Zone C -- Megacity One

[Karl Jak]

Face to Face

Vic Hendy vs Mad Bull

There aren’t many words for a situation that the one Sergeant John Estes found himself in as the miniature sun came screaming across the battlefield.  His eyes went wide.  His pulse quickened.  He hoisted up his nightstick as if it were a tower shield.

Unfortunately, it was just a fucking nightstick.

Vic Hendy watched, toothy smirk spread across his visage, as the blast crashed into the cop’s chest and propelled him backways through the front of a building before detonating in a dazzling array of color.

When the lights faded and the dust settled, there was a black streak stretching forty paces through the rubble of what had once been some sort of small office.  The east and west walls of the building still stood, but a giant valley of open air separated them.  As he strode toward the devastation, the were-creature stooped to collect a discarded trinket and a small capsule that housed one of the all-important prizes on the island.

“I know you’re still here, Cowboy.  I can smell your mortality.”

Supernatural senses alerted Hendy of the brick halfheartedly sailing at his head.  He snatched it out of the sky and crushed it in his hand, smirking wider as the powder and fragments drifted down from his clawed palms.  That newfound sixth sense flared again, but his reaction wasn’t fast enough to avoid the spray of buckshot.  Vic was knocked backwards into one of the ailing walls of the structure, which promptly dropped down onto him.

On the other side of the devastated building, Mad Bull—face drained of nearly all color—turned and dragged his broken carcass from the scene as quickly as he could.  

[spoiler]
Were-Hendy takes 4 points of Accumulated Damage
Mad Bull takes 16 points of Accumulated Damage (includes Major Injury – Severed right arm and Major Injury – Shattered left leg/foot.

>Without healing, Mad Bull’s next combat will be SUDDEN DEATH<

Were-Hendy receives Main Quest Item 1 and one artefact piece[/spoiler]

[The Future Warrior]

Lightning flashed again, thunder rumbled, and glass shattered. Graowr's arms closed around the middle of the scruffy man in leather armor, and they both sailed out through the broken window out into open air. Rain poured down, washing over them as the struggling pair hit the opposite wall, the fleeing man sandwiched between the brick work and the blue majin. They rebounded from it, flailing and spinning through the air and rocketing toward the ground below.

They hit with a wet, meaty thwack.

Graowr almost immediately bounded up and away, leaping into a somersault of several flips. She lightly touched the wall, and hopped off to alight on the ground, quickly hopping toward him, fist cocked back and ready to deliver a sound beating...until he held up a hand, palm out, in surrender. "Wait, wait!" he wheezed, opposite arm fumbling around to grab his bag. "Just...I give up...take them, already..." He shoved his bag forward to the blue alien, flumping back to the ground to let his unsteady breathing stabilize.

"Oh, hey! Awesome!" The angry red glare of Graowr's aura slowly faded, dying down to a much less intense shade of pink. Like a raging bonfire to a mere campfire. It still provided ample light to see by as she knelt down, pulling the man's bag toward her and rummaging around through it. "No, no...that's not it...oh, neat, there is food and stuff in here!" She shoved it aside, fishing through the items before she found her target. "Aha!" Without further ado, she pulled out her prizes and unceremoniously tossing the bag back to its owner.

Moments later, Dawn came crashing through a window above, curling into a flip and landing lightly on her feet with a wet thud in the puddle-strewn street. She lifted her rifle, snapping it one way, then the other, before the azure demon bounded into view. "Got 'em, I got 'em!" she said brightly. "He did have some items, and I got 'em!"

Dawn just stared for a moment before giving a sigh and lowering her rifle. "Good job. Now let's...let's just get going again, okay?"

"Okay!" Graowr had already stored the items she'd looted from the scruffy guy still curled up on the ground, and at Dawn's suggestion she turned and merrily hopped and skipped off, the mercenary following in her wake after a passing glare at the downed man.

As per our agreement, taking Dane's items after he failed to get away.
After that, Graowr and Dawn moving from C17 to C21

[Enel]

As a correction to Bats’s last post, Enel has never been in a DA before.

This time we enter the safehouse, I take a decidedly less loud entrance. But I still let out a long breath of exertion as soon as we cross that threshold. What a hike.

Someone else is here. I can see them with my mantra. I turn the corner of the functional kitchen area, only to see two men, close together. I say men; the first of them is what can only be described as a clown-thing – long, orange horns stick out of the mop of messy black hair that clings to his pallid head. He’s leaned over another figure – this one is who gave them away. I can hear his wheezes from across the room. Sounds like a punctured lung or something.

I step into plain sight. “Daaamn. He gonna live?”

The clown spins round. “Who’s askin’?” His voice is a rasping drawl.

“God Enel’s askin’. Show some respect, cur, and answer my question.”

“Strazio ain’t gonna die of no fuckin’ wounds like this,” says the clown, but somewhere in his voice I hear something that tells me he’s trying to convince himself of that. “He’s seen way worse.”

I take a casual stride closer to the pair. Then I let out a hiss of mock-pain. Dude on the floor’s all kinds of fucked up, and missing a hand besides. There’s not a square inch of his body that’s not abrased or outright missing skin. This is definitely an opportunity to profit from, and as tired as I am, I can’t let it slip away. I push. “Doesn’t look like he’s gonna make it through the night to me.”

“Fuck you, long-ass earlobes-lookin’ motherfucker.”

“No seriously,” I continue, feigning genuine concern. “You want to let him suffer, die a slow death? You could. But if I were you, I’d put him out of his misery. Quick pillow would do it. He’d barely even feel it.”

“Fuck off,” spits the clown, and I can see the bloodshot in his eyes this time.

I have to work hard to keep the smile off my face. Batman is behind me, keeping silent. Good boy. “I know it’s hard,” I say, voice low and grave. “If you want … I can do it for you.”

He bares his teeth, and I lean backwards. Them’s some nasty gnashers. Shit, man. Heard of dental surgery? “Take one step closer,” he snarls, “And I’ll rip your head off, motherfucker.”

I hold my palms up. “Hey, this is the safehouse, remember? No fights. But hey, if you wanna go, I’ll be more than obliged to step outside.”

“We ain’t goin’ nowhere, Eminem. Drop it.”

I suck air through my teeth. “Of course, of course. You’re on the brink of death, I’d be scared too.”

“Ain’t nobody scared of your punk ass, shirtless ass, broke-looking motherfucker. What, cain’t you afford a shirt? Or does it chafe your nipples?”

Bitch. “Who needs to wear a shirt, when you’re a God?”

“Go suck a chode, fuckin’, meddlin’ ass, evil eyes bitch.”

The dead man finally croaks out something. “Shut the fuck up, assholes. I’m trying to sleep.”

Oh, shit. He does have some life left in him.

“Alright.” I spread my palms. “Shoot, I was just trying to get my hands on your items. Can’t blame me. God’s gonna try, right?” I grin sheepishly, though it does little to improve the expression upon my clown friend’s face. So I turn and begin to walk away.

Then I stop in my tracks, slowly and theatrically pivoting to face the clown, who looks like he’s about to bust a gasket. “Buuuut …”

I take my pack off my shoulders. As the clown watches, I reach into it, and begin to draw out items. One by one, I lay them across the counter. I let him see them all. Yeah, take a good look, buddy. That’s probably the most wealth you’ve ever seen in your life. How’s it feel to get a look at how the other side live?

“You think you’ve got what it takes,” I say. “You stand to gain a lot from beating me. That’s if you think you still have a chance in this competition. I say, go down fighting. Or give up and let me take your items. What else are you gonna do? Sit in this safehouse until the end? Nah, that’s not your style, is it?” I nod towards the downed man. “That’s not his style.”

The clown rasps at me. “You gonna use that egg against us?”

I spread my palms. “Not if you fight me voluntarily, two on two. You guys versus me and my Bat-friend there.” I jerk my head towards the Bat-man. “No items, no bullshit. I’ve been raring for a fight, and though I doubt a dead man and his clown compadre can satisfy me, it’d be better than waiting around here for another fucking item drop. As you can see, I’ve visited my fair share already, and none save an old guy with a spear have tried to stop me.”

Clown-boy shows his teeth. Is that a grin? “You think we’re pushovers?”

I shrug. “I don’t think much of you at all.”

The white-faced freak licks his lips. “Homeboy here just ripped out a dude’s heart.”

I raise my eyebrows. “No shit?”

“No shit. Beating and everything.”

I snatch up my tablet and do a search. I quickly find what I’m looking for. ‘Strazio Rockwell rips out Shinmen Takezo’s heart in DA O12.’ I watch.

God damn.

“I changed my mind. I want to fight you guys.” I look over at Gamzee; his eyes are on his comrade. “Well,” I say, gathering up my items and putting them in my bag. “You wanna go, you know where I am. If you’re going to die, you might as well do it by the hands of this competition’s winner. I’ll give you that privilege.”

Gamzee just glares at me, then goes back to his friend.

I sigh, then turn to Batman. “How about fixing us all up some grub, Bats?”

He glares at me. “Why me?”

I spread my palms. “‘Cause I just did all our work for us, and those guys are half dead.” I say, pointing over at the two over on the floor. “Jeez, Batman, show a little bit of consideration.”

I snatch up a banana from the cupboard and then go sit on the couch. The things I do for my followers.

[Harlan Higgs]

Harlan stirred under the collapsed section of the roof, feeling the bricks and mortar shift above him. His muscular, furred frame tightened as he heaved with his whole body, blood and concrete dust obscuring his vision as he erupted out of the rubble with a growl of effort. Shaking himself off and replacing the incresignly battered hat back upon his lupine head, he stepped out of the ruined store and sniffed the air. Blood. And oh so much of it.

He'd gotten drunk on his new power, so much so that he'd missed his opportunity to feed on the cop. The portly public servant had absconded, dragging his mangled carcass to parts unknown while Harlan had been buried. He grinned a wolfish grin. In a way, he was glad Mad Bull had survived that. There would be plenty of time to kill him slow back in Coruscant. This was just a taste, just a preview of what was to come if he didn't give up his silly crusdae against Harlan and his operations.

The hulking wolfbeast-vampire that was Harlan Higgs slowly loped out of the mall plaza, the beeping from the collar on his now digitgrade leg reminding him that all the power in the Omniverse wouldn't save him from getting incinerated by Karl Jak's Motivation Band. But he was close, the huge phallic tower sticking up out of the skyline like a testament to overcompensation. 

It was easy to move with this new form, his muscles bunched and coiled like springs. Harlan hit the ground on all fours and started sprinting, charging over streets and alleys and benches and cars, leaping up onto two story rooftops and scrabbling with his sharp, sharp claws to find purchase.

It would be absolutely hilarious to see everyone's faces when he had to squeeze himself into the safehouse.

Were-Harlan moving from C18 to C21

[The Future Warrior]

"So where are we headed to now?" Dawn asked again, after they'd covered a few soggy blocks of distance from their looting.

"To the safehouse!" Graowr said happily. "That's where we were all supposed to be heading, and we kind of got delayed and took a big detour, so we should head there on the double and make sure we can meet up with the others!" She nodded to herself. "Don't want to be too late or anything!"

It was with a monumental effort of will that Dawn refrained from pointing out the huge detour they took was entirely due to her. It would probably just lead into another pointless ramble and slow them down. So instead, she opted for the simpler answer. "Right, right...wouldn't want to keep god waiting."

The particular venom and disdain with which the mercenary said the word flew right over the majin's head. "Yeah!" she agreed. "No telling how long we were occupied with that. God Enel and that batty guy are probably at the safehouse already. "We gotta catch up. Show them the new items we found!"

"The safehouse is this way." Dawn said flatly, as she almost lazily jogged straight ahead at an intersection as the blue demon-girl darted around a corner. It was with a stuttering, splashing series of steps that she righted herself and hurried to catch up to Dawn. "Keep your head on straight and stay focused. Don't get so excited you lose track of what's going on."

"Right, right...yeah. Sorry, just kind of excited. I didn't think I'd be doing this well at something like this. Finding items and stuff isn't really my strong suit." She shrugged slightly as they went, pace starting to slow down. Fatigue was setting in, from the constant running to and fro and building hopping. "I'm better at fighting and stuff."

"Yeah. I kind of got that impression," the hooded woman muttered.

They went onward in mutual silence, splashing through the gloomy, silent streets. Past cars, empty storefronts and businesses, in the leering shadow of all manner of empty skyscrapers and high-rise busienss structures and other words for 'really big buildings' Graowr didn't know. But eventually, they made it to the safehouse. And with the blue girl shoving the doors open, they both darted in out of the rain.

Graowr and Dawn: moving from C21 to Safehouse C

[Dawnika Snow]

Dawn settled down into a lose chair in the office building, taking a deep sigh as she relaxed into her seat. It wheeled back as she plopped down in it roughly. She was a bit tired from all the running around Graowr was having them do. Up and down mountains, through boggy plains, misty towns. This thing just wont stop. She hated to admit it, but she couldn't keep up.

Now, there was something more imperant on her mind. Graowr had been showing off her abilities to her. Kaio-Ken? The way Graowr moved and how strong and fast she was from a screaming three syllables? This chick keeps amzing her, whether its impressive, or just down right annoying.

All things aside though, she could really use a nap. The assassin got comfortable in her wheely-chair and closed her eyes, rifle in hand with the safety on. Time to get a quick rest before the next drops and the blue blob screaming in her ears about it.

No Movement

[Gamzee Makara]

Jesus. It's motherfucking crowded in this tiny ass office building. Gamzee mutters something profound that only he could hear. He watches that...what was his name? Inal? Anal? Yeah. Yeah that was it. That Anal asshole lounging about the couch. If he wasn't so banged up, he might've taken this shit outside right now, done this shit one on one without Straz. He never really liked anybody that thought so motherfuckin' highly of themselves. 'Specially folks that thought they were gods. Only real gods were the Mirthful Messiahs, Gamzee knew that deep down in his heart. He'd put an end to this blasphemy, even if it killed him - and it just might.

God everything was sore. He can't even imagine how shitty Straz felt. The face painted fool looked down at his best human bro, who was in dire straits if there ever was such a thing to be in. He was pretty sure all that blood had stopped flowin' thanks to the cauterization-ness of Straz. But the pain for fucks sake. Gamzee was surprised he hadn't blacked out at this point. The fact that he was just trying to sleep was admirable.

The troll looks up to find God Anal staring directly at him, all the while seductively licking and engorging his Yellow Phallic Fruit. He had this look in his eyes the High-Blood didn't take too kindly to.

Ew.

Gamzee hoists Strazio over his shoulders. Strawso voices his annoyance in the form of an unintelligible grunt, but is in no position to argue about it. He carries him off down a random dimly lit hallway, just missing Graowr as she and her fellow burst through the doors all in a tizzy.

He follows the length of the hall, looking through each of the doorways presented to him. Finally, he finds what he's looking for. He sees a room that must have served as the break area for the workers, complete with a couch, a vending machine, some tables and chairs, and a fridge. Gamzee gingerly sets his buddy down on the couch, hoping the blood doesn't ruin that fine ass upholstery.

Then he sighs, dropping his ass on the floor. Been a long motherfucking day. Maybe he just gon' rest his eyes for a bit. Yeah.

No Movement.

[Harlan Higgs]

The werebeast flew across the city streets, huffing and puffing like the big bad wolf himself. Strings of drool flee from his mouth as his muscular limbs beat the pavement, the vampire' s Beast swelling with influence. It was a curious sensatio, Harlan thought. Sort of a fierce, bloodthirsty joy. This must be what Gangrel felt like when they were shapeshifted.

He drew closer to the tower, his passage kicking up droplets of water from the soaked asphalt. He was rather wet himself, but the thick red fur and tattered remains of his suit kept him insulated enough to not really care. Something about this form had changed his anatomy, made him biologically alive again. He could feel blood pumping through his body without having to manually flex his heart. A vulnerability, to be sure, but one that was worth experiencing for this short time. Hell, he might even win at this pace. Wouldn't that be something for the cameras?

He skidded to a stop about a hundred feet from the warehouse entrance, standing back up on his hind legs. Slowly, he advanced towards the glass doors, anyone looking out into the rain definitely do for a shock as they would see the hulking wolf creature advancing through the misty downpour. He kicked his lips, thinking of the fear running through their veins when he showed himself inside. He'd probably get a nice, leisurely chance to pick out his next meal. Mmn, hopefully that blonde was still around.

The safehouse door juddered in its frame, the occupants inside turning their attention to it. A huge, furry claw slid into the gap and wrenched it open. Harlan shimmied-slash-squeezed himself through it into the lobby and stood up, his shoulders scraping and ripping up the drop ceiling tiles. Baring his fangs in a grin, he readjusted his hat.

"Evenin', folks."

Were-Harlan moving from C21 to SHC

[Strazio Rockwell]

“You know sometimes I think you just look for an excuse to get yourself hurt,” Colin said, “you’ve got some kind of martyrdom complex don’t you?”

“Go fuck yourself,” Strazio responded.

“Then again what kind of martyr has such a shitty temper,” Colin laughed.

--

Everything hurt, well, everything hurt except for his hand. Compared to the rest of him his hand felt fine. Which was to say that the only reason his hand felt fine was because it was currently nonexistent. Like a bloody phoenix waking up from an all-night kegger Strazio stirred. For a minute or two he sat slumped with his hand in his lap. Someone had coated his world in a layer slime. Colors were muted and the sounds traveled through water. Words rebounded off his ear drums and never made it to his brain. He was certainly aware that someone was talking to him, but that awareness never extended further than a vague sense of company. His eyes focused on the stump that was now his left hand.

“Goddamnit,” he muttered.

Gamzee, who had been standing sentinel shook his friend and asked, “you awake Strawso?”

“Where the fuck is my hand?”

“You, uh, kinda, hmmm,” Gamzee struggled to think of the proper words to use, “you turned it into a motherfuckin’ bomb, it was actually pretty sick.”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” Strazio responded and fell on his back.

Memories came swimming back like starving dogs. He clenched his teeth and smacked the floor with his fist. As much as he hated to admit it, Enel was right. Bleeding to death in a safehouse was most certainly not his style. And so he forced his body to obey and stood despite every natural instinct telling him not to.

“Woah woah, calm down brother, you’ve got all kinds of nasty gashes,” Gamzee said, trying to slow down his fire-filled companion.

“I’m still breathing,” Strazio responded and made his way to the kitchen area.

He was vaguely aware Enel’s presence, but ignored him in favor of stuffing his face with the available food. He offered food to his companion and the two ate their fill. Once that was taken care of he grabbed a washcloth and wiped away as much blood as he could. Any wound that was still bleeding was treated with a quick burst of magick and though he felt far from perfect he felt much better than ten minutes ago.

“Let’s go,” he said to Gamzee, not waiting for the troll to follow.

Just before the two left he shouted across the safehouse, “Enel you pompous fuck, if you follow us I will end you.”

With that he stepped outside into the open world. Well, he stepped outside, paused, and then stuck his head back in for a second.

“Oh, and go fuck yourself.”

Moving from safehouse C to C21

[Enel]

Graowr is overjoyed to see me. The other girl … less so. She finds a quiet corner to hide in while me and the blue-girl catch up on what’s been going on. I tell her about the challenge.

“With any luck,” I say, “They’ll be making their minds up shortly.”

Speak of the devil. The duo storm in, ransacking every cupboard and fridge for food. I watch, eyebrows raised in curiosity. Are they going to try and run for it?  

The dead man shouts across at me. “Enel you pompous fuck, if you follow us I will end you.”

They are. I turn across to Batman. He nods at me.

“Oh,” adds the crazy bastard as he makes to leave: “And go fuck yourself.”

It’s not me who gets angry. It’s Graowr. She jumps off the sofa, and I swear to me, there’s steam coming off her body. “How dare you!” she cries after the slammed door. Without even stopping to ask me, she’s stormed over there and burst out of the door.

I pick up my staff. “We better move, Bats. All bets are off. S’time to take their items, and put them out of this competition.”

The Batman is already ready to go. Trusty Bats.

But as we approach the door, something opens it hard enough to make it thwack against the wall. I step back for a moment, alarmed. Then I see what’s on the other side, coming through, and I wonder what the fuck is going on.

It’s … a giant wolf. Red fur, yellow eyes and … a bowler hat. "Evenin', folks," it growls. Then it turns and it regards me with something like … recognition.“Enel. How you holding up?”

It takes me a second. “Hendy?! What the hell happened to you?! I thought you were a vampire, not a Goddamn werewolf!”

He snarls in what I take to be a sound of amusement. “I got angry.” Another one of those low growls, like a laugh. “But no. That necklace, remember?”

My eyebrows are practically in the stratosphere. “Good thing you took it. I’m not a fan of excess body hair.”

He chuckles again. “You going somewhere?”

“As a matter of fact, I am. Got a couple of shmucks to murder. You wanna come with?”

He rumbles, seeming to consider it. “Nah. I got my hunger sated for today. Besides.” He looks at Batman. “You seem to have it under control.”

Batman doesn’t seem to know what to say.  I laugh and pat him on the back.

“Looks like it’s just you and me, then, Batsy! Oh, and the girl. We should probably get after her before she hurts herself. Or them. I want a chance to kill that man for what he said to me. Hopefully he stays alive long enough.” I look back to Were-Hendy, and reach into my bag, for the leather straps he left me with earlier. I slap them into his furry paw. “Take these gross leather straps back, Hendy. I’ve got enough shit I’m carrying around.”

And with that, I step out of the door.

Enel, Graowr and Batman move from Safehouse C to C21.

[Strazio Rockwell]

“Soooo, where we heading to Strawso?” Gamzee asked.

Strazio shrugged and pointed at the horizon, “that direction I guess.”

“What’s over there?”

He shrugged again and answered, “who knows, probably more assholes for us to fuck up.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right,” Gamzee said.

They looked like zombies. Covered in blood and half-dead they might as well have been. Travel was rough and slow with each of them sporting a series of wounds that would make a surgeon’s stomach churn. However there was a sort of hidden competition between the two. Neither wanted to be the weak link so they pushed themselves against the limits of self-preservation.

They passed a hospital, or rather the skeleton of one. It looked as though it had been looted and destroyed, but they still stopped to inspect it. While they expected disappointment it was still disheartening to find almost nothing of value within the rotten halls. Not even a single strip of gauze was left within the carcass of industry. Gamzee, however, did managed to find an old crutch for his bum leg.

“Fucking hell,” Strazio groaned and stepped back onto the street, “how long do you think we can keep this up.”

“Dunno,” Gamzee answered and shrugged.

Strazio knew the answer. They were on the precipice of death and all that kept them from plummeting was a thin strand of luck. Two dying men trapped on an island made to consume the weak. And worst of all? There was nothing either of them could do about it. Sure they could fight, but how much more punishment could their bodies take? There was a breaking point to flesh and they were not far from it. Strazio shook his head, trying to dispel such negativity, but at the end of the day there could only be one winner in the Abyss, and he knew that all too well.

gamz/straz moving C21 to C17

[Todd Ingram]

'Homeboy here just ripped out a dude’s heart.'


These word's kept lingering within Bruce's mind. Ripped out a heart. They spoke of it as if it were the most normal thing to do. Their disregard of human life sickened Batman. And now, they have refused Enel's offer for a standoff and ran for it, it was time for justice. Cold blooded murder would not stand with him. It wasn't some silly insult that got the vigilante worked up, it was the fact these murderers would get away with it. After following the thunder-god outside he noticed the two executioners were legging it. It was time for a pursuit.


If they we're capable of such horrors, what else were they able to do. Bruce's paranoia kicked in, he had seen many super powered beings In this competition, perhaps it was time to play it safe. With them having a god on their side, it was time to use that power. Whether he was full of shit or not, it didn't matter, now was his time to stand up and show everyone what he is really made of.


"Hey Enel." Batman called out to his comrade.


"WHAT?! Can’t you see I'm about to lay down god's judgment on these insolent fools?! They are getting away!" Enel was itching to go in. Bruce didn't respond to the rudeness and let the mad-man speak his mind. Once that was finished he threw him a small black box with a red button on it. Enel caught it, looking at it as if it was useless junk.


"It's a piece of tech I created, point it at either one of those criminals and they will be trapped together with you for a short while. You will be able to defeat him in there without him running again. Me and her will take care of whoever is left." The dark knight explained while nudging towards his blue skinned ally.


Enel's grin reappeared, "Batsy my boy you've outdone yourself. Let us catch some runaways!"


"Cmon! Let's go go go gooooo" Their new team-mate excitingly shouted

God and Pals are in pursuit, moving C21 to C17
Passed along Iso-verse to Enel.

[Enel]

With Batman’s piece of tech in hand, I reach out with my mantra. They’ve not gone far. I’m livid. Ten seconds head start and they’ve already run. So much for the feat of badassery I’d seen on the Dataverse – these guys were cowards, the kind of dogs who had the audacity to shout at a God and then try to escape their fate. When I find them, I’ll rip them limb from limb. This’ll be my warmup for Omni.

“This way!” I bark, and then take off the ground. I can’t fly here, but I might as well be able to. The streets are barren, there’s nothing inbetween us and them. No trees, no uneven earth. Just distance.

When I catch up to them, I’m pissed off. “You,” I seethe. “Think you’re going to get away from me?”

The white-haired one turns around. “Oh fuck off, you persistent piece of shit. Haven’t you got better things to do?”

“As a matter of fact,” I say, stepping forward, “No. Since you did all the hard work of collecting those items for us, it would be a deep shame to let you walk away with them.” My tone lowers from faux-jovial to deadly serious. “Hand them over. Now.”

As Graowr and Batman catch up behind me, the clown steps in front of his friend. “Get outta here, Straz. I’ll keep ‘em here and then catch up with you.”

“And you!” I snarl. “You think I wouldn’t pursue you? Wouldn’t kill you?” I spit in its direction. “You’ve made your death ten times more painful.”

“What can I say?” he grins. “I ain’t ready to die just yet.”

“Too bad,” I say. “Because you’re going to.”

I turn to Graowr and whisper. “Make that bastard suffer for me. I’m counting on you, Graowr.”

Then I turn back to the horned guy, and I throw the device.

Enel, Batman and Graowr are challenging Gamzee and Strazio. Enel is attempting to use an isolation verse (from Batman) on Gamzee.

[Karl Jak]

Face to Face
Enel vs Gamzee Makara

Isoverse consumed.  Fight inescapable.

Word Limit: 800
Posts Per Player: 2
Time Limit: 20 hours
Random Elements: On

Enel posts first, as he provoked the challenge.  If you change this, just let me know.
Timer starts now.

Strazio may ACCEPT Batman and Graw's challenge or attempt to FLEE

[Enel]

The device explodes and for a second I think it was some kind of flashbang, because everything’s gone white. But after a couple of furious blinks, I see that the clown is still there.

Huh. Is this like … the Nexus? The fuck, Batman? How did you make this? This isn’t a bat-power.

My opponent seems equally confused. “The fuck …”

I take this opportunity to throw a bolt of lightning at his face. It blows up, and he staggers backwards.

“The hell, man?!”

I throw another one. This time he’s smart enough to duck.

“Yo, stop throwing lightning at me! You’re supposed to, like, give a speech or somethin’ first. About how you’re God and you’re gonna kill me or some shit, I dunno.”

I grimace.

Then I start. “How about this. I gave you an offer. God himself gave you an offer, and you refused it.”

I fire another bolt, and he yells wildly as he half-falls, half-cartwheels out of the way.

“When you refused my offer, you insulted me.” I fire another bolt. “You insulted me to think that I wouldn’t chase you to the ends of the earth to kill you.” I fire again. “I do not.” Blam. “Forgive.” Blam. “Such impudence.” Blam.

Clown boy coughs, inbetween the smoke of the bolts. “Damn, B,” he rumbles. “You need to chill out. Just smoke a bowl or somethin’.”

I narrow my eyes at him. “What?”

“Just smoke a bowl. Here.” A smile crosses his face. “Catch.”

I know what he’s going to do even before he’s finished summoning the bomb to his hand. So I rush forward, bracing my staff. He can’t use his bomb against me in melee.

Mantra.

He throws the bomb … down?

By the moment the image has flashed into my head, I’m already too close to him to stop. I pitch my feet against the ground and brace for the explosion.

But … it never comes. Instead, a wave of smoke floats over me. Like … like a wondrous wave of pleasure. I giggle. My limbs feel all heavy and … fancy. This is good shit.

The clown man spreads his lips, baring that toothy grin. “Now you get it, man.”

I grin back at him. “Man, I was about to hit you.” I chuckle. What a stupid thought.

He coughs through the smoke, and summons two clubs to his hands. “Sorry I gotta do this, man. But you’re kind of a dick.”

Huh?

He cracks both clubs down upon my skull and I feel my my legs sink beneath me, unceremoniously dropping me to the ground and smashing my chin against the floor. Ba-dunk.

My skull rattles around in my head. Fucking God Damn! That hurt! What the hell was  I doing just now? Getting high?! Get your shit together, man!

Before I even can, he swings his bat at me again. But the pain has reawaken my senses, and I get the half-second’s warning to bring my forearm up to block it. It still hurts, but it gives me a second to headbutt him back. Yeah, headbutt. Sometimes even a God has to do things the low-down dirty way.

I follow up with a jab to his left pectoral, which sends him staggering back with a hiss, then a right hook, which he soaks up with his shoulder. I can see the pain in his expression as he staggers back. Yeah, I don’t think you’re doped up enough not to feel that one, boy.

I throw my hand forward and wreathe him in lightning. Heh. It’s a sight to see, watching him spasm and judder like he’s having the most painful orgasm of his life. I relinquish the shocks just to watch him for a while. After all, I want to enjoy this.

A few seconds later and he’s still juddering, sparks running up and down his body. Eh? Did I unlock some new move or something? My lightning doesn’t usually linger that long. Also, why is it purple?

I get a flash-forward that explains everything. Ah, shit.

“My turn, motherfucker!” he exclaims, thrusting his hips forward and exploding with lightning. For the second time in my life, I find myself feeling  what it’s like to get shocked with my own electricity. It’s excruciating. I can’t even control myself, can’t stop myself from hitting the floor. Again.

And I hate it.

I stand up, and he’s got that look on his face like he just found a ten-bag in his pocket. Not funny.

“You know, kid,” I say. “I kinda liked you. You’ve got spunk. You’re not as boring as everyone else in this competition.”

“Thanks!” he says.

“But!” I interject. “You don’t shock the lightning God. You just don’t.”

[Todd Ingram]

It worked! His device worked, both Enel and the clown were trapped inside some sort of white bubble. There was only one guy left, him and the bubblegum girl would be more than enough to take this one out. And then, at the moment of the showdown, the annoying notification of his tablet made both Batman and Groawr jump. "HEY! LOOK! LISTEN!" The damned thing was so loud and it kept ringing.


"That is so cute! What is it?" The overly excited girl shouted, immediately distracted.


"A prank by Karl, there is probably an item nearby." Batman answered while keeping his eyes on the unarmed enemy. Groawr was too curious and took out her own piece of tech, "Oh shit you're right, what should we do? Fight this guy for God Enel or bring back the item for him?" Batman made the mistake of turning towards the young warrior to answer her. Within that split second Strazio saw his chance and made a run for it.


"Damnit! You go after him, I'll head for the drop-zone!" It was a rushed and split-second decision. But it had to be made. Hopefully he would still be able to make it in time. Strazio ran into one of the nearby allies, with the blue wonder right behind him. Whether or not it was a good decision he would have to wait and see. He had to cover a lot of ground and he had to do it quick. His grappling gun pointed towards one of the higher buildings. With great speed he was pulled towards the rooftop. With the high ground on his side he would be able to cover more ground using his glider. Let's hope it would work in his advantage again.


'You better stay safe Enel, Groawr , I'll be back before you know it.'

Strazio announced he would make a run for it. Batman won't pursue but bubble-girl will.

Batman moving solo C17 to C16

[Dane Regan]

Well, that sucked. But it was better than getting a 'bullet in my head'. That would probably have hurt. The real question I pondered, as I stood up in the wreckage of the apartment, was what to do next. I was over three days into this competition and I'd achieved nothing. I checked my tablet. Clownpiece has also lost her item and her Colosseum fight. Money and time down the drain. She looked pretty beat up. Maybe we could meet up again so I could use her as a portable flamethrower. It was a good idea. She was light and she was powerful.

But right now there was also an item drop nearby. No one had got it yet. Even in the time I'd wasted resting after being caught. Undoubtedly, someone was probably heading there now. But if they weren't, then hey: free stuff. And if they were then I'd just ignore them, turn around, and mope until I inevitably got culled. One broken arm wasn't that bad. I still had one sword arm, and being ambidextrous definitely had its pros here. The joke was on those guys, I was actually left handed. Well, I could use my left arm just as well as my right, at least.

I climbed back to the top of the building after finding the staircase. Placing one footstep after another, I moved onwards. Thud. Thud. Thud. I rubbed my head while surveying the surroundings. I couldn't see anyone. That didn't mean there wasn't anyone. I stopped at the edge of the building and looked down. It was pretty far. Enough to kill me, or maybe just really hurt. I wasn't sure. It was really hard to tell. From my standing position I jumped...

The Incredible Careless Man (Dane) moved from C17 to C16.

[Dane Regan]

...and landed on the next building. I flexed my legs. They still worked fairly well, at least. Maybe a slight amount of fatigue. But nothing I wasn't used to. I hopped between the buildings, staying hidden. I took more care than I did prior to losing my stuff. Sleep was for the weak anyway. Invisibility didn't help me last time. But I was careless. I'd foolishly felt that such an outlook was required. But after my short brooding rest, I reconsidered. Staying alone could be good. Everyone else would have to eventually betray their partners. And as tensions rose, some would end up doing so sooner rather than later. People can't stab you in the back if you never let anyone stand with you, after all.

I squinted. There was someone I recognised. Good old Black. The guy that broke my arm even more after I broke it myself. What a lad, helping me out with my self-harming. Such assistance deserved a reward. It would be stupid to fight the guy. Really stupid. But tired people made dumb decisions and this guy probably had loot. Or maybe he didn't. He could have been as down on his luck as I was. 

Did I really want to do this? Not really.

Was it a good idea? No.

Was it a good use of my time? No.

Could I conceive of any reason for doing this? There was a very slim chance he might have something I want. And neither of us were in the best condition.

My tired and purposely irrational brain made the choice for me, as I sprinted forwards under the guise of my stealth. Footstep after footstep placed me closer the hulking guy and his strange idea of aesthetic. This was definitely a dumb idea, but I felt some strange compulsion to please the audience somewhat. In my recklessness, I managed to overtake him. He was too focused on running to notice me, and I'd timed my steps with his. Speaking, I opened my mouth. "Oi! Black. Gimme your shit or I'll beat it outta ya'. Or you can just fuck off over there." I halted in front of him, and he reflexively skidded to a halt. I had my sword held in my good hand and pointing behind him.

Dane Regan is CHALLENGING Batman. He won't attack if Batman gives him some items and moves in the direction away from the item drop. I don't know if Batman actually has anything, but I just wanted to do a thing and make the chatbox be all like "whoooah. Dane did a thing". But they probably won't notice because they're all mean bullies.

[Deadpool]

Their trek through the tropical jungle led them returning to the metropolis of Zone-C. As foliage began to disappear, beaten dirt replaced it; shards of broken beer bottles jutted from the earth, and trash debris   partially showed like someone had attempted to bury it, but quit. A few meters ahead, a tall fence stretched across the boundary of the city; its wiring was twisted like mangled puppet strings.

Behind it, a vacant parking lot filled the space between a nuclear plant and a steel mill. Heavy smog billowed from either, smothering the sky with dark gray. But in the vacant parking lot, the mercenary could barely depict a green package sitting in a parking space close to the steel mill.

It looked like the item drop; just laying there, calling to be taken.

”Don't worry, baby, I'll get to you.”

“Hm?” Jak cocked an eye at the mercenary.

”Nothing,” he replied. ”But I see the item. Just gotta find out how to get to it.”

Jak grinned like a child getting the candy he or she wanted at the grocery store. “Good.”

Deadpool swept his eyes over the fence until he found what he wanted: an opening.

”We'll enter there,” he said. He pointed to an opening in the fence, where the netting had been peeled from the pole.

Jak nodded; readjusting his book-bag, he followed the mercenary towards the fence.

Deadpool hunkered down, and crawled through the opening on all fours. A wild wire of the fence clawed at his arm, but he disregarded the tearing sound of his costume and emerged from the other side.

Jak followed suit. His smaller frame managed to pass the broken part of the fence unscathed.

Both of them keenly watched their surrounds as they crossed the parking lot. Deadpool unholstered both of his pistols, and aimed them in opposite directions; Jak held his blaster tightly as he watched their rear.

Jakpool from D1 to C1; we're grabbing item.

[Todd Ingram]

Damnit, Bruce was careless. Before he knew it that medieval fool got the drop on him. He didn’t have time for this, he had to move quick if he was to make it to the drop zone.


"What do you want this time!?" Batman roared with his most intimidating of voices.


"Hand over your items Mr.black, and you will live." Dane spoke threatening the dark knight.


The man must be either very brave or very stupid to come back for another round.


"so this is a stickup then? You're actually trying to rob me?" Batman sounded more surprised than scared.


"I don't know which renaissance fair you came from but I have nothing of value to offer you. I've got some rations left, my tablet and some water. Oh and this dumb stick thing. So are you really sure you want to go at it again? I won't hold back this time."


The standoff between the two primes was real, until suddenly Dane shouted out. "I'll take it! I will take your stick!"


"You what?" Batman asked with a surprised tone in his voice, being completely flabbergasted.


"Your stick! Give it to me and I won't engage you in combat."


The dark knight saw no use in a stick. He grabbed it and threw it towards his 'attacker' for him to catch.


"Have fun with it." The prime said ironically before throwing down a smoke bomb, creating a screen of white, after which the knight vanished. Leaving Dane with his prize.

This has been discussed OOC with Dane. It was requested by Dane he would take the selfie stick as a prize. He won this round. Batman got mugged and no combat will follow.