King of the Monsters
Toldor may be thuggish, but he's also combat-savvy enough to know what looks like an opponent trying to bait a big strike.
So he just throws a high kick at Aleifr.
"He's gearing up for war."
College of Winterhold Courtyard
With his nerves ready for any kind of opener, he deftly dodges the kick aiming for his chest & head by bending his knees & back until he's parallel to the ground, demonstrating his flexibility. While Toldor's leg is still up, he aims for a quick kick of his own while putting his arms back to facilitate a full backflip, with the goal of making him lose his footing on the snowy stone floor and trip.
King of the Monsters
Toldor is sent stumbling back. He stops himself from falling by stabbing his longsword into the ground behind himself.
He steps forward and goes for a one-two attack, first jabbing upwards at Aleifr with the hilt of his sword before sheathing it, then suddenly stepping back with a huge iaijutsu-style cleave.
"He's gearing up for war."
"And you wouldn't be wrong, brother," Neo replies with that same grin on his face. "New things... big things! Things that will shake the Arena itself to its core! I've found new friends, you see. Who let me play with so many wonderful toys. The kind of toys even the old Shadow King could barely comprehend! But I haven't forgotten. No, I never forget."
His own tentacles retreat into his back, signaling that he's not here to fight. At least not for now. But he gets so close to Pseudo he's practically in his face, his expression haggard, his whole body practically trembling.
"Do you have any idea what you did to me, big brother? You and little sister? How much you hurt me? As you were born to be perfect, I was born to be superior! The superior Pseudo, and the superior Porky! And for a while, all was as it should be... until you created that wretched organization of yours. Got your claws on everyone and everything in the Arena. But, I could still claim at least physical superiority to you. I was still stronger... I had my Annihilator Beam. Spankety, spankety. But then, little sister came along. And she took that too from me! But not for long. Not for long."
Neo puts his arm around Pseudo's shoulder in a parody of a friendly embrace. "Because soon, I will have more power than Pilly could possibly imagine... and then, I will reshape the Arena with my own hands. I will plunge it into chaos, so that all your plots and schemes will no longer mean anything. Then, and only then, will I once again become the superior chimera! You took my purpose away from me. So I will take everything from you! All those little toys you hold so dear, I will break them! And there is nothing you can do about it, do you understand? AHAHAHAHAHA! SPANKETY, SPANKETY, SPANKETY!"
He crosses his arms in front of himself with a self-satisfied grin. "Well? What are you going to do about it, big brother, little sister?"
College of Winterhold Courtyard
Aleifr swats back the first hilt strike with the palm of his hand, and when he sees Toldor sheathing he immediately goes for a lower stance with his other gauntlet up. With his armored forearm, he intercepts the cleave and breaks its momentum like Toldor just hit a brick wall, his boots barely skidding an inch.
"Strength, was it?" He pushes the sword to the side with probably surprising might in hopes of creating an opening, then goes for an open-hand strike to Toldor's center mass with the force of a battering ram to send him flying.
King of the Monsters
Toldor is blown back with predictable force. He stumbles to a stop, then falls over onto his back.
As usual, he revives and rises back to his feet. "Impressive."
4/5
He leaps for Aleifr with a mighty downwards blow!
"He's gearing up for war."
College of Winterhold Courtyard
Aleifr actually seems surprised when Toldor loses a life from that single strike, expecting it to take more work. "I don't share your sentiment." He raises his arms to block the downward swing, and although he could easily block with his gauntlets, he actually makes a point of putting them too close together so that the sword would hit the unarmored parts.
And it does, digging into flesh, but not even close to actually chopping his arms off. Once again, it feels like hitting solid rock. He pushes up and back again to dislodge the sword, and lunges again, starting to repeat the same maneuver. This time, however, he feints a punch to the chest while kicking with a steel-toed boot right between Toldor's legs.
King of the Monsters
Toldor lowers his longsword and turns it so that the flat of the blade takes the blow for him. Seems it's more durable than its wielder!
He then attempts to hit Aleifr in the knee with a low kick to dislocate the leg and leave him open for a follow-up slash.
"He's gearing up for war."
While Pilly seems to calm down a little when Neo pulls his mechanical legs back, she doesn't pull hers back just yet, listening to Neo with a robotic calmth and ready to strike when he's near his brother. She doesn't do so yet, partly because Pseudo lets him get this close (and she hopes his condition isn't the reason why), and partly because, even after all this time, she would still prefer a way to deal with Neo without having to kill him. He is still family in her mind.
Pseudo listens as well, unflinching even when Neo is close, though his mouth does form a bit more into a frown as Neo talks about the past, which may make Neo believe that he's getting under Pseudo's metaphorical skin.
He turns his head when Neo puts his arm around him, a hint of being uncomfortable in the very brief moment his eyes are visible when his hair moves as his head turns.
When Neo's done talking, Pilly, while conflicted, keeps her eyes focused.
"I guess letting you go back then out of hope that we could be a family was naive after all, huh?", she mutters.
"Well, if you think we'll let you get as powerful as you say you'll be-"
"Nothing."
Pilly pauses, looking at her brother, who's still looking right at Neo.
"Why should I attempt to stop you when I'm clearly not capable of doing anything right.", Pseudo says, his tone 'dull' again.
In the year 202X, all is devastation... Soon, any last shred of hope had by the saintliest optimist shall die and decay.
College of Winterhold Courtyard
Aleifr demonstrates his reflexes in addition to strength, already pushing back against the sword with the kicking leg while raising the other one to block Toldor's dislocation attempt, being pushed back from the combined momentum of both and causing the slash to go wide. He seems to be much lighter that time, curiously.
"I pity orcs like you. We may come from different worlds, but the attitude is the same." He says as he lands a few steps back, waiting for Toldor's next strike and seemingly not caring about the blood dripping from his arms.
King of the Monsters
"I do not need pity. I embrace what I am."
Toldor chooses not to comment on the implication of Aleifr being different.
He does something so stupid it might work - jumping up with his Amulet of Elevation and stabbing at Aleifr. This is not the elegant aerial thrust or plunging Hell's Gate that Sephiroth employs - it's a crude diagonal jab, something no sane person would try to use for fear of wind resistance throwing their sword way off-course.
"He's gearing up for war."
Pseudo can practically hear the proverbial Record Scratch in Neo's brain.
"N-nothing? You will not lash out at me in anger, or cry for help in the dark, or drown in despair... you will do... nothing?" He stumbles backwards in shock. "No... no, you cannot be serious! Just more of your deceit and manipulations, big brother, trying to catch me off-guard! I'm not a fly for you to catch in your web! Haaaaah... hehe... ahahah... are you even trying? Like anyone would possibly believe that Pseudo Porky, the head of the Anti-Assassin League, would honestly say something like this."
College of Winterhold Courtyard
Unfortunately for Toldor, that finesse is probably what he would need to make this maneuver work, as he simply rolls to the opposite side to avoid the stab - that might have actually skewered him for once, to be fair. "What you embrace is being small. Limited." He goes for a retaliatory punch at Toldor's side, aiming around the kidney area where he's also less armored.
"You have forgotten the Clever Craft, in all the myriad forms it can take. Probably thanks in part to people like them." He points to Ellder, and where he was angry but focused until now, he looks to be genuinely seething.
King of the Monsters
Toldor catches Aleifr's fist.
"You think hate limits me?"
He attempts to tighten his grip and throw Aleifr across the courtyard.
"You use it too. My hate saved our world. What purpose does it serve you?"
"He's gearing up for war."
Pseudo does seem momentarily surprised at Neo's reaction to his answer, but it doesn't change his attitude in the slightest.
"My days of manipulation are long behind me, Neo. My goals have been misguided and have only brought my allies strife. I'm certain that they will take action when you go through with your plan."
He shakes his head.
"But I will not."
"P... Pseudo.", Pilly softly mutters. Like Neo, she can't believe his words. She knows very well that his state of being is genuine, unlike Neo, but Pilly is shocked by the realization that it's this bad. Pseudo and Neo had been rivals from the moment they met. If anything would be able to snap him out of this, wouldn't it have been a declaration of war from him?
Pilly now fears that Neo's reaction might be quite volatile depending on if he continues to disbelieve, so she subtly has one of her spider legs reach into her back pocket, pressing a button on her phone, trying to silently alert Botar. Neo has obviously received some upgrades, so Pilly doesn't know for sure if she can still take him in a fight if he decides to attack Pseudo. And a part of her fears that Pseudo, in this bad a state, might not be willing to even fight back.
In the year 202X, all is devastation... Soon, any last shred of hope had by the saintliest optimist shall die and decay.
College of Winterhold Courtyard
"I'm not talking about hate, you dolt." When he feels Toldor catching and gripping his hand, Aleifr doesn't resist, letting the larger orc throw him while he focuses on landing (relatively) painlessly with a roll across the stone tiles.
"But speaking of, I used it to both save and destroy mine." Finding himself in a bit of a stalemate, his glance goes over to the other competitors. He then dashes towards Aldon, intending on baiting Toldor to defend his teammate before he swerves and goes for a nasty uppercut to his jaw. If Toldor doesn't follow, however, he just stops instead.
King of the Monsters
Callis attempts to grab Eggmet and hold it in front of the laser. If she fails the grab, she'll just get fucking blasted and left down on the ground with the wind knocked out of her.
"Again... impressive."
Toldor doesn't do anything to stop Aleifr.
Because the moment he gets close, Aldon's wrist moves in a flash to bonk Aleifr on the noggin with his shield, and Toldor smirks. "Why should I bother trying to protect those who can handle themselves?"
Floating City
Phase Woman, AKA 'Vivace', is out on patrol.
Why do I get saddled with investigation while the other Robot Masters get to watch that big tournament? she bemoans to herself.
private scene with psyco
"He's gearing up for war."
Neo grits his teeth and narrows his sole visible eye to almost a slit.. The drone eyes' irises turn red. His back wriggles and writhes as if he was preparing to unleash his metal tentacles again, but nothing of the sort happens. He clutches his head, pulls his hair, and paces back and forth a few times.
"So even in what was to be my moment of triumph, you choose to undercut me... It's not very nice of you to lie to your little brother, Pseudo." He turns to Pilly. "Why is he doing this? Why must he always do this?!" He stomps his foot against the ground like a child throwing a tantrum. "Whatever. Whatever. WHATEVER! When your those you once held dear turn against you... once EGOTIST turns your little playroom into a crater... we'll see if you start caring then!"
Pilly, noticing Neo's shift in behavior, gets ready to fight... until he has a minor breakdown.
"It is not my intention to undercut-"
He stops himself, figuring that Neo won't believe him no matter what he says. He then tilts his head.
"And how, exactly, will you turn my allies against me?", he asks, despite also figuring that Neo isn't dumb enough to tell him that. But his wording may accidentally feed his belief that he's trying to trick him into revealing information.
"What's EGOTIST?", Pilly asks, still looking ready to strike in case she has to.
Floating City
Vivace may end up noticing someone nearby. Someone who looks a little like Copy Robot.
◊
Hub hasn't noticed her though, standing with his back to her as he carries a bag in one hand. Judging by him tapping his foot impatiently, he's waiting for something or someone.
Edited by DevilPsyco on Jan 8th 2021 at 10:36:04 AM
In the year 202X, all is devastation... Soon, any last shred of hope had by the saintliest optimist shall die and decay.
College of Winterhold Courtyard
"Tch." Aleifr is annoyed that Toldor doesn't take the bait, and pushes back against Aldon's shield with his palm before moving back. "They looked weak, that's why."
"If you're done fucking around." Lambert calls out, and though Aleifr certainly looks like he's ready for more, he decide to retreat for now.
The werewolf steps up in his stead, while still looking back to the college entrance, bringing to mind his own memories of studying in a similar place, back when his world was simpler and he was blissfully ignorant of what it was really for.
"My husband may have indulged you in this charade, but he was insulting you in doing so at the same time." He readies two fingers on one hand, while taking several steps to his side, keeping his target unknown until the last second. "I will spare you any such plans. Disintegrate!" Starting with one of his most powerful spells right off the bat, he points and fires a beam at Ellder. He angled himself so that even if the initial spell misses, it will hit a pillar behind him so as to cause part of the upper floor to collapse.
Edited by AqueousBunnies on Jan 8th 2021 at 4:35:58 AM
[PASIO]
Unsurprisingly, Callis is able to wrangle the little monster without much issue. Perhaps surprisingly, its shell is tough and reflective enough to disrupt the laser's flow, and causes the ray to refract around. A stray shot destroys one of the other remaining cannons.
The other two remaining cannons, however, take this time to... you know, continue to adjust their aim. The angle of their beams should be approaching Callis's position by the end of this post.
/＼｡｡/＼
King of the Monsters
Callis tosses Eggmet aside and uses Broly's Gigantic Roar attack to just spew all over the remaining cannons, sweeping her ki breath to try and take them all out.
Toldor responds to Lambert's comment with a snort and tagging out.
Ellder just takes the Disintegrate.
4/5
Arena-forces suddenly assert themselves, and Aldon is forced to tag in while Ellder revives over time. The new alternative win condition in play is: defeat all three before any have a chance to revive.
Grinding away at their lives will still work, though.
Aldon runs up, gets low to the ground, covers himself with his shield, and throws a stab at Lambert.
Vivace raises her Buster. "Hey. You're not Mega Man by any chance, are you?"
Edited by KiriK on Jan 8th 2021 at 3:46:29 AM
"He's gearing up for war."
Hub glances back at Vivace when spoken to, then grins darkly.
"Depends on the context of your question."
He fully turns, keeping a sinister expression on his face.
"And you are?" , he asks, apparently not bothered by being held at busterpoint.
In the year 202X, all is devastation... Soon, any last shred of hope had by the saintliest optimist shall die and decay.
[PASIO]
The attack works beautifully. The cannons aren't destroyed, per se, but they're not working order anymore.
"Nice tech."
He then dashes her with intent to ram, whilst generating an Android Barrier around himself
/＼｡｡/＼
College of Winterhold Courtyard
"Remember, don't just unleash your rage. Focus it." Lambert says before the other two step back, intently watching for now.
Aleifr starts to slowly walk towards Toldor... and walking... and walking, until he's well within striking distance, with barely half a guard up. He seems content on letting his opponent take the first strike.