Description: An Ikari Warrior ventures deep into forsaken parts of Southtown and discovers that not all scary bedtime stories are completely based in myth.. An incredible battle as Fio pulls out every stop to fight a seemingly unstoppable monster to save a young girl. Will she succeed?
Southtown is a progressive, forward thinking town. Rife with crime, yes. But thoroughly modern with only hints of the ancient culture that resided here. The western world, with all its mercantile values and crime, has taken over.
This is not to say oasis of slower, traditional times do not exist. The Village is a quiet, sober place in an often hustling city. Small, European-style boutiques and shops rule the narrower streets. The late evening, especially, renders this part of town in a lovely light. Gas Lantern-styled street lamps illuminate the twisting paths and the outdoor cafes. Only a few students from Taiyo High linger here at this time. Unless one is versed in self-defense, one doesn't wander around late at night alone in this town. This leaves much of the local shops peaceful and quiet, even on a Friday night.
Although, one shop that's sure to catch the eye is a tiny antique store. Hardly more than a hole in the wall beside darkened alley. Much of the shop is visible from the street, with barely enough room for a small old lady to sing to herself on a chair. Weaving what would seem to be a purse of some type from reused kimono scraps. Her wares are quite lovely, though. Richly cultural and uniformly ancient. Sure to attract any out-of-town visitor on the lookout for something more authentic.
Sometimes, even the most city-oriented person in all of Southtown takes interest in something with a little more history, little more culture behind it -- let alone someone with the kind of refined upbringing that Italian pseudo-nobility offers. Fiolina Germi, having taken up part-time residence in Southtown when not working with the Ikari Warriors or back home, has been taking in all the myriad sights that this mecca of modern culture offers. This is what brings her to the Village... and in turn to the little antique store.
Ms. Germi walks into the little antique store in her civilian clothes, which today consist of a red jacket, blue shorts, blue knee-pads, a white tank top, and a red and white cap; she's the spitting image of Terry Bogard, if Terry Bogard had brown hair and two X chromosomes. She looks around the shop for a little while, seeing what she can see -- including the little old lady, to whom she gives a small, pleasant wave and a warm, "Hello!"
The ancient lady minding the shop turns her head in the Italian's direction. Her withered lips cracking a warm smile as the grey-haired woman bows as low as her arched back permits, "Good evening beautiful young lady." Speaking with very old-school respect. Slowly setting down her craft upon a small little working table as she slowly rises to her feet. Wooden sandals clacking on the wood-furnished flooring of her tiny shop as she clasps her wizened hands together, "How may this old Osaki help you?" Lifting a hand to nudge her glasses a little higher to better see this foreigner.
The shop itself seems very quaint. Mostly clothing accessories with a few statuettes, knickknacks and assorted trivia. Fans, hair-pins and even a few Kimono carefully folded behind a glass case.
The comment on her beauty actually catches Fio a tiny bit off guard, and she raises a hand to her mouth very briefly; Ms. Germi is nothing if not modest, it seems. She's got the toned muscles and the glint in her eye, though, that signify a certain prowess and focus as a fighter -- something beyond the rank and file, if only just a little. "Oh, um," she starts, adjusting her glasses, looking around a little, "This is my first time in this part of Southtown, and, well..."
Glancing around briefly, her eyes lock on a particularly ornate hairpin, and she -- being the sort to put her hair in various styles when the mood catches her -- decides to ask. "Can you tell me a little about this?" she asks, pointing at it; it's a small point, one that tries to draw all the attention to the object rather than the girl pointing at it. Modest to a fault.
The ancient woman continues to smile attentively, with a patient serenity that only comes in the twilight of one's life. The little old lady then replies promptly to the question, "Oh yes. Yes yes." Hobbling over to the counter top and carefully lifts the hairpin. The end of which crafted into the shape of what appears to be a symbol of some kind. Not especially expensive looking really, mostly tarnished brass in a somewhat battered condition. But clearly looking hand-crafted, and very old. "Beautiful young lady has quite an eye. Quite an eye."
Miss Osaki turns to face the girl once more, holding the item aloft for her closer inspection, "This was given to me by a lovely lady as a gift. All the girls of her village wore them for formal occasions. The symbol at the end represents the name of her village in a mountain province west of Kyoto.. unfortunately the pin so old this equally old fool can't really make it out.." As the old lady squints at it once again before smiling once more, "Perhaps young miss would enjoy having such a small trinket to remind her of-"
A scream. Faint.. echoing from the depths of the nearby alleyway. But for the spans of a heartbeat it was clear.. The reality of it confirmed as the old lady seems to sigh in resignation. Holding up a hand as she quietly speaks a small prayer then goes back to explaining her wares, "Pay that sound no mind, young beauty. As old Osaki was saying, perhaps you would enjoy owning such a small trifle? This old one would happily show you how to wear it?"
Ms. Germi, while she's at heart a warm, pleasant young lady, certainly has an 'on' mode. And needless to say, it turns on at the sound of human screams from relatively nearby. "Umm.... that'd be nice, and all, but I think I have to take a raincheck," she says, a little nervousness in her voice; she's not trying to seem impolite, but she's definitely feeling a little fearful at that sudden scream. "I'm sorry, but I can't let that pass by! I'll see you in a little bit, okay?"
Without another word, and indeed without waiting for one, Fio runs out, toward the alleyway, if she isn't forcefully stopped. If it's nothing, then that's one thing, but her training as a soldier has taught her to trust her gut, and her gut says this is a bad thing. She doesn't go so far as to draw yet -- if it's just a kid falling off a bike, she doesn't want to /scare/ the poor guy... but she certainly looks as though she's ready -to- do so, if the circumstances dictate it.
"Wait!" The old lady speaks up with surprising sternness. "Do not disturb the spirits!" Frowning deeply as the young lady quickly races around her. There's no way the ancient one can reach for her or even think to stop her, its all she can do to simply turn in place as fast as she can to watch the Italian move. "They must do.. what heaven demands of them." Her voice trailing into a softer murmur as it becomes clear that Fio will not slow or stop. Simply then exhaling slowly as she looks to the pin in her decrepit hands. Gently replacing the relic with care, almost reverence. "...She was such a beautiful young lady." Saddened. The old one can only hope the spirits don't see fit to take two tonight, as she carefully settles herself back down to her chair.
The dark alleyway beyond is almost pitch black. Without the lights of the streetlamps, the ebony bleakness is almost palpable. The shadows deepening into an ocean of impenetrable blackness. Stretching into the urban depths like a crack between buildings leading to the abyss. No further sound stirs the atmosphere.. drawing suspiciously cold like a cave the further one trespasses within..
This is not a kid falling off a bike. Fio knows that much when it gets so dark she can /feel/ it, /sense/ it. It wraps itself around her, and she instinctively does what she knows best: takes a tonfa in one hand and a light machine gun in the other. Good sense has told her to keep them with her at all times -- the somewhat baggy Terry-style jacket gives her a nice amount of room to accomodate this, too.
She rolls her neck, once, trying to get herself limber. This could be some sort of illusion, or other misdirection technique -- she's seen something small-scale a little like this on TV, but nothing this pronounced, this... disturbing, and she certainly hasn't felt it for herself. Fio takes a deep breath, looking to the left, then the right. "Hello?" she calls, making rookie mistake #1: drawing attention to herself before knowing the full situation. "I heard a scream, is someone hurt? I know some first-aid," she continues, keeping herself abreast of as much of her surroundings as she can. "If you need help, just say so..." From the tone of her voice, it's easy to tell that the heiress-turned-soldier is speaking solely to try to ignore her already fraying nerves.
The weapons are certainly comforting to hold in such a place. The air itself seems to draw close, and the very warmth in her body draws away as chills creep into even a hardened soldier's skin. The ground of the alleyway is littered with trash, heaped in piles from local residents. The smell is horrendous, filled with a sickly sweetness that only dead and decaying things give. The only sound here is what the Ikari takes with her. Her breath echoing off the ruinous brick walls of the alley, her feet occasionally splashing a small puddle of stagnant water. Not a rat, not a alley cat. Not even a single fly. Even the sounds of the modern, urban world are muffled into obscurity here. Drowned out by an all-consuming stillness.
"... help ..."
A single word. Barely more than a breathless whisper. From further within this dark place. Beyond a trash bin and a veil of clotheslines and forgotten laundry.. like a lair of some dark thing out of an old tale.
Biting her bottom lip for the briefest of seconds, Fio tries to build up that resolve. You can do this, she tells herself, this isn't a problem, no matter what this is, you can handle it, you're a Germi, focus, it'll be fine, just /focus/, damn you! It's just a little cold... (in the middle of summer). It's just a little dark... (too early in the evening). Just stop overthinking it, she yells at herself, and it'll all be OK. You'll be good. You'll do well.
That cry for help snaps her to action, though -- if /she/ couldn't convince herself, /it/ does a great job of doing the heavy lifting. "I'm coming!" she yells toward the voice, with just a little too much worry to be fully reassuring; she springs dead-on toward the sound, going deeper and deeper into this hellish pit in this otherwise peaceful side of Southtown. "You're going to be okay!" she cries, as much to herself as to the person stuck so deep in this evil, stagnant place.
The dashing Ikari pushes aside a half dozen 'veils' of dangling, moth-stripped laundry. Revealing a little more of the scene beyond until she pushes aside the last fabric of secrecy to reveal a scene straight out of a nightmare.
A tall, dark silhouette stands in the middle of what appears to be a wider cul du sac, like a cobblestone courtyard from an ancient world nestled in a forgotten corner of Southtown. What the moonlight reveals is an ethereal maiden, a woman with skin so pale it virtually glows a pearlescent hue beneath the silver moon above. A dark kimono swathed haphazardly about her form as she's leaned over elegantly, her face hidden within a veil of silken black bangs with the rest of her wicked mane spilling over her shoulder and joining the shadows around her. Like a ghost out of Japanese myth itself.
The source of that cry? Weakly kneeling at the apparition's feet. A schoolgirl by the look of her.. limply dangling from a pale hand clutched around her throat. Her eyes rolled back with her lips working silently, repeating that word over and over again as..
..fresh crimson continues to run along the ghost's hand in contact with the little girl's throat, seemingly drawing the warmth straight from the victim and into her unholy body. As Fio emerges upon the scene, the ghost issues a soft sigh. A breath of curiosity as her hand simply releases. Allowing the spent girl to collapse upon the fetid cobblestones in an unconscious lump.. hardly stirring at all.
"..Another heart.. beating so quickly.." From beneath the dark locks- golden, inhuman eyes slowly roll towards the would-be heroine. Staring through her with all the intensity of death.
Stopping dead in her tracks as she takes that last fateful step and brushes away that last little bit of laundry to give her the perfect view into the wider cul de sac, Fio watches the scene in no small amount of horror. She was expecting, at the very worst, an assault of a very normal, mundane nature, not having to deal with... monsters and demons. The notion would almost seem preposterous if it didn't make so much sense -- it'd explain the complicity of that woman. After all, older people always have been superstitious -- she remembers her grandmother well enough to know that.
Spending the briefest of glances on the young woman, she concludes that if she acts fast and decisively, she might... /might/... be able to save her. But, she adds to herself, only if she acts fast, acts decisively, and above all, carefully. 'Careful,' however, might not be the right word for pointing a gun at a ghost.
"I -- um --" Fio starts, before shaking a few of the cobwebs of her head out and saying, more authoritatively, "This is Fiolina Germi, soldier attached to the Ikari Warriors!" she declares, stepping into the cul de sac, starting to move around the ghost slowly. "Leave now and I promise you won't be hurt!" It's a dangerous deal to make, but one she has to make -- the girl's health is the first concern, and she can't attend to that with her attacker right here. Her steps start to take her a tiny bit back away from the 'ghost,' subconsciously, as she moves; her feet are admitting what her tone isn't.
The ghoulish maiden slowly turns to face the armed young woman with frighteningly little concern for the modern weapon leveled in her direction. The wickedly beautiful creature tilts her head slowly to the side with an inquisitive purse of her purple-shaded lips. Her first response is a soft, wordless murmur. A soothing, shushing sound as she begins to move towards the girl, "Sssh.. Don't be afraid child.." Her haunting voice taking on a disconcerting resonance, ".. It will be over soon.." Long-nailed hands slowly lifting as she begins to move with such soundless grace it seems like she glides an inch over the stonework. Her ocean of black tresses flowing behind her in an unfelt wind.. approaching the newcomer as if she meant to embrace her with affection. Black slitted pupils narrowing within glowing irises of gold, boring within the Ikari as her lips twist upwards in a progressively maddening grin. Displaying teeth that are far, far too sharp.
COMBATSYS: Marise has started a fight here.
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Marise 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Fio has joined the fight here.
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Fio 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Marise
Needless to say, this is not high on Fio's list of things she would like to happen; she is afraid, terribly afraid, because she knows she is in very real danger right now and hasn't the first idea how to combat it. However, she does know how to combat just about everything else, and while some of it may not apply here, it is -- at the very least -- a start. If it doesn't work, well... she'll think about that when she comes to it.
"Not if I can help it," she murmurs, gripping her tonfa and her gun tightly and advancing. Don't pay attention to the weird teeth or the weird pupils or the weird anything, Fio -- just call on your skills... you'd be failing your family if you didn't at least look the situation in the face and handle it! Come on, girl, what would Alessadro Germi do?
Evidently, the answer is 'rush in,' as Fio takes the initiative and twirls her tonfa around once before bursting forward, going for a wide horizontal 'slash' in front of her, aimed for the ghost-vampire-woman's gut, with a loud, high-pitched cry of, "BAHN SRASH!" Not the most noble or dignified thing, but hey -- if you're going to wear a Terry Bogard jacket and hat when you're off duty, you have to play to it. At least, Fio thinks so.
COMBATSYS: Marise blocks Fio's Cutting Tonfa.
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Fio 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Marise
The swiftly arcing Tonfa is met immediately as the ghost simply catches the blade in her bare hand. The momentum of the strike stopping dead away as the woman shudders only faintly beneath the impact.
The deathly woman's grin widens just a fraction more, entering devillian proportions as a few droplets of stolen crimson trickle along the palm holding the blade, "..Is this your strength..?" The ghost whispers, a sultry tone caressing the girl's ears as her other hand raises. Her purple-colored nails slowly begin to extend.. Lengthening like foot-long straight-razors as she holds her fingers aloft, "...Show me more.."
In a surprisingly fast blur of motion, the ghost's arm extends from the depths of her sleeve. Slashing outwards with those claws in an arc a good bit further than should be arm's length, seeking to cut the intruder lightly.
The danger in this assault isn't the minor scratches... The danger is in the spiritual damage, the disruption of the girl's very life-force should the paranormal assault land..
COMBATSYS: Marise successfully hits Fio with Shinigami.
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Fio 0/-------/--=====|==-----\-------\0 Marise
As those claws rake across Fio's gut, she feels that spiritual disruption, that sickening feeling in her stomach, that thing that defies explanation -- it scares her, as it tears through everything she's got as if it's nothing. "W... why..." she groans, at first, as she tries to understand what's been done to her, /why/ it hurts so much -- but again, those thoughts get shoved aside as years of training and generations of military muscle memory take over.
Taking two steps back, she tries to focus on what she knows works, adjusting her cap briefly in that manner shared by almost every fighter who's worn the baseball-inspired head covering. "All right," she says, with a quick roll of her shoulders, "I'll show you just what I've got!" Leaping forward, she goes into a diving posture, aiming an aerial strike with the side of the tonfa at this -- terrifying /thing/ she's been presented with. She saw Heidern do this once, she thinks -- it's a tried and true technique... even if her own form isn't great, it's something traditional, and tradition very often works.
COMBATSYS: Marise dodges Fio's Fierce Punch.
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Fio 0/-------/--=====|==-----\-------\0 Marise
The dark maiden recoils her arm after the successful strike, fingers spreading as her knife-like nails splay outwards like a fan of blades. At the question 'why', a soft chuckle escapes her throat. Amused at the moment of confusion from the girl as the elegant creature takes another step closer. Golden eyes glinting as it seems this newfound morsel alights the spark of fury within her. "Aaah.. I see courage within you child.."
As the girl rushes forth, the ghost side-steps at the last second. Moving to the side as the girl rushes by, feeling her silken strands brush her form as the ghost turns once more, "...Yesss.. faster now.."
The tall maiden then reaches forth yet again. This time attempting to grab the girl's outstretched arm before she can fully recover from her powerful swing, twisting her arm behind her in a painful lock in a bid to hold her still and wither her defenses, "..Just a little taste..."
COMBATSYS: Fio blocks Marise's Quick Throw.
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Fio 0/-------/-======|==-----\-------\0 Marise
As the tall woman comes in yet again, Fio's ready -- she actually lets the woman catch her, but when she comes in to hold her tight and keep her there, Fio moves lightning-fast, wrenching her arm in a way that, while rather painful all on its own in this situation, does indeed get her out of the hold. It's a small price to pay, she thinks, as she moves away -- she doesn't want that woman to touch her any more than she can avoid.
Her throat constricts, a little. Panic starts to creep in again. What if she hadn't been that quick? Would she have died? Become this thing's thrall? Thousands of possibilities drawn from all manner of vampire myths run through her head, each even more unattractive than the last. But a small voice tells her that she's out of her league, that she should just give up and run, or let this thing catch her, or --
That voice is cut off by Alessadro Germi's voice, that deep, commanding tone that led men into disaster and back. 'I forget, were you ever told about our family's role in the war against Napoleon? It was a dark day in Genoa -- old Lieutenant Germi was still new to his role as an officer, just out of civilian work, just like you. He had a hundred men, and he knew five hundred of Napoleon's were coming... but he stood his ground. They lost -- only five troopers, including him, made it back -- but they pushed Napoleon's advance back far enough that the supplies weren't harmed.'
That's what she needs to be, she thinks, as she backpedals; she needs to be resolute and steadfast. Even if she loses, even if she dies, it might mean that young girl has enough time to get away... and that's what being a soldier is. "Not a chance! I'm not going to let you 'taste' me -- and, in fact, here!" Holstering her gun and putting away her tonfa, Fio whirls back toward the way she came, drawing out a pair of small grenades. Finishing that little whirl, she sends them flying at the demoness, arcing them just so -- she wants them to fire upward, rather than to the side, right now. After all, she /really/ doesn't want to injure that girl.
Akira has arrived.
COMBATSYS: Marise slows Fire Bomb EX from Fio with Onigumo no Dokubari.
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Fio 0/-------/-======|=------\-------\0 Marise
The wicked maiden's fingers are unable to keep ahold of this quick girl's movements, the soldier slipping free with as the creature murmurs appraisingly, "Mmmn.. The child awakens.." The ghost's expression filling with an upswell of joy at this revelation as her fingers wriggle in the open air like white spiderlegs. Continuing to turn and face the girl as she begins to flee.. calling out after her, "..Yes..Run!.. It makes the blood pump faster.." The tip of her tongue sliding over her lips as she prepares to give chase..
That is, until the girl starts to break out with the heavier artillery. It seems the anachronistic monster is familiar enough with modern contrivances as she witnesses those twin spheres sailing through the air in a high arc.
Clearly showing this yurei is not quite as unconcerned for her own safety as previously displayed, She takes swift action.. though through a very unusual quarter. With a quick move, the creature ducks to the side.. tossing her head as a few locks of her hair -whip- upwards, snapping lose several black needles that dart through the air with silent precision. The unnatural weapons impact the first of the grenades in mid-flight, pushing the weapon up and away to explode high above in a -burst- of flames! However.. the remainder continues its course as the creature just begins to leap out of the way.. Briefly disappearing within the flash of fire and destruction as she throws up her long-sleeved arms! Her snarl of shock and surprise hidden behind the plume of flame.. Giving the Ikari a respite from further attack.. for the moment.
Seeing that snarl makes Fio's heart soar more than anything else possibly could right now. She's doing something, she's being effective -- not only that, she's gotten her enemy to 'waste' time and energy on merely mitigating a strike... albeit with her /hair/, which is faintly unsettling. (Though downright tame compared to what else has been going on.) Ms. Germi feels pretty good about herself right now; fear is starting to be overcome, and as that bomb explodes in fire, Ms. Germi briefly tilts her cap up, then back down. So this is what it feels like, she thinks, to really make a difference -- it's a good feeling.
But she doesn't waste too much time on reflection -- after all, the battle isn't won, the girl isn't saved, and for that matter, /she/ isn't saved. Deciding to stick to a combination of bare-knuckle combat and bombs for now, Ms. Germi lunges forward once again, suddenly going low and sliding toward the monster. Now that she knows she can harm it, she thinks she may as well try to hit like a truck, and a running sliding tackle with all her (modest) weight on it should do the trick...
COMBATSYS: Marise dodges Fio's Strong Kick.
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Fio 0/-------/-======|=------\-------\0 Marise
Behind the volumes of smoke rising from the detonated munition, it's a bit difficult to see the ghoulish one. The image of the creature is just barely seen... but as the girl slide-tackles through the parting debris.. She then realizes the depth of her error. Her foot finding nothing but smoke, as the creature rushes from the clouds. A voice reverbating with a cruel hiss as she reaches forth again. Her arms extending forth from those black sleeves with surprising length as hands seek to gain purchase about the girl's neck for a vicious choke..
COMBATSYS: Fio dodges Marise's Quick Throw.
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Fio 0/-------/-======|=------\-------\0 Marise
... but that choke never comes, as Fio quickly aborts her slide into a full-on roll away, just barely outpacing the dark woman's extensive reach. "Wh -- who are you?!" she demands of this horrific adversary, as she goes through her options in her head as extensively as she can. She wants to stop this woman, maybe even hurt her -- but she feels like she has no real options. Except... well, that fire worked earlier...
...and hopefully it'll work again, she thinks, as she breaks on into a sprint back toward this unknowable demon. In a trick she no doubt learned from watching a good amount of television, she ducks low -- and then suddenly springs up with an uppercut and a grab, tossing the dark lady down if all goes according to plan. "High Angle Kamikaze!" she yells as she runs back away from the attack -- and reveals that the demoness wasn't /all/ she tossed down. The explosives are, if nothing else, a nice touch.
COMBATSYS: Marise blocks Fio's K.A.M.I.K.A.Z.E..
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Fio 0/-------/=======|==-----\-------\0 Marise
Chill fingers grip the air as once again the little Ikari evades the creature's bizarre grasp. Pale arms coil through the air for a moment before sliding back within the volumes of those long sleeves, golden eyes gleaming as the creature hardly slows her attack. Answering the blurted, shocked question with a sudden laugh! "Kyeh. KYEH HEH HAAA!" Fang-filled grin sweeping widely as the battle joins in earnest now. The ghost dashing forth to meet that charge head-on. Her body parallel to the ground as her pearlescent legs part her kimono enough to run.
With surprising speed the creature meets that uppercut with blocking hands. Using the girl's own momentum to -vault- upwards in a high arc! Leaping high and away from the planted explosives that end up striking nowhere near their target!
The creature descends quickly, her ebon dress whipping about her as she lands in a crouch. Briefly grinning like a perched feline before -lunging- forth, attempting to grab the girl with her bare-hands once more.. Attempting to find purchase upon her face and neck.. And this time no mere choke-hold..
COMBATSYS: Fio dodges Marise's Maou Zansatsu.
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Fio 0/-------/=======|===----\-------\0 Marise
Having seen first-hand what happened to that schoolgirl when the demoness got her hands on her neck, Fio wants no part of that action whatsoever; she's a smart girl, after all. She knows the score! "Oh man oh man oh man..." she says, using the momentum from her earlier grab, dunk, and run to keep going, well out of the way of even those particularly long arms and that particularly nasty leap. "Come on, Fio, focus!" This time, she has to say it to herself out loud -- she really does need it now.
Mid-run, she whirls around, launching her whole body backward into a roll. An enormous pistol comes out in a quick flash of gunmetal, and Fio decides that now would be a very good time to try something ill-advised; after all, she's having a very good run of luck -- may as well end it on a high note! "I'm not going to let you do that... that thing to me! Take this! POWER SHOT!" And without further ado, gunshot after wild gunshot rings out in the small cul de sac.
COMBATSYS: Marise dodges Fio's Power Shot.
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Fio 1/-------/=======|===----\-------\0 Marise
The Devil begins to get a measure of this little girl's speed. Golden eyes following her movements with calculating intensity as she continues racing after the girl within the limited room of this forbidden courtyard. Her fingers clutching only air, but she remains undaunted. Continuing to chase until she -darts- to the side just as the girl whirl's about. The pistol shot crashes like thunder, echos racing throughout the surrounding alleyways. The blast punches a hole through the ghost's trailing locks.. a foot or two away from her head while in mid-motion.
Inhuman glee seems etched on the creature's face now as she rushes forwards.. strangely telegraphing her attack as she reaches out with her arms in a bid to tackle the girl to the broken cobblestone in a brutal rush..
COMBATSYS: Marise successfully hits Fio with Strong Throw.
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Fio 1/----===/=======|====---\-------\0 Marise
And down she goes. With a sickening crack, Fio's head strikes the flat of a cobblestone and her entire body cries out at her from the impact. Just /stop/, it demands, there's only so much you can put forth, just let it /end/ already -- whatever ending means. But, she thinks, what if that's it -- or worse, what if I get turned into something like that? She thinks, for the briefest moment, about a horrible creature, her in name only, hurting her friends.
That's enough to get her blood downright boiling. Screw Yagami, screw Howard -- /this/ is what it's like to have your blood cry out for something, she thinks, even though she is, unbeknownst to her, so very wrong. (They /definitely/ have the blood-boiling nailed.) Bringing that heavy pistol up again, she doesn't even try to extract herself from underneath the devil she fights, just shoving that pistol up toward its neck with a sureness that only a soldier could have. That red and white cap of hers falls from her head as she affirms to herself, "Okay," before starting once again to pull the trigger as many times as she can force herself to.
COMBATSYS: Marise interrupts Long Shot from Fio with Shinigami.
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Fio 2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|======-\-------\0 Marise
The ghost pounces upon the poor girl in a rush. Crashing her to the cold ground with merciless precision. Immediately placing a hand next to her head as the creature lays upon her. Her frighteningly cool weight presses down as she stares deeply into the girl's eyes with those hellish orbs, her locks curtaining and eclipsing the world from view. "..Did you think you could run forever... little girl?" Tongue sliding along her lips once more as she leans just a fraction closer, a soft breath escaping those plush lips. "...Such hate.."
The click of the hammer silences the creature as the barrel presses to her pale neck. "...I like it."
*BLAMBLAMBLAMBLAM*
The thunderous shots echo through the courtyard, the flashes briefly hiding the monsterous creature from view. However.. moments later she can be seen with several grazes along her neck and cheek.. Her head tilted to the side at an inhuman angle that would have snapped any other living thing's vertebrae. Her grin as wide as ever...
...As the Ikari can feel a quintuple-set of faint needling sensations in her stomach.. The creature's hand pressed firmly to her middle, claws extended just deep enough for a familiar, unpleasant sensation to begin to quickly spread..
No, Fio thinks, no, no, a thousand times /no/, this isn't how things can end, not for her, not here, no, no, no, she cries to herself as she feels those hands rip through her chi, through the warmth of her body, through everything. The pain is intense -- she hates never having trained her endurance, relying on her freakish strength and speed instead. Numb and feeling sick, Fio resolves to push as hard as she can, as far as she can, for the sake of her own survival.
A surge of energy from her nearly-destroyed frame lets her spring back, picking that cap back up and placing it back on her head during the retreat. The pistol is discarded, thrown aside for a more high-impact weapon: a heavy machine gun, which Fio uses one-handed, reminding herself of her grandfather, who likewise waded through the trenches of two World Wars with a machine gun in each hand and more grit than ten men. She doesn't carry the look off nearly as well as he did, but she certainly knows her way around the weapon.
... which is why she's... twirling it around so the butt faces forward? Master Sgt. Germi, Ikari-attached soldier, closes her eyes for a brief second, and when they open again, they face the Devil with steeled courage. If you're going to go down, she tells herself, go down fighting.
Her body closes the gap again in the briefest of seconds -- in a classic 'heroic surge,' Fio cries, "Taste /this/! Yo'h still ahhh riiiiighhhht...?!" The butt of the weapon is aimed squarely where a normal person's breastbone would be, and if it strikes, Fio whirls it around with a cry of, "FIO FIO TIME!"
This, of course, is where things get ridiculous, if they're to get ridiculous at all.
COMBATSYS: Fio successfully hits Marise with Fio Fio Time!.
- Power hit! -
[ \\\\\\\\\ < > ////////// ]
Fio 0/-------/---====|=======\===----\1 Marise
A second machine gun comes out in the split second the stock strike buys the soldier girl, and she fires both of them up at the demoness's chest, trying to send her back away from the girl she was attacking, and away from Fio; a few high explosives seal the deal, and as they explode, the woman rushes in with a quick, hard kick for the ghost's neck, trying to send her up into the sky.
The coup de grace, however, is when she pulls her standard-issue hatchet from her jacket and gives it a good, solid fling at the freshly-airborne ghost, hopefully getting it good and stuck. On the one hand, that was quite the strike... on the other hand, it looks like it might be all Fio's got.
The ghoulish creature's wicked grin continues as she plucks her claws from the girl's stomach. Her fangs glistening brightly as she slowly rises once more, "..A bold attempt girl.. But now y-" The creature's eyes widen, seeing that gleam of intensity in the girl's eye. As the impossibly huge weapon is dredged forth from the girl's jacket, the ghost just begins to raise her arms.. Save for the fact that the Ikari moves far, far too swiftly!
The butt of that rifle -slams- the Devil's chest, impacting within the depth of her cleavage as she's tossed back a step.. And that's when the pain begins. The creature practically disappears behind the hail of gunfire, scraps of her kimono flying away beneath the withering hail of fire.. Flailing in the mayhem like a limp ragdoll. Only to again disappear within a series of explosions, shattering cobblestone and scorching walls.. Only to then be -kicked- high upwards and SLAMMED with a whirling hatchet. Landing solidly in the creature's back before collapsing back down into the smoldering rubble in a limp heap.
Nothing could possibly survive that.. no living creature on Earth..
"K...Kyeh.." A laugh, "He.. HE KYA HAAA HAAAAAAAAA!"
The outline of the creature stirs, but only for a moment before the curtain of rising smoke splits open! The creature's head snaps forth on the ground as the whole of her mane whips over her shoulders, shooting forth a -torrent- of hundreds of those black needles. Literally blotting out the girl's vision in an incoming cloud of stiffened fibers. Each of them embedded with the same chi-disrupting technique of her claws..
COMBATSYS: Fio dodges Marise's Onigumo no Kokufuu.
[ \\\\\\\\\ < > ///////// ]
Fio 0/-------/---====|==-----\-------\0 Marise
Fio takes a second to declare her mission complete, putting her guns away and holding a hand out in the traditional sign for victory; it's a second too soon, though, as hair-needles suddenly blot out everything. Looking such an assault dead-on, there's only one thing Fio can do, and that's get crazy. Leaping back and up, she grabs onto a drainage gutter in the alleyway, using it as a brief foothold to leap even /higher/, only barely making it over the swarm of black needles.
She lands hard, with a loud 'thud,' once the assault has abated. "Whoa... you're..." she starts, but she quickly thinks better of it and refocuses. Germi has suddenly caught a small advantage over her tormentor, an advantage which, at this point, means everything. She looks down, seeing a broken section of railing from a fire escape; she recalls another story her father told her, of Colonel Giovanni Germi, an aging man who jumped into a battle during the Italian wars of independence with only the leg of a table he'd been fixing, and took down ten Austrian soldiers before falling. Good enough, Fio thinks, as she rears it back like a bat and swings with all the force she can muster, exactly once, for the cackling demoness's center of mass.
COMBATSYS: Marise blocks Fio's Random Weapon.
[ \\\\\\\\\\ < > //////// ]
Fio 0/-------/----===|===----\-------\0 Marise
The vast rain of black needles impacts the far brickwall across the courtyard, layering the worn stone in glistening blackness. The Creature's locks flutter back down to the ground in the aftermath of the assault.. The creature, herself, having clearly seen better days.
The Ghost claws along the ground, dragging herself.. not quite able to rises to her feet as she coughs once more. The hatchet still protruding from her back, several dozen bullet wounds cover her along with dozens of other grazes. Scorch marks all over her skin.. Blood oozing from her body.
By all logic she should be dead.
...Or at the very least.. she shouldn't be laughing like that.
"Kyea HA! C..clever girl.." The Devil whispers. Seeing the girl cling to the overhead gutter to barely escape a painful fate. The undead-like thing slowly begins to push herself up.. stumbling about until she's upright. Witnessing the girl's charge and hardly budging as she leans -into- the strike. The table -SLAMS- into her with an audible crack, "...Well played..." Bloody lips curl into a smile. Seemingly unnoticing of the impact.
The Devil then lifts a hand and -SHOVES- forwards at point blank.. Her arm -extending- like a spear, attempting to grab the girl by the head and -SHOVE- her to the far wall a dozen paces away! Leaning into the strike with wobbling resolve.. clearly at the end of even her immense endurance..
COMBATSYS: Marise successfully hits Fio with Maou Tsuke.
[ \\\\\ < > ////// ]
Fio 0/-------/-======|====---\-------\0 Marise
Crack! That's the sound of Fio's baseball-capped head as it strikes the wall full-force, leaving a small bloody stain on the cement between the bricks. She's starting to feel like no matter what she does, this is her fate -- but there's that one last outside chance, she thinks, that one little hope she has that she can always cling to no matter how bad things look. There's always something deep in side her she can count on to keep on going as long as she wants to prove herself worthy of the title 'first girl heir to the Germi family tradition'.
She keeps herself up and ready, allowing herself a sort of morbid grin in spite of it all. "You'll find..." she says, looking her opponent dead on, "... that I'm /full/ of surprises!" Leaping in, she tries a curious mirror of the Devil's own technique, grabbing her forehead and then going for a hard, nasty palm strike at her head. And then...
COMBATSYS: Fio has reached second wind!
[ \\\\\\\\ < > ////// ]
Fio 0/-------/-------|====---\-------\0 Marise
COMBATSYS: Marise dodges Fio's Fierce Punch EX.
[ \\\\\\\\ < > ////// ]
Fio 0/-------/-------|====---\-------\0 Marise
As the girl slumps to the ground.. The Devil of Koga slumps forwards. Stumbling a step as she wobbles to the side. Exhaling as the agony of that incredible assault begins to take it's toll on her wracked frame. A hand gently touches the center of her chest then moving to the bullet wounds at her shoulders and arms. With a soft sneer her nail-tips dig into her own flesh, withdrawing lead and tossing it asside, "...Foreigners and their guns.." She whispers to herself ruefully..
Movement in the corner of her eye warns her at the absolute last moment. Sharply intaking a breath as she stumbles to the side gracelessly. More along the lines of pure luck than skill, as the little Ikari's focus must be rattled still from the bone-jarring impact she suffered. Turning then to face the girl as she coughs once.. stumbling back a step as she does not immediately pursue.. "...You are strong girl.." A hand carefully reaches behind her back to -yank- that hatchet free. Casually tossing it to the ground without so much as a wince, "...I'll give you that.." Chuckling with a hacking cough. Taking a moment to catch her breath and tend to her most obvious wounds..
COMBATSYS: Marise gains composure.
[ \\\\\\\\ < > ///////// ]
Fio 0/-------/-------|===----\-------\0 Marise
... and then, Fio is back up, ready for anything. The little Ikari's eyes seem a little punch-drunk and vacant, but at the same time, they show a lot of spirit -- there's a lot of guts backing Ms. Germi. Indeed, they're the only thing that's keeping her going, as the Devil of Koga starts to tear her apart. "Thanks for the compliment... I think..." she groans, blinking a few times; she's about out of options, and decides to go with her gut.
What's her gut telling her? Why, it's telling her to end this the way she started it -- with a nasty slash with her tonfa. The weapon comes out again, and she gives it one quick spin; she then raises it up and promptly slams it down toward the Devil's head. "Power Tonfa!!" she screams, as it streaks down.
COMBATSYS: Fio successfully hits Marise with Cutting Tonfa.
[ \\\\\\
The Devil shakes her head swiftly, trying to clear her rattled thoughts as her golden eyes blink out of sequence a moment. All those point-blank pyrotechniques have certainly done a number on her.. Inhuman constitution or not.
Infact, she can only question her eyes as the girl -rushes- for the Devil, as if she was completely renewed by some higher power. Even the creature must stare, completely stunned at this girl's resilience as she murmurs, "..I..Impossi-GUK!"
The bladed tonfa strikes true, SLASHING across the woman's shoulder deeply, just barely moving her head out of the way in time from what would have been a fatal blow.. But against this creature, one never knows.
The Devil staggers back several more paces.. Lifting a hand in weak defense as she's clearly had more than enough. Barely able to stand as she slumps against the far wall.. Rasping out a series of biting, bitter snickers as she grins ruefully, "...You've won.. girl."
With a gesture the monster flicks her wrist to the ground, generating a burst of smoke that swallows the hellish woman from view.. And moments later? ... Nothing.
Leaving the Ikari Warrior standing, barely, in the middle of the utterly ravaged courtyard, broken and crumbling from the punishment unleashed by the pitched battle. And the unconscious young girl.. In need of medical attention.. But safe.
COMBATSYS: Marise takes no action.
[ \\\\\\\ <
Fio 0/-------/-----==|
COMBATSYS: Marise can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\ <
Fio 0/-------/-----==|
Akira heads OOC.
Now, and only now, does Fio breathe a sigh of relief. She's managed to drive off the Devil of Koga, and for that, she's allowing herself a second to stop worrying and just breathe. "Phew! I'm... I'm really glad that's over..." she says, with a smile; she then finally remembers that that wasn't the /only/ thing she had to handle, and she runs over to the schoolgirl, worry returning to her eyes. The work of a soldier is never done -- there's more to life than battle, and Fio, mercifully, realizes.
"... you're going to be okay," she says, with a little smile, as she inspects the girl briefly. "I'm going to take you into the building next door and do a little first aid work, and get you stable enough to take to a hospital. You're going to be all right." She isn't sure the girl can /hear/ her, but saying it gives her a little steadiness, too. After all, not only /having/ a plan of action but being able to /state/ it does wonders for one's calmness.
Log created on 22:42:22 06/01/2007 by Marise, and last modified on 17:42:40 06/02/2007.