"Dammit, I meant you're reacting mostly with your defense into offense!" Crotona really must have been losing it she messed that up that bad. Oh well, it didn't matter. Her words were nothing compared to action. She would lift Marrow into the air swinging her sword. But she was shocked when Marrow's own power rose. She would form a guard again but this time Crotona could rip through it and slash up Marrow and smash her into the ground. 'It was not the impact I needed' Crotona thought to herself as she looked down at Marrow. She would dive down towards Marrow bringing her sword around to slash Marrow again. But as she was coming down a massive spike of magic flew out. She tried to bring her sword in the way but she could not stop what was gonna happen. The Spike stabbed into her gut, the same wound that Ward and Phakk had given her over a year ago.
Crotona hung on the magic spike as Marrow seemed to be eating something. Dammit, she could see the aura around Marrow. While she could not sense the power it seemed stronger then before. It must have been a Senzu bean. She would have had her own but she had given that to Erebos. Crotona would rip herself from the paint spike and crash to the ground breathing hard as blood leaked all over the stone floor. Her vision began to get blur. She had been a bit too arrogant and now she took some nasty shots. All of the damage she took was catching up, she could hardly move for a few moments as Marrow's power rose to the max. A battle she had the advantage in, now it seemed the tides were fully in Marrow's favor. Crotona got up as the blood pooled on the ground. She'd raise her sword planting her feet to stare down Marrow. She didn't say a word right now. She needed to refocus. Or she was going to die.
Wc:326 Crotona get impaled and takes 41 Percent Damage and now realizes she in deep trouble. - Kp:2/6 Mp:3/6 Damage Meter:112/260
Last Edit: Nov 27, 2022 13:41:15 GMT -5 by Crotona
"I see." She murmured, deep in thought as Crotona hung, suspended by the spire piercing through her torso. "Probably my fault. For not understanding. Sometimes people say things and I don't get them." Colloquial terms and most forms of rhetoric had a tendency to slip past her, even with Marrow actively trying to catch them on the advice of Eris. The Saiyan sighed as the healing properties of her quick snack kicked in, body rumbling as her inner pool of energy grew. When Eris said she'd get stronger from healing, Marrow had expected something tame. One, two thousand at most. This? A nearly ten thousand strong power up? With this much strength she felt confident in her ability to defeat her enemy. And as long as Kamae hadn't fallen yet, that would ensure their victory here today.
A fresh set of knives formed in a fan, clutched between Marrow's knuckles as she watched Crotona free herself. The Konatsian had suffered cut after slash, the tally of her injuries finally catching up. Her death need not come all at once. A thousand cuts would do the job just as well as a deluge of power. "Good! Looks like you've gained the upper hand. Don't get cocky now, last thing we need is some heroic comeback getting you killed." With a careful flick of her wrist, a wicked knife was sent spinning towards Crotona as she was recuperating, aimed directly for her forehead.
Crotona got up raising her blade as Marrow was on the attack. Crotona flicked her blade up blocking the dagger Marrow flew out. But Crotona was still forced off balance by the dagger throw but quickly replanted her feet. She would keep her blade raised in a guard position as she was trying to figure out what to do next. Just attacking Marrow would do her no good, but did she let Marrow recover her energy? She would need to rely on some bigger attacks to hurt Marrow. She seemed to be really skilled with those low-damage attacks, Crotona had been hoping to overwhelm her but she had been able to keep up. And now Crotona who had been mostly unharmed had been diced up by Marrow. In her anger, she had not taken back to think if her attack types would be the ones to defeat Marrow. Crotona shifted her footing slightly as her sword raised fully in guard. She glared back at Marrow slowly inching forward toward the killer. Crotona was thinking, she was undecided about what she'd do next. But she did decide one thing. She had been attacking and Marrow defending. For the time being, she needed to make Marrow the attacker. So she could at least catch her breath and come up with a plan to defeat Marrow. If she didn't, then she was going to lose.
Wc:232 - Kp:4/6 Mp:4/6 Damage Meter:112/260
Last Edit: Nov 27, 2022 16:08:17 GMT -5 by Crotona
"Tired?" The woman's bravado had vanished and it's a place a wounded cautiousness, both combatants aware of who currently had the pressure. Despite her skill, tools, and strength, Crotona still seemed to be coming up short. The seething vitriol and multi-faced personality had quieted, leaving the two silently facing each other as ocean waves gently lapped against the dock. Distant screams, explosions, and pillars of smoke disturbed the faux tranquility. "You forgot something. I don't need to engage with you."
Marrow's palm opened towards the blighted sky, a harsh stream of magic paint shooting straight up before hanging mid-air, forming an impossible cloud of ink. The blob burst without warning, globs of dangerous magic starting to slowly arc across what remained of the city in a display of wanton destruction. The attacks were weak but numerous, forcing Crotona into a precarious situation if she were try to block all of them.
"How many do you think are still left in the city? Maybe the old, the young. Crippled and sick. I can sense them. Like pieces of bubblewrap yet to pop." While not normally this talkative or prone to taunting, working up Crotona's anger had worked in her favor so far. If she could provoke the woman into acting rashly again it might be the opening she needed to end the fight.
Crotona nodded as Marrow asked if she was tired, no need to lie about it. She already knew what was going on. Crotona narrowed her eyes however as Marrow spoke about how she didn't need to engage. And she would prove it so by firing a barrage of magic paint flying downward toward the city. But as they were arching upward Crotona called "Belial!" And Crotona's form burst forward transforming into a giant demonic skeleton. The Paint slammed into her form as she towered over Marrow. She was cutting off Marrow from firing her blast toward the city by standing over and using her giant body as a shield. Of course, as the Paint slammed into her it caused her form to be forced back with each blast. But she'd keep the city safe as best as she could from more harm.
But as the blasts ended, Crotona was forced to a knee her skeletal ribs cracking and falling to the ground smoldering from the impact of Marrow's strike. Crotona looked down at Marrow. "You forgot two things. One, I'm not gonna allow you to harm another soul. And Two, I ain't the only one on a timer. Erebos said he is gonna defeat Kamae. And I believe he will." Crotona began to rise up slowly as smoke smoldered from her damaged form. Crotona drew her Z-Sword out as it took on a massive form, now being a massive firey axe. She'd swing the weapon downward at Marrow to crush her but she had a feeling Marrow would block or absorb the attack in some way. But she had at least try to overpower Marrow!
Wc:275 Beast Swap: Crotona uses one of her charms and activates its power. She transforms into the form of one of her Konatsian Monster to combat her foe. She can choose to stay humanoid size or grow to around the size of an Oozaru. (Making an Ozzaru sized form of Bellial to take on. Giant Red Skeleton Guy) Then using Hero Slice 2KP 40 Percent Alongside Beast Withen to boost to 50 Percent! 220,000 Power heading Marrow Way! - Kp:2/6 Mp:4/6 Damage Meter:112/250
Last Edit: Nov 27, 2022 18:09:10 GMT -5 by Crotona
"Well. That's new. Think that's one of the big scary Demons she has under her 'control'?" The scarlet boned behemoth towered over the harbor district, roughly the size of an Oozaru. An increase in size didn't necessarily equate to an increase in power, and as Marrow sensed, Crotona's battle power didn't budge an inch. The initial salvo of magic struck the beast's form. Despite the exaggerated effects of stumbling beneath the salvo, Crotona seemed no worse for wear. "He can't," She retorted simply. "He isn't strong enough."
Either Kamae won first and came to obliterate Crotona or Marrow claimed victory and stabbed the shadowmancer in the back again during their duel. Marrow's confidence and will to succeed blazed with full force, desire to claim her promised prize fueling her confidence. Still. The sight of a massive skeletal monster wielding a flaming ax was... admittedly cool. Marrow would've been highly interested in Crotona's power set had the two not been engaged in a fierce battle.
The weapon came down with a colossal sharp whir, stray strands of sticky paint swirling around Marrow as they took shape. A dome of magic formed from the ink, catching Crotona's ax and leaving her momentum dead in the water. Marrow still didn't return fire quite yet, biding her time for a better opening to counter.
Marrow defends herself with Splatter Shield, fizzling Crotona's attack
"You were weaker than me. And you were giving me a beatdown. Strength is not everything. There is a mindset, there is how you fight. And Kamae has taken a lot of damage from myself and Erebos beforehand." Crotona smiled at Marrow. "So we will see who is right in the end. But, it does not matter if he wins, If I don't win here we're gonna have a problem either way. You will just keep rampaging. And I know for a fact, that whoever wins each of these fights will be at their limit. And I know Erebos is gonna struggle to beat Kamae. But, I know he will win that fight. So, I need to play my part and take you down!"
Crotona raised her weapon and then brought it down to crash into Marrow! But Marrow formed another dome of magic to protect her attack. Crotona's blade was forced backward as she waited for Marrow to attack but she didn't return fire. Seems she was going to only attack once Crotona was out of energy or if she kept attacking with weak attacks. So Crotona decided not to attack. She was going to have to recharge her energy. Crotona considered taking on a smaller form but she didn't wanna let Marrow to take pot shots. Plus maybe in this current state she could spook Marrow. The Form was not really that useful and it probably only caused more damage to the city. But she needed every advantage she could get mentally or physically.
Wc:256 - Kp:4/6 Mp:5/6 Damage Meter:112/250
Last Edit: Nov 27, 2022 22:27:05 GMT -5 by Crotona
"Hm. Maybe." Though if Kamae could finally complete his ritual, Marrow wouldn't NEED to rampage. She was here as security. Extra muscle for when the Heroes inevitably showed up to disrupt his operations. "You're operating on faith," She noted dully. "Not facts." Kamae wasn't stupid. He wouldn't allow himself to be backed into a corner or baited into overextending himself. Erebos was a crafty fighter, but he was standing against the titan alone. Crotona might've had some strange confidence her ally would pull through, but Marrow was thinking objectively. Even if the Konatsian had backpedaled into a defensive style to avoid getting killed, it wouldn't matter.
"Hearing the same voice come from that giant form of yours is weird," Said Marrow casually. Tendrils and wisps of inky frothed around her, ready to launch at a moment's notice. "Don't you think so?" The Saiyan flicked her wrist, sending a wickedly sharp wave of ink off in a random direction, aiming to slice through a few buildings away from where Crotona could easily block it. Wanton destruction and death weren't really Marrow's favored pastime, but inflicting a pyrrhic victory on the off chance her side happened to lose would be better for her deal.
“Maybe I am. I just got a bit of faith that he can win. But I’ve seen him fight too, and I know Kamae is hurt. And I also know that Erebos has a trump card. You are not the only one who had a bean. I just passed my around to Erebos. Before we left, of course, You were running around to go kill people. But you were the only one who used it to make a tactical decision.” She loved that Senzu right now. Yet, at the same time. Erebos needed it badly. And it might be what give him the chance. And something Marrow might not of known about. Though she doubted it would have shaken her confidence in the situation. Either way, anything to get in Marrow’s head could be used to her advantage.
Marrow was making some small talk as she noted it was a bit odd to hear her voice in said body. “Yeah, that is true huh that is very odd.” But, before she could say anything more Marrow was on the attack. She sent out whips in ink in random directions. Crotona would be forced to leap up to tank the whips of ink. They broke the rib bones of her giant form once more. But as she was mid-air she would open her mouth firing a large beam downwards at Marrow to stop her from firing more of those ink beams. She was not gonna let her cause random chaos without paying the price!
Wc:255 - Kp:6/6 Mp:6/6 Damage Meter:112/250
Last Edit: Nov 27, 2022 23:10:19 GMT -5 by Crotona
"Interesting," The teenager's eyes shone with a deep-rooted curiosity unsuited for a girl her age. "Very. Very. Interesting." So the hyperviolent demonic savior puts stock in faith? Decides that she's willing to so easily believe against the odds? "Maybe the bean will be enough. Maybe it won't be. They aren't cure-alls; just look at me." Marrow was still objectively injured after consuming hers. The effect wouldn't magically get stronger for Erebos. "I'm curious to see who turns out to be right. It's almost funny that we acknowledge we're just the sideshow." With both fighters hinging their victory on the success of an ally, it meant this little bout was little more than a conscious struggle to keep each other out of the others' heavy hitter's way.
More superficial damage to the beast. The whips cracked against bone, stopped dead as Crotona worked to prevent any more damage from reaching the city. Curious as she was so willing to destroy it before. Had Marrow's words gotten to her that much? The Saiyan's body melded into her ink puddle, Marrow temporarily joined with liquid as she evaded the mouth beam with inches to spare. Taking shape from the paint, she flipped high into the air, landing on top of the damaged warehouse roof and staring back up at the giant beast. "We can't keep running around in circles forever."
Crotona glanced at Marrow. It would be a wait and see if the Senzu bean would enough for Erebos. She had just hope. Kamae was really strong he had clear power advantage over either herself or Erebos. So, that bean might be the only thing that allows Erebos to gain the advantage. Considering that both parties had taken some big damage. But as Marrow pointed out, the bean was not some sure out win. It healed a lot of injures but it didn’t heal all. But she didn’t expect that. She just hoped that it healed Erebos enough to allow him to take the edge over Kamae.
Crotona kept moving as she fired her mouth blast downward at Marrow. No time to allow Marrow to recover The beam just missed her as she seemed to sink back into the ground. Crotona giant form would glance around looking around for Marrow. As Marrow flipped onto the rooftop of a building in her giant form she bring her sword back surrounding it with more ki. She’d swing the weapon downward at Marrow. She was not going to use all her power for this, or even a lot of energy. She just wanted to push Marrow to use more energy. So she brings the sword down with a burst of ki surrounding the weapon along with tapping with even more demonic energy to overpower Marrow and not allow her an easy defense!
Wc:242 Hero Slice 2KP 40 Percent Alongside Beast Withen to boost to 50 Percent! 220,000 Power heading Marrow Way! - Kp:4/6 Mp:6/6 Damage Meter:112/250
Last Edit: Nov 27, 2022 23:59:00 GMT -5 by Crotona
"Hm." Marrow's body bulked in response to the oncoming ax swing. This time, she planned to return the pressure Crotona was trying to exert. A layer of paint shot from the Saiyan's fingertips and sprayed against the looming weapon, spider-webbing to nearby buildings to slow the weapon's momentum to a relative crawl. Marrow flew straight up towards the skeletal demon, shrugging off the grazed ax hit in favor of forming a particularly wicked knife that she'd try to shove straight into her enemy's eye socket! Perhaps Crotona had a point. Kamae's victory, while likely, wasn't a certainty. If Marrow were to be cautiously proactive about trying to defeat the Konatsian, she'd raise the chance of success even more.
"Careful not to take too much damage during your assault," Eris murmured humorously. "You have the upper hand in efficiency when it comes to throwing out attacks like this thanks to our oh-so-special training, but chip damage is a VERY real issue." After the attempted eye stab, Marrow would release her flight, gracefully tumbling through the air. The murderer summoned a second blade, attempting to drag it along Crotona's exposed femur on her way down to try and cause the Konatsian more pain.
Marrow activates Max Power!
She blocks Hero Slice with Gradient Guard (162,464) and takes 14% damage!
Crotona is attacked with a Swatch Blade (162,464)!
Crotona swung her weapon downward but Marrow was prepared. She formed another barrier, a web of ink connected together to absorb the impact of her attack. Crotona still felt a good impact as Marrow speed forward to attack her with dagger. Crotona knew that this was a good chance for her to strike. She was on the attack now. And Crotona knew that it was now or never to really get an advantage. If she kept trading hits, then she was going to lose this fight. She couldn’t keep taking all these hits either. So she had to strike back hard and fast against Marrow. As she darted in with her dagger she would form a spectral ribcage around Bellial’s massive form. She called upon all the power Bellial could muster, but it was not enough. The ribcage was cracked as Crotona was forced backward from the force of the attack.
Then when Marrow slashed down her leg, that just made it even worse as her giant forms was forced to the ground. She crashed down hard feeling her wounds catching up to her good. And this giant form was not gonna do her any favors in this match. She would transform back into her base form breathing hard and glancing at her newly cut-up leg. At least she was not missing an eye though. Crotona had at least damaged Marrow but Marrow hit her good too. She knew trading weak attacks would not get her anywhere good. But would she have an opening for an even stronger attack? One that could really hurt Marrow? Guess she was going to have figure that out soon. She believed Erebos could win but, she also knew there was a real chance that he would lose. So, she needed to do everything in her power to defeat Marrow in case of that possible situation. And right now, she was really struggling to find a way to crack the Assiasan defenses.
Her dagger bit into energy as it snaked for the Konatsian's eye, Marrow grunting in disappointment. Crotona had expended a lot of energy to block the cheap shot, leaving her open to the subsequent slash down her leg. It wasn't as brutal of a hit as the Saiyan would've liked, but she accepted the small victory. The two met again as the form of Belial faded, leaving the woman exposed as she tried to recollect herself. Marrow jumped on the opportunity to strike again before she could recover, rushing towards Crotona with a fresh dagger and attempting to stab it into the side of her neck to end the warrior then and there.
Assuming the kill shot would be negated in some manner, Marrow would hop back, her muscles returning to normal. She needed to keep her cool and play this smart. As open of a target as Crotona seemed, a single underhanded blow from the swordmaster would be all it took to leave Marrow reeling on the ground instead. It was funny having to deal with cracking through a steel defense against a STRONGER opponent instead of the other way around. Battle Island, East City. Both times when she was the underdog on the backfoot.
Marrow attacks with another Swatch Blade (162,464)
Apr 6, 2024 1:21:15 GMT -5
Lottus: Friendly reminder for new folks to check the rules regarding art claims - AI Art is not accepted on Sparking for character sheets.
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Lottus: Hey folks, got a new phone, but verification is preventing me from downloading Discord for now
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Yakito: I am the #1 Tenrec hater (Striker will be struck)