[EVENT] Devils in the Barracks

Demons scattered in all directions, both chasing after the "innocent" and fleeing from the true demon that had entered their midst. Lottus had sped his way down towards the mercenary barracks below, with many who'd either already felt his power or those whose scouters had been blown to bits by it quickly retreating from the barracks in a panicked swarm. High above Lottus, from the split of the clouds would be a flash of golden light, before without warn a rain of blades would come crashing down, impaling demon, Saiyan, and all those in between.

"Weeeeeeeeell~! Someone looks like they're having fun!" Zuqetta would yell out, hoping to grab Lottus' attention; failing that however, one final massive blade would drop from the sky and fall waywardly upon Lottus.

From above the clouds would float down Zuqetta, clad in a strange purple attire that oozed with magical energies, and even stranger golden hair tucked beneath a comically large rimmed hat. She rested casually upon a broom that seemed to fly on its own, her tail swaying about mischievously, while she looked down upon her cousin with a sly grin.

"Been awhile cuz, gotta say, you're looking pretty CUT!" She'd exclaim with a villainous grin as she materialized another massive blade above her, filled with far more power than the first, and hurled it downward at her cousin. Laughing excitedly, all the while continuing to allow her onslaught of blades to fall from the clouds down upon the unsuspecting below.

The chaos had spread to all directions, but the focus of Zuqetta's enjoyment was directly before her. Clutching one of her own summoned blades in his hand, Lottus effortlessly knocked aside the oncoming strike with her ki infused strike, before deciding to pepper his cousin with a volley of lesser energy blasts.

As if with a will of their own, several of Zuqetta's blades would come toher protection, forming a cone before her and spinning rapidly to deflect the volley. In all directions, Lottus' ki blasts would rain down along side Zuqetta's thousand blades, incinerating the lucky to ash, or else disintegrating the limbs of those who'd just barely been nicked the the powerful blasts.

"Weeeeeelllll~! It looks like someone's been drinkin' their milk since last we fought, huh?" Zuqetta would chide as the cone of swords moved aside, "But are you really gonna hold a grudge over somethin' like that?" She'd ask rhetorically as she raised her arm above her head and materialized a sword in her hand, "Betrayal runs in our family ya know?" She'd say before suddenly rushing down towards Lottus, with the floating swords around her rushing in kind, "So don't be such a baby!" she'd laugh, before attempting to assail Lottus with a series of powerful, rapid strikes.

Every strike was countered, every stray blade repelled into the unsuspecting as the two in the sky danced the dance of death. When the clash was concluded, when the air trembled with the vibrations of screeching metal that echoed across the outpost, the two would have distance from one another once more. Zuqetta's hover in the air was less controlled, less accurate; she was as a leaf as she listened to Lottus' rant, or at least pretended to listen.

"Woooooow~" Zuqetta would say as she flipped whimsically in the air, her tail flicking about from said to side tauntingly, "Sounds like someone got hold of a dictionary since last we met!" She'd say with a laugh, her tail now taking hold of the grip of her sword so she could bring her hands together to clap, "I don't remember you being so talkative! When did you graduate from, "unga-bunga"?" She'd tease in a most mocking manner before leaning back in the air as if cradled in a hammock.

A magical energy would surge around Zuqetta's form, purple and distorted, lacking in the usual pressure would could feel from Ki. It would replace the lustrous golden aura of her Super Saiyan form briefly as Zuqetta brought her hand into the air above her head, the magical energy flowing across her body before focusing and swirling around her fist. Then, a sudden snap of her fingers; the blades that rained the outpost would vanish, though the ones who suffered their fury would not. Despite the change, the sky remained as dark and ominous as before, even more in fact, as a strange orange glow began to radiate within the clouds.

"Pride shmide~!" Zuqetta would remark, "Who needs something so wishy washy? What, to stay alive?" She'd say with a giggle, "We both know that death is just a short break from life~!" she'd finish, her gaze narrowing on Lottus as an uncaring smile stretched across her face.

From above, the sky would rain death once more; not in the form of her traditional use of blades however, but in the strangely eerie form of pumpkins. Pumpkins each decorated with strangely carved shapes akin to faces, some manic, some terrified, raining towards the grounds below, exploding on impact with anything they touched. Zuqetta's magic was in full tilt as building vanished from sight from the bombardment, the area becoming a battlefield that would terrify even the demons that scoured the land for prey. They were but animals, as the true demons in the air did battle.

"Anyways, I've betrayed you, I've betrayed my sister, I've even betrayed my father-!" She'd remark, staring at Lottus with an intense gaze as she emphasized that last point, "-somethin' I know you're familiar with, hehehe!" Suddenly, her energy would flare around her once more as she rushed down towards Lottus, returning her sword to her hands as she brought it down upon him, "IT'S OUR FAMILY PASTIME!!!"

"Reeeeeeeeeally~!?" Zuqetta would respond mockingly to Lottus' remarks as she repetitiously clashed her blade against his own, "Betraying others, being betrayed yourself, does any of it really matter? The end result is wonderful violence!" She'd exclaim, summoning another sword to her other hand as she picked up the pace in her attacks, "So are we reeeeeeeeeeeeally so different?" She'd purr, "Neither of us care about the outcome of our actions, live or die, it's all about the fight!" she'd exclaim with a joyful giggle as her form erupted with a magical, manic burst.

The raining pumpkins began to settle, their explosions waning, bringing some solace to the survivors below if not for the continued existence of the frantic demons. Despite no longer exploding however, they would continue to rain down, piling upon the ground; most smashing, but some small few surviving, glowing with magic. Finally, Zuqetta would push away from her cousin, dispelling both her blades as she made distance and raised her hands above her head, unleashing her magical aura in full force.

"Funfunfunfun!! Let's continue ta have some fun!!" She'd shout, funneling her magical energy into the sky above, bringing the raining pumpkins to an end.

Below, what pumpkins had survived would suddenly flash with energy, shaking, before roots would suddenly sprout from their forms. The pumpkins would rise, their roots taking the shape akin to bodies with arms and legs; some more monstrous looking, while most remained humanoid in their appearance. One would rush a man who just felled a demon, wrapping its vines around the man from behind before its pumpkin head would suddenly take a chomp out of the man, leaving the poor fellow headless. The pumpkin creature wouldn't stop there however, its roots impaling the man, rooting through his body before finally the pumpkin itself would settle upon the man as his new head.

"Go forth my friends, and enjoy your lives to the fullest!!" She'd shout as the sky above rumbled and erupted once more, her gaze lowering on Lottus while she wore a cynical smile, "Join me, or fight me cousin! Who cares what happens!!" she'd say gleefully with a manic laugh.

At the end of her words, a massive pumpkin would begin to descend from above, a pumpkin that dwarfed the entire outpost with its size. It descended eerily slowly, roots and vines sprouting from it as it fell, reaching out towards any life form within reach, attempting to grab and absorb the life from any captured. The vines of the massive pumpkin heeded neither friend nor foe, even grabbing some of the rampaging pumpkin creatures below; and of course, the vines would lash out, rushing towards Lottus with a fervent desire, seeking out the massive amount of energy emitted by the super saiyan.

Zuqetta would lose herself to laughter, merely enjoying the chaos around her even as vines stretched out from the massive pumpkin above, wrapping themselves around her and pulling her in slowly. The pumpkin loomed in the clouds unnaturally, steadily rolling to reveal its jock-o-face as many of the other pumpkins had. As Zuqetta was slowly devoured by the massive pumpkin, she would look on to see Lottus enjoying himself as well, ripping and tearing through the vines that assailed him. "Well then, happy hunting cousin!!" Zuqetta would call out, before the massive maw of the pumpkin would close tight with her within.

A demonic energy would erupt around the colossal gourd as it released a guttural roar that bellowed throughout the area. Those too weak to endure would collapse from the screech, though at this point there were hardly many left. The monstrosity would shift, turning its attention solely upon Lottus; further vines would launch out from the pumpkin, shooting directly for the super saiyan. At the same time, from behind Lottus would find himself being chased the the puppeted body the smaller pumpkins had taken over. In a manic display the pumpkin-headed ghouls rushed the Saiyan, throwing themselves at him without regard for their own lives, intended merely to slow him down so the god of pumpkins above could consume him.

Strike after strike, avoid or repelled; it was impossible to tell by the massive gourds seemingly permanent expression, but it was becoming infuriated by the Saiyan's antics. It would call upon more and more minions; at first, the display would seem like a flood upon the man, but steadily, those that rushed to their inevitable demise would lessen. A swift glance of the battle field below would show a severe lack of further pumpkin headed minions, and the skies had stopped raining gourds. The massive beast couldn't understand, but had no time to think, as it would suddenly be assailed by the Saiyan; it's underside impaled by Zuqetta's blade, which Lottus had continued to wield.

A bellow would echo throughout the lands from the beast; it's roots having fallen to the ground, now resembling a stalk of some kind akin to a fairy tale story. Though there was no hero in this story, no hero by the traditional definition at least. The massive gourd would twist and cock in the air, its eyes focused on the Super Saiyan monster. It would ignore the pain of the sword jabbed within it, opening is maw and plunging forward in an attempt to devour Lottus much as it had Zuqetta. Its sheer size making it seem almost motionless in the sky when seen from afar, but an intense pressure of wind would be felt as it closed in on Lottus, mouth agape, ready to close around the Saiyan without hesitation if it would end the Saiyans life!

Despite the speed Lottus would move at, the massive gourd wouldn't lose track of its prey; Lottus' power being the main desire of the monster, a delicacy as tempting to devour as the previous. Lottus would not flee however, instead reclaiming the sword previously impaled into the thick hide of the beast and using it for a final time against the monster. Its reactions would be far too slow to avoid the blade as it careened towards its face, slashing upwards as it spun and cleaving open its left eye. Curiously, a blackened ooze would spew forth from the eye as the creature released a bellow; it would not relent however, plunging towards Lottus with even greater vigor and devouring him whole in a single gulp.

For Lottus, all would momentarily appear dark; if his eyes should adjust to said darkness however, an eerie orange glow would permeate his surroundings. All would seem incredibly silent despite the happenings outside the gourd, but the presence of something else would be quickly felt, if not already seen. Tendrils, thin and small, would seemingly stretch from the void of surrounding darkness; like tiny, elongated hands these tendrils would reach for Lottus, clutching at him wherever they could in an attempt to drain his energy. First only a few, then a dozen, until Lottus would find himself assailed by thousands of these strange tendrils.