A harsh wind blew across the barrel Plains of the Diablos Desert. The military compound, once bustling with activity, was now completely empty. After the incident with Dr. Victor, the place had been shut down, all useful technology salvaged before the place was abandoned. It was almost ironic really. This place was where he had gained his freedom. And now, once again, he was here as a wanted criminal.
Cipher sat quietly on the roof of one of the abandoned buildings. A piece of paper was in his hand. A wanted poster. Mainly, a wanted poster for him.
Wanted for accessory to terrorism. That's what they were charging him with. Simply because he was friends with the man who attacked the president of Earth.
Erebos had some things of his own to do, before the pair of them fled off world. So this gave the android some time to himself. It was funny how things worked out, how life just pulled you along without any input from oneself. He couldn't help but give a soft sigh. He could only wonder what fate had in store for him now. What would he find off world?
Post by Majin Annie on Feb 11, 2022 23:56:33 GMT -5
Going after wanted individuals was... well it was a rather new experience for Majin Annie. She was usually one to react to the newest crime of the day, rather than being the one chasing the criminal, but as she received her reply from the wider Galactic Patrol about her application, she realized that needed to change. They had acknowledged her power thanks to her being a part of protecting Central City, but had denied her acceptance into the group due to her lack of actually capturing a criminal. In other words, for her to become a actual Galactic Patrolwoman, she had to actually find a criminal and perform a citizen's arrest, before bringing them to their headquarters to be locked away.
With that in mind, there were several people she could choose to capture, in order to be accepted. Most of them were either beyond her league entirely, or on other planets from which she didn't exactly have the methods of getting to just yet. One in particular, a man by the name of Erebos, had actually managed to make her feel very conflicted, since he had saved her life and she didn't exactly want to chase after someone who had treated her with kindness. However, there was one in particular which was on the same planet as she was AND was in a range where she'd actually be able to take them down, so long as she played it safe.
And this person was named Cipher 24. A weird name, to be sure. But his criminal record was enough to be worth about a decade in prison, and he was only moderately stronger than her. It took some asking around, but Annie had narrowed down his position on Earth to the Diablo Desert, the hottest spot on the planet. To anyone else, her wintery attire was certain to cause someone to die of heat stroke if she wore it, but to the Majin, she felt exactly fine as she walked around, looking through a map as she tried to find out where he could be.
"This is gonna be a long search..."
"Hmm... I sense something! One... maybe two power signatures, southwest by about ten miles!"
"OH! Thanks Beta!"
When it came to Celosia's training, all four Annies learned all about the art of sensing and using Ki in detail, but it was Annie Beta who truly took the Ki Sense technique to heart. Between the four, it was her who was most skilled, so when Majin Annie was formed from the four of them, it was her job to act as a sensor while the other three focused on more physical labors. To Beta, this certainly inflated her ego, that she was the only one who was fully capable of sensing someone, and to the other Annies, this was a bit depressing, since they all wanted to learn the techniques as well, only to have a hard time focusing.
Regardless though, Annie Beta's statement was true, in that there were was some semblance of power in the southwest direction. With that, the combined Majin quickly turned in that direction, before bouncing off in that direction. For a moment, she did consider using the jetpack to cut her travel time in half, but after remembering how expensive fuel was, she decided against it, wanting to conserve her money so she didn't have to rely on whatever bounty this person had on them to pay for it all.
Eventually though, a hour after she sensed it, Majin Annie arrived at the abandoned military complex, with whoever was there being able to see a 8'4 Majin girl eventually landing with a heavy thud and displacing a giant cloud of sand and dust as she settled down. Looking up, she could see the faint outline of a man, but she couldn't be sure who it was since the sun was right behind him from where she was facing. Because of this, she simply yelled out at him, covering her eyes to protect them from the sun as she did so.
"Hey excuse me! Have you seen a man by the name of Cipher? I'm looking for them so I can turn them in to meet a criteria for joining the Galactic Patrol! The name's Annie by the way, nice to meet ya!"
Cipher had sensed the power coming before thry even landed. Thought it had been strange. Cipher could pick up four lifesigns, but they seemed strange, unusual. He looked up, just as the large form came crashing down in one of the open fields between the buildings. The four energy signatures seemed to be coming from this one individual. How very strange. It was even more so when the dust cleared, revealing the large, pink form of the woman who had arrived.
Cipher only had fleeting knowledge of majins. He knew they were unusual beings, formed through magic, and were quite magical in their own right. But this would be the first time Cipher had ever met one in person. Could having four signatures be a trait of that race he wasn't aware of?
Well, he could worry about that later. Right now, the majin woman was addressing him directly, asking if he had seen...himself? This woman was after him, trying to get into some form of law enforcement. The Galactic Patrol she said? But it seemed she didn't know what he looked like. Anyone could take advantage of this situation and lead her on a wild goose chase.
But Cipher was not like most people. "That would be me," he said, letting go of the wanted poster and rising to his feet. The poster fluttered away in the breeze as Cipher jumped down to the dusty ground below.
He landed quietly, eyes locked on the majin before him. He had met some people who hunted for him to be quite reasonable. But it seemed this woman's goals relied on her capturing him. He prepared himself for anything. You were never sure what majins were capable of.
Post by Majin Annie on Feb 16, 2022 15:14:52 GMT -5
Luckily for Annie, it had turned out that the person she had sensed first was the one person she was looking for, the person who was named Cipher. As he hopped down to the ground she could see the android better and after referencing his name with his wanted poster, she could certainly confirm his statement of being the one she was looking for. Still though, Beta had said she felt a second presence nearby in some direction, and that made her wonder who that could be, and whether they were someone who'd help her in this mission... or someone working for the android, ready to ambush her.
Either way, she was prepared, as she took a brief glance to the desert behind her before turning back to face the Android. "So your Cipher, huh? I'm sorry, I just had the sun in my eye so I couldn't really tell who you were, but I'm at least glad I'm talking to the right person."
Taking a deep breath, steam vented around the holes on the sides of Annie's head, as she jumped out of her winter clothes, splitting into four in the process. As it turned out, those four life signatures that Cipher had sensed turned out to be four different people, only they were fused at the moment to be Annie. With the four of them separate however, each at their utmost peak of power, they were once again separate from the collective Annie, though they did seem to be acting in sync as they got ready to fight.
"I will say, your lucky it's me who came to you first. Earth's policy on terrorism and accessories have become... a lot harsher since the Accords have gone into place. Like, a lot a lot."
"However, the Galactic Patrol's a lot more lenient, especially since it doesn't look like you've actually done anything besides support... wait who did you support again?"
"It was Erebos, as in the one who sliced the President's arm off, you know..." Beta said, sighing deeply at Delta's question. "Look, what my sister is trying to say is, whether you come in quietly or from being dragged there by our asses-"
"Language!" Alpha yelled back, surprised at Beta's profanity.
"Oh please, it's not like we're in public, sis. As I was saying, whether we take you there by force or you come with us willingly, your likely to get a much shorter sentence than whatever the current regime has in mind. Six months, maybe a year tops. It's not that bad, actually."
"Are we really giving him a choice?" Gamma asked, crossing her arms at Beta's little ultimatum. "Nobody's going to turn themselves in willingly! Besides, I want the chance to actually fight them! After all, they do look quite dashing and powerful, and common thugs make for good practice from Amar-"
"Celosia! She's going by Celosia!" Alpha butted in, running over to cover Gamma's mouth, before letting go and turning back to Cipher. "She is right though, I can tell just from the way your staring at us that your not really the kind to go in willingly. Why don't we take it over there, further away from... well, your home I guess? Is this your home? I'm gonna guess it's your home. Whatever the case, I don't really wanna destroy it by accident, and I'm sure you wouldn't either, since you'd have no place to return to."
Vanishing in an instant, Annies Alpha and Delta reappeared right behind Cipher, before bouncing hard into the robot's backside, launching him as far as they could away from the abandoned warehouse and into the wider desert. Surprisingly, the android would feel no damage at all from this attack, as it was never meant to hurt. Rather, it was just meant to send him away from where their fight could destroy something, with the three eventually landing in the dunes, with Beta and Gamma in the distance ready to join in.
"You ready? Don't hold back!"
OOC
WC: 668 Words
Quadruple Split and Combined Potential Activated! Majin Annie split into four copies, each with 11,000 PL!
"Looks to me we'll be doing things the ol' fashioned way.."
Finally deciding to make his fated appearance, the- somewhat self proclaimed- right hand of Derry Ottoy himself, Cassidy Cerrone had been originally watching the conflict grow into its climax from afar. Considering who the cowboy had come to work under all of this time, it was no wonder Cipher would have found himself as Cassidy's quarry sooner or later. He and Derry had cultivated a decently close relationship, what with the cattleman being one of what one could consider the OG members of the Dirty Snakes gang- one of the few men by Derry's side even before the glitz and the glamor of the presidential life. So it was no wonder Cerrone would look to pay his wrongdoing back a thousand fold, even if his current target wasn't the man explicitly responsible for doing the bad bit.
By association the guy had already written his warrant for arrest, in his mind. Plus, whatever information he could potentially (hopefully not forcefully) get out of Cipher would be invaluable to getting to the source of his comrade's suffering.
With his experience, cultivated wit, and nearly thousands of Zeni's worth of material and tech to work with thanks to Derry's incredible span of influence in both the over and underbelly of society, it didn't take the stockman long to track down the man who seemingly made themselves a close ally of the nefarious ne'er-do-well that left Derry quite literally underhanded. They didn't particularly seem to realize the massive trail that they had left in their wake toward finding what seemed to be a more isolated area for him to work out what his next immediate move would be. He chalked it up mostly to the sloppiness that making haste often made, and quite honestly, he couldn't blame him for the nerves- he wasn't sure if he'd be able to keep calm if he was made a terrorist all the sudden either.
Despite this however, it did not change the fact that Cipher was a wanted terrorist all the same, and the loyal soldier of fortune- after staking out the immediate area for a decently long while- had meant to jump in much earlier to take Cipher into custody. However, the sensing of another sizable power signature approaching from afar had forced him to hold off for a little longer.
At first he believed it to potentially be his partner in crime, but upon further examination Cassidy could tell that this real piece of work was not at all the man that Derry had described in regards to his attacker. No, this wasn't Erebos, but a completely separate player in the new fangled game that the three had found themselves to be playing.
Upon first impressions, Cerrone could at least tell that this woman wasn't at all of Earthly origin- bubblegum like complexion and that massive, amazonian kinda height gave that whole part of the identity away. Also the fact that the tall glass of water could split herself into several other copies of herself sort of alluded to a less than human type of manipulation of her physical body. Was this one of them Majins that he kept on hearing about from the rest of his gang? He had heard whispers here and there about wanting to add one to their ranks, but apart from that, nothing concrete that he could work off of for this encounter. He was going a touch blind into this conflict, and that did slightly irk him.
Barring all of the confusion and uncertainty that the faded fighter had come to harbor, the one thing Cassidy could tell was that things were about to get messy- with both oncoming combatants preparing to get things kickin' into high gear. Something that the mixed martial artist at heart wasn't about to let happen without his own input into the mix.
And so brings it all up to the present time, wherein Cassidy flew in from his hidey hole in the bushes not so far off of their immediate location in front of him, landing inbetween the two but slightly off to the side so that he wouldn't be caught directly in the crossfire of either one's first offensive advancements made. Looking first to the four bubblegum women to his left (and tipping his hat to him like the gentleman that he was) and then to the wanted man to his right (who gained a bit of a stern face glare in contrast), the weathered warrior cracked his neck a bit, a sly grin slowly coming upon his face.
"I'm sorry sugar, but if you're lookin' to take this feller over here with you, you've got a nother' thing coming. I'd hate to be a debbie downer on your day today, but I've got a few questions I need our mutual POI to answer first before he dares to be anyone else's quarry."
With his intent clearly having been stated, if either one would object to his staking of claim to Cipher's person (of which he knew was inevitable), Cassidy then would follow up by slipping into a more defensive posture- prepared to showcase just how well he could do in a one on one, on one type of situation.
He was getting up there in years, sure. And in regards to numbers and raw strength, he might've been outgunned.
But even an old dog still knew a few tricks. PL: 10,908 - KP: 0/6 - MP: 0/6 - Own Damage Level: 0/250 - WC: 928 - TWC: 928
It seemed without even having to say a word, one of Cipher's questions was answered. It appeared that this one majin woman was actually four, instantly splitting into their four selves to speak with him. Were all majins like this, or was this an exception?
Regardless, he watched the four as they spoke. Some were trying to be reasonable, offering leniency if he surrendered to the Galactic Patrol, while others figured Cipher wouldn't allow himself to be taken in regardless. They were the more perceptive ones. Cipher wasn't going to turn himself over, for what was essentially doing nothing.
Not that Cipher was even able to get a word in, before the four decided that not only was a fight going to happen, but for them to move. Truth be told, Cipher never considered the abandoned base his home, so he wouldn't have minded fighting here. But the majins had other ideas. Cipher managed to spin around just in time for two of them to appear behind him and crash into him, sending the three of them flying out of the base and into the great desert. Dust flew as Cipher landed on his feet, sliding back to put distance between himself and the majins.
Though it seemed there was one more element to reveal itself in this situation. A human bounty hunter, who seemed to be after him just as the majins were. Cipher's eyes narrowed, returning the glare as he spoke to the majin like he wasn't even there.
"Can I speak now?"
Cipher was getting a bit annoyed at this whole conversation going without giving him a chance to speak. He crossed his arms, looking at the bounty hunter. "First off, if you're going to ask where Erebos is, the answer is I do not know. He's off doing his own thing, and it's not like I keep him on a leash and collar." He turned his attention to the majins, "And as for you, six months seems a bit much for simply having an uninvited guest in my home, and then being promptly rendered homeless. So I'm going to pass on your offer."
Cipher let out a frustrated sigh and let his hands fall to his sides. "Now then, I would ask if you could all just kindly leave me alone. But none of you plan on doing that, do you? So in that case..."
Cipher's sclera turned black, as dust started kicking up around him. Though it seemed subtle, anyone who could sense power levels would feel Cipher's suddenly skyrocket.
"Let's get started, shall we?"
Cipher suddenly shot forward, swinging a kick right at the bounty hunter's sternum, more to kick him to the side than anything else. In the same movement, he extended a hand out, pale green ki forming in his palm before firing a thin beam at the shoulder of one of the majins. Even if Majins were more durable, he still didn't wish to kill anyone.
Souless Machine activated. Current PL: 76,750.
Fires Penance Nail at Alpha, for 15,350 damage.
KP: 5/6 MP: 2/6 (+1 from post, +1 from attack) Damage: 0/250%
Last Edit: Feb 18, 2022 14:37:58 GMT -5 by Cipher 24
Post by Majin Annie on Feb 23, 2022 15:08:33 GMT -5
The four Annie siblings were almost ready to fight, but as the four got ready to pounce on the android, that was when Cassidy had shown up, who quickly interfered with the fight with his arrival and announcing that he was also hunting for Cipher for his own reasons. With the man not wanting to share the target with the four of them, it was a bit worrying for Alpha, as while she wanted to capture Cipher, she didn't want to bring any pain or harm to anyone else as a result of that.
For a moment, she considered just leaving the man be and just exiting the scene to look for another criminal, but as she was about to tell the other Annies to back off and leave, Cipher gave out his speech, before unleashing his full power. As he did so, she noticed that Beta was reacting shocked to the immense power being released, taking a few steps back as she responded to the man's statements.
"That power... it rose so high! Alpha, even if we were fused, I don't think we would've been able to keep up with this guy! He's on a whole different level!"
"What!? Are you serious?"
"That high? Alpha, what should we do?"
With Cipher's full power revealed, that left the Annies in quite the quandary. She could just leave this Cipher be, and trust the man on his word, or she could stay and help this new Cassidy guy, and possibly work together to finish the man off. On one hand, if she left and he was innocent, then she would've done the right thing and he'd be free to defend himself against Cassidy, but on the other, if she left and he was lying about his innocence, then this cowboy here could possibly be crushed on his own. Both ways, the situation sucked.
Ultimately, she remembered the dangers that criminals had brought to Jingle Village in her younger days, and that's what made her decision. Keeping her feet planted on the ground, she turned to Cassidy, and spoke to the man, trying to plead with him for a small moment.
"Well... it looks like things aren't going to go well for either of us if we fight alone, so how about we work on arresting this guy together? After we're done, perhaps we can talk about the man's custody and sentencing AFTER this threat's dealt with? After all, teamwork is what-"
*KA-BLAM!*
With one huge blast of energy, Annie was engulfed by Cipher's attack, launching a huge blast over a wide distance. She had little time but to create a small shell of Ki around her body, but even then it wasn't enough as the blast seared straight through it, charring her body a darker shade of pink in the process. Seeing this, Annies Gamma and Delta quickly made the move.
"Hey, don't you dare harm our sister Alpha!"
Flashing out of the cyborg's sight for just a small moment, both Annies reappeared right above the cyborg, holding a blade made from their own gummy mass, which they ripped from their arms. With all of their force, they thrust them down, trying to not just slash into the android's skin to damage him, but also to hold him in place afterward, with each Annie holding onto both an arm and a leg.
As for Beta however, she eyed the situation between the many fighters, staying in the back. She was not going to jump into the fight, not yet at least, but she was trying to keep a check on each fighter's strength, and how they were comparing to everyone else. Taking a look at the cowboy, Beta added onto Annie Alpha's words, as the latter fell to her knees, trying to catch her breath after stopping herself from being burnt alive by that one shot with all her power.
"She's right, you know. I don't know if you can sense power or not, but if you can, it's clear to see that we're gonna be in a lot of trouble if we don't work together. I don't know what you're going to do, but when you are ready to do something, I'll stay close by and provide support if you need it."
OOC
WC: 712 Words
KP: 6/6 x 1, 2/6 KP x2, 0/6 KP x1 MP: 2/6 x 3, 1/6 x 1
HP: 0/310% x 3, 59/310% x 1
8800 Damage subtracted via Unbreakable Stance, 6510 Damage bleeds through for total of 59% Damage to Annie Alpha!
Annies Gamma and Delta use Not So Lazy Slice! 5500 Damage times two (14% total for both, roughly 7% each from each) coming for Cipher!
In all honesty, after what Cipher had said openly in regards to Erebos' lack of appearance and subsequent lack of information on where he possibly could be, Cassidy was tempted to leave the man by his lonesome. It was obvious by his approach and choice of vernacular that he wasn't exactly the type to up and cause trouble on a whim like his frightful friend seemed to have an inclination of doing, he seemed like quite the docile type actually- the kind that just wanted to be left alone, and that was something that he could definitely appreciate seeing as he was at times that kind of persona as well. However, that line of reasoning wouldn't exactly be the most convincing type to someone like Derry, and at the very least the big man himself would want an audience with one of the men so closely affiliated with Erebos anyways, so Cipher was bound to come with Cassidy one way or another.
The originally thought to be quiet and meekly mannered individual, however, appeared to be believing otherwise, as suddenly Cerrone could feel his power signature rise up to unimaginable levels as the young man voiced his opposing opinion toward both of the parties present, going so far as to make the first move even- plowing into the cowboy's chest with a hard swung roundhouse kick. Leaving the older man near breathless as he was flung to the wayside for a little bit, falling onto his knees just a few yards away from one of the Annie troupe's valued members.
Head still a bit hazy from the lack of O2 reaching his upper systems, Cassidy managed to stand himself up to a single knee, taking deep, heavy gasps of air as his eyes glanced over toward Annie as she began to address the mercenary personally. Thankfully, he was able to pick up what she was putting down before she was nearly blown to kingdom come by Cipher's follow up attack, and the now properly shook up sheriff was more than willing to take on a couple new deputies to help him with the retrieval of this particularly powerful quarry.
Taking up the offer made by Annie Beta straight after her sister faced the brunt force of Cipher's bulldozing blast, Cassidy quickly dashed his way over into the company of Annie Alpha and Annie Beta, tipping his hat to the both of them and speaking in a very grateful tone, "I'm gonna be real frank with you two, I might have bitten off more than I could chew if ya'll weren't so kind enough to offer your assistance with this feller here. I'll be sure to show that gratitude once we're outta here fit as a fiddle. But, first.."
Taking a deep breath, Cassidy began to undergo a transformation of his own, a faintly apricot colored glow encompassing the cowboy's figure before coming to envelop the entirety of the man in a brilliantly bronze glimmer. His aura manifesting itself in a sphere like radiance around him as his strength doubled, the air vibrating in waves around him as he stared down the twos' mutual target before them.
"I'll definitely be needing your help for this next bit I've got planned. Once I'm ready, it'll take a bit of time though, so it'd be a bee in your sisters' bonnets if you could keep the odd stick offa me for a little while when the time comes..."
Placing a great deal of confidence in the Annies, Cassidy hoped to eventually be able to get off a shooting iron shot that would at least hinder Cipher slightly in regards to his immediate mobility. His heightened strength wouldn't be as big of a problem if he found it harder to get around and use it in the first place, and Cerrone was more than sure they'd be able to use their numbers to overwhelm Cipher if his plan came to fruition.
Or, at least, he hoped. Truth be told Cassidy had never faced off against an opponent of Cipher's strength, so this was completely new territory for him. He wasn't exactly sure he or the Annies would be getting out of this in the first place, much less with either one of them having Cipher in tow.
But, as it stood now, they were in the thick of it together- and Cassidy would rather die before leaving a fight unfinished.
So, fastening himself into his spot, Cassidy braced himself as he funneled all the power he could into his next attack, scrambling forward in a zig-zag formation to go and take advantage of Annies Gamma and Delta's attempts to hold Cipher in place, attempting in the small window of opportunity that the two Majins gave him to pay the young man back for the earlier stunt- swinging his legs with a gymnastic like grace, gaining a great deal of momentum before attempting to slam his right leg directly into Cipher's left temple. Even if the strength disparity remained sizable, weakpoints were weakpoints, and Cassidy was sure that if he was able to exploit these weakpoints he'd be able to shake up the wanted man just as well as anyone else could. But then again, that was assuming Cipher was anything like the average Joe.
And if these first initial trade-offs between the opposing parties were anything to work off of, then Cipher was most definitely not your everyday martial artist. Thankfully, neither was Cassidy.
PL: 32,724 - KP: 4/6 - MP: 2/6 (+1 Passive Gain, +1 Tech Usage) - Own Damage Level: 0/250 - Wildman's Rowdy Roundhouse used for a damage potential of 6,544 and affliction of Bleed if landed - WC: 951 - TWC: 1879
Cipher's attack had hit dead on, though his target weathered the blast better than expected. Though if that sudden surge of ki Cipher had felt before impact was any indication, she used up a lot of her energy just to do it.
His attack also had the effect of galvanizing his collective opponents against him. Problematic, but unavoidable. If he had remained at base level, he would have been overwhelmed. This way, he could hold them off with brute force. He waited quietly as Cassidy even had a transformation of his own. Cipher was still stronger than him by a good margin, but he needed to keep an eye on the bounty hunter. He needed to keep an eye on all of them.
And then, they attacked. Two of the majins, indignant that Cipher dared attack on of their own, came at him with blades formed from their own bodies, while Cassidy came at him, zig-zagging towards him before swinging a kick right at the android's head. Not bad. Attacking him all at once from different angles. A good use of tactics.
Though it would be all for naught. The two blades would crash into what appeared to be a hive-like barrier of green ki over the android's head, while Cassidy's foot would collide with a similar barrier. All three attacks were stopped dead without a scratch on Cipher.
With the barrier still in place, Cipher looked upward at the two majins. "If I recall correctly, it was you and your sister that were so eager to fight, AND told me not to hold back." His eyes narrowed, "So don't complain when you get hurt!"
The barriers vanished just as Cipher thrust up a palm at the one called Delta. A powerful blast of ki shot out, point blank at her. Focusing on five opponents at once was tricky. It was time to remove some of them from the battle.
Using my free defensive technique from Lock and Loaded, at 23,025 PL. Blocks all incoming attacks with 5,481 PL to spare.
The fires my free offensive technique from Lock and Loaded, at Delta with 23,025 PL. If attack hits as is, it will deal 209% damage, surpassing Delta's critical damage threshold.
KP: 5/6 MP: 4/6 (+1 for post, +1 for tech usage) Damage: 0%/250%
Post by Majin Annie on Mar 16, 2022 13:10:55 GMT -5
To the surprise of the two Annies, Cipher had managed to completely block the advance of their swords with two simple barriers, which had managed to catch both siblings off guard. Unfortunately for Delta, this managed to leave her completely open to a counterattack from the android, in the form of a beam of a green Ki which managed to fully engulf her body. The resulting impact and explosion launched her far away, and while her smoking body managed to keep itself together, she was clearly out for the count, her Ki dissipating completely from protecting her body from what was likely to have been a death blow.
Despite this loss, Gamma did not relent in the slightest, continuing to bash upon the barrier with her sword as she looked into the Android's eyes. "Ha, you think taking one of us down is that special of a feat? News flash, but there's still three of us left, and just because you're stronger doesn't mean you won't run yourself ragged blocking ALL of our techniques! Isn't that right, Alpha?"
"...Alpha?"
Looking around and trying to figure out where her sister went, Gamma eventually found Alpha picking up Delta and absorbing the unconscious sister back into her body, not changing in form since she was just holding her in there to protect her at the moment. The combat-hungry Annie sibling looked shocked from this surprise movement, and as she jumped away from a counterattack, she went to talk with her sister.
"Hey, I thought we were supposed to be fighting together as a team, Alpha!" Gamma yelled, a bit frustrated that her sister didn't follow up on an attack she was counting for.
"That was BEFORE he took one of us down without even breaking a sweat!" Alpha retorted, reminding the sibling about Delta's recent knock out. "It's obvious that the guy's beyond our league when split apart, and without Delta's power we can't fuse back to our full power! We need to get out of here, fuse back up and heal, and figure out another strategy!"
"The hell we ain't! We still need a bounty for the Galactic Patrol, and he is literally the weakest one we could find! Maybe there are even weaker ones, but it's obvious they're either avoiding the Draft or are hiding their powers cause even Beta couldn't find them!"
"But don't you remember what Celosia said?"
"Oh, don't you dare bring Amar into this!"
"It's Celosia! She wants us to call her Celosia!"
___
Meanwhile, Beta watched as her two siblings began arguing, and sighed as it left them open pickings for whatever Cipher was going to try next. Both sides did have valid opinions, but Beta was more for practical thinking, and considering how powerful this Android was, it was obvious that even with being outnumbered, the android was the clear winner. And yet, she wanted to do at least something to the android, to at least tag him and leave some lasting mark.
It was with those thoughts that she looked to Cassidy, a smile on her face. "Hmm... I'm sorry to say this, but if that Cipher dude can take us out in one blow, then numbers advantages aren't gonna work. You're either gonna want to get one of your superiors to help, or at the very least get the heck out of dodge and rethink your strategies. Still though... before we leave, how about a game?"
Pulling out a chunk of Majin flesh from her body, Beta threw a ring of it onto Cipher's body, sticking the android to the side of a rock as she morphed her body into the shape of Erebos, copying his sword as well as she started to emulate the man's sword style, in the hopes of swinging around the man's shields rather than through them.
"Let's see who can damage this robot first. Loser makes dinner for the winner, how about that? Obviously we'll need to coordinate but it should be fun to see who gets the first blow, so long as we can even GET a blow on this guy."
"Speaking of coordination, get behind me and get ready to attack as soon as I leap away!"
With one step forward, Beta vanished for a brief moment, before reappearing right beneath the rock and kicking it high into the air. With the rock being high in the sky, Beta activated the jetpack on her back, flying high into the sky and mimicking the swordplay of the demon that had helped her long ago. Rather than the brutish strikes of Delta and Gamma, these were more elegant and resourceful strikes, aiming to get around rather than to break through and thus hitting the robot and the rock in many different places at once.
Now, whether this worked or not all depended on Cipher's cleverness. But even if it didn't work, Beta hoped that Cassidy was right behind her, ready to apply as much pressure as he could. Otherwise, she could very easily be the next to fall.
OOC
WC: 841 Words
KP: 2/6 KP x2, 4/6 KP x1
MP: 3/6 x 3
HP: 0/310% x 2, 59/310% x 1
Annie Delta defeated!
Annies Gamma and Delta use Not So Lazy Slice! 5500 Damage (7% damage) coming for Cipher!
Not one to let his emotions get the better of him, Cassidy managed to keep up a decent looking poker face as he felt shin connect to shield, the reverberation being enough to rebound him off the barrier and backwards a few feet away once again. His brow furrowing as he realized this wasn't a glass cannon type of situation- this feller really was the real deal in every sense of the word. Defensively and offensively capable and out of either other warriors' classes.
Which was immediately put on devastating display as Cipher decided to throw another technique right at one of the two Majin martial artists that had joined Cassidy in his assault, the cowboy's eyes widening in both sympathy and concern as the other appeared to be ripped from consciousness right at impact, their limb body being flung far behind him and back toward where one of the other sisters stood. What followed probably disturbed Cassidy most of all out of everything he's had to go through today.
Cerrone could feel his very spine shiver and shake as who he believed to be called Alpha began to, eat? Their own sister!? At least, that's how he could put it in layman's terms, seeing as assimilating someone wasn't exactly a word he thought every man and woman had the meaning of in their back pocket. Apparently this was something of normal occurrence, to his surprise, as two of the four remaining sisters then began to squabble amongst each other without a care in the world, as though their other sister didn't just be absorbed into the body of the other right in front of the whole lot.
Shaking himself back to reality, Cassidy realized there were more immediate matters to be tended to instead of entertaining the intricacies behind Majin biology, and so he backpedaled to where Beta was once again, eyes never leaving where Cipher now stood.
Gritting his teeth at the glaringly obvious disadvantage the two parties now were faced with, the western warrior heaved a heavy sigh, looking over to Beta and saying in a reluctant and slightly defeated tone, "I've been in this fight business long enough to know when a massive mismatch has been made. And it seems to me that we've become subject to the short end of the stick for this particular one."
"I might hate to admit it, but you're right, he dwarfs the both of us at our highest gear- even if you all were to, erm, return, to that bigger form of yours, I doubt the circumstances would really change."
In light of Beta's proposal, however, the older man's mood began to brighten slightly, and with a coy grin upon his gruff face he shot back a snarky reply, "Well, I suppose you remaining seperate'll help me in this case at least. I might be older than the lot of yous, but I can sure as hell keep up with a gaggle of bubblegum girls-!"
Maybe a touch harsh with the retort, but then again, he believed the girls to be able to take a bit of casual teasing here and there- what with the looming threat of terrible disfiguration at the hands of Cipher being much more important to focus on anyways. Plus, even if his words said otherwise, Cassidy was more than prepared to keep to the twos' unlikely alliance for as long as this tirade would continue on for, and as Beta barreled forward, so did he- but at a safer distance away, of course. He couldn't exactly make the partner play he might need to be able to do to keep Beta safe if he himself was also thrown straight into the lion's den along with her.
So, to keep from pulling an Alpha and potentially being eaten just as she was, Cassidy kept Cipher at length, running around him in a circular perimeter and firing off Ki-charged shots from his revolver, sensing the time was nearly right for him to lay down his trump card.
It was either that, or call in one of the few people he knew could pull them all out of this rut.
He wondered how Cipher would react to magic... PL: 32,724 - KP: 5/6, +1 for no Tech usage - MP: 3/6 (+1 Passive Gain) - Own Damage Level: 0/250 - WC: 727 - TWC: 2606
It seemed Cipher's attack had done the trick, effectively removing one of the majins from the battle. He watched passively as the unconscious woman was absorbed back into one of her sisters.
The following, panicked arguing gave away a good amount of information. Now that one of them was down, the combined entity they were before couldn't reach full power. Plus they were all revealing out of depth they all were with this fight. Not that Cipher could blame them. The android had rarely used his full power before now, so no wonder it caught them by surprise.
Cipher crossed his arms. "Well then, now that you are fully aware of the situation, then I suggest the lot of you walk away. Now." Unfortunately, someone was still eager to fight, even deciding to make a game out of this. Cipher sighed with some annoyance. "Or maybe not."
He didn't even resist as the glob of majin flesh knocked him back, sticking him to a large rock, before he was kicked up into the air. As the majin, now adopting the form of his friend charged in, Cipher suddenly spun in mid air, the rock he was stuck to now being used as a shield for her incoming attacks. As the rock was torn apart, freeing Cipher, the android braved himself as Cassidy circled around him, firing off shots from his weapon.
The attacks rained down against Cipher as the majin continued her assault. The android was more than a little annoyed right now.
Perhaps another demonstration was in order.
With a burst of power coming off of him, Cipher lashed out at the attacking majin with both feet, aiming to kick her in the sternum, and almost using her as a spring board as he shot towards Cassidy. Energy crackled along his arm as what appeared to be a Spear of pure, green ki formed in his hand. As he got close, Cipher thrust out at the bounty hunter, aiming to pierce his side.
Cipher uses Longilus, powered up by Maximum Power, aiming a total power of 46,050 (140%) at Cassidy.