[table= //////= EXIT'S POST DESIGN v5 =\\\\\\][row][sub][h1][right][sub][sub][sub][sub][sup][color=2e2c2c]_[/color][/sup][/sub][/sub][/sub][/sub][/right][sub][sub][sub][sub][sub][sub][sub][sub][sub][sub][sub][img=/// TOPIMAGE \\\]https://i.imgur.com/rKSD0VP.png[/img][/sub][/sub][/sub][/sub][/sub][/sub][/sub][/sub][/sub][/sub][/sub][sub][color=black][sub][sub][color=2e2c2c][sub].[sub][sub][sub][sub][sub][sub]............[/sub][/sub][/sub][/sub][/sub][/sub][/sub][/color][sup][b]▇▇▇[/b][/sup][/sub][/sub][color=2e2c2c]_[/color][sub][color=white][sup]Jin[/sup] T A K A S H I[/color][/sub][sub][sub][color=2e2c2c]__[/color][sup][b]▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇[/b][/sup][/sub][/sub][/color][/sub] [color=2e2c2c]__________[/color][sup][sub][sup][sub][color=555555][color=888888]a [@Mistress Dizzy] & [@Exit] collaboration.[/color][/color][/sub][/sup][/sub][/sup][/h1][/sub][/row][row][cell][sup][center][b][color=black][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][/color][/b][/center][/sup][/cell][cell][justify][color=888888] [sub][sub][u][b][color=d7d0e7]Mistress Dizzy   [/color][/b][/u][/sub][/sub] Shao’s words tore something loose in Jin. As his metal fist closed around their neck and drew them in, a nauseating wave bubbled up in their throat. And as he yanked Jin up to meet face to face, grinning in triumph, Jin let it it loose. They reeled back and spit a stored mouthful of blood, saliva and rage - straight into Shao’s eyes. [sub][sub][u][b][color=bca346]Exit   [/color][/b][/u][/sub][/sub] Shao flinched, shutting his eyes and reeling back half a step as he reflectively released his grip around Jin’s neck allowing them to slip free. [sub][sub][u][b][color=d7d0e7]Mistress Dizzy   [/color][/b][/u][/sub][/sub] [color=d7d0e7]“What happened?”[/color] The white knife found purchase in the notch of Shao’s arm, the small gap where the wired weapon hid. Little cracks like that were great – a weakness to exploit for those who knew how to use them. Jin let gravity do the work, drawing them down. [color=d7d0e7]“I flew, yeah. It was beautiful. For a while, I really thought I’d hop the moon.”[/color] Jin drove the sharp blade down, feeling the hiss and pop of a severed cable. [color=d7d0e7]“Then the LSF boot came down and stomped me back to the real world. Reminded me of what I am.”[/color] With his arm out of commission, Shao tilted, off balance. Suddenly without the ability to counter his weight, he hit a knee. There. That was the opening. Jin hit the ground, squared their feet and aimed the knife with both hands. [color=d7d0e7]“I am nothing but a roach. One bug in a million fighting for scraps.”[/color] They raised the blade up and then stabbed Shao straight in the neck. Blood soaked through their gloves quickly, but they pulled it out. Another strike, a second hole. [color=d7d0e7]“I lived through every year thinking about who I’d left behind, how much I missed them. How much they missed me.”[/color] Jin wasn’t sure Shao could even hear them over his desperate gargling gasps. They yanked the bone knife free, and drove it hilt deep again. The confession hit the ears of a dying man. [color=d7d0e7]“No one missed me. Not a damn soul cared, or remembered, or- or waited. So you wanna know what happened? The Flying Frog was just a stupid kid who the world taught better. Fuck the heroics and fuck the handouts. And fuck you.”[/color] Jin shoved Shao’s body away, realizing their front was coated in his cooling blood. [sup][color=2e2c2c]__________________________________________________________________________________________________________[/color][/sup][/color][/justify][/cell][/row][/table][table= //////= EXIT'S POST DESIGN v5 =\\\\\\][row][sub][h1][right][sub][sub][sub][sub][sup][color=2e2c2c]_[/color][/sup][/sub][/sub][/sub][/sub][/right][sub][sub][sub][sub][sub][sub][sub][sub][sub][sub][sub][img=/// TOPIMAGE \\\]https://i.imgur.com/ce00WOU.png[/img][/sub][/sub][/sub][/sub][/sub][/sub][/sub][/sub][/sub][/sub][/sub][sub][color=#b99c77][sub][sub][color=2e2c2c][sub].[sub][sub][sub][sub][sub][sub]............[/sub][/sub][/sub][/sub][/sub][/sub][/sub][/color][sup][b]▇▇▇[/b][/sup][/sub][/sub][color=2e2c2c]_[/color][sub][color=white][sup]Zhen[/sup] M I E L U N[/color][/sub][sub][sub][color=2e2c2c]__[/color][sup][b]▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇[/b][/sup][/sub][/sub][/color][/sub] [color=2e2c2c]__________[/color][sup][sub][sup][sub][color=555555][color=888888]a [@Fiber] & [@Exit] collaboration.[/color][/color][/sub][/sup][/sub][/sup][/h1][/sub][/row][row][cell][sup][center][b][color=#b99c77][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] 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[sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][/color][/b][/center][/sup][/cell][cell][justify][color=888888] [sub][sub][u][b][color=bca346]Exit   [/color][/b][/u][/sub][/sub] Katakuri could have guessed anything less than a surprise lightning strike wouldn’t have any effect on a vigilant Zhen. The curtain of fire did little to the airbender and so, instead of continuing to fight them from a distance, Katauri chose to move in. As Zhen passed harmlessly underneath him, he rotated himself out of the air and tumbled down to the ground in a graceful spin, landing only a few feet away from the airbender. Behind her, he could see lava bursting out of the ground from under the large stone cube that had been dropped on 141. [sub][sub][u][b][color=a4c2f4]Fiber   [/color][/b][/u][/sub][/sub] Zhen spoke to Kata first. [color=a4c2f4]“They killed fifty stray dogs today, you know. They were looking for Archer and Duchess, so any that matched the visual description had to go. Did we get them? I guess we’ll find out eventually.”[/color] Kata jumped, flipping forward to release an enormous blast of fire from both feet.[sup][url=https://64.media.tumblr.com/8597b4db6c69900b085273bc32404755/tumblr_mrfkfbz2tN1rfr4i6o1_500.gif]*[/url][/sup] Zhen had seen that one before, it was the one he brought out when destruction was his only goal, one that she had seen punch through solid concrete. She ducked under it, gilding forward with a thin cushion of air between her and the ground, sliding without friction. He landed and she pivoted to get behind him, then lifted him up by the waist and bent back to throw him into the air.[sup][url=https://imgur.com/BEE1JxE]*[/url][/sup] He went flying, soaring over her head, but he rotated fast enough to land on his feet and had drawn both knives by the time she was able to face him again.[sup][url=https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/4jdcv99e5k4.gif]*[/url][/sup] They were close enough to talk again. Zhen said [color=a4c2f4]“You know Kata, the LSF keeps records on all of us, records on everything we’ve done, from our sleep cycles to training performance. Does it bother you that I was able to look up how many children you’ve killed? Let’s take a few random cases and see if you remember them all.“[/color] Zhen had her shock glove charged and they both swung at each other, parrying blows knowing that one slash or one shock could be enough to end the fight. Zhen had killed firebenders, Kata had killed airbenders, but neither knew how this fight would end. Each had played out in their heads dozens upon dozens of times, built from their experience sparring together, and now it was becoming real. With her non-shocking hand Zhen buffeted Kata with short but weak air blasts, creating space and disrupting his balance. Kata responded by dropping one of his knives and the crackle of electricity began to build at his fingertips. He let loose at point blank range, too close to dodge even for one as fast as Zhen. He was surprised when he felt something grabbing his lightning hand, then saw Zhen right in his face. His fingers were caught in the grip of Zhen’s shock glove, which no longer glowed, no longer functioned, but had absorbed the entire bolt of lightning and fried its own circuits in the process. Zhen did not give him the time to contemplate, as she grabbed his other arm and twisted it, using the circular motion to summon a light airblast to push him away and break his grip on the knife.[sup][url=https://imgur.com/pAW2YUL]*[/url][/sup] She had his knife in her hands now and launched it at him along with an airblast to send it even faster. A crash rang out as it grazed the side of Kata’s mask and shattered it, but Kata himself was not harmed as it hurtled into the back wall of the chamber. Zhen caught her breath and continued her speech. She said [color=a4c2f4]“Fei Yuan, 12 years old, earthbending prodigy who tried to demolish a police precinct in the lower ring after her parents were arrested. Deemed too dangerous to be given a chance to surrender, you executed her on the spot. Im Kyung-chul, nine years old, died from exhaustion during LSF training, during an exercise you assigned. Bo Han…”[/color] [sub][sub][u][b][color=bca346]Exit   [/color][/b][/u][/sub][/sub] Kata’s eye twitched. The subtlest shift from his usual self that disappeared almost as quickly as it appeared. [sub][sub][u][b][color=a4c2f4]Fiber   [/color][/b][/u][/sub][/sub] [color=a4c2f4]“Also nine, your classmate in training. You killed him when the old man was disappointed in both of you and said that one of you could live, if they earned that right. I believe that was your first kill.“[/color] [sub][sub][u][b][color=bca346]Exit   [/color][/b][/u][/sub][/sub] Kata moved quickly, switching the grip on his remaining knife and reversing his stance before diving in low, closing the gap between himself and Zhen in the blink of an eye. Zhen reacted just as quickly and again, the two began exchanging blows. [sub][sub][u][b][color=a4c2f4]Fiber   [/color][/b][/u][/sub][/sub] Like the old training drills, each was fighting for grips, setting up throws, and maneuvering in and out of danger. One moment Zhen had a wrist lock and tumbled to throw Kata, the next he matched her motion and remained standing.[sup][url=https://imgur.com/ru4PB6z]*[/url][/sup] After many exchanges, finally came one where Zhen proved herself a little faster, a little more aware of the situation and caught Kata’s feet out of position; a result of his lesser used stance. She swept out his support with the subtlest of pushes. His hand was still reaching out when he fell, and Zhen caught it at the wrist. She cartwheeled with it still grasped tight, and then she rolled onto her back to drag Kata into the path of an airblast she sent forth to launch him high into the sky.[sup][url=https://imgur.com/UG3f4Cx]*[/url][/sup] As he flew, she jumped up to meet him, catching both his arms and then using one more airblast to drive them down to the ground even faster. She spiked him onto his head, no hands to cushion the fall, no time to redirect.[sup][url=https://d2thvodm3xyo6j.cloudfront.net/media/2019/08/a2098d2ed4cbec34-600x338.gif]*[/url][/sup] Kata was groggy after the impact, still moving, still conscious, watching Zhen pace. She said [color=a4c2f4]“Twenty eight children under the age of thirteen died from collateral damage of Operation Changdao. You successfully terminated the bending gang that the RSF couldn’t, shame about all those fires you set in the lower ring in the process. They caused so much damage that the information warfare and the justice departments had to collaborate to come up with a story about mass arson, did you know that?”[/color] [sub][sub][u][b][color=bca346]Exit   [/color][/b][/u][/sub][/sub] Memories, recorded in some file back at HQ, were being force fed to Kata and began fighting for space inside his rattled brain, heavily confusing his past and present. Memories of the faces he’d seen in another life, every one of which had been left behind, and the myriad of faces whose eyes he’d closed himself. Memories of every place he’d been to. Beautiful places. Important places. Turned to ash and fire in his shadow. [sub][sub][u][b][color=a4c2f4]Fiber   [/color][/b][/u][/sub][/sub] Zhen said [color=a4c2f4]“Operation Hwacha, now that was a big one, had every branch from us to the Strategic Bomber Force involved. It wasn’t easy to raze an entire town outside the walls, but as our commanding officer said, we had to show that hunting on his majesty’s royal gamelands has consequences. This didn’t bother attributing each kill, but surely you know how many you killed, right? After all, you were going house to house, room by room, seeing them face to face as they died, you can’t be so callous as to have forgotten them, can you?“[/color] [sub][sub][u][b][color=bca346]Exit   [/color][/b][/u][/sub][/sub] These were tactics that Kata recognized only Zhen would use; a wealth of knowledge at her fingertips wielded like the sharpened edge of a blade. A blade she continued to prod under his skin with, carving out any minute advantage she could. Kata’s response was quick. He attacked from where he was on the ground on his knees, throwing a pair of fireballs at Zhen that was fueled partly by adrenaline and partly by a half-dazed, building rage. [sub][sub][u][b][color=a4c2f4]Fiber   [/color][/b][/u][/sub][/sub] Zhen dodged, amused, but they were a prelude to his actual attack. He lit a jet of fire with his hands and feet and launched himself at her, delivering a knee straight to the front of her face. He smirked when he heard her forehead smack the inside of the helmet, and though he could not see it, blood began to pour from her nose after the impact. Noticeably wobbly, Zhen kept moving to evade, but Kata followed up with a series of body blows, quick hits to soften her up, each one sapping her stamina. He launched a spin kick which she dodged only to get hit with the opposite leg as he came down[sup][url=https://i.imgur.com/iOjEdrY.gif]*[/url][/sup], then Kata unloaded with another series of punches and kicks. She covered and parried them as best she could, but he got a big one through when he unleashed another leaping kick[sup][url=https://64.media.tumblr.com/bb27e0dbb741d432a2d2c0fc221c5c87/tumblr_pitrosHdYp1xsx2s1o1_500.gifv]*[/url][/sup], adjusting his rotation in mid-air thanks to a small burst of fire propulsion. Perhaps it was the daze of the blows landing, but Zhen never remembered seeing that trick in training. Kata was always capable of surprises. He popped back up to standing with a handspring[sup][url=https://static.tumblr.com/bf566d26dc9d96961f2ad43ecb89f3e2/j6y8wfw/Bq2p8a9h1/tumblr_static_tumblr_static_3i4s6zqhpu4g444ww0ks4gsck_focused_v3.gif]*[/url][/sup], then gave Zhen a series of punches to the body and head, still impressed that she had managed to remain standing. Inside her helmet the blood was flowing freely, merging with the beads of sweat and running through the thick, damp strands of her hair. Everything was foggy, her head was throbbing with pain, and it appeared one of her teeth was coming loose, but Zhen was still in this. Kata readied one more aerial kick, smashing his shin across Zhen’s chest and sending her to the ground.[sup][url=https://images.steamusercontent.com/ugc/267220159340447850/C1F9D47724BD13BBC4A8F9156E9EC447252F4472/?imw=5000&imh=5000&ima=fit&impolicy=Letterbox&imcolor=%23000000&letterbox=false]*[/url][/sup] [sub][sub][u][b][color=bca346]Exit   [/color][/b][/u][/sub][/sub] There was no need for long speeches, no need for goodbye. No more need to live in his haunted past any longer, forced to face his sins or the road he had paved in blood for himself and his daughter. He could end it all here. Silence the woman for good. Destroy that damnable mask she wore, reflecting an image of himself he no longer recognized. It would be quick, he resolved. Faster than the others. [sub][sub][u][b][color=a4c2f4]Fiber   [/color][/b][/u][/sub][/sub] He had a bolt of lighting ready in an instant and drove his hand towards Zhen’s downed body, but then he found he missed the mark. He had felt a gentle gust of wind at his side, not enough to move him, but Zhen’s little trick had slid her out of the way and let her grab his other hand, the one he hadn’t used to gather the lightning. Before Kata had realized it, Zhen had twisted his hand and tangled it up with her legs, turning at blinding speed and pinning him to the ground.[sup][url=https://imgur.com/kN1JtBU]*[/url][/sup] She had her full strength to use his own arm as a lever against him, trapped in an intricate grip that it could not escape. As he struggled his whole shoulder ached with pain, push too hard and his whole arm might snap. Many training matches had ended exactly this way, as someone who had taught him so much, Zhen had learned his weaknesses and his strengths, and reflected on them as he sat there with one arm trapped and the other flailing, hand and feet in no position to shoot a fire blast that could threaten Zhen. Again, Zhen lectured him, saying [color=a4c2f4]“Two more, a boy and a girl, aged five and six, names unknown. Their parents were nomadic benders who lived outside the walls, had a habit of stealing supplies from piperunners. The children burnt to death in the car. I was only observing from a distance, but I still remember how long the screams lasted. “[/color] In training, this would end with Kata tapping out and everything returning to normal, but now was different. Now, Zhen gathered her chi and began the hand motions to end it all with a burst of nitrogen into Kata’s lungs. The last courtesy she could offer him was a painless death. She said [color=a4c2f4]“You might be wondering why I’m bringing all of these up.”[/color] [sub][sub][u][b][color=bca346]Exit   [/color][/b][/u][/sub][/sub] [color=b64040]“I’m wondering if you’ve ever shut up in your life.”[/color] Kata tried to retort through grit teeth, straining just enough against Zhen’s hold to delay an inevitable break. [sub][sub][u][b][color=a4c2f4]Fiber   [/color][/b][/u][/sub][/sub] [color=a4c2f4]“Do you think I’m trying to find out if you feel guilt for all of that? Hardly. What I find more curious is that I know you felt more sadness about those stray dogs I mentioned at the start than you do now for any of the children that you killed. Chosah will never get to see what kind of man her father really was, but I suppose none of that matters in the end.”[/color] This wasn’t training, and there was no tapping out. With his arm trapped, Kata had one choice and one choice only. He pushed, he pushed further and further as pain shot up it, but it didn’t deter him. He kept going until he heard the sound of his own bones cracking, and felt it go limp, but his now broken arm was not rigid enough to hold him down. He slipped out of Zhen’s grip and rose to his feet, feeling a fire and rage like he had never felt before in his life. [sup][color=2e2c2c]__________________________________________________________________________________________________________[/color][/sup][/color][/justify][/cell][/row][/table][table= //////= EXIT'S POST DESIGN v5 =\\\\\\][row][sub][h1][right][sub][sub][sub][sub][sup][color=2e2c2c]_[/color][/sup][/sub][/sub][/sub][/sub][/right][sub][sub][sub][sub][sub][sub][sub][img=/// TOPIMAGE \\\]https://i.imgur.com/SnaTpw9.png[/img][/sub][/sub][/sub][/sub][/sub][/sub][/sub][sub][color=#04120c][sub][sub][color=2e2c2c][sub].[sub][sub][sub][sub][sub][sub]............[/sub][/sub][/sub][/sub][/sub][/sub][/sub][/color][sup][b]▇▇▇[/b][/sup][/sub][/sub][color=2e2c2c]_[/color][sub][color=white][sup]Tarnelu[/sup] D E R M O K[/color][/sub][sub][sub][color=2e2c2c]__[/color][sup][b]▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇[/b][/sup][/sub][/sub][/color][/sub] [color=2e2c2c]___________[/color][sup][sub][sup][sub][/sub][/sup][/sub][/sup][/h1][/sub][/row][row][cell][sup][center][b][color=#04120c][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][/color][/b][/center][/sup][/cell][cell][justify][color=888888][sup][color=2e2c2c]__________________________________________________________________________________________________________[/color][/sup] Tarnelu woke up to a significantly changed battlefield. What had once been a simple domed room with raised platforms had quickly become the nightmare scenario for any bending engagement. Earthen shapes littered the room, seemingly pulled from the ground or dislodged from the walls. In between the debris were pools of molten rock, both a telling detail of Hunang’s true prowess and also the reason why the temperature in the room had risen to an uncomfortable degree. It was near unbearably hot and Tarnelu found himself drenched in sweat with dust clinging to his wet skin. The dust itself was everywhere. It saturated the oxygen-starved air and painted the room in a muddy brown haze. It was getting in his equipment and under the layers of his gear and would have begun to collect in his lungs were it not for the mask Jin gave him, he was sure. The people too were not where they had been. 141 was missing. The man with the prosthetic arm was laying motionless on the ground with Jin crouched over him, already working on taking a prize. Hunang was standing a ways away, blood covering half her face and staining her clothes and was focused on something other than what would have been easy targets. From under the blood dripping from the gash above her brow, Nelu could see her eyes, a green made more intense by the surrounding red, fixed on the block of rock sitting in the center of a puddle of lava. Across the room and in the middle of all that dust, Nelu found both Zhen and Kata. Although it was hard to tell, Nelu could guess that Zhen was having it rough. She looked as though she had rolled around in the dirt, when under normal circumstances she took great care to keep her gear pristine, even during a fight. She was covered in brown and black smudged stains, sported a few burn marks and there was even a small dent in her helmet. Kata on the other hand was visibly red in the face and his arm seemed twisted in the wrong direction and dangled unnaturally to his side. What caught Nelu’s attention however wasn’t either of their physical states. Kata was facing Zhen and holding something in his hand, that something being a dancing flame that was rapidly changing colors.[/color][/justify][/cell][/row][/table][table= //////= EXIT'S POST DESIGN v5 =\\\\\\][row][sub][h1][right][sub][sub][sub][sub][sup][color=2e2c2c]_[/color][/sup][/sub][/sub][/sub][/sub][/right][sub][sub][sub][sub][sub][sub][sub][img=/// TOPIMAGE \\\]https://i.imgur.com/OzkE6no.png[/img][/sub][/sub][/sub][/sub][/sub][/sub][/sub][sub][color=0b0d11][sub][sub][color=2e2c2c][sub]...[/sub][/color][sup][b]▇▇▇[/b][/sup][/sub][/sub][color=2e2c2c]_[/color][sub][color=white][sup]The[/sup] L S F[/color][/sub][sub][sub][color=2e2c2c]__[/color][sup][b]▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇[/b][/sup][/sub][/sub][/color][/sub][center][sup][sub][sup][sub][color=555555][color=888888][@Fiber] & [@Mistress Dizzy][color=2e2c2c]---------------------------------------------‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ [/color][/color][/color][/sub][/sup][/sub][/sup][/center][/h1][/sub][/row][row][cell][sup][center][b][color=0b0d11][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][sup][h2][sup]█[/sup] [sub]█[/sub][/h2][/sup][/color][/b][/center][/sup][/cell][cell][color=888888][color=2e2c2c].[/color] Each member of the LSF excelled at a particular skill. Usually this involved the mastery of a specific study of their element. For Zhen, it was her ability to move pockets of air in unpredictable, nearly impossible to read ways, thanks to her ability to ‘remote bend’ as she called it. For Tarnelu, he was a bloodbender, able to manipulate at will the water trapped in an individual's body. For Jin, among a myriad of other skills honed in the absence of the ability to bend, they were a particularly gifted marksman. Jin was able to quickly, mentally, calculate the trajectory of a shot and place a bullet on target at extraordinarily long ranges. Something others could only do with mechanical assistance if at all. Katakuri could shoot lightning, but it was not this skill that the LSF recognized as his specialty. His real talent was a seldom used technique, avoided nearly at all costs due to its inherent danger. White flame burned hot. Hot enough to melt rock. Hot enough to burn even the source of the flame itself and combust anything flammable surrounding it, and it didn’t need to be nearby. The heat alone could reach across the room they were all in and burn skin, and while pockets of lava had formed in the enclosed space resulting in a rise in temperature, the fire that grew in the palm of Katakuri’s hand was distinctly felt by everyone. Hunang was first to react, dropping her concentration on the rock she had been trying to further submerge in the lava and turning to find the source of the sudden spike in heat. In that brief lapse, 141, who had been struggling against her, flung the rock off its back and raised itself out of the molten lava it was sinking into. What emerged was the warped visage of a man who was burning alive. By now, nearly all of the armor on his chest and limbs had turned semi-liquid and was fusing itself to 141’s body. Flames licked across exposed skin, fat bubbled and burst, and what had once been overwhelming screams of pain had turned to hollow, agonizing gasps that crackled like the fire that consumed it. On its back, where the cooler earthen rock had been pressed, were the last of its munitions, still attached to the remainder of its armor. [sup][color=2e2c2c]__________________________________________________________________________________________________________[/color][/sup] [/color][/cell][cell][sup][img=//////SIDE IMAGE HERE\\\\\\]https://i.imgur.com/3bhGl68.png[/img][/sup] [color=303030][table=bordered][row][/row][row][cell=active][sub][color=bfbfbf]Location.[/color] The Core in The Underground, [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/4593910][color=303030]Ba Sing Se.[/color][/url] [color=666666]____________________________[sub]....[sup]......[/sup][/sub][/color] [color=bfbfbf]Time.[/color] Late Night, SE+3[/sub][/cell][/row][/table][/color] [color=2e2c2c]_ _[/color][/cell][/row][/table]