[IC] TTG Chapter 6: Envy

[Raindrop Valkyrie]

Nastasia 

Such a hollow indignant gesture, hot air... poppycock. She was used to such things by now. She could smell the emptiness of his words, after all it was just business. Perhaps it was due to her lack of life experience or her tender age of 16 that Nastasia felt as she did but she never liked the falsehoods of "business". Deep down they always sickened her to a degree that made her insides churn with the bitter twang of disdain. Nastasia's face read of nothing but a creeping amusement, one brought about by the wild pride that run rampant in her heart of hearts.

Dear... such a casual and dismissing remark. Treated as if she was just some child... so many were so eager to do so now that she ran the business in the open. Father had always been the face for a reason, no one would've believed a child built an Empire. Yet it wasn't solely a curse, while it made her blood broil, her pride sting... lt meant she was always underestimated. A dangerous thing to do in her presence. "Ohoho!~" her laugh rang through out empty air, a stark development in what was prior one of stillness. She stared up at the man who stood atop his ridiculous disks, the grey visage that stood before the beauty clad purely in brilliant blue. She did not lower herself once. "Truly a disgrace. The field of battle is not the place l wish to meet any for the first time. l am no warrior, l'm a business woman. But such tumultuous times call for those from all walks of life. l am only doing my part. Executive, solider, worker, laborer... such meaningless words in these times. We all must fight for what we believe in and to protect our way of life." her speech was an attempt to play towards the crowd, the very people of Envy. Though despite this she did believe them, while her views and theirs differed... she had realized perhaps they were not wholly incompatible. She needed to believe that... she needed to pull the crowd to her side. They were The Councilor's Chief weapon, the very thing that he'd use to win this day if she sat by and did nothing. lf he made no move she was surely going to. 

She now curtsied, but more to the crowd then her opponent. "My name is Nastasia Susanna Sinclair, do not forget it. That means you and all those who are watching." a flourish of her intricately braided ringlets accompanied her confident words. She clicked her right heel on the ground twice before she cried out "My darling Archangel! Rise!" The very earth beneath their feet began to tremble with a terrible tremor. Beneath her feet a metallic surface formed, a seat forming quickly... like that of an Iron Throne just behind the heiress. She left herself gracefully fall into it, holding her chin with her left hand as she crossed her legs and began to await the arrival of her mighty mech. She could just materialize it all at once, but the show was important. Before long, she now towered over the Councilor from her high perch as The Mighty Archangel's full glorious form came into existence. It resembled the keep of a castle, parapets and all, It's Arms big enough to be two towers in and of themselves. Dark irons chains ran down the arms, crashing and clinking as the beast of a mech seemingly rose from the very earth itself. Dust and dirt sifted off it, seemingly unable to stain the brilliant white steel of armour as it rose to the heavens above. She sat atop the being, a field of invisible energy serving as a cockpit but maintaining a regal and powerful air as the Queen of the castle could be seen during her battle. "Now, shall we begin?"

[GodofGamingRWBY]

Valkyrie

 

As soon as Grima was thrown aside towards the other minefield, she put both of her hands on her shield, turning the shield's handle 90 degrees just before she made contact with the mines. Almost immediately, the shield began to glow with an even brighter white light, a large wall erupting into existence using the shield as its origin point. Of course, it only began on the ground, but it still managed to move all around Grima, creating a dome of protection right before the minefield registered her presence, and as they do, exploded. The shield itself held fast, not even a ripple appearing on its surface when the mortars struck, nor when the landing caused it to skid further into the minefield, setting off even more mines.

 

But that sort of defense only worked for so long with a mobile power source, the force field only taking the first force of all the explosions before flickering off, and the handle on Grima's shield automatically resetting to the normal position. Though, once it did, Grima stepped off of it, lifting the hunk of metal back off of the ground as began running towards Finale, inherently slow thanks to her armor, yet considering she was closer to Finale than before, she had a reason to spend more energy by doing so. Granted, the landing had skidded quite a bit, which made her further than she would've liked, but that was besides the point.

 

Defense bonus used

[Shamitako]

Archangel vs. The Councilor

 

Thomas took note of the energy his opponwnt directed towards the crowd. It was apparent that she had been warned of what he could do. But that wasn't all, even through the fog it was impossible not to pick up on her charisma.

 

Since she knew what was going on, there was no reason to hide his abilities for an opportune time. Instead, it would be much better to make his move as quickly as possible before she could circumvent him.

 

"Yes, let's." He answered, immediately sending two of his disks flying towards her. They orbited around one another, the electricity holding them together flashing wildly as it arced between the spinning disks. The attack was not a particularly powerful one, putting momentum towards the spinning took away from its forward momentum, but it was still enough that it wouldn't bounce off his opponents armor harmlessly.

 

The crowd was mesmerized, of course, such was the intent of his action. 

 

Hiroki

 

Watcher chuckled, though Hiroki was definitrly not in on the joke. It wasn't a wholly illogical answer, in fact it probably made the most sense given what she knew. But that was always the thing, they never knew. If any of them would just stop to think for a second, they'd realize that what Cardinal was doing was an impossibility, that something else must have been going on, and that they needed to look deeper if they wanted to stop her. 

 

If Cardinal's actions were taken at face value, the gods' plan was an excellent solution. Create someone powerful enough to challenge a god, defeat Cardinal, and Nil fades away. But it was such a superficial plan, it didn't even account for the possibility that Cardinal was never the god of Nil to begin with. And now Hiroki would finally see the truth of the matter, far too late for anyone to change the outcome.

 

"I'm sure I don't need to tell you, but that answer is wrong." Watcher told her, "The correct answer is ten, though seven or fourteen would have been an equally correct response." Watcher flicked his fingers again, and another portal like the one that had brought Hiroki to him opened up beside him. "You can contemplate why on your way to meet Cardinal." Watcher said, not so subtly telling Hiroki that their time together was done.

 

Valkyrie vs. Finale 

 

Valkyrie's reaction was impressive, it took a lot of cool to react reliably to such a wild attack. Though Grima's mech was slow, Artemis took a while to regain her balance after the throw, so she was only just barely ready in time to meet Valkyrie's charge. 

 

"No thanks." She said, her voice a mixture of anger an confidence.

 

On of her arms moved around to her weapon, but rather than grabbing it, it reached inside the morter tube. The shell it pulled out was cast towards the ground between Finale and Valkyrie, just far enough to not damage Artemis but still close enough to knock her backwards, kicking up a cloud of debris in the process. Artemis was sent into a backwards somersault, used her mech's arms to spring even further back at the end of it, and landed as far away as she and Grima had started.

 

It wasn't a perfect maneuver, now that the wall was at her back, she wouldn't be able to do it again, nor could she perform another back throw should her foe manage to get that sort of momentum towards her again. But Artemis didn't plan for either of those things to matter, she would batter her opponent into the ground before they even got close. 

 

As the debris and fog blocked her view just as much as her opponent, she didn't have the ability to open fire on her foe, Artemis once again pulled out the mine layer, intending to place mines between herself and Grima once more.

 

Melee level 6 bonus used

 

Astra vs. Supernova 

 

A stroke of luck. Supernova diving underneath him actually guaranteed Adam the opening he wasn't sure he'd get. Bow all he had to do was execute. Sorry Amelia. He thought. She'd be mad that he'd even attempted this, but it would be wrong for him to not give it his all. Phase punching was just the first step, a beta technique built using a poorly understood theory. There was something more beyond that, something Adam would never have attempted in a million years. 

 

"Well, I guess this is a million and one then." He chuckled to himself. 

 

Adam's mech vanished from around him, momentarily leaving him exposed as he fell. It reappeared again almost instantly and arcs of shadowy lightning flashed around it. Once more it vanished, but this time Adam went with it. 

 

The place Adam vanished to was truly a land of nothingness. He could not sense anything, it was like his mind and body had been completely separated. He almost panicked, but his willpower overcame his fear and he thought as quickly as possible. If Blink could survive his nothingness, then it was at least possible. He steadied himself and tried to reach ou with his senses. It was hard to explain, but even this nothingness felt like it existed, which meant he had something to feel with. It didn't take long to realize that he sensed a warm sensation. It was behind him, where Supernova had been. He didn't know what it was, but he knew who.

 

And so he willed himself to pass behind that warm feeling. It didn't feel as though he was moving, more that the feeling was moving instead. Regardless, he knew that Supernova was in front of him. He opened his eyes, not having even realized he'd involuntarily closed them, and as he did so the real world snapped back into view. He'd done it.

 

From Tai's perspective, it was as if Astra intently teleported from one location to another, like the speed glitch Tai had used earlier. But there was in fact, something entirely different about this technique. Before his mech had properly reentered reality, Adam outstretched his arms so that his hands were inside Supernova's back, fusing the mechs together when he fully reformed. On top of this momentary intagibility, Adam had maintained his momentum upon exiting subspace. Using that, as well as every last ounce of strength he could muster, he yanked Supernova downwards, activated his ability to remain in place, and sent the two of them into a wild spin. 

 

His armor was nowhere near heatproof, and Supernova's heat threatened to melt not only his hands but his entire mech. But that was the plan. His humans hands were in agony, he might have been safe but he still felt the pain as Supernova's energy tried to burn them off along with his mech. He only had to hold on for a few moments before Astra's hands melted free of Supernova and sent the fire mech careening towards the ground at unfathomable speeds, but those moments were moments of raw pain.

 

There was no way it was enough. Even if Tai did absolutely nothing to defend himself, the amount of damage Supernova would take was nothing compared to the damage it's proximity had caused to Astra. Adam's mech was a half melted hunk of metal, the limbs there hadn't melted off entirely were fused in place. There was no possibility for him to fight any more. But that in itself was a victory. For the first time in his life he could truly say that he'd given it his all. And so, as the last gasps of his consciousness faded with his mech and his limp body fell from the sky, he had only one thing to say to Tai: "I had fun."

[IntSys]

Astra vs. Supernova

 

Defying all expectations, Astra revealed the final trick up in his sleeves. Just when one thinks they've accounted for every possibility, their opponent shatters the calculated construct inside their brain, and sends them in awe. That's the beauty of fighting; never will there be a truly predictable fight, even with all the information one could get his hands on.

 

The uppercut burrowed into a fading afterimage, catching Supernova by complete surprise. Simultaneously, Astra had reappeared behind Supernova, with his hands clipped into the back of his mech. And then, it was inertia, sending the two spinning in place. With the jets offline, Supernova couldn't apply a counterforce to negate the spin, and he would lose much of his ability to negate a fall. All that was left was for his opponent to overcome the sheer heat of his mech. But... Would it be enough?

 

The cracking and popping sounds of his opponent melting signaled the grand finale. A crisp snap, and the two broke apart. The star plummeted to the ground, leaving cosmic debris in its wake.

 

Supernova had to break his fall with a traditional method, spreading his limbs to maximize drag, before meeting the ground with a fist to break even. Of course, it was easier said than done. His own speed was used against him, after all. What was left in the end was a magnificent crater, with him standing on a leg and an arm, the other leg limped against the floor. He looked up into the sky, seeing the scattered remains of his opponent falling one by one. A breathtaking meteor shower, from a man who had, truly, given his all.

 

He thought about answering, but it didn't really matter. Surely, Astra had already known that, he had fun as well.

 

The battle was over, and the underlying drama around the battle was going to take over soon. But before all that...

 

He crawled a few steps forward, sat down, and prepared to catch the body that fell out of the mech.

 

Fun...

 

Tai gave the unconscious body in his arms another look. Not agony, but rather satisfaction. If only, he had been able to send the message to all the other competitors back then in their respective battles. Perhaps, things would've been different.

He turned his eyes up to the clear skies above again. Hopefully, the Gods watching could feel something too.

[Chevaleresse]

Hiroki stood and looked at Watcher for a moment. It felt like there was something she should say, but what could she? The girl shook her head slightly as she turned away. Arcturus had given her advice. He had been wrong about defeating her - Watcher had practically ripped her soul out right in front of her just to prove a point - but maybe it was still worth listening to. Whatever Watcher wants of you, do the opposite. Watcher had brought her here to fight Cardinal. The False God of Nil. The problem was, the entire plan had been to have Hiroki fight Nil. She'd never been too concerned about it; it had been something to anchor herself to and pull towards, but nothing more. With another small start as she realized she was stalling, hesitating to step through. Before she could be prompted, she walked through the portal.

 

Ten planes. Nil. The False God. . . 

[GodofGamingRWBY]

Valkyrie

 

Valkyrie, for what its worth, was forced to hide behind her shield at Finale's explosion, taking the brunt of the shell before realizing what happened. Finale had used the momentum from the explosion to launch herself back, and away from her. There wasn't time to waste now. Finale had managed to redo the distance Grima had tried so hard to cross, and this time, she didn't have much to protect herself from a full onslaught, AND Finale would likely be prepared to do something to counter her earlier mine maneuver. She had to get back in before Finale tore her to shreds, which meant she had to get as close as she could before she could be locked down.

 

Easier said than done.

 

So, using the cover of the dust, fog, and debris, Valkyrie advanced, moving in a slightly diagonal path towards where she presumed Finale had gone to. She wasn't stupid enough for a head on assault at this point, and Finale wold probably be covering said option. Or maybe she wasn't, and Valkyrie was just wasting time, but she had to take the chance.

 

[Raindrop Valkyrie]

Nastasia picked up on the intent behind such a move quickly as she heard the stunned gasps of the crowd, as their eyes watched the attack as if in a trance. This wasn't to be a fight about raw firepower... this wasn't truly a battle of strength. It never was. They had sent a business woman not because they had no better option. They sent her as she was the only option. If this was as simple as brute force there were those much more suited to this though Archangel's arsenal was hardly anything to scoff at. There were those far stronger then her though, she knew this. She made be prideful but she was nary a fool. It seemed that her elegance and the touch of one in tune with the finer points of what made people tick was needed. When you went to war with a politician, you bring not a blade but a quill. She felt a sense of ease wash over her. While she knew she'd have to fight her way up a variable mountain... she understood now what Lain had seen. She knew that Lain wasn't falling to something pointless, meaningless. His words meant something this time. She wasn't here solely to bail his ass out of trouble yet again. She was here because he truly trusted in her, and he knew she needed to be the one to fight this battle.

Perhaps he'd finally grew as a person even if but a small amount. The last thought caused her to wince through her steely composure but a moment... but she recovered amicably. She'd keep her cool level-headed demeanor, her air of disinterest. She was the steely blue Madame that sat atop her unassailable fortress, she should play the part. She should give the audience they show they came for. The crowd was stacked against her from the outset, but that didn't change she needed to the pull the people to her side. Whatever this man planned she did not know but she needed to make them waver... she needed to break the crowds cohesiveness first and then win them to her side. 

Then there was no longer time for thinking, it was time for action. In a moment Nastasia decided the best place to put her blast to send the now spinning discs off course but moreso to do so with as much flair as she possible could. She decided to center the synthesis right between the discs, a mote of burning white energy twinkling amoungst the lightning. She waited until it was about half the distance between them, all the while seeming like she not dare make a single move. She didn't move a single muscle until the moment came... just smiling with eyes that were up to something.

*snap*

She struck her thumb sharply with her middle finger, the sound reverberating through the air amoungst the crackle of thunder. There was but a second there was silence and then an explosion made manifest from the small mote of light. She had hoped the discs went flying, even if one scattered towards Archangel he could take the hit. The white radiant light of heaven for engulfed the area, only time would tell it's results.

[Shamitako]

Archangel vs. The Councilor 

 

The same instant Nastasia snapped her fingers, the discs spin slowed. It was almost imperceptible, the crowd wouldn't notice it, but Nastasia caught it. And it was enough to tell her thay what followed was intentional.

 

The explosion sent the discs flying apart in opposite directions. But it was not a wild flight. No, the discs arced towards Nastasia in a pincer attack, using the momentum from her explosion to multiply their speed and power.

 

And this was not all, from the cloud of smoke she had created, two more of Thomas's discs appeared. The tore along the ground vertically, kicking up sparks and dust as they approached. This second attack was even less threatening than the initial strike, it wouldn't even dent her armor if it hit. All Nastasia actually had to worry about from a combat perspective was the pair of discs arcing at her from opposite directions.

 

But combat wasn't quite everything she had to worry about.

 

Valkyrie vs. Finale 

 

The dust began to clear, allowing Grima and Artemis to search for each other in the fog. Artemis wasn't surprised to see Valkyrie strafing towards her, and it wouldn't pose any problem. The array of mines covered her easily, a direct approach from any angle would be dangerous. Once again, she let lose with her mortar, hoping to bombard Valkyrie into submission before the mines even came into play.

 

"What a worthless fight." Artemis announced, "You refused to back out, but you're not even giving me a challenge. Why are you even here? If you don't have the skills to win, you shouldn't come to the battlefield."

[GodofGamingRWBY]

Valkyrie

 

There wasn't enough energy anymore to spare. There wasn't even enough time to spare anymore. Grima barely registered Finale's announcement/taunt, instead changing her path from going from the side... To charging straight into the minefield. As she had realized, there wasn't time, not with Finale practically never giving her a second to breathe while she remained at practically peak condition. Her shield and armor would just have to withstand the explosions, that was all she could do here.

 

... Yeah, she didn't have the skills to win. Maybe before, but not anymore. Time had dulled her blade to the point where she could barely handle a single fight like this. But regardless, she wouldn't quit, win or lose. She made a oath, and if her entire being was made of small negatives, then this would be the one positive she would hold onto. The positive that she'd never let a promise die without her trying to keep it alive.

[Raindrop Valkyrie]

"Ohoho!" The raucous laughter of the business rung through the air as the discs flew forth towards her. Nastasia knew more than any other she needed to play this crowd and play it she would. Her persona was perhaps not the most traditionally inviting but it was truly and uniquely herself. It was quite the boon to have in what could be considered dire straights. She didn't flinch once, she never broke. The fact she could see the intention behind such a move was more than enough to tell her how to defeat it. "Unbind seraphic chains of oppression, burst forth with the wrath of a million suns! Holy Shroud of Retribution... RELEASE!"

She had not wished to release the energy of her trump card so early in he match but she needed to in this moment, it was the true surefire way she had to repel this attack, and further... she could use this to either destroy his discs or them them back at him. An explosion that wracked even those standing within the stands shot through the air, a glowing golden wreath of fire and destruction enveloped Nastasia and the mighty castle she sat atop. A dome of angelic power blasted forth at a short distance when the discs neared. She aimed to push the 4 discs back at her opponent each now carrying the force of her beloved Archangel's Holy Shroud. If the discs were remotely controlled by The Councilor and he could shift their direction at will, if he tried to stay the course they'd incinerate and burn to naught but ash in the burning wake of Archangel's Wrath type Shroud. "A clever trick... but you will not lay a hand on my Archangel with such simple tricks as that, Thomas..." she was still unsure what his game plan truly was... but she'd play her part in this play to the end. She was the Cold Blue Woman, Fists of Iron covered in a velvet glove. Haughty, proud. She'd never break that image!

[Shamitako]

Archangel vs. The Councilor 

 

Thomas's discs were designs specifically to handle explosions by absorbing energy from the attack to launch themselves away, so they made no attempt to resist. However, Nastasia's ability was too powerful to redirect easily, and it took all of Thomas's power to rein in his mech, preventing him from performing a proper follow up. It looked like Nastasia had won that exchange. 

 

But looks could be deceiving. 

 

"That was quite impressive." Thomas said, speaking to the crowd, "Tell me, would all of you like to see me do the very same thing?" 

 

The crowd announced their opinions in a jumbled mess of voices with no distinctive answer. But the Councilor's mech knew the voices of their hearts, and a clear result was found. 

 

"The ayes have it." Thomas announced, "And I have you, Archangel."

 

One of Thomas's disc's launched out again, but it was different this time. Faster, moving unpredictably. This was a real attack, not one for show. The disc easily moved into a close range, glowing with energy.

 

"What was that you said?" Thomas mocked Nastasia smugly, "Oh right, I remember. Holy shroud of retribution, release!" 

 

An explosion identical to the one Nastasia had just created spread out around the disc, threatening to bring Nastasia down with her own unique attack. 

[Raindrop Valkyrie]

Luckily for the Young Baroness she knew how to keep her cool under pressure. She'd been through countless business deals, countless meetings and negotiations with other businessfolk, politicians, Gods and Goddesses, even if not in person. An unexpected development was hardly going to set her back, she merely needed to do what she'd always done before, Adapt. She knew what her Shroud was made for better than anyone else. When released early the destructive force was more focused on resetting positions to where her Archangel could leverage it's ability to synthesize explosions once more. Or in the case of a fight of ranged versus ranged it served to either blow projectiles off course, or for those persistent homing type weapons... incinerate them. 

This latter part presented some issue, Archangel wasn't suited to moving, it's weight was designed to keep it in place more or less. It was a Fortress, it was even designed to look like one. Every ounce of destructive force instilled in the Shroud at the current charge was still present even if was expelled for the purposes of battering mechs or projectiles away from the mighty fortress. While she knew Archangel had quite the resistance to it's own explosion synthesis the power used to fuel the Shroud of Retribution was on a whole other level when at full bear. Even Archangel would find itself obliterated from the wrath of such overwhelming power. She knew that in the battle of an unstoppable force and an immovable object... The Object would lose. But, resigning herself to fate was what a quitter would do. While he'd seen one function of the Unstoppable Force, Thomas had seen but one function of it. She needed only last until she could fully charge the Shroud... until she could unleash the full power of Divine Retribution. But how?

Well... if blasting the discs off course didn't work, perhaps she could blast something else...

She'd never tried this before but... it was her best shot to try and defeat her own Shroud. Archangel was designed to resist the inertia from blasts and the like from the front, sides and any exposed area of itself when on the ground. However... It never was from underneath! Nastasia quickly formed a new mote of energy underneath Archangel's Rear, a slight bit of the explosion not underneath. She waited as long as she could before she released only hoping she had enough power for this crazed plan of hers.

*Snap, BAAAAAAANG!* "OHOHOHOHO!!!"

The Explosion shot the mighty fortress up and over the explosion from the discs, a feat Nastasia couldn't quite believed worked the first time she ever tried it. She supposed all those classics of education her father insisted on were finally proving useful as where she applied the force ended up being the exact she needed. If such was the case soon she'd hit the back end of the False Shroud using the momentum from the push to send her giant fortress crashing directly on top of the man currently flinging his vulgar discs everywhere around this arena. She was sure this alone wouldn't work but it bought her the time to assess what exactly he was doing... how his powers worked.

[Shamitako]

Archangel vs. The Councilor

 

Nastasia's gambit was absolutely mad. Even the unshakable poker face of the Councilor was taken aback. And not just taken aback, he was downright shocked. With one snap of her fingers, Nastasia had taken away his entire lead, and turned the match in her favor. She may not know just yet exactly what she had done, but it was clear from the crowd's reaction that she had turned their hearts against him. For indeed, while his charisma and political actions motivated them to side with him, in this world there was nothing more powerful than the childlike glee that came from watching two hearts cast aside everything else and clash with raw spirit.

 

But Thomas was far from crushed, quite literally in fact. Even as he scrambled to formulate a plan, he regained his composure and quickly backed out of the path of the behemoth that was careening towards him. For the first time, however, he didn't have anything to say or do. There was no taunt or attack to meet Nastasia when she landed. He was not crushed, but neither did he have the power to crush Nastasia.

[Raindrop Valkyrie]

The Archangel crashed into the earth beneath, a spray of debris and the crash of thunder as the world beneath it seemed to groan under the immense weight. It was the sound of wrathful thunder that shot through the ground and air. Perhaps The Councilor was not literally tread underfoot, but the silence from him spoke volumes. Unfortunately so, after all the former would make a much better story of triumph. But alas, even she was unable to attain the impossible state of perfection.

"Ohohoho!" The same confident that had never died this match echo'd out once more from the dust cloud where the Archangel's flight had ended. From the aftermath of a mad gambit, one that did not end in failure despite it missing the supposed mark, The Iron Fist clad in Cobalt Velvet laughed. "Cat got your tongue Thomas?" she jested as the dust settled around her, seemingly not a speck landing on her. An untouched beauty in the midst of an iron fortress. "You used to have so many words dear Councilor. Always a witty retort, a measured response. And now..." she waited a moment, one that felt like an eternity, to punctuate her point. "...Silence." She i not even move, but it was clear she began a new address.

"People of Envy! You've borne witness to an event, one that only happens once in a lifetime or so. When an unstoppable force and an immovable object met and clash. We oft ask the question of which would win in a clash of fates. I think you can see with you own eyes the implications. An Unstoppable Force. There is no such thing as an unmovable object. It simply does not exist in this world. Even the Archangel, a Fortress! EVEN HE CAN FLY THE SKIES!" the woman shouted, shooting her hand to the sky. "Now tell me people of Envy... now that you've seen impossible, now that you've seen Unstoppable Resolve! Do you still believe Thomas an unmovable object? His facade has cracked, his demeanor broken. All because of a simple snap." *snap* 

"Can the Councilor, the "immovable" ego, defeat my unstoppable will? I ask you, the people of Envy! WHAT SAY YOU!?" 

[Shamitako]

Archangel vs. the Councilor

 

Thomas stayed quiet throughout Nastasia's grandstanding, but his confidence was returning all the while. Upon the completion of her question, it peaked again. A thunderous crash stole the crowd's attention from Nastasia. One of Thomas's discs had fallen from the sky and landed behind him. Electricity arced through the fog, turning him to a silhouette. The disc he rode was resting on the ground and he was kneeling atop it. He put his hand to his face, covering his patched eye, and began to laugh as the remaining discs crashed down around him. A maniacal cackle echoed through the arena as he rose to his feet, the flashes of lightning mixing with it to perfectly frame the villain as he was.

 

"Is that it?" Thomas asked, his laughter coming to an abrupt end, "You could have made any number of requests, yet you challenge my ego?" His arm swung out to point an accusation at Nastasia as she sat atop her fortress, "It is you who have fallen prey to ego. You present yourself and your will to challenge me, but you are not my foe." He gestured to the crowd, "We stand as one, not for ego, but for vengeance. Vengeance against the tyrant who tore down our way of life, and who, in the name of freedom, became our oppressor. You are merely a means to an end, a method through which will will restore order to this land that has been consumed by chaos. Indeed, the ayes have it, as you have wished, my ego will never defeat your will. But our righteous retribution will still strike you down as we carve our path to freedom!"

 

The discs rose into the air again with Thomas standing triumphantly above them all. "My friends, I plead with you: Remember what we are here for. The spectacle of battle is but a fleeting joy, you must not let your heart be swayed by daring actions or flashy displays. I do not stand here as a man, but as the embodiment of our indignation! With your help I will win the day, and we shall overcome the tyrant god Blink!"

 

"He's right!" a voice shouted from the crowd. A hooded figure raised themselves up from their seat. They were short, nearly as small as a child, but their voice carried as though the air itself were speaking for them, showing them to be a practiced speaker. "Blink destroyed our very way of life, we cannot lose sight of that just because a castle decided to jump. Because of her, our once simple lives have been filled with uncertainty. Thieves and brigands of all manner run rampant through our streets, yet she turns a blind eye to them, instead choosing to dismantle a group of bakers for trying to hire delivery boys." Thomas recalled the event, but had lost interest in the stranger's speech, instead trying to recall where he had heard their voice. "Many of us abandon our very lives rather than live them out in this hopeless place. Our children starve while she laughs upon her gilded throne. She pretends to be a victim because she was born a peasant, all the while condemning us to eternal poverty. I thought I had overcome my blindness by conquering the world, but I had only blinded myself to the plight of those standing right in front of me."

 

Thomas realized the obvious answer too late. The stranger cast off her cloak, revealing her identity to be Blink. He was awed by her appearance, so quickly after he had crushed her. Every time he kicked her down, she got back up. It was truly beautiful.

 

"You are all right to challenge me." Blink continued, "I'm a fucking awful ruler, and I've pretty much ignored anyone who didn't agree with me. It's honestly a bit crazy you guys didn't decide to throw me out sooner. But you know, he's really not any better. How many of you would actually be better off with the council system? A lot of you would find your lives even shittier than they are now. And if you wouldn't be fucked, look around you. Look at all these people who stand beside you, can your conscience really accept crushing them beneath your heel? I get that you can't trust me, so don't Don't put your faith in me, put it in her." Blink pointed to Nastasia, "Nastasia has no part in my failings, in fact she's been pretty critical of me, but she still stands against the Councilor. You may not know her, but you have certainly felt her. Her resolve has resonated with all of you, and you chose to stand by her willpower. Enough with these political games, put your trust in your heart. Why don't we all join in the clash of spirits between two combatants who are giving it their all?"

 

The crowd became a quiet murmur, growing slowly louder until it reached a ferocious din. Rage towards Blink, arguments between themselves, and announcements of their votes all combined into a cacophony of uncertainty. But through the uncertainty reached Thomas's ability, and he knew what their answer was. Gritting his teeth, he admitted defeat, "The ayes have it."

 

His ability could not be activated by Blink, but it didn't matter. If he cheated her out of such a clear victory, it would be meaningless when he finally crushed her and made her his once again. And so now he would have to fight. Not in spectacle or as a means to an end, but for the sake of fighting. His discs began to orbit around him rapidly, altering their angles in a totally unpredictable pattern. Nastasia would almost certainly defeat him now, but that wouldn't stop him from giving this fight his all.

 

Vallkyrie vs. Finale

 

Grima's charge was met with a snarl of rage from Artemis. The audacity of the action was unthinkable, she couldn't accept it. In her rage, she stepped forward to meet the charge, and this was her undoing. Blinded by anger, she forgot one of the most crucial aspects of her own mech design: It was ridiculously top heavy. And so that single step was enough to completely undo her balance, nearly sending her sprawling to the ground. She used her mech's arms to right herself, but it was too late. During her momentary lapse, Finale had been forced to cease firing mortar shells, giving Grima just enough of a break for her t make it through the minefield without being completely destroyed. Her armor and shield were battered to the point of uselessness, but it didn't matter any more. She had closed the distance, and the stumbling Finale would have no chance to defend herself.

[GodofGamingRWBY]

Grima

 

As expected, running straight through a minefield was… Not entirely the best move. Even with her shield taking the brunt of the explosions triggered from the field, the sheer amount of them began to wear her shield out, including her armor once the shield wasn’t enough. By the time she had made it through, both her armor’s ‘hair’ and cape had been vaporized, with the actual metal being scorched and about ready to fall apart if battered just one more time. However, it still held together, giving her one last layer of protection, the thing she had been counting on to deal with the mortar fire that never came. She couldn’t see why in her helmet, the visor of which having been burned to the point of being impossible to look through with actual clarity, but she could still make out Finale’s figure.

 

Which was all she needed.

 

So Grima kept running, discarding her shield and letting it clatter against the ground to give herself a bit less weight and placing her now free hand on her sword, keeping the tip low as she did so. And with one final roar, Grima threw the rest of her energy into a final swing, practically skidding across the ground as she stopped running in order to use all of her potential momentum to strike Finale. It wasn’t her signature attack by any means, but it had to be enough now.