Challenges

[Tsubasa & Wen Tien]

Marvelous_Miscreant wrote

Marv halted mid-stride as his quarry spun around, her leg striking out in an expert kick towards his stomach. It was only with quick thinking and no small amount of reflex that he was able to defend himself.

With the sound of scraping glass and stone, Marv's arm expands beneath his poncho, shredding it dramatically and shedding scraps of torn fabric drifting across the train car. In the blink of an eye his arm becomes a large quartz fist with jutting spines of crystal protruding from the knuckles.

Akuma's kick collides with the mass of quartz and for the first time, the two combatant's get a decent glimpse of one another. Akuma's vision is met with the sight of a tall, slender man with slate grey skin and piercing light blue eyes. Thin black veins fade in and out beneath his skin giving him a stoney and rock-like appearance. He's dressed in clothing reminiscent of the time period, including boots and a wide brimmed hat.

Akuma grins. She'd hoped for someone with interesting powers and whaddya know? This guy had a power very similar to her own.

She quickly jumped back through the door into the galley, surprising the cooks there as she burst through the door. She quickly concentrated as her right hand changed into a set of black claws then an exoskeletal layer of armor traveled up her arm until it reached her face where her eye turned yellow and a curved horn appeared on her head.

Simultaneously, she called out, "Armorie Ancienne, Caligula!"

In a burst of silver light, a silver sword with claws protruding from its hilt appeared in her left hand as Akuma then charged forward to strike at Marv with the bastard sword.

(Note: The horn, exoskeleton, and change in eye color are merely cosmetic, they have no bearing on her abilities)

[Marvelous Miscreant]

"Oh, fiesty little lady, ain't ya?" Marv calls out coyly as he back-steps quickly to a better position as Akuma's sword accelerates towards him. His Large crystal fist reverts to a more proportional size as his other hand darts out, forming into a rough blade-like appendage. Marv gives it a couple quick swishes, then swings it in an attempt to parry Akuma's larger blade.

(It occurs to me that Akuma is most likely faster than I am, hence the back-stepping)

[Tsubasa & Wen Tien]

(If you can move faster than 160 ft per second, then you're faster than her in general, as well, most of the Shigemoto household are have the same reflexes as the average human)

"Fiesty?" Akuma calls back as the two blades clash and she moves to slash at Marv's face with her claw. "HA! I'm not even the worst!"

[Marvelous Miscreant]

By now, many of the passengers have fled the scene in fear.

Marv is barely able to avoid the full brunt of Akuma's claws and they leave several thin cuts on his cheek. A small line of milky white blood traces down the side of Marv's face.

Marv grins wildly, revealing his sharpened teeth.

"It's a shame I'm gonna beat you. You've got quite the attitude. I like that."

With that Marv's sharpened forearm extend several inches forcing Akuma away as he bends over backwards in a stunning display of agility. Planting his free hand on the coach floor, quartz flows from his hand anchoring it the the floor as he flips upside down over it, briefly preforming a handstand then landing in a crouch. In one swift motion he lifts his anchored hand from the floor and a quartz pillar rises with it.

Marv snaps his hand from the new defense and slides across a vacant table, flipping it in the process and hunkering down behind it as he lands.

He needed a moment to come up with a new plan of attack.

[Tsubasa & Wen Tien]

Akuma picks herself up from the floor in the kitchen and looks towards the dining coach. She hadn't expected him to push her backwards like that, even if she was a lightweight in comparison to the rest of her family. The pillar of quartz was a nice touch too. There were very few who appreciated works of art like her family and she really wanted to carve something nice from that pillar, but she first had to deal with the enemy in front of her... or did she? Maybe she could remove the pillar without alerting him and do something about it later....

To anyone else it would look as if Akuma was just standing there doing nothing but staring at the pillar of quartz.

[Marvelous Miscreant]

Marv carefully leans a spoon past his make shift barrier and studies the reflection. She was just standing there. Something wasn't right. Marv shrugged, not one to pass up an opening he rolled out from his hiding spot low to the ground and slid to a combat stance before throwing his arms open wide and letting fly a barrage of tiny crystals that erupted from his arms.

[Tsubasa & Wen Tien]

The crystals fly true and strike Akuma as she realizes that the battle hasn't let up. She quickly jumps behind a table and quickly drinks a potion before throwing the empty bottle at Marv as her cuts and bruises shrink.

[Marvelous Miscreant]

Marv charges towards Akuma in a full on sprint. His Arms quickly forming into massive anvil-like masses that he swings down at her.

"C'mon darlin' don't get doe eyed on me now. This was just starting to get interesting."

[Tsubasa & Wen Tien]

Akuma quickly jumps over the table and stands firm.

As soon as Marv got close, she swung with her sword from the left and her claws outstretched to cut him from above and the right.

[Marvelous Miscreant]

Marv's massive quartz arms are too heavy and two slow to block both attacks, He manages to slid his left arm in front of himself, narrowly deflecting Akuma's blade which clattered up the solid quartz and kicked a slice out of the weaker skin of his upper arm.

Marv's roars in pain, a noise that is quickly silenced as Akuma's claws rake across his unprotected neck and lower chin. Marv stumbles back in pain, white, crystal blood dripping from his wounds and hardening into thick, quartz scabs. Marv roars again, an almost inhuman sound and flails his powerful arms in rage.

[Tsubasa & Wen Tien]

As Marv flails wildly, he strikes Akuma, knocking her back into the galley. She quickly rises back to her feet and grabs three kitchen knives before throwing one of them at Marv and stashing the other two in slits in her dress.

[Marvelous Miscreant]

The knife lodges in Marv's chest, but he doesn't react. Instead he locks in on Akuma and charges headlong at her like a wild animal, liquid crystal streaming from his wounds.

[Tsubasa & Wen Tien]

Akuma stood her ground, only this time she let Marv's charge hit her as she swung her sword and claws, then swung with her sword yet again, hoping to take him out as quickly as possible. She really wanted to carve that pillar of quartz.

[Marvelous Miscreant]

Marv collides heavily with the blade, stopping dead as it cleaves through quartz and into his flesh. He stumbles, stricken by intense pain. Akuma slashes at him again, striking another powerful blow to his back. Marv falls to one knee, barely able to stand. Quartz begins to grow from his wounds sheathing them from further harm. Slowly the quartz travels up his skin to the rest of his body, cocooning him in a cast of crystal.

In seconds Marv is nothing but an immobile statue frozen to the floor.

(But this is far from over yet)

[Tsubasa & Wen Tien]

Akuma falls to her knees, panting slightly as her claw and its cosmetic effects disappear, though her sword remains grasped in her left hand. Maybe now she could carve the pillar?

[Marvelous Miscreant]

A faint sound like cracking glass emanates from Marv's immobile form. Small fractures begin to spread along his frozen joints.

[Tsubasa & Wen Tien]

Akuma jumps up, immediately alert, and holds her sword in front of her as she slowly grabs one of the kitchen knives.

[Marvelous Miscreant]

The crack stops, but only for a moment before Marv's entire body explodes outwards. Shards of quartz piece the air in an angry flurry before embedding themselves in the walls and floor.

"You hurt me...you shouldn't have done that...Now I'm gonna turn you into a statue."

[Tsubasa & Wen Tien]

Akuma looks at Marv before answering, "Turn me into a statue? I doubt it. Lady Crescent made my kind so we'd be almost impossible to affect with transmutation or similar effects."

She laughs, "Unless you're a god, you're going to have a lot of trouble altering my body against my will."

Akuma hoped with all her might that her opponent wasn't a god. That would be unfortunate... for her. She certainly hadn't finished her training to fight as well as the rest of her family much less against a demigod.

[Marvelous Miscreant]

A stream of brilliant white liquid jets from Marv's palm, consuming a stray mug and sealing it in Quartz. Marv smiles evilly, thin plates of quartz slowly forming over his arms and legs in the vague shape of armor. He then slowly raise his open hand to Akuma.

"Oh, it's gonna be easier than that....Heh...heh he....Heh he he he he ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha..."