NFG Season Two - RTZI Boss Battle - As Above
[Toggle Names]Description: The time has finally arrived for the New Fighting Generation to face their tormentors and fight for their freedom from the hell that is Zack Island! Atop the volcanic crest of Isla Zaca, the divine captor of the New Fighting Generation's fighters arrives to put them through one final test and a long-awaited confrontation.
[JUNKO]
The dawn of the final day came like any other, the pseudo darkness of twilight illuminated by the ever-burning wall of flames grudgingly giving way to the true light of the sun as it slowly crests the horizon and takes its rightful place in the sky.
Though Amaterasu had declined to aid her in the righteous quest to see justice done the miko could still feel the mighty kami's gaze upon her back as her physical manifestation cast its golden warmth across the blighted island. Lord Fujin's breath stirred her hair restlessly as the wind rushed across the volcano where she sat in quiet solitude while the earth rumbled menacingly beneath her feet with the heartbeat of Hachiman, his anxiety matching her eagerness. The influence of countless others, far too many to name even if she could recall them through her fractured memories, swirled about in a maelstrom of interest and trepidation.
No, the gods would not aid her in this battle, but nor could they ignore it. As low as she had fallen, Suzaku was still a kami, and her actions promised to alter the course of history.
Tilting her head back as the first rays of morning washed over the edge of the caldera, the young goddess smiled wryly and turned her gaze towards the sun without fear.
"My pleas could not stir you to action but my struggles interest you so?" A bark of bitter laughter escaped from her lips and she shook her head. "Yet another mortal experience that I can entirely do without."
The smirk suddenly twisted into a ferocious snarl, lips peeling back as she bared her teeth at the daystar like a feral animal. One hand thrust up towards the sky, pale slender fingers encircling the sun as if she might literally snatch it out of the sea of blue above and crush it within her palm.
"Watch then! Bear witness as I take the first step to cleansing this filth from the world!"
Hot cinders begin to drift from her mouth as she speaks, her bright crimson eyes aglow with otherworldly fury. Words spew from her mouth as if erupting from a volcano, heated and alight with contempt that would be blasphemous were they to come from any but another god. Even so the very earth itself trembles with indignation, the dormant flames slumbering beneath her feet stirring in tune with her blazing passion.
"You may be content to have faded to the pages of history and myth but mark my words, kindred! For soon the name of Suzaku shall burn upon the forked tongues of every mortal in this world until all has been reduced to ash!"
**********
It would be several hours yet before such proclamations could be put to the test. Casting all caution to the wind, those contestants who had pushed themselves to the final bracket decide to engage in their last round of fisticuffs square on the doorstep of the very place which the furious kami had chosen to make her domain. Precisely what madness or hubris had inspired the remaining NFG administration team to chose this place for their contest when a confrontation of far more apocalyptic import threatened to rear its fiery head at any moment is anyone's guess.
Anything for the ratings, one supposes.
Even more mysteriously, the angry firebird proved uncharacteristically elusive. The rugged jeep with its cargo full of mortals all conveniently packaged together into a nice neat cluster that any random fireball could casually incinerate finds itself suspiciously unscorched despite its brazen approach into her domain. Likewise the match itself is allowed to proceed without so much as a blazing red feather making itself known throughout the heated contest. Even the approach of a helicopter, its pilot daring to challenge the miko's proclamation of destruction for any foolish enough to take wing within her sight, does nothing to draw her out. For a few blessed moments it almost seems as if the kami has chosen to abandon her roost entirely for how could she stand by and allow this ridiculous spectacle to play out without so much as a word of challenge?
The unspoken question lingers in the air but it is the earth below them that gives the answer.
With a mighty tremor that shakes the very mountain itself the caldera splits open its ancient maw and unleashes a fiery roar to the heavens. Scarlet fire and black ash erupt from the center of the massive crater in a pyroclastic blast that reaches up to touch the clouds. The brilliant light of the afternoon sun quickly begins to dim as the furious eruption continues to spew more and more soot-stained embers into the heavens, staining the very sky itself as ink carelessly spilled across a canvas.
But it is not merely ash and heat that spills forth from the open wound on the earth. So too comes the all-too-familiar sensations of twisted corruption that beset them upon the beach that fateful day when the goddess revealed herself to them. Hatred, raw and primal, billows forth from the blazing pillar, intermingling with the hot sulfuric wind in a noxious concoction that assails mind, body, and soul alike. Greasy spots of corrupted reality begin to spread around the edges of the caldera, the jagged edges of sharp obsidian blurring into unfocused smears that invoke confusion and nausea within those who look too long upon them.
"So. You come."
Junko's voice rings out with clarion force, her words heavy with divine authority that simply overrides the deafening cacophony of the raging mountain's fury.
"And in such good spirits that you have the -audacity- to hold a contest on my doorstep."
As if the planet is taking a sudden sharp inhale the violent eruption comes to a sudden and immediate halt. The remaining ash rains down upon the caldera in a thick roiling cloud that obscures sight and strangles breath for several long seconds until a powerful gust of wind manages to brush it away. And there, at the edge of a seething molten scar, she stands in all her twisted heavenly glory.
Suzaku's wings blaze brightly under the dirty sky, alight with a kaleidoscope of rainbow hues that seem all the more vibrant amidst the settling grime. None of the falling soot touches the girl, her snow-white hair and pale skin pure and unmarred by any worldly blemish, her eclectic ensemble free from any trace of dirt or stain. Only the faint inky stains at the bottom of her majestic plumage and the dripping malice in her otherwise pleasant voice betrays the corruption that has taken root within.
Eyes blazing with molten power that swirls about like the churning magma at her back sweep across what remains of the rocky shelf, her gaze pausing on each person present long enough to impart them a look that imprints her contempt upon them like a brand. One slender hand lifts to casually brush a few loose bangs out of her face as the wind continues to howl with impotent protest at the looming threat of violence, the miko seeming to brush its complaints aside with a dismissive flick of her wrist that sets her silver hair aflutter in the breeze.
"Clearly," she says, her words slow and deliberate, her fists clenching with barely restrained choler, "I was far too lenient."
[CHEVY]
Chevy had made it to the jeep just as the steady whup-whup-whup of helicopter blades could be felt. The moment she'd placed hands upon an interesting seashell she'd kept in the backseat with her satchel... All hell breaks loose in the volcano's caldera.
And, rather than look directly into the soot and flame, Chevy levels a concerned look at her fellow Queen. Is this gonna get weird again?
* * * MOMENTS AGO * * *
Chevy was more than happy to let Tanwen enjoy the limelight as a medic tends to her neck. With the cameras about, she does spare a bit of sympathy towards her fire-branded opponent and his current state of undress. Seeing Hawksley like that... well, it sets her cheeks aflame, for one thing. As soon as the medics clear her, Chevy lets herself relax a little.
She starts to peel off her blouse.
The saturated fabric clings to her curves and just doesn't want to let go. But, as she works herself free of the blouse, she's quick to explain: "Now this'll just be a quick fix, but... you wanna tie this 'round your waist till you can get your britches situation squared away?"
Leaving herself garbed in her red lifeguard two-piece and a pair of denim short-shorts, she quickly wrings the water out of the garment. A coarse cloud of mist sprays out as she gives the garment one last shake. She presents a considerably-less-soaked garment to Hawksley with a smile.
With Henry receiving the care he needs, Tanwen and Lou chatting amiably, and Hawksley maybe a -bit- more decent, Chevy turns her thoughts to the deer antler necklace curled in her hand. She runs her thumb over the curves of the white gold treasure -- a gift from Buck that's helped to keep her sane throughout these trials.
When the cameras turn towards Chevy, she's quick to wink back at them while flashing a thumbs-up and a weary smile. She doesn't know why Tanwen's so excited about sheep -- but she tries not to think about that right now. It's an exciting moment for Team Atlantis!
And not only that -- but a candid admission from a long-time acquaintance starts to bring a tear to the hayseed's eye. "Aww, thank you, Lou! That means the world to me, Lou, it really does. Y'all are a *huge* part of why I'm still here doin' all this!" She shares a warm, content smile, that soon gives way to an apologetic look. "Though, I really am sorry about y'all gettin' splashed." With a tilt of her head and an outstretched thumb towards Hawksley, she notes, "You can probably thank the jokester for that..."
As her hand moves, a length of the broken chain spills loose from her hand. And then, her brow creases with an introspective look.
"Oh! Right, I almost forgot!"
* * * AND NOW * * *
Chevy plucks a necklace of seashells from the satchel she'd left in the jeep. She runs her fingertips, calloused from several days of island survival, across the string that winds its way through the necklace. Thicker and cruder, but it'll do.
She steps away from the jeep with her prize, and starts to make her way back to the makeshift 'arena.' Her head angles towards the firestorm at the volcano's center -- but her fingers are kept busy weaving the white gold chain together with the seashell necklace as she listens. The redhead would likely go crazy if not for the idle task at hand. Her forehead wrinkles as the past few days are written off as a minor speed bump to the eternal one.
The audacity, says the fire goddess who robbed them of liberty these past few days.
The leniency of -allowing- them to make the best of their situation.
Chevy loops the necklace about her neck as she approaches the others. She glances up with a faint smile to the arriving Rhythm Renegades, showing her gratitude for their appearance.
The hooked, inverted 'L' shape of the rune of Laguz, etched upon the largest seashell of the necklace, glistens slightly as she turns towards the figure everyone once knew as Junko.
The Southerner's drawl spills out: a confident voice, loud enough to be heard over the helicopter's blades and the churn of lava."... C'mon, seriously?! You done told us a 'trial by fire' was the last challenge on our first day here!"
She kicks at the pole and buckets from their place on the former arena floor. A cloud of steam billows out as she uses her bespoke talents to propel them into the air. The pole lands in her hands with a satisfying *thump*.
"Did you just *forget* all that hullabaloo about 'trials of sacrifice' and such?"
[TANWEN]
Prior to the cataclysmic second coming of the corrupted kami to Isla Zaca, Tanwen had forgotten all about the fact that they were expecting a confrontation with the firebird. After all, it's not every day that one becomes a queen of anything. Winn and Lou had just gone back to the Jeep before each approaching the ginger-haired winners of the Return to Zack Island tournament with an ostentatious crown lined with red and white roses - the prizes contributed by Zack himself. (Obviously, the flowers were artificial, having survived eight years or so in storage.)
"Hold still, Tan," Winn was saying to the dragon-girl, who stopped airplaning like a five-year-old long enough to gawk at the crown before doing as told.
"You know, Winn, you're not /really/ allowed to tell me what to do on Tanwen Island," Tanwen chastised Winn haughtily, despite her obedience. "I'm the Queen, you know."
"I think Chevy might want to call it something el- oh, cachu hwch," Winn said as the mountain started to tremble.
"Language, Winn," Tanwen said, before looking up as the ash and heat erupted from the caldera, her eyes going wide as the crown slipped off her head and fell to the ground as Winn abandoned his efforts to make a sweaty bolt for the Jeep.
As Suzaku finishes her admonitory greeting, Tanwen scoops up her sword from the ground. The 'Legendary Dragon Sword' is, of course, merely a replica katana, not a sharpened weapon, but the dragon-girl wields it with the confidence of, well, a dragon wielding a legendary blade.
"Bore da, Junko," she says in a sing-song Welsh lilt, at least restraining her enthusiasm a little more than when the kami had first appeared to them on Niki Beach. "Just so you know, Chevy and me are now the Queens of Zack Island. That means you've got to start being nice to us, or we're going to kick you off the island. Us, and all of our subjects!" She turns her head over her shoulder to the other NFG fighters for confirmation, smiling sweetly.
Winn, Lou, and the two camera girls keep their positions, hidden behind a cluster of rocks and shrinking away at Tanwen's proclamation.
"Well, the ones who are good at fighting, anyways," Tanwen clarifies, turning back to Junko. "So, shall we all have a nice cup of tea instead of fighting?"
[HAWKSLEY]
After the medics have worked their magic, Hawksley starts to stir from his post-match slumber. So Hollywood Heat have been defeated. The Irishman is fine with that. He's not a sore loser (although parts of his body are certainly sore) and their opponents today have been magnificent. He's more than happy for Chevy and Tanwen to have their moment in the sun, and he smiles to himself as he enjoys the celebrations and the crowning of the queens happening around him. His eyes flick between the two redheads. First to Tanwen with her fit of self importance, and then settling on Chevy when she starts to undress. He's truly touched by her gesture. Especially considering how rough he's been with her during their rumble.
"You're a fecking sweetheart, so you are." He says, standing up slowly and staggering towards her to accept the shirt. As she suggests, he secures it around his waist, tying the sleeves, so they look like a short skirt. "I'll be starting a new trend, so I will." He laughs, looking down at himself. "It'll spare my modesty. What's left of it anyway. I feel like I should have shaved my legs though."
This sorted, as best as it can be, the brawler wanders over to Henry, offering him a helping hand, so the other fella can also find his feet. "You were a real star today, lad." He praises his protege, proud of him for all his efforts. Henry has shown real heart and as far as Hawksley is concerned, that's the finest thing that a fighter can do.
The four finalists are soon joined by the arrival of The Rhythm Renegades, Sarah and Rodrigo. Hawksley is surprised to see them show up, especially in such style, but he's certainly not displeased. He points up at the helicopter and lets out a loud whistle, placing his fingers between his lips. "Look at those fancy feckers. Here's us arriving in a jeep and they're acting like film stars. I didn't think they'd get away with flying one of those things here though."
No sooner have the words slipped out of his mouth, than the ground beneath him begins to shift and shake and he feels his fit frame start to falter. Next he becomes aware of the smell, a scorched scent that penetrates his nostrils, making the fine hairs there feel like they're on fire. And then he hears the familiar, formidable voice. Turning to look at the creature he knows as Junko, the lad realises that the reckoning that was always coming since they first stepped foot on this island is finally here. He opens his mouth to respond and the ash catches in his throat, causing him to taste it, and triggering a coughing fit. It takes some seconds for the Cork cruiserweight to compose himself, but when he can eventually talk, he speaks with certainty.
"We weren't looking for trouble with you. We just came here to have a laugh and a look around the island. How were we to know that the ghost of season one past would be lying in wait? I think I can speak for us all when I say we'd have been just as happy to feck off and forget we ever saw you again, but you were the one who decided to trap us here. You and those psycho scientists anyway. Whatever the hell they're up to."
A glance to the others that stand alongside him, taking in the necklace that now adorns Chevy's neck. Perhaps it's to replace the one he'd broken in their bout? Tanwen's challenge has Hawksley raising his dark eyebrows, but he's still ready to nod along with the sentiment. "Yeah, do what the Queen says and stop being a bitch. Then we can all have a nice brew. I don't suppose anyone's got any Barry's have they?"
[HENRY]
It takes more than a little tending from the medics to get Henry to even wake up from his head-pounding, head-pounded nap. He seems a little disoriented at first, like he can't quite recall the last hour or so, but it's clear to him at least that Hollywood Heat lost the bout. Not that he gripes, he's happy to let the Queens have the spotlight while the medics work on him.
He sits shirtless on the ground arm over his head as one medic prods delicately at his ribs to make sure they're all in one piece as he himself gazes around the arena through one eye, the other having the look and color of a ripe plum still. The usually put together and fastidious teen is a mess to behold. Bruised, battered, and worst of all, the black roots at the end of his blue dyed locks are showing. The horror. Still he wears a calm expression as he just lets the med crew fuss.
Though he does seem happy for Hawksley's eventual intervention, taking the offered hand to help hoist himself to his feet. "You know, I might take you up on that drink afterall." He says with a small wince. "Afterall, I think the drinking age on this island is non-existent." He laughs, then winces in regret at making the sound.
He claps a hand on Hawksley's shoulder to keep himself upright as the ground underneath them shifts, and expression of 'Now what?' writ clear across his features. Then comes the voice, and his expression alters to one of vague annoyance. He has that one mastered. It's one he wears in a lot of photos from paparazzi when they deign to bother him or his family. He only half-listens to the ranting of the firebird, instead casting about for his shield and sword, the former he slides into place on his arm before he hefts the latter.
"A good night's sleep before doing this dance would have been welcome." Henry offers, more as a joke than a true complaint, even as he grinds the tip of his sword into the ground to help prop himself up. And then in a fit of pique brought on by too many blows to the head today, he looks up at Junko, lifts his hand and motioning as if adjusting a knob, "Can you turn the volume down about three notches, I have a splitting headache and your ranting isn't helping."
[RODRIGO]
Rodrigo wasn't comfortable riding in on a helicopter with the potential of getting picked off from the sky. He was never informed that Primogen was the ones responsible for the rumored crash and he assumed, incorrectly, it was Junko. As they get closer to the volcano, Rodrigo adjusts the makeshift netted bag on his hip with the head of the Croaker King tied to his belt opposite of the sheathed espada ropera.
Eventually the helicopter comes down close enough that the Rhythm Renegades can jump from the vehicle just in time to hear Junko's rant. The usually easygoing Spaniard's lips turn downwards as he listens.
"It is impressive for a being generating such heat to be such a... How do the Americans say it? Wet blanket? That said, I shouldn't be surprised that you're full of hot air."
He pulls off his partially corroded cape and draws his sword as he glances towards the others.
"She trapped us here when we were just supposed to hold a tournament and leave and then gets angry when the tournament finishes here. I can't claim to be the most intelligent sapient being currently on the island but it seems to me that this is a situation of her own making and she seems to just be trying to find reasons to be mad. Or am I missing something?"
The Spaniard gives a shrug to the other NFG fighters with a look of feigned confusion. He then resumes looking towards the fighter formerly known as Junko.
"Honestly, I think the world would be a better place for /all/ beings if she was jettisoned into space where her flames would be starved of air and her words filled with rage and devoid of any intelligence can not be heard."
[SARAH]
Despite the injuries she sustained in that battle against those giant creatures, Sarah seems to have healed up fairly well. There are a few bruises still visible on her, but other than that, she still seems to be the blonde-haired barefoot disk jockey that everyone knows and loves.
She wasn't exactly keen on riding on a helicopter either given that they could be taken out easily. Then again, the only other option would be climbing up, but given that she didn't bring any hiking boots, Sarah feels that this works fine.
Once Rodrigo has exited the helicopter, Sarah jumps after him. Unlike her teammate, Sarah prefers to do a somersault as she lands, although it's more of instinct than an attempt to show off. She arrives just in time to get a glimpse of Junko and her rant. At first, Sarah can only watch in disbelief, but as Junko continues her rant, Sarah's disbelief turns to contempt as she scowls and folds her arms.
Looking to Rodrigo, Sarah can only shake her head and say, "I may not be an expert on the occult, but whether they're human or not, it seems sometimes you just can't satisfy everyone." She takes off her hat to wipe the sweat from her brow before continuing. "Even if they aren't human, the same principle still applies." The blonde-haired disk jockey takes a sip of water from the bottle clipped to her pants before she continues.
"Honestly, I'd have to agree with you," Sarah says to Rodrigo. "She needs to be sent far far away from here where she can't do any more damage!" She sighs a little at that. "Unfortunately, I doubt we'll be able to get her to leave peacefully. I have a feeling that we're going to have to provide her with a little 'encouragement.'" At that, a slight smile starts to form on Sarah's face as she takes off her cap once again and twirls it around on her finger. "The astronomers are going to out in droves," She says as she tosses her hat into the air with her right hand and then catches it with the same hand without breaking her gaze. Her eyes narrow a little as her smile grows bigger as she puts her cap back on securely.
"Because very shortly, there's going to be a supernova like none other!"
COMBATSYS: Junko has started a fight here as a boss!
JUNKO
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[JUNKO]
For a moment, Junko seems genuinely caught off guard by the retort that is thrust back at her by the unfazed water bender. She stares at Chevy in silence, mouth halfway open as if wanting to speak but unable to find the words. However, it quickly becomes apparent that it is not the incredible wit behind the hayseed's words that have left her flabbergasted - but the stupidity.
The miko's eyes roll upwards so hard that it makes her head slowly tilt backwards. She beseeches the heavens for deliverance but as before the gods remain deaf to her pleas leaving the fractured kami to deal with this idiocy on her own. Some of the very human elements of the girl's soul come to the fore in her frustration as she lets out a long-suffering sigh and runs a hand down her face, pausing to rub at the corners of her eyes.
"I was referring to ME, you water-logged BABOON!"
Snapping her chin down to refocus her indignant glare where it clearly belongs, Junko sweeps an arm out to indicate the rocky shelf of the caldera which, until only a few moments ago, was decidedly devoid of anything that could be described as flame.
"You know? The literal avatar of FIRE? The individual responsible for encasing this entire blighted ISLAND in a curtain of death and trapping you here?!"
The kami throws her hands up in the air and unleashes a noise of sheer exasperation, stomping back and forth like a teenager ranting at her parents for forgetting her birthday.
"Were you under the impression that engaging in fisticuffs on a slightly warmer part of the island counted as a trial? Don't get me wrong, watching you monkeys slap each other around never fails to entertain, but are you actually stupid enough to...?!"
Junko suddenly stops raving, squeezing her eyes and mouth shut mid-sentence and inhaling sharply through her nose. Literal embers spray out into the dust-clogged air as she releases the deep breath, the tips of her white locks starting to glow like heated iron.
"No matter. You are here now and..."
Whatever she had been planning to say is cut off by the sudden interjection of the lively young dragon. Brandishing her fearsome weapon, Tanwen promptly informs the goddess of the status upgrade afforded to two winners of the contest as well as her first royal decree. Well, isn't that adorable.
The, for some reason, mostly nude Irishman pipes up soon after, chipping in his own two cents on the matter in rather crude fashion. And then another of the uppity apes chimes in with yet more insults. And another. And another.
The sound of grinding molars is only partially obscured by the dull rumble of the angry volcano as the last couple threads of the miko's notoriously short temper audibly snap. Junko's fists literally shake with rage as words of disrespect are hurled at her like stones, as if she is some stray dog to be driven away and not a being of incomprehensible power and ancient wisdom. Many are the slings and arrows that she has endured during her various appearances to the mortals of this world since her return.
That ends now.
There are no more words bandied about this time. The goddess simply turns to face the assembled fighters, her face a mask of barely restrained fury. Both arms snap up, the brilliantly blazing index finger of each hand extending to point at the irreverent fools who had chosen to play with matches around an open powder keg.
The new arrivals are the first to experience her wrath. The bright red glow coalesces into a marble-sized bead of scarlet light at the tip of Suzaku's outstretched finger. With a silent command she sends it forward, a tiny mote of red light that rips through the ashen haze like a comet tearing across the night sky. The shimmering sparkle flies between Rodrigo and Sarah, coming to a screaming and sudden stop to hover in mid-air for a few ominous moments before it detonates in a fiery blast powerful enough to throw a fresh plume of shattered stone into the sky.
The foul-mouthed drunk and his equally sassy protege find themselves on the receiving end of a second identical fireball moments later, the deadly sparkle blossoming into a ball of sound and fury large enough to engulf the both of them. The twin explosions buffet the helicopter with sudden shearing winds sending the still hovering aircraft spinning wildly out of control into the gloom.
Swinging her glare towards the two 'queens' of the island, the miko all but snarls at them in challenge as she points her still smoldering fingers like a pair of loaded guns.
"My tolerance for your boorish companions grows thin, girl! If you are all so eager to embrace your demise, then by all means, let us begin!"
COMBATSYS: Hawksley has joined the fight here.
JUNKO
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Hawksley 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Hawksley has joined the fight here on the right meter side.
JUNKO
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|-------\-------\0 Hawksley
COMBATSYS: Chevy has joined the fight here on the left meter side.
JUNKO
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Chevy 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Hawksley
COMBATSYS: Tanwen has joined the fight here on the left meter side.
JUNKO
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Chevy 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Hawksley
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Tanwen 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Henry has joined the fight here on the right meter side.
JUNKO
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Sarah 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Hawksley
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Chevy 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Henry
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Tanwen 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Rodrigo has joined the fight here on the right meter side.
JUNKO
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Sarah 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Hawksley
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Chevy 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Henry
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Tanwen 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Rodrigo
[CHEVY]
Water-logged baboon?
There was a time in which Chevy might have let this get her down.
And, the old her would have been unnerved by the volcano's tremors.
But the trick is...
She's been on edge ever since Suzaku nearly burned her to a crisp.
And her radiator's been water-cooled ever since.
Chevy grins back, seemingly unfazed by the insult and the insinuations that come with it. Just one more misunderstanding to toss onto a gigantic pile.
"Well, yeah! We're here right now for our trial, with *you!* We're just followin' the plan you set out for us!"
The hayseed has clearly let Suzaku live in her head rent-free for these past few days. Their last discussion has made anything else a near impossibility. But now, with her friends and companions close by, she feels that time's rapidly coming to an end, she feels. One way or another.
She could stand for a -bit- less heat, though. Wincing at the Welsh dragoness' lofty proclamations, she draws back slightly, drawing breath through her teeth. "I... dunno if I'd go -that- far, Queen Tan..."
She can already tell the temperature is getting even hotter around here. And, thanks to her previous dealings with Junko, she understands that staying cool is a necessity. So, while Hawksley slings the b-word at their fiery aggressor, and Rodrigo and Sarah barrage her with words in an attempt to accelerate her to escape velocity, Chevy slowly begins to swirl her hands in a circle. The dark clouds around her start to lose their shape, slowing their ascent. And a moment later, the pitter-patter of rain begins to fall in a localized cylinder around the waterbender. For a moment, each drop of water hisses as it hits the heated ground. That sound soon turns into a parade of splish-splashes as a ring of water begins to swirl around the Southerner's feet.
She coughs out a laugh at Henry's desire for a bit more naptime. "I just cain't sleep when it's all hot and muggy like this, though..."
And then... Well. It becomes blindingly obvious that the offer of tea time has been rejected. Chevy draws in her breath as streaks of fire are hurtled outward at four of her companions. Regrettable -- but she's fought most of them in one encounter or another, so she puts her faith in their abilities. She can only -hope- that the helicopter's crew makes it out okay.
Sweat lining her brow at Junko's pronouncement, she shakes her head. Her blue eyes narrow in determination! "They ain't just 'companions', they're my *friends!* Forget royal decrees -- I just think it'd be nice to share some tea together!"
You can't have tea without hot water though. And that's where Chevy plans to deliver -- as she plants her hands on either side of her pole, spinning it around a central pivot like the pedals on a bicycle. Orbs of water flows up from the ring around her. And as soon as they reach the pivot, each orb is catapulted toward Junko! Chevy harbors no illusions that her water barrage will have an impact -- but if she can keep the fire phoenix's attentions on her, maybe their group efforts will add up!
[TANWEN]
"Chevy's not a baboon!" Tanwen declares indignantly in response to Junko's wrothful retort. "She's a human! You can tell the difference because she's less furry and hasn't got a red bottom," she adds helpfully. "And I'm not a monkey, either. I'm a dragon! That's probably why I beat all the monkeys," she concludes, twirling her Dragon Sword around proudly.
"You're getting a bit specist over there, Tan," a quivering Winn warns the girl.
Tanwen does clock on to the shift in mood as Hawksley, Henry and others join in to express their defiance of the phoenix. "Hawksley Moore! That's not very nice!" she says with a hint of anxiety in her tone at the less charitable phrasing of her royal proclamation.
Then, she supplements Henry's piquish request: "Oh, sorry. He has a headache because I kept smashing his head just now. That's probably why he forgot to say please!"
She doesn't even engage with Rodrigo's declaration directly, instead appearing a bit like she's starting to sweat in spite of being a fire-breathing dragon. "Oh, hello, Rodrigo! That's a lovely monster head trophy you've got there," she attempts to change the subject.
"Umm, well, I thought we could try tea first?" Tanwen responds to Sarah's concurrence with Rodrigo that Junko should be removed from the island (or planet) for the good of all and the implicit call to violence.
"Tanwen!" Winn calls out desperately. "WE'VE NOT GOT ANY TEA!!"
"Oh, no," Tanwen whines, her shoulders sinking as her one gambit has a giant hole shot through it. It's too late anyway, at that point. She turns around to see the points of energy launching toward her compatriots before exploding.
"Cachu hwch! That was a Delayed Blast Fireball! She's /so/ high level now, everybody!" she warns her friends. As she's giving her warning, the sun-soaked Jeep - fortunately now unoccupied, as the civilians have taken cover behind a rocky outcropping - explodes as its gas tank is ignited with the heat of the blast aimed at Hawksley and Henry. A hubcap comes flying with deadly speed to stick into a rock just next to Tanwen's head, turning her amber eyes into saucers.
"Oh! Lovely!" she says, before reaching out to wrench the chrome disc from its Arthurian imbedding with a sharp tug. She turns sharply back toward Junko.
"I know I said you can't be mean to us, but being mean to our friends isn't very nice either! So you're going to have to stop right now, or we're going to get the space scientists and put you in space jail!" she declares, reiterating and summarizing her companions' threats with bravado before spinning and throwing the hubcap like it were a shield that was like a discus, aiming to have it smack off of the firebird and rebound back to her like a boomerang - if it even manages to survive the impact!
COMBATSYS: Junko successfully hits Hawksley with Haien.
- Power hit! -
JUNKO
[ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
0|---------------|-----------====
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////// ]
Sarah 0/-------/-------|===----\-------\0 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Chevy 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Henry
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Tanwen 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Rodrigo
[HAWKSLEY]
Hawksley has already drained his magic mug dry, and as for his ever present slim silver flask, it's still in the pocket of his shorts that he'd so hurriedly discarded. "That drink might have to wait." He admits to Henry, disappointed that he can't satisfy his partner's sudden thirst, either for tea or something a little stronger.
There's a sideways look to Rodrigo and Sarah as they step up beside the other fighters, and the Irishman notices the Spaniard's rather sinister looking trophy. "Is Coco alright?" He checks. The last he'd heard, she and Roxana had been in the company of The Rhythm Renegades at the radio station.
Before he can hear news of his girlfriend, be it good or bad, Junko begins to speak again. "Don't fecking talk to Chevy that way." He fumes, as she throws an insult the waterbender's way. He's not the only one getting heated though, and from the vitriolic vibes he's getting from the kami, she's not happy with them standing up to her.
If there were any doubt left in the dark-haired man's mind about Junko's feelings towards him, it soon vanishes when in her fit of fury the fireball comes flying towards first Sarah and Rodrigo, and then he and Henry.
Holding up his hands in front of his face. (He's seen what Junko can do to faces), the Irishman attempts to thwart her attempt, but instead just takes it to his bare torso instead. "Jesus." He winces, the flames scorching his tanned flesh and causing him to stumble backwards. "Watch yourself, fella!" He calls out to the blue-haired boy by his side, hoping that Henry will fare better.
He hears the sound of rain starting to fall and realises that Chevy is working her magic without even needing to look her way. She talks of friendship and it spurs the brawler on to want to fight back, even more than he already desired to. Answering Tanwen's words, he confesses. "Sometimes I'm not a very nice person, cailin. I'm not the villain here though, and even if she is high level, we aren't gonna just stand for her terrorising us any longer."
It would be expected that the man from Eire's tough talk would be followed by him fighting fire with fire (or at least fists). Right now though, the boxer recognises the need to catch his breath and allows himself to do so briefly as he finds his feet.
COMBATSYS: Hawksley focuses on his next action.
JUNKO
[ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
0|---------------|-----------====
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////// ]
Sarah 0/-------/-------|===----\-------\0 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Chevy 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Henry
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Tanwen 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Rodrigo
COMBATSYS: Sarah has joined the fight here on the left meter side.
JUNKO
[ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
0|---------------|-----------====
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////// ]
Sarah 0/-------/-------|===----\-------\0 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Chevy 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Henry
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Tanwen 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Rodrigo
COMBATSYS: Henry blocks Junko's Haien.
JUNKO
[ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
0|---------------|---------======
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////// ]
Sarah 0/-------/-------|===----\-------\0 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////////// ]
Chevy 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Henry
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Tanwen 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Rodrigo
[HENRY]
"Oh, that feels nice." Henry murmurs as the rain starts to fall, it even seems to make him stand a little straighter as he turns his head skyward, mouth open to catch some of those drops before they can hit the dusty ground. Though he really doesn't seem to be paying to much attention to Junko's rant, he does look back down eventually at the firebird and shakes his head. "You know, if you keep making that face it's gonna stick like that. Just a little mortal knowledge for you." Apparently the few bonks to the head brought out Henry's sassier side, which might not be a bad thing.
"Tanwen? Any of your books have a banishment spell for an uppity demi-goddess with an attitude problem?" Demi or not, he knows the affectation is likely to annoy the kami, after all, what divine power likes to have that sort of thing added to them, true or not? "I mean, it's a long shot."
Well, perhaps the taunting is a little much, especially as the dual fireballs come shooting their way. He doesn't even really register the first one beyond its existence, instead bringing up his shield in the face of the second, letting the crimson flames wash over the surface of the shield. Some like up and around it, but he keeps the worst at bay.
Though as the crimson flames die, Henry's shield remains alight in a crimson glow, as if it has been left in the forge or heated by the flames. Not that the wood parts would glow to..
He drops the shield into his hand, curves his arm, and sends it flying through the air in a curving arc, the glowing crimson disc soaring through the air on a collision course with Junko. "Return delivery."
COMBATSYS: Rodrigo blocks Junko's Haien.
JUNKO
[ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
0|---------------|-------========
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////// ]
Sarah 0/-------/-------|===----\-------\0 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////////// ]
Chevy 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Henry
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////////// ]
Tanwen 0/-------/-------|==-----\-------\0 Rodrigo
[RODRIGO]
Much like his fellow swordman, Rodrigo brings up something to ward off the fiery attack with an offhand object. Where Henry brings up a shield, Rodrigo covers himself with his cape. The cape comes out of it heavily singed bordering on burned with the parts of the chain mail under layer exposed due to acidic saliva of the local experimental wildlife glowing from the heat. Rodrigo himself seems to mostly look unharmed though the intense heat has him sweating profusely and there are a some burns on his leg and arm from where heated metal made contact with him. That being said, there's a strong possibility that most of the harm done by it was internal.
"Explosive temper, check. Failure to realize that her actions created the situation she was displeased with, even when it was pointed out, check. Pointless to continue talking when it goes through one ear and out the other with nothing in between to slow it down."
Rodrigo moves in towards Junko using a cape covered hand to grab her arm at the elbow and lift it up to spin under her arm and past her as he delivers a slash to the torso putting him behind her. He then yanks down on the arm throwing her down to the ground.
COMBATSYS: Junko successfully hits Sarah with Haien.
JUNKO
[ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
0|---------------|--=============
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////// ]
Sarah 0/-------/----===|===----\-------\0 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////////// ]
Chevy 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Henry
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////// ]
Tanwen 0/-------/-------|====---\-------\0 Rodrigo
[SARAH]
Henry has a shield to block that incoming fiery projectile with.
Rodrigo has a cape, which somehow helps protect him somewhat.
What does Sarah have? Right now, some really bad burns!
In a desperate attempt to defend herself against that incoming giant projectile, Sarah does her best to assume a defensive stance, but unfortunately it's no use for her. The blonde-haired disk jockey finds herself getting hit by the projectile and going tumbling across the ground.
Somehow, Sarah manages to stop herself by planting her hand on the ground, then managing to push herself up onto her bare feet again. Upon looking at her, one can see that she has some second-degree burns. Fortunately, it seems the tumbling that she went through has kept her from getting more seriously burned.
"I've got to stay focused," Sarah says to herself as she returns to where she was before. It's only when she reaches her original position that she gets back into the ginga. Once she's regained her rhythm in the traditional Capoeira stance, Sarah demonstrates what looks like a spin kick followed by a foot sweep. In reality, it's just a type of transition into her actual attack, which is flinging a large butterfly-shaped projectile at Junko.
COMBATSYS: Chevy successfully hits Junko with Rinse Cycle.
JUNKO
[ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
1|--------------=|===============
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////// ]
Sarah 0/-------/----===|===----\-------\0 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////////// ]
Chevy 0/-------/------=|=------\-------\0 Henry
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////// ]
Tanwen 0/-------/-------|====---\-------\0 Rodrigo
COMBATSYS: Junko dodges Tanwen's Magic Missile!.
JUNKO
[ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
1|--------------=|===============
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////// ]
Sarah 0/-------/----===|===----\-------\0 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////////// ]
Chevy 0/-------/------=|=------\-------\0 Henry
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////// ]
Tanwen 0/-------/-------|====---\-------\0 Rodrigo
COMBATSYS: Junko fully avoids Henry's Adder Glissant.
JUNKO
[ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
1|-------------==|===============
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////// ]
Sarah 0/-------/----===|===----\-------\0 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////////// ]
Chevy 0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0 Henry
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////// ]
Tanwen 0/-------/-------|====---\-------\0 Rodrigo
COMBATSYS: Junko dodges Sarah's Flash Butterfly.
JUNKO
[ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
1|-------------==|===============
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////// ]
Sarah 0/-------/----===|===----\-------\0 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////////// ]
Chevy 0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0 Henry
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////// ]
Tanwen 0/-------/-------|====---\-------\0 Rodrigo
COMBATSYS: Junko interrupts Ensnaring Spiral from Rodrigo with Hou-ou Shoten Ha EX.
*KNOCKED AWAY*
JUNKO
[ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
1|---------======|===============
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////// ]
Sarah 0/-------/----===|===----\-------\0 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////////// ]
Chevy 0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0 Henry
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////// ]
Tanwen 0/-------/-------|=======\===----\1 Rodrigo
[JUNKO]
Chevy's previous dealings with the hot-headed miko prove a crucial factor in preparing for the storm that is unleashed. While the others do their best to set the kami's temper aflame, the water-wielding Southerner draws her powers to the fore and summons the weapons she will need to deal with the fallout of their foolishness.
The devastation turns out to be far less catastrophic than it could have been. Anyone who has kept track of the news reports covering the damage left in the wake of the NOL's attempt to capture her would know that entire skyscrapers have been brought low by her divine flames. And it was only by virtue of some exceptional foresight that the fracture god's rebirth didn't take down the NFG stadium and everyone in it. And she didn't have an entire volcano to draw strength from back then.
Needless to say, Junko doesn't yet have her heart in this fight. Perhaps some sliver of the humanity in her entangled soul stays her hand, bleeding the fury from her strikes. Or maybe she's just taking her time with destroying them, savoring every expression of agony that twists their faces and every hiss of pain that slips through clenched teeth. At this point even the miko isn't sure any more what drives her other than momentum and fury born from a long-forgotten grudge.
Judging by the way that the others are speaking, it seems that Chevy failed to share the secret behind the phoenix's seemingly pointless malice. A strange choice considering she went out of her way to shed light on the subject. No matter. Whether they understand her reasons or not is irrelevant. Let them hurl their insults, ignorant of their own ignorance. It will only make their inevitable destruction all the more satisfying.
The opening salvo finds purchase in its targets, her deadly seeds blossoming into a pair of scarlet flowers that leave wicked burns to chastise her hecklers. Some weather the assault better than others but none walk away unscathed. And only one seems to walk away from the experience any wiser considering the continued string of insults that come her way. Some mortals just have to learn the hard way.
The barrage of watery projectiles conjured by Chevy proves the first and only effect retort the group has to offer in the face of the goddess's rage. Junko's eyes narrow at the shimmering orbs, her wings flaring wide as she prepares to take flight. But either by chance or a well-calculated aim one of the liquid bullets slams into the flaming feathers. The impact staggers her momentarily, a snarl of indignation bursting from the kami's lips as she whirls around to compensate and suffers several more direct impacts before flapping her way free of the danger zone.
And while the attempt to distract the goddess succeeds for a few moments, the rest of the firepower hurled her way proves remarkably ineffective. Tanwen's impromptu discus and Henry's blazing shield cut through the air in alternating arcs but the agile firebird darts between them with a graceful pirouette, even going so far as to style on the latter by using it as a stepping stone to launch herself forward with a sudden burst of speed.
A volunteer for this fresh burst of momentum presents itself most conveniently as Rodrigo makes the mistake of being the odd man out by lunging at her personally. The shimmering butterfly unleashed by his partner is nimbly avoided with a swift dip in altitude that drops the girl low to the ground and when the Spaniard draws close to slash at her with his blade she fearlessly meets the strike head on.
Flashing steel carves a small cut across pale flesh and a faint red stain blossoms at Junko's side - proof that the goddess can indeed bleed. This small victory comes at a terrible price, however.
Rather than being allowed to swing around behind her, Junko's open hand slams into the man's neck and clamps down. Even though he never had the chance to encounter the miko before her transformation it's obvious that the incredible strength in her iron grip is completely unnatural for someone with such a petite frame. Without so much as a grunt of effort, the kami hoists the much larger man into the air with one arm, dangling him by his throat even as she squeezes down to crush the wind from it.
"You want explosive?"
The question is hissed through clenched teeth, the girl's soft voice dripping with far more menace than it has any right to.
"I'LL SHOW YOU EXPLOSIVE, YOU IMPUDENT WORM!"
With a thrust of her hand, Junko launches the matador into the air and before gravity even has time to take hold of him she whirls around and drives a fist square into the bottom of his jaw. The impact seems to suspend time for a brief moment, as if reality itself takes in a sharp breath at the sheer brutality of the blow. But it isn't until the flames erupt around them that the true impact of Suzaku's fury makes itself known.
A whirlwind of scarlet fire explodes to life in a single violent instant, a raging cyclone born of raw heat and hatred. Violent winds whip at the earth as the twister adds upwards thrust to the superhuman punch and Rodrigo is launched skywards on a plume of fire and embers as the ash once more billows outwards to choke the battlefield in an obscuring haze.
[CHEVY]
To be fair, Chevy *had* tried to broach the topic of Junko's underlying trauma. The farm girl had turned herself into a pariah among the first-gen NFG fighters for defending the miko with anger issues. The phrase "strawberry shortcake" plunged her into new lows among the Constance Coalbridge fandom -- lows that would crater even further once the miko nearly brought down the entire arena complex in her next fight.
So yeah. There's a reason Chevy keeps her compassion for Junko on the down low.
But... there's more pressing issues at the moment. Chevy remains focused on hurling a steady barrage of water ammunition at the fiery goddess -- but even still, she grits her teeth in sympathy as she can hear the impact of flames upon both Sarah and Hawksley. As Henry had said -- it -would- have been nice if the finalists had had more time to recover.
But then Chevy's brow furrows at a new and interesting development. Normally her water supply is exhausted in the process of slinging slings this sort of attack; now, the ring of water at her feet is practically intact. Incredibly, Chevy looks down to her seashell to see its inverted 'L' sigil glowing intensely. Lifting her pole out of surprise, she finds that the water at her feet even starts to lift with her movement -- drawn in an unsubtle fashion to shadow her movement. Her surprise turns into a giddy smile as she realizes the sigil's true import: Iris' work with the island's leylines is paying dividends.
"... Whoa, this is -righteous-..."
There isn't a -whole- lot of time to consider this revelation, though -- for while her watery blasts have managed to distract Junko, the phoenix goddess' deft evasions allow her to slip through with only minimal harm. And the shouting lets Chevy know that Rodrigo is about to enter a world of pain.
"No!" she cries out!
Chevy reaches her hand up towards the one-time pool party host.
And a geyser suddenly erupts beneath her feet!
"... wha..?!" There's a moment of hesitation as the farm girl realizes that the water is, in fact, obeying her wishes even -better- than she'd expected them to. And then there's a moment of -thrill- as she realizes she's hurtling towards Rodrigo, borne aloft on a pillar of water! "Oh! Hahaha, whooooo!" With an exultant laugh, she sweeps her pole and buckets to one side, using it as a way to steer herself to intercept Rodrigo! The waterbending warrior catches him gently in mid-air, curling her arm about his waist to give him a safer landing than would -normally- be expected for someone blasted so high upward!
"She's... got a few issues to work out!" she manages in her best attempt at diplomacy. "Don't worry! We're all in this -together!-"
Whether Rodrigo elects to continue surfing along with Chevy or not, the hydromancing hog-wrestler's next objective is pretty clear -- she aims to steer her airborne river right towards Junko! The hayseed crouches down low, reducing her attack profile as she seeks to hurl her shoulder right into the phoenix goddess' abdomen! If she manages to make contact she'd then seek to grab hold and then *slam* her into the ground, lashing the trailing river of water into her as a high-pressure followup!
[TANWEN]
Tanwen's fists visibly clench at either side - one holding the hilt of her sword - as she watches to see what the result of the double discus maneuver that she and Henry have executed will be. "Come on! Oh, no!" she shouts as the spinning hubcap ends up boomeranging back without collision. As the metal disc swoops low toward her, she crouches down on all fours and opens her mouth, then chomps down on it with her teeth. What would certainly be an ill-advised decision for human teeth turns out to be a casual affair for draconic dentalware, and Tanwen's red tail wags behind her in the air once she's made the catch.
Popping back up to her hind legs (or as humans call them, 'legs'), she tries to take a shield-like grip on the hubcap and use it as a buckler, but it refuses to buckle to her will.
"I wish I'd brought me shield and not just me Dungeons and Dragons books," she says with a sigh. Then, she perks up suddenly. "I know!"
The dragon darts across the volcanic peak in lizard-like fashion, scooping to snatch up her satchel from the ground next to the remains of the Jeep. More debris flies past her head as the Jeep is rocked by a secondary detonation.
"This will stop anything," Tanwen assures herself as she finishes wrapping the straps of the book-filled leather bag around her forearm. "Though, I sort of wish I played HERO now."
She turns around to face toward Junko just as the phoenix is rocketing Rodrigo up into the air and flinches as she realises that she's missed a chance to offer a timely aerial rescue. Fortunately, it appears that Chevy has it under control.
"Hey! He's not a worm!" Tanwen says as she scowls up at Junko. "And being a former slow worm as I am, I think using 'worm' as an insult isn't very nice! I won't be standing for casual scoleciphobia!"
Having said that, Tanwen opens her mouth to draw in a deep, long breath, her chest and tummy swelling up with the intake of oxygen before starting to glow slightly as the air inside her becomes superheated. Then, expelling the burning gas with all her might, she unleashes a draconic flamethrower from within, sweeping the area to try and catch Junko in the literal line of fire - as ill-advised as using such energies against a phoenix may be...
[HAWKSLEY]
Hawksley sees Henry bring up his shield, glad that the lad has been able to defend himself better than he had. As the shield stops the fireball from doing its worst, it's then used to attack, hurtling towards their tormentor in tandem with Tanwen's attempt. Rodrigo follows in a similar suit, using his cape as a barrier between he and Junko. So far so solid from the season two crew.
Sarah suffers more. Seeing DJ Supernova go flying has Hawksley shooting her a sympathetic look. "Stings a bit doesn't it?" He's still aware of his own skin singeing.
Other than the Irishman, all the fighters have fired back at the phoenix, but only Chevy can pull off her plans. It's likely the red haired lass has an advantage being a water user. He knows she has showed plenty of skill at putting his own flames out.
As the sextet secure their first success, courtesy of the North Carolinian, Rodrigo pays the price. Seeing the Spaniard squeezed, struck and scorched by the Suzaku, the brawler's scarred hands form into fists. Before he can fling himself forwards, Hawksley becomes aware of the farmgirl's heroic efforts to save the matador. Feeling a fresh surge of hope at how well Chevy seems to be handling herself, and her control of the water, he slips forwards and twists into a left snap elbow to try and put Junko off-balance, with the intention of following up by pivoting into a devastating right-handed haymaker toward the centre of her mass.
All this to the soundtrack of Tanwen talking away ten to the dozen in her lilting Welsh tone.
[HENRY]
"Hardly surprising. She looks down on us but she's as petty a little dictator as any mortal with too much power." Yeah, maybe someone should tell Henry to stop with the taunting, but the would be goddess seems to have gotten his back up. He snags his shield out of the air as its curving arc brings it back into his reach, slipping it back into place at the same time as he launches himself forward. He can only spare a moment's thought for Rodrigo, one member of the second gen he's wanted to face off with but hasn't had the opportunity to do so yet.
The fire and water blasting past him would normally be quite a sight to see, but he doesn't have all that much time to marvel at it, instead he has to force already screaming muscles to keep moving as he launches himself forward in tandem with his mentor. "I got the other side." He says to Hawksley as he keeps up with the other half of his team. He doesn't peel off to come in with a pincer. instead as the Irish brawler surges into his strikes, Henry makes use of his acrobatics to somersault over Junko, twisting mid-air to come down on her with a descending sword strike.
[RODRIGO]
Rodrigo lets out a gurgle as the hand clamps down on his throat a moment before he is taken for a very violent and fiery ride courtesy of a fist and a cyclone.
When the hellish ride ends, the European swordsman goes into free fall but fortunately doesn't remain there for long. Chevy catches him and since she is heading to Suzaku, Rodrigo is perfectly fine with tandem surfing with her like any guy raised in Puerto Banús but jumps away before Chevy delivers a wave assisted shoulder check.
Upon landing, he hangs back rubbing his chin, working out the pain in his jaw. After a moment, he mutters, "¡Mierda!"
Rodrigo has no interest in diplomacy. Just like the deity had woke up and chose physical violence, Rodrigo is choosing verbal violence.
"Issues? Even volumes doesn't seem adequate. She has an entire archive! She trapped us on an island after destroying most of the edible animals and plant life as a test that none of us consented to like some toxic girlfriend trying to see how far she can push us before everyone gets mad. Of course we're going to want to fling insults since you've taken the option of walking away off the table."
Rodrigo takes his stance but doesn't seem in a hurry to attack. No, he wants to continue speaking.
"I've never seen someone who has so much difficulty with the concept of actions and consequences. Action: Trap people on an island and remove a large portion of the means to nourish themselves. Consequence: People want to insult the one responsible. Action: Insult insanely powerful individual. Consequence: Get attacked by said individual. I said everything I said knowing that was a potential consequence for my action but it was an action I took as a consequence of your action."
Rodrigo doesn't seem to show signs of stopping. Still in his stance, he points his sword at his enemy.
"You seem to have a dislike for being insulted and disrespected and if that is truly the case, you might want to try something different. Might require a bit of self-reflection. You could treat others the way you would want to be treated and see if that works for you." He pauses, looks around, and then continues. "You might want to try that with a different group of people though. You've burnt a lot of bridges here. Pun not intended. "
COMBATSYS: Rodrigo focuses on his next action.
JUNKO
[ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
1|---------======|===============
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////// ]
Sarah 0/-------/----===|===----\-------\0 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////// ]
Chevy 0/-------/-------|==-----\-------\0 Henry
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////// ]
Tanwen 0/-------/-------|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Rodrigo
[SARAH]
Upon realizing that she's missed completely, Sarah can only shake her head in disbelief. "Oh, that's just bollocks!" She says, realizing that Junko is going to be a bit more difficult than she anticipated it seems. Then again, she shouldn't be that surprised given the show that Junko put on when they first arrived on Zack Island.
Still remaining in the ginga, Sarah watches carefully and sizes up the overall scene. She knows that no opponent is truly invincible, just that some are tougher than others. Sarah thinks for a moment about what she should do next.
Then she sees Rodrigo go flying and she widens her eyes in disbelief before coming back to reality. She had no idea just how truly strong Junko was, but now she's seen it up close and personal... and she doesn't like it one bit.
"I've got to be careful," Sarah says as she takes a quick swig of water. "Together we can defeat Junko I'm sure, but I can't afford to make any rash moves." She looks and sees that her teammate is still going, but not attacking just yet. "Sound idea," Sarah says as she remains in the ginga, watching carefully to see what Junko will do next, knowing that there's no telling what else she has up her sleeves.
COMBATSYS: Sarah focuses on her next action.
JUNKO
[ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
1|---------======|===============
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////// ]
Sarah 0/-------/----===|===----\-------\0 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////// ]
Chevy 0/-------/-------|==-----\-------\0 Henry
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////// ]
Tanwen 0/-------/-------|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Rodrigo
COMBATSYS: Chevy successfully hits Junko with Mudskipper.
Grazing Hit
JUNKO
[ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
1|-------========|===============
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////// ]
Sarah 0/-------/----===|===----\-------\0 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////// ]
Chevy 0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0 Henry
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////// ]
Tanwen 0/-------/-------|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Rodrigo
COMBATSYS: Junko dodges Tanwen's Dragon Breath.
JUNKO
[ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
1|-------========|===============
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////// ]
Sarah 0/-------/----===|===----\-------\0 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////// ]
Chevy 0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0 Henry
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////// ]
Tanwen 0/-------/-------|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Rodrigo
COMBATSYS: Junko blocks Hawksley's Detonator.
JUNKO
[ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
1|-----==========|===============
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////// ]
Sarah 0/-------/----===|===----\-------\0 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////// ]
Chevy 0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0 Henry
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////// ]
Tanwen 0/-------/-------|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Rodrigo
COMBATSYS: Junko fully avoids Henry's Hawk Descendant.
JUNKO
[ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
1|---============|===============
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////// ]
Sarah 0/-------/----===|===----\-------\0 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////// ]
Chevy 0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0 Henry
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////// ]
Tanwen 0/-------/-------|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Rodrigo
[JUNKO]
A looked of wicked glee twists the miko's face as her flaming uppercut sends the mouthy Spaniard skywards, a trip that promises an inevitable and messy return to the stony earth below in short order. But Rodrigo's return trip proves to be a great deal less impactful than she'd hoped, what with Chevy suddenly demonstrating a level of adeptness with her powers that far exceeds anything shown before. Junko's eyes go wide as the watery geyser shoots upwards like a shimmering lance to intercept the falling human, her voice ringing with genuine alarm for a brief moment.
"What?! Since when could you...?!"
The goddess regains her composure instantly, biting off the cry of surprise with a sharp snarl. Her eyes narrow on the hydromancer as she turns her rescuing arc into a downwards plummet whose aim is pointed squarely at her. A quick inspection of the woman is all it takes for the eagle-eyed kami to notice the obvious glow of the pendant at her neck and the magic surrounding the rune carved upon it, the discovery eliciting a single hissed word like a curse through clenched teeth.
"Shugenja...!"
While Iris would probably object to the classification of her magical talents in such terms, it's clear that Suzaku has recognized her work for what it is. She had not expected anyone of such mediocre talent to be capable of creating a focus strong enough to function within her domain. There must have been a powerful confluence of elemental power to fuel such a charm. Strange that she did not notice it. Perhaps the alluring call of the volcano had addled her senses and made her blind to all else. A miscalculation on her part - but one that will have little impact on the outcome!
Turning her attention to the more immediate matter of what is being -done- with that magical charm, Junko stares down the oncoming freight-train of rushing liquid with a defiant glare. Her mighty wings flare with fresh power and a single flap of that radiant plumage sets her into motion once more. The sheer speed of the goddess is incredible, even more so the grace with which she maneuvers through the air, as if she had spent her entire life soaring through the heavens. But the problem with water, ironically, is the same as that of fire - it's difficult to contain and spreads quickly. Through sheer weight of mass and Chevy's careful guidance the hydrolance widens and alters course with far more alacrity than the phoenix had expected.
An expression that somehow manages to mix rage and panic washes over the girl's face as she realizes that the powerful geyser is going to catch her. She freezes in midair, seemingly paralyzed by indecision, until the roaring wave has all but engulfed her. With reflexes that no normal human could ever hope to match the kami suddenly twists in place, flapping one of her great wings to throw her body into a parallel line with the aquatic spear. The scent of salt and foam assaults her senses, an aroma heady enough to make her dizzy for a moment, as the deluge rips past her so close that the mist wafting off it leaves one side of her clothing moist - and Junko, unharmed.
Or so it seems at first. It takes a few seconds for the entirety of the water snake to crash past the hovering fire bird and when the ash and mist finally clear well enough to get a good look at the aftermath there is distinctly less fire on that bird. A good half of Suzaku's right wing is simply gone, sheared off - or perhaps more accurately, doused - by the close call. The tattered ends of the red flaming feathers sputter and hiss at the latent moisture in the air, already starting to knit themselves back together, but the process seems to be rather slow.
And judging by the veins throbbing on Junko's forehead and the expression of utter fury turning her pale mien a color similar in hue to those wings it was not a pleasant experience.
Tanwen's verbal onslaught is the first thing to snap the kami back to reality. Turning towards the tiny dragon with unsettling deliberateness and mayhem in her literally flaming eyes, the wounded phoenix plummets out of the air like an anvil dropped out of an airplane and hits the ground hard enough to shatter a spider web crater into the volcanic rock. Dragonfire besets her on the way down but the kami's movements prove far too swift to track for the inexperienced wyrm. A pale fist literally aglow like heated iron draws back as Junko rushes the Welsh whelp with a murderous bloodcurdling scream of uncontrolled rage, flying at her like a comet plucked from the heavens.
Hawksley's sudden rush manages to derail the pain train, the brazen Irishman stepping forward to meet her flame with battle-hardened flesh. To his credit she takes the threat seriously - at least enough to shift her focus away from the prattling brat and towards his swinging elbow. The girl's non-flaming palm snaps up, catching the bony smash flat against her palm. The sensation is like slamming his elbow into a piece of lightly padded iron and the miko's arm hardly yields an inch. The wild follow up earns a bit more of a response, driving her backwards through the air as he follows through.
As she seems adept at doing, the goddess turns what should be a detriment into her advantage. It quickly becomes obvious that she allowed herself to be pushed away as another flap of her damaged wings sends Junko accelerating into a rearward burst of motion even as Henry attempts to flip past her with his impressive aerial acrobatics. Sadly, all he finds on the other side of that somersault is a blade whipping through empty air and a pissed off avatar of fire looming ominously behind him.
"How's THIS for petty?!"
The blazing fist that had been intended for Tanwen comes swinging down into the young swordsman from behind as he finds himself at ground zero for the world's spiciest rabbit punch. Even if the boy manages to somehow interpose his shield in time or roll out of the way, Junko's fury detonates like a miniature sun, engulfing both her and Henry in a fireball the size of a barn and buffeting everyone else with winds strong enough to make the lingering debris turn into a choking maelstrom of embers and ash.
[CHEVY]
While her shoulder charge couldn't reach Junko like planned, Chevy counts herself lucky that the torrent of water could! A cloud of steam rises in her wake as Chevy plunges on towards the ground, half-submerged in her airborne stream. That same stream provides a thick cushion of water to brake her fall -- and the splash that results makes sure every -bit- of the freckled farmgirl is thoroughly soaked when she turns back to Junko.
The lifeguard-swimsuited farmgirl brushes excess water from her eyes with a half-smile. "I got a friend to thank for that!" she explains, as if Junko had asked a legitimate question instead of a rhetorical one. "Iris warn't none too happy with that wall of fire you put 'round the island..."
Chevy isn't just -dressed- like a lifeguard for this fight, but she's also playing the part, as the lone waterbender pushing back against a whole lot of fire hazards. Chevy draws in her breath as Junko negotiates attacks from Tanwen, Hawksley, and Henry with a blindingly-fast cadence. As someone who was just in a fight with all three, she knows just how hard they can hit and how fast they can move. That makes it all the more impressive that Junko is able to work the three attacks to her own benefit!
"Y'all are doin' -great-," she calls out to the others, "keep it up!"
Chevy isn't content to cheer on the sidelines though! Even as she leaps back in with an attack from Junko's backside, she's able to see the Rhythm Renegades readying for their next attacks. She even tosses Rodrigo a wink -- if he happens to look her way in the next moment.
"W-wow, that's a -whole- lotta words! You done got someone torqued off, Junko!"
Lou's accused her of duplicity in the past. There might be some truth to that -- as she is -deliberately- trying to keep Junko off-balance. It's not a strategy she's exactly -cognizant- of, but she can recognize the beauty of the six staggering their attacks in such a way as to keep Junko guessing!
In addition to the wink for Rodrigo's and Sarah's benefits, they might also see the determination in the hayseed's eyes as she lances her pole at Junko's arm. The aim isn't to strike with the water, so much as to let the bucket's yawning mouth close down upon Junko's hand! Part one of the attack would be to flash-freeze the bucket's water around her hand, encumbering her movements to temporarily reduce the chance of throat-grabs by fifty percent. An ideal outcome would allow Chevy to tug Junko into an immobilizing arm lock, opening up more possibilities for the team!
[TANWEN]
Unfortunately for her, Tanwen's breath appears to be wasted - quite literally, and in more than one sense - as neither her words nor her flames seem to slow Junko's rampage. The sight of the phoenix bearing down on her does cause Tanwen to flinch and hesitate where she's otherwise stood with brazen confidence so far. However, Henry ends up drawing the aggro off of her. "At least he's got a proper shield," the reptilian-human hybrid reassures herself as she steadies her nerves and her sword grip. "Cheers, Henry!"
The other swordsman amongst them launches into a diatribe. "Rodrigo! You're talking too much for a free action!" she warns her fellow fighter. "You'll miss your turn!"
Turning her focus back to Junko, she brings her sword up and rushes forward. "That's not petty! It's just not very nice!" she bellows. "And you're right, Dee Jay Supernova. Don't worry, I'm a red dragon. We're good at making rash moves!"
The kami has proven too fast for her (and just about the rest of them) so far, so she makes an effort to throw herself as swiftly as she can into action, swinging around in a spin to slash out with the blunt Dragon Blade in a circular motion as she charges Junko recklessly! "This is for Prydain!"
[HAWKSLEY]
"Good plan, fella." Hawksley approves of Henry's tactics, as they look to treat Junko to a double-feature Hollywood Heat special! Sadly, both of them seem to have something of a box-office flop, but the brawler will keep at it, hoping his next move will be a blockbuster. At least he managed to knock the kami back a bit. That's something, right?
The Irishman doesn't speak Spanish, despite his da's claims about their descendants, but he gets the gist of what Rodrigo is feeling. As the matador moves into monologue mode, the boxer can't help but marvel at how much he's able to say, after taking such a clobbering.
Meanwhile, Sarah expresses herself in smooth Mancunian style. Hawksley can't help but mimic her accent, chiming in with. "I dunno about you, lass, but I'm dead mithered right now. I'm proper gagging for a barm too. Me stomach thinks me throats been cut." The effect comes off sounding something akin to legendary Manchester musician, Liam Gallagher, another lairy lad of Irish origin.
Chevy's still covering herself in glory. Not only does she intervene to aid Rodrigo, but she manages to get a hit in on Junko. She's obviously rattled the fire goddess, and as their foe weaves herself through the air, working to escape the wonderous water magic, Hawksley can't resist watching her in action for a moment. The show is stopped by the Suzaku's scream as she deals with the dragonette's assault. He suspects that Tanwen has just made herself a target, but then Junko goes after Henry instead. Throwing himself towards the phoenix to try and defend his mentoree, Hawksley seeks to deliver a left-handed jab into a right cross to break open her guard and try and throw her off-balance. He'll then look to grab her upper body and aim to pull her towards him, intending to send her face-first into his rising right knee!
As he moves, he calls out to Chevy. "You're doing pretty grand yourself, cailin. We're gonna need that water of yours if we've got any chance in this battle."
COMBATSYS: Henry fails to counter Guren Bakuenjin EX from Junko with Stag Guardant.
- Power fail! -
*KNOCKED AWAY*
JUNKO
[ ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
1|================|===============
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////// ]
Sarah 0/-------/----===|===----\-------\0 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Chevy 0/-------/------=|=======\=------\1 Henry
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////// ]
Tanwen 0/-------/-------|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Rodrigo
[HENRY]
Henry doesn't seem all that upset about his strike missing. Group combat like this isn't about everyone landing a strike, it's about keeping the pressure on until someone can land a blow. And if she's having to exert herself dodging his attacks, it only gives the more experience fighters more of a chance to land their own blows. He flips his sword in his hand, ready to keep up the heat as the would be kami instead turns on him.
He does indeed try to bring up his shield as the blow comes in, the surface glimmering with chi, but his chi warding isn't enough to keep him safe as Junko's attack detonates and sends him flying backwards. He rolls along the edge of the caldera, stunt trained instincts being the only reason he manages to stop his roll in a crouch. Blood drips down his forehead from one of his scalp wounds reopening, another rivulet running down his side as a faint haze of smoke drifts from him.
He lets out one cough, and in a half-wheeze still manages, "Very petty, if you lose your temper that badly from a little taunting from us pathetic mortals." He even manages a grin as he flexes his fingers on his sword hilt to make sure that arm is still functioning at the very least.
[RODRIGO]
The Spaniard is more than happy to be ignored combat-wise if it meant that he didn't have to feel a like that again. His words not garnering a reaction is a mixed blessing, neither causing her tilt, reconsider her actions, nor drawing aggro from her rage.
Rodrigo can only shrug as he watches Atlantis and Hollywood Heat make their moves, even cringing when Henry gets caught in a explosive attack, waiting for his opportunity get some attacks in of his own. After all, he isn't trying to interfere with his allies or give Suzaku something to use against them.
When he sees a gap in the attacks, Rodrigo sends several fast and precise stabs to arms, legs, torso, and even a good number of thrusts get directed to the wings before he hooks the weapon under the arm pit to pull her off balance before he attempts to dance around her to slash the back of her legs to knock her off her feet and onto her back. With her grounded, he would follow up with a pair of stomps on her stomach before spinning away to make room for Sarah to get in some attacks in of her own.
[SARAH]
No more standing around and watching what's gonna happen. It's time for action. Especially when she sees poor Henry go flying. She can only shake her head in sympathy for the other fighter, but her sympathy doesn't last long as she looks at Junko again and her sadness turns to a scowl. Although, it does soften a little when Hawksley imitates her accent, and she can't help but giggle a little at that.
But we digress.
Sarah's back into her fighting mood as she maintains the ginga carefully. "You've done a lot of nonsense here, and we're not gonna take it!" (Yes, that was intentional.) With that, Sarah advances on Junko with a cartwheel, attempting to reduce the distance between Junko and herself. Once she lands, she continues performing the ginga while looking at Junko.
"You've ruined this party enough as it is, and if there's one thing I hate more than party crashers, it's those who don't learn their lesson!" She advances closer to Junko with caution. "So it looks like I'm gonna have to teach you not to crash our parties!" And then, Sarah attempts to strike Junko twice as she launches into a sudden backwards flip, attempting to strike her with both of her feet, one at a time.
Yes, she's attacking Junko in her bare feet. She's aware she could get hot feet in more ways than one. It just shows how fearless Sarah truly is!
COMBATSYS: Chevy successfully hits Junko with Battleship Chains.
? Strange Hit! ?
JUNKO
[ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
2|<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<|<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////// ]
Sarah 0/-------/----===|===----\-------\0 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Chevy 0/-------/-----==|=======\=------\1 Henry
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////// ]
Tanwen 0/-------/-------|>>>>---\-------\0 Rodrigo
COMBATSYS: Tanwen successfully hits Junko with Quick Strike.
Glancing Blow
JUNKO
[ ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
2|<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<|<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////// ]
Sarah 0/-------/----===|===----\-------\0 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Chevy 0/-------/-----==|=======\=------\1 Henry
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////// ]
Tanwen 0/-------/-------|>>>>---\-------\0 Rodrigo
COMBATSYS: Junko dodges Hawksley's Buzzkill.
JUNKO
[ ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
2|<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<|<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////// ]
Sarah 0/-------/----===|===----\-------\0 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Chevy 0/-------/-----==|=======\=------\1 Henry
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////// ]
Tanwen 0/-------/-------|>>>>---\-------\0 Rodrigo
COMBATSYS: Junko dodges Rodrigo's Merciless Dance.
JUNKO
[ ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
2|<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<|<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////// ]
Sarah 0/-------/----===|===----\-------\0 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Chevy 0/-------/-----==|=======\=------\1 Henry
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////// ]
Tanwen 0/-------/-------|>>>>---\-------\0 Rodrigo
COMBATSYS: Sarah successfully hits Junko with Flip It Good.
Grazing Hit
JUNKO
[ ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
2|<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<|<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////// ]
Sarah 0/-------/---====|===----\-------\0 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Chevy 0/-------/-----==|=======\=------\1 Henry
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////// ]
Tanwen 0/-------/-------|>>>>---\-------\0 Rodrigo
[JUNKO]
It isn't that Rodrigo's impressive tirade went unnoticed by the kami, Junko just has too much on her plate at the moment to be able to sample every little flavor of hate being thrown her way. The Spaniard had already gotten a taste of what her retort to his opinion on her would likely be, one that is likely to linger for quite some time yet. It's only fair that she spread the spice around a bit.
Of course it would be remiss of her not to assign credit where it is due. For all the empathy that she once had for the miko's terrible circumstances she hasn't held back in this confrontation. Let none say that the farm girl is lacking in courage.
And though the chaos of combat has likely left little room for intense tactical analysis, it might strike some as strange that despite her aggressiveness and, more importantly, the effectiveness of her constant harassment, Junko has not once retaliated against the water-wielding redneck. A result of the ebb and flow of battle preventing her from lashing out at the hayseed or some lingering spark of reticence still faintly glowing within the darkness that is rapidly consuming her?
If she has noticed this peculiarity, Chevy clearly does not let it slow down her efforts to keep the goddess busy. The bizarre choice of weapon wielded by the Southerner makes its surprisingly awkward to respond. Having a bucket on a pole shoved at her is definitely not an experience that the kami's vast, if fractured, memory has any recollection of. With her attention split six ways it takes a few moments too long for the danger to register.
Whirling around, the phoenix attempts to pirouette out of the path of the odd lance but age-old instincts have yet to account for the movement of her human body completely. The girl's limbs flail out at the sudden acceleration and though she successful manages to prevent her hand from being ensnared - it's only because her foot takes its place.
"Wh...?! Un-unhand me this instant, girl!"
Awkwardly hovering with one leg halfway up in the air, lodged in a now frozen-over bucket of ice, the hue coloring the kami's face shifts from furious red to mortified pink. Even her voice raises in pitch, sounding more like the teenage girl that she once was than the rage-filled spirit of vengeance she presents herself as. This is not how a fight with a goddess should play out!
Unfortunately, none of her mortal foes plan on giving her a moment to recover and keep things dignified. Not that her screaming fury was all -that- dignified to begin with but this is just absurd! Gritting her teeth, Junko swallows her pride and quickly proves that even underhanded tricks aren't going to be enough to make a fool out of her!
Tanwen's swift but wild swing is the first danger that comes her way. The annoying little salamander has thus far proven more of a nuisance than a real threat and even handicapped such as she is, the kami once again shows her just how much more XP she needs to accrue before taking on someone of Suzaku's level. Thrusting down with her free foot, the firebird twists into an aerial cartwheel, flipping from one side of Chevy's pole to the other. The wide blade manages to clip the goddess's shin before she can snap the dangling limb completely out of the way but with her focus on speed and not power the outcome is almost the same as if she'd missed completely.
Being the experienced brawler that he is, Hawksley is keen to capitalize on the situation. Even as she whirls to avoid the sword slash he lunges in with another fierce display of the skills he's accrued bouncing from pub to pub. But, while his fellow mortals have showered the Irishman in praise, Junko continues to be unimpressed by his efforts. One of the girl's slender shoes lands square on the alcoholic's forehead as she leaps up into another graceful flip, using his skull as a rebound to send her sailing backwards and behind Chevy this time, dragging the poor farm girl around like a wild horse refusing to be saddled. Hawksley's sky-clad bulk is sent stumbling directly into Rodrigo's line of approach, spoiling what would have been a deadly series of strikes before he can even get close enough to start swinging.
By virtue of staggering her approach, Sarah manages to avoid getting taken down by the sudden traffic jam. The energetic pair of kicks force the kami to try and swing wide to evade but with her foot still stuck to the damn bucket all she manages is to use the first impact to throw her clear of the second, taking a solid kick to the side of her head for the trouble.
"ENOOOOUGH!"
A searing blast of raw heat erupts from the phoenix as her tolerance for these shenanigans dwindles to nothing. The chunk of ice around her foot explodes like a small bomb from the sudden temperature shift, violently propelling what is likely a now very ruined bucket and the pole that it's attached to away with incredible force.
And the energy unleashed isn't just a physical wave of scorching heat. All at once the very air around each and every one of the mortals suddenly grows ten times heavier, suffocating the air from their lungs and crushing them beneath it from the sheer psychic pressure of the goddess's unleashed will. A horrific mixture of seething primal emotion buffets them like tangible waves of intense sensation, hate, malice, rage, and indignation swirling together into a stomach-churning concoction. For a few brief moments each of them is exposed to the unfiltered corruption of her divine soul and the experience is equal parts awesome and nightmare-inducing.
But, while most of the mortals get only a small gut-churning taste of that twisted presence, Chevy finally finds herself on the receiving end of Suzaku's ire as the goddess turns her full attention onto the hydromancer like the Eye of Sauron. All of the emotion and hatred that Junko had revealed to her during their short clandestine encounter is revisited upon the Southerner at ten times the magnitude. The kami doesn't lift a finger to strike her - nor does it prove necessary. Her withering gaze alone is like being an ant under the lens of the Hubble Telescope at high noon on the equator. The pure unfiltered essence of a god crashes down on the audacious hick for a few brief instants, subjecting her to possibly the most intense experience of her brief life while the others are shoved forcefully back on the battering tides of divine will made manifest.
COMBATSYS: Junko knocks away Chevy with Reiatsu.
-* CRITICAL HIT! *-
JUNKO
[ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
0|---------------|-<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////// ]
Sarah 0/-------/---====|===----\-------\0 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Chevy 1/-----==/=======|=======\====---\1 Henry
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////// ]
Tanwen 0/-------/-------|>>>>---\-------\0 Rodrigo
[CHEVY]
There is a giddy kind of glee upon Chevy's face as her attempt to rein in the fast-flitting fire phoenix results in catching her foot and not her hand in the bucket. It's decidedly *less* gleeful and more panicked for the seconds that follow, though.
"Whoa, whoa there!" she cries out to no avail, as Junko's deft evasion techniques spare her from the worst of Tanwen's slashing blade and from the indignity of getting punched in the face! But Chevy's -- forced to spin sideways from Junko's sudden cartwheel, is also forced to sway backwards to keep from getting socked by Hawksley's punch -- or Rodrigo's sword stabs!
"Hey, I'm doin' what I can here, folks...!" It's not... a *perfect* response to Mr Moore's suggestion that her water will be needed, but her attention's kind of locked upon Junko for the moment! And yes, she'd probably be 'dead mithered' too. Maybe even mommicked.
But then, Sarah's kick lands.
And Junko shouts.
Enough.
A moment later, a bucket explodes.
Craggy shards of ice and plastic fly in all directions. One such chunk slams into Chevy's bare midriff, forcing her to take a step backward. The sharded ice slices across her before tumbling aside, leaving behind a series of red gashes fringed with supercooled skin. The waterbender staggers backwards -- "Nnnrgh!"
But it's not until the pressure builds that the hayseed's real torment begins. That part would be a little more obvious when the pole and buckets clatter to the ground -- for both of Chevy's hands are soon clutching at her skull. She cries out: a wordless, high-pitched tone of mortal, unfathomable terror. The twenty-year-old staggers, writhing side to side as she struggles to deal with a millennia of torment compressed into a dense stream of nightmarish visions plunged straight into her brain. Her eyelids screw shut, her lips curled outward in a rictus of horror.
And a moment later -- she trips over the bucket she just dropped, keeling over to her side in a fetal ball. It turns out to be a blessing in disguise, as her body falling sideways onto the volcanic caldera's coals keeps her from tumbling further down the hill as she wriggles about in psychic torment.
Her chest heaves with sobs, forcing an even less pleasant warble in her high-pitched whine. The waterbender unleashes a flood of a different type, as her eyes well with tears. All the pain and anguish of Junko's existence, crammed through the tiny conduit of a simple farm girl's shattered mental state.
It goes on for lifetimes, to Chevy. But, just moments later to everyone else, she regains enough control to squelch off that high-pitched whine.
She stammers out, sobbing.
"i f-feel... "
Her tear-streaked eyes are still screwed shut.
Her breath, parched from the heat and pressure.
Words are difficult.
She tries again. "i feel... p-pain..." She shakes her head, unsatisfied. "*y-your* pain..."
Blue eyes open, and she flattens one palm against the rocks, starting to right herself. She brushes cinders off of her bare arms. She sifts her fingers through reddish hair caked with soot. And she pants for breath, for clarity.
"you... feel... "
She lurches hard to her side, all but throwing herself back to her feet. Her shoulders hang as if her limbs were made of solid lead. She grits her teeth, still wrestling with the weight of her experience.
"... Betrayed."
Chevy sniffles. Draws breath through her nose. And then takes two steps backwards, pressing the treads of her shoes into the coals. Blood drips from her abdominal wounds, and even starts to seep from her bandaged neck. One side of her body is caked with a layer of volcanic soot. Her body trembles from the wave of terror that rippled through her moments prior. But the surest sign that Chevy is back in some control is the small clouds of saturated ash that begin to swirl around her. Water vapor -- funneling them down in a wide spiral towards the ground.
"You feel like humanity just cain't respect you no more... Right?"
She flattens her hands. She takes another step backwards, shutting her eyes -- and forcing the pain away. Raindrops hiss as they slam into the heated coals. Water begins to pool, swirling around into a ring around Chevy's feet.
But when the hayseed's eyes open again, they show sympathy, mixed with crystal clarity.
"I'm doin' my level *best* to respect you. Always have." Her voice trembles with emotion.
It might be too much for a free action, in Tanwen's eyes. But Chevy needs the time to calm her nerves, to steady her muscles. To free her mind from the torment.
She nods along, belatedly, to something she'd heard moments earlier.
"But yeah. It's petty, what you're doin'. More than just a lil' bit."
COMBATSYS: Chevy focuses on her next action.
JUNKO
[ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
0|---------------|-<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////// ]
Sarah 0/-------/---====|===----\-------\0 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Chevy 1/-----==/=======|=======\====---\1 Henry
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////// ]
Tanwen 0/-------/-------|>>>>---\-------\0 Rodrigo
[TANWEN]
Tanwen lands on her two feet after her attack against the phoenix, having only lightly clipped the higher-level fighter, but certain of her success nevertheless. She turns a quizzical look toward Hawksley upon hearing him break out his faux Mancunian accent. "Have you been watching the Corrie, Hawksley Moore? Or is the volcano just getting too hot for you?"
Her head snaps the other way as Henry goes flying past. "Henry! Are you alright?" she calls out, before finding her mentor and beaming. "I got her, Chevy! Did you see?"
A moment later, her mentor is subjected to a nightmarish onslaught, and the pride and glee in Tanwen's eyes dims. She doesn't call Chevy out for spending her turn speaking - she's just glad that the farm girl's hit points haven't hit zero as Tanwen had initially feared.
The light in the dragonette's amber irises slowly rekindles as she turns back to Junko, not with confidence or joy, but with a similarly elemental wroth. Through some mystical peculiarity of her being, she seems to have been all but immune to the palpable aura of rage and horror that exudes from the kami up to this point. Perhaps dragons simply aren't connected to the spiritual world or in tune with their emotional side in the same way as humans. Perhaps she's just a bit of a Cloud Cuckoolander even by dragon standards.
But watching her friend and mentor suffering at the hands of the firebird in such a visceral way awakens something inside Tanwen. It would be biologically inaccurate to say that it's lit a fire in her belly - that's been there ever since she was a whelp - but the white-hot intensity with which it burns is enough to cause Tanwen to tremble.
"I don't know what petty means, really," Tanwen announces as she clasps the tsuka of the Legendary* Dragon Blade between her quivering fingers. "But fighting is supposed to be fun! That's why they call it a party! And you're making fighting not very fun for anyone! And being a dragon as I am, I know that it doesn't matter how powerful you are if you're just going to be a big meanie! Dragons had to find out the hard way that being the biggest and the meanest only means that everyone will forget how amazing you are, and just think what a big meanie you were! Because humans don't like it when you hurt their friends, and neither do I!"
Tanwen, too, seems to be sacrificing her turn to dialogue instead of attacking, her volume rising to crescendo as the trembling ceases and a hitherto unseen sense of presence rises from within, imparting a poise and sense of purpose beyond her - well, still not quite matching her years, if we're talking in human terms, but beyond her dragon ones. "So stop hitting my friends, and come hit me instead! Unless you're too scared to see what a dragon does when you hit her!"
COMBATSYS: Tanwen focuses on her next action.
JUNKO
[ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
0|---------------|-<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////// ]
Sarah 0/-------/---====|===----\-------\0 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Chevy 1/-----==/=======|=======\====---\1 Henry
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////// ]
Tanwen 0/-------/-------|>>>>---\-------\0 Rodrigo
[HAWKSLEY]
"Oh feck! Henry!" Hawksley hollers as he sees the stuntman come a cropper. The blood is soaking into the boy's blue hair, producing a vivid, vibrant and violent visual. "You're alright, fella." The Irishman assures him. "You're still standing and there's breath in your body. You'll be back for more."
There's a salute to the Spaniard as he comes in to close the gaps in the combat, and a cheeky grin to Sarah as she shows her amusement at his artificial accent. Tanwen seems to get what he was trying for too. "Ah, I've not watched Corrie since Michelle Keegan got killed off." He confesses. "Are you a fan yourself, like?"
The dancing DJ lands a double-blow from both her feet, following a backflip, which earns her a cheer from the Eire brawler. Then Chevy gets to work with her bucket and pole combo, causing the kami some concerns, and indeed some embarrassment.
As for his own attack? The Suzaku's graceful display sees her planting some fancy footwork on his forehead. "I've been kicked in the head before by big boots, cailin." He confides in her. "I'm not gonna worry too much about your pretty little shoe." It appears he's merely providing a launch pad however, that the phoenix uses to position herself perfectly. As he falls back into Rodrigo's line of attack, Hawksley shakes his dark-haired head in disbelief.
That's nothing on what's to come though. First the Irish fighter feels his chest start to get tighter, then there's a sharp pain on his skull, that feels like it's gonna break his booze-addled brain. "Jesus." He manages to mutter, without expecting any divine intervention. If they're gonna survive this, then it'll have to be up to themselves.
Hawksley ends up falling down, his already bruised and burned backside breaking his fall. When he rises, he's just in time to witness the hell that Chevy is being subjected to. As she staggers and struggles to process the pain, the pugilist turns to her tormentor, rushing towards her as the redhead expresses her emotions. His attack is not stylish or skilful, he simply strikes out with the palm of his hand, trying to push it into the phoenix's face. "Feck you." He shouts at her. "All of us here came into this for fun, like Tanwen says. Perhaps to find a bit of fortune too. None of us deserve to be dealing with the likes of you and your devastation. Do you want us all to die? Would that make you happy?"
[HENRY]
Henry waves to those who express their concern at his state from where he crouches on the ground. Signalling that he's at least in one piece and not quite in need of attention yet. He grits his teeth against the waves coming off of Junko, his knuckles going white on his sword hilt as he braces himself, trying to catch his breath even among the waves of heat.
Chevy's words reach his ears, and he looks between the hydromancer and the phoenix with something of a scowl etched on his face.
"Respect?" He scoffs. "Nothing she's done here is worthy of respect. Trapping us, killing off plants and animals just to torment us, mocking us. One doesn't respect a bully. You want respect back?" He asks as he stands, spitting out some blood onto the hot gravel. "Earn it."
With that, Henry lets out a shout, twin streaks of crimson chi shooting off behind him like a pair of wings, propelling him forwards as he launches into a sword strike, his blade alight with the same crimson glow.
Should the blow get through the kami's guard, he launches into a dancing spiral of blade strike, cutting crimson circles in the air with the tip of his blade, then launching himself into the air with an upward strike. The chi wings seem to help him adjust his course in the air, spinning his upward momentum to face downwards, and then finishing the combo with a meteoric descent in a flash of scarlet light with one last sword blow with all his strength behind it.
[RODRIGO]
With Hawksley knocked into his line of attack, the Spanish swordsman is forced to abort his attack with a look on his face that borders on being offended. In fact, he does feel offended by the idea of having his ability to display his skill and the beauty of his art stymied by the use of allies. Of course, he doesn't voice that since it also feels petty to be offended by that when given her other offenses alluded to by Tanwen, explicitly noted by himself and re-stated by Henry.
He let's out a huff of air and points his sword towards Suzaku once more, readying himself to attack once more.
"Yeah and we've noted why her incredibly stupid and wayward attempt to get 'respect' was doomed to failure. If La Perra tonta didn't get it through her thick skull by now, there's no hope for her."
With that he goes silent once more as his blade darts towards their adversary once more rapidly stabbing mainly the torso, legs and wings at a speed that to the untrained eye or any camera not designed to capture at high frame rates appears attack in multiple locations at once. His goals are to bleed her out and maybe reduce some of that mobility of hers so that the others can take her down.
[SARAH]
As the battle continues, Sarah finds that she manages to land her attack... albeit with the heel of one foot. It seems that she's still got it in her, but that's not saying much. The battle's still going on, and poor Chevy just got hit really hard. Sarah can only wince from the ginga as she gets badly injured, but she still manages to keep going.
The comment about betrayal from Chevy resounds with Sarah, as she can understand betrayal somewhat. She just won't discuss that now. Right now, there's a battle to be completed.
Waiting for the right moment, Sarah moves in again and watches Junko carefully. When the moment is right, Sarah drops down onto one hand and spins around, attempting to strike Junko once with each of her legs as she goes around and around, first with her upper leg, and then with her lower leg.
COMBATSYS: Hawksley successfully hits Junko with Improvised Smack.
- Power hit! -
JUNKO
[ |||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
1|-------------<<|<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////// ]
Sarah 0/-------/---====|===----\-------\0 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Chevy 1/-----==/=======|=------\-------\0 Henry
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////// ]
Tanwen 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Rodrigo
COMBATSYS: Junko blocks Henry's Phoenix Issuant.
JUNKO
[ ||||||||||||||||||| ]
1|----------<<<<<|<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////// ]
Sarah 0/-------/---====|===----\-------\0 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Chevy 1/-----==/=======|====---\-------\0 Henry
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////// ]
Tanwen 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Rodrigo
COMBATSYS: Junko fully avoids Rodrigo's Frenzied Barrage.
JUNKO
[ ||||||||||||||||||| ]
1|---------<<<<<<|<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////// ]
Sarah 0/-------/---====|===----\-------\0 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Chevy 1/-----==/=======|====---\-------\0 Henry
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////// ]
Tanwen 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Rodrigo
COMBATSYS: Sarah successfully hits Junko with Tornado Warning.
JUNKO
[ ||||||||||||| ]
1|------<<<<<<<<<|<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////// ]
Sarah 0/-------/--=====|===----\-------\0 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Chevy 1/-----==/=======|====---\-------\0 Henry
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////// ]
Tanwen 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Rodrigo
[JUNKO]
Betrayed.
Yes, that is the word that she had used on that quiet afternoon when the kami had come to Chevy to unveil the mystery behind her rage. Humanity had taken everything that she had to offer and turned it to evil purposes. And when she came to exact righteous vengeance upon the wicked they had turned against her, binding her with trickery and deceit.
The memories of that fateful moment flash through the miko's mind even as she unleashes them upon the mortal like a weapon. The anger floods through her anew like a mouthful of bile, a boiling hot cauldron of hatred born from a thousand years of torment and despair. The intensity of such pure emotion overwhelms her senses and sets her vision swimming in a haze of neon red fury. The world around her vanishes into the rage, her blood thundering so ferociously that it hurts.
Another word touches her ears, breaking through the web of fragmented memory that threatens to overwhelm her. It's a word that's been thrown around wantonly for the past few minutes by fools without any understanding of its true meaning or relation to their circumstances. The bleating of the noisy goats she had simply ignored, answering their self-righteous ravings only with the violence it so deserved. But hearing it repeated by the one woman alive who should know better is enough to dispel the building storm clouds in her mind and replace it with disgust. Disgust - and a slight pang of regret.
Junko's fists clench at her side as the oppressive wave of her divine will recedes and allows the mortals to move freely again. Even that brief glimpse of her true power was enough to drive them all back. Were she not bound to this mortal vessel this entire ordeal would have ended before it began and the world would be flames and ash by now. The sharp pain in her chest, backlash from channeling the divine through an unsuitable conduit, serves as a harsh reminder of the limitations she now faces while acting as yet another reminder of the reason behind her hate.
"Respect?"
Junko barks out a humorless laugh and fixes the hayseed with a reproachful glower.
"I expect such drivel from these ignorant fools... but you know better, girl."
This time it is Tanwen's turn to rant at the kami and for once Junko turns to regard the little dragon with a direct look. She stares at the angry wyrm for a few long seconds, head tilting slowly to the side.
"So quick to judge, little queen. I wonder if your zeal would remain as strong if you knew the humans for what they really are?"
Hawkley's approach draws the phoenix's burning gaze his way though she makes no efforts to stop him. Their eyes lock as he steps forward to chastise her, the scarlet within her own churning with fresh malice. Her body, however, seems to lack the same enthusiasm, still drained and sluggish from unleashing such a potent burst of power. The palm thrusts forward and finds no resistance to stop it save the soft crunch as it slams into the miko's nose.
Hot blood rushes out to stain the Irishman's palm as the girl staggers, the blow driving her head to the side and forcing her two steps back. A muted grunt of pain escapes her mouth, her eyes squeezing tightly shut. But a few moments later another soft chortle drifts through her blood-stained lips as she turns that murderous stare back at the brawler, her nose clearly broken and one eye starting to swell with a nasty bruise, and shows her teeth in a gruesome grin.
"Ha ha ha... poor, poor Chevy. Chastised for her empathy, your anger cowed her into fearful silence. What irony, that she might have saved you all, if only you were willing to listen."
A sudden surge of energy floods through the goddess, her wings flaring with scarlet power as they stretch wide. The bloodied girl takes a purposeful step forward, one hand thrusting out with fingers aglow like molten iron. But, rather than dig her deadly heat into Hawksley's bare skin, she reaches past him with fingers outstretched towards an entirely different threat.
The blade of the knight-errant's sword carves a crimson trail through the ashen-laden air as it thrusts powerfully towards its target. Junko's outstretched hand snaps closed on the deadly tip, her fingers wrapping fearlessly around the cutting edge despite the sheer momentum behind the attack as its wielder rides on wings of fire to bring the fight to her once again. Scarlet power explodes between the two warriors as divine fire meets mortal will. The sharp blade cuts into the goddess's flesh, fresh blood trickling between her fingers with a sizzling hiss as it spatters across the hot metal. But, though the blazing thrust drives her back with the force of a battering ram, its momentum is quickly stalled and then stopped entirely as she digs in her heels.
The mask of effort on Junko's face relaxes, her jaw unclenching as the last bit of power bleeds out of the strike. With her fingers still closed tightly around the blazing sword, she lifts her face and flashes Henry a fierce smirk, the mounting wounds unable to dampen her arrogance.
"A god does not -earn- respect, mortal. It is demanded by our very existence. A lesson your kind is in desperate need of being taught again."
Clenching her fingers even more tightly around the weapon, Junko takes a step forward and starts to slowly force the sword back towards the teenager. The red-hot heat within her hand never fades, instead starting to seep into the metal and set it aglow like a hot brand being pulled from a fire. Inch by inch, she tilts the searing blade with inhuman strength, clearly intent on eventually twisting it far enough to press against the boy's exposed flesh.
Rodrigo's rapid approach breaks the sweltering grapple before things can turn ugly. Releasing her grip on the knight's weapon, the kami instead turns to contend with the blindingly fast assault by her most vocal detractor. Alas, his onslaught of strikes proves no more accurate than his insults. Yet another display of the kami's supernatural reflexes is put forth as she stands her ground rather than flitting away this time. Like a professional fencer she extends the index finger of her unwounded hand, lightly tapping the tip of the matador's rapier with expertly timed parries that send each thrust harmlessly jabbing into the empty space all around her.
"Perhaps if you were half as intelligent as you think, you would have long since realized that your 'respect' is worth less to me than the ash beneath my feet. But by all means," she says, taking a sudden step forward that drives her past his guard and brings the girl's pale blood-stained face mere inches away from his. "Continue your self-righteous braying. It has made for excellent entertainment thus far."
A harsh shove to the Spaniard's chest separates the two. Not for fear of reprisal from him but in order to deal with the final member of this cartoonish gang of hoodlums. Normally being -danced- at would be something of a joke. But as the kami turns to face Sarah head-on, one of her ankles suddenly sends a sharp spike of hot agony lancing up her leg. With a cry of pain, Junko staggers and what should have been a quick step backwards turns into a stumble. Both of the whirling kicks make good on this momentary opening, the first smashing into the side of her head while the second clips the wounded leg and sends the miko sprawling onto the hard stone.
With a snarl of pain and rage, Junko pushes herself off the ground and props her body up with one hand. The other, still smoldering with scarlet power, thrusts out towards the brazen DJ in a very overtly threatening manner. Flooding into her palm, the divine flames quickly condense into a small orb, red lightning crackling along her finger tips as the energies build to a peak. What can only be described as a column of neon red power erupts from the kami's palm, easily twice as tall and wide as the girl herself. This lance of deadly heat rips across the caldera in blink of an eye, attempting to utterly engulf Sarah in a deluge of furious red death.
[CHEVY]
Chevy isn't just demonstrating her watery powers as a show of force. She'd just been hit with a tsunami of bad memories that's left her brain frazzled and her body very, very weary. Combined with the stifling hot air, it's become extremely hard for the fun-loving farm girl to stay focused. Keeping the water swirling around her isn't just to keep herself cool -- it's a soft reboot for the waterbending hog wrestler.
If it weren't for that renewed concentration, she might not have noticed that Junko seems more concerned about her use of the word 'respect' and not -enough- about her casual repetition of the word 'petty.'
It might be a bit difficult to expect nuanced conversation from people trying to beat the pulp out of one another though.
"I saw, Tan! Keep it up!" Chevy grins as the Welsh dragon makes a number of salient points supporting her idea, filtered through childlike innocence as they may be. She's even more pleased when Hawksley manages to bash Junko back a couple steps. Though... She does hold her tongue when Junko starts dangling the consequence of her keeping the revelations to herself in the aftermath. Not that there was a -whole- lot of time to corral the wagons and spill the tea on Suzaku's history -- let alone, even process what she'd learned.
Chevy does show some concern as Henry's sword is pushed back towards him, with more of a bright cherry red than his usual flavor of chi. The corners of her lips peel back with frustration -- for she sees this as more of a flex of Suzaku's power than any real attack. And then her disdain is furthered by the way in which she handles Rodrigo and his continued advances. Drawing in her breath, she focuses on the water streaming around her -- both cooling the air and providing rational order as the counter to rising plumes of smoke and ash.
Chevy is generally slow to anger. And she's not even truly *angry* yet, so much as frustrated from trying to work through that monumental headache. But there certainly are some things where she feels she needs to set the record straight.
"Now, I don't know where you got the idea that I was some kind of genius sitting atop a stack of the right answers! I also don't know how you expect a good answer from me after mommickin' me up with a Greatest Hits album of your biggest regrets!"
Sarah's moving in -- and that's as good a time as any for Chevy to start spinning her wheels into motion. Chevy starts to rush forward, with the waves churning forward at her feet! And just as Sarah lands her series of kicks as planned -- bringing a brief smile to Chevy's face -- the hayseed begins to unleash her chambered attack!
"Right on, y'all! Let's do this!!"
The ring of water surges forward, with Chevy giving a light hop to let the churning waves pass unperturbed. She lands in a low crouch -- and then thrusts her palm upward! Her rising palm would fall about three feet short, though -- because it isn't the hand she's aiming to strike with, but an expression of the waterbender's determination to defend her friends, woven together with chi into an explosive geyser!
[TANWEN]
Tanwen stands in stalwart readiness for the retaliation that she's requested from the raging goddess to be visited upon her. She steadies her stance when Junko's gaze turns her way, preparing for whatever pain might be coming - but instead:
'So quick to judge, Little Queen. I wonder if your zeal would remain as strong if you knew the humans for what they really are?'
(When Tanwen hears her title, she naively presumes Junko meant to imply the capitals.)
"Well, these humans are nice," Tanwen says defiantly. "Even Hawksley Moore is nice, sometimes." The fact that Junko disregards her challenge only seems to stoke her anger further; the hues of her hair seem to deepen from bronze to the ruby roots as her righteous indignation intensifies. Still, despite the fact that she's starting to lose her cool, the mention of Mister Moore gives her a sudden flash of inspiration, and she maneuvers light-footedly over to the shkirt-clad brawler.
"Hawksley Moore, I know you're not on my team, but you're the only one who can breathe fire, so I think we should do a team-up attack."
It's a beautiful sight to see the blue-haired boy flexing his power, and like his mentor, Henry draws blood from Junko, standing his ground against her in their heated exchange. The Irishman looks down at his own red-stained hand and wipes it on his shirt skirt. Hopefully Chevy isn't wanting that piece of clothing back. Sarah pushes the point further with her spinning strike, which earns her the attention of the vengeful goddess, likely saving his own skin in the process.
As Tanwen talks of him, Hawksley has to laugh. "Yeah, even I have my moments. Not many, mind." Making him an offer that's hard to refuse, the daring dragoness has herself a deal. "Grand. I'm game if you are. I've not got my booze though." He laments, gesturing towards his shorts that are out of reach. "I can't just breathe fire at will like yourself."
Tanwen looks bemused for a moment at the revelation from the Irishman. "Oh. Well, I'll just let you borrow some of my dragon breath, then!" she suggests. "Then you can just use it when you're ready!"
"That'll work then will it?" The Cork cruiserweight wonders. "How can someone even borrow another person's breath?"
"Like this," Tanwen says matter-of-factly, demonstrating by pushing herself up on her toes rather suddenly and pressing her mouth against Hawksley's. Not that she's smooching him - if anything, she's giving him a fiery kiss of life when he's already conscious. But it might look a bit that way to people who don't understand how dragons work.
Stepping back from him after huffing the hot dragon gas into the unsuspecting Irishman, Tanwen lifts her sword again.
"Now, feck me, Hawksley Moore!" Tanwen demands, before promptly turning into her tiny dragon form, clenching the sword between her teeth, and fluttering into Hawksley's hands before folding in her wings to maximize her aerodynamics.
The look on the lad from Eire's face could tell a thousand stories. His brown eyes go bigger and start to blink, as the Welsh woman plants her mouth on his. The only sound he can make is a moan before he's rendered speechless. Rapidly nodding his head, he understands clearly what she's trying to coerce him to do.
Flashback to a pub called 'The Red Lion', way back in the cold of January in the centre of Cardiff. That was when the two Celts had first made each other's acquaintance. Confused by the dark-haired man's Irish dialogue and colloquialisms, Hawksley had explained that as well as being a popular curse word, feck could also have other meanings, one of which is throw.
As she commands, the brawler launches the little dragon at the kami, before opening his mouth and letting out the magical (or is it dragon science?) breath. As he blows it towards their target, he sets it alight, creating fiery flames that are heading straight for the Suzaku!
The miniature dragon, for her part, uses the speed imparted by Hawksley's rugby throw to barrel at Junko faster than her own little wings would have been able to carry her. She too will unleash her dragon breath if she can get close enough for point blank range - without intent to stop before she crashes her little horns into the firebird's face!
[HENRY]
"Why?" Henry asks of the firebird as he pushes his sword against that blocking hand, putting all his strength into biting into that warding hand with the edge of his blade, his face locked in a scowl. "Because you have power? Because you exist? Give me a real reason. Those are the reasons of bullies. All the words out of your mouth are just ash and bile." As the blade pushes back his way, it begins to flare with more chi. "I don't worship you, I have no faith in you, you're no god to me." He locks his expression into a defiant stare, retreating a few steps so the others can get in their blows.
The crimson light never leaves his sword, instead flaring with even more energy as he adds a good two feet to the end of the blade, spinning it around and coming down in a thrusting stance.
He's still paying attention to the others, as evidenced by a slight twitch of one of his eyebrows as Tanwen calls out for Hawksley.. to.. no.. he definitely misheard that one. He'll ask later.
He shifts his feet and then surges forward, small bursts of chi ejecting from the soles of his feet as he launches himself once more into the fray, thrusting forward with the elongated chi blade as he one more comes back into striking range.
[RODRIGO]
"And yet one of your complaints about humanity and us as individuals was a lack of respect. Is our respect is meaningless or is something that you want? Make up your mind, you psychopathic, narcissistic, hypocritical, flaming bag of turds!"
Rodrigo goes for simplistic thrust to the stomach since he hasn't met much success with either his more intricate or high speed techniques. As it stands he's switched to just throwing stuff out there so that the others may land their strikes. Well that and he get bit of his wind back after throwing out two very stamina intensive attacks back to back.
Once he pulls the blade back, he steps back and to the side to give Sarah more space to operate in.
COMBATSYS: Sarah blocks Junko's Shakkahou EX.
JUNKO
[ |||||||||||||| ]
1|-----==========|===============
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////// ]
Sarah 0/-------/=======|====---\-------\0 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Chevy 1/------=/=======|=====--\-------\0 Henry
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////// ]
Tanwen 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Rodrigo
[SARAH]
Once again, Junko is attempting to attack Sarah, and it's a good thing too, as she was starting to get a bit on the impatient side. Unfortunately, Sarah also knows that she has no chance of avoiding what's coming at her. In desperation, she digs her bare feet into the ground and raises her arms in an attempt to protect herself against what's coming at her.
Ever seen someone go skidding across the ground? That's what happens with Sarah. It hurts even more when you're barefoot. The blonde-haired disk jockey grits her teeth as she feels the ground burning beneath the soles of her feet. Even worse, her baseball cap flies off!
"Oh bugger," Sarah says out of annoyance as she crouches down to put her hat back on. This time, she makes sure it's on extra tight before getting back into the ginga. "I hope nobody saw me like that, I'd feel like that archaeologist who hates snakes without his fedora!" After that, she turns to face Junko once again.
"Look, do you want respect or don't you want it? You need to make up your mind, you know!" Sarah says as she advances towards Junko before suddenly dropping into a handstand. "Or else we'll have to make it up for you!" And then, the girl suddenly launches off of her hands into the air, folding her arms against her chest as she begins spinning at Junko, feet first, aimed directly at her!
COMBATSYS: Junko fully avoids Chevy's Nor'easter.
JUNKO
[ |||||||||||||| ]
1|---============|===============
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////// ]
Sarah 0/-------/=======|====---\-------\0 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Chevy 1/-----==/=======|=====--\-------\0 Henry
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////// ]
Tanwen 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Rodrigo
COMBATSYS: Junko dodges Tanwen and Hawksley's Dazzling Hedonistic Feck.
JUNKO
[ |||||||||||||| ]
1|---============|===============
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////// ]
Sarah 0/-------/=======|====---\-------\0 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Chevy 1/-----==/=======|=====--\-------\0 Henry
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////// ]
Tanwen 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Rodrigo
COMBATSYS: Junko dodges Henry's Horse Courant.
JUNKO
[ |||||||||||||| ]
1|---============|===============
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////// ]
Sarah 0/-------/=======|====---\-------\0 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Chevy 1/-----==/=======|=====--\-------\0 Henry
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////// ]
Tanwen 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Rodrigo
COMBATSYS: Junko dodges Rodrigo's Quick Strike.
JUNKO
[ |||||||||||||| ]
1|---============|===============
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////// ]
Sarah 0/-------/=======|====---\-------\0 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Chevy 1/-----==/=======|=====--\-------\0 Henry
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////// ]
Tanwen 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Rodrigo
COMBATSYS: Junko dodges Sarah's Spinning Missile Strike.
JUNKO
[ |||||||||||||| ]
1|---============|===============
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////// ]
Sarah 0/-------/=======|====---\-------\0 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Chevy 1/-----==/=======|=====--\-------\0 Henry
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////// ]
Tanwen 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Rodrigo
[JUNKO]
Battered, bloody, and on the ground, Junko's aloof attitude seems dented not a whit by either their fists nor spoken words. Even as the scarlet lance of power crashes into Sarah, washing over her in a flood of burning fury, the wounded goddess is already pushing to her feet as the mortals attempt to close the noose around her neck.
The first and most concerning obstacle to slipping the net they have formed around her is the water bender. Chevy's powers, while still immature, stand in direct opposition to her own elemental alignment and thus pose the greatest danger, as evidenced by her still mangled wing. She cannot allow herself to be swept up in that deluge lest it rob her of what little strength she has left.
The miko hobbles to her feet, one leg clearly lame from the effort of stopping Henry's rocket-assisted thrust and the blow dealt to it by the DJ's fancy footwork. In a display of what seems like brazen insanity, she leans forward and kicks off the ground, hurling herself not out of the path of the oncoming tide but directly at it. For a couple of wild instants it seems as if the angry kami plans to simply torpedo straight into the hayseed in a final kamikaze assault. But as the water rushes forward to meet her, twisting into an upwards burst at the hydromancer's command, Junko suddenly flaps her wings and folds them tight against her body. Rolling to the side in a corkscrew maneuver that sees her blast right past geyser its controller, the phoenix slips through the narrowest of openings and leaves Chevy eating a backwash of heat from the near collision.
With this fresh burst of speed Junko continues her roaring flight directly towards the next threat. Tanwen's daring head-long rush sees her target approach much quicker than expected and the tiny dragon hasn't even the time to inhale fully before the scarlet comet rips past her like a hawk buzzing a pigeon at full dive speed. Hawksley gains the benefit of being further away, giving him the few precious seconds needed to expel the gift of flame granted to him. But the goddess once again shows that her agility in the air is even more impressive than on the ground. The girl's full wing snaps out, dragging into the air like an emergency anchor dropped over the side of a runaway boat. The sudden resistance rips her backwards and she flips into a wingover that sees her whip around in a 180 turn practically on a dime. The dragon-kissed flames come crackling at her heels but the goddess cunningly turns her flight path back towards the small crowd that had been encircling her, forcing the brawler to pull his flaming breath away lest he end up roasting his own allies.
Henry's questions go unanswered and his blade unwhetted by fresh divine blood. Spinning a tight corkscrew again, Junko weaves nimbly around the thrusting blade of chi with an aggravating grin that grows only wider as the matador once more tries to thrust his own blade into her only to be foiled again by her agile maneuvering. Sarah's spinning kick forces one last sharp pivot, the kami's wings thrown out wide to stop her dead in the air before launching her straight up and over the drilling attack, completely unharmed by the ferocious combined assault of every member of their small team.
With an almost mocking slowness, Junko glides a slow circle in the air and comes back around to confront her captive audience. She drifts back down to the blasted surface of the caldera and gently alights on one foot, the other held slightly up as one does when favoring a wounded limb. The girl's arm cross over her chest and she regards the mortals with a look of acute smugness, all but sneering down her nose at them.
"You just can't seem to figure it out, can you? Fine. Since my chosen messenger failed to pass on the history lesson that I took such pains to impart," she says, frowning at Chevy, "I'll spell it out for you in condensed terms."
The kami's eyes flash with fresh ire as she recalls the memories yet again. It would be easy enough to sear the necessary knowledge directly into their minds but with this vessel at its current limits she opts for a more mundane method of enlightening the fools before her.
"A long time ago, humanity and the gods lived in relative harmony. However, as time passed, humans grew more and more greedy for power. They took the gifts of prosperity that I had bestowed upon them and used them to wage war among themselves. Yet, when those who had suffered at the hands of their own kind lifted their voices to cry out, it was not their fellow man that they directed their hatred at... but -me-!"
Even speaking those words out loud seems to have a profound effect on the goddess. Her wings flare with surges of rippling flame, waves of hot fury washing over the caldera at the sheer injustice.
"And when I came to exact righteous retribution upon the blasphemers, what was my reward for those many centuries of protection and plenty?"
Suzaku slashes her hand through the air like a sword, clenching her fingers into a tight fist which she holds up in front of her face.
"To be bound by treacherous magic! Sealed away for a thousand years of darkness and torment!"
Crimson eyes aglow with molten power shift down to the crowd again, her furious scowl flowing over each and every face like hot magma.
"Mankind betrayed me. And in time, turned their back on all the gods. You have so utterly strayed from the path that you don't even know the debt that your kind owes. The foul obscenities that you dare spew at my divine feet despite all I have done for your kind is evidence enough of your sin."
Slowly, the goddess opens her clenched fist, revealing a single brilliant red spark. The mote of light twinkles with the intensity of a lost star as it begins to hover up away from her palm and rise steadily into the air.
"Only blood will wash clean the slate," she hisses, her voice becoming low and dangerous. "I will scour this world clean of your miserable existence, starting with this island and all of you!"
The tiny speck of energy suddenly and violently expands, swelling to a sphere of churning flame the size of a golf ball. The miko wipes the blood from her face with the back of her sleeve and flashes her teeth in a manic grin as the deadly orb continues to rise. Once again it balloons outwards, doubling in size, then again, and again. Junko lifts her palm high to the sky, fingers curled as if cradling the ever-growing star that is taking shape above them with every passing moment. The long mane of snow white hair flutters behind her dramatically like a cape in the breeze a mighty wind as raw power floods out of her upraised arm.
"Soon this tainted ball of dirt will remember the name Suzaku and all shall tremble until the moment their sin is washed away in a torrent of cleansing flame!"
COMBATSYS: Junko turns up the heat!
JUNKO
[ ||||||||||||||||| ]
2|<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<|<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////// ]
Sarah 0/-------/=======|====---\-------\0 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Chevy 1/-----==/=======|=====--\-------\0 Henry
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////// ]
Tanwen 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Rodrigo
[CHEVY]
Chevy's geyser -- messy and unfocused as it may have been -- still managed to miss its mark due to the phoenix goddess' corkscrewing aerobatics. She winces, buffeted backwards from the sweltering hot winds in the wake of Junko's escape. The Farmville native hasn't felt this outclassed since she'd been fighting the Iron Mystic with her two closest Team Thunder friends. She retracts her hands, drawing back the tides into a swirling ring at her feet once more. And only then does she stop to widen her stance and catch up on the words she'd heard while lost in focus: 'Feck me, Hawksley Moore?' 'You're no god to me!' 'Make up your mind!' 'Make up your mind!' Chevy's cheeks burn red as her eyes turn to track the simultaneous attacks. One of those threads of discourse sounds a -bit- out of place but she's a bit too focused on survival to make sense of it right at the moment!
Somehow, Junko's able to deftly weave her way around any consequences from that barrage of attacks -- and then make a safe and smug landing elsewhere. Sweat beads upon Chevy's forehead as she squints back at the accusation from Junko. Her bared shoulders shrug, and her hands lift in a visual expression of the phrase 'sorry, not sorry!' (Chevy would never actually say that out loud, though!) Her pitch raises a couple octaves for an interjection: "You tried to kill me! Where I'm from, any contract we mighta had kinda gets tore up an' thrown out the winder there!"
She's happy to let the phoenix goddess continue her story undisturbed, otherwise. The momentary pause gives her the time she needs to pluck her pole and last remaining bucket off the ground.
"Oh yeah, that part..." She rolls her eyes once Junko talks about blood washing the slate clean. "I was tryin' to figure a better way to spin that. It's just that the whole 'I'm gonna kill everyone on this planet' deal ain't givin' us much room to work with."
She looks aside for a moment, as if momentarily consulting with an absent friend. And then her blue eyes turn back to Junko.
"Is godhood like parenting? 'Cause I'm pretty sure if parents kill their own children, they're just called 'monsters' from that point on."
But she sees now that Junko is less interested in negotiation. It's... more like they're seeing the birth of a new star. And that means the time for talking is over!
She squints back into the rising heat with determination. Her friends aren't the same as atop Mount Shasta -- but the need for teamwork is no less. She curls one hand across the seashell around her neck. The sigil pulses blue, resonating with the leylines in the area. And beneath it hangs the deer antler necklace that her charming Oklahoman boyfriend had given her.
Cooling raindrops begin to drizzle downward in protest against the rising temperatures. And Chevy begins to close the distance to Junko, one long stride at a time.
"C'mon, everyone! Stop her now, we can chat about it later!"
The rain becomes a raging storm, as Chevy pours her heart and soul into doing whatever she can to suppress Junko's machinations! But she knows rain alone won't stop the might of a fire goddess...
And that's why she lets the raindrops freeze into icy armor upon her shoulders and arms, as she aims to lock her grip tightly about Junko's waistline! If she's able to grasp hold of Junko, she'd use the water surging at her feet to launch both Junko and herself into the air! And upon reaching the apex of her flight, she'd seek to angle Junko around so that she's plowing Junko back-first into the volcanic coals!
"We ain't gonna just *let* you kill us, Junko!"
[TANWEN]
Though Hawksley has fecked her as hard as he could, Tanwen finds no satisfaction for their mutual efforts. She ends up head over heels - well, tail over horns - caught up in the volcanic breeze of Junko's passing, her tiny dragon body buffeted about by the hot air. What previously served as a skintight bikini ends up acting as an unintended parachute for the dragon's diminutive form.
"Mmmmmmmmm!" the little dragon tries to squeal, the sound muffled by the metal blade stuck in her mouth. "Mmmm mmm mmmm mmmm mmmm!"
As the dragon drifts uncontrollably toward the heart of the caldera at the ballooning bikini's mercy, quadrupedal legs kicking and thrashing, she finally *poofs* back to her full human size and shape, causing the swimwear to snap back into place before leaving her to freefall back to the ground, the sword still held in her mouth. She reaches up and takes hold of it with her hand, freeing her teeth and spluttering at the metallic taste.
"As I was saying," she says as she picks herself up and uses her tail to dust off her the back of her bottom and thighs, "Blood isn't very good for cleaning things! Actually, it just makes them dirty, it does!"
Sensing that her laundry lesson is unlikely to fall on fertile soil, she grips the Legendary (?) Dragon Sword between her palms and narrows her eyes. The threat that the channelled energy represents its obvious - and one that, being a red dragon, she might have the best chance amongst them all to endure. "I'm going to try, I am!" she calls in response to Chevy.
As Junko starts to gather the flame into the ever-expanding fireball, Tanwen charges forward, brandishing the weapon behind her shoulders as she pumps her legs as hard as she can, intent on reaching the phoenix before that unholy sun can be released against them. Finally, she leaps, springing with reptilian agility as she twists in the air, aiming to bring the blunt blade to bear in an overhand chop toward the kami's human host's head!
[HAWKSLEY]
Hawksley silently grumbles as he realises he didn't feck hard enough. Of course the miss could also be down to Junko's impressive display of acrobatics. She glides gracefully through the air to avoid the dragonball and the fiery flames that follow. As the Irishman realises he risks roasting his teammates, he rapidly closes his mouth, opening it again only to declare it as "a damn shame."
Suzaku starts her sermon, smugly speaking her story of humanity's frailty and failings. As someone with a feck load of flaws, Hawksley can't really argue with everything, but he's damn sure he and his fellow fighters don't deserve to die. He sets his dark-eyed gaze on the sky above, taking in the dramatic details of their planned downfall.
If the NFGers are to be defeated today, then it won't be without giving it their all, or giving it their arse as the season one champion, Djamila might say. When the storm starts, courtesy of Chevy, the Cork scrapper seizes his opportunity to strike.
As the hayseed aims to slam the firebird down on the coals, and Tanwen tries to cut her down to size, Hawksley follows up by looking to kick her when she's fallen, aiming for whichever part will be most painful.
[HENRY]
As Henry's jousting strike passes through nothing but air, his eyes clenching as the heat of Suzaku rushes by by in her acrobatic stunts, he lets out a faint hint of annoyance. Yet to land a clean hit, he displays some mild frustration, at least until he reminds himself he's pushed himself way past his limit with two fights in a row, and as long as he can create openings for the heavy hitters he's doing something.
There's a point where one becomes exhausted to the extent that they just no longer feel it. That four in the morning surge where sleepiness curves back into wakefulness, and minor delirium, Henry's at that point.
The rain feels nice, soothing, cooling. It helps.
He turns to face Junko once more, then glances around. He needs altitude. With a few quick steps he's running towards the jeep, springs into the air, and kicks off the edge of the hood, a burst of chi launching him further into the air, and possibly leaving a small dent behind in the jeep. It'll buff out. Hopefully he can make it to Junko, maybe Chevy pulling her towards the ground will help, or Tanwens overhead chop, but he goes in for a horizontal spin, his sword leaving a crimson circle around him as he strikes out, no more words, just a loud cry of defiance as he lashes out.
[RODRIGO]
Rodrigo lets his voice drip with sarcasm as he says, "So, you plan on punishing people now for the actions of people who no longer are living? That sounds like the actions a perfectly logical, reasonable, well-adjusted individual." He pauses. "That was sarcasm by the way. I kind have to make sure you know because you don't strike me as the brightest kami in the skies."
At this point, Rodrigo himself is irritated. Irritated at himself for not showing any indication of the fighting prodigy he had been touted to be before NFG, irritated at Suzaku for being an obnoxious narcissistic psychopath, irritated at being stuck on this damn island with hardly any food, irritated at having his cape damaged by lab creations that have no business for existing. At the moment, the only thing giving him any sense of relief is letting his mouth run reckless with as many insults he can send the being's way and he's going to keep doing so until she either goes down or she shuts him up.
Rodrigo goes in with a highly telegraphed thrust of his blade towards her. In fact, he honestly doesn't expect it to land cleanly. Once again, he's just attacking just to create opportunities for the others.
[SARAH]
So Sarah misses once again. Just swell.
She manages to land on both feet and get back into the ginga, but it's obvious that Junko is not happy at all. She's looking more and more enraged by the minute. Sarah's not liking this one bit. But she knows losing her mind means she'll lose the fight.
Waiting for the right moment, Sarah does a somersault on the ground, rolling towards Junko before popping up quickly in an attempt to catch her off-guard with a swift uppercut.
COMBATSYS: Junko blocks Chevy's Sound Side.
JUNKO
[ ||||||||||||| ]
2|<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<|<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////// ]
Sarah 0/-------/=======|=====--\-------\0 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Chevy 0/-------/------=|======-\-------\0 Henry
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////// ]
Tanwen 0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0 Rodrigo
COMBATSYS: Junko endures Tanwen's Crushing Strike.
JUNKO
[ |||| ]
2|<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<|<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////// ]
Sarah 0/-------/=======|=====--\-------\0 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Chevy 0/-------/------=|======-\-------\0 Henry
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////// ]
Tanwen 0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0 Rodrigo
COMBATSYS: Junko endures Hawksley's Strong Kick.
JUNKO
[ ]
2|<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<|<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////// ]
Sarah 0/-------/=======|======-\-------\0 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Chevy 0/-------/------=|======-\-------\0 Henry
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////// ]
Tanwen 0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0 Rodrigo
COMBATSYS: Henry successfully hits Junko with Lion Rampant.
- Power hit! -
JUNKO
[ ]
2|<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<|<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////// ]
Sarah 0/-------/=======|======-\-------\0 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Chevy 0/-------/------=|=======\-------\0 Henry
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////// ]
Tanwen 0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0 Rodrigo
COMBATSYS: Rodrigo successfully hits Junko with Fierce Strike.
JUNKO
[ ]
2|<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<|<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////// ]
Sarah 0/-------/=======|======-\-------\0 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Chevy 0/-------/------=|=======\-------\0 Henry
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////// ]
Tanwen 0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0 Rodrigo
COMBATSYS: Sarah successfully hits Junko with Roll With It.
JUNKO
[ ]
2|<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<|<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////// ]
Sarah 1/-------/=======|======-\-------\0 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Chevy 0/-------/------=|=======\-------\0 Henry
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////// ]
Tanwen 0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0 Rodrigo
[JUNKO]
"There is no 'better way', mortal!"
Junko's lips peel back in a blood snarl as her proclamation is given less than the due respect she feels it deserves. Of course, it isn't surprising that none of the humans here give a damn about the events that she describes. Mortal lives are brief, fleeting things. A twinkle in the eye of immortal beings such as herself. To them the distant past would seem so far away as to be utterly irrelevant while to the goddess the memories of her betrayal and imprisonment are as fresh as the ash falling on the ground around them and equally as black.
Upon being called a monster, the kami's expression shifts back to the manic grin and the flow of crimson power through her fingers towards the orb in the sky seems to hasten.
"I believe we already had this discussion, Christian. Or did you conveniently forget the hypocrisy of that statement which I pointed out last time as well?"
The sudden spike in humidity shifts the dynamic away from conversation as the mortals gather their strength to try and stop the localize apocalypse she promises to bring down upon them. Rain spatters on the heated obsidian with sharp sizzling bursts but against the massive swirling ball of flame it fails even to get close enough to manage that. A curtain of hissing steam fills the air as the cold water explodes dozens of feet away from the miniature star, offering a pretty compelling bit of motivation to ensure that the deadly orb never gets the chance to come any closer.
Like the flames she wields, Junko likewise goes untouched by the downpour, quickly accruing her own little cloud of steam which manages to make her dynamic pose look all the more ominous. As Chevy suggests, the miko no longer bothers with words. She's given them all the information necessary to make it clear what she intends. If they want to waste precious time running their mouths then all the better.
Unfortunately, the act of forming such a monstrous attack takes an equally enormous amount of focus. Were she in better condition or had managed to recover more of her power before this confrontation then perhaps she could have managed another graceful aerial mockery of their attempts to stop her. As it is, all she can do is hunker down and attempt to withstand the storm of their rage.
It goes... poorly.
The frigid armor upon Chevy's shoulders shatters almost upon contact, such is the heat flowing from the kami's body. Had she simply grabbed hold and attempted to wage a tug of war with the far stronger being the spearhead assault might have simply ended there. But even as she reaches down to press her empty palm against the hayseed's face and push her away, the sudden surge of water from below manages to catch her off guard and two find themselves airborne amidst a torrent of rapidly boiling water.
"You cannot stop the inevitable," she hisses, planting her good foot against Chevy's chest and dislodging the Southerner with a sharp kick as the two plummet towards the ground. The phoenix's wings are thrown wide, attempting to arrest her downwards plunge before she slams into the ground, but she has only moments to react and the impact is still brutal enough to elicit a screech of pain as she comes down on the wounded leg.
Tanwen is on top of her before the kami can even rise back to her feet. Her head lifts with a snap, molten eyes blazing hatred at the winged lizard, but there is little she can do to stop the downwards crash of the blunted blade as it comes down in a smiting blow. Junko manages to tilt her head to the side at the last moment, avoiding having her crown shattered, offering up her shoulder in its place. The crunch of breaking bone is audible even over the chaos of everyone rushing into battle and a sharp gasp of raw agony takes the wind from her lungs.
The entire world turns a shade of red that even the goddess has never seen as Hawkley's merciless kick comes in a moment later. Its target? Her freshly shattered arm. The pain is so intense that the miko can't even muster up a response, her scarlet eyes wider than they've ever been while her pupils shrink to pinpoints of black rage. The force of the kick sends the girl sprawling backwards so hard that she hits her back and rolls all the way onto her feet again, pale white fingers digging into the ash to stop herself from tumbling further.
Henry's theatrics prove unnecessary as the once elusive phoenix stands all but helpless before his strike. The spin catches Junko before she can even push back to her feet, blade whirling in a deadly crimson cut. With her body in a low crouch the aim for center mass instead becomes a far more brutal cleave into the side of the girl's face. A blazing red line appears on the side of the miko's head, tracing a cut from just below the ear straight into the center of her eye. She screams, staggering backwards another couple of paces, clutching at the side of her face as fresh hot blood pours between her fingers and stains yet more of her pristine divine garb with sanguine hue.
Trembling with rage and agony, Junko fights to lift her head, offering a murderously defiant glare at the gaggle of humans who dared inflict such injury upon her through one smoldering eye. With his target little more than a sitting duck, Rodrigo finally gets the opportunity to drive his blade into the source of his annoyance and the strike lands true. Cold steel punches a neat hole into the goddess's chest just below the ribs earning the matador a beautiful crimson rose that paints the air for a brief moment as he withdraws his sword.
Junko finds her voice again upon being impaled, choking out a bloody cry. Adrenaline surges through her as she attempts to find a way to escape the encirclement, forcing the girl to her feet despite the blinding agony. But her display of defiance serves only to offer the final attacker a clear shot. Slipping nimbly past the bloody rapier, Sarah lunges forward and delivers a solid blow straight to the kami's pale jaw. The uppercut hits hard enough to physically launch the miko right off her feet and she sails backwards on a direct path with the blistering pool of magma not but a feet steps behind.
Contrary to what most of them probably expect, landing flat on molten rock does not immediately result in the kami's fiery demise. In fact, she seems completely unharmed, even her clothing brushing off the impossible heat without so much as a scorch mark. That being said, Junko seems in no hurry to rise from her beating, lying motionless on her back as blood pours out of fresh wounds.
Above them, the gargantuan ball of scarlet fire has ceased to grow in size, coming to a stop somewhere around the size of a two-story house. Being cut off from its progenitor doesn't seem to be enough to destroy it, however, and it continues to hover ominously overhead as the volcano rumbles with bellicose eagerness.
Nearly half a minute passes before the goddess stirs. With agonizing slowness, she starts to move, fingers twitching with signs of life followed by a groan as she rolls over onto her face. One hand makes its way underneath her and she pushes herself up to her knees. The effort makes her retch blood onto the small raft of cooling rock that has formed underneath her and it hisses like fresh grease being poured onto a scalding pan. Steadily, inch by inch, the girl forces herself to rise - a task that should be impossible for any mortal with the wounds she now bears but one that merely requires an effort of will for that which cannot truly die.
Standing up as straight as she can - which turns out to be a barely vertical slouch - Junko lifts her head and offers the group a faint smile.
The damage inflicted in their final push to lay the girl low is nothing short of catastrophic. One arm hangs uselessly at her side, her collarbone bent at a disturbing angle beneath bruised purpling flesh. The half of her face beneath the missing eye is all but painted entirely red in a waterfall of blood, joining with the smear from the broken nose gifted to her earlier by the Irishman to create a horrific mask. Half of the white shirt has been reduced to a filthy rag, the thin cloth plastered to her chest around the gaping wound left by Rodrigo's well-aimed thrust. Only one of the miko's legs seems fully functional, the other barely managing to support even a fraction of her weight.
A corpse. They are looking at a corpse. And yet Junko smiles, a soft gurgling chortle drifting across the magma-filled crevice.
"You have... defeated me," she says, her voice softer and more wispy than usual. Her tone seems strangely serene all things considered, as if she is somehow happy with the outcome. "Well done."
A wracking cough besets the goddess and she hacks up another mouthful of vital fluids, spitting the remains onto the sizzling rock at her feet disdainfully.
"My trials have been passed! Such... heroism... deserves a reward... don't you think?"
With effort, the kami lifts her hand and snaps two fingers. A sudden burst of staggering heat erupts from the bubbling center of the caldera, a wave of temperature so intense that even the protection offered by Chevy's powers seem of little use. Behind Junko, a pillar of searing red light erupts from the magma, shooting up into the sky so far as to be effectively infinite in size.
"For your efforts, I gift you with... the truth."
Junko gestures out towards the island behind them, her movements understandably slow and gingerly in nature.
"Everything you have done here? Naught but a ruse." Her teeth flash, the once white smile all but caked in her own blood. "Holy trials? Hah! I made that nonsense up on the spot. All I needed was to delay you... and make sure you couldn't leave."
Junko's gaze turns towards Chevy and her expression seems to soften slightly, though it's hard to tell precisely what emotions are playing out on a face so thoroughly ruined.
"Do you remember our conversation, girl? When I explained to you... what it means to be divine?" For the sake of everyone else, she clarifies with a brief overview. "I told you that we exist because of human belief. And for our power to be maintained, we require that belief - that -faith-."
The kami's hand rolls over, her palm turning upwards, and a small orb of blue flame winks to life above it. This burning orb seems distinctly different from the previous flames which she has called forth, not only in its hue, but the faintly flickering edges of its candle-like flame are unusually calm in comparison with the raging infernos of her hatred.
"Whenever a human prays to us, they offer up a small portion of their soul. Just a speck. A tiny little mote of their essence. By itself, a single prayer is hardly even worth mentioning but when thousands upon thousands of voices all call out to you day upon day..." She closes her eye and inhales slowly as if savoring the scent of a freshly baked pie wafting from a windowsill on a warm summer morning. "The sensation is... beyond your capacity to imagine."
Two more blue candle flames burst to life alongside the first and they slowly begin to swirl around on her palm as if playfully dancing.
"These poor souls came to me. When I had only just been reborn, I sought refuge in the slums of your 'great' cities. My divine radiance was unlike anything they had ever seen before and they begged me for protection, swearing their very souls unto me. When the hound of your Librarium came calling, they perished, crushed like insects as I brought the very stone down upon him."
The kami's eye opens slowly and she once more turns to smile at Chevy. The look is far too smug for someone who has been so thoroughly beaten and a growing sense of unease starts to fill the air.
"Thus deprived of even the tiniest amount of belief, what could I, betrayed and forgotten by mankind, abandoned and spurned by my peers, possibly do against the crushing reality of this new world?"
She lets the question linger in the air, giving them time to chew on the steadily dawning implications that this fight might not yet be over. The floating hitodama continue to dance merrily around on her palm, ignorant of the danger that the wayward souls find themselves in.
"What if," she says, her eye half closing in a lazy predatorial manner, "there was another way for a god to gain strength from mortal souls?"
Smirking, Junko brings her palm up to her face and inhales slowly through her swollen nose. The edges of the nearest soul-flame start to flutter, sputtering like a candle in the breeze, but very quickly that gentle flicker turns into a vacuum of inescapable force. There is a faint whoosh as the soul turns into a puff of blue mist and vanishes into the goddess's nostril.
A shiver runs through the miko's body and she lets out a faint gasp of what seems like ecstasy. A flash of blue light dances through her eye for a brief moment and without any regard for the reaction of her audience she quickly huffs up the remaining two souls.
"Refreshing," she sighs, rolling her head slowly in a circle with languid pleasure. "But little more than an appetizer."
Her hand lifts to her face, cupping the bloody mess in her palm as she taps a finger on the side of her cheek with mock curiosity.
"Now where oh where could I find myself some more souls to harvest. It isn't like there is a forgotten island filled to the brim with mortals that no one knows about which I could consume without drawing notice."
Her expression shifts to one of exaggerated faux realization as she turns to glance pointedly at their surroundings.
"Oh? But what is this? It's precisely that! How wonderfully... convenient. And it even comes stocked fresh with a bunch of foolish heroes ready to dance around and do my bidding. Hahahaha, what more could a vengeful goddess ask for?!"
Throwing her hand up into the air, the kami sends a fresh pulse of power into the blazing pillar at her back. From all over the island tiny motes of blue light begin to twinkle among the trees, first in ones and twos and then by the dozen. Like moths being drawn to the largest bug-zapper in history, the hitodama rise up through sky and slowly drift towards the beacon.
"I really must thank you all for being so... -thorough- in your purge of these monstrosities. In my current state, I wasn't entirely sure that I would be a match for the sheer numbers that foul man had accrued. What a shame that all the poor souls you freed from their torment will never make it to the afterlife!"
Throwing her head back, Junko's eye opens wide as she grins maniacally towards the ever-growing cloud of souls.
"Now then - by divine right, I claim you all! Come now and grant me the power to take my revenge!"
At her command, the souls all begin to descend as one. Hundreds of neon souls swirl down the blazing pillar and into the goddess, vanishing into her open mouth or exploding in puffs of sparkling mist against her bloody flesh. The light begins to grow brighter with every passing moment until its radiance is completely blinding, stabbing at the eyes of anyone foolish enough not to turn away.
And then, in an instant, everything goes quiet. The light fades away and with it the shining pillar of power, leaving only the dull molten glow of the swirling magma. At the center of the volcano there lingers now a thick cloud of swirling smoke. A breeze kicks up angrily, the wind itself lashing at the obscuring haze as if eager to tear it away and reveal for all the aftermath of this atrocity.
Bit by bit, the mist starts to clear, peeling away from the creature underneath. Something dark and faintly shimmering gleams in the subtle light as it moves beneath the curtain of smoke. Where once stood a broken and defeated goddess now rises something else entirely.
Drawing up from her crouch on the ground, Junko stands tall at her full height, which is somewhere around two feet larger than what she could boast before. At her side the fractured and ruined arm now flexes with fresh power, her once moon-pale skin now black as midnight and encrusted with layers of obsidian that seems to grow out of her flesh like scales of armor. The r
*********EDIT THIS OUT**********
"There is no 'better way', mortal!"
Junko's lips peel back in a blood snarl as her proclamation is given less than the due respect she feels it deserves. Of course, it isn't surprising that none of the humans here give a damn about the events that she describes. Mortal lives are brief, fleeting things. A twinkle in the eye of immortal beings such as herself. To them the distant past would seem so far away as to be utterly irrelevant while to the goddess the memories of her betrayal and imprisonment are as fresh as the ash falling on the ground around them and equally as black.
Upon being called a monster, the kami's expression shifts back to the manic grin and the flow of crimson power through her fingers towards the orb in the sky seems to hasten.
"I believe we already had this discussion, Christian. Or did you conveniently forget the hypocrisy of that statement which I pointed out last time as well?"
The sudden spike in humidity shifts the dynamic away from conversation as the mortals gather their strength to try and stop the localize apocalypse she promises to bring down upon them. Rain spatters on the heated obsidian with sharp sizzling bursts but against the massive swirling ball of flame it fails even to get close enough to manage that. A curtain of hissing steam fills the air as the cold water explodes dozens of feet away from the miniature star, offering a pretty compelling bit of motivation to ensure that the deadly orb never gets the chance to come any closer.
Like the flames she wields, Junko likewise goes untouched by the downpour, quickly accruing her own little cloud of steam which manages to make her dynamic pose look all the more ominous. As Chevy suggests, the miko no longer bothers with words. She's given them all the information necessary to make it clear what she intends. If they want to waste precious time running their mouths then all the better.
Unfortunately, the act of forming such a monstrous attack takes an equally enormous amount of focus. Were she in better condition or had managed to recover more of her power before this confrontation then perhaps she could have managed another graceful aerial mockery of their attempts to stop her. As it is, all she can do is hunker down and attempt to withstand the storm of their rage.
It goes... poorly.
The frigid armor upon Chevy's shoulders shatters almost upon contact, such is the heat flowing from the kami's body. Had she simply grabbed hold and attempted to wage a tug of war with the far stronger being the spearhead assault might have simply ended there. But even as she reaches down to press her empty palm against the hayseed's face and push her away, the sudden surge of water from below manages to catch her off guard and two find themselves airborne amidst a torrent of rapidly boiling water.
"You cannot stop the inevitable," she hisses, planting her good foot against Chevy's chest and dislodging the Southerner with a sharp kick as the two plummet towards the ground. The phoenix's wings are thrown wide, attempting to arrest her downwards plunge before she slams into the ground, but she has only moments to react and the impact is still brutal enough to elicit a screech of pain as she comes down on the wounded leg.
Tanwen is on top of her before the kami can even rise back to her feet. Her head lifts with a snap, molten eyes blazing hatred at the winged lizard, but there is little she can do to stop the downwards crash of the blunted blade as it comes down in a smiting blow. Junko manages to tilt her head to the side at the last moment, avoiding having her crown shattered, offering up her shoulder in its place. The crunch of breaking bone is audible even over the chaos of everyone rushing into battle and a sharp gasp of raw agony takes the wind from her lungs.
The entire world turns a shade of red that even the goddess has never seen as Hawkley's merciless kick comes in a moment later. It's target? Her freshly shattered arm. The pain is so intense that the miko can't even muster up a response, her scarlet eyes wider than they've ever been while her pupils shrink to pinpoints of black rage. The force of the kick sends the girl sprawling backwards so hard that she hits her back and rolls all the way onto her feet again, pale white fingers digging into the ash to stop herself from tumbling further.
Henry's theatrics prove unnecessary as the once elusive phoenix stands all but helpless before his strike. The spin catches Junko before she can even push back to her feet, blade whirling in a deadly crimson cut. With her body in a low crouch the aim for center mass instead becomes a far more brutal cleave into the side of the girl's face. A blazing red line appears on the side of the miko's head, tracing a cut from just below the ear straight into the center of her eye. She screams, staggering backwards another couple of paces, clutching at the side of her face as fresh hot blood pours between her fingers and stains yet more of her pristine divine garb with sanguine hue.
Trembling with rage and agony, Junko fights to lift her head, offering a murderously defiant glare at the gaggle of humans who dared inflict such injury upon her through one smoldering eye. With his target little more than a sitting duck, Rodrigo finally gets the opportunity to drive his blade into the source of his annoyance and the strike lands true. Cold steel punches a neat hole into the goddess's chest just below the ribs earning the matador a beautiful crimson rose that paints the air for a brief moment as he withdraws his sword.
Junko finds her voice again upon being impaled, choking out a bloody cry. Adrenaline surges through her as she attempts to find a way to escape the encirclement, forcing the girl to her feet despite the blinding agony. But her display of defiance serves only to offer the final attacker a clear shot. Slipping nimbly past the bloody rapier, Sarah lunges forward and delivers a solid blow straight to the kami's pale jaw. The uppercut hits hard enough to physically launch the miko right off her feet and she sails backwards on a direct path with the blistering pool of magma not but a feet steps behind.
Contrary to what most of them probably expect, landing flat on molten rock does not immediately result in the kami's fiery demise. In fact, she seems completely unharmed, even her clothing brushing off the impossible heat without so much as a scorch mark. That being said, Junko seems in no hurry to rise from her beating, lying motionless on her back as blood pours out of fresh wounds.
Above them, the gargantuan ball of scarlet fire has ceased to grow in size, coming to a stop somewhere around the size of a two-story house. Being cut off from its progenitor doesn't seem to be enough to destroy it, however, and it continues to hover ominously overhead as the volcano rumbles with bellicose eagerness.
Nearly half a minute passes before the goddess stirs. With agonizing slowness, she starts to move, fingers twitching with signs of life followed by a groan as she rolls over onto her face. One hand makes its way underneath her and she pushes herself up to her knees. The effort makes her retch blood onto the small raft of cooling rock that has formed underneath her and it hisses like fresh grease being poured onto a scalding pan. Steadily, inch by inch, the girl forces herself to rise - a task that should be impossible for any mortal with the wounds she now bears but one that merely requires an effort of will for that which cannot truly die.
Standing up as straight as she can - which turns out to be a barely vertical slouch - Junko lifts her head and offers the group a faint smile.
The damage inflicted in their final push to lay the girl low is nothing short of catastrophic. One arm hangs uselessly at her side, her collarbone bent at a disturbing angle beneath bruised purpling flesh. The half of her face beneath the missing eye is all but painted entirely red in a waterfall of blood, joining with the smear from the broken nose gifted to her earlier by the Irishman to create a horrific mask. Half of the white shirt has been reduced to a filthy rag, the thin cloth plastered to her chest around the gaping wound left by Rodrigo's well-aimed thrust. Only one of the miko's legs seems fully functional, the other barely managing to support even a fraction of her weight.
A corpse. They are looking at a corpse. And yet Junko smiles, a soft gurgling chortle drifting across the magma-filled crevice.
"You have... defeated me," she says, her voice softer and more wispy than usual. Her tone seems strangely serene all things considered, as if she is somehow happy with the outcome. "Well done."
A wracking cough besets the goddess and she hacks up another mouthful of vital fluids, spitting the remains onto the sizzling rock at her feet disdainfully.
"My trials have been passed! Such... heroism... deserves a reward... don't you think?"
With effort, the kami lifts her hand and snaps two fingers. A sudden burst of staggering heat erupts from the bubbling center of the caldera, a wave of temperature so intense that even the protection offered by Chevy's powers seem of little use. Behind Junko, a pillar of searing red light erupts from the magma, shooting up into the sky so far as to be effectively infinite in size.
"For your efforts, I gift you with... the truth."
Junko gestures out towards the island behind them, her movements understandably slow and gingerly in nature.
"Everything you have done here? Naught but a ruse." Her teeth flash, the once white smile all but caked in her own blood. "Holy trials? Hah! I made that nonsense up on the spot. All I needed was to delay you... and make sure you couldn't leave."
Junko's gaze turns towards Chevy and her expression seems to soften slightly, though it's hard to tell precisely what emotions are playing out on a face so thoroughly ruined.
"Do you remember our conversation, girl? When I explained to you... what it means to be divine?" For the sake of everyone else, she clarifies with a brief overview. "I told you that we exist because of human belief. And for our power to be maintained, we require that belief - that -faith-."
The kami's hand rolls over, her palm turning upwards, and a small orb of blue flame winks to life above it. This burning orb seems distinctly different from the previous flames which she has called forth, not only in its hue, but the faintly flickering edges of its candle-like flame are unusually calm in comparison with the raging infernos of her hatred.
"Whenever a human prays to us, they offer up a small portion of their soul. Just a speck. A tiny little mote of their essence. By itself, a single prayer is hardly even worth mentioning but when thousands upon thousands of voices all call out to you day upon day..." She closes her eye and inhales slowly as if savoring the scent of a freshly baked pie wafting from a windowsill on a warm summer morning. "The sensation is... beyond your capacity to imagine."
Two more blue candle flames burst to life alongside the first and they slowly begin to swirl around on her palm as if playfully dancing.
"These poor souls came to me. When I had only just been reborn, I sought refuge in the slums of your 'great' cities. My divine radiance was unlike anything they had ever seen before and they begged me for protection, swearing their very souls unto me. When the hound of your Librarium came calling, they perished, crushed like insects as I brought the very stone down upon him."
The kami's eye opens slowly and she once more turns to smile at Chevy. The look is far too smug for someone who has been so thoroughly beaten and a growing sense of unease starts to fill the air.
"Thus deprived of even the tiniest amount of belief, what could I, betrayed and forgotten by mankind, abandoned and spurned by my peers, possibly do against the crushing reality of this new world?"
She lets the question linger in the air, giving them time to chew on the steadily dawning implications that this fight might not yet be over. The floating hitodama continue to dance merrily around on her palm, ignorant of the danger that the wayward souls find themselves in.
"What if," she says, her eye half closing in a lazy predatorial manner, "there was another way for a god to gain strength from mortal souls?"
Smirking, Junko brings her palm up to her face and inhales slowly through her swollen nose. The edges of the nearest soul-flame start to flutter, sputtering like a candle in the breeze, but very quickly that gentle flicker turns into a vacuum of inescapable force. There is a faint whoosh as the soul turns into a puff of blue mist and vanishes into the goddess's nostril.
A shiver runs through the miko's body and she lets out a faint gasp of what seems like ecstasy. A flash of blue light dances through her eye for a brief moment and without any regard for the reaction of her audience she quickly huffs up the remaining two souls.
"Refreshing," she sighs, rolling her head slowly in a circle with languid pleasure. "But little more than an appetizer."
Her hand lifts to her face, cupping the bloody mess in her palm as she taps a finger on the side of her cheek with mock curiosity.
"Now where oh where could I find myself some more souls to harvest. It isn't like there is a forgotten island filled to the brim with mortals that no one knows about which I could consume without drawing notice."
Her expression shifts to one of exaggerated faux realization as she turns to glance pointedly at their surroundings.
"Oh? But what is this? It's precisely that! How wonderfully... convenient. And it even comes stocked fresh with a bunch of foolish heroes ready to dance around and do my bidding. Hahahaha, what more could a vengeful goddess ask for?!"
Throwing her hand up into the air, the kami sends a fresh pulse of power into the blazing pillar at her back. From all over the island tiny motes of blue light begin to twinkle among the trees, first in ones and twos and then by the dozen. Like moths being drawn to the largest bug-zapper in history, the hitodama rise up through sky and slowly drift towards the beacon.
"I really must thank you all for being so... -thorough- in your purge of these monstrosities. In my current state, I wasn't entirely sure that I would be a match for the sheer numbers that foul man had accrued. What a shame that all the poor souls you freed from their torment will never make it to the afterlife!"
Throwing her head back, Junko's eye opens wide as she grins maniacally towards the ever-growing cloud of souls.
"Now then - by divine right, I claim you all! Come now and grant me the power to take my revenge!"
At her command, the souls all begin to descend as one. Hundreds of neon souls swirl down the blazing pillar and into the goddess, vanishing into her open mouth or exploding in puffs of sparkling mist against her bloody flesh. The light begins to grow brighter with every passing moment until its radiance is completely blinding, stabbing at the eyes of anyone foolish enough not to turn away.
And then, in an instant, everything goes quiet. The light fades away and with it the shining pillar of power, leaving only the dull molten glow of the swirling magma. At the center of the volcano there lingers now a thick cloud of swirling smoke. A breeze kicks up angrily, the wind itself lashing at the obscuring haze as if eager to tear it away and reveal for all the aftermath of this atrocity.
Bit by bit, the mist starts to clear, peeling away from the creature underneath. Something dark and faintly shimmering gleams in the subtle light as it moves beneath the curtain of smoke. Where once stood a broken and defeated goddess now rises something else entirely.
Drawing up from her crouch on the ground, Junko stands tall at her full height, which is somewhere around two feet larger than what she could boast before. At her side the fractured and ruined arm now flexes with fresh power, her once moon-pale skin now black as midnight and encrusted with layers of obsidian that seems to grow out of her flesh like scales of armor. The ruined shirt is gone, little more than tatters hanging at her waist now, leaving naught but a loose collection of sarashi wrappings to keep her modest. While none of her onlookers are likely interested in a peep show, this wardrobe change makes it clear that all of their hard work has been undone for there are no signs of injury to be found upon her pristine skin any longer.
Of greater concern is the girl's face. One half of her beautiful features have likewise been consumed by the crystalline blight that took her arm, spreading out from her ruined eye like the scales of a dragon. Even worse, above the closed socket, jutting out from her blackened temple is a single blade-like horn of black stone.
"There was a name," Junko says, her voice unchanged from the transformation, save for a faint melodic warble as if a dozen other Junkos are whispering an echo of her words. "that you used during our last conversation, girl. Something you called me."
Turning her head towards the water-bender, the kami slowly opens her eyes. As always, the right eye burns with barely restrained malice, crimson fire seething behind her gaze. But now the eye that had been taken by Henry burns anew, an empty void of pitch black tar alight with the cold blue flame of a thousand devoured souls.
"Say it."
Behind the towering goddess, two wings fold open, mirrored reflections of her inhuman gaze - one of scarlet and one of cyan. The obsidian-encrusted hand lifts to point at Chevy, the finger that extends now tipped with a wicked claw.
"Say. It." She repeats the command, more forcefully the second time. "Tell them the doom that they now face."
COMBATSYS: Junko restrains herself - for the moment.
JUNKO
[ ]
2|<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<|<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////// ]
Sarah 1/-------/=======|======-\-------\0 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Chevy 0/-------/------=|=======\-------\0 Henry
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////// ]
Tanwen 0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0 Rodrigo
COMBATSYS: Junko has been incapacitated!
JUNKO
[ ]
2|<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<|<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////// ]
Sarah 1/-------/=======|======-\-------\0 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Chevy 0/-------/------=|=======\-------\0 Henry
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////// ]
Tanwen 0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0 Rodrigo
COMBATSYS: Junko blazes to life once more!
JUNKO
[ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
0|---------------|---------------
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////// ]
Sarah 1/-------/=======|======-\-------\0 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Chevy 0/-------/------=|=======\-------\0 Henry
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////// ]
Tanwen 0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0 Rodrigo
COMBATSYS: Junko rises from the ashes...
JUNKO
[ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
0|---------------|---------------
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////// ]
Sarah 1/-------/=======|======-\-------\0 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Chevy 0/-------/------=|=======\-------\0 Henry
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////// ]
Tanwen 0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0 Rodrigo
[CHEVY]
The rain may have little -actual- impact upon a literal phoenix goddess. But upon the sweaty humans dogpiling onto her, it's a force multiplier.
"I didn't forget nothin', naw..." Chevy insists while closing in on Junko. "I just didn't wanna make you feel bad for not readin' far enough in the Bible!"
Her frozen armor grows milky and cracks -- and splits upon contact. But even a fractured block of ice can still have a cooling effect -- which is good when a red-hot palm is pressed into her face! The two former Thunder teammates swirl upward in a seething geyser. Their battle for control ends with Chevy being pried away with a kick!
She lands a fair distance away; her once-frozen armor is little more than a thin sheen of moisture across her shoulders. She pants, raising her eyes to watch her friends pile on. She sees Tanwen shattering the goddess' arm. She sees Hawksley widening the break with brutal violence. She sees Henry landing an overdue slice with his sword. She sees Rodrigo planting his rapier through the flesh of her abdomen. She sees Sarah unleashing a rare and mythical capoeira punch.
And, perhaps most importantly, she sees Junko's body fall flat onto the rock. And only then, does Chevy rise up, rubbing one hand to the back of her head, her other still clinging lightly to the pole and its lone bucket. Rain continues to pitter-patter over the gathered few; drops break up the searing heat waves with healing, comforting relief.
"I'm sad you didn't get that God's... all about *Forgiveness*," starts the redhead. It isn't just her hair that's red, though -- her skin is a bright red shade, but a handprint on her face and a footprint on her abdomen glow even more intensely. "To us Christians... it's kind of a 'thing...'"
She doesn't stand down though -- not yet. She waits, glancing everyone over. Still able to stand, still breathing... good. The 'big sister' can smile at that.
"We did it, y'all..." she starts, breathlessly. "We really did it... great work...!"
And then a phoenix goddess lifts her head.
Almost instantly, Chevy grips hold of her pole with both hands. No one should be just -standing- after that. Rain continues to fall as the hydromancer begins to call water around her feet once more. Though, as the goddess speaks, it rapidly becomes clear how much -heat- is being thrown off, particularly with the way even the freshly-summoned water is starting to tremble at the edges.
Chevy meets Suzaku's gaze with weary determination. "Oh, you were lyin' to us before?" she says, with the tone of someone who really isn't surprised one bit.
Do you remember our conversation, girl?
"Oh boy... another pop quiz?"
The Southerner is on her last nerve.
The rain fades away. Chevy can't really -focus- on that right now, with the story that Suzaku is beginning to weave. She glances warily and wearily at her companions -- anxious for what the words might mean.
And then she's -horrified- by the sight of those awfully pretty blue hitodama swirling across the island, and right into the task of making the battered goddess whole again.
Having just gone through not one but -two- fights in a row, to say she's 'done' is a gross understatement. Particularly with the kami is clearly signaling her intent to kick off round three. Chevy's knuckles burn white with determination; she draws in her breath and steels herself.
A name? Chevy called her a name? The hayseed's brow furrows for a moment, as she nearly hisses out the intended name: 'Suzaku-sama'. But the breath doesn't give those words voice -- and Suzaku's repeated insistence shatters what's left of her Southern hospitality.
"A name? I mean. I called you a *demon*. Because that's what you call somethin' that thrives on suffering."
Chevy glares back at Suzaku, the passion in her heart spilling out. She starts to take slow, long strides to close the distance to the goddess. A cloud of ice crystals begins to form around Chevy's pole as she keeps it between the two. She passes another furtive glance to each of her fellow NFG competitors. A sign ... that she's not playing ball with the goddess any longer.
"I know what you want me to say, but..."
Chevy's not waiting for a bell to ring. She's just going to charge right in, the pooled water giving her feet a powerful launch forward!
"Demons like you don't *deserve* to have their names writ down!"
The whole time that Chevy is hurtling forward, ice crystals continue to form along the length of her pole. And if Chevy's able to slam her frosted pole right into Suzaku's throat, the ice crystals would soon grow even larger, forming a (very) temporary mass that locks the pole in place as Chevy somersaults over the goddess' head! She'd then seek to use her flip's momentum to tug Suzaku upward by the neck and hurl her into a backflip -- that ends with slamming the winged goddess landing chest-first on the coals!
'This technique is perhaps easier to execute against opponents of equal or greater height, but if you bend your knees before attempting to lock it in, you can make it work against almost anyone.' The strawberry-blonde mentor adds, after a moment of reflection: 'Hopefully it is not someone you like very much.'
[TANWEN]
With her own telling blow delivered amidst the cascade of violence raining down on the fire goddess in the moment of her vulnerability, Tanwen staggers with the Newtonian rebuttal posed by Junko's divinely-imbued body. She swings the sword back aloft, ready to bring it to bear again, but there's no break in the assault by her comrades until the miko collapses, at which point the dragon girl lowers her weapon again with a wide-eyed expression. "Did we win?" she asks, stepping hesitantly backward and looking to either side for an answer before returning her amber gaze to the other girl - and listening with rapt attention. "Oh, cheers!" the trusting saurian-human says as the corpse of Junko answers the question.
It doesn't take long before doubt starts to creep across the dragonette's facial features.
"Oh, no! That's cheating, it is!" she shouts as the goddess starts to absorb the souls raining down on her, gawking in awe at the transformation that ensues. Scowling and lifting the Dragon Blade in both hands, she commands Suzaku: "You'd best be spitting them back out right now, Miss Junko, or I'm going to make you!"
As her mentor launches back into the assault, Tanwen's body starts to shift, a pair of leathery red dragon wings sprouting from between her shoulder blades. Red scales start to creep from the smoking soles of her feet up over her shins and along her shoulders and neck, framing her face. More spread from her hands, her nails becoming claws as her draconic form fuses with that of her human body. She too starts charging forward, then, with a powerful beat of her wings, leaps into the air, gliding straight toward Suzaku in an attempt to follow up Chevy's attack by landing and headbutting Suzaku, if she can, before she recovers from the slam that Chevy intends. If that works, she'll attempt to grab Suzaku by the shoulders and flip her around, trapping her head between Tanwen's legs before letting her weight fall to try and smash the goddess' crystal-corrupted mien between the volcanic rock and Tanwe's hips!
[HAWKSLEY]
Hawksley sees Henry heading towards the jeep and for a second, he thinks the lad is looking to make an escape. "The keys are in the pocket of my shorts, so they are." He reminds him. "You'll need to wipe the blood off." He soon realises with relief however, that 'Hollywood' is only using the vehicle to gain a better vantage point from which to launch himself. Lou, who is sitting inside the jeep, taps on the window, about to protest the swordsman screwing up the paintwork. But then he realises it's the least of their problems, as the phoenix is still in flight.
Not for long though, as she's hit by one attack after another. Chevy sends her airbound in a wave of water, Tanwen strikes her with her dragon sword, Henry's plan comes to fruition as he carves into the cruel creature's flesh, Rodrigo penetrates her torso, and Sarah socks her in the jaw. As for Hawksley himself, the brawler's punishing kick builds upon the damage done before. As his foot finds her fractured arm, their foe is left in agony.
The Irishman looks around at the rest of the team, knowing that each of them has played their part. Surely now, Suzaku must be on her last legs? As the group of fighters loom over her, she remains still. As he watches, Hawksley feels like he's holding his breath. When she starts to move, his normally steely stomach flips and he feels his fists clenching. For a second, as he sees the state she is in, he almost feels sorry for Junko. She's once more the Japanese teen who had trouble controlling her powers, just as he had himself when he was a lad. She claims she is defeated, so why does the scrapper still feel the danger in the air, despite the sight of her brutalised body? Then she snaps her fingers and the already immense heat intensifies.
The fire goddess starts to tell her tale. As it unfolds, Hawksley becomes increasingly uncomfortable. "She wants to eat our fecking souls." He spits in disbelief. "No way are we gonna let you do that. My mammy would kill me if I don't make it to heaven." Despite his desertion of attending church, it seems that the Catholic-raised fighter still has some of his faith. If anything were to threaten it however, it would be the sight of the souls being swallowed by Suzaku. At first he stares in silence, but soon he has to look away to stop his brown eyes from being blinded.
From beneath the protection of his own forearm, the Cork cruiserweight starts to cough and splutter at the scent of the smoke in the air. He stays sheltered until he hears the firebird speak, when he conjures the courage to fix his gaze upon her again. She's a very different sight to the one he'd witnessed shortly before. Her blackened skin and imposing height are less daunting than her damage-free frame. His heart sinks as he realises that all their efforts so far have likely been in vain.
As he looks closer at the kami, Hawksley can see the lethal-looking horn and the claws coming from her fingers. Whatever remained of the creature's humanity seems to be slipping further away. When Chevy utters the word "demon" he realises it is exactly what he was thinking. The waterbender makes her move on the evil entity and her mentoree is right behind her, taking on her alternate form.
Following suit, the fella from Eire rushes towards their enemy, against all his better judgement. Once he's close enough, he'll try and grapple with her, seeking to force her into a side headlock, from where he can punch her in the head repeatedly, tactically avoiding that horn!
[HENRY]
If it had been any other competitor, Henry would be aghast at his strike. Likely he would even resign from the NFG in shame and regret. But this time he's certain he's fighting for his life, and while it doesn't display on his face, any more than a stoic frown, there's a small amount of satisfaction burning deep down inside of him at the blow. After all, how many mortals can claim to have cut out the eye of a god. That alone should get him free drinks at bars for the rest of his life (once he's of legal drinking age anyway.)
There's some circular beauty in the arc, having played Perseus the gorgon-slayer in their time in Greece, and here.. well.. it certainly seems poetic.
He lands on his feet, but exhaustion drops him to his knees, skinning them on the hot volcanic rocks like a kid falling off his skateboard, but he really doesn't car at the moment, after the flurry of blows from the allied NFGers are complete, he can only stare at the fallen Junko and breathe a soft sigh of relief. It's over.
Exhaustion comes crashing down on him like one of Chevy's waves, his sword clattering as he looses his grip on it, adrenaline draining from his body in a twinkling. Only for the nightmare to begin once more.
He's quiet, listening to Junko's story with a scowl and gritted teeth, glaring at her through her transformation. He doesn't know if he believes those small flames to be souls or not, he's not a religious sort, and philosophy is only ever of passing interest to him, but if they are, "Monster.." He mutters softly under his breath. "Well, aren't we surprised." Oh, the sarcasm is wide and deep on those words. Slowly he reaches out for the hilt of his blade, forcing weary fingers to clasp around the hide grip. He knows he hass only a little left to give, but still he pushes himself to his feet, wobbling to and fro, from foot to foot before he can regain his balance.
He stares back at the demon Junko with one eye himself, though he has both of his, only the one is swollen shut at this point still from the previous fight. Another poetic coincidence.
"Gimme a sec." He says softly, more for the others' benefit as he takes a deep breath in, then exhales long and slow. Perhaps now is the right time to think things through before tossing himself back into the fray.
COMBATSYS: Henry focuses on his next action.
JUNKO
[ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
0|---------------|---------------
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////// ]
Sarah 1/-------/=======|=======\-------\0 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Chevy 0/-------/---====|=======\-------\1 Henry
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////// ]
Tanwen 0/-------/-------|==-----\-------\0 Rodrigo
[RODRIGO]
If anyone were to ask Rodrigo if he thought he would be more irritated than he was when he ended up in a bar fight with a jealous husband got pissed off that his wife was flirting with him and then got even angrier when he told them he wasn't interested in her both to de-escalate as well as a loss of interest in someone who was attached, he'd say no. He was wrong. Oh so wrong.
The moment where right after he finally landed something of substance like that thrust to the body she recovered so quickly that it was as though they did nothing to her at all, that was the moment that this fight took first place.
"You must be joking..."
To further cement this moment as his most aggravated, he has to deal with the being self-congratulatory speech moments before she takes in the souls of the lab creatures that both he and Sarah had a hand in killing at the radio station. His eyes move to the King Croaker head worn on his hip.
"¡Joder!"
After that exclamation, Suzaku has managed to at least temporarily shut Rodrigo up. Maybe after he's able to process the rage at being part of reason Suzaku is so irritating right now, he can get back to lobbing insults in the being's direction once more. Once again, he sends a throwaway stab in Suzaku's direction, not really aiming for anything but rather just keeping up pressure and creating opportunities for the others to land their shots.
[SARAH]
At first, it looks like they've triumphed over Junko. At least, that's what Sarah thinks has happened. It's what's supposed to happen, right?
Right?!
Unfortunately, it would seem that's not quite the case, as it seems Junko was only just getting started. Sarah can't believe her eyes as they widen in disbelief as her jaw hangs open. She's gathering up the souls of the creatures they defeated at the radio station and she's more powerful than before it seems.
"No! It can't be!"
Sarah shakes her head in disbelief, tears welling up as she realizes that Junko is still going strong. She feels a mixture of frustration and determination as she stares at her new opponent. She had a trick up her sleeve that allowed her to take on a second form. Isn't that only supposed to happen in video games?
"No... I must not give up..." Despite being worn out and having taken a beating, Sarah refuses to give up the fight. Taking her water bottle from her jeans, Sarah takes a large gulp of water as she looks at her opponent. "Do your worst. We won't back down!" Sarah stares defiantly at Junko, a determined look made up of a scowl and a smile on her face as she looks at her opponent.
COMBATSYS: Sarah gains composure.
JUNKO
[ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
0|---------------|---------------
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////// ]
Sarah 0/-------/=======|=======\-------\0 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Chevy 0/-------/---====|=======\-------\1 Henry
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////// ]
Tanwen 0/-------/-------|=====--\-------\0 Rodrigo
COMBATSYS: Junko blocks Chevy's Marsh Slam EX.
JUNKO
[ ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
0|---------------|---------------
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////// ]
Sarah 0/-------/=======|=======\-------\0 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Chevy 0/-------/---====|=======\-------\1 Henry
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////// ]
Tanwen 0/-------/-------|=====--\-------\0 Rodrigo
COMBATSYS: Junko dodges Tanwen's Arch Dragon EX.
JUNKO
[ ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
0|---------------|---------------
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////// ]
Sarah 0/-------/=======|=======\-------\0 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Chevy 0/-------/---====|=======\-------\1 Henry
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////// ]
Tanwen 0/-------/------<|=====--\-------\0 Rodrigo
COMBATSYS: Junko dodges Hawksley's Submission.
JUNKO
[ ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
0|---------------|---------------
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////// ]
Sarah 0/-------/=======|=======\-------\0 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Chevy 0/-------/---====|=======\-------\1 Henry
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////// ]
Tanwen 0/-------/------<|=====--\-------\0 Rodrigo
COMBATSYS: Junko dodges Rodrigo's Medium Strike.
JUNKO
[ ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
0|---------------|---------------
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////// ]
Sarah 0/-------/=======|=======\-------\0 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Chevy 0/-------/---====|=======\-------\1 Henry
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////// ]
Tanwen 0/-------/------<|=====--\-------\0 Rodrigo
[JUNKO]
As the onlookers gaze upon her empowered form, Suzaku cannot help but smile. She can sense their emotions running rampant, threatening to spill over as the realization that their nightmare has only just begun starts to set in. The mounting fear, frustration, and anger swirls together into a heady aroma that is almost intoxicating to the goddess. The black poison that has been eroding at the corners of her being flows freely through her veins now and it relishes the anguish in the air, whispering the promises of even greater euphoria to be found should she stop holding herself back and commit to the path of destruction.
"Demon," the kami repeats, the word ushered from her lips with almost sensual pleasure. "Yes, that was it. And far more fitting than you could have ever known."
The girl, if she can even be called that any more, closes her mismatched eyes and rolls her shoulders with languid disinterest at the insults and threats that are once more hurled at her. A predictable response. Humans have always been quick to judge and even quicker to dive neck-deep into trouble they can't comprehend. Her performance in the brief skirmish before must have given them a false sense of confidence in their chances for success.
Her lips twist into a wry smirk. Time to savor the despair that comes from disabusing them of that fantasy.
Unsurprisingly, little miss water weaver is first to lead the charge. Infused with the abundant energy of that pendant, she had proven a surprisingly tenacious foe. But mortal magic has its limits and she's about to get a lesson on the sheer gulf between herself and the goddess.
As her foes rush forward to do battle, eyes flashing with determination and focus, the kami seems unconcerned. Even before she had consumed nigh on a thousand mortal souls these worms had struggled to lay more than superficial blows upon her, wearing her down only through sheer numbers, attrition, and - though they would not be aware of it - her own lingering reluctance to follow through on her claims of genocide. While her reborn soul is, irritatingly, still limited by the mortal flesh it is bound to, the difference is quite stark.
It isn't until the very last moment, when the rime-encrusted lance threatens to slam square into her throat, that Suzaku finally responds. The demon's eyes slide open halfway, the twin flames of scarlet and cyan peering at the deadly weapon as if it were little more than a gnat buzzing about her face. Almost lazily, she lifts her obsidian arm and extends a single finger into the path of the frosty pole.
Brilliant flame bursts to life around kami's black hand, red and blue fire swirling in a mesmerizing pattern of energy as it forms a barrier of divine power. The flat tip of the wooden shaft comes to a jarring and immediate stop an inch away from the outstretched digit as if hitting an invisible and unmovable wall. The surge of frigid power meant to encrust and trap the demon flows up into the scintillating weave of flames only to be utterly snuffed out in an instant, the hydromancer's power hardly even earning a puff of steam for the effort.
"I'm afraid such... meager efforts will not serve you as they did before, girl."
A casual sweep of her arm accompanied by a flap of Suzaku's cyan wing unleashes a burst of searing wind that hurls Chevy back to the ash-laden earth. As before the mortal's allies are swift to rush to her side, hoping to overwhelm her with numbers once again.
Tanwen's transformation earns a curious quirk of the demon's eyebrow but little more. A simple shift to the side, almost comical in its pointed execution, sees the scaly wyrmkin sail past harmlessly. Suzaku's demon-mailed fist snaps up and latches onto the girl's tail before she can flutter out of range, fastening tight around its tip. Spinning a single rotation in the air, she whips the whelp back around and sends her hurling down into the dirt at Chevy's feet.
"Be gone, mewling whelp," she says, her harmonious voices all sounding thoroughly unimpressed by the ultimatum issued. "While I yet possess the grace to allow it."
Ireland and Spain form an impromptu alliance as the two men rush forward to try and take their own crack at this new threat only to find themselves likewise rebuked. Hawksley's arms reach out, seeking purchase with which to anchor himself for a barrage of blows, but his filthy fingers never touch divine skin just as Rodrigo's rapier is denied another taste of her blood. With a sleepy flap of her wings the kami gracefully takes to the sky leaving the earthbound mortals naught but dust to unleash their fury upon.
Smirking with clear amusement at their attempts to strike her, Suzaku turns her upwards momentum into a sudden corkscrew spin. Her legs lash out, one after the other, and with each sharp arc through the air a massive crescent of multi-hued flame comes crashing down upon the quartet who dared attempt violence upon a god.
But that proves to be only the prelude. Above the battlefield, the scarlet ball of doom continues to hover, its raging flames still burning with eager fury. A third spins sees Suzaku flip backwards, kicking her leg up in a sharp vertical slice that sends another cutting wave of power carving directly through the center of the ominous orb.
In a display of impossibility, the ball of fire parts neatly down the middle, each half reluctantly drifting apart from its twin. Righting herself, the demon holds up her arms to the parted flames, clenching her fists in the air as if taking hold of them and the oblong domes rapidly condense into a pair of gleaming spheres.
"And now you will see the true power of a god, foolish mortals!"
With a hauntingly cheerful laugh, Suzaku drags her arms down one after the other, and whips them at the surface of the caldera as if tossing a pair of Major League fastballs. Compelled by her magical grip, each of the fiery spheres explodes into motion, plunging into the rocky surface of the volcano only to burn a hole clean through the crust into the waiting magma below.
The entire mountain shudders beneath the two violent impacts, threatening to knock everyone off their feet. A moment later twin geysers of crimson flame erupt from the smoldering holes, the fire quickly thickening into jets of molten rock and hot ash from the first of the two. A pyroclastic cloud sprays deadly clumps of magma into the air which rain back into the caldera in deadly bombs that burst into sprays of napalm upon the hot obsidian.
"Now burn!"
COMBATSYS: Left Fissure has joined the fight here as a left henchman!
JUNKO
[ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
0|---------------|---------------
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Left Fissure 0/-------/-------|
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////// ]
Sarah 0/-------/=======|=======\-------\0 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Chevy 0/-------/---====|=======\-------\1 Henry
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////// ]
Tanwen 0/-------/------<|=====--\-------\0 Rodrigo
COMBATSYS: Right Fissure has joined the fight here as a right henchman!
JUNKO
[ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
0|---------------|---------------
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Left Fissure 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Right Fissure
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////// ]
Sarah 0/-------/=======|=======\-------\0 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Chevy 0/-------/---====|=======\-------\1 Henry
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////// ]
Tanwen 0/-------/------<|=====--\-------\0 Rodrigo
The fissure on the left side erupts!
COMBATSYS: Chevy blocks Junko's Kakyaku Renge.
JUNKO
[ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
0|---------------|-------------==
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Left Fissure 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Right Fissure
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////// ]
Sarah 0/-------/=======|=======\-------\0 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Chevy 0/-------/-======|=======\-------\1 Henry
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////// ]
Tanwen 0/-------/------<|=====--\-------\0 Rodrigo
COMBATSYS: Chevy blocks Left Fissure's Steam Spray.
JUNKO
[ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
0|---------------|-------------==
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Left Fissure 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Right Fissure
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////// ]
Sarah 0/-------/=======|=======\-------\0 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Chevy 0/-------/=======|=======\-------\1 Henry
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////// ]
Tanwen 0/-------/------<|=====--\-------\0 Rodrigo
[CHEVY]
When her Paw lost his life in the midst of a bar brawl, little Chevelle had to come to terms with the notion that, sometimes, people took pleasure out of hurting other people. And Hawksley -- as a proxy for her departed father -- had helped her to understand that, for some people, brawling is just in their blood.
It's perfectly valid for other people to have their own, separate reasons, though. And this fight is clear evidence of that. For while she can smile at Tanwen's innocent demand, and Hawksley's joking(?) explanation for why his soul -shouldn't- be consumed, she never loses sight of -why- she fights. She's in this battle to give a chance to those who mean the most to her -- those who stood alongside her in her brightest moments, and in her darkest. Henry and Sarah may be despondent, and badly in need of rest. And the ever-enduring Rodrigo is still determined to make an effort, even when his heart might not be fully invested. So she feels she -has- to give it her best effort.
Even when Suzaku is leaning into the demon role. (Chevy had thought for -sure- she wanted to be called 'Suzaku-sama' and not 'demon'. Oh well!) "It warn't a compliment," insists Miss Beaumont, "It's just a goldarn shame is what it is."
Even more of a shame is when her sudden blunt-force pole slam to the throat is deflected with a single finger, followed by a flap of wings that ends up buffeting Miss Beaumont backwards! The hayseed catches herself with a last-instant twist to the side that ends up spinning her around. When she whirls back to level the pole at Suzaku, she finds her pole evenly singed, hissing out smoke from the burning.
"You cain't keep dodgin' -everythin'- what comes your way though..." insists Chevy, despite continued evidence to the contrary. She starts to close in, even as Suzaku knocks her friends down one after another. Fiercely determined to stand by their side, she surges forward again to reclaim her spot flanking the demon goddess -- only to find a fierce pair of kicks slicing twin fiery arcs into the air!
Chevy instinctively raises her arm in defense...
Her shell necklace glows a brilliant blue...
And a torrent of water rushes out from the volcanic coals beneath her, shooting out to mimic Chevy's movement!
The flaming arcs slam into her arm, but their effect is mitigated by the water which rushes out -- water which is rapidly transmuted into twin clouds of hissing steam by the intense heat!
Emboldened, Chevy steps in to deal with the third strike -- only to see that the demon goddess kicked high for a purpose!
"Oh no...!" she cries, once she sees the arc slam into the house-sized orb hovering overhead! She may not be a firebender -- but she knows that what goes up must come down! "Watch out, everyone!"
It's a blessing that the two fiery halves fall apart from the gathered masses. But when the molten columns erupt upwards, Chevy grits her teeth out of concern...
Emboldened by her synergy with the special rune crafted for her by Iris, Chevy throws her pole aside and flattens both her palms parallel to the ground. When the plumes of magma and rock are nearly upon the NFG's lovely ladies, a sudden *wall* of water rises from the ground to meet them, courtesy of Miss Beaumont's abruptly upraised hands!
The lava meets the waves head-on in a clash of steam! Rapidly-cooled rocks continue through the summoned wall of water -- but it's a small fraction of the fate that -could- have befallen Sarah and Team Atlantis...!
Staggering sideways as a volcanic rock slams into her forearm, Chevy shakes her head. "Keep hasslin' her! I've got your backs!"
And as the impact site of the -second- split-apart half of the flame orb bubbles away, the waterbender twists sideways, steering her summoned water reserves around in an attempt to do what she can for the next attack...
COMBATSYS: Chevy gets ready to turn the tide!
JUNKO
[ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
0|---------------|-------------==
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Left Fissure 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Right Fissure
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////// ]
Sarah 0/-------/=======|=======\-------\0 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Chevy 1/---====/=======|=======\-------\1 Henry
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////// ]
Tanwen 0/-------/------<|=====--\-------\0 Rodrigo
COMBATSYS: Tanwen just-defends Junko's Kakyaku Renge!
JUNKO
[ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
0|---------------|------------===
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Left Fissure 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Right Fissure
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////// ]
Sarah 0/-------/=======|=======\-------\0 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Chevy 1/---====/=======|=======\-------\1 Henry
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////// ]
Tanwen 0/-------/------<|=====--\-------\0 Rodrigo
COMBATSYS: Tanwen endures Left Fissure's Steam Spray.
JUNKO
[ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
0|---------------|------------===
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Left Fissure 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Right Fissure
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////// ]
Sarah 0/-------/=======|=======\-------\0 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Chevy 1/---====/=======|=======\-------\1 Henry
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////// ]
Tanwen 0/-------/----<<<|=====--\-------\0 Rodrigo
[TANWEN]
One moment Tanwen is soaring toward her target. The next, she's tumbling across the volcanic soil, her bikini-clad body finding itself dusted in ash, her planned attack pattern all but forgotten as the situation changes too rapidly for her to keep up. Her wings flap, making sweeping angelic imprints in the soot as she pushes herself up to a sitting position, then uses her tail to assist in propping herself back onto her feet. Somehow, she's kept hold of her sword.
"I am -not- a whelp!" she declares in indignant defiance as she whips her tail back and forth. "I'm forty-seven, I am! I'm just waiting on a growth spurt, is all!"
Having her diminutive true form mistaken for a baby seems to be a bit of a sore spot for the dragon girl.
Speaking of sore spots, Tanwen finds herself at risk of developing some new ones as the fiery crescent comes hurtling down at her. Her eyes widen - it doesn't seem like she has much room to try and dodge the attack, and she doesn't have a shield to hide behind this time. However, another possibility comes to mind. There's one place that she can always keep flames safely stow'd. So, maybe...
It's time for some more dragon science.
Tanwen opens her mouth in an 'O' shape, breathing in hard as the conflagration descends. The inhalation sucks the superheated air into a tighter vortex, funneling it from the broad wave into her open mouth. The flames rapidly disappear, her belly visibly expanding and glowing within as it swells to accommodate the sudden influx of flame.
It shouldn't work. You can't just swallow that much fire. You also can't breathe in when you're doing it. That's what regular science says. But dragon science works differently, it seems.
Tanwen's face twists into a sickly grimace as the unholy fire roils within her belly.
*urp*
"Pardon me," Tanwen says politely, her smile restoring. "It's a bit of an acquired taste, it is."
A moment later, the earth splits beside her, shaking the ground under her feet and causing her to stumble. She'd certainly have lost her balance completely if not for her tail. Score one more for the lizards. Evolution, phooey.
"Oh nooo!" she echoes her mentor's declaration as the fissures spew their molten rock into the air. There's no way she has room left to swallow all of /that./
Fortunately, Chevy has a solution. (Well, technically it's not a solution, if we're still doing science here.)
"Oh, yaaaay!" Tanwen changes her tune as the walls of water shield the fighters from the volcanic onslaught. "That's a good idea, Chevy! Water beats fire! ...She won't be having any lightning, will she?"
Before her concern can be assuaged, a blast of steam breaks through the water from behind the women, hitting Tanwen from behind and eliciting a squeal as she leaps into the air, legs kicking. On the bright side, the excess dirt covering her back manages to get washed off in the process.
Beating her wings to stay aloft after the burst of steam-powered propulsion, Tanwen flits toward Suzaku once more. "Ych a fi! Your fire is a bit gross!" she hassles the fire-goddess as she swoops in, audaciously trying to whip her tail around Suzaku's body, and, if she can, toss the goddess into the air in something like a reversal of the way that she tossed Tanwen to the dirt a moment ago. "You can have it back!"
With that, she'd let out a mighty belch - unleashing the borrowed fire stored in her gut, mingled with her own draconic flames!
COMBATSYS: Junko successfully hits Hawksley with Kakyaku Renge.
JUNKO
[ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
0|---------------|-------========
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Left Fissure 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Right Fissure
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////// ]
Sarah 0/-------/=======|=======\===----\1 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Chevy 1/---====/=======|=======\-------\1 Henry
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////// ]
Tanwen 0/-------/------<|=====--\-------\0 Rodrigo
[HAWKSLEY]
"Take whatever time you need, fella." Is Hawksley's response to the blue-haired boy.
Despite his own assault on the demon being dodged deftly, the Irish brawler still believes they can get the better of her. He puts a hand on Sarah's shoulder, sensing how close she is to crying. "That's the spirit, cailin." He smiles at her. "You're right, we won't be backing down."
His resolution stands firm, even through the ferocious attack that he and his teammates face. Their foe thrusts fiery missiles towards them and despite his efforts to protect his frame, the man from Eire takes the flames to his centre of mass, knocking him flying backwards. He grits his teeth, gradually getting up from the ground and glaring towards Suzaku. "That all you got?" He taunts, though in truth his body is throbbing with pain.
Thank God they have Chevy on their side, as she uses her aquatic abilities to lessen the threat of the lava to herself and the other two women, who are standing to the left of Junko. "Things are getting steamy around here." He quips, before turning up the heat himself.
Opening up his mouth, he once again manages to create blazing breath, which he blows in the demonic creature's direction. He's mystified as to how he manages this. The only explanation is that some of the dragon magic from Tanwen has remained. He may not have the follow up of having a Welsh dragon to feck, but he'll give it a bloody good go at burning the firebird.
[HENRY]
Henry can only stare up in barely concealed horror and frustration as the giant fiery orb is split in twain and lobbed downwards. He drops to one knee and brings up his shield, expecting some explosion or to be awash in burning flame, and while the ground rumbles under him, the kneeling position and his sword planted in the ground keeps him upright and stable.
He lowers his shield, taking a moment to survey the battle ground once more, frowning as his allies take blows, especially his mentor, who remains surprisingly unflammable despite his copious alcohol consumption. Maybe that's why he controls fire so well. A question for a later time.
"Right beside you!" He calls out as Hawksley breathes out his flames, Henry bounding forward like a sprinter off a starting block. A quick twist of the wrist releases his shield from his arm to once more be caught in his hand, and he flings it into the air. It bursts alight with his own crimson light, once then twice, larger and with a deadlier spin than the previous time he threw it. It whistles through the air like a glowing buzzsaw, hopefully the time he took to work out the trajectory in his head helping it to aim true.
COMBATSYS: Junko knocks away Rodrigo with Kakyaku Renge.
JUNKO
[ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
0|---------------|---============
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Left Fissure 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Right Fissure
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////// ]
Sarah 0/-------/=======|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Chevy 1/---====/=======|-------\-------\0 Henry
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Tanwen 0/-------/------<|=======\===----\1 Rodrigo
[RODRIGO]
Rodrigo attempts to try something different. Instead of attempting to redirect or move around the crescent of flame he attempts to hold his ground. The fiery wave sends the Spaniard flying like a ragdoll tossed aside in a tantrum. Eventually Rodrigo manages to rise out of the smoldering, vaguely humanoid shaped crater, limping as he moves to stand along aside his allies. His shirt is completely burnt off, shorts singed to the point where he can barely maintain decency, and his cape at this point is more nigh melted chain mail than an actual cape.
To understand why Rodrigo says what he says next, one of his guilty pleasures is watching rap battles. One of his favorites is Conceited who utilizes slight changes to a sentence whether it's cadence, pronunciation, or emphasis to conceal an insult within a sentence that originally sounds innocuous or sometimes was already an insult but changes it to a different insult.
"Those flames, sheesh! Such a hot mist." He glances at what used to be his cape before continuing, "Must have burned. How?" He then spins the heated cape and then finishes the line. "Won't be my fault that mine's lost."
There's a short pause before he then follows up with Conceited's catch phrase with his Spanish accent, "Slow it down. I just dissed you!"
He shakes his head as he says, "Such a hot mess. Must have burnt out." He points to Suzaku and particularly her head. "Won't be my fault that mind's lost."
With that, Rodrigo wings what used to be his cape at the being's body hoping to tangle her up and make it difficult for her to evade the fest of his onslaught.
COMBATSYS: Sarah full-parries Left Fissure's Steam Spray!!
JUNKO
[ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
0|---------------|---============
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Left Fissure 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Right Fissure
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////// ]
Sarah 1/----===/=======|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Chevy 1/---====/=======|=------\-------\0 Henry
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Tanwen 0/-------/------<|===----\-------\0 Rodrigo
[SARAH]
It's not over...
She's still going...
And now she's sending forth steam blasts?
This is one long battle that Sarah never thought she'd have to deal with in her time, yet it seems to be getting longer and longer by the minute. It's also getting more hazardous too it seems. But Sarah refuses to quit!
Despite how hot and dangerous that blast of steam looks, Sarah somehow remains steady in her stance. And then, she effortlessly avoids the incoming blast with a series of acrobatic movements! It's almost like there's something else controlling her at this time.
By the time she's done, there's not even the slightest hint of a mark on her skin. Sarah lands on both of her bare feet and looks up at Junko. "If I wanted steam, I would've gone to a sauna! I don't appreciate you trying to get me heated up!" With that, Sarah does a double cartwheel, then leaps into the air before attempting to strike Junko with a swift kick as she comes down.
COMBATSYS: Junko blocks Tanwen's Dragon's Embrace.
JUNKO
[ ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
0|---------------|--=============
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Left Fissure 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Right Fissure
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////// ]
Sarah 1/----===/=======|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Chevy 1/---====/=======|=------\-------\0 Henry
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Tanwen 0/-------/-----<<|===----\-------\0 Rodrigo
COMBATSYS: Junko dodges Hawksley's Hedonism.
JUNKO
[ ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
0|---------------|--=============
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Left Fissure 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Right Fissure
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////// ]
Sarah 1/----===/=======|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Chevy 1/---====/=======|=------\-------\0 Henry
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Tanwen 0/-------/-----<<|===----\-------\0 Rodrigo
COMBATSYS: Junko dodges Henry's Leviathan Naiant.
JUNKO
[ ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
0|---------------|--=============
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Left Fissure 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Right Fissure
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////// ]
Sarah 1/----===/=======|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Chevy 1/---====/=======|=------\-------\0 Henry
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Tanwen 0/-------/-----<<|===----\-------\0 Rodrigo
COMBATSYS: Junko dodges Rodrigo's Veiled Assault.
JUNKO
[ ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
0|---------------|--=============
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Left Fissure 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Right Fissure
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////// ]
Sarah 1/----===/=======|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Chevy 1/---====/=======|=------\-------\0 Henry
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Tanwen 0/-------/-----<<|=======\-------\1 Rodrigo
COMBATSYS: Junko dodges Sarah's Diving Kick EX.
JUNKO
[ ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
0|---------------|--=============
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Left Fissure 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Right Fissure
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////// ]
Sarah 1/----===/=======|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Chevy 1/---====/=======|=------\-------\0 Henry
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Tanwen 0/-------/-----<<|=======\-------\1 Rodrigo
[JUNKO]
Suzaku's melodic laugh belies the look of abject malice burning in her soul-infused eyes as the water-bender tries to deny her mortal limitations.
"Why not pray to your beloved god, child? Perhaps he shall -forgive- you for being so utterly pathetic!"
As it turns out, it isn't the Almighty who extends a helping hand to Chevy but their absentee friend Iris. The pendant once again proves to be a source of vexation as the energy of the leyline literally floods into the caldera to counter her well-planned surprise. The kami snarls with outrage at the audacity as her divine retribution of molten flame is reduced to little more than steam and hot rocks. Still a dangerous threat to such fragile creature but hardly the fiery cataclysm she'd conjured forth.
"Your meddling is growing tiresome, adept."
Before she can unleash some much earned retribution upon the American, the rest of the circus dives into the fray once more. Tanwen's indignant whining very much sounds like the tantrum of an immature creature, undermining any hope that she might convince the goddess otherwise. The dragons that she's familiar with are wise and ancient with the power to command the heavens and move the oceans. This untested fledgling can hardly conjure up a burst of flame worthy of the name.
"I would suggest you come back in a few centuries," Suzaku says, scowling with disdain at the scaly pest. "But it seems you have chosen to perish alongside them."
The devouring of her empower flames does manage to earn a quirked eyebrow from the phoenix as the dragon sucks up soul-fire like cotton candy. Old enough to manage that, at least. Impressive, for a child, but hardly worthy of note when compared to the accomplishments of her forefathers. Were she fighting a proper dragon, even the kami might have thought twice.
The steam-assisted approach of the wyrmling once again fails to cause any noticeable concern to appear on her corrupted immortal features. Again the kami only deigns to lift a single hand in response to the 'threat' posed by her attacker, intercepting the ensnaring tail such that it wraps about her wrist rather than her waist. This proves to be detrimental to the dragonling's plans as she once again finds herself being whipped towards the ground as Suzaku spins in place and snaps her arm down, using the girl's grip against her. The belch of flames manages to escape Tanwen's mouth even as she's sent flying back the way she came but mixture of dragonfire and soul-flame hardly seems to leave a mark on the kami's outstretched obsidian hand. The phoenix blanches at the uncouthness of the attack, however, mild disgust crossing her face as she turns it slightly away from the foul blaze.
"Tch. Utterly lacking in grace. Your ancestors are weeping from shame in the purgatory they languish in, whelp."
It quickly becomes obvious where the disgusting little wretch is getting her manners from. The still unclothed Irishman follows suite a few moments later and this time the kami doesn't linger around to see if his breath is as fetid as the girl he got it from. Tilting backwards, Suzaku deftly flaps her wings and pulls a quick aerial flip that dives her underneath the roaring gut-fire. The blazing buzzsaw seems to be on course to land a solid hit but, as ever, once the phoenix is in motion it's nigh impossible to pin her down. She rolls to one side, pushing herself through the air with the grace borne of millennia of experience, and the deadly beyblade buzzes past her harmlessly.
Rodrigo's impromptu rap session earns him no accolades from the spiteful goddess. She glances his way only briefly, long enough to note the strange shift in his demeanor and the half-burnt cape that comes flying her way. Another grimace twists her pale face. Now they're throwing dirty laundry at her? Filthy apes.
Flipping over onto her back, Suzaku allows the piece of tattered fabric to collide with her flaming wings and it evaporates in a burst of flashy blue and red light. She exhales a sharp breath through her nose haughtily, dismissing the crazed Spaniard without so much as a word.
Sarah's complaints and efforts likewise prove unworthy of commentary. The winged demon-goddess pulls out of her low-flying trajectory to rise up into the sky once again and the DJ's very impressive flying kick sails harmlessly beneath her.
With all of the distractions momentarily out of the way, Suzaku's attention returns to the source of her irritation. Thus far the primary source of encouragement and combat support has come from Chevy. She is obviously the lynchpin holding this motley crew together and that power of hers the only thing giving them even a vague fighting chance.
Time to rectify that.
Diving down to ground level, Suzaku alights upon the blasted caldera's surface not ten feet before the Southerner. Focused as she is on the directing the torrent of waters to keep her allies safe, the kami sees this is a prime opportunity.
"Burn."
That single word echoes in the air, a divine command that reverberates with raw power. Two fingers are thrust at Chevy, parallel daggers of obsidian that mark her as the object of the kami's wrath. Beneath her feet the earth begins to swelter with incredible heat, the black obsidian quickly turning cherry red like a stove top reaching temperature. The change takes only a few moments and within the span of a single second that searing red circle explodes into a vertical pillar of scarlet fire wide enough to engulf the mortal's entire body and then some.
The lava fissure on the left side starts to bubble up...
The fissure on the right side erupts!
COMBATSYS: Chevy blocks Junko's Tokeru.
JUNKO
[ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
0|---------------|-==============
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Left Fissure 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Right Fissure
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////// ]
Sarah 1/----===/=======|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Chevy 2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|=------\-------\0 Henry
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Tanwen 0/-------/-----<<|=======\-------\1 Rodrigo
[CHEVY]
Chevy's done some impressive things in her time with the NFG, but much of it pales compared to the feats her gifted necklace has allowed her to carry out. Dead-set upon dealing with the fallout from those two ginormous balls of flame falling out of the sky, she's only paying half a mind to the words of her companions as they shout over the roaring tides.
She won't be having any lightning? "... Don't go givin' her any ideas, Tan!" While Tanwen is being flung around, Chevy is swinging her hands to the side of the second fallen orb -- knowing full well that when earth is shaking like it is, the volcano is bound to have a nasty retort!
"Yeah!" she shouts in solidarity with Hawksley -- though she's not really aware of what prompted the cruiserweight to challenge Junko for more! "So long as you keep *tryin' to kill us*, we're gonna fight back harder'n ever!"
She can only assume by the way Henry's shouting that he's joining Hawksley's attack -- but just as -that- is going on, the volcano is belching another eruption of flaming magma at them. Chevy jerks both hands high like a symphonic conductor, raising her waters like a screen to, similarly, douse the flames of the incoming projectiles and make things a -little- less flammable for her fighting friends!
... She only really hears Rodrigo saying to slow it down, though, and her retort is near instant, "I'm *trying* to!"
And it's -right- about the time that Sarah is delivering her kick that Chevy's able to start reeling her water back in preparation for the next surge...
And that's when she turns to find Junko just ten feet away from her with a repeated declaration.
"... Fudge!" Sensing the molten hot ground, she takes a diving leap into her receding waves -- though not without getting her bare legs clipped by the column of raging flame! Her screams of pain are muffled by the water as she dives right in...
A couple moments later, she pops out of the water like in that one movie with the mermaid -- though her face is a -bit- more pained from that exchange. Her legs are, for the moment, just as red as her lifeguard swimsuit, but thankfully for her she's a bit too amped up on adrenaline to let it slow her down much.
"That's awful kind of you, but I pray to Him every night. Even been sayin' prayers for Junko's soul too. 'Cause she ain't ever done nothin' bad but what *you* made her do."
The curious part here, though, is that Chevy left a long tail of water between the start of her dive and now. And if Junko is only paying attention to the waterbender's right hand -- which she thrusts towards the fire phoenix like a palm punch -- she might be missing something. It won't be the six lances of water that fire outward from the waters at her feet. But she -might- get her wings clipped by the six lances of water that rocket -upward- at her from a different angle a half-second later... when the aquadynamic adept pulls her left hand towards herself like a claw!
"Sarah's got the right idea -- it's time to cool things down a smidge!"
[TANWEN]
"Waahhh!"
Tanwen's exclamation as she's caught by the tail once more for another terrestrial tumble is one of surprise, despite the fact that it's almost exactly the same result as the first time that she tried her luck at charging the kami. She ends up on her knees and elbows in the dirt, panting for a moment before scrambling back to her feet and turning a glare back at Junko. "Why don't we both be coming back in a few centuries? That way you can be calmed down and we can have a proper fight." The dragon girl growls at the further barbs coming from the kami's tongue. "They won't be weeping! Dragons don't cry!" she protests, though her own eyes appear to be glistening at the words. "Wait, what do you mean, purgatory?"
Rather than waiting to find out the answer, Tanwen flips the sword in her hand around and adjusts her grip so that the tip is pointed behind her before running toward Junko once more. As she nears, she draws the weapon back and up, then spins around, gripping the Dragon Sword in both hands as she aims to leap and spin into the goddess, exhaling more fire as she attempts to batter Junko up into the air with her blunted blade, burning breath and slapping tail!
COMBATSYS: Hawksley blocks Right Fissure's Steam Spray.
JUNKO
[ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
0|---------------|-==============
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Left Fissure 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Right Fissure
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Sarah 1/----===/=======|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Chevy 1/-------/<<<<<<<|==-----\-------\0 Henry
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Tanwen 0/-------/-------|=======\-------\1 Rodrigo
[HAWKSLEY]
Hawksley is grateful to have his mentoree by his side. Junko may make fast work of dealing with the attacks by both of the Hollywood Heat Boys, but the effort that they and the rest of the NFGers are putting into this fight can't be faulted.
Poor Rodrigo is suffering from some wardrobe malfunctions, which the Irishman can definitely sympathise with. "Hey, Chevy. Got another shirt to help Rodrigo out?" He jokes.
The smile is wiped off the fella's face when the volcano rises up again, this time targeting himself, Henry and Rodrigo at the right of the phoenix. He plants his sneaker-clad feet firmly on the ground and pushes his fists forwards as if trying to hold back the eruption all by himself. Of course the Chevy and Iris combo is making his job a hell of a lot easier than it could have been, and knowing his companions are having to cope with this too, helps him feel a sense of camaraderie towards them. He throws back his head and lets out a howl that seems to come right from his gut, whilst all the while the hot mist settles on his skin.
"You know." He shouts out to Suzaku, over the steam and sounds surrounding them. "I like to play with fire too." As if to prove his point, the pugilist stamps his foot igniting the ground with fierce flames that start to form a circle around he and the firebird. Rushing forwards towards her, he attempts to deliver a devastating lightning-fast punch to her face, with the intention of sending her flying through the wall of fire.
COMBATSYS: Henry blocks Right Fissure's Steam Spray.
JUNKO
[ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
0|---------------|-==============
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Left Fissure 0/-------/------=|=------\-------\0 Right Fissure
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Sarah 1/----===/=======|>>>>---\-------\0 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Chevy 1/-------/<<<<<<<|====---\-------\0 Henry
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Tanwen 0/-------/-------|=======\-------\1 Rodrigo
[HENRY]
Henry can only let out an annoyed tsk as his shield goes wide again, shaking his head. "Do you ever just shut up?" He calls up to the thing that was Junko. "I mean really? All I hear is a bunch of whining, self-pitying garbage and nasty insults, which from some supposed deity is kind of just, well, sad." He catches his shield in time to bring it up in the direction of the steam blowing from one of the vents.
Lowering the shield once more, he picks up his sword, examining the tip sticky with blood that now has some small pits of rock and dirt caked on with a frown. "Going to need to replace this, too." Has mutters, almost sounding sad about it. It's like something just sort of switched over in his brain, the anger gone and just replaced with apathetic disgust.
He waits for Junko in all her dodging and acrobatic maneuvering to come closer to him, and then he moves the few steps to close the distance and swings out with his sword in a diagonal slash, no chi flares, no flourishes.
COMBATSYS: Right Fissure successfully hits Rodrigo with Steam Spray.
JUNKO
[ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
0|---------------|-==============
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Left Fissure 0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0 Right Fissure
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Sarah 1/----===/=======|>>>>---\-------\0 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Chevy 1/-------/<<<<<<<|====---\-------\0 Henry
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////// ]
Tanwen 0/-------/-------|=======\==-----\1 Rodrigo
[RODRIGO]
Rodrigo is a victim of having sacrificed what little remains of his defensive weapon(the cape), in futility, for an offense that never materialized along with having his movement hampered. It meant that the Spaniard had no hope of getting out of the way of the spray of the fissure.
"I would say that being's repugnant. A vile being that revels in its odiousness."
Now that he has uttered his obligatory insult, he sends out yet another thrust not even bother to aim it for a specific location beyond not at his allies.
[SARAH]
Unfortunately, despite her best efforts, it seems Junko has effortlessly avoided her. Which really gets to Sarah, since she's getting tired of battling Junko here. Her patience is running out rapidly, not to mention the volcano isn't making things any better for her either. As Sarah watches from the ginga, she's sizing up what to do.
Then she gets an idea. A slight smirk forms on her face.
"Y'know, this party needs a bit of spicing things up. And I've got just the thing!" With that, Sarah watches Junko carefully before attempting to deliver a cartwheel into her, with the intent being that the blonde-haired disk jockey will stun Junko with her bare feet striking her from above.
If that works, Sarah will then deliver a double spin kick similar to the one she demonstrated earlier, only this time with a bit more speed and chi added in. To top that off, she'll then deliver a swift uppercut also powered with her chi!
COMBATSYS: Junko blocks Chevy's Rinse and Repeat.
JUNKO
[ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
0|---------------|===============
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Left Fissure 0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0 Right Fissure
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Sarah 0/-------/-------|>>>>---\-------\0 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Chevy 1/-------/<<<<<<<|====---\-------\0 Henry
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////// ]
Tanwen 0/-------/-------|=======\==-----\1 Rodrigo
COMBATSYS: Junko dodges Tanwen's Spiral Dragon EX.
JUNKO
[ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
0|---------------|===============
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Left Fissure 0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0 Right Fissure
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Sarah 0/-------/-------|>>>>---\-------\0 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Chevy 1/-------/<<<<<<<|====---\-------\0 Henry
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////// ]
Tanwen 0/-------/-------|=======\==-----\1 Rodrigo
COMBATSYS: Hawksley successfully hits Junko with Burn Baby Burn.
Glancing Blow
JUNKO
[ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
0|---------------|-------========
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Left Fissure 0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0 Right Fissure
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Sarah 0/-------/-------|>>>>---\-------\0 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Chevy 1/-------/<<<<<<<|====---\-------\0 Henry
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////// ]
Tanwen 0/-------/-------|=======\==-----\1 Rodrigo
COMBATSYS: Junko blocks Henry's Random Strike.
JUNKO
[ ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
0|---------------|-------========
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Left Fissure 0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0 Right Fissure
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Sarah 0/-------/-------|>>>>---\-------\0 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Chevy 1/-------/<<<<<<<|====---\-------\0 Henry
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////// ]
Tanwen 0/-------/-------|=======\==-----\1 Rodrigo
COMBATSYS: Junko fully avoids Rodrigo's Random Strike.
JUNKO
[ ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
0|---------------|-----==========
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Left Fissure 0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0 Right Fissure
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Sarah 0/-------/-------|>>>>---\-------\0 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Chevy 1/-------/<<<<<<<|====---\-------\0 Henry
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////// ]
Tanwen 0/-------/-------|=======\==-----\1 Rodrigo
COMBATSYS: Junko dodges Sarah's My Favorite Remix.
JUNKO
[ ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
0|---------------|-----==========
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Left Fissure 0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0 Right Fissure
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Sarah 0/-------/-------|>>>>---\-------\0 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Chevy 1/-------/<<<<<<<|====---\-------\0 Henry
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////// ]
Tanwen 0/-------/-------|=======\==-----\1 Rodrigo
[JUNKO]
Out of all the insults and barbed words that have harmlessly bounced off the kami's newfound confidence, it is the mention of her spiritual prisoner that sparks the flames of rage in her eyes. Suzaku's expression twists into a menacing snarl made all the more imposing by the presence of her demonic alterations.
"No less a fate than she and her wretched ilk deserved!"
While most of those present would find the intensity of her venom towards her own host to be strange, Chevy is one of the privileged few who knows the truth behind Junko's heavy responsibility and the tragedies that it wrought. Even now, somewhere inside of the corrupted goddess, a little part of the miko endures. She had tried to warn her one and only friend about the coming danger by convincing Suzaku to explain the past and reveal the depths of her insane grudge. The pendant radiating power from her neck shows that Chevy had at least prepared a little. But will it be enough?
Unfortunately, things don't seem to be trending in that direction. Though the elementalist's efforts at misdirection are admirable, beings like gods and demons don't rely on their eyes alone to perceive the world. Sensing the build up of power all around her, Suzaku's eyes blaze with a flash of power and rage. Her wings spread wide in a sharp snap and the tips of those brilliant pinions trace a circular line in the air that reaches from her feet all the way above her head. Those multi-hued streaks of color quickly expand into a shimmering dome all around the kami, wrapping her in a sheathe of protective flame even as the water rushes up to strike.
Steam explodes from a half dozen impacts across the surface of the barrier, Chevy's lances of water evaporating into hot mist upon contact. The surface of the shimmering rampart ripples and thins from each strike but none manage to fully penetrate the divine defenses and fresh fire quickly rushes in to fill the gaps.
Her attention is drawn back to the tiny dragonling as she whimpers with denial about the truth of her kin. A cruel smile spreads across the demon's face as she finds a far more receptive ear into which she can spill her poisonous words.
"Already half a century old and none of your elders have considered you worthy of the truth?" Suzaku laughs mockingly as she dances backwards on agile feet, her wings propelling her clear of the wild cyclone of steel and fire. "Or is it perhaps that you've never met them? Did you ever consider, little wyrm, that you might be the last of your kind? And who might be responsible for driving them to extinction!"
Another voice calls out from her side, another one of the humans attempting to get her attention. With a sigh, she shifts her eyes sideways to give the noisy Irishman at quick acknowledgement only to find his fist rapidly closing with her face. Unwilling to give the human the satisfaction of seeing her surprise, Suzaku forcibly keeps her expression calm as she attempts to the shift her head out of the way. She succeeds, for the most part, but the wild haymaker punch manages to clip her hard enough to ring the bell of her irritatingly mortal skull. The blow sends her sideways and the demon quickly compensates by flapping her wings to keep from staggering as she passes harmlessly through the wall of flame.
"Nrgh! You'll pay for your hubris, human!"
Retribution is temporarily put on hold as the kami deals with the rest of the current wave of attempts to bring her down. Sparks fly as another sword strikes out at her only to meet the glowing edge of her barrier and be rebuffed, the blade once more aglow with orange heat. Henry's slash does have the effect of drawing the girl's attention his way which unfortunately alerts her to the approach of the final swordsman in the group. Rodrigo's half-hearted thrust requires an equal amount of effort from its intended target as she takes another wing-assisted step backwards out of the path of the thrusting blade.
And when Sarah comes rushing in to try and seal the deal, the goddess just keeps going, dancing lightly on the heels of her feet as she plays keep away. To her credit, the DJ's efforts seem to harry the goddess thoroughly, and her whirling kicks come tantalizingly close to landing home before the elusive phoenix manages to slip out of reach.
Her vision still swimming somewhat from the clip to the temple, Suzaku's patience has started to wear thin. She's been toying with them for the most part, striking at random targets with enough force to make them feel it, but never moving in to land a finishing blow. It's time to make them feel the despair of inevitability.
A quick consideration of her options makes the choice of targets clear. Having resorted to throw pieces of clothing at her and the obvious lack of spirit behind his most recent strike, it's obvious that the Spaniard's weariness has made him sloppy. Suzaku's eyes narrow on her victim and she suddenly reverses momentum, hurling herself forward with a sharp flap of her wings to plunge right into the middle of the formation.
"You've been trying so hard to get my attention, little man! I graciously grant you your wish!"
Scarlet flame and cyan soul-fire flare around her fists as the demon unleashes a withering barrage of strikes. Almost every attack she has unleashed thus far has been some sort of barrage of energy but the kami aptly demonstrates her mastery of martial technique as she flows through a graceful combination. Coming in low and fast, she aims a shoulder tackle at the man's midsection, striking with enough force to uproot a tree. A quick spin whips her fist across his face in a flaming arc before the impact can even send him flying away, altering the potential trajectory from backwards to sideways. With a malicious grin, Suzaku lunges after the fencer one final time, planting her foot square into his back and driving him down into the ash where she grinds him into the hot stone until they come to a painful stop.
The lava fissure on the right side starts to bubble up...
The fissure on the left side erupts!
COMBATSYS: Left Fissure successfully hits Chevy with Steam Spray.
JUNKO
[ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
0|---------------|---============
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Left Fissure 0/-------/-----==|==-----\-------\0 Right Fissure
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Sarah 0/-------/-------|>>>>---\-------\0 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Chevy 1/------</<<<<<<<|====---\-------\0 Henry
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////// ]
Tanwen 0/-------/-------|=======\==-----\1 Rodrigo
[CHEVY]
It may or may not be true that dragons don't cry. But it takes a brave man to ask a woman to give up her clothing to spare someone else's modesty! "Boooooy...!" She growls at Hawksley in mock outrage. "I ought to whoop you jus' for askin'!"
Even at the end of the first season, Miss Beaumont had a tendency to let her emotions guide her attacks. It's something she's put a lot of practice into improving -- and it shows with the way she's able to maintain her tight emotional bond with her companions, even as the fire phoenix tries to whittle down both their physical and mental defenses.
Chevy's attacks are met with a fiery shield -- one that successfully mitigates attacks from herself and Henry, while leaving her open to the Cork brawler's signature strike!
But ... as much as she'd like to press her assault, her attentions are momentarily pulled away by the tremors rising from the site of the first impact. This time, she doesn't feel the need to devote as -much- attention to the incoming surge of volcanic ire, sweeping her right hand low before whipping it into an upward crescent. Her first motion causes water to fall from thin air like a sudden flash flood! Her second is boosted with a brilliant glow of the necklace, causing the summoned water to rise up as a wall!
Mildly distracted, she barks out a retort to the demonic phoenix: "Shame on you! You know dang well she warn't guilty of anything more than loving her old man! I think Henry done got you pegged more than you wanna--"
Despite the hiss of steam that signals the magma wave's collision with the aquatic wall, a number of rapidly-chilled rocks still manage to punch through anyway. Chevy's rebuttal is rudely interrupted by a pumice boulder slamming into her back from behind! "Nnnrgh!" She howls with pain as the rock's impact forces her to lose her balance, stumbling forward so far that she's forced to catch herself on the hot coals. Grimacing, she shuts her eyelid, channeling her pain and frustration into a cool mist of frost-rimed air, not wanting to give any further voice to her agony.
By this point, though, she opens her eyes to see that the demon is once more seeking to *avoid* Rodrigo's and Sarah's attacks rather than let her barrier deal with them.
But... she can tell that the corrupted goddess is trying to do her worst against Rodrigo! And that's when Chevy also takes note of the pole and bucket in front of her. With a faint smile, she sweeps her hand in a wave to the side, ushering water into the bucket. And in the next moment, she takes off like a runner off the starting blocks, scooping up her pole and bucket in the process.
There's the 'cracking' sound of water molecules condensing into ice, as Chevy grips one end of the pole with the bucket at the other. She begins what -seems- to be a telegraphed swing of the pole -- which resembles more of a giant mallet than its two components -- towards Junko's shoulder!
Her intent, however, is not to actually -hit- Junko with the blunt end of her frosty, ice-filled bucket.
Her intent is to swing the mallet in a circle with her left hand, as Chevy reaches towards Junko's wrist with an ice-fortified gauntlet around her right hand!
"Don't lose hope, y'all! She cain't hold us off forever!
And if she manages to grab hold, the motion of her well-rehearsed move would make Chevy herself the fulcrum for an inertia-boosted swing which would -- if Junko were a mere mortal -- strain and possibly dislocate her shoulder from the rapid counter-clockwise swing! Even the divine being might just get flung off her feet and slammed into the volcanic floor if she happened to miss what the tricksy waterbending wrestler was up to, though...!
COMBATSYS: Tanwen blocks Left Fissure's Steam Spray.
JUNKO
[ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
0|---------------|---============
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Left Fissure 0/-------/----===|==-----\-------\0 Right Fissure
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Sarah 0/-------/-------|>>>>---\-------\0 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Chevy 0/-------/-======|=====--\-------\0 Henry
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////// ]
Tanwen 0/-------/------=|=======\==-----\1 Rodrigo
[TANWEN]
Frustration is starting to mount in Tanwen's features as she finds herself cleaving the air once again, though it's momentarily replaced by vertigo as she lands from her spin in a dizzying twirl. Small circular trenches are dug into the earth by her feet as her motion is arrested. She nearly topples forward before arresting her fall by stabbing her sword into the earth and leaning against it as she pants for breath. The words of the toxic goddess linger in her ears.
'Did you ever consider, little wyrm, that you might be the last of your kind? And who might be responsible for driving them to extinction!'
In truth, while the dragon may rightly come across as naive and unworldly, the question is one that has been dwelling in the back of her mind for years. There were certainly no other dragons on her island of Flat Holm (even if there were plenty of slow worms). She's read dozens of books or more on the subject of dragons in the nearest libraries. With the advent of the Internet, she hoped to find where the dragons were all staying, but neither the old bulletin boards nor the more recent FightBook had had any member groups for her kind, and all of the information she has ever found has pointed to dragons as a thing of the past, if not entirely mythological.
Obviously, she must have come from somewhere. Having hatched from an egg, she must have had a mother, and unless dragons really are weird, probably a father, too. But she has never found any sign of either.
Tanwen has already had to confront the possibility that her kind may well be extinct, and that it may have been the very human race that she has insinuated herself amongst in her quest to find her kind that has been responsible for wiping them out. After all, humans have form. Just look at the dodos, the Western black rhino, the passenger pigeon, and the Barbary lion. It was bad enough when humans figured out how to use spears; give them guns and they'll wipe out just about anything.
As the wings fold into her back, the claws on her extremities turn into nails and the scales recede from her skin, a single teardrop trickles down from Tanwen's eye and hits the volcanic rock below, sizzling and fading away.
Can dragons cry after all, or is Tanwen turning into a human, quietly allowing her real identity be subsumed until her kind disappears for good?
'Don't lose hope, y'all! She cain't hold us off forever!'
The words snap Tanwen from her crisis just in time for her to hold up her sword, breaking the jet of steam that blasts out at her from the rupturing fissure so that it only grazes her sides. Tanwen's expression steels as she feels anger rising up inside her, matching the heat of the steam on her cheeks.
"Yes, well, sometimes humans aren't very nice," a freshly moistened Tanwen concedes to Junko's statement, "and you really can't be trusting them with conventional weaponry. But you're wanting to do the same thing as the meanest humans! You even did it to all the cute animals on my island!"
Tanwen takes off on her feet, brandishing her sword. "And if that's what the other dragons were like, then I'm not surprised they're gone! So if one of us is going to have to go extinct, then so be it! And if it turns out to be you, I hope you don't forget that we could have been having a cup of tea instead!"
The Welsh dragonette leaps at Junko, steel flashing as she aims a reckless slash at the kami!
[HAWKSLEY]
It's satisfying to smack his fist into the Suzaku's face, even if Hawksley would have liked to have hit her harder. He allows himself the briefest of smiles before he's back in action. He again moves in close to the kami and tries to hit her with one, two, three quick jabs from his left hand, before flowing into a right-handed cross punch and then going for a final jab with his left. It's a classic boxing manoeuvre, but most of the opponents he's faced in a ring don't have wings to escape.
"You already whooped me, cailin." The Cork cruiserweight reminds the waterbender, as she fires back at him. "A couple of times now, from what I recall."
Tanwen the dragon girl makes a fair point about all those cute creatures being destroyed by the cruel actions of the demon. Coco's been up in arms about it during their time on the island. That and the lack of clothes stores and Chanel beauty counters.
"Come on!" He urges on the other fighters. "Chevy's right, where there's life there's hope and we're all still standing. Even if I wasn't, I'd have a bloody good go at getting back up again."
[HENRY]
There's a moment of satisfying resistance to his sword strike. Sure, it may be against defenses, but the fact that his sword has come in contact with something rather than just another harmless whiff through the air is of some gratification. Even if he has to take a half step back and readjust his grip.
The look Henry gives to those who are still in high spirits and cheering is reminiscent of the look a night owl gives a morning person before eight in the morning and copious amounts of coffee. A mix of I want to sleep and bewilderment at how someone is so alert at the moment. He just sighs softly and returns his attention mostly to the demon bird. He hisses as she goes after Rodrigo and he gives chase. Mustering up a bit of strength he lifts his sword overhead, bringing it down in a cleaving slash as he tries to clip their opponent with some part of his blade.
COMBATSYS: Rodrigo interrupts Charged Combo EX from Junko with Frenzied Barrage.
JUNKO
[ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
1|--------------=|===============
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Left Fissure 0/-------/----===|==-----\-------\0 Right Fissure
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Sarah 0/-------/-------|====---\-------\0 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Chevy 0/-------/-======|=====--\-------\0 Henry
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Tanwen 0/-------/------=|
COMBATSYS: Rodrigo can no longer fight.
JUNKO
[ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
1|--------------=|===============
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Left Fissure 0/-------/----===|==-----\-------\0 Right Fissure
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Sarah 0/-------/-------|====---\-------\0 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Chevy 0/-------/-======|=====--\-------\0 Henry
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Tanwen 0/-------/------=|
[RODRIGO]
While the others allowed themselves to be powered by hope and friendship, Rodrigo is powered by pettiness and spite. He knows he's too hindered by injury to get out of the way, nor is in good enough condition to weather the firestorm and hold firm against it either in defense or to utilize it to give an attack of his own. No. Rodrigo opts to strike simultaneously as the being's initial shoulder charge with a thrust delivered to her thigh. He is sent stumbling backwards but he manages in a bit of desperation to reach out for the shoulder to keep himself upright.
Now that he has sorted out his balance he then reaches out to palm the head and shoves her away right into the ideal range for continuing the attack, after all, where the head goes, the body usually follows. His blade flashes as rapidly stabs her in the shoulders and neck muscles, the wings, the abdomen, and the legs. Once again the blade moving quickly enough that it looks like it is attacking multiple places all at once. More and more blood coats the blade with each and every subsequent thrust. When he finally is satisfied with having a chance to display his swordsmanship, he limps a half a step forward.
"It's said that it's better to be silent and thought of as a fool. All through this fight, you've opened your mouth and removed all doubt."
He then delivers a final front kick to the stomach as he falls away, the last thought in his head right before it claps the ground removing consciousness from him was, 'My presence here was not pointless.'
COMBATSYS: Sarah dodges Left Fissure's Steam Spray.
JUNKO
[ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
1|--------------=|===============
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Left Fissure 0/-------/----===|==-----\-------\0 Right Fissure
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Sarah 0/-------/------=|====---\-------\0 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Chevy 0/-------/-======|=====--\-------\0 Henry
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Tanwen 0/-------/------=|
[SARAH]
The battle shows no signs of ending anytime soon, but Sarah refuses to give up hope. Junko seems to have a neverending amount of stamina within her. Not to mention, her Rhythm Renegade partner has gone down for the count! But despite the overwhelming odds, Sarah still intends to keep fighting to the very end.
"Poor Rodrigo," Sarah says sympathetically from the ginga, closing her eyes for a moment before looking at Junko again. "Even if I don't win, it doesn't matter, because I know I didn't give up in the face of these overwhelmingly hopeless odds!"
Sarah does a couple of forwards handsprings towards Junko. "I admit I never expected someone like you to ruin what I thought would be a chance to have a good time on this island, but I do know that I'm gonna do my best to make you pay!" Sarah then attempts to follow up with a swift Capoeira-style sweeping kick.
COMBATSYS: Junko dodges Chevy's Riptide.
JUNKO
[ ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
1|--------------=|===============
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Left Fissure 0/-------/----===|==-----\-------\0 Right Fissure
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Sarah 0/-------/------=|====---\-------\0 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Chevy 0/-------/-======|=====--\-------\0 Henry
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Tanwen 0/-------/------=|
COMBATSYS: Junko fully avoids Tanwen's Power Strike.
JUNKO
[ ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
1|-------------==|===============
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Left Fissure 0/-------/----===|==-----\-------\0 Right Fissure
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Sarah 0/-------/------=|====---\-------\0 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Chevy 0/-------/-======|=====--\-------\0 Henry
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Tanwen 0/-------/------=|
COMBATSYS: Junko dodges Hawksley's Cherry Bomb ES.
JUNKO
[ ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
1|-------------==|===============
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Left Fissure 0/-------/----===|==-----\-------\0 Right Fissure
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Sarah 0/-------/------=|====---\-------\0 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Chevy 0/-------/-======|=====--\-------\0 Henry
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Tanwen 0/-------/------=|
COMBATSYS: Junko dodges Henry's Power Strike.
JUNKO
[ ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
1|-------------==|===============
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Left Fissure 0/-------/----===|==-----\-------\0 Right Fissure
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Sarah 0/-------/------=|====---\-------\0 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Chevy 0/-------/-======|=====--\-------\0 Henry
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Tanwen 0/-------/------=|
COMBATSYS: Sarah successfully hits Junko with Light Kick.
JUNKO
[ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
1|-----------====|===============
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Left Fissure 0/-------/----===|==-----\-------\0 Right Fissure
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Sarah 0/-------/------=|====---\-------\0 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Chevy 0/-------/-======|=====--\-------\0 Henry
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Tanwen 0/-------/------=|
[JUNKO]
Hatred can be a powerful motivator, often times even greater than hope. Hope is based on an ephemeral belief in the possibility that one can escape their present suffering; spite is simply taking all of that suffering and channeling it into something productive. The latter produces immediate tangible results and, even if it comes at great cost to one's self, when you are already steeped in misery then what's a little more?
That simple truth is the prime motivation behind Suzaku's own crusade. Hatred the likes of which mortals cannot even begin to fathom drives her to terrible purpose, a raw desire to inflict the same misery that she had suffered back upon those she considers responsible. But, while a human can't reach the same primal depths of raw emotion available to a god, that doesn't stop them from taking their own little speck of malice and wielding it to great effect.
A blade driven by pure contempt lances into the goddess's flesh even as she brings her terrible might crashing down upon the matador. An expression of disbelief washes over her face for a brief moment as the rapier draws divine blood once again. Both combatants recoil from the clash, she out of surprise and he out of injury, but Rodrigo's disgust for the demon quickly pushes him into motion before she can regain her senses.
The flurry of blows rains down upon Suzaku in a storm of flashing steel. The goddess hisses with outrage, the blade poking bigger holes in her pride than her flesh, but she's forced on the defensive for a few precious moments as she bats the deadly weapon away from striking any truly vital locations; she's already lost one eye and she'll be damned - well, more damned - if she's going to let them take another trophy this day.
The final insult of a simple kick to the gut drives Suzaku back a step. Dozens of tiny scratches, cuts, and pokes mars her still pale skin. The corrupted obsidian covering her right arm and side seems to have deflected any attempts to wound her there but the rest of her exposed torso weeps thin rivulets of scarlet.
"What greater fool than a man who defies the gods? You have no right to criticize the eternal. Know your place, worm!"
As the mortal collapses, Suzaku spits a wad of bloody saliva upon his fallen form. Without any further waste of words, she lifts her demonic claw and aims her palm at the helpless matador, blazing power bursting to life around her fingers as she prepares to put an end to his prattling for good.
Having briefly experienced rage-induced tunnel vision, the kami is given a quick reminder that there are others who yet stand against her. The air grows slightly more chill at her back and she hurls herself in the opposite direction, slipping free of both the pole and Chevy's grasping fingers.
"Do you really think repeating those words over and over will manifest them as truth," she snarls, wings spreading wide as the phoenix prepares to take to the air once more. "The Heavens have abandoned your ilk just as you turned your back on them! Naught but death and despair remain to be woven into the tapestry of fate and I shall spin the thread from your blighted souls!"
On another front, the seed of misery that she planted into the mind of the young dragon bears fruit. The single tear that runs down her face is enough to put a wicked sneer on the demon's evil mien as Tanwen processes her words. Unsurprisingly, the wyrmling attempts to justify the inevitable conclusion by assuming the worst of her kin. So quick to turn on her own kind. How easy it is to spread the flames of discord in an impressionable mind.
"Tea? Hah! When this is over I'll gorge on your blood from the broken remains of your skull!"
The dragon's mighty blade cleaves heroically through the air, carving a deadly arc towards its intended target. A sharp clang rings out as the sword makes contact - only to rebound straight into the stone as the kami steps forward and meets the strike with one of her obsidian claws. A deft flick of her wrist at the precise moment of impact deflects the heavy weapon to the side, sparks flying from the blunt edge as it grinds against her demonic armor before being shunted harmlessly away.
With a twisted melodic laugh, Suzaku continues her forward lunge and pirouettes into a spin behind the dragonling, treating her like a dance partner to be handed off to the next person in line. Hawksley is quick to take the little Welsh lizard's place, extending his own invitation to tango in the form of a flurry of punches. The kami continues to flutter lightly in a circle, dragging the drunken boxer around in chase of her elusive footwork. The protege attempts to intervene most rudely, no doubt out of jealously for her attentions, but the phoenix gracefully sidesteps both his lack of manners and clumsy swing.
Despite seeming to be merely caught up in the riptide of the situation, the out of place DJ quickly reminds everyone that she isn't just some helpless bystander. A pair of impressive, and seemingly unnecessary, flips bring the capoerista into range of the melee. Suzaku turns and plants one foot on the stone, clearly planning to hop away again, but the sudden snap kick at her ankle proves just fast enough to catch the goddess out. She winces, her foot twisting painfully even as she darts clear of the group, but even a solid strike such as that hardly seems to phase the immortal.
Well. It seems that her plan to demoralize the group by taking out the weakest link had the opposite effect. Either they didn't actually care about him that much or she needs to push the dagger a little further in to find a sensitive nerve. And she knows precisely which one to pluck.
Molten eyes turn towards Chevy, the cornerstone of the group's unbreakable cheer. Even now some little piece of her rebels against what she plans to do, the spirit of that foolish girl still trying to exert her influence. Suzaku crushes that resistance with a thought, her wings hurling her back towards the center of the group both literally and figuratively.
Moving like a flash of lightning, the demon alights upon the ground before Chevy. Her hand snaps up, the cruel sharp claws of obsidian reaching out wrap about the girl's throat. She squeezes hard enough to dig the edges of her stony digits into the soft flesh, reducing any efforts to offer final words of defiance into meaningless gurgles. For a brief moment, she meets the human's gaze, peering into her bright blue eyes with a mocking sneer. And then the world inverts into a kaleidoscope of suffering.
A hazy sphere of pure darkness explodes into being around the goddess and her former friend, expanding from the demon's corrupted flesh until both are smothered in the umbral orb. Without anything but blasted rock all around them the impact of the corruption is difficult to notice from the outside. Inside, however, the very energies of life simply go still, all but eradicating the vital essence of whatever happens to be caught in its black embrace.
It all happens so quickly. The orb flares into horrible existence for only a few moments, burning an image of the world's colors inverted upon the eyes of those who witness its anti-life energies like the negative of an old photograph. The very air itself goes still, a wave of cold as hellishly intense as the phoenix's flames washes out over the battlefield in that brief instant.
And then it's gone. The void vanishes, reality returns to normal with a bracing blast of heat. And should she be unfortunate enough to be caught up in that tiny flicker of death, the poor girl who dared show empathy and understanding to the former miko emerges from the experience with her soul scoured down the core, her very life force flowing into the demon's body as tiny tendrils of blue mist while the kami smiles smugly down at her.
The lava fissure on the left side starts to bubble up...
The fissure on the right side erupts!
COMBATSYS: Junko knocks away Chevy with Shi no Hoshoku EX.
JUNKO
[ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
0|---------------|-------------==
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Left Fissure 0/-------/----===|==-----\-------\0 Right Fissure
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Sarah 0/-------/------=|====---\-------\0 Hawksley
[ \\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Chevy 1/--=====/=======|=======\-------\1 Henry
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Tanwen 0/-------/------=|
[CHEVY]
With as much as Suzaku has gone out of her way to be a vile, contemptuous avatar of hatred, simply spitting on the matador who had landed a second succession of his strikes upon her just feels a little off-brand. Chevy whimpers with a pang of sympathy as Rodrigo loses his battle with consciousness. But, she somehow comes to the same conclusion he did -- that he left his own marks on the demon goddess. Rodrigo understood the stakes here and wasn't about to let the corrupted phoenix get her way without retribution.
With renewed determination, she cries out tearfully, "His *place* is right here alongside his friends! All for one, like... and one for all!"
For the moment, though, the taller of the island's Queens has another solemn duty -- soothing the tempers of the aggrieved volcano. Chevy draws back after her attack, barking out a mirthless laugh at Suzaku's rebuttal as she sweeps her hands in low circles to summon the tides once more. With a waver in her voice due to the swell of emotion over Rodrigo, she nonetheless hollers out a boast: "It got me this far! If it warn't for repeatin' those words, I'da give up after my fight with Tamaki!"
The pace of the fight feels... good to her. Rodrigo may have fallen -- but the hayseed feels there's a real chance in this fight. She knows the stakes are high -- but she can put her faith in Tanwen. The red dragon may be returning to human form, but there's no doubting her steadfast determination in fighting for what she believes to be right.
"Ain't no need for that, they got some teacups in the cottages..." The hayseed prattles on -- hoping to defuse the oppressive demon's taunting with some encouraging banter.
As for Hawksley -- well, maybe she -did- give him a couple whoopings, she admits with a dark laugh. The prankster's heart's always been in the right place. And Henry -- in the midst of gathering her tide, she flashes a brief smile at him for the moment in which she makes eye contact: yes, she's one of those dreaded morning people. in the midst of gathering her tides for the next belch of volcanic bile.
Water falls from the sky, as if the very fabric of the air peels apart about three feet from the ground. Iris' charm has brought the improbable squarely into the waterbender's grasp. And even if the prepared charm won't work anywhere else in the world, she feels like she can benefit from the experience in the future. She breathes a silent prayer as she raises the tide into a wall, just as she had before, to sieve away all but the larger and sturdier chunks of molten metal and stone from punching through to Hollywood Heat...
As steam hisses from the tides, she smiles faintly as Sarah manages to leave her own marks upon the corrupted goddess. Lifting her pole high, she hollers out, "Heck yeah! Way to go, DJ Supernova!"
She sweeps her water around in a wave, preparing to renew her assault on Suzaku...
But all of a sudden, the pace is... off. It's... nigh impossible to breathe. And her blue eyes are staring back into the Vermilion Bird herself, shuddering with growing fear that she'd been misreading the -true- pace of the fight.
Hauled off her feet by the suddenness, the hog wrestler begins to flail about, to try and snap herself free. Scales press into her throat, pinching off any attempt at rebuttal. She coughs and chokes, but finds the air to complete such a cough lacking. The twenty-year-old struggles, finding herself completely at the mercy of the eternal.
And that reminds her of the words just spoken. The supposed foolishness of defying the Gods themselves. And that just makes her sad and frustrated all over again.
But she's -not- foolish, she insists. It is the -imperative- of anyone whose life is threatened to fight back with all their strength. And Miss Beaumont, not only struggling to breathe, begins the struggle against her captor. She drops her pole and bucket; without momentum or leverage, the weapons are mere liabilities. Instead, she grasps hold of Suzaku's forearm, her palms and fingers burning from the heat. Her face turns red from the rush of blood as she writhes against the hold.
Time... begins to lose all meaning to her.
Adrenaline -- the body's own nitrous oxide canister.
Her thoughts flit to all the things that had gone right so far. They took advantage of multiple attack vectors, having lured Suzaku into a false sense of security against these 'upstart' kids with their sassy language and unfocused attacks. They opened up opportunities for attack.
Her thoughts move to what she -hadn't- gotten to do yet -- actually *hit* Suzaku with something as serious as the clipped wing. Something that would slow her down. Something that would stand a chance against the blistering heat.
Her thoughts drift to... the sensation of cold taking hold upon her. The lifeforce being pulled away from her, warmth seeping from her bones like a hot water bottle left out on the porch during a blizzard. Sweat beads on her forehead -- sweat she can feel pulsing, vibrating from each violent shake delivered to her throat.
Her thoughts migrate to... every nerve in her body telling her to fight back against this, to get the pressure off her throat. Her fingertips press back against the iron grip; thumbs try to pry the offending digits loose, to open up her windpipe, to no avail.
Her thoughts shift to... how her fingers -ought- to feel like they're burning up. Only to feel nothing at all. Is this ... an adrenaline thing?
Her irises dilate. And the entire world goes screwy.
Wait. Everything just -changed.-
The sphere of darkness expands threefold, tenfold.
What was black is now white.
What was light is now dark.
And what was hot is now...
. . . Opportunity.
It would be impossible for someone not having the very life choked out of them to recognize. It would be impossible if Suzaku weren't just an avatar of flame, but a vengeful goddess capable of rending life itself from the living. It would be impossible, if Suzaku hadn't been holding onto her. None of that would have worked at all.
But here.
In Suzaku's grasp.
Chevy strains to smile with half-lidded eyes, despite the choking.
And freezes in place, like an ice cube.
With the absence of heat, rune-boosted water molecules freeze one after another in a massive chain reaction, an award-winning domino competition of crackling and freezing that starts with Chevy's freezing hands and rippling outward to envelop the entirety of the former Thunder teammates' bodies. With the goddess' oppressive aura of fire and brimstone, such an attack wouldn't even touch the possessed miko's alabaster skin. But without, the two would be momentarily locked in place, frozen together as securely as the iceberg that downed a luxury ocean liner. The ice expands in place as it freezes, delivering crushing force from all angles simultaneously.
Chevy can't breathe. And she hopes, for at least one fleeting moment, that the constricting ice can convey that helpless desperation to Suzaku as well.
But wait, there's more. For as the hayseed squints back at Suzaku, as the color spectrum restores itself from photographic negative land, her surprise is revealed...
A tsunami, falling from the sky.
Thousands of gallons of water deliver a powerful crushing blow to the goddess. Even if Chevy loses consciousness, even if she were to be cut loose from her mortal coil, gravity is inevitable.
Chevelle may have read the pace wrong. She might not be able to help Tanwen make her case against Junko any further. She might not be able to help set up opportunities for Hawksley's pugilistic punishment. She might not be able to give Henry a crack at the goddess' other eye. She might not get to thank Rodrigo and Sarah for leaping in to save their bacon. And she might not get to say any final words at all to the people that matter to her -- Iris, for the necklace, or Buck for standing beside her as long as he has. Or to her momma -- for inspiring her to keep fighting against even the bleakest odds.
She might not. Or maybe she will. But for right now, her pale body is subject to the whims of the descending column of water as they seek to crush Suzaku.
And thus, the Ocean Queen of Zack Island concludes her first regnal act.
COMBATSYS: Chevy can no longer fight.
JUNKO
[ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
0|---------------|-------------==
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Left Fissure 0/-------/----===|==-----\-------\0 Right Fissure
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Sarah 0/-------/------=|====---\-------\0 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Tanwen 0/-------/------=|=======\-------\1 Henry
[TANWEN]
Again, Tanwen's efforts find little success as her sword is deflected away by the phoenix's talons. A scowl turns Tanwen's lips downward at the corners as Suzaku makes her intentions for the dragon's skull known. There's only one thing that the dragonling can say about such words.
"That's not very nice, Die-Dodgy Junko."
The goddess is finally struck a few palpable hits, but unfortunately, Rodrigo seems to be destined for the same fate as the Danish Prince. "That's not very nice, either!" Tanwen calls out as she moves to interpose herself between Suzaku and the downed post-matador duelist, but it's her mentor that draws the firebird's attention instead.
Tanwen goes wide-eyed as Suzaku takes hold of Chevy, a tremor running through her as her lizard heart pounds in her human chest.
"You... you be putting her down!" the dragon girl blurts out as her pupils shrink, flashing amber as the fire of draconic wrath is stoked once more. The spiritual pressure of the confrontation between the Vermilion Bird and the Ocean Queen holds her back from her instinct to throw herself directly into the melee and save her friend. She sees the tsunami falling from the sky. It's a natural instinct for her to avoid such an antithetical element to her nature, regardless of the summoner. But greater than that pressure, spiritual and primal, is the need to keep her fellow Queen from further harm.
And to punish the one responsible for the harm already done.
With a raging battlecry, the Fire Queen of Zack Island rockets in, aiming to try for one more horned headbutt - after all, third time's the charm, isn't it? - though this time, rather than a winged dive at ramming speed, she'll rock back on her heels as she gets near the goddess to simply try and slam her forehead into the demon's, heedless of the folly of simply throwing her body against that of a being so much higher level than she is. And as if that weren't enough, and with a complete abandonment of the manners that she's been raised with by her kindly Welsh guardian, she'll then try and spit upon Suzaku's very visage - not merely saliva, but a remnant of the kami's flame mixed with her own to ignite the spray of inflammable dragon spit in a blinding fiery flash - hopefully distracting enough to keep Suzaku from eluding the impending cascade!
COMBATSYS: Hawksley blocks Right Fissure's Flying Rocks.
JUNKO
[ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
0|---------------|-------------==
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Left Fissure 0/-------/----===|==-----\-------\0 Right Fissure
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Sarah 0/-------/------=|=====--\-------\0 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Tanwen 0/-------/-------|=======\-------\1 Henry
[HAWKSLEY]
Hawksley can tell his Hollywood Heat partner, Henry is feeling downhearted and despondent. "Chin up, fella." He encourages him, trying to put on his happiest face despite the fact he's hurting.
Rodrigo is in an even worse way and it's not long before the Spaniard is sent to the ground. The caped fighter has put in a good performance but the firebird is simply too powerful for him. Probably for all of them put together.
The Irishman is a solid boxer, but facing an opponent who can float like a butterfly and sting like a bee is proving to be pretty brutal. His fists only find air as Junko flutters away. He feels her focus switch to someone else entirely.
As Suzaku sets her sights on Chevy, who's still cheering on the rest of the group, Hawksley recognises what the demon's game is. She's going to try and take out the biggest threat to her, both physically and emotionally. Somewhere deep inside, he suspects that the girl who accepted strawberry shortcake from the redhead remains in there and she's likely got a soft spot for her former teammate. The villainess likely hates that with a passion. Therefore she must destroy this potential vulnerability.
As the volcano rises up to reach he and Henry again, Hawksley holds it off, helped by the water magic from the Chevy and Iris combo. The farmgirl can't find enough to aid herself though and she too falls, the second of them to succumb to the seething hatred of their foe.
Seeing his friend struggle is a hard cross to bear. Hawksley feels truly helpless as he watches the breath exit her body. She's not done yet though. She has one last surprise for Suzaku as the tsunami threatens to wash over her.
Talking of Manic Street Preacher's songs, here comes the Welsh woman to bring her moral judgement into the mix. The brawler can't help but laugh, sending some light back into his heart amidst the horror that's all around them. "You tell her, Tanwen." He calls out, before moving up beside her to take advantage of the distraction of the dragon's attack, to launch one of his own. The Cork cruiserweight isn't aiming for anything flashy. He keeps things simple by swinging at the phoenix with the full power of his fist, aiming to hit her as hard as he can in the head.
COMBATSYS: Henry endures Right Fissure's Flying Rocks.
JUNKO
[ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
0|---------------|-------------==
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Left Fissure 0/-------/----===|===----\-------\0 Right Fissure
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Sarah 0/-------/------=|=====--\-------\0 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////// ]
Tanwen 0/-------/-------|=======\===----\1 Henry
[HENRY]
"You're scum!" Henry shouts at the thing that claims to be a god as first Rodrigo and then Chevy fall, each blow bringing a wince to Henry's face. No, he's not degected, he's just bottled up most of his emotions to try to keep a cool head, but anger bursts free once more. "You'd call him a fool for facing his struggles head on? Fighting despite difficulties?" Henry turns his head and spits off to the side, the saliva pink with blood. "When all you can do is insult and beat up on those with less power than you? You're pathetic. You aren't worthy of worship, only disdain. Those two had more courage and honor than you will ever know."
His blade begins to glow at his speech, crimson light swirling around it, coalescing and extending the tip of the blade.
He looks aside at the gurgling fissure near him and runs towards it, coming to a stop straddling it with a wild, almost crazy grin across his face. "This is going to suck." He says to himself, then even manages a small laugh."
He tucks his sword turned chi-spear under his arm and crouches, and as the fissure rumbles, he kicks of with twin bursts from the soles of his feet, using the explosion from the fissure for extra propulsion.
It burns and reddens his skin, and rocks flying past him leave red lines across him as they cut into him, but he's moving with renewed speed.
He aims for Junko, thrusting the chi lance forward at his opponent, trying to score a hit in a jousting pass. Then once past the demon, he spins around, whipping his weapon about for a second strike to the back.
[SARAH]
Sarah managed to land a decent enough kick against Junko, but it's done little good it seems. Not to mention, they've also lost another ally... this time it's Chevy!
"You fought bravely," Sarah says solemnly. "I hope we see each other again after this." She takes a deep breath and blows it out. "I never thought in all my life I'd be in such a battle, but I do know that now that I've gotten myself into it, I can't back out!"
Despite the fact she's sweating and the injuries she's sustained are still hurting her, Sarah's not giving up. Remaining in the ginga, Sarah continues to watch Junko, expecting to get a blast of steam or something from her. Instead, it seems Junko is ignoring her, as are the steam geysers.
"How can we beat her?" Sarah wonders aloud. Her thoughts begin to clutter, but she shakes her head as she attempts to keep her thoughts stable. "Can't give up now."
Unsure of what she should do, Sarah throws another butterfly at Junko. Or rather, a projectile that loosely resembles a butterfly. "We won't go down without a fight!"
COMBATSYS: Chevy successfully hits Junko with Gulf Stream.
JUNKO
[ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
0|---------------|---------======
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Left Fissure 0/-------/----===|===----\-------\0 Right Fissure
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Sarah 0/-------/------=|=====--\-------\0 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////// ]
Tanwen 0/-------/-------|===----\-------\0 Henry
COMBATSYS: Junko blocks Tanwen's Dazzle!.
JUNKO
[ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
0|---------------|---------======
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Left Fissure 0/-------/----===|===----\-------\0 Right Fissure
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Sarah 0/-------/------=|=====--\-------\0 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////// ]
Tanwen 0/-------/------=|===----\-------\0 Henry
COMBATSYS: Junko dodges Hawksley's Strong Punch.
JUNKO
[ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
0|---------------|---------======
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Left Fissure 0/-------/----===|===----\-------\0 Right Fissure
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Sarah 0/-------/------=|=====--\-------\0 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////// ]
Tanwen 0/-------/------=|===----\-------\0 Henry
COMBATSYS: Junko blocks Henry's Unicorn Respectant.
JUNKO
[ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
0|---------------|--------=======
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Left Fissure 0/-------/----===|===----\-------\0 Right Fissure
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Sarah 0/-------/------=|=====--\-------\0 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////// ]
Tanwen 0/-------/------=|===----\-------\0 Henry
COMBATSYS: Junko blocks Sarah's Flash Butterfly.
JUNKO
[ ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
0|---------------|--------=======
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Left Fissure 0/-------/----===|===----\-------\0 Right Fissure
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Sarah 0/-------/------=|=====--\-------\0 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////// ]
Tanwen 0/-------/------=|===----\-------\0 Henry
[JUNKO]
"Your struggles are futile, mortal."
The words of the goddess could almost be considered angelic, her soft gentle tone echoed melodically by the phantoms of a thousand souls, were it not for the obvious venom intermixed with every syllable. Trapped within a single moment of utter blackness, a void devoid of warmth, love, or life, the world outside seems to vanish leaving only the two of them. A devilish smile pulls the corner of the demon's lips up at Chevy's attempt to pry her cold obsidian claws away from her throat, the girl's efforts accomplishing naught but to dig the cruel sharp edges into the soft flesh.
"You are unlike the others. You have always sought to understand. To soothe."
Suzaku's twisted mirth spreads to her eyes as they narrow ever so slightly, malice twisting the seas of souls and flame into a pair of churning maelstroms. Her fingers tighten, squeezing just a little harder, in a subtle gesture of control that demonstrates she could easily just snap the hayseed's neck like a twig at any time of her choosing.
"And so I gift you that which you have always wanted - a glimpse into my soul."
Somehow the blackness around them grows deeper, more intense and the soul-crushing cold - no, the absence of life - intensifies along with it. The warmth of her body begins to evaporate under the pressure of that pressure, wafting off her skin in a thin blue mist like hot breath on a frigid winter morning. All of the joy that she had been spreading freely unto her allies until only moments ago turns to poison in her veins, that happiness burning through her like bubbling acid despite the numbness of her rapidly failing body. The hope on her tongue withers into a mouthful of foul ash that makes what few gasping breaths she is allowed to take stick in her throat and choke her anew.
As her mortal mind struggles to comprehend what it is that she is experiencing the answer suddenly becomes clear. It's just as the kami said - she is seeing the contents of a soul consumed by betrayal and rage. There is no life to be found within. No warmth to take comfort from. Every thought of happiness or hope crumbles to dust to be replaced with nothing but a cold emptiness.
It is perhaps amusing in its irony. Within the core of the deity of fiery rage burns nothing but an empty hearth, even the embers of her once bottomless love for mankind long since smothered by an ocean of endless hate. But, an irony yet greater still emerges from this contradiction, for within that frozen heart lies the key to salvation.
Suzaku's eyes widen in genuine terror as she realizes her mistake.The kami attempts to withdraw, releasing her death grip on the adept's neck and taking a step backwards, but it's far too late. Ice so cold that it burns creeps up her blackened flesh like mold on rotten fruit, first consuming her demonic arm and then spreading quickly to the rest of her body.
A screech of rage and fear hammers the air, sheer desperation warping the air around her with enough power to shake the very stone. Wings of blue and red flame spread wide, flapping in a mad frenzy as the phoenix struggles to free herself from this insidious trap. Heat floods the caldera carried on the wild gales created by her efforts, hot ash billowing out in every direction like clouds of stinging insects.
A sharp crack fills the air. Suzaku's eyes narrow with a sudden angry defiance as the ice encrusting her body begins to shatter and split. She snarls at the mortal as one leg comes free, all traces of fear gone from her face to be replaced by a look of sheer rage.
Time seems to dilate as the cracks rapidly spread. As powerful as her will and determination might be, Chevy is ultimately, just a mortal. That she had bound the goddess, even for a moment, is a feat of legend; to believe herself capable of more was simply hubris.
An arm rips free, crimson flame surging to life around pale fingers in an instant. Divine flame chews into the remaining rime, burning it away even as the torrent of crushing liquid begins to drop like an anvil upon the entwined pair. Within moments the rest of it melts and the goddess spreads her wings, ready to slip this noose as she has so many others.
And yet, when she turns to flee, her body comes to a sudden jolting halt. Confused, the angry demon turns her head back towards the human only to find that her fingers yet remain frozen to the hydromancer's throat. Focusing all of her power into the tips of her fingers she tugs again only to get the same result even as the obsidian within in the ice begins to glow red hot from her efforts.
"How?! How are you...?!"
The kami's question catches in her throat, her eyes going wide as she notices something that she had missed before. There, beneath the crystalline surface of the ice, is an almost imperceptible shimmer of a silhouette. Thin pale fingers wrap around her wrist in a tight grip, holding her fast. Suzaku's eyes rapidly trace the outline of the ghostly arm up, following it all the way to shoulder, and then to a face of a young human girl with a bright red ribbon in her pale white hair. The ghost glares back at her in defiant silence even as she digs in her heels and holds on with every ounce of will she has left.
"Noooo...!"
A miniature ocean of cold water falls upon the avatar of flame, her divine mandate defied, if only briefly. It proves long enough. A scream of agony shakes the volcano once more as the goddess's fire is doused. Her wings erupt into twin plumes of colorful steam before sputtering and fading out under the deluge, even a god unable to resist the simple reality of elemental influence.
A blinding cloud of scalding mist floods the center of the caldera for several seconds until the roaring mountain breeze eventually ushers it away. The aftermath of Chevy's incredible moment of final defiance proves telling, if not quite as decisive as the embattled mortals would have liked. The remains of the demon's wings flicker like candles in a headwind, tiny pathetic plumes of color where great majestic plumage once burned. The remains of the tsunami spread out around Suzaku's feet, a miniature lake of boiling water dominating what was once a shelf of rock and ash. At it center, the kami sits on her knees, both palms flat on the stone beneath the surface of the waters to keep from being driven flat onto her face. Her bare skin glistens with moisture and the thick waterfall of silken snow white hair lies plastered across her back in a damp mat, steam wafting up from her body in thin wispy tendrils.
Bowed. Humbled, perhaps. But not broken. Even after all that they have done, she's not broken yet.
Slowly, the goddess pushes to her feet, rising from the puddle of water with obvious effort. She remains silent for several long seconds, a pregnant tension hovering in the air. Then she turns, her eyes aflame, and levels a look of pure mayhem upon the survivors.
Tanwen's clever insult doesn't even earn a response from the enraged demon. As she rushes in to the rescue, despite being far too late to save her ally from Suzaku's wicked touch, the soaked phoenix turns to meet her uncouth fighting tactics with mindless rage. God and dragon butt heads in the most literal fashion as the kami bellows a counter challenge to the tiny wyrm, throwing her own forehead forward like a ram to clash against the strike. The impact proves decisively one-sided, the angry whelp getting spiked straight down into the ankle deep waters where her foul saliva is extinguished before it can ignite.
Hawksley's wild swing quickly earns him a trip on the merry-go-round of rage that is the rampaging divinity. She ducks his haymaker almost like an after-thought and slams the palm of her human hand into the man's naked side, launching him sideways half a dozen feet to take his own dunk in the jacuzzi that the caldera has turned into without even slowing down.
Conveniently, the one person foolish enough to hurl insults at the enraged demon quickly makes himself an easy target. Despite having little success wielding his piece of flimsy steel against her, Henry hurls himself into the fray yet again. But even his inspired choice to use the fury of the volcano to his own benefit proves fruitless. Deprived of her aerial grace, Suzaku simply faces the charge head on, snarling as she bats the lancing thrust aside with one hand. Whirling about for a second strike, the knight errant soon finds himself in a haunting familiar situation as his blade is stopped cold in the kami's grip, only this time her obsidian fingers don't even offer the satisfaction of drawing blood.
From behind, DJ Supernova offers a eulogy to the fallen and a beautiful butterfly to the goddess. Still holding fast to Henry's sword, Suzaku twists her body and snatches the pretty projectile straight out of the air. Her fingers close tight around the shimmering chi-form, crushing its rainbow wings between pale fingers until it explodes with a forceful pop right in her hand.
Flicking her fingers casually in the air as one might when getting them dirty, the demon snorts at Sarah, then turns her gaze with dramatic slowness back towards the cretin who had dared to take one of her eyes.
"They say an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind." The towering demon leans forward, baring her teeth in a malicious snarl. "But I'm not just going to take your eye, mortal. I'm going to rip you apart, piece by piece, inch by agonizing inch, until I have ground you down to the marrow!"
Drawing her empty hand back, Suzaku's fingers close into a tight fist as a scarlet flames violently erupt in her palm. The blazing power spreads out to engulf her arm all the way up to the elbow, her skin cracking and peeling from the raw energy flowing through her mortal flesh. With a scream of wordless fury, the kami whips her emblazoned fist forward in a simple but deadly punch aimed square at Henry's chest, stepping forward to put her entire weight and anger behind the blow. Fire blossoms into hellish life a moment later, the seed of crimson clutched in her fingers igniting in a devastating explosion.
The lava fissure on the right side starts to bubble up...
The fissure on the left side erupts!
COMBATSYS: Tanwen blocks Left Fissure's Flying Rocks.
JUNKO
[ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
0|---------------|-------========
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Left Fissure 0/-------/---====|===----\-------\0 Right Fissure
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Sarah 0/-------/------=|=====--\-------\0 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////// ]
Tanwen 0/-------/-----==|===----\-------\0 Henry
[TANWEN]
To be clear, Tanwen never intended any clever insult. She's just better at remembering peoples' full names than pronouncing them. Especially when they're from halfway around the world and a culture she's never had a chance to engage much with (replicas of legendary ninja swords notwithstanding).
Fortunately for her, the dragon girl who decided to headbutt a goddess is wearing a swimsuit when she falls backward into the bubbling water, the previously-mentioned sword falling down somewhere in the simmering pool as she loses her grip on it.
She may have ended up on the ground, but the fact that she managed to connect crowns with Suzaku brings a faint smile to Tanwen's face in spite of the headache now looming in her skull.
A geyser of steam sprays up from under the water near her, and there's a faint whistling sound in the air as something else is launched upward along with the eruption before plummeting back down...
*klonk*
Fortunately, the first rock to fall only hits Tanwen in the head.
"Oh!" Tanwen says, throwing up her arms to shield from further pelting by volcanic rock as she gets up to her feet. "Volcanoes aren't nearly as fun as I was thinking they would be!" she complains as she advances on Junko again. "Like Chevy said, just keep trying to hit her! She showed us that Junko's not invincible! If only we had more ice!"
Trying to keep up pressure in spite of her mentor's fallen state and the danger presented by Junko's imminent attack, she ducks forward into a reptilian run, this time aiming to pass on one side of the goddess while leaping up and twisting in the air to aim a slap of her water-soaked tail across Suzaku's face!
[HAWKSLEY]
"How can we beat her?" Sarah asks. Which is a bloody good question. Hawksley has no idea for his part, other than to keep pushing on and hope they can get a breakthrough at some point.
The fallen farmgirl manages a grand finale as she fills the firebird with fear, soon to be followed by anger. The goddess is clearly undergoing some kind of battle, and it's not just between her and the waterbender. Still, despite her struggles, she still manages to male light work of the attacks of the still standing mortals. Hawksley himself is sent swimming, spluttering as he spits dirty water out of his mouth. Splashing anyone close as he staggers upwards and starts moving back towards Suzaku, he gives her a slow smile. "Leave the lad alone. He's only seventeen, so he is. How about you come and have another dance with me instead?"
As he makes his suggestion, the seasoned scrapper can feel his heart pounding in his bare chest. He's always been a bold sort of fella but offering himself to this demonic creature holds far more danger than some drunken eejit down the pub.
Setting his hands ablaze, the boxer forms them into fists as he starts to stalk towards her. Once he's close enough he sets about throwing a series of hooks and crosses, before seeking to finish with a straight punch. Perhaps he's hoping to bust Junko's nose for the second time today.
COMBATSYS: Henry interrupts Guren Bakuenji from Junko with Crane Vigilant.
JUNKO
[ ||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
0|---------------|--=============
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Left Fissure 0/-------/---====|===----\-------\0 Right Fissure
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Sarah 0/-------/------=|=------\-------\0 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Tanwen 0/-------/-----==|
COMBATSYS: Henry can no longer fight.
JUNKO
[ ||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
0|---------------|--=============
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Left Fissure 0/-------/---====|===----\-------\0 Right Fissure
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Sarah 0/-------/------=|=------\-------\0 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Tanwen 0/-------/-----==|
[HENRY]
Henry gives the would be deity a grimace of a smile as she comes face to face with him. He maintains his grip on his sword, pushing it against that hand holding it even if it doesn't draw blood. "But now I'll live forever in that head of yours. Every time you see only half the world, you'll have to remember the sad little mortal that took your eye." He replies, somehow managing to keep his voice steady despite his whirling emotions. He'll have to thank his mother for the acting lessons if he makes it out of this.
He grits his teeth, trying to think quickly as he sees that flaming fist coming for him. He could try to escape, try, buy himself more time to launch attacks that might be avoided, as most have been, or he can take advantage of being inside Suzaku's guard for the moment. It's an easy decision. "Kick her ass, guys!" He calls to the others as he braces himself to take the attack head on. "One last gamble."
As the flaming fist comes towards his chest, he reaches out with his own hand to that of the corrupted flame goddess. He opens his fist, and a blade of crimson light shoots forth, lancing through the flames to strike home, a perfect replica of his sword made of the last glittering remnants of his chi reserves.
Then comes the explosion, which throws Henry back, the tattered remains of the front of his shirt burnt to ash and a wicked looking burn blown across his chest. No sound comes from him, no cry of pain, no cough of agony, just dead silence as he soars through the air.
With a splash he lands in the volcano warmed waters left by Chevy, fortunately landing on his back without the threat of drowning, his arms splayed to the side, but at least everything still looks to be attached.
His chest still rises and falls in a ragged unsteady rhythm, but he doesn't get back up again. Alive, but out of the fight.
COMBATSYS: Left Fissure successfully hits Sarah with Flying Rocks.
JUNKO
[ ||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
0|---------------|--=============
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Left Fissure 0/-------/---====|===----\-------\0 Right Fissure
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Sarah 0/-------/----===|=------\-------\0 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Tanwen 0/-------/-----==|
[SARAH]
Poor Henry, he's gone down for the count now... Albeit while trying to fight back. A brave young man he is.
Unfortunately, while Sarah is feeling remorse for Henry, she forgets that there are rocks flying at her. And while Sarah likes to rock and roll, that's a different type of rock entirely!
The rocks come flying from this way and that way, and Sarah gets hit, knocking her onto the ground. The ground that is filled with water, which serves as a way to keep her from losing consciousness at all.
Pushing herself back up, Sarah shakes her head out to get her focus back. This battle has gone on long enough, and while Sarah believes it should have ended a while back, it seems that Junko is full of too many surprises. Surprises that Sarah doesn't like.
"When I get back, I'm gonna have the story of a lifetime to tell my fans," Sarah says aloud before somersaulting towards Junko and attempting to drop down and demonstrate her spinning kick again. One comes from her higher leg and one comes from her lower leg. All while she's balancing on one hand. Of course, her hands and feet are getting a bit worn out from all this fighting, so she grits her teeth in pain a little as she does this.
COMBATSYS: Junko dodges Tanwen's Evasive Strike.
JUNKO
[ ||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
0|---------------|--=============
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Left Fissure 0/-------/---====|===----\-------\0 Right Fissure
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Sarah 0/-------/----===|=------\-------\0 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Tanwen 0/-------/-----==|
COMBATSYS: Hawksley successfully hits Junko with Burn Out.
JUNKO
[ ||||||||||||||||| ]
1|-------------==|===============
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Left Fissure 0/-------/---====|===----\-------\0 Right Fissure
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Sarah 0/-------/----===|=------\-------\0 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Tanwen 0/-------/-----==|
COMBATSYS: Sarah successfully hits Junko with Tornado Warning.
JUNKO
[ ||||||||||||| ]
1|----------=====|===============
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Left Fissure 0/-------/---====|===----\-------\0 Right Fissure
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Sarah 0/-------/----===|=------\-------\0 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Tanwen 0/-------/-----==|
[JUNKO]
The arrogance of mortals.
There was a time when she would have looked upon the human's stubborn defiance with respect. Mankind had always been astonishingly resilient, able to withstand the worst that gods and nature could throw at them and bounce back even stronger. As the embodiment of hope and prosperity, Suzaku had adopted that boundless optimism for the future and given it divine backing. Such a shame that the faith she had in them had proven unwarranted.
The phoenix's eyes narrow at Henry's words but she offers no rebuttal save the violent explosion that robs him of consciousness even as his blade of chi burns through the scarlet glow to land one final blow. In the aftermath of the blinding exchange the goddess stands tall, a faintly glowing mark still smoldering on the obsidian armor encapsulating her right side. It had been a bold gambit, worthy of remembrance, but ultimately pointless. And no one will be left to commit his sacrifice to the annals of history.
"Sorry to disappoint you," the demon says, turning her back on the fallen youth. "But you weren't even worth the time to learn your name."
As ever, the remaining fools prove eager to rush back into the crucible of her rage. The dragon's efforts are easily avoided, the kami tilting her head to the side to avoid the indignity of being slapped in the face by some irritating whelp's tail. But even as she avoids the attack it becomes obvious that something has changed.
Suzaku's hand reaches out, her fingers grasping at the tail that had foolishly thrown itself within reach, only to miss her mark. Tanwen's scaly appendage slips through the demon's fingers like a greased-up snake, the water making it impossible for her to get a solid grip. The kami's lip peels back in an irritated snarl but before she can turn and give the little gnat a more substantial swatting another contender rushes in to vie for her attention.
Hawkley's first punch swings in and, as always, his target steps to the side in a deft evasion. Only this time, she isn't fast enough. Devoid of the blazing wings which had given her a distinct advantage in mobility the boxer's flaming knuckles find easy purchase. Suzaku staggers, almost tripping over the rough terrain hidden below the steaming water, a look of disbelief on her face. But there isn't any time offered to come to terms with this shifting of scales as the Irishman lays into her over and over, every fiery swing sending the goddess reeling like some chump who stepped into the ring with someone far more skilled.
The final punch all but hurls Suzaku backwards. There is no satisfying crunch of breaking cartilage nor the spray of fresh blood that accompanied his last solid strike to her face, sadly, but the grimace on her face makes it clear that their foe felt it. And, just as importantly, his efforts set the stage for their resident dancer to get her own shots in. Legs whipping across the surface of the water, Sarah's twin kicks sweep into the dazed demon's knees. Hissing out a grunt of pain and frustration, the girl's legs buckle from the impact and she collapses onto her back in the shallow waters.
"Damn you."
Suzaku spits the curse out through clenched teeth, her molars grinding so hard that the sound is audible. Her fingers ball up into tight fists as she slams them into the water, plumes of scalding steam erupting at her touch as scarlet flame burns wildly. But rage as she might, she cannot burn away the vile liquid in its entirety. It would seem that even in defeat Chevy had accomplished her goal of being the weight that might yet tip the scales.
"Damn you, you wretched girl!"
Rolling over onto her side, Suzaku drags herself out of the murky water and back to her feet. Water pours down her body as she rises, her long beautiful hair proving a detrimental handicap as it soaks up the fluid and clings to her bare back like a wet towel. The demon snarls at the remaining mortals with her sole crimson eye, the other half of her face concealed under soggy bangs that she doesn't bother to push away. Her baleful stare eventually settles on Hawksley, the man responsible twice now for daring to strike her in the face.
"You think this makes you my equal? If I were not burdened by this cursed flesh, I would snuff you out with a mere thought."
Twin pyres of scarlet power engulf the demon's hands, a fresh snarl of hatred twisting her pale face into a mask of murderous rage. Even devoid of her wings, she moves quickly, terrifyingly so. A sudden shift in her posture, a faint bend in her leg, and she's on top of the Irishman, tackling him to the ground with a flying lunge that sends both haphazardly into the water.
Unless he manages to avoid that fate, the man soon finds himself on the receiving end of a horrible familiar scene. Pinning underneath the towering demon's body, Suzaku rains her fury down upon him in a hellish storm of wild punches. Burning fury pours out of every strike, her fists striking like sledge hammers, her flames scouring flesh with every touch. A wail of pure malicious rage bursts out of the kami as she flails away, her once-melodic voice twisting into a cacophony of damned souls all screaming in disjointed hatred.
The lava fissure on the left side starts to bubble up...
The fissure on the right side erupts!
[TANWEN]
Even the slippery scales of Tanwen's tail have Chevy to thank for the way that her maneuver drives the demon bird to distraction, creating the domino reaction that leads to Hawksley and Sarah landing solid strikes on the supernaturally-strong Suzaku. The tides appear to be turning in the most literal of ways against Junko - but the battle for existence can drive mortals to great feats of heroism or cruelty; what will it mean for a goddess?
None of this is on Tanwen's mind as she lands in the ankle-deep volcanic stew after her defiant lizard-leap. What unspoken thoughts could be preoccupying the hidden depths of her mind instead?
'Oh, that was a big splash! I wonder if Winn saw how big of a splash I made. If only Junko wasn't hurting all of my friends, this would be rather fun actually, it would.'
Apparently her inner monologue is also ankle-deep, muddy, and comfortably warm.
She turns around just in time to see Suzaku trying to tackle Hawksley to the ground.
"Oh, no! Get off of Hawksley Moore, you... you big bad birdie!!"
"Tan! You're getting specist again!" Winn shouts, drowned out by the sound of exploding fissures as rocks fly into the air. Tanwen ignores him, already rushing as she is at the big bad birdie's back to try and bowl her off of her Irish human friend-with-burnefits (?) to tackle her in turn into the water. If she can manage to do that, the dirty dragon will pick herself up, preferably before Suzaku can recover, to then drop herself backside-first onto the corrupted kami's head to smash it into the mud.
It's an instinctive attack pattern. For a dragon of true size facing a smaller opponent, such a maneuver would be devastating. For a small teenage girl with a few pounds of tail and horns tacked on facing a goddess, it might be more humiliating than anything. But perhaps Suzaku's pride might be her weak point, after all.
COMBATSYS: Hawksley blocks Junko's Mugen Ranbu.
JUNKO
[ |||||||||||| ]
1|----------=====|===============
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Left Fissure 0/-------/---====|===----\-------\0 Right Fissure
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////// ]
Sarah 0/-------/----===|==-----\-------\0 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Tanwen 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Right Fissure successfully hits Hawksley with Flying Rocks.
- Power hit! -
JUNKO
[ |||||||||||| ]
1|----------=====|===============
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Left Fissure 0/-------/---====|====---\-------\0 Right Fissure
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////// ]
Sarah 0/-------/----===|====---\-------\0 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Tanwen 0/-------/-------|
[HAWKSLEY]
It seems to happen in slow motion. As he strikes Suzaku over and over again with his fiery fists, Hawksley can hear the sounds of the volcano roaring up behind him. The feeling is one of exhilaration as his hands smash into the firebird's flesh. His mind flashes back to the night a former version of this foe had burned Coco so brutally. The Irishman had wanted to tear her apart then, but had fought against his instincts and focused on getting his girlfriend help instead. Now at last he gets the satisfaction of standing up to her. Not that he's foolish enough to think things are finished. This is no longer the terrified teen who'd stood in the ring at Metro City. This is a whole different beast, both in power and presence.
Henry, Hawksley's beloved partner in crime, in the combo that is Hollywood Heat is on his last legs in this battle, but the blue-haired boy is determined to go out with a bang. As he bravely sends his crimson blade of chi towards the goddess, he pays for his plucky move, being sent backwards into the water beneath their feet. "You're a fecking star, fella. The rest of us remember your name." His mentor calls to him. "We'll try and kick her ass for you, don't you worry."
Sarah Supernova strikes the demon next, causing the Cork cruiserweight to give the DJ a cheer. Then up steps Tanwen to try her luck. Her first attempt isn't to be, but the Welsh wonder will soon be back for more. Of that the brawler has no doubt.
Rocks fly towards Hawksley and he attempts to bat them off with his still burning fists. Before he's able, he's struck several times, leaving scorch marks on his exposed skin. As he turns away from them, he sees the kami coming straight for him with too much speed to stop her. The fiery pair fall to the ground, face to face as the female sits astride his frame. He can see the hatred in her eyes. As the first punch comes in, it catches him unaware, but he's ready for the rest. Bringing his body up to push back at her, Hawksley flings her aside like a ragdoll, before she can do any more damage. Stopping only for a second to give his dragon-girl ally a grateful grin for her attempt at assistance, he reverses the roles quick as a flash, climbing on top of Junko as he traps her arms with his own and starts seeking to smash his forehead into her face repeatedley.
[SARAH]
Sarah seems to be getting the hang of things with all that's going on. She and the remaining fighters seem to be getting the upper hand. Unfortunately, her opponent isn't giving up. She knows that someone has to fall, and Sarah is not about to let that be her!
Getting a cheer from Hawksley is enough to make Sarah smile as she takes a quick sip of water before focusing on her opponent. She knows that this is not over yet, but she can sense they're getting there.
"I've shown you all I know, so I apologize for the repeat performances, but sometimes people like an encore, you know?" Sarah says with a slight smirk as she spins around before rolling towards her opponent and then attempting another rising uppercut.
COMBATSYS: Tanwen successfully hits Junko with Dragon Crown.
JUNKO
[ |||||| ]
1|--------=======|===============
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Left Fissure 0/-------/---====|====---\-------\0 Right Fissure
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////// ]
Sarah 0/-------/----===|===----\-------\0 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Tanwen 0/-------/------=|
COMBATSYS: Junko endures Hawksley's Numbskull ES!
JUNKO
[ ]
1|---============|===============
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Left Fissure 0/-------/---====|====---\-------\0 Right Fissure
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////// ]
Sarah 0/-------/----===|=====--\-------\0 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Tanwen 0/-------/------=|
COMBATSYS: Junko blocks Sarah's Roll With It.
JUNKO
[ ]
1|--=============|===============
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Left Fissure 0/-------/---====|====---\-------\0 Right Fissure
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////// ]
Sarah 0/-------/---====|=====--\-------\0 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Tanwen 0/-------/------=|
[JUNKO]
"Die, you insufferable--argh!"
Junko's enraged beat down lands only a single solid blow, the demon's fiery fist leaving a bright red scorch mark in the shape of her slender fingers upon the brawler's naked flesh. Chevy's final gift once again intervenes to spare him a worse fate, some small part of the miniature lake sacrificing itself in a puff of steam to lessen the deadly scarlet flames from bone-charring down to merely skin-melting. Before her next fist can so much as draw back to strike a sudden surge of defiant strength sends the goddess tumbling away where she soon finds herself in a juxtaposition of her own efforts to end the Irishman.
Sinking halfway into the ashen puddle, the kami hisses with frustration as the human smashes his forehead against her own. A somewhat foolish and risky maneuver considering the blade-like horn protruding from her temple but rationality does not appear to be his strong suite. Each blow drives her head back with a splash and each time she attempts to rise again immediately, growing angrier and angrier with every repetition. With a surge of furious strength, her arms flex in rebellion against the attempt to hold them bound at her side. A laughable effort, one which she can shake off with little more than a-
A shadow suddenly darkens the demon's vision. She turns her gaze upwards in angry confusion only for her furious snarl to turn into an incredulous look of horror as a tiny dragon butt comes crashing down upon her prone and immobile frame. An effort is made to break free, her shoulders thrashing briefly as the demon struggles against Hawksley's hold, her face steadily turning a bright shade of red as dawning inevitability sets in. But submerged as she is, his meager mortal might proves sufficient to keep her captive long enough for this horrible fate to come to fruition.
Sarah's efforts to contribution prove slightly awkward as it turns out to be quite difficult to uppercut someone lying flat on their back in murky water. She manages clip one of the kami's flailing legs by sheer coincidence but even that ends up being rebuffed by the girl's nigh impervious flesh. Compared to the humiliating ordeal she's currently going through it's doubtful the strike even registered.
The demon continues to thrash about for several seconds, an entire dictionary of smothered curses pouring out of her in a muffled but continuous screech. Fingers claw at the legs of both the dragon and the human astride her, scarlet flames dancing angrily between her fingers only to be immediately doused by the liquid jail. And then she goes entirely still.
For a few precarious seconds it seems as if she might have simply passed out, expending all of her breath in her angry tirade. But such hopes are quickly dashed as the demon's unnaturally pale skin starts to turn bright lobster red from head to toe.
The waters around Suzaku literally peel away from her trapped body as a crimson aura of flame erupts around the kami like a funeral pyre, every ounce of liquid within a ten foot radius flash-boiling into a cloud of scalding steam. The force of the initial blast hurls all of her attackers away like ragdolls, giving them a moment to prepare themselves for what is coming or sending them reeling to await their fate. Eyes aflame with fury only an indignant immortal can experience, the demon screams her hatred with such force that the earth itself shudders in fearful anticipation of her wrath.
Scarlet power, blinding in its intensity, builds around the fallen goddess. It churns with living anger, swelling and building as her wordless outrage feeds raw emotion into the tempest like coal being shoveled into a furnace. Searing heat washes out over the caldera, a wave of burning force so intense that it ripples the make-shift lake from center to edge. And, as Suzaku's rage reaches its crescendo, the formless mass of red death around her explodes in a violent discharge so intense that it pierces the heavens themselves.
A pillar of burning death consumes the remaining water within the caldera. Those warriors already fallen are spared the fate of being burnt to a crisp by virtue of being mostly submerged as the amulet still dangling at Chevy's neck flickers with power, attempting to wield the leyline against this divine onslaught as it was intended. But against the goddess's rage the fragile mortal trinket finally reaches its limit, shattering into a thousand pieces even as the leyline itself is sundered. All across the island tremors suddenly shake its foundations as the earth twists and cracks from the elemental feedback, dozens of fissures splitting the land to spew the land's hot molten blood from gaping wounds.
When the outpouring of divine destruction mercifully comes to its end, the glowing scar on the sky slowly fading to an angry scarlet after hue, Suzaku stands once more at the center of the caldera. Twin wings of scarlet and cyan spread wide from her back, the symbols of her divinity restored, if not quite as resplendent as before. The pinions glow weakly, sputtering as candle flames in a breeze, but devoid of the restraining waters there is nothing keeping the goddess from starting to regain her strength.
And yet, rather than throw herself into the business of slaughtering those who yet remain, the towering fiend drops slowly to her knees on the blasted rock. Black sludge runs from her eyes like oily tears giving her a strangely human-like quality in the resemblance to an upset young girl with runny make-up. However, any sympathy her audience might have been able to spare is quickly dispelled as she angrily smashes her soft fist into the unyielding ground before her.
"Why?!"
Raw anguish fills the girl's divine voice, her grief spilling freely into her words as she seemingly struggles to keep from openly wailing at the injustice of what has transpired.
"Why do I struggle so against you?! Why am I denied the justice that I so rightly deserve?! Why? Why? WHY?!"
With each repetition of the question she punches the cold stone, every blow striking with such force that her knuckles quickly grow bloody and ragged.
Eventually her rage seems to cool and the sobbing growls melt into resigned laughter.
"I suppose I shouldn't be surprised," the girl says bitterly, looking at the shredded surface of her hand with disgust. "If there is one thing that humanity has demonstrated throughout time it is their unending love for violence."
COMBATSYS: Junko appears to be defeated...
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Left Fissure 0/-------/---====|====---\-------\0 Right Fissure
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////// ]
Sarah 0/-------/---====|=====--\-------\0 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Tanwen 0/-------/------=|
The lava fissure on the right side starts to bubble up...
The fissure on the left side erupts!
COMBATSYS: Tanwen just-defends Junko's Jigoku Dama!
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Left Fissure 0/-------/---====|====---\-------\0 Right Fissure
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////// ]
Sarah 0/-------/---====|=====--\-------\0 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Tanwen 0/-------/------=|
COMBATSYS: Left Fissure successfully hits Tanwen with Flying Rocks.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Left Fissure 0/-------/--=====|====---\-------\0 Right Fissure
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////// ]
Sarah 0/-------/---====|=====--\-------\0 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Tanwen 0/-------/----===|
[TANWEN]
Tanwen's expression is one of determination as she pins Junko beneath her, her eyes shut tight as she blocks out the sensations of the kami's smothered screams and the nails digging into her thighs. Somewhere in her subconscious, she's waiting for someone in a stripey shirt to come out and start counting down until she and her present tag partner in Hawksley can be declared the winners in this climactic pay-per-view event.
Instead, the goddess goes limp. That's how they decide the winner in Professional Fighting matches, though, isn't it? Hope starts to rise in Tanwen's chest as she finally releases a bated breath and starts to turn to where Winn, Lou and the traumatized camera crew are hiding behind a rocky outcropping.
"She's not moving! That means we've beat her, doesn't i-"
"Look out, Tan!" Winn shouts, noticing that Junko's body has started to look like one of his seafood boils.
"Oh, no! Where?!" Tanwen shouts, looking back and forth, before squealing as the kami flares with heat beneath her. The dragon is fortunate that her backside is especially fire-resistant (thankfully her swimsuit bottoms are also soaking wet) and that the force of the blast sends her clear of the eruption before the heat can get too high for her to handle.
As the scarlet power surges around Suzaku, Tanwen finds herself next to the prone form of Henry, and beside him, his shield. She quickly seizes upon it, kneeling in front of him as she turns to hold the armament against the onslaught of flame, protecting both herself and her fellow sword-and-boarder with it as the scarlet flame splits around them.
Still, even that is not enough to hold the blaze back forever. Tanwen can feel the shield melting and starting to burn in her hands. She can sense the intensity of the wicked pyre on the other side of the failing barrier.
"Well, I'm going to have to try it, I am," she decides, agreeing to some unspoken plan her draconic mind has conjured up.
She exhales the air from her lungs, emptying them as her wings sprout from her back and she prepares for the mightiest inhalation she can muster.
Then, as the shield gives way completely, she flaps both wings forward while simultaneously sucking in air through her mouth. The result is for the section of the pillar surging toward her to warp around her from the beating of her wings while funneling toward her front, directing it into a vortex that sucks into her open mouth and starts to rapidly fill her belly. Her whole torso glows with heat as the toxic flame mixes with her own inner fire.
And, just as the rising glow reaches her neck and it becomes clear that she can contain no more, the death-pillar gives way, leaving Tanwen to fall forward onto all fours as her face contorts in pain. She sees her reflection for a moment in the last of the puddle to survive the outpouring of heat before she lets out a wretched blast of regurgitated flame from her gut, sizzling away the puddle and leaving a patch of volcanic glass in its wake.
Trembling, Tanwen looks up at Suzaku - or is it Junko? - behaving much like she herself has behaved when confronted with the harsh realities of life, such as when Winn had to tell her that the boat hadn't brought any prawns to Flat Holm one week.
She raises a finger and looks like she's about to provide an answer when, instead, her tummy gurgles, and she belches another blast of flame into the caldera's surface.
Apparently too much hellfire can give a dragon a rather nasty hangover.
COMBATSYS: Tanwen assists Hawksley.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Left Fissure 0/-------/--=====|====---\-------\0 Right Fissure
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////// ]
Sarah 0/-------/---====|=====--\-------\0 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Tanwen 0/-------/----===|
COMBATSYS: Junko successfully hits Hawksley with Jigoku Dama.
Glancing Blow
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Left Fissure 0/-------/--=====|====---\-------\0 Right Fissure
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ]
Sarah 0/-------/---====|=======\===----\1 Hawksley
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Tanwen 0/-------/----===|
[HAWKSLEY]
Hawksley can feel his skin scalding as he stays at close quarters with the kami. "You fecking die." He shoots back, his intense eyes boring into her. His face is a mess, covered in both his own blood and the firebird's, and there's a gouge on his forehead from her horn.
The combination with his fellow Celt is a welcome one, as Tanwen tips the balance by bashing into the demon with her backside. Sarah gives it a good go at playing her part too and the efforts of the trio of NFGers pay off, as the brawler feels the phoenix fall still beneath him.
Staring at her cautiously, the Cork City native can't quite believe it's over. He's expecting Junko to pop back up again, especially after her resurrection earlier. He's about to poke her in the ribs when he sees her skin start to turn red.
Hawksley doesn't stick around long enough to feel the ferocious flames as they erupt around their enemy. He's tossed aside, the bond between their entwined bodies broken, as he's left lying flat on his back in the bubbling, boiling water. Suzaku screams and he covers his ears with his scarred hands, desperate to escape the chilling sound.
As the pendant around Chevy's neck is penetrated, the pugilist feels his frame start to vibrate with a violent tremor. In a desperate attempt he launches himself in the air, seeking out safety, but there's no escape from the brutality of the burning and he feels himself start to slip away. The demon's demand for answers falls on deaf ears, as the Irishman lays down his dark-haired head and lets himself rest. He knows he should get to his feet and check on the others who fell before him, but he just doesn't know if he can summon the strength to do so.
COMBATSYS: Hawksley takes no action.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Left Fissure 0/-------/--=====|====---\-------\0 Right Fissure
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Sarah 0/-------/---====|
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Tanwen 0/-------/----===|
COMBATSYS: Hawksley can no longer fight.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Left Fissure 0/-------/--=====|====---\-------\0 Right Fissure
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Sarah 0/-------/---====|
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Tanwen 0/-------/----===|
COMBATSYS: Junko knocks away Sarah with Jigoku Dama.
- Power hit! -
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Left Fissure 0/-------/--=====|====---\-------\0 Right Fissure
[ \\ <
Sarah 2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Tanwen 0/-------/----===|
COMBATSYS: Sarah full-parries Left Fissure's Flying Rocks!!
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Left Fissure 0/-------/-======|====---\-------\0 Right Fissure
[ \\ <
Sarah 2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Tanwen 0/-------/----===|
[SARAH]
The big bad seems to be defeated... at least that's how it seems...
Unfortunately, it seems she's got one last burst of stamina and one last ditch attack up her sleeve.
To top that off, there's more rocks coming faster than Sarah can blink. Her focus is shifting between the two that there's no time to react fully. She somehow manages to knock away the rocks almost like there's nothing to them. Unfortunately, the same can't be said for her attempt at avoiding the last ditch attack.
Sarah goes flying across the area, tumbling like a rag doll, before finally coming to a stop. She groans in pain and attempts to stand back up...
But her legs give out and she drops to one knee. Then the other, and finally she falls to her side. She groans, struggling against the odds to get herself back up, but her body will have none of it.
"Nngh... got me good... but it was a bloody fine... show of a Supernova..." Sarah says with gritted teeth as she tries one last time to get up, but it's just no use. "Party's... finally... over..." She looks over to Tanwen and gives a weak smile and a thumbs up. "Great job..." Then she finally passes out. Seems this disk jockey has partied a bit too hardy!
But it sure was worth it.
COMBATSYS: Sarah takes no action.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Left Fissure 0/-------/-======|====---\-------\0 Right Fissure
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Tanwen 0/-------/----===|
COMBATSYS: Sarah can no longer fight.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Left Fissure 0/-------/-======|====---\-------\0 Right Fissure
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Tanwen 0/-------/----===|
[CHEVY]
Chevy had been enjoying(?!) a nice nap after Suzaku literally choked the breath out of her. She would be happy to thank her friends for applying constant pressure; her soul might have been the demonic goddess' next meal without their help! But after Suzaku let her go, she'd slid onto her back and has been peacefully blowing bubbles in the sauna-like water ever since.
Everything changed when the fire nation^H^H pillar attacked. For one thing, it's blistering hot. And for another, the steaming shockwave was powerful enough to blast the slumbering Southerner right into the air. Bleary-eyed, she awakens to see the world spinning around her -- just in time to be able to raise her arms up to protect her head from colliding with the volcanic rocks!
Crash-landing a good distance away, it's... a few moments before an aching Chevelle Beaumont sees fit to even move. And when does, it's with a long, lamentful groan.
It -might- have something to do with Suzaku talking about 'justice' as if that was a word that could fairly describe the six-way ass-beating they'd just gotten, *twice*.
That, juxtaposed with the sight of Tanwen belching flame off to her side, keeps her from speaking up. And instead, convinces her to push herself, weakly, into a seated position.
She bares her teeth in a grin as Sarah provides a neat summary of the situation and bowls over. It's not clear if she was awake to hear anything -else- just then -- but she does hear Junko laughing.
She sees the twin colored wings -- a sign that round -three- could be imminent. She reaches for the remaining fragments of the seashell, finding only a few fragments clinging to the charred string that's still wound about her neck. Frowning, she curls her hand around the white-gold deer antler necklace with its severed chain -- the metal held up a -little- bit better against the column of fire.
At the thought of fighting the corrupted phoenix again, her stomach voices an angry gurgle of complaint.
Chevy coughs into a balled fist. A moment later, her voice rings out clearly across the stilled caldera.
"It warn't us who took the first swing."
Her fingers brush against her neck -- aggravated both by the charred flesh where Suzaku had been choking her, and by the fact that her earlier wound had been lain bare by the bandage that ripped off by friction. Chevy could use a break from violence, really: her skin is still red-hot from the most recent outburst -- almost as red as the battered, threadbare lifeguard swimsuit that's barely held up through the rough treatment.
Breathing out a sigh, she adds more soberly: "It ain't violence we love, though. It's the people we fight for."
Chevy closes her eyes. And renews her breath with a large gulp of air. Beaten to within an inch of her life, it's all she can do to keep from collapsing again. But if Suzaku is patient, she'll be able to see Chevy's bright blue eyes again just a few moments later, as she takes a look around the battlefield. Moving... well. That's not happening for a bit. She'd heard Winn, though -- so maybe he, Lou, and the camera crew were spared the demon's wrath.
[JUNKO]
In the wake of the kami's unleashed wrath only one remains standing.
Suzaku tilts her head to survey the devastation wrought by divine fire, her molten eyes settling one by one on the fools that had dared to hurl their ignorant words at her. As if they had the right to judge her. As if they could ever understand her pain. Arrogant belligerent children to the last.
Despite her own mocking words, only the dragon whelp remains to challenge her. The demon's lips press together with annoyance. Even with the volcano's incredible wellspring of flame to draw upon she doubts the pitiful flesh she's bound to can withstand another confrontation. Only sheer unfathomable willpower keeps her conscious, her muscles and bones moving about as if a marionette dancing on strings wielded by an inept hand. Even the wyrmling could likely best her in this state - not that she plans on letting the little brat know that.
Moving with deliberate slowness so as not to give away her shaky footing, the demon rises from her crouch. No sooner than her first foot is beneath her, however, does a familiar voice call out from behind. Suzaku laughs in earnest this time, turning halfway to face the ruined water wielder who had attempted to overpower a god.
"After all that I have shown you, you yet cling to delusions of nobility, child?"
The ever-present contempt that she has shown for Chevy's arguments is present, as always, but there is a trace of sadness in her voice as well. Suzaku regards the human with a sidelong glance, only the half of her face that is untouched by corruption turned towards her. A subtle gesture, one that might not mean anything; or one that might mean something extremely important.
"Always with the excuses. The -justifications-."
The miko's hand sweeps through the air as she speaks, her movements animated by weary passion.
"I fight for my king. I fight for my land. I fight for my family. I fight for my... god."
There is a brief pause before she acknowledges that last one, a look of annoyance twisting her tired face into a grimace for a few moments.
"Always the heroes of your own stories, you mortals. And the villains of a thousand others."
She offers a wry derisive smirk, her shoulders rolling and palms lifting in a mocking shrug. The many voices she speaks with all take on a sardonic tone that matches her flippant gesture.
"But who cares about that, right? History is written by the winners and every war was waged with just causes. Might makes right among your kind, after all."
Pulling herself tall as she turns to face the mortal properly, Suzaku stretches her wings wide, surrounding her silhouette in the radiant splendor of her fiery plumage. Even with the ugly black corruption consuming near half of her body there is an obvious otherworldly beauty to her visage that her new-found height only amplifies. A figure of legend who strode straight out of a storybook page and onto the parchment of reality. The smears of black emotion running down her cheeks only mildly ruins the effect.
"So hurl your excuses and insults at me, mortals. This confrontation has but displayed the limitations of this cursed union of the divine and the mundane. I will seek even greater power, consume more of your pitiful souls. And at the end of all things, it will be I who casts the final judgement."
Her hand stretches out towards the prostrate adept, the obsidian claws curling into a tight fist that will one day crush the very world itself beneath her rage.
"If it takes me all of eternity to succeed, I -will- have my vengeance!"
[TANWEN]
One by one - and then all at once - Tanwen's comrades-in-arms collapse around her before the might of the kami's flames. The dragonling herself seems almost out of commission, though she's miraculously only mildly battered and bruised from the onslaught of the volcano - the fire of Suzaku has had a stranger effect on her, unlike the searing pain that it's inflicted on the others. She sees Hawksley struggle to try and rise one more time before collapsing. She sees Sarah give her a thumbs up before DJ Supernova burns out.
That, at least, is enough to reassure her - that what she's done might have been enough.
She looks up, and sees Suzaku still standing, if only barely. That's what brings Tanwen back to her feet, her chest swelling as she breathes in deeply, then exhales slowly, holding in the fire inside while releasing the tainted air.
As Suzaku is speaking to them all, but most of all to the water-bender, the dragon girl listens, her head tilting to one side. Her expression becomes one of intense deliberation. Her lips quirk, her brow creasing, her tail flicking back and forth slowly and steadily.
One could be forgiven for assuming that the young dragonling is giving Suzaku's words their due consideration. After all, they had a clear effect on the young dragon warrior during the height of their confrontation, giving her pause to consider her stance on humanity, the ramifications of her actions, and the price that her kind have paid for their relationship with humankind and who was responsible for their present fate.
The truth, though, is that Tanwen's dragon brain is busy doing math.
Namely:
To-Hit: 1 BAB + 4 (Strength 18) - 1 (Power Attack) + 2 (charge) vs AC ??? (Flat-Footed)
Horn Attack (medium creature, Strength 18): 1d8 bludgeoning +4 (x2 charge)
200+ foot fall: 20d6 bludgeoning
Lava damage for falling into an active volcano: 20d6 per round
In fact, Tanwen is so quiet that the others might not even notice the little brat when she comes running at Suzaku from her blind side, the sound of her swift lizard steps drowned out by the rumbling of the unsettled volcano, as the kami is swearing eternal vengeance upon them all, her rounded horns lowered like those of a mountain sheep getting ready to make a bull-rush maneuver.
[HAWKSLEY]
The first thing Hawksley sees when he starts to stir is the sight of Tanwen rushing towards their enemy. He'd heard some of Junko's speech, particularly the part about vengeance, but the man from Eire doesn't have the energy to fire back at her, with either words or deeds.
The Irish fella's mouth falls open as he anticipates the dragon woman's next move. Surely she's not gonna push Suzaku off the mountain is she? That would be a bold but brilliant move. "Let her have it, Tan." He expresses encouragement. "I'll buy you a pint if you do. Or some dungeons and dragons shite, if you prefer."
Rising up, he heads towards the other fighters, seeking each of them out in turn. To Sarah he offers a salute and a shoulder squeeze and to Rodrigo, a beaming bright smile and a helping hand up, should one be needed. Taking his skirt/shirt off, he holds it out to Chevy with raised eyebrows, doubting she'll actually want the soiled and bloody garment back. As he does, his gaze fall on the wound at her neck, which causes him to grimace. "I was a bit rough with you, so I was. I'll make it up to you, if you'll let me. You and Buck will be royally spoiled, should you find your way to County Cork some day." Finally he finds his way to Henry and crouches down by the stuntman's side. "It was an honour to fight with you, lad." He says warmly. "Today and the time before. I'll have your back for life, from this point on. Don't forget me when you make it in the movies."
Hawksley then heads over to the Welshman and the commentator, who were cowering away from the chaotic battle. "You fellas alright? I'll give you a go on my magic mug, if you like. What will you be having?"
[CHEVY]
For a brief moment, Chevy's eyes are full of hope as she looks around to her companions.
Suzaku's next sentence, accusing her of harboring delusions of 'nobility,' shows her the futility of trying to make an impression upon a cursed demon. Her brow furrows; eyelids close around those sky-blue eyes as she draws in a sigh.
The second round against the demonic goddess harbored within her friend Junko had taken everything out of her. She may be able to sit up -- and in the next moment, she finds that she's able to stand, however unsteadily. But the idea of actually engaging in combat is something that her body seems to be protesting with lances of pain and soreness.
She shakes her head as one accusation after another rains down upon her. The things coming out of Junko's mouth -- they aren't just wrong, they're twisted misconceptions of what the hydromancing wrestler's been trying to say all along.
There is an opportunity to speak, as the proverbial mic is handed to her. And Chevy just opens her eyes with an apologetic half-smile.
"Bless your heart."
The redhead feels that Suzaku either believes every word that's being said -- or wants Chevy to believe it. But not only is that not happening -- but the battle-ravaged fighter doesn't have the energy to lodge a significant protest. She demonstrates that by raising her hands towards her throat, mimicking the choke-hold Suzaku had her in mere minutes ago.
"If that's what you wanna do, uh. Good luck with that."
Swallowing -- made a bit difficult from the heated air, and her ravaged throat -- she begins making her way to assist others. She seems content to let Hawksley help Henry and Rodrigo to come around, while she crouches down to help Sarah back to her feet.
"Great job out there, Supernova. You done us proud."
She clasps her hand over her necklace. She might not know what comes next. But she's going to face it on her own two feet, and she thinks the other fighters ought to as well.
She's distracted, however slightly, by words from Hawksley, and an unusual offering. "Oh," She sees her shirt, caked in blood -- and shakes her head with a distasteful look. "Naw, I don't need it right now, but..."
Her brow furrows, as she looks over to see Tanwen. Charging, full-tilt, at the opponent. Her eyes open wide with alarm.
"What in the h--"
[JUNKO]
Out of everyone present, Chevy has done the most in attempting to connect and reason with the fallen goddess. Even before the doomed miko was consumed by the divine corruption seething within she had found someone at least willing to lend an ear to the troubles that plagued her muddied soul. But time after time, Suzaku's response to the well-meaning attempts by her closest mortal confidant has been naught but scorn and rebuke. It took time but it seems that the young adept has finally realized that one cannot reason with the eternal.
The kami had explained the reasons for that during their lengthy interaction on the dock several days ago, though in the confusion of that charged conversation she can't be blamed for not picking up on the subtle context. Beings that exist outside of time and space are, ironically, far more static than the mutable existences of mortal kind. They represent beliefs and ideals, composed of the collective stories and legends that mankind had fabricated to explain the world around them and in doing so gave life to those very myths. To change a god's mind is no simple thing; to change its nature, a nigh on impossible task. To do so would alter the very fundamental properties for which it stands and such drastic alterations never come without dire consequences.
A prime example now stands before them all - a being who once represented hope, prosperity, and rebirth, now an avatar of blinding hatred and all-consuming flame that promises nothing but destruction. It had taken hundreds of years of petty spite and misplaced blame to birth the seeds of infection within her. And another thousand years of tormented captivity for that wound to fester into the black malice that drives her. The words of a single girl, no matter how well reasoned or empathetic, have no chance to turn those tides.
But that doesn't mean that they fall on deaf ears.
Suzaku's eyes widen at the response, a tiny flicker of surprise quickly devoured by deadly anger. The kami's clenched fingers squeeze even tighter, her jaw clenching at the dismissive words. The fire blazing in her eyes ignites into consuming flames that fill her sockets with red and blue fury as she literally quivers with visible outrage. The volcano entire begins to shudder beneath their feet, the exposed pools of magma spewing deadly geysers of molten rage in a growling mirror of the goddess's rapidly escalating choler.
Thrusting her black clawed hand out at Chevy threateningly, a ball of scarlet power crackles to life within her grasp. The demon doesn't offer any further rebuke to the helpless mortal, her umbrage spilling forth in a wordless scream that rapidly escalates in volume and intensity, raw emotion erupting out of her in a tidal wave of heat and power. What power she had left floods into her hand, fueling the seed of destruction that will wipe such insolence from the face of the earth!
Ironically, those three little words end up saving Chevy's life.
Driven to madness by her focus on the water bender, the world around the enraged phoenix ceases to exist. She doesn't even notice the words of the Irishman that foolishly give away the quiet approach of his scaly comrade. Chevy's wide-eyed shock is mistaken as a response to her impending destruction. Only at the very last moment does she realize that something is amiss even as the tiny battering ram slams squarely into her midsection.
A beam of blazing scarlet fire rips through the air as wyrmling and demon collide. The impact throws off Suzaku's aim, the last of her energies ripping past Chevy by a few feet before whipping wildly across the sky like the world's most deadly laser search light. Almost seeming to move in slow motion, the demon rockets backwards across the caldera, snarling and screaming in impotent rage before vanishing over the edge of the fissure at the volcano's center.
For several long seconds a heavy silence hangs over the battlefield, even the wind dying down as if Fujin himself is holding his breath to see what transpires next. The answer comes as the volcano lets out a violent rumble that shakes the entire island. Red hot magma erupts into the sky in a billowing pyroclastic cloud that rapidly begins to darken the blood-red skies to an ugly ashen black.
After several moments Suzaku shows no signs of reappearing but nor does the volcano appear to be calming down either. All around the island the barrier of flame that had, until only moments ago continued to burn, flickers and begins to fade away. Finally, they are free of the deadly trap!
Of course, that hard won victory will prove meaningless if they are all consumed by the now active volcano's angry reprisal. Time to go - and fast!
Log created on 20:25:25 10/09/2024 by Chevy, and last modified on 09:16:56 11/04/2024.