| Junior Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: I moved. Somewhere. Gender:  Posts: 105 Thanks: 5 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post | "*Cough* Dammi'-- *Khack!* ... "
The scene was without comparison. The broken bodies of the persistent (and possibly well-paid) soldiers of Area 51 formed a tangled carpet of blood, gore, clothes, broken weapons, severed limbs, destroyed fragments of indescribable metal, and on top of them all, two prominent figures: a giant piece of humanoid steel, and a certain red-clothed magic knight. Recognizing whoever was in the worst shape was, undoubtedly, a great challenge to any bystander who happened to be present and alive in the scene: while Metal Man had his entire armor pierced, dented and generally blown up in places, Amrick Ukihara, who only had the strength and protection of his Barrier Jacket and his close-range magic protection, would've taken the award for 'most graphically worst shape' for sure.
Struck by bullets, shrapnel, debris, and even being used as a living skateboard down electric metal rails, Amrick's red vest and jacket were only feeble links of cloth tied from one piece to the other, soiled with sweat, blood and tears. His pants were in somewhat better shape than his torso, head or arms, but huge gashes in his thighs prevented the body parts to be called 'unharmed'. His left arm was bent in an odd shape, muscles and tissue ripped apart by the rails' friction and the electric burns that cauterized the raw skin as it came off, almost instantly. His back was riddled with holes of all shapes and sizes-- some produced by the bullets that made it through the barrier, one ugly crack in the skin made by his little bulkhead diving episode, and several small scratches and bruises caused by such other dangerous things that Amrick had faced so far.
His right arm wasn't in much better shape-- however, he could still retain a manner of control over it as he grasped the golden staff-axe for dear life. Dented and cracked with some pieces missing entirely, the artifact's crimson core flashed white with the words WARNING blinking in a rich, deep black color, as opposed to the white font it used before for its spell verses. The menacing crackles of electricity in the staff-axe were now only sparks flying off a broken system, with the revolver chamber loosely held in its hinges and the precious condensed magic cartridges losing their charge little by little with every malfunction in the artifact. The ruby orb tried to vocalize its thoughts to its master, flashing white with every word emitted: MasTER, STilL FiGhT... RdeRs... rom... adQUArt... rs...
The magic knight looked at his weapon indifferently. His face was a disaster of peeled skin, spurting blood and burnt tissue, emphasized by the particularly notable fact that his left eye was forced shut by how swollen it had become. It was a miracle he had not snapped a limb in the violence he had just endured, and it was an even more amazing thing that he could even stand in that condition. But the power of his previously released magic cartridges flowed through his body still, giving him just enough energy to accomplish basic movement like he was. It was also keeping the intense pain that coursed through his body at check, but... this wasn't going to last forever. Not after all the energy he had spent in this battle so far, and certainly not after his staff's system had become almost completely broken down. And he was expected to keep fighting like this?
Amrick Ukihara grinned, a mess of broken teeth and blue veins showing in his mouth, and he winced as his face muscles moved, which also caused his broken ribs to protest as he tried to chuckle, forcing him to stop. He was already dreading the pain he was going to feel when his spell ran out... he only hoped it didn't finish before either the Metal Man finished him off, or he could escape from that place. He faced the diagonal slope in which they all came down, staring at his own blood's trail leading all the way from the top and here. A buzzing filled his chipped ears, and he turned his distorted vision to the source of the noise: Metal Man himself.
Hahahaha... WIPEOUUUUUUUT *Crackle*
His silver right eye looked down upon his opponent, collapsed on the ground and mixed with all the remains of his bullets and weapons, coupled with the bodies of the damn Captain who chased them and the others that were with him. He found the scene repulsive, sure, but he couldn't afford to become nauseous, or turning his head away from the steel giant one more time. Not after the little stunt that had lead them all here, to this ruin. He lifted his axe-- or rather, he tried to lift it, but the muscles in his right arm all denied his wishes, merely budging in response to his nerve signal. His one right eye glinted in the sparks of both Metal Man's circuits and his own broken staff, and a strange rush filled through his body. He had never been so close to death before-- his magic had always protected him, even at the expense of his bodily functions. It was the second strongest magic in the entire Time and Space Administration Bureau, an agency that spanned entire realities and universes. If there was something in existence that could overpower that magic... if there was something that could cause *him*, a High Magic Knight, such trouble...
Amrick's resolve lifted the axe for him, a bicep ripping in the flexing motion, causing him to wince again. But it wasn't hurting as much as before. Only a couple of seconds, or even a minute before, his pain was the worst sensation ever. And yet, now it was slightly tolerable-- his left arm was still out of commission, and his legs buckled and trembled with every few seconds he was standing, but... what was this feeling? He couldn't describe it. Was it the 'inner peace' of coming so close to the end of life? He was afraid. He was nervous. He was excited. He was feeling many things. He encompassed all of his thoughts into his arm, and the staff-axe responded to his will, the energy blades of the axe widening a few centimeters--
And then, he struck.
But he missed. His fallen axe lay next to the Metal Man's dented head, and he mumbled with what little vocals he could muster: "I' you had 'old me 'at... be'ore... I could've helped you... wi'h 'he power of 'he Bureau... *cough* Shame we can' con'inue... or can we?" Amrick dragged and lifted the axe behind him, mustering what little strength his magic was giving him, looking straight at Metal Man and just-- waiting for something.
Anything outside of the broken Wipeout track. Of course, if nothing happened, he would use his remaining strength to open a portal back home. |