Description: [Riko vs. Lykaio] A random fight. That would be meaningless. But here and now, with the lives of his people hanging in the balance - that is the measure of the man. Or God.
Another day in the life of a thunder god. Lykaio sits on a bench, with a small group of people sitting in a semi-circle in front of him on the floor. The light filtering in from a higher window on him, makes him particularly visible out of the group. He looks like he's still recovering from some horrible physical trauma, but despite this, there's a smile on his face
His gaze shifts across his followers. A few of them are dressed in the dark brown business suits of his order, but most simply wearing street clothes. Some of them are simply freeloaders or those with nowhere to go, but even so, they're slowly beginning to form something larger. Even they will believe, in time.
He raises one hand slowly, his voice starting at a gentle lull, then slowly building up into a crescendo. "And that's why this system will never prevail. The world simply *wasn't set up* for stratification based on wealth and education. It forces people to be cruel to each other, to crawl over eachother in an attempt to reach the top. There is more than enough food to feed everyone in this world. Yet people still starve. Why? To enforce this order!"
He lowers his hand back to his side, and shakes his head slowly, a regretful smile growing on his face. "And this is why Gods are on earth. Why they always have been. The world has lost it's way, but we will help them find it."
Indeed, belief is a powerful thing. It isn't artifice. It's no mere rhethoric. The man (or god) called Lykaio believes what he's saying. He believes in his divinity, in the truth of his message. So too does the rapt audience listening to his words, hanging on each powerful syllable as it rolls off his tongue. They believe. They listen, in reverence, in awe, in humble supplication.
Yet the trouble with religion is...it's never universal. Certainly all faiths claim to explain the entirety of the universe, of the spiritual world, of human existence - and to offer the solution to all of the world's woes. But there are always those who do /not/ believe. Call them infidels, blasphemers - or more simply, unbelievers. Simply those...who disagree.
Sometimes violently.
Case in point.
The high window above Lykaio illuminates him, an aura, a halo, of warm golden light. The light of the sun.
But then, a shadow passes, a flickering shroud.
Then the window explodes inwards.
As does every other window in the hall. In one massive hail of shattering glass.
It'd be pretty, the falling, spinning, glittering shards, catching and reflecting the light. If they weren't all razor sharp, a lacerating hail. Blood and panic. Chaos.
Lykaio blinks as a shard of glass hits his arm, then narrows his eyes, quickly looking his congregation over. Nothing fatal, yet. Lykaio slowly stands up amidst all this panic, calm in the eye of the storm, and makes a sweeping gesture with one arm, electricity crackling around his body. "Halt!" His followers, although initially intent on fleeing, come to a standstill, looking over to him. He takes a deep breath.
"Everyone, gather in the center of the room. I can't defend you when you're spread out. Women and children on the inside of the circle." There's a bit of hesitation, but slowly, they move together.
Lykaio opens his hands palm upwards, and lets two orbs fly from his hands through the windows, where they will whir around randomly in hopes of hitting something, or rather, someone. The third emerges from his chest, and he bats it over to hover on the opposite side of his group.
He turns away from his followers to watch for attacks, and shouts towards the roof, "If you have a quarrel with me, show yourself! And aim your attacks better! Attacking those without the means to defend themselves is reprehensible!"
"Not an attack..."
The voice is a clear soprano, rising high and distinct above the sound of the panic-stricken crowd. A voice just as striking as Lykaio's own.
There's a shift in the room's energy, a change in the currents of chi. It's a subtle thing, probably too subtle for Lykaio's followers to detect - at least consciously. But for a sensitive like Lykaio, it should be clear as day. Someone's here.
In the centre of the room, glass shards shift - erupting from the floor, swirling round, displaced. A flicker of blue, a retina-searing blaze. Lightning, electricity - but not Lykaio's. It coalesces into a slim figure, standing amidst the broken glass. She grins at Lykaio, a mocking challenge to the 'god'.
"...a distraction."
Young, very young. She can't be more than 14, small and slender of build. Dressed simply. T-shirt, shorts, and a pair of in-line skates, wheels resting lightly upon the bed of razor shards. Hair framing clear blue eyes, staring at Lykaio, piercingly.
Riko Koganei.
"You - Lykaio?"
A question.
"Yes. Me - Lykaio."
The Greek shakes his head a little as he stares down at the girl. "If you have problems thinking up distractions, I could provide you with a couple." He pulls a small shard of glass out of his arm, and flicks it to the floor. "You aren't here to hurt my followers?" He frowns slightly, and gestures for said followers to get back from this girl, which they are only too glad to do.
Lykaio takes a couple of steps towards her, then comes to a stop, disapproval clear in his eyes. "I hope you do not do so again. If you do, I shall hurt you. And I do not enjoy hurting women. What do you want?"
The grin on Riko's face, already wide, grows larger still. She doesn't seem to take Lykaio's words as a threat. Quite the contrary. Her eyes gleam with bemusement. She doesn't attempt to hide it. She smirks at Lykaio, standing directly across from him. Only a few feet away. Her eyes stare straight at him. She doesn't even bother looking at the huddled, somewhat fearful mass of Lykaio's flock. They're sheep. They're of no concern to her.
Riko clasps her hands behind her head, linking her fingers together, stretching. An almost cat-like movement, slow and languid, utterly unconcerned.
"Just wanted to make sure," she replies, impishly, "you're him."
Her hands, behind her head, release. They come apart, whipping in front of her. Going nearly straight, elbows unbending. Fingers parting.
Two pieces of glass fly from her hands, almost blurring in the air.
COMBATSYS: Riko has started a fight here.
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Riko 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Lykaio has joined the fight here.
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Riko 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Lykaio
COMBATSYS: Riko successfully hits Lykaio with Thrown Object.
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Riko 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Lykaio
Lykaio begins to move to one side as something flies from Riko's hands, and blinks when he finds that glass has already embedded itself in him. He frowns, and pauses, watching her for a moment as his three orbs fly back towards him from where he sent them before.
"For someone so young, that was sharp. But if you keep on attacking me, I will fight back." He frowns uneasily, something about this is clearly bothering him. He raises one hand before him, crackling with electricity, as if in warning, but otherwise just stands there.
COMBATSYS: Lykaio focuses on his next action.
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Riko 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Lykaio
Riko arches an eyebrow, cocking her head to the side. She watches Lykaio, her eyes drawn to the nimbus of electrical energy blazing round his hand. Her expression changes. Perhaps she's impressed.
Maybe she's just amused.
Still wearing that Cheshire grin, she meets Lykaio's gaze.
Her manner is casual, confident, devil-may-care. But that's just on the surface. Her body language betrays a faint undercurrent of readiness, of calculation. Something cold passes through her eyes. She notes the layout of the meeting hall, the positions of Lykaio's followers, standing away from the impending conflict.
And every detail of Lykaio's form, down to the placement of the two shards of glass stuck in his body.
She says one word:
"Okay."
Then she moves. Accelerating so fast that her passage sends debris spinning into the air, the in-line skates on her feet speeding across the floor. But before she makes contact with Lykaio, long before, she -jumps-, sending herself into over his head.
The fingers of one hand flick downward.
A jagged line of blue arcs between Riko's hand - and the two fragments of glass she threw at Lykaio, still embedded in the wound. By all rights, glass -shouldn't- be a conductor.
When chi is concerned? When Riko's had time to touch them, to embed a charge within them?
They're as good as a lightning rod.
COMBATSYS: Lykaio interrupts Light Fantastic EX from Riko with Release Omega.
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Riko 0/-------/----===|====---\-------\0 Lykaio
Lykaio stares back with the mild, confused trepidation reserved someone whose house has just been broken into by a violent fourteen-year-old girl. Really, he's not sure what one does in this sort of a situation, so he just stands there. Maybe she'll just walk away? It's hard to tell. But as she suddenly moves, he realizes that she won't.
He blinks as the familiar tug of electrical charge begins to pull in his body, then places his palm over the glass shards and pours his electricity back into it as . Which doesn't really stop it from hurting him, but the electricity arcs back almost immediately to shock Riko as well.
He stumbles slightly, then runs around her, trying to get on her other side so he's between her and his follower's again. As he does, he pulls the glass shards out of his body, and tosses them to the floor. "Another relation, I see...."
After a moment, though, his gaze flickers over her, his look more of 'is she okay?' then the cold assessment of a determined combatant.
"Huh."
On her part, Riko sounds incredibly composed for someone who's just taken a /very/ nasty bit of feedback through a chi-forged connection.
She lies sprawled on the ground, her landing rather less than graceful. It's hard to touch down elegantly when someone's just reversed your technique. It -has- to hurt. Her muscles twitch, spasming involuntarily, stray crackles of electricity still running over her body. But she doesn't sound like she's in pain. Her voice sounds contemplative, detatched, no hint of agony or even discomfort.
Abruptly, she hops upright, backflipping from the floor. Going from a horizontal to vertical position in an eyeblink. Her skates meet the polished floor of Lykaio's hall. She rolls backwards, regarding him.
"Interesting," she says, "very nice."
Her hands come together. She claps.
Once.
Soon as the stacatto beat rings out, before the sound even fades, she's on the move again. Racing straight at Lykaio, one hand extended. Aiming to simply smash it into his midsection, where he is already wounded - driving those pieces of glass in further.
COMBATSYS: Lykaio auto-guards Riko's Weapon Jab!
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Riko 0/-------/----===|====---\-------\0 Lykaio
Lykaio smiles a bit. "Thank you. It's an interesting technique you use, I have not-" He sees her rushing in again, and shakes his head a little, mind rushing quickly. Does this girl ever let up?
He grabs one of the orbs from midair, and intercepts Riko's hand with it a moment before she hits. It bursts, stopping her movement, and some of the energy flows back into him - however, he's not finished yet. He aims his knee at her stomach as the energy flows into him, but he doesn't put his full weight behind it.
He's not about to go all out against someone this much younger, shorter, and more female than him.
COMBATSYS: Riko blocks Lykaio's Light Kick.
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Riko 0/-------/----===|====---\-------\0 Lykaio
"I'm sure," Riko replies, cheerily.
Just as Lykaio's knee slams into her body.
But not her stomach. Her hand. Slender fingers grasping the knee, absorbing and deflecting the impact. The electrical energy enshrouding his limb still burns her, angrily tearing at her bare skin. But again, there's no trace of pain. Her smile never wavers.
Even as she uses Lykaio's leg as a -pivot point-, spinning around acrobatically, aiming a kick of her own. A skate-clad heel to his face.
COMBATSYS: Riko successfully hits Lykaio with Light Kick.
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Riko 0/-------/----===|=====--\-------\0 Lykaio
Riko's foot quickly makes contact, and Lykaio's head is hurled to one side by the kick. He stumbles backwards, raising his arms in a more defensive position for a moment, not really attacking of his own volition, a bit of fear flickering over his face for a moment. There's nothing scarier than a fearsome little kid you're afraid to hit hard.
One of his orbs, however, perhaps awakened by his fear, pauses in it's flight around him, then hurls itself straight towards Riko, aiming for her legs.
COMBATSYS: Riko dodges Lykaio's Three Moons.
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Riko 0/-------/----===|=====--\-------\0 Lykaio
But she isn't there.
At the very instant the orb makes contact, Riko vanishes in a retina-searing flash of brilliant blue. And she's gone.
"Constant energy manifestations," Riko muses, out loud, "very nice."
Her voice comes from above - where she's hanging upside down, clinging to one of the light fixtures in the high-ceilinged room. Her ankles wrapped around the lamp, her whole body suspended. Inverted.
Teleportation? Maybe...
...more probably some kind of trick, and /really/ rapid movement.
She grins.
"But I'm not here for mutual admiration."
She drops. Her legs -wrenching- the lamp from the ceiling, bulb, shade, cable and all. She falls, heading directly towards Lykaio. The light fixture now somehow in her hands, swinging for his neck and shoulders.
COMBATSYS: Lykaio auto-guards Riko's Improvised Tactics!
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Riko 0/-------/----===|=====--\-------\0 Lykaio
Lykaio lowers his guard a little as he sees Riko vanish, and frowns slightly, watching the arc of his orb as it sails through the air, then slowly begins to loop back towards him. The frown deepens as her voice comes from above, and he looks up at her. "That reminds me, young goddess. What are you here for?" He seems to be almost taking her seriously, now.
As she pulls the lamp down from the ceiling, Lykaio blinks, then narrows his eyes. He grabs the last orb at his side, and raises it above his head, squeezing it a moment before the lamp hits. There's a soft explosion of chi, which hurls the lamp off to one side, along with Riko, should she still be on it.
COMBATSYS: Lykaio successfully hits Riko with Large Thrown Object.
- Power hit! -
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Riko 0/-------/-======|======-\-------\0 Lykaio
"Been accused of being a cultist," Riko murmurs.
It's true. For some inexplicable reason, the entire membership of the Shooting Stars is convinced that Riko and Seishirou belong to some sort of evil ninja brainwashing cult. Honestly! You kidnap /one/ person and everyone gets the wrong idea. Whatever is the world coming to?
"But," she continues, "never been called a goddess before."
Riko lies at the foot of one wall, having smashed into it so hard it actually cratered the paint and plaster. A spiderweb of cracks behind her. Amazingly though, she's still clutching the lamp she ripped from the ceiling.
She gets to her feet, inhaling, drawing air through her lungs. A deep and very deliberate breath.
She holds it for a moment.
Then exhales.
"Could get used to that," she adds, sunnily.
Riko glances at Lykaio, and then at the huddled mass of his followers, trying to keep their distance from the clashing titans.
"We've heard of you," she says.
Meanwhile, Riko starts to unscrew the broken bulb from the lamp socket.
COMBATSYS: Riko gains composure.
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Riko 0/-------/--=====|======-\-------\0 Lykaio
Lykaio drops his martial stance as he sees Riko has just been smashed into it, beginning to slowly move over, until he sees her get to her feet. As she gets to her feet, then laughs. "Why would a goddess join a cult?"
He shakes his head slightly, then watches her take the broken lightbulb.
He takes a step back, but still relaxes, letting her decide the pace of combat, his one remaining orb slowly circling around him.
"Many people have heard of me. Few attack my followers by suprise in my own home." Just a hint of distaste in his voice.
"Please explain yourself."
COMBATSYS: Lykaio gains composure.
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Riko 0/-------/--=====|====---\-------\0 Lykaio
"Ah," Riko says, brightly, "but how can we -tell- what you are, unless we see all you can do? Not just some appearance on TV."
She makes a dismissive gesture, a flick of the wrist, her fingers splayed. The broken light bulb falls from her hand, crashing when it hits the floor.
"Or some random fight, no. But here, in your sanctuary, with the safety of your people in jeopardy..."
She's fully upright, now, clutching the light fixture in one hand, holding it by the broken-off cord. She spins it, twirls it, toys with it, as she speaks.
"...now, -there's- the real test."
Another smile.
"Measure of the man."
Electricity surges down Riko's arm, as she snaps the cord and lamp like a whip. An azure current blasts, swift and sure, conducting through the wiring - and out into the air, tracing an ionization path towards Lykaio.
"Or God."
COMBATSYS: Riko successfully hits Lykaio with Metamysticparallectrolysis.
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Riko 0/-------/---====|=======\-------\0 Lykaio
Lykaio frowns as he stares at Riko. "That may be true. But, you have threatened my people, and so..." He advances on Riko, his eyes focusing.
He begins to move to one side as the electrical moves towards him, but it arcs through him nevertheless - Lykaio is not hard to hit with electricity, filled with it as he is. He falls to one knee, supporting himself with both hands against the ground.
But then, despite the electricity, he slowly rises back up. It may be a lot of pain, but he's used to this sort of pain. He's experienced it a lot. And so, he rushes straight towards Riko, raising his fist for a savage, electrically-enhanced roundhouse.
COMBATSYS: Riko dodges Lykaio's Penultimate Skill.
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Riko 0/-------/---====|=======\-------\0 Lykaio
Savage, yes.
Riko's eyes narrow into slits.
Savage. But also one that she sees coming. In an instant, she analyzes the attack. Breaking it down. Determining the level of power. Too much for her to block and redirect. Only one option, then.
She gets out of the way.
Her movement isn't much. Not an acrobatic dodge. Just one skate heel meeting the ground. A wheel, pivoting. Her body shifting such that Lykaio's assault just -barely- misses her as her skates slide over the ground.
Glass shards, littering the floor, crunch to dust.
And Riko slams the light fixture and cord, still in her hand, right at Lykaio's face.
COMBATSYS: Riko successfully hits Lykaio with Medium Strike.
- Power hit! -
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Riko 0/-------/--=====|=======\=------\1 Lykaio
Lykaio's fist slams into the wall, and just stays in there for a moment, embedded a couple of inches in, electricity crackling wildly. And then he's smacked in the face again. He falls back against the wall
He grimaces, then pulls his fist back out of the wall, taking a step back. He gestures with one arm, speaking loudly again. "Everyone. Get out of this room, I'll see you at the designated place. It may become dangerous in here."
And with that, he turns back to Riko.
COMBATSYS: Lykaio focuses on his next action.
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Riko 0/-------/--=====|=======\=------\1 Lykaio
"Leadership," Riko notes, "orders. Priorities. But..."
She grasps the light fixture, spinning it around her body in a loop. Then she snaps her arm. The insulated electrical cable spins round her wrist and hand, coiling until it's bound tight to her fist - the shattered remains of the bulb socket and metal shade in front of her knuckles.
"...don't forget me."
She rockets a renforced punch at Lykaio's abdomen.
COMBATSYS: Riko successfully hits Lykaio with Weapon Jab.
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Riko 0/-------/--=====|=======\==-----\1 Lykaio
Lykaio takes a stagger-step back as he's punched in the abdomen, and breathes for a moment, raising his arms as he watches Riko. He glances back to make sure his order has been followed, then focuses on Riko completely again. "...I did not forget you, young goddess."
He falls to one knee, and places one hand on the tiles of the floor, pouring electricity into it to pool under Riko's feet. "I merely did not want there to be any damage to them when this happened. They are fragile, and ensuring their safety is more important than mine... or yours." And with that, torrents of electricity begin to run down through the wire repeatedly, arcing into Riko should she still be close enough to the other end.
COMBATSYS: Lykaio successfully hits Riko with Adamant Thunder.
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Riko 1/------=/=======|=------\-------\0 Lykaio
Incredibly, she isn't blown away.
Riko remains where she is. But her spine's curled, her head bowed, shoulders shaking. Burn marks on her skin, an angry red. Faint scorch trails on her clothes. A faint smell of burnt keratin in the air, the ends of her hair smouldering. Wisps of smoke rise from her body. Her ribcage heaves, as she draws in a ragged gasp.
Her first sign of pain.
She lifts her head, then. Regarding Lykaio, curiously. When she speaks, her tone is devoid of her usual levity.
"You fight for -them-?"
Movement.
As she snaps an arm out, aiming to grab him by the throat, slam him to the ground - an amazingly fast and strong movement for a girl her size.
COMBATSYS: Lykaio dodges Riko's Quick Throw.
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Riko 1/------=/=======|=------\-------\0 Lykaio
Concern covers Lykaio's face for a moment at this sign of pain, but at the question, he attempts a smile. "Yes."
As she moves in, he lowers and pivots his body, leaning out of the way of her arm as he aims a powerful kick at her ankles. "I fight for those who need defending. Now, why are you fighting? You found out what you came here for."
COMBATSYS: Riko interrupts Strong Kick from Lykaio with Chaos Tactics EX.
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Riko 0/-------/----===|====---\-------\0 Lykaio
"True..."
Riko rolls back.
Gliding backwards, without any apparent movement of her legs. Just ghosting backwards, the wheels of her skates moving on their own accord.
Or rather, through her chi. Because her in-line skate wheels are renforced with metal. And electricity through metal results in magnetism - and with alternating current, that's the basic functionality of a /motor/.
So Riko moves back.
Meaning that Lykaio's kick just, barely, misses her.
But she's close enough to raise her own foot. And slam it down into Lykaio's leg, at the knee.
With a massive electrical charge in her skates.
Causing the wheels to -explode-.
"...but more data is always good."
Lykaio grimaces, his eyes squeezing shut. For a few seconds, he's focused on not screaming.
He opens his eyes again,and stares up at Riko. "Data? You sound like a scientist...." A hint of distaste in the Greek's voice, underneath the pain.
A smile twitches at one corner of his mouth. "It seems we have both achieved our goals, young goddess." He tries to struggle up into a sitting position, and only half succeeds.
COMBATSYS: Lykaio takes no action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Riko 0/-------/----===|
COMBATSYS: Lykaio can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Riko 0/-------/----===|
Riko's feet come to rest fully on the ground. She stands in a lopsided stance. After all, one of her skates is now a shredded ruin, torn plastic and metal. That can't be good for her balance. But she's standing all the same.
She grins at Lykaio. It's that same grin, the kind of grin worn by someone who knows the punchline - and isn't sharing.
"Yeah," she replies, "I guess. Though if I were you, I'd improve those evacuation plans."
Riko raises a hand, touching two fingers to her temple in vague salute.
"Sorry about the mess."
She might even sound sincere, if it wasn't for that smile. A maddeningly confident one. There's also the fact... it isn't an apology for attacking him. Or for injuring his followers.
Just...for the mess.
She turns, then. And glides away, rolling on just one foot, on the intact wheels of one skate. Heading towards the doors of the little meeting hall. And then out. Gone.
COMBATSYS: Riko has ended the fight here.
Log created on 02:53:04 07/29/2007 by Riko, and last modified on 17:52:36 08/01/2007.