[center][abbr=Pit][img]https://i.ibb.co/7VzgY22/pit.png[/img][/abbr] [sub][i]Thursday Afternoon[/i][/sub] Word Count: 3100 (+4 exp) [u]Level[/u]: [b]8[/b] - [u]Total EXP[/u]: 320/80 [b]Location[/b]: Esaka's Pools, the Forbidden Kingdom[/center] "Woe to those who stand against me, for I am [b]his[/b] herald and the sign of things to come. I. Am. [i]Omen!"[/i] So it was gonna be like that, huh? Fighting against a spooky looking demon with a flair for dramatics. That suited Pit just fine - it was right up his alley, in fact! He could tell that Ashrah was tense, so he flashed her a reassuring smile as she and Omen's partner took their places on the arena's edge. He looked back at Omen, totally un-intimidated by the demon's opening taunt. Pit's smile morphed into a confident grin as he summoned his divine bow. [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"I can tell you one thing coming up right now - your loss! 'Cause I am Pit, servant of the Goddess of Light! And you. Are. History!"[/color] There wasn't much more preamble before the match's start. Omen growled, Pit fluffed out his wings, and the Heavenly Principles swirled around the grotto. Their golden sparkle lit up the area briefly, just long enough to form the fighters' signal in the air above them. [i][center]ROUND ONE: FIGHT![/center][/i] Omen shot forward, unsurprisingly an aggressive fighter. He stopped short when the first of Pit's light arrows struck his face, backpedaled when the next stung his abdomen, and stopped the next with a well timed block. He got used to them quickly, blocking high and low when the bolts of light began to arc and curve. The arrows had been a mix of blue and gold, once again confirming to Pit that elemental advantage wouldn't come into play in these fights - at least not without some teamwork. He didn't call on Ashrah just yet, though his other unseen teammate chimed in with her guidance. [color=lightgreen][i]This fighter is a follower of Gargos, a demonic god with a penchant for stealing the powers of others.[/i][/color] [color=lightgoldenrodyellow][i]Lemme guess, he also wants to steal rule over Earth for himself too.[/i][/color] [color=lightgreen][i]Got it in one. As his servant, Omen gets his shadow abilities from Gargos. He was originally a being of energy, so fighting with a physical form must be new for him.[/i][/color] [color=lightgoldenrodyellow][i]So watch out for his special moves and get in close to take him down is what I'm hearing! Physical attacks have gotta be his weak point![/i][/color] [color=lightgreen][i]Just keep on your toes - an unpredictable fighter is a dangerous one.[/i][/color] Abandoning the ranged play, Pit let loose one last dash shot before sprinting behind it toward his opponent. Omen's hellish blue glow burned behind his mask, not so easily fooled. With a snarl he suddenly dropped into a demon slide, sailing below the arrow and catching Pit with the sliding kick. The angel stumbled but kept his footing, twisting just in time for a block of his own as Omen came up behind him and lashed out with a one-two of fast claw swipes. Omen pressed in, feinting another slash only to grab Pit. His claws sank deep into the angel's shoulder before he lifted Pit up slightly and delivered a hard straight kick, launching his opponent away from him. Pit recovered before he landed flat on his back, feet skidding on the waterlogged rock as his wings spread out to stop his backward movement. He glanced behind him once, trying to get a sense of where the stage boundary actually was. When he looked back at Omen not even a moment later, his eyes widened when they caught sight of three swirling shadowy fireballs forming in front of the demon. "Feel the power of Lord Gargos!" Omen crowed, launching the triplet blobs of energy and immediately conjuring more after the fact. [i]Must be mad about the arrow thing at the start![/i] Pit thought, easily fending off the first projectiles. The rest were trickier as it quickly became apparent that the shadow balls did whatever they wanted. Some flew fast and straight, some swayed in circles or changed speed, some even bounced along the ground as they chased Pit down. It was definitely unpredictable, and a little annoying, but nothing a little Orbitar action couldn't solve! After a couple of the rashakuken caught him off guard, Pit snapped into a quick summon of his Guardian Orbitars before he could be interrupted. They crashed against the shield and flew back at Omen, who was more than a little surprised to have his dark fireballs reflected. Still, it was a simple matter to block or evade his own shadows. While Omen ceased his deluge of rashakuken and dealt with the return fire, he missed Pit's eyes flicking to Ashrah's, and the subtle nod the both of them shared. Pit dashed forward as the shadowy fire dispersed, bladed bow at the ready. Omen gathered dark energy around him in preparation to meet the angel head on, growling out a "hrraah!" as he spent part of his shadow meter. He shifted to slash again, but at that point Ashrah had already moved. She leaped into a spin cycle with her kris, body twisting even before her feet touched down. Her wavy sword sliced ribbons into Omen's back, each cut deeper than the last until she ended with an upward swing, sending Omen flying high. Pit jumped up after him to capitalize with his own spinning cycle, twirling his bow in both hands in front of him with a series of slashes that cut up Omen's front just as well as Ashrah had his back. He ended by shifted the weapon to one hand and swinging it in a hard horizontal slash, knocking Omen back and over what must have been the hard-to-spot edge of the area. There was a swirl of darkness around Omen, so fast as to be instantaneous, suddenly forming a dark of dark webbed wings on his back. They stretched out in much the same way Pit's had earlier, slowing Omen's momentum and then killing it completely with a hard stroke of said wings through the air. Now Omen was upright, floating above the water's surface. [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"Wha-? Wings? You can fly?!"[/color] Pit exclaimed. Omen did not answer him, and the expression carved into his mask did not change, but Pit still got the feeling that the demon was smirking derisively at him. [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"Aw, come on!"[/color] Pit had already fallen back to the arena at that point, but he sprung up again immediately. So what if his opponent was airborne? Even if he couldn't fly, he could fight in the air too! Omen conjured another dark fireball, but Pit cut through it as he ascended. The demon blocked preemptively as he guessed that Pit would be attacking from below, but the angel's wings brought him up higher than Omen - so that when he did last out it was with an under arc slash, powerful enough that when it connected with Omen's unprotected top half it sent him careening directly down with a meteor smash. The demon hit the water with a huge splash, and Pit somewhat hastily glided his way back down to the stone stage. [i][center]ROUND ONE: PIT WINS RING OUT[/center][/i] Pit let out a satisfied little puff of breath, giving Ashrah a thumbs up. On the opposite of the area, Omen's partner Shadow Jago stood by impassively. It was hard to tell what the thrall was thinking or feeling, if he even was at all. Since Pit's linkpearl was still in his ear he heard Rika's message, turning his attention from Jago to the audience. Pit himself had mentioned to the royal siblings that he didn't mind if they left part way through given he was confident this was going to be a sure win for him, and so far that did look to be the case. He waved at them as they began to shuffle out and meet up with a few other Seekers. Then, it was back to the match. [color=lightgreen][i]It's not that surprising that Omen gets his own version of the Power of Flight from his god.[/i][/color] [color=lightgoldenrodyellow][i]Yeah, but it IS unfair! How come he gets it but you can't cast the Power of Flight on me?[/i][/color] Pit could practically hear Lady Palutena shrugging. [color=lightgreen][i]Why don't you just think of it as a handicap? They have to nerf the warrior ward of the one and only Goddess of Light somehow.[/i][/color] She might have just be placating him, but Pit grinned at Palutena's words all the same. He knew he was super strong, so it did kind of make sense. He spun the bow into a battle ready stance as Omen burst out of the water a moment later, landing on the arena and glaring as his dark wings melted away. "Foolish child! I may have underestimated you, but no more! You stand no chance against me, or the might of Lord Gargos!" Pit scoffed. [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"He's got nothing on Lady Palutena!"[/color] Once more the golden wind swirled, bidding the fighters to settle their religious differences not with debate, but with violence. [i][center]ROUND TWO: FIGHT![/center][/i] Omen's starting strategy was much the same - he rushed forward, eager to close the distance. Of course Pit did the same. Now that both fighters got the sense the keep away projectile spam wasn't the best option they clashed almost as soon as the proverbial bell rung. Claw met metal, over and over again, each of their strikes bouncing off the other. Neither wanted to be the first to budge. "Jago!" Omen barked out, and finally the monk moved. With a plume of shadow he disappeared from his spot on the edge of the arena, reappearing in the air above and behind Pit poised for a dive kick. With only a split second to make a decision, Pit quick summoned his Orbitars once more. One caught Omen's slash as they formed, forcing the demon back as they pushed out in front and behind Pit... which was exactly the issue. In a free-form fight the shields could move in any direction, and in a one on one their restricted flight wasn't much of an issue. With an opponent on two fronts it proved not as effective, as Shadow Jago's angle of attack meant that it bypassed the Orbitar completely and connected. The kick struck Pit square between his shoulder blades, shoving him forward into Omen's range. "Ha!" the demon laughed as he lashed out with a standing kick. Several, in fact, a furious flurry of kicks that battered his angelic opponent. By now it was clear to Pit that Omen was a step above his previous opponent. A proper fighter built for this kind of kombat, one that could put him in danger of being locked into a combo. Omen went for it, finishing his barrage of kicks with another demon slide. But if Pit blocked the follow up once before he could again, putting a stop to Omen's aggression by spinning around into a high block against the demon's roundhouse. Omen backed off as Pit reset his stance, spending another chunk of his shadow meter and this time being able to utilize it. He summoned his projectiles, even more at once this time, but they ended up going wide as Pit ducked low and dashed in close. He caught Omen with a few slashes on the torso before the demon put up his own defenses. Unable to break through the blocks with pure strength Pit tried to shift his direction, but his stature made it easier for Omen to adapt. Pit pulled back, giving the illusion that there was an opening to exploit, but when he noted the shift in Omen's own stance Pit struck out again like a viper, his bow split and each sword stabbing out in a scissor-like chop, pincering Omen's forearms before the demonic herald could complete his own slash. Omen immediately drew back himself, and summoned his wings to swoop away into the air to narrowly avoid Pit's further forward slashes. [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"Now Ashrah!"[/color] Pit said, and the demoness -cloaked in her own darkness- rushed in to meet Omen as he landed. She swiped at him with her enchanted kriss, connecting the first slash cleanly while the others Omen raised his arm against. With a growl he swiped at Ashrah as she retreated, his claws barely catching the woman. He didn't notice the dark debuff she's left on him, but he did see Pit coming in at him bow-first. Omen's greater reach let him snatch Pit in both of his claws, his spectral heart starting glow bright as it gathered power. Behind his mask the demon bared his teeth, though he ended up catching a sharp kick to the chin as Pit broke out of the hold. There was a brief flash of light from Pit, long enough for Omen to note there must be another attack coming his way. "To me!" he demanded, and his thrall appeared once more. This time he teleported in front of Omen just as Pit's Upperdash Arm flew forward. It drove into Shadow Jago's stomach, launching the monk away and leaving his partner unscathed and in position to counter attack. Omen flexed his claws and raked them against Pit, attempting to back the angel into a combo once more. But Pit didn't panic, and as his back hit the flooded floor he kicked out with his leg to stop Omen's third sliding kick. Lady Palutena was right, like she always was; an unpredictable opponent was dangerous, but if the demon was relying on the few moves he'd learned since taking a corporeal form then Pit's instincts could guide him to anticipate what Omen's next move might be. The clash was brief, and Pit twisted while still grounded to slice into Omen with his bow. Now on his front he got one foot under him and pushed up into a rising slash, making the demon stagger as the blade carved up the length of his body. Finally the bow began to glow a soft gold as Pit imbued it with elemental light, bringing it down in a falling stab into Omen's shoulder and dragging it out with a quick buzzsaw-like spin. The light reacted with Ashrah's dark debuff, consuming the shadow with a little implosion that dealt extra damage. Omen fell to his knees, dazed and not likely to stand again before the Heavenly Principles declared Pit's second round win. Pit drew in a breath after a moment spent making sure Omen wasn't about to rise with a sucker punch, and though it was technically a bit early he grinned and made to turn to Ashrah and the scant few remaining in the audience: the sleepy yokai and one or two curious mortals. [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"Another vic-"[/color] A flash of white and gold passed Pit, though it was headed not for the angel but the demon kneeling in front of him. Unbidden, Ashrah had taken to the field again. She slammed her palm against Omen's defenseless chest, a burst of holy light swimming through his spectral body and out his back, rupturing the demon's heart. Then she spun with her kriss in hand, the blade slicing through Omen's neck. His head fell from his body in a spray of blue-black blood which splattered across both Ashrah and Pit. It rolled to a stop at Pit's feet, and thought he might have been imagining it the angel could have sworn he heard a whisper from the decapitated head. "Lo... G...ar...os..." [i][center]ROUND TWO: PIT WINS [color=crimson]BRUTALITY[/color][/center][/i] The words formed in the area almost casually. Pit blinked, initially confused as that what had happened. He looked from the disintegrating head to the blood coating his light clothes, then raised one hand to touch to his cheek, which came away with the same viscera. [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"Ashrah...?"[/color] The demoness looked pleased with her work, staring reverently at her sword before looking at her partner. She noticed his confusion and stowed the kriss away. "I explained yesterday, about myself and the kriss. Each demon slain is another step closer to the total cleansing of my soul." Shadow Jago was nowhere to be found after being flung, but it was likely she would have killed him as well if he'd showed back up. She didn't pay the missing fighter any mind though, just fixing Pit with a look that said she was trying to understand what the angel's hangup was. "Killing them here in Mortal Kombat affords them more dignity than they deserve. It is a warrior's death, and not uncommon in these tournaments," she patiently explained. "...you disagree with my method?" [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"No- I don't think so? I..."[/color] the suddenness of the decapitation had caught Pit off guard, but Omen [i]had[/i] been a demon. No, that wasn't right - Ashrah was a demon too, and she was... Pit shook his head slightly. Regardless of the fact that Omen was a demon he was clearly evil, working for a god that wanted to take over the world. He probably wouldn't have been able to make his master's plan come to fruition, but it wasn't like it was a bad thing to make sure. After thinking about it, Pit couldn't disagree with Ashrah at all. He'd put down plenty of demons and monsters in his life so he'd be a bit of a hypocrite if he did. It just felt a little weird in this context, a literal execution. Though like Ashrah had said, this was Mortal Kombat. There was always the chance for death... even for an opponent who had already been beaten, apparently. [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"...no problem,"[/color] Pit decided, bringing the smile back to his face. It was a little smaller than normal, but he gave it to Ashrah all the same. She smiled back in relief when he followed with, [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"I want to help you purify yourself any way we can!"[/color] In the viewing area of the grotto the slumbering yokai had fully woken up, and it was joined by a [url=https://i.ibb.co/TzGFjV8/Tigappa-Soultimate-Medal-Art.webp]few[/url] [url=https://i.ibb.co/d4SYnH4q/Tabigappa.webp]more[/url] [url=https://i.ibb.co/rRRrDQRk/Mad-Kappa-Art.webp]friends[/url] that chirped excitedly at the impromptu execution. For Mortal Kombat fans it was the Loser's Bracket where they could expect to see fighters actually put their lives on the line, but it was a real treat to see it happen unexpectedly in Winner's, especially so early in the Pools. A few of the kappa swam off, likely to spread the word. Which left the victorious pair to take their leave of the arena. Omen's spirit twinkled darkly on surface while his ashes dispersed in the shallow water. Pit almost wanted to leave it there, but he picked it up to bring with him as he and Ashrah made their way to the walkway that would lead them under the stone arches and out of The Grove.