The Dichotomous Parallel

[Phoenix]

--The following transcript was a live chat roleplay--

The following events took place in the time between June 8, 2014 and June 13, 2014


<Phoenix> Nix never knew why, but the darkness in places known as cities of the dead was never complete. There was always just enough light by which to see. Or maybe it was just her eyes had adjusted to the pitch dark of the grave. Her footsteps echoed on the stone stairs as she made her way up. As always, the titans were there to greet her, but she'd never allow herself to be caught up in their embrace. The one closest to the door shuffled towards her, monstrous and deformed, and she raised her gun while calling on the shadows to do her bidding. A few deafening shots later, and the thing was reduced to a crumbling pile of ash and bone.

<Mordechai> Mordechai was slipping down thru the northern catacombs, when he felt a small 'quake, and a crack opened in front of him. Sliding inside he saw a pack of mutated wolves heading towards him, and with a sigh, drew his claymore and started hacking thru them. He knew the cure to the infestation was to cut the head from the snake, and he quickly worked his way through maze like tunnels and stairs, slaying everything he met. Stepping off yet another set of stairs, a slow smile lit his face as he shifted his grip on his claymore and tucked a few hairs back behind his ear. The smile grew as he saw the second, '' Finally, a challenge.'' he whispered as he moved in on the pair of titan mooncalves, towering over even his massive 6'10'' frame. He gave a sharp whistle, then charged forward.

<Phoenix> She hadn't been on the floor for more than a few seconds when she heard that sharp whistle. Her head snapped up from the corpse she was inspecting and turned towards the sound. It seemed she wasn't alone up here - or was it down here? When she stepped around the corner, at first she thought it was a titan standing over the remains of two of its brothers. Silent as a shadow, she approached, weapon drawn, until suddenly the shape resolved itself into something large, but distinctly human. She faltered, lowering the weapon. "Sorry - thought you were a titan." Awkward.

<Mordechai> The titans defeated, Mordie rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck. Straightening up he heard sensed more than heard a presence coming behind him, the silence letting him know that it was no titan. Just as he started to turn, he heard a soft voice "Sorry - thought you were a titan." . Completing the turn he saw a slight, titian-haired vampress headed toward him, awkwardly lowering her weapon. He had seen her before, often fighting in the top floors of these monster gatherings, but had never met her, never spoken to her. Pulling his hat from his head, he nodded slowly, '' Large, but not a titan, no. My name is Mordechai''

<Phoenix> Her head cocked to the side as she looked all the way up. Height was something she'd always found hard to judge, but he was taller than Micah, which put him at well over a foot taller than her 5'8". Hardly unremarkable, and true to enormous form, she'd seen him before. From a distance. After giving her blade a flick to dislodge some clinging ichor, Nix sheathed Lazarus over her shoulder - always a difficult task, since the damn thing was nearly longer than her arm. "Yeah, I've seen you around. I'm Phoenix." Vaguely, she wondered if this counted as part of the talking-to-people thing Doc had suggested.

<Mordechai> His exercise done, he slipped the claymore into its spine sheath settling his hair over the hilt and resetting his hat. He then slipped his MZ out from under his duster, as his eyes roved over her, appraising her. Patting the stock his voice rumbles as he continued, '' not as good exercise, but faster, and the noise seems to draw them in.'' He paused remind of kennedy and Pru's constant harping to meet more people and talk more, he sighed, '' I have seen you as well, you seem a talented hunter, for one so small'', as it left his lips, he realized that there was an implied slight. Shrugging slightly he amended, ''no insult intended, on your size.... most are smaller '' as he finished, he slouched slightly trying to take up less space.

<Phoenix> Always with the size... Why did it always surprise people that she could pack such a punch. A single brow arched as she watched him fumble for words to cover the so-called insult, and she waved her hand, brushing it away. "Nah, none taken; it's fine. I'm not the biggest person ever to waltz through the door... Clearly." She grinned, giving a nod towards him. "We both probably get a lot of comments on size. I've been training since I was a kid - may not be all that strong, but I know where to aim, and that's what matters. I like the hunt... and the kill."

<Mordechai> The killers eyes roamed the room they were in, there were 3 access points, but so far all was clear. Listening to her words he nodded, almost to himself a whispered word slipped from his lips, as she mentioned the hunt.....and the kill.... ''yes'' her words spoke to him. A smile graced his lips that didn't reach his eyes, and tapping the charging bolt of the MZ, he spoke again, '' there is a revenant a little farther along, its hours are numbered, shall we continue?'' he asked rhetorically as he brought the assault rifle to the ready position and turned towards one of the tunnels leading out of the cavern they were in. ''It shouldn't take long to find what we need''

<Phoenix> Hunting together? Despite being more of a loner, she figured she could swing it just this once. They seemed to be alone up here, so may as well take advantage and tag team the titans. She swung her gun around - a custom made masterpiece she called Aquila - and followed. "Have you ever killed one of them?" she asked. Surely he had - she'd seen him around enough. Once they rounded a corner, a titan caught sight of them and lumbered towards them. "Whoever created these should have given them a bit more in the brains department..." she trailed off as she brought the gun up, took aim and let loose a few rounds. The stupid creature didn't even seem to realize that guns shot bullets at range.

<Mordechai> Watching the ease with which she dispatched yet another titan, he listened to her talk as he placed a single shot in the center of the next titans throat, dropping it in its tracks as its vertebrae shattered. turning towards another, he froze as her words came to him "Have you ever killed one of them?" His head lowered as he turned towards her, the approaching titan forgot for the moment. '' No'' the gravel in his voice rumbled from deep in his chest... '' Ten times I have met and fought one... Ten times I have not even drawn blood on one.'' Lurching as the forgotten titan reached him and lunged to bite his leg, Mordechai let the assault rifle drop and swing on its combat sling as the anger welled up and rolled through him. Raising his hands over his head he brought them down in a doubled fist smiling as he heard a crack issue from the titan's head. Stepping back he caught a grasping arm and broke it over his knee. Ignoring the roars of the wounded titan he felt anima surge thru his body as he grasped the titan with both hands and heaved it up over his head, arms outstretched. '' But I will....I ******* will....'' and as the anima peaked he let loose with a roar of his own and with one step forward heaved the titan the twenty feet to the wall and smiled in satisfaction to the rippling cracks and snaps, as ribs and other bones shattered on impact. Turning to her, that cold smile again crossed his lips, ''I will'' he whispered.

<Phoenix> She'd slipped far enough away from the fight so as not to restrict his movement. He was larger and used that to his advantage. She, on the other hand, was an expert at a series of quick, but fatal strikes. Where he was all sheer, brutal power, she'd opted for finesse. When a titan drawn by the noise from the area rounded on her, she opted for a melee approach. When the creature charged, she ducked under it's powerful arms and rolled behind it. When she came up, her sword flashed out once - lacerating its hamstring - and twice - severing the creature's spine with a hack to the back of the neck. Her third stroke was a stab to the creature's oversized skull, but she was sure it'd been dead beforehand. Once she yanked her blade free, the creature toppled over and lay still. She grinned up over the corpses and nodded, "You will. They take a while to get the hang of and bleeding them is virtually impossible. You have to use all the power you've got in you to weaken them before they'll be harmed by physical weapons. I've killed a pair of them."

<Mordechai> His eyes closed as he tried to control the rage that had inexplicably taken him over. He hardly ever felt true emotion, unless he was with his kennedy, she brought something out in him, but that question, the one about the revenant, had filled him to bursting, and all the rage and frustration came churning out as he destroyed that titan mooncalf with his bare hands. His eyes opened in time to see the artwork, that was a Phoenix kill, and the part of him that was buried deep inside, reveled at watch the skill with which she dispatched the monster. One last neck roll, and he responded to her words ''Congratulations'' he honestly meant the word, as he pulled the Mz back into position, '' I am not ready, but I can lower the titan population, and maybe you can make this your third.''

<Phoenix> "Maybe I can," she pondered the question as her eyes flicked around the room. Though hearing was her main sense down here, it couldn't hurt to look. "I'm sure you'll get the hang of it soon enough. There's only so many ways you can skin a cat - and these little guys make for good practice. Better than fadebeasts, anyway." She remembered when the fadebeasts were serious dangers to her. That seemed like so, so long ago.

<Mordechai> Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a grime covered key. '' Found this a bit ago, if you have one, we should head up, this infestation has gone on for too long''

<Phoenix> It didn't take her long to spot another foe, one that was downed as quickly and efficiently as the first. Just as Mordechai presented his key, she plucked one of her own off the creature's corpse. Covered in ichor, the thing glistened in the darkness. "I think I've got one..." She looked as if she'd just stepped in something vile, barefooted. "Up, then. I'll play with the revenant if you want to harvest some titan."

<Mordechai> A small grin creased his lips, though his obsidian eyes stayed cold and focused as he let the way to the stair, slid the key in and ghosted silently to the next level. Slipping thru the upper door, he saw the revenant off to the side, a grotesque abomination, needing severed from this world, but knew his weapons was just slide off its skin. Then looking the other way, he saw two titans standing side by side. He stepped forward his whole body rippling as he grew in size, the muscles of his arms and legs growing to twice the size they had been. Letting out a deafening roar as his jaw stretched and cracked massive fangs filling his mouth, he assumed his true war form, and charged the hapless titans.

<Phoenix> As she followed the giant up the stairs, it struck her how strange the two of them must have looked together. Polar opposites in every way. Where he was muscled, she looked like a strong wind would do her in. That slender frame of hers seemed so delicate next to the immensity of his. Despite these nagging insecurities, things that had always whittled at her psyche and her confidence, she knew that she had the capability to deal with the creature lurking up beyond that door. She sheathed her sword and kept Aquila in her grasp as she rounded on the monstrous lump of flesh and bone, the creatures that always seemed impervious to pain and physical harm. She had a job to do, and before the monster came at her, she called on her powers. The shadows writhed and came to life, slicing and stabbing at the creature as it barrelled towards her. It wasn't a perfect show - far from it - but once the revenant reached her, blood leaking from a myriad of stab wounds, her blade struck home. The revenant lashed back, landing a number of solid blows, but moments later, the creature seemed to collapse in on itself. The final blow to the chest did it in. "**** these things..." she grunted, idly inspecting the deep gash that nearly severed her arm.

<Mordechai> Mordechai concentrated on the titans before him tearing , and slicing them to pieces, but his ear was on the battle behind him. Tha last one moved no more, and silence reigned behind him. The huge killer turned, his eyes taking in the sight as he shifted slowly back into his normal form. The lil ginger stood quietly over the body of the revenant.her waif-like build, incongruous with the amount of damage done to the monstrous revenant. '' I have got to learn those powers'', he mumbled to himself before turning once more towards the sound of incoming titans. The battle was actually over now, but he knew there would still be titans roaming the halls for a few hours till the magic that the revenant used to hold them there drifted away.

<Phoenix> She stood over the corpse picking at her arm for a few moments. Of course it wasn't the only wound she'd sustained - her leg was missing a fair chunk of flesh and some bit of her guts seemed to be leaking from beneath the torn fabric of her shirt, but all in all, the arm concerned her most. She needed arms. After a few stunned moments, Nix knelt down to collect some of the ashes that remained on the ground. "Mordechai...?" she looked up and couldn't see him, though she felt as if he could hear her.

<Mordechai> Finishing off one more, his sharp hearing picked out the sound of his name called softly. Eyes roving everywhere, he turned and moved towards the remains of the revenant, seeing Phoenix was still kneeling over the corpse. He looked questioningly at her, 'Yes?''

<Phoenix> "Do you have thread?" she asked once she spotted the man. It seemed like a strange thing to ask, but she was exhausted from the battle. Her energy drained, she couldn't muster the resources to heal herself.

<Mordechai>

"Do you have thread?"

He pondered for a moment, what an odd question....then he noticed the problem, her wounds. He never bothered to fix his physically, a little meditation usually solved all of his problems over the daysleep...but he could see, was that smoke? Yes it appeared that smoke was drifting from her wounds, black smoke, how odd. A thought passed thru his mind, she was so small, so slight, he wondered if that was her life’s essence streaming away from her. With a simple thought razor sharp claws popped from his fingers, and he slit a seam on his coat. As the razors slipped away, he tugged at the thread, unraveling the seam, but it wasn't important in the scheme of things. He handed it to her, then rested a hand on her shoulder, drawing into his mind the chemistry of her blood, and then forcing one of the few powers that he did know into her, feeling her blood cells multiplying inside of her, he released her, and stepped back to watch what she did next.

[Mordechai]

--The following transcript was a live chat roleplay--

<Phoenix> While he went about producing a thread, she fished a needle out of her bag. She always carried a needle and always failed to bring her own thread. Once he handed over the bit of string, she carefully went about threading the needle, only pausing when she felt the hand on her shoulder. As his power coursed through her body, bolstering her vitae, she sighed. That felt better. "Thank you... For the string and that." Without hesitating, she went about mending the gash on her arm, surprised to find the bone itself even seeming to have been chipped. "Are you staying up here?"

<Mordechai> He watched as she made small neat stitches, cutting off the stream of smoke from her arm, As Phoenix finished up, he let his mind wander out through the ether, skimming over announcements,, rants, and the usual ******** that clogged the internet. He knew he should stay and finish hunting what was left of the monsters, but a small ad caught his eye, and he turned his head towards Phoenix. ''I was going to, but it seems there is another challenge going on at the gauntlet, it has just started. I am going, take care,'' With a burst of speed, he was gone, a whistling of wind, and small dust devil the only marking of his passing. In moments he was out through the crack, out of the catacombs, and all the way across the city, through the sewers. Slipping up through a grating in River Rock, he moved directly to the building with the small sign out front that read ''the Gauntlet''

<Phoenix> She nodded when he mentioned the Gauntlet, but she'd not gone to see the pairings for herself. She wasn't all that worried, in any case. When he left and she'd managed to close the wound, she simply went back to slaughtering the titans. By the time she'd exhausted herself, her body was bloodied and torn in countless places. Some far more grave than others, and what she needed after the raid was a healthy dose of sleep. The pairings could wait until later.

<Mordechai> Mordechai had done this before, twice. Once he made it to the finals, once taken out by a lucky shot in the first round. Rolling his shoulders he cracked his neck, then carefully went over his weapons, checking the edge of his claymore, then disassembling and reassembling the new subgun he had bought. He liked the overall feel and workings of it, but it was a custom job, and new, he wanted to be sure all was functioning as it should. There was a lot of movement and rustling as others came in, some he knew were fighters, more were spectators, he ignored them all, the task at hand more important, When at last he was sure all was right and functioning, he closed his eyes, letting his thoughts drift. Usually he made preparations by the bushel, but this time, he hadn't even looked up at the board, he knew his name would be called when it was his turn, so his mind wandered over the past few days, especially over the little ginger he had met in catacombs, his mind processing how she had fought, breaking the moves down and storing them away. She was obviously an expert at what she did, and learning some of her moves, could only help him in the future

<Phoenix> She hadn't slept long, but when she woke, the redhead felt refreshed. Most of the wounds had healed, even with only a few hours' rest. The one that hadn't, she wished away on a wave of spiritual energy. It was strange and interesting, watching her flesh knit together so perfectly. A bit of effort and wounds simply vanished, as if they never were. She always thought it would have been nice to channel that energy into something equally as productive - maybe if she could dress herself with a tendril of thought, she'd be more keen on getting out of bed. Alas, she had to drag herself out from under the covers. When she'd stretched, dressed and collected her weapons, she knew it was time to head to the Gauntlet. Grime from the night before still matted her hair, but that wasn't a problem. A duel wasn't a fashion show. She wandered into the packed hall and slipped through the crowd - something at which she'd always excelled. Easily spotted amid those gathered was Mordechai and, in his hand rested the gun she'd sold only days before. "I hope that little bugger serves you well," she called out as she approached.

<Mordechai> As his thoughts traveled over the day he had spent fighting at her side, cataloging her moves, her preferences, and the powers that she had used against the revenant, his eyes flashed open, had he heard her in his thoughts? No. She was coming towards him, and speaking. His eyes roved over her slight frame, checking over the limbs where she had been so grievously injured. All healed, though it looked as tho she had spent more energy on healing, than cleaning. He couldn't say much, not as much gore in his hair, but his leathers still had blooded and small tatters of shriveled flesh here and there. ''It is new, bought it last night on the way here. It is a custom, but it appears that whoever put it together knew what they were doing. I don't like untried weapons...but i am hoping it will be better than my MZ''

<Phoenix> She couldn't remember what she'd named the damn thing, but she recognized the weapon as one of her own. "I made it, so I'll take the compliment. Asio, right?" A grin curled her lips as a hush fell over the crowd - the pairings were about to be revealed. "I should have kept it until after the tournament - it's definitely better than an MZ." Once the brackets were revealed, she scanned for her name, and then her partner's, and groaned. Of all the ******* first round pairings. With a rueful grin, her eyes flicked up to the giant at her side. "I guess it's you and me... and you've got my gun."

<Mordechai> He half listened as she talked about the guns, have listening to the PA. It caught in his mind that she had made this gun, another dimension to her....a little more respect. Hearing his name called out he stood to his full height. Sometimes he wondered whether it was a blessing or a curse, but it seemed the stronger, and more powerful he grew, the more he grew. Period.The night that the shadow he called sire had happened upon him, he was 6 foot even, a dense muscular 218. Now he was just shy of 270, and just shy of 6'10. More and more he was catching the eye of the human police, and humans in general, parted before him like the biblical red sea. None of that mattered now, it was time to fight. Turning towards the ring he took one step, the heard her speak again,

"I guess it's you and me... and you've got my gun."

Slowly he turned and looked at her, studying her again, then headed for the ring. ''Looks like another one rounder'' he thought to himself

<Phoenix> She trailed after him, more curious than anything. This was the Gauntlet - it was sparring, not a true battle to the death, and so she really shouldn't have been worried. But this man was her equal in every way (except where he was nearly literally her double in size). This is going to hurt, was the only thought snaking through her mind as she slipped into the ring and readied herself for the onslaught. She was quick and she had power coursing between her fingers, but he had sheer size and strength on his side. "Good luck," she called from across the ring as she slipped her own weapon from its resting place on her back.

<Mordechai> Taking his place on his side of the ring, he slipped in the clip of dummy ammo uses for sparring, and loosened the claymore its spine sheath. Nodding his head to her, he returned her salutation ''morituri te salutant''. Then as he heard the bell ring, he moved slowly towards her, and felt the anima surge thru his body as he moved forward and casting towards her, he aimed at her eyes attempting to blind her.

<Phoenix> Just before the bell rang, she opted to switch from her standard gun to a handgun - it just made for easier close-quarters combat. She slipped a fresh clip of practice rounds into the new gun and waited. She was as ready as she was going to be. An instant after the bell rang, she was blinded by the hulking beast steaming toward her. When she couldn't shake it off, she simply reacted. Purely on instinct, her gun was raised and shots went off, but she couldn't see well enough to aim, and she heard each round miss its mark. ****.

<Mordechai> The first burst of bullets were well wide of him, the power must of worked. Before he could bring up Asio, she fired again, this time she creased his clothes, drawing blood, but nothing that would slow him down. Rolling out from behind one of the partitions in the battlefield he emptied a full magazine at her. He hated shooting that way, a waste of ammo, but she was small and fast, already she had shot twice, before he got the first round off. Taking a quick glance he saw that most of them had her right where he wanted them, center of mass, easy target, and would slow her down. As he readied the next shot he sensed rather than felt the shadow solidifying behind him, and he charged, diving into a roll. The shadows missed, but as he twisted and fired in mid air, he didn't miss. Center of mass again, just barely missing her heart. Rolling to his feet he rippled, and let the transformation begin, letting the force of the anima surging in his body turn him into his true warrior form, bulging muscles rippling, fangs and claws growing out, morphing into a feral monster.

<Phoenix> ****. This was bad. Of course the practice rounds hurt far less than the real thing would have, but that didn't matter - it wasn't a matter of pain, it was a matter of pride. Grunting, she smoothed a hand over the bruised skin where his bullets had landed and glared across the ring. Feral mutation... fantastic. A smirk twitched her lips as she closed her eyes and called on a sidhe. The temperamental beasts were hit or miss, but when they came to her call, they were vicious. This time was no exception. She didn't watch the damage it did, instead shifting directly to the attack and calling on more of her spiritual energy reserves. Rigor setting in was never pleasant, and it would slow him - hopefully enough for her next volley of bullets to land a few hits. She paused a moment - just long enough to center herself before reaching around the corner and shooting. And she missed.

<Mordechai> Mordechai's clothes pulled against him, as Phoenix's bullets tore along the side of his ribs ''That was close he thought, have to keep the pressure up'' and countering he fired off another shot into her chest. As the bullet hit, he saw her arms rising, and remembered what had happened last time. Using his unnatural strength and agility, he charged at a wall, slipping away from the shadowy blade that materialized and swung at him. Reaching the wall, he jumped, planted a foot, then pushed off into a backflip, firing into the ginger's shoulder. Landing, he emptied what was left of that mag into her face, and reloaded, a sense of satisfaction as he saw many of them hit the target.

<Phoenix> As her bullets went wide and his found their mark, the frustration on her face was clear. Summoning the shadows a second time after they failed likely wasn't the best option, but she went for it, leaving herself both predictable and exposed. The redhead winced as bullets struck her shoulder, then a group landed on her cheek. Had they been real, that would have caused some serious damage. The next few seconds were a blur of activity, dodging and reactions based purely on instinct rather than intellect. Later, she'd wonder why she wasted the time trying to slow him with rigor mortis a second time when the first had had no obvious effect, but at least it gave her the time to draw her gun and shoot off a few rounds.

<Mordechai> Resilient. That was the word, and that was her, repeatedly he had hit her with shots that most would have run from....but she just got back up and shot back, no matter what he threw at her. They were pretty evenly matched, he had known that going in, but she had more experience, he knew she had been around long before he was turned, and although he imagined the tales had grown in the telling, many feared her prowess. It was time to change things up a little, he had just learned the little trick the ginger had used on him......as a matter of fact he had never cast it before, but he need something different. Moving towards her he drew a second gun, and released his inner energy drawing one of the fae, a sihde, to do his bidding. The sidhe let out a scream and flew towards the slight shadow, smashing and beating her to the floor, with Mordechai moving in its wake, both guns blazing now, he fired shot after shot into her face as she lay there.

<Phoenix> She landed a hit! Success! Though her triumph didn't last long - only seconds later the sidhe was upon her, knocking her to the ground. Even though it was a spar, she felt something crack deep inside her chest, and pain radiated outward. That thought had barely processed when she felt the bullets smack into her face. That was it - he'd won. With a groan, Nix picked herself off the mat and gave an unsteady bow to the man. "Damn... You win. I give." She massaged her ribs gingerly, making a face. "Remind me to never actually piss you off..."

<Mordechai> Slipping his guns back into their holsters as he listen to her, Mordchai squared his shoulders facing her, then respectfully bowed in return. His low voice rumbled quietly as he acknowledged her words. ''Well met, Phoenix. After watching you with that revenant, I figured this was my last round here.'' This time just bowing his head, his voice dropped lower, not traveling farther than her ears, ''You fought well, I am glad to have met you. Allow me'' He also had heard bones give, and knew she would need fresh blood to heal, a quick glance around as they walked from the arena, and he lightly rested one huge hand on her shoulder as he summoned the last of his anima, pouring it into her, boosting and freshening her blood.

<Phoenix> With the blood renewed, she focused her own energy on actually healing the wound. She heard, more than felt, the bones snap back into place and knit themselves together, but didn't let the pain of it show. Or at least she thought she didn't. "Thank you. If I'm going to lose to anyone, I'm glad it was you," came the whispered reply. "Win it for me?"

<Mordechai> Listening closely, the sound of bones knitting proved yet another power he did not have. While the massive killer could ignore the pain of a wound, the only healing he could truly do was by meditating, and even that still took time, though it seemed as though his wounds healed twice as fast as others he knew. Her words came softly to his ear, as he looked down at her. Silently his head nodded once.

<Phoenix> With a faint smile, she took the nod at face value. He'd win it, she'd save face, and that would be that. "Good luck, Mordechai. I should head home - I'll see you around?" Without waiting for a reply, the redhead sheathed her weapons and jammed a hand into her pocket, slender fingers clutching her tome, and vanished.