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 Posted: Thu Mar 19, 2009 12:13 pm
Jade looked up from where she was trudging through the snow to glance at the man she called 'brother'. She didn't elaborate further on what she wanted to do still, feeling he might not approve. After all, most of what she wanted to do involved the Orion, or those within it. She had no urge to travel or see the world, no want for thrill and excitement. The girl had already had plenty of that in her life already. Mostly, she just wanted to live quietly with the person she loved most, maybe start a family someday.
Though, that last one seemed like it would be ended in less than a week.
Maybe it was childish, but Jade didn't think she'd be having such a relatively calm conversation with Keno. Rather, she'd been expecting loud outbursts, yelling and the like. They were hardly even mentioning the argument the brothers had had the night before, and were just discussing what might happen as a result of that.
Jade eventually caught up to Keno, and the both of them kept walking through the woods, the girl hoping to herself that the snow would stay on the branches above, and not land on her. Feet were cold enough as it was. She didn't answer his question about Deity, keeping her thoughts to herself. As much as she would like to say yes, Jade had a feeling that her love wouldn't say he had. Perhaps that last few years had been better than most, but she knew he felt the weight of the lives he'd taken as his Devil. A few hundred years of dealing with that wouldn't make it any easier either.
She was rather surprised, though her face didn't give it away, when Keno kept speaking. Jade knew well who 'she' was; his sister Thorn, his blood sister. The same Thorn that Jade had resembled very much when she and Keno first met.
"I think we all have regrets of something or another when we die..."
Jade spoke softly, though she knew Keno would hear her either way. Winter silence in the woods did nothing to hide spoken words. "I think....I would have liked her, if we could have met."
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Posted: Thu Mar 19, 2009 1:03 pm
"Maybe," he said casually, but that would be the last of their pleasant conversation.
Keno wouldn't have time to say anything else before something smacked him between the eyes, sending him reeling back with a grunt and inducing temporary blindness. Whatever it was had taken advantage of - or by chance happened upon him from - a blind spot courtesy of the hundreds of trees surrounding them. By the time Jade registered what had happened or caught sight of his assailant, another attacker already had her in a sleeper hold, leaving only a few grains of sand between her and unconsciousness.
Of course, the less she struggled, and panicked, the longer she would remain awake. If she behaved, she might be allowed to watch at least a bit of what was to come. Misbehave however, and what air she had left would be forced out of her quickly. There was more than enough manpower to pull it off. Before her stood Luke, the rather vain pretty boy of Unit 97 who looked unimpressive and unimpressed, and from behind her came the scent of a woman. Since her air supply was cut off, the fragrance mattered very little, but the impression of her captor's breasts could be felt against her back. Memory would have given her a fifty-fifty guess to who it was, and the sheer amount of strength of the woman should have made it obvious.
Keno didn't move for a moment, intently listening and feeling for any threatening movement. When none came, he diverted half of his attention to himself. His nose wasn't bleeding, his vision was clearing, and nothing seemed to be broken or loosened. It was nothing more than an effective stunner or the clumsiest thing he had done in a long a time. Either way, he wasn't sure how far back he had stumbled in his disorientation and Jade for one reason or another hadn't said anything. Would she be laughing after he recovered or was she in trouble? He didn't have to wait long to find out.
By the time he could see straight, it was too late to do anything but get angrier at the situation; after all, who enjoys being hit in the face? He would have rushed forward if he thought they wouldn't be able to snap Jade's neck before he reached them. The fact that they hadn't yet must have meant that they wanted something. What was it this time, and why were there only two of them? Where were the other four?
He cast a glance at Raion, demanding she release Jade with a glare, and she naturally refused with a sidelong glance. Since she was playing captor, it wasn't she who would try to execute him. At least not for the time. Turning to Luke bore less fruit as the cyborg or android or whatever he was continued looking uninterested, if not a bit uncomfortable.
"What the hell then?" he demanded irritably through his mask, his lungs trying to assess how pissed off he was and how heavy he should breathe as clouds of steam puffed up before him. For another moment no one spoke and his mind was given some time to clear. Luke continued to look uncomfortable, and even began fidgeting a bit before long. It only took a moment to understand why. Keno couldn't directly see, but it was obvious that the nearly expressionless man was struggling with something, or rather someone, on the other side of him. Jade would have seen who it was when she first saw Luke, but his profile was effectively hiding the kid from Keno, but the feline put it together quickly enough.
Apparently it was up to Keno to notice the boy - who had grown a bit since the last time - for as soon as he did, Luke stepped aside to reveal him, looking feral as all hell. His hair was a mess, his jeans torn and ripped, his feet bare and teeth bared, and all twenty of his nails uneven and dirty; very dramatic. His clothes weren't strong enough, so Luke had to hold him by the hair and the nape of his neck to keep him from turning the forest into a wasteland.
Keno looked at the boy, who wasn't speaking, but struggling against Luke's grip now more than ever, grunting and flailing as though he were possessed. How neither he nor Jade noticed their presence was astounding; the kid wasn't holding back his power at all, and it only seemed to be rising, though there was technically no evidence of such. Not even the snow on the trees trembled, and yet it was undeniable that this kid was raving mad and uninhibited and worst of all, it was all directed at him. He didn't know if the kid could technically see or not. Although his eyes were open, it didn't appear as though he were looking at or seeing anything. They were so clouded with rage and blood lust, that they would have been more effective were they closed. Keno cocked at eyebrow and ignored the boy in favor of more rational company.
"What's his deal?"
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Posted: Thu Mar 19, 2009 9:41 pm
It happened in an instant. Jade waited for Keno to continue, walking through the snow in silence. Then, he was suddenly paces backwards, reeling from an unseen hit. Before she could even flinch to help him, a strong arm snaked around her neck and she felt a hand press to the back of her head, a warm body against her back.
Initially, panic set it at the sudden loss of air intake, making her reach up with her left hand in a vain attempt to pull the offenders arm away, if not to escape then to allow room to breath. Then a fighters instinct took over, and she swung her right elbow back at her captors ribcage. Both of these actions only made her assailant tighten their grip.
Blackness started crawling at the edges of her vision, and Jade ceased, her hands falling back to her sides. Any noticing would see that her body was not limp, but rather tense, ready for a chance to take advantage of. Instead, she began to assess the situation, and recognized the man in her sights as one of the group hunting Keno, in this case the one who didn't like to get his face hit.
Unable to take breaths deeper than what was barely necessary, her sense of smell failed to give her more details on the one holding her. However, she knew the distinctive feel of breasts against her back told her more than her nose. One of the two women, and since there had been no threats of bites so far, and the sheer strength, Jade assumed it wasn't the snake woman, but the other. It was a bit of a relief, because the threat of poison was more dangerous.
Jade missed Keno's glare to Raion, as her green eyes had caught sight of the third attacker, who's sight was rather disturbing in a way. This was the same brat from before? He looked completely insane, and all the more dangerous for it. Seeing how he struggled against Luke's grip, Jade wondered the same Keno spoke, though she barely had the freedom to breath enough to be conscious, much less speak.
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Posted: Thu Mar 19, 2009 10:02 pm
::Glass shattered, big chunks of the frame of the twentieth story window being thrown into the open air as something - or someone - blasted through it like a cannonball through the hull of a wooden ship. The glass and metal plummeted, while the object that destroyed them refused to heed gravity and instead followed its own path, swerving down in the general direction of the vast woods below. In the same beat that the window shattered so too did a pine treetop, which snapped as the speeding object glanced against it, causing it to shudder before tipping over and falling free of the rest of the trunk. A few more innocent plants suffered a similar fate, with loosely snow-covered branches shedding the ice and cause a rain to cover the forest floor.
Finally, the object came to a stop. Bare feet dug into the ice cold dirt, which was made chillier still by the moisture from fallen and subsequently molten ice. A pair of loosely-worn blue jeans lead up a good distance to a simply black tee, the fitted collar of which leading one's eyes to Deity's face. Having been so recently in the company of nought but his father and his beloved, he was without his social mask - his glasses and his bandana did not hide his countenance, leaving his ancient scar out in the open for any to see. Softly faded red eyes were focused on three figures of the evident five - now six - occupying the woods. None of them he knew and already he disliked them. One of them was holding Jade hostage - another was holding some crazed boy back from going on a rampage.
Who any of them were was for the brief moment completely irrelevant. Thankfully barging in with guns blazing was neither Deity's style nor his most well thought out of plans of action at the moment. Considering his girlfriend's neck was placed snugly inbetween the arms of someone all of his senses told him was monstrous, he made it a prominent feature of his current attitude to be unthreatening - no need to startle someone if doing so could lead to a death. Considering the life at stake, Deity couldn't be sure that it wouldn't lead to a few billion more deaths. It was a good idea for everyone that he not take any rash action.
Instead - after his legs finished absorbing his sudden stop - he took a step back, as he was acting as an obstruction between the raving boy and his obvious target, Keno. Deity's long legs carried him away from the lunatic and to Keno's right in only three steps, where he passed a brief, questioning look over to Keno. He furrowed his brow. What the hell have you done now, his eyes scoldingly asked. Not at all in the position to call someone on doing something stupid, the Orinian's recent adventure in lack of forethought put only himself in immediate danger. Keno had a tendency to do something stupid and make the entire classroom pay for it. His expression was treating Keno like a troublemaking stepchild that refused to behave. He didn't wait long for a visual repsonse if he got any at all, now focusing his attention on Jade - she was after all the reason he was here.
Though hardly omnipotent by any stretch of the imagination, the Orinian had a knack for sensing distress. Specifically the distress of a friend or loved one. The moment Jade was grabbed, her genuine shock registered as a red alarm - the instinct was to come running. At the moment, Father was in all likelyhood scrambling for the elevator - he couldn't fly. Given the distance, he wouldn't be there fast enough to make any difference, which was good news for whoever these people were.::
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The Fierce Deity Vice Captain
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Posted: Thu Mar 19, 2009 10:35 pm
Deity's appearance. Well...it wasn't expected, but considering the trouble he went through to get there so quickly, everyone saw it coming - in a manner of speaking. The Unit didn't say anything, though they were clearly on their guard - except for Mani who was more than willing to barrel straight through anyone and anything to get to Keno's innards. Keno, for his part, managed to blow hot air out of his nose like a cartoon bull in a gesture of what he thought about this development. He knew why Deity was here, and he didn't blame the guy, but when the two exchanged glances, Keno gave him an undeniable 'butt out' glare. Not that he minded having back-up; he just didn't want it. Even when he needed it, he didn't want it, as was evident with the last two encounters with this particular group of people.
Aside from that quick and silent give-and-take, Keno had no further reason to pay attention to Deity, so he returned to Raion.
"Well?"
Still wary of a third party in Keno's favor, Raion said nothing, but instead ensured that Jade didn't try anything reckless at the sudden arrival of...whoever this guy was. Had he not spoken, she likely wouldn't have said anything, which would have left all six people staring one another down until someone got too fidgety to stand still. Then all hell would have broken loose. Fortunately though, he did speak, and she looked at the wild child in Luke's grasp as a surge of emotion crept into her voice.
"It's almost been two years and he hasn't spoken a word. Not one." The emphasis with which she spoke translated into more pressure applied to Jade's neck. It was a reflex she did not mean to act on, but could not correct. Easing up would present a moment of weakness to take advantage of. That was unacceptable and would have been far too inconvenient. Keno's companion would just have to deal with it until she passed out.
"Something in him broke. No one can get through to him. All he does is kill or try to kill. It's unnatural...like he's not even human." In her own misery, all she could do was spit the words at KenoTao, who was growing steadily calmer, but all the more paranoid. He was watching Raion carefully, but without offense. For everyone involved, it was better that no one moved, but if Jade would be killed whether Keno behaved or not, he wasn't going to stand idly by.
"Are you paying attention?"
"Yeah," Keno answered sarcastically, "he must be so sad." Whether he could see or not, the boy seemed to recognize the taunt and lunged at Keno so viciously, Luke slid three inches and almost lost his balance. Apparently adding insult to injury would be dangerous. Keno smiled as that wild gleam returned to his eyes; the one that said he was up to no good. "Or maybe he's just a little boy throwing a tantrum because he can't sing falsetto anymore."
"He's mourning," she shouted over Mani's roar of a scream. "Because of you, Jagan died, and Mani doesn't know how to deal with that!"
"Pity," he replied without remorse, "but I fail to see how that is my fault. I haven't killed any of you. Not yet anyway."
"Watch what you say," she cautioned coldly, suggesting what she might do to Jade if he did not. His gaze narrowed, but he called her bluff.
"What would you rather me say? Continue hunting me down and you'll all die sooner or later. Though you should make sure you take your dignity when you do. I heard Jagan died like a coward." Of course, he had heard no such thing. He wasn't even sure he knew who the killer was. Two years was a long time for such trivial, indirectly related events. He never asked; he never cared. One less person trying to kill you wasn't something he bothered questioning.
To any event, his retort had riled the members of 97, even Luke who glared at Keno as though he were so much undesirable trash. Mani erupted, causing anything not firmly rooted to the ground to scatter from the immediate area; mostly snow and broken twigs that clattered or serves as mid-air wind breaks and caused an unpleasant cacophony. The storm of wind that raced from the child hid Keno's laughter almost as well as his mask did. If they were becoming less rational, all the better for him.
At some point, Mani broke from Luke's hold, who only just seized the boy's arm in time to keep him from literally goring and mauling Keno. All the tiger could do was suppress his laughter as the climate calmed again. It was just too funny.
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Posted: Thu Mar 19, 2009 11:28 pm
Though her breath was slowly being strangled from her, and her nose dulled because of it, Jade was certain she heard something over the sound of her heart beating louder and louder in her ears. An instant later she was rewarded with the sight of Deity forcefully landing in the middle of the group, wearing little more than she currently was. After all, neither were planning on going outside today. He was even minus his glasses and bandana, a rare sight outside the bedroom.
She tried to call his name, but all that came out was a strangled gurgle, and nothing further from her as Raion's steady grip kept her from trying anything. The Saiya-jin might be common sense deficient at times, but she wasn't completely a fool. Any sudden moves, as hard to make as they would be, could result in her snapping her own neck, much less her captor doing it. More pressure, though unintentionally, was placed on her windpipe. The pounding increased in her head, and her vision blackened further. Her heart was beating faster in it's vain attempts to get what oxygen it could to the rest of her body.
More concerned with trying to stay conscious a bit longer than listening to the exchange, though she picked up snipits. Mani, the kid, had lost it because of Jagan's death. Jagan....she had fought him that time, hadn't she? Jade couldn't remember at the moment. Maybe Kirra had fought him more, she'd done most of it that day.
She forwent listening further as snow and forest debris was kicked up, closing her green eyes against it. She couldn't guard herself, even a bit against it since her captor could easily mistake it as an escape attempt. Thankfully, anything there would just be minor surface scratches. Once the snow and debris settled down again, however, would show Jade's green eyes closed and her body having lost any tension it previously had. The lack of air had finally knocked her out.
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The Fierce Deity Vice Captain
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Posted: Thu Mar 19, 2009 11:39 pm
::Given how much attention Deity was paying to Jade, it was a wonder in itself that he even heard what was being said. Both in this light and in the nature of what he was hearing, he was unintentionally eavesdropping. The quiet boy was rather single-mindedly watching his love and making sure she wasn't in any mortal danger. Sure, she was in a stranglehold. Sure, that sucked. It'd knock her out, after which she would be in marginally less danger. If it came to the point that her life was being snuffed out, Deity would not be merely standing beside Keno. He wasn't, after all, back up. He had no intention of helping KenoTao in any way These people from the sound of it wanted him dead, and they had plenty of reason - Jade's arguably misplaced fondness for the young man was the only reason Deity himself did not wish death on him. He was there to protect Jade and aboslutely nothing else.
Anyway, back to eavesdropping.
From what Deity gleaned, the ravenous child was just so because of a death. Someone close to him was killed, and he was apparently unable to cope with this. The name 'Jagan' rang a bell, and after a few moments of inward searching Deity attached the name to the opponent he'd faced when - ironically - assisting Jade in a battle. He couldn't recall if he knew that the big man was after Keno or not, but only that he took over the fight because Jade was losing. He himself lost as well, and by all rights should've been dead instead of standing in the middle of a frozen forest, again watching over Jade while she gets caught in another trap set for Keno.
But no, Deity survived. He survived because his brother took hold of the reins and fought Jagan himself. The lanky Orinian was told later that Taliman won somehow. It was then that Deity realized he hadn't been saved - Tali didn't rescue him. He was keeping Deity alive. It was the emperor's belief that he alone deserved the honor of dispatching the younger of the two brothers; in that light, it made one wonder exactly how much stronger than Wesley an opponent would need to be in order to take that self-appointed honor from him. Pride went a long way.
Forcing himself back out of his thought-induced stupor, the tall boy curled his fingers tightly for a moment, his knuckles popping, before loosening them. He had to dig his heels into the dirt a little, but the boy's shriek did not budge him too noticably, though it was a mite unpleasant. Jade had finally blacked out, so now it was simply a matter of how much longer that woman planned to hold her. He remained silent in his newfound uneasiness toward Keno's constant taunts - with Jade's safety lying in the balance, why would he go to such lengths to provoke them? If he keeps this up, Deity thought, I'll get more done engaging him than I would attacking Jade's captor. This frustration showed on his pale expression, his eyes - still focused on Jade - desperate for a way to improve the situation.::
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Posted: Fri Mar 20, 2009 7:29 am
"Perhaps I should get straight to the point," Raion said calmly despite the fresh look of malice on her face. When Jade's body truly went limp, she increased the pressure about the girl's neck with one arm and used her now free opposite hand - a risky venture - to check her vitals. One could play possum, but it was hard to pretend your pulse was fading. Sleepers were hard to do with one arm, but a jolt around the neck usually sufficed to stun anyone deprived of oxygen. Raion had to be sure. Satisfied with the fading life in the body, she eased up, keeping Jade in the form of the hold with the noticeable difference that the slumbering Saiya-jin was breathing just fine; at for the time.
"You're coming with us dead or alive. Either you come peacefully, or Mani drags whatever he leaves of you back to the lab. We'll let her go either way."
"And I suppose she dies if I refuse?" Keno asked soberly and honestly without much enthusiasm. Very cliche this, but apparently very effective. Raion merely nodded, but she didn't even have to bother to do that much. "So if I fight this brat," he said pointing with his chin, "you let Jade go?"
"Or you could just come with us. It'll be easier that way."
"Maybe, but if I fight, I might get to live. Going with you means death. Beating that pup means seeing another day."
"You die either way. Mani would do well to leave any trace of you behind. You're not strong enough, fast enough, or skilled enough to survive." Her eyes took on a dangerous, knowing shine. She was positive that Mani would do more than just kill him; he could see it in her eyes. Disturbing knowledge, he thought to himself as he refrained from shuddering. Nevertheless, he had already made up his mind.
"So if I fight, you let her go?" he repeated.
"Must it come to that?"
"Must you continue hunting me?"
"Seems that way."
"It does, doesn't it?" He did a remarkable job holding himself back. Jumping straight at Mani and fighting tooth and nail like two rabid beasts would be far more productive than this irritating conversation. It was starting to piss him off.
"And if I win?"
"You won't!"
"I'm pretty sure that's what that mountain man thought right before he died. You know, it's probably not a good idea to spend your life killing if you're not ready to die."
"That's enough KenoTao!"
"Fine," he said as he backed down and raised his hands in a gesture of peace, focusing one more on the crazed wolf cub. "But I don't want to hear s**t when this b*****d howls like a sodomized b***h after what I do to him."
"Luke, let him go!"
"You might want to move," he warned Deity under Raion's command. He barely inclined his neck to address Jade's boyfriend, and he did it stiffly at best. He was bracing himself.
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The Fierce Deity Vice Captain
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Posted: Fri Mar 20, 2009 10:13 am
::Quite disinclined to put up an argument, Deity ducked down in near perfect timing with the woman's command, and his retreat from the area came with the sound of Keno's voice. He honestly was already planning on vacating the immediate battlefield - while he was sure the both of them would put up a better fight, that again was not his purpose. In all honesty Deity was rooting for the child.
The retreat came in the form of an exaggerated jump, which sailed over to the opposite side of Keno onto the lowest available treebranch. The Orinian landed rather bluntly, knocking a dead twig and some loose snow from the frozen bark, before turning and sitting upon his heels. His eyes again found Jade, who thankfully was merely being held prisoner now that she had fallen unconscious. Even though he was physically ready to fight at any moment, he so sincerely did not wish it to come to that - all he could hope was that the other two didn't do anything foolish while Keno and the boy fought.
If this could be called a fight.::
<>
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Posted: Fri Mar 20, 2009 12:32 pm
((*ish unconscious, and waits to see it continue* ^ ^))
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Posted: Fri Mar 20, 2009 4:19 pm
Mani was as tall as Keno now. Damn puberty. He smirked as Luke obeyed Raion, much to his own pleasure, and let the boy go. The moment he did, Keno's power spiked and rose at an accelerated rate, as marked by the rising stiffness of his own pointy hair. Fighting against unreasonable people was spontaneous, completely unpredictable, but in many ways safer. Rage drove one to fight at their best, but left little to no room for adapting to your opponent. Mani was fierce enough from the beginning, but Keno wanted to make sure the boy was raving mad. It was the only way he could see himself getting out of this.
Unfortunately, Keno was at the disadvantage of being slower than Mani. Much slower. The boy shot at him like an arrow freed from the bowstring, which Keno had prepared for expectantly, but at the last moment he dashed to Keno's left and then away. This in and of itself would have been no problem had Keno been able to keep up with him, but the boy was just a blur of color and then nothing. Only the sound of Mani's body sliding in the snow as he slowed down gave him away behind Keno to the right. Keno rotated clockwise quickly, preparing to elbow his would-be killer in the face, but Mani was gone again before the hit could land. The boy took advantage of the blind spot behind him, to which he answered with a low reverse sweep with his right foot to minimize the reduction in momentum. It was almost no surprise that all he kicked up was an arc of snow.
What came as a surprise, however, was the fact that Mani had reappeared before the crouched Keno as though to strike. A ki blast was his response, and Mani answered likewise...from behind. Oddly, it wasn't particularly powerful. A professional wrestler slamming a steel chair into his back. That's what it felt like. Uncomfortable, but not painful because pro wrestlers had nothing on Keno.
He stood erect and spun around effortlessly, but Mani wasn't there and Keno didn't waste time trying to find him. It made no sense to sniff him out. The kid was too fast to chase and seemed to have enough stamina to sustain a sprint for some time. As it was, Keno was better off waiting like the sitting duck he was. Were it not for the fact that his mask discouraged facial expression - seriously, why bother? - he would have worn a look that oozed irritation. As it was, all he showed was his own determination to have this done and over with.
Reaching a comfortable level, his power ceased rising and his glowing hands filled with enough energy to easily give User's thick head a concussion. Mani apparently took this as his cue to begin his assault again because he was upon Keno that very moment.
This time around, Keno played a slightly better role. He made the necessary gestures of whirling, twirling, punching, kicking, blocking, and evading to provoke Mani from one spot to the next. Even if he couldn't keep up with the boy, he knew Mani was intentionally giving himself away so as to make him jumpy. He played along, feinting his defense as well as Mani feinted offense, until he saw the real attack coming from above and made his move.
Sadly he had guessed wrong.
Keno had prepared an uppercutting ki blast to slice through the boy's chin, but he missed and, what's worse, felt sharp, jagged nails graze the back of his skull. It startled him visibly as he wheeled about, retreating, a chill running down his spine. Another painless strike. More importantly, it was a completely unforeseen attack. Keno had dropped his guard to what he thought was a real strike only to have his own ploy used against him. Apparently, it was harder to read Mani than he thought.
He had to admit that this kid was good. Too good for a kid.
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Posted: Fri Mar 20, 2009 5:36 pm
::The kid was fast, no doubt. Deity's immediate attention was pulled from Jade for the moment as he watched KenoTao and the boy begin their fight. The animalistic child was quick, almost astonishingly so. It was no surprise though that Deity had no trouble at all in keeping his eyes on the boy - he himself was faster, and needed his senses to be even faster still in order to make full-speed travel anything but a disaster. That said, in his current state - his basic unascended state - he would not be a match in speed for the boy. A higher level of ascension would be necessary just to catch up. Much less outrun him.
The idea of holding a footrace or even fighting the crazed child below crossed Deity's mind - just for fun, of course. Unlikely to happen, considering the would-be competitors. It was always pleasing to see someone with speed that matched his own, given how rare it was. Even in his home where numerous terrific warriors gathered, he was the fastest by a significant margin. He wasn't the strongest by any standard - the tiger down below was more powerful by a hair - but he had remained the quickest for as long as he could remember. Which....actually doesn't say much at all does it, he asked himself in jest.
Still the Orinian watched the fight, somewhat more interested in surveying the talents of the youth below - any break in the fight, such was Keno taking a hit, was spent sparing a glance to check on Jade's status. There were now two unattended villains nearby, which meant more to keep an eye on.
Back in the tower, Father was likely on his way out the door by now, though the five down below would not find him upon his arrival. He had his ways.::
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The Fierce Deity Vice Captain
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Posted: Fri Mar 20, 2009 6:33 pm
It wasn't fun being played with if you were aware of it. Of course, if you were the one doing the playing, knowing your prey was aware of the futility of their struggle was probably the most satisfying thing in the world. Naturally, Keno didn't give in to despair. He was being played so well because his enemies had apparently gotten into his mind somehow. Even in his mania, Mani was applying something he knew about Keno to this fight. When, where, or how they had found out so much about him was intriguing, but that would have to wait. He had to keep a clear mind.
Hate burned in Mani's eyes. So did recognition. Was he acting from the beginning? Raion and Luke; were they in on it too? Had they set him up so craftily? All of it? Most of it? Enough of it. He would never know how much. It was a well placed trap, regardless.
Or maybe it was just a coincidence.
If Mani really was as rational as he now appeared, Keno would have to be more careful because that meant the kid could learn. Frustrating. Nothing to do now but stare back...
...which wouldn't have been nearly as hard if the boy wasn't so damn fast.
Keno blinked and suddenly there was a fist inches from his face. Instinct commanded him backwards hastily, caution and balance set as secondary priorities. Mani was behind him; he was off balance. He rotated his body and fell into the punch, but instead planted his hands and threw his right heel up to smash into the boy's jaw. Rather, he wound up flipping his body right-side up before ducking and throwing his fist toward the airborne avenger's abdomen. Damn brat was always a step ahead.
The dance, for it really looked like a bizarre dance, continued for a couple of minutes this time. Keno moving in various circles back and forth, tossing the powdery snow every which way while Mani came unbidden like a moth too wise for the flame; he couldn't help drawing near but refused to let himself catch fire.
Finally, the moment came when Keno knew exactly what he had to do. It would start with a forward dive and roll, and as soon as he recovered, he would have to fire a frantic burst of ki behind him and then block the feint kick on his left side. With some luck, after throwing a right jab, the real kick would come from behind and he'd be able to get the pest by the ankle. Then there would be hell to pay.
Most surprising about his plan was that it worked. It began with a dive and roll and he knew he was clear. The fight was his. He got to his feet and was positive as soon as the frantic ki burst missed it mark and instead glanced the outer layer of dead wood off of the nearest tree. As he tried to be desperate about his feint block, he braced himself for the finale.
It all went according to plan...
...until his left arm broke.
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Posted: Fri Mar 20, 2009 7:05 pm
"This is getting pathetic," she informed Luke, still holding the sleeping figure of her captive in a choke hold. One would be a fool to think she would let her guard down. In fact, she and Luke had been over the trees since the fight's beginning. KenoTao and Mani got too close too often for her comfort. Granted, they were both precision fighters who rarely wasted even the slightest amount of energy, but she was not for taking chances.
"Had he fought smarter from the beginning, he might have lasted longer, but it's practically over now." KenoTao started taking advantage of the fact that trees were everywhere - literally everywhere - when Mani became more aggressive, using them as natural guards to the blind spots Mani preyed on, but Mani was now taking advantage of the fact that some roots rose higher - hidden by snow - and some branches hung lower. KenoTao more than occasionally stumbled about despite himself trying to get away from the persistent child, and it didn't help matters that trees could be punched through or blown apart either.
"Good," Luke said with relief. "That means we can go home soon."
"It means," Raion corrected him sternly, "that we can put Jagan's soul to rest and be done with our mourning."
"No," he said disagreeing, "it means we'll finally be done with this mission. If Jagan's soul isn't resting, nothing we do is going to help that."
"How can you think of this as only a mission?"
"That's all it is," he said plainly. "The objective was to eliminate the unstable black tiger project. Nothing else matters."
"Jagan was our friend."
"He was a soldier. He died in the line of duty. That was the risk he took and the risk we take."
She glared at him coldly in silence as he watched the fight below. Why a seven man cell was needed for this seemed illogical. One was more than enough.
"So you only came to help because KenoTao is our assignment?"
"That's right."
"And if the objective changed?"
"I would carry it out instead."
"No looking back?"
"No need to."
"Even if Mani died?"
"Even if Mani died. That doesn't look like it'll be a problem though." Having nothing to really say, he watched KenoTao do his damndest not to be overwhelmed. It wasn't working. Mani's mercy - or perhaps lack of mercy - was all that stood between him and death.
"What sort of principles are those?" she muttered.
"The principles of a soldier. We can't make things personal because it makes us careless, and we can't afford being careless."
She scoffed at how self assured he sounded, wondering how he kept such opinions to himself for so long.
"Whatever."
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Posted: Fri Mar 20, 2009 7:42 pm
A violent cough woke him, his throat raw and his lung possibly damaged. The sudden spasm hurt more than it should have and he was sure a rib or two were broken. He tried to remain still as the coughing fit ran its course, but that was of course impossible. When had he passed out? How long was he out? Why wasn't he dead yet? That was the question he chose to answer as he tried to clear out whatever was making that horrible noise in his wind pipe. It was the only question that mattered.
He stared directly into the falling snow, idle like he usually was when he first woke up. Beneath him, he could feel the cold, wet ground in most places, but parts of him, like his fingers, were far too numb for feeling anything. There was stuff in his hair; he could feel it. There was something on his back; he could feel that too. Something wet and a bit warmer than the melted snow around his legs. Was he shirtless? It occurred to him that he could feel cool, fresh flakes of ice on his bare torso. Yeah, he was shirtless. The fabric was too thin and delicate to be of any real use anyway. All that mattered was that his face was still masked.
What happened to him? He knew who, and he knew why, but what and how? He tried collecting his thoughts, but they remained elusive and refused to return. Temporary memory loss. Mani must have kicked his a**. Nothing to do about it now but get up. He rolled to his right and planted his numb, gloved hand into the snow to prop himself up, but a sharp pain surged to his brain, down his spine, and through his body as his bones shifted in two places they shouldn't, causing him to collapse on his face.
"Oh yeah," he thought. "The kid broke my arm." For all that every nerve in his limb sang to high heaven, he had to admit the kid played him very well. What Keno thought was going to be a feint turned out to be the real deal, and yet it was something altogether different. Keno could handle a kick. He thought it was a ploy, but he still would have been able to take a regular kick. It wasn't a regular kick though, and that's why it got him. Mani must have known that Keno knew he would feint, so instead of moving along with the choreography, he improvised his assault and hid an attack beneath the feint. The kid got him because he faked faking. With a combination of ki manipulation and physical prowess, Mani had released a guard reducing blast from his foot the very moment before impact, resulting in Keno being hit with a blow similar to the Fist of the Two Layers. Honestly, Mani tricked him good. Rather than simply kicking Keno, he chose to kick the s**t out of him. Keno never saw it coming. Well played.
Clearly, most of whatever was in his hair was likely a result of sailing through who knows how many trees, or sliding along the ground collecting whatever the snow buried. That was a disgusting thought. Well, he had to get up, so he used his right arm instead, which didn't falter, but sang its own song. Only a glimpse of the very moment came to him. Mani nearly took his head off, but a lucky punch enabled him to change the trajectory of the ki ball form his head to his shoulder. It felt stiff, and the bruise was still growing dark, but his arm wasn't useless. Good to know.
He rose to the melody of a fractured rib and another video clip of memory. At some point, when he took to actually using the trees for cover, Mani sucker punched him from the left when Keno turned right. It was a playfully serious blow that wasn't meant to kill him, but rather make him suffer. His lip twisted at the thought and delivered the revelation that his mask was stuck to his mouth. Dried blood. No cause came to mind.
Apparently he had taken a few other bruises and cuts to the chest and arms - more his right arm which wasn't loaded with straps - but they weren't serious enough to jog his memory. Where was he? Trees and snow. That's all he saw. Before, it was trees and snow and Raion and Luke and Deity and Mani and Jade. Now there were only trees and snow.
Oh and Mani.
The boy stood there with that same blood chilling look in his eyes. He looked like Keno felt, actually. Young as he was, he managed to leave Keno beaten and a little bloody without taking but one hit himself. Must have been a fluke; neither were satisfied with that one punch. And yet, Keno noticed, he was still standing in spite of it all. Standing. His lower body, save from being cold due to his damp clothing, was still unharmed. That was good. Without his dominant arm and thanks to a stiff shoulder, fighting was going to be a bit more difficult. But thankfully, Keno still had his legs. It wasn't over.
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