Raging Storm 1.3
"I'll cover you," you bark, fending off another furious assault. "This bitch… Xiao. Needs to be put down for a nap."
The Fixer's expression, out of the corner of your eye, is torn between instant agreement and defending his Director's honor. But you don't have time for that. Mimicry's incessant babbling, previously just so much background noise, comes to the fore. Your spirit focuses and your mind clears of all distraction.
"Give me the strength I need. To tear my foes apart," you whisper.
You remember that distant, half-imagined line.
Don't you desire a human shell as well?
Who are you fighting for?
Those honest, virtuous eyes…
Why?
As long as I can protect that one person.
…
But…
Stray thoughts are the most dangerous thing when trying to manifest your E.G.O..
It wasn't enough. You died. How can you protect anyone if you're dead?
The indecision only lasts a moment. But it's enough.
Xiao's dragon swoops down, joining with her wild charge and trailing behind her like…like your own E.G.O., following her movement perfectly, launching her forward with some ridiculous updraft.
This time, your guard doesn't hold. There is extra power behind her blow, this time, an accompanying burst of flame. And you can't seem to muster up any of your own. You're sent sprawling, flying backwards from the miniature explosion. You half-shove Mimicry downward, stalling through the dirt to lower your momentum, regain your footing. Eventually, it catches a tree stump, mostly ashes but just solid enough for your sword to bite into, and you finally can catch your breath.
The Liu Fixer runs into combat once more, his hand contracted into a single point and aiming for Xiao's face, the only part of her body uncovered by her E.G.O., a weapon as deadly as any sword. A wide swing pushes him away, but he ducks under her guard immediately afterward, slashing at her legs and following with an impressive uppercut. She reels.
You've gotten distracted.
Even if I can't protect Carmen. I need to protect this Fixer. He'll die.
You are, if nothing else, obsessed with the act of protection.
And then all you see is red. Your vision narrows down to a single point. Pure power courses through your veins, and Mimicry comes alive in a way you can't really describe. You feel strong enough to take on the world. And for all intents and purposes, you are.
It's almost enough to overcome this dead-awful draining heat.
But not quite.
Everything you do still feels stifled, somehow. Red Mist bottles up in your body, expelled out your E.G.O., and yet it doesn't seem to be helping you like it usually does. The heat is slowly fading, dispersing into the wildfire around you, but in the meantime…
You've got no choice.
Director Xiao whirls her blade around in a grand spinning maneuver, driving away the other close-ranged Fixer. You rush in to take his place, clashing your blade against the haft of her spear, locking her down.
Most weapons can only be in one place at once. Xiao's is no different. The Liu Fixer takes the opportunity to strike at Xiao's back. He strikes at her pressure points with precise, pointed fingers, damaging her even through her armor. The Director is almost unable to defend herself, screaming in fury.
Xiao twists her guandao, breaking the deadlock and slamming its butt against the ground. You score a devastatingly solid blow on her shoulder, wrenching it from its socket with an audible crack, but it almost doesn't matter: the earth shakes, the air exploding all around you. A spontaneous combustion. An attack seemingly unaffected, and, if anything, boosted by her fiery aura.
You blunt the impact of the first explosion, drawing your E.G.O. tight around you. But the second explosive smash of her spear catches you off guard—didn't expect her to still be able to attack after dislocating her shoulder.
Your temporary comrade in arms weathers the sudden area attack with less grace, which sets his coat on fire. He hurriedly puts it out as Xiao comes at you for another round.
You agree with the other Fixer, now. She's on her last legs. Her hand moves up the shaft of her weapon, wielding it as an awkward sword singlehandedly. And while it's clear she has skill with a longsword, and the blade is as dangerous and sharp and blazing as ever, she's better with a polearm.
The draining heat aura is finally dying down, which means you're getting stronger with every passing second. Xiao, meanwhile, has lost the use of an arm. When you clash, you easily overpower her, driving her blade aside as if it's not even there, the thrums of power in your body finally finding an outlet. And now that she has slightly more control, even in this raging state, she cannot exert much force against her own subordinate. Her loss of range is also to her detriment, allowing him to get in closer more easily.
Victory is nearly guaranteed. There's not much more she can do to you.
She seems to realize this, but she doesn't give up. If anything, she fights with even greater ferocity, fires roaring ever-brighter. Despite the fact that she's up against the strongest Fixer in the City and a subordinate she cannot bear to harm, she slashes and stabs unrelentingly.
Admirable. But ultimately, in this circumstance, highly destructive.
Xiao's attempts another stab. You sidestep. Mimicry lashes out in response, flesh pulling back and the blade curving to the side, briefly becoming a scythe. It latches around your opponent's weapon, locking it in place yet again.
You pull.
The Liu Fixer catches the blade as it flies across the newly-made clearing. Then he immediately drops it with a shout, nursing his burned hands. Xiao stands there in shock, disarmed.
You hear a roaring flame. You look up.
Xiao's dragon is descending for another pass, barreling straight towards the ground.. And the woman herself is not quite beaten. But you will not make the same mistake as last time. And a single good hit will deplete the last of her resolve.
The final Scene, before curtain call.
You ready your blade and, with all of your might, split the world in half…
- [ ] Horizontally.
- [ ] Vertically.
HP: 593
A/N: Pick a finisher.
Unrelated side note, since the fight is all but over: In terms of mechanics, Xiao gets -3 Power to all dice targeting Miris, as well as dealing half as much Burn. This is the only reason why he is still alive. And naturally, it wouldn't apply during Pu Lao Scenes, which are the ones he got his ass beat on.
I was also going to punish you for activating E.G.O. during power null, but figured, lorewise, it wouldn't make that much sense.
(RWBY idea sounds fun)
