Sark
Im-im-impossible!!
@Team Lake
The rest of the team appeared to be having better luck. Jianyu's vine held true, and her swift reflexes allowed her to reach both Terry and Xianyu before they careened over the edge of the cliff. But Fate is rarely kind to noble souls. Just as the three fighters flung themselves over the staff, the speed and ferocity of the raging water seemed to increase rapidly, its cold tongue cutting deep into the skin of everyone in the water.
"Can't---hold---on!"
Terry cried, he body pulled horizontal by the rapid flow. Even his environment suit couldn't save him from the cold sting. He doubted the Dolls were faring much better. Redoubling he efforts, he threw his elbows over the bar, gritted his teeth and shut high eyes tightly. Through chattering teeth, he began to groan, the strain of his injuries gradually growing too much for him to bear. Behind him, the water began to take on a vibrant crimson hue as the wound Hex had inflicted upon his were pummeled again and again.
Isabeu and Nezumi found find that the power of the rushing water too strong for only two champions to hold back. Once the three waterfall-bound fighter threw themselves over the staff, they would find the ground beneath their feet slowly give way, dragging them further and further along the river bank. The tighter they held the vine, the more their fingers seemed to burn. It was almost as if there was more to the vine than met the eye.
Despite her speed and strength, the sudden change in water-speed was enough to catch Kara off guard, causing her first fly-by to miss Xianyu. Instead, her first dip into the stream had left her with nothing more than a handful of water reeds and sea weeds, which seemed to rapidly wrap themselves around her wrists. By the seconds, the grip of the reeds grew strong and stronger, constricting her movements more and more. Before she knew it, her arm had been pulled beneath the waves by some seemingly un-tearable plant matter. With each passing moment, Kara found herself sinking deeper and deeper, until her passanger, Hyakkimaru, could feel the waves licking his own skin. Kara and Hyakkimaru were in a bind in every sense of the word.
@Yun Lee @Minerva @York @Crow @Atomic Knight @Gummi Bunnies @Jeremi @Lake Team
"Not gonna lie, big guy, this would be a pretty great chance to get ahead in the game... " The Kryptonian-Clone groaned, clutching his side and slowly straightening out his back. Leaning on a tree, he caught his breath and cracked his neck. "My powers are slowly coming back to me now. Slowly. We've got an advantage though, so we should be fine, right? Besides. You both T.K.O'd me, so Kara should be easy pickin's. Plus she's literally fighting with one arm tied behind her back!" He broke into a half laugh half cough. "But it's up to you what we do now. It would be super easy to cut that vine with some heat-vision or a laser and send those Ninjas own flying down the river. Or we could give Kara a quick dunk. Whatever Arcade's put into the water, I doubt a Kryptony-Argony-whatever-she-is could handle a couple of lungs worth of it. Oh, and hey! One of them is just unconscious by a tree! We could throw her into the river without being seen if we play our cards right, powers or no powers. Or we could all play happy families and help them pull that rope in. But like I said. It's up to you."
@Crow @York
"You're right," Scott nodded, gingerly placing his toes onto the ice-road. "I don't plan on finding out what Arcade has got waiting for us at the edge of that Horizon. Lead the way, Loa."
----
After cautiously making their way across the ice road for an hour or two, Scott came to a complete stop. Throwing his fist in the air to signal to the rest of his party to slow down, he squinted his eyes from beneath his visor. There was movement. Something glistened on a nearby cliffside.
"Ladies and gentlemen, looks like we've got some company--DAMN!! EVERYONE! GET DOW---"
@Sark @Atomic Knight @Crow @Jeremi @Extended Red Team
Despite Shazam's best efforts the Megidola's blast radius was too great to be disrupted by the Captain's tackle. The column of light that sprang forth tumbled forth towards the ice-path and unleashed a mighty explosion, shattering the ground around the Red Team and engulfing the region in smoke and icy, rushing waves. In an instant, the team was scattered, throw into the freezing waves of the icy tundra. With mere moments for foresight at his disposal, Cyclops fired a mighty beam of his own towards his distant attackers-- a Mega-Optic Blast. Tearing his visor from his face and unleashing the full power of his mutation, the concussive wave soared across the waves and into the heart of the White Team's territory. A mighty explosion brought Billy, Goro and their allies tumbling down towards the ice bridge. Despite Shazam's great speed, he too would be caught in the blast and sent tumbling down to what remained of the path.
The recoil of the blast was barely enough to push Scott from the blast zone and back onto a sturdy piece of ice. Acting on instinct, he grabbed Eli's staff and frantically fished the boy from the waters. Eagerly, he stretched the spear out even deeper into the crater, gesturing for Alice to take hold of the other end.
"Are we alright, Team! Someone talk to me damnit!" He pounded the ice, desperately waiting for more heads to surface. "Someone talk to me!"
"They're trying to fucking kill us!!" Eli screamed through his chattering teeth, the shock of the waves forcing him into a fury. He had been one of the lucky ones. He had managed to throw himself over a nearby ice chunk before the chill got to him. Kate hadn't been so lucky. Stunned by the blast, she had been pulled into the blue and beneath the ice, out of the reach of all who didn't want to risk being frozen alongside her. Perhaps one among them who could breath beneath the waves could aid her, had the blast not stunned Loa as well. "They're gonna kill us!!" Throwing himself back up onto the bridge, Eli scrambled to his feet, the droplets of water against his skin already freezing under the cold air. He wrapped his furs tightly around his person. Despite his best efforts, it wouldn't be long before the symptoms of pneumonia would begin to set in. He'd have to get his revenge, and fast.
Staying slow and striking fast, Eli sprinted across what remained of the bridge, the point of a stolen arrow stretched out before him. With a warriors scream, he lunged forward towards the disoriented Goro, seeking to strike him in the throat with a piece of sharpened metal, a murderous glare in his eyes.
"I'm gonna kill you, you masked freak! I'm gonna skin you like this bloody bear!!"
@Alex Azure @dark @Lucky @Sark @Atomic Knight @Crow @Jeremi
@Extended Red Team @White Team
"You'll get no arguments from me, Amigo--" Amadeus saluted, skipping from stalactite to stalactite with flawless leaps until he sat firmly in the center of the sand river. "Well, that's not entirely true. But, hate to say, but this bif-ol' brain of my is suggesting a different strategy, my guy--" He said with a smirk. Flicking his with a theatrical air, Amadeus rolled up his sleeve, revealing a large metalic band attached to his wrist. "You know, part of me really wanted to show this thing off at just the right time, but I missed out on some much needed brain-food this morning..." A green light began to leak from his armband, pulsing with each passing moment. Within seconds it had consumed his body, with emerald blood coursing through his veins. His jaw tightened. His muscles popped. Cho transformed. He growled, now more beast than man.
View attachment 3884
"And you wont like me when I haven't had my brain-food!!"
Pounding the stalactite at his feast with one mighty fist and catching a large javelin of sandstone shrapnel with the other, Cho-Hulk slowly leaned back, tightening his focus. The trajectory calculation would be child's play."
"Sorry, bro. But you caught me on a real bad day. But hey, I've been itching to play giant-monster-darts all week!!" With a mighty trust of his arm, the stone spear soared forth, striking on of the Unversed right between the eyes. "Boo-yah, baby! That what you get for messing with this mean green, smashing machine!"
View attachment 3885
"Sweet work dudes, keep up that cardio" Cho teased, throwing a thumbs up towards his brothers on the Purple Team. "Status Report on this one's ass: Kicked"
@Lucky @Alex Azure @dark
"Aw Crap-- this was not supposed to happen-- got new factors to consider-- got new things to smash!"
With a swing of his mighty fist, Hulk beheaded to Unversed, turning its severed head to dust with a single strike. With a wave of his hand, the Unversed recovered, striking Cho again. Cho barely dodged the second attack.
"A jeez okay..."
Grabbing the creature's arm in a swift counter, Hulk threw the creature back across the sand river and directly into one of its brothers, before retreating further across the river.
"Gotta get some time to think-- gotta think-think-think-gotta-get-some-brain-food-and-think--"
Turning back to Vanitas' black pool, Mantis nodded again, as if seeking approval. Hidden to all but the Masked-Boy, Tretij waved another invisible hand, raising the regenerative powers of the creatures further.
@Lucky @Alex Azure @dark
The rest of the team appeared to be having better luck. Jianyu's vine held true, and her swift reflexes allowed her to reach both Terry and Xianyu before they careened over the edge of the cliff. But Fate is rarely kind to noble souls. Just as the three fighters flung themselves over the staff, the speed and ferocity of the raging water seemed to increase rapidly, its cold tongue cutting deep into the skin of everyone in the water.
"Can't---hold---on!"
Terry cried, he body pulled horizontal by the rapid flow. Even his environment suit couldn't save him from the cold sting. He doubted the Dolls were faring much better. Redoubling he efforts, he threw his elbows over the bar, gritted his teeth and shut high eyes tightly. Through chattering teeth, he began to groan, the strain of his injuries gradually growing too much for him to bear. Behind him, the water began to take on a vibrant crimson hue as the wound Hex had inflicted upon his were pummeled again and again.
Isabeu and Nezumi found find that the power of the rushing water too strong for only two champions to hold back. Once the three waterfall-bound fighter threw themselves over the staff, they would find the ground beneath their feet slowly give way, dragging them further and further along the river bank. The tighter they held the vine, the more their fingers seemed to burn. It was almost as if there was more to the vine than met the eye.
Despite her speed and strength, the sudden change in water-speed was enough to catch Kara off guard, causing her first fly-by to miss Xianyu. Instead, her first dip into the stream had left her with nothing more than a handful of water reeds and sea weeds, which seemed to rapidly wrap themselves around her wrists. By the seconds, the grip of the reeds grew strong and stronger, constricting her movements more and more. Before she knew it, her arm had been pulled beneath the waves by some seemingly un-tearable plant matter. With each passing moment, Kara found herself sinking deeper and deeper, until her passanger, Hyakkimaru, could feel the waves licking his own skin. Kara and Hyakkimaru were in a bind in every sense of the word.
@Yun Lee @Minerva @York @Crow @Atomic Knight @Gummi Bunnies @Jeremi @Lake Team
@Jaime, Conner, MaxMax in the meantime smirked a little as he observed what was happening in front of him; competitors, weak and strong alike were trying to save each other, risking their own lives and well being in the process.
Even that blonde girl, who had powers that resembled Superboy's was pitching in, while still trying to save a literally disarmed man. It almost made him jealous, as this whole scene reminded him of the very values the Guardian Council had sought to rid their members of. They were supposed to make hard decisions no matter what the cost, no matter how much blood had to be spilled.
And while he had never officially graduated before he had been imprisoned for his actions, some of these teachings never did leave him. No, instead they paved the way for his ruthless actions as the new "Elf Prince".
Revenge...
All he wanted now, was revenge for those that took Layra from him. Those that ruthlessly persecuted her and her family despite what they had done for Cielis.
But right now, his only goal was to survive. And the way he saw it, it wouldn't matter if he helped those at the river or not, but hey... This could very well be an opportunity to do away with some of the competition, right?
![]()
"So many targets... All in one place. I could finish this so easily..." He said, leering towards the display at the river.
His stone shone with blue light as he contemplated it, but then shrugged, turning towards Beetle, then Superboy (although the latter was probably still reeling from their encounter).
"So. What do you think? Should we save them? Or dispose of them?" He asked.
It didn't seem like Max felt strongly for either option, but it was a little strange that someone as cold and calculating as he was would even offer a choice to his companions.
"Not gonna lie, big guy, this would be a pretty great chance to get ahead in the game... " The Kryptonian-Clone groaned, clutching his side and slowly straightening out his back. Leaning on a tree, he caught his breath and cracked his neck. "My powers are slowly coming back to me now. Slowly. We've got an advantage though, so we should be fine, right? Besides. You both T.K.O'd me, so Kara should be easy pickin's. Plus she's literally fighting with one arm tied behind her back!" He broke into a half laugh half cough. "But it's up to you what we do now. It would be super easy to cut that vine with some heat-vision or a laser and send those Ninjas own flying down the river. Or we could give Kara a quick dunk. Whatever Arcade's put into the water, I doubt a Kryptony-Argony-whatever-she-is could handle a couple of lungs worth of it. Oh, and hey! One of them is just unconscious by a tree! We could throw her into the river without being seen if we play our cards right, powers or no powers. Or we could all play happy families and help them pull that rope in. But like I said. It's up to you."
@Crow @York
@Extended Red Team![]()
"There's a shit ton of ocean, so what are the chances our raft would go off course or something?" Alice asked curiously. She was fine with whatever as long as the group was safe in the end after all. She did look down at the ice road for a moment and...and...it seemed pretty convenient that there even was something like this-despite the dangers of course.
@Sark @Atomic Knight @Crow @Jeremi @Extended Red Team
"You're right," Scott nodded, gingerly placing his toes onto the ice-road. "I don't plan on finding out what Arcade has got waiting for us at the edge of that Horizon. Lead the way, Loa."
----
After cautiously making their way across the ice road for an hour or two, Scott came to a complete stop. Throwing his fist in the air to signal to the rest of his party to slow down, he squinted his eyes from beneath his visor. There was movement. Something glistened on a nearby cliffside.
"Ladies and gentlemen, looks like we've got some company--DAMN!! EVERYONE! GET DOW---"
@Sark @Atomic Knight @Crow @Jeremi @Extended Red Team
"People are coming. We need to act fast. We are more than outnumbered. Perhaps now would be a good time to call upon Shazam. Or, barring that, a surprise attack to rout the enemy before they can harm us." Goro summoned his Persona, Robin Hood, who took aim at the group in the distance. "I'll take care not to kill them, but you are a target. I won't let them make the first strike against you. Now, Robin Hood!" Robin Hood fired, using Megidola on the distant group, sending rays of almighty light crashing down towards them.
@Extended Red Team Vs. White TeamBilly looked over at Goro. " We don't know who that is coming towards us. It could be a dangerous party, but it might be the ones from the clearing. We are not planning a surprise attack. That's not what we are going to do and to hurt the others in any way. I know I'm not a target, but you are not about to- fuck this. Shazam-" Billy would turn into his alter ego and tackle the persona Robin Hood to the ground so that the aim of the persona would be impaired and the group was not attacked. " WE'RE NOT ATTACKING PEOPLE- WE'RE NOT PLAYING ARCADE'S FUCKING STUPID GAME." He raised his voice, sending a glare to show that he was dead serious about this.
@Sark @Alex Azure @dark @Purple and White Team
Despite Shazam's best efforts the Megidola's blast radius was too great to be disrupted by the Captain's tackle. The column of light that sprang forth tumbled forth towards the ice-path and unleashed a mighty explosion, shattering the ground around the Red Team and engulfing the region in smoke and icy, rushing waves. In an instant, the team was scattered, throw into the freezing waves of the icy tundra. With mere moments for foresight at his disposal, Cyclops fired a mighty beam of his own towards his distant attackers-- a Mega-Optic Blast. Tearing his visor from his face and unleashing the full power of his mutation, the concussive wave soared across the waves and into the heart of the White Team's territory. A mighty explosion brought Billy, Goro and their allies tumbling down towards the ice bridge. Despite Shazam's great speed, he too would be caught in the blast and sent tumbling down to what remained of the path.
The recoil of the blast was barely enough to push Scott from the blast zone and back onto a sturdy piece of ice. Acting on instinct, he grabbed Eli's staff and frantically fished the boy from the waters. Eagerly, he stretched the spear out even deeper into the crater, gesturing for Alice to take hold of the other end.
"Are we alright, Team! Someone talk to me damnit!" He pounded the ice, desperately waiting for more heads to surface. "Someone talk to me!"
"They're trying to fucking kill us!!" Eli screamed through his chattering teeth, the shock of the waves forcing him into a fury. He had been one of the lucky ones. He had managed to throw himself over a nearby ice chunk before the chill got to him. Kate hadn't been so lucky. Stunned by the blast, she had been pulled into the blue and beneath the ice, out of the reach of all who didn't want to risk being frozen alongside her. Perhaps one among them who could breath beneath the waves could aid her, had the blast not stunned Loa as well. "They're gonna kill us!!" Throwing himself back up onto the bridge, Eli scrambled to his feet, the droplets of water against his skin already freezing under the cold air. He wrapped his furs tightly around his person. Despite his best efforts, it wouldn't be long before the symptoms of pneumonia would begin to set in. He'd have to get his revenge, and fast.
Staying slow and striking fast, Eli sprinted across what remained of the bridge, the point of a stolen arrow stretched out before him. With a warriors scream, he lunged forward towards the disoriented Goro, seeking to strike him in the throat with a piece of sharpened metal, a murderous glare in his eyes.
"I'm gonna kill you, you masked freak! I'm gonna skin you like this bloody bear!!"
@Alex Azure @dark @Lucky @Sark @Atomic Knight @Crow @Jeremi
@Extended Red Team @White Team
@Purple Team @Cave TeamHenry Hart/Kid Danger
"I don't think they are ever going to leave us alone anytime soon."
Henry took a deep breath and looked at the area and saw his team fighting. That being said, if this shadows were coming from above, they needed to fall back. It was the only choice of action, especially if this was an ambush like he suspected. " Haru, Cho and Ratchet, we need to fall back. I don't know how long these things will stay up, but between the stalactites and the shadows, we don't have much of a choice in the matter," he said, making a retreat to away from the damage area and even further back, making sure to shoot at the unversed and what was going to make sure that they all survived with little damage.
"You'll get no arguments from me, Amigo--" Amadeus saluted, skipping from stalactite to stalactite with flawless leaps until he sat firmly in the center of the sand river. "Well, that's not entirely true. But, hate to say, but this bif-ol' brain of my is suggesting a different strategy, my guy--" He said with a smirk. Flicking his with a theatrical air, Amadeus rolled up his sleeve, revealing a large metalic band attached to his wrist. "You know, part of me really wanted to show this thing off at just the right time, but I missed out on some much needed brain-food this morning..." A green light began to leak from his armband, pulsing with each passing moment. Within seconds it had consumed his body, with emerald blood coursing through his veins. His jaw tightened. His muscles popped. Cho transformed. He growled, now more beast than man.
View attachment 3884
"And you wont like me when I haven't had my brain-food!!"
Pounding the stalactite at his feast with one mighty fist and catching a large javelin of sandstone shrapnel with the other, Cho-Hulk slowly leaned back, tightening his focus. The trajectory calculation would be child's play."
"Sorry, bro. But you caught me on a real bad day. But hey, I've been itching to play giant-monster-darts all week!!" With a mighty trust of his arm, the stone spear soared forth, striking on of the Unversed right between the eyes. "Boo-yah, baby! That what you get for messing with this mean green, smashing machine!"
View attachment 3885
"Sweet work dudes, keep up that cardio" Cho teased, throwing a thumbs up towards his brothers on the Purple Team. "Status Report on this one's ass: Kicked"
@Lucky @Alex Azure @dark
Without speaking, Mantis seemed to understand Vanitas' suggestion. It would be a fun little game. And oh boy, did Mantis love games. With a wave of his hand, the darkness within the Unversed grew and grew. Once pinned to the cave wall by Hulk's spear, the first Unversed found the strength to pull itself free and recover from its injuries, black smoke replacing any damaged tissue. The creature lunged forth and struck back at Cho- just as it had done before- its claws cutting deep into Cho's larger, greener arms.Perfect. Ignoring the fact that he was thrown into this death game without his say, Vanitas sure liked the idea of having the first move when ambushing this other group. There were so many ways he could start this off, and he so wanted to see these guys struggle. As if to paint the signs of uncertainty into their minds, the masked boy let the powered up Unversed take the spotlight first.
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While the smaller Unversed, which he called Floods, were meant for scouting purposes, Vanitas saw it fitting to let these Unversed, the Scrappers, loose to ambush the Purple Team. Without giving away their vantage point, the masked boy easily brought these manic Unversed to life, spawning them near the Purple Team. Without a doubt, these Scrapper Unversed scrambled towards them, wanting to claw at their prey. For now, Vanitas only spawned three of these, since he wanted to convserve energy for his contribution on the fight.
With the possible chaos to sprout from the sudden intrusion of the Unversed, Vanitas cloaked himself in darkness, and looking over at Mantis as if to signify that they might as well get the drop of them and bank in on this small window of opportunity. Similar to the Flood Unversed, he sunk into the ground with a pool of shadow to mark where he was. That lone pool of shadowy darkness crept closer to where the Unversed were ambushing the Purple Team.
@Sark @Lucky @Alex Azure @dark
"Aw Crap-- this was not supposed to happen-- got new factors to consider-- got new things to smash!"
With a swing of his mighty fist, Hulk beheaded to Unversed, turning its severed head to dust with a single strike. With a wave of his hand, the Unversed recovered, striking Cho again. Cho barely dodged the second attack.
"A jeez okay..."
Grabbing the creature's arm in a swift counter, Hulk threw the creature back across the sand river and directly into one of its brothers, before retreating further across the river.
"Gotta get some time to think-- gotta think-think-think-gotta-get-some-brain-food-and-think--"
Turning back to Vanitas' black pool, Mantis nodded again, as if seeking approval. Hidden to all but the Masked-Boy, Tretij waved another invisible hand, raising the regenerative powers of the creatures further.
@Lucky @Alex Azure @dark
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