-Spy considers his options. To unleash his full range of fencing techniques in the first blow would be a mistake, as the foe would then be wary of it, and so could easily counter an expected blow. He also considers that the general, being in front of his men, will no doubt try some of the flashier techniques the Japanese specialize in.-
-He quickly makes up his mind. He lunges at the general, sword held low, and as the general's own blade lowers to block his strike, Spy juggles the sword from one hand to another and slashes upwards from the new, unprotected angle. As he jumps backwards, he is rewarded by the sight of the general clapping a hand to his cheek, blood flowing from a thin wound.-
- The Heavy takes the wrench from the Engineer's limp hand. He is afraid, for he has never done this before. On machines, of course, in Russia, it is a matter of national pride that no tractor or tank move without a few well-placed smacks with a hammer. But men are such fragile things, he remembers that from the first time he killed a man...-
-Taking careful aim, using as little of his great strength as possible, Heavy taps the Engineer's helmet with the wrench. Nothing happens. His heart sinking, the Heavy's shoulders sag.-
You see? You can do nothing. You are powerless. If you were to join me, oh, such things you could do!
-Heavy raises his head, the sneering, demonic visage imposed over his vision. It laughs at him, mocking him. Enraged, Heavy swings at the apparition, his hand still holding the wrench. It goes through the hallucination, which disappears with a last laugh, and continues swinging downwards, towards the Engineer's helmet. With a loud *CRACK*, it connects, splitting the hardhat in two.-
-Shinshiro stares grimly at his blood-covered palm, reevaluating his opinion of the spy. Clearly he is a far greater threat than the General would have believed; had that been an ordinary man, the blade would not have been able to touch him. Shinshiro shifts his gaze to the Spy, and nods-
Shinshiro: I commend you, saboteur. Few others have ever drawn blood from my face so early in a duel; first blood is yours.
-the Samurai brings his blade up, and suddenly his is on the Spy, moving with a grace and agility that is belied by his bulky armour and the strength with which he swings his sword. He leaves the Spy with a flowing cut on his right bicep, then leaps back-
Shinshiro: That is the only thing you shall take in this duel.
-onboard the Triumph, the woman reappears within the engine room. The startled engineers and maintenance personnel are quickly cowed when she slices through a console with a single stroke of her naginata-
Woman: On your knees, all of you! I have no desire to kill you, but will if I must!
edited 11th Jul '10 3:33:47 PM by SullenFrog
The Danse Macabre CodexSpy: Hrrrmmfff...
-The general moved far quicker than he looked. Spy didn't think himself outmatched just yet, but this was certainly his most difficult opponent to date.-
-Circling around the general, hoping to find an opening, he suddenly lunged and, as anticipated, the general stepped backwards to avoid the previous tactic.-
-Which is why Spy slashes horizontally, low to the ground, forcing the general to jump up and over him. Spy spins around while rising up, his sword following the movement, and -clink!- smiles, for he had cloven through one of the general's long, lacquered shoulder pads.-
Spy: A memento from our encounter, general!
-Pocketing the trophy and clutching his wounded bicep, he awaits the general's attack.-
Ow! What in the Sam Hill is goin' on here!!
WRENCH-MAN!!! YOU ARE ALIVE!!! GAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!
-The Engineer once again finds himself victim of a rib-compressing bear hug on the Heavy's part, shamelessly shedding Manly Tears.-
Engineer: Urk! What's...?
-Released from the overjoyed man's grip, he takes a moment to allow air back into his lungs.-
Engineer: Wheeze-What's going on?
Spy could scarcely believe it. Forcing himself to keep his eyes on the general, he wondered how he would react...
Shinshiro: You needn't worry, gaijin—I am not so cruel as to make an emotionally distraught man fight for his life when his friend is already doing a splendid job.
-his face hardens, and he is suddenly moving, his blade coming at the Spy from odd angles at an irregular tempo—above, below, left, down, up, inside his guard, outside it—and finally straight down. The General steps back a pace as the Spy's tuxedo simply disintegrates into numerous pieces; a single, shallow red line running from the Spy's sternum to his navel springs into existence a moment later-
Shinshiro: But now the stakes are higher, my friend. You gamble not merely with your own life, but theirs as well; loose, and it is possible that they may not survive.
edited 11th Jul '10 4:11:19 PM by SullenFrog
The Danse Macabre Codex(Welp, I gotta go, so I'll post the rest of this Glurgefest now and resume tomorrow.)
Heavy: Ve vere surrounded, by leetle robots! They shot us by surprise, the cowards, but Spy escaped them! He threw his sapper, stopped the robots, and ran away! Then vhen I came to, I ate sandvich and took you both to safety! And now-
Engineer: Safety? -Glances upwards, realizes they're under the mech they'd seen earlier.- Well, nowhere safer than on the cougar's back, my great-uncle Jehosephat used to say. He had a bit of a drinking problem, my great-uncle Jehosephat. Wait, did you say both of us?
Heavy: Da! You and... Pyro...
-Both look at the Pyro, whose mask is emitting nasty-sounding gurgles.-
Engineer: We gotta take that mask offa him!
-The Heavy puts his giant hands on either side of the mask, gets a firm grip, pulls... And suddenly finds his wrists appear to be on fire. On closer examination, the Pyro has grasped both of the Heavy's meaty wrists in his gloved hands and is pulling his mask back down.-
Heavy: Pyro! You are alive as vell! Come, ve celebrate with food and drink!
-Heavy has already given a sandvich and a chocolate bar to the rather astonished pilot, before the Engineer interrupts-
Engineer: Now, I hate to interrupt this little hoedown, but we're still surrounded by them robots an' their dogs! We need to escape!
Heavy: Good idea! We will take this mech apart, and you will upgrade Natascha so we can kill them all!
Engineer: That ain't gonna happen in a minute, pardner! Now, this here robot looks to me like it's got a rocket in the back. So what we're gonna do is climb on board an' fly off with it!
Heavy: But... Is cockpit made for leetle baby men like him -jabs an enormous thumb in the direction of the pilot-, how we fit?
Engineer: You'll just have to hang on to the best of your ability, I don't think anybody else but me can pilot this thing. I'll leave the hood open, so you an' Pyro there'll have something to grab onto.
Heavy: And vat about Spy?
-The Engineer looks at the dueling men and shakes his head.-
Let's hope he catches on to the plan...
(Gods above... I am become Glurge, provider of sugar.)
edited 11th Jul '10 4:12:20 PM by Chabal2
Spy: Harrrrrrhhh!!
-Clutching as the gaping wound, he casts around for his cigarette case. Looking the general straight in the eyes, he activates it, and a brand new suit unfolds from it, dressing the Spy instantly.
Spy: You will excuse me, general, if I do not share your penchant for the naked male form.
All enemy eyes on the duel, the Engineer works as fast as he can to understand the workings of the mech.
Heavy (clutching the Pyro, speaking as softly as his nature allows him): Are ve ready?
Engineer: Almost... I jus' need to figure out where the primary ignition switch for the engines is, and where the fuel valve emergency cutoff valve is located...
Pyro (gesticulating towards the pilot, who is showing signs of wanting to run away): Hmmmff!
Heavy: Wait, leetle man! I weel help you!!
-The Heavy grabs the pilot and readies to hurl him away.-
Engineer: Wait! Not yet!
Heavy: Vat?
-The Spy's situation is critical. His wound prevents him from attacking, he can only defend by blocking the general's sword with his own.-
-the General meets his blows easily, a small smile forming on his face-
Shinshiro: You are indeed a worthy opponent and a skilled warrior, saboteur; anyone else in your situation would be dead by now.
-Shinshiro makes a lightning-fast jab with his right hand, and suddenly the Spy's cigarette (assuming he had one) is now in the General's mouth-
Shinshiro: As reward for your skill, your friends will live, and I shall give you the honour of a quick and painless—nani kore?!
-Shinshiro stops, looking at something over the Spy's shoulder; he has caught sight of what the other members of the BLU team have been doing; he face settles into a mask of rage, and sakura petals appear out of nowhere to surround his blade-
Shinshiro: So they have chosen death.
edited 12th Jul '10 6:03:44 AM by SullenFrog
The Danse Macabre Codex-The old man is once again behind the woman, speaking softly and calmly-
Miss, I have no wish to harm you, like yourself, but I will defend this vessel to the best of my abilities, should you continue.
"One thing, though- apparently the eldest goat is the bastard child of Muhammad Ali and the Hulk." ~ Exelixi, on The Three Billy Goats Gruff.is the Triumph a boat or an airship?
-the woman turns to face the old man and bows-
Woman: So be it, oji-san. Let us move this to a battlefield where civilians will not be hurt.
-she twirls her naginata, once again yelling-
Tsukuyomi!
-and vanishes; only this time the old man is transported with her, to the roof of the Triumph itself. she bows once more, then leaps back and brings up her spear to a ready position-
Woman: Come, oji-san. You will cross blades with Tsukihime Kasumi!
The Danse Macabre CodexI appreciate your concern for the well being of the crew, miss.
-Bows, then drops into a fighting stance-
I really am sorry, miss.
-The old man lashes out viciously with his hand, ripping the Naginata from the woman's hands and hurling it away, skittering over the edge and falling thousands of feet, into the ocean.-
"One thing, though- apparently the eldest goat is the bastard child of Muhammad Ali and the Hulk." ~ Exelixi, on The Three Billy Goats Gruff.-Kasumi steps backwards as the old man rips her spear away, then steps back in quickly and scythes her leg underneath the old man, tripping him-
Kasumi: I want you to know that this brings me no pleasure, oji-san, but my duty supercedes my personal feelings on the subject.
-she cocks her arm back, her hand open and fingers straight, and jabs at the prone man with enough force to crumple one of the deck plates like tissue paper-
The Danse Macabre Codex-The man whips his hand up as he pushes himself away with his legs, slapping Kasumi's hand to one side, out of the way, and the deck plate crumples-
Investing too much force in a blow is often a poor choice, miss.
-The man rolls onto his back then flips back upwards, onto his feet, and lays a series of hammerblows onto Kasumi, driving her backwards-
"One thing, though- apparently the eldest goat is the bastard child of Muhammad Ali and the Hulk." ~ Exelixi, on The Three Billy Goats Gruff."This is Eaglelift, someone called a cab here?"
A VTOL craft approaches the area. As it overflies the crashed fighter, two large turbines attached on either side of its boxy fuselage swing down and it slows down, finally hovering over Justice One's position and gently starts to descend.
Starbirds One and Two continue to patrol.
A different shape every step I take A different mind every step of the lineThank god yer here! I thought I'd need to evacuate myself. Are there any fighters left back home for me to fly? I'm gonna give those Japs a bloody nose!
-as soon as he is able Justice One leaps into the troop bay of the aircraft-
edited 12th Jul '10 9:02:24 AM by Flanker66
Locking you up on radar since '09-Kasumi's eyes widen as she is struck repeadtly by the old man, forcing her backwards. She seizes him by the wrists anf falls backwards onto the deck, planting her feet in his abdomen and propelling him overhead-
Kasumi: Overcommiting to a single form of attack is an equally grievous mistake, oji-san—they both leave you open to exploitation!
-she hops onto her feet and assumes a ready position, waiting for him to recover-
The Danse Macabre Codex-The man flips backwards and lands on his feet-
Well done, miss.
-The man lunges forward, striking the woman hard in the stomach and propelling her backwards, then withdraws and prepares for an attack-
"One thing, though- apparently the eldest goat is the bastard child of Muhammad Ali and the Hulk." ~ Exelixi, on The Three Billy Goats Gruff.Engineer: Fuel flow engaged, secondary lights ready!!!
-The rockets begin to glow an pale blue, solidifying and intensifying. The Heavy has tucked the Pyro under one massive arm and is hanging on to the pilot with the other.-
Heavy: Now?
Engineer: NOW!!
-The Heavy hurls the unfortunate pilot back towards the duel, the Spy ducking under the pilot, who hits the general full in the face. The Spy drops the sword and starts running towards the mech, as the howling Oni guards follow.-
Engineer: IGNITION!!!
-With a high-pitched whine, the massive mech starts to lift its heavily armored mass into the air. The Spy continues onwards towards the mech, which tilts forwards and starts to move.-
Heavy: SPY! OVER HERE!!
-The Spy jumps onto the Heavy's arm and hangs on for dear life as the mech accelarates and gains altitude. As it roars over the massed Japanese troops, the Heavy bellows out his parting words.-
Heavy: I WEEL RETURN, COWARDS!! AND I WEEL INTRODUCE YOU TO SASCHA AND NATASCHA!!!!
Spy (waving the chunk of the general's armor): Au revoir, gentlemen!
-The mech continues its course, flying just above the treeline as shots bounce ineffectually off its rear armor. The Engineer does his best to increase the distance between them and the troops, but speed is greatly reduced by the fact that the cockpit's hood must be kept open to provide a grip for the Heavy.-
"You will be back into battle soon enough Justice. Now let's first get you out of here."
The VTOL starts rising again as soon as Justice is onboard, the troop bay doors slam shut and the craft turns and leaves the combat zone at low altitude, then accelerates and heads for one of the Airborne Aircraft Carriers. Which are out there somewhere, I bet.
"Starbirds, its time for us to move out too, we used up all our heavy weapons."
Starbird Flight moves out to the sea as two elements of two craft each.
edited 12th Jul '10 9:19:41 AM by catfish42
A different shape every step I take A different mind every step of the line-Shinshiro scowls, peering at the retreating mech as he rises unsteadily to his feet. The General is furious at having been deceived so, and he marches towards an Oni who happens to be tracking the robot with a pair of binoculars-
Shinshiro: {Have you identified the stolen unit, Captain?}
Oni: {I have, taichou-san—Oshogun no. 6417582, customized to OFX-specifications. Captain Homura's mech.}
-several of the other ogres shouler their rocket launchers, drawing a bead on the mech's retreating form-
Oni: {Shall I give the order, sir? At this close range, they couldn't possibly evade.}
Shinshiro: {That will not be necessary, Captain.}
-the general pulls a small remote from within a compartment on his hipguards, keys in the mech's serial number, and hits the power button. Onboard the mech, the rockets sputter once, then go out, and every system goes dead as the machine drops into a tailspin-
Shinshiro: {Let us see how long these dishonourable dogs will last in the darkest heart of Mindanao's forests.}
edited 12th Jul '10 9:22:58 AM by SullenFrog
The Danse Macabre Codex"Justice, are you alright back there? Behave yourself while you're flying with us, will ya'?"
The VTOL touches down on the deck of one of the airborne carriers, the doors slide open and the engines start to spool down.
"Good luck, Justice. I bet they'll rush you through quick routine medical check-up and debriefing before they let you out again. They always do that with downed pilots. Not that you'd know of course..."
edited 12th Jul '10 10:03:43 AM by catfish42
A different shape every step I take A different mind every step of the lineSenso: Wake up, Mech Commander! Wake up!
-Senso shakes Naito once again, trying to wake up his superior. Suddenly his eyes flicker open-
Naito: What's happened, lieutenant?
Senso: The sabouters have escaped but Shinshiro has take their mech down so they are now stranded.
-Naito looks around, the ngets up, stumbling a bit-
Naito: Hmmm. Shinshiro, go to the rest of the battle. I will deal with these saboteurs. I will not fail you again.
Ashe? Really? Sad Little Try-hard.-The old man lunges forward again, but instead of attacking, reaches out and gently presses his palm against Kasumi's forehead, before withdrawing-
"One thing, though- apparently the eldest goat is the bastard child of Muhammad Ali and the Hulk." ~ Exelixi, on The Three Billy Goats Gruff.

-Shinshiro nods, smiling faintly behind his Samurai mask-
Shinshiro: Yes, it is indeed a fine blade, Frenchman; Masamune himself would be proud of her swordsmith. Come, I will allow you to strike first.
-Shinshiro brings his blade up to guard, pausing as he watches the Heavy speak to thin air; then he shrugs and ignores it-
The Danse Macabre Codex