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Shizuyoko
RTT::Laguna Loire
Posts: 98
(6/8/02 5:48:25 pm)
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Laguna Loire: 4-4
Laguna Loire: 4-4
Fear
"...Laguna. If we run into something, shove me gently. I'm going to try something."
Laguna agreed with Isaac, a somewhat quizzical look on his face. He made sure to keep step with the young boy as their team moved down the dark hallway. Black hair brushed against his face, covering one eye, as he turned his head from side to side, using his heightened awareness to catch sight of danger before it caught sight of them. The back of his neck prickled and his grip on the machinegun was white-knuckled.
How did I end up in a place like this again. Why must I always find myself in the same fight? What will be taken from me? The fear struck him again and Laguna beat it down fiercely, silently. Deep in his heart he knew that the price required for peace was never an easy one. He also knew that he’d be the one to pay it, somehow, somewhere. He gnawed his sore lip, the pain bringing him away from himself and back to the needs of others. For the sake of a country I lost a son. I guess it can’t get much worse than that. Can it? He bit the lip again, drawing blood.
And does it really matter, in the end? If someone must sacrifice it might as well be me rather than either of these two young ones.
He looked down at Isaac just as the boy spoke up. "Laguna...Scarlett and her team are on the next floor."
"Wha?! Really?" Laguna exclaimed. His first inclination was to run up the next set of stairs, but Isaac fell to his knees, groaning. Laguna was immediately by his side, asking him what was wrong. He held the boy’s shoulders tightly and shook him gently to bring him back.
Isaac shook his head as he spoke about a dark entity some floors above them. "And Scarlett is about to walk right into it."
Scarlett…
“We might as well get up there. The Sorceress is up there. It can’t hurt to help some people and kill some monsters on the way.” Laguna flashed a smile at Isaac, trying to cheer him up. Making people smile was one of the few pleasures he had.
As a team the three moved towards the flight of stairs. First Laguna, blood on his lip and his machinegun readied in his hands, then Isaac, his Gaia blade at the forefront, and finally Yoshi, who was swinging his tail back and forth, looking for a fight.
What a mismatched group we are. I hope we make it so we can laugh about this later.
The flight of stairs was a short one. The architecture in this castle didn’t fit what you would expect to see. There were high ceilings with staircases that didn’t seem to fit, windows at odd levels and rooms that were bigger than appeared to be possible.
“This place gives me the heebie-jeebies!” he burst out suddenly. Isaac looked at him from the corner of his eye, wondering if the ex-Galbadian soldier was going to lose it right then and there.
“… You all right, Laguna?” he asked with some trepidation.
“Yeah, kid, I’m fine,” Laguna began, and then broke off as they made the head of the stairs. Scarlett’s red dress was visible just down the hallway.
“Hey, Scarlett!” Laguna cried, waving his machinegun around, “What’s up, chica?!”
~~~
tag Scarlett and whoever knows where the baddies are
Laguna Loire – Adept – Level 2
Remaining:
8 A-Votes (thanks, Yoshi!)
2 R-Votes
60 SPs

 "I don't want to start any blasphemous rumors, but I think that God's got a sick sense of humor." |
Mithrigil
RTT--Scarlett Welles
Posts: 62
(6/8/02 5:56:30 pm)
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Re: Laguna Loire: 4-4
Scarlett's features twisted into disbelieving disgust. "Chica?" she mouthed, turning to face him and putting a hand on her hip. Costan derogatory....man, is he in for it.
With that hand still on her hip, she began the approach, letting her mouth curl into a sultry smirk. She spread her words out and glared into Laguna's eyes. "And where, if I may ask, did you come up with a word like that?"
Laguna blinked and let his machine gun hang. "Umm...hello?"
Scarlett harumphed. "Hello." She passed a door flanked by a suit of armor and a crest. "Hello indeed," she added, not taking her eyes off Laguna. "But do you know what that word means where I'm from?"
A slight red light drifted across the hallway. Isaac's eyebrows twitched painfully, but Laguna didn't notice that. "No..."
Yoshi glanced at Isaac, "YoSHI?" (are you alright?)
Isaac gritted his teeth. It's close...it's really close...
Scarlett continued forward, each click eminating anger and sensuality at the same time. " Chica was something we called my nanny the day we fired her."
...
"You're old enough to get on alone now, right, precious?"
"...Yes, Father. I've been old enough for a while now."
"I mean, what are you now? Nearly fifteen?"
"Yes, Father."
"And you've been coming to work with me long enough, certainly. I think I could ask the President to give you a company pass. You could drop by the office after school, or go swimming like you usually do. Fast becoming the talk of the upper floors, you know."
"What?"
"You know, I think I'll ask your mother to take you shopping again. For some suits, this time, business-clothes. The seamstress who makes your swimwear could point you in a great direction--"
"Father, can I ask you a question?"
"Of course, precious."
"Why this sudden interest?"
"Several things, actually. Your report card. The guns you built for my birthday. And the fact that everyone of the high staff knows who you are already. They all speak rather highly of you--why, just the other day I was talking with Reeve, the architect--"
"Father."
"Yes?"
"All I've ever done at Shinra is parade around in a bikini."
...
Laguna resorted to blinking again. "...Oh/" Crap, I offended her...Hyne damn me... He broke his eyes away from hers and looked behind her.
And was just in time to see the mace come crashing down on her back.
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Fixed.
Scarlett Welles
4 A-votes
6 R-votes
60 SP
WHOMPSHMACKEDYPLUNK
K----
Guess who Ms. Sexual Repression USA is playing in RTT?

Isn't the irony lovely?
Some things money can't buy. For everything else, there's Mithrigil.
(this links to LT)
...Edited by: Mithrigil at: 6/8/02 6:18:44 pm
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Exeter
RTT-Delita Hyral
Posts: 168
(6/8/02 6:00:10 pm)
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Through the eyes of Death
Delita didn't care where he went, so long as it was away from what he had just seen, and heard. There was something eerily familiar about that whispering voice, but he was a little more concerned with getting the hell out of there.
Nearly tripping, he came to the top of that particular stairway and back to the room with the mirror.
His darker half was waiting for him.
Delita, sword still gripped firmly in his gauntleted hand, froze instinctively as the doppelganger slowly advanced on him. It held no weapon, but, from what Delita had seen of this realm of the dead, he assumed it was far from harmless, sword or no.
"Who are you?" the Holy Knight demanded.
"I am you," his mirror-image spat. "Much as I'd prefer to be somebody else."
Vehemently, Delita charged at his opponent, this time wary of a sudden attack. His opponent, however, simply stood and waited to be run through.
Not one to disappoint, Delita buried his sword in the doppelganger's gut. The duplicate coughed up blood and fell to his knees.
Believing the battle over, Delita withdrew his sword from his enemy's body, but the doppelganger was far from dead.
"Wrong. I am dead, that is why you cannot kill me," it hissed as its own sword appeared. "And now, you are dead as well."
The blade flashed as the light from the mirror reflected upon it, sending pallid glimmerings across the dark room, causing the shadows to dance around them and revealing the streaked trails of blood that had been masked by the darkness.
Delita saw the creature grin with his own mouth as the sword buried itself in his abdomen, just as he had skewered the duplicate a moment before.
His vision blurred, and he began to choke.
Then there was darkness.
Oddly, though, the already lightless environment made such darkness seem blinding. Delita would have laughed at such an irony, had he still been capable of speech.
Stiffly, as though his muscles had frozen in place, Delita collapsed.
"Now, at last, you shall know the pain you have caused so many others..."
As the darkness blinded him, Delita realized that the whispering voice had been his own.
With this horrid thought, death took him.
*********
It's not over yet.
---

They're all swept up in the same flow. I'm just going against it. Edited by: Exeter at: 6/8/02 6:02:33 pm
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Soujiro Seta
RTT :: Kaze
Posts: 33
(6/8/02 6:09:23 pm)
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Notes and other things
Daig; I don't want you to have to sit up wondering; I'm devoting Round 5 to our duel. You may now pass go, collect $200, and get the sleep you deserve.
TK...at your signal, I'll unleash heck. Or at least part one of the heck.
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Darkken
RTT - Yamazaki Shinnosuke
Posts: 32
(6/8/02 6:22:50 pm)
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Re: Rurouni Taikai Tactics - Round Four - Sponsors Only
As the two had finally said all there was to say, Yamazaki smiled. Now, he could dedicate his life to this battle. Something told him that it would, most likely, be his last. He did not care. He had told the man that his death was the only thing that could bring him joy... he had been correct.
The two great swordsmen stroke both at the same time, Yamazaki once again using his powerful iaijutsu, while Ramirez used a powerful stab. As the two swordsmen clashed together, they were once again locked for a test of strength. This time, Ramirez wouldn't let the other man beat him, though, and both jumped backwards, releasing the other at the same time.
Both men knew that this was just a slight test of strength before the real fight began. Ordinary techniques wouldn't bring victory to one or the other here, that much was clear from their last fight. Equally skilled swordsmen could fight for ages like that, without either one emerging victorious. No, it would be up to their secret techniques, the powerful skills that swordsmen invented to slay their opponents with one strike.
Knowing this, Ramirez looked closely as Yamazaki raised his sword above his head with both hands. "Koutou Mukei - Akuma Ken!" he said aloud. Ramirez had heard those words before. Quickly, he thought back to the battle in the sea, when Yamazaki had used this very technique to decimate the black knight Golbez.
The Akuma Ken he used then is based on an unusually quick charge ending on a jump and diving slash. If it's the same move here, and if I can just leap higher than he does, his strike will miss, but mine will go in...
Quickly, Ramirez sheathed his sword, and put the sword on his back. And then, Yamazaki charged, letting out a strong shout. So fast he was, that Ramirez almost forgot to react. The two jumped up towards the ceiling, but enhanced with magic as he was, Ramirez went higher. Making a somersault in the air, he fell downwards, at the same time, his hand reaching for the hilt of the Ginken.
Yamazaki had known to expect that, but even so, he was astounded by his opponent's speed and skill. But...
I know you saw my Akuma Ken earlier. And so...
Instead of slashing down as normally, he turned his sword into a stab, pointing it at the throat of his opponent, letting the velocity of his leap guide it towards his opponent. Ramirez slashed with his Ginken, turning his head to avoid the stab, just as Yamazaki's sword would have penetrated it-
The two landed, both of their swords were soaked with blood.
Yamazaki took a step onwards. The slash had cut a long wound to his stomach, and blood was freely falling from the wound. Ramirez's wound was less grievous. Having dodged his opponent's stab to the throat, the blade had instead grazed his chest. Though both had drawn blood, it was clear that Yamazaki's wound was more serious... clearly showing the difference between the two swordsmen.
Unintimidated, Yamazaki raised his sword again. He took it into a stabbing stance, holding it still with both hands. But as he prepared to charge, suddenly his eyes began to flicker. He coughed a bit of blood, turned his stare down and watched again... what?
Behind his opponent were standing two figures. The other was young, tall and handsome, wearing a soldier's uniform. The other was older, still imposing, but wore hatred around him like a cloak.
I am Aoi Satan.
I am Yamazaki Shinnosuke.
Now I remember. I already lived once. I already died twice. I am...
"Aoi Satan." Yamazaki said aloud, his voice strong and demonic.
Yes... after the death of my comrade, I became a wanderer, looking for a purpose. I became learned in dark magics, and in my hatred for everything, I revived a man who would try to destroy the whole world, except for Japan. After his death, I became... Aoi Satan. I tried to destroy the whole universe, kill everyone, fighting alongside the demons I and my comrades had fought so hard to destroy once...
Only to be defeated twice by the child of the man who was once my comrade. Sakura...
I died, but I couldn't die, only drifting somewhere... and that is how the dragonboy found me, as I was reliving memories of old, forgetting the attrocities I would once cause and that I have already caused.
Yamazaki looked at the sword wound in his stomach. He couldn't even feel the pain. He moved forwards, and his movements did not seem impaired at all.
Is this the power of the Hangon no Jutsu?
Once again, Yamazaki laughed, but only now did his laughter reach its peak. Now he saw the reason behind everything. He knew why he had not died when the boy priest had shot him. He knew why anything he would do was irrelevant, why nothing ever mattered.
"Unable to live, unable to die, a specter wandering through the fields of fate! Is that what I've become? No... is that what I always was, only I never noticed it?"
Ramirez stepped backwards, somewhat irritated. How could this man shake his strike off like nothing? And why was he spacing out in the middle of their duel? He couldn't understand it. He wondered whether he should end it right there with a quick running stab, but decided against it. There was always the chance that his opponent was faking... though he couldn't understand why he would have to resort on something as cheap and worthless as that.
Perhaps I overestimated him after all...
Suddenly, Yamazaki stopped laughing, becoming serious again. His eyes were almost sad, but still retained the same fire as before. Now, however, it was under his control, at least for the moment. If Ramirez could judge, he was certain that his opponent had just become a touch more dangerous than earlier.
"Be that as it may..." he said quietly, almost as if he had been exhausted, "I will fight this battle to the end. And if I am to die, then, I will travel to Hell once again."
Yamazaki pulled the katana sheath from the obi, and put it on the other side. Then, he crouched again, hitting his feet to the ground - only opposite to the way they usually were. He had, in effect, completely mirrored his ordinary stance. Ramirez looked at his opponent with great surprise. A left-handed iaijutsu-strike? What sort of a trick was this?
Yamazaki smiled bitterly. "You will now witness my ougi, the technique that gave its name to the Koutou Mukei ryu. This is, indeed, the Sword of Light that is Intangible - my Aitou, Koutou Mukei!"
------
Darkken - Yamazaki Shinnosuke - Rurouni Taikai Tactics

"Hear me... If you hate that which is evil, the greater that hatred may be... the more your own evil inside you will awaken!" |
daigohji
RTT: Ryo Hazuki
Posts: 30
(6/8/02 6:24:20 pm)
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Re: Notes and other things
OOC: w00t *grabs $200 and runs*
Shadow :: Lise :: Ryo
We are Thrill Seekers
"Have you seen a black car?"
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Kyo
RTT: Issac
Posts: 47
(6/8/02 6:24:30 pm)
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Act Four, Scene 5: 'Defender'
Issac clenched his fists as the usual banter took place between Laguna and his 'chica'. He could sense that chaotic presence coming closer and closer to this floor with every passing second! It should be damn obvious that--
"WE DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THIS!!!"
Scarlett looked at him like he was crazy, while Laguna's face hardened, but he ignored both expressions and went at a wild charge for the door, letting out a battle cry and drawing his most potent Psyenergy together.
Scarlett had a bemused expression on her face. "What's up with--"
CRUNCH!!!
"--him?"
'Like a leaf in a hurricane' would be a good description for how the Venus Adept was blown like a rag doll against the opposite wall as the door was blown to splinters by an enormous obsidian fist. Two coal-red eyes too huge by themselves for the doorway looked at the shocked contestants, and then the entire tower gave a lurch as what could only be described as an giant golem made of obsidian crashed though the entire doorframe.
Making an impressive effort, Isaac had immediately gotten to his feet after that crushing blow and jumped at the monster, mind ablaze with the focused task of destroying the creature. As Laguna peppered the monster with futile gunfire, Issac prepared a blow that he personally knew to easily cleave stone.
"Flint! UNLEASH!"
His desperate cry summoned the Venus Dijinni with haste, and the Vale swordsman's Gaia Blade shone with power as he heaved an earthshattering blow at the creature's neck--
*CLANG!*
Isaac was frozen, even in midair. What? My blow was...deflected?!
His shock left him wide open to the golem's counterattack. The mammoth of enchanted obsidian grabbed him out of midair with inhuman speed and let out an ferocious roar. It then begac to slam Isaac into the ground, walls, and and any reachable solid surface in short order. When it finished, it tossed the Vale youth like a rag doll into the other doorway. He shuddered, and then lay still, blood seeping freely from wounds all over his body.
"ISAAC! ISAAC!!!"
"YOSHI!!!"
Laguna and Yoshi's cries reached his ears, but not his mind. He felt so exhausted... Even his light armor felt heavy, the Gaia Blade an anvil's weight. He tried to get up, but found his eyes closing instead...
And darkness settled over him like a blanket.
----------
The Golem's shaky entrance caused a small-level earthquake. As a result, all Living Sponsors within the building felt it.
A-Votes to:
Ryo
Shadow
Lise
Glider
Scarlett
Ramirez
Link
Delita
Aeris
Kaze
Assist to Laguna
Deathblow to Ryo
Deathblow to Shadow
And goodnight, everyone.
Edited by: Kyo at: 6/8/02 6:30:20 pm
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Sylphid
RTT - Vivi
Posts: 47
(6/8/02 6:28:20 pm)
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4-3
And that's when the pendant responded to his call.
A powerful surge of energy rocked the room as tremors were sent through the entire castle. The pendant gave off a brilliant sapphire glow as a form began to materialize before the mage. The air in the room began to flow and whip around once more as charged magical energy coursed through it. Slowly, a green aura began to form, taking the shape of a humanoid warrior.
The aura began to condense, revealing a robed warrior clad completely in black robes, a black cape dancing in the wind. From behind the man, the mage could only notice the warrior's striking blonde hair, and the crystalline broadsword the man held in both hands.
Without introduction, the warrior stepped forth and took a cleaving swing at the two arachnids, glancing one with a razor-thin cut along the bulk of its body and releasing a murky green ooze. The other leapt out of the way and charged, skittering after the warrior while the injured spider retreated to recover.
With a quick backslash, the man sliced three of the eight legs off in a single swipe, causing the arachnid to sound out a high-pitched squeak of agony. Twirling the blade elegantly in his right hand, he took a step forward, grasped the blade with both hands and dealt the final blow, cleaving the hellspawned beast in half. With its lifeforce gone, the shell collapsed into a heap, oozing green muck.
Turning to the other threat, the warrior twirled the blade in his right hand a few more times and took to running at the vile creature, drawing the blade above his head as he leapt into the air...
And with a mighty yell, the caped warrior brought the blade down upon the condemned creature with the force of a hundred tornadoes, cleaving it into two pieces. Then four. Eight. Sixteen.
When he was done with it, there was no way anyone would recognize it as any life form. And the room grew silent.
Ooze dripped from the swordsman's blade, making a sickening sound as it fell upon the webbing. Swiping the blade once to remove it of the tainted liquid, the man whipped the blade elegantly in a series of twists before sheathing it on his back.
He then turned to the mage...
Vivi lay in the corner, whimpering. His gloved hands covered his eyes as he huddled in fear, crying softly.
The man approached. His sillouhette made him look terrifying in the red light as he towered over Vivi. Slowly, the mage looked up... to see an outstretched hand.
"You know..." the man said, chuckling. "Couldn't you have summoned me some other time? I really HATE spiders!"
The mage took the man's hand and slowly stood up. Looking into the warrior's lazuli eyes and his warm smile, the mage burst into tears as he clung to the warrior's leg, hugging it.
"Th-th-thanks... Sylf..."
The Elemental smiled. "Come on, Vivi. Let's get you out of here."
 Vivi has returned once again for Rurouni Taikai Tactics. Member of Team ~Disciples of Wind~ Sponsored by Sylphid
Lord Sylphid - Master of Wind Madness takes its toll... please carry exact change.
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Baka
Wind Seer
Posts: 129
(6/8/02 6:57:10 pm)
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Act 4, Scene 6 - "Friends"
My friends... friends...
I must... help them...
Ivan raised his head. The poison still ravaged through his body, but through the cloud of nausea, he felt something... an imbalance. Something was mightily wrong.
...Isaac...
Slowly, he lifted his head, force of will alone keeping him going.
"I... can't... die... here...."
One arm braced him against the wall.
"I... have... too... much... to... do..."
Now another one, and he was up on his knees.
"I... won't... give up!"
One leg came up, then another. Standing shakily, he pointed the Shaman's Rod at the ceiling and gritted his teeth. His vision swam, and he lurched to one side, swearing. Steadying himself against the wall again, he closed his eyes.
You... you who I set for emergencies...
...come out...
...Mercury Djinn...
"Hail!"
This time, the Djinn springing forth wasn't the same - it appeared in a mist first, before coalescing into a small, almost frog-like creature. A stream of bubbles shot forward, solidifying as they flew straight upwards into the ceiling. Amazingly, as he watched, even through his blurred vision, he could see the hailstorm erode the ceiling, boring its way through to the upper floors. He swayed, and nearly fell.
"Gust!"
Here's.. hoping it w...works... again..
A gust of wind picked him up, and slowly drifted him up the tunnel, behind the ice storm.
One floor passed... and another... the gust began to speed up... and he flew up the tower, before finally, he spewed out into a small chamber. Two figures gaped, as Ivan collapsed on the stones before them. Looking up through blurred vision, he smiled.
"...Vivi..."
His eyes rolled up into the back of his head, and he faded into oblivion...

Baka // Wind Seer // Salva Nos
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Shizuyoko
RTT::Laguna Loire
Posts: 99
(6/8/02 7:03:51 pm)
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Laguna Loire: 4-5
Laguna Loire: 4-5
Laguna discovered a new sort of fear as Scarlett faced him off, her eyes blazing at his use of the word “chica.” “Hey now,” he said, raising his hands placatingly, “I had no idea that the word meant anything other than ‘pretty lady’!”
"WE DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THIS!!!"
Laguna whirled around at Isaac’s shout, all thoughts of Scarlett fleeing his brain. “Hey, KID!” he shouted as Isaac raced towards a nearby door. With an enormous CRASH the door was crushed by an obsidian hand, flinging Isaac brutally to the floor. He jumped right back to his feet and prepared to face off the obsidian golem.
“ISAAC!” Laguna screamed, bringing his machinegun up as he moved to block Scarlett from the golem. The blonde boy attacked the golem full-strength. Laguna could just barely see the horrified shock on his face as the blow was deflected with seeming ease. The creature brought its strength to bear on Isaac and the boy’s body was slammed against a wall to rest brokenly, blood pouring from his myriad wounds.
“ISAAAAAAAC!” Laguna moved forward slowly as he pumped the monster full of bullets, to little avail. Everything was falling apart around him and he felt despair welling up as he glanced towards Isaac’s still body.
It should have been me, it should have been ME! “Damnit, Isaac, why did you do that?” Laguna groaned. There was no way he was going to manage this golem by himself. Laguna looked towards Isaac again, his worry plain on his face. He fired one last burst directly into the golem’s eyes and then slung his machinegun behind his back as he sprinted to grab Isaac’s prone body. The golem screamed and pawed one hand at its destroyed orb.
Isaac was surprisingly light in Laguna’s arms as he backed away from the temporarily distracted monster, desperately trying to avoid falling through a hole in the floor. Finally he returned to the fallen Scarlett’s side. He laid Isaac down gently beside the engineer and knelt beside them as he continued to fire at the monster.
The obsidian golem stopped pawing at its wound and turned its attention back to the puny creatures in front of it. Its remaining eye glowed and it made a roaring noise that made the walls tremble. More walls fell and the floor started to give way as well.
Laguna cast curaga on Scarlett and began to pray.
~~~
EDIT1: Vote fix. Oopsie.
Laguna Loire – Adept – Level 2
1 double-damage A-Vote to Link
1 double-damage A-Vote to Aerith
1 A-Vote to Delita
1 double-damage A-Vote to Shadow
1 double-damage A-Vote to Lise
1 A-Vote to Ryo
1 A-Vote to Kaze
1 R-Vote to Scarlett
1 R-Vote to Ramirez
Remaining:
1 A-Votes
0 R-Votes
60 SPs

 "I don't want to start any blasphemous rumors, but I think that God's got a sick sense of humor."Edited by: Shizuyoko at: 6/8/02 7:10:45 pm
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daigohji
RTT: Ryo Hazuki
Posts: 31
(6/8/02 7:17:11 pm)
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Can't Stop the Rock
The tower was beyond chaotic, it was chaos. No sooner would they defeat one monster or adversary than another would appear in its place. Ryo and the others had quickly realised that it would be this way throughout the tower, and had decided that it would save more energy to simply run whenever possible. Lise took the lead with Ryo and Shadow running close behind. Occasionally a creature or two would jump out at them and be swiftly cleaved by Lise’s lance.
The structure of the tower itself provided another set of difficulties. Not only were parts of it practically collapsing under their feet, but there were a lot of dead ends. Clearly the sorceress did not welcome visitors. After having tried several staircases up from the 30th floor only to find dead ends, they eventually tried some stairs that led back down. Sure enough after one flight the twisting staircase doubled back and led upward for two flights.
Ryo almost ran into Lise as he came out of the stairwell, for she had stopped dead and held her lance ready for battle. The teenager and the hedgehog looked around for whatever it was that had put Lise on edge, but could see nothing. The only feature in the hallway was a large grey statue of a featureless man. Suddenly the statue moved and ran toward them. As it approached Ryo could see that it was easily double his own height. The Golem slammed its fist into the floor where Shadow had stood an instant before, the stone slabs shattering like glass. Its blank face craned up just in time to see the black hedgehog spinning down toward it. Shadow’s sharp spines struck solidly on the Golem’s shoulder. Sparks flew in all directions from the impact, then the two parted. Shadow landed beside Ryo as the teenager assessed the damage. The creature had not even been scratched by the attack.
Ryo dashed forward and pounded the stone skin of the Golem with a series of punches and kicks that would have easily floored any of the monsters that they had encountered so far. But the grey giant did not even flinch. Blood ran down from the teenager’s knuckles as he backed away. The Golem was about to attack again when Lise decided to try her luck, stabbing fiercely at its side with her lance. Again there were sparks but no damage. Edged weapons were clearly useless, and Ryo’s strikes could not break the surface. The Golem swung around and lunged at Lise, grasping at her wildly. The agile warrior dodged the creature’s fingers by a hair’s breadth. Again its hand crashed into the floor, shaking the whole room And it was that very shaking that gave Ryo an idea.
He recalled how it had felt when Citan had struck him with one of his Deathblows. There had been pain on the surface, but the strike had also rattled him internally as well. Somehow it had created that vibration inside of him. So I can’t break this thing’s skin, Ryo reasoned, but maybe I don’t need to. The teenager cleared his mind of all distractions and focused on the Golem’s body, looking for an opening. The long torso would make an easy target. As the Golem turned back to him for another swing, Ryo attacked. He focused all of his power up into a single point as Citan had showed him and then channelled it all through his arm as leapt into the air and struck the stone beast’s cheat dead centre with his open palm. The impact resounded like a clap of thunder as Ryo backed away again.
If the Golem felt any pain from the cracks that spread throughout its body it gave no outward sign. Indeed it almost appearing to be resigned to its fate as it stood to attention and finally crumbled to the ground.
- - - - - -
Wondering when these happened? Me too ...
1 a-vote to Isaac
1 a-vote to Laguna
1 a-vote to Yoshi
1 a-vote to Link
1 a-vote to Delita
1 a-vote to Aeris
1 r-vote to Kaze
Burning Counter on Isaac
Burning Counter on Laguna
Over to you, team-mates.
Shadow :: Lise :: Ryo
We are Thrill Seekers
"Have you seen a black car?" Edited by: daigohji at: 6/8/02 7:19:48 pm
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Cirrus Velious
RTT - Link
Posts: 53
(6/8/02 7:18:24 pm)
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Choices
(Mini Game Time!!! Anyone who can guess what connection that the titles of my posts this round have gets a defend from me, (remove one point of damage from you,deal one pont of damage to the sponsor of your choice)
********
Link stared into the eyes of hiw own evil visage. "Control? ...What do you mean...Control?"
Dark Link took a couple steps forward, "Simple. control of your body, your mind...you'd simply become a little voice in the back of my head, as I am in the back of yours...easily ignored...."
Link stared into the eyes of his twin and spat out one word. "Never..."
"Alright then...but with me in control...we could be ruthless...powerful....You on the other hand can't even stand to see four people suffering...so you KILLED them Link....Do you even comprehend that? How do you know they wouldn't have escaped? Wouldn't have gotten away when the sorceress falls? No...You played God, You're no better than I am..."
"No....I didn't...they couldn't...escape...they were cut in half...bleeding...in so much pain..."
"What do you care Link? Did you care about them, or about the sadness it was causing you to WATCH them? Did you really care how they felt? What they really wanted? Or were you stuck up in the fact that that whore of yours...Aeris...was being saddened by them?"
This drove Link completely over the edge. "Take that back..." yelled, drawing his sword.
"Which part exactly Link? Can't you deal with the truth?"
"ALL OF IT!! The part about Aeris, about me not caring...TAKE IT ALL BACK OR GOD HELP ME...."
"Or you'll what? Kill me? As I said, you're no better than I am. I say something you don't want to hear, and you threaten to kill me. I make fun of your little girl, and you pull your sword...Come on Link, Do it....I dare you...Become me..."
"I am not you...I could never become you...." Link still clutched his sword tightly in hand. "But god help me...I will kill you....for everything...Hurting my friends...attacking us....ALL of it!"
Link's visage's eyes glowed a deep red, his voice becoming a deep, booming, evil voice. "That's right Link...release your hatred, all of it....focus it into one attack...right here..on me. Kill me Link...just like you killed all the people who died at Ganondorf's hands...it was your fault...its all your fault...Thier blood is on your hands Link, Gannondorf only provided the firepower...You provided the means...."
"No!!! It would've happened anyway! There was nothing I could do but fight him..." Link fell to his knees, sword in hand. "I couldn't do a thing about it...nothing...."
"Yes Link...You could've, you simply didn't. You could've not taken that sword you're bearing right now...You could've just stayed in Kokiri forest...You could've never even tried to stop Gannondorf....You should've known that without that door being open he'd NEVER get what he wanted....but you couldn't leave well enough alone, could you you meddlesome brat...(OOC: And I would've gotten away with it too, if it weren't for those kids...and that dumb dog!!!!)
Link looked at the twisted perversion of himself. "No...You're wrong...You're completely...wrong..."
"Think about it Link...If you hadn't taken that sword...the golden land would still be untouched.....Gannondorf wouldn't have laid his hands on the triforce....He would've never gotten that triforce of power....The people of Hyrule's blood is on YOUR hands Link. Yours and yours alone."
Link looked between the mirror, competely solid, and the stairway behind him...and he did the only thing he could do right then...the only thing he'd ever been good at...
He ran.
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Sylphid
RTT - Vivi
Posts: 48
(6/8/02 7:28:53 pm)
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4-4
"How long has it been since we saw each other last...?" the Elemental asked.
"Um... w-well..." Vivi wondered. "About... half a year...?"
"Been a long time, regardless," Sylf chuckled. "Feels good to be back, actually - even if it's only for a while. Oh, hold on just a second." The last remark came rather hastily, as the caped warrior held a hand in front of the mage.
Sylf rounded the corner, drawing his sword. With a mighty slash, the warrior sliced the imminent threat into tiny pieces. Vivi could catch a glimpse of a few more spiderlegs sent flying by the blade's power as the arachnid exploded into green goop.
"Damn. Someone needs to call an exterminator," he quipped as he sheathed his blade.
Vivi managed to get out a bit of a laugh, but from his recent experiences with spiders, wasn't too cheerful about doing so.
"Ya know, that staff you have..." the warrior pondered as the two continued walking.
"Y-yes...?"
"Mind if I see it for a second?" he asked. Vivi handed the lazuli weapon to him. "Hmm..." he pondered as he examined it. "There's definitely something in here... some type of arcane power. But it's been sealed away. Perhaps I can work on it..."
"R-Really?" the mage asked, surprised. "Wh-what kind of power?"
"Dunno. But I can get it back to you soon with it unsealed. I'll have to consult some of the other Elementals about it." He took the staff, and with a twirl of his wrist, it vanished into another dimension. "But, I suppose I can't leave ya empty-handed..."
The warrior drew his blade. "Heh, this is a little big for you, eh?" he laughed. The sword was nearly twice Vivi's height. Not exactly a suitable weapon for a magic user. "But... well, let's see what we've got stored up..."
Focusing his power on his blade, the Elemental focused his magical energy into the blade, which began to grow... smaller?
The magic encased the blade in a sapphire glow... and before he knew it, the sword was about two feet long and small enough for a mage to use.
"There!" he shouted with a sense of accomplishment. "That should suit ya well."
"B-but...!" the mage shouted in surprise. "I-I-I can't use a sword...!"
"How hard can it be? Just make sure the pointy end goes into your foes and not into you, and you have pretty much all the knowledge you'll need about it. Besides, you probably won't need to actually use it in physical combat - it's just a tool to amplify your magic power."
"Oh! Th-thanks..." Vivi took the blade in his hands. The sword radiated with power. The blade was forged of a translucent blue crystal, and the hilt was decorated with an ornate silver plating, topped with a lazuli gem in the pommel.
"Enjoy it. It'll help."
The two rounded another corner - and Vivi gasped in shock. "Ivan!!"
The robed Adept lay unconscious on the ground. Vivi immediately ran towards him and began casting Curaga, encasing the fallen warrior in a rejuvenating aura of blue.
Ivan struggled to regain his breath. "Vivi... you... saved me?"
Vivi heaved a sigh of relief. "I-I'm glad y-you're okay!"
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R-Votes to Scarlett and Laguna. Go on, you lovebirds. ^.^
Osmose!
2 damage to Shadow, 2 recovery to Ivan.
2 damage to Ryo, 2 recovery to Kaze.
 Vivi has returned once again for Rurouni Taikai Tactics. Member of Team ~Disciples of Wind~ Sponsored by Sylphid
Lord Sylphid - Master of Wind Madness takes its toll... please carry exact change. Edited by: Sylphid at: 6/8/02 7:40:19 pm
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Slipstream
RTT: Gilder
Posts: 64
(6/8/02 7:34:12 pm)
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Back in the fold
"Scaaaaarlett!"
Gilder tore through the stonework chambers, cursing the dragon man and the monsters and himself as the unmistakable sounds of battle echoed throught the place. A sudden scream from the engineer had whipped his head around in an instant, giving him his bearings and a burst of speed he didn't know he'd possessed. He didn't have the time to stop and play - anything that tried to get between him and his teammate was met with a bullet to the head and a vengeful kick as the gunman ran past.
A distant thud, a strange whining noise called from just around the next bend, then as the gunman reached the archway a vast metal fist slammed through the nearby wall and knocked him flying senseless into a distant bookcase. As he lay within its broken frame and looked dazedly upwards, the golem turned slowly towards him with one flaring eye, the other broken by machine gun fire.
"Gilder! Stay down!" a man shouted from across the room - Laguna, the one who'd first helped them in this tournament and who Gilder considered a good man - as a burst of bullet launched from the machine gun he carried and hit the golem in the back of the left knee. It roared like a raging bull, staggering forwards, then turned angrily on its latest attacker. Behind the man with the machine gun was a young boy with blond hair, similar to Ivan, and the woman who he'd made the mistake of leaving alone and had come back for.
Gilder struggled upwards, hauling his revolvers from both holsters as he has no idea what elemental attacks would be useful on this thing. "Not likely, Laguna! This guy's my problem too, and my responsibility! Dance for me, robot!" he shouted, opening fire with a hail of bullets. Five, six, seven shots hammered into the back of the golem's skull and the metalwork dented heavily inwards under the high calibur rounds, then the clicking of hammers onto empty chambers told him his luck was running out.
"Now!"
Gilder's head spanned back to Laguna, who had dived out of the way, as a small lizard - a lizard, of all things! - opened its mouth and lashed out a tongue which flickered across the room and coiled itself around the thing's legs like a whip. With one great strain, the little dinosaur threw himself in the opposite direction and with a vast creaking noise the golem, weakened at its knee joints and disorientated by the head attack, crashed to the ground with a noise like thunder.
"Yeah! We did it!" Gilder and Laguna cried simultaniously.
"YoSHI! YoSHI" (No, no, it's still moving!"
As the three combatants looked on, the golem slowly struggled back to its feet and glared at them all with its remaining eye. It didn't look like bullets, tongue lashes or anything else they had would stop this thing.
"I think," Gilder said slowly while ramming a new moonstone cartridge into his pistol, "we may be in trouble."
---
R-Votes to Laguna and Isaac.
Ability: Cover Fire on Scarlett.

~~~~~ dance ~~~~~ for ~~~~~ me ~~~~~
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Baka
Wind Seer
Posts: 130
(6/8/02 7:41:02 pm)
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Act 4, Scene 7 - "Spent"
Ivan looked up at Vivi. "Heh... thanks, friend."
He made to stand up - then shuddered and collapsed again.
"Ivan! What's wrong?!" Vivi cried, rushing towards him - and Sylf stopped him.
"You cannot help. He is too far gone. The poison hurt him greatly, and now he has taxed his body too much..."
Ivan leant back against the wall. "Heh... looks like I'm out for now, Vivi. You'll have to.. go on.. with your friend."
"Ivan? Ivan, no, you can't be gone?"
"Don't worry, pal. If we make it through, I should be ok again. But now... take this."
He stretched out a hand, and took Vivi's. The little mage's eyes opened wide, and he stammered "I-Ivan... what... what are you..."
Ivan released the grip and slumped forward. "There... my Djinn.. take them. And the rest.. the rest is yours too. Heh.. but I want them back if we get through this!"
Vivi just stared at his hand, transfixed... and Ivan collapsed, his powers spent.
"What did you see? What did he show you, Vivi?" Sylf asked. Vivi turned to him, and adjusted the brim of his hat slightly.
"I.. I don't know. I truly don't know what it was... but I'll never forget it..."
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R-Vote to Isaac
Aura on Vivi

Baka // Wind Seer // Salva Nos Edited by: Baka at: 6/8/02 7:47:46 pm
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Soujiro Seta
RTT :: Kaze
Posts: 34
(6/8/02 7:54:01 pm)
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Round 4
Ignore this space for the sake of chronological correctness! Here is a Haiku to pacify everyone.
The battle was grim
but the golem knew defeat
at the hands of tongue.
There we go. Movin' the big chunk of text on down...
Edited by: Soujiro Seta at: 6/8/02 7:57:42 pm
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TenshiKain
RTT :: Ramirez
Posts: 37
(6/8/02 7:55:32 pm)
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Re: Back in the fold
The blood on his chest traced down his body in thin red rivulets, and Ramirez knew that while it was a shallow wound, it was nonetheless going to inhibit his fighting capability without a curative spell. Looking at the psycho-bordering fighter positioned in an ougi stance, a double-iaijutsu no less, he could tell there was something wrong with him; if he snapped, abruptly, he would no doubt be easier to read, but it wouldn't be as simple to predict his movements.
Ramirez tightened the grip on his Ginken. Noentheless, it had to end here; whether or not he took a hit no longer mattered. It was clear that they were equals, at least in terms of cutting power- and shame in taking wounds from a rival was so overrated.
"I see," he purred from lips that were flecked with drops of his own blood. "Then I, in turn, will use the deadliest technique in my arsenal. The perfect combination of both magic and sword...Silver sword, Silver wings, Silver magery. The cold of the moon's tides and the chill of the wound...this one move that I have thus named the instant murder from hell."
Ramirez then straightened up, standing perfectly rigid, and held the Ginken up against his body. Blood trickled over it, and he raised his free hand to clutch the dull edge of its tip, bowing his head low. His mind's eye imagined once more; beads of silver light drifted from his form, almost from the cut over his chest, to stream to the ground as something like a red mist surrounded Ramirez's figure. The same beads of light separated to intertwine with the Ginken, spiraling around its entire length. Then the light on the ground flattened, as the light on the sword crushed, and the ground and sword were surrounded in glistening ice.
The light flared off the huge ice blanket upon the floor, causing Yamazaki to grunt as it shot into his eyes. Something also followed suit with Ramirez, as the ice around his blade shattered into a billion fragments. As he looked up, one shard cut just under his eye. He did not close it, even as a tear of blood streamed down one porcelain cheek. He craned his head up to the sword as if in prayer, then focused both eyes upon his nemesis.
Silver Tundra.
" Repent your sins through death, Yamazaki Shinnosuke," Ramirez growled, and as the chill settled over the ground between them, he brought his sword back around him, as though to mock iaijutsu. But it charged then, with a ghostly chill given from visible, cold air that gathered around its edge. As the ice road crackled in front of him, Ramirez bowed his head low and screamed a wordless grunt.
Sword of the Eclipse!
Then he slashed the blade forward in a sudden whip, and the charge that had gathered there slammed into the ice blanket to tear a line through it directly towards Yamazaki. A gust tore through the area, shattering the ice to send a makeshift blizzard through the fourteenth floor. Yamazaki grunted as the shards of ice beseiged him, and suddenly they took shape again. They formed into a tremendous icicle, trapping the swordsman in there from sight. He remained like that, invisible within, before a slow crack appeared down its pristine blue surface, and then it split into a million pieces of its own accord.
But Yamazaki Shinnosuke was no fool.
As the gusts and blades of ice swarmed to claim his life, Yamazaki hurled himself into the air; in doing so, he kept himself above the prevailing winds that would have certainly torn him asunder. The wind further helped his jump, carrying him almost up to the eighteen-foot-high ceiling as he gripped his katana in an iaijutsu pose. He glared down at Ramirez and shoved himself forward in mid-air, slowly beginning to ride the wind towards his foe.
Likewise, Ramirez was no fool.
As the ice beneath Yamazaki formed into a second icicle, Ramirez gave another swing of his vibrant sword. Yamazaki could only watch in focused amazement as the icicle was torn from its chilled prison, shattering to spiral up into the air. And as it did so, so too did Ramirez, kicking his heels against each other to send him riding the same wind up towards his deadly rival. He thrust his Ginken forward in a right-handed anti-air stab as the icicle shot towards Yamazaki's descending frame, ready to kill in an instant. The icicle would shatter on impact, and Yamazaki would die, and then the duel would be over.
And yet, neither of them were any fools at that.
Yamazaki's ougi was a creative one. Rather than a straight iaijutsu, it was a double iaijutsu with his left hand- when Ramirez neared him, he slashed with the katana to clash against the Ginken, sending its stab off course. Ramirez's blow struck against flesh as they met, but then Yamazaki executed the second step. As the icicle plunged for the both of them, his right hand swept the other sword- the wakizashi- from its sheath in a close-range iaijutsu slash. At such close range, Ramirez could not physically dodge- but, just as there was a first step to his thrusts, there was a second step.
The icicle shattered just as it reached the two of them. In that flash of light, they were hidden from view, and there was the splatter of blood in the air as the both of them fell back to earth.
Ramirez struck the ground on his stomach, Yamazaki on his knees. Neither moved.
"G-Ginken...Ryu..." Yamazaki rasped, pawing at the wound that had torn through his chest. "Imp...ossible..."
"Magic...and sword," Ramirez wheezed, struggling up from all fours as he clutched the deep, vertical cut over his own chest. "And a double...sheath slash...excellent strike."
Yamazaki did not reply. Ramirez turned to the sound of a loud, sudden banging, as though something were striking the ground. Ramirez weakly watched in shock as Yamazaki banged his head repeatedly against the floor, and literally began to scream with the orcs and demons prowling the shadows. "NO!" he shrieked, stinging Ramirez's ears. "I am Aoi Satan! I am Aoi Satan! I...I..."
He wrenched himself upright, his voice gurgling with blood as he pressed both sword-wielding hands to his temples and screamed. " I'm losing myseeeeeeeelf...!"
The next instant was a surreal one. Yamazaki's shape seemed to flutter and dissipate as he ran with surprising speed for one who had been given such a terrible wound. The man's scream echoed through the chamber as he darted back and forth, a strange light flaring over the entire area. Ramirez held up his hand to ward off the light, and as it stung his bloodied eyelids, he saw his hand become corporeal again. He could see nothing through it. The light brightened, and the last thing he heard before the darkness came was the sound of Yamazaki screaming something about...
Sakura?
There was pain then, ripping through his chest, and Ramirez opened his eyes as the light faded-
-to find himself staring at the back of what had to be an immense golem.
Ramirez frowned in stunned amazement; the creature stomping back and forth in the chamber resembled a Gigas in its posture and size. Obsidian and tremendous, it bellowed its rage as cracks beseiged its frame, its fists battering the walls and ceiling. It was going to bring whatever floor they were on down, on top of-
Scarlett, Gilder, Laguna!?
They were all there, with a few others; Gilder held the thing at bay with his pistol, his bullets ricocheting off the creature's skull as it advanced on them. Scarlett lay strewn at Laguna's side, obviously wounded and unconscious. There was a green thing there aiding Gilder in assaulting the creature, but so far the golem was not slowing down. It only advanced, its fists raised for a bludgeoning death. It would kill them all, either by crushing or clubbing, until there were only corpses for the orcs and demons prowling the area to feast upon.
"Kill you..." Ramirez swore darkly to the back of the creature, his breath red. "I'll kill you..."
It did not notice him as he moved. The hinge of the creature was at its center, but upon its back, and as Gilder shot a crackle of lightning to swarm over the monster's face, Ramirez moved in and struck. He powered his legs forward, pumping his thighs as he cocked back the Ginken in his right arm. His left shot forward, and just before the creature raised its fists for a crushing blow upon the prone figures of Scarlett and Laguna, Ramirez gave the loudest, most inhuman scream ever to leave his parched lips, and then he struck.
The crack was like one of thunder and lightning as the Ginken tore through the Golem's skinny back hinge, the rocks shattering like the dried dung Ramirez thought they were. The golem's back arched, and then toppled as a crack split its broad, immense spine. The arms went next, caving in from the shock of the impact, and then the legs buckled as a final bullet from Gilder literally blasted its fractured, groaning head into dust. The golem's body groaned as it toppled forward from the ringing Ginken, and then collapsed just in front of Laguna, who covered Scarlett protectively, to blast into dust.
And through that dust limped the bloodied figure of Ramirez.
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Assist on Scarlett
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Sponsoring Ramirez, Skies of Arcadia, Team Two-On-One. |
Mithrigil
RTT--Scarlett Welles
Posts: 63
(6/8/02 7:57:02 pm)
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IDV
Insurance vote dump.
One A-vote to Ryo
One A-vote to Shadow
One A-vote to Link
One A-vote to Delita
Chemistry--6 R-votes to Gilder, 18 SP
Chemistry--6 R-votes to Ramirez, 18 SP
Alchemy--4 R-votes to Laguna, 11 SP
White Noise--Silence on Delita and Shadow, 13 SP
That cleans me!
Guess who Ms. Sexual Repression USA is playing in RTT?

Isn't the irony lovely?
Some things money can't buy. For everything else, there's Mithrigil.
(this links to LT)
...Edited by: Mithrigil at: 6/8/02 8:29:26 pm
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Soujiro Seta
RTT :: Kaze
Posts: 35
(6/8/02 7:58:43 pm)
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Round 4
Devil's Dance - II
Between the shadows, between the ghastly skeletal statues with their mouths hung forever agape, between twilight and midnight, he was there. His left arm bore a gash where a ravenous creature had attempted to overpower him (and subsequently lost) and he watched with a morbid fascination as the blood dripped, drop by drop, seeming to wither on the floor of the dark tower. It was obvious that he was getting sloppy; such a creature should never have been able to get close to him; his red gun should’ve seen to that. He remembered not how high his feet had taken him; the passageways of the dread spire were a twisting maze, perhaps designed to foil unwanted guests. They were working.
The tower was actually much bigger on the inside than it had appeared even from its massive outside. Staring up at the vaulted ceiling of the room he had ducked into, he found himself looking into the eyes of savage stone gargoyles that clasped the roots of the buttresses. Everywhere in the tower were strewn skeletal remains, rotting flesh, and recognizable pieces of broken statues, almost seemingly placed as if to say ‘only thy ruination awaits thee!’ Perhaps the room in which he now rose to his feet may have been once a grand hall for a banquet or reception of guests; now it had fallen into the same blighted disarray as the rest of the sorceress’s palace.
Down at his arm, the Demon Gun lay at the ready. It had transformed the moment he stepped into that room, as if defensively responding to something only it could sense. A hatred, cold as ice, tempered as steel…one to wither the flesh and burn the mind. He clenched a bullet in his hand, turning it slowly between his fingers to inspect the golden grains of soil contained within. The color was Horizon Gold, used in a few of his more powerful summons. But what was it now? Just golden sand in a bullet, magical yet lifeless, useful only in conjunction with two other like it.
One, by itself, is insufficient…
It was then that he heard the door creak, ever so slightly, causing him to melt back into the shadows of a great dragon statue that rose up at the opposite end of the great hall. He heard the door straining against its massive hinge pins again, opening a small way to admit whoever or whatever sought the room. He heard voices, echoing in the cavernous expanse.
“Just hold on, Scarlett, you’re gonna be alright. Don’t close your eyes now…yeah, keep your breathing steady. Don’t worry; Ramirez cut us a good swath, didn’t he?” The voice sounded familiar to Kaze, even through the reverberation from the walls. Not so familiar, though, that he’d risk giving away his position on it. Fortunately for him, he didn’t have to.
“G..ilder…” A woman’s voice, weak and choked, spoke the name of one of the few whom Kaze knew. The man in the red coat with the silver guns…that was Gilder, and he had brought his team.
“Dammit Scarlett, why’d you have to do that back there? Just keep looking at me! Here, drink this; it’ll heal you some.” He recognized the voice of Gilder, interspersed with the sound of ripping cloth. “Here, let me tie this around…stop the bleeding…be alright.” That man’s voice was softer now, and Kaze could hear only fragments of what was being said, but hearing enough to know that a woman with them, Scarlett, was injured. Gawking through a small gap between the dragon statue’s legs and tail, his eyes widened then narrowed at the sight of the women who, battered and bruised though she’d been, had repaired his gun for him just the day before. And there she lay wounded, on the cool stone floor, on a patch cleared of rot, bones, and dust. She was with them; she was a friend of that man, Gilder.
He began to let out a sigh, then caught himself midway and clenched his fist. What; would he choose now to show mercy? It would certainly get him killed, mercy in the face of those who fought with every fiber of their being against him. Had that lady in red, Scarlett, known who he was, certainly she would have chosen to bury a shot in his head instead of help him. They were two people who might have been allies if they hadn’t been enemies.
But with them, though standing apart, the silver strands of the swordsman gleamed in the room’s pale light. He was the one; the one in whose eyes death gleamed as sure as the morning star, narrow slits to devour the souls of the trampled and defeated. A silver sword hung at his side, a sword that his hand had not left since he entered the room. But he made not a sound, not a move toward Gilder and Scarlett. He stood, facing the general direction of the door, only his shallow breathing audible. The hand that did not grip the sword lingered a brief moment over his heart, then scuttled furtively back to its place at his side. Gilder had called this silver soldier Ramirez.
“I feel it. A clouding danger.” Ramirez drew his sword and swept the room with his gaze, Gilder attending to Scarlett’s needs. He walked slowly into the center of the room, boots clicking softly on the dry stone. Closing his eyes again, he shifted the sword to his left hand and drew it back in one fluid motion, seeming to whisper to himself.
“…grant thee my blade the brilliance of the skies.” The soft words permeated the grand hall like an enveloping fog, and Ramirez raised his right hand, splaying his fingers lightly along the flat of his blade near the tip. Smoothly bending his knees, he seemed like a cobra coiled to strike.
And then, opening his eyes, he did.
-- Chapel of the Glittering Blades --
Ramirez rocketed forward with malevolent force, seeming to almost glide over the ground, ancient bone crumbling and snapping in his violent wake. Left arm still drawn back, the hand grasped the Ginken’s pommel as an archer about to let fly a swift and terrible bolt.
“Ginken-ryu, Silver Fang!” With a roar that caused both Gilder and Scarlett to turn their heads, he lunged toward the massive dragon statue, thrusting his left arm forward in an explosive stab that sent chips of stone raining down in a haze of dust. But he knew he had seen something move in that cloud. He had known he smelled a rat, and it was time to exterminate it. Ripping the sword from where it sat in its newly-formed crater in the statue’s side, Ramirez once again assumed the his previous stance, sword drawn back in his left hand, parallel to the ground. This time, he pressed his fingers against the flat of the blade, but gripped the underside with his thumb.
“Your ambush is for naught! This Ginken will eat its fill of your heart ‘ere I am finished!” Dropping into a crouch, Ramirez shot his left hand straight up, his sword a shining steeple to pierce the lingering cloud. “Ginken-ryu, Silver Fang Third Form!” He felt the tangible sensation of something twitching on his blade and looked up to see a great gun of gold contradicting his silver saber. With an icy sneer, his right hand rushed up to take its place on the sword’s handle, then with a twist of the hips and turn of the shoulders, he sent the possessor of the golden gun flying to the floor before him, in the center of the great hall.
Never bring a gun to a swordfight.
“It’s you!” Gilder gasped as he rose up to his feet, drawing one of his silver six-shooters to aim squarely at the black-caped man thrown to the floor before them. Ramirez brought his sword to point, advancing slowly toward his downed opponent. “I’ve yet a score to settle with you, bastard…” Gilder spat out, his brown eyebrows slanting downward behind the lenses that rested upon his face. Kaze sat up on the floor, making no motions. Gilder was at his back; one shot was all he would need. To his front, Ramirez’s straight and serious face reminded him of his own countenance.
“Gilder…this is the man? This pathetic specimen is the Black Wind?” Ramirez gave a curt laugh, more for effects’ sake. “Then it will be his end!” Ramirez charged forward, the sweeping arc of the Ginken leaving a silvery phantom trail where it had parted the air. Words floated back to Kaze through the haze of pain and violence.
“You survive the worst of odds;” the pale-skinned dragon man had told him upon their first meeting. “You ensure your continued existence…regardless of the cost to things and people around you.” How could he do otherwise? There was only one path; only one way – a bloody road that lead to extinction.
“I’ve chosen the appropriate soil…” Kaze coughed, and Gilder noticed a thin line of blood trickling down the black gunman’s face. “…for the likes of you!” Kaze rose to his feet shakily, wavering even as he began to lift his right arm.
“Flame that envelops death! Pyre Scarlet!” At the sound of her name, Scarlett craned her head to see what was transpiring. Her eyes went wide as she saw him standing there, but she was not about to tell Gilder that in her weakened state, she had helped the enemy.
“Ready a technique, Ramirez! Don’t give him time to transform his golden gun!” Scarlett’s feverish pitch languished in the tense atmosphere. Gilder bent over her to protect her; to shield her eyes from the fact that the golden gun had, in fact, already been transformed.
“That which falls into infinite darkness! Silent Black!” Kaze hurridly buried another bullet into his waiting gun. Staggering again, he felt a bullet ream his thigh. Gilder. But the wheel had already been set in motion, regardless of pain.
“And finally, the moonlight’s reflection in the sword! Mirror Silver!” Ramirez saw and heard it, almost as if time had waxed slow in that moment; the man in black raised a bullet with a center as silver as the Ginken and thrust it into the third chamber. Realizing he was out of options and out of time, he began to run the distance remaining between he and the enemy as he heard the golden gun of which Gilder had spoken whirr to life before his very eyes.
“I fear no beast, summoner!” Ramirez’s eyes bit into Kaze, his tenacity driving him forward.
“It is not me you should fear,” Kaze interjected before his finger pulled the trigger. “Conquer! Legendary Warrior….Gilgamesh!”
Ramirez’s coal eyes went wide and he jumped back almost reflexively as a violent plume of smoke ejected from the mellow golden nozzle of the Demon Gun. As if a portal to another world had been ripped open, from the smoke erupted a man, crushing the distance between them as if he had taken possession of the bullets’ velocity himself. A whipping cape of bloodiest red concealing his face and body, the only thing Ramirez saw clearly was smoke rolling off the blade of a giant curved sword about to cleave his body in twain. No! Never! To prevail is the only way!
Ramirez’s Ginken crossed the blade of the enemy’s sword only inches from his face, sending a shower of sparks raining across the floor. His muscles screamed as if his blood had melted to liquid iron, his brow broke out in mercury sweat; the force being exerted on him was above what he’d ever been subjected to. As quickly as the hammering blow had come, he felt the tiniest sensation of a lapse in the tension. Pushing away with all the strength his legs could muster, he dove backward, again only inches away from the fell swing of the great curved sword.
He could swear that he heard the air cry in pain as the blade passed by.
Twisting his silver saber to the form of a downward slant in mid-dodge, he immediately brought his fist up under its flat to meet a third strike of the crimson-cloaked man’s mighty scimitar. His hungry eyes looked for an opening; there were none. The slash would sweep from the right to the left, a broad slightly-ascending horizontal arc of stunning speed, especially for a blade so large. There was nothing to do except block. Raising his Ginken and mustering his will; his hatred into the blade, he felt the resistance to the flow, felt the block of the reaper’s scythe as he was physically pushed, even lifted out of the way like a straw hut in a flash flood. Contorting his body in midair, he flipped to land on his feet just in time to see the man wrapped in red concealment draw another sword from inside his cloak…to hold in another of his…. four hands!? Indeed, upon his turning, Ramirez could see at least four arms the man possessed…if indeed it were a man and not the devil with a blade.
“Gilder.” His voice was firm and unwavering, yet with an unusual tone. “You and Scarlett get out of here now.”
“Rami…we ain’t leaving you…” Scarlett clenched her teeth as Gilder picked her up, ragged cloth strips from the hem of his red coat tied around her body in several places. Injured though her body was, her spirit remained as tough as nails.
“Go. This is my battle, and mine alone. Leave me.” His eyes softened for a split second as he saw Gilder holding Scarlett in a way that brought almost-sweet childhood memories of Fina to the surface. Shutting out the view, he turned once again back to where his enemy stood, a worthy adversary against whom he could show no mercy.
“Hear me, Silver Sword!” A booming voice rang out in the chamber like a king’s proclamation. “I am Gilgamesh! You, who have passed the test of the Zantetsuken…now come! Show me how you live…and how you die.” Atop the pedestal of a deposed stone figure, Kaze drew his black cloak around his wounded body once more, looking on intently. This man had actually survived the first passes of Gilgamesh…perhaps he was one who was worthy of his archenemy White Cloud’s title, Makenshi…
Cold and brittle was the instant in passing before Ramirez took up the Ginken once more, his face set with an almost expressionless determination, his body bristling with a higher awareness as he opened his swordsman's senses to every sensation.
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1 R-Vote to Ivan
1 R-Vote to Vivi
1 R-Vote to Scarlett
1 R-Vote to Ramirez
1 R-Vote to Gilder
1 R-Vote to Laguna
1 A-Vote to Link
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And now, Tenshi Kain, show me up!
Soil! My strength!
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Alexander Krizak
The Ultimate Lifeform
Posts: 133
(6/8/02 8:08:38 pm)
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She Has Cometh!
The round has been extended to midnight, so you can all have enough time to get killed by the Sorceress. Have at her!
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Act Four, Scene Three: Confrontation
Sitting atop the twisted tower of Malorné, the Sorceress' chamber beared little resemblence to the crude fortress that laid below it. The oval-shaped chamber was lit with magical sconses set all about the room, illuminating the ivory-toned walls and the black marble floor. The only view of the outside came from the two crescent-shaped windows at one end of the oval, while two archways at the other end led to parts unknown. On the floor between the two windows was the only entrance from the tower below: a golden staircase of immaculate design. A throne of black and red sat opposite the stairwell, it's carved design resembling that of a great demon.
On this throne she sat, watching the events below in her mind. Her long white silken robes left little to the imagination, and her black hair was styled to look like demonic wings. The warriors are strong, she thought. My legions battle against them in full force, and yet they still advance. I shall soon have to deal with them. She smilled at this, a wicked smirk that did not touch her red eyes. I shall enjoy breaking them, watching them suffer. They shall know more pain than any mortal has in a thousand years...
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Mini-Game
The Long Reign Ends: Welcome to a boss battle of epic proportions. The Sorceress is a formidible opponent, with many extremely powerful spells and a seemingly endless supply of power. You will have to put aside your differences and work together with the other teams in order to defeat her.
The Sorceress will require 100 points of damage to defeat. For the remainder of the round, the Sorceress counts as a valid target for all attacks that can deal damage to Sponsors, with one exception: you may use multiple A-Votes and multiple Abilities of the same type against her. Should she be defeated, all characters who used attacks against her will be awards as follows:
- 5 XP for participating in the battle
- 1 XP for each point of damage done
- 10 XP for the character that delivers the final blow
Should you fail to defeat her, though, each character who fights against her shall receive four points of damage. Therefore, it is important that you amass a strong enough force to attack her, or otherwise you shall fail.
 ~ I am you, and you are me ~ This defies reality ~ Whether this is false or true ~ You are me, and I am you Edited by: Alexander Krizak at: 6/8/02 8:17:39 pm
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