Description: NESTS visits Pacific High only to have to deal with the Pacific Resistance, a partially old teacher, and K'! Hilarity always ensues.
If it wasn't time too long ago, it's time now. The NESTS bus is on the move once more, beginning to roll its way to another school. This time, the school known only as Pacific High would fall under assault by Igniz's own tests and trials that he would most definitely give him a standing of the schools strength, and, at the same time, answer a question.
Is who he's looking for there? Obviously she must know she's being looked for by now, and from the wake of violence that came with the bus, obviously he isn't there to find out that she decided an answer. For you see, NESTS does not ask you for an answer, instead, they themselves answer the question prematurely.
Through the streets of Southtown the bus manuevers its way from the north section, towards the south east section, heading towards the now opened beaches and boardwalks. A rather sunny day, NESTS has come to ruin it all and metaphorically kick over any sandcastles that were being made.
Without any front gates or men he has to detour to get through, Igniz just sits, allowing the KyoClone to drive them towards the front circle of the parking lot, where many are dropped of day and day again. But today, it wasn't just anyome being dropped off. It was... NESTS.
And so, as the bus stops and the Kyo clone throws open the door with a switch, Igniz begins to walk out, down the steps and towards the front steps of Pacific High.
With a grin on his cloak covered face, his traditional gray purple cape covering him entirely, Igniz is here.
But he is not alone.
Honestly, she was certain she wasn't in this school, and at any right, would have just let K9999 handle it. What's the point of returning to a place you were certain where she wasn't? But a mission is a mission, and kicking open the back of the bus door, Diana grabs the top and swings herself over, letting go so she lands on the top of the bus and turns.
Her blue dress isn't hard to mistake, and her even blue-er hair is far from different as well. This was a school full of ruffians, and she'd prefer to spend her time elsewhere, but the Amazon undoubtably has little choice when Igniz has his mind on something.
On one hand, it's a mission, on the other, they're school kids, even if some of them are just testosterone fueled walking stereotypes. Walking to the edge of the bus, Diana lets Igniz walk towards Pacific High.. she's not going to move with him.
She'll just stay over here, as she sits over the front of the window, resting on her hands.
Well, time to see who's home. Let Igniz poke the nest and all that.
The shop teacher's been on edge over the last week or so. Southtown... the fighting capital of the world. Over half a year later, he wonders if the desire to really try his hand at professional fighting's already been beaten out of him with the reality of what his work demands of his time and energy.
Up until now, it's been just another Monday, and only just. More things to be done. More things to grade. More kids to yell at because they still don't know how to hold a tool. Not to mention, soon he needs to get back in touch with some people from Seijyun about constructing a safe enough environment for one of the focal parts of the upcoming pageant... but damn, he just wants to go to bed and sleep the whole night away.
Trudging along out the front doors of the main building, the teacher's fatigue is in full force. Cracking joints, a dry cough, and rubbing at his lower back every now and then after having to lift something heavy earlier in the day. His faithful rusted length of pipe sure doesn't look any healthier. A school bus rolls by down in the parking lot.
Huh, school bus. He brings a hand over his eyes to peer at it. Who could possibly be leaving the campus for home this late? ...Wait a minute. Tired eyes eventually become suspicious eyes. This isn't what the students have been talking about recently, has it? What with the attacks on other high schools around town.
He starts to pick up the pace approaching the bus and the figure(s) that step from it, until his knee pops in such a way that overcomes the urgency to walk faster. But it will lose the war in its attempt to make him writhe in pain and stop walking, rest assured... (but at what price?)
"What the hell is this supposed to be, a fieldtrip to the gay parade?"
The completely sensible question cuts through the eerie and obviously dramatic silence of Igniz and Diana's impromptu entrance on their fantastic thrilling mystery van. The source comes from one of the lower rooftops of the buildings dotting the outer entrances of Pacific High. The source? A young man clad in a white button-up shirt, wrinkled and out of sorts, black suspenders, black slacks, and polished shoes. The boy scratches irritably at the inside of his ear as he squints at the arrival of the bus, green eyes and lips contorting into an expression of mild irritation. Rust enters, but goes unnoticed.
Luc Schroedinger doesn't bother with teachers when he is diligently skipping classes.
It's sort of his schtick.
"Hey! Fairy!" Luc bellows after a long moment of silence, jerking a finger at the purple-cloaked Igniz. "What're you, some sort of retarded-looking goth?" Apparently, Luc doesn't even remotely recognize Igniz. The would-be Cyber-Science Jesus shouldn't feel bad, though. Luc has the approximate memory of a fish. "Go back to the Hot Topic or whatever. This is a -school-, dumbass! Kids come here to -learn-... or -something-, fuck if I know! Get lost!" And that, in Luc's mind, settles that. He leans back against the roof, and seems content to shut his eyes.
Weird people invading his school rates very low on Luc Schroedinger's priority scale. -That's- school spirit you just can't buy.
This again. Low lidded eyes glared through short lashes at the ceiling of the now halted bus. K9999 scowled ferociously, and refused to immeadiately exit the bus along with the leader of NESTs, atleast, at first. His fingers rapped the armrest with dark irritation, not exactly pleased at being dragged out for another waste of time episode of beating up non-entities. Now if it were K', Maxima, Kyo and...well anyone on his short list (which was really a kind of long list by now) he'd have been a lot more forthcoming in exiting. But instead he'd behave his age almost, and rebel with the kind of childish petulance.
No doubt once the fighting started, he'd be a lot happier about things, but it was to get moving. And ordering him out would only serve to make his mood more dire.
Someone's yelling however caught his attention, and squinting through the window, he could have sworn...was someone addressing Igniz in such an irreverant fashion? If he hadn't been batting on the same team, it could be K9999 might have sympathized. But he wasn't. So he promised to remember that voice..."What a fucking waste of time." Muttered beneath his breath, he passed his fingers across the bandaged stump.
Standing on the same rooftop is none other than Marisol O'Connell.
Adjacent to the loud-mouthed Luc Schroedinger she stands, arms folded neatly across her chest as she quietly observes the goings-on below. The arrival of the bus has caused quite a commotion through the school already, no thanks to rumors and of people getting the crap beat out of them by some hippy entourage. Is this mere coincidence? Or is this the bus everyone's been talking about..?
Regardless, the half-Spaniard girl's full lips cut into a light smirk as Luc shouts down to the exiting NESTS leader. Truthfully, the young woman has no idea who the cloaked weirdo is, nor his reputation. If anything, the guy looks like some freak who has an allergy to the sun. Really; it's almost summertime! Who wears a cloak in this weather?
Still, however, the fiery redhead says nothing, even as Luc continues to spit insults at the cloaked figure below. Instead, smoky gray eyes hood slightly in the sunlight, observing the goings on below - especially so when Rust arrives and seems to make his way toward the questionable vehicle and its unknown occupants. Is that really smart..? Marisol certainly doesn't believe it is.
"Hey," the girl says aloud, her words audible only to the German, and the burly Briton as well, to whom the girl looks by casting a stray glance over her shoulder. "I'm not so sure about this. You guys heard the rumors lately..?" The girl doesn't wait long; instead, her neck cranes slightly, eyes narrowing as she glares below. "If those guys are here to start some shit with the school, and they are as strong as I hear, that guy--" A finger l lifts and singles out Rust as he continues moving.
"Is going to need some help, I think." Slowly, full lips ease into a wide sneer, pearly whites bared as she continues to watch. "Besides...if these ARE those weirdoes going around, then that means...this will be a very interesting fight." Marisol does enjoy her strong opponents...
A sneakered foot lifts and plants against the lip of the rooftop, her skirt shifting as she digs the sole firmly. Her other leg soon swings and, with a wide lunge, the redhead leaps OFF the rooftop, regardless of whether or not Luc or the Brit decide to follow. It's a long fall, but the girl is ready for it. Landing in a deep crouch, the girl grunts loudly, gray eyes hooding as they fix on the cloaked man.
"Tch, HEY!!" Marisol calls, regardless of whether or not Rust hears her. "Luc's right. You don't belong here, so you should pick up your ass and get on moving!"
"My precious abbey! Ruined, all ruined!"
It's best not to ask. But one smashed bottle with a miniature Westminster inside of it later, and Preston Alistair Wellington the II is thumping out of the dormitories to see what all the commotion is. And he's actually out there on the roof prior to Marisol, which creates an immediate time paradox. But with that colossal oar of his over one shoulder, and his shirt (?!) hanging open, it seems he's wondering what the hell is going on down there.
And it's really best not to ask about the miniature bottle work he does in his free time to help unwind. It's really, really best.
In the meantime, it seems he lets his cohorts do the talking, simply squinting down at the garish ensemble that arrives on Pacific territory.
To say the rest of NESTS staying in the bus was anything, Igniz would not might. He does not mind in fact. Could the mettle of an entire school match the strength of the god of NESTS? Perhaps, but they were there for multiple reasons. Perhaps Shurui was found. Obviously the main reason was simply not to aggrivate the schools.
But, yet, to aggrivate others, to rule out possibilities and finally narrow down the selection until finally, one after another, the fortresses fall to NESTS, to finally find what is theirs, and once again return to the dark corners of the earth.
Well, simply put, everyone got their own agenda. K9999 was brought along, and Diana was brought along. At first, Igniz does not see anyone of importance, but he can hear some one.
Looking towards the bus, Igniz nods towards both members, "You know, K9999. I found out that girls name. Hotaru Futaba. She goes to Seijyun High." Igniz exclaims, his gaze shifting over towards Diana, "And you, Diana. I appologize for bringing you along, but I'm not sure if I could comfort her in a way that you could. If she is found, of course." But turning about, Igniz finally recognizes the voice that cries out to him. That boy again? Interesting.
"Oh. I'm quite sorry then. I'm only looking for someone. I'll leave when I find her then." Igniz begins, his eyes tracing over Rust, even passing him as he does, not recognizing the man at the instant. He slows down for a reason Igniz could not simply see, other than pain, but even as he approaches, Igniz's vision still passes about.
And then Marisol joins in with the crowing. Igniz shakes his head, "Very well then. We will get moving." The god of NESTS explains before his cloak changes, fluttering up and off, transforming to let the battlesuit be seen beneath the many layers of floating cloth, his hair hovering behind him as he slowly floats off the ground. "But you should really say please next time."
Even as Preston arrives drunk. TWO can have a skirt.
Sitting on the bus, Diana looks on. There's an older man running towards Igniz .. well, he's only going to be as old as he is until Igniz gets to him. If he pushes his luck, she thinks. Igniz knows what he's doing, and that's why she follows him. But standing and pushing off, she pays no attention to Luc as he yells from the roof, his words just hitting against Igniz, crude and uncaring.
Then comes Marisol, who is equally as forgotten for the moment, instead, Diana having other fish to fry as she leans over the the side of the bus where K9999 sits, and hangs down, tapping on the glass a few times, knocking on it lightly with her fist.
He'll at least be able to hear through the panes of glass.
"Oh, K9999? I'd really appreciate it if you'd help Igniz here.. it looks like the students might be attacking him soon. I'm certain they're an interesting fight as well.. I scouted here before." A simple comments, before she smiles. It must seem like a frown, but to K9999, he might not even look at the Engineer before she pulls herself back up and takes a few steps towards the side of the bus, before she flips off the front, landing easily on her feet, and with a blade out this time.. a rapier, with a simple butterfly hilt.
"Of course Igniz. If she's hiding nearby, she's also being hid." But Diana stands down, for the most part. Igniz might make everything self evident soon anyhow, with the way he's going. "You really shouldn't push yourself." She mentions to Rust, the old man moving forwards. "It's unhealthy."
Rolling his head such that his gaze barely touched on Diane, he snorted. "Appreciate it eh?" No order? She was familiar enough with the clone's distastes, though that was never a guarantee that he'd listen. "I sure hope they attack him soon, that's the point isn't it? Our fearless leader pavin' the way." He kicked at the chair infront of him, and surged to his feet. "Whatever, if this fucking gets this shit moving faster, I can get back to what's important." Like hunting those on his list, why'd they ever pull him from that for this trash...
"Who do you want me to pound into the ground already?" Smoldering eyes assessing the likely victims, no pity or caring for older folk, just a job.
The teacher doesn't even look behind him. He is used to the idea of Luc and friends camping out on a roof instead of going to class, acknowledged only with his head shaking as he gives the bus another good look again. In turn he's sure he knows what that /means/ once he is of the capacity to yell at them to get off the roof.
The sun was all but in his eyes - that almost definitely isn't a school bus. He heard the school switched bus services recently, so the confusion may be understandable... but unforgivable, if this is exactly what so many fear it'll be. But, you know... the Resistance knows this guy?!
"Hey. Hey! Hold o--" The teacher's attempts at asking for clarification over the blatant declaration of 'looking for someone' is interrupted by a dramatic cloak removal, revealing the one who aspires to man's ideal of divinity within. Flowing hair. Flowing battlesuit with nasty whip-like extensions. And... their feet's not on the ground. His right hand goes over the makeshift hilt of the pipe he may very well have just picked off the ground one day, stuck through a busted pocket in a busted toolbelt.
"Hiding?" The teacher crouches a bit, despite the protest of his knees. His bad combover, maybe the worst possible combover beyond any possible level of scientific inquiry and understanding, nearly stands up on end in the close proximity to Igniz's powers... far more receptive than the rest of him, strangely enough. Despite every reason to get out of the way, every little warning sign that just about anybody should know, he holds his ground. This is foolish. Eyes narrow.
"You're not here to cause trouble, are you?" For once there really is something to all the chatter (and legitimate news sources) about the school attacks. Pacific's next! He rolls his shoulder in defiance of more or less being called old by a lady in clearly better shape (and likely more skilled) than he. His shoulder cracks, saying in its own way 'yeah, you're not old yet but you're really getting there.' Howard Rust isn't even 40 yet. He just worked too hard in his youth.
And K9999 lays it straight with that unnerving look on his face. "There's not going to be an--" potential badass counter-statement gets halted on account of dry throat trumping his breath! His free hand rises up to cover his mouth. He really doesn't want this to end badly. He doesn't want the kids to be in danger here. He doesn't always get what he wants. That's the story of being an adult.
COMBATSYS: Igniz has started a fight here on the right meter side.
> //////////////////////////////]
|-------\-------\0 Igniz
COMBATSYS: Marisol has joined the fight here on the left meter side.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Marisol 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Igniz
COMBATSYS: Rust has joined the fight here on the left meter side.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Marisol 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Igniz
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Rust 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Luc has joined the fight here on the left meter side.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Luc 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Igniz
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Marisol 0/-------/-------|
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Rust 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: K9999 has joined the fight here on the right meter side.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Luc 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 K9999
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Marisol 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Igniz
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Rust 0/-------/-------|
Luc is actually pretty content to just sit there and lounge on the roof while Freddie, Shaggy and Daphne all decide to go their seperate ways. Or whatever it is they're doing with their hippiemobile. Luc really wasn't paying attention. He probably wouldn't have caused trouble, and there might not have even been a fight...
... if Marisol hadn't gone and said the magic words around him.
'...and they are as strong as I hear...'
"... eh?"
Interest piqued, Luc turns to regard Marisol just before she leaps off the rooftop. He looks down at Igniz as he and Rust exchange polite words. His eyebrow arches. A frown creases his lips. "-These- weirdos are strong?" he ponders aloud. He scratches his head. He leans in to squint incredulously. Luc quite obviously hasn't heard the rumors. Why would he? News is for chumps and nerds.
"Maaaaaan... if these guys are so strong..."
Slowly, Luc Schroedinger picks himself up. He dusts off his pantslegs, and rolls up his sleeves, hands shoving deep into his pockets as he glares downward. "... then why the shit are they jabbering on like a bunch of morons. 'Hiding someone'? Who'd hide someone in a -school-? How retarded are you people?" Luc rolls his neck, a series of cracks loosening him up as his hands flare with black-blue chi. "But, if they're -strong-, and -not- here to cause trouble..."
And then he's off the roof, in one violent leap. Clearing the rooftop and the building proper, Luc descends rapidly, gaining more and more momentum as he goes. His target? Where Rust and Igniz are standing. Specifically, Igniz.
"I'LL CAUSE TROUBLE FOR THEM!! C'MON!!!"
And that's just about when he slings his right, chi-encased fist forward to punch Igniz right in the purpley-hooded head.
Igniz's response earns him a light scoff from the half-Spaniard girl, her head gently tossing to one side as her arms fold across her chest. What girl are they talking about, the redhead quietly ponders. There's no one really 'hiding' from some weirdoes in a bus here...but that doesn't mean Marisol has to confess as much.
But soon enough it would seem Igniz obliges the redhead's crude demands and, as result, a bark of a laugh escapes her. "Fine, get going then!" she calls to the leader of NESTS and his oddly-dressed entourage. A light sneer crosses her lips, gray eyes narrowed slightly. Despite Rust's protests, the girl seems to ignore the Pacific shop teacher - she hopes he'll stay back. But part of her suspects he won't.
Her thoughts swiftly turn elsewhere as the cape on Igniz's back suddenly flutters and turns into some weird-ass suit and cablewhip affair, a thin red brow slowly easing its way up her sunkissed face. What the hell kind of cape is that..? "Is...that a threat?"
With a shake of her head, the girl's features harden a bit, her expression cocky and confident as she sneers once more. "Please? As if. If you assholes are the ones I keep hearing shit about, the last thing you need is pleasantries. The arrival of Diana is briefly noted, the redhead's eyes averting as she observes the woman and eavesdrops. So they are looking for someone...
And then there was Luc. Before any further word can escape the girl's mouth the boy dive-bombs right for Igniz's face, earning him a sneer as she briefly observes. That's more like it! Yeah!
Whipping her head around, the redhead's eyes affix on K9999 with a broad smirk. Pulling her lips back, the girl offers the experiment a toothy sneer, a fist at her side clenching painfully tight. "Dunno who you are," she offers, walking toward him, "...but you look kinda lonely..."
Whipping forward, the half-Spaniard girl drives right for K9999, a fist aimed for his stomach. Should it land, her hands will snap up and grab him by the shoulders, driving her knee into his face before she shoves him and swings a leg fiercely up, a vertical kick aimed to strike him directly in the jaw.
COMBATSYS: Luc successfully hits Igniz with Medium Punch.
Glancing Blow
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Luc 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 K9999
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////////// ]
Marisol 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Igniz
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Rust 0/-------/-------|
Igniz momentarily keeps his vision on the man coming for him, Rust. More than likely the man is a little old, but not older than Ingiz. For his age of pushing fifty and farther, he's looking rather young. It must be all the gene therapy.
The God of NESTS however does listen to to Rust now and then, hearing about this and that. To hold on?
Igniz does not hold on. Instead, he's assault before he can even hold on. Marisol must have triggered a switch in Luc. One Igniz found out as he hurls himself down from the top of the roof, a fist aimed to slam into Igniz's head. The god of NESTS notices it appropriately, actually floating it out of the way, but not soon enough. Instead, the fist collides with part of his face, but he barely feels it as it glances off, a small impact made before they're both seperated once more.
"Trouble?" Igniz asks, "I am not here for any trouble. What do you take me for, a barbarian? I am a god." Igniz exclaims, looking directly towards Luc. "And gods do not cause trouble. If you are struck by my, you only warrent it." Igniz exclaims, bringing his cape about.
He isn't even able to answer K9999 in time before Marisol comes after him. "Her." Is all he states to his 'friend'. K9999 is useful unhinged. Raw destructve power is a good aid to any balanced force.
But as Luc awaits, Igniz just smiles, his cape slithering across the ground as it makes its way towards Luc, aiming to wrap about his legs before lifting him up into the air and hurling him away, maybe even sending the man into the air, and maybe even against the building he lept from.
Rust certainly doesn't seem to want to agree with Diana, as he grows closer to the group. But she stays backwards, letting both K9999 and Igniz walk forwards, before her, to take care of the arrivals.. and some just attack as well, anyways, as Luc and Marisol prove.
You'd be surprised at how bloodthirsty the rich are at times. At least, this is what Diana sees as Luc, master of violence, begins his ceremonies. Marisol instead chooses to attack K9999, an excellent choice for both flavor and taste, although the warrior has yet aged to a fine NESTS creation. He still may yet.
"Who?" Diana asks to herself for a bit, before Marisol makes herself the top subject. "Just take care of the girl, would you? You shouldn't have too much trouble with her." The rather skimpy clothed NESTS researcher quips, hanging back with the sword at her side. Meanwhile.. she just smiles at Marisol, waving a bit.
COMBATSYS: Marisol successfully hits K9999 with Chain Reaction.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////////// ]
Luc 0/-------/-------|==-----\-------\0 K9999
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////// ]
Marisol 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Igniz
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Rust 0/-------/-------|
And as the fight escalates below, Preston watches. Oh yes, he watches, taking in every morsel of data that his battle suit can possibly gather. Wait, what battle suit? He clutches at his stomach! "Fuck, I'm hungry," he grouses, and turns away from the edge of the roof in search of something with which to ease his hunger. "Back in a bit guys!" he calls down to his team-mates. Maybe he'll help his comrades later.
Maybe Marisol was accustomed to having men admire her, but when she'd meet the teenager's gaze, there'd be nothing but a detachment the likes that he saw only the source of some hurdle. She wasn't entirely a person, she was a task, one to get over and done with as soon as possible. An it. Her words brought nothing but a sneer to his face, lonely? Maybe it was the rediculousness of her comment that caused him to immeadiately assume she was nothing more than say Luc's side-arm trophy there to offer some kind of piteous moral support or some stupid emotional silliness.
Her swift fist to the stomach painted another story, and Diane would have to be disappointed that she'd find the clone knocked off his feet, however briefly, this early in the fight. "HRHGHHH!" His head snapped back as he staggered back, almost falling but for throwing his arm out to balance him. Just barely, he was bent over, his breath knocked out of him and this time when his lips pulled back, it was in a silent snarl. "Fuck the orders, I'll do this on my own!" It looked like he got the bitch. "I'm going to make you bleed, and that's just the beginning. When I'm done with you you'll be kissing your shitty school's dirt face first!" The last a bit of a roar, he straightened enough to lash out...without ever coming close.
Kyo's legacy flared to life, smoke and flames literally bursting into existance in a rush of movement at Marisol without further warning.
COMBATSYS: Luc blocks Igniz's Red Noah.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////// ]
Luc 0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0 K9999
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////// ]
Marisol 0/-------/------=|=------\-------\0 Igniz
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Rust 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: K9999 successfully hits Marisol with Split!.
-* CRITICAL HIT! *-
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////// ]
Luc 0/-------/-----==|===----\-------\0 K9999
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////// ]
Marisol 0/-------/=======|=------\-------\0 Igniz
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Rust 0/-------/-------|
What? A god?
"You're a fucking dipshit, is what you are."
Schroedinger comes to this wise decision the moment that his fist collides with the side of Igniz's face. The man's impassioned cries of godhood are met with those beligerant words, and a middle finger. "Who the fuck calls themselves a god? An idiot, that's who. All you are is a hippie that likes retarded gay clothes. Who the hell wears PURPLE--"
But Schroedinger's loud and obnoxious rant is cut off as Igniz's -cape- slithers towards Luc. The green-eyed youth looks down towards the cape, blinks. Squints. Frowns.
"That's the stupidest thing I've ever seen--"
And then he's grasped and thrown. Rocketing through the air, the angry German is nothing if not -remarkably- quick to recover, twisting through the air as he flips. He lands on the side of the building he departed feet-first, polished shoes striking with such an impact that he feels some of the muscles of his leg strain, feels the concrete beneath his feet cracking into hairline fractures. He doesn't even bother to wince. In fact... he's grinning.
"That... KINDA HURT!! HAHAHA!! YOU'RE PRETTY TOUGH FOR A GIRLY HIPPIE, HUH?!" As Schroedinger roars, he pushes his feet off the ground, launching himself right back towards Igniz. The intent is simple; grasp the would-be 'god' by the face securely, and then -shove- his free hand into Igniz's gut with an open palm to flip him into the air, discharging a sizeable, burning sphere of black-blue power to accompany the gesture. "GET BENT!!"
Igniz claims to be a God?
Marisol just laughs in response, her head shaking. "You? A God? ...man, it isn't even worth arguing. If you go around spouting this peachy shit to people all the time, I'm sure you've heard it all before. 'Gods do not cause trouble?' Bullshit. Ever read Greek literature?" A sneer edges further across the girl's lips. Now's not the time to dick with the blonde, she decides. K9999 seems a bit more fun, anyway, and Luc seems to be having his fun.
Glancing back to the experiment as he snarls at her, the girl just shifts her weight from one foot to the other, arms folding casually over her chest. Tilting her head to one side, her eyes hood, a look of boredom crossing her sunkissed face as he promises to make her bleed and kick the crap out of her. At one point her hand breaks from her chest and flips around absently.
"God, do you SHUT UP?!" she cries, wide-eyed as she stares K9999 down. "You're about as obnoxious as your boyfriend here!" A thumb jerks over her shoulder, at Igniz. But soon enough flames erupt from seemingly nowhere, moving far too swiftly for her to properly react to. As result the girl is struck...hard.
Hard enough to launch her off her feet and send her skidding along the pavement on her back a few yards before she stops. Rather than leap up the girl just lays on her back, gray eyes wide as she watches smoke rise from her singed and burnt chest. That hurt...it hurt a lot. Her chest feels so numb...
"HA HA HA HA HAAAAA!!!"
Kipupping, the girl is on her feet swiftly, the front of her blouse burnt and singed, and what exposed flesh visible a nasty shade of red. She ignores it. She doesn't care. They've come looking for trouble, and trouble is what they'll give.
"You stupid bastards! I'm not impressed!" And she's off once more, running straight for K9999 with every intention of deliver two swift jabs right to the center of his ugly face!
The shop teacher, whom ironically might be the /least/ equipped to do anything among those that would defend Pacific if trouble were to break out, feels something sink within his guts when Marisol gets talking nasty. But once he's of the mind that yes, this is a fight that's about to happen, there's... likely few other people he would have to have to trust his back to.
"A... a what?!" Tension turns to bewilderment, but you know, with the floating business... this guy isn't an ordinary man, the pipe being drawn with a movement that is almost a flourish were it not to somehow rip off the rest of the toolbelt with it (again), flinging a bunch of tools and small nuts and bolts off to the side that would look really cool in slow motion. The other hand yanks the toolbelt clean off Ol' Rusty. That does it, he is getting a new toolbelt after this. If... there is an after.
The teacher's not smiling about facing a 'strong enemy' or anything, this guy is a threat to the school and the kids! "MARIS--" Too late, she rushes in to grab K9999. At the same time, Luc jumps right in front of him and swings for Igniz. Yeah. It's on. Something in the teacher's gut sinks. His muscles tense together uncomfortably enough that the bones all but complain they can't breathe. Which is silly. Breathing bones. Hah.
"What the hell?!" As loud a protest as a scratchy, gravelly voice can manage. He's had to fight off a Shadaloo thug before but he really does not want to see the school become a battlefield for other unsavory sorts. If he was ready to fall asleep before, well... now he might be on the verge of a heart attack.
But he's the adult here. Despite the chaos of leg-eating capes and flying flames that all seem to happen in a flash, something's got to give, someone's got to stand up (...even though Marisol and Luc are already and doing at least a fair job of it).
A shaky hand on his weapon fails to overcome a kind of instinct that was honed in his youth, sticking it horizontal in the vague direction of K9999's and Marisol's battle just in case. There is almost an uncanny swiftness to his notoriously slow movement due to early onset arthritis, throwing himself forward towards the one who has decided to call himself 'god' only by being closer, thrusting his free hand forward in an attempt to grab the lovable one by the suit - only, in putting so much forward movement, it'd be more like a shove instead.
"GET AWAY FROM THE KIDS!" Luc and Marisol are sure enjoying it from the sound of things. The teacher's not, and damn his throat for trying to hold such a loud command back! The shoving attempt strangely coincides with Luc's own maneuver. The teacher might scald his hand against the discharge of chi in the process, assuming, of course, punishment most divine doesn't rear its ugly head.
COMBATSYS: Igniz dodges Luc's Bursting Slam.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////// ]
Luc 0/-------/-----==|===----\-------\0 K9999
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////// ]
Marisol 0/-------/=======|=------\-------\0 Igniz
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Rust 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Igniz dodges Rust's Quick Throw.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////// ]
Luc 0/-------/-----==|===----\-------\0 K9999
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////// ]
Marisol 0/-------/=======|=------\-------\0 Igniz
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Rust 0/-------/-------|
Punishment most divine does not rear it's ugly head. Yet. Igniz has plans for that. To do it so soon would be completely unpredictable to the outcome. Instead, he focuses on twisting and turning, moving about one strike, and then the next, weaving as he floats. The battlesuit allows for many unpredictable things.
This may be one of them. Even as Rust comes in, shaking and angrily looking onto Igniz, the god of NESTS revears him as not a threat. At least for now. The man is entirely forgotten for th loud mout that is Luc. Almost.
"The kids have assaulted us," Igniz responds. "They will endure whatever punishement we see fit. This is the only truth, and it will be followed to the very word. Do I make myself clear?" The god calls, floating stil as he makes his way about both Luc's and Rust's grasp. "Do try to interrupt said punishment would be a folley. We came here in no need of violence, yet greeted with such. Would it be wrong to protect oneself?" Igniz asks, entirely serious.
"And to strike a god is a rather hefty punishment, I would consider." Igniz still moves, floating about the sidewalk and lawn, uncaring where he treads (floats). Even the discharge of chi that Luc fires off wasn't enough to scorch him.
But, his counter strike doesn't take too long. He just needed to get into place. "I see. You want it to hurt, by all means allow me to aid." Igniz exclaims, grasping the side of his cape before moving quickly towards Luc.
Long expanditures of clock strike out, the ends covered in a white chi as the four chi amiplifiers trail it. Igniz's only aim is to catch Luc before firing him into the air, juggling with the cape as the chi and cape itself sear into him, Igniz spinning as it does. At the end, Luc may find himself being carried away.
Staying behind the others still, Diana doesn't intend to move very far. Walking a slight bit about as the Pacific warriors fight off the invaders, she doesn't seem to want to get involved. At least, she doesn't seem to worry about the chances that the Invaders have.
She's happy enough with what she sees after all, the blue clad woman not even raising her weapon. Igniz seems to be taking care of himself rather well, and in the case of K9999.. he wasn't. But he is now. She winces at the strike he took, but the reprisal is everything that was taught to him and more. Not by her, of course.
She just likes to back with positive behavior. Later, of course. Is she just going to go, 'Ooooh widdle K9999 you are the bestest yes you are, yes you are burning that nasty little girl? Who's a good K clone, who is? Thaaaat's right! You!' When the schoolkids who are mocking Igniz are right there?
Well, not this time. "Alright then. Just help accomplish the mission. I'm sure you're more than capable of that." Leaning back a bit, she slides something out of the goggles she wears... it's bubble gum.
Chew chew chew.
Hey, an Amazon who's not fighting is a hungry, bored Amazon.. although she is happy just cheering on K9999. And blowing a bubble, the butterfly flits happily around the battlefield, without even attempting a single blow.
COMBATSYS: K9999 endures Marisol's Light Punch.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////// ]
Luc 0/-------/-----==|=====--\-------\0 K9999
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////////// ]
Marisol 1/-------/=======|-------\-------\0 Igniz
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Rust 0/-------/-------|
K9999 is capable of multitasking, except he didn't really care about what was happening to the others right then and there. He was focused on Marisol, and the pain he wanted to bring to her. She seemed equally willing however to extend the same friendly overtures, and for that, the teenager would repay such 'kindness' with more of the same. He spat with contempt as she was literally tossed like a pretty doll, a pretty doll on /fire/ away from him, giving him the space he desired. A satisfactory sight.
...And then she dared to laugh. As if the insults before weren't enough, K9999 talk too much? If it wasn't one thing, it was another. Narrowing his eyes, he waited on her to rejoin the fight, perhaps making the mistake of not bothering to block or step out of the way from her viper-quick jabs. Skin split, blood flew, and K9999 said nothing, remaining where he was inspite of being struck. "I'm not here to impress you, bitch." Enough to raise the hair on her arms, the area about them climbed with tension, more than just from the fight but the sudden gathering of chi.
K9999 may have only one arm at the moment, but as Marisol would soon learn, "I'll kill you." Leaning foward, snapped up his arm-- having since unravelled and reformed into of all things, a heavy gun, aimed near point blank at her already seared chest. The weapon letting lose a torrent of bullets.
COMBATSYS: Luc endures Igniz's Cape Sweep.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////// ]
Luc 1/-----==/=======|=------\-------\0 K9999
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////////// ]
Marisol 1/-------/=======|==-----\-------\0 Igniz
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Rust 0/-------/-------|
Always with the cape. Distantly, Luc almost remembers fighting someone who used a weird writhing cape only a few weeks back. It calls to mind a certain thought:
"WEAK!!!"
Well, not really. It actually hurts, quite a bit. Luc's more referring to the cape itself. It's ridiculous. Who fights with a -cape-. In FACT-- "Who the FUCK fights with a CAPE?! Use your FISTS like a REAL MAN, you -STUPID PANSY-!!"
This, of course, doesn't stop Igniz from catching Luc with said cape, blasting him over and over with burning white chi. But Luc? Luc was moving -into- the cape to begin with. Chi and cloak wrap and envelope Luc and launch him upwards, but at the same time, despite the burning and pain Schroedinger feels... black-blue chi ignites beneath his heels. He propels. -Through- the air.
Like a freaking ROCKET MAN.
"HAHAHAHAHA!! THAT'S BETTER!! You're no god, you shitty Jesus-wannabe!! You wanna know what you are?! You're..." Luc -launches- forward towards Igniz, moving with every ounce of effort he has in him to crush both hands into Igniz's face. If he can, he'll proceed to propel both himself and the NESTS leader straight through the air, hands burning with black-blue flames. The destination? The side of the wall. To slam Igniz into it with one fiery death explosion.
"... YOU'RE FRENCH!!"
COMBATSYS: K9999 successfully hits Marisol with You get lost too!.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////// ]
Luc 1/-----==/=======|=------\-------\0 K9999
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////////// ]
Marisol 1/---====/=======|==-----\-------\0 Igniz
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Rust 0/-------/-------|
Punching K9999 in the face is most definitely therapeutic to the half-Spaniard girl, both jabs cutting into the experiment's face and drawing a cold sneer over her full lips. Rust's plight is heard, his bellow causing the girl's face to falter slightly as her gaze momentarily shifts aside. What is he doing? And more importantly, is he going to get himself involved?
Clearly it seems he is.
Frowning lightly, the girl's shoulders tense as she looks back, gray eyes narrowed dangerously as she regards the blue-haired youth hissing at her. "You kiss your boyfriend with that mouth?" she wonders, tilting her head slightly, the smirk on her full lips broadening. "And I'm glad you're not, weirdo. 'cause that was a lucky shot with your fiery shit."
The half-Spaniard girl takes a step back, jaw clenching. "Really, it's all a disappointment!" The gathering of chi is noted, the girl's body tingling as it collects before her ...but she doesn't move. The girl holds her ground stubbornly.
"Get. Bent," she states calmly. And then there was the storm.
A hail of gunfire, chi though it may be, opens on the girl, every 'bullet' fired cutting savagely into the girl's singed and burnt chest. The sheer force sends the girl's body skidding backwards along the ground, blood spilling from the wounds as she is pushed back and back...before her legs fail her and she hits the ground. Is she dead..?
"T...that...is it?? That was it? You c...call...that an attack?? What the f-fuck was that!?"
Pushing up with her arms, the bloodied and battered Marisol suddenly pushes off the earth and barrels RIGHT for K9999, everything around her otherwise ignored as her heart pounds harshly in her chest. Her ears ring, the piercing shrill of gunfire at such close proximity having dulled her hearing, coupled with the constant throb of her heartbeat. Midway her body erupts with dandelion-yellow chi, her fists clenched tightly as she's fueled by adrenaline.
"I'LL FUCK YOUR UGLY FACE UP!" the girl screams as she closes in, swinging a chi-laced fist right for the NESTS experiment's face...
COMBATSYS: K9999 fails to interrupt Cloud Nine from Marisol with Shut up!.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////// ]
Luc 1/-----==/=======|=====--\-------\0 K9999
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////////// ]
Marisol 0/-------/-------|==-----\-------\0 Igniz
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Rust 0/-------/-------|
When her fist connects, the girl's smile broadens to sickening proportions. Yes.
That's the ticket.
Without mssing a beat, Marisol unleashes her frustrations on K9999's face. Three fierce, chi-laced hooks are delivered, every strike marked with a horrible cracking slap. Only when the third has been delivered does she stop to grab the experiment by his collar and laugh in his face harshly and coldly...before she lunges into him, driving her forehead into him for a nasty headbutt.
Shoving him away, it almost seems over...before the girl drops low and lets her fist and arm ignite with furious chi, her arm tightly coiled...before she rips upwards, cutting her fist into K9999's chin with a horrible uppercut.
There isn't any denying that Marisol and Luc over there decided to throw the first punch. Howard Rust nearly trips over the curb into the street as he passes by a swiftly floating Igniz who is more than happy to lecture this to someone who lectures on the payroll. Catching himself from falling flat by thrusting his pipe down into the asphalt, the recently paved road gains a new crack for the crew to iron out in time, his knee screaming from bending so quickly into a crouch while the teacher steadies himself up. They may be all smiles and grins and awesomes. He's all toothgrits and frowns and panic.
"You're those... those people. The ones attacking the schools, aren't you?!" The teacher inquires, free hand pointing a shaky index finger, voice trailing off because he neglects to clear his throat proper before attempting to make his point, pivoting up to a stand to face Igniz again proper. A mortal man, one maybe already past whatever prime he could have achieved if he didn't seek this career path, somehow deciding it is a good idea to continue to debate the point against one so powerful.
And then he has the audacity to take another step forward as Igniz as he continues the assault against Luc. "Schroedinger!!" Never mind that the teacher has any strong, loving feelings for the guy. (In fact, this is the first time the two have been in an active scene together.) But a teacher's responsible for his students. Let's see how far that rhetoric goes.
Ol' Rusty is thrust into the sidewalk, enough for it to make a dent and a small crack, shoulder vaguely wishing to lock up on him as he places his other hand on top and pushes up against the weight. He's... not known for being terribly acrobatic. Especially not now. But he's doing a handstand against Ol' Rusty, all right, because now is a better time to do it better and do it right than any other in the heat of the moment. He's behind Igniz and his frightening white chi whip things, the teacher can't tell, it's happening too fast for his untrained and out of shape eyes. (Fat eyes?!)
But he sees an opening, he sees a threat, he sees a student that... may not be in as much distress as the teacher may be lead to believe. Exhaling loudly at the ache in his muscles from moving in ways he doesn't often any more, eyes almost squint shut and jaw clenched enough to be airtight, his legs arc forward, knees cracking at the bend as he tries to strike his legs forward in enough of a front flip to not only strike Igniz in the back, but to land on his feet. Or a crouch... or maybe on his butt well guess what, no time to think about failure, the kids need saving (oh brother).
It'd been circulating in the news as of late. Vicious attacks were being launched upon schools, attacks all perpetuated by the same culprit. K' read it in the papers in the morning, frowned to himself, but ultimately did little. Why? Geese's lessons were taking their toll. Instead of rushing off recklessly into a fruitless search that would ultimately do little more than waste energy, K' coldly considered the matter in a rather more practical light. He would simply have to wait until they attacked again.
If he noticed the morals-eroding side effect of Geese's teachings-- the fact that they induced him to hold himself apart and indifferent from the reality of what NESTS was -doing- at the schools it visited-- he didn't permit himself to dwell on it.
Of course, people often find themselves having to discharge their plans far earlier than they at first anticipate, due to chance and circumstance. Case in point: K' is actually -at- Pacific High the day it becomes the latest victim of Igniz's rampage. The reason for his presence is one, terrible syllable: Pás. Meeting with her served the dual purposes of discharging his obligation to mentor her, and letting him keep something of an eye on the school. Just in case.
Fifteen minutes after he let Pás go, K' heard the outcry start and immediately ghosted over: circling widely around the fight and shrouding himself heavily in the shadows between buildings. Arriving midway through the conflict, he cast sharp yellow eyes over the assembled in one practiced look. Two of Pás's teammates. An older man, presumably a teacher. A woman he does not recognize... and a blond who must be Igniz. K''s eyes narrow on him, appraising him, memorizing the look of him. That is the man he'll have to kill. The head of the snake.
Of course, then K' notices K9999, and all Geese's teachings promptly crumble to dust. Instant rage spasms a harsh grasp shut on his mind, K9999's threats against Whip resurfacing as clear as if they were yesterday. Now he knows Whip's his sister it just makes the anger worse, and before he can catch or stop himself he's lunged. A streak of black cuts towards K9999 faster than most eyes can follow, winding in front of Marisol in the aftermath of her attack and moving to lightly shove her back: giving itself a little room to interpose between her and K9999.
K' resolves back into a clearly-discernable form only instants before he leaves the ground and tries to slam a sweeping kick into the other boy's throat hard enough to cast him right back towards Igniz. Makes it convenient to address them both: "Your business is with ME..." K' snarls, his tone undeniably inclusive. Briefly, he glances behind him at Marisol, taking in how bloodied and battered she is; he looks only a moment, and evinces no reaction, before he turns his gaze back on K9999.
COMBATSYS: K' has joined the fight here on the left meter side.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////// ]
Luc 1/-----==/=======|=====--\-------\0 K9999
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////////// ]
Marisol 0/-------/-------|==-----\-------\0 Igniz
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
K' 0/-------/-------|
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Rust 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Luc successfully hits Igniz with Flammen Schlag.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////// ]
Luc 1/---====/=======|=====--\-------\0 K9999
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////// ]
Marisol 0/-------/-------|===----\-------\0 Igniz
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
K' 0/-------/-------|
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Rust 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: K9999 endures K''s Minutes Spike.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////// ]
Luc 1/---====/=======|=======\-------\1 K9999
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////// ]
Marisol 0/-------/-------|===----\-------\0 Igniz
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
K' 0/-------/------=|
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Rust 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Igniz dodges Rust's Crashing Down.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////// ]
Luc 1/---====/=======|=======\-------\1 K9999
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////// ]
Marisol 0/-------/-------|===----\-------\0 Igniz
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
K' 0/-------/------=|
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Rust 0/-------/-------|
Did... Luc just call Igniz french? He most certainly did. This doesn't really parse with the God of NESTS until Luc fires himseld head first into him, crying out to him that he's some jesus wanna be. It almost strikes Igniz that the man is simply playing with him, toying with him as he goes. But the god of NESTS will not have that.
He would not be led about.
Even as Luc strikes forward, both hands striking into Igniz's face, he doesn't hold himself down. Instead, he prepares himself. This would not be a simple strike. It would be so much more. Even as he's flying through the air, the black blue flames crashing down into him. Even after weathering all that, Igniz has a simple pain here and there, nothing entirely awful. Nothing entirely... bad. Igniz, however, still has a cut on his face. A beaten, bloody mark from the chi. The man needed to be taken care of. There was not other way.
"I've had far enough of you," Igniz begins, watching for Rust as he powers himself still, in hopes to bring Igniz down. He listens, momentarily, and nods, moving himself entirely out of the front flip that he sends. "I am. I was the one that organized it. I was the one that helped it follow through. My allies here had helped me entirey enough for it to happen." Igniz proclaims, he is, in fact, there.
And then K' appears. Out of everywhere, K' appear here. Sending K9999 flying back towards him, actually landing infront of the god of NESTS. A cruel joke for the man he was hunting to appear infront of him on one of his assaults. "Ah... I had thought you died. Silly me... and my wishful thinking." The god of NESTS plays, energy building in his hands as he looks towards Luc. And then towards K'. His mind simply wanders as he assess the situation. He was better than K'. Lashing out entirely is not his style. Instead, he turns to Luc, bringing the energy down in a terrible power, causing it to rock across the ground, white pilliars ripping out as his cloak fires about.
"More of you come!" Igniz cries out, "The more of you will fall!"
Diana has at sometime, moseyed over to the NESTS bus, and began to pluck through the varying sections of the bus.. even lowering a curtain or two as she takes care of this and that. She takes her time before walking out once more, but when she does walk out.. that incredibly long blue skirt is gone. Instead, she wears only what's under it .. the bikini like blue cloth, and she is only wearing the black undershirt like cloth that goes under the blue cloth. And.. why?
Perhaps because she's carrying something white, blue and aqua in color in both hands, her blade.. well somewhere. She's left on her gloves and her wristbands, as well as her boots. So she has them around.
Walking over, blowing a bubble, she winces as K9999 gets struck head on by the fist, more then a few chi strikes and then .. lunges. The horrible uppercut and all .. and that's nothing to say of K's interloping now.
Of course.. he probably needs some help. And that's when she begins to jump up and down and waving her pom-poms about, "K9999! K9999! K9999! I have faith in you! You can do it!"
Now, this clearly won't work the way it's intended to... yet it MAY get K9999 angry enough to punch something far harder. She just keeps bouncing around afterwards, either really into it, or just having forgotten to do her yoga exercises the time before hand. You really can't forget them.
COMBATSYS: Diana has joined the fight here on the right meter side.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Luc 1/---====/=======|-------\-------\0 Diana
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////// ]
Marisol 0/-------/-------|=======\-------\1 K9999
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////// ]
K' 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Igniz
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Rust 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Diana assists K9999.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Luc 1/---====/=======|-------\-------\0 Diana
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////// ]
Marisol 0/-------/-------|=======\-------\1 K9999
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////// ]
K' 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Igniz
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Rust 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Igniz successfully hits Luc with Ideon Blade.
[ \\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Luc 2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|-------\-------\0 Diana
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////// ]
Marisol 0/-------/-------|=======\-------\1 K9999
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////// ]
K' 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Igniz
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Rust 0/-------/-------|
This, this was actually painful? Perhaps not the worst he'd been hit with all things considering, but Marisol hit hard enough that K9999 bothered to even recognise that it was above the cut of the usual drivel he'd had to clean up after for Igniz...or whichever NESTs upstart thought to order him around. Luckily for him, K9999 hadn't been created to use his looks for anything regarding fighting-- if so why use Kyo as a template. Instead it was his raw fighting ability, a fact that still shone even in this debacle...fine print said nothing about being able to use said raw ability /properly/.
Battered and bloodied in a fair rendition of an artists abstract canvus, when K9999 came around and spat this time, it was practically blood. A lot of it. He'd only just gotten back to his feet with a sway, when a streak of black interposed itself between his antagonizer. "You..." Hissing roughly, baring his red-stained teeth. If Marisol had thought she'd been the object of loathing before, there was nothing to hold a candle to when it came to...K'. The fingers on his remaining hand spasmed and flexed repeatedly, K9999 leaned over over and lowered his chin. The girl was forgotten, and happy day for K', he would become the center of attention for the clones twisted little world.
...And suddenly he was, next to Igniz? "The fuck..." More a hoarse snarl than a groan, K9999 staggered to his feet, suffering the timed blow by clutching at his injured throat. It hurt to say that much, to top it off. There was Diane.
Pom Poms.
He lost it.
"GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHHHHHH!!!" Howling something unintelligable, partially because he was a mite upset, also because the last hit no doubt damaged his vocal cords enough that it was too much trouble to say precise words... he charged after the source of his newest pain. Not Marisol, but K'. Unsteady but no less determined, his chi swirled to life like some violent herald, snapping out and raising a gale of biting explosive energy that aimed to slam into K' as he drew nearer.
Luc Schroedinger... really isn't aware of his surroundings at the moment. There is Igniz, and then there are fluffy little noisy clouds of nothing that try to annoy him by getting in his way or spoiling his fun. Really, he can't even comprehend what all is happening around him. His gaze focuses forward towards Igniz as he unleashes the brunt of his attack. He launches himself -backwards-, landing against the ground in a crouch. His breathing is ragged. His lungs burn. His legs -- he thinks he tore a tendon. It's white-hot pain rocketing across his body.
And it's just the beginning.
Green eyes look forward, his lips contorted in mild agitation. "... hey. Stupid. Stop talking to the other losers. You're... fighting... -ME-!!" And then, Luc Schroedinger runs forward.
It proves to not be the smartest thing he's ever done.
This is mainly due to the fact that a second later, he's consumed by a raging torrent of angry hippie chi, 'divine' geysers of pure strength and raw fury ripping into him like a hot knife through butter. Pulse and pulse of power engulfs Luc, knocking him further and further back. He can't even yell. He can't even laugh. His lungs feel like they've had spikes driven through them. Bones break under the strain, his body feels like its just about to tear apart. In the midst of furious white, though... there's a single pulse of violet...
... and then four massive walls of chi EXPLODE across the ground.
In the midst of the horrendous white storm emerges a darker, less powerful manifestation of chi. Walls of chi rotate over and over, attempting to sweep up Igniz in their fury. They'll spin faster, faster, faster until it all finally EXPLODES... Leaving nothing but Luc, bloody and beaten and laying face down in the dirty ground. He's not moving.
And he's certainly not laughing.
COMBATSYS: Luc can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Marisol 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Diana
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///// ]
K' 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 K9999
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////// ]
Rust 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Igniz
Laughing at the top of her lungs, Marisol seems content in K9999's suffering, gray eyes wide with mad glee as she watches the experiment stagger away. But before the two can properly engage in angry fisticuffs once again...
A black streak suddenly cuts across her field of vision, some...thing giving the girl a casual shove that sends the bleeding Pacific High student stumbling back with a startled look. Is it one of the blue-haired freak's attacks? If it was, wouldn't it be more painful than that..?
A split-second later it becomes clear what is going on. The familiar rogue experiment shimmers into view, his back visible briefly before he smacks K9999 back with a horrible kick. But...how? Why? Why is HE here..? Thin red brows furrow visibly, confusion and bemusement evident on her tanned face. The girl's lips purse tightly when the experiment glances back at her, eyes hooding slightly. Is he angry..?
Before he can glance back, however, the girl lifts her chin and offers one thing:
"Thank you, I--"
The redhead's words are cut short as a sudden thunder of energy rocks across the campus, pillars of white cutting a horrible path into Luc. The girl's features stir, her sun-kissed face flushing of color as her teammate is struck down horribly, her lips parting, allowing an odd croak of a cry to escape her lips. That blonde son of a bitch. The girl begins to move. ..
But finds herself unable, as a sudden explosion of chi erupts, Luc's tell-tale fury given form as those walls of energy swirl angrily about. The half-Spaniard is helpless but to watch - and hope - the wannabe-God is ripped to shreds.
When those walls vanish, the girl expects to see a contented and laughing Luc. Instead, she sees only an unconscious German face-down on the dirt. That isn't like him at all. She feels ill, like she wants to throw up, likely because of the blood loss...but her anger.
"FUCK YOU! FUCK YOU! I HATE YOU!!" the girl suddenly screams at the top of her lungs, spittle flying as her eyes widen. She's looking right at Igniz as she shrieks. "YOU DUMB BASTARD! ALL OF YOU! I HATE YOU ALL!" Despite the wounds she's endured and despite her body's protests, Marisol charges RIGHT at Igniz, furious and filled with rage as she attempts to throw herself at him bodily and punch him in the middle of his face.
The teacher flips. Physically. Mentally, that's up for debate. The feet meet thin air, and he lands in a crouch that, once again, taxes his knees to the limit of their tolerance of being stretched and worked out after years of ignoring his body's desire to rest for sake of a little extra overtime cash.
If there was any doubt to the teacher's intent to not have everything around him end violently (you know, to set an example and other such bullshit), well... it likely left a long time ago. Mr. Rust's position is not as vulnerable as one may lead to believe, pushing himself up with the help of his pipe again with teeth still looking ready to crush the opposite set to pieces, sweat down his brow, and a combover that remains thoroughly awful as if to spite the aesthetic pleasantness of Igniz's hair. (The teacher will wonder later on why /he/ couldn't have hair like that.) One eye is clenched shut.
Either way. He is an earthbound working man. Igniz is a floating delusional man who may not entirely be so. Then, all of a sudden... the mysterious Beast of Prey himself. Ol' Rusty is pointed forward in K''s direction, really more so his arm faces Igniz. Who's with who? The way Igniz glances... the teacher works out on a split second thought, 'don't worry about it WORRY ABOUT THE ONE WITH THE HAIR CAN YOU EVEN TAKE HIM?!'
His hand clasps Ol' Rusty tightly enough it squeals with that building power. Then, the terrible expression - bathing Luc in pillars and sending pieces of the pavement, sidewalk or road or otherwise, down into the dirt. He doesn't call a name. He doesn't wait. The pipe is pointed downward and away as the teacher starts to jog towards Igniz, from his back and left. Someone's got to stop the madman somehow before a kid gets killed. (No matter if they're looking at being held back a /third/ year.)
Once close enough, he kicks off the ground. Howard Rust... doesn't have fighter hops, no matter how dramatic a backdrop (foredrop?) of Luc's blue-black chi-laden last-ditch counter-offensive may attempt to accentuate what poor height he can muster. He'd be lucky if he didn't cut his entire face open leaping into the billowing cloak, but his face being scratched is one of the least of his worries! Just under whether or not the fumes of Igniz's preferred shampoo are toxic, or if that giant mass of hair could rend his flesh. He can hear Marisol screaming curses, the provided context of such lost in the blinding clash of chi from two very proficient wielders.
His free hand, his left, goes for Igniz's own left arm, trying to twist it - and the would-be deity - down into the ground in a kneel, or a crouch, or some position to get their back exposed, ready to thrust the present 'butt' end of Ol' Rusty into his back as many times as possible to knock the wind straight out of him.
"GET OUT OF MY SCHOOL!!" Oh, isn't his throat going to be numb over the next week. But he's going to be heard loud and clear over any divine proclamation!
COMBATSYS: K' blocks K9999's Moon....
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Marisol 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Diana
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///// ]
K' 0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0 K9999
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////// ]
Rust 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Igniz
"Not yet, K'" is quick to sneer in reply, yellow eyes narrowing with a profound hatred on Igniz. "Not even for all your 'best efforts...'" And he puts a special emphasis on that little phrase... at the same time he kicks K9999, one of those selfsame efforts, contemptuously right back to Igniz's feet.
And while he's looking, K' spares Luc's predicament one long glance: unable to intervene, due to the speed with which Luc -throws- himself directly into that assault. White and violet reflect in his hooded eyes as his gaze lingers, seeing the clash out to its conclusion-- and afterwards, Marisol's shriek sends one of his brows to twitching. He's about to scruff her by the collar and stop her hurling herself at Igniz-- for while he doesn't particularly like her, he doesn't particularly care to see her get obliterated also-- but K9999 has his own ideas about where K' should be focusing his attention.
K''s attention cracks back to K9999 when the other howls that sustained note of fury. A savage grin cuts his impassive expression open as he sees the effect he has on the other. Lazily, his eyes track over and notice that missing arm... and a malicious delight sparks in his gaze. "Heh. looks like you got yourself into some shit you can't handle. That's a -pattern- for you, isn't it?" K9999 rages forwards, but K' doesn't try to get out of the way. He just lifts a hand, sparking harsh flames to life about his wrist, and points out generously, "Look. You're repeating it again now. Tsk..."
K9999's chi crashes into a guarding mass of fire. K' slides back a pace or two with the impact, the concussive force of it hardly something to be scoffed at, for all his cocky words. Gritting his teeth, K' focuses his summoned fire, twists sharply, and smashes a kick into the gathered flames: the strike sending it all bolting straight back at K9999 in a searing rush.
He'll assess the rest of the situation once he's done here.
COMBATSYS: Marisol successfully hits Igniz with Medium Punch.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Marisol 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Diana
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///// ]
K' 0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0 K9999
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////// ]
Rust 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Igniz
COMBATSYS: Igniz dodges Luc's Demiurge Trigger.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Marisol 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Diana
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///// ]
K' 0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0 K9999
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////// ]
Rust 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Igniz
COMBATSYS: Igniz counters Hammering from Rust with Void Genocide.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Marisol 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Diana
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///// ]
K' 0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0 K9999
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////// ]
Rust 1/-------/=======|==-----\-------\0 Igniz
The world itself caves in against Igniz, and the worst that he comes out with is a simple bruise upon his face. Perhaps the worst fate could throw at him at all. But that one fist against his face found the purchase that so many other strikes had not.
As Luc is envolved in the hot, white chi. Igniz simply watches. The man was doomed as soon as he was enveloped. That attack that had killed so many others, destroyed the lives of tens to hundreds of people that came against Igniz. Genocide was something he did not care for, but the death of men that deserve it, traitor, deserved it all.
Wasn't Whip a traitor? K' should be glad that the SNF was being taped and broadcast live.
But Luc decides that he would not die. Instead, he would violently flare out towards Igniz, push back against the tides of white and send himself hurdling at the man. The God of NESTS however, had planned ahead. Floating towards the side, Igniz escapes unmolested by the furious chi, floating away from the spinning, exploding ground in time, the purple chi searing pieces of his cape as he outruns it.
Right into Marisol's punch. It connects fully, smashing into the man's temple as he turns to see who is calling towards him. The fist almost molds his face, stabbing him with pressure. Igniz falters back, actually fighting against the pressure with his feet, doubling back as he looks towards the girl. "Did you not just see what I had done to your friend?" Igniz exclaims, "Run away, leave and you may let still stand after the day is through. I am nearly a god... no, I am a god!" Igniz exclaims, "And your best efforts will be for nought."
Luc is not the only to feel his wrath. Rust, a teacher at Pacific, moved to save a student. Valiently he contested fate, thrashing and bashing at Igniz without purchase. And now it finally comes, Rust strking towards Igniz when the man could not escape. Could not block. Could not even throw himself successfully into the attack.
Iniz doesn't do any of those, using Rust's hoarse call, his loud throat to locate him. A single hand bursts out, aiming towards Rust's chest as Igniz's head snaps to look at the man, even as Rust grabs the willing arm.
A burst of violent, white chi explodes out, firing Rust across the ground and the sidewalk proper. It's sheer intensity is one to be gawked at. "You did not say please." Igniz reiterates. "None of you did. And to not have manners for a god? Easily punishable." The smile upon his face lingers, even after the throbbing blow.
COMBATSYS: K9999 negates Second Shoot from K' with Get out of my sight!.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Marisol 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Diana
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //// ]
K' 0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0 K9999
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////// ]
Rust 1/-------/=======|==-----\-------\0 Igniz
As much as K' loves being the focus of attention when demanded, so did K9999, and he had the will and ability to see that it stayed that way...lest the other suffer for it. The fire rippled on its path towards the clone before it was torn away in a blast of dust and wind-spurred chi, the pair of forces cancelling off before causing any further damage. The teenager was panting heavily now, at the end of his resources and favouring one side. His skin was already brusing beneath the slick sheen of still wet blood, the fury in his eyes palpable. "Keep...mouthin' off..." He lurched foward this time at a more measured pace, not unlike a boulder wanting to pick up speed from the top of a hill once started. "Just remember...I know your secret." Forcing out each painful syllable, and which secret?
...Whip. His macabre snarling grin carrying that memory of a promise he'd made, oh yes K'. Remember, she would never be safe!
K9999 lashes out, losing it. The yell.. Diana winces. Perhaps she should have went a bit less on making him known as much as she did, with Igniz being the direct target now.. it seems just so unfair! But shaking her head, she carefully moves about the battlefield, sliding along the explosions and the eruptions, making it somewhat of a dance as she swings the pom-poms outwards, leaping over part of the erupting ground, flipping, waving them as she lands, kicking off the ground again as she spins through the surging energy, the erupting land about.. and K9999's strike unfortunately seems to not be enough. Diana sighs as he falls, but first takes care of what she came here to do.. somewhat.
the first place.. Tch." She's SO totally behind K9999 that she's already moving to take him out .. but her survives. Patting K9999 on the back, Diana then heads away from him, and towards the van.
She's going to go leave glorious Igniz and K9999 to fight on their own. Hey, Igniz is lost in his godhood, and she didn't have to fight. Guess that's a victory in itself.
COMBATSYS: Diana has left the fight here.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //// ]
Marisol 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 K9999
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////// ]
K' 0/-------/-----==|==-----\-------\0 Igniz
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Rust 1/-------/=======|
Marisol O'Connell is consumed with anger.
As far as she's concerned, nothing else matters at the moment, as she rushes from K''s vicinity into the fray, parting from K9999 in favor of assaulting the leader of NESTS. She has no idea who he is, or what he's precisely capable of - and she just doesn't care. No; all she cares about is one thing: her teammate is seriously hurt, and it's all this blonde freak's fault.
Lunging into Igniz, the girl's fist collides with his face, causing the blonde dictator to falter and stumble lightly. The girl, however, holds her punch out, gray eyes narrowed dangerously as she maintains the stance, her bloodied face red with heated rage. Amazingly, her response is frighteningly calm, like the heavy silence before a furious storm.
"Oh, I saw it," she replies to the blonde. "I saw everything you fucking did to him. That's why I hit you. That's why I'm going to hit you again, and again and again and AGAIN until your face is a fucking mess on the ground. You're no GOD. You're a fucking lunatic picking on younger people for some stupid reason." Run away?
Marisol laughs at the idea, gray eyes wide.
"BULLSHIT!! I never fucking run--!!"
Moments later Rust appears, wielding his pipe. A split-second later the man is suddenly launched as the so-called 'God' explodes the teacher with his violent chi, her smoky eyes widening further with disgust. At her side a fist clenches painfully tight - so tight her nails bite flesh.
"GO TO HELL!"
Throwing herself into the fray once more, Marisol barrels right for Igniz as he lightly scolds Rust, her fists at her sides. Only when she gets close enough does she shoot her fist forward, a swift cross from the left arm before she drives a fist upwards at Igniz's jaw with the right.
Twice the age of virtually every member of the student body, Howard Rust has taken twice the chances... and maybe twice the failures. He couldn't move fast enough to put himself in front. There is a vast, vast, vast gap in ability between himself and the head of NESTS. Even taking him when the blonde boss is distracted, the only option he has, is rolling the dice.
He grips the arm, ready to guide him downward. What happens is something the teacher cannot comprehend. His world flashes white. Only pain shooting through his lower back, climbing higher and higher, tethers him to any perception of the world around him. He doesn't go across. He goes /into/ the ground, digging deeper and deeper with every passing yard until the momentum just ceases and leaves him several feet deep in dirt and cement. Ol' Rusty flies high into the air, glinting in the sky.
His body is... sore. It's hard to put a word on it, but he feels... maligned. Like something got knocked loose. Not physical... something else. A blurry picture of those fighting fades into ailing eyesight that debated as to whether or not being point blank to such power should have struck him permanently blind.
"Uuunh." As if he were obligated to vocalize something, struggling to move. His fingers waggle. He presses against the edges of the Rust-width few-feet deep canyon to try and pull himself up and out, just barely able to reach up and clutch the edges with either hand. The struggle is visible and no exaggeration on his part. Blood runs down his back, staining the white undershirt to be obscured by his vest until the blood seeps under its temporary veil. He wheezes. Concious. Capable of movement. But in significant, debilitating pain and a throbbing migraine.
He only goes as far as getting up just to fall back forward, both arms still clutching at where feet should walk, not where people should be hurled through. It's something like crawling and using a cliff as a crutch... somehow.
He's only compelled to walk forward as everything slowly seeps back into him. What was he doing? Why does he feel so compelled to travel this upwards slope back into the light of day that seems to want to point and laugh at his hair loss problems? Why does he crave bacon, lettuce, and tomatoes? Why won't they stop yelling?!
And why does one of his hands feel so... empty, now? His joints crack their answers. He doesn't speak arthritic joint. Too bad. He could learn a lot from them, limping back up what should've been his burial ground.
COMBATSYS: Rust takes no action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //// ]
Marisol 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 K9999
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////// ]
K' 0/-------/-----==|==-----\-------\0 Igniz
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Rust 1/-------/=======|
COMBATSYS: Igniz fails to counter Fierce Punch from Marisol with Random Weapon.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //// ]
Marisol 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 K9999
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////// ]
K' 0/-------/-----==|=------\-------\0 Igniz
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Rust 1/-------/=======|
If K' was angry before, it's nothing to what he is now. This is probably the last context he wants to be reminded of Whip in, and K9999's implicit threat against her shoots his temper up from its even, steady burn into a violent flare. He doesn't notice the rest of the combatants, doesn't pay the lingering sting in his arms any mind; his focus tunnel visions down on K9999, one sliver of attention left on Igniz just because of the NESTS president's sheer danger level.
K' steps directly into K9999's onrush, a snarl murdering any and all amusement off his face. A sharp twist to gather force, a chambering of his left hand-- it's ironically now his stronger hand, thanks to the hampering effect of that glove-- and K' fires off a violent, silencing hook straight for K9999's impudent mouth: his sole answer for K9999's implied threat.
For all purposes, Igniz watches as Marisol begins her moves. Her strikes. Her annoyances in Igniz, fighting to destroy him or at least get around him. Well, Igniz would not simply move for her. Like an unmoving block, the god of NESTS hovers yet there, even as she strikes at him. Well, Igniz had a great idea, even as he fires Rust back down across the block, Igniz is simply moving to make sure, that out of everything, they would all be taken care of. But, however, as Marisol fires a punch towards Igniz, it isn't how it seems.
Instead of Igniz stopping the left arm with the fabric of the cape itself, it powers itself into his jaw, firing him up into the air and sending him backwards. A mistake, he figures, that would not matter. He would, in the long run, end it all.
Yet still, as his teeth rattles and he bleeds for the first time this fight, he cannot help but feel rather sedated.
"Is that what you wanted?" Igniz asks plainly to Marisol, wipping away the blood that seeps down. "Perhaps you are sated now?" He states, looking over towards Rust as he's being kept down, attempting to get up. "I had tried a risky manuever, one that you seemed to overpower. But..." The god of NESTS states, "It will not happen again. I assure you."
And he's quite sure of it himself.
COMBATSYS: K9999 fails to interrupt Medium Punch from K' with Quit playing!.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ]
Marisol 0/-------/------=|===----\-------\0 K9999
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////// ]
K' 0/-------/----===|=------\-------\0 Igniz
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Rust 1/-------/=======|
COMBATSYS: K9999 can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////// ]
Marisol 0/-------/------=|=------\-------\0 Igniz
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
K' 0/-------/----===|
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Rust 1/-------/=======|
...And the hook connects, somewhere in his pain hazed induced mind, K9999 forgot he had only one arm, and miscalculated the brutal grab to ensare then throw K' into the ground face first. Instead, he's clocked one and just like that, exits the fight.
Making her move, the half-Spaniard has every intention of punching Igniz in the face again to prove and punctuate her rage. He hurt her friend, and damned if he's going to get away so easily. He might be stronger, faster and more fearsome than Marisol, but she refuses to give up. Not here, not now. Not EVER. For her friends' sake, and for others' sake.
Like poor Rust, or even K', who threw himself into the fray without being asked for his own reasons.
Her fist connects to the blonde's jaw, sending the man staggering back and away from her as she sneers. Offering the man a horrible glare, she listens as he warns her. Is that what she wanted?
"It's a start," she offers, glancing back briefly toward Rust. Is he going to be okay..?
"But I'm not sated. Not yet." Her eyes drift to K' as he handles the other experiment.
"We'll see what happens though, in the end. I just don't care.
"I just want you out of my school..!"
Snarling viciously, Marisol's gray eyes go wide as her fists clench tightly. In the back of her mind she recalls everything Shenwoo imparted upon her that fateful day. Hit them harder than they hit you. Don't be afraid of taking a hit. Meet an attack head on if you want to do something about it. Those words drive her forward, right at Igniz.
"HYAAAARGH!"
Throwing a fist at Igniz's face, the girl attempts to punch him in the nose with a chi-laced fist...
COMBATSYS: Igniz blocks Marisol's Red Clover.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////// ]
Marisol 0/-------/------=|=------\-------\0 Igniz
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
K' 0/-------/----===|
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Rust 1/-------/=======|
"Uuunghgbehrlble." This is not random keyboard banging, that is the most accurate way to transcribe an aging man's ability to comment about how uneven this poorly dug terrain is to his aching feet and a back that's home to a few broken ribs and some blood that wants to move out of his body and maybe seek residence in the soil. His blood is done with its crazy fleshy mostly-water landlord. (Bodylord?)
Each step is more aggravating to take even when he pulls himself closer and closer to just being able to just crawl up onto the remains of the sidewalk around him. The only thing that stops him from wanting to just fall face flat and take a nap are those pressing questions. What is he doing? His sight focuses more clearly - an angry redhead girl, throwing a glowy yellow fist at some guy with really long blonde hair that he now despises on principle. The one with the long hair, that is. There's some black-haired kid in a white dress shirt lying on the ground. This is important, somehow. Some other... kid? Another one in a yellow suit. Did he just see a tall lady run off? He rubs his head with his right hand. His right hand really just wants to ball up into a fist and grab /something/. This migraine won't go away. He breaks into a coughing fit. Hurts to breathe. Maybe he's dying and shouldn't be walking maybe he should die, but no, he really wants bacon, lettuce, and tomato in his mouth. What is bacon, lettuce, and tomato?
The man stumbles along despite everything. Stubbornness? Willpower? No, he at least remembers he hates it when his knees dictate what he can and can't do. Screw his knees. A growing shadow is cast over the top of his head, gravity having finally taken control of something rather precious as a wind blows against the teacher's back.
He's in full view of those who would care to look his direction. Still walking, still groaning, still looking ready to collapse and die of a heart attack or something of the sort, his mind unfocused and blank, contorting into abominations of frowns and gapes only occasionally to account for fragments of thoughts. The latest one as he tilts his head back up, why is it a little darker again?
Ask Ol' Rusty, it's about to touch down from its nonstop flight from one Howard Rust's hand... to that same Howard Rust's head. It'd save some money if it drove instead. Even with rising gas prices.
Satisfaction floods down every nerve when K' feels his knuckles connect with K9999's jaw, the strike crushing home hard enough to numb his entire hand. In the aftermath, his arm retracts like it's spring-loaded, leading the charge in the turning, backwards shift of his body; one heel slides back to open his stance, the movement smoothly twisting him away from the felled K9999 and towards the cloaked form of Igniz.
Exhaling a long breath, K'... doesn't exactly purge the rage K9999 inspired in him, but he doesn't let it run wild either. Eyes narrowing, lean figure tensing, he thinks back on Geese's training and -seizes- that fury instead: getting it in a stranglehold and forcing it into compliance. It pulses in time with the racing of his heart, sending an acute hyperattentivity razoring down his veins, side by side with the fire in his blood. It tunes him towards one target. That one target who, if killed, might just bring most of NESTS down with him.
The plight of Pacific is of no real concern to him, except where the efforts of its defenders might whittle Igniz down enough that killing him is feasible. Pragmatic to a fault, the former experiment is not one either for pointless heroics or losing battles. However, he can see already his input will be necessary before he can determine, one way or another, if this will be that chance for which he's been aiming ever since he got out.
His eyes half-lid, and his dark form wisps away into a swift smear of black. Circling in a wide, swinging arc, angling at the last moment into an arrowing onrush, fire laces his lean frame as it cuts air towards the cartel president. Igniz gave him the scarlet Kusanagi flames, and K' tries to give them right back: slinging a spinning lash of fire straight towards the would-be god.
COMBATSYS: K' successfully hits Igniz with Eins Trigger.
Glancing Blow
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Marisol 0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0 Igniz
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
K' 0/-------/---====|
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Rust 1/-------/=======|
Igniz moves. He moves fast to counter act the world around him shrinking. Perhaps he should have figured this out better? But it doesn't matter. With his minions inside, resting in the bus, and the God of NESTS vying for victory with everyone else, Igniz may only have a few seconds to continue his spree of thought. Of madness before he can escape.
Still, the god of NESTS will not give in. Marisol charges at him, striking with energy and vengence against the robed mad, but the four portals raise, shutting her out, slowing down the energy, the sheer impact still cratering the battlesuit. "Leave? Your school?" Igniz announces, "I wouldn't dream of it so suddenly. You still have not said please." Oh Marisol. Will you learn manners to save your school?!
But that's not it. Rust is continuing to find himself unable to strike back, unable to do anything at first. His sheer age and willpower fighting against each other to attempt to fight each other for victory. But which will be successful? What will win? Igniz does not care. The man is down. For all he cares, perhaps he is dead.
But there is a third. K'. One that Igniz does not look towards. Does not even move to motion against. The god of NESTS ignored K', even as he's moving to kill him, or at least get him back. But it doesn't matter to Igniz. His fight is not with K'. That's another day. Instead, he attempts to float out of the cutting scarlet flames, missing partially as the chi sear against him, cutting and burning Igniz with its strength, but somehow, managing to do anything like how K' would like. It's a terribl tease.
His features poised towards Marisol, the god rises, another powerful beam of energy held tightly in his hand. The god of NESTS just grins, the orb of white chi glowing. Before... finally, Igniz tosses it, sending it rippling across the ground towards the ground, aiming to pierce her. "Perhaps this will learn you some manners like your friend."
COMBATSYS: Rust successfully hits Rust with Thrown Object.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Marisol 0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0 Igniz
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
K' 0/-------/---====|
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Rust 1/------=/=======|
COMBATSYS: Igniz successfully hits Rust with Divine Arrow - Ground.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Marisol 0/-------/------=|====---\-------\0 Igniz
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
K' 0/-------/---====|
[ \\\\\\\ <
Rust 2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|
Bonk!
Mr. Rust's head dips as /something/ hits his head. His hands are thrown upward at what pain shoots through his head, only for something familiar to fall into his right hand at that moment. He holds it level to scrutinize this strange... hold on a minute.
"Huh." Confusion melts away. Yeah, that's more like it. His hand feels pacified having something like this to squeeze. It's hard to think. He can't put the pieces together in his head conciously, until he lowers his hand and the pipe. It becomes impossible not to notice the rising blonde-haired superhuman warmonger no matter how messed one's head may be, energy gathering in his hand. The red hair girl's in the way. Two and two equals one plus twelve fourths. Somehow, by some means, he kind of figures out he doesn't like this. Maybe it's the hair.
"Gkkh," a strange grunt from Ol' Rusty and its rusty weilder (but more the wielder because pipes don't talk) as he dips forward and, to the extent his legs can bother to carry him, runs forward. The light feels brighter, more invasive, and frightening with every step. But there he is, moving forward, and the cries of his knees, the shattered ribs, and bleeding back can't seem to get their words through him.
Coming up fast behind Marisol, the redhead might find herself shoved forward well underneath Igniz if she's not otherwise alert for what's coming along behind her, bringing his left forearm up and squeezing his hand about as hard as one can without digging one's fingers through their own palm, raising it only to shield his eyes from the chi light.
A flash. Once more, there is little to comprehend other than the context of 'pain'. To all other observers, the man continues to be pushed back by the rippling energy. It doesn't dissipate on impact. The man's aura is as such that it should go entirely /through/ him, not carry him along with it. It may very well be all for vain, the teacher collapsing onto his knees and catching himself by thrusting the pipe hard against the ground as he slides back roughly as far as he did the first time. But this time, this time, he stays on level ground, wheezing and hacking up unpleasant noises while he lowers his head towards the makeshift hilt of Ol' Rusty, which is whatever end he's closer to holding.
His body doesn't feel like moving. He's rigid all over. Statuesque. His joints are making their stand. The rest of him is likely to follow. But, he does at least manage to win over his neck, looking up wordlessly at Marisol. There's something a little different in his eyes considering the last time the two have looked face to face, if she does so on her part.
It's kind of hard to tell what. What's plain as day is that a gravely injured man is /still/ standing (...if kneeling). Igniz should be capable of defeating thousands of people of his level at once with little effort. Is this just a fluke that he still draws breath?
COMBATSYS: Rust takes no action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Marisol 0/-------/------=|====---\-------\0 Igniz
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
K' 0/-------/---====|
[ \\\\\\\ <
Rust 2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|
Though her attempts to sock the wannabe God in the face with a brutal assault is stopped short, the girl is hardly deterred from the goal she has set in mind. She wants to make this guy pay for what he's done to her teammate and reluctant friend, consequences be damned. She knows what he can do, she saw him brutally thrash Luc and tear into Rust. But she won't be cowed - she can't be afraid of taking a hit.
The God of Battle taught her that.
"Fuck you and fuck your pleases!" the girl barks at the blonde, gray eyes wide and furious as she hops back and away, hands still tightly clenched. "I'd never give you the satisfaction!! I'll punch your dumb ass back onto your stupid bus if that's what it takes!! I--!!" Marisol's words cease, as flames suddenly erupt from seemingly nowhere, crashing toward the cartel leader. Her expression falters, features startled before she sneers.
She thanks the Lord K' happened to be hanging around today. There's no way they could have handled this alone.
But before she can rest easily, there's business to handle. Namely, the business of dealing with the NESTS cartel leader...somehow. The hairs on the back of her neck are on end as he summons a gout of blindingly white chi in his hand, her shoulders incredibly tense as she does her best to brace for come what may with a sneer. "You don't deserve manners, jacka--!"
Unexpectedly the girl staggers and stumbles when someone rushes up behind her and pushes her out of harm's way. Startled she hits the ground, rolling to the side as that burst of chi sails past. Disoriented and confused, a hand pushes into the ground and pulls her up, her gray eyes turning aside to see what happened and WHO pushed her. Mere seconds before that burst of light collides, she sees who it was. Rust? No way.
Breathless and startled, the girl just stares with disbelief as he stands against it, weathering that awful storm of energy that collides into the shop teacher's body. Somehow...the old guy who complains about joints stands. Somehow the old guy who says he's not a fighter, and that ten years was a long time...doesn't fall. He's not out yet. He took the blow for her, but why? She's just a hoodlum...
People are getting hurt. Her friend has been knocked out, a teacher took a hit for her and fights despite his seeming aversion to it, and now the mysterious K' has been pulled into the fray. The girl just stares at the knelt teacher with that look of disbelief, confusion distantly plaguing her thoughts. What should she do..?
Gritting her teeth, Marisol pulls herself to her feet slowly, her head bowed as she stands once more. Bleeding and sore, she seems determined to stand her ground, despite the odds against them. Things really seem hopeless, but a part of her thinks, maybe...there's some slim chance.
"...thanks," she says, her glance briefly cast toward the teacher on his knees. "That was...damn impressive, mister Rust." A tiny, almost sad smile draws across her lips.
...and then the girl turns her eyes back to Igniz, her face seized in a terribly hateful expression.
"You want please? Fine, you got it."
Breathing in, the girl's eyes draw to a close as her body tenses.
"Please..." Gray eyes snap open.
"go to HELL and rot!"
Racing forward once more, the reluctant girl seems determined to stand down from Igniz as she throws a swift straight punch at Igniz's face, followed by a harsh uppercut to his jaw. And should both connect the girl closes the attack with a strange spinning hook kick aimed for the side of his head.
"You're no GOD, you're an ugly monster!!"
He knew he was being ignored. The fact grated at him, in the same way a father's cool lack of acknowledgement might grate at a son who never quite managed to measure up. Even the fact he grazed the man could not stop the bitter taste of being casually glossed over from welling up in the back of his throat. K' retracted like a thwarted snake, pulling in on himself defensively. His eyes slit further.
He evinces no reaction to the drama in miniature playing out between Marisol and Rust, as both of them struggle to face down Igniz. It's none of his damned business whatever touching bonds they might be forming on the field of battle. His own expression hovers somewhere between spite, stung hatred, and anger: his own multitudinous issues with NESTS precluding him from giving a shit about those anybody else might have.
He straightens up eventually, finally bothering to stand out of his coiling slouch, fire crawling to life down his arms and bangling about his wrists. With a breath of pain and a tightening of his jaw, he taps that stolen fire and starts right back towards Igniz, moving with the deliberate ostentation of a boy who postures only because he's got a hell of a lot of shortcoming to cover up.
"You want her, don't you." There's not much debate as to who he's talking about. Hey, pay attention to him, you sick son of a bitch.
COMBATSYS: K' gathers his will.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Marisol 0/-------/-------|=======\-------\1 Igniz
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
K' 1/-------/=======|
[ \\\\\\\ <
Rust 2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|
COMBATSYS: Igniz dodges Marisol's Iron Whip.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Marisol 0/-------/-------|=======\-------\1 Igniz
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
K' 1/-------/=======|
[ \\\\\\\ <
Rust 2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|
%Fuck Igniz? Fuck his pleases? The entire motions of Igniz go ignored, all moving to inspire inspire hatred, burning violence in Marisol that is only answered by words that are quite venemous to him. Striking out like cobras towards the well mannered, or at least well acting god of NESTS. It's all very surreal.
What clinches is that Rust, the man that Igniz had ignored so, had given his own strength he could have used to strike Igniz down to save Marisol the pain Igniz could deliver. Taking it and falling backwards, riding it. However, he doesn't get up. Bleeding and battered, he thinks nothing of the man in need of immidiate assistance. Instead, he looks to Marisol still.
To K', he ignored him. Or at least, ignored him momentarily. Perhaps a lapse in judgement, perhaps the subject, but the god speaks, his back away from K', though the worlds obviously directed towards him. "I may want her, yes. But what does it have to do about you? You're not needed here, nor anywhere K'. Your efforts fall on deaf ears. Your mere presence on this world, a marred mistake, will be forgotten as time passes." Igniz states, his words fact, bleeding, oozing from his maw as his attention keeps directed at Marisol.
The his cape lifts off, watching Marisol closel as she shrieks, punching, plowing towards Igniz with strike after strike, aiming to push, destroy, rend. All seemingly fated to connect with the Cartel leader's jaw. Why always the jaw? His face was too pretty for this.
"You said please. Thank you," Igniz states, with a smile.
"You may have it." Each blow is evaded, the straight, the uppercut, not even letting the hook kick strike out. Instead, with Marisol point blank besides him, Igniz does not move.
But his cape does. Lifting off like serpents charmed, the cape rises, four distinct points where the chiamiplifiers lie begins to swell, pointing at Marisol. They grow immensely, swelling to be larger, larger, and finally errupting, firing out towards Marisol at four distinct points, moving to crush her, destroy her utterly as they rip out, moving to sear into her, erupting immediately.
COMBATSYS: Igniz successfully hits Marisol with Chaos Tide.
[ \\ < > ////////////// ]
Marisol 1/-----==/=======|-------\-------\0 Igniz
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
K' 1/-------/=======|
[ \\\\\\\ <
Rust 2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|
So. K' and Igniz know each other?
The girl's gaze wanders as the two speak on too familiar terms, her expression twisting into one of uncertainty as she peers back at the rogue NESTS experiment. It would certainly explain why he would have some sort of interest in involving himself here, she thinks. Or is he the reason why they're here, in some form or fashion. K' isn't a woman, so he can't be who they're looking for, but...
Spitting lightly, the girl shakes her head and charges forward with the intent to punch Igniz hard. But every attack is avoided; he's far too fast for the girl to keep up, and it only serves to frustrate the girl further. In the depths of her throat a low growl rumbles, her gray eyes spiteful.
"EAT SHIT AND DIE!" the girl spits in retort, a snarl to meet his smile.
The chi noted, the girl just stands her ground once more, far from cowed, despite that horrible swell of energy that makes her feel nauseated in the pit of her stomach. It grows and grows. ..and fires off, striking her in those precise points with enough raw energy to send the girl flying backwards, past K' as he seethes at the NESTS cartel leader.
She lands a few feet after, her smoldering form bouncing twice before she lay flat on her back, unmoving.
But when it seems the girl can't move any more she pulls her bloodied and burned form up, her uniform absolutely thrashed and covered in blood. Staggering and woozy, the redhead just clenches her teeth, a hand hugging at her arm, dislocated from her cruel landing. Panting for breath, she struggles vainly to stay conscious. She wants to keep fighting. She does - she feels she has to. But...
Her staggering steps begin to quicken as she moves, her motions sloppy but determined. The gallop turns into a run as she races right back at Igniz, arm be damned. And when she closes in she swings her fists fiercely, four hook punches aimed for his face. And should each land the girl pauses only briefly to tense up, her right fists clenched tightly...before she fires off a driving blow straight for the middle of Igniz's face.
Only then, regardless of success, does Marisol finally give up the urge to fall unconscious.
COMBATSYS: Marisol can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
K' 1/-------/=======|-------\-------\0 Igniz
[ \\\\\\\ <
Rust 2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|
The teacher... is not in much better shape. Being conscious is hardly an improvement over the fainting that Luc has managed to achieve. A strong scent of urine fills the air around the late 30-something shop teacher of Pacific High. Yes, he emptied his bladder. That's about the least anybody would lose after attempting to have waded through a Divine Arrow. He's poised to lose a lot more at this rate, other than matters of MANLY DIGNITY. His face switches between a twisted picture of pain, anguish, surprise, and anger. 'Ow body hurts, why does my body hurt, ow my body really hurts, body please stop hurting before I hurt you,' in that order.
He pushes up his pipe against the ground for support to stand. Skinned knees... try skinned jeans! His legs bleed for all to see, which is perhaps the lightest anyone gets off on skidding against concrete for as long as someone like this teacher did. He's not even walking. It's much more limping, free arm wrapped around the opposite side of his gut, Ol' Rusty pointed downwards and away as he stumbles forward like some sort of sacrifice moving itself before an altar of ruined turf, burrowed concrete, and injured schoolchildren. His left eye squeezes shut. Unpleasant breathing noises turn worse than your uncle's snoring. (It doesn't matter who this 'you' is, this is a fact. Even if one may not have an uncle.)
Marisol and K' stand. He doesn't know K' personally, not the name is presently not familiar from being blasted the crap out of twice in close succession. Were he healthier he might have confused him for being also another malcontent along for the ride. At least there's only one left here. Just that guy with the hair he is intensely jealous of.
Marisol bounces in front of him. He reaches out with his hand as she rushes back up to fight to her last. He snorts. C'mon. You're still standing, you can feel your arm, your grip's still tight, why don't you do something?! So the teacher debates against himself, his flayed knees, and that waning but still present ethic to do his job to at least protect the kids in some capacity or another.
He's still coming. His heart's beating too fast to catch a breath, head pounding too hard to concentrate, too riled to lie down and rest. After all, he always knew he could take a hit. He just took two. Could he take three? He'd find out as soon as the blonde man cares to acknowledge him as being still alive and something of a... threat? Or a nuisance, dragging his feet across the ruined front gates.
COMBATSYS: Rust takes no action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
K' 1/-------/=======|-------\-------\0 Igniz
[ \\\\\\\ <
Rust 2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|
What does it have to do with him? K' laughs, the uncharacteristic and terrible sound containing as much self-hatred as it does hate for the man talking. "I have no intention of letting you get her, if you want her that much," is his gracious reply. To his credit, he doesn't simply snap and rage straight at Igniz for his words... but from the way his expression twitches, the way his hands grind shut until the right emits a loud complaint of metal, he really, really, wants to.
One might almost think K' had emotionally advanced far enough that he could reasonably deal with Igniz's disparaging comments. In truth, he really is a little better-equipped now to handle them than he was a year ago. The reason for this is not one he is about to share with Igniz. Suffice it to say, he is needed. He knows now he isn't some total orphan, rootless and sourceless: he is not just some NESTS automaton, to be forgotten and abandoned. "Save your breath," he snaps instead, a hiss passing his teeth. "I've stopped qualifying myself by your opinion. But answer me this... why her? Was she so much less a 'mistake' than me?!"
Though he has attained some increased mental stability, K' has not lost any of his temper. And he can only hold it in check so long. The terrible blow that crushes Marisol back as she attempts to lash out just serves as the trigger that sets him off: and then, more because of the sudden movement than out of too much concern for the girl, who's still moving. In a spasm of rage he abruptly lashes out, seemingly trying to break Igniz in half over a lunging snapkick; it's only in the last moments he feints down, swiping low instead, trying to bring Igniz as low as he feels.
COMBATSYS: Igniz dodges Marisol's Atom Smasher.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
K' 1/-------/=======|-------\-------\0 Igniz
[ \\\\\\\ <
Rust 2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|
COMBATSYS: K' successfully hits Igniz with Narrow Spike.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////// ]
K' 1/------=/=======|=------\-------\0 Igniz
[ \\\\\\\ <
Rust 2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|
Even as Marisol lurches towards Igniz, the cruel finishing blow was designed simply to push her away, keep her away and make sure that if anything, it would be hard for her to close th gap between them. And she tries. She honestly does. Igniz can see the fervor in her eyes, the cry against him most fowl.
But it only furthers his efforts to escape, moving about, shifting away from her as she lunges teeth clenches. The punches never make it, Igniz dancing partially out of her range before she finally collapses, leaving her the same satisfaction that Luc had gotten.
None.
But that would be too simple. Too impossibly easy for Igniz to think about. He had forgotten some one he was trying to ignore. K'. "Sleep now. Join your fallen." Igniz states, only for K' to cry out, ask him why her. Why out of everything, her.
But as K' delivers a lunging snap kick, Igniz isn't able to react quick enough, the fields shattering before it finishes. Igniz takes no actins, being flung back, the hovering systems dying as he fights against it. He even strikes the ground for a millisecond before propelling himself back up, bleeding about his face, his battlesuit crushed in muliple places. He smiles towards K'. He really does.
And then he ignored him completely, turning his attention to Rust. The man is fighting to stand. Fighting to continue on. Fighting to propell Igniz out. But the god of NESTS has no intention of leaving so soon. At least, not until K' himself would be left.
"Ah, old man. Embodiment of humanity. The end of the journey but the wisdom that many will still carry." Igniz states, looking down towards the man, even beginning to float towards him. "I am sorry, but what I must do must be undertaken." The god of NESTS exclaims, a single punch zipping towards Rust, even when the man has been barely staggering around this entire time.
Fast, it strikes towards Rust, his hand momentarily a single blur, ripping through the air towars him. He would not even show mercy to the old, weakened man. "You should not have protected these kids as such," He continues, "It will only promise yourself an early demise."
COMBATSYS: Igniz successfully hits Rust with Medium Punch.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////// ]
K' 1/------=/=======|=------\-------\0 Igniz
[ \\\\\ <
Rust 2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|
The teacher's still walking. The pace slows the closer he draws towards arm's length of either party. Maybe it's of fright in beholding the evil so clearly in his state, maybe it's because he just can't continue to push hismelf so. Addressed as he is, he doesn't have much to say.
The movement of Igniz is fast. Maybe it's fear, maybe it's instinct, but a hand thrusts up to catch the punch in his palm. His elbow makes a sharp 'SNAP' as it powers past a rigid, reflexive block by thrusting said blocking hand into the teacher's own face, a defense turned practical to a liability against the sheer strength of the god of NESTS. The teacher falls to his knees, his hand still clutching the other's fist for at least a moment's time more. Ol' Rusty's tip scrapes against the ground for just as long as it takes for something to fall out of his mouth.
"Not even... forty," he wheezes, face deeply bruised from the impact and left arm stinging from being forcefully bent to the point of fracture. But his weapon arm, that still has life in it. He lets go of the fist exactly as long as it takes for him to get that feeling again. That thing he could always count on to get out of a tight spot. Well, it's too late for him to get out of a tight spot.
Maybe not too late to leave a mark.
The pipe spins about once with some fancy fingerwork that is rather unlike anything the man's given apparent lack of acrobatic ability and coordination. It's familiarity - after a few spins, he holds the grip tight on whatever end he has decided should play the part of 'hilt' and, simply, swings upward.
It's a simple and understated uppercut. It doesn't have the flash of a desperation move you see when a fighter gets riled. It's not his strongest shot, and in certain situations, might not be his best. But it's his trademark, the Cement Upper, some sort of uppercut that, for whatever reason, is named for something it has no real connection to otherwise. Maybe it hits like a block of the dried stuff. There's only one way to find out as his right arm swings up in a rapid blur, perhaps a little spark of youth that one would find in someone... younger, in the attempt, defying the rigidness in his shoulder and elbow that would rather he not move his arm so fast with fading consciousness and the prospect of, well, being dead.
But does he still have it? Maybe he'd think over that if there's a 'later'.
COMBATSYS: Rust can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////// ]
K' 1/------=/=======|=------\-------\0 Igniz
K' gets no answer. He finds himself unsurprised that all Igniz deigns to grace him with is an oblique smile. However, there is a distinct difference between being unsurprised about something... and being resigned to it. Ignored, marginalized, given no answer, K' feels frustration gnawing at the back of his mind: and frustration translates easily and readily into anger.
K' skids to a halt close to the ground, twisting around to all fours in expectation of reprisal-- only to find Igniz is more interested in taking care of the teacher that yet remains standing. Again, he finds himself unable to stop Igniz from mowing others down as he pleased. While the fact is not terribly distressing to him here, to be brutally honest, nonetheless he is forced to wonder: when it comes down to a situation where he DOES care, would he be just as useless? When Whip is the target, will he be able to defend her?
Sudden fear joins the anger spasming his nerves, because he really does not know the answer to that question. His hands twitch against the ground, clawing in clear frustration, his head lowering as Rust tries his best to leave one last mark. Things had run too fast and too confusing, in the first stages of this fight, for him to really consider just who Igniz was. His focus had rested on K9999, the more immediate and obvious object of his rage. But now that he has a moment to himself... it really hits him. He's most likely facing the man who made him what he is. And once that sinks in, the questions start to flood his mind.
Did you make me what I am? Why? Why did you throw me away? Who was I before? What was the name you took from me? All questions K' knows would receive no answer, were they asked; Igniz has already shown himself reluctant to answer even the simpler, more direct questions of why he wanted Shurui so badly.
K' decides to get the answers the only way he knows how. He decides to -force- them out of Igniz. Heat smokes the air about his hands, slow fire curling down his arms, and K' virtually -locks on- to the cartel president with a disturbing sort of intensity. If Igniz really wants to leave, now-- before K' gets going-- might be a good time.
COMBATSYS: K' gathers his will.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////// ]
K' 2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|=------\-------\0 Igniz
COMBATSYS: Rust successfully hits Igniz with Cement Upper.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////// ]
K' 2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|==-----\-------\0 Igniz
Igniz will never be surprised about one last tries. Many of them flop, failing to strike the god of NESTS, even with the added power behind it. This was the case of both Marisol and Luc, missing inches from the face of NESTS. But not one for Rust.
Perhaps his reserved state, self sacrifice and lovable self had left Igniz rather surprised, no, devistated that the man could even function still. Or was it the rancid smell and the notification that he isn't even fourty, yet he looks older than Igniz, who despite how he looks, is over fourty.
"My..." Igniz begins, only for the uppercut from Rust to strike the chin of Igniz, sending him doubling black, his face taking more damage than the battlesuit. He's moving to stay conscious, his jaw nearly knocked through his face. He bleeds, to put it lightly. The god of NESTS bleeds.
"Good shot, sir." Igniz states to the defeated Rust, his attention finally moving towards the last man that stands.
Himself.
Floating up, Igniz is done here, actually making his way towards the bus without fanfare or recongniztion as K' simply latches onto him with his eyes. He doesn't answer anything, he doesn't even give K' a glance, and if he was met on the street, he probably wouldn't have given K' the time of day. That's just the kind of person Igniz is. And K' is ever happy to finally meet him, isn't he?
K', however, gets the pleasure of watching Igniz get into the bus, the doors close, and Igniz is well on his way away.
Not even a final goodbye is given to K' as the NESTS bus begins to leave, the Pacific Resistance plus Rust and K' pushing away the assault. The day was won, but no questions were answered. Just why was NESTS doing this?
The teacher's body swirls up and to the right with the uppercut, bending muscles too sore to ignore the strain from being so out of shape and aggravating ribs that really don't want to feel like traveling after the strike. The momentum continues until he twists himself right on his back. A man did an uppercut crouching and couldn't help but follow the direction of where he was swinging what he put stock into - it looks awkward and is plenty painful.
The compliment... doesn't completely miss him. How the hell is this just a 'good shot?' Dammit. Well, he's out of 'damns' to give, busted, broken, bruised, bleeding, and... at least the kids are going to be okay, right? Nobody can ever fall unconscious unwillingly with peace of mind, but that's the closest he might get tonight.
This grass slash chunks of sidewalk and road is strangely comfortable.
Igniz leaves.
A spasmodic twitch slams the doors of K''s expression, leaving behind only an echoing blankness. K' stands straight, and shuts his eyes, and lets his fire die out. There is no sign he is affected by Igniz's abrupt retreat, save for the fact he is trembling, very slightly.
Then, K' whirls and puts his right fist -through- the nearest wall, heedless of the fact it's concrete, heedless of the fact the shock of the blow instantly shreds his hand in the glove. Disturbed circuitry jolts him in protest and blood splashes stickily in the confines of that red metal; but all K' really does is lean his head and his other hand against the wall, sob out a stuttering breath, and force forwards even harder, crushing his hand into the depths of the concrete until the let blood is virtually forced straight back into his veins. All that built-up fire that isn't even his discharges lazily from his strained arm, heating the stone as it disperses with an almost mocking placidity.
That one spasm of a movement completed, he doesn't move again for some time. His next motion is equally abrupt, more a twitch than a real movement. A savage wrench tears his hand free from where it's been sunk, along with a part of the wall, K' scattering fragments and shards in a fit of horrible temper. Twisting around and dropping to sit with his back against the wall, he puts his head in his bloodied hands and just... tries to calm down a while. All that accumulated anger, frustration, desire, and shame-- all those questions he stupidly didn't think to ask, which he must now settle for not knowing the answers to-- are hard to get rid of, but the blend of conflicting emotion is like to poison him with its intensity if he doesn't deal with it somehow.
Doubtless, authorities will arrive soon... and should any start to take too much interest in him, K' will likely decide to take a quiet leave. But for the time being, he stays where he is. He doesn't have the presence of mind or the emotional sanity to do anything so sane as try to rouse the others out of unconsciousness, or at least ease them out of the tortured ways in which they've fallen. That he watches over them a bit to ensure none of them die is already almost -more- of a concession than one can hope for, from him.
COMBATSYS: Igniz has left the fight here.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
K' 2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|
Log created on 19:30:11 05/05/2008 by Igniz, and last modified on 11:20:25 05/07/2008.