PESTILENCE

Following the end of the quarterfinal matches, each member of the advancing team had been given a new suite entirely to themselves. These new rooms were larger than the previous and included finer services and 24-hour on call room service. Each person had fought their way here and the Hotel rewarded the celebrities with better accomodations.

However, none of these fighters would realize that while they were in their rooms the hotel had been evacuated. Every floor was voided of other guests and staff. They were all outside, equally ignorant of what was happening on the inside of the hotel.

3:00 AM - Morning of the Semifinal matches.

A loud, deafening bang on the door would blast throughout Sunstrike's suite. Upon viewing through the peephole, he would see a large blood splatter on the wall and a trail leading down to a broken and near torn apart body that resembled one of his most beloved teammates, Vahn.

Sunstrike Wrote:

Where was Vahn? Was this some late night drinking expidition he'd not been invited to? With a sinking feeling he turned the knob on the door, and prodded the door open with his foot. Only to see... A large, deep brown fist shooting straight for the center of his face. Normally it would be a sissy hit or at least by this guy's standards.

But also, considering who was throwing the punch, Sunstrike would be lucky if his face didn't permanently cave in.

In fact, he'd be lucky if the only thing that happened.. was that he'd enter an immediate backflip and land face down on the ground from how strong, fast, and hard the blow was.

That's right.. Reiko was waiting on the right side of the door from Sunstrike's POV, and his left fist shot forward as soon as Sunstrike showed his face.

Reiko stepped in. It had been a while since either of them had seen eachother. In Reiko's mind though, nothing ever changed Kasuga and company. But since they had last seen eachother, Reiko had grown in a big way. His physique resembled a God's .. he wasn't taller but his posture made it seem as though he would always be looking down upon you. Also to note, he was bare a** naked, his manhood throbbing because he got off to the pain and suffering of those he didn't like.

"I see you clowns are progressing well as usual!"

He walked in to take a look around the place. He would be jealous, but then again he was far past the point of caring about what "weaker" people had.

Reiko raised his right hand to catch the remote and then turned the television on if it wasn't already. He had the nerve to ignore Sunstrike temporarily while he tuned to Cartoon Network, because you're never too old for cartoons.

"Well, I didn't even get a hello. Or a named mention."

He looked at Sunstrike while holding the remote up as one would do if the police told them to raise their hands when at gun point.

"I just want to make sure you understand that if you do happen to come out of this encounter alive... you will never be able to use your natural bodyparts or functions again right?"

A rear shot of the action.

A second to wait for the answer. Just a second, yes or no. No time fo' jibba jabba.

And then Reiko flung the remote as if he was hurling a throwing fastball to score the last strike to win the game. So it was apparent that he meant it. Aimed right for Sunstrike's face again. The remote probably wouldn't break his face...

But his face might break the remote.

It might.

Unless it less than 3 seconds, Reiko would give the sudden rise in temperature little thought for now. Especially because he prefered hot weather to cold weather any day.

Less important stuff aside Reiko rushed over, 2 or 3 or however many steps it took. He was running so fast that however many it took, you'd think he only took half as many.

Once in range his body loomed over the flipped up coffee table for a blinking moment before his left fist and forearm came down like a large mallet to smash through the table and damage the floor, kneeling with the blow. Most of all, hopefully smash Sunstrike's body into the floor so it would appear as though he was part of it.

Either way it wouldn't matter. Sunstrike's position indicated a roll back, a roll to the side or get hit. Reiko's body adopted a low wrestling position quickly after the attack to shoot his hands out rapidly to scoop up Sunstrike by the shoulders, turn, and slam him on his back behind behind Reiko.

How generous was he, to grant Sunstrike a glimpse of his teammate's limp and bloody corpse against the wall through the doorframe.

The table hit Reiko, and he paused.

Yes that's it, he paused. Was he hurt? Confused? Dazed? Any of that? Who knows but him? But his actions for a moment just paused.

When he was through with that, Sunstrike was trying to slide between Reiko's legs. Perhaps it was a bad decision to do this. Reiko sat back like dead weight.. dead weight? Perhaps then he fell back to a sitting position right on Sunstrike's abdomen.

He looked down at him after sitting and quickly used his left foot to "spread" and pin Sunstrike's right arm to the ground. He wouldn't chase the arm though so if SS resisted Reiko would just pull his legs back so that he would in a straddling position on the abdomen. Anyway, simultaneously both hands darted at the corresponding sides of Sunstrike's head to grip it.

Tightly.

Perhaps if there was more power behind it than just a floor explosion...

Reiko was hanging on Sunstrike's left ankle with his right hand, applying a quarter of a ton of pressure to the grip. Whether his ankle could sustain that kind of pressure Reiko had no idea. But he didn't really care either because there was pain either way.

He yanked down to pull Sunstrike into the room on the floor below with a slam as though he was flinging a snake, without letting go of course.

A moment to look at his skin.

"Ah.. damnit.."

And then his legs flew right out from under him for a triangle lock around Sunstrike's left knee, leaving Reiko to slam onto his back on the floor with Sunstrike in a kneebar.

But Reiko wasn't in any hurry to win here. And this wasn't a competition. So he saw no reason not to break it.

So with a sharp jerk.. he thrusted his hips up into the knee and his torso back. Two times. Two quick times just to make sure he heard the snap and make sure it was broken.

Reiko stood there in a backward bend position while still holding Sunstrike's ankle with an outstretched arm. He didn't fall though, he was still firmly supported by his feet.

There was the pause in his actions again.

Then his torso shot back up to an erect position as he spoke.

"Are you kidding me? It's a love seat! They are barely even 125lbs!"

Now there was something new added to the pre-planned actions. Reiko administered a crushing right shin kick to the outside of Sunstrike's left knee, and with this he flowed right into the knee bar again.

Still with the two quick body jerks to snap it and systematically render his victim immobile.

Sunstrike Wrote:

Reiko opened his mouth to speak before viciously kicking Sunstrike's shin, and that was all it took. Speaking is not indicative of being unfocused.

But he was surprised, his facial expression showed that as he stared down the length of the giant wooden splinter that he managed to grab it with his free hand just as it entered his mouth.

While he held it his left heel, with no exaggerated motions, quickly stomped forward at Sunstrike's groin area. Missing would leave a heel sized crater in the floor, bordering making a hole from the "power" rolling off the end of the strike in a manner of speaking.

Simultaneously he bit down on the wood (that is so gross but I cannot think of any other way to say it) to keep it in his mouth.

Following everything, hit or miss, he dropped into kneebar again, intent on breaking quickly.

Sunstrike Wrote:

If Rei's skin was that of metal, large chunks would start to come out of the skin and muscle, if it was any less then that, bones would start to show. (( Alright so... I am under the assumption that you have to write on things to blow them up. Now uh.. you didn't say you wrote on the wood so.. ))

Reiko was oblivious to what was happening, at least he was oblivious to what Sunstrike was trying to do. Reiko, himself, all parts collectively/individually, was a magic disrupter. Or had within him a natural immunity to the magic. The non-physical or unnatural aspects of all abilities directed at his person, never came to fruition. At the same time Reiko would have no idea that it was ever happening.

To Reiko.. Sunstrike's hand was.. doing something perhaps something towards a desperate struggle for escape.

And to Sunstrike, he would notice that nothing.. well.. happened. If he wrote it with his blood then Reiko just had decorative blood on his arm.

Perhaps a more indirect method should be applied?

Kneebar.

Sunstrike Wrote:

Heat exploded over both fighters and Sunstrike's wings SNAPPED open, straight over Reiko's leg and straight into an unprotected groin. Unprotected? Aside from Sunstrike's leg being like directly pressed against his pelvic area and Reiko's legs closed tightly from performing the kneebar. Without clothes no doubt, sure.. it was unprotected.

Also, it's funny how constant training for hardened bones, hands, body, and huge dense muscles will make you treat heat in the air as though it was another simple walk through the desert.

Yes.. simple walk through the desert.

But since there was an order to this madness. Reiko's hands came off Sunstrike's leg. Wings and them trying to go over are pretty obvious because they are big and large. His hands caught the wings as he unwrapped his legs and stood up. Picking up Sunstrike with him.

Sunstrike Wrote:

His own skin heated enough to burn any normal flesh, and it would begin to turn obsidian around the edges, hot enough to even cleave DANTE metal.

That would make him a tough customer to hold onto the salamander, since this was based on a physical reaction.. Yes, and as he held Sunstrike up amidst the chaos, twin trails of smoke rose from his hands.

Every muscle in his body tightened quickly, like his grip, to allow him to endure it for a bit longer, for him to perform a sharp, yanking "reverse dumbbell fly" motion with his arms while thrusting his forehead at the center of Sunstrike's face which was being pulled forward with a jerk due to the wings. This was to break the wings in a manner of speaking. Rip them.. whatever. It didn't matter if it didn't work, the headbutt was the most important thing.

Once his arms reached the end of the motion he immediately let go to relieve his hands of the rising pain.

But that would be short lived as the floor caved in, Now both of Reiko's hands shot for Sunstrike. If he stayed above due to his wings they would land upon his right ankle unless some instinct told SS to move the leg. Appling the previous crushing grip to the ankle and the shin.. due to both hands being stacked.

If they fell together Reiko would grab for one of Sunstrike's wings as just reaction.. releasing sometime before landing on the next floor because of the burning skin factor.

Sunstrike Wrote:

(( Sorry, going by the picture you posted. )) (( I was too. ))

Me Wrote:

Unprotected? Aside from Sunstrike's leg being like directly pressed against his pelvic area and Reiko's legs closed tightly from performing the kneebar. Without clothes no doubt, sure.. it was unprotected.

(( But on to the fight ))

Sunstrike Wrote:

The ground didn't fall in, it actually buckled and exploded upwards. Right between both fighters....

....The force would rip both wings clean off Sunstrike's body and throw him against the wall, which buckled, and then actually blew outwards, as one explosion led to another in a domino effect.

What.. outside of the other side of the building, hanging on the "foundation?" of a balcony upside down by his toes was Reiko, smoking. Smoking as in his body was smoking from the explosion. What just happened was exactly what Reiko didn't want to happen, he has lost track of exactly where Sunstrike went. He had an idea but it was too broad and vague.

And then, a wig fell over the side right past his face, prompting Reiko to look up (aka down) and see the infamous Mr. Crawley.

"REIKO"

"What?"

"You think you could've chosen an opponent that wouldn't blow up the entire building?"

"Well I can't honestly say I didn't think it would happen... but I figured we'd throw punches"

"I just want you to know I almost got killed helping you."

"You could've left a long time ago.. I just wanted him to open the door."

"Agh, you owe me! And try looking on the.."

".. other side of the building, yes.. obviously."

Mr. Crawley stepped on Reiko's toes before jumping down over the edge like suicide, And Reiko pulled himself up, a testament to his superb body strength and training.

And he ran back to the hole that exploded in the floor and jumped down into it and ran to the other side of the building. Not through walls because shockingly, that would've taken longer. He placed himself against the outside wall on the side Sunstrike fell and started crawling the on the building, looking in windows, leaving toe and finger sized holes wherever he went. First he looked two floors up... then he started going down, looking in every window on that side's floor for any sign of his victim.

"How annoying. They should really do something about the quality of atheletes in this tournament. The next mage I see is gonna get it."

Now Reiko was checking the stairs. From the 52nd Floor. And the only reason he was here was because he got bored running through rooms and crashing through windows on all the other floors above.

He jumped up, and thrusted his heels down, using all his strength and descent to crush the fire escape for floors 51, 50, 49, and 48.

"Oops. I forgot that guy was there. Oh well he'll be fine."

Door closed?

No way Reiko could hear that with all the smashing and crashing. But this was just getting ridiculous. There oughta be a rule against running. He ran out to the 48th floor balcony on the other end anyway just to do a sweep of the floor.

He looks down and who does he see?

You get one guess.

But he didn't make a fuss. The guy found him some new toys apparently. Reiko just watched silently to see what he would do.

Sunstrike grinned and looked up from what he was doing. His face had been smashed, every once in a while he'd have to spit out all the blood from the broken teeth. His bandages were askew leaving open the wide gashes with stiches already stretched way past breaking.

And last but not least his left leg was in tatters, purple and blue, with white showing starkly against the skin where Reiko had broken it, held together with some burnt piping and cord.

"Yeah, you could say that I guess." He'd dissappeared from view for a few seconds from the topside, but now he was just sat hugging the fire hydrant and debating. He had put the empty jar outside the line of spilt alchohol and saluted.

"Sorry to steal your rum..."

And with an explosion half the balcony threw itself outwards with Sun sitting in the middle. Sun had apparently nailed all the joints with a concussive molotov coctail fuel.

One one-thousand.

Piping and girding screeched painfully as it started to descend under it's own gravity and weight.

Two one-thousand.

When Sun could feel his form dragging against the air, lifting it almost off the rapidly declining platform he hauled himself upwards, bottle and hydrant at his right side.

Three.

Sun jumped and caught hold of the 10th story balcony as the rest of his platform crumbled and died down at the base of the hotel, still lit up with flames.

Ten floors to go the-

"&@@)(&*" THUD. CLANK.

Nine floors to go and a sprained hip to add to the collection of injuries.

He slid into the new room and disappeared once again from view.

Reiko goes to the beach.

Sunstrike faces defeat for not finishing up quick enough.

Eliminated.