Game-Changers & Grudge Matches

<Um, could I have a glass of water please?>
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*Tirea runs over to Gabe, gives her a quick hug, then yells to Ven*

<Great job Ven! You're amazing!>

"Great good?" Gabe asked with a chuckle. "Anyway, you really are doing great Ven, but we've got one more round to go."

--

Mortal sits down next to her with a huff, and orders the same thing, "Hell of a day, huh? Are you alright?"

"Um, could you take off the chest plate?" Astarte held some of the water ready to start. "Also, I have enough to multitask, so is there anywhere else I could do?"

Eduj punched the ground with both fists, causing a closed tent of stone to erect around himself and Stefan. He tried to move his legs again.

"Yeah. Just need to get a new boot and gauntlet, but I'll worry about that later. So I talked to Tenzin, but he said that this area was mostly uninhabited before it became the United Republic. So if a spirit was living here, we wouldn't necessarily know about it."

*A muscular guy in an apron & a sleeveless shirt comes to give them their food, then leaves.*
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"Never mind. Looks like I have to go up again."

*Ven gives a heavy sigh before putting her helmet back on & climbing onto the lift, which begins taking her up to the ring.*
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"I'll have Nurse Aroma bring you one."
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Vanessa<Retrieve Dr. Avici. It looks like we have some new test subjects for him.>

<What if they try to escape?>

Vanessa<I'll roll over some bombs that activate by ripcord.>

"That is unhelpful," Mortal said, "Is there a way to get rid of, or, I don't know, appease a spirit without knowing much about it?"

Astarte looked downcast, "I didn't help..."

Unseen by the Purists, Eduj was beginning to dig down under the pavement. He would try to get down until his head was about a foot below road-level, and then began moving towards Hector. He made sure not to leave Stefan behind, and tried to keep the ground above him stable.

"Well, Chief Beifong says that we are to take it down by force, if necessary, but Tenzin doesn't think that's the way. He suggested that if it's kidnapping people, something must have disrupted its natural order, and now it's angry, and seeking retribution. That we should try looking for what disturbed it, which is probably around the site it haunts. Which reminds me, did you learn anything? Did those Foggy Swamp Cultists have anything to do with this?"
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*Sure enough, he hears footsteps above him, & rolling bombs. Sure enough, Vanessa catches onto what's happening & pulls the ripcords, causing a series of explosions that bury Eduj in a thin layer of rubble.*
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"Well, things happen. Come on, let's just get back up to our seats."
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*Ven takes her place with the rest of her team, looking really tired & slumped over, with a slight limp. Her braid is also barely holding together, & dripping water onto the arena floor.*

"I couldn't really get to talk with them," Mortal said, "They fled and before I could catch one the spirit showed up. I did find these though," She pulled out the dolls, "It was in a little shrine they had set up."

--

Gabe rubs Ven's shoulder, "Just one more round, then you'll be able to get some rest. Try to hang in there."

*Tirea gives Ven a thumbs up before getting into position*
---
*Eve smiles*

<Thank you.>

<The match hasn't even begun and Ven already looks like she's beaten. Meanwhile, the other Dragons have had to put a lot of firepower into holding off the Mongoose Lizards. Night's team is in pretty poor shape, but the team from Mo Ce still needs a knock-out to win. Who wants it more?>

*The bell to begin the match rings.*

<The Mongoose Lizards circle each other, abruptly switching positions, and then release an explosive opening volley, all in one fluid motion!>

*A fire kick is shot upwards into Ven's stomach, & 2 crosses aimed at her chest. To ensure that Gabe can't interfere, the Waterbender kicks a large wave over her. The Earthbender raises a disc like a shield & then pushes it like a piston towards Tirea's stomach. He shifts his leg, & with his other arm, he calls 2 more discs to fly over his shoulder towards her.*
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*Some time later, the redheaded nurse emerges, putting a glass of water (complete with ice cubes) on an end table & even fluffing her pillow.*

<Is there anything else you need?>
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*Euryale takes her doll &, while munching on her fries, puts her thumb over pins where the doll's eyes would be & jams them deep inside.*

"Huh. You know, I've heard about these. They're used to represent actual people, instead of spirits. Typically, you give blessings to them, but the pins suggest that this cult was working on casting curses. Probably trying to cause us pain, injury, or death. Here we go."

*From out of the fabric strands that makes up the doll's hair, she pulls a lock of real, red hair out.*

"Looks like mine. I guess we'll have to pay Senthose a visit when we go to return the extra car tonight. He clearly cared enough about whatever those guys were doing to make sure they got our real hair for the curse."

Gabe creates a wall of flame to cancel out the wave, then takes a quick hop forward, arching back and throwing a deep haymaker of a blast straight at the waterbender's chest, thoroughly annoyed with the beating they were giving Ven.

--

Mortal was not okay with this, "This is horrible. And be careful with the eyes, you don't know what kind of curses are on this thing... Wow, I must sound paranoid. I'm probably just a bit jumpy from earlier." Mortal settles back into her chair, and takes a bite of her sandwich.

*Tirea blocks the attacks with three arcs, then sends a blast back at the earthbender*
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*Eve picks up the glass and begins to drink*

<I'm fine, thank you very much.>

Astarte nodded and followed him back, still looking depressed.

Eduj lifted a large amount of the debris with his Earthbending and cast a stream of it at Vanessa, and the other Purists if they were still outside. He assumed the explosion would bring police, and decided that it would be easiest to just avoid capture or death until then. Immediately after throwing the debris he threw both arms to point up the street and caused a chunk of Earth holding himself, Hector and Stefan to begin sliding up the road and away.

*They take their seats again just as the match starts.*

"Don't worry, you'll feel better when they win. You can heal Ven then."
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<Ven flies back all the way to Zone 3 from a single shot! Tirea breaks through the assault, but her blast is too weak to do much damage. Gabe defends herself & throws a wind-up-punch that sends her opponent tumbling back 1 Zone. But I think she'd have gone much farther if Gabe were at peak condition. The Mongoose Lizards retaliate with a trio of shots to each Dragon.>
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*For a while, Eduj is undisturbed. Then the 3 Purists jump onto the section of rock, & begin traveling with him. They are each carrying their arrow devices, which the news calls "firearms," "shotbows," "firebows," or "guns," which they point at Eduj.*
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<Alright. Just let us know.>

*Aroma walks from the room.*
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*Euryale follows suit.*

"I wasn't expecting it to do anything. If there were curses on these dolls, then they should have activated by now."

*She takes a drink.*

"We also don't know if they have those abilities. A lot of people forget that most people who claim ties to the supernatural are really just charlatans. Those abilities are special and unusual, even rarer than Bending."

"Yea, I suppose you're right," Mortal said, "Like I said, I was just a bit spooked."

--

Gabe shoots three quick blasts at the water bender before diving out of the way of the blasts directed at her.

"But what if they lose?" Astarte sighed, staring at her hands in her lap rather than the match.

The rock was immediately broken to pieces, sending all of those riding it tumbling ahead onto the road. Eduj tried to protect his head in the fall.

*Eve puts the glass down, and closes her eyes, falling fast asleep*
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*Tirea also dives out of the way, then sends an arc at the earthbender*

"What are the odds of that? They Mongoose Lizards would have to get a knock-out in about 3 minutes."
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<Tirea and her opponent evade each others' shots. Gabe tries to evade, but isn't quite fast enough, and a blast catches her side, knocking her off-balance. Her opponent follows this up with a kick and a 2-fisted blast. The discs that Tirea evaded change course in mid-air, heading for Ven. She drops low to dodge the attacks.>
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*The Purists tumble. As they're trying to pull themselves out of the rubble, sirens can be heard approaching.*
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*Euryale puts a hand on Mortal's shoulder & rubs a few times before digging out a few Yuans & standing up.*

"That's understandable. We should get back to headquarters, it's almost quitting time, and we still have to interview Senthose and decide how to continue the investigation tomorrow."

*Tirea sends another arc at the earthbender, then a few blasts at the firebender*

Mortal tilts her head, and rests her cheek on Euryale's hand before standing up as well. "Yea, lets get going," She said, throwing down money as well. "Do you want to hold onto that, or should I?" She asked, pointing to the doll, while pocketing her own.

--

Gabe creates a wall of flame again to block the attacks, then uses a kick to launch the wall as a blast into her opponent.

"Oh, it doesn't make a difference to me. Whichever you'd prefer. But I think you're supposed to pay up front."
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*The waterbender twirls out of the way, sending a kick & a punch back. The Earthbender brings up discs to block.*

<Both teams continue ducking & weaving. The Mongoose Lizard captain takes one to the chest while winding up a fire blast for Ven, & goes back to Zone 2. Ven manages to drag herself to her feet & throws a disc wildly into the fray.>

*Tirea kicks up and sends another arc at the earthbender, then she blasts the firebender*

"Oh," Mortal let out a small chuckle and scooped up her yuans, then paid up front. Mortal then shrugged, "Doesn't bother me either, so why don't you just hold onto it."

--

At seeing the fire bender get knocked back, Gabe butterfly kicks out of the way of the attacks sent her way, and uses the kick to launch a blast at the firebender before she can recover her balance.

<Make that Zone 3. Aaaand she's in the drink. Ven's disc crashes uselessly against the floor. Their Waterbender takes advantage of Gabe's fancy flying kick to send a series of swipes that knock her back to Zone 3 and Ven out of the ring. The Earthbender keeps up the defense, then bounces a disc off of the ropes at Tirea's torso.>
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*At headquarters, Euryale is waiting for Mortal outside of the door to the prison cells. She flexes her fingers & the locks flip open, & the door swings backwards.*

"Ready to go?"

"Yes, ma'am," Mortal said, walking through.

--

Gabe sends a blast at the Earthbender.