the prism (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
saturations) wrote2022-02-21 11:11 am
saturations) wrote2022-02-21 11:11 am
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[You open your eyes and find yourselves someplace new.
You are standing in a fenced in area near a massive arena, made of twisted metal that forms a colossal dome. The ground you’re standing on is a dirty pale gray, and it kicks up dust as you walk, a chalky dust that covers everything around you. The arena is also gray with dust, most things appear to have been made out of pieces of slightly rusted sheet metal, but it’s hard to tell because it’s splattered in various neon colored paints and designs. The sky above you is a swirling, unnatural whirl of colors, like paint being spilled. There’s a cloudy gray, but neon colored clouds swirl within. The arena is surrounded by stands, which are crowded with inhuman faces, gnashing teeth and spiky outfits. They’re far away, but you can make out a crowd of colorful monsters and demons, all brightly neon colored and cheering for blood.
In the arena at present, two groups of three demons are fighting each other. You watch as a red demon summons a barrage of scarlet colored missiles, which strike a yellow demon holding a mace, sending them bleeding on the ground. A purple demon plays a harpsichord constructed from metal pipes, and the green demon by her side appears to grow larger in size and summons a green hail. One team is victorious, and the crowd cheers and hollers as they finish off the losing team. The green member of the victorious team doesn’t seem to want to finish off the yellow demon, however, and she is dragged off by enormous metallic guards and put to death as well.
… All of you are wearing your cool new outfits, by the way. Please describe them in the next tag, for our enjoyment. As you describe them, a voice from the sky rumbles.]
Welcome, champions. We’ve brought you here to see how you fight. If you succeed and impress us, you’ll be sent home safely.
You are standing in a fenced in area near a massive arena, made of twisted metal that forms a colossal dome. The ground you’re standing on is a dirty pale gray, and it kicks up dust as you walk, a chalky dust that covers everything around you. The arena is also gray with dust, most things appear to have been made out of pieces of slightly rusted sheet metal, but it’s hard to tell because it’s splattered in various neon colored paints and designs. The sky above you is a swirling, unnatural whirl of colors, like paint being spilled. There’s a cloudy gray, but neon colored clouds swirl within. The arena is surrounded by stands, which are crowded with inhuman faces, gnashing teeth and spiky outfits. They’re far away, but you can make out a crowd of colorful monsters and demons, all brightly neon colored and cheering for blood.
In the arena at present, two groups of three demons are fighting each other. You watch as a red demon summons a barrage of scarlet colored missiles, which strike a yellow demon holding a mace, sending them bleeding on the ground. A purple demon plays a harpsichord constructed from metal pipes, and the green demon by her side appears to grow larger in size and summons a green hail. One team is victorious, and the crowd cheers and hollers as they finish off the losing team. The green member of the victorious team doesn’t seem to want to finish off the yellow demon, however, and she is dragged off by enormous metallic guards and put to death as well.
… All of you are wearing your cool new outfits, by the way. Please describe them in the next tag, for our enjoyment. As you describe them, a voice from the sky rumbles.]
Welcome, champions. We’ve brought you here to see how you fight. If you succeed and impress us, you’ll be sent home safely.
[Toto, guess we're not in Kansas any more.]
[Hot Pants...startles, at the sight of everything. The crowds. The demons. The twisted arena, the swirling sky. It's disorienting, beyond measure, but she shakes her head.]
What the...
[And then, she looks down, and...hoo boy, she sure is wearing something, alright - the skulls for shoulder pauldrons, the spikes on her back, the skeleton-like glove, the bulky heels. (And for her sake, she probably has thin dark pants on so her thighs aren't all exposed like that, but. It's still a Look!) She reaches up to touch her face, and the tips of her hands come away with black, the whole top of her face dusted with something like coal dust, dark.]
What..."champions"? [And she realizes she's not alone, glancing back.] H-Hey. Ryunosuke? Vin?
[WHAT IN THE WORLD IS GOING ON.]
[Hot Pants...startles, at the sight of everything. The crowds. The demons. The twisted arena, the swirling sky. It's disorienting, beyond measure, but she shakes her head.]
What the...
[And then, she looks down, and...hoo boy, she sure is wearing something, alright - the skulls for shoulder pauldrons, the spikes on her back, the skeleton-like glove, the bulky heels. (And for her sake, she probably has thin dark pants on so her thighs aren't all exposed like that, but. It's still a Look!) She reaches up to touch her face, and the tips of her hands come away with black, the whole top of her face dusted with something like coal dust, dark.]
What..."champions"? [And she realizes she's not alone, glancing back.] H-Hey. Ryunosuke? Vin?
[WHAT IN THE WORLD IS GOING ON.]
[vin, who is suddenly wearing an outfit (the top & hat on the left, but the pants from the middle outfit), looks incredibly alarmed and wary about all this! she's studying the colors in the sky and the layout of the arena they've found themselves in for a long, disorienting moment, before she takes in the fight going on. to the two of them:]
...Where are we? Is this the Prism?
[as the member of the winning team is being put to death and they hear the voice addressing them, though, that question starts to seem less important than what they should do.]
Should we try to run?
[probably not, considering what happened to the person who refused to fight just a moment ago, but going along with this also does not seem like a great plan to her.]
...Where are we? Is this the Prism?
[as the member of the winning team is being put to death and they hear the voice addressing them, though, that question starts to seem less important than what they should do.]
Should we try to run?
[probably not, considering what happened to the person who refused to fight just a moment ago, but going along with this also does not seem like a great plan to her.]
[ weirdly, ryunosuke is wearing the same thing as hot pants? no, he's in something like this sans helmet and kicking up a good bit of dust as he reels in place, eyes wide as saucers.
he looks rapidly between the two of them, though he shuffles closer to vin on instinct, as though ready to grab her and run.
except that's clearly not an option. he visibly flinches as the other team is beaten down and left for dead. ]
I—I don't think they'll give us that option—!
[ he's looking around for where that voice is looming down on them from, because further instruction required please? ]
he looks rapidly between the two of them, though he shuffles closer to vin on instinct, as though ready to grab her and run.
except that's clearly not an option. he visibly flinches as the other team is beaten down and left for dead. ]
I—I don't think they'll give us that option—!
[ he's looking around for where that voice is looming down on them from, because further instruction required please? ]
[the voice from the sky rumbles once more.]
Pick your weapons, champions. It would be smart to stick to what you’re good at. Win two fights, and you’ll be rewarded.
[You notice two large chests open before you. One contains a variety of weapons. You instinctively seem to know what type of skill (speed, strength, intelligence, charisma, wisdom) will work best with each weapon. The second chest contains spray cans in a variety of colors. You may pick one. You don’t know what these do, but you know that if you spray them onto your teeth, something will happen.
Choose your weapons: bat with nails innit (strength), chainsaw with blades on both ends (strength), throwing knives made out of broken glass and sheet weapons (dex), taser (dex), You Can Be A Doctor Too! Kit © H*sbro (wis), or Staff with a M*ck Truck Hood Ornament Glued Onto It (int).
Choose your spray can: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, chrome, pink.]
Pick your weapons, champions. It would be smart to stick to what you’re good at. Win two fights, and you’ll be rewarded.
[You notice two large chests open before you. One contains a variety of weapons. You instinctively seem to know what type of skill (speed, strength, intelligence, charisma, wisdom) will work best with each weapon. The second chest contains spray cans in a variety of colors. You may pick one. You don’t know what these do, but you know that if you spray them onto your teeth, something will happen.
Choose your weapons: bat with nails innit (strength), chainsaw with blades on both ends (strength), throwing knives made out of broken glass and sheet weapons (dex), taser (dex), You Can Be A Doctor Too! Kit © H*sbro (wis), or Staff with a M*ck Truck Hood Ornament Glued Onto It (int).
Choose your spray can: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, chrome, pink.]
...Tch. No. They won't give us that option at all.
[What was initial surprise and shock hardens, like stone, into something more determined. Is this the Prism's doing? Likely, given the colors. And so far, nobody else is around. Maybe the rest are trapped in arenas like this. For now, they can't do anything about that, and there's no visible way to escape, and as far as anything...]
[Well, in any situation, Hot Pants is fight over flight, always.]
I don't see any other way out of this. And I'd rather have something to use. [She's stepping up, considering, before picking up the bat with nails. She hefts it, and then her eyes move to the spray cans. Yes. She's plucking up the pink one. It's not her beloved Cream Starter, but...whatever. A glance over her shoulder.] Ryunosuke, stay behind me. I'll keep guard of you.
[Notably doesn't say this to Vin. She feels Vin can take care of herself.]
[What was initial surprise and shock hardens, like stone, into something more determined. Is this the Prism's doing? Likely, given the colors. And so far, nobody else is around. Maybe the rest are trapped in arenas like this. For now, they can't do anything about that, and there's no visible way to escape, and as far as anything...]
[Well, in any situation, Hot Pants is fight over flight, always.]
I don't see any other way out of this. And I'd rather have something to use. [She's stepping up, considering, before picking up the bat with nails. She hefts it, and then her eyes move to the spray cans. Yes. She's plucking up the pink one. It's not her beloved Cream Starter, but...whatever. A glance over her shoulder.] Ryunosuke, stay behind me. I'll keep guard of you.
[Notably doesn't say this to Vin. She feels Vin can take care of herself.]
[she gives the both of them a short nod, even though she remains incredibly tense as they're given those instructions. she doesn't take long to make her selection, grabbing the throwing knives and a can of red spray paint.
to ryunosuke:]
...Yell if you need extra help.
[she trusts hot pants, though.]
to ryunosuke:]
...Yell if you need extra help.
[she trusts hot pants, though.]
[ this disrespect is completely warranted, unfortunately. he instinctively scoops up the h*sbro kit and the green paint can while they have the opportunity to 'arm' themselves.
it's all happening very quickly. he has never felt so starkly normal in his life. ]
Hang on, we haven't even seen what we're supposed to be doing—?
[ win two fights against who? how? ]
it's all happening very quickly. he has never felt so starkly normal in his life. ]
Hang on, we haven't even seen what we're supposed to be doing—?
[ win two fights against who? how? ]
[they watch as another fight in the arena finishes up. they can see a man in dark leather and a bone bird mask fleeing across the arena. he's moving quickly, but he can't move quickly enough to evade the young woman who chases him down, brutally slamming into him with a staff. the impact cracks open the mask, and you can see Vax'ildan's face. He's bleeding out from a wound to his head as he lies on the ground. He makes eye contact, just for a moment, with Vin. His eyes are wide and confused, but he does not appear to recognize her.
The crowd begins to roar again - a low hiss and then a stomping chant of MORE! MORE! MORE!
They may also notice, trapped in a cage outside the arena, a young girl. She's surrounded on either side by a metallic demon guard, carrying dangerous looking weapons. One of the metallic guards is holding a knife to her throat.
Vax's body is dragged away and the arena is cleared from the last fight and except for streaks of bright, blood across the ground and the kicked up dust. Enough to make you cough as the metal gates creak open with an ominous, groan of metal. You are free to walk into the arena. More than free, actually, there’s a few demons around you that are pushing and shoving you in so they can quickly close the gate behind you again.
On the other side, an equally rusty gate opens and steps a group of four, all looking equally as homoerotic and menacing as yourselves right now: a tough looking punk wielding a taser, a kid who looks pretty young to be here, but seems to be wielding a battleaxe made from tire rims, a spellcaster in tattered robes and a book of magic wearing a menacing jagged black helmet over his face, and a elderly man wearing spiked pads with no weapon, cracking his fists.
In the chaos, you might almost miss as the booming voice once more shouts:
BEGIN!]
The crowd begins to roar again - a low hiss and then a stomping chant of MORE! MORE! MORE!
They may also notice, trapped in a cage outside the arena, a young girl. She's surrounded on either side by a metallic demon guard, carrying dangerous looking weapons. One of the metallic guards is holding a knife to her throat.
Vax's body is dragged away and the arena is cleared from the last fight and except for streaks of bright, blood across the ground and the kicked up dust. Enough to make you cough as the metal gates creak open with an ominous, groan of metal. You are free to walk into the arena. More than free, actually, there’s a few demons around you that are pushing and shoving you in so they can quickly close the gate behind you again.
On the other side, an equally rusty gate opens and steps a group of four, all looking equally as homoerotic and menacing as yourselves right now: a tough looking punk wielding a taser, a kid who looks pretty young to be here, but seems to be wielding a battleaxe made from tire rims, a spellcaster in tattered robes and a book of magic wearing a menacing jagged black helmet over his face, and a elderly man wearing spiked pads with no weapon, cracking his fists.
In the chaos, you might almost miss as the booming voice once more shouts:
BEGIN!]
...!
[That's...Vax? She blinks, startled by his appearance, and before she can even register it, her eyes are drawn to the redheaded girl, shocked.]
C-Chinatsu?
[What is...going on? Vax is being dragged away. Something falls to the pit of her stomach here. People they know...is it really them? Just an illusion? She doesn't know. But she can't just lose focus here, not here, not now, not like that time, when things seemed so familiar, yet so alien-]
Four against three? Tch. [And she can guarantee that Ryunosuke doesn't have peak fighting ability here, or anything. Hot Pants shakes her head, sharpening her gaze.] Don't let them surround you, you two-!
[She's drawing the bat back in a hard stance, eyes darting between the four. Who should she focus on taking down, first? Who is the most dangerous here? She knows from experience, even someone who looks like they lack abilities, doesn't mean they don't have any.]
[...She makes a decision. She's moving in to swing the bat, hard, at the punk's chest.]
[That's...Vax? She blinks, startled by his appearance, and before she can even register it, her eyes are drawn to the redheaded girl, shocked.]
C-Chinatsu?
[What is...going on? Vax is being dragged away. Something falls to the pit of her stomach here. People they know...is it really them? Just an illusion? She doesn't know. But she can't just lose focus here, not here, not now, not like that time, when things seemed so familiar, yet so alien-]
Four against three? Tch. [And she can guarantee that Ryunosuke doesn't have peak fighting ability here, or anything. Hot Pants shakes her head, sharpening her gaze.] Don't let them surround you, you two-!
[She's drawing the bat back in a hard stance, eyes darting between the four. Who should she focus on taking down, first? Who is the most dangerous here? She knows from experience, even someone who looks like they lack abilities, doesn't mean they don't have any.]
[...She makes a decision. She's moving in to swing the bat, hard, at the punk's chest.]
Vax!
[as soon as they're let in, she tries to follow after him, but - he's taken away before she can make it to the people dragging him away. that means she doesn't hesitate before turning to the other combatants; the best thing to do here, she thinks, is win both of these fights so she can try to find where they took him. since hot pants has the one with the taser handled, vin is glancing between the other two before sending one knife sailing towards the spellcaster and one towards the elderly man, both tossed with a flash of amber.
at the same time, her guard is up, waiting to see what they'll do.]
[as soon as they're let in, she tries to follow after him, but - he's taken away before she can make it to the people dragging him away. that means she doesn't hesitate before turning to the other combatants; the best thing to do here, she thinks, is win both of these fights so she can try to find where they took him. since hot pants has the one with the taser handled, vin is glancing between the other two before sending one knife sailing towards the spellcaster and one towards the elderly man, both tossed with a flash of amber.
at the same time, her guard is up, waiting to see what they'll do.]
[ it's kind of astonishing how little time they have to adjust to this happening. ]
Chinatsu!
[ but the roar of the crowd and the four people across from them don't leave any time to be distracted, to process—is this real? how much of it is more of the prism's strange provocations?—and he has to snap his attention to the fight when hot pants calls out.
he's never been in a... battle? like this? but there's green gathering with nervous, instinctive energy at his fingertips as he watches their weapons suddenly soar out, his attention locked on how their enemies ('enemies?' they haven't even done anything to these people—) react. ]
Chinatsu!
[ but the roar of the crowd and the four people across from them don't leave any time to be distracted, to process—is this real? how much of it is more of the prism's strange provocations?—and he has to snap his attention to the fight when hot pants calls out.
he's never been in a... battle? like this? but there's green gathering with nervous, instinctive energy at his fingertips as he watches their weapons suddenly soar out, his attention locked on how their enemies ('enemies?' they haven't even done anything to these people—) react. ]
[sorry ryunosuke you're in the thunderdome now, things are moving fast. the crowd is cheering and roaring, and the sound of glee at the fight fills your ears, drowning everything else out. it's intense, and the spectors all seem eager to see blood spilled, but they don't care whether or not it's yours or the other group's.
MORE! MORE! MORE!
hot pants swings at the punk. he seems pretty quick on his feet, and the hit doesn't perfectly connect, slamming into his side with a squelching sound but as he dodges away, there isn't all that much blood there. his angry eyes flash fight back as he darts around and jams his taser into hot pants' side. it hurts, he seems to have jabbed her in just the right place that pain courses through her body, but it's not enough that she can't shake it off and keep going.
vin's knives flash bright amber as they fly through the air. but the old man is much faster than she realized he would be. he easily dodges the knife, as though it were nothing, darting around to the side in a smooth martial arts motion. however, rather than charge vin, he seems to go towards ryunosuke, trying to take a swing at him. his fists move almost too fast to see, and he'll feel at least one blow connect hard with his jaw.
the spellcaster is murmuring a spell to himself, and a wall of ice raises from the floor of the area, catching the other knife. both knives fly back to vin, but she'll find that they slash across her palms as she tries to grab onto them. however, when the spell caster attempts to send the wall of ice flying at vin, a shimmering green shield appears around her, protecting her from harm.
the leaves the kid with the battleaxe. it makes sense none of you focused on him, because he looks pretty young. too young to be in combat like this or much of a threat, right? but there's something feral in his eyes as he pulls a strange, twisted animal mask down over his face and charges at vin, striking her heavily with the battleaxe. the shimmering green shield breaks under the blow and shatters, and the axe comes down and slices into her shoulder painfully.
the crowd begins to scream and cheer when vin is struck with the axe.
Finish her! Finish her!]
MORE! MORE! MORE!
hot pants swings at the punk. he seems pretty quick on his feet, and the hit doesn't perfectly connect, slamming into his side with a squelching sound but as he dodges away, there isn't all that much blood there. his angry eyes flash fight back as he darts around and jams his taser into hot pants' side. it hurts, he seems to have jabbed her in just the right place that pain courses through her body, but it's not enough that she can't shake it off and keep going.
vin's knives flash bright amber as they fly through the air. but the old man is much faster than she realized he would be. he easily dodges the knife, as though it were nothing, darting around to the side in a smooth martial arts motion. however, rather than charge vin, he seems to go towards ryunosuke, trying to take a swing at him. his fists move almost too fast to see, and he'll feel at least one blow connect hard with his jaw.
the spellcaster is murmuring a spell to himself, and a wall of ice raises from the floor of the area, catching the other knife. both knives fly back to vin, but she'll find that they slash across her palms as she tries to grab onto them. however, when the spell caster attempts to send the wall of ice flying at vin, a shimmering green shield appears around her, protecting her from harm.
the leaves the kid with the battleaxe. it makes sense none of you focused on him, because he looks pretty young. too young to be in combat like this or much of a threat, right? but there's something feral in his eyes as he pulls a strange, twisted animal mask down over his face and charges at vin, striking her heavily with the battleaxe. the shimmering green shield breaks under the blow and shatters, and the axe comes down and slices into her shoulder painfully.
the crowd begins to scream and cheer when vin is struck with the axe.
Finish her! Finish her!]
[The taser slams into her side, and it feels like every inch of her is on fire-]
[A green steel ball slamming into her spine, jolting her body upward, the pain, the pain-]
AGH!
[She recoils, shaking - but, as memory serves to remind her, this is nothing new. She's had worse. Everything is intact. She can fight. She has to fight-]
[Except as she turns, her eyes catch what's happening, and her breath dies in her throat for the moment, momentary fear gripping her heart.]
N-No! VIN!
[She can't focus on the punk now. Her bat alights with a ferocious green glow as she runs towards the girl and the kid with the battleaxe. She doesn't care. This is the threat. She can't let a child be thrown into danger, not like this, not like this-]
BACK OFF-!
[She's putting herself between the kid and Vin to slam her bat directly at his scalp.]
[A green steel ball slamming into her spine, jolting her body upward, the pain, the pain-]
AGH!
[She recoils, shaking - but, as memory serves to remind her, this is nothing new. She's had worse. Everything is intact. She can fight. She has to fight-]
[Except as she turns, her eyes catch what's happening, and her breath dies in her throat for the moment, momentary fear gripping her heart.]
N-No! VIN!
[She can't focus on the punk now. Her bat alights with a ferocious green glow as she runs towards the girl and the kid with the battleaxe. She doesn't care. This is the threat. She can't let a child be thrown into danger, not like this, not like this-]
BACK OFF-!
[She's putting herself between the kid and Vin to slam her bat directly at his scalp.]
[she makes a small noise of pain when the knives slice across her palms, making them slick with blood immediately, but she manages to hold on. she's focused enough on keeping a grip on them that she doesn't have time to react before the boy in the animal mask is too close to her - there's just a moment where her eyes widen and she tries to move backward before the axe slams into her shoulder. she can't really help the scream of pain that it brings, and she's instinctively bringing one of her knives up to retaliate - but hot pants, a blessing to us all, intercedes first.
she takes a step back away from the two of them, stumbling as she does and pressing a hand to the wound - but her free hand goes to the can of paint, spraying some over her mouth. it seems like a good time to see what this does. then, with a wince of pain, she's tossing both knives with another flash of amber towards the elderly man, hoping he won't be quick enough to dodge both. regardless of her injury, they still have to win, so she tries to focus through the pain.]
she takes a step back away from the two of them, stumbling as she does and pressing a hand to the wound - but her free hand goes to the can of paint, spraying some over her mouth. it seems like a good time to see what this does. then, with a wince of pain, she's tossing both knives with another flash of amber towards the elderly man, hoping he won't be quick enough to dodge both. regardless of her injury, they still have to win, so she tries to focus through the pain.]
[ hot pants is still moving. that's good, even if she clearly took a blow. and in a way, he's lucky. he doesn't know how to beat a man to death, but if there's anything he is used to, it's taking a punch. this one is vicious though; he feels his jaw clack shut, vision spinning for a moment as he staggers back. it takes him a moment to recover, and by then...
the shield doesn't survive a second blow, and his heart leaps up into his throat as the crowd roars into a din over bloodshed. vin is bleeding. she's—
they're really trying to kill her.
he tries to push back against the elderly man that's trying to punch him to bits, but his attention isn't focused on a counterattack, defensive in the way he frames his arms as vin throws her blades; this time, it's a golden yellow glow that sparks from his palms. ]
the shield doesn't survive a second blow, and his heart leaps up into his throat as the crowd roars into a din over bloodshed. vin is bleeding. she's—
they're really trying to kill her.
he tries to push back against the elderly man that's trying to punch him to bits, but his attention isn't focused on a counterattack, defensive in the way he frames his arms as vin throws her blades; this time, it's a golden yellow glow that sparks from his palms. ]
[hot pants' bat slams into the kid's skull with a sickening crunch. blood streams down the nails of her bat as the kid crumples to the ground, his animal mask falling away, letting you see just how young he really is right as his eyes begin to go blank.
the crowd goes nuts. there's chanting now and screaming from the seats. Hot Pants! Hot Pants!
as this is happening, the punk watches the kid bleed out on the ground, and in a furious rage, he charges at hot pants, jabbing her once again with the taser. this time, it hits her badly, enough to make her stumble and see white for a moment.
vin, meanwhile, sprays the can in her face. it's an unpleasant, metallic taste, and crimson paint drips down her mouth. as soon as she does it, however, her thoughts clear away. a terrible fury overtakes her, blocking out the roar of the crowds or even the knowledge of anyone else. she just feels tunnel vision and the desire to hurt. that extra fury seems to put a little more power behind her throw when she throws her knives at the elderly man.
he takes another swing at ryunosuke, cracking into his side. it's painful, but ryunosuke seems to be withstanding the blows. and another, and then one of vin's knives slashes across his arm and another drives into his eye. he stumbles back, caught off guard for a moment. ryunosuke casts his spell, and the golden yellow glow washes over vin. she will feel a little less injured, and she will see some of the wound from the ax close up.
but that leaves the spellcaster. he looks like a frail older man, unhealthily pale with a long matted beard, but you should probably never ignore the spellcaster. he casts a spell and a barrage of wasteland creatures appears on the field, two headed wolves and screaming eagles, all blue with fangs dripping with frost. an eagle dives at ryunosuke and when its talons drive into his arm, he will feel that arm go frozen, immobile. the eagle vanishes in a puff of blue smoke as soon as this happens. a wolf snarls and circles the field, watching all of them warily.]
the crowd goes nuts. there's chanting now and screaming from the seats. Hot Pants! Hot Pants!
as this is happening, the punk watches the kid bleed out on the ground, and in a furious rage, he charges at hot pants, jabbing her once again with the taser. this time, it hits her badly, enough to make her stumble and see white for a moment.
vin, meanwhile, sprays the can in her face. it's an unpleasant, metallic taste, and crimson paint drips down her mouth. as soon as she does it, however, her thoughts clear away. a terrible fury overtakes her, blocking out the roar of the crowds or even the knowledge of anyone else. she just feels tunnel vision and the desire to hurt. that extra fury seems to put a little more power behind her throw when she throws her knives at the elderly man.
he takes another swing at ryunosuke, cracking into his side. it's painful, but ryunosuke seems to be withstanding the blows. and another, and then one of vin's knives slashes across his arm and another drives into his eye. he stumbles back, caught off guard for a moment. ryunosuke casts his spell, and the golden yellow glow washes over vin. she will feel a little less injured, and she will see some of the wound from the ax close up.
but that leaves the spellcaster. he looks like a frail older man, unhealthily pale with a long matted beard, but you should probably never ignore the spellcaster. he casts a spell and a barrage of wasteland creatures appears on the field, two headed wolves and screaming eagles, all blue with fangs dripping with frost. an eagle dives at ryunosuke and when its talons drive into his arm, he will feel that arm go frozen, immobile. the eagle vanishes in a puff of blue smoke as soon as this happens. a wolf snarls and circles the field, watching all of them warily.]
...
[A face flashes. So young. He was so young. And she's pushing him forward-]
[The kid falls. The momentary pain that grips her heart is overridden by the taser. She cries aloud again, legs becoming weak, but she twists the bat to catch herself, the screams of her name ringing in her ears.]
[Vin. Vin is...she blinks, and she sees a flash of crimson, and the wild look burning in her eyes. Ryunosuke, he's...that eagle is coming down to attack him, and there's...there's a wolf, now, stalking the field. It's all overwhelming. It all feels like that time on the train, and...]
No...
[Her rage flares, biting out the pain, the weakness - she twists and focuses on that DAMN punk with that DAMN thing that keeps hurting her - and another flare of green surrounds the bat as she lets her inhibition go. It's fine. She kills people. She'll kill this one, too.
[And with a raging cry, she practically throws herself at him, bashing his body over and over and over, unforgiving to the extreme.]
[A face flashes. So young. He was so young. And she's pushing him forward-]
[The kid falls. The momentary pain that grips her heart is overridden by the taser. She cries aloud again, legs becoming weak, but she twists the bat to catch herself, the screams of her name ringing in her ears.]
[Vin. Vin is...she blinks, and she sees a flash of crimson, and the wild look burning in her eyes. Ryunosuke, he's...that eagle is coming down to attack him, and there's...there's a wolf, now, stalking the field. It's all overwhelming. It all feels like that time on the train, and...]
No...
[Her rage flares, biting out the pain, the weakness - she twists and focuses on that DAMN punk with that DAMN thing that keeps hurting her - and another flare of green surrounds the bat as she lets her inhibition go. It's fine. She kills people. She'll kill this one, too.
[And with a raging cry, she practically throws herself at him, bashing his body over and over and over, unforgiving to the extreme.]
[her knives sail into the old man's eye and arm before returning to her, but - somehow that doesn't make her feel any better. she scans for a target, somewhere to release this anger, and since the opponent she just hit is already wounded, and hot pants has the fighter with the taser taken care of—
this time, even though these are throwing knives, she's holding one in each hand as she tosses herself at the spellcaster with a cry of rage, aiming for his eyes, his throat, his chest. slashing and stabbing anywhere that she thinks will be fatal or exceptionally painful. it's easier to move now that the pain has lessened and her shoulder has knit itself back together slightly.]
this time, even though these are throwing knives, she's holding one in each hand as she tosses herself at the spellcaster with a cry of rage, aiming for his eyes, his throat, his chest. slashing and stabbing anywhere that she thinks will be fatal or exceptionally painful. it's easier to move now that the pain has lessened and her shoulder has knit itself back together slightly.]
[ watching a knife land in a man's eye socket—the viciousness behind hot pants's attack—the scream vin lets out as she goes with a freshly mended arm to hurt the man attacking them. it's far more visceral than anything he's used to. he can't watch that bat come down again. it makes his ears ring, the pain in his arm distant until it goes numb completely.
but he counts in his head, thoughts racing—vin has the spellcaster in her sights, hot pants already felled the boy with the axe, and is going for the remaining punk. that leaves the martial artist, who he has to at least trip up or he'll go and lash back against one of the others. or him.
please just work! he thinks, throwing himself forward to grapple him down, green winding around his arm again to try and fix the ice in his veins. here's hoping he grab's someone's ability to fight and not hot pant's skill at making roast beef sandwiches. ]
but he counts in his head, thoughts racing—vin has the spellcaster in her sights, hot pants already felled the boy with the axe, and is going for the remaining punk. that leaves the martial artist, who he has to at least trip up or he'll go and lash back against one of the others. or him.
please just work! he thinks, throwing himself forward to grapple him down, green winding around his arm again to try and fix the ice in his veins. here's hoping he grab's someone's ability to fight and not hot pant's skill at making roast beef sandwiches. ]
[ok wow you lucked out my rolls were so bad this round.
hot pants' bat slams into the side of the punk with the taser, which he drops, leaving her free to bash him again and again into a pulp. was he really so bad, hot pants? was he really a punk or did he just like to dye his hair? we'll never know, because he's now a reddish-purple mush on the ground.
the rage vin feels continues to put extra force into her throws. she almost gets the sense that the red paint makes her deal more damage but also more vulnerable to attack? or at least she'd get that sense if she wasn't having a meltdown. still, the first knife strikes the spellcaster hard in the gut. he screams, and the wolf vanishes in a puff of blue smoke. he's still standing, though, even when the second knife skewers him through the shoulder. he's looking pretty bad off, but he's raising his hands to cast something again, sending shards of ice back at vin. vin is once again looking pretty hurt.
ryunosuke will be able to heal his own arm. and with that roll, he becomes an absolute master at making roast beef sandwiches. he realizes that the motion of making a sandwich is remarkably similar to the motion of a punch. the martial artist continues to try to attack him, but ryunosuke moves fluidly out of the way of the attacks, jabbing at pressure points as though he's pressing a slab of roast beef onto a slice of bread.
you have two opponents left, and they're both old, old men. the spellcaster who is looking very hurt, and the monk, who appears to have a bit of wind left in him. the crowd is absolutely losing their minds now.
Finish it! Finish it! mixes with cries of Hot Pants! Hot Pants! and some smaller, weaker cries of guy who's friends with Hot Pants! The crowd wants you to end this. Do it.]
hot pants' bat slams into the side of the punk with the taser, which he drops, leaving her free to bash him again and again into a pulp. was he really so bad, hot pants? was he really a punk or did he just like to dye his hair? we'll never know, because he's now a reddish-purple mush on the ground.
the rage vin feels continues to put extra force into her throws. she almost gets the sense that the red paint makes her deal more damage but also more vulnerable to attack? or at least she'd get that sense if she wasn't having a meltdown. still, the first knife strikes the spellcaster hard in the gut. he screams, and the wolf vanishes in a puff of blue smoke. he's still standing, though, even when the second knife skewers him through the shoulder. he's looking pretty bad off, but he's raising his hands to cast something again, sending shards of ice back at vin. vin is once again looking pretty hurt.
ryunosuke will be able to heal his own arm. and with that roll, he becomes an absolute master at making roast beef sandwiches. he realizes that the motion of making a sandwich is remarkably similar to the motion of a punch. the martial artist continues to try to attack him, but ryunosuke moves fluidly out of the way of the attacks, jabbing at pressure points as though he's pressing a slab of roast beef onto a slice of bread.
you have two opponents left, and they're both old, old men. the spellcaster who is looking very hurt, and the monk, who appears to have a bit of wind left in him. the crowd is absolutely losing their minds now.
Finish it! Finish it! mixes with cries of Hot Pants! Hot Pants! and some smaller, weaker cries of guy who's friends with Hot Pants! The crowd wants you to end this. Do it.]
[He's gone. He's gone. He's gone. No more. Enough. ]
[She heaves a breath, pain lacing through her lungs as she draws back from what was once a person. It's just part of the job. It's just part of the job. Calm down. Breath deep, she tells herself. She's in control.]
[She twists. Now, its time to focus on the rest - and she catches the sight of Ryunosuke using a sudden roast-beef-sandwich-based form of martial arts to beat the shit out of a man.]
[....You know what! Okay! That's happening!]
[Two left. She cringes at Vin getting hit, and now moves forward, more determined than ever. The spellcaster hurt Vin, so...]
Hey. [She says, roughly, bat at the ready. She isn't even listening to the screams of the crowd.] It's over. Don't put up a fight. Don't die shamefully. Just die as you are.
[A draw of the arm back.....and she intends to end it in one blow, straight to the head.]
[Swing, batter batter, swing-]
[She heaves a breath, pain lacing through her lungs as she draws back from what was once a person. It's just part of the job. It's just part of the job. Calm down. Breath deep, she tells herself. She's in control.]
[She twists. Now, its time to focus on the rest - and she catches the sight of Ryunosuke using a sudden roast-beef-sandwich-based form of martial arts to beat the shit out of a man.]
[....You know what! Okay! That's happening!]
[Two left. She cringes at Vin getting hit, and now moves forward, more determined than ever. The spellcaster hurt Vin, so...]
Hey. [She says, roughly, bat at the ready. She isn't even listening to the screams of the crowd.] It's over. Don't put up a fight. Don't die shamefully. Just die as you are.
[A draw of the arm back.....and she intends to end it in one blow, straight to the head.]
[Swing, batter batter, swing-]
[she pulls the knives out of his gut and his shoulder just in time for him to summon those shards of ice - one of them hits her in the arm, and one grazes against the side of her calf. she bites down a cry of pain again, stepping back once hot pants moves towards the spellcaster.
since there's only one other combatant left and ryunosuke is hopefully distracting him - she throws both knives towards the old man with a burst of crystalline.]
since there's only one other combatant left and ryunosuke is hopefully distracting him - she throws both knives towards the old man with a burst of crystalline.]
[ —okay, that was odd. he's never needed to know how to actually fight, but suddenly his movements are as a well-balanced meal. a well-balanced sandwich.
but it's obviously not enough to kill him—which isn't what he's going for, anyway? even with the crowd screaming for blood, the thought makes his stomach feel like rocks tumbling around in his middle.
but he can't just sit here and let this man attack him, either. before he's interrupted, he steadies his breathing just enough to cast color out again: a sunny yellow that follows after vin's ever-accumulating wounds.
and that's about all he gets to do before he has to grapple this man or die trying, apparently. ] Sir, please—
but it's obviously not enough to kill him—which isn't what he's going for, anyway? even with the crowd screaming for blood, the thought makes his stomach feel like rocks tumbling around in his middle.
but he can't just sit here and let this man attack him, either. before he's interrupted, he steadies his breathing just enough to cast color out again: a sunny yellow that follows after vin's ever-accumulating wounds.
and that's about all he gets to do before he has to grapple this man or die trying, apparently. ] Sir, please—
[she swings her bat. it connects with the back of the spellcaster's head. it isn't a straightforward hit and it doesn't quite connect, but he's been hurt pretty badly and that's enough. he goes down, crumpling in a heap.
Hot Pants! Hot Pants!
the crowds cheers, however, turn to jeers and boos as ryunosuke tries to grapple the old man instead of finishing it. ryunosuke will hear a scream from nearby. if he looks up, he'll see that a guard is holding a knife to chinatsu's throat, pressing it into her neck and drawing blood. it seems that pacificism isn't appreciated here.
but before anything else happens, two brilliant, shining crystal knives whiz past him, landing into the old man. he goes still, a knife embedded deep in his throat. the crowd roars again, and the demons leap to their feet, applauding and cheering.
Vin! Vin! Vin!
It seems you're victorious. At least for now. You're still standing in the middle of the arena. There are a few gates open here and there. You're all pretty injured, although as the dust clears, Vin heals a little more with the burst of sunny energy from Ryunosuke. She feels fresh and energized.
Take a moment to bask in your success?]
Hot Pants! Hot Pants!
the crowds cheers, however, turn to jeers and boos as ryunosuke tries to grapple the old man instead of finishing it. ryunosuke will hear a scream from nearby. if he looks up, he'll see that a guard is holding a knife to chinatsu's throat, pressing it into her neck and drawing blood. it seems that pacificism isn't appreciated here.
but before anything else happens, two brilliant, shining crystal knives whiz past him, landing into the old man. he goes still, a knife embedded deep in his throat. the crowd roars again, and the demons leap to their feet, applauding and cheering.
Vin! Vin! Vin!
It seems you're victorious. At least for now. You're still standing in the middle of the arena. There are a few gates open here and there. You're all pretty injured, although as the dust clears, Vin heals a little more with the burst of sunny energy from Ryunosuke. She feels fresh and energized.
Take a moment to bask in your success?]
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