Dzan vs Edward

"I'll take those," Edward said definitively, tapping the glass twice with a metallic finger to specify which 'one' he meant. The clerk nodded, reaching underneath the display (via an opening on his side of the glass counter), and produced a pair of diamond earrings. The cyberpunk craned his neck over the counter, thoroughly inspecting the jewelry for any imperfections while the clerk went over a memorized set of features. Edward ignored him. "Yes, I think these will make a fine purchase."

"Your lady friend will not be displeased," The salesman replied, ringing up the earrings with a few strokes of the register.

"She better not be." The pair shared a short laugh, though whether the clerk's laughter was genuine or a facade. The cyberpunk couldn't tell. It didn't really matter either way. They were unlikely to meet again anyways. "Put it in a gift box and have it delivered to my room at the Crimson Hawk."

After a short exchange (room numbers, cash money, receipts, etc), Edward exited the shop, eyes scanning the uncharacteristically empty mall plaza. He spotted a few people on the outskirts of the large area, but they were clearly spectators and not shoppers. On a normal day, the mall would have been filled the brim with people. Nearly every table surrounding the fountain at the plaza's certain would have been occupied. Today was not such day. Today, the mall (particularly its central plaza) was the site of a Heaven or Hell Preliminary match, and not just any match.

It was the return of a Heaven or Hell Champion.

Confidently, the detective moved over to the sitting area of the plaza, donning his goggles, and pulling up the sleeves of his bomber (up to the elbows) to reveal a pair of cybernetic arms.

Edward awaited (cautiously) the arrival of his infamous opponent.

((Rusty as hell. ********.))

There he was. The cyborg didn't even need to see Dzan coming to know that the violent cyberpunk had arrived. His opponent's loud, profane rant was more than enough. Edward peered through his green-tinted goggles, studying the other cyberpunk closely, and quickly noted that two years had done very little to change his old friend and brother-in-arms. Which, of course, didn't surprise the detective at all. Dzan had always been adamant in his ways.

"It certainly looks that way," The cyberpunk replied with a grin. He didn't want to just charge someone as dangerous as Dzan. Ed knew what being rash got a fighter, especially where the violent cyberpunk was involved. Instead, he began to walk leisurely towards Streea, prepared to burst into action at a moment's notice. "For someone who fights so often, you'd think the answer to your question would be obvious. This is the part where you rip me apart."

The gauntlet was thrown and the cyborg quickened his pace.

-1-

Edward didn't flinch and having known Dzan for quite some time. He wasn't surprised either. In fact, he had expected such a reaction, for the crazy cyberpunk had never wasted time when there were skulls that required splitting. He didn't just expect it either, he had hoped for it. Dzan's eagerness was paramount to the cyborg's battle plan, and hopefully it would be his downfall as well. The cyborg came to an abrupt halt, however he wouldn't wait for the melee between the two to commence. Instead, Ed reached out to his right with both hands and grabbed hold of a table. It was the sort a family of 4 or 5 could easily eat an overly-priced lunch on comfortably, and heavy enough to fit the detective's needs.

Knocking over several chairs in the process, the cyberpunk hurled the table Dzan's way. The improvised missile flew tabletop first and horizontal, aimed to strike the charging cyberpunk in his face and the top three-quarters of his torso. Running face first into a table would hurt, but certainly wouldn't be the end of his tough opponent.

-2-

The table effectively hid the brawler partially from view, but it did one other thing even better. It obscured Dzan's vision of the detective and his machinations entirely. Which fit his plan completely. Swiftly (as the table flew through the air at the infamous cyberpunk), Edward stretched his right arm to the right; the mechanisms in the outer forearm portion of his gauntlet opened up, and launched a high-tensile wire with a powerful clamp at its end. In a blink of an eye, the grapple hook snatched up a chair a few feet away and lifted it into the air powerfully, and began pulling the public piece of furniture towards the detective.

That said, this wasn't at all the cyberpunk's plan. Suddenly, not waiting for the chair to arrive, Edward yanked his right arm from right to left, and simultaneously twisted his hips in the same direction. That action would cause the chair (still attached to the grapple hook) to move in a wide half-circle before the clamp would release and pull back into the gauntlet, sending the chair flying towards Dzan's left side. Essentially, Edward used his grapple hook to sling a chair at the brawler.

The detective, intelligently, made use of an angle that (due to Dzan's lack of vision) the violent cyberpunk would not have been able to attribute to Edward. Dzan was more likely to surmise that Edward was cheating and had brought help. So, as the table dropped to the floor (freeing the cyberpunk's sight), and Dzan reached over for a chair of his own. Edward's own chair flew in from the brawler's left, aiming to crash into the likely oblivious ******** on the left side of his face and upper body. Hard.

Which was exactly what Edward had in mind.

-3-

The cyberpunk watched from a distance as the chair flew through the air, and mentally crossed his fingers in the hopes of the improvised projectile catching his opponent upside his head. It would have been a welcomed sight, watching the brawler take an unexpected hit across the dome; it would have also been the most opportune moment for Ed to close the distance and initiate the inevitable melee. That said, regardless of the results, Edward was sure that the time to bring this fight into the realm of hand-to-hand was now.

Though, as the cyborg looked on, Dzan had other plans entirely; the brawler fell to the ground and while he didn't avoid the assailing piece of furniture entirely. It didn't have the effect that Edward had hoped for. No matter, Edward quickly thought to himself as he always did when things didn't go exactly his way in a fight. Dzan's brain wasn't bouncing off the walls of his skull just yet, but that was something Edward would surely rectify.

Edward began his advance, aiming to close the distance as much as Dzan wanted to. However, he found himself shuffling off the the left as the blindly thrown chair hurtled past to his right. Had the cyberpunk not moved, the chair likely wouldn't have hit him anyways, but it did manage to surprise Ed if only for a moment. Simultaneously, the cyberpunk reached into his bomber jacket, pulling out and launching a short crossbow bolt. The internal hydraulics inherent in his cybernetic arm hissed powerfully as the bolt was hurled towards Dzan's torso. Certainly, it wasn't powerful enough to be considered akin to a crossbow, but surely fast enough to pierce the flesh and stick.

Whether it landed or not hardly mattered, however, the detective continued his advance, cutting the distance between the pair to practically nothing in mere seconds.

-4-

Just like Dzan, Edward didn't stop moving forward. He had no qualms with fighting from a distance, and surely he could have kept up with that tactic for the rest of the fight. But he didn't want to do that. He wanted to soften his opponent up and swoop in for the inevitable game of fisticuffs. He didn't achieve much of the former, though getting Dzan angry seemed enough of a success, but he was certainly, but the latter was looking promising despite it being the specialty of his opponent.

As they approached one another, the detective's nano-machines began to produce large quantities of adrenaline. His heart pumped harder than usual, sending the hormones coursing throughout his entire organic body. Suddenly, Edward felt a rush of energy as if he had tapped into a newly discovered reservoir of power. Though considering the things hidden in humanity's genes, that feeling likely wasn't far from the truth.

Ed's profile Wrote:

[Adrenaline Rush] When Ed's nano-machines stimulate the adrenergic receptors throughout his body, a cocktail mix of endorphins and quick-response steroids are released into his body that increases his speed and strength of his organic body by nearly 50% for a few moments (1 post). This helps Edward give a proper boost to particular moves, like single/double-leg takedowns and Lateral Drops. This gives the cyberpunk not only the capability of throwing an enemy harder but also farther. A 300 pound creature or object can be thrown about 10 feet. It can also be used to throw a combination of hits extremely quickly amongst other maneuvers. However, the ability is rather taxing and can only be used three times during a battle.

Cybernetic/Implant of Origin: Nano-machines.

Duration: Instant

Cool-down Time: 2 posts

Ducking underneath Dzan's left jab, Edward quickly propped his left (cybernetic) shoulder and proceeded to drive it into the brawler's solar plexus, utilizing their close proximity to make the second punch significantly less effective. It wasn't every day three-hundred pounds worth of man and machine tackled an enemy. But when such a thing did occur, it was bound to hurt a lot. It also didn't hurt to have a metal shoulder. If the cyberpunk's shoulder struck, not only would Dzan suddenly lose the air in his lungs, but the much lighter man (in terms of weight) would likely find himself thrown off his feet and onto his back more than a couple of feet away.

After all, momentum was still mass times velocity, and now Edward (chances were) trumped Dzan in both categories.

-5-

With a loud crunching sound as the pair collided violently, Edward rammed his metal shoulder into Dzan's solar plexus/diaphragm. His lips spread into a fierce grin, knowing that a solid hit like that would surely send his fellow cyberpunk to the floor. The grin would be short-lived, however, as Dzan's cybernetic fist clipped the back of Ed's head just as they collided. It wasn't a terribly good hit. At least not as good as it might have been had it solidly landed, or had it been delivered from an ideal range. But ********, it managed to hurt anyways! Edward grimaced hard and soon felt several lines of blood cascade down the back of his neck. He was going to need stitches. The cyborg was sure of it.

Of course, his opponent came out of the exchange significantly worse off. Dzan was thrown back forcefully, much farther than Edward had ever expected, but he wasn't complaining. He just supposed that he truly didn't know his own strength, and considering the degrees to which he was mechanically augmented. It wasn't really his strength in the first place.

But no matter, Ed told himself as he began to approach Dzan once more.

The detective lifted his right arm once more, leveling the gauntlet's wrist/forearm area on a nearby (ten feet) chair before firing the grapple hook. Snatching it up, Edward made another swift, whip-like motion and launched it towards Dzan. Though, with spectators nearby, the cyberpunk played it safe and aimed for the ground. If Dzan dodged out of the way, the chair would hit the floor, likely breaking apart on impact. Which was much better than it breaking on a fan's face.

Adrenaline Rush Cool-Down: 1/2

-6-

Edward approached Dzan with a fair amount of caution, noting the other cyborg's change in demeanor. The brawler didn't seem his usual self. His trademark look was no longer in place. The seething anger, the utter need for destruction. Dzan's unquenchable need to tear into his opponents. That was who this other cyberpunk was. It was what this cyberpunk had always been, or at least had been for as long as Edward could remember. But now, it was gone. Just gone. The detective wanted to stop and see what was wrong with his old friend. However, the pair had entered striking range before he could entertain the thought further.

Swiftly, the cyborg stepped in with his left foot, and launched a fast jab with his left (cybernetic) arm at Dzan's nose. There wasn't much power in a jab, but the metallic nature of his arm (and the hydraulics within) gave him an incredibly good jab.

Adrenaline Rush Cool-Down: 2/2

-7-

Edward's jab was effortlessly deflected off to the left; their cybernetic arms colliding against one another momentarily. The cyborg detracted his prodding left arm back into his guard with the knowledge it had done its job. It wasn't meant to knock Dzan senseless. It wasn't meant to crush his opponent's nose, though the hydraulic-powered arm and the dense layer of metal that his fist consisted of could have easily done so. Certainly, it was a nice thought, but a pipe dream in this competitive scene. Instead, the jab was supposed bait his opponent into reacting, and perhaps even over-reacting to an otherwise lax manner of doing battle. Unlike most fighters, Edward was patient. Too patient even. His methodology held no sense of urgency, and why would it?

He wasn't the on currently low on points.

Rolling with the punches, the cyberpunk rotated his hips and shoulders slightly from left to right, moving his head to the right causing Dzan's left jab to slip by harmlessly. Meanwhile, Ed's right arm rose up as he bent his knees, not only lowering his stance by a significant few degrees but protecting the left and otherwise exposed side of his face throughout the entire slip. From that position, the detective would strike, though Dzan had an attack of his own as well.

With no time to dodge, Edward took a long stride forward on his leading leg (the left), meeting the brawler's snapkick about half way while closing the distance even further. On just about anyone, it would have been a terribly, terribly bad idea, which likely would have ended with a dislocated or broken knee. And surely surgery somewhere down the line. Some nice arthritis. But when Dzan's foot rammed into where Edward's patella would be, the brawler didn't hear a crunching sound followed by a pained, 'OHHHGODDD!' Instead, he heard a sound he was very familiar with. After all, he heard it anytime he bumped into something with his arm. Metal.

The flesh was weak and the machine felt no pain.

Just as the snapkick was launched, the detective would trade with an attack of his own. From his low stance, the cyborg lashed out with his cybernetic arm towards Dzan's mid-section; the hydraulics in his arm hissing powerfully as he did so. However, a regular old (albeit mechanically powered) punch wasn't what Ed had in mind. Suddenly, just before and during the punch, the cybernetic arm began to drastically (and quickly) change. Several parts of the arm started to lift, separate, shift, and adjust; the arm growing an extra eight inches out of seemingly no where. Simultaneously, the top of his forearm and wrist lifted, creating an opening for something else.

Edward's profile Wrote:

[The Faerie Killer] Hidden in Edward's prosthetic arm, the Faerie Killer (aptly dubbed) is a katar mixed with a cleaver like blade that extends outward from an opening in the punk's outer forearm and wrist. The blade is double-edged and twenty inches long. A combination that makes the weapon very versatile. Produced entirely out of Cold Iron, the source of it's namesake, it is not only durable in a fight but can cause extra damage to the Fae and creatures like them.

This weapon can be used like a punch-dagger as it's basically an over-sized katar, which is the source of most of it's damage considering the cybernetic arm doing the punching. However, due to it's sides being sharp, the blade is more than capable of performing slash and chop attacks. Though the latter isn't as good against armor; nevertheless a menace against flesh.

An over-sized punch-dagger which was now poised to pierce through Dzan's torso. And more approximately, due to the cyborg's keen knowledge of anatomy, the brawler's liver where the width of blade made it nearly certain that important blood vessels on the organ would also be struck. Of course, the brawler still had two arms to defend himself with. However, with the speed of the strike and the arm suddenly extending to about four feet in length, and the fact that Dzan was in the midst of a front kick (standing on one foot). It wasn't going to be easy.

-8-