Description: Poor Alice may one day find peace under Elias' kind, protective wing. However, it's not only the forces of good that such a beacon of power attracts. The worst-case scenario occurs when Vega senses the presence of a powerful Psycho Power user within the orphanage and decides to pay this entity a visit. Elias doesn't take kindly to the intrusion, Alice gets scared, and Vega works out some very pent-up aggression. CLIFFHANGER.
Things are starting to work like clockwork these days in the Sunshine City shelter. With no issues happening in Metro it has allowed Elias to put his full attention to getting this one up and running. It seems that overall that it is a better atmosphere to deal with Alice. Metro was a nice part in most areas, but the location of the shelter can be a very scary place for a girl her age. It is a bit more clean here and alot less dangerous people seem to be roaming the streets now that the town has been cleaned up and there are people like the priest in town to keep people in line.
Most of the people in the shelter have gone to bed and the night is pretty silent. Elias himself is settled in a chair with a glass of wine next to him and a bible in hand as he read through it. He knows it like the back of his hand, but it is just something he often feels like reading to pass the time on nights like this. A few of the homeless people are gathered around the television watching the news and talking about the events that are being broadcast. There is the scent of tea being made for anyone who wishes to partake and most of the residents have gone upstairs to rest for the night.
Having gone to bed early due to feeling unwell, Alice had been sleeping fitfully all night long anxiety growing in her by the minute as her heart raced and she sweat nearly pure terror into her sheets as nightmarish images danced in her mind's eye. She'd tried to take a shower and calm herself that way but the water no matter how warm she'd made it felt chill as the dread grew inside her, the voice was unusually silent but she could feel it clawing at the back of her mind like a rat burrowing through her brain. Her mind was reeling in the sensation and it had nearly reached her breaking point.
The young girl quickly dried herself and got dressed, she needed Elias he could make her feel fine again she'd be safe with him. Practically racing down the stairs looking for him, she quickly but shakily walks into the main room before she spots him. Walking past the people around the television as though the didn't exist at all, a shivering Alice stands before Elias quietly for a moment before she pipes up, "...I....I am frightened Father." While her tone and facial features don't show it the look in her eyes is alive with looming dread though it seems she's not even aware of way, which only makes it worse.
~ Ladybug, Ladybug, fly away home ~
One of the hobos huddles around the television takes on a frown and a furrows his brows, wondering at the strange thing he'd just heard. He listens acutely, but damned if he can figure out what it said. Like the whispered ramblings of an introverted lunatic, the segment of rhyme had come and gone. It's not for another thirty seconds or so later that the second part returns to the vagrant's consciousness, louder and more clear:
~ Your house is on fire, your children are gone ~
"Cut it out, Jenkins!" The poor man ushers out the halitosis-riddled complaint to the innocent man next to him, who just looks utterly confused. "Why, I didn't do nuffin! I'm trying ta sit here and watch the box!" Quite a ruckus starting up out of nowhere, but you know how these drifters are. Random, unstable, volatile. The first goes on about people not whispering in his ear, but after a consensus that nothing at /all/ was heard, the poor man rubs his leathery face and grumbles a bit. Maybe they're right; he's been off of the hooch for a few days now, it's just...yeah, it's probably just withdrawl kicking in. In any case, the small group settles down and goes back to rotting their brains on the tube.
It perhaps is a bit too quiet tonight. Elias finds his attention turned momentarily towards the group as one of the men starts to argue and there is a perplexed look upon all of them in the end. The priest says nothing and just watches, though he does mark his spot and gently sets the bible aside. No, he didn't hear anything either, but at the same time he wasn't paying too much attention to things around him until he heard someone speak up. He does attune himself more to the surroundings as well to see what he may pick up.
He slowly rises to his feet just as Alice makes her presence known and he just gives the young girl a slight nod. The demon itself is present he can tell, but somehow it might not be the cause of this fright. He steps over and he rests a large hand on Alice's shoulder in a reassuring fashion as he turns to look about. "At ease, child. Stay near me." He hopes he is just perhaps letting his paranoia get the better of him. Still it is best to keep someone like Alice near him in case something does go wrong. It is less dangerous for everyone in the long run.
Alice's attention snaps over to the homeless men as she hears the rhyme begin, "N-no..." She takes a step back already feeling her mind start to lose focus it's only Elias' hand suddenly on her shoulder that brings her back to here and now and stops the voice from taking over then and there. Her eyes lock onto Elias and for once her features give way to sheer terror as she presses herself into him in what some might call a hug.
His words garner a mild nod from the panicked child though a part of her demands that she glare murderously towards the homeless men, not that they were the exact source of whatever stirred her...no not her's the voice's ire. It was mad and getting madder while she quaked against the Father, "Father..." Her voice is hushed and gentle, "...something is terribly wrong." Her voice practically a sob as she reaches the last word.
The hobos don't catch much of what's truly happening to them. Alice, however, most certainly would. Gentle caresses on weak minds, searching for any indication of wariness or familiarity. Vega merely senses the mundane in these...but it doesn't mean that he doesn't seek to enjoy himself a bit more.
~ All except one, her name is Nan ~
Okay, now the small group definitely knows something is amiss. Each of them gets a single word, the disembodied voice fading in and out as if a very real presence moving between them, whispering out hushed thoughts. "Hey, I definitely heard that one!" "M-me too!" As they start to bicker and huddle, the picture on the television starts...shifting, as if someone were pressing a magnet to the screen. The news anchor's head distorts and swells, colors spreading out around a large black ring that's visible to all. It narrows out and stretches wide, each end curling in opposite directions until it curls into a spiral that, once more, melts into its previous orb-like shape.
~ Her head crushed under a frying pan ~
Even Elias is given the chance to join in the insanity as the last phrase comes across clearly, as though the speaker were in the very room. Bits of carpet are pushed down telekinetically, simulating the footsteps of an invisible man moving slowly toward the hobos from between them and the priest/girl combo.
~ Is it you? ~
One by one, each of the vagrants is asked the question, most of them rightfully starting to scream out now. "It's not me! It's not me! Keep away from me!!" Though they may strike out, there's nothing to hit, nothing to moor their sanity to the stability of reality. All the while, Alice alone gets to hear every, single, solitary word, to enjoy the sadistic pleasure of a man tormenting the infirm sinply for the sake of it.
It only takes a short moment for the voice to be heard by Elias. He may not be as in tune to things as Alice, but his dealings with her has made him able to sense things more than an average person would. And while the hobos tremble and look confused the priest remains expressionless as he shifts his stance to where he is standing more in front of Alice. "You are right. There is something very wrong." H wishes he could assure her, but this is nothing that he could say that would make her feel better.
Those eyes narrow slightly behind his glasses which causes his brow to furrow. It is about the most his expression ever really shifts to tell when he is not in a good mood. The feeling is overwhelming in the shelter right now to the point he is worried that Alice may break at any moment and the demon would take control. It almost feels as if something so similar to it is manifesting. Could this be a demon that is in no need of a host? It isn't easy to rile Elias up, but the adrenaline seems to be flowing as he seems to be preparing himself for whatever might show. "It is none of them. If you are here for business speak to me and me only." he finally says. His tone remains firm and even despite the fact he is growing somewhat nervous of the situation.
"We must run Father right now! Please let's run!!" Alice is weeping like the child she is as Elias tells her that she is correct, panic overwhelms her and she must flee /now/ or else she can't stop it the voice hisses loudly in her ear, 'It's here...I'll protect you...let me protect you dear girl!' The voice a hideous mix of nearly unbridled rage and actual urgent pleading. She shivers uncontrollably next to Elias, "Please..." She moans out in complete horrified terror.
The final lines of the rhyme and the freakish show put on pushes Alice right to the edge of her limits to hold on to her sanity as her eyes widen in shock, Elias' words barely registering to her as she whispers, "It...must...be....me...." As she makes the relization she nods her head once and the girl is gone replaced by the voice inside her, spheres of purplish psycho energy surround her hands as her eyes go completely blank, and her voice distorts, "The time has come to speak of many things!" It singsongs, "Of shoes...and ships....and sealing-wax...." Her laughter echoes with malicious intent, "Of cabbages and Kings!~" She whirls, "I know you're there~!" Her voice wicked and hate filled as it is now ready to face Vega.
And who is Elias to get in the way of greater beings? Alice's crescendo of insanity does nothing but turn all of Vega's attention on her. From his place of hiding outside of the building, a toothy smile spreads slowly across an overshadowed face. Vega knew that he'd felt something incredible in the area, had spent no small amount of time hunting around and following the glut of malevolent energy as though some sort of beacon. But to feel the panic in the little girl, the sheer terror she undergoes, ah! It's even more delightful than the meager slipping from sanity of the poor hobos, who are by now no doubt huddled up on the ground and shuddering--perhaps even begging the priest to save them. They are, after all, such a spiritual sort.
And then comes the distinct touch of another shade of girl. The ugly things, all present on the surface and seething. Be it her own deeply-hidden thoughts of indeed some sort of parasite, the personality's presence alone brings on a chuckle, dark and horrible that filters even through covered ears.
~ Such fear in so young a child ~
Now, this is a sight that Vega just has to see with his own eyes. 'Feeling' the situation is one thing, but to be present, to drink in the anger and terror in person, well...there is really nothing finer. From nowhere, the bundled group of frighten men gain a visitor. Standing just before the pile, the Psycho Master himself melts into existence in a flashy display of dark violet. The air of palpable malevolence intensifies immediately, blanketing the room instantly. He stands with his arms folded and his cloak wrapped fully around him, little bit a wall of ghostly charcoal and the pale purple shimmer of dull, pupil-less eyes. "Ah, so this is the one..." Alice is far smaller than he would have guessed. Younger, too. Elias is apparently ignored completely, as though not even important enough to bother with.
He had expected it to happen. What is going on in the shelter at the moment was far too much for the fragile mind of Alice. She was doing her best, but the demon seems to win out as he hears that voice speak up. It has been one he hasn't heard in some time as well. The priest doesn't seem to even spare a glance towards Alice despite knowing this. As evil as that creature is it won't mess with him in a situation like this. Not when it seems to be the greedy sort and something might be trying to take the girl he currently resides in. "Don't let the girl get harmed." he tells it as his gaze never leaves where Vega is forming. For now they will have to be allies.
That form takes an appearance of a man, but there is no way it could truely be human anymore. He can sense only pure evil coming from Vega as if it was a man who lost his soul and the body just a shell for something more powerful than Alice to control. It is an overwhelming power that the priest is having to use everything he has to stand straight and and keep that stern expression of his. If he is to get rid of something like this he will have to draw upon all the power his faith has bestowed upon him. Even now he murmurs something in Latin under his breath as he musters everything he can.
Even ignored he remains between both Alice and Vega as his muscles tense and fists clench. Even if this is just a shelter this is a home for the priest and he will not just leave someone like Vega to wander around and spread fear. "Very well...." he says and he holds out a hand even as it erupts in holy flame. He brings his fist back and then throws it forward as the flame flies off of his hand and transforms into a large ring aimed right to at Vega. He did not want a fight to break out in here, but there doesn't seem to be any other choice.
COMBATSYS: Alice has started a fight here.
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Alice 0/-------/------=|
COMBATSYS: Elias has joined the fight here.
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Elias 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Alice
COMBATSYS: Vega has joined the fight here as a boss!
VEGA
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Elias 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Alice
The entity knows that something more powerful than it is here, thus Alice's head whips this way and that trying to pinpoint exactly the other evil was located, Alice's body hunches over slightly as though it were some sort of fleshy marionette, the wicked sadistic look pasted to her face and her blank souless eyes...which narrow as Vega begins to coalesce in the room. Licking her lips as though she'd been starved and a plate of meat had been placed in front of her Alice's lips curl cruelly.
The priest is speaking to it and for a moment Alice's head cants to the side as she hisses, "My dolly is mine, only I may harm it!" While Alice feels terror and almost depthless fear from what lays before her, it feels only hate and desire to drive this other presence away from its dolly, she was its toy and no one elses. "I need not your whiffling and burbling here knave!!! Leave now while you still have your head!" It actually threatens Vega without the slightest bit of fear, it actually manages to sound somewhat hostile towards him in fact.
As Elias attacks, Alice's eyes widen in surprise then it laughs maniacally as it charges forward, "Callooh, callay!! Oh frabjous day!! I did not believe I would see the day you hurt someone first /Priest/!" It roars from behind him in obviously contemptous approval before it shrugs at Vega, "'Tis time to fight fool! Oh with his head!!!" It cackles insanely as Alice's body launched upwards trailing a stream of psycho energy before she archs back towards Vega her heels coated in purplish psycho energy as she falls toward him.
COMBATSYS: Vega blocks Elias' Holy Flare.
VEGA
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Elias 0/-------/-----==|===----\-------\0 Alice
COMBATSYS: Vega reflects Heads Off from Alice with Psycho Vanish.
*KNOCKED AWAY*
VEGA
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Elias 0/-------/-----==|=======\=------\1 Alice
Oh...so /now/ the priest manages to make himself known. His irritable prattling is rewarded with an outright scowl, his chin wrinkling with the depth of his ire. "Ah, the protector. How cliché." A priest, harboring what appears to be a girl infested with some sort of otherworldly parasite. It's like something out of a movie! In such entertainment, doesn't the holy man generally become an aggressor, despite the priesthood's general vows against harming another of God's creatures? Briefly, Vega wonders how far this familiar scene will play out...and Elias does not disappoint. However, it's not knives or whip that comes his way, but the all too familiar heat of roiling chi, filling the air with the scent of smoke and the heat of living flame.
It does not live long, quickly caught within one of the invader's hands and snuffed out in his palm, searing little but the skin of his hand. "Pathetic." His expression doesn't change one bit as Alice comes careening toward--and through--his body. And yet, there's no resistance, no satisfying jarring of flesh. Vega's form plumes backward and dissipates as though nothing but violet smoke, whirling about in the little girl's wake. A moment later, she can hear his voice, so very close as he's standing directly behind her post-teleport. "But this..." He reaches out and snaps her up by the nape of her neck, thoroughly enjoying the inhuman movement of muscle. He observes her for but a short moment before his frown gives way to a massive grin, heralding a gout of purple flame that travels from his elbow and up his arm, coating his hand and, from there, her own head. As potent as the 'demon' is, the sheer depth of his corrosive, mind-wrenching blackness is something altogether different. The torment ends when he simply tosses her across the room, furniture be damned!
"I think...I'll keep her," he says ominously, turning his gaze back toward the 'protector'.
As cliche as it may be it seems to be the case. Only rarely does the girl fight along with the 'protector'. Then again more often than not the girl isn't being possessed by some evil force that doesn't want another evil force trying to take over his gig. He had hoped for the flames to do a bit more damage, but Vega seems to be every bit as powerful as the priest had gauged. He isn't sure if he alone can topple the man, but he won't let himself falter. Not with the chance of Alice being taken away. She doesn't need to be further damage. Not after all the work he has done to try and make her somewhat normal again.
He says nothing, but when Vega starts to sling Alice around like so it causes the priest to move forward to quickly close the distance between himself and Vega. He isn't even bothering to speak to Vega at this point. He is concentrating too much on maintaining a high output of energy to give himself just a bit of a chance against this monster. There is even a bit of sweat forming on the man's brow at such an early stage in a fight. He brings a mighty fist upwards and then actually does an overhead shot aimed to slam his fist right on the top of Vega's hat at full force.
Alice has front row seats to the fact that not only is she attacking the freakish monster, but that she misses too! The fear is overwhelming and the entity titters slightly despite the situation it is in as Vega engulfs her head in psycho flame, "ARHHHHGHHH!!!!" It howls in her distorted voice before licking the palm of his hand before being flung across the room, slamming flat into the wall, and sliding down to wreck a coffee table!
The pain is exquisite as it forces Alice's battered body from the wreckage, "HAHAHAHA!!! Tis not done, the fun has just begun!" It points imperiously at Vega before looking to Elias, "Your best tis lacking /Priest/ perhaps a bit of aid for thine fat head." At which point little strands of psycho energy are flung from Alice's hand to use its own psycho energy to speed his body and reactions...can a psycho user and chi user truly combine forces?!
COMBATSYS: Alice assists Elias.
VEGA
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Elias 0/-------/-----==|=======\===----\1 Alice
COMBATSYS: Vega dodges Elias' Punch Down EX.
VEGA
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Elias 0/-------/----===|=======\===----\1 Alice
In short? No. Apparently, even that meager attempt was nowhere near enough to stop this dastardly devil.
In one moment, Vega is standing there, grinning madly at the man rushing toward him. The next he's a simply blur of charcoal and crimson as he just floats far enough to one side to avoid having his hat crushed. All the while, he laughs. Damn him, he laughs! If those hobos haven't left yet, they'll want to now. He stands cool and composed over them--hovering even--with the look of the Devil himself at playtime. "As fun as it is to hear your charge belittle you," he says, pulling an arm out from his cloak once more, "She is no longer your problem." His hand is again coated in purple flames, a veritable font of dark energies. It doesn't even take holy insight to know the danger inherent in the display that, for Vega, seems no stranger than simply drawing breath.
"Die."
The hand comes down, leaving behind it a wake of psycho power, pluming out in all directions. Any hobos still nearby are doomed to suffer their minds torn and psyches wrecked under the assault of torturous agony. Their screams, of course, only fuel the dark Lord's delight...unless Elias is indeed the protector that he yearns to be.
COMBATSYS: Vega successfully hits Elias with Psycho Wave.
VEGA
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Elias 1/----===/=======|=======\===----\1 Alice
Is this what the creature that haunts Alice might evolve into? He is starting to wonder just how long this manifestation has gathered power and if so just how powerful is it? It seems Elias is going to find out the latter part since he is left facing a swath of energy being delivered right to him. It seems he doesn't have any intent on dieing though as he actually steps forward in an attempt to take the blast full force. There is an exhale of breath as the energy hits him harder than he ever expected it to. He shoves Elias back and he manages to stagger several steps before regaining his balance.
His body is screaming at him for what he did, but he isn't letting himself slow down. There is too much in stake and it just might take his death to keep him down in a case like this. He lets his hands run along the front of his vestments to readjust them slightly before he takes a deep breath. That stern gaze remains on Vega. He hsa to wonder if there is even some weakness. Maybe he can try his special developed technique in this case. All he has to do is try to get a grip of Vega. Something that will be much harder than he can even fathom. Even so Elias stalks forward and breaks into a run, both hands reaching to grasp for the other man.
"/Priest/! You truly are a assheaded fool." The twisted entity inside Alice berates the man for not only not dodging that but walking right into it....such a ridiculous fool. It had to admit this presence before it was powerful but instead of fear this merely makes it laugh and giggle sadistically, "Come Alice let us rejoin the fray." It hisses to itself insanely.
Rushing forward to challenge Vega again it swings Alice's fists viciously this way and that trying to land a blow on Vega or so it seems, She leaps backwards after the wild thrashing, eyes a gleam with hideous thoughts of murder and violence pointed directly at Vega, "Twinkle!!" Her twisted voice calls before she laughs like a lunatic.
COMBATSYS: Elias successfully hits Vega with Super Maximum Delirium.
VEGA
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Elias 0/-------/------=|=======\====---\1 Alice
COMBATSYS: Alice successfully hits Vega with Twinkle.
VEGA
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Elias 0/-------/------=|=======\=====--\1 Alice
And perhaps that distraction from Alice is just what Elias needs. That or Vega truely doesn't think the priest can cause him any harm. Either way Elias finds his hands gripping the head of Shadaloo as they ignite in flame again. It feels hot, but there is no burn. It is something that seems to actually attempting to drain away some of Vega's power. It is something that can often calm the demon in Alice, but when trying it with Vega....well it is a rather bad idea. There is a grunt and he has to toss Vega, or at least try to, away earlier than intended. The energy coming off the other man isn't something he can handle well at all.
And all of a sudden, Vega's image of invulnerability crumbles from the two-pronged attack.
Elias' sheer effort is not something to be taken lightly. Even as he bathes the man in terrible power, he can feel the feedback. Its resonance is not that of a dying man...he has more willpower than the Shadaloo dictator had expected. His reach is still overextended, his shoulder presented to the man and his head dipped, giving a perfect chance to grip tightly! The /look/ on the man's face is suddenly one of surprise, then unbridled rage! His eyes screw shut and purple sparks fly freely from the outer edges, his mouth agape with wet strings of spit joining upper and lower pearly whites. He yells out his sudden fury freely, suffering the humiliation of being held and the weak little thumpings of a demonic girl at play.
"ENOUGH!"
If Elias had a hard time of it before, now Vega is not holding back his emotions. The popping of veins, the excess of horrific malice bleeding from him like blood from a freshly-slit throat...he's /pissed/. Lifting his arms, he thrashes for space, glaring at the priest before him...but no. No, the girl is near. He can sense her--FEEL her. With gritted teeth and spread lips, he snarls...and then snaps his arm back behind him, the whole thing again coated in his visible, violet hatred. Alice can only hope for a backhand; those pauldrons are of the hardest steel, and she's such a frail little thing.
It is a twisted thought that does pass through the priest's mind. If not for Alice in her current state he might not be able to take Vega down or even do anything against the man. The demon is a good distraction, but at the same time it really risks getting Alice hurt since no real harm could come to it. Still, it won't give her up so easily and that means it won't betray Elias this fight. Of course after the fight might be a different matter. That is of course if they manage to chase off this monster that invades the shelter.
His position leaves him little chance to get to Alice and block that backhand that is aimed her way. He just lets out a light tch in annoyance and instead does his best to get Vega's attention away from the girl and to the priest instead. He clenches a fist again and he goes to throw it upwards into an uppercut motion despite the distance between he and Vega. Of course that doesn't stop the flames gathering under Vega from forming and firing upwards to ungulf the man again.
COMBATSYS: Alice fails to reflect Strong Punch from Vega with Red Rose of Destruction.
*KNOCKED AWAY*
VEGA
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Elias 0/-------/------=|====---\-------\0 Alice
Laughing hysterically as Vega not only doesn't manage to evade its attack but gets hit hard by Elias' attack, "Usless curr!" Her twisted voice caws at the lord of Psycho energy as they double team him and knock him around a little. It has no intention of betraying Elias at the moment, it was insane but not foolish it needed him as surely as it needed Alice to keep fighting this monster that wanted its prize! Cruel Souless eyes glare back at Vega as she swings at her...
The punch is slow and it is ready for the hit her hands raised by its will and a field of pure psycho energy springs into existence between her hands, it locks its feet and prepares to brace for the impact ready to turn the energy fully back upon Vega. Then the hit comes and it's strong...so strong....the entity, "Nay! I deny this!! Tis not so..." The field cracks in front of it and it tries to gather Alice's arms in a cross block to prevent as much damage as it possibly can but it's too late and the fist connects cleanly with her body rocking her with hideous delicious pain...
She goes sailing through the slamming into the wall again from the force of the blow but that is not where it ends the momentum is so great that the wall spider-webs, cracks completely, and gives way as Alice's body now goes through the hole in the wall and slams to the ground with a slightly mushy thud on the other side, "....Curses!!!" Shows that it and Alice survived that one though.
COMBATSYS: Elias successfully hits Vega with Magnus.
VEGA
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Elias 0/-------/----===|======-\-------\0 Alice
Let Alice's frail shell know: Vega is not a man of meager abilities in any fashion. His power overwhelms, both physically and mentally. His vessel, glorious and strong. And yet, for as much might as he displays, Elias goes on to prove its fallability. The would-be diety is still human--no. That's not at all what he is. He's /mortal/. His flesh burns like anyone else's. His cloak is the biggest loss: tiny holes are seared out, the fringed fabric catching fight and burnign away into ash. His clothing is slightly more durable, thankfully.
"YOU!"
Vega breaks out of the gout of flame with wide sweeps of his arms, briefly revealing his twisted, malignant visage. The brilliant light is snuffed out as plumes of dark purple smoke spread out on the ground around him in a wave, but it's a feint. It's not the priest's feet that Vega wants: it's his throat.
Reaching out with a swift jab of his giant arm, he yearns to grip Elias by the neck and lift him upward. Fire be damned; what could it possibly do as the Dark Master feeds in mind-warping psycho power into the do-gooder's formidable body? How could mere flames lessen the torture of nerve endings all overloaded, like thousands upon thousands of imagined claws raking at his senses? Perhaps it may burn out the floor beneath him with he's lifted up, then smashed into it.
COMBATSYS: Vega successfully hits Elias with Power Throw.
VEGA
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Elias 1/----===/=======|======-\-------\0 Alice
Well Elias did want the attention of Vega and it seems like he gets it in spades this time around. Alice hopefully will stay down and maybe even find someplace to hide if she manages to gain control over the demon again. Though it seems Vega does well at sensing things so hiding might not be an option. Even if they manage to somehow make it through this he has to wonder how he will manage to keep an eye on Alice if a monster like this is lurking around to take her away at a moment's notice.
He stands where he is even as Vega lunges and he seems to welcome the man to try and do his worst. Even more maddening for Vega might be through the ordel despite there being the gurgle of the priest choking when gripped like that the face remains unchanged. Vega can feel fear in the man, but Elias certainly won't show it. He has to fight off blacking out upon impact on the hard ground. There is another audible release of breath and the priest lays flat on the ground staring upwards. "I was hoping you would come close...." is all he says despite being short on breath. Given the proximity of where they are at the priest feels confident in only catching Vega in the large explosion of fire that suddenly erupts from the priest's hands when he raises them and holds them open palmed towards his opponent. There will need to be work done on the shelter after this, but it is only a small sacrafice that is made to save the innocents in here. A greater one might still need to be made.
Alice's body is in some serious pain but it doesn't really have to deal with that shunting all the excess over to Alice herself to deal with, it forces her body up and into a sitting position, then it stands up, shaking Alice's head it grits her teeth, spits out some blood and feels Alice's ribs and looks down at one arm, one..two...three ribs broken and a sprained wrist. Hiding behind the wall it tries to regain some focus before it goes back out to challenge Vega again! Its hate seeths though the entire time.
COMBATSYS: Alice gains composure.
VEGA
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[ \\\\\\\\ < > /////////// ]
Elias 0/-------/---====|======-\-------\0 Alice
COMBATSYS: Vega just-defends Elias' Maximum Holy Flare!
VEGA
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[ \\\\\\\\ < > /////////// ]
Elias 0/-------/---====|======-\-------\0 Alice
He can taste it, you know. The hate. The fear. All these emotions, Vega can sense. He can feed off of it. Alice's inner demon is no small amount of these negative feelings, and it simply exhilirates him. As the Psycho Master continues to crush Elias into the floor, that look of pure rage is tainted with markings of a grin. Such pleasure he takes in this, in crushing somebody! It's been too long since he's been able to get his hands dirty himself, and by god, is it something that he's good at. Muscles clenched beneath fingers, a grip seeking to crush his windpipe and snap his neck...it would take him no time at all to finish the man off, of this, Vega is certain. But he is not yet defeated. There is still some spirit vainly trying to stand up to a god.
The mass of flame is potent, for certain. It flares up and surrounds the aggressor's upper body completely, setting shadows dancing about the room. It seems the very answer to his hell-spawned might, these holy flames! But...then, why is the grip not loosening? Why is Vega not roaring in pain and rage and backing away? The first clue comes with a wisp of violet between the licking flames. And then, another. Little by little, the chi is simply subsumed into the full-body coating of psycho energy massing around the thicker fighter's crimson-adorned frame. It takes on the likeness of the flames, darkening their color as his own power simply overwhelms it. For all the priest's efforts, it seems that this time, it was wasted.
"I'll finish you..." he says, his voice low and dark, rumbling with rich bass. "And take your little girl. Use her for my ends. It is a waste to have you sealing up such potential!" Potential for him, of course. Oh, the tests to be run! The experiments! The tortures! He will take that loud-mouthed demon and make a proper tool of it, of this he is certain...but only if he can get past Elias. If he can crush him, bury him... Will the last thing that the priest ever see be the wave of that thrice-damned dark flame consuming him, tearing at his senses and sanity? Will Alice ever find comfort in Elias' care again, or is she doomed to see him break here and now?
COMBATSYS: Vega successfully hits Elias with Psycho Wave.
VEGA
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1|------------===|===============
[ < > /////////// ]
Elias 1/--=====/=======|======-\-------\0 Alice
The previous time it may have worked, but the flames just seem to be overtaken by the pure amount of evil energy that is being released by Vega. It is overwhelming and Elias isn't sure how much more pain his body can endure. He has to hold out for just a bit longer. What little energy that seems to be left in the man is filtering into the flames that he is using to strike at Vega. He will make the man burn if he can help it. He will purge this evil from his shelter. He will not falter again. Not like in the past.
There is a grunt and that brow furrows again as the flames grow in strength to where the burn even seems to be singing his own clothes unlike it was before. His control of his own energy seeming to have gone a bit wild given how weak he is feeling at the moment. One more large burst of flame is released to go right off in front of Vega again. That is when the priest goes limp and he seems to be only barely breathing. There is nothing left for him to give at this point.
COMBATSYS: Elias can no longer fight.
VEGA
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[ \\\\\\\\\\\ <
Alice 0/-------/-======|
The entity directs Alice's body to flip back around the wall, just in time to see Elias' last stand, "Fool of useless accursed /Priest/." Her voice still twisted and spitting out the finally word as it was the most bitter of all. It glares at Vega and narrows Alice's souless eyes, "Be not foolish and count this a victory yet twit!"
Hopefully the priest's attack would do as now it was alone and desperately in need of something to turn the tide of this fight in it's favor, "Be gone worthless slime!" With that Alice's hands reach up and produce another of those shield like objects but this time something rips it's way out a demonic looking arm shaped purely of psycho energy quite literally tries to rip Vega's face off!
COMBATSYS: Vega dodges Elias' Maximum Holy Flare.
VEGA
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[ \\\\\\\\\\ <
Alice 0/-------/-======|
COMBATSYS: Alice successfully hits Vega with Rising Hell.
VEGA
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[ \\\\\\\\\\ <
Alice 0/-------/=======|
It was a valiant effort. Sleep, noble priest. Your work is done, and may the Lord receive you.
Hah, not really. If Vega had his way, the man would be strung up and made to suffer a thousand of Doctor Senoh's awful experiments. Humanity would be stripped away, consciousness bled into a life of insanity as layer after layer of everything good and honest is stripped away. Perhaps he'll get the chance...but first, there is the girl to take care of.
As a final insult to Elias' desires, Vega slips away once again. His body literally melts as the purple afterimage stretches to the side. There, out of harm's way, his corporeal shell can reform, finding its place in the world of physics and mass.
Wait. Did that say /out/ of harm's way?
No sooner does Vega solidify than he suffers a lashing of claws. His head is jerked to the side, while fresh rows of sanguine rivulets marr his skin. Flesh, blood...again, his shortcomings are made clear, that he is fallible. It's a blow against his pride more than anything...and will this /thing/ ever suffer. After the moments of reflection, of realizing that HE has been struck so...he lurches forward, one fist clenched. Fast, sharp, his strike is but a warning: he's now holding back. "You see what I did to your /protector/. What hope could you possibly have of toppling me /now/?" He doesn't pause after the first swing. He steps forward in measured steps, each touch of his boot on the floor ominous. He will not run. He will not back off. He is unstoppable--immortal. But the only thing that truly matters right now is that he is massive, towering over the little girl, with a terrible aura that makes the air heavy, that would make lesser beings fall to the knees under the pressure of his mere presence.
COMBATSYS: Vega successfully hits Alice with Jab Punch.
VEGA
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1|--------=======|===============
[ \\\ <
Alice 1/--=====/=======|
Alice screams inside her mind, she wants nothing more than to run away, curl up into a ball, and be left alone! It, however, doesn't even have a concept of fear aside from a source of sustenance, "Hope is pointless, I /will/ kill you then I shan't need hope or the fool /Priest/!!!" The hideous smile the Alice's face twists into shows that this thing is so far gone and lost to insanity that it still considers this fun somehow. As the pressure builds it hisses with her distorted voice.
It rages as there seems to be nothing to be done it tries to turn both its will and Alice's against this attack but it's too quick and overwhelming as the other presence in her mind starts to fade into unconsciousness Alice's mind comes to the fore and she wails at the agony her body is put under, "ARRHHHHHHHHHHHHHHGLPHU!!!!" She spouts a small fountain of blood as one of her broken ribs impales her internally, tears stream down her face as somehow she stays conscious long enough to walk to Vega her hands outstretch, "P-pleas...beg....leav...me....one." She can barely burble out as she speaks.
Then instantly her face shifts again as the Entity had used Alice as a shield to the pain to get close to Vega, her hands crackle with Psycho Energy as a powerful field is errected if it is quick enough and it manages to land the hit, Vega will find himself in a world of pain as she turns his own energies against him enhanced with her own in a powerful blast of psycho energy.
COMBATSYS: Alice can no longer fight.
VEGA
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1|--------=======|===============
COMBATSYS: Vega interrupts Red Rose of Destruction from Alice with Psycho Wave.
VEGA
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1|-----==========|===============
"Beg! Plead! Grovel!" Vega simply bears down on the poor girl, his very features coated in a black masking of shadow as though all the light in the room is afraid of getting too intimate with him. All that can be seen are the whites of his eyes, the pearl of his teeth, and the purple tint that encompasses all from that pit of pitch blackness. 'It' has been amusing...but Vega is a busy man, and the time for distractions is over.
In the end, the girl-thing's attempt to change her fate is admirable. Rarely has the man ever experienced with potent power washing over him...and never from one so young. Her past must be filled with all kinds of delectable torment! He can hardly wait to hook her up to his machines and start delving through that young psyche... Oddly, perhaps because of her vast depths of power and the likeness to himself that he may feel because of it, the girl's lapse into unconsciousness is quick. Merciful. Even as the man weathers the psychic assault, his strength of will is just too great to be broken completely. His insanity anchors him, leaving him grinning with all the mirth of an unhinged madman. He spreads his arms and, suddenly, reverses the flow. His formidable reserves of energy are tapped and opened wide, power overwhelming that mingles and overturns the assault. The pain, the clawing at his mind, the torment...he feeds on every last shred of agony. So great is the display that bulbs start popping in their sockets, blanketing the room in darkness that the pale violet wisps that dance about fail to illuminate. The last thing that Alice can see, if she's even still awake for it, is the wash of power that overtakes her like a giant wave, tossing her like a shipwrecked sailor in the clutches of a turbulent typhoon.
And then...there is just the serenity of silence, of blackness for all but the Psycho Master himself. As he calms down, his aura lessens and even dissipated completely. His cloak is too far burnt to wipe the blood from his face. He smears it across the back of one hand, standing and staring at what little he can see. The two made an excellent attempt, but Vega is just a force of destruction too powerful to comprehend. Silently, slowly, he steps across broken bits of wall and wraps his hand around Alice's neck one last time...
COMBATSYS: Vega has ended the fight here.
Log created on 19:25:56 01/24/2011 by Vega, and last modified on 21:56:42 02/12/2011.