Match of the Millennium

Description: The Revenant Queen looks to draw out an infamous Darkstalker to test her resolve and determine whether she's fit to Descend.

[SINDEL]
Mac's Bar is usually -- /usually/, given its owners and usual clientele - safe in the sense that agreements both unspoken and otherwise usually curb violence between the regulars, on pain of death or worse.

But usually, Mac's Bar isn't patronized by women in silk and lace gowns with black and gray hair which ripples endlessly even in the stale air of a hole in the world.

Usually, it isn't infected with a persistent, subtly audible hum which sets hearts pumping fiercely with fire and bile.

Usually, it isn't being used as bait for a woman known for her affinity for violence--

-- so the bartender slamming a loud biker into the bar over and over again, the bodyguard being shoved and punched between a group of leather-clad regulars, the pool game turned cue duel-- usually, Mac's wouldn't stand for any of this.

But tonight's all about giving Lotus something screaming and red to draw her gaze.

[LOTUS]
The timing and placement is juuuuuuust right, it seems, to draw in the targetted prey.

With the sound of all the fun going on, it doesn't take long for a certain red-headed stab-happy near-murderess to make an appearance. Of course, it's all in the entrance!

As the folks at the pool tables start to have a go at it, the shadow of a figure they didn't see until now falls over them. As they turn to look at the craft curb-stomper in crimson, who flashes a quick grin while brandishing a pool stick of her own.

"Guess that's my CUE!" she shouts with glee, her swing knocking out both men in one go. Their unconscious, but not dead. The pool cue, however, snaps cleanly and is discarded a moment later.

This does nothing to diminish Lotus' spirits however as she simply quips "What's a girl gotta do to get a drink around here?", followed by intense, unfriendly giggling!

[SINDEL]
"Once upon a time, a woman brought her bridal party to a place they'd never been, to gawk at people they could scarcely imagine; an adventure, they called it."

Two men fall, one draped across a pool table. A third looks from the men he was just fighting with to the woman who so effortlessly subdued them, momentarily confused before raw, seething emotion takes over, sending him hurtling towards the murderess with a broken cue of his own raised high for spearing.

"This was in the earliest days of Southtown settling into the iron grip of its Syndicate-- when its casual cruelty was hidden out of sight and mind from 'polite' society," resonates through the bar, low and measured.

"The bullets weren't MEANT for them," the woman seated at the bar with her back to the carnage continues, "but they found one another just the same." One brisk sip from a dark wooden goblet later, she pushes back from the bar and stands.

That persistent hum rises along with her, swelling into a voice--

A chorus--

A cacophony of moans and mournful howls inundating the bar with rage so pure, so /hot/ that it radiates through Mac's in waves. It casts distorting ripples through the air--

"Black Lotus, stalker of Majigen and cackling scourge of Southtown:"

It coalesces into violent threads weaving together from every corner of the bar, forming a trio of gaunt, sunken-eyed women floating several feet above the ground with a persistent spectral flicker.

"As you navigate the welcoming arms of a lost party on your way to the precipice... tell me your story."

COMBATSYS: The Lost Party has started a fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
The Lost Party   0/-------/-------|

COMBATSYS: Lotus has joined the fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Lotus            0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0   The Lost Party

[LOTUS]
Lotus' eyes lock on the floating figure, and for a moment, shes quite transfixed.

They're beautiful!

As things come to a crescendo, her vicious grin eases into a relaxed smile, like one would have when taking a warm shower after a hard day. "Of course..... let me get my pen and marker" she reaches behind her, drawing her weaponry of choice: her infamous daggers that sing at her hands command ".... let my story be written on the bodies and in the blood of the witnesses present, myself included!". Her eyes abruptly open, wide and crazed with mania, making the soft smile far more unnerving than it was before.

[SINDEL]
"Why do you seek to Descend?"

The Revenant Queen's voice is the most audible. Not the LOUDEST, just the most present, the clearest; absent that steady hum, the fights throughout the bar have entered into a steady decline, their participants gradually slinking away to lick their wounds and watch -- or hide from -- the spectacle unfolding before them.

The choral cacophony of the Bridal Party wrenches through the bar after the Queen's query-- and in turn, they close on Lotus in a swirl of light-leeching color, intent on inevitably unfurling back into something like distinct, coherent forms complete with claws to rake across Lotus' body.

COMBATSYS: The Lost Party successfully hits Lotus with Corrupting Touch.

[  \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////// ]
Lotus            0/-------/-----==|==-----\-------\0   The Lost Party

[LOTUS]
The response is simple "For the sheer fun and thrill of trying!".

With a rush, Lotus is amongest them as they close! So enthralled is she in the moment, her normally top-notch evasive movements are sloppy, and several claws rake across her flesh!

She doesn't seem to notice, or care, as her blood flows freely! She follows suit, leaping up into the air and dropping down on one of the shades, the metal filigree on her fingers used to try to return the favor!

COMBATSYS: The Lost Party endures Lotus' Vicious Rake.

[    \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////////      ]
Lotus            0/-------/--=====|=====--\-------\0   The Lost Party

[SINDEL]
Lotus' claws cleave through the ectoplasmic stuff which doomed parties are made of, ripping shreds of phantasmal substance from one dead woman's body and scattering them in the air. Compared to the half-dozen bullet wounds already dotting her chest, forever oozing blood, three fresh claw marks might not SEEM like much--

-- but the wrenching, rending wail they inspire suggests otherwise. Her whole body briefly twists and distorts before snapping back into form; while their fellow spirit twists, the other women rush towards Lotus, intent on wrapping around her body from front and back to treat her to a point-blank performance of deafening anguish.

"And why should I LET you...?" the Revenant Queen wonders all the while, back still turned.

COMBATSYS: The Lost Party successfully hits Lotus with Deafen.

[          \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////       ]
Lotus            1/-------/=======|=======\-------\0   The Lost Party

[LOTUS]
Perhaps it is the nature of the fights unique opponents..... or perhaps the cacophony of violence is having an effect on Lotus' already unbalanced mind....

As shes grabbed, she sees it about to scream, and tries her best to push it's mouth closed before the sound can be emitted....This fails, and blood begins to pour from Lotus' ears, and her balance suffers slightly as her inner ears are given the once-over....

Her response to the question, however, can be heard clearly as she all but shouts it "Who said anything about LETTING me!?". As if to prove her point, she goes feral on the creature holding her, breaking her arms free enough to stab at it with reckless abandon!

COMBATSYS: Lotus successfully hits The Lost Party with Slice and Dice.

[           \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////         ]
Lotus            1/---====/=======|=======\-------\1   The Lost Party

[SINDEL]
A flurry of violence leaves both banshees flanking Lotus leaking ectoplasm as they shrink back from her wrath, moaning wrathfully.

"Oh...?" the Queen chuckles, finally casting a glance and an upturned brown over her shoulder at the frenzied Darkstalker.

"Have you the courage to simply TAKE whatever it is that you desire...?"

Two spirits recede, but the third has recovered enough to mount a reckless forward charge, screaming so powerfully that her jaw's forced to stretch -- and stretch -- and S T R E T C H until three quarters of her body is a screaming maw. Until she's a pit radiating raw, spiteful NOISE meant to batter Lotus' body and soul alike.

"Does it please you to hurl your body through the thorns of life to sate your appetites?"

COMBATSYS: Lotus parries The Lost Party's Funeral Dirge!

[           \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////          ]
Lotus            1/---====/=======|=------\-------\0   The Lost Party

[LOTUS]
As Lotus stares down the thing, watching it's mouth unhinge and widen, the manic grin returns "That's the funnest part of life! LETTING me is senseless. Making me prove it like you are right now is MUCH more fun! Better to live on the wire than die in forgotten!".

Seeing it prepare to release it's pent-up anguish, Lotus races at the thing, gauging the timing.....

.... and just as the scream starts, she leaps to plant a foot on an overturned chair, leaping HIGH into the air overtop of the scream as the waves distort the air itself beneath her!

Flipping in midair as she arcs over it's head, she brings her knives down SHARPLY on it's shoulders, and if they connect pulls, letting gravity pull her down and the edges do their work!

COMBATSYS: The Lost Party blocks Lotus' Catch the Prey EX.

[           \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////            ]
Lotus            1/=======/=======|==-----\-------\0   The Lost Party

[SINDEL]
Of all things, the two other spirits thrust their hands over their sister's shoulders just before the blades meet. One's neck has been ripped wide open, along with a line of bullet wounds down her body; the other's got a gaping hole in her gut.

The three scream in unison when Lotus' blades tear through those interposing hands. All three bodies distort and stretch, seemingly threatening to rip themselves apart in their rage and anguish.

"You would rather EARN your fate than discover it," the Queen thoughtfully suggests, clear as a bell amidst the keening.

One by one, each of the spirits snaps back into shape with a pair of hammering blows which seethe with spectral fire, set on pounding the vicious Darkstalker into submission.

COMBATSYS: Lotus dodges The Lost Party's Her Own Drummer.

[           \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////              ]
Lotus            1/=======/=======|==-----\-------\0   The Lost Party

[LOTUS]
With a blur, Lotus slips in and out in between the spectres, their strikes hitting nothing but air "Fate ALWAYS has to be earned! Even if you stumble across it painlessly, you have to fight to keep it and make it yours!". As one of the creatures swipes at her back, she leaps into the air, and as she comes down behind it, brings the heel of her foot in an axe kick aimed at its head!

COMBATSYS: The Lost Party fails to interrupt Strong Kick from Lotus with Last Gasp.

[           \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////                      ]
Lotus            2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|======-\-------\0   The Lost Party

[SINDEL]
The two spirits Lotus leaves to their own devices gather and swirl around her, tracing the Darkstalker's ascent and coalescing around her only to wind up with their fingers laced together while Lotus pops free of their grasp before it's ever locked in.

"Is this what you believe, Lotus?"

The final spirit's head squashes beneath Lotus' heel. It sinks down into the spirit's shoulders, billowing up around the Darkstalker's foot for a beat-- and then the REST of her quasicorporeal body similarly distends, distorts, then howls towards a climactic EXPLOSION which sprays the bar with ecoplastic motes.

"Or is it what you KNOW?"

[LOTUS]
The animal instinct senses the weakness, the 'blood in the water' as it were, with the remaining two spectres. Lotus gives a chuckle "little of column A, little of column B" comes her reply...... she then takes a deeeeep breath, slowly exhales, and explodes into a burst of extreme speed. Her brains darkstalker physiology goes into overdrive in its perceptive processing. The world to her seems to sloooooow way down, even as she moves at seemingly 'normal' speed.....

Approaching the first spectre, she swings several slashes at it, followed by a hard stab aimed at it's forhead, and before she even sees if it works or not, has moved on to the other, performing slashes and stabs towards it's body before plunging the knife towards the bottom of it's chin and if able up into it's head. She then kicks off a table near it, sending her flying to the side where she sliiiiiides to a stop.

To her, it's been maybe 20 seconds of perceptual time.....

To the rest of the room, there is a near-invisible blurring of motion that takes all of a matter of moments before shes seen sliding to a stop, her attack complete, the air and her clothes smoking a bit due to the friction caused by the speed she had been moving.

COMBATSYS: The Lost Party blocks Lotus' #Death by a Thousand Cuts#.

[          \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////                        ]
Lotus            0/-------/-------|=======\-------\0   The Lost Party

[SINDEL]
Several moments of smoke and violence later, there's one spectre and one bundle of fading, twinkling mists spiraling through the air. The spectre has her hands wrapped around Lotus', straining with the knife embedded in her head.

"Black Lotus," the Queen utters, stretching her hands out to either side; feet lifting from the ground as a fresh round of mournful song fills the bar.

"The Cackling Chaos who would snatch destiny from the cold, dead jaws of fate," doubles and redoubles, knitting together into a dolorous chorus of one while tiny motes of purple witchlight bleed from the tips of her hair, from the darkness beneath her veil, and from the very bottom of her spirit.

"I invite you to seek your pleasure in the darkest depths and scrawl your name across the face of possibility in bold," emanates as a writhing, howling figure composed of raw purple energy lashes from the Revenant Queen's back, snapping and clawing at Lotus without ever coming close to contact.

The last remaining spectre -- the one struggling for survival under Lotus' power - is not so restrained, however: her spasming form FIGHTS to wrench its jaw open and unleash a final scream, forming a semicircle of solid black sound which seeks to shove Lotus across the bar.

Throughout the attack, a tiny glowing pearl of sorcerous power blossoms just a few inches from Lotus, easily within reach-- and swift enough to track behind her if need be. All she needs to do is grab it to make it hers... WHATEVER it is; whatever token best represents the murderous Darkstalker and the story of her existence.

All she has to do is survive.

COMBATSYS: Lotus dodges The Lost Party's Sound Barrier.

[          \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////                         ]
Lotus            0/-------/-------|===----\-------\0   The Lost Party

[LOTUS]
Still in a bit of a high, Lotus' monsterous speed coming through once more. She does a leg split to act as a duck, which becomes a roll towards the final remaining spectre. Pushing up into a leap from the floor, A flying roundhouse kick is sent at the final spectres still-screaming head from the side! "Now we're talkin!

Mid-attack, Lotus' foot seems to glow with pale white light for a moment, and she feels an energy she doesn't recognize for a moment.... her distraction slows her velocity slightly, but she still has enough for physics to carry her through.

COMBATSYS: The Lost Party endures Lotus' Power Strike.

[         \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >                                ]
Lotus            0/-------/------=|======-\-------\0   The Lost Party

[SINDEL]
A final round of screaming eventually melts into something like a sigh as Lotus kicks /through/ the last spirit, splitting the substance of her body into eerily wavering halves-- and then silence falls over the bar as the remnants of her body collapse into darkly twinkling points of energy.

All that's left is for Lotus to claim that shining bead of light, that token-- the symbol of her participation in the Revenant Queen's tournament.

COMBATSYS: The Lost Party takes no action.

[         \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Lotus            0/-------/------=|

COMBATSYS: The Lost Party can no longer fight.

[         \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Lotus            0/-------/------=|

[LOTUS]
As she lands, Lotus stops for a moment, letting the bloodlust and excitement pass. The opponent is beaten, and her wounds are visibly healing before everyones very eyes!

Stepping over, she brings her hand around and claims hold of the small token. Stopping to consider the moment, she looks down at the small object in her hand....

A button from a labcoat, like the ones in Tessitores lab way back when.

Looking up from this at the figure before her "Offer accepted. I'll win, or i'll make a nice mess of my opponents on the way out!" she says as a feral grin spreads across her face.

Log created on 21:02:30 07/04/2022 by Sindel, and last modified on 09:03:42 07/16/2022.