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Post by ĸara вelova★ on Aug 31, 2009 13:57:24 GMT -5
The MC's voice boomed throughout the theatre, "There are three guards. The competitor must disable them from attacking. They are not allowed to kill these men, or injure them in a way that would kill. Each guard that is rendered unable to fight, is worth one point."
A door opens, and light streams out. You can see the stage, and you are urged to go forward. When you enter the arena, the crowd errupts in loud applause and whistles. Some are chanting your name. But above this noise, the MC speaks to you, and you alone.
"Try to get as many points as you can, because the more you get in Stage I, the easier Stage II will be for you." The guards all turn in your direction.
"Let's see if Veronica has Stage Fright!"
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Post by veronica on Aug 31, 2009 15:14:34 GMT -5
Veronica was trembling, biting her lip to keep herself from throwing up. What was she doing here? She tried to remember why she signed up. The money? The house? Was it because her life had become as boring as life could be for a woman with a superpower. She walked hesitantly into the cement stadium.
They are not allowed to kill
Kill? Who said anything about kill? She had not been issued saftey gear, that was for sure. All she was given was a Stage Fright t-shirt with a giant Monster Energy symbol on the back. No one said that people were going to be attacking her. Heart pounding, she blinked at the figures that turned towards her. Veronica shuddered, and was glad that her gift was a good defense.
She tensed up, ready to harden her skin at a moment's notice. Determined to play the defensive, she stood motionless, waiting for her attackers to do something.
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Post by ĸara вelova★ on Aug 31, 2009 16:47:39 GMT -5
The men were well-prepared to face whatever walked through that door. And seeing a woman, who was nearly frightened to death, did not phase them. All three advanced, the one closest to her, Arnold, not waiting for his comrades to catch up. Arnold raised his weapon, something very much like a police baton, over his head, and swung it at Veronica's head. It was a test-move, to see what she was capable of. They must have decided she wasn't going to blow them all up, because the one to Arnold's right, James, positioned himself so he could catch her if she ran, while Hector on Arnold's left, dropped into a similar stance.
Ten seconds into the stage, and they had Veronica cornered.
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Post by veronica on Aug 31, 2009 17:15:35 GMT -5
Veronica was ready for the police baton. She instantly hardened up, her body turning to crystal. The baton smashed to pieces on her unflinching head. Thanking God that she took those women's self defense classes, she grabbed his still outstretched hand and swept her crystal leg at Arnold's knees, hoping to break them and eliminate him from the competition.
Her long hair had hardened in an while she was ducking to kick Arnold, so it was now sprayed around her head like a spiky mane. Veronica hoped that 30 seconds was enough to knock at least two guys out of the competition.
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Post by ĸara вelova★ on Aug 31, 2009 17:26:42 GMT -5
Arnold was crippled instantly. He was the guinea pig anyway; now James and Hector knew what they were up against. The woman had a defensive gift, but she knew some basic self-defence techniques. Arnold crumpled to the floor, clutching his one knee, groaning in pain.
James and Hector double-teamed her then, and a cursory nod would be Veronica's only warning that they had something planned. If she had impenetrable skin, they had to assume she was going to remain like that for the entire competition. They had no way of knowing Veronica's limitations.
Hector did not touch Veronica, instead he ducked under her flying hair so he was on his hands and knees, and James shoved the woman, hoping she would be off-balance from her previous attack on Arnold, so she would hopefully topple over Hector and hit the floor.
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Post by veronica on Aug 31, 2009 17:52:56 GMT -5
Veronica was no black belt, and so she was off balance from her previous attack. She toppled to the ground, her skin making a tink as she half bounced off the floor. Instead of standing back up, however, she lashed out with her foot at Hector, hoping to use the fact she was on the floor to her advantage. She would only be invulnerable for about 15 more seconds, and she was determined to get as much damage in as possible before her time was up.
All traces of nervousness were gone as adrenaline pumped through her veins. Veronica was swept up in the moment, relishing in the fact that she was being challenged, that she had a chance to use her gift creatively. That was, after all, what she taught. A defensive gift being used too fight someone was a shining example for her students.
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Post by ĸara вelova★ on Sept 1, 2009 9:40:00 GMT -5
Hector's side bruised instantly when Veronica's rock hard calves struck him as she went down. He cringed, although he was tough enough to handle a bruise. But he had very little time to prepare for the kick she delivered, and when her heel burried into his other side, he could actually hear his ribs crack.
James took advantage of his higher ground and descended upon Veronica. He noticed, both from her striking down Arnold and Hector, that she wasn't super strong, just super hard. He put his knees on either side of her hips, and his feet between her thighs to stop her from kicking her knees up and dislodging him. He also pinned down her arms. Unfortunately, he wasn't sure how to make her tap out, seeing as how he'd likely break his thumbs trying to strangle something as tough as metal. All he could do was hold her down, and he looked side to side to see if Hector or Arnold were in any condition to help.
They weren't. It was just James and Veronica now.
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Post by veronica on Sept 1, 2009 11:24:33 GMT -5
Hector's side gave a satisfying crunch as her heel dug into it, and it seemed that he was down for the count. Veronica was completely unprepared for James to descend on her, however.
Although she still was unharmed, James had successfully immobilized her. Veronica started thrashing around to try and squirm free, but she wasn't an idiot. She knew that it would take a great stroke of luck to get the bigger, stronger man off of her.
Knowing it was hopeless, Veronica terminated her gift a few seconds early. That way, perhaps her opponent would be goaded to move into a position she could break free from. She had a five second safety net now, and every second just recharged her gift.
Feeling the hard cement ground- and the man on top of her - for the first time was a bit of a shock. Veronica had to stop herself from showing any outward signs of discomfort. Now she could only wait.
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Post by ĸara вelova★ on Sept 1, 2009 15:33:46 GMT -5
As the woman beneath his squirmed, a look of triumph came over his face when she was unsuccessful in her attempt to free himself. Instead of damaging his hands by throttling her, however, he shifted so his left forearm pressed against her throat, only to discover... it was fleshy. Apparently her shield had melted, making it possible for him to choke her out. However, the arm he was using to press down on her neck couldn't be in two places at once. Her right arm was free. James was depending on his weight and attack to keep her from wrestling him off her.
The crowd was a mixture of reactions. Most of them were chanting Veronica's name, some shouted 'You can do it!' and 'You can't let him win!'. Others were booing James. Someone cat-called.
"It looks like Veronica might be down for the count!" The MC's voice rang throughout the arena. Several people protested from the sidelines. "How about it Veronica, do you have Stage Fright?"
A mocking grin slid over James' mouth.
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Post by veronica on Sept 1, 2009 20:15:32 GMT -5
Veronica's eyes grew wide. Panic welled up inside her as the strong hands closed around her neck. A few stars burst into the edges of her visions, and her eyes narrowed. A plan slipped into her mind fully formed, even through her panicked, air deprived mind. She let him choke her until she couldn't stand it any more, then she shifted back to her diamond-hard self.
Instantly her airway cleared, and her vision cleared. But she had no time to sit around being relieved. Her right arm whistled through the air, and she dug her razor sharp, diamond hard nails into his choking hand. Veronica raked and clawed at the hand, trying to tear out as many chunks of flesh as she could.
She was definitely not down for the count.
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Post by ĸara вelova★ on Sept 1, 2009 21:09:49 GMT -5
James screamed something very not PG-13. He let go of Veronica with a howl as though she'd suddenly ignited beneath his grasp, and he held his hand to his chest to nurse his wound. He spat a horrendous insult at her, because the tables had turned. The guard pushed himself as far away from her so he could stand up.
The crowd cheered at Veronica's newfound freedom, jeering at James who'd been so confident before. The MC called out some encouraging words.
"A stunning recovery from our lovely lady! Come on Veronica, there's just one more!"
James now knew her shield had some sort of time-limit, and he wished he'd payed more attention before. He had no idea when her shield would lower again, but he was banking on the hope that it would. He just had to avoid her wolverine nails and other attacks until then, and he'd lung for the finish.
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Post by veronica on Sept 1, 2009 22:01:24 GMT -5
Veronica sprang up, ready to fight again. Her opponent's profanity and the crowd's support egged her on, and she couldn't help but enjoy herself. James was now backing up, and so Veronica shifted back to normal flesh, hoping to get him closer.In any case, she needed to recharge it if she was going to go into a prolonged battle.
Bet you didn't think a girl would be any challenge? She thought defiantly. There was no way that this 'guard' would be able to attack her fast enough that she wouldn't have defenses ready. She backed away slightly, putting room between them and forcing James to go on the offensive.
Veronica shot back some insults of her own. "Hit me! Hit me, you coward! Or are you afraid of me? Are you afraid of a girl." She was focusing, ready to use her power at an instant's notice.
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Post by ĸara вelova★ on Sept 2, 2009 14:58:05 GMT -5
It was true that James hadn't thought she'd be a difficult opponent. When she first stepped onto the stage, she looked like she was two seconds away from peeing her pants. Now she looked like some kind of demon from hell, and the way his hand was stinging made him wonder if she wasn't.
"I'm not afraid, I'm smart!" James retaliated, although there was nothing he would like more than to hit Veronica. He knew though that the second he got close enough, he'd be punching a brick wall. He picked up Hector's unused baton, but just to his left he saw Arnold's smashed weapon. Whatever shield she had, it was stronger than the stick he was holding. He wondered if he'd be able to scratch her if he had a diamond axe.
"Look at you!" James hissed at her, gesturing up and down with his uninjured hand, "You're a freak! God help your boyfriend. He's probably like, 'You're harder than I am!'." He was spiteful, crude, and in pain. The crowd boo'd his choice of words; apparently a lot of them thought Veronica's power was cool. Someone laughed from the sidelines - you'd always get one person entertained from unchecked insults.
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Post by veronica on Sept 2, 2009 17:40:15 GMT -5
Hmm. He was smart. They were at a deadlock, and he wasn't going to be easily goaded into attacking her. Veronica had to act quickly if she wanted to disable him and win the last point before the end of the match. Veronica sized James up. He looked like he would be slower than her, but it's never safe to judge much on appearances. She decided to continue trying to get him to attack her.
James' words didn't affect her at all. She knew she wasn't a freak. There was an entire Academy full of people like her, and she didn't need some guy with a club to define her world. And her last boyfriend had been abusive, so her gift actually came in handy. Veronica struck back with even harsher words.
"Please! How does it feel to have less balls than your girlfriend. Maybe you should get a real job. Obviously fighting outnumbered and unarmed women is too much of a challenge for you. Crawl back to your parents and hope that they still pretend to love you, you uneducated worm. Hey, lie on your resume and you could probably score a job flipping burgers for the rest of your pitiful life." The insults sizzled through the air like hot oil. If that didn't goad James into close combat, nothing would.
Veronica was a little ashamed of what she had said. She didn't mean to go that far. But the sooner he attacked her, the sooner Veronica could finish the stage and the sooner she could get a hot shower.
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Post by ĸara вelova★ on Sept 2, 2009 22:35:00 GMT -5
Veronica's acidic words splashed onto James and melted his resolve. He wasn't going to hold back, not on this bitch! The crowd chanted something that sounded suspiciously like 'Burger Boy', and it added to his fury tenfold.
"You're a cold, hard, --"
James rushed forward and swung at her head, only his baton didn't connect with her. Despite how furious he was with Veronica, and the audience who was clearly against him, James wasn't a hot-headed idiot. Sure he was hot-headed, but Veronica knew by now he was no brainless oaf. The first swing was a fake-out. He hoped she would just put up her sheild for the initial blow. Then he danced backward, but instead of stepping completely out of range, he swung again, this time for her ribs.
Come on! He braced himself to connect with something disgustingly solid.
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