Day 2 Evening

[The Spirit]

FACE TO FACE
SMITH vs. SASUKE UCHIHA, ORIHIME INOUE, VICTOR WOLFE, COLONEL

Battered and bruised, but nonetheless victorious the crew of motley champions had finally managed to fell the horrifying cyberdemon. Victory was bittersweet as the death of their comrades weighed upon their minds; or at least most of their minds. The ex-agent Smith had no compunctions about the death of his allies, to him they were nothing more than resources waiting to be used. The weight of the gleaming Hero’s sword felt like a worthy trade for the lives of three pawns. Confidence pulsed through every fiber of the program’s being, power surging to his very core. This “graveyard” was nothing more than another conquest, one that he refused to lose.

The group marched in relative silence, nothing beyond the occasional cough or gasp as a wound re-opened itself. Still, there was a near-imperceptible air of hostility among the group. The quartet came to a halt in the center of a forest clearing. Near the edge of the treeline sat a crumbling hovel, no doubt the house of a hermit long dead. Smith turned to look back at his companions who held a reasonable distance away from the ex-agent. Something was wrong, Victor was missing and the other three seemed anxious. A feeling not unlike that of fear sparked through Smith’s mind, every self-preservation protocol flared to life. He gripped the Hero’s sword tightly and scanned the treeline for threats.

“Something wrong?” the ninja asked, with a barely-hidden twinge of arrogance in his voice.

Before the agent could answer a flash of wicked red energy lashed out from the treeline. Victor struck mercilessly and efficiently, the Blades of Chaos infused with his own energy. One of the hefty blade chewed into Smith’s right calf, sending destructive energy through the limp. The ex-agent responded in kind, leveling the Good Samaritan at his attacker. Three slugs erupted from the chamber, slamming into Victor’s chest with uncanny precision. He gasped as the force of impact knocked the wind from his lungs and forced him deeper into the forest. Smith glared at the other three, who stood ready to slay him.

“You humans are indeed... ambitious ” he spoke with a hint of anger in his voice, “but you lack sagaciousness, you honestly think you can kill me in your pathetic states?”

“Look at yourself,” Colonel responded.

Smith scowled and raised his hand-cannon at the trio. The three dove for the ground, barely avoiding a fusillade of lead. Sasuke was the first to recover, returning fire with the bladed hat of an unknown monk. The program raised his sword to block the incoming projectile, deflecting it into a nearby tree with a satisfying shinck . Another chunk of lead found Sasuke’s shoulder, biting into the soft flesh and spilling blood against the dirt floor. The final bullet in Smith’s weapon was aimed towards Sasuke’s skull, the ex-agent’s unnerving accuracy would no doubt slay the boy.

Shearing light crashed across the battlefield as Colonel let loose a devastating strike. Evasion subroutines and defensive protocols ran through Smith’s head as the Z-shaped slash careened towards him. Surrendering his chance to slay Sasuke, Smith focused on surviving himself. Time seemed to slow down as the ex-agent sidestepped the incoming attack. His eyes scanned his surroundings, taking into account every variable and possible avenue of attack. In the excitement he had forgotten the girl, she had moved nearly out of sight and was readying an attack of her own. In Orihime’s hand a sword made of pure energy flared to life and threatened to make short work of Smith. As time began to lurch back to normal speed Smith turned his attention to Colonel. The cybernetic man was easily the most damaged and it was simply smart to finish him off before the others.

Smith fired his final shot at Orihime, before discarding the spent weapon. The bullet grazed the girl’s cheek, slicing a line of red across her flesh. The sudden pain forced her to yelp in surprise and belay her charge. Running as fast as he could, the program sprinted towards Colonel with murderous intent. Smith’s golden sword was skewered through the metal construct, no doubt tearing through several important systems. Colonel gasped in pain as his chest was pierced through and his internal computer’s began to fail.

“Why?” Smith queried, “why are you helping these pathetic viruses?”

“We were,” Colonel struggled to speak, “nothing more than... tools to you, you would have tossed me to the... dogs at the first sign of danger. At least... At least this way I can take you with me.”

Smith’s eyes widened as he tried to free his sword from it’s newfound sheath. Colonel’s whip-like sword coiled around Smith and the Hero’s sword, pulling him close and binding him to his own blade.

Panic.

A feeling, not unlike panic, entered Smith’s calculating mind. Thousands of variables were processed in a moment’s notice, every detail consumed to create an exit strategy. The coiled blades chewed into his flesh and held him tight against Colonel’s dying body. Even his hands were bound to the very object of his recent conquest.

“Now Orihime! While he’s vulnerable!” the shinobi shouted.

Not missing a beat the red-haired girl dashed forward, skewering the AI with her own energy-blade. He shuddered as the blade tore through his back and pinned him tighter against the almost-dead prime. Smith struggled with all of his might, but his strength was fading. One last thrash against death, one last push against inevitability. The golden edge of the Hero’s sword caught a chink in Colonel’s armor and with the sound of a can opener it sheared through the metal. The cybernetic man was finally dead and Smith’s bindings finally loosened. Smith elbowed backwards, catching Orihime’s collarbone and knocking her back. Still impaled within the program, the energy sword crackled and hissed as synthetic blood was seared away.

“I will not die here,” Smith growled, raising his sword high. The golden edge of the hero’s blade was brought against the sword in Smith’s gut, shearing through the inferior weapon as if it was paper. The ex-agent looked towards his assailant, the girl who had skewered him. He slashed wildly towards Orihime, the tip of the golden blade carved a thin line of red into her stomach. Not a deep wound, but a wound nonetheless. The agent raised his weapon again, ready to strike her down. This was it for the red-haired girl, fight or die. Instincts took over and the small knife, given to her by the dying Enzo, was brought to bare. She tackled Smith with the ferocity of a woman facing her death. The golden sword fell from his hands and speared itself into the ground. Raising her knife high Orihime plunged it into Smith’s heart.

Program terminated.

[spoiler]WINNERS
ORIHIME INOUE, SASUKE UCHIHA, VICTOR WOLFE

SMITH - DEAD
COLONEL - DEAD

Victor now has several holes in his body, not good. 10 damage (Severe wound)

Orihime has a superficial cut on her cheek and a bruised clavicle, as well as a slash across her gut. 6 damage (Moderate wound)

Sasuke has a hole in his arm, no bueno. 4 damage (Moderate wound)

The Energy sword is destroyed.

The Good Samaratin is out of ammo, it is nothing more than a paperweight.

Valentine is there for whoever wants it.

The Hero’s Sword defaults to Orihime, but you three may decide to swap it if you want just let me know.

The Hero's Bracers default to Orihime as well, read above.

Victor Wolfe -1 SP “Now you see me...”
Colonel -1 SP “Neo Screen Divide”
Smith -1 SP “Agent Reflexes (Defensive)”[/spoiler]