POW!

THUD!

CLAP!

“Alright! Who else is next?”

Another fight, another victory for the famed Hungry Wolf of South Town. They didn’t call him legendary for nothing, after all. Ever since his arrival to Chinatown, Terry had won multiple fights that took place at the heart of the East Asian corner of the city of the wolves. He could hear loud and clear that the locals were rooting for him, eager to see him overcome each and every obstacle in his path until there was no one to dispute him for the one and only VIP spot at Pai’s restaurant. The series of bouts itself was a huge attraction that afternoon—mainly because of Terry—and due to this, some of the locals began guarding the access to the center of the battle with a row of pickups and minibuses. Though, it didn’t stop any of the outsiders from ‘getting into the ring,’ including what was about to come after Terry next.

While he was dusting his jeans, suddenly, something alarmed Terry, his wolf-like senses tingling. A quiet smack was heard shaking the paved ground, as if somebody or something had barely pummeled it down. With a sharp glance, he checked past his shoulder, taking a sight of a humongous spectral form blipping and ramming in his direction, resembling that of an elderly woman bearing a cane. He reflexively sidestepped, letting the spectral granny fly past him at a slow pace. With what appeared to be an ambush seemingly avoided, Terry had managed to discover who the summoner was: a hulking figure with a striking pompadour and a blue crescent tattoo on his toned shoulder. Terry recognized this young lad, and his name was…

“Lao?” he questioned. “That you?”

“I’ve finally found ya,” Lao responded, feigning ferocity. “Ya think I’m just gonna give it up after the ass-whoopin’ ya give me back at Pao Pao 6? No, no, no, ya made a huge mistake, wolfie! I’m done goofin’ around, and this time, that VIP spot’s gonna be mine!”

Terry smirked, tightening his biker gloved fists. “I see, now you got yourself motivated, huh?” he asked. “Actually, so am I. I’d wanna believe you’re gonna fight better than you did back at Pao Pao 6. Let’s get this done real quick, should we? I’m so damn hungry.”

The hat-wearing bruiser could hear his stomach growling, but he knew he couldn’t stop yet. Not until there was no other fighter left to break his winning streak. Mouth almost watering, he could picture himself savoring plates of delicate dumplings and steamed chicken feet for less than their regular prices after the VIP spot was secured, yet somehow, the notion of endlessly dueling with competitors of various fighting styles sounded tastier than any of the oriental cuisines that Pai had to offer.

Circling one another, Terry and Lao began sizing each other up, waiting for the right momentum to strike. They kept their fists close to their temples, their respective ready stances assumed. Strengthening his resolve, Lao hurled a hefty fist, only to be blocked by Terry with a pair of forearms. He was taken aback, but refused to give up just yet. The hulking lad hurled a different fist, and another, and another, yet despite the gradually increasing strength and velocity, his seasoned opponent had always found a way to evade, sidestepping left and right while letting every flail move past his whiffling bang. Face flinching, he started to get irritated.

“Missed… and missed! And here I thought you promised me something bombastic,” Terry quipped, both his confident smile and defensive stance maintained. “C’mon, big boy, get serious! I know you can punch harder than a nine-year-old.”

Lao gnashed his teeth and grunted. “No, you…” Feeling a sense of challenge in the seasoned fighter’s voice, he drew his fist back, charging himself with as much inner energy as he could to launch a heavier blow, his knuckles laced with similarly shaped energy projection. The charging flail connected.

POW!

Or so, it seemed? As it turned out, Terry had managed to collide his fist against Lao’s, a fiery energy shrouding his knuckles. A loud thud exploded, though the arduous impact that Lao’s flail might produce was efficiently reduced to the point where Terry could barely feel any sort of damaging effects.

“Hah! Nice one! Keep it up!”

Lao grinned, uplifted. In reciprocation, he hurled another flail with an alternating fist—still laced in energy, yet nevertheless, the same outcome. No matter how hard he tried, Terry would just parry each and every attack he threw at him, now using both of his fiery knuckles alternately. After moments of exchanging blows, the hat-wearing bruiser finally figured out a way to break the exchange. When the last hefty blow was delivered, he quickly held Lao’s fist with his wrist, erupting a loud crack! The three-time KOF champion pushed him back with a front kick, the tip of his boot swinging and grazing against the Lillien Knight’s mandible.

WHACK!

“Bingo!”

And the kick rendered him unsteady. Wasting no chance, Terry continued further with his own series of offenses, ambushing Lao with alternating flails, a spinning backhand, and a backspinning kick to the gut. Lao was stunned, and a gauge stock was obtained. While his greener opponent was still recovering from the hefty round of offenses, Terry struck a charging pose, feeling an auric blip of energy coursing through his body. Advance Mode was activated! With that, he lunged in the stunned opponent’s direction, sending him flying back with a devastating shoulder tackle.

“POWER CHARGE!!” he exclaimed.

CRACK!

THUD!

The outcome saw Lao colliding with a nearby pickup by the other end of the street-fighting stage, his toned back firmly kissing its solid temple. The hulking lad bounced back in Terry’s direction, but not before scaring away a group of pigs that’d been spilling out of the back of the said mini-truck in unison. When his opponent was close, the three-time KOF champion flailed the paved ground, utilizing his only gauge stock to summon a surging torrent of energy.

“POWER… GEYSER!!!”

A quake erupted, and a fracture was formed across the ground, the geyser’s fiery tip instantly connecting with the rebounding opponent. The desperation move sent Lao flying out of the stage like a launching rocket to the moon, prompting him to collide with a sizable banner endorsing Ms. Lee’s Pawn Shop. The way the beaten-up Lao just stuck there across the banner’s fractured surface with the enormous picture of a braided young lady gesturing her hand at him made the sight all the more comical. He eventually slid down, sniffling and mumbling, as he toppled on his front across the crimson roof just below the promotional banner.

“No… No! I– I don’t wanna… lose…”

And just like that, Lao was knocked out, his voice trailing off. The unofficial referees had decided that Terry won by ring out, even though he’d managed to knock his opponent out cold. In a celebratory fashion, the blonde bruiser raised his cap, firing up the roaring crowd circling him.

“Ha ha… Alrighty!” he exclaimed with a wide grin before sporting his gaudy red cap back, turning it backwards. He shifted towards the Chinese restaurant across the guarding minibuses, seeing that Lao was still laying there on its crimson rooftop, hilariously snoring. “Ha! You ain’t ever beating me, you got that!? And don’t forget to tell Jenet that I say ‘hi,’ bud.”

It seemed that the celebrating crowd still demanded Terry continue fighting, despite the fact that he’d already ran out of challengers to compete for the VIP spot. Or so, he thought? If the locals were entertained, he, too, was entertained to keep fighting. But who? Who should he fight now that he’d defeated every local champion in Chinatown?

Thankfully, it didn’t take long until his next match—and possibly his final one for this afternoon—was made. A tall, tanned lady was spotted strolling through the sea of locals, seemingly heading in his direction. From the looks of it, Terry didn’t seem to recognize the young lady. She must’ve been one of those tourists visiting South Town, he thought. As a means of attracting her attention, he whistled.

“Hey, you!” Terry exclaimed, then comically clapped his hands for a show, his finger subsequently gesturing at the potential opponent. “Yeah, I’m talking to you, cutie! You look tough, alright. Say, are you looking for somebody to fight or what?”

FIN.

MP: 10/10
Swan Gauge: 78%



Her blades dripped with blood.

Her blades were often clean. Monsters had evolved to stay out of human consciousness, and part of that was leaving no trace of their existence. Their bodies flaked apart like ash when they died, leaving nothing to study. Even the blood on Mika’s blades dissipated when she vanquished what soiled them. But her most recent prey was smart. It knew it couldn’t beat her in a fight, and so it ran. She managed to get a single good swing at the werewolf’s chest before it took off running. A single underling wasn’t worth hunting down, but this one knew things. Mika had slain the other mobsters and if she wanted any more information, she’d have to choke it out of this snitch.

He was fast, and well dressed. His tailcoat fluttered in the wind along with his tail. He bolted over a chain link fence and kept right on running. Mika didn’t let up either. Though clearing a fifteen foot tall fence with a jump was a feat most espers couldn’t accomplish.

Unless they used their magic.



She jumped off the ground and extended a hand. A spectral wolf head manifested and took hold of her wrist. Before she could lose momentum, the spirit gave her a firm yank. What had seemed like a troublesome obstacle had been cleared with little effort. The landing would be harder, but she had trained for it. She tucked her head and rolled to her feet instead of smashing her head like a pumpkin. The chase continued.

The werewolf left the back ally and arrived in the middle of busy China Town. It was just late enough that everyone was back at work, but the street stalls were busy serving up raw fish and noodles. The wolf wasn’t hungry for anything but freedom. He shoved his way through the crowd. It wasn’t long before Mika emerged from the back ally. Any other city and a tuxedo wearing werewolf being chased by big red hood and her big bowie knives might cause some people alarm, but not in Pax Septimus. Street performances were commonplace, as were crazy people. They were given a little space, but otherwise it was just another Tuesday morning.

It was only a matter of time before the werewolf lead her into an ambush or managed to shake her completely. She needed to end this chase as fast as possible. She pushed forward and spoke under her breath.

"Speed of an ostrich…"



She could feel the spirits of ostriches entwining with her legs, and she sprinted forward. The werewolf’s lead was starting to shrink. He had parted the crowd like the red sea, which gave Mika a straight shot at him. In a desperate move to delay the inevitable, he ran off the street into a busy road. It was a smart move, actually. Monsters were quite resistant to physical harm, while an esper wasn’t. But this wasn’t Mika’s first rodeo. She approximated his direction, then aimed across the street.



The werewolf finally bumbled his way across five lanes of traffic, and only got hit by one car. It did absolutely no damage to him but his tailcoat got torn on some bloke’s front bumper. Once he got to the other side, he noticed Mika was leaning up against a building. She took her dagger and demonstrated its sharpness by dragging it along the brick siding. The mortar flaked away under the blade.

"Just tell me what I want to know, and I’ll let you go."

He ran again, not even taking the time to consider the offer. It was the right choice, as Mika never spared monsters.

Not even nice ones.

But the wolf was truly out of options. How could you escape someone who was faster than you, and could teleport on top of it? By appealing to their humanity of course. The werewolf grabbed the nearest person he could and held his claw up to her neck. Another smart move, as they picked the perfect hostage. An old woman who couldn't defend herself, likely a widower, but still with many good years left in her. It wasn’t hard to picture her doing volunteer work or looking after kids, if the tacky craft pieces she was wearing were any indication. The world would be a darker place without her, and Pax Septimus was plenty dark already.

"Now here’s what we’re going to do." He made sure that his claws cut her enough to draw blood. This guy was serious. "You’re going to drop those blades and kick them over to me. And then once I’m sure you can't pursue me anymore, I’m going to leave."

Ah, the classic not-lie. He’ll know Mika can’t pursue him anymore when she’s dead, and the old woman will likely be dead too. It was a play she had seen and she never participated in them. The reality of the situation was that surrendering now would be a death sentence to both of them. Monsters were only monsters, and giving the werewolf what he wanted was always going to be a bad idea. Killing both of them would save far more lives that allowing him to live a second longer. As clever as the wolf had been up to this point, Mika felt like he had just shown the limit of his intelligence. She knew he could be outsmarted now.

Her eyes began to glow as spirits raced up and down her body.



"Hey! You keep doing that, and I’m going to kill her!" He pressed a second claw into her neck. This one did not cause her to bleed, interestingly enough.

Mika sighed. "I’m just going to heal this scratch your friend gave me earlier." She showed the Werewolf her arm. Sure enough, it had been cut when she had ambushed their pack earlier. "I won’t be able to do it once I-"

"Whatever, just get it over with!"

This was good.He was showing weakness. Or was it confidence? Either way, he felt in control enough to let Mika heal herself. That meant her trick was working.

"You understand, right? Without my weapons…"

"Yea." He growled. "If you drop those weapons, you’ll eventually turn into a harmless human. One I can run away from. Now quit stalling and drop those daggers!"

She held out her hands, loosened her grip, but her weapons never left her hands.



The failed attempt to heal herself had been a successful attempt to call a spirit. A feline entity oversaw the altercation below and knew just what to do. It picked up a spirit puppy with its fangs and cast it towards the werewolf.

The sound of a bark got the wolf to look towards the sky, but it was too late. No matter how the wolf man moved, or how he planned to use his hostage as a shield, the puppy nimbly weaved around it’s prey before latching onto his shoulder. At which point the lovable puppy face ballooned to that of a full grown wolf and bit down. The Wolf man’s arm was severed instantly. He hadn’t even howled in pain before Mika lunged for him. He used his remaining arm to shove the old woman into Mika, who in turn shoved her into a nearby pedestrian. That bite had contained some venom too. He wouldn’t be able to run for long.

But Mika was getting tired of chasing him. In his current state he could harm anyone. He had to know his time was coming, and might go on a rampage just to spite her. Even if he wasn’t worth it, this werewolf was going to get the full brunt of Mika’s powers. Her eyes flashed, destiny aligned itself with her vision, and the unlikely outcome was the only one that would ever happen. All that was left to do was watch it play out.



Pax Septimus was known as the city of blood for a lot of reasons. The gist was that it was plenty cursed. Right now a meteor fell towards the city. It wasn’t big, it barely made the news. But it didn’t burn up in the atmosphere. It hit earth straight on and was cooked down to a fist sized rock. The speed it was moving was so absurdly fast that humans do not have the mind to properly grasp how fast it is.

Normally monsters were quite resistant to physical attacks, but that was like expecting a waterproof phone to survive the deepest depths of the ocean. The stone fell from the sky and struck the werewolf in the knee. The wound was instantly cauterized, but he didn’t have a leg to stand on. He tumbled to the ground and the chase was over.

Mika rolled him onto his back and mounted him. She stuck the tip of her blade into his chest and fretted her brow. "Tell me where Bookman is."

"Why?" the monster groaned. "Y-ou’re just going to kill me anyway!"

Smart boy.

"You don’t know that." She pulled the blade free and stuck it under his remaining arm. "You’re a small fry. I’m looking for a big catch."

"S-crew you!"

"But if this drags on, I’m going to have to hunt down your family." He refocused his gaze, she continued "I know how you guys work, you can’t help but settle down with someone and tell them all of your secrets." She pulled his wallet out of his pants and flipped it open. "Cute family, a shame their father’s a piece of shit."

"And you call us monsters…" He growled. "Bookman went to South Town to settle some business with some debtors. He should be there."

"That’s it?"

"He’s doing something with medicine. Apparently there’s a guy in China Town. That’s all I know."

"Well, that’s a lead anyway."

"So now what? Do you let me go? Let me be a better person for my family?"

"Something like that."

Mika’s knife sunk into his chest. There wasn’t even a whimper when his body turned into ash and blew away. To the onlookers, this was just another part of a performance. A few of them clapped as Mika rose to her feet, but she did not bother to turn and accept the applause.

"I love Red Savior’s performances!" One man said to another. "They’re so visceral and raw!"

"I just think pissed off girls are hot."

Mika took one last look at the photos in the wallet. Maybe there was more information to follow up on, but it sounded like for the first time in a long time, she was going to have to leave the city that took her mother’s life.

…

…

…



Same minute, same type of locale.

Deja vu?

Couldn’t be, coincidence didn’t exist.

Mika considered trying to keep a low profile by remaining untransformed. However, Bookman was a rather clever fellow and already knew what the real Mika looked like. Better to strut around as Red Savior and be ready if a fight. It wasn’t like anyone had ever stopped her before, and how different could one China town be from another?

Very, apparently.

On paper they should have been the same. Pax Septimus and South Town were hard places that had their share of dangerous individuals. An entity like Red Savior rarely caused a stir in Pax, and the same seemed to be the case in South Town. If there was a difference she could notice, it would be the attitudes surrounding fighting. In Pax Septimus, Mika kept her fighting in the shadows, and tried to make it feel like a street performance when things got out of hand. Nobody liked the idea of a real fight, so they had to make it seem less serious. South Town celebrated fighting, however. Maybe they even worshiped it. They held big fighting tournaments and it was nothing for people to block off traffic to make an improv arena to fight in. Fighting prowess was something to be displayed, not hidden under the veil of a performative art. The fights were real, the pain was real. They delighted in the lack of a script.

When Terry called out to Mika, she hadn’t thought she was the one being singled out. Her eyes went to his finger, then over her shoulder. All she found were rows and rows of eyes that were locked onto her. She grunted, but the sound was totally masked by the crowd’s clapping. They had just seen a great show and they wanted an encore. Her eyes swung back over to Terry as her brain tried to catch up to his words, now knowing that everything he said was intended for her.

It was an interesting arrangement of comments wasn’t it? You called people cutie when you wanted to flatter them, told them they were tough if they’d make strong allies, and asked them if they were looking for a fight if you were itching for a fight yourself. As opposed as all of the comments seemed, Mika believed he meant all of them. It was just one more way the fighting culture of South Town differed from Pax Septimus.

She understood it, but she didn’t agree with it.

"You could say that." She placed a hand on her hip, right above one of her sheathed knives. The unconscious combatant did not escape her notice, nor did the destruction that lead to his eventual knock out. "I don’t suppose you’ve seen a tall, dark skinned man with the head of a sheep and numerous horns?" She held her hand up to her face to stroke an invisible snout. "Has kind of a long face with jagged teeth? Black eyes with cyan irises? Talks with a smooth, velvety voice?" Mika folded her arms. "He’s a lifestyle influencer that goes by the name Bookman." Mika added, as if that suddenly made everything she just said make sense.

“Ha! Well, then. You came just to the right place because I’m ready to throw down with you.”

South Town was—in and of itself—the city of champions. Like wild wolves, its residents breathed and devoted their lives to fighting. Whether authorized or unauthorized, fisticuffs weren’t just allowed. They were encouraged. Fights were held at every corner of the city, and it wasn’t limited to this one. Instead of shying away from the violent nature of them, the people of South Town embraced them. Glorified them, even, as every bout was celebrated and every battle-hungry seeker actively roamed the city to quench their maniacal needs for competitions. And if anything, Terry was one of those people embodying the spirit of South Town—both grounded and larger-than-life. He was their unofficial mascot, after all—the man whom the youngsters looked up to.

When Terry approached Mika, he failed to recognize whether or not she was actually impressed by his compliment. Her voice was flat, almost a matter-of-fact. Her facial expression was pretty much the same, bored yet fascinated at the same time. It was as if she’d been to this part of the city prior, yet at the same time, it was apparent that she was doubting herself—doubting the memories she had just formed around South Town’s renowned East Asian corner. There was more than one Chinatown across the States, after all, so it was more likely that she’d visited a different variant somewhere in the past.

“Oh, so you’re looking for somebody else, okay…” Terry chimed with a nod, his voice wry yet quippy as he halted his strides. While giving ear to Mika’s description of the man she was eager to fight, he couldn’t help but put a quizzical front, faintly furrowing and scratching his golden temple. “Huh? Weird… I’ve never seen anybody like that around the neighborhood. ‘Lifestyle influencer,’ you said? Is he, like, a TV person or something? Or is he just one of those fake gurus I found on the net?”

The name was Bookman. Half-man, half-sheep. Tall figure, dark complexion, jaggy teeth, cyan pupils, and an unusually long facial structure. If only Mika could ditch the ‘head of a sheep’ bit, he might’ve known a handful of residents around the city with a similarly gentle voice, but somebody with the exact descriptions? He had no idea that such a thing would’ve even existed in South Town. The closest he would’ve been to meeting creatures with horns was when he entered the Smash Bros. tournament, but even then, they were space dragons and antropomorphic turtles originating from some places but here. The chances of encountering such an entity should be slim in his hometown, shouldn’t they? Or perhaps, there was something more to this than meets the eye…

Eyes darting elsewhere, Terry caressed the back of his neck, placing a free hand over his hip. “Ah, sorry, my bad… I wish I knew who you were talking about, but…” Then, as he glanced back at Mika, his sky-blue gaze spontaneously fell upon her sheathed blades. Suddenly, an idea crossed his mind—a mischievous one, to be precise. “Wait a minute, are those real knives?” he asked, his finger gesturing at the stowed weapons. If Mika answered ‘yes,’ he’d gradually crouch, a knee pressing against the ground beneath as he raised and extended both hands in defeat. “Oh, Gosh, that’s my weakness. It’s small knives!”

The unexpected gesture managed to fill the mock-up stage with laughs from the audiences. Little did they realize, this was more than just a nod to a certain movie scene. Despite the fierce exterior, Terry was, in fact, afraid of anything resembling needles—or in his words: ‘syringes.’ It was unsure whether this was a result of unresolved childhood trauma or his surrogate father’s death, but one thing for certain, he was partly playing a ruse to trick the esper into fighting him. After all, these people were begging to see his performance again.

A fist was dropped, and a flare of energy flashed. A shockwave was channeled, crawling in Mika’s direction across the ground. “Anything but POWER WAVE!!” he yelled abruptly, then stood upright, managing a giggle when and if the shockwave managed to connect. “Oh, it’s so predictable! Fell for that, didn’t you?”

One could say that he was doing a little trolling as we speak. Feigning inferiority and coming up with an ambush had always been part of the strategy. Terry tightened each of his gloves, then rode his hands overhead, ears absorbing the roar of the crowd like a sponge.

“You heard those peeps? They’re dying to see us fight! How about some good ol’ fashioned beat down before we go ahead and find the guy, huh?” he asked, then clenched his fists, swinging them over his temples. A ready stance assumed. “I mean, if you don’t mind. How many rounds you got? One? Two?”

FIN.

MP: 10/10
Swan Gauge: 0%

"This would be a fake net guru." Not the words Mika would have normally used, but when dealing with others, using their own words often avoided confusion. In Mika’s opinion, all influencers were fake. If they were real, then it would be possible to better one’s life through their choices. But change was hard and no one can truly alter the trajectory of their life. Mika was no further above this than anyone else. She was here to find Bookman, and no lifestyle changes would affect her self appointed mission.

Predictably, the goofy blond guy didn’t claim to know anything. Then he changed the subject to her knives and asked if they were real. Mika didn’t answer right away, but it was clear he wasn’t going to give up unless she said something. After ten seconds of him just standing there, pointing awkwardly, ignoring the shame a man like him should feel, Mika shrugged. "Yes." She confirmed with the enthusiasm a child might when asked if they finished their vegetables. She immediately noted his change in disposition. While she hadn’t watched nearly enough superhero movies to notice the reference, she could tell he was mocking her. The crowd, being on his side, laughed at her on his behalf. She steeled her eyes, and her hands moved to her knives. It was too early to draw them, but something was amiss.

Though she expected to be attacked, she wasn’t sure exactly where it was going to come from. Maybe the crowd would turn into monsters and charge her, or perhaps she’d be sniped by someone. In an arena like this there was far too much to keep track of, and it was easy to hide in so many distractions. And with so many places to hide, that made it a bit surprising that the attack came out in the open, right from the silly blond man himself.

"Gah!"

Fortunately, there was enough distance between them that Mika was able to hop out of the way. She watched in horror as the tremor raced past her and fizzled out or slammed into some far off obstacle. But she didn’t watch long. Her eyes returned to the silly blond man, who appeared to be a silly blond esper.

It made sense in retrospect. Have an esper pose as a street fighter and do battle with a bunch of locals. Bookman must have been aware that there was a leak and planted spies like this to trip her up. There had to be more of them around the city, but that didn’t matter. This man was here to put an end to her investigation, and that wasn’t something she was about to stand for.

He continued to mock her after the attack, suggesting that she probably didn’t see it coming. He kept up the jovial attitude as the crowd cheered him on, but Mika would not be fooled by this man a second time. He knew things, and was very likely tied directly to Bookman. Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me.



"Seems you’re going to attack me regardless if I want to fight or not. Very well, if you demand satisfaction, you shall have it." Mika drew her daggers from their sheathes. A burst of ethereal flame ignited the air before settling as a red glow. Contrary to the man’s description, the knives were not tiny. They were far more comparable to a bowie knife than some punk’s pocket knife. "I take fighting seriously, and I hope you do too. We will fight as if this is real combat, since your fans seem to enjoy the spectacle." She bent her knees and settled into a fighting stance. "One round, no time limit, we fight until one of us stops moving."

As aggressive as Mika’s pitch was, she wanted the silly blond man alive. If he was put here to protect Bookman, then she would just need to apprehend him and get what she needed out of him. All monsters deserved to die, but you could rehabilitate humans. Some of them, at least.

Her mother had died because was unable to notice a threat, and so rushing in fast for a swift attack was out of the question. Espers had all kinds of powers, and she had to make sure this one didn’t have any other tricks up his short sleeves. The distance between them shrunk as she power walked her way up to him. If he made the mistake of letting her get too close, she’d stab him right in the shoulder. Since she wanted him alive, she couldn’t attack his more vital areas until she had confirmed how strong he was.

“Heh. I see, uh… Quite honestly, I’ve never heard of an internet guy named ‘Bookman.’ And I sure as hell dunno anybody by that name. Why do you need to fight this guy, anyway? Is he a strong fighter?”

Terry narrowed his eyes. Mika might not admit it, but it was palpable that she didn’t seem to trust him, which was only fair since they’d only met. While he normally put no ill-will towards anyone, he knew he still had to remain vigilant. After all, we’re talking about a person who brought a pair of knives swords to a fisticuffs. That—in and of itself—was already quite fishy. On top of that, why would she come after a petty internet guru, anyway? Did she have a personal problem with him? Or was there something more than meets the eye? Either way, unless said guru was a cult leader with the unthinkable strength, he couldn’t comprehend why anybody would try to find and tear an obnoxious influencer from limb to limb. Really taking being a hater to the next level.

Mika didn’t flinch nor laugh like the crowd did. She just strengthened her face and evaded his ‘Power Wave’ with relative ease, letting it comb through the sea of people and shake a mini-truck loaded with barrels in a harsh knock! It surprised Terry how she managed to maintain a straight face even after such a spoony act. Did it not look amusing to her? Or was she really that hard to be amused? Thankfully, at least, his plan worked as expected. Baited, she drew her blades out and assumed a ready stance, even taunting back at him. Some of her words intrigued him.

“Ohoho… Fine speech, baby, it’s on!” Terry excitedly exclaimed, triggering the crowd to roar aloud in rejoice. “Girl, you’re so wild, though. Don’t you just love the kinda girl who’ll just… rip you apart?” His fists tightened, his smile spreading from ear to ear. “Y’know, when I left my apartment today, I thought, ‘Damn, I wish some cute lady with a knife would just beat me up and wreck me.’ Been a hot minute since a girl locked me up and broke me from bone to bone.”

As a whistle left his mouth, the three-time KOF champion gestured at the blade-wielder with a waving palm, making it seem like he was inviting her to strike first.

“So, c’mon! If we wanna get serious, then let’s get serious! ’Cause I can show you the brand new world you’ll never forget...”

And… Did he just wink at her? The way Terry quipped back at Mika, he made it seem like he was trying to attract her. That, or he was getting a little too excited for the subsequent bout that he forgot to keep his mouth under control.

Thankfully, Terry was sufficiently agile for his size. Reflexively, he evaded to his side, sidestepping out of the lunging blade. Wasting no time, he leaped in the esper’s direction with a front kick, extending his lower limb and attempting to falter her upright form.

“Hyahh–!!”

If connected, Terry would go on to kick Mika by the shin, then followed it up with a high kick to the mandible. He didn’t intend to finish her off, either, since he never entertained such a thing.

“Well, that’s a fancy ol’ sword, alright,” the brawny blonde quipped, a confident smirk all over the lower half of his face. “Did a certain ‘God of War’ make that for you?”

FIN.

MP: 10/10
Swan Gauge: 0%

He still wasn’t taking her seriously, but that would be to his detriment in the end. Mika was far more interested in saying what she needed to say with her blades than with her mouth. That’s how they did it in Pax Septimus. Her brow became more crossed as the seconds ticked by.

Every fighter knew they were at their most dangerous when they were attacking, but at their most vulnerable when they attacked. If an attack didn’t land, it was often an opening that a fighter could exploit. The blond had understood this, anticipated the attack, and side stepped. This was something that Mika fully expected to happen. That, or for him to attempt to attack her with something while she approached. But that was why she had opted to go for a stab. Since she was holding both of her blades in a reverse grip, this put him nearly in arms reach of her. That, and such a simple stab didn’t leave her at that much of a disadvantage if she missed. In fact, it left her with quite a few options. As she started to pull back her arm, she watched the man’s shoulders and hips for a tell. Was he going to throw a punch, or a kick? Or maybe he was going to cast a melody? His shoulders bobbed as he brought his back foot forward. His hip over his leading leg was starting to rise. A lunging front kick. Not what she would have chosen to do, but it wasn’t a bad move.

Against a different opponent.

But there seemed to be an error in causality. It wasn’t clear before, but Mika had stabbed with her left (leading) arm. When the blond man evaded, which way did he sidestep?

He had to admire her seriousness, though. Mika didn’t seem to flinch nor giggle at any of the quips spilling out of his tongue. Terry could remain quiet if he wanted to, but then again, he wasn’t in an awful mood as of now. It would’ve been a different story if he faced Geese or Yamazaki. After all, when you had peak physical coordination, why’d you be distracted by a lot of talking, anyway? As a seasoned fighter, he’d been used to speaking with both his fists and mouth simultaneously. By throwing jokes every now and then, it showed that he had a lot of fun competing against his opponent, not that he really meant to mock her. But maybe, perhaps, he was merely getting carried away by the thrill of the bout and the deafening roar of the crowd.

Admittedly, Terry’s emphasis on his offenses could be both his greatest advantage and worst disadvantage. While it was true that it’d allow him to utilize his enormous strength to its fullest extent, it did, however, render him vulnerable to any of the incoming attacks on many occasions, especially if missed. Seemingly, this one was no exception.

When Mika began sizing him up from shoulders to hips, it left the brawny blonde nervous, his cheeks showing the barest hints of warm, crimson shades. Regardless, he didn’t want to let the way she gauged his every move distract him. Just to be clear, he already sidestepped to the left, narrowedly escaping the swinging blade. As he propelled a swift kicking leg, surprisingly, the esper easily brushed his knee to the side. He knew he shouldn’t have been so confident yet. When the front kick failed to connect with her outside, he still chose to deliver the subsequent kick, anyway. Though, before he could raise his foot further…

KA–POW!

“Gwahhh–!!”

His opponent had rode her right fist along his torso, her knuckles nearly reaching out to where his heart was beating. Terry faintly rose out of the ground, and by the time his feet touched its paved surface again, he wobbled backwards, shoulders hunching and arms propping his torso. He coughed and spilled out drops of saliva in the process, much to the crowd’s surprise.

“Dammit… You got me,” he said with gritting teeth, his thumb wiping away the colorless liquid by the corner of his lower lip. “Now’s my turn!”

Closing in with a jog, Terry swung a devastating right hook, his knuckles aiming to graze against Mika’s cheek. If connected, he’d follow it up with a left hook to the other cheek, completing the combo with an uppercut to the mandible.

“And no need to remind me. I say my prayers everyday, and you wanna know what I was prayin’ for?” he asked, his lips moving alongside the flailing fists. “I wish life would go easy on me for once and just gimme a girl who can kick my ass. You have no idea, but I have the worst luck ’round girls, and it just… bothers me.” Albeit joking, there was, in fact, some truth to what Terry was saying—a harsh one, to be precise. Every woman he touched always died out of tragic circumstances, and he’d started to believe he must’ve meant to live the life of a lone wolf.

FIN.

MP: 10/10
Swan Gauge: 0%

What an exciting place!

Normally when Oros the Mad entered a city, she’d get dogpiled by espers that wanted to collect the bounty on her head. But not this place. It seemed like the people in South town were too proud to fight in numbers and did everything in elegant one on one fights. Well, her half of the fight was elegant. Most of her opponents just weren’t up to facing her. Most of them insisted on fighting her with their bare fists, and it didn’t take a genius to understand that sword beats hand. Not only that, but Oros used a katana! And as everyone knew, katanas were the best swords ever and only used by stupendous badasses like herself. It was like the Smith & Wesson Model 29 revolver, if you see someone with that, you just run. They know what the hell they’re doing and you probably don’t.

But after beating up her twentieth pleb, she thought she’d go to China Town to get some cheap chinese food. Only the line was a lot longer than what she was expecting. Moreover, it wasn’t a line at all. It was a barricade to stop people from entering the area. Seriously? These tactless Non-Patron-Champions (lovingly shortened to NPCs) thought they could get between her and lunch? This would not do.

But before Oros could unleash a 500 MP cost melody on the unsuspecting crowd, she noticed the two Patron Champions (Or PCs for short) engaging in a fight. And hey! It was Nick from Body Blows, fighting Oros’s own edgy apprentice! She decided to slip into the crowd. Making a scene here would disrupt the fight, which wouldn’t be good for either of the patrons participating in the fight.

It looked like Miss Edgy Daggers just punched Nick in the chest. While to her eyes it was clearly an oversell, Miss Edge didn’t do anything to close the distance. She just stood there, assessing what she had done, or at least Nick’s performance. He had put a bit of space between them, but not too much. The reason was quite apparent. But there was no reason to narrate it to an unseen audience, watching it in practice would reveal enough.

Mika was still leading with the right side of her body, and when Nick’s fist came in for her left, she managed to get her left dagger up and braced it against her left arm. Hooks weren’t slow punches, but Miss Edge had little difficulty blocking from a neutral position. It was a powerful blow however, and she leaned to her right. She mirrored her technique for the opposite side, but the attack landed a lot hard between Mika’s momentum and the rotation of Nick’s shoulders. Still reeling from the second blow, she had just enough time to move her Left arm and dagger away from the side of her head and in front of her chest, just as the uppercut connected. The other punches were strong, but this one was enough to get her to stumble backwards.

Even if Mika blocked all three of his punches, it was clear that she couldn’t just stand there and block everything. She’d get disorientated and start eating his attacks before long. But Oros could tell she hadn’t intended to do that anyway. She swung her right hand dagger at him just to prevent him from advancing.

"He gave you one that’ll stab your ass if you’re not careful."

This was glorious. Oros had no idea what had Mika so fired up, but the edgy knife nut seemed ready to get more aggressive with lover boy Nick. As soon as she swung her right hand through the air, she planted her left foot almost directly under herself and swung her right knife on a return arc, going from her left shoulder and all the way around the right side of her body. Meanwhile, she switched her grip on her left knife to a forward/phillipino grip. As soon as her right knife passed the target (provided she didn’t bury it ten inches deep in his chest) she would thrust with her left arm. If he was moving backwards, then she would step forward with her left leg to extend her reach. Her target was the most outstretched limb of his body: His leading arm.

Oros pointed at one of the pigs and looked at the people loading them up. "I’m kind of hungry, how much does one of these cost?"

There was a rather peculiar guest waiting by the sidelines, though Terry paid no mind. He’d been too fixated on delivering body blows to care about his cluttered surroundings. Despite his fixation, however, he didn’t let the crowd’s roaring support go unnoticed. He heard the chants and cheers perhaps all too well, and he’d want to translate all that emotional support into rounds after rounds of satisfying hits for the crowd to witness. And they delivered. Both the hook punches and uppercuts connected flawlessly well to the point where they managed to stagger and send Mika tumbling backwards. He’d always known that his bare fists were his greatest weapons, with or without inner force being involved.

WHAM!

“How’s that for an uppercut, cute face?” he asked with a teasing voice. “You like the taste of my fist? Oh, I can show you more than just that!” The brawny blonde drew one of his legs back, ready to go ahead with a side kick. “In fact, my kicks are about as attractive as my punches are, but I guess you’ve known that already, haven’t you?”

But then, just when he was about to lift and swing his leading leg up, Mika had already swung her right hand dagger in his direction. Terry hurled himself back almost reflexively, his toned front just inches from its sharp, flimsy edge. While the blade was countered, its suddenness managed to take him aback at first.

“Woahhh—!!”

Then came two of the subsequent slices, swinging to her left then right. The slices seemed quite dangerous, he had to admit, though nothing that he’d never seen from the sword-wielding trio that was Team Samurai from the latest KOF tournament. In anticipation, Terry took a couple of sidesteps, pacing left and right out of harm’s way while maintaining his footwork. He leaped back to his initial lane just in time for the esper to thrust her blade forth with a left arm.

“Uh–oh…”

Once again, Terry found himself hurling back, his feet taking a backward hop. Mika hadn’t given up just yet. As if in a desperate attempt, she extended her reach, seemingly aiming to dig the tip of her blade deep into his calloused skin. It did work, albeit narrowly. The sharp, stinging tip managed to graze against his veined upper limb, forcing a drop of crimson liquid to push through the miniscule wound. The blade had managed to breach past the thick outer layer of his skin, but before long, he quickly withdrew, pushing his arm out of the grazing tip. He held the wound, the barest hints of grimace shown.

“Heh. Okay… That was… surprisingly itching, I’ll give you that,” the brawny blonde admitted before giving Oros a knowing, sidelong gaze, correcting what she just told her fellow esper earlier. His sky-blue eyes darted back towards the latter. “Actually, you gotta know that my punches don’t stab. They sting like a bee!”

BAM!

As swift as a bee, Terry hammered Mika with an annular hook punch, his knuckles aiming to graze against her cheek. If connected, the hammering fist would force Mika down with her shoulders hunching, allowing Terry to take hold of them and shove a thrusting knee against her toned midriff. Traditionally, he would’ve followed it up with a launching uppercut, but this time, he’d opt for a radically different tactic. Once the knee strike bounced the esper out of her hunching position, the three-time KOF champion would leap forward, gripping her neck around his bare, muscular arm. He’d lift his opponent, swing forth with both of his boots striking out, and then…




SLAM!

A neckbreaker drop would be executed, the impact sending Mika colliding with the ground beneath. If the entire sequence was played out the way he intended, Terry would spring out of his sitting position, then swing his fist against the air in a ceremonious fashion, his gaze falling upon the laying opponent.

“Booyah! Now that’s how you do a Side Effect,” Terry told Mika. “It ain’t too shabby, is it? Maybe I can be a pro-wrestler, after all...”

Meanwhile, when Oros asked the people loading up a group of pigs to a mini truck, a braided young lady in a crimson qipao and broad white trousers approached, combing through the sea of hysterical attendants. Her name was Li Xiangfei, the occasional member of Team Women Fighters. As a matter of fact, Xiangfei was a waitress/bouncer working for the same restaurant that’d been offering an exclusive VIP spot to the winner of the street-fighting contest that Terry and Mika had been participating in.

Now standing across the maniac, Xiangfei coughed, trying to catch her attention. She crossed her arms, seemingly unimpressed. “Oh, I’m sorry, miss, but these pigs aren’t up for sale,” Xiangfei answered, indirectly hinting at the fact that her uncle was going to use them for the restaurant’s famed pork dumplings. “The restaurant’s busy right now. I’m afraid you’ll have to wait there if you really wanna give our pork dishes a try.” Her thumb gestured at a bunch of locals queuing in front of the restaurant with a group of stripe-clad pirates being the latest additions to the awaiting customers. “What? You’re too hungry to wait? So why don’t you try your luck against one of those competing fighters right there? VIP spot’s on the line…”

FIN.

It brought Oros no shortage of amusement to see Nick get confused. The quip he was responding to had indeed come from Edgy Daggers and not herself. The confusion might have come about from how similar Mika and Oros sounded, paired with all that spinning around. But it was more likely the last Patron Observation Station Transcript (POST) had some free floating dialog between two paragraphs and could have belonged to either speaker. Perhaps that bit of dialog could have been attached to the above paragraph to make it more apparent who was speaking. Bee Pee needs to get his act together!

But Bee Pee’s writing kerfuffles aside, Oros’s attention was immediately snatched up by an enchanting woman in her vicinity. Beauty was in the eye of the beholder, but the beholder in this case happened to like youthful individuals with small chests. And she was Chinese, much like her own foster mother. It was a pretty good combo.

"Well now…"

Normally, Oros’s gut reaction would be to devour one of the pigs in a single bite. Then she’d make out with the bouncer before repeating the process somewhere else. But she could tell something special could happen here. For some reason, she never had a lot of luck making friends.

"Alright!" She nodded. "I’ll compete."

And then in a flash, her body bolted into the crowd waiting in line. Regular customers and pirates alike were scattered to the wind. Many were unharmed but dazed, many more had been thrown into nearby seats, counters, or simply rolled across the concrete walkway. With the queue effectively empty, Oros stepped to the front. "I was told to fight one of the competing fighters here for a VIP spot. And as you can see, I beat all of them!"

Was that the group the lady was talking about? It didn't matter. She was at the front of the line now.



MP: 10/10
Swan Gauge: ???%

Mika’s knife managed to find purchase in Terry’s arm. It wasn’t as deep as she’d have liked it to go, but she’d take it. How did the old expression go? If it bleeds, we can kill it? But her opponent was strong, and the fact that he didn’t look too concerned was more proof that he wasn’t taking this seriously.

And even then he hit like a truck.

She had just enough time to reverse her knife grip again when the hammer fist came. In hindsight, trying to block it was not the thing to do, but maybe he was starting to take her more seriously now. But even if she managed to brace for the blow, it still sent her reeling back, at which point he came up with his knee. She didn’t even get her knife in front of that one, and it connected with her ribs. There wasn’t much she could do as Terry lunged forward and trapped her head in the crook of his arm. What came next would hurt.

Fortunately, Mika was able to keep her head off of the ground. Her martial arts training had taught her how to properly fall, but that didn’t really matter when you were sandwiched inside someone’s herculean grip. The shock from being slammed into the ground went up and down her spine. Nothing was broken, but she writhed in place for a moment as he continued to blab about wrestling moves or whatever self-proclaimed macho men liked.

Mika had realized her opponent wasn’t the only one not taking this seriously. What was she even doing? Clearly the trucker looking esper was sturdier than he looked. If she kept holding back, he was going to push through her defences every time and spurt out more b-grade one liners.

It was time to start using the rest of her arsenal.



She deployed her weakest healing spell. It wasn’t going to magically fix all the damage, but it would take away some of the soreness in her back so that she could continue to fight less impeded. The real reason why she decided to bust out the spells was to reverse her position. Her spell pulled at her recently mended back. It was enough to pull her back onto her feet, and with Terry still holding onto her, his feet were no longer on the ground.

But Terry was still holding onto her neck, which was something she could do something about. Her right armpit was pinned against Terry’s side, but it wouldn’t have been hard to swing for the bottom of his chin. If the threat of having his face sliced off didn’t work, she could always change her grip on her left hand knife and stab him in the back.

Even now, Mika wasn’t going to do anything that would risk killing her opponent. But he had proven that she had to be willing to hurt him a lot more than she formerly was if she wanted to get anything out of him.

Let’s just pretend like Terry never sprung out of his sitting position to strike a ceremonious taunt. The sight was only true inside his head—almost like a false sense of triumph if you will, considering what was coming after him. He did, however, make a boasting remark in regards to his slamming maneuver, believing that he’d make for a decent wrestler just as much as he did an actual combatant. While he was far from being a boastful person, Terry did, oftentimes, love to sell this idea that he was stronger than he already was, exuding confidence in hopes of striking fear in the hearts of his opponents. Oftentimes, he also did so to encourage his opponent to perform better, which seemed to work for Mika throughout the bout.

If it wasn’t for the sight of the Mad wreaking havoc upon her bustling vicinity, Terry wouldn’t have been so distracted and would’ve continued to ride the blade wielder across the concrete, but alas. Upon being alerted, he darted his sky-blue eyes towards the sight of the flinging, beaten civilians, his veiny arm around her clavicle loosening. It always bothered him when the locals were in danger, even when nobody was seriously harmed in the process. Since the moment he was born, his solidarity with his fellow South Towners had been unquestionably great, moreso after the incident that nearly wiped the city out of the map. The South Town Hero was so close to leaving his opponent alone to check others’ conditions until…

SHINK!

SPLASH!

…Mika’s blade managed to graze against his mandible, leaving a lengthy, crimson scar across its pointy surface. He jolted back in surprise, then finally stood out of his sitting position, his palm instinctively covering the bleeding wound. He hissed and flinched at the pain, and once he moved his hand away from his mandible, a bright red hue had tainted his pitch-black glove. His eyes widened at the sight, a devastated gasp briefly leaving his parting lips.

“Heh. Well, that hurts,” Terry remarked, gradually forming a wry smirk. “I wasn’t expecting that.”

He could still sense blood trickling down from where the blade had grazed him, leaving miniscule spots across the front of his sleeveless shirt and the ground beneath. He didn’t seem to be affected by the slicing wound, regardless—or so, it seemed? Despite what had transpired early on, the remaining crowd remained ever-so-lively, roaring even louder at the intense view that Mika had created with her swinging blade. Swinging his blood-stained hand down to swash the fresh liquid away, the former KOF champion strode forth, approaching and offering his presumably laying opponent with the same hand.

“Hey, hey, I gotta admit you did great, but you just broke my heart with that dirty, lil’ ambush. Think you’re so slick, eh? I thought our relationship was special,” Terry quipped, still throwing cheesy one-liners every now and then like nothing just happened. “Down for one more? C’mon, pal, ain’t nobody come here to watch you lay like a pretty, lil’ baby.”

If Mika did accept his hand, Terry would help her stand back on her feet, then draw her closer to his front, only to catch her off-guard with a spinning backhand. He’d aim the back of his alternating fist at his opponent’s silver temple, intending to render her unsteady once connected.

Meanwhile, Xiangfei flinched and jerked her shoulders back at the sight of the civilians and battle-hardened pirates alike hurling here and there, not expecting Oros to misinterpret her latter suggestion. The way the unhinged lady had been looking at her made her feel a little self conscious. Was it her outfit of choice that caught Oros’ attention? No, it couldn’t have been her outfit. It was just some plain, red-and-blue mandarin dress with no sleeves. Compared to a certain kunoichi, she’d dressed rather modestly, hadn’t she? Or what? Or was it the fact that she reminded Oros of somebody equally attractive? Either way, the notion of somebody presumably acknowledging her beauty left Xiangfei blushing, as the notion rarely crossed her mind. Her reverie didn’t last long, though, as she shook her head, clicking her tongue and frowning at the loose cannon standing in front of her.

“No, you dummy! They’re not what I’m talking about! It’s right there,” she scolded, her finger angrily pointing at the ongoing bout between Terry and Mika. “You have to face either of them to win the VIP spot. Or you have to face me right here right now for beating up some clueless customers.” She cracked her knuckles, an audible bump erupting, as she readied herself to do what she’d been trusted to do: kicking some rabble-rouser’s ass and making sure they were humbled. Hopefully, her uncle wouldn’t have been so pissed when he found out what had just transpired from across the entrance of his restaurant.

There goes the potential customers, I guess… Oh, God, I’m screwed!

FIN.

Oros was looking pretty proud of herself. She nodded as one of the pirates slid off a roof and fell into a nearby cart. "Oh yea, still got it!" She said to herself.

But that moment of smugness started to vanish when the cute girl appeared to get upset. Oros tipped her head as she spoke, listening to every word with a nod. "I mean, I dunno." She waved her hand at the VIPs "For some reason I have the feeling that whatever’s going on over there isn’t a simple bout over some pork. I guess I could kick their asses, but I feel like that would be really anticlimactic. I mean these guys were obviously faceless non-patron-champions, or NPCs. No one’s going to remember them and I doubt they were even blessed with names. Aaaaaanyway, they should be fine!" She patted one on the shoulder, who was slumped over the countertop. "And I feel like fighting you would be in really poor taste. I mean say you do kick my ass. You wouldn’t, but if you did it’s not going to fix anything." She squinted her eyes. "Hold on, you look more annoyed than I’m used to seeing people, one second." She unsheathed her blade. Not the whole thing, just a few inches so that she could gaze into its reflective surface. "Oh! Okay, so the problem isn’t the customers, it’s the loss of business." She fished one of several debit cards she had found today and offered it to Xiangfei. Oros was seemingly unphased by her naked hostility. "Here you go! Just put it all on my tab. I can eat more than those weaklings anyway."

This was going to be a fantastic date.



MP: 10/10
Swan Gauge: ???%

That all went a little better than Mika was expecting.

She wasn’t sure why, but he seemed to have hesitated a bit back there. It was likely in no small part because of the commotion at that Chinese restaurant. If this guy was working for Bookman, and hanging around here, he likely had interest in some of the assets in this corner of the street. For better or worse, she likely showed him the error of his ways. Maybe you can fight weaklings while looking after everything, but if you were fighting Red Savior, you had best give the fight your full attention.

Not that he hadn’t managed to get his licks in. The knife wounds looked grievous, but most cuts did. While not visible, her entire back was sore from being dropped on the floor. She had to end this fight before he called for more backup. As time went on, it was becoming more and more apparent that the blond man was no himbo. Behind his jovial exterior was a sinister man who was undoubtedly a professional killer. Not completely unlike herself, but Mika could justify that easily.

She killed the right creatures.

But it still seemed like the trucker insisted on playing these silly games. Had he not tried to hit her with a shockwave a few minutes ago, she might have considered accepting his hand. But there was something else behind this, she was sure of it. The man was not what he seemed, and meeting him on equal footing was just asking to be taken advantage of. She inhaled, her cheeks puffed up, and then she spit on his hand.

"Did you not hear me?" Ethereal wolves swarmed around her arm as she pointed her hand forward. "We fight until one of us stops moving!"



The head of a wolf appeared in front of Mika’s outstretched finger, and snarled. Then it launched forward. She was not aiming at Terry directly, but wanted to shoot past the side of his head. Regardless if it hit him or soared off and struck the parked truck some distance behind him, it would do no damage. Instead, a little spectral house cat would appear where the dangerous looking projectile landed. Then it would just sit there, overlooking the fight. Unless the projectile managed to be intercepted by something. Then the feline would appear early and retreat to the edge of the arena.

But the real intent of the shot was to set things up and get Terry moving. She was confident he would take a swing at her, and her knives were up and ready for the next punch he threw.

“What in the name of ice cream maker are you talking about!?”

Faceless non-patron-champions? NPCs? What is this all about? These were all new to her ears, given that Xiangfei had zero medium awareness at all. And it showed. Her face was puzzled, though part of that earlier irritation was still present.

“You’re sooo unbearable! Of course, I know who those guys are! They’re the Lillien Knights, Jenet’s pirate faction and our regular customers. Do I really have to name every single one of them to prove that they matter?” Xiangfei asked with a raised voice that could even reach the top floor of Geese Tower. She began with the humongous man Terry defeated earlier, her finger pointing in the direction of Ms. Lee’s Pawn Shop. “That big guy you see over there? Yeah, his name’s Lao, okay? He might be huge, but he can be a bit of a jobber sometimes. And that small, elderly guy right there? He’s, um… huh??” She blinked her eyes a few times at the rest of the battered pirates upon realizing that she couldn’t name anybody past Lao. She scratched her brown temple quizzically. “Weird… I swear I know these guys. H– How can I forget their names?”

Though, it didn’t matter, Xiangfei thought. All that mattered was that she and her uncle had been robbed of both their regular and potential customers, and she required Oros to take accountability for the damages caused upon their vicinity. So when Oros offered her a debit card, the kung fu practitioner forcefully seized it, her frown and pout still intact.

“Hmph! Fine! I’ll take that,” she curtly replied, then gave the debit card in her hand a prudent examination, flipping it back and forth. “Still, doesn’t mean you can just get away with anything that you just did back there. You either have to fight me or—”

CRASH!

A solid collision between the spectral wolf and the parked truck’s side was enough to disrupt the exchange of words between both women, prompting Xiangfei to jerk her shoulders up. Perhaps, Oros might want to put her fantastic date with the exasperated Xiangfei on hold because the bout between Terry and Mika seemed to be swarming towards the spectators’ side—and it only got spicier than ever!

Thankfully, the three-time KOF champion successfully evaded what appeared to be an attempt on his life, reflexively slipping out of harm’s way. The way Mika spitted on his helping hand was rude, but the fact that she even attempted to claim his life at all wasn’t to be taken lightly. Though, he wasn’t new to anybody coming after his soul to begin with.

While his guard remained high, Terry took a moment to watch the lunging wolf hurling itself past him, the latter magically transforming into an adorable domestic kitten just sitting there and watching the spectacle despite the sharp, shattering glass surrounding it. At the stark change of scenery, he let out a relieved exhale, still deciding whether he should be pissed off or grateful.

“Whew… Jesus Christ, lady!” he bellowed, then shifted to face his opponent head on, an exasperated frown present. “The fuck did you think you just did!? Did Geese send you here?”

If there was anybody who was so eager to see his death, look no further than the CEO of Howard Connection himself, Geese Howard. Considering their not-so-pleasant history together, Terry wouldn’t have been surprised if the kingpin placed a bounty on himself. Geese was so powerful that he could—at one point—influence the entire city to turn their backs on his rivals. And if it was true that Mika was one of Geese’s loyal stooges, he might as well want to take this battle more seriously, given that his life could be at stake.

“Well, I dunno where you came from or who sent you here, but if you’re one of Geese’s guys…” Terry subconsciously charged himself, a fiery blue energy appearing around his hardening fist. “Rest assured that I’m gonna beat the livin’ snot outta you like there’s no tomorrow!” Without further ado, the brawny blonde hurled his fiery fist forth, closing the distance separating them with a dash.

“BURN KNUCKLE!!”

God knows how long he’d been itching to execute one of his special maneuvers onto his opponent. If it wasn’t for him holding himself back most of the time, he would’ve gone all out with spamming special moves like he tended to do in an official KOF match. The Burning Knuckle was meant to hammer that pretty face of hers, but if it just so happened to be whiffed, he’d halt himself instantly and assume a defensive stance, his guard high on both temples.

FIN.

Oros had found that with most women, it was best to just let them air their grievances so that things could move on. She was very careful not to smile too much or do anything that might provoke her further. And, for at least a little while. It seemed to be working.

But in the end, after the revelations, it seemed that Xiangfei still very much wished to fight, even though she was willing to pay for all the damages. Or whoever that card belonged to. Was that guy even alive? She’d beaten up so many people today she got tired of checking their pulses. Either way this mess seemed like something a goon for a prestigious gang could clean up quickly if they needed to.

"I got others if you need them!" was almost what Oros had said before Xiangfei started to explain that, actually, this didn’t clear up everything. But before she could finish, Mika’s melody appeared to smash into the truck. Oros knew the melody couldn’t do any damage though, as the melody had no damage component. But melodies were just as flashy as any special move a fighter could throw, and so the presence of spectral shattered glass or the loud crash from the melody activating were just flashy effects. Oros didn’t even stir.

"We’re safe, babe." Oros had to weigh her options carefully. Unlike Mika, she understood these people a bit better. Or at least she thought she did. Thinly veiled threats wouldn’t work, since everyone and their brother lived to display their fighting prowess. It was time for plan B, and this was a good one. "Okay, so, say I bring in some new customers to replace the ones I defeated? Like maybe I could spin a sign or write on my chest with permanent marker. Then I could lift my shirt and be like ‘come eat here’ or something."



MP: 10/10
Swan Gauge: ???%
Magic Sense Buff: 5 turns left
Transform [Bear’s Strength] Buff: 5 turns left

Given the sudden shift in the blond man’s demeanor, Mika had to assume that she finally got him to take her seriously. If she were younger this fact might have made her smile, but she was smarter than that now. People that saw you as a threat seldom backed down, and in a town where people worshiped fighting like this one, it meant that they were going to have to fight that much harder. She had no idea who Geese was, of course. But given that her true target was a goat man, why wouldn’t one of his rivals be some avian creature?

"It’s about time you took me seriously."

And it was about time Mika took him seriously too. They prepared their next attacks, which were going to be a bit special. But Mika started preparing a melody. While they could be channeled while performing any other action, they were slower to emerge, and Terry beat her out by a fraction of a second.

It was a misconception that powerful fighters were usually slow. Terry’s Burn knuckle practically carried him through the air towards his target, and if Mika didn’t already have her hands up, he’d have likely knocked her front teeth out of her head. His fist collided with her knife, shoving it into her forearm with enough force that the tip of her blade cut into her skin. Like before, she swung her heel to the side and allowed Terry’s momentum to carry him through the deflection, positioning the side of his body in front of cloaked fighter. Unlike before though, Terry immediately defended his face, just as Mika’s melody went off.



The strength of a bear, for the moment, coursed through Mika’s body. She had also activated her metaphorical third eye, and would no longer be surprised by the wily fighter’s special effects, but would still be oblivious to any non-magical attacks. She threw a right hook punch that struck Terry’s arm, and he could likely feel that it was stronger than last time.

But Mika wasn’t content with that. She decided to take a page out her opponent’s book and followed up by throwing her right knee towards his stomach, before using her left hand to drive the butt of her knife into his ribs. All while Mika’s next melody was starting to charge up.

“Babe!?”

Eyes wide and jaw dropped, Xiangfei’s face quickly turned hot red at the mere nickname Oros gave her. Unlike Mai or any other busty femme fatales regularly competing for the KOF tournament, she wasn’t used to somebody calling her by that nickname, let alone trying to flirt with her. Still, despite the jarring hints thrown here and there, the young kung fu practitioner was still oblivious to the fact that this unhinged stranger seemed to be into her. She shook her head, then frowned even harder, pouting and bellying her warm cheeks out.

“Why you…” she muttered angrily, drawing up a pair of imaginary sleeves as if readying to flail the older woman in front of her. Slowly but surely, she closed the gap separating them. “Do you really think that’ll just magically solve anything? There are people you hurt, you moron! And they’re still scattering around! What are those new customers going to say about all of this, huh!?” With her hands, she gestured around her cluttered vicinity, mostly highlighting the group of fainting pirates spreading nearby her uncle’s restaurant. She sighed, then crossed her arms, her exasperation even more readable.

“Fine! You know what, here’s the deal. Since you refused to fight me, you’ll have to work here for the next few hours. You clean up the mess and make sure that those guys in the back are tended to. I’m sure it’s not too hard for you to do so, isn’t it?” Xiangfei asked, arching an eyebrow and drawing the other in a frown. Then, she took a moment to glance sidelong at the heated battle taking place at the center of the makeshift stage. “Oh, and also, can you look after those guys, too? Let me or my uncle know who the winner of the VIP spot is, maybe? I don’t think I can keep up with it all the time. The restaurant’s getting crowded pretty soon.”

Meanwhile, Terry couldn’t care less about what had transpired by the sidelines. He was already pissed beyond belief, especially now that his attempt to land a special move had been foiled. His Burning Knuckle was deflected almost immediately, forcing his knuckles to graze the knife’s metallic frame, instead. There were miniscule sparks forming as fire met steel before the sparks turned into an even bigger hitspark capable of jolting him a few feet to the back. While not exactly whiffed, the special move was still countered, either way, so he still went on to raise his guard highly, his gloved fists close to his golden temples.

“C’mon! Bring it!”

And the remaining spectators seemed to be getting a little frightened at the sight of the wise-cracking, happy-go-lucky King of Fighters suddenly showing an expression rarely made by his facial features: anger. While this was far from being the angriest he’d ever been, the sight of the traditionally jovial man showing even the slightest hints of tension was still horrifying for a few South Towners watching the bout. Nevertheless, the atmosphere shift also went to show that the fight was heating, so the spectators knew what to expect.

Mika threw a right hook, and as expected, Terry parried it with practiced ease. He let her fist graze his wrist instead, tension and pulses beginning to form across his muscles. However, what the former KOF champion didn’t expect was the knee that was aimed at his midriff. Since it was barely secured, he had to swallow the pain inflicted by the knee wholly, slightly hunching and jolting back. Furthermore, this allowed Mika to punish her opponent with her knife’s striking rear, grazing his ribs. As the impact, Terry jolted up.

“Arghhh–!!”

With his arms around his midriff, Terry hunched his shoulders again, taking a couple of staggering strides to the back. These combination attacks were far more devastating than anything that Mika had thrown at him throughout the bout (including the slightest bits of knife attacks). While he hadn’t been stunned just yet, it might’ve taken a while until Terry was completely recovered.

“Nice… try… sucker,” he stammered, then spewed a small drop of saliva onto the paved ground. “Just because I joke a lot, doesn’t mean I don’t take this fight seriously. Been holdin’ myself a bit, but now I know… You left me with no choice, but to rough you up like this!”

POW!

Once recovered, Terry immediately ambushed Mika with a jab to the face. He might’ve not wanted to let himself be punished again by his opponent. If connected, he’d swing a jab to the midriff, followed by a lunging knee across the torso. This, in turn, would send the silver-haired esper launching skywards. Turning his cap backwards, he’d then leave the ground and flail his opponent downwards, the fiery fist capable of dunking her back to the ground like a basketball through a hoop.

“POWER… DUNK!!”

KA–POW!

Once he reached the ground again on both feet, Terry would turn his cap back to the front, subsequently assuming his orthodox stance. Little did Mika know that he’d been gradually building his own power gauge since the moment they exchanged blows for the first time. It’d be a matter of time until he gained access to one of his desperation moves.

FIN.

Oros continued to grin. Not because she was happy but because it appeared to be defusing the situation, if only barely. It was kind of weird, though. The KoF crowd seemed like the sort who worshipped fighting, so it was a bit of a head scratcher as to why such a demonstration of strength didn’t have this girl swooning in her arms. Instead she was using logic on her. Common sense: The bane of everything fun. The Grand Magistrate of Penrose land could be infuriating at times, but at least he knew how silly stuff like this was. Nobody would care about some randos in a few days, it would be the legend of Oros the Mad that everyone remembered.

"My bad!" She raised her hand. "Hurting people is bad and I should learn to control myself better." If Oros thought this wouldn’t go anywhere, she’d give this pint sized punk the fight she wanted. Or rather, a one sided slaughter. But it was also kind of hot to be demeaned by someone who was smaller than you. The joys of going to other reality plenums where nobody knows who you are.

And then, Xiangfei’s deal.

Oh man, they’d get to work together for a few hours? And Oros would be in contact with her uncle, who seemed to be someone she respected? They’d be drinking coffee at her house in no time at all!

"Say no more!" She stood up. "We’ll be ready for the lunch rush in just a few seconds!"

Oros pointed her sword up in the air, and her bestial magic flooded her body. One by one every muscle popped out and her veins turned black.



With blinding speed, the injured patrons were seated at nearby tables. None of them were critically injured, but they all had different levels of bruising and alertness. With everyone in close proximity to Oros, he raised a hand, and conjured a less intense form of her bestial magic. Their bruises started to shrink, and some of them started to wake up.



"I’ve got the guys in the back and the fighters under control!" She gave Xiangfei a thumbs up. "Oh yea, I don’t think I got your name. Everyone calls me Oros, just to satisfy your curiosity."

And she was curious.

Absolutely.



MP: 8/10
Swan Gauge: ???%
Magic Sense Buff: 4 turns left
Transform [Bear’s Strength] Buff: 4 turns left
Transform [Ostrage’s Speed] Buff: 5 turns left

Mika was not an emotional fighter. While she quietly spited all monsters and wished them all the suffer, it was not something she allowed to surface during her fights. A bit of anger could hone your strength, but too much clouded one’s vision. It was no different than performance enhancing drugs like some espers used. There were no rules to combat, you could take as much as you wanted, but too much just turned you into a mindless beast.

She wondered if that was what her opponent had turned into.

Perhaps Mika had been a bit over zealous with her approach. They were quite close now, and maneuvering her knives to defend herself was going to be tricky. Fortunately she had just attempted to punch him in the head, so her hand was already in place to defend her face. With her increased strength, she had an easier time bracing against his attack. His follow up attack was harder to see, especially with the last blow coming for her face. The lack of any energy made it impossible for her third eye to detect, and it slammed into her rib cage. She coughed as soon as the attack landed. Her other arm reflexively came in front of her stomach, but it wasn;t enough to stop her from getting launched skyward.

"Speed of a- *Cough* Ostrich!"



This wasn’t the most useful melody to have going with her feet off the floor, but there was no point lecturing herself about that now. She had just enough time to brace her knives against the incoming dunk, but that wasn’t going to do anything for her back as she slammed back into the ground. At least she bounced. With a wheeze, she stumbled to her feet.

"You talk too much." She smacked her knives together, and the long dead spirits of the forest leapt off the blades. She half winced as the soreness in her back got worse. "Are you just going to gawk at me? I don’t think you can punch me from all the way over there."

The temptation was to snap something off at the blond man right away, but Mika knew she had to conserve her mana. She pointed at him with her knife and took her time preparing her next spell with care.

That was an impressive showcase of magic, Xiangfei had to admit. Oros did more than she’d asked her to do, even healing the no-name NPC bunch the lunatic had knocked out beforehand like the one-sided beatdown never happened. Still, despite her effort, Xiangfei just huffed, folding her arms and tilting her head away from Oros.

“Hmph! Fine, I forgive you. I guess you’re not as crazy as I thought you were,” she finally admitted, albeit nonchalantly. “And thank you. It’s Li Xiangfei, by the way, but you can just call me Xiangfei. It’s nice knowing you, Oros. I guess. Maybe when all of this is over, can you also make sure that the guys fighting over there are patched up, too? You look like you’re good at healing people, though.”

And here Xiangfei was: bossing Oros around like she was her superior. It was apparent that she was still annoyed, but at the same time, the one-sided ass-whooping that Oros did prior didn’t exactly infuriate her anymore. Besides, she might be right. It looked as if Mika and Terry did need to be tended to after the bout. Well, especially Mika after the series of hard-hitting attacks given to her by the furious wolf.

As he stood still, Terry tried to control his breath, using this moment to compose himself. Perhaps, he’d begun to let his fury get the best out of him (and he wasn’t, in any way, proud of that). He still remembered what Master Tung told him, about how one had to fight like a tree, instead of an animal. This was the reason why his mentor favored him over his brother when it came to deciding the next inheritor of the Hakkyokuseiken’s secret technique. He knew he could be calmer than this. He knew he could be more level-headed. After all, had it even been proven that Mika was one of Geese’s stooges?

Right, Terry, right…

The blonde bruiser gulped, then took a deep breath. He smirked when Mika began opening her mouth again after (seemingly) failing to cast a mantra.

“Ooh… You think those ghosts scared me?” Terry sarcastically pointed out, referring to the dead spirits leaping out of her blades. “Sounds like somebody forgets what I just did. Just a heads-up, though, I don’t really have to punch you to beat you.”

Terry started charging his fist with energy, swirling lights gathering around his knuckles. True to his words, when he couldn’t contain the energy any longer, he slammed his leading fist downwards, releasing it in the form of a shockwave that traveled across the ground towards his opponent.

POW!

“POWER WAVE!!”

Yup, and that was the exact move he used to prank Mika earlier in the bout. The king of fighters could’ve zoned on his opponent, but he knew it wouldn’t have been fair if all he did was just spam projectiles (and besides, nobody paid to see a top-level fighter like him putting up a boring show like that). So once the Power Wave connected, Terry would wiggle his finger at his opponent before leaping forward, performing an acrobatic kick/heel drop that was meant to connect with her shoulder.

“CRACK SHOOT!!” he exclaimed, close to charging his power gauge completely.

FIN.

Oros’s smile twitched. She had expected, or rather hoped, that Xiangfei was going to follow up "when this is all over" with a very different set of words. But it was fine. Dominatrix were at their best when they made you wait for it.

"Ah, yes. I can probably get the loser back on their feet."

She hadn’t forgotten her plan from earlier, of course. All Oros needed, or had, was time.



MP: 7/10
Swan Gauge: ???%
Magic Sense Buff: 3 turns left
Transform [Bear’s Strength] Buff: 3 turns left
Transform [Ostrage’s Speed] Buff: 4 turns left

"It’s my knives that scare you, isn’t it?"

It didn’t look great for Mika. While she had managed to cut and strike Terry a few times, the blows he was able to work past her defences were far more devastating. Her back had taken two pretty good shots. No wonder he felt like he could go back to his jovial self. He thought he was winning. Which is why it shouldn’t have been any surprise that the magical energy in her fingers rushed backwards into her cape to start repairing the damage.



It was fortunate that all of Terry’s attacks that got through were directed to her mid-section. It would have been harder to heal a lot of spread out damage, but so far her back had taken the brunt of his attacks. The fractures in her spine stitched themselves together, but the bruising hadn’t entirely gone away. Even a centralized attack, when devastating enough, couldn’t be healed away with a single spell. And moreover, Mika was down to nearly half her mana. Once it ran out, it would be harder to keep up pressure on what was already proving to be a dangerous opponent.

"Of course you can attack me from there. Your words assault all who hear them."

Really though, Mika had been hoping something like this might happen. By saying he couldn’t attack at range, that was exactly what he was going to do. And because Mika’s Magic Sense was still active, there would be no getting blindsided this time. The Red Savior sprinted forward, fully aware of what Terry intended to do while he was doing it. She gracefully charged the power wave head on and hopped in the air before it reached her. With a full summersault, she brought her blades around herself, and the power erupting out of the ground was cleft in half, erupting on either side of the Esper. But Terry was not done yet, and nor was Mika. As the two closed the distance, Mika’s body surged with spirits, and she thrust her knife at her opponent. This wasn’t premature though, a spectral cat leapt off the end of her knife and into her opponent.



At this range, the attack was likely to hit. It wouldn’t really matter. Center mass, a shoulder, the hip, so long as she hit her target, her melody would work. The spectral cat would explode into a cloud of shimmering dust and throw Terry backwards. Maybe this would cause him to fall on his back, maybe not, but this was more than a mere shove. This particular spectral cat had exploded into a toxic cloud, and would have been absorbed through Terry’s clothes and skin. While this poison wouldn’t weaken Terry in any noticeable way, he’d be able to feel it traveling through his veins. And once it incubated, it would do some pretty horrible things depending where he was infected. A normal human would die from such an attack, but someone as tough as Terry could likely survive something designed to cause organ failure in espers.

It felt like the pendulum might start swinging the other way. Mika was powered up as much as she cared to be. Her increased speed and strength would likely help close out this fight, and now she had potentially poisoned her target. Said toxin wouldn’t do anything until after her other boons ran out, but that might be enough to defeat him. For once in the longest time, Mika allowed herself to smile.

"You're becoming predictable. Quit announcing your intent!"

She continued to rush after her opponent, arms held out to the side. If he fell prone before she got to him she would simply pounce on his chest with both knives. Otherwise, she’d take a swing at one of his arms while he tried to pick himself up.

All of this while the summoned cat from earlier watched from the top of a van, cleaning its paws.

It seemed that the more Oros hoped, the farther she was from achieving her goals. The way Xiangfei smirked, though, it was clear that she’d started to pick up the cues. Whether or not she reciprocated her feelings, well… it seemed that we had to wait for a bit.

“Of course you can,” she said, the stern expression from early on fading. “You want your date, right? Then, go out there and make me proud… cutie~”

Meanwhile, Terry was still recovering from delivering a feigned Crack Shot, just moments after landing in a splitting position. Too bad, by the time he stood up, he noticed that he’d accidentally torn the back of his jeans (as the impact of the awkward landing position), immediately placing a hand over it in embarrassment.

“Aww, man…” he muttered, blushing, all while focusing on the blade-wielder ahead of him. “Wha? Why are you lookin’ at me like that?”

Partly, it was true that his words (his battle cries in particular) held an unspokable power when they were shouted. It was as if they were amplifying the strength of his moves—or so, it seemed? Either way, it didn’t seem like the point Mika was trying to make because it might have more to do with his (failed) attempt in attacking her with a Power Wave. Instead, he was now greeted by a spectral cat bouncing out of the edge of his opponent’s blade, which left him a bit confused at first.

“Huh?? Seriously?” he asked, lowering his guard a bit. “What is this? A chibi—”

Thankfully, just seconds before the cat exploded, Terry’s wolf-like senses had already warned him. In a swift motion, he flailed the ground, erupting and sending a bigger, taller shockwave in its path.

“ROUND—”

KA-BOOM!

“Gwahh–!!”

Too bad, the collision between the exploding cat and the explosive Round Wave managed to launch him several feet to the back, much to the spectators’ surprise. The king of fighters did absorb the impact a bit, so now he’d started to cough blood. He could feel his heart beating at an abnormal pace, his muscles weakening. Still, despite all of that, his willpower was yet to be diminished.

“Urgh… Goddammit…”

Rubbing his chest, the king of fighters carefully picked himself up, keeping his breath controlled. When he glanced ahead, he noticed that Mika had lunged closer and closer in his direction. He thought he would’ve been finished once he failed to anticipate that slash to the arm. So with all his might, he curled himself, then forced himself to roll back, whiffing the blade completely. Once the distance was maintained, he halted, then tried to stand back up, bringing himself forward to punish Mika with a…

“BURN KNUCKLE!!”

The dashing, flaming fist was held out, aiming to hit Mika in the face. If connected, he’d bombard her with a series of flails and kicks, building his power gauge to completion. Then, once the power gauge was filled and activated, he’d execute the most bombastic move in all of KOF.

“Are you okay??”

As if not too concerned by his opponent’s condition, he’d dash forward a fiery haymaker. If this also connected, he’d shoot an energy explosion out of his knuckles, capable of sending Mika flying out of the stage.

“BUSTER WOLF!!!”

KA-BOOM!

They weren’t done with each other just a moment ago, but now? Terry was willing to call it a match, whether the Buster Wolf was connected or not.

FIN.

MP: 3/10
Swan Gauge: It’s empty now…
Magic Sense Buff: 2 turns left
Transform [Bear’s Strength] Buff: 2 turns left
Transform [Ostrage’s Speed] Buff: 3 turns left

Much like Mika, it appeared Terry wasn’t entirely out of tricks.

While she had managed to launch her spectral cat at him, she had not expected a swift, even stronger follow up after his last attack while she was locked in an uncancelable special. At least it didn’t hit her in the back again. It detonated beneath her, and both combatants flew back and away from their respective attacks. Mika got up again, but it was a little slower than last time.

Terry attacked first, the man’s seemingly boundless energy was no ruse. As Mika’s magic sense was still up, she was able to detect the incoming attack easily enough. But the last attack had not been kind to her, and a bone in her dominant arm must have developed a hairline fracture. Even though she was able to block the incoming blows, each one stung her arm. Just a little bit longer, she told herself. Spirits were swarming her position, but it was clear that Terry was building up to something too. Thus, Mika planned to meet it with an attack of her own. They both called out at the same time, and their words overlapped.

“Are you okay??”

"Your turn to die!”







“Make you proud, huh?” Oros the Mad placed her hands on her hips. Obviously she was very, very happy that her plan was working out. But when could Oros leave well enough alone? “Hey, watch this!” The mad esper practically turned into a blur as she ran around a corner. Behind the buildings was a rather fancy looking sports car. Ken was looking it over, and looked like she was going to start smashing it with his big meaty fists. “I hate this minigame, but I’ve got your back, car!” With a wave of her hand, a giant hoop snake appeared around Ken’s waist and started rolling away. “That should buy me some time!” She dove through the passenger’s side window (which had been left open) and slid into the driver’s seat. She felt around the sun visor and grinned when the keys fell into her lap. The car rumbled to life moments later.

I’m gunna look so hot pulling up in this thing!

Unfortunately, everyone had used their cars to block off the street for the brawl. But to Oros, such roadblocks were a challenge rather than a hard rule. With a snap of her fingers, another snake appeared directly under her ride and shoved it into the air. It went just high enough to clear the back of a pickup truck before landing on the ground. The back fenders scraped the pavement and threw sparks everywhere. The bigger issue was that her parking spot was full. Mika and Terry occupied the center of the arena where Oros planned on parking.

Her plan hadn’t changed.

She dropped a gear and threw the car into a four wheel drift as it went skidding towards the combatants. Though as Oros drew closer, Mika vanished, and Terry shouted.

“BUSTER WOLF!!!”

Two tons of steel met Terry’s strongest attack. The center pillar between the front and rear door caved in. It bent in the center, like a boxer bracing for a blow to his rib cage. The air was filled with the sound of screeching metal, and the tires left the ground again. The convertible wasn’t sliding anymore, the blow had caused Oros’s sweet ride to flip through the air over Terry’s head. Chips of glass from the driver’s side window rained down around Terry, each sparkling like diamonds in the midday sun. The car rolled five times, at which point it was upside down and skidding towards the crowd. But it stopped well before hitting anyone. It was still only for a moment, before one of the fenders fell off. Oros was not in the car, because she had not worn her seatbelt and had been thrown free of everything.

And Mika?

She had been able to sense Terry’s buildup of power, and knew enough not to challenge it directly. She had anticipated she might have needed to make a quick escape earlier, and had summoned a watchful spirit cat for the express purpose of teleporting to it with her magic when the time was right. It seemed that Terry wasn’t the only one capable of being underhanded. No time to heal. Mika raised her weapons and stepped away from the edge of the improvised arena to continue fighting Terry. She rubbed her forearms together briefly, but it didn’t stop her bones from hurting.