[indent][center][img]https://i.imgur.com/o4JOn3y.jpeg[/img] VS [img]https://i.imgur.com/65Z9ghL.jpeg[/img] [hider=Mood Music][youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_XdFeevglw&pp=ygUhYmVnaW5uaW5nIG9mIHRoZSBmaWdodCBtZWdhbG8gYm94[/youtube][/hider][/center][right][h1][color=#147FB5]S[/color][color=#1F8891]y[/color][color=#2A926D]c[/color][color=#359C49]a[/color][color=#40A626]m[/color][color=#5C9D33]o[/color][color=#799540]r[/color][color=#968C4D]e[/color] VS [color=#4747A1]8[/color][color=#3C50A2]t[/color][color=#3259A3]h[/color] [color=#1E6BA5]S[/color][color=#1375A6]t[/color][color=#33639E]r[/color][color=#535297]e[/color][color=#73408F]e[/color][color=#932F88]t[/color][/h1][/right][right][sub][hr][color=ffffff]Mentions: In Collaboration with [@Punished GN] & [@Atrophy] | [/color] [color=ffffff]Direct Dialogue: [color=C67C12]Leon Richoux,[/color] [color=7B81B3]Kenshiro Murakin,[/color] [color=3874f4]Drake Blackmore,[/color] [color=darkcyan]Vashti Nour,[/color] Emily G. Reed, and Guest Starring: The [color=#FFFFFF]P[/color][color=#0862FF]R[/color][color=#FF0D0D]A[/color] |[/color] [color=ffffff]Location:[/color] Festival Grounds, Cracker Island Historic District [/sub][/right][hr] [/indent][i]"You know what? Fuck the Chalice. Fuck those sluts, and fuck you! I've had it to here with you motherfuckers!" Emily hissed, slamming a foot on the ground. "You won't be lonely in hell..."[/i] [color=7B81B3][i]Typical Emily G. Reed. Won't back down.[/i][/color] The effect of Enlighten was still applied, and as Babylon's flames hurtled toward Ken, his hands rose and folded themselves into a casting position. The flames licked the cape of his costume, but before he could flinch, he saw a target and took it. The spell was instantaneous, and quiet as a gust of air. In the blink of an eye, the place where Ken had been standing was empty. In his place, a jack-o-lantern from the nearby pumpkin carving stall fell from chest height. It was consumed by the flames before it even hit the ground. Now Ken was standing on top of a plastic table, his near weightless body having adjusted to meet the pumpkin's hollow heft. In that moment, he saw a shadowy figure bolt through the conflict to snatch the chalice away. He had to trust that they were friends of his, and not friends of hers… But of course, the Murasaki Gang never ceased to disappoint. Jack Hawthorne was on the case, giving Ken the confidence to stay in the fight while he knew that good, responsible hands were taking care of the business… His only concern was for what was on the other side of the conflict: If Jack would be able to handle whatever was on the other end of this. [color=7B81B3][i]No time, she's coming again…[/i][/color] Emily teleported behind Kenshiro in a burst of fire, and she had a smile on her face. Both of Emily’s hands went up towards Kenshiro, as two spiraling infernos of screaming faces came out of both of her hands as he would likely only have moments to react. The environment was lit up with hellfire [i]and[/i] the faces and screams of the condemned. Ken took the last deep breath he was going to have time to, he assumed, for at least a few seconds. His hands swept toward his chest, and in an instant he was engulfed in the Hellfire before a vibration noise echoed from inside the inferno. All at once, the fire and Emily were pushed away from Ken, revealing a rapidly expanding bubble of Purple-Lux filled air. Telekinetics were only complicated if you didn’t know what you were manipulating, but the simple practice of creating solid surfaces from thin air meant you learned how to focus on the molecules. It was, after a point, like scooping water from a river with your arm. The bubble of force dissipated into a fine mist, wind pulling itself back toward him as it rushed to fill the void. He’d learned to form such a thin layer of air against himself that it was like being trapped in a latex suit, even woven beneath his clothing. As the air hit the frozen cloth again after being trapped in such a void, it instantly condensed into icy moisture that made him and the area around him shimmer like a rainbow. His fists were drawn outward, back hunched as if he were ready to charge whatever was ahead of him: The Ten Ton Endless Defense His leg pivoted, spinning him around like a top to face Emily again without his posture changing even slightly. He said no words; only screamed the Gama battlecry as his hands formed somatic runes in perfect unison. Tucked tightly in his hand was the bark that he’d gotten from Auri’s store. Gold Lux arched through the air: War drums resounded in a chaotic breakdown as holes opened in reality. Ten brightly colored tree frogs acrobatically lept from their holes, robed in clan garb with the Tenno clan’s symbol emblazoned on their headbands. [color=7B81B3]”Tenno Scout Assassins, get her ass!”[/color] “This is the best you got…?” Emily tilted her head. She simply snapped her finger, before a wall of burning hellfire appeared in front of her. Incinerating the frogs like they were nothing, she put a hand on her hip as she said, “You were talking [i]sooooooo[/i] big just a minu-” However, she missed one of the frogs, and they leaped at her… hopping directly at her stomach as she attempted to create fire. It exploded directly into her torso, and she let out a wretched heave of air as she was launched backward. She went directly into a stall and gritted her teeth as she slammed her fist onto the ground. [color=7B81B3]”Friends who are willing to give themselves for a greater cause!”[/color] Kenshiro’s fingers were a constant flicker of movement, and he swapped places with a piece of the stall that she’d been knocked into. His hand lashed out, grabbing her by her shirt and hoisting her up so he could get a good angle to drive his fist into her gut. At the same time, his forehead was rapidly approaching her face to smash against it. [hr] Leon had to take a moment to remember who was talking to him. The makeup and the hair threw him off the otherwise waifish figure of Aislin Rose. She looked fantastic in the goth aesthetic costume she’d decided upon, and if he wasn’t so fixated on what had just happened, he probably would’ve stuck around to chat her up. But there was something screaming in his head. He gave her a brief wave, a cursory [i]We’ll catch up soon.[/i] and flitted off. As the Conga-Toga began to dissipate with the absence of the Chalice, Leon Richoux had something altogether different on his mind. He knew getting into it with one of Emily Reed's main squeezes was the last thing they needed as a Coven. They needed to be united in solidarity: a group like they had been before. But his mind was not the same as it once was. Leon had become a far less measured and repressed individual when Lelou had come into his life. In a perfect example, as he stumbled away with his toga still clinging to his naked body, he was in pursuit of a fruit so forbidden that God would probably cause another great flood if Leon found himself successful. Lelou obviously knew from the second Vashti Nour's pheromones entered her host's nasal passage that The Leviathan was lurking. It put every single sense in Leon's body on a razor's edge. She was screaming at him to follow Vashti, to take what he deserved and feast upon the remains. She was, if anything, a simple spirit. Lady Lelou didn't want for much in her fleshy prison, and so long as Leon was fucking, fighting or feasting, she was generally amicable. But moments like this, where he was fighting her desires and losing, were like watching his parents fight as a child all over again. Leon wanted to hide, to run, to not do what was about to happen next. He didn't want to fight for what he wanted if it was stupid like this… [I]And just where the fuck is she even going!?[/i] “Vashti! Vashti, c'mon girl wait! Why rain check it, we can go back to my place right now! Emily doesn't have to know!” He called to her, desperation in his voice as he felt the seals to Lelou's magic vibrate with ominous sensation. Vashti had taken after Emily like a heat-seeking missile. She swung her arms with so much gusto as she marched forward it was as if she was in a fist fight with the rain, which nimbly and uncannily dodged and ducked round each blow, not a droplet getting on her skin or her toga as the drizzle amplified itself into a proper shower. Her mind was a bloody blender of the things she dreamed of doing to her so-called bestie that once again had jumped up and spiked the basketball away from the net when Vashti was about to score. Her blitz forward came to a sudden screeching stop as Leon called out to her, her head snapping back to look at him with so much speed it was a wonder she didn’t break her own neck from whiplash. [color=darkcyan]“E-E-Emily doesn’t have to know!”[/color] said Vashti. Her voice was sniveling and frantic, mocking Leon as she squeezed herself together and posed like the centerfold model in a cheap, dirty magazine. She began drawing the toga up her thigh as she breathed heavily and gyrated, her other hand toying at the cloth over her chest. [color=darkcyan]“Wow. I didn’t even consider that, bro. What a big, strong point from such a big, strong man. Well, if Emily doesn’t know then…”[/color] Of course he begged her for it. It was only natural. Everywhere she went everyone was always begging to her. [i]Please please, don’t stop, you’re wonderful. Please please, stop it, you’re hurting me. Please please, I’ll give you what you want. Please please, just take what you want, oh god, please. Please please, my life is nothing without you. Please please, I just want to live, oh no, please, jesus, fuck, oh no, please, please, pleeee—[/i] Frankly it was all so fucking annoying. She did what she wanted. Emily didn’t control her. It was just by happenstance that what she wanted aligned with what Emily thought she was allowing Vashti to do. It was a good relationship. It worked for the past ten years for a reason. Vashti continued the champagne room theatrics as she approached, staring Leon down through hooded eyes, her tongue tracing the sharp edges of her teeth. There was still something about his pathetic desperation that she found enticing. Part of her wanted to just take him up on his offer. Another part of her wanted to toy with him like the stupid mutt he was and pretend to throw a tennis ball just to watch him chase after nothing. But ultimately, as a flash of distant hellfire sparked up in her peripheries, she decided to for once adhere to the rules and follow the law of chicks before dicks. Emily was in trouble and if something bad happened to her then Vashti wouldn’t be able to fucking murder her later. [color=darkcyan]“Tell me, Leon,”[/color] said Vashti with a practiced moan as she got up next to him. Her right fist tightened as she moved to place her left hand on his chest to misdirect. Thunder rumbled above them. He could probably take one punch, right? And if it killed him, well, there was always that loser with a dead wife. She looked up at Leon and batted her wide, dark eyes where something sinister lurked just beneath the surface, her hand readied to strike. [color=darkcyan]“How bad do you want it?”[/color] [color=C67C12][i]It’s going to hurt us.[/i][/color] [color=a36209][i]And we both want to feel the claws gripping and ripping…[/i][/color] [color=C67C12][i]No, I mean pursuing this will really get us hurt.[/i][/color] [color=a36209][i]Your arguments are not persuasive. I wish to feel the pleasure of your flesh: Do not defy my desire![/i][/color] Lelou couldn’t help but be aware of Leon’s own desires. The impacts. Crater-making love taps. But the ancient spirit of power and domination didn’t much care about origin… She only thought about the violence. [i]Extreme violence.[/i] Leon’s body reactively unsealed Lelou just a bit more, edging closer and closer toward something bad happening. He couldn’t tell if it was his own reaction, or if it was instinct. Things slowed down. He could hear Vashti’s muscles tensing, smell the anger mixing with the ozone as the storm began to pump thunder from its clouds. She didn’t want him around. He got that. But, now he almost felt like… The fist hurtled toward his gut with almost no lag time or startup. He’d never fought a boxer with that kind of speed and power, but if he had he’d have assumed they were magic. Mankind could not produce that strength with anything short of machine enhancement, and he knew that didn’t exist yet. But Leon Richoux was still a champion boxer. Despite what others said, the Richoux were not cheaters: Skill came naturally, and they simply augmented such when the times were necessary. The natural inclination to be able to feel the violent urge in a particular area and remove one’s vitals from it… It was a warrior’s instinct. Leon’s torso, and the thin cloth he wore, narrowly avoided a near fatal blow at clench range. He did the only thing he knew he could do as a student of Soviet Boxing: He clenched her. His massive arms wrapped around her frame and clung for dear life. [color=C67C12]”No [i]the fuck[/i] you don’t!”[/color] he yelled. In the split second after, Leon accepted what was happening. They were in a fight now, and Lelou would have what she wanted no matter what it seemed. Still in the clench, Vashti met his strength with a surprising move: He was holding her so tightly, he almost didn’t have the time to let go as she bridged her back and tried to drive his head into the ground like a tent peg. By the grace of God, he did let go. And rather than be turned into a new ceremonial light post on Cracker Island, he was flung like a man-sized rocket through several stalls. He almost certainly hit people, but he couldn’t help being surprised about how little they were doing to break his momentum. A flash of lightning streaked across the sky as the storm expanded, the smile on Vashti’s face stretching wide as shouts of panic or pain erupted like a heavenly chorus from the unfortunate bystanders that Leon had been sent through. Crouched low, she bounced excitedly on her haunches at the bodies of unfortunate festival goers struggling to stand. Her eyes shined as she hungrily looked upon the hapless victims. They didn’t look like people. Rather they were simply appetizers in a buffet line of carnage she could sample on her way to the main course that was crumpled beneath a mess of canopy and broken wood. The urge was overwhelming. Go on. Give the revelers of the Halloween Festival the scare they had all mistakenly thought they wanted. Everybody loved a little massacre. Unfortunately, she would have to disappoint. Vashti spun on her heels, chunking little splinters of asphalt and gravel as she pulverized the ground with a punch. It would have to do as a makeshift surrogate for her want of destruction and the things she envisioned doing to Leon’s body. He had pleasantly surprised her in the way he had evaded her, and in how for the slightest of seconds she felt a sensation of delightful lightheadedness as he squeezed the air out of her chest. She imagined he could even pop her head off if he hadn’t been holding back. The idea sent shivers down her spine as her fist hit the ground three more times in rapid succession before she sprung forward and darted towards where she had last seen Emily. [hr] [color=7B81B3]”Friends who are willing to give themselves for a greater cause!”[/color] yelled Batman as he hoisted Emily up by her dragon onesie that was scorched and steaming with hellfire.. Ken was about to be reunited with a friend of Emily’s who always did just that. [color=darkcyan][b]”You stupid fucking cunt!”[/b][/color] shrieked Vashti, thunder clapping with her outburst, as she grabbed Emily. The next time Emily told Vashti that she couldn’t steal something she was going to tear Emily’s voice box out of her throat. She violently yanked Emily free of Ken’s grasp, tearing some of the fabric on Emily’s stupid costume as she roughly shoved her to the ground. She paid Ken no mind, her wild eyes glaring at Emily with a murderous intent that her friend had become quite familiar with throughout the years. Vashti was a rabid dog when it came to anyone else, but with Emily she was never anything more than the occasional nasty bark. Even in her anger, she was protecting her bestie—if anyone was ever going to harm a single hair on Emily’s head, cut off her nose, pluck out her eyes, crush her stupid fucking skull into powder and pulp then it was going to be Vashti. Nobody else. What else were best friends for? The blows meant for Emily landed on Vashti instead. It was like striking iron. Due to her not being hoisted, Ken’s gut punch hit a little higher and harmlessly hit Vashti right in her chest. His forehead cracked hard against her own. It made her blink, nothing more. Her eyes finally focused on Ken as he stumbled back from the recoil of the strike, her rage blinding her and preventing immediate recognition. Seething with anger, she looked down at where Ken had struck her and then slowly looked back up at Ken, her pupils becoming narrow slits. [color=darkcyan]“You punched my boob?”[/color] said Vashti, almost as if she was unsure it had actually happened. Her breathing leveled out, the swelling storm calming and becoming an almost pleasant ambience. She shook her head, blinking rapidly. For a moment her eyes returned to normal. [color=darkcyan]“Ken, you punched my boob!”[/color] She turned to Emily, throwing her hands out to the side. She began to giggle immaturely. [color=darkcyan]“Did you see that, bro? Dude’s a fucking pervert!”[/color] Emily had teleported right next to Vashti with her hands on her hips. She grinned like the devious monster she was as she glanced at Vashti - keeping one eye on Ken. “... I think his journey through the All-Verse made him just a [i]little[/i] desperate.” She chuckled before she stuck her hands out and flipped her palms upwards, creating a flaming torch in each hand “Don’t worry, I’ll burn his hands off so he’ll never touch another woman again! And then everything else afterward, so now that [i]you’re[/i] here, Ken...” [color=darkcyan]“...a bit drastic, Em…”[/color] Emily glanced at Ken and asked [i]“... How many ways do you want to die?”[/i] Ken gave the two women a wide mouthed grin, his body twisting into full defense in a gentle and purposeful stance. His hands swept in front of him in a slow arch, air circulating through the thin walls of Purple Lux as he breathed in and out with great purpose and intention. His mouth moved behind the barrier, but the noise was halted in the tremendous pressure until it burst from behind the veil. [color=7B81B3][b]”A billion, and a billion more! Break beneath a Ten Ton Hand!”[/b][/color] His hands were underneath so much weight and pressure that they began to blur light around them, the magic channeling through his taijutsu gathering in strength as they caused more and more of a rattling racket. They drew up, trying to keep Vashti’s focus. Emily very quickly became a secondary problem: Emily would kill him, but Vashti Nour would probably play with his body, and Ken wasn’t sure how he felt about that. [color=7B81B3][i]Avoid, if possible.[/i][/color] A foot and a half in the ground, forty or so yards away from the current conflict, a body was stirring. He was covered in blood, people were screaming: Nothing he could do now. He had to stop whatever the fuck was happening. He could hear someone. He knew he could hear it. It was Kenny… Kenshiro, the Vengeful Toad. And… Emily? Vashti… Leon could hear every bit of it as the seals in his body loosened. The toga was gone, just like his dignity as he rose up to see the chaotic scene in front of him. His hair had already grown pale white, ghastly in its silhouette, and his muscles bulged from his frame with unnatural size and thick black veins. His eyes were stark black. He could feel the transformation coming. [color=C67C12][i]Just don’t hurt him.[/i][/color] [color=a36209][i]The Toadman!? Disgusting magic resides! I will taste Babylon![/i][/color] [color=C67C12][i]No, no! Leviathan![/i][/color] [color=a36209][i]It’s old news![/i][/color] [color=C67C12][i]Please… Please, my Love…[/i][/color] Leon’s bones began to grow, splitting and reforming and splitting and reforming until it halted partway through… Leon’s mutated form had grown another foot, and he was a solid juggernaut of muscle now balanced on the tip of full transformation. His body was under great strain, but Lelou was cooperative for the moment. He’d be able to hold it… Leon’s half-conscious body turned its head to the broken Blinds in its wake, licking its cracked and bursted lips with great hunger, a carnal moan escaping its throat with a guttural growl. [color=ffb959][i]”Lucky morsels…”[/i][/color] He’d landed in a food stall, and the body dipped its hand into a hot fryer to shovel the basket of steaming french fries into its gullet. It didn’t even chew; the fries didn’t last more than a moment in the stomach. It was still holding the fryer basket, its head cocking and turning to where the fight was. It threw the fryer basket faster than something like that was ever meant to be thrown, dipping into a sprint to chase just behind it. [color=darkcyan]“Ken, the hand thing isn’t helping, bro. Ken. Ken!”[/color] Vashti blew a swathe of curly hair out of her face. She didn’t want to have to kill Ken, but the performance piece was starting to get on her nerves. Could he not hear her? Sighing deeply, she pointed at Ken with one finger, then her eyes with two, before (with a look of uncertainty and a cock of her head) holding her fist up towards Ken with her palm facing him, then finally taking her fist and jerking it back and forth through the air. She began to mouth something, the words cut off as her head turned to the side and her eyes widened. The basket crashed through another tent, caving itself into a pancake against Vashti’s face as her head snapped back, the momentum of the hit flipping her off of her feet and knocking her to the ground. The Beast was right behind it, mid-air and feet first like a spear thrown by God toward Emily’s chest. However, Emily raised a hand in the air and created a searing wall of fire that was imbued with the burning, wailing, faces of Babylon’s victims, with Vashti’s screams from the fry oil that had splashed in her eyes providing the overdub. She quickly teleported some distance away, hoping that the bastard takes the hint. Vashti was quickly back on her feet, her screaming muffled by hands that so aggressively tried to rub the oil out of her eyes it looked as if she were gouging them out, her body jerking back and forth. The screaming morphed into guttural snarls as she raked her claws across her upper arm, four thin lines of blood appearing as she focused on the newer, lesser sensation of pain. She opened her eyes, the whites now red and bloodied, the pupils once again razor thin slits, a strange kind of viscous black liquid dripping from her tear ducts. She wasn’t quite blind, but she had been robbed of the pleasure of viewing Leon in all of his glory. The world was a blur of rain, smoke, swirling reds, and shimmering silhouettes. She raged. It didn’t matter who against—Leon, Ken, Emily, a nearby asshole stupid enough to pull out a phone, anyone. She would make spooky, scary, skeleton sashimi out of the entire Halloween festival if she could. She just wanted to rip and tear. Vashti turned to the nearest shadow in the rain and began a relentless onslaught. Her claws flashed through the air as she swung in a wild frenzy with one hand, the other hand returning to her eyes to continue to vigorously rub them in a desperate attempt to regain all of her vision. The inky sludge smeared across her face like warpaint, her teeth gritted tight like a vise, a call from the depths to kill-kill-kill overriding any other instincts. She swung, and swung, and swung, and swung. Someone, or something, dove in the way… piercing through the thick fog was some blue-white light as Vashti’s strikes began hitting against [i]something[/i] solid enough to tank the hits. However, out came an explosive force that would have knocked Vashti off her feet… and stepping through the fog, holding his Thunderguard Shield in one hand and a beer in the other, was none other than Drake Blackmore, reeking of alcohol. He downed that bottle of beer, threw it on the floor, and then raised his hand in the air, and a bolt of lightning fell from the sky and hit him in the hand—taking the shape of a javelin as Drake shouted. [center][hr][hider=We Are Not Good People - Bloc Party][youtube]https://youtu.be/03fBa-QiGkU?si=gX2GmHc8yz2OOEK8[/youtube][/hider][hr][/center] [i][h3][color=3874f4]”... NONE OTHER THAN [b]ZOOS[/b] HAS ARRIVED! ALL YA’LLGO HOME!”[/color][/h3][/i] Then he turned to Kenshiro, giving him a shit-eating grin. [i][h3][color=3874f4]”... I GOT THIS!”[/color][/h3][/i] The Beast’s entrance had been dodged by Emily, touching off flames that sputtered against Leon’s body and caused an automatic fear response that saw the brutal thing dive in frantic panic. A freakish scream of panic and pain echoed across Cracker Island with fierce abandon, heralding the arrival of Drake Blackmore. Kenshiro watched it all take place: Leon’s fear response, Vashti’s pain response. The two were on a collision course that he frankly wanted to happen: It was the only way he was going to be able to focus on Emily without Vashti being an ever-present wall. He knew in his heart that he couldn’t fault her; that he’d do the exact same thing for someone like Auri. Except Auri Auclair wasn’t a raving cunt. But as the two blind monstrosities were poised to begin flailing at one another with rage and malice, the heraldry crashed from the sky to reveal the Lord of Lightning himself. Both beasts were flung hard from the impact, with Leon tumbling back into the dark of the very quickly clearing festival grounds. Ken couldn’t drop his guard with Emily still around, but he sure was thankful that the Murasaki Gang was in full force tonight… Even if he could smell the booze on Drake’s breath from here. It explained Leon getting involved too; the group of them were always close: Drake, Leon, Sully and Stormy… Stormy hadn’t been there? He wasn’t here now to help with these Abberants that were running amok? He tried to remember where he saw him… [color=7B81B3][i]With Luca! [b]Fuck![/b][/i][/color] [color=7B81B3]”Blackmore! Behind you!”[/color] [color=darkcyan]“Seriously, look out!”[/color] screamed Vashti, holding her right shoulder that had become dislocated from how hard she’d striked at the Thunderguard Shield. She jerked back on her shoulder with a sudden twist as itsnapped it back into place with a loud pop, her bloodied eyes rolling into the back of her head in ecstasy as she let out a satisfied groan. Her eyes leveled back on Drake, focused like a predator ready to pounce. She smiled, [color=darkcyan]“It’s your fucking bitch wife! She’s getting railed by Father Wolf [i]again[/i]!”[/color] [color=3874f4]”... I’m going to make you regret being born,”[/color] Drake hissed, as he prepped to toss the Lightning Javelin at Vashti… There were no words from the mouth of the Beast wearing the remnants of Leon’s skin. Only howling. Only snarling. It kicked its massive distended foot through the ground in a single minded attempt to clash with its primary target again. [color=C67C12][i]No, no! It’s Drake! Don’t![/i][/color] [color=a36209][i]No? Don’t? You [b]said[/b]Leviathan! Too late now![/i][/color] The two minds were not united: The original input fell through. [color=C67C12][i]I miss my collar…[/i][/color] … Before Drake had a chance to smite Vashti like the Thunder God he was, Leon came charging and knocked him over. Slamming him to the ground as he got the wind knocked out of him. The lightning javelin disappeared…. “... Don’t think I forgot about you, Kenshiro,” Emily said, as her body ignited like a torch through the raging storm… She could be seen from every direction, as she approached him, before she stuck her hand out, “And I’m going to make sure there’s nothing left for them to remember about [i]you![/i]” Out of her hand came a massive explosion of hellfire in which the goal was to throw Kenshiro off his game. Make him teleport to dodge… then she would be right on top of him. Ken didn’t hear Emily anymore. He watched Beast Leo-Lu drop Drake to the side. He needed help, and Ken had to think fast. There was no way he’d be able to do it and get out of the way: Feet planted, he released the force in his arms as a powerful telekinetic burst that whipped up a small whirlwind around him. The flames began to fill it, setting the tents and other loose bits of rubble caught within ablaze. [color=7B81B3][i]No pots, no scrolls, no hourglasses, no-[/i][/color] It was too late. The flames were on top of him, and he had no other choice. The gesture for Send and Receive, and the sensation of feeling behind it, were burned so deeply in the fabric of his mind that he sometimes found himself waking up with his fingers entwined in it. Enlighten was in its last few moments. He was the weight of a pumpkin. There was nothing around. There was nothing around. Kenshiro tried to imagine what ten pounds of air looked like… And just like that, he vanished from the center of the flame. He was now falling from midair at a height of just over fifty feet. At least nothing was attacking him anymore… The same could not be said for Drake. After he was bowled over by Leon, Vashti slid by the charging Wolfman and pinned Drake to the ground by sitting on his chest. The flickering flames of burning tents cast shadows across her face as her grin widened to the point where it was threatening to tear. She placed her hands over Drake's nose and mouth, slowly applying pressure as she rocked his head back and forth. [Color=darkcyan]“What was that bitch’s name, bro?”[/color] hissed Vashti as she began grinding Drake's skull against the concrete. [Color=darkcyan]“Come on, speak up. Or am I already making you forget her?”[/color] Drake let out a few [i]very[/i] angry muffled words. Then electricity surged through Drake’s body as he activated the electric-aura. He managed to throw Vashti off of him as he laughed. [color=3874f4]”... You forgot I could do [i]that[/i] dumbass!”[/color] He laughed. He stuck his hand out as he attempted to create an electric-blade, only for the attempt to shake rapidly as it eventually fell apart. [color=3874f4]”I forgot about-”[/color] Emily G. Reed came from behind, firing a blast of fire that hit Drake in the back. Sending him back to the ground. She grinned as she walked over to Vashti, offering a hand. [color=darkcyan]“I’m still mad. You suck as a wingwoman, Em,”[/color] said Vashti with an exaggerated pout as she pulled herself up with Emily’s help. The storm surged and the wind began to howl, whipping up the flames that surrounded the scene of destruction. Vashti’s eyes narrowed as she turned her attention back to Drake. The night hadn’t gone the way she had wanted—she couldn’t have imagined how wonderful the evening would truly turn out to be. Vashti cracked her knuckles over her head while stretching out her back as if she was just warming up for a gym session as she readied herself up for round two. Blackmore was about to find out that she could go all night. [color=darkcyan]“Come on, bro,”[/color] said Vashti to Emily, giving her a wink. [color=darkcyan]“Let’s fuck him.”[/color] Emily immediately projectile-vomited. [color=C67C12][i]Please… Please, My Darkness… We don't have a lot of time…[/i][/color] Lelou didn't argue. As much as she enjoyed the senseless back and forth that the group was participating in, she knew desperation. She loved desperation; hearing the strong man beg for control… She would let him have it, knowing that she could send them back into chaotic non-focus at any time. Beast Leo-Lu was mid trot on all fours like a half mutated wolfman when the body locked up. Leon came into consciousness over the scent of fire and flames, and his heart began to race as he hunted for them. He couldn't deal with Emily. Not the fire. He released a great beastial howl that echoed across the island, seals in his body adjusting and focusing power, concentrating him as his body shrunk and grew into a more comfortable, less freakishly proportioned form. Ken knew that howl. He'd heard it a dozen times participating in the Blood Nights, helping the Temple wrangle Leon during his full moon tirades. He'd assumed control, and was functioning on his own willpower for now. That was big for them. Still tumbling from the sky, Ken's fingers came together for another spell. Gold Lux shimmered across his body. [color=7B81B3]”Hazy Doppelganger!”[/color] Instantly there were half a dozen Kens, the result of the spell shunting him to the right as the doppelgangers formed on his left. They were entirely optical illusions meant to throw Emily off the trail of which was real. They all rotated their hands slightly. [color=7B81B3]”Enlighten!”[/color] It was only to bleed momentum. They caught wind like a bunch of airborne papers fluttering in the breeze, their falling momentum stopped instantly. Emily stuck her hands out, sending out a wave of fire at the illusions… and once the fire faded, it turned out that she was attacking nothing but an illusion. She hissed out of anger. The distraction was enough to give Leon time to adjust himself and make a motion. His body moved so quickly it formed some kind of afterimage as Leon wrenched a piece of concrete from the ground when he stepped off. He knew Vashti would react and respond… He just needed to fight her. They needed to exhaust one another. He needed to release himself. Seven foot tall boxers didn't make it long. They were always too slow, too weak. Gigantism wasn't a good trait for a combat athlete, it left your heart overstressed and hypertrophic, your bones desperate for nutrients and weaker than the norm. Leon didn't have those problems. He'd learned the importance of deadly accuracy, and of shutting things down with overwhelming force. As his form skipped across the ground, it left little holes where his feet had impacted to press off again. In an incredibly erratic pattern, Leon found an angle. He grabbed Vashti's hair, yarding her up and off of Drake to hang in mid-air for a moment before trying to juggle her with his fists like it was a video game. Vashti twisted like an aerialist performing in a big top as she was tossed into the air, swinging her claws down to catch Leon with a diving slash. Her blurred vision had begun to clear and her eyes widened with a mix of surprise and intrigue as she finally witnessed Leon in his full glory. Her mouth, formed in an “o”, began moving to yet again curse Emily’s name, the slurs cut short as she was fed Leon’s fist by his outstanding reach. Her head cracked back with a horrifying snap as another fist caught her in the gut and propelled her back up. Shouts from Vashti for Leon to stop became sharp, sudden, and staccato cries of pain that sounded like a sledgehammer playing an out of tune piano. The combo was only broken when Vashti was caught off-center by one of Leon’s ferocious lefts and by happenstance, as she was corkscrewed through the air to the sound of the wind howling “KO!”, avoided one of his hammering rights. She landed at his feet on her side and rolled onto her back, her finger dragging across her forehead as her arms splayed out, the slow rise and fall of her chest the only sign of life. Suddenly, her breathing stilled as a stream of dark blood began to drip from her head and pool on the ground. The storm rumbled as the rain continued to pour down its eulogy, the runoff of the rain parting its way around Vashti’s body as a sign of respect, keeping her blood unsullied by the rainwater. She looked dead. She was merely playing the part. Her eyes, still and lifeless, watched and waited for Leon to move closer. The pain that coursed through her body was pure heroin, elevating her into a state of nirvana. Maybe Leon could actually kill her. The thought was so exciting. Shit like this was what she lived for; nothing else compared. Was Leon a kindred spirit? There was only one way to find out. She saw movement and striked with sudden swiftness as she returned from the dead with a jerky, convulsing motion as if she had just been smacked with a pair of defibrillators. She scrambled quickly on all fours, her black hair hanging over her face, the blood still dripping from where she had sliced her own forehead to look like she was more injured than she actually was, and lunged at Leon. Her claws looked to snake behind, slash through his Achilles tendon, and bring Leon down to the ground. Only then could she find out if he could handle being on her level. However, Emily was aiming another hand at Kenshiro to unleash a blast of hellfire, she grinned… But, she was hit in the back with an arrow made out of lightning. She violently convulsed as she fell to the ground, then turned around and faced Drake Blackmore standing on top of a stand, holding a bow made of lightning. He grinned. Ken matched Drake’s smirk, all five copies of himself hitting the ground. [color=7B81B3]”No chance you have [i]those things[/i] up that naked ass? No matter: We need to do something to bring them all down! Come on, let’s put our heads together, Brother!”[/color] There had been infrequent moments where Ken was successful in compiling some semblance of a spell outside of his studies. Typically, they were collaborative efforts that attempted to bind together the skill and power of two Adepts at the same time. He’d played around with a lot of titles: Combo, Fusion, Finisher… Nothing ever stuck, so he was left simply to name the combinations one by one. Drake was just as flashy as he was about these things, so the name for their particular ability didn’t disappoint. [color=7B81B3]”Lux Union: Doomsday!”[/color] Before the two, Emily G. Reed seemed to be moving back in for them. However, Leon and Vashti were on the ground. Ken didn’t like that. He knew how Leon fought these days, and he knew how Lelou the Apparition fought. Whenever he ended up at some kind of great disadvantage or in a situation he felt he wasn’t suited for, Leon almost always resorted to letting himself go. Zero self control? Or zero sense of self preservation? Ken never quite knew, but he did know what was going to happen regardless. He knew that Leon wasn’t an ally for much longer. The Wolfman’s back hit the ground as Vashti hooked into his Achilles tendon. All at once he felt the burst of ligaments tear from the flesh of his bare naked leg and rip up the back of his thigh like the worst hangnail he’d ever had. No matter how quickly Lelou’s energy replaced the cells, no matter how dull and numb his nerves were, one didn’t get out of feeling something like that. Vashti didn’t relent as she locked up with the future corpse, her claws poised to pick his flesh clean from the bone. In the short time that the body took to collapse the wound and regrow the components, it experienced its own full collapse. Close to eight feet of wolf and man came crashing to the ground with a yelp, and its eyes rolled back into its head so hard that the retinas tore and began to bleed from the sockets. [color=a36209][i]Sweet Pup… You’ve gone and done it again, and now we’re almost out of time. Only one way to fix it… [b]Hand it over.[/b][/i][/color] The body’s flesh boiled and burbled until it split and ruptured in a mass of mutating muscle and fur. The arms and the head first, lashing out and grabbing at Vashti with quickly growing claws of its own before the woman could even finish uttering an, [color=darkcyan]“Oh, f—”[/color]. It was animalistic, dragging her and snapping with its wolf-like maw. Twin tongues curled upward as it snarled and the lower body carried on with the rapid endgame transformation. The seals were quaking. Leon couldn’t mentally sustain his control through the immense pain. Only she was used to it; only Lelou Faim. Only the Ravenous Queen. Even Vashti had begun to test her line. Her vision fizzled and popped like old film coming off the reel, shots of visceral red carnage spliced with blank screens of white hot pain. The only thing holding the scream in her throat was the blood running down it as her teeth sliced open the inside of her mouth as they pinned down her tongue. Vashti’s vicious strikes became a series of mistimed parries and counters as Lelou savaged her. Even without the rain touching her, what remained of Vashti’s toga was absolutely soaked, the thin white linen hanging heavy with a mix of Leon’s and her own blood. The only thing stopping Lelou’s hungry jaws from tearing out her throat was Vashti using her own left arm as a chew toy, her skin flayed raw. She wasn’t going to survive going blow-for-blow fighting one handed. She gritted her teeth as Vashti delivered a series of hard, seemingly ineffective knees to the Wolfman that would’ve caved in the chest of anyone else. In an act of desperation, she stopped defending herself from the slashes, eyes rolling as she felt his claws slice across her stomach. She jammed her right hand underneath her left arm that was trapped in the jaw of Lelou, breathing in sharply as her palm sliced its fangs. Her muscles bulged, crimson rapidly cascaded out of her forearm like a creaking dam moments away from wiping out a quaint, riverside town. Vashti managed to roll herself and Lelou in a way to find some leverage with her feet. A low, guttural sound was dampened by explosions in the thundering sky overhead before becoming a scream that drowned out the storm. [color=darkcyan]“[b]Bad boy, Leon! Bad boy![/b]”[/color] Vashti began to push her forearm up into Lelou’s jaw, sinking the teeth in further as she grunted. There was no fear in Vashti’s eyes as they widened and bulged—only the thrill. She latched the fingers of her right hand behind the bottom row of Lelou’s teeth. Vashti gave the creature that was once Leon a ruby red smile as she leaned in and whispered in its ear, her voice warm and inviting. [color=darkcyan]“Howl for me.”[/color] Lightning flashed as Vashti twisted her right arm and jerked down with all of her might, looking to completely tear Lelou’s lower jaw clean off. Meanwhile, Emily flicked her hand, and it ignited like a torch as she stared at the two… she could only grin. “[i]Doomsday?[/i] How fucking corny could you two get?!” She seethed as the fire grew brighter and brighter. “Hit me with the best you fucking got! It still will be [i]nothing-[/i]” A massive figure falling from the sky and crashing in the distance between Emily, Kenshiro, and Drake interrupted Emily. The ground shook, creating a massive splash of water and disturbing dust and dirt. A silhouette could be seen through the chaos, a tall, broad-shouldered figure that turned towards Emily… When the smoke cleared, it was none other than Maximilian Cornell. Except dressed as the Blue Ranger. “A-mazing!” Meifeng Liao walked up, holding her PRA badge in the air with Cindy Keagan at her side…. She probably looked ridiculous wearing a Maid’s outfit. “I turn my head for two minutes, and you get into [i]another[/i] fight Ms. Reed.” The fire faded out of Emily’s hand as she pointed an accusatory finger at Kenshiro and Drake, shouting, “They attacked me!” “Sure they did...” Meifeng rolled her eyes, before turning to Vashti duking it out with Leon. “... Is Ms. Nour fighting a goddamn werewolf?” She tilted her head. “Maximilian,” Cindy said. “On it,” Maximilian flew between the two and effortlessly pushed them apart by sticking both of his palms out. Pushed away from its prey so easily, The Beast had managed a total physical reformation. It came to a skidding halt, falling backward into a still burning tent set ablaze by Emily. There was a moment of panic as fur caught alight: Still covered in fryer grease mixed with rainwater, the slick undercoating went up in a blaze of glory. It began to howl, jump around, flail and panic and scream. Ken watched it all happen as he stood with mouth agape, but he couldn’t stop. He’d promised Lady Lynette that whenever he was around, he’d be there to help them with Leon’s condition. He’d come to learn and appreciate the Beast’s quirks, and knew of particular techniques to put it down. But he didn’t waste the opportunity to point an accusatory finger at Emily G. Reed. [color=7B81B3]”I don’t know you! If you’re not here to put that thieving cock-goblin to justice, then butt out of Coven business!”[/color With lightning speed, his fingers flicked together, and he was replaced in his spot by a puff of flames and burning fur as he replaced a section of air with himself. He hung in the air above Leon, and all at once a massive static bubble formed around its flailing mass. This technique only worked if it was distracted like this. Usually bullets, or magical fires similar to this, were used. And then, it was a matter of following the Beast. Ken could tell it was already tired, so when the last bit of oxygen left the bubble and the flames snuffed out, it only struggled for a moment. In its typical grotesque nature, the body melted away to reveal the host beneath a mound of oily flesh. Face down, ass up in the dirt with perfectly unblemished skin, Leon struggled for oxygen as he woke up once again in the middle of a vacuous bubble devoid of air and pressure. With his last bit of consciousness, he spun and looked up to see Ken, the source, and threw up the double peace sign. He was in control, and Ken couldn’t help staring down at the dong. He looked back at Drake; also in a toga. The bubble disappeared, and Ken smiled, turning his head again to look at Leon as he panted and regained his breath. Ken ripped his cape off his back and threw it down to his fellow Coven Member, covering him up. [color=7B81B3]”Now, maybe I’ve been gone too long, but you’re cops? Another group of pretend heroes come to St. Portwell to [i]’Liberate us from danger’[/i]? If you’re not here to arrest a thief, just pack up now.”[/color] he called out to Meifeng and her badge. [Color=darkcyan]“I’m so happy to see you, bros! Those men were assaulting us! I'm terrified to think of what they would’ve done to us if you hadn't intervened,”[/color] said Vashti to Meifeng through crocodile tears. She put a still bleeding hand to her forehead and stumbled closer to the bulky blue ranger that had absolutely manhandled her and Leon. [Color=darkcyan]“Oh! I feel faint! Somebody help…”[/color] She closed her eyes, twisted, and fell backwards against Maximilian in a trust fall, essentially forcing him to catch her. She cracked one eye open, mouthed a ‘sup’ at special agent hunk, and went limp. Obviously, protocol would call for immediate mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. [color=7B81B3]”Oh, I would [i]not[/i] be getting either of your heads near that mouth my friend! As the Frog learned the Scorpion’s nature, so too will you recognize the nature of a Crocodile.”[/color] Ken scoffed as he saw his rival’s blatant display of manipulative behavior. He simply didn’t approve. “I can handle her!” Maximilian said as he caught Vashti and gently placed her on the ground. “Thieving!?” Emily put both of her hands on her chest as she loudly gasped. “What the fuck did [i]I[[/i] steal?! You two assholes came and jumped [i]me.[/i]” Then pointed at Kenshiro and Drake. Drake put his fists on his hips in a heroic pose as he said, [color=3874f4]”... I honestly have no clue what’s going on.”[/color] He shrugged, [color=3874f4]”I just saw my bro getting jumped and couldn’t sit by while [i]that[/i] happened. Bro-code. You wouldn’t understand.”[/color] “‘Pretend cops’?” Meifeng scoffed as she cracked a grin. “Unfortunately, [i]‘Coven business’[/i] is superseded by [i]‘PRA business’[/i], so I don’t know what’s going on here, nor do I know [i]why[/i] it’s going on. And I don’t care.” She crossed her arms as she put the badge away, “The fact is, you five are causing a [i]huge[/i] scene with magic. And it’s [i]my[/i] business to keep magic a secret. I don’t care what Emily G. Reed did. I don’t care what you did. The Sycamore Tree and 8th Street Covens have consistently been a pain in my ass since I was stationed here - but let me stop here.” She cracked a wry grin as she said, “So, in the interest of my day off remaining just that, I’m [i]asking[/i] you all to cut it out.” An exasperated sigh came from the ground where Vashti laid, waving her hand dismissively. [color=darkcyan]“Yessssss, mooooom. We promise to never defend ourselves ever again, mooooom…”[/color] [color=7B81B3]”Typical law and order types, wouldn't bust a ball to actually enforce a thing besides the status quo. You're no better than the Clan authorities who aba-”[/color] Kenshiro was interrupted. Leon's voice simply cut louder. [color=C67C12]”Save it for people who care, Kenny. They're federal agents.”[/color] Ken furrowed his brow. [color=7B81B3]”Boogeymen? While our people die by the half dozen and nothing’s been done about it!? Well, thanks to Emily G. Reed, our friend's magic c-”[/color] [color=C67C12]”Kenshiro, please stop talking to them!”[/color] [color=7B81B3]”Emily G. Reed deserves to be trapped in the core of our planet, but the authorities here just consider all of our problems pesky? Then they're choosing laws to enforce, and they're no better than spineless roadmen.”[/color] [color=3874f4]”No, Leon!”[/color] Drake raised a hand, as he softly said, [color=3874f4][i]”Let him cook…”[/i][/color] “And no one has made any attempt to explain to me what in the world was going on here…” Meifeng pinched the bridge of her nose and shook her head… before she raised her head and faced Kenshiro, narrowing her eyes, “If you want to talk about ‘choosing laws to enforce’-” She finger quoted. “-then I should be hauling all of you to jail for causing such a destructive fight.” She let her words hang in the air, “But, I’m [i]not[/i], but booooy are you making it tempting…” Emily took a step forward, pointing at Kenshiro, but facing Meifeng, “What happened was… I was in that stupid toga line, they handed me that stupid trophy cup, and I decided to go to the bathroom; then this asshole pops out of nowhere and [i]demands[/i] I give up the cup as if I stole it! So I did since it was an [i]honest[/i] mistake! But then he started getting aggressive, and I had no choice but to defend myself! His friends hopped in, but then my friend Vashti…” She glanced at Vashti on the ground, before facing Meifeng again… then tears started running down her eyes. “... Came to [i]my[/i] defense! You see, Agent Liao! You saw how that psychotic-[i]bitch[/i] Lila attacked me! These bastards have always harassed me! Ever since [i]I[/i] was a little girl, they have shown me [i]no[/i] peace! All because [i]I[/i] had a problem with how they operated back in the day!” She wiped the tears off her face… however, she was still soaked from the rainwater. [color=7B81B3]”I refuse to sit here and be lectured by some Slag with a badge. If you won’t arrest a criminal, I won't recognize your supposed position of authority. Fuck off and have a terrible night, I hope Father Wolf shits on your lawn.”[/color] Ken looked at Leon, then over at Drake. [color=7B81B3]”I'll see both of you Brothers soon.”[/color] Ken had places to be, and at this point finding the Chalice was a job for Jack. He was on the case, and Ken trusted him to get it done. He bent at the knees, and in a surge of energy, he launched himself once more into the air like a mortar out of the tube, headed for what he knew to be Luca's last known residence. “Hmph,” Meifeng shrugged. “Well, have a nice night, you.” “I’m leaving! I can’t take this anymore!” Emily bawled… before she turned towards Drake and Leon and wiped the tears from her face as she grinned ear-to-ear. “See you and your little Coven soon. [i]Real soon[/i]. Tell Lila to have her affairs in order because who [i]knows[/i] what’ll happen.” That was when she walked over to Vashti, knelt, and grabbed her by the arm, trying to pull her up, “Enough with the theatrics; let’s go! I’ve had enough of these retards.” She spoke to Vashti in a hushed tone. Vashti jumped to her feet, trying not to giggle, [color=darkcyan]“Bro, don't say that!”[/color] It left Leon and Drake to deal with the aftermath. Leon's equal skepticism in the federal authorities was only bolstered after they managed to shoot him in the head with a teargas grenade. He gave a look at Drake. [color=C67C12]”We'll leave. I'm fairly certain all we really care about is The Chalice's recovery, and if Emily doesn't have it, then Emily doesn't have it. Can't arrest her with no real evidence…”[/color] Meifeng stared at Leon for a few moments before she said, “... Thank you.” [Color=darkcyan]“Yeeeeah, thank you Leon!”[/color] shouted Vashti, suddenly ambushing him from the side. She striked suddenly, booping him playfully on the nose and retreating back to Emily's side. She wiggled her fingers at him as they departed. [color=darkcyan]“We’ve got some unfinished business. I'll see you soon.”[/color]