"This isn't working," Ryuji mused, and leapt down from his perch, dodging Rikti left and right and coming to rest on the cannon, close to where the body of the cannon met the barrel.
In his hand he manifested a weapon none of the others had seen him use: a battleaxe. The axe was cold, sharp, and with his concentration, it would stay that way. Before hacking away, however, he reached into his coat and pulled out a pair of rubber gloves. He learned about two hundred years ago fighting the Praetorian Ben Franklin that frozen water+electricity=Ryuji flambe, and even though he couldn't die, he could still feel pain.
And electricity was extremely painful.
His gloves on, he swung the axe down with all his strength on the barrel of the cannon. He wasn't overly strong, so he'd likely have to rely on multiple hits.
(OOC: Also if there are any wires or conduits or anything that someone would notice...)
Afer-Image appeared next to Ryuji and placed her hands on the cannon barrel. Thou not obvious to most, the ghost was forcing nether energies into the device, aging it prematurly and weakening the metal.
Continue attacks. Metal is fatigued now.
---
Svetlana skimmed through the tunnel, her scientific mind was salivating at the sight of so many working Rikti machines, but she forced herself to ignore them and headed toward what was starting to sounds like the Great War was being re-enacted.
Pinnacle
Heroes
When in danger, or in doubt; Run in circles, scream and shout.
Much to their likely dismay, neither Ryuji nor after-image ever got through the circle of swirling and chaotic energies, being violently repelled as they tried to get to the cannon at its center.
Hotaka facepalmed with a sigh. Hadn't he said something about not going into that circle?
Well, at least he hadn't been wrong - though right about now, he wished he had been. That infernal machine was sucking every last bit of energy from the mages bound to the 'tombstones' surrounding it, and...
Wait a second - the 'tombstones' formed the outside of that circle! That meant they were not entirely in it! They could be harmed!
Moving wuickly, he pciked up a charge from a fallen Rikti and tied it to an arrow, letting it fly at the closest metal plate. The grenade exploded violently...but was ineffective, only scorching the ally somewhat.
Alright, I'm gonna need help on this one.
Another jolt of pain ran through him, this time from his left shoulder, a Chief Soldier having gotten close enough to apply the balde of his ridiculously oversized sword.
"You're interrupting my thoughts!" Hotaka yelled detestfully, breathing a wave of toxins at the Rikti, something no human should have been able to do, "Katashi!"
With a flash, the Jounin was there, pummeling the soldier with quick strikes of his arms and legs.
Okay, how the heck do I tell them to attack those damn things holding the mages? The noise in here's damn near unbearable!
Until he could find a way, he'd just have to yell and point at the 'tombstones' as much as he could, hoping someone would get the idea or come to the same conclusion.
Until they did, he started flinging toxins at the one closest to him to degrade the armor...
"If I had Force powers, vacuum or not my cape/clothes/hair would always be blowing in the Dramatic Wind." - Tenzhi
Characters
"Hmph," Ryuji grunted, undeterred. Neither he nor After-Image were capable of dying, so he wasn't too worried. The cannon would have to fire again eventually.
He noticed, however, that the ninja guy was flailing and pointing at something: the blocks surrounding the cannon. He was getting a little miffed now. He decided to try something different.
All around him were conduits, paneling, consoles, the like. The thing he learned long ago about technology as sophisticated as this was that it needed a lot of different parts to work correctly, much like a human body.
So, seeing the others go for the armor, heavy targets, Ryuji took his ice-axe and began cutting every wire, console, and Rikti within reach of him. Sooner or later he'd hit something that would go 'boom' or at least turn everything off. Even if he didn't, he'd give the Rikti enough of a distraction.
Reginald was about to fire another explosive arrow, when he noticed what Hotaka was doing. . .
"Hmm. . . he's attacking the objects the mages are bound to. And nothing is happening. . ."
"Well, don't ask me, dear," the Oracle said teasingly as Reginald aimed his arrow at a tombstone instead, making sure no one was near it, and fired. "I have NO IDEA what you should do."
"FOR GREAT JUSTICE!" Wielder shouted as he dove out of a side passage, barreling into a large group of Rikti and knocking them all sprawling.
"STAND STILL VILE MINIONS OF DARKNESS!" the tanker roared, swinging his mace around wildly as he struggled to distangle himself from the pile of limbs and sharp pointy objects. "THE GREAT DEBATE OF GOOD SHALL NOT BE HELD BACK BY YOUR INEFFECTIVE ARGUEMENTS OF EVIL!"
OOC: And the world facepalmed.
Statesman said let there be heroes, and there were heroes.
Lord Recluse said let there be villains, and there were villains.
NCsoft said let there be nothing, and there was nothing.
El Guapo Grande ignited his mighty Flames of Supreme Passion and dove after his new companion.
Left and right with his mighty Arms of Supreme Justice, he began to mete out punishment upon the vile Rikti. Some Rikti tried to use their blades, but to no avail! Their blades cracked and melted on his tough hide.
If there was ever a question about whether or not a Rikti in full body armor could bounce, that question was answered today.
Jon MacMaetor slid in behind the Weilder and uapo, who he had started to call the Migraine Men in his mind. He hefted his shotgun to hip and scanned the room.
here was quite a few people fighting Rikti and some trapped.... Circle of Thorns?... and a cannon firing a beam into a portal. The non-Rikti looked like they were trying to break the thing.
It was a good a plan as any.
Then he caught a face in the crowd and ice ran through his veins. He reacted instinctively.
"ALEXANDER STEVEN MACMAETOR, WHAT THE HOLY HELL ARE YOU DOING?!?!?!"
Xander stopped, mid black-light blast. He looked paralyzed, stricken with panic for the first time.
"Dad...?!" he said in shocked horror.
((Wahahaha. I love reading El Guapo Grande posts. Hilarious. 
))
(OOC: And I love writing them. He's the only male character of mine that actually exists (sometimes) in game. The reason being Ryuji is kinda hard to depict since his signature jacket isn't available. And I'm waitin on Trenchcoats for Nicholas)
(you know...I was really left in the dust...I think i'll just bow out gracefully)
Self-Proclaimed Number one Fanboi of the RP Forums and it's writers.
Me: How about "Zeus, The Pimp God"?
A friend: It'd be too hard to dress him up like a bull
"Wieldie!" Nena squeaked, rather pleased at Wielder's arrival. However, this distracted her thus that her sword smacked into the stone slab on the outside of the circle instead of the Rikti guarding it, causing a large crack in the stone. "Ooooh....whoops!"
Pariku caught his breath.
"Reading minds has little point when all the heads around you are empty." he huffed as he concentrated his power on the stone slabs. However, the father-son reunion did make him raise an eyebrow...
Japancakes.
Art - Theme 005 - Seeking Solace
"Oh yes, Wielder," Reginald said calmly, continuing to fire on the "tombstones". "Exuberant as always. . ."
((Geez, I guess I do have to do some GMing around here. Well, that'll change once Part II rolls around. 
))
Ryuju hit something, alright - the energy-charged blade of an armor-suited Rikti. And the guy had friends, including a Magus who conjured a searing cage of flames, whipping up around the ice wielder.
Meanwhile, the strange metal 'tombstones' seemed to chuckle at their assaults - and this really ticked Hotaka off. He was used to his toxins being able to affect jus about anything, and here the alloy of those things was mocking him!
Yes, it was degrading, but not nearly fast enough.
Not that he had time to think about this right now, as another Chief Soldier rammed his glowing blade at him!
"Urgh!" was all he managed to comment with, falling back and colliding wit a console. He'd managed to avoid a lethal blow, but the wound to his left side still stung like crazy!
"I'm getting sick of you." Hotaka grinned fiendishly, spewing up a large conical cocktail of vile poisons, coating the rikti's armor from head to toe.
And again, Katashi was there, driving the sword-wielder back with his fists, the degraded armor not allowing the Rikti a quick retaliatory strike.
There's too many of 'em. Gotta come up with something...
Seeking cover, Hotaka thought things through, trying to find a weakness in the Rikit formation. However, there didn't seem to be one just yet.
Wielder found his mind assaulted by a Mentalist, the expert psychic tearing at the man's brain viciously, even though it looked like he wasn't even doing anything.
El Guapo grande was beset by energy fire - even if the Rikti energy cannons didn't harm his fiery aura, their stunning component would surely overcome him, and then he'd be left wide open.
As for fathr and son, the Rikti didn't care. One came close enough to ram his blade at Xander while another few chose to open fire on his father.
The Rikit were experienced combatants, and they woul try to exploit their enemies' weak points one after another - ice with scorching flames, strength with psionics, blade with blade, and gun with gun.
Gotta be some way. Cover each other, maybe? Take and give...?
"If I had Force powers, vacuum or not my cape/clothes/hair would always be blowing in the Dramatic Wind." - Tenzhi
Characters
"THE VICIOUS INSANITY THAT IS EVIL CANNOT BREAK FREE OF THE STRAIGHT JACKET OF GOOD!" Wielder shouted as he shook his head, trying to clear it and taking a few solid blows for his troubles.
The Painpipe, having had enough of this, created a field of ice under Wielder's feet that caused all the Rikti standing near him to start slipping and sliding as even their advanced armor lost traction.
"HAVE AT THEM! FOR GREAT JUSTICE!" Wielder shouted, clobbering a Guardian out of the way to lunge at the Mentalist, bringing his mace down with a sickening crack that knocked the Rikti senseless.
And that's why you didn't bring a bare head to a mace fight.
Statesman said let there be heroes, and there were heroes.
Lord Recluse said let there be villains, and there were villains.
NCsoft said let there be nothing, and there was nothing.
(OOC: Oh boy I do so love a challenge.)
Ryuji felt rather insulted! He had lived for hundreds of years, fought spell casters and psychos with flamethrowers since before these Rikti and mages had been alive, and they thought a cage of FIRE could stop him? Come now...
Ryuji did what he usually did: he took a deep breath and froze the air around him, forming a thick layer of ice with the same growth properties as his ice spikes. Which meant he was surrounded by a constantly growing block of ice, normally not a wise thing since disintegrating it usually took more time than it took for him to inadvertantly crush his own lungs and pass out for a while. Fire cages worked well for this, however. By walking through the flames, the ice shell melted except for a thin layer around his body, and he was unharmed by the flames. Even if he was harmed, he wouldn't die. Worse case scenario he'd have to wear a wig for a while and buy a new coat.
"I don't like being toyed with," Ryuji said to the Magus, "Mages like you really piss me off."
When the Rikti tried to attack Ryuji again, he dodged the blade and socked the Rikti in the stomach, freezing it solid as he did.
El Guapo Grande thought he felt the stunning effects of the Rikti rifles...but they just made his passion flow even more. El Guapo Grande felt his great strength grow, and performed his oft-unused but truly spectacular attack, one that the Rikti would surely remember for years to come...if they survived it.
Concentrating the flames in his hands, the Glorious, Radiant El Guapo Grande unleashed a clap, a mighty clap, with hands ablaze.
The sonic boom from the clap would knock any Rikti near him off their feet, and the flames would sear them, burning their armor to their flesh.
He then followed up by smashing his mighty, burning foot into the ground, causing everything to quake and burn, including Wielder's attacker.
"El Guapo Grande is saddened! Tiny aliens forgot El Guapo Grande delivered swift justice to them to last time they came! For SHAME!" he announced.
Wielder felt his mind forcibly cleared by a blue glow that seemed to emanate from Pariku's fingertips. "Your mind has always been empty and I suppose it needs to stay that way." the mage grumbled, shortly after extending a hand to Hotaka to swiftly close his wounds with magical energies.
"Nena!" he called out. "Aid Xander; I shall cover you."
"Okie dokie!" she chirped in return, quickly barelling through a group of Rikti sword-first to get to the Kheldian.
"Hi, how are you?" she cheerfully greeted Xander as she flanked the group of Rikti attacking him.
Japancakes.
Art - Theme 005 - Seeking Solace
"Magnificent strength or no, that masked idiot needs help," Reginald said. He floated over El Guapo Grande, distracting and wounding the Rikti that approached the masked wrestler with flurries of arrows.
((Any good blaster's gotta know how to assist the tanker. :P))
Xander gave only the barest hint of recognizing Nena, as he stared at the Detective.
"I'm in so much [censored]," he said in a detached voice.
"Don't let the man get you down!" Nena said to Xander encouragingly, with an air of certainty that signified that she really didn't know what she was talking about.
Japancakes.
Art - Theme 005 - Seeking Solace
(OOC: And any good tanker's gotta know how to hold aggro 
)
The Rikti wouldn't be concerned with shooting El Guapo Grande much longer, as he had suddenly discovered a truly ingenious use for the writhing Rikti at his feet: AMMUNITION!
With their armor searing hot, he was able to smash a bunch together, forming one gigantic Rikti Ball of Smashing!
He then began to swing the giant ball around like a wrecking ball, resulting in something similar to Katamari Damacy.
((Actually, as I've stated several times, all the Rikti in this room are wearing their full armor. ))
"Don't I feel special." Hotaka grinned, nodding to Pariku, then turned once more to the whirwind of arcane energies swirling about the continuously firing cannon.
Alright, think - big magic tornado, frontal assault bad idea. The damn thingamabobs with the mages are gonna take a LOT to knock down, and...hey, wait a second - knock down! That's it!
This wasn't a rikti ship or anything, it was still just a sewer - an old, crumbly, and never-maintained sewer! The Rikti might have covered the floor in metal, but the foundation was still just old, old, rock, right?
And that meant the 'tombstones' could probably be knoked over!
His eyes darted about, finding Wielder and Guapo. They oughta do the job.
But before he cold tell them anything, the Rikti countered again. Feeling the waves of passion from the masked wrestler, a few mentalists took it upon themselves to plant deep feelings of loneliness and desprai in his mind, hoping to cool him down.
And if that didn't work, some magi had prepared a new spell, sucking the heat right out of him and transferrin it to the air around Ryuji, super-heating it. It just had to get one of them...right?
Seeing Pariku as the source of quite some support earned him some attention as well, as gunmen deployed on the catwalks above, a few of them picking him as their target of choice as the rest rained down surpressive fire at absolutely everyone!
Thankfully, the damn things weren't floating free, but actually had columns, which Hotaka's toxins could eat away at, and then Waziri and katashi could follow up - if they stopped freaking shooting at him for a moment!!!
But that wasn't exactly a concern of the Rikti, who now sent a few advanced drones at Wielder, the mechanoids engaging at range and nimbly darting back and forth in an effort to avoid the Painpipe...
"If I had Force powers, vacuum or not my cape/clothes/hair would always be blowing in the Dramatic Wind." - Tenzhi
Characters
(OOC: Armor=metal, metal gets hot and becomes malleable)
Ryuji found it interesting that he the heat around him was growing. He also found it interesting that the mages obviously had no idea how his powers worked. They soon found out when he walked up to one and jammed his hand into his temple, giving him the worst case of brain freeze anyone could possible receive. The more heat they poured into him, the more he would have to work his powers. But if heat could kill him, all those times he tried to kill himself by throwing himself into a volcano probably would have worked. In fact, that particular volcano eventually froze over. Moreover redirecting the heat from El Guapo Grande not only told Ryuji where the big lug was, but where each of the mages was.
It was a battle of time, and Ryuji had much more.
El Guapo Grande felt the tiny little Rikti enter his mind. PREPOSTOROUS! If it had been ONE Rikti trying to plant ONE thought of ONE emotion over and over in his brain, it MAY have worked.
What was more, they chose the two emotions Sanchez, the man who had moved in one day and never left, had taught El Guapo Grande to combat the most!
Loneliness: El Guapo Grande thought of his family back in the tiny village. AH! Pleasant memories! He remembered what they told El Guapo Grande: "You will never be alone, now get the hell out of here before you step on your little sister again."
Despair: Despair was the end of hope! And when his parents had turned him loose on the world, he had been told by Sanchez: "Hope you come back one day!"
THERE IT WAS! The hope that one day El Guapo Grande would be enough of a man to come back to his tiny village!
Despair became HOPE!
Loneliness became FAMILY!
But the glorious El Guapo Grande still was annoyed by the tiny Rikti trying to speak into his mind. So he took his ball and heaved it at them.
"Hey Grande!" Ryuji yelled at him.
"Yes, Tiny One?" El Guapo Grande called.
"Turn up your heat to max," Ryuji said.
"Are you sure tiny one? Once El Guapo Grande goes max, things will melt!"
"Only for three seconds. Just do it."
"OKAY!"
El Guapo Grande suddenly ignited with white hot heat for three seconds. When he wasn't willing the flames, they were maybe as hot as a campfire. Now they were hot enough to, and were, melting Rikti armor rather than just causing it to scald the rikti wearing it. The intense heat would do one of two things: If the mages were EXTREMELY good, it would all go to Ryuji. No loss there, he couldn't die.
If the mages were moving the heat directly from El Guapo Grande to Ryuji, everything between the two would be melted.
If the mages were channeling the heat, they'd be dead. Period.
All anyone knew right now was it was suddenly very hot.
((I meant Wielder bashing the Mentalist on the head. Poor guy. Even with his helmet, he's flopping around like a fish. ))
Just because the magi didn't speak didn't mean they were deaf. In fact, the Rikti were communicating very efficiently this entire time, strategizing and coordinating with one another. They quickly shifted their spells about, sucking the cold from Ryuji's icy shell and feeding it to the fire tanker instead.
With the two seemingly unharmed by everything they had thrown at them so far, including their energy rifles - complete with stun component - blades sheathed in lethal energies, elemental spells, and psionic manipulation, the Rikti just hoped that this would be the something that would work eventually.
The Gunmen on th catwalks kept doing what they had been: blasting...
"If I had Force powers, vacuum or not my cape/clothes/hair would always be blowing in the Dramatic Wind." - Tenzhi
Characters
A Chief Soldier took the grenade for the portal, slamming into a wall, smoking and smoldering as he slid down it.
"What the eck are you morons doing?" Hotaka yelled across the room, "At least alternate hot and cold, if you throw it together, you'll just...argh!"
Reeling from the pain of a shot in the back, Hotaka spun around and let another arrow fly, this one setting his assailant ablaze with a sticky and very flammable mixture. The Rikti took off running as his suit told him the stuff was burning hot enough to break through!
Grimacing, Hotaka felt about the bunring scorch mark on his back, the blaster having torn a nice large hole into his robes there. The flesh was nearly black.
"Maybe I'd do better to watch my own back." he mumbled, nocking another arrow at a Rikti going after Pariku.
"Nah." Hotaka decided, letting it fly right past the mage's head and into the soldier, the noxious mixture eating through his armor, the fumes holding him fast.
Waziri didn;t even need an order, his masamune cleaving through the Rikti with ease, the degraded armor no longer an effective barrier...
"If I had Force powers, vacuum or not my cape/clothes/hair would always be blowing in the Dramatic Wind." - Tenzhi
Characters