Scene #8709: The Kale Kaon Cagematch

Owner	Pose
Combaticon	Welcome to Kaon, the Decepticon capital city on Cybertron. Arrival is as simple as taking the hyperrail or even a local space bridge teleporter. Either method gets one into the city in short order, with direction to the Great Arena rather easy to find from there through multiple methods; asking for directions, following road signs, or even using physical or digital maps. The city itself looks predictably like a war zone. What was formerly brutalist, intimidating architecture is smashed almost beyond recognition. Towering spires filled with holes and gashes. Sections of road bed collapsed or buried under rubble. Most streets are cleared down the center with piles of wreckage and debris pushed up against the sides or into alleyways. In some areas, Cybertronian work crews are busy working, but it's obvious there's far too much damage and far too few robots for this to be a quick job. The Great Arena itself, also locally called The Pit, lives up to its nickname. Only one level of it is above Cybertron's steely surface, with subsequent levels growing smaller and descending below ground level. A massive open-air colleseum with row upon row of seating obviously initially designed for individuals some ten meters or more in height, retrofitted for beings averaging closer to two meters. The last level cuts off to a drop of around thirty meters to the arena's battle floor, largely devoid of robotic wreckage but dotted with the ruins of decorative structures from previous clashes. The stands are sporadically occupied by various robots. Up in the higher seats are Cybertronians who have not reformatted; showing just how big the species used to be in its entirety before the ceasefire. They must have a reason to stay so big and it's probably labor-related. Multiversal spectators are directed to a specific private box with an excellent view of the arena as well as personal screens at each seat, giving visitors a chance to position camera probes and watch the action up close even from here. There are even features for capturing photos and video. Onslaught is here, seated, cradling his mouthguard in one hand while the other taps at camera probe controls. Depthcharge sits next to him, her arms folded, her legs crossed at the knee joint, staring out into the field with a scowl. "I suppose now is as good a time as any to witness what these Multiversal organics are capable of." "At the very least it shall work well for promotional purposes." Most notably, Swindle isn't here. He's obviously up in the announcer's booth. "Ladybots and gentlemechanisms, organics of all body plans, welcome to the Pit!" his voice booms through the PA, cheerful as ever, "While our contestants get ready, you still have a few cycles to place your wagers! The action will begin shortly!" Brawl is, naturally, also here. Standing on one side of the massive arena, the robot's visor is dimmed as if her eyes were closed, her hands resting on her hip actuators. Her back-mounted guns have swiveled around, aimed down behind her and reducing her overall height to a 'mere' 260 centimeters.
Corona Arclite	And as much as the Cybertronians are interested in seeing what some 'organics' can do, some of them are just as curious as to what a mechanical species that's been at civil war for millions of years are capable of, but not having to wade in middle of warfare to do so. Some of them just like seeing a big brawl. It is about 50-50 for Corona, the vixen having found herself a good seat with view that's neither too close to the area or too far into the... whatever giant robots would call nosebleed sections. She just as much wanted to see what people would fight with, and not just run on the assumption of folks like Brawl transforming into military hardware. Whereas Windrose had just come along because it's not often the two of them get to spend time together like this. Though she did enjoy a good sporting fight, too. She sits down next to Corona, taking an extra moment to stuff her skunk tail to the side so it doesn't get in the way of anyone else's view.
Kale Hearthward	Stretch. Stretch, stretch. Bend left, bend right. Kale's working through some last minute calisthenics. He's dressed up a bit. Still wearing black - black goes well with everything, including Kale, after all - but he's upped the threadcount on his cape and battle outfit, just for today. He finishes stretching, and adjusts his position back to stand squarely on his mark - and looks across the arena. So. That's Brawl. Here I was thinking Brawl was the helicopter. Big guy. Check sword number one, check sword number two, making sure both slide cleanly out of their crossed sheathes on his back... Check the boots - ampoules loaded, firing and steering mechanisms working... that's all good too. He's run out of preparations, so time to wait for the starting bell... --- Up in the stands, there's a pair of other animal people - a mouse and a songbird. "Did you have to bet against Kale? He's going to be upset if he finds out." "Then maybe make sure he doesn't find out, right?" The songbird has brought in a massive, 4' tall bucket of popcorn from somewhere. It's occupying the seat next to her.
Madeleine Cadrasteia	Madeleine steps off the warp pad followed closely by a minotaur woman half again as tall as the huntress. As Madeleine stops short to take in the view, Torrie - attention fixed on a brochure map of the city - nearly bowls the smaller woman over. "Sorry, Boss! I think the arena's that way?" As the pair arrive at the arena Madeleine eyes the larger machines with a hint of concern. It's a good thing she's not here to watch them fight... She finds her way to the multiverse box seats in short order, setting up at an aisle seat of the front row. Torrie thumbs over her shoulder at the bucket of popcorn. "I'll go find us some snacks, Boss?" Madeleine dismisses the minotaur with a wave of her hand. Torrie jogs away in search of a concessions stand as Madeleine settles in and works out the drone controls. This will be a good chance to size up the impending party's host...
Aidan Proudpick	"I'm not going. This is kind of unhealthy." "I'm just going for research! And he might get beat up!" "Yea, that's still a little weird, Aidan." Despite what Cole said, Aidan is here to watch. Aidan gets his ass kicked a lot, so maybe he can think of something new watching Kale. He would never copy the bird's technique. And maybe he'll get punched! Up in the stands, Aidan figures he can be completely relaxed. No one important is going to come to this. But as he is bringing a box of nuts and a couple microbrewed beers, he spots Kale's entourage. "Shit." He ducks behind a pillar, quickly pulling his 'CUM IS VEGAN' shirt off to turn it inside out.
Combaticon	Torrie does not find a concession stand, but she does find a 'bot who looks like a taco truck turned into a person. He introduces himself as Greasetrap. It only takes a little bit of explanation before he stands up and transforms from an eight meter robot into a fully automated food truck with a menu on the side and everything. A minute or two later, he's fulfilled her orders-- and then decides to just stay in vehicle mode in case any other organics want a snack or a drink. Soon, this entire half of the Great Arena is smelling like Mexican food. When Madeleine takes her seat, Onslaught tilts his head slightly towards her, then back to his own screen, "If you have any questions regarding the controls, I will field them." Depthcharge casts a look aside, past Madeleine, towards Corona and Hazelthistle. Aidan ducks out of sight, prompting a deeper scowl on her face before she jerks her attention back to the arena.
Combaticon	"Oh," Brawl's visor lights up as if her eyes were opening, "You're that little guy from the diplomatic party. That's right." Moving forward with heavy steps, she approaches at a steady pace, "I'd ask if you really wanted to do this, but I ain't about to back down and I'm sure you ain't interested either." Brawl's cannons go off while still pointed down and back, creating an explosion behind her just as she leaps. The last dozen meters or so are suddenly closed far faster than she was walking just a split-second ago. Both arms raise, hands balling up into giant fists, which she brings down on top of Kale during the later half of her parabolic arc. "LET'S HAVE SOME FUN THEN!"
Kale Hearthward	Big girl, Kale corrects himself, just as the cannons go off. "Wait - we're starting?" He was expecting some signal - maybe this was the signal? He puts that aside, though, and kicks into high gear - literally, kicking his heels together to activate his jet boots, and air-dashing forward across the arena, getting out of the direct impact of the incoming punch. "My name is Kale Hearthward, of the East Wind Rescue Team! And I"m not a 'little guy!'" He is, though. "I'm here to see if you lot aren't just talk!" Kale darts between the ruined buildings on the ground, staying to cover as he moves around. If his opponent is a charger, he'll just have to make sure she can't get a straight line of attack. As he closes in, he draws his left hand sword, triggering it as soon as it's clear of its sheath. The sword twists apart into a spiral shape, and then a moment later starts spinning, becoming a giant drill. "That's assuming you've got time to do more than talk - because I'm going to make sure those cannons are the first thing to go!"
Combaticon	When Brawl hits the ground, her fists smash the metal and dust away, forming a crater. Immediately she wrenches her hands free and whirls, following Kale's flight path. Her left forearm splits open, hand flipping in while a rotary-barrel machine gun replaces it, and she follows his escape with a stream of tracer rounds. "The name is Brawl! Decepticon Justice Division, Armed Response Team!" she roars over the report of her weapon. When the ammo canister is spent, she ejects it from the side of her arm and then flips the gun's glowing barrels back into her forearm. No time to reload when Kale is charging her with a drill-sword. "Proud and upstanding Decepticon!" The robot plants her feet in a braced position, spreading her arms out at the ready. This makes it extremely difficult to get at the cannon turret on her back, the drill blade having trouble finding bite on her armored hull. Instead, it skips across her chestplate and shoulder guard with a series of sparks until it lodges in the treads behind her right shoulder. Brawl reaches up, grabbing onto the spinning blade with her right hand in an effort to stall it out in a shower of sparks. Her left hand's fingers tighten together, swinging around straight for Kale's center of mass with the force of a runaway truck.
Kale Hearthward	> "Proud and upstanding Decepticon!" "See, that's the other thing!" Brawl goes to grab the stuck sword - Kale lets her- he releases his grip on the hilt, and quickly goes to grab and draw his other sword with the same motion. "You call yourself a Decepticon - are you, anymore? There was that whole thing with the war being over, right?" He dashes out - as she comes in, he swings, triggering the new sword as he does so - it unfolds into a mirror blade, and leaves a trail of shining afterimages in its wake. Afterimages that are every bit as sharp and solid as the original sword, as it turns out - if Brawl overcommits, she's going to be charging straight into them. "The war being over is a big deal, right? We even got taken to hear that speech from the leader of the other side. So is that the facet of yourself you're presenting?" "Or are you just so much of a loser that you're prepared to cling to a title for years after it stops being relevant or having any meaning!"
Aidan Proudpick	Aidan pulls his shirt back on and looks around the pillar. Aidan has never actually fought Kale. And every time Aidan has mouthed off to Kale, it's always been in a place where Aidan was safe against retaliation. Watching Kale, one of the Generals fight, especially with three more years experience in the multiverse. It's a hard thing to watch, a tremendous pill to swallow. Damn he's fast. "And projecting, wow."
Kale Hearthward	UP IN THE STANDS: Hazelthistle looks curious at the sudden conversion into a taco truck (fully automated, at that). And then immediately she looks... offended? "That smell can't be at all sanitary..." She distracts herself by looking around. "Oh- oh, hey! Aidan! Come sit with us!"
Combaticon	> "You call yourself a Decepticon - Are you, anymore?" "Of course!" Brawl has no hesitation in her response. When Kale abandons his drill sword she wrenches it out of her treads and hurls it to one side, ignoring the damage on the inside of her metal hand, "Just as Autobots still call themselves Autobots; Decepticons still call themselves Decepticons! A war ending is no reason to cast off part of one's identity!" Surrounded by hovering mirror blades, Brawl does not rush into them. Instead, she raises her arms and twists at the waist. Her head sucks down into her torso and her entire body expands as it reconfigures. whrr-tschzz-tschzz-tschzz-chk Her vehicle mode is a massive four-treaded main battle tank. Merely the act of transforming has run her into the afterimages, scraping up her hull, but she doesn't care in the least. The main turret swings around, both cannons elevating. One fires a high-velocity round, leading Kale's flight path-- the other fires a split second later, estimating how he'll evade the first and aiming there. "If your country ends a war, you're still a warrior, aren't you?"
Aidan Proudpick	With the songbird? This isn't going to be good. Aidan has gotten only the most murderous vibe from that one. But, he tried to strike a knightly figure in his inside out pink shirt. "Oh, yea, I wouldn't... there can't be anything in there not covered in beef fat. You can have some of my nuts!" He gently waggles the box he is carrying. He holds onto it, staggering to one side as the massive shot rings out.
Kale Hearthward	IN THE STANDS "(Yeah, I bet you'd like it if she had some of your nuts.)" "Yes please! Skye has her popcorn, but I forgot to bring snacks." Skye reaches into her gigantic popcorn bucket and loudly and messily crunches a few kernels. "So! How do you think the fight's going so far? You fought Kale before, right? I want to know what you think." IN THE ARENA >"If your country ends a war, you're still a warrior, aren't you?" "No!" Kale pauses. "Yes, you are still a warrior, but!" There's a break in the conversation as Kale doesn't manage to entirely evade the incoming barrage. Once he's back on sure footing (in the air), Kale gestures with his sword, pointing it at her. "Is that what you are? The facet of yourself you present to the world? What you use to introduce yourself, to someone who barely knows you?" "I overheard someone mentioning earlier - using this to see what organics are made of. Well, let me reverse that - I'm here to see what cybertronians are made of! Is that all that this world has to offer the multiverse - a bunch of washed up warriors clinging to past glories?" He dashes forward. "Show me!" Kale's flying around Brawl now - using his sword to draw literal circles in the air around her, trying to catch her off guard if she tries to move!
Aidan Proudpick	Aidan sits in the stands, sliding the lightly salted mix of peanuts and walnuts towards Hazelthistle, trying to lift his nose and ignore Skye. "It's been a while. Right when our world was unified. He's gotten even faster since then." And I haven't... goes unsaid. "If Brawl didn't have all that Firepower, it would be one sided."
Combaticon	Brawl's tank form rotates in place on all four treads, then reverses. This runs her into the energy lines left behind by Kale's magic and the vehicle lets out a frustrated noise. Something clicks inside and the tank stops moving entirely. The four treads unfasten and move outboard slightly, then angle further out and down; lifting the main hull further off the arena floor. "Washed up? WASHED UP?!" The turret swings around, retracting the twin guns. In their place, the back of the turret opens and extends into a massive two-pronged artillery weapon. "I'll show you who's WASHED UP!!" STANDS-- Onslaught pauses when Brawl switches to artillery mode, then glances down at his console. Pressing a button, the audience's view of the fight becomes tinged in blue when a shield erects between them and the fight. "She lost her temper again, sure, but isn't that an overreaction?" "Just a precaution." ARENA-- The reports of Brawl's artillery cannon ripple against the shield protecting the audience, followed only by the shields then absorbing the shockwaves of each shell impact filling the arena with flame and dust. It's tough to see, but the distinctive chk-tschzz-tschzz-tschzz-whrr gives away when Brawl returns to robot mode in the aftermath of the bombardment.
Corona Arclite	There come out the real big guns. Corona and Windrose can both be heard cheering, reacting to the display of artillery like it was some kind of fireworks show. Which really isn't that far off.
Kale Hearthward	IN THE STANDS > "If Brawl didn't have all that Firepower, it would be one sided." "Firepower, maybe, but also how much armor she has - Kale looks like he's been struggling to really damage her all fight." "And I'm sure you're getting stronger in your own ways, right?" IN THE ARENA > "I'll show you who's WASHED UP!!" "Oh-" Kale quickly starts casting, his free hand rapidly trying to tie cords of wind together in order to- The artillery blasts come in. Kale's lost amidst the explosives and the debris. When the dust settles (literally) - he's in a different spot, and looking a bit burnt and a bit more worn out. He's been able to avoid getting blown up via movement and defensive spells - and in several cases, just gritting his beak and trying to aim himself for the worst of the damage saturation. "You... aren't disproving my point, you know." "Someone comes saying they're here to take your measure, to come to a conclusion about you, to see what you're really about - and the part you react to are the mild insults." "That's the vision of the Cybertron I'm taking home with me here, isn't it? Aimless warriors who don't know what to do with themselves anymore. The multiverse ill needs such as yours." Kale turns towards the booth. "Keep the shield on," he calls. Then he starts casting, bringing both hands together, fingers rapidly knitting the winds together - and then releasing, bringing both hands out and letting the volatile air go. The wind starts blowing. It starts howling. A storm takes shape. A storm of fierce winds, spiraling about the arena, picking up dust and debris and everything not nailed down and accelerating it - with Brawl at the center.
Aidan Proudpick	"I learned something important about myself," Aidan admits, "But I haven't been fighting in every universe. He fights nonstop." A shake of his head, remembering Skye was right there. Then comes the wind magic. Most of what Aidan knows hardly needs a gesture. Finding the volume of a space. Creating big walls. Arrows. He hasn't really seen someone of the level of a General cast wind magic. Weaving the air into a spiral, carefully tugging each wind into place. Aidan leans forward, only to suddenly jerk back and form a wall of wind of his own, expanding it out to protect his section of the stands. Damn.
Combaticon	"What point did you even have?" Brawl barks. She whirls in place to face Kale, approaching him with heavy steps. Debris in her way gets knocked aside, "You haven't listened to a thing I said." With the wind picking up, she leans into it, relying on weight and strength to continue her approach with chunks of metal ricocheting off her armor. "You're so fixated on labels you don't even care what we're doing or how far we've come or where we're going!" Eventually she has to crouch, sinking her fingers into the bare metal floor of the arena, scoured of all dust by the gale, "You made up your mind before you even showed up!" She's probably drowned out by the end, between the howling wind and the noise of objects smashing into her. When at last things settle down again, Brawl isn't moving. There's a gash in the metal surface made by her hanging on, perhaps two meters long, but she never got carried off into the sky. Only then does Onslaught disable the shields and rise to his feet. Depthcharge does not; merely glancing at him when he rises. "Well done, Kale Hearthward of the Paladins." Onslaught amplifies his voice to be heard, "I expected nothing less."
Kale Hearthward	When the storm subsides, Kale lands nearby Brawl and leans in close. "I haven't listened to a thing you said, huh." "A war ending is no reason to cast off part of one's identity.' I heard you loud and clear, so don't waste time by accusing me that I didn't. I just happen to disagree, and said as much." "You're right, though. I don't. Care, I mean: I don't care about what you're doing or how far you've come or where you're going. All of that, that's cybertronian problems. That's Brawl problems. I didn't come here with a reason to care, and I'm going to be leaving without one, too." "I came here to see what you could offer the multiverse - what impact you lot would have, what you'd do to it. And if you think I made up my mind before I showed up, well, then it was your job to change it." With that, Kale kicks his jet boots back on, and rises up out of the pit. He nods, politely, to Onslaught. "Thank you," he says, simply in response. "I'll let Miss Soroka and Chevalier Kirenai know they can collect their winnings." And then, over towards the private box. Hazelthistle has been watching intently, Skye has just been focusing on putting a dent in her comedically large popcorn bucket. "Hazelthistle. Skye. Proudpick. We're heading out," says Kale, hovering in front of them. He turns in midair and sights towards the area they'd left the ship - and pauses. He counts on his fingers. One, two, three... did he always have three team members? He'd been trying to find a third one - must have finished the paperwork and forgot. Maybe some of that artillery went off a bit closer to himself than he thought..
Corona Arclite	Corona Arclite huhs. Taps a few things into her arm device, mostly notes in case she ever ends up working alongside the Combaticons as part of the whole space cowboy bounty hunting deal. "Note to self, don't stand too close to Brawl firing." She glances up, then hmms. "Welp, if there's one thing Kale proves, it's why ya don't take the wind for granted. Tornados are dangerous fer a reason."
Aidan Proudpick	"I am not on your cr-" Aidan is baffled, truly in stunned awe at this moment. Staring blankly at Kale. "How are you so-" "I'll see you later, Hazelthistle," Aidan is partially angry, partially confused. He exits stage right.
Combaticon	A few moments after Kale departs, Brawl lets go of the ground. Shifting with the grinding noise of metal, she pushes herself to a one-legged kneel, and with more effort, rises to her feet. Sparks escape through her joints, covered in dents and cuts in her armor, the robot seethes silently. Depthcharge tightens her grip on her arms, fingers tapping on her bicep with a rhythmic tap-tap-tap, her face depicting a clear lost-in-thought sort of moment. After a bit, she stands up as well, turns, and exits the box, "Send her to my workshop. I'll see to the damage." "Of course you will," Onslaught follows Depthcharge's exit with his eyes, then glances down into the field. One hand raises, cradling the lower edge of his faceguard, "He got the fight he wanted. Though perhaps not the best first impression. What exactly was he hoping to learn by this beyond how a Cybertronian fights?" Steam jets out from under the faceplate, "Do organics truly believe that fighting is a form of communication?"