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Post by wildchild on May 21, 2007 14:55:36 GMT -4
Kyle had been bitten, cut, burned, kicked, and slashed, all of which came with the territory of being a feral predator in the wild, but he had never experienced the kind of pain he was in at that moment.
He slumped to the ground, clutching as the bloody mess of flesh, gore, and the ripped fibers of his pants. Tears of agony rolled down his face as he attempted to sort out what was him, and what was his clothes. The other feral had slunk off towards another female, who he assumed was too scared or too weak to fight.
The healing was slower, considering his body was trying to repair an entire system of organs and tissues so Kyle lay there, nearly motionless, trying to use the time to gather his thoughts. He needed to think now, he needed to push the beast back into the depths if he wanted any sort of chance at victory. Of course that thought cycle ended when the sounds of girlish laughter rebounded to his sensitive ears.
They were laughing at him. At his agony.
That was more than enough. And as soon as his...delicate places were out back together, he would strike.
KILL
But for now, he had to wait.
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Post by Storm on May 21, 2007 15:59:00 GMT -4
Storm had no time to consider the verbal outburst from Wanda, or how her fighting with her own team could work to the X-Men’s advantage before her eyes were directed upwards, following the glowing orb. Once object grew large enough for her to identify it, she prepared to counter.
The block of ice began to fall, quicker and quicker until it was only moments from striking its intended target. Calling upon the winds, she used a strong gust to catch the projectile and send it hurtling straight back at Wanda.
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Post by Tatiana on May 22, 2007 20:08:30 GMT -4
Purity nodded a silent agreement. She stepped back into the shadows and watched Callie leave. She knew her place and that was on the sidelines. With no fighting skills of her own, she took no offense at being told by a higher up to wait there. They needed to know where to find her after all. Although, hopefully someday they would learn they didn't need to tell her everytime to stay put. She grinned and tried not to laugh again.
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Post by Callie on May 22, 2007 20:49:47 GMT -4
Callie nodded, satisfied, she turned with a flick of her tail and ran back towards the battle. She smirked as she spotted him, still recovering from that last onslaught.
He was wounded, and it was time to move in for the kill.... she let herself go a little, slipping more into that feral mindset as she flexed her metallic claws. She sped up, running at him full pelt... only feet away now, she pounced, claws extent, low growl eminating from her throat.
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Post by Kurt Wagner on May 22, 2007 22:12:18 GMT -4
"Ach-....!", Kurt said, suddenly shivering against a cold that seemed all but real. He wrapped his arms around himself and tried to concentrate, but his legs buckled underneath him. "F-f-f....freezing....", he hissed through clenched and pointed teeth.
His arms felt like they were dead weight, his legs wouldn't obey him.
As he fell forward onto the ground Kurt fought to remember what the Professor had taught them about psionic attacks. He knew it wasn't real, but knowing it and believing it turned out to be very different things.
He was momentarily, embarrassingly vulnerable.
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Post by psylocke on May 23, 2007 6:52:59 GMT -4
Much better
Betsy kept her hold on the little twerp long enough to walk over to him. Ororo was too busy with Wanda to deal with Psylocke, or so she thought, and a little payback was finally in order. By the time she reached him, her hands were already glowing a bright violet and purple hue. The points of the light were sharp and this punch was not to injure but worse. Betsy was mad, and he made her break a nail. Not good.
She crouched to his position holding the freezing thoughts in his mind. But, she knew he was a strong Xmen, so she needed to act quickly. A trained assassin doesn't make mistakes. With a glare in her eyes, she stared at him.
"Remember me?" she inquired just as her arms flared out in a heaving punch straight at Nightcrawler.
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Post by Gambit on May 28, 2007 20:21:01 GMT -4
It was so damn tempting to just haul off and hit Wanda when she screamed at him. It was what the men always did in old black and white movies when women got hysterical. Maybe the same tactic would work on the stark raving mad.
It would at least make him feel better if nothing else.
Clenching his fists at his sides, Gambit gritted his teeth but said nothing. There were more important matters to deal with. The elf had returned, and he would be a bitch to take down by conventional methods, and Storm was holding her position. While Psylocke and Wanda engaged the two X-Men, Gambit took the brief moment it gave him to study them.
Damn, he loved having a telepath on the team.
Kurt was looking a little worse for wear, now, and although the rain had washed away most of the evidence, there were still stains of blood on Storm’s clothes and darkening her white hair. Betsy had said she was hurt, and had even counted her out of this fight. It might not take much more to make sure that was true. Just not yet.
She wouldn’t just float there and let herself be hit. There was a counterattack coming, for which Gambit would be prepared. Pulling a single playing card from his pocket, he charged it up, the purple glow illuminating his face momentarily. When the ball of ice came flying at Wanda, he sent the card to intercept. The block exploded sending harmless shards and shavings in all directions.
“Y’re lookin’ tired, Stormy, but us? We jus’ gettin’ started,” he said, his voice dark. “Do y’ even know what y’re tryin’ t’ stop? Dis’ll be better fo’ all o’ us!"
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Post by wildchild on May 30, 2007 0:23:52 GMT -4
Kyle heard her coming, and as the last of his tendons painfully slithered into place, he made his move. She pounced, and he reacted.
He flipped over onto his back, extending his taloned fingers and toes, while opening his his jaws hungrily.
Five of his six ends were pointy in this position.
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Post by scarletwitch on Jun 9, 2007 0:11:16 GMT -4
((Sorry for the time it took to respond. Been terribly busy--but by the looks of the boards I'm not the only one. ;D YAY!))
Wanda flicked her wrist out, calling forth an orb of chaotic power for her disposal. Just as she was about to let the hex forth into the world she watched an equally brilliant bolt of energy go shooting past her. Her eyes squinted in a rather miffed manner at seeing Gambit's super-charged card sail into and destroy the block of ice. So, instead she rather flippantly twisted her wrist once more to casually let the hex-sphere float up and away from her.
The pink ball of energy burst outwards in front of the pair, sending out a wave of sudden air and force that scattered the crystals of smashed ice, leaving them safe from any particles.
"Y’re lookin’ tired, Stormy, but us? Do y’ even know what y’re tryin’ t’ stop? Dis’ll be better fo’ all o’ us!"
Scarlet Witch smirked and chuckled as she glowered wickedly up at the floating figure in white. "Oh--My--My--My, aren't you the pretty little thing?" she said as the tails of her own jacket flapped behind her in the wind, "And that outfit? White? Very classy. But--I'm afraid to say," looking over the pools of blood that stained the woman's outfit, "You look just so much better in red. Here--Let me help!"
Wanda slowly let a hand trail up to her chest. From there it slipped into her bodice and she pulled out a small, bright bottle filled with some strange liquid. She licked her full lips and laughed softly again while she held the potion. It was a concoction she had prepared, a creation of her magical training. As she closed her eyes and chanted a small mantra she focused all her power and attention onto the mixture. Her palm with the diffusion of magic started to crackle with her power. Suddenly she threw down the tiny jar. It shattered on the concrete and what was released was a brilliant red and plum, viscous liquid that looked oddly, almost too strangely, like blood. All that was left of its presence was a newly formed hex in Scarlet Witch's hand.
Just as the bottle had been released so was her hex. It went soaring upwards filled not only with the curse of Wanda's power but also an ancient, primordial enchantment added from Wanda's collection. Still, the effects were the same in their abnormality. The fuchsia orb sank into Storm's stomach, dissipating as quickly as it had come.
Seconds passed while Wanda shook the strain of concentration from her mind and looked up to see just what her casting had wrought. A very faint rumbling started to occur. Small metallic objects about all figures near-by started to rumble and rattle. Soon larger such items joined the choir. As Wanda felt her legs go weak from the power she had released, falling slightly onto Gambit's shoulder for support--she was perhaps the most surprised by the effects.
Bits and chunks of metal. Pipes and wiring from the dilapidate mansion. Not enough to drown the woman but more than a few tons were suddenly attracted to Storm. The hex had altered the magnetic frequency of the soaring female, making her intensely attractive to the metals of the area. Bolts and arrows of metallic sheen came soaring up through the air backed by beams and tubes of steel.
Wanda was suddenly sick, not just from the strain of such a dramatic shift, but that her power could so closely mimic that of her father. That anything she could do would be remotely akin to his ability just tore her up inside. However, she merely held onto Gambit's shoulder as she breathed heavily and tried to recuperate while equally pleased that this weather-witch of an obstacle was about to suffer.
((Sorry about the length. It just seemed to keep going--and going and then ended up CRAZY! long. Hope it's at least somewhat enjoyable. Good luck!))
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Post by Kurt Wagner on Jun 9, 2007 11:43:49 GMT -4
"Remember me?", he heard her ask, but he didn't have time to respond.
The punch hit him squarely and Kurt Wagner faded into darkness.
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Post by Storm on Jun 9, 2007 12:08:00 GMT -4
As the block of ice exploded, Storm threw her arms up to shield her face as the shards from it were all directed towards here. Many glanced off with no more force than the hail that she had caused earlier, but some of the sharper pieces left scratches and small cuts as they impacted her skin.
The head injury she had sustained earlier was starting to affect her vision, so when she turned her attention back to the Acolytes, although she could see the Scarlet Witch doing something, neither the motions or the words gave any indication as to what. It was getting harder to think past the throbbing in her head and the growing pain in her legs. It was getting harder to hold onto the determination that was keeping her going.
“Better? Look what he has done already to get what he wants! How can this be better?” she asked, anger clear in her tone as she indicated her decimated home. One last attempt at talking them down then she would be forced to regain her focus and turn them from her home as forcefully as necessary. “Magneto’s word is not law! Whatever he told you to make you fight so blindly for something none of us can predict, I assure you that he only has his own interests in mind. You are merely pawns!”
For the briefest moment there was silence amidst the storm, but it was quickly broken. Over the roaring wind, Ororo heard the faintest crash of shattered glass, saw a quick flash of light and then nothing but a strange tingling in her stomach.
Until the first chunk of metal hit. A large pipe caught her from behind, striking her lower back. What was much more terrifying than the pain she had previously felt in her legs was the sudden numbness that followed. She could no longer feel them at all. Crying out, her concentration broke. With the winds no longer holding her aloft, she fell.
As she plummeted to the ground, her stark white hair and costume contrasting sharply with the dark sky, the metal continued to strike. She hit the ground hard, and even if she did have the energy to move, she was soon pinned down by bits of rebar and piping. One particularly sharp piece flew downwards like an arrow, impaling her chest and puncturing a lung. The strikes to the legs she did not feel. Soon she would feel none of it.
Overhead the storm raged suddenly with an ears-splitting boom of thunder followed immediately by a blinding flash of lightening.
“Logan…” she whispered, but barely a sound emerged. She had failed her friends and failed to protect her home. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Kurt, also crumbled to the ground. There was no one left to stop them. Their path inside was clear. It was over. “I’m sorry…”
As quickly and as violently as the storm had formed it also dissipated. Her white eyes had returned to their natural blue as they stared sightlessly up at the sky. A light rain was all that fell around her now as if Mother Nature herself was weeping for her fallen child.
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Post by scarletwitch on Jun 9, 2007 14:22:48 GMT -4
"You are merely pawns!”
Wanda watched with a quiet smile as the metallic beam crashed into Storm after she spoke those words. Watching her fall and smash into the ground like a fallen dove was somehow satisfying. Still, even in her weakened state, Scarlet Witch let out a soft gasp as a jagged piece of metal sank into the other woman's chest. Wanda's grip suddenly increased for a moment on Gambit's shoulder as she witnessed the impressive wound just before the metal created a mound about the fallen heroine.
I--I never meant to...
It was never her intent to permanently harm any other than her father, but intent had so little to do with her power.
She just got in the way.
With a deep breath the wave of remorse within Wanda ended as did the magnetic shift in the air. Her grip loosened on the Cajun man's shoulder though she still kept a great deal of her weight against him. The pile of scrap and metal weakened as well and slid down and away from the wounded Storm, exposing her bloodied self now surrounded by a ring of limp and lifeless metal.
Wanda's eyes now cast up towards Gambit, wondering just what he would do with such a situation. The woman now collapsed and broken on the ground was clearly important to him, whether as an enemy or a friend--or equal parts of each, and Wanda had just taken both from him.
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Post by Logan on Jun 9, 2007 16:14:31 GMT -4
Logan left the hallway inside and circled around. There was nothing going on inside anyway, and there was more than enough evidence for him to believe that all of the action was outside.
Storm was outside.
He could hear her, smell her...he ground his teeth as he silently slid open a window and listened. Faraway voices and scents...Remy. Logan growled. Every time they met it was worse. What looked like the potential of friendship had turned into a world of ugly.
The taste of blood filled his senses, whether real or imaginary it didn’t matter.
Logan leapt out of the window and landed a full two stories down below. Taking a tumble that would have snapped a normal man’s legs and shattered his kneecaps, Logan came up on his feet. He was upwind and far enough away.
They weren’t even going to see him coming.
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Post by psylocke on Jun 9, 2007 19:13:24 GMT -4
The scene unfolded around her so quickly, she didn't have time to react to some of the shrapnel and shards of metal that spewed forth. One of those pieces pierced her leg and she let out a small groaned scream. As she walked away with a slight limp, she noticed her former friend collapse to the ground. Betsy could feel her fear, her pain and knew this wasn't looking good. Turning around, a look of horror settled across her brow as the sharp metal rod pierced her chest. Betsy, who normally seemed downright rude and snobbish gasped at the penetration. Ororo! But it was too late, she couldn't sense anything from her, no feelings, nothing. A quaint sense of sorrow became apparent as she looked back to Remy.
That's when another presence hit her brain, one she had missed like the rest of her former teammates. But this one was the closest one, so his anger sprung through her head like an intense bolt of lightening. She grabbed her temples with her palms and winced, but she couldn't speak. How could she worn them?
Her hand came from her head shaking while her finger pointed in the direction behind Remy. This isn't going to be good.
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Post by Gambit on Jun 9, 2007 19:57:22 GMT -4
She didn’t know. She couldn’t know. It wasn’t Magneto’s words that that Gambit was fighting for; it was what he had seen with his own eyes. The Crystal had made him a promise, showed him, and he would fight to make it come true.
But at what cost?
All the while Storm spoke, Wanda was beside him, doing that voodoo that she do best, the ending of which seemed to coincide with the X-Man’s speech. Before he could reply the ‘spell was cast’, so to speak, and soon enough all he could do was stare in awe at the results. He felt the weight of Wanda leaning against his shoulder and instinctively wrapped a supportive arm around her waist.
Whether it was to support her or himself he wasn’t sure.
When the first piece of metal his Storm, he flinched, but that was the only indication that he was even registering what was happening. During the events that followed he could only stare on with wide eyes that seemed to close only when assaulted by the brilliant flash of light overhead.
And then all was quiet.
For a moment he could only stand there, barely breathing. He felt the grip on his shoulder lessen, felt Wanda’s eyes on his face but he couldn’t look at her. Slowly removing his arm from around her, he made sure she was steady on her feet before stepping away and toward the piles of metal on the ground. He paid no heed to Betsy as she stood nearby, missing her silent warning.
So many memories flooded his head. He and Storm had had their issues and had eventually became enemies, but there was a time when he would have called her ‘friend’. Almost mechanically he crouched beside her, his hand going to her neck to feel for a pulse, his demon-like eyes trained on her beautiful blue ones. Never once did she blink. After a moment he let his hand fall away.
“Désolé, Stormy. It’s de only way I can save her,” he whispered, bringing his hand to her face and gently closing her lifeless eyes. With her life he felt something else had fled as well: his humanity. He may not have dealt the final blow but his hands would be as stained with blood as Wanda’s. It was the final nail in the coffin of his humanity that he had held onto for so long, despite his job. “Reposent en paix, mon ange.”
Leaning forward, he placed a soft kiss to her forehead. Lingering only a moment longer, he rose to his feet though he didn’t turn. “We’re goin’ in,” he said to his team, his voice hollow yet fearsome.
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