15strangers | (no subject)

W̡͜E̶EK ̵̕2̕͠

[The blight would not stop.

The world's leading experts have been trying to find a cure, to no avail. Th blight keeps changing, keeps foiling all attempts at being fully understood. It's almost sentient, or at least more sentient than any disease that's been encountered before. People fear the disease jumping from what's left of the grapes into other plants, into animals, or even humans.

You can only watch as entire economies and ecosystems collapse. You can only bury your head in your hands as your own business comes to its end. The destruction of the clusters of grapes has not simply destroyed the wine industry, either-other businesses are being destroyed by the plague. Food, transport, retail, nothing is untouched.

You look on your own vineyard, its yield almost entirely blackened and dead.

This can't keep going on.

-

A week has passed since everyone's arrival. No one has died, yet. But surely no one is holding their breath to see if they would survive this unscathed. They are veterans of the game, and they must know that whoever it is that is in charge demands their pound of flesh. The question is when it will happen.

It is the second week, after all-and when the second week of the game comes, death is not far behind. Not even when you wake up, feeling something different in your mind as you remember the truths you originally woke up with, deep in your mind. You feel...lighter, somehow, when you realize there is a change.

Even so, there are 15 strangers left in this place.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Don't suppose you could tell me what that is or what it does? I've been curious about it since I got it.

[ Oh hey. He totally remembers McBurn from when he fought one of the Hosts, but hadn't thought of going to talk to him. It'd be fun to fight him at some point, wouldn't it? ]

[ All in the name of good fun, of course.

He'd probably be up for a round too, just to see what Karma was made of. ]

It's a combat orbment. People back on my world use it to help with fighting battles.

[ We're starting off basic here. Also because he was a dead-ass lazy bum when it came to these things, but hey. ]

Yeah? Like something to enhance the way you fight or give you extra abilities?

[ Having the upper hand was important where you could get it. This was no different and didn't effect his desire to want to fight with others here and there. It was fun to test himself against people from other worlds to see how they fought, after all. ]

Both. It could be useful if you actually know what you're doing.

But, I can fight just fine without it.

[ Dear God, do we have two fighty people here. Do we. How long will this last...? ]

Interesting. Sounds like a good item to have with you all the same.

[ Considering it doesn't take much to get either of them to get into a fight, it was only a matter of time. ]

I know. I saw it when you went and fought that one host. [ Yes Hiyori, he knows your name but he's choosing not to use it right now. ] You're a pretty good fighter. How good would you say you are at hand to hand?

[ It really was. It was also probably only be fate that they had only just now began to speak to each other.

All the same, he wasn't expecting this lead up. ]

Good enough. [ Beat. ] Looking for a spar?

[ Because that's sure what it sounded like to him. And now he's looking him over, wondering how well the kid would fare in a match. ]

[ Of course. One can only put off the inevitable forever, after all.

Closing the book that had been sitting on his lap with a flourish, there's a definitive fire burning in his eyes now but wasn't one borne out of anger. It's probably one McBurn was inherently familiar with as it tied in with his love of fighting. ]

Sure am. Haven't really found many here who really make it worth my time, so it'd be nice to have an actual challenge.

[ The only two he knows can keep up with him are Kurama and Akira, but that's more on the level of fighting as equals over anything else. ]

[ It was.

He smirked; looked like he was getting his fight this week after all. He just hoped that the kid would be enough to put up with what he was bringing to the table. ]

Yeah? Well, hope you'll be able to keep up.

[ Though without his powers, he didn't think it impossible. ]

Right here sound about a good place to have a go?

[ While he might not have years of experience when it came to fighting, it wasn't as if Karma lacked the skills or was any kind of slouch, either. He stood up and rolled up the sleeves of his shirt a bit, rolling his shoulders a bit even as he let off a small laugh. ]

Certainly gonna try to.

[ He means every word of it, too. Only giving a cursory glance to their surroundings and thinking it over. Sure, it was a library but that just kinda made it all the more interesting trying to fight in a closed space; mostly since obstacles made more of a challenge in how to adapt to them. ]

Sure. Why not?

[ Well then, it was time to get going and probably knock some stuff over, yay!

He didn't bother asking if the other was ready after he asked. If the red head had enough experience, he should be prepared to react on a dime.

So he suddenly came at Karma, aiming for a low punch first. ]

[ It isn't as if he minds any, a wild grin in place as he immediately made to block that punch relatively easily. He wants unpredictability and isn't afraid of this happening without another word.

Which is why he absolutely retaliated with using his free hand to lash out in a quick, sharp jab without the slightest hesitation. Even if he ends up with some bruises out of this, he doesn't care. ]

[ McBurn wouldn't make this easy, but already he's enjoying this little spar of theirs. He's already pivoting on his foot to move out of the way of the jab.

He'll be following up with a low kick aimed at the other's legs. ]

Not a bad opening so far.