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  1. #4336

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    As Willa grappled with Blizzar, Ochazuke kept his guard up, yet in this strange contorted place, as was his usual method he had been analyzing its breadth and its nature. Much like where he left Master Balon, Sasheem and Zaofan at the other end of the world, it was as if this place existed apart from the world outside. Despite its enclosure set in the cavern wall below Charlie Base being quite visible and the event that they had very tangibly been thrown through it, the physical passage before their eyes did not seem to exist in a manner which was synchronous to the world outside. It was at this moment that, feeling through the medium from which he'd refined his sublime sensory skill, that he realized the truth of this place.

    This was a Leyline cluster, a collected point wherein the energy of the planet had coalesced. Drawn from the Earth itself, it had sustained not only this place, but within, it began to twist, spiral, and gather toward a summit point in the distance.

    Halfway between here and that Twisted Peak in the distance was Kenshiko.

    Willa's Rose Flare began to swell and bloom once more. If they were going to get through to her they needed another angle of attack. Closing his left fist, Ochazuke concentrated through the bleeding wound that refused to heal once struck by Excalibur.

    Casting out the neutralization energies of Kongosho, a wave of force struck out and stopped the motion of the razor's petals. A paltry effort, but for where the Martial Artist's mind was on the legacy of his forbearers and the master that had left him behind.

    "Her path is set...and so is mine. I need to move out," Ochazuke said, "Held, can I leave the Colenel to you?"

  2. #4337
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    Quote Originally Posted by grampagen View Post
    As Willa grappled with Blizzar, Ochazuke kept his guard up, yet in this strange contorted place, as was his usual method he had been analyzing its breadth and its nature. Much like where he left Master Balon, Sasheem and Zaofan at the other end of the world, it was as if this place existed apart from the world outside. Despite its enclosure set in the cavern wall below Charlie Base being quite visible and the event that they had very tangibly been thrown through it, the physical passage before their eyes did not seem to exist in a manner which was synchronous to the world outside. It was at this moment that, feeling through the medium from which he'd refined his sublime sensory skill, that he realized the truth of this place.

    This was a Leyline cluster, a collected point wherein the energy of the planet had coalesced. Drawn from the Earth itself, it had sustained not only this place, but within, it began to twist, spiral, and gather toward a summit point in the distance.

    Halfway between here and that Twisted Peak in the distance was Kenshiko.

    Willa's Rose Flare began to swell and bloom once more. If they were going to get through to her they needed another angle of attack. Closing his left fist, Ochazuke concentrated through the bleeding wound that refused to heal once struck by Excalibur.

    Casting out the neutralization energies of Kongosho, a wave of force struck out and stopped the motion of the razor's petals. A paltry effort, but for where the Martial Artist's mind was on the legacy of his forbearers and the master that had left him behind.

    "Her path is set...and so is mine. I need to move out," Ochazuke said, "Held, can I leave the Colenel to you?"
    Held glanced at his comrade out of the corner of his eyes as he made his query. The majority of his gaze focused on the exchange of blows between Willa and Blizzar. It was clear that her abilities had grown considerably since the last time they had crossed blades--As evidenced by Jack's unconscious and bloody form--but he had not quite had time to gather the measure of her improvement.

    Instinctively, he felt some concern for the Acrosian. However, he dismissed it a moment later. Blizzar was a skilled and hearty warrior, unlikely to be defeated easily....Injured badly perhaps, but it was a risk Held was willing to take, for a moment.

    It was unlikely to be something Held could not undo, and the lack of involvement could pay dividends.

    Knowledge was power, after all. Held was in no hurry to go off half cocked again, like he had been forced to be against the stone beasts. To complicate matters, Jack was a liability, as injured as he was. The thought had occurred to leave Blizzar to handle Willia, as Kenshiko's ambition was the greater threat....

    But that would entail leaving Jack as leverage for Willia to exploit. They were relatives, yes. But the Red Raiders had made it quite clear they had no intention to let anything get in the way of their goals. She might have been willing to spare Jack in a situation favorable to her, but there was little telling what she would attempt when pressed.

    Taking Jack along with himself and Ochazuke would have had a similar risk...No, perhaps it would have been even more of an impediment for the Nevadian, if he was carting Jack's near-corpse over his shoulder. Kenshiko was quite the predator, and a splendid soldier. She was rather unlikely to let such an opportunity pass.

    And both of these scenarios relied on the somewhat optimistic assumption that his blood loss and injuries were minor enough to for the Nevadian to simply overlook rendering aid. If it could be helped, the Nevadian would prefer not to add to his friend's somewhat considerable death count.

    It was a careful balancing act, the need for information to defeat Willa swiftly, combined with the lack of time before Kenshiko completed her works.

    "Go for it." Held replied simply, nodding his head as he studied his foe. "We'll be along shortly after we sort out this mess."

    ....I need to get Jack off the battlefield..Or at least out of the way.
    Last edited by Miburo; 06-15-2021 at 10:02 AM.

  3. #4338

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    With a possibly final exchange of words, the warriors parted and the united group thinned by one member. With the swiftness of the Wolf's Prowl Ochazuke sprinted off, up into the twisted maze of ancient column and steps that led up they Leyline path towards that shining point in the distance fading away into darkness.

    Meanwhile, Held had his own dilemma to contend with, and through the parting in the field of Rose Flare shards Ochazuke had cut through, he could see Willa there. It seemed she held no mind for the gap in her defensive field as she cast it up, for she was still holding Lieutenant Blizzar at her mercy. With his formidable fisticuffs given pause by her weapon, by this time the point of her crossguard slowly began to eat into the shelled surface of his helmet.

    The field of slashing petals was not passive, for they swirled in a perimeter around her, and at the furthest end, they surrounded the broken body of Jack Knave who lay face-first on the cavern floor, unconscious.

  4. #4339
    Astonishing Member KingofPie's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by grampagen View Post
    With a possibly final exchange of words, the warriors parted and the united group thinned by one member. With the swiftness of the Wolf's Prowl Ochazuke sprinted off, up into the twisted maze of ancient column and steps that led up they Leyline path towards that shining point in the distance fading away into darkness.

    Meanwhile, Held had his own dilemma to contend with, and through the parting in the field of Rose Flare shards Ochazuke had cut through, he could see Willa there. It seemed she held no mind for the gap in her defensive field as she cast it up, for she was still holding Lieutenant Blizzar at her mercy. With his formidable fisticuffs given pause by her weapon, by this time the point of her crossguard slowly began to eat into the shelled surface of his helmet.

    The field of slashing petals was not passive, for they swirled in a perimeter around her, and at the furthest end, they surrounded the broken body of Jack Knave who lay face-first on the cavern floor, unconscious.
    Blizzar grunted as his armored shell began to crack beneath Willa's crossguard and the pressure of the room's gravity began to weigh down on him, greatly decreasing his options to maneuver out of the way. As he blocked, the floor beneath him began to crack much like his chitinous shell. Still, he made no attempt to escape and opted to continue defending despite the purple blood beginning to seep from his pieced carapace.

    But perhaps the room's gravity could be used to their advantage. Hovering in the air, above Willa were Jack's pair of katchin knives. Taking most of his concentration to keep them suspended against the room's heavy pressure, just out of view as he weathered Willa's assault, he decided his potential imminent demise was good enough reason to let them drop, letting the force of the room's gravity do the work as his telekinesis pushed them further down at each of Willa's shoulders.

  5. #4340

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    "What's wrong, Officer? Lost your tongue?" Willa snarled as she pressed her advantage downward upon Blizzar. "No more pretty words or pitches to save the world as you sell it out beneath us?"

    Her black tresses clung to her face, exhuding fury about eyes.

    "Galactic Police my ass. How many other worlds have you-"

    Quote Originally Posted by KingofPie View Post
    Blizzar grunted as his armored shell began to crack beneath Willa's crossguard and the pressure of the room's gravity began to weigh down on him, greatly decreasing his options to maneuver out of the way. As he blocked, the floor beneath him began to crack much like his chitinous shell. Still, he made no attempt to escape and opted to continue defending despite the purple blood beginning to seep from his pieced carapace.

    But perhaps the room's gravity could be used to their advantage. Hovering in the air, above Willa were Jack's pair of katchin knives. Taking most of his concentration to keep them suspended against the room's heavy pressure, just out of view as he weathered Willa's assault, he decided his potential imminent demise was good enough reason to let them drop, letting the force of the room's gravity do the work as his telekinesis pushed them further down at each of Willa's shoulders.
    The knives fell, and their increased density magnified the weight of their descent along with the force of Blizzar's telekinesis at such focused points managed to penetrate the shroud of the Lion's Mane which surrounded Willa.

    As the black blades bit their tips into her shoulders, her eyes widened -as if in disbelief - and the Red Colonel's grip loosened for a moment as she fell to one knee.

  6. #4341

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    The flow of blood from the wound Excalibur left did not stop its flow. Though bearing the wound of Arthur's inheritance, Ochazuke chased after a different legacy entirely over the path that had been violently hewn over the ancient ruin of the First Guardian's kingdom. Climbing over the twisted structures of this inverted world, he followed the trail Kenshiko had left behind her. Where her fingers had gouged stone and heavy boots smashed upon columns reaching ever upward into the distance, it was becoming readily apparent that he hadn't much time left. Against the hidden tyrant that lurked in the heart of Willa Rautt, she who wielded the mighty sword in order to reap the future of this world, he had to entrust this battle to those who visited here from off planet.

    By trial or happenstance, you've invested a great deal into this world. As an ally I can only regret that I cannot stand by your side...but as a friend...

    Trite formalities spirited into his thoughts for a moment for Blizzar and Held, and Ochazuke split his lips into a small grin, even as the split edges of the wound upon his forearm dripped crimson through the wraps futilely binding them.

    ...I could have none better.

    Leaving the thought of the threat behind him, he pulled himself over the outrcropping, climbing through the dilapidated remains of this structure. Much as the Leyline had carried them to this place, the Seal of Zxu'ro had barred a something else hidden within this strange space. Even with his flight lost to him, Ochazuke was not without his skills, and with it perception of the cursed manner of this chamber, and its expanse which dwarfed the Geofront, a world hidden within a world. The enormity struck him when, upon next plateau upwards, he was greeted a horizon filled with shattered alabaster pillars as far as his eye could see, the greatest of which stood like a pearl spike reaching ever upward. There was mounted a cascade of steps like the spiraling, blanched bones of some behemoth leading up into an impossibly rendered sky, stretching its subterranean expanse above from the marble and granite. Further from the displaced ground miles below, paradoxically it seemed as if the leyline energies pooled and grew stronger the higher he climbed.

    By the nature of the arts and skills he had cultivated, Ochazuke had been privy to certain aspects of the true nature of this place. Similar to the crystal deposit veins that animated the Golems, they were reactive vessels, though knowing that in of itself proved yet more confounding. Moving astride these energies it was as if he has stumbled into a distant memory, a living consciousness, set in the body of the Earth itself. Buried by the Ancient One in his vendetta against the denizens of the old kingdom, the subtle stream carried upon it the memory of ages, and flickering in momentary visions, it was more than a dream, but a record of the ephemeral past of the planet itself. The hopes and dreams of Vermillion, the trials of the Master who came after the Guardian, as Ochazuke drew upon it to bolster himself in the techniques of the Wolf and the Bear, though he was aware of it, he paid it little mind in the moment; before his eyes there were the stairs that led upward.

    _____

    The air was thin over the slopes of Isan. Far before dawn it began, another day of grueling training for would-be alcolytes in the outskirts of Ori City. Far from the city with its glass and steel buildings and congested traffic filled with the crowded doldrums of urban misery, the den of the Tiger Twins remained wild on the edges of the rural rice paddies and plantain farms. In the darkness, he threw one foot after the other in the sweltering heat. Even at this elevation, the humidity that rose from the lowlands atop the banyan tree forest made each breath lose its vital substance. Very soon daybreak would boil the moisture in the air; if they were lucky, they would come to that before they made it halfway.

    The whole time, Kru Kenshiko ran the pace backwards, looking upon them as her toes weaved between the rock and root sprawled on the dirt path beneath them. Miles high and far, not a drop of perspiration upon her, only a smile, filled with hopeful excitement and a hunger to craft students from thes ragtags. She kept ahead with a pace as natural as breathing, as if it fell to her memory with a practiced ease and whether hard turn or descent, her eyes never wavered as she beckoned them to meet her.

    Taking the road blindly with tactile sensation alone. He remembered thinking that through her smile there was the legacy of their ancient enemy. Bya Kau the Black Tiger King, had passed his art on to them, Eight limbs fashioned to crush the enemy, cultivate the spirit to shatter the malefaction of Mara with the strength to fight off the Asuras themselves.

    The grudge of two thousand years from the slighting of the Crane Founder gave him his wings and stole his flight forward.


    _____

    The legacy of the Mother Art. Eight limbs of the human body, so limited and frail but for the time that it had yet left to it to excel. Each drop of his blood on the road there reminded Ochazuke just how finite it was.

    As he continued to rise above that ephemeral plane, he followed her ki in the distance. Kenshiko's presence was unmistakable, and from where she stood there at the peak, the force radiated down the walls of this chamber, when suddenly like the rising storm the sounds of hideous clashing smote the apex and shattered the air. There atop of the rising spire, a miasma of energy shook the sky and the entire plane quaked.

    "The Lion's Roar...no..."

    The last two guardians of the shrines had called her usurper. What terrible thing had been wrought when the wrathful had been adorned with the power of the Ten Schools?

    ______

    It was monsoon season then. He remembered, fot the rain fell blood-hot through the patches in the roof. He'd all but died that day Grand Master Chahan put him down with a single Dodonpa through the back. For all the training, the hours of dedication, all he had for his hubris was a weighted weakness. Everything he had left to push back the darkness, just to open his eyes, left him stark in his thoughts, paralyzed and helpless to move as he watched his past students and his newly found brothers kill one another to the last man.

    That matter of honour, it was the final stroke that made the elder of the Twin Tigers put down that damned bottle. The Grandmaster's ki, it was nigh impenetrable, forged and solidified from millennia of tradition, and yet somehow, she found a way. For all her genius and talent, Kaibyo never could explain things well, if ever. That was why Kenshiko was the teacher, but that night, she showed why she was the master for a brief, shining moment, it seemed as if victory would be hers.

    Until the arts of Kikojutsu had fallen upon her as the last Crane acolytes sacrificed their lives in suicide attacks. Those graceful limbs would never move again as they were severed in an instant of fanatical devotion.

    He held her close as they lay there, the last dredges of what they had rediscovered had sealed their fate...until she decided to use the very same art he'd shown her to pass her last breath to him.


    ______

    Ajarn. Even for everything we'd had...I'd forsaken you.

    He'd sworn an oath to himself he could never fulfil, even with the borrowed time he yet lived on. The last ember of her life sealed the scar over his heart in a covenant to find her twin sister and save all this from happening. Yet four years after burying Kaibyo he'd drift off looking to die, until the Old Turtle who taught him meditation gave him the skill to remember.

    Be that as it may, my life is no longer my own. For your sake, for all of my brothers among the fallen Tigers...still I am still chasing after her.

    That Man held dominion of this world, and the Eye of Auroc leered from the darkness in battles yet to come. More than ever, the legacy of the Ten Hands of Zxu'ro were needed to turn the dark tide that had fallen over the universe.

    As he drew upon the nascent energies of the place, it was not the memory-echoes of the Earth that gave him the strength to move forward, but the remains of her spirit she had intertwined within his.

    If it's the last thing I do, I'll bring her back.
    Last edited by grampagen; 07-03-2021 at 11:10 PM.

  7. #4342
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    Quote Originally Posted by grampagen View Post
    With a possibly final exchange of words, the warriors parted and the united group thinned by one member. With the swiftness of the Wolf's Prowl Ochazuke sprinted off, up into the twisted maze of ancient column and steps that led up they Leyline path towards that shining point in the distance fading away into darkness.

    Meanwhile, Held had his own dilemma to contend with, and through the parting in the field of Rose Flare shards Ochazuke had cut through, he could see Willa there. It seemed she held no mind for the gap in her defensive field as she cast it up, for she was still holding Lieutenant Blizzar at her mercy. With his formidable fisticuffs given pause by her weapon, by this time the point of her crossguard slowly began to eat into the shelled surface of his helmet.

    The field of slashing petals was not passive, for they swirled in a perimeter around her, and at the furthest end, they surrounded the broken body of Jack Knave who lay face-first on the cavern floor, unconscious.
    Held had met Willa several times over the years. It seemed almost like a lifetime ago, when things were far, far simpler. In someways, she served as the catalyst to induct him into the madness of this world. After all, had she not tried to attack Jinzi, the two would never have met, nor would Held have taken possession of the Dragon Radar. Infact, he would likely not have met Basura or Zao Fan, a trio who banded together to....

    (Well, Held mostly wished to get paid. He had no idea why Basura was involved. Zao Fan was always a good guy, so he likely would have stood against piracy, promise of a reward or not.)

    No. That was not entirely true. Evangeline had managed to alter fate on some level, so it was perhaps meant to be that both his friends, and Willa were part of that destiny. She no doubt personally harbored a grudge against him, thanks in no small part to his spearheading the raid that overtook her base, defeating her master Sargent--or perhaps allowing her to defeat herself was more accurate--and looting her treasury to boot.

    Even now, the brace adorned his body, a trophy of conquests past.

    But, he did not know her in the most personal sense. He understood the motives of the Red Raiders, broadly. He knew what drove them. He had even crossed blades with Willa for a moment, briefly.

    But, at this moment, Held felt that he knew Willa just enough for form a definitive opinion of the woman.

    He was not overly fond of her.

    It was perhaps more due to elegance of her attack, than anything she had said or done. It was ingenious, on some level. Held had assumed that she had learned the attack to put the enemy on the defensive, create a fluid, shifting offense if need be.

    It was perhaps naive to assign something so passive and simple to the leader of the Red Raiders.

    Jack lay prone on the battlefield, if not straddling the line between dead and dying, than certainly close to it. A less composed mind would have felt compelled to recklessly rush into the fray, into the razor sharp petals. They would not only harm themselves, but risk further injury to their comrades via the explosive properties of the petals.

    The Nevadian idly wondered just how many men had been lost to this technique, in a futile attempt to save a wounded comrade.

    It was certainly an ingenious method, if a tad unbecoming.

    Still, the Nevadian was rarely reckless. Haste makes waste, as the humans say.

    His two long spears were embedded point first into the earth, his short sliver spear in his off-hand.

    The blood red eyes of the Shingan were fixated. Not on Willa, or Jack, but simply on the petals that swayed gently in the air like falling leaves from a tree. There was always openings in such attacks, as minute as they were.

    And there was always some way to maneuver.

    If Held were in the mood to display his skill, he would have attempted to deftly weave between petals, dodging here, using a delicate touch there, gently redirecting the path of others. Slowly, surely, he would have have advanced, displaying the grace of a prancing Unicorn.

    As things were, Held was content to go with a more mundane approach.

    Runic Art: Transmutation!

    Plunging the point of the spear into the ground, arcane light began to emit from the spear and into the earth below.

    Once he created a large enough hole to plunge into, the formation of a tunnel would be a simple matter. He would simply walk beneath the earth, retrieve Jack, and begin aiding the man in his recovery.

  8. #4343

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    Held's runes manage to carve into the stone, the stroke of his silver spear gliding as easily as a nib on parchment.

    He would notice it then that much of the substance that had comprised the crystalline serpent and the veinwork in the earth had similarly made up much of the ground in this chamber, and indeed seemed unusually responsive to this magical craft. Slowly the ground began to open before him, stretching its path beneath the dome of violent petals that surrounded Willa where she clashed with Officer Blizzar toward Jack.

    His his was ebbing low, but he was still hanging on.

  9. #4344
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    Quote Originally Posted by grampagen View Post
    Held's runes manage to carve into the stone, the stroke of his silver spear gliding as easily as a nib on parchment.

    He would notice it then that much of the substance that had comprised the crystalline serpent and the veinwork in the earth had similarly made up much of the ground in this chamber, and indeed seemed unusually responsive to this magical craft. Slowly the ground began to open before him, stretching its path beneath the dome of violent petals that surrounded Willa where she clashed with Officer Blizzar toward Jack.

    His his was ebbing low, but he was still hanging on.
    The Nevadian smirked at his luck as he plunged into the earth below, parting stone and sediment as if water. Something about this entire cavern was...incredibly receptive to his energies. It was so in the battlefield where the ruined golems lay, and it also seemed to be the case here.

    Where the situation less dire, Held had half a mind to test the extent of his power in this locale. Of course, it may just as well be the case that Willa and Kenskhiko made use of the properities of this place in some manner, so it would be imprudent to reveal just how suited his skills were to this place, until an ideal moment presented itself.

    He studied the veins of the earth for a moment, before forcing his mind to focus on the mission at hand.

    With a flick of his wrist, the spear touched earth once more, and the path before him seperated, creating a tunnel beneath the battlefield as the Nevadian approached the area where his comrade lay prone.

    The runes of his spear flashed once more as the Nevadian came to a stop at the area beneath where Jack should be. He moved backwards slightly, as to provide space for his patient.

    The earth beneath Jack was began to shift, causing the Gambler to slowly descend within the depths like a sinking ship.

    Once Jack had come close enough, the Nevadian would seal the space above the both of them, before laying hands of healing upon him. It would likely be some time before he regained conciousness, but undoing the damage done to the outlaw should be simple enough.

    Hopefully.

    Held turned his gaze to Jack, swiftly examining his wounds.

  10. #4345

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    Quote Originally Posted by Miburo View Post
    The Nevadian smirked at his luck as he plunged into the earth below, parting stone and sediment as if water. Something about this entire cavern was...incredibly receptive to his energies. It was so in the battlefield where the ruined golems lay, and it also seemed to be the case here.

    Where the situation less dire, Held had half a mind to test the extent of his power in this locale. Of course, it may just as well be the case that Willa and Kenskhiko made use of the properities of this place in some manner, so it would be imprudent to reveal just how suited his skills were to this place, until an ideal moment presented itself.

    He studied the veins of the earth for a moment, before forcing his mind to focus on the mission at hand.

    With a flick of his wrist, the spear touched earth once more, and the path before him seperated, creating a tunnel beneath the battlefield as the Nevadian approached the area where his comrade lay prone.

    The runes of his spear flashed once more as the Nevadian came to a stop at the area beneath where Jack should be. He moved backwards slightly, as to provide space for his patient.

    The earth beneath Jack was began to shift, causing the Gambler to slowly descend within the depths like a sinking ship.

    Once Jack had come close enough, the Nevadian would seal the space above the both of them, before laying hands of healing upon him. It would likely be some time before he regained conciousness, but undoing the damage done to the outlaw should be simple enough.

    Hopefully.

    Held turned his gaze to Jack, swiftly examining his wounds.
    The pulse of ki continued through the body of Jack Knave; a most fortuitous sign of knife, for whatever blood lay within his broken body appeared to have stilled where it soaked into his garments.

    The man was a wreck. His left knee had been dislocated, his right femur shattered, his right wrist mangled, and the left lacerated precisely upon the tendons. Yet though the eyes lolled in his head and he could no longer move, somehow a faint spark of consciousness lingered in the Gambler's face.

    "The Sword...." he muttered feverishly, "set in the stone..."

  11. #4346
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    Quote Originally Posted by grampagen View Post
    The pulse of ki continued through the body of Jack Knave; a most fortuitous sign of knife, for whatever blood lay within his broken body appeared to have stilled where it soaked into his garments.

    The man was a wreck. His left knee had been dislocated, his right femur shattered, his right wrist mangled, and the left lacerated precisely upon the tendons. Yet though the eyes lolled in his head and he could no longer move, somehow a faint spark of consciousness lingered in the Gambler's face.

    "The Sword...." he muttered feverishly, "set in the stone..."
    Held focused for a moment, attempting to discern what Jack was attempting to communicate.

    Sword? Stone? Held was not entirely sure what Jack was referring to. Held himself didn't carry a sword, nor was he aware of---

    He paused. Willa did have some sword or other with her on the battlefield. Between the Shingan, and his own eye for quality, it was easy enough to discern it as an artifact of some power. He had been far too preoccupied with retrieving Jack to focus on it, but it's power was evident to those skilled in mystic arts.

    Still, it was so subtle, it had barely registered to the Nevadian until now.

    Is that what he's going on about?

    A moment later, he dismissed it as irrelevant to the very serious wounds that decorated his body. Solving the gambler's riddle could come next.

    "Hold on Jack." Held replied, reassuring his friend, "I'll put you back together."

    His hands began to glow white as he focused his energy within them, before placing them roughly on Jack's chest. He was in a bit of a hurry, so skipped the bedside manner.

    "I don't know what stone you're referring to anyways, Jack."

    I get the vague feeling I should have some clue what he's talking about, but....Oh!

    It took a moment to click into place, but there it was. Jack and Ochazuke did have a conversation about the blade....Excalibur, was it? A legendary weapon of Earth, and Jack was the inheritor of the blade by blood.

    ...Alternatively, so was Willa.

    Held sighed. That was the blade Willa was wielding no doubt. It seemed Jack had managed to get disarmed, and was none too happy about it. Not that he could blame the warrior.

    The Nevadian--all Nevadians, really--would have likewise been embarrassed to be be outdone in such a manner. It was a part of life, he supposed, but still not one of the more enjoyable parts.
    Last edited by Miburo; 07-07-2021 at 10:44 PM.

  12. #4347
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    Quote Originally Posted by grampagen View Post
    "What's wrong, Officer? Lost your tongue?" Willa snarled as she pressed her advantage downward upon Blizzar. "No more pretty words or pitches to save the world as you sell it out beneath us?"

    Her black tresses clung to her face, exhuding fury about eyes.

    "Galactic Police my ass. How many other worlds have you-"



    The knives fell, and their increased density magnified the weight of their descent along with the force of Blizzar's telekinesis at such focused points managed to penetrate the shroud of the Lion's Mane which surrounded Willa.

    As the black blades bit their tips into her shoulders, her eyes widened -as if in disbelief - and the Red Colonel's grip loosened for a moment as she fell to one knee.
    "Have we what? Failed? Aided? The answer is a flip of the coin!" Blizzar responded, beginning to stand up again, fighting against the increased gravity to begin weaving to and fro. "When the fate of entire galaxies rest upon your shoulders, it leaves room for error! Tis no different on this planet!"

    "Every mistake made has a cost! I know this more than anyone..." the lieutenant continued, briefly thinking to his crooked dealings that led to great conflict between the Saiyans and the last great Arcosian Warlord. "I cannot speak for my fellow officers, but as much as it pains me...I intend to reimburse those I've failed in full!" He shouted, suddenly launchging his fist forward at Willa's face with a ki coated right hook!



  13. #4348

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    Quote Originally Posted by Miburo View Post
    Held focused for a moment, attempting to discern what Jack was attempting to communicate.

    Sword? Stone? Held was not entirely sure what Jack was referring to. Held himself didn't carry a sword, nor was he aware of---

    He paused. Willa did have some sword or other with her on the battlefield. Between the Shingan, and his own eye for quality, it was easy enough to discern it as an artifact of some power. He had been far too preoccupied with retrieving Jack to focus on it, but it's power was evident to those skilled in mystic arts.

    Still, it was so subtle, it had barely registered to the Nevadian until now.

    Is that what he's going on about?

    A moment later, he dismissed it as irrelevant to the very serious wounds that decorated his body. Solving the gambler's riddle could come next.

    "Hold on Jack." Held replied, reassuring his friend, "I'll put you back together."

    His hands began to glow white as he focused his energy within them, before placing them roughly on Jack's chest. He was in a bit of a hurry, so skipped the bedside manner.

    "I don't know what stone you're referring to anyways, Jack."

    I get the vague feeling I should have some clue what he's talking about, but....Oh!

    It took a moment to click into place, but there it was. Jack and Ochazuke did have a conversation about the blade....Excalibur, was it? A legendary weapon of Earth, and Jack was the inheritor of the blade by blood.

    ...Alternatively, so was Willa.

    Held sighed. That was the blade Willa was wielding no doubt. It seemed Jack had managed to get disarmed, and was none too happy about it. Not that he could blame the warrior.

    The Nevadian--all Nevadians, really--would have likewise been embarrassed to be be outdone in such a manner. It was a part of life, he supposed, but still not one of the more enjoyable parts.
    As Jack fought to hold on to consciousness, Held's healing aura went to work and put the young man back on the mend. Slowly where the glow reached, the compound fractures in his legs reformed between sinew and skin, and fragmented surface of his shattered right arm began to knit itself together.

    Everything, that is, except for the slash wounds on his left arm and the puncture wound through his left lung. There was something, a sort of microcosm imbued within his flesh that was rejecting the healing energy, like a stent of thorns fixed between the bleeding.

    Like some sort of curse.

    Quote Originally Posted by KingofPie View Post
    "Have we what? Failed? Aided? The answer is a flip of the coin!" Blizzar responded, beginning to stand up again, fighting against the increased gravity to begin weaving to and fro. "When the fate of entire galaxies rest upon your shoulders, it leaves room for error! Tis no different on this planet!"

    "Every mistake made has a cost! I know this more than anyone..." the lieutenant continued, briefly thinking to his crooked dealings that led to great conflict between the Saiyans and the last great Arcosian Warlord. "I cannot speak for my fellow officers, but as much as it pains me...I intend to reimburse those I've failed in full!" He shouted, suddenly launchging his fist forward at Willa's face with a ki coated right hook!


    With the Lion's Mane compromised in its activity from the break in her focus, Blizzar's ki-reinforced hook catches Willa stiff across the face, breaking through the barrier with a clean shot. A spray of blood shoots from the Colonel's mouth as he rakes his knuckles across her jaw, the hit taking her off guard enough such that she dropped the hammer from her right hand.

    However, she then planted her feet, and as her empty hand bundled into a steely, gauntleted fist, she squared up and immediately return fire straight into Blizzar's body.


    Buckling her much taller opponent over, she spoke her next words directly into his ear.

    "Seems you're used to skimming off the top, Officer, to recoup your costs," she said, "but you've never had to dig before!"

    With her hand buried in his abdomen, Blizzar could feel energy creeping into her hand, an aura of violence that began to gather silently there and threatening to creep into his armour, the start of the Shatterlock Fist...

  14. #4349
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    Quote Originally Posted by grampagen View Post
    As Jack fought to hold on to consciousness, Held's healing aura went to work and put the young man back on the mend. Slowly where the glow reached, the compound fractures in his legs reformed between sinew and skin, and fragmented surface of his shattered right arm began to knit itself together.

    Everything, that is, except for the slash wounds on his left arm and the puncture wound through his left lung. There was something, a sort of microcosm imbued within his flesh that was rejecting the healing energy, like a stent of thorns fixed between the bleeding.

    Like some sort of curse.
    [/B]
    "What the HFIL...."

    The Nevadian stared at the gaping wound in his comrades lung, dumbfounded. If Held had not seen it transpire with his own eyes, he likely would not have believed it. Somehow, the wounds that Jack had incurred was such that Held was unable to repair the damage done.

    The wound persisted despite Held's efforts, ignoring his runic arts entirely, unwilling to simply fade away into nothingness. It was the same with his arm, retaining damage from a blade, even after the majority of his wounds were undone.

    Examining the wounds closely, Held could sense the arcane energies flowing from within them, a nexus of power within their own right. Held's healing power simply vanished into the void.

    The keen eyes of the Nevadian easily discerned the nature of the weapon that assaulted his friend, although this was more by reflex than intention deduction. An understanding of weapons was practically second nature.

    It was also unnecessary, given Jack's cryptic words and the earlier conversations about his birthright.

    "Good Grief....I can't undo the affliction without that sword, huh?"

    The Nevadian tore a piece of cloth from his friends outfit, tying it tightly around his bicep to staunch the bleeding.

    ......I guess I better be quick about it. Jack can barely breathe, and the nature of these wounds....It's an odd enchantment to persist like this. It's like a poison I can't get out....I don't really want to risk keeping that stuff on him longer than necessary..

    The Nevadian turned his attention away from Jack, towards the hole he had descended from, the Nevadian now ascending in his stead.

    Not to mention, If I can't undo these attacks, leaving Blizzar alone to face her is pointless....No, if anything it's detrimental. If he gets cut in a vital area I'm going to be worried about two half dead men, instead of one..

    Cautiously, he poked his head out to get a better understanding of the situation, his eyes searching for Excalibur.

    Hopefully Blizzar is enough of a nuisance to make disarming her easy enough..

  15. #4350

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    Quote Originally Posted by Miburo View Post
    "What the HFIL...."

    The Nevadian stared at the gaping wound in his comrades lung, dumbfounded. If Held had not seen it transpire with his own eyes, he likely would not have believed it. Somehow, the wounds that Jack had incurred was such that Held was unable to repair the damage done.

    The wound persisted despite Held's efforts, ignoring his runic arts entirely, unwilling to simply fade away into nothingness. It was the same with his arm, retaining damage from a blade, even after the majority of his wounds were undone.

    Examining the wounds closely, Held could sense the arcane energies flowing from within them, a nexus of power within their own right. Held's healing power simply vanished into the void.

    The keen eyes of the Nevadian easily discerned the nature of the weapon that assaulted his friend, although this was more by reflex than intention deduction. An understanding of weapons was practically second nature.

    It was also unnecessary, given Jack's cryptic words and the earlier conversations about his birthright.

    "Good Grief....I can't undo the affliction without that sword, huh?"

    The Nevadian tore a piece of cloth from his friends outfit, tying it tightly around his bicep to staunch the bleeding.

    ......I guess I better be quick about it. Jack can barely breathe, and the nature of these wounds....It's an odd enchantment to persist like this. It's like a poison I can't get out....I don't really want to risk keeping that stuff on him longer than necessary..

    The Nevadian turned his attention away from Jack, towards the hole he had descended from, the Nevadian now ascending in his stead.

    Not to mention, If I can't undo these attacks, leaving Blizzar alone to face her is pointless....No, if anything it's detrimental. If he gets cut in a vital area I'm going to be worried about two half dead men, instead of one..

    Cautiously, he poked his head out to get a better understanding of the situation, his eyes searching for Excalibur.
    Hopefully Blizzar is enough of a nuisance to make disarming her easy enough..[/QUOTE]

    Certainly Lieutenant Blizzar's clever mind and shrewd acumen for negotiating circumstances to his favour benefit him in more avenues than business. From Held's view, he'd brought Willa into his element, though the Red Colonel was not without an answer for the pugilist.

    Notably, The same energy that kept Jack's wounds open now coloured Colonel Rautt's ki, concentrating from the source of it held by her side in her left hand: a longsword with a gleaming blade. Although edge to pommel it seemed rather plain for an artifact of such portent, its power lay within its inner qualities, which synchonized uniquely with her aura and augmented her abilities severalfold.

    Now with Jack out of the fray, the shards of ki that were separating them seemed to move on her command and moved autonomously towards Held, a bloom of fragmented razor petals threatening to detonate where they touched.

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