[Semi-Finals] Ruins of Light

Northernlands - Ruins of Order - Light

This the Final Destination. The ancient clues have all lead to this. You have passed all challenges, only one thing stands before you to hold you back. And they've arrived just as you have to battle towards the prize. You've fought valiantly, but here, now, you must give it your all one more time before the final battle. Do you have what it takes to go all the way? This battlefield of ancient stone seems to fill you with renewed strength as you step upon it. Heaven or Hell? You will decide who fights from here on out. A battle seems to have broken out on the other side of the alter past the stairs. You will not be left behind in all this. The Future depends on you...

General - This Ancient Temple seems to beat back the deadening forces of the Dead Lands despite its dilapidated condition. The ceiling of this structure has long since given way to the sky above, and chunks of temple walls and fallen columns make a battlefield full of ups and downs and obstacles everywhere. There is no perfectly flat area other than at the foot of the stairs, and the whole stage is surrounded by two walls and standing columns that look as if they may collapse if struck with enough force...

Weapons - Chunks of ruined temple walls, and the various weapons of fallen warriors defeated by the Ancient Guardians.

Natural Element Resource - None

Bonus Effects - Combatants fighting here will feel empowered and

emboldened, physical AND magical strengths being bolstered by the

strange energies surrounding this place. A grand battle awaits.

This does NOT, however, give you permission to go over 9000. Think more stamina, and slightly stronger abilities.

Unfolding the next chapter...

The wind took hold and spread his cloak wide out behind him. The sun was up and out, and that kind of warmth only serve to further his current state of being; satisfaction.

They had made it this far- on their blood, their effort, their very will. Every team that had gone up against them would be wishing they could be in the place they were now; amongst the heavens. This is it...everything we've gone through up to this point.

Both arms were folded across his chest, even as he stared out over the starboard railing, the sounds of Silver's joy crowing out from where he was at the helm. We sacrificed a bit much...but for that...we'll return the favor in kind!

He right eye closed, even as he took in the low body heat of Miranda, the warped warmth that emanated from Shouyin-- and the bleeding corona that was Silver.

Together.

We made it together.

He reached out and took hold of one of the mast ropes, even as the vessel began it's eventual descent to the pre-programmed destination within their FIGHTER's.

"......" He smiled finally, seeing as Silver's excitement was infectious as hell. I would follow no other. O' Captain, my Captain.

He girded himself mentally and physically for what lay ahead now though, the smile turning into a serious glower.

This is what everyone was going crazy for...who would have thought...in a location like -this-?

No wonder it had never been found... This place...this place has never healed...To come here... Would take a mad man. Funny how it all works out!

"....." He lowered his head a bit, feeling a bit of numbness, probably from the high altitude. Can't lose focus...not now. Not yet.

He stood tall and proud, his right eye narrowing a bit. "This is it guys.

We didn't come this far just to fall flat on our faces now!

Let's show the world again just how mighty this glacier is! Damn the Order! Damn the Shades!

We make our own destiny!" He pumped his fist into the air. "And if anyone has a problem with that-- BRING IT!!" He shouted into the skies, with everything he had. Noah...I'm almost there.

Suddenly as the airship approached, THIS boomed out of nowhere...

"Hello Glacier! I heard you were comming...

The sound came rumbling from beyond a nearby cloudbank, it was clearly a without a doubt Joseph Brown. The sound had the kind of warbly distortion of someone talking through a sound system while shouting over the wind. It was becoming pretty clear whatever Joseph was doing it was coming from the air. Vahn perched on the railing would probably get the best sense of the direction the noise was coming from. If he was to look it would take a few moments, quiet tense moments, before there was another low muffled sound. It sounded a bit like a band was playing. Then something emerging from the clouds... Slowly, the sound of propellers could be heard against the rising sound of what sounded like a marching band. As the haze of the cloud cleared it became clear what Vahn was looking at...

He was looking at himself.

"So I'm throwing you a sky parade!"

Well, himself stylized in parade float form. So while the head may have been huge and the limbs may have been stubby, every part of Vahn was recreated in a large overly cute scale. From his gauntlets holding an efreet's fang, to his greaves there was clearly a large balloon Vahn flying through the sky. Ropes trailed down tethering the float to a circusy looking ornate platform, complete with directional propellers and a very large sound system. There in the centre of that platform was Joseph, wearing a goggles and a bomber jacket over his normal vest and tie, twirling a microphone by the cord. Grinning like an idiot. You see, the elimination had had a severe effect on him. He needed something to take his mind off the heavy concepts and conundrums. He needed something expensive.

"It's really only cursory we show up here I know." He spoke into the microphone sending his voice out around, "I mean, the last thing I would want to do is get in the way of Glacier of all people. Man, I've bought all of the signed limited edition items on gBay."

Emerging behind the first float was a similarity stylized Silver Alexander, looking as cheerful as any Silver Alexander should. His balloon hand was giving the crowds below a big thumbs up and a wide smile. Teathered to the float team captain was another platform, only this one was a bit longer and with a very clear purpose. There was a robot conductor leading a band of robot musicians, playing a cheerful parade song as they floated lazily through the air. Perhaps it all was prerecorded, but the whole thing looked real at least with their horns and strings all merrily going on their way.

"That how it works isn't it?" Joseph's tone didn't hide the slight menacing confidence below the surface, "You guys inspire the masses to great acts. Kids wanting to be their heroes like on the TV, fighting for some great cause. Undefeatable in their unity."

Shouyin came out next, angry and confidently flexing his stone arm as he sailed through the clouds light as a feather. A larger than life float for a larger than life personality. The Stone King's cargo was a miniature and simplified replica of the airship they were on now, numerous flags unfurled with the teams logo. With a loud bang the cannons mounted on the side went off, sending large gouts of confetti into the air. Then from the deck the robot crew prepared fireworks, aiming them so they would fire far away from the balloons. Some were orbs in the glacier blue sailing into the sky, others exploded into large "G"s. Each explosion punctuated by synthetic oohs and aaaahs from the crew.

"Well, if they had to. The heroes will always save the day right." Joseph's grin grew as he spread his arms wide. Two two planes trailing banners reading "Welcome Glacier!" buzzed by him just as he did, "And you're certainly the heroes. Who needs to protect themselves when Glacier has these amazing powers that can defeat any foe! Certainly Glacier will sort out this mystery!"

Last but not least was Miranda and compared to the other three she looked very very calm. There was even a balloon piece of jerky hanging from her mouth in that endearing Miranda way. With her entrance the band suddenly got a very amazing beat, as the robot drum corps floated into view. Clearly not prerecorded they beat their instruments in perfect rhythm and time, giving the whole procession a kind of jaunty marchy vibe. Two other robots held onto nets under the platform, looking at each other and then releasing in perfect time. Hundreds of balloons of blue and white sailed further into the sky, their "G" prints clear as the light of the temple.

"You know all this, hell, you're POSITIVE of all this." Joseph gave a hearty laugh as the band picked up to crescendo behind him and began to make a slow circle above the ruins, "What chance does little old me and my self made millions and millions of dollars have against Glacier? I mean, fire and ice. Stone and heat! You guys are a goddam force of nature."

"It's simple really."

Joseph pointed to the airship and the corner of his mouth gave a twitchy little curl.

"You're ******** Glacier, you are Heaven or Hell!"

"I'd have to do something insane to try and divert from the natural star power you guys have." He tapped his chin and then pressed a button on his Adjuster gauntlet, "For example. This isn't enough. A parade? ******** Santa has a parade, you guys are are Glacier. Santa only wishes he could be the limited edition Silver Alexander action figure he's giving kids all over Gaia."

Something had been slowly rising out of the platform. Fans of the eighties would recognize it as a keytar. Joseph grabbed the neck and sung the strap over his shoulder.

"I guess all that's left to do is get aquantied, you'll find my teammates down below and they're all charming."

Joseph's face was a man holding back manic emotion. Unsettling to everyone else, affirming to the person wearing it.

"They find it easy to break the ice."

And with that Joseph ran forward to take a six million dollar man off the flying platform. As he plummeted through the air he began to play what could only be described as a sick keytar solo that wirelessly projected back to the circling speakers sound system so hard that it almost overheated. Do you want to know what a billionaire falling through the air playing a keytar sounds like. It sounds like a gourmet meal. It sounds like hot girls making out. It sounds like the most awesome thing ever.

Then he stopped playing...

... And floated gracefully to the ground.

To land directly nearby Miss harmony of course, she was his mark after all. He didn't say a word to her. He just kept grinning that shiteating grin as he started to free himself from the parachute and goggles. Yes, this fight was on.

--- --- Sometime before --- ---

Agent looked puzzled as he looked to the files, and then looked to miss Harmony.

"That b*****d." The goggled man slammed his fist on the table, "None of this was using company funds. Everything that was borrowed was returned, and every contractor that was used of says that it wasn't a project for Joseph. He's scott free on this one. We can't get him to disassemble this and we can barely even be mad at him."

Agent pushed his face to his palm and let out a sigh.

"Either he paid for this himself, or found someone as crazy as he is."

Though Joseph probably didn’t realize it, he was not the only one who had arrived with all the fan fare of the sky parade. Sol it seemed had tagged along for the hell of it.

At first he had sat with the robotic orchestra, but when they had begun playing it was not exactly the more peaceful location. He had then climbed his way onto the top of Balloon Silvers’ head, standing between two hair spikes he had a fairly commanding view of the fighting area. Sol himself was as buttoned up as much as he had ever been, his black suit jacket flapping in the strong winds at their altitude. The jacket covering his massive upper body and the rows of a stitches beneath, not that many would be able to see them from here.

He had relieved one of the orchestra Robots of its hat, a black cylindrical style military hat with a gold plume attached to the right side. Giving sol a look not to far gone from that of a massive toy soldier. After The events on the Chess board only hours before, he couldn’t help but feel like a Solider, though instead of Guns Sol used his fists, and that was good enough for him.

The final and perhaps most important piece of Equipment, though it unfortunately didn’t match his outfit at all was a white-ish gray parachute strapped to his back, though against the nearly platinum colored hair of the balloon he was riding on, it was probably nearly invisible at this distance. Sol simply smiled at the scene taking out Snoogins lighter and flipping the Zippos stainless steel cover open and closed to keep his hands busy.

“Good ole boss man, always willing to put his money where his mouth is.”

Sol looked down at the lighter and Smiled broader wondering what Snoogins face would look like when he realized Sol had absconded with his lighter. Sol bounced a bit on the balloons head to test that he had a good footing and nodded. This guys head was comfortable, I’ll have to introduce my boots to the real things head sometime. Sol laughed his deep baritone voice traveling smoothly through the clear skies over the ruins, oh yes, this would be fun time for all.

A slight tremor would ease its way through the arena in a manner that was strangely gentle, and therefore somehow foreboding. Vibrations would rustle slowly up the ancient columns, causing them to shake off a few coats of the cloudy and aged dust that they'd accumulated over centuries of erosion and wear. Some of the more cracked and dislodged floor tiles would shuffle into more comfortable positions from those they had been shoved into throughout time.

And straight through one of them a stone fist would erupt.

Shouyin would almost lithely climb out of the arena floor, gravel and dust falling away from his body like streams of water which yet left no trace, wet or dry, of their presence. He'd be barefoot, wearing a form-fitting blue t-shirt and some faded forest green cords, with a brown-leather bracelet about his left wrist.

"What's it going to be then, eh?"

"..."

Miranda looked up and around at the approaching sounds. She expected a blimp of sorts, not... not the spectacle they were treated to.

The other ballon members looked so fierce, so determined, so HOO-RAH! Vahn looked ready to burn something, Silver was just full of energy, and Shouyin's eyes had that look of calculated readiness, feral excitement. And then hers came, with an expression that was best described as:

"..."

We're already here in the semifinals... I guess the shock hasn't hit me yet...

Miranda looked down from the parade and ballons and to her own hands, clenching them. Her eyes watched as the Medium's lines snaked between her fingers... PRIME.

Wait, there it goes.

She shook her head lightly, cracking a smile. This was all too much, really.

Vahn Fah Wrote:

"You would have never thought that he'd just come back from getting beaten half to death.

That's just the kind of guy he is in the end.

Just the kind of guy I find myself following...when in his eyes, he's been following me all along." His right eye opened and he turned his attention back to the ruins beneath them. "Miranda...he gives me faith in all of this mess.

Because seeing him is seeing what could have been for me."

Miranda listened to Vahn... and then made a face.

"Talking about what could have been, you sound like you're ready to step down. Retire, build a house in Barthavos, and sit in a rocking chair..." Miranda sniffed hard, using her tongue and teeth to draw in more of the jerky that was apparently so much a trademark that it had earned a spot in the balloon of her likeness.

Vahn Fah Wrote:

"What Ryugi was talking about...when I see Silver...I know that the man everyone looks for me in me isn't ever going to be found again.

It's in him now.

That determination and will- the greatest thing a guy like me could ever hope to pass onto the next generation!!"

"Not until we do what we need to do. You can worry about passing things on..."

Miranda turned and leveled her gaze with Vahn, even if it meant that she had to snap her fingers at him to make him face her.

"...only after we get what... and who... we came here for."

Being up on the roof gave her some time to think. Despite her propensity for mood swings, she knew what the score was. Doubts were horrid little thoughts, nagging like imps and taking nest wherever they could. However, Miranda could readily attribute hers to the condition that would take the color from her hair and rational thought from her mind, Alpha Shift White.

Ray...

Unsane Wrote:

"Damn it Lazenca, you never used to whine this much!"

Miranda could be annoyed or depressed about any number of things, but there were people depending on her to be herself (gender notwithstanding)... just shrug, perhaps offer visible and audible silence, and keep going to make things right. Just because she didn't vocalize her intentions, or goals, didn't mean that she didn't have them. Things usually worked better this way, this purposeful silence.

My sister... I'll never forget you.

And they would continue to do so. She wouldn't change.

"You've still got it in you, I've seen it. I've fought it."

With a smirk, she patted him with her left arm, the arm that was turned into ribbons in their Gold Mountain battle.

"Don't lose it just yet, none of us are finished."

Turning to walk away and find a place to sit until they had landed, Miranda thought about those unvoiced reasons she was there, why she should care about anything going on around them. And it would have been a nice place to leave things, but she blinked and turned back around to look at Vahn and Silver.

Vahn... Silver... Miranda... all out here...

"Who's steering?!"

Vahn Fah Wrote:

And then the airship crashed head first into the base of the ruins.

"Siiiiiilveeeer!!!!"

Once the ship touched down in a way decidedly violent, Miranda was coughing. That was the second time they'd crashed... 66.6% of the time Miranda had been on the ship, but more importantly 100% of the time Silver was anywhere near anything even remotely important.

She quickly looked over the railing for Shouyin (who she knew was there from spying him on the way down) and all others, to see who had been caught under the craft... the state of their opponents.

Moments before Impact

"...Miranda..." He blinked, unable to really express what washed over him at that moment. He could feel it welling up inside his chest, even as the feeling grew and expanded outward from deep within. As if a cold sadness had been released-- and with it came the flowing tears, from both eyes.

And then the heavy lurching sensation, as the vessel tipped dangerously forward, gravity once more taking hold as the elemental within the flight ring wavered with the unexpected emotion from it's master. EVEN NOW.

AFTER EVERYTHING-- EVEN NO--

His emotional face became hidden in the sudden dust and debris that kicked up as the keel rammed into the earth for a second time.

After Impact

He stood there, face and cheeks wet and streaked with dirt, dust and splinters. His eyebrows were furrowed and his mouth was open wide, that oh-so trademarked arrogance bleeding through. "So I'll grit my teeth!!"

His coat was tore up a bit, and dust was still peeling off his body as momentum of the crashed ship continued to carry him forward even as he pushed off towards Joseph.

THWOK THWOK THWOK

Each energized shot impacted against the flat end of his transformed flammard-- the Fang of Efreet having transformed into it's true state almost the very instant it had been drawn. The atmosphere in the place was thick with something-- and it invigorated the Murmillion like he had never felt before-- something that failed to escape his notice. !

Seeing as how he had launched himself forward-- each impact against the flat (with his left half-swording) seemed to arrest his momentum, forcing him back just a tad bit from the force of collision, before gravity took hold once more. "Nnnyaargh!!" Coming down with a half-assed downward slash, he would aim to retaliate against the man-- but the continual shift in their current environment worked in Joseph's favor, saving him from the blade's descent.

SSSSSKKRRSSSSHHHH

TIMER 17:00

Joseph Brown Wrote:

To land directly nearby Miss harmony of course, she was his mark after all. He didn't say a word to her. He just kept grinning that shiteating grin as he started to free himself from the parachute and goggles. Yes, this fight was on.

"Hold these, give one to Sol and Snoogins." Joseph tucked three cylindric devices wherever he could find on Alison. Pockets, seams, cleavage. Whatever. He however kept one of the four to himself and held it to the air.

To say she was unamused was putting it lightly. Sol was up with the freaking balloons still, Snoogs had obviously blown a few budgets, probably his own, with the helicopter, and she was getting a canister shoved roughly down her shirt, but with everything going so fast, all Alison could do was-

The description of the ship hitting the floor of the light temple was anything but a simple loud crash or a bang. It was a whining, screaming clap of thunder and earth trembling impact. Stone exploded, bits of temple flew into the air and landed with great thuds all around. The sheer magnitude was enough to- to-

Send a multi-billionare tycoon running right into the thick of it!

"Mr. Brown? Joseph Wai-!"

But it was lost, and the platform that she'd situated herself on quaked uncomfortably. Snoogins was the closest person to her, making his way over when the airship hit, only...things wouldn't be as easy as just handing it over now. Bits of the scene were falling all over the place.

"SNOO-....MR WHITE!" A pillar thudded down between them, sending up another explosion of dirt. Alison simply readjusted her glasses, climbing/walking over it and handing the other man one of the canisters. Okay, so it was going to be that easy. Never let one get one's feathers ruffled, it'd be unsecretary like. "We need to get Sol!"

He found someone as crazy as he is... Miss Harmony looked up at the balloons and quirked a smile. As crazy as we all are for following, Agent.

Sol watched as the Airship crashed into the stage, followed by the pretty pretty lights of JB's laser fire and the bright arcs of a flaming sword, visible even from his high perch on top of the balloons. He supposed it was time to join the fun, or at the very least move to a more appropriate vantage point.

Stepping lightly he Walked tot he edge bent his knees and leaped from the balloon free falling as he passed the robotic orchestra his eyes closed and the wind making his grin seem unnaturally wide as he plummeted towards the earth, the wind whipping across his face and mostly bared chest was cold but refreshingly so as he began to feel the invigorating effects of the area and the adrenaline rushing through his veins.

His feeling of weightlessness ended however as the automatic back up deployment system released his parachute to keep him from mindless slamming into the ground and yanked him back to his senses, grabbing the control cables Sol pulled down hard on both of them and slowing his decent further as he steered for the group that was the rest of his team members, landing with a slight thud between them and the still Careening Airship.

"Miss me?"

((OOC: Connection issues and incompetent Cable company repair teams will unfortunately make my continued attendance this round/week, questionable at best. My apologies to my team mates and those of Glacier, for any inconvenience this may cause.))

Joseph wasn't doing too dandy either, the constant scraping against the uneven floor was making for a bumpy ride on this particular platform. To make matters worse it looked like they were going to hit some statues pretty soon, not that hitting something wasn't the norm right now. So Joseph took this time to stabilize his own positioning before making any stupid lunges forward. He expected he would have to make some of those in the future. A few more shuffled steps back as the shot impacted Vahn and he crosses over so his left side was facing.

Putting his left arm horizontally, he laid his right wrist against the forearm to stabilize any further shots he would take. Aim wasn't exactly easy in these conditions even with his finger gun levelled at Vahn.

"And what a lifetime it's been." He felt a tension up his arm as he put his opponent in his sights, "I'm surprised you'd ever have time to save the world."

Joseph went to speak but no words came out, his opponent wide open and he couldn't speak the damn word. He knew why and it went beyond all his common sense. He knew the murmillion could have moved, and he knew he should capitalize on that weakness. He couldn't though. He couldn't get in cheap shots while Vahn held back. That proved nothing! Joseph wanted to win, but there was something he needed more. Justification. Proof that his whole idealogical was right.

"Bang bang bang."

The low energy shots tore out but not at Vahn, instead causing three small craters and dust clouds between them. A little uneven ground to traverse. Joseph looking at his opponent and not where he was firing the closest came very near Vahn, but wouldn't hit him.

"Vahn." Joseph made an upward nod, "Before my lifetime's over."

Diagnostics_

BAT 95% [^2% V3%]_

VIT Exceptional_

M/O/B Light/Force/Air_

Stage Speed, Very Fast_

COUNTDOWN 15:00_

The whole world was collapsing around them.

Vahn was charging in and there was no way that he could get more shots off with the burst of speed Vahn just had combined with the rumbling of the pillar screwing with any aim. He didn't know the flat was coming at him at first, a dodge was the order of the day. Sidestep, Vahn was swinging right to left so Joseph flung his left foot back in an attempt to pivot out of the way. Not enough time, not enough stability. At the very least his dominant arm was forward enough for him to raise his own right arm against the swing. A too metallic sound as the flat of the Fang impacted the Adjuster gauntlet and the two clashed. Joseph let out an audible wince from the impact, even with the protection the whole thing resonated though his arm. He grit his teeth as Vahn flicked his wrist, struggling to keep the heat caught up on his forearm rather than siding down to his shoulder. The heat was against him, and even at such a low throb Joseph could feel it in the air.

Joseph was bending at the knees and sinking, he didn't have the strength to go toe to toe with Vahn. God willing though, he had the quick thinking. The pillar that just colapsed had rubble still flying through the air.

"You're just going to have to..." Joseph's left arm shot off to the side, fist punching the air away from Vahn, "Force me."

The energy tether shot out from his wrist wrapping around a decent sized chunk of flying boulder. Joseph yanked back as hard as he could, the tether retracting slightly to assist him, changing the direction of the rock. What once was going to careen out of the way, was now likely to impact Vahn's back or behind his right shoulder. Something to interupt the clash unfavourable for the CEO.

Diagnostics_

BAT 94% [^2% V3%]_

VIT Exceptional_

M/O/B Light/Force/Air_

Stage Speed, Very Fast_

COUNTDOWN 14:00_

The impact successful Joseph used Vahn's forward stuble to break off from the clash and took as many steps back perpendicular to his opponents fall as the rumbling would allow him, but he needed a little more. Vahn's wild swing to one side would still come across and just the tip of the fang would rake across Joseph's chest. Drawing a clear line, easily cutting though clothes and scratching against skin. Joseph worried that such a cut would be the worst for him stepped back a little farther then he should of with this rumble. A backstep timed with impact caused the CEO to fall backward, reaching behind to catch himself as Vahn reached forward.

Something would fall between the two fighters. One half of Joseph's tie, cut off by the directionless swing. It must have come untucked during the fight, leaving the million dollar man with a tie stub.

"Down already?" Joseph said with a huff trying to get back to his feet as quickly as possible, "I suppose that says something about the mighty."

He stayed crouched and looked to the piece of rubble he had hit Vahn with moments before, tether still around it. Grabbing his left wrist he gave a quick yank, causing it to awkwardly half roll half slide towards the CEO. With it in range he grabbed the chunk, roughly the size of a bowling ball and just as heavy, with both hands lifting it as he rose to his own footing.

"I don't believe it though." Fervour mixed with a bit of indigence, "I just can't help but think you're mocking me Vahn."

He tossed it as hard as he could into the air. The two handed throw sending it into an arc that looked like it would miss Vahn sightly to one side. Joseph left elbow shot back in the opposite direction, causing the tether to go taught and pull against the chunk of rubble. Altitude was lost quickly, direction altered, Joseph's makeshift heavy duty morning star towards the murmillion. However considering the setup, there was plenty of time for Vahn to notice this heavy attack coming, far from the surprise earlier.

He may also have noticed something Joseph was turned away from. A large stable looking wall their platform would hit in a post or two.

Diagnostics_

BAT 93% [^2% V3%]_

VIT Exceptional_

M/O/B Light/Force/Air_

Stage Speed, Very Fast_

COUNTDOWN 13:00_

"That's..." Josephs fingers spread and the energy tether snapped back to his wrist, "That's what I wanted to see."

More debris through the air as the two locked eyes, statues sent in the air with limbs and weapons flying. The impact was the main issue though. The impact of one heavy lose slab meeting a heavy secure slab. There was a horrible grinding sound as the impact point became a pivot for the loose slab. Though there would be no stumbling this time, well not much. The CEO did his best to keep his footing through the surprise impact, but Vahn had thrown down the gauntlet. Well, put on the gauntlet. Joseph levelled his finger gun at Vahn.

"We've got a ship to catch." He grinned with a fervour in his eyes, "Bang."

The bolt of energy, lowest level, shot off wildly towards Vahn just as the CEO began to move. Joseph took off running towards Glacier's airship as their current platform fought with the wall. Rumbling as it dug in but slowly gave way. First a slight tilt, but that wouldn't last long. Their platform was quickly going from horizontal to vertical.

"Bang. Bang."

More tears of energy shoot fast and loose at his opponent. Running shots were far from accurate, but this was more a foot race than a battle at this point. Lest the tide of war drag them under. Under a giant a** rock in this case.

Joseph just hoped he could make it.

Diagnostics_

BAT 92% [^2% V3%]_

VIT Exceptional_

M/O/B Light/Force/Air_

Stage Speed, Very Fast_

COUNTDOWN 12:00_

Sometime in the very near future.

Vahn had finished his bout, for good or ill; it was time for somebody else to pick up whatever pieces that remained of this sorry, sorry team (sorry for the fact that they should have to say farewell to this tournament having already come so far). So, in place of a broom, Shouyin raised up a granite fist and started to extend his index.

Snoogins Wrote:

"-- I'm out of ideas."

That, and luck. The point actualized by the tip of his finger, the half-golem would clear his throat and turn his palm upwards, gesturing hither. Hopefully the other man would get the idea: it was always easier doing the housework with somebody's help, and Shou needed to take out the trash.

"Cycle..." Joseph gave a command, "Alternate grip ungrip. Damnit!"

Joseph's boots in turn began to emit a gripping energy and then cease; a start stop timed to every step. Keeping him from helplessly sliding down the platform as he made the made break across the platform. However this wasn't going to do much for his manoeuvrability, and Vahn was closing in fast with his own tilted run. He tried to veer away himself, keeping the distance so he could pound the murmillion with more blasts of refraction laser. Not the case, it was hard to aim with a sword swinging around where your gun was.

He tried to weave forward with the first, rolling his shoulder with the blade causing it to scrape over his shoulder with slashed clothes and a burning scrape against the MetaTEC vest. Joseph's mistake was trying to aim at his opponent in the heat of battle. Joseph bobbed back up just as the fang came back and the burning sword cut a deep gash across his upper arm, cutting in the same place Damnatus had. Old wound and new combined to make the CEO hiss with pain and drop his arm lower.

Not like this. He had only begun to fight.

"Blam." He spoke through gritted teeth taking advantage of his dropped arm. The different keyword triggered a more powerful blast of energy, this one with more of an ability to rend and tear with the friction of twice refracted energy. A hit to Vahn's hip was what he was aiming for, something to let him break away from sword range, "Breeze. End cycle"

The next keywords would cause the turbines on his back to spin to life and the grips on his boots to cease. He speed up, he pushed harded assisted by adrenaline and science to hopeful burst ahead towards the edge, speed and angle practically hitting wall run territory. A bend, a jump, and then a double jump burst of energy out of the soles of his shoes when it looked like he'd end up a bit too short.

If everything went well he'd impact the deck of the airship. Stress pulling at his new wound causing him to curse as he tried to get his bearings.

Diagnostics_

BAT 80% [^2% V14%]_

VIT Exceptional_

M/O/B Light/Force/Air_

Stage Speed, Very Fast_

COUNTDOWN 11:00_

Alison handed over the container to Sol, and then pocketed the one that had been stuffed unceremoniously between her 'love pillow's'. She had noted that there was the logo on them, as well as a name, and she began to make a few connections in her head.

Later:

Snoogins had run off to fight Shouyin, leaving Harmony and Soul Sol left to their own devices. Alison was wondering if any of the other members of Glacier had actually SURVIVED the crash. Truthfully it was no skin off her nose if they hadn't, though she was a little peeved she'd not get a shot at this round.

Miranda was very little worried about herself, and more so about her teammates... and even more so about their craft. The area they were fighting in... there was no real reason to worry about it anymore. As the platform Joseph and Vahn on slid and continued to barrel through things, so would the airship... though at a slightly different angle. In fact, the airship had almost taken to spinning, sliding only slightly to the right before stairs or something pushed it back into a straight trajectory.

Look ahead; Vahn and Joseph were...

"...Huh."

Despite all of the environmental hazards, raining boulders of stone, debris, and weathered pillar, the two were still going at it as if they were on a stationary, flat plane.

Look to the side; Silver was there... clutching the railing for dear life while hoping Vahn didn't physically kick him in the left a** cheek for crashing the ship... yeah, that sounded about right. Even if it wasn't what was really going on, Miranda enjoyed that mental visual.

Look down and back; there was just enough of Shouyin's body visible from her current angle to tell that he was fine.

She looked back to the current fight, and what she saw made her eyes narrow as she shifted down to her Feral state.

It might've been all the skidding, it might've been the fight, or just the area they were in, its properties of emboldening a person... but something had the black-furred Esterian Wolf Tame smiling, lips pulled back over her sharp teeth.

Snoogins saw some rock, he made rock jokes. He tended to over generalize like that. Rock arm, rock man... it was the same to him.

His first inclination about the fight though wasthat he had probably made a slight mistake in standing still. Right, magic. Bad.

The rock would hit his left shin (Being right handed he always lead with the left) and first thing Snoogins did when his shin was hit, other then trying not to cry out in shock, was to drop. Though he did not just flat out fall. With the left leg leading his first instinct was to pivot his hips to the right and start to drop. At the same time his body, now pointing away from Shouyin. Though that wasn't all he did, the moment his knee hit ground he started to go into a forward roll, using his momentum to get out of the way as quickly as possible in the few second he knew he had.

This helped him avoid the knee.. or at least avoid it hitting his face. Shouyin still slammed into him and the force of the hit causing to let out a rather loud grunt as his roll went slightly off kilter and he sor tof skidded into the dirt. Recovering as quickly as he could he spun to face Shouyin, who shouldn't be too far away.

Seconds to react. His only thought at the moment. He switched tossed the baton to his left hand and with his now free right hand he pulled something from his boot.

Quote: Knife: Smith & Wesson HRT Boot Knife. Teflon coated stainless steel handle, 4.75 inch 440 carbon steel blade, 8.75 inch overall length, leather sheath with clip. Kept in his right boot.

Not wanting a repeat of before and having some sort of of large stone fist slam into his face as soon as the knife left the sheath he sprang from his crouch, leaping at Shouyin swinging the baton in an arc from left to right, aiming for a soild hit to the shoulder to which he would follow with trying to imbed the knife in his right hand in the same shoulder.

[Medical Scan 2 of Six]

{Timer: It's not over yet. Let's just say post 2}

There's something to be said about tactical awareness. There's a huge risk to leaving your opponent behind you, even if movement was as limited as it was on the platform. Vahn had to come at him from behind, Joseph didn't know how he would attack or when he would attack, he just had to trust in his plan. Well, almost. For such an epic pincer attack to work Miranda would have to charge directly at Joseph, and anyone who was planning an epic jump was looking at where they planned to land. If the wolf was charging forward then there was no doubt in Joseph's mind that the devil was coming from behind. But what could he do? He kicked off with his jump at the same time Miranda kicked off from hers with all sorts of flash. He was in the air, as was noted. He was committed. He was stuck.

But he was also Joseph Brown. This was a man who searched out impossible situations to solve them with improbable answers. Save that this was a pretty rudimentary answer. Any schoolboy, even the ones trained only in swordplay, could tell you that if you go up you have to go...

"DOWN!"

Adjuster Manual Wrote:

Back: Omnidirectional Propulsion Device

Post Usage, Active Range: Self | Battery consumption: 9% | Active Buff

Transformation: Shifts to a backpack with two pods that contain humming turbines. These pods seem to be able to move freely.

Pitch: A device made for increasing the mobility of the mobility device. The twin turbines can cause a jet of air in practical any direction. Increasing the length of Joseph's jumps, or allowing him to move like a ******** in skate mode. Or perhaps they can cause him to plummet to the ground faster, or even (if you would ever want to) help him come to a halt.

Blasting turbines faced the sky. Joseph's momentum changed and he sunk like a lead balloon. Even as he did he could feel the heat and cold building above him like a bomb he had just narrowly avoided. He had more pressing problems now, like how he had just pulled the killswitch on his jump with only the most skeleton of plans. His left arm shot out and above aiming back towards the deck of the ship that seemed so far out of reach right now. As the interrupt happened before he expended his doublejump, the botom of his boots flared pushing him forward and under the wolf just as he yelled.

"REACH!"

The tether shot out to almost the maximum of its range and wrapped around the posts of the airship. Hasty plans tend to get the job done, but they suck really hard along the way. This was no exception. The tether tightened almost immediately, wrenching Joseph's left arm horribly causing him to yell out. Not the worst part. The tether didn't start reeling him in until a few moments later, causing him to hit the ground with another yell, and endure a few moments of the speed shredding his clothers and replacing skin with dirt and gravel. It would do the job though. Joseph would be able to scramble up the side of the ship with a combination of reeling and repelling, he would be able to grab onto the railing for dear life and try to scramble to the deck in one piece. Bloody leg and bloody arm notwithstanding. What he couldn't help though was to look back at the aftermath. He had to know what happened when...

FIRE met ICE

Ecks X Wrote:

It's funny... I trained and fought just to use this against you.

And she would.

Diagnostics_

BAT 70% [^2% V12%]_

VIT Exceptional_

M/O/B Light/Force/Air_

Stage Speed, Very Fast_

COUNTDOWN 10:00_

The resulting aerial explosion would go off hues of black and white, as two opposing elements clashed- albeit briefly. A small burst of air spilled outwards from the impact, enough to force anyone in its vicinity to actually take a step back.

Wreathed in steam and gray smoke, something spilled out from the mess in the sky. Da-

Both arms crossed in front of his head as he came diving downward, he could only grimace as what just happened replayed in his head. DAMN!!

The look on his face probably would have matched Miranda's if he could have seen it clearly through the haze of her ability-- and by the time he realized the b*****d had practically slipped right through their fingers, it was all he could do to shield himself at the last second, not taking much effort or thinking to simply raise up his left arm over his right.

Braced in that manner, he went straight through his own teammates attack, his breath feeling like it had frozen inside of his lungs, and all the hair on his body feeling like it had turned to ice. Arcing over Miranda, he managed to avoid the worst of the 'Beast Crescent' passing right through the V part of the X shaped attack.

It was still a pain, and it would show as he came breaking away.

His right arm felt numb to the core, even with the gauntlet on, and his entire coat had simply turned stiff as a board, before simply shattering away as he fell towards the deck of the ship- and went rolling wide, crashing hard as he did his best to tuck into a roll, a smear of blood being left from where his now exposed skin came into contact with the ground. He continued to roll along, until his back went and struck against the opposite side of the railing, causing blood to splatter again. "Ghhk!" s**t...is it...dislocated...?

His right eye trailed over his right shoulder, having landed on it heavily. ".....huh...huh...huh..."

His chest rose and fell, even as he looked to where his opponent had gotten to, the cloth over the left side of his face long since gone as that eye began to open...

TIMER 10:00

Joseph had pulled himself over the edge of the railing just as he cloud of steam erupted. As expected it pushed him the rest of the way over causing him to hit the deck on his left arm, which in turn caused a heavy groan. It was stiff and his shoulder felt swollen. Between the fight with Connor and this he was going to have to reevaluate the usefulness of an energy tether if he pulled his arm out of his socket every time he used it.

Vahn hit the deck rolling and that was Joseph's cue to to attempt to get back on his own footing. No easy task considering the pain and the rumbling of the sliding airship. Perhaps the light of this place filled him, though it was more likely his determination not to be shown up. Not by him.

"You know..." Joseph groaned as he pushed one leg against the ground stretching and pulling at the road rash from hell his evasive manuvers had earned him, "You have one hell of a history Vahn. I've looked... Destruction seems to follow you."

He pushed up off the ground with both arms feeling he needed them both. His right had a deep gash that had caused his earlier injuries to pull and tear at their fresh scars. One leg had become as blood caked as his right sleeve in a short period of time. His breathing was heavy and ragged, oxygen not just needed for survival but also for distraction. His left, well that was all internal, but precision was becoming less of an option.

"Shift offhand light." He spoke to himself as the adjuster glove began to shift and then looked back to Vahn, "City or village. Desert or tundra. You've got the devil's own luck to have half the people looking up to you as you do."

Joseph was wobbly but standing, shaking his head as he looked at the murmillion slumped against the railing. Then, well then the CEO let out a hollow series of one note directionless laughs.

"Inspiring them to walk your path, or worse still, wait until you swoop in to save them." He gritted his teeth as he raised that pointing finger at the devil, "I can't say I dislike you Vahn, not personally. But you've become the walking talking avatar of everything I have to stand against. Kaboom, Vahn."

The third level of the refraction laser had charged as he spoke and it lit up his fingertips like the fourth of July. While the three shots of the lowest level were like long distance hard punches, the third level was more laser like. The bolt was larger, brighter, and all around better considering the jump in power consumption. It would hit with an impact and then shred clothes and flesh alike. Joseph's shaky aim tried to aim dead centre, hoping for a chest shot, but as mentioned precision wasn't really at an all time high.

Diagnostics_

BAT 60% [^2% V12%]_

VIT Injured_

M/O/B Light/Force >>> Light/Air_

Stage Speed, Very Fast_

COUNTDOWN 9:00_

He focused on the sound of Joseph's voice, the pounding in his head becoming less and less prevalent. Need to... He could feel the strain in his head, even as the throbbing in his chest increased. He could feel the pull of dominance happening within that eye, even as the blood all over the floor began frothing and bubbling.

He held his breath in, even as Joseph raised his hand once more-- that damned finger of his pointing straight at him. ---!! Teeth gritted, he willed his body to push up and out of the way to no avail-- when suddenly:

The blood grew, blackness exploding outwards at a greater rate than before thanks to the properties of the area. "TEH!!" With a loud outcry, that left eye opened fully, it's true visage obscured partially by the haze of heat and steam that wreathed themselves about his person.

The blackened flames that spilled en masse outwards, pulled towards Joseph's left side, lengthening and shaping themselves into sharpened points, stabbing in with a physical property no normal flame could ever have logically possessed. They burned through, tearing into his offensive arm, and most likely shoving him right off his feet from the impact the solidified flames had, before they lost their temporary hardness, and coated his body like sticky tar, burning away slowly. This was hopefully more than enough to throw the man's energy shot wide, if it still went off at all, as Vahn was still stationary and slumped against the back of the deck railing.

The degree of control the eye gave him, coupled with the properties of the location they were in, resulted in a greater display of what Haelstrom had experienced firsthand himself.

"Yea...huh...huh..I don't like me either..." Blood dripped from his left eye, even as he watched the flames attack the man.

TIMER 09:00

Miranda's eyes floated about her opponent's form, similarily taking her in and noting face value along with what could be. However, focusing on the ifs, ands, or buts left her thinking too much the last battles. So after making a note of what Alison wore and what obvious armament and weaponry she had, that was that. A basic plan was laid out... nothing specific, nothing elaborate.

Miranda might apologize to Alison for wording her introduction that way. She just hadn't gotten into a fight that she walked away from feeling good about, this tournament. The first one was surprising... and where she had the upper hand, Miranda's conscience forced her to give it up literally at the very last second. The second... something about it, maybe the fact that she knew the other guy wasn't getting anywhere, but she wasn't either.

If Miranda was going to lose, then it should feel like a sound loss. A good loss. One where someone clearly came out on top, and one clearly did not... even in the case of to-the-wire finishes. Or even a good draw. Something GOOD.

Of course, Miranda wasn't really looking for a good LOSS. Right now, she was in it for a good FIGHT and good VICTORY.

And this is where Alison came in.

When the lady came rushing in, Miranda slipped her left leg back behind her and lowered her stance. Like this, she could throw a quick block with the bracers on her arms and half-greaves on her legs, be better at recovering from low sweeps, or anything of the like. It was a fully defensive stance, but her lean was forward... advancing guard.

"Hnng..."

Alison's shoulder met the right arm placed between them and the shoulder it belonged to, as Miranda refused to take that sort of hit with any semblance of "head on" and made sure her right side was fully presented. She also took a single shuffling step forward just before impact to be sure she wasn't just taking the hit. Like a football player going through drills... drop the shoulder, stay low, do what you can to make sure you're not laid out. Size be damned, if Miranda stood straight up, she would've gotten bowled over.

It served another purpose, for despite Miranda being completely defensive

(enough), the step forward ensured that she had at least a little forward progress to build on. An advancing guard quickly became a block and rush, as Miranda thrust her body forward. Keeping the arm between them and wincing from the impact, Miranda sought to rock Alison back with a single hard push...

Then proceed to run her over in exactly the same way Alison offered to Miranda.

[2]

It wasn't heavily armored, but the metal skirt/ tassels/ metallic belt with three layers of plate going south and a long extension that was made specifically to cover her tail/ expensive fashion accessory did its job. Seeing Alison go back so freely, she almost began to wonder at the strength of the opponent... until she saw Alison moving, slipping past and around.

Miranda's foot planted at about the same time that she and Alison were in each other's personal space, and she whipped her body around counterclockwise. With the motion, her right arm lashed out and extended claws sought to slash through some part of Alison's upper body. Unfortunately for Miranda, she was just a little to slow in seeing what Alison was doing, and using the right arm meant that she had a ways to go to turn and land a hit ... so the attack missed. But man, could Alison hear both Miranda's grunt from the effort, as well as the pass of the hand.

clinn~

Alison's attack hit, but it hit more Miranda's hip where, of course, the tailguard was. The only difference now was that Miranda was, in about a half second, going to be able to glance down and see what she'd just been attacked with.

"..."

Right, whatever the result was, whether she was actually able to see it or not, she got back in her initial lazy-looking stance and waited to see what Alison was going to do. It should be noted that the stance changed a bit... rather than standing tall, Miranda was clearly leaning forward.

[3]

Shattering Expectations.

"...So sorry..." He grinned despite himself, blood running down the side of his body, blackened wisps of flame licking around the wound in his side-- as if the flame were trying to devour the injury. His right arm hung limply at his side, shoulder still dislocated and the feeling in it completely gone due to taking on Miranda's Beast Crescent in a fashion.

He fought his body to get up on his own two feet however, using the railing as support- definitely not in the mood to be shown up by the damned guy. That left eye of his was closed for the moment, the amount of effort he was putting into keeping it closed was impressive enough to say the least-- at least after letting it go like that twice now.

"I seem to be--" He straightened up as best as he could, head lifting back a bit as the muscles on his body tightened forcibly with the effort. By the time Joseph had brought out both hands towards Vahn, the Murmillion was already traveling forward, in a burst of speed attributed to the amount of steam and heat coming off the bottom of his greaves.

Practically sliding towards the man, the barrage of energy shots would come out and Vahn went headlong into the mess, with his left arm up and somewhat shielding his face. Regardless of the pain, he kept moving forward-- feeling impacts against both his body and that left arm, with maybe only one shot going right by him.

The more ground he covered, the harder the damn things hit, and he could only inwardly grimace at how much s**t was getting thrown at him. Just-- a bit more!

Boosting in close would be his goal, and if he even made it there- he would use his only good arm to reach, and tighten bloody fingers upon whatever he could grip on the man's chest, and simultaneously pull him in while delivering a vicious head butt, teeth gritted to hell and back.

"--shattering everyone's expectations of me lately!!"

TIMER 08:00

No, none of this stop-start buisness, Alison wasn't the kind of girl to put up with a tease, and Miranda had outright spoken about fighting as if it all stood on a wire. She was getting more of an idea of what the armor covering her opponent was looking like.

The breeze bit across the cloth that the other woman had torn through in that swipe to her torso, and she was secretly quite glad she'd breathed in when she had, there was a bit more there that was a target then your average person.

She hadn't actually meant to hit that high up as she crouched there, but it'd been a blind swipe to judge distance between the two women as the halberd extended to it's full length of an almost dainty 6ft of metal. The blade itself could act like a hook if pulled back against a limb, and that's what Alison would take advantage of.

Pulling back on her weapon without rising up, Alison interupted Miranda's flow into that guard by shoving the axe part around the turning legs, hooking into whatever grooves she could find, and yanked, hoping to tear off a layer and throw off that balance.

The devil wakes up at last.

"b*****d!" Joseph shouted as Vahn burst up and forward. The plan was simple, keep firing and do as much as he could before the devil was upon him. There was no way he could dodge or roll in this state, not and still be able to get up to defend. He aimed lower.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!" Three shots of punch-drunk energy went off aimed at Vahn's legs from Joseph's more stable left hand, "Shift back Earth... GUR.... FU-"

The grab against his chest took Joseph's breath away, even as the command registered change. Vahn would find his gauntlet tearing into the MetaTEC vest that had survived the black flame onslaught, while it would protect him from the heat of the gauntlet and even some of the impact it had the same flaw as a lot of protective vests. It tore and stretched at the points of the gauntlet giving Vahn the grip he needed. Joseph's left grip instinctively went to grab onto Vahn's wrist and try to keep it pulled away. The intense heat of the artifacts already transferring a heavy heat into the protective Adjuster gauntlets. The headbutt hit home too, causing Joseph to snap back and then forward again. When Joseph looked back, Vahn would see that same growing froth in Joseph's wavering grin and his eyes. Eye at this point as the headbutt had already caused some swelling around one, and blood to begin to trickle down from his brow. In a strange way Joseph was mirroring Vahn's own squint.

"Ha!" Joseph spat blood through the laugh as Vahn came back into focus, "Everyone's expectations but your own."

Advantage wise? Each had a good arm caught up with the other, and each had a bad arm. Joseph's advantage was he didn't have to swing his bad arm very hard to do some damage. He swung it up bent at the elbow and pushed up under taking advantage of any mutual headbutt recoil. Two fingers were now pressed up hard under Vahn's chin, the classic "I'm going to blow your brains out" positioning from any action movie. Joseph's tone was almost whispered, and there was something almost contented about the tone.

"Have you ever made a decision you didn't regret?"

Breath in.

Breath out.

"Shoot."

It was similar to the move he used on Connor back in the clocktower, only a hell of a lot closer of a range. His fingertips lit up and released a level two blast right under Vahn's chin. It wasn't a blow out your brains move by any stretch of the imagination, instead it would be the equivalent of one hell of an uppercut.

Breath in.

Eye for an eye.

Breath out.

Diagnostics_

BAT 50% [^2% V8%]_

VIT Injured_

M/O/B Light/Light/Air >>> Earth_

Stage Speed, Very Fast_

COUNTDOWN 7:00_

"Unugghhh..."

Vahn's fears of crossing the streams would be alleviated, as Joseph gave a grunt of pain and was unable to cope long enough to keep his focus on the attack. His pointed hand fanned out, key gesture ruined and energy unable to gather from the words alone. The fan ceased afterwards and his hand fell limply along the spikes. It was hard enough to keep his arm in position through the pain and injury, the gestures needed to fire bolts of energy were impossible at this point. For now Vahn had shut down that hand.

His left however was still in play. Frankly Joseph now wanted nothing to do with Vahn's freaky a** gauntlets. It shot off and made a point blank fingerpoint at the wrist attached to Vahn's grabbing hand.

"Go." Joseph was going for efficiency now as the blast of energy would resonate through Vahn's armour. Short movements, he made a slight twist at the elbow to go from aiming slighty up at Vahn's chest. Not the chin rattling move but he needed to get some distance between him and the Murmillion, "Go. Go. Ionize."

The first two words trigged pulse blasts into Vahn's chest, the last was a little more interesting. The High-Ion Reversible Magnetization Packulator gave Joseph the ability to ionize his opponents with one charge, and emit a stronger charge from the pack itself. One of those shots had ionized Vahn, and Joseph's call made his pack an identical charge. Perhaps the Murmillion and millionaire were similar, but like charges don't attract. When Vahn went to do his headbutt it would be like swimming up and invisible stream, not nearly containing the impact he planned. Now that same effect would be felt across his entire body, the feeling that some force was pushing him backwards, away from Joseph.

Diagnostics_

BAT 37% [^2% V15%]_

VIT Injured_

MAINHAND CRITICAL, LIGHT DISABLED_

M/O/B Light/Light/Earth_

EARTH: VF- JB-

Stage Speed, Very Fast_

COUNTDOWN 6:00_

Patience, patience. Vahn started stepping back, the gauntlet let go, he looked frustrated. His left hand curled into a fist and pulled back. Just a little longer. It was when Vahn looked like he was just about to give up that Joseph raised his fist and tried to grin though a hiss of pain.

"Reverse."

Vahn's stumble backward would suddenly become a stumble forward. Joseph's polarization had changed, he and Vahn had become opposites and opposites attract. The current of SCIENCE that was pushing away would now be pulling him towards. With a grunting step forward as Vahn came towards Joseph would throw a vicious left hook against Vahn's jaw with magnetic precision. After all this, all the toys and words, nothing would be more satisfying than the crack of a punch to the face.

However this meant Joseph would be nice and close to see Vahn's eye open, hopefully during the impact of the punch.

"****** ****." Joseph swore the oft ignored but extremely powerful curse, "******."

While his step forward from the punch had gotten him away from dead centre on the demonface, the boiling blood would beat and burn Brown. The suction of the hot air raking across his already sore and breathing flesh, mercifuly cauterizing some of the wounds on his left arm, but causing much more damage across his exposed flesh. Some of the flames even managed to lick under the MetaTEC vest through the small holes the gauntlet had created earlier. Joseph was too invested to scream right now. He had earned this. This pain was his, even if the word had gone increasingly fuzzy.

And then upside down.

The explosion of heated air was likely more powerful than the adjuster ionization sending Vahn and Joseph in opposite directions. If he was lucky it gave a little more oompf to that last punch, but probably not. Joseph didn't have the kind of air Vahn did so he mostly rolled across the deck with a disconcerting skip. One could almost hear Joseph say ow to every bounce.

He finnaly settled against a new railing. Shaking and panting he grabbed on to one of the horisontal bars.

Breath in.

Breath out.

Laugh.

"********>

Diagnostics_

BAT 27% [^2% V12%]_

VIT Injured_

MAINHAND CRITICAL, LIGHT DISABLED_

M/O/B Light/Light/Earth_

EARTH: VF- JB+

Stage Speed, Very Fast_

COUNTDOWN 5:00_

THE FIGHTS ARE OVER

STORY MODE IS GO

Vahn Fah Wrote:

Just what the hell...

Over.

The match was over.

...was it all for?

As far as he could tell, he had been the only one to even so much as nearly complete his fight. The FIGHTER wasn't working all that well...or maybe it was him that wasn't all together at the moment.

Damn...that stubborn guy. He held a hand against his right side, making his way steadily towards where he had left his sword; the blade standing out amidst all the rubble and haze of steam and smoke. Everywhere he looked, remnants of his blackened flame remained-- and the wreckage of the airship that decorated the base of the ruins didn't exactly help the situation. "...Damn." How the hell are we supposed to get back now...

He stared up, standing there on what remained of the stairs leading up. What is this feeling...?

The Order.

The Shades.

Noah.

What was it they all had to gain in the end? Was this what they wanted then...? He couldn't be sure. How could he be? "....Hnn."

He made his way up the steps, one at a time, blood dripping along the timeworn stone, even as he kept his left eye shut. Just...

...what kind of power...drew us all here...?

He crested the steps and arrived at the top; heaven. As they grew closer to the book, the sky above them let off a blinding flash and a deafening crack of thunder as a bolt of lightning shot down from the heavens and struck the book. The book burned, but did not disintegrate. Instead, the flames were chaotic, every color in the spectrum at once, and before they could take another step, an absolutely enormous pulse of energy would send the fighters flying backwards through the air to land on their respective sides.

The wave of energy would spread out, encompassing the entire fighting area on both sides of the ruined temple, and as it did, reality around them seemed to warp and change. Searing fire surged at the outer edges of the temple grounds with an angry black and orange sky, changing just as quickly to crackling lightning in every direction as bolts of electricity shot through the sky above churning the clouds, to a brown and red ground-scape with a pink sky, and desert sands filled with earth and rock as far as the eyes could see.

These were the elemental planes of the world, and it seemed as if they were now surrounded by them, ever changing to a new vista, but always, the arrangement of the temple and the environment around them was the same. It was as if the book's pulse had stripped away the veil of the material realm and showed how the elemental realms of existence were intermixed and sandwiched atop of on another to form normalcy and balance.

As the realms shifted and warped around the fighters, the book suddenly began to rise into the air, burning more heavily with the chaotic fires from before, as crackling electricity of every color imaginable arched out across the arena on both sides, striking the ruined chunks of rock, pillars, and fallen weapons and armor of all those that had come before. And as they were struck, they too began to burn in the chaotic flames and form together into two large masses on either side above the two groups of combatants.

The chunks of rock, armor, and weapons began to crumble and reform into two large bodies, each one easily twenty feet in height before slamming to the ground, and each letting off a massive otherworldly roar.

Stone bodies burned and crackled with chaotic fire and electricity, armored by the very equipment dropped from the fallen warriors too meek to overcome the forces here, swords and axes protruding from within to form spikes and bladed protrusions along the spines and heads of the beings. They were chaotic, armored golems, using swords and other weapons to form integral parts of their bodies. They were chaotic SWORDGOLEMS.

And as the environment around the fighters shifted and changed, the golems each leveled their eyes at the two opposing sides, one for each group, terrifying chaotic energy swords springing to life as they did so...

...and charged...

"...Hnn."

He shielded his only good eye from the fancy special effects taking place-- not in the mood to even have his brain try and decipher what the hell just took place. Is this...what's got everyone so worked up...then?

He felt his left heel slide back a bit, under the pressure of what was happening before him. What...the hell.

Am I...really going to turn back now?

He frowned, even as he held out right hand. The Hand of Efreet reformed itself all around that forearm, the shoulder still sore as hell- but the numbness that had afflicted it long since gone; replaced with a burning sting. ....Like hell...

He leaned in, left eye opening now as well, even as the talons of his right hand gleamed dully. Battered, bruised, and nearly exhausted from his fight with the rich b*****d-- he wasn't about to let anything else stand in the way right now.

"Right then."

His left hand closed around the hilt of his Fang, wrenching the flammard out as he began running forward, a cry on his lips. Each ponderous step from his greaves brought him closer, and he raised his blade high...

And so, the Semifinals came to an end. For her, it was over before it even started. A couple of attacks, trying to get in a quick and dirty, but she doubted it would matter. Shouyin had taken to fighting as well, but Miranda didn't know how far that battle came.

Despite everything, despite Vahn's wish to back out of the spotlight, it seemed that they were depending solely on him...

"Hnn."

Well, Alison had come hard, she had come fast... and had the Judge not thrown his hand into the air and blown the whistle to end the round, Miranda suspected that it would've been a very, very good fight. Separating herself from Alison and her weapon, Miranda gave her a respectful nod.

Then they entered the realm of SHITGODOWN.

It was like some psychodelic trip and despite her stance on mind-altering substances ("Winners Don't Use Drugs!" - William S. Sessions, Director, FBI), Miranda was sure she now had a taste of what it felt like to be on acid. She watched the world spin and change color, the sky and clouds shifting as the land warped. Her teeth grit and she growled and moved forward to meet the others... were they lured into some dimensional trap?!

No... something far less dooming, but no less an actual threat.They still had to fight their way out from the Sword Golems, sinister in appearance and likely strong in make.

Vahn was tired from his battle, much longer than the others. Silver decided to make an appearance, and then rallied the team together. That was the last word she needed, as she pushed forward into a sprint, trailing the others but not so far and so long.

"Then let's DO this!"

The Korper technique was used to get a burst of speed that would have her get closer to the others, the large-enough gap closed considerably even after Silver rocketed forward, and she lifted up into the air, a quick triangle jump performed against a pillar that fell from trying to stay up during all the chaos. Really, it was a wonder that anything still remained of the temple, what with the airship crashing into it.

"Lazeeeeencaaaaaaa...."

Her body twisted once for a little torque, and notably after Silver struck (distance to be cleared and all), Miranda landed on the thing's shoulder with both of her feet. Of course, she had to do some quick fine-aiming to be sure she wasn't sticking her foot into some spiked pauldrons or anything of the sort, but her weight and trajectory was going to drive the Sword Golem's upper body into the ground. She was going to land a bit past the thing, feet in their original position, arms catching her own upper body as if she were doing a push-up... all for the sake of not slamming her chest and face into the ground.

"Miraaaandaaaaaaaa!"

...Vahn hadn't even gotten to swing, had he...

High up in the clouds...

Aboard one of the many Noah Foundation's choppers circling the area was another fighter of interest. The tie he had been forced to wear was billowing in the wind created by the rotors overhead as he, fighting against his natural fear of heights, leaned out of one of the side doors to get a better view of the action down below.

It's strange, being on this side of things.

His eyes narrowed as the airborne vehicle lowered its altitude, giving Athan a better view of the action down below. He could see them now...Vahn, the silver haired kid, the wolf, and a massive golem made of the temple they had just fought upon, lashed together by foreign energies that, even at such a distance away, made Athan's skin crawl

But this was never my intent. To sit idly by only to watch you lay it all on the line. Even with your brother still out there, you refuse to back down from a challenge.

His right hand tightened its grip on the bar overhead, either in response to his proximity to the open door or in acknowledgement of his own cowardice. Athan rocked back and forth as the helicopter steadied itself directly above the fighters and the new task set before them. Should they prove themselves ineffective, it fell upon Athan to handle the guardian. Even unarmored, he was fresh, something the combatants down below couldn't come close to claiming.

You were always the better of us, even if I never wanted to admit it. The better leader, the better fighter, the better man.

Were the black knuckles of his prosthetic arm capable of turning white, his grip on the bar overhead would have certainly done the job.

"Now prove it."

That was just the thing about being human. Being human did not always mean exceeding your limits. Sometimes being human meant accepting them. The ability to press on against the impossible driven by a cause...that was brave. But soon that high of defeating the impossible becomes its own cause, soon one seeks nothing more than exceed their limitations. Soon, one does not need a cause or they fight to the bitter end for silly useless causes. And then after that, the hero, atop his world because truly powerful. And what does power do? More over, what does absolute power do? Why it corrupts of course.

Men become monsters, monsters who are in turn incapable saving anything because in the end, monsters can only be defeated by men. The road of a triumphant hero, is a tragic road into self-destruction. And when that self destruction reaches its apex...when the man who saved the world becomes the monster who dooms it...when the subtle balance is tipped, that is when he and his like are called in.

Because those he was here for, were still men, and still women. They had fought a good fight and were beaten, bruised and broken. They knew their limits and they would not be fighting any more. In turn, those being sent to meet them, had cut their ties with the meaningless fight. They were just children.

It was Joseph who they would visit first. They were very quiet things, more sneaky than anyone gave them credit for when not wielding their swords and shields. Joseph would be alone, and then Joseph would find his shoulders being touched on both sides by two young boys with priceless innocent faces, and heart warming smiles spread on those same cherubic faces. Edward was the first to speak, he was on Joseph's right side, his worst side and attempting to lift the CEO's arm up and over his shoulder.

"You dont look so good your majesty. We had better get you out of here." He said with a grin. Something had changed, more than the fact that the boy was dressed like a catholic school boy in shorts and a jacket and dress shoes, his hair...it was combed differently. Almost immediately there after Joseph's other arm was grasped. This hand was larger, though thin and belonged to a tall, young man easily in his teens. The man on Joseph's right laughed.

"Up you go Lord Brown." Mathias said, looking rather healthy for a man who was burned to death. "I dont think your maker believes in carrying spares."

And then, if Joseph was agreeable, up he would be hoisted to his feet. Mathias would carry most of the weight. Edward would make sure he didnt fall, and -- "Cant you two go any faster? This place is about to become a warzone!" -- Franklin, his hair grown a bit longer over one eye, would provide commentary.

-|-

Joseph was not of course alone. Never Knows Best was a team, after all. Within moments, two very large muscled men would rush to Ms. Harmony guided by a one Kelly Knight who had taken to dressing in jeans and boyish attire. They would offer any assistance she needed and suggest the urgency of coming with them. Or Kelly would suggest said urgency by making a few violent threats if Alison attempted to resist.

Mr. White, would be visited by Brian, yet another pawn who would simply walk up beside him and say. "Hey sir, nice day we're having eh?". Marie behind him would laugh and a similar offer of escape would be presented.

Lastly, and surrounded by all the remaining pawns Joseph, the calm and reserved bishop, still in robes despite the elimination match being far over would find Sol and present the very same offer.

And then....

-|-

The pawns would lead the team to a rather derelict spot just outside the ruins, and wait.

The air seemed absolutely rife with activity. There were news choppers, film choppers, staff chopper with large suited men in them, and even a horse drawn carriage ---wait a minute. A horse drawn carriage? In the sky?! Yes. It galloped through the air as if the clouds were stones on a solid path. It was lead by two horses, both were jet black, one with a fiery ice blue mane, the other with a deep indigo. At first glance they appeared to be simply oddly colored mammals, but as they reached closer to the ground one could see the cracks and fissures their riddled their stone hides and see where their feet vanished at about the knee and were replaced with hooves of pure coalesced magical energy.

The horses landed softly with a whiny before the team. One clapped out a beat with its glowing feet. The carriage was being lead by what appeared to be a black silhouette with absolutely no defining features, save for the fact he was wearing riding gloves, and glowing violet eyes. And then the carriage door opened, a one Maximos Lucillien Dark stepped through.

"I sincerely hope you dont mind. Your company seemed rather dodgey about lending me one of your flying contraptions so I had to do with my own." Said Maximos, smirking ear to ear and stepping down to ground level, and out of the carriage, holding open the door rather formally. "Its not too gouche is it?"

Silk upholstery, pure mohangany, silver trims and enough room for several people? It was very gouche. And he knew it. Maximos smirked. "You have fought against this worlds greatest and lived. You have fought bravely and excellently, and you performed admirably, but your condition shows that this fight is likely best left in the hands of those able to...em...effect you so thoroughly."

The smirk faded into something a bit darker, a bit more serious as the Shadow looked past the people before him and to the ruins. "But in all seriousness, get in everyone. I have emergency medical staff waiting for you at Latent General. You are a testament to your kind, but I think it best we leave this fight to the "heroes". They seem very eager for it."

Ryugi Kazamaru Wrote:

But they were not enough to bring down the beast, not yet. With another roar, the beast pushed itself free from the rocky remains of the pillar, and just as suddenly, the mighty glowing weapon swung in the air, angry red waves of energy pulsing from it as the weapon was brought down towards Miranda's landing position with a single hand...

KSHHHHOOOM!!!

The ground crumbled and fissured from the impact of the blade, but Miranda would notice that the blade itself did not make contact with the ground. It was as if the blade was stuck against something in front of the wolf-woman.

Once the dust cleared, she'd see exactly what had stopped the blade.

Seeing the golem gain its second wind, Tenkai decided to step into the fray, having removed his monk's robe to reveal his combat attire underneath. His Muramasa held strong against the heavy blade, but the weight severely hindered the monk. He was only strong enough to keep the blade from crashing down on top of him, using his legs as a base to distribute the weight. The weight of the blade broke the ground beneath Tenkai in order to dissipate the impact. The surging, chaotic energies around the golem's weapon clashed with Muramasa's burning spirit aura, sparks of red and blue energies flickering every which way.

Needless to say, Tenkai wasn't exactly flawless in his endeavor.

"Go!" the monk shouted in strain, "Strike it while it's open--!"

With a mighty blast, Silver's solid blow had sent the monster staggering. The follow-up to complete the one-two with Miranda had actually managed to send it stumbling into rubble. Silver would land cleanly on his feet, sliding backwards briefly from the impact of his own attack, with a satisfied smirk on his face.

Not so tough...

Or was it? The massive golem had seemed to have recovered from the attacks just as quickly as the two members of Glacier had, appearing from the rubble almost instantly. Shou would come charging past his Captain, apparently armored in some kinda giant rock suit of his own design. Silver's eyes would light up and his jaw would drop. His arms flew up to cheer on his comrade.

"WOAH! Who knew you could look so cool, Shou?!"

But the beast had turned to bring his blade to bare on Miranda. Shou wasn't going to make it before it came down. And Miranda was still...

"LAZ! LOOK OUT! IT'S-"

Tenkai Matsumoto Wrote:

KSHHHHOOOM!!!

A powerful slash, the impact obscured by a large cloud of dust.

"OH NO... LAZ!"

Silver would run forward, following behind Shou, fearing the worst. However, as the dust cleared, he was in for a pleasant surprise. Keeping the monster's blade at bay was none other than the troublesome monk he had met before the tournament even began. He was standing up to the beast, holding back the massive blade with just a katana, calling for them to attack while he held it. Maybe he wasn't so trouble some after all. Silver smirked, yelling back to the monk.

"YEAH! THAT'S THE SPIRIT, MATSUMOTO! Show us your GUTS! We'll take care of this..."

Silver would leap up behind Stone-Mecha-Shou, scrambling up his armored back as he leaned in to attack, and then jump up even higher into the air off the shoulders.

"BASTAAARD!"

Silver would bring his heel up as he soared, his entire leg igniting this time in white flame.

"HEEEEAT... HUH?!"

But then the damn thing ate Shou's suit... shortly before energy exploded outward from it in all directions. Silver was sent flying away from it, his flames dispersing as the energy passed through him.

"UAH!"

With enough air time, he would back flip completely in the air, before managing to land in a crouch, and slide backwards several feet to leave him near his companions. Or at least, most of them.

"Hngh... damn, it got bigger... Vahn, Laz, Shou, you guys alright?"

A rhetorical question, really. No way any of them would get taken out so easily. It was Vahn he was most concerned about. He had taken quite a beating in his match right before things had gone to Hell and these monsters appeared, and the Murmillion seemed a little sluggish.

Silver would glance back at his old friend to make sure he was still on his feet. Not that he wouldn't expect him to be...

Silver Alexander Wrote:

"YEAH! THAT'S THE SPIRIT, MATSUMOTO! Show us your GUTS! We'll take care of this..."

Tenkai would have replied to the captain of Team Glacier, had he not been so hampered by the sheer weight of the sword. It was only by the merit of his spiritual pressure that he was able to avoid being crushed. And without the ground below him to absorb the force, he'd have no way of standing against the blade. Tenkai was fortunate it wasn't a horizontal swing.

But the monk couldn't hold it off for long. With the golem absorbing its own element from Shouyin's last attack, its energies had been bolstered. The chaos-powered weapon it wielded grew more intense, like a hot iron heating up. If Tenkai tried to hold it off any longer, he'd just be wasting energy, only to ultimately be crushed by the blade.

With a strong push to his left, Tenkai angled Muramasa so that the golem's sword would slide off and strike into the ground with it's own weight, effectively parrying it off of his block. With the burdening blade off of his shoulders, he would--

Golem Wrote:

With another roar, the golem let loose a powerful burst of energy in all directions, tearing the ground beneath its feet, and aiming to knock all of Glacier and Tenkai away from its form, before turning to face the foes gathered before it once more, larger and more intimidating that it had just been.

--quickly pull the flat of Muramasa's blade in front of him, using it as a conduit for his spirit energy to hastily hold off the powerful buffet of energy. It'd only manage to keep the burst from injuring him directly, but the force would send him flying back into the pillars behind him.

Struggling to regain balance, Tenkai maneuvered his body around so that his legs would make contact with the pillar, dampening the impact by crouching into it. He sprang off of the pillar, landing on the ground in front of it. Even if he spared himself the damage, it was still a pretty shaky recovery.

Once he got his bearings, he would reply to Silver.

"I told you that our paths would cross again," he said as he stepped back with his left foot, holding Muramasa horizontally at his left side with the tip pointed towards the golem. "I knew that if I was to earn your trust I'd have to show you directly. Believe me, this isn't all I have to show you."

The burning blue aura surrounding the youtou Muramasa licked off of the blade like some sort of spectral flame. The clash of energies from Tenkai's block had caused the sword to awaken, and Tenkai was prepared to do what was necessary to get past the guardian construct. With a shift of his stance and a push-off from his right foot, the monk made his advance with the other fighters.

松本天海見参!

"Matsumoto Tenkai kenzan!"

(Tenkai Matsumoto has arrived!)

The skies were broken, swirling in elemental fury as if someone had thrown the rules of the world out the window. Fire, earth, wind and water made their presence known even as the struggle at the ruins stretched on.

Amidst it all, one solitary thought pierced the madness.

...Sword...

His vision doubled, blurring as it attempted the bring the chaotic vista in the heavens into focus. The sounds of battle filtered through the ringing in his head even as the sensation of breath returning to his body brought his thoughts into line.

..I was lifting my sword...

He remembered being confronted with the would-be guardian of the Tome, its simple presence exuding a kind of pressure on his soul that warred with every single scrap of his fight or flight urges. It was quite simply, fear.

In the end, he had raised his blade in utter defiance-- and it was the last thing he felt.

Why...why has it become so...

...heavy?!

All feeling had gone out of his legs then, even as his grip on the blade loosened, and his knees completely buckled underneath him. He had let loose an unheard cry of pain even as he felt several people move both overhead and around him.

Despite what any one would think, despite what any single person believed, Vahn's body had reached its limit. His fight had dragged on, and all the 'invigorating' properties that the place seemed to have given out had simply vanished once the guardian had been activated-- leaving the Murmillion to suddenly take on the brunt of everything he had endured in the match.

His endurance was already generally known for being above average, taking blows that no normal person should be able to take, and bleeding amounts of blood that led someone to believe he had a gateway to the blood plane or something within his very body.

The ruins seemed to increase ones endurance and 'energy', a stark contrast to the draining effects that the Northernlands had as a constant (which would go so far as to explain how he was able to take on so many of Joseph' level one energy blasts, which were akin to weak punches supposedly, and even barely survived taking on a level two blast-- however, scarcely avoiding being hit point blank by a level three as even he wasn't sure what would happened, even with the stage' bonus effect), which is why some viewers might be curious as to how Vahn endured without knowing the whole backstory.

But that was then...and like an addict coming off some high..Vahn was left reeling with the after-effects.

His weakened body was left to chance, as the fight had raged on, eventually finding himself half buried in rubble. "....." He watched mutely, his left arm stuck in against his side, as the bruises and cuts he received from his scrap with Joseph reopened.

This is...so...stupid...

He watched as the monstrosity seemed to rear up and recover from the attacks made on it so far... ...Lame... Now the thing's blade was being swung..he couldn't even believe the width the creature's weapon had on it.

Stuck right in the path of the golem's swing, his right eye narrowed a bit, staring at the pommel of his Fang that shown through the debris scattered around him. He reached out vainly with his right hand, talons gleaming, trying to grab at something that was just out of reach, even as the 'wall' closed in on him.

"...It doesn't matter."

Her charge was halted by the verbal responses she got. Only one in the positive... another was calling out to Vahn. Miranda looked past the Golem to see what was happening on its opposite side, and was able to see Vahn reaching out as Silver moved to protect him.

The book...

That... that THING was the cause of all of this, she already knew. But would it truly be the answer Miranda and Vahn, and everyone else were looking for? It opened the elemental planes wide, showing them all at once... would it end all of this madness and open the gates to their respective goals?

There was only one way to find out.

Miranda didn't need to worry too much about the wall of energy, for her initial attack placed her behind the thing when she rolled off, and she hadn't the chance to advance back to her teammates, what with being pushed away with the 360° blast. It worked out, because it put her closer to the pedastal than anyone else.

"Tenkai," she called to the monk who graciously reminded everyone of his name, "go to them, help them!"

Without another word, Miranda turned fully around while shifting down into her Feral or wolf state and sprinted for the stairs, for the very book itself.

How far away was it from her starting position... and how far away was it after five seconds? Miranda was deceptively quick as a wolf... debris falling typically needed a sidestep, and she could hop pver, or cut around most things in the way. Fallen pillar propped up another bit of rubble? Search for the gap on the raised end and run through the gap.

She was going to be fast by nature, quick by practice, and unstoppable by necessity. It was by taking the absolute shortest route from point A to point B, and unless there was a seriously compelling reason... say, the earth splitting in half beneath her feet during her ascent, she would see the Tome.

How far away was it now, as she was soon to claim it?

A star fell from the heavens.

A massive flash of brilliant white light illuminated the dark and roiling clouds above the battlefield even as a shimmering glow dropped at terrible speed towards the ruined Temple of Order. The golem stood and looked up even as the light shone down, roaring in challenge at this new light that had appeared in the sky. It fell faster and finally, after a few seconds, landed with a crash solidly between Tenkai, Vahn, and Silver, and the massive form of the golem.

Brilliant white and blue energy surged around a white-clad form. Silvery hair whipped in the torrents of energy that poured from the body of the man, even as the brilliant sword he held glowed fiercely in contrast to the diminished ferocity of the golem's blade.

Ryugi Kazamaru stood opposing the mighty golem, power emanating from his form. He was refreshed, ready to fight, and even moreso by the nature of this place. As Silver, Tenkai, and Vahn stood behind him, they too would feel strength and power flowing through their bodies. Old wounds would heal, becoming more bearable, aching bodies filling with a warmth that only the holy elements could provide. The aura flowing from Ryugi's form permeated them, giving them strength.

It would seem that Fate has conspired that we fight side by side after all, Glacier.

Ryugi's red eyes glowed even within the empowering energy and presence he seemed to give off in this place. His crimson irises locked onto the raging form of the golem, and he raised Ragnarok to face the beast, turning sideways, his scarf blowing from the torrents of power caressing his body.

Now. All of you. Let's finish this...

Shrrrrrrrrrrnk...

Silver would come trudging up behind Ryugi, the hilt of Efreet's Fang in his hand. The tip of the blade drug along the ground, still somehow in it's Flammard form, scorching a black line into the dirt that had traced Silver's path all the way back to the pile of rubble he'd emerged from. Wasn't Vahn supposed to be the only one that could maintain the blade's true form? That didn't seem to matter now...

Silver moved slow with his head down at first, his clothing ripped and tattered from the energy wave given off by the massive monster's weapon that had very nearly taken both him and the exhausted Vahn out.

"First the monk... and now even the Dragon has made an appearance as well... didn't I see a helicopter drop Athan off not far from here, too...?"

As he got closer, his stride quickened, and his posture improved. The blood wiped from his head so it would stay out of his eyes seemed to stop flowing on it's own. He would look up, the power flowing from Ryugi causing his bangs to move from in front of his face, revealing a somewhat tired, but mostly annoyed expression.

"Is this what's become of us, then...? The mighty Glacier... needing all this help just to deal with one little monster?"

The sword he had only been managing to drag before was now easily hoisted up, and brought to rest on his shoulder by the blade's ricasso, assuming it even had one. Silver would c**k his head back and scoff, before spitting out a small bit of blood onto the Ruins' floor. He would run his tongue along the inside of his mouth, surprised to find no more blood to replace it.

"I must say, I'm a little disappointed if our performance was so bad that it warranted this kind of aid..."

Silver's eyes would lock onto the creature before them, his brow furrowing even more in annoyance. He would roll his neck once to loosen up, then bring the Fang to the ready.

"I've had enough of this thing."

With that, Silver would take off running directly at the golem.

The book crackled and sparked with power as it drew back the energy it had gifted to the defeated golem on the other side of the ruins, making it stronger and more powerful. Its energy no longer split between three sources allowed more energy to be sent back to the larger golem, however, a large portion of that power was still being diverted to hold off Tenkai's mighty strike.

Energy surged around Tenkai, attacking the monk with everything and nothing all at once, pure chaotic power and energy. It attempted to force him away as it had to Miranda, but the monk's blade forced its own energy down upon the artifact, forcing the book to try and repel it lest it be damaged. However, Tenkai could feel his energy weakening, and the book seemed to instinctively realize this, feeding more power and energy into the monk's sword, trying to weaken him further.

• *

Ryugi wasted little time after Silver began his charge. In an instant his form blurred forward, ground being kicked up from the force and speed as he shot past Silver towards the golem. Ryugi could feel the power the beast held. Under normal circumstances, he'd release Ragnarok and fight together with the spirit, but that would put everyone near him at risk. Instead, he would put his power and energy to a different use. He would work as a part of the team. It was unlikely the other fighters would have the sheer magnitude of energy to spare that Ryugi now did, and thus, that made him the best person to do one thing...

Hold off the golem.

Ryugi moved in even as the beast roared and brought the sword down, the energy weapon slamming into Ragnarok as the two constructs shot crackling power off of one another from the interacting fields of energy. The beast's power was finite, granted to it by the whims of the Grimoire, but Ryugi's power was limited only by his body's ability to hold it.

The two forces raged, auras colliding with terrible force. And as Ryugi stood there, holding off the beast's blade even as it forced him slowly towards the ground, his aura began to burn hotter, more and more energy surging around his body. Ryugi was successfully holding off the beast, but time was running out as Silver drew nearer every second. He had to act fast...

With a massive show of strength, Ryugi using everything he had to push the golem off of him, and with a mighty battle cry, he reached down to his left side with his left hand, the palm gripping the handle of his lesser used sword, even as the golem recovered and swung his weapon towards Ryugi once more. And just as the golem's blade struck Ragnarok, a single word came from Ryugi's lips.

Negation.

With a massive burst of power, Ryugi converted all the energy in his body into anti-magical power, the wave ripping across the golem's form, causing its sword to fizzle out after it struck, its aura to drop completely, leaving it totally exposed to whatever power Silver had been gathering on is way to the beast.

As the blow sent Ryugi flying, he cried out to the charging Silver and the wolfkin. It was a simple directive.

Silver!! Miranda!! TAKE IT!!!

Just as he finished that order, Ryugi was cast across the temple skidding, rolling, twisting as he slammed through a pillar, crumbling it, and finally coming to land, hard, against an opposing wall, a spurt of blood flowing from his mouth as he crumpled into a heap, Ragnarok stabbing into the ground for leverage to keep him from crumpling completely from the impact shock.

The golem's power had been utterly nullified.

It all rested on Silver and Miranda's shoulders now...

The wolfkin need not raise a paw to assist. The sheer power of the strike of Silver wielding the Fang, charged with might, strength, and determination, cut like a hot knife through butter, so literally that even as the attack drew the massive weapon through the beast, bits and pieces of molten rock and metal would fall to the ground below, the heat melting a huge portion of the golem.

The explosion was enough to tear the golem apart, the beast unable to even have one last attack. Silver had neatly eliminated the beast with might and power that he should be proud of. This was his own force and power, not the power of Efreet, that had fueled his strike. And thus, the beast had fallen.

With a thunderous pulse, the remaining energy that had been sustaining the golem shot back into the book, and with one final burst to protect itself, but book expelled its pent-up energy directly into the form of the monk.

Even if the golem had been stripped of its last strike, the book WOULD have its own...

The power moving around and surging through Tenkai would feel like a thousand needles each piercing into every part of him, and each needle was on fire. The magnitude of the force certainly would not kill the monk, but he would be wounded and exhausted, any strength he had in his reserves sapped. If he did indeed attempt to stand now, he would be running on sheer willpower alone...

After the blast, the chaotic flames burning around the pages of the book would fade, and the book would land onto the pedestal at the top of the stairs, the world swirling around it and the elemental vistas being portrayed at the edges of the temple would be dawn into it, and with a final flash, the book would lie still, silent.

And at last, all was quiet...

[[Story Mode End - Cutscene Pending]]

His knees hit the ground as exhaustion wracked his body, head lowered in an attempt to shield his face from the clouds of debris and dust that was still settling over the area.

Dammit... All he had been able to do was watch. Simply watch as all the strength he had left in him wasn't enough to even get him on his own two feet. Watch as his teammates threw themselves at the Book's would-be Guardian.

He hated the feeling. ....Dammit!! He held onto his right side, the patchwork done to repair all the damage not holding up all too well under stress.

He had not clearly seen what took place in those critical last moments, but he felt the surge in temperature, as the latent power of Efreet within Silver was tapped and opened up from a bottle neck to a busted pipe.

And just like that-- once enough had forcibly gushed out, it was quickly stemmed and not felt again.

But it was enough- enough for Vahn to get a a rough feel for just how much Silver really had in him...and the thought struck a chord within his heart; ...Surpassed. Has he really...when I wasn't looking...?

He was glad for all the momentary cover at the moment, because even with his steaming flesh, he could still feel the tears that ran down his cheeks.

He couldn't help himself, a sense of uselessness coupled with the utter ridiculousness of it all had him here, on his knees- absolutely broken. ...Just what have I become exactly...when I've been so blind to everything around me.

Tenkai.

Ryugi.

Shouyin.

Miranda.

Silver.

They had all done amiably, and Silver himself had pulled Vahn's life out of the line of fire. He couldn't have asked for better companions...friends...team mates.

Even when he had let them down, even as the chaotic powers of the Book finally calmed down and a sense of normalcy returned...

....So too did a sense of urgency. The guardian was down- the match was long since over...the book...

Done wasting tears over what couldn't be changed, he stared up to where Miranda had gone, and gritted his teeth. Face still wet and hot he pushed himself back up to his feet, even as a trail of blood stained the ruined ground beneath him.

"...At least...we can still..." He said softly, even as he forced himself to move towards where the item that everyone sought still lay.

Tenkai had laid there motionless, but as Silver drew closer he'd be able to tell that there was still life in his body. A body covered in burns, but a live body nonetheless. It did not take long for him to begin to stir, hearing Glacier's team captain calling his name. His eyes half-opened wearily as he tried to lean forward, using his right fist to boost himself up with the hilt of Muramasa still in his grasp.

He'd probably need some help from Silver, but he would eventually sit up. He hadn't witnessed it himself, but he definitely felt something shift in his last clash with the Grimoire. Now that he was sat up, he held the broken blade in front of him, unable to sigh as he strained to breathe.

Looking to his left, he reached out and grabbed the broken half of Muramasa's blade, taking care not to injure himself with the edge.

Especially now that the blade was angry.

What foolishness! You starve me for days and expect me to hold against that much power? I MUST HAVE BLOOD!

It wasn't the smartest thing to do, Tenkai had to admit. Muramasa had not drawn blood since Tenkai's fight with Anson, and that was way back in Round 1. He hadn't hunted at all since then, so there was nothing for Tenkai to cut down. In such a state, it was no wonder why Muramasa broke so easily.

And yet this seemed to be only a minor nuisance. Tenkai was more concerned about the damage he had sustained going against the Grimoire. Dealing with Muramasa's bloodthirst was something the monk constantly dealt with.

Of course, he realized he had gone too long without saying anything, and it was rude not to respond to Silver after he had shown such concern.

"I'll be fine..." he said through strained breathing, "...how are the others?"

Well, apparently it was all in vain, because despite both he and Miranda's proximity to the book, it was still confiscated away and they were all given pats on the back from a piece of s**t recording.

Noah triumphed in the end, and all it did was further Vahn's contempt for the man.

Damnit...

Tenkai should have figured all along that this would happen. It seemed as if their own interception of the Order's search for the Grimoire had in itself been intercepted. If they were using the tournament itself to aid them in procuring the book, then it should have been obvious that they'd use the strength of the combatants to overcome it's defenses.

Now the Order and Foundation possessed the artifact, and they were evacuating everyone from the area...including the fighters. It was tense, but odds were likely they wouldn't try anything just yet. No...it'd be too soon. Not when people were needed for the finals. Everything must have been caught on camera for the spectators to watch. They had to keep everything low-key. The spectators probably had no idea what that book was capable of, or what it meant.

"Silver...stay alert..."

With that, Tenkai lost consciousness, still holding his broken sword in his hands as the medics went to bring him into the chopper.