New Beginning 22: Once Upon a New Beginning...

[Celadon's Penultimate]

 "We may see some time soon." The Penultimate remarks.

[Tsubasa & Wen Tien]

"Great," Suzu replies. "I've been meaning to improve my Shining Blade for a while now, I just haven't had the time."

[Zaleramancer]

"You make my ears ache with shiny words. Don't make me start spouting "The Cursed Speech."

"Because I will if I have to!"

[Celadon's Penultimate]

"Oh, words can be shinier than that." The Penultimate smirks, "For example, the ancient speech of the Lu'Rali. They speak in all white when they enter a religious trance state."

[Zaleramancer]

"Keep in mind you are all still technically on my turf."

"Seriously contemplate what that means. :D"

[Celadon's Penultimate]

"Right, then. I shall make sure to stick with purple prose."

[Zaleramancer]

Verily.

[Celadon's Penultimate]

 The Penultimate sighs with relief.

[Tsubasa & Wen Tien]

"Are we allowed to speak as if we were in the manga Umineko no Naku Koro ni?" asks Suzu. "'Cause I can talk like one of the witches easily."

[Marvelous Miscreant]

Philote wrote

@Marv: Draw this new form of yours

I would, but It seems that my skills have failed me. I tried several times earlier but never managed to capture it.

[Celadon's Penultimate]

 It'll come to you eventually. Can't wait to see when it does.

[Tsubasa & Wen Tien]

Suzu cries out, "Come on finish the fight! Go, Butler or whatever your name is!"

[Marvelous Miscreant]

As my own energy rebounds back into me, I absorb it easy enough. After all, it is my energy. It's a shame I was unable to grab hold of Brutus as I'd intended with my little morphic bits, but it seems the fool has made a blunder instead.

"tsk, tsk Brutus, I thought you were getting smarter, but I see you're still as dense as ever. Seems, someone hasn't been paying attention...."

My body splits into multiple streams of thick black liquid that quickly flow through the air and across the ground to reform just out of reach. As I reform I resume my speech.

"I told you already, I'm not the same ole Marv no more. Haven't you figured it out? Your feeble Quartz breaking strategies don't work, because I'm not made entirely of quartz anymore."

My Body trembles and sparks with growing power, my voice becoming a deepening throb of earth.

"I have the meteor of my people. I have become their guardian. And finally I'm using it's power without fear. I am an amalgam of every Miscreant!

My form sputters and twists as metals, minerals and sediments flow from me like water.

"I'm not some paltry mimic or magical hack. I AM EARTH INCARNATE!"

My voice echoes across the arena, fading into silence.

"...and green is my thing."

A stone fist rips through the ground towards Brutus.

[Gentleman Vaultboy]

"Yeah! Do another move like that one move!" Sherman shouted in the theater.
"We came in late, what are they fighting about?" asked Load.
"Just for laughs, I think." Sherman replied.
"Savages."
"There are worse reasons." chimed Maupin.
"There are also better ones."  Replied Load, the pacifist.

"Oh, hey, Harold moved again." Piped up Sherman, the screen panning quickly for a wide angled shot of both competitors revealing the full brunt of the attack.

[Celadon's Penultimate]

Brutus dodges back to the opposite end of the battlefield, again quickened by mimicking the vampire. Then, with a great sigh he charges back forward, before leaping onto, and then over, the incoming earthen fist. A front flip through the air, and he launches a fierce bolt of blue through the Greatsword, to meet the fist and hopefully destroy it.

He sticks his landing, in the middle of the battlefield, with trademark smugness.

"Earth incarnate. I think Gaia would take exception to that." For some reason, he's visibly less bothered now, "Though, I do enjoy you revealing that unknown little tidbit. Last I'd checked, quartz was your thing. I shall certainly take the update into account."

His grin has returned.

"Blue is more my color, anyhow."

And the butler doesn't waste time before going off on his next endeavor to prove it. Quick as he can muster, he speeds back to the opposite end of the battlefield again. Blue blazes fiercely around him once more, like flame. And shortly, there is a faint tinge of blue from all around. Wisps of blue drift through the air, the essence of courage and bravery, from all across the field, to empower Brutus as he wields Babaraina.

Having gained enough energy to fuel what he intends, the butler takes another quick glance at Marv, then proceeds to run up the wall, and onto the ceiling. From there, he begins dodging from one spot to another, and at each place he stops, he fires a flurry of blazing blue-energy bombs.

(Hope I'm putting up enough of an interesting challenge for you, Marv...I originally had a whole lot of other ideas in mind for whoever Brutus battled next, but I seem to have forgotten a few, and the others would be utterly useless against an earth elemental...Also, let me know if my dodging or retaliating seems too convenient...)

[Marvelous Miscreant]

(Naw, you're fine.)

"Gaia can suck an egg for all I care!"

Spikes and shards of foreign metals grow on my arms, firing outwards into the oncoming orbs of energy.

[Celadon's Penultimate]

"Hmph." Brutus huffs as his attacks are countered one by one. He would have said more, but the Miscreant's projectiles are still incoming. So, instead, he attunes himself to the surrounding psychic energy (after all, the battlefield is within Zaleramancer's mind), and melds into it seamlessly.

As quick as he'd hurried up the wall and onto the ceiling in the first place, he's disappeared back into the ceiling, and seemingly made for yet another vanishing act. His timing is perfect to avoid the impact of Marv's metal attack.

Though, even when the dust of the barrage has settled, he is nowhere to be seen. Only the occasional echo of his breathing. And then, shortly, not even that.

[Gentleman Vaultboy]

"So, who's your pick for winner?" The old woman asks.

"Gonna have to go with Mr. Earth incarnate there," replies Load, "On account of his opponent having the wrong sort of faith."

"Whacha' mean?" Asks Sherman, not turning away.

Load makes a gurgle that manages to come off as smug, somehow. "Phthonos. This guy is using the power of crap gods. You know, false idols?"

"You're one to talk of false idols." Says Maupin.

"All I'm saying is, you aren't a real god unless the mortal brain analog explodes in the effort it takes to comprehend your presence. Now, if he were invoking gods who's names are literally unpronounceable he might have a chance. In fact, I'd go so far as to say he'd win for sure."

"I used to agree with you," Maupin replies. "But not for your reasons." she hastily adds. "Before he started up with his current technique, I was sure he wound lose. You can never win a fight just using other peoples tricks. You must have a few you've developed yourself. He didn't invoke a god, so this trick is probably his. So maybe his fortune will hold. I'm tentatively casting my vote to the butler winning."

"Shhhh!" went Sherman. "Somethings about to happen."

(Don't mind me, just using running commentary to calibrate a few personalities.)

[Marvelous Miscreant]

I scan the area frantically, looking for tell tale signs of Brutus. My form enlarges with stones, crystals and clays of types as I begin to sweep the ground and walls will massive earthen fists, attempting to locate the unseen combatant.

"Oh, not this again. Get out here and fight me like a butler!"

[Philote]

(What's the proper etiquette for making contact with these people or the other guy you have sneaking around )