Description: Rick Strowd, having just cracked open a pack of gang-bangers, lets the doctors check him over for a bum shoulder. What comes, however, is a declaration of his potentially poor health, and the dangers of continuing his boxing lifestyle. But after the doctor advises him to cease punching, a strange disaster breaks out in the long-term care ward... which can only be solved with punching! Will Rick take the doctors advise, and cease his punching, or will he punch away to protect an innocent child?
The St. Maria State Hospital. Los Angeles, California. 10 AM. Dr. Horowitz's examination room.
The hospital is of no account, no variety, no uniqueness. It is simply a well-funded, clean hospital; Five stories tall, fully equipped with all the facilities, white walls outside, white walls within. Through the long passages, past the chattering doctors, the hardworking nurses, the grim patients, we settle not on a recovery bedroom, as many of these scenes are. We settle into the examination room of Dr. Horowitz's, busy with one of his patients.
"I have the results of your physical examination."
The dark-hair, bushy-eyebrowed caucasion man, somewhere in his middle-ages, puts up several of the xrays on the lit-up board, as he holds a folder. Standing by his patient, he looks at the examination bench, before shaking his head. "You are healthy, at least, for someone who shares your hobbies." Dr. Horowitz tries to conceal the distain in his voice. "As I've told you before, Mr. Strowd, I do not approve of your boxing. It is a dangerous sport, dangerous like many martial arts, that cause serious health problems later in life. Bones and teeth may grow back, yes, but that's not the long term concerns I am talking about.
"Take a look at this."
Placing the folder down on a nearby counter, the doctor draws out an extending pointer. "If you notice on the xrays, there is a heighten level of swelling in your cranium." The doctor directs his pointer to the picture, identifying lighter areas in Rick's crossection of his skull. "Your skull has built up a degree of padding, to protect you from concussions, to minimize the damage to your brain. That's not the concern right now. The concern right now is if it continues to build. A man with your kinds of beniegn tumors have an 25% increase in the risk of a stroke within 20 years, Mr. Strowd. And if it grows at the rate that it has so far?"
"75% increase within 20 years."
He moves on to the next X-Ray, showing a skeletal hand. "And here, we look at the skeletal features of your hands. I don't know if you know this, Mr. Strowd. but you see these white dark lines?" The doctor points to the spiderweb of lines. "Those are hairline fractures. -Healed- hairline fractures. But looking at your medical records, and the pattern of recovery, those bones were not set and healed, but did so naturally. Oh, sure, it lets you box sooner. But I have seen boxers be unable to hold their own child in their hands, due to how warped their hands become due to poor healing. You know what my conclcusion and advice is, Mr. Strowd?" He states bluntly, closing the pointer.
"To swear off punching for good."
The examination was supposed to be routine. Or as routine as one can be for Rick since he showed up just to get his shoulder checked out when he came in dragging three men along that were in much worse shape than he was. It looks like a few Crips decided that they didn't like the Native American's stroll through a few specific blocks and the result was three men that might have found a new outlook on life via punching and a shoulder strain for the bare knuckle boxer.
What he didn't like was the fact they had him take several x-rays and made him sit in a room on a cold table for a long time as some quack took his time to look at all of the said x-rays. He is idly using two oversized q-tips as a set of drums to pass the time as he sings along to himself. "Oooooh, hush. Keep it down nowwwww. VOIIIICES CARRY! Woooooah oooooh oo-ah?" he is stops himself in mid song when the doctor finrally shows up and starts to put up all the x-rays.
"I told you I just came here to have my shoulder put back in place. My insurance is going to be pissed when I try to explain all this." he tries to tell the doctor who seems intent on not really listening to him and explaining about several things that he doesn't care about. Fractures? Concussions? Pfft, he knows he has had these before so he doesn't seem too interested in anything that is being said. He is idly twirling a finger in the air up until the final bit is uttered. Swear off punching for good?
Rick stays silent for several long moments and he stares at the doctor as if he is the one that has issues. He then gets up off the table, slips an arm around the doctor's shoulders and his hand squeezes one shoulder TIGHTLY as he leans in. "I'm sorry, I didn't hear that last part." he lies and he gives the doctor a look that might make the man think twice about telling him what was just said a second time. "I am pretty sure I heard 'You're shoulder looks just fine and you can go, Mr. Strowd."
Punchmaster was not amused.
Dr. Horowitz does not back down as Rick steps in to squeeze his shoulder. He was brave enough to bring this up; he would not be intimidated so easily. "Your insurance is the reason why we are doing this examination! It wouldn't be worth their time if you up and make them spend hundreds of thousands to fix a stroke!" The doctor stiffins his upper lip, puffing out his chest to Rick, doing whatever he could to not back down. "And I haven't even gotten on about your shou-"
And suddenly, an alarm begins to ring.
The doctor looks up, a confused look on his face. "Well that's strange." He states. "That's the security alarm. Not to worry, Rick, we have security and orderlies on hand. It must be an escapee from the mental health ward, you sometimes get one of those once in a while." The man reassures, furrowing his brow. A scream suddenly erupts from the hall, followed shortly by a hissing, humming sound. The lights suddenly flicker... and go dark. The dim red light of emergency lights snap on. Now, Dr.Horowitz looks far less secure with what was going on. Turning towards Rick in the faint crimson light, he stares at him accusingly.
"Are you sure those hoodlums you brought in were incapicitated?"
The alarm has probably saved the good doctor from a long arguement with Rick. The boxer is too stubborn to be accepting any advice that would require him not to enjoyt something he does well which is beat on hoodlums and other troublemakers. If he doesn't do it who would take up the mantle? Next the man is going to try and tell him that he needs to stop being so active and cut back on the trips he takes Rust on.
Rick's brow furrows as he releases the doctor when the alarm starts going off. Things really start getting stranger when it looks like the power is taken out for the most part and only the emergency lights remain on. "Some two bit thug isn't going to be able to do something like this." he says when the doctor tries to accuse him of being the cause of whatever is going on.
He highly doubts some mental patient would be able to do such a thing too. "Stay here, doc. I will go see what it is." It also seems he took no interest in being told that he should stop punching things because he is already pulling out the fingerless gloves he usually wears when fighting from the back pocket of his jeans and starts to tug them on. "Go hide under a table or something. This is in the best interest of your health." He doesn't even turn to look at the doctor as he speaks. He is more intent on watching the door and waiting to see if anything busts through.
That doesn't seem to be the case and Rick soon opens the door himself and he looks to slip outside and take a look down the hallway. Trouble is brewing and it seems perhaps the hospital got lucky that they kept him around for so long. Or it could just be a big false alarm and he is going to look silly running down the hallways looking for trouble.
The good Doctor was just about to tell him that.
Rick's sudden escape, however, is just as much a boon to the doctor as it is to Rick. The Doctor is more than happy to let Rick leave to investigate. When it was a matter of Rick's health, he would be opposed to punches. But when it was a matter of the Doctor's health?
Punchmaster gotta punch.
As Rick leaves the examination room, he enters the hallways of the examination floor. As one of the less intensive areas, it was relatively low-traffic. On one end, it lead to the waiting room, while to the other, it lead to other facilities on the floor, the back routes used to bypass the 'common people.' And despite the blackout, it was not quiet at all: several of the nursing staff are on the move, armed with flashlights. A blackout in a hospital was a very serious matter; and a facility like this should have backup generators.
And there is a cough by Rick.
A nurse coming by approaches the Native American. Weilding a flashlight, she fixes it on Rick's body, keeping it away from his eyes. The older, round Hispanic woman places a nuturing hand on Rick's shoulder, smiling. "Please sir! Stay in the room! Everything is fine! This seems to be a localized power outage; something must have broken the wiring, maybe a fuse blew. The other facilities are still online, and we have our technicians working to fix it-" Another scream erupts, the line of flashlights suddenly sweeping away to focus down the hall. Murmuring comes from the others, but the nurse towards Rick states with a slack jaw and a look of worry.
"That came from the long term care ward!"
Is it maybe a city wide thing? Some sort of power outage at a plant or the like that is causing places to be put out of comission? He can't exactly see outside at the moment to see if other places around the hospital have power or not. He does pause when he feels the hand on his shoulder and he glances idly back towards the woman as she speaks to him. "I am just taking a look, no-"
The scream cuts him off and he glances towards where all the flashlights soon point. Long term care ward? That could be so many things. Was that a nurse finding one of the patients finally kicking the bucket through all of this commotion? What if it is something more than that, though? Rick smiles and he reaches to pluck the flashlight from the Latina that was speaking to him and he gives her a wink. "Don't worry, I got this."
Hopefully there isn't anything really to get other than maybe pull a nurse or doctor from some overturned medical equipment they knocked over due to being in the dark. He moves towards the direction of the scream and while one hand holds the flashlight and moves it about, his other hand is curled up in a fist ready to swing in case there is any actual trouble and he runs smack dab into it.
The first sign of trouble was the silence.
As Rick forces his way towards the long-term ward, the traffic thins out more and more. Everyone seems to be focusing on activity away from the long term ward, as Rick actually reaches the area, it's a ghost town. No nurses with flashlights. No ordelies. No doctors. It was a ghost town of oblivion.
But then that smell comes into the air.
A sharp smell of o-zone cuts through the silence; the scent of burning electronics, a blown fuse. A sensation of static was in the air, a briefly cracking snapping through the air. IN the dim red lights, Rick could see some of the faint signs of damage. Scorch marks on the wall. An impact point. Drywall cleanly crumpled, and ground into a power by the base of the wall. Was there a fight here? A medical experiment
And then he sees the body.
An orderly's form is is keeled over face down right by the front desk of the long term care ward. He was not dead; his body slowly rises and falls from a struggling breath. But he was obviously well past injured. The body was covered with winding abrasions, deep red welts that rise across his arms. The back of his uniform was torn open, revealing a fat, swollen welt rising up from the injured spot. Upon closer inspection, however, it becomes obvious that the spot is soaked, the frabic immediately around the injured spot to be moist, and even shiny in the dim red light.
Glass shatters.
Something in one of the long-term care room is broken. A shadow wisks down the hall, a faint shape moving against the dim red lights. The smell of the ozone fades. Another breaking sound. And then, another scream. This time, the scream doesn't cut short. Rick can here, from all the way from the front, a voice now. THe voice of a young girl, a child.
"Let go of me! Help! Someone help me!"
It is starting to feel like some strange horror movie. One of those scenes where everything goes quiet right before the killer shows itself and attacks the person that was brave, or dumb in many cases, and decided to see what was causing all the noise. His flashlight falls onto the injured orderly. "Hey!" he says and he quickly moves to close in and knees down to try and and gingerly move the man about with hopes of not making things worse. "What happened? Some sort of explosion?" he asks though looking at the wounds the man might not be able to offer much help even in the way of words.
He at least tries to move him to a better position, but then the scream comes echoing down the hallway. "Shit..." he murmurs and he slowly gets up. "I'll bring help. Hang in there man." He then dashes away from the orderly and starts to run towards the scream. "I'm on the way!" he doesn't care if something dangerous hears him. If he is lucky he will draw attention to himself and away from the woman asking for help. He leaps over debris and manages to keep from tripping as he moves as fast as he can.
It was like a horror movie, in some ways.
The man does not respond as Rick investigates his still form, still unconscious by whoever, or whatever did this. Passing down the hallway, Rick can see more unconscious forms in the other rooms; an unconscious nurse, another orderly slammed away. Passing another room, he can see a hospital bed over turned, an elderly man collapsed on the ground. But the scream comes from the next room. As Rick rounds the edge, he sees another overturned hospital bed, a food tray licked clean on the ground. But a sniffle is heard, from the far corner of the cramped room.
Sitting huddled in the corner is source of the scream.
A young girl, no older than 6, is balled up between a couch and a table, sobbing. She is bald, and garbed in a hospital gown; likely a chemo patient, with a small trickle of blood from her arm. An IV needle lies on the ground nearby, oozing out fluid. In the darkness, she gasps as Rick enters. "Don't h-h-hurt me. Please... help..." And suddenly she points towards Rick. "Watch out!" The smell of ozone intensifies. And with it a smell of freshly cut hay. The smell of smoke. A smell of mildew. A smell of freshly dug earth
And the sound of cracking bone snaps out behind Rick.
This is no explosion. This is something that got set loose in the hospital. He finds it hard to think of it as someone because the amount of destruction and the several injured and possibly dead bodies he runs past makes whatever he is dealing with less than human in his mind. The world is full of monsters and Rick knows that. He has had the luck for the most part of never running into one. Looks like that luck just ran out.
He rounds the corner and looks about. He sees the little girl and starts towards her as he sets the flashlight down on the ground. "It's okay, kiddo. Uncle Rick is here ta get you somewhere...." he trails off when the girl warns him and he leaps forward into a roll quickly just in case something is taking a swipe at him. It also allows him to properly put himself between whatever is behind him and the child and allow him to face in the direction of whatever creature did this.
Rick's instincts serve him well.
A swipe of a bony hand lashes out, burning with violet energy, right where Rick once stood. The energy does not fade as the claw retracts. From the dim lights, a new light forms. A scrawny profile stands behind where Rick once stood, the figure recoiling. The little girl hides her eyes, scrunching up even tighter in a ball, shuddering. The creature recovers, a faint violet aura casting over it. Now, it was becoming clear by the hips and chest, that this was a vaguely feminine form. But the creature does not introduce itself with a scream, it does not introduce itself with a threat.
Instead, it is a smile.
Garbed in a gauzey hospital gown is an impossibly thin woman. Unfortunately, it is thin in fat, not in profile. The tall woman's skin is tight over her bones, highlighting her skeleton against the shadows of the red light. Her skin is dried, casting light flakes drifting in the dimness. Her taut and bony face is twisted in a smile, her nearly shaven short, and freckles splotch her face. She almost looks only like a internment camp victim, or perhaps suffering of an extreme wasting sickness.
But she was staring into Rick with eyes scarred over with grey.
Her catarct-seared eyes twitch around the room, pupils long since buried by the scarring. The smile doesn't fade, even as her knees knock together, her body trembling. She takes a wary step towards Rick.... as a light begins to form. A hissing is heard, a humming as a trickle of violet light begins to hazily drift between Rick's form and the skeletal woman's own. She takes another cautious step, steepling her bony, withered hands. And then, she speaks with a Scottish brogue, light as a spring morning, soft as a moonbeam, and gentle as the sweetest of kittens.
"~Hello~"
Stop punching things he said. You will be healthier in the long run he said. "Yeah, there are reasons why I don't listen to ya, doc..." he mumbles under his breath and his gaze focuses on the humanoid form that looks to be the culprit for all the destruction and injuries. Hell, who knows how many deaths it may have caused by it's rampage and the loss of power. Then there is that creepy smile. It is almost as if someone decided Slenderman needed boobs and then made it real. He may actually have preferred if the creature didn't have a face like him. It would somehow be less creepy.
He remains silent for the moment, but he does straighten up and he raises his fist as he prepares for any sort of attack that might come at him. He also notices the hospital gown and he has to wonder if the creature stole it from someone to wear or if somehow this thing was actually a patient here. The latter does explain the destruction in this certain area and why it was such a sudden attack he supposes.
"Kiddo, stay behind me. I won't let her hurt you." He does take a step forward and he sizes up the creature before him. It can speak so it must have some intelligence to it. He highly doubts this is something that would really listen to reason. "Don't know who you are, but you picked the wrong hospital to wake up in and harass, lady."
The smile does not break in the face of questions.
Hanging there, a spasm wracks across the woman's form. Her attention directs into the ceiling's corner, in the far side of the room, her coy form shifting back slightly. "~How fascinating~" She states softly, a sharp pop cracking across her form. Her bones seem to be strained within that sickly body, every sudden movement coming with the pops and cracks of arthritic joints. "~Hello~" She repeats, tilting her head to the side with another crack. "~I'm Raoghnailt~"
"~I'm... sick~
Another spasm comes, and her empty eyes snap to Rick. Eyebrows still are loose and wide, that grin never fading. "~I've been asleep for a very long time~" The woman explains with the gentle tone one would use to explain death to a small child. "~There is so much to do; I am frightened and confused; they told me it was a miracle I was alive~"
"~It's a miracle they are alive~"
Raoghnailt twitches again, this time igniting with a flare of violet energy. A will o' wisp of violet chi suddenly erupts from her, floating to the corner of the ceiling where she was staring at, rolling in the corner. "~The child is a source of strength; she is wasting away back into her earthen womb; Her unnatural diease is an offense to the auras~" The woman blinks; the first time since she showed herself to Rick.
"~You are disrupting the auras too~"
The violet orb of energy burns itself out, as Raoghnailt spreads her arms out. The haze intensifies, as streams of energy begin to wick off from the boxer's profile. "~Let me help you purify yourself; this place is cursed; so much disruption in the flow; I awoke for a reason; so much disruption in the ~flow~" Raoghnailt suddenly snaps to the side, lunging towards the dim red auxillary light illuminating the room. Turning her back towards Rick, she runs a hand on the wall, continuing that breathless, soft tone, "~I awoke to fix the auras; I came back for a reason; the child is the source of the disruption; so much chaos; so much disease; you are adding to the disruption; in order to fix the flow~" Raoghnailt twist her body around in a series of cracks and pops, looking over shoulder with that smile.
"~I need to snuff all of you out~"
Her hands clenches, a snapping sound is heard. The red light suddenly goes out, but the room continues to remain illuminated as the smell of ozone fills the room. A crackle of electricity rips from the wall, the energy engulfing Raoghnailt arm. The blue-white energy continues to snap and crackle as she pivots, hurling her form directly for Rick. Both arms spread apart wide, the lightning hisses and bites as she slams them down towards Rick with rather clumsy form. Was it without the energy, it would something a drunk sailor might pull if he was from Engineering. But with that electrical force, there was another layer of power.
And the hazy stream only begins to intensify.
COMBATSYS: Rick has started a fight here.
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Rick 0/-------/------=|
COMBATSYS: Raoghnailt has joined the fight here.
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Rick 0/-------/------=|=------\-------\0 Raoghnailt
COMBATSYS: Rick interrupts Fierce Punch from Raoghnailt with Blazing Sunburst.
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Rick 0/-------/----===|====---\-------\0 Raoghnailt
The tone of the voice is possibly more unsettling than the sight before him. Something like this was actually being kept in the hospital? It looks more like some sort of strange science experiment than a patient that should be held up in a place like this. His hands clench tightly and he remains ready in case she decides to grow hostile and come after him or if she tries to slip past and go after the poor little girl. "Sick...disruption? What the hell are you talking about?"
What she speaks about makes little sense to the Native American. He is pretty sure he doesn't really want to try to make heads or tails of it as well. Right now his priority is to keep the girl safe and to chase this thing off or if he is lucky subdue it and try to figure out what the hell to do afterwards. He can't let her do harm to anyone else.
She quickly leaps into action, her showing of the superhuman power she wields was distracting enough she almost did fully get the jump on Rick. His reflexes remain sharp enough that he takes a step back as she comes flying in at him and looks to try and drive him into the ground. His response is one he uses in most cases when dealing with a rather clumsy attack that comes at him. The southpaw steps back then lunges forward, his left fist extending to slam right into the sternum of the creature that is assaulting him.
He connects solidly enough with the punch, but such a tactic has drawbacks. Those arms club him still and he can feel an almost electric shock running through him when it touches him. He staggers back after delivering the blow and he tries to shake off the feeling that runs through his body. "There won't be any snuffing out as long as I am around. You picked the wrong time to wake up."
Well, she can't say she saw that coming.
There is a pained grunt from the woman as the flashy attack is struck down by good-old fashion punch and stuff. Gasping loudly, she stumbles back, slamming back against the wall. Writhing a bit, she leans into the wall, clawing at it as she fights to move back upright. As she gets steady, she throws back the serene expression with a series of pops. And then, the laughter comes.
"~Gi Gi Gi Gi~"
The electrical current was beginning to die down, the power being spent. The red auxiliary light was burned away, gone as well. But a new light was forming. The stream was growing more clear now, a crackling chain of explosive orange and yellow light. The flashes were illuminating the room in waves, casting harsh shadows against the two fighters. Focusing those scarred eyes unto the Indian, she ceases her laughter as her head tilts loosely to the side.
"~That hurt~"
The words comes somewhat curtly, as she reaches out to the stream of exploding energy, turn towards her right. She gives a little coo of surprise as the explosion sparks, as her smiles loosens, turning into a toothy grimace. The smile returns soon enough as two more of the hazy streams of energy begin to draw out from Rick towards Raoghnailt, each carrying the haunting shadows of the eruptions. And softly, almost distractedly, she sing-songs.
"~Lets rebalance your energy; please~"
She forces a palm into the stream. The energy suddenly violently along the stream, a chain reaction erupting straight to the source of the the chi. But more strangely, exploding familiarly. That wasn't Raoghnailt's energy being poured back into Rick.
It's was Rick's energy.
COMBATSYS: Rick blocks Raoghnailt's Miasmic Feth.
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Rick 0/-------/---====|====---\-------\0 Raoghnailt
Rick at least manages to find out that as creepy and strange the creature before him is, he can still hurt it. The extent of damage done to her is unknown, but he feels a bit more confident now in having to deal with such a thing. Rick is used to street thugs and the occasional big name in SNF. This is foreign territory for him. He's a free spirit and a guy that likes a good spar. He is not really the hero type that he is being thrust into right now. He won't let this thing touch the kid. His wife would tan his hide if she found out he let a kid come to harm.
"Well consider that a lil lovetap. Next time I won't be so nice." It is hard to tell if he is bluffing or not. Even if he was would it work on something like the woman he is dealing with? He's tense and unsure fully what to do. He has dealt with people that are well in control of their energy, but this just comes off so different. Even stranger is how things look familiar up until the explosion. Did she just copy something he could do before he even did it?
His fast footwork and quick thinking are the only thing that saves him. He staggers back a few steps, but can't very well get out of the way given he is the only thing between this monster and the girl. He has to hunker down and cover up as best he can, even as the released blast pushes him back further and boots scrap across the ground. He manages to remain upright, but if he took a more direct hit from something like that he could be in trouble.
He looks momentarily back to the kid before grimacing and glancing back to the strange woman. He needs to get her out of this room and get a bit more space to work. If he has to keep himself in front of the kid things can get tricky fast. "Right.....I'll give ya some rebalancing." he grumbles and he breaks into a quick dash. His fists move quickly as he looks to take two quick strikes. The first more to try and redirect the woman more towards the doorway, then a second being a quick right cross to try and knock her out of the room and into the hallway or perhaps even the room across from the current one.
COMBATSYS: Raoghnailt blocks Rick's Light Punch.
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Rick 0/-------/---====|=====--\-------\0 Raoghnailt
Rick could hear the extent of the damage.
The struggled, pained wheezing, the stumbling stance of her; she is acting like a coma patient who just woke up. After the blast is unleashed, she grips her chest, wheezing harshly again, before she coughs. A sputum laced with blood cakes her lips, the woman quickly wiping it, before letting a pained whimper out. She was mortal, at least, a living thing. The electrical energy streaming over her was gone now.
And in it's place, the orangish-yellow light of Rick's aura.
Despite the explosions, the pure energy was only the shape of Rick's own, broken down into raw elements. As the boxer holds his ground against the blast, Raoghnailt is already beginning to foster the other two streams, the pair already becoming infused with the same aura as the first. Meanwhile, the kid is doing a good job of curling up and hiding away, she isn't even crying anymore; she is just looking up at Rick, looking scared as always. But there was a twinkle in her eyes, a twinkle that someone like Raoghnailt could not see.
A spark of hope.
As Rick comes surging in with the counter-attack, Raoghnailt ceases focusing on the stream, but she does not look towards Rick. Gripping one of the streams tightly, she tears her arms from it, throwing up her own energy infused limbs in defense. "~No no no~" She erupts in frustration as the streams are broken, a chain of will o' wisps burning with the explosive energy breaking free. The balls of energy dance around the room, some hitting the ceiling's corner and hanging there, some dancing around wildly, casting shadows across the room, while some simply standing still. She stumbles back, the first knocking her towards the doorway, the second sending her stumbling back. Her vital chest was protected, but she was in Rick's loop.
But then three more streams reignite.
As much as Rick was controlling the physical side of the fight, Raoghnailt was controlling an unseen side of things. As she stumbles back into the hallways, she murmurs serenely. "~This place is wrong now; follow me; help me; let me lead; I should lead you astray~" Her withered limbs suddenly snap out to grip both of Rick's wrists with sickening pops. Should she get a grip, the Native American could feel... just how weak she was, the frail hands more delicate than his own wife's. Of course, instincts should tell Rick otherwise; the will o' wisps suddenly surge past Rick, collecting in the room where that old man laid motionless. And with it... the streams connected to Rick would shift towards those dancing lights. Forming on the hospital bed, Raoghnailt would attempt to jerk Rick past her, with nary a ounce of physical force. But the chi would do most of the work; the rush of energy would send Rick flying into the energy orbs, with a fierce explosion filling that room.
"~"Help me find my way out~"
COMBATSYS: Raoghnailt successfully hits Rick with Power Throw.
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Rick 0/-------/=======|======-\-------\0 Raoghnailt
A light tch escapes from the lips of Rick as he manages to redirect the woman slightly, but not to his liking. It does at least lead the strange woman away from the child and allows Rick a bit more room to work with. There is still the worry of a stray blast putting hitting the girl which is probably the biggest of his worries right now. There is just too many damn things to keep track of.
Just how damn unsettling the woman is is also throwing him off his game. He almost wishes she was more a silent creature that mainly just hissed or something instead of speaking like she is. He starts to pull away when she grasps for him, but she manages to actually get ahold of the rather speedy boxer and before he knows it he ends up being hefted and flung away only for a blast to go off when he impacts against one of those motes of energy that sends him flying hard into a wall and leaves a crack from the impact.
"Find a way out....." he mumbles as he starts to get back up. His vision is blurred still from the impact his head took and the energy that the woman wields is the only real way he can focus on her fully. "I'll oblige...." A hand reaches up to wipe the blood now leaking from the corner of his mouth then he rushes forward. He brings back his left hand then he launches himself forward and upward, his fist igniting with explosive force as he attempts to laungh the woman right through the ceiling with a powerful uppercut looking to connect along with the blast of energy.
COMBATSYS: Raoghnailt blocks Rick's EX Shooting Star.
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Rick 0/-------/---====|=======\=------\1 Raoghnailt
She was fighting a whole different fight.
The motes explode within the room, winking out in the aftermath. Sore her arms still were; she was not ready to face down a boxer. But the smile remains, as the cracking of her joints come as she pivots around, those scarred eyes locked past Rick, to the very wall. There was no hisses, no monstrous roars; she was not a true abomination, merely a human twisted into one. "~The soft touch of the sun; life of the wind; embrace of rain; there lies balance; serenity~" She calls for longingly.
And then the boxer comes.
She had some distance, but she was out of form. She was out of position. She was not where the energy needed to be. Still staring past Rick, her head turns very slowly, carefully fixing on the Native American. A half a dozen streams were now pouring from Rick, meeting with Raoghnailt's intensifying aura. And the smile intensifies as both arms comes up to meet the punch. The fist ignites with energy.
But the spark dies.
As Rick burns with energy, the same force suddenly begins to wick away. The explosive energy across his body, now freely manifesting, was now being hotly drawn away by Raoghnailt, smothering the flames. A fresh stream comes from the first punch, which strikes the blocking arm with a crack. Raoghnailt takes to the air, smashing against the ceiling. But there was no explosion, not even a whimper as Raoghnailt crashes back to the hospital floor on all fours.
Her own pyre of energy redoubled in strength.
The brunt of Rick's own aura was drawn away by the assault. But the assault was not in vain, as it was clearly seen as the strange girl rises up again. Tears crease down the woman's pale freckled face, the smile tensing up from the pain. She drops her arms loosely, the limbs trembling in pain. "-GRAGH!-" Was the bite, a true snap of pained anguish from the woman as she pushes herself upright. Face still wet with tears, she glares down at Rick as her face twists into a scowl... but that hint of smile was still there. It was obvious now where the smile was coming from.
She couldn't lower her upper lip.
Limbs still dangling limply, she steps back warily. There was a good dozen streams drawing from Rick; fueling her ever-growing aura. She takes in a long, deep breath, falling backwards cautiously. Swinging her arms clumsily, she apes what looks to be an attempt at a graceful sweeping motion towards the boxer, exhaling in a strained gasp. The pyre dies down for a moment....
And then, the explosions come.
A ball of explosions begins to rocket down the hallway towards Rick. A ball of explosions was the only way to describe it; as it passed the red emergency lights, a blast of electricity briefly infuses it; before wicking off just as fast. The ball grows smaller and smaller as it sails toward Rick moderately slowly... but homing in towards him, ever slightly. Should Rick be struck by it, the true nature will come forth as it strikes not into his physical body, but into his aura. The ball will attempt to siphon away his energy, sapping his strength and chi as it manifests his explosions outwardly. A ball of pure void energy, consuming all that it strikes, and excreting it into raw force;
Until the ball burns itself out completely.
COMBATSYS: Rick fails to interrupt Exhalation from Raoghnailt with Hellion.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////// ]
Rick 0/-------/---====|=======\=------\1 Raoghnailt
For how lanky and emaciated the woman is she is able to take a hit better than he expected. He doesn't connect fully with his blow, but the combination of the punch and the blast that comes along with it seems to do well enough to knock the creature away from him and create some distance between himself and the woman.
The problem is she is still moving and isn't looking to flee just yet. He was hoping if anything he could try to get her to leave the hospital. The problem then would be trying to chase her down before she attacks somewhere else. Instead he still seems to fully have the woman's attention and she isn't going away any time soon. He decides not to wait and see what she will do. Instead he starts to charge forward once again and right into the explosions that soon start going off.
"Helli-" His shouting is cut off and the energy gathering in his fists fades as he is caught by one blast and knocked into another. His body is tossed about like a ragdoll once more and he lands hard on his back as bits of smoke are lightly rising off of him. Dammit this is not turning out well at all. That kid is still in trouble. He can't let himself get beat up by some crazy ass monster like this.
At this point, she was almost equal parts energy, equal parts flesh.
If she was unable to wick away the energy, it would be very likely she would be unconscious, and not simply dead armed. While she was tougher than her frail appearance looked, the bar was set pretty low. But the energy infused in her acted as her armor, her shield.
And her strength as well.
The mistake that Rick made was understanding her motives. Of course, who could understand her motives. She was that unique snowflake in her own world. She was chosen and crafted for a higher cause. To purge the elements, to reveal the truth behind the veil. This child offended the elements. But she was recoiling away now, trying to escape, trying to learn how to escape. She hated that child, she hated what was within that child. That hatred did not change. Why did she want to flee now?
Because she was -afraid- of Rick's strength.
As Rick's energy is burned away, Raoghnailt begins to step forward, toward Rick. She was moving fast now. Too fast. The streams connected to Rick were dimmed from this distance. But as the woman approaches, they begin to rekindle. Many streams seem to be flowing into the woman now, from all around the hallway, illuminating it with an ethereal light. The walls of the hallway begin to crack slightly, the remaining emergency lights shattering as streams of electrical energy begins to snap. The very floor tiles begin to shatter, fractures running along their lines. The area around the woman was beginning to rumble with small explosions, the motes drifting off her body.
And she speaks.
"~I will not come for her; I need to find him; I need to feed; I need to eat; I hate hospital food~" She murmurs as the hallway begins to fall apart. Ceiling plates fall down, walls begin to crumble. She soon returns back in front of the room where the little girl was hiding.... and she turns away, facing the room with the old man. A crack of light suddenly cuts into the hallway; a thin line of sunlight from the outside.
And the explosions begin to rack more violently in the hallways.
The area around Rick begins to feel hot; a strong smell of ash fills the air. Explosions begin to ignite near him, around him, as countless streams of chi rise from his body. The boxer may begin to notice that if he stays too close to the woman without breaking that silent channel, the very air around him will begin to explode.
And it would not stop exploding.
COMBATSYS: Rick dodges Raoghnailt's Wasteland.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////// ]
Rick 0/-------/---====|=------\-------\0 Raoghnailt
The boxer starts to rise slowly and he tries to get his footing back. His body is not feeling the greatest and his strained shoulder feels more like it might be dislocated at this point after the second time he was thrown about violently and landed hard on it. He fusses with it and his eyes narrow a bit on the woman as she approaches. "I don't think I like the food you're wanting to feast on." Mostly because he is sure he might be the food in question at this point.
As if things weren't bad enough in dealing with this woman it now seems her energy is growing more unstable and in turn the area he is in is starting to be more and more dangerous. He starts to back away slowly and nearer still she draws. That is when he realizes the closer he is the crazier things are getting. The first explosion he manages to sidestep, but then he has to backpedal and turn about to break into a full run as others follow. He can feel the heat of the energy against his bare skin as he manages to avoid the blasts finally. He needs to think fast on how to deal with this before he ends up food.
"Okay, Rick...give her something to chew on." he mumbles to himself and he turns about. The explosions seem to finally die down and that might just be his moment to strike. Forward he dashes again and the young woman will soon have the boxer upon her once more. There is no punch thrown this time, but instead the Native American decides to just slam his forehead right into the face of the creature he is dealing with. "Hnngraah!"
COMBATSYS: Rick successfully hits Raoghnailt with Headbutt.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////// ]
Rick 0/-------/---====|====---\-------\0 Raoghnailt
Was Rick the food Raoghnailt craved?
Actually she was thinking if Whataburger was still in business.
The explosions do die down, though not without a fight. Raogh's burning aura was finally smothered back, with the hallway in shambles. It was as if a bomb went off, tearing holes through the wall and crumbling it to piles of dust. The structure of this floor was in question now; but Raoghnailt did not seem to mind. She was focused towards the streams of light, stepping over the body of the old man towards freedom. It is a long drop down, they were three floors up. But she seems so focused on it... that she passively lifts an arm up to stop the incoming punch.
"NRK!"
That was not a punch.
She yelps in pain as a splash of blood splatters from her nose. Tripping over the man, she falls to the ground, sliding along it swiftly as she bolts to the wall. Scrunched up, she holds her face, rocking back and forth a bit. "~My nose; You broke my nose~" Wiping the blood from her face, she struggles to rise back up. "~Why would you do that~" Was the question as she raises her arms up. Streams of energy begin to light up around Rick again.
And then, they die down.
"~No~" Was what she says. "~You scare me~" The woman says bluntly, wiping her nose again. "~You win; I'll go now; But you are wrong to protect that thing~" She explains, pointing at the wall, towards the little girl. "~She is an abomination; She must be purged; I had hoped you would understand that~" She edges towards the blown open exit from the hospital. A wind begins to pick up, blowing fiercely into the room. The explosive aura around her, the stolen aura, dies down completely, as the winds roar in. "~Goodbye~" Is what she says as she opens her arms wide.
And throws herself off.
COMBATSYS: Raoghnailt takes no action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////// ]
Rick 0/-------/---====|====---\-------\0 Raoghnailt
It seems the hard head of the Native American proves to be useful this night. Of course the doctor he was speaking to earlier would probably be pulling his hair out if he saw everything that Rick did while combating the strange woman. The worst part is he is banged up enough he probably have a bit of an extended stay at another hospital nearby only to have a doctor there tell him the same things. That is if he survives to be able to go to another one.
It is a strange shift in attitude as well as if the woman is suddenly the helpless one and he is the monster. "What? You go after a lil girl, you destroy a hospital then you are the one scared of ME?" Can this night get any stranger at this point? He just shakes his head. "That girl isn't the one making shit explode and attacking helpless people. That girl isn't the one making thousands of dollars worth of property damage. You are the abomination if I ever saw one."
Even as he starts to unload his frustration through words he keeps himself ready in case this is all a trick and the woman looks to attack him suddenly. Instead she seems to be backing away towards and exit and as she starts to open her arms wide Rick reaches forward. "Oh no yo-"
He isnt' fast enough. The woman throws herself out the exit and Rick sighs as he stands there and shakes his head. That is all this world needs is something like that on the loose. He has alot of questions and he doubts he will be getting answers since he is just a civilian. Why someone like that was just being kept here without any real security is blowing his mind. "Hey, kid?" he calls out loudly as he starts to turn and head back to the room. "You okay? Uncle Rick chased off the bad lady." Or so he hopes.
COMBATSYS: Rick takes no action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////// ]
Rick 0/-------/---====|====---\-------\0 Raoghnailt
The creature is gone.
As Rick returns back into the hospital room, the girl recoils in fear again. The light from the outside helped illuminate the interior. But as she recognizes the Native American, the little cancer patient rises up. Running towards Rick, she opens her arms wide.... and hugs him by his legs. And then she cries. She cries so hard into Rick's leg, choking as she stammers. "Thank you, Uncle Rick! Thank you so much!"
"I want my mommy!"
**************************
The form of Raoghnailt lands with a rustle and a crash into the bushes by the hospital. It was not inconspicuous. It was not stealthy. And it was not a smooth landing. The wind chi she tapped into only could slow the descent slightly, not stop it completely. Body cut up and badly bruised, the bloody-faced Raoghnailt rolls to the side, on the grass by the asphalt. But she was murmuring to herself. Rick had hurt her. Not just in body. But in her heart.
"~I'm not an abomination~"
The mantra runs through her head, around and around. Rising back up with a pop, she trembles suddenly, a spasm running through her. Bitterly, she limps towards the distant light, the distant power. She was blind, yes. But she could see in ways no one else could. "~Who does he think he is; I'm beautiful; I'm strong; I'm blessed; He just can't see; he just can't see the truth; what's real; I know what is right and wrong~" She limps into the nearby, thin pine tree forest. She needed food, and clothing, and... and a sense of what was happening. All while muttering her mantra to herself.
"~Only I know the truth~"
Log created on 20:51:16 05/31/2013 by Raoghnailt, and last modified on 23:46:36 06/02/2013.