(no subject)
WHO: Mai Tokiha, Schwarzwald, Kai Ozu
WHEN: September 12th
WHERE: HiME Earth, near the Lindenbaum
WHAT: Schwarzwalds ventures into the HiME World to do some good ol' fashioned extermination and destruction. He didn't count on a HiME being an obstacle, or that she'd get some backup.
WATCH FOR: Kagutsuchi being used as a springboard (snerk), and The Final Strike
The Lindenbaum provided quite a nice outlook for Schwarzwald on the particular area he had visited. The fearful seemed to live there as well, as foolish as ever. The boy/man the woman was holding onto seemed to mistake him. He was not a terrorist, but a revolutionary. He just first needed to remove the fear in the hearts of mankind, even if lives were removed in the process.
The Gate that leads to the HiME world, if just one of them, may be slightly strained as something about carrier sized stomps through slowly, giant arms with what might be rockets on the back, just the movement of the thing perhaps putting the strain on the concrete streets. It was quite large, big as well. Around the same size as Roger Smith's own Big, but different.
The Big Duo enters, looking around once through the gate. The slow methodical movement of the giant robot works for the one piloting it, Schwarzwald letting those watching, perhaps, revel in their fear, the same thing that makes them the inhuman beings that he would destroy them.
Fitting after all, they die in the same state that makes them worthless. It does not look friendly at all either, as weapons begin to power up, the eyes for example beginning to glow, and different slots readying this or that.
Mai Tokiha had been on duty at the Lindenbaum, and lucky for her, this time it wasn't half as busy, nor did it have obnoxious people in it. Or creepy fanatics. Mai had been gathering empty plates into her arms, in fact, when Big Duo entered the Gate. A few people on the street stop to stare, and even some of the customers in the Lindenbaum take notice, some crowding near the windows and murmuring, puzzled 'What is that thing?' comments.
Mai slows her movements, a bad feeling coming over her, and she scoots into the back, putting the dishes down and moving over to the kitchen window, leaning out. What she sees is enough to make her gasp, and rightly so. What the . what moron brought their mecha into their world!?
The same moron from a day ago, actually. And he wasn't so much as moronic as insane.
Big Duo stomps closer as people stop to stare, the weapon systems apparently not enough to warn them, Scwarzwald opening the cockpit, a world war II like cover for airplanes popping off for a moment.
Walking out as far as he could, Schwarzwald may be a bit small, but it is the presentation that counts, after all. "I have seen the fear that you beings hold, refusing to seek out what may truly be going on... There is no doubt that some of you live in fear and that others refuse to even see what goes on.. Denying the knowledge that that something even exists! You have been judged!"
He yells as best as he can as he speaks, as loud as possible, but from the height distance they might have not even heard it. It may not seem to matter though, as the fingers on the arms are raised up, beginning to spin before the gigantic mecha begins to lift from the ground, the fingers doubling as rotors.
Nonsense, they don't get -THAT- close to stare! Mai's boss can be heard grumbling beside the girl, "What's going on -now- with these wackos in the city? What's that thing..?"
He hasn't noticed Mai's silently backing away until she's slipped out the back. "That crazy person from before.." She whispers, sidling around the LIndenbaum, where people are beginning to Clue In, that the man in the robot means to do them harm, and decided to RUN LIKE HELL. "He can't seriously mean --" How was enlightening them by KILLING them supposed to help?
She shifts uneasily - she should go out and aid those people - but if they were to see her.. MOU! Can't worry about it now! She bolts out from behind the building, and at this point the people have already dashed for safety, the ones inside the LIndenbaum cowering under tables. "Stop this!" Mai shouts up to the mecha, "And leave our plane!"
They never do. But when the mecha is that big, then anywhere nearby is close enough. Lifting off from the ground, it hovers for a moment as Mai runs out, speaking towards him. It's the same girl from before, the one that had played such a protective role to the boy/man and had shown him the nature of the area. And the scum that lives within.
He responds, the cockpit not yet closed. "I cannot do that! Not when they still turn their heads from the truth! If they were not to turn a blind eye to what is around them, then this could have been averted! If only they had not lived a life of fear!" Clearly, talking to the mad man is getting no-where. Roger himself fares better, but then again he is a negotiator.
The front closing, Schwarzwald sitting in the 'cockpit', the weapons, mainly missiles and such, are trained on Mai. It does not seem like it would be open to much more talking.
Well, girl/boy anyway, since Mashiro is disguised as a female. "Leave them alone! What gives you the right to decide who should see the truth? ..some things... some things are too painful to know about!" Like Mai being a HiME. She feels guilty for keeping secrets, but. "SOme things are NECESSARY! You have -no- right to come in here and preach about how they live their lives." She startles a bit when the front closes again and the missiles are trained on her. Curiously, she doesn't turn and run, or fall to her knees and beg for her life. She stands her ground, fingers starting to curl into fists.
Ah, so that's why you kept saying she and he said he. The giant robot is much less interested though. Schwarzwald doesn't stop, rockets on the bottom of the arms beginning to fire up, in order to propel the Big Duo incredibly fast for what size it is.
But a sort of outwards response to Mai is made. A few sentences transmitted through the Big. "If it is too painful. It is because they fear it. This just proves that they are scum! And I shall remove it!" Obviously talking with him will not get him to change his mind. Things necessary for Mai are obviously not for him.
Your outlook changes when you nearly die from burn wounds due to a memory of the past that, through fear, went unknown.
Exactly! "A truth being painful has nothing to do with fear!" No, talking with him probably won't have any effect on someone like this. She still attempts it - and when he talks about them being scum and removing it, she lifts her head in defiance, "I won't .. I won't -allow- it!" AHAHAHAA, it's almost funny, this tiny slip of a girl standing up to a giant, armed mecha! What could she possibly do?
A mere child, compared to him at least, talking of not allowing him to do what he has set his MIND on! And when you're insane, such focus can be near impossible to break. As the rockets begin to kick in, the fiery wash hits the pavement, a bush perhaps going in flames as well as a few other flammable objects, the force lessened, being flying already, as the Big Duo begins to speed up drastically, moving near impossibly fast for it's size.
Another question may be 'why are the arms not being ripped off'. Very good! Answer is unknown.
It doesn't seem like he's going to stop at all, no matter what Mai says, the weapons now being turned towards the town as well, but not fired. She's not the only one in danger now. Those that live nearby may end up having the worst of it.
Giant Mecha are not known for their cheap property damage.
Days like this Mai almost wishes she really were a part of the IPA. Or at the very least, wishes she hadn't -left-. The flames would have assuredly consumed the poor fleshy and flammable girl if she hadn't thrust her hands in front of herself, a shield snapping into place before her for the flames to wash over. "Stop it!" She lowers her hands, extending them outwards and summons her tenrei - her Element. Fire rings circle around her wrists and ankles, bearing her aloft as she rockets in front of the mecha, clearly challenging.
.. but she can't do anything against a mecha alone, strong though she is. Without hesitation, the girl clasps her hands to her chest, reaching for the link she has with her Child. ".. Kagutsuchi!"
A sword seems to burst forth from her chest as she leans back, and as the sword draws itself out, fire erupts from below, as her Child answers her call. Fifty someoff feet in height, and twice that in length, the creature is a hybrid mix of phoenix and dragon - and plenty of angry. Mai will do everything to protect the town and the academy - her friends, and Takumi were there!
The flames would roast the child and he would be able to get things moving, perhaps leaving the area a giant crater. But things do not go the way they simply should, the child seeming to burn in rings of flame as she.. lifts up into the air.
As Big Duo passes, Schwarzwald can't believe his eyes. A woman. FLYING. There was that man who flew... but there was something about him. A woman though. Even weirder is what happens next, a sword bursting as fire erupts from the ground, not from him, but from something.. that comes up, a flying beast as well of fire, slightly small compared to the robot but plenty long. It would stand a chance, and even worse, Schwarzwald knows not of it, eyes focusing in a dead stare. "W-What is that? Is this what she fears?.. Using such?" It's not all that easy for him to know. He's not used to the fantasy lands, obviously.
"Nevermind.. I'll remove anyone who gets in my way! BIG DUO!" The mecha responds as Schwarzwald finally breaks his gaze from the fire dragon, the mecha flying towards the more populated areas. A bombing run, apparently.
For his size, Kagutsuchi moves pretty quickly himself - and guided by Mai - and his own will - the dragon-phoenix moves to intercept the mecha. Violently at that, as the Child snarls a warning and means to ram the mecha in the opposite direction - even to grapple with it to push it back towards the Gate. There will be no bombing of Fuuka Academy, kthx! Mai, for her part, is perched on top of Kagutsuchi's head, dwarfed to a tiny size by the Child in question.
As the quick phoenix/dragon beast moves around him quickly, attempting to intercept the giant mecha, Schwarzwald grins to himself. He'll just deal with the creature as he needs to! The hands stop spinning, the rotors gone for the moment, the hands coming out to grapple with the fiery creature.
It may be a bit too fast though, and that would leave Big Duo quite open. Schwarzwald is not the best pilot. Not trained for it, he had just found it. There is plently of chance for error. Both hands go out to do his fair share of the impending interception.
Schwarzwald successfully targets Mai Tokiha with his Taking a more hands on approach action.
So it comes down to strength vs strength does it? Kagutsuchi doesn't seem terribly concerned when the mecha grapples with it, as the dragon is mainly concerned with A) keeping his HiME safe and B) keeping the academy safe. NOt that the dragon hasn't been known to cause its fair share of damage, here and there. *cough* More often here than there. Still, since the mecha is so close, the dragon attempts a rather bold move - snaking its head forward, that mouth opens partially - it can't open hugely wide, since the sword was speared through to inhibit his power, but it was wide enough to do this much. And the dragon BITES. Or at least attempts to. Let's hope Schwarzwald's mecha doesn't lose an arm!
You miss Schwarzwald with your Kagutsuchi ROWR BITE!! attack.
As the dragon attempts to bite into the rather weak looking section on the arm, the hands pushing the beast backwards as best as it can before the fangs close down upon the section. The arms are easily gigantic, but there are much smaller pieces connecting to those arms.
As the dragon is held from biting onto him, the Big Duo pulls back with one hand, sending a fist towards it, the other pushing it away still before, strike or not, Big Duo ends the duel of strength in the air.
The Big flying down dangerously close before pulling up into the air above the city/town. So it is more like a mecha battle than thought of, with high property damage! Intriguing.
Schwarzwald hits Mai Tokiha with his Bad dragon! Bad! jab.
You take 23 damage.
There's a growl of anger when the mecha shoves the dragon back, unable to bite on this annoying enemy. Kagutsuchi stumbles slightly, into the corner of a five and ten that was fortunately close for renovations. Mai still gasps, grabbing hold of her Child and looking over her shoulder, "Kagutsuchi! More carefully!"
The dragon-phoenix growls agreement - but makes no promises as he launches into the air after the mecha. Rather than close in for another physical assault, the beast circles around to block the mecha's advance into the city, mouth parting as a ball of flame forms and shoots forward at the interloper.
You get a glancing blow on Schwarzwald with your Burn it with Nuclear Fire! (And hopefully not hit innocent buildings again ;o;) attack.
As fast as the Big Duo is, he's pretty large. And as it was knocked back, it comes back easily, flying and growling, launching into the air after him. Big Duo should have no problem at all, and that's what he thinks until the ball of flame hits the Big Duo, weaker parts starting to slowly melt, seizing up some of the other parts.
It was also getting a bit warm in the cockpit, Schwarzwald not appreciating it at all. Well, he will fight fire with fire then, the blast catching Big Duo straight on as he pulls up, doing a 180 before facing towards the beast and it's master, that girl.
Missiles begin to blast from the chest of the Big, one after another, repeating. They fly, mainly, towards the burning dragon creature.
Schwarzwald critically strikes Mai Tokiha with his Hit the innocent buildings! Go for it! attack.
You take 33 damage.
To her credit, Mai doesn't want to lose her Child in battle; she doens't know what the risks of losing him yet will be, thankfully. Still when missiles come flying towards her and Kagutsuchi, Mai gasps, leaping forward to throw up a shield. The missiles connect, the kinetic force throwing her backwards. The missiles strike Kagutsuchi as well, forcing the dragon into lumbering backwards and right into the convenience store.
The still-in-progress building crumbles to dust beneath the Child's weight, and it's sheer LUCK that Mai doesn't get flattened as well. Luckily she landed to the side of the dragon. Anxious, she glances to Kagutsuchi, "Are you okay?"
The Child growls in response, surging to its feet again. With a roar, the Child takes to the sky, leaving a confused Mai on the ground. "Kagutsuchi..?"
The dragon isn't fleeing the battle however - far from it. Instead, once it's airborne, it dives downward again to ram straight into the mecha, hoping to use speed and strength to its advantage.
You stun Schwarzwald with your Setting Mode to Ramming Speeeeed! action.
~ A brief intermission~!
You paged Natsuki Kuga with 'Um...'
Natsuki Kuga (Natsuki) pages: Um?
You paged Natsuki Kuga with 'You didn't like that convenience store on the corner right?'
From afar, Natsuki Kuga (Natsuki) !
Natsuki Kuga (Natsuki) pages: Maaaaai!
~Now back to the fun :D~
The convenience store has probably seen better days, but this is what is important. One down, much left to go. Big Duo has no sort of defensive systems aside from being hit, so when Mai is able to prevent anything against her, but let the dragon take it. Thinking she might be finally down, the Big Duo heads again towards it's destination.
And then the Big Duo is rocked by the Child as the burning dragon slams into the giant Big, rocking it and rattling it, knocking Schwarzwald from the pilots seat, leaving it flying but unable to move and open to the dragons assault.
Having knocked the mecha to the ground for the moment at least, Kagutsuchi should probably pull off his assault. The dragon has no such intentions, and instead soars upwards in a loop - odd how something so HUGE can still be pretty agile. But not TERRIBLY agile, as his feathered tail clips a tree and knocks it over in the process.
"Kagutsuchi! What are you doing!" Mai calls up to her dragon. Fortunately he hasn't entered berserk mode - yet. HOpefully they can take care of this interloper before that happens. Wings flap once, sending hot air towards the ground, trees and bushes bending with the force of the wind. There's the faintest hum of a sound that almost seems similar to jet turbines, as Kagutsuchi targets the defenseless mecha below, and unleashes another fire attack, which hot flames almost on a nuclear level. Kagutsuchi no likey that mecha. It hit him!
You critically strike Schwarzwald with your Ready, Aim, FIRE! Literally! attack.
Schwarzwald is no longer stunned.
All things considered, the Lindenbaum actually wasn't that bad of a place! Flying coffee, arrogant ribbon-punks, and weird bandage-guys aside (at least the girls were cute!). Kai had been determined to give it another try -- perhaps with thoughts of the exotic-sounding 'caramel cheesecake' he spotted on the menu. And so the young man is -just- stepping out of the subway, wondering why it's so quiet -- when the shockwave of the extreme heat attack blasts over him, nearly sending him tumbling back on the stairs.
"WAGH!!" Kai manages to hang onto the railing, pulling himself up and running out into the street. Pausing though, as he spies that twisting dragon up in the sky, blasting the downed mecha. "Wh-what?! Is that for real??!" Pulling a gold-plated cellphone from his pocket, flipping it open -- but it hasn't rung. So that means -- "No Hades Beast signal. It's not from Infershia?!" Whatever it is though, it looks like trouble -- just the sort of thing that could wreck a whole city!
And so, one last look around to make sure he's alone.. and Kai flicks a hidden switch on the side of his MagiPhone, flipping out the wand extension. "Heavenly Saint! Grant me the power of magic!" Sweeping his arms into a circle before raising the MagiPhone into the air. "Change into Majin! Maagi Magi Magika!"
A moment later, a flash of red light heralds a towering, mecha-like figure that rises above the city -- an armored warrior in red and steel tones, sweeping and brandishing a sword. "MagiPhoenix -- On Stage!!"
Kai Ozu switches armor modes to MagiPhoenix.
The Big Duo heads down towards the ground of course, but if he hit the ground it would be bad for both the ground and Big Duo, as how large it is is rather inane. And as the dragon phoenix does a loop, Schwarzwald gets back into the pilot seat, pulling up.. but isn't quite able to get out of the way, the fiery winds slamming into the helpless mecha. The force causes the head to lose quite a bit of it's normal shape, scorching the colored frame as well as burning the form of the Big nicely.
The nuclear level heat begins to eat through the armor, some bombs going off prematurely. And again into the air Big Duo goes, rockets firing off for a quick burst of speed before making another pass. A glowing at his eyes as they begin to target the flying Dragon beast before a burst of eye beams is sent towards it. All robots have them, don't they?
The Big Duo, housing Schwarzwald, looks towards the MagiPheonix, the annoying one from before glowing red and changing into a mecha, although while probably rather large, smaller than the Big. Very little rivals the size of a big. He would have to take care, looking towards it. Oh... but things haven't played out yet.
Perhaps the interloper will help him...
Schwarzwald hits Mai Tokiha with his Eye lasers! Everything has them, really. It's a constant. attack.
You take 28 damage.
From the ground, a small figure zips up to hover at the dragon/phoenix's eye. Her hand reaches forward to place against the beast's head, "Kagutsuchi, wait." She huffs a bit while the Child glowers at its enemy, head low with a menacing growl emitted from the beast's mouth. So, much, hate. Unfortunately while Mai has her dragon backing off for the second, she's . . somewhat in the way of the incoming attack. She turns just in time to see eyebally DEATH heading her way - and Kagutsuchi responds faster, snapping his head to the side and effectively knocking Mai out of the way of the attack, taking the blow directly himself.
Mai spins head over heels for about three feet before she manages to regain her footing, "Kagutsuchi!" Her poor Child was getting pretty beat up out there. And no Natsuki around to help. But on the plus side, Schwarz's mecha was getting just as beat up. Even though Mai hates fighting.
Who's this new person in the big mecha? Was he on that other mecha's side? Does that mean they have two enemies to fight now? They can't take on /two/ enemies! Proof that Kagutsuchi is no mecha - he has no eyebeams. Before she can stop him, Kagutsuchi is slowly stumbling to an upright position, shaking his head - and this time another beam of flame is shot forth at Schwarz's mecha.
"Kagutsuchi stop!" Mai pleads, "If you keep going on like this --!" She doesn't want her poor Child to get hurt further! But .. they still have to defend their city! So while Kagutsuchi is doing his best, Mai turns her attention to MagiPHoenix worriedly, not sure if it was friend or foe.
You critically strike Schwarzwald with your Angry Dragons don't NEED Eyebeams! attack.
"Hold it, both of you!!" MagiRed's voice booms out from MagiPhoenix's faceplate as the steel-plated majin stomps its way forward, swinging its sword.... and sweeping it to point upwards, first at Kagutsuchi, then at Big Duo. "If you two keep fighting like this, you'll destroy the whole city!!" It occurs to him that the twisting dragon thing might not be -able- to understand him... but hopefully, whoever's piloting that other mech will listen to reason?
......if only he knew.
Apparently they do not. Fire swarms over the Big Duo once again as the Big Duo begins to burn nicely, the nuclear fire causing Schwarzwald to freak out in fright.. not fear. The fire, he remembers it, and he cannot move away from it, like a moth. The Big Duo is beginning to slowly turn molten every few times intense heat strikes him.
Schwarzwald has no problem fighting. Infact, he will take who he needs to in order to attain what he wants to do. Which is the destruction and death of those around.. it's quite an obvious path for him, and the Big Duo allows it for him. He doesn't protect anyone. Perhaps he can make use of this..
The MagiRed's voice is ignored as the Big Duo begins to fly above Mai, ports opening as a bombing run centered upon Mai begins. If the giant flame dragon is unable to get there immediately, he would have to throw his body in the way and accept the attack head on.. would he give in to it?
Where Mai is, though, if it gets there early and swoops her away, will take a heavy bombing of shells. Also, MagiRed doesn't know that's his goal! Which is why he keeps going on, gripping the controls tight.
Schwarzwald gets a glancing blow on Mai Tokiha with his It's bad hat to bomb the cute girl, but I'm not really a good guy! Anyways, she has a living shield! attack.
You take 15 damage.
Interloper! Kagutsuchi is THAT close to snapping at the newcomer, but he has other things more important to concern himself with. Mai addresses MagiPhoenix instead. "That's what I've been TRYING to do!" Mai calls back anxiously. Notably she wears the waitress uniform, only this time there are four rings of fire encircling her wrists and ankles. (One for each limb). Mai casts a glance around; If she hadn't done anything, the city would be destroyed by now.
.. >.> Ignore that crushed five and ten, k? That was an accident. A shadow passes overhead, and Mai looks up, letting out a startled cry when bombs begin raining down over her. "Aah!" She throws her hands up, and her shield snaps into place - the problem here is with so many bombs falling, she can hold it up only for so long. The shield fails before the last bomb falls, and she throws herself backwards, the explosion sending the girl flying further until she lands with a painful *THUD* on the debris below.
Kagutsuchi on the other hand, can be very difficult to deal with, and when there are enemies around, he's inclined to ignore his own HiME until the enemies have been eradicated. He's even LESS easy to cope with when someone's injured his HiME. The Child snarls first, glancing towards Mai, who wasn't injured as badly as she could have been, thanks to her shield and her ability to leap out of the way - but still. His head swings back up to the mecha, and his fury meter rises. You hurt his HiME! That's bad form! Don't think he isn't aware of the MagiPhoenix either, but for now, MagiPhoenix isn't an enemy. From the looks of it, the dragon's about to prepare another attack - which probably won't be good! Quick MagiPHoenix! Do something - for great justice!
"Eh?" MagiPheonix's head cants downwards as that voice is heard, focusing on Mai -- hey, wait. Isn't that the uniform from the cafe? And isn't she -- ? "You -- " But before he can finish those bombs fall, making MagiPhoenix recoil, the armored figure raising its arm over its face. Lowering it -- and starting as he beholds Mai thrown to the ground. Though thankfully, she doesn't look too badly hurt.
Big Duo, however, has -just- established itself as the bad guy. "Grrrr... brothers! Sisters! Let's go after him!" MagiPhoenix turns around, half-expecting to see the MagiDragon already forming behind him -- but pauses. It's almost a comical sight, to see that mecha-like figure smack its hand to its face. " ....I forgot. They're not here... " There's still the Legend Power -- but perhaps that won't need to be called upon yet. MagiPhoenix turns its head, glancing around.... and then runs -- towards Kagutsuchi? "Dragon-san! Lend me your head!" And leaping up into the air before pushing his foot off Kagutsuchi's head in a -powerful- leap, magical power sending the large figure flipping up into an intercept with Big Duo's flight path.
"Phoenix Spin Kick!" The armored warrior flipping himself back as its leg comes up and overhead, a soccer-style flipping kick seeking to crash into the Megadeus and knock it away.
Kai Ozu critically strikes Schwarzwald with his Spinning Boot to the Head attack.
At least this gets the woman out of the hair, the beast not striking directly towards him, her being blasted away for the moment. It's all that's really needed. And as the burning dragon begins to snarl around and eye the mecha, Schwarzwald prepares to take evasive action. What it's planning to do is unknown, and could be anything.. quite a bad situation to be in.
But it is through this haste to dodge the fiery phoenix that the other threat is ignored. Perhaps he should not have bombed the girl, but at any rate, the dragon does not come towards him, no. Instead, what does is a heroic mecha that he has never seen before.
Leaping onto the burning dragon, something unexpected by all means, that mecha leaps up towards the Big Duo's rising flight path. Straight for the head. As the large figure flips, the larger figure flies upwards...
And then the back leg comes down towards the head, the boot slamming square into the head... and slamming it right off, the force of the kick just removing the head completely, the Megadeus sparking, banking quickly to pick the head up with an arm, rotors beginning to fail as well as a black smoke from behind the rockets, but not on purpose.
Schwarzwald has to come to terms that, if he can't beat them, especially if due to reinforcements, then there is always another day... he can't fall here, not before he achieves what he has set out to do. With the Big Duo slowly losing altitude though, there is little that can be done as of now.
Except crashing, which is not what he is going to choose.
You know, up till now, Kagutsuchi has pretty much ignored MagiPhoenix, since the mecha wasn't showing itself to be an enemy. Perhaps that was a mistake on his part, as his head is abruptly used as .. a springboard? The dragon doesn't exactly have an /expression/ per se, but if he did, it would best be described as.. 'WTF?'
But then there's an attack being made on the enemy mecha, and Kagutsuchi swings his head around and lowers himself to where Mai is starting to sit up. Kagutsuchi nudges her gently, uttering noises that can only be described as whalesong, conveying his concern.
"Kagutsuchi.." He's such a sweetie. A destructive, overkilling sweetie, but a sweetie nonetheless. She puts a hand on his head, getting to her feet again, the tenrei jangling slightly as she moves. She's a bit sore and her outfit's torn up from the battle, but still holding together, thankfully. She leans heavily against the Child when she spots Schwarzwald opting to retreat after the vicious attack on part of MagiPHoenix. "..phew." Mai sighs in relief. Now there was just the matter of the MagiPHoenix -- and First District, which may well wind up on the scene soon. It was a miracle they hadn't shown up already!
MagiPhoenix comes out of its kick to crash its feet solidly into the ground, making it shake a bit -- but controlling its landing enough to avoid crushing any buildings. Sharply raising its head -just- in time to see Big Duo catching its own, and flying up. "Ehh?! It's still moving without its head?? .....it really -is- a mecha!" Giving a little start though, as it realizes that in the midst of all this, the machine is ascending past their reach. "Wait!! Don't run away!!" MagiPhoenix reaches a hand.... then clenches it, whipping it away. "Che!"
But there are other things aside, and the armored figure steps its way back over to where Kagutsuchi is hovering, leaning over to peer down at Mai. "Are you all right?"
Before she can respond, Kagutsuchi is growling, moving to put himself between Kagutsuchi and her, one wing curling protectively over the HiME. Surprised by the gesture, Mai steps forward, "It's okay Kagutsuchi. He's not an enemy." She hopes. A bit ..embarassed to say the least, Mai shifts uncomfortably, "I.. I'm fine. Thank you for your help." Just wait till she notices the building she accidentally destroyed.
... at least it wasn't a karaoke bar.
"He's gone, isn't he?" She refers to Schwarzwald, of course.
"Eh?" MagiPhoenix recoils a bit at Kagutsuchi puts itself between the two, seeming surprised. Then: "Oi, Dragon-san! You're not mad about what I did back there, are you? Gomen ne, but it was the only I could reach that guy!" It's odd, how many human mannerisms this mecha manages -- it raises a hand to flatten in front of itself, giving a short bow of apology. "Who -was- that guy, anyway?!" And turning its attention back to Mai.
Darn right he was annoyed! Kagutsuchi was no one's springboard! .. of course just that moment he was Kai's but... well let's not dwell on that. Mai shakes her head, a little bemused by the Mecha's expressive manner, not to mention a little confused about what all went on, "I'm not sure - I think it was a person who was at the cafe I work at after days ago --" She hesitates. It certainly sounded like him, and he had the same way of ranting.. she didn't get a good look at him though.
In the distance, the sound of ambulette sirens can be heard. At first Mai doesn't think much of it, but when it sinks in, she gasps softly. Crap! "First District -" She looks to her Child, "Kagutsuchi!"
The dragon/phoenix snorts slightly, but needs no further instruction, vanishing in a pillar of flame to heal. Mai glances to MagiPhoenix again, "About that.." Jumping on her Child, "It's okay, he understands why you did it." She thinks he was more surprised than anything - and he wasn't the only one. "Um - I don't mean to sound ungrateful, but.. but you have to leave." First District can't find him here. He'll get brainwiped! Or worse! She scritches her cheek, "Ah - things should be settled down in a few days - you can come back then, and I'll try to explain." She bows, "But I am very grateful. If you hadn't shown up when you did, Kagutsuchi and I might not have been able to protect Fuuka." She lifts her head curiously, ".. who -are- you anyway?"
Leave? MagiPhoenix raises its head as sirens sound in the distance. That's right -- wasn't he warned about some kind of controlling agency here? But he can't just pass up the chance to make a good impression.
"Me? I am.... the Magician of Justice!" MagiPhoenix raises its fingers to its temple, touching off a salute -- then whips its hand around with a flourish. "Maagi Majuna!" And abruptly -vanishes- in a flash of white light!
He certainly knows how to make an exit...
...unfortunately, he made it using a teleport spell with an unpredictable effect. And so, MagiPhoenix finds itself teleported several hundreds of miles away, the armored figure aburptly sinking hip-deep in a massive bog. "?! ....eeeeeech!"
Magician of Justice? She seems skeptical at first, but when the mecha vanishes like that, leaving her to shield her eyes for the moment... it's gone! "... Magician of Justice, nn..?" How odd.. That was quite an exit though! And at least he didn't argue about it - she can't help but wonder if he'll come back though. But before she can ponder more on this, she hears the sirens drawing closer. Pivoting, the HiME quickly dismisses her Tenrei and scrambles off the street. Time to duck off to the Academy. She would rather not be 'flashy-thingied' tonight or any other night.
WHEN: September 12th
WHERE: HiME Earth, near the Lindenbaum
WHAT: Schwarzwalds ventures into the HiME World to do some good ol' fashioned extermination and destruction. He didn't count on a HiME being an obstacle, or that she'd get some backup.
WATCH FOR: Kagutsuchi being used as a springboard (snerk), and The Final Strike
The Lindenbaum provided quite a nice outlook for Schwarzwald on the particular area he had visited. The fearful seemed to live there as well, as foolish as ever. The boy/man the woman was holding onto seemed to mistake him. He was not a terrorist, but a revolutionary. He just first needed to remove the fear in the hearts of mankind, even if lives were removed in the process.
The Gate that leads to the HiME world, if just one of them, may be slightly strained as something about carrier sized stomps through slowly, giant arms with what might be rockets on the back, just the movement of the thing perhaps putting the strain on the concrete streets. It was quite large, big as well. Around the same size as Roger Smith's own Big, but different.
The Big Duo enters, looking around once through the gate. The slow methodical movement of the giant robot works for the one piloting it, Schwarzwald letting those watching, perhaps, revel in their fear, the same thing that makes them the inhuman beings that he would destroy them.
Fitting after all, they die in the same state that makes them worthless. It does not look friendly at all either, as weapons begin to power up, the eyes for example beginning to glow, and different slots readying this or that.
Mai Tokiha had been on duty at the Lindenbaum, and lucky for her, this time it wasn't half as busy, nor did it have obnoxious people in it. Or creepy fanatics. Mai had been gathering empty plates into her arms, in fact, when Big Duo entered the Gate. A few people on the street stop to stare, and even some of the customers in the Lindenbaum take notice, some crowding near the windows and murmuring, puzzled 'What is that thing?' comments.
Mai slows her movements, a bad feeling coming over her, and she scoots into the back, putting the dishes down and moving over to the kitchen window, leaning out. What she sees is enough to make her gasp, and rightly so. What the . what moron brought their mecha into their world!?
The same moron from a day ago, actually. And he wasn't so much as moronic as insane.
Big Duo stomps closer as people stop to stare, the weapon systems apparently not enough to warn them, Scwarzwald opening the cockpit, a world war II like cover for airplanes popping off for a moment.
Walking out as far as he could, Schwarzwald may be a bit small, but it is the presentation that counts, after all. "I have seen the fear that you beings hold, refusing to seek out what may truly be going on... There is no doubt that some of you live in fear and that others refuse to even see what goes on.. Denying the knowledge that that something even exists! You have been judged!"
He yells as best as he can as he speaks, as loud as possible, but from the height distance they might have not even heard it. It may not seem to matter though, as the fingers on the arms are raised up, beginning to spin before the gigantic mecha begins to lift from the ground, the fingers doubling as rotors.
Nonsense, they don't get -THAT- close to stare! Mai's boss can be heard grumbling beside the girl, "What's going on -now- with these wackos in the city? What's that thing..?"
He hasn't noticed Mai's silently backing away until she's slipped out the back. "That crazy person from before.." She whispers, sidling around the LIndenbaum, where people are beginning to Clue In, that the man in the robot means to do them harm, and decided to RUN LIKE HELL. "He can't seriously mean --" How was enlightening them by KILLING them supposed to help?
She shifts uneasily - she should go out and aid those people - but if they were to see her.. MOU! Can't worry about it now! She bolts out from behind the building, and at this point the people have already dashed for safety, the ones inside the LIndenbaum cowering under tables. "Stop this!" Mai shouts up to the mecha, "And leave our plane!"
They never do. But when the mecha is that big, then anywhere nearby is close enough. Lifting off from the ground, it hovers for a moment as Mai runs out, speaking towards him. It's the same girl from before, the one that had played such a protective role to the boy/man and had shown him the nature of the area. And the scum that lives within.
He responds, the cockpit not yet closed. "I cannot do that! Not when they still turn their heads from the truth! If they were not to turn a blind eye to what is around them, then this could have been averted! If only they had not lived a life of fear!" Clearly, talking to the mad man is getting no-where. Roger himself fares better, but then again he is a negotiator.
The front closing, Schwarzwald sitting in the 'cockpit', the weapons, mainly missiles and such, are trained on Mai. It does not seem like it would be open to much more talking.
Well, girl/boy anyway, since Mashiro is disguised as a female. "Leave them alone! What gives you the right to decide who should see the truth? ..some things... some things are too painful to know about!" Like Mai being a HiME. She feels guilty for keeping secrets, but. "SOme things are NECESSARY! You have -no- right to come in here and preach about how they live their lives." She startles a bit when the front closes again and the missiles are trained on her. Curiously, she doesn't turn and run, or fall to her knees and beg for her life. She stands her ground, fingers starting to curl into fists.
Ah, so that's why you kept saying she and he said he. The giant robot is much less interested though. Schwarzwald doesn't stop, rockets on the bottom of the arms beginning to fire up, in order to propel the Big Duo incredibly fast for what size it is.
But a sort of outwards response to Mai is made. A few sentences transmitted through the Big. "If it is too painful. It is because they fear it. This just proves that they are scum! And I shall remove it!" Obviously talking with him will not get him to change his mind. Things necessary for Mai are obviously not for him.
Your outlook changes when you nearly die from burn wounds due to a memory of the past that, through fear, went unknown.
Exactly! "A truth being painful has nothing to do with fear!" No, talking with him probably won't have any effect on someone like this. She still attempts it - and when he talks about them being scum and removing it, she lifts her head in defiance, "I won't .. I won't -allow- it!" AHAHAHAA, it's almost funny, this tiny slip of a girl standing up to a giant, armed mecha! What could she possibly do?
A mere child, compared to him at least, talking of not allowing him to do what he has set his MIND on! And when you're insane, such focus can be near impossible to break. As the rockets begin to kick in, the fiery wash hits the pavement, a bush perhaps going in flames as well as a few other flammable objects, the force lessened, being flying already, as the Big Duo begins to speed up drastically, moving near impossibly fast for it's size.
Another question may be 'why are the arms not being ripped off'. Very good! Answer is unknown.
It doesn't seem like he's going to stop at all, no matter what Mai says, the weapons now being turned towards the town as well, but not fired. She's not the only one in danger now. Those that live nearby may end up having the worst of it.
Giant Mecha are not known for their cheap property damage.
Days like this Mai almost wishes she really were a part of the IPA. Or at the very least, wishes she hadn't -left-. The flames would have assuredly consumed the poor fleshy and flammable girl if she hadn't thrust her hands in front of herself, a shield snapping into place before her for the flames to wash over. "Stop it!" She lowers her hands, extending them outwards and summons her tenrei - her Element. Fire rings circle around her wrists and ankles, bearing her aloft as she rockets in front of the mecha, clearly challenging.
.. but she can't do anything against a mecha alone, strong though she is. Without hesitation, the girl clasps her hands to her chest, reaching for the link she has with her Child. ".. Kagutsuchi!"
A sword seems to burst forth from her chest as she leans back, and as the sword draws itself out, fire erupts from below, as her Child answers her call. Fifty someoff feet in height, and twice that in length, the creature is a hybrid mix of phoenix and dragon - and plenty of angry. Mai will do everything to protect the town and the academy - her friends, and Takumi were there!
The flames would roast the child and he would be able to get things moving, perhaps leaving the area a giant crater. But things do not go the way they simply should, the child seeming to burn in rings of flame as she.. lifts up into the air.
As Big Duo passes, Schwarzwald can't believe his eyes. A woman. FLYING. There was that man who flew... but there was something about him. A woman though. Even weirder is what happens next, a sword bursting as fire erupts from the ground, not from him, but from something.. that comes up, a flying beast as well of fire, slightly small compared to the robot but plenty long. It would stand a chance, and even worse, Schwarzwald knows not of it, eyes focusing in a dead stare. "W-What is that? Is this what she fears?.. Using such?" It's not all that easy for him to know. He's not used to the fantasy lands, obviously.
"Nevermind.. I'll remove anyone who gets in my way! BIG DUO!" The mecha responds as Schwarzwald finally breaks his gaze from the fire dragon, the mecha flying towards the more populated areas. A bombing run, apparently.
For his size, Kagutsuchi moves pretty quickly himself - and guided by Mai - and his own will - the dragon-phoenix moves to intercept the mecha. Violently at that, as the Child snarls a warning and means to ram the mecha in the opposite direction - even to grapple with it to push it back towards the Gate. There will be no bombing of Fuuka Academy, kthx! Mai, for her part, is perched on top of Kagutsuchi's head, dwarfed to a tiny size by the Child in question.
As the quick phoenix/dragon beast moves around him quickly, attempting to intercept the giant mecha, Schwarzwald grins to himself. He'll just deal with the creature as he needs to! The hands stop spinning, the rotors gone for the moment, the hands coming out to grapple with the fiery creature.
It may be a bit too fast though, and that would leave Big Duo quite open. Schwarzwald is not the best pilot. Not trained for it, he had just found it. There is plently of chance for error. Both hands go out to do his fair share of the impending interception.
Schwarzwald successfully targets Mai Tokiha with his Taking a more hands on approach action.
So it comes down to strength vs strength does it? Kagutsuchi doesn't seem terribly concerned when the mecha grapples with it, as the dragon is mainly concerned with A) keeping his HiME safe and B) keeping the academy safe. NOt that the dragon hasn't been known to cause its fair share of damage, here and there. *cough* More often here than there. Still, since the mecha is so close, the dragon attempts a rather bold move - snaking its head forward, that mouth opens partially - it can't open hugely wide, since the sword was speared through to inhibit his power, but it was wide enough to do this much. And the dragon BITES. Or at least attempts to. Let's hope Schwarzwald's mecha doesn't lose an arm!
You miss Schwarzwald with your Kagutsuchi ROWR BITE!! attack.
As the dragon attempts to bite into the rather weak looking section on the arm, the hands pushing the beast backwards as best as it can before the fangs close down upon the section. The arms are easily gigantic, but there are much smaller pieces connecting to those arms.
As the dragon is held from biting onto him, the Big Duo pulls back with one hand, sending a fist towards it, the other pushing it away still before, strike or not, Big Duo ends the duel of strength in the air.
The Big flying down dangerously close before pulling up into the air above the city/town. So it is more like a mecha battle than thought of, with high property damage! Intriguing.
Schwarzwald hits Mai Tokiha with his Bad dragon! Bad! jab.
You take 23 damage.
There's a growl of anger when the mecha shoves the dragon back, unable to bite on this annoying enemy. Kagutsuchi stumbles slightly, into the corner of a five and ten that was fortunately close for renovations. Mai still gasps, grabbing hold of her Child and looking over her shoulder, "Kagutsuchi! More carefully!"
The dragon-phoenix growls agreement - but makes no promises as he launches into the air after the mecha. Rather than close in for another physical assault, the beast circles around to block the mecha's advance into the city, mouth parting as a ball of flame forms and shoots forward at the interloper.
You get a glancing blow on Schwarzwald with your Burn it with Nuclear Fire! (And hopefully not hit innocent buildings again ;o;) attack.
As fast as the Big Duo is, he's pretty large. And as it was knocked back, it comes back easily, flying and growling, launching into the air after him. Big Duo should have no problem at all, and that's what he thinks until the ball of flame hits the Big Duo, weaker parts starting to slowly melt, seizing up some of the other parts.
It was also getting a bit warm in the cockpit, Schwarzwald not appreciating it at all. Well, he will fight fire with fire then, the blast catching Big Duo straight on as he pulls up, doing a 180 before facing towards the beast and it's master, that girl.
Missiles begin to blast from the chest of the Big, one after another, repeating. They fly, mainly, towards the burning dragon creature.
Schwarzwald critically strikes Mai Tokiha with his Hit the innocent buildings! Go for it! attack.
You take 33 damage.
To her credit, Mai doesn't want to lose her Child in battle; she doens't know what the risks of losing him yet will be, thankfully. Still when missiles come flying towards her and Kagutsuchi, Mai gasps, leaping forward to throw up a shield. The missiles connect, the kinetic force throwing her backwards. The missiles strike Kagutsuchi as well, forcing the dragon into lumbering backwards and right into the convenience store.
The still-in-progress building crumbles to dust beneath the Child's weight, and it's sheer LUCK that Mai doesn't get flattened as well. Luckily she landed to the side of the dragon. Anxious, she glances to Kagutsuchi, "Are you okay?"
The Child growls in response, surging to its feet again. With a roar, the Child takes to the sky, leaving a confused Mai on the ground. "Kagutsuchi..?"
The dragon isn't fleeing the battle however - far from it. Instead, once it's airborne, it dives downward again to ram straight into the mecha, hoping to use speed and strength to its advantage.
You stun Schwarzwald with your Setting Mode to Ramming Speeeeed! action.
~ A brief intermission~!
You paged Natsuki Kuga with 'Um...'
Natsuki Kuga (Natsuki) pages: Um?
You paged Natsuki Kuga with 'You didn't like that convenience store on the corner right?'
From afar, Natsuki Kuga (Natsuki) !
Natsuki Kuga (Natsuki) pages: Maaaaai!
~Now back to the fun :D~
The convenience store has probably seen better days, but this is what is important. One down, much left to go. Big Duo has no sort of defensive systems aside from being hit, so when Mai is able to prevent anything against her, but let the dragon take it. Thinking she might be finally down, the Big Duo heads again towards it's destination.
And then the Big Duo is rocked by the Child as the burning dragon slams into the giant Big, rocking it and rattling it, knocking Schwarzwald from the pilots seat, leaving it flying but unable to move and open to the dragons assault.
Having knocked the mecha to the ground for the moment at least, Kagutsuchi should probably pull off his assault. The dragon has no such intentions, and instead soars upwards in a loop - odd how something so HUGE can still be pretty agile. But not TERRIBLY agile, as his feathered tail clips a tree and knocks it over in the process.
"Kagutsuchi! What are you doing!" Mai calls up to her dragon. Fortunately he hasn't entered berserk mode - yet. HOpefully they can take care of this interloper before that happens. Wings flap once, sending hot air towards the ground, trees and bushes bending with the force of the wind. There's the faintest hum of a sound that almost seems similar to jet turbines, as Kagutsuchi targets the defenseless mecha below, and unleashes another fire attack, which hot flames almost on a nuclear level. Kagutsuchi no likey that mecha. It hit him!
You critically strike Schwarzwald with your Ready, Aim, FIRE! Literally! attack.
Schwarzwald is no longer stunned.
All things considered, the Lindenbaum actually wasn't that bad of a place! Flying coffee, arrogant ribbon-punks, and weird bandage-guys aside (at least the girls were cute!). Kai had been determined to give it another try -- perhaps with thoughts of the exotic-sounding 'caramel cheesecake' he spotted on the menu. And so the young man is -just- stepping out of the subway, wondering why it's so quiet -- when the shockwave of the extreme heat attack blasts over him, nearly sending him tumbling back on the stairs.
"WAGH!!" Kai manages to hang onto the railing, pulling himself up and running out into the street. Pausing though, as he spies that twisting dragon up in the sky, blasting the downed mecha. "Wh-what?! Is that for real??!" Pulling a gold-plated cellphone from his pocket, flipping it open -- but it hasn't rung. So that means -- "No Hades Beast signal. It's not from Infershia?!" Whatever it is though, it looks like trouble -- just the sort of thing that could wreck a whole city!
And so, one last look around to make sure he's alone.. and Kai flicks a hidden switch on the side of his MagiPhone, flipping out the wand extension. "Heavenly Saint! Grant me the power of magic!" Sweeping his arms into a circle before raising the MagiPhone into the air. "Change into Majin! Maagi Magi Magika!"
A moment later, a flash of red light heralds a towering, mecha-like figure that rises above the city -- an armored warrior in red and steel tones, sweeping and brandishing a sword. "MagiPhoenix -- On Stage!!"
Kai Ozu switches armor modes to MagiPhoenix.
The Big Duo heads down towards the ground of course, but if he hit the ground it would be bad for both the ground and Big Duo, as how large it is is rather inane. And as the dragon phoenix does a loop, Schwarzwald gets back into the pilot seat, pulling up.. but isn't quite able to get out of the way, the fiery winds slamming into the helpless mecha. The force causes the head to lose quite a bit of it's normal shape, scorching the colored frame as well as burning the form of the Big nicely.
The nuclear level heat begins to eat through the armor, some bombs going off prematurely. And again into the air Big Duo goes, rockets firing off for a quick burst of speed before making another pass. A glowing at his eyes as they begin to target the flying Dragon beast before a burst of eye beams is sent towards it. All robots have them, don't they?
The Big Duo, housing Schwarzwald, looks towards the MagiPheonix, the annoying one from before glowing red and changing into a mecha, although while probably rather large, smaller than the Big. Very little rivals the size of a big. He would have to take care, looking towards it. Oh... but things haven't played out yet.
Perhaps the interloper will help him...
Schwarzwald hits Mai Tokiha with his Eye lasers! Everything has them, really. It's a constant. attack.
You take 28 damage.
From the ground, a small figure zips up to hover at the dragon/phoenix's eye. Her hand reaches forward to place against the beast's head, "Kagutsuchi, wait." She huffs a bit while the Child glowers at its enemy, head low with a menacing growl emitted from the beast's mouth. So, much, hate. Unfortunately while Mai has her dragon backing off for the second, she's . . somewhat in the way of the incoming attack. She turns just in time to see eyebally DEATH heading her way - and Kagutsuchi responds faster, snapping his head to the side and effectively knocking Mai out of the way of the attack, taking the blow directly himself.
Mai spins head over heels for about three feet before she manages to regain her footing, "Kagutsuchi!" Her poor Child was getting pretty beat up out there. And no Natsuki around to help. But on the plus side, Schwarz's mecha was getting just as beat up. Even though Mai hates fighting.
Who's this new person in the big mecha? Was he on that other mecha's side? Does that mean they have two enemies to fight now? They can't take on /two/ enemies! Proof that Kagutsuchi is no mecha - he has no eyebeams. Before she can stop him, Kagutsuchi is slowly stumbling to an upright position, shaking his head - and this time another beam of flame is shot forth at Schwarz's mecha.
"Kagutsuchi stop!" Mai pleads, "If you keep going on like this --!" She doesn't want her poor Child to get hurt further! But .. they still have to defend their city! So while Kagutsuchi is doing his best, Mai turns her attention to MagiPHoenix worriedly, not sure if it was friend or foe.
You critically strike Schwarzwald with your Angry Dragons don't NEED Eyebeams! attack.
"Hold it, both of you!!" MagiRed's voice booms out from MagiPhoenix's faceplate as the steel-plated majin stomps its way forward, swinging its sword.... and sweeping it to point upwards, first at Kagutsuchi, then at Big Duo. "If you two keep fighting like this, you'll destroy the whole city!!" It occurs to him that the twisting dragon thing might not be -able- to understand him... but hopefully, whoever's piloting that other mech will listen to reason?
......if only he knew.
Apparently they do not. Fire swarms over the Big Duo once again as the Big Duo begins to burn nicely, the nuclear fire causing Schwarzwald to freak out in fright.. not fear. The fire, he remembers it, and he cannot move away from it, like a moth. The Big Duo is beginning to slowly turn molten every few times intense heat strikes him.
Schwarzwald has no problem fighting. Infact, he will take who he needs to in order to attain what he wants to do. Which is the destruction and death of those around.. it's quite an obvious path for him, and the Big Duo allows it for him. He doesn't protect anyone. Perhaps he can make use of this..
The MagiRed's voice is ignored as the Big Duo begins to fly above Mai, ports opening as a bombing run centered upon Mai begins. If the giant flame dragon is unable to get there immediately, he would have to throw his body in the way and accept the attack head on.. would he give in to it?
Where Mai is, though, if it gets there early and swoops her away, will take a heavy bombing of shells. Also, MagiRed doesn't know that's his goal! Which is why he keeps going on, gripping the controls tight.
Schwarzwald gets a glancing blow on Mai Tokiha with his It's bad hat to bomb the cute girl, but I'm not really a good guy! Anyways, she has a living shield! attack.
You take 15 damage.
Interloper! Kagutsuchi is THAT close to snapping at the newcomer, but he has other things more important to concern himself with. Mai addresses MagiPhoenix instead. "That's what I've been TRYING to do!" Mai calls back anxiously. Notably she wears the waitress uniform, only this time there are four rings of fire encircling her wrists and ankles. (One for each limb). Mai casts a glance around; If she hadn't done anything, the city would be destroyed by now.
.. >.> Ignore that crushed five and ten, k? That was an accident. A shadow passes overhead, and Mai looks up, letting out a startled cry when bombs begin raining down over her. "Aah!" She throws her hands up, and her shield snaps into place - the problem here is with so many bombs falling, she can hold it up only for so long. The shield fails before the last bomb falls, and she throws herself backwards, the explosion sending the girl flying further until she lands with a painful *THUD* on the debris below.
Kagutsuchi on the other hand, can be very difficult to deal with, and when there are enemies around, he's inclined to ignore his own HiME until the enemies have been eradicated. He's even LESS easy to cope with when someone's injured his HiME. The Child snarls first, glancing towards Mai, who wasn't injured as badly as she could have been, thanks to her shield and her ability to leap out of the way - but still. His head swings back up to the mecha, and his fury meter rises. You hurt his HiME! That's bad form! Don't think he isn't aware of the MagiPhoenix either, but for now, MagiPhoenix isn't an enemy. From the looks of it, the dragon's about to prepare another attack - which probably won't be good! Quick MagiPHoenix! Do something - for great justice!
"Eh?" MagiPheonix's head cants downwards as that voice is heard, focusing on Mai -- hey, wait. Isn't that the uniform from the cafe? And isn't she -- ? "You -- " But before he can finish those bombs fall, making MagiPhoenix recoil, the armored figure raising its arm over its face. Lowering it -- and starting as he beholds Mai thrown to the ground. Though thankfully, she doesn't look too badly hurt.
Big Duo, however, has -just- established itself as the bad guy. "Grrrr... brothers! Sisters! Let's go after him!" MagiPhoenix turns around, half-expecting to see the MagiDragon already forming behind him -- but pauses. It's almost a comical sight, to see that mecha-like figure smack its hand to its face. " ....I forgot. They're not here... " There's still the Legend Power -- but perhaps that won't need to be called upon yet. MagiPhoenix turns its head, glancing around.... and then runs -- towards Kagutsuchi? "Dragon-san! Lend me your head!" And leaping up into the air before pushing his foot off Kagutsuchi's head in a -powerful- leap, magical power sending the large figure flipping up into an intercept with Big Duo's flight path.
"Phoenix Spin Kick!" The armored warrior flipping himself back as its leg comes up and overhead, a soccer-style flipping kick seeking to crash into the Megadeus and knock it away.
Kai Ozu critically strikes Schwarzwald with his Spinning Boot to the Head attack.
At least this gets the woman out of the hair, the beast not striking directly towards him, her being blasted away for the moment. It's all that's really needed. And as the burning dragon begins to snarl around and eye the mecha, Schwarzwald prepares to take evasive action. What it's planning to do is unknown, and could be anything.. quite a bad situation to be in.
But it is through this haste to dodge the fiery phoenix that the other threat is ignored. Perhaps he should not have bombed the girl, but at any rate, the dragon does not come towards him, no. Instead, what does is a heroic mecha that he has never seen before.
Leaping onto the burning dragon, something unexpected by all means, that mecha leaps up towards the Big Duo's rising flight path. Straight for the head. As the large figure flips, the larger figure flies upwards...
And then the back leg comes down towards the head, the boot slamming square into the head... and slamming it right off, the force of the kick just removing the head completely, the Megadeus sparking, banking quickly to pick the head up with an arm, rotors beginning to fail as well as a black smoke from behind the rockets, but not on purpose.
Schwarzwald has to come to terms that, if he can't beat them, especially if due to reinforcements, then there is always another day... he can't fall here, not before he achieves what he has set out to do. With the Big Duo slowly losing altitude though, there is little that can be done as of now.
Except crashing, which is not what he is going to choose.
You know, up till now, Kagutsuchi has pretty much ignored MagiPhoenix, since the mecha wasn't showing itself to be an enemy. Perhaps that was a mistake on his part, as his head is abruptly used as .. a springboard? The dragon doesn't exactly have an /expression/ per se, but if he did, it would best be described as.. 'WTF?'
But then there's an attack being made on the enemy mecha, and Kagutsuchi swings his head around and lowers himself to where Mai is starting to sit up. Kagutsuchi nudges her gently, uttering noises that can only be described as whalesong, conveying his concern.
"Kagutsuchi.." He's such a sweetie. A destructive, overkilling sweetie, but a sweetie nonetheless. She puts a hand on his head, getting to her feet again, the tenrei jangling slightly as she moves. She's a bit sore and her outfit's torn up from the battle, but still holding together, thankfully. She leans heavily against the Child when she spots Schwarzwald opting to retreat after the vicious attack on part of MagiPHoenix. "..phew." Mai sighs in relief. Now there was just the matter of the MagiPHoenix -- and First District, which may well wind up on the scene soon. It was a miracle they hadn't shown up already!
MagiPhoenix comes out of its kick to crash its feet solidly into the ground, making it shake a bit -- but controlling its landing enough to avoid crushing any buildings. Sharply raising its head -just- in time to see Big Duo catching its own, and flying up. "Ehh?! It's still moving without its head?? .....it really -is- a mecha!" Giving a little start though, as it realizes that in the midst of all this, the machine is ascending past their reach. "Wait!! Don't run away!!" MagiPhoenix reaches a hand.... then clenches it, whipping it away. "Che!"
But there are other things aside, and the armored figure steps its way back over to where Kagutsuchi is hovering, leaning over to peer down at Mai. "Are you all right?"
Before she can respond, Kagutsuchi is growling, moving to put himself between Kagutsuchi and her, one wing curling protectively over the HiME. Surprised by the gesture, Mai steps forward, "It's okay Kagutsuchi. He's not an enemy." She hopes. A bit ..embarassed to say the least, Mai shifts uncomfortably, "I.. I'm fine. Thank you for your help." Just wait till she notices the building she accidentally destroyed.
... at least it wasn't a karaoke bar.
"He's gone, isn't he?" She refers to Schwarzwald, of course.
"Eh?" MagiPhoenix recoils a bit at Kagutsuchi puts itself between the two, seeming surprised. Then: "Oi, Dragon-san! You're not mad about what I did back there, are you? Gomen ne, but it was the only I could reach that guy!" It's odd, how many human mannerisms this mecha manages -- it raises a hand to flatten in front of itself, giving a short bow of apology. "Who -was- that guy, anyway?!" And turning its attention back to Mai.
Darn right he was annoyed! Kagutsuchi was no one's springboard! .. of course just that moment he was Kai's but... well let's not dwell on that. Mai shakes her head, a little bemused by the Mecha's expressive manner, not to mention a little confused about what all went on, "I'm not sure - I think it was a person who was at the cafe I work at after days ago --" She hesitates. It certainly sounded like him, and he had the same way of ranting.. she didn't get a good look at him though.
In the distance, the sound of ambulette sirens can be heard. At first Mai doesn't think much of it, but when it sinks in, she gasps softly. Crap! "First District -" She looks to her Child, "Kagutsuchi!"
The dragon/phoenix snorts slightly, but needs no further instruction, vanishing in a pillar of flame to heal. Mai glances to MagiPhoenix again, "About that.." Jumping on her Child, "It's okay, he understands why you did it." She thinks he was more surprised than anything - and he wasn't the only one. "Um - I don't mean to sound ungrateful, but.. but you have to leave." First District can't find him here. He'll get brainwiped! Or worse! She scritches her cheek, "Ah - things should be settled down in a few days - you can come back then, and I'll try to explain." She bows, "But I am very grateful. If you hadn't shown up when you did, Kagutsuchi and I might not have been able to protect Fuuka." She lifts her head curiously, ".. who -are- you anyway?"
Leave? MagiPhoenix raises its head as sirens sound in the distance. That's right -- wasn't he warned about some kind of controlling agency here? But he can't just pass up the chance to make a good impression.
"Me? I am.... the Magician of Justice!" MagiPhoenix raises its fingers to its temple, touching off a salute -- then whips its hand around with a flourish. "Maagi Majuna!" And abruptly -vanishes- in a flash of white light!
He certainly knows how to make an exit...
...unfortunately, he made it using a teleport spell with an unpredictable effect. And so, MagiPhoenix finds itself teleported several hundreds of miles away, the armored figure aburptly sinking hip-deep in a massive bog. "?! ....eeeeeech!"
Magician of Justice? She seems skeptical at first, but when the mecha vanishes like that, leaving her to shield her eyes for the moment... it's gone! "... Magician of Justice, nn..?" How odd.. That was quite an exit though! And at least he didn't argue about it - she can't help but wonder if he'll come back though. But before she can ponder more on this, she hears the sirens drawing closer. Pivoting, the HiME quickly dismisses her Tenrei and scrambles off the street. Time to duck off to the Academy. She would rather not be 'flashy-thingied' tonight or any other night.