Spooky Goes the Night (HFE, P, IO)

Falling through the floor, Maku would quickly regain his balance, looking around.  Rolling his eyes he took it all in.  He stood in an empty seating area.  The place looked like something out of a movie, with a giant stage, and Jack standing center.  Akihana was trapped in a cage, and Jack had just pulled out the most cliche line in all of villainy.  Rubbing his temples the blonde attempted to take this seriously.

“Seriously?  Santa is gone, Oogie is gone.......would you just give it a rest?”  Maku would say calmly.  “You are it, all that’s left of the big three.  Just ****ing accept it so we can all move on.”  The swear no doubt would prompt Aki despite her current predicament.  Maku was also confident that if she really desired she could probably escape the cage as well.  Regardless, Maku began to walk towards the stage.  “I’m leaving with the girl, period.  If you keep it up that’s not the only thing I’ll be leaving with Jack.  Now you might think your king down here, but there’s only ever one king, and I don’t share any crowns.”  

Maku unless interrupted would make it on stage, standing near the back.  Jack being 4 meters in front of him, Aki off to his left by about 5 meters.  The stage was roughly rectangular, 15m wide and 10m deep, with a large room behind them.  “What’s your call Jack........feeling as lucky as Oogie was?”

TWC - 5575

However Jack Skellington had managed to capture her, he had done a good job. Pulling against her restraints did nothing but leave angry red marks against the Kunoichi’s pale skin, standing out starkly in the stage lights. Whether Jack was aware of her shinobi nature or not, Akihana didn’t know but the man had not assumed either way. The cage was meant to hold both civilians and weak ninja alike.

Which was what she was at the moment, a very weak ninja.

Earlier, she had tried to heal, the most natural instinct that existed in her being. And even then, there had been little more than a glimmer of the green chakra dancing on her fingertips. If she couldn’t summon her chakra to help another, she most certainly couldn’t do it to free herself.

All this time she had been worrying about being a liabilities to the Hayato brothers in a more metaphorical sense, the blonde had failed to notice she was a liability in a very real sense at present. Once again, she tugged at the chains binding her wrist and attached to the gold bars of the cage surrounding her and once again, it was all in vain.

She was trapped and Jack intended to keep her that way, offering Maku his freedom with one condition.

Her.

And even as Maku threw the gauntlet right back, proclaiming himself to be king, Akihana shook her head slightly.

He really should have left without her.


245

TMWC: 467

Stats:

(OOC: I am running Jack Skellington as NPC. This is not a Seiichi Post)

It's been a long night but it has all been going as planned and now the top of the show. "Oh Maku, Maku my boy." Jack said as he watched his old friend walk towards him. "Why not just walk, we could continue to talk, but the night is getting old and and you my friend.... you were told...".

All he wanted now was the beautiful Akihana to stay by his side. Part of him wanted Maku to just walk away, but another part of him wanted blood. This whole game that was afoot, there was no way it was going to end without a dramatic show.

Jack was standing four meters in front of Maku and five meters from the golden cage to his left. As he watched the man walk towards him he preformed hand seals at speeds only years of training could accomplish. A large pit of bud would begin to form (80 Speed and Power) a meter in front of Maku as he approached (or stopped). This large pool of earthy liquid would stretch from the point of origin to the edges of the walls of the hall, in all it would be 20 meters in diameter, leaving a space of 5 meters between it and the edges of the building. All chairs and tables in the room would be sucked into the mud and begin to sink to the depths of 2 meters.

If Maku wasn't caught and if he saw a way he would dash to the right side of the stage, the opposite side Aki is. While in movement his hands would weave signs together, preparing another jutsu he would stay the last sign.

WC: 277
TMWC: 744

Swamp of the Underworld - 45 AP = 395

[PENDING: Earth Dragon Bullets - 40]

A bored look gripped Maku as Jack began talking, his own eyes turning red and black, leaving the blue behind.  Jack was a strong Shinobi, one who had lived in the underground for years, a feat not to be underestimated in its own right.  As Jack began his own hand seals, Maku started his own.  Jack’s seals would finish first, but Maku’s jutsu was faster.  As the mud began to expand outwardly, roots would begin to tend through it, providing foot holds overtop of the mud, however around Maku a different phenomenon occurred.

At max speed several trees formed out around him, providing a barrier before closing in on each other.  They would twist around eachother leaving only an inch gap periodically through the twisted mass of trunk.  A stump forming in the middle for Maku to have a seat on, which he did opening his minds eye.  Forming three more handseals before going back to holding snake, the roots he’d sent out from his massive tree cage would chase after Jack, seeking to either capture him, or pierce him through the leg.  

Forming out of the tree cage a second Maku would form.  Stepping forward.  The wood tree would get tighter, still allowing Maku to breath, it wasn’t air tight, but to get to Maku he’d have to go through the wood mass.  “Jack.........are we sure we have to do this?  You know I’m going to win.”  As the wood clone watches Jack presumably dip, duck, dive and dodge the roots.  The roots not stopping, reaching out from the center tree mass.  

As for Akihana, a second branch reached out, and would lift the cage bodily into the air.  Putting her as a little bird in a cage in a tree, some ten meters off the ground.  

So there they were.  Real Maku on a stump surrounded by his mobile wood creation, Wood Clone Maku standing just a foot in front of the cage, perched on the root system that sought to cover the mud completely preventing it from being effective, and Jack hopefully running from roots.  Finally, let’s not forget Bird Aki in a tree cage.  Maku supposed he could have let her out, but she could probably do it.  He was just a step away from blowing the bar, trusting that she could defend herself.

Battle stuff :

Despite the predicament they were in, Akihana found herself surprised at the choice Maku was offering Jack Skellngton.  Not much earlier it was obvious he had ben ushed past his limits tonight and by this point, the man simply started… Exploding things. The bar in Kumo, the training lands of Sanctuary, they had all bne obliterated from his lack of patience and foresight and the blonde had honeslty expected this to end the same way. They may be different people now but she suppseod some things never changed.

So Jack really should have taken the offer and opted out. He was being given more of a say than many ninja better than him. Yet their host and puppet master for the evening chose to attack. The blonde almost called out in their would be captor’s defense. Maku had just… irreparably vanquished two people, and regardless of Jack’s motives, she would never want him to be the third.

Through her own active golden eye, the kunoichi didn’t even see Jack’s attack clearly as much as she saw Maku’s retaliation, feeling her cage lift off the ground. Using her entire strength and balance to maintain a still position in the floating cage, the kunoichi only dared move when her golden prison was hanging on a tree branch of Maku’s creation and had stopped swinging. The sudden movement had an added advantage, it had sent the length of chain securing the blonde to the bars of the cage flying wile Akihana had remained firmly still through the application of chakra to her feet, applying enough pressure to finally snap the restrain in half.

With two feet of chain still hanging off her bound wrists, the kunoichi reached to grasp the bars, trying to pry two of them apart enough to escape. Below her, the stage was no longer a stage but a mess of mud, wood and branches, all of which seemed to be determine to play wack a mole with Jack.

Inch by inch, the bars slowly gave away under her persistent fingers until finally, the Akari was able to slip her slender frame through the small gap, now climbing atop her dangling former prison to the latch that kept it secured to the tree Maku had created which was still not high enough to touch the extraordinarily high ceiling of the establishment. Once safely atop the cage, she would begin the quick process of realizing the metal container currently serving as her platform. The heat from the tree enough indication that it should not be touched. Slowly, as she prepared her shunshin, the blonde felt the cage coming indone.

Hopefully right on top of Jack Skellington as he skidded by. He man would survive a brush with plain old steel, but she couldn’t be sure he would survive en encounter with Maku’s jutsu.


WC: 473

TMWC: 1605

Jacks hands continued to move, preforming one seal after another all flowing easy and without hesitation. Once he noticed that Maku was doing the same Jack new he was in for a nice long fight. He would take the man's head and put it atop his Christmas tree after this.

He could see the movement of the branches, they moved about flowing through the air, but luckily he could move faster. As he made it to the end of the stage his next jutsu emerged from the ground. A large rock wall burst through the ground as trees enveloped around it. Jack used it as a perch for just one second then scooted across the wall running on on it horizontally, toward Maku. His hands continuing to move, they never seemed to stop as he dodged and dipped. Suddenly water spewed from his mouth and covered the surface of the ground (80 speed), his body launched into the air by 20 meters as a large flow of water erupted below him. Water crashed and filled the area (25 meters), it hit the walls and smashed against anything that was in the room. He used the force of the wave to propel his way forward. Soon he was within 3 meters of Maku. The water started to form into a sphere as the crashing waves filled the area with 4 feet of water and darted back towards him. The sphere would be large enough to fill the bottom of the room (50 meter diameter sphere). The top of the gigantic room was 20 meters from the top of the sphere. Maku and Aki were now below him as he swam to the surface (+20 speed). Hopefully struggling to breath.

Sure all of this was for the girl, but he knew where her allegiances lie. Less trouble to just take care of them both here and now. He could find another beauty..

TWC: 597
TMWC: 2202

Battle Stuff:

The clone Maku watched with his Sharingan as the real Maku watched with his minds eye.  The earth wall appeared as he desired, and Jack began his run.  Maku had never had occasion to fight Jack, and he was witnessing his combat prowess for the first time.  Overall, not to bad......but not good enough.  Combat was over.

The water would begin rushing, which would cause Maku to momentarily seal his real self off within the tree fort, the twisted trunks closing completely disallowing any water to get in, also leaving him in darkness.  This of course would not be a long term solution as he could suffocate, but he didn’t see needing it to last much longer anyway.

As Jack Leaped and water gushed, two distinct and high pitch whistle noises would erupt outward.  Jack would suddenly feel incredibly sick, as well as a sudden wrenching feeling as though he’d been cut off from his chakra.  The second thing he would feel was an excruciating heat that radiated out, exhausting his muscles on top of the intense bit of sickness he was feeling.

The within the tree fort, Maku would be able to sense the genjutsu taking hold, altering his own hand seals, the wood clone Maku would have a Foo Dog erupt from its chest, the body turning back to solid wood.  With Jack moving towards it, and somewhat suspended, not to mention the slowing effect of the genjutsu, he thought it was a sure shot.  The foo dog would be manipulated to chase if not, until it clamped down on top of Jack, it’s dimensions their maximum size.  

Once the Foo Dog clamped onto Jack it would begin draining his energy, meaning within moments the water would cease, and begin funneling into the greater room, the orb bursting before it ever really formed.  The food dog would lay Jack down on the stage, continuing to drain his energy.

If this all went through as planned Maku would reform the snake handseals causing the trees to spread apart, allowing him to stand and walk out onto the stage.  The water was about ankle deep, Jack partially submerged due to his laying position within the wood dogs mouth, it’s fangs burning him as it held him.

“Are we done yet?” Maku would say, looking down on his old employer.

Battle Stuff:

With nothing to interrupt Akihana’s Body Flicker technique, the blonde would flash step off the cage as soon as it broke from the tree, the metal prison landing either in water or among burning wood or a combination of both should Maku and/or Jack’s jutsu go through. As for Akihana herself, she would flicker to the next available safe surface, a grimy, neglected chandelier that hung from the ceiling which somehow still remained safe amongst the chaos below.  

Watching the fight unfold from her new vintage point, the kunoichi didn’t initiate as much as felt her chakra ping, the automated genjutsu release bringing her out of the sound based illusion Maku had imitated and that she was all too familiar with. Perhaps it had been the beginning of a creeping exhaustion set to strike her senses, perhaps she simply knew what was coming because her soldier sense refuse to let her forget. Whatever the case, before the exhaustion could truly hit, her senses were alert once more. Even if her mind didn’t know what to do, her body on autopilot had some ideas, the technique keeping her safe as well as allowing her to watch what was transpiring on the remains of the stage.

Should Jack be incapacitated like Maku intended and the burning branches cleared away, the blonde would carefully flash step her way down to the stage, landing in ankle deep water and wading towards the two men. Hopefully this time, Jack would finally give in and let them go.

Should their skeletal hosts however somehow manage to avoid all of Maku’s techniques, Akihana would remain perched on the chandelier where she was, watching to see which way the battle would turn and feeling helpless as she watched the conflict below.


WC: 294

TMWC: 2886

As water erupted from Jacks mouth he could hear a loud noise and he was suddenly overcome with nausea. The water, which originated in his stomach, became vomit as it spewed out. His trajectory off from what he desired he couldn't help but gag and continue to vomit. His speed dropped to almost nothing as his body fell to the ground. He was just able to catch himself as a foo dog leaped at him, pinning him to the near by stage.

Everything happened so fast Jack wasn't sure what had come over himself. The nausea plowed through his soul as he continued to gag and almost choke. Trying to come up with something to say his mind was overcome by his pale sweat and eyes that wouldn't stop tearing up.

Had he failed? Had he really failed? So much planning and preperation had gone into these events of the night, and at the end, would he be the head on the wall? At least I am wearing my favorite suit he thought as he lied there. This was it, this was Jack's final moments. They would be spent in a pool of his own vomit, waiting for a sharp gory end of a sword.

But luckily for Jack Skellington his memory would live on. He would continue to rule the night, rule Christmas Town they will see... "You will see.." He was able to push forth from his naseated body. If Maku cut him down, these would be his last words.

TWC: 851
TMWC: 3737

“Pathetic...”. Maku would say calmly leaning against his foo dog head that clearly radiated heat.  If one had any level of sensory abilities, they would be able to tell the wooden structure was draining the very life from the would be skeleton.  The arena, or had it been a stage, was one truly of intrigue.  The water would be evaporating slowly, and the mud that Jack had used was all now crisp and clay like.  The tangled mess of trees still stood, the roots lined the ground, a Maku shaped wooden statue stood in a ready stance, if it weren’t for a massive protruding pillar ending in a Dog Head clamped down on a man, and in the middle of it, was Maku......looking just a little bored and a lot conflicted.


Making a snake hand seal, he would recall all the roots, they’d burrow beneath the ground, leaving the area safe to walk on.  The tree itself however, he left.  It was clear he was just making sure Akihana would be safe.  For the dog still drained the skeleton.  Who by this point was passed out.  


“I haven’t asked once so far.  What do you want to do with him?  I made a decision on some others, this was a bit more slow going, so I’ll leave it to you.”  He’d say lazily, still leaving on the dog, as a man had his very essence drained.  He probably had........maybe 15 seconds left if he had to guess.  A reasonable amount of time to make a decision.  Well.....maybe 10, he did have to remove the dog.  

TMWC - 4022
TWC - 6618