Fandom Soul Eater: F.A.T.E

[Merciless Medic]

Sara MiddletonAnd some Dante
​

Date: October 31, 2067
Location: Death Colosseum, Death City, Nevada
Interactions: Dante, Adrian
Mentions: Gauss, Noah, Arkayis, Elly, Kisei, Zosar, Wren, Gav, Feng, Wes, Aki, Dromas
Sir Les Paul Pumpkid

Aaaand here we go...

Honestly, she should have expected this. With her hold still on Dante's sleeve, it looked like she was holding back a dog on a leash from biting someone. She was more afraid of her mu-, weapon partner from getting kicked hard in the face.

Or, well, the equivalent to getting kicked in the balls, really. Maybe much worse.

She didn't want to have Dante lose whatever step he thinks he has on Adrian, but she also didn't want Dante to make a fool of himself in front of all these people watching. Quickly, she used her connection with him to talk to him.

'This guy is really good at close combat and he beat me in a cage match several months ago. He's not to be trifled with. He's just an AW, so please, transform. There are a lot of people watching us right now, and this is a free-for-all, the battles have already started.'

Maybe he'll listen?

But no, he doesn't.

Instead, he stared at Adrian for another moment before attempting a lunge, his resolve to fight Adrian mano e mano growing when she told him Adrian's an AW. She didn't let go of his sleeve, which meant Dante didn't even move when he tried to lunge. She kept an eye on Adrian as she spoke to Dante, pulling back on his sleeve as a split-second reaction to his lunge to keep him from getting too close. 'He plays unfair, his weapon form is an iron maiden which is why he can't be anything other than an AW, and he has cuffs to pull you in. You're too tall to transform inside the iron maiden, so please, fucking transform.'

Finally, in a slightly smooth movement thanks to relatively faster soul space communications from when Dante tried to lunge to Dante's decision being made (unfortunately, for him), she pulls him back as he transforms and goes in her hands, the halberd held in both hands as she felt her confidence rise. She felt his frustration, but gave a sigh as she jumped back to give herself some room against Adrian. 'Good, thank you. If you end up getting disqualified because you got tagged out, I'd have to do this alone.'

Hopefully, that would instill that Dante would be better off staying in Sara's hand.

Twirling the halberd in her hand, she rested her halberd against her back with one hand, the blades pointing towards the ground, eyes determined.

 

[Sir Les Paul]

Adrian Hackney​

"The Maiden"​

Species Human
Partner None
Rank Fate Agent

Location Death City, Death Colosseum
Mission FATE Bracket, Deathfest Tournament
Status Focused

​

Tags: Pumpkid Merciless Medic

It was somewhat ironic. Despite Sara being the werewolf, Adrian was the one with a toothy grin. It was true he came into this fight with some semblance of strategy, but at core, he couldn't help but get excited over a good fight. Before he even exerted himself, his heart was sending blood into his veins harder and faster than it did before most missions. It didn't just pump, it beat, and as it did, it shot through his body carrying copious adrenaline to every cell it could reach. Nothing that idiot weapon of hers had dampened this for him. Not in the slightest.

No... the laughing suns rays bouncing off the white stone tile of the arena only made him more excited. Even if some of it was blocked by the floating arena, it set the stage. The sound of metal clanging around him, shouts and grunts from all directions, souls flaring in a hundred different skirmishes. Every moment of this fight would be seen by tens if not thousands of people and all that meant to Adrian is he would get to see highlight reels later. It was a battle he could relive.

He had to make it a good one.

​

His soul flared. Set ablaze not only through skill, but excitement. Despite all his eccentricities, Adrian had a fairly regular soul. Light blue, human, a stable hitodama. It wasn't until it flared like now that his wavelength came out. A vile thing, rapid and veiny, one that not only matched his excitement, but was almost raspy. Like a dying man gasping for breath. It couldn't be called weak, just bleak. Abysmal. A reflection of the pain it could enhance, if touched. Dante was unfamiliar with it, but Sara wasn't.

A soul is a mercurial thing. It can change over time. It is, after all, a mere reflection of the person it belongs to. Sara, perhaps by scent, perhaps by her intuition, she could sense that slight change. A soul that had softened. One that became less coarse. One that had let another one in. She knew what the soul of a lone wolf looked like, and Adrian was no longer that. While she might have been staring down a beast terrifying spikes, there was at least the hint that Dani had changed something within him. He wasn't the same boy she met in Lot C all those months ago.

In the moment, that fact didn't matter.

With her bestial instincts, Sara had intuition for far more than minor shifts in the soul of an acquaintance. Aside from the program, she mostly knew him from Zosar, in truth. Right now, what she saw in both his eyes, that toothy grin, and the excitement coursing through him... was a predator. That's exactly what he was. He sought out her. He hunted her down. And, instead of striking when she was easy prey, he even waited for her weapon to transform. His pride convinced him she would be too easy of prey without Dante, and Dante wasn't even registering as a meal. Only together, it seemed, could they satiate this hunger for battle.

Given the short time and the intensity of the moment, she probably couldn't appreciate why it was that he was so excited to fight. There was a reason for it. Despite what Nadia might have thought best, he was still more often than not assigned to teams with her and Dani. There hadn't been another blow up like the one in New York nor had his Madness returned, but his harsh words still left a poor impression on an already cold woman. Whatever the reason, it meant he was almost always outclassed. Only rarely was his wavelength of great use and any time combat might challenge him, Nadia could more easily overpower it.

In short, it was rare he got the chance for a half-decent fight. Sara being in front of him might as well have been a three course meal served to him on a silver platter after being starved of a good fight for so long. Now he got to stand outside of the shadow of the colossus.

Adrian burst forward in a dash of impressive speed. As established in their last round, Sara might have had the advantage in agility and acrobatics, but Adrian was faster on foot and in close range. He intended to use that to his advantage. More so, he didn't intend on letting her have that halberd as any type of advantage in range. He intended to get in close, get in fast, and stay on her. There was no tricky move, no feint, no attempt to throw her off her edge. Not like he had done previously. This was his raw speed lunging forward, in fact even shortening his extended spikes to just about four inches, with the intent of getting his hands literally on her as close as possible.

If she was going to hold Dante behind her back in the beginning of the fight, his target was going to be the shoulder of the arm she held him with. He launched his hand in a quick grabbing motion, though such would be both a grab and a stab due to his spike if it landed, but nonetheless it started the fight out with Sara on the defense. Worse, she could see he had improved since their last fight while she had to adapt to another new weapon. If Dante didn't start her off on the backfoot, that last fact sure did.

 

[EmperorsChosen]

Eloise Keegan - Death Coliseum, Death City
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~​

'I agree. I was more suggesting we try to get the drop on him,' Elly clarified, though it still wasn't an optimal plan. While they were arguably the best suited to a sneak attack, they would still be relying on the other assailants keeping the trio's attention. It was one of the circumstances Elly's soul unfortunately became a problem. Like Stein had pointed out, she wasn't all that suited to suppression given the reliance on her soul's natural properties.

However, Kisei's suggestion did bring a smile to her face. 'That's not very fair... I love it,' She chimed back.

Feng's opponent appeared to be an annoying one as well, so a perfect opportunity to get in her good graces. She was sure no one particularly wanted to deal with Gauss, either. However, that also meant she had to make sure that Feng stayed in the fight. One annoying opponent was enough, but Gav also seemed to be heading in that direction.

'Why stop at one?' Elly hummed with a mischievous grin, her eyes clearly following the duo before taking off after them as they moved in Feng's direction.

Elly was worried Gav was intending to jump Feng, but as she drew closer, it seemed more like he was aiming for their opponent as well, making this much easier. The others could use their muscle, but Elly was more than okay with playing like a rat. Diplomacy, and then pick people off. The rest could be mad if they wanted, but from the looks of it, there were more than a few of the same mind. Gav himself and a couple others hesitated, and she certainly saw Zosar and Wren playing the waiting game.

"Oh, Gavril~" Elly's voice sounded as she started to close the distance on him, still prepared in case he decided to strike first and ask questions later. "Care for a proposition?" She asked, pausing only briefly for him to process she wasn't attacking. "A battle royale is all well and good, but given there are certain people the rest of us can't do anything about, I think we should get them out first, no? The quartet is one of the few here that can actually hit the cackling rich boy over there, after all," She added, making her insinuation of helping Feng's team to then target Gauss's fairly clear.

"Truce?"

Sir Les Paul The Regal Rper

 

[The Regal Rper]

Gav | Death Festival/ Tournament

He didn't really need to think that much on the decision here, not that he trusted Elly and Kisei to have his back fully through most of the battle royale. Gav knew Kisei, and if Elly was using the battle royale to get assistance picking people off he could see the double cross plainly. Granted it wasn’t like Melissa and him wouldn't dissolve their agreement when it came time. He knew Melissa well enough to read her. He didn't know Elly at all beyond what Noah shared about her.

So, clearly he wasn't about to put too much weight on that one theory Noah had when he'd asked about Elly- there'd be just too much to question about DWMA as a whole if they were permitting actual serial killers or psychos into the program anyway.

Austin however did weigh in here that removing Gauss would make things easier, shifting Gav’s mind to the main point. Utility Meisters were a pain in the ass, those like Feng with her assembly of partners with a Unique wavelength would be a bit tough to fight when they couldn't use Resonance techniques. Gauss just happened to have an arsenal of stuff that made him even more trouble by comparison. No doubt he had kept that in mind joining this so likely had tricks, given he had already gotten a hit on one of the people going after him and was easily holding his own against the others. They could deal with Kisei and Elly. He'd keep an eye out for any subterfuge while Gav focused on the fighting.

“Truce.” He nodded. Though his guard didn't entirely drop, nor did he get any closer to either Elly or Kisei. Austin's blade was gold in color. The whole weapon was in fact gold, maybe it was a coating like some actual weapons had for aesthetic appearances, maybe it wasn't, but it clearly looked gold. A similar colored chain connected to another blade, each sat in the grip of Gav’s hands and glinted slightly off the raining sunlight. “What can you tell me about his abilities? I know about his weapon partners already and their elements but what details do you have about him aside from his metal manipulation. Range, limits? ” He cut it there, giving her a chance to inform him, he didn't really talk to Kisei or Elly but he did talk to Noah.

Gav knew Elly had been on the same team with Gauss before, he knew Kisei was a mentor and generally what that tended to lead to for mentor agents participating in FATE and getting paired up with someone given he had been assisting people in the program who were presently in the same boat but had opted out of the bracket. What he was gauging here was how much info they were going to provide him if they wanted this truce to work. Right now he was testing them to see if they would give him good information to work with or if they would feed him bits.

Still though he waited patiently.

All they could see at the moment was just him being cautious, but it was a battle royale, so that was just generally expected. Especially when some people seemed to be playing it smart and watching the fight on the sidelines for the remnants to pick off or people to timely attack like Melissa had taken advantage of.

Mentions: n/a

Interactions: Sir Les Paul EmperorsChosen

 

[Sir Les Paul]

LOCATION—Death Colosseum, Death City, Nevada
DATE—10/31/20267 | Monday
TIME—N/A

Truce? Absurd. Things could never be that easy.

Right as Gavril thought it wise to ask about abilities - as if Elly or Kisei would know any more than himself - a new opponent entered the arena. Or, more accurately, the attacks from a new opponent.

Veritable Hellfire in the form of hundreds of spiritual projectiles rained down on Elly and Gavril, though they were very clearly more focused on the latter. Elly was simply in the splash zone. The background noise that was the constant battles around them hid the initial volley well enough. It was no mystery what was going on; these were rounds created from some type of gun-type Demon Weapon. The sheer volume of them, however, was enough to make Aki envious. Or, excited; it was always hard to tell with her.

"Oh Gaaaaaaaav," wailed a voice from the origin of the bullet storm, "you weren't going to go this whole tournament without saying hello, were you?" Accusatory, teetering on teasing, but a voice Gavril knew all too well. One he could immediately identify.

His crazy ex, Roderick, and apparently his new Demon Weapon. A duo that met over their shared disdain of Midori, ironically, after the Paean Program. More irony being that he apparently couldn't recognize Kisei in his knew weapon forms. Part of his therapy and return to the program was satisfying a court ordered restraining order then willingly keeping his distance from Gavril afterward. The Deathfest tournament appeared to be an exception to that rule. That, or Roderick just didn't care.

Figuring out the nuances of the situation certainly was hard when he didn't let up on the trigger of his literal fucking Gatling gun for a weapon. At the very least, Gavril knew what Roderick was mostly capable of. A ranged weapons specialist with an anti-magic wavelength. Other mysteries, like if the man was still a deranged, hyperfixated stalker and just what his Demon Weapon was capable of aside from bullet spray were left entirely in the air.

EmperorsChosen The Regal Rper

​

 

[The Regal Rper]

Gav | Death Festival/ Tournament

There was a shift in the atmosphere as he had been speaking with Elly on the truce, and that shift came from Austin. An emotional trigger, a spike of annoyance and alert rising. That one nonverbal signal alone had his wavelength spike up and already increased his Amplification before he even consciously did it. Instinct kicked in more from his past training. The Assassin Arts taught in detail that every second was crucial, and Gav was making use of that philosophy as his body was already preparing for movement.

Austin's warning hit him before the wave of fire could hit either him or Elly. It left a short time to make a decision, which in real time didn’t leave much option at all. Between Elly and Gav, Gav was the superior speedster, alone, it would have gone to Kisei. The truth was however that neither Elly or he could clear this attack in such short notice. It might have differed, funnily, if it were regular bullets since spiritual projectiles were generally far faster than regular gunfire.

Ego in the past would have him downplay it as a minor setback, he wasn't doing any of that here.

The moment Austin's message had reached him Gav capitalized on one card he had not played fully, his Amplification. Even through his conversation with Elly he had been amplifying the entire time, just not immediately using it yet. Since Paean had taught him a lot about how to not waste his energy, like how he had done with Kisei in their spar on Dall Island; Austin was sharp and clear cut in his explanation also. To Gav he painted an immediate picture of what exactly was coming and the direction, all in just a few choice words through their link granting him plenty of time to still react in the real world. Gav put that to action immediately. He managed to clear the main focus of the attack but not the splash zone, and so still got caught, just with less of the weight of the attack on him.

This was where Austin's chains came in handy. They had been wrapped around Gav's forearms loosely the entire time already. Austin’s quick thinking and creativity with his weapon form showed here. Much like Kisei could now extend his form to make gauntlets for Elly, Austin did this with his chains. The metal was already coiled around his partner's arms, all he had to do was tighten the gaps while extending the length of chain from both his blades as Gav was moving and as he stopped to protect himself from the wave of firepower. Turning them into makeshift gauntlets that would keep both arms protected in his invulnerable links like makeshift armor. This didn't impede Gav’s movement either, as Austin accounted for that too. By the time they were caught in the attack, Gav’s arms to the elbow were fully protected, and all he had to do was use Austin's blades and chains as his defense.

The second he was caught, Gav immediately turned into a ball by crouching low. Defending his knees with his chain covered arms and using the wide flat blades to protect his face and body, sure it wasn't 100% perfect but the worst damage he could take was greatly minimized now by the action.

That was where he heard his name, and more importantly recognized the voice.

Elly might have been too preoccupied about not getting hit to notice, Gav however wasn't. Behind the shield of his blades, he rolled his eyes, knowing exactly who that was.

“Some hello this is you asshole!” He snapped back. “The fuck are you even doing here man? You can't say hi from that distance and not shoot me too?”

‘Someone I should know?’

‘Clingy ex.’

‘Ah’, was all Austin said in reply and immediate understanding.

Since Roderick wasn't letting up on the attack anyway and Gav had no intention of waiting to find out, he did a quick mental run. There was no cover nearby in this Colosseum space to get behind aside from other people who were either too far away or far enough away engaged in their own fights to not be as easily accessible without leaping into their battles. What he really needed to do was close the gap. He knew a skilled shooter like Rod, had tricks for keeping his distance.

Gav didn't really care though, he told Elly “Do something about him”, which frankly if she didn't and if he did defeat Roderick on his own or if this did lead to a double cross then he'd just go after her and Kisei without mercy for leaving Austin and him to hang.

That wasn't clear in his tone, it sounded much more like he was asking for her help here briefly, in the past though it would have come off as more a command or order, his tone didn't convey any of that.

He didn’t immediately move but there was every sign in Gav’s body language that he was ready to get out of the focus of this line of fire or retaliate in some way for the attack. It was hard to actually tell. Austin however was watching Kisei and Elly for any signs of a double cross given his partner was preoccupied briefly listening for anything Roderick might say back or do, and keeping an ear out for Elly’s reply. The only reason he hadn't moved was because Roderick was focusing the attack on him, which meant Elly had some breathing room once she got out of the way, at least for a possible window of opportunity.

Mentions: n/a

Interactions: Sir Les Paul EmperorsChosen

 

[RedArmyShogun]

Feng Long - Aki Kiyoko -Wes Kraven - Domas Krogertas
LOCATION—Death Colosseum, Death City, Nevada
DATE—10/31/20267​

Wes only had a second to register the sudden shift in Kyle’s soul, like stepping on a landmine hidden within a patch of brush. The sound was deafening, a spiritual flashbang that left his ears ringing, drowning out everything in the area from the spiritual to the physical. ‘Fucking- Shit!’ This was Wes’s trick, deafening others with his wavelength to throw them off. Now that he was on the receiving end of it, a small part of him couldn’t help but think of what a dick move it was.

Of course, that small part was currently being overshadowed by the sheer agony of having his eardrums being stabbed with what felt like a chipped drumstick that was covered in chili powder. He had no idea whether the other three would be hit as badly as he was; With his persistent perception he felt the full bore of Kyle’s thunderous soul.

Aki didn’t scream or shout, rather gritting her teeth and suppressing a growl. It was like a flashbang in essence, surprising and extremely loud, only really useful as a surprise rather than after everything kicked off, which was probably why he hid it until now. ’<Bastard…>’ Aki hissed.

It was painful, disorienting, and took her off guard, but such things didn’t completely stop Aki. Her adrenaline and instincts kicked in, forming a bullet in the chamber ready to fire. Even if her power and speed was limited, he had gotten in close just to land that blow. There weren’t many who could intercept or evade an ordinary bullet so close, while performing an attack as well, and hers was faster because of her soul. In either respect, she was just trying to return fire. Staying still, doing nothing, being pinned, or hesitating meant death.

"Aghh! GODDAMN SON OF A BITCH!" Domas cried out as he felt his eardrums ready to burst. The sensation was enough for him to feel like his entire body was put through a speaker system of a bad punk show on full blast. A thousand hungover mornings couldn't prepare him for a head pounding like this. "We really should put this guy away." He started to regain control of his faculties and focused on entering the fight again. "Pound him, stab him, do whatever you want to him. Just fuck him up."

Feng for her part had other things to worry about, as she stayed course with the attack, getting a nasty gash on her right wrist from the asshole with the katana as she discharged Aki at the chain weight that was coming for her head, be it by luck, skill or chance, it was shot from her path, as the other sensations touched her mind, just as it had her partners, a distorted, thunderous soul.

But he had did something he really shouldn’t have, the China girl didn’t much care if she won or if she lost, or what few minutes the dog collar allowed her. She was going to wipe that smirk off his face, she would fight fire with fire, and to hell with what the DWMA had to say. They had kept her chained for too long and as far as she saw it, did not make proper use of her. She called forth her own berserker wavelength with its overwhelming power, the sensation would reach her own weapons, if this would overcome the thunderous soul was another matter as her thoughts dwelled on her old master.

“Do not use underhanded means, face a foe with honor and dignity.”

This foe had neither of the latter and had broken the rule on the former, seeking to do even more. She knew she couldn’t kill him, or rather, shouldn’t, but there was nothing wrong with messing him up a bit. With her wavelength flaring and it’s cadence attempting to beat back the thunderous soul, Feng steps in quickly, ignoring her own wounds as she aimed to keep inside of his sword reach and where it would be impossible to make full use of the Kusarigama. Impressed that he was able to throw the chain one handed while holding the weapon in selfsame hand, the martial artist aims for a brutal shield bash as it were with the centerline of Wes. “HA!” Moving as fast as she could with all the power she could muster, Feng simply did not care for what issues this man had on her using the lunatic sword and breaking him would serve as a powerful deterrent for the rest of that fanclub.

Interactions: EmperorsChosen (Aki) Shotgunpenguin (Wes) Breadman (Domas) Sir Les Paul (NPCs)

 

[Sir Les Paul]

LOCATION—Death Colosseum, Death City, Nevada
DATE—10/31/20267 | Monday
TIME—N/A

​

If Feng was one to be enraged by cheap tricks and would demand some type of battlefield honor, then Kyle was a poor opponent to pit her up against. In fact, so was his entire team. A well-known fact within the DWMA was just how quick the Demon Weapon transformation actually was. While it was never confirmed, some considered it near lightspeed. What was known was that even the fastest Meisters couldn't out speed a transformation; instead, they had to predict them. Entire fighting styles revolved around this fact, though the gimmick often lost value when Resonance was factored in. The contact and preparation needed for resonance made weapon transformations and their speed less than ideal for combat, excluding the niche few Autonomous Weapons that could seamlessly integrate partial transformations with their self-resonance.

What occurred next was a carefully laid trap. Feng had neutralized the ball end of the Kusarigama with Aki, no doubt about it. What she failed to account for was that the Kusarigama was, in fact, a person. The dirty trick here was the fact she could transform at any point along her length, even if the bulk of her weapon form was still with Kyle. What followed was a flash of red light as fast as Feng could perceive. As fast as anyone could, honestly; Stein or Elly would be in the same situation. It was no secret what was occurring; everyone knew what that red light was. A Demon Weapon transformation.

Feng could feel two boots press against her back, those of the Demon Weapon catapulting off of her, throwing off her entire momentum with the shield bash off and creating an opening for Kyle to side step the attack with Wes. Not that he could land much of an attack in such a short notice, but generally in a clash between a shield and a sword, the shield won.

A red indicator lit up on the harness Feng wore. One of three, though it quickly faded. This was to show the judges counted the hit from the Demon Weapon as a tag.

If the insult to injury wasn't enough, another reality was about to set in. That kusarigama could apparently fight autonomously - at least to a degree. While she kicked off of Feng's back and into the air, she transformed her left arm into that of the ball end and chain of her weapon form and flung it at Feng. This in turn allowed her to flip mid-air, adjusting her momentum when otherwise she couldn't, but also allowed for a means of attack. Not that the ball end was aimed at Feng, in fact, it extended well passed her. The goal wasn't to hit her, but to wrap her up in a bind. The very thing Feng feared.

"Vae victis, bitch," was the only verbal response that came from Kyle. Latin, of some kind. He didn't explain what it meant and from this angle, Feng couldn't quite make out the disdain in his eyes. The best that could be made out, for the moment, was the sardonic tone his voice carried with those few syllables he let loose.

Unlike the tactic with his other partner, his next plan wasn't hidden in the slightest. From his now free hand began to flow a greater amount of spiritual energy. More wavelength, even more blinding, right up until the crackles of electricity shot out from it. Soul Menace. The only type of electricity Domas or Noah couldn't dampen with their elemental affinity. Worse here was that this concentration of his wavelength far exceeded the volume of the surge from last time. If that was a flashbang, his Soul Menace was a sonic boom. It went from a distraction to downright deafening. So much so that it would have even hurt his partner if not for her fortified soul.

His katana was still extended at his side, prepared for whatever retaliation Feng might have in mind. That sparking hand of his, though? He was launching it straight at Wes with the intention of punching the would-be shield. If he could disorient or disable him, in his eyes, Feng would be a sitting duck.

This trio was proving surprisingly dangerous.

EmperorsChosen RedArmyShogun Breadman Shotgunpenguin

​

 

[Shotgunpenguin]

Wes Kraven
Death Colosseum - Death City, Nevada
October 31'st
Mentions: RedArmyShogun EmperorsChosen Sir Les Paul Breadman ​

---

Wes could do nothing but watch as the kusarigama transformed in a brief flash of light, before disappearing behind Feng and using her back as a springboard, throwing them off of their intended bash. Thankfully, their close positioning meant that Kyle was unable to slash at her with his sword. A small matter though, when it meant that he now had a free hand to work with. Even deafened by the previous release of his thunderous soul, Wes could faintly hear the sound of his soul flaring, readying something big.

A multitude of suppressed emotions ran through him, pain from his still ringing ears, anxiety at what their opponent was cooking up, a slight sense of acceptance that he’d be able to just call it quits and tell his parents that he tried. But mixed in with all of them was an emotion that anyone who knew the slothful weapon would never think they’d ever see. Bloodlust. It wasn’t an emotion that he would normally ever exhibit, but despite how much he bemoaned having to partner with Korne, his show of power during their fight with the witch had left quite the impact. Not enough to be drawn out normally, but there was something else that worked in tandem to bring it up from the dredges of Wes’s soul.

Feng’s berserker wavelength.

This was his first time being exposed to Feng’s wavelength, the way it flared up and turned her usual sound into more of a warcry, a call for blood. It was infectious, even without sharing it via resonance. He could feel his blood start to heat up, his heart start to beat faster, and for one of the few times in his life as a demon weapon, Wes felt an urge to hurt someone. And it seemed like Kyle had the very same idea, his open palm buzzing and crackling with soul energy as he thrusted it towards the core of Wes’s weapon form.

Soul menace, it was his first time experiencing it outside of demonstrations back when attended the E.A.T. courses. They didn’t do it justice, as even without ever taking one, he immediately knew that it would be painful enough to knock him clean out of his weapon form. His mind screamed at him that Kyle’s attack was dangerous, that it wasn’t something he would be able to tank. Wes’s usual style was to leave everything to the meister wielding him, acting as a battering instrument and the occasional boost via resonance and regulation. Taking that into account, Kyle’s strike had a high probability of landing and having its intended effect.

That is, if Wes was still stuck in his predominantly passive mindset. Something that his sudden exposure to the berserker wavelength seemed to have wiped away, albeit only briefly. A flash of red, something that Kyle would immediately recognize as Wes transformed, falling from his position on Feng’s arm down to the ground in a low crouch. His usually lidded eyes were slanted much more, not out of tiredness or boredom, but of a rather palpable anger. A deep snarl was plastered onto his face, teeth bared like a wild animal.

“That-” Wes tensed his arms and legs, pushing off of the ground and lunging for the meister, ducking underneath his blow. He had little regard for his own safety as he reached out with curled fingers, ignoring the present dangers of the katana held within his opposite hand as well as what the meister had planned for if he were grappled.

“Fucking-” To Kyle, should he have had his soul perception up, it would almost seem as if Wes’s soul were being strummed at a speed that rapidly picked up. The lines covering it shook and vibrated, pumping to a quickly increasing beat as Wes focused his spiritual energy. But unlike Kyle, his energy shot up towards his throat, building further and further as his fingers prepared to grab onto the black leather of his jacket.

“HURT!” Wes reared his head back, teeth gritting hard enough to cause his jaw to ache, before throwing his head forward and unleashing the built up sound directly into Kyle’s face. Normally, he would have been able to finely tune the noise he produced with his sound wavelength. In this case however, with his senses still dulled and deafened, he was unable to exercise that same level of restraint. The sound that came from his mouth was far greater than any person would manage normally. More akin to standing in front of a stage amp turned to its absolute maximum with no regards to blowing itself or the eardrums of the person in front of it out; it was loud enough that it could even be heard all the way up in the floating stand above and left Wes’s throat feeling like he just rubbed it raw with sandpaper.

 

[EmperorsChosen]

Eloise Keegan - Death Coliseum, Death City
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~​

In Elly's case, she heard the thunder before the lightning. The ground around them kicked up and she turned her attention to their attacker. Her Soul Perception made the projectiles stick out especially so, but the problem still remained with volume. On the other hand though, without true resonance, a long-range weapon wasn't as powerful as it could be.

She skipped back, dancing and wading from some projectiles while she struck and clashed with others. As she thought, she could deflect them just fine so long as she could see them. Her body relaxed slightly and she focused next on reading the two. An anti-magic wavelength for the meister, and Elly was just reading into the weapon when Gav called out to her, causing her to roll her eyes slightly.

"My, my, pushing it all on me? He's your admirer," Elly chimed back with phony exasperation before glancing over her shoulder.

Feng's group appeared on the backfoot, but it seemed like it was turning around. The problem was, neither group seemed like they cared all that much about getting disqualified. The one with the thunderous wavelength, while she respected the stratagem, was poking the bear and the bear in this case had a berserker wavelength she seemed intent to use. Not just that, but such a wavelength tended to spread to partners. One of those was Wes, whose retort caused Elly to wince from how bloody loud it was.

Time was of the essence, not because she would likely lose in a conventional sense, but more so because they may end up overstepping their bounds.

"Though, the thunderous soul gives me an idea..." She murmured, aloud, but more to Kisei before tilting her head toward Gav and Austin. She looked at them with a thoughtful expression before giving the two a wink, a subtle nod to play along. At least, she hoped they took it as that rather than as a mocking gesture. "Well, he seems particularly fond of you, so~..."

This time Elly spoke aloud clearly, no intention of hiding her words. Her trajectory of dodging had altered until she escaped the target area and then made a beeline away, feigning a retreat. In reality, she was circling Roderick to reach his flank. 'Feel like scaring'im shitless?' Elly inquired to Kisei. 'I was thinking you could switch your Hoshi suppression off--Just for a second when we get closer. Then flare that murderous intent.'

She was truly opting to rip off Kyle's strategy that had just been used. Even if Roderick wasn't as observant or sensitive, a sudden flare of killer intent that Elly knew Kisei could display would likely result in something--Flinching, freezing, hesitation, or perhaps just a distraction.

'Your blades stay dull so long as I'm not trying to kill them, anyway, right?'

The Regal Rper Sir Les Paul

 

[Merciless Medic]

Sara & Dante​

Date: October 31, 2067 - Death Festival
Location: Death Colosseum, Death City, Nevada
Collab with Pumpkid
Interactions: Adrian
Mentions: N/A
Sir Les Paul

Dante lunged at Adrian except he was held back by Sara. More details regarding their opponent only fueled Dante’s urgency for a fight. A promise to wipe the floor with Adrian. His eyes dead set on the target ignoring all of his miester’s warning. However, the moment she mentioned they are an iron maiden is when he realized the guy was like a venus fly trap trying to bait him into his clutches and away. If what Sara stated was true, they would be out without a chance to even fight. It infuriated Dante to no end. Even as he was faced with someone worth fighting, he would have been made a fool. Somehow that pissed him off more than anything. Adrian was clever, and now Dante wanted to see him beaten to a pulp. Of course, that was not the strategy of the game as the male was thinking petty.

He grits his teeth and growls reluctant to rely on Sara’s assistance for this one. As he calmed down, he had to admit both of them together have a fighting chance. They entered together for different reasons, and right now their goals align in taking down Adrian. This time, Dante was hyped and ready to give his all for the sake of winning. Fine, he will transform, but not because he was told by some prick. In one swift move, Dante shape shifts into his weapon form. He grinned from ear to ear like a maniac, adrenaline pumped through his veins, excited to see how the fight would turn out.

That lunge was fast, but Sara had been prepared for that. Some of her training had been to focus on her reflexes, using the natural augmentation of her body from being in the middle-ground of beast and human and trying to go further than her limits.

Her shoulder was forwards more, the one he was aiming for. He’d grab her, and he could probably utilize his cuffs if he wanted to. But she was ready for it.

As Adrian charged, Dante was stunned by his speed. He moved at the blink of an eye. To think he was about to go against someone as fast. There was no chance of him being on par with him after being rusty for a full year, not to mention ages of being an AW. “What the hell?--” Sara made her move.

“--Is he on steroids?” Is the only conclusion he can come up with, and maybe an ounce of jealousy. In his years as an AW he’s never been that quick.

She spoke in their soul space when she moved, a serious look on her face. ‘That’s from months of intense training and of trying to surpass his limits every time. Like I said, he’s trained for CQC. I’ve never met anyone who was as good at close quarters combat, except maybe Gauss.’ She immediately shot down then forward and to the side to avoid Adrian’s reach, sliding on her knee as she used Dante’s long form to her advantage, sending the bottom end of the halberd towards Adrian’s shins and angled it up, wanting to sweep him out from under himself as she spun around to face Adrian again.

She just hoped he wasn’t ready for that and hit Dante with a huge dose of his wavelength.

 

[Sir Les Paul]

LOCATION—Death Colosseum, Death City, Nevada
DATE—10/31/20267 | Monday
TIME—N/A

It was a valid tactic. One that most certainly worked for Kyle. One, in fact, that was even worth a shot. It was counter-intuitive to all that Kisei would normally do. Flaring his wavelength last minute while trying to flank someone, in his mind, amounted to shouting at someone right before launching a surprise attack. However, they had just seen something similar work in action and given this was one of the few times the duo had an opportunity to fight with lower stakes, Kisei elected to give it an honest attempt. In the past, he had used something similar to cause a flinch, although that was a much stronger ability. One that he had since lost.

There was also the truth behind the dull blades. Though, technically, any Demon Weapon could dull their blades with a little practice. Dante, Dani, even Arkayis could simply just not cut someone should they choose to. Weapons like Adrian were slightly different given they had a spike as opposed to a blade. More so, this made the fact Kyle had already cut Feng with his katana partner even more of a dick move in context. It was entirely unnecessary, but he did it nonetheless.

There was one issue here that Elly had not accounted for. One that Kisei hadn't considered, either, but this was admittedly her plan. Roderick was accustomed to killer intent. It didn't phase him. Especially when it was feigned, like Kisei was doing right now. A true fact about the whole prospect of murderous intent through the soul was that it did lose some of its edge, much like how Kisei lost his, when it wasn't genuine. This caused their attempt to take the gunner off guard to fail spectacularly. Not only did it give away their position, it gave away Kisei's identity. Roderick knew him as Midori from the Paean program—and wasn't particularly fond.

The result was that Roderick had the time to pivot, aim at the incoming Elly, and unleash another volley at her direction. As big as his gun looked, it was still nigh-weightless in his hand. Many of the general issues one would consider with a Gatling gun or most types of automated firing weapons were non-existent here. That big hunk of steel could swing her way and begin firing with minimal wind-up.

"Of-fucking-course, you'd be here, Midori," Roderick spat, more venom coating his words when it came to the Hoshi than Gavril himself.

"For an allegedly straight man, you're always riding his dick every time I see one of you," he added, that venom becoming more corrosive with each passing word. That old jealousy was coming out to wave hello. Roderick always had a distaste for the rivalry between the two, mostly because it accounted for a second Gavril wasn't spending with him.

EmperorsChosen The Regal Rper

​

 

[Sir Les Paul]

Adrian Hackney​

"The Maiden"​

Species Human
Partner None
Rank Fate Agent

Location Death City, Death Colosseum
Mission FATE Bracket, Deathfest Tournament
Status Focused

​

Tags: Pumpkid Merciless Medic

Sara might have respected his skill and physique, but it didn't seem she respected his creativity.

Close quarters combat was so much more than just martial arts, or even base traits like speed or strength. It took into account the environment, the situation, the positions of the two combatants. There was so much more to it than the werewolf and her dim-witted partner had in mind. If Dante thought he was out of his league in terms of speed, Adrian was about to show him just how many other leagues he was behind.

Sara couldn't sweep him off his feet if he wasn't on his feet. She also couldn't swing Dante around if he was pinned down. It was a grave error in judgement to ever allow the axehead of her weapon to be in a place it could be pinned. This was even more so the fact with Adrian for one reason and one reason alone. Dante did truly have a wonderful halberd form: ornate, shiny, symmetrical. It came with a problem, though: it had holes. Holes that Adrian could extend a spike through. Which was, in fact, exactly what he did. A spike from his free hand shot down, through the hole of the halberd head, pinned straight into the marble floor of the tournament ground, then he kicked up and over to swing his leg right at Sara's head as she transitioned from her duck to a spin.

At the very least, he was being nice. He was just gonna kick her in the face... not use a spike to give her a new piercing.

Spoiler: Reference

I'm using this reference pic from Pumpkids profile. Oval holes, perfect for abusing.

 

[Sir Les Paul]

LOCATION—Death Colosseum, Death City, Nevada
DATE—10/31/2067 | Monday
TIME—N/A

QUICK RESPONSE: Kyle​

True though it was that Wes released an explosively loud sonic shout that might have deafened most other contestants - one so mighty that even those near the edge of the arena might find it uncomfortable - it was all for naught. Much like the Murderous Soul of Dani, his soul type possessed a natural resistance to soul-based techniques. Dani or Corelia, as well as their respective partners due to the transitive spiritual properties of partnership, would have been able to withstand that technique all the same.

Wes was brave. Wes was bold. Wes had shown more initiative than he did in years. Whether that was of his own ever-evolving volition as a Fate Agent or due to the immediate influence of Feng's Berserker Wavelength, it wasn't clear nor did it matter. Wes commit to his action. Kyle, realizing what was going on fairly immediately, could only stare incredulously at the Demon Weapon. He didn't take the time to consider whether this was ignorance as to his immunity or some other factor at play, all he saw was an opportunity.

"So will this," he offered as a snide, cutting remark. Not that Wes or really anyone could hear him over the shouting regardless.

Wes was too close and too commit for Feng to intervene this time. Wes was struck right in the jaw by a fist full of spiritual electricity. A strike not only literally shocking to the system, but incredibly enhanced in terms of strength. To Wes, a Demon Weapon with minimal ability to enhance his physique, the strike was as smooth as a hot knife through butter. The only thing in truth preventing his very jaw from being broken by the impact being the fact he was channeling his own spiritual energy through his throat in that local area, which provided some level of resistance.

It was not often that one got to witness someone take the full force of Soul Menace to the face so unguarded. The impact was akin to watching a car crash. Wes literally went flying. He was knocked out on impact, so it's not as it he felt how he would fly through the air or roll across the ground. No, that was something Feng, Aki, and Domas had to process themselves. Veteran mercenaries or not, that was a Hell of a hit. One that might have outright killed a civilian. One that, ironically, only marked Wes with a single red light for a tag via his indicator, though he was now out cold on the ground.

At the very least, he stole focus Feng to give her an opportunity to deal with the kusarigama that was trying to trip her up. Not to mention, Soul Menace was a nasty technique. Using it once was intense, using it back-to-back would be quite draining. It meant for the moment, though down a weapon, Wes had bought his team safety. Whether that was worth it, especially with the cut arm Feng now sported, was an entirely different story.

EmperorsChosen RedArmyShogun Breadman Shotgunpenguin

​

 

[The Regal Rper]

Gav | Death Festival/ Tournament

In his tensed up crouched down position Gav and Austin had done nothing but boost his amplification up even further, so the moment Elly's move to get Roderick's attention succeeded, Austin quickly undid the protective binding he created with his chains. Gav could have moved to intercept as Roderick responded to the duo but he didn't move in their direction. Not because he knew Roderick was familiar with him enough to be wary of his agility, something else had gained his attention. It was a wasted opportunity, whether he would regret that later or not time would tell.

Between the exchange Gav caught things exactly as the Kusaragami used Feng as a springboard and threw her shot at entangling her, Wes de-transforming, Kyle side stepping, Wes lunging and shouting-- like an arrow he was off in an instant before the hit Kyle threw had even fully landed. The time between the punch being thrown and it connecting with Wes was short, and that was all the time he needed to reach the group. Except he didn't go for Kyle, he went for the Kusaragami. Her being airborne might have been an issue that required him to wait but Gav didn't need to worry about that. His approach to the situation didn't slow. That was the benefit of Austin being a shift Demon Weapon.

Swinging one of Austin's blades at her was simple, using the end of the blade as a blunt weapon was entirely different. When he threw it it was with amplification behind it right as Austin extended the chain. Not only did it cover the range of a few feet between him and the AW but Gav kept a guiding hand that danced along the gold metal links of the thrown blade. The trick was the blade went out then swung inwards towards her. Given she was already midair and falling the goal wasn't to accelerate her fall, gravity would do that, it was to disorient her by swatting at her with one of Austin's blades as he swung it by. The move utilized a combination of Austin's ability to manipulate his form and Gav’s amplification to turn the blade into a blunt object with force behind it to increase its speed as well as the impact. In addition to all of this Austin's quick retraction of the chain length as his blade came in a rapidly closing arc towards the AW with the flat side of the blade turned to do the striking instead of the blunt edge itself.

Mentions: n/a

Interactions: Kusaragami, Sir Les Paul EmperorsChosen RedArmyShogun

 

[RedArmyShogun]

Feng Long - Aki Kiyoko - Domas Krogertas
LOCATION—Death Colosseum, Death City, Nevada
DATE—10/31/20267​

Feng’s reaction to the kick and being slightly knocked off center was annoyance. All the philosophy, all the reasoning or taunts went right out the window as Feng enacted her own wavelength over both of her weapons, as she quickly recovered from the cheap attack. What many considered, and rightfully so to be madness, was regulated by martial discipline. But even regulated the soul of a berserker was one overflowing with violent thoughts of malcontent.

Yet, there was something more, to those sensitive to such things. The urge to kill, the call of violence, the presence of a battlefield clearly radiated from the woman, but so did something else, the influence of Qi, or Chi as some call it. For whatever reason she produced something of a healing focus to what she was unleashing to beat back the thunderous soul.

With Wes’s self-sacrifice, Feng’s eyes narrowed in on Kyle, the Kusarigama was a distraction, one that needed dealing with, but it was far more important to put some fear into that man and to make him pay. Eyes of a hawk were now locked upon him as any hint of a smile is replaced with a scowl to stand against the influence of his soul.

Whatever it was that she used and how she used it was directly counter to that of the DWMA’s normal berserker unit way of dealing with this unstable wavelength, but it seemed to work as even with her hardening presence the two mercenaries would note orders being given to them, as well as seeking any advice they may have had as she quickly readied her bleeding right arm into action. The sensation would be akin to a battlefield for the pair with her, and with her own calming mechanism would still reach them with how short it had been and how there was no actual slaughter or battle.

​

’Domas, hammer form. We can’t kill them, but we can break bones. Use my wavelength or your own and start up your chain lightning, just deploy it around us… We must crush them.. Nothing less.’

For Aki, Feng extended her arm and used her own wavelength in place of Aki’s volatile soul to prepare for firing before she spoke in kind; ‘Aki, I wish to empty you into him… I wish to see his mongrel hide beneath my feet… What is it you wish to do?’

"The hammer?" Domas wondered why Feng wanted him to pick the inferior form, but she laid out the plan soon enough. He had to admit, he liked the sound of it. "No hacking and no slashing, but I can go for a bit fo smashing." While still in axe form, he started up a charge for the chain lightning by tapping in with his own wavelength. The sparks danced all around them, the energy blasting in a circle, surrounding them. Shortly after, Domas would be in the hammer form. Not as strong as the axe on account of not having the same qualities, but Feng called for bone breaking, and he was eager to oblige. It was too long since he had a good smash.
’That’s a start…’ Aki growled, her voice low and steady as opposed to her usual chipper tone. There were many things that gave cause for Aki to become irate. First, the whole tournament subsisted on rules that were pushed on everyone to follow, yet some seemed intent on bending those rules, which made no sense to her. The general demeanor of their opponents, how it was clear they weren’t aiming to win but rather to simply hurt. Wes getting decked and sent into the ground was just icing on the cake and Feng’s Berserker Wavelength just amplified all of it. ’But my bullets won’t do that, not like this,’ She added.

They tried that already, unloading while up close. It didn’t do anything. He could still react to them. ’Throw me at his head,’ She said finally. ’Fast or not, he can’t beat my transformation speed, and by the time I’m transformed my arms will already be around his neck.’ From there, she could transform her hand into a nozzle and press it into his head. He couldn’t dodge or intercept the bullet if that were the case. ’If I don’t blow his head off, at least you should be able to cave it in after,’ She added in a tone that made it difficult to tell how serious she was.

Unfortunately, Feng was in no position or state of mind to dispute the plan, though she did have enough of her martial baring to add; ’We can’t have him die, just pistol whip him, I’ll then give him a few nice hits with Domas, we’ll also aim to shock him and that weapon of his. He must be made to feel some pain. Otherwise do what you like.’

’I hope he’s smart then,’ Aki replied matter of factly. The rules said three hits equaled an out, but if she manages to get her barrel to his head, he shouldn’t have any option but to forfeit. At least, that was her logic.
"Yeah, just break a few bones here and there, no need to kill him." Domas spoke with some irritation in his voice. He wanted to get this guy, really badly. Even in this weaker weapon form he could still inflict damage. He just needed to be swung in the right direction.

While still having some reasoning to her aggression in the here and now, Feng knew she would likely get shit for all of this, but she didn’t care, that bastard Kyle, had made this the old days. And Feng had just enough of being the model test subject and prisoner, she wanted to cut loose and if she got too carried away the broach would see to the rest. And right now, her Berserker soul was all that could stand against his thunderous soul overwhelming them all.

It was like those old days, minus she couldn’t kill anyone, it was so simple when orders were clear, and the enemy was within mauling distance. Feng felt in her element here, this wasn’t like dealing with those witches, here she actually could pummel something. With Domas at the ready and shifting form, Feng was quick to make use of their bond to send the Baltic Mercenary’s chained lightning at weapon and meister who had her surrounded even as an interloper joined the fray, it wasn’t ideal if they got caught up in it as well, but the plan was already in motion and sooner or later they would be an enemy. She was surrounded alright, by targets. As the lightning struck home on both targets and Feng blitzed towards Kyle, she would throw Aki’s gun form with all her might, right towards the Meister who should be off balance with what just happened.

Aki waited until her gun form was close. He was still reeling from hitting Wess, add in the strength of Feng’s throw and the speed of transformation, it was a ballsy move, but one Aki hoped would work. At the very least, she would be a distraction like Wes was, which was evidently more useful than just shooting at Kyle.

Light enveloped the handgun, stretching and expanding, but unlike the man’s own weapon that kicked off Feng, Aki’s hands emerged from the light, reaching out toward the meister’s head. If all went well, she would latch on and swing to his back, her left arm coiling around his neck. Her right arm would be propped on the other side of his shoulder, elbow locked with her forearm vertical, allowing her left hand to anchor onto her right bicep. Her legs hooked around his waist, anchoring each other around his front. The coup d'etat was that the index and middle fingers of her right hand would be pressed against his head, transformed into the barrel of her handgun.

Immediately as this was put into motion Feng dived forward with malicious intent, either he would surrender to Aki or he would catch some blows from the hammer, with the aid of the man she recalled as Gav and her own actions from before, she suspected the AW would be out of action, or at least distracted enough to deal with Kyle. It wasn’t personal, just a bug to be crushed. Broken bones were easy to fix with modern medicines and witches for the most part…

Interactions: EmperorsChosen (Aki) Shotgunpenguin (Wes) Breadman (Domas) Sir Les Paul (NPCs)

 

[The Regal Rper]

Zosar & Wren | Colosseum, Duo Trouble

They needed to play this smart going in. Though battle royale were innately unpredictable, so how things went depended. Gavril, Adrian, Feng and Gauss were all people that he knew would be tough opponents in the battle royale. Observing the EAT bracket to see the skills of the eventual winner also told Zosar to not underestimate them. Where he spent more time was analyzing everyone else in the FATE Bracket, like Kyle and his respective partners, people he didn't know. Looking for traits he could easily identify in their souls.

If the last mission had taught him anything, it was that he needed to be more studious. Kyle’s Thunderous soul for instance stuck out easily. He hadn't met many people out on the field as a Enlightener with the soul type but he had experience with working with such people, so he knew what to expect to some extent.

Amplification was active before the moment the battle royale for their bracket had started. Zosar had asked Wren to keep him aware of anyone approaching, any attacks, anything that could be used to get an advantage and while she was keeping an eye out and using her enhanced werewolf senses of detection, he was going over the activity.

It was why in the first few minutes that had gone by, when he wasn't immediately targeted he took the opportunity to keep himself in the background. He wasn't going to put himself into a fight immediately, he had no problem taking advantage of situations though. Gauss, Noah and Arky were clearly not in one he could take advantage of even if they were being ganged on. Hardly anyone had managed to land a blow on him. Wren’s weapon form wouldn't grant them any leverage against Gauss so in his mind there was no point approaching the utility meister right now just to make a fool of himself in front of so many people. He was frankly more pleased to see Elly go a different direction instead of coming right at him, like he had anticipated.

Surveying the fights however Zosar didn't stay stationary. He kept changing positions, deftly avoiding immediate conflict, not out of insecurity, just more out of low interest despite Wren in his hand and his amplification active. It looked more like he was choosing his target, in reality, he was just buying himself time till someone came to him or some opportunity rose for him to capitalize.

Besides letting the competition whittle itself down was no skin off their bones. If they got Lord Death’s blessing to ask him for something within his limits of power then he would take it, pocket it, and save it for a rainy day. And you couldn't do that if you got eliminated early.

Perhaps it was a bit prudish to not go jumping into the fray to assist his gf but Zosar had no intention of stepping into the match of Sara and Adrian for his own reasons. Besides, Sara knew what the AW was capable of. If they had gotten out early because of Dante goading Adrian, which is what it looked like from this distance, to the ex-merc that would have just been a lesson for the two in partnership. He hadn't forgotten witnessing Adrian in action back in their hay days under their Hoshi mentor. It had been months since then, but Zosar had a pretty good memory.

Luckily things were going smooth. None came their way, which was all the better, he was really just fine surveying for now.

She was surprised, honestly.

Not a single soul duking it out in that arena decided to take a shot at the maniac waving around the big ass chainsaw. Mayhaps disappointed. Possible offended. She thought they’d be having one of the bigger targets drawn on their backs. She was the most ‘exotic’ looking weapon out of all the others, after all. Or maybe that only further added to their intimidation factor. Did they think they were like a poisonous frog? All flashy and vibrant, but lethal to the touch?

She had no idea. All Wren knew was that her weapon form was going to start to rust through the chain-links if she kept looking over her shoulder only to be greeted with nothing. It was getting tiresome.‘We’re gonna be the crowd’s bottom pick at this point.’ she groaned inside the blank solace of her suppressed soul room, Wren shifted restlessly on the ground. Twisting her lip, chewing on the inside of her cheeks, the hushed presence of soul dampened by the calm seal growing a decibel louder, quivering to send a small tingle through their shared link.

She was pent-up, in every sense of the word. She would have been excited, foaming at the mouth like an animal-- were she not putting careful focus into keeping her impulses in check. The sheer volume of souls flaring all in the same place didn’t help. Nor did her eagerness to join the tournament and prove herself, for once. It didn’t help at all.

Winning the full tournament beyond this bracket wasn’t even on her mind, not when she lacked the hands to even count the number of advantages the winners from the EAT division had over them. At most, she wanted to see just how far they could go, after all the setbacks and all of the stalled progress her and Zosar had to bear down the road, they deserved that at least. Something deep within her, not only the little hungry jester inside her, wanted to gauge just how strong they were. She was starving for a fight.

For now... that drive of hers would be hidden behind her focus. They had to play their part and be the perfect vultures. And she had predatory eyes already set on the set of potential carcasses that presented themselves, an opportunity ripe for the picking. As much as the entire tournament reeked of a buffet to her, two options enticed her more than all the others. Elly and Kisei, as well as Feng and Kyle.

Zosar saw it too as the separate fights took place.

As much as she cringed watching Wes ragdolling and flying through the air, and as much as she wanted to serve some karmic justice to Kyle, the most reasonable option was clear. ‘Whaddaya say we go lend Missus Boss Lady and Mr. Death Scythe a helping hand while everyone else is distracted, hm? Out of the compassion of our big, big hearts, ‘course. Maybe their heart’s’re just as big and they give us a hand in return…’ She laughed at herself for even thinking such a thing ‘Or maybe we stab them in the back first after we deal with the guy they’re fightin’.’ .

It was tempting but not his focus.

Just a moment he advised his stultified Weapon. Though even as he said it Zosar was already repositioning himself closer to where Wes would stop, unmoving, having already predicted what might happen to him with Kyle’s reaction after he de-transformed. A simple check on the unconscious Demon Weapon by glancing at his soul was really all Zosar needed to do as he turned his attention back to the exchanges. Wes getting socked is going to shift the whole fight and Elly is bound to play some sort of game with that Gun Meister, let's keep our guard up while these play out.

Play out it did. Even as he stood a distance away from Wes as a general guard, Feng's berserker wavelength was abundantly clear as she and her partners made their respective moves. Elly’s actions against the unknown gun Meister were being tracked too. All that viewing however was about to get cut short however as Zosar suddenly picked up on not one but multiple souls rapidly heading his way from different directions, fast.

With Amplification already up just in case though, he wasn't caught off guard. This was what they had been anticipating the whole time. Individuals capitalizing on the situation for well timed attacks, just coming in different directions, one slightly faster than the other.

One powerful jump away from the faster attack had Zosar clearing it as he shifted his body, twisting slightly in the air to face the approaching second attacker with Wren. The sound of wind cut past him as he could sense the Demon Weapon’s attack sweep by him by a foot as he turned, facing his second assailant. One groaning sawtoothed leg struck out in a high jump kick as the Demon weapon slammed that leading foot into the flat of Wren's blade Zosar shifted into the path of the attack as his jump reached its peak with the attacker's.

The silver haired grey-eyed girl clicked her tongue in distaste seeing her surprise attack had failed, but didn't waste a second to use the other leg to lightly touch Wren's flat blade as their peak led to the start of a descent, just to push off with both her legs, sending them all in back in the respective directions they had came.

In that very moment as the AW kicked off Wren, Zosar's head turned behind him to spot the Meister and Weapons he had sensed as the first attackers readying a strike.

The female Meister offered him a simple cold smile as her arm went out and as she did the action, the Weapon in her hand- a sword- extended into its whip form, shooting forward as if propelled by a spring the bladed tip extended straight towards him. Given the kick from the AW had provided some momentum midair though, Zosar used the potential energy as Wren fed his muscles with the reflexive speed he needed to pull out a baton that he then used in the same motion as he twisted mid air, to bat away the attack, changing his trajectory in the same moment to avoid landing between his new attackers.

The action put him off to the side of Wes, while the AW weapon and new Meister stood facing him opposite each other.

'Well isn't this great. Of course I'd run into someone I know here.' Zosar said to Wren with sarcastic enthusiasm. Though he wasn't surprised. It was inevitable he'd run into someone he personally knew. Unlike Kenny who had heard of him, he knew at least one of the young women opposing him.

His eyes specifically looking at the ponytail raven-haired utility meister who was watching him with silent consideration but a curiously tense smile.

Wordlessly Zosar, the Chainsaw AW, and the female Meister all shifted positions cautiously. Through Wren his reflexes were ready. He never resheathed the other weapon in his hand either. It's thin yet durable form would come in use even if it couldn't match a DW's invincibility and he kept it slightly loose in his right hand as they all moved to an extent further away from Wes thanks to Zosar's movement mostly. Though not far enough to where one of the other two couldn't just blitz past Zosar to try and tag the unconscious Gong out in his vulnerable state. He could tell from the way the AW's eyes flicked from him to Wes briefly, that was the exact thought she had. Wes was easy pickings. If he didn't think the guy deserved a bit of slack despite how dumb his attempt to get at Kyle had been, he might have just tagged him out himself.

Perhaps, they really would play bodyguard for a short time. Hopefully Feng and the others didn't get disqualified by the time he had enough.

The female Meister was still staring. "You really did join the program, didn't you?" Breaking the standoffish silence, Zosar's raised brow prompted her to continue. "We all just assumed they wouldn't let you return as an agent after... I heard someone with your description was in the Program, but..."

"Not surprised you don't know considering our contact died by the time I had been released to continue under supervision. Not like I could do anything about rumors with all the eyes on me the whole damn time. You took your precautions though", Zosar replied stoically. Even though there was a pinch of irritation at the question that Wren could see, even if it vanished quickly.

"Can't blame some of us for being cautious." Was the guarded response.

Zosar hummed , nodding casually, as if he had expected such a reply. There wasn't anger Wren could feel, just a simple acceptance to the remark.

If Elly was hard to read, Zosar was proving right now how good of a former infiltrator he had been with how the only emotions she could pick up on even through the link were his caution to the situation and his grim acceptance of this talk. She may have known that he was a spy but this was her first time meeting someone that knew him before FATE. Knew the him probably better or almost as good as Kisei did.

Yet perhaps no one was prepared for what he said next.

" It's practically been three years now...You look good as always, Kim. " It held some warmth in the delivery. The kind that was genuine, like when he called Wren by one of his personal nicknames. "Though I suppose I shouldn't be surprised, you always did even in a fight."

Kim's expression went blank in surprise as if she didn't know what to say but her emotions internally shifted subtly only to match the charming smile as her long eyelashes casted a slight dazzling shadow over her now slightly narrowed eyes, a touch of red to her cheeks. 'Tease', her lips silently whispered in amused reply with a shake of her head. She would've impressed Elly with how she made it look like she had dropped her guard even if the female Meister hadn't while she was soaking up a bit of unwarranted praise. She hadn't stopped amplifying. And that other Weapon partner of hers, sitting on her hip, seemed to be getting as impatient as Wren internally had been feeling in the beginning.

"Guess I should have realized sooner that there was more to the reason you suggested we go after him." The AW stated. Chain blades on her arm materializing but not yet moving. She hadn't dropped her self-resonance since she had landed. Zosar could tell, she was just as ready to go as they were.

"It was only a matter of time, I suppose." Kim replied smoothly as her sword partner clicked and the blade turned into a whip again. "You haven't changed much, have you? Throwing me compliments like old times to shift topics. How'd you rope that girl you're holding into being your partner, hm? You're not still playing games are you, Loki?" A simple prodding jest, all while she repositioned.

Even with the banter no one's guard had dropped.

Zosar didn't make a gesture as his eyes moved between the AW and Kim. His own position shifting to match the other two. "Call it luck. If you really want her answer though, come ask. Not going to introduce me to her?" He switched to the other girl.

"Name's Valerie." The AW simply replied, a hint of an accent present. "Jake?" She asked, which could only mean that she knew of him since that had been a nickname of his last alias, given he had never offered a name in the first place.

"Zosar." He corrected, wondering just how many people had heard of him. Wasn't like playing into the lie was an interest of his, if anything he knew it would just piss Kim off given she had given him a colder shoulder than even Nadia could when his rep was collapsing. He didn't push the subject though. Instead he asked Kim, "Friend?"

She hummed. "Yes, I mentor her too."

That answered his assumption at least. Kim was just a mentor here in all this. The intense aggressive excitement radiating from the one Weapon partner she wasn't using yet was easy to tell why. The Chainsaw Weapon had her own unique wavelength, different to Kim's buzzing soul.

A buzzing that Wren learned stemmed from Kim's unique wavelength, one that could produce intense vibrations and increase the power of her bladed Weapon partners.

" Let's make this simple. Let me tag you and the guy passed out over there, okay?" Kim proposed sweetly. "I promise Valerie won't do anything foul and you and I go way back." She winked. "You owe me for that whole dirty trick you played." Again, it was a jab at his status, there was a bit of heat in those words that Wren could clearly recognize.

Her partner however wasn't swayed. What had been done was done after all. Getting eliminated for dumb reasons was just as bad as getting eliminated for a lack of spine. Especially on T.V. and with this many people. " I'd upset my partner here if I rolled over. 'Sides, I aim to win."

Kim merely smiled, "Don't say I didn't warn you. Let's see just how much you've really changed since I last saw you."

Wes was going to owe him a thanks for this. That was if no one else jumped into this whole thing.

All three souls flared collectively in the standoff, then Valerie made a move. The girl took off with what might have been a surprising burst of speed. Like Adrian she was fast. Possibly slightly faster. The gap of fifteen plus feet between him and them was covered in just a few short seconds, maybe less. Kim moved at the same time as her but Valerie still pulled ahead as she came right at Zosar. Between the two of them though, Kim's ranged whip attack would reach first, the telegraph was also easy to read; her whip blade was aiming for Zosar's feet in a obvious move to get him to jump to line it up perfectly for Valerie to attack as he added some distance, the timing between them was excellently delivered.

Wren had a chance to finally show if their prep would yield the same effects, and prove just how strong they really were.

Her Weapon Sister came in fast and with aggression that matched. If Wren considered herself a menacing chainsaw, she was about to see what an AW chainsaw could do as the latter closed in with a screaming buzzing blade from a sweeping arm as Zosar was already moving as the whip also approached from the other side. What happened as both attacks came in was he moved out of both 's range while curving around the AW, dodging both in a way that overcame the line up they were setting for, and using Valerie as a temporary shield given his position put her slightly in front of him. Giving him a window of advantage as Valerie shifted her approach to guard her opening with a partial transformation that covered her ribs and upper back with shifting metal pieces. Zosar didn't go in for the attack with Wren though to throw the AW's balance off by hitting that guard, instead he came in to an exposed area at her lower back with his right from down going up, a move that shifted the advantage to Kim as Valerie reacted.

Two things happened immediately.

Valerie began shifting the moving metal down her body, using the speed of the shifting metal to try and knock Zosar's trajectory off, unaware the move was a feint. At the same time Kim used her window to flick the whip in a manner so that as it came from above, it would lash out to strike Zosar's left shoulder, impeding the arm that held Wren in movement for at least a moment. A move Zosar might not have seen given his focus had to split to the AW who was both reacting and from the flash of light at her feet, possibly ready to retaliate.

With a surplus of wavelength in Wren's grasp she held the key to supply him the energy to react and inform him in case of the whip, while keeping an eye out for Valerie's next move.

Collabers: Haze-

Mentions: RedArmyShogun EmperorsChosen Sir Les Paul Pumpkid Merciless Medic

Interactions: NPCs Shotgunpenguin

 

[Haze-]

Wren
Death City; Death Colosseum​

Wren stood watching the sorry state of Wes’s unconscious body strewn on the floor beside Zosar’s feet. Her eyes narrowing with mortification and pity as they trailed over the still visible ring where Kyle’s fist had sunken his pretty face in. Yet she couldn’t look away from his ugly, bruised, garbled little baby face. It was like staring at the disastrous aftermath of a car crash— in this case, it was equal to the mess left after a truck’d rammed through a tricycle. She felt sorry for the poor guy. Sorry for his parents, who had to watch their kid be sent flying on live television in front of their entire home city

And sorry for herself, because now, out of principle, she couldn’t tag the guy out with a clean conscience. If he had taken the punch like a champ, and been half-conscious instead, she maybe would've asked Zosar to put the guy to sleep and not feel bad about it afterwards. But doing it now that he was completely helpless was just a dick move.

She was so stuck feeling sorry, in fact, that she didn’t even notice the tingle at the back of her neck from that sudden, wild spike of energy from two souls flaring. Rushing straight their way. Zosar was aware of it before she’d even had the time to react to it. Wren stared blankly as the AW’s axekick landed on the flat of her blade, feeling an almost familiar tickle reverberating throughout her weapon form. Like a spiked wheel brushing against her skin, over and over again, revolving at blinding speeds. Was this how she felt when her chainsaw clashed against another demon weapon?

‘Well…out of us two, you’re the only one who knows anyone here. Be a lot weirder if we bumped into someone I knew, no?’ — It'd be concerning, rather. Outside from Death City, everyone on her personal contacts were only mobsters, gangbangers and druglords from the lowest rung of life. Some— old, old codgers who still considered her the ‘Don’s Daughter’— still messaged her almost periodically throughout the years. Didn’t matter how many new numbers she got; didn’t matter how badly she’d ghost them.

It was like having twelve different technologically challenged grandparents to go through each month. Each sending her their respective religious facebook posts and over-edited cutesy images to wish her well, in their own way.

She would take running into (what she assumed to be) one of Zosar’s (many) exes any day of the week over them.

Blows were traded, the clang of steel rang deep in her sharp ears, the huff of the attacker’s paced breath underneath it as they shifted positions— then they were getting ready to throw themselves at Zosar again, pounce at his throat. Wren’s eyes darted from either of them, then settled on the figure of the Meister and her whip-sword, traced up the arm holding the sword, watched the play of muscle tense up.

Wren was focused. So focused that she hadn’t noticed that she was grinning ear to ear at the spectacle. She wiped the smile, cleared her throat.

What came onto Zosar’s mind then was the gruff, rehearsed rasp of a man’s voice. Straight out of an old noir detective movie, gravelly and low, with an over-the-top, forced Italian accent — 'The air weighed down on my lungs, heavy with the stench of battle. But something else weighed heavier on my shoulders. Maybe it was the weight of my dirty conscience. I could not avert my gaze. There she was, the dame that took my heart all those years back. The woman whose heart I broke in return.' — She narrated, watching the world (almost) through Zosar’s eyes. He could only imagine the number of theatric gestures she was doing inside of her soul space — 'My sword arm shook with doubt, my mind fogged with questions…I couldn’t stop thinking about what I saw in her eyes just now. Was it a glimmer of something, a rekindling of an old passion? Or was my mind playing tricks on an old dog? It didn’t matter. I had to— K-EU—GHh!!!'

She broke into a pained coughing fit through the link, her throat somehow straining even in her soul room — 'Oh— cough!— fuuuck…! S...hit. M-My bad! I’ll put a plug on it…I get it. I just thought it’d be funny.' — She was lucky the time dilation between their shared thoughts through the link was as lenient as it was. After catching her breath, swallowing down the pain from her rasping throat, Wren finally decided to address the situation as the pair finally lunged at Zosar.

While Zosar’s eyes were glued to the shifting partial transformation of the AW, the first thing that Wren noticed was the looming shadow of the whip above them. They couldn’t rev-up the chainsaw or do anything fancy with soul resonance outlawed from the tournament, but that only meant she could focus on regulating Zosar’s wavelength and giving call-outs instead, without having to worry about diverting any of her wavelength reserves into her weapon form at all like she used to.

‘Above you. Pull back.’ — She warned, doing her best to regulate the amplified wavelength and threw it back at him. Enough speed and brute force to dash out of their way before both hits caught him, she hoped.

‘We should try to take the old dame out first. She’s the strongest link in the chain, I reckon. Keep sweet talkin’ her too while you’re at it, I think it’s getting to her.’

Interactions: NPCs Shotgunpenguin The Regal Rper
Mentions: N/A

 

[Sir Les Paul]

LOCATION—Death Colosseum, Death City, Nevada
DATE—10/31/2067 | Monday
TIME—N/A

Kyle the Disturbance

---

Feng unloaded her veritable arsenal at Kyle. Unlike their first interaction, it played out considerably different this time. At such a close range, Kyle hadn't the ability to properly dodge that bolt of lighting. All he could do was channel wavelength through himself in an attempt to endure it. This was the very same tactic Gauss was using on the other side of the field. At close range and without Resonance, lightning was simply too fast to react to. With some range, there were options for counter play, but here, he simply had none.

Even though brief, as Domas was cut off from his elemental affinity in his hammer form, the shock Kyle had to withstand caused him to freeze up. He had no means of countering Aki.

It was at this moment that Aki forgot something incredibly important. She wasn't the only Demon Weapon left. It was bold to assume she would just get to jump onto Kyle. The katana in his left hand transformed, that brilliant red light leaping out, and taking her natural form with the sole and singular intention of protecting Kyle during his vulnerable state.

"Leave Kyle-kun ALONE!" she shouted, having no reason to conceal herself given both she and Aki were essentially mid-air and on a collision course. Of course, she was another weeb. A dark-skinned girl of either Hispanic or western Asian heritage, if not a combination of both, decked out in shameless but modernized Goth attire, with the various piercings and short hair to match whatever nameless but easily recognizable aesthetic she was going for. More importantly, her use of honorifics in a situation entirely uncalled for them was telling enough.

Aki would not get to lock down Kyle. She had her own fight to contend with. She and the dark haired girl collided mid air, then dropped, their heads and torsos bashing into each other. Aside from the breast soreness, this would also result in a bleeding skull from each. The dark-haired girl with cut lower on her forehead, causing blood to trickle down into what would inevitably be in her eyes. Aki had a cut higher up, one that would drain off to the side and through her hair if given enough time. More importantly, the dark-haired girl wasn't exactly complacent in their fall, moving over to Aki immediately to grab the sides of her skull and go for an eye gouge with her thumbs.

That bitch played about as fair as her partners.

This left Feng to attack Kyle with Domas in his hammer form. She was still swinging, after all. She had Domas, a hammer, and her Berserker Wavelength. Without a Demon Weapon, Kyle surely couldn't contend with her. Right? ...right?

Even if he couldn't, he would try. Rage poured through him first. Rage at the prospect this woman made his darling Alma transform and endanger herself. Rage at the prospect of being a swordsman without his sword.

He did at least have a final trick up his sleeve. Soul Menace with his right hand would require some time to reset. He was no Black☆Star. The fact he could use the technique alone was a testament to skill. The reality here was that he had another hand and a damaged soul. It was hard to hurt what was already damaged. While most of his body might have been frozen from that bolt of lightning, his left hand was well enough to be free. Well enough for him to use Soul Menace in it. Albeit, with his Distorted Wavelength. It was weaker, sure, but it was Distorted. More importantly, it enhanced his strength and speed during use, enough to match the Berserker Wavelength, at the least.

Kyle used his left hand to catch Domas mid swing. It was here that one could see the rage in his eyes. It was here one could also feel the corrosive nature of a Distorted Soul.

It shot through Domas and even affected Feng, at least in the hand she wielded the hammer. It wasn't painful, and Domas could easily withstand the trickles of electricity that came from his hand, but the effect itself was immediate and noticeable. Upon contact, a Distorted Wavelength caused chaos in another soul. As if rewiring neurons in the brain, the flow of spiritual energy and how to command it changed. For Domas, this meant he temporarily had no ability to transform. For Feng, at least in the arm she wielded Domas, her Berserker Wavelength was effectively neutralized. Even it couldn't make sense of the spiritual chaos his soul could create.

Here came the final dirty tactic. Through the entire fight at his right side was the saya for his katana. A black, rounded scabbard with no major embellishments, just long enough for a full-sized blade to fit into. He reached for it. It would turn out, the saya was purely ornamental; Kyle never fully sheathed Alma inside of it. She simply detransformed her blade to fit. What this allowed was him to withdraw a second sword. Not a Demon Weapon, just a regular back-up weapon. A short blade that fell somewhere between the size and length of a kodachi and a tanto. More importantly, it was kept completely hidden to remain a surprise right up until he drew it.

With it, he slashed horizontally. As short as it was, it still had greater reach than a hammer. He attempted to use the element of surprise to eviscerate Feng. Of course, the sword was dulled for this tournament. Unlike a proper Demon Weapon which was expected to dull itself, any regular weapon in the fight had extra precautions taken. While it might have hurt, being struck by it would do little more than occur a point on Feng. It was the most he could do. With her Berserker Wavelength, all but her effected arm overwhelmed him in nearly every physical attribute.

Kusarigama

---

Gavril seemed to underestimate the abilities of a chain-style weapon. Ironic given his own choice of Demon Weapon and the fact he was in Paean with Adra. Chain weapons were some of the most creative and flexible there could be. As evidenced by his own fighting style. The Demon Weapon transformed one of her legs into the chain end of her sickle, having it trace down to the ground in the same time Gav decided to hurl Austin at her. She had no intention on continuing to fight mid-air if there were more combatants. Even she knew the risk.

Instead, again much like Austin, she adjusted the length of her chain to yank herself down to the ground, landing firmly. Both away from Austin and now grounded with more leverage. Still, the issue, and she knew this, was that she didn't have a good match up into a proper duo. Especially one that also utilized chains, meaning he could cover as much ground as she could. She had a Soul well-suited to fighting other Meisters, but it was a defensive one. She wasn't like Adrian that had some means of taking down an opponent beyond just her raw skill.

It was time to demonstrate, yet again, how this trio was willing to bend the rules and fight dirty. Her Wavelength spiked. It spiked incredibly high, actually. Higher than it should have. Gav would know exactly what this was the moment he saw it: Self-Resonance. He had seen it hundreds if not thousands of times with Kisei, then Midori. Resonance was to be banned in this battle royal, but here she was electing to use it. And, thus far, with no disqualification announcement.

She smirked. A shit-eating grin if you ever saw one. Not one of arrogance or pride, but the type of dreadful elation from someone that could finally activate their Trap Card. She knew was she was doing. It wasn't honorable. She didn't care. It was an advantage she had full intention on abusing. One that the EAT block didn't even try to abuse. "I'm just one soul," she announced, now proud, as if answering the question to the million-dollar question. That is when the wording of the rules made more sense. No resonance between any souls. Self-Resonance was, in fact, not between any souls - plural. It was just one.

This interpretation of the rules wasn't expected. None of the other Autonomous Weapons put it on the table, like Adrian or Kisei. Just this one. If either of those two could use Self-Resonance, the entire landscape of the tournament would change. More than likely, there would be an abrupt rule change announce to clarify this obvious abuse.

That meant she had to work fast. Luckily, even Self-Resonance was enough to put any single Autonomous Weapon above a set of partners if the latter couldn't resonate. One moment, Gav saw her and the Self-Resonance she was performing. The next, he felt her fist in his gut with enough force to make him double over and her elbow in his neck, knocking him down to the ground. Strong though he was, pitting him against Self-Resonance was downright unfair. At the very least, it only counted as one point against him from her, but between having the breath knocked out of him and the disorientation from having his neck hit, this was no small strike.

That's when it happened. A message broadcast to each fighter through their sleek earpieces as well as the entire tournament arena. Self-Resonance was, in fact, forbidden as well. What the Kusarigama used was her one-time get-out-of-jail free card, and she did so to get away from Gav and Austin. Now nothing was stopping her from running back at top speed to return to Kyle, seeing now how desperate he was. Alma was locked in a wrestling match with Aki, Kyle was barely holding his own with his damaged arm against Domas, making a last attempt at a slash to buy some time. He needed help and she was on the way.

Zosar/Wren, Elly/Kisei, Adrian

---

I decided not to interrupt in the other big fight, Elly needs to react somehow, and Sara needs to react to Adrian, so 3/5ths of my entries aren't ready yet.

EmperorsChosen RedArmyShogun Breadman Shotgunpenguin The Regal Rper

​

 

[RedArmyShogun]

Feng Long - Domas Krogertas
LOCATION—Death Colosseum, Death City, Nevada
DATE—10/31/20267​

As the situation proceeded to deteriorate even more, Aki’s final hoorah was cut brutally short as his Katana turned back into her human form and locked hands with Aki. A smile crypt briefly across Feng’s face, her mind still processing the logic of the situation. Aki was a trained and battled hardened mercenary, what could this goth mall icon actually do to Aki? She was sure her comrade would be back.

On the other hand, Wes was well beyond reach and likely out of the game, of that she was not sure. What she was sure of however was that bastard was trying to eviscerate her. Kyle had shown time and time again during this brief skirmish that he and his team would break any rule and go to any extreme for what they considered their own win. Or to do with that sword.

And of course the Kusarigama was on the way back, having ignored its would be opponents. It was then that Feng noticed something.. Each hit was scored by the weapon or meister individually, rather than collectively. She was at a disadvantage from the start.

Fortunately the sword that had struck her was dull and she was within range to strike back, but first…

’Domas, my arm has lost a bit of power, how about you?’

’I'm shook up and a bit, but I can still fight if that's what you're asking.’ He was silent for a few moments, letting his composure come back. ’What's the plan? Keep trying to crack his bones open? Or do we change course?’

’I’m going to throw you at the Kusarigama, if you can deal with her, then help Aki, I’m going to use my martial arts to fight him, my legs have some reach at least. I could switch hads with you, but then she’ll be on us.’

"Oh you want a private session with him, I see." Domas joked with a faux dulcet tone to his voice "Fine by me, just as long as you let me have the same time with the other weapon." An unusual tactic, but if your opponents cheat, you don't play by the rules either. "I'll keep her busy long enough for you to kick his head in." A second passed and he added with a bit of an annoyance in his voice "And I'll help Aki. Promise."

’Heh. Do what you want, either way, I’ll be coming for you all after.’

With a brief turn and a throw, Feng would Hurl Domas, who could likely turn his form back into a human at least. She could have just switched hands, but then she would be turning her back to the Kusarigama, with that she did something a bit unusual for herself in this state, she taunted.

”I don’t need my weapons to beat you. Long, Feng comes for you!” using her self enhancement Feng takes up a stance briefly known as the preying mantis before rushing forward true to her monologue with Domans she started the offensive, advancing with a quick set of steps, Feng unleashes a sudden snap kick, connecting with the sword wielding Mesister as her hands and arms make read to defend from any counterattack, her aim was to stay within his reach.

Interactions: EmperorsChosen (Aki) Shotgunpenguin (Wes) Breadman (Domas) Sir Les Paul (NPCs)

 

[Sir Les Paul]

LOCATION—Death Colosseum, Death City, Nevada
DATE—10/31/2067 | Monday
TIME—N/A

It was true that Kyle landed a tag with his sword. There was some type of irony in the fact that using a regular weapon counted as a point for him when hitting a target with a Demon Weapon otherwise wouldn't. An odd, possibly abusable fault in the rule intended to prevent overwhelming opponents in number. Another truth was that without his weapons and gimmicks, he couldn't match the amplification Feng received due to her Berserker Wavelength. The difference was night and day. Her regular amplification was nothing to write home about, but with her wavelength in action, she was stronger. Faster. And, most importantly, no longer distracted. She didn't need to split her attention between maintaining amplification and her martial arts. She could now just fight.

Kyle saw her reaction speed. How she bridged the gap between them he tried to maintain with his kodachi. He knew full-well he couldn't match it. The best he could do was prepare for what was incoming. A snap kick, at the very least, was a fairly telegraphed attack. As was her act of taking on the praying mantis stance. Even still, he alone wasn't fast enough to dodge such a telegraphed attack entirely. Try though he might to sidestep opposite her kick, he was still struck by it in his shoulder.

A tag on him. One for one.

What Kyle did, as opposed to going in for a counter-attack, was use this momentum to try and reset the fight. He took steps back and held his kodachi with a single hand in front of him, a stance assuring he would gain the most distance out it--even if it was a short blade. His stance was narrow, one foot in front of the other, quite literally on the backfoot. He was sure if he could get back Tala, who was on her way, he would yet again have the upper hand. All she had to do was dodge the thrown hammer. It was doubtful, he reasoned, that the hammer could transform again before it reached Tala.

That would prove only half correct. Something Kyle could not account for was the power of Perun. Domas would find himself still unable to transform into his human form, but his axe form was ready. Even Domas wasn't entirely sure of the power his legendary axe form had. Passed down from generation to generation and rumored to have a dozen different abilities, the axe was both powerful and enigmatic. And, now, somehow resistant to the distortion caused by the hand of Kyle.

Either way, Tala didn't know about the distortion. Knowing all too well that Demon Weapons were prone to transform mid-air, she had a few plans on how to avoid that tactic. With Domas incoming, she both her left arm into the iron ball of her kusarigama and hurled it forward at Domas, intending to launch it past him much the same way Kyle did to get around Feng. Meanwhile, she stopped her body abruptly, waiting for Domas as he was incoming. The strategy here was simple. If Domas tried to interfere with her ball chain, she would simply revert her hand. If he ignored it, she could transform her body, then transform at the end of the ball like she did against Feng. It was the same strategy Austin and Gavril would implement if given the chance. In either outcome, her goal was simple. To either get Domas to give up his advantage by transforming into his human form (which he couldn't do yet and she didn't know) or to fool him and transform behind him.

She was determined to return to Kyle.

During this time, Feng would finally begin feeling the first stages of her Berserker Wavelength hit her. It continued to make her stronger and faster, gaining momentum and building on itself. More so, now it began affecting her body. A berserker was a berserker; mind, body, and soul. Adrenaline began spiking in her blood stream, coursing through her veins, accelerating her heartbeat, and kicking her sympathetic nervous system into high gear. Feng didn't have a fight, flight, or freeze response here; it was fight-fight-fight. This was the moment when the horse blinders slowly began to come on and the tunnel vision blur everything around her outside of the immediate fight. She wasn't lost to it, not yet, but aware of it at the least. She had every physical advantage against Kyle, so much so he was literally on the backfoot trying to stall her out.

The real question was for how long.

EmperorsChosen RedArmyShogun Breadman Shotgunpenguin The Regal Rper

​

 

[EmperorsChosen]

Aki Kiyoko - North of JFK International Airport

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~​

Aki admittedly wasn't expecting Kyle's weapon to transform into her path in an attempt to save him. The girl's head hit Aki's before she could process what was happening and they both ended up on the ground. In a way, this was better than Aki's worst-case scenario. Aki's worst-case scenario was Kyle batting her away or otherwise evading her entirely. Now, he was down another weapon and Feng and Domas had the advantage.

Now Aki was in a one versus one, which one might think put her at a disadvantage. She wasn't an Autonomous Weapon. However, she had far more experience and seemingly more autonomous training than the girl in front of her. The girl was more or less flailing, going for a desperate eye gouge. She wasn't transforming or trying to get Aki in a grapple. It was clear the girl impulsively transformed to protect her meister and that was the end of her line of thought. She was trying to keep Aki away, and also apparently cripple her.

Aki, however, wasn't all that phased. While initially surprised, her adrenaline had long since kicked in. Between their opponent's team's underhanded treatment, malicious intent, the harm to Wes, and this girl trying to claw her eyes out, this wasn't a competition but a battle, and the person in front of her wasn't a rival, but an enemy.

What the girl in front of her would see staring back at her were not startled or anxious eyes, but a dead one devoid of any light or the light and bubbliness that was typical of Aki. One hand reached up to grab one of the girl's wrists, attempting to twist it in the direction of the other to interrupt her attempt to blind. At the same time, Aki's other hand was pointed up at her head from under her chin, her index and middle fingers pointed, morphed into the barrel of a gun. If Soul Perception was used, it was clear Aki had a magazine loaded and ready to fire.

 

[EmperorsChosen]

Eloise Keegan - Death Coliseum, Death City
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~​

Elly felt confident about this plan. It was perhaps a bit unnecessary, but she figured being a ranged specialist feeling the sudden malicious intent she knew Kisei was capable of suddenly in close proximity, it would cause Roderick to panic for a brief moment.

But no, the madman only seemed annoyed of Kisei's existence.

The man swung the gatling gun around with surprising speed and deftness. However, the fact remained that it was a large, cumbersome weapon. Even if he could swing it around relatively easily, it essentially became a big bat in closer quarters.

As the weapon was swung in her direction, Elly pushed herself as much as possible. Priority one was clearing past the barrels so that she couldn't be riddled with holes. She ducked down, sliding under the weapon whilst throwing one of Kisei's sickles at Roderick's head. She intended to use the same trick she did against the Duke, using the intangibility of Kisei's chains to evade whilst attacking. As she slid under him, she swiped the other sickle at his ankle, aiming to trip him up or at the least get a point.

'Another ex of yours?' Elly chimed internally, evidentially not being so concerned of the situation that she couldn't find the time to tease her partner. 'I'm quite surprised. I thought your were more interested in red-heads.'

 

[Sir Les Paul]

LOCATION—Death Colosseum, Death City, Nevada
DATE—10/31/2067 | Monday
TIME—N/A

Alma of the Broken Edge

---

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING​

Wes awoke to a painful, persistent ringing in his left ear. An overwhelming sound so pronounced that it drowned out the ringing in his right ear. His head felt heavy. His whole body felt heavy, but specifically his head. As if a sandbag for a pillow had been laid across his skull. Yet, somehow, his head felt hollow, as if all that it contained was a dense fog that currently obscured everything he thought, felt, and saw. His jaw would ache, but his brain hadn't relearned how to feel that pain yet. It wasn't broken, though he had no way of knowing that. All he knew was the bright reality of the fight still ongoing in front of him; the waking world still too intense for even the tightest of squints to filter.

In truth, Wes was in no time to worry about wavelengths or souls. He could barely process conscious thought right now. His mind was still in the twilight between the cold sleep that Kyle put him in and the chaotic state the tournament was still in. The man may not have even realized he was awake, still believing himself to be in realm of Hypnos and Nox after his failure to embrace the wrath of Ares.

It would not be far-stretched to believe this world a dream.

For, in front of him, he saw Aki on the ground, too. With another girl, one he had not yet seen, one whose soul he could not hear for all he could hear was that wretched ringing. His head, laying flat on the floor parallel to those to, positioned perfectly to see them in the only window to this waking world he had. What he saw made was not meant for this tournament. It was madness. It was absurdity. It must have been a fever dream.

Alma, though he knew not her name, had somehow pinned down Aki. Her hands no longer trying to gouge out her eyes, but now preventing her from firing her gun-formed hand and interlocking the fingers of their opposite hands so they could not be twisted. That alone was not the source of confusion, though it was unclear how Alma or Aki even ended up in that state. No, the confusing part was that, to the blurry eyes of Wes, it seemed the two were locked in a kiss. Alma on top, lips pressed to that of Aki, and seemingly more involved in the gesture than one would attribute to a battlefield.

His ears ringed and his eyes defied him. As his world slowly became more clear, so too did the pain begin to become more focused. His shoulder hurt, possibly dislocated from being tossed across the floor. A small gash on his head that was bleeding, though not so severe it yet needed intervention. And, of course, the vertigo that would hit him the moment he even tried to move.

Roderick the Ridiculous

---

'Not mine,' Kisei answered, though somewhat strained by the fact he had to concentrate on the complex movements Elly was attempting to perform. His Meister often forgot it, but splitting his attention between what were effectively two different weapons happened to be a relatively difficult task. He only had these new forms for a few months, after all.

'Long story short: Gav is really competitive. He beat some Star Clan members, thought he could do the same to me. He couldn't, but he challenged me dozens of times anyway," Kisei explained, though condensing his entire history with Gav down to a few sentences was tough. It cut out plenty of missions and interactions with some powerful people. Or, in the case of Roderick, crazy ones. 'Gav had a thing with Roderick and Roddy there didn't appreciate how often Gav tried to fight me,' Kisei told her, piecing it all together. A story of jealousy.

Despite the strenuous back and forth, the duo would prove the distraction wouldn't interrupt their plan of attack.

While it didn't count as a tag, the hooked sickle on the foot of Roderick was enough to cause him to trip up and fall forward, faceplanting onto the ground. He did at the very least try to dodge the one incoming at his head, but that feint only distracted him from the real danger below. Roderick was on the ground, crumpled over his Gatling gun, cursing both before and after his fall, and now with Elly positioned behind him but facing away, given she had just slid passed him.

EmperorsChosen RedArmyShogun Breadman Shotgunpenguin The Regal Rper

​

 

[The Regal Rper]

Threat of Three
Colosseum, Tournament

The fight was about to get more intense as Zosar switched tactics.

Valerie took a forward fall. Doing a handstand upon her fall and using her legs to kick out as Zosar pulled back, it was at that moment they all felt a powerful spike from her wavelength. Wren unfortunately got to see that Zosar in fact wouldn't be able to dodge either of the attacks coming.

Though he didn't have to, if he could pull off the right maneuver.

Valerie wasn't a tall person but she knew how to work those blades on her legs and in the brief window she had, she capitalized on the same loophole someone else had. Yet even with that advantage, by luck or skill, her handstand kick couldn't land. The force behind it however was multiplied. Even as she met the surface of Wren's blade as the defense to her kick, Zosar had to brace against it. Simultaneously the move Kim had tried to use to set him up for Valerie's follow up, failed. Wren saw it clearly as Zosar actually responded to her advice right when it seemed maybe he was too focused on the AW that was capitalizing on her Self-Resonance-- before the rule update hit all their ears at least.

The whip was deflected in a way that forced Kim to recall her partner, Valerie however kept on coming. Kick after kick. It was as she lashed out the rule update hit their ears- but that didn't stop the brief momentum Valerie had gained even if her self-resonance did. She went on a hip hop spinning maneuver, walking forward and twisting on her hands at an insane speed while the blades around her legs slashed repeatedly with incredible force into Wren. The first few hits might have bled together as one hit done multiple times. Every single kick was like being shoved as her blades slammed into Wren over and over again sending sparks flying. One slip up and she would have them, each hit forced Zosar to brace but the last sent him sliding. Though to his credit even with the brief intense offense, Zosar managed to endure the assault without getting bowled over.

Though as Valerie came out of her upside down spin, Wren heard her say with a degree of mock in her tone, “Your partner got no moves to offer?” She didn't wait for any kind of retort though. Using chainblades on her hands she rolled herself after them. The next kick came immediately after, though weaker to the self-resonating assault, it still packed a heavy hit that was countered by Zosar defensively swinging Wren. Between the attacks, he carried more force, his maneuver also forced Valerie back forcing to use the hit as it clashed with her chainblade to kick off and create a gap of distance on the momentum-- one that Kim immediately covered.

Kim slashed with the whip sword, the Weapon extended slightly in a manner that allowed it to curve and enhance the slash as she moved in. Wren felt it get blocked once, then again as Kim slashed in reverse, her attack swatted away, forcing her to keep her distance also.

Wren hadn't been wrong. She was the more gifted Weapon here, at least in form. She had more reach than either of Kim's partners or Valerie herself could hope to achieve, and had a greater defense benefit but if the Whip extended from their base sword form, that difference in blade length changed to favor Kim. Kim used that skillfully in her next series of rapidly paced slashes. A flurry of attacks alternating between sword and whip before she launched the whip again as Valerie made a blitz on Zosar's opening.

The whip slashed diagonally- Valerie came from the side- again, they were perfectly timed.

Again the baton was used here, using it as a deflector against the whip while Valerie's right punch was easily dodged. It set the AW on the right foot forward only for her left foot to rev the blade on it- friction caused that leg to move and made her leg shoot up with the momentum leading to a perfect high kick taekwondo maneuver with additional force as her blade led the attack. Zosar didn't use Wren to block that though, he weaved away from it as the left foot shot up past him, air whistling as a chain bladed foot sliced through the air inches from landing. Valerie's eyes widened for a moment-- this was the perfect opportunity to get a tag in or land a strike with Wren that could follow up with a tag. He might have done exactly that too- it was a window to take advantage of, but if Wren were paying attention she would know that her partner wasn't the only one able to take advantage of chance; Kim also had the perfect chance to use the moment to try and go past him to get to Wes-- unfortunately, Zosar had anticipated that.

Instead of taking the hit on Valerie he moved to Wes’ defense.

This was going to be a problem if he kept playing guard for Wes. Wes however wasn't out of danger.

One more second and Kim would have had her whip launched to ensnare Wes and drag him right in for a tagging-- till Zosar shifted into her path and forced her back with a thrust to dodge Wren's blade.

In that moment, Zosar also glanced in Wes direction while he had the opportunity to see the state of his soul. If he was actually still unconscious or just playing possum.

For a brief second he also saw Aki getting topped by an opponent-- odd-- but it was irrelevant to his situation so he ignored it completely to refocus on his enemies.

Kim and Valerie were moving in anyway.

In her right hand, Andrea, the whip, had just retracted back into sword mode. Kim performed a whip slash that Zosar deflected with the flat of Wren just for Valerie to come in with a powerful axe drop kick. Zosar dodged that, deflected the follow up from Valerie then dodged the sweeping left the AW made smoothly but narrowly, and again had a window of chance against the AW, but just as he was about to take it-- Kim took his window away.

The fight was getting heated.

Four against two really weren't fair odds- but in a way this was exactly what Wren had wanted and if anyone had been paying attention, playing fair didn't exactly get you far depending on the opponent you faced.

That was especially true here.

Kim's soul spiked, and as hers did, it would become clear what she was doing. The spike was high and wavelength pooled into her left hand.

Soul Menace. The energy around it vibrated menacingly, and it was still building.

Wren had an instinctive understanding she wouldn't be able to tank this hit. This would hurt- and it would hurt a lot if she did. Soul Menace was notorious for being able to get past a Weapon's invulnerable state, and that was with a normal wavelength. Kim's if she recalled Zosar saying, was anything but. Wren however had more than just the attack Kim was prepping to worry about. Valerie was taking the initiative to move. Using the momentum of her blades to shoot herself up into a one-armed handstand, the AW did a drop kick, aiming for Zosar's chest with her two legs.

“You're doing pretty well” Kim praised, “too bad you've got no one else to cover you.” A cheeky remark Zosar didn't have time to reply to.

Valerie's attack came first- her legs shot out with amplified force. Wren felt the two leg hit land hard. Even with his amplification, this wasn't something Zosar could just tank with how the force went into Wren and how the attack aimed closer to the hilt of her blade. It shoved them both slightly away, perfectly aligning them for Kim's attack.

Zosar however didn't brace against this attack like he had the others. He used the force to his advantage- widening the distance between himself and his opponents.

This was where the sound of Kim's soul menace also became audible. A vibrating buzz of static and energy that blurred around her left fist.

Somehow she lashed with the whip, Zosar deflected it.

Valerie wasn't letting up either. Using a capoeira style maneuver to flip herself she got a single forward flip kick in.

Wren however didn't feel that attack land though. It passed her by centimeters.

“This all you two got?!” Valerie's taunt was impressive given she had missed-- at least it was until she did the next thing. When she landed on that flip she suddenly closed the gap with her blades propelling her, landing a bladed foot on Wren's blade while she did this acrobatic upside down kick.

Kim at the same time lashed out with Soul menace. Two different attacks coming at roughly the same time. Zosar wasn't looking at Valerie- he had chosen Kim as his priority with her attack coming.

Something however wasn't right.

Unaware, Valerie had sharpened her blades just enough to make it so it could catch Wren's and ride them up. She didn't land with her full weight, but rather used her legs so she could slide along Wren's blade towards Zosar. If she landed any hit the blades would deliver a cut- nothing horrendous but something that would definitely hurt to some extent. Wren may not have noticed the unruly game the AW was playing but perhaps she caught the mocking sneer on Valerie's face as she pulled her upside down technique and lashed out with her amplification.

If it was anything- using her like a ramp was a lowkey insult.

Wren had an opportunity here though. It hit her as everything unfolded.

Like all Weapons, there was a degree of control a Weapon had over their form. She had watched the Whip display this multiple times through the fight. Some weapons had more flexibility, others didn't.

She didn't have the same creative options as some variant Demon Weapons, but Wren did have moving parts. That meant she could potentially stop Valerie in her tracks.

Valerie was currently riding her like a skater would ride the guard rails of a staircase. It was a smooth ride right now but that was only if Wren let it be. The thing about Chainsaws was they had teeth, and those teeth needed to move to do damage. Wren's blade was Valerie's ramp. But the teeth she could move on her blade could move if she willed it, that could stop the AW. She could power her teeth to move any direction either reverse or forward with her own wavelength- sure she wasn't skilled at it, so she couldn't match the techniques she could pull with Zosar in Resonance or match Valerie at the speed she was going but Wren could still move either teeth on her blade in this brief window to do something. Right now Valerie was planning to use her like a ramp against her own partner, and at the speed she was moving, she would get a clean opportunity to land a hit while he was dealing with Kim.

Time ticked, like the approaching ominous sound of Kim's left fist.

The choice was hers. She could do something and it needed to be now- or she could take it up with luck and see how things unfolded for her partner.

Someone was going to win this race- she had the choice to shift things in her favor. After all, with Valerie grinding on her in smug satisfaction, she didn't need help knowing a hit from those feet would hurt.

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