SNF 2021.09 - MC: FINAL DESTINATION
[Toggle Names]Description: Death itself (AKA Kain) pursues Mint, Felicia and Koto aboard a school bus. Will they manage to make it to the last stop on the journey?
[KAIN]
This particular night sees the Shibuya Crossing lit up in stylized neon glory, its massive monitors presenting hype for coming fights, especially the one about to happen here: cleverly marketed alongside yet another Final Destination movie, crowds of fight fans, many in myriad costumes, line the streets fully around the span of several busy city blocks to observe the passage of a... fairly unremarkable yellow school bus!?! Horror-themed lighting and soundtrack accentuate the early Halloween as the excitement builds.
Seated at the very rear of the bus is the visage of Death itself-- in this case, as represented by a cool as ice Kain garbed in midnight black underlaid by the richest, bloodiest crimson. On his lapel is pinned a fine, pure white lily, and in his red-gloved hands rest the last of a series of bacon-wrapped cheddar dogs; something someone in production seemed to think was -brilliant- and necessary to have Death eating before the fight. Truth be told, it's fine: they're remarkably tasty.
The spacious bus is missing perhaps every other set of seats just now, providing a still obstacle-laden arena for combat, but a bit more space to properly throw a roundhouse kick; this is, production noted, quite important. Its large yellow breadth glides slowly down the street to a clearly labeled, overstated bus stop cast in smoke machine and blacklight, surrounded by throngs of onlookers, and providing brief respite to the three "schoolchildren" facing their alleged deaths, tonight.
With hydraulic report that seems accentuated for ominous intensity, the bus approaches and brakes for that stop, its main side door folding open. The driver wears an old, nearly raggedly worn uniform, his face painted in deathly white, an impatient gesture urging the passengers aboard. "Ah." Heinlein greets once they do board, dabbing grease from his fingertips with a napkin that stands in stark contrast to his own dark threads. "I believe you lot are to attempt to survive me."
There's a placid intensity to the simple greeting by way of observation, an intangible, unmistakable amplitude of raw strength and focused chi. It's a confidence that's seen little exposure on the public stage: Kain is no renowned champion, no world-famous master. Not yet. What public records their -are- of this Death's fights? Well, let's call them explosive, to understate the affair.
Only once all three opponents were aboard would the bus doors close, and audibly seal locked. Only then would the bus driven to the beyond pull away from the curve once more, to the screams and applause of the crowd. Kain rises gracefully from his seat, and takes two paces to the center of the aisle, his back sidelong to the emergency door, one gloved thumb hooked in his black jacket's pocket as blood-red eyes scan each fighter in turn with the impression of alarming levels of intent insight.
[MINT]
As a team of stylists works on her costume, four words drummed repeatedly through Minal Panesh's head: 'I'm gonna kill her.' She's been out of high school now for easily twice as long as she was -in- high school -- and yet, here she is getting fitted for a new uniform. A white short-sleeved blouse, complemented by a navy blue vest and matching skirt. At least she got the stylists to let her wear her own boots instead of the god-awful pumps they had picked out for her.
Still, Mint hates to do anything in half-measures, and she's leaning into the role -- standing on the street corner with her two fight partners, looking all the world like a high school student in every way except for maybe three things. One: her left knee is wrapped in a long white bandage. Two: Her hands are made of a translucent blue plastic, wired with electroluminescent lighting to signify that, yes, she is missing all but two of her original fingers.
And three -- she isn't bothering to keep her rucksack on her -back-, preferring instead to swing the heavy load in front of her. Anyone that knows the four-foot-nine brawler's fighting style would know what's =in= the rucksack, of course.
"So, uh... hey," she comments to the other two, as she arrives to the bus stop. "I'm Mint." She looks up to each of her partners in turn -- five-foot-six, and six-foot-nothin. Her throat raspy, she coughs: "As a first impression this one kinda sucks ass, y'know? I'm a Marine, we're conditioned to turn our noses up at 'navy' blue... But hey, suck it up -- we gotta get our hits in on this guy before it turns into a total bloodbath, yeah?!"
Not long after her spur-of-the-moment pep talk, the bus rolls up -- and her face fills with dread. "... No time like the present, huh? Let's kick some ass up there, kiddos!"
The bus doors slide open. And Mint is quick to leap up the steps, one after the other. She flashes a brief smile at the driver. And as she rounds the corner, she pulls up far enough to allow Felicia and Koto room to enter the bus cabin as well, slinging her rucksack onto a seat.
"Huh!" She scratches the bridge of her nose with the back of her bionic hand. "On my copy it says we're gonna kick your butt! Maybe the scriptwriters know somethin' you don't!"
Mint may be flashing a confident smirk. But she's still thinking of just four words.
'I'm gonna kill her.'
[KOTO]
It's been a while since Koto was seen in the fight circuits. Some had said he had retired or something. But well, the rookie student is still around. And he shrugs at the other two. He at least doesn't need the whole costume for the high school look. Nope. Not at all.
And once on the bus, the young man looks around it, then at his two partners. "This is a bit cramped. And a Marine. Cool."
Then he's following Mint and raises an eyebrow. "Uh... okay... I guess?" There's a small flash of prismatic energy around his waist, then the teen says, "Henshin!" That prismatic light travels over his body and turns him into his fighting suit, even if it's slightly darker colors than what was previously seen. He's still brimming with that teenage energy, though, as he slides into a fighting stance.
COMBATSYS: Kain has started a fight here as a boss!
KAIN
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COMBATSYS: Mint has joined the fight here.
KAIN
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Mint 0/-------/------=|
COMBATSYS: Felicia has joined the fight here on the right meter side.
KAIN
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0|---------------|---------------
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Mint 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Felicia
[FELICIA]
Felicia, who was outfitted in a sports top, baggy track pants (with lilac colored flowers along the legs, very classy) and a pair of flip flops looks up from the seat she's positioned in at Kain, apparently she knows there is something up. Perhaps she did not know she'd actually be accosted on the bus itself, but here they are--with the neon lights of the city flashing against them as the bus keeps rolling--it's an eerie effect. It's almost like that subway scene in Predator 2, and we all know nothing good came out of that movie!
"Oh jeez," she pulls herself up, keeping herself in character and getting thoes big white fuzzy dukes of hers up, she's not about to be taken lightly by this guy, though she has to admit the mood and ligbting for this is just right to be pretty creepy...
COMBATSYS: Koto has joined the fight here on the right meter side.
KAIN
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Mint 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Koto
> //////////////////////////////]
|-------\-------\0 Felicia
[KAIN]
A marine, a super sentai, and a catgirl get onto a bus... stop me if you've heard this one.
Death's reverie is brief, quickly taking the measure of the fighters arrayed against him, as the lighting in the bus shifts suddenly to the threatening red of emergency backup, the horror soundtrack accompanying the intricately staged broadcast kicking up a notch; the signal the fight has begun.
In a lunge that seems a single, blurring step, Heinlein crosses the distance to the closest-- Felicia. A red-gloved right snaps with vise-like intensity for the feline's throat, and should that strangling purchase be find, she would find herself yanked bodily off her feet, and hurled back down the concourse towards the other two in a sudden burst of ragged-edged indigo flame; only an idiot wants to fight a war on two fronts.
"There are only two certain things in life, I'm afraid." Death observes of Mint's scripted victory, his hair fluttering wildly backwards in the wake of that abrupt conjuration of midnight fire, its indigo burn at once bright and dark within Kain's crimson gaze.
COMBATSYS: Kain knocks away Felicia with Medium Throw.
KAIN
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Mint 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Koto
> ///////////////////// ]
|=======\-------\0 Felicia
[MINT]
Mint seems... a bit surprised at how quick Felicia was to jump forward, though probably a bit -less- so to see the result of that. For the moment, though, 'survival' is -- as Kain suggested -- a key take-away from this exchange -- and Mint does so by crouching behind one of the seats as her feline partner is sent flying.
"Oh geez, here we go again..." she comments, deftly strapping her rucksack. With a swift motion, she slips her left hand into the rucksack; after some mechanical clicking, whirring, and clacking, she withdraws a hefty, military-grade gauntlet with a blue-and-black vinyl wrap! To... match her uncharacteristically blue attire, of course.
Grousing, she continues equipping her right hand with a gauntlet of its own. "Yeah, I'm sure you're the type to be worried about taxes." And the corporal flicks her wrist towards Koto: "Oh, you're a Power Ranger, huh? Well why don't you go, go get 'im while I'm firing these babies up?!"
Mint raises both her gauntlets high, clenching her fists -- and then twin plumes of orange flame spout out the back as she narrows her eyes at Kain!
"It's dwarfin' time! Isn't that what they say?!"
COMBATSYS: Mint focuses on her next action.
KAIN
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[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Mint 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Koto
> ///////////////////// ]
|=======\-------\0 Felicia
[KOTO]
"Huh, he's--" Koto drops down as their feline partner is sent flying.
Koto slides forward almost impossibly before coming up. The masked face almost in Kain's before the Super Sentai as Kain identified him as goes for a quick sweep, one that he has to be careful of because of the bus seats nearly. That's a bad thing.
Koto's probably noticed that he has to be a lot more direct just from that one move alone, however. Not something he's used to.
[FELICIA]
"Don't think you ca--gaack!" Felicia is suddenly just grabbed by the throat, lifted right off her feet (and lets face it, mucled and buxom or not, Felicia is kinda average in height, not that huge) and promptly thrown down the aisle--winding up bouncing off chairs and rolling to the bus floor finally, her flip flops having gone flying off with her.
Her hands find the bus floor and she pulls herself up, her now bare clawed feet actually raking at the floor of the vehicle as she intends to shred parts of it and send flying dust and parts of the flooring right back at Kain from the direction she was thrown! It's pretty wild perhaps to see--her red nails digging into the flooring and tearing up huge gouges as splints and debris are blown their way!
COMBATSYS: Kain blocks Koto's Tsunami Sweep.
KAIN
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[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////////// ]
Mint 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Koto
> //////////////////// ]
|=======\-------\0 Felicia
COMBATSYS: Kain dodges Felicia's Sand Splash.
KAIN
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Mint 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Koto
> //////////////////// ]
|=======\-------\0 Felicia
[KAIN]
Mint powers up, while Koto and Felicia press the attack-- and discover further evidence of what precisely they're dealing with here, in the guise of death.
A sudden crouch meets the Sentai's sweep with braced, bent leg, a gloved hand shoving back at its force in the same motion that drives Heinlein backwards. He glides, as much as steps, Death a violent dancer in a deadly ballroom.
A twist, a lean, a subtle half-sway to the side, chunks of wood and metal hurtle past Kain as he deftly places each footfall with practiced precision. "He is." Kain confirms. "And can."
It's a deft display of defense that the statuesque, well-dressed pyromancer punctuates in pirouette, a full three-hundred sixty degree driving a leading foot forwards in a flaming flying kick, Death launched like a warhead through the air, aligned with Koto's daring midsection. Indigo fire surges from fine Italian leather up the leading limb, a plume of luminous blackness that sears in consuming flame; ravenous like the endless Void.
[MINT]
Mint scrapes her gauntlet fist against the bridge of her nose, one eyebrow raised in sardonic judgment as her two partners make their respective marks on Heinlein. "Tch, is that what passes for 'banter' these days? C'mon, live a little!" She pauses one beat, looking back to Kain. "Aside from you, Death-san."
But now that her jet turbines are good and hot, Mint nods once, twice -- and then -vaults- into a running start! She isn't crazy about indigo -- and wouldn't wear it but for the costuming department -- and she sure doesn't wanna get nailed by it! So that's why she leaps into the air -- shortness has its advantages in the limited height of a bus -- and brings both her basketball-sized fists down at a high angle onto Kain in alternating strikes -- one-two, one-two! "Hrrraaaaa!"
COMBATSYS: Kain successfully hits Koto with Schwarzer Stob.
KAIN
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0|---------------|-------========
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////// ]
Mint 0/-------/-------|====---\-------\0 Koto
> //////////////////// ]
|=======\-------\1 Felicia
[KOTO]
Returning the block gesture, Koto catches the kick with both arms, wincing and stepping back a few steps.
The cross block is brought upwards as the flames are tossed back out at Death, "Dragon Flame Swipe!" Koto's seamless transition from a solid, tight stance to a more open one might be a bit of confusion, at least until he hops to the side to try to get on a seat and out of his partner's way. He tries to keep an eye on their opponent as he does.
[FELICIA]
"Damnit--" Felicia is already rather bloodied and her gambit for an attack appears to have been for naught. Not one to be kept down however, the catwoman springs back up and cracks her knuckles as she forms a pair of fists, realizing their opponent is far faster and stronger than they. Even still, she does not shrink away from this sort of challenge--even if it's taking her body a fair bit of time to try and knit that rather fearful injury she just received back together.
Seeing as Mint is taking the initiative and attacking Kain straight on, the agile werecat grabs one of the bus's interior poles and swings her lower body over the smaller twin gauntleted female and tries to send her legs barreling into Kain in a swinging kick!
COMBATSYS: Kain dodges Mint's Ground Pounder.
KAIN
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[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////// ]
Mint 0/-------/------=|====---\-------\0 Koto
> ///////////////////// ]
|=======\-------\1 Felicia
COMBATSYS: Koto successfully hits Kain with Dragon Flame Swipe.
Grazing Hit
KAIN
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Mint 0/-------/------=|======-\-------\0 Koto
> ///////////////////// ]
|=======\-------\1 Felicia
COMBATSYS: Kain dodges Felicia's Medium Kick.
KAIN
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0|---------------|------=========
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////// ]
Mint 0/-------/------=|======-\-------\0 Koto
> ///////////////////// ]
|=======\-------\1 Felicia
[KAIN]
"Style recognizes style." Kain offers up with devilish politesse to Mint's acknowledgement. Koto recovers far faster than anticipated from the flying firekick, and the reciprocating arc of flame catches Heinlein as he sidesteps, cleaving a painful, scalding slash along his right shoulder and chest as he twists away from the point of impact.
Mint might as well be launching off the ceiling, with Felicia following up with her own aerial double-kick, so Kain drops low. Afterimages of blue-tinged black trail his crouched form as Death all but translocates from behind a set of seats, below a half-instant, then before them, in the same moments that his adversaries lash out.
Suddenly, it is Kain with his back to the front of the bus, fiery energy trailed by a ragged aura of brighter blue-whites thrust forward like a punch dagger for the side of Mint's skull where the marine lands from her swift onslaught, driving the steeled heel of his right hand for her hard head.
"Your efforts are admirable-- but you struggle against powers you scarcely comprehend!" Simply in-character as Death, naturally. Of course.
COMBATSYS: Mint blocks Kain's Medium Punch.
KAIN
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[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////// ]
Mint 0/-------/----===|======-\-------\0 Koto
> ///////////////////// ]
|=======\-------\1 Felicia
[MINT]
Minal pulls her arms up once she notices that she's not going to land, gunning the throttle of her jet turbines to cushion her landing. And it's a good thing she does so; it's better for Felicia to catch her jetwash rather than two military-grade bootprints! "Whew..." she comments, right before her foot lands safely on the cleared floor of the bus-turned-arena...
But right as soon as she touches down, Heinlein is right on top of her with a punch to the braincase! Thinking quickly, she guns the throttle once more, bouncing backward to give her the breathing room to snap that metal gauntlet between cranium and Kain's fist! The impact resounds with a hollow clanging sound -- still one to clock her, but not at its full azure-flamed fury!
"What's to comprehend?" Her left fist rears back, as the dark-skinned Marine flashes a grin. "I punch, you feel it!"
She then puts the backing to those words, as she suddenly rockets to the front of the bus with a blaze of orange light, slamming her left fist forward at Kain, and then plunging her right fist forward to follow it!
But her momentum is too great to just -stop- -- which is why she seeks to grab hold of Kain by the shoulders and forcibly ram her bandage-wrapped knee into him!
The bandages are really just there to hide the fact that her knee's bionic as well... and if she lands her strike, she'd grab hold and slam it into Kain another two times for good measure! "OORAAAAH!"
COMBATSYS: Mint blitzes into action and acts again!
KAIN
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[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////// ]
Mint 0/-------/----===|======-\-------\0 Koto
> ///////////////////// ]
|=======\-------\1 Felicia
[KOTO]
Seeing that Mint is keeping him distracted, Koto goes over the seats. Almost like his feline partner might, the suited teen hops, and dives forward to get behind Kain before coming around out of the seats.
Once out of the seats, Koto's leg chambers and prismatic energy channels to it before he swings at Kain. "THUUUNDER KIIIICK!"
Said kick actually shakes the stage with the reverberating sound of thunder from it's launching alone. "Don't forget about the J-Dragon back here, Death!"
For some reason, in the midst of the kick, there is a small odd flare. Something strange happens to the prismatic energy as what looks like darkness appears in the midst of the prismatic light flowing for a minute along it.
[FELICIA]
Felicia goes wide-eyed as the man just... moves away, faster than she can actually land her double legged assault on him. It also doesn't look too glamorous how she winds up smacking her lower body into the nearby wall and winds up tumbling to the floor of the bus cabin, likely taking a bump off the seats. Ow.
While on the floor, she gets her toes and hand sagainst the floor and is able to scrabble up towards Kain and tries to slash down with her right hand against one of his legs--trying to slice that part into ribbons! Ever had a cat grab your leg as you walk by? It's sorta like that. Just more ferocious.
COMBATSYS: Kain dodges Mint's Hook Punch.
KAIN
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[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////// ]
Mint 0/-------/----===|=====--\-------\0 Koto
> //////////////////// ]
|=======\-------\0 Felicia
COMBATSYS: Mint successfully hits Kain with Lock and Load.
KAIN
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[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////// ]
Mint 0/-------/--=====|=====--\-------\0 Koto
> //////////////////// ]
|=======\-------\0 Felicia
COMBATSYS: Kain dodges Koto's Thunder Kick.
KAIN
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[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////// ]
Mint 0/-------/--=====|======-\-------\0 Koto
> //////////////////// ]
|=======\-------\0 Felicia
COMBATSYS: Kain blocks Felicia's Toy Touch.
KAIN
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[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////// ]
Mint 0/-------/--=====|======-\-------\0 Koto
> //////////////////// ]
|=======\-------\0 Felicia
[KAIN]
It's not quite as simple as the Veteran presents. She punches, but Kain does not feel it-- weaving with alactrity matching Mint's acceleration back one stride, then two, her cyber-fists crashing through the air just before his face with a whoosh that shifts his luxurious blonde mane.
Koto thunders in from the flank, and Death dodges to the opposite side of the bus, between two more upholstered benches, his eyes narrowing in intent analysis as that darkness-touched lightning surges out, crackling into the bus chassis and grounding itself out. But Mint's not finished, is she?
Her sudden surge forward once more, that try then try again harder work ethic serves the Marine well in this case-- mid-backpedal, Heinlein's shoulder is gripped by robo-mitts, and his ribcage thoroughly battered by the pair of rising strikes courtesy of that reinforced knee replacement. Proper preparedness and planning prevent piss-poor performance, after all.
As he's sent reeling into the side wall of the vehicle, Felicia's claws sink painfully through his fine trousers and into Heinlein's leg-- but his own hand reacts in nigh perfect tandem, grasping Felicia's striking wrist and wrenching the stroke free of flesh before she can slice 'n dice, or rip and tear. Someone may have owned an actual cat, before. With impressively precise application of force, Kain leaps up and back, tucking his legs tightly beneath him as he clears the next set of seats, closer to the front of the bus.
Mid-arc, his eyes /lock/ on Mint as a gloved hand sweeps forward, twin tendrils of blue-black fire roaring up along his arm and burning outwards, madly orbiting about themselves in a torrential mass of chi born from the dark breadth of endless space; from the fathomless heart of an all-consuming star. Death's incantation is simple, steady and stalwart as his aura crackles with building power, a conduit releasing and seizing that force in equal measure, "SCHWARZE FLAMME!"
COMBATSYS: Kain knocks away Mint with Schwarze Flamme.
-+- CALCULATED HIT -+-
KAIN
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[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////// ]
Mint 1/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|======-\-------\0 Koto
> //////////////////// ]
|=======\-------\1 Felicia
[MINT]
Mint loosens her grip after her knee bash, as she's not -entirely- sure she wants to go along for the ride as he deals with her two partners! And it tends to be a good thing, too, as it's probably a foregone conclusion that -she- would fly into the side of the bus as well!
Landing, the "schoolgirl" soldier takes a moment to smooth the wrinkles out of her uniform. The rolling arena's cameras might catch the moment her lips curl in disgust; old habits die hard.
Though it's when she looks up that she realizes that even that -one- moment spent attending to her appearance is too much to yield when Death has her in his sights. The South Asian's gaze snaps back in reply -- and her heart practically skips a beat. Caught in the headlights, her intent on jumping out of harm's way is communicated to her muscles a bit too late; the pint-sized pugilist goes -splat- against the wall of the bus. Welded hardpoints clack against glass; safety glass shatters into opacity, billowing out like clothesline-hung blankets in the breeze. Mint grits her teeth as azure flames sets every nerve ending afire -- only able to keep from screaming by virtue of her throat seizing up from the pain!
A moment later, it passes -- Mint slinks back to the floor of the bus, knuckles hitting the floor with a clonk. Her lungs whistle as she pants for breath, eyes scanning for Koto and Felicia. Mindful of the pressure they're putting on, Mint decides it's... probably now or never!
Her bionic hand swats away the blue flame tickling her collar. "Aww, look, Death-senpai noticed me!" And that in itself might be challenge enough...
But then her engines start blazing. And in a fraction of a second, Mint vaults forward, closing the gap to Kain in a heartbeat! "OORAAAAAAH!" One, two, three, four -- all in all, she'd aim to fire off as many as sixteen rapid-fire punches at Kain, boosted in large part by the precise control patterns of her bespoke gauntlet control systems, but fine-tuned by the boxer's footwork and minute real-time adjustments! "URA URA URA URA URRAAA!" Her final punch would be an uppercut aimed at sending Kain into the ceiling -- if, of course, her long-shot salvo connects as she wants it to!
[FELICIA]
'Jeez, what kinda pants IS this guy wearing, feels like my claws barely went through'--Felicia must be thinking when she gets barely any purchase against Kain's trousers, or maybe it was just how thick skinned he was, or his ability to deflect the stike and avoid getting scratched. Either way, her wrist is grabbed and she is forced back from Kain, hopping up and out of the way as Mint barrels through. Sure, this is a 3v1, and normally she'd feel kinda bad about that, but this... well, this was a bit different.
The sudden crackling and flare of energy in the small space such as the bus has Felicia's white furry tail stand up in surprise, likewise, her hair frizzes out, nearly standing on end. Darting in once the strike of fire has driven Mint back, Felicia tilts to the side, blading partially away from Kain as the heel of her left foot comes up tries to drive itself into the man's chest!
[KOTO]
Deciding to try to get Death away from his fighting partners is probably the best bet for Koto. Not to mention keeping this 'Death' against the wall of the bus itself.
To that end, he moves into the attack after Mint and Felicia, going high as he almost skims the roof of the bus before unleashing a strong kick at Death's head.
It's not one of his best moves, and the tight spaces are definitely starting to make him regret going into this, but hey! At least the J-Dragon is keeping up a bit!
COMBATSYS: Kain dodges Koto's Strong Kick.
KAIN
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1|----------=====|===============
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////// ]
Mint 0/-------/---<<<<|======-\-------\0 Koto
> ///////////////////// ]
|=======\-------\1 Felicia
COMBATSYS: Kain dodges Felicia's Medium Kick.
KAIN
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1|----------=====|===============
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////// ]
Mint 0/-------/---<<<<|======-\-------\0 Koto
> ///////////////////// ]
|=======\-------\1 Felicia
COMBATSYS: Kain just-defends Mint's Alpha Mike Foxtrot!!
KAIN
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1|----------=====|===============
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////// ]
Mint 0/-------/---<<<<|======-\-------\0 Koto
> ///////////////////// ]
|=======\-------\1 Felicia
[KAIN]
The finely tailored suit, clearly, is one of those assassination rigs from Kingsmen. That, or the surge of killing power was within Death all along.
Regardless, as Kain lands his lithe reflexes do not fail him: Felicia vaults in with a claw-bearing foot, and Heinlein presses a crimson-gloved hand to the back of the bus seat behind him, half a vault and a sidelong twist carrying him out of that path, and leaving the catwoman to lash out into the space Death recently vacated.
The pressure is on, and Kain rises to it: Mint's cybernetically-augmented onslaught meets a defense that's at once fluid and stalwart, smashing ample intensity into emenating obstacles of blue-black energy, an afterimage of Kain's tensed deflections lingering in the air as he's driven back a quarter-step at a time for the duration. Or, perhaps more alarmingly, stays just that hair's breadth ahead of the destructive technique, a keen mastery of chi's flow serving his positioning; his predatory preparedness.
There's no time to level reprisal on Mint, however: Koto leaps over and in, a fierce flying kick failing to crack Kain's skull, but soundly succeeding in driving the man back a substantial span, Death's fire-lit blood-red eyes now intent upon the J-Dragon.
As his footing rights with the reverse momentum in a sidelong stance, Heinlein steps forward once more, his weight snapping about in a quick turn that thrusts a finely shoed foot around and in for the Ranger's ribcage, seeking to send him hurtling back past his comrades.
[MINT]
Death waits for no one, it's said. And seeing Kain vault right past Felicia, only to deal with every one of the pugilist's blisteringly fast, jet-backed punches with with such keen mastery... well, -now- Mint's starting to see the truth in the man's words. And even after that dizzying, relentless barrage, Death still had room to deal with Koto. And that...
Well, it makes Mint put a little more thought into her footwork. She's short, of course -- but she has no idea how Koto's gonna take that hit, so she raises her gauntlets high to defend her head, swings wide to his side...
And then -leaps- to the maximum extent of the bus' ceiling, bringing both gauntlets alongside her. She drops down perilously onto Kain -- and with a stereo hiss of pneumatics, her knuckles *k-CHAK!* outward, adding a powerful mass-driver to the weight of her punches! "OORAAH!"
COMBATSYS: Kain knocks away Koto with Medium Kick.
- Power hit! -
KAIN
[ ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
1|------=========|===============
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////// ]
Mint 0/-------/----===|=======\=====--\1 Koto
> ///////////////////// ]
|=======\-------\1 Felicia
[KOTO]
Koto might be insulted by being called a Ranger if it was said out loud. But still, his attempt to block this time in a looser stance ends up sending him hurtling away as planned.
Righting himself quickly, Koto calls to his partners, "Cover me!"
Then he starts to glow with prismatic energy as he starts to proverbially gather his power. Like literally he's starting to become a glowing nimbus of sheer power as he goes through a few hand motions, keeping an eye on the fight in case Death comes his way again.
COMBATSYS: Koto glows with prismatic energy.
KAIN
[ ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
1|------=========|===============
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Mint 0/-------/----===|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Koto
> ///////////////////// ]
|=======\-------\1 Felicia
[FELICIA]
"Damnit--" Felicia scowls as she is easily ducked and then the opponent unleashes another can of whoop ass on her teammate. Well, fellow survivor in this case. She still had to stay in character, after all.
"You won't kill me!" Felicia stands defiant, rallying her energies around her until she begins to glow with a cool light blue chi energy, doing a short dash towards he who was death (in this instance, anyway) and rolling into a ball--rolling right towards Kain and attempting to crash into him, springing out with a rising uppercut!
Yes, the physics of this are questionable inside the cramped confines of the bus interior, but lets go with it.
COMBATSYS: Kain blocks Mint's BFH.
KAIN
[ ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
1|-----==========|===============
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Mint 0/-------/---====|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Koto
> ///////////////////// ]
|====---\-------\0 Felicia
COMBATSYS: Kain blocks Felicia's ES Rolling Buckler.
KAIN
[ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
1|----===========|===============
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Mint 0/-------/---====|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Koto
> ///////////////////// ]
|====---\-------\0 Felicia
[KAIN]
Koto hurtles away-- to dramatically power up post-impact-- and his star-crossed comrades push the attack, covering his moment stolen to gather energy quite well. Crossed forearms and a shockwave of dark energy meet Mint's crash-landing, the striking gauntlet reverberating through the statuesque blonde's ironclad defenses.
Heinlein finds himself pushed ever closer to the front of the bus, even as he flexes forearm and sidelong shoulder to meet Felicia's horizontal cannonball. She tears into the guard-- and the chi reinforcing it-- on her uppercut ascent... but it's a partial victory, and potentially a shortlived one. One red-gloved hand snaps out for the catwoman's throat once more, seeking to forcibly haul her close, snatch her back from any potential evasion.
What follows this time would not be a simple fiery launch, but a focused pyre of indigo flame centered on Felicia's neck, surging like her head were the tip of a very combustible match. At that point, should Death have his way, she would be hurled free, if violently, right back down the hallway. "Child-- you will //assuredly// die." Win, lose, or draw-- Death always remains.
COMBATSYS: Felicia blocks Kain's Schwarze Schleife.
KAIN
[ ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
1|---============|===============
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Mint 0/-------/---====|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Koto
> //////////////// ]
|=======\=------\1 Felicia
[MINT]
As soon as her punches find a pair of crossed arms, Mint drops back, raising her guard as she finds her footing once more. The 'schoolchildren' of this horror show aren't exactly running in fear, are they? But that's never been Mint's style. And Lyraelle ought to know that. Damn that woman again!
And while, yes, she -has- served as an effective defense to give Koto time to bring forth the thunder, there's only so much cover that little ol' Felicia and littler-ol' Mint can provide for him! So rather than stand -directly- in his path, the pugilist pivot-steps close, positioning herself along Kain's side. And then she suddenly drives in, throwing one quick left jab at his shoulder, a more meaty right hook at his hip -- it's hard to walk with one of those bruised! -- and a concussive, jet-backed blast from her left punch in the hopes of catching him off-rhythm!
Though, afterwards -- she starts listing to one side, as if running overclocked for so many strikes might be starting to catch up to her...
[KOTO]
Koto meanwhile has finished charging up it seems, and moved into a stance that a lot of Japanese tokusatsu watchers probably envy him being able to do. His arms come around to in front of him, crossing at the waist before all that prismatic energy shoots to his wrists.
Which then come up to an L shape. "Get clear!"
The call to his team mates is his only warning as he takes aim and unleashes what can only be called an impressive burst of energy at Death's position. "AURORRAAAAA BUUUUURST!"
Said beam might also take off the back of their stage as well in it's intensity. Might being the key word. It's otherwise one very bright, very crazy light show. Except for some reason there's a... darkness inside it? A strange, odd darkness inside the beam of light that seems to pulse along it and along Koto himself.
[FELICIA]
One would be surprised how easily fur ignites... however Felicia does not suffer this fate--exactly. When the fiery hand closes around the 'choker' or collar of fur around her neck, she's able to wriggle out of it, after some incentive--likely using one of her legs to kick off of Kain's front, using that as leverage and momentum.
She's able to leap back, singed, and hurt, but still going.
"Aren't you getting tired yet--never fought a werecat before, 'ave ya--I can go all night long!" Felicia likely does not, in the heat of the moment, consider how this comment might sound in retrospect. She was much more focused on the fact they were in fact still fighting a living creature, one that couldn't deflect blows forever.
To that end, she chooses then to spring at Kain, attempting to grapple him with her claws and swing around him--to try and throw him over her shoulder, in a classic juno-esque move, cutting into him as she went.
COMBATSYS: Kain dodges Mint's Knuckle Dragger.
KAIN
[ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
1|---============|===============
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Mint 0/-------/---====|>>>>>--\-------\0 Koto
> //////////////// ]
|=------\-------\0 Felicia
COMBATSYS: Felicia successfully hits Kain with ES Hell Cat.
KAIN
[ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
1|===============|===============
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Mint 0/-------/---====|>>>>>--\-------\0 Koto
> //////////////// ]
|=------\-------\0 Felicia
COMBATSYS: Kain dodges Koto's Aurora Burst.
KAIN
[ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
1|===============|===============
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Mint 0/-------/---====|>>>>>--\-------\0 Koto
> //////////////// ]
|=------\-------\0 Felicia
[KAIN]
Kain dances back farther still on lithe footfalls as Mint's mechanized mitts renew her attack, a perfectly synchronized set of weaves and twists accompanying each strike, Death's form a blurring flicker of nigh-simultaneous motions to clear him from the impact zone.
Felicia's addendum to the assault is timed with acumen, however, and her ferocious claws find purchase in Heinlein's torso to some pronounced spill of dark crimson into darker black and not-quite-matching red. Hurled clear, and back towards Koto, it seems the J-Dragon may have a proverbial clay pigeon to unleash on-- only for Death to seize back control of that momentum midair.
A gloved hand clasps to the sturdy seatback below him, and powerful legs kick off the roof of the bus, launching Kain back towards the fore at a sharp angle, with abrupt, uncanny precision. The beam cleaves through the span he had occupied, burns into the ceiling and windshield of the school bus, rending a ragged line along its course in shorn metal and shattering safety glass.
The Charon for this ride ducks his head and covers, the bus swerving wildly for the moments it takes the skilled driver to right the vehicle's path, now an open air ride halfway to a convertible front, with the rift running nearly the entirety of port to starboard sides. Kain's crimson gaze surveys the damage, tracks back to the trio, "You have talent--" Death observes, "-- but remain unprepared."
The gathered strength within him is nearly unfathomable, battered as Heinlein is quickly becoming. He stands tall despite that pain, corrects the flower in his lapel as he considers his quarry. "Stymied by the trappings of immaturity and your own need to cover fear..." Notably, it's Koto and Felicia who receive this directed dressing down.
"Theatricality that cannot hide how close you are to exhaustion; how very near to death." Can they close the deal, stop Heinlein before his own plans come to fruition? The challenge, the imminent threat is clear in the blackest fires of the most distant stars now burning behind the Reaper's gaze.
COMBATSYS: Kain calculates his next move.
KAIN
[ ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
1|===============|===============
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Mint 0/-------/---====|>>>>>--\-------\0 Koto
> //////////////// ]
|=------\-------\0 Felicia
[MINT]
Mint catches herself on a seatback before completely toppling to the floor. The bus's motions here and there aren't making it easy to stand, but they -are- helping to give her focus and ground herself. Worn old vinyl buckles under her metal digits as she rises back to her full height. She sways slightly as she pushes free of the support, raising her gauntlets back to face-height once more.
Though, she raises open hands, not fists, as she mimes a gesture to suggest Heinlein's long, flowing locks of hair. "Whaddaya think, guys? You wanna take Herbal Essence's silky-smooth word on that?" Cracking a grin, her fists close (with several small *clank!* sounds).
She breaks into a light jog, the fast-talker sassing: "He talks about bein' 'near' to Death but he keeps hoppin' away from us!" And right as she finishes, she guns the throttle on her gauntlet's engines, blasting herself hard to the right of the bus! Boots step onto the right side windows, clomp-clomp ... and then she takes flight, just underneath the pretty new convertible view cut by Koto -- and she flies -upside-down!-
At this point, though -- her aim is to give Kain something he -hasn't- seen recently, if at all -- a committed, corkscrewing punch that reduces her counterattack profile! She aims to pop him right in that pretty face -- or as close as she can get -- before socking him with a second blow, and setting him up for her 'schoolkid' friends! "OOORAAAH!"
[KOTO]
Koto moves in again after seeing what Mint is doing.
If nothing else, he can use it as a cover for whenever he comes behind her and slides down before coming up with a snapping front kick from the side.
"J-Kick!" The fact that said kick looks a little bit quicker than your average snap front kick probably has nothing to do with it. Maybe.
And his retort? "I've faced worse than you. Go pick a fight with Abigail sometime."
[FELICIA]
Okay, perhaps this guy wasn't all normal after all--Felicia's green eyes go wide as her claws finally spill blood and... something not quite like blood comes out. It could be a special effect, but...
"I've been close to death plenty of times," Felicia drew her right arm back again, now that she was disentangled from Heinlein, and she refused to go down--though even after that great expenditure of energy, even she looked like she might be worn ragged.
"Everyone's... hff--got a plan till they get punched in the face--" she drew back her large, furred and clawed hand, balled into a fist--trying to send it crashing into the side of Kain's head!
COMBATSYS: Kain dodges Felicia's Medium Punch.
KAIN
[ ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
1|===============|===============
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////// ]
Mint 0/-------/----===|=====--\-------\0 Koto
> ///////////////// ]
|==-----\-------\0 Felicia
COMBATSYS: Kain blocks Mint's Mix-Up Combo.
KAIN
[ ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
1|================|===============
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////// ]
Mint 0/-------/----===|=====--\-------\0 Koto
> ///////////////// ]
|==-----\-------\0 Felicia
COMBATSYS: Kain dodges Koto's J-Kick.
KAIN
[ ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
1|================|===============
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////// ]
Mint 0/-------/----===|=====--\-------\0 Koto
> ///////////////// ]
|==-----\-------\0 Felicia
[KAIN]
As no one, unsurprisingly, just takes Kain's word for it, the pyromancer moves to put his money where his mouth so recently was. Mint corkscrews in like a living missile, and rather than dancing back, Death heaves a crossed armguard against the point of impact.
It's a plan in process, one which does survive first contact-- chi surges within Kain, his aura flaring with that violent clash, and then he shoves himself, bodily, off the second strike, twisting his own body sidelong and planting his back to the wall, long enough for Koto to snap through the space previously occupied by Death's stalwart defense, and Felicia's paw to graze tendrils of luxurious blonde as Kain weaves into an abrupt, fluid crouch around her own addition to the aggressive action.
"Your tally runs past nine." Kain intones coldly as his gloved hands reach skyward, pushing past the still-gathering blood pooling darkly within his fine ensemble to conjure a conflagration above them, scorching and rending a further rift in the line drawn by the Sentai's beam cannon.
With a flourish, Kain's clenching grasp draws down, and a meteoric gout of flame crashes from the sky, centered on Felicia; and leaving her strained allies little option but to vacate the immediate blast zone. At least, for the span of instants it takes that indigo flame to impact; to cast the catwoman's surrounds in a roiling cloud of angry-edged starfire that surges like the surf.
COMBATSYS: Kain knocks away Felicia with Schwarze Lanze.
KAIN
[ ||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
2|<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<|<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////// ]
Mint 0/-------/----===|=====--\-------\0 Koto
> // ]
|=======\======-\1 Felicia
[MINT]
Well, hitting a cross guard is better than hitting nothing at all, Mint reasons, as she lets her momentum carry her past Kain. As her boots touch down upon the windscreen, she considers using her boosters to drive in for another blow -- but as she sees the indigo flames starting to well up, she (wisely?!) directs her thrust into diving past the blast zone!
She throws throws herself into a combat roll once she hits the deck! Gauntlets raised to shield herself from the azure maelstrom, the corporal still feels the urge to grit her teeth from the backdraft blazing all around her.
She... winces once she sees the flames claim a victim, but holds fast for juuust the right moment...
"It's go time!" she chirps out, bursting forward from her low crouch into a jet-boosted rush! The pint-sized pugilist -- ever mindful of J-Dragon's positioning, aims three rapid-fire kidney punches at Kain. Then she guns her rockets in one big push, with an aim to slam a metal punch right into his solar plexus! "OORAH OORAH OORAAAAH!"
[KOTO]
Seeing the incoming flames perhaps now, Koto dives out of the way. J-Dragon's suit might take a little heating up, but he's quickly looking to make sure their fighting partner is fine before he moves in to help Mint.
This time he leaps over some seats to get on the other side, and starts to unleash punches on Kain's front. Trusting his partner for this, he tries to just flat out beat the hell out of Kain with rapid punches and knee strikes in a rather fierce looking combination of attacks. That a lot of it is a series of knee and kick strikes from one side might be noticeable, but it's still going to hurt a bit hopefully.
[FELICIA]
"I got way more than nine lives!" Felicia defiantly shouts, her clothes, hair and fur on fire--though she's still somehow able to barrel right /through/ the huge gout of flame sent her way--though she is indeed set ablaze by it. She's rolling with a building shout of survival-induced rage and bravado--her body wreathed in prismatic chi energy as she attempts to unleash a flurry of kicks and punches to Heinlein--before finally collapsing and rolling around on the floor of the bus, apparently trying to put herself out.
She is not able to rise again, though she's still moving... barely. This is gonna take quite a spa treatment to fix--even beyond her Catwoman regeneration.
COMBATSYS: Felicia can no longer fight.
KAIN
[ ||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
2|<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<|<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
[ \\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////// ]
Mint 0/-------/------=|====---\-------\0 Koto
COMBATSYS: Kain dodges Koto's Fierce Combo.
KAIN
[ ||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
2|<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<|<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
[ \\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////// ]
Mint 0/-------/------=|====---\-------\0 Koto
COMBATSYS: Kain dodges Felicia's Dancing Flash.
KAIN
[ ||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
2|<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<|<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
[ \\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////// ]
Mint 0/-------/------=|====---\-------\0 Koto
COMBATSYS: Kain blocks Mint's Foxtrot Oscar EX.
KAIN
[ |||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
2|<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<|<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
[ \\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////// ]
Mint 0/-------/------=|====---\-------\0 Koto
[KAIN]
Death, true to his namesake, seems to burn away several of Felicia's lives to the thrill and horror of the crowd watching; even now that the fore-mounted cameras within the bus are largely, well-- disabled, let's say. The fight's chauffer'ing Charon does his best to keep the now rather rickity contraption riding as smoothly as possible, as the battle within draws to allegedly deadly climax.
A blur of motion, Kain's forearms and braced palms seem to appear in front of Mint's assault in the instant before each strike lands, afterimages drawing Heinlein's form in black and blue as surely as the bruises rising readily on that punished guard.
His own body protests the accumulating injury, but Death is preternatural; ceaseless. Hair trails swift, fluid motions as Heinlein weaves around Koto's punches, Felicia's flurries, twisting sidelong parallel with each kick, leaning and flowing from seat to aisle to the opposite side of the bus as he refuses to be prey to claw or kung-fu. Much like the former steps, it's all a blur, as if an exercise of one singular motion; one deceptively perfect plan.
More likely, the man cast as Death is just that reactive, just that fast and precise-- with more than a small measure of energy poured into just that portrait, tonight. Blurring aural trails surge to midnight fire as Kain sweeps his arms apart before him, and /launches/ forward a scant moment later. His body becomes a fiery warhead, a tidal wave of indigo fire pushed by one punishing elbow in an effort to smash Koto off of-- or directly through-- the reinforced metal side of the school bus.
[MINT]
Minal frowns as each of her strikes is thwarted by the skill of her deadly opponent. She can tell she's making marks on him, but at this rate, Heinlein is wearing her out just as badly as if he'd hit her head-on like before...
Gritting her teeth, she pulls back; she doesn't want to accidentally sock Felicia or Koto with her overpowered jet gauntlets, after all. Though she -does- take the opportunity to work on positioning herself on Kain's side, maximizing the chance that one of their attacks -will- hit him in this next exchange... As such, she chokes back on her urge to offer more of her sassy fight commentary.
Such that when Kain is just about to unleash azure flames at Koto, she's right there at his flank. She, too, can toss out blue flames -- it's just that they're coming from the exhaust nozzles of her gauntlets, as she boosts a high-powered punch right into his ribcage! "OOORAAAAAAH!" Surprise? Maybe!?
COMBATSYS: Kain successfully hits Koto with Schwarze Panzer.
KAIN
[ ||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
2|<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<|<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /// ]
Mint 0/-------/------=|=======\==-----\1 Koto
[KOTO]
Koto barely has time to react whenever he is hit by what amounts to a fiery warhead of an elbow that does indeed smash him through the side of the bus.
That's got to be a testament to how tough whatever his suit is happens to be made of that surprisingly... he comes through the emergency exit at the back a few seconds later.
"Alright, you want to test a dragon's flames, let's do this!"
Koto's hand glows with prismatic energy before he charges forward at Kain and tries to throw what has to be the most explosive looking punch in his arsenal, complete with what looks like a dragon's head surrounding his incoming fist at Death.
It's probably his last gasp, but it's still something to be said that Koto's willing to put his all into this match at the moment.
COMBATSYS: Koto issues a challenge!!
KAIN
[ ||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
2|<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<|<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /// ]
Mint 0/-------/------=|=======\==-----\1 Koto
COMBATSYS: Koto keeps on fighting!
KAIN
[ ||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
2|<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<|<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //// ]
Mint 0/-------/------=|===----\-------\0 Koto
COMBATSYS: Kain dodges Mint's Dash Punch.
KAIN
[ ||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
1|<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<|<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //// ]
Mint 0/-------/-----==|===----\-------\0 Koto
COMBATSYS: Kain dodges Koto's J-Dragon Strike.
KAIN
[ ||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
1|<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<|<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //// ]
Mint 0/-------/-----==|===----\-------\0 Koto
[KAIN]
"You seem tired..." Death observes as his blurringly fast form once more remains a half-step ahead of the Marine-turned-schoolgirl's robo-handed hellstorm. "It's far easier when one doesn't fight it." Less painful all around; of course, one can hardly blame another for not going gently, and there's a hard-earned respect undertoning the performative intentions of their assigned Reaper. His kidneys momentarily safe from mechanized marauding, Heinlein is left to deal with the snapping maw of a chi-dragon, and its formidable fangs forged of fist. It is a snapping jaw that comes a hair's breadth too late.
The last vestiges of his amplified alacrity allow Kain to glide backwards, his stance markedly poised as his arms sweep to his sides; as the bus around him fills with a voluminous bonfire of nigh-black flame. "Fate is merely the outcome willed by those most able to wage that war, I fear." He does not fear it; but Kain knows it to be all too true.
Kain is not -actually- here for their lives, but there is a statement to be made; a spotlight to be broadcast. Within Kain's conjuring grasp blooms a brilliant golden core of chi, the impossible heart of a distant, yet all too imminent, miniaturized star.
It blooms into a veritable sun in short order, a blinding orb of focused golden power, sundering seats and swelling the punished vehicle's shell outwards as its volume exponentially increases, filling the entirety of the tight corridor. Charon is already applying the breaks as the bus chassis bends, screeches defiance, and is summarily sundered.
The conjured star surges back along the length of the bus, tearing the ceiling and walls outwards; entirely consuming each bench in its way, inexorably devouring with the ravenous intensity of alarming levels of its own localized gravity. Who could stop such a thing, or stand in its wake? In the moment, it draws Kain's all, leaving his energy wavering, fluctuating, a twinkle in the distant void, momentarily out of reach.
COMBATSYS: Kain knocks away Mint with Himmlische Seele+.
KAIN
[ |||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
0|---------------|--------<<<<<<<
[ < > //// ]
Mint 1/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|===----\-------\0 Koto
[MINT]
Mint barks back, as Kain steps out of her way, en route to stepping out of J-Dragon's way: "Do I /look/ like someone who takes the easy way?!" So much stepping, so little time! Mint curls her fists back, sparing one more look for Felicia, as if -- for just one moment -- giving some serious thought to Kain R. Heinlein's words.
Though, there's soon something else to give her even -more- serious thought -- the new star taking birth right in the middle of the damn bus! Mint's eyes go wide for a moment -- but, as in many -other- of her previous endeavors -- self-preservation takes a back seat to finishing the fight!
"Well if I'm goin' out..." She slams her fists together once, the clank audible even through the roar of astrogenesis. And that's all the time she gets. The wavefront ripples towards her -- and Mint fires both her rockets at full, paint-searing blast, plunging with both fists into the heat of the newborn star.
She screams, with all her sound and fury, as the azure flames ripple across her skin, scorching her lungs, searing into her flesh -- the schoolgirl uniform doing absolutely nothing to quell the fire. "ORRAAAAAAAAAAH!"
And only -fate- will tell her tale as she seeks to match her rocket-powered thrust against the might of Kain's will!
COMBATSYS: Mint can no longer fight.
KAIN
[ |||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
0|---------------|--------<<<<<<<
> //// ]
|===----\-------\0 Koto
COMBATSYS: Koto barely endures Kain's Himmlische Seele+ but gets knocked away!
KAIN
[ |||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
1|------------<<<|<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
> ]
|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Koto
[KOTO]
Koto ends up engulfed in the flames much like his fighting partners.
Only, he wanted to test those flames. And he did. Against the might of a proverbial azure hell.
And for a moment he does fall.
Then, inexplicably, he's rising again within the inferno.
The cameras and most around see him shrouded in shadows, prismatic light dancing across the lenses of his helmet and the belt of his costume before he suddenly moves quickly, and with no seats or anything else now in the way leaps forward out of the inferno at Kain.
Into a full on scissor kick meant to take a chunk out of 'Death' that they have hardly damaged so far in a rather brutal fashion. "RAIJIN RYUUU!" That like earlier is a clap of thunder behind that kick might make it more worrying than the state that Koto is in whenever he exits the inferno.
His suit looks to be 'leaking' whatever that prismatic energy is, and he seems to be barely holding it together at all. Smoke rises from him mixing with that odd energy he has and he breathes heavily no matter how he lands after this.
COMBATSYS: Koto prepares to take his last stand against Kain!
KAIN
[ |||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
1|------------<<<|<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
> /// ]
|>>>>>>>\-------\1 Koto
COMBATSYS: Kain blocks Mint's MOAB.
KAIN
[ ||||||||||||||||||||| ]
1|-----------<<<<|<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
> /// ]
|>>>>>>>\-------\1 Koto
COMBATSYS: Kain dodges Koto's Raijin Ryu.
KAIN
[ ||||||||||||||||||||| ]
1|-----------<<<<|<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
> /// ]
|>>>>>>>\-------\1 Koto
[KAIN]
The bus lurches to a halt, blown near in half to a torn crucible of mangled metal and scorched components. Its front drivetrain seperates from the back more fully as Mint fires -herself- through the onslaught, Death let with little option but to shield himself from the blast-- with no momentum to reliably vacate ground zero. The vehicle heaves, the chassis splits, both walls fall to either side as Kain and Mint clash a final time in a shockwave of chi and burnt rocketfuel.
The fight leaves the Marine, and Death makes no further reprisal against her, steadying his stance instead on the metallic precipice of his own creation. Koto is in like lightning-- exceedingly battered, haggard though the bolt may be-- a thunderclap punctuating the ample display of honed power.
"Mmn." Kain observes simply, pensively, the leap he takes clear of that strike zone less effortlessly graceful-- and more the tempered reflex of a man who, also, does not wish to fall. Nonetheless, the surprise of Koto's stalwart fighting will is clear in what comes next.
"Tenacious." Heinlein observes, calling water wet. "Consider your fate averted, and your foolish theatrics rewarded; today." A sly, wolfish smile curves Kain's lips, showing only the barest hint of white teeth beyond.
COMBATSYS: Kain takes no action.
KAIN
[ |||||||||||||||||||||| ]
1|-----------====|===============
> /// ]
|>>>>>>>\-------\1 Koto
[KOTO]
Falling to one knee, Koto's helmeted glare at the man is obvious. The fight could have been finished if Death wanted, it was so obvious to Koto.
But for now, he has something else to worry about. He backs away to check on his fighting partners, barely conscious but obviously more concerned for their states after all of this instead.
He still keeps his eye on Death until the bus finally stops, however, even if it's a rough one. And the teen finally collapses afterwards. His suit dissipates into prismatic energy, showing his severely burnt skin and uniform in it's place. Whatever will or spirit holding him up was just barely doing that it seems.
COMBATSYS: Koto takes no action.
KAIN
[ |||||||||||||||||||||| ]
1|-----------====|===============
> /// ]
|=======\-------\1 Koto
[MINT]
Mint, meanwhile... well. Her uniform is burnt through in places, intact where it counts and not a whole lot more thna that. She sure as hell ain't standing. But even with her eyes closed, anyone who might be close enough could here her mumbling.
"I'm gonna kill her..."
Log created on 13:08:43 09/28/2021 by Kain, and last modified on 17:43:54 10/02/2021.