts, she sounded more like a screamo artist than the actual singer. Her eyes met him, as if to ask am I doing good?
-
Yang
Oh... no way. That was.... that was-
Absolutely amazing! Such soul, such fiery passion! It was like her spirit was crying out! His eyes twinkled like stars as he gave her a DOUBLE thumbs up. Hihihi! "Can't wake up!"
-
Aruna
"SAVE ME!" she wailed. Truth be told, this was the most she has ever bonded with a human. Music, it was the language of the soul. Many of her species use it to lure humans to their graves, abusing that special human language for murder. Others use it for a quick but harmless meal, draining the souls directly. In this moment, she wondered what this music was telling him.
-
Vega
(Continued from Highway 13) (http://darksidemoon.net/SMF_forum/index.php/topic,806.msg62169.html#msg62169)
10:00 PM
It had taken a bit of driving, but they had found a nice spot undisturbed by others. No one should interfere here. And if they did, well... he coerced a few people around to give him a heads up. After all, they just wanted to enjoy some nice quality time in peace.
He parked the car by the sandy beach, taking in the view of the shore. Saltwater filled the air, it was honestly quite sickening. Still, it had its natural charm he supposed. He opened the door and let a gust of air wash his hair before turning to the backseat and adressing his two maids.
"Here we are. Well, don't just stand there. You can enjoy yourselves for the night." His smile was only almost as brilliant as their expression once their eyes lit up like a christmas tree.
"T-thank you lord!"
"Thank you master."
And with that, the two young girls hopped off the car and hurried to the shore, chasing one another, the waves, or maybe a seashell here and there. Whatever they chased, they must have already found it. They were smiling like happy kids full of mischief.
They have a rare condition you see. The sun is anathema to them, they greatly dislike going out during the day. And... I'd hate to see my goods damaged. Isn't it much preferable this way? They can smile and laugh to their heart's content.
For a moment. Despite referring to them as mere possessions, his expression betrayed him. It was almost... fatherly. He just smiled and looked on at the shore in an utterly unbecoming way.
-
Lulu
Why are you being so dramatic, nothing's going on.
The angel had yet to move from her seat, was she basking in the moonlight or just bored, perhaps it was both. Or it could be neither, maybe all of the indifference was just an act.
-
Aruna
"SAVE ME!" she wailed. Truth be told, this was the most she has ever bonded with a human. Music, it was the language of the soul. Many of her species use it to lure humans to their graves, abusing that special human language for murder. Others use it for a quick but harmless meal, draining the souls directly. In this moment, she wondered what this music was telling him.
Yang, Zeke and Nanako
He crouched and shut his eyes closed, flaring up with intensity! "HOLD MAAH HAND AND SAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAVE ME FROOOMMM THEEE DAAAAAARKKKKKKKK!!"
It was so intense that the wall behind him exploded! Purple fire all over, brick and mortar shattered... wait what!? He jumped and cowered away from the blast and... massive hole on the wall. Blinking with pure shock. D-did I do that??
"WAKE ME UP!" A massive man wearing a coat with armor and... sunglasses was standing back to back to some... squirrel chick wearing a coat and sunglasses... and the dude was pointing at them. Right behind the wide hole... oh, okay they did it. Wait, they did it!? Why was he getting all relaxed!?
W-whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa?
-
Nanako
True to her word to herself, she'd kept an eye on Zeke the whole way, even as they crossed the threshold back into the dojo district. It didn't take them long after that, Nanako fiddling with her sunglasses to make sure they were just right. Then Zeke blasted the wall in, bricks and mortar crumbling to dust to reveal a cute demon-looking girl and a cute blonde singing in the middle of singing their hearts out. Her tail flitted excitedly behind her, ears perking up as she looked them over.
"Heya, guess you could say we're dropping in!" Nanako piped up eagerly, "Wait, why's there no one else here? Is this supposed to be a private deal, or are you just embarrassed about singing in public?"
-
Aruna
Even as the wall exploded, Aruna continued to sing. "W-"
Then she realized that there were people in that hole. Aruna flipped behind Yang, her wings emerging from her back and covering her body. She looked like an old vampire covering his body with a cape to look intimidating. "What did you see?!" she yelped.
Oddly enough, she was not concerned with the possibility that her new friend might have a lethal voice or even the idea that these new people were possible threats. She was just worried about some human seeing her sing.
-
Zeke
"Huh? Well, I saw a cute lady sing her heart out. What, just because I wear these dumb schlocks at night time doesn't mean I'm blind." The man pouted and pointed at his sunglasses before taking them off... they vanished immediately like smoke.
He looked around and grinned.
"Not bad, not bad. I'm not bothering you and your girlfriend am I?"
Yang
The human boy turned red like a cherry pie, before glancing at Aruna... and looking away.
"Erm, I mean, no way! Besides, a karaoke that doesn't have at least one actual explosion is considered a dull affair 'round these parts. And eh, I mean, it's not like we're dating or anything! Hehe... I'm just... argh forget it..." He held his hands out as if to stop the accusations in their path. It was about as effective as you'd expect.
"You know, there's something we call a door, dingus. Ever heard of it?" He suddenly pouted and glared at the two... only for a teeny tiny piece of the wall rubble to pop on his head. Ow.
-
Nanako
"We saw enough," Nanako said teasingly, giggling as the demon girl did her best vampire impression, minus the accent, "Not much to cover up now."
"Besides, why hide it? You two look cute together, you know," Nanako continued, putting her hands on her hips and leaning forward a little as her fluffy tail flicked back and forth behind her. Another giggle slipped past her lips as a piece of rubble interrupted the blonde's attempt to look annoyed.
-
Aruna
Aruna's cheeks began to heat up even more. In fact, she began chanting to herself. She could do one better than cover up.
-
Zeke
He put a hand on his hip and swaggered his way into the room. "What's the matter? Nothing to be ashamed about. Nothing rings nicer than a woman's singing voice. C'mon, enough with the silent treatment-"
Two!? Wait, how was this possible!? His eyes widened looking at the barely clothed girl. Even he couldn't hide the shock. But wasn't that squirrel girl the holder? He turned to glance at her for a moment...
Yang
"Hey hey, come on. It really is just a sick misunderstanding. We've barely met!" Shit, this actually made him look even more suspicious! "Erm, I mean, it's not like there's anything wrong with a totally platonic relationship between a guy and a girl. Right Aruna? A-aruna?"
She was just chanting to herself! What the hell!? This was totally creepy! Like some satanic ritual! Just before he could snap out of his shocked expression, a metallic step interrupted him.
"I think I get it... you're a Yakuza, right?" Zeke suddenly rubbed the back of his head, a bit more serious than before. "Uh, yeah!" Yang answered sheepishly. Wait, how the heck does he know!? I've never met this schmuck in my-
"Then it makes sense. It's just a Yakuza get together karaoke session, you know? Toooootally business, nothing to do with romance." He moved to whisper in Nanako's ear. "Hell, I hear in some families, they're considered matters of life and death."
-
Nanako
Nanako gave Aruna a concerned look as the girl started chanting, before shrugging after a moment. If that was how she dealt with the embarrassment, Nanako wouldn't begrudge her that. She stopped short at what Zeke whispered to her, giving the man a strange look as she leaned in.
"That's kinda weird, putting those kinds of stakes on Karaoke," Nanako whispered back, "Ah, is she okay?"
With that, the squirrel girl zipped right up to Aruna with her usual speed and eagerness...and reached out to pat the girl on the head reassuringly.
"Don't worry, there's nothing to be embarrassed about, you know," the squirrel girl said brightly, fluffy tail flicking back and forth behind her.
-
Vega
Are you seriously asking me why I'm being dramatic? Vega sighed. With that, he took out some of the luggage, since miss Lulu couldn't be bothered getting up from her chair. A rather large suitcase was put down on the ground unceremoniously, as well as a... shovel. "Just a second."
He slipped out something tucked under his shirt. The moment he put on the mask, he took a deap breath, as if he had been sinking or holding it in all day, and he finally got to inhale fresh air.
"Haah... much better. It's difficult to wear a mask so often." He kicked the suitcase down the sand harmlessly, causing the lock to flick open. "There you go. He's all yours. Don't worry, no one will disturb us here."
Inside the suitcase, if it was pried a tad bit further, she could see that man (https://imgur.com/Kxb1tbo). Or... what was left of him anyways. Arms, legs... all had been neatly amputated. This alongside his healing bruises gave the man the appearance of some oversized worm. It was enough to make Vega want to retch.
-
Lulu
She shifted around to see what he was doing and wondering why he was picking out a bag out of the trunk. Surely he couldn't be...
Lulu gasped as her blue eyes widens from the shock of the thing that unceremoniously fell out or the bqg. No not thing, that was undoubtedly a person, or had been before Vega had stripped him of all dignity.
"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?"
The angel practically leaped out of the car and landed next to what remained of the poor man, her blonde locks brushed past his disfigured form as she leaned over him. But none of this could even hope to compare to the level of care and compassion she was radiating.
"Please don't worry sir, I promise I will make it better." She put her hands on his chest and focused her essence into a precise stream meant to cure not destroy. It was a fragile balance, go to fast and he'll die from the shock and use too little and it wouldn't work right. But she pressed on, pouring every little bit of herself into this. First his bruises would fade and his pains would go away, then hopefully his limbs would regrow.
-
The Criminal
The man was unconscious. The trauma of having his limbs removed, of being beaten most severely, had overloaded his nervous system in ways that the human mind was not equipped to withstand. It was only when the fallen angel placed her hands on and began to heal him that he gasped his way to wakefulness, his throat so hoarse from screaming earlier that he could not reply to Lulu's reassurances.
The site of his... amputations, began to almost bubble before their eyes.
-
Vega
He didn't even deign the mass of scum with a glance. Instead, he took the time to feel the cool sea wind and focused solely on Lucy.
"Hey... what do you think you're doing?" He asked her calmly, while the eyes beneath the mask narrowed.
-
Aruna
And just as Nanako finished her second pat, Aruna's form vanished from view, completely invisible.
"FOOL! HOW DARE YOU INTERUPT THIS SACRAD RITUAL OF THE YAKUZA?! KARAOKE! WHAT PURPOSE COULD EITHER OF YOU HAVE FOR THIS SACRAD RITE?! SQUIRREL GIRL, STATE YOUR PURPOSE!"
She really was just hiding her embarrassment.
-
Yang
Whatever demonic incantation she just conjured, it must've worked. Yang was now sweating like he was in a sauna, his life flashing before his eyes. At that moment, a thousand thoughts ran through his head.
I just wanted to karaoke.
Why is this town so scary?
Maybe I should stay away from cute girls from now on.
Why does the weird stuff always happen to me?
I wanna go home eat pizza and cry.
I need a shower.
Zeke
She's gone. A shiver ran down his spine, but he grinned nonetheless. No, maybe he grinned because of the shiver.
"Heh. Cute."
And with that, his foot stomped on the ground, hard enough to crack it. "Well well, I'd apologize for breaking sacred tradition. It's heartbreaking, really. But I guess since we're all here, there's really only one thing to do. Me and my pal here have this itch you see?"
The great dojo. The district where all warriors reunited. Obviously, any dispute could be solved like this. As his eyes flared up and he took a stance, he readied himself. He-
"WAIT A GODDAMN SECOND!" Before he could engage, a blondie's fist readied itself right before him. It smelled like booze, cowardice and... well, actually mostly just booze. Some popcorn too. Well, whatever. That was cute too. "FIRST OF ALL, I NEVER AGREED TO THIS, OKAY!? IT'S NOT LIKE WE HAVE TO DO BATTLE JUST CAUSE WE JUST MET! THIS AIN'T EVEN MY PLACE! HONESTLY, I DON'T EVEN CARE IF YOU WRECK SOME KARAOKE BAR OR WHATEVER, I'M NOT GOING TO JUMP INTO EVERY FIGHT LIKE I'M SOME BATTLE HOBO! WHAT IS THIS, BLAZBLUE CROSS TAG BATTLE V!?"
Noise, noise.... more noise. Urgh, if he wanted to ear shit blasting in his ears, he'd just go talk with the voices inside him. Then again...
"Oh. Oooooh. I get it..." Zeke smashed his fist in his gauntlet innocently... before getting even closer to Yang and smiling smugly, so close even his breath was mocking that... human. "You chicken?"
Yang
A vein popped on his forehead and he forced himself to smile. Immediately whatever fear or hesitation he had turned into pure battle rage as his eyes flared up.
"Bring it on motherfucker."
-
Lulu
"I. Am. Healing. Him. You doofus!"
She didn't even deign to give Vega a look as she continued pumping more of her essence into the man below her. A soothing calm would overtake him followed by a warm feeling as the Essence would remember the blueprint of his body and reconstruct.
It would come all at once, the bones that would make the foundation of his limbs shot out of his stumps and nerve endings followed soon after. Still there was no pain, only a warm sensation like taking a comfortable bath after a hard day, the soreness of his throat would be one of the first things to be whisked away.
"You will feel much better soon." She said much more calmly to the man she healed.
-
Nanako
Nanako pouted as the cute demon vanished, her ears twitching in the face of her indignant tirade. Before she could try to hug the space where she'd been standing to see if she was still there, however, something else caught her attention. Namely, Zeke and Blondie going head to head, not with fists, but with words. Well, they certainly looked pretty close to fists, as things were.
Zeke was right, though, she was itching for some sort of action, and a fight certainly fit that bill. The squirrel girl zipped back over to the two, her tail flicking back and forth behind her, eyes alight with excitement at the prospect of some long-awaited satisfaction.
"Ooh, does this mean we're going now?" Nanako piped up excitedly, seeming to bounce in place slightly, "'Cause I'm ready, what about you, Blondie?"
-
Aruna
Strange so it was these types of humans, the warriors. She knew these types very well. This type of person was far more rare in the modern age. No, it was better to say that these types of humans came in a completely different form. It was odd to see that spirit again. The human had been accepting of her now, but if she participated in the battle, would he still consider her normal? Would she be shunned as a monster, a demon?
"If you foolish humans wish to duel, then so be it. I do not care if we fight in this bar."
She said humans, but neither of their souls seemed entirely human. They looked... different somehow.
-
Zeke
"Woah, what's the big idea? We can't just trash the good hard-working citizen's place like that." He held his hand to the side like he didn't just crash the place less than a minute ago. Where did that lass go anyways? She felt like she was all over the place, but he couldn't even sense her life force...
Before he could even react, his face barely reflexively changed to shock as a fist crashed into his chin.
Yang
"Fine, quit yapping asshole. I'll tear you a new one." It was nothing more than a jab, but it packed enough force to crash a truck. What came next could be described as nothing more than annihilation. Jab, jab, jab - hook! Jab, jab jab, jab - uppercut! He just stuck to the most basic and rudimentary boxing imitation out there, but the poor white-haired guy was utterly helpless to what was a combo hard enough to pound stone to dust. And yet-
Wha?
He only dealt one more blow to realize that none of his blows felt right. Looking at the guy, he should be falling through the floor and bleeding out but- every punch just erased him. It didn't look right, there wasn't even the right way to describe it. Trying to do that would probably make him go insane. What he understood was that as he kept punching the guy, he... disappeared. Like punching a cloud of mist, leaving nothing behind. Except he wasn't sure if the mist was nothing or if nothing was Zeke anymore.
In fact, it was hard to even tell if he had struck anything if the guy who had gotten pummeled just now was even real. But whatever trace, sound or presence he had vanished the moment he struck him.
He turned to glance at the lady.
"Well, I guess that makes two pissing away god knows where. You, you look like you can handle yourself."
It was just him and her right now, so he guessed that was it. Well, Aruna was there, but he couldn't see her or anything right now. If she didn't speak, he probably wouldn't even notice her. No wonder she almost got the drop on him.
-
Nanako
To her chagrin, the blondie ignored her entirely in favor of engaging Zeke. To her concern, Zeke seemed entirely unable to keep up with the man's barrage. It was some fairly basic boxing combos and while she could see them clearly enough, it looked like all he could do was get pounded. Except he wasn't.
The squirrel girl watched on in confusion as pieces of the taller man seemed to simply melt away under the blows. Nanako wasn't sure just what she was seeing, but she didn't have time to dwell on that even if she wanted to.
"Hm, you're not half bad either," she said excitedly, trying to shake off the weirdness just now, "Looks like it's just you and me then."
With that, she suddenly charged in at full speed, her guard up and her eyes sharp as she watched for his reply, feinting a wide swing straight for his head and waiting for his counter.
-
Aruna
The art of the silent step was just that, completely and utterly silent. The feet that crept up behind Nanako could not be heard, even by mankind's finest instruments. The coat of shadows turning her invisible hid her oder, taste, and completely silent. Aruna's delicate fingers turned to claws as she raised her arm and attempted to slash Nanako across the back.
All the while, she chanted silently, no sound coming from her invisible lips.
-
Yang
His face tensed as he ducked under the strike, guarding his face with one hand at the same time to prevent a counter. The wind alone smashed into the wall and wrecked the place further, and his cheek bruised just from rubbing past the swing. Shit, he barely saw that coming. It was all he had the time to do, and he barely had the time to do it!
Zeke
Pain, pain, and more pain! Damn, humans were interesting no matter the era! That punch barrage could have ripped his head off! Organisms were quickly repairing his body though, even the broken matter in his head could be fixed at a breakneck pace. But would it be quick enough? This was all going on pretty fast.
Looks like I'll have to use that. He swapped something in his left eye, hidden within the confines of an old world. No sound, no light, no energy escaped. When it came to concealment, he wasn't completely terrible.Now, where are you...
-
Lulu
"I. Am. Healing. Him. You doofus!"
She didn't even deign to give Vega a look as she continued pumping more of her essence into the man below her. A soothing calm would overtake him followed by a warm feeling as the Essence would remember the blueprint of his body and reconstruct.
It would come all at once, the bones that would make the foundation of his limbs shot out of his stumps and nerve endings followed soon after. Still there was no pain, only a warm sensation like taking a comfortable bath after a hard day, the soreness of his throat would be one of the first things to be whisked away.
"You will feel much better soon." She said much more calmly to the man she healed.
The Criminal
The man gasped desperately for air, each heaving breath less painful than the one before it. It was not pain that left the man soon crying, tears pouring down his fat face, but the incomparable relief of one who had nearly lost everything. "T-Thank you, oh, thank you! Y-You're an angel...!"
His limbs, made fresh anew, were the pale smooth white of a newborn's despite Lulu's efforts to heal him. At least for now.
-
Lulu
She kept the flow going, but it should be about done by now. He might feel weakness in his limbs, like he had been laying in bed for a few weeks but it shouldn't be anything worse than that now.
"That I am." Her choice of clothing might be considered odd, or downright heretical to presume what an Angel look like, since she did look like she'd stepped right out of a perverted anime. But to prove her claim she briefly unfurled her translucent wings for him to see before pulling them in. No need to attract any unwanted attention to this, she still had things to do here.
"Maybe you could tell me how you ended up like this."
-
Nanako
Seeing blondie smoothly duck under the hook, Nanako's eyes lit up brighter still with excitement. The squirrel girl moved swiftly to follow up, ducking even lower as she pulled her hand back for her next attack.
Before she could commit to her next attack, however claws raked across her back, carving into it. Nanako yelped, more out of surprise than pain, and stumbled for a moment as blood flooded down her back in sickly warm trails, her guard broken by the surprise attack. Still, the squirrel girl didn't stop moving, pushing forward and ducking lower still to try to tackle the Blondie into the nearest wall.
-
Aruna
At last, the portals were set. With this small karaoke building, there were so many places to create them. Now all that was left was to turn the battle between the two brawlers into their favor. The man's eyes were great, but they would not be able to see through the darkness concealing her form. No power of the dark ever could. There was only one thing that could pierce her coat of shadows.
The power of light.
Aruna retreated from behind Nanako, slinking into the open space of the room. Darkness began to fill the space between them, covering the area in a dark mist. If the spell worked, Yang would be able to feel his body become much lighter. Hopefully, he could use the sudden burst of speed to pull a reversal on the squirrel girl. A dark portal became visible on the wall as chains emerged from them, wrapping around Nanako's wrists from behind and threatening to yank her back into the wall.
-
Yang
"GAH!" A blast slammed right into Yang, causing his body to hurl out all its breath. By the time he noticed, his back had already slammed on the wall, shattering it as if a demolition boulder had just hurled straight into it. Her grip dug straight into his arms like a vice, and the two flew out of the building. "A... grapple!?"
Fine then! He accepted the challenge and gripped her just like she gripped him. At that moment, a sudden light feeling overtook him, and he grabbed that moment to twist his hip and deliver a low side kick straight into her shin. The force from the blow alone was absurd, but the way his limb cracked was more like a whip- the hit alone was like having your leg struck by a cleaver.
Zeke
...no dice. Zeke felt a chill down his spine, trying to look around him.... it was like being lost in the dark. Litterally and figuratively, his back was against the wall. Even trying to get a read on the source of the spells around him gave nothing. No, it was like she was everywhere and nowhere. And the next thing he knew, the beast girl and the blondie were outside.
But for a split moment, he noticed that shadow moving towards the boy. The next thing one could see was the inside of the room... the space cracking- Zeke kicked his own illusion to pieces and a gigantic black dragon's torso came shooting right out... right towards Aruna! It wasn't aimed at her, and yet, made from the night sky, it was too big. Its maw alone was nearly as big as the whole room.
There probably wouldn't be a need for a window anymore.
-
Nanako
Nanako's eyebrows shot up as Blondie grabbed hold of her in turn, but she was stuck looking down for the moment as she carried them out of the building. Chains lashed out behind her, whipping around and latching shut around her wrists, only to slip free of her in the same instant, the chains unable to take hold no matter how they tried.
Nanako pulled her leg back as she saw the kick coming in, the unusually short kick just barely missing her leg. From there, she thrust it forward, trying to sink her knee into his likely toned abs.
-
Aruna
What she broke the chains?!
It was as if that girl's soul itself broke the chains. That girl was no ordinary beast human, no she was no ordinary creature. An explosion filled the room, giving Aruna no time to think. As the magic dragon rushed that part of the room, Aruna slammed her arm against the wall, blowing a person-sized hole in it. She slipped through it, relying completely on her soul senses to track the two fighters. Those two were far too unique to not be able to track. She could hear their souls flutter and scream with passion. To her suprise, they were openly fighting in the streets now, free for any onlookers to see.
The darkness continued to spread, flowing into the streets like a broken dam. A portal appeared on the side of the building, spikes extending outward, threatening to skewer Nanako through her core. Meanwhile, she began chanting, her spell casting completely silent.
-
Zeke
It didn't hit. He knew it didn't. But he saw the hole and slammed his foot down nonetheless. The dragon dissipated into myriads of smaller beings.... living things born of some unworldly magic and dispersed out like a cloud, going no slower than before, but clearly much more harmless. They expired the moment they came to be, but for that moment they acted as a smokescreen that blocked even aruna's sight, cutting off all her senses from her surroundings for a moment, or rather her surroundings from her senses...
So it wasn't possible to see the fire erupt from the armored boot or the bright conflagration that burst from all over his body. At that moment to any onlooker he'd appear more like a beam of fire, rushing straight out with heroic speed like a rocket, riding his own explosion ricocheting out into his smokescreen-
"CHEEP CHEEP MOTHERFUCKER!!" He zigzagged like a bullet bouncing on the air by bursting out again, and sent his fist flying straight towards Aruna's gut, fire literally spitting out of his Reaper's Eye. Even if he couldn't see her, he predicted where she'd go. His accuracy and speed were terrifying, completely unlike what you'd expect from him. No, it wasn't that he was fast. It was like riding a really fast sports car to run a cheetah over. Even a human could do that much.
Yang
The moment she lifted her leg and dodged, he swung his body down and slammed his head straight on hers, headbutting her violently before her knee could thrust on his stomach.
-
Nanako
A flash of movement was all the warning she had, Nanako glancing up to see the Blondie rushing in before her vision flashed white. The splitting jolt of the headbutt, like slamming face first into a wall that didn't break, came quickly afterwards, something that wasn't pain lighting up in her as her eyes refocused on her opponent. The spikes slammed into her from behind, only to crack along their surface, all the way through, before breaking against her skin. The headbutt had far more effect, however, blood already trickling down her face as she leaned back, seemingly blasted back by the force of the headbutt alone. Instead of simply falling, however, she threw herself back, trying to pull him down and sending her already raised leg rocketing up to drive a knee into his chin.
-
Aruna
"Ack!"
Bones cracked on impact, Aruna's still invisible body sent flying through the air. Her body flew through two trees, splitting them in two like butter before smashing into the pavement with enough force to create a body-sized crater. Moving quickly, she escaped into the air, finally completing her spell. The portals were set, the haze finally reaching the outdoor world. The area was covered completely in a thick dark fog. Yang found himself coated in darkness, the magic hiding his form completely. Unlike the spell she used on herself, they would be able to see, hear and smell him, but the squirrel girl would no longer be able to rely on her sight.
Floating in the comfort of the blank sky, she could finally get a good look at that creature. It was using darkness, or something similar to stay alive. How pathetic. She was being knocked around by a creature adopting the darkness. One thing was for sure though. That thing was not human. If anything that thing was closest to her, taking human form to fit in with society. No it went deeper than that. Its soul was disguised by human souls as well, stuck together like a poorly made blanket. How unsavory. It was like the demons of old who consumed souls to attain power, to challenge the gods. In the end it was just to claw their way out from their own weakness.
Dozens of chains burst from the ground, threatening to wrap around his limbs, torso, legs, and wrists. Once again, she began chanting.
-
Zeke
His grin flashed like a bursting star. It connected! As Zeke's form was bursting with burning force, it didn't lose momentum and landed violently on the ground, digging a deep gash into the asphalt as his boots sparked and crashed against the pavement. But just as he landed and managed to brake, chains burst from all over around him with immense speed. He flinched in shock, but one step behind- their snap cracked like a whip, and his arms, legs and body were tied down by the chains, ripping the burning power... his conflagration from him. This was bad, as much as he liked a sexy woman tying him up.
"Playing hard to get huh?" He immediately jerked his body, using his massive strength to no avail to shatter his shackles. As he did that, something dark was starting to seep out from him. What a stupidly stubborn voracious spell... "Then get ready.... to back it up!"
A handful of sharks each the size of a car erupted from where Zeke stood, black like the void, and gnawed on the chains themselves. Crunch, crack, a bite and the shackles were shattered and broken down to nothing. A foreign attack from another dimension.
He wiped the soot off his chest- and raised his leg for another burning stomp, glaring right at the heavens where Aruna looked down from with a big grin.
Yang
Blood dripped from his forehead, and he grinned cockily- before a knee planted right on his chin, blowing his head back. The impact caused his body to jerk back, blood tricking from his jaw. Their hits impacted, their wills connected. However, he didn't relent. He stood his ground and glared down from where Nanako stood, knee raised-
And delivered another kick on her one leg like a guillotine, this time even more decisive.
-
Nanako
Now it was Nanako's turn to grin as Blondie's ate the knee. For a moment, she felt him on deeper levels than physical, and she knew he could feel her. She held firm just as he did, however, even as billowing fog rolled over them. It didn't hinder her, his next move obvious from the start. Not because it was an amateur move or because it was sloppily done, but because her remaining pivot leg was too tempting a target to pass up and she knew it. It wouldn't make the kick hurt any less, but she could prepare herself to take the hit, get ready to counter.
The kick slammed into her leg like a cleaver, the squirrel girl grimacing as she turned with the kick, going down just a bit as her leg throbbed like it was on fire. She looked up again at where she knew he was, eyes still bright as with resolve.
"A slugging match? Alright then!" she said, rocketing up head first to slam into where she knew the blonde's chin would be be with a vicious headbutt!
-
Aruna
If she were visible, Zeke would be able to see her razor-sharp teeth as she licked her lips. The magic flowed into him, but so did something else. For a brief moment, her vision went blank.
"And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you." - Friedrich Nietzsche
For a second, static flashed down the back of her head. It was a ship, but not a single person was left to guide it. Alone, in a sea of stars, it had nowhere to land to and no one to see its journey through. There was just one flame sitting against the mast, bearing a sad and lonely expression. Like a single star in an empty world.
The depths of a decrepit world wouldn't suit him. His eyes were focused above, beyond to where the ship couldn't reach. Much like his father, he wouldn't be satisfied until he had more.
Which was why the captain's body was lying right next to him. But even after taking back his freedom, he was still trapped in a dead world. Humans truly were fools.
"It's this world, it's just too unfair... don'tcha think pops?" He poked his captain's head, drained of color... to little avail. SIghing, the figure looked down, only to glance back at her. "How about you, Aruna-chan?"
Aruna floated beside the ship, her bat like wings gently flapping in the salty breeze. Eyes slanted, a frown on her face, she stared back with an expression that could only be described as somber indifference. "If your looking at me, you already know my answer..."
"Starfire.....huh?"
The man couldn't see it, but she was sure he knew she was smiling right back at him. Protected by the darkness of the night sky, she floated above the battlefield, now in the perfect positions to affect both battles. With her vision returned, she began to formulate a plan. "If you want to worm your way into my heart, you'll have to do more than just flirt a little bit" she said, her voice seeming to appear from the sky itself. "Or should I say, creature...."
Yes. If he was a true creature of the dark, he would rise to enjoy the battle just as she did.
Chains emerged from a nearby tree, flying at the creature from a completely different direction. Just like before, dozens of chains emerged from the ground, threatening to capture him once again. Meanwhile, a shadow emerged from the ground beneath Nanako, forming a fist. It slammed into the back of Nanako's knee, threatening her balance. Meanwhile, the ground beneath Nanako began to sink into the ground, while the one Yang stood on stayed where it was.
-
Lulu
She kept the flow going, but it should be about done by now. He might feel weakness in his limbs, like he had been laying in bed for a few weeks but it shouldn't be anything worse than that now.
"That I am." Her choice of clothing might be considered odd, or downright heretical to presume what an Angel look like, since she did look like she'd stepped right out of a perverted anime. But to prove her claim she briefly unfurled her translucent wings for him to see before pulling them in. No need to attract any unwanted attention to this, she still had things to do here.
"Maybe you could tell me how you ended up like this."
The Criminal
Gasping for air, scrambling to get to his feet - or rather his knees, before his beautiful savior, the man began to blubber. "Y-Yes, yes of course! I-I was just going about my normal business day, you see!" He bowed a few times, not quite taking note of the man also standing there in light of Lulu's glory. "When this, this over-oiled monster came along and just... he just... he started beating me!"
-
Vega
He put a hand to his waist and glanced at the thing. And when their eyes met, he'd wish they never had. That he would have kept ignoring him like the worm he was. Because his voice was just as smooth and silky as back then.
"Hoh? That's strange, I thought you'd mention the times we'd share drinks at that run of the mill bar. You were so good to me then, just talking and talking and talking." He swaggered his way, only a bit closer, but swayed his hips just enough to show he was enjoying this.
"About the women, about how great business was. And being the good friend I was, I lostened to all your woes with an open heart. I even helped you lose that weight you complained so much about. Is this truly how you repay me?"
He pulled a rose from... somewhere, and smelled its sweet aroma. He didn't break eye contact for a second. Was it joy or fury that poisoned his heart? His pupils dilated and pulsed like that throbbing heart.
"Monster? Perhaps you should speak to her more softly then. Monsters are dangerous, and lately, I find there are too many lurking in the night. You will tell me where they hide, or I promise I will destroy everything you ever loved... if you are capable of doing that."
-
Lulu
"And You will stop running that mouth of yours Vega."
She turned back to the criminal and smiled in the most reassuring manner she could, while also working her aura to have a calming effect on him. "Do not worry, I will not let him do anything to you anymore, so please will you calm down for me and tell me what happened?" Her hands were still remained on his body, even though the healing was done.
"Please go along with it Vega, I am playing into his base desires here. If that kind of torture did not break him, then perhaps the touch of a woman will." This thought was of course only shared with her companion.
-
Vega
Vega... blinked.
Of course I know that.
He swayed his hip lightly and cocked his head.
I just like watching him squirm.
-
Zeke
His wide wolfish grin only flashed wider as his foot impacted against the earth. A violent explosion later, he took off, the chains coiling beneath where he stood like snakes. His arms, his feet... his body burned with the vigor of a wild untamed star, fired off with great force to propel him.
But they did not relent. His speed had reached the domain of sound, but the chains still did not yield. He moved past trees and buildings, trying to outrun the chains as he approached the sky faster and faster. The wind bashed against his head, his hair, his smile... It was like piloting a jet plane. It felt absolutely exhilarating. Even as every turn, the chains got closer and closer...
Analyzing threat trajectory. Chance of succesful interception: 87.5% Threat level rank five. Calculating possible trajectories.
Chance of preserving vessel integrity: nil.
But just as one of them grazed his arm, his form vanished like a flame- and burst forth even faster than before! Shattering the sound barrier completely, the comet zigzagged out of control like a bullet. Ricochet flying, preserving top speed while turning at extremely sharp angles. Normally, a technique like this was impossible for humans, as the impact of the force would cause tremendous Gs, let alone while breaking the sound barrier.
But Zeke didn't stop, and he was getting closer and closer to Aruna, evading the chains with impossible angles. But that wasn't what was shocking. He ddid already display tremendous speed, though this technique was extremely difficult and straining, that wasn't what would shock her.
Their eyes met. How did he even see her? Could his eye somehow pierce her perfect darkness?
No.
She'd only find that answer within herself.
Yang
Yang clenched his teeth as her skull impacted with his. No living organism could withstand such blows, let alone dish them out. Even the ground was trembling and breaking from their struggle.
These two fighters had already transcended natural organisms. This was a battle between monsters.
Blood drops were spewing out of their bodies, hovering around them in slow motion. Stares and spirits locked, and he began his resistance. Using her position, he pulled both of them closer, as if he wanted to challenge her grapple further-
The shockwave had already penetrated far past her back. A single drop of blood splashed against the ground. Was it his own, or hers? It didn't matter. The force that focused on that single point in her gut was spreading like an explosion all over her bones, before punching straight into her brain, rattling her nerves. It was like being run through by a drill-lance. He barely even lifted his knee. A movement like this wasn't possible!
"Sorry, I'm done screwing around. How about you show me what you're really worth punk?"
It was just a full-contact close range knee to the gut. Nothing more. But he released his grip a moment, if only so his fingers could smack down against her arms and send an impact so piercing it'd shake off her hold.
-
The Criminal
"Friends don't just, just do what you did!" But indeed, Lulu's efforts kept the man from breaking down in tears of rage and fear, and instead merely trembling with wide eyes full of both. "I... I was just doing business, like usual, and he came up to me! I thought he was a customer but he just used it to get close!"
The man clutched at his newly regrown arms, as if hardly able to believe they were back. A shudder went through him yet again.
"That's all there is to it!"
-
Lulu
"Are you sure you're not forgetting anything?
The blonde Angel leaned forward, still keeping up the reassuring act with both her appearance and her aura. If her benevolent aura wouldn't be enough to make him lower his guard then perhaps an added layer of sensuality would. Her blues eyes sought his and they showed a level of compassion you just didn't see amongst your average person in this city.
In truth she was peering past his eyes and directly into the window of his soul, searching for the memories that the conversation had surely brought to the surface.
-
Nanako
The headbutt landed cleanly, but before Nanako could recover, she felt an impact against the back of her leg. The shadow wound up with spiderweb cracks running through it when it hit her, shattering as it hit her, but it still gave the blondie an opening. An opening he quickly took, pulling her close and simply raising his knee up. The surprising force of it tore through her, bending the squirrel girl over his knee as she gagged with the air and spit blasted out of her, lifting her off the ground briefly. The feeling of a hot lance being shoved through her was met with something else, heating her up more and more as her eyes rolled up to meet his as a breathless moan slipped out.
Her grip loosened, Nanako fell back, dropping to a knee a few meters back, gasping for breath and grimacing at the brief taste of bile. His words gave her pause, however, the squirrel girl going still with one hand on the ground and the other on her bruised abs. She looked up at him, a gleam of recognition flashing as a wild grin split her face, gut-wrenching pain be damned.
Her first urge was to reach for the wings, make herself more maneuverable, better able to get through, but she stopped short, reaching out for that shard buried deep in her mind only to hesitate. A vision of wings and drenching torrents of blood and screaming flashed across her mind before she let go with a shudder.
"Man, whose deadbeat dad did you steal that line from?" Nanako shot back, putting both hands on the ground, fingers plunging through soft asphalt and concrete to get a solid grip. She forced herself to move, shoving herself further back and up to her feet while she tore sizable chunks out of the ground, hurling them right at the blonde with gunshot cracks, one after the other.
-
Lulu
"Are you sure you're not forgetting anything?
The blonde Angel leaned forward, still keeping up the reassuring act with both her appearance and her aura. If her benevolent aura wouldn't be enough to make him lower his guard then perhaps an added layer of sensuality would. Her blues eyes sought his and they showed a level of compassion you just didn't see amongst your average person in this city.
In truth she was peering past his eyes and directly into the window of his soul, searching for the memories that the conversation had surely brought to the surface.
The Criminal
"I... maybe? I don't..." The man's face scrunched up in confusion, and he began to sweat in a most pungent and terrible manner as Lulu's presence pressed him to try to remember. His mind didn't want to, didn't want to recall the reasons or details of the most horrid experience to which Vega had subjected him. But it was there - flashes of youthful flesh, metal coins and paper currency. A great gate, looming in his mind with wonders and horrors a low-minded mortal like him could scarcely imagine.
"... I just wanted to move some product..."
Young ladies, almost identical to one another like carefully crafted dolls, stared out from his eyes with nearly dead ones of their own.
-
Aruna
Right.
Left.
Diagonal.
Straight.
The chains followed his every move or seemed to. Higher and higher they followed him into the sky. Some chains emerged from the buildings to attack him, others from the trees. Most came from the ground below, some not even bothering to chase him.
All the while, the man smiled, soaring through the air like a bird. There was a moment, a strange moment where he locked eyes with her or at least appeared to. In that moment, time seemed to stop and there was nothing. Those eyes that seemed so free belied a soul that felt nothing, static. If the bird did not wish to be free, then she couldn't feel bad about this next part.
The chains which had been following Zeke at multiple angles had formed a sort of net in the sky. All the while the other chains not following Zeke had flown above him, hanging over him like a building ready to tip over. It all happened at once, the chains crashing down on Zeke like a wave, the net tightening around him. Aruna flew behind him, her arms morphing into blades. A slash came down, intent on cleaving through his spine.
A bird without passion might as well have its wings clipped.
"How dare you wear that smile as if it were your own."
-
Lulu
So the information was locked away, sealed even from the man himself. She could probably attain it regardless but she did wish to tear his mind asunder, this would require a more delicate approach. The sight of the women angered her immensely but she pushed that aside with a simple shove, she couldn't afford to show that right now. So she kept her gaze locked into his, and displayed the same unwavering kindnes as before.
"Any particular street you were moving them or neighborhood perhaps?" Whoever had done this to him had sealed some very specific memories, but younger people tended to make mistakes. Mistakes like not considering that your base itself still exists as a part of a greater whole no matter how hard you try to hide it.
-
Mira
Nexus Standard Time - 9:00 AM
Chaos had settled upon the outskirts of the Dojo District in its early hours. Reports of brutal beatings had quickly hit social media for the many people who got up early to practice their fighting styles and get ahead of the competition. A few posts from the local perverts had been gushing over a white haired warrior crushing them beneath her heel before discarding them like trash, but the rest were simple complaints about people who'd been on their morning marathons and ended up on the ground. It was on just such a morning marathon that Mira had the fortune to stop in front of her favorite cafe to check her phone and take notice of this.
And when she looked up, the white haired devil was standing across the street from her, blood staining her nails. Mira's nostrils flared at the sight of her, and she began to slowly put her phone back into her bag.
-
Vanilla
Vanilla clasped her fist, shaking the blood off of it onto the street.
"It's no good!" She shouted. "This is no good at all! I thought you lot were supposed to be strong!" She slammed her fist into her palm, sending a shockwave through the air, knocking a passerbye down. "But you all are just too damn weak!"
She reaaallly hoped her outburst would provoke somebody, anybody, worthwhile.
-
Mira
Mira abruptly dropped her bag on a nearby table at the cafe, and leaped over the suddenly hurrying pedestrian foot traffic to stand mere meters away from the ranting battle maniac standing across the street. "Yo!" She shouted at the white-haired woman, glaring fiercely at her. The martial artist's muscles flexed and tightened, the ones in her legs covered by her tight running pants and the ones in her arms open for all to see. "Maybe if ya did this at a reasonable time you wouldn't have a problem, lady!"
-
Mira
Mira abruptly dropped her bag on a nearby table at the cafe, and leaped over the suddenly hurrying pedestrian foot traffic to stand mere meters away from the ranting battle maniac standing across the street. "Yo!" She shouted at the white-haired woman, glaring fiercely at her. The martial artist's muscles flexed and tightened, the ones in her legs covered by her tight running pants and the ones in her arms open for all to see. "Maybe if ya did this at a reasonable time you wouldn't have a problem, lady!"
Vanilla
Vanilla glared at her with a dismissive, superior sort of look that utterly put off anybody from her, at least, anybody sane. She radiated a sort of erotic aura, and one couldn't help but find her to be attractive.
"I know well that these places accept challenges all day and night.' She cracked her knuckles. "Will you be any better than the last lug, I wonder..."
-
Mira
If Mira was allowing her challenger's attractiveness to bother her in any way she didn't seem inclined to show it. Instead she rolled her arms in place, flipped her hair back over her shoulders in one smooth motion, and pointed up with her eyes. "How about this - ya leave the rest alone, and I'll meet you on the roofs."
Before her challenger could properly respond she took a standing leap up to the top of a nearby building, leaving cracks in the pavement beneath her as powerful legs pushed like pistons.
-
Mira
If Mira was allowing her challenger's attractiveness to bother her in any way she didn't seem inclined to show it. Instead she rolled her arms in place, flipped her hair back over her shoulders in one smooth motion, and pointed up with her eyes. "How about this - ya leave the rest alone, and I'll meet you on the roofs."
Before her challenger could properly respond she took a standing leap up to the top of a nearby building, leaving cracks in the pavement beneath her as powerful legs pushed like pistons.
Vanilla
Vanilla's eyes gleamed for a moment, staring at the damage left behind. "Finally." She muttered. Large, reptillian wings sprouted from her back, and with a might flap that brought on a great gust of wind, Vanilla shot up into the air, following Mira. "Feh. Are you sure the rooves won't collapse under the fury of our duel?"
-
Ezekiel
Left.
Right.
Straight.
Diagonal.
The bullet bounced like wildfire, soaring towards the heavens. As it did, the chains it evaded all this time coalesced, following him relentlessly. No, calling them chains would be a disservice at this point and calling him a mere burning bullet would be like spitting at the void. It was as if the night was trying to swallow a star from all sides. Bloody and dressed in wounds, his world upside down, the boy had pushed his luck and was about to be swallowed by the sea of chains. His limbs snapped back gruesomely by his bind's pull. "Damn."
He had nowhere left to run.
Her sword was to pierce his back cleanly.
And so the nightmare begins.
Yang
He waited for the lass to get back up, if only so he could kick her back down the curb again. But before he could, he heard something that made his spine chill and his face flush.
"H-huh!?"
Wait, no, no way! He must have heard it wrong! Haha, well, he was a healthy young man, in the heat of battle, of course, he'd imagine things like that! H-hey, why was she staring at him like that? Wait, no, this isn't what this meant right? He wouldn't be able to get married if she kept looking at him like that! Oh no! Nope nope nope!
If she hadn't taunted him, he'd probably had never snapped out of it. A blink later, and he snapped back to reality. Despite being invisible, his eye glowed with fiery retribution. Invisible, he struck first with a lunging strike!
Right past Nanako. Her hair just fluttered behind his movements. The crash behind her and the explosion was the one tell of his advance. However!
"This is much better, eh?" He flexed in the middle of the ruined car, ripened and burst open by his strong hands. No, the motor had been totaled, and the oil was pouring all over... all over him! The madman was using the oil in order to mark his presence! She could see him now, even despite the invisibility, because the motor oil was revealing his body! At the same time, the sky burst in a horrific black explosion of tendrils that washed away the stars.
Wait, did I do that?
WAIT WHAT!? He glanced behind him for but a second, a moment of distraction!
Ezekiel
She was rushing towards him. He could feel it. So before she could slash him... the abyss glanced back.
It wasn't that it was too fast. It was all a matter of timing. As she felt her weapons connect with something, a living horde of beasts crawled out- no, erupted out of the nether! And these countless creatures sundered the chains, gnashed at the magic, and rushed to shatter her energy, her body, her very spirit. To devour it all for their own. The call of the old world would have its answer.
A small glance, if she could afford it, would reveal Zeke's body, falling like a ragdoll... It was torn from the ligaments down, his arms and legs flailing like a bird's shattered wings. Her slashes had cleaved down to the shoulder and arm, but his heart was untouched. Faster and faster, he'd reach the ground and splatter spectacularly.
The bird would break its own bones instead of suffering its cage.
And the void in its heart was not an absence of a will. She could feel it now. The desire inside him. He wouldn't stop until he had everything, forever plundering until he was satisfied. He just looked up to where Aruna once was as he fell, with the same empty stare and emotionless smile. But there fire was rising.
-
Mira
If Mira was allowing her challenger's attractiveness to bother her in any way she didn't seem inclined to show it. Instead she rolled her arms in place, flipped her hair back over her shoulders in one smooth motion, and pointed up with her eyes. "How about this - ya leave the rest alone, and I'll meet you on the roofs."
Before her challenger could properly respond she took a standing leap up to the top of a nearby building, leaving cracks in the pavement beneath her as powerful legs pushed like pistons.
Vanilla
Vanilla's eyes gleamed for a moment, staring at the damage left behind. "Finally." She muttered. Large, reptillian wings sprouted from her back, and with a might flap that brought on a great gust of wind, Vanilla shot up into the air, following Mira. "Feh. Are you sure the rooves won't collapse under the fury of our duel?"
Mira
From her new perch atop a nearby store Mira was able to take in the sight of her airborne opponent. Aside from a slight widening of the eyes she didn't seem too concerned, but rather smirked. "I don't think our feet'll be touching the ground all that much." She took a loose stance that suggested a readiness to leap again at a moment's notice, but didn't visibly unbalance her enough to make a leg attack an obvious choice.
"Name's Mira. I'll ask yours once I've shown you some manners."
-
Lulu
So the information was locked away, sealed even from the man himself. She could probably attain it regardless but she did wish to tear his mind asunder, this would require a more delicate approach. The sight of the women angered her immensely but she pushed that aside with a simple shove, she couldn't afford to show that right now. So she kept her gaze locked into his, and displayed the same unwavering kindnes as before.
"Any particular street you were moving them or neighborhood perhaps?" Whoever had done this to him had sealed some very specific memories, but younger people tended to make mistakes. Mistakes like not considering that your base itself still exists as a part of a greater whole no matter how hard you try to hide it.
The Criminal
"Just from the Citadel, that's all!" But then he looked over his shoulder, past the vehicle the two of them had transported him in, as if concerned someone was about to appear right over his shoulder. "Weren't really sure who was gonna buy this time. Not a lot of... frequent repeat customers in this line of business, you understand."
He laughed nervously, with a hint of mania lurking at the edges.
"I'm kinda like a new car salesman. Work on commission."
But then his eyes shot back in Vega's direction, and he made as if to try to stand on his newly regenerated legs. He stumbled.
-
Mira
If Mira was allowing her challenger's attractiveness to bother her in any way she didn't seem inclined to show it. Instead she rolled her arms in place, flipped her hair back over her shoulders in one smooth motion, and pointed up with her eyes. "How about this - ya leave the rest alone, and I'll meet you on the roofs."
Before her challenger could properly respond she took a standing leap up to the top of a nearby building, leaving cracks in the pavement beneath her as powerful legs pushed like pistons.
Vanilla
Vanilla's eyes gleamed for a moment, staring at the damage left behind. "Finally." She muttered. Large, reptillian wings sprouted from her back, and with a might flap that brought on a great gust of wind, Vanilla shot up into the air, following Mira. "Feh. Are you sure the rooves won't collapse under the fury of our duel?"
Mira
From her new perch atop a nearby store Mira was able to take in the sight of her airborne opponent. Aside from a slight widening of the eyes she didn't seem too concerned, but rather smirked. "I don't think our feet'll be touching the ground all that much." She took a loose stance that suggested a readiness to leap again at a moment's notice, but didn't visibly unbalance her enough to make a leg attack an obvious choice.
"Name's Mira. I'll ask yours once I've shown you some manners."
Vanilla
"Hahaha. Alright. Don't say I didn't give you the option to find a ring."
She flew up further, waiting at a safe distance for the other woman to leap. Two glowing orbs of energy began to gather in her open palms.
-
Vanilla
"Hahaha. Alright. Don't say I didn't give you the option to find a ring."
She flew up further, waiting at a safe distance for the other woman to leap. Two glowing orbs of energy began to gather in her open palms.
Mira
The sight of what Mira's opponent was holding in her hands made her stare for a brief moment before she shot off like a rocket after her foe, leaving a dent in the roof.
"I really need to figure out that move out!" The martial artist shouted with a fierce scream, hands up and seemingly ready to either grab her foe - or her foe's attacks.
-
Lulu
So the information was locked away, sealed even from the man himself. She could probably attain it regardless but she did wish to tear his mind asunder, this would require a more delicate approach. The sight of the women angered her immensely but she pushed that aside with a simple shove, she couldn't afford to show that right now. So she kept her gaze locked into his, and displayed the same unwavering kindnes as before.
"Any particular street you were moving them or neighborhood perhaps?" Whoever had done this to him had sealed some very specific memories, but younger people tended to make mistakes. Mistakes like not considering that your base itself still exists as a part of a greater whole no matter how hard you try to hide it.
The Criminal
"Just from the Citadel, that's all!" But then he looked over his shoulder, past the vehicle the two of them had transported him in, as if concerned someone was about to appear right over his shoulder. "Weren't really sure who was gonna buy this time. Not a lot of... frequent repeat customers in this line of business, you understand."
He laughed nervously, with a hint of mania lurking at the edges.
"I'm kinda like a new car salesman. Work on commission."
But then his eyes shot back in Vega's direction, and he made as if to try to stand on his newly regenerated legs. He stumbled.
Vega
"What's the matter? Woke up on the wrong foot?" A grave voice billowed, neither mocking nor somber. It simply was. And yet, there was that same pleasant undertone, the same as before when they first met. "Come now, there's no need to be afraid. I promised her after all, I will not hurt you any further."
He held his palm up as if to reassure him. Calmly, ever so calmly. "I can't say I'm surprised. It's a district of rats."
-
Lulu
"Don't mind my.... companion, he has acquired sense of humor. You on the other hand are very lucky today."
Lulu leaned in, just enough that it was bordering on intimacy, the mirth in her cerulean eyes as she regarded him couldn't possibly be fake could it? Everything about her was like someone had decided to create the ideal of femininity and then give it form.
"Because you've had a very rare product land right on you lap, and now you just have to take advantage of it, it does meet your standards does it not?"
-
The Criminal
Before he could say anything Lulu caught it - not a desire for her as a woman, precisely, but an unutterable surge of avaricious need for what she could bring him in the context she spoke of. Flashes of wealthy, faceless clients, a seat at a table at the center of a great seal -
She felt the very memory of its image burn at her mind, repelled her from the man as if she had been physically struck.
The man collapsed back against the car in a daze.
-
Lulu
Jackpot.
Lulu hadn't been expecting the attack, her eyes widening for the briefest of moments before she regained control of her expression again and the smile calm look returned. The mental assault was quite pitiful, but she did actually have to act fast here, before her mental shields bounced the attack back at him and fried his mind. It wasn't too hard.
What was harder though was getting him functional again. She prodded his mind once more, nudging here and there to realign his mental pathways. She didn't really feel like waiting for him to come to on his own. For him it would most likely feel like a state of sudden hyper awareness, maybe even a case of divine inspiration, like all things suddenly fell into place. Hopefully he'd feel like going through with what he'd just thought of.
"Hmm I didn't quite get that, what do you think?" She asked the criminal calmly.
-
Nanako
Annoying as the invisibility was, she still knew where the blonde was, could still feel and smell him well enough to fight. It was a surprise then, when his next punch didn't meet with her face, but instead a nearby car, punching through the hood and tearing open the engine to spray him with oil.
Oh. Oh no, Nanako's breath caught at the sight before her, the throbbing ache in her gut sending familiar sparks through her, feeding a feeling that burned hotter and hotter with each passing second. Her face flushed, her eyes widened, her breathing grew heavier as she stared at him. She could feel that familiar dampness building, but there was only one thing on her mind right now. Even the sudden crack of void tearing open the night sky didn't pull her eyes away from him. From what she could see of his toned form through clothes loosened by their fight.
"Harder," she panted, closing the distance as a heated moan cleared her lips, long legs flashing out like a scythe with swift kick homing in towards his head, "More. Don't think I'll be finished just like that!"
Her form was perfect, despite the situation. Or perhaps even because of it.
-
Vanilla
"Hahaha. Alright. Don't say I didn't give you the option to find a ring."
She flew up further, waiting at a safe distance for the other woman to leap. Two glowing orbs of energy began to gather in her open palms.
Mira
The sight of what Mira's opponent was holding in her hands made her stare for a brief moment before she shot off like a rocket after her foe, leaving a dent in the roof.
"I really need to figure out that move out!" The martial artist shouted with a fierce scream, hands up and seemingly ready to either grab her foe - or her foe's attacks.
Vanilla
Vanilla drew her hands back, and then began hurling a volley of bolts at Mira, dozens of them at a time. They impacted the building and splintered the roof.
-
Mira
The world slowed slowed dramatically to her senses as she felt its chi seep in through every pore and chakra. It became all too simple to judge the positioning of the initial throws. A few missed outright, the demon misjudging the curved trajectory of Mira's leap. Others threatened to clip Mira, and she was able to straighten up and adjust her profile so that they brushed past. Her own long hair fluttered in the wind generated by their passing. And the last one? She flipped over it, stuck her foot on it to trigger the explosion deliberately, and allowed it to propel her even faster forward!
How fast can she maneuver like this?
A thought she put to the test with a ferocious, "Oryaaa!" that reached Vanilla's ears right before Mira was up in her face, threatening to drive her into a nearby building like a missile.
-
Aruna
Perfect.
The chains connected, swallowing him whole. Magic flooded into her body, feeling every muscle fill with his magical power. Her teeth sharpened, her arms growing just a tad bit larger. As she slashed his body, she felt truly alive. Of course, this wasn't really just her feelings but his. That smile wasn't fake. That creature truely was like the demons of old, so consumed by the rush of power, by greed itself that they could not help but desire to devour everything. No, maybe that was this creature's desires from the very start.
So the bird did want to break free of its cage after all.... If she was anything like a demon, then he knew the only way to break free of the cage was pain.
Still slashing through his back, she saw it, an explosion of darkness seemingly as big as the sun itself. Those strange creatures he summoned consumed her chains, flowing down into the earth towards her portals. Not willing to open for beasts, the portals closed. One rushed towards her, only to be skewered by a spike that emerged from her chest, hoisting it in the air above all of them. The spike dissipated into nothing, allowing the beast fall down next to its owners body, only for both to be met with spikes emerging from the portals in the ground, intent on skewering him everywhere but his vital points.
Of course, she knew it wasn't enough to kill him.
"I was wrong," she said, her voice echoing through the night. "You are not a fake human, but a demon like me. Such perverted greed. Tell me, why do you carry this light inside of you, this starfire?"
-
Yang
Wait what!? He recoiled before she even formed her strike, but it was when it came shooting towards him that he acted. Shifting his center of gravity ever so slightly, he tilted backwards and downwards using his knees, weaving past the kick by a hair's breadth. A bloody scratch spurted out of his cheek, flushed red and sweaty, but before he even noted it, his foot had shot forward like a stinger towards her liver, while his stance was lowered right after dodging no less. "Quit it, you're freaking me out!"
It was a trick he picked up from an Okinawan fighter. Apparently there's a branch of karate called the Shorin Ryu karate, focusing on kicks.
Their most deadly weapon is a kick that uses the centrifugal force of the leg as a whip, but unlike traditional kicks, it used something different: the toe.
From that angle, with enough speed and power, and the right conditioning, it could punch through like a bullet!
A dodge and a counter, it didn't get any simpler than that. No, this was a fight of basics, down to the very elementals of their spirits.
Zeke
Despite freefalling like a ragdoll, something caused that lifeless body to flip and move. In the blink of an eye, all wounds vanished from its form, and slowly slowing down by the end... he landed flawlessly on its toe, balanced perfectly on one of the countless spikes.
"Greedy? Perverted? That doesn't sound like any schmuck I've ever met!" He spread his arms jovially and grinned like an old friend. "But demon..."
Fwap.
With a shrug, he dropped his torn clothes and revealed his bare chest, utterly unscratched. But it wasn't the fact it was unharmed that was the most shocking.
Faces, dozens of them, squirmed beneath his back and heart, bulging and fading away as if trying to tear their way out of him. And yet, they didn't seem to be pained. No, it was merely a desire to be free. Free of all shackles, free of all bonds. The faces of the other 'himselfs' he had devoured as he traveled through spacetime. His past selves hunted down within parallel worlds and coalesced through his "paths". Faces like his, a manifestation of his own black heart. But even that was nothing compared to the glare he was giving off. At that moment, every light in their surroundings shattered, walls started to rot and crumble, and windows cracked.
The entire city block suddenly succumbed to a deathly chill as he glared at the heavens with pure hate. (http://darksidemoon.net/SMF_forum/index.php/topic,762.msg62553.html#msg62553)
"Don't you dare utter that word in my presence." Four black wings sprouted from his back, and with a violent flap he rushed upwards, accelerating every moment as flames began to form around him!
-
Lulu
Jackpot.
Lulu hadn't been expecting the attack, her eyes widening for the briefest of moments before she regained control of her expression again and the smile calm look returned. The mental assault was quite pitiful, but she did actually have to act fast here, before her mental shields bounced the attack back at him and fried his mind. It wasn't too hard.
What was harder though was getting functional again. She prodded his mind once more, nudging here and there to realign his mental pathways. She didn't really feel like waiting for him to come to on his own. For him it would most likely feel like a state of sudden hyper awareness, maybe even a case of divine inspiration, like all things suddenly fell into place. Hopefully he'd feel like going through with what he'd just thought of.
"Hmm I didn't quite get that, what do you think?"
Vega
Vega sighed. Ironically, despite subjecting Lulu to that intolerable drive, it seemed he was the one growing impatient in all of this. No, perhaps it was more like a cat's restlessness, unable to get a kick out of prodding at anyone was starting to tire him. And it was getting late.
"Unbelievable. To think the district that mainly deals in the slave trade would be responsible for such a thing. Who could have seen it coming? And what a bold revelation. I am truly, utterly shocked." He put a hand on his hip, talking in such a flat deadpan tone that one had to wonder if he was serious or if this was a sick joke.
"Fine. Let's just cut up everyone holding a high position then. If we go by process of elimination, we'll surely end up getting the right one eventually."
-
Nanako
Were it not for the heat building in the squirrel girl's core, Nanako might have appreciated the simple kick he lashed out at her with. Even so, she recognized she couldn't take that hit head on. A flare of excitement darkened her cheeks as Yang narrowly dodged, Nanako following through with her kick and just barely twisting out of the way of Yang's return blow. Letting out a breathless gasp as his foot tore a bloody scratch across her side, Nanako's momentum spun her all the way around so that her back was to him. She quickly broke any illusion that she was as vulnerable as most in this position, however, using the momentum to bring her tail around like a lightly padded wrecking ball of fluff and muscle, swinging it hard and fast at his flank.
"How about we get freaky, then?" Nanako shot back, snapping her head around to look back at him over her other shoulder with a wild grin, chambering her other leg as she did.
-
Lulu
Jackpot.
Lulu hadn't been expecting the attack, her eyes widening for the briefest of moments before she regained control of her expression again and the smile calm look returned. The mental assault was quite pitiful, but she did actually have to act fast here, before her mental shields bounced the attack back at him and fried his mind. It wasn't too hard.
What was harder though was getting functional again. She prodded his mind once more, nudging here and there to realign his mental pathways. She didn't really feel like waiting for him to come to on his own. For him it would most likely feel like a state of sudden hyper awareness, maybe even a case of divine inspiration, like all things suddenly fell into place. Hopefully he'd feel like going through with what he'd just thought of.
"Hmm I didn't quite get that, what do you think?"
Vega
Vega sighed. Ironically, despite subjecting Lulu to that intolerable drive, it seemed he was the one growing impatient in all of this. No, perhaps it was more like a cat's restlessness, unable to get a kick out of prodding at anyone was starting to tire him. And it was getting late.
"Unbelievable. To think the district that mainly deals in the slave trade would be responsible for such a thing. Who could have seen it coming? And what a bold revelation. I am truly, utterly shocked." He put a hand on his hip, talking in such a flat deadpan tone that one had to wonder if he was serious or if this was a sick joke.
"Fine. Let's just cut up everyone holding a high position then. If we go by process of elimination, we'll surely end up getting the right one eventually."
The Criminal
He wasn't coming to again anytime soon, but Lulu's attempt at rapid access at least allowed her to find something. Flashes of a street with a sign that said Tyre, where the man had felt a fierce sensation of greed. A warehouse, boxes piled high. Money. Lots of it, in stacks that reached above the man's bulbous head.
-
Aruna
Aruna felt her heart sink. That glare alone was enough to invite the fear of death to take up residence in her very soul. All the while, she smiled back at him. "There is no shame in being a demon," she said, her voice echoing through the night. Chains emerged from the ground, the trees, a sea of them, even more than before, all shooting straight at him from every direction. All the while she swooped downward, flying headfirst towards the darkness of the earth. "Here, let me show you a demon's pride."
"The endless fire grows, consuming all.
Carved from the endless void, I yearn for power!
As my body grows stronger, I find freedom!
As I find freedom, I yearn for salvation!
Light, oh so absolute in your power,
Feel the weight of everlasting darkness!"
A blade materialized in her hand, surrounded by a thick veil, all as the hilt settled in her grip. The darkness was thick now, thick enough to hide her form. The incantation would allow him to track her location through the haze. With the chains following his every move, the following blow may be what ends this fight.
"Feel the full weight of a demon's pride! There is no shame in being a demon. THIS IS THE PRIZED WEAPONS OF THE GUARDIANS, MY DARKNESS SWORD!"
Wherever he ended up, she would appear behind him, her body invisible, her slash palpable. It was the strongest possible power given to her by the darkness, a slash capable of cutting cleanly through a building like butter.
-
Zeke
The winged abyss gaped at the sky, wide-eyed at the chanting beyond. Even if she couldn't be sensed, this might was palpable. It wasn't something any brat could pull off. "This power... this darkness... impossible, it's like her power is increasing. Just what is this wretch made of?" He muttered in disbelief.
That moment fear caused him to stop. That one moment, it was already over. It wasn't even possible for him to react in time. Before he could even escape, a sword was already rushing behind him. He barely flinched and glanced black before the legendary blade sliced right through him. The world screamed, he screamed and everything before her slash was cut apart.
And her opponent disintegrated. At least, that was what should've happened.
But it didn't.
The winged figure just stood there, mouth gaping, but with no wound to show in the slightest. Until he shook his head and grinned smugly.
"Yknow, this was just a spar, not a deathmatch... " He was right in front of her. But the sword didn't even connect. All it sliced was a shadow, which was crumbling away. So why was he still in front of her!? "But that was five times now. There will not be a sixth."
Their eyes met. How did he even see her? Could his eye somehow pierce her perfect darkness?
No.
She'd only find that answer within herself.
A similar effect to her shroud was going on. No, it was different somehow. His voice came from all around her, but you couldn't point to any direction. No, it was more like an echo in her ears. It was as if the voice came from-
"Where will the broken cup share its fill?
When the storms screamed and the planets raged.
When did I touch your loving hand?
Where the blade collided and our dream came true.
So let us toast to the new world's flame.
Beneath the dark side of the moon."
"A captain's power... comes from the bonds he cultivates. Savor this. Our existence."
Inside Aruna. Dozens of spikes erupted from inside Aruna, gutting her organs from within. And right on her side, the sky began to crack, and she coul dsee Zeke's eye glaring at her.
-
Nanako
Were it not for the heat building in the squirrel girl's core, Nanako might have appreciated the simple kick he lashed out at her with. Even so, she recognized she couldn't take that hit head on. A flare of excitement darkened her cheeks as Yang narrowly dodged, Nanako following through with her kick and just barely twisting out of the way of Yang's return blow. Letting out a breathless gasp as his foot tore a bloody scratch across her side, Nanako's momentum spun her all the way around so that her back was to him. She quickly broke any illusion that she was as vulnerable as most in this position, however, using the momentum to bring her tail around like a lightly padded wrecking ball of fluff and muscle, swinging it hard and fast at his flank.
"How about we get freaky, then?" Nanako shot back, snapping her head around to look back at him over her other shoulder with a wild grin, chambering her other leg as she did.
Yang
Compact. If there was a way to describe his movements, it would surely be that. However, he didn't expect that blow in the slightest. A wrecking ball of fur and muscle, pounding straight into his side. A clean hit! A blow of this magnitude could easily pulverize stone, metal and even diamond!
However!
Yang did not relent! Against such surprising force, he did the unexpected, and turned his body limp! Doing that, he was thrown away like a ragdoll by the impact, but didn't suffer damage severe enough for a knock out! Instead, he used his reflexes to quickly tap the ground as he hit the pavement and rolled safely, immediately recovering his posture and taking a low stance! Amazing! Just who would turn out on top!
Incredible! Despite the pain, Yang's grimace looked more flushed than usual, and he grins like a warrior, spits blood, and readies his fist!
"Fucking nice. What's next, are you going to grow wings and smack me with 'em?"
There was a fair bit of distance! What would happen next!? Would she initiate, or would he pull something out of his sleeve!?
-
Nanako
The squirrel girl's eyes widened with momentary surprise as the blonde was sent flying by the tail whip, farther than he should've. She swiftly landed and skidded across the ground, never taking her eyes off him as they came to a stop in unison. The squirrel girl took a lowered stance reminiscent more of beast than man, before suddenly bouncing up to her feet, the sudden movement doing wonderful, potentially distracting things for her chest.
Incredibly, he'd weathered that hit well, only pausing to spit out a bloody wad before he readied himself again. Nanako felt a fresh thrill rushing through her at the sight, joining heat throbbing painfully through her with the damage she'd already taken. It overtook the jabs of pain and strain with a familiar ache in her core and a swiftly brightening flush spread across her face. The briefest shadow flitted across her face at the mention of wings, but the wanton fighter's eyes remained as bright as ever.
"Whaddya want wings for?" she quickly shot back heatedly, "Tail isn't good enough for you?"
As if on cue, Nanako exploded into motion! The squirrel girl heaved a chunk of the street she'd torn up earlier right at the smirking blonde, letting fly with a gunshot crack before darting in behind it. Far from just trying to pelt the man, however, she used the rubble to conceal her approach as she watched for a chance to strike!
-
Aruna
No resistance.
Aruna's eyes widened. The blade passed right through him as if he was never there. She floated in mid air, the sound of her wings flapping in the wind as she stood starstruck, stunned. "You really do fight like a demon..." she said, stunned he was still there, or rather a dark phantom of him. This sort of trick would freak out an average human, but to Aruna, this sort of tactic was nothing but an odd fighting style.
As that voice echoed through the sky, she noticed it, the spikes digging into her body, aiming for her vitals. The inside of her body shifted and changed shape. Her heart moved to her thigh, her lunges to her breast, anywhere but where the spikes could reach.
"Agh!"
Blood erupted from her lips, her wings freezing up as she plumeted into the ground. Her body crashed through two cars, creating a woman sized hole in both. Behind the cars, Aruna's still invisible body laid in a massive crater, landing just behind Yang.
"Funny," she said, her voice coming from that crater. Her voice was soft. It clearly hurt to talk. "You were the one who shot me that glare yet you say this isn't a deathmatch?"
-
Yang
Throwing something now? Aw, that was just cute! He smacked his fist in his palm as the street literally slammed into powder, cracking the entire surrounding corner down to its foundations! Incredible! No one could see a thing, the earth was shaking! The blonde man was nowhere to be seen! He, he had... NO WAY!
BOOM!
Burst right out of the floor behind her! Yes! Erupting out of the concrete like a shark ripping out of the water, and shooting the beastgirl down with a war glare! His grin was as wide as his appetite, as wide as his fist! His arms were stretched to his side, displaying utter dominance!
But how could he have done such a thing! Of course! The split second before the street chunk was fired at him, he used his dragon shot to pierce through the floor under him and entered the sewers! In less than a split second, he zipped and navigated beneath the fighting ground and repositioned right behind Nanako! And now, he was ready to bring her a world of pain! He was just about to start a rush of blows unlike anything in the world!
Shit uh... why is the sky falling?
...
That just made him want to punch something even harder.
Zeke
The draken vessel sighed and shook his head with a small smile, like an old man pitying a kid. "Welp. Now you've done it. Time to give you a through spanking boy."
And then a piece of the sky pulverized like glass, revealing a comet shooting out of the sky like an arrow. It zigzagged uncontrollably, accelerating, until-
REAL IMPACT
Before she even touched the ground, the armored boot had already punched straight against her spine, hitting it with the force of a burning truck... and the heat of the sun. Did she think he'd just let her land at her leisure? Sorry kiddo, this was his field now.
BOOM! BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM! BOOM!
BOOM!
Zigzagging without relenting, the wild star dragged the poor soul against his kick, rocketing her against walls and buildings from every side. In less than a few seconds, about five wide craters had melted and blown off skyscrapers walls, households walls, and streets of the district, and she was still pinned by the kick! No, as he was about to reach terminal velocity... they were about to land straight into the center of the Dojo's Coliseum. At that speed, her eyes would blow out of her sockets! Essentially, this was a combo of flying heroic blows that she was sandwiched in between, which due to Starfire had the spicy effect of burning her hopes away..
Picking on a wounded kid wasn't his style, but it's not like he had the pride to care.
She could see it through. His golden eye wasn't even bleeding anymore, but evaporating from the strain. His whole body was on fire, and his muscles, as well as his bones, were starting to carbonize! His leg also couldn't handle the impacts any better than she could, and was twisting and breaking just like her. However, the same was starting to happen to her, and would only get worse!
-
Vega
The masked man stood there a while. Ominous, under the moon, he thought. Reflected. Until an odd sound came from him.
A chuckle.
"Fu fu fu fu..."
His back trembled a bit, and he had to hold his finger against his mask... against his mouth, just to shush this feeling. But his eyes had a different kind of flame now. It wasn't a mad flame, but the ravenous feeling was unlike any common man's. Or maybe it was just the opposite. It was humanity, in all of its ambitious folly.
"FOrgive me, it's just hilarious. That fear was just pathetic. The way he was squirming against your flesh, it was just too rich." He shook his head, trying to hold his humor off and regain some composure, but his voice nearly cracked for a second there. He truly did find that scum's suffering enjoyable and humorous. It made him feel good. It made him bow to Lulu, for giving him at least a bit of amusement.
"It's almost comical. How does it feel Lulu, for someone to earnestly pray to you? To look at you the same way a human looks at God?"
-
Lulu
"Oh is that a hint of jealousy I hear?" Her glorious translucent ethereal wings shot out of her back once more, giving her a wingspan almost on par with a dragon. Her soft form hovered straight up into the air yet her wings, they weren't flapping, not even once.
She came floating over to Vega just high enough over the ground that she would be the same height as him. "My love extends to all the people willing to receive it, that includes you too, especially you."
The angel came in even closer and delivered a kiss to his cheek. "From now on I'll pamper you, for the rest of your life. Now then, let's continue our date at a more romantic scenery, but, will you let me drive this time?"
-
Nanako
Even with the concrete dust billowing up and obscuring her vision, she knew where the man had gone. She could hear him moving under her, the squirrel girl turning as he exploded out of the ground behind her. However, before she could bring up her guard again, the fallout of the other battle finally registered. It seemed like the sky was falling for the briefest of moments, but it was long enough for a couple of Yang's fists to strike home, a low shot to her bruised gut bending her forward just enough for the short follow-up to her cheek to blast her head back, faster than she could cry out from the first, almost faster than the burning pain and heat that followed soon after.
However! Nanako wasn't going to fall over just from that and she wasn't deterred, the squirrel girl managing to get another piece of rubble between them! Though her temporary shield exploded into dirt and concrete dust under the blonde's assault, Nanako used the reprieve to move to the outer edge of his range. From there, she launched back into the fray, keeping her distance as she let fly with a monstrous flurry of her own to meet Yang's, each blow accompanied by gunshot cracks as they left sluggish sound behind!
Indeed, it was as if the sky was falling around them. Broken chains, chunks of void-born sharks, and dying flames fell around the combatants, only to be blown away by the hurricane winds of their exchange!
-
Aruna
A plan..... What was her plan?
A crunch. A foot slammed into her back so hard, she didn't even register the blow. Her body was helplessly juggled in the air, crashing against building after building. There was nothing she could do but feel every sting from his kick and her body crashing against the wall. The once-proud demon had been reduced to a ragdoll, completely at mercy to his kicks. All the while, her arm had been hurting, stinging. When she get hurt there?
There was no plan, there couldn't be, not anymore. All that was left was to give herself to that....
But she could see it now. Ezekial's soul, his body, that phantom was gone, replaced by the real deal, a man just as broken as her. The ground beneath her back exploded, creating a geyser of rubble as tall as a house. With what could be her final act, she reached out and grabbed Ezekial's leg, her arm glowing with light. All the while, his calf was covered in a thick layer of shadow, connected to her arm. "You... There is nothing wrong with being a demon... There is nothing wrong with belonging to the darkness.... Well... maybe that is just me espousing my pride... I wish I were still just a humble demon.... But its about time I let myself truely become comfortable with my new identity.... After all... I... I don't think I can beat you like this...."
Yes, thats right. She wasn't just a denizen of the dark anymore.
As the dust cleared, the glow on Aruna's arm turned into a glimmer. That glimmer extended to her entire body, no Ezekial's body as well. The sheer force of the light engulfed them both, growing stronger and stronger. The overwhelming power of light erased the darkness surrounding Aruna, revealing to Zeke a shark-toothed grin and eyes bright with passion. "Tricks and lies are for the weak like us. In the face of the truth, all turns to ash! I won't fight you like a demon, but an angel from this point on. Lets hope our bodies don't burn into nothing!"
The light grew brighter and brighter, to the point that anyone in the colosseum would be blinded by the sheer intensity of the brightness. It was as if there was a star being born in the center of the stadium. Aruna couldn't achive this on her own. No, this was all thanks to the magic she had sapped from him. This starfire was as much a part of this light as her own mana. Yes, this was their bond.
The blade in her other hand began to shine, change, transform. No longer was it a gothic blade, but now an angelic weapon of absolute purity. Its hilt gleamed, the blade appearing as a force of pure light. The light, bright enough to stretch beyond the stadium, burned the bodies of those at the epicenter.
"Burn in the everlasting fire of evolution!" Yanking him towards her, she attempted slammed her blade into his stomach transform it into a massive mace and blow him to bits from the inside.
-
Vega
The man shrugged. "Why not? You've put up with my tedious nonsense."
Oh, it would be bad if that man woke up though. He held his finger up as if to tell Lulu to wait just a second. With that, he picked up the poor criminal, who happened to still be unconscious, and dragged him against the cold sand.
He'd later wake up underground. The Nexus sands made a graveyard far too good for such scum. Buried alive, he had ample food, water, and time to regret his deeds.
CONTINUED IN HIGHWAY 13
-
Ezekiel
Zeke's eyes looked down on the fallen thing with pity. However, that soon turned to shock as a blinding light ripped out of her veil. No way, it can't be! "Are you insane...!? If you use that in your current state, you'll annihilate us both!" He shielded his eyes from the light, too blinding for him to handle.
His winged form, blackened and seared, now looked no different than Icarus before the sun. And before he could even scream, the weapon was thrust into his gut.
"Uoooohhh....wooaaaaaahhhh!!"
Yang
Punches impacted against punches, pulverizing earth and metal before their strikes. Cars and nearby street chunks were flying into the horizon, unable to handle their collective power! The two seemed evenly matched in this exchange, until!
"Hah.." Impossible! He was overwhelmed! Before her flurry, he was starting to take more blows one by one! And against all odds, Yang takes a step back in the middle of this war field. He's wide open now, the strike will strike true!
HOWEVER!!!
Yang's body suddenly turned sideways. His shoulder tapped against her fist. This simple movement, despite all odds, carried enough force to strike against her cannonball strike, parrying it to the inside! Like thunder, he boomed and closed the distance, her arm thrown to the side- and stepped right on her foot.
I am grateful for this fight. Thank you.
She was in his range now. They were so close they could practically feel each other's breath. But staring right into her eyes was pure thunder. Time almost stopped, the two were surrounded by burning wreckage... chains and strange beasts falling from all sides.
And the dragon shot fires again. This time, the uppercut was irresistible. It would launch her straight into a building's wall!
The draconic vessel was overwhelmed by light, drowning in the pillar of purity. Inside, outside, everything was burning. His entrails were torn asunder. His heartbeat like a war drum. But even so, he endured. He fought against this light, commanding all the organisms within his power to charge against this assault, rerouting every ounce of his energy into defense. Barriers, shields, fortifications, lightning wards, protective curses, meager spells on their own. But together, this darkness fought against her light. Even so, despite this, Zeke burned!
Tendrils rippled inside his skin, searing fromm the heat before trashing outside his wounds. Outside his eyelids. Whatever spells sustained him, they were not human. And with an eye bulging out of its hole and his muscles shimmering, his vessel began to change as he spoke.
"Zeke! What are you doing!? Why aren't you consuming this light!? It should be easy for you to nullify such an attack... a weakling's last cry is trivial for us! Why are you taking unnecessary damage!? Answer me!" Madness trembled in one eye, swinging up and down and practically bouncing it's sight about like a pinball before fixating to... himself. On the other hand, his hair began to grow longer. Talking with himself, to himself... or to the abyss within. What the hell was going on?
"With all due respect, she is no weakling. To push us all this far, she's passed this little interview, wouldn't you agree?"
A split second seizure overtook Zeke, as his inside was still being ignited by the mace. His defenses were cracking, perhaps, but they restored themselves just as quickly. The darkness within him trashed, burned and screamed. The night was shaking.
"Zeke! I gave you this power! I did not allow you to throw your life away like this! This is an order, use your blackout and retreat!"
And yet... Zeke managed to smile.
"But if I do that... running away at every turn... I won't be able to surpass myself. This is a test. I must overcome."
And thus, darkness erupted from him. Not to consume her light, not to deny her this hope, but to affront her head-on with every magic at his disposal. Some even imitating Aruna's. Still, Zeke began to crack as he kept pumping magic to fight.
"Stupid! There is no place for pride! There is no place for sentimentality in our ambition! You must live, so we can fulfill our dream! Throwing it all away just to prove a point... stupid!"
And that's where his eyes glowed. For the first time, the fire inside him matched the fire in his soul, and he grabbed Aruna's arm, twisting her mace deeper inside him, causing even more damage to him. A fight with both bodies on the line. This way, he wouldn't deny the girl's shine.
"A real man... ought to be a little stupid sometimes...." And so, the many inside Zeke became one once more, and he pushed onwards, glaring down into Aruna's spirit with a crazed war hazed grin.
"WOULDN'T YOU AGREE, ARUNAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!?"
And now, even the light was starting to fade.
-
Amanda
If only these dumb Dojo Heads weren't so knuckle headed, seriously, who even calls for a gathering in the middle of the night? Probably someone who has an asinine philosophy of always being ready for a fight. Yeah that would fit right in with them.
It did lead her to an interesting sight. But what a shame it was, it looked like they were already about to wrap things up. two of them were of no interest to her, however!
The other two were unique existences worthy of study. If they thought they could hide behind their illusions, then they thought wrong, she saw through it all, and what she saw captivated her. Screw the rules, she couldn't let them end each other. Thus she waited while gathering all the mana at her disposal. She would wait her turn, and then swoop in as a great savior.
-
Mira
The world slowed slowed dramatically to her senses as she felt its chi seep in through every pore and chakra. It became all too simple to judge the positioning of the initial throws. A few missed outright, the demon misjudging the curved trajectory of Mira's leap. Others threatened to clip Mira, and she was able to straighten up and adjust her profile so that they brushed past. Her own long hair fluttered in the wind generated by their passing. And the last one? She flipped over it, stuck her foot on it to trigger the explosion deliberately, and allowed it to propel her even faster forward!
How fast can she maneuver like this?
A thought she put to the test with a ferocious, "Oryaaa!" that reached Vanilla's ears right before Mira was up in her face, threatening to drive her into a nearby building like a missile.
Vanilla
The demoness flapped her wings, ready to move even before Mira had leapt. She knew Mira was strong, she could feel it innately, and it made her wet. The big-breasted demon shot upwards only moments after Mira leapt, and she used this time that Mira was airborne to begin charging an energy attack.
-
Nanako
Nanako remained focused through the devastation they wreaked on their surroundings, unblinking in the face of the winds of their clash. The ground crumbled under their feet, slowing digging them deeper by the second. Her eyes sparked madly as exhilaration pounded in her veins as she started to push him back! However! Just when she thought she had him, when she spotted an opening and moved to carve into him with her next blow, the blonde managed to turn the blow to the inside! With her arms crossed, he darted in, aborting Nanako's attempt to retreat with a quick step onto her boot.
The way he loomed over her sent a shiver from her back to her core, the squirrel girl suddenly aware of silken dampness building between her toned thighs. She pulled her arms together to form a cross block, starting the mental countdown, and trying to lean back in the face of the strike she knew would be coming! The uppercut drove her arms into her gut, bending her over with a gag before launching her clean off the ground, spit and breath flying from her. The already-fading pain radiating from her bruised abs was swiftly met by the maddening heat rising up to match it, the squirrel girl latching onto that feeling as she flew through the air and towards a building. She turned in the air to land on the wall, only to crash through it into cubicle filled office space.
Swiftly catching herself as she tumbled to the floor, Nanako dashed off to the side, moving out of sight behind the cubicles. She opened a hole to the next floor down with a firm step before darting in among the honeycombs of white collar society. Nanako quivered with excitement and arousal as she found her spot and waited, within the cubicle of a man named Greg, who was no doubt proud that he could just roll back out of his cubicle for a view of the city marred only by the floor's printer.
-
Aruna
"Normally I wouldn't," she said weakly, her eyeball falling out of her eye socket. "But hey.... maybe thats your humanity getting to me...."
The massive light engulfing the stadium shrunk. The light which seemed to engulf all shrunk down to only the radius of the arena. The light shrunk even farther. No, it was gathering in the mace lodged deep inside of Ezekial's body.
The mace grew bigger and bigger, pushing mashing his internal organs into a paste. It grew big enough to threaten his entire torso. "In that sense... my work is done.... I... don't want to die yet.... not without.." she said, her body going limp on the ground, her remaining eye slowly closing.
-
Mira
The world slowed slowed dramatically to her senses as she felt its chi seep in through every pore and chakra. It became all too simple to judge the positioning of the initial throws. A few missed outright, the demon misjudging the curved trajectory of Mira's leap. Others threatened to clip Mira, and she was able to straighten up and adjust her profile so that they brushed past. Her own long hair fluttered in the wind generated by their passing. And the last one? She flipped over it, stuck her foot on it to trigger the explosion deliberately, and allowed it to propel her even faster forward!
How fast can she maneuver like this?
A thought she put to the test with a ferocious, "Oryaaa!" that reached Vanilla's ears right before Mira was up in her face, threatening to drive her into a nearby building like a missile.
Vanilla
The demoness flapped her wings, ready to move even before Mira had leapt. She knew Mira was strong, she could feel it innately, and it made her wet. The big-breasted demon shot upwards only moments after Mira leapt, and she used this time that Mira was airborne to begin charging an energy attack.
Mira
Her voice carried past Vanilla's ears with a distinctive doppler effect as she passed her. "... didn't sign up for a game of keep aw-...!'
Filled with the abundant energies of the world around her, eyes faintly shimmering with power, she allowed the force propelling her to carry her forward to complete her arc. Mira's prepared herself to land feet first, backwards, planting into the pavement and skidding back hard enough to carve furrows into the ground while scaring away any pedestrians.
She could see in painful slow motion as her white-haired opponent prepared some form of long-ranged attack. Not waiting for the demon to finish charging, Mira used the little time she had left to grab hold of the plentiful debris around her and begin her own ranged barrage!
"Try some of your own medicine!"
-
Mira
The world slowed slowed dramatically to her senses as she felt its chi seep in through every pore and chakra. It became all too simple to judge the positioning of the initial throws. A few missed outright, the demon misjudging the curved trajectory of Mira's leap. Others threatened to clip Mira, and she was able to straighten up and adjust her profile so that they brushed past. Her own long hair fluttered in the wind generated by their passing. And the last one? She flipped over it, stuck her foot on it to trigger the explosion deliberately, and allowed it to propel her even faster forward!
How fast can she maneuver like this?
A thought she put to the test with a ferocious, "Oryaaa!" that reached Vanilla's ears right before Mira was up in her face, threatening to drive her into a nearby building like a missile.
Vanilla
The demoness flapped her wings, ready to move even before Mira had leapt. She knew Mira was strong, she could feel it innately, and it made her wet. The big-breasted demon shot upwards only moments after Mira leapt, and she used this time that Mira was airborne to begin charging an energy attack.
Mira
Her voice carried past Vanilla's ears with a distinctive doppler effect as she passed her. "... didn't sign up for a game of keep aw-...!'
Filled with the abundant energies of the world around her, eyes faintly shimmering with power, she allowed the force propelling her to carry her forward to complete her arc. Mira's prepared herself to land feet first, backwards, planting into the pavement and skidding back hard enough to carve furrows into the ground while scaring away any pedestrians.
She could see in painful slow motion as her white-haired opponent prepared some form of long-ranged attack. Not waiting for the demon to finish charging, Mira used the little time she had left to grab hold of the plentiful debris around her and begin her own ranged barrage!
"Try some of your own medicine!"
Vanilla
"Yaaaah!" She yelled right back at her attractive, purple-haired opponent. She felt something stirring as she stared at her large breasts, her toned stomach, her firm legs...
Arousal and battle fury mix together into one wonderous feeling as she fired her charged beam at Mira. The brilliant yellow blast of magic blasted towards the woman, followed by an acrid stench of the air being vaporized.
-
Yang
Yang slowly, decisively walked forward, battle pumping into his spirit. He walked up to the door of the office building, waited in line for the receptionist, and got the guest pass he needed in order to enter the premises. Then, he walked up the west wing elevator, pressed the button, waited a while for it to come down, then helped an old lady out of the elevator. Meekly, he bowed and walked into the elevator, so he could reach the top floor.
"Excuse me, have you seen a squirrel lady? About this tall? Dresses straight out of a magazine shoot?" He asked an office worker powering through his work before the deadline. Sadly, he just shrugged, not even sparing Yang a glance. "Perhaps try the east wing, third floor."
Politely, and kind of embarrassed, he bowed. "Sorry, my bad. And uh, good luck."
The office worker didn't even turn his head.
"Please kill me."
All around Yang, dozens of workers just kept typing, silently wasting away. "Sheesh, this is kind of getting me down now."
10 floors. TEN FOOKIN FLOORS! Jesus christ could they make this place less of a maze!? Okay, maybe he'd just need to check one more time.
He meekly apologized to the businessmen for being in the way as they exited the elevator, then entered. Surely she'd have to be somewhere.
An office cubicle phone suddenly rang next to Nanako. It had taken a bit of a while, but the question was whether she'd answer it or not.
-
Zeke
"Haha! I haven't had such fun in ages! The corporeal world is the best!" He laughed maniacally despite his intestines being torn to bits. No... because he was being torn to bits. His magic was getting fiercer as well, glowing with all sorts of colors while containing her weapon and energy away from him. No way! Did she steal it!? This is getting so interesting...
"Urgh-!" But suddenly, something turned wrong. Layers upon layers thrown out, the very essence of quantity could surely keep up with her energy. The problem was that he focused solely on that, he neglected the simple fact that a physical force could still break this.
Fill a balloon enough, and it'll pop. And the mace just kept growing and growing. At first, he could contain it, until there was simply no room for it to grow. Compression, the accumulation of energies. Even Zeke's expression now looked like a mix of marvel, joy, and panic. Too big, it was simply getting too big! Hahaha! Hah...haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!
And then a burst. The mace, his magic, the light, all of these couldn't be trapped forever. The shock of the sudden expansion caused his forbidden spells to explode outwards along with her mace, ripping his whole lower body apart. Much like if he was suddenly hit by a comet, his torso and his legs cleanly split off from one another- an explosion unlike anything either had unleashed. And so the burning man, now charred like coal, flew in two completely different directions. Aside a vague shape, the now stretched out hair was the only indication he ever looked human.
Blown back the arena, his legless torso hid his expression from Aruna. even if she could see it from where she stood, it probably wouldn't even be recognizable.
Staring off into some unknown distance, Zeke winked.
-
Vanilla
"Yaaaah!" She yelled right back at her attractive, purple-haired opponent. She felt something stirring as she stared at her large breasts, her toned stomach, her firm legs...
Arousal and battle fury mix together into one wonderous feeling as she fired her charged beam at Mira. The brilliant yellow blast of magic blasted towards the woman, followed by an acrid stench of the air being vaporized.
Mira
There was a moment between the blast being fired, and the blast actually reaching where Mira was right at that moment. In that moment Mira tossed the last bit of debris in her hand, angling it to pass over the beam and toward Vanilla's eyes. The very same instant she let go of it the martial artist bolted faster than any human eye could keep up, passing under the blast with a skid that ruined the underside of her shoes and giving her the perfect moment to move into position under her foe.
She'd leap up and grab onto those perfect looking legs!
-
Nanako
Nanako waited with baited breath, listening for the telltale sounds of a long-haired blondie flying through the air or landing inside. She waited with her heart pounding in her ears, her veins flooded with a deliciously throbbing mix of pain, pleasure, and anticipation. The thrill of the fight had her in overdrive, the squirrel girl twitching and trembling every now and again as she waited, each second dragging on for a small eternity unto itself. The punchgaunts settled in on her hands as she waited...
But there was nothing. No sound of that fit blonde flying through the air after her, no tell tale mix of cologne and sweat from the rigors of their fight, not even a hint of whatever fragrant shampoo he was partial to. Frustration and confusion intruded on the heated squirrel girl like unwanted guests, slowly cooling the heat pounding in her head and leaving her damp and wanting. As the sound of her own pounding heart faded, Nanako realized that her cubicle was occupied, as was the rest of the office, countless fingers tapping away at keyboards and clicking mice.
The punchgaunts melted away into nothing, the squirrel girl dismissing them as she realized the battle was on hold for now, with all these people around. The numerous aches and the delicious throbbing that accompanied them had faded by now, fresh embarrassment filling her face with a heated blush as she looked around.
What's taking him so long? Oh no, did he get lost?
The moment she stepped out of the cubicle, however, the phone in the cubicle across from her started ringing. Curious, Nanako looked around for a moment to be sure that nobody was coming to answer it before zipping on over and snatching it up on the third ring.
"Heya, who's this?" she piped up breathlessly, tail flicking back and forth behind her as she tried and failed to keep her voice even.
-
Aruna
Aruna's vision finally faded into nothing, her consciousness finally lost to the void.
-
Zeke
Quiet. It was grim, deathly. Despite their scorched surroundings, there wasn't a single sound.
Dark tendrils grew from Zeke's lower body, followed by another one... and even more to follow. His upper body too, bubbled until darkness seeped out of it. Dark tentacles crawled from all sides and touched one another. Paths connected, bonds were made, and forces from another dimension brought the two halves together. Zeke's wounded body, still barely reattached, shook as if possessed, before his arched body raised itself up.
"Man, you really pushed me on the ropes~<3 If I didn't blow my spells up in time, you could have reached my heart." Zeke licked his lips. These forbidden energies acted like glue, and repaired his body in ways healing magic could not. But at the same time, it didn't quite heal him. Zeke couldn't deny... he had received substantial damage.
But his body was completely fine. The darkness only had to touch him a few times, a handful of seconds only, and he looked good as new- his now very long hair aside.
"If this were a straight fight, you'd have won. But when it comes to attrition, it looks like I'm still not half bad. Be proud of that, angel. Your kindness has spared my life... and allowed me to evolve further." At that moment, he truly acknowledged Aruna as something fearsome. He walked closer to her, slowly, despite the pain in his body.
GATES OF SIN
Now he just loomed over her, a hand brought up to his side. With his black magic, seven living swords were created, each to destroy her for good. He looked down on her with sad pity.
"Let me give you a warrior's last rites."
-
Yang
"Um, hello? Oh hey, it's you right? Phone line's kind of shit."
There was an awkward silence that lingered like death.
"I'm kind of lost."
More importantly, Aruna's magic dissappeared suddenly. He guessed it might have been some time limit, but somehow he had a bad feeling. I hope she's alright.
-
Amanda
"Hell No!"
Amanda appeared right above of the mutated blob of darkness known as Ezekiel and delivered onto him a drop kick unlike any other the world had ever seen. The Chief of Pine Garden had thrown all pretenses of being mage out and engaged him physically as she upheld the traditions of this place.
She landed on all fours but didn't let something trivial like that stop her. "Attacking a downed opponent? How disgraceful, You should be ashamed! Pick on someone your own size you stupid sewage brain!"
-
Zeke
Suddenly, something heavy slammed right on his head, causing his body to hunch down from the impact.
The smoke from the blow revealed... no bruise whatsoever. He brought his face up to look at the girl. Due to the damage he sustained, he couldn't quite see her features. His sight was extremely blurry right now, at least until he fully repaired his nerves.
"That hurt.... my feelings at least." He put a hand on his hip- and smiled.
The swords just dissipated. He wasn't actually planning on killing anyone tonight.
"Nice kick. Where did you learn that technique?"
-
Nanako
The squirrel girl's face fell as Yang spoke, the prospect of the fight being delayed more even slowing her tail for a moment. It only lasted for a moment, however, the prospect of continuing their fight all the same enough light sparks in her core all over again.
"Alright, do you know which floor you're on?" Nanako said eagerly, ready to fight him some more to make up for the damage that had already healed.
-
Yang
"Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..."
There was an awkward silence.
"Fifth floor. I think? Um, sorry, I swear I thought it'd be easier."
-
Nanako
As much as she was torn between wanting to ride him until he popped like a bottle of champagne or fight him until they were both bruised and bloody again, the awkward silences filled the squirrel girl with a strong urge to punch him in the face. Still, at least he knew which floor he was on. She was sure it wouldn't be too hard to find him from there.
"Alright, I'll be right down there," Nanako said.
Why are these places so easy to get lost in?
It turned out to indeed be that hard. The cubicles were maddeningly identical from the outside, the dizzying array of white collar mediocrity leaving her head spinning a little as she navigated the cubicles. She couldn't move too fast either, lest she knock someone over with the simple force of her passing. In the end, the squirrel girl had to rely on her sense of smell to find Yang, that familiar scent of shampoo leading her to a familiar head of golden blonde hair. The squirrel girl looked almost haggard for a few moments before life came back to her eyes as the sight of him properly registered, covered in sweat and motor oil and blood all mixing together to light a new heat in her core.
"Heya, finally found ya!" she piped up, her own body free of injuries by now, marked only with sweat, arousal, and dried blood.
-
Amanda
"In asskicking land."
She'd finished drawing the rune on the ground now while he was distracted by his apparent blindness, with a final flick of her wrist it activated and sprung her trap upon him.
"I think a nice little set of space and sky runes will hold you place for a little while don't you agree? Oh and don't even try to switch out, I tagged you to the barrier when I hit you. Now then...."
She stood up and looked over at the downed girl.
"What to do with you."
-
Zeke
Figures.
"Wha!?" Before he could, magically bound his body to that perimiter. Space and sky runes? That was... actually pretty original. He collected his composure as soon as he lost it, if he actually lost it.
"Yep. That would do the trick." Runes were a good choice. Destroying the energy source was simple enough, but engravings would cause the effect to persist regardless. He had to give her props for that. "So a fighter and a scholar huh. Cute."
And with that, he whistled a little tune. "You sound like you're planning something devious. Oh, who am I kidding. It's definetely devious."
He moved around, testing the limits of this little trick. if he could, he'd try to tap the end of the barrier.
-
Amanda
The barrier while completely see through did flare up as as a translucent field the moment he tapped but nothing more came out of it, nothing besides a dreadful feeling. A feeling that this wasn't just a general purpose barrier but something specially tailored for him and him only.
She smiled brightly at the comment, a bright burning smile that could turn him to ash at any moment. "Don't think I'll let you go just because you call me cute stupid. Now be a good boy and stay put or I'll have to punish you."
Amanda then kneeled by Aruna's side and made a show to look over injuries. It was completely unnecessary though, she'd gotten everything she needed with a glance but there was no reason to give that away now was there?
She nodded to herself and then chanted in an inhuman tongue that perhaps only someone like Zeke could understand. Aruna's body began glowing faintly with a green hue and the mage stood up again, ready to deal with the other miscreant.
-
Zeke
"D'aw. So you weren't going to let me go? How heartless." He sounded truly, genuinely hurt by the prospect. Really.
"I like that in a woman. And hey, how often do I get the special VIP treatment?" He sat down and stretched his muscular arms behind his back.
-
Amanda
She tilted her head in wonder, as if she was seriously pondering what he had just said. "I dunno...probably every day. You look like you'd be more than a handful to deal with,so I pity your master."
Then Amanda just stepped past the barrier like it was the easiest thing in the world, which it was. It wasn't meant to hold her after all. Then she kneeled by his side and pinched his cheek with seemingly no care in the world. Well there was care, all the wrong kind of care, the eyes madly sparkling with insane curiosity kind of care.
"Say how much mana do you really need?"
-
Yang
"Uh, hey!" He waved, blood and bruises and all. "Aruna's magic isn't doing its thing on me. You don't think she's in trouble, do you?" He asked her sort of casually, hiding his worry.
-
Zeke
Zeke frowned like something was wrong. She got way too close, and more importantly, he was starting to regain his sight.
And then she was right up his face, and his eyes widened. Only a bit after did he relax a little.
"No, nevermind. You looked like someone familiar. I gotta say, you've got pretty good entourage if you're already clued in on that. Hehe, now I feel like I'm on the losing track of the horse race." He looked away, hiding his flushing face. Now he was just getting actually embarrassed.
"Mana's really not an issue right now though. It's this little shell that's giving me hell." He pounded on his chest with his fist. "What good is rocket fuel if you're working on some vintage model? Besides, we probably don't use the same measurement system, so what good would answering do?"
But hiding behind all these expressive or unexpressive eyes, something similar to her mad sparkle. It wasn't unlike curiosity, but it wasn't a scholar's more than a cat's, who just found a city-sized mouse to play with. It was as if he were watching a tv show. He didn't see her as a person in the slightest. Just a novelty to throw off his boredom. Even that impromptu scare was a welcome addition to his collection.
"I could use a snack though. How about I just take as much as I need?" He grinned like a smug shark.
-
Amanda
"You're handling the charm pretty well too, curious." Her eyes flashed purple as her gaze trailed across his form, his true form, and nothing else. Her gaze pierced deep, deeper than anything had ever pierced him and as it did her grin got wider and wider until she was openly giggling.
"How cute."
She pulled up half a dozen vials from her pocket. How they fit was a mystery in of itself, one that would go unanswered as the mage immediately begun mixing them without a care for for his threat, did she even catch on to the threat?
"Eating me would be really inefficient, no I have something much better for you...here."
Amanda shoved the final mix into his mouth with the same mad care as all else.
"Have a taste of the old you~"
-
Zeke
The slightly blushing lad blinked when she popped the bottle in his mouth... only for his expression to wrinkle and sour. He drank the whole thing, of course, but then just spat the bottle away from him.
"Bleh. Have you ever had to eat your own leg girl? If you were going to go for that, you could have at least hidden the taste in something pleasant. This is just vile- and in more ways than one." He crossed his arms and pouted, clearly giving her the disappointed uncle stare.
"Eating my own kids won't nourish me in the slightest. Though I guess I should thank you for bringing them back home. Wait, hrm..."
He paused, perplexed for a moment. He wasn't able to connect to that the same way as with the others. And then it dawned on him.
"Wow, amazing. You actually managed to make something useful." He was actually genuinely impressed. He felt his self-healing in a more fundamental manner than before. With this, he processed and nurtured the wounds he wasn't able to heal physically... until a dark aura seeped from him.
He flexed his hand and grinned. "Woah, I get it. Pretty perceptive. The effect won't be immediate though." He got up and ruffled the crap out of her hair like she was his lil' sis or something, before pulling her in a bear hug and giving her a big smooch on the cheek.
-
Nanako
Nanako barely gave Yang any time to finish, quickly zipping up to the blonde and leaning in close, breathing a little heavier as she caught his scent again. Then what he said registered, the squirrel girl stopping short so completely that even her tail stopped moving.
"Wait, you were being boosted by magic?" Nanako said, despair encroaching on her for a moment at the idea that the man couldn't actually hit as hard as he had been. That lasted for all of a moment before she remembered that he'd only seemed to get faster in the middle of their fight and that he hadn't pulled out of the grapple even then until later.
"Hm, she looked like she could handle herself," the squirrel girl said after a short pause, "So can you still hit that hard without it, right?"
-
Amanda
"Of course I'm amazing, you should be thankful I a gave you that for fr--uumpfhh."
She didn't resist his bear hug whatsoever but the gaze from her cerulean eyes turned flat just then. The mage was clearly unimpressed with his behavior. "Stop fucking up my hair or I'll fuck you up. Just look at how easily I could fix you, now imagine how bad it'll be if I try to hurt you. I've seen you, all of you." She wasn't even whispering anymore, no Amanda was practically gloating at this point.
-
Zeke
The jovial man stopped short entirely, freezing like a statue. If she could see it, she'd recognize that oh so very disappointed look.
"Yes, yes, never heard that one before. Very original, great delivery, keep it up."
He flipped her upside down without a care and just stared straight into her eyes.
"And honestly, it's not like I'm hiding my nature. Good job I guess? Here, why don't we test your theories a bit?" For a moment, something in his eyes lit up.
And Amanda's spirit felt like it was searing. RIght in the middle of a dragon's jaw. A terrible star forge from beyond. There was no pain, only the heat of the old world's flame.
"Who am I?" He asked her calmly, perhaps even genuinely curious on what she figured out.
-
Amanda
Amanda looked equally bored even as she was flipped around and brought into the jaws of the cosmic dragon itself. Surely this man didn't expect to be frightening after she had seen him through so thoroughly. Oh that's right, she was getting ahead of herself here. He wouldn't yet know what she knew, and she he didn't know what she knew then there was no way for him to know how he was the one actually under the microscope now.
Her cerulean eyes flashed purple once more as she looked up at him, past him, through him. All the way to-
"Which one of you? The dragon? The stars in the night sky? that black abyss crying out to be filled, the voices in your head that won't ever stop and give you the silence you so utterly crave. You are the one who are many, yet you are one. But as the sun sets, you aren't even you anymore."
-
Zeke
His eyes narrowed menacingly, and he did something oh so terrible to the poor damsel.
He dropped her.
"Not bad, not bad at all!" He crossed his arms, looking a bit surprised. No, it was more fair to say he had the chills. "That's exactly right. I'm not a single form, but a composite life form drawn from the force of many. You could say that I am the death of individuality. But really, there's an even simpler way to put it."
He held a hand up, fingers stretched out to the horizon.
"Five."
He held out a fist, shut like a hammer.
"One."
And he peered riiight into her pretty eyes.
"Which one's stronger?"
-
Amanda
Unsurprisingly he dropped her, she'd been prepared for something like this though and before she even hit the ground a gentle gust of wind picked her up. The winds flipped her over and put her down just as gently on her feet, and through it all her skirt clung to her legs and preserved her modesty.
She made a show to brush her jacket off, even though there was no dust on it. Perhaps it was part of some ritual she wasn't divulging, even a calming charm may be a charm unto itself. only a fool would disparage systems that seemed trivial or simple in nature.
"Five is stronger than one."
When he meet her gaze she stared back without blinking, and her eyes glittered with appreciation, the slight changes in color broadcasting her mood.
"But two is stronger than five."
The nuance shifted once more.
-
Zeke
"Hah. Sounds like something one of your chiefs would blabber." He snickered, looking down on her like a kid. No, he didn't underestimate or belittle her. He simply found such an innocent way of thinking charming.
"One. One army, a real army, under one leader, following one flag to the end of one dream. A purpose." He raised his fist to the sky and flared like a star. His eyes... they looked truly ravenous then. "Your purpose died years ago, girl. Protecting people? Keeping the peace? Don't make me laugh. This... peace has done nothing more than divide and weaken this citadel. If you were one, you could have already reached beyond the stars. There are things out there far more interesting than dusty old library books or dissecting mice."
It was a tragedy, really. He never could see with the people eye to eye on that. He hoped at least a little, she might.
"But you are right. Two would be the best hand right now. What do you want to play it for?"
-
Nanako
Nanako barely gave Yang any time to finish, quickly zipping up to the blonde and leaning in close, breathing a little heavier as she caught his scent again. Then what he said registered, the squirrel girl stopping short so completely that even her tail stopped moving.
"Wait, you were being boosted by magic?" Nanako said, despair encroaching on her for a moment at the idea that the man couldn't actually hit as hard as he had been. That lasted for all of a moment before she remembered that he'd only seemed to get faster in the middle of their fight and that he hadn't pulled out of the grapple even then until later.
"Hm, she looked like she could handle herself," the squirrel girl said after a short pause, "So can you still hit that hard without it, right?"
Yang
"Oh, yeah. Totally. It wasn't a major difference anyways, the dirt sandwitch's still getting served." He took a fighter's stance. "Hope you got room for dessert." And so he rushed at her, ready to unleash a machinegun flurry of jabs.
-
Amanda
"Hah...."
The breeze picked up just a tiny notch to match her rising laughter.
"Ahahaha..."
The shadows grew, the darkness darkened beyond the limits of comprehension. A trap had been sprung.
and he was the one who had sprung it.
"..Ahahahahahaahahahahahahha.."
"To think you ideas would be so....so limited. The one will fall before the five every time, it's fist will never punch through. But two, two will cut it."
Her eyes were fully purple now, lit up completely as strange patterns swirled through them.
"Do you have the strength? to grasp that which lies beyond power and become the two that will cut through the five?"
-
Nanako
The sparks lighting in her core turned into a full on blaze as he said that, the squirrel girl bursting into motion as he took his stance. Contrary to what he said, he seemed slower now, but she was past caring now. She simply leaped up as he moved to attack, her legs opening as she went up only for the thighs to clamp shut around the blondie's head. Without pause, she threw herself back, trying to pull him off the ground with the sheer momentum and her leggy grip on him.
"Speaking of desert," she moaned back at him, as she tried to toss him to the ground with a sudden hurricana!
-
Yang
"Wha-MHPHHHRHHGHHHFFF!!" A sudden blur evaded his rush, and the next thing he knew something horrible gripped on his face like a vice.
Repressed childhood memories of that one time he stayed up late to watch Alien resurfaced. A facehugger!!
Incoherent screams echoed as he stumbled through the hurricana and tried to punch her waist like he never punched anything ever.
-
Zeke
"Wha? Oh- ooooh. Okay, okay. I get it now." He looked at her wide eyed like a kid looking up to a big sister.
Two rocket fingers shot straight up her eyes, propelled by starfire. A super fast, regular eye poke. She could not use a palm to guard, no, only a fist!
-
Amanda
Swooooooosh.
His fingers flew through empty air as the woman he was aiming at simply disappeared without a trace, no sound and no flashy lights, she was simply gone.
"Nice try, but you can't surprise me with your paltry tricks. I know what you're gonna before even you do."
The voice was right behind him but surely she couldn't have moved that fast could she?
"You're an open book."
-
Zeke
"Oh really?" A hot gleam flashed as he turned around, his elbow stretched with his palm open. He brought it down where the taunting voice came! Slash!
"Don't get cut flipping the page!"
-
Amanda
Swooooosh.
In the time it took him to turn around Amanda flicked two fingers up and the very earth itself answered her call, a mighty wall rose from the ground just in time to impede his slash completely.
"How cute. You're making me use two whole fingers to stop you." She wagged her fingers at him in the least threatening way possible, no she seemed more amused than anything. "Don't make me go serious, it would be such a shame to neuter you...Hmm, do you even have balls?"
-
Zeke
"Who knows?" His black eye flashed, and like an animal, his reflexes kicked in. He bashed on the wall before he ran on all fours over it, flipping over it in a single motion. Rushing towards her was the fallen comet, unleashing a flurry of hand jabs!
"I like to keep you guessing."
-
Amanda
Of course she felt him, even saw him move, her eyes were just on another level. It was a shame really, this might have been an interesting battle, might being the key word here. Unfortunately everything was against it being so, from his condition to how he was naturally disadvantaged against, but especially the location was against him.
If only they hadn't chosen a place with so much ambient energy lingering about after the clash between two powerful mystics, it almost made it too easy.
Mana Zone: Whirling Winds of Zephyr
Swiiiiiish-
The blades came at him from all directions, the back, the front, above, beneath. From this trap, no from this new battlefield, there was no escape.
-
Nanako
To Nanako's surprise, the hurricana went off without a hitch. Just as they left the ground, however, at that critical moment between them going airborne and slamming back down to the floor, a breeze brushed her stomach right before the blondie's fist drilled into it. Nanako gagged, her eyes widening and rolling back as she felt like she'd been impaled, far harder than anything he'd done to her previously. Spit and air sprayed from her mouth as his fist sank in, crushing her guts and spreading agony like fire in her veins. As the pain spread, so too did that heat flare up to match it, and between the edge she'd been pushed to by her previous bout and the frustration of the long break in between, the squirrel girl went screaming over the edge!
Her thighs clamped down hard around his neck as she went taut, harder than she was normally capable of for a moment, as her core clamped down hungrily on nothing. Bruise mottled abs tensed quickly after, pulling the two of them through the rest of the hurricana as she threw Yang down with explosive power in the throes of her orgasm, straight into the floor, and likely several floors after that!
-
Amanda
Of course she felt him, even saw him move, her eyes were just on another level. It was a shame really, this might have been an interesting battle, might being the key word here. Unfortunately everything was against it being so, from his condition to how he was naturally disadvantaged against, but especially the location was against him.
If only they hadn't chosen a place with so much ambient energy lingering about after the clash between two powerful mystics, it almost made it too easy.
Mana Zone: Whirling Winds of Zephyr
Swiiiiiish-
The blades came at him from all directions, the back, the front, above, beneath. From this trap, no from this new battlefield, there was no escape.
Zeke
(https://i.imgur.com/xc9fnvm_d.jpg)
What was loudest? His scream, or the wind's? And was it reflex that saved him or something else? Against the storm of storms, his body was pounded from all sides!
"Woah woah wooooooahh!"
Yes! He... he was utterly crushed. The force built up, causing bone to crack and muscle to rip until he gained the consistency of mashed potato. And then the force released, causing his body... Or rather the pulp filled skin to be hurled away...
Until he was slammed right in front of Amanda, crashing straight into the wall from before... cracking the stone all over.
But when the dust cleared, his body was already in the process of reforming. No, it was even faster than usual. That bastard... Was he growing stronger as he fought her!
"To think... I would be pushed so far... You are the real deal..."
He grinned, tried to bring his arm towards her...
"Why... Why cant I drain it? What the-"
Crushed, ground, reformed, crushed, ground... His body was swelling and breaking down like a cancer. Unable to suck the ambient mana, it was breaking down. "Damn... Brat..." Dark tentacles squirmed out of his body. Something was wrong about this. Who was he talking to?
"I've already absorbed it."
Who was talking?
Why did it look like something was trying to rip its way out?
-
Amanda
Amanda wasn't even paying attention to Zeke as she took deep breathes, her face was all scrunched up in pain. It hurt.
It hurt so much.
Her whole body was screaming in pain, like it had been torn apart and then stitched back together. The biggest drawback of using a spell on that scale had to be how she couldn't just turn off her nerves, so she had to fully sit through the whole ride.
She glanced over at his downed for-
Except he wasn't downed, he was morphing for lack of a better word but she felt like that couldn't quite describe what was happening and her eyes made sure that she saw everything, including stuff that she wished she didn't.
But it did mean she had a better idea than him on what the fuck that was, probably.
"So it finally kicked in huh, This is what I really did Zeke~" She stumbled closer but still teased as relentlessly as she would she'd been in better shape. besides what mad magician didn't love to just gloat about their latest successes. She felt more alive now than in weeks, maybe even months.
-
Yang
An unearthly force slammed down his cheeks, causing him to choke as a shockwave blew everything away.... except the office workers who kept typing on empty air. Even his screams were cut short as he was flipped and hurled through one floor after another...
BOOM
A hurricane of hair, fur and glistening skin smashed on the ground floor, caving in dust and concrete all over.
Yang felt like he was just dunked in the middle of an ocean. Wait...
"...help."
-
Amanda
Amanda wasn't even paying attention to Zeke as she took deep breathes, her face was all scrunched up in pain. It hurt.
It hurt so much.
Her whole body was screaming in pain like it had been torn apart and then stitched back together. The biggest drawback of using a spell on that scale had to be how she couldn't just turn off her nerves, so she had to fully sit through the whole ride.
She glanced over at his downed for-
Except he wasn't downed, he was morphing for lack of a better word but she felt like that couldn't quite describe what was happening and her eyes made sure that she saw everything, including stuff that she wished she didn't.
But it did mean she had a better idea than him on what the fuck that was, probably.
"So it finally kicked in huh, This is what I really did Zeke~" She stumbled closer but still teased as relentlessly as she would she'd been in better shape. besides what mad magician didn't love to just gloat about their latest successes. She felt more alive now than in weeks, maybe even months.
Zeke
A black sludge littered with plasma and corruption spewed out of his throat. He vomited space refuse... exuding this accursed energy as if he were sweating it off. Soon, the sludge was overtaking most of his body, with only his head and torso barely visible.
"...not...talking...you... fool... the vessel is compromised... stop observing... your damn eyes... stop looking...BZZT"
A dry howl shook the ground, the beast trashed and grew larger than Amanda by far.
"Ah... it's not so bad... it was getting so noisy in here. Congrats kiddo, you've kicked my ass so utterly it's... shut up shut up! This wasn't the plan! If we merge forcibly like this, we won't be able to... hah! Serves you right, you freeloaders. Ship's already sailed anyways! This is my chance. I'll see your dream to its end, so just shut up and... no, no no no! We will not be devoured! We won't accept this, we won't give up our..."
Eyes like stars flared up inside the dark body of a dragon. This vile sludge was like a door to the other side. But that warmth, that glow... it started to look more and more like the Nexus sun. Foreign, but familiar. Different, but the same.
It first happened about 16 years ago, though it was really just another repeat of a process he made over and over. A boy sought help and accepted to give his body in exchange for power. Yes... his vessel had been implanted with fragments of the old world... of himself, and become susceptible to his influence. Over time, the Will of the World had some dominion over the boy. Or so one would have thought. Over time, he possessed different alternate versions of himself and bound them to hyperspace, in order to turn it more compatible with himself. Different histories, different possibilities, but they all served to the same purpose as if they shared one dream. One will.
This was not truly planned from the getgo. To begin with, he wasn't nearly good enough to think that far ahead. It really ended up being a game of improvisation, to toy around with circumstances in order to turn them advantageous. By first being annihilated fully by the lord of Little Russia, his vessel was shattered and hollowed. Made malleable... more suitable to be connected to hyperspace and to the dark forces that lived within it.
But it came with a price. Its very being had been split and broken, a chink had torn off from itself. Even if Zeke could become one with the Will of the World, Zeke would be incomplete and thus constantly create new organisms to fill that void. A singularity of countless selves puppets a single body, while being slaves to that same vessel.
But something inside that hive sparked. Using Aruna, Zeke let her drain off enough energy to strain the organisms. Pushed to that brink due to his countless battles, the old world organisms still had to focus their energy on maintaining the vessel, else they'd vanish. So by weakening the connection so suddenly, and absorbing the ambient energy himself, his existence was starting to override the other ones that were once part of the balanced equilibrium.
Thanks to Amanda's prior repair, Zeke himself was whole, and he had full control over his body. Using the energy he absorbed, he devoured himself. Devouring himself, he could unleash more energy which he would use in order to assert himself as the sole channel between the Old World and himself. Simply put, everything else wouldn't simply be a part of him. It would become him.
See, the forces that sustained and shackled him... those were not his own. He had been exposed to them a long, long time ago... and his consciousness was still trapped there. No amount of body-hopping could change that, and even normally, this would never work.
That is because the one who calls himself Ezekiel is something that shouldn't even exist. The world he comes from should not even be possible. So affirming himself as anything more than an extension of the void would cause the Nexus to correct the paradox. It would never allow him to be an individual.
Unless someone observed him. Unless someone looked so deep into the abyss that he would be unveiled and made real.
Right now, Zeke was forcing himself through a chrysalis.
"Individuality? A pretty word. But you gave it up once you accepted the Will of the World. Besides, it's rude to talk around the guest of honor... so shut up and be assimilated fully this time. Oh, and honey, do you think you can pull off another spell like that? Something fire-based would be nice."
Amanda could see even deeper than before. She could see colors that didn't exist, shapes that shouldn't be there. She could see him, sitting in the middle of the void, surrounded by the pieces of a broken city so similar to the one she was standing on. Because even she should be able to see it now.
The Old World is a shard of a dead Nexus. Or rather, a pruned timeline fragment.
The creatures Zeke unleashed were the remaining people from said Nexus, stripped of their bodies and will by a foreign force, and became one with the void.
And he too was someone from that Nexus, subject to that fate. Everything up until now was simply for the sake of freedom. So he would be free to pursue his dream, as a stable self-independent from anything else.
-
Amanda
"Ansuz."
If he wanted fire, she'd give him fire and more. The rune was easy to draw even in her current state, and all she needed to do was bombard on fixed spot. Why waste her own power when she could use the land itself to do her bidding.
No, instead she moved ever closer to him, unconcerned with the flames that ravaged his chrysalis. The fire wasn't what she was looking, it was far far deeper than that and she could, no she would reach it.
Her eyes lit the way and her experiences up to this point had prepared her for the task of laying down the road. Now she merely had to follow it to it's end. This was the true reason why she'd saved up mana on his request, it simply was required for something much more daunting, the journey... The Heavenly Eyes brought and end to the chaos and fixed his position and she simply had to strip away the layers....
"You're even cuter up close~"
Th voice, her voice, it wasn't coming from the outside-
She was there.
At the deepest depth, the young magus had taken the plunge and reached the bottom. It shouldn't have been possible, but her eyes brought forth the miracle that could not be and now she was there and-
She pinched his cheeks again.
"This story is over now, so let's start a new one!"
-
Zeke
Friends and comrades really were the best. He could always count on them to throw themselves headfirst for his sake! It didn't matter if he'd climb over the beings he had created, he didn't care one bit! He'd use everything at his disposal, and reach the top! The masses of dark organisms stretched out like the branches of a tree in an instant... only to be stopped short as they burned. Writhing, they couldn't even move as they were forced to eat more and more... only to be eaten in turn and have their energy released.
A perfect cycle of destruction and repair. No, the cocoon was turning into a perfectly stable and self-contained feedback loop. He got lucky though. He wouldn't have tried this with Serana or anyone else, let alone willingly. He simply got lucky. Ahh, he had to thank the gods for blessing him with such good luck. For you see...
It couldn't be stopped anymore. It was self-sustaining now. His excess energy couldn't even leak out thanks to the space barrier. It was being perfectly processed and reforged. And the more they devoured the more they grew... only to be consumed again.
"Hahahaha! Finally, someone who sees eye to eye with me. Very well, I'll let you observe my next journey. Just don't croak on me, lady... a new chapter awaits us!"
And the void caught ablaze. The heat wasn't just originating from her rune anymore... no, he was generating his own heat. It truly was like basking in the sun, despite it being night time. Dark and light were perfectly balanced in the sky. As all things should be.
"The story just began. My dream will never end!"
And the void wasted away, crumbling before the flame of the stars... and revealing nothing more than the man she was dealing with... his mutated body aged due to the strain. But also changed.
This truly was... an interesting voyage. Now, the body was no longer his father's. It had truly become his own. But he was in no state to celebrate. Smoldered, exhausted, Zeke fell face down on the ground. It almost looked like he was hugging the new world he arrived at.
-
Aruna
Darkness.
Cold, empty, a void of nothingness stretching even farther than the eyes could even process. The darkness's endless appetite swallowed the overwhelming power of the light, feeding it. Its rays seemed to be sucked into that void, gone forever. It protected them, the denizens of the dark from the overwhelming cruelty of the light, allowing them to live in safety. Yet the light existed in that void, stars that burned ever so brightly in the everlasting darkness. That light is what the dark feared, that overwhelming power that can exist in a universe of darkness.
Now she was also part of that light.
She always assumed the two things existed in opposition to one another but now.... Now she was both. And....
Where was she?
This void, it wasn't the darkness, not exactly. Aruna turned her head left and right, feeling no familiarity. This wasn't the darkness, it was a massive void. This was Ezekials power. That human, monster hybrid fed off of this void. It was made of light and darkness too, but a sad pathetic remnant of it. Darkness and light born from a world of nothing could only be so strong, yet she lost? What the hell was that power really? More importantly...
Why was everything so complicated?
The voided faded, the light faded, the dark faded, only to be left with nothing. The world faded away, leaving her with nothing but herself. What was that like, herself without these identities? Who was Aruna?
Aruna rose to her feet torso first, not unlike a zombie rising from the dead. Her bat-like wings grew larger, blasting the ground with the wind as she was propelled into the air. The creature known as Ezekial was going through a crysilis, an evolution of sorts. More importantly, there was another party here, a raven-haired human woman. It was one of those humans that had delved into the art of magic, she tell as much from how her soul smelled. Oddly enough she found her attractive? This wasn't like her earlier attraction to Valarie. No it was something far more unnatural. Was she actually a succubus?
"What in hell's name is going on?"
-
Nanako
But no one responded to his plea. At least not immediately. Nanako had been wrapped up in afterglow as they fell, but now her eyes going from rolled back in ecstasy to focused on the man who'd given her such a wonderful time. The squirrel girl reflexively coughed up a small spray of blood from her ruined innards as she stared down at him. Waves of delicious agony radiated from where he'd struck her, sparking that heat in her core all over again. A wanton smile split lips flecked with blood as she swiftly leaned forward, grabbing his hands at the forearms and pinning them to the ground, her eyes practically glowing with a manic, lust-crazed gleam as she rolled them to the side.
"For a guy as shy as you are," she said, breathing heavily as a heated flush filled her face, "You sure know how to show a girl a good time~."
-
Amanda
She prodded the smoldering remains of Zeke with her foot curiously. He was alive, but it certainly didn't look like it. She wouldn't know better if it weren't for her eyes, still the visual discrepancy was pretty jarring.
"But has you dream even begun...."
Then the other one awoke.
"Heheh looks like you recovered even better than I thought! Those are some really cute wings you got there, are you a demon? It's kinda rude though, taking that tone with me, when I'm the one who saved you. Do you have any idea how many things I had to keep track of to do that? I suppose you wouldn't know, since you were unconscious and all, or perhaps even dead for a moment, I'm Amanda Harrington by the way."
Her voice was just as transfixing as her appearance if not even more, as it went in through her ears and reverberated through her skull like a haze.
-
Zeke
*Insert nearly inaudible snoring sounds*
-
Aruna
Aruna gently landed on the ground, her wings shrinking back into their miniature size. She stared at Amanda for a second, smelling her, staring at her, listening to the flutter of her soul. It..... wasn't there?
"Well I appreciate the compliment and your kindness in healing me," she said, squinting at Amanda's body. She glanced at Ezekial's passed out body. So she didn't kill him after all. "But if I may cut to the chase, who and what are you?"
She wasn't a succubus, that much was clear. If anything she appeared human. But what was her goal here? Humans don't heal demons, not unless they want something.
-
Amanda
"Do I really need a reason to save a girl as light on the eyes as you?"
She confidently strode closer to Aruna, her every step contradicting her seemingly human nature while in the presence of two such unnatural non humans.
"Maybe it was just a whim you know, I saw someone in trouble and my body moved on its hahaha, nah it was totally cause I wanted to feel your big boobs bounce... I even offered you my name here and you didn't even give me anything, that's pretty naughty."
If she thought getting close to the mage would make her more used to the unnatural charm then she thought wrong. As it only got more pronounced with every step the raven haired mage took.
-
Vanilla
As soon as her vision was blocked, Vanilla canceled her attack and shot upwards into the air with a great flap of her wings. "Stop being so tricky!" She complained, leaving a few energy blasts where she'd been a moment before.
She was fast! if she let her guard down for a minute, she'd get tackled out of the sky!
"What do you think about adding some stakes to this fight, girl?!?"
-
Mira
Mira adjusted her trajectory at the last moment as Vanilla moved, too late to not jump but just in time not to uselessly jump straight upward. She ended up landing on a nearby roof, looking up at the white-haired demon. She hadn't broken a sweat so far. "Maybe if you get down here and fought me like a real woman, I'll consider it!"
-
Mira
Mira adjusted her trajectory at the last moment as Vanilla moved, too late to not jump but just in time not to uselessly jump straight upward. She ended up landing on a nearby roof, looking up at the white-haired demon. She hadn't broken a sweat so far. "Maybe if you get down here and fought me like a real woman, I'll consider it!"
Vanilla
Vanilla's aura burst into light, enveloping her with potent magical energy dense enough to be able to hurt a normal person.
Luckily, neither of them were normal.
"I'm just feeling you out, hun." She smirked as she burst forward towards Mira, fist raised and hurtling forwards, right towards her face!
"Go out with me if I win!"
-
Mira
"Wait, what?!" Mira shouted out, more as a battlecry than an objection as she stood her ground, wound up her arm with a wonderful flexing of her muscles, and stepped forward into her opponent's strike to deliver one of her own. Their fists impacted so hard the tiles of the roof they met over exploded into pieces around them!
A faint glow shined around the violet-haired martial artist as she channeled the world's chi, reinforcing her from meeting a strike that should have sheared her arm right off.
And then with her foe finally close, she moved forward to continue her counter-attack with a sweeping kick across her side!
-
Mira
"Wait, what?!" Mira shouted out, more as a battlecry than an objection as she stood her ground, wound up her arm with a wonderful flexing of her muscles, and stepped forward into her opponent's strike to deliver one of her own. Their fists impacted so hard the tiles of the roof they met over exploded into pieces around them!
A faint glow shined around the violet-haired martial artist as she channeled the world's chi, reinforcing her from meeting a strike that should have sheared her arm right off.
And then with her foe finally close, she moved forward to continue her counter-attack with a sweeping kick across her side!
Vanilla
Vanilla's fist met Mira's, and the shockwave resounded through the city, shattering the windows of all the buildings around them. Vanilla's erection quickly shrank away into nothingness, removing one of her greatest vulnerabilities in battle. She grabbed Mira's fist, and violently tossed her in the sky, uncaring of the incoming attack!
"You heard me! Go out with me! You're super cute!"
-
Mira
Mira adjusted herself so she didn't lose track of her opponent after being tossed, allowing her momentum to carry her through the air while facing Vanilla. "And if I win?!" She shouted back down at her at the top of her lungs just to make sure she was heard.
She really needed to learn how to fly!
-
Zeke
*Insert nearly inaudible but slightly more audible snoring sounds*
-
Aruna
Aruna couldn't help but stare at the raven haired girl's figure, transfixed by her gaze. Although, she had been around enough succubi to associate this feeling with suspicion. Although, with this sort of power in the hands of a human, it felt as if every step she took skewered her heart. As the girl got closer, Aruna took a step back, her wings growing once again in case she needed to take flight once more. Just as the girl wanted, her breasts jiggled with every step back, showing just how flustered she really was, as her steps lacked the usual poise that the demon carried.
"Don't take me for a fool," Aruna said, trying her hardest to glare at her. "What do you really desire? I will give you my thanks for now for healing me, but nothing more until you drop the pretenses and tell me the truth. I do not mind greedy humans, but you. Your unnatural presence bothers me. Why do you have the magic of a succubus?"
Her mind was racing, figuring out the best strategy. Should she run or was she already compromised? What was the best option?
-
Amanda
"Because I'd thought it'd be a neat thing to have when I was younger, geez you ask so many questions hybrid-chan~" The Raven haired mage followed her, but this time she put more of an active effort to add some sway to her hips. It wasn't that deliberate though, it was more of a side effect of something exciting her. She didn't even look at the demon's generous assets though, no her gaze was firmly locked onto Aruna's face and she took genuine pleasure from following Aruna's gaze.
"It's okay to look, I don't mind it, in fact I quite like it. But enough about me, let's talk about you instead... I see you recently became a hybrid and it wasn't by your own choice. You need help, no guidance on how to control it hmmm....."
She chuckled.
"You can drop the worry. If I wanted you killed I wouldn't have healed you, and if I wanted to control you, well, that would've been so much easier before you woke up."
-
Aruna
No. Not yet. Ulterior motives maybe, but not hostile... yet.
Aruna's chest expanded and contracted along with the breath that flowed in her nostrils and out her mouth. Even so, her gaze followed the woman's full hips. "If you already know what I am, then why ask such pointless questions? You know I am a demon, or at least was a demon. But more importantly, are you offering to teach me?"
It would make sense. Although angel's are generally the most proficient with the light, there were humans that surpassed even them, only topped by the god himself. It wasn't a bad option.
-
Vanilla
Vanilla flew up after her, lunging upwards to grab Mira with a wry, sardonic smile on her face. "Isn't that obvious? You get to take me out!"
As she closed and her fist approached, her tail suddenly snaked upwards to wrap itself around Mira's leg.
-
Nanako
But no one responded to his plea. At least not immediately. Nanako had been wrapped up in afterglow as they fell, but now her eyes going from rolled back in ecstasy to focused on the man who'd given her such a wonderful time. The squirrel girl reflexively coughed up a small spray of blood from her ruined innards as she stared down at him. Waves of delicious agony radiated from where he'd struck her, sparking that heat in her core all over again. A wanton smile split lips flecked with blood as she swiftly leaned forward, grabbing his hands at the forearms and pinning them to the ground, her eyes practically glowing with a manic, lust-crazed gleam as she rolled them to the side.
"For a guy as shy as you are," she said, breathing heavily as a heated flush filled her face, "You sure know how to show a girl a good time~."
Yang
"Hey hey I mean hahah well uh oh haha well I mean hey so like haha hey eh um aha..." Yang's face flushed absolutely red like a hot chili pepper. Oh god oh no think happy thoughts think happy thoughts okay imagine Margaret Tatcher naked in the shower imagine Margaret Tatcher naked in the shower imagine Margaret Tatcher naked in the shower imagine Margaret Tatcher naked in the shower oh god oh fuck why is this still hot!?
The sweat wasn't doing him any favors.
-
Vanilla
Vanilla flew up after her, lunging upwards to grab Mira with a wry, sardonic smile on her face. "Isn't that obvious? You get to take me out!"
As she closed and her fist approached, her tail suddenly snaked upwards to wrap itself around Mira's leg.
Mira
Adrenaline and chi pumping through her system caused the martial artist to witness the world around her in slow motion as her entire focus became every aspect of her foe. The Doppler effect of passing aircraft above and motor vehicles below was utterly distorted, and the fascinated cries of onlookers might as well have not existed. As such there was a slight delay in Mira's perception of the attack and the actual execution of it.
Doesn't that mean the same outcome either way?!
Vanilla was faster than everything else happening around her, but not quite fast enough to keep up - and that was how the demon woman found her tail in Mira's grasp. The martial artist managed to turn in the air just enough to turn a decisive strike into a glancing blow that still threatened to dislocate her her shoulder, and yanked her opponent into the path of one of her own kicks.
A sacrifice to avoid being grappled, and to create an opening. Her left side was going to be slightly less effective going forward.
-
Nanako
Nanako looked down at the blondie curiously, still keeping a solid grip on his arms. The way he was babbling on certainly was adorable, but it wasn't all that productive. The squirrel girl opened her mouth to say something, then realized she didn't actually know the man's name.
"Say, don't think we ever got introduced, handsome," Nanako said, playfully poking his cheek with her tail, "I'm Nanako."
-
Ayayayayay-y-y-yang
"Ayayayayay-y-y-yang..." He stuttered, flushing and looking away. "Oh h-hey! Look... there's a F-f..."
He thought for a second.
"A Funyarinpa! Right behind you!"
-
Nanako
The squirrel girl couldn't help a giggle at that, eyes alight with mirth at the man's clear embarrassment, tail flicking lazily back and forth as her ears twitched with amusement.
"Well that sounds like a bit of a mouthful," Nanako mused, "How about we shorten that down to Ayayang? Nah, how 'bout just Yang."
Her eyebrows went up at the mention of a creature behind her, but swiveled an ear back to check all the same. The squirrel girl went quiet for a moment before that amused grin crept back onto her face.
"Now now, if you wanted me off you, you could've just asked," the squirrel girl said, leaning in and lowering her voice a little, "You sure you want that, though?"
-
Yang
Sweat dripped off his face... no, all his body. He just stayed silent, nervous as it got. It's not that he was inexperienced, he simply utterly was unprepared for this. "I could say the same to you... are you sure you can ride the dragon?" A suddenly intense and oppressive glare shot from him, like a dragon's roar shaking the heavens.
Oh god why did he say this oh damn it!
-
Nanako
The squirrel girl shivered with the gaze he leveled at her, the tremors racing from her head to her toes, sending an excited tremble through the thighs wrapped around him. Just like that, Nanako lazily pulled one leg away, then the other, slowly sliding against his head before sliding down to wrap around his torso.
"Well, I did ride you all the way down here," Nanako shot back breathily, "I'd say that counts, wouldn't you?"
-
Vanilla
Vanilla flew up after her, lunging upwards to grab Mira with a wry, sardonic smile on her face. "Isn't that obvious? You get to take me out!"
As she closed and her fist approached, her tail suddenly snaked upwards to wrap itself around Mira's leg.
Mira
Adrenaline and chi pumping through her system caused the martial artist to witness the world around her in slow motion as her entire focus became every aspect of her foe. The Doppler effect of passing aircraft above and motor vehicles below was utterly distorted, and the fascinated cries of onlookers might as well have not existed. As such there was a slight delay in Mira's perception of the attack and the actual execution of it.
Doesn't that mean the same outcome either way?!
Vanilla was faster than everything else happening around her, but not quite fast enough to keep up - and that was how the demon woman found her tail in Mira's grasp. The martial artist managed to turn in the air just enough to turn a decisive strike into a glancing blow that still threatened to dislocate her her shoulder, and yanked her opponent into the path of one of her own kicks.
A sacrifice to avoid being grappled, and to create an opening. Her left side was going to be slightly less effective going forward.
Vanilla
Vanilla creamed herself as she felt the glorious feeling of her fist meeting bone and sinew, a great blush running across her face.
"Ahn~" She moaned as she felt pain shoot through her body with Mira's kick into her gut. She felt the air rush out of her lungs and coughed. She sucked it back in and laughed. "So! What do you say! Do you want something else?!?" Her red eyes twinkled with pure, childish joy.
Her tail, meanwhile, suddenly morphed in Mira's hand. It tripled in length, wrapping around her hand, pinning it down, before restricting her forearm and pulling her right up against Vanilla's surprisingly soft body.
-
Mira
"What the hell?!" Mira all but squeaked it out as Vanilla did her best to pull her into a grapple. She wasn't expecting the shapeshifting tail but she took it in some stride and braced herself so her opponent couldn't just break her arm by applying enough force to a relatively small area. "I'm just trying to make you stop attacking people!"
And then she wrapped her powerful, muscular legs around Vanilla and started to squeeze, and reared back to try to use her free hand tried to punch her in that pretty face.
-
Vanilla
"They ask me to do that! They're my fans!" Vanilla protested. She leaned forward and grabbed Mira, pressing her chest right up against the fighter's own. She raised her other arm to protect her face from assault as she moved in to kiss Mira's pretty face.
-
Aruna
No. Not yet. Ulterior motives maybe, but not hostile... yet.
Aruna's chest expanded and contracted along with the breath that flowed in her nostrils and out her mouth. Even so, her gaze followed the woman's full hips. "If you already know what I am, then why ask such pointless questions? You know I am a demon, or at least was a demon. But more importantly, are you offering to teach me?"
It would make sense. Although angel's are generally the most proficient with the light, there were humans that surpassed even them, only topped by the god himself. It wasn't a bad option.
Zeke
"Oh I don't think so."
A voice suddenly called out behind Aruna. So much for a power nap. Couldn't sleep while people were busy being stupid around him.
"Demon? Sounds to me you're just a confused girl. Come on, you can quit the bad acting, a real demon would be much more terrifying, and your energy definitely didn't taste demonic. If anything you're just cute." It was a large man, about in his sixties. No... it looked like it was the body he borrowed, aged by many years. Still, it was in much better shape than you could give him credit for. His musculature and shape made no mistake, he could easily pass as a true warrior in his prime.
The smoke and dust clouds covered just enough that his modesty wasn't showing.
"Just be yourself. It's way less of a pain. You'll just limit your potential if you categorize yourself on what small-minded fools think. Do you really want to live your life a slave to other's perceptions?" He pointed at her, then back to him.
"I am me. You are you. And If everyone is not special, maybe you can be what you want to be. And take the smart pretty lass's bargain. Trust me, I'd rather have her as a friend than an enemy." He glanced back to Amanda and winked.
-
Vanilla
"They ask me to do that! They're my fans!" Vanilla protested. She leaned forward and grabbed Mira, pressing her chest right up against the fighter's own. She raised her other arm to protect her face from assault as she moved in to kiss Mira's pretty face.
Mira
Mira turned her head aside, trying to avoid her opponent's lips as she made this so weird! Then she moved her head sideways to try to smash Vanilla's face and distract her so she could start crushing her torso with her legs, caught in her grasp as they were. "They're weird! You're weird!"
Adrenaline was the only thing letting Mira ignore the unwanted distraction of the demon's presence close up.
-
Vanilla
"They ask me to do that! They're my fans!" Vanilla protested. She leaned forward and grabbed Mira, pressing her chest right up against the fighter's own. She raised her other arm to protect her face from assault as she moved in to kiss Mira's pretty face.
Mira
Mira turned her head aside, trying to avoid her opponent's lips as she made this so weird! Then she moved her head sideways to try to smash Vanilla's face and distract her so she could start crushing her torso with her legs, caught in her grasp as they were. "They're weird! You're weird!"
Adrenaline was the only thing letting Mira ignore the unwanted distraction of the demon's presence close up.
Vanilla
After kissing Mira's cheek, she violently headbutted the other girl, smashing her forehead into her prey's with all the force she could muster. She felt those wonderfully strong legs wrapped around her, the bulging muscles crushing her hips. She felt the agony of the damage being repaired and constricted once again, and felt herself come in Mira's grasp.
She tightened her own embrace, pulling Mira closer and closer, attempting to snap her in half.
-
Amanda
"If Knowledge is what you seek, then I possess that and far more.."
Then Amanda whirled around as Zeke stopped his pretend sleep and went on some dumb rant about the freedom of creating your own image. It was quite hilarious to her, to hear that coming from him.
"That's funny coming from someone who's a slave to my perception. Although this cute wannabe demon girl can't claim much better since she's already a slave to my charm~"
-
Aruna
Aruna turned her head around, only to see an old man. It was... Ezekial? Despite his new appearance, she could see his soul and smell its subtle scent. It was strange to find out he was a shapeshifter as well. What a strange creature....
"I don't know if you should be talking false demon," she said, glaring at him. Her fingers tightened around the hilt of her sword. Unlike Asmeal who was an angel who had partaken in the strife of angels and demons, this creature was nothing but an outsider. "You threatened me the second I referred to you as a demon and the second I see you awake, you have taken the form of an old man. You should not trust humans so easily, those weaklings who exploit everything they come across. They are far more dangerous than either the light or the dark."
Aruna finally turned to face Amanda once more. "I must admit, the idea of knowledge is enticing and yes I have only recently become a hybrid. I suppose it may be inappropriate to keep considering myself a demon but I suppose I will always feel like a demon, no matter what I become. In any case, what exactly do you have to offer? If the answer is nothing, I shall be on my way."
Her wings flapped, pushing her off of the ground. She floated just above the broken arena, her wings blowing those pretty black locks of hers.
-
Vanilla
After kissing Mira's cheek, she violently headbutted the other girl, smashing her forehead into her prey's with all the force she could muster. She felt those wonderfully strong legs wrapped around her, the bulging muscles crushing her hips. She felt the agony of the damage being repaired and constricted once again, and felt herself come in Mira's grasp.
She tightened her own embrace, pulling Mira closer and closer, attempting to snap her in half.
Mira
Only one thought pushed its way past the momentarily blinding pain, the undeniable disorientation of their heads meeting in violence together in the middle of their wrestling match.
She can heal?!
This grapple was not a contest Mira could win, in that case, and it seemed she realized that as she instead tried again to strike Vanilla with her free hand. She increased the speed of her punching, turning them into a machine gun of thunderclaps aiming for the beautiful demon's head, striving to avoid the grasp of Vanilla's own hand and strike home enough to distract her and break free...!
-
Ezekiel
He shrugged at Amanda and smiled. "Whatever keeps you stirring at night."
Only to turn up to the skies... to Aruna. Good grief, did she have to look down on him so much? Her flying all the time made his neck hurt like hell when he had to look up constantly. But it wasn't back pain or anything that caused his eyes to narrow, but something else entirely. Unlike her hand clasped around her sword, his arms were stretched out freely as he began to float up...
BZZT
As he got closer, a flash of static ran through the two of them.
BZZT
"Demon!" "Die!"
"Monster!"
"Dissappear!" "Evil!"
The words rang in her head... no, Aruna's head. The words that she heard so many times before. Betrayed. Vanquished. Abandoned. Ostracized. In the end, it would always be the same. So it was okay if she took these names unto her heart, right? It's not like they'd ever change. As long as she chose, she could save herself and her pride. Right?
"No." The first was Asmael to rebutt her. He stared at her, gravely. Disappointed.
"It doesn't matter if you were human, angel or demon. Knowing it was wrong and doing it nonetheless... choosing to do it... such a thing was evil. Pure and simple. And you did choose that path, many times. It is my duty to destroy evil."
Zeke was wrapping his arm around her shoulder, grinning and whispering to her.
"It isn't a demon who chose this. You did. The least you could do is admit it with pride. You're no angel. You're no demon. You're you. With every choice, every death, and every life saved to answer for. But can you answer for them all?"
And the static ended the dream.
BZZT
Zeke grinned as he floated by Aruna.
And with that, he waved to Amanda.
"I gotta get home, human. Boss won't be happy if I keep her waiting. She thinks I'm slacking off enough as is."
-
Yang
"D D D DONT WE NEED A ROOM FOR THAT!? Um, I mean, of course not. That was barely a warm up."
He looked at her, regaining his composure. No, she could see it in his eyes.
That look...
Was the look...
OF DETERMINATION
"Should I go on top or bottom?"
-
Nanako
"We're already in a room, ain't we?" Nanako noted bemusedly.
Ah, that's a good look in his eyes. Wonder how long it'll last.
"Well, you were down for the three-count, so you'll be staying down there," the squirrel girl said, her tail flicking back and forth as she met his determination with long denied thirst, deeper than the fall they'd taken to get here. With that, she rolled them back up, Nanako straddling Yang as she swiftly slid her hips back, eyes alight with anticipation as she leaned down, pinning his arms to the ground above his head as she loomed down over him.
-
Amanda
"Suit yourself, my work here is done."
If they were just gonna leave she would do the same, and she did actually have stuff to do here in the first place. A flash of irritation clouded her mind at the thought that she still needed to represent Pine Garden, even if she didn't hold the true power. Lord Russell was far too clever for his own good and soon, soon she'd have the tools do with him.
"I need you to kill someone!"
Before he flew away she called out to Zeke.
-
Aruna
Ascending into the sky in the middle of the stadium, she stopped her flight when she heard those words. The raven-haired girl wanted someone killed? All those theatrics were just to have a simple assassination? Why approach her if she wanted Ezekial? Strangely enough, the fake floated next to her, reached out and...
Aruna was no longer flying. She sat alone in a world free from the safety of darkness. The oppressive light of the sun bore down on her. Those words ringing in her head. "Demon, Monster, Die, Evil, Disappear!"
The tears flowed from her eyelids down her cheeks. Those humanoid eyes of hers began to glow a bright red, her rage fueled by the rejection. Its true. For all her bravado, she just wanted to be liked by humans, to be loved by the world around her. Even if they labeled her, it was her choices that lead her to this point. A flash of corpses entered her mind and a twisted smile completed the demon's face, complete with sharp teeth.
She did it and she liked it.
Then came the sadness, the hatred, the rejection, that light, the one that the humans held within their heart. It was so blinding. Thats not true. She didn't like it, what she did. Perhaps the thrill of the kill, the excitement of the fight but the results, those lights she snuffed out? What was it in service of?
Aruna finally turned to the Ezekial who stood under the sun, those tears falling into the ground, sinking into the earth, forever forgotten. Bringing her arm up to wipe the tears from her eyes, she said, "Yeah angel, demon they are all meaningless titles. I am Aruna, the being who serves the guardian clan. My duty, my passion, those things are tied to my agency as a person. My identity is not a shield for my sins. But...."
She spread her bat like wings, which seemed to take on a more bird like appearance. One side remained their usual bat like shape, the other a feathery angel's wing. The sun turned into an eclipse, the dark light shining on the world below. Chains emerged from the ground, forming an iron cage. "Perhaps that is why we created such a bond. Fools are so easy to find when you are being foolish."
The chains crept closer, shrinking the cage. "A greedy bird will never be able to escape its cage. It merely grows bigger and bigger, stronger and stronger until its power grounds it to the very earth that bestowed it. The cage will shrink as you grow large and your wings will no longer be strong enough to take you off of the ground."
With that she flapped her wings and took to the sky. Somehow fazing right through the cage. It was as if it weren't even there for her. All the while, she stared down at the ground, those tears falling from her cheek once more. It seemed almost as if she were yearning for something.
What the hell was that?
She mentioned before they had a bond but she didn't realize he could influence her mind this much. It felt like she was still peering into his soul. What exactly was this bond they had formed?
"How annoying," she said, crossing her legs in mid-air, watching the last of this little interaction. She found herself annoyed at how curious she was. She should have just left but something was keeping her here. "Stupid human...."
-
Ezekiel
The vision in her mind... no, inside their shared bond of enmity... it shook and grunted as if pained by her words. As if she had somehow shaken him. The image of the old and young man flickered, and for a moment it was a beast that showed its fangs at her, grimacing with a hand clutched to its heart. Pained.
"No way... these are just words. You've lost! Quit talking nonsense as if you understood a thing!"
But even so, the two fools would keep advancing.
The floating man suddenly stopped, maybe snapped back by Amanda's voice. "Knew it."
A murder. How droll. His boss wanted to kill everyone, she just wanted to kill someone. Clearly he didn't have to do anything and just let nature run its course. And yet...
"I wouldn't do this for any human, but let's just say I've fallen for you. I'll come crash tomorrow, give me the details then." He turned his head to look at Amanda, grinning wolfishly. But just before taking off for good, he spared a final look at Aruna.
An interesting girl. He'd sharpen his new form against hers... in time. "So long."
And thus, the evil star flew away, into the unknown horizon. Towards wherever its greed will lead.
Continued in Xilbalba (http://darksidemoon.net/SMF_forum/index.php/topic,762.msg63037.html#msg63037)
-
Yang
If the ends of his face were reddening up, it wasn't just because a hot lady was straddling him! No, something stirred inside him, like a bubbling kettle about to burst with something. He raised his chest and-
"No way, that didn't count! I didn't lose to you." He indigniantly pouted at her. "You just got the drop on me, it's all."
-
Vanilla
Vanilla's tail tightened its grip on Mira's body, continuing to bind her tightly with its long, sinuous length. She didn't seem to mind being pummeled-for every ten hits, she landed two of her own, and both of them very quickly became covered in blood.
She continued attacking Mira's head at its weakest points.
-
Nanako
Nanako's eyebrows rose as Yang did, the squirrel girl caught off guard by what he'd chose to insist on. The steady throbbing from where he'd struck her and the gnawing ache in her core didn't let up, however, Nanako leaning in to press her forehead to his, putting their faces mere fractions of an inch away from each other.
"Hm, well if you'll insist on that, then we can always find something else to compete at," Nanako said, her eyes boring into his.
-
Aruna
Aruna flew out of the colosseum, back to where her companion had been fighting. With the battle at last done, she was free to enjoy the feeling of the wind beneath her wings. As she soared above Yang and the squirrel girl she-
Aruna just stared at the two, blinking for a moment. "You two aren't fighting at all!"
She couldn't believe this! She had almost died out there! After all the support she tried to give him and he refused it! "What under heaven are you doing? Whatever, i'll leave you two alone..."
With that, the demon flew away.
-
Yang
A sudden bright smile spread all over his face...
Only to drop in utter shock.
"Wait, no! Aruna, get me out of here!" Suddenly he tried to raise his hand up. This lady might be hot, but she was definitely bad news! He wasn't that into her or anything! "Aruna, come on!"
-
Nanako
Nanako's smile grew along with the blondie's, only for the whole moment to come crashing down when the cute girl from earlier came back. The squirrel girl pulled away from Yang, sitting back on his waist as she looked up at her curiously, crossing her arms under her chest.
"Hey, we were fighting, no need to kinkshame," Nanako shot back, the mood thoroughly ruined at this point, "He punched me into the building and I slammed him down to the basement."
-
Vanilla
Vanilla's tail tightened its grip on Mira's body, continuing to bind her tightly with its long, sinuous length. She didn't seem to mind being pummeled-for every ten hits, she landed two of her own, and both of them very quickly became covered in blood.
She continued attacking Mira's head at its weakest points.
Mira
Mira may have been able to attack more often in the same space of time, striking with the same force as her foe, but Vanilla could take more hits by virtue of her healing. It left the two of them roughly equal in the damage they were taking, and Mira knew this stalemate had to end before they tested their respective stamina to the limit. It was with this in mind, through the haze of battle and the pounding of her skull with every blow, that she adjusted the position of her legs so that she might push herself forcefully away from her opponent with heels to the abdomen!
The trick was going to be the tail squeezing around her arm, but maybe dragging her through the air with the force of her momentum would open up a weakness...!
-
Vanilla
Vanilla's tail tightened its grip on Mira's body, continuing to bind her tightly with its long, sinuous length. She didn't seem to mind being pummeled-for every ten hits, she landed two of her own, and both of them very quickly became covered in blood.
She continued attacking Mira's head at its weakest points.
Mira
Mira may have been able to attack more often in the same space of time, striking with the same force as her foe, but Vanilla could take more hits by virtue of her healing. It left the two of them roughly equal in the damage they were taking, and Mira knew this stalemate had to end before they tested their respective stamina to the limit. It was with this in mind, through the haze of battle and the pounding of her skull with every blow, that she adjusted the position of her legs so that she might push herself forcefully away from her opponent with heels to the abdomen!
The trick was going to be the tail squeezing around her arm, but maybe dragging her through the air with the force of her momentum would open up a weakness...!
Vanilla
Vanilla grunted as Mira kicked off of her. "That's no fun! Weren't you mad at me just a few seconds ago for trying to keep distance?" The albino demoness smirked. Using all of her focus, she just barely managed to keep a hold of Mira's arm, transferring her momentum into a circular spin and hurling her up into the sky before she freed herself!
"Ah-that hurt!" She complained, charging an energy attack as Mira flew upwards at near supersonic speeds.
-
Yang
Yes! This was his chance. Thanks to his buddy's interruption, Nanako got up. This was an opportunity...
He slipped away and ran tactically retreated!
-
Vanilla
Vanilla grunted as Mira kicked off of her. "That's no fun! Weren't you mad at me just a few seconds ago for trying to keep distance?" The albino demoness smirked. Using all of her focus, she just barely managed to keep a hold of Mira's arm, transferring her momentum into a circular spin and hurling her up into the sky before she freed herself!
"Ah-that hurt!" She complained, charging an energy attack as Mira flew upwards at near supersonic speeds.
Mira
"Urk!" The momentum sent some of the blood pooling about in Mira's body from all the body shots she'd taken propelling out of her mouth, but she could feel the energy build up coming from below as Vanilla's toss sent her through the air. It forced her to concentrate, to retain the chi in her body that she'd need if she was to have any chance to survive this mistake...!
Focusing as much of her power into her limbs as she could, Mira tried to generate enough force to adjust her trajectory by striking out opposite the direction she wanted to go. Just enough, just to try to move out of the direct path of Vanilla's follow up... there!
-
Nanako
Nanako frowned slightly as the cute demongirl flew off without a reply. Then blondie made to do the same, and Nanako acted, the squirrel girl zipping out to intercept Yang and stopping right in his path, staring up at the blonde resolutely.
"Hold on, we're not done yet," Nanako said, excitement sparking in her eyes as she locked her gaze with Yang's, the world seeming to darken slightly around them. Then the moment broke as the squirrel girl's tail flicked excitedly behind her as she gave him an excited smile.
"You gotta tell me how you hit that hard first! And with barely any wind up too!" she said, eyes alight with wonder.
-
Vanilla
Vanilla grunted as Mira kicked off of her. "That's no fun! Weren't you mad at me just a few seconds ago for trying to keep distance?" The albino demoness smirked. Using all of her focus, she just barely managed to keep a hold of Mira's arm, transferring her momentum into a circular spin and hurling her up into the sky before she freed herself!
"Ah-that hurt!" She complained, charging an energy attack as Mira flew upwards at near supersonic speeds.
Mira
"Urk!" The momentum sent some of the blood pooling about in Mira's body from all the body shots she'd taken propelling out of her mouth, but she could feel the energy build up coming from below as Vanilla's toss sent her through the air. It forced her to concentrate, to retain the chi in her body that she'd need if she was to have any chance to survive this mistake...!
Focusing as much of her power into her limbs as she could, Mira tried to generate enough force to adjust her trajectory by striking out opposite the direction she wanted to go. Just enough, just to try to move out of the direct path of Vanilla's follow up... there!
Vanilla
"Kame-hame-haaaaaaaaaaaaa!" Vanilla yelled at the top of her lungs as she fired a brilliant blast of magical energy right at Mira. Easily compensating for the small change in direction that Mira had made in her trajectory, it hurtled directly towards her!
-
Mira
The attack name reached Mira moments before the actual attack, and her eyes widened in bugged-out shock when the sounds went into her ears. "Oh come on-!"
But then she had no more time to complain, and the powerful wave of mystical power was upon her. The violet-haired martial artist put both her arms forward and concentrated as much of her chi as she could despite her injuries toward her hands, hoping to the dear gods she could stop it from washing over her like a tidal wave!
It slammed into her makeshift guard, and she felt it push against her magic resistant palms like a freight train slamming into a concrete bunker. Her arms buckled, their muscles flexing and tensing to their utmost extent. Mira had to suck her chest in to avoid her nipples getting caught in the blast as it pushed her arms closer to her body...!
And then it exploded, and she knew pain as the momentum sent her flying across the district.
-
Vanilla
Mira soared far into the sky, propelled upwards by the blast with the ill begotten name. She was chased by a white streak with porcalian skin, and once she began to fall, she suddenly found herself caught in the arms of the strong woman who had just bested her.
She felt suddenly attracted to the blond woman, as her charms took effect. It was subtle, and gentle, but it was definetely there.
"I win! Now, let me take you out and show you a good time!"
-
Yang
Oh shit! She was already catching up to him. He quickly turned around and prepared to run in the exact opposite direction, taking a clear jogging stance.
"You're too crazy! I want to go home, go home and play Red Dead Redemption and forget about all of thiiiiiis!"
-
Nanako
"Hey, you can't just run off like that," Nanako shot back, taking off after him, "Not when you've got me all curious!"
The squirrel girl ran low to the ground, taking longer steps as she tried to catch up with him. Grabbing a nearby dumpster, the squirrel girl tossed it ahead to try to block off Yang's escape again.
-
Vanilla
Mira soared far into the sky, propelled upwards by the blast with the ill begotten name. She was chased by a white streak with porcalian skin, and once she began to fall, she suddenly found herself caught in the arms of the strong woman who had just bested her.
She felt suddenly attracted to the blond woman, as her charms took effect. It was subtle, and gentle, but it was definitely there.
"I win! Now, let me take you out and show you a good time!"
Mira
If the martial artist were in a clearer state of mind, rather than being bloodied and bruised and disorientated from the blast and the fall, Mira might have shrugged that off after a moment. Instead she shuddered as she felt the things inside of her writhe against her nerves as they began pushing her insides together. Getting ready for the unnatural healing process to come.
Mira opened her eyes and groaned in frustration. "Gonna... need to learn how to fly. Damn."
She shook her head. "Fine. Fine. You win."
-
Nanako
"Hey, you can't just run off like that," Nanako shot back, taking off after him, "Not when you've got me all curious!"
The squirrel girl ran low to the ground, taking longer steps as she tried to catch up with him. Grabbing a nearby dumpster, the squirrel girl tossed it ahead to try to block off Yang's escape again.
Yang
"I literally am! I'm putting a.... a restraining order on you!" He punched the living cow out of the dumpster, blowing a massive hole into it like it was paper. Crap, she was catching up!"
He ran straight inbetween a white haired and a purple haired hottie, trying to lose the squirrel freak. Oh shit, oh shit oh shit she was almost there!
"Goddamniiiiiiiiiiit!!"
-
Vanilla
Mira soared far into the sky, propelled upwards by the blast with the ill begotten name. She was chased by a white streak with porcalian skin, and once she began to fall, she suddenly found herself caught in the arms of the strong woman who had just bested her.
She felt suddenly attracted to the blond woman, as her charms took effect. It was subtle, and gentle, but it was definitely there.
"I win! Now, let me take you out and show you a good time!"
Mira
If the martial artist were in a clearer state of mind, rather than being bloodied and bruised and disorientated from the blast and the fall, Mira might have shrugged that off after a moment. Instead she shuddered as she felt the things inside of her writhe against her nerves as they began pushing her insides together. Getting ready for the unnatural healing process to come.
Mira opened her eyes and groaned in frustration. "Gonna... need to learn how to fly. Damn."
She shook her head. "Fine. Fine. You win."
Vanilla
Vanilla beamed as if she were a small child who'd just gotten praised. With a muttered word, she cast a regeneration spell on Mira and slowly, the pair began to descend. "What kind of food do you eat, Mira? Whatever you want, it's my treat."
-
Nanako
"A restraining order? Sounds fun," Nanako teased as their chase continued, "If tying me up would make you more comfortable, anyway."
The squirrel girl darted nimbly through the hole Yang had punched, drawing closer by the second. It wouldn't be long now before she was in grabbing range. Or head-patting range, whichever came first. Despite everything, she was having fun with the simple thrill of the chase, if nothing else.
-
Yang
He ran faster, faster, faster.... panic assailed him. And yet-
"Fine!"
He stopped, backed up and just held his hands in front of him, freaked out like no tomorrow.
Only to calm down immediately after with a sigh, like a balloon deflating.
"Fine, fine... Okay, you win. Just stay a minimum three meters away from me at all times, okay?"
-
Nanako
Nanako slid to a sudden stop as Yang did, stopping a scant few meters away, standing up straight as Yang laid out his terms. Just like that, the squirrel girl's eyes took on fresh focus, this time without the heated frenzy that had clouded them earlier. After all, this was far from her first time with contract negotiations.
"I'll accept one meter away, so that you can pat my head or pet my tail," Nanako said, her tail going still behind her and her ears wiggling.
-
Yang
"Two meters."
-
Nanako
"One and a quarter."
-
Yang
"One and a quarter."
-
Nanako
"Deal. Now let's- wait," Nanako said, smug at first before realization hit, the squirrel girl stopping with her arm half-raised, "How are we going to shake on it?"
-
Yang
Yang just paused. He looked like he was about to say something, only to stop, freeze, and look like he was about to say something again. Deep in thought, he only thought one thing to say.
"...fuck."
-
Nanako
The squirrel girl crossed her arms under her chest, looking mildly perplexed. Unlike Yang, however, this lasted for all of a couple seconds before she shrugged it off.
"Alright, how's this," Nanako spoke up, "You let me use your shower, and I won't try to hug you until I'm clean, deal?"
-
Vanilla
Vanilla beamed as if she were a small child who'd just gotten praised. With a muttered word, she cast a regeneration spell on Mira and slowly, the pair began to descend. "What kind of food do you eat, Mira? Whatever you want, it's my treat."
Mira
The demon couldn't help but notice how Mira's body responded even faster than that spell should have allowed for, or the way the martial artist shivered at the foreign energy filling her. Or the slight blush on her face, for whatever reason.
Mira looked down, away from the intensity of Vanilla's happiness. "Meat, I guess. Anything with a lot of protein in it after a fight like that."
-
Vanilla
Vanilla beamed as if she were a small child who'd just gotten praised. With a muttered word, she cast a regeneration spell on Mira and slowly, the pair began to descend. "What kind of food do you eat, Mira? Whatever you want, it's my treat."
Mira
The demon couldn't help but notice how Mira's body responded even faster than that spell should have allowed for, or the way the martial artist shivered at the foreign energy filling her. Or the slight blush on her face, for whatever reason.
Mira looked down, away from the intensity of Vanilla's happiness. "Meat, I guess. Anything with a lot of protein in it after a fight like that."
Vanilla
Vanilla landed with a loud crash on a roof, cracking the floor with the force of her landing before putting Mira down. She leaned forward, still towering over the much smaller woman with a beaming, happy affect. "Ehehe-I guess we had a bit of a misunderstanding, but it all worked out." She swayed back and forth in front of Mira, her breasts right in front of the other woman's face. "Let's go. I know a great barbecue place."
-
Mira
The martial artist found her eyes wandering for a moment, but she swallowed it down and did her best to maintain some semblance of focus. Mustering her concentration back, she turned away and waved a muscular arm dismissively. "I still don't get how people mistook what you were doing for random attacks on people, ya know. You still owe me an explanation on that one."
But she didn't actually pull away, seemingly caught up if even only slightly in Vanilla's wicked demon spell. "Lead the way."
-
Mira
The martial artist found her eyes wandering for a moment, but she swallowed it down and did her best to maintain some semblance of focus. Mustering her concentration back, she turned away and waved a muscular arm dismissively. "I still don't get how people mistook what you were doing for random attacks on people, ya know. You still owe me an explanation on that one."
But she didn't actually pull away, seemingly caught up if even only slightly in Vanilla's wicked demon spell. "Lead the way."
Vanilla
Vanilla chuckled. With how Mira was staring at her large, jiggling orbs with avid interest, she knew the woman was thoroughly caught up in her charm. It was a bit easy, but oh well. She'd been a fun fight, and she had promised to show her a good time, so there was no harm in getting to personally know her.
Plus, having powerful friends was never a bad idea in this city.
She gently took Mira's hands and brought them up to her chest, pressing the inexperienced virgin's hands into her soft mounds. "Unless you have a place you'd rather be." Her red eyes and smooth curves were suddenly so enticing, and so interesting. Mira couldn't help but stare at her beautiful, wonderful smile.
-
Mira
Eh?
Mira stared, her vibrant eyes taking in what the demon was offering her. She felt soft and warmth beneath her fingers in ways she'd never actually had before, and heard her heartbeat pounding in her ears. That smile... but then shook her head and pulled her hands back. Hesitantly. "H-Hey, come on. Ya said barbecue, and you didn't answer anything! Don't just change the subject"
-
Vanilla
"Hoho~ Sorry, sorry. Let's go, then!" She exclaimed, turning around and hopping to the next building over. "Follow me!" She yelled at Mira.
-
Mira
Mira's eyes followed her former opponent's swift motions carefully. She took in the demon's long, toned legs, her firm and shapely behind as it fled to the building next door, and breathed in sharply through her nose. Then she pushed off from their landing site to catch up to her, easily catching up to Vanilla and moving to be next to her rather than behind.
Behind was dangerous.
-
Vanilla
Vanilla exuded sexual appeal, even jumping next to her. The two moved at supersonic speeds, and within a few seconds, made their way to a building Mira would recognize instantly. It was one of those famous dojos where they battled with food and cooking instead of brawling, and ran one of the most expensive restaurants in the area. Even getting inside the building was nearly impossible without a reservation months in advance.
The smells that emanated from within were indescribable.
-
Mira
Mira did her best not to focus on the sweaty smell of exertion mixed with arousal wafting off Vanilla, keeping her nose to the wind as it rushed past them fast enough that their passing left the sound of a thunderclap in order to stop it from distracting her. She kept her eyes as far as possible from the graceful way powerful limbs pushed and maneuvered across the rooftops alongside her, too.
And then she had something else to distract her, it seemed, as she lifted her nose up to take in the delectable scents. "Whoa. How do you expect us to get in here? Punch someone and take their reservation?!"
-
Mira
Mira did her best not to focus on the sweaty smell of exertion mixed with arousal wafting off Vanilla, keeping her nose to the wind as it rushed past them fast enough that their passing left the sound of a thunderclap in order to stop it from distracting her. She kept her eyes as far as possible from the graceful way powerful limbs pushed and maneuvered across the rooftops alongside her, too.
And then she had something else to distract her, it seemed, as she lifted her nose up to take in the delectable scents. "Whoa. How do you expect us to get in here? Punch someone and take their reservation?!"
Vanilla
"Heh. Don't underestimate my talents, Mira." She replied with a smug look on her face. The nearly seven foot tall demon, instead of walking up to the door, pulled Mira into an alley. "We need to talk about those clothes you're wearing, though." She told her. "There's no way they'll let you in looking like that."
-
Mira
The purple-haired fighter frowned as she got all but manhandled into the nearby alley, but after a grunt of annoyance she looked down at herself. "... yeah, can't really do much about that right now."
-
Mira
The purple-haired fighter frowned as she got all but manhandled into the nearby alley, but after a grunt of annoyance she looked down at herself. "... yeah, can't really do much about that right now."
Vanilla
The white haired woman burst into gold light, and suddenly, she had changed. Her horns and tail were gone, although her overbearing height remained. Wearing new clothes (https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/typemoon/images/d/d9/Iriprisma.png/revision/latest?cb=20150829083751), she giggled. "If you don't have any preferences, I'll just have to choose myself for you." She reached forward, and gently trailed her hand up her date's magnificently built stomach. She infused her fingers with her aphrodisical power, infusing Mira's stomach with her magic.
-
Mira
"Magic too?" Mira just had to ask, raising an eyebrow at the magical girl transformation going on in reverse here. She looked Vanilla up and down after the new outfit appeared, and then sighed. "That explains the energy blasts. Damn, I was going to ask you how you did it."
She twitched as the demon pressed a hand to her bare stomach. "Hey, watch it..." She grumbled as a rough set of fighter's fingers ran along the lines of her abs, and flushed red as warmth spread through her. "J-Just don't make it anything too weird or revealing, alright?"
-
Mira
"Magic too?" Mira just had to ask, raising an eyebrow at the magical girl transformation going on in reverse here. She looked Vanilla up and down after the new outfit appeared, and then sighed. "That explains the energy blasts. Damn, I was going to ask you how you did it."
She twitched as the demon pressed a hand to her bare stomach. "Hey, watch it..." She grumbled as a rough set of fighter's fingers ran along the lines of her abs, and flushed red as warmth spread through her. "J-Just don't make it anything too weird or revealing, alright?"
Vanilla
"That depends. Does this count as weird or revealing?" She asked Mira with a raised eyebrow. She leaned forward again, letting Mira stare down her cleavage. "See, I'm even wearing a bra..."
-
Mira
Mira had to reach up a bit, standing on her tip toes, to see down Vanilla's shirt even when she was leaning down like that. She didn't know what possessed her to put that kind of effort into it, but she gulped as something heavy settled in her throat. "I-I guess as long as I'm not flashing everyone if I kick them."
-
Mira
Mira had to reach up a bit, standing on her tip toes, to see down Vanilla's shirt even when she was leaning down like that. She didn't know what possessed her to put that kind of effort into it, but she gulped as something heavy settled in her throat. "I-I guess as long as I'm not flashing everyone if I kick them."
Vanilla
Vanilla stood back up, and took a step back away from Mira. She pressed her hand against her overly sensitive abs, and in a flash, the woman's clothes disappeared, and then new ones appeared to take their place. She was wearing a silken black suit fitted perfectly to her form, showing off her breasts probably a bit more than she was expecting, but was otherwise, normal.
The demon pouted. "Don't have much faith in me do you. Nothing's strange about my clothes right now, even to these prudish humans. Hmmph."
-
Mira
Mira felt a thrill go through her, and her heart clench at the way Vanilla's voice shifted pitch with that look on her face. "H-Hey, it's not like that! I just don't like wearing skirts or anything, that's all!"
She'd gotten so distracted by it that the martial artist didn't quite notice her own outfit's change until she blinked a couple times at the reduction in air flow against her skin, and looked down. Then she started holding her arms up and stretching, testing her mobility. "Huh. These are actually really nice."
Even if it was a little tight around the chest.
-
Mira
Mira felt a thrill go through her, and her heart clench at the way Vanilla's voice shifted pitch with that look on her face. "H-Hey, it's not like that! I just don't like wearing skirts or anything, that's all!"
She'd gotten so distracted by it that the martial artist didn't quite notice her own outfit's change until she blinked a couple times at the reduction in air flow against her skin, and looked down. Then she started holding her arms up and stretching, testing her mobility. "Huh. These are actually really nice."
Even if it was a little tight around the chest.
Vanilla
As Mira tested her kicks and flexability, Vanilla laughed. "Aren't they? I'm not so good at this sort of thing, so this is the most I can do right now. You can keep it as a gift, if you like. It won't disappear or anything weird like that."
She waited for Mira to finish up before wrapping her arm around the other woman's, interlocking their elbows. She was over a full head taller than Mira, and the closeness was intense. But she didn't allow any oppurtunity for escape before she pulled her out of the alley. "Let's go eat then!"
-
Mira
"I guess I can't insult you by saying I don't want it..." Mira admitted with a sigh, and did her visible best not to get too worked up as Vanilla completely occupied her left arm. Her head was so far below Vanilla's she had to look up and to the side to see her date's face if she wasn't looking down, and the angle was...
Dangerous.
So Mira tried to focus instead on the next part. "Right. Food."
-
Vanilla
And then...
The two just walked right in.
They just walked to the front of the line, and the bouncer, a large, musclebound man who looked to be half troll, nodded at Vanilla and opened the door. Under the cover of the angry glares of everyone else waiting in line, hoping to get a seat inside, the two ladies walked in.
"I come here all the time. You're in for a really good all you can eat event!"
-
Mira
Mira's mouth was hanging open just slightly as they made their way in. Or rather, as Vanilla made her way in and Mira was just too quick on her feet to look like she wasn't in on the whole thing. Her eyes still wandered over to Vanilla, and she whispered, "How?"
-
Mira
Mira's mouth was hanging open just slightly as they made their way in. Or rather, as Vanilla made her way in and Mira was just too quick on her feet to look like she wasn't in on the whole thing. Her eyes still wandered over to Vanilla, and she whispered, "How?"
Vanilla
A waiter in a formal black suit led them to their table. Or rather, their private booth, tucked away in the back and out of sight. "Don't underestimate my connections and influence, Mira!" She flexed her free arm, making her immense muscle bulge out. "I can get into all sorts of places!"
-
Mira
The martial artist gulped at the display, her normally alert eyes focused on Vanilla's flexing rather than on her surroundings. "You're not just some, uh, martial arts dominatrix demon, huh?"
-
Vanilla
"Of course not! Haven't you heard of me? I'm pretty famous, you know!"
She seemed shocked that Mira hadn't recognized her.
-
Mira
"I've seen some of your stuff online," she confessed, looking aside in embarrassment. "But I didn't think it was that popular."
-
Mira
"I've seen some of your stuff online," she confessed, looking aside in embarrassment. "But I didn't think it was that popular."
Vanilla
"Keh. Mira, I'm the second in command at the Luscious Angel. Ever heard of that?"
She raised an eyebrow as she pushed the younger woman into the booth, sitting down across from her.
-
Mira
Mira blinked a couple of times at the reference, and then placed a finger by her mouth and looked up in thought. "That does sound familiar..."
-
Mira
Mira blinked a couple of times at the reference, and then placed a finger by her mouth and looked up in thought. "That does sound familiar..."
Vanilla
"Ahahaha~" She chortled, kicking off her shoes and rubbing her foot against Mira's thigh. "Does the name Elizabeth ring any bells?"
-
Nanako
The squirrel girl crossed her arms under her chest, looking mildly perplexed. Unlike Yang, however, this lasted for all of a couple seconds before she shrugged it off.
"Alright, how's this," Nanako spoke up, "You let me use your shower, and I won't try to hug you until I'm clean, deal?"
Yang
When was the shower on the table in the first place?
An eyebrow twitched. He looked straight at Nanako with disbelief. Finally, ultimately, just as it looked like doom unending would erupt from the skies and a calamity would break the earth... just as it looked like all hope was lost...
He sighed. He sighed and raised his hands up in surrender.
"Fine, fine, fiiiine. I give up, I give up. Jesus, with haggling skills like yours, you should hit up the stock market."
In the end, like in many things in life, he gave up and went with the flow.
"Just don't make a mess. Okay?"
-
Nanako
The squirrel girl gave him a smug smirk, clasped her hands behind her back in just the right way to push her chest out just a bit more, then leaned forward.
"Well, there's things you pick up watching contract negotiations, you know," she said with a giggle, "Lead the way."
-
Mira
Mira blinked a couple of times at the reference, and then placed a finger by her mouth and looked up in thought. "That does sound familiar..."
Vanilla
"Ahahaha~" She chortled, kicking off her shoes and rubbing her foot against Mira's thigh. "Does the name Elizabeth ring any bells?"
Mira
Mira frowned in obvious displeasure at being mocked, but it soon turned into a bit of a pout as she looked away. It was obvious to Vanilla that she was getting very bothered under the collar by the foot rubbing through the fabric of her pants.
"That's the demon who rules some place in the North, right? Never been up that... way... oh." Her eyes widened as the implications sank in. "Wow. What's a big shot like you doing in a place like this?"
-
Mira
Mira blinked a couple of times at the reference, and then placed a finger by her mouth and looked up in thought. "That does sound familiar..."
Vanilla
"Ahahaha~" She chortled, kicking off her shoes and rubbing her foot against Mira's thigh. "Does the name Elizabeth ring any bells?"
Mira
Mira frowned in obvious displeasure at being mocked, but it soon turned into a bit of a pout as she looked away. It was obvious to Vanilla that she was getting very bothered under the collar by the foot rubbing through the fabric of her pants.
"That's the demon who rules some place in the North, right? Never been up that... way... oh." Her eyes widened as the implications sank in. "Wow. What's a big shot like you doing in a place like this?"
Vanilla
"Same reason you're here!" She exclaimed. "I like to fight, I like the culture, and I like the food! I run a dojo here, you know."
She stuck out her tongue at Mira and intensified her assaults on her leg, moving downwards toward's the girl's feet, lithely pulling off Mira's shoe and rubbing the sole of her foot against the top of her date's. She also reached out for Mira's hand, interlocking her fingers with the purple-haired girl.
"Let me show you a good time. Nobody is better at treating a lady right than me."
-
Mira
What kind of dojo could you possibly run?!
She didn't say it, but the question was obvious on Mira's face. Mira's face soon gave way to embarrassment as Vanilla aggressively reached out to seize her hand like that. "That's a pretty bold claim, ya know..."
Her foot wiggled with inexperience and uncertainty.
-
Mira
What kind of dojo could you possibly run?!
She didn't say it, but the question was obvious on Mira's face. Mira's face soon gave way to embarrassment as Vanilla aggressively reached out to seize her hand like that. "That's a pretty bold claim, ya know..."
Her foot wiggled with inexperience and uncertainty.
Vanilla
"For somebody who wasn't me, sure. Because then it would be a lie." Vanilla leaned in for a kiss, heading straight for Mira's mouth. "I promise your night will be amazing, Mira~" She whispered as she approached.
-
Mira
At the last moment, despite being obviously captivated by the succubus' eyes, the martial artist managed to turn her head oh so slightly aside. Vanilla's lips landed on her cheek, but Mira's fingers squeezed the older woman's hand. "W-Well, we have a long way to go to night then, don't we?"
She looked like a tomato.
-
Vanilla
Vanilla's lips landed on Mira's cheek, and she could feel the fullness of her plump, red lips. When she pulled away, a red mark was left on her cheek. The demon licked her lips and just stared at her prey.
"Indeed we do. We should get some food to eat while we're here!"
-
Mira
Mira didn't notice the mark for all it stood out more once her flush receded a bit. She swallowed dryly at the unblinking intensity of Vanilla's attentions. "Right. Food. What do they have again...?"
She broke eye contact first to look down at the menu, and her eyes bugged out at the price tags next to various items. "There's so much of it. It costs so much." Her mouth moved a few times as she looked through it, skimming it faster than any human could have thanks to her perceptive abilities.
She didn't notice her own foot idly brushing against the demon's dress.
-
Sethrol
7am Nexus Time
An old man sat in the center of an empty dojo. It was called "the dojo" but it was nothing but an empty field scarred by battle. Fallen trees, craters with holes, even bullets and destroyed tanks scattered the ground. Sitting in the center of the field a single old man stood, holding a cup of tea in his hand.
-
Mira
Mira didn't notice the mark for all it stood out more once her flush receded a bit. She swallowed dryly at the unblinking intensity of Vanilla's attentions. "Right. Food. What do they have again...?"
She broke eye contact first to look down at the menu, and her eyes bugged out at the price tags next to various items. "There's so much of it. It costs so much." Her mouth moved a few times as she looked through it, skimming it faster than any human could have thanks to her perceptive abilities.
She didn't notice her own foot idly brushing against the demon's dress.
Vanilla
"Fufu..." Vanilla's tail slithered down and grabbed Mira's foot, carressing her sole and massaging all the stress and pain out of it. With careful applications of her charms, it even felt unbelievably arousing for the girl.
She leaned forward, and laid her finger down Mira's menu, covering up the price tags. "Don't sweat the little details, sweetie~"
-
Nanako
7:00 AM Nexus Time
With her first good night's sleep in what had felt like far more than a couple days, Nanako wound up waking up earlier than usual. Her usual morning routine went off like bouncy clockwork, with a quick breakfast, a morning jog, and shower to start herself off. Surprisingly, there seemed to be less disdainful glares now, though the squirrel girl barely noticed, caught up in her exercises as she was.
Eventually, she wound up wandering through a place that reminded her of the old projects back home, only much cleaner. Plenty of people roaming around like they didn't have homes to go back to, but they all seemed strangely okay with it. Intrigued, Nanako asked around a few places before she was pointed in the direction of a dojo, the squirrel girl following the directions to the letter, only to find herself landing in an empty, battle-scarred field. Darting among the ruined greenery, craters, and once-smoldering wrecks of vehicles, Nanako found herself face to face with a lean, well-built silver fox of a man, deep in his meditation.
The squirrel girl looked him over once more, her tail flicking back and forth behind her, before finally speaking up, "Heya, they said the dojo was here, but it doesn't really look like one around here. So are you that Sethrol the Calm guy they mentioned?"
-
Sethrol the Calm
The old man took a sip of the tea, his tongue lingering on the flavors as it slipped down his old throat. The air today was swift, strong and heavy. As he placed the cup of tea on the battered remains of a tank, he smiled at the newcomer.
"I suppose that is one name cast upon me," he said with a chuckle. "I also answer to shitty old man and piece of crap. How goes your day Nanako?"
-
Nanako
The squirrel girl looked almost thoughtful as she listened to him, then quickly shrugged it off and zipped in closer.
"Hm, don't think I'd call you that," she said briefly before zipping back, "Wait, how'd you know my name? Have we met?"
-
Sethrol the Calm
Sethrol picked up the tea again, swishing the colored water around as he stared into it. "You are also known by many names," he said. "Cowardly squirlgirl, woman of the iron tail, one who fought in the battle that shook the sky...."
Sethrol took a sip. "Its not the worst thing in the world in a district such as this."
-
Nanako
Nanako's eyes narrowed at the mention of the nicknames, remember the mess she'd made of that matador fight yesterday.
"Definitely not a fan of that first one," she said, zipping over to the tank and sitting on it, tail swishing back and forth like his tea, "So who do I have to beat up to prove I'm not?"
-
Sethrol
"A profound question articulated in such a simple way," he said, smiling. The gray-haired old man's musing grin revealed crows feet around his eyes and cheeks worn by time. "I suppose you could start by beating up anyone who called you a coward. Would you mind having a new nickname like "cheating bitch or squirrel beast?"
Sethrol peeled back a bit of the metal with his bare hands, revealing a tea kettle and a spare cup. He extended the hand holding the cup to Nanako. The gi slipped back for a moment, revealing his developed forarms. "Tea? Its not a bad idea to reflect before deciding to battle one's enemies."
-
Nanako
"Hm, rather be called a cheater than a coward," Nanako said, crossing her arms under her chest and absentmindedly crossing and uncrossing her legs. The squirrel girl cocked an eyebrow as Sethrol peeled back metal like it was foil and retrieved another kettle and spare cup.
She moved to accept the offered cup, only to stop short as the gi slipped a bit to reveal his well-built arm. She could already feel it pressing against her throat just looking at it, imagine herself gasping for whatever air she could sneak past his vice grip. A small gasp caught in her throat before she swallowed hard and took the cup, tearing her eyes away.
"What's there to reflect on?" Nanako asked, her curiosity piqued as she looked up at the old man himself, "Seems like a pretty simple solution to me."
-
Sethrol
For a split second, Sethrol tilted his head back, his face screwing up as if taken aback. Then he laughed and said, "I agree. Although, you realize that while we do not equate the two words, there are many who do. Will the victory still feel satisfying if your beaten and broken foe calls you a cheat or worse, a cowardly cheat?"
-
Nanako
"No, it wouldn't," she said, shaking her head and sipping the tea, "But if I start beating up everyone who calls me a cheat, they'll come up with something else, and I'll be right back where I started."
The squirrel girl looked thoughtful for a moment, then shrugged again, "So what do I do about them?"
-
Sethrol
Once again the old man laughed. "I wouldn't know!" he said, his tea spilling over the sides of his mug. "I gave up on trying to make people think a certain way about me a long time ago. All I do now is focus on my breath and the breath of the world I suppose. I heard they chased you out of the colosseum. Quite a fast one you were to outrun all of our men. Why did you run?"
-
Nanako
The squirrel girl canted her head to the side as the old man actually wound up laughing hard enough to spill his tea, taking another sip of hers all the same.
"Had to get the bull to a medic soon as I could," Nanako said matter-of-factly, "Didn't really have time to beat up everyone there first. I already had to beat up the doc's doorman to get in."
-
Sethrol
Sethrol's eyes softened, even moreso than they already were. "The bull? You took the bull, the killer of champions, an animal said to take sadistic pleasure in beating our districts proudest warriors? I'm surprised you did that over proving your valor. Do you know why you did that?"
-
Nanako
"Didn't know about any of that," Nanako said simply, wincing slightly as she thought back to all that blood, "The fight was over by then, and that man was just bleeding it out slowly. I didn't like that."
-
Sethrol
Sethrol took another sip of his tea and said, "You know one of the great debates of this district and its culture is what draws the greatest strength. Some have argued strength comes from protecting others. Only the strong can afford and get away with protecting others because their power is so great it extends beyond their own wellbeing. Others have argued power comes from turning away from that empathy, that the reality is that power only comes from focusing on ones self."
The old man dumped the tea into the grass before sighing. "It seems you are a kind woman Nanako. No matter what anyone says, its undeniable that kindness is something that requires courage of character and strength of the heart."
-
Mira
Mira didn't notice the mark for all it stood out more once her flush receded a bit. She swallowed dryly at the unblinking intensity of Vanilla's attentions. "Right. Food. What do they have again...?"
She broke eye contact first to look down at the menu, and her eyes bugged out at the price tags next to various items. "There's so much of it. It costs so much." Her mouth moved a few times as she looked through it, skimming it faster than any human could have thanks to her perceptive abilities.
She didn't notice her own foot idly brushing against the demon's dress.
Vanilla
"Fufu..." Vanilla's tail slithered down and grabbed Mira's foot, carressing her sole and massaging all the stress and pain out of it. With careful applications of her charms, it even felt unbelievably arousing for the girl.
She leaned forward, and laid her finger down Mira's menu, covering up the price tags. "Don't sweat the little details, sweetie~"
Mira
What Vanilla hadn't quite accounted for in her calculations when using her tail there was that, beneath the flush of red on Mira's face, she was now struggling not to giggle uncontrollably. Her toes wiggled about as she did her best to help her foot escape!
"I-I mean, I guess I'll have to go for the 24oz then!" She did not squeak. Certainly not. Mira was not that sort of girl!
-
Nanako
Nanako couldn't help a small flush spreading across her face at the unexpected compliement, the squirrel girl hiding her eyes behind her tea-cup as she tipped it back and gulped down the rest. Flinching slightly at the bitter aftertaste of the dregs, she put the cup down again as she listened to him.
"Sounds like that second group's made of shut-ins, if not in action then in their hearts," Nanako remarked, her tail flitting absentmindedly behind her, before stopping as something he'd said earlier came back to her, "Hold on, what did you mean by that breath of the world stuff?"
-
Sethrol the Calm
For the third time, Sethrol chuckled and said, "Yes I suppose that is one perspective. I was merely refering to how the earth's pulse causes tremors, how the inhaling and exhaling pushes and pulls the leaves and how the sky occasionally cries... In my morning meditation, I try to learn something new by listening to the world we inhabit. Nanako, have you ever heard of chi?"
-
Nanako
The squirrel girl listened along, nodding along as he spoke. Then he mentioned chi and Nanako stopped short, giving him a curious look. Then a flustered one at the first thing to pop into her head as she glanced away for a brief moment, managing to restrain a slight giggle.
"Ah, yeah, in a couple places," the squirrel girl said, "But I get the feeling you're not talking about something from some, ah, anime."
-
Sethrol
Sethrol raised an eyebrow at the comment. He swallowed and said, "Like uhh those cartoons? Its nothing like that cyclops all the kids are raving about, with those laser eyes."
-
Nanako
Nanako leaned in a bit, her curiosity rising further still along with some minor relief.
"Alright," she said, tail flicking eagerly behind her, "So what is this chi stuff for you, then?"
-
Sethrol
Sethrol took another sip of tea, taking a moment to allow the flavor to fill his throat. "Chi is but another flavor of breath to me. It is how my soul breathes and revitalizes itself. I am an old man and chi is the best natural medicine for the flippant substance of time."
-
Mira
Mira didn't notice the mark for all it stood out more once her flush receded a bit. She swallowed dryly at the unblinking intensity of Vanilla's attentions. "Right. Food. What do they have again...?"
She broke eye contact first to look down at the menu, and her eyes bugged out at the price tags next to various items. "There's so much of it. It costs so much." Her mouth moved a few times as she looked through it, skimming it faster than any human could have thanks to her perceptive abilities.
She didn't notice her own foot idly brushing against the demon's dress.
Vanilla
"Fufu..." Vanilla's tail slithered down and grabbed Mira's foot, carressing her sole and massaging all the stress and pain out of it. With careful applications of her charms, it even felt unbelievably arousing for the girl.
She leaned forward, and laid her finger down Mira's menu, covering up the price tags. "Don't sweat the little details, sweetie~"
Mira
What Vanilla hadn't quite accounted for in her calculations when using her tail there was that, beneath the flush of red on Mira's face, she was now struggling not to giggle uncontrollably. Her toes wiggled about as she did her best to help her foot escape!
"I-I mean, I guess I'll have to go for the 24oz then!" She did not squeak. Certainly not. Mira was not that sort of girl!
Vanilla
"Yep! Get whatever you want!" The demon reiterated, holding tightly onto her foot, continuing to massage it.
-
Nanako
Nanako raised an eyebrow as Sethrol spoke, unsure what to make of his explanation.
"So you're saying it's extending your lifespan? Or that it's what's keeping you in shape at your age?" the squirrel girl asked, her tail flicking faster behind her, "Can use it for anything else? Like maybe fighting?"
-
Vanilla
"Yep! Get whatever you want!" The demon reiterated, holding tightly onto her foot, continuing to massage it.
Mira
The martial artist soon lost all semblance on fiscal responsibility, having decided on the biggest cut of steak they had, a massive plate of greens, and... a big glass of milk. Mira's eyes dared Vanilla to challenge her on that point, but the effect was ruined by the almost perpetual state of red the demon's tail had her in. But she wasn't going to let that stop her, not one bit.
-
Sethrol the Swole
Taking a deep breath, the old man stood up. "Well, since you seem so interested to allow me to give a demonstration. Keep in mind that I am several hundred years old as I perform this simple task."
The old man peeled off his gi, revealing a physique that was sculpted by the gods. Two large pecs sat atop a shredded eight pack, his arms buldging as he took in a deep breath. The broken debris of this long ravaged battlefield began to levitate around him as energy flowed into his body. Sethrol walked past Nanako, still drawing energy into him as he approached a tree. His old boney hand pressed up against the tree bark, his fist cocked back. A loud cannon-like noise filled the area as a hole was punched in the tree. The bark in the middle had been completely disintegrated.
"Unfortunately, that is all I can do as an old man. Back in my heyday, I could obliterate mountin's with this power. But I imagine you could do more with it then I."
-
Nanako
Nanako watched with wonder as Sethrol stripped down. Sure, he was an old man, but the perfectly sculpted muscles on him lit a familiar spark in her core all the same. The way those pecs shone in the light, his abs tensing as the squirrel girl imagined herself being forced face-first into them. Those arms bulging, Nanako shivering as she imagined them wrapping around her waist, slowly crushing the air out of her and more. Familiar dampness registered between her thighs as she sat there, her breathing growing heavier.
Then she wobbled unexpected, shaking her out of her fantasizing as the rubble she was sitting on started to levitate. Her eyes lit up with wonder as she watched him, almost feeling a faint pressure radiating from him as he approached a tree. Her eyebrows went up as he drew back, and her eyes widened as his punch hollowed out the tree in one go. The sight reminded her of yesterday, of the feeling of that blondie's fist spearing into her belly, the squirrel girl feeling a familiar ache in her core as she watched. If only he wasn't so old...
The squirrel girl promptly hopped off the tank, her eyes alight with wonder as she zipped close, "That was still pretty cool! Could you teach me how that works?"
-
Sethrol
The old man turned away from the tree, not even bothering to acknowledge the damage he just inflicted on it. "I can show you the basics, but chi is not an easy path to power. It has a high learning curve. Just like any martial art, I must first teach you how to move and breathe. In truth, I am not the best master. If you wish to learn from the best, there is a name you must seek out, Yamada of the First District. However, I am more than happy to start you someplace where you can practice on your own."
-
Nanako
Nanako was practically vibrating with excitement now. An old mentor guiding her first steps, the promise of a better master in foreign lands, it was like something out of a kung fu movie! It might even even be enough of a distraction to keep her mind off the other things.
"I'll be sure to find him later," Nanako nodded, grabbing the hem of her own jacket, "But first..."
The squirrel girl swiftly undid her jacket and stripped it off in one smooth motion, tossing it high above her and leaving her in her ring outfit before the muscular old man, "I'd be happy to take you up on your offer."
-
Sethrol
Sethrol froze before placing his hands over his eyes. "Would you mind putting that back on? I am... probably not supposed to be looking and thinking about you as I am now."
-
Vanilla
"Yep! Get whatever you want!" The demon reiterated, holding tightly onto her foot, continuing to massage it.
Mira
The martial artist soon lost all semblance on fiscal responsibility, having decided on the biggest cut of steak they had, a massive plate of greens, and... a big glass of milk. Mira's eyes dared Vanilla to challenge her on that point, but the effect was ruined by the almost perpetual state of red the demon's tail had her in. But she wasn't going to let that stop her, not one bit.
Vanilla
Vanilla herself seemed not to care, ordering three prime ribs, along with a myriad of appitizers and three bottles of wine. She turn turned back to Mira, staring at her unflincingly, a hint of a smile on her lips.
Her tail slowly grew longer, slithering up Mira's pantsleg.
-
Nanako
Nanako gave him a bemused smirk, her tail flicking lazily behind her as her jacket fluttered down from on high.
"I don't mind, you put on a nice show for me just now," she said, striking a pose with her arms up and her back arched, the motion doing wonderful things for her chest. She held it for all of a moment before relaxing with a giggle, zipping back a few paces.
"'Sides, I can move freely in this. Can't do that with the jacket," Nanako noted, tail flicking eagerly behind her as she met his gaze again, "So where do we start?"
-
Mira
"I-It can get longer?!" She whispered at Vanilla, reaching down with one hand as if to grab the tail through her new pants just as it reached her thigh. "What else can you change?"
Mira wrapped her fingers around it and did her best to stop it from going any further up. She frowned in obvious concentration. "Your height? Your muscles? How much of Vanilla is... Vanilla?"
-
Sethrol
"I'm too old for this," he muttered under his breath.
The old man's abs flexed as he took a deep inhale before relaxing with the exhale. In a sense this was training too. "Do not worry, you will not need to move much for this training. No, in order to use ki, we must strengthen your soul."
-
Nanako
Nanako's eyes lit up as Sethrol flexed, before what he said registered. The squirrel girl went still for a moment, as if in shock at what he'd suggested.
"...Wait, what do you mean I don't need to move?" Nanako said, confused and hoping this wouldn't involve what she feared it might, "What do you mean by strengthen my soul?"
-
Sethrol
"Chi comes from the soul," Sethrol said. "It involves drawing the power of the world into yourself. However in order to do that you must strengthen your soul so that it is strong enough to draw in and retain the world's power."
Sethrol took in another breath, inhaling and exhaling. "Just as the body is strengthened through training, the mind is strengthened by meditation. So we will sit."
-
Nanako
Despair flashed across the squirrel girl's eyes for a moment before she managed to avert her gaze to those ripped abs, those bulging arms.
"So...that's it? Just sit here and..." Nanako trailed off, glancing away for a moment before taking a deep breath and slowly breathing out, "Alright. Alright, looks like we're doing this. There anything to focus on while I'm sitting, or do we just sit?"
-
Sethrol
"Technically you can sit, stand, walk, fight. The key to effective meditation is developing a 'mind's eye.' Essentially, it involves observing your own thoughts. Many people think that mediation is sitting around and doing nothing. Thats not true. Meditation involves two things, focusing on your breath, and acknoleging your thoughts without letting them consuming them, allowing them to exist but not succumbing to them. Through that process, your soul gains power."
Sethrol sighed and smiled at her. "You might be able to achive a meditative state another way. A fighter or athlete may be able to enter the zone, a place where your mind, body and soul optimize itself for a task. It happens during a fight when you are faced with a challenge that can be beaten. I suppose it can also occur during sex."
-
Mira
"I-It can get longer?!" She whispered at Vanilla, reaching down with one hand as if to grab the tail through her new pants just as it reached her thigh. "What else can you change?"
Mira wrapped her fingers around it and did her best to stop it from going any further up. She frowned in obvious concentration. "Your height? Your muscles? How much of Vanilla is... Vanilla?"
Vanilla
Vanilla's tail slithered back away as she looked up in honest surprise. "I-" She paused, and then closed here eyes to think. "Uh..." She clicked her tongue. "Everything. Whatever form I prefer in the moment."
-
Mira
"I see..."
Mira's frown appeared rather complicated, as if she were wrestling with something at that revelation. She sipped from her water and flexed the fingers of her left hand experimentally once they weren't holding onto demon tail.
"I guess that's fair if that's just how your body works," she said, mumbling in discontent.
-
Nanako
Nanako cocked an eyebrow as Sethrol listed off possible alternatives to sitting still for too damn long. Thankful that the point was more about focus than about sitting still for long periods of time, the squirrel girl looked thoughtful for a moment before he reached that last option.
"Hm, can't say that last one isn't tempting," Nanako mused, licking her lips as she took another look over that chiseled body, already imagining much better uses for it than just fucking, "But how about we fight instead."
With that, the squirrel girl zipped closer, a hand reaching out to prod at those perfect pecs as she locked eyes with the silver fox of a martial arts instructor, "After that, well, we can figure it out as we go along."
-
Mira
"I see..."
Mira's frown appeared rather complicated, as if she were wrestling with something at that revelation. She sipped from her water and flexed the fingers of her left hand experimentally once they weren't holding onto demon tail.
"I guess that's fair if that's just how your body works," she said, mumbling in discontent.
Vanilla
Vanilla laughed, looking more beautiful than ever as her breasts bounced, tightly restrained as they were. "What do you mean if that's how it works? What's bothering you?"
-
Sethrol
"That is not what I was..." he let her go on, taking in those firm looking breasts up in his space. Staring back into those curious animalistic eyes, he was reminded of the short spars he had with Ferrison, that genuine hunger for life, curiosity and drive for power.
"Very well, if it will help, then strike me. I will guage your attacks to provide the perfect stimulus for a meditative state. Remember, your not fighting to win but rather to enter 'the zone.'
-
Mira
"I see..."
Mira's frown appeared rather complicated, as if she were wrestling with something at that revelation. She sipped from her water and flexed the fingers of her left hand experimentally once they weren't holding onto demon tail.
"I guess that's fair if that's just how your body works," she said, mumbling in discontent.
Vanilla
Vanilla laughed, looking more beautiful than ever as her breasts bounced, tightly restrained as they were. "What do you mean if that's how it works? What's bothering you?"
Mira
What's bothering you?
She grimaced at those words, but shook her head and focused her eyed down on something nicer. Okay, no, that was just as bad in this case.
"It just..." Mira bit her lip in consideration, then pulled her eyes up from Vanilla's chest and back to her eyes. "Do you work out? Do you even have to?"
-
Vanilla
Vanilla snorted, rolling her eyes at Mira. "Come on, are you really that much of a musclehead that you're worried about that? Of course I train my body. What kind of question is that even? I used to be way, way, way stronger, even. Stronger than you can even imagine." She smirked, raising her eyebrow at Mira questioningly. "Is that really all that was bothering you, cutie?"
-
Nanako
Nanako gave Sethrol a curious look, nodded, and stepped back into a stance. Her tail slowed down for a moment she tried to contain her anticipation for what would come next, before she left fly with a firm right cross. It was a solid punch, though she didn't use her full power, as advised.
"Don't see why it won't," the squirrel girl said, her tone suddenly much more even than before, but no less eager.
-
Sethrol
Sethrol's arm came up, knocking aside the cross by striking the forearm with an outside block. The second the hand hit, the old man's beefy arm had been cocked, shooting forward to strike Nanako in her abdomen in an attempt to knock the air out of her.
"A little harder," he said. "We need to challenge you enough that the task is hard, but not so much so that I am an impossible wall to overcome."
-
Nanako
Nanako turned herself as she saw the counter coming in, but still wound up taking most of it, knocking some of the air out of her. Nanako bent forward slightly around the fist, her eyes lighting up as she grabbed onto the extended limb with her free arm and used it to pull herself off the ground, rocketing towards Sethrol with leaping knee aimed squarely for his chest.
"That's fine, I like it hard," she said, already starting to grow heated as her eyes locked with his, sparks dancing in hers as that familiar rhythm of a fight pulsed through her core.
-
Sethrol
"Wait wha-"
A knee slammed into his chest before he had time to think. Too late to block, he tightened his core, and delivered a powerful strike to her abs on her way back to the ground, one powerful enough to send her flying.
"Thats a little too much excitement for a man my age..."
-
Vanilla
Vanilla snorted, rolling her eyes at Mira. "Come on, are you really that much of a musclehead that you're worried about that? Of course I train my body. What kind of question is that even? I used to be way, way, way stronger, even. Stronger than you can even imagine." She smirked, raising her eyebrow at Mira questioningly. "Is that really all that was bothering you, cutie?"
Mira
Mira's eyes widened at that, and she leaned in closer while ignoring the obvious insult. "I can imagine a lot! Why, what happened? It's temporary, right?!"
She looked actually panicked on her behalf!
-
Nanako
Nanako gasped with excitement as she saw Sethrol's reply homing in. The squirrel girl managed to get an arm in the way as she tried to twist to the side, not enough to dodge the blow, but enough to blunt it. The feeling of his hard fist grinding against her firm abs lit new sparks in her eyes and her core alike, even as it knocked some of the wind out of her and sent her back.
She quickly caught herself, boots and hands digging a trench into the earth as she forced herself to stop, before an idle thought stopped her cold. For a moment, she'd wondered if the wings could've let her dodge that, and looking up, she briefly saw that familiar many-eyed silhouette staring down at her. Blinking it away, Nanako shook her head to try to clear the thought before launching herself at Sethrol again, making as if to go high again, only to duck low and dart in, bushy tail whipping up to block the sight of her long legs lashing out to try to sweep his legs out from under him.
-
Vanilla
Vanilla snorted, rolling her eyes at Mira. "Come on, are you really that much of a musclehead that you're worried about that? Of course I train my body. What kind of question is that even? I used to be way, way, way stronger, even. Stronger than you can even imagine." She smirked, raising her eyebrow at Mira questioningly. "Is that really all that was bothering you, cutie?"
Mira
Mira's eyes widened at that, and she leaned in closer while ignoring the obvious insult. "I can imagine a lot! Why, what happened? It's temporary, right?!"
She looked actually panicked on her behalf!
Vanilla
Vanilla licked her lips, and with an ease that should have been impossible for such a large woman, slipped under the tablecloth. She felt Vanilla's strong hands grab her hips, not allowing any protests as her pants slid down.
-
Sethrol
Clever
Sethrol raised an arm to block the high strike, pulling his other arm back to strike again. It reached for the tail, grabbing hold of it as he found himself falling backward, his legs no longer touching the ground. Thinking fast, he broke the fall by rolling onto his back with Nanako in tow, intent on slamming his legs into her already bruised abs.
-
Nanako
Nanako felt a little warmer as she managed to sweep Sethrol's legs out from under him, only for him to grab hold of her tail and pull. The squirrel girl's eyes widened and she let out a surprised yelp at the sudden pull, sending a jolt up her spine. It brought her back into focus again, but also brought a fresh blush to her face, warmth flooding her core all over again as she was yanked along.
She saw the legs rushing in for her belly, but only tightened her core in response, relishing in the feeling of his feet crashing down on her abs, just as the previous bruises had faded. The blow knocked the air out of her again with a heated cry, but Nanako didn't let herself stay there this time. Instead, she relaxed enough to let the kick bend her back, letting Sethrol's pull bring her in closer. Her eyes were alight with excitement, shining with that familiar thirst, and honed to a razor's edge as moved. The squirrel girl all but slid up the older man's body before she caught herself on his shoulders, moaning as she fought against his pull. Her legs moved like whips, moving to wrap around Sethrol's waist to try squeezing down on the man as she stared at him. Her eyes were locked to his, the battle high honing her focus to just him and her. There could've been an audience of thousands watching them now, and whatever they'd say would fall on deaf ears for the squirrel girl.
"That's more like it," she gasped out, each breath hot and heavy as she tried to catch her breath.
-
Sethrol
This was not what he expected when he woke up this morning.
With the squirrel girl's legs wrapped around his waist, there was no escape. The old man's obliques pressed against Nanako's thick muscular thighs, growing bigger and tighter to fight against the pressure. It wasn't just his obliques either. His entire upper body pumped up, blood flowing rapidly through his veins as the aura peaked.
"Now concentrate!" he said, pulling his fist back. "Remember you have access to the world's energy! Imagine pulling that essence into your very being! Once there, cage it!"
Bare knuckles slammed into Nanako's abs at full force, containing the unrestrained power of an exploding rocket.
-
Vanilla
Vanilla licked her lips, and with an ease that should have been impossible for such a large woman, slipped under the tablecloth. She felt Vanilla's strong hands grab her hips, not allowing any protests as her pants slid down.
Mira
"Huh? Wait, you didn't answer my quest-" Mira normally wasn't this easy to get past the senses of, but right now she was really distracted and her guard was incredibly down. It was the only explanation for why her hands suddenly shot down beneath the table moments later than they normally would have, grabbing for Vanilla's head as if to restrain her. "What are you doing?"
Her face was once more a tomato.
-
Vanilla
Vanilla chuckled, and unzipped Mira's pants in a smooth motion, slipping out of her grasp and poking her head out from under the table, resting her chin on her panties. "I'm showing you how my people go on dates, silly~"
-
Mira
Mira's face was alternating between pale mortification and a red flush, which just kind of averaged out at about pink coloring her cheeks. She reached down again to try to push Vanilla's forehead away. "The server is on his way," she said, practically hissing it out in embarrassment.
-
Nanako
Nanako gasped as Sethrol's frame swelled with power, relishing how his obliques throbbed between her thighs. Fresh sparks lit in her core as she fought against him, legs clenching down on him as he held firm for now. Her heart raced with the excitement, his words only just registering. Still, she heard him, even as his fist drilled into her belly, bending her over as spit and air sprayed from her mouth and fresh pain sent shivers along her spine.
She felt some stirring inside her, clawing at her mind, and reached for it. Reaching for that energy that he spoke of...and found nothing. The squirrel girl was surprised, feeling like she was in freefall, flailing for anything she could reach in her heated frenzy, before she finally managed to latch onto something. Without thinking, she grabbed on tight, bringing a fist back as she tried to draw it in, only to stop short.
Ethereal wings tore their way out of her back, shedding feathers and flaring out wide before folding behind her again. Nanako's grip on Sethrol's waist slackened as she felt the new limbs, eyes quivering in realization. Torn from the heat haze of the fight, Nanako detached herself from Sethrol and darted back, breathing heavily as she tried to slow her pounding heart. Her guard was still up, but her eyes darted about, unfocused, as the wings vanished in a spray of feathers.
"That was," she started before trailing off, shaking her head and starting again, "That wasn't it, right?"
-
Mira
Mira's face was alternating between pale mortification and a red flush, which just kind of averaged out at about pink coloring her cheeks. She reached down again to try to push Vanilla's forehead away. "The server is on his way," she said, practically hissing it out in embarrassment.
Vanilla
Vanilla flooded Mira with a fresh wave of arousal as she ran her tongue up Mira's slit, before gently biting down on her clit. Pleasure shot through Mira, filling her with a sense of contentment and arousal the pure virgin had never experienced before.
-
Mira
A squeak escaped Mira's mouth, and she had to lift one of her hands up to cover it as her entire body heated up and trembled. It was like the tension from all the adrenaline of the morning was getting lapped away at and melting like a popsicle, and the martial artist felt her toes curl under the table. Vanilla could feel Mira's powerful legs tense around her sides in ways weaker women could hardly make her feel at all.
-
Sethrol
The old man's eyes widened, his muscular frame becoming a shadow before the light of an angel. The martial artist stood firm, arms raised to protect himself from that angelic energy, only to realize that it was the wings themselves that were the power. It was an odd sight, a squirrel girl with wings growing out of her back, almost as if she was already dead herself, reaching for heaven but with no where to go.
"No," he said with a nod. "Failure is something where its merits are not always clearly apparent, but in this case... I think we can identify the next step."
-
Mira
A squeak escaped Mira's mouth, and she had to lift one of her hands up to cover it as her entire body heated up and trembled. It was like the tension from all the adrenaline of the morning was getting lapped away at and melting like a popsicle, and the martial artist felt her toes curl under the table. Vanilla could feel Mira's powerful legs tense around her sides in ways weaker women could hardly make her feel at all.
Vanilla
Vanilla grabbed Mira's butt, pulling her closer to the edge and giving the full, strong mounds a tight embrace. Her tongue teased the tip of her clit. The older demon giggled at the younger girl's reactions.
-
Mira
"A-At least wait until we're at a bed or something...~!" She said that, but as Vanilla's fingers sank into her firm ass and found the muscle lurking beneath the luxurious fullness it was half-hearted at best. Her legs adjusted to the new position, wrapping around the mature demon woman in ways that encouraged her to stay close, rather than go away.
-
Nanako
"Next step?" Nanako said, giving him a confused look, "The next step with what?"
The squirrel girl restrained a shudder as she tried to force down the memories that had just been dredged up, though their hold on her was weaker with Carin's warmth filling her. The bruises on her abs were already fading again, the squirrel girl's breathing starting to slow as she started to catch her breath. That gnawing ache in her core came back to the fore, leaving her feeling wanting, her eyes trailing along Sethrol's well muscled frame again for a moment before she managed to look him in the eyes again, biting the corner of her lip with a fresh blue spreading across her face.
-
Sethrol
"Are you aware of the wings that sprung from your back?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. There was no judgement in his voice, a simple curiosity for her honest reaction.
-
Nanako
"Yes, I'm aware," Nanako said with a small frown, "Just not really comfortable with them."
-
Sethrol
Sethrol walked up to Nanako, seperating the space between them. His strong frame passed over the scars of the past to cross the distance, all the while locking eyes with the squirrel girl. Never once did he blink, almost as if he was afraid that even a blink could result in him missing something important. Those soft old eyes gave way to a heavy breath, his chest inflating and deflating. At last a hand rested on her shoulder.
"The memories of the past, the truama of the present. We must face them."
-
Nanako
The squirrel girl found herself transfixed as Sethrol's eyes locked with hers, barely noticing that he was getting closer until he'd put a hand on her shoulder. The fight had left her so heated that even just that touch sent sparks running down into her core. Nanako gave him a curious look as he looked back at her, the years suddenly seeming to weigh on him.
"What, face them? Head on?" Nanako looked at him, canting her head to the side as she considered it for a long moment, "Alright. How?"
-
Sethrol
Sethrol looked Nanako in the eye and said, "Your going to have to summon the wings again."
-
Mira
"A-At least wait until we're at a bed or something...~!" She said that, but as Vanilla's fingers sank into her firm ass and found the muscle lurking beneath the luxurious fullness it was half-hearted at best. Her legs adjusted to the new position, wrapping around the mature demon woman in ways that encouraged her to stay close, rather than go away.
Vanilla
Vanilla's charm carressed her mind, soothing her embarrasment and deadening her fear of getting caught, replacing those emotions with arousal. A little voice in the back of her mind, slowly growing louder, wondered how hot it would be to actually get caught. With Vanilla's practiced tongue plunging into her cunt, her arousal spiked. She knew all of her weak spots, and exactly how to make a girl feel good, far better than she herself did.
-
Nanako
Nanako winced, part of her knowing he'd say that even before she'd asked. Still, he was right, she'd need to confront this sooner or later. Steeling herself, Nanako reached back once more. Past Carin's warmth, further into the claws and feathers scrabbling for purchase. Taking a deep breath, the squirrel girl drew deep of that thing, ripping open the figurative doors as the ethereal wings tore themselves free of her back once again, only to flutter and fade as that vision of wings and gleaming eyes loomed in her mind.
Shaking her head, the squirrel girl pushed back against it hard, straining for a moment that seemed to stretch on as she forced that memory down again. Then she dove back in, reaching for the wings again until she finally caught hold of them, the ethereal wings tearing free of her back again, flaring wide for a moment before folding behind her again, remaining solid this time.
"Alright, there we go," she said, her fists clenching tight for a long moment, "They're out. Now what?"
-
Sethrol
Sethrol stepped back and said, "Next you fly. Whatever possessed you to fear this power must be lived in, must be felt. You and I will experience new pain together. Understand?"
-
Mira
"A-At least wait until we're at a bed or something...~!" She said that, but as Vanilla's fingers sank into her firm ass and found the muscle lurking beneath the luxurious fullness it was half-hearted at best. Her legs adjusted to the new position, wrapping around the mature demon woman in ways that encouraged her to stay close, rather than go away.
Vanilla
Vanilla's charm caressed her mind, soothing her embarrassment and deadening her fear of getting caught, replacing those emotions with arousal. A little voice in the back of her mind, slowly growing louder, wondered how hot it would be to actually get caught. With Vanilla's practiced tongue plunging into her cunt, her arousal spiked. She knew all of her weak spots, and exactly how to make a girl feel good, far better than she herself did.
Mira
"At least talk back, damn it...~!" Mira's fingers tangled themselves up in Vanilla's soft, silky white hair. She pulled a bit at it as that tongue curled its way around inside deeper than the martial artist had ever bothered trying to reach, and tried to look anywhere other than down. But that just made the effects of the voice in her head worse, had Mira looking around and panting harder as the thought of the server catching them made her more worked up than ever.
Ohh, she was gonna punch Vanilla for this again later! Later. After she finished.
And steak.
-
Vanilla
Her tongue snaked deeper into Mira's depths, growing longer and fatter the longer it penetrated her, more like a wet, slimy tentacle than any tongue she'd ever seen before. It teased her secret spots, explored the taste of places she hadn't even known existed inside of her, and filled her up better than any toy.
Vanilla pulled her closer as her tongue slithered against her deepest depths. Play it cool She ordered Mira with a teasing voice as the waiter finally started heading back to their table, carrying their drinks.
-
Nanako
"Alright," Nanako nodded after a moment, slowly moving the wings, trying to get used to the motions.
"Alright, flying, let's try thi-" she started, extending and flapping her wings hard as she could, cutting herself off with a surprised yell as she launched herself skyward like a fluffy bullet. On reflex, the squirrel girl flapped her wings the other way, sending herself rocketing back downwards, still yelling all the way. Trying to arrest her momentum, Nanako flapped down again, trying to cancel out her momentum, only to send herself rocketing up all over again.
She reacted faster this time, flapping back down to try to even things out, only to finally crash down into the ground on her back, yelling the whole way until impact. The crash-landing kicked up a plume of dust and chunks of dirt as Nanako lay there, quietly groaning as she felt her whole body throb with delicious aches. Laying back for a moment, the squirrel girl let out a sigh before cocking an arm back and firing off a punch strong enough to chase the dust cloud away. With that, Nanako sat up, looked around, stood up, and dusted her tail off.
"That was new," she said, still processing the whole experience.
-
Vanilla
Her tongue snaked deeper into Mira's depths, growing longer and fatter the longer it penetrated her, more like a wet, slimy tentacle than any tongue she'd ever seen before. It teased her secret spots, explored the taste of places she hadn't even known existed inside of her, and filled her up better than any toy.
Vanilla pulled her closer as her tongue slithered against her deepest depths. Play it cool She ordered Mira with a teasing voice as the waiter finally started heading back to their table, carrying their drinks.
Mira
Vanilla could feel Mira's inexperienced yet magnificently built body clenching wonderfully around her tongue, and it took all of the concentration and focus the martial artist had in the world not to respond to the waiter with more than a nod and a "A-A few minutes, please."
The strange look she got for the way she stuttered sent a flush of shame and arousal flowing through Mira. The succubus having her way with her below the waist got a nice taste of that as it flooded into her mouth.
-
Vanilla
Vanilla's tongue wriggled inside her with delight as her face was sprayed with Mira's slippery juices. A finger slipped inside her rosebug, teasing the soft, slick flesh inside as Mira felt something she'd never felt before tingle inside of her.
Was this love?
-
Mira
If it was love, then love was an explosion. It jolted her so much that Vanilla had to hold onto Mira's legs so that she didn't kick their table, drinks and all, up into the ceiling. She cracked the edges of her chair between her powerful fingers, and bit her lip nearly to bleeding while clenching her eyes shut. The only thing in that moment was the sensations pushing through her body, overwhelming her sense of focus, and the sinister, sinuously insinuating power of Vanilla's fiendish charms slithering about inside.
-
Vanilla
It was more than just love. A finger pressed against a newly formed organ, full and incredibly sensitive as Vanilla scolded her. You'll get us kicked out! Hold your legs steady girl!" She exclaimed, tail wrapping around both legs and pulling then down against her back.
In her orgasmic state, she didn't notixe that her clit was growing until it was several inches long, resting against Vanilla's forehead and growing decidedly more phallic.
But then, Vanilla pulled her tongue out, and enveloped it with her mouth, sending Mira straight to hell.
-
Nanako
"Alright," Nanako nodded after a moment, slowly moving the wings, trying to get used to the motions.
"Alright, flying, let's try thi-" she started, extending and flapping her wings hard as she could, cutting herself off with a surprised yell as she launched herself skyward like a fluffy bullet. On reflex, the squirrel girl flapped her wings the other way, sending herself rocketing back downwards, still yelling all the way. Trying to arrest her momentum, Nanako flapped down again, trying to cancel out her momentum, only to send herself rocketing up all over again.
She reacted faster this time, flapping back down to try to even things out, only to finally crash down into the ground on her back, yelling the whole way until impact. The crash-landing kicked up a plume of dust and chunks of dirt as Nanako lay there, quietly groaning as she felt her whole body throb with delicious aches. Laying back for a moment, the squirrel girl let out a sigh before cocking an arm back and firing off a punch strong enough to chase the dust cloud away. With that, Nanako sat up, looked around, stood up, and dusted her tail off.
"That was new," she said, still processing the whole experience.
Sethrol
The old man smiled as he gazed at the squirrel girl. It was hard for the old man not to appreciate the simple joy of tackling life's problems, a love of living. "Good," he said., offering her a hand. "Then that means your learning. Did everything feel alright? How do you feel?"
It was possible the reason learning chi activated this instead was that this power was connected to her mind or spirit.
-
Nanako
Even though she didn't need it, Nanako took the offered hand and hopped out of the crater she'd made with her crash landing. Her body still ached a little with the landing, but it was quickly fading, leaving only the feeling of holding onto his firm hand and imagining it wrapped around her throat. She was only broken out of that mental image for a moment when he spoke up.
"Ah, I mean, couldn't really figure out how to stop moving," Nanako admitted, an eyebrow twitching as she felt those familiar memories clawing at the back of her eye, "Still processing the rest. Feels weird now that I'm back on solid ground."
-
Sethrol
"Thats not what I meant," Sethrol said, his voice going lower and deeper. The old man retracted his hand and stared into her eyes, as if he was looking for something. "Whats going through your head right now? What are you thinking about?"
-
Nanako
Nanako barely managed to keep a pout off her face as Sethrol retracted his hand, only to glance away when he asked his question. Her tail came to a stop from its idle swishing as she fell silent for a moment.
"Just now, the creature that gave me these," Nanako admitted.
-
Sethrol
What irony, a squirrel girl describing something else as a creature. What sort of being would be registered as a creature in her eyes? Was it a being of great power or great evil? Sethrol paused, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Do it again. Bring forth the wings."
-
At Sethrol the Calm's "Dojo"
In that moment the ground before Sethrol exploded as something struck it at supersonic speeds. Great chunks of earth was torn asunder and even the vehicles were affected as a nearby trashed tank saw even more destruction wrought to it as it was flipped over.
From the ashes arose a figure slightly shorter than the squirrel girl. A figure with long blond hair and blood red eyes, the being immediately lunged at the Dojo Head with the same ferocious speed she had crashed down down with and-
"Sethy, it has been too loooong!" She glomped him mercilessly.
-
Nanako
Nanako nodded, focusing inward again. It was much easier this time, surprisingly so even. The wings came out more smoothly this time, folding out from her back instead of tearing their way out in a spray of ethereal feathers.
"Huh. That was-" Nanako started, before the ground in front of them exploded with a new arrival. A slight wingbeat blew the dust away, revealing a cute blonde who proceeded to glomp Sethrol. The squirrel girl reeled for all of a moment in the face of all this, before turning to Sethrol.
"Wait, who's she?" she asked, her curiosity piqued.
-
Sethrol the Calm
"Agh!"
Sethrol groaned as he felt the familiar touch of a woman around him once more. Feeling himself getting excited down there once more. "Valarie, don't tease me," he said, lowering his aura. "Its unbecoming to make an old man so excited. Nanako this is Valarie, king of the vampires."
-
Great Dojo district: Bahadur Klearjacc's sector, man of economics and magic
1:00 pm
The sweet air of the dojo district filled Taro's undead lunges. The familiar scent of blood hid under the waft of wood from the trees lining the courtyard. "Oh how I missed this place," he said, finally expelling the air as he spoke. "Sakura, steel yourself. Today you prove your valor. On this day, we find out if you are a warrior or just a spoiled princess privileged with power."
Standing before the group of vampire's was a massive building, a dojo decorated in the style of an ancient Japanese palace. The roof was lined with pure gold, held together by massive columns as thick as a truck. Two massive doors stood at the center of the building, their sheer weight enough to drive away weaker warriors. Next to the doors, old Japanese style windows lined the walls, providing a window into one of the four great dojos. From the outside, all that could be seen and heard were the shadows of great men, their cries blasting through the air.
"TARO!" The door blasted open, a shadow flying forth from the great palace. "I KNEW YOU WOULD COME!"
The shadow flew into the sky, obscured by the brilliant light of the sun itself. It came down like a meteor, striking the courtyard with all the devastation you would expect from a force of nature. Taro met the man with a grin, his leg connected with Taro's raised arm. The ground erupted beneath their feet, shattering the tile of the massive courtyard the vampires found themselves standing on. "Ferrison Monroe you stupid fool! This isn't your dojo!"
"Damaian and Alice are here too aren't they!?" Ferrison yelled. "I saw Valarie on my way here! I heard something was going on but I wasn't sure!"
"Damian isn't here today," The dark knight said in a voice more deep and commanding than normal. "A businessman does not belong on the battlefield."
-
Alice
"Really Damian, why do you have to get so stiff when you suit up." The blodne woman in armor known as Alice came in after and shook her head at his antics, yet there was still a sense of bemusement to it. Even if she complained about it, that thing was the quality that made he attracted to him in the first place.
"We're here to challenge you all to a bunch of duels Master Ferrason. But Duke Taro is right, this isn't even your dojo. Did Master Klearjaac fall ill?" She tilted her head in wonder.
-
Valerie
"Do not pull my leg Sethy, I noticed her. That squirrel tailed bombshell puts me to shame. If you were not here I would be hitting up that real fast.... You can call me Val cutie." She nodded to the squirrel girl and grinned which showed off her razor sharp fangs.
Then she turned her attention back to the ripped hunk that was her junior disciple. Hands that were only covered by fingerless gloves trailed across her body as she pulled him even closer and shamelessly felt up his stiff muscles for all they were worth.
"But you are here and that is what really matters..... So how about it? Would you mind becoming one of mine now?"
-
Nanako
Nanako's eyes widened as she spotted the fangs, a slight flush spreading across her face as she realized what she was looking at, her mind racing as a familiar scenario flitted through her head. The little fantasy was swiftly interrupted by a familiar tingling at the back of her head.
Dangerous? But she's just, hmm...
"Ah, hi Val," the squirrel girl waved, tail flitting lazily behind her as she canted her head, giving Sethrol a curious look as he was felt up by the blonde. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she made her offer, though the squirrel girl wasn't entirely sure if the girl was serious or not. All the same, she took a step back, not letting herself relax entirely.
-
Sethrol
The old man sighed as he felt the familiar touch of the vampire lord. That familiarity grew deeper as he felt his head push against his gi. Sethrol had known her ever since he was a child, forever letting her occupy his deepest fantasies. Even as an old man, her touch made his brain scramble.
"I hate to say it, but its tempting. After seeing what age has done to my brother, its hard not to want the ever-present flow of time whisked away by the curse of vampirism. However, for now, I prefer the constant battle against age fought with chi and ki."
-
Valerie
"Awwww...." The way the blond vampire pouted upon hearing his words was nothing short of majestic. Then she smacked his broad muscly chest as her eyes narrowed. "What do you mean curse? Do I look cursed to you? Hmpfff-" She looked away for a second. "I was offering you the chance for constant battle every night against me and my cute minions, you big dummy....." Then she smirked as she glanced over at the squirrel girl. "Maybe I should steal your new apprentice away instead, she looks like she can take a real pounding."
-
Sakura
Sakura followed in behind the knight, attempting to hide her mirth at following Batman. Like, he was actually batman! She'd never realized how ridiculous superheros would look in their costumes until she saw him up close!
"Heh." She finally said, keeping her eyes low to the ground.
-
Carin
Nanako felt the increasingly familiar presence, before lurking quietly in the back of her mind, rise up to the forefront with a sense of urgency the easily distractable squirrel couldn't help but recognize. 'Don't even think about it, Nanako! It's a trap!'
But of course, the little goddess could do nothing more than that.
-
Vanilla
It was more than just love. A finger pressed against a newly formed organ, full and incredibly sensitive as Vanilla scolded her. You'll get us kicked out! Hold your legs steady girl! She exclaimed, tail wrapping around both legs and pulling then down against her back.
In her orgasmic state, she didn't notixe that her clit was growing until it was several inches long, resting against Vanilla's forehead and growing decidedly more phallic.
But then, Vanilla pulled her tongue out, and enveloped it with her mouth, sending Mira straight to hell.
Mira
"I-I wasn't expecting tha-!" And then just like that, she had to force her hands over her mouth to shut herself up again! Feeling her body not just respond in ways she lacked experience with, but outright changing threatened to send her into a panic and get up from her chair outright. But by this point Mira was too far gone to act upon that momentary urge, her self-control melting in Vanilla's mouth until she was all but slouching in place.
Vanilla could feel her newfound length throbbing against her tongue, and her legs flexing powerfully within the vice grip of her sinuous tail. She wouldn't last long like this - at all.
-
Vanilla
Vanilla continued sucking as it grew ever more phallic, and she felt a hot, burning sensation beneath them as her balls dropped and formed into place, hanging between her legs. They didn't hurt, however. Instead, it was just another new, alien sensation that pushed her further towards climax.
Then, vanilla pressed against her newly enlarged prostate with her middle finger, her thumb sinking into her cunt and pressing against it from the other side.
"You're lucky. Neither men nor women can feel this sort of pleasure~" Vanilla teased her through their telepathic link.
-
Taro
Taro simply chuckled and said, "Welp i'm bored. Time to go Forest. Good luck little purple head boobie girl. You all know what to do."
With a lazy wave of the hand, the duke walked through the crowd of vampires, using his free hand to pluck Forest along the way. As much as he was looking forward to the battle, there were other things he needed to attend to. Valarie loved these games, but he was responsible for keeping track of her little empire. That came first.
-
Nanako
Despite the warnings, Nanako couldn't help an errant fantasy slipping back into her head. A bemused smile curled her lips as Sethrol and Valerie went on, Nanako managing to hold back a giggle as she watched. Then the cute blonde turned back to her, the squirrel girl feeling a familiar heat stirring with Valerie's remark as it poured fuel on the images running through her head.
Nanako's little fantasizing moment was soon interrupted, however, when that familiar presence grew until Carin was actually speaking to her. The squirrel girl bit her lip and canted her head slightly with the warning, visibly distracted.
-
Outside Klearjaac's Dojo
"Taro you lazy bastard! Don't just think you can waltz in here like that and then just leave! Hey are you even listing to me!" Ferrason lowered his leg with a stomp, creating yet another crater as the perverted fool dilly dallied out of there.
"What an ass...." He scoffed. That man had no instincts for a battle what a complete fool, disgusting.
Then he flipped over as a plated glove whiffed by his head.
"Alice! So you wanna play instead? I'm really to take you all-" He ducked aside from a kick this time as the blonde transitioned flawlessly into a hand stand with her legs swinging high.
"As much as I loathe that man, I can't stand any slander from outsiders aimed at a Duke of the Realm." The blonde harshly responded.
"Jeez I forgot what stiffs you vamps you were."
"Alice, lay off him we haven't even made the challe-" The Dark Knight interjected with his dark and commanding voice yet-
"Shut up Damien."
"Shut up Damien, we're having fun here. Learn to share your girl hahaha-" Of course his laughter was interrupted by another fist coming for his face, but this time instead of dodging, he caught it and flipped the blonde over, sending her crashing into the walls of the Dojo. The walls trembled from the mighty impact, yet the stood firm in spite of the Duchess hitting them like a missile.
-
Sethrol the Calm
"She really likes being pounded," Sethrol said, looking away so no one would notice his face heating up. Good lord. He was way too old to get flustered like this. Still, the picture of Valarie getting ever so close was enough to keep him nice and hard.
"We were working on something else before you came. I suppose it couldn't hurt to have a training partner. It allows me to rest my aging body. Besides, I can watch from the sidelines."
-
Valerie
"You know I can hear how fast your heart beats Sethy-" The blonde vampire teased the Dojo Head as he turned his head away from embarrassment. "And I can smell here the blood is all rushing to, your body is not aging. You are just afraid of embarrassing yourself in front of your new apprentice. But you made one error.... I am really.... really.... backed up. Do you want your apprentice to end up dead hmm?"
Her red eyes then shifted over to the squirrel girl. "Do you think you can handle me girl? I never hold back, especially not when I am thirsty."
-
Sakura Edelfeldt
Sakura held tightly onto her wand, ignoring the fighting that had just broken out between them.
"Alice, while I understand where you're coming from, I hardly think that his comments were unwarrented. It was a very on-point description of the duke." Wearing a long, flowing dress with heels, Sakura ran her free hand through her drills and stared straight at Ferrison. "My name is Sakura Edelfeldt, and I wish to challenge you to a duel for the control of your dojo. What are your conditions?" She had a haughty, superior attitude to her gait, as if she were supremely confident in her victory, but in reality she was rather nervous. She wanted to prove herself to these monsters, and she needed to make sure she didn't disappoint her darling sister. Her dress seemed to ripple along with her hidden insecurity, ready to attack whatever was upsetting its creator.
-
At Klearjaac's Dojo
Ferrason lowered his still outretched arms after that impressive throw and turned around to face the new challenger. "Hey there new girl, weren't you listening? This ain't even my dojo but I'm ready to go any-"
"That's quite enough Ferrason."
A hand came down on the shoulder of the overly excited martial arts master. If the former man was a bloodhound forged in fire then this new man who appeared from inside the Dojo was like a pillar of certainty. The air itself seemed to linger around him as if the world itself grew more real when he appeared.
"Welcome to my Dojo, Nobles of the Vampire. I Am Klearjaac Bahadur and I see how it is now. The spirits have guided us all here for this fateful climax. If you have something to prove, then step forth and I shall accept your challenge without fail. But know this, I will win and you will not leave this place alive."
-
At Klearjaac's Dojo
Ferrason lowered his still outretched arms after that impressive throw and turned around to face the new challenger. "Hey there new girl, weren't you listening? This ain't even my dojo but I'm ready to go any-"
"That's quite enough Ferrason."
A hand came down on the shoulder of the overly excited martial arts master. If the former man was a bloodhound forged in fire then this new man who appeared from inside the Dojo was like a pillar of certainty. The air itself seemed to linger around him as if the world itself grew more real when he appeared.
"Welcome to my Dojo, Nobles of the Vampire. I Am Klearjaac Bahadur and I see how it is now. The spirits have guided us all here for this fateful climax. If you have something to prove, then step forth and I shall accept your challenge without fail. But know this, I will win and you will not leave this place alive."
Sakura Edelfeldt
Sakura's blazing red eyes twinkled as Ferrison was told to back off by the true man she was challenging.
Klearjaac Bahadur. A blazing man of muscles, power, and magic that she would be engaging in a fight to the death. His firm, bronzed skin and blazing demeanor made Sakura's lips curl upwards.
Despite the stakes of it all, she was excited. She tapped her heel on the ground, and did her best to calm her rapidly beating heart.
"Ah, my apologies. We're here to challenge all of you, so I thought the order didn't particularly matter. Ohohohoho~" She brought her hand up to her mouth to laugh at him. "I fear that you'll find that you're the one who will be losing your life, Master."
-
Vanilla
Vanilla continued sucking as it grew ever more phallic, and she felt a hot, burning sensation beneath them as her balls dropped and formed into place, hanging between her legs. They didn't hurt, however. Instead, it was just another new, alien sensation that pushed her further towards climax.
Then, vanilla pressed against her newly enlarged prostate with her middle finger, her thumb sinking into her cunt and pressing against it from the other side.
"You're lucky. Neither men nor women can feel this sort of pleasure~" Vanilla teased her through their telepathic link.
Mira
'W-Will you at least let me finish...?!'
Mira felt her entire body screaming at her for relief, shuddering while her muscles clenched and unclenched both around Vanilla's digits and against her body. And the chair. The chair was going to be a victim if this kept up.
She was bucking her hips toward the demon woman's mouth, craving release more than any relief from shame.
-
Nanako
Nanako looked back at Valerie for a moment that felt much longer than it was. Carin's warning had put a damper on the fantasies running through her head, but her own curiosity still warred with it. The squirrel girl looked thoughtful for a moment, then glanced over at Sethrol. Shrugging off the brief contemplation at last, Nanako felt familiar excitement bubbling in her veins anew.
"We'll find out either way, looks like," Nanako piped up, "Sounds like it'll be fun, too."
-
Vanilla
Vanilla continued sucking as it grew ever more phallic, and she felt a hot, burning sensation beneath them as her balls dropped and formed into place, hanging between her legs. They didn't hurt, however. Instead, it was just another new, alien sensation that pushed her further towards climax.
Then, vanilla pressed against her newly enlarged prostate with her middle finger, her thumb sinking into her cunt and pressing against it from the other side.
"You're lucky. Neither men nor women can feel this sort of pleasure~" Vanilla teased her through their telepathic link.
Mira
'W-Will you at least let me finish...?!'
Mira felt her entire body screaming at her for relief, shuddering while her muscles clenched and unclenched both around Vanilla's digits and against her body. And the chair. The chair was going to be a victim if this kept up.
She was bucking her hips toward the demon woman's mouth, craving release more than any relief from shame.
Vanilla
Vanilla's other hand reached up to cup the girl's new testes, giving them a tender squeeze that sent Mira over the edge, coming buckets into Vanilla's ready maw.
-
Sethrol the Calm
Sethrol sighed and said, "Please don't kill the girl Valarie. She isn't a challenger, nor an enemy of the dojo, despite what some may say. I want her to feel true anxiety, that sense of paralysis that overtakes a person when overwhelmed with experience. As Ferrison would say, she needs to overcome that through the trials of battle and the drive that comes with survival."
-
Klearjaac's Dojo
"No no no.. Hold on a little. You think you can have a fight for survival just like that and leave me hanging? This might be your Dojo Klearjaac but this challenge is against all of us. I can't, no I won't allow you to hog this experience all for yourself and-" His passionate speech got interrupted by the need to throw himself sideways as Alice Came flying from behind with a kick.
"Don't lower your guard Sakura. he might look all stoic, but that man is the embodiment of pettiness-"
That was as far as Alice got before Ferrason clotheslined her through the entrance of the Dojo, taking both of them out of sight.
"And now it is the two of us, as i had felt it would be." Klearjaac continued as if he hadn't been interrupted.
-
Valerie
"Sethrol....." The Vampire King actually growled now, the sound coming somewhere from the back of her throat, but it was much deeper in tone than an ordinary would be able to go and it also reverberated across the clearing. Her fangs which before was only visible at certain angles had thickened and you could see the poking out even when she closed her mouth.
The rest of her body wasn't far behind in reacting out of the ordinary either. Her arms and legs trembled as she clenched her fists and her right leg was beginning to dig a hole in the ground as she dragged it back and forth.
"Never suggest that again.... Not when I am like this. It is taking all I have to not lunge at you and take you were you stand."
-
Vanilla
Vanilla's other hand reached up to cup the girl's new testes, giving them a tender squeeze that sent Mira over the edge, coming buckets into Vanilla's ready maw.
Mira
Ironically, it was the explosion into the thirsty demon's gullet which freed Mira of the ungodly tension flooding her senses. She practically melted into her chair, sparing it a terrible fate, and felt the last of her resistance to this seduction float away with it. A silly grin sneaked up on her face while her unnatural length twitched in Vanilla's mouth.
-
Vanilla
Vanilla plunged down, greedily sucking the shaft deep into her throat, swallowing it all as Mira unloaded her load directly into Vanilla's stomach. Her large, red eyes looked up at Mira expectantly, and she felt the calming presence of Vanilla's mind surrounding her in a hug.
"Ehehe, do you like your new appendage?"
-
Klearjaac's Dojo
"No no no.. Hold on a little. You think you can have a fight for survival just like that and leave me hanging? This might be your Dojo Klearjaac but this challenge is against all of us. I can't, no I won't allow you to hog this experience all for yourself and-" His passionate speech got interrupted by the need to throw himself sideways as Alice Came flying from behind with a kick.
"Don't lower your guard Sakura. he might look all stoic, but that man is the embodiment of pettiness-"
That was as far as Alice got before Ferrason clotheslined her through the entrance of the Dojo, taking both of them out of sight.
"And now it is the two of us, as i had felt it would be." Klearjaac continued as if he hadn't been interrupted.
Sakura Edelfeldt
The noblewoman was blushing a little bit, and cleared her throat to break the tension. "Yeah." She replied, brushing the dust off of her dress. "Do we need to discuss conditions for the battle, or would you rather an all-out fight to the death?"
-
Mira
Mira sighed, and tentatively reached out with something other than just instinct to respond to Vanilla's words seeping into her mind without moving her mouth. "It seems really inconvenient. Uh, you know, outside certain situations."
She reached down to run her hands through the demon woman's soft white hair. "Is there a way I can make it... shrink back?"
-
Mira
Mira sighed, and tentatively reached out with something other than just instinct to respond to Vanilla's words seeping into her mind without moving her mouth. "It seems really inconvenient. Uh, you know, outside certain situations."
She reached down to run her hands through the demon woman's soft white hair. "Is there a way I can make it... shrink back?"
Vanilla
Vanilla suddenly gargled her cock, sending shivers radiating up Mira's spine. "It'll return to normal except when you want it. You just have to will it away." She replied. "It's useful in more than just sex, you know."
-
Mira
"Ah didn't say just that!" Mira was almost afraid to try to pull it out of Vanilla's mouth for fear of teeth, but she tried anyway. "Think it. What is this anyway?"
-
Mira
"Ah didn't say just that!" Mira was almost afraid to try to pull it out of Vanilla's mouth for fear of teeth, but she tried anyway. "Think it. What is this anyway?"
Vanilla
With a wet pop, she pulled the flaccid member out of Vanilla's throat, and it settled against the demon's forehead. She looked up at her, smiling, and then winked. "Why don't you put it away, before we get in trouble?"
-
Mira
"You didn't answer me..." Mira's face was burning red at the sight of Vanilla's face covered in big floppy dick. She practically sucked the thing back into herself like a vacuum out of sheer embarrassment, even with Vanilla's wicked demon magic still lingering within her. Unaccustomed to its presence, she felt the multitude of organisms dwelling in symbiosis with her almost wriggle. She shuddered for reasons unrelated to sex.
-
Vanilla
"This?" Vanilla cocked an eyebrow, poking her groin. "It's your penis, silly. All of my girlfriends have one."
-
Mira
Fortunately for her sanity, the penis was gone for now. "I meant the talking in the head!" She kept it to a stage whisper, which given how private things were in the corner was still quite good. The martial artist grabbed her drink and, glaring at Vanilla over the glass petulantly, took a sip. "Wait, just how many girlfriends do you have...?"
-
Vanilla
Vanilla slithered back out from under the table, as if nothing had happened. "A few right now. I'm sort of interested in finding some wives who can keep up with me." She said lazily, swirling her drink around with her magic. "Like say, you." She winked at Mira, sending her heart into flutters. "Just as a random example, of course.
-
Mira
Maybe it was just the magic swirling around in Mira's head that made the first part of that response not seem unreasonable. Of course a woman as hot as Vanilla was playing the field - but how many of them threw a punch like Mira, huh? She almost grinned at that thought, but then froze at the second.
beat
"Huh?"
The martial artist swallowed at that suggestion. And yet unconsciously, she flexed a bit under the nice long-sleeved shirt Vanilla had given her.
-
Vanilla
Vanilla leaned forwards, reaching out and grabbing Mira's chin, stroking her cheek with her soft thumb. "Did I stutter?" She asked her, raising an eyebrow. "I'm looking for worthy women. You're more than up to par. With some more training, you'll definetely surpass my current level someday."
-
Mira
Training.
Something seemed to click for Mira at that, and she grinned and leaned into Vanilla's touch a little. "Ya? I'd think you'd want someone who can beat you, not just keep up."
More than just the demon's foul sorcery was behind those eyes now - a glimmer of ambition.
-
Vanilla
Vanilla flicked her forehead. "Why would I want someone who can specifically beat me? I want someone who will strive against me, and whom I can strive against. You're the same as me! You'll never give up!" Vanilla leaned forward, and kissed her on the lips. "And that's super hot~"
-
Mira
Mira only flinched a little bit - the real distracting part was the praise. The longer Vanilla spoke, the wider the smile on the martial artist's face got. It meant they were in a nice shape to receive what came next. Mira unconsciously licked her lips after. "That so...? I guess I'll just have to prove ya right, then."
She glanced over the demon's shoulder as her situational awareness started to kick back. "There's the waiter," she whispered, and sat back in her seat a little more properly.
Let it not be said that Mira couldn't clean up nicely. Or that she didn't proceed to order and savor the most expensive meat dishes on the menu, since Vanilla had offered. For some reason she seemed to have an unusual craving for finger foods after what just happened, so ribs were definitely one of the courses.
With every bite the martial artist would feel the lost energy from the two rounds she'd gone with Vanilla coming back.
-
Sakura Edelfeldt
The noblewoman was blushing a little bit, and cleared her throat to break the tension. "Yeah." She replied, brushing the dust off of her dress. "Do we need to discuss conditions for the battle, or would you rather an all-out fight to the death?"
At the Dojo
"The condition-" Was as far as he got before a girl clad in armor knocked him aside with her flight. She cratered the ground right next to Sakura and knocked up a massive dust cloud. "Out of the way, I was here first!"
Klearjaac didn't have time to recover before a glowing fist drove straight into his jaw and sent him skywards to join the clouds.
"Phew."
Ferrason however remained with his arm raised and a leg bent as well as his back twisted at an awkward degree. What was the point of this if you didn't even look stylish and posed? Meanwhile, the dust cloud settled and the Knight crawled out of the hole she had made. Looking like she'd just been in a cage match with a bear, her armor was dented all over and blood was splattered all over it, her own blood as not a single drop could be seen on the Dojo Head.
"The rumors about your prowess were true Master Ferrason, would you mind if both of us-"
"Sure come all of you! Let's make this the ultimate dance of life and death!"
-
Vanilla
Vanilla nibbled on Mira's food, unperturbed as always about the price tag. Her deep red eyes stared at Mira, seeming to suck her into them as Vanilla mentally fawned over her. It was as if she were getting a nice back scratching, but all in the mind. Her warm presence filled her up and made her feel complete in a way she'd never felt before.
Was it love? Or was it something else entirely?
-
Mira
"You're not going to order anything for yourself?" Mira had asked, tilting her head in confusion right up until the demon started shamelessly picking at her ribs. She pouted a bit at her for that one, but let it go because it was just so good. And not just the food, but everything about this. The warmth, the way the martial artist just couldn't bring herself to drag her eyes away...
Even the lingering tightness from her... condition, that she'd always had to keep stretching out seemed to just melt for a while.
"I think you're cheating somehow..." Mira mumbled to Vanilla.
-
Sakura Edelfeldt
Sakura flew backwards away from him, flying into the air and leaving her shadow behind. She swung her wand, releasing a flurry of beams Ferrison. She was too close, and he was too fast. As fast as a servant, and she didn't like that. She just hoped Alice could hold him at Melee for a bit longer.
"Tch. How inconvinent." She muttered, reaching into her shadow with her free hand to grab a handful of gems.
-
Mira
"You're not going to order anything for yourself?" Mira had asked, tilting her head in confusion right up until the demon started shamelessly picking at her ribs. She pouted a bit at her for that one, but let it go because it was just so good. And not just the food, but everything about this. The warmth, the way the martial artist just couldn't bring herself to drag her eyes away...
Even the lingering tightness from her... condition, that she'd always had to keep stretching out seemed to just melt for a while.
"I think you're cheating somehow..." Mira mumbled to Vanilla.
Vanilla
"How would I be cheating!" Vanilla exclaimed, making a pouty face. "Come on, give me more credit than that!"
-
Mira
"You're way too pretty. Those eyes..."
But Mira was far gone enough that she just sighed, letting it go along with the rest of her concerns. She was just going to enjoy their date, and see where it took them...
-
Nanako
Nanako quivered slightly with the cocktail of curiosity and excitement bubbling up in her. At this point, Nanako couldn't tell if Valerie was more horny or fight-happy, though she supposed it wouldn't really matter which it was at this point.
"Well, maybe we could take him later, if you're into that sort of thing," Nanako said heatedly, slowly striding closer, keeping a wary eye on her all the same.
-
Sethrol
Sethrol turned away from the vampire once again. It was hard to tell if he was legitimately scared or embarrassed. Either way, he grumbled and said, "....This district needs unique thinkers like her... You are thousands upon thousands years old. Can you not simply masterbate?"
This would be so much easier if she had threatened to kill him instead. The damn vampire knew he had trouble dealing with her when she gets like this.
Looking for any excuse to not look at Valaire, the old man turned to Nanako. "Don't worry. She is not some barbaric powerhouse. Valarie is a master of many different martial arts and has the muscle control that exceeds any master athlete. You need not be so on edge. If worst comes to worst I will step in. For now, I want to observe."
-
At the Dojo
"Now this is what I'm talking about!" Ferrison coiled in between the beams like a snake as he drew closer and closer to Alice. "More... More, Show me your your will, your drive to survive and take one more breath!"
"You'll regret that Master Ferrison, I will not allow your advance any further!"
Alice then pulled her sword out of it's scabbard and entered an odd stance with it raised above her head. It begun to glow brighter and brighter until-
Until Ferrison appeared in front of her in a dash and knocked it out of her hands with his left hand. "Talk and fight as one, that's where you knightly honor FAAAAAAILS!" True to his word, his momentum didn't stop with the dash, no he spun around and grabbed her by the throat and tossed her in the opposite direction of where the sword had gone.
-
Valerie
"Naturally, after I have beaten you, I will savor every inch of you and present you to Sethy like a good girl... I really hope you are not disappointing now since he seems to think you are worthwhile. Come on, prove his faith right and fight me with all you have!"
Valerie immediately blasted off the ground as she finished speaking, with her her foot ready to deliver a high kick to the Squirell girl.
-
Sakura Edelfeldt
"Alice!" Sakura exclaimed. She tossed a handful of some of her most powerful gems towards him, scattering them all over the ground. "Verzögerte geladene Explosion!" She exclaimed, priming the gems to explode upon contact like mines. Even he would be hurt if one of these exploded under his feet! She was sure of it!
-
Dojo
"Golden Gale Fist!"
Ferrison shouted back at her as he begun spinning around in place, a golden glow coveted his body and muscles contracted making him look like an emaciated 80 year old. Then suddenly the air around him came to life and exploded outwards, carrying all the gems back with a gentle yet forceful wind that delayed the impact.
"You think I've never dealt with explosives girl? Your determination is weak!"
Meanwhile Alice was slowly crawling around him in a large circle heading for her sword....
-
Sakura Edelfeldt
"My determination has nothing to do with this!" She shouted back down at him. Magical energy began to collect at the tip of her wand, condensing the crackling purple energy into a small orb hovering a bit above Sapphire's head. The mines landed harmlessly, scattered around the room, blown away from Ferrison by his terrifying technique.
-
The Dojo
"Determination is All!"
The ground crumpled beneath him as he blew off it with all his might. His explosive force was like a missile and in the blink of an eye he had appeared behind Sakura.
"You can't deny.." His hand came down as an overwhelming chop ready to send her tumbling to the ground.. "The rules of nature!"
-
Nanako
As Valerie moved, so did Nanako, the dirt exploding under her feet as she darted right in. Her eyes flicked to that leg slicing through the air at her, the squirrel girl briefly wondering how it'd feel to have those thighs wrapped around her head. Nanako moved to catch kick under her arm, trying to capture the leg while she fired off a solid cross at the blonde's belly with her other hand, twisting into the blow for that extra bit of force.
-
Sethrol
"Girls try to remember," he shouted. "Your fighting to achieve the high of fighting, not to win! I'm talking mostly to you Valarie!"
The old man folded his arms. This could be a problem.
-
The Dojo
"Determination is All!"
The ground crumpled beneath him as he blew off it with all his might. His explosive force was like a missile and in the blink of an eye he had appeared behind Sakura.
"You can't deny.." His hand came down as an overwhelming chop ready to send her tumbling to the ground.. "The rules of nature!"
Sakura Edelfeldt
Sakura tried to raise her arms to defend, but he was way too fast! Ferrison's hand came barreling down towards her as fast as a missile, slamming into her temple and sending the fledgeling careening down into the floor. With a loud crash, the wood splintered, her body slamming into the stone underneath and splintering it.
She coughed up blood and felt the familar surge of magical energy as Sapphire healed her. Sakura struggled to sit up, shaking off the impact as quickly as she could.
-
Valerie
Valerie's slit like pupils sharpened as she beheld the counter to her kick, a marvelous in most cases, but against a vampire..... It was the poorest choice she could have made.
As her leg was caught, the Vampire King relaxed her middle section entirely and let the blow dig into her while she folded over the squirrel girl's arm. The pain that followed only further heightened her desire. And with how her leg was being held, there was no risk of her being pushed away, that's why reached out for both of her shoulders with her arms while aiming to wrap her free leg around the back.
"YES, that is more like it! Do you have any idea how long I have waited, how far I have searched, for a girl who can smack me this hard?
-
Nanako
The squirrel girl's eyes widened as her fist sank into Valerie's relaxed belly, the vampire folding up around her fist with a familiar light dancing in her eyes. Her words only confirmed Nanako's suspicions, sending a thrill through her as the blonde's other leg came around her back. The possibilities running through her head only multiplied with the revelation.
So she's like me too? How fun~
"Nope, why don't you tell me?" Nanako shot back, uncaring of the hands grasping at her shoulders as she locked Valerie's other leg under her other arm. She simply tightened her grip before slamming the vampire down back first as hard as she could, even though it meant she had to go down with the blonde!
-
Dojo
Ferrison landed a bit from Sakura andwas about to dash towards her when-
Swoooosh.
A shower of golden sparkles blew past him. However, his reflexes weren't just inhuman, they were downright frightneing and in an impossible show of agility he leaned out of the way and begun spinning violently...
"Spinning Dragon Kick!"
His move met Alice's rain of sparkles directly and matched it, seemingly keeping it at a perfect stalemate, but for how long?
-
Sakura Edelfeldt
Sakura gave Alice a knowing look of gratitude as she stood up-without her help, she would have been pinned here until she managed to use the shadow to reposition herself. Even if she could regenerate it, she'd rather avoid the pain of being pummeled by a master. As Ferrison dodged, Sakura's shadow burst outwards. Grasping tentacles shot upwards at him while she waved her wand. A brilliant, concentrated beam shot out towards his chest.
"Sakura BEAAAAAAMMMMM!"
-
Valerie
The blonde vampire blinked. Her opponent had slammed her down and fallen too in the process. It was, it was.... So underwhelming. She had expected so much more than this. Did she even know how to fight? Where was the spirit, the ferocity? Why was she acting like this was an exhibition match for beginners to see textbook moves?
"How cute, are you practicing before your big show? Please tell me that is not the full extent of your ability or I will be very very disappointed. And who told you trying to wrestle with a vampire was a good idea... Hey Sethy, did you really train her?"
-
Sethrol the Calm
Sethrol folded his arms around his chest and shook his head. "Don't act like I've been training her for years. She got here a little while before you did. The girl seemed lost so I helped her, simple as that."
-
Dojo
"Aghhhhhh"
The beam struck his side and pushed him aside, his firm broke down and then the tentacles tripped him over. With his cover now lost, the golden sparkles washed over him like the return of the Red Sea, and their wrath was terrible, his body was skewered like a fish out of water.
-
Sakura Edelfeldt
Blood spurted all over his face, and the shadow slowly began to consume his corpse. Sakura stood silent, staring at the corpse with disbelief.
"Huuh?" She exclaimed, turning to face Alice. "Was he really all bark and no bite? I thought they'd be harder than this!" The tendrils ripped out of his body, collapsing it onto the floor. She shuffled her feet and with a flushed face, she bit her lower lip. "I was expecting more of a challenge, really..."
-
Nanako
With the vampire snugly pressed against her, it was all Nanako could do to release one leg and work an arm between their bodies before they were practically sealed together, the blonde clinging tight. The closeness stirred familiar sparks in Nanako's core, her breathing growing heavier. Valerie, however, did nothing with her position. She was just hanging on to the squirrel girl as she talked to Sethrol. Frowning, Nanako pulled them back off the ground, getting up to her knees.
"Not done yet," the squirrel girl said, her tail blurring as it swung for the blonde's head from behind like a slightly fluffed wrecking ball, aiming to knock the vampire into a sharp headbutt!
-
At the Dojo
The glittering shards soon after returned to the blonde to reform her sword. She shook her head as she sheathed her blade. "He took on both of us, he probably thought he could make quick work of you Lady Edelfeldt while I was thrown away. "Had this been Sethrol the Calm, the outcome would have been very different."
She smiled at last as it seemed to be over now. Until her Majesty got a new crazy idea that was. "Are you alright? You took a pretty nasty hit."
-
Valerie
Bong.
The tail struck the back of her head unhindered and her skull crashed right into Nanako's own thick forehead. At last some reaction from the vampire as she frowned and turned her attention back to the squirrel girl.
"That is not the end you should be aiming for when spanking me you dirty little girl!" She tightened her hold on Nanako and bit down down on her neck. The euphoria that spread from her fangs piercing the other girl's skin would inflame her passions a hundredfold.
-
Nanako
Nanako gritted her teeth through the headbutt, the dull ache sparking something else in her core. Valerie's reply had her eyes widening, though she couldn't help feeling a little excited that she'd finally gotten some reaction out of her. She wanted more, but twin points of pain interrupted her before she could continue pushing. There was a brief sting, then her skin flushed as burning heat spread rapidly through her. The squirrel girl moaned aloud as a rush of dampness flooded her core, her hips twitching and her tail blurring into motion, inadvertently doing exactly what Valerie wanted. Without really thinking about it, Nanako aimed lower, her tail battering Valerie's ass over and over again as she arched her back, seemingly both trying to push the vampire off her and keep her close as she writhed in ecstasy.
"Ahhh, harder!" she groaned out breathily.
-
Aruna+Sethrol
The air became thick with a dark haze, denser and denser it grew until the rays of the sun began to dim, obscured by the dark cloud engulfing Valarie and Nanako.
"Oh it seems we have another visitor," Sethrol said, reaching for his tea. "It sure is a gaudy entrance. Valarie is this one of yours?"
Red eyes peirced the dark fog, revealing a familiar demonic figure. (https://i.imgur.com/3JFmh2k.jpg) He was floating just above him, those large bat like wings beating the air surrounding their squabble. Chains emerged from his belly and wrapped around Valarie's waist.
"Hey Valarie. I'm back from my walk."
And with that, he sailed into the distance.
-
Valerie
The rush of sweet sweet blood flooded her system, more and more. She wanted, no she needed more. The taste of delicious supernatural essence was oh so sweet and not feasting on another of her kind for once was an exquisite feeling-
Until she was pulled away by the clanking of chains.
"Hey! Now you show yourself?"
She reached behind herself in backbreaking motion to grab hold of the chains and pull herself up, The Vampire King was climbing them like ropes, approaching him like a starved beast.
-
Aruna
The two flew higher and higher, overlooking the barren district. Small huts dotted the ground, filled in by grass and trees. "Did I miss something?" he asked, his sentence punctuated by the beat of his wings.
-
Valerie
"Not much, I played around with my minions and I can smell you did something similar." Th blonde vampire stopped climbing and begun giving him a pensive look, something was on her mind and she was about to make a big decision. She giggled from the joy brought on by her conclusion.
" You would be perfect... Listen Aruna, how would you feel about becoming a Prince Consort?" The King of the Vampires suddenly asked with a far more serious tone.
-
Aruna
They flew higher and higher, reaching beyond the clouds. Moving at top speed, it didn't take long before he could see the edge of the castle, death's cradle.
Contined in the vampire district. (http://darksidemoon.net/SMF_forum/index.php/topic,756.msg64615.html#msg64615)
-
Nanako
The squirrel girl, caught up in the euphoria of the bite as she was, barely registered the new arrival until Valerie was pulled away by chains. The sudden absence left Nanako feeling a little chilly all of a sudden, the painful bliss dulling all of a sudden to a faint echo, leaving her sitting there with sweat dripping down her figure, her face flushed, and her already skimpy clothing tousled and exposing more than they already did. Nanako looked around, confused and increasingly embarrassed as she spotted Sethrol. Her eyes drifted down his chiseled form for a moment before snapping back up to his.
"So, ah, where were we?" she asked, still trying to catch her breath as she stared at the man, lust-addled mind already running away with her.
-
Sethrol the Calm
"Oh I suppose she has a new boy toy," he said, before looking down at Nanako. There wasn't much there before, but all he could see now was skin. Basically all but her nipples and crotch was exposed.
I am too old for this..
"Well, put on your clothes. We still have much work to do. Those wings. If you can incorporate them into your fighting style, you will be able to become more nimble, more mobile, but there is something more important then that."
-
Nanako
Nanako pouted at that, still shivering a little, drawing heated breaths as she tried not to think about having her fun cut off again. The squirrel girl bit her lip as she listened to the older man, taking a deep breath to try to focus on something other than what she imagined it'd feel like to have that arm around her throat and-
Quickly shaking her head, Nanako realized there was something left unsaid once Sethrol was finished.
"More important than figuring these out? What would that be?" the squirrel girl asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.
-
Sethrol the Calm
"Come here," he said, holding out his finger. The tip of it began to glow. "Your movements are stiff, held back by thought. Relax your body and allow me to cleanse you of your paralyzing thoughts."
-
Nanako
Nanako gave Sethrol a curious look as his finger started glowing, the heat burning in her chest still not abating. Practically bouncing up to her feet, the squirrel girl zipped closer, stared closely at the finger, even sniffed at it. Figuring she might as well give it a try, Nanako did as he'd asked, sitting down again and relaxing back against his leg, unsure of what to expect.
"Alright, go ahead," she said, looking up at him and nodding, mildly amused by how he now appeared to be upside down.
-
Sethrol the Calm
A light tap of the skin and a power that enveloped the entire area. Nanako would feel her whole body shiver in fear and helplessness as a dark shadow emerged from her own. Yes, her literal shadow escaped her, forming a blob on the ground. Bigger and bigger it grew, until It took the form of an faceless angel. Everything was shadow, no features, no details, just a 3d shadow angel, staring her down with its featureless face.
"Behold, the darkness inside of you," Sethrol said. "This is the darkness of your soul manifested, the trauma and stress holding you back. Defeat it and you will gain clarity."
-
Nanako
Nanako felt a chill rush through her veins, shivering as she felt something being pulled out of her. Her eyes widened as she spotted her shadow swelling, popping back up to her feet and taking a step back as it detached from her, then another as she saw what it was turning into. The squirrel girl stood stock still as the faceless angel stared down at her, her heart pounding in her chest as she stared back at it, where its eyes should have been.
Sethrol's words pulled her attention away at last, however, Nanako looking confused as he explained all this.
"Wait, really? That's all of it?" the squirrel girl looked confused, "And I just need to beat it up?"
Nanako looked between Sethrol and the creature he'd pulled from her. Shivers raced up her spine, but there was something else as well. Not the usual excitement she felt with those shivers, something hotter, almost scalding to the touch. The squirrel girl's clenched her fists tight as she met the creature's gaze, her own now resolute, buffered by the warmth of her ever-helpful goddess and spurred on by the prospect of an end to the sights haunting her.
-
???
"You must defeat it," Sethrol said. "However you accomplish that is up to you."
The dark angel took a step forward, spreading its wings and slowly acending into the air. The wings did not flap, instead simply growing a dark glow, as if the darkness itself was shining, if such a thing were possible. The creature would return Nanako's glare, but the closest thing it could muster was to adjust its head to be in parallel with her own. After all, it had no eyes to glare with, no features to return her passion. There was only oppressive pain.
The creature did raise its fists into a boxing stance, floating forward. It seemed it wanted to fight.
"What I give you, is the chance to overcome yourself. The rest is in your hands Nanako."
-
Nanako
The squirrel girl nodded, but otherwise didn't respond to Sethrol, her focus already shifting to the shadow-y mass before her. She raised her hands as the creature did, stepping closer as it rose into the air and approached. Then, without warning, she shifted her stance slightly going airborne with an explosive leap, headed straight for the creature with one arm cocked back, ready not to slug the creature in the face, but instead grab hold of whatever limb it used to attack her. Her focus honed to a razor's edge, she tried using that anchor herself, bringing her legs around into swift kick in its non-existent face!
I just need to beat this thing, and then it'll be gone.
-
Nanako's Shadow
The dark angel shot to the opposite side of the cocked fist, practically vanishing from sight with its sheer speed. It launched a flurry of jabs, at her upper body, threatening her face and torso.
"Don't underestimate your own trauma Nanako," Sethrol said. "Far too often people assume they are stronger than their own shadow, then their own demons. However, this might be the fight of your life."
-
Nanako
Even she'd had one on the tip of her tongue, there was no time to reply to the old man, Nanako's eyes widening as the shadow swiftly darted out of the way, getting to her side before unleashing a flurry of blows. She managed to get her guard up in time to protect her face, but fists still found her abs and chest, stinging blows lighting a familiar heat in her core even as her resolve held strong. She weathered the creature's blows for a moment before finding her chance, moving to grab one of its arms as wings unfurled from her back exploded from her back in a spray of ethereal feathers. A quick twitch from them sent her rocketing for the creature's head with a high kick!
-
Shadow
The foot slammed into the angel's chin with a shotgun like bang, causing the trees nearby to sway.
"Oh... nice kick," Sethrol said. "To fight your trauma head on like that, how inspiring. However..."
A hand reached for Nanako's throat, while the other cocked back. A crater formed as the shadow slammed Nanako into the ground. A fist crashed into her abs like a rocket. Again and again, it slammed into her stomach digging them deeper and deeper into the hole. Each of his punches were strong enough to knock the air out of her.
"To face yourself is to face your weaknesses, the anxiety, the sadness, the anger even. What happens then? For most, suffering."
-
Nanako
Nanako grinned as she managed to land a solid hit on the shadow, a thrill rushing through her at the shotgun blast of her kick striking home. Then the shadow's hand latched on to Nanako's throat, the squirrel girl gagging as a blush spread across her face, her hands gripping her foe's arm on reflex. Before she could try to figure a way out, the squirrel girl was sharply slammed down into the ground, the impact tearing a gasp from her lips before its fist burrowed into her abs. Each blow pounded down on her belly, driving a bit more air from her and leaving her shuddering like she'd touched a live wire.
As it dug deeper and deeper into the ground, that tension coiled higher and higher in her core, Nanako feeling lightheaded not from lack of air, but from something far more familiar.
"H-harder," she managed to gasp out, willing herself to move, to keep fighting, "You won't finish me, ahn, that easily."
She tightened her grip on the creature's arm and wrapped her legs around it before trying to hyper-extend its arm with an impromptu armbar. After all, if she didn't keep fighting, she'd pass out too soon. Too soon to feed that aching need building in her core.
-
Sethrol/Shadow
With his hands behind his back and his shirtless chest pushed forward, Sethrol the calm approached the crater, standing at the very edge. A gust of wind flowed through the district, causing his gi to flap and flutter.
"At first I thought you were just a pervert," he said, staring down at Nanako from the edge of the creator.
The sound of bones shattering filled the air as the dark angel pushed through the lock and slammed Nanako into the ground. The dark angel began to grow just a tad as it landed the attack.
"Deviant or not means nothing in this district. To many, strength is something that comes from physical power or a sheer skill, but the strength of the heart is something that cannot be overlooked. Come now Nanako! Show this old man what a squirrel girl can do!"
-
Nanako
Nanako's eyes widened slightly as she heard the creature's bones breaking, before yelping as she was slammed into the ground again. Stranger still, the creature seemed to grow larger as it did. Confused and still heated, Nanako loosened up the armbar enough to only maintain her grip on the creature, instead of continuing to damage the injured limb. This creature was supposed to be everything that had haunted her these past few days, but it was getting stronger as she hurt it? Or was it just getting bigger?
Sethrol's voice cut through the confusion like cold water through arousal, bringing a measure of clarity amidst the heat pulsing in her core and the fading aches in her back and abs. He was right, of course. This wasn't the time to get bogged down in what was going on. She had to overcome this, and if she had to suffer to do so, she certainly wouldn't object.
"So I'll have to suffer to win, huh?" Nanako groaned out, gritting her teeth through the effort of keeping herself anchored to the creature, "Don't threaten me, nngh, with a good time!"
With that, Nanako moved, trying to get the creature's arm under one of hers for a secure grip, and unwrapping her legs from the limb, only to try to wrap them around the creature's neck for a solid hold!
-
Shadow/Sethrol
The shadow retracted its arm as she tried to lock herself in, but failed to stop Nanako's legs from wrapping around his neck. The creature grabbed her face with one hand and began to squeeze.
Sethrol meanwhile simply stared from his spot. "I suppose strength of the heart was misleading. Its something closer to the legs that guides you."
-
Nanako
Nanako felt a thrill shivering up her spine as her legs locked around the shadow's neck, anchoring her in place. Then one of the creature's hands latched onto her face and started squeezing. Where most might have panicked and tried to pull the offending hand away, Nanako instead relished the tightening grip, one eye staring between its fingers, locked with the angel's face. Instead of weakening her grip, the squirrel girl's grasp tightened, blushing a little at Sethrol's words, before the last piece clicked into place. Breaking its arm had only made it stronger, just as that familiar heat pulsed in her core with every blow it dealt her. Sethrol had pulled this being from her shadow, but it was still her. This was everything that had haunted her these past few days, but it was still part of her. Just as much as everything else she'd lived through, it was part of her.
Though her gaze softened in that moment, her resolve didn't. Fighting through the pain, Nanako tried to pull herself in closer, reaching out to wrap her arms around the shadow's head before pulling its 'face' into her chest.
So it wasn't winning, after all. It was accepting. Accepting you as part of me.
-
Shadow?
The shadow's strong trunk like legs gave way to firm, feminine ones. The hips of the angel became wider, his waist just a bit smaller. The featureless torso gave way to breasts and visible muscle. Its thick shoulders becoming more slender but detailed. The black coloring filled in with spots of white and orange, until it completely matched Nanako's form. The angel was her all along. Wings sprouted from her back, radiating with a light so bright it blinded the old man. Those wings in turn wrapped around Nanako's back, completing the embrace.
The other Nanako didn't speak, instead staring into her with weak shimmering eyes.
"The deed is done," Sethrol said, staring down at Nanako.
-
Nanako
Nanako watched with no small amount of surprise as the shadow shrank down, taking on a new form and features. Hers, for that matter. Finding herself looking at a mirror image of herself, the squirrel girl loosened her hold after a moment of surprised silence, dull aches still throbbing through her own body as wings sprouted from her double's back. Though they shone bright, the squirrel girl didn't flinch away from it, not anymore.
Then she remembered her own arousal, product of the beating from...herself, her eyes widening as realization hit.
Oh. I was basically masturbating in front of him, wasn't I?
The flush already spreading across Nanako's face only darkened, that heat rising further as she realized she'd made a public show of herself now.
"Ah, yeah, looks like it is," she said, voice quavering slightly with rising arousal.
-
Vega
7:00 PM
Continued from Elizabeth's Domain (http://darksidemoon.net/SMF_forum/index.php/topic,743.msg66266.html#msg66266)
"So this must be it, huh."
Swaying his hips, he stepped closer within the territory of that dojo master. The man he witnessed... the key that would open his path to grander heights... none of that was on his mind at the moment.
Right now, he simply took in his surroundings.
How droll. Nature and greenery had completely grasped at what seemed to have been some sort of bloody battle. Now, its history rusted like a fallen sword, and the trees and greenery all but utterly smothered it. It was regrettable, that a lesser gem would coat something that would have once been so beautiful. That battle...
Unaware of his flushed expression, he glanced from a distance, hidden from the six senses... and for a moment, his eyes sparkled with something.
He could see it. Faintly, barely... but that mysterious gleam was emanating from those men as well. Suddenly, a smirk crawled on his perfect face, and he shook his head to let the wind stroke his golden locks. Now was not the time for petty reminiscing. That is because he knew he came to the right place, all thanks to that woman. In her honor, he would grace these grounds unmasked. With grace, he stroked his visage's skin softly - and as if it were magic, its features turned into a perfect ivory.
As the sun sets, the matador shows his true face. Who would meet him as he walked further into this place?
-
Sethrol?
"The one who beat the golden bull, as well as the one who stood up to Vanilla."
Waiting behind the fallen tank next to Sethrol's tea set was a young man. (https://imgur.com/NEwpHil) He was sitting with his legs crossed, his hands on his knees and his eyes closed. Raw power flared from his body. It was not that his chi was especially powerful, but rather it yearned to destroy the man in front of him.
"A man so infatuated with himself that he can force others to share in that passion. We have a decent bit in common you and I."
-
Vega
"Ho?"
If he wouldn't have normally noticed the man, he certainly didn't miss the feeling he had once he heard the words that came from him. Amusing, a mere common peasant would speak as if he knew him? It was quite the sick joke.
"I expected more people to stay. Have you cleared the grounds already? Impressive." He clapped lightly at the man. In truth, he had no respect or love for this place and its archaic customs. But perhaps he would find a diamond in the muck and grime nonetheless. That is why he shook his head and bowed elegantly, even in front of such a man.
"There's no need for flattery. That beast was nothing more than an enraged animal, and the battle against that demon was nothing but a fluke. I have yet to truly taste a glorious battle. But you... hrm, how should I put this... compared to Mira, this display is hardly impressive. Is your posturing truly necessary?"
His irises dilated as he looked down at the man in front of him, even behind his white mask. He crossed his arms. "If you'd like, we could avoid bloodshed altogether. I've only come here to learn."
Your domain's secrets, that power of yours... I will certainly unveil it. No, surpass it.
-
Nope. Not Sethrol.
"Oh don't pretend to be modest," he said. "Even those who haven't seen your battles are at least aware of how you fight. And don't be foolish. It is a rare event for even one, much less two of the four dojo masters to attend one of Elizebeth's tournaments. Much of the district went to watch that event."
The man finally opened his eyes and stood up. "I see you've met that talentless hack. Mira.... Let me guess, you got your ass kicked right? Thats usually how the story goes with her."
A masked man shows up to this quadrant of the district. Even those in the other districts wouldn't be so tasteless. It was time this man learned some goddamned manners.
-
Vega
The grim matador's eyes went wide, for a moment in disbelief. Suddenly, he put a curled finger where his lips would be... And giggled. A dry, cold chuckle, but genuine nonetheless.
"Sorry, I just can't..." He restrained himself quickly enough, but not to the point that man wouldn't notice who he was laughing at.
"That woman lost pathetically to a vile beast, and that lord of you lost squarely to Ms. Laishi. If she is a hack... fufufu... My, you really are in a worse predicament than I thought."
The setting sun stroked his back, giving their surroundings a gorgeous orange hue. But the first one to enter the other's range would be the one...
To dye this place in a perfect crimson.
-
100% not Sethrol
"My lord isn't Sethrol. My master is Seras," he said. "I only just recently became his student. That woman only became as strong as she did because she had many masters, so I figured i'd do the same. Tell me, under wich teacher do you fight for? Who's philosophy does your martial srts spread? More importantly, for what reason do you seek power?"
The man's comments did not shake him, but the young man would not underestimate this opponent. He saw his match in the tornament. He knows how the man fights. Indeed, that was his greatest advantage. One was an enigma and the other had exposed himself to the world.
One step forward, two steps. There was still several cars worth of distance between them. Yes the person who stepped within the others range would gain the first strike, but what was this young man's range?
"I fight under the hero of talent, Seras and Sethrol the Calm. The talented will rise and overtake those who were not born for fighting. Survival of the fittest. Once I have obtained a calm spirit under Sethrol and destroy my inner demons, I will reaffirm my strength against Mira."
-
Vega
The blonde man whistled. "Two? Impressive, this way you can experience double the fall."
And relaxed as ever, he took a few steps forward.
"The lords of these fighting pits are as numerous as the grains in the desert, but I am an existence beyond all others. My strength comes from myself, and I fight for myself. The eternal climax will be mine alone."
The distance between the two was shrinking, like two carrions of battle circling each other. Soon, it would start - no, it had already begun. With a lowered stance, he pressed his fingers together and locked his digits, stretching and pressing them into interchanging hand-signs. Suddenly, as soon as the tension released, his hands locked - and an iron ball somehow jumped out of the gap between his arms as if it were magic. A swift strike from both his hands and he already wore his claw on his left hand. No, he already struck the iron ball - and carved it into three clean slices that fell on the ground. The claw that marked his signature style, offering an advantage in reach that couldn't be denied... and the constant threat of being cleanly cut. Just like that orb of metal.
SWOOSH!!
The peasant's dream was unfortunate. He could never foresee the fact that he would forever be unable to reach that fate. Because he made the mistake of facing the Golden reaper of Spain.
"Don't keep me waiting, niño." His stance was ready, with the claw pointed straight at the man's heart.
-
Young man
The palms of the young man's palms began to glow like stars. As he weaved them back and forth, they flowed across his body like comets with blue and red light tails. The blue lit palm slammed into the ground as the man took a forward stance, one foot forward and the other turned inward. Magic surged through the ground in the form of a blinding blue light. A square outline was drawn in the ground around Vega before the very earth seperated from itself, a gaint square platform rising into the sky, threatening Vega's stability as well as shooting him through the air.
"Then this won't take long," he said, slamming the red palm into the ground. The edges of the box shot upwards, manifesting themselves in spikes, threatening to cage the man in. The battle would be over before it began.
Indeed, if this man had that stance, then perhaps this would be less like a fight against a foolish but strong outsider and more a battle against the ghost of himself.
-
Vega
Vega's eye was drawn for a moment - at the blue light that emerged under his feet. "Marvelous!" He roared as the earth shattered and attempted to hurl him away. His guard raised as he felt the surge of wind and the branches, and his eyes quickly darted to his new surroundings. Suddenly, with a nimble step, he jumped away from the platform with the agility of a beast. High up in the skies, no commoner eyes could witness what was going on. As he shot across the platform, he deliberately dragged his claw across it - cleanly slicing and slashing everything in his way like butter. It wasn't just speed, but the way he moved away as soon as the danger struck him was like a dance.
Of course, that lord of his was a sorcerer first and a fighter second. Because of that, he could foresee this assault and react accordingly.
Such wondrous skies! Even when the spikes emerged, he grabbed and jumped between them with fluid leaps, marveling at the display with a ravenous gaze. Cuts and slashes flowed and danced, and the earth's destruction rained down on the one who summoned its rage, to begin with.
But as he descended from the skies like a star, just as he crossed leaves and branches above them - Vega vanished.
-
Young man
The young man's eyes flickered as he realized the man had disappeared from view. He now knew two things. One, while his magic was able to force him to move, it was not fast enough to keep him contained casually, at least not at that level. Two, he was strong enough to casually tear through the very earth.
This wouldn't be easy.
The man backflipped. As his hands came down onto the ground, a wall another square was drawn. Instead of a full block, each side manifested a wall and a ceiling. THe young man had encased himself in a small box, his legs landing on the side of the box. Indeed, he was now standing on the side of his wall, ready to react.
The key to defeating a magician is to avoid looking where he desires.
-
VEGA
Hrm, so he'd erect great walls to defend against him? Even kings of old would resort to such tricks to ward off great armies and empires. As he perched on one of the countless branches of the forest, he looked down on the boy with disdain. He started hopping on the branch, bouncing up and down ever so slightly... to gauge his distance.
It wouldn't work.
Suddenly, the branch's tension released. With no warning whatsoever, the matador zipped across the trees and the forest, circling the man's box, like carrion watching over prey.
You pray to the Earth to hide yourself from my claws... but I am a being who surpasses the very planet! Your struggle is useless, useless, USELESS!!
He was aware, that this was a strategy to lure him into a strike. No matter how fast or hard he struck this shield, that man would retaliate with a shorter delay. This difference of timing could grant him an opening blow that could control this battle's flow. That is why he descended upon it head-on, accepting the challenge with his lethal claw to strike the earth open like an egg.
But this was only a sliver of Vega's strategy.
-
Young Man
The box split open, each side falling to the ground with a rumble. Dust kicked up and pebbles flew, bouncing against the two men's bodies. Still standing on the wall, the young man's eyes met with Vega's. A grin of satisfaction stretched across his face as he shot head first into Vega's solarplexes, his hands reaching for his temple. Even the earth could touch the heavens, at least that is what he thought when he looked from the very bottom.
A long time ago
Why?
A fist crashed into the hard belly of the other fighter. For every blow he gave, she gave one back even harder. Every bone in her body he had broken, every ounce of concentration. This woman didn't even have her chi left. In fact, he should be destroying her. His chi was still strong. He was still strong. And yet....
A fist slammed into his gut, shattering the aura protectting his gut. His ab muscles crashed under the weight of the attack, losing all of their tension. The young man was going to fall. Why? How? This situation defied all logic!
"DAMN YOU MIRA!" he roared, cocking his fist for another punch. Blood spilled from his lips, dripping on the ground between them. "THIS IS THE END!"
The two hands would grasp at his head, ready to blast his skull directly with earth magic. In that moment, he wondered if he came to the right answer. If this man had fought the Mira of that day, would he have won?
"Be buried under my might," he whispered. "Magnitude 4."
Indeed, if this attack succeeded, Vega's skull would be rattled enough to give even someone as durable as him brain damage for the rest of his life.
-
Vega
The booming of the earth and the soar of the air shaking was the only warning of the man's retaliation. His eyes sparked, the tanned man's hands boomed forward towards his visage. As if to catch a bullet, there was no way for it to steer off-course. Of course, a normal man's head would be crushed like a grape. With their ridiculous speed, the walls dropped and crumbled to the ground at a snail's pace.
And yet, utterly defying his momentum, Vega's body dashed back. Answering to his attempted grab, a clawed slash met his fingers to slash them apart.
"Olé!" He cried, while the earth was still shifting from their prior exchange.
-
Young Man
Damn.
The attack missed. His hands vibrated at nothing, instead merely generating a high pitched screech.
A crack confirmed the blow striking his hand. However, there was no visible damage. In fact, it seemed like the man barely registered the attack. However, while the adrenaline of the all out attack kept him from noticing the damage and pain, he Instead, he let himself fall to the ground, guarding his body against any retaliation by curling into a ball, hands in front of his face and legs guarding his torso. It was a dumb pose, but it would keep his vulnerable points safe.
His gamble failed. The attempt to end the early fight failed. It was time to adapt, adjust and reconfigure.
-
Vega
The ground screeched as the claw circled madly around his steps, and with no warning, he dashed right under the falling warrior. Ducking like a serpent, he already his fangs upwards to cut the man's back as he fell. If nothing stopped him, he'd dash to the other side and use the wall to jump above the man before he regained his footing.
-
Young man
The young man recoiled at the slash, but maintained his position as he fell, all up until the end, landing with perfect grace on the ground. He took a stance, arms up ready to defend against his assailant.
"I'll admit, i'm impressed. No wonder you lasted so long against Vanilla. But your a fool if you think the art of chi is as easy as a game of survival with that woman."
-
Vega
As his leap carried him to the ceiling of this stone arena, he mused with a voice as sweet as honey.
"Chi... hrm, so that is its name. How intriguing, I had heard of it a few years ago - back in my own world, under that Ferdinand's employ. It's a facet of eastern martial arts, is it not? At the time, I believed it was nothing but a hoax... but perhaps..."
Before the stones could deform and crack around him, he already hit the wall and bounced off it with a kick - changing the trajectory of his strike to slash at his calf and jump back into the air. Using this constricted arena, he was dashing from wall to wall... using his jumps to deliver shallow cuts on his body.
"It matters not. You can show me more of that power as you die fighting. I am done playing games of survival; Tonight, I live."
-
Young Man
Strange he felt wet. A red liquid trickled from his fingers into the ground. The white gee he was wearing became red with the blood flowing down his back. Light stings pumped along with the blood in his body.
Cuts, blood, damage.
Whips
An open sky, the entire world laid out before the young man's eyes. The sun, the skies, the clouds: they all seemed so different now. The heavens which always seemed so close now felt so far away. The tall built young man now felt so small.
The strange thing was he should have felt beaten, bruised, sliced to ribbons. Yes, a loss like this was normally punctuated by the deep wounds and broken bones, yet it was only his spirit that fell. Mind falls before body perhaps, or maybe body gives out when the mind fails.
"Damn it all...."
Slashes clinged as they struck the iron like aura, the young man focusing his energies on defense. Muscles tensed and became supernaturally hard, the very energy of the world around him flowing into his feet then spreading around his body. There wasn't even a shallow cut this time.
"Whether you survive or thrive...."
A hand rose and with it the ground. Outlines of dozens of circles coated the ground around them before rising into the air. Blood splattered, a claw mark appearing on his chest. In that moment, one blow penetrated his armor. However, in that moment, the air would be filled with a chunky blizzard of boulders.
"..thats not your choice!"
-
Vega
...! As circles appeared beneath his feet, he only had a moment to act. However, he already showed that trick - and because of that, he was able to defend against it.
The cage of stone shattered like paper, and with it, a storm of boulders erupted from beneath them both. Without delay, he dashed and latched onto the bottom of one of the stones, using it as a shield to avoid hitting the wall, and before he knew it, he was back amongst the heavens. Surrounded by rocks that threatened to erupt and crush him utterly, he suddenly noticed it. A boulder must have scraped him on the way, his claw-arm was bleeding ever so slightly.
My bones and muscles are fine. But I can't get too careless. Despite this display, he seems to be a classical fighter type. I need to avoid an extended infight.
But a stepping stone is a stone, no matter how you phrase it. This ability was worth nothing more than trash beneath his feet, and it's only value was elevating him to new heights. So he jumped across the boulders, keeping an eye on his opponent to reposition himself.
-
Young Man
He's playing it cautious..... But so am I.... The first one to make a false move will be at a disadvantage.... How will you react to this?/i]
It wasn't the same trick as before, rather this was the equivalent of a feint. The man bounced around the rocks, but he had already been doing that. There was a radius he occupied, a cage he had trapped the young man in. It was a beautiful technique, but just predictable enough to be taken advantage of. With a slamming down of his hands, the rocks clumped together into a massive dome, trapping them both. The dome began to shrink, forcing the battle into close quarters. Vega's acrobatics were impressive, but they meant nothing in a close quarters beat down.
I call check.
The young man took a battle stance, arms raised above his head, knees slightly bent.
-
Vega
Oh? Before he knew it, the world turned upside down. He only had a moment to realize what was happening, and when he did, he smiled.
CRASH!!
Now, not even light could escape. A slight tremor warned of the shrinking arena, but what cut the silence was a dry chuckle... and the sound of two hands clapping. Vega was standing above the man, hanging upside-down while applauding his entertainment.
"Marvelous. Not an ugly performance in the slightest." The masked man sounded pleased, and with a snap of his finger, some kind of object appeared - not that his opponent could probably tell from this distance while in the dark. Yet in a moment, his claw was lit ablaze like a brilliant star.
He dropped the lighter at the man's feet, enjoying the echo of the thud on the ground.
About two seconds... at the speed of its fall... I see. So that is the distance I need to cross. And it seems to be shrinking...fu fu fu. Without warning, the matador was already on the move, running across the ceiling to slide down with his claw. The sparks, the feeling of metal against stone-
"But do you think it's wise? To trap yourself with me?"
The scent of sweat and battle. That was beauty. Arching and swirling, the claw harked for the man's neck.
-
Young Man
Something metal? Its small, light, perhaps a box carrying something, he thought, keeping his eyes focused on the man. He wouldn't be distracted by this man's tricks. This sort of petty redirection would work on him!
"Wisdom is overrated," he said, catching the hook of the claw with an outside block. The man leaned back, raised his knee and prepared a side kick to the face. "What matters is the willingness to act!"
This moment would be the one that decides the flow of this battle, perhaps even the outcome.
-
Vega
His burning claw had been blocked flawlessly by the man's hook - with no warning to the hurricane that foretold of the man's monstrous kick. And yet, the moment it reached Vega's head, it phased through him.
Was Vega some kind of ghost!?
Not in the slightest. He shifted his knee to evade the kick with as little movement as possible. This kept his axis in the same position, giving off the illusion that he didn't move at all. And as the meteor kick overshot its target, his other hand struck above its gastrocnemius muscle. The hand that wasn't burning, that hadn't been the focus of his attacks until now. The one you'd least suspect to tear straight through a tendon.
But Vega's fingers could pierce straight through a peer's bone, and sever their limbs. If he aimed it right, he could at least snap that behemoth's joint. Simultaneously, Vega delivered a sweeping kick to unbalance his foe, as he only stood on one leg.
-
Young Man
A sweep? It wasn't strong enough to...
A warm liquid trailed down his calf. He knew that feeling all too well: blood. Something sharp had pierced his leg, dug into the muscle. It hurt to move, but it wasn't any harder. The cut was shallow.
The young man suddenly saw the sky above him, the eyes within the mask looking down on him. Catching his hands on the ground, he pumped the earth with mana, causing the earth behind Vega to draw dozens of circles. With his cheek pressing into the ground and his hips in the air, he sent a side kick aimed straight at Vega's face. Meanwhile, spikes shot up from the earth, threatening to skewer the matador from the back.
-
Vega
A kick... from this unstable position? The earth trembled, barely warning him of the incoming spikes - but the foot was already launched to intercept him. With a cold gleam in his eyes, the masked man's hand darted through the air like a wave before zipping by the foot. No, something was different about this.
Did you think striking was all I could manage?
Rather than clashing with the blow to intercept it, he gently stroked it with a guiding hand - and threw the force of his foe's kick haywire. With Vega's own strength added to the blow, he forced the man to hurl upwards, only to throw him against the spikes with a followed-up grab. To defend against their piercing power, he'd go as far as using his own foe as a shield.
-
Young Man
Huh?
The man's leg was suddenly off course. All he saw was the leg off to the side. There was a cold gleam hidden just behind the mask. He couldn't tell if that was focus or some sort of passionless murderous intent. It was at this moment that the man understood the true terror of fighting a personality like this.
But thats not all-
Before the thought could be finished, the world began to spin. Spikes sank into the young man's back, his entire torso limp in the face of the pain of the spikes sinking into his back.
-
Vega
It's over.
But he didn't stop in his tracks for a second. Taking full advantage to seize the moment, he ran like thunder after the hurled man and performed a cartwheel flip to close the gap with a single leap. With the momentum of his body, he launched himself and slammed upside down on the man's chest, sinking his claw into his ribs.
Even if he could survive this, his strategy had already been executed. This was only the final step before the fall.
-
Young man
Yes... its over.
The man suddenly sprung back to life mere moments before the claw reached his ribs. Blood spluttered from his chest, shooting into Vega's face. A hand wrapped around the man's forearm, yanking it to the side. His palm vibrated fast enough that a low hum filled the air.
Magnitude 6!
The truth was, he only started learning magic recently. The magic was as strong as Vega's blows. Powerful, but not strong enough on their own to do vital damage. Indeed, while his own spikes pierced both his chi defenses and his skin, it stopped once it hit his bones. If the attack had been aimed somewhere squishier like his stomach or a pressure point, it would have done far more lasting damage.
The young man's legs came up, each thigh attempting to wrap around the man's hips. Assuming the counter move succeeded, he would Use only the sheer strength of his abs, he would fling him behind him in a perfect moon like arc, slamming him face first into the ground behind the spikes.
-
Vega
"WHAT!?" His body instinctively tried to back away, but he was one step too late. Without solid footing, he couldn't change his momentum in time. That is why those limbs snapped around his body, trapping him with all their might. "How dare..."
And like the moon, his opponent rose again.
The slam that launched him straight into the ground was unlike anything he ever felt. The air didn't even get to boom before his body hit the ground and caved it utterly. And yet, with a graceful struggle, Vega rose again, unveiling his face as he turned around. The blow was so terrific, it managed to shatter a quarter of his mask, revealing a hateful eye, wide open and filled with psychotic glee.
SWOOOOSH!!
"I felt that." His mask broken, it had managed to save his flawless expression from a bloody fate. But what came next was a man darting through the spikes to misdirect his opponent, shifting his momentum unpredictably to confuse him.
The claw's blades launched from the gaps in the man's vision, aiming for his eyes, jugular, liver and stomach.
-
Young Man
Dust kicked up as the man brushed himself off. One for the shoulders, another for the chest and one last one for the back. With a whip of his head, he threw his ponytail back behind him and stared down his opponent.
"Your pretty good to have me do a desperate maneuver. Your mistake was thinking i'd just roll over for you," he said, pointing a finger to the heavens and closing his eyes. "We in the dojo district aim for the greatest heights and I am no exception."
The young man had seen him fight. This was obviously another redirection maneuver. So rather than see with his eyes, the young man would look with his third eye. The third eye was a concept more abstract in nature, a concept that refered to the sixth sense that develops into a real sensory ability once enough meditation was done. By being aware of his surroundings, a true master of the third eye technique could dodge attacks only by "sensing the truest blow." However, that was something only Sethrol and the other higher level fighters in his dojo knew.
Something was approaching his face so he ducked. Another strike aimed for his jugular so he blocked it with an upper frame block while moving backwards to keep out of range. Another blow went to his liver and was met with a knee to the forearm. The stomach strike? He simply stepped back out of range of the strike.
The dome had closed in. There was no longer room to move. In a sense his strategy was now working against him. The large dome had been reduced from a gym sized sphere to a classroom sized one, giving only enough room to do the most basic maneuver. At first, it appeared that his magic had backfired. However.....
What did he have back then that Mira had? Why did he lose so badly? The young man thought about it every night before sleeping, every day before training and before each bite of his food. At last, in this moment, the young man may have found the answer.
"Show me your fighting spirit!" he yelled, taking a horse stance. The young man's chest tightened, his abs flexing as they braced for possible impact. The chi around him intensified, steaming as it rose into the sky. "A trickster like you won't survive without any backbone! Lets see how you do when you can't run!"
-
Vega
You dog... you're making this fun. No way, was this a smile that crawled up his lips? Running through the darkness like a shadow, he was as silent as a ghost even when rapture was overtaking his heart.
And zipping towards his foe, Vega's stance lowered as he performed a flurry of hand signs. This style of ninjutsu was one he designed himself, using the psychological pressure his hands created in order to breed confusion through these feints. As he advanced into the man's range like a bullet, it was impossible to tell what would strike first.
His left, or his right?
Each hand could instantly overturn that man's strikes or pierce him. Even if his body could take the blows, the blood loss and pain of being cut was a psychological pressure few unarmed men could exude. And if he hit a pressure point, the pendulum would swing in his favor.
He started with the claw, focusing on flashy slashes and carving as much of his surroundings in his way to make the man focus on the weapon's deadliness. Setting it on fire while in such a dark environment, he forced the attention to be drawn on to the weapon, then struck a deadly blow with his bare hand. This planted the seeds of paranoia, because it made his next attack that more uncertain - and its outcome appear even more dire. His claws, his hands, none of them were his real weapon. It was the threat they burrowed into the minds of his enemies that caused the slightest delay.
But one thing was certain, his hands were a weapon that must not be allowed to reach that man.
So what is it? Left, or right?
-
Young Man
The young man couldn't see the handsigns. It didn't matter. The "truest strike" was the one sensed. People who have mastered this technique could differentiate between the less committed slashes and the bare fisted attacks, but the young man couldn't. Thats why all his body relaxed and he let his mind go still. With the mind calm, logic flourished, because that was all that remained. Left, right, under, above: where would the next strike be?
It didn't matter. He was in range.
Magical power gathered in the young man's palm, coating his fist in a bright light. There was no point in attempting a premature strike. His body sensed that. Whereever the fist came from, he would sense it. The truest attack was the one that would become evident. When that happened, it would be blocked and a decisive blow would be struck.
Mira I have my answer for when I see you...
-
Vega
Hands darted like snakes and shot at the man like bullets - and with no mercy, the strike revealed itself. These terrifying feints were going straight for his eyes to gouge them!
Only for the ghost to vanish like a cloud, as if its momentum changed in an instant. Normally, there is a slight delay when changing from offense to defense, but Vega's movements were almost like water. He could shift his form and direction instantly! So the attack simply never came, and Vega stepped to the man's side.
Even if it was wise, awaiting for Vega's move meant delaying his own - and only let Vega move further through his guard. Whatever attack or guard would follow, Vega was already one step ahead.
An upward slash cracked the air to meet the man's liver. It was definitely his left!
-
Young Man
Nothing, not even a flinch. The fingers that stopped inches from his face before fading into the wind didn't even seem to register. Thats because it didn't. The young man was blind to everything but intent to strike. That is why the man was also able to so easily get through his strafing. Vega easily slipped inside the man's guard, the young man simply frowning with his eyes closed.
I can see it!
The sheer weight of his intent to attack overwhelmed his body. Vega's entire body became visible to his third eye. Arms, weapons, eye position, even weird hairs he had on his body. Nothing would could surprise him. It was in this moment he realized the fatal mistake of this style that he trained so hard to learn. IT granted him near perfect sensory understanding in the moment before the strike, but the man was already inside of his guard! He wouldn't be able to block!
A fist shot forward like a rocket, slamming into his body with enough force to punch a hole in reinforced steel. Is that you would not yield to your own weakness! To be born strong does not mean you are strong! To be born weak does not mean you are weak!
-
Vega
That punch was supposed to be undodgeable.
Vega's mask shattered in a million pieces. That light, that power, it was sublime. It shot straight through him as if his body were made of air. And yet-
That was, assuming that he was facing Vega 'The Performer'. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ztb48XVBpXU)
"That was terrific. I didn't think your senses could outperform me."
One step further in the man's guard, he laid like a spider on all fours with his back facing the ground. Vega's stance was nothing like anything ever seen in his public matches. But that man and that extended fist of his would barely have a moment to register it. This fighting style was only reserved for the targets in his manhunts. And those left no witnesses.
And with no delay, that dodge's momentum was used to flip Vega's leg forward - and deliver a scorpion kick that flew straight into the corner of his foe's blind spot. It was too fast! was no time to dodge or grab it from point-blank range! The only option was to take it or block it.
But he had kept so much of the focus on his hands, that a kick like this could come utterly out of left field - and the damage it'd inflict was impossible to expect.
And why would he? Vega's strikes lacked the power of a heavyweight. Even like this, they couldn't knock him out in one blow unless they were aimed carefully. But that was what an unaware man would think. However, to put it in simpler terms, if he were facing an enemy of equal durability class, this wouldn't even register as a knockout blow.
It was a one-hit kill.
Fighter's Lexicon
Escorpião: A signature Capoeira kick, a whip-like kick characterized by standing on one's hands or elbow. If done right, the body can move to unleash an overhead blow at a target in front of the kicker, impacting upwards with the sole or heel of the foot! Like many Capoeira blows, it lulls you with an unorthodox stance before delivering an unpredictable strike that used the body's torque, the leg's hardened bones and their increased power to amplify the force of a kick. It might sound flashy, but a mestre can easily deliver such a strike as seamlessly as a jab - especially if it's unexpected.
Psychological Warfare: The term psychological warfare (PSYWAR) is used to “denote any action which is practiced mainly by psychological methods with the aim of evoking a planned psychological reaction in other people”. It has been used for centuries in battle to gain an edge over an opponent. To strike unexpectedly, deal damage that can be perceived as a thread, and use the threat itself to lure and control one's opponent. For a seasoned fighter, the threat of a killer technique can be just as effective as that technique. That is why Vega worked to position himself directly under and in front of that man.
It's also why he made sure to plant the seeds of doubt and focus on his hands and claws. He had avoided using his staccato on his legs to make him subconsciously unaware of their true terror - the same way a body would rather jump towards a punch rather than what it'd perceive as a truck. Planting the seeds of paranoia, it's possible for an opponent to capitalize on the hesitation and delays that a careful fighter will showcase.
This was a facet of psychological warfare, to keep his cards hidden until he struck immediately in an unexpected manner.
-
Young Man
The young man could see it, his foe's entire body. The intent to strike was even greater than the last time. Indeed, this had a substantial amount of willpower dedicated to it. Eyes still closed, but his minds eye open, he saw every detail. That stance.... impossible! It wasn't in the match!
It didn't matter.
The man who fought Mira used intellect alone to fight, but through meditation and training, the body can fight for the mind. The arm came up before his mind had time to process the next move, forearms taking the full force of the attack. The stump of his foot was like a knife, sliding into the muscle on his forearm before being met with cold bone. However, there wasn't much distance to that bone. Still, blocking would now be a risk. The blood from the cut already on his torso splattered over Vega's chest from the sheer speed it took to preform the block. The man hadn't done any damage, but the preformer had tipped the scales of the battle in his favor and both of them knew it.
A knee came up, ascending like a volcanic eruption. The chi surrounding his knee formed an aura of pure blood red. The blade of the foot, coated in the light of the chi came down like a meteor, threatening to split Vega's skull in two.
"Don't underestimate the student of Seras! My talent far surpasses yours!"
-
El Dorado - The Emperor Vega
A cold gleam shot from two Azure eyes, gaping at the raised knee - but following up his kick to an unorthodox Aú Batendo the moment his opponent moved, he managed to cartwheel back just before the explosion of force pulverized his skull. Speed-wise, they were about even... but techniques like this were still Vega's specialty. The two were face-to-face once more for only a second.
Blood dripped from his lips. Oh my, I thought I dodged it. Was it his punch or that kick that grazed me? He stared right at the gaping wound in the man's arm.
"Muy bien. You have offered me quite a hefty sum of blood. Now earn your right to fight the real Vega."
Grinning like he was on the verge of howling into laughter, he shifted his movements into an unorthodox ginga - with no warning of his palms clapping the ground and the wave of kicks that were to follow. Feints and kicks spun and weaved into each other, and swaying bullets came for the man's jaw, brachial plexus, and sciatic nerve.
"Seven moves. Seven moves are all I can spare playing with you."
Try to grab and block if you like, but those kicks will only cut your arms up and your fingers off.
Fighter's Lexicon
Ginga: The ginga (pronounced jeen-gah; literally: rocking back and forth; to swing) is the fundamental footwork of capoeira. Its constant triangular footwork makes capoeira easily recognizable as well as confusing since it looks much more like a rhythmic dance step than an orthodox static fighting stance. Only a few martial arts employ similar rhythmic footwork found in the ginga. South Korea's Taekkyeon and some forms for Pencak Silat are a few others.
The main purpose is not dancing but rather to prepare the body for any number of movements such as evading, feinting, or delivering attacks while continuously shifting stances all while providing confusion. The ginga places the capoeirista in constant motion, making them a frustrating target for a forward-advancing opponent. The ginga also allows the capoeirista to continuously maintain enough torque to use in a strike while providing a synchronization of arm movement to avoid and slip under attacks. The ginga is not static so its speed is usually determined by the toque or rhythm dictated by the bateria.
Capoeira Angola and capoeira regional both have distinctive versions of this movement. In Capoeira Angola, the ginga is more expressive and individualistic, while in Capoeira Regional the ginga has a more structured and defensive look. Most Capoeira regional academies teach the ginga in the same way until the student advances to a certain level and begins to develop their own expressive and comfortable way of using it.
Aú Batido—The aú batido is an aú variation where a practitioner does a handstand, followed by a twist with the hips and a split, performing a downward martelo. During the kick, one arm is protecting the face while the other one is obviously supporting the body. Aú batido literally means "broken cartwheel". This movement is a defensive move, used when attempting to perform a cartwheel and the opponent attacks, generally with a cabeçada, a headbutt, the aú batido takes place, attacking the opponent by surprise before the attack is executed. The aú batido is sometimes also used in doubt or simply as a trick move. This move is also performed in tricking, and for quality, it is also used often in breakdancing where it is known as the L-kick. Names used in different schools may also include Beija Flor (Humming Bird, literally Flower Kiss(er)), Leque (Fan), Aú Québrado (also "broken cartwheel"), Aú Malandro(wily cartwheel), Aú Amazonas (Amazon cartwheel) or Amazonica.
Aú Batendo-A similar technique, except that the hands generally stay on the ground and the cartwheel is not stopped during the kick, but rather continues over.
Sciatic Nerve: This nerve is located between the groin and the knee on the midline of the inner thigh. A severe knee hit will cause intense pain, shock, dizziness and temporary immobility of the foot.
Jaw: After suffering a blow to the jaw, a person can lose consciousness. With such a hit, the head turns so sharply that the brain literally shakes.
Brachial Plexus: A severe blow to this area causes intense pain and a numb sensation in the hand. A strong hard blow inflicted just below can actually break the collarbone. A typical side effect of a broken clavicle is a rupture of the nerves of the brachial plexus. This leads to immediate paralysis of the hand, shock, and nausea.
-
Young Man
Forearm to top of the foot. Upper body, lower body, crouch, raise, inner body outer body: each strike forced him to move. Blood splattered with every strike, soaking his gee in streaks of red. His forearm was completely soaked.
Indeed speedwise they were even, but there was a slight difference that seperated them. Vega had superior acrobatic skill as well as an unorthodox fighting style that was hard to adapt to in the moment. It wasn't something he hadn't fought against within the dojo district but it was rare enough that experience alone couldn't help him compensate. Indeed, the only thing that allowed him to keep up was his superior sensory abilities in the form of his third eye technique. But the problem was..
"The real Vega huh? So your just a liar..."
He thought the man was unskilled, but he was actually playing around. That arrogant bastard. He was actually aiming for vital points now. It was at this moment he realized he made a vital mistake during the last exchange. Now he needed to break free. Ducking under a kick, he attempted to sweep Vega, a low investment attack to test his legs.
He had just boasted of his talent, but was that enough to bridge the gap in experience with this exotic form?
-
Vega
Hrm..six to four shots left to spare before this ground strips my mobility entirely. Fu fu fu... what a fun challenge.
"Tut tut. A fighter would never understand... but an entertainer must always have some tricks up his sleeve. You're feeling them, huh? Even those weak kicks can deal some serious damage if they land right. You must be wondering why an esteemed student like you is having a delayed reaction to them."
Constantly in motion, the killer strikes! Vega's left leg came swerving at the man's throat like a guillotine, and to counter that, the foe's sweep slammed towards Vega's arms. But Vega was already capitalizing on his lead and intercepting the counter with a grab. Grasping the sweep, he mounted the man's ankle with his grip and smiled gorgeously. Since his left was thrown off, he was suddenly using both the grip's torque and the momentum of the missed strike. It didn't even come with a warning, he'd immediately launch an even faster kick from his right at point blank range, booming straight at the boy's temple.
"That's because my technique is better than yours. My strikes can even kill a God."
Or perhaps the strikes were the distraction. Because these simultaneous moves were set up for a hook from the left leg the man dodged. A customized Negativa that'd slice his Achilles tendon. Of course, they were all meant to land. This was no feinting game, but a deathmatch.
Since Vega already sliced a muscle (http://darksidemoon.net/SMF_forum/index.php/topic,761.msg66361.html#msg66361) near his knee's joint earlier, logic dictated that flawlessly dodging was nearly out of the question. Not from this distance and position. And yet...
Fighter's Lexicon
Negativa: Negative, refusal or deny. a negativa is used to negate an attack by going low to the ground on one's side, with the leg closest to the ground tucked to the chest, the other extended, supporting one's body weight with the hand, with the upper arm in a location to protect the face. The negativa derrubando used as a sweep which involves hooking the other players supporting leg during a kick. Using the Latter, Vega can utterly unmake a man's footing, especially after they use an unstable attack like a kick.
-
Young Man
Shit that was too risky.
The young man thought back to that fight with Mira. So this is what it was like to be on the other end huh? To go against someone more talented than himself and be on the back burner. It wasn't that he wasn't stronger. He absolutely was the stronger fighter but in the game of tactics he was losing.
"Shut the hell up. You talk way too big for a rejected carnie," he said, calling on his thighs to move. Pain, a sharp pain shot through his system, refusing to move. It was the injury from earlier. Very well. "Its time to bring you back down to earth."
The young man's arm came down in an X block, his entire body screaming as the kick started tearing through nerves. The ground began to shake, the very dojo of Sethrol the calm groaning to the man's mana.
"When you go to the gates of heaven and tell god about your kicks, tell him I sent you."
MAGNITUDE 10!
The hand on top of the leg was suddenly encased in cold stone, spikes emerging from the ground that threatened to skewer him completely and utterly. The dome had finally been reduced to the size of a small bedroom. There was no where left to run.
The curtain had fallen long ago. Even if he had lost the battle of tactics, he could still win with grit, willpower and determination. That is what Mira had taught him.
-
Vega
-!
Even if he were dancing in the jaws of a beast this whole time, now he truly felt its teeth closing in. And that's when the stone clutched at his hand - and the victory that was destined to be his.
Don't be so cocky.
But his free hand harked for the stone that sealed his other hand, and his legs suddenly danced to gnaw at the spikes that came at him with graceful kicks, making distance with a spin of death.
It was only a moment, but there was no denying it. Dealing with all of those spikes and that chi-technique with nothing but his mind and body... striking them all in one fell swoop...when it came to technique, he could have gotten far in this land.
But his grim eyes and the hateful smile he sported revealed the truth. This man must never be allowed to bridge this gap of power. If he ever was to get his hands on something like this, he would surely become a tyrant.
I can still fight. I-
He was bloodied shallowly, his muscles were fine. Compared to that man's wounds, it was night and day. But as he moved back, his back hit the wall. He managed to cut the spikes and stone, but doing this left him open, and he had nowhere to run.
If he got hit by that...
His hand twitched to strike first, but the man's fist already had time to cock back before Vega's could even raise. Would Vega be able to capitalize on the man's wounds? Or would that man capitalize on his delay?
The next strike would declare the curtain call.
-
Young Man
The young man bent over to the side, letting his torso shelter under the rocks shattering under the man's legs. The spikes continued to fly in his direction, the quakes shaking the land intensifying. The trees of the dojo fell, the very earth underneath them beginning to split. The two were now on a platform incased in a dome, separate from the rest of the dojo. The once large dome was now the size of a shed, giving them little room to move.
Damn you! FALL!
A closed fist shot forward towards his crotch. At his level of power, it would be the end of that man, nay the end of that man's entire family line. At least, that is what would happen if he was at full strength. The arm that shot forward was falling to the ground, no longer able to listen to his brain, the arm that had blocked all of those strikes were falling. This indeed was the end for him.
Damn it! Go! GO! MOVE!
-
Vega
"Gh..."
Vega's eyes widened. He knew full well what it was like, fighting when burdened with so many emotions. An unfulfilled rivalry. A promise made to surpass. The weight of one's teachings.
Vega lost to Vanilla because of his love.
That man too, was fighting a shackling passion.
But that wasn't why Vega stepped on his fist. It wasn't the reason why he leveraged a step over that wrist, and sent a flying high knee on his chin. It wasn't even why he read tast blow so quickly.
He was strong, and his arms were bleeding. That blood from his arms reached Vega before the punch - and through luck alone, he dodged that and stepped over it.
Just like back then against Laishi... The rain warned me of her blows. It seems I should thank her. Fate is on my side.
Thus, the knee booms to crush the pressure point - and rattle the foe's brain for good.
-
Young Man
As the knee flew into his head, time seemed to slow down. They say that when you are about to die, life flashes before your eyes, but for Jonathan, there was nothing but the battles fought and the amount of time he spent training. Empty feilds, trees, the very wind caressing his face: everything blurred together into a single moment. Faces flashed before his eyes, the moment within the moment being blurred by all the people he had touched. Seras, Sethrol... Mira.
What would they think of his final fight he wondered? Would they be proud? Was this an honorable death?
The knee came even closer, englufing his entire vision. A fear overcame his very being. I don't want to die! I don't want to die yet!
But it was too late. Had he summoned that strength moments before, he may have lived, but the knee slammed into his temple, knocking his soul right out of his body. The man was launched into the air before falling to the ground completely lifeless. It was a painless death.
-
Vega
"Olé olé!!"
This time, it weren't the bull's... but the matador's eyes that saw red. As the man fell back, Vega did not stop his assault. He dashed, punched, punched, punched and punched - pummelling straight into the man's flesh with all his pent up emotions. All his madness.
The blows kept raining. Even stone gives out against an endless stream. As blood splattered all around, even the dome began to give.
That man, weak or not, was an impediment that still dared to threaten his reign. And none would impede his ascent to his eternal throne. That ultimate climax wouldn't be Mira's, it wouldn't be Elizabeth's, it wouldn't be anyone else's. Not now. Not ever. He would burn this whole world to the ground to make sure of that.
And it started with this dog.
"INÚTIL!! INÚTIL!! INÚTIL!! INÚTIL!! INÚTIL!! INÚTIL!! INÚTIL!! INÚTIL!! INÚTIL!! INÚTIL!! INÚTIL!! INÚTIL!! INÚTIL!! INÚTIL!! INÚTIL!! INÚTIL!! INÚTIL!! INÚTIL!! INÚTIL!! INÚTIL!! INÚTIL!! INÚTIL!! INÚTIL!! INÚTIL!! INÚTIL!! INÚTIIIIIIL!! URYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!"
That final punch smashed the man straight out of the stone dome - cracking it open like an egg. It was a pose struck to the heavens and an unearthly cry that declared his victory, and the orange glow of the sunset's rays pierced through the dark stone. A spotlight that illuminated the beautiful shade. With a powerful slam of his foot, he prepared to counter whatever that man threw! He was ready! Victorious!
You're finished. I've won. I-
And only then did his eyes widened and his fist stopped, as he stared as his falling opponent's expression... and the emptiness in his eyes. The sudden crash that rung the victory bell wasn't the sound of fist against flesh.
"Hmph. Los luchadores guapos nunca pierden una battalla."
He looked away, and for a moment he shuddered. The blood splashing all across the dojo, the broken remains of a fighter full of hope. Part of him understood that this was what he found missing to this place, the beauty he enraptured himself in so much. But another part of him rejected that wish, and almost shifted his expression into one of...
Regret.
"I wish you gave me your name." Was the first and last thing he said to that man in earnestness. Dog or not, he was its butcher - and so he looked at him in the eye one last time before turning his back on him for good. His expression was unrecognizable, but the last thing he did... perhaps out of a whim... or to torment Mira more perhaps...
It didn't matter. The rose tossed by the warrior's corpse was enough. And so, the Matador bids his prey farewell, and leaves the hunting grounds.
-
The Dojo of Sethrol the Calm
A cool breeze flowed through the field that was known to be Sethrol's dojo. The sun's rays poked through the clouds, allowing a warm blanket of heat to pass through the lush grass. Sethrol's old skin had grown so senstive to the changing temperature, so when the clouds opened, he could feel the gentle blanket of the sun's heat envelop his body. Sethrol took a deep breath, standing on top of the downed tree that he destroyed when demonstrating to Nanako, holding a mug of tea.
In the end, Mira won the tournament. Things would be different around here. That girl could start her own dojo now if she wanted to, and unlike many others, it could easily rise to match the influence of the four great dojos, especially if she actually put time into it. Maybe she would ask him for advice. Sethrol smiled at the thought.
Walking through the field, he paused as he suddenly smelled the familiar stench of a corpse. Sethrol looked down, only to see the desecrated body of his student, lying in a pool of his own blood. It was Jonathan, a new student that spent his whole life casting a shadow on Mira. One day, that girl grew so large that he became engulfed in her shadow. He had always hoped the boy would eventually find his own path, but it ended here. Was he happy in his final moments? No....
A hand was placed on what remained of his forehead. "You at least died an honorable death, defending this dojo... Strange... I feel so sad all the sudden, despite your warriors death."
Because you didn't die happy.
Dojo of Greed
It wasn't much. Territory about the size of a city block. That is how much the weaker dojo's could expect if they were lucky. Most actually got maybe two buildings worth. On the corner of a block sandwiched between two restaurants was the dojo of greed. It was an old traditional Japanese dojo, except the walls were deliberately poked with holes. Around a dozen men stood outside the building, their gees being all white, aside from the demonic eye emblem painted on their breast.
A man with a bulky frame but ordinary features stood in a circle of the men. "What is our goal?"
"TO FIND OUR MASTER!" the yelled.
A man ran up to them. "Guys guys! He... he is in Halloween town!"
Everyone froze. For a moment, they were silent. Then the man in the middle spoke. "Send someone over there! We have work to do boys! We celebrate the arrival of our master!"
-
The Dojo of Sethrol the Calm
Zhang Liu's steps were neither loud nor quiet on the natural textures of his mentor's domain. He blended into the sound of the wind and faded lusterless under the rays of the sun as a garden statue of short years in a lush estate, neither belonging nor unsuitable to its preened beauty. The joyless serenity of the man remained unswaying when his feet reached the edge of the pool of blood and when he drew his hands together for a prayer.
"He remained true to his path to the end. Pity would be unwelcome," he said.
-
Dojo of Sethrol the Calm
Sethrol let out a weak laugh. "And what is wrong with pity? Why must we always be so stoic towards one another? Is that respect?" Sethrol asked out loud. His face turned cold, a frown deepening the more he spoke. The eyes he had were filled with so much passion, even as his cheeks began to look worn. He turned to Zhang's prayer and scoffed. "You tell me not to pity yet you pray for his soul. If you truly believe him to be on the right path, why must he rely on your prayers?"
Sethrol took a deep breath and that frown faded into something more neutral. "When did showing strong emotion for one another become considered weak? Why would anyone believe such nonesense?"
The old man's eyes widened. "Right.... Let your emotions pass with a breath and fade into the void. Allow only concentration as you connect with the cruel reality of nature. I suppose those were my words weren't they Zhang?"
-
Dojo of Sethrol the Calm
Zhang Liu unclasped his hands to frown at Sethrol. His hands curled into fists at his sides as spoke. "I have never mistaken what you taught us for the only stone on the great path. And if you measure my success by detachment, then truly, I have failed as your disciple. But long have I been willing to act the hand of discipline to the great Dojo, so that those that immerse themselves in the lessons first may never lose heart over the scoundrels who would shame them, or their source."
His shoulders turned until he was facing the Dojo Master fully, and he brought a fist into an open palm at the height of his heart.
"This prayer is solely my conceit. But Jonathan would not have wished for pity. That is all the answer you should need," Zhang declared, bowing in the way Sethrol could see a thousand times in their shared memories. Then he rose, and their eyes met. "Besides, master, you are well aware this solemn face of mine is permanent."
-
Dojo of Setherol the Calm
Sethrol sighed and said, "Yes it is true. I am sorry to be so insensitive."
The old man walked over to a fallen tank and peeled open the metal with his bare hands. Pulling out a tea cup and another mug, he poured a glass of herbal tea. There was no steam because it was cold. "Here Zhang. Take this as both my apology and a gesture that communicates my desire to see you smile once more. We both know that in this city, everything is malleable."
Sethrol glanced at Jonathan's corpse and pulled out another cup. "His job was to take care of my dojo while I was out. I think we should both celebrate that achievement. Will you help me bury him?"
-
Dojo of Setherol the Calm
The Source-Melting Hand stared at the offered drink as though it was a particularly mangy cat. A second passed, which it took for him to tame the sullen curve of his eyebrows, but he nodded and carefully took the mug.
"We will see if I have reasons to smile," he said. Before continuing, he took a sip. It was dreadfully cold, but somehow that was just the relief he needed. "I will help, of course."
-
Sethrol
After handing Zhang the tea cup, he placed his own on the tank. Then, he placed two feet on the ground behind Jonathan's body, took a deep breath and let out a yell. A fist shot forward ripping apart the land beneath him. A hole opened up.
"You know, I didn't expect to see you at the tournament. Why did you go there?"
-
Zhang Liu
Zhang Liu looked up from his cup as Sethrol rose, and followed him with his gaze. Realizing the old master was already getting to work, the Great Dojo's executioner took a large sip and set down the drink with a clack.
"You weren't as subtle as you hoped," he said, hastening to his feet. He walked some distance away, to a hidden cabinet he knew lay behind a curtain of vines, and when he returned, began to clean Johnatan's body of blood and rearrange his clothes to clear the grisly spectacle.
"I went there because you did. And... Lashi, I suppose."
-
Sethrol
The old man laughed and said, "I suppose in my old age i'm losing my touch." Then he paused, placing a finger to his chin. "No thats not right. I was always terrible at being subtle!"
In the time during which Zhang left, Sethrol squatted down and stared at Jonathan's corpse. It was mutilated by an interesting weapon, a whip. A weapons master could have done this, but it also brought to mind the masked matador who had been building a name for himself recently. That one was at the tournament too.
"I went there because you did. And... Lashi, I suppose."
Sethrol smiled. "That makes me happy. Although I am sorry that you had to see something so embarrassing. Watching an old man experience something so associated with youth must have appeared so unbecoming." Even as he spoke those words, his smile only grew wider. Indeed, the old man had to stifle a chuckle from the thought. "Still, there were many more matches than my own, some stunning, others short and decisively cruel. To think that it was merely an Elizabeth tornament, one dominated by her succubi. Imagine all the wonder's this city still holds."
-
Zhang Liu
"It was a mockery from start to end," he scoffed, glancing at Sethrol. His face carved from stone seemed to grow deeper lines with the aggravation behind the sentiment, but a crack or something else opened through it. "I hear Mira won, despite that."
-
Sethrol
"It was an absolute embarrassment," he said. Despite his words, the old man couldn't stop smiling. "And she did, the failure of this dojo succeeded where even two of its masters failed. Although, is that why you consider it an embarrassment? Shame for oneself and shame on behalf of someone else is two different things isn't it? I suppose that is a sort of empathy. You were always so much kinder than I was."
-
Zhang Liu
His eyebrows twitched uneasily, and he paused in the middle of wiping the blood from the fallen fighter's most grisly wounds.
"More than half of that tournament walked in with no regard for the sanctity of combat, and two masters validated this nonsense with their presence, only to lose dubiously." Zhang Liu answered, inhaling sharply. "I am the Source-Melting Hand. Even to those whose dignity I defend, I am the epitome of cruelty."
-
Nanako
The next morning...
It was morning again, and with the first good night's sleep she'd had in almost a week, Nanako was off to the dojo district again. After what had happened during the tourney, it was clear to the squirrel girl that she owed Yang a visit, but she'd quickly gotten side-tracked when someone challenged here out of nowhere. On one hand, it made sense, she couldn't expect her fight with Yang to make up for interrupting their bloodsport from last time. On the other hand, she had better things to do.
To his credit, her challenger was easy on the eyes. Well built, with an intense, focused look in his eyes that spoke volumes of how he intended to break the squirrel girl down and force her to submit in front of anyone who cared to watch. Unfortunately, he was far too slow.
With that out of the way, Nanako went looking around through some shops in the area, figuring she might as well get something for the visit as she zipped from one store to the next.
-
Nanako
The next morning...
It was morning again, and with the first good night's sleep she'd had in almost a week, Nanako was off to the dojo district again. After what had happened during the tourney, it was clear to the squirrel girl that she owed Yang a visit, but she'd quickly gotten side-tracked when someone challenged here out of nowhere. On one hand, it made sense, she couldn't expect her fight with Yang to make up for interrupting their bloodsport from last time. On the other hand, she had better things to do.
To his credit, her challenger was easy on the eyes. Well built, with an intense, focused look in his eyes that spoke volumes of how he intended to break the squirrel girl down and force her to submit in front of anyone who cared to watch. Unfortunately, he was far too slow.
With that out of the way, Nanako went looking around through some shops in the area, figuring she might as well get something for the visit as she zipped from one store to the next.
Thorra
As Nanako zipped around from shop to shop, her squirrel senses suddenly veered her focus towards a woman who seemed to be browsing at the magazine rack. She stood there, intently staring at something, flipping through the pages but always flipping right back to one page which Nanako couldn't see from where she stood. She towered over everybody else in the store at over seven feet tall, and her outfit was barebones enough to make Nanako's look positively prudish. It covered just barely enough skin to hide her nether regions from public view, and she seemed to be wearing some sort of iron pasties upon her nipples. Her skin was perfect and smooth to a statuesque degree, and most interestingly, she held an immense hammer loosely to her side, the haft almost as thick as her arm with a shining iron head to match.
-
Nanako
Nanako, to her credit, managed to avoid crashing into half a dozen well built powerhouses that suddenly seemed like showboating twigs next to the magnificence she'd just happened across. There was a brief sound of the squirrel girl's boots skidding against the floor as she doubled back before she managed to get the tall blonde in view again. The squirrel girl was enraptured, spending a couple seconds just staring at the busty blonde, barely noticing that she was going around in even less than as far as clothing went. The massive hammer caught her eye for a good few moments, the squirrel girl impressed by its girth and its heft, but soon her attention was drawn to other things...
Huh, that's a big hammer. Doesn't quite look it, but she's gotta be strong to be hauling that thing around.
Nanako could already feel familiar heat sparking in her chest, but soon managed to shake herself out of her trance. Deciding that the first step to making any of the myriad fantasies running through her head come true would be introductions, she zipped on over to the blonde.
"Heya," she piped up cheerily, glancing curiously at the magazine from her new viewpoint as her large fluffy tail swished behind her, "Whatcha looking for?"
-
Nanako
Nanako, to her credit, managed to avoid crashing into half a dozen well built powerhouses that suddenly seemed like showboating twigs next to the magnificence she'd just happened across. There was a brief sound of the squirrel girl's boots skidding against the floor as she doubled back before she managed to get the tall blonde in view again. The squirrel girl was enraptured, spending a couple seconds just staring at the busty blonde, barely noticing that she was going around in even less than as far as clothing went. The massive hammer caught her eye for a good few moments, the squirrel girl impressed by its girth and its heft, but soon her attention was drawn to other things...
Huh, that's a big hammer. Doesn't quite look it, but she's gotta be strong to be hauling that thing around.
Nanako could already feel familiar heat sparking in her chest, but soon managed to shake herself out of her trance. Deciding that the first step to making any of the myriad fantasies running through her head come true would be introductions, she zipped on over to the blonde.
"Heya," she piped up cheerily, glancing curiously at the magazine from her new viewpoint as her large fluffy tail swished behind her, "Whatcha looking for?"
Thorra
Thorra looked up from her magazine-it seemed to be a catalogue of various weaponry-guns, swords, knives, you name it. She looked over the tiny squirrel-girl for a moment, raking over her body with her eyes before she flashed a toothy grin at Nanako. Her hand came crashing down upon the other woman's head as she ruffled her dirty brown hair, pinching at her ears with a teasing smile. "I'm just browsing around, really. I heard there were a lot of strong people to test my mettle against here, and then I got caught up checking out this magazine..."
The hammer shook her head and laughed. "But that's not really why you're talking to me, is it? I can't imagine you're really interested in what I was doing to pass the time." She patted Nanako on the head twice more before retracting her hand. "What's up?"
-
Nanako
The squirrel girl's eyes widened as that hand came down on her head, before she relaxed under the warmth of the headpatting that followed, letting out a contented sigh. Then the earpinching came, drawing a soft gasp as the sensation sent a shiver down her spine. It certainly didn't help that the blonde's bust was at eye-level for her. Still, the squirrel girl stood a little taller, nudging her head more into Thorra's hand. Still, she felt that heat in her chest building as the busty blonde's words confirmed what she'd been thinking, even as that wonderful headpatting hand left her.
"Mmh, I've heard the same. Today's challenger was kinda disappointing though," Nanako said with a nod, refraining from the urge to pout at the brevity of the headpats.
"Well, you seemed interesting. And really hot," the squirrel girl said without a moment's hesitation as looked up at Thorra, "And seeing as you're looking for someone strong too, maybe we could go a round?"
-
Nanako
The squirrel girl's eyes widened as that hand came down on her head, before she relaxed under the warmth of the headpatting that followed, letting out a contented sigh. Then the earpinching came, drawing a soft gasp as the sensation sent a shiver down her spine. It certainly didn't help that the blonde's bust was at eye-level for her. Still, the squirrel girl stood a little taller, nudging her head more into Thorra's hand. Still, she felt that heat in her chest building as the busty blonde's words confirmed what she'd been thinking, even as that wonderful headpatting hand left her.
"Mmh, I've heard the same. Today's challenger was kinda disappointing though," Nanako said with a nod, refraining from the urge to pout at the brevity of the headpats.
"Well, you seemed interesting. And really hot," the squirrel girl said without a moment's hesitation as looked up at Thorra, "And seeing as you're looking for someone strong too, maybe we could go a round?"
Thorra
"Depends." The hammer replied. A blow from her hammer suddenly struck out without any tell, heading right for Nanako's left leg with inordinate speed.
-
Nanako
Though there was no tell for the incoming blow, Nanako moved without thinking. The bookshelf that Thorra had been perusing was moved into her way, blocking her sight of Nanako as the squirrel girl burst into motion. She zipped around behind Thorra, whirling around to launch a powerful kick to the back of Thorra's left knee.
-
Thorra
"Sure, I'll fight you!" Thorra merrily responded as Nanako nimbly sidestepped her blow. Electricity coursed through her veins and erupted out of her eyes, arcing down her fair skin. The blond used the momentum of her swing to pivot on her heel and spin around to face Nanako, sending her own knee crashing into Nanako's leg. "Since it looks like you have some bite to back up your bark and all that!" She exclaimed.
-
Nanako
Nanako's eyes widened as Thorra spun around, trembling shocks running up her leg as Thorra's knee crashed into it, leaving a bruise. The pain didn't faze her, however, sparking familiar heat in her core instead. Undeterred, Nanako planted her other leg on Thorra's other knee, pushing off it and bringing her bruised leg up to nail the busty blonde in the chin with her knee, the bruise on her leg already fading.
"Thank you, so what are we fighting to?" Nanako asked, letting her momentum carry her to the ceiling and bouncing away.
-
Nanako
Nanako's eyes widened as Thorra spun around, trembling shocks running up her leg as Thorra's knee crashed into it, leaving a bruise. The pain didn't faze her, however, sparking familiar heat in her core instead. Undeterred, Nanako planted her other leg on Thorra's other knee, pushing off it and bringing her bruised leg up to nail the busty blonde in the chin with her knee, the bruise on her leg already fading.
"Thank you, so what are we fighting to?" Nanako asked, letting her momentum carry her to the ceiling and bouncing away.
Thorra
Thorra thrust her head downwards, slamming her forehead into Nanako's knee with a thunderous crash. A stream of red ichor trailed down her forehead, dripping onto the floor from her nose. However, Nanako was merely greeted with a battle hungry grin excited for more. One hand snaked up and grabbed Nanako's ankle. Electricity coursed up her leg as Thorra suddenly hoisted her above her head.
It surged through Nanako's entire body without end while the hammer came hurtling towards her gut. "You'll owe me a favor! I barely even know you, so I don't really know what I'd want!"
-
Zhang Liu
His eyebrows twitched uneasily, and he paused in the middle of wiping the blood from the fallen fighter's most grisly wounds.
"More than half of that tournament walked in with no regard for the sanctity of combat, and two masters validated this nonsense with their presence, only to lose dubiously." Zhang Liu answered, inhaling sharply. "I am the Source-Melting Hand. Even to those whose dignity I defend, I am the epitome of cruelty."
Sethrol
Sethrol smiled at his statement, no at his actions. Watching the gentle action of wiping the fighter's wounds, thinking of the prayer he offered earlier, even considering the correction Zhang offered him, the cruel fighter was merely following his own code. At the very least, thats what Sethrol told himself.
"Zhang," he said, walking squatting down next to him to check his work. "Have you ever won a battle by losing it? Do you know what it means to gain honor in humiliation?"
-
Nanako
The squirrel girl's eyes widened as the busty blonde took the knee head-on, going so far as to outright headbutt it. She felt the warmth of spilled blood trickling onto her knee, but the impact didn't knock Thorra back at all, the woman looking up at her with a battle hungry grin instead, a sanguine trickle staining her perfect teeth as she looked up at Nanako.
Before the squirrel girl could pull away, she felt a grasping hand reaching for her ankle, trying to trap her in place. Nanako's tail went into motion, deftly batting away the offending hand as she pulled away from the grab.
She made no such move to avoid the hammer, however, the squirrel girl folding up around the heavy head of the hammer as it crashed against her belly, air and spit flying from her mouth with a wanton moan. The impact reminded her of the hits she'd taken from Yang, sending rippling tremors through her guts and shivers up her spine. The sudden shock of the hammer blow left her dripping, her scent clear to anyone who was paying attention even as dark bruise spread from where the hammer struck her like a blooming flower, turning every breath into a deliciously painful burn against her ribs.
Amazing.
The blow itself launched her back, but her eyes remained wide open, glazed over not with pain, but frenzied arousal and excitement as she met Thorra's gaze.
-
Thorra
As Nanako flew backwards, Thorra spun herself around in her hand as if she were a sling. She crackled with white-hot plasma for a moment before the hammer shot forwards like a boomerang at lightning speed, all while Nanako flew backwards. "Are you sure you're really interested in this fight, girl!" Thorra asked with a frown. "Or are you just trying to use me to get off?"
Electricity crackled down the length of her body. "Because if it's the latter, I'm not happy about being used like that!"
A bolt of lightning impacted the roof of the building, causing the lights to flicker momentarily.
-
Nanako
Nanako almost felt like she was watching Thorra through a heat haze, as the woman spun her hammer around like a sling before launching right at the squirrel girl. The hammer slammed cleanly into her bruised abs again, the impact lighting her insides on fire as she yelled with the pain, curling up around the head as she was launched back. She crashed through store shelves and racks before skidding to a stop, down on her hands, one leg propped under her as tension coiled higher and higher in her core and she spat up blood. The squirrel girl barely registered the lights flickering above, though her ears twitched towards the lightning striking the roof.
"Of course I'm interested in the fight," Nanako shot back, curling blood-flecked lips in a wanton grin as she readied herself for Thorra's next assault, "But who says I can't get excited by it?"
-
Nanako
Nanako almost felt like she was watching Thorra through a heat haze, as the woman spun her hammer around like a sling before launching right at the squirrel girl. The hammer slammed cleanly into her bruised abs again, the impact lighting her insides on fire as she yelled with the pain, curling up around the head as she was launched back. She crashed through store shelves and racks before skidding to a stop, down on her hands, one leg propped under her as tension coiled higher and higher in her core and she spat up blood. The squirrel girl barely registered the lights flickering above, though her ears twitched towards the lightning striking the roof.
"Of course I'm interested in the fight," Nanako shot back, curling blood-flecked lips in a wanton grin as she readied herself for Thorra's next assault, "But who says I can't get excited by it?"
Thorra
A great shockwave wrecked the store's merchandise as Thorra impacted Nanako's gut. Shelves collapsed, pulverized by the sheer force of being next to Thorra's impact. Afterwords, Thorra came hurtling back into her body's hand after slamming into Nanako. She clasped her fist around herself and shook her head. "If this is the best you can offer me, I'm not interes-" Thorra paused. She felt something attempting to look at her and probe her location. She wasn't exactly sure what, but...
Electricty coursed through her hollow veins, and she poured her divinity into fighting back the intrusion. Despite her best efforts though, Sage would be able to see who she was looking for, even as the location remained fuzzy in her mind.
She shook her head to clear away the momentary distraction. "Sorry, something just came up. Talk to you another time."
Thorra flew out of the shattered frontal window, searching for a sutiable place to scry the runes of fate herself. Something was coming, and she wanted to know what.
-
Nanako
Pulling herself up from the rubble, panting as her body throbbed with delicious agony. Every step felt like knives had replaced her innards and were scraping around inside her, but still she moved, popping up to her feet. Before she could rush the blonde again, however, she said something about needing to go and promptly flew off, leaving Nanako panting, bruised, covered in rubble, and rather conflicted.
That was...strange. Hope she's okay.
After taking some time to clean herself up, the squirrel girl continued on her way to Yang's place, passing close to Sethrol's dojo in the process. As she realized this, Nanako thought about it for about a full second, then promptly turned around, heading back towards the graveyard of tanks that served as the old man's dojo. It didn't take long for her to get there, the squirrel girl soon bounding down into the clearing, bouncing a couple times after landing before coming to a halt, large fluffy tail swishing idly behind her.
"Heya Sethrol, how- oh," the squirrel girl stopped short upon catching sight of what was happening. That grumpy dude from earlier was here too, but that wasn't what gave her pause. The stench of blood, the ruined body being cleaned up by Mr. Grumpy himself, and...the rose. A familiar face flashed across her mind like a blade in the dark, the squirrel girl shaking her head shortly after. He couldn't be the only person here partial to roses, too soon to jump to him now.
"I'm sorry, is this a bad time?" Nanako said, frowning a little as she looked between Sethrol, Grumpy McGrumpface, and the dead guy.
-
Zhang Liu
The answer to his mentor's question, torturously climbing up his throat, scattered like sand with the upbeat bounce that announced itself. Zhang Liu grimaced her way.
"You're from the tournament," he said.
-
Sethrol
Sethrol looked up from Zhang's figure and his eyes lit up at Nanako's arrival before slumping back to normal. His cool gaze seemed to wander over her form, picking up on her bubbly body language. Her tail was wishing back and forth, and her tone of voice was energetic.
"Depends on if your in the mood to bury a body," he said, looking down at Jonathan's corpse. "I'd hate to see that fluffy tail droop trying to help us do community work."
-
Nanako
"Ayup. So were you, Grumpy," Nanako said without missing a beat, as if she hadn't noticed the grimace he sent her way, "The guy with the nightlight hand, if I recall."
"Mmm, I didn't know this guy, so don't expect a eulogy," the squirrel girl said with a shrug, tail swishing lazily behind her, "But sure, I'll help."
With that, she strolled over, her eyebrow twitching as she got a better look at the grisly wounds marring the dead man's body, but resolving herself to help speed this along however she could.
-
Sethrol
Sethrol let out a light hearted chuckle, his voice caught by the trees surrounding the clearing. He walked over to Nanako, lined his shoulder with hers and clasped his hands together in the same way Zhang did earlier. "You know now that I think about it, I didn't pray for him did I Zhang? Yes, you do not need to know someone to offer them kindness."
Sethrol clasped his hands together, mirroring the way Zhang had done earlier. "If you don't mind, could you show Nanako?"
-
Zhang Liu
He grimaced at Sethrol like he'd squashed a lemon between his teeth, and turned to Nanako with a sigh. He dropped the wet cloth he was handling off to the side, dangling from a branch, and dropped to a knee on the other side of the body, facing the squirrelgirl.
Zhang Liu brought his palms together and shut his eyes. "Send him your thoughts. It doesn't matter if it's superficial. You can pray to whoever you want to for his soul, or not. Just be genuine."
-
Nanako
The squirrelgirl canted her head to the side as Zhang went to a knee next to the body, cocking an eyebrow as Grumpyface really earned his nickname with the look he gave Sethrol. She watched him for a moment longer before going down to a knee herself, bringing her palms together the same way Zhang was and bowing her head slightly, thinking deeply over what she might wish him.
"Alright, well..." the squirrel girl muttered, closing her eyes.
Don't fall off the tree, if you end up there.
-
Sethrol
To the man who had the sun obscured by the back of another, I hope you found peace in your death and in the world beyond.
Sethrol stood up, taking Nanako's hand and guiding her to the body of the student. "You know, I feel really bad for you," he said, turning his head to the side to look at Nanako. "Your going to have to hear us prattle on about this man."
The old man took a deep breath. "But before that.... Tell me did you enjoy your match? The one at the tournament I mean."
-
Nanako
Nanako canted her head as Sethrol guided her hand to the body, the squirrel girl patting it comfortingly on reflex.
"It's fine, you've got stuff you want to say to him," she said with a shrug, "Not my place to object."
The mention of the matches, however, drew a bit of a wince from her, her eyebrow twitching as she looked back up at Sethrol.
"Hm. No, not really," Nanako said, shaking her head, "Yours looked like it went a lot better."
-
Sethrol
"It was a disgrace!" he said. His face betrayed his words, as he couldn't stop himself from displaying the biggest widest smile. "Never before have I humilated myself so in front of so many people. You on the other hand had a chance to fight the succubi, ones who share your sexual love for battle and uhhh physical pleasure. Surely connecting with that must have been a pleasure in of itself."
The old man squatted down next to Jonathan's body and rubbed his hand along his torn apart chest. "Before we get into that, could you do me a favor. These wounds, do they look familiar to you?"
-
Zhang Liu
The Source-Melting Hand scoffed. "You look overjoyed, for such a pathetic outcome. Truly, my master has a thick face."
His eyes darted from the injuries on Jonathan, now clear to the eye in all their uglyness, to the squirrel-girl's expression.
-
Nanako
"You got through to her, didn't you?" Nanako said with a shrug before looking over the body one more time, wincing slightly at the sight of the still fresh wounds.
"Hrm, looks kinda like...claws," the squirrel girl said, "I do know someone who uses something like that. Don't get why he'd go after people like this, though. Do you know anyone who uses claws?"
-
Sethrol
"Truth be told, there are many," he said, staring at Zhang for conformation. "However, not too many could defeat Jonathan before I got back."
Sethrol's smile faded as he stared at the body. "I've never been one who has been able to hide his emotions well. I suppose that is why I chose to detach myself from them."
-
Zhang Liu
He nodded impassively. "There are many who train with traditional tiger claws. But these look more... vicious. Katar-like."
Zhang slipped into silence a moment after, not even letting the sound of his breath be heard.
-
Nanako
The squirrel girl frowned a little as Sethrol and Zhang said their pieces on the matter. Between the rose and now the claw marks, all signs pointed to Vega, but why would he go after someone like this? The thought wiggled in the back of her mind like a loose tooth, before what Sethrol had said came to mind.
"Hm? He was that strong?" Nanako canted her head to the side, giving the older man a curious look.
-
Sethrol
"Pertinent observation Zhang. Still, while he had neither the battle experience nor charisma of a dojo master, he certainly had the strength," he said, standing up. "If he did not spend so much time chasing Mira's shadow, he could have become a great master in his own right and maybe challenge the great dojos one day. There are two people I have been somewhat cautious of recently. Vanilla and the succubus faction as well as the man known as Vega. Nanako, Zeke, Vega, Aruna, Yang: these names have caught the attention and imagination of warriors who spread their tales through stories."
Sethrol's eyes flashed before returning his hands to the body. "Vanilla, Jonathan, Mira, even myself. He intended to seek me out and fight me. Even so, I cannot help how personal this attack seemed. Be cautious of this man Nanako. He is not to be trusted."
-
Zhang Liu
"Vega, is it?" He sneered sharply. "He makes challenges out of performances and theatrics and finds his honor in debasing his opponents on the field, dancing around them."
-
Nanako
"Vega? I met the guy at a matador fight," Nanako said, glancing away for a moment, "It was, ah, a little awkward. Still not sure why he'd do something like this. Maybe I should ask him some time."
"So what's wrong with a bit of showmanship, then?" the squirrel girl asked, canting her head to the side as she looked at Zhang, "At least when you're fightin' for an audience. Do what you want on your own time."
-
Sethrol
"Its not his honor that concerns me, but rather his malicious intent," he said, staring at Jonathan's corpse, looking at neither of the two. "Whether I like it or not, I will be involved in whatever storm he brings. The simple matter is the man is crafty and has killed people I like. I don't want either of you two to be added to that list."
And he was worried about Mira most of all. Her more straightforward personality didn't match well with one like Vega's. Worry was an annoying feeling that he did not miss.
-
Zhang
He didn't punctuate his scoff towards the no doubt frivolous young woman with an explanation, for Sethrol responded first. Concern was not something he expected to hear directed towards himself, but Zhang Liu couldn't find evidence to deny the reasoning.
His hand tightened into a crackling fist, but the words he was about to say out of habit more than thought, he held back.
"Does this Vega wield Chi, or some other power?" Zhang Liu asked, unclenching and relaxing his fist, reaching around it with his other hand as if to check its condition.
-
Nanako
Nanako shot Zhang a quick frown, before giving Sethrol a curious look instead, ears flicking this way and that.
"Hm, I'm still gonna go talk to him," the squirrel girl said simply, her tail swishing lazily behind her as she thought back to her meeting with Vega in the arena, and the feeling that had come from Sethrol when he'd shown his chi.
"Mm, don't think he does, no," Nanako said to Zhang after a brief moment, "Just some good old sleight of hand from what I've seen, but he does it really well."
-
Sethrol
The old man shook his head in agreement. "It is unlikely, but I wouldn't rule out the possibility," he said. "From his fight with Vanilla, its hard to imagine he was holding back, but even so its a possibility. After all, its a foolish idea to show off all of your abilities on live television in a city like this."
"And what do you two think of him?"
-
Zhang Liu
He hid his hands behind his back, coldly turning his head to the other two. "His skills is true and hard-honed, that much is obvious."
-
Nanako
"He's...odd, I guess," Nanako said after a moment, tail swishing idly behind her, "I mean he let me run off with the bull. Seems weird that he'd do this."
-
Sethrol
"So neither of you have had much experience with him," he said, his hands running along Jonathan's face. "Well then, although I am sure Jonathan would like nothing more than to listen to us plan his vengeance, i've always found that sort of thing an energy draining task. Still, Zhang, you speak as if you have more to say."
At last he finally looked up from Jonathan's body, directly into the scared eyes of his student.
-
Zhang Liu
"Nothing of the sort," he retorted, turning his face in a dismissive huff. "I do not trust his kind. Their ambitions are not transparent."
-
Nanako
Nanako looked from Sethrol over to Zhang, then back to Sethrol again, giving him a curious look and pointedly glancing over to Zhang. At last, the squirrel girl shrugged and zipped around Jonathan's body, over next to Zhang, before promptly hugging the grumpy man, her tail coming around to pat him on the head comfortingly. No words were needed, only actions in times like these.
-
Sethrol
"I s-"
Sethrol's calm expression dropped. To think the woman would do something so brazen to Zhang. He froze, his mind racing a mile a minute, wondering how the young man would react to this sudden outburst of physical affection.
-
Zhang Liu
"W-"
He balked at the sudden embrace, uncalled for and more unexpected than a cutting blizzard arriving in the dead of Summer. He willed his reflexes to freeze, rather than violently lash out, but that was all he could do to keep his composure. A second later it shattered, and he roughly pressed his palm to her face, pushing her away from him.
"Unhand me, you shamless cur!"
-
Nanako
"Stop being so grumpy, first! You're like a sad bulldog!" Nanako shot back, voice muffled a little as Zhang's hand accomplished little more than smushing her cheek and forcing her to lean her head back a bit, "Now say what you were keeping bottled up just now!"
Undaunted, the squirrel girl only took a moment to adjust her grip and her footing to be sure they'd stay upright, her fluffy tail continuing to pat Zhang on the head comfortingly.
-
Sethrol
The old man had to stifle a chuckle, walking away to grab a shovel. It was best to not to stand witness to such foolishness, even if he enjoyed this sort of thing. Yes, for Zhang's sake he would not bare witness to this unquie shame. As he faded from their veiw, disappearing into the forest beyond the field, his mind wandered. Jonathan no doubt found this sort of thing insulting, bickering over his grave, but Sethrol himself couldn't help but smile at the thought of someone else doing the same to him. The time would come sooner rather than later to join Jonathan in the ground, and seeing those whom he touched bicker like children over his body would be....
Sethrol smiled even wider than before. There was no need to finish that thought.
-
Zhang Liu
The more Nanako clung to him, the more red inundated his expression, painting his skin with a frustrated, burning hue. His arteries bulged, seeing how little his master cared to intervene - of course he didn't! He was "the Calm" because he always had that same knowing smile whenever his students would get in personal disputes over nothing of value! This was worse than that. That infuriatingly soft fur betrayed that her only purpose was exactly as she said, and that couldn't rile him up more.
"I am not bottling anything! Cease to demean my natural temperament and get off!" Zhang Liu protested, groaning.
-
Nanako
"If you're naturally this grumpy, it's even worse!" Nanako shot back, continuing her aggressive affection for a while longer before finally releasing Zhang from her comforting clutches.
"Hmph, alright, if you insist," the squirrel girl huffed, turning on her heel and crossing her arms tight under her chest, "Besides, it's not shameless when I've got nothing to be ashamed of."
All the while, her tail was swishing back and forth behind her, easily within Zhang's reach and looking just as fluffy as it had felt, seemingly beckoning for someone to pet it.
-
Sethrol
The shadowy figure of the old man appeared behind them, his bulky frame immediately visible to them both. With a gentle smile, he extended his hand offering Nanako the shovel. "Its a good attitude to have, but perhaps you should consider how much your lack of shame effects those who are drawn to the female figure. After all, a man is brought shame when... things happen with females in specific situations."
They really didn't need a shovel.
-
Zhang Liu
Confounding meddler. It didn't matter what foolish temptations she tried to present, he was above this. It wasn't any of his business how shameless she was, so long as she kept it out of his face.
He clicked his teeth, pushing his way past the fluffy tail like he would a cumbersome curtain, and prepared to pick up Jonathan's body.
-
Nanako
"Hmph, alright then," Nanako shrugged, taking the shovel. Her fluffy tail swished faster for a moment as Zhang pushed past it, as if invigorated by the simple touch. Without a word, Nanako took the offered shovel, not entirely caring that it would be redundant as she hefted it over her shoulder, and stepped back as Grumpy picked up the body. Well, she couldn't really blame him for being grumpy when he was holding a corpse.
-
Sethrol
Sethrol folded his arms over his chest and grunted to himself. This was an awkward situation indeed. Still, these two were so much younger than him. How could he possibly ease the tension between these two very different people. The old man allowed only around 10-20 seconds of thought before coming to an answer: rambling. Yes, if they were annoyed at him for talking so much, they couldn't be annoyed at each other.
"Well then, as promised its time I told a story about Jonathan. I think you both would appreciate it. You see, it started back when you all were children......"
-
Zhang Liu
He rolled his eyes, as if evading the sight of his old master could banish the thought that was about to ensue. "Please, leave it for another time," he said, voice choked.
-
Nanako
Nanako perked up when Sethrol made the offer, tail swishing faster and ears perking up as her curiosity was piqued. And so, where Zhang knew to dread what was to come, Nanako instead welcomed it in blissful ignorance.
"Oh? Sure, let's hear it," she piped up, unleashing their doom with bright eyes and an eager question.
-
Sethrol
"I shall start our story with a simple question. What does it mean to pursue a shadow?"
Sethrol removed his arms from his chest and waved his arm at the two, motioning the two of them to keep digging. Yes, he was completely committed to this obnoxious old man role, even if Zhang became infuriated with him. In fact, a still lingering inner child within him wanted to see that reaction. That is probably why he smiled as he talked.
"While not all who reside in this district grew up in it, those who have must endure a rigid culture. A person's fighting ability means everything in this district and so a girl born with a disease that cripples her physically was destined to wither away. Still, the girl clawed at death and found a foothold that allowed her to cling to life. Now you may think that such an action would earn praise from the community, a success story to match the greatest, but human nature is not so simple. Indeed, when she lived, there was universal praise from the community, the girl fighting death itself and coming out on top. However, the weak girl didn't settle for simply living. She wanted to thrive, to stand next to the greatest in the dojo and become as strong as she could be."
Sethrol walked over to Jonathan and gave the body a little glare. "Nanako you may not know this but in this dojo, the great houses of the district hold ideas of what it takes to be a great fighter. Talent, effort, knowledge, spirituality, focus: all of these have held spots as the great dojos of our district. There was one dojo in particular the one held by Seras the hero of talent who struck down the master of effort and created the dojo of talent in its ashes whom could not stand Mira. To her and her students, the girl was admirable when she was granted life, but a pathetic roach when she rose beyond that. It turned out the sympathy given to her was one passed down from a pedestal and when the girl rose to join her breathern on that stage, they knocked her off. For you see, her ambition, her desire, her happiness was never really what they cared about, merely protecting their own worldview."
Sethrol took Jonathan from Zhang's hands and placed it in the hole, motioning for the two to start shoveling his body. "Unlike the girl, Jonathan was gifted with a physique that would make a greek god jealous and strength that would inspire Hercules. He was also born with an affinity for magic, making him one of the "talented" ones in the district. What do you think happens when overwhelming but untrained talent meets the natural drive to live? You get an ill prepared hunter cornering a rat. In the end the stronger opponent was defeated by the desperation and determination of the small animal simply trying to live. It turned out the rat had the potential to grow larger and stronger than the hunter the entire time."
Sethrol turned away from the body looking the two in the eye before raising a hand, pointing his finger towards the heavens. "I started this with a question. What does it mean to pursue a shadow? After that fight, Jonathan trained under many masters and honed the talent he was born with, yet he never even came close to catching up to Mira. A shadow is something tangible yet in tangible, a black outline of the more complicated aspects of a persons body. You cannot be harmed by a shadow directly, but often times that shadow is more imposing than the human it is attached to. I don't know if you can ever truly catch a shadow, especially since you cannot touch it. However, as I stare at this young man's body, I cannot help but wonder what would have happned if Jonathan had chased Mira herself?"
Sethrol sighed and said, "Yes that is the greatest shame of this young man's life, the great bond lost to envy."
-
Zhang Liu
An outpouring of complaints washed over the man's thoughts, but they stopped at the bottleneck of his throat. He grumbled through the tale, but he made no motion to stop it, and dutifully aided in the burial. Sethrol often spoke without purpose, with the purpose itself to provoke harmony and thoughtfulness, but rarely, he had a point to make. Zhang Liu could recognize one here, though he was not an audience that could benefit from it.
He had seen this story with his own eyes - or at least part of it. All in the Great Dojo followed their own preconceptions. The choosing of their path to martial achievement and self-perfection was always based on egoism, in the end; and if left unchecked, such an ego could consume their common principles, their mutual respect, and even the foundations of their collective identification and universal virtues. It was inevitable that, even among those who recalled honor, some would be cast aside.
And that when they proved that such rejection was borne on false premises, then those who had built their life on them would find themselves chasing phantoms, seeking to validate their doubts against questions that had no true answers to begin with.
-
Nanako
Nanako cocked an eyebrow as Zhang grumbled, the squirrel girl moving without thinking about it to aid in the burial as she listened to Sethrol's story with eager curiosity. The struggle for survival that the older man laid out struck a familiar chord with her. Familiar, but not quite the same. The scorn of those who'd once pitied you, for trying to claw your way up to where they stood, that was something she understood easily enough. The reasons, however...
"Kinda sounds like they're focusing too hard on just one thing," Nanako noted, "And it sounds like Jonathan met someone hungrier than him, that first time."
-
Sethrol
"Hungrier? Perhaps. Its hard to say if one was hungrier than the other."
Sethrol raised an eyebrow but smiled at Zhang's discomfort. Regardless of how much he felt annoyed by his story, the man was speechless and even neglected to pick up on his cue to bury the body in the hole. Beaming with pride in his social diversion, the old man nodded, both at Zhang and Nanako's comment.
"But I think there is merit to what you say. We all focus so much on our disciplines that we often lose sight of whats important in life. Jonathan himself chased the ideal of Mira so intensely that he likely couldn't accept being in the shadow of a shadow. Although I suppose that is a more simplistic hubris than what you speak of. Still, lets not sully the dead with talking about his faults. Do you know what Jonathan was really admirable for?"
-
Zhang Liu
As if the spell of his master's chant had been broken, Zhang Liu painfully realized he had not been working on burying Jonathan. It was, however, too late to escape. He didn't wish to be taken for someone who enjoyed staring at corpses in the middle of funerary proceedings, but he couldn't turn his face from the questions posed now.
His eyes tilted to Nanako's face. Hunger. What an inelegant way to put it, but perhaps it wasn't wrong. But what was hunger when your stomach would always remain empty? He cleared his frown for Sethrol and answered.
"His perseverance. No matter the futility, or confused purpose he followed, he was sincere in his pursuit to surpass Mira."
-
Nanako
The squirrel girl cocked an eyebrow as Zhang hugged Jonathan's corpse without saying a word until Sethrol finally took the body from him. She gave the man a slight nod of understanding, well aware that the loss was probably affecting him far more. Nanako took a moment to reach over and pat Zhang's shoulder comfortingly before returning to her work, giving Sethrol a curious look.
"No, I never knew the guy," Nanako shook her head, "Was it his perseverance, as Zhang said, or something else?"
-
Vega
"Perseverance without strength is worthless. Praising only a single quality devalues the man." A calm voice flowed like buttered honey behind the three. That's when they saw that man, standing behind them, and watching over the grave solemnly. Despite his bandaged body, he wore a most elegant black suit, with sunglasses that reflected the skies above them.
"His skill and passion to his craft were outright formidable. Were he just a bit faster, he'd have surpassed Mira with ease - and perhaps had a chance to vanquish me. His mastery over the earth and his own body were superb."
It was utter madness. Why else would he stroll in this place, right now, when the two men's claws were so eager to skewer him? No, it wasn't just mere madness. As he deftly slipped a hand in his breast pocket, a golden cross was clutched, and he held it up to him in silent prayer.
"I hope he finds his path in the azure sky."
-
Sethrol the Passionate
"Oh another guest," Sethrol said, turning to face a familiar voice. "So you are the one who killed him.... I welcome you to this funeral. To give your prayers to someone you have defeated is a mark of honor."
The universe's power seemed to gather into Sethrol's old body, his muscles tensing then inflating as chi filled his old bones with raw power. The energy of the enviroment and the energy within ones own soul combined into an aura of sheer wrath. This contradicted Sethrol's face which remained calm and collected. Soft eyes, a neutral mouth position, steady breath, the look given to Vega was the same calm understanding one he gave all his students.
That was the closest thing to a warning the young man would get.
A fist slammed into Vega's back, sending creating a crater where the man stood. Even then, Sethrol kept his calm expression, but his glare was piecing after that moment, an intent to kill almost palpable. "Perseverance comes before strength. The will to achieve must develop before the strength to achieve that goal materializes. Speed? Strength? Durability? Skill? All of these would have come with time if he was patient. Young people are so reckless, in such a hurry to succeed..... If he hadn't challenged you with the arrogance of youth, he may still be alive."
The passion in his voice arising from the next sentence was only matched by the sudden overwhelming amount of chi overflowing from his body. "Although if you hadn't killed him, he also would still be alive today."
-
Zhang Liu
On some level, he could admire the audacity it took to simply stroll in here after killing Jonathan in a duel with no audience nor record, admitting to the act in the same breath as he praised his own victory. Was that not the substance of this elegy? Vega scolded them for praising a singular quality of the dead man, but might as well have admitted that strength was the only one he himself valued, and Jonathan's merits were only great by how they had given him sport.
A lie, Zhang Liu thought. He would not easily swallow that this man, so concerned with cultivating his own appearance, was dedicated solely to the virtue of strength. Few were. Perhaps it was a convenient excuse, or one of many layers that he did not care nor have the ability to peel back. Either way, Vega had a face of steel. How else could he offer these prayers so bluntly?
The Source-Melting Hand felt his chest tighten when Sethrol emanated a flood of his true power, but scoffed pleasantly at how the elder handled the other man. It was a reaction without thought, but the next instant, his footing felt unsteady. Stabbing the shovel into the soft soil, Zhang Liu watched the two, reeling close his startled senses.
Sethrol wasn't in the habit of releasing his strength for threats. Zhang, the more belligerent of the two, hadn't even raised his fists to the assassin yet.
-
Nanako
Nanako's ears perked up when she heard the familiar voice, the squirrel girl turning on her heel to face Vega. Her eyes narrowed and she started walked towards him, but Sethrol got to him first. Nanako paused mid-step as his sheer aura hit her, her eyes widening as the older man closed the distance and sent a powerful blow Vega's way. Teetering for a moment as she stood there on one foot before putting the other down and staring the blonde down despite the height difference.
"Why?" was all she asked. It was all she wanted to know, in this moment.
-
Vega
WOOOSH!!!
His hand was already raised when he held the cross. The two blows immediately crossed, and Sethrol's force shifted away from him. And yet-
"Kh...I'll keep that in mind, old man."
Despite their difference in speed, the sneering matador was only able to mitigate some of the brunt, ripping his sleeve and exposing his swollen skin and muscle. Sethrol's attack hurt. The genuine hate he held back escaped his glare for a moment, but he laughed it off all too soon. Suddenly, Vega snapped his fingers fabulously and pointed to the squirrel girl. Even ignoring the pain of his left forearm.
"Isn't it obvious, Nanako? He was quite adamant after challenging me so boldly, it's like he wanted to skewer and concuss me! I suppose that passion of his fired me up a little, so I accepted his full might in kind." He lowered his hand grimly for a moment, this time addressing the others. "But make no mistake: I didn't expect him to fall there and then. It was a valuable lesson, life is a fragile thing, even a fist can end it if it hits the right spot. I'm surprised you are so outraged, should I have let him impale me a few times to make a point? That doesn't seem right, Mr. Teacher.'
He shrugged. It was natural for such injuries to happen in street fights. Even a simple punch can kill if it lands right, every fighter knows that much. It was Jonathan's choice as well to fight with nothing held back, why should Vega have done any less? He had given him plenty of chances. Not that they'd have helped.
"It's your fault too, Sethrol. You never did teach him how to flee, did you?"
-
Sethrol
The fist sunk into his body and the old man heard the familiar sound of bone pressuring bone. Those sounds in the past were terrifying, exhilarating, a sign of damage to oneself or others. The more experience he had with it, the more he began to truly understand how horrible the sensation of damaging another was. However, in this moment, there was little that could compare to the sense of satisfaction that washed over Sethrol.
A single exhausted breath left Sethrol's lips. The tense striations in his muscles faded into a more smooth but wrinkly quality of an old man. The aura around him faded as well. For a moment, he stared at the masked performer.
"I wish I was his teacher longer," Sethrol said, staring at the body being handled by Zhang. "It is precisely because our culture is so violent that we must learn to respect one another in battle. If you were truly strong, he wouldn't have needed to die."
-
Nanako
The squirrel girl watched as Sethrol clashed with Vega for a moment, her tail stock still behind her as she frowned. It really didn't make sense for him to come here, and even less to all but invite Sethrol to take a swing at him. Nanako relaxed slightly as Sethrol's aura faded, but went quiet as Vega spoke. The squirrel girl's eyes narrowed, Nanako striding right up to him, her tail swishing furiously behind her.
"I'm sure that bull wanted to skewer you just as badly, and you managed to stop back then," she shot back, her eyes bright and hard as she stared up at the man, "So what made sparing him harder?"
-
Vega
He was about to answer Sethrol when Nanako asked something curious. For a moment, he cocked his head, hand resting on his cheek as if he were wondering something. A set of gorgeous aloof eyes stared right at Nanako, even as he looked puzzled as ever.
"Hrm? Did I do that?"
He strikes his hair back simply and gave her a shrug.
"I swear, you're such an oddball Nanako, getting heated like that! I mean, who cares right?" Sure he understood why someone like Sethrol would be upset, but why would Nanako care if the guy was dead or not? It's not like that meathead was complaining. Being a corpse helps there. "And I'm aware of that, old man. I am a superior existence, but that doesn't mean I'm the best version of me."
He paused for a second, almost giving Sethrol a more... considerate look. If you didn't know Vega, you'd almost think he respected the senile husk.
"I suppose I'll tell you one thing. It's only fair, you were the boy's teacher." He pulled out a rose and started toying with it, gently. Lovingly. "That fight was a consensual one, over the right to grasp your secrets. That... chi. It's the one thing you possess that I don't have. But I say, I've earned it by rights, haven't I? Being taught your power, those were the terms of the fight."
Until his fist crushed the flower, scattering the untouched petals into the winds. "You wouldn't trample on those scopes, would you? I understand you hate me, I can assure you the feeling is mutual. But that boy did deny my existence as much as I desired to enrich it. What happened happened, but it doesn't seem fair to deny the scope of the rules."
The boy's death would be quite pointless otherwise.
-
Sethrol the not calm
And just like that, Sethrol's arua flared up. The ground beneath him shattered. With every step he took, the ground shook. The grass beneath each step evaporated into nothingness, replaced by a spider web like crack in the ground. To say Sethrol was glaring at Vega did not do the expression proper justice. The old man weilded two supernovas in his eye sockets and all of their explosive power was laser focused on Vega. A hand rested on his shoulder, but it carried an unparalleled gentleness. As his fingers wrapped around Vega's rear deltoid, Sethrol smiled.
"I don't know what you two discussed, but Jonathan was mistaken. It is not up to me to decide who does or does not learn chi. Power is something offered by the hand of fate to all who are swallowed by its ever reaching grip. I will not turn away someone who wants help, but neither will I be responsible for what you do with it. If you want to learn, all you need to do is come to my dojo during learning hours and seek training."
Sethrol' shadow was cast on the man and those eyes so passionate seemed to flare up even more with raw passionate rage. "Thats what I would have said if you came to me even a week ago. However, beyond simply hating you, it would be abhorrent of me to accept you into my dojo over the body of my student. If you really want me to accept you as my student, you must overcome me in a duel."
Sethrol's aura raged like a wildfire and for the first time in years, he smiled with a sadistic grin. "I wonder if Jonathan will enjoy his funeral present from the heavens, you kissing the feet of his corpse."
-
Zhang Liu
For the last few moments, he had been using nothing but his ears, unwilling to invest himself, on the edge of determining if this whole thing was no better than a farce, or merely the proof he desired to turn his skills against Vega. But now, goosebumps jumped up his arms, the hair that clung to his nape stood on end, and through he wished to speak, he was unable to.
Zhang Liu expected the first part of Sethrol's retort. He did not expect the second. He thought he was seeing things, and his throat trembled from the intensity that emanated from his old master like waves. "Master, is - is this man worth your true mettle?"
His words expressed doubt, yet for the first time in years, the Source-Melting Hand showed excitement over Sethrol's skills.
-
Roman
The territory of Bahadur Klearjaac, the most economically prosperous parts of the districts. Rather than parks, there are lavish training facilities sponsored by Klearjaac. The land of each facility is about the size of a park, with the normally concrete and grassy ground replaced with a mat so durable it can stand in a brutal clash with fighters of fantastic levels of strength. There are punching bags, throwing dolls and shelves lined with all sorts of cheap weapons. People often come to these places to train and occasionally settle duels.
Roman stood in the center of this training ground, staring at a punching bag. It was still pretty jarring, coming here right after fucking the king. Oh wait, I had sex with the king.... Roman grinned from ear to ear as he recalled the experience. Not only that, but he could feel himself stiffening. Covering his pants, the embarrassment shrunk the thing back down.
"More training huh? I guess this is what I wanted to do, get stronger."
-
Nanako
If Nanako had thought that question would give Vega even a moment's pause, she would have been quickly proven wrong. The nonchalant way he answered her, as if the mercy he'd shown back then was nothing but a simple whim and as if she had no reason to be upset over the man she was helping to bury, stunned the squirrel girl instead.
It only lasted for a moment, however, Nanako quickly snapping out of it and her tail starting to move for Vega, when Sethrol pre-empted her. The squirrel girl stopped short, looked at Vega, then Sethrol, then back at Vega with a frown and a disbelieving look, before finally shaking her head, turning on her heel, and walking away.
-
Sethrol the not calm
And just like that, Sethrol's arua flared up. The ground beneath him shattered. With every step he took, the ground shook. The grass beneath each step evaporated into nothingness, replaced by a spider web like crack in the ground. To say Sethrol was glaring at Vega did not do the expression proper justice. The old man weilded two supernovas in his eye sockets and all of their explosive power was laser focused on Vega. A hand rested on his shoulder, but it carried an unparalleled gentleness. As his fingers wrapped around Vega's rear deltoid, Sethrol smiled.
"I don't know what you two discussed, but Jonathan was mistaken. It is not up to me to decide who does or does not learn chi. Power is something offered by the hand of fate to all who are swallowed by its ever reaching grip. I will not turn away someone who wants help, but neither will I be responsible for what you do with it. If you want to learn, all you need to do is come to my dojo during learning hours and seek training."
Sethrol' shadow was cast on the man and those eyes so passionate seemed to flare up even more with raw passionate rage. "Thats what I would have said if you came to me even a week ago. However, beyond simply hating you, it would be abhorrent of me to accept you into my dojo over the body of my student. If you really want me to accept you as my student, you must overcome me in a duel."
Sethrol's aura raged like a wildfire and for the first time in years, he smiled with a sadistic grin. "I wonder if Jonathan will enjoy his funeral present from the heavens, you kissing the feet of his corpse."
Vega
I see.
His beautiful icy eyes focused at the burning torrent of power that dared touch him. And yet, despite the freezing spite that practically tore out of his irises, his smile was as pleasant to look at as ever. No, it was because he was so resolved in this feeling that he could be this beautiful. It was simply inevitable. Vega would never stand such an ugly man.
"How cruel, there's no way he's headed for the hell I've plunged into."
But his words couldn't be any less warm. And he...
Yawned.
"Oh, sorry." He covered his mouth, genuinely apologizing as if something like this was more pressing than the life he took. "I can assure you, another bloody battle would be exhilarating, but I've had too many fights lately. Even if I did get patched up, I'm just not in it today I'm afraid. A day or two, it's all I need really. Otherwise, it's not really a duel is it?"
He cocked his head, staring right into the burning hellfire that was Sehtrol's rage. No, it was clear to everyone else that Vega's was just a different kind of inferno. One that consumed and froze to one's very core.
-
Sethrol the Passionate
Sethrol's smile faded but he laughed. "Fight you? I'm not sure if I could beat someone so young. Old men such as myself shouldn't pick fights with young men such as yourself unless I am willing to hear my old bones scream."
The aura around Sethrol's body continued to flare, the size not faltering at all. The piercing eyes of the old man searched what he thought was the other man's soul through his eyes. There was indeed a sort of passionate something there.
"This is a duel, one far harder than any simple fight between men. This will be the battle between master and student. You wanted to learn right? How would you like your first lesson?"
-
Vega
"Hoh please, enough pretenses. The only reason you'd make such a distinction is that you're a people that can't function without violence. It's all it is in the end, make no mistake." He put his hands behind his back relaxedly, as full of openings as it gets. But as Sethrol's smile faded, his only grew.
"But I guess that makes me right, we're not so different you and I. If only you weren't so ugly, we could be the best of friends."
-
Zhang Liu
The destroyer of martial artists bent with a hand on his stomach. The pressure that his master exuded seemed momentarily forgotten as he bellowed in laughter, booming as he straightened before his torso bent in the opposite direction.
"I suppose," he said, sneering. "That if you weren't so obsessed with your pretty face, you wouldn't forget so easily you're the same kind of person, down to the excuses. Clown. You wouldn't be worth my Source- Melting Hand even if you had Chi."
Zhang ran a hand through his head, wiping a line of sweat from above his eyes and slicking back black bangs.
-
Sethrol
"When your as old as I, lines such as that echo like the nagging of a mother," he said before glancing at his student. "You asked before if he was worth all of this Zhang. No, he isn't. Even so, I find myself taken by my own selfishness."
But that still didn't explain why he was offering to teach him.
"You know, the lesson is genuine. This isn't a slugfest. I am challenging you to learn. If you can't learn my lesson, you lose. If you can learn my lesson, you win. Its that simple."
-
Vega
If he was smiling for a second, it didn't last. He'd been ignoring that boy until now for... obvious reasons. Just how could someone live with himself, with a face like that? Even Vega couldn't hide that for a moment, he looked hurt.
"At least I have one."
So hurt in fact, that he only registered part of what Sethrol said. No, for a moment, he spaced out... until a pang of pain caused him to touch his temple, slightly. Was it the throbbing pain of that punch of Sethrol's? The duel he had not too long ago with the boy? Or something else?
No, no way. Is he... no. He was strong enough to take those blows, I thought he... This isn't...
This is... this is ignoble. Murder. He was no threat to me. How could I kill him? I just wanted to scare the boy a little, crush his fighting spirit. So why...
Why do I feel... like this?
Vega was an assassin by trade. Taking lives, snuffing beasts, punishing those who deserved it... all of that was common to him. But he had never done it before. Not until today.
He had never killed a human.
"And oh please, why would I buy any of that? You're just aching to vent your frustrations, do I look that gullible?" He sighed... for a moment grimacing in pain.
Just being here today all felt like a bad dream. Maybe he'd wake up in the arms of his mother, and this whole nightmare would end. But it wouldn't. It wouldn't, and it all made him feel overjoyed. That alone was its own special kind of hell. That's when his eyes turned to shock, and he realized he was grabbing onto Sethrol. He'd look shocked for a second at how far he had gone... but it was already too late.
"It won't bring him back. Even if you hate, curse, and beat me half to death, it won't bring back those you care about. But it'll feel good. I suppose that's its own reward. Besides, I've still got plenty of frustration to let out. So what's a flesh wound or two, compared to your head under my heel?"
-
Sethrol
"Now now, I think your proving my student's point."
Sethrol sat down, just in front of Jonathan's corpse. A simple deep breath and the aura of the passionate man was gone. Indeed, something was silenced inside of the old man, that energy gone with the wind. "Besides what if I am? If you can survive this training, then it won't be long before there isn't much to teach you anyway. So here are my terms. If I win, you kiss the feet of his corpse and apologize for killing him. Now if you win, I will teach you everything I know and be your personal resource for training whenever you so desire, even over my other students. Does that sound like a deal?"
-
Vega
"Fine. I'll make you eat those words, old man. Don't look down on me." He let go of the old man and glared at him, but this time, the fire he was barely suppressing was burning like a kindling.
-
Orcus
Late Morning, after the clash at Albion
He is surrounded by writhing and bruised bodies, and useless sticks litter the span of the training floor. He is a boulder reaching to the sky, the tip of an iceberg that entombs the strife of a lost world, and they are pebbles thrown aside, tiny boats rendered unto flotsam and waste. They are beneath address, miniscule and meaningless, and to wait for a disaster to notice the things it swallows is merely wishful thinking. But he is seeing them.
He had come after the tournament in the demon's paradise, and greeted them with a question. What is the reason for your strength? Today he asks, what is the purpose of your weakness? And it goes unanswered.
They cannot answer, and their muscles fail to prove that the premises are false, unable to hold on to their weapons. They feel a mind as sharp as the scalpels of the demiurge, press down and peel aside their fear and their monochrome dreams, to expose the colors beneath. They call him Chaos Bringer, the title he used for show. It is only half true. Chaos must be sowed to seize order, as the ultimate alloy of war is the only tool by which peace can be forced. All hearts beat of their own order, fragile and whispy; to make it solid, to know what shape it is in truth, they must first know disorder, and carve themselves out of it. And how can this noble cause be anything but love?
They're eating out of his hands soon enough. He's a good sport about it.
-
Orcus
Late Morning, after the clash at Albion
He is surrounded by writhing and bruised bodies, and useless sticks litter the span of the training floor. He is a boulder reaching to the sky, the tip of an iceberg that entombs the strife of a lost world, and they are pebbles thrown aside, tiny boats rendered unto flotsam and waste. They are beneath address, miniscule and meaningless, and to wait for a disaster to notice the things it swallows is merely wishful thinking. But he is seeing them.
He had come after the tournament in the demon's paradise, and greeted them with a question. What is the reason for your strength? Today he asks, what is the purpose of your weakness? And it goes unanswered.
They cannot answer, and their muscles fail to prove that the premises are false, unable to hold on to their weapons. They feel a mind as sharp as the scalpels of the demiurge, press down and peel aside their fear and their monochrome dreams, to expose the colors beneath. They call him Chaos Bringer, the title he used for show. It is only half true. Chaos must be sowed to seize order, as the ultimate alloy of war is the only tool by which peace can be forced. All hearts beat of their own order, fragile and whispy; to make it solid, to know what shape it is in truth, they must first know disorder, and carve themselves out of it. And how can this noble cause be anything but love?
They're eating out of his hands soon enough. He's a good sport about it.
a girl
it was probably midday. it may have been afternoon. hard to argue that it was evening.
There are stories that begin like this:
A great and powerful tyrant visits a place of swords. Their temerity—to think of wielding a blade without his permission!—amuses him, so he seeks to remind them of their place. He challenges them, one by one, one by two, one by three, one by four, one by all. It does not matter, for he is a great and powerful tyrant. They cannot crush him in the moment of his strength. And so his blade introduces them to the floor and his glory introduces them to fear. It is a kind lesson, as far as tyrants go—and therein lies the trap, for hopelessness learned by kindness is the most terrible of all.
But of course for every tyrant there must be a hero.
In a story like this, they are a peasant, unlearned and unfamiliar with the blade but an old friend of hope. Or perhaps they are a passing stranger, the only one who will not recognise the tyrant by the shape of his name. Sometimes they are a child, for truth is known to come from the mouth of babes and swordlaw is the oldest truth of all. Usually they are there by accident; often they do not watch their step or their mouth or their curiosity and so pique the tyrant's.
In the end it is always a challenge. Sometimes it ends in ignomious defeat. Others in impossible victory. This is never what matters. What matters is that the peasant stranger's child picks up a sword for the first time and they think oh. So this is what love is.
The rest—well, that hasn't been written yet.
Orcus, of course, is not a great and powerful tyrant. He is the tyrant's congenial vizier, easy with a smile and wise with advice and always, always here to help. So when he comes down to a place of swords, he does not meet the hero. It is not his place.
No: he meets the witch.
There's a switch in her hands. Not even a wooden blade, for she is but a friendly maiden unfamiliar with the law of swords, just a simple wooden stick good for rapping recalcitrant apprentices around the knuckles. It taps the ground in a jolly rhythm as she walks across the floor—well-polished bamboo covered in sweat and the memory of bruises—loud enough that you can't hear how you can't hear the sound of her steps. She winds delicately around the exhausted students, favouring each one with a gentle smile that eases what little disgruntled defeat Orcus has not already soothed from their souls.
There's something idyllic about the way she moves—her skirts flutter around her ankles like rosepetals in the wind and her hair is a careful stream falling across her shoulders and back like a river of ink. It's as if someone decided to sing a fairytale to life and set it across the stage just to remind the tyrant and the vizier what genre they're in. One of her ears, thick and furry as a well-loved dog, twitches toward a corner of the room where one student is regaling his friend with a highly exaggerated story about how he came this close to actually parrying Orcus' first blow, and she giggles softly just as she stops directly in front of the man himself.
"They love you, you know," she says conversationally. Her switch bounces out an idle beat as she stands there, her fingers drumming on the handle not out of impatience but out of the sheer joy of the song. Between bounces, she points to some of the students at random: a dark-haired, dark-skinned elf, a yellow-eyed naiad, a shy little foxgirl with a pretty black tattoo on her cheek. "Just one short spar and you're already their hero."
She's partway through another friendly smile when it twists into a short, unhappy frown.
"Ah, forgive me, that was rude. I've forgotten to introduce myself." She bows, her back perfectly angled to avoid offence and obsequiousness both, and looks up (and up) to meet Orcus' sharp red eyes. "I bear the name Kakura Yuzu, and I would appreciate it if you would honour me with the chance to become my hero too."
-
Orcus
He raises his eyebrows at her, and his hood doesn't hide the cautious wonder. He vanished it before sparring, so they could look upon his face and know his will unclouded. But polish a blade well enough, and it might show your own face, and only you control what picture it forms. Put a mirror in front of a mirror, though, and what do they show?
"An unusual course," Orcus says, twirling the blunt practice sword. The primal peers down at her, lips curling. "People do not traditionally seek heroes. Heroes come to answer their need. You can call me Orcus, Yuzu."
The young ones - and the old, but young in potential - raise their heads in their direction, one by one, glimmering with curiosity.
(Orcus counts them.)
-
Orcus
He raises his eyebrows at her, and his hood doesn't hide the cautious wonder. He vanished it before sparring, so they could look upon his face and know his will unclouded. But polish a blade well enough, and it might show your own face, and only you control what picture it forms. Put a mirror in front of a mirror, though, and what do they show?
"An unusual course," Orcus says, twirling the blunt practice sword. The primal peers down at her, lips curling. "People do not traditionally seek heroes. Heroes come to answer their need. You can call me Orcus, Yuzu."
The young ones - and the old, but young in potential - raise their heads in their direction, one by one, glimmering with curiosity.
(Orcus counts them.)
Kakura Yuzu
"Well, that's just silly," she says, pouting up at Orcus with ingénue innocence (and isn't that interesting, doesn't that say something, when a girl stands before chaos looking so perfectly poised for plundering, like Red Riding Hood before the Wolf). Her long white sleeves rustle pleasantly as she tosses a couple of jaunty waves at a student here and there; a giant of a man with thighs thicker than her waist and a ruddy-cheeked dwarf whose beard is spun through with a king's ransom in jewellery. They wave back, a little hesitantly at first as if they had to be startled into familiarity, but it's clear they recognise her in the end: perhaps they'd just needed to be reminded by the shape of her smile. "Any villain worth their salt knows that the hero is coming—that it's best to seek them out and establish the rules of the game before somebody has an unfortunate accident—and is not villainy the second-oldest tradition in the world?"
(The oldest, of course, is something far too uncouth for such a youthful flower to discuss in the company of a stranger).
Then she blushes in embarrassment, her cheeks flushed red like poppies—ah, so that's the sweet scent drifting faintly from her hair, how familiar.
"N-Not that I'm saying I'm a villain, it was just an example, oh, how frightful!" She hides her face in her palms, slender fingers arrayed across her skin like the legs of a porcelain spider—no, just like a shy girl who's made a fool of herself, a spider is much too sinister to describe this Kakura Yuzu. "Please forgive me, Mr. Orcus. I'm being quite silly. I wanted to come here and see what all the fuss was about, but I happened to catch a glimpse of your sword and it was so impressive I had to ask if I could feel it for myself!"
A pause.
One of the students—the foxgirl with the tattoo—giggles behind her hand.
Kakura Yuzu turns from a girl wearing a blush to a blush wearing a girl as she stutters and stumbles over her words, hands flailing almost hypnotically as she nearly whacks Orcus on the nose with her wooden switch. "No I didn't mean it like that please stop laughing!"
Naturally, this only makes their audience laugh even harder until even the high, flat wooden roof above is trembling with the sound of their joy.
(How terribly embarrassing).
-
Orcus
The smell of poppies... seems strangely an old home (not one's own), and freshly made bread. It is evocative, but not intimate. Can one feel nostalgia for the things one has never taken the time to appreciate, long for remembered images of sweet times that never happened, and ache as though it was their own past on display in a beautiful case? Kakura Yuzu seems to think so.
Orcus likes poppies, possibly. He did not come back for poppies. An unnameable eon fighting through innumerable spawns of chaos with no true company but yourself places some things in perspective.
"Clever and funny," Orcus says, smiling in good nature and content bemusement. "If not a villain, it seems I have the pleasure of meeting a rare and lovable flower. And no villain would stumble at such a decisive time, of course. There's no need to apologize."
He holds out his hand, and instead of a vulgar, forgettable practice sword, a devilish blade coalesces from a bleak trail of mist. The warrior wets his lips. "Is this the sword you would like to hold?"
The handle fits perfectly between Yuzu's fingers, and the weight settles, like a perfectly balanced lump of steel. The whole weapon is black and polished, but she cannot see her face on it. It is clouded on the inside, like the other face of a thin glass separating a warm hearth from the wind of Winter. The gloom roves and rolls like a living thing, damascus patterns slithering. It is every metal that ever was, and none of them. It should not exist.
-
Orcus
The smell of poppies... seems strangely an old home (not one's own), and freshly made bread. It is evocative, but not intimate. Can one feel nostalgia for the things one has never taken the time to appreciate, long for remembered images of sweet times that never happened, and ache as though it was their own past on display in a beautiful case? Karura Yuzu seems to think so.
Orcus likes poppies, possibly. He did not come back for poppies. An unnameable eon fighting through innumerable spawns chaos with no true company but yourself places some things in perspective.
"Clever and funny," Orcus says, smiling in good nature and content bemusement. "If not a villain, it seems I have the pleasure of meeting a rare and lovable flower. And no villain would stumble at such a decisive time, of course. There's no need to apologize."
He holds out his hand, and instead of a vulgar, forgettable practice sword, a devilish blade coalesces from a bleak trail of mist. The warrior wets his lips. "Is this the sword you would like to hold?"
The handle fits perfectly between Yuzu's fingers, and the weight settles, like a perfectly balanced lump of steel. The whole weapon is black and polished, but she cannot see her face on it. It is clouded on the inside, like the other face of a thin glass separating a warm hearth from the wind of Winter. The gloom roves and rolls like a living thing, damascus patterns slithering. It is every metal that ever was, and none of them. It should not exist.
Kakura Yuzu
Her eyes sparkle like sapphires cast in sunlight, and for a moment she actually bounces in place, the lovely silver mandala hanging on a cord around her neck swaying with the rhythm of her joy. If you look closely, you might notice that the shadow it casts never actually seems to move—a dark, bruiselike thing flat above her sternum—but no doubt that's just a trick of the light, or maybe an awkward girl's best attempt at a practical joke. Either way, it's much less important than the way she peers with childlike curiosity at Orcus' blade, head turning this way and that way like a sparrow darting between piles of seed as she studies the... well, let's call it steel just to make things easier.
(She's not much less reserved than their audience, either, who seem to split between expressions of amazement, gasps of amazement, and in the dwarf's case an eyes-rolling-back fall into unconscious amazement).
"It's so pretty!" From somewhere, she pulls out a blank paper tag and starts scribbling notes in what is either a complex code or a foreign language, stroke after stroke forming things that are not quite pictograms but not quite letters either. How she is doing this with one hand while also holding the sword with the other is not important—don't worry about it! "This is the least real thing I've seen in years—oh, how truly wonderful!"
For a little while there is no other sound other than the floorboards creaking beneath her as she vibrates with excitement, flitting around the sword (which is now hanging suspended in the air like an awkward question) and covering tag after tag with that same lovely, flowing script. Occasionally her eyes flick to Orcus as if to reassure herself he's still humouring her, her mouth too busy to ask (too busy to smile!) as she chatters on and on about her latest fascination: the sevenfold curves of the hilt, the twelve different blades, the samsara script decorating the "steel", and all the other things that it does not have and are not true.
Eventually, she stops, shaking out her left hand as if chasing away writing cramps, and looks up at Orcus the same way a grandmother might when asking a grandson for help disentangling these horribly overcomplicated newfangled computers.
"Mr. Orcus, you have a truly wonderful lie here," and note how she no longer calls it a sword, that's important, pay attention, "so could you please kill me with it? I really have to know what that feels like!"
-
Orcus
He studies her as she studies it, rubbing his chin. Orcus scans every single character she writes, and how they come together, flow from one to the other in unreal metric and grammar. He pauses at the shine in her eyes, mouth thinning, and something unwinds. A spark of disbelief lights a flame of recognition.
The sword looks different from how he pulled it out. It doesn't matter. His eyes have narrowed into slits in the time it took for her to finish, when she poses her request.
Orcus contemplates Yuzu's face perhaps like one contemplates a senile grandmother, and then he cracks, laughing like a child from the pit of his belly. His olympian shoulders shake ungracefully as he tosses his head back through the delighted sound. Everyone else holds breathlessly in astonishment. As he winds down at last, some seconds or maybe minutes later, still holding his stomach while a grin splits his face, he raises a finger to a milimeter from her lips and speaks.
"On one condition. You must tell me everything about it."
He takes up Chaosbringer, and it is only an instant. It is raised, glinting at the lie in front of him, and then it is no longer there. A black streak darts past the small crowd, and a brutal crunch skewers the neck of the butterfly-tattooed foxgirl.
There's no sound in the aftermath, and no blood spraying from the wound, only ink and vapor. "How is it?" Orcus asks, lowering his throwing arm.
-
Orcus
He studies her as she studies it, rubbing his chin. Orcus scans every single character she writes, and how they come together, flow from one to the other in unreal metric and grammar. He pauses at the shine in her eyes, mouth thinning, and something unwinds. A spark of disbelief lights a flame of recognition.
The sword looks different from how he pulled it out. It doesn't matter. His eyes have narrowed into slits in the time it took for her to finish, when she poses her request.
Orcus contemplates Yuzu's face perhaps like one contemplates a senile grandmother, and then he cracks, laughing like a child from the pit of his belly. His olympian shoulders shake ungracefully as he tosses his head back through the delighted sound. Everyone else holds breathlessly in astonishment. As he winds down at last, some seconds or maybe minutes later, still holding his stomach while a grin splits his face, he raises a finger to a milimeter from her lips and speaks.
"On one condition. You must tell me everything about it."
He takes up Chaosbringer, and it is only an instant. It is raised, glinting at the lie in front of him, and then it is no longer there. A black streak darts past the small crowd, and a brutal crunch skewers the neck of the butterfly-tattooed foxgirl.
There's no sound in the aftermath, and no blood spraying from the wound, only ink and vapor. "How is it?" Orcus asks, lowering his throwing arm.
...Kakura Yuzu?
"Wonderful," says the dwarf lying supine on the floor, pressing her hands together as if offering prayers to a shrine. "Simply irresistable. Like lightning down your spine and fire blazing in your marrow. Oh, you've killed so many people, Mr. Orcus!"
She gets up and there's no shift, no blur, no cackling kaleidoscope, she's just—she's just always been Kakura Yuzu, or at least always had the shape of the thing that Orcus sees when he looks at Kakura Yuzu. The foxgirl is still twitching around the sword, tattoo weeping tears of ink and bare feet scrabbling against the wall she's pinned against; the witch is humming some sort of song as she dances with the dark-skinned giant, the two of them twirling around in hilarious contrast given one of his hands swallows the whole of her waist. Nobody else seems to have noticed there's anything amiss—some are even applauding Orcus' throw, as if he didn't just try to murder something beautiful.
"I really must know something, though." There are two swords sheathed on her hip, now, the tips of their glittering golden hilts painstakingly carved into the shapes of smiling foxes. But her hands are nowhere near them—they are clasped politely before her belly, the very picture of a patient petitioner. The perfect paint across her fingernails—a black so dark it swallows your eyes when you look too close—stands in stark contrast to the startlingly innocent white of her skin. The same jewellry the dwarf was never wearing is set across her hair until she sparkles beneath the warm light of the dojo's torches. "Why?"
She cocks her head to the side, quizzical as a baby bird upon spotting a delicious worm. Her ears perk up, curling proudly until they seem to be aping a devil's horns rather than a fox's ears.
"Why?" she repeats. "What dreadful purpose moves you, Mr. Orcus, that you bear such a marvellous thing?"
-
Orcus
The primal's eyes flirt with the madness that has revealed itself around him. His smile is no longer wide and loud, but cutting and appraising. Orcus does not bother to ask when her little play began. To some experiences, and some beings, there is no meaningful difference between reality and dream.
"Why, mmm." It tastes rather tart, the inquiry itself, but his brows become lighter in fascination. "To find what is worth refining, to sort that which is to be used, from that which justifies its own survival. Battle is the best way to do these things. I enjoy them, and so did someone I miss very much. I hope to see him again."
He chuckles into the back of his hand. "You're well acquainted with matters of questioning, aren't you, Yuzu?"
-
Orcus
The primal's eyes flirt with the madness that has revealed itself around him. His smile is no longer wide and loud, but cutting and appraising. Orcus does not bother to ask when her little play began. To some experiences, and some beings, there is no meaningful difference between reality and dream.
"Why, mmm." It tastes rather tart, the inquiry itself, but his brows become lighter in fascination. "To find what is worth refining, to sort that which is to be used, from that which justifies its own survival. Battle is the best way to do these things. I enjoy them, and so did someone I miss very much. I hope to see him again."
He chuckles into the back of his hand. "You're well acquainted with matters of questioning, aren't you, Yuzu?"
Kakura Yuzu
She frowns.
It is devastatingly lovely, like roses scattered across a grave: her eyes narrow, her lips press together, her ears droop, and each piece of the performance is enough to make angels weep in sympathy. She seems—not disappointed, exactly, something closer to the feeling where you weren't expecting something to happen and it doesn't happen and even so you can't help feeling a little betrayed. One perfect step back lets her meet his gaze without needing to raise her chin any longer, her neck no longer exposed in salacious invitation. But then the expression passes like fog before the morning sun of her smile and it's like she never frowned at all.
"I am but a humble maiden who sometimes presumes to offer advice in matters above her station, my lord." There's something strange about her voice, if you take a moment to really listen. She's speaking a language that's well-cut, tonal, all snare-drum syllables and easy shifts in inflection, and each word flows from her mouth as easily as they must have from the branches of the first apple tree. From her, it is beauty, but it doesn't mean anything. Or perhaps it may to some, but it is not some universal language of truth. Just the childhood tongue of a wandering girl. And yet, somehow, you know what she is saying. You know what she means, how she's shifted into a more formal, courtly register all the way down to the pecularities of the grammar. Don't worry—it's not a cause for concern. One should expect that a simple shrine maiden who meanders the countryside to offer succour to the suffering is able to speak to them. That's just how the story goes. "If I may request your forebearance for a moment, however, you have not answered my question."
The witch and the dancing giant twirl past her in a flurry of robes and she absent-mindedly hums along to a few bars of their song before seeming to realise her rudeness and pressing her palms together in apology (when did she move them from her belly to hang loosely at her hips?). Behind her, the twitching foxgirl still impaled like the butterfly she wears on her cheek has pulled out a shamisen and is strumming it in time to the drip-drip-drip rhythm of her ink-dark blood on the dojo's floor. Some of the other students are nodding along; others are clapping their hands; a few have stood up and are marvelling at the smooth lines of Orcus' sword and the obscene way it's plunged so deeply into the pale flesh of her neck.
"To find what is worth refining is what you are," Yuzu says, now waggling a finger at him—and isn't this hilarious, isn't this wonderful, that this moon-mad child thinks to know the Lord of Chaos better than he knows himself. "You have answered me as a sword would, my lord: I cut, therefore I am. But why do you cut? What hands lay upon your blade? What breath exults your lungs? What purpose has your destination—what destination has your purpose? Surely a star of your prominence has greater reason to shine than the fact it is a star."
In the background, the twang of the shamisen ripples across the shuffles of hands and feet and robes and cloth.
-
Orcus
He feels it as one feels the sun sink beneath the horizon in the dreary grasp of remorseless Autumn, even indoors. Tranquility slipping like a blade from a slick sheath, evidenced in the shift of Yuzu's tone, in the different form of address. But his expression is bright, the color of his face reflecting the flush of genial inspiration, as though he has seized a slippery piece of a rewarding but opaque puzzle.
Orcus flicks his wrist, as casually as it is confident, and his blade wrenches itself free of the foxgirl's neck, drawing a spray of ink through the air. It lands fondly into his hand, fingers wrapping around the grip, and he looks down on the edge while running a careful finger over the stained (preposterous, blasphemous, how could this irrational substance be that which is stained and not the liquid that has spilled on it?) not-steel.
Who could be certain of the way the clouds would turn? Who could forsee every whim of the wind as surely as the mood of a sibling by the curl of their brow? A person would sooner suffer the most absurd of deaths in human imagination before lightning fell at her feet to the demand. She would sooner predict rightly the day, hour and instant of her death than know ahead of time which meetings in this vast universe were inevitable and which were merely luck. Much the same was the truth beneath Orcus. Unverifiable, unfathomable, and undistinguishable from coincidence. But a few beings always exist of the kind that can wait for the collapse of fate to unravel its secrets.
"You are not easily driven astray, nor smitten by challenges," he says, eyes lidded contemplatively, lips pursed tight between breaths. Then he looks at her, through her, into the hall of cracked mirrors within. "So I shall confide in you a secret. The reason is that I wish to see a friend again."
-
Orcus
He feels it as one feels the sun sink beneath the horizon in the dreary grasp of remorseless Autumn, even indoors. Tranquility slipping like a blade from a slick sheath, evidenced in the shift of Yuzu's tone, in the different form of address. But his expression is bright, the color of his face reflecting the flush of genial inspiration, as though he has seized a slippery piece of a rewarding but opaque puzzle.
Orcus flicks his wrist, as casually as it is confident, and his blade wrenches itself free of the foxgirl's neck, drawing a spray of ink through the air. It lands fondly into his hand, fingers wrapping around the grip, and he looks down on the edge while running a careful finger over the stained (preposterous, blasphemous, how could this irrational substance be that which is stained and not the liquid that has spilled on it?) not-steel.
Who could be certain of the way the clouds would turn? Who could forsee every whim of the wind as surely as the mood of a sibling by the curl of their brow? A person would sooner suffer the most absurd of deaths in human imagination before lightning fell at her feet to the demand. She would sooner predict rightly the day, hour and instant of her death than know ahead of time which meetings in this vast universe were inevitable and which were merely luck. Much the same was the truth beneath Orcus. Unverifiable, unfathomable, and undistinguishable from coincidence. But a few beings always exist of the kind that can wait for the collapse of fate to unravel its secrets.
"You are not easily driven astray, nor smitten by challenges," he says, eyes lidded contemplatively, lips pursed tight between breaths. Then he looks at her, through her, into the hall of cracked mirrors within. "So I shall confide in you a secret. The reason is that I wish to see a friend again."
"Oh, my lord, you shouldn't have."
Behold the very picture of a bashful maiden, hiding her face behind a glittering, gilt-and-pearl fan. Her eyes are downcast, shy as a shadow before the sun, her shoulders set demurely so that the whole of her body seems smaller than usual as if she's embarrassed simply to be seen. Behind her, even the dancers have stilled, the giant setting the witch gently on the floor so that they can press their palms together and bow to Orcus as if giving thanks to the gods themselves. The shamisen still warbles out, sharp as a lover's nails against the ear, but the foxgirl is presently being pampered by the crush of students, hands with three and seven and no fingers at all carefully stitching her head back onto her neck. A scene straight out of any faerie's mad revel, something Orcus has seen ten thousand times before.
(No wonder, then, that it's her words that linger far longer than this vision of bacchanalia, sitting somewhere in the hollow of the chest the way prophecy does.)
"I do truly love secrets," she continues. "You honour me."
She snaps the fan away, and then she was never holding a fan at all—how old the trick, now, how boringly mundane, how commonly seen. But she must know that too, you can see it in the cracks in the corners of her eyes, so why does she keep doing it?—instead settling her hands behind her back and smiling up at Orcus' imposing jawline, well-framed by the brilliant, blooming cornfields of his impressively long hair.
"Would you tell me about your friend, Mr. Orcus? To have touched the heart of one of your kaleidoscopic radiance—oh, please, I simply must know who they are!"
(She says are, not were, are, like it's not even a question. An assumption? A kindness? A reflection? A truth? You must know by now that it is all of these at once.)
-
Orcus
If this is a stage and the whole world around them naught but Yuzu's instruments, cast and lighting, then it seems as if Orcus is happy to indulge. He crosses his legs and hovers to the floor, folding them in the lotus position. The abyssal blade rests across his lap like a book, and his shoulders straightened as a storyteller in the midst of his home audience.
"The craving of a lout might ruin a few lives. The craving of a king might consume nations. But the craving of a hero can swallow worlds, and endure beyond death." His expression relaxes, but his lips curl opaquely and the crescents of his eyes do not seem to contain the sight of Yuzu at all. "He is the latter. Do you understand?"
A black nail grinds at the surface of Chaosbringer with a foul screech. "Eternity is sought by countless people, but few can justify it. Fewer will fight for something that they have already known in its worst aspect, when that state has deprived them of everything but pain. But strip away all visions of the future but suffering, and nothing remains to dissuade a soul from exploding. Power ceases to be a chain, for in the tools of bondage one recognizes only the means of their retaliation. The targets, the price, they don't matter, and their meaning is erased the instant this rampage has concluded."
Orcus chuckles as if contemplating a funny little secret.
"And if one understands all this, then he realizes, what comes next can be anything he desires."
-
Nika
Her pledge to fight the younger vampire at the promised time was pretty serious, but it didn't mean she would give up looking for opportunities to kill some time and look for other challenges. After taking trip through few other districts like some enthusiastic tourists and enjoying a bit of daylife of the city, she eventually ended up hearing rumours of a district where many martial artists gathered. Dojo something district, huh? Wasn't that the equivalent of gymnasion among those guys who got bombed city by city? She didn't particularly care about those guys hanging out here too. They didn't try to rob her fucking belongings after all, so no grudge on her part. But if the Japanese were here too in their own little Tokyo, what if those thieves in black uniforms hanged around in some Beer Hall District? Hadn't heard about one yet, but she would go on a preemptive strike if she caught wind of some. This wasn't a grudge that withered throughout decades. Hands off her gold!
While she internally rambled like someone who had lived for a long live, she follow directions and headed for that place that caught her eye. She never got to fight the samurai, and she heard wild and grizzly stories about things some of them did. Like eating colleagues of her last boss. As a maneater of sorts, she found it gauche and wasteful and just unpalatable, so she'd show them proper manners. That is, if such ghosts of the world war persisted around here. Japanese after all became a bit too much pacifist for her own liking by the time she went to sleep, falling from one extreme to another seemingly. Weird people. Now to think of that, wasn't Sakura a Japanese name? Her surname was vastly different though, or so maybe she was from some future where just cultures mingled so much that they changed to some extent. Maybe that explained the odd hair colour.
And so, an undead tourist and athlete armed with such eccentric assumptions and conclusions would soon 'grace' the District with her own presence, sticking her nose where she wanted.
-
Mira
Months had passed. The tournament fell from public discussion as much as its winner fell from the public eye. Her social media presence descended to virtual nothingness save first for a change in relationship status from 'in a relationship' back to 'single' after only two days, and then to 'it's complicated' around a month and a half in. It was social and economic suicide for someone who'd previously made her living on donations from subscribers interested in a regular release of workout and kata how-to clips.
But of course, this was the dojo district: the land where legal proceedings to evict someone from their apartment involved martial arts battles with your landlord in the parking lot. It was on just such an occasion that Nika first met the former champion, Mira Lashi, as she kicked a musclebound monster of a man out onto the street with a look of obvious boredom. She was wearing a black skirt over bike shorts, a long white T-shirt, and a pair of sneakers. She had a large gym bag over one shoulder, while her other hand was holding her smartphone and finishing an update post. It flashed as if taking a selfie.
[Off on a new adventure. I'm going everywhere, and I'll fight anybody who walks up and asks! No, I won't wait up - sorry not sorry]
With that sent, she turned her eyes back to the grown ass man groaning on the ground. "So ya, don't go selling my shit or anything while I'm gone. I got a girl watchin' the place, so I'll know."
He groaned again in what may or may not have been acknowledgement.
Mira grinned all toothily. "Pleasure doin' business with ya."
Then she blinked, and looked over the sporty girl standing near her landlord. "Ah just sent that, ya know."
-
Nika
"You're already beating the shit out of thieves before they steal anything? I don't know if I'm into that, I say let them try and then crush them to the lamentations of their women and men. I chased once a whole organization for robbing my crib from one end of continent to another." The vampire said with a smug attitude as if she was ready to repeat that whole incident and come out on the top again.
Chasing any thief should've been a piece of cake, if this city was truly city sized. She actually had no clue about how big it was. But wait a second...
"Huh, you expected me for some reason? I'm not some kind of celebrity, but I do know someone with a kind of blue hair." She asked, genuinely puzzled this time about what the hell the person in front of her talked about. Not the first person she met here with a similar shade of hair but it could be just a freak coincidence, the crowds she had seen around had many people with weirdly colored hair and features. Could be thousands of blue and purple haired people. If blondies back in her lifetime were deemed barbarians, then what kind of aneurysm xenophobes would have suffered through here.
-
Mira
Mira's eyes shot down to the guy who was stumbling to pick himself back up while hurriedly backing away and down the street. "He's my landlord. I'm goin' away."
She returned her sight back to the new girl, and tilted her head throughout her second look. "Just thought ya were takin' me up on the challenge. Prolly just a coincidence?" She pursed her lips together, then shrugged and adjusted her hold on her bag. "Haven't seen you around here before."
-
Nika
"I'm questioning who is the lord in this obligation. Is he even courageous enough to ask for the payment or every rent paid is a gift to your lesser? Not that I think much about these things myself. If I like arrangement I pay, if not I just move wbere my whim takes me. New horizons, new fronties, and yes, new challenges. What do you offer? Even if you leave this place, surely you have picked up something interesting from those East Asians."
The vampire radiated confidence, but repressed urge to smile too widely. Nothing about this woman made her feel as she was a night creature like her. Heeding a whim, she wanted to keep her little secret a secret for a bit.
-
Mira
"Huh. Are ya new to the place? Most people around here have at least heard of Mira Lashi once." Rather than disappointment, Mira's eyes had brightened in excitement. She leaned forward with a smirk pulling at her lips and tilted her head. "Not sure what an Asian is, but I've learned a helluva a lot of ways ta fight around here. Ya have to, 'cause nothin' gets done without fighting here."
She put her phone in her bag, and clenched her right hand into a fist. "Ya want to go a round? I could use a warm-up before I head out."
-
Nika
"Everything's a competition, so this place isn't really different than others. It just puts a different facade to present to the world, a different gimmick. As good location for a sparring as any other."
Saying that, vampire spotted the nearest passerby trying to vacate the scene too after seeing the landlord beaten up, and approached quickly, nonchalantly putting the phone in their palm.
"Do me a favor and keep it in one piece, and I'll pay you a 100. Pawn it off, and you will end up like that landlord. Capisce?"
The person nodded hesitantly and cleared out, maybe knowing better than to do something behind the vampire's back.
"Sorry for that, I don't have a bag on me, and I'm not in mood for shopping again today. So, a warm-up, yeah?" Nika assumed a stance that some could mistake for a forward stance commonly used by Muay Thai practicioners, her both hands closed fights held forward to guard against blows. Hey, she clearly asked for a round first, so someone to got to be a challenger here, even if she had no clue about her strengths beyond roughing up a bodybuilder. Well, she would clearly know more soon.
-
Mira
The blue-haired brawler hardly batted an eye at her opponent's eccentricities, and instead just underhand tossed her bag somewhere off to the side to land on top of someone's car. The alarm went off. "Ya. Don't normally pick fights with random folks otherwise, ya know?" Her eyes narrowed at the stance, and she made her preparations.
Mira bounced on her heels once, twice, "Alright, go!" And then shot forward like a blur to the eye. A sufficiently keen eye would see how she led with one hand open in front of her, another closed into a fist at her side, and sought to curve around her opponent to strike at her flank.
-
Nika
Maybe approaching this carefully was the right call after all. She couldn't yet tell how much relative effort this unusually strong tenant put into the opening move, but in her withered guts she could already tell she was going to be pushed a quite far whether she would win or lose. But the best defense was still an offense here, and instead of pushing her body to move around in a similar blur, she tried to outflank her challenger in a counterattack.
All that mattered was the difference in speed. Mira obviously had a slight edge in moving against Nika first, but she counted on her centuries long experience to prevail. Given perfect opportunity, she would try to strike thig or knee with bone shattering kick but even less accurate hit would pack a lot of her strength. So much for a warm up, she couldn't obviously underestimate someone as fast as her serious self.
-
Mira
The martial artist's alpha strike clipped against her opponent's side, but left her open to the strange woman's bold counter. She allowed herself to be moved by the impact of leg against right thigh, her merely human body weight causing her to be knocked halfway across the parking lot. Where Mira's experience showed was in how well she caught her footing after that, and the narrow profile she presented following.
"Huh. Wow, you're pretty fast. Good on ya!" Grinning now, she held her hands out in a guard stance and beckoned her opponent with a 'come here' motion using her left fingers.
-
Nika
She had to think how she would crack this nut. Not that she would have to pause with a delay, she had been through too many battles to ever hesitate visible about her course of action. Still, it wasn't looking much tipped in her favour. No room here for a battle of attrition with a human who could match her pace. Such was a dilemma of obligate carnivores like her: short peak performance and long recovery. The vampire discarded many things and gained more, but no room for regrets here. This was merely an obstacle she couldn't even stand up in first place if she was still mortal. A challenge to conquer, to bask in glory of her achievements later like any respectable person born in her age. Can't outlast her? Then she'd gamble.
Even if her obsessions with speed and motion didn't care about the laws of this world that much, her momentum and mass couldn't be enough to throw off someone of that strength. She needed a force multiplier. And there was enough parked cars, huh. One conveniently a bit to the left of the direction where her opponent was. She assumed that what she planned to do wouldn't seriously injure her if the hit connected.
It all depended if she'd move out of the way fast enough to get his by a vehicle, even one with enough speed and momentum. She didn't plan to throw one, that'd take too much time. She had better, if crazy idea. She would just slam into the car at full speed, a leap aided by her strength and not slowed down at all by the object in the way, propelling it along as she moved towards Mira like a vampire projectile. The combined mass and their sheer momentum would've been enough maybe to throw the athlete off her foot for the part II of her stratagem. But of course she first leaped at the the car as fast as she could.
-
Mira
At first Mira braced herself for a barrage of blows from her charging opponent, digging her feet into the asphalt hard enough to sink a few centimeters into the ground. Her eyes flicked back and forth to maintain sight of the superhuman mobility in play, but even she was left with her eyes widening as she used a car as a projectile by ramming into it and sending the couple of tons of sports utility vehicle right at her.
So she grit her teeth, and dug her feet through the ground, and then leapt over the moving vehicle with an Olympian gymnastic display. Up was the only direction that would work after all, but unfortunately that meant Mira didn't have the momentum to come back down and punish her opponent for the brazen attack.
In fact, if Nika could halt her momentum fast enough she could take advantage of the moment right before Mira's feet hit the ground again.
-
Nika
Halting her momentum was something easier said than to be done, given how much effort she put into gaining enough momentum for this stratagem to work in the first place. She and the car were sent 'flying' in the direction of the nearest row of street lamps, and here lied a decent, yet risky opportunity. As the car rammed down through the succession of street lamps, snapping them and adding to the property damage (anyone living here had enough sense to leave where they hid or vacated the place. This place was probably a warzone quite regularly, she bet), she twisted around her body mid flight and tried to 'jump off' the wreck, leaping off the surface of the car she was tackling microseconds ago.
She already kinda screwed up. But she was having a gods damned blast. With a wide grin that telegraphed her nature just to anyone with keen enough eyes to make out details in the blur of pure velocity and violent intent, she tried to grab her opportunity before Mira touched the surface of the Earth.
-
Mira
It spoke to how good Mira was that she could turn at the last second to face her opponent in mid air rather than receive that flying tackle directly from behind. It spoke to her opponent's quick thinking and speed that this was the only thing she could do, and that the next thing she knew she was the center of a new crater on the outside of someone's apartment. Thinking quickly, and pushing through the shock going through her nerves from her back, Mira grasped at her opponent and tried to slam her back down into the ground.
"Haaaaaah!"
-
Nika
Being pushed into the ground stood against the vampire's every fiber of being, her instincts revolting against such fate no matter the circumstances. She kept struggling, her footing shaky, entering the contest of strength she planned to engage in to begin with, even if the situation she ended up in wasn't exactly as she imagined to be. Gotta just grit teeth and put all her unbeating heart into this round.
This was a contest of pure strength and the vampire was confident in her own one, putting as much power coursing in her veins as she could afford. Surely Mira had reasons to be confident about her odds, but in the end it was how Nika wanted it: decisive showdown over losing from sheer attrition. But would she prevail in the end?
-
Nika
Being pushed into the ground stood against the vampire's every fiber of being, her instincts revolting against such fate no matter the circumstances. She kept struggling, her footing shaky, entering the contest of strength she planned to engage in to begin with, even if the situation she ended up in wasn't exactly as she imagined to be. Gotta just grit teeth and put all her unbeating heart into this round.
This was a contest of pure strength and the vampire was confident in her own one, putting as much power coursing in her veins as she could afford. Surely Mira had reasons to be confident about her odds, but in the end it was how Nika wanted it: decisive showdown over losing from sheer attrition. But would she prevail in the end?
Mira
Bracing herself against the wall crater allowed Mira the leverage to avoid having a chance of being taken down, but she struggled with her opponent's obvious experience in grappling with people this way. She tightened her hold on her opponent's midsection, and heaved upward. "Get yer face outta my chest...!" She drove her knee up into her opponent's midsection and allowed the wall to protect her footing in the meantime.
Of course, the irony was that the way Mira was holding her prevented Nika from complying.
-
Nika
Getting kneed by Mira smarted more than a mortal's blow should have, but by now she shouldn't be really surprised about someone other than a vampire forcing her to struggle. Again, she was glad that with her anatomy it hurt less than it should have.
No time for complaining about the blows, though. She had to think on her feet and do something to try to get an upper hand in this match. Alright, she could use her head. Not to think, but to repay with a counterattack. Got complaints about her face in the chest? How about headbutting her!
-
Nika
Getting kneed by Mira smarted more than a mortal's blow should have, but by now she shouldn't be really surprised about someone other than a vampire forcing her to struggle. Again, she was glad that with her anatomy it hurt less than it should have.
No time for complaining about the blows, though. She had to think on her feet and do something to try to get an upper hand in this match. Alright, she could use her head. Not to think, but to repay with a counterattack. Got complaints about her face in the chest? How about headbutting her!
Mira
Mira saw the move coming from above, which didn't let her avoid it so much as position her head so that there was less distance between the back of it and the wall behind it. It meant that she was just taking the full force of some really fast and powerful fighter launching herself up into her face, and not also being smashed into the wall again so much. She was left disoriented for a moment, and it left room at last for her opponent to do a brief follow up.
It was really not fair when only one person cared about their brain being rattled in a fight.
-
Nika
The one thing vampire cared about though, short of massive trauma that would make her undead resilience irrelevant, was the one thing that never went entirely away, the one thing that drove her existence past her death: the blood. And matching this equal or even possibly superior opponent shaved away at the lifeforce flowing through her veins.
The hunger gnawed at her. This probably would've been a different matter altogether if she fought a vampire. Imbibing blood of creatures similar to her was a taboo not just because of the potential addiction to it, but also as sometimes it didn't stop just at it. But against a mortal, fairly powerful at the same time? She could really weaken Mira and reenergize herself in midst of the duel. She didn't see herself overdo it either, as she was yet at this point where hunger overrode her basis reasoning.
Landing a hit in a grapple wasn't the issue, so she was fairly confident she would bite in. Especially if Mira expected that just doing shit without care about blunt trauma to her dead organs was the peak of reckless stuff she could think off.
-
Cossie
"Woooooah. So, you're telling me this whole section of this city so far up their roided brains that they literally turned battles to the death into a ruling class system? Man, I don't know if I was born in the right generation, but I'm glad I made it to this one."
Hands in his pocket, the dead apostle relatedly took in the sights of the city, chuckling absentmindedly. For a man as bloody as him, he was being awfully relaxed. The small hints of a smile almost betrayed the fact he was enjoying himself a little.
"Haaaah. And even the air smells of sweat and battle. I bet you'd like it too, wouldn't you? Get some beast to dominate you as its meat slaps against yours, until you're nothing more than a mess to be cleaned off the floors. Chillax, I'll give you some when I... yawn... I feel like it I guess. Tep. All part of the plan I just made up babe."
He smacked his lips and admired the sights some more. "Hey. No way. Um, what is that?" He grinned trying to contain his excitement a bit, like a bad boy dragging his girlfriend along to his favorite spots - even if he knew nothing of those around. He pointed to a device that seemed to make sounds of sorts, a machine of metal that sang wondrous melodies.
They called it a boombox. Not that he'd know.
"Is this some sort of human garbage? Ha! I like it way better than the trash you guys usually litter."
-
Cossie
"Woooooah. So, you're telling me this whole section of this city so far up their roided brains that they literally turned battles to the death into a ruling class system? Man, I don't know if I was born in the right generation, but I'm glad I made it to this one."
Hands in his pocket, the dead apostle relatedly took in the sights of the city, chuckling absentmindedly. For a man as bloody as him, he was being awfully relaxed. The small hints of a smile almost betrayed the fact he was enjoying himself a little.
"Haaaah. And even the air smells of sweat and battle. I bet you'd like it too, wouldn't you? Get some beast to dominate you as its meat slaps against yours, until you're nothing more than a mess to be cleaned off the floors. Chillax, I'll give you some when I... yawn... I feel like it I guess. Tep. All part of the plan I just made up babe."
He smacked his lips and admired the sights some more. "Hey. No way. Um, what is that?" He grinned trying to contain his excitement a bit, like a bad boy dragging his girlfriend along to his favorite spots - even if he knew nothing of those around. He pointed to a device that seemed to make sounds of sorts, a machine of metal that sang wondrous melodies.
They called it a boombox. Not that he'd know.
"Is this some sort of human garbage? Ha! I like it way better than the trash you guys usually litter."
Nanako
"Yeah, that about sums this place up," Nanako nodded, not missing the slight smile curling his lips. His teasing still made her flush, as if his words were specific chosen to stoke her imagination and leave her wanting more that wouldn't come. At least not any time soon.
"Mhm, speaking from experience there?" the squirrel girl teased back. Before she could say anything further, however, booming music started up nearby, Johnny dragging Nanako along until they came across a boombox with some guys and girls surrounding a mat nearby. They nodded along with the beat, seemingly unbothered by the vampire's questions and comments.
"They're called boomboxes," Nanako noted, "A handy way to bring your music with you and make sure everyone else hears it too."
As if on cue, the tune changed, raw beats taking over the melody as the other instruments took a break. Without missing a beat, one of the listeners went to the mat and started breakdancing, making up for amateur skill with sheer youthful exuberance and abandon, then left after a short duration to be replaced by another. Each of them danced as if fighting the beat itself, pushing to make the most of their time on the mat.
"Huh, breakdancers. Neat," Nanako remarked, watching the dancers with mild interest and curiosity, "Didn't think they'd have it here."
-
Costin
"Pft. No way, you're shitting me." The apostle covered his face from the sun's rays from his face for a moment, observing the scene with great interest. Until something curious happened to him. A magic more potent than the sorceries of old, a force deeper than even his violence - greater than power.
"Haha. How fun..."
His body started to move. Grooving. Swaggering like in the days of forgotten youth, as if dragged along by the music. He smiled, truly happy - to the point his fangs showed shamelessly as well. The dark man, the sun's light, and his joyful dance. Was it all a walking contradiction? No, in all things be it life, death, joy and sorrow... he was always himself. That's this, and that's that. So where was his heart right now? The little village in the heart of the Romanian countryside, the smells and lively sounds of his home. The taste of a place he could never return to. But if something could be called tragic, its the fact he could not shed tears of it any longer.
Even if he could, he didn't feel like it any longer.
"What lovely sounds, I just can't enough of it. Heh, I must look silly for an old man." He twirled in place and invited her to his waltz. "Wanna join me?"
-
Nika
The one thing vampire cared about though, short of massive trauma that would make her undead resilience irrelevant, was the one thing that never went entirely away, the one thing that drove her existence past her death: the blood. And matching this equal or even possibly superior opponent shaved away at the lifeforce flowing through her veins.
The hunger gnawed at her. This probably would've been a different matter altogether if she fought a vampire. Imbibing blood of creatures similar to her was a taboo not just because of the potential addiction to it, but also as sometimes it didn't stop just at it. But against a mortal, fairly powerful at the same time? She could really weaken Mira and reenergize herself in midst of the duel. She didn't see herself overdo it either, as she was yet at this point where hunger overrode her basis reasoning.
Landing a hit in a grapple wasn't the issue, so she was fairly confident she would bite in. Especially if Mira expected that just doing shit without care about blunt trauma to her dead organs was the peak of reckless stuff she could think off.
Mira
It wasn't easy to sink her teeth in. Mira's opponent had to expend more effort and energy to generate the necessary force without breaking her teeth in attempting to pierce the skin, but once they were inside the blood flowed simply enough. "W-What the hell?!" She felt herself weaken, for a moment, as life threatened to pour out of her and into someone else while she was already getting herself reoriented.
Here was the problem with this strategy: Mira's blood was absolutely vile. It was filled, to a vampire's senses, with otherwise imperceptible organisms that writhed and shriveled on contact, and the fluid became as ash on the tongue.
Seeing as her opponent wasn't getting any stronger, Mira had the opportunity to drive her tear her away regardless of the damage it would do to the place she was bitten, and then kick her away again.
-
Nika
This was probably the worst decision she committed in a heat of the moment since a long while. She couldn't remember what was the previous 'worst decision' she made, of course, with the revolting taste overwhelming her palate, to the point she'd rather cleanse it with sand paper than taste anything like that again. She loosened her fangs' grip on Mira just in time to make it even easier for her to kick away the disoriented vampire.
Crashing against another parked vehicle helped her regain composure, just through enough pain to distract her away from the tongue being on metaphorical fire. If Mira had some clue about vampires, she potentially could exploit that knowledge against her. This was the least of her concerns though when clearly Mira would follow up with another attack, all she could do now was to stay on defensive in shortest term. She had inkling she was going to lose this one, but her stubborn streak told her to at least put up resistance before conceding. So she regained her footing as best as she could in face of the incoming counterattack.
-
Costin
"Pft. No way, you're shitting me." The apostle covered his face from the sun's rays from his face for a moment, observing the scene with great interest. Until something curious happened to him. A magic more potent than the sorceries of old, a force deeper than even his violence - greater than power.
"Haha. How fun..."
His body started to move. Grooving. Swaggering like in the days of forgotten youth, as if dragged along by the music. He smiled, truly happy - to the point his fangs showed shamelessly as well. The dark man, the sun's light, and his joyful dance. Was it all a walking contradiction? No, in all things be it life, death, joy and sorrow... he was always himself. That's this, and that's that. So where was his heart right now? The little village in the heart of the Romanian countryside, the smells and lively sounds of his home. The taste of a place he could never return to. But if something could be called tragic, its the fact he could not shed tears of it any longer.
Even if he could, he didn't feel like it any longer.
"What lovely sounds, I just can't enough of it. Heh, I must look silly for an old man." He twirled in place and invited her to his waltz. "Wanna join me?"
Nanako
Nanako glanced over to Cossie as he started moving, surprised to see him moving without the murderous intent he'd displayed freely so far. Instead, he was swaggering and swaying along with the music, oddly happy from what she'd seen of him so far. Not the kind of happy she'd expected he'd be right before a battle, but rather like he'd gone back to some cherished memory.
The breakdancing brought back something different for the squirrel girl. Simpler days, watching older kids and adults alike lose themselves in a thumping beat. Heated chases when cops inevitably came to break up the gatherings, citing noise complaints, public drinking, disorderly conduct, whatever cause they'd decided to dredge up. Meeting up again once the heat died down to start the whole thing over again. Those had been hard times, but there were still plenty of bright spots among them.
"Not quite the dance I'd expected from you," Nanako giggled, stepping in close, "But alright, let's see what you've got, old man."
-
Costin
"Hah, shaddup. You'll make my corpse blush." He swung his hip smoothly at the provocation, and without hesitation he took her hand. Strong, a grip that wouldn't even care if she were a human, it'd have likely turned her hand to paste accidentally if she were anything less. Like dancing with a wolf, a beast that'd tear and break no matter how much it tried to caress.
Yet it didn't care. Costin smiled and dragged her to his embrace boldly, and his steps moved with the rhythm - to the shock of everyone around them.
"But man, this is embarassing. It's been far too long since I've loosened up this much... how should I thank you for this?" Inching closer, he brought her body to his own beat, for a second close enough he could feel her heartbeat. How close that sweetest of organs was to being taken.
But unripe fruits wouldn't quench it.
Only this dance would slake this thirst.
"Hurry... I need it rougher than this... show me that even a beast can withstand an apostle."
-
Nika
This was probably the worst decision she committed in a heat of the moment since a long while. She couldn't remember what was the previous 'worst decision' she made, of course, with the revolting taste overwhelming her palate, to the point she'd rather cleanse it with sand paper than taste anything like that again. She loosened her fangs' grip on Mira just in time to make it even easier for her to kick away the disoriented vampire.
Crashing against another parked vehicle helped her regain composure, just through enough pain to distract her away from the tongue being on metaphorical fire. If Mira had some clue about vampires, she potentially could exploit that knowledge against her. This was the least of her concerns though when clearly Mira would follow up with another attack, all she could do now was to stay on defensive in shortest term. She had inkling she was going to lose this one, but her stubborn streak told her to at least put up resistance before conceding. So she regained her footing as best as she could in face of the incoming counterattack.
Mira
Whether she knew anything about vampires or not, Mira certainly seemed to know how to take advantage of an opening. Pushing through dizziness and the deep stinging pain of having her blown drawn out of her vein by force, she charged right after her opponent and slammed into her so that they were both now inside the vehicle. Mira laid down a rain of blows both to the head and the center of mass, her eyes gleaming in the excitement of battle, before seeming to realize something with a narrowing of her eyes and a pulling of her last punch.
"Wait... are ya dead?" A drip of sweat fell from her brow next to Nika.
-
Costin
"Hah, shaddup. You'll make my corpse blush." He swung his hip smoothly at the provocation, and without hesitation he took her hand. Strong, a grip that wouldn't even care if she were a human, it'd have likely turned her hand to paste accidentally if she were anything less. Like dancing with a wolf, a beast that'd tear and break no matter how much it tried to caress.
Yet it didn't care. Costin smiled and dragged her to his embrace boldly, and his steps moved with the rhythm - to the shock of everyone around them.
"But man, this is embarassing. It's been far too long since I've loosened up this much... how should I thank you for this?" Inching closer, he brought her body to his own beat, for a second close enough he could feel her heartbeat. How close that sweetest of organs was to being taken.
But unripe fruits wouldn't quench it.
Only this dance would slake this thirst.
"Hurry... I need it rougher than this... show me that even a beast can withstand an apostle."
Nanako
The squirrel girl gasped quietly as she was pulled firmly against the vampire, her chest pressing firmly against his as he held her hand in a firm grip. Even if she wanted to get away, she would've been hard-pressed to escape, but she didn't. Not yet, at least.
"Is that so? You've been playing pretty fast and loose so far, I'm almost a little scared of what you'd be like when you're uptight," Nanako giggled, following along with his rhythm. She was a bit off from his rhythm at first, but the squirrel girl quickly adjusted.
"Well, I'm pretty sure the guy leads these kinds of dances," Nanako remarked, starting to pick up the pace, "But let's see what we can do."
With that, she took his step and tore the lead away from him, pushing the dance on faster and harder. Her heart thudded against her chest, almost audibly, as she went on. They cracked pavement underfoot and carved shallow trenches in blacktop, Nanako losing herself more and more to wild abandon and beastly instinct with each step. It was up to the apostle to keep up, now.
-
Nanako
The squirrel girl gasped quietly as she was pulled firmly against the vampire, her chest pressing firmly against his as he held her hand in a firm grip. Even if she wanted to get away, she would've been hard-pressed to escape, but she didn't. Not yet, at least.
"Is that so? You've been playing pretty fast and loose so far, I'm almost a little scared of what you'd be like when you're uptight," Nanako giggled, following along with his rhythm. She was a bit off from his rhythm at first, but the squirrel girl quickly adjusted.
"Well, I'm pretty sure the guy leads these kinds of dances," Nanako remarked, starting to pick up the pace, "But let's see what we can do."
With that, she took his step and tore the lead away from him, pushing the dance on faster and harder. Her heart thudded against her chest, almost audibly, as she went on. They cracked pavement underfoot and carved shallow trenches in blacktop, Nanako losing herself more and more to wild abandon and beastly instinct with each step. It was up to the apostle to keep up, now.
Cossie
"Ha! Trust me, I'm a swell upstanding lad." He waggled his thick eyebrows as they picked up the tempo, grooving to the beat with beastly swings of their bodies. Whatever wall, structure or object was in the way was soon crushed under their weight. No matter how you looked at it, if you put two monsters dancing around a bunch of regular schmucks, it'd look to outsiders like some kaiju movie. He turned her around fiercely, enjoying this little struggle for control in earnest. "Back in my world, my kind is forced to run or hide from the association, few are bold enough to be as honest as I am. To them, the light of day is like a disease. But since I'm a badass, I don't have to worry about that baby crap. I can enjoy my days doing this -!"
Like a hungry beast, he pulled her even closer into the dance, and it felt like he was just about to grab that fat ass of hers - when he instead pulled at her hip at the last second, turning the momentum around. And why not? He wanted to see how far he could tease the bitch before she turned mad. If he didn't lose it first.
Of course, humans would probably try to stop something like this. They were weak things, nowhere near strong enough to move as freely as the apostle and his piece of meat.
Some ran, while a few were too proud to even do that. After Costin bumped into one of the gangsters, another pulled a shiv out of his pocket. "HEY WHAT THE HELL MAN!? YOU'RE BUSTING UP OUR ST-" But as he spun in his dance, a backhanded slap slammed straight into the punk's teeth, caving his face into the back-alley's wall.
"No matter what happens, I follow my nature. This is this, that's that..."
-
Cossie
"Ha! Trust me, I'm a swell upstanding lad." He waggled his thick eyebrows as they picked up the tempo, grooving to the beat with beastly swings of their bodies. Whatever wall, structure or object was in the way was soon crushed under their weight. No matter how you looked at it, if you put two monsters dancing around a bunch of regular schmucks, it'd look to outsiders like some kaiju movie. He turned her around fiercely, enjoying this little struggle for control in earnest. "Back in my world, my kind is forced to run or hide from the association, few are bold enough to be as honest as I am. To them, the light of day is like a disease. But since I'm a badass, I don't have to worry about that baby crap. I can enjoy my days doing this -!"
Like a hungry beast, he pulled her even closer into the dance, and it felt like he was just about to grab that fat ass of hers - when he instead pulled at her hip at the last second, turning the momentum around. And why not? He wanted to see how far he could tease the bitch before she turned mad. If he didn't lose it first.
Of course, humans would probably try to stop something like this. They were weak things, nowhere near strong enough to move as freely as the apostle and his piece of meat.
Some ran, while a few were too proud to even do that. After Costin bumped into one of the gangsters, another pulled a shiv out of his pocket. "HEY WHAT THE HELL MAN!? YOU'RE BUSTING UP OUR ST-" But as he spun in his dance, a backhanded slap slammed straight into the punk's teeth, caving his face into the back-alley's wall.
"No matter what happens, I follow my nature. This is this, that's that..."
Nanako
Before Nanako could ask what he meant about being hunted or not having to worry about sunlight, she found herself pulled in close to him. Her heart thudded with the proximity, her skin itching slightly in anticipation of the assgrab, only for him to grip her hips instead. Between the barely restrained feral hunger in his movements, the blade-against-skin chill of his presence, and the destruction they were wreaking just with their dance, the squirrel girl looked up at him with a brief pout, anticipation lighting in her veins like fire, thrumming up and down her spine. Even the Grace was starting to wake up again, growing louder as Nanako's wanton need burned hotter.
"Your nature, huh?" Nanako mused, a vigorous spin away from the vampire smashing open a nearby wall with her tail, before she pulled him in instead, taking their dance in and out of some schmuck's apartment as the music reached a fever pitch, "Seems like you want me to offer myself up with all this teasing."
-
Costin
"Bah, that wouldn't be much fun. Still... you've got the stench of prey, but you dance in the jaws of hunters willingly. Isn't that a bit crazy?" The way she pulled, yanked and mashed his back against a wall, even she could catch a glimpse of his expression. The moment of impact was like true happiness. Who cares if some weaklings started yapping? It was too fun.
"Argh! Shit shit! What the-!" "Eeeek!" "The hell are you doing, goddamn monsters!"
A few members of some unrenowned dojo worked an office there, so they were the first to react. One lunged with a Katana while Costin's back was turned, while another brandished his fist and dashed to his blind spot. As he danced, the vampire kicked the swordsman's leg and tripped him without a care. And just as it looked like the fella was about to land blade-first into his comrade's cute little neck... he grabbed the sword by the blade and slapped the brawler in the face with the hilt. The impact nearly broke the fool's jaw, throwing him to the other side of the floor all while drawing closer to Nanako. So close she could almost kiss him, or gaze at his dagger teeth.
"But damn, you're sexy when frustrated."
And before that, he spun around the opposite way - letting go at the last second. No kissy for the missy yet. Laughing it off with an amused expression, he surrounded by the groans of the bravest around them. "Aw shaddup, it's just a lovetap." He chuckled, but man, did it kill the buzz sometimes. They just had to say the one thing he hated, not that he could blame them.
He stretched his arms in a T-pose, grinning like a wolfish bad boy to the root.
"You're not bad for a partner."
-
Costin
"Bah, that wouldn't be much fun. Still... you've got the stench of prey, but you dance in the jaws of hunters willingly. Isn't that a bit crazy?" The way she pulled, yanked and mashed his back against a wall, even she could catch a glimpse of his expression. The moment of impact was like true happiness. Who cares if some weaklings started yapping? It was too fun.
"Argh! Shit shit! What the-!" "Eeeek!" "The hell are you doing, goddamn monsters!"
A few members of some unrenowned dojo worked an office there, so they were the first to react. One lunged with a Katana while Costin's back was turned, while another brandished his fist and dashed to his blind spot. As he danced, the vampire kicked the swordsman's leg and tripped him without a care. And just as it looked like the fella was about to land blade-first into his comrade's cute little neck... he grabbed the sword by the blade and slapped the brawler in the face with the hilt. The impact nearly broke the fool's jaw, throwing him to the other side of the floor all while drawing closer to Nanako. So close she could almost kiss him, or gaze at his dagger teeth.
"But damn, you're sexy when frustrated."
And before that, he spun around the opposite way - letting go at the last second. No kissy for the missy yet. Laughing it off with an amused expression, he surrounded by the groans of the bravest around them. "Aw shaddup, it's just a lovetap." He chuckled, but man, did it kill the buzz sometimes. They just had to say the one thing he hated, not that he could blame them.
He stretched his arms in a T-pose, grinning like a wolfish bad boy to the root.
"You're not bad for a partner."
Nanako
Chaos spread around them as they danced, interlopers tossed about like dust in the wind as the two beasts circled each other, sometimes close, sometimes further, but never really apart. How could they be separate now, with the dance and the blood and the heat thrumming through them, beating in time with the squirrel girl's heart. Nanako barely noticed the martial artists scattering around them, caught up as she was in the thrill of the moment. She only had eyes for Costin in that moment, those dagger teeth drawing ever closer to her, close enough that he might be tempted to bite.
As it turned out, however, he was not. He spun out away from Nanako instead, drawing an almost petulant pout from the squirrel girl, her tail swishing faster behind her as they were surrounded by groaning ragdolls. Then he had the audacity to start T-posing, of all things.
"Well, guess you just know how to rile me up," Nanako remarked, "Time for our next stop."
With that, the two of them vanished once more, from the perspective of the dojo's occupants, the last afterimages that of the squirrel girl tackling Costin and leaping out a new hole in the wall, leaving their ears ringing in the aftermath.
(Continued in Nexus Campus Town)
-
Being pummelled mercilessly for her screw up was something she saw coming. Her opponent being so unperceptive that she didn't notice way before that she was friggin' undead... that's something she didn't expect. So perplexing that she didn't even even try to exploit the opportunity to counterattack. Not that she would probably succeed, even if she was far better off than she should have been after withstanding that barrage of blows.
Still sprawled on whatever remained from the vehicle's seats, she looked at Mira as incredulously as she managed to. Well, her face looked relatively intact, but she had to force herself through the pain to think more coherently.
"Absolutely nothing has tipped you before? And I thought you were more perceptive all along..."
Well, she could go ahead and punch her or do what she felt like, there was no way she thought she could do turn around this right now. Pretty much ended up on what passed for ground and defeated.
-
Being pummelled mercilessly for her screw up was something she saw coming. Her opponent being so unperceptive that she didn't notice way before that she was friggin' undead... that's something she didn't expect. So perplexing that she didn't even even try to exploit the opportunity to counterattack. Not that she would probably succeed, even if she was far better off than she should have been after withstanding that barrage of blows.
Still sprawled on whatever remained from the vehicle's seats, she looked at Mira as incredulously as she managed to. Well, her face looked relatively intact, but she had to force herself through the pain to think more coherently.
"Absolutely nothing has tipped you before? And I thought you were more perceptive all along..."
Well, she could go ahead and punch her or do what she felt like, there was no way she thought she could do turn around this right now. Pretty much ended up on what passed for ground and defeated.
Mira
Mira slowly back off and away from the wreckage that was both the bit of vehicle and the vampire's dead body "Huh? I mean, I'd have hit ya harder if I knew ya were already dead. I didn't want to kill ya or anythin'."
And then, she grinned and brought her scuffed up hand back to scratch behind her neck. "Ya really put up a good fight! There's some moves in there I've never even seen before."
-
Nika
So she was actually holding back the whole time? She got herself into more hard scrap than she estimated. That is, if it wasn't a bluff coming from the victor relishing their victory over the loser. Either way, she lost fair and square, even counting her miscalculation making her drop out fairly earlier than she probably could manage, the worsened hunger be damned. If she didn't go wild about recovering from this fight, she could get a drink later in much more calmer circumstances.
But well, yeah, what was the deal with this woman? Was she even human all along if her blood tasted so bad the memory would haunt her for a bit while?
"Your insight aside, you're quite a hell of a monster of the battlefield. Even if I didn't have to worry about my stamina, I still would feel like a hamster in a wheel, never quite keeping up. And well, you're not just an absurdly strong mortal. What's your own deal?"
Her curiosity get the better of it, and she cut to the chase, rising to stand up. Not to glean her secret to become better, since it was already clear they were like oil and water about how they worked, but just an attempt to figure out the mystery even a bit.
-
Malicia
Clap. Clap. Clap. Clap.
The sound of gentle applause began to emanate from atop the apartment complex. Perched upon the roof was a tall woman with gorgeous blue hair tied up in a ponytail by a beaded accessory. She sat atop the metal grating of the fire escape with crossed booted legs just barely covering her unmentionables. "In my opinion, it was an excellent battle."
Malicia then lithely hopped down and landed on the pavement between the two lovely ladies, standing back up to her gargantuan nearly seven-foot tall stature, wrapping an arm around Mira's shoulder. She seemed to radiate holy power, and looked to at least be Mira's equal, if not her better. "This lovely lady's deal is that she's my girlfriend. The strongest woman in the Great dojo."
She grinned at the undead vampire while mussing up Mira's purple hair with her fist.
-
Mira
Mira just gave an exaggerated shrug as her opponent asked her all sorts of question, but her face twisted in some frustration once the reason she was so strong was called into question. She crossed her arms under her chest and let out a 'tch,' before opening her mouth to answer -
And then froze, as suddenly she was being quite literally towered over and given the mother of all noogies. "H-Hey, quit it! Come on, ya don't gotta go braggin' for me like this!" She put up with it for another moment despite giving Malicia an elbow to the side, not making a serious effort to pull away.
-
Nika
People were indeed getting taller these nights, huh. Err, days, whatever. The world changed while she pretty much stayed the same in essence, height included, just adapting a 'lil bit. She'd leaving shedding skin to snakes.
Of course, there must have been something more to the giant of a woman, considering her attitude. She was usually pretty adept by now about getting a vibe whether there was some bite to someone's bark. And well, other things were pretty obvious. Not that she cared much about that.
"How long you have been watching us? You must be good at hiding or my senses really decayed after the long nap."
-
Malicia
The blue-haired demon lord continued to aggressively grind her fist into Mira's head for a few more moments, before wrapping a strong arm around her girlfriend and pulling her into a hug. "I do! I do though! You weren't going to tell it to her straight or anything. So I had to intervene and set the facts straight."
There was something more to Malicia than met the eye—she was more than just a human with gigantism. There was a dangerous, seductive air to her stride and her figure was just a little bit too perfectly proportioned to be natural. She looked at Nika with brilliant blue eyes and smiled. "I've been watching basically the entire time. I was on my way to meet up with Mir' and saw her gearing up for a fight, so I made myself scarce.
She then reached out and pressed a finger against Nika's forehead. "You're pretty strong yourself, and I make it my job to know who's who in the Nexus. Must be a new arrival, Nika. You can call me Mal." She brought her hand down from Nika's forehead and offered her an outstretched hand. "Nice to meet'cha."
-
Mira
"Guh." She grasped at her head and, seemingly more concerned with her long hair than anything she started checking how much of a mess Malicia had made of it. "Start makin' claims like that and I'll be wastin' a whole afternoon fighting five on ones, 'Cia!"
Then the martial artist turned her attention back to her opponent. "But yeah, if ya had a little more stamina in ya, I'd have have probably had to kick it up a notch. You're really good. Ah, I don't think I actually caught ya name?"
-
Nika
"Ah, right, right, I sometimes forget about the pleasantries in the heat of things. Chivalry wasn't my thing even back in old days." She shook the offered hand. She couldn't say she enjoyed someone being that close within her personal space, considering her state right now, but she couldn't refuse basic courtesy either.
"I'm Nika, in short. My old name is a bit wordy, and it's not my first one either, so just go with that."
-
Malicia
The demoness laughed heartily at Mira's claim. "No no, they'd have to get through me first to be able to waste your time."
Malicia gripped Nika's hand with an appricative nod, firmly gripping it before retracting her arm. "The same goes for myself. A name is just a label we use to identify each other, nothing more."
The demoness paused, before clicking her tongue. "Do you mind my asking what sorts of plans you have for surviving? Life for one such as yourself can become quite dangerous in this megapolis."
-
Nika
"I honestly don't have a solid plan beyond classic 'sink or swim'. Don't get me wrong, I know my limits and I don't play with fire casually, but nobody gets stronger overnight by hard work alone. Well, can't say though I haven't learned something from this defeat."
Namely, be more cautious about feeding on strong people.
-
Mira
Mira's face spread into a grin, and she laughed a bit there. "Hey, that's the best way ta do things! It's why I'm headin' off to go everywhere, fight everyone who wants a go. I'm gonna get my ass kicked eventually and I wanna find out what it'll take!"
Then she looked at Malicia, and mouthed 'Megapolis?'
-
Malicia
Polis means city in greek. Malicia explained, speaking directly into Mira's mind. The demoness planed a large hand on Mira's shoulder before pulling her in to lean against her shoulder.
"Well..." A card materialized out of the air in between Mal's fingers, before being flicked at inhuman speeds towards Nika. "If you desire food and employment, let me know. I can always use competent and level-headed contractors."
She winked. Sparkles seemed to shimmer around her eyes. "I hope for both of us that we'll be able to form a working relationship."
-
Nika
Food. That word only evoked one thing in her mind now, but she still felt a little bit shaken by that unpalatable experience. Not enough to not catch, albeit barely, the business card. Employment and earning her daily "bread" was all good, but that's wasn't all she lived about. There was a real pressing question on her mind that she bothered now to ask.
"That's all I can find all on my own, but there's one thing I still seek too. Ever more unbending and steadfast strength. Not that I won't reject your offer out of hand, but I'm very interested in how you two got to that point."
This was going to be a serious game of catch up. She didn't fight with the other woman, but suspected she might have been higher on the totem pole than Mira. No way she'd bow out and call it quits at this stage. If there was some secret to their strength that wasn't some kind of in-born talent, she'd figure out something. She had been getting better at this with age, but probably the abundance of such strong people in this great polis would've been enough motivation to pursue higher heights faster.
-
Mira
Mira's mouth formed an 'o', and she smacked her scuffed up fists into her palm with a grin as she considered that. But then she blinked, and asked, "But wait, what's Greek?" Seemingly forgetting for a moment to think her reply instead of saying it out loud. Then she shook her head, and clenched her hands again until her arms' definition was clear. "Anyway, to answer ya question - lots and lotsa hard work really is the answer. I'm not sure how good the other stuff works for uh, vampires was it?"
Still, her smile was bright. "But more experience never hurt. Hell, think ya got more than me with those moves you were pullin'. You should come with us, see the sights, fight some folks. Maybe we'll figure somethin' out for the rest."
The martial artist looked to Malicia now. "Ya don't mind, yeah?"
-
Malicia
"Me?" Malicia asked. "Like all of my kind, I killed, I fucked, connived and consumed my way to power—unlike my lessers, I also worked hard to train my innate talents and hone them to the levels of heros. But that was a long time ago now—thousands of years, if I had to estimate."
The ancient demon queen smiled. "I now serve under my goddess at the tower, and seek simpler joys in life. She promises her followers what they desire, whether that be strength, beauty, power or skill. With the right resources and connections, one can move far in this world."
The demon pulled Mira into a hug and planted her breasts atop her girlfriend's head.
"Of course she can come. You're not the only one curious about our venerable new acquaintance Mir'"
-
Nika
"If there are any festivities you want to invite me to, I will satisfy myself with taking a spectator's seat. With certain regrets, given my current state."
She could hold on to her sanity just fine, but fighting another serious match was out of question. The vampire needed to recover for the promised bout, and come up with something worthwhile for the duel with Sakura. All those revelations and advice weren't really anything new to her, but they were certainly a worthwhile company to observe the district with.
"I have my own life stories to share too, both from my breathing days and the nights I walked, but I'd take days to tell about everything worthwhile and memorable I have experienced. If you have any specific questions, I will just answer them."
-
Mira
The martial artist blushed furiously as Malicia's height engulfed her without any particularly onerous effort. She clenched her fists, and took a deep breath, and then pushed on as though nothing was out of the ordinary. "Well, I'm plannin' to walk everywhere pretty much, so if ya care to share we'll have plenty of time."
She looked Nika over again. "Ya might wanna get somethin' to eat - er, drink, first? Sorry I'm not uh, all that appetizing or I'd offer."
The vicious biting from before had already stopped bleeding and looked to have been healing for days, rather than minutes.
-
Malicia
The demoness giggled at Mira. Her breasts were soft and served as a nice cushion that didn't feel weight against her at all, despite their size. "You can drink from me, then, since Mira's is no good. My blood should be full and tasty and you don't have to worry about drinking too much." Giving the woman a taste for her would be a good first start to a powerful working relationship, but there was no psychological pressure. She wasn't the sort of gal to abuse her powers.
Her tail snuck out from her panties and coiled loosely around Mira's gut. She wasn't going to hide her nature any further.
-
Nika
The woman had a healthy distrust of drinking from people whose nature on some level wasn't that different from her own existence. No hard feelings though, she wouldn't feel offended if this stance was mutual.
"No, thanks, I will manage." She replied, though honestly it took some willpower to reject the offer, even if she had her own principles about from whom she exactly drank blood. "I can always grab a snack on the way if I need to."
As much as she put on airs of being a spectator for time being, she was confident she had enough might to make her right even now, even in this place. She could honestly take on people like the bodybuilder Mira brutalized before their eventful duel. Walk in a park.
"Honestly, maybe enough about talking about the food. I will distract myself with the highlights of the district. You mentioned a tower, right? I don't hold any divine powers in particular regard, but the place must be fun to take glance at."
-
Nika
The woman had a healthy distrust of drinking from people whose nature on some level wasn't that different from her own existence. No hard feelings though, she wouldn't feel offended if this stance was mutual.
"No, thanks, I will manage." She replied, though honestly it took some willpower to reject the offer, even if she had her own principles about from whom she exactly drank blood. "I can always grab a snack on the way if I need to."
As much as she put on airs of being a spectator for time being, she was confident she had enough might to make her right even now, even in this place. She could honestly take on people like the bodybuilder Mira brutalized before their eventful duel. Walk in a park.
"Honestly, maybe enough about talking about the food. I will distract myself with the highlights of the district. You mentioned a tower, right? I don't hold any divine powers in particular regard, but the place must be fun to take glance at."
Mira
The martial artist did a double take while her mouth hung open in shock at something the vampire had said. Her eyes shot back and forth between her and Malicia, before finally settling on a flush and look of outrage with her fingers tightening back into fists. "H-Hey, are you saying she's not good enough for you to bite on? After she offered like that?!"
-
Nika
"I just have this principle that I don't drink from fellow predators. It's not a sign of disrespect. Her blood maybe have been too tempting if I wasn't someone who have seen enough and knew enough."
She admitted once again openly her suspicions, but she took no offense about Malicia's offer.
"I actually don't know into what exactly I'd get into if I took up your offer. But well, usually drinking a blood of people like me leads eventually to something not unlike a Faustian bargain. You're a deity or a daimon who admitted herself that it has been in your nature to prey on others like me. You are free to kick the shit out of me for being so upfront to the stronger, but I'd rather speak my piece than bottle it and find a dishonest excuse. And if all my claims are bullshit, even more fitting if you don't take this crap from me."
If Mira or her friend decided to argue back violently, she wasn't confident she'd take the beating well, but she wasn't going to politely look for lame excuse. All the hells, they could even force the blood down her throat as long as her forced her, in this might makes right world. She'd just not get into a potential blood oath just accepting it.
-
Nika
"I just have this principle that I don't drink from fellow predators. It's not a sign of disrespect. Her blood maybe have been too tempting if I wasn't someone who have seen enough and knew enough."
She admitted once again openly her suspicions, but she took no offense about Malicia's offer.
"I actually don't know into what exactly I'd get into if I took up your offer. But well, usually drinking a blood of people like me leads eventually to something not unlike a Faustian bargain. You're a deity or a daimon who admitted herself that it has been in your nature to prey on others like me. You are free to kick the shit out of me for being so upfront to the stronger, but I'd rather speak my piece than bottle it and find a dishonest excuse. And if all my claims are bullshit, even more fitting if you don't take this crap from me."
If Mira or her friend decided to argue back violently, she wasn't confident she'd take the beating well, but she wasn't going to politely look for lame excuse. All the hells, they could even force the blood down her throat as long as her forced her, in this might makes right world. She'd just not get into a potential blood oath just accepting it.
Malicia
Unlike Mira, Malicia was simply bemused by the stubborn pride of Nika. The youthful races were always so cute like this. The blue-haired archdemon raised her hand to her mouth and giggled. Mira could feel her unbound chest trembling against the top of her head as her giggle morphed into a gentle laugh. "Ehehehe... I am but a simple servant of my goddess. Compared to her, all of us are little more than ants. To be elevated to her level is flattering."
Malicia's tail snaked back and wrapped around Mira's waist again, the heart-shaped tip gently resting on the girl's ass. "Your honesty is brave, but know your limits, spawn of mortals. Most of my kin are not of such an amicable disposition as myself." Leathery wings unfurled from her back, meters long in wingspan, along with a single long horn bursting out of her forehead—not even Mira had seen her true demonic form before. Well, as true as a shapeshifting succubus lord got. "Shall we get going then? There's much to see, visit, and fight, is there not?"
-
Mira
"Uh... huh. Alright." Mira slumped as the wind was taken out of her sails, and moved her hand as if to scratch her head only to blush as it ended up in something a lot softer. She very quickly pulled her finger away. "A-Ah guess that makes sense. Don't gotta worry about being beat up or nothin.'"
She blinked as Malicia's shadow grew to have a whole lot more going on than before. She tried to get a better look, but of course that wasn't possible. "Whoa. Yeah uh, let's get a move on. Wait, are you plannin' on havin' us fly out? I uh, sure. Lemme just grab my bag again."
It was somewhere in the mess they'd made what with the cars being thrown around.
-
Nika
Maybe the way she stood up to bigger fish was some subconscious suicidal ideation from living way past a human's allotted lifespan, or she simply she had been that way naturally. Undiluted honesty rather than bowing down to their betters like subjects of satraps. But she didn't care to dwell on that when the duo offered to move on.
And the wings definitely caught her attention now. Some of her kind was sometimes capable of such things, not surprising considering folk tales sometimes associated vampires with bats and certain birds of prey.
"I'm not a predator who swoops from the night sky, but I can't help but admit it must be useful to fly. We must both dislike the ground, in our own way."
She didn't have anything on her like sizable bag. For someone 'distrustful' of taking in blood of a demon she was more casual about a prospect of a flight. But indeed she liked sky. And she was confident that she'd survive a fall at terminal velocity anyway, even if that wouldn't be most pleasant experience.
-
Malicia
Malicia let Mira go, and grinned at Nika. "Flight is the privilege of being a greater demon. The poor, helpless souls who languish in pain for eternity... what a tragedy..." She shook her head in sadness while she waited for them to gather their stuff.
-
Mira
The martial artist had to overturn about half of the car her opponent had used against her before she found her bag, and released a sigh of obvious relief when she saw that it was only a little dirty. "Great. Don't wanna be stuck wearin' one outfit the whole time." She threw the bag over her shoulder and moved back to the others with a grin on her face. "Alright, let's do this. Big training trip goin' now!"
She put her arm around Malicia's waist. "I know ya wanna fly, but don't go too high. Defeats the point if we don't got anyone shoutin' challenges."
-
Nika
The vampire didn't think she'd get the best view of the surroundings if she didn't grab Mira's leg or something along those lines. There was no fun in this rare opportunity if her vision was obscured at all, and her grip was more than adequate.
"Go ahead and take off first. I'll 'catch up'" She actually meant jumping and catching up with Mira's leg, but as if she'd plainly spell it out. Perhaps she wanted to get out some reaction after the deed was done.
-
Malicia
The archdemon just rolled her eyes at the two—those without the ability to shapeshift were always so narrow-minded. She could scarcely remember her own time as a mortal. I wonder if I was just like them too... life has such interesting turns and curves...
Her tail elongated to a several-meter long whip, and then split into nine parts, each grabbing onto a different thing before launching them off into the sky with a ground-shattering flap of her wings. Each of the younger women found a tail wrapped tightly around their waist, and Mira's luggage was grabbed by the other members. They soared high up into the sky, well over all of the buildings to get a view of the endless skyline of the megacity.
Mira felt Mal's mind micheviously poking at her.
-
Mira
"Whoa!" Mira's one-armed grip on Malicia tightened for a brief moment as they took off, but she settled in quickly to take in the sights from here. There was a sparkle in her eyes and a smile on her face as the wind whipped past them all and did its best to make a mess of their hair. "Literally the exact opposite of what ah asked ya to do!" She shouted over it all.
Cheater.
There was no heat in the rebuke.
-
Nika
She didn't ask for such help, perfectly okay with just going with her original plan of grabbing and hanging from Mira's leg. But it looked like someone else was stubborn of having to do it their way. The vampire promised to herself that she'd try to jump off before everyone landed, just for showing off.
Personally, it has been first time since she saw such vistas in the day time, but she wasn't completely taken off guard. Planes and looking down from them weren't something alien to her, but she chose to not point out the fact that she could crank up the altitude.
"This city is still stretching further than most things I've witnessed, larger than the City for sure. I need to check some time if there's clear boundary." There were many towers of glass and steel, but she was on the look for the landmark that defined the district.
-
Malicia
Cheater shmeater. This is way better than glinging to my legs and you know it. Malicia retorted with a cute smarmy tone. "There's a boundary—in the north, there's the forest. It stretches on as far as the eye can see, with increasing danger the further it goes out. In the east and south, the city is bordered by an endless ocean. And finally, in the west, an impossibly large mountain range that confounds even the greatest of rangers. Still, it's about the size of a small nation."
She soared around in lazy circles, with a gentle flap of her wings every once in a while, spending most of the time gliding along the air currents. "So, where to?"
-
Mira
"People keep tellin' me it's crazy big elsewhere - like, goin' to the stars?" Mira kept shouting, of course, because the wind was even louder now that they were moving around up here and not just hovering. "You'd just hit your head 'ere if ya didn't choke first!"
The martial artist didn't dignify that response from the demon with a comeback. She just squeezed harder, and grinned wider when doing so didn't result in broken spines.
She turned first to the other person with them. "I guess you're the new gal, so why not pick? I'm plannin' to hit everywhere in this trip!" She looked back at Malicia next. "And we're walkin' once we get outta the district. You ain't the only one gettin' exercise from this part!"
-
Nika
That was a tough question. So many possibilities even in a such small world. The unexplored wild tempted her to give it a try, but that wasn't right time and right place. To lose herself in her wanderings too much without being forged into a better self by the trials in the city first would court disaster, what remained of her common sense after those centuries basically told her. There was also the appointments she had to prepare for anyway, and of course Mira didn't clearly want to stray from the district. It took her a moment to think through her options, if you called looking at whichever piqued her interest 'thinking'. She didn't know exactly what the hell she was doing, simply pointed a finger at the tallest building around. How she would be able to make out things perfectly from such an altitude anyway? She was a vampire, not a hawk, sharp senses didn't mean being some kind of a sensory Swiss knife.
"The taller the building, the more it must brimg with athletes, fighters and challengers. Like a stadium, but a vertical. I wonder how strong the walls are built for arenas." She tried to come up with a logic behind her rather arbitrary choice, putting on the airs of actually knowing what she was talking about. If that actually convinced anyone, she had no clue and she didn't care too much.
-
Malicia
The tower that pierced the heavens was of course, the Pleasure Palace. The immense building soared up through the sky and pierced through the clouds. It was a gargantuan monument to excess that could even be seen this far away.
"Hm hmm... you want to visit my home, huh?" Malica muttered. She stopped flying, hovering silently as she thought about Mira, and Vanilla. Ultimately though, she knew Mira was a strong lass. And she knew Vanilla had a good heart. She wouldn't come to bother them. And Mira had asked Nika to choose.
So,Malicia turned towards the tower. She soared through the skies, carrying the two towards it. "Very well then!"