Cannot be negotiated with.

[Smiley]

Sunny, bright. A wonderful day in the ever popular island of Strawberry Hill. The ever prosperous land, famous for its healthcare and the large orphanage, a place where people can actually have the hope for a good and healthy life, would never expect a pirate to appear at their shores.
Of course, it would expect that, though.. it's in the West Blue. The pirates that mean real business, the real and gratuitous cruelty generally lie in the Grand Line. 

The ones in the blues are usually blowhards, those full of hot air, the silly idiots and wannabes.
In a way, what they'd find today..
Was what they expected.
Cruelty..
Coming from the Grand Line.

---

"One hundred pounds of food. Twenty thousand beri. Bring it to me or suffer harsh consequences."
A man, huge amongst tall. Dwarfing even the tallest of normal human men, the imposing, stoic and tired-looking Alabastan mercenary, with his volumous, wooly white hair in dreadlocks that reached all the way down to his shoulders. Dressed in simple, yet foreign-styled leather clothing, that did little to hide the large biceps or pectorals, he was definitely the type to incur fear in whoever he talked to. 

Including the local militia officer he was talking to. 

Yet, he still had the gall to say no. A misguided belief, surely, that the militia were more than strong enough to take one single unarmed man and his insane demands, that they were nothing more than some loon, yet another blowhard that wouldn't go through with his threats. Someone.. who didn't follow up on their word. 

Hopes and assumptions wronged and lost, as the enraged giant quickly reached out to his first victim of the day, the agonized screaming and quick, desperate begging for his own life quickly silenced in a gut wrenching, loud snap. The body lied on the ground and, above him, the calmed man, with hands painted in dripping red, above a pool created by another. 

"This was my one and only warning." The huge man spoke while stepping ahead, one of his heavy feet crushing the ribcage of the newly-made corpse as he walked over him, regarding him with as much thought as the pavement, the very ground he stood on - much to the horror of bystanders who had crossed that traumatizing visage. 
"I will have my demands met." As he finished his last words, a white substance would begin growing on top of his right cheek. A white bone-like mass, meshing itself like a sort of crystal, just before it took proper shape, violently and rapidly enveloping the man's entire body.

It tightened, it took its proper shape. Wrapping around him like a well suited armor, the Bone Knight was, in time, equipped in a full suit of armor, one that, from its chest, raised his own weapon: an X-Shaped mace with a handle just big enough to be held by two hands, an imposing thing, made for crushing. 

"..Your blood will fill the cracks in the pavement!" The giant finally snapped, shouting with anger almost dripping out of his voice, his body going into a full-on mad dash to the nearest person he could find, the large mace coming down with not a shred of mercy, fully caving in the victim's skull. 

The buildings suffered a fate much similar to the people, smashed into and torn down with hands and mace. The moment he found a general store that sold oil and a simple lighter, he found it in his heart enough cruelty to set fire to them, not being above using the clothing of the fallen as ignition material. 

Screams. Pleas of help. 
Smoke.
Flames.

In his unblocked rampage, where the weapons of the local militia proved to be, at best, innefective and the nearest marine force capable of stopping him not close enough, his path of destruction indicated that he was heading to, without a doubt, both the Orphanage AND the hospital. 

Could a miracle truly come and stop him?

[Flame]

Outside of the besieged town of Strawberry Hill, a small fire burned. Unlike the one in the town above that raged over a general store, this one flickered weakly in the cool wind. It was controlled, hemmed in by rocks so that it wouldn't manage to go out of control. Illuminated by its soft light against the shade of nearby trees a hooded form sat upon a gnarled stump. Behind that figure a makeshift tent was set up to provide a bit of extra cover from the elements.

Not that there were any today. At least none harsh enough to require it. Not that she could tell, for she was warm. Undeniably warm, even a cool breeze barely affected her as she sat hunched beside the flame staring listlessly into the fire. "Hmmm ..." A thought popped into mind as she turned about and glanced behind her at the opened 'pack' behind her. All her things laid out on a piece of cloth she glanced over them her eyes falling upon the pair of manacles that weighed down the cloth. Ori blinked staring at it as if deep in thought before her stomach growled.

A quick look at her remaining supplies made her feel slightly ill. "Looks like I'll need to make a quick journey in." She said to herself immediately feeling a chill run across her skin. It'd be okay, she told herself this multiple times. How long had it been since she had an incident? Since that time on Flat Farm Island with those two imbeciles. Had the manacles helped with that, very much so but she believed she was stronger since then. She needed to believe she was. Ori brought her hands to her face rubbing them against it. In her chest she could feel her heartbeat rising with the moment.

But she needed food, it was an accepted reality that brought her so close to towns and cities on occasion. Ori gulped as she turned back to face the- her eyes fell upon a rising stack of smoke from within Strawberry Hill. That was, not something she had started. It was not her fault. She shivered slightly holding herself within her own arms. Dark red eyes narrowed upon the rising smoke. Maybe it was from a bonfire, yes ... a bonfire. Ori's head nodded up and down an irrelevant but necessary reassurance for herself.

Leaning forward she pushed off her legs and stood up. Ori was still too far away to hear the commotion from within Strawberry Hill. "I can take that just in case." She said her eyes falling back upon the manacles. They were her last resort in a sense, the shutoff valve, her kairouseki manacles. Carefully she pulled the edges of the cloth in around them and wrapping them in what became a sack. Her fingers grasping it, she bent down and pocketed the key.

Taking another look at the smoke rising in plumes from the city. Ori hesitated. No, no I have to do this. She reminded herself twice, then after another two moments stuck in fearful paralysis. Ori stopped. She took a breath and headed onwards towards town. To anyone looking it would've seemed she was walking towards her worst fear.

[Smiley]

She might not be walking into her worst fear in the way she first thought, though the situation in which she'd forced into would certainly be a nightmare in of itself. A situation that she can escape with an heavier conscience or fight for people to whom she owes nothing to. Risk the loss of control and cause more harm and good, possibly even failing to stop the threat. 

At that moment, however, the giant threat did not know of her impending arrival, instead, he busied himself in piling the bodies up into one single spot, so that he could have them organized, in a neat pile. He didn't touch them, not for now, mostly because he knew, deep down, that this wasn't the end of his rampage - after all, he had yet to find their bank, coffers, mayor's office.. anything that could be hiding the money he demanded. 

"Where is it..? WHERE IS IT!?" Cruel and merciless, he interrogated yet another victim who did not know what to tell him, which earned her a mace to the cranium, harshly caving it in. If anything, his mercy might be in the way he quickly killed those who could not resist or fight him, keeping their suffering to a quick crunch. 
That mercy might just run out, as as his efforts to find money continued to get frustrated with failure and uncooperative, useless people. In fact.. 

Where did they go?,
Had they run off into their own homes, as to hide from him? 

That wouldn't do. In fact, to solve that situation and get them out, he'd have to treat their homes like a bee's nest. Clunk. Clunk. So did his feet sound whenever they hit the ground in his heavy pace, directly to the pile he had been so neatly building up. It was to take note that most of the people he threw into it looked healthy enough, a probable sign that the hospital really was as good as he heard. 
There was, though, some who had some more fat in them than others. They'd suffice, so he believed, as he grabbed one of the fatter ones he found. 

Soak em in oil'.
Light em up. 

With a body that would burn for a while, in his classical "Conqueror's Brutality", in an effort to give a message to the world that demands of his could not be rejected. He threw it directly into one of the houses. It'd prove all the more effective at burning through the building than a simple pile of clothes.

In fact.. he was already expecting the fire to spread and people to run out, to meet his mace. 
And no one...
Would stop him.

[Flame]

Slow footsteps took her upwards. Her movement was sluggish as if unwilling. Fear crept into her, her own fear, her fear of herself. With each step she grew closer to Strawberry Hill until she stood at the entrance. If one could call it that. Where the town structure, houses and other buildings stuck up. A fence spread from one side and the other like a cutoff delineating the open hills and trees behind her from the structures ahead. Ori took a breath, "It'll be ..."

Her head turned up and the words stopped running from her mouth. Something was off, very off, it was like she could smell it in the air. But nothing seemed wrong thus far nothing she could see. Ori took another breath, leaning down for just a moment to place her cloth bag onto the road. Pausing there for a moment she took a breath. A long one this time, her hands came together. Fingers intertwined she made a prayer.
One she'd made a hundred tiems to varying levels of success ...

One that in some ways she'd lost faith in ...

But one she continued to make each and every time.

Ori exhaled slowly before flickering her eyes open once more. She leaned down and picked up what she'd dropped. Taking in yet another breath she took her time exhaling. She was stalling, she shouldn't let herself do that. Bringing her free hand up she lightly clapped her cheek twice. Then nodded to herself as if that had helped. Starting forward into town Ori headed down paths keeping an eye out for larger roads. If she wanted to find the market she'd have to find likely the main traversing road of the town.

Heading further in and closer she began to notice something. It was soft first but with each step it grew. The sound of a crackling fire, the smoke rising above, the osunds of screaming. Faint at first it was barely noticeable. But now, with each step, she grew closer and it became more. Beneath her breaths she could feel her heart rate rising. What was it, what was causing such a commotion. Every step increased the intensity of the calls until she finally saw the first folk running, sprinting away from the direction she was heading.

Steps became shorter, slowing nearly to a stop as she looked forward her eyes now trained for any signs. A woman ran by her, "Umm miss, what's happening, is it a fire?" She said timidly eliciting no response as the woman sprang past her. Ori retracted a hand holding both arms close to her body. Within her the fear was building, her heartbeat was rising in her ears. Ori pressed her eyes shut, her breathing was getting heavier.

Her fingers tightened into fists, teeth bit down onto her lip. I can't ... I ... She could feel it, the weight of it, the fear, of walking into whatever was happening. Those folk, that woman, they were running from something terrible. Something that would without a doubt would cause her problems. Her feet turned about. Ori turned around and stepped away.

-Bump-

It was more than a light tap but not some heavy thud, a shock hit her leg as something came crashing into it. Ori's eyes broke open as she turned to look. The hit had made her stumble forward a bit but no more. And as she turned once more she heard the crying. A young boy, probably no more than ten, was sprawled backwards having apparently run into her leg. "Oh ... are you ... okay?" She leaned down slightly, long flowing green hair hanging out in front of her.

If only for a moment the boy stopped crying and looked up at her. But the hysterics returned soon after. Hoarse from screaming his voice crackled out, "The-the monster ..." he stammered out. "Blood ... Fire ... Ki-killing" The child said in broken words interspersed between bouts of crying and emotion.

_{"Help ..."}

Ori squatted down tentatively reaching a hand forward. Beyond her fear, she found a small amount of compassion for this child. In many ways she could see the parallel to how he was asking and how she had been. The monk gulped as she touched the boy's cheek softly. She took another breath, could she help? Did she dare? Ori bit down on her lip. What did her faith say, she put so much of herself into it. She ...

Hesitation drove her down, would she even help that. The destruction she could work, even if trying to help was. Her breath was harsh, but life was sacred to her. Not only that she needed to make amends. This could be a place to start, but then. Lava trailed down her lip where she'd bit through and broken the skin. Ori closed her eyes.

Her hand which touched his cheek now cupped it. "Go now child, I'll see what I can do ..." There wasn't much strength in that statement. It lacked belief in its words. But that was all Ori could bring for the time being. That was ... it.

[Smiley]

Houses that collapsed as its foundations burned away, buildings that crumbled once his mace made contact. In his path of destruction, nothing could hope to stand in his way, at least, not right now. As fire burns through everything it can touch, people, from the unarmed victims to the fearful militia who have lost all morale, all decided to run. 

To seek help from stronger units? To escape the impending doom that would meet them should they stay around. To what purpose they were running, none of it really mattered to him. The armored monster, in his path of destruction, had shifted his focus. 
There was no more to say and no more actions to take against them. Blood had been spilled and fear had been instilled in their hearts. A lesson had been taught and his visage had spread, hence, any more bloodshed would bring him no tangible benefit. 

Hunting down those who, wisely, run away, is often the wrong choice. Besides, someone needed to spread the word about him. Had everyone died, then who would live to remember him? 

"Now, they will know better. Denying me is a mistake that they shan't repeat so soon." 
So he spoke, in what he hoped was a prophetic manner, taking a moment to glance around at the raging fire that continued to consume the town around him. Death had been delivered, though the damage, the destruction, had yet to satisfy him. 

A bit of damage on the coast is not enough to scare or alert the rich. Damage like this was peanuts to them, nothing to really note. His message to the common man had been delivered. Now, he had to deliver a whole new message to the people above. 
He raised his large mace, he grit his teeth under that grim, skull-like helmet and brought it down to a stone well. Smashed in one go, his strength made sure to turn it to rubble. 

And his rampage continued. Setting fires to what burnt, crushing what didn't. Bit by bit, he'd surely make it out of that place and continue on, to destroy what else came after. The orphanage? The hospital? 
He didn't know yet, all he knew that he would continue until he was satisfied or someone with actual power came to stop him. A higher ranking marine? A lone hero.. 


Though..
He did feel a shiver crawling up his spine. A gut feeling that he was about to meet someone of note.

[Flame]

Ori stood up and took a moment. Her dark eyes fell upon the child once more. They were met by clear blue eyes discolored by tears. A half mask of bravado formed upon her face, she didn't hold it well but she did the best she could. For the child at least ...

Placing a hand on the boy's head she ruffled his hair slightly turning his gaze away from her. Closing her eyes she took in a deep breath. Exhaling she took a step forward, then another as she left the child behind. Her feet were lead upon her legs. Each step weighed heavily upon her as she headed forth. Barely noticeable was the tenseness across her whole body, her arms shook, the hair on the back of her neck rose up. It'll be okay ... it'll be okay ... The words echoed quietly in her head. Barely audible to her mind they were a wisp of flame in the wind.

But through the weight, the heaviness she moved forward. Somewhere within she saw perhaps the chance of repentance for her deeds. The destruction and death she herself had caused. Like a funeral procession she strode forward, somber and unfeeling. Her mouth was moving, sounding mute prayers that rang only in her head as her road, her path merged onto a main way. Here the yelling and screaming was loudest yet. Fingers tightened about the cloth bag holding her manacles and her teeth pressed against her lips.

Tilting her head up Ori peered forward towards the incoming fleers and the destruction they fled from. The smoke she'd seen before were growing. Ahead she could see a number of buildings burning in flames. Ori shuddered her hand coming to her mouth covering it for a moment stop a gasp. She took another breath, before reaching over to steady the arm weighed down by the cloth bag.

Ori walked forward nonetheless doing her best to ignore the horrors running past her, stepping to avoid colliding with any of the hysterical folk. Until she found she suspected who she might be looking for. Even from the distance at which she spotted the character, it was obviously that she was easily the smaller of the two. If she were to guess maybe even half the height, if not more. What doubt she had grew, what chance did she have of stopping someone like that.

Perhaps scare them off? They were wearing some strange white-looking armor. Ori took a breath. It'd be okay, if she controlled it, within her she could tell her body was starting to react to the stress, she could feel the magma beginning to bubble within her. Careful not to alert him she stepped closer. A mask ... a mask ... She told herself, she needed to hide her own cowardice.

Ori bit her lip as she allowed herself to open a vent upon her palm. A small maw stretched open, within molten rock was visible. Slowly it started to bubble out of her free hand and flow over it. A small fountain of lava spreading down upon the ground. With what courage she could find she was able to meekly speak up in what amounted to a 'threat'.

"stop please, i'd prefer not to use this on you"

[Smiley]

As much as he had been destroying and crushing, eventually, someone had to come for him. The person that, in a way, he felt coming. His gut had not wronged him indeed, his eyes being diverted to someone who got his attention, what he assumed to be lava pouring from their hand, their face being cold and composed. 

The voice, though, to a hunter of both animal and man, did show a bit of fear. Seeing how she used, as he assumed, lava to fight, he figured that it was just the anticipation of a battle. A girl that he would assume to be the fearful type, showing up with fire in her gut, lava in her hand and a thinly-veiled threat directed at him.
To say that he was smiling under his helmet was an understatement. His smile was so wide that, in a way, she might have just felt his joy once he turned to face her.

"At last, someone competent to stop me. Are you the shining star that those disobedient knaves placed their hopes on?" The man asked with a challenging, clearly upbeat tone, slowly stepping off of the rubble that he had just created, the noise of bone clacking against the paved floor being loud enough to momentarily drown out even the screams of the few people who had yet to escape. 
"My name is Marshall Marrow. To my people I am known as the Antlion.
Now fight! Fight for your life!" The man, who had finally introduced himself, roared out his final cordial words to Ori before his huge body began a sprint towards her. 

By no means was he unnaturally fast, though he was not slow, at all. If anything, he was only faster than the typical trained warrior by virtue of his size alone, his larger legs taking him just a smidge further with each step. With a hand holding onto his large barmace, the violent and aggressive "Antlion" let out an horizontal swing with indescriminate cruelty, looking to land a first violent strike at the girl's chest. Such a blow against someone like her, he predicted, would be enough to launch her back.

[Flame]

Her threat did not work. Not at all, if anything it seemed to have the opposite effect as he screamed out across to her. Worse yet from what she read from his response, this was a man living in his own delusion. Ori groaned inwardly, oh this was not good not good at all. She tried to remember what she'd been taught about self-defense in the moment but nothing was coming to her.

Ori cursed beneath her breath as the man began to yell a war cry. Oh this definitely was a bad idea, he charged at her. The volcano woman's heart beat with the stomp of his feet as they carried her towards her at a sprint. What to do, what to do ... Her thoughts held her in place a pinch too long. All the while lava continued to flow from her palm. With the new beat of her heart it burst out in small fountains pooling a decent amount of still molten lava at her feet. Her immunity to it almost left her not moving.

Ahh, she nearly screamed as she realized what was about to happen as the weapon in his hand was readied. Her instincts kicked in and she tossed herself to the side that held the weapon. The movement of which included the swing of her arm which ended up tossing an arc of lava into the air somewhat in the way of the oncomer.

Hitting the ground she rolled slightly before recovering slightly onto her feet once more. Already Ori breathed hard, though she wasn't tired she was stressed nad she could feel it. Within her the lava boiled, it was roiled up from the movement and her increased pressure. Adrenaline surged in Ori as she continued to ask herself Why'd I get myself into this ... Raising the arm of flowing lava she aimed it towards the, whatever it was man-thing she was facing down.

Letusan Kecil A spurt of lava sprayed from her palm like a hose towards the giant before her.

[Smiley]

As a tendency, lava tends to cool own quite quickly once it's properly exposed to a different surface. That is, after it has spread its heat as much as it possibly could to the surface around it, as is the laws of physics. Even the unintentional attack of lava that flew towards his armor left spots on it considerably darkened, helping him realize that, should she actually focus an attack on his armor, it'd surely crumble. 

Better than most, he knew that his bone armor was more than strong enough to handle the unbearable heats of Alabasta and even most fires itself. Lava, though, had been something he only knew through books and teachers, never having experienced it himself. To see just how much it affected his armor made him slightly concerned, though he'd make himself adapt quickly.
He refused to share any words. Not right now, since he knew that saying anything at that point wouldn't be effective. 

Instead, he kicked against the ground after his missed swing, doing his best to quickly change directions to charge straight at her, still intent in squashing her. That stream of hers, of course, was dangerous - yet expected. After she dodged, he had been predicting some sort of distant retaliation. 
To avoid it touching his armor, Marshall chose to, instead, swing his mace directly at the stream, using its length to keep his hand relatively safe, bashing into it with enough strength to block its path, hopefully forcing it to spread around harmlessly, where it wouldn't be able to hurt him.

Of course, the mace was left blackened and mostly shattered, being much shorter than before. 
This did not seem to abate him, of course, as he forcefully closed the rest of the distance towards Ori.
And this time, he skipped any wind-up to his swing, choosing to, instead, predict that she'd try to dodge towards his weapon-wielding hand like before, since it worked the first time, and shift the mace to be pointing downward from his grip, swinging it to where he thought she'd be.

To make matters worse, he revealed that both his weapon and armor were products of a devil fruit and not some eccentric choice of style, as the shattered barmace regenerated back to its full size mid-swing, with Marshall hoping that it'd catch her by surprise.

[Flame]

The spray of lava shooting from her hand towards the towering giant was more effective than Ori could have ever expected. As the white club in her opponent's hit the spray batting parts of it away it blackened and shattered in the moment. Ori's eyes widened at that, surprised by the effectiveness of the attack. Hope sprang from deep within and for a moment her eyes glimmered with confidence.

Maybe I can do it ... That insidious thing called hope sprung within her. It dazed her for a mere millisecond of daydreaming as her opponent had already launched himself towards her and closed much of the gap she'd managed to open between the two. She blinked, So fast ... Ori didn't have time to decide. If it had destroyed the club before ...

Lava boiled up onto her the open-vented hand and spilled over across it. Thick and viscous it surrounded the hand dripping down onto the ground at her feet. The monk barely had time to breath as she swung her hand out to strike the incoming club.

Magma-covered hand and club met, the impact of which sprayed lava out about them. And though the weapon began blacken and shatter, the force of the hit still spread through Ori. Momentum and power surged through her arm and into her sending her spiralling away. For a moment her consciousness blackened and her body felt limp. She spun through the air as pain radiated up her arm and through her body before she crashed with a few hard bumps onto the pavement sliding across stone and gravel until friction finally stopped her.

Within Ori's magma boiled, it churned and surged inside her. Soreness and pain rang through her, clouding her mind and her thoughts. The hit had nearly knocked the breath out of her but she foudn it again, her eyes bolting open as she tried to push herself off the ground. Small drips of lava plopped on the ground where cuts marred her face from sliding against it. Within her mind she cursed, oh yes definitely this had been a horrible idea.

[Smiley]

Thankfully, her retaliation fell short, splashing around them as she clashed with his mace. Bits here and there would soak into his armor, continuing to blacken and weaken it further, though not enough to leave him completely unprotected. Instead, she had been knocked back quite harshly, her smaller, lighter and weaker body bouncing off of the pavement a few times before she rolled to a halt. Hopefully, so thought Marshall, she was suffering right now, because it meant that he had the upper hand.

"Someone this disappointing shouldn't have such a powerful blessing." Marshall spoke with disgust to his voice, reaching down to grab one of the larger pieces of rubble that he had created in his priviously, finding it to be the perfect projectile for him to throw, with his giant's strength, directly at the unprotected girl who was still struggling to stand back up, figuring that being hit with that would hurt even harder. 
"Surrender and I may yet allow you to turn tail and run." An offer, one that came very early in the fight. To convey a subtle message, one of him announcing his inevitable superiority to her, having already noted her for someone who was, on the inside, quite insecure. 

He saw it - the way she seemed to perk up and get more active once she realized that lava punched through his armor, even when hitting him collaterally. He saw the blind confidence she showed when she tried to block his mace with a counter-attack from her unprotected hand. He heard her pained voice as her body tumbled away. 

For now, as his father had taught him, he had to keep up the intimidation, the fear creeping through every nerve in her body, to make her conviction falter enough to make her give up.
Once again, he regenerated his barmace back to its full glory, still showing no signs of fatigue, not under his mask. A mercenary since the start of his life, he was already quite the hardy one, though making bone like that, with a fruit he had acquired recently.. it actually kinda tired him.

Hopefully, she won't find out.

[Flame]

Ori heaved a deep breath out with her head still ringing as she balanced herself on hands and knees. This was a bad idea ... such a bad idea ... She reminded herself twice, the only sound she could hear in the moment was her voice in her own head. The woman coughed, globlets of lava splatted onto the ground beneath her mouth. Was this it for her? She still felt woozy from the hit, her training as a monk was nothing to train herself for something like that.

The pyroclast pressed her eyelids down her body growing taught for a moment. In a swift motion she inhaled a bout of air. And pulled a leg up placing her foot on the ground. Steadying herself with both hands on the knee she went tottering onto her feet. Ori placed her footing firmly beneath her. She turned her head up. She had decided to do this, this was her way, this was 'the way'. Ori opened her eyes and stared forward.

A piece of stone perhaps the size of her head barreled towards her. Her reaction was too slow, far too slow as she dodged to the side and it crashed into her arm. The rock sent her twisting sideways as her arm screeched in pain. Lava began to flow down the arm where a large rip in her skin had appeared. The arm, it felt almost limp as her staggering feet managed to find her balance amid the spinning. Ori breathed hard, within her magma roiled and boiled somewhere within her temper was starting to flare. She found her footing once more. Instinctively adrenaline rushed through her systems and her hands balled into fists.

She- wait a minute. Both her hands were empty, balled into nothing but fists. -BEAT- -BEAT- Her heart roared to life in her ears. Then where is ... Her thouughts froze in fear. No, no she could not consider it. It was her safety - she began to breath quicker. Anxietry, stress, barraged her consciousness in the moment. Without it I can't, won't be able to ... Flashbacks in her head appeared, a town in flames, folk burning in the streets.

Ori shivered ignoring the pain in her wrist as she could feel it. A poison in the back of her mind, fear. Fear of what she was, what she was capable of. Her fingers wrapped about her arms as Ori continued to stand there. Without it, her powers were free. That roiling feeling in her stomach continued only inspiring more fear.

"No ... _{no ... no ... no no no no}"

[Smiley]

What had happened to her? For a moment, after having thrown that piece of rubble at her, she looked.. determined. A hit that cleanly hit her arm did not even stop this. Had it actually inflamed her further? The way he could see her face stiffen a bit, the way she balled up her fists!


Marshall finally faced a fighter with anger. A fighter with fire in her veins - literally, to a point! Marshall had noticed her blood. The way she coughed magma onto the cold floor...
Father had taught him, crucially, that "Logias bleed blood". She was not a logia. No, he had hit her, even if he had no way of using the "invisible armor". What, then, was she?


Finding out might prove to be his demise, if he takes too long. Crucially, it is best if he ends this, as quickly as one can. "An abused body, though you still stand. Adm-..?"

Confusion. A pang of disappointment. His respect that fizzled away as quickly as it had been inflamed. In front of him, somehow, her anger and determination changed, inexplicably, to extreme fear.


One could see it, in her very eyes; that desperate, vacant look. The shivering, how he, as he continued to approach, could see her chest rapidly moving: quickened breaths. All along, had Marshall been fighting a coward? Had bravado suddenly ran out?

In his heart, Marshall hoped for someone who would fall with pride, who would clash with everything they had! Hell, this entire boring circus, the constant let-downs.. it might just be fate laughing at him.


Marshall stepped close, his gargantuan body, amplified by that grim visage of death he called an armor, the low n' loud clattering of bone finally ceasing, his head tilting down to lay his eyes on her once more. A bug, to him, who gave him too much hope.

"A pitiful being, from the first breath, to her last." Marshall spoke with vitriolic disdain, hands tightly holding onto the handle of the weapon of his own creation; his arms, as long as her body, raised the heavy weapon as high as they could! A right foot stomped on the ground; his body inched closer to her; his weapon came down, like crashing thunder, about to strike down an insignificant being!


Was this the end? Would fear truly take her, or would release come and, this time, save her life?

[Flame]

_{"nononononononno"}

No, it was the only word that echoed in her head for the moment. It filled her head it was ocean she swam in. It represented her control, it slipped by the second. Ori was almost completely unaware of what went on about her. Lava pulsed out of the wounds in her arm in increasingly large flows. Already it began to pool about her legs forming a growing pond. But she barely noticed that, what she was aware of was the magma within. It was loud enough, it boiled, bubbles of it grew and popped within her. She could feel it in her everything, even with the lava pushing out of wounds in her arm the pressure was growing.

Her hands moved from her arms to her head. Fingertips bit into her temples in an effort to physically contain it. Contain it? Contain what? Ori's eyes squeezed shut. All that pressure it had grown, she'd held it back. Fear had protected her, repressed it, all those emotions that she could not allow herself. For if they were allowed, allowed to be free, to be felt. But she was tired, exhausted in body and mind trying to keep herself held back.

From within a voice spoke up, it sounded quiet but hopeful. How bad could it be? She didn't remember It'd be so relieving She'd have to live with the consequences. The voice deep within her, a little crazed and off kilter put forth one last question. So what?

Dark red eyes burst open as she let go for once. They looked forward to see the large bone weapon falling down towards her. Primal instincts took over, her mouth opened and she screeched, at the same time the pressure within her burst forth. It's last controller, her mind, let it free. As she roared the wounds on her arm let out a burst of burning volcanic ash and gas in all directions.

Pain even more excruciating than before reached down her arm as the pressure rent open the wounds on her arm from within. And from it emerged fountains of lava disgorging from her arm spraying from her arm all about her and her immediate surroundings. The consequences were here, she'd let it free, Ori was beginning to erupt.

SPOILER: Click to show

I'll let you choose whether your weapon actually manages to hit Ori through all this, its up to you.

[Smiley]

A weakling, to her last whimper, even covering her head, though in a most peculiar way, to protect herself from the inevitable! There would be no mercy or restraint for him, not after she fought back - even if fighting like a weakling, a coward who went down after one strike and lost all will to fight! 
Though, he had the wrong idea. About what? Most of everything, really. Her fears, her struggle, the continuing build-up of stress.. it really had little to do with him. If anything, Marshall had simply been a trigger and not much else. A key, not the treasure. 

Eyes open, throat screeching. As reflexes dictated, as he was swinging down the barmace, vulcanic ash and gases shot out of her arms towards him. Finally, confirmation of a growing suspicion, though it still came a tad bit too quick. Even as he staggered back, with his arms covering his slightly exposed eye sockets which he used to, well, see, the burning gases had already made their way into his exposed eyes. 

"Ghn--! SHIT!" Pride immeasurable, he wouldn't even allow himself to properly scream in pain, forcing his own body to suffer in silence, only to release the occasional swear or grunt. Burnt eyes and temporary blindness, his arms would continue to cover his face, the pain having made him lose grip on his weapon. Said weapon, like parts of his armor, were now being splashed with the lava. 

He backed away, as much as he could, considering the agonizing pain of going temporarily blind, his eyes rapidly becoming red and irritated, with the heat and ash mixed in. His armor would do its best to protect him, growing progressively blackened and brittle as it was hit with random sprays of lava. 
Though..
It's armor. Made out of bone.
Whatever material it's made out of, he still felt like he was truly cooking inside his own armor, only forcing more grunting and swearing from his mouth. 

A small trickle of blood came out of the bottom of his mask. Pride, to rather bite his own lip than to give the opponent the pleasure of hearing his screams. 
Marshall ran back, without actual aim, until he'd trip over rubble of his own creation. Hopefully, by burying himself in that, he could wait out her rampage..