Heaven vs Hell Redemption

[Devil-Steel]

As the vampire lunged at Oni he only shook his head and planted his scythe into the ground beside him. He would clench his left hand into a fist and take a low stance, still never moving his feet. His usually pale white fist soon became covered in dark brown scales, those of his dragon form. Once the vampire was close enough Oni would rise and thrust his right arm forward straight at the open mouth of his opponent.

The vampire had no chance of dodging Oni's attack and he knew it, all he could do was close his mouth and grit his teeth. Hitting Oni's fist was like hitting a brick wall, not that the vampire would remember since he was just knocked unconcious by the hit.

Grabbing his scythe Oni would turn to walk away signaling for the medics to take the vampire and have him examined and patched up before being thrust into his new infantry lifestyle. Standing at the entrance opposite where his competitors come in Oni would signal for the gate to open so he could lay eyes on his next challenger.

 

[Phantom_Knight_x_]

Kain sighed as the Vampire was out in a single hit - losing practically every single one of his teeth in the process. He was hoping the Vampire would have more fight in him, and thus he would have the upper advantage of retrieving information. Knowledge was power. Unfortunately, Kain could only stare at all the now orphaned teeth, a wave of dissatisfaction passing over him.

"That's one way to get up in someone's grill." Kain would dryly comment to himself as finally the gates opened up. Kain, and Avery, would both walk out and into the light. Perhaps to Oni's surprise, he would be looking at a kid and some dude in winter clothing. If that wasn't odd enough, the boy was Human, and the thing standing next to him was something he probably never sensed before - should he be able to sense such a thing - nevertheless, anyone could feel just from the air about Avery that he wasn't normal.

Kain would bow slightly, lowering his head and putting his fists together infront of his head. "My name is Kain, sire. This is my counterpart, Avery. May we fight as one, sire?" His voice nearly cracked from nervousness as he spoke - afterall he was speaking to the current leader of Hell. It wasn't something that happened often, and was definitely not something to be taken lightly. Afterall, this could cost his life, or atleast what little he had, at the end of the day. However, unlike Kain, Avery simply stood tall, and silent as always. He didn't feel the same about the situation; if he felt at all, that is.  

[Aizen Teresaga]

Raven collapsed against a wall, sinking to seat herself. Prespiration beaded her forehead, and she panted heavily from effort. Steam rose from her shoulders, her inky black hair singed. The air would have been stale, but Oxygen was needed to fuel the raging fire of the Forge. Metal, Water, and heat swirled together, a rich Orchestra that served as the heart of the hard labor Raven had come to appreciate full circle. Black smudges of dirt along her cheeks, the Evanescent Princess had undertaken the task of forging her own suited armor.

"That's 'nough for t'day." The gruff Blacksmith grunted; he had not yet warmed to the idea of some woman waltzing in, but her moxy had impressed him, and she was quick to learn. Raven realized she was still firmly gripping the Hardy she had been cutting with tightly. Cautious pulling herself to her feet, she unraveled from the cocoon of intense thoughts overcoming her. He was getting impatient with her; she had not told him anything about what her true reason for being there was. But he had trusted her for two years. His wavering thoughts nauseated her. Regaining her composure, the woman set to cleaning the area. The chest plate resting before her as she approached the table seemed harmless enough,"Yes, sir. I'll clean up here for the day. Same time to--"

The older man overtook her, pushing her to the side. He silently began collecting the tools, toting them away, "Tomorrow." He grunted, disappearing around the corner of the Smithy.

---

St. Anne seemed so much more familiar. There were familiar faces, and Raven would smile warmly to them or wave; here, Raven was reminded of home. Of her connection and birthright. The leather brace, dark brown against her pale skin, constricted, sheathing the flesh from wound. The stiff, metal plates underneath to serving as her guard. It seemed well in place, compared to the simple white cotton dress she chose to wear, a cord ran from the right shoulder across her chest to her waist where the familar weight of her Naginata hung. A Leather sheath encased the queer-angled blade, which jutted upwards from her shoulder. Formalities aside, Raven had chosen long ago not to settle into the comfort of Royal lineage. She was equal in nearly every situation, and rarely superior or inferior otherwise. She had taken to training recruits of the Guild, correcting posture, offering criticism and advice. Her outlook had been that fighting was no different than dancing, and every man, woman, and child could dance. She favored helping younger recruits to choose their weapon. The Naginata had a personal history with her, and she used this history to benefit others. To see the Guild flourish--to see St. Anne flourish--warmed her very soul.

She with her dancer's lithe slipped along the wall way, her hair braided and draped over her left shoulder. Casting a wary glance at the rosters, scanning for familiar names and ranks, Raven glanced around the corner and peered inside the Arena. Her eyes immediately locked onto the trainees, mentally calculating their forms. Like a satellite, she gravitated inward towards them. She would step carefully, hovering around the fighters like a ghost before she would interrupt and grasp a wrist tightly gripping a wooden staff, "Do not grip so firmly, Tomas. You will wear your muscles down. Eyes ahead--peripherals. Keep your toes pointed ahead." She quietly instructed the fighter; She could feel the weight of his emotions at the gentle touch, the wavering doubt. She smiled encouragingly before she turned to another group. "Jesalyn, keep your form opposing his. Jacoby--don't slouch, it will cost you reaction time--and an arm."

Now she approached another group--one far too familiar. Despite the dirt and grime that caked her, there was no better group to behold than her favorite men all in one spot, "What no-girls-allowed nonsense is going on over here, hm?"

 

[Devil-Steel]

As two fighters walked in at the same time Oni would be a bit confused, never before had two people tried to take the advancement test at the same time. "I'm at a slight loss for words." Oni would pace back and forth where he was standing running through the thoughts in his mind. "I will let the two of you fight at once under one condition. If you can succeed in passing this test the two of you must always act as one unit. If one fails, you both fail. Where one succeeds you both succeed." Oni knew that since they made the request to fight together, they wouldn't object to his condition.

A smirk would slowly creep onto Oni's face as he stared at the odd pair in front of him. "Now onto the conditions of this fight. I will not be allowed to transform or even use my powers. I have my scythe and my physical attacks only to beat the two of you with. If you can force me to transform or use any of my powers before I have beaten the two of you, then you shall have beaten my challenge and earned a higher rank. If not, they two of you will be separated and thrown into the infantry ranks with everyone else." Oni would hold his hand up towards his scythe and it would fly to his hand. "I trust you have no objections to your skills test?" Oni already knew what the answer would be for no one would pass up such and easy skills test, would they? Or was how easy it was too good to be true?

 

[Phantom_Knight_x_]

Once Oni had finished speaking, Kain would stand up straight and look over at Avery - still standing still and silent, his eyes locked onto Oni like an owl. Obviously, Avery was ready for this to begin, and was leaving the rest for Kain to decide. Glancing back at Oni through the corner of his eye, it was obvious that Oni had something up his sleeve; not to mention the conditions of this match were different than the last. Nevertheless, he had no choice; they had to keep moving forward. If they didn't proceed, their lives were forfeit anyhow.

Time to test their resolve - was it enough to overcome this trial? They were going to have to go through Hell - literally - in order to survive. If they couldn't achieve this simple task, then they might as well roll over and die right now. "Not again.." Kain would look about the arena, at those who were watching, at those whom were waiting and ultimately back onto Oni.

"We gladly accept this obligation, and challenge, sire."

Without even hesitating, Kain would reach up to the collar of his cloak with both hands, and touch the 'plates' that hung from around his neck. His left hand would retrieve two orbs of a peculiar green color, while his right would receive a solid purple orb, a black orb, and a rainbow colored orb. He would throw the two green orbs in the air, from there they would begin to float around and emit low level energy readings, but also head in the direction of Oni.

The orbs in his right hand, however, would do something completely different, they would come to rest on the knuckles of his right hand, and fusion energy would connect between the four orbs, run down each finger, and even make a 'plate' of fusion energy on the back of his hand. This was one of his most simplistic techniques of his brand new powers, but since they ran on spiritual energy generally, they were more potent than usual. In the real world he has held back, but now that he was even a spirit himself, he found the connection between himself and his powers ever more powerful.

If Oni could sense the energies, he would notice that since Kain used his powers, certain energies that surrounded him - such as spiritual energy - within a 6 foot radius were being sucked into his very being.


To ensure Kain's safety during this process, Avery would summon Gae Bulg - his polearm. The insanely long polearm reached out to about 16 feet, constructed entirely out of a massive dense bone from his home-world. With weapon in hand, Avery charged out in sprint, and along the way released the aft extension in order to bring the weapon down to a more reasonable 10 foot. Avery had yet to transform, and was still in his day-to-day form, but that didn't seem to slow him down. Once within the 10 foot radius, should Oni still be standing in his original spot, Avery would drop out of his sprint, planting his feet in the ground, and jabbed forward with the spear point.

 

[Devil-Steel]

Oni would only stand and watch as the two fighters began their assault against him. He was far more curious about what Kain was doing over Avery at the moment. Being a summoner Oni was very much in tune with spiritual energies, and was ready to get in close with each fighter. Although he still couldn't quite figure out what Avery was just yet. As the two orbs flew towards him along with Avery charging towards him Oni didn't have much time to think. Not that he ever spent much time thinking about what he was going to do in the first place.

Oni would extend his right arm back, scythe in hand, before quickly bringing his arm forward releasing his grip on his scythe and letting it fly towards the two orbs in the air. He didn't plan on actually hitting them, seeing as they seemed to be able to move on their own. He was only hoping to slow them down long enough to deal with whatever Avery had in mind, which he would be finding out soon enough.

When Avery began to slow to his stop Oni was now without a weapon of his own just keeping an eye on the blade of the pole arm. Can't fight like I normally do, this should be a fun exercise for all of us. As the blade came thrusting towards him Oni would spin to his left to avoid the spear, extending his left arm outward to get a grip on the weapon at the base of the blade. If Oni managed to grab hold of the weapon he would use his momentum to push forward with his left arm hoping for one of two things to happen. Either he would disarm his opponent with such a forceful pull ripping the weapon from Avery's hands. Or what he truly hoped would happen would be that Avery would keep hold of his weapon and come forward with it. If that was the case Oni would continue his spin until he was facing Avery keeping his left arm behind him with a firm grip on the weapon. If this maneuver managed to pull Avery into striking range Oni would throw a simple right straight aimed at what would be a normal humans mouth on Avery. This punch wouldn't have much power behind it, but if it connected should hold enough power to knock Avery's hood back so that Oni could see his face.

 

[Phantom_Knight_x_]

As the scythe came at the two orbs they would elegantly avoid the massive weapon flying through the air, but one would break off and follow the scythe - emitting higher levels of energy as it followed. Meanwhile, the other would continue straight to the target: Oni. Once it reached Oni, it would keep out of arms length and begin to float around him, but should Oni pay any attention it would begin to release the same levels of energy as the other which was following the scythe.

However, unlike the orbs or even Kain, Avery was within arms length. Oni would get his grip on Gae Bulg, but the instant he would touch it he would be subject to a particular attack from Avery. Gae Bulg was being used as a conduit for a technique called "Abysmal Excise", normally Avery could simply rip out a soul with this technique, but in this case Oni was a very powerful soul, and thus it would take time. Nevertheless, Oni would feel a sudden drain on everything that was him - his very essence: his soul. Unfortunately, it wasn't in time to save face. Literally.

Avery's face would accept the blow, but Avery would turn his head with the punch in order to lessen it even more. However, his hood was buckled down to the rest of his suit, and thus didn't budge; and for reasons unseen neither did his mask. In retaliation, Avery's arm would attempt to practically 'slither' and wrap itself around Oni's vulnerable arm. Should it get around Oni's arm, it would creak and crack as it tightened and tightened around his arm - like a Python. In this case, Oni would definitely come to realize that Avery wasn't anything like what he appeared. The fact was that Avery functioned off hydraulics.

Avery would turn his head to look back at Oni, but this time his mask was Oni's face. Everything was down to the same detail, except for two things, the eyes, and a green goo that was drooling out of his mouth. For now, Avery stood there, silent, staring at Oni, and drooling; which was beginning to puddle on the ground.


Away from all the action, the energies continued to be absorbed by Kain, and out of sight of Oni Renzoken Crystal started to build up on his left arm and torso. This was currently his best technique, but he wasn't very experienced, and so more or less - unless controlled, he would turn into a big block of crystal, which made him invulnerable, but also left him in a state where he was untouched by time - untouched by everything, but he could never do anything that way, and sometimes he would pass out and days, weeks, months, years would go by before he could finally come to and free himself. While using the Renzoken Crystal in this form - more or less armor - it gave him protection against foes. Unfortunately it limited his flexibility, and the crystal in such thing amounts could be destroyed.

How could he control the crystals? The crystals fed off of energies, and Kain discovered that through using the orbs, he could feed the crystal in a manner that he could practically smith the crystal into platemail. That was part of the reason why he had done what he did with his right hand. "Just hold out for a little longer, Avery...almost finished"

(Didn't proof read or anything. Barely could make that post. My eyes are killing me, and I can't think. Gonna pass out now. Peace for now.)  

[Devil-Steel]

Oni was no stranger to pain, but the pain he was filling now was unlike anything he had ever felt before. Oni would quickly release his grip on the weapon as Avery's arm began to wrap around his own. Oni's eyes would go wide at the sight of Avery's arm literally wrapping around his own. If this wasn't a bad enough situation for him, when Avery looked back at Oni with his own face. "Well now you really are something aren't you. Maybe I shouldn't have put my transformations off limits. Granted I'm really starting to enjoy myself." Avery was far from normal, but then again so was Oni. As the grip on his right arm tightened, Oni didn't even seem to be fazed by the pain. His focus was now on one thing only, figuring out just what Avery was. "Ya know, no one has ever gone toe to toe with me like this. I hope your enjoying yourself, I know I am. I just wish I could go all out."

The orb that was flying around him was of little consequence to him right now. He was in danger of having his arm shattered, or worse ripped off and he had to do something about it quick. Luckily Oni was right at home against Avery right now, being close was where he enjoyed being. Oni would drop down low keeping his right arm relaxed as he turned his left side towards Avery. With one quick motion upwards Oni would aim his left shoulder towards Avery's stomach. Oni was aiming to lift Avery up off of the ground, and if he managed to succeed he would bring his right arm down with as much power as he could muster with it being locked up. Oni was attempting to lift Avery up and slam him down so he could gain leverage on him. If the summoner could manage to get Avery onto the ground that's when the payout would come. He would take hold of Avery's arm with both of his while planting his right foot on Avery's shoulder. Once he had a hold of Avery's arm with both of his and a foot on his shoulder Oni would proceed to pull upwards with all of his might trying to rip Avery's arm right out of it's socket. Hopefully Oni would succeed or at least cause Avery to release his grip on Oni's arm. Either way Oni would be happy as he could already begin to feel the bones in his right arm cracking. It wouldn't be much longer until they were broken, leaving Oni with no way to fix it.

((Don't worry about it I could understand your post no problem. Enjoy your sleep we can pick this up again whenever.))

 

[Phantom_Knight_x_]

Though Oni would let go of Avery's weapon, and the pain from the attack would cease, some of Oni's soul was drained and turned into Ectoplasm for Avery; thus why Avery now wore a duplicate of Oni's face. This also meant that Oni and Avery were in essence connected via the Ectoplasm, but because of the conversion Oni, should he have any power over his own soul, could try all he wanted, but would never be able to control it.

With his weapon now free, Avery would toss Gae Bulg to the side so it was out of the way, and wouldn't be able to be used against him. With his new found freedom, and in a maneuver to avoid Oni, Avery would leap hard and fast to Oni's right. In the blink of an eye he had jumped to Oni's right, underneath his now flexed arm, and using it as a swing in order to get behind Oni. This of course would most likely cause Oni to lose some balance, and possibly cause his arm to come around his back with Avery. Once behind Oni, Avery would slam his right foot into the back of Oni's right knee. This was so he could possibly bring Oni down to one knee, and he was also using it as a leverage point in order to pull back on Oni's right arm in order to bring it back and possibly even break it. Nevertheless, without the use of his right arm Oni would most likely have to sacrifice the freedom of his left arm in order to catch his fall - should he fall.

If Oni didn't fall, Avery would tuck up against his back, right foot still placed against his right knee, and still trying to pull Oni's arm back. This was so that Oni wouldn't be able to reach back and grab him, and also couldn't simply topple back on him. Or even kick him. This would also give him the advantage of a larger leverage base, which would allow him to pull even harder.

"I am. I'm also pleased to be the first, but I suppose I also have an advantage others don't." Avery had finally spoken, but much to anyone's surprise it was also with a duplicate of Oni's own voice.

Regardless of if Oni fell or not, two things would happen. First of all, Kain was finally ready and began to make his way to the tussle, and second - should Oni notice - the green goo Avery had been drooling all over began to absorb into the ground, and with it the ground began to slowly transform. The ground would begin to lift up, immediately beginning to take shape, a skeleton forming before all their very eyes. Life was being born before them, before every audience member, before the leader of Hell, and before all the warriors awaiting their turn.
 

[Devil-Steel]

Oni would only scowl as Avery made his way behind him. This wasn't looking good for Oni, luckily his reaction time would allow him to move his right foot to the side so that Avery's foot would land between the two of his. This is going to hurt. Oni was no stranger to pain, but he preferred it being used to get close to his opponent. But this time it would used to get out of a dangerous situation. Oni wouldn't waste any time in jumping forward with every ounce of strength he could muster. Hopefully Avery would release his arm this time because if he didn't Oni's shoulder would be broken into many different places, rendering his right arm completely useless the rest of this fight.

Of course if Avery didn't let go he would go down with Oni, accept Avery would be landing face first while Oni would be landing on his back. It would be at that point in time that Oni would notice the skeleton forming. What the...this is getting ridiculous. If Avery released Oni's arm, the summoner would quickly get to his feet and put some distance between Avery and himself. "That you do, if I hadn't forbid my own powers I think the advantage would have still been mine. So what is your name my friend? As you know I am Oni Ukia, Leader of Hell."

 

[Phantom_Knight_x_]

As important as keeping hold of Oni's arm was, it wasn't important enough to risk being at Oni's mercy, and so when Oni jumped Avery let the arm slide free of his grip, and simply watched as Oni swiftly got back onto his feet. For a moment Avery's arm fell limp at his side, but with more creaking and cracking his arm would take back the original shape it had before wrapping around Oni's arm. Avery was standing above the skeleton which, by this time, was fully formed, and was beginning to grow flesh - making wheezing and hacking sounds as it came to life.

Then from that flesh hair began to grow - tons of hair. So much hair that no one could see the body anymore, and the only things that really were visible were a row of teeth, and yellow eyes. This was an Enmity. Immediately it began to move about the ground like a centipede.

"I am Avery Okoth Haben Naiser Zoan. Noumenon Phantasma. The child is Kain."As Avery mentioned him, Kain finally came to a stop standing behind Oni by roughly 10 feet. Kain was now covered in his plate armor, which made most of his body glisten a dark purple color in the light. It was a pretty sight, but the plate armor itself was rather unappealing as across the entire armor there were chunks of crystal which appeared more like barnacles.

Nevertheless, the armor was still more effective than anything Kain could wear, and considering his size and age, there was very little in that way, either. For the moment, the battle seemed to be at a stand still.

 

[Devil-Steel]

"Avery and Kain. Well I'll be sure to remember one of your names at least." Kain hadn't made any impression on Oni at all, but Oni had been preoccupied up until now by Avery. Oni would keep his eyes on the skeleton as it began to shift and morph, as he did so Oni would stretch his arm and shoulder. Pops and cracks could be heard from multiple places within his arm, and yet Oni didn't even seem bothered by the sounds or the feeling of his fractured arm and shoulder. Not quite broken, but still not as well off as it could have been. So the right arm is almost all but useless.

Oni would turn his head to the side keeping Avery and the Enmity in his peripheral vision on one side and putting Kain into his other peripherals. If I turn my back to Avery, I'm screwed. But leaving the kid unattended to any longer could prove most dangerous as well. Oni didn't have many options at a time like this, so he took what would be by far his best one. Run. Oni would run towards his scythe, the only thing that could help even out the odds a bit. Unfortunately it had impaled itself in the arena wall behind where Avery and Kain had entered. Oni's legs hadn't been injured he only hoped that his sudden sprint away from them would give him the extra time needed to reach his scythe, though he really doubted it would.

 

[Phantom_Knight_x_]

As Oni made a dash for it, Avery would make a dash for his own weapon - Gae Bulg. Of course, in this case Avery would get to his weapon first. Kicking it up in the air - sand and dirt all being kicked up with the weapon, Avery would begin to spin while grasping the polearm with his right arm before finally throwing the spear at Oni after his spin. He was aiming for Oni's legs, and with any luck it would either get one of his legs, or get stuck between his legs. Either way, the weapon would bring him down.

Meanwhile, as Avery did this with his spear, Kain would receive three more orbs - the last remaining - and threw two right off the bat. The rainbow colored orbs would sail through the air, past Oni, and impale themselves into the arena wall beside the scythe. Energies would then connect between the two orbs in order to make a strap of energy to batten down the weapon onto the wall, and though it could be broken by a 3rd party, it would at least ensure Oni couldn't take the scythe as easily as he would've before.

Finally, aiming the best he could, Kain threw the last orb; which follow the same path as the other two before finally dropping into the dirt between Oni and his scythe. The orb would explode, sending shards of it's dark purple crystal everywhere. The shards would reach dozens of feet in every direction of all shapes and sizes, and if Oni was close enough they would most likely impale themselves in his skin. After the orb exploded, Kain would begin his mad dash after Oni, and hopefully these two obstacles would have slowed him down. Once Avery saw Kain chasing, he began to follow but with a more subtle jog, while messing with his belt.

 

[Devil-Steel]

As Avery let the scythe fly, Oni finally enjoy the tiger blood that ran through his body. With his enhanced hearing Oni could hear the spear slicing through the air. In one swift movement Oni would drop and quickly push off the ground taking a leap forward. As Oni left the ground the spear would land underneath him, barely missing it's mark. While in the air, the first two orbs would fly past him and embed themselves into the wall on either side of his scythe. Then the third orb would fly past him and land on the ground between him and his scythe. When the orb exploded Oni wasn't worried, he was far enough away that the blast wouldn't come close to reaching him, but the shards were another story. Throwing his left arm up to guard his face Oni would only stand there as the shards sliced through his arm and legs, some even embedding themselves into his torso.

Letting out a growl Oni would turn around knowing that reaching his scythe was now a futile attempt. Kain was fast approaching and the only weapon nearby was the spear embedded into the ground. Let's see if the same thing happens when he's not touching this damn thing. Oni would rush forward with his left hand outstretched, reaching for the pole arm in the ground. Oni would run past it, grabbing it as he did so using nothing more than his momentum to pull it free from the ground. Once he felt it was free he would sling it around with his left arm aiming the axe blade towards Kain's neck. If Oni didn't make contact he would continue spinning with the weapon only to release it and let it fly towards one of the orbs keeping his scythe locked down. After letting the weapon fly Oni would stop turning to face Kain and prepare for Avery and his assault. "BRING IT ON!"

 

[Phantom_Knight_x_]

Oni's assumption that the polearm would no longer have the same effect as before was correct. Without the direct contact of Avery, the weapon no longer had that influence, and there was nothing to protect it from being used by an enemy. At least, not yet. As Kain enclosed, he would begin to focus on all the shards that had gone all over. Oni was becoming much more aggressive, and considering the fact that he was outnumbered..he would most likely begin to get desperate. This meant that they would have to try to finish this sooner, but the main issue with that solution was that they were yet to become powerful enough. They were limited to what they were, and what was at their disposal - not to mention Oni was a seasoned fighter, but in Kain's last fight against a beast..he lost. That was why he found himself in the land of demons and spirits.

Could they even hold out long enough to wear him down? What if all this made Oni wish to simply wipe them from existence?

Finally, he had isolated all of the shards, and he came to realize several had embedded themselves in Oni's body. This was his chance. Even as the polearm came in on him, Kain would continue running. As soon as he came into range of the axe, he would thrust his left fist up and into the axe blade of Gae Bulg - this would cause the blade to jerk up into the air, and with the punch Kain's body would lift up just enough that the broadside of the weapon would catch around his armpit, most of the force being absorbed by the surrounding Renzoken armor.

The force, though absorbed by the armor, would still be enough to strip him of the oxygen in his lungs in one heavy exhale that almost sounded like gagging, and sent him tumbling to the side. Regardless of if it stopped the swing or not, Kain would begin to focus on the shards inside Oni once again. Influencing the energies trapped inside of them, Kain began to move and control the shards in order to pinch nerves and render him defenseless. Without the nerves in perfect working order, Oni would most likely experience lack of feeling, if any at all, lack of balance, and most likely no longer being able to control the muscles in limbs.

Kain didn't want to kill Oni, or cause permanent damage, but if this didn't even slow him down then more drastic measures would have to be taken. Kain would finally manage to get up, struggling to breathe, but still standing.