Fantasy &nbsp; New Oasis: Four Heavenly Kings

Doctor Llamabean @Coyote Hart @Damafaud @Nobody Special

SCENE:

Phoenixes Arc 3: Scene 2 [Tactical Mayhem]

LOCATION:

CDPD-HQ, Upper Central District

PARTICIPANTS:

Ashley, Bandy, Boltius, Callista, Dyne, Eric, Gideon, Inigo, Jericho, Tatsuya

TACTICAL MAYHEM

Sprawled out on a bed of shattered glass and sharp rock, Ashley opened his eyes and awakened to find that the world was still on fire. His vision was still blurry, and the scenery seemed to shake each time his brain trembled from the aftershocks of pain, but his other senses picked up on the destruction around him. A smokey, rust-like odor filled his nostrils, and his tongue drowned in the familiar taste of iron.

As the red glow faded from his eyes, the images they captured became clearer. He noticed the nearby wreckage that blocked his view, and he struggled to remember when he left the car. A loud, irritating ringing played in his ears as he picked at the pieces of forcibly scattered memories, making it even harder to recall. Moments before everything went dark, he tried handing off the wheel of the denali to another Phoenix and went to hold off the masked enemies that halted the getaway. Then there was a powerful shockwave and the terrible sound of crunching metal.

Pushing against the ground, he slowly pulled himself together. As he did so, blood trickled down from his head. His hair was more red than black, having filled in the dark spaces between each bright streak with his own crimson. Even compared to his appearance from a few moments ago, he was looking rough, but that didn't concern him. As he collected his scrambled thoughts, he could only think about the others.

When he finally found his way to his feet, he scanned the ruined area to find any sign of his friends. In spite of his current state, he spotted them quickly, but it brought him no relief. He felt nothing but worry as he watched Bolt charge in, his body bathed in scorching flames.

DUMBASS!

Gritting his teeth, Ashley put all of his remaining strength into his legs and clumsily chased after the Ace. The panic-fueled beats of his heart were loud, counting down every precious second. They only intensified when he saw the blonde woman effortlessly evade Boltius.

He'd been reliving his biggest regrets all day, but those horrific memories were more vivid now than ever. Once again, he was about to lose everything, powerless to do anything about it. He wanted to deny it with all of his heart, but with nothing except stubborn will and refusal to repeat the past, he was well-aware that he couldn't beat the people who were trying to rip away what little he had left. At the very least, he wanted to buy time for everyone to escape. That should have been his job, not Bolt's. The Phoenixes could afford to lose a no-name piece of shit. They couldn't lose one of their leaders.

He ran ahead, but in a moment, all of his determination was snuffed out, made to crumble along with the earth beneath his feet. With an outstretched arm, he fell, failing to reach the person in front of him as his vision became clouded by debris. He could feel his heart sink along with him. Even after all this time, he couldn't pull through when it mattered most. Absolutely nothing about him had changed.

Feeling the rushing wind, Ashley clenched his fist and looked around as the world sped by. This wasn't the time for an undeserved pity party. If there was still time to feel sorry for himself, then there was sure as hell time to do something else. He wasn't dead yet.

Catching a glimpse of a more familar streak of golden hair, Ashley reached out, trying to grab Callista's hand and pull her close. He couldn't fly, and he couldn't slow them down, but he could at least take the hit for someone else. That's all he was ever really good for. If he could get even one person out of this, then he could say he did at least one decent thing with his life.

Sorry...

@angel doe

Roda the Red @simj26 @W I N T E R

joshuadim · Mar 22, 2023

EMIEL

SCENE:

Phoenixes Arc 3: Scene 1 [Follow the Lightning]

LOCATION:

South District

PARTICIPANTS:

Hitoshi, Noa, Ryoma

FOLLOW THE LIGHTNING

The few of the Oranjese that Noa launched herself at were taken completely by surprise by her sudden outburst of energy, rage, and speed as she latched onto one of them and knocked him down to the floor. The others around him stumbled back in the shock of the moment as she began to bash the man's head into the concrete pavement below ruthlessly as he screamed out, which were quickly sileneced by successive slams that caused blood to splatter from around his head from the sheer force of the impact. He was *very* dead, but the others quickly recomposed themselves and charged at Noa with anger at seeing one of their own fall in such a manner. They cursed at her in their language, which she could not understand, but quickly saw the attacks that were coming her way.

The chain wielding thug that Tyr had wounded had visible bandages and rudimentary medical work on him, but was clearly able to fight again as he sent a current through his current chain, the electricity sparking from it with visible tendrils, as he spun it about and launched it at Noa. The chain hit directly, shocking Noa and delivering a nasty lash as she stumbled back, but she didn't care through the sheer rage that passed through her body much to the shock of the man as he took a step back and gasped in shock. His comrades quickly rushed at her as well, one with molten hot fists and the other with a dagger like claws as they charged to attack Noa simultaneously.

Tyr in the meantime engaged with the one he had fought back at Sajeems, the air projectile thrower, but also the one Ryoma fought with his multiple impact attacks as they both charged at Tyr. The latter had now been equipped with armor plating and defenses covering his body as to make sure he was capable of withstanding more damage and keep up the attack more than his last brawl; he swung several times at Tyr with his fists, which he was able to dodge with ease thank to his powers to sense the oncoming attacks. But this was also compounded with the coming air attacks that compounded the flurried assault towards him as he swung his blade about to deflect or even chop projectiles in his wake. One slipped by his guard however and delivered a nasty cut towards his ribs and sent a wave of pain rippling from the point of impact.

This left Ryoma facing with Emiel by himself as he motioned his head to the side to where the two could have a respectable one on one. "You watch over the others." Emiel spoke to the portal opening goon behind him, "I want to be with this one myself."

The man looked at Emiel skeptically, before darting his gaze towards Ryoma and then back at his superior before giving a hesitant nod and walked over to where the others were fighting, staying well behind to watch when he was needed. Ryoma and Emiel in the meantime walked to another part of the warehouse a fair distance away with the latter getting into a combat stance as he took off his suit jacket and cracked his neck. "Just you and me. Give me a good fight, will you?" he said with a smirk, "An honourable fight." He crouched slightly and got into a combat stance that Ryoma was unfamiliar with, though he could infer it was likely an Oranjese style since the man seemed so comfortable with it. "Lets go!"

HITOSHI YAMAKAWA

SCENE:

Phoenixes Arc 3: Scene 1 [Follow the Lightning]

LOCATION:

South District

PARTICIPANTS:

Hitoshi, Noa, Ryoma

FOLLOW THE LIGHTNING

Hitoshi watched as the fighting broke out from where he was chained up with wide eyes and his mouth agape as he couldn't comprehend what was going on. Why... why are they here? he wondered to himself, I don't deserve to be saved. I don't deserve to be bled and hurt over. The Oranjese boss also watched, giving a moment of reprieve for Hitoshi as he chuckled. "Outnumbered... these fools are going to die." he commented with sheer arrogance as he shouldered the pipe's weight with amusement. "It won't be just you dying today it seems." He turned back to Hitoshi with a mocking grin, "It's what you deserve after the shit you said."

Hitoshi looked at the man, completely bewildered, before something snapped in his mind. "I... don't... EVEN... REMEMBER... LAST FUCKING NIGHT!!!" he screamed as he tugged on his bindings with brute force. A vengeful fury took hold of Hitoshi's mind as he gritted his teeth: "I'M NOT LETTING YOU HURT THEM!" he yelled out as the chains bent, and then snapped entirely much to the shock of the Oranjese boss as he stumbled back a few steps. He didn't have enough time to react as Hitoshi's fist collided with his face, sending him stumbling back to the ground.

There were no other words to be exchanged, just violence as Hitoshi glared at the Oranjese man with a hateful look as blood stained his mouth from the beating he had taken earlier and marched on approach to the man as he got back up quickly and got ready to fight to the death as it seemed.

Interacting: Ryoma (

Stros ), Tyr and Noa (

Peckinou )

Sei Shonagon · Mar 22, 2023

Kaede Shimokōbe

SCENE:

New Oasis Arc 3: Scene 2 [The Dragon and the Phoenix]

LOCATION:

Eastern Edge of Upper Central District

PARTICIPANTS:

alabama family reunion

The dragon and the Phoenix

Was it over? The lack of barked orders and explosions that racked through the earth hinted at it. It was a strange kind of silence, the kind that followed you to Sunday mass after attending a funeral the Saturday before. When the rain was still an overarching memory on ruddy cheeks and the damp earth whose shadows grew longer, darker, in the absence of the sun. They extended to under lids that twitched at the murmur of voices and then scattered alongside the arms that had kept her safe.

Kaede hit the ground with a thud and grunt, one that was quickly whisked away from lungs by the foot that jabbed into her ribs. “Gh-!” Her body curled in on itself to contain the pain and the brown eyes snapped to life with a glare. They seared into the dark figure that was hovering above while the pain welled up from below. Aching, trembling, glassy. Kaede burnt Helva’s silhouette into her retinas until all that remained was a stubborn dryness. Empty.

That was, at least, until the latter returned the heat with equally scalding words. “...” She…was not wrong. A low groan followed as she averted her face. The pavement felt cool against her cheek, distracting with its pebbles and dust that lined it. She pressed into it further and let it dig away at the stale taste of nicotine that met her tongue on the other side. Dry. Kaede swallowed the rebuttals whole, sandpapery regrets and all.

The growing distant sound of footsteps tugged at her limbs to move. She heaved herself up from the ground and clutched her ribs through the motion of straightening her back. What a great start to her comeback. First the fiasco with the peace negotiations and now this. She smoothed her digits over the sore spot and glanced at the appointed ‘guard’. Her gaze trailed away over the Night Witch’s shoulder in the direction of the scene and lingered for a few seconds. Then she turned silently away and started trekking down the road.

tldr: kaede got her ASS HANDED TO HER, then she started the long journey home

Peckinou interaction

The Regal Rper · Mar 22, 2023

(OG) Dante | Rabbit Casino, West | The Princess' Penthouse

"We're leaving" Hidemi hissed as both Wilst and Kalligra helped him to his unsteady feat. He could feel a swollen, angry bump on his head. And if his understanding of what was going on was right from what Wilst had just said, it was time to leave.

A pool of green swirling light opened up beneath them and with Jillet's shield raised to defend against any further attacks from Yukito, the quartet began sinking into the floor. "Alice and her friend can handle themselves. Let's focus on evacuating the clientele."

They vanished into the ground- the green light disappearing- and a second after, Jillet's shield. Reappearing from the ground nearby a group of frightened clients, that Hidemi smiled at brightly.

"I'm sorry about the problems in tonight's entertainment dear guest, why don't we get you all to safety" he touched the wall they were next to and it glowed a shifting green spectrum.

That, caught attention. Enough attention that even as Wilst spoke- it became obvious they were creating an exit for people to filter through. With Wilst urging those nearby to hurry.

Hector's divided focus was exactly the kind of thing Dante could capitalize on. With the table thrown and Alice deflecting it, Dante, felt the shield he had constructed in his mind's eye as it formed into reality at his side and then compacted around his arm as he leaped upwards, shooting out an energy limb to reel himself to a higher vantage point. Erecting the shield on his arm, to block whatever attack Hector might send his way.

As he sailed skywards, getting a bird's eye view of what exactly Charlie was doing as Alice approached him to a stop, he released the energy limb from its perch, snug in the ceiling, and twisted acrobatically, throwing his shield at a pillar while upside down--

--it ricocheted off it with a thud and bounced off another pillar as it began to gain a subtle blue glow with everything it bounced off of.

Descending to the ground now thanks to gravity, Dante took a look at his surroundings.

Place was a mess. Alice had reached Charlie. Hector was after her- there was another phoenix, Yukito, ice abilities- heading out as we speak now that the guards were no longer in the picture or no longer focused on helping. With the explosions he was certain he'd heard far below seconds ago- there was no doubt the integrity of this whole place was in question. Hector however didn't seem like the sort of person to care about the stuff outside of his target goals.

Limbs glowing emerald green- while the guards cleared out as many people they could reach around them to Hidemi's improvised exit, Dante lashed out at Hector with a fist of energy that went streaking towards him like a launched spear. Sending a twisting, midair kick down at the Queen.

He hoped all this effort he was being put through would be worth it. Else he'd be livid if Alice just up and decided to go with them after all.

Mentions:

Roda the Red

AriAriAbabwa

Interactions:

Elenion Aura · Mar 22, 2023

MILO NAGISA

SCENE:

New Oasis Arc 3: Scene 1 [PASSERI PARK'S ULTRA PASSIONATE MELODY ONSLAUGHT]

LOCATION:

Central District

PARTICIPANTS:

Pascal, Gavril, Milo, Jackson

THE HOTEL BETWIX

Milo braced himself, his gaze darting between Gav and the twelve suspended people, cocooned in a gossamer-like substance. As he reached out to accept Gav's offering, the enormity of his responsibility weighed heavy upon him. With a determined exhale, Milo chose to trust his instincts and the peculiar bond he'd formed with his sketchbook. His hand reached out.

The rescued souls, now connected to Milo by a filament of raw energy, spun gracefully into the refuge of his sketchbook's pages. A swell of emotion surged through him.

With a wry grin, Milo glanced up at Gav and nodded. "Got them!" he yelled, his voice a cocktail of exhilaration and somber determination. Alas, their triumph was short-lived as another powerful tremor jolted the building. Panic-stricken, Milo struggled to maintain balance before being enshrouded in an inky, sinewy cocoon.

Moments later, Milo found himself on solid ground, but the ground's shuddering persisted. "I'm fine," he mumbled, more to reassure himself than to inform Elizabeth. His golden eyes narrowed with resolve, his heart hammering in his chest. Time was of the essence. The building's groans and quivers signaled their need for a hasty retreat. He opened his mouth to speak, but the contestants burst forth from his back pocket, tumbling onto the trio.

Bewildered by the sudden explosion of people from his sketchbook, Milo couldn't help but chuckle at the sheer absurdity of it all. Coughing, he rose to his feet, dusting himself off. He surveyed the pandemonium around them, noting the confusion, terror, and disbelief etched on the contestants' faces as they grappled with their second chance at life. His eyes lingered on the tattered sketchbook, its pages frayed but still whole. Gathering his wits, he nodded in agreement with Elizabeth's suggestion.

"She's right," Milo proclaimed, his voice raised to be heard above the clamor of voices and the building's groaning. "We need to leave. Immediately."

Milo, Gav, and Elizabeth, accompanied by the disoriented contestants, scrambled through the rubble towards the exit. As they navigated the precarious structure, Milo silently thanked the peculiar twist of fate that had enabled him to rescue those people, though he knew not entirely from whence it came. Without it... He shuddered at the thought.

Bidding adieu to Gav, Elizabeth, and the rest, they each resolved to part ways and seek safety. He hoped they made it.

As Milo continued to distance himself from the wreckage, his steps started to feel lighter somehow. Life was unpredictable, chaotic, and often unrelenting in its cruelty, and yet... And yet. Perhaps there was still hope. Somewhere.

@The One Eyed Bandit

The Regal Rper
@Anne Boolean

BriiAngelic

Roda the Red · Mar 22, 2023

ERIC EVENSEN

CS Link

SCENE:

Phoenixes Arc 3: Scene 2 [Tactical Mayhem]

LOCATION:

CDPD HQ, Upper Central Disctrict

PARTICIPANTS:

Ashley, Boltius, Eric, Gideon, Inigo, Roza, Tatsuya

TACTICAL MAYHEM

With hurried steps, Eric rushed to the wounded officers who laid on the ground, near the vicinity of the courtyard. He examined his injured comrades, trying to think of what was the next approach the help them out, alongside any able-bodied nearby cop who could help him. He spent the next several minutes asking demanding for and applying gauze, concentrating the heat of his light in order to cauterize wounds, and even took off his shirt, tearing it to strips in order to form torniquettes around the more severe gashes or punctures.

"Detective, you don't need to do this, the paramedics will be here soon"

"I'm busy"

"But Detective! The phoenix-"

"Shut the hell up"

The lower-ranked soldier closed his mouth immediately.

"I'll go help as soon as I'm done here" He said as he gently held onto the unconscious wounded, their body weak, but now stabilized.

Eric was frustrated with himself, he knew that things were bad, but never imagined that the situation had escalated this drastically. He was angry with himself, angry for wasting his time chasing the tail of criminals around, meanwhile his allies, the people who could even call friends, were getting killed by the attackers. As he finished performing first aid to the best of his ability, he caught from the corner of his eye the sight of a new group, masked officers that detective had never seen before. However, amidst these mysterious attackers, he recognized a single face, one that he had seen prior only through photographs.

"Chief Zaysteva..."

The detective had been informed from Chief Nakazayo about her, of how the woman was not to be trusted completely. She lead the new attack against the phoenixes, surprising the detective by her ability which sent a heavy vehicle flying through the air, colliding right on top of another vehicle, presumably owned by the gangsters. These people were technically their allies, but something about this was feeling extremely off. You could call it a detective's intuition, or just plain, raw intimidation at play. Eric's eyes grew wider as he saw Inigo attempting to stop Yelena, his worries only getting worse as a new battle broke out in the middle of the courtyard.

But then, something else broke.

Tremors that just a moment ago might have felt as nearly interceptible increased drastically and exponentially, almost throwing everyone around off-balance. And then, bad turned to worse, as the courtyard crumble, rubble and people alike falling straight down.

"Ini."

Eric broke into a sprint, heading straight towards the sinkhole, once he had reached the edge, he jumped down. narrowing his body and diving his head down, Eric increased his velocity and slowly managed to catch up to the silver-haired Sergeant. The detective thrust his hand forward, as the other one charged a ball of light.

"Ini, over here!"

Direct Interaction: @simj26
In Scene: @Nobody Special @Damafaud @angel doe @W I N T E R

Doctor Llamabean @Coyote Hart

Lucem

WhiskeyMarten · Mar 22, 2023

HIDE, RAQUEL & ZACH VS LUCKY RABBIT CASINO

SCENE:

Phoenixes Arc 3: Scene 3 [Whole World Blind]

LOCATION:

Lucky Rabbit Casino - Floor 9, West District

PARTICIPANTS:

Charlie, Hector, Hide, Raquel, Yukito, Zachariah
Alicia, Dante

WHOLE WORLD BLIND

The white and black haired man fiddled restlessly with the bloody crowbar in his hand. He scowled, eyes finally catching sight of the crazed cannibal. Hide smirked, confused but smug at her inability to speak, and satisfied at seeing her an already bloody mess. “Hah, finally quiet huh? What- cat got your tongue? Nothin to say Darling?” He murmured quieter, more so to himself as his eyes narrowed. “Should’a been like this the first time we met…” he fiddled with his crowbar once more, his grip a constant anxious adjustment. Sucks he couldnt kill a fellow Phoenix.

“Now, now~ Let’s leave that until after the mission’s done with,” Zach injected amusedly as his all-seeing gaze took in the ravaged Ruby Room. The shattered table and chairs. The hole in the wall. The three huddled in the back, as far away from the fighting as possible. Finally, the dead body, bitten and headless. He’d hate to add another to the mess.

Bang!

A bullet hit the ceiling in case the bull, or the other, was too battle-frenzied to notice.

Smoke drifted from the gun barrel as it moved–from were it was pointed upward–back to Rufus’s temple where it was more visible. Zach twisted the NP’s arm behind their back, his God Eye(s) drifting from Taurus to Irwin while he studied their potentials behind his shades; Mainly Irwin’s as Taurus’s is fairly obvious. “I apologise for the intrusion gentlemen, but kindly back away from our delightfully ravenous lady.”

Despite the smile on his face, Zach’s words were serious and he didn’t have a problem with painting the room the lovely color it was named after. He could see how eager Hide was to start fighting again as well.

Irwin, paused. He glanced from the gunslinger to Hide and his brows furrowed staring at them. Casually he seemed to lift his hands, least till the watch on his wrist made it to his mouth he said.

“Doug’s with them.” And left it flatly at that as he backed away slowly, hands partially raised.

“Youz guys got quite the sack coming to Tiger den and startin sucha ruckus.” The pale, nigh-scrawny fellow with sickly yellow eyes commented despite knowing quite well how tight this situation was now. “Cannibal here is the worst of you lot.” He added casually. “She always have such poor table manners?”

“Gotta be bold if ya wanna make a statement~ If ya ever meet Weiss, tell ‘im this is payment for the Claw.” Facing Irwin, Zach didn’t have to turn to see what Gourmet and Taurus were up to. “Can’t comment on her table manners, I’m afraid. Momma always hated mine~”

Meanwhile Raquel was in the process of trying to sumo wrestle the damned bovine. Well it was nice for Zach to pitch in with a bullet, it didn’t change the trajectory of the horns that cut her arms. Though she had enough strength to subdue the bullman and narrow her eyes at Zach and Hide.

She still needed to kill the rest of the businessmen. One of them was incapacitated, the other was dead, one of them was currently being held hostage by Zach, while the others huddled pitifully in some corner. “Out… of… time…?” The words slowly came out and accompanied with droplets of blood leaking from her mouth. Her tongue slowly being regenerated by her HP.

Snort.

Taurus had heard the gunshot but was too preoccupied with the cannibal to pay attention to it immediately, and was too wound up to listen to reason anyway. He continued to grapple with her until she regained the upper hand once more, despite her blood now dripping from his horns.

He turned his head finally to see what the ruckus was down the hall, seeing Irwin confront Zach, and Hide, though his focus was on helpless Rufus.

“LET HIM GO,” Taurus bellowed, trying to kick Raquel away, ”HE’S INNOCENT.”

Hide scoffed, his grip tightening on the metal in his hands. “Innocent? Yeah right. There ain't no innocents in this world.” He shrugged, a smile on his face. “Hate to break it to ya.” He laughed, eyes shining with simmering revulsion.

“Yes, Dear. Time is running out and I get the feeling Queenie’s gonna need our help downstairs. Just a hunch though~” Zach nodded at Hide to tie Irwin up. Or knock him out. Hide’s preference really. Zach wasn’t even sure if his fellow Phoenix got the not-so-subtle gesture. To the bovine, Zach said simply. “Maybe I wasn’t clear enough the first time~”

Pressing the muzzle of the gun harder against a quivering Rufus’s skull, Zach’s gaze met the defiant minotaur’s. “Stop moving or I will blow up his head.”

WhiskeyMarten · Mar 23, 2023

水屋雪翔 MIZUYA YUKITO

SCENE:

Phoenixes Arc 3: Scene 3 WHOLE WORLD BLIND

LOCATION:

Lucky Rabbit Casino - 1st Floor, West District

PARTICIPANTS:

Alicia, Charlie, Dante, Hector, Hide, Yukito, Raquel, Zachariah

WHOLE WORLD BLIND

“Alright.”

Yukito looked down at Charlie as he tore the corpses from limb to limb. It was a gruesome sight, but he was prepared for it by the Queen, so he turned his attention back to the guards. He was too late to catch the portal before it vanished into thin air, but he didn’t need to. Without delay he flew onto the main floor, seeing the portal’s reemergence, along with the brewing fight between his sponsor and the Tiger.

Pillars fell around him, knocked astray by Dante, though thankfully Yukito was agile enough to dodge them while Alice ran past through to where Charlie had now bludgeoned Nico’s face to mush. As the pillars fell, they collided with the ground, both crumbling into the ground below, kicking up dust and debris with it. It was nothing like the scene Yukito had viewed through the vent grates earlier.

The gargoyle looked onward to the new evacuation route the guards were organizing. Yukito’s job wasn’t to kill civilians, he had no way of knowing which were Tigers, but it did bring up a worrisome point. He looked down at Hector and Dante, making a beeline towards them.

THUNK.

The sound of clanging metal could barely be heard in the chaos.

WhiskeyMarten · Mar 23, 2023

HECTOR MOSES

SCENE:

Phoenixes Arc 3: Scene 3 [Whole World Blind]

LOCATION:

Lucky Rabbit Casino - 1st Floor, West District

PARTICIPANTS:

On the floor: Alice[, Charlie, Dante, Hector, Nico, Yukito
Elsewhere: Hide, Raquel, Zachariah

WHOLE WORLD BLIND

The shock of the attack jolted through Hector’s arm as his shield dented from the blow. It almost sounded like the Queen was growling in response, his teeth gritted in fury. He fought back at Dante with his sword in a series of throws, regrowing the blade each time while the shield rippled and regained its integrity.

“Pharaoh!”

Yukito flew in from above, aiming to land on his foe’s shoulders and envelop his surroundings in an icy flurry. The surprise may have been better had he not spoken first, but time wasn’t a resource they had in abundance, and so he had to reach out to Hector quickly.

"They’re evacuating."

”Is she gone?”

Though his attacks were frenzied as was expected of the mad Queen, he hadn’t forgotten at all what their goal was, even if he’d let her out of sight for a moment. It fuelled Hector’s sword assault with more ferocity.

Yukito recalled his entry to the main floor. Ahead of the falling pillars, he saw her, the same girl he had briefly seen escape over his head before. And if it was her, then…

”She went back there. Temperer’s fighting.”

Fighting might’ve been the wrong word, implying a fairer fight than the no holds barred beatdown Charlie had delivered, but there was no time for details. Both parties entered silence as they focused on the fight ahead, cogs turning in both their minds.

Lucem · Mar 23, 2023

DAMIAN

SCENE:

Serpents Arc 3: Scene 1 [Thicker Than Water]

LOCATION:

Mysterious Black Site, North District

PARTICIPANTS:

Damian, August, Julian, Kinsley, Kisara, Kyoden, Peyton, Raphael, Sabrina, Shinko

THICKER THAN WATER

With one of his hands already taken by Kinsley, Damian slipped the tip of one of his tentacles into Julian's grasp. His pitch-black eyes never left the stranger, and the people around him were quickly forgotten as his brain birthed a neverending series of questions. However, before he was able to voice any of them, Stingray's comment reached his ears and broke through the mental noise.

Now that he thought about it, the group had shrunk. Neither the Queen nor the amnesiac were present, having been absent since the hallways were melted away by a false scenery. Losing both of them was a shame, especially in the case of Snake. It was unlikely that Damian would ever find another subject capable of bestowing Potential, and he would have liked to learn more.

Oh well.

Ultimately, the safety of Caio and Kyoden were of no concern to him. Even though it meant losing two interesting individuals, he had no issue with leaving them behind. The warehouse had nothing left to offer him, and now there was new blood to take the place of those who were no longer here. The fascinating new subject in front of him had completely replaced the missing Serpents in his mind, both of them forgotten. In the grand scheme of things, it wasn't a major sacrifice. Everything he found interesting about the Queen could now be found in a syringe.

Right now, he only wanted to leave this place and satisfy his curiosity about the pale blond, but Damian realized that doing so would take quite some time. The Serpents in front of him worked in tandem to carry the unconscious woman, but there seemed to be some struggle due to their injuries. While their condition was unimportant, their speed was another matter. It was far too slow for his liking.

In response to his nonverbal commands, the two tentacles at his side rushed ahead. Sticking close together, they slid underneath the trio and hoisted them up. Still speeding onward, they served as an unorthodox chariot, their dark muscles acting as cushions.

As two of his appendages handled the wounded, three more detached themselves from Damian's back, writhing and expanding as they collapsed on the floor. One slipped between the legs of him, Kinsley, and Julian, raising them up. The other two were available for the other Serpents, but he never checked to see if they actually climbed aboard the sucker-covered mounts.

He willed his massive limbs to move and guide them out of the dark. As the ride began, he focused on Julian one again. Now he could give the man his undivided attention. But what question was best to start with? There were so many options to choose from.

AriAriAbabwa

Beann @Coyote Hart

Doctor Llamabean

Elenion Aura @Kyuubey

QuirkyAngel

Sei Shonagon @simj26

Elenion Aura · Mar 23, 2023

RAPHAEL SHAW

SCENE:

Serpents Arc 3: Scene 1 [Thicker Than Water]

LOCATION:

Dank Hallway, Mysterious Black Site, North District

PARTICIPANTS:

August, Damian, Kinsley, Kisara, Kyo, Peyton, Raph, Sab, Shinko

THICKER THAN WATER

Raph raised an eyebrow at Julian, his grey eyes flicking between Damian and the curious onlookers. The corners of his lips twitched, threatening to break into a smirk. "Happy?" Darling, don't mistake proximity for affection," he scoffed, the sharp edge of his voice tempered by the mercurial glint in his eyes. Then another Serpent piped up, and the mirth drained from his face like it had never been there at all.

Raph listened to Sabrina's words, his dark eyes, the color of blood, narrowing as he considered her questions. He absently toyed with a strand of his jet-black hair, his mind retracing the dark memories from his time in captivity.

"Leaving the Queen behind?" he mused, his voice dripping with disdain. Caio was here. Caio had come to save him? He paused, his narrow eyes narrowing further as a flicker of anger ignited within him.

"Obviously I'm not, you miserable c—" Raph stopped himself. He had to remember that he was the rescued, and these his rescuers. It wouldn't suit to badmouth them to their faces. Did he care? He honestly didn't know. Only one thing was certain. Like Hells he would leave Caio to suffer like he'd suffered. The rest of Sabrina’s flurry of questions went unanswered. Raph’s one-track mind had shifted gears. He would go back. Kisara’s current state was the only thing that rooted him in place, for now. Wasn’t it?

Raph watched Kinsley approach. He knew that they all wanted answers, but he was still trying to make sense of the chaotic memories himself. He couldn't ignore the pull of loyalty he felt toward Caio, but he was also aware of the precarious situation they were all in.

As Kinsley reached for Damian's hand, Raph allowed a small, wry smile to play on his lips. There was something almost touching—in a sickening, nausea-inducing kind of way—about the way they clung to each other amidst the chaos, finding solace in one another even as the world threatened to collapse around them. It made him wonder… If it happened for some of them? Then why not… As the pretty thoughts circled 'round inside his mind, Raph watched the interactions between his fellow Serpents, the jealousy and camaraderie in their expressions like a strange, discordant melody playing out before him. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but something deep within him seemed to stir in response.

Enough. Raph straightened, his resolve hardening like steel. He would see Kisara to safety. Then return for Caio. As Peyton took the lead, Raph fell into step beside him, one hand still supporting Kisara. He glanced sidelong at the younger Serpent—no, that wasn't quite right; not a Serpent, not anymore—his dark eyes appraising. He might’ve spoken up, but August beat him to it. Raph's eyes flicked to August. He wondered... There was no room for it now.

As the thunderous footsteps grew louder, the guttural snarls and howls of their pursuers echoing through the dark corridor, Raph’s heart jumped. Sweat suddenly beaded his brow, his eyes suddenly wide with fear. He knew what those sounds meant. He fell into step with August, matching his pace as they hurried through the dimly lit hallways. Even as the sounds of the approaching wall of flesh drew nearer.

Raph, feeling the sudden shift beneath his feet, glanced back to see Damian's tentacles lifting them off the ground, speeding up their escape. He gritted his teeth, tension and irritation rising from the uncomfortable sensation and the strange, unexpected assistance. He wasn’t a child. As they continued to race through the dark, Raph couldn't shake the unease that crept up his spine. The unknown was an unwelcome guest in his life, and the situation was as unpredictable as ever.

He cast a wary glance behind them, peeling his eyes for any sign of their pursuers. Still nothing. They seemed to be gaining some distance. And as the echoing howls and snarls grew fainter, Raph's focus shifted back to the task at hand: don’t fall off the tentacles.

Roda the Red · Mar 23, 2023

CHARLIE HUGHES

SCENE:

Phoenixes Arc 3: Scene 3 [Whole World Blind]

LOCATION:

Lucky Rabbit Casino, West District

PARTICIPANTS:

Alicia, Charles, Dante, Hector, Hide, Yukito, Raquel, Zachariah

WHOLE WORLD BLIND

The earthquake didn't stop yet, the unfamiliar feeling of the floor endlessly shaking was still on full effect, adding to the explosions that recently went off below them, it was but a matter of time before the entire place collapsed, they had several minutes left at best.

Charlie turned to his side, the direction where he could spot Hector fighting at a considerable distance away from him. He took a step forward, settled on helping out his queen to perform his mission. Or at least, that was the plan, before a familiar voice reached his ears.

"Charlie...?"

In an instant, his tunnel vision disintegrated, the scope of his vision widening, finally out of his trance. His eyes widened as he spotted the small frame adorned with long golden locks.

"...Alice?"

How strange, just a moment ago, his body was ready to face a hundred battles if necessary, a fierce and unwavering warrior eager to jump into the fray. A loyal soldier through and through, on his way to serve his leader. But now, every single drop of energy was sapped away from his body, weak and shaky legs giving, collapsing from the weight of his own body. The rookie's stress skyrocketed as his mind started to put the pieces of the puzzle together.

"T-The target...Y-you...but how, but why!?...A-Alice, your eye!"

Bloodied hands covered his mouth as reality started to set completely. Of course things had to take this direction. Fate was simply that cruel, that indifferent to the feelings of its participants, all that matter is to set events in motion, their meaning forever kept a mystery. It all started to make sense: The description, the talents, the associations, how could he not have realized sooner that the woman they were looking for was the same he tried to protect all those months back, the woman that cheered him up on that one rainy day, the woman who had ultimately touched his heart, what had now turned into a painful grip that crushed him.

He also finally understood the extent of his sins. Charlie gave a quick look behind him, staring at the corpse of his making, now with newfound horror and repulsion. He let the heat of the moment get the better of him, he let words that he only believed half-heartedly control his actions...Nay, no words, no indoctrination and no rush of adrenaline was truly to blame.

It was all his fault. He took a life and there was no going back.

"I...I'm so sorry" His voice broke into a jarring high pitch, his face scrunching up in an ugly manner as tears started to flow uncontrollably. Charlie had lost the battle, his will to fight crushed under the weight of his guilt.

Tempering status: Half-Activation

Nearby:

AriAriAbabwa

In Scene:

FabulousTrash · Mar 23, 2023

Kanna Katsura - Azure Dragons - Jack [CS LINK]
Scene - Arc 3, Scene 2 | The Dragon and the Phoenix
Location - Central District
Mentions/Interactions - Helva, Isaiah, Meirin, Rin, Shen, Vulken, Yong-Yut

As Kanna drifted closer towards Meirin, her eyes caught the sight of Shen and Lyric also in the area. The Jack listened as the Phoenix king shouted out their orders, followed by Meirin saying similar words, with Shen reinforcing them.

She watched as Shen turned to face Meirin, his back towards Kanna. The words he spoke weren't audible to her, yet Kanna had a small feeling she knew what was being said. Moments later, she watched as he and Lyric departed, moving back inward towards the center of Central. Kanna took a breath in, about to call out towards her King, but nothing came out of her mouth. The fight with Helva had left her exhausted, not to mention the many injuries she endured because of it. But she was the Jack, was she not?

I'm supposed to be stronger than this...

Kanna could hear Isaiah's voice in her ear as she neared him. She simply shook her head. When she was close enough to Meirin's shoulder, Kanna allowed herself to drift downward until her feet were resting on something solid. However, she immediately collapsed, her hands planted in front of her to keep her falling face first, as both the pain in her injured leg and her exhaustion was becoming more noticeable, the adrenaline that fueled her earlier fading away. Kanna's breathing was audible and heavy. Her eyes looked forward, towards the direction Shen and Lyric had gone. She wanted to follow them, but a part of her mind told her that Shen wouldn't want that. Plus, her body was also refusing to cooperate.

Fine... I give in...

First, it was the white-haired man and the couple. Kanna wasn't able to defeat them and lost.
Now this. Could she consider her fight against Helva a victory? Both were still standing, and from what it felt like, Kanna came out more injured than her opponent.

Doubt was beginning to cloud the Jack's mind, but for the moment she pushed those thoughts aside. This wasn't the time to dwell on herself.

Slowly but surely, Kanna pushed herself back up onto her feet, gripping on the cloth of Meirin's clothing for support. After a few deep breaths, she turned to look at Isaiah. Her voice was quiet and tired.

"When we get back... you and I... need to talk. But first, we need to recover the injured and the dead. Have Meirin pick up who she can and carry them in her hand. I'll be right behind you."

Before Isaiah could protest, Kanna stepped off Meirin's shoulder, floating back downward. She immediately began helping those who were too injured to move up to their feet, regardless of what gang they were from. It was a long shot, but Kanna wanted to at least show that a truce between the two gangs was still possible. Despite everything that happened.

It was never supposed to end like this.

AriAriAbabwa · Mar 23, 2023

Alicia Morel

SCENE:

Phoenixes Arc 3: Scene 3 [Whole World Blind]

LOCATION:

Lucky Rabbit Casino; Alice's Penthouse

PARTICIPANTS:

Alice, Dante, Charlie, Hector, Hide, Mizuya, Raquel, Zach

Whole World Blind

The Regal Rper

Roda the Red

weatheringwings
It couldn't have been. There was no way it could've been. No matter how he erupted in shock at her—as the boy she knew and... yearned for—she didn't want to believe it.

But that was impossible. Not when what was left of Nico's face stained his hands. Not when she focused on the boy's demeanor, aligning perfectly with how she remembered Charlie... But he was her friend. Why would he do this? Friends weren't supposed to...

Not unless he was lying—

Lies. Those have been a big part of her life, haven't they? From her life in the Tigers, believing one day her mother would come home; to the nature of the gangs running amok, and the police unable to do anything about them; to the very beginning, where her mother would always tell her things are alright. And now... Charlie. Her first friend outside of the Tigers.

Dante was right. He always was right.

Charlie apologized. Through her own flow of tears, there came a new element. One that caressed Alice's face for the first time, twisting her unblemished stare inward and leaving only malice.

Why are you crying.

Why are you the victim.

Alice fell to her knees, clutching her eyes as if everything would go away on the count of 10.

"LEAVE ME ALONE!"

And the world fell asunder.

The gambling machines falling from the floors grew wings, a beak, all the appendages of an oversized pelican, though landing with such a force that clouds of ash and dust blinded all, spurred from unforeseen winds. But as quickly as they happened, the clouds cleared... revealing not the tea room that confined everyone, but blue skies with the machine-bodied pelicans flying about.

The nonstop alarms became endless squawking.

Wind still blew across everyone—they were in the air. The floor became a soft, pillow-like texture; feathers. If anyone looked aside, they'd have noticed wings flapping up and down, so massive that they couldn't see the tip without being blinded by the "sun." Everyone that was in the room found themselves on the world's biggest pelican, with fancy wooden railings lining the edges.

A voice boomed. "Thank you for taking Brrytopaphilomyzton Airlines! Please fasten your seatbelts! We have a long ride ahead of us!"

The debris on the floor became dining tables and chairs. Occupying them were fish, human-sized and standing by the tips of their tails. All of them were playing (and occassionally shouting) Go Fish. A pair of fish was at the very end, one of them shouting, "I'm flying, Jack!"

"Is that an iceberg?"

The whole bird shook as a deafening crash tore through the air. "Abandon ship!" the booming voice from earlier said.

The screams returned again as the crowds of fish desperately hopped around in panic. The pelican then listed to a side, and now the tables, furniture, and fish had nowhere to stand. They fell like a never-ending landslide.

Alice and the other real people though, remained unaffected by gravity. She, meanwhile, still hadn't peeked out of her hands.

QuirkyAngel

Misuteeku

Caffeine_Obsessed
On the 9th floor, a sound similar to the earthquake prior erupted again. The lights went out, and something blockaded the windows. The walls cracked and gave way... revealing dirt and roots. The rooms they were in became cavernous, bricked with dry soil.

The room shook as more cracks formed in the ceiling, revealing sunlight through the damage. The ceiling, though, tore clean off afterward, but if anyone looked up, the sky was a blurry maroon, and a blinding light flashed down at everyone. Three silhouettes peeked into the hole they made.

"C-Colonel!" one of them, a chipper voice, said. "The enemies have raided all of our food supplies! What do we do?"

A more gruff voice answered. "We'll replenish our grain of course... and drown them in it at the same time! Give them what they want!" He pointed at the third figure, his bushy tail peeking over the edge. "Flood them!"

A machine turned on. Then, a waterfall of grains, pouring in from the walls and rapidly spreading along the floor.

From the outside of the tower where all eyes could see, a beautiful green moss grew and blanketed the Lucky Rabbit Casino, like a green finger poking out of the ground.

Alice affected the entire building under an illusion, changing the walls and objects to bizarre things out of a child's imagination. The environment may warp and alter, causing a person to lose their sense of location and direction. People's senses (touch, smell, etc.) and perception are influenced to match the illusions. Living things may appear and pose a threat, but aren't there in reality. Unless an actual object is behind an illusion, it can't hurt anyone.

joshuadim · Mar 23, 2023

THE HEIST: TIGERS VS THE TWINS [COLLAB POST PART 1]

CS Link

SCENE:

Tigers Arc 3: Scene 2 [The Heist]

LOCATION:

West District

PARTICIPANTS:

Ryutaro, Samira, Camila, Sylvie, Jennifer, Maria

THE HEIST

The Twins' threats didn't phase Samira. She was pissed beyond belief after witnessing their attack against Ryutaro. Underneath her cracked mask, she was seething with rage. Her hair was disheveled, her favorite pair of heels broke, and she was certain she would be late to her dinner with Jack because of these freaks. Most importantly though, the status of her dear friend was unknown and the thought of losing him was something she wasn't prepared for. She had to remain calm though. Without their Queen, she was next in terms of authority, she couldn't lose her cool now. Taking a deep breath, she tightened the grip on her weapon. "Camila, Maria, cover me — and stay out of close quarters."

With that, she dashed forward, closing the distance between herself and the Twins. A glint of gold shined behind the eye slits of her mask and as she got in range of their adversaries, the area around her grew exponentially heavy.

Camila pulled out her gun, keeping a steady aim as she looked for an opportunity. The twins were able to phase through, and and her magazine had only a few rounds left, should she empty her ammo, the woman would find herself needing to crawl back into the van for one of the illegal firearms, or use her tail as a weapon. Both ideas less than ideal when faced against these opponents.

With Samira giving the two women orders, Maria made her way near the two, standing on top of a car. “I’ve got a plan, but it may take me a bit.” she says, climbing down and opening the door to a nearby small wrecked car. She begins to push, pull, and tug away at it, before eventually deciding to try to cut it off with her katana.

Both Twins felt their own weights increase, much to their surprise, as the ground around them cracked from the increased force. It became harder to move, significantly so, especially with Samira on the approach with her area of effect. Camila’s gunfire forced them to retreat to their wraith-like forms, further preventing them from being able to move for a time as the bullets passed through them harmlessly. By now, Camila had emptied the magazine on her pistol which brought to the Twins back to their material setting. She tossed the gun aside and extended her tail out, intent on at least getting a hit in from afar.

They both strained under the intense gravity, yet were still able to move as they slowly marched forward. Vile towards where Jennifer and Sylvie had run off to in the nearby building, while Smile marched towards Samira. The latter brandished his knife, the steel of which glinted in the sunlight, as he took step after step towards her. However he quickly turned attention to his brother, who single mindedly marched off away to his object of hate: “Brother! Get back here, we’ll get her later-” Smile shouted, but was interrupted by Camila’s coming attack.

Camila felt how the tip of her tail managed to thrust into Smile’s shoulder, really, the location of her stabbing wasn’t important in the slightest, but rather the fact that she could now apply some of her venom at him. The powerful toxin coursed through the man’s bloodstream, immediately starting to apply its initial effects. The sharp tip of her tail managed to remain lodged inside his shoulder for a little over four seconds before he managed to pull it out, a light pain now running through his whole body.

Smile staggered back a step from the sudden attack, having been taken off guard before he could activate his ability. When he had been hit by Camila’s tail, he let out a yell of pain when it dug into his flesh which in turn drew Vile’s attention. Before, he had single mindedly decided to move after Jennifer but when his brother’s pain became apparent he quickly turned attention to Camila. She couldn’t see his face, but under his mask a murderous glance appeared where the eyes were as he rushed towards Camila and, by extension, Maria who was close by.

Looking back, Sylvie had seen the twin’s approach and wasted no time carrying Jennifer through the doors to the nearest building. Thankfully Vile had his attention drawn elsewhere, leaving the rookie free to find the best way to a good vantage point.

The gravity strained against Vile, but he positioned himself so that he staggered out of Samira’s area of effect and rushed towards Camila, throwing his current knife at her before pulling another from under his jacket to commence a flurried attack against her. Smile in the meantime continued to slowly advance towards Samira, before finding himself close enough to slice at Samira. The first slice missed, as Samira sidestepped it with ease thanks to the gravity well doing its job. However, what she didn’t expect was for Smile to also draw a second knife and managed to shank Samira in the thigh with a deep stab.

Thankfully, he had missed an artery but the wound was still deep and hurt like hell. She quickly kicked away Smile, forcing him to stumble down to his knees as he continued to struggle against the gravity, and created distance between the two of them. “Fucking bitch!” Smile spat out as he rose again, before starting to advance towards Samira once more.

Camila wasn’t quick enough to react to the flying blade, its razor sharp edge burying itself into her left shoulder. She let out a sharp cry as the pain overwhelmed her for a moment, her other opposite arm instinctively reaching for the wound. Fortunately, though, she managed to regain her focus quickly enough to avoid an incoming attack from vile, dodging the diagonal swipe by stepping to the side and contorting her torso, the blade nearly grazing her face, by now her tail retreated from Smile, and thrust itself towards the nearby twin.

Maria envelopes the car panel in shadow, tossing it beside Camila. “Use it to defend yourself, you’re hurt!” she says. If she weren’t wearing a helmet covering her face, she might have even winked at her. However, she figured Camila would know what to do anyway, knowing what her potential is. Even if she didn’t have the strength to use her other arm while she attacked through the panel, she hoped she would be able to weave in more tail attacks. Getting them against a corner seemed more than doable in her eyes. Once Camila begins to use the panel as a shield, she begins to swing her katana through the panel, keeping her eyes on both twins as for potential counter attacks.

Meanwhile, Samira huffed angrily at Smile as he continued his pursuit. Her thigh hurt like hell but what felt even worse was the pain of knowing this asshole had ripped through her favorite bell bottoms. "If you won't stay down, then…" the heavy weight that slowed down Smile was suddenly lifted — literally. "— allow me to help you up!" Like a switch, the gravity surrounding Samira significantly decreased, vehicle wreckage and other debris lifting up in the air.

—

“How far up do you need to go?”

The idea of going all the way up to the roof while the ground shook the way it did continued to terrify Sylvie, but as he found the staircase up, he looked down at Jennifer for confirmation before continuing.

“All the way.”

Sylvie remained silent as they ascended the building, careful to keep his footing. The last thing he wanted was for him to drop the injured Veteran down the stairs with all her equipment, so despite the hurry he was careful. They were met with a pair of exit doors at the top of the stairs, and as there was no other way to go, he knew he had gone as far as he needed to go. Kicking the door down with his foot — his arms were too full — he was met with sunlight above as he ventured out onto the shaking rooftop. Thankfully it was still intact.

“Ok, roof. What now, Runner? We can’t waste time here.”

Setting Jennifer and her weapons on the ground, Sylvie dared to peer over the edge, where he had a bird’s eye view of the action.

“They are still fighting…”

Jennifer got her equipment set up as she scooted over to the edge of the building and watched from afar as the action unfolded. Things were a mess down there, and the Tigers were taking damage consistently which made Jennifer pulled out one of the Kaffarov rifles she had taken from the bank armory. Unlike the one she had disassembled, this one still had its stock and sights which meant it was perfect for long range. However, the issue quickly became noticeable as Jennifer shook from the pain she felt which made aiming a monumental task.

“You’ll need to fire. I’ll spot you.”

“What? Are you serious?”

Sylvie brought his attention back to Jennifer as she spoke, looking at what she’d set up.

“I don’t think I…” Sylvie went silent for a moment, but just a moment. He was ready to reject the idea altogether. There was a reason he hadn’t paid much attention to these weapons like the others had, firing one gun was enough for him. But he couldn’t let his fear and feelings get in the way, not when everyone was fighting their asses off on the ground.

“Just help me. Please.”

The Rookie crouched down to where Jennifer and the gun were, ready for her directions.

QuirkyAngel · Mar 24, 2023

Meirin Azuza

FabulousTrash @EmperorsChosen

SCENE:

New Oasis Arc 3: Scene 2 [The Dragon and the Phoenix]

LOCATION:

Eastern part of Upper Central District, overlooking the Sec Bridge

PARTICIPANTS:

Helva, Hou (inactive), Isaiah, Kanna, Maho,
Meirin, Ra (inactive), Rin, Shen, Soren (inactive), Vulken,
Yaroslav (inactive), Yong-Yut, Kaede

The Dragon and the Phoenix

Meirin’s first thought, upon hearing the King’s order, was that Ruri would never forgive her. Abandon the current King? In the middle of an earthquake that threatened to topple all of Central? What sort of Dragon would she be if she did that? How could she ever visit the Night Lord’s grave, or look Ruri in the eye, again?

An internal war raged as the giantess watched Shen share a glance with Lyric–one that lasted but a moment. Meirin took a breath. Orders were orders. Hearing his voice, and seeing the sad smile on his face, there was no longer any doubt that the little person standing beside her head was Shen Yue–the 4-year King of the Azure Dragon gang. Meirin still had no idea what was going on–what possessed the kings to fight, what caused the current disaster, or even what caused them to revert back to their normal selves–but they seemed to. Her gut told her so. It also told her to trust them.

Shen was strong. She knew first hand how strong the Phoenix King was. Together, even an earthquake shouldn’t stand a chance…or so Meirin told herself.

Isaiah’s illusioned voice echoed in her mind.

She could feel the weight of the people in her pocket.

Hear Kanna’s breathing, audible and heavy as the Jack took a moment’s rest.

See Jun waiting for her return back at their shared home in Eternal Night Palace. Meirin knew which was more important to her. And so, forcing a bright smile to meet Shen’s sad one, the giant replied. “You too, King. Don’t lose. Make sure you come back and tell us what happened.”

She watched the two kings retreat back to the heart of Central for a moment before turning to jog the opposite direction, past Vulkie and Yong Yut in the sky. No words were exchanged. What was there to say besides the obvious? Though, it’d be rude to just leave without bidding them goodbye, so she acknowledged them with a nod as she passed. Meirin felt the moment Kanna dropped down to assist the injured. She didn’t need Isaiah to relay the message. She heard the Jack’s order loud and clear. “The dead, right?”

A giant hand scooped up the bodies of fallen comrades who died in battle. She thought the living was more important than the dead, but it made sense to retrieve them. They’d probably like to be buried in the East District. Or, at the very least, their bodies ought be given back to the families that mourned them…if they had any of course. It was only proper. And for Meirin, whose childhood days were often spent training and learning in a temple of monks, respecting the dead was a given.

Even if she thought, in the end, that they’d died for nothing.

Neither of the kings had wanted war…so what was it they were fighting for? Shaking her head, Meirin addressed Isaiah as she carefully picked up the injured she could see, pinching lightly between two fingers. “I’m not good at noticing small things when I’m this big so please continue to highlight the injured and dead for me.”

The shaking of the earth, which nearly made her lose her balance again, reminded Merin that her time was limited. So, as soon as she found her hands and pockets full of people, the giant bounded Eastward, using her large body to shield the little people as best she could from any toppling structures.

“Don’t fall behind Orbit!”

Otherwise she was circling back around. She refused to leave behind a King and a Jack.

Peckinou

Lucem

Elenion Aura @Nobody Special @gxxberkit @Damafaud (and anyone else in the scene)

AriAriAbabwa · Mar 24, 2023

TAKAONNA

SCENE:

Serpents Arc 3: Scene 1 [Thicker Than Water]

LOCATION:

Mysterious Black Site, North District

PARTICIPANTS:

Shinko, Kisara, Sabrina, Damian, August, Kinsley, others

Thicker Than Water

The Takaonna silently loomed over the room, listening to her compatriots greet the missing person. And, hearing Raph's voice, she knew there was little need to persist. It was otherwise quiet; no other enemies she could sense. As they socialized, she slinked around the room in silence, writhing her noodle-y hands across every surface she found.

Her hands found a crunchy mat, grassy to the touch and woven loosely. She patted the rest of the object, slithering her fingers along the crevices and crinkles

She heard Damian and the others whisk away. They were done here. It was time to go.

Gripping the mat gently, she shot her limbs out the same direction as her peers. She latched, climbed, latched, climbed. Only the sound of stretching bone and rubber and popping tendons left the mess behind.

In the near future, tucked away in an abandoned warehouse, a certain bunny found itself with a (cleaned) grass mat to chew and rest on.

joshuadim · Mar 24, 2023

THE HEIST: TIGERS VS THE TWINS [COLLAB POST PART 2]

CS Link

SCENE:

Tigers Arc 3: Scene 2 [The Heist]

LOCATION:

West District

PARTICIPANTS:

Ryutaro, Samira, Camila, Sylvie, Jennifer, Maria

THE HEIST

Smile began to float upwards, much to his surprise, as he could no longer have any stable footing whatsoever. He didn’t expect that Samira could switch between two spectrums of gravity, rather than just stick to the singular increase. His arms and legs flailed as he instinctively tried to find any footing whatsoever, but failed to do so and instead looked like a floating, floundering fish.

“VILE! GET *HER*!” he shouted as a command to his brother, trying to redirect his rage as the other masked brother continued to fight with Camila.

Camila’s initial attack on Vile failed as he dodged it with a surprising nimbleness, trying to advance closer to her. But she managed to catch the car panel thrown by Maria, moving it just in time to deflect a swing from Vile. It was unwieldy and clunky to maneuver, and every movement she made with her arms only made her injury feel even more painful, more blood trailing down as the blade’s edge grinded against her flesh. However, the added defensive option also worked wonders, as she was now able to deliver thrusts with her tail around the panel with the same level of ease while now being relatively safer from her attacker.

Vile continued to dodge and weave, with Camila’s tail failing to find its mark, while also failing to reach Camila as her newfound protection kept him at bay and Maria’s attacks slashing through the shadow. He had to contend with two different types of attacks, of which he managed to dodge, but otherwise kept him at bay. His frustration mounted as he wasn’t able to reach his quarry, but his attention quickly turned when Smile shouted again. Vile’s head swiveled towards where he was in the air, and then to Samira who was down on the ground below. Now SHE was the target of his rage, as if a switch had flipped. He prepped to throw a dagger at Samira, his mind taking the quick calculation to take into account the lower gravity of her area, but also opened himself up to attack from Camila.

With an angry roar, he threw his blade with all his might at Samira with a downwards arc just as Camila thudded her tail into his side. The steel sailed through the air and straight towards the Tiger Ace with a terrifying speed, practically singing as it cut through the air as it came on approach. Vile in the meantime contended with the piercing tail that jabbed into his ribs, now injecting the venom into him. He gripped onto the tail as he struggled to get it out, but it was deep inside. Three seconds passed, he fumbled his remaining arm to his coat and pulled out his remaining dagger from his stockpile.

Five seconds passed when he stabbed and slashed at Camila’s tail with a primal rage, finally severing the injectors connection to the rest of her with a final slash. Eight seconds passed when he finally pulled out the remainder of the tail from his body. His body felt number, his movements more sluggish, but he was powered by *anger* now and braced through the effects as much as he could. An animalistic growl came out from under Vile’s mask as he tilted his head upwards towards Camila, his gaze from the dark voids from where his eyes were piercing straight into her.

Camila bit deeply into her lower lip as her silver appendage was subject to an act of butchery, still maintaining a defensive stance as to avoid her more vital parts being exposed. “FUUUUUUUUCK!” She screamed as her tail was finally (and agonizingly) severed, she could feel a vein on her forehead being just a hair away from bursting. She took a large backstep, creating a few feet of distance between them, now that she lost both her ammo and her tail, the match-up became even more unfair for the veteran tiger, the pain was also really fucking distracting.

Samira in the meantime had to contend with the knife that had been launched her way, which she avoided by the narrowest of margins and received only a graze across her cheek as it sailed by with terrifying speed. But this in turn took attention away from Smile, as he grabbed onto a floating car wreck that had been lifted alongside him, before using it as a springboard to launch himself at Samira. He had full intentions of ramming into her, blade first, with a powerful stab straight through her chest, but fate had other intentions.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the glint of a scope from the roof that Jennifer and Sylvie were at and quickly realized what was about to happen. He shifted into his wrath form as a gunshot rang out, sending the bullet passing through him harmlessly but also sending himself harmlessly through Samira herself. He shifted back out quickly, tumbling out to the material world again onto the ground. He staggered back onto his feet with a grunt, though remained crouched as he held onto a hole in the road for support to keep him closer to ground level.

Samira turned around to face Smile, her breath shaky as she realized the fate she barely avoided thanks to Jennifer.

Sylvie was surprised he could keep his hands so steady when his heart felt like it was about to burst out of his chest, but with Jennifer guiding with her superhuman aiming, the shot directed to exactly where it needed to. Though the recoil and noise were horrible and Sylvie wanted nothing more than to be away from the gun, he had to admit it felt satisfying, though maybe part of the satisfaction came from the attack not resulting in any real harm due to Smile’s shift in form. It was the way he wanted to help, but unfortunately, he couldn’t stop there.

“Where to next? The bullet went through.”
Jennifer wordlessly motioned for Sylvie to follow her instruction, bringing the barrel aimed at Smile again before she gritted her teeth.

“Fire.”

Smile lunged once more at Samira, using his grip for momentum as he yelled out in rage. The window was closing…

Sylvie let out a sharp exhale, tightening his grip on the gun as he perfected the aim thanks to Jennifer. This time…

Sylvie pulled the trigger, letting out another shot against the Twin. Again, Smile saw the glint of the scope as he knew the shot was imminent. Yet again he would shift into his wraith form… but something was wrong. He could *feel* it as it sputtered for that brief moment and, as a result, the bullet ripped into his side and left to leave a massive, bloody wound at the edge of his waist. He knew what had happened, and still he cursed himself for allowing himself to get so far away from his brother…

But now was not the time for hesitation any longer, as he had taken a grievous wound, as he collided into Samira and set her tumbling onto the ground with him as he latched onto her.

Having been knocked to the ground, she lost hold of her rifle as it dropped with a loud clatter. "Ugh — get the FUCK OFF ME –!" Samira hissed as her body twisted and turned, trying to wrestle out of Smile's hold. With his tight hold on her, her current potential was useless. The atmosphere around her returned to normal as she continued to struggle.

Smile cackled, all vestiges of his rationale completely gone as the pain ripped through his body, as he brought his knife up to Samira’s face. Up above, Jennifer ordered Sylvie to fire again but when he pulled the trigger, an audible *click* was heard. There was no recoil, nor explosion of power, as the gun had jammed! Jennifer quickly took hold of the rifle as she tried her best through her current pain to fumble about and deal with the issue in these crucial moments..

“You caused me and my brother SO many problems today! Do you fucking know how much hospitals cost!?” he yelled out at Samira, “Now… now I get to repay you back in kind! Ahah… now...”

Smile brought the steel closer to Samira's face, with its tip touching just below her eye. "Now the fun part begins!!"

The Regal Rper · Mar 24, 2023

(OG) Dante | Rabbit Casino, West | The Princess' Penthouse

The shield did not stop once it made its mark on Hector, striking him across the shield with sparks flying off his metal body, it bounced off him right towards the airborne Orcman- and Dante twisted in the air, catching it, and on his spin, sent it right towards Yukito as Charlie cringed in realization at what he had done.

In the same instant Dante threw his blue glowing shield- as Hector’s blades flew towards him- he released the energy generating in his body, a wave that went towards Hector’s blades, knocking it out of the air and in the same instant his left leg, shimmering electric green, shot out emerald talons that dug into the ceiling above him and pulled him up-- at least that was until he felt the sensation of the solid ceiling above shift- becoming a sky, and people shrieking in terror.

Yet his talons held firm to what was now the ‘sky’

But there was one scream that rang the loudest.

“What the fuck?!” Was a distant sound, shouted by Wilst as he and the other guards paused their evacuation, seeing ‘pelican’ slot machines belt out aggressive honks as they all, literally, took to the air.

That reaction was honestly the only positive one to have had- especially as one guest hiding behind a table flipped out when that same table grew a trunk and tail, kicking legs up in the air like a stallion ready to charge.

This was no mere illusion.

She’s changing reality but not to its full extent.

Who would have thought a power that could make the most receptive to her influence would also end up turning out to be a power like this?

Translucent blades became solid- and with a swinging motion, Dante flipped in the air and released an energetic claw that went at an angle towards the ‘sky’, sinking in and reeling him towards the trio, as he threw one blade down at Hector.

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WhiskeyMarten · Mar 25, 2023

HECTOR MOSES

SCENE:

Phoenixes Arc 3: Scene 3 [Whole World Blind]

LOCATION:

Lucky Rabbit Casino - 1st Floor, West District

PARTICIPANTS:

On the floor: Alice, Charlie, Dante, Hector, Nico, Yukito
Elsewhere: Hide, Raquel, Zachariah

WHOLE WORLD BLIND

The shift in scenery was nauseating. Hector felt like he was sinking into the now soft, squishy, feathered ground, and so it was all the more of a challenge to keep this footing. More importantly, it was more of a challenge to focus on the task at hand. With Dante still holding on in the air, something did become clear to Hector — their surrounding remained, even if it wasn’t evident now.

That fact did little to stop him from reacting to his surroundings as though they were real, even if he understood they were irrational, but he’d fought through plenty of bad trips before. Whether this was from a potential, a hallucinogen, or the product of his own decaying psyche — it mattered not. His target was still here, and so he had to make his approach now.

Yukito felt the breeze against his face as he was suddenly among the clouds, thankful for his wings as the pelican shifted to the side. Hovering in place, the gargoyle remained within the boundaries of the room, unaware of just how close the ceiling remained, the illusion remaining unbroken as a result.

A blade returned in Hector’s direction, thrown by Dante, and Hector swung his sword in an arc to slice it away, dissipating the blade and sending the metal askew. As he did so, Yukito seized an opportunity, slicing his icy katana blade against the talons that formed Dante’s grip on the sky. With that, the connection severed itself, Yukito looking as Dante descended back to ground level.

Hector’s eyes were trained on his destination, ready to run. He had no business continuing this fight, with him not being an aerial fighter it seemed to be for nought. But then, the orc was back at his level, and Hector looked at him with hatred. Without wasting any time he was already taking a swing at Dante, his arm shifting as it did so. His blade, once ordinary, became heavier, and stronger, and as he hit Dante, it had fully formed into a sharp axe.

With trust in Hector, Yukito had also drawn his attention back to the mission, flying in their direction. Hector too, was ready to finish things.

The pelican’s body shook, not taking the pressure of the fight well.

Roda the Red · Mar 25, 2023

Charlie & Alice

SCENE:

Phoenixes Arc 3, Scene 3 [Whole World Blind]

LOCATION:

Lucky Rabbit Casino, West District

PARTICIPANTS:

Charlie Alice Dante Hector Yukito

WHOLE WORLD BLIND

Alice’s scream felt like a spear through the heart to Charlie, he grit his teeth as he looked down, tears streaming down his cheeks. The one person he wanted to see face to face the most after all this time now wanted him gone. However, his time to wallow in grief was very short-lived, as he spectated the world around him shift and morph, the floor turned white and soft, the ceiling banished leaving nothing but clear blue sky as far as the eye could see. The Phoenix’s surprise towards the fantastic scenery was surprisingly brief, as not only such an occurrence was familiar to him, but he remembered some time ago, he chatted with Alice, she told him about what her ability could do, and what she also recently discovered to perhaps be within her limits. To Charlie, reading Alice’s messages was always something that made him happy, it made him feel like he knew her better, and also distracted his mind from his criminal life. How he wished he was back at that specific point in time now.

With shaky legs, he took a few awkward steps forward. It was a bit strange, the feeling of treading on a gigantic creature, but soon enough he got used to it, reaching for the girl in despair.

“Alice, please listen to me! You don’t understand, it’s not what you think!” He squatted, placing both of his hands on her shoulders, accidentally staining her dress with Nico’s fairly fresh blood in the process.

Alice froze into a shiver, staring wide-eyed into Charlie. Gone was the anger in her eyes, now unmistakable fear. “L-Let me go!” she shrieked, trying to push him away.

Immediately, Charlie moved his arms back, keeping them up in the air as he froze in place. Seeing her expression was even more painful than any previous rage she had. He looked down once again, unable to bear her fearful gaze. “Alice, please, It’s me! I won’t hurt you…I would never hurt you!”

Alice quieted, finally, save for tear-fueled hiccups. He had let go of her; why? Weren’t they here for her, like Dante said? Why did he think acting like he did before would… would fix this? His words bounced in her mind. “You mean…” Her throat clenched. Though her body felt on the verge of trembling, she stood her place. Like Charlie, she only looked down. “You mean like you did to Nico…?”

“I-I don’t…I didn’t..” He was barely able to speak, no words that he could come up with in his head at the moment felt like they could properly describe how he felt. Too much happened all at once, to say that his mind was clouded would be a great understatement.

“But I-” He stopped, when his started to speak again, he raised his vision forward, and it was then that he finally noticed the fight happening away from them. Pharaoh and Pluto were fighting off an unknown figure, and man he had never seen before. It was safe to assume that he had to be an Albino Tiger…Another friend of Alice, possibly. However, what was most worrisome was the fact that the more they fought, the more they approached his position.

Hector wanted to capture Alice, that was his target all along, and the rookie phoenix could only imagine what the spiteful Queen had in mind once he had her within his grasp. Charlie would never forgive himself if something like that ever happened, he could not let Hector reach her no matter what. Balling his fists in frustration, he spoke once more.

“Alice…I’m sorry”

Before the girl could do anything about it, Charlie grabbed Alice by her waist, gently lifting her against her will into a one-armed embrace. He took a sprint towards the side of the Pelican, showing no intentions of slowing down as they approached the edge of the body. If his understanding of the Illusion was correct, then this was the only way out. He reached the edge of the Pelican, rushing with his shoulder forward, making sure to cover Alice to the best of his ability. He jumped off, feeling an uncanny sensation of forcing his way through tough building material, all the while his eyes and ears failed to support such a feeling, still completely under the effect of the girl's power. As he fell down, he rotated his body so that Alice would be on top.

QuirkyAngel · Mar 25, 2023

Sabrina Felton

SCENE:

Serpents Arc 3: Scene 1 [Thicker Than Water]

LOCATION:

Mysterious Black Site, North District

PARTICIPANTS:

August, Damian, Kinsley, Kisara, Kyo, Peyton, Raph, Sab, Julian

Thicker Than Water

Sabrina sighed.

So Raphael didn’t remember. That made saving him a little less useful in the grand scheme of things, though she couldn’t blame him for it. Eight months was a long time to be held captive. Who knows what the enemies could’ve done to him during that time? Filtering his verbal garbage wasn’t normal behavior for Bloodfiend either. “Say what you want. I don't give a damn.”

Rolling her eyes at the way his gaze flickered to the white-haired tornado maker, she trekked after those who knew where they were going without a word. It was obvious they knew each other. Sabrina wasn’t blind to the hidden dynamics within the gang, whether it was Kinsley reaching for Damian’s hand or Shaw’s negative reaction to Shortie, but it didn’t matter to her either way. None of it was any of her business so, beyond taking note of it, she focused her attention on more important matters.

Thunderous footsteps and guttural snarls/howls made her think of…guard dogs? Big ones obviously.

As Kraken scooped up the injured trio with his tentacles and sped off, Sabrina’s body crackled, her feet lifting off the ground to tail after the tentacled-mount riders.

She opted not to ride Kraken’s detached limbs because…implications…and because doing so might limit her maneuverability in the event that whatever pursuers caught up to them. Unlike Shaw, she wasn’t frightened, since she didn’t even know what to be terrified of. Besides, she’d just finished fighting off the dead–which didn’t terrify her–and had yet to encounter anything more fright-inducing than Takonna’s eating habits…but she took Bloodfiend’s jumpiness with a grain of salt.

“Distract them,” She told the limb Kraken left for her to ride.

Whether or not the tentacle did as told, or even understood the order, Sabrina didn’t wait to find out and simply flew to keep pace with the group, though closer to the rear as she occasionally checked for signs of pursuers, opting to remain vigilant until they made their way out of the hellhole. If the enemy caught up, she would fight. If not, she would leave to inform Valerie of the successes and losses of the rescue operation. That's all. Either way, her focus, as always when living in the North District, was survival, regardless which Serpent made it out of the dilapidated warehouse or not.

The sound of stretching bone, rubber, and popping tendons reminded her that Takaonna wasn’t far behind.

“...What were you doing with a mat?”

Sabrina shook her head. It didn’t matter. Between the obnoxiously loud Ace, the creepy-ass scientist King, the germaphobic Jack, the preferences of blind, stretching monster wasn’t that much of an oddity. Cacophonous noise that came together to make music. Or more cacophony. Regardless, the opinions of the masses no longer mattered to her in that regard.

Better that than silence.

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WhiskeyMarten · Mar 25, 2023

HIDE, RAQUEL & ZACH VS LUCKY RABBIT CASINO

SCENE:

Phoenixes Arc 3: Scene 3 [Whole World Blind]

LOCATION:

Lucky Rabbit Casino - Floor 9, West District

PARTICIPANTS:

Charlie, Hector, Hide, Raquel, Yukito, Zachariah
Alicia, Dante

WHOLE WORLD BLIND

For a moment, Taurus did what Zach said. It wasn’t like he had much other choice anyway with the unnaturally strong cannibal after him. Though he didn’t relax, no, his muscles were still tensed for a fight, he was still, eyes on the hostage.

Then darkness.

Then light.

Then… Then…

Taurus looked around, bewildered, at the faces above, at the dirt around them, and then at the flooding grains. Scrambling to his feet, he pushed back against Raquel, like a panicked insect that had just been uncovered.

“What are you doing?!”

“Hawk, what’s happening?” Raquel spat out blood as her tongue finally regrew back to its normal length. Their surroundings started to distort around them. What was once a tacky room soon turned into what would come out of a story book.

Though that didn’t stop Raquel from restraining Taurus. She elbowed him directly onto his head and then proceeded to dunk him head first into the grains. “Whatever it is, honey hurry up and tie the man!” She was starting to worry about Hector.

Hide barely moved from his spot, his mouth ajar and wide eyes fixed on the ceiling. Finally, he spoke, “...Are those… ARE THOSE FUCKING CHIPMUNK MEN?!”

“Our cute lil’ target went ballistic with her potential! None of this is real!” It’d still feel real though. Zach focused his God’s Eye vision first on the three silhouettes that tore off the ceiling, then on the first floor, taking in the events below. He could see all the grains and grass, hear the voices, but to him it all looked distorted, giving off the same aura all potential did under his gaze. Aura that he could read. “Leave him! We should head downstairs!”

Before everyone went mad.

In Zach’s grip Rufus, who had finally given into his fear, fainted. The Phoenix sighed before lifting the NP over his shoulders like a sack of potatoes; Leaving him in here was probably leaving him to die as well, especially in a destabilised, still-shaking structure.

Truthfully, Hector had never said anything about killing them and ransoming big profit paid more than death. He had to make up for the loss of the missiles somehow…though it was still up to the Queen in the end. He was only here for the ride. And cash. Maybe a bit of loyalty too.

Zach pointed his gun at the three still huddled in the corner. “Everyone out!”

“B-B-B-But monsters are look–,”

Bang! A bullet whizzed near the speaker’s head.

“Prisoners don’t get to say anything~”

Hide jerked his head, snapping out of it. Like hell he’d let his death be by drowning on God's forsaken grain of all things! With a huff of a disbelieving laugh, he strode over to the remaining three people, grasping one by the arm and forcefully hoisting them up. “Either get your asses moving, or I'll move them for you! N’ trust me, if i'm doing that- you won't be breathing.” He pulled out his one remaining dagger, and pressed it to the guy’s jugular, before shoving him forward. “MOVE! MOVE!”

Since Raquel seemed to have Taurus in lockdown and Hide opted to “escort” the NP businessmen out, Zach’s gaze settled on Irwin, whose potential was somewhat similar to Raquel’s, and aimed his gun at the HP in case they decided to try something. “Sorry about this. It’s just how things roll sometimes~”

The bullman writhed, face first in the grains. Even if they weren’t real, they were real enough to him to trick him into thinking his breathing was being impaired by the illusions. As Raquel continued to hold him down, he became more panicked, before pushing away with an immense surge of strength.

Taurus couldn’t focus on the prisoner situation, not with all that was happening around him, but he still set his sights on Raquel, once again trying to gore her with his horns.

Raquel felt something stab into her stomach. Looking down she noticed the grains started to be coloured red and an apparent horn stabbing into her inside. “Yeah, no. Fuck off!” Grabbing Taurus by horns she barely managed to dislodge herself from the bullman and then.

“Hiyaaaah!” In one move, threw Taurus into the wall.

Chunks of soil sprayed out as the bull met the wall, but it put up no resistance. Taurus sank deep into the earth, leaving sight quickly. His bellows could be heard growing more and more distant before he fell silent. From where he was thrown, a hole remained, and if one were to look through it, they’d see a pitch-black ravine from which there could be no escape.

Outside, globules of moss scattered the ground below the casino as Taurus was pushed out of the building, falling to a messy landing.

Irwin slipped away, following Taurus right through the hole. Having taken note of the fact this was illusion the moment he approached Taurus exit and launched himself out of the building, sinking one shifting, now clawed hand into the wall for stability as he prepared to launch himself after the falling bovine, he relayed a message.

It’s an illusion, none of this is real before he threw himself out the hole in the wall as well.

joshuadim · Mar 25, 2023

RYOMA vs EMIEL [PART 1]

SCENE:

Phoenixes Arc 3: Scene 1 [Follow the Lightning]

LOCATION:

South District

PARTICIPANTS:

Ryoma, Noa, Hitoshi

FOLLOW THE LIGHTNING

While a bit surprised at the man's prompting, Ryoma willingly followed the Oranjese Lieutenant. Casting a final look at his fellow Phoenixes, as they began their own battles, he trusted them would handle themselves in the meantime. When the two were fairly distanced from everyone else, Ryoma briefly looked around the room. Naturally, he was skeptical of whether or not they would truly be left alone.

"Honorable... huh."

His tone further voicing his suspicions. Ryoma could hardly count on one hand the amount of times he had fought an honorable fight in the last few years. Times had changed, and it was rare to find honor among rival gangs. Looking at the Lieutenant as he assured him and lowered himself into a familiar stance. Ryoma wondered what could have awakened this sudden, buried sense of honor. Though, in all likelihood it was just as likely that the two shared the simple enjoyment of a good fight. Which was just as rare to come by.

Pushing the distracting trivialities of the matter far from his mind, Ryoma wordlessly brought up his guard in response. It was the equivalent of a handshake in agreement. In a flash he closed the meager distance between them, kicking up concrete with the force of his dash. Immediately Ryoma was then towering over the man's lowered stance as the two briefly stared at one another. The next instant and Ryoma's left opened up with the speed of a cracked whip, in a probing jab.

Unlike the goons he had fought as Sajeem’s, however, Emiel had the experience and technique of a real fighter. Emiel’s guard kicked in as he blocked the jab by pawing it down before quickly taking a step back to reposition himself. He retaliated with a jab of his own, to which Ryoma dodged by weaving away with his own step back. A small distance created between them, they slowly inched one another closer as they eyed one another with wordless gazes. Emiel faked a lunge by shifting himself forward, seeking to get a reaction out of Ryoma at first with a feign, before throwing a high kick to the man’s left side with precision speed and technique.

Hardly being a stranger to feints, Ryoma's reaction to Emiel's feign was a subdued one. The fear of being hit had long been conquered by past injuries and brawls. However, despite the capacity to read the move, the speed and practiced technique behind it was a cut above. Ducking instinctively at the sound of Emiel's foot leaving the ground, the man's leg grazed the top of Ryoma's head as he swayed to his left beneath it. Pressing in even further as the high kick missed its mark, the Phoenix aimed a powerful liver blow towards Emiel's exposed torso. To which, the Oranjese lieutenant deftly pawed it aside, twisting his body in the process. Allowing the deflected blow to seamlessly flow into the momentum of the rest of his body, it appeared to guide his left arm forwards, towards Ryoma in an open fist.

Ryoma's right immediately shot up in defense, and managed to take the blow in place of his face. Still yet, the force of the strike forced him to stumble back a step as Emiel repositioned himself in response. A satisfied smile imperceptibly creeped across the man's face at the success of having landed the first successful blow. As Ryoma collected himself and adjusted his stance, he couldn't help but to congratulate the man with a smirk of his own.

Ignoring the pain that began slowly ebbing from his right arm, despite the open nature of the strike. He was beginning to get a sense for the man's style, and its more eastern martial art influence. Quite the contrast to the more rigid art of his own boxing in its fluid movements, like that of a stream. Though, the fact his kick hadn't been aimed at Ryoma's legs, the clear weakness of every boxer, meant the Lieutenant hadn't lied when he said he wanted an honorable fight.

This was clearly no longer a mere fight between rival gang members, or even the bidding of rival gang leaders. In a manner, the fight now transcended all of that. Their fight was between two men, who had chosen to live their lives as fighters. Each man had trained and developed his own particular style and strength, through years of experience and training. Shaped and molded by their successes, failures, and near death encounters. No doubt, survival at times had been thanks only to their tenacity and grit alone as they could not comfortably rely on the mercy of their enemies.

Now, everything they knew and believed would be put to the test once again. Two men, from widely different walks of life, but who shared a common destiny. If fate had not seen to set them on their own respective paths, it was possible they would have been friends. Though, ultimately that was a matter of small circumstance as the two once more took up offensive postures against one another.

Edging closer, a flurry of blows erupted between the both of them. Each of Ryoma's successive jabs and heavy blows were gracefully pawed away from their intended target or gracefully side stepped by Emiel. In exchange, Ryoma artfully ducked and weaved out of the line of a rapid series of deadly kicks by Emiel. Blocking his intermittent open palmed strikes. The whirl of blows continued on, only interrupted by a series of feints traded between them.

The vicious motions, while otherwise dangerous and quick to decide a fight, when handled by experts resembled more an elaborate dance of fist and kicks, as the initiative was handed back and forth from Ryoma to Emiel and back again. Repositioning themselves after each missed attack or unavoidable blow, the momentum of the fight seemed to only swell and grow further. Emiel launched himself forward again with a kick towards Ryoma’s midriff, but stopped himself as he lifted his leg higher to switch trajectory and to try to catch the Phoenix off guard. However, Ryoma was quick to catch this again as he grabbed onto Emiel’s leg and tossed him aside.

The Oranjese lieutenant tumbled onto the ground before quickly rolling back up onto his feet as Ryoma approached, swinging his fists which led to Emiel scrambling in the moment to regain his composure. The first two swings he batted away successfully, but realized he would be too slow to properly stop the third as Ryoma’s fist came on approach. Instead, Emiel blocked with his forearm the full force of the blow which in turn sent him stumbling back and gripping his forearm. The pain swelled and stung from the impact as he let out a huff, breathing away the pain as he refocused his concentration, before flicking his arms and hands to get back into his stance and continue the fight.

Ryoma stood by just long enough for Emiel to regain his stance before pressing the offensive once more. Dashing forward, he opened up with a fast chain of tight compact punches. These only managed to hit air around the Lieutenant's face, as up against the man's determined focus, Ryoma's fists continued to be parried at the last possible second. Anticipating the next eventual kick, Ryoma was surprised when Emiel dropped low out of his view.

Dropping beneath the range of his fists, Emiel's right leg dragged across the floor in a sweeping kick. Just managing to jump out of its path, Ryoma realized his mistake when a smirk flashed across the man's face. Revealing the kick to in fact be merely yet another feint. Ryoma's legs had never been his true target, but merely the setup for what was to come.

In one swift motion, Emiel twisted his entire body up and then off the floor. Maintaining his connection to it only by his hands, his left leg flew up into a kick from an otherwise impossible angle from below. By the time Ryoma's feet regained contact with the ground, it was already too late to try and evade. His retreating footwork merely wasn't quick enough to outpace Emiel as the man's foot collided into the side of his skull.

Stumbling to the side, Ryoma managed to maintain his balance, but was left dazed. Shaking his head in order to clear his vision, he instinctively ducked low as a high kick cleaved the air above him. Rising to his feet, his guard shot up to soak the series of open palm strikes that freely rattled against them, shortly before another powerful kick sent him back and off his feet. Emiel took the moment to wait for Ryoma to get back up, the same courtesy that he had been given prior, before continuing the fight.

Emiel rushed forward to deliver a series of forward kicks that hit Ryoma’s guard, pounding against his forearms as his potentiality began to kick in more. The pain became more dulled as his exterior became harder and stronger, which provided ample defense while he waited for a proper moment to strike back. Despite his additional boons now, it was still optimal to not take unnecessary hits. Emiel continued to try to chip away at Ryoma’s defenses, and decided to switch from kicks to punches as he swung with a right hook to try to get around Ryoma’s guard.

This turned out to be a mistake as Ryoma ducked underneath, finding Emiel to be wide open completely and delivered a harsh strike to the man's ribs. Emiel sputtered out with a gasp and some spit as he stumbled back, clutching at his side from the pain that now washed over him. It was enough for Emiel to stumble down to his knees as he breathed in heavily, before letting out a chuckle: “Damn… I felt that one.” he said through the pain with a grin.

"If you didn't, I'd be worried." Ryoma replied with a grin of his own.

"I just broke a rib or two just now." He added, matter of factly. It hadn't been the first time he had felt a man's bones break under his punches. If anything, it was why he was always careful to hold back. Remaining where he stood, he waited for Emiel to gather himself. Meanwhile, he began undoing the buttons of his shirt. When they were all undone, he grabbed it by the collar and in one clean motion tore the red garment off himself. Revealing beneath, a chiseled physique that had mostly turned a grayish, metallic color.

However, still visible across his chest was the distinct tattoo of a pair of Aces. Their sentimental value and meaning lost to anyone outside of the Phoenixes. Obscured from view, and covering the entirety of Ryoma's back was a bright, vibrant orange Phoenix surrounded by flames. Its color refused to be dulled by the darkened pigment of his skin.

"I guess I ought to tell you now… that this is my Potential."

Extending his hands out, Ryoma gestured to his discolored torso before continuing.

"It takes a little while to get started, but my body will take on the properties of whatever I eat… Those tablets earlier were metallic. … Get ready. I'll be holding nothing back."

Forfeiting what minor advantage he stood to gain by revealing the details of his otherwise obscure Potential, Ryoma ensured the remainder of their fight would be honest.

Emiel slowly got up, still gripping his side as he felt a sharp pain stab into him every time he took a breath. But soon enough, he slowed his breathing and concentrated. His brow furrowed as some sweat dripped down his forehead, a smile growing on his face as he took in Ryoma’s words. “Hold nothing back, huh? …then… I should do the same!” Emiel replied as he gripped the shoulder of his jacket. Somehow, in one swift motion, he took off both his jacket and shirt underneath to reveal his own body underneath.

Outside of his well-built frame, and the damage he had taken already, there was also the striking appearance of what appeared to be star charts tattooed across his arms and his chest, while on his back there appeared ‘The Swift Knight of Oranje’, the legendary knight-hero of his home country, holding a lance in hand to strike down a serpent underneath his sabatons. It almost seemed like a medieval tapestry on his flesh as Emiel grinned. He brought his arms down to his waist in 90 degree locks as he grunted, power surging from within as the energy he had sucked away from Noa’s tattoo earlier at Sajeems, and from previous fights before, came to the forefront.

His body became enraptured with and swirled around by an orange-yellow aura that occasionally flecked off in smaller particles as if they were embers. “I haven’t been able to let loose in so long!” Emiel shouted, having found the thrill of battle again. “SHOW ME WHAT YOU’VE GOT!!”

---

NOA/TYR vs ORANJESE [PART 1]

SCENE:

Phoenixes Arc 3: Scene 1 [Follow the Lightning]

LOCATION:

South District

PARTICIPANTS:

Ryoma, Noa, Hitoshi

FOLLOW THE LIGHTNING

While most would dread being in the position she was in, Noa simply didn’t care as she pounded on the now corpse of the Oranjese Mobster. She didn’t stop, not paying any head upon the environment around her, that was until she could feel chains zap her, though it did hurt it in pulled her attention towards their assailant. While two Oranjese Mobsters made a dash for her, Noas eyes looked towards them with Fury in their eyes as she made another dash forward fully intending to grab them both by the throat and choke slam them to the ground.

As powerful as she was now, she also ended up being predictable in her movement as the first gangster with his molten fists dodged out of the wave, stumbling a bit as it had been nearly a lost moment close call, while the other weaved and struck downwards to carve a gash on Noa’s back with his dagger-like fingers. Warm blood splattered downwards as around the ground, though Noa barely registered this through the blinding rage as she turned about to witness the man licking her blood off his claws with a sadistic grin.

Another strike from the chain wielder barely registered to her as well, despite lashing across her open wounds, as she charged again towards dagger-fingers who had mocked her in such a manner. Her first obstacle was molten-fists who swung as her with a right hook that she easily dodged, before she delivered a brutal counterattack herself with a punch straight into the man’s gut which sent him flying back and tumbling to the ground in pain. But before she could charge at the other, the chain wrapped around her leg to zap her once more before knocking her off balance.

On the ground, she avoided a brutal stomp from the clawed man while also using the chain to her advantage, pushing through the pain of electrical current surging through her body as she gripped onto it and used it with her enhanced strength to pull on it harshly and, with an angry yell, send its wielder flying straight into her clawed attacker. This moment of confusion allowed Noa to scramble onto her feet as she bounded atop the clawed man and wrapped her hands around his throat. Panicked, and running out of air now, he pulled at her arms to no avail. She was entirely focused on ridding the man of his life as she squeezed harder, and harder.

However, before she could complete the kill she felt a hand grab at her from behind and yank her harshly through a black void. Now no longer at the man she intended to kill, she instead found herself thrown by the void-opening goon as he swung Noa about and threw her into another, causing her to reappear in another section of the warehouse nearby. This time, she landed back first against one of the metal support pillars of the warehouse as she crashed into it with an audible bang.

Tyr’s battle meanwhile started as he moved towards the projectile throwing man, finding his potential to be the most annoying of the bunch. He knew that he was gonna try to play a game of keep away and it wasn’t going to be that great. But he figured that the least they could try to do was to force their positions to be one where he could have the advantage. So Tyr crouched low, and charged towards the needle man, using his potential to slice whatever projectiles that came his way, and if he could slice him or atleast force him in the direction he wanted the man in.

Ducking past a strong jab from the impact-amplifier man, Tyr swiftly made his way over his other opponent and swung with a diagonal, uppercut slash from the right side. His target managed to evade with only a scratch as the very tip of his blade cut into his cheek, but otherwise had moved him aside. Tyr’s potentiality kicked in again as he felt his other assailant come from behind, which Tyr expertly dodged as the man punched out into the air again.

But he was not done with his assault as he switched up tactics and opted for quicker, less powerful punches as a flurried offensive. As an attack from one front, Tyr was able to dodge with ease before delivering a counterattack of his own. However, his blade failed to find an opening in the man’s new body armor and instead simply collided with the metal. Then came the additional problems of the projectiles that his main target had fired off now.

His potentiality was on full blast as Tyr felt the overwhelming presence of incoming attacks headed his way. He continued to dodge the man’s fists while also bobbing and weaving away from the air needles and projectiles that had been launched at him. This forced Tyr to take steps back, creating more distance between him and the projectile thrower, which continued to put him at a disadvantage. He couldn’t stay on the defensive forever as he weaved like water in a river to avoid the attacks that were constantly barraging him.

He tried to observe for an opening that he could use, any sort of gaps in the offense that had been employed against him, waiting for the opportune moment to strike while the first attack landed past Tyr’s natural defenses: an air needle jutted itself into Tyr’s ribs before quickly dissipating, leaving a bloody hole where it had entered.

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HITOSHI vs Oranjese Boss [PART 1]