Ms. Liberty cried out, staggering as she moved away from Shinji.
Ruby struck again from the shadows, slashing across her leg and bowing her.
She was utterly defenseless of the pommel came down on her head.
He quickly took the potion out of his pocket and drained it into the heroine's mouth.
He massaged her throat forcing the liquid down, before removing the pendant from her neck.
"Yes..."
Arc ID: 475246, "Bringing a Lord to Power"
"I'm only a simple man trying to cling to my tomorrow. Every day. By any means necessary."
-Caldwell B. Cladwell
(OOC: Alright i'm back...if you wanna know why i was gone so long PM me or read the millenium arena thread...why do i get all these forced hiatus when the action starts?!?!)
Asuka walked from behind a corner. Despite her mouth being covered by a long purple scarf, the others could tell she was annoyed.
"You had her INGEST the poison? AND you fought her openly? You do realize someone can just give her a laxative and press the back of her throat and most of the poison is ejected! I guess I'll have to use it..."
Asuka pulled out a jewel, shaped like a magatama, and chanted an incantation. With a puff of smoke, the amulet changed to a mirror image of the one she formerly wore around her neck. She continued chanting and scribing words with her aura that flowed into the pendant.
"So long as she touches this, she won't be able to remember you," Asuka said as she put the pendant around her neck.
"Since you were such a great aid in the fight," said Blade with a sneer, "It is your task to return them while I check the others' progress."
He cast a glare at Asuka before holding the gem a little more closely than seemed normal considering it was supposed to be given to the agency as he walked over to a corner.
------------------
Void Brawler's receiver was turned off as he waved at the MAGI liason.
"Can I help you?" he asked.
"Actually," said Void, turning around and shutting the double doors. "Yeah.
He leapt at the man, downing him, and quickly knocking him out.
He walked over to the vault, and pulled out the sheet of paper with the code.
He keyed it in and watched the door swing open.
"Too easy," he said, fading into the shadows and stepping inside.
Alarms blared, and he cursed.
Arc ID: 475246, "Bringing a Lord to Power"
"I'm only a simple man trying to cling to my tomorrow. Every day. By any means necessary."
-Caldwell B. Cladwell
"Do not mock my combat prowess," Asuka said coldly, "I am far more competent than you give me credit for. I said before that revealing our identities to anyone regardless of memory altering substances would be a bad idea. Naturally, I elected to stay out of this conflict unless absolutely necessary. After all, the job is to acquire the item, not defeat her."
Asuka grabbed Ms. Liberty and the girl, carrying them both with the aide of some Wind Chi to a car she had waiting outside. She drove the car some distance away and, driving about 30 MPH, rapidly swapped herself for Liberty in the driver's seat and bailed out.
The crash was carefully executed by Asuka so as to not severely injure either woman, but to also give a reasonable explanation for any cuts or bruises they may have received.
((Glad you're back plague.))
[ QUOTE ]
((Glad you're back plague.))
[/ QUOTE ]
((ditto))
Arc ID: 475246, "Bringing a Lord to Power"
"I'm only a simple man trying to cling to my tomorrow. Every day. By any means necessary."
-Caldwell B. Cladwell
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
((Glad you're back plague.))
[/ QUOTE ]
((ditto))
[/ QUOTE ]
(OOC: past 2 weeks have sucked lemme tell ya >_<
Void Brawler cursed and faded into the shadows as the alarms blared.
He hurriedly ran through the long vault hall when he heard the thundering a footsteps.
Guards.
He shook his head and ran faster.
Void began to feel a tingle as the hairs on the back of his neck rose. He quickly spun to the side, avoiding a gunshot, before leaping up to grab a railing, and fading into the shadows.
He heard the sound of Ruby's voice in his ear as the guards carefully searched for him.
"Fool boy! You're noticed already? Hurry up!"
Void grimaced, biting back several comments as he waited for the guards to look the other way.
He carefully flew high against the roof, slow enough to not make a sound.
He saw the first goal, the gem. Why Blade decided he wanted it so late Void had no idea.
He watched as the guards spread out, and carefully dropped down behind the one closest to the gem.
Void quickly struck, taking the man down in a single hit, before turning on the gem. He knew there was infrared on it, but they already knew he was here.
He quickly broke the glass, and grabbed the gem.
He suddenly had to duck as shots peppered the wall, right where his head had been.
Arc ID: 475246, "Bringing a Lord to Power"
"I'm only a simple man trying to cling to my tomorrow. Every day. By any means necessary."
-Caldwell B. Cladwell
Void faded into the shadows. He quickly darted between the booths of the vault, it being set up like a museum, displaying the artifacts just waiting to be stolen.
The guards were wandering now, guns ready. He looked at the section of old books, and at the fire alarm. He grinned, and tossed a shard of broken glass.
The guards followed the sound, and Void quickly pulled the alarm, sealing them in with a reinforced door.
"Someone'll get them eventually," he told himself as he made his way to the back.
He typed in the code again. Access denied.
"Great..." It required a six-letter password... but what is it?
No... no way it's that easy.
A-Z-U-R-I-A.
Access granted.
No wonder everyone and their grandmother could break in here.
He looked around. There was the real set of Ghost Widow's bones, not the fakes in Atlas, and a real sample of the Well of the Furies water.
He continued walking through the long hall until he saw weapons more frequently.
He read some of the descriptions as he walked, and shivered at the effects of a few.
Finally he found the sword he was looking for. The Bane of Zeus.
He was about to reach out, but held back on instinct.
A dark tendril snaked towards the case, and was electrocuted.
"Damn... Okay..." He ran back down the hall, and returned with a small idol.
He pointed at the sword, and a small blue beam shot out, knocking it off its pedastal.
Void grabbed it, grinning, as an alarm sounded, and several heroes charged inside the vault.
"This wasn't as easy as the Hellions said.
Suddenly, there was a flash of purple light, and he was gone.
---------------
Void Brawler reappeared with the others, and didn't even have time to speak before Blade snatched the sword from his graps, and placed the jewel in its pommel.
The red between the three black lines glowed as it was imbued with power, and the assassin grinned.
"Send the boy away," he told Nictus.
The Kheldian nodded, and Void once more disappeared. Elitist did not want him dead... yet.
"I must thank you for aiding me. Now, you get your payment."
He charged Shinji, moving incredibly fast, aiming to slice him in half as he ran.
Arc ID: 475246, "Bringing a Lord to Power"
"I'm only a simple man trying to cling to my tomorrow. Every day. By any means necessary."
-Caldwell B. Cladwell
Blade's cut met air as Shinji was pulled to safety next to Asuka.
"I knew it," Asuka's eyes narrowed at the traitor, "Whenever there's a weapon involved, I always go into a job with a backup plan in case...this happens."
She drew her sword, which had begun pulsating in the presence of the other blade.
"Rensai feeds on otherworldly energy, making him exceptionally useful against the Circle and Pantheon, but should also prove to be a match for that blade."
The wind began to blow, to howl....
Nictus came swooping down, shooting blasts of energy in a squid-like form.
Ruby gripped the large sword tightly as he faded into the shadows, and sped towards them, suddenly coming back into view as he did a quick cross-slash.
Arc ID: 475246, "Bringing a Lord to Power"
"I'm only a simple man trying to cling to my tomorrow. Every day. By any means necessary."
-Caldwell B. Cladwell
Ruby's blade cut air. In quite the literal term.
What *was* Asuka exploded in a gust of wind, containing several dozen needles.
"You idiot," came Asuka's voice from seemingly everywhere, "Sound carries on the wind, a little ventriloquism and I can make it sound like I'm where I'm not. So, right now you can't trust your ears. Oh my!"
A few of the needles, slightly more precise in their placement, cut several pieces of tape, causing the smoke bombs they contained to drop to the ground and burst, releasing a good deal of thick smoke into the room. The smoke contained a strong irritant, it didn't just block vision, but it irritated the eyes. Extended exposure would even cause blindness. Naturally it wasn't too pleasant to inhale either.
Asuka, a safe distance away and wearing goggles, diddled away on her cellphone, sending text messages to: Divine, Blessed, and Holy.
Nictus growled and closed his eyes. He morphed into a crab-like creature, and began to see the world differently.
He searched for Asuka's energy signature, and quickly teleported to it, bringing both hands down on her head.
Ruby reached into a pouch on his belt. The mask had a small filter behind it, but his eyes were unprotected.
He sped quickly to a back corner, and slid the lenses into his eyes. He blinked for a moment before grasping the sword and moving confidently, hidden in the shadows and eyes open for Asuka.
Arc ID: 475246, "Bringing a Lord to Power"
"I'm only a simple man trying to cling to my tomorrow. Every day. By any means necessary."
-Caldwell B. Cladwell
Asuka was insulted. Such a direct attack with her chi flowing all around the area!
She didn't particularly wish to deal with the Nictus in this state, given she wanted to add a...special...touch to his defeat.
She wasn't above toying with the ugly thing though.
She had landed just a couple inches from its back, jamming a finger into its back.
"Ninpou: Five Serpent's Disguise Technique," she chanted.
With the wind tearing around the room containing her chi, this technique was rather easy:
So long as this Nictus was in the wind, he'd look like her.
She certainly hoped her back-up arrived soon, she could only keep this up for so long.
Izuhara Shiomi, once known as the Blessed West Wind, picked up her cellphone and noticed a familiar name. It gave an address, and said, quite simply:
"Bring a Quantum Gun"
Nictus bent back, grappling Asuka's arms and viciously slamming her to the rafters.
Ruby heard the sound and in an instant was there, bringing the sword, crackling with dark magic, down onto her.
Arc ID: 475246, "Bringing a Lord to Power"
"I'm only a simple man trying to cling to my tomorrow. Every day. By any means necessary."
-Caldwell B. Cladwell
Asuka righted herself in the air and kicked off the rafters, catching Ruby's blade with her own.
Her own blade began to pulsate as it fed off the evil blade.
Meanwhile, some distance away, a disguised Longbow helicopter that had been 'liberated' by an Arachnos sect some time ago landed in a nearby park.
Several suspicious longbow agents exited the vehicle, followed by an asian woman with long, light blue hair who stood out from the rest due to her casual, civilian attire.
"Keep this area secure, I'll be back soon," she said sweetly to one of the 'longbow'.
If Statesman had known a high-ranking Arachnos operative had landed in his city to do battle with some psycho over control of a blade that could kill him, he probably would have taken an interest.
But all he would know about is a long-lost Longbow squad had finally returned after hearing about some thieves from the MAGI vault had holed themselves up in a building, and they had decided to investigate.
"Milady, the weapon you requested," one of the operatives said, holding up a smaller, sleeker, but no less powerful, Quantum Gun.
"Thank you," she said as sweet as sugar. Only these soldiers could comprehend how this sweet young woman could be a routine murderer and exceptional interrogator.
Ruby grinned at the contact of the blades, and soon a quick burst of nether energy wrapped around Asuka, trying to ensare her.
Nictus moved to grapple her from behind, and knee her in the back.
Arc ID: 475246, "Bringing a Lord to Power"
"I'm only a simple man trying to cling to my tomorrow. Every day. By any means necessary."
-Caldwell B. Cladwell
"Did you think I was down for the count?" Shinji said before releasing a blast of electricity at Nictus. Shinji teleported behind Ruby and wrapped his arms around his upper body. "I'll try my new technique on you..." Electricity surged throughout Shinji's body in an attempt to fry Ruby in his grasp.
To their surprise, the sword seemed to consume the nether energies from the other sword.
Simultaneously, the Bane's energies that were flowing around Asuka's body changed tint, blocking the Nictus' strike and giving him a leg full of demonic energy.
Nictus teleported away from Shinji's attack, sending it instead streaking for Asuka.
As Shinji moved to grab Blade, he suddenly found himself holding only empty air, Nictus having taken the assassin with him.
A sudden flurry of exploding shurikens came rushing at the pair, followed by a wide burst of Nicti energy from somewhere in the darkness.
Arc ID: 475246, "Bringing a Lord to Power"
"I'm only a simple man trying to cling to my tomorrow. Every day. By any means necessary."
-Caldwell B. Cladwell
The absorbed energy continued to provide protection against shinji's attack.
The shuriken attack was downright insulting. A REAL shinobi wouldn't run around with shuriken in broad daylight. Poisoned needles were easier to conceil and produce.
Asuka blocked the shuriken easily, as she had ever since childhood.
As for the Nictus energy...
Backup arrived just in time: a single blast from Shiomi's quantum nullifier pistol nullified the incoming energy.
"You're late," Asuka said to her.
"So sorry Asuka-chaaaaan! I had some trouble with some street punks outside," Shiomi said cheerfully.
Shiomi turned to the direction of the blast. The room began to grow cold. It wasn't the chi-energy control Asuka emitted, but rather like the temperature was being willed lower.
"So which one do I get? The meanie with the ugly sword or the alien?" Shiomi asked.
"The alien," Asuka replied.
"Awww," Shiomi whined, pulling the large quantum gun she had strapped to her back and dropping the used up pistol.
Ruby chuckled at Asuka, and drew several more shurikens. He took careful aim, and threw all of them at once.
They all missed.
Or so it seemed, instead, a wide net appeared over her, and Ruby was already charging at superspeed to cut her down.
Nictus growled at the sight of the Quantum gun. He reached out a hand to it, and closed his fist, teleporting it from Shiomi's grasp.
He threw it far and teleported behind the woman, delivering a quick double handed strike to her head.
Arc ID: 475246, "Bringing a Lord to Power"
"I'm only a simple man trying to cling to my tomorrow. Every day. By any means necessary."
-Caldwell B. Cladwell
"Nope" Shinji said as he grabbed Nictus from behind and teleported him away. "Nope" Shinji said the Ruby as he interupted Ruby in his charge. "Still nope" Shinji said as he picked up the Quantum gun and gave it back to Shiomi. After knocking Asuka out of the way Shinji said quietly to her, "I think this guy uses chi, You know what you need to do." With a cocky smirk on his face, Shinji said to Ruby and Nictus, "Ahh clones, they're the best aren't they?"
(OOC: I don't think Nictus can teleport quantum energy...)
"Pity...it would have been quick," Shiomi said, catching the Nictus' arms with a pair of long stilettos, "I don't play as nice as Asuka."
Suddenly the Nictus felt cold, very cold. His arm touching Shiomi was actually beginning to freeze solid.
"I wouldn't try that," she said, predicting he'd try to teleport her away, "Because you'll still freeze, and I won't be happy."
Using the last of the energy absorbed from the other blade, Rensai protected his wielder from the net. Even if he hadn't, the wind around her would have.
What's more, she was prepared for Ruby's strike. With zeal.
Shinji slowly recovered...after rising to his feet he noticed blood trickling down from Ms. Liberty's hands. "Perfect." He thought to himself. He rushed at her and unleased a combo of spin kicks(Like Konoha Whirlwind if you like naruto) at her back.