RPG: Echo, The New Earth

[Light Buster]

Character: R.I.O.T
Location: Ruined City, Outside Bank

"So, that's how it is..."

RIOT then pulled out his assault rifle and fired off bursts of bullets as he stepped away from Exodus. The battle has begun and he knew that he'd win this battle.

[Dr. Hax]

Location: Ruined City - Bank exterior
Character: Exodus

Exodus' eyes turned blue as he took to the defensive, blocking some rounds but taking one in the shoulder and in the side. Soon, this thing would have to reload.

Assault rifles usually have clips that only house thirty rounds. He'll run dry at this rate and since he can't read thoughts, being a machine and all, I still have the advantage. Now to take to the offensive myself. Human bones break easy...I'm a Strain though so...

Exodus rolled again and charged at the predator. As he charged, he said...

"Bullets again? You call yourself something that will destroy humans? You're pathetic...Gunners lack close-quarters experience. Take this!!"

Getting to close range, Exodus put forth a downward strike on the gun itself. He wanted to cut the gun in half so that his opponent was forced to fight as he saw fit.

[Light Buster]

Character: R.I.O.T
Location: Ruined City, Outside Bank

As RIOT's weapon was split in half, he drew his dagger and one of his pistols out. It seems he'll have to play Exodus' game of close combat after all. RIOT stepped back and fired three shots of his heavy pistols. It should be fatal if it was to hit the head of his target. If not, the dagger can still be an asset that he can use to silence this Strain. RIOT felt good about this. This is the first time in a while that he fought an opponent at or above his level. This battle should be interesting.

[Dr. Hax]

Location: Ruined City - Bank Exterior
Character: Exodus

The machine pulled out a dagger and a handgun next. Exodus laughed and said,

"This truly isn't your best, is it? First an assault rifle and now a high caliber handgun? I guess I will have to make you play my game the hard way..."

Exodus felt the tip of his left blade chip a bit as he ran right to begin making a circle to evade fire. He held his hand up as his eyes emanated more blue light. The bullets were starting to slow and eventually stop as he said,

"The more you fire, the more painful for you this is going to be. You want to play with projectiles? I'll do the same then until you get it through your skull that hand-to-hand is the basis of all combat. Fools trust their lives to weapons."

Exodus stopped before the bullets and continued.

"I'll say this only once...lose the guns and fight like a real warrior does. Failure to do so will result in me pushing these bullets at high speed into your system. You're a machine...Surely you have some speed going for you now either drop the guns...all that you have on you as well...or eat your own rounds. Comply and I will take the chipped off bone and only use that as my weapon. Short blade to short blade...a step down from bare knuckle but I can't complain"

[Light Buster]

Character: R.I.O.T
Location: Ruined City, Outside Bank

"So, you rely only on close range attacks? Hmph, you're an old-age warrior, relaying only on blades to win battles. There's a reason why the Medieval Era came to an end."

RIOT dropped his remaining pistol on the ground along with the other one that was still holstered.

"Very well, I'll play by your rules. But it won't be easy. You may have close range experience, but let's see if you learned everything about it."

RIOT held up his blade and prepared for some Close Quarter Combat. It was the first in a while but RIOT had the skills to compete in Exodus' class.

[Dr. Hax]

Location: Ruined City - Bank Exterior
Character: Exodus

Exodus brought his hand to the far left, making the rounds fly into a rock. He sheathed his blades, picked up the bone chip and said,

"Firearms are not honorable weapons. That is the reason why I choose close-quarters. For the record, I don't only rely on close-range. I just prefer it over distance. Believe me, I have more experience than you could ever comprehend...than you can ever take in. I am a Strain whose thirst for knowledge is endless."

Exodus turned his blade so it faced out the pinky side of his right hand and said,

"Have you ever heard of a thief's style of knife combat? They used a particular knife called a Jambiya, usually envenomed to make the kill easier for them if they couldn't make it instant. I possess no venom but not to underestimate me. Now let's go."

Keeping his guard up, blade at the forefront, free hand behind it, Exodus slowly crept around the machine.

[Fox_of_Silver]

Rex marched behind the Symbiont.

"Are you sure it wasn't one of them fighting up there?" she asked.

"Most likely, the combat above is being caused by the combat Successor RIOT and a small army of weak opponents," Rex replied. "RIOT is a loyal subject of the emperor. Furthermore, the destruction of a small security drone, from what I've read of the histories of this bot...well, the damage would not be so...contained.

"Have you ever seen that other Successor before?"

[Light Buster]

Character: R.I.O.T
Location: Ruined City, Outside Bank

"Of course, a rather old technique. Was quiet useful back in the day."

RIOT kept an close eye on Exodus' movements while staying with his current plan.

"If you want to play you're little game, you'll have to attack first. It's your rules so I'm letting you come to me."

RIOT knows that if he actually attacks him, he can disarm him and go in for the kill.

[Mirun]

Location: Tunnels

Character: Roche

When you've been asleep for three hundred years, you tend to get pissed at the world when you wake up. Or so this was the theory of the not so bright Roche. His pale hands felt the grooves of the cement cracked walls of the tunnels. He wore a smile on his face, even though he was seriously seriously annoyed.
Many just complain that Roche woke up on the wrong side of the cement slab, but he was certain it wasn't that. Roche loved the smell of the tunnel, old, dusty and moldy.
And he usually took walks as he did now. He could deal with a good lunch, but there was an obstacle in his way. He saw a young man emotionally standing around.

"Oi!" Roche called, "You food?"

[Dr. Hax]

Location: Bank Exterior
Character: Exodus

"Fine then...don't disappoint me."

Exodus went for a kick to the side, putting his blade between his teeth. A predator of unknown skill would require an unusual strategy that deviated from combat against organic opponents. If the machine tried anything funny, there would always be the EMP.

[Light Buster]

Character: R.I.O.T
Location: Ruined City, Outside Bank

RIOT knew that Exodus just fell for his trap. RIOT grabbed the incoming kick as it came close to him and managed to stop the attack. He then grabbed Exodus' blade and attempted to pull it out of his teeth. This would require precise precision but it would work against this kind of opponent.

[Dr. Hax]

Location: Bank Exterior
Character: Exodus

The kick was grabbed as expected...Exodus now had a machine's hand near his mouth trying to rip the blade out.

...and here's where the feint comes in...

Exodus clamped down hard on the blade as he grabbed the machine's wrist to the hand that was holding the blade, grabbed the other arm and forced himself back on the ground to get his opponent thrown behind him for the counteroffensive. In the process, he used his tongue to turn the pointed end to the machine and spit it at one of the enemy's eyes.

[GameGeeks]

Scanning the area he spotted a symbiont which seemed to be calling out to him. There was no logical reason to respond so he continued his search in the tunnels and walked past the sym. Just then his hidden camera alerted him that Rex had survived. He reasoned that even if the damage was minimal he still used up most of his energy. He'd have no choice but to find another way out and recharge. His search would go unhindered at least by him.

[Light Buster]

Character: R.I.O.T
Location: Ruined City, Outside Bank

RIOT was thrown back by a counteroffensive. He was now on the ground before he knew it. Actually, he was kind of expecting it. RIOT quickly turned his head left and barely avoided the blade, breaking off his sunglasses. Pfft, guess he's gonna have to get new ones after this.

Not bad, but dodged this.

RIOT took his dagger and aimed for the neck in an attempt to stab Exodus' neck off.

[Dr. Hax]

Location: Bank Exterior
Character: Exodus

So now his eyes are in full view...interesting. No doubt some sort of special optics built in...technology had made that advancement long ago.

Exodus grabbed the opponent's dagger by the blade, letting his hand begin to bleed. He laughed and said,

"Impressive...I never thought I'd fight an opponent in this time frame who had the same amount of grit as the next feral symbiont a little over two hundred years ago. Scrap metal...I'm not like the Strain in this day and age. I came into existence two hundred and thirty-one years ago and ever since, I have loathed the symbionts. I am an Ancient Strain...not one of these watered down types who were brought into existence in a laboratory."

Exodus rolled on top of the machine, forcing the blade to its owners' eyes. Without optics, the game would be set. He continued speaking though...

"The symbionts of old were much more vicious than today's populace. The Strain of old were real warriors, fighting with zeal at the forefront and solidarity following in suit. Machines were programmed to carve out their master's future while the Strain, the Symbionts and the Humans...they make their own futures on a micro-scale as opposed to the macro-scale that the machines work under."

The blade drew closer to the left eye of the machine as Exodus' eyes widened. He let out more of a psychotic laugh as he pushed harder.

[Light Buster]

Character: R.I.O.T
Location: Ruined City, Outside Bank

LEFT EYE...DAMAGED...
HEAVY PISTOL...WITHIN ARM REACH...

The final nail in Exodus' coffin. RIOT reached for the gun with his right hand and grabbed it. He then thrusted the barrel of the gun into Exodus' mouth during his, so-called, evil laugh.

"Your time ends here, Exodus."

RIOT then pulled the trigger multipule times and gun shots sounds rang out through the night sky.

[Dr. Hax]

Location: Bank Exterior
Character: Exodus

A large hole in the back of Exodus' head...Love in the form of a bullet...Exodus stopped laughing all right but closed his eyes and got up. He held his head and said,

"That's the first time I've ever felt that...Funny...What did I say about firearms? Since you wish to play like that, I'll let you know of one thing. As I said before, I am not one of the Strain of this generation. I am an Ancient...and what Ancient is complete without a true form, a more fearsome form than you could even comprehend? Now you will see the full extent of my power for playing dirty."

Exodus' eyes turned blue as he broke through his human form, reveal the taller, legless form he usually would take. The six appendage spikes ready for a massacre. He let out a massive roar as he reached down for the machine's arm to rip it off and impale him with it.

"I will let you live as a message to CAESAR. Tell him I will be coming for he and his ilk. I know enough about machines to crush a small mechanical militia single-handedly. A good fight is what I ask for and you were decent. Know that as long as I exist, the machines are not safe. Farewell, scrap metal."

Exodus threw the opponent in the direction of New Parthenon...Sure the machine wouldn't travel far in midair but the distance would kill most organic life. Mercy wasn't Exodus' strong point but it had to be done to give himself time to recover. He slithered back to the University in hopes that someone would help him with his injuries. He sent the beacon out saying...

If anyone can hear me, I am heavily injured. I have endured three bullets exiting out the back of the skull. The mind needs time to regenerate and the bones need time to mend. Someone get to the main hall quick.

Reaching the main hall, he coiled up on the ground against the wall, dark blood, dripping from the head and began to breathe deep. He began to speak to himself...

"I toyed with him today to see what he could do. Now that I know of his abilities, when we meet again, I will pull out everything I know. Now he knows my true form. It is the form that will end him."

[Light Buster]

Character: R.I.O.T
Location: Ruined City, Outside Bank

"Funny, go ahead. Take my arm, it'll be your last."

LEFT ARM...LOST...
COMMENCING ARM SELF-DESTRUCTION...

"You gave me a good fight, I give you that, but you never underestimate me or any of CEASER's creations."

An explosion erupted as RIOT now headed back toward New Rome, in need to repair.

"It's seems that I'll be needing a partner after all..."

(OOC: Seems you and I are keeping this alive Hax.)

[Dr. Hax]

Location: University - Main Hall
Character: Exodus

"I need to improve myself somehow. Regeneration is fine as a Strain but I was never trained to have the toughest carapace out of my siblings. That was all Venetia while Skell had more physical strength and battle tactics than anything. I was left with wisdom and strong mental capabilities although my ability in combat is up to snuff. I have to endure more pain to harden this sorry excuse for an exoskeleton. Fire hardens most anything and the blistering cold toughens the constitution of materials without hardening. As for combat efficacy, Ares or some other Strain will have to do."

Exodus closed his eyes and continued to nest to try and hold off the pain without showing he was in it.