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~Chapter 5~Drumhead Pulsation |
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mad Xx:
Ancient Castle
mad Xx:
“So, Sol is catching up to Leopaldon. And even That Man has begun to act so that the two may fight. I wonder what the outcome will be. Don’t you as well, Sharon?”
The man, Slayer, said as his wife came beside him to gaze at the sky. It was dusk now, and the sky had turned a brilliant shade of orange with a hint of purple and red. He became somewhat lost in thought, thinking about the time he and his former brethren encountered the beast so long ago. Leopaldon emerged, only in its infant form. It had still been at an impressive height of around eight feet or so, but the scaled skin was not nearly as tough, and Leopaldon’s head looked much smoother, six eyes going from the top of the head to almost the back. The fur of its lower body was also not as pronounced, either. The beast was held off fairly well with the other vampires and it soon retreated to a cold climate. Having been let go was a grave mistake as he would soon learn that day. Leopaldon had reemerged in the juvenile state it was in currently to this day, fighting off Johnny, Ky, and Testament on the May-Ship. Slayer shook his head to snap out of his reverie.
‘The humans will be in for quite a shock if Leopaldon is allowed to enter his adult form. I wonder if he will be able to force Sol into unleashing the full Gear power within if that were to occur...?’
Slayer thought to himself. His curiosity was building as to what Sol would do when it came down to the time he might fight the true form of Leopaldon. He would have to wait for that event to occur, if it ever did. Slayer chuckled slightly, blowing a few smoke rings from his pipe.
“Regardless...their fight should prove interesting.”
Slayer commented, a smirk appearing on his lips. Sharon only nodded slightly.
mad Xx:
Sky, Unregistered Airship
mad Xx:
“Good, we’re nearly on top of them now. We’ll let the Jellyfish Pirates tire Leopaldon out a bit before we send the Robo-Ky II models in the fray. We might even be able to capture May for the Bureau as well.”
The captain said with a grin plastered on his face. It would not stay there long however.
“Uh...sir, we have a slight problem.”
One of the ship’s crew members said. The captain scowled.
“Of all the...now what’s the problem?”
He asked in a frustrated tone.
“You know that woman from some time back? The one called I-No?”
The crew member said nervously.
“Of course I do. Why do you ask?”
The captain asked. The crew member continued to look nervous.
“You should check the camera mounted on the front of the ship.”
The man said before hurrying off. The captain did as was suggested, pulling up the monitor display of the camera.
“No...”
The captain gasped. I-No was near the front of the ship, hovering in the air as she sat on her guitar. She smiled and waved at the camera. Soon a man the captain didn’t recognize came on screen from the air, smashing his fist into the deck and sending a large shockwave that rattled the airship. The camera screen went black and a red alarm blared to life.
“s**t! Why now?”
The captain growled out. He took a radio by the side of his seat and began speaking into it.
“Doc! Get a batch of those robots on the deck. Order them to kill the two on sight!”
mad Xx:
Sky, May-Ship
mad Xx:
Leopaldon came within range, slashing out vertically with its claws. Ky jumped back to evade the blow, while Johnny and Testament scattered to either side of the beast, striking out with their weapons to cut into Leopaldon’s sides. Ky rushed forward after Leopaldon’s arm came back. Ky swung his sword quickly outward.
“Ride The Lightning!”
Ky sent a whirling sphere of energy straight at Leopaldon’s chest. The massive creature was pushed back by the force of Ky’s attack, but quickly brought an arm down to crush the lightning sphere in its wake, before advancing on a surprised Ky. Ky was struck across the face with a paw, and Leopaldon turned around to intercept a wide thrust from Johnny, before trying to trip the pirate captain off his feet with a low claw swipe.
“Ensenga!”
Johnny jumped over the attack just barely, twirling through the air as he sent a small liquor bottle out from his jacket. Johnny drew his blade after coming out of his spin, striking the blade against the small metal piece in his sheath to ignite a spark with his blade. His blade slashed cleanly through the bottle, making the spark ignite the liquor as it made a small explosion against Leopaldon’s mouth. Leopaldon yelped at the unexpected heated attack and backed up warily. Johnny risked stepping in for another attack, but was swatted away by Leopaldon paw. The giant was struck viciously in the back of the head by the blunt of Testament’s scythe blade. Testament came in front of the beast. Testament evaded a strike from Leopaldon, bringing his hand up and aiming it at the beast.
“Nightmare Circular!”
Testament performed another of his summoning beast attacks but this time he summoned a ring of gates, each one flinging a demon mass hurling at Leopaldon at random intervals, knocking the beast back as it growled at the large crimson creatures that bit into its skin. Ky had recovered from the initial shock, now knowing more of what to expect from Leopaldon. He turned towards Johnny while Testament’s demon legions kept the massive creature at bay.
“Johnny, I’ll strike at it from above. You go in low.”
Ky said. Johnny nodded, and the two swordsmen rushed in the middle of Testament’s attack, evading the demons as they passed by to strike Leopaldon. Ky jumped up, spinning as his blade left a florescent path of lightning trailing behind it.
“Greed Sever!”
He slashed Leopaldon across the nose, while Johnny jumped up from the floor.
“H.I.T.S!”
Johnny sent a high kick to Leopaldon’s chin. In perfect timing, another demon struck Leopaldon head on while Ky landed and Johnny rose in the air. Johnny then struck down with his fist, which had fire encasing it. Leopaldon was hit easily on the top of the head, and Ky ended his attack with a cross slash to Leopaldon’s chest. Leopaldon growled furiously as he smacked Johnny down to the ground and into Ky, making the two slide across the slick deck. Another one of Testament’s demons emerged from one of the circular gates, but Leopaldon cut it down with his claws. Leopaldon opened his mouth, aiming at Ky and Johnny who were on the floor. It struck the two with his Perfect Rainbow beam, and lifted its head up to engulf Testament in the blast as well, severely damaging the May-Ship in the process.
mad Xx:
Sky, Unregistered Airship
mad Xx:
Leopaldon’s beam breath cut through the clouds overhead, unknowingly cutting into some of the parts of the Bureau’s airship. Raven had been surprised because he barely escaped getting caught up in the blast.
“What was that?”
He said to himself out loud. I-No now joined him on deck.
“Who cares. Shall we storm this place?”
She said in a semi-sweet tone, her eyes turning from green to orange. One of the docking doors opened.
“Guess they were expecting us.”
Raven muttered as he saw all the glowing pairs of eyes in the darkened room. Robo-Ky IIs started to spill out from the docking area in a small swarm. Their color scheme did not match the original Ky’s in the slightest, however, garbed in a red variant of the Holy Knight uniform, and with silver hair instead of blond.
“Robo-Kys...they shouldn’t prove much of a threat.”
Raven muttered. He began walking towards the small army.
“C-H-E-M-I-C-A-L L-O-V-E!”
A Robo-Ky II sent a familiar lightning bolt lancing out from its legs as it twirled in the air. Raven side stepped the attack.
“Isn’t that your attack?”
He asked I-No. The witch looked somewhat surprised, but the expression only lasted for a minute.
“What the ********! That pile of junk really just used my technique.”
Her eyes narrowed, turning red. The metallic soldiers began to charge, using other familiar attacks.
“S-T-U-N E-D-G-E!”
One came through the air, sword gripped in its mouth as it used both its arms to deliver Ky’s projectile attack. I-No simply struck the projectile, making it veer off course.
“I-N-V-I-T-E H-E-L-L!”
Another gave a thumbs up, making a metal drill appear at Raven’s feet, but he simply evaded. Many of the machines started to close in, swords barring down on the two servants of That Man. I-No guarded with her guitar before pushing the mass of robots back.
“Stupid pieces of scrap metal. Ultimate Fortissimo!”
She jumped into the midst of the machines, strumming her fingers against the strings of her guitar as her hat screamed out, sending a sound wave that sent them reeling back. Raven simply shrugged off the blows taken.
“Die.”
He said simply, holding out his arm. An invisible force field knocked the new Robo-Kys back. The horns adorning Raven’s body then shot out like missiles and homed in on the robots, exploding on impact. Many more missiles came out from Raven’s body, randomly alternating between striking areas of the ship and the Robo-Ky II army. The captain within his quarters growled in frustration.
“Damn it...this thing is taking too much damage.”
The captain stated. He was quite impressed with how well the Robo-Ky II models were holding up so far, however. Even when struck by such powerful offensives courtesy of Raven and I-No, few were destroyed and many got back up to keep fighting, using many other special techniques from gathered fighter data. He was worried that the airship would not be able to handle too much more stress from the battle, though, since both I-No and Raven could take the attacks as well as they could dish out attacks of their own.
“Hey doc, we might have to go to Plan B and retreat for the time being. Transport the remaining Robo-Ky II models on standby into the escape pods and get out of here. I’ll do what I can to stall I-No and her unknown accomplice while you make your escape.”
The captain ordered on his radio. He didn’t wait for a reply, only turning to watch the battle.
“Just a little bit more.”
He said. Outside, the machines had Raven and I-No surrounded.
“V-O-L-C-A-N-I-C V-I-P-E-R!”
One Robo-Ky II got Raven cleanly in the side with Sol’s attack, but instead of a sword, a thruster came out of the robot’s forearm to create nearly the same effect.
“M-E-G-A F-I-S-T!”
Another Robo-Ky II struck him in the back with giant fists reminiscent of Potemkin’s version.
“These things are annoying.”
Raven said as he retaliated with a fist through the chest of a Robo-Ky II, before breaking it in half.
“I know. When it comes down to it, all they do is mimic someone’s attack.”
I-No agreed as she struck a Robo-Ky II’s head off with a powerful swing of her guitar. Raven looked grim, as if decided something.
“Hey, when you get the chance, use your Megalomania attack.”
Raven insisted. I-No turned towards him.
“You serious? Isn’t that a bit extreme?”
She asked innocently. Raven nodded.
“Perhaps. Would you rather I use MY ultimate technique, though?”
He asked with great emphasis. I-No smirked.
“No way! That would be serious overkill. Stall them a bit so I can get ready.”
She informed him. Raven did as he was told getting in front of her and using his invisible force field to keep the Robo-Ky IIs at bay.
mad Xx:
Sky, May-Ship
mad Xx:
Meanwhile, the May-Ship was not fairing well at all. Leopaldon’s attack took out an engine and almost cut the entire ship in half. April had already informed Johnny that the chance to keep the airship in the air were waning.
“He’s stronger now...all these attacks and he still hasn’t revealed the inner him.”
Testament scowled. It was as if Leopaldon was getting stronger and stronger by the second.
“We have to press on. We can’t let this thing keep threatening life.”
Ky stated firmly.
“Easier said than done, Ky. We’ve been fighting him for quite a while now and he’s giving us a run for our money. Just when we think he’s getting weaker, he retaliates with stronger attacks.”
Johnny grunted out. As much as he’d like to see the reason for Ky’s optimism, there was no reason for it.
“Damn. If only I hadn’t been so injured from before. I could fight at a higher capacity.”
Testament muttered, trying to keep himself standing.
“I’ve...seen enough.”
That was Dizzy who spoke, standing right in front of the entrance to the May-Ship. Leopaldon reacted upon hearing her voice, turning to face her, though he wasn’t actually able to see her. Testament was quickly in front of her.
“Go back to where it’s safe.”
Testament warned, keeping his eyes locked on Leopaldon in case of any sudden movements. Dizzy shook her head, refusing to do as he said.
“Nowhere is safe now. I won’t just stand around and let you all get injured anymore. I’ll fight!”
She stated, her resolve not wavering. She hovered slightly in the air as her body began to glow with a bluish light. Her pirate clothing transformed into an almost dominatrix leather outfit. Her wings grew larger, and two entities grew from them. The black wing, Necro, and the white wing, Undine.
“Your serious about this, aren’t you.”
He asked the half-Gear.
“Please step back, Testament.”
Was all Dizzy said. Testament nodded, standing down. As much as he would like to keep her from fighting, he was still recovering from his first encounter and was starting to become a liability for both Ky and Johnny. Leopaldon growled, sensing a stronger power emanating from Dizzy. He strode towards her angrily, completely ignoring the other three. Dizzy began gathering energy as she crossed her arms. Leopaldon struck with its claws, hoping to catch Dizzy off guard, but she was expecting this. Her arms spread out as he struck, sending a pillar of flame erupting from underneath her feet that pushed the beast back. A ring of lightning spears surrounded Leopaldon, before they shot at him randomly, making the colossal figure get pushed back further. Dizzy began losing her senses to Necro as the black wing engulfed her. The hooded figure in Dizzy’s place grabbed onto a large metal bow that materialized in his hand before shooting multiple energy filled arrows into Leopaldon. When Dizzy regained herself, she stared as Leopaldon sluggishly backed up, looking throughly weakened from the onslaught of projectiles.
“That presence...”
Dizzy whispered out, her attention left Leopaldon and went to the sky. Testament felt it, too.
‘It’s him...the Gear Hunter.’
Soon, a massive flame shot through the clouds. Ky and Johnny looked back at it, recognizing the attack instantly.
“That is...”
Before Ky could finish, the giant fire ball flew overhead, smashing into Leopaldon’s back with tremendous force, making Leopaldon let out a blood curdling roar of agonizing pain, and everyone had to shield their eyes from the bright flash that followed the collision. When the flash subsided, Dizzy opened her eyes slowly, still feeling the glare of the light. Everyone soon followed, opening their eyes to see Leopaldon, for the first time flat on its face and unmoving. A familiar figure crouched dramatically in front of the beast.
“Mr. Badguy!”
Dizzy had been surprised by the dramatic entrance. Sol looked down at her.
“Hey kid.”
He offered back, a cigarette between his lips. He ignored everyone else and turned to the fallen beast.
‘This is the thing that escaped that lab...?’
He vision went to the sky, hoping to see That Man anywhere in view or even I-No and Raven possibly.
“******** great...guess this is another empty lead.”
He muttered softly, looking back down at Leopaldon’s head.
“Is it dead?”
Johnny asked as he took careful steps towards the fallen giant, Ky not too far behind him. Sol nudged the huge head with his foot softly, before kicking it hard for good measure. Everyone except Sol jumped back in surprise as Leopaldon began to roll furiously along the ground, growling and roaring mightily deep in its throat. It stopped rolling, but continued to growl angrily, before it started ramming its head against the floor repeatedly, clutching its massive head with its paws.
“No...no...no...”
The beast kept saying after each hit. Finally it stopped, lifting itself back into a sitting position. Leopaldon opened its mouth unnaturally wide again, regurgitating the familiar bongo drum in its mouth.
“That’s just...sickening.”
Ky muttered, shivering. The strange armored man followed soon after. He clutched his head with his hands, before pounding it against the drum.
“No, no, no, no, no...”
He almost mimicked the beast motion for motion, before his arms slammed into the drum. His head was lowered, the helmet covering his eyes.
“We...are beyond anger...beyond frustration...you...you will all...SUFFER!”
The armored figure screamed. Leopaldon stood at full height roaring loudly soon after, pounding its arms against its large chest for emphasis.
“Tell me one thing...are you some kind of an associate of That Man’s?”
Sol asked casually, not scared in the least. The armored man look down to regard the bounty hunting swordsman.
“We serve no one...but you will be flattened like a bug under our heel.”
He said to Sol. Sol simply shrugged, turning his back to the massive beast, and putting Fire Seal in his right hand before leaning it against his shoulder.
“Forget it then...your just a bothersome eyesore who I could give a rat’s a** about.”
Sol said simply, beginning to walk off. Leopaldon growled deep within its throat as the armored man glared at Sol.
“You dare have the nerve to turn your back and discard us like we were no kind of threat? Fight us, and we will show you the true meaning of pain.”
He told Sol, but the bounty hunter kept ignoring him and walking away towards the side of the ship. This only served to infuriate both forms of Leopaldon even more.
“Stand and fight, weakling. Leopaldon Seal level two, unlock!”
The armored figure produced a different beat when he pounded on the drums. Sol sighed, tapping his sword against his shoulder in irritation. He launched the blade straight up in the air, turning around to catch the spinning sword by the hilt in his left hand as he faced Leopaldon.
“Your starting to get annoying, a*****e. If you really want to fight then that’s fine...just don’t blame me for what happens to you.”
Sol answered as he got into a relaxed stance. The armored figure began to pound on his drum again in anticipation. The two combatants stood calmly as the rest of the airship was nearly falling apart all around them.
:*We will continue on*:
 Mariah_Silvermane · Thu Apr 26, 2007 @ 07:54pm · 0 Comments |
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