Corpus Rahkshi

[The UltimoScorp]

IC Percy:

 

He'd taken a risk with the Rhotuka and it had paid off it seemed. He could feel the gravitational effect on the sword. He'd assumed due to the throwing knives and Rhotuka combo that she'd had some kind of attractive power to enable a hit more easily. And it seemed he'd been right, as she followed up with two knives.

 

He reversed his grip on the sword, and pulled up, letting the knives not only slip past his hand, but be drawn downward by the gravitized blade into the sand past him. In the same movement, he dashed toward her in two steps, swinging the sword in a hooking slash that would bring the pommel into his opponents blank eyed face.

[Nato G]

IC: Vyper - Gym.

 

Fool. The key to combat prowess in a rahkshi was to work in tandem with one's variation, adopt a combat style that exploited the strengths of one's power, and compensated for the weaknesses. This Percy was doing the exact opposite, lunging immediately into close quarters combat when his dodge powers left him better suited to a ranged, evasive role. 

 

I was going to make him regret that. 

 

I brought up my left arm, intercepting his swinging wrist with my own forearm. Grunting, I then increased the gravitational pull of my own limb - normally I could only attract small objects, but given that his sword was gravitised as well, hopefully the combination would be enough to prevent him from pulling the weapon away from me too easily. 

 

With my other hand, I extended my wrist-blade and stabbed it towards his upper chest. Dodge this, kid...

[Onaku]

IC: Orimnoc

^{Location: Gym}

With but a moment to spare, Orimnoc managed to raise her arm to protect her eyes and close them for the brief moment as the sand blast passed. The very next moment she opened her eyes again lowering her arm and staring down her opponent. "So that's how it's going to be, coward?! Can't bear to face me in battle, so you resort to cheap tricks instead?!" 

[Nato G]

IC: Exxan - Gym.

 

"Coward?" I mused, rolling the word around in my mouth for a bit before spitting it back out. "You're the one who's standing around shouting insults instead of fighting." 

[Onaku]

IC: Orimnoc

^{Location: Gym}

"I really can't figure out how you did it... Your fighting tactics reek of fear of direct confrontation. Without your powers, you are weak. And you know it." Orimnoc knew that there was no advantage to staying back. She needed to get up close and personal to him. Sure, there was a high likelihood that he could use his powers even more dangerously at such close quarters, but at least then she could deal some damage of her own. At this range, she could do nothing. It was unacceptable. And so she began her advance again, this time more determinedly.

Edited November 12, 2016 by Toa Onaku

[Nato G]

IC: Exxan - Gym.

 

"I know my strengths," I shrugged, deciding not to indulge whatever personal grievance this unfamiliar rahk seemed intent on bringing to bear against me, "Our powers make us who we are. There's nothing weak about embracing that." 

 

The accusations my foe was leveling against me were ironic, to say the least. My time at Corpus had taught me that Vacuum was, by far, the most unpopular and underrated variation a rahk could possess. Sure, it was comparatively weak at low levels, but I'd proven time and time again that in the hands of a creative and skilled user, it was just as formidable as any other power. And what so many of my former foes seemed to forget was that vacuums worked both ways: push and pull.

 

I focused on the air behind my opponent and drew it swiftly towards me, intending to buffet my advancing assailant from behind. 

Edited November 12, 2016 by Roman Torchwick

[Onaku]

IC: Orimnoc

^{Location: Gym}

When the wind hit her from behind, she knew it was Exxan egging her on. She grimaced, and then put her last foot down in her advance, before the very next moment changing it into a charge toward Exxan that was surprisingly quick for a Rahkshi of her size and bulk. She also decided to start channeling vague unease directly into Exxan.

Edited November 12, 2016 by Toa Onaku

[Dane-gerous]

IC: Paladin

Seeing the attack before it hit, I retracted my arm, the weapon just missing it.

It seemed my opponent did not share the concept of honor that I had.

I charged forward, swinging my longsword at the runt.

Edited November 12, 2016 by QuIn

[Nato G]

IC: Exxan - Gym.

 

So predictable... Why was it that every opponent I ever went up against was crippled by some kind of all-encompassing blind rage? It was getting depressingly repetitive. As my opponent broke into a charge, I moved to sidestep, building up to deliver a concentrated airburst at my foe's exposed back as she passed me by. But a sudden flash of panic stayed my hand, and I backed off further, trying to make sense of the wavering uncertainty that had clawed its way into my mind. 

 

An overly intimidating red rahkshi, and a sense of unease with no logical origin? I knew Fear when I saw it. "For a rahk who was so critical of me for using my powers, you sure were quick to resort to yours." I shifted into a defensive stance, readying myself for my opponent's next move. There's nothing to be worried about here... it's all her, all in your mind... I'd come face to face with death more times than I could keep track of, even rushed headlong to meet it once, in a collapsing tunnel with Visorak all around me. I knew real fear, and I'd worked with Fear rahks who were far more powerful than this angry upstart.

 

I wasn't going to let her throw me off balance like that again.

[Onaku]

IC: Orimnoc

^{Location: Gym}

The very next moment, Orimnoc was upon him. "Just leveling the playing field!" The last word as only emphasized due to exertion, as she swung her weapon at his mid-section full force. This time, she once more channeled her powers at him, this time with more force.

Edited November 12, 2016 by Toa Onaku

[Nato G]

IC: Exxan - Gym.

 

I didn't need my foe's false encouragement to feel a rush of panic at the sword scything towards my abdomen. I jumped backwards, even utilising my level 1 abilities to increase my speed, but it wasn't enough to prevent the blade from snagging a rough gouge across my carapace. It was far from the worst wound I'd ever had inflicted on me, but it stung like karz nonetheless, and a fresh trickle of tarry ichor was already spilling from the gash in the armour. 

 

My counterattack was a wild air blast aimed at my opponent's chest, the unrefined result of panic and anger, but hopefully enough to put a little distance between us. 

[Onaku]

IC: Orimnoc

^{Location: Gym}

Orimnoc had already moved sideways, the attack sliding off the side of her body as she rushed at him with another attack, this time aimed at his upper torso.

[Nato G]

IC: Exxan - Gym.

 

I kept moving backwards, striving to stay out of the reach of my attacker's ridiculously spiky sword. As I did, I drew a pair of my daggers from the bandolier, ready to lash out the moment an opportunity presented itself. 

Edited November 12, 2016 by Roman Torchwick

[Onaku]

IC: Orimnoc

^{Location: Gym}

This time she went in to run her sword through Exxan's abdomen, keeping the pressure on him by keeping up with his speed. A manic rage could be seen on her faceplates as she went in for the strike, exerting herself to further channel unease into him.

[Nato G]

IC: Exxan - Gym.

 

I was running out of platform, and my foe was running out of patience. Perfect. I changed direction - instead of continuing backwards, I stepped forward to meet the incoming blade, taking advantage of my level 1 abilities to blur past the jagged weapon, and right inside my opponent's guard. Gotcha! I struck out with my knives, aiming for my opponent's shoulder joints. 

[The UltimoScorp]

IC Percy:

 

He'd been caught off guard. Only a quick application of Dodge allowed him to twist his torso, and raise his arm to deflect in time to avoid impalement. The blade tore a gash in his chest, however. He gasped at the sudden pain, then brought a knee up toward Vyper's gut, trying to get some space as he pulled the holy of his blade away with no small amount of force.

[Nato G]

IC: Vyper - Gym.

 

I grimaced, the literal knee-jerk reaction forcing me to break off my pull on the sword and back off. This is karzing ridiculous... I'd trained my whole existence to be a killer, brutal and efficient, to take up the mantle of an assassin rather than the simple life of a soldier. But here I was, embroiled in a pathetic, twisted tournament where we were expressly forbidden from exercising lethality. 

 

It was a truly horrendous waste of my talents. 

 

But I owed it to myself to do the best I could regardless, and as such I retracted my blade, extended my staff, and shifted into a defensive stance, ready for my foe's next move. 

[The UltimoScorp]

IC Percy:

 

He too backed off a bit. Re balancing himself and reassessing.

 

His breathing still light and easy, he grinned. "You almost got me there! Pretty clever, having a hidden blade like that!"

 

The staff changed things up, which he didn't mind. He was here to learn, after all, and he appreciated the challenge.

[Nato G]

IC: Vyper - Gym.

 

"We're here to fight, not to talk," despite my words, I made no attempt to engage.

 

The brief moment of respite provided an opportunity to reevaluate the combat stage. The knives I'd thrown lay in the dirt behind my foe, too far away for me to reach with my powers. The edge of the platform was only a couple of bio behind me. There was enough distance between myself and Percy that any further knives I threw would be easily dodged, and any offensive tactic I attempted could be easily anticipated and countered.

 

Given his lack of ranged abilities, my best bet would be to let him come to me. 

[Coconut Fella]

IC: Phantom - Ruins on the Water

She idly nodded, taking in as much information as would stick in her addled state.

"Bed...." Her last word hung limp in the air as she drifted out of consciousness, right there on the seat. 

 

IC: Sim - Infirmary

Alarm splayed across my face.

"I should hope not! Not since suiting, at least. And if you are implying we remove her from her suit, you'd have far to go to convince me to oblige."

[The UltimoScorp]

IC Diode:

 

My eyes widened, he was faster than he looked!

 

Luckily for me, so was I.

 

I ducked, giving an ironic thanks for my lack of spines silently.

 

And then I clumsily made to tackle my opponent, electricity dancing along my skin. If I could get ahold on him, the numbing effect might give me an edge.

 

If not... Well I doubted I'd be conscious long enough for it to matter.

 

IC Percy:

 

They had the range advantage, but they didn't press it. Odd. Maybe they'd only recently picked up ranged fighting?

 

He supposed it didn't matter. He needed an opening. In a middle guard stance, he slowly began to circle, waiting for his chance.

 

If an assassin could be patient, so too could a swordsman.

[Nato G]

IC: Vyper - Gym.

 

I shifted forward a little, distancing myself from the arena edge, before firing off another rhotuka from my wrist-mounted launcher, aimed towards my opponent's torso. 

[Dane-gerous]

IC: Paladin

He dodged out of my way, my swing hitting the floor instead. And then, I felt my entire body begin to vibrate, and then felt a burning pain, before being tackled to the ground.


Angrily, I attempted to push him off me with my shield, my body still burning.

Edited November 16, 2016 by QuIn

[Ghidora131]

IC Spindle

 

"I don't need to convince you." He snarled, recalling how Fate had mentioned her annoying brother. "Only her." He gestured to Fate as well.

Edited November 19, 2016 by The Ghrinch

[Click]

IC: Melody - Infirmary

 

She stepped between Spindle and Tear. "H-how about the one y-you want t-to m-move out of h-her only d-defense?"

[Ghidora131]

IC Spindle

 

He looked confused.

 

"Um... Of course, I'm sure we could find another suit in the meantime," He said, unsure if they could find another suit in the meantime. "You'd be okay with that, wouldn't you?" He directed his attention at Tear. "You were constantly tearing yourself to bits over there being knife compartments in that suit, and other such oddities."

[Onaku]

IC: Orimnoc

^{Location: Gym}

The moment Exxan started his lunge at her, bells started going off in Orimnoc's head that it was time to change plans. It was not until his blade hit her just east of her shoulder joint that she knew what to do, how ever, as she swiftly spun her blade and brought it in to catch Exxan's back before he had even started his escape out of her personal zone. If she was indeed able to hit him, the blade would hit his back and capture him in between the blade and herself like a half-scissor half-clamp, trapping him and tearing up his back.

[Nato G]

IC: Exxan - Gym.

 

I'd been expecting that reaction. Hoping for it, in fact. Of course, that didn't make having an oversized slab of spiky metal slammed haphazardly into my back any less painful.

 

I lost my grip on my knives, dimly hearing them clattering to the floor as I arched my aching back, inhaling sharply against the sudden onset of agony. And once I started breathing in, I didn't stop, continuing to exert my powers in absorbing as much of the surrounding air as I could. Rahkshi took a long time to suffocate, but for a rahk like me, that wasn't a problem.

 

I'd suck the air right out of this rahk's lungs if that's what it took to defeat her. 

[Onaku]

IC: Orimnoc

^{Location: Gym}

Orimnoc felt the air getting thinner, realising what Exxan was trying to pull of. With one swift motion, she tore her sword through and out of Exxan's back, tearing up his back. She immediately followed this with a punch aimed at Exxan's face, thrown with all the strength and speed Orimnoc could muster.

Edited November 17, 2016 by Toa Onaku

[Nato G]

IC: Exxan - Gym.

 

I'd received more than my fair share of head trauma during my time at Corpus Rahkshi. I'd had a Makuta pry through my mind, felt the wrath of a very unhappy high-level fear rahk, and been choked by a plasma rahk. I'd had an axe thrown into my face, been smashed in the chin with a sword pommel, and had my cheeks lashed with broken glass. But, oddly enough, I had very little experience with simple punches. 

 

With the sword no longer pinning me in place, the punch sent me reeling backwards a few steps. My concentration was quite literally shattered, ceasing my absorption of the surrounding air. My vision was blurry, and I could taste blood in both of my mouths. If Rahkshi had teeth, the blow probably would've knocked some of them out. "I get the impression," I spat a gobbet of blood out onto the floor, "That you really don't like me."

[Onaku]

IC: Orimnoc

^{Location: Gym}

"Yeah, well it's warranted, I assure you!" Orimnoc put her sword away. She picked up the knives Exxan had dropped, putting them away as well. "I guess you really don't recognize me do you? Granted, I've changed, but I would have assumed you'd recognize the fire in my eyes. After all, you're the one who snuffed it out of his." Her voice hit a clear tone of anger when the words 'snuffed it out of his' left her mouth.

[Nato G]

IC: Exxan - Gym.

 

"Omega. You're talking about Omega." Of course this was about him. Even after everything that had happened since then - all of the enemies I'd made peace with, all of the friends I'd lost, all of the tragedies that had befallen the school - I should've known there'd still be at least one stupid, stubborn rahk lurking somewhere in the school still nursing a grudge.

 

You're never going to escape your past. Accept it. Embrace it. Own it. 

 

Since my foe had put away her sword, I took it as a sign that she was more interesting in inflicting pain with words rather than weapons, at least for the time being. I once again began drawing on the residual air around me, adding to the energy I'd already accumulated. I needed to be sure that the next time I blasted this sadistic psycho, she wouldn't be getting up from it. 

 

As I did, I found myself lingering on one integral question - who was this rahk? Omega had had very few friends. In fact, he'd had more supporters in death than he had in life. "I'd like to say I'm sorry for what I did to Omega, but I'm not." But the only female friends of Omega I could think of who I'd faced in battle before were Kat and Recoil, and this rahk before me clearly wasn't either of them. "What I am sorry for, is that I don't recognise you." 

[Onaku]

IC: Orimnoc

^{Location: Gym}

"My name is Omicron. And you don't need to be sorry about killing him. You just need to feel what I'm about to do to you. You'll be sorry enough about ever being born after that." Before Exxan could get too far with his powers, Orimnoc lunged in with another punch, aiming for his gut.

 

...

 

It was a peaceful day. A young, scrawny little rahkshi walked through the halls of Corpus Rahkshi. She'd just arrived a short while ago, and was excited to be here. After all, her big brother Omega was here. Speaking of which, she was now searching for him. He wasn't in his dorm room, and he most certainly wasn't in the refectory. A quick check in the infirmary reassured her that he was fine. Nothing to worry about. Nothing to get her nerves wracked over.

 

She decided to check the gym. He'd probably be there, training or sparring with someone. Not to worry, even the most brutal of spars couldn't end too seriously could they? A torn ligament here, a few bruised ribs there, maybe a broken arm or a leg. She approached the door leading into the gym, peeking in around it to see if she could see him anywhe-

 

A furious battle. A black and orange rahkshi was fighting Omega. She reckognized him. It was that Exxan fellow she'd heard about. But what was going on? Why were they... Oh no! Omega was on the ground! It was ok though, it was just a sparring match, Omega was beaten, but he'd get back up, he'd...

 

Exxan hacked down at Omega's head, crushing it and killing him.

 

O-oh... oh no... what... what had he done? Omega... Wh-

 

She stared at her big brother's killer. Exxan, black and orange. Striped. Those stripes almost seemed like a interweaving pattern of vines... no, thorns. Thorns sprouting from his pattern, his eyes flaming with murderous rage. The corpse of her brother, bloodied, burning, fading into the darkness that consumed her world. The walls bled tar and the floors gnawed at her with vicious fangs, the killer of her brother a monstrous animal ready to leap at her and kill her. She ran. A handful of porters, spiny and vile, tending to a garden of thorns. All of it made to destroy her. To consume her. She kept running. Running. The walls were closing in, gnawing at her, the floor grew narrower and narrower and the shadows closed in on her, whispering hopelessness and despair to her ears, clawing at her mind, tearing her heart to shreds. As she closed the door to her room, what had once been a simple dormitory with a bed was now an ever spiralling vortex of death and destruction, her deepest fears realised, her terror given form. She closed her eyes, and in the darkness, she screamed.

[The UltimoScorp]

IC Percy:

 

He stepped easily aside the whirling energy disk, a frown crossing his face.

 

The way she fired while maintaining a defense didn't give him many options.

 

Either he needed to wait for an opening, or make his own.

Edited November 19, 2016 by Strider!

[Nato G]

IC: Exxan - Gym.

 

Orimnoc = Omicron.

 

Karz, another one? After all this karzing time, another one of Omega's sibling had come crawling out of the woodwork, seeking to avenge him. How many kraata did his Makuta make? The difference was, of course, that unlike the others that had come before, this one might have actually been able to pull it off. 

 

Might have. 

 

But not now.

 

I let the punch connect. It was best way to pull off what I'd already been building up to, the best way to surprise her with it, and the best way to ensure that it couldn't miss. I exhaled the contents of my lungs in a pained gasp, knowing the instant the fist made impact that it was going to leave some nasty bruises. But I didn't stop there.

 

I released all of the air in my body.

 

Every breath of breeze I'd been building up, every wispy scrap of absorbed energy, was unleashed in that moment in a colossal, continuous, concussive torrent, released from point blank range right towards my opponent's chest.

Edited November 19, 2016 by Roman Torchwick

[Onaku]

IC: Omicron

^{Location: Gym}

"AAAARRGHH!" She had expected something, but not something quite so powerful. She was blasted backwards, hitting the ground and scraping it to a halt at the very edge of the platform. She quickly got up, catching her breath. Exxan would not be playing around, now that the truth was out. She had to be far more alert, far more ruthless. She got up and made a run, not directly at him, but away from the edge so that he could not just blast her off with another attack.

[Nato G]

IC: Exxan - Gym. 

 

I knew this feeling. I'd seen it far too many times. In the eyes of friends, in the eyes of enemies, and, on a few rare occasions, reflected in my own eyes. It was anger - pure, unadulterated rage, only fueled further by my own injuries and the fact that my opponent had gotten up, seemingly unharmed, from a blast that should've left her flat on her back with broken ribs and a mind-numbing concussion. 

 

After all this time, just when I'd thought I could finally move on and start over after everything I'd done, this rahk appeared out of nowhere, dredging up all of those dark parts of my past that I'd finally been ready to leave behind. What had formerly been a fun, simply tournament had turned into a personal battle for vengeance. Funny, how everything in my life always seemed to turn into a life or death struggle. 

 

"This doesn't have to end the way it did with Omega," I called over to her, beginning to pace around the edge of the arena, counter to her own direction, "Don't make the same mistakes he did. We can both walk away from this." I drew Remembrance nonetheless. Orimnoc - no, Omicron - was too much like her brother. I already knew she wasn't going to listen to reason. 

 

Madness ran in their family. 

[Onaku]

IC: Omicron

^{Location: Gym}

Omicron halted for a moment, as if hesitating. "Wh-what are you talking about?!" For a short moment, the twisting, thorn spangled form that was Exxan lifted to reveal a less threatening being. A rahkshi. Much like Omega. Much like herself. Omicron shook her head. The veil descending upon her once more. "Don't speak lies to me! I see you for what you really are! A murderer! A monster!" She drew her sword once more. She'd have to be cautious about closing the distance again. With a hurried pace, but in no way a mad charge, she approached Exxan again, her sword raised up in front of her. Her senses dialled up to their highest searching for the slightest change in air pressure around her.

[Nato G]

IC: Exxan - Gym.

 

"There are two sides to every story," I started circling towards my opponent's right. My opponent's right shoulder was where my earlier knife strikes had landed near, so chances were that she'd be more protective of that side of her body, "I gave Omega a chance to live, and he told me to kill him. He was miserable! You're chasing vengeance for a karzing mercy kill!" 

[Onaku]

IC: Omicron

^{Location: Gym}

"I don't care why you killed him!" Orimnoc lunged, swinging her sword diagonally down at him.