Avatar RP VIII: Chapter VII: Timing

[Arhra]

Steel looped back the attacks that had been piled on Arhra II with his Fury enhanced time manipulation, forcing her through the travesties of lightning, fire, exploding penguins, unicorn horns and Japanese schoolgirls again and again until he hurt his clicking finger.

The Time Knight felt a powerful killing intent envelop him. Burning, crimson eyes bored into the back of his skull like diamond augurs. In them seethed an insane, inhuman rage that would never, ever die.

And then it abruptly vanished.

But Arhra II had been in front of him all this time.

"Bard, you're alright!" Arhra I shouted with glee behind him. Bard had died twenty times due to the vagaries of Steel's time magic as the faux-white mage had attempted to heal him. But now the summoner was alive and the pacifist Arhra's happiness was forcibly reinstated all thanks to the miracle of positive energy.

Arhra II had picked a target and it seemed even attack repeats wasn't going to sway her from it. Overcast fell from the heavens, an impossibly wide smile on his faces and made his declaration.

"Magic is silly. It always seems to blow up in your face."

Arhra II apparently agreed, continuing to advance on Etna Bishoujo without any magical attacks.

Etna Bishoujo slowly backed away from the slowly approaching Arhra II. "Geez, why're you so mad at me?" she said falteringly, clutching her spear. "I mean, all you wanted were the Fury Pills, right? And you got 'em all. Most of 'em, anways."

She bumped into Overcast, turning just enough to catch him in the corner of her eye. "Please, if you're not an evil version of who I think you actually are, I could use a little help here."

"Just get behind me and try to get your energy back. I'll see what I can do about her." Overcast said, pulling of his gloves and stepping between them. He hoped to touch her and apply a quirk.

Stepping forward, he swatted at a few of the strange mosquitos that were buzzing towards Arhra II.

Blank boxed, he looked in her eyes and reached out one hand in diplomacy.

"Just so I can get a good gauge at where I am at right now, is there any chance the two of us can talk this out and maybe go off disarming bombs together? I'd really like that."

Arhra II looked back with swirling red pits full of crazy rage.

Meanwhile a swirling mass of cherryblossoms appeared beside Etna Bishoujo. "Don't give up yet Bishoujo!" The whirlwind called, Rose taking shape in its center, "We still out number her, if we attack her with all our strength, she's sure to fall!"

Crackling bursts of pale pink and gold lightning danced over Rose's hand as she turned fully toward AB. "I know exactly what you need to fight again-" The sorceress threw her hand, open palmed, toward Bishoujo, "-a new look!"

The pairs original costumes were restored. And AB's mana too.

"If we're going to defeat Arhra II," Rose said, adjusting a wristband, "we're going to need to get serious, that means representing ourselves, not some random characters." She grasped the hilt of her dagger. "Remember to support me, kay?" She smiled at AB.

Rose vanished and reappeared in a flurry of cherry blossoms, far to the left of Arhra II. Arhra I and Bard; Rose; and Overcast and AB formed the points of a triangle, their enemy in the middle. All that was left was to wait for Overcast to finish whatever he was doing.

AB jumped the gun and started shooting.

"WAIT! TILL! I'M! DONE!" Overcast shouted at the cosplayer. He gave her a piece of his mind in the form of his exploding head.

"Wait until you're done?" AB said, picking herself up after getting slammed into a wall. "Are you even listening to yourself? That bitch just stole all the Fury Pills and is trying to kill us, even though all we really wanna do at this moment is stop the countdown."

Armored coughed up a little blood, then picked up her sword. "Fine, you wanna negotiate with crazy-ass bitches, go and negotiate. And when that countdown reaches zero and the universe or whatever blows up, you can tell us how much progress you made. I'm sure it'd be enlightening."

Surprisingly, Arhra II did not try to stab anyone at all during this time, choosing instead to conserve her strength. Her only motion was the tips of her wings flicking, trying to swat the buzzing swarm of mosquitos away.

"Let's taaalk." she said to the box headed man. How crazy.

No handshakes seemed to be on the agenda.

Then a large metal capsule burst out of the ground behind Overcast and AB. Shyria climbed out and looked down at Arhra. "Hello darling," she smirked. Flames danced between her teeth. "MISS ME?"

"Who are you?" Arhra II said blankly.

"Bishoujo?" Rose called across the triangle that Arhra II was at the center of, "Let's just leave the homicidal box to his negotiation, I think I'd like to explore the Tower. I'll grab Bard and the pacifist Arhra and we'll all have a wonderful time together." She paused before glancing toward the rest of the group. "The others can come if they feel like it."

Rose began to happily skip across the square toward the locations of said White Mage Arhra and Bard to recruit them. "Would you want to go?" Arhra I asked Bard as she cradled him.

Arhra II didn't seem to mind?