View source for 3095/Storm Warning

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2015/09/25
|Location=Brockton Bay
|Synopsis=Jack brings a large number of Slaughterhouse members to a mall, and they need to be dealt with.
|Thanks=
|Cast of Characters=19, 20, 42, 73, 165, 481, 554, 707, 714, 768, 774
|Tinyplot=
|Tinyplot2=
|pretty=yes
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{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:554|Defiant (554)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; One of the largest malls in Brockton Bay has been gripped by a crisis. Or, to be more accurate, one hundred and seventy-four crises. Somehow, probably thanks to Bonesaw and her mad scientist biological tinkering, Jack stands at the head of many, many individuals. Jack Slash, with his dark goatee and loose shirt, looks like he hasn't aged a day since some might have seen him last. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Behind him, across the plaza, stands nine members of each member of the Slaughterhouse Nine. Jack stands at the fore, flanked by Bonesaw - a little girl with golden ringlets - and another young man, entirely monochrome. /A/ Siberian - because eight more are scattered around the place - stands at his side, one hand on his shoulder. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Nine Shatterbirds, women clad in a rainbow outfit of glass shards. Nine Mannequins, all white and silver and featureless. Nine Hookwolves, all as unkepmpt and brutal as the original. Nine Chuckles, who look like obese, homicidal clowns. Nine Crawlers, who have no mutations - yet. Nine Cherishes, nine Screamers, nine Winters, nine Crimsons, nine Burnscars, nine Nyxes, nine Nice Guys, nine Skinslips, nine Miasmas and nine Psychosomas... None of them are moving, but a whole heap of people have been stacked up like cordwood in the middle of the plaza. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Jack Slash is still speaking, "Tomoyo, are you here? Tomoyo, I gave you ample time to be ready to fight me should I reveal myself. You remember the deal, right?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:165|Ren Tanaka (165)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>It's been a bad week for the traveller in brown and green. And, although nobody knows it, when people like him have bad weeks, bad things happen.<br /><br />He's had Nemesis to deal with. He's had news of Teacher being a colossal tool. He's had a little time to think, to... reflect on certain things. He has...<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He has decided to coe out to Brockton.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;As he does so, he has been thinking.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;This is what he has been thinking. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;'I've been doing nothing but making things go wrong; furthermore nobody wants to do the right thing, nobody is stepping up to do the right thing, someone else should be doing it, handling all of these so-many-problems, handle the monster, expose the secret organization, deal with Teacher, deal with Cauldron, deal with Jack, give Tomoyo and Sakura the life the normal life they should have, fight Jack, eliminate Jack, kill Jack- /yes/, ah, <span class=" bold_fg_w bg_n ++ hw">/kill Jack/</span>, that's the ticket, that is the golden ticket to the chocolate factory, and of course there are problems with that but I've got the solutions, the solutions I've been thinking about quietly when I didn't really want to, but that's ok because nobody can get it right but /me/, /I/ need to resolve this, I need to make up for the things I've done wrong, I need to cut right to the source of all the problems, which is an ironic way of thinking about it when you consider 'cutting', to... the biggest problem, but really shouldn't it be simple? Shouldn't it be easy for me? Have I been slacking, really? Rather than not really wanting to? Yes, <span class=" bold_fg_w bg_n ++ hw">clearly</span> I've been slacking, because the answer is so simple and I've just not been bothering to follow it up, it's simple enough, I know /exactly/ how to kill Jack, I know what I should be doing, ok I know what to do, /I/ kill /Jack/ because nobody else is going t- nobody else /should/, except me, to make up for the slacking and the mistakes and it's all relatively simple, I can do it very simply, it's so simple I'm an idiot for not thinking about it sooner and I'll just /kill him/ and /eliminate the problem/. And then of course it'll all be over and done and I can leave and go on my way again...'<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;People are -- saying things on the radio, but he's not really listening, because really- <span class=" bold_fg_w bg_n ++ hw">really</span>, why should he start? Really, when he's been the only one who's been putting in the effort and making the plans and coming up with the ideas and the solutions, why should he listen to anyone else? Why, when he knows exactly the right thing to do?<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The answer is: there is absolutely no reason to listen to anyone but himself. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And that is why the short travelling man is suddenly, perhaps more specifically never, there- he is most certainly not walking in the shadows, behind the corners, under and over and Do you know, this is actually the first time he's seen Jack Slash with his own two eyes, he's right over there in fact, good lord he looks like an eminently hateable sort of person, and far too tall for Tomoyo to fight.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;It's all up to you, Ren, really.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;It's all up to me, he thinks.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;It's all up to me.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;It's all up to me.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;It's all up to me.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;It's all up to me.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(And he continues on like this...)<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:714|Sanary Rondel (714)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; That's a rather massive number of... Sanary's not quite sure what she's looking at, honestly. Literally over a hundred crazy-looking people all gathered up in the mall, with not a single safe way to exit in sight... <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Just her luck that she had to pick /today/ to go out looking for a new outfit and food in an unfamiliar area. It's not like the ones in Techno Urbania are bad, but... Dammit. This isn't going to work out well at all. Then again, if she's lucky, maybe she could blend in with the crowd with that big coat of hers and... <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; ... Wait. Was that guy calling out Tomoyo? Was she even a fighter? The healer curses inwardly as her nosiness gets the better of her, creeping out of a discount clothing store to try and stay hidden under a bench while keeping an eye on those gathered in the plaza. Hopefully, nobody will notice the eyepatch-wearing girl in the white coat huddled under a freaking bench. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; At least she's not wearing that shield today. That'd just make her stick out too much, wouldn't it?<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:707|Xiaomu (707)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"HIGH SPEED XIAOMU!!!"<br /><br />Cue a lightcycle tearing into the mall, fishtailing wildly across the plaza - and leaving a trailing light-wall in its wake. It's not a huge barrier, and the sage fox who's riding the light cycle isn't even sure if the wall will *last* after she dismounts and deactivates her ride, but anything that slows the enemy down has to be a useful thing, right?<br /><br />Just assuming, y'know, that it won't hinder her *allies* as much or more than the bad guys. She didn't think to ask that BEFORE she embarked on this little venture. Either way, the rear end of Xiaomu's lightcycle is leaving a transparent glowing wall behind it as she 'draws' the barrier across ...<br /><br />Then dismounts almost against a wall, the lightcycle 'dismantling' itself and compressing back into baton form. Xiaomu lingers at that end of the wall for just a moment, left hand gripping her regular monk staff, right palm pressed against the ground, trying to leave enough chi to keep the barrier intact for a while. Once THAT's done, she takes a few steps back, re-evaluating the wall's height ...<br /><br />"HWA-CHAAAAA!!!"<br /><br />And she takes a running leap *over* the wall, using her staff for an added pole-vaulting boost - and drawing Suiren to begin slashing at the enemies as soon as she gets into melee range. She's not just cutting them, either; every time Suiren's blade passes through the air, it leaves a trail of wintry mist behind - and when she actually *cuts* an enemy, outright ice forms where her blade passes.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:20|Toph Beifong (20)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Slaughterhouse 174? This is going to be interesting or fucked up, all depending on how they are able to deal with this. But this is a serious issue when this world is in danger. And if Jack is calling out Tomoyo, then the Union really has no choice but to stand up for their ally.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And if there are more Hookwolves, then they will need a metalbender to deal with them.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;One of the doors leading into the mall opens, and Toph Beifong heads inside while also listening intently on her radio. It's probably best to get filled in on the abilities on the other people that will be here since there are a lot of them. Though hopefully there are enough people here to deal with all of them.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;There does seem to be somebody else there, and Toph blinks when she recognizes a shape hiding under a bench... It's pretty tough to hide on the ground from a girl who uses it to see.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"What are you doing here?" Toph asks as she crouches down behind the bench. "If you're trying to hide there are better places to do that, because this place is going to be a war zone pretty soon!" As least she's keeping her voice down to not draw Sanary into it.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Though she does sigh when she feels Xiaomu leaping straight into battle. "You're a healer, right? We might need you later!" With that Toph heads closer to where the small army is located.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:768|Cory (768)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Cory is here alright! And in a rush, at that. The youthful Saiyan hasn't been seen in a month or two. Who knows why, but it probably has to do with Time Patrol stuff!<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She arrives in her typical fashion, swooping in from the skies. Because REAL MARTIAL ARTISTS can FLY, of course. She blasts through some revolving doors fast enough to send them nearly spinning off their hinges, wreathed in white Ki!<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She goes whoosing past Toph and lands next to the other warrior, but...<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Cory's eyes are nearly popping OUT of their sockets. "What... is this... "<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Yup, her jaw's DROPPING<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:774|Dorian Pavus (774)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;So Jack Slash has showed up, and he has all his friends with him...<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;...Multiples of all his friends, in fact.  Nine, to be more precise.  Nine very dangerous copies of nine very dangerous people.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Dorian's there, in all his leather armor and white cloak-wearing mustachioed glory.  Though he almost wishes he wasn't.  This is going to suck mightily, and he knows it.  But hey, maybe he can do some good.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Jack's calling out to Tomoyo, who Dorian doesn't see at the moment, gets a smirk.  "I'm sorry, you'll have to wait on your date," Dorian quips.  "Besides, if ''three'' is a crowd, it's definitely a faux pas to bring ''this'' many friends to a date."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And then all hell starts breaking loose.  "Well, that didn't take long," he mutters under his breath.  But since things are already going to hell -- not that he foresaw any OTHER way for them to go, with 'The Slaughterhouse 9x9' here -- he might as well contribute to it.  Fortunately he can aim his spells pretty precisely.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He aims past the pile of people.  The first sign he's done anything will be a glyph appearing on the ground underneath several of the Slaughterhouse people.  Notably, not any of them that Defiant has specifically asked for them not to target.  But that glyph will literally explode underneath the feet of the villains it's been aimed under if they don't move first.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:19|Maya (19)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>There are some types of scum tht get Maya to be a major hardass. These are the sort that get her very angry. This is why she's here to stop them and o what she can, she hears the wrning to not enagge for the moment so Maya's going to take a more stealthy approach to situation here. She too uis a healer and gies Toph a nod. She understand's what likely going to be needed here. She knows Defiant has a plan so she's going to run with whatever he's got in mind, this was going to be a hell of a mess one way or another.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:481|Kirika (481)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;As if the Slaughterhouse 9 were bad enough, but the fact there are DUPLICATES now? Kirika already doesn't like the look of this, but she doesn't seem to hesitate in joining the fray regardless. She IS intended to handle situations like this, regardless of how bad it may get in the thick of combat.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She arrives by motorcycle, launching onto the scene up some stairs along the way before she skids to a stop.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Her jaw almost drops seeing this many of the Slaughterhouse's clones in one place, before she draws Kinugiri, her katana practically singing through the air as it's drawn.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Her bike revs again, and Kirika sends herself into the fray, confident in her armor to keep her alive as she charges towards the horde of supervillain copies. "FOR THE UNION, AND FOR TOMOYO!!!!"<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Yeah, it's one of those days.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:73|Frederica (73)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Frederica arrives on-scene in a Union hoverbike from the motor pool, not even bothering to don her FireFox costume. She hasn't really had time to change, not with so many murderous supervillains coming to town.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She sets the bike down and advances, trying to stay behind others as she comes on the scene. This ought to be... well, it ought to be unpleasant. Fortunately there's one small mercy here... Frederica's terrified.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Yes, this is actually an advantage. She's furious at all the Slaughterhouse clones, and more than a little terrified. And her power gets stronger with emotions. She's long since mastered using fear and anger to fuel her powers. It might cost her some control, but control's the last thing on her mind when faced with so many deadly enemies.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She sighs, making a show of pretending not to be terrified out of her mind. This also is something she's fairly practiced at. "Looks like we have our work cut out for us. I wonder how many of these Slaughterhouse clones will burn?" she asks, then calls white-hot balls of flame to her hands. Within moments, she begins lofting fireballs to rain down more or less indescriminately on the Slaughterhouse 174. More or less, because she's still careful not to launch attacks where the melee fighters of the Union have fallen upon the foe.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Staren hears some disturbing things on the radio. The Slaughterhouse Nine... Multiplied. Isn't that almost an Endbringer-level threat? Staren's not that familiar with the Slaughterhouse Nine, but a quick search of this world's net about how they've earned their nickname... convinces Staren he doesn't want to get caught by them. And that they may be a threat worth taking certain... special precautions against.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;This time, the transfer goes out without a hitch.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;To all outside appearances, Staren seems to be wearing armor. More advanced senses would determine that he's entirely robotic, though. Staren hopes that this will provide some level of protection against mind-affecting powers. Can they still mess with him the same way without a brain? With no biology for Bonesaw's bioweapons to interact with? Staren hopes not. Of course, there's the danger of Shatterbird, but... if that affects /all/ circuitry, he's hosed, whatever he brings. Hopefully, his armor will protect him, and the transparent, supertough metals used in his optics will prove more resistant than glass. Otherwise... well, this is going to be a very short fight, and he'll forget all of this and wake up to an after-action report.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Staren doesn't approach the mall just yet. He hides some distance away, while tiny, insect-size drones approach to watch the scene. Staren's curious what Jack's going to do, and doesn't want to be standing at ground zero when a trap is sprung.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:554|Defiant (554)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "One thousand people die if you couldn't find me and stop me, Tomoyo," Jack is still saying, like he's discussing the weather. "And given that I don't see you here, I think I'm going to be forced to assume that you've decided not to come. That pain you feel, that self-loathing. Capture that feeling, and hold onto it - because I'm... pulling your leg." <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Jack pauses for effect, and smiles. "You see, certain circumstances delayed me. Beyond my control, I'm afraid. I'll extend the deadline and you'll forgive my lateness. Agreed? Agreed." <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "But see," Jack continues, happy to be monologuing to the open air, "All of these guys just woke up, and they needed a chance to stretch and to flex their abilities, make sure everything works right before our reckoning in, say, one week. So, now that your allies have seen all of them, I'll be letting them go to get a week's practice in." <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Much of the Slaughterhouse horde begins to disperse then, although Jack remains attended by the Siberian and Gray Boy - but pays no mind to Ren's approach! It's all up to him... Some of the Nine-thousand gather up people from the pile as they go, others just begin to move through the mall, deeper inside, or out of it into the carpark. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Xiaomu meets one of the groups. Some of the Nine just flat out die, unable to handle direct combat from an icy blade. But then Xiaomo's blade intersects the chest of a weedy looking man, and his flesh begins to boil over and adapt and he begins to glow white-hot to counter the icy blow, his flesh re-knitting around the wound. Xiaomu has found a Crawler! <br /><br />% So many of the Nine burn under the combined assault of Dorian and Frederica. Of course, then a young man begins to walk over to Dorian. What's he doing here? Surely this place is too dangerous. "Hey," says Nice Guy - and he just seems so... /nice/. Defiant said something about someone like that, but surely he didn't mean this fellow! <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; As Frederica's fireball rain down, a Burnscar raises her hand and tries to /flick/ a few of them right back at her! <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Kirika's blade sings as it slices some of the Nine to pieces. Some of them just aren't that tough, which is why they didn't last so long. But Kirika is quickly intercepted by a pair of Mannequins, their limbs long and spindly and jointed in too many places. They whip chains at her, trying to bind her! <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; And then the Shatterbirds /scream/ and every glass surface explodes, raining sharp shrapnel down on everyone. Jack weathers it without concern.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:707|Xiaomu (707)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Xiaomu blinks, makes a mental note of what her surprisingly-resistant enemy looks like, and yanks Suiren free, re-sheathing it ...<br /><br />Only to draw one of her handguns and shoot the Crawler right in the face. He shouldn't be able to recover from getting his brains blown out, right? Her gun's loaded with anti-spirit rounds for good measure, too - mostly because that's what she had loaded and didn't think to swap to standard ammo yet. That *MIGHT* work against her, but not by much; the anti-spirit rounds are still perfectly usable as physical bullets.<br /><br />On the other hand, if shooting him in the face doesn't kill the Cralwer, she's going to start running out of options in a hurry, and she REALLY wants to incapacitate the Shatterbirds as quickly as she can manage. At least THEY won't be hard to pick out of the crowd, screaming like that ...<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Well, looks like the party's starting. Why the hell is Jack going on about /Tomoyo/? What does she have to do with any of this? Well, that doesn't matter now.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The half-dozen missiles launch off Staren's back, streaking up into the air and then raining down on isolated Nines that didn't take hostages (or are the bodies all corpses?) And then the glass on the buildings Staren's hiding behind shatters and falls on him. It's... it's glass. It only scratches the paint on his armor.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Staren's drones are less lucky though, tiny optics and circuits breaking before they fall to the ground in tiny broken bits.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Just as Staren's considering his next course of action, Defiant offers a suggestion: Sniping. Staren pulls the laser rifle from his back, creeps around a building, and starts firing at members of the Nine. Lasers are, naturally, invisible unless shot through fog -- though maybe Shatterbird's made enough dust now -- and this is only firing for an instantaneous pulse at a time, although Staren switches to three-pulse bursts if one shot isn't enough to take anyone down.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Staren's sure they'll detect and come for him sooner or later, but hey, it's worth a shot, right? Every Nine he takes down now is one that doesn't escape to wreak havoc later.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:714|Sanary Rondel (714)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; That's a couple of familiar faces already. Granted, XIaomu's and Cory's and even Kirika's entrances are much more dramatic than Toph's, and the foxgirl does appear to be getting to work already, but that just makes it easier for Sanary to avoid drawing attention while pulling herself out from under that bench. "Eh? Hey, Toph. Other lady." She nods at Toph and Maya in turn as she follows them while keeping her head down. "Was looking for cheap shirts. Didn't think this would be a... This." She'd gesture at the gathering if it was anyone else, but fellow blind girls need to stick together! <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Of course, as the older one who's technically cheating at it, that just means Sanary needs to keep Toph safe. So what if Toph is technically her senior in school and significantly stronger in every conceivable way? "Don't worry. I got your backs. Just tell me if I'm hitting the wrong-" <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; That potential worry turns out to be for naught as the glass around and above them starts to explode from the screaming. Being the good not-actually-a-sister she is, Sanary cranes herself over the earthbender to shield her from the glass as best she can, wincing at all the... Well, glass cutting her. It's not life threatening, but it's still rather painful and drawing quite a bit of blood with the sheer quantity of the glass hitting her. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "Son of a.... Okay. Screw it!" Turning to those Shatterbirds, the healer's already losing her patience as she charges energy into her eye, then fires an explosive heat beam at them, colalteral damage be damned.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:20|Toph Beifong (20)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Most of the time it's a good thing to have sensitive ears. But not when the Shatterbirds all decide to do a choir practice or whatever the hell they are doing. Stopping in her advance, Toph is forced to raise her hands and press them against her ears, desperate to drown out the sound. The glass rains down all around, and Toph winces as she shakes her head. Dammit, they better not be screaming a whole lot during all of this. If she had known she would have brought ear plugs!<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"HEY, dunderheads!" she calls out. "I beat ONE Hookwolf, and I can beat all nine of you just as easily!" Why yes, she's boasting. If the original Hookwolf was proud, aren't his clones bound to be the same? Especially if they are just as angry and all? Only one way to find out. Either way, Toph kicks into the floor of the mall, and the cement shifts slightly as pillars burst out of the floor underneath the Slaughterhouse members who are actively attacking her comrades.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:774|Dorian Pavus (774)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Dorian is approached... and he pauses.  Seems like a perfectly normal guy.  And that's what's got Dorian worried.  Not for himself, but for the other fellow's safety!  "You may want to escape," he says.  "This is no place for pleasant conversation, I'm afraid."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;About then the screech from the Shatterbirds break all the glass in the area.  And nearly Dorian's eardrums as well!  He winces, though unable to cover his ears for the time being.  Once he can hear again, he notes to the 'normal fellow', "You see?  Hardly the proper venue for a polite conversation, is it?  It's also quite dangerous with this lot here."  Looking towards the group they're trying to whittle down.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He doesn't seem to suspect anything about the man he's talking to.  Somehow it doesn't occur to him that a normal fellow would probably be scared out of his wits at this point.  Dorian just aims lightning into the group ahead, again avoiding the members of the Slaughterhouse group that Defiant has labeled off-limits.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:481|Kirika (481)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;As the motorcycle tears into the mob, Kirika slashes and hacks her way through several SLaughterhouse members, only to find her arm and leg snared by two of the Mannequins. She leaps off of the vehicle, letting it crash into one of the clones, before she tightens her grip on her sword. To her luck, she has her sword in her free hand, and she slashes the arm grabbing her leg first to sever the hand.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And then she does something ridiculous.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Putting all her muscle into her snared arm, Kirika yanks the other Mannequin like a rope, wrapping his limb around her wrist until it's secure before she squeezes hard enough to weaken his grip on her, then she begins to lash with her ersatz whip at the throng of supervillains like Mannequin is just a big flail, whirling around like a cyclone for a few good rotations before she finally lets go, and sends her makeshift flail flying.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:165|Ren Tanaka (165)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Really, Ren thinks, much in the way that someone does when...<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;When you're angry. Have you ever been really, /really/ angry? Not just in a way where you're pissed off at one of your enemies, but just /angry/? The kind of incredible... the sort of fury which is so incredibly volatile- and don't you know it- that you know it's burning the thought of everyone around you and you don't <span class=" bold_fg_w bg_n ++ hw">really</span> care? The kind of angry where you... where you feel as if everyone has done something to slight you and you know exactly what it is, and you don't even care that you don't feel this way usually about them, but you're just so -- so upset and bitter and desperate to self-assure that you're happy to just be furious at everyone and everything around you, just to stoke the flames a bit more? Being angry feels good, and you know that much, and you know that everyone and their faults and how they've slighted you recently are just acceptable kindling for that? <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;That's how he feels right now. He says to himself, 'Really...'<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Really, what have you done for m- for her, recently? No, perhaps let's think of this as 'for me', there's a... a sense of danger, in being /too/ angry for Tomoyo's sake, it's a little shameful honestly. You don't have a- a right to feel /this/ emotionally invested in her, Ren, you're relatively worthless, comparatively, to the friends she really should value, to- I'm drifting, where was I?<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Oh, right. Really, what have you done for me recently? Where were you when I asked for people to talk to the Endbringers or organize more investigation into Cauldron or stop /this/ before it got off the ground? Why didn't one of you find out almost two hundred parahumans were being cloned? Why didn't you help her find some sort of item that would help her fi- no, stop that Ren. Concentrate on something else.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Concentrate on telling them what to do.<br /><br />He ducks under a table, makes a quick request into his radio- simple request, relatively, 'if Gray Boy and Siberian are so problematic shoot them from a distance'. Defiant may have also made this request, he- wait, did he ask people to do the same? Why didn't Ren notice, if he did? Defiant is a friend. He should at least be paying enough attention to know whether or not Defiant said something or not. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;It's probably because he's telling people to shoot other people, Ren rationalizes. He doesn't often tell people to shoot other people, but he knows that Staren's a good candidate to do some shooting. Or Frederica. And also, he has to concentrate.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;On Jack.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Oh my goodness, Ren thinks, as Jack monologues. I just hate you. I just hate you <span class=" bold_fg_w bg_n ++ hw">so much</span>. There's a strange exhilaration in such total detestation. Hello, Jack. Jack Slash. You, the actual living eidolon, the- the godhead, the embodiment of everything that's wrong. Literally everything, standing there as if you don't know what an utterly, utterly vile person you are. If you just had some sort of understanding of what you're doing, you'd stop. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Except you don't, so I'm going to have to do it for you.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Because, Ren thinks, I'm the one who can sneak very well. And if people are doing what I tell them and eliminating the people next to him- now that I think about it, how on earth can you feasibly clone someone who can timestop you forever? Shouldn't there be some sort of deterioration of overall power level when you're trying to replicate something that obscene? I hope there is. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Except, he thinks, now he's relatively speaking close enough to walk up to Jack, in fact to walk up to him- I could, in fact, just stand up and move out of this mall palmtree I'm standing in and walk up to him, and providing my snipers have done what I tell them that's what I'm going to do- I <span class=" bold_fg_w bg_n ++ hw">could</span> feasibly just walk up right up to Jack.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And that's what I'm going to do. I don't like doing it but I'm going to do it. I'm just going to kill Jack.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;So you don't have to FOR THE LOVE OF BANANAS REN WOULD YOU STOP THINKING ABOUT IT LIKE THAT<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:73|Frederica (73)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Hey!" Frederica protests, some of her fear replaced by anger as a Burnscar starts using her own powers against her. That's HER trick, damn it! She can do little against that trick however, not with the fireball being so distant. She could wrestle for pyrokinetic control, but it takes more effort the farther the fire is from her.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She waits for the fireball to reach her before lifting a hand to bat it aside, smashing it into the pavement near her feet. Seeing as how it's her flame, more kinetic than thermal, it cracks the pavement and then whiffs out rather than igniting or melting it. She's about to retaliate when Shatterbird explodes all the glass, including the glass of her hovercar.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Fortunately for her, she's not still on the bike and she's also well-armoured against flying chunks of glass. Her outfit's somewhat torn by the attack, but it only exposes a shimmering undervest, proof against most bullets and flying debris. Broken glass rakes at her exposed upper arm, drawing blood, but there's no way it can hit anything vital.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The exploding glass refocusses Frederica's attention however. She can't trade punches at range with Burnscar. She could take the other pyro at close range, sure, but right now she'd rather thin the herd. Thrusting her arms up into the air, she lofts a pillar of fire skyward. The pillar, five feet or so wide and a good thirty feet long, arcs up high before losing momentum, turning, and plummeting down to earth once again as a mighty spear. Of course Frederica's a master when it comes to flaming artillery. She has the target point picked out carefully so as to not threaten any friendlies... but any unfriendly in the target area had best be fireproof or pretty damn tough.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:768|Cory (768)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And off goes Toph, making a HUGE boast that even Cory's stunned at. Hope she can put her money where her mouth is, huh? But then THAT NOISE!<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Cory claps both hands over her ears and ends up PELTED by glass shards. Thankfully many of them fail to pierce her Turtle School Gi. Where flesh is exposed though... yeah, that draws some blood!<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"So much for expecting a normal fight. Alright, I'll take you banshees on!" A swift leap takes her up to the roof... and well, standing on the ceiling with both hands extended, palms open. Yeah, she's got the same idea as Frederica. INstead of engage this gang as individuals...<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Blow them all up at once!<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Eyayayayayayayaya!!" Rapidly thrusting her arms out, Cory unleashes a TORRENT of Ki blasts down on the proceedings below. Each about half her size and likely to hit like a mini-grenade to the face!<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Of course, aimed at pretty much everything in a wide radius where allies are NOT.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:19|Maya (19)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Maya is not sure what ot think of the horde of slaughter house legions of clones. She's seen cloens before she readies her rifle and moves in. She's lettingt others strike first. Her jade eyes dart about she knows which one to avoid she will do tht the others would find themselves getting a few pot shots taken at them by Maya's assault rifle, but that' jus the warm up, then comes magic focused pillars of water which just form out of the very mostiure in the air it seems. <br /><br /> Maya's going to try to thin out the hordes and do what she can to keep them under control. She has no idea if these clones are mindless or not but the danger they cause simply by existing. Maya's also not about to sit still fighting these hordes either.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:554|Defiant (554)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Xiaomu shoots Crawler in the face. His head snaps back, bits of blood and bone spraying, and the Nine villain collapses in a heap. From there, she turns her ability to picking off Shatterbirds. One, two, and then someone says from behind, "Is that all you've got?" <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The Crawler clone laughs, climbing to his feet, now sporting some kind of armor over his forehead - and much of the rest of his body, all the vital areas. He raises his hand, letting out a gout of heat! <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Staren opens up with his laser rifle, beams visible through the dust of the Shatterflock's efforts. Some of the Nine drop in one shot - the Cherishes, Breeds, Crimsons, Winters - and some take more than one. Some, like Crawler, just get back up. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; And that's when a Siberian leaps in from nowhere, aiming to kick the rifle out of his hands! She's so strong! <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The Hookwolves, with their manes of unkempt blonde hair and a mass of hastily-applied National Socialist iconography, leap to attack Toph! However, a lot of them seem smart enough to not shift into their metal forms. Do they have the memories of the first Hookwolf? <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Even as Dorian blasts a Mannequin with enough lightning that he /pops/, that man just seems so... pleasant. Nice Guy casually walks behind Dorian and someone begins choking the Tevinter mage! But who could it be? ...maybe that nice man will help him!<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:554|Defiant (554)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Meanwhile, Jack is still talking. Somehow, his voice - soft and pleasant - carries over the madness. "Now, if you're still listening... if you fail to kill me, I'll disband the Nine. This isn't an enticement to leave me alive. See, Bonesaw did a great job in putting them together - they're in the prime of their life, in fighting shape. Their psychologies are close to what they should be and the worst have been made less unpredictable, less dangerous, more loyal. But they're obedient and servile only when I need them to be. If you fail, then I'll disband them - and they'll be free to run rampant and do as they see fit." <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; A beam of light spears in from far away, and Gray Boy takes the blast right in the head. The Siberian blinks and steps back, taking her hand off Jack, surprised! For a split moment, Ren might have an opening. But Jack doesn't appear to be worried. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Kirika makes use of her Mannequin flail, scattering one of the groups of the Nine. Of course, one of the Chuckles - an obese murder-clown - wheezes out a ghoulish chuckle and charges her. His body moves in a bizarre fashion - his legs and head are fast but his arms and torso are not! If he gets close though, he packs one hell of a punch!<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:707|Xiaomu (707)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Are you KIDDING me?!" the sage fox complains as she turns to see the same Crawler she'd shot in the head<br /><br />breathing fire at her. THAT'S the sage fox's cue not to stay put; in fact, if she can lead the Crawler's literal fire into any of the other Slaughterhousers, better THEY get burned than her!<br /><br />On the other hand, if she can come around behind the Crawler after that and suplex him into the ground, well, it takes some pretty good armor to protect you from getting your neck snapped by a 'wrongly'-executed suplex. And Xiaomu is actively trying to do it in just that 'wrong' way, or if she can't land it THAT way, then to slam the Crawler's head so hard into the ground (floor, pavement, whatever) that the 'helmet' actually gets smashed in the process.<br /><br />Either way, she then pulls the pin on a grenade, wedges it under the Crawler's body, and - well, running would be the smart thing, but she draws Suiren and erects an icy bunker around herself faster than she'd be able to run through the crowd.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:20|Toph Beifong (20)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Good, the taunt worked! Split the Slaughterhouse up, and they will be less of a threat. Still, this will take concentration with everything going on around them.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Toph senses the nine Hookwolves advance on her, though the fact that they aren't changing into their metal form is a bit surprising. Either somebody informed them about her power, or they have knowledge that the original had. But it doesn't matter, it's not the first time she's faced several opponents. And with her seismic sense it's easier to keep track of them than for a person relying on regular vision.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Every footstep of the Hookwolves send vibrations through the floor, and Toph is already moving forward, her arms in motion as she processes the location of her opponents and quickly envisions the best way to use their locations against them.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Toph lashes out with her right hand. One earthen spike shoots out of the ground next to one of the Hookwolves, intending to knock him back into another of his comrades. And as Toph pulls her right hand back, focusing on the floor underneath one of the other Hookwolves as she tries to launch him into one of the others. The rest are getting closer though, so Toph focuses on one of the Hookwolves who have transformed, aiming to bend him in front of her to use him as a shield.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:554|Defiant (554)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Frederica rains fire on them below. It's a target-rich environment and many of the members of the Nine aren't tough. Deadly, sure. But not tough. The Burnscars don't appear to be capable of deflecting all of it and while they don't burn others /do/. One Siberian suddenly vanishes out of existance. Huh, that must have been a Manton caught in the middle of that pillar, as well as a Crawler. The Crawler picks himself up. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Suddenly, though, it starts getting /very cold/ around Frederica as one of the Winter clones focuses on her. It's more than just a cold snap, it's a cold that saps Frederica's will as well! <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Cory's opening up with all of her ki firepower but, as one of the Nine draw close, it might seem a bit harder to just... summon up that power. Hatchet Face, one of them, leaps onto the roof looms before her - and throws out a super-strong punch, aiming to knock her from the building's top! <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; As Maya's pillars of water chase down the members of the Nine, a voice croons in her ear, like someone is standing right by her: "Watch out, behind you!"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:481|Kirika (481)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Thwack! Thwack!<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Kirika is just using that flail like a goddamn wrecking ball right now. Every impact hits like a brick to the face, and she notices Chuckles charging for her just in time. Kirika isn't too fond of clowns, never has been ever since she first saw one on television. They're even more disturbing in person to the kitsune, especially this murderous one.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Narrowing her eyes, Kirika takes advantage of her lightning reflexes to catch him mid-run, and she gets an idea.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She makes one final swing, flinging her Mannequin right towards the clown after letting go in order to slow him down.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Then she follows suit, lunging towards the both of them with her sword ready. As she leaps through the air, she slashes down to cut Mannequin, and intending on finishing them both off.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;That is exactly what she will do, as her sword slashes through flesh and bone, both Mannequin's and Chuckles'.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:165|Ren Tanaka (165)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Ren Tanaka feels a little strange.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Anger's a funny thing. It peaks and troughs, sometimes, and occasionally there are moments where you go from being at the top of your game to crashing massively and rapidly, such that you're pushing yourself into the rage even harder and stupider than you were before, trying to ignore the nadir, trying to blind yourself for as long as possible.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;See, what's actually happening here is the tragedy nobody knows. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Because nobody knows Ren's true and secret identity, and even among those who would- there are none who knows the truer, deeper secret.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Because just as there's always a man and there's always a city, there's always a curse. No matter what world in the million sparkling parallel corners of the multiverse they call home, there's always a root, a base madness installed in the princes of the earth by the only ones who were their true original enemies.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;There's always a Great Curse of the Solar Exalted.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;It has only happened rarely in Ren's life. Only very rarely, always rationalized, and never anyone left to question the aftermath. Only very rarely does the traveller break his ironclad ideals of technical pacifism. His desire, his preference to always, always talk things through, to never resort to direct violence, to never be cruel. And always, always, when he does it, it makes sense afterwards, and before, and during. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And although it makes sense now- although the idea is clear because the problem is directly in front of him- <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Jack, oh Jack, just keep talking, just keep making it obvious that I need to just don't need to worry or regret-<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;As Ren Tanaka, secure in the knowledge that he has the advantage, steps towards Jack with a machete in his hand-<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(It's almost like a stranger power itself, isn't it?)<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;There's a little tickle of a feeling that this is wrong.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:554|Defiant (554)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; -and everything goes wrong. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Not even a second after Dragon had put an energy bolt through Gray Boy, the monochrome schoolboy reappears, just an inch to the left and totally unphased. The Siberian puts her hand back on Jack's shoulder, and the man himself turns, something small and silver slipping into his hand from the sleeve of his shirt. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; With a flourish of his wrist, Jack opens up a red line across Ren's neck, blood spraying as the blade cuts from several paces away! <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "Now!" Jack says, turning back. "I'll be dispatching members of the Nine across this world as I beat a not-so-hasty retreat. Your choice if you deal with them or leave them be," Jack continues, shrugging slightly. "One week. And we'll see how this ends."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Boom! Headshot. Boom! Headshot. Boom! Headshot. Boo--<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The rifle crumples as it's kicked out of Staren's hands. Without drone coverage, he didn't see Siberian coming up on him.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He knows better than to engage someone who's an unstoppable force /and/ an immovable object, though. Staren leaps into the air, orange energy wings appearing on his back as he starts flying. Ugh, stupid, /stupid/, he mentally chides himself, starting to fly away towards the others, glancing back at Siberian to watch for large thrown objects -- or her leaping.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Then Defiant suggests that the Manton might be /close/. Staren stops and looks around, overlaying thermal on his vision and scanning for lifesigns... looking for any signs of people he can't see visually, perhaps due to the dust... and particularly looking at the buildings he was standing next to. Could Manton be hiding inside?<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:714|Sanary Rondel (714)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; With the Shatterbirds taken care of, Sanary's able to divert her attention elsewhere amidst the chaos. Deciding where to actually focus is somewhat difficult, though, with so much chaos and destruction flying about. Thankfully, there's a fairly obvious target for her to focus her efforts on: That one guy choking the other guy! <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; That's not normal people behavior, Union or Confederate or otherwise. And seeing as how Nice Guy was mixed into that initial crowd next to Jack... Well. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Flicking her gunaxe off the belt holding it to her waist, she does a bit of maneuvering just to avoid getting caught in any crossfire. Once she does get there, though? She takes careful aim, rears back, and puts all of her weight into a swing at Nice Guy's back! She does have to moderate the swing just a little bit, though, since it would be a little messy and unpleasant for Dorian if that Nice Guy happened to be squishier than expected. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Only a little though. Worst case scenario, Sanary can always fix Dorian later.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:73|Frederica (73)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;While her firepower's perhaps best suited to causing widespread destruction among the enemy, the chill brought on by Winter is something Frederica simply can't ignore. Physical harm is one thing, but something that attacks her will is quite another. Fortunately Frederica's will is of tempered steel. She's got a moderately strong psychic defense and a lifetime of training. It won't be a simple matter even for one of the Slaughterhouse Nine to take her down.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Frederica focuses her glare and her annoyance on the Winter. Fear and anger are still amping her power to white-hot levels, and that helps protect her will from the draining effects. She'll have to respond with more than just a glare and a defensive resist, of course. Frederica closes her eyes, groans, then ignites herself. A burst of fire rolls out, engulfing her but not consuming her. The flames do keep her quite warm however... delightfully so. And with that, possibly she no longer has to worry about the cold sapping her will.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She's not done yet though. Hardening her focus, sharpening her will, she transforms the blazing fireball around her. The mighty bonfire extends long arms and stumpy legs, and whorls in the flame take the form of eyes and a huge mouth. The blazing bonfire forms into an egg-shaped elemental, some twelve feet tall and looking as angry as Frederica herself. It stumps towards the Winter, intending to slap the frigid bitch silly.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:774|Dorian Pavus (774)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"...Kaffas, why didn't that occur to me soon--"<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;In the middle of responding to someone on the radio, Dorian suddenly finds that he's unable to breathe!  There's a pair of hands around his throat that are making that impossible.  No, it doesn't occur to him that the nice fellow he'd just been talking to could be responsible....<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Until he remembers what Defiant said on the radio -- 'makes you think he is not a threat, even as he kills you'.  Well, someone's definitely doing that.  Or trying to, anyway.  Could it really be him?  It just seems so improbable that such a fellow would be responsible.  But Dorian can't deny that someone is trying to kill him...<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Well, he can always apologize later, right?  Someone's behind him, choking him.  And so just as Sanary swings at the Nice Guy choking him -- timing completley by accident -- Dorian raises that staff he carries and strikes back at the person.  WHACK!  He's no slouch physically, especially for a mage.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:768|Cory (768)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Cory blinks when her stream of Ki flickers and wavers. Did she exhaust herself that fast? No, that can't be right. "Huh?"<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And therein lies the problem. With her Ki abilities weakened, she doesn't quite realize in time what's sneaking up on her... IF you can call that sneaking up. "--UAAH!!" Hatchet Face, NOT COOL!<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;At the last moment she brings both arms up, hoping to grab the incoming fist and deflect it... but this fails. She only slightly slows the blow and still goes FLYING.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Straight into the NEXT BUILDING OVER with a mighty crash! Right through glass, concrete, and steel rebar as if it was nothing.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Well... that's nothing new for a Saiyan, is it?<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"<span class=" bold_fg_r bg_n ++ hr">KAIIIIIIIIIII-O-KEN... TIMES NINE!</span>"<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Oh boy.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The building's wound erupts outwards, debris levitating in a rush of crimson Ki! The blazing aura's easily strong enough on its own to just crush the chunks of rubble and blow away the dust. In almost the same second she crosses that distance, moving with enough speed that the air CRACKS and bursts in her wake. A sonic boom!<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;All that forced is put right into a deep ELBOW right for the clone's gut! "Right back AT YOU!"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:165|Ren Tanaka (165)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;-And then it goes wrong.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The reasons and the details are something for later. Not now. I'll explain later.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The thing that's most important right now is the pain.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The pain.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The /pain/.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;It's been a very long time since Ren has felt pain like this. The simple fact of the matter is that he has not been in a genuine position where he has been open to specific, exacting injury in a very long time. He has certain abilities that inure him to this. Certain resistances.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Something has gone wrong, and they have all failed him. All of his abilities have failed him.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Do you want to know why?<br /><br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;It's because his will was weaker than Jack's.<br /><br /><br /><br />Ren is cut: that's a simple way of explaining it. More specifically, he takes a sudden and instant hit to a jugular vein, entirely and instantly surprised as Jack Slash strikes him critically and spectacularly.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Ren blinks. He is... in...<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;pain<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;painpainpainwhatsthiswhyhangonwhatjusthappenedpainthatsabitstrangethatshouldntbecorrecthangonwhatwasIreallythinkingaboutforamomenteverythingseemsabitweirdletsreviewmytrainofthoughtforthelastfewminutesorperhapsnotlet'sconcentrateonsomethingmorespecificbecauseit'simportanttoconsiderandrespondtopainwhenyouexperienceitbecausepainsimportantbutsomehowIfeelalittlemuddledhereandI'mnotquitesurehowtorespondtothisbecausereallyallIcansayatshortnoticeis<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Oh," Ren says, placing his hand on his neck.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"I'm, um. I'm leaking."<br /><br />And then Ren Tanaka falls to the ground, unconcious, due to massive systems damage.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:554|Defiant (554)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Xiaomu picks up the Crawler clone and /crashes/ him against the tiled floor of the mall. His neck snaps, audibly and visibly, and he lies there, not moving, as Xiaomu slips him a grenade. It detonates, cracking the villain open, and if Xiaomu can look behind her, she can see a very broken and mangled Crawler beginning to piece himself back togther, his body just... regenerating, knitting together to resist that tactic in the future. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Toph gets bending. The Hookwolves charge, right into Toph's strikes. If one thing is clear about the Nine clones, they're just not as good at using their powers, not as clever. Toph grips the transformed Hookwolf clone, seizing control of his metal whirlwind form, and using it as a shield to deflect any further blows. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The remaining clones of Hookwolf fall back, seeming to join the general exodus of the Nine! <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Kirika leaps at Chuckles, crushing him with her Mannequin flail, and then slashing both of them in half with the edge of her blade! Chuckles gives one final chucking wheeze, and collapses.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:19|Maya (19)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Maya hears a voice in her ear, she payses she feels like something is behind her. She has a good deal of combat experiance ans she mocves rapidly she drops rolls and twists about comming up with rifle and spell card in hand. There's a burst a second lter as blue fire leeches out of her body into the card and fires off a point blank blast of water.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:554|Defiant (554)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; That glance backwards might just have saved Staren's life, because the Siberian clone is leaping at him (is clone even the right word for an illusions?), claws extended like a pouncing lion. However, at that same time, Staren's sensors are beeping that there's a match - William Manton, third-floor window! <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Can Staren get off that shot before the Siberian rips him apart?! <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Dorian and Sanary manage to piece together enough of their senses to bring Nice Guy down. Sanary buries her gunaxe in him and Dorian whacks him atop the head with his staff. Nice Guy, with no other powers, collapses to the ground, making a strange choking sound. Just like that, that weird fugue vanishes from Dorian's mind - and he can breathe again, which is also a definite plus. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Frederica's fireball becomes some kind of flame-thing and Winter, her white hair flowing in the air from the fire, takes a step back. "Crims-" she calls out, and is utterly annihilated a moment later. Boom!<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:554|Defiant (554)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; On the rooftop, Cory clashes with the Hatchet Face clone. He's like a void, sapping powers. However, that heavy blow keeps her out of his null aura radius! The Nine villain pauses as Cory summons up her power - and then pauses forever as her elow slams into his gut! The null field vanishes with his death and Cory finds no difficulty with her powers from then on. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; However, even with a vast swath carved out of the horde of Nine clones, it seems like those that have survived have made good on their escape, scattering into the rest of the city. Jack, Bonesaw, his Siberian and Gray Boy... are nowhere to be seen.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:20|Toph Beifong (20)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Seriously, these guys need more training! Toph narrows her eyes as she feels her attacks strike, knocking some of the Hookwolves out. And the poor transformed one who gets to serve as a shield might not appreciate his body moving out of his control. But still, the blind girl frowns when the remaining clones fall back and seem intent on escaping. "Get back here, you lily livers! I'm not done with you!" Not that she's sure whether taunting them will work now, but it's clear that they are a threat. Or whatever remains of this large Slaughterhouse group. Just what the crud was Jack thinking when he put this together? Still, Toph keeps on focusing her bending on the Hookwolf she does have control over at the moment. "You keep still!" Maybe Defiant will want him taken in.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:774|Dorian Pavus (774)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;AIR!  Thank the Maker.  Once the pressure around his neck releases, Dorian whirls on the other man.  If Nice Guy's not dead now, he surely will after a flaming projectile is released at point-blank range.  If he ''is'' already dead, then no one will have to cremate the body.  Dorian is not a nice man.  Particularly not when he's angry.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Though once that's done, Dorian stumbles to a knee, coughing quietly.  Once he gets his breath back, he looks up at Sanary.  "Thank you," he offers hoarsely.  He's pretty smart, he can figure out that he didn't do that alone, even though he didn't see her 'till he turned around.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Well, Jack and what of the Slaughterhouse 9x9 they didn't kill seem to have disappeared.  On the bright side that means the have no one to fight now.  So the fight's done.  Which is just as well, because that brief bout of strangling hurt Dorian more than he thought it would.  He's really in no shape to continue.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:481|Kirika (481)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Kirika sees that several clones have been taken down today, but many more escaped in the frenzy. That said, this was the main objective: Whittle down the numbers of clones present in order to deny future leverage to the Slaughterhouse, making sure that the coming battle will be tilted in the Union and PRT's favor.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Her sword sheathes, the kitsune doing so with a flourish, and she winces a bit at the minor injuries she finds herself having sustained. Blood trickles from her leg, her side, her back, and her neck, but her wounds will knit together in time, even if it will take time to fix her armor. "So it is done...for now." She murmurs.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Staren totally expected the Siberian to leap after him. Fortunately, he can-- Oh right. She can fly too. Staren mutters something uncouth off the radio. And just when he'd gotten a lock on Manton too!<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Thrusters in Staren's legs fire and he flies off even faster. Hopefully throwing the Siberian off -- He only needs to distract her/him for a moment, as he aims one arm backward and fires a micromissile from his wrist. Programmed to fly to that building, through the window, and right into where Manton was standing when Staren got the lock. Then, inside Manton or not, it will explode. It's not a particularly powerful missile -- for the small size, it only has the explosive power of a high-tech grenade from Staren's world, and normally it makes the most of this by trying to ram into an armored target hard enough to pierce it so it can explode in unprotected insides -- but hopefully that is more than enough power to deal with Manton.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Unless the Siberian is able to get in the way in time, of course.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:707|Xiaomu (707)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Okay, somebody REALLY needs to finish Crawler off; the best Xiaomu can think of is to cut him into small and manageable pieces, drump each one in a block of concrete, and scatter the resultant chunks around Brockton Bay. Preferably under Very Large And Very Heavy Objects.<br /><br />For now, her opponent is at least *down*; Xiaomu draws her handguns again and starts pumping bullets in the direction of the retreating supervillains. If she can take any more of them down before they get out of her firing range, every little bit SHOULD help, right?<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:714|Sanary Rondel (714)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Sanary grunts lightly as she rips her weapon out of Nice Guy's back, holding her free hand out to Dorian to direct some healing energy his way. It's not a lot, but it should help to ease the pain a bit and boost his natural recovery! "Careful now. Don't expect me to bail you out the next time some... Uh." She steps back to give him some space for the fire. "... Guy tries choking you." <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; At least the fighting appears to have died down some. Taking a deep breath, she does one more visual sweep of the area before aiming her gunaxe int he same direction that Xiaomu's shooting. No sense letting potential threats get away, after all, and she starts unloading with her own icy shots in their general direction! Not that she expects to actually hit any of those fleeing supervillains, but... Who knows? <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Once that's done, she'll put that bloody weapon back on her belt before focusing her healing energies once more into a pale green cloud around her. "Alright.. Gather 'round if you're injured!"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:481|Kirika (481)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Stomping amid the carnage, Kirika leaves a trail of blood behind her as she makes her way towards Sanary. "I might need assistance on that." She says, nodding to the combat medic, then joins with the cloud. It heals her wounds, and the kitsune pops her neck as she gives Sanary's shoulder a gentle pat. "I am as surprised as any to say this, but it is good to see you could make it when you did." Despite everything, she offers a tired smile before she flicks her tail side to side.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:554|Defiant (554)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Staren's missile taking out one of the Mantons is something of a punctuation mark to the end of the struggle. The mall shakes from the nearby blast and, barely inches away from tearing him to pieces, the Siberian that was threatening him blinks out of existence. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The mall is in ruins, scorched and earthbent and broken, covered in dead members of the Nine. Luckily, the civilian casualties seem light - that is, except for the ones taken by the Nine as hostages as they fled. Perhaps some kind of tactic to ensure that at least some escaped or to use them later in their travels across Defiant's world. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Even with ninety-five members of the Nine accounted for - ninety-six including Toph's prisoner - it's going to be a long week. Jack's laid down his challenge - but how can the heroes hope to stop him with the might of a Siberian and Gray Boy at his command?<br> <br>


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