[center][color=c0c0c0][b][u]Slayer[/u][/b][/color]
Level 3
Day 2
Location: In-house Smash Arena
[@RokkuHoshi] [@Zarkun]
[b]Experience: [color=orange]|||||||||||||||||||||||||||[/color][color=black]|||[/color] (27/30)[/b][/center]

For a man who not only ran but also participated in his very own gentlemen's fight club, the prospect of an arena battle was one Slayer did not want to pass up.  The grand fights against Brigan and Odin, remarkable as they'd been, had been one-sided matchups of a single powerful foe against numerous heroes, and they hadn't quite managed to satiate the vampire's taste in combat.  A friendly sparring match against fellow heroes, meanwhile, offered just the chance he sought.  In the course of such a duel, he would get to know his allies -and their abilities- better, and perhaps even get warmed up.  With that in mind, he signed up for the fights, and when the appointed time came Slayer arrived in a timely manner.

Soon before his appointed bout was to begin, he managed to wheedle some information out of a few of the assembling spectators.  Most fights, it appeared, were not held in vicinity of Tetris Castle at all, but rather outsourced to different realms via the same teleporter network that had been used to transport him to the twilight kingdom just the other day.  However, this first match would take place in a somewhat unremarkable arena within the grounds of the castle; a sort of dirt-floored, fenced-in paddock, perhaps once used for training with horses but now augmented with enough flair to give it a competitive atmosphere, would serve as the locale.  As he was ushered in, Slayer couldn't help but feel a twinge of disappointment at the banality of the arena, and a whiff of irritation at all the onlookers.  Observers filled his own establishment, of course, but there one could be assured of good company.  These rowdy, common mooks, separated from the fight by imperfect wooden barriers, gave him a bad feeling.  Indifferent as he was to most situations, Slayer heartily disliked being made sport of.  Still, if these people wanted a show, who was he to be a stick in the mud?

His opponents appeared, and Slayer recognized one without delay: the futuristic soldier, with armor less bulky and a heart less bold than Samus's.  The gentleman did not forget James' near-absence during the latter part of the battle for the world not long ago, but he forgave it.  There was little sense in holding grudges, after all.  With such a plain arena, Slayer reasoned that James possessed a net advantage.  There was nowhere he could retreat, but with nothing to use as cover, his foes couldn't do much against his gunfire.  Stroking his beard, he hummed.  [i]That will be a problem.  Given the definite downgrade of my status, I may not be able to rely upon my cloak to block bullets as I approach.  I could stroll through them, of course, but that wouldn't be fair...[/i]  During his musing, Slayer checked out his other enemy.  A new face, and a literal straight one, this man did not seem to possess a single round edge.  He looked, the vampire surmised, just like a bunch of stuck-together cardboard boxes brought to life.  With no knowledge of Steve's abilities, he would have to use trial and error to figure out how to deal with him.  No sooner had Slayer arrived at that conclusion than the three-way free-for-all commenced.

The flattest character was the first to move.  Slayer trained his eyes and easygoing smile on Steve as he ran toward him, swinging a cube of something that resembled rock.  Curiously, the blocky man appeared to be trying to assault both Slayer and James at the same time in this manner, and the distance between the two made his trek into a zig-zag that struck the gentleman as ludicrous.  When his time came, he stood stock-till save for his quizzical expression while Steve approached, wondering if he really was going to try and hit him with the cube.  Before doing so, however, Steve hurled his block down, and in an impossible feat it grew from less than a foot across in all dimensions to a whopping three meters.  Still calm, Slayer stepped backward to nonchalantly watch as Steve produced a sword before repeating the maneuver again and again, until he stood on a great pillar three blocks high.  If his eyes weren't fibbing, Slayer calculated him to be a commendable 9 meters in the air, or about 30 feet.  He could only wonder why.  Did he plan to hide up there?  The vampire could not imagine that such an energetic individual could trump him in a battle of patience.  On the plus side, the immense pillar provided ample cover from James.  

Slayer squinted as he looked upward, cupped a hand around his mouth, and declared in a somewhat louder voice, [color=c0c0c0]”No need for tomfoolery with building blocks, my good man.  When you're ready for proper fisticuffs, I shall be ready for you down here.”[/color]

The next moment, however, Steve proved he had other intentions.  Without hesitation the polygonal being threw himself off the top of the tower he'd just made, in the general direction of James.  Still confused, Slayer exhaled a short, laughing sigh.  Thirty feet of height gave James plenty of time to dodge, if not lodge a few bullets in his attacker's sternum.  Offhandedly Slayer wondered if the soldier was using real bullets in this fight, and if not what he might be using instead, but he gave a shrug.  [color=c0c0c0]"What an intriguing style,"[/color] he remarked, not putting quite enough effort to mask the disdain in his voice.  [color=c0c0c0]"It must be centered around audacious acts to throw opponents off guard, so that highly telegraphed but surely devastating attacks might have a chance of landing."[/color]  He put his back against the pillar and sat down, his cape taking on the shape of a chair as he did to support him.  He rested an elbow on its armrest and his head in that arm's hand, extracted his pipe from his pocket, and watched the proceedings.