AN: Blame the lateness of this chapter on being without internet for a good two weeks …massive writer's block might've contributed to the matter too…as well as a few social matters…and maybe Firelands and Dynasty Warriors 7…another factor is devising several teaser chapters for the stories I wish to do after OP:ANS, which is currently shown on my profile in the form of a poll…and yes, all include Avatars…
Raidentensho asks:
Will camie be khurt's interest after seeing what happening in sabordie along with the government still allowing it
Rabb: You mean like romantic interest? Cause after reading that all I can picture is Fry from Futurama wailing "Why couldn't she be the other kind of mermaid? With the fish half on top and the lady part on the bottom!"…Besides…he's gonna have a Harem! Nami and Robin and Nojiko and Tashigi and Conis and Laki and Kalifa and Rangiku (That's right…he's gonna go inter-dimensional!) and Orihime and Yoruichi and Tifa and Rikku and Lulu and Quistis and Beatrix and Lightning and Tsunade and Anko and Chun-Li and Cammy and Princess Peach and Zelda and Samus and Taki and Ivy and Tali and Liara and Morrigan and Leliana…(fades off into the distance while still shouting random fictional women)…
Juniperlei asks:
so thier is types of avatars so like is there more lighting avatars?
Rabb: Yep, we'll find out more about the different elemental properties later on, but Khurt is NOT the only lightning Avatar in existence. (P.S. Just to tease you, there are currently 14 elements Avatars wield…guess what they all are before I reveal them and you could win something grand...like an inter-dimensional Harem!)
Chapter 44: Taboo and Heresy
"Tempest Bomb!" I rushed to the moss creatures attempting to flank me, scattering one into a jumbled mess and blowing a good chunk out of its neighbor. A third and fourth of the algae elementals lumbered for me, the closest taking a giant cleave with its grotesque arm. I leapt out of the way in time only to be cracked on the back by a Weepinbell who had scaled the roof above me, its vines whipping its way to strike again.
"You lil' sunuva…" I grumbled, holding my Clawshot out and allowing the vine to wrap around it before yanking down to the ground before me. Curb-stomping it into plant pulp, I focused my attention onto the advancing moss behemoths lumbering towards me, my peripheral vision picking up the remainder of the Weepingbell squad bouncing my way atop the buildings.
"Tempest Gatling!" I fired round after round of my dart-like bolts that soon began shredded the Pokemon squad into ribbons. Unfortunately during the barrage I didn't notice the Piranha Plant slithering its way to my side until its maw was wide open and nearly took a good chunk out of my hide before I leapt away.
"Lightning Javelin!" The spear of electricity struck it upon the jaw, the bulbous head bursting into flame as its cartoonish tongue flailed about as it roared in pain before collapsing to the dirt.
"Bell!" I only has to hear its cry and I instinctively moved from my current spot, the wall now turning to jelly as an acidic hiss filled the air. An Acid Spit that was meant for me now dissolving where I just stood. Unsheathing and equipping my Clawshot, I aimed for the rooftops where a new squad of the bell-shaped monsters readied their attacks, only for a giant green tentacle to clothesline me into the wall.
I heard the Malboro let off a bestial chortle as its limb retracted back, I now slumped in the ruins of a former kitchen.
"Ouch…" I grumbled, picking myself up from the shattered remnants of a countertop. I only had time to pick myself up before I was assailed yet again, only I heard a large 'FWOOMP' noise before the house began to fill with a yellow haze.
"Shit! More pollen!" I yelled mentally as I threw my shirt above the mouth in a makeshift gas mask while booking my ass out of the infected building. The moment I burst through a backdoor, I was greeted by a massive floating flower petal-like monster, spewing more of the hazel miasma from its center.
Narrowing my eyes, I formed a small sphere in my hands. "Tempest Bomb!" Chucking the lightning grenade, it nipped it right in the bud. The resulting detonation caused it to burst into a small brushfire, losing its focus as it lost altitude and crashed into the sandy street. I didn't have time to bask in the small victory when it lit up as the Malboro burst through a section of houses, all of its eye-stalks focusing on me. I leapt backward to avoid another strike from its tendril, building another charge.
"Such a pitiful sight!" The familiar grating voice of Mr. 6 gloated as the monster he rode upon thrashed about on the block in an attempt to turn me into street pizza. "Running and scurrying like a rat! If only Sir Ulric could see one of his own scuttling around, he'd disown your existence!" He let off another annoying series of laughter before shouting an unheard order to his mount…in which it retracted its attacking tentacles and took in a massive intake of air.
"What…" I raised an eyebrow in question before a spark hit my mind, "Oh shit! Blitzkrieg!" I flashed away just before the Malboro exhaled, a purple fog billowing out into the street. I saw from the alley where I Blitzkrieg'd away to what the attack did…the very foundation of the buildings soon became withered and melted, as if someone flung acid upon it. The entirety of the road looked as though it were made of butter, stone turned to ooze as the venomous breeze wafted through.
"Jesus!" I exclaimed at the destructive power of the Malboro's signature attack…Bad Breath…who knew such a retardedly-named attack could do such damage?
"Gotta take out that thing before it breathes again…" I planned mentally, darting into a small two-story house. I bolted upstairs into a small hallway where I could see the massive fiend desperately scanning here and there in an attempt to spot me.
I gave it its chance as I took a running start out the window, shattering it into millions of shards. Time stood still for a brief moment as I sailed through the air and unfolded my arms from their protective covering of my face and opening my mouth.
"Thunder Dragon…" I felt the surge leap out into my throat in preparation to release, "CANN-!"
"Landes Corregiato!" Sergei reacted faster than I anticipated with a wooden root-like flail club, sending me spiral uncontrollably in the air as I fired my most powerful ranged attack. The blast devastated a few houses, but I did manage to singe part of Mr. Bad Breath's head along with a tentacle or two.
I managed to catch myself as I plummeted to the street, skidding to a halt along the way and when I looked up, I took small satisfaction in the scene before me.
The Malboro screeched in pain and thrashed wildly, a good 2/5 of its eye stalks had been obliterated and another fifth was scorched and it lost a couple of its precious feelers…all the while Sergei was using his Avatar pink energy as a set of reins, trying to bring the creature back under control and had resorted to shouting more commands strung with curses.
"HEEL, CURSE YOU! YOU DAMN BEAST!" He bellowed, increasing the flow of energy but availing him none as the fantasy monster continued its anguish-driven rampage. I took notice that when he amped up his metaphysical leash, some of the other creatures around him began…acting slightly confused, as if waking up from a long nap.
"It must take a lot of concentration to keep all these things in line…" I thought before sneering evilly, "Let's see if we can't throw it off a bit more…" I grabbed my Clawshot and fired it at an unexploded cannonball nearby, it latching on as I began my dash.
I swung it in a large diagonal circle to my right while I dashed forward before performing a surge-induced jump behind the berserking Malboro. "Thunder Flail!" I flung the explosive chain downward Cao Ren-style and it struck home upon the wood-covered bastard Avatar as I overloaded the ball with lightning, causing a tremendous explosion of fire and thunder.
I could see Sergei's rag-doll body fly away into a building as his renegade minion renewed its lashing about with more vigor than before now that a great chunk of its head had been blown off and the rest was mostly on fire. The others plants seemed unnerved by it, if not still a bit dazed.
It was then another tendril of energy shot out, only one could sense the anger behind it as it bore into the Malboro, the piercing only increasing the volume of its pained screech for but a second. The energy then pulsated and looked to become enriched as the Malboro became wilted, its green plumage became brown and stale, and only after a few seconds crumbled to dust, a small seed where the once-massive beast had been. Similar fey vines struck the remaining plant forces, causing more to wither into their former state.
"Perhaps it was a bit much to expect my familiars to overcome one of Ulric's chosen…" Sergei announced as he emerged from the crater he made in a shop's wall, the last siphons of energy returning to him. "I guess I shall give you a glimpse of the power we true Avatars wield!" The rose-colored force appeared once again, surrounding him in a powerful aura.
"As if I'm gonna sit around and wait for you to Super Saiyan it up!" I yelled, charging forward with a bow of lightning.
"TEMPEST ARROW!" I fired the shot and it flew true…until it hit the shield and ricocheted harmlessly into the stratosphere.
"IMANI!" He shouted, the energy around him began to churn.
"TEMPEST VOLLEY!" I fired a grouping of arrows which all performed the same as their predecessor.
"This humble begs for your favor…" He chanted, the air around him became even more turbulent. "Grant me a taste of your beauty, allow your servant to further my brethren's cause…" The energy shifted once again, converting into a strange shape behind him.
"DAMNIT! TEMPEST BOMB!" The bombs proved to be duds, impacting harmlessly.
"Allow me…" It formed into a butterfly's wings, colors of every sort splattered its frame. "ASCENSION!" He roared, turning to face me…an insectoid pair of eyes where were his own once occupied. His clothes seemed to be overrun by moss and vines, granting the appearance of green fur. He let out another of his horse-like laughs as he took to the air, flapping his gaily-covered wings, a rain of spores dusting beneath him.
"You…you…" I stuttered, as he hovered in the air with an arrogant sneer on his face…until I blew out my lips "You're a goddamned butterfly! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" It hurt I laughed so hard, this is his ultimate fighting form? He looked like some Mothra-cosplayer covered in seaweed.
"You…mindless cretin! Blasphemer!" He shouted, red in the face, but from embarrassment or from pure rage I couldn't tell. "You mock the beauty of my lady's form! You shall pay for your heretic remarks! SCIAMANO ARPIONE!" Several roots shot forth from his green sleeve towards me, and I stifled my chortles to avoid being turned into Khurt-on-a-Stick. He disconnected the roots and sent another barrage, this time one grazed my shoulder as they came much faster than before. The root-lances were like Ric's Shigans on steroids, easily creating several small craters in the concrete beneath me, and even being grazed caused concern as it tore through clothing and skin alike, creating a large gash before impacting ground.
"That was too close! One good hit by those and I'm dead!" I thought, dodging like would make a rogue proud. "His attacks are a lot stronger now…and I bet he's just toying with me for now…I need to even the playing field again!" I fell against a wall to avoid utter impalement and received a small poke in the rear from something in my pack...and upon investigation, a light-bulb turned on above my head before I once again had to leap out into the open due to a Shigan-root coming far too close to my head for comfort.
"Sciamano Agguato!" He snapped his fingers and the ground behind me crumbled and burst, revealing several similar tendrils that had attacked me before, only difference were they were sporting dagger-sized thorns. They lashed and whipped around like the Malboro before, only much quicker as a pair lashed me good across the chest and upon my thigh. I bounced backward only to be met with another rain of bullet roots.
"What's the matter?" I yelled through Blitzkrieg's to avoid both aerial and ground assaults. "Can't fight me man-to-man? Even with your little power-up, you're still a little bitch who can't fight his own battles! Has to rely on these stupid weeds!"
"Keep barking, dog…It matters not the howling of an insipid beast." He brushed away the insult, content to keep firing volleys at me and keeping me hemmed in.
Idea! "Hey is that bitch who you prayed to just as much of a pansy as you are? Ha! Is she the Matron Saint of Fluttering Asswipes?" I bellowed, followed by ridiculing laughter.
Sergei's attitude did an abrupt 180 on the subject, it looked like he was about to start foaming at the mouth he was screaming so hard. "YOU DARE COMMIT SUCH SACRILEGE? AGAINST A GUARDIAN? YOU INSOLENT SON OF A WHORE, I WILL TEACH YOU TO HOLD YOUR TONGUE!" He ceased lobbing vines at me and eagle-dived right for me faster than I anticipated, slamming a heavy wooden fist into my gut.
Coughing up some blood, I couldn't even sprawl away as he continued his assault, tackling me mid-air and ramming me back-first through several buildings with astonishing force. After the twelfth or so wall, he ceased the airborne bulldozer routine and let me tumble through the streets, skipping along until slamming into a bazaar cart.
I attempted to sit up before a foot smashed into my chest, pinning me against the ground.
Sergei stood stoically above me, holding a clawed hand to the sky. "Now…beg for forgiveness…when you see my lady…in the afterlife!" He shouted, the piercing claws descending upon me.
*SSCCCHICK*
The claws stopped an inch from my face, and soon began trembling before retracting to normal human hands.
"W-what?" Mr. 6 sputtered as he returned to the state I met him in, all trace of insectoid or plant visage dissipating. His eyes looked to the small wound I inflicted upon his ankle whose underlying foot was pressed ever-so targetable on my chest. A small black knife was embedded into it, a small bit of its crystalline form protruding the other side of his flesh.
He fell directly onto his ass, small seizures wracking him as his eyes darted back and forth, stricken with panic.
I managed to roll over and cough up some more dust, followed by catching my breath. I stood up and grunted din pain before waddling myself over Sergei.
"Guess this means I win…" I sneered triumphantly, turning away o leave him for the Marines to find.
"You…you…FOOL! Do you even…even realize what you've DONE?" He barked at me with astounding energy, much more than I had when Robin had introduced me to that weapon.
"Yeah…that onyx robs Avatars of their powers…" At this answer, a grimace of pure hatred spread across his face.
"Do…Do you know even why it does?" his eyes lit up with renewed rage as he spoke on, "You have committed treason against the very beings that give you power! You have performed taboo that no Avatar would consort to!"
"What the hell are you blabbering about?" I shouted back in an attempt to communicate with the madman.
"It matters not…you are set on your path to Chaos…" He resigned quickly, closing his eyes. "But I refuse to walk yours…I will not wait for the vultures to pick at my carcass…" Beads of sweat flowed down his face as he struggled to lift an arm, managing to succeed so it hovered above his exposed chest.
"Wait…what are you-!" I saw the resolve in his face, and rushed forward to stop whatever he was doing, "Stop!"
"IMANI TAKE ME!" Sergei would shout his final words before slamming a rose-colored hand of energy upon the crystal upon his torso, shattering it like glass. His eyes opened for a brief moment of agony before glazing over as his hand fell limp to his side.
I stopped mid-step as I looked him over, wondering why he had done it. "Was he that afraid of Impel Down?...or…does this have to do with the Reavers?" My eyes locked onto the small dagger struck dead on into his leg. "And what was all that about Avatar taboo? Is onyx really that terrifying a material?"
A pang of guilt crossed my face as I looked into Sergei's frozen corpse before shaking it off, "He chose this life…he chose to end it…I can't get hung up on this!" I turned to where I could hear the screams and shouting, metal on metal, and the fire of guns and cannons; "Besides…I have bigger problems!" I ran towards the fray, ignoring the injuries I sustained and trying to focus on the matter at hand…but one thought slipped into my mind… "Lily…please hurry…there's so much I've yet to understand!"
End of Chapter
Bonus Mini-Chapter
A few minutes after Khurt leaves the scene….
The world is grey, as if all color had been stricken from the world. The sky itself is only but a deeper contrast to the landscape around it. The stillness of the scene within this deserted portion of city soon became disturbed by a resounding hiss.
Two figures stood above the discarded corpse of Devereux Sergei, spindly creatures of more bone than flesh. Their legs were misshapen, the knees bending the opposite direction humans were supposed to, and their feet were nowhere to seen, merely ending the leg in a single sharpened point. Their guts were concave, as though both were on the verge of starvation and their scrawny figures were to match. Their arms held hands that bore three elongated claw-like fingers, with a thicker claw serving as thumb. Their heads were merely skulls wrapped in ebon-black skin, their fang teeth were exposed to the world, having no lips to hide them. From the nausus area upward were wrapped in stark-white bandages, hiding their upper features save for the small bands of spike-like protrusions on their heads.
The first circled around the lifeless husk, bending down and sniffing it, releasing a hissing sound in displeasure.
The second mimicked the action only to look upward after the initial search, eyeballing a small pink cloud ascend from sight…this earned a disgruntled raspy grunt from the creature.
The first suddenly perked up, inhaling the air around it like a bloodhound catching a scent before roaring in triumph, a thin trail hung in the air, a dull yellow hanging in the air towards the north.
The second joined in its hooting as it caught it too, both extending their claws and darting down the path set before them upon all fours like deranged animals.
"AVATAR!" They hissed in glee.
End of Bonus Chapter
AN: Interesting tidbits, I wrote this chapter playing Ranbu no Melody by SID…so if you like Japanese rock, you should look them up, I think it fits the chapter pretty well. Also expect a few more chapters in the next few days or so…really to make up for lost time.
P.S. Check out my page for a new poll! (Yes There is a new one!)
