[ nikkari is fast, and he draws his blade as soon as the cables shoot out of the cabinets. that seems to have been for naught, though, because he's restrained before he can even attempt to slice through any of the wires; nikkari aoe the sword clatters uselessly to the ground. perhaps if he had been a tantou, he might have been able to cut his way out... but he supposes there's no use lingering on that now.
when he finds he can't move at all, his pupils dart as far as they can to the very corners of his eyes to see if he can manage to catch his companions in his peripheral vision. ]
Junpei, Edelgard-san—stay calm. [ way easier said than done, my man. ] Any attempt to struggle may worsen the situation further.
[Thanks for the advice, but she's not listening - she cuts down a few of the cords, but others quickly take their place, and she drops her axe, frozen. She seems to be in something like blind panic as soon as she's restrained, struggling useless against the restraints, but as soon as the coil slides up her spine, it jolts her into anger with a gasp of breath.]
Let go! Let go of me this instant! [She hears Nikkari, but that doesn't stop her from trying to struggle - trying, because she realizes she can't move any more. She hisses, furious, trying to maintain stoicism even though every aspect of this is sending her somewhere dark, and she feels like a caged animal, desperate to get free again.] Solve it, Junpei. Now.
Junpei's game has yet to begin. The fighting game, meanswhile, has started to play background music, as the screen shows a glitchy background... that seems to be the arcade?
Audio begins to play, as if from a game cutscene-- but it's coming from Nikkari and Edelgard, the now-familiar voice from the PA system announcements overlaid with their own voices. The cables wrapped around them pulse gently as they're forced to speak along with the clip, acting the following lines:]
"--Holy shit, what are you doing?!"
"Trying to shove this lance up your fucking asshole! What does it look like I'm doing?"
"It looks like you've lost your goddamn mind. Calm down, Ḩ̷̠̫͖̺̩͉̻̮͍́̀-̸̢͈̗̞̳̦͎̯̪͇̇̀̉̒͛̆̈́̇̚̚-̷̢̢͎͎̙̩̳͓̟͈͆̈́̍͊̿͒̔̽͋͜ͅͅ-̶̣͉̮̲̍͋̌͘̕͝-̶̨̢̞̜̗̙̖̹͓̤̪̀̿̆̀̋-̷̧̛̫̲̞͉̩̩̣̠̠̠̩̮͙̓-̶̟̬̪̲͛̔̿̉̄͌̒̆͊͘͘̚͘̚, and we can talk about this."
"Calm down...? Are you seriously asking me to calm down? You must think I'm a moron. I bet... I bet you always think you're the smartest guy in the room, don't you?"
"... Ḩ̷̯̍͐̂͆͊̓̄̀́͗̍͋̍̕͝͠-̸̧̡̢̢̛̛̦͕͇͈̗̩̺͕̒̒̃̌͜͠-̶̼̬̮̮͓̅͒-̶̧̛͕͎̩̯̱̱̯̞̙̩̦͈̲̾̊̄̋͌͌̔̕-̵̗̼̲̳̼̖̙̮̦͙̑̈́̈́̈́̋͆̽͆͋̅̄̈́̌͜͝-̵̡̛͇̥̰̣̞̑͛̈́͑̌̂̌̒̎̃̓̔̚͠͝-̷͖̃̀, I really don't know what you're talking about."
"Hah-- Of course you don't. You think everyone on this fucking ship loves you, right? You don't think anyone talks about you behind your back. I'm such an idiot for thinking we were friends, when it's your fault that my brother is dead."
"That's-- What?"
"I've been talking to M̷͎̮͖̤̭̞̳̭͚̂̚-̸̘̜́̅͛̓̃͛́̐͑̃̇͂͝͝-̸̣͎̻̐̋-̸̢̡̡̦͉̹̮̳͕̮͛͑̓̓̓̒͝͝-̶̢̮̠͎͙̟͉̪̤̘̺͉́̈́͊͒̓͐͊̎̒̈́̎͝͝-̴̧̢̗̭̞̤̲̞͔̝͍͈͚͕͖̘͆́͂́͋́̏̃͑̉̏͠͠͠͠. You know what she told me? That she and the other two -̷̛̳̺͎͕̐̑̅͠-̷̫͉̙̬͑̀͆͐͂̄̑-̶̢̛̭̰͚̉̄̄͐̈́̅̕-̸̨̝͈̞̣̦̱͓̈́͐̈́̌̆̂͆́̃̇̉̃-̶̡̢̩̙̫̟̖̆̀ͅͅ-̵͕̒͊̈́̎̚͘-̵͇̈́̓̈́͊͒͊́̏͝͝͝c̷̲͔̎̀͗̽͌̓̊̔̒͠k̷̨̧̹̘̝̳̼̂̌͜ḙ̶͓̑̅̈̋̋̒̕̚͠ṙ̴̛͔͖̙̠̗͒͋̀̎̀͘̚ͅs̷̞̭͇̲̯̣̖̎̽̀͊̕ͅ planned to -̷̡͎̜̟̣̖̜̇-̶̨̨̤̩̣̯̯̯́̐̔͐̈́̐̽̓̽̿͋-̵̰̩͎̳̦̟̮̹̃̒̑̔̀͋-̴͇͈̩͛̎͠-̷̼̤͂̋-̶̨̩̗̔͂́͛̌̚͜-̷̹̓̃̈́̾̅-̶̡̨̻̲͙̞̭̦̥͛̀̆̈̈́́̉-̵̢̰͖͚̥̻͖̟̭̲͉̌̈̀̀͋̊̕-̷̜̰͇͓̿͋͂́̓̈́͝͝ my brother, and you said no. And you know what else she dropped along the way? That you specifically told them to keep any information they found away from me."
"H̷̤̬̙̠̒̈́̓̔-̷͇̗̰̺͇͋̌̓́͊́́́̈́͘-̴̨̛͖̝͈̙̣͉̓͂̾̈̃̒-̵͓͖͖̮͍͔͓̭̞͈͗̐͑-̸̪͔̰͓̅̊̈́̈́͑̽̑-̷͔̬̰̰̐, it's not what it sounds like. I swear."
"Don't waste your breath. It's midnight and we're both awake. So either you're possessed, and here to kill me... Or they've given me their blessing to put you in your place."
"... So we're really going to fight over this, huh?"
"Yes. But look at the bright side, -̶̢̗͍͎̭̹̞̣͛̔ͅ-̵͔̗͗̚-̶̟̫͒̂̌̄̓-̶̰̱͔̜̰̙̮̩̙̱̥͚̋̌̋͠-̵̳͎̹͖̻͙̞̥̪̼̿͛̓̊̐̀͛̋̐̾̀͝-̷̢̙̬͓̹̥́͜-̴͔̟̭̱̐͋̾͊̈́́̓̃... You won't have to send pictures of your ugly dick to talk to Ą̸͔͎̩̗̱̌̈́-̶̛͎̺̠̲̿̐͛̀̽͗̃̀͋́̄-̴̖͓̤̳̳̦̣̰͓̅̊͛͑͋̕͠-̶̨̛̞̺͎̲̙̝̰̦͇͔̊̏̎͐͒̃̍̎ͅ-̷̳͙̳̮̒̈́͒͜-̵̙̦͉̲̮̰̮̣̏̀̿̈͂̑̍̂̌̈́̚ anymore."
[Following this, they're each forced into a fighting stance, both picking their weapons back up. They'll be able to move-- but only to fight each other.]
What do you think I'm trying to do!? [This is to Edelgard, but he can only turn his head enough to listen to the dialogue and...oh. Oh that's a lot, he'll memorize all of that and try to write it down later. Uh. UH. He's also watching both of them pick up their weapons and he's trying to break loose from the cables again.]
Okay! Okay, whatever you do, swing the opposite way and don't actually hit each other! Break the cabinets if you can! [Maybe that'll help? Shit.]
[ well. this is something. being used by somebody else isn't exactly new to nikkari, but that had only been been before he'd obtained this human form of his. this feels wrong on every level, from the way he's forced to speak the words of someone else to the way he's filled with the compulsion to fight edelgard. this goes against everything he stands for, everything he's ever known, and it turns out he really fucking hates that.
he hears junpei's words, but as much as he'd like to listen, he can already feel his limbs forcing him to face his companion. the least he can do is turn his sword so that the blunt back of the blade is turned toward his "opponent," rather than the razor sharp edge of the proper side. ]
Edelgard-san... if there is any way to strike me with your weapon without murdering me outright, I'd appreciate it—!
[ with that, he begins to advance toward her, doing everything he can to avoid dashing in like he normally would, but it only serves to slow him down so much. ]
Don't you have any ability to evade me? I'd focus your breath on that.
[She doesn't actually mean that as harshly as it sounds. Only that she's struggling to regain her control, but she has very little of it, and it's hard on top of that to focus on directions being shouted at her. Besides, he has the weapons triangle advantage?? She will try to turn her axe so it won't cause as much damage, but it doesn't really have a blunt side, and she's focusing her efforts more on using it to block his strikes, since she doubts she's able to move as quickly as he is while wielding the heavy axe. She'll try to follow Junpei's direction and swing into cabinets, but she may bring down some heavy blows in his direction - dangerous, but not all that fast.]
[Good luck not killing each other! Nikkari is fine for the moment, but Edelgard will find herself redirected if she tries to attack anything but Nikkari; the cables will hijack her body once again, arresting the swing and turning it back toward him.
Meanwhile, Junpei's game has begun on its own-- has he been paying too much attention to the others to dodge that first barrel?]
[Yike, that's going to go poorly. He's not a combatant and that means there isn't much he can do for the two who're busy fighting each other. It's the only reason he looks back at his screen and notices the game's begun and he slams the right button just barely clearing the barrel.
He's also looking at the screen to see if Donkey Kong and the princess are still up at the top. If it's just playing the game? He can do this.]
Uh, maybe both of you try to not outright kill each other? That'd help a lot!
Something tells me—[ his breath catches in his throat as he leaps out of the way of edelgard's axe, the sheer blowback generated by her swing itself pushing him back a little, ]—that we may not have much of a choice!
[ it's annoying to literally have control wrested away from him any time he so much as attempts to divert his course. he's trying very hard to not strike her with his usual skill, instead focusing his attention on her weapon rather than edelgard herself, preferring to have metal clash against metal instead of spilling blood. maybe that'll be good enough for the shitty game demons? ]
Do you think... this is a fight to the death, or are we merely here to distract Junpei from concentrating on winning his game?
[Yes - some of those strikes on her part are pretty close calls. As for Nikkari, she’s able to block most of his strikes, particularly if he’s aiming for the axe. She nods when he speaks.]
Junpei, focus on your own trial. Your suggestions aren’t required.
[A little harsh but if he’s going to keep shouting at them to try not to murder one another, he’s going to get hurt himself.
She’s starting to come back to herself a little bit, the fighting revitalizing her somewhat. Nikkari is a skilled opponent. In any other circumstances, sparring against him would be thrilling.]
It’s a game, isn’t it? I imagine one of us must achieve victory to end it. I wonder if it can be done without bloodshed?
[If Junpei's looking at the top, he'll find Donkey Kong is still there-- but his head is replaced with a giant eye. The creepy one from the usual gif, you know the eye. The princess has been replaced with a sprite that looks somewhat like Akane, though.
As long as there's attacking going on and they target each other, the game demons seem satisfied enough, so Nikkari won't find he has too much trouble aiming for her weapon! And as for Edelgard's thought...
Junpei might have the answer to that. Once he clears part of the stage, the screen glitches and shakes, and the display at the top has changed:
However, once the screen returns to normal, the difficulty has ramped up, and the game is still hit with the occasional glitch that makes it harder to see the screen.]
Akane? [The name slips as he leans in closer to the screen, assuming it's a trick of the game and gritting his teeth. He's taking Edelgard's advice though and ignoring them, aware of that changing number. Run, Jumpy-sprite, run. He's busy moving the avatar to climb up a ladder and keeping an eye on his own screen.]
Power source is fucking up. [This is said to the other two as he tries to make the sprite run faster.] If it's victory though, is it between the two of you or all three of us?
[Granted, trying to make the sprite run faster means he skids a little past the other ladder he's trying to reach, and while he can clear one barrel, there's another that rolls and plows right into Jumpy-sprite.]
[ spoken a little too soon there, though, it seems. he's a little distracted as he tries to carry on the conversation mid-battle, and he just barely dodges a swing from edelgard. he doesn't take the full brunt of the hit, but the spikes crowning the head of the axe manage to slice a shallow gash through one of his legs. he yelps in pain as blood starts to gather at the wound, but he remains standing as he strikes back at the weapon. it'll take more than a little cut to down a sword spirit. ]
[She hisses when she feels her axe graze flesh, losing her own balance momentarily and only just catching his strike. She looks angry - though more with herself than with him, as she is genuinely trying not to hurt him whatever she said before.]
Stay focused! In a true battle, I'd have cut you down there.
[But as strong as she is, she's not as strong here as she is with her crest. She's growing less cautious as the fight goes on, the strain of having to wield her axe and armor (the dress is armor somehow) and keep up with his speed and skill beginning to wear on her.]
[On the screens of the two fighting games, the silhouette representing Nikkari appears to take damage, health bar dropping a bit; Edelgard's remains full, strained as she might be starting to feel.
When that barrel hits Junpei's sprite, he's also going to find out why he has those extra cables attached: there's a sudden jolt that will leave him feeling drained, and the screen shudders once more as the lights in the room become brighter again.
[There's a yelp as he feels that jolt, head spinning for a moment and the screen shudders even as the light becomes brighter. He looks up at the screens above, squinting to read the bar.
"Okay. So a 20% hit gives a 10% power boost. 30% down is 60%, and 60% out of 80% is 20%..."
Luckily he says none of this out loud, but he forces himself to face the screen, eyes scanning the game before moving the Jumpy-avatar up another ladder, running a short distance and grabbing a spare hammer. He uses it, swinging at a few incoming barrels, but he does nothing as one rolls directly into the avatar again.]
[ junpei's cry registers somewhere in the back of nikkari's mind, but with edelgard telling him to keep his attention on her, junpei's unfortunately getting placed on the backburner for now. sorry, dude, but that axe also hurt and also he kind of has a little bit of self-preservation too??
the renewed sense of survival spurns something in him, though. just like how edelgard had thought about the thrill of battle as they exchanged blows, there's something about the blood slowly trickling down his leg that rouses the part of him that accepts he is, first and foremost, a weapon created to kill. baring his teeth in a wide, unsettling grin, his face darkens as he lunges now for edelgard herself. ]
[He manages to move too fast for her this time; the blow glances off her axe, but only the pole, and as such still manages to slash her arm. She grimaces, but doesn't react with anything else; some blood drips down her arm onto the handle, but she's used to being able to withstand blows in combat.
Still, he has her on the defensive now even more, focuses on blocking his strikes.]
[The math works out. He can hear the sounds of both of them fighting and see the movements from the corner of his eye, but his focus now is on powering up the room. The only way, maybe, is to win the game. So he climbs, the Jumpy-avatar taking a different hammer to bash barrels in his way, getting burned by a baby fireball crawling its way up the screen from an oil can and crawling up ladders. Another barrel smashes into him as the game glitches, but he's climbing the last ladder to reach the Akane-avatar, attempting to bolt toward her.]
[ nikkari has been ready to engage in combat from the moment he'd decided to attempt a break-in, judging by what he'd heard from others who had done some exploring themselves. he'd started to feel like he'd been slacking lately with all the focus on sleeping with others, so it was good fortune that the week's new floor had included a place to train; in doing so, he'd started to build up restless energy for the impending fight.
now that the proverbial dam has burst open with the grazes caused by edelgard, it doesn't seem to matter to him whether his opponent is friend or foe. with his blade finally drawing blood from her, the familiar scent of battle has settled in him, he charges at her again. while it doesn't seem like he has the intent to kill... he doesn't seem to mind a little hurt now, either. ]
[They still aren't aware that hitting each other is helping, they're just like this. When Nikkari starts to come at her in earnest, she can't keep up well. He knocks her off balance, and the sword nearly hits her directly; she moves at the last moment, instead letting it run a long gash across her back. It stings badly, but she doesn't have time to inspect the damage.
Furious, she whirls on him - not planning to strike with fatal intent, but trying to knock him down and win the battle once and for all. She leaps in the air to bring her axe down on him, hard, intending to strike with the blunt side, but as I said, there's no actual blunt side.]
[I'm very glad Nikkari and Edelgard are just going hard now? Considering the action and the size of that axe, there's probably some collateral damage to the room happening here-- shelves being dented and parts falling off in tiny clouds of dust as they swing their weapons. Edelgard now has the lower health bar, somewhere just above half empty.
On Junpei's end... the double hit he takes does do a little more. The new display is:
The baby fireball isn't quite worth a barrel, apparently, but there's one more obstacle between him and the Akane sprite. One more barrel coming that he will have to either be hit by to keep climbing, or hop off the ladder to dodge, as he's still 5% from the power source reaching its full strength.
The lights in here are bright now, the overhead bulbs buzzing audibly, breaker box shooting off a spark or two. Junpei will feel much more sapped after reaching 40% on his own end; it's becoming painful, actually. The cables are even more animated, now, which I forgot while editing another sentence, but that's still a thing! They pulse noticeably.]
Son...of...a bitch...[It's ground out between his teeth, breath labored to keep his eyes focused on his own screen. He does chance a glance at the other two, trying to see their screens.] Watch your health bars...they go down...game over.
[Meanwhile, the lack of energy and the physical wear and tear feeling have him leaning against the cabinet as much as he can while bound by cables. His eyes squint to focus on the game, and the Akane sprite.
"40%...20%...just for 5% more..."
The pulsing cables are a little distracting, but the lights are bright and the box isn't promising. But at the same time...there's literally no other option.
Even in a pixel form, he can't leave her behind. And it's why he braces himself for whatever the fuck's going to happen and lets that barrel crash into him before he tries to climb once more to reach Akane-sprite.]
[ fuckin edie poppin a wake up super into an ultra over here... poggers
dumb fighting game meta jokes aside that probably only i will find funny, nikkari isn't expecting her to jump into the air with both her axe and her armor. hot damn. junpei's reminder, though, is able to somewhat snap him out of the sudden bloodlust edelgard had awakened inside him. while she doesn't score a direct hit on him—god help him if she had—as he scrambles out of the way at the last second, even the slightest of glances from a weapon as heavy as hers will still hurt like a bitch. as he attempts to get one last hit on her, the axe's teeth crunch into his leg—of course, not the one that had been previously injured, that would be too convenient—and he falls hard onto the ground.
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fullthottle) wrote2019-11-04 08:52 pm
no subject
when he finds he can't move at all, his pupils dart as far as they can to the very corners of his eyes to see if he can manage to catch his companions in his peripheral vision. ]
Junpei, Edelgard-san—stay calm. [ way easier said than done, my man. ] Any attempt to struggle may worsen the situation further.
no subject
Let go! Let go of me this instant! [She hears Nikkari, but that doesn't stop her from trying to struggle - trying, because she realizes she can't move any more. She hisses, furious, trying to maintain stoicism even though every aspect of this is sending her somewhere dark, and she feels like a caged animal, desperate to get free again.] Solve it, Junpei. Now.
no subject
Junpei's game has yet to begin. The fighting game, meanswhile, has started to play background music, as the screen shows a glitchy background... that seems to be the arcade?
Audio begins to play, as if from a game cutscene-- but it's coming from Nikkari and Edelgard, the now-familiar voice from the PA system announcements overlaid with their own voices. The cables wrapped around them pulse gently as they're forced to speak along with the clip, acting the following lines:]
"--Holy shit, what are you doing?!"
"Trying to shove this lance up your fucking asshole! What does it look like I'm doing?"
"It looks like you've lost your goddamn mind. Calm down, Ḩ̷̠̫͖̺̩͉̻̮͍́̀-̸̢͈̗̞̳̦͎̯̪͇̇̀̉̒͛̆̈́̇̚̚-̷̢̢͎͎̙̩̳͓̟͈͆̈́̍͊̿͒̔̽͋͜ͅͅ-̶̣͉̮̲̍͋̌͘̕͝-̶̨̢̞̜̗̙̖̹͓̤̪̀̿̆̀̋-̷̧̛̫̲̞͉̩̩̣̠̠̠̩̮͙̓-̶̟̬̪̲͛̔̿̉̄͌̒̆͊͘͘̚͘̚, and we can talk about this."
"Calm down...? Are you seriously asking me to calm down? You must think I'm a moron. I bet... I bet you always think you're the smartest guy in the room, don't you?"
"... Ḩ̷̯̍͐̂͆͊̓̄̀́͗̍͋̍̕͝͠-̸̧̡̢̢̛̛̦͕͇͈̗̩̺͕̒̒̃̌͜͠-̶̼̬̮̮͓̅͒-̶̧̛͕͎̩̯̱̱̯̞̙̩̦͈̲̾̊̄̋͌͌̔̕-̵̗̼̲̳̼̖̙̮̦͙̑̈́̈́̈́̋͆̽͆͋̅̄̈́̌͜͝-̵̡̛͇̥̰̣̞̑͛̈́͑̌̂̌̒̎̃̓̔̚͠͝-̷͖̃̀, I really don't know what you're talking about."
"Hah-- Of course you don't. You think everyone on this fucking ship loves you, right? You don't think anyone talks about you behind your back. I'm such an idiot for thinking we were friends, when it's your fault that my brother is dead."
"That's-- What?"
"I've been talking to M̷͎̮͖̤̭̞̳̭͚̂̚-̸̘̜́̅͛̓̃͛́̐͑̃̇͂͝͝-̸̣͎̻̐̋-̸̢̡̡̦͉̹̮̳͕̮͛͑̓̓̓̒͝͝-̶̢̮̠͎͙̟͉̪̤̘̺͉́̈́͊͒̓͐͊̎̒̈́̎͝͝-̴̧̢̗̭̞̤̲̞͔̝͍͈͚͕͖̘͆́͂́͋́̏̃͑̉̏͠͠͠͠. You know what she told me? That she and the other two -̷̛̳̺͎͕̐̑̅͠-̷̫͉̙̬͑̀͆͐͂̄̑-̶̢̛̭̰͚̉̄̄͐̈́̅̕-̸̨̝͈̞̣̦̱͓̈́͐̈́̌̆̂͆́̃̇̉̃-̶̡̢̩̙̫̟̖̆̀ͅͅ-̵͕̒͊̈́̎̚͘-̵͇̈́̓̈́͊͒͊́̏͝͝͝c̷̲͔̎̀͗̽͌̓̊̔̒͠k̷̨̧̹̘̝̳̼̂̌͜ḙ̶͓̑̅̈̋̋̒̕̚͠ṙ̴̛͔͖̙̠̗͒͋̀̎̀͘̚ͅs̷̞̭͇̲̯̣̖̎̽̀͊̕ͅ planned to -̷̡͎̜̟̣̖̜̇-̶̨̨̤̩̣̯̯̯́̐̔͐̈́̐̽̓̽̿͋-̵̰̩͎̳̦̟̮̹̃̒̑̔̀͋-̴͇͈̩͛̎͠-̷̼̤͂̋-̶̨̩̗̔͂́͛̌̚͜-̷̹̓̃̈́̾̅-̶̡̨̻̲͙̞̭̦̥͛̀̆̈̈́́̉-̵̢̰͖͚̥̻͖̟̭̲͉̌̈̀̀͋̊̕-̷̜̰͇͓̿͋͂́̓̈́͝͝ my brother, and you said no. And you know what else she dropped along the way? That you specifically told them to keep any information they found away from me."
"H̷̤̬̙̠̒̈́̓̔-̷͇̗̰̺͇͋̌̓́͊́́́̈́͘-̴̨̛͖̝͈̙̣͉̓͂̾̈̃̒-̵͓͖͖̮͍͔͓̭̞͈͗̐͑-̸̪͔̰͓̅̊̈́̈́͑̽̑-̷͔̬̰̰̐, it's not what it sounds like. I swear."
"Don't waste your breath. It's midnight and we're both awake. So either you're possessed, and here to kill me... Or they've given me their blessing to put you in your place."
"... So we're really going to fight over this, huh?"
"Yes. But look at the bright side, -̶̢̗͍͎̭̹̞̣͛̔ͅ-̵͔̗͗̚-̶̟̫͒̂̌̄̓-̶̰̱͔̜̰̙̮̩̙̱̥͚̋̌̋͠-̵̳͎̹͖̻͙̞̥̪̼̿͛̓̊̐̀͛̋̐̾̀͝-̷̢̙̬͓̹̥́͜-̴͔̟̭̱̐͋̾͊̈́́̓̃... You won't have to send pictures of your ugly dick to talk to Ą̸͔͎̩̗̱̌̈́-̶̛͎̺̠̲̿̐͛̀̽͗̃̀͋́̄-̴̖͓̤̳̳̦̣̰͓̅̊͛͑͋̕͠-̶̨̛̞̺͎̲̙̝̰̦͇͔̊̏̎͐͒̃̍̎ͅ-̷̳͙̳̮̒̈́͒͜-̵̙̦͉̲̮̰̮̣̏̀̿̈͂̑̍̂̌̈́̚ anymore."
[Following this, they're each forced into a fighting stance, both picking their weapons back up. They'll be able to move-- but only to fight each other.]
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Okay! Okay, whatever you do, swing the opposite way and don't actually hit each other! Break the cabinets if you can! [Maybe that'll help? Shit.]
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he hears junpei's words, but as much as he'd like to listen, he can already feel his limbs forcing him to face his companion. the least he can do is turn his sword so that the blunt back of the blade is turned toward his "opponent," rather than the razor sharp edge of the proper side. ]
Edelgard-san... if there is any way to strike me with your weapon without murdering me outright, I'd appreciate it—!
[ with that, he begins to advance toward her, doing everything he can to avoid dashing in like he normally would, but it only serves to slow him down so much. ]
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[She doesn't actually mean that as harshly as it sounds. Only that she's struggling to regain her control, but she has very little of it, and it's hard on top of that to focus on directions being shouted at her. Besides, he has the weapons triangle advantage?? She will try to turn her axe so it won't cause as much damage, but it doesn't really have a blunt side, and she's focusing her efforts more on using it to block his strikes, since she doubts she's able to move as quickly as he is while wielding the heavy axe. She'll try to follow Junpei's direction and swing into cabinets, but she may bring down some heavy blows in his direction - dangerous, but not all that fast.]
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Meanwhile, Junpei's game has begun on its own-- has he been paying too much attention to the others to dodge that first barrel?]
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He's also looking at the screen to see if Donkey Kong and the princess are still up at the top. If it's just playing the game? He can do this.]
Uh, maybe both of you try to not outright kill each other? That'd help a lot!
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[ it's annoying to literally have control wrested away from him any time he so much as attempts to divert his course. he's trying very hard to not strike her with his usual skill, instead focusing his attention on her weapon rather than edelgard herself, preferring to have metal clash against metal instead of spilling blood. maybe that'll be good enough for the shitty game demons? ]
Do you think... this is a fight to the death, or are we merely here to distract Junpei from concentrating on winning his game?
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Junpei, focus on your own trial. Your suggestions aren’t required.
[A little harsh but if he’s going to keep shouting at them to try not to murder one another, he’s going to get hurt himself.
She’s starting to come back to herself a little bit, the fighting revitalizing her somewhat. Nikkari is a skilled opponent. In any other circumstances, sparring against him would be thrilling.]
It’s a game, isn’t it? I imagine one of us must achieve victory to end it. I wonder if it can be done without bloodshed?
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As long as there's attacking going on and they target each other, the game demons seem satisfied enough, so Nikkari won't find he has too much trouble aiming for her weapon! And as for Edelgard's thought...
Junpei might have the answer to that. Once he clears part of the stage, the screen glitches and shakes, and the display at the top has changed:
P̵͉̠͊Ḽ̸̒̄Ȃ̵̦̑Y̵̲̐̈́E̷͈̊Ŕ̵̙̲:̸̱̹̄ ̷͍̊͑͜1̴̣̫͝0̶͉̭̂̎0̵́ͅ%̵̨̨́̃
̶̜͝P̴̙͌́O̸͈͚̔W̴͚̚E̸̺͆̈R̷̡̚ ̴̪̣̓S̴̡̞̏Ô̵̥͇Ù̷̝͇̾R̸̝̘̆͒C̵̄ͅĔ̷̜̐:̶̙͂ ̴̗̠̈́6̶͇͓̋̈́0̴̝̖͆̃%̴͙͠
The lights in the room dim, just slightly.
However, once the screen returns to normal, the difficulty has ramped up, and the game is still hit with the occasional glitch that makes it harder to see the screen.]
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Akane? [The name slips as he leans in closer to the screen, assuming it's a trick of the game and gritting his teeth. He's taking Edelgard's advice though and ignoring them, aware of that changing number. Run, Jumpy-sprite, run. He's busy moving the avatar to climb up a ladder and keeping an eye on his own screen.]
Power source is fucking up. [This is said to the other two as he tries to make the sprite run faster.] If it's victory though, is it between the two of you or all three of us?
[Granted, trying to make the sprite run faster means he skids a little past the other ladder he's trying to reach, and while he can clear one barrel, there's another that rolls and plows right into Jumpy-sprite.]
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[ spoken a little too soon there, though, it seems. he's a little distracted as he tries to carry on the conversation mid-battle, and he just barely dodges a swing from edelgard. he doesn't take the full brunt of the hit, but the spikes crowning the head of the axe manage to slice a shallow gash through one of his legs. he yelps in pain as blood starts to gather at the wound, but he remains standing as he strikes back at the weapon. it'll take more than a little cut to down a sword spirit. ]
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Stay focused! In a true battle, I'd have cut you down there.
[But as strong as she is, she's not as strong here as she is with her crest. She's growing less cautious as the fight goes on, the strain of having to wield her axe and armor (the dress is armor somehow) and keep up with his speed and skill beginning to wear on her.]
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When that barrel hits Junpei's sprite, he's also going to find out why he has those extra cables attached: there's a sudden jolt that will leave him feeling drained, and the screen shudders once more as the lights in the room become brighter again.
P̶̫̲̽L̷̹͐́A̵̦̕Y̶͔̓Ȅ̸̲͒R̶͔̺̊:̴͓̦̿ ̸̳͕͆8̷̢̟̀0̷͕̙̾͘%̵̌͆ͅ
̸̯̈́Ṕ̸͕̟̈́O̴̝̜̐W̶̮̣͋E̶̟͆Ȑ̸̟̗ ̵͖͋̆S̷̲͇͋O̶͍̬͆Ự̴R̴̥̯̕C̴̰̐̕Ẽ̵̛̬:̶͇̝̇͘ ̷̱͇̉͠7̸̩̭͗0̴̮̻́͝%̸̮̓͋]
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"Okay. So a 20% hit gives a 10% power boost. 30% down is 60%, and 60% out of 80% is 20%..."
Luckily he says none of this out loud, but he forces himself to face the screen, eyes scanning the game before moving the Jumpy-avatar up another ladder, running a short distance and grabbing a spare hammer. He uses it, swinging at a few incoming barrels, but he does nothing as one rolls directly into the avatar again.]
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the renewed sense of survival spurns something in him, though. just like how edelgard had thought about the thrill of battle as they exchanged blows, there's something about the blood slowly trickling down his leg that rouses the part of him that accepts he is, first and foremost, a weapon created to kill. baring his teeth in a wide, unsettling grin, his face darkens as he lunges now for edelgard herself. ]
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Still, he has her on the defensive now even more, focuses on blocking his strikes.]
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P̷̫͐̕L̴͚̥̊͝A̵͓̫̍Y̷̙̮̓́Ḙ̷͙̃R̶̡̗͋:̸̘̐ ̸̪̣̆̉6̵̺͖͒0̵͎͓̕%̴͇̯̓̈
̴̺̓̐P̵̟̪̿̄O̷̠͋W̵̠̘͊E̸̙̎Ř̶̗̟́ ̸͙̂̑S̵̈́̑͜Ŏ̷̥̜̐Ú̴̼͔̈́R̶̙̙̉̇C̶̤̅͝Ĕ̷̘͕͠:̵̝͝ ̸̘̮͋͝8̷̻̞̽͘0̶̙̩̉̅%̷̺̘͋
As the display changes, the room's lights brighten once more, and the cables restraining them pulse a little harder, writhing more as if energized.
On the fighting game cabinets, Edelgard's health bar goes down, now matching Nikkari's after their injuries.]
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[ nikkari has been ready to engage in combat from the moment he'd decided to attempt a break-in, judging by what he'd heard from others who had done some exploring themselves. he'd started to feel like he'd been slacking lately with all the focus on sleeping with others, so it was good fortune that the week's new floor had included a place to train; in doing so, he'd started to build up restless energy for the impending fight.
now that the proverbial dam has burst open with the grazes caused by edelgard, it doesn't seem to matter to him whether his opponent is friend or foe. with his blade finally drawing blood from her, the familiar scent of battle has settled in him, he charges at her again. while it doesn't seem like he has the intent to kill... he doesn't seem to mind a little hurt now, either. ]
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Furious, she whirls on him - not planning to strike with fatal intent, but trying to knock him down and win the battle once and for all. She leaps in the air to bring her axe down on him, hard, intending to strike with the blunt side, but as I said, there's no actual blunt side.]
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On Junpei's end... the double hit he takes does do a little more. The new display is:
P̸̞͖͗͑L̷̺̭̆͝A̸͍̖̒̾Ỳ̷̨͖̈Ė̶̗̬̈́R̵͔̅:̷̘͍̃͆ ̵̡̑4̵̭̣͒̈́0̶̏͗͜%̵̙̪͛
̵̲͒̔Ṗ̵͙ͅO̴͕̳͘W̶̘̦̑É̷̻̦R̸͉̗̆͛ ̷͖̀̑S̷͕̠̍O̶̰̫̊Ṳ̸̌R̴̻̅C̵̱̝̓̒Ę̶̢́̀:̷̧̈́͝ ̶̺̻̉͂9̷̱͕͊̂5̸̣̑̾%̷̳̭̄
The baby fireball isn't quite worth a barrel, apparently, but there's one more obstacle between him and the Akane sprite. One more barrel coming that he will have to either be hit by to keep climbing, or hop off the ladder to dodge, as he's still 5% from the power source reaching its full strength.
The lights in here are bright now, the overhead bulbs buzzing audibly, breaker box shooting off a spark or two. Junpei will feel much more sapped after reaching 40% on his own end; it's becoming painful, actually. The cables are even more animated, now, which I forgot while editing another sentence, but that's still a thing! They pulse noticeably.]
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[Meanwhile, the lack of energy and the physical wear and tear feeling have him leaning against the cabinet as much as he can while bound by cables. His eyes squint to focus on the game, and the Akane sprite.
"40%...20%...just for 5% more..."
The pulsing cables are a little distracting, but the lights are bright and the box isn't promising. But at the same time...there's literally no other option.
Even in a pixel form, he can't leave her behind. And it's why he braces himself for whatever the fuck's going to happen and lets that barrel crash into him before he tries to climb once more to reach Akane-sprite.]
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dumb fighting game meta jokes aside that probably only i will find funny, nikkari isn't expecting her to jump into the air with both her axe and her armor. hot damn. junpei's reminder, though, is able to somewhat snap him out of the sudden bloodlust edelgard had awakened inside him. while she doesn't score a direct hit on him—god help him if she had—as he scrambles out of the way at the last second, even the slightest of glances from a weapon as heavy as hers will still hurt like a bitch. as he attempts to get one last hit on her, the axe's teeth crunch into his leg—of course, not the one that had been previously injured, that would be too convenient—and he falls hard onto the ground.
not quite a k.o., but oof nonetheless? ]
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END.