Description: At the direction of their commander, Kliff Undersn, the Sacred Order has been keeping watch in Majigen, waiting to have all the information they need before they act. However, as the situation becomes more dire, Ky Kiske is spurred to action through the actions of Shao Khan's soul hunter, Ermac. The two have a brief but intense clash ending in a stalemate that promises not to be their last...
Metro City Park has fallen on hard times of late. The once carefully maintained slice of wilderness is now dead and rotting. Brown clumps of grass hang limp to one side, bent over as if exhausted from a long journey. The trees are slumped and crumbling, seeming ancient beneath thick suits of dark moss. Tall, scraggly black weeds have sprouted everywhere, sapping what little life remains from the dead soil.
But despite all that, this place was still a sanctuary for some until recently.
Screams of pure panic ring out through the woods. The shouts are not able to travel far before being swallowed by the menacing black foliage, but little details like that don't tend to matter when you're life is in danger. And obviously this is no false alarm, fore soon after the screaming starts, the loud pops of small caliber weapons crackle through the branches. Whoever they are, the people are fighting. But handguns aren't likely to help against many of the things found in this foul realm.
It's a rough life if the phrase "doing the Lord's work" applies to you in a pretty literal way.
The Order of Sacred Knights was formed to deal with just this sort of situation. Yet for the early parts of this entire affair, the invasion of Darkstalkers into Metro was... bizarrely cordial, by the standards of demons and aberrations wandering the streets. Petty vandalism, theft, but nothing on the level of consistent harm. Kliff Undersn decided to watch and wait, and so his lieutenant, Ky Kiske, decided to do the same. With the commander deciding to take to the field himself, Ky was left handling things at the Order's more-or-less beachhead at the edge of the "Majigen," keeping things in order to prepare for if and when things went awry.
Well, now they've gone awry.
At first, they were weird reports: screaming and such. That didn't seem unusual, considering the situation, until refugees started streaming toward the Order's location -- a local church they had defended with every ounce of strength they had -- demanding, of all things, succor. Then the stories came of people disappearing. Families split up. And the sounds became more insistent, stranger... closer together in frequency.
In Ky's hands, the sacred sword Thunderseal almost rattled with what felt like suppressed rage. And so he turned over command to the next highest-ranking officer and took to the streets.
Now? The Frenchman stalks the streets near Metro Park, blade in hand, preparing himself. His eyes are peeled... and thanks to the restless sword with a seeming mind of its own, his more supernatural senses are equally attuned. Something is wrong here, and he can feel it.
The shouts of panic grow even louder and more desperate, though the number of voices shouting seems to dwindle. The sounds are raw and primal, interspersed with a constant rattle of gunfire. From where Ky is walking the tumult is definitely audible, and if he chooses to follow it, the noise will lead him off of the crumbling road he currently follows and between the gnarled trunks of trees bordering the north side of the park.
Through the brittle, skeletal fingers of dead underbrush. Over the rotting hulks of fallen trees. The screams grow ever louder the further in one chooses to go. Until the trees open in a rocky clearing perhaps 30 yards across.
Tattered camping equipment lies discarded in the center of the clearing, most likely trampled as the refugees hiding here hurried to escape. Tents, cots, blankets, all wadded together and smoldering amidst the remains of a kicked fire.
The living occupants of the camp huddle together at the west side of the clearing, back up against an impassible tangle of half-fallen trees that have tumbled together in a thick clump. They are a mixed group of about 20 people in total, all races and religions, men and women, but no children. The youngest in the group being about twenty. Five of them have pistols, and are firing as fast as they can at a lone figure standing 20 yards away near the smoldering equipment.
The target of their aggression is a lean figure of moderate height. it is garbed in tattered black rags trimmed in crimson, with glowing green jewels set at forehead and joints. Its eyes glow an unearthly green as it stares at the huddled group of humans, right hand swirling with similarly colored green energy as it holds it out toward the refugees and calmly twitches the fingers.
The bullets do not touch the monster. Instead they throw off brilliant green sparks as they are swatted out of the air by some invisible force, sent humming out through the trees with a noise like a swarm of angry wasps. But despite the lack of success, the terrified humans continue firing.
Why? The large splashes of crimson blood and scattered human body parts strewn across the camp are probably the reason. It can be rather traumatizing to see your friends torn to pieces before your eyes.
Gunshots. Desperation. Fear. The scent of blood. There's a lot here to overwhelm the senses and, considering the dead bodies and the luck that these panicked humans aren't having against the lone figure's supernatural ability to turn aside bullets, it seems as if we could look forward to more of the same in short order.
And that's when a knight in shining armor appears.
"Excuse me, please," Ky Kiske says to the line of panicked survivors, over the retort of their guns, and against all logic their firing falters, and they turn. The brilliant (and somehow unsullied) white and cerulean of Ky's outfit, the blade in his hand... and perhaps most importantly, the aura of calm confidence he exudes -- all of these make the crazed defenders falter, and almost instinctively step back.
Even if he hadn't been turning aside bullets, Ky would need no supernatural senses to tell that the black and red-clad figure is far from entirely human. At the very least he possesses some unusual mystical power, making him a threat far beyond a few freaked out mortals with guns. There's certainly no question that he has the answers regarding this spray of body parts and blood. And, well...
Ky just knows it. In his gut.
Thunderseal sweeps through the air in an arc of glittering blue as Ky faces down the mysterious figure and takes a ready stance. "I will give you a moment to introduce yourself and explain what goes on here," the French noble says in a neutral tone. "However, I will not allow any further harm to come to these people."
With Ky's timely arrival and the cessation of gun fire in the immediate area, the fingers of Ermac's glowing right hand fall still. Slowly the cloth-wrapped digits spread wide, silent moments dragging out as the hand is swung languidly around to point a palm toward the knight. And there the creature stands, right arm extended out toward Ky, left hand dangling at its side. it doesn't even look at the knight as tattered bits of black and gold cloth lift in an invisible breeze, swirling lazily out behind the figure's shoulders.
The faint sounds of sobbing can be heard, but it is impossible to tell where the noise originates.
"We are Ermac. Servant of Shao Kahn, the emperor of Outworld." States the figure. Though one mouth moves beneath the bandage-like facial wrappings obscuring its features, it is a legion of voices that speak. All manner of cadences and pitch chant together in a flat monotone, as if a crowd of people were addressing Ky. "We have come to collect souls for our master. Depart, or be joined to the harvest."
With one short, abrupt motion, Ermac's left hand snaps up from his side. The crowd of refugees, thinking his attention diverted while speaking to the knight, had chosen that moment to try and run for the safety of the trees. The entire mass of people, at least 20 if not more, are sheathed in a halo of pulsing green energy and lifted off their feet, thrown backward in a tangled mass of limbs to crash against the barrier of trees behind them. It is clear they wont' be able to escape this creature without divine intervention.
COMBATSYS: Ermac has started a fight here.
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Ermac 0/-------/------=|
COMBATSYS: Ky Kiske has joined the fight here.
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Ky Kiske 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Ermac
Divine intervention, huh?
"Souls are the domain of God," Ky Kiske says, tiny arcs of blue-white lightning snapping along the blade of Thunderseal, as it sits restlessly in his hands, mirroring the feelings of its holder. The French swordsman is a decidedly uncomplicated man, deep down; he will protect the innocent and punish evil, and while Ky has no clue who Shao Khan is or where Outworld might be, he is able to fixate on 'collect souls for our master' and know, in an uncomplicated way, what he must do.
"As an instrument of His justice, I will stop anyone who pretends otherwise. Prepare yourself!"
Deciding to close the distance, where this entity's apparent supernatural abilities may be less dangerous, Ky hurls himself toward Ermac at a dead run, kicking dust from the ruined and broken ground up in his path. However, midway through the charge he suddenly tumbles forward and drops into a baseball slide, looking to smack into Ermac's leg with an extended leg, then sweep Thunderseal forward in a followup swipe, the blade trailing bright blue lightning.
COMBATSYS: Ermac just-defends Ky Kiske's Stun Dipper!
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Ky Kiske 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Ermac
Though his purpose be just and his convictions firm, the beast before Ky is not so easily taken unawares. Even as he begins his slide the creature twitches its hand downward and a glowing viridian halo coalesces around the brave knight. Simultaneous, a force like the invisible hand of a giant presses firmly down on him, grinding his slide to a dead halt several feet away from impacting Ermac's shin.
"We serve Shao Kahn." the monster choruses calmly in response, turning his head to peer down at Ky with blazing eyes. Why he would choose to repeat that at this juncture is anyone's guess.
The invisible force pinning the knight down curls tightly around him as his opponent flexes his glowing fingers closed into a loose fist. The hand then lifts skyward, and Ky is lifted smoothly off of the ground. Rushing higher and higher, the wind whipping past him, he makes it a good 30 feet into the air before his ascent stops and he is flipped neatly about to hang head-first toward the ground. There is a brief pause, and then Ermac's right hand snaps downward, and Ky is suddenly accelerating at a horrific pace toward the stony Earth below.
COMBATSYS: Ermac successfully hits Ky Kiske with Breakdown.
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Ky Kiske 0/-------/--=====|===----\-------\0 Ermac
Though it may harm him, Ky Kiske has no fear of the invisible.
There's a moment where the Sacred Knight's face registers surprise at the unseen force, but it doesn't last long; after all, he's seen Ermac deploy this force against the innocents behind him. Sadly, he doesn't have enough time to right himself and duck out of the way of the invisible hand looking to close around him, and thus is taken for an inadvertent ride that ends with a rather definitive finish.
But it's not enough to put him down or out, not just yet; rising slowly, blade sweeping into ready stance, Ky's resolve is firm, his expression carefully measured, as he stares down Ermac. "I don't know who this 'Shao Khan' is, but he has no claim over the souls of these innocents. I say to you again: you can leave unmolested, or continue and face His wrath." Pretty cocky-sounding for someone who just took a very big hit at the invisible hands of this mysterious stranger, is it not? Or is it the resolve of the faithful transmuted to fervor...?
Either way, Ky doesn't close with Ermac again; instead he sweeps his blade across the air at midsection height, a crescent of blue lightning ripping from the arc and soaring across the space toward his opponent, with a shout of: "Stun Edge!"
COMBATSYS: Ky Kiske successfully hit Ermac with Stun Edge.
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Ky Kiske 0/-------/=======|=====--\-------\0 Ermac
Now silent, Ermac slides his left foot forward and turns to fully face the rising Knight. Behind him, tattered scraps of cloth dance lazily about at the whim of unseen forces. Despite generating enough force to throw around several fully grown humans and pile drive a warrior of God, the creature seems composed.
Lifting both energy-sheathed hands, the enforcer twists his right shoulder back as lightning sizzles out of Ky's sword and streaks through the air toward him. A faint swirl of wispy green fog rolls out of his eyes and twists around his body...
And the lightning slams into his chest with a sizzling jolt. Blue tendrils of energy crackle across the creature's form, arcing off of his limbs and causing him to jerk once, before a sudden out rush of power flares from him, whipping into a tornado of green that screams through the quiet air and obscures Ermac from sight. Literally it screams, and laughs, and sobs. Faces peer out of the mass of energy, straining against an invisible barrier as if attempting to escape. But as quickly as it appears, it vanishes. Turning in on itself, the vortex seems to consume itself, leaving no sign of the tormented souls or Ermac.
Until the mini soulnado explodes into existence directly in front of Ky and Ermac comes whirling out of it, his left heal leading in a flying roundhouse kick aimed for the left side of the knight's head. Twisting gracefully through the air, the enforcer follows through with a descending left elbow, then torques his torso around hard in a quick right-handed blow, knuckles extended and aimed for the sword-wielder's throat.
COMBATSYS: Ky Kiske blocks Ermac's Kombo.
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Ky Kiske 1/-------/=======|====---\-------\0 Ermac
Perhaps overcorrecting somewhat from his heedless charge into danger, when Ermac disappears, Ky goes immediately on his guard, pulling inward and preparing himself. This means when the soul-collecting enforcer's kick comes in toward his head, Ky's sword snaps up, the bizarrely-shaped hilt suddenly in the way of Ermac's extended kicking leg, the impact rebounding off the white metal with a ringing sound. The blade then falls horizontal, extended in front of his throat, so that Ermac's followup blow also slams into the flat of Thunderseal's blade. The impacts are jarring, sending painful aftershocks through his muscles, but in the end Ky seems none the worse for wear.
Kicking off the ground, the Sacred Knight gains a little distance on his foe, and then gives the 'man' a closer look. He knows his imagination wasn't playing tricks on him just now; he heard multiple voices, saw multiple faces. Is it possible that he is facing an actual, literal servant of Hell himself? Some... aggregation of sins come to claim the unworthy? It would certainly fit with the bizarre hellscape that this park has become.
The pure white tip of Ky's blade suddenly points through the air at Ermac, and the Frenchman speaks in a clear voice. "I don't know what you are... but I am sworn to uphold justice and peace in this world. Know that if you submit, you may find mercy. Perhaps there is some..." He pauses. The word 'cure' dies on his lips. What IS this being? Are these words falling on deaf ears... or ears at all?
Shaking his head, Ky steels his resolve. "Even for those writhin in the torment of the dark, God's merciful love is not forbidden to them."
Sweeping his arm in front of him, Ky creates a complex, cross-shaped stationary 'gate' of energy, into which he suddenly thrusts Thunderseal. As the blade slams into the 'gate', the other side -- the one facing Ermac, who is ideally still at close range -- suddenly erupts in a 'blade' made entirely of lightning, one looking to spear its thunderous point right into Ermac's stomach... or where a stomach should be, anyway.
COMBATSYS: Ermac just-defends Ky Kiske's Durandal Call!
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Ky Kiske 1/------=/=======|====---\-------\0 Ermac
His blows neatly caught on the flat of Ky's blade, Ermac slides a single step back at nearly the exact moment his opponent leaps backward. The space between the combatants now open, the enforcer lifts both palms before him and falls into a neutral stance.
"Your God is not our creator, human." the construct's voices chant flatly. His blazing eyes remain fixed on the knight, studying the rush of chi as it is channeled into a cross-shaped gate.
Snapping his left hand forward and down, Ermac's glowing fingers close around the blade of lightning just as it starts to emerge from his side of the gate. Without a sound or flinch of pain, he grasps the lightning tightly in his fist and bares down upon it with all his considerable will.
A pulse of blazing lime-green energy rolls down Ermac's left arm and impacts the lightning in his hand. As the enforcer flexes his power, the entire clearing around him fills with whispering voices. Yet again far off screams can be heard. Manic scraps of laughter. Desperate sobbing.
The pulse of green energy forces the lightning back into the gate, then explodes from Ermac's hand and smashes right through the cross-shaped gateway. The size of a Man's torso and blazing green, the energy hurtles through the air toward Ky, trailing tattered scraps of chi like ribbons.
COMBATSYS: Ky Kiske dodges Ermac's Clear Your Mind.
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Ky Kiske 1/------=/=======|=====--\-------\0 Ermac
Preparation is important, and it shows in Ky's reactions. As soon as Ermac deploys that strange power, and the lightning blade is turned aside, Ky is moving. *Something* is coming, he can tell, so when Ermac shatters that gate and sends that emerald energy sailing his way, Ky kicks off the ground and leaps up and forward, into the air, clearing the incoming attack and setting himself up for a swift followup as best he can.
Inverting in midair, Ky's blue and white-clad body is a swirl of color as he rights himself, sailing downward to Ermac, Thunderseal held high overhead, lightning coursing once again through the blade. "Everything is part of His plan," Ky shouts. "Including monsters like you!"
As the arc of his jump comes back toward Ermac, the knight brings Thunderseal down in a swift, overhead cleave, the lightning-charged blade moving so swiftly that it appears to leave a trail of rainbow-hued afterimages as it sails down, Ky shouting, "Greed Sever!"
COMBATSYS: Ky Kiske successfully hit Ermac with Greed Sever.
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Ky Kiske 1/---====/=======|=======\-------\1 Ermac
The ball of energy sails swiftly along, passing beneath Ky and hurtling through the area he had occupied just moments before. But, once it becomes clear that it is unable to strike its intended target, the energy splits into sections and swirls out of existence.
Lifting his blazing green gaze to the knight now descending upon him, Ermac does not deign to reply. Instead he braces himself and throws up his left arm, catching the descending blade neatly on his forearm. Unfortunately for him, the blade cleaves neatly through cloth, skin and muscle. Imbedding itself in the bone of the enforcer's arm, lightning crackles up the limb and snakes across Ermac's body, causing his costume to hiss and smoke. Two of the dancing cloth straps hanging from his shoulders actually catch fire, though he doesn't seem to notice.
Letting out no grunt of pain, nor shout of anger, the soul construct staggers a step back under the force of the blow. But one step is all he gives. Wrenching his damaged arm off to the left, hopefully with Ky's sword still lodged in the bone, Ermac throws his right hand forward with sudden force. Green energy blazes between his spread fingers, and the invisible hand of a giant tries once again to close around the knight. an emerald halo starts to coalesce about Ky's body, and it is clear that If he doesn't act fast Ermac will squeeze his fingers shut, trapping the unfortunate night in a vice-like grip of power. He will then propel him backward at great speed toward the trunk of a dead black tree, likely breaking it, if not the knight.
COMBATSYS: Ky Kiske dodges Ermac's Surrender.
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Ky Kiske 1/---====/=======|=======\-------\0 Ermac
For a moment, surprise registers on Ky's face as Ermac dispassionately tries to drag his own limb -- sword and all -- back toward his body to pull Ky off-balance, since even with everything he's seen the man... soul... thing do so far, this is particularly strange, as if his own physical well-being isn't particularly interesting or vital to the black-clad figure. However, it doesn't last long enough to give Ermac the tactical advantage he would need; with a yank, Ky pulls Thunderseal free, turning the sudden backward jerk into a backflip that sees him tumble back and away from Ermac.
This is just as well, as the space where Ky just was suddenly distorts and erupts with that green energy, a fell reminder to the Sacred Knight of the intense power of Ermac's opening salvo. Taking a moment to catch his breath, Ky rises slowly from the crouch where he landed, watching his opponent warily. "What sort of... creature are you?" Ky finally decides to ask, unable to keep his curiosity and unease under wraps. "What connection do you have to this transformation? Is this 'Shao Khan' responsible?"
On the other hand, he doesn't actually leave the poor soulmass much time to answer; charging forward, he lets his sword trail behind him, the blade cracking with lightning, attempting to get inside Ermac's guard while there's still time... but when he gets close, it isn't the blade he swings at his opponent, but is instead a quick left cross, aimed right across what he hopes is Ermac's jaw and not, say, some unstable gate to a hell dimension.
COMBATSYS: Ermac interrupts Random Strike from Ky Kiske with Lost Souls.
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Ky Kiske 2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|====---\-------\0 Ermac
Bits of charred flesh patter to the ground amidst drops of thick dark blood as Ermac lets his left hand drop lifelessly to his side. The creature's blood is more black than red, but he does seem to bleed in his own fashion. His tattered black costume is still aflame, little orange tongues licking at the ends of several drifting cloth ends and belching black smoke into the air.
The humans, having just now managed to disentangle themselves from being piled together moments ago, look over at the two fighters with awe. For the moment they seem too riveted by the spectacle to run.
Remaining silent, Ermac lowers his right hand. He might have missed catching the skilled knight, but he still refuses to show any sort of frustration about that. The construct seems almost mechanical. Sacrificing his limb, ignoring pain or distractions. Far from the overly passionate existence of most demons.
When Ky rushes Ermac, it finally provokes a true reaction from him. Leaning forward, he suddenly launches himself from the ground and meets the knights' charge with one of his own. Literally flying through the air, the punch intended for his jaw instead bounces off of his shoulder as the top of his skull smashes Ky full in the face. But, rather than falling toward the ground, Ermac twists his lower body forward and drifts upward, cloth-wrapped right foot following quick on the heals of his opening strike with an abrupt snap-kick aimed for the knight's throat.
Only then, as he hovers in the air and his glowing right hand swings downward to wrap the unfortunate knight in solid bonds of power does he speak.
"We are the servant of Shao Kahn. Created by his will, we exist to serve. This realm is nothing to us. We will not remain for much longer." And with those words chorused calmly, impassively even, the enforcer slams Ky back-first into the ground and sends him skidding away, shoulders and head ploughing a long furrow in the stony soil before he is finally released near the edge of the clearing.
Ermac remains hovering in the air, watching the knight with idle interest.
Somehow, that pristine white outfit of his utterly and totally resists dirt, despite everything that just happened to him. That might be the only clue that there is... something a little different about Ky Kiske, too.
Soil and debris fall off the blond as he rises to his feet, slowly, every muscle in his body protesting and aching from the force of that blow, his head slightly bowed. But he *is* getting up. Thunderseal is a weight behind him, the sword's point dug into the soft ground as support for its owner to pull himself standing. His teeth grind together with the effort. But eventually, he does it, as he must. The knight hauls himself upright, and his face burns with the same quiet intensity it has since this battle began.
"No..." Ky says carefully, glancing at Ermac. Something about the man's attacks bother him, quite a lot. Something about the way they course through his body when they connect. Carrying something dark and unpleasant, like something hiding just out of sight, barely visible, taunting him at the periphery of his vision.
But Ky Kiske knows what to do with darkness: bring it into the light. "You won't remain long. That much I will make certain."
The shining blade of Thunderseal comes up, held perfectly vertical in front of Ky as the Sacred Knight closes his eyes briefly, reaching to some deep inner place, connecting with the sacred blade. His voice, when he speaks, reverberates throughout the park. "Those who stand humble before God, merciful to the guilty... let the hearts of those who would deliver His justice find the serenity of His wisdom!"
The knight's eyes snap open and suddenly the world around him is full of lightning, arcing into the ground, into trees, into Thunderseal itself. He extends a hand and from his palm emerges a sigil in the air, larger than the man himself, a triangle within a circle emblazoned with the word 'HOPE'. Without missing a beat, Ky cocks back his arm holding his sword and then dashes THROUGH the seal.
The result is that the Order Knight becomes a living arrow of lightning, sword extended as he rushes Ermac, looking to simply go right THROUGH him. At the point of contact, the lightning around Ky takes shape, becoming the ethereal image of a winged angel, sword extended, before evaporating in a million blue sparks. "RISING FORCE!"
COMBATSYS: Ermac blocks Ky Kiske's Rising Force EX+.
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Ky Kiske 0/-------/--<<<<<|======-\-------\0 Ermac
Ermac hovers, glowing hands slowly drifting out to either side as he relaxes into a neutral stance. Dark blood still patters from his damaged left arm, but the limb does seem to work.
Off to the side, the refugees shift restlessly. It is clear that they are wondering if they should bolt, or if their savior will manage to prevail. The sudden storm of glorious lightning visibly lifts their spirits. They look on with bated breath as Ky streaks through the air like a living lightning bolt, aiming to pierce straight through Ermac and continue on across the clearing.
The knight's flying lunge impacts the Outworld enforcer with an explosion of emerald energy. The green glow is shot through with brilliant forks of blue lightning, and the darkly-clad figure is shoved back several feet through the air. But as the light dies down, it reveals a fierce green glow encasing Ermac's cloth-wrapped hands. And between his hands he holds Ky's sword by the blade, the tip just inches from piercing his chest. Lightning dances back and forth across the white steel,skipping nimbly past the soul construct's fingers without touching them.
For a fraction of a second Ermac stares at Ky over his interlocked hands. Gazing past the blade, he meets the young knight's gaze with blazing, unfeeling eyes. And then the moment is over.
The Enforcer's left hand shoves down hard on the blade while his right lets go, reaching over it in an attempt to grab Ky by the side of the head. But as he reaches the price of his maneuver becomes clear. Where once cloth had covered his palms, there is nothing. Flesh, skin, and tendons have been burned away to the bone, which now glows with a faint green light. it is not flesh that powers this creature.
COMBATSYS: Ermac knocks away Ky Kiske with Lucidity.
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Ky Kiske 1/------</<<<<<<<|=======\-------\0 Ermac
Skeletal fingers clamp onto Ky's skull with unnatural strength, pulling him out of the air to join Ermac as he drifts down to the ground. Continuing to gaze flatly into the knights' face, the enforcer's misty green energy spreads out from his fingers to encase the young man's head. The pressure builds, squeezing in from all directions as the soul construct bares down on his opponent with inhuman strength, making him kneel before him.
"We serve no god, human." Choruses the monster with finality, before lifting Ky from the ground one-handed and slinging him away back-hand to sail through the air.
Ky doesn't even bother to hide his disgust and revulsion at what he sees; for someone whose faith in God is so unwavering, the abomination he seems before him has no place in this world, or any other for that matter. But it does not take him to a place of fear; if anything, it merely redoubles his resolve. And as for the tacit implication of submission, well... that was Ermac's *other* mistake.
When he gets up from the ground, again, Ky continues to look shaky, and it's true that he's probably not going to be taking this fight any farther, there's certainly one last good moment left to him, even as the tree he crashed into suddenly splinters and crashes to the ground behind him.
His blade snaps up, pointed forward, and its tip is unwaveringly straight in its target, right at Ermac. "Know this, monster; even if you do not recognize His domain, God is everywhere. He will not tolerate the defiling of souls, nor will I... so mark this day, because we *will* meet again. And I will not rest. I will not waver."
And inexplicably, from a standing start, Ky merely launches himself at Ermac *again*, using his strongest technique, a duplicate of the last attack. As Ky becomes an avenging angel of heavenly lightning once more, his voice rings out: "I AM HIS JUSTICE!"
COMBATSYS: Ky Kiske can no longer fight.
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Ermac 0/-------/=======|
COMBATSYS: Ky Kiske successfully hit Ermac with Rising Force+.
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Ermac 1/---<<<</<<<<<<<|
However, that last thrust is almost all Ky can manage; when he blows past Ermac, the Knight stumbles to a stop, slamming his free hand against a tree and then slumping against it in pain and exhaustion. If the soul construct has retribution to deliver, he will be mostly defenseless against--
"Lieutenant!"
And that is when the Sacred Order footsoldiers arrive: four of them, in the bizarre combination of modern and medieval armor that is the Order's hallmark, armed with all variety of weapons. One slips a shoulder under Ky's arm, helping ease him to safety, while the other three array themselves in front of their vice commander, facing down Ermac. These are no panicky mortals with guns; these are trained fighters. On their own, no match for someone of Ermac's might, but together, they may deter the soul hunter from any... unwise action upon his defeated foe.
With his back turned to Ky and his attention already fixed upon the now panicking mortals, Ermac seems more than willing to ignore the knight's self-righteous ranting and go about his business. In fact, in the middle of the justice chant, the enforcer reaches out almost casually with his left hand and clamps his fingers shut. One of the women in the group is immediately crushed into a ball, bones snapping and blood spraying out of her mouth and ears. A gesture with his right hand causes the body to jerk, and a green...something is torn out of her body and zips through the air to be absorbed into his hand.
Of course, that is about when Ky makes good on his threat.
A second, blinding storm of lightning breaks out behind Ermac, and he releases the smashed remains to tumble lifelessly to the ground. Between that girl, and the scattered limbs thrown about the clearing, most of the humans seem to have already been harvested anyway.
The green glow around Ermac's hands intensifies, and he is just starting to turn to face Ky when the young knight comes blazing past, his sword carving a huge gash along the enforcer's shoulder blades. The force of the blow pitches the monster face-first to the ground, black blood trailing through the air in Ky's wake.
But even that isn't enough to kill the beast.
Green energy pours from the wound in its back as it slowly levitates back upright, head turning to observe the soldiers that come to their leader's aid.
Ermac's right hand lifts, glowing palm aimed toward the four threatening men, and suddenly they are surrounded by a nimbus of green light. Without effort the enforcer flicks his wrist and they are hurled backward through the air. But, that is all he does. Releasing the four men, the monster allows the souls pouring from his back to whirl themselves into a screaming frenzy. Once again they take on the shape of a swirling soulnado that washes around Ermac. And when it collapses in on itself, both it and the beast within have vanished.
COMBATSYS: Ermac takes no action.
COMBATSYS: Ermac can no longer fight.
Log created on 18:40:03 04/27/2015 by Ky Kiske, and last modified on 08:33:16 04/28/2015.