Making A Comeback

Mortal ducked to dodge the attack, took a step forward so that she would be too close to attack without awkwardly aiming at something incredibly close, then rose with a righteous fury to bring the top of her head into Vanessa's jaw.

Noct made way for the door while Mortal and Vanessa were involved in the scuffle, "Come on, she is a cop, lets leave this to her. We need to get to safety."

--

Gabe dove down.

R"I'm pretty sure that running out into the halls with all of the Purists is counter-productive to 'getting to safety.'"

*He follows them anyway. Vanessa backflips out of the way, taking her other weapon with her.*

<Come to think of it...you're the pig our Leader almost killed the other day, aren't you?>
============================
*Down below, they catch a glimpse of a couple of Red Monsoons, who freeze the water when they get in, but before they can break the surface. Only since Ven jumped late, she lands painfully on the ice, which she rolls off of to avoid the spikes they make. She is holding a couple of discs, which she has taken with her for some reason.*
============================
*Up top, the Purists blow the gas away with little mechanized fans.*

<You're not even wearing armor. This should be simple.>

"I don't need it. You forgot that this entire ring is made of metal."

*Euryale stomps, causing the Purists to sink down to their ankles. The Leader glares at her & takes out another gun, but fires it into the air. She wriggles out of her boots & climbs, swinging into the stands. Euryale runs after her, taking a dive off of the other end of the Arena.*

"You're not getting away that easily!"

*Tirea breaks though the ice around her and Gabe, growling*

<Oh, you guys too? CAN YOU STOP RUINING OUR SPECIAL NIGHT?!>

*Tirea sends Ice Needles at the red Monsoons, them prepares to redirect any water bending attack*

Mortal smiled, "Yeah. I'm also the one who is going to put her behind bars, and you in a hospital." She then sent out a stream of continuous fire, aimed at her hands, hoping to melt the plastic.

--

"If you want to stay be my guest, but they got in once, and now there isn't a door, so I don't think the owner's box is going to be a impregnable fortress," Noct said, keeping an eye out for more goons as she made her way to the lower levels where the lockers were.

--

Gabe pops out of the hole Tirea made, and punches a blast of fire at one of the gang members, "We can't just stay here, we have to get out of here."

R"But the owner's box has a cop in it."

*An explosion & shattering glass sounds over the intercom as they're heading down the stairs.*

{Well, folks, it looks like Ms. Aurora has saved me just in the nick of time. I really regret not voting for her.}

*Followed by Keter's angry sigh.*

{Keter<We need to get you out of here. As a non-bender who makes reports favoring Benders, many of the Purists are especially interested in getting rid of you.>

Shiro<Afraid I can't do that, Ma'am, the public needs to know, & the show must go on.>

*Another irritated sigh.*}

*At the bottom of the stairs, they hallway splits. To the right is the changing rooms. To the left, at the end of the hall, they see a masked Purist being beaten by a trio of Monsoons. Two start to wrestle her to the ground, as the third starts to rain blows down on her.*

R"Looks like they aren't exactly one big, happy team."
============================
*She steps out of the blaze. The plastic is pretty hardy, so she still has her scimitars. Unfortunately for her, the blades have been melted away. She swings them into a reverse grip & draws a smoke bomb, which she tosses between her & Mortal as she runs out of the room.*
============================
*They stop the icicles in midair, but one is taken by surprise & knocked over by the blast. Venezuela knocks the other one down & smashes one of the discs into his face to knock him out. The broken chunks begin orbiting her wrist.*

V"What Gabe said!"

<Think I'm just gonna let you leave!>

*The downed Triad member raises his hands, turning the frozen water back into lquid, & generating a wave that he hopes will knock them all down & cover them so that he can freeze them.*
=============================
*Meanwhile, in the stands, a Purist is walking down a row.*

<Duck...duck...duck...duck....>

*He stops at Monu, pointing the gun at him.*

<Goose.>

*Suddenly, Euryale shows up. Getting him in a choke hold, she crushes the gun & flings him back over her shoulder & into a wall.*

"I know it might be tempting to run, but everyone STAY IN YOUR SEATS. This is the only spot where your safety is guaranteed. I have to go after the Purist Leader."

*And so she runs towards the exit.*

Thiera<Wait, I'm an experienced Waterbender, can I help?>

"No! Bending skills are better put to use maintaining audience safety! Especially healers!"

Monu:<I'm an experienced Earthbender. What can I help with?>
---
*Tirea redirects the water so in goes around her, Ven, and Gabe, then sends a water whip at the Monsoon*

Astarte very hesitantly followed Roatha and Noct out of the box, listening for anything to indicate Mortal was badly injured behind them and presumably clutching a small ball of liquid.

Dalia thrust her free hand forwards and shot a counter blast into the drill of water, and simultaneously swung the whip past it directly into him. Thanks to the length of the whip and the shortened distance between them she was still a little covered from above.

"Nothing to worry too much about," Hector said, smiling. "It's just I have someone I need to settle a score with, and all I really know is that they run with those Purists. Do you know about any Purists around these parts? Maybe you've seen some?"

"And a host of criminals," Noct said.

Suddenly misogyny! Noct shoots a ball of ice at the head the one beating on the Purist, "Hey! Stop that you scum!"

--

The smoke bomb doesn't obliterate the memory of where the door is, so Mortal covers her nose and mouth just in case the smoke was poisonous, and dashes through after her.

--

Gabe is presumably treading water, and looking for a way out of there.

<Leave me alone!>

*Vanessa runs down the hall, passing the stairs.*
=======================
OOC: It's not misogyny if it's not targeting her for being a woman.

*He turns around.*

<...We're getting out of here.>

<I really don't think Senthose would have a problem with this.>

<Doesn't matter, we can't take...them.>

*While they're distracted, she stabs him in the ankle. Once they catch on, the others flee into other rooms. He looks at Noctis like she's betrayed him before he follows."

"Hell was that all about?"
=================================
Thiera<I don't know that Earthbending can help us in this situation, especially without Earth. Unless you know Metalbending or Seismic Sense.>

{Shiro<So, what do you know about these attacks?>

Keter<I believe they are going on throughout the entire building. There are Purists & Red Monsoons. A simultaneous attack.>}
=================================
*The Monsoon catches the water & throws it as ice needles at them. Stomping his foot, he causes more ice needles to fly out of the water behind him. Ven just pelts him with little rocks like a machinegun. Either way, Tarrlok & Franz are entering behind him.*
==================================
*He falls to the ground, stunned. A Purist runs down the stairs with a contraption like a wheel with a tube attached. He pulls a trigger & it fires arrow after arrow at Dalia.*
==================================
<Hey, buddy, this is a respectable establishment. We don't talk about that kind of stuff around here.>

<I can use Seismic Sense. I'll do whatever possible to help.>
---
*Tirea reverts the Ice Needles to water, then lets it fall to the ground. She then rapidly blasts the Monsoon with blasts of ice*

OOC: Bro, check your privilege.

"How should I know?" Noct asked, a bit annoyed that they didn't put up more of a fight like she was hoping, "You were the one that helped stop Senthose, maybe they know better than to mess around with you."

She then looks down at the Purist, "If you're alright I suggest you leave, and start making better life decisions."

--

"No, you're under arrest! Now quit running!" Mortal said, using a blast of Jet Propulsion to catch up to her.

--

Gabe begins to swim over there, figuring Tarrlok, and Franz will knock him out, and they can exit through the way they came in.

"We can't let her go," Astarte said, sounding mad. "Freeze her or something!"

Dalia leaped over into another aisle and cast her entire whip at the Purist like a flying snake. She began creating more flames immediately afterwards.

"Fair enough, I suppose," Hector said. "Though, I could make it well worth your while if you have anything to offer. But if you're not interested, we'll just have these drinks and head out."

OOC: Fuck off, Tumblr.

R"Oh yeah, let's just tell EVERYONE about that!"

*She gets up, holding her fists out & pressing against the wall as she tries to edge past them. Turns out fists don't protect against lightning.*

R"Astarte did have kind of a point."
=========================
*He throws himself against the ground to evade her attack & tosses a bomb her way.*
=========================
<I think you should do that.>
=========================
*She eventually does catch up. Vanessa tries to wriggle out of her grasp & hits her in the face with the back of her fist. The Purist Leader was headed down the other hallway, & so is now cornered.*

Purist Leader<Alright, have it your way. I'll kill you both here.>

*Euryale holds out her hand, causing the Leader's katana to fly into her grasp.*

"Come and try."
==============================
Thiera<Just try to detect whether or not any gang members are in the hallways. Maybe we can get out of here after all.>
==============================
*Tarrlok jumps in, landing in a puddle that, with a few arm movements, he manages to turn into a sphere of water that also shoots needles of ice out of it. Franz attempts a water whip from behind, & the Monsoon falls to the combined attacks. Then Franz fucking bodyslams him.*

*Monu nods and does that*
---
*Tirea swims after Gabe, assuming Ven will follow*

Noct shrugged, "True enough." Noct froze her hands to the floor, and continued on her way, "Citizen's arrest."

--

Mortal grabs Vanessa by the back of the neck, squeezing into the pressure points there, then forces her head down into Mortal's knee, hoping to knock her out so she can focus on the leader.

--

Righteous. Gabe got up, and said, "Thanks for the help." Unlike Shiro she didn't feel bad for not voting for either.

Astarte followed after, giving the back of Noct's head a slightly suspicious glance.

Dalia threw the few flames she was already producing into the flying bomb, hoping to detonate it in the air.

"Very well," Hector said, downing some of his beer.

*A bomb explodes in midair, probably filling innocent bystanders with shrapnel.*
===============================
*He senses a clear path to the stairs. Beyond that, who knows?*
===============================
*Tarrlok & Franz each roll up a bunch of water into 3 floating balls of ice.*

Tarrlok<This way, I will escort you to safety.>

Franz<Would it kill you to say that WE will escort them to safety?>

*They head into the halls.*
===============================
*This is not forceful enough. Vanessa then proves resourceful, using her chin to Chi Block Mortal's knee.*

Leader<ALL PURISTS TO THE SOUND OF MY VOICE!>

*She pulls out her bolas & takes a swing at Euryale's head with one set. Euryale cuts it, but she manages to hook the sword arm with the other bolas. She then tries to punch Euryale in the face, but her hand is obviously Chi Blocked, as it falls off of the Leader's fist limply, & Euryale is forced to dodge & spin her into the wall, cutting the bolas that bind her.*
======================================
*As they finally approach the Dragons' locker room, they hear a sarcastic clap as Aamon walks up to them. Behind him are a bunch of wankers in hospital gowns--3 red, 2 green, & a blue. They do nothing but stare straight ahead, looking serene Aamon adjusts his glasses, grinning.*

Aamon<Very impressive...but perhaps you'd have a tougher time with your own kind?>

R"I don't know who you are, but you sound like a fruit loop, & look like you brought a bunch of mental ward patients to attack us."

*Roatha points at Aamon, who spreads his arms as the other people file in front of him to defend him.*

Aamon<As a matter of fact, that is exactly what I did! I might not respect your freakish abilities, but that doesn't mean I can't see where having the power to move large volumes of rock or generate fire from one's hands would be useful to our movement! So I sought that woman's permission to do an experiment on some of the prisoners. Now I am ready to unveil the TRUE genius of my invention! You see-->

R"Is...is he ever going to stop talking...?"

Gabe nods, "Great, lets go."

--

Mortal stumbles a bit, but uses Vanessa to keep balance. She pulls her around slightly and elbows her in the temple this time.

--

Noct already launched an ice block into the head of one of the patients, "I doubt it."

Astarte backed away a few steps, still holding some liquid ready.

Dalia tried to make her way over to the Purist at speed, creating yet another long whip.

*Aamon looks as the patient in blue drops.*

Aamon<Very well, the abbreviated version, for your simple minds: "The Earth King has invited you to Lake Laogai.">

*The patients all mumble that they are honored to accept the Earth King's invitation. before the red ones let loose a torrent of fire. Roatha quickly steps in front of Noctis & Astarte & causes the flames to pass around them harmlessly. This does not, however, stop him from being hit in the stomach & head by 2 large chunks of concrete ripped out of the walls. Aamon holds his hands out to them & twitches his fingers creepily.*

Aamon<Do you see it now? By combining my lobotomy procedure with the hypnotism methods of the Dai Lee, I can perfectly control anyone's actions! And using electroconvulsive therapy, I am able to insert specialized bending techniques in a subject where none existed previously. You might say that I'm the next Avatar, able to Bend all elements and take Bending away, but that is where you would be wrong--I am a scientist. My techniques far surpass those of savages like Aang or Korra!>
============================
*He gets up & starts shooting at her again.*
============================
*She jabs Mortal in the upper arm, numbing it & blocking the attack. Also, her arms are free, so she reaches back to block the Chi of her other arm at the wrist. She then turns around to jab at her chest.*

"Mortal!"

*The Purist Leader pulls out a knife to try & stab Euryale while she's distracted, but Euryale spins around, planting a kick to her chest that sends her flying out of the window into the harbor below. Vanessa suddenly forgets all about Mortal mid-punch & charges after Euryale, drawing a pair of knives of her own.*

<NOOOOOO! You killed her! I'll kill YOU!>

*Meanwhile, in the hallway behind her, Mortal can hear several people approaching at a running speed.*
================================
*Tarrlok, Gabe, Venezuela, Franz, & Tirea splash through a flooded hallway, noticing that parts of the wall are broken, exposing dripping pipes. They hear voices in another hallway.*

Senthose<You know what your problem is, Kane? You're always pushing things too far.>

*Peeking around the corner, they see Senthose squaring off with a Metalbending cop. The cop's armor is cut in several places, with a leg & foot guard having come completely off. He forms a blade out of one of the ones he has left to block Senthose's strike, but is promptly stabbed in the shoulder & pinned to a wall.*

Senthose<You charged recklessly into battle one too many times, & it got you kicked out of the United Forces. Then you were crazy enough to try it again with us Triads, & look where that got you.>

Kane<Say whatever you'd like, but I won't let you interrupt my plans!>

*He smashes his fist against the wall, causing a portion of the wall & ceiling to collapse, but Senthose waves his hand, gathering a net of water to stop the debris, & also generating what can only be described as a drill of water around his hand, which he points at Kane's throat.*

Senthose<Ah, but to have plans, you need to have a future. And you don't.>

*Tarrlok uses the same move he did earlier, prompting Senthose to erect a shield of ice in front of him. Franz demolishes it by hurling one of the ice spheres into it & pulls water from below to generate ice blades on his hands as he runs at Senthose. For his part, Senthose jerks his main weapon out of Kane's shoulder & blocks both of his strikes.*

V"Behind us!"

*Voland & half a dozen generic Monsoons are running at them from the other hall. Tarrlok now turns sideways, so that he can send spikes in both directions.*

<The way to the stairs is clear.>
===
*Tirea sends a wave at the generic Monsoons, then freezes it when it reaches them. Then she adds Tarrok's Ice Needles*
---
*As there does not seem to be clear information about what's going on inside the arena, Eve sits still with a look of rage on her face*

Damn this....I can't do anything...

Mortal takes a knee to better stabilize herself, and, while Vanessa has her back to her, breathes a stream of fire at her.

--

Gabe shoots a one two punch of fire blasts at Voland.

--

Noct shot another ice ball at the earthbender, impacting his gut, then his up into his jaw.

Astarte ran to Roatha's side, her water glowing, and wrapped it around what was likely a messy head wound.

Dalia had the whip dance and crack in the line of fire of the Purist, attempting to swat and burn every arrow he fired as she closed the distance, and created a smaller fire shield close to her body for any arrows she missed.

They finished their beers and paid. Each of them was looking around the bar for anybody who might have overheard them- as Hector deliberately didn't keep his voice down- who might seem interested or angry.

*Vanessa is knocked out by some bitch's bad breath. Also her hair is on fire. A crowd of Purists show up & begin opening fire, so Euryale stomps & generates a wall behind Mortal.*

"Stop shooting! Your leader is in the harbor, if we can't get to a phone to call a river rescue, she's going to drown!"

Man<I say it serves her right for allying with Waterbenders!>

Man with deeper voice<Yeah, she showed she was weak when she started using Benders! Aamon's experiments were one thing, but Senthose?>

Woman<Bite your tongue, you fat traitor! If she's so weak, why don't you fight her yourself?>

Woman with shrew voice<Who cares? Just bomb those boars!>
===============================
*He drops, but the other one punches twice, causing the concrete slabs to fly at Noctis & Astarte. Roatha manages to hit the one heading for Astarte with a blast of fire, causing it to explode, though I imagine getting hit with chunks of hot concrete is still unpleasant.*

R"Ooh...sorry 'bout that."

*Meanwhile, one of the Firebenders cartwheels up to them, bringing a flaming kick down. Roatha puts his hands up to block & dispel the fire, then retaliates with his own blast into the guy's chest, but he waves his hand, redirecting it into a wall. The other 2 shoot volleys at Noctis. Aamon just laughs.*
===================================
*The Monsoons break out of the ice easily & Voland raises a water shield to block the fire. He tries to punch through the icicles, but when that proves too irritating, they just start flinging water blades down the hall. The cop runs up to the Pro-Benders, clutching his shoulder.*

Kane<Mr. Saxeus is injured! We have to get to him!>

*Meanwhile, Senthose is fencing with Franz. He decides to make fog with his trusty flask & afterwards quickly overpowers Franz, who keeps swinging at empty air, & pins him to the ground with his foot. Still being pelted by icicles, he lets his water net shift, depositing rubble on the group. However, this strategy is foiled when Ven rips them apart into small chunks & clouds of dust, then whirls around, causing it to billow around her.*
==================================
Thiera<Alright, lead the way out.>

*She puts an arm around Aroma's shoulder, because the latter is hyperventilating, then signals for the audience members to follow her to the stairs.*
==================================
{Shiro<...It looks like some of the audience is evacuating &--hold on, there appears to be a masked man entering behind me!>

Man<The microphone, if you don't mind.>

*Fire blast.*}
==================================
*Dalia is now lying on the ground with several crossbow bolts sticking out of her. The Purist presses the trigger a few more times, but the apparatus just clicks, so he tosses it aside, drawing a knife & advancing.*

<Fine. Maybe I want to finish the job up close & personal-like.>

*Monu nods and starts off in that direction, feeling ahead with seismic sense*
---
*Tirea raises her own water shield to block the water blades, then sends more Ice Needles their way*
---
*Eve opens the door and sticks her head outside, looking towards the arena*