Re: Intense Struggle Season 2! (Round 1: Training Facility ONX)
09-12-2010, 02:33 PM
Originally posted on MSPA by Drakenforge.
Karen seemed to dance around the worm, causing small scratches and cuts across its body with her sword. They were glancing blows; she couldn't cut much deeper in her state. The muscles in her right arm felt like they were burning due to the strain of not only the fighting, but that blast from CHARLIE. You didn't stop that kind of ordinance without suffering. She decided to rest just as soon as everything was over and done with. She knew the parasites would probably never cease coming, and if them and the worm didn't kill them, then they would die once the ten minute timer ended. She could imagine the station, if that’s what they called it, imploding in on itself, obliterating everything inside. If one died, the rest would live. But as things were, Karen wouldn't turn her sword on any of the others. Even suicide seemed too much for her to handle. If she died, the combat effectiveness of the group would drop significantly. CHARLIE and Marcus had the tech to survive, but they has limited resources of ammo. Dekowin had brutal strength, but seemed reckless. As long as she had time to rest, Karen could fight for quite a while.
She sidestepped as the worm slammed its head against the wall, shaking the whole room violently. It was only hurting itself at this point. There wasn't much it could do against targets as small as humans, and CHARLIE was as nimble as it was armed when it needed to be. Karen needed to take advantage of that somehow. She picked a spot on the floor that wasn't covered in goo, blood or the bodies of the parasites. She lined herself up against the worm, and fixed her body into a striking pose, her sword poised behind her waist, ready for a powerful swing. She took a deep breath, and braced her muscles for one more exertion.
The worm tried another lunge at CHARLIE, and swung wide across the floor. The machine gracefully avoided and gained some distance away to watch. Karen heard a scuffle to her right, Lloyd and Marcus's voices. She couldn't turn her head to look, as she needed all her concentration on the worm. She stared it down with extreme intensity, and mumbled a single word. A spell, in fact.
"Provoke."
The worm stopped moving for a split second. Then it turned, slowly at first, to look at Karen. A non-moving target. A sudden hatred. In impulse it couldn't ignore. It swung its head in a wide arc, and brought it down on a bearing for Karen. She waited until the last second for her technique to work. It needed all the force of the worm to be able to work. A few feet from her body, she kicked into overdrive. Her muscles bulged explosively, and her body twisted, using her left foot as a pivot. Everything in her body twisted to bring her sword around. The air split around the blade, forced out of the way by sheer power. The sword connected with the worms neck, and all the air that had been dragged behind the sword burst forward, the conflicting forces battled, until the worms neck split vertically. The gash cut all the way through, and continued, leaving a loudly carved gash in the metal of the ceiling.
"That..." Karen breathed, collapsing onto her back ignoring the blood oozing out around her, "Was my Steel Hurricane."
Her body felt heavy. She needed a breather. Just a minute would do. And then she would save everyone. Yeah, she'd think of something. Just like Coal would have. Always in the nick of time...
Karen never noticed that both halves of the worm were still moving.
Karen seemed to dance around the worm, causing small scratches and cuts across its body with her sword. They were glancing blows; she couldn't cut much deeper in her state. The muscles in her right arm felt like they were burning due to the strain of not only the fighting, but that blast from CHARLIE. You didn't stop that kind of ordinance without suffering. She decided to rest just as soon as everything was over and done with. She knew the parasites would probably never cease coming, and if them and the worm didn't kill them, then they would die once the ten minute timer ended. She could imagine the station, if that’s what they called it, imploding in on itself, obliterating everything inside. If one died, the rest would live. But as things were, Karen wouldn't turn her sword on any of the others. Even suicide seemed too much for her to handle. If she died, the combat effectiveness of the group would drop significantly. CHARLIE and Marcus had the tech to survive, but they has limited resources of ammo. Dekowin had brutal strength, but seemed reckless. As long as she had time to rest, Karen could fight for quite a while.
She sidestepped as the worm slammed its head against the wall, shaking the whole room violently. It was only hurting itself at this point. There wasn't much it could do against targets as small as humans, and CHARLIE was as nimble as it was armed when it needed to be. Karen needed to take advantage of that somehow. She picked a spot on the floor that wasn't covered in goo, blood or the bodies of the parasites. She lined herself up against the worm, and fixed her body into a striking pose, her sword poised behind her waist, ready for a powerful swing. She took a deep breath, and braced her muscles for one more exertion.
The worm tried another lunge at CHARLIE, and swung wide across the floor. The machine gracefully avoided and gained some distance away to watch. Karen heard a scuffle to her right, Lloyd and Marcus's voices. She couldn't turn her head to look, as she needed all her concentration on the worm. She stared it down with extreme intensity, and mumbled a single word. A spell, in fact.
"Provoke."
The worm stopped moving for a split second. Then it turned, slowly at first, to look at Karen. A non-moving target. A sudden hatred. In impulse it couldn't ignore. It swung its head in a wide arc, and brought it down on a bearing for Karen. She waited until the last second for her technique to work. It needed all the force of the worm to be able to work. A few feet from her body, she kicked into overdrive. Her muscles bulged explosively, and her body twisted, using her left foot as a pivot. Everything in her body twisted to bring her sword around. The air split around the blade, forced out of the way by sheer power. The sword connected with the worms neck, and all the air that had been dragged behind the sword burst forward, the conflicting forces battled, until the worms neck split vertically. The gash cut all the way through, and continued, leaving a loudly carved gash in the metal of the ceiling.
"That..." Karen breathed, collapsing onto her back ignoring the blood oozing out around her, "Was my Steel Hurricane."
Her body felt heavy. She needed a breather. Just a minute would do. And then she would save everyone. Yeah, she'd think of something. Just like Coal would have. Always in the nick of time...
Karen never noticed that both halves of the worm were still moving.