[Round 2 - C] Taloc & Makoto vs Ash & Jak Mar

[Karl Jak]

Taloc and Makoto frowned as they stepped through the door into the dining room.  The ornate entrance shut behind them with a resounding click that made both men glance over their shoulder.  Taloc jiggled the doorknob.

“It’s locked,” a voice purred from the other side of the room.

The two men glanced and saw a horned demon lying across the far end of a massive dining table.  Ash, twirling a pewter knife in her hand, glanced to the two new arrivals.  “Ready for a dinner party?”  She asked with a smile as a gurgling noise pulled everyone’s attention to a statue on the second floor.  A moment later, bubbling champagne started to pour from the spout.

Behind Ash, Jak scowled as the fizzing alcohol started to splash on the ground.

Word Limit: 850
Posts: 2
Time Limit: 48 hours
Random Elements: On
Damage Meter: Off

Time limit starts at 5 pm CDT on June 25, 2018

“Party TOO Hard” – The fight area is an elaborate dining hall, two stories tall (15 feet or so) and roughly forty feet long. There’s a table in the center with an elegant meal laid out, although obviously the intention is not dinnertime. Up above (eight feet up) is a balcony that circles three sides of the room. There are plenty of doors, windows, and even a fireplace, but the barrier of the Fight Area lines up with the walls of the room. Break a door, and you’ll just bump into the barrier. So sad!

But that’s not all! On the balcony is a fancy statue of an angel holding a cup. From that cup pours a steady stream of champagne. The bubbly liquid is unable to escape the room because of the barrier, so it will gradually fill up the dining hall. At a rate of about 2 feet per post. Even worse, the f**king Dante Verse has hexed you so you can drown. Finish the fight as fast as you can! Slosh around that bubbly quick and KO your foe.

Stipulation: Room is filling up with champagne. Destroying the statue will not stop the flow. Drinking the champagne will just cause it to flow faster and make you drunk (#DantePhysics). Something in the champagne makes it so you can ‘drown’ and die horribly (#DantePhysics).

[Taloc]

“Murderer…”

The single word, strangely carrying despite being barely even a whisper, slips across Taloc’s lips. Ever so slowly, he reaches behind his back and pulls Woe from its leather prison. The hate filled dagger glints wickedly in the candlelight, practically laughing at everyone in the room as its master grips it harder.

“Defiler.”

His free hand snakes its way up to his face, gripping the slate black mask fiercely. The tiniest glint of rainbow light sparks across his fingertips as a crack forms along the smooth surface. The light sparks again and the mask crumples into a pile of dust, causing a slight hiss as it comes into contact with the bubbling liquid. His bare face, cracked in two by an off kilter smile, peers across the hall between the white knuckled fingers, eyes like death as the whites turn to black. The strange shift takes on new life as crimson streaks dance and undulate through the darkness, screaming of blood to come.

“Desecrator. I am going to cut you. Tear your hide from your rotting corpse and parade it around for the world to see!”

Laughter leaks out with his declaration, though he makes no attempt to stop it. Eyes locked firmly on the storm demon across from him, he lets his hand fall from his face, swinging loosely as he takes a step forward. “Rip and tear. Drink the blood. Crack the bones. Show them all what it means to cross the Reapers of Koro.”

Makoto, hearing all of this, reaches forward and grabs hold of Taloc’s arm. “Calm down. If you just rush into this we will lose. Just like last time.”

A small, knowing grin, traced its way across the lips of the blue skinned monstrosity. The same smile they directed towards him… Tilting his head the darkness begins forcing its way onto his face, spreading out like wings from his eyes. She thinks this is going to be easy. “Stay out of my way, boy. I’m going to make her pay… Pay for all that they’ve done!”

Giggling softly at the deranged thoughts running through his mind, Taloc staggers in the growing pool of champagne, never taking his eyes off of the horned beast before him. A blue flash of flaming light briefly brightens the room as Makoto summons his weapon. “You’re not making much sense, but there’s no way I’m letting you go into this alone. That’s a recipe for disaster.”

“They killed them all, Makoto. Every last man woman and child. They used me to do it! This doesn’t concern you, you hear me! IT’S MINE!”

“Of course it concerns me, Partner,” Makoto says, placing heavy emphasis on the last word. “You don’t have to like it, but we’re a team. We need to start acting like it.”

Releasing the shaking assassin, Makoto steps up beside him, showing a united front to their foes. “Besides, it seems they are waiting for us to sort ourselves out. Lucky us.”

Taloc laughs as he’s released, launching himself forward only to stumble in the rising alcohol level. Barely catching himself on a chair, he glares back up to his quarry just as a long eared man comes into sight, holding a strange metal rectangle with pipes coming out of it. The eco warrior puts himself between Taloc and his target, raising the chunk of metal up to his shoulder as if to threaten. Taloc can’t help but shake as he grips the chair tighter, indignant that this fool would defend such a beast.

“I’m not going to let you lay a…” Was all Jak managed to get out before the chair Taloc was leaning on crashed across his face. Shards of wood explode out in every direction as the blow knocks Jak over and onto a table, dazed from the surprise attack.

“Nothing is going to get in my way. I will kill you. Rip you apart. Tear your heart from your chest.” Taloc says softly, already dismissing the bodyguard.

Ash grins, watching as the assassin continues his single-minded journey towards her. While she was certainly used to the attention, this brought it to a different level. “Be careful making promises to a lady, especially if you aren’t going to be able to keep them.”

710 of 850 words according to wordcounter

[Ash]

Laid out as if she was a part of the expensive meal that surrounded her, Ash spun the ornamental-handled knife around. Slender bruised-colored fingers thoughtfully twisted the tip into the polished tabletop. She sat there with the devil’s grin on her face, amused by the man’s fury.

Emotions crippled.

Take this man, for example, Taloc. In the round prior he accomplished much under an even temper. Except he was just as enslaved to his feelings as the girl who’d slapped Ash in the face out of some misguided jealousy, or the heated woman whose attachment to the insignificant creature pushed her into irrational action.

Here he displayed an enormous amount of anger that would only serve to improve her chances.

Of course, she had a lot of use for sentiment as well. Not personally. She couldn't understand the attraction of it. What these incomprehensive ideals were good for was manipulation - as displayed by Jak’s aptitude to defend her despite his struggle to appropriately do so.

Put a little sugar in the right recipes and you can have the world in a muffin tin.

The man who had broken his mask and a perfectly good chair never took his abyssal eyes off of her. Not her. She cast her eyes down at the gorgeous display of ham, turkey, quail, and various beasts killed for the feast that would go to waste. An arrangement of exotic cheeses sat on a dish next to where she plucked the knife from, dressed with that leafy stuff no one ever ate. On the other side of the division that her body created were all manners of sweets.

She closed her eyes and took a deep mental-cleansing breath for her fight. Unconsciously, the warm and inviting smell of food forced her to recollect associated memories.

Freezing nights in a desolated New York City came to her, clumps of snowflakes half floating-half crashing past a set of apartment windows came to mind. In one a family of Angelic Morality Mirrored Humanoids sitting at a food-filled table in a well-lit room beside a roaring fire. Christmas carols blaring on the surround sound system chased away unwanted things from their joyful room - including a young female daredevil.

In the other, a girl with platinum blond hair and pink highlights. Her moon-colored eyes glared from between two pillows. She only wanted silence, and sweet freedom. She contemplated escape through winter's midnight air.

…

If Taloc’s cry of ire wasn’t warning enough, the wave of animosity crashing against her senses made her plenty aware of the attack unfolding. In a flash of instinct, Woe met the feather-like blade of The Red Devil’s Quill with a metallic musical clash that echoed his failure throughout the hall. As the champagne reached Taloc's thighs and seeped into his boots, she held his attention with a mocking smirk.

“All this sweet talk is flattering, but hands off until we have some dessert~!" Ash paused to enlarge her smile. "You first!” With that, an entire whip cream-covered pumpkin pie smashed into the man's temple. She watched him stumble to the side, then brought her booted foot up into his jaw. She heard the satisfying crack of his teeth connecting before he fell backward into the steadily growing golden liquid.

“Tal-!” Makoto’s attention turned from Jak to his fallen comrade, just in time for Ash to send the cheese platter soaring into his throat, his words sufficiently cut off by the metal crashing into his windpipe! She fluttered her fingers at him innocently as he coughed hoarsely, enjoying the few tears in his eyes as he struggled to breathe.

She turned to her partner. “You okay, Jak?” she changed her tone to sound playfully concerned as she pulled out a piece of wood out of his hair.

“I’ve been worse,” Jak answered, touching his jaw.

“I know. Let’s get this over with quickly, okay?” Ash more stated than asked. “So, which one should we kill first?” She turned her sights on the boy who was attempting to help his hot-headed friend back to his feet, her hands already switching out The Quill for a loaded Claw.

“Kill?” Jak questioned, watching the two.

“It’s Dante’s Abyss, Jak. It wouldn’t be the same if this didn’t end in someone's death.” Ash said, matter-as-factly.

The Dynamite Kid has seen more than his share of the carnage carnival dreamt up by this madman known as Karl Jak.

“You have a point.”

“Naturally.”

Ash felt one side of the elongated table lift faster than the other, her perfect balance holding true as her stage began to float freely in the bubbling brew. Her grin only grew as she steadied her arm.

“Let the chaos begin," she whispered darkly. There was a click from the mechanism, a twangy snap of the string, and sharp whistle as the Claw shot forth! Calculated with information she collected, she chose Makoto. From only a few feet across the carbonated sea, she aimed to maim; her intention was to brutally impale and reel him in to play with her and Jak. It would be rude otherwise.

[center]
850/850 words, WordCounter.net.
0SP Used.

Ash used The Red Devil's Quill and Claw.
Ash used Snatch it Up on Makoto.[/center]

[Makoto Yuki]

Makoto had seen better days. Not only did he wake up in a hospital bed missing a hand, courtesy of the crazy pair of women he had been fighting earlier, he was all but hauled to a second fighting arena as soon as his injuries had healed.

This one had him pit against a crazy woman, too. Was this the universe’s sense of humor at play?

His idle musings were cut short, however. His attention returned to the present as rivers of sparkling yellow fell along the edges of the second-floor balcony, coating the immaculate wooden floors in their sheen. His lips upturned in a frown as the liquid reached his meticulously polished shoes.

Blue-grey eyes regarded his partner as the man’s mask, a thing as black as night, withered into so many motes of dust and ash.

The assassin had some choice words for their opponents, it’d seem. He could understand the hostility, but the disturbing contents of his ramblings left him with the impression that his partner was becoming just a bit unhinged. If all it took to unravel the threads of his sanity was to merely lay his eyes on their opponent, then his partner would be of very little help.

His words did not reach the taller man. His attempt at anchoring him to the present, rebuffed.

Sword in hand, Makoto stood by the black-eyed figure and tried selling the illusion of a cohesive team regardless. The amusement in the blue devil’s eyes was all he needed to know how successful he was.

Taloc seized the initiative, blindsiding the elf with the chair he'd been leaning on a moment prior. Setting his eyes on the real prize, he lunged towards the demoness, blade in hand, ready to make his first blow her last.

Her smile didn't budge once, as she brought her own blade to hold him at bay.

The pastry attack was a nice touch, he had to admit. The idea was both novel and delicious.

His partner’s name died in his throat as surprise cheese assaulted his exposed neck. Was she just going to attack them with food the whole fight?

Tears threatened to fall as his lungs convulsed, crying out for the air they've been abruptly cut off from.

“Don’t look so sad now!” the demonic woman cooed at him, wearing an expression of mock concern.

“I know what’ll cheer you up! Come play with me!” she proclaimed.

She drew her weapon and fired within the span of a split second, the astoundingly quick maneuver left him with no time to properly dodge or block with his sword. The young fighter quickly brought his arms together in a cross to protect his vital organs and was promptly rewarded with a misshapen blade sunk into his flesh, and a black tether connecting him to the woman’s outstretched hand.

Lines or crimson naked down his ruined shirt and soured the pool of bubbly beverage they were beginning to float in.

It was a hook, she was planning to reel him in like a goddamn fish.

The thought brought with it indignation and humiliation, pain and anger mixed together in his head, chasing each other in a futile circle like a dog determined to catch its own tail.

Ash’s smirk widened as the click of the return mechanism signified the coming of her prey.

Or it should’ve. Digging his feet against the floor, and grasping the braided cord with his free hand, Makoto pulled and eyes as white as freshly fallen frost widened in shock.

He let loose a smirk of his own and threw his fist in a punch aimed at the blue face of the stumbling demoness, only for her to regain her composure and easily avoid the sloppy attack.

“You didn’t honestly think I was that easily thrown about, did you?” he sneered. Eyes the color of pure gold looked down on the storm demon as their owner noticeably shifted in demeanor.

“Oh? So you do have a personality hiding there under all that hair, huh?” teeth flashed in an excited grin and it was as if their brief exchange hadn’t happened, “Don’t you worry your pretty little head, I’m only just starting to have fun! Isn’t that right Jak?”

Blue bangs flew out as he jerked his head to his other opponent at the sudden realization they weren’t alone in the room, only to eat a shot of the angry elf’s blaster to the face.

The succubus felt his grip loosen on the hair rope that bound them together, and charged in with blue sparks dancing around her palm.

She was denied by the polished sheen of Woe’s blade cutting into her offending hand, and turned to see the maddened assassin brandishing Woe’s sister blade, Ire, and readying his own charge into the fray.

“Your death will be by my hand, foul demon!”

Every word out of his partner’s mouth only inspired more confidence in Makoto, this much he was sure of.

838 words
Transforming for rest of round
2/4 sp left

[Jak Mar]

Time came to a crawl all around them. The anomaly centered around the eco-warrior who struggled against the temptation of familiar darkness. He glared with a jaw so tight his teeth hurt. Jak watched with building rage as Ash’s midnight blue blood dripped off her blade pierced palm.


InternallyDark did the only thing he knew how to do, get pissed off.

Tensing every muscle in their shared body and ready to erupt with dark eco. He was on the verge of breaking his precious promise from the pure frustration of watching Ash get hurt by the two cursed men.

Light touched his bulging shoulder.

“Calm yourself, Dark. You forgot you gave us your word.” The angelic figure pushed past the demonic one and lowered his face until a shadow fell on his white glowing eyes.“Let’s show them the light boys…”

“...Lame.” Dark growled with a smirk and a chuckle.[/i]


Mar’s bubble of time popped and where a man had stood was now an Angel. The Candard-Duchene’s bubbles tickled his body as it tried to consume him much in the way that his normal self would have swallowed it. The divine being, Precursor Chosen, knew better. He was not as tempted as the jack-knife eared boy or the Dark King would be and instead took a big gulp of air before submerging himself.

It may have looked to the outside as if The Dynamite Kid was abandoning his partner when he vanished into the classy drink choice.

Under the lapping waves of copper, shining translucent wings sliced through the liquid like it was air and propelled the Hero under the raft-made table. His glowing eyes were untouched by the alcoholic beverage as he gracefully avoided the legs and floating chairs.

He wondered what Ash’s crimes were for the man to accuse her of such harsh words. He could not - would not - stand for this blasphemy spewing her way. She was a saint. More so than he, despite their bodies telling another story.

To damn her to being stripped of her skin like some animal was as insulting as Victor Wolfe threatening to make Daxter a pair of gloves. It made his blood boil but he had to stay calm.

Level headed.

Just like Ash.

There was a dull but loud thunk above him. Whatever power had been used to make this noise was enough to also send several dishes soaring across the sparkling wine, Jak watched the silver bowl of mashed potatoes break the surface violently. The buoyancy balanced out and the round dish floated on its side, murky ‘smoke’ drifted from it as the acid-like fizz melted layers of mash.

All around him he saw similar sights, he reached out for the closest item, the perfectly cooked wild turkey that had tumbled off the raft. While deciding what to do with this,
Jak heard a scream of anger. For once it did not come from him. He saw the long blade the insane man used to save the other debatably-sane man pierce the table. Again he was reminded of his duty and shot out from underneath the table and into the air.

He surfaced to see them both on top of Ash, but a flash of bruised colored skin later and Makoto was sent backward with a powerful kick to the chest. Their stage bobbed in the water and his arms flung in an attempt to keep his balance.

On top of the woman was the crazed man, his shorter blade pinning her hand to the wood, crucifixion style. His free hand wrapped around her neck, trying to squeeze the life out of her.

A moment later Jak has returned the favor of the unexpected attack, dropping down on the table and bringing the turkey down over his head! So hard that the drumsticks rip off. Balancing on his one leg, Light’s divine boot makes contact with Taloc’s new mask and kicks him off of the morality mirrored humanoid. He then chased after the confused man, beating the bird’s belly with its own legs until the meat has flung off the bone.

Then Jak started using his fists.

By this time, Makoto gained his balance and Ash had gotten to her feet.

Their eyes met one another again, she smirked, and his eyes narrowed.

A green vortex formed around his sword’s blade as he stomped through a double chocolate cake, shit-colored frosting sticking to his already ruined shoes. Like a batter, he bent his knees, and then with a swing, the MLB would be proud of, sent a powerful wind towards the demoness.

Even without her bleeding hand, she didn’t have the strength to stop his attack from slamming against her. The feather-light demoness was tossed up towards the second story of the room, and then without aid from her hook, casually plunges into the amber pool. With a brave heart, Makoto dived in after her. Ready to end this.

“Ash!?” The Light Hero yelled, ready to jump in too.

Taloc had a few choice arguments about why he couldn’t let Jak do that.

850 words. Google Docs

T1 Transformation: Light Jak
Atk: 3
Def: 5
Spd: 4
Tec: 5

Jak used Flight
Makoto used Return To Sender.

2/6 SP spent, x2 cost of transformation to last for whole round.

[Taloc]

“Come now, just a little bit. Let me cut… Give me blood. Show me all the little things that make. You. Tick…”

The words float through Taloc’s lips, even as the gentle giggling continues to escape him. Reaching up with his free hand, he pulls the remnants of the turkey carcass from his head, scratching his face even further with the broken and malformed bones, not that he seemed to care. No… The object of his focus had the nerve to turn his back, and Woe’s thirst had only begun to be sated.

Jak, the blue winged eco warrior, was just about to dive into the potent liquid when the gifted mask smashed into the back of his head. Staggering forward from the surprise bird assault, the angelic fighter quickly turns to face the crazed assassin, already slashing forward with the malice filled dagger. An eager smile, framed by the undulating darkness extending across Taloc’s face made for an eerie sight as Jak fended off the savagery, always just barely a step ahead.

Time flowed rapidly aboard that wooden table, with Jak clearly beginning to gain the upper hand as he continued to deny Woe the taste of flesh, smoothly deflecting it off of his bracers in a manner reminiscent of a diademed amazonian warrior. Slowly but surely, Taloc found himself being forced back across the table, his laughter being replaced by the snarling of a beast as his bloodlust continued to be denied. Yet, Jak remained unflappable even going so far as to deflect and counter, landing a solid punch squarely in the face of the fractured man.

Staggering back a few steps and barely catching himself from falling as he stepped in a bowl of pudding, the brutish visage plastered across Taloc’s face shifts as he looks away from his opponent. Behind Jak, Makoto was leaning with his back against the wrought iron railings of the balcony, his claymore well out of his reach. Standing above him was Ash, chainsword roaring wildly above her head as she prepared to plunge it down into her helpless opponent.

‘She’s going to kill him…’

Adrenaline poured freely through his body as the thought tore through his mind, sweeping away anything and everything extraneous. As a grin of victory already starts spreading across the Storm Demon’s lips, the world slows to a crawl. Makoto raises his arms, reflexively covering himself in a vain attempt to block the incoming attack, knowing full well it wasn’t going to help.

The smallest hint of movement pulled Taloc’s eyes from the scene across the room. Jak, still seeming to be moving in slow motion, started bringing his arms down, as if to charge, but it was already too late. The assassin’s left hand flung forward, letting Woe dart from his fingers, waiting a split second before moving to follow in the dagger’s wake. Purposely, thrown slightly left, Taloc saw as Jak smoothly slipped to the side, watching as the weapon passed inches from his face, though when the eco warrior looked back, his opponent was gone. Using the distraction to slip around him from his blind spot, Taloc caught his thrown weapon mid-air, squeezed the hilt, and thrust back, burying the blade firmly in between Jak’s shoulder blades before activating the charge stored in the weapon. Planting his feet solidly against his paralyzed foe’s back, Taloc jumps as hard as he could, leaving the dagger and pudding prints behind as he gripped the hilt of Ire, sliding it free of its sheath. Even as Ash and Makoto grew rapidly closer, her sword, now glowing blue and sparking with electricity, was already beginning to descend.

Extending his free hand, Taloc caught the railing just over Makoto’s head, stopping his forward momentum, albeit leaving him facing the wrong direction. With no time to turn around, Taloc grips the hilt, moving to activate his poison as he stabs backward, thrusting the blade into Ash’s chest. The feel of Ire parting flesh came quickly and for a brief moment, Makoto’s eyes meet Taloc’s.

“Get up partner,” Taloc says softly, a smile touching his lips. “I’ve lost more friends than any man has a right too. Even if it kills me, I’m not going to lose anymore.”

The look of relief on the boys face quickly turns to one of horror as the roaring climaxes with a sudden burst of pain. Looking down, Taloc witnesses a spinning blade of carnage rip its way through his gut.

“What do you know,” Ash whispers, a hint of pain spoiling the otherwise seductive tone. “Finally a promise you can keep.”

766 of 850 words according to Wordcounter.

[Ash]

The sentimental bullshit poured out of this guy as endlessly as Karl Jak’s champagne did.

If his plan was to stop the horrors she promised with Invictus, Taloc failed. The magic was in the cobalt blue blood she had decorated her blade with prior. His paralytic poison locked her fingers around the trigger, only earning him more agonizing time upon her roaring blade.

Not that she minded that outcome at all.

A morbid smirk came to the previously locked features as she got feeling back in her fine muscles.

Small splatterings of scarlet dotted the young and impressionable man’s face as the rotating teeth continued a ravenous attack. Vibrant blue sparks blinked into existence where the chainsword dug in, beginning to encircle Taloc’s body, drawing the crimson gore into it through magical magnetism.

Storms began when hot-headed heroes and cold-hearted women collided.

The vortex sucked in blood that had been flung into the limited open air between boy and assassin, as well as pieces of innards which orbited Taloc’s still bleeding gut. Dancing viscera turned debris inside the quickly developing whirlwinds, leaving multiple slashes wherever there was exposed flesh.

Ash had a perfect view of Makoto, his blazing gold eyes were solid defiance one moment, shifting to a mild surprise at his bull-headed partner’s actions, and then everything just melted into perfect shock and awe.

Glee, only earned from a job well done, ran through her soul.

As easily as the blade penetrated the unmasked man, it slid out with a wet sound. Ash held the chainsword up, allowing hot red liquid to spray across them like a gang bang of porn stars’ best facial. Taloc’s body dropped to his knees and then crumpled into Makoto’s arms. Ash looked down into them, they were hardened and demanded revenge.

“There's a man who knows how to look at a girl.” she flirted with a sneer and lowered her weapon of destruction, only to swoop it around like a golf club. Taloc's defenseless figure was cut into again as she dismissed and discarded him over the railing.

Before either fighter could hear the sizzling splash into the quickly rising flood of 'crisp and refreshing', the Morality Mirrored Humanoid pinned Makoto between the banister and Invictus’ teeth. Bodily fluids aside, the cold metal against his neck served to intimidate and challenge him. Makoto seethed up at The Storm Demon.

“It's just a game, boy, don't get your boxers in a bunch.” Her laughter was unnervingly natural as she made irreverent jokes. Her dark hair, which was weighed down by alcohol and plasma, was combed out of her face. Her blind-like eyes took in his internal rage. She faked a look of shock. “My bad, I just assumed… Is it boxers? Or briefs?” A smile slid back into place.

Ink-colored clouds drifted from her injuries as waves of alcohol dulled the pain and made her aware of the rising threat. Ash looked down at the champagne, then decided it was a bit more pressing than whatever kind of underwear a high schooler preferred. She stood up, tossing the chainsword over her shoulder and letting it set on her back via its strap. A tray of hors-d'oeuvres shimmered against the candlelight, catching her attention out of the corner of her eye.

Electricity sparked to life in her hand. A second later she grabbed him by the head, causing his body to tighten up before going slack, making it easy to manipulate his position. She shifted him before using his weight to slam his vulnerable head down into the plate, which let out a thunderous crack as skull made contact with cheap metal. With a brutal pull, she yanked his head back to inspect the damage, pleased to discover toothpicks had made a mockery of acupuncture across his face. She resisted laughing as she noticed a mini shrimp has found its way into his nostril, dangling lifelessly and adding some pinkish-white to her art project. He was a mess, Ash couldn’t tell where the cocktail sauce ended and the blood began.

“I know you are underage, but you look like you could use a drink!” Her tone was happy and helpful despite her intentions. Ash turned the battered warrior around and dragged him through the chest levels of piss-colored liquid before she dunked his head into the overflowing cup the angel presented. She held him there mercilessly even as she recognized the incapacitation tactics fading. “I don’t know if you can hear me, but for the record, the only way to win this particular game before I run out of air is to kill you first. By my calculations, we’ve only a few more moments. So, just breathe deeply~!”

As much as she’d like him to follow her command, she had seen the look in his eyes. He wasn’t about to give up. She blinked and her eyes went from frosted white to glowing cyan. Raven black hair began to float in its own field of gravity while brilliant blue sparks began to arched across her body, the dark eco preparing her for what comes next.

850 words, WordCounter.net.
3 SP used in Taloc’s post - Permission given off screen. - Makoto and Taloc both admitted informed me that there was nothing they could do to stop the attack.
2 SP used for T2 Transformation: Storm Demon - 4/1/8/11
+ 2 SP to keep Storm Demon up for the end of the fight.
( 7/8 SP Spent )

Ash used T3 Super Attack - Hurricane: Shock and Awe.
Ash used Ultramarine Chainsword: Invictus.
Ash used Shocking Grasp.

Ash used Cocktail Shrimp Platter on Makoto’s face!
Ash used Irreverent Attitude!

Ash used T2 Power-Up/Transformation: Storm Demon!

Is it super effective? Let’s find out on the next episode of Persona 3!!

[Makoto Yuki]

Makoto’s lungs faced abuse of the highest order. Vital breath escaped through his nostrils in bubbles, displaced by streams of sparkling alcohol.

His limbs instinctively flailed as he futilely tried to lift his head out of the abhorrent liquid. The Storm Demon had him well and truly in her grasp, holding his head down with both of her arms and all of her strength.

The boy’s brain kicked into overdrive, using up what little oxygen remained, as primal fear came into play.

Images and sounds dulled, reality inched away. His shifting grew from panicked to lethargic, his fierceness melting into resignation.

He’d die here, wouldn’t he? Bruised and bleeding, his clothes ripped and stained, he’d die kneeling on the floor.

His strength left him at the thought of his ignoble end. His limbs filled with lead as he embraced his fate. Death comes for all.

‘No.’

He could’ve sworn he heard something, through the haze of his cotton filled head and his muddled senses.

‘Stand up.’

There it was again. It couldn’t be someone actually talking to him, his tormentors would like nothing more than for him to die, his partner was already dead.

A face appeared in the darkness. Soft features, blue-grey eyes, and long blue bangs. He knew that face. It was his face.

Was this what happens when you die of asphyxiation? Your last moments stretch into hours as your brain feeds you fanciful illusions while it shut down?

‘You who rejected the inevitable once before, why do you choose to kneel now?’

His indignation was palpable. He didn’t choose this fate! There was no choice to make at all! His opponent was superior to him in every way. Common sense decreed he’d naturally be the loser in this fight.

‘Common sense would tell you not to fight the gods. You denied it then, or do you not remember?’

What was he babbling abou-?

The thought was cut off before it could form, as his consciousness was flung through the confines of his mind, into a distant memory.

There he was, standing on the topmost floor of a tower. The unimaginable structure was an effigy of madness. Floors twisting and enveloping each other in geometrically impossible shapes as spires jutted out in every direction. It rose impossibly high over the surrounding city, splitting the murky green sky and giving him a perfect view of where the land ended and the blood-red ocean began.

The moon, as full and large as it was, was obscured by a single silhouette.

Nyx, the Mother Night. The goddess that had bestowed life upon the world had come to take it back.

She looked down upon him was a frozen smile and black holes for eyes, but he did not stand alone. Surrounded by his allies and true friends, they fought as one.

They looked Death in the eyes, and they spat in its face.

---

“He’s taking an awful lot of time to drown, don’t you think?” the blue devil asked her angelic companion, still holding the blue-haired boy face down in the champagne.

A careless shrug was Light’s response, his splendid wings swaying slightly in a non-existent breeze.

Ash’s moment of distraction could not have come at a better time. Beneath her hands, Makoto’s eyes snapped open, careless of the stinging liquid. Twin irises shined like the Sun with the force of his determination. He knew what had to be done.

His arms, limp noodles only moments prior, filled with strength as an unnatural second wind instilled him with fervor. They grasped at the marble statue as he leaned forward and retracted his left leg, trying to wind up like a spring as effectively as he could.

“Look out!” Jak reached for his partner in an attempt to at least warn her of the attack he could see coming.

His leg undulated in an instant, his shoe savagely diving into her gut, and flinging her in an arc through the air like an electrified ragdoll.

“Ash!” the angelic being dived at the aggressor, swooping low to the ground on wings of shimmering light.

Their forms smashed together with a muted thud as they rose up and into the wall behind.

Even with his back flat against the room’s barrier and with the angel grappling him from the front he would not yield.

Clawed hands pushed against his ribcage and pinned his shoulders in place, locking his joints from moving. In response, he looked at the ceiling and brought his head down to meet the elf’s in a devastating headbutt. Blood from his wounded face mixed together with the rivulets from Jak’s broken nose.

Admirably, the claws holding him in place did not budge, even as their owner recoiled from the pain. His admiration for his opponent would score him no points today, he had a purpose.

He’d avenge Taloc.

He’d break their backs upon his knee and let their beaten bodies serve as a warning for those who’d dare to touch his friends.

[Jak Mar]

Blood exploded from his collapsed nasal cavity as the Eco-Warrior let out a cry of pain through gritted teeth. In hindsight, grabbing the boy by the throat would have been a safer defense. Of course, he was admittedly not thinking in this instance.

If calling his precious Ash baseless names wasn’t enough for the dying duo, now they were physically attacking her. The wisps of navy blue in champagne had already been too much for him.

Internally the trio of personas were all in agreement, Makoto and Taloc had spat in their faces. Dark would not stand for this insult, Jak’s resolve to defend her honor and her body hardened, and Light’s only wish was to fulfill the promise he’d made.

A decision he may or may not have made lightly...

The last-ditch blow upon The Hero’s nose, while praiseworthy, didn’t leave much of an impact on him physically. It was not the free-flowing red down his face that brought concern to the forefront of his mind, but the feeling of Dom Perignon tickling his goatee. With the freedom of flight, Light hadn’t let the expansive room bother him, now that the last foot of remaining breathable air in the room was starting to disappear he considered his options.

“Hold him down until he quits breathing, duh!” Dark spat at Light who hesitated.

The angel shrank back from his demands. “That worked so well when Ash di-!”

ASH!!

The Dynamite Kid ripped his attention away from his pinned opponent, fear constricting his heart as he looked for the woman among the bobbing food. He found her hugging one of the wooden chairs, coughing up as much of the liquid that had been forced down her throat upon impact. The sparkling blue demoness’ suffering was too much.

No.

He had no other option. He would not let her die on his watch, again.

A surfing serving platter caught Jak’s attention. He remembered a tower stack of meat and vegetables when it was on the table, due to a rough ride only a few steak shish kabobs remained. With thoughtless reaction, Light’s pawed at the lot and then rammed the pointed ends into Makoto’s sword arm, pinning him there in their charming coffin. Jak’s hand released the kid so that he could fall back into the Perrier Jouet. His boots planted themselves on the teenager’s throbbing guts and kicked off and in Ash’s direction..

“Light~!” Ash excitedly greeted him as he surface beside her. “Light. Kiss me! So that I can say I have been kissed by an Angel.” The drunk demoness didn’t quite slur, but it did not sound like her usual self. Then she laughed through her nose. “Not even my fucking mom kissed me good night. Ain’t that sad?”

Her words felt like an icicle through the base of his spine, but he had no time to reflect or honor the request.

“Shh!” Ash’s finger jammed close to her eye, then she added in a cryptic drunk whisper: “He’s coming.”

A second later a dark shadow with blades bare leaped from the sparkling wine and brought both blades down in a single attack! Taloc’s Woe and Ire had a taste for blood, but both collide against a buckler sized shadow which forced his hands back in recoil as the spell breaks his attack.

On instinct Jak snatched up a bobbing apple and thrust it into Taloc’s jaw, following through with another punch to his face. Out of nowhere, Ash’s foot kicked backward. Taloc let out a low groan as her electric kick hit him squarely in the balls. There was a childish giggle from the Storm Demon before Light wrapped his arm around him. “Deep breath, Ash.”

Ash’s head was tilted up for her as she inhaled her possible last breath, beside her Light did the same.


From their vantage point at the top of the room, Jak could see the sunken banquet hall. It carried a bit of a serene feeling to it. He had no time to appreciate it, he twisted around and kicked off the flat ceiling towards the doors, wings of light aiding to get there far more quickly than he may have managed without them. In his arms he held Ash close to his chest, looking much like lovers as she snuggled her face into him. When in range, he grabbed the door and gave the handle jiggle.

Locked.

Not willing to give up on their only possible way out, Light maneuvered his body and then sent his boot into the door multiple times. Relief consumed him as he heard the muffled sound of the lock breaking. Ripping the door open, however, revealed a shining barrier that still held the champagne at bay. Reality slammed into the defender as he realized they were trapped. He couldn’t save Ash, he couldn’t even save himself…

In a fit of rage the angelic fighter slammed his fist in the barrier, a scream leaving his mouth in the form of large bubbles.

844/850 Words, Google Docs
3/6 SP Spent, keeping T1 Light Jak up

[Karl Jak]

Face to Face
#33 Taloc & #40 Makoto Yuuki vs #06 Storm Demon & #10 Jak Mar

Jak had tried to save her, but they were stuck.  They were stuck, and once more, they had been separated from one another.

They fought along the remnants of the balcony.  The statue had been broken in the melee, but the champagne kept pouring from its foundation, although the guzzling streams had vanished beneath the rising tide of bubbly death.

Makoto moved sluggishly—equal parts blood loss and indirect intoxication from being nearly drown in the liquid.  His blades were still just as sharp, so even with some swaying, he represented a lethal force as he moved to pin Jak into the corner.  Light Jak fumed, his eyes focused over the young man’s shoulder at his companion he sought to protect.

“You need to get out of my way,” Jak muttered as he clenched a fist beneath the water.

“Never,” Makoto muttered.  “Give up.”

Jak moved forward suddenly.  A blade pierced his shoulder, but he managed to slap his hand against Makoto’s chest.

“What is this?”  Makoto muttered as he looked at the stick of dynamite adhered to his chest.  The man’s eyes went wide as the eco-infused explosion hummed to life, and while it didn’t blow him into pieces, it started to burn with a horrifying might.  Makoto’s entire body seized as he clenched his hands and winced his eyes.

On his way passed his adversary, Jak grabbed the writhing boy and slammed him head-first through the grandfather clock.  Makoto’s convulsing form—a clock hand wedged in his mouth—vanished beneath the surface.

Elsewhere, Ash found herself up to her chest in the liquid.  She still held onto Invictus, which roared defiantly in the face of the rising champagne.  Taloc, his eyes a little bloodshot and swollen, smiled faintly as he readied his weapon.

“It’s over,” the assassin slurred as the frothy liquid reached his chin.  “That big thing will be useless under water.”

Ash winked.  “I’ve also been partial to the back door,” she whispered as a claymore erupted out through the front of Taloc’s chest.

The assassin managed to glimpse over his shoulder at the somber face of his big-eared killer.

“Rest now,” Light Jak muttered as Taloc slumped forward onto the weapon.  “You tried your best, and that’s admirable.”

Jak released the weapon and let the body vanish into the champagne.  As he turned his eyes to Ash, the man’s stern expression softened as his companion sloshed through the bubbling wine.  Both were ushered back to the facility a few inches short of an embrace.

[spoiler]

Ash (2.7) & Jak Mar (2.3) defeat Taloc (2.5) and Makoto (2.25)

#33 Taloc DEAD
#40 Makoto Yuuki ELIMINATED

Ash & Jak Mar advance to Match F of the Consolation Bracket, where they are scheduled to face the loser of the Cerise/Gildarts vs Zedd/Vi contest.

Makoto will receive treatment in the Preshow Facility and can then use the Elimination Exit thread to depart and select what verse they would like to be dumped into.

Taloc will respawn at the Fountain of Infinity in 7 OOC days.[/spoiler]