Those claws. That form. That tail still yet threatening to swish. Even in metal medium, everyone knew what a laceroid looked like. The reminder still fresh and yet now another dared to take its place. Form and function closing in on parallel, but staunch and unbowed by feral intent. But Seth didn’t care.
He’d lived with seeing them at every turn. On every billboard, on ads and plaques, and on every birthday he shared with them. Seeing them die and decay to little more than a mockery of who they were. So why wouldn’t he dare to steal their image for his own. Dare to use it better, show it better, make these people see what the Garkah are before they all immediately cried laceroid. Though the horns were his idea, and sparked off this revulsion and fear wrought ire.
Because all that mattered right now was beating this challenge. And if that meant throwing everything he had at it then he would. Even if it cost him an easy future, even if it showed too much at a time, he was not going to just let this burn inside him fizzle away again. He had lost too much already, it was time to gain something.
Though it was obvious things were going to get harder now, based solely on the hardened stares he was returned from across that blue glow. Ziyou’s enjoyment of this challenge seemed to have fallen away, tainted by the repeated knock downs and a clear disgust. Maglev’s hand couldn’t stop shaking, but his expression read a more concerted hatred than before. Samurai shifted in from the other side of the ring, he understood this was a real fight now and not something he could sit out of. But the guilt that stymied him found little hold in the visage bared. As he fell in on the right next to Maglev with a look of almost betrayal, if not disappointment.
Techno shifted in next to Erdwut, wearing a nervous expression at the display of power he just saw, yet barely bore a fraction of their ingrained attitudes. Aegis’s guilt still weighed her down, but she seemed to feel relieved almost. Maybe she didn’t like keeping so many secrets, or that small smile was rooted in tainted soil. Hothead just glared at Seth like he’d just mirrored his own actions, a grand insult to crush everything held dear. Staring back with as great a death glare as Seth had allowed him to see, just without any justification behind it.
And Erdwut… his stoic nature wavered. The air around him almost seemed to seethe and boil, his grip on Eschenwald tightening to audible creaking. But that anger died away as soon as it came, melting to a similar disgust and staying a low roil behind it all. He took a centering inhale and focused back on his team.
“Tech, fall back and bring up C.A.S.P.E.R. We need intel.”
“N-no complaints here.”
Techno took another leery glance and backed up out of the ring, setting up in front of the protected bench. He knelt down, the two lower support arms staked into the ground at his sides. Pulling up his data pad, he pulled down a support arm, socketing it on to a port on the side of it. And subsequently let Seth into his guarded works. The sensor suite on the arm cycled up as the pad connected to a program he had never seen in the Hill’s systems. The Central Automated Super Prediction Engine and Registry. He couldn’t even find any ports for it anywhere. Air gapped. He had trouble with wireless systems like this if they weren’t at such close range. The sensor suite lit up an augmented reality display for Techno to view the battlefield though. Each hero highlighted with their simplified and recorded stats. And even…
‘Are those health bars? Seriously?’
It scanned over Seth’s offensive carapace, high power lasers tracing and highlighting his silhouette, but in the end flashing up question marks for every value. Tacking on to its processes, he saw it access the Hill’s records proper, as well as offsite databases he couldn’t reach. It brought up recordings of his training bouts, his sparring matches, even the looped footage he fed it when he broke the Ark. The icing on the cake though was there was something missing, his Berta scenario footage. The program flashed up a message saying the footage was deleted, with a handy prediction of who deleted it underneath. Ninety two percent Parasonic. Techno looked almost expectedly disappointed, in his creation and in his team.
“Erd… we have a problem! Incomplete data! Para deleted his midterm scenario footage! FOR SOME REASON!!”
Techno turned his head up to the podium, dead eyeing the stiff Para fighting just to keep his cool. Only moving just to stare down at Techno with the eyes of someone having a hell of a reckoning.
‘You wanted this. Suck it up.’
But Erdwut kept his eyes on Seth like he was liable to pounce at any moment.
“What was the scenario?”
“Doesn’t say… Just says he passed!”
“Para!?”
He kept his mouth shut, teeth gritted and defiant to the last.
“Heh…”
Erdwut finally took his eyes off his insult to look at Aegis as she giggled somberly.
“You want to tell us what happened.”
Aegis stared straight at Seth, with all her concern melting away from her face. To blare her pride at everyone’s expense.
“I told you he’d sent some of our trainees to Berta. But I guess I left out the part where Seth here beat it on 70%.”
Erdwut flinched, at both scenario and difficulty alike. Hothead, on the other, broke completely.
“70!!! THAT FUCKER BEAT BERTA ON 70!!! Fuck You, Fuck That, and Fuck EVERYTHING about this!!!”
Erdwut turned back toward him, still stood waiting for something to happen. But growing a new emotion beneath all that plugging stoicism. He looked like he found a new reason to fight, if not out of disgust for Seth’s choice in armor than to see for himself just what the hell he really was. So resolve finally came for his team’s next move.
“ELITE!!!”
All at once everyone stopped their reactions, their personal consternations, all falling in at their leader’s side.
“ROUNDEL FORMATION!!!”
It was finally time for a real fight. A real battle and not some cheap lesson to be taught in borderline torture. And they all hardened to further that end, stanced to break off at the slightest twitch. Yet Erdwut and Samurai both felt none of this freeze, moving before anyone could say otherwise. Preplanned choreography sidestepping them along the ring’s edge. Erdwut took the left and Samurai the right. Swords rising in a unison ingrained and enforced, as they neared the center line knowing full well that they were receiving the first move in this. Preferring to lock Seth in a cage of blades.
The other members shifted in as their own paths became secured. Maglev, Ziyou, and Hothead rushing to square up on Seth’s locked down back. Maglev to the left of Erdwut, Ziyou to Samurai’s right. And the arrogant bastard wearing a crown he didn’t earn dead center behind. Aegis moving to take the forefront, take his attention like it mattered at this point. With a slow spreading motion, her hands cast out above her. A new orange energy ceiling formed. And said this was going to get dangerous.
And yet Seth didn’t move from his spot, merely stole slight glances at the combatants as they passed out of his immediate sight. Positions and opportunism didn’t matter here, they could do all they wanted. He returned his gaze straight ahead to the only one who gave a damn. His faceless helmet almost obviously bearing the rising excitement buried inside. One shared yet masked in the expression opposite. Aegis’ tacit acceptance of what was about to happen said in no uncertain terms. “Show them. Go all out.”
A new better tension, his heart racing into pole position.
Metal joints tensing with barely perceptible whirs.
Gripes tightening with stringent purpose.
Seth's mind dropping to a knife edge, perception overclocking as power poured through everything he was.
As the only thought bringing it down played its simple cord.
With adrenaline its rosin and muscle its bow.
‘Fucking bring it!’
And so brought it was!
Sand blasting back in tandem sprays, this cage of edges loosed to lariat julienne. But these blades hadn’t dealt with anything like this. Anything like him! Seth stone solid, tracking those incoming like they were oncoming glaciers. But there was more, a restraint and slowdown of what they could do. Molten edge solid and folded steel aimed. They weren’t going in to kill, just to scare, to cause an imbalance to exploit.
‘Wrong move!’
Wrong time, as solid became flash at their hesitant expense. Right hand halting Eschenwald, spattering molten earth in its wake as metal claws dug into it. The left whipped back in the same, a sword Seth really should know the proper name of found no purchase but in clang. Both heroes stopped dead in their insultingly feigned attacks, their restraint dropping them right into range. And no matter whatever reflexes they’d honed for this, perception was not on their side anymore!
As splayed feet scathed wide. Right and left yanked away. Upper body twisting hard. So both swordsmen could find themselves at the mercy of their underestimation. And right in grabbing range.
Claws released and rose level, intended targets snatched before even the slightest grip could be second guessed. In heavy metal thunks signaling a head in each hand. Footing robbed and their control taken away. As Seth pulled both together in front of him, twin expression of surprise and disbelief buried in metal and sandwiching bungled melt. As he conked those underestimating heads together like newton balls. Equal and opposite reaction to throw them aside!
But this was just the feint wasn’t it, the real attack already locked in too far. Heat and flash as he turned malicious before the concussive backdrop. Hothead a flurry with condensed fire blasts punching away. Maglev stopping short, situation changing before his eyes yet still forcing his hands and powers extended. That same pull and press now against the sum total, against him in full. And amounting to nothing.
Seth’s turn becoming a slice low and twist about under the oncoming barrage, the weight alone preventing Maglev from stealing even a moment. Fire sputtering out past his head as metal talons raked the sand and turned him to face his much closer opponent.
Ziyou already upon him, perceived cover and advantage lost as that blue glare dropped to meet her. Undeterred or under speed, she launched into a flurry of her own. Striking at weak spots, joints, anything and everything her knuckles could fit. A right crossed over and struck at the right elbow, but it bashed solid servo cover. A left at his left shoulder, but found only articulating assembly. Her fists just banging against his armor with no points to pressure. Another right, hard at Seth’s shoulder joint. Finally making headway as it pulled back to avoid, but dashed that hope in the same instant as it dropped below her punch and slammed his own right forward. Metal fist met chest, sternum compressed and body sent to tumble away, with the only sound made a hollowing rasp. As fire poured into the gap made.
A new round of fire blasts, concentrated heat and flame crashing over like water balloons full of napalm. Seth didn’t try to dodge, no point. Nothing but wasted heat and effort, to counter an already roaring fire. But they did accomplish in creating a great deal of smoke, enough for Maglev to feel safe to advance under show his full condemnation at close range. The pull on the suit waned as it heated, intent read like an open book. It all just made it easier to deal with him.
The assault and smoke parted, Maglev charging in its wake, hands pulled in and locked to use every bit of power he had to smash against him. But he miscalculated one thing.
'This suit is MINE!!'
He loosed, slammed his hands forward, and that foreign press became a tremendous push against everything unfortunate enough to be caught in its path. Whipping metallic dust to a firehose of accelerated particles, as Maglev gave an all mighty push at every bit of metal in front of him. A column of distortion, pushed sand, and violent metal ejecta crashing against the far wall of the arena. Right next to the protected bench. Trainees recoiling as their seats were nearly sand blasted by microscopic metal meteorites. But not a single piece, not a plate, not a servo, not a one fractured edge moved under that assault. Except the horns on his helmet.
Both arcing pylons sharpened to daggers slamming back into place as Seth reared back intent. Maglev gave up his assault, but wasn’t fast enough to avoid the rebuttle. The plate metal head bang slamming into him! Another underestimator gonged away, tossed end over end passing Hothead readying another barrage. The horns slamming back up, slicing back into place to add intimidation to the already burning glare now falling back on him. But Hot was just so ever too slow, redoubling his volley and redoubling his wasted effort.
Because Seth was pressing forward. More blasts haloed and harangued, metal talons making his weight known to all as they stormed through the fire. He felt glares return, fighters getting back up from their refuting. Healing offered and allowed freely. But nothing mattered but what was before him.
As he shot forward sudden through this ineffectual distraction, left leg dragged and crashing through. A low sweep racking Hot’s footing, knocking him forward to fall on his face. And spinning Seth about behind him before he could lose a degree. That left still kept off the ground, as the right dug in and fired. Bounding him high, as those talons splayed to clutch around the back of Hot’s head, and let all his weight put his point across in full.
The indignant piece of shit slammed face first, sand and super endurance saving him plenty but pressing home the message. That while everyone else was getting knocked on their ass, he’d receive no such mercy. But the smoke and heat blocking the grinding down of that message was not long enough, and was parted by skilled steel more merciful. Samurai slices in, a low upward cut against a hardened metal chest.
Resistance, sparks, and ringing tone the only rewards. And yet still he halted his follow through and cut back down at this more respectful speed. But flashing blade met gauntlet plate, as Seth met him at this his full tilt. Both metals rang against each other, recoil shared between. But a counterattack was too far off, leaving Samurai to keep the lead.
A shift over to high left, a quick left guard. A ring and shock of over fast metal. A low right against the abdomen, a fast switch of the leg for his knee to block. And another cymbal strike and pressure wave to turn this speed to feeling. He was getting the gauge and needed to get away. Hothead spat out a mouth full of sand and struggled. Just in time to make that space. A right guard came up and Seth threw himself wholly into it, still planted foot holding nothing back. As the other raised Hothead up and lined him up with the still recoiling Samurai.
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“*PUhaa* Wait!! WAIT!!!”
A forceful kick and release knocking the two together, head met chest and catching hand, but did nothing against the inertia that carried both away. Just as the other reason to make way came. As Erdwut swung in for himself.
That stoic locked fury betraying, preparing that guard to meet Eschenwald, to hammer against ungodly momentum but received his thrown footing back in turn. Talons scrape near into the floor, stopped this expected force dead so glare could meet glare across that softly baking sword. Seth reared back first, free left set to knock in his advantage, but Erdwut shot forward, forced his sword flat end on to slam full against this block impeding. Molten earth rippling, yet ringing deep within.
And was just as quick on the draw. Erd shoving Eschenwald up with both hands, grinding into armor with molten friction, forcing that guard up and out of the way in a spray of glowing rock. No defense nor strike, Seth a sitting duck as that sword swung round and pulled down hard. But he still had his legs!
A quick yank back to level at his gut, and an equally quick release to fire off. Not much force behind it, but enough to get clear. As Eschenwald grazed the helmet and Erdwut was thrown back. Off balance but swinging Eschenwald down, he stumbled back to the edge of the ring. Stabbing through the sand to stop this sudden destabilizing momentum, slotting in right next to Aegis’ almost out of character smugness.
Seth was clear, had his space claimed by right, and slamming down solid on it as the owner of this ring. He hadn’t won yet, Erdwut, Aegis, and Samurai still hadn’t been knocked out. But this bit of breathing space let something well up bright. A smile, a laugh, a feeling almost alien. It wasn’t like he’d never felt proud before…
But fucking hell this felt awesome!
He was going toe to toe with the goddamn Elite, and winning! He was damn near using his power openly and being seen! He was getting recognized as powerful, treated like a threat that demanded respect and understanding. He almost couldn’t feel the heartache and wrath that brought this whole thing on. That darkness brightening, an air draping over so very warned of, but oh so very…
“This… This!”
Seth pulled out his right arm and slammed it against his chest, metal resounding against metal so none could deny it. As he popped open his helmet releasing a burst of heated air and bearing an arrogant smile for everyone to see.
“This is what I’ve been waiting for!!”
Anger, indignity, sandy want to rebuke. Beaten back Elite were getting up and bearing witness whether they wanted to or not.
“Some goddamn respect!! To be treated like I’m worthy of something other than contempt!!”
Some sympathetic smiles out from the crowd, some challenging sneers from down on this sand, some caught up in the boasting and feeling the same. And quite a few fellow recruits caught off guard. A tinge of catharsis driving him down but failing spectacularly as he forced himself back up.
“To show you assholes just what the hell I can do!!!”
The scattered and realigning all bore this mania, this beaming pride in himself coming out in droves, rather uncharacteristic but too much to ignore. Aegis smiled in the shine as she leaned over to Erdwut left in the lurch.
“Hehe. Well at least he’s happy. I was kinda worried he really was a monster under all that armor when he was like this before. But if this is all, I think yall will be fine. Heha.”
Erdwut was looking at Aegis with concern now, but almost… almost seemed to soften his hardline at this apparent prideful catharsis. Even as he kept up his antics for as long as he could get away with them. Though it was an odd pause that the Elite behind him didn’t take this opportunity. Their glares barely souring beyond what was already beaten in. But…
But reasons be damned, grand challenges held sway. Seth pointing up to the podium to call out Para for putting him down too.
“And you better… believe…”
Because he should feel this too, but the light of this overwhelming ego proved Seth blind. As he pointed to an empty stand.
He felt out, stymied this pride to reacquire, to make this less scenery, yet saw movement before extra sensory. Just beside Aegis, dropping his point down slow to draw on. Right down to the advancing Parasonic just now reaching the ring’s edge. With a look of pure malice and both hands leveled upon him. Aegis followed his sight line, caught sight at the last second, but it was already too late.
As the air between them tore asunder. Rippling sand into violent waveforms. As the final expression of this hateful fear realized. And made it felt to the very core.
“AAAAAAAAGGGGHHHHHH!!!”
Those metal claws tried to crush his ears closed, but even they couldn’t escape what now roared into his bones. His helmet slammed shut, tried to close off and kill the resonance, heat and change and do anything. But it only added reverb to the cacophony tearing at everything. He screamed out without hope of restraint and was baffled to nothing as he fell to his knees. The suit shaking like every plate was alive, metal screeching along with the symphonic assault. His body rippled. Muscle tore, bone cracked, teeth rattled and splintered in gritting endure. And everything in between knew nothing but pain. Bleeding from ever orifice, tasting blood if not his denaturing tongue. Feeling warmth run down his face if not for the tearing constant. Even a breath was too much to take as lung and passage foamed in the blur.
But it was worse, it was more, his very being taken hold and violently throttled. His threads, his electron expansion of his existence, his very guiding tone. It was being overwritten by this torrential noise, snapping with every agonizing wave beating too fast to even distinguish. He collapsed forward, horns buried into the sand, head trying desperately to bury itself and escape. Because it was like before, like when Para shook the abyss, like when he first lost control. But now it was him, it was all of him! There was no deeper hole just his very soul shaking apart!
Till not even emotion survived in this hellish cacophony. Till anything and everything became nothing but pain. Till hollow and darkness lost cohesion. And all he was, all he could be, was sifted violent into that deep. Dropping the bottom out.
To let it all.
Fall.
Away.
Away!
Away from this moment of fault and fault line snapping to equal speed! Aegis finally breaking her even hold and blaring above the tortuous cacophony.
“What the hell are you doing Para!?! You’re supposed to be-”
“You heard what I said!! He was challenged by the Elite!! That means everyone!! And you better believe I’m not going to just stand by and let this damn THING make a fool of us all again!!!”
Anger, scorn, a rippling in the air around her threatening to make way. But a hesitation, a demanded emplace, rules and processes and damnable logic someone else will use as justification. She couldn’t act, couldn’t wheel about and deck this fucking psychotic piece of shit out of all of their miseries. Because it would invalidate everything Seth was suffering. And she still knew he had more buried deep down. But this shove was closing in on a full body tackle, and Para was going to have to live with what he’d done. Even as he held Seth down for Erd to finish the job.
“The only way we end this is by taking him down now!! So knock this bastard out already so we can be done with this thing for good!!”
Yet even he hesitated. As any hero claiming to be good should. But only for a second. His demeanor bore agreement, if only on principle not bias. Aegis knew appealing was pointless, everything baring throwing all away would just wash over that stoic fa?ade with nothing to show for it. So she braced, held her barrier for whatever came next.
As Erd brought Eschenwald up, condemnation reaffirmed in his gait, advancing back into the center of the ring to put an end to what no doubt felt like it had gone too far. He did not reel away from the sonic pillar cutting the air apart beside him, so much faith put in his team that even he trusted Para. Yet still…
He stopped halfway.
Because the suit’s eyes burned brighter than they should.
The world was nearly gone, red creeping into what sight he had, blood boiling and retinas dislocating. He couldn’t hear, a seep oozing out down his cheeks. He couldn’t scream, not even as his bones slashed at him from the inside. And yet still, Seth couldn’t escape from it. The weight, the agony. Dragging him down lower and lower. Deeper and deeper, farther and farther from himself. The red was turning black, the world was being cut… blotted away! It was happening again but…
But the memories, the fear, the pain, the scar reigniting across his eye, the hollow carved out of his chest. Everything was ringing back and forth in the froth. Things he couldn’t control, things screaming at him to be rectified. To be made whole and justified. The pain spread, from that deep recess he’d been pushed down into, to the fine edges across his suit. That nonexistent scar burning through metal and fiber. He felt himself move without volition, metal claws pushing against the weight forcing it down, pushing him upward under power he didn’t have. He felt himself howl in anguish, but couldn’t move his mouth. He felt the emptiness inside himself despite all the power he’d absorbed before. A hunger. A ravenous need. He needed more…
He needed it all!!!
He felt the suit crack, layer after layer of threading snap in violent succession, yet counter to that sonic barrage. Till that howl becoming a roar. And that roar becoming real. Till-
Till he felt nothing at all but the one thing he was!!!
Till Erdwut was snapped out of hesitation as Seth seemed to fight through this pain, rise up off the ground in unnatural contortions. Spark and clank with every peak, yet defy that which brought him low. As everyone stayed back and regrouped and realigned, forced to watch his head rise in lurch. Watch the metal crack and split, yet only in one spot. A fine line forming under that burning blue eye. A jagged edge, rising and falling, till there was no more metal to break.
Till time ceased meaning, broke and snapped with degloving layers, like a beast breaking a muzzle from the outside in, like the suit was coming to life as the laceroid it resembled. All frozen terror solid, pushed back in their condemnations, made to dread in the tearing free of horror wrought upon.
As this maw snapped apart and roared its counter!!
And this newborn sun collapsed in on itself!!!
The air cracked and caved, sand couldn’t tell whether to flee or be aerosolized. But everyone, everything, felt the force screaming out at its center. Saw its light blink out and die. And knew their very existence would be dragged toward it without mercy!
The metal floor below buckled upward, peeled like wallpaper in foot deep chunks, toward the black hole that had been awakened. The heroes fought against it, digging feet and hands in, reaching out and keeping hold of each other, and stabbing blade and bar against the whirlpool opening up in reality before them.
Then like the flashbulbs of thousands of cameras exploding in sequence, the hardlight projectors in the walls of the arena burst in showers of electrical overload. Electrical arcs thundering past, the pull enough to drag power over open distance. The power that now flowed in to fill that all-consuming gap, blowing out everything with its overbearing shine, blinding everyone to cover and to cower before it. Before that maw slamming closed to shut it all out!
Sending everything into darkness. To that burned in shine. Traced in radials by the glow of molten sand. And slow ions left to flare and die.
Till heavy clawed foot shook that darkness, pulled up and rose free of its knee. Sand piled up glassing around it in rippling pattern glisten, buckled metal creaking under its destabilized weight. The Elite rubbed and forced their light washed eyes, reoriented themselves to meet whatever the hell this was. Erdwut gritting teeth and gripped Eschenwald with new found burn. Aegis winced and hardened her stance on her shields between the audience and this fight. Samurai and Ziyou prepared to intercept. Hothead and Maglev reeled off their stake in this. And Para cowered back, as his worst fears hollowed out more than just him.
His attack utterly shattered, his will falling to pieces, what need to know made fool and regret and completely obliterated. At the sight of that armor scorched, glowing molten trails across stainless surface. And of Seth rising up through the darkness he made.
Forced to watch it bleed away at his edges through the burn, like the crater of a fallen meteorite or a portal to hell broken. Yet fear became physical manifestation, as it turned to face who dared cause his pain. As that bleed grew stronger and became real.
Highlighting that maw broken open, grinding against itself in congruent breath. Marking its stance contorted and weighed down. But only rising, bleed the only light in that dark, a bloody aura not just reflection. It was not heat, not passive thermal glow. But the shine of that left eye, turning through the black, and staring straight at who dared call.
In the horrid red shine of a glutted over star. Just waiting to go full nova.
There was no time, no care, no mount, no snap. A single step leaned into like a striding titan’s way, trailing ozone and air turned to plasmic soup, buckling metal into a screaming choir. A crescendo flattened to reverberating silence as the floor fell in line, a malicious advance in the only direction so unholy and clear.
And one step too many!
A blasphemy, an injustice, a crime irreparable. And needing to be ceased in its tracks!
A blast forward with all the speed mustered, Eschenwald wanting nothing but to cleave through this thing’s chest. Erdwut alight in their shared fury, in their shared need to make it stop. But a full metal right flashed up into its path, molten blade rippled to free floating slag. Deftly stopped, pushed over and away, as that right poised high between blade and wielder. And another step was taken so that right could fall around his neck. To toss him out of the away of the only thing it saw.
Only burning eyes for Para.
Metal screeched from behind as a body uncared for hurtled aside, Maglev was striking on his own volition as his leader was disregarded completely. A broken slab of floor folding up from its sandy cover, being stolen to throw and add to already burdensome weight. Another screeching step and the air voiced its flight, a metal wall sent to crush Seth down. Lay flat and pile on to talons righted alongside each other. Till the right one rose independent and leveled, the whole body aiming without a loss in stride. Even as that talon loosed, and stamped that metal slab in half. Snapped and folded, halves shorn to screech still under Maglev’s push. But the right hand flashed up again, claws digging into the screaming flying metal. So that as that right foot slammed down, that half would fly back at its source in torrential spite. That burning red eye never letting Para leave his spot, but the sound of metal meeting body and bone snapping hard was clear enough indication.
Presence filled the left side, Ziyou and Samurai reaching steady unison, paired foot falls masking what may. Samurai stabbing low for one of the leg joints, no mercy left of what he was. Ziyou leaping high off his back to bring Seth down. The blade made contact as another step flattened its course, hip servo square in its sights. But found only ungiving metal to glance off in the sparking dull of refound fury.
Ziyou’s tag along coming in at his back, a right swinging hard with a sudden tiger roar adjoining. A tinge in the armor, a want to see, her powers coming to bear on what she now condemned. Banging hard to dislocate and disjoint, to destabilize and throw to the ground, but only resulted in shattered claws and broken teeth. As that tiger went unseen for bigger fish to fry alive.
Both rebounded off their failed attacks and shifted. Ziyou clambered on and held to that shoulder, pressed her feet into the back and continued hammering the same spot over and over again. Samurai stepping ahead to attack the opposite side, a horizontal slice to judge the articulation and make his presence irrefutable.
A whole zodiac’s worth of animals calling for war, bashing off that left shoulder. And each one just crumpling away as the last of the buckled metal screamed flat. The right flashing up in the baffle, the sword swinging in only finding a full metal hand again. But this time more than quick, fade slashing that palm in the respect now demanded.
An oxen bellow slammed the shoulder and at last it moved, but only to fold over and back on its attacker. A metal claw grabbed Ziyou by the spiky hair and pulled her over. She had plenty of grip against gravity but nothing against retaliation. So she was flipped over that beaten shoulder, loosed to fall head first, arms extended to cartwheel away because no hero worth their salt was slow to react. But they never touched ground as that slashed right came and snatched her foot. Samurai saw what was coming and ducked low, lining up to strike an expansion joint, as Ziyou was flung over him. Tossed away to find another wall to slam into, to the sound of trained metal shooting forward at a small slit between articulating plates.
Only to stop dead in a new found screech, blunted edge a narrow inch from contact, and death-gripped in that freed up left. Meeting eye to utterly forced disregard, Samurai letting go in some learned temperance. As his weapon was lifted away, fallen disappointment and mounting strain lost to the burn locked. The left flinging the sword away in exacerbation, stabbing its ringing song into the arena wall as Samurai backed up and out of the way. Making it clear, even resurgent, his ire was lost to this metal manifestation.
And because Hothead was already rushing to fill his place. Jetting in as Ziyou slammed off a wall now broken beyond count, crossing in front with balled up fire roiling and straining between his hands. A full force attack now without risk of collateral damage. The reverberating gong of another step drowned in a gout of flame roaring it away, enveloping the armor in orange and yellow and red gradation. In might less restrained and more willing to see him burn. But spreading out in shadow form. And daring to get in the way!
That burning eye lost sight of its obsession, but Para could see it brighter than this piddling conflagration. As suddenly that menacing mountain of metal monstrosity shot out from the torrent, a right back hand locked and leveled at Hothead’s face, and the total ire of that burning red eye locked down on him. He only had a chance to stop attacking as a titanic bitch slapping extinguished his flames with force alone, and sent Hot careening off to break that maddening South wall for another fucking time. That eye snapping back up and burned its ferocity into its only true target, only a few feet separating yet every step a new hell exuded.
Another echoing step and this wrath became physical, as the heat of the suit poured over Aegis stuck beside. A screaming buzz filling the air, like a thousand souls were compressed together in agony, making every hair want nothing to do with it. That maw hung open, but refused to be seen as anything but darkness. Rumble little more than adding to the buzz. Yet still felt like the real horror come back to life in each seething breathe.
But there she stayed, gritting her teeth, bearing this aura of damned revenge. Duty to her team outweighing her feelings, duty to the people behind her even more demanding. She lowered an arm away from her shield, locked it hard between this realized extent and Para’s stupid cowardice. Asserted her defense with every bit of fury she had to bear.
A final step stopped in its decimating cadence, but not for that assertive arm but for the guilt ridden concern unable to be buried beneath its furious defense. A message inescapably written in her fought expression and blindly crying out to whatever was still in there.
“Don’t go down this road!”
All that metal hesitated for a horrid seething moment, but it may as well have been a timeless expanse gone in an instant. Long enough for that burning eye to blink and dim, for the world cut back against the darkness swallowing it. Long enough for… for Seth to feel himself again.
Long enough for the realization of another rampage to be dropped upon his mind. Long enough for that world to fall flat as that pit in his chest caved in further.
And long enough for Erdwut to deaden it further, with Eschenwald leveled flat end on at his head.
Impact resounded with metal on metal, the cracking of skull beneath that ricocheting visage, the sudden silencing of that buzzing scream, and the knocking out of all he was. Bashed away with violent force. His weight and grounding denied to fly, to crash down like a falling plane too solid. To be left in a heap and take in this realization. To feel the reality of his inescapable burden. And feel the world fall away again upon the sandy floor he seemed to belong.
But…
But this time…
He would be the one rising up from it.
HERE
THE MIXTAPE IN QUESTION.