Training center, releasing the demon within

[Joshua]

(((OK, to Cervil: DUUUHHH! "Vision" means a representation of reality. Of COURSE the thing is inside you. The vision just told my character *what* was helping yours out, not where or how.)))

"You know," I said from right behind Cervil, startling him into jumping, "that looked like it would have hurt... if that had been me."

As soon as I finished saying that, the "me" that the Netherworld warrior had just thrown around like a rag doll, turned into a punctured punching bag with a large poof of smoke.

"I hold off on ninja techniques with Mai because I can never fool her. You on the other hand..." I trailed off as he tried to ram me, but I was already gone, moving with high speed reflexes away and leaving another 'replacement' so he thought he got me, only to realize too late as I come up behind him once more, that he didn't.

"... I have no problem using them on," I finish my sentence, disappearing again before he can even turn all the way around to find me missing.

"By the way," my disembodied voice echoes across the platform, "is that a demon, or some kind of spirit guide that's helping you out there? Just curious is all."

Then I drop down from the ceiling, or rather 11 of me drop down from the ceiling and attack the guy.

[Cervil]

I stood there while the 11 Joshuas pummeled into me, when they were finished, it was like nothing had happened, apart from the fact that there were now 11 slightly more tired Joshuas, and my clothes were slightly dirty.

I hit each one, one by one, they all vanished like before, until I got to the real one, and sent him flying against the wall.

Maya iincreased the gravity, it still didn't affect me.


(((That is what she's doing right? Controlling the gravity in the room?)))

[Cervil]

(((Continuation...)))

I walked over to the Joshua that was lying next to the wall, "That is not something you need to know!" I told him.

[glow=red,2,300]"Watch him, he's about to run!"[/glow] The voice inside my head told me.

He got up and vanished, quicker then the AVERAGE eye could see, but I appeared right in front of him, he tried again, and I appeared in front of him again.

"My turn to use a brilliant display of speed!" I said, I went to hit Joshua, buit turned my fist to the REAL Joshua, again hanging off the roof... I hit my target.

"How did you know it was me?" He asked, getting up, now with a red mark on his face.

"All in due time, Joshua, all in due time!" I said.

[glow=red,2,300]"Keep him guessing Yier-Vill, keep him guessing!"[/glow]

[Joshua]

Cracking my head to the side, I smirked, accelerating my healing a fraction more than the average Slayer rate. Something has changed here. I don't know what, but . . . something has changed.

I'm excited.

A grin forms across my face without my willing, nor my intention. The words however, are all mine.

"Fun time's over," I almost growl, the grin still on my face, and get into a completely different fighting stance.

Suddenly, my gut clenches, and I'm reminded of my vision, the red-glowing demon or whatever directing him. Obviously it can sense, or has experience with what I can or will do. But I can apparently sense when it is communicating with it's "host". Hello, can we say advantage?

I start out with another full-run, Replacement technique, and as before, just as I'm "replacing" myself, Cervil moves to intercept me. Except this time, I *don't*.

"Boo," I say from my new vantage point below and behind him. He looks down, surprise etched into his face, and my gut cramps again. I don't let the opportunity go to waist and hit his right leg, full force.

Even I'm surprised when it suddenly gives under my hard fist and a sickening crunch sound echoes through the gym.

[Cervil]

I flipped about 2 metres into the air then landed on the floor, amazed at how I was able to actually do this, and how after Joshua pummelted into me, and didn't leave a mark, that somehow, he was able to trip me.

[glow=red,2,300]"Do not let it overcome you Yier-Vill! Attack back, he will not win! He cannot win!"[/glow]

I jumped up to the roof and hung upside down, he, again split himself up, and attacked with amazing speed.

I moved out of the way, leaving the first Joshua flying through the roof, I jumped to the wall, then flew and tackled down two others, I used a whole lot of punches and kicks to take out the rest, then flipped around the real Joshua, and went to kick him, he dodged.

He then attached back, I dodged... we continued this for quite a while, no-one being able to hit each other.

[glow=red,2,300]"Yier-Vill, stop holding back, attack him with your full force!"[/glow] The voice demanded of me.

'But then it will end too quickly, besides, I'm having fun!' I thought.

We continued to attack and dodge...

[Joshua]

"OK, that's even worse cheating than what I do," I said mostly to myself as Cervil's broken leg healed in a single moment. Or more like it was healed *by* something in a single moment.

"But hey," I said as I dodged, "if a Slayer can't beat you, I gotta wonder what can beat that demon that's hitchhiking on your back."

I accelerated for a fraction of a second, dodging another powerful blow from the supposed human. Netherworld training aside, only somebody enhanced in some manner, usually demonic or magic, can be landing those kind of blows. Good thing I have actually started trying.

But if Mai...

She just kicked up the gravity to 15 Gs. Shit, so much for my strength advantage. Going to have to hope my speed can keep up before she gets to 25, where even *she* can hardly move! Luckily, whenever facing off against each other, the Gravity is usually around 50 and like moving through slowly hardening cement, 150 kilometers beneath the Earth's surface, but our determination to battle against one another gives us a workout like no other.

This Netherworld guy though... He's almost, *almost* as annoying as Tpot, but a better challenge.

But there is a bigger difference. And that is that Mai and I, we don't get outside help. All our powers, all our skills, all our strengths, they're ours. Not somebody elses, or even a demons or something else.

And that's why I'll win, I decided.

[Cervil]

I continued to attack, I didn't give Joshua even a microsecond of rest, I kept on going, not stopping for anything.

As I felt the gravity increase, I wasn't the slightest bit worried, I knew I could stand up to a lot more, if the demon was not inside me right now, this would normally be where I would be just able to fight, seeing as I have been fighting in the Netherworld for so long, where the gravity is not much lower than this was right now.

I smiled as a worried look appeared on Joshua's face for a second, he was not going to be able to stand much more gravity, but I was!

[glow=red,2,300]"Tireing him out, I see, we will see how this goes!"[/glow]

[Joshua]

Jumping was no longer an option as I ducked another heavy-hit, but it left less of an after-effect than the others before it did. I also noticed, after each heavy, floor pounding hit like that, he was forced to recover for a moment, and as time, and gravity increase, those moments became fractionally longer.

Also, my gut-clenches were coming less and less, telling me the demon was giving less and less advice, which could be either good or bad for me.

Good in that there may not be any more surprises for me. Bad in that they were probably figuring I had no more surprises for them.

Problem came . . . I had very few surprises left.

We hit the 30 G mark, and finally there was a hint that this opponent of mine was being affected by the gravity. He took a whole second to recover after throwing a swing at me, and it wasn't one of the floor-pounders either.

I skirted out of his way, waiting, watching, studying, and hoping for an opening that I could capitalize on.

Mai, out of the corner of my eye, winked one eye at me, and then cranked it up to 35 with no more warning than that. For me, it was enough as I braced myself, looking like I was defending, but it took Cervil by surprise as he suddenly stumbled, his foot landing heavier than he'd expected on the floor. He recovered too quickly for me to do anything about it though.

[Jackson ''Doc'' Ellison]

I walked in, took one look at Cervil, checked on my Saber, which was going ape sh*t and said seven words.

"What the hell is going on here?"

[Joshua]

"We're sparring," I told him. "No offense Doc, but shut up and go sit by Mai. This is between me and Mr. Netherworld."

[Maya]

"They're acting like twelve year old, showing off an' all." I told Doc as he aproached me. He grinned,
"So you just keep cranking up the gravity?"
"You know it." I replied.
"Evil woman." He said, chuckling. I shrugged,
"I'll kick both their asses when they get too rough."

[Cervil]

[glow=red,2,300]"That's it Yier-Vill, stop holding back, or your on your own!"[/glow] The voice said, now angered.

'Aw, alright, I've had my fun! Time to end it.' I thought.

I stood up, under the pressure, like the gravity was normal, Maya cranked it up to 40, but it only effected Joshua.

"Let's finish this!" I told Joshua.

[glow=red,2,300]"Finally, here's what you do..."[/glow] The voice gave me instructions on how to sucsessfully attack Joshua, and finish him off.

I leaped into ther air, high enough to kick him in the face, as the voice predicted, he ducked. I pushed my leg down, hard, and hit him flat on the head, knocing him to the floor. I landed, and followed witrh a low kick, which got him in the stomach, making him spew spit.

[glow=red,2,300]"Leave him, wait for him to attack now! If he doesn't, finish him off, if he does, do the same, I'll tell you how!"[/glow]

I obeyed, and waited for him to get up from those heavy blows to the head and stomach.

[Jackson ''Doc'' Ellison]

"Something is wrong."

"Mai, turn the gravity off," I said. She complied while I drew my Sabre. "What is it?"

"It looks like we picked up a hitchhiker."

"Terrific."

[Cervil]

I looked at Joshua, who wasn't even able to stand up. Blood started appearing on the side of his mouth. After that last blow to the stomach, it seemed as if he wouldn't be able to stand for a month!

'Mabye hit him a bit TOO hard...' I thought, 'Oh well, he's finished now, and Mai can easily heal that! I won!'

[glow=red,2,300]"I must rest"[/glow] The voice in my head told me.

'Why?' I asked.

[glow=red,2,300]"Are you blind? Can you not see? The one with the sabre has discovered me! I must rest now, therefor, her will not be able to sence me as well as if I contined to... a$$ist you!"[/glow]

'Ok, but if you do, I can't continue this fight, without slayer powers, like the rest of these guys, I won't stand a chance!' I thought.

The demon's power vanished as quickly as it appeared (very quickly) and I was left there in normal human form.

I watched as Mai turned off the gravity and Doc walked up to me.

'If Joshua didn't have powers, I could 'ave easily smashed him to the ground! I wouldn't even need the demon, but, sadly, he has that advantage, oh well, now I've got a lot of explaining to do!' I thought to myself.


(((ha ha, Joshua's not all powerful, My character could beat him up EASY if he didn't have slayer powers!! Take that Joshua!!! )))

[Joshua]

I considered what to do. And decided that it was better to take a dive than kill myself trying to prove I had bigger balls.

And it didn't help that I was beginning to feel the entropy.

I didn't think it would happen this soon. And I didn't think it would be too bad, until I remembered that it was entropy for two people, instead of just one time wizard.

It was easy enough to stay on the ground, the gravity was comforting when you weren't fighting it. But as much as the blows hurt, I knew they weren't that bad. And I knew what was happening to me when I suddenly coughed up blood.

I was dying . . .