The Jade Arenas of Heaven: Shock the Monkey [IC]

[Quinn]

Crow walked out from behind Cannonade, his head tilted in a somewhat thoughtful manner. The shorter hero made a small presentation of stroking his bandanna'd chin, counting the five yao-guai. He looked at his comrades. Up at Cannonade. Over at Ironclad. Then Wisp and Myrmidon. The teen gave them a pointed expression, then pointed at the bear and the shark demons - "Meat..." followed by the serpent and the cat monsters. "Or potatoes?"

[trollthumper]

"I'll take the runny pudding."

Sun Wukong darted across the pavilion, his staff scraping across the fine marble. Sparks flew as he brought it up in a sudden motion, cracking Bai Gu Jing right under the jaw. Well, "crack" was the wrong word - the staff lodged itself halfway inside the demon's head, the flesh parting around it. Still, it looked like it hurt, and Bai Gu Jing's groaning helped to back that notion up. She smiled. It wasn't a pleasant sight. "That almost hurt, oh Great Sage," she said.

"I try my best. I'd recommend standing still, unless you want to see if something like you can get a lobotomEEEEEEEEEE!"

Sun Wukong let out a most undignified screech as the shark yao guai took his tail up in its jaws. It bit down hard, nearly severing the appendage. The Monkey King fought to keep his wits, leaning on his staff for balance. The cat demon, meanwhile, closed with Ironclad, claws drawn.

"Shiiiiinyyyyy...," it said, proving that cosmic wisdom didn't necessarily mean one had their priorities straight. It brought the claws down on the armor, trying desperately to get in.

[Raveled]

Ironclad gave a cry and fell back as the cat demon leapt for her. The armored heroine raised her arms and fended off the demon's strikes, claws raising sparks as they struck against her gauntlets. "Grandpa always said to look your best," she said, waxing philosophical as she gave ground. "If I ever knew it would mean getting attacked by a cat-girl like I'm the last can of tuna, I would've reconsidered." Ironclad spun away from the demon, leaping and hovering several feet in the air. "Or did you just miss the sushi bar last night?"

[Quinn]

Crow let out a whoop as Sun Wukong hit the field, and grinned at the others under his bandanna mask. "Hey guys - let's show 'em how we do things Freedom City style. I call the sirloin steak!"

The teen spun on his heel and vanished; Myrmidon and Wisp knowing from experience exactly where to look for him to appear - directly above the biggest and most dangerous opponent, in this case the oversized bear demon. Instead of the usual rumbling earth power, ghostly and ethereal energies wreathed his foot as he descended like a bird of prey towards the hirsuite monster, slamming the back of his metal-shod foot with great authority into it's skull. The spiritual power lashed at the demon's spirit, draining it's will to fight, it's fortitude. Without another word, Crow simply vanished; looking down on the fight from an upper location, perched like his namesake.

Unfortunately, one of the only places to count as an upper rafter was...the glowing staircase. A black-clad figure, almost tiny in scope, looked down on the fight and felt a lot of energy rush by him - he was too distracted to really focus on it, but the sheer rush was just incredible. For a split second, he could understand what the yao guai were after. And why they could not have it.

It scared him.

"Whoa..."

[Azuth65]

Wisp watched Crow's quick assault on the bear demon and let out a low impressed whistle. When the bear kept coming she saw an opportunity to double-team a distracted and climbing opponent.

In a quick burst of smoke she vanished from her starting place and reappeared on its shoulders. "Hey, Yogi, pro-tip. The market closed up today." she said with a smirk slamming her fist into her opponent's temple, opposite where Crow's boot had landed. She noticed his eyes crossing briefly before vanishing again, landing next to Crow.

[Raveled]

Ironclad decided to stay up high in the air, not wanting to tempt fate by getting face to face with these empowered demons. Crow and Wisp seemed to have the climbing bear handled between them, so she turned her attention to the ground forces. She didn't much like how the cat demon was eying her, so she let loose a blast at it. "No touchy, kitty," she said. "Or I'll have to put you out for the night."

[trollthumper]

Behind Ironclad, Wisp's blow took the bear right in the crown. The gigantic yao guai struggled to maintain purchase on the beams of the Pellucid with his claws, but the combination of gravity and head trauma was too much. With a choked-off roar, the beast fell from its perch, toppling to the ground below. It hit right behind its shark compatriot, giving it a start - at the least - as the sound of thunder rolled through the plaza, the bear's bulk digging a pit into the sturdy marble.

"Wouldn't be surprised if they heard that one all the way up the ladder," Cannonade said. He turned his gaze to the shark, which was just regaining its composure. "Meanwhile, you've gotta learn a lesson about keeping your mouth shut." He charged forward, driving his fist into the yao guai's jaw. The corrupted spirit reeled with the blow, and that gave him enough time to grab it in a stranglehold.

"See, maybe if you kept your teeth off of gods' tails, this wouldn't happen to ya."

[Semi-Autogyro]

The helmed hero scanned the battlefield looking for a dance partner for the most violent dance contest imaginable. Seeing the serpent demon unengaged or even noticed by his allies he turned to engage the monstrosity. A vanguard of duplicates spawned in front of him like a wall, each one flourishing a rapier as they crouched low in preparation to strike. -- Initiate Attack Pattern Kappa, Maneuver Charlie-Tau-Foxtrot --

Acknowledging his order, the duplicates charged at the serpentine demon in perfect sync, their blades trying to punch through the scaly armor. While this happened, the original kept an eyes on his surroundings so he would not be blindsided.

[trollthumper]

The barrage of blades caught the serpent demon off-guard, catching him in the flank and legs. A horrible hiss went up as the yao guai tried to fight past the pain. The hiss scraped past Cannonade's ears, causing him to temporarily lose his concentration - long enough for the shark demon to break its way out of his hold. The ravening beast, its appetites not lessened at all by the rush of the pure Tao, came swinging at him with its maw wide open. Fortunately, that same hunger made it a less than careful opponent, meaning Cannonade was easily able to side-step its assault. As the shark pivoted to lock eyes with its target, he assumed a fighter's stance and beckoned for it to come forward.

Bai Gu Jing, meanwhile, sized up its stunned quarry. "So this is what the fabled Monkey King is reduced to," it said. "So easily broken." Its flesh ran like water, and flowed over and into Sun Wukong's nostrils and mouth. The Monkey King began to gag and convulse as Bai Gu Jing laughed. "How does it feel to know how little you truly matter?"

The shapeshifting demon was taken aback when Sun Wukong spat up the liquid appendage, expelling the rest with a mighty snort. "Well," he said, "it's kind of freeing, honestly. Also, you really haven't washed your hands since we last met, have you?"

[Quinn]

Crow surveyed the battlefield from above, perched like his namesake. He'd cast a glance towards Wisp when she'd knocked that oversized furball off it's high perch, and he was very much approving of the abruptness with which she'd kicked it's arse. He'd turned to compliment her when his sharp ears picked up a choking sound, and he cast a glance down to the Monkey King - who looked a bit worse for wear in his fight against the yao guai's boss.

Well, they couldn't have that.

Red Hand's Rule Number Three: Never be afraid to fight dirty.

Crow snapped to get Wisp's attention, and silently motioned from her to the bear, and slammed a fist into his palm. The big furball was all hers. A thumbs-up, and she could almost see the grin underneath his bandanna. Then he vanished from her sight in the space of a blink.

To Sun Wukong, all he saw was a black figure, silent as a wraith, appear in the space behind the shapeshifting leader. Without a word or a taunt, Crow spun on his left foot and slammed a thoroughly punishing heel with his right foot into Bai Gu Jing's torso; bending her sideways under the force. A snap-burn on his collar, and the kick was suddenly wreathed in ghostly energies that lashed into her form, seeking to sap her strength and resilience. Before she could even turn around to confront the phantom pain, the wraith was gone again; and Wisp was no longer alone on the staircase.

[Azuth65]

Catching Crow's hand signals she nodded and gave the boy a quick wink and a smile with her own thumbs up.

Wisp watched from her perch as the bear demon tried to get back to its feet, "Oh no you don't," she muttered. In a plume of her distinctive smoke she vanished from where she stood only to reappear several times randomly around her ursine enemy. The appearance of each plume was punctuated by a powerful punch or bone jarring kick.

Returning to her original location she watched through the quickly dissipating smoke as the bear wobble and then fall over, unconscious.

[Raveled]

Ironclad watched the fight surge across the battlefield. The heroes looked to be putting the overcharged demons on the back foot and pushing them away from their new energy source. The cat-demon seemed out of the fight for the moment so the armored heroine dropped to the ground, engaging power to her servo muscles and swinging away -- at the shark-man! Her blows were short jabs, intended to limit the creature's mobility and keep Ironclad close to its bulk. "Tell me if you've heard this one before," she said. "You ever get the feeling like you're a fish out of water, sometimes?"

[Semi-Autogyro]

Seeing as his duplicates had their task well in hand, he merely ordered them to continue to engage the serpent demon. A fusillade of steel surrounded the outnumbered snakeman as the quintet of duplicates enacted their commanders orders. As he took a quick survey of the battlefield, the number of combat capable enemy combatants was rapidly diminishing. Bai Gu Jing was close to him so he shot a telegraphed kick at her midsection, hopefully divorcing some of her attention away from Sun Wukong...

[trollthumper]

The duplicates charged towards the serpentine yao guai, and their blades struck true. Soon, the snake demon lay on the ground, unconscious. From its maw trailed streams of something sublime - essence of the pure Tao, trailing back towards the Seat of the Pellucid.

"Y'know," said Sun Wukong, "I don't really think cosmic wisdom looks good on your guys. It really isn't doing all that much." He darted around the skinchanging demon. "Besides, it makes you look fat."

"That classical wit," said Bai Gu Jing, whose flesh struggled to keep up with the dance around Sun Wukong's blows. "When I'm done with you, everyone will see the price of such insouciance. I will climb the ranks of the ladder and --"

That was when Sun Wukong's staff collided solidly with the yao guai's jaw, driving with a force so strong it went into her malleable flesh. With a quick flurry, he withdrew it, with the skull looking none the worse for wear. But it had hit him, as Bai Gu Jing collapsed to the ground, its own taste of wisdom trailing off to the heavens.

"Get them talking and they just don't care. It's wonderful, isn't it?"

[Quinn]

Crow perched on the high stair and squinted down, looking at the one remaining demon; one on her last legs, to put it bluntly. But as long as she was running off of the super-sized buzz that was the Stair of the Pellucid, she'd be a major threat. They needed her down and out...and he knew just how to do it.

...oh, Wisp was going to love him for pulling this card out. He reached over and tapped her shoulder, pointing down at the staggered Cat demon - his eyes over the bandanna crinkling in an uncharacteristic smile for the dark anti-hero-type persona he was working on constructing.

"Wisp...you remember that trick?"

Yeah, his voice was a tad smug. This was gonna hurt.

[Azuth65]

Wisp turned her head towards Crow, the sly look on his face letting her know exactly what trick he had in mind. She returned the smirk his bandana was obscuring, "Oh yeah, I remember. Is it wrong I find a good bit of poetic justice in a man named Crow beating up a cat demon?"

Holding up three fingers she counted down and once she reached zero, the pair teleported down towards the last Yao-gui, in a swarming cloud of wind, smoke, fists, knees, elbows and feet. When the pair finished the cat demon lay unconscious on the ground.

[Raveled]

Ironclad scanned the area, but all of their opponents appeared to have been defeated. She relaxed and the armor's helmet folded back; she gave the Seat a good, long look, trusting the armor to save its scanning data for when she had more time to peruse it. She took a step forward and hesitated, biting her lip. But all of the Yao-gui had touched the Seat, hadn't they? Along with the other two teenage heroes. She couldn't let a chance to experience something like this pass her by!

The young scientist reached out and put her hand flat against the monument.

[Semi-Autogyro]

With a quick mental command Myrmidon sent his duplicates into positions next to each of the downed foes, to keep an eye on them until they could be taken care of by the proper authorities of Tian. Their rapiers changed into spears which were then leveled at their unconscious charges.

The original idly toed the unconscious shape-shifter that was apparently was the mastermind of this snafu before he addressed Sun Wukong. << What now? Do we have to return what they consumed back to the seat? >> Myrmidon hoped that was not to be the case, because any method that mentally came to mind was both unpleasant and messy. Not to mention unhygienic.

[Quinn]

Crow stepped from the cloud of smoke, looking with detached satisfaction at the various decked demons lying higgledy-piggeldy about the area. Compared to the beauty of the Stair and the palace in which it was housed, they looked so very...out of place. Like their very presence was sullying the spirit of this place. Hells, he felt like he was sullying the spirit, now that the fight was over. This was not a place where mortals were meant to trod.

Or maybe just you. A small voice whispered in the back of his head. He shook it and nodded towards Wisp, then looked towards Myrmidon. "I don't think so - knocked out it seemed something emanated from them back to the stair. It seems their folly caused them to lose what tenuous grip on wisdom they had gained."

[trollthumper]

"Well, infinite wisdom's all well and good," said Sun Wukong, "but it does tend to make things boring. Give me blind chance each time." He look over to the felled Bai Ju Ging, whose body was taking on a tone more consistent with vanilla soft serve now that the demon wasn't active to influence it. "Ah, the ravages of age. Doesn't look anywhere near as pretty without their face on, do they?"

Cannonade was about to answer when a stampede cut him off. The sound of thunder stormed up the hundred marble stairs to the Seat of the Pellucid as Guan Yu led an army - quite literally - of men in jade armor who looked like they could make Navy SEALs cry for their mothers. Guan Yu himself was carrying a spear the size of a lamppost, and looked like he wanted desperately to murder something and whatever was standing next to it. Which made it all the more surprising when he called the army to a halt and looked on the felled yao guai with something approaching confusion.

"Are these the interlopers? What happened here?"

"Cosmic wisdom," said Cannonade, "for all the good that did."

"You mean they wrested power from the Three Pure Ones? But how... how did...?"

Guan Yu looked right to Sun Wukong, whose grin was terrible to behold.

"Oh, trust me, it was nothing. You know what would really help? Some some of banquet. Or something. Just suggesting..."

[Azuth65]

Wisp glanced over at Sun Wukong. "Now that is an idea I can get behind," she said with a smile. She stepped away to move next to Crow, taking his hand in hers, "This is going to be a rather fun thing to explain to your father when we get back to Boston. I also have to hope that visiting your home and having some sort of unpleasant experience with divine entities doesn't become habbit."

Turning back to Guan Yu and Sun Wukong, "So, I imagine we've gotten ourselves to a bit of a draw in the tournament. When's the next one being held?"