Blood Games: Aryll vs. Shadowfax

Arena stuff:

As Aryll made her last minute preparations, applying whatever the ninja equivalent of WD-40 was until Thane was shiny as fuck, she heard the roar of the crowd, even from here. This long before the games started, and they were already there, waiting, craving blood. Pretty lame if you asked Aryll, since those stands didn’t have roofs, they’d be getting soaked for literally nothing. Still, who was she to judge? These poor villagers probably just needed some sort of excitement in their lives, and if they needed to see preteens brutally maim and murder each other to accomplish that, who was she to stop them?

As she made her final adjustments, polishing Thane up and fixing some loose bolts, she reflected on the weeks leading up to the blood games. She had come very far, very far indeed. She’d also lost a lot. Her life was nearly unrecognizable from how she lived merely weeks ago. She sighed at this thought. It didn’t matter anyways. She pushed it from her mind, focusing on the here and now. Thane was ready, and so was she. The upshot robot would lower his hand via a suggestion from Aryll’s threads, lifting her, chair and all, and depositing her in the cockpit. She couldn’t be assed to try and wheel her chair while pushing Thane.

”Alright, buddy, let’s do this.” She said to the empty husk of machinery. She knew it couldn’t hear her, but pretending it was so was amusing, and even a little therapeutic for her. The thought that anyone was trying to protect her was a comfort. She made sure to check Thane’s compartments, nodding with satisfaction as she saw the makibishi spike compartments were nearly full. She lifted the huge vibroblade she had constructed, which Thane lowered to its smallest size and sheathed upon his back. Checking herself now, she had the chakra enhancer she had come across in her mission with Angel and Altar, which was good, but likely wouldn’t be necessary today. She still carried her regular ninja gear, kunai, shuriken, explosive tags and smoke bombs, though she knew she’d probably never need them. It was mostly ceremonially that she wore them at all.

As she made her way through the streets, she left the hatch open. No need to tire herself yet, even a little. People stared in awe and fear at Thane’s sheer size, but Aryll said little, continuing down the road to the arena, where the blood games were held. She entered the arena, passing through a gated arch, which was held open for her. While their size was likely this tall for mostly decorative reasons, she was thankful that Thane didn’t even have to duck. It would have been humiliating to crawl through the mud to get to the arena. She stood there, 5 meters into the arena’s stone floor, tall and strong, Thane’s four arms rising at the ready. The crowd’s response was mixed. Some roared with laughter at the wheelchair-bound girl inside, others cheered for her tenacity, while others still remained silent in discomfort. It mattered little to the Hyuuga heiress. She would show them just what she could do in mere moments. She couldn’t afford to lose her cool, not with Xyxer watching. She needed to show him what she was capable of. That she was strong enough.

She waited for her opponent to arrive, allowing the hatch to stay open until the games commenced. She felt like her opponent deserved to see her face, even if it was from across the arena.

It was soon becoming apparent to the inhabitants of the ring that the girl who currently stood within the ring would remain there alone. The other girl, someone who went by the alias of 'Shadowfax', appeared to have lost their nerve and attempted to forego the event entirely. Disappointed sighs and groans hung in the air, but Xyxer had anticipated events such as this occurring and he'd put a protocol in action to prevent them from actually being trouble; his ANBU had been ordered to track down and keep an eye on all those who were involved in the games, and to bring them in if they did not appear to be making preparations for the event.

As such, it would fall onto the ANBU Operative Jester to bring in the white haired child, which was amusing given the alleged tales of him being a molester. Regardless, he would have kept his eyes focused on the girl who seemed to be doing anything but going to the event; perhaps she was purchasing candy from one of the many vendors in the village, maybe she was throwing bread at the ducks that filled the parks, or maybe she was asleep. The answer did not matter for the audience would not know, and all that mattered was the result in her failure to comply. Jester would simply move towards the girl from behind, again rather ironically, before executing a simple rear naked choke to force her to pass out. A harmless take down, for he was not to be the killer unless needed. Once the girl had been apprehended she would be taken to the Blood Games she was currently missing, around five minutes later than she was supposed to be, still unconscious in the ANBU's arms as he moved with her in a bridal carry.

Jester, now inside of the arena, would place the girl down onto the ground lightly with her face to the sky before taking a step away to kneel before the Mizukage, who in turn stood to address all who were at the event, "Gaze upon the coward who lives in our village, and yet does not share our ideals after all of her years of life. " Xyxer exclaimed, leaving it rather open as to which participant he was openly mocking, "Our last Game resulted in too many escaping their duties, and that will no longer be tolerated in our Kirigakure. Failure to meet obligations to attend the Games will be punished.. by death." Pausing to lick his lips for the hydration and bask in the adrenaline of the crowd at what was about to come, he nodded, "Young Aryll will have her opportunity to prove herself to be worthy of your admiration and your respect, to show that she will do what she must to keep Kirigakure and it's inhabitants safe. Difficult times are the only period we can test a person's character, and now we will see Aryll's loyalty, or lack thereof, demonstrated."[/color] He'd pause once more to turn towards the girls in the ring, with Jester still kneeling closest to the Mizukage a few feet away from the body. Of course, if Shadowfax decided to wake up and fight at this point, that'd also be cool.

"Aryll, execute her to cement your place in the finale."

[Permission obtained from Akihana to drag people into topics they should be in. It's going by the 24 hour skipping rule now]

As Aryll stood in the arena, she wondered who she was going to face, what sort of adversary she was going to come up against. Although she had prepared intensely for this day, and despite knowing that she was a Hyuuga, an elite, one born above the rest of the common rabble, Aryll felt her nerves finally catching up to her. She was worried. Something was not right. She did not know who her opponent was. What if they were another highborn, one with far more time to prepare than she? What if her opponent was too much for her? What if she died here, before she could make a name for herself?

These thoughts bore on Aryll’s mind as the minutes ticked away, and her opponent refused to show her face. Aryll felt something approaching. Something powerful. Something she couldn’t fight. She feared she, nay, all of Kirigakure would be decimated by the sheer force that was about to enter the arena. The only problem was… Well… Nobody came. The crowd began to show dissent, but soon after, a masked figure arrived, an ANBU operative, with a particular girl in his arms. Shadowfax. Aryll sighed.

Xyxer began to speak. He called her a coward and informed the crowd that she had not shown up for the Blood Games. She had forsaken her duties and decided not to show up. Now, Xyxer tasked Aryll with executing her. Aryll’s eyes darted to Xyxer’s features, examining for some sort of pride or confidence in her friend’s expression. For anything, really.
”I will.” Aryll would say. From the other side of the arena, Thane would stir. His top right arm would reach back, grasping his blade, which he would swipe towards the ground, forcing the blade to extend to a full length of 15 feet.

Assuming Shadowfax did not stir, Thane would leap across the water that separated the two sides of the arena (Speed of 50), landing a few meters from Jester and Aryll’s silver haired friend. Walking now, Thane would close the distance between them quickly, the large blade upon his back, resting on what would be his right shoulder. Thane’s lowest left hand would lower towards the sleeping girl, scooping her up gently. The hand would rise suddenly, tossing the girl into the air. The hand would twist, rotating so that the bladed hand would be facing up. As the girl’s form sunk towards the ground, the hand would catch her, the blades piercing her and the hand crushing her form, a fine mist of blood spraying. It would be quick. Very quick. Probably painless. Most of all though, it would be brutal. Aryll was hoping to get the crowd’s attention, as well as Xyxer’s.

That finished, Aryll would release what remained of Shadowfax to the ground, blood dripping from Thane’s fingers. As Aryll currently could not, Thane would kneel in the direction of The Mizukage, and Aryll would bow her own head in turn, awaiting a dismissal from the Mizukage.

As Aryll watched the girl’s lifeless form, she was disappointed to find that it did not stir. She would not need the huge blade she carried. As she moved, something inside her stirred. Something new was there, bubbling out. Anger. An emotion she’d never had use for in the past, and one that had clouded her brother’s judgement throughout his life. This rage was different than what she knew of the emotion, however. This felt… Good. Really, really good. She had never known anger to feel as good as it did in this moment. She felt… Vindicated.

She really expected this to be more painful, but strangely, it excited Aryll, in a way. Even though she wasn’t the one to land the killing blow, even though that honor technically fell to Thane, she felt connected. She felt exhilarated. She felt like she was finally allowed to let out the rage that she felt, just a little bit of it, anyways.

As she lifted her friend, she felt her emotions bubbling forth, the ones that had nearly escaped her on the day that her life had been destroyed completely. On the day she was reduced to this damned chair. It was only a moment, only the briefest of sensations, but the satisfaction she felt as the blood poured down across Thane’s fingers was enough. Aryll knew what her purpose was now. Like her brother before her, she would become a tool. A weapon. Unlike her brother, she would not let her rage cloud her judgement and remove her of purpose. She would let it guide her, let it strengthen her.

Her brother’s rage had been his undoing. No, not just his own undoing. The moment that he lost control of himself, the moment that he gave in and allowed himself to let loose and forget about his inhibitions, he had been blinded. Guided and fueled by rage, Haru had lost all control over himself and his sense of purpose. Haru had been blinded, but Aryll could see just fine. All she needed was to let someone point her in the direction of her target, as she just had been. After that, she wasn’t responsible for what happened. After that, she was free.

Baptised by the blood of her friend, a change occurred in Aryll. Or perhaps there never really was a change. Perhaps what she was becoming had always lingered, waiting to rear its head. Waiting for it's moment to assume control. Aryll forced Thane to kneel, bowing her own head in respect for her Mizukage, and her friend, who had shown her the way out of the darkness. All she had to do was to put her trust in Xyxer. The rest would come easily.

As the crushed form of her friend lay on the ground before her, Aryll would kneel her puppet’s knees, the mighty legs of Thane coming down in a respectful gesture, the Hyuuga heiress bowing her head to Xyxer, waiting patiently to be dismissed. Assuming that she was released, and not asked to carry out another task, Aryll would wait until she was allowed to take her leave, Thane’s hand dripping crimson fluid across the arena floor. Her first kill.

”The first of many.” Aryll thought, a grim smile creeping across her face, hidden from view in her mass of silvery hair.

(Claiming the death of Shadowfax)

The male, who had remained standing throughout this ordeal,waved his left hand towards Aryll with a grin plastered over his features as if he was a pleased mentor, "Aryll Hyuuga will be going through to the final round. May fortune be on her side."" Xyxer would state simply, roars of adulation powering the crowd as they clapped for the bloody show they have been gifted with, "Now, Aryll, make your way back inside and await your entrance into the finale of the Fourth Blood Games." The Mizukage stated, waving one hand towards the gate she had came in through. Now, however, he sat back down so that he could watch the next bout that would unfold.

[Topic Closed unless Aryll wants to do an exit post]

Aryll comes out the victor, and Shadowfax is quite obviously dead

Aryll noted with her byakugan that Xyxer remained standing throughout the ordeal, watching her. The grin across his face sent a rush of dopamine through her, and Aryll knew that she had done well. As he waved to her, she smiled back, her posture remaining very cordial as she lowered into a bow. She knew how to work the crowd. She’d been trained to manipulate people all through her life. How could she not? As Xyxer announced that Aryll would advance to the next round, the grim smile that crossed the lips of the Hyuuga heiress became much more genuine. What she had just done was good. She knew what she had to do now. As Xyxer dismissed her, Aryll, or rather, Thane, would rise from the kneeling position that they had assumed. As for the body of Shadowfax… No, not even a body, there was hardly anything left but pulp and gore. What remained of the girl whom Aryll had once called a friend was splattered and stained across the tiles of the arena. It was appropriate, of course, for they called these the Blood Games for a reason. Aryll was eager to appease Xyxer, eager to deliver more blood for her mentor in the next round. As she rose, the roar of the crowd filled Aryll with a sense of purpose. This was fantastic. This was a feeling unlike anything she had ever experienced in her entire life. It was euphoric. Thane turned, walking across the stone tile from whence he came, once again leaping across the pool of water that separated the two sides of the arena. Sure, she could have walked around, but that wouldn’t have looked as cool. She approached the gates from which she had entered, and Thane removed her from the cockpit, lowering Aryll to the floor, where she stretched out a hand and directed Thane to follow her out of the arena, wheeling herself along with her free hand. She didn’t have far to go, thankfully, so it felt foolish to bother trying to put Thane away safely. Much better to just do it this way. Besides, it allowed the crowd to see her face once more.


(Exit)


TWC: 2013
+10 Stats

Approved