[Round 2 - C] Pennywise & Shantotto vs Link & Clownpiece

[Karl Jak]

Face to Face
#28 Pennywise & #23 Shantotto vs #27 Link & #07 Clownpiece

Fires burned in the distance as the facsimile of the End Times consumed itself.  In the distance, the buildings started to crumble into heaps of molten steel and ash as the very personal struggle near the center of the conflagration neared its conclusion.

The ancillary forces had either perished outright or been taken out of the combat.

The Judge and the Butcher had stepped aside and found themselves once again allowing the primes to slaughter and maim one another.  They might look fabulous and have awesome might, but they were still secondaries.  Even worse, they were secondaries designed solely to live out a short, brutal existence in this little zone.  If both were destined to the scrap heap of misbegotten secondaries, it was better to let the primes kill one another than risk a horrible death.

“Chess?”  The judge asked as he pulled up the carcass of a space marine and sat down across from the Butcher, who was large enough that he needed so such frivolities.

“Get ready for the slaughter.”

Removed from the pair of secondaries, the four real contestants were halfway in their graves.  A bloodied Link, his left arm hanging useless at his side, clenched his blade.  Five yards away, a sneering clown monster lumbering toward him.  

Somewhere in the background, Clownpiece found herself confronted once more with Shantotto.  Even after all the spectacle and glamor of the Chainspell, there was still fight in the fiery little tarutaru.  Another spell screamed through the air.  It fell flat like many before, but this time, the hell fairy couldn’t recover as easily as she wanted.  Her feet dragged like rocks on the terrain as she lurched sideways to avoid the pressurized burst of water.

“Rook takes knight,” the Judge muttered as he slid his castle piece forward and knocked the little horse over the makeshift board.

Link stumbled and caught his balance.  He swung the Master Sword and saw it cleave through empty air before it smacked the ground.  The hylian grimaced as he tried to lift it, but it seemed that even the greatest heroes have their limits.

A shadow fell over Link.

Clownpiece shuddered as she saw the headless body of her comrade fall to the ground.  No torch powers would make her forget that image or the one of the grinning, gore-stained visage of Pennywise as he simply stood there and watched her.

“Queen takes bishop.”  The judge muttered, sneering beneath his visor as he moved the pieces.  He had the demon just where he wanted him.

The hell fairy retreated down the alley.  She needed to formulate a plan, but…

“Hiya,” Pennywise shouted from the end of the alley.  The creature, drenched in blood and wearing the tattered remains of Link’s tunic like a scarf, blocked Clownpiece’s escape.

“Fine,” the cornered prime muttered as she extended her torch.  “Let’s end this.”

A voice behind Clownpiece issued the reply as the air around the fairy suddenly started to heat up: “Let’s.”

Clownpiece squeezed her eyes shut as the Flare consumed her.  The star-spangled fairy swallowed her screams until the world released her from its clutches.

Back near the original scene of the fight, Judge Jak moved his queen and flashed a rugged smirk.  “Checkmate.”

[spoiler]

Pennywise (3.2) & Shantotto (3.0) defeat Link (2.8) and Clownpiece (3.15)

#07 Clownpiece DEAD
#27 Link DEAD

Pennywise & Shantotto advance to match H of the Consolation Bracket, where they will face the loser of the Dane/Jack vs Dave/Kenpachi fight.

Link and Clownpiece will respawn in the Nexus in 7 days.[/spoiler]