[center][h3]Power Stone Games: Extra Stage III[/h3]
[i]Friday Midday[/i]
Location: Esaka's Mid-Tier, Forbidden Kingdom 
Word Count: 3384 (+4 exp)

[color=BC8DBF]Therion[/color], [color=aqua]Rika[/color], & [color=ec008c]Juri[/color]
[sup][@Yankee][@DracoLunaris][@Zoey Boey][/sup][/center]
In the gift shop's back room fighting stage, littered with boxes and crates of both merchandise and battle items, things were indeed getting more serious. Three fighters faced off in front of the tree that split the room. Fury and Dragunov -opposite in expressions but similar in their brutal fighting styles- rushed at Juri from two angles, the latter a few steps behind thanks to his slow debuff. Fury came in from the right as though he was going to try and bowl the Spider over before stopping himself with one leg and using the momentum to twist into a powerful right hook, a body blow aimed at her kidney with his other fist coming in quick to try and catch her in the face. After the brief delay Dragunov threw a curled hand at Juri's neck from her left, a knuckle strike that threatened to damage her wind pipe.

Juri pegged these bozos for bloodthirsty maniacs- certainly not the type to slow roll a careful approach. Bryan Fury almost tricked her, but in the end a big strike was a big strike, and she was waiting for it with a held parry, swatting the kidney strike away with her foot, and shifting her head just barely backwards to avoid the face strike. Dropping the parry, she landed forward with a beckoning finger towards Fury. It would be a bizarre sight, as Dragonov’s fist passed right through her skull and out her face- or rather, the afterimage of her face. Juri was suddenly behind Fury! [b][color=ec008c]”Over here!”[/color][/b] Juri taunted as she slammed another kick into his back. Dragunov caught Fury’s arm as he stumbled forward and threw him right back into Juri. The manic cyborg literally ran with it, slugging the oncoming Juri right in the mouth before smashing her away with an elbow.

[b][color=ec008c]”Bastard,”[/color][/b] Juri swore as she blocked a few more follow up strikes. Bryan, grinning, went in for a grab. His clawing hand caught empty air as she ducked and jammed an elbow into his solar plexus. That opened him up long enough for Juri to swing her leg around like a ball and chain and smash her heel into his skull, which sent Bryan reeling. 

Rika glanced around for a crate holding something actually useful, before coming to the realization that [color=Aqua]”Oh right, we can cheat”[/color] due to the camera having gone down in the first few seconds of the match. She did wonder a little about how long it would take someone to come and try to get a new view on the match, but for now she raised her hand up above her head and drew it back to wind up a javelin throw, sans javelin. Her helbard appeared in her hand right before it went swinging forwards, sending the needle tipped weapon hurtling towards her target.

Then she summoned her Vespikan Ichor Queen, filling much of the space with a towering crimson red wasp woman armed with a massive cleaver, which she promptly drove down towards Dragunov in a massive overhead cleave. The sword scraped the ceiling, slashed through the branches of the strangely placed tree growing inside the room, and then cleaved deep into the floorboards, sending splinters of both it and collaterally damaged crates flying as Dragunov lunged to the side to avoid the blow.

Juri tsked her tongue at the summon, apparently not impressed. But it did help her out. [b][color=ec008c]”Just you and me, Frankenstein’s Monster.”[/color][/b] Juri said to Bryan Fury. As he tried to rush in, she sent a Ki wave along side the ground. Undeterred, he hopped over it to bring an axe kick down at her. Deterred he should have been, as the hop left his movement predictable. Juri planted her foot on the ground and kicked him in the face, sending him flying across the room. 

[b][color=ec008c][i]”Igeo bwa~”[/i][/color][/b] Juri taunted playfully as she kicked up her foot, gaining a Fuha stock. 

Fury picked himself up a moment later, forcefully realigning his jaw with one hand. Juri was doing a number on his weakened defenses, but the man showed no signs of worry. If anything, each time he was knocked down he seemed to be even more excited to stand up. He cracked his knuckles and practically leered at his opponent. 

"Rahahaha! It's been ages since I had some real fun!" He crowed. This time he stalked back towards Juri, unhurried, shoving debris scattered by the ichor queen out of his path with not one thought spared for whatever was going on with his partner. "Now it's on!"

The zombie threw his fists up and then dragged them down at his sides, flexing his chest as he let out a battle cry that devolved into manic laughter. Hot energy surged from his body until it was completely wreathed in a light blue aura. Suddenly he was in Juri's face, throwing a powerful overhead punch her way before twisting into an Heat-empowered roundhouse kick. Off balance from dodging the overhead, she crossed her arms in front of herself to block the roundhouse kick. The impact sent her stumbling backwards where she hit the wall. Her arms flung backwards and she got a kick to the face for her trouble. 

[b][color=ec008c][i]”Guh!”[/i][/color][/b] The next punch to her gut lifted her up, and he kept her pinned against the wall with nothing but repeated harsh impacts. 

By that point Therion had picked himself up to press his thumbs on either side of his dislocated kneecap, forcing it back into place with a sharp inhale, a hard grimace, and finally a pained grunt. He'd had worse before, but he wasn't looking for a repeat - and it was very clear to him that he wouldn't make it out of a one-on-one match with these guys in one piece. Thankfully as it was an uneven numbered match up in the Seekers' favor, he wouldn't have to. With a little more difficulty than normal Therion leapt to take hold of the piping overhead, swinging himself up into the shop's roof supports and tangled copper and snatching a couple of the many displaced game items as he went. 

From his perch he got a decent view of the battlefield, but more importantly a clear shot at both of G-Corp's killers. The sight of Bryan Fury aglow with some energy akin to his own Battle Boost made Therion turn his attention there first, pitching a metal and crystal [url=https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/a7b491a5b19b.png]projectile[/url] he'd picked up at the man. It was way less subtle than the thief wanted, activating as soon as it left his hand and leaving a [url=https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/eda2bd5d9e84.png]bright trail[/url] in its wake, but if it connected it would stun on contact. 

It was just the opening Juri needed. She had managed to slip away from the worst of Fury’s wrath, and was trying to find her moment to counter-attack. Instead, it was given to her, and she happily pounced as Bryan looked shocked in more ways than one as the projectile hit his back. Exclusively to permanently wipe the grin off his face, Juri crammed her elbow into his clenched teeth before delivering a wicked, crooked behind the back kick to his throat. Spending a Fuha stock and some of her OD meter, she swung her foot into his torso several times in a row before axe kicking him into the ground so hard he bounced.  With a pinwheel kick, she sent him groaning away before he landed face down. 

Thankfully the item's tell hadn't stopped it from striking its target, but even so Therion changed locations before making another move, slinking to another high corner on the off chance the mute man had seen the angle of the throw from the corner of his eye. 

And speaking of, separated from the other side of the room for now by the huge gouge in the floor, Dragunov had quietly taken in the state of the battlefield after recovering from his dodge roll and made the decision to let Bryan and Juri continue to face off while he dealt with the little pest. He darted at Rika with his fists raised defensively, his stance deceptively tight to mask his real range. Then he struck with a straight kick aimed at the girl's gut that preceded a knuckle strike to the face - but the real trap was if she tried escaping his combo starter, where any direction she moved but backward would keep her in Dragunov's grabbing distance, and he'd snatch her arm and twist her closer to dislocate her shoulder.

The girl, who’d used gauntlets and hull blades to block, cried out in agony as Dragunov’s gambit worked like a charm. The only hiccup in his plan was the appearance of a dark knight armed with a blood red twin-blade, as Rika panic summoned Maria, her other striker. She swung twice at the Spetsnaz, putting him just off balance enough for Rika’s frantic wiggling broke her free of his grip, but not soon enough to have saved her now limply dangling arm. 

Naturally this alarmed Therion, and he hastened his attack. One of the Pox bio-knives was pulled from the stash on his person, taking on a much more subdued silver glow as he threw it right at Dragunov's back. The knife itself would be a good deal more painful than the last ones Therion had struck the man with, in addition to injecting their toxins in through the new wound. It struck clean, and Dragunov twitched as it sunk into him. He twisted to rip the thing from his body, flexible enough to reach behind himself to grab it, but even with it removed the damage was already done. 

[b][color=ec008c]”C’mon, now!”[/color][/b] Juri crowed back on her side of the stage. [b][color=ec008c]”Give me a little bit more!”[/color][/b] The giving and the receiving was a blast, but most thrilling of all was the sense of her impending victory. Bryan Fury wasn’t the only one with power in reserve. 

He also did not see himself taking a loss here like Juri seemed to think. But he had taken a lot of punishment starting with that unexpected missile, and the beating he'd just suffered had eaten away a lot of Heat bar. Was Bryan worried? Of course not. He just had to make the best use of his remaining Heat while he had the chance, and then tear this bitch apart with his bare hands while she was reeling.

Fury screamed his delight and rushed forward again. He wasn't all that smart, but being a fighter he at least knew how to throw a feint. He tried baiting Juri with a left hook before going right into a rising knee strike. He was already committed whether he caught her up or not, so his right fist would come down like a meteor after that, paving the way for him to gather power into a brutally powerful [url=https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/87e03f1ba8c8.webp]straight punch[/url].

[b][color=ec008c]”DIE!”[/color][/b] Juri blew through it all with an immense kick, draped in black and white ki. Another one came soon after, launching Bryan Fury into the ceiling. This was Juri’s super technique that she had saved for the entire fight- the energy overwhelmed his offense at the risk of leaving Juri vulnerable if blocked. But she knew there was no way Bryan would do anything other than attack, feint or otherwise. Bryan would crash into the ceiling and land in front of her, and Juri literally went in for the finisher. She flipped upside down and dropped a scythe of energy directly on the base of Bryan’s skull with her foot. 

Her reward for this was a hail of gun fire, Dragunov having broken off his pursuit of Rika upon hearing/seeing Bryan’s ceiling crash and rushing in to scoop up the discarded minigun, which Bryan had never quite used up the ammo for. Rika herself, arm still dangling limply, pivoted back onto the offensive as soon as she was given a moment to breathe. Her helbard’s tip sank into the wooden floor as Dragunov was forced to combat roll away, ending his fusillade early, before she managed to clip him with one of the shots from her rigging mounted disruption cannons. The minigun itself took the brunt of the damage, finally taking it out of commission for good.

She backed away with a maneuvering thruster boosted leap as he got to his feet, wanting to be nowhere near the range of his grapples.

This was the point in which a sane man would have cut his losses. Though he hadn't taken heavy hits Dragunov was slowed, poisoned, and his partner was unconscious on the floor while he was left to deal with three opponents, all with uniquely different fighting styles. The likelihood that he would complete his mission was low. And although somewhere in the back of his head he knew that, the fire-like glow in his eyes prevented him from making the smart tactical decision. He raised his fists, making sure both Rika and Juri were within his line of sight. He had no choice but to stay and fight.

"...!" His defensive stance shifted as he made to follow Fury's example and activate his Heat. 

At the same time Therion struck once more, chain hook flying from the darkened support beams overhead and catching Dragunov by the shoulder as he instinctively attempted to dodge. The metal drove into a chunk of him and the chain wrapped once around his upper arm, and then the thief pulled, stringing the man a few feet off the ground as though he were a piñata - but it would only be a few seconds before he struggled free.

[color=aqua]”Lets see how- how you like it!”[/color] Rika spat at the man as she summoned her Vespikan Ichor Queen. Rather than cleave into the man, the titanic wasp reached out and gripped him with a chitinous hand and began to drain the vitality right out of him. After a few heartbeats of this the ship girl let out a pained cry as her arm bone was sucked back into its socked by the rather violently restorative energy flooding her body.

Even that wasn't enough to draw any sort of sound from the man. He didn't let so much as a stray gasp escape as his health was literally siphoned away. The energy he'd been gathering was sucked away, and his movements slowed to a stop. When the hook ripped away from him and the Ichor Queen released him, Dragunov slumped to the ground in a daze. His fate, and that of Bryan Fury's, was ultimately in the Seekers' hands.

After a moment Therion hopped back down to the ground, making sure to land on his uninjured leg. The grappling hook was gathered up in his hands, and he put it away while glancing over his allies. Between Juri's general toughness and the blows she'd traded, and Rika's wound that seemed to have painfully healed, it was hard to tell what exactly their status was. 

So he simply asked. [color=BC8DBF]"Everyone alright?"[/color]

[b][color=ec008c]”Are you kiddin’? Never been better!”[/color][/b] Juri stretched her leg high up into the air, and brought it down like a guillotine on the defeated maniac. Dust scattered across the floor. [b][color=ec008c]”Ahh, too good for a freak like him.”[/color][/b] Juri shrugged with a grin. [b][color=ec008c]”But, extenuating circumstances and all. You two definitely earned the privilege of snuffin’ out the other one.”[/color][/b] She lazily pointed between Therion and Rika. 

Rika had been holding a gauntleted hand over her formerly dislocated shoulder and rolled the joint around since it was clear that Dragunov was out of the fight. The blood magic based healing wasn’t exactly nice, and her shoulder still felt both sore and uncomfortable.

Upon receiving the offer, she paused her arm tending and echoed [color=aqua]”Privilege?”[/color] in a tone that made it fairly clear that she was confused as to why there was any joy to gain from something as mundane as killing. She’d already gotten ‘back’ at the man for the painful grapple, and that had not been a pleasant experience, if that was what Juri meant.

Juri rolled her eyes. [b][color=ec008c]”Whatever, toy soldier. I’ll do it, then.”[/color][/b] Juri began walking over to the fallen Dragonuv, a hand on her hip. [b][color=ec008c]”Can’t have ‘em comin’ for us again.”[/color][/b]

Therion would not have called the execution of an enemy a privilege either, but he also didn't bemoan Juri's point. The last time he'd been in a similar situation, he'd been too soft and stopped his friend and fellow Seeker from murder - and it had come back to bite them in the ass. Now he wasn't going to make the same mistake, although he did not delight in such deeds. So if Juri wanted to do the honors, there was no reason not to let her. He stepped aside, downed one of his potions to kick start his own healing, and then began to pick around the debris towards the exit.

[color=BC8DBF]"Make it quick, we should leave soon,"[/color] he said. In his mind there was no telling if backup for the G-Corp contractors were going to show up to ensure the job was done, or if there were plants in the park somewhere keeping an eye on things. The door was stuck shut, but it wasn't like the three of them (or even just one of them) couldn't brute force their way out. 

Almost as if to give his words more weight, various voices piped up and filtered to the Seekers' individual linkpearls. Stuff about consuls, clues, meetings and ambushes. [i]Out of the frying pan, into the fire, huh?[/i]

 [b][color=ec008c]”Heh heh. All that time not saying a word- here’s a [i]real[/i] long quiet for ya.”[/color][/b] Juri planted her foot on the right place and gave it a practiced twist. There was a crack and more dust spread across the floor. 

 [b][color=ec008c]”When someone does me in, I just hope they’re as hot as I am. Would only be fair.”[/color][/b] Juri said. [b][color=ec008c]”C’mon, wimps, let’s blow this joint.”[/color][/b] Juri stalked over to the door, sat beside it, and crossed her arms. After a few moments, she went invisible, though the two Seekers in the room were close enough to see her shimmering form.

[b][color=ec008c]”Don’t act shocked if there’s a part two to the party.”[/color][/b] Juri said with a smile. [b][color=ec008c]”I’ll drop in all timely-like should that be the case. I’ll be following you two out.”[/color][/b] Juri said. 

Though he hoped that actually wouldn't be the case, Therion was prepared for that chance. His concealed weapons were never far from his hands, and he did still have that goofy looking gun he'd lifted a few minutes ago. He gave Juri a nod (or at least in the vague direction of her transparent face. Useful ability, that.) and then glanced at Rika, giving her one too. With the spirits of Bryan Fury and Sergei Dragunov in the Seekers' possession, Therion aimed a heel kick at the door frame to splinter it at the impact point, ruining the integrity and letting the door itself fall over from its now unsupported weight. 

There was a noise of surprise on the other side of it. Outside beneath a pink parasol was the shopkeeper, who looked at the two emerging game participants she could see with large, curious eyes.

"Oh! We were wondering how it was going. Darn camera feed cut out! I guess that's the trouble with experimental indoor stages... Well–"

Therion brushed right by her, not even pausing to consider entertaining a chat with the woman. Mel was even more surprised at the rudeness than their sudden appearance, at a loss for words for a moment. Then she tried again with Rika, peering back into the shop when the other two that had entered failed to exit with them.

"W-well, what happened? Who won?"

[color=aqua]”Sorry gotta check on my brother!”[/color] Rika replied as she too hurried past, her tone at least apologetic, before launching herself high into the air to get a bird’s eye view of all the stages. Her vantage point afforded her the ability to survey almost all of the park at once. The aftermath of the game staged at the Old Londo section was within her sight, as well as the park's exit, where a familiar dancer in red stood waiting beneath a paper umbrella.