Zone E -- Highlands

[Karl Jak]

Face to Face
Clownpiece, Cirno, & Dane vs Dante & Batman

The battle had been quick and brutal.

Despite feeling like just minutes for the combatants, the sun had long since descended in the world around them.  Such is the logic of the Omniverse.

A fresh sun was beginning to crest on the horizon as the battle wore down to its conclusion.  

“Tricks are over,” Batman growled as he reached something at his belt.  Dane continued his feints against an increasingly frustrated Dante, and in the backdrop, the two fairies maneuvered into position to strike the gunman from the flanks.

Before the attack could be executed, the little sphere came rolling in from between Dante’s legs, and even the Son of Sparda grimaced before throwing himself backward.  Broken arm and all, Dane recoiled and attempted to use her sword to buttress her vitals from the explosion, but no concussive burst emerged from the grenade.

Instead, the calm little sphere erupted into a viscous cloud of black smoke.

Dane recoiled—eyes squinting to make sense amid the fallout of the smoke grenade.  The fairies lacked the same composure, and both of them released their elemental attacks at the epicenter of the confusion.  By the time the hellfire and ice collided, Dante had already fallen safely out of the path.  The Son of Sparda pressed forward without skipping a beat, his eyes focused on the fire-spewing fairy.  Bullets rained forward, catching the fairy off-guard as Dante sheathed Ebony and Ivory.  A beat later, his gauntleted fist started to glow as he zeroed in on his target and buried a fist straight into Clownpiece’s wide-eyed visage.

The fairy staggered, her focus disrupted as Dante lifted up a glowing greave.  A beat later, the boot came crashing down onto her foot, smashing bone and tendons alike.

Before Dante could carry his momentum any further, an icicle struck his right arm just above the elbow.  The gunslinger swallowed a yelp as he turned and reached for one of his handguns to retaliate.  Before he could draw a bead on Cirno, a whiff of dust blinded him and nearly let Dane land the fatal blow.  Instead, the swordsman was struck hard in the side by the Dark Knight.

Although he quickly recovered his balance, Dane was put on the defensive.  With only one good arm, the swordsmen needed the space to maneuver his weapon, but Batman wasn’t a green rookie in close-quarters.  The vigilante parried two rapid blows and landed a solid blow to Dane’s throat.  Spinning forward, Batman slammed the back of his head against Dane’s face and quickly hooked his opponent’s sword arm.  When Dane’s grip remained steadfast, Batman glanced quickly at his foe’s shattered arm.  Grabbing Dane by the wrist of his broken arm, the Dark Knight chopped with all his might against the ruptured flesh and exposed bone.

Dane kept his composure until his shattered arm was bent back onto itself to the point where his fingers were touching his elbow.  Shoving down the agonized swordsman, the vigilante turned just in time to see the icicle pierce his shoulder pad and nearly emerge out the other side.  Even worse than the dull pain radiating from the wound was the sight of Cirno gripping the dropped prize in one of her tiny hands.

Unwilling to relent, Batman rushed into combat one more time.  The fairy dropped the object and started to conjure another element attack.  The sphere came rushing forward in enough time to smash into the Dark Knight’s chest a few feet from his diminutive opponent.  With the hope of ending her aggressor, Cirno picked up the object and smashed Batman in the side of his cowl-covered face.  A second bash followed, but before the third could find its mark, her opponent ducked and grabbed one her tiny hand.

“It’s over.”  Batman growled beneath his hood as he squeezed.  He felt a few of the fairy’s bones shattered as her expression twisted up into one of horrified agony.

“Not over yet,” a voice shrieked before the broad side of a sword smashed into Batman’s already battered skull.

The Dark Knight lost his grip and nearly lost his balance before collecting himself.

Standing with a mangled foot held gingerly off the ground, Clownpiece clenched Dane’s sword and glared at the masked warrior as hellfire burned in her little eyes.  Batman backed up a few paces.  In the corner of his eye, he saw that Dante had recovered, but the gunslinger was favoring one of his arms.  A look forward revealed a scowling Cirno still cradling the item drop.

“You can’t hide.”  Batman threatened as he reached for his wrist and tossed another smoke grenade.  

By the time this cloud dissipated, Batman and Dante were gone.

The two fairies, after making sure the drop was intact, moved to go help the swordsman who had risked himself to turn the tide against the two warriors.

Elsewhere, the two brooding antiheroes licked their wounds.  They had been beaten, but they had made sure they would leave a permanent impact on their trio of aggressors.

[spoiler]
Cirno, Clownpiece, and Dane win and receive the item Pick Up.  Please PM who will keep it, and I will let them know what it is.

Batman takes 8 points of Accumulated Damage (includes Moderate Injury – punctured shoulder; Batman has a deep wound almost entirely through his left shoulder. )
Dante takes 7 points of Accumulated Damage (includes Moderate Injury – Numbed left arm; Dante’s left arm has been permanently numbed by Cirno’s attacks.  It is still useable, but sluggish and delayed)

Cirno takes 13 points of Accumulated Damage (includes Serious Injury – Crushed right hand; three of Cirno’s fingers have been smashed/broken)
Clownpiece takes 7 points of Accumulated Damage (includes Serious Injury – Fractured left Foot
Dane takes 10 points of Accumulated Damage (includes Major Injury – Broken-as-Fuck right Arm; can be healed to ‘broken’ arm and healed again to ‘cure’)

Everyone here is on a 24 hour cooldown, unless they decide to waive their rest period.
[/spoiler]