[02] City Sector FIGHT

[Mal Nova]

"Fool!" Barked the accusation aimed at his direction from somewhere around him.

Maleficus stirred, looking to and fro, but quickly discerned that he couldn't see anything. He looked down, putting his hands beneath him in attempt to push himself up to his feet, not feeling any materialized surface beneath him. Panic and confusion began to swell deep within his cranium as tried to understand the implications of what it all meant. Had his optical and physical senories gone array? Perhaps, while he drifted into his metatation sleep, he had let his guard down, and the bunker had been infiltrated without their knowledge?

And where was Tamsin, he wondered. He called out to the Maid, but only got an arrogant 'Heh' in reply, and he could envision the smirk creeping across the unseen foe.

The Namek paused, listening for any movement that he might pick up with his extra sensitive ears.

"Shouldn't you wonder if she had something to do with this", Came the question, a bit of curiosity and intrugue seeping from his lips.

Maleficus reeled back on his heels at the accusation and assumption. She never would have done anything like that, he was positive of it! Wasn't he? He thought back, remembering the deep strained breaths she had released while causing him even the slightest pain. It wasn't one of ecstasy, but of remorse and pain that she was causing him hurt. She had patched him up the best she could, so why would she have betrayed him? She had had the perfect moment at the that time to take him out, her blade so perfectly close to many vital areas. But she hadn't and he wouldn't fathom the idea.

"No matter how much you believe it's impossible and unlikely, or improbable, it is in all fact, a chance." As the voice spoke, the darkness, or nothingness rather, that had originally been there began to alter itself, and turned to a vast ocean of gray. The speaker, and Maleficus himself, became visible, starting as silhouettes, then taking features and color. Nova recognized the foe, as not a foe but as Retane, and scolded himself for not catching the onto the vocal sounds of his own father.

'You're in Dante's Abyss? But I didn't see you in the line!" The Imperfect Namekian nearly fell over at the thought of facing his father in combat and hoped to god he was being toyed with.

"Not fast to catching on that this isn't actually the Material Plane are you, Maleficus Nova?" The Smiling visage of te dual scimitar weilding Elvish warrior stepped from the shadows. Enroshia had a knack to address him by his full name, purposely even. Nova's wide eyed glance told that he knew he stood no chance against the two if he had to fight them. The Elven warrior saw the terror in his eyes and waved his hand, "You're telepathically linked to Retane, and he learned you had entered the game. You let you mind drift into a laxed state, so we, or he rather sensed his chance and entered it as so. I just tagged along for the ride."

The Imperfect Namek still seemed on guard, as he regarded the words. If this was the Abyss and it was his father, he'd, as Retane had stated that anythng was possible, remove him from the tournament with out a bit of warning. But why was he still here? And what exactly was going on? Enro's explanation seemed plausible, and more realistic, but The jade warrior wasn't sure. "Why are you here then", he said at length, directing the question in both their directions.

"To see how much the Abyss has affected you", Retane answered bluntly. "And to tell you that you are not me, and should just give up trying to be now!"

His words were harsh, but true, and yet not so true. Maleficus Nova was essentially the Essence of Retane. Born wuth his knowledge and power, or Mal should have been, had it not been from the premature hacking of the egg. It had altered the successor's traits and abilities, making him Imperfect, or even Imperfect to Retane in many points. Retane, or actually a clone of himself, had ushered forth Windstorm, a favored attack of his, and sent it at his son, only to have it stopped and repelled onto the clone once before. Maleficus seemed to have pefected the manipulation of wind, far better then himself.

But when it came to the handling of darkness, Maleficus had no way of doing so. He did though, seem to make up for it by developing a way to move unseen and unheard. The two even had different lifestyles and environments from which they were raised. Retane had left his planet, hating their peace, while Nova, having the same desires for excitemtnt, had some what of a conscience. But it didn't stop the son from trying to follow in his father's footsteps.

"Affected me? Not you? Of course I'm not you! I can pick better partners then you" Accused the angered Namek, as he went on the defensive. Retane seemed to drift back into memory at the 'Pick better partners' comment.

"How many times have you thought about Retane before you entered? And how many times have you tohught about what Retane would do in this situation, after it started?" The white-maned warrior interjected, again, making Nova eat his own words.

"The Abyss can affect someone to the extent, that they lose total control of themselves. As Tapion did. As I did." Came the response of the Emerald Fiend. "If you and your 'dear friend' are the final two, will she just give up so you could win? Or will you have to fight to the death? Could you kill her?" Came the questions Nova had no answer to by Retane.

A beeping started, almost like an alarm, and they all looked about wondering what was going on. The area started to shake and it appeared to theMal that the other two knew what was going on.

"We have to go", Called Enro, as he dissipated into then air.

Retane gritted his teeth and snarled, as if trying to hand on. "You've got it deep inside you, the beast. Find it and unleash it. Lose yourself, and try to block out the affects of the Abyss. It's your best chance, but you will fall short, I assure you."

With that the Emerlad Fiend was gone, and the Namek heard his name being called. He opened his eyes and saw Tamsin, her gear being thrown on as she moved in his direction. He immediately knew that they were being warned they were about to be entered into another random forced combat, and he moved, the pain in his left shoulder coming to life, He swung his right arm over the strap of his rifle, makeshift-pack and clothing, right before he found himself staring at concrete.

He was on the outskirts of the city, sprawled out on the asphault road, his gear in tow. He pulled his feet under him, wincing as his shoulder muscles flaxed. Tamsin had quadruple stitched it, she had double cross stitched it so that the wounds, both pentrations of his left shoulder might survive a battle, but also left a second double stich, laxed of the flesh incase the first gave way. The wound could scab over and. such instead of just pouring out his violet life source as it one had.

He did his best to prepare himself for battle, and exercised the muscles without ripping the sutures, or even trying to strain them by rolling his arm in circle's trying to remove himself from the simple pain.. He expected the first set to give way in battle, but hoped she had done a good enough job not to let the second set to be ripped.

It was then that he noticed the female staring at him from afar. She had multi-colored hair along with a strange assortment of clothing. She wore black and purple for the most part, but it didn't seem to match with her complexion. He recognized the style but then again he preferred the style of his father, and quickly remembered he was topless. He quickly discerned that she had fear in eyes, but his fathers warning seemd to ahvebrought him back into a bit of reality.

He tossed his military-style, yet deep orange colored, vest on, using his left then right arm. The padding might even protect him, he thought, quickly strapping it up. He looked at the pack and threw it on as well, following the same motion as before, favoring his arm. He hoped his foe wouldn't notice and thought he was left handed. As he tried to maintain his posture as best he could. He looked down at his rifle and his cloak, his eyes looking to the cloak, specifically. It was no longer orange, as it had ben, but as black as his father's.

He paused, curious as it was, but quickly pulled it on. More padding was more padding. As he did though, he felt himself remembering his father's words. He wasn't quick to fear his knowledge, as he had been a top mention in the archives many times, but he looked at the girl, and saw that she was hardly older then his comrade. His conscience tried to argue but, he was swift into remembering his last battle with the one who had, let him live.

He felt disgraced. And he had to ponder, He had seen Vad, Tamsin, the female with Vad, a Changeling, Then the female that had spared him after getting lucky. He snarled, he wasn't going to let it happen again. He didn't know it. but his eyes darkened. then as he pulled the cowl over his head. His face went translucent with a bit of smokey aura emitting, his skull the only thnig showing. He grabbed the rifle and set it, for ease of access against his back.

He charged, using the wind and flight to dash towards the girl. She was a girl, not much older then Tamsin, and he hesitated. A moment of pause that let him fnid himself a victim, blasted by a thin rod, directly into his face. He averted direction, Taking the blast head on falling back, only to catch himself. His upper lip curled and he let a snarl issue. He noticed the shockand fear of the young girl, but had no clue to note that he looked different.

He did, however remember his fathers words to 'find the beast', and he looked on at the girl. She looked so innocent, so pure, but he thought and remembered, that she had to have been in a bunker and didn't press the big red button labeled 'Game Over'. He doubted she followed the same laws of Tamsin, and his conscience began to argue with him!

Why couldn't he get a man!

It would have been so much easier to walk away but she kept the wand aimed at him. He assumed the facade and launched an orb of energy in her direction, predicting the dodge, and used the wing to alter the direction of his own blast, slamming int the hand with the wand. The appendage flew out wide and the Imperfect Namek dug in, send blast after blast in her direction. only to follow through with a punch.

He entered and escaped through the cloud of debris, not touching the girl. She stood closer to the buildings then he though wise, but he assumed that she had some plan. She aimed the wand at him in preparation to fire, but he had taken flight, and released both blasts towards her in both directions. Thing is, she hadn't moved. He wasn't sure if it was fear or arrogance, and again let lose a growl that escaped his skull clad face.

He landed easily in front of her, and looked down, looking into her eyes, not really caring for her thoughts all of a sudden. He was entering the darkside more and more as he went, and slammed a fist into the young adults gut, just as she blasted him again with the wand.

He let loose then, an angered snarl erupting deep within, and he stood still feeling his hands extend from their boundaries. He couldn't explain it, and didn't want to explain it. He knew deep inside his father had made him do it, but he felt so able to succumb to it, and he didn't want to accept responsibility, He just let what happened, happen. He roared, like a fiend, and charged again. his hidden abilities coming to life.

He threw a punch, the young girl ready to answer with the wand, but she got hit way before she could release the blast. Her assault went streaming into the air, evaporating before it reached the night sky. She had been hit and sent backwards, the confusion and pain in her eyes showing true. He was an energy user, obviously, and before her very eyes he vanished.